Author: Felekian Ara

DESPITE CRISIS, SCR MET ITS TARGETS

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.12.2009 16:28 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Despite the crisis and reduced GDP volumes,
South Caucasian Railways (SCR) CJSC managed to meet its targets, the
company’s General Director Shekvet Shaydulin finds. SCR’s long-term
mission consists in becoming an all-national transportation company
dynamically enhancing its effectiveness and quality of services
rendered, he told Thursday a resulting news conference in Yerevan.

At that, he noted that this is the first time when work productivity
on Armenian railroad increased by 9%".

However, carriage circulation, according to SCR General Director,
was reduced by 24 hours. "Last year we worked 6.9. days, while this
year’s plan envisages 6 days, which means operating 200 carriages
less. The average daily productivity of locomotives and carriages
exceeds last year’s indexes by 12% and 18% respectively. "

Passenger circulation rate has also increased, especially in summer
when the company carried a total number of 16 500 passengers, while
operating 15 carriages. "We plan to redouble passenger transportation
rate and further enhance the quality of our services," Shaydulin added.

HOUSE-WARMING ON THE THRESHOLD OF NEW YEAR’S DAY
Laura Grigoryan

Azat Artsakh Newspaper NKR
December 23, 2009

The programs directed to improvement of socio-economic conditions
of servicemen, especially the question of providing them with flats
always remain and are in the focus of attention of NKR authorities
and commanding stuff of Defence Army. On December 18th the building
being reconstructed for servicemen was put into operation in
Shushi: 36 servicemen of Defence Army celebrated house-warming.
The NKR President Bako Sahakyan, RA and NKR ministers of Defence
Seyran Ohanyan and Movses Hakobyan, officials, high-ranking officers,
guests were present at the solemn ceremony of openning of the building.

Celebrating house-warming on the threshold of New Year’s day is
of course merriment. It’s double merriment and symbolic, that it
takes part in reviving Shushi. The NKR President Bako Sahakyan and
ministers of Defence of the two armenian republics handed over the
owners the sertificates of new flats. Congratulating on the occasion
of house-warming, it was hoped, that they henceforth would refer with
higher responsibility to their official duties. High-ranking guests
and participants of the ceremony got acquainted with the flats’
conditions and construction works. The three-storied building was
reconstructed by "Amur" construction organization. It’s the third
building, that the organization reconstructed and put into operation
in Shushi. It’s quite a fact, that quality of works and level of
comfort rise year by year. 340 million drams had been allocated only
to construction works, the director of "Amur" company Henry Musaelyan
informed. According to him, a great part of builders is from Shushi,
they worked with love and diligence.

ARMENIAN MINISTRY OF TERRITORIAL ADMINISTRATION WILL SUPPORT EFFORTS BY INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS TO PROTECT CHILDREN’S RIGHTS IN ARMENIA

Arminfo
2009-12-22 14:13:00

ArmInfo. The Armenian Ministry of Territorial Administration will
support efforts by international organizations to protect children’s
rights in Armenia, First Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration
Vache Terteryan said at the Roundtable on the problem of crimes
committed by minors. The event organizer is the World Vision.

Highlighting the importance of the topic, the deputy minister said,
protection of children’s rights is among priorities of Armenia and
the government has already made a number of steps in this area. In
particular, relevant commission has been set up. Nevertheless,
Terteryan said effective protection of children, the most vulnerable
part of the population, requires closer cooperation and better
application and reform of the legislation.

MOURAD PAPAZIAN LAUNCHES SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM AND COMMUNICATION IN MARSEILLES

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.12.2009 17:37 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Mourad Papazian, co-president of ARF Dashnatsutyun in
Euope, launches a school of journalism and communication in Marseilles,
France. For this project he joined two media French stars – Jean-Pierre
Foucault, one of best presenters of television on TF1 and radio RTL,
and journalist M. Pape Diouf, former manager of " Olympic de Marseille"
football club.

Mourad Papazian has already opened 4 schools in France and Belgium
(Paris, Strasbourg, Toulouse, Brussels). The school in Marseilles
will open in October 2010, independent French journalist Jean Eckian
(Paris) reported to PanARMENIAN.Net.

CONCERT OF WORLD DOCTORS ORCHESTRA TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.12.2009 19:23 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ World Doctors Orchestra will give a concert at the
large Concert Hall of Aram Khachatryan in Yerevan on January 17 of
2010. The concert is organized by the Ministry of Culture and Health
of Armenia and the State Symphony Orchestra of Armenia.

The concert will involve more than 100 doctors, musicians from Great
Britain, USA, India, Poland, Switzerland and other countries.

Special guest of the concert will be a renowned violinist Sergey
Khachatryan and conductor Stefan Willich.

According to organizers, the profit from the charity concert will be
passed to the "Save the Children with Disabilities" NGO.

ARMENIAN AMBASSADOR TO GERMANY VISITS SAXONY-ANHALT REGION

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.12.2009 20:07 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Ambassador to Germany Armen Martirosyan
and his delegation visited the region of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The
Armenian delegation met with the leadership of the region and the
mayor of Magdeburg.

During the meeting with the Prime Minister of the region Wolfgang
Bohmer, Armen Martirosyan, thanked the authorities of the region
for effective cooperation with Armenia in the spheres of culture
and education. The parties stressed the need to enhance cooperation
in various spheres and agreed to develop proposals to intensify
economic ties.

Officials also touched upon the possibility of establishing direct
contacts between the region of Saxony-Anahlt and one of the regions
of Armenia.

The Mayor of Magdeburg Mayor Koch Rudiger expressed willingness to
establish cooperation between Technical University Magdeburg and a
technical university in Armenia.

The Armenian delegation met with Herman Holtze, a representative of
Center for Armenian Studies "Mesrop" in Halle and other representatives
of the Armenian community of Halle, press service of Foreign Ministry
of Armenia.

AD HOC COMMITTEE OF ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT WANTS TO AVOID CRITICIZING THE AUTHORITIES

PanARMENIAN.Net
22.12.2009 20:19 GMT+04:0

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The recommendations of the ad hoc Committee of
the National Assembly of Armenia into the events of 1 and 2 March
2008 provide "a comprehensive, although not complete" response
to the political crisis, according to an information note by the
co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of Armenia of the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) made public this week.

In their note, Georges Colombier (France, EPP/CD) and John Prescott
(United Kingdom, SOC) said the recommendations were regrettably not
complemented by a comprehensive analysis of the events of 1 and 2
March, which they felt was rather one-sided, and gave the impression
that the committee wanted to avoid criticising the authorities. They
strongly regretted the almost total lack of analysis of developments
that followed these events, and expressed concern at the lack of
concrete results from the inquiry into the 10 fatalities that occurred.

The co-rapporteurs recommended the continuation of a special
body of the parliament to oversee implementation of the report’s
recommendations and conduct further inquiries where necessary.

They said they would closely follow this matter in the framework of
the regular monitoring of Armenia and report back to PACE’s Monitoring
Committee at a future meeting.

RA CONTROL SERVICE REVEALS VIOLATIONS IN MINING INDUSTRY

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
21.12.2009 15:16 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Control Service at RA President’s administration
revealed a number of violations in activities of environment, energy
and natural resources ministries of Armenia, Hovhannes Hovsepyan,
head of Control Service told a press conference in Yerevan on Monday.

According to him, there has been a discrepancy in reported amounts
of royalties, submitted by business entities to two different state
agencies. "And even despite this inconsistency of reports, these
business entities are state debtors," he said.

The Control Service has also identified violations in granting
the right for mine exploration. In particular, the right to explore
mines was granted to business entities, which had not fulfilled their
contractual obligations.

"Inspections in 10 mines have shown that business entities acquired
additional land lots, not through auction, as the law required,
but exercising their right to expand, thus causing AMD 515 million
damage to the state. Relevant legislative amendments have already
been initiated," Hovsepyan said.

Contractual obligations to make investments have not been fully
fulfilled by several business entities. "Most of these businesses have
not invested the promised amount, causing over AMD 2 billion harm to
the state. According to the law on concessions, the property of debtors
can beconfiscated to repay these amounts, registered as public debts.

187 businesses did not pay AMD 600 million state duties for licenses.

This sum will be repaid through confiscation of the property.

Otherwise, the licensing right of these businesses will be suspended,"
he concluded.

ARMENIA FACED 16% ECONOMIC SLUMP IN JANUARY-NOVEMBER 2009

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
21.12.2009 18:03 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In January-November 2009, Armenia faced 16% economic
slump. According to official data, GDP volume in the same period went
up to AMD 2.79 trillion, with the monthly rate of downfall making
up 6.6%.

The highest rate of economic slump was fixed in spheres construction
(38.4%), industrial production (9.9%) and agriculture (9.9%), as well
as in services sector (2.5%).

Inflation rate in the above period made up 3.1% compared to the same
period of 2008. In the meantime, monthly inflation rate comprised 1.2%.

OFFICIAL SEAL REQUESTED FROM SOCIAL DEMOCRAT HUNCHUKIAN PARTY FORMER LEADER

Tert.am
10:56 ~U 21.12.09

Within the Social Democrat Hunchakian Party’s (SDHP) 7th extraordinary
convention, elected party leader G. Perkupekyan appealed to SDHP former
leader Lyudmila Sargsyan in writing. His letter reads: "You have been
expelled from the party. The newly elected leadership of Armenia’s
SDHP organization is requesting you to submit the SDHP official seal
and the remaining official documents [to the current party leaders]."