Author: Jabejian Elizabeth

ARMENIA TO BE GIVEN INVESTMENT RATING BY THE END OF THE YEAR

Noyan Tapan
Mar 28 2006

YEREVAN, MARCH 28, NOYAN TAPAN. By the end of the current year Armenia
will be given an investment rating by two authoritative international
organizations. As CBA Chairman Tigran Sargsian informed at the March
28 press conference, at present these organizations are studying
the necessary indices. According to him, the aim of giving a rating
is to provide Armenia’s appearing on the world financing map. It was
mentioned that giving of a rating by two organizations simultaneously
will ensure its objectivity.

ARMENIA CONSIDERED COUNTRY WITH MOST LIBERAL TRADE REGIME

Noyan Tapan
Mar 28 2006

YEREVAN, MARCH 28, NOYAN TAPAN. The trade and economic system of
Armenia fully meets the international standards. Tigran Davtian,
RA Deputy Minister of Trade and Economic Development, stated this at
the opening of the international banking conference on trade financing
on March 28. According to him, the RA trade regime is considered as a
most liberal one by international organizations, and in this respect
Armenia is among the leading countries. As a result, the deputy
minister said, the average annual growth of exports makes 15-30% in
Armenia, and the balance of payments is gradually improving. Thus,
Armenia is becoming an export-oriented country. T. Davtian expressed
a hope that this dynamics will continue in the coming years.

PanARMENIAN.Net

People of Armenia and Azerbaijan Capable to Solve Karabakh Conflict

25.03.2006 00:50 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ `If an agreement, according to which Armenia will
abandon interference in Azerbaijan’s internal affairs, is signed
between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the near future, it won’t be hard to
find the ways of coordinating peaceful life of the citizens of
Azerbaijan and all the residents of Karabakh regardless of
nationality. Certainly, it will be achieved with the guarantees of
great powers and the UN,’ Azeri political scientist Zardusht Alizade
stated in an interview with PanARMENIAN.Net. When commenting on the
militaristic statements by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev the
political scientist said he doesn’t believe in resumption of
large-scale hostilities in the near future. `But I am often mistaken
because I do not take into account the greed and stupidity of game
participants,’ he added. Zardusht Alizade is convinced that the
people of Armenia and Azerbaijan are capable to settle the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict.

Panorama.am

15:09 24/03/06

GIVE US OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT CIVILIZATION

`The representatives of Armenian intelligentsia have no opportunity to
discuss questions of civilization and culture at forums as such
occasions are not held in the country,’ announced art critic Hrach
Bayadyan during the discussion with philosopher Ashot Voskanyan
today. As he said, today the questions of civilization and culture are
discussed mainly on the level of Mass Media. In his turn A. Voskanyan
noticed that while discussing the above mentioned questions one must
firstly pay attention to social-economic problems of the
population. As A. Voskanyan thinks these two aspects are inseparable
and interdependent.

Talking about the clash of the Eastern and the Western civilizations
in Armenia H. Bayadyan mentioned that today these processes are
characteristic of any European country and one shouldn’t take them
dramatically. Moreover, as the art critic said the global processes
taking place in the country today are not being treated by the
Armenian population adequately as `Armenia is not a multiethnic
country.’ Nevertheless, it should be noted that the opinions of the
participants of the discussion coincided concerning the most
preferable social model for Armenia. Both give preference to the
European model. /Panorama.am/

RA NA DISCUSSES AGREEMENT ON INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMUNICATION BY COURIER

YEREVAN, MARCH 23, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA National Assembly discussed on
March 22 the agreement “On Intergovernmental Communication by Courier”
(signed on January 22, 1993, in Minsk) presented for certification by
the President of the republic and the report on making amendments in
that agreement, signed on May 27, 1997 in Moscow. The goal of the
Agreement and Report is to guarantee operative dispatch of the
official correspondence among the member countries of the Commonwealth
of Independent States and heads of governments, authority and
government bodies. The operative rulling of the intergovernmental
communication by courier will be implemented by the coordinating
council of departments of the services of communication by courier of
the member states of the agreement. The agreement regulates
inviolability of dispatching the official correspondence as well
issues relating to UN employees’ rights and obligations. By the
report the status of the UN employee envisaged by the agreement is
changed, according to what he makes use of the right of bearing,
keeping weapon, corresponding to the legislation of the state where he
is.

AZG Armenian Daily #052, 23/03/2006

Finances

CONVERSE BANK RECOGNIZED BEST BANK OF ARMENIA

Converse Bank plans to increase its capital by 25,2% due to growth of
profit and emission of shares. Smbat Nasibian, general director of the
bank, said at a press on March 21 conference. He informed that they
decided to issue banking bonds and to distribute them in the external
markets in 2006. Nasibian said that the bank will also strengthen its
leading position among the three leading banks of Armenia due to the
volumes of its actives and capital. He added that the bank will
enlarge the number of its clients to 75-80 thousand thanks to
improving the quality of banking services. Particularly, it is
envisaged that in 2006 the number of active clients will grow by
52,3%, while the actives will increase by 15%. At present, the actives
of Converse Bank make almost AMD 47 billions, while its credits amount
to almost AMD 4 billions.

The bank is also going to broaden the network of its branches. Thus,
five new branches of the banks will open in Yerevan and in the
economically active regions of Armenia, in 2006. The planned increase
of competitiveness for the United Transfer System will help the bank
secure annual 30% of growth for transfers’ volume. It’s noteworthy
that the bank occupied the first place among other commercial banks
due to 49,2% of its capital’s growth, in 2005.

According to the volume of the bank’s actives that made AMD 42
billion, Converse Bank occupied the third place.

The Bank plans to increase its mortgage crediting portfolio to $3
million by end 2005.

He said that the bank’s portfolio of mortgage credits totals to almost
$1 million, at present. Recently, the bank prolonged the terms for
repayment of these credits to 10 years. The maximal loan for real
estate purchase amounts to $30 thousand. The interest rate for
mortgage credits totals to annual 13%, while the minimal pre-payment
volume makes 30% of the real estate cost to be purchased. According to
the results of 2005, Converse Bank occupied the third place by the
volume of its actives that grew to 26% and totaled to AMD 42 billions.

The Bank is going to increase the number of its cards by 56,8%, in
2006. While the volume of municipal payments will grow by 25,6%.

Nasibian said that the bank will open 6 new bank machines and 80
POS-terminals. He added that the international payment system Visa
International gave the bank the certificate for rendering services
through Smart-card, that will help carry out services for chip cards
through the network of POS-terminals. It is also envisaged that the
bank will undergo certification for rendering services for chip Visa
cards through bank machines in 2006.

According to the bank, the number of issued ArCa and Visa cards grew
by 26,8% and made 11067, while the service network included 100
points, in 2005.The profits from operations with cards grew by 18,4%,
in 2005.

Presidential Youth Award will be given to talanted children in the sphere of classical music

ArmRadio
23.03.2006 13:00

This year the Presidential Youth Award will be rewarded also to
talented children in the sphere of classical music.

During the press conference at the `Hayastan’ All-Armenian Fund Office
Rector of the Yerevan Conservatory Sergey Sarajyan informed that two
of the four compositions presented have been selected.

This year a number of works have been presented in the `Cinema and
Art’ nomination, and according to famous singer Barsegh Tumanyan, it
has been hard to make a choice. A prize of $5 000 is to be awarded in
the sphere of classical music. $ 2 500 will be awarded in the cinema
and art nomination.

ARMENIA FACES DEMOGRAPHIC DEFEAT

Lragir/am
23 March 06

Statistics shows that Armenia falls behind Azerbaijan by demographic
indices. According to Samvel Farmanyan, member of the council of the
Orinats Yerkir Youth Society, the population growth in Azerbaijan
totaled 4.4 per cent, whereas in Armenia, according to the same
statistical source, this rate is almost zero. The members of the
Orinats Yerkir Youth Society believe that this fact in particular and
the problems of youth in general must make the government think of
ways of improving the life of young people.

Young Orinats Yerkir members think the primary step is to solve the
problem of housing of young people. With regard to this the young
members of the Orinats Yerkir Party advise the government to take
practical steps to make the hypothec market available for young
people. `The government must take measures to achieve a youth-oriented
hypothec market, direct investment funds and institutions at the
hypothec market, spend budget means growing thanks to economic growth
on the solution of these problems,’ think the representatives of the
youth wing of the Orinats Yerkir Party. For instance, they offer to
grant soft loans to young families, cut their loan burden by certain
percentage on the birth of their first child, and the second child,
etc. They think such similar steps will help to improve the
demographic indices, which is a strategic issue for Armenia.

PRICE OF ELECTRICITY DECIDED

Lragir/am
21 March 06

Now we can be sure to state that the citizen of the Republic of Armenia
will have to pay more not only for gas but also for electricity. The
Thermal Power Plant of Hrazdan and the Thermal Power Station of Yerevan
operate on gas have already submitted a bid with the Commission
of Public Utilities to increase by 90 per cent the tariff of the
electricity they produce. On March 21 Nikolay Grigoryan, Deputy
Chairman of the Commission, announced that the price of electricity
will increase by 3 drams. Though producers on gas have bid a higher
price, the impact will not be visible, since the energy these thermal
plants generate comprises 25 per cent of energy in Armenia, which is
mainly required in winter months.

TREES WERE CUT

A1+
08:26 pm 20 March, 2006

According to trustworthy sources, nine poplars were chopped down in the
area called “Ttujur” of the city of Gavar. The trees were sold as raw
material. A criminal case has been aroused in connection with the fact.

The Ecological administration of the Gegharqounik region does not
exclude the possibility of the repetition of suchlike cases as an
area of about 150 hectares factually does not have an owner.

“Qyavar” TV Company of Gavar.