Author: Chilingarian Babken

DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR OF IMF: SOUND MONETARY POLICY IS CONDUCTED IN ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan

Nov 21, 2008

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 21, NOYAN TAPAN. A delegation headed by the
Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Murilo
Portugal is in Yerevan with the aim of participating in the jubilee
events dedicated to the 15th anniversary of the Armenian national
currency. The delegation was received by the Armenian Prime Minister
Tigran Sargsyan on November 21.

At the beginning of the meeting, M. Portugal stated that the jubilee
of the Armenian national currency bears evidence of the sound monetary
policy that Armenia has conducted so far.

As NT was informed by the RA Government Information and PR Department,
the possible developments related to the global financial and economic
crisis amd the measures to reduce their impact on Armenia were
discussed at the meeting. The prime minister presented the government
approaches and policy which are based on the use of the instruments
for maintaining the macroeconomic indices and the financial sector’s
stability and encouraging economic growth.

SEYRAN OHANYAN HOSTED OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS MATTHEW BRYZA

; p=0&id=669&y=2008&m=11&d=21
17.11. 08

On November 17, 2008 the Minister of Defense of the Republic of
Armenia, Mr. Seyran Ohanyan received the delegation headed by US
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, US Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk
Group Matthew Bryza. US Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
to Armenia, Mrs. Marie Yovanovitch was present at the meeting.

At the beginning of the meeting the Minister expressed gratitude
to Mathew Bryza for his and his Russian and French counterparts’
efforts targeted at finding a mutually acceptable solution to the
Karabakh issue.

Mr. Ohanyan informed the guests that in the process of defense reforms,
Armenia prioritizes the preservation and modernization of the existing
military capacity, the review of the defense strategy, military
education, organization of trainings for special civil servants,
cooperation with divisions of other countries when carrying out
peacekeeping activity.

ARMENIA, LATVIA FMS AGREE TO ENHANCE BILATERAL TRADE-ECONOMIC RELATIONS

armradio.am
20.11.2008 11:55

On November 19 the Foreign Minister of Armenia, Edward Nalbandian,
arrived in Latvia on an official visit. In Riga Minister Nalbandian
met with his Latvian counterpart Maris Riekstins.

Greeting Edward Nalbandian, Maris Riekstins noted that the Latvian
authorities attach importance to the comprehensive development of
relations with Armenia and are ready to take concrete steps in this
direction.

Minister Nalbandian congratulated Maris Riekstins on the occasion of
the 90th anniversary of Latvia’s statehood celebrated on November
18. He underlined that the friendly relations between Armenia and
Latvia are actively developing, and the Armenian side intends to take
consistent efforts to maintain the high level of political dialogue
and intensify the trade-economic relations.

The parties stressed the existence of the broad contractual-legal
field between the two countries, which creates good preconditions
for launching more active cooperation between the two countries in
different spheres.

In the context of Armenia-EU relations, Ministers Nalbandian and
Riekstins exchanged views on the process of implementation of the
Action Plan of the European Neighborhood Policy and the perspectives
of the Eastern Partnership.

The Armenian and Latvian Foreign Ministers held talks on the issues of
ensuring security in Europe. Edward Nalbandian stre ssed the necessity
of improving the existing system.

Turning to the settlement of conflicts, the Foreign Ministers attached
importance to their resolution exceptionally through peaceful means.

Minister Riekstins praised Armenia’s participation in the peacekeeping
activity in Kosovo.

At the request of his Latvian counterpart, Minister Nalbandian
presented the latest developments in the settlement of the Artsakh
issue and the steps directed at the normalization of Armenian-Turkish
relations.

The parties discussed the events around South Ossetia and the situation
established in the region as a consequence of those.

The meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Latvia was followed
by a press conference. The discussions continued during an official
visit in honor of Edward Nalbandian.

Ministers Nalbandian and Riekstins later visited the Independence
Memorial of Latvia.

JOB COUNSELING CENTRE FOR YOUTH OPENS IN YEREVAN

ARKA
Nov 18, 2008

YEREVAN, November 18. /ARKA/. Armenia’s Ministry of Labor and Social
Affairs opened today a job counseling center in Yerevan. The opening
of the center was part of the WB program for social welfare reforms.

RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan and RA Minister of Labor Arsen
Hambardzumyan participated in the opening of the centre.

The labor minister said the reason for growing unemployment is
the supply-demand imbalance. "Our task is to train specialists who
will easily find their place in the labor market," Hambardzumyan,
underlining the problem of youth unemployment.

"The center’s mission is to predict the labor market trends and
guide senior students in choosing their future profession," the
minister said.

Director of the counselling center Haykuhi Gevorgyan said the
specialists of the center offer group consultations, including
presentations, games and demonstrations, as well as individual
consultations and tests helping to choose the right profession. The
future specialists can also use the large resource center and a
database. The services of the center are free of charge.

WHY DID BAKU FRUSTRATE THE REPORTAGE ON THE NAGORNO KARABAKH REPUBLIC?

Azat Artsakh Daily
14 Nov 08
Republic of Nagorno Karabakh [NKR]

NKR MFA Information Department’s Commentary Recently, journalists
from the "Russia" channel have paid a working visit to the Nagorno
Karabakh Republic to prepare a corresponding survey for the
"Vesti Nedeli" program. The journalists prepared a commentary on
the peaceful life and post-war rehabilitation of Nagorno Karabakh,
and, at their request, the corresponding structures of NKR arranged
meetings with official and public representatives of the Republic
and organized visits to the institutions, enterprises, etc. However,
as it turned out later, after the commentary was covered in the Far
Eastern region of the Russian Federation, the coverage of the material
was stopped in other regions, under the pressure of the Azerbaijani
party. Who could dislike the fair survey on the peaceful life in the
Nagorno Karabakh Republic? The answer is simple: Baku fears the truth
about Nagorno Karabakh that for the years of its independence, the
Republic has successfully solved all the issues and has progressively
developed. We consider it absolutely inadmissible to use the situation
in propagandistic purposes; the informational technologies that distort
the kernel of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict should be necessarily
rejected. Similar actions negatively affect, first of all, the
Azerbaijani s ociety, as deluding it on the Nagorno Karabakh issue
Baku brings all the peacemaking initiatives to naught. Moreover, this
absurd incident testifies that the leadership of the "Russia" channel
under the pressure of the Azerbaijani authorities displays "caution",
ipso facto preventing the TV viewers of the Russian Federation from
getting trustworthy information on the NKR and sets a sad example
both to other TV channels and periodicals.

WORLD FINANCIAL CRISIS IMPACT ON ARMENIAN MINING INDUSTRY

Panorama.am
16:10 13/11/2008

For three months the workers of Kapan, Qajaran and Agarak mining
companies are not threatened to lose their jobs because of shortenings,
announced Armen Movsisyan, the Minister of Energy and Natural
Resources, when reporting about his visit to Syuniq region.

Note that by the Prime Ministers decree signed on November 7, the
Ministers of Energy and Natural Resources, Labor and Social Affairs,
and Economy made a working visit to Kapan, Qajaran and Agarak to get
acquainted with the local mining industries. The local working staff
"threatened" to announce a strike as the employers wanted to reduce
their salaries and to make shortenings.

"World Financial Crisis has had its impact on mining industry,
which brought its aftermath to Armenian mining. The mining companies
of Qajaran, Kapan and Agarak have to meet financial difficulties. We
have made agreements with the employers not to make any shortening for
three months. After three months the situation should be thoroughly
studied and new decision made," said A. Movsisyan.

NO STAFF REDUCTION CURRENTLY ENVISAGED AT ENTERPRISES OF MINING INDUSTRY

Noyan Tapan

Nov 13, 2008

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, NOYAN TAPAN. No reduction of the staff is
expected at the mining enterprises in the cities of Kapan, Kajaran
and Agarak in Syunik marz (province) within the next three months,
the RA minister of energy and natural resources Armen Movsisian stated
at the November 12 sitting of the government.

To recap, the employees of some enterprises in Syunik marz announced
their decision to go on strike and complain against the management’s
intention to start wage cuts and reduction of the staff. By
instructions of the prime minister, on November 10 A. Movsisian
together with the minister of economy and the minister of labor and
social issues went to Syunik in order to familiarize themselves with
the situation on the spot.

A. Movsisian said that the global financial crisis has had its impact
on the mining industry, due to which the enterprises of Kajaran, Kapan
and Agarak have financial difficulties at the moment. According to the
minister, an agreement has been reached with the enterprises’ owners
that within the next three months there will be no reduction of the
staff and the wages will be kept at the same level. In three months,
the situation will be analyzed again and a new decision will be taken.

NKR PRESIDENT SIGNED SEVERAL DECREES ON AWARDING

DE FACTO
Nov 14, 2008

YEREVAN, 14.11.08. DE FACTO. On November 12 the Nagorno-Karabagh
Republic President Bako Sahakian signed several decrees on awarding.

According to the information DE FACTO received at the Central
Informational Department of the Office of NKR President, for
substantial input into the development of the NKR’s economy the Mesrop
Mashtots Order had been awarded to Andrei Rappoport, Chairman of
the Board of Directors of the Federal Grid Company of Unified Energy
System open joint-stock company.

For services in the development of the NKR economy Karen Karapetian,
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director General of the
Armrusgazart closed joint-stock company, was awarded with Anania
Shirakatsi medal.

For substantial philanthropic activities the Gratitude medal was
awarded to Mels Hakobian, Director General of the International
Energy Corporation.

SARKOZY PROMISES TO SET TO KARABAKH CONFLICT RESOLUTION

PanARMENIAN.Net
12.11.2008 13:50 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers will
continue talks for resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict,
the RA President said.

"I do not rule out a meeting with my Azeri counterpart. Russian
President can keep up acting as a mediator. Besides, French leader
Nicolas Sarkozy promised to set to the process and said he will visit
the region in 2009," Serzh Sargsyan told Le Figaro.

"The recent clashes in South Ossetia proved how dangerous frozen
conflicts are. It has become obvious that attempts to oppress the right
of nations to self-determination are pregnant with grave consequences,"
he said.

"Furthermore, the existing communication routes are not sufficient
for the development of our region," President Sargsyan added.

ARMENIAN CITIZEN INJURED IN SOCHI BLAST

PanARMENIAN.Net
12.11.2008 14:53 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian citizen Vazgen Hovsepyan, 28, was injured
in a blast in Sochi yesterday.

An explosive assembly was placed in a can. Hovsepyan was taken to
hospital with a hand injury.

As reported by RFE/RL, Hovsepyan parked his car near the house where
he lives. Coming back, he found a can on his Mercedes. The can exploded
when he took it in his hands.

The investigators don’t eye the incident as a terrorist act. A criminal
case was initiated.