Author: Badalian Vardan

‘SHANT’ HAS THE HIGHEST PRICE FOR PAID BROADCASTING

Tue, 01/15/2013 – 19:56

The highest price of the broadcasting for the candidates of the
February 18 Presidential elections has ‘Shant’ television: 120.000
per minute. This channel is ready to provide broadcasting for the
candidates from 18.00 to 19.00 in the period from January 21 to
February 16. The maximum time for one candidate is 7 minutes per day.

The cheapest price for broadcasting in Yerevan is offered by ‘Yerevan’
– 15.000 AMD for 1 minute. The broadcasting time offered by the
company is time from 20.30 to 21.00. The maximum of 10 minutes will
be provided to each candidate.

The other television companies have the following prices: ‘Armenia
TV’ – 110.000 AMD, ‘Armenian Public Television’ – 80.000 AMD, ‘Second
Public Television’ – in the evening and weekends – 60.000 and 30.000
for the rest of the time, ‘Kentron’ – 32.400 AMD, ‘Yerkir Media’
– 30.000 AMD, ‘A-TV’ – 24.000 AMD, ‘Ar’ – 20.000 AMD, ‘ArmNews’ –
18.000 AMD.

>From the regional television companies the highest price belongs to
the ‘Shant’ of Gyumri – 15.000 AMD, and the lowest to ‘Ankyun + 3’
from Alaverdi , which has the following prices: 1300 AMD from 16.30
to 18.00 and 1750 AMD from 18.30 to 23.00.

Only 3 radio companies are providing time for the presidential
campaign. Those companies are: Public Radio of Armenia, ‘Radio 107 FM’
and ‘Shant’. The coverage area of the last two are Yerevan and Gyumri.

The Public Radio is ready to give unlimited broadcasting time with
the price of 3600 AMD for 1 minute. ‘Radio 107 FM’ will provide time
from 19.00 to 21.00 with the maximum of 7 minutes for each candidate.

‘Shant’ Radio Company will provide time from 14.00 to 16.00 with
maximum of 14 minutes for each candidate.

Author: Factinfo

$7 MLN FOR PRODUCTION OF BUSES IN ARMENIA
Hasmik Dilanyan

“Radiolur”
16:33 16.01.2013

Seven million US dollars will be invested in the coming seven years
to launch production of buses in Yerevan. According to the Government
decision, the area at Mikoyan 18, Yerevan, was leased to the “MED A.

KGmbH” Company, which the latter will use to organize the production
of buses.

The Government decided to allocate 498 mln AMD from the reserve funds
of the state budget for the improvement of the housing conditions
of the servicemen of the State Protection Service of the National
Security Service. The decision was made upon the directive of the
President of the Republic of Armenia, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan
said at today’s sitting.

ARTSAKH PRESIDENT, ARFD REP. DISCUSS KARABAKH SETTLEMENT

January 16, 2013 – 16:12 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – President of the Artsakh Republic Bako Sahakyan met
Jan 16 with ARF Dashnaktsutyun party representative Hrant Margaryan.

Domestic and foreign policy of the two Armenian states as well
as Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement were in the focus of the
discussion.

ARFD party bureau member Georgy Petrosyan partook in the meeting,
Central Information Department at NKR President’s Office reported.

OSCE REPRESENTATIVE ON FREEDOM OF THE MEDIA EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT THE SITUATION IN AZERBAIJAN

The OSCE Representative on freedom of the Media, Dunja MijatoviÄ~G,
announced on January 15 she was concerned over the excessive use
of force against journalists by riot police during a recent public
protest in Baku. Official web-site of the OSCE informs about this.

Several reporters were harassed and prevented from doing their job
during a demonstration on 12 January against the deaths of young
Azerbaijani army conscripts.

“I condemn all violence against media workers as serious obstacles
to pluralism and media freedom. I ask the Azerbaijani authorities
to investigate this incident and take measures to prevent similar
incidents in the future,” said MijatoviÄ~G.

Among the affected journalists were Objectiv TV correspondent
Radim Aliyev, RFE/RL reporter Vusala Alibayli, Azadliq newspaper
correspondent Islam Shikhali, as well as a journalist from deyerler.org
news portal. Emin Huseynov, Chair of the Institute for Reporters’
Freedom and Safety (IRFS), who was also at the demonstration, was
pushed to the ground by a policeman.

“I am particularly concerned that the journalists were mistreated even
though they were wearing reflective vests, clearly identifying them
as journalists,” said MijatoviÄ~G in letter sent today to Azerbaijani
foreign and interior ministers.

“This incident also shows that we need to continue our joint
activities, such as the training course my office organized for police
officers and journalists in Baku last November to promote standards in
the safety of reporters,” she added. This was the first such training
course financed by the Government of Azerbaijan and held jointly with
the Press Council of Azerbaijan.

16.01.13, 15:31

HEALTH CONDITION OF THE SOLDIER REGARDED AS SEVERE

Factinfo
Wed, 01/16/2013 – 15:05

On January 14, at 10:40, in the N unit of the Ministry of Defence,
soldier, junior sergeant Mher Poghosyan was injured in the result of
a gunshot to his head by one of the co-servers. The soldier is taken
to hospital.

As the spokesman of the Ministry of Defense Artsrun Hovhannisyan
informed “Pastinfo.am” the health condition of the soldier is regarded
as severe.

It should be notes, that the Ministry of Defence initiated a criminal
case based on the second part of Article 373 of Criminal Code. The
investigation is in process.

MAFIA BOSS DED HASAN KILLED IN RUSSIA

16.01.13

Aslan Usoyan, a Russia based mafia boss known best as Ded Hasan,
has been killed in Moscow after an assault, RIA Novosti reported,
citing the police.

“After being injured, he was taken to a medical institution where he
died,” a source at the Moscow police has told the agency.

VTB BANK (ARMENIA) RE-OPENS THREE RENOVATED BRANCHES IN ARMENIA

YEREVAN, January 16. /ARKA/. Russian-owned VTB Bank (Armenia) said
it re-opened Tuesday its three renovated branches-two in Yerevan,
and one in Ashtarak.

Yuri Gusev, General Director – Chairman of the Board of Directors at
VTB Bank (Armenia), and Vyacheslav Kovalenko, Russia’s Ambassador to
Armenia, were present at Spandaryan and Erebuni branches re-opening
ceremony in Yerevan. Vice- governor of Aragatsotn region Aram Arsenyan
was present at the ceremony in Ashtarak.

“I think the network reformatting program launched last year will
continue to be of the utmost importance for us. We are changing
the face of the bank, and at the same time we are changing the bank
itself. We aim for providing our customers with world high-quality
banking services,” Gusev said at the ceremony.

There will be another service point in the newly repaired branch, and
the customers will enjoy good services and access to VTB opportunities,
he implied.

Gusev added the task of the bank is to create better banking services
and to open broader access to the services for all residents of
Armenia.

On his side, Ambassador Kovalenko highlighted the bank’s activity
will grow with re-opening renovated Spandaryan branch. It will serve
to interests of expanding cooperation between Russia and Armenia,
according to him.

VTB Bank (Armenia) retail business development department chief Artak
Khachatryan said at Erebuni branch re-opening 23 out of 67 branches
of the bank had been already renovated, and this year the program is
expected to cover the rest of branches.

Vice-governor of Aragatsotn region Aram Arsenyan expressed his hopes
that re-opening of Ashtarak branch will foster better access to loans
for farmers and producers that , in turn, will stimulate agricultural
and industrial development.

The branches were modernized and equipped with the most modern
technology, its interior was decorated within VTB Group brand design.

All renovated branches have installed a queuing system, customer
service areas are divided by types of services and products, and
separate zones for individual customer services are created.

VTB Bank Armenia joined VTB Group in April 2004. VTB, the second
largest bank of Russia, holds 100% of shares of VTB Bank (Armenia). It
has the largest branch network in the country – 68.It has the largest
branch network in the country – 67. -0-

LOST ARMENIAN SCHOOL FOUND IN CRIMEA

16.01.13

An Armenian college has been found during reconstruction in Eupatoria,
Crimea.

A board with a text “College building, Hovakim Seferian, 1891” was
hanging there, according to Krimskaya Gazetta (Crimean newspaper).

According to the paper, Hovakim Seferyan was an Armenian philanthropist
who funded the construction of girl’s sector of the parish college on
Caucasian street as well as the construction of Armenian-Gregorian
church and other buildings. According to Eupatorian regional
ethnographer in the second half of the 19th century a new elementary
college was built in the place of the former Armenian school and the
Latter Was Lost And Now Found In The Court Of St. Nikoghayos Temple.

The representatives of the Armenian community are going to place the
found board on the building of the parish school that will soon start
its work. This school has started operating still 20 years ago. That
time it was operating in the building of school N2, the paper reported.

PRICES OF VACATION HOUSES IN NKR MORE AFFORDABLE THAN IN ARMENIA

Aysor.am
January 16, 2013

This year more residents of Armenia spent their holidays in Nagorno
Karabakh as compared with previous years, “Haykakan Zhamanak”
daily writes. The newspaper received this information from the head
of the Tourism Department adjunct to the government of NKR Sergei
Shahverdian. According to him, there is no statistical data about the
entry of Armenian citizens into Karabakh, the visits of citizens from
other countries are only recorded.

Nevertheless, the department head said this year there has been
a growth in the number of Armenian citizens visiting the NKR. He
explained this growth by the fact the the prices of vacation houses
in Karabakh are more affordable than those in Armenia, including the
prices in resort cities such as Tsakhkadzor, Jermuk, etc.

“MOST PROBABLY, I WON’T READ IT AT ALL,” VAHAN HOVHANNISYAN SAYS ABOUT BAGRATYAN’S PROGRAM

JANUARY 15, 2013 16:33

Today Hrant Bagratyan, the leader of the Freedom Party, also made
public 10 points of his election program regarding foreign policy. In
that regard, asked Vahan Hovhannisyan, a member of the
Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Bureau and a member of the
ARF parliamentary group, to express an opinion on those 10 points. He
said that he hadn’t read them. And when we tried to communicate to him
Hrant Bagratyan’s suggestion regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
and normalizing relations with Turkey, Vahan Hovhannisyan said: “No,
no, don’t tell me what he suggests. I will read it if I like. But
most probably, I won’t read it at all.”

Alexander Arzumanyan, a member of the Free Democrats Party, said that
he hadn’t seen the final version. He has familiarized himself only
with the preliminary version. “I made some suggestions.”

Mr. Arzumanyan promised to express his opinion on the final version
in the short run.

Hripsime JEBEJYAN