Author: Emil Lazarian

Toronto to Celebrate Creative Spirit With “Luminato”
CCNMatthews (press release), Canada
July 31, 2006
The Toronto Festival of Arts & Creativity Announces New Name, World
Premiere Programming and Internationally-renowned Arts CEO
TORONTO, ONTARIO–(CCNMatthews – July 31, 2006) – Luminato, the new
Toronto Festival of Arts and Creativity, was unveiled today with the
announcement of June 1-10, 2007 as the dates for the first of the
Festival’s annual celebrations.
The Festival, founded and co-chaired by Tony Gagliano, Executive
Chairman and CEO of St. Joseph Communications and David Pecaut,
Senior Partner at The Boston Consulting Group and Chair of the Toronto
City Summit Alliance, will celebrate the creative spirit across all
the arts each year. The Festival will feature the best of Canadian
and international artists in music, theatre, dance, visual arts,
film, design, literature and other disciplines. It will include both
ticketed and free events throughout the city engaging residents and
tourists in what is hoped to become, over time, one of the great arts
festivals in the world.
“Our vision started with the premise that Toronto, one of the most
culturally diverse cities in the world, has the potential to become
one of the most creative cities, as well,” said Gagliano. “Luminato,
in time, will bring the best of the world to Toronto, and the best
of Toronto to the world.”
An original name and brand was chosen to signal the festival’s unique
focus on celebrating creativity. “In choosing the Festival’s new name
– Luminato – we wanted to capture the essence of the creative spirit,
so we chose the notion of light, hence ‘lumina,'” said Pecaut. “It was
also important to capture the spirit of the city of Toronto itself,
which is exemplified by ‘TO.’ We hope ‘Luminato’ will become synonymous
with the power of the arts to enlighten all of us.”
Following on an earlier announcement in July, the founders were
also pleased to formally introduce Luminato’s newly appointed Chief
Executive Officer, Janice Price. A veteran international arts leader,
Ms. Price was most recently President and CEO of The Kimmel Center
for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia and was both the Interim
Executive Director and Vice President of Marketing and Communications
at New York’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Ms. Price began
her career in Toronto, working with the Hummingbird Centre for the
Performing Arts, the Stratford Festival and the Corporation of Massey
Hall and Roy Thomson Hall. She has also served as a board member for
Factory Theatre, the Toronto Dance Theatre, the United Way of Greater
Toronto and the Casey House Foundation of Toronto.
Ms. Price will lead the non profit organization in developing Luminato
into one of the world’s great arts festivals attracting a large local,
national and international audience to Toronto. “I’m looking forward
to reconnecting with Toronto artists and audiences,” said Price. “I’ve
spent many years managing cultural facilities, and know first hand the
positive impact those facilities have in a community. But what drew me
to this amazing opportunity was the chance to come home and create a
truly world-class festival of artistic collaboration and creativity —
one that can expand beyond walls in its engagement with audiences.”
The Festival has received significant support to date, including
generous contributions and backing from governments, as well as
numerous arts, business and civic leaders.
“The Government of Ontario is contributing $2-million in development
funding to help launch the first Luminato Festival,” said The
Honourable Greg Sorbara, Ontario’s Minister of Finance. “This Festival
builds on the many creative investments in Toronto in recent years
and will provide an opportunity for us to invite the world to Toronto
each year to celebrate the creative achievements of both Canadian
and international artists.”
The City of Toronto has also been very supportive in the development of
the Festival. “This festival fits with the City of Toronto’s broader
vision of building on Toronto’s reputation as a city rich in arts
and culture and underscores our desire to have Toronto become known
throughout the world as a creative city,” said Mayor David Miller. “The
City is supportive of initiatives like this one.”
Today’s announcement also provided a tantalizing glimpse of what
Torontonians and visitors can expect in the next year in terms of
the Festival’s programming. Luminato will begin on June 1, 2007 and
run through an exciting 10 day program, including the debut of world
premiere events. A sampling of the programming includes:
Opening Weekend – Royal Ontario Museum
The Festival will launch in conjunction with the opening of the
Royal Ontario Museum’s Michael Lee-Chin Crystal on June 2, 2007. An
evening outdoor ceremony will feature the public debut of the dazzling
Daniel Libeskind-designed building, outdoor concerts and free museum
access all night long. There will be illuminations, entertainment,
and dancing in the street as the ROM celebrates the opening of the
Lee-Chin Crystal and kicks off a week of festivities for the Toronto
Arts Festival. Plans are also underway for a Luminato street festival
surrounding the ROM throughout the weekend.
“Not the Messiah” – by Spamalot creators Eric Idle and John Du Prez
Luminato and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra have commissioned an
oratorio from Spamalot Tony and Grammy Award winning duo Eric Idle
and John Du Prez to write the music and lyrics of a new work based on
Monty Python’s Life of Brian. The oratorio will be called “Not the
Messiah”. The Festival is proud to present the world premiere. “It
will be funnier than Handel, though not as good,” said Idle. Not the
Messiah will be conducted by Peter Oundjian, Music Director of the
Toronto Symphony Orchestra, who is also Eric Idle’s full cousin. It
will be performed by a narrator, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra,
with guest soloists and choir.
Visual Arts Display – Atom Egoyan and Kutlug Ataman –
“Auroras/Testimony”
“Auroras/Tes timony” will be a collaborative multi-media installation
created for the Festival with the Art Gallery of Ontario and exhibited
in a public space in Toronto. It is the world premiere of a co-creation
by two artists, an Armenian-Canada and a Turkish-Argentinean, who found
commonalities in each other’s work when introduced to one another in
New York last year.
Young Centre for the Performing Arts and The Distillery District
Throughout the ten days of the Festival, in the various venues of the
Young Centre for the Performing Arts and throughout the Distillery
District, celebrations will be held in theatre, dance, music, and
visual arts with the remarkable community of artists that live and
work in Toronto. As well as showcasing some of the most inspiring work
the artists have created, the Distillery portion of Luminato will
present original collaborations between disciplines and generations
with a particular emphasis on youth and emerging artists.
Closing Weekend – Waterfront – “Carnivalissima: A Spectacle of
the Senses”
Carnivalissima will be a bold celebration of Carnivals of the World,
including Brazilian, Caribbean, European, Lenten Winter Festivals
(Venice, Switzerland, Brussels, Spain), Latin and Mardi Gras.
Produced by Luminato and Harbourfront Centre, the Carnivalissima
will become a huge celebratory street party of carnivals, parades
and other spectacles, including a bold fusion of local, national and
international spectacle on the streets, on the stages, and in the
water. The Festival will use carnival traditions found in diverse
Toronto communities as a launching point for a carnival “extravaganza.”
Additional information on Luminato can be found at
About Luminato
Luminato is a non-profit organization created to oversee the management
of the city’s most significant multi-disciplinary celebration of
artistic achievement and creativity launching in June 2007. The annual
festival will celebrate the creative spirit across all the arts. It
was formed as an initiative of the Toronto City Summit Alliance and by
leaders of Toronto’s arts and cultural communities. The Toronto City
Summit Alliance is a non-profit corporation dedicated to building
the Toronto region through broad civic leadership. The Alliance is
directed by a Steering Group of 50 leaders from the private, labour,
volunteer and public sectors and can be contacted through its website:
Torontoalliance.ca.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NAGORNO-KARABAKH: U.S. MEDIATOR SAYS ELECTIONS NO OBSTACLE TO ACCORD
EurasiaNet, NY
July 31, 2006
Emil Danielyan 7/31/06
A EurasiaNet Partner Post from RFE/RL
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will not necessarily remain unresolved
even if Armenia and Azerbaijan fail to hammer out a framework peace
accord this year, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew
Bryza told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service on July 29.
Bryza is the U.S. co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, which is tasked
with facilitating negotiations to resolve the conflict. He insisted
that elections due in the two countries in 2007 and 2008 will not
present an insurmountable obstacle to a solution.
Finish The ‘Heavy Lifting’
“I think it’s possible to work through an election season and
still make progress,” Bryza said. “It’s up to the [Armenian and
Azerbaijani] presidents as to whether or not they have enough good
will and political courage to do so…. It’s just easier, much easier,
if we get the heavy lifting done now.”
Bryza said he hopes that presidents Ilham Aliev and Robert Kocharian
will iron out their differences in the coming months.
“Of course I’m still hopeful,” he said. “If I weren’t hopeful, why
would I even want to put in an effort? This isn’t about theater;
it’s about results.”
Looking For A Breakthrough
Bryza was speaking in Yerevan after what he described as “encouraging”
talks with Kocharian that marked the start of his first tour of the
conflict zone since his appointment as U.S. co-chair. He replaced
fellow State Department official Steven Mann in that position in
early June, following the failure of Kocharian’s last face-to-face
negotiations with Aliev. That failure all but dashed hopes for a
near-term solution to the Karabakh dispute.
In two subsequent statements, the mediating group’s U.S., French,
and Russian co-chairs indicated their frustration. They said they
will initiate no more Armenian-Azerbaijani talks until the two sides
display greater commitment to a lasting peace.
Bryza, who proceeded to the Karabakh capital, Stepanakert, later on
July 29, said he is visiting the region to get “some more guidance
from the presidents themselves to determine how they would like to
take the process further.”
He said he was assured by Kocharian that the Minsk Group plan is
essentially acceptable to Yerevan.
“I enjoyed hearing his account of where things stand and how we got
here,” he said. “I felt a constructive, candid attitude on his part.
He was very open. And he helped me think through what sort of
recommendations I might bring to my fellow co-chairs.”
‘There Is Political Will Here’
Asked whether he found the kind of “political will” for compromise
that was demanded by the mediators, Bryza replied: “I think there is
political will here, definitely, to keep the process going. There have
been public statements that the [Minsk Group’s proposed] framework,
the principles are agreeable [for Armenia].
“What’s never clear is whether or not there is enough will on both
sides to eliminate or to resolve the distance that still stands between
them,” he added. “But I will just say I feel encouraged after today’s
discussions.”
Armenian officials have claimed implicitly that the two rounds of
negotiations between Kocharian and Aliev this year collapsed because
the latter backtracked on his earlier acceptance of the key principles
of the peace plan that were officially disclosed by the Minsk Group
co-chairs last month. Bryza, however, was careful not to blame any
of the parties for the deadlock, saying that they both want to “enact
some changes to the ideas that are on the table.”
“The principles that are on the table don’t constitute an agreement,”
Bryza said. “They are principles, suggestions. So it’s not possible for
anyone to walk away from an agreement, if there isn’t an agreement.”
At the heart of those principles is the idea of holding a
referendum on Karabakh’s status after the liberation of most of the
Armenian-occupied districts in areas of Azerbaijan surrounding the
disputed enclave. Bryza confirmed that the mediators believe the
status should be decided by the “people of Karabakh”
“But the question is how do you define the people of Karabakh? And
there were residents there in 1988 who wish to participate,” he added
in a clear reference to the region’s displaced Azerbaijani minority.
“All these things have still to be worked out as part of a broad
package.”
No Breach Of Territorial Integrity
Aliev and other Azerbaijani officials have repeatedly stated in recent
weeks that they will never accept any deal that could legitimize
Karabakh’s secession from Azerbaijan. Foreign Minister Elmar
Mammadyarov was quoted by the day.az news service earlier this week
as indicating that Baku is only ready to let the Karabakh Armenians
decide the extent of their autonomy within Azerbaijan.
“The principle of self-determination does not mean a breach of
territorial integrity,” Mammadyarov said.
This might explain why the leadership of the self-proclaimed
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) has expressed serious misgivings
about the proposed peace formula.
Bryza, who is apparently the highest ranking U.S. official ever
to visit Karabakh, appeared to downplay Stepanakert’s objections,
implying that Baku and Yerevan have the final say in the peace process.
“It’s really up to presidents Kocharian and Aliev whether or not they
will agree to the formula,” he said. “We are just waiting for a sign
from the presidents as to whether or not they would like to restart
a formal process.”
‘Now Is The Time’
Bryza, who traveled to Baku on July 30, also said he will meet the
group’s French and Russian co-chairs in Paris early next week to
brief them on the results of his shuttle diplomacy. The mediators
stressed in their recent statements that “now is the time” to resolve
the Karabakh conflict.
Some of them warned earlier that failure to do so before the end of
this year would keep the peace process deadlocked for at least three
more years. They pointed to parliamentary and presidential elections
due in Armenia in 2007 and 2008, respectively, and an Azerbaijani
presidential ballot scheduled for 2008. Many observers believe that it
will be even more difficult for each side to make painful concessions
to the other in the run-up to the polls.
But in an indication of the mediators’ fading hopes for 2006, Bryza
insisted that a Karabakh settlement will be feasible even during the
election period.
“I don’t necessarily feel that there needs to be a hard deadline
on the peace process,” he said. “It’s better if we have a sense of
what compromises might be suggested before other political events
[in Armenia and Azerbaijan] move forward. But it doesn’t have to be
by the end of this year.”
“I would argue that the elections in Armenia and Azerbaijan don’t pose
an obstacle to reaching an agreement,” he continued. “They just pose
an additional complicating factor. It’s up to the presidents to guide
their populations or societies, their voters in whatever direction they
wish (a) to win the vote for themselves and their political parties,
but (b) to build support for the agreement.
“If the presidents succeed, with our help as mediators, in finalizing
and eliminating the final differences with regard to this framework
agreement and if they come up with an agreement that’s mutually
acceptable, that should be a plus in an election,” Bryza argued.
“That’s a huge achievement that should actually help political
leaders and their parties to win votes. So it could be useful to
have elections. The is question is, though, will the presidents have
decided to take these tough decisions in time?”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Etisalat and Orascom lose outbid for AmenTel
ITP Technology, United Arab Emirates
July 31, 2006
by Alex Ritman
Etisalat has lost the bidding for Armenian fixed and mobile operator
ArmenTel. According to the Russian news agency ComNews, the 90% stake
currently held by Greek telco OTE will go to a consortium consisting of
India’s VTEL holdings and Knightsbridge Associates, and also believed
to include Sistema Group of Russia. The Russian company is thought
to be taking control of ArmenTel’s monopoly fixed-line business with
the Indian and Armenian side of the consortium taking responsibility
for its mobile operations.
Following OTE’s announcement that it was to sell its 90% stake in
April, 10 parties announced their interest, including Etisalat,
Sistema, MTC of Kuwait and Belgium’s Belgacom. In June, OTE reduced
the number of bidders to four, namely Vimpelcom and MTS of Russia,
an Etisalat-backed consortium, and the winning group.
While the amount of the winning bid is as yet unknown, the 90% stake
is estimated to be worth over US$300 million.
As of April 2006, ArmanTel had a fixed-line subscriber base of around
595,000 subscribers and a mobile subscriber base of around 320,000.
Egyptian operator Orascom has also missed an expansion opportunity,
losing out in the auction for Serbian mobile operator Mobi 63 in the
Balkan country’s largest state-owned asset sale. Mobi 63, which has
over two million subscribers, eventually went to Norway’s Telenor
for US$1.9 billion. Telekom Austria was also involved in the auction.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian foreign trade deficit grows 21% in H1
Interfax, Russia
July 31, 2006
YEREVAN. July 31 (Interfax) – Armenia’s foreign trade deficit increased
21.2% year-on-year to $513.5 million in the first half of 2006,
a source in the National Statistics Service told Interfax.
Foreign trade increased 12.6% year-on-year to $1.389 billion in
January-June. Exports dropped 0.6% to $437.7 million, while imports
grew 19.9% to $951.2 million.
Foreign trade turnover amounted to $2.79 billion in 2005, up 35.1%
from 2004. The trade deficit was $850 million. tj
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Matthew Bryza: Minsk Group’s proposals are rather acceptable for Armenia
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
July 31, 2006
Following the talks with Armenian President Robert Kocharian and
Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan in Yerevan on 29 July, the US
co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Mathew Bryza arrived in Khankendi
and had talks with head of the separatist regime Arkadi Gukasyan.
APA reports the US co-chair returning to Yerevan told the RFE/Radio
Liberty that Kocharian was quite open with him.
“The talks I had with him will help in preparing recommendations for
other co-chairs,” Matthew Bryza said.
The co-chair said the meeting with Kocharian even encouraged him to
continue this process. Stressing that there is a chance to reach
peace agreement in 2006, Mr.Bryza said he believes possibility of
working and achieving success in electoral period as well.
“The parties cannot demonstrate political will to make a trade-off,”
said Bryza adding that after meeting with Kocharian he realized
that the proposals offered by the Minsk Group are rather acceptable
for Armenia.
Commenting on the future status of Nagorno Garabagh, Bryza said the
co-chairs admit that the status of Nagorno Garabagh is to be determined
by its population, “Participation of the people, who lived there till
1988, in this process is the constituent part of a large peace plan.”
The US co-chair is paying a one-day visit to the Azerbaijani capital,
Baku tomorrow. He is due to meet with President Ilham Aliyev, Foreign
Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and head of the Azerbaijani community of
Nagorno Garabagh Nizami Bahmanov.
The US Embassy told the APA Bryza is not planning to hold a press
conference in Baku. The Minsk Group co-chairs will meet in Paris
early next week. The co-chairs mediating in the settlement of the
Nagorno Garabagh will discuss Bryza’s visit in the region./APA/
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARKADY GHOUKASYAN: THERE WERE NO SERIOUS OBJECTIONS
DeFacto Agency, Armenia
July 31, 2006
After a meeting with the OSCE Minsk group U. S. Co-Chair Matthew Bryza
held July 29 Arkady Ghoukasyan informed the journalists that one of the
meeting’s principal items was the NKR’s participation in the talks. “I
believe Mr. Bryza realizes that the conflict cannot be settled without
Nagorno Karabakh. Not only he, but all the mediators are aware of the
fact. Sure, we discussed a number of other issues as well; however,
the issue of the NKR’s participation was the first on the agenda”.
In the course of the talk Arkady Ghoukasyan presented the NKR’s
official stand on various aspects of the problem. “I cannot say there
were serious objections on his part, as our approaches are logical,
and, naturally, were interesting for them. Naturally, due to the
negotiations’ confidentiality I cannot reveal all the details of
the talks; however, it is obvious that our position differs from the
approaches presented by the mediators to some extent. But I repeat
once again that I have not heard any serious objections”, the NKR
President stated.

Bryza: Elections Not Obstacle to Karabakh Talks
PanARMENIAN.Net
31.07.2006 15:04 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ OSCE Minsk Group U.S. Co-chair Matthew Bryza said
he still hopes that Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Robert Kocharian will
iron out their differences on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict in the
coming months on the most recent peace proposals of the OSCE Minsk
Group. “However I think it’s possible to work through an election
season and still make progress,” Bryza said in an exclusive interview
with RFE/RL.
He said he was assured by Kocharian that the Minsk Group plan is
essentially acceptable to Yerevan. “I enjoyed hearing his account
of where things stand and how we got here,” he said. “I felt a
constructive, candid attitude on his part. He was very open. And he
helped me think through what sort of recommendations I might bring
to my fellow co-chairs,” Mr Bryza remarked.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenia Sent Humanitarian Assistance to Lebanon
PanARMENIAN.Net
31.07.2006 18:54 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The humanitarian assistance rendered by the Armenian
government has been delivered to Lebanon via Syria. The 7.5-ton
humanitarian cargo includes 52 types of medical products and first-aid
means that can alleviate the pains of the Lebanese who suffered from
the Israeli bombings. The move by the Armenian government was broadly
covered by Lebanese media, reported the RA MFA press office.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

BRYZA CONTENT WITH PUBLIC DISCUSSIONS IN ARMENIA AND
AZERBAIJAN AROUND PROPOSALS PUBLISHED BY HIM
YEREVAN, JULY 31, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. On July 29,
U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza made his first
visit to Armenia as U.S. OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair. Following his trip
to Yerevan, Bryza visited Stepanakert and Baku, this is mentioned in
the official report provided to Noyan Tapan from the Public Relations
Department of the Embassy of U.S. to Armenia.
“In Armenia, Matthew Bryza met with President Robert Kocharian and
Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian. Bryza discussed the conflict in
Nagorno-Karabakh, noting that he was pleased to see so much public
discussion in Armenia and Azerbaijan about the Co-Chairs’ proposals,
which were made public by all three Co-Chairs at the OSCE Permanent
Council in late June. Bryza emphasized that the Co-Chairs remained
committed to engaging with the parties, but that the key next steps
must be determined by the presidents of Armenia and Azerbiajan. He
remarked that the Co-Chairs join with the presidents who participated
in the G-8 Summit in encouraging the Armenian and Azerbaijani
presidents to make the difficult decisions necessary to put the region
on a path towards peace,” the report read.
According to the report, following his visit to the region, Matthew
Bryza will brief his fellow Minsk Group colleagues on his meetings.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TWO-DIGIT GROWTH IS A COMPROMISE BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AND ADMINISTRATIVE CRIMINAL RESOURCE
Lragir.am
31 July 06
The government of Armenia stopped taking pride in the rate of economic
growth in Armenia long ago. The president of Armenia has not cut red
tapes and visited factories for a long time. In fact, it does not
mean that there is no economic growth or the rate slowed down. By
official statistics, two-digit economic growth goes on, and in the
first half of 2006 it totaled over 11 percent. For the government this
has become something usual, however. So usual that they are already
ashamed of talking about it. Moreover, this shame has two levels. The
first is that the two-digit growth remains the decoration of tables
of a group of people. Hence, it is definitely inappropriate to feed
people with official statistical achievements for the simple reason
that people cannot eat it. After all, the elite must realize that it
is even disgusting to eat meat all the time, let alone numbers. It is
not a secret, however, that only one source of shame is hardly enough
to cause a feeling of discomfort among the Armenian government. It is
even too little. Fortunately, there is the second level, however. By
its two-digit rate Armenia is no longer a tiger in the region, or it
is not the only tiger in the region. Especially, compared with our
main rival, Azerbaijan. The GDP of Azerbaijan grew by 40 percent
in the first half of 2006. It is official statistics, of course,
but we have no reason to state that theirs is a lie, ours is not. In
other words, when the government continues supplying the public with
boring figures about the economic growth, it is sure to find itself
in a curious situation because they arouse a smile whenever they are
compared with the Azerbaijani indices.
Unfortunately, the government continues doing something. It continues
persuading the public that despite oil underlying the Azerbaijani
economy the state of Armenia is the best in the region. This thinking,
which is consistently instilled in the public, pursues an aim which is
clear. It “reassures” the public, guaranteeing unchangeable situation
for the government. Therefore, they have stopped feeding the society
with numbers, for it may cause the opposite reaction. They merely
reconcile them with the situation, in other words, they help to stomach
the figures. But it is the case when successful digestion may deeply
ruin the health of the public, and consequently the country. To stomach
this situation means to agree that the level of corruption, black
economy, protectionism that is now will persist. Therefore, generation
of economic growth becomes almost impossible, remaining on the same
sustainable level. As for the distribution of growth, it is impossible
due to the abovementioned vicious phenomena. Definitely, the same
situation is in Azerbaijan, and it would not cause worries if there
were not for the oil factor and 40 percent growth. According to the
Armenian government, this growth does not have a quality. Maybe. But
considering that the absolute volume of the Azerbaijani economy
exceeds the Armenian economy twice, we may say that 40 percent growth
of that economy is equal to 80 percent of economic growth in Armenia.
In other words, in this comparison we may conclude that the economic
growth in Azerbaijan exceeds Armenia nine times. And this quantitative
difference is sure to become qualitative advantage one day.
In such a situation this “reassurance” preached in Armenia and
reflected in the economic policy of the Armenian government directly
threatens national security. Export of several tons of apricots,
building of several elite buildings and use of several information
technologies is not economic quality. The underlying component of
the quality of economy is the possibilities of the persons who have
the wish and ability to participate in this economy. The quality
of the economy is its agents, consumers and producers, and their
relation generates growth. And the fact that economic growth in
Armenia is between 11 and 13 percent over the past 5-6 years shows
that the relationship between the agents of the economy is highly
conventional and highly limited. And if there is a non-quality economy
both in Armenia and in Azerbaijan, it is clear that quantity will
be deciding. And if everything relies on the quantity, it is clear
in what situation Armenia may appear in several years, despite the
quality of elite apartments. It seems that it should be clear for the
government because only the lazy do not say that Armenia should launch
real economic reforms and democratization of the public life to oppose
to oil. This point seems indisputable, and it can be the only path when
the society will not argue with the society. However, the Armenian
government prefers not to argue with the administrative criminal
resource and make a compromise over 11-13 percent growth. In this
case, there is no way out other than that the Armenian society wage
a liberation war for the economy. After all, we defeated Azerbaijan,
and it reports 40 percent economic growth. Let us imagine what a rate
of growth we would report if we defeated ourselves.
JAMES HAKOBYAN
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress