Author: Kajoyan Gevork

EBRD TO CONTINUE INVESTMENTS IN A NUMBER OF SPHERES OF ARMENIA’S ECONOMY

ARMENPRESS
October 19, 2011
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 19, ARMENPRESS: European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development (EBRD) will continue to promote development of a number
of spheres in Armenia and to make financial investments, member of
EBRD Board of Directors Kurt Bayer told today a news conference,
noting that the programs will involve the spheres of development of
small and medium-sized enterprises, agribusiness, manufacturing of
agricultural products and procession. According to him, support will
be also shown to the spheres of recovery energy and water supply.

Mr. Bayer said that the opportunities of these programs have been
discussed during today’s reception given by the President, as well
as they have been presented to the Ministers of Finance and Economy,
CB Chairman, representatives of the parliamentary opposition, business
community and civil society.

In the recent 20 years the bank has implemented in Armenia about 100
programs with the cost of 450 million Euros, as well as funding of
annually 70 million Euros in the recent 2 years. “EBRD has a wish to
continue the support shown to Armenia,” Mr. Bayer said.

Head of the banks’ Yerevan office Valeriu Razlog said that EBRD is
a shareholder at 4 Armenian banks and in a number of enterprises of
other branches. “The further programs on participation in investments
and capitals will depend on the programs of Armenian potential
beneficiaries,” he said.

ARMENIA EXPECTS 4.2% ECONOMIC GROWTH NEXT YEAR

armradio.am
19.10.2011 17:51

Within the framework of the visit to Saint Petersburg Prime Minister
Tigran Sargsyan participated in the 31st sitting of the Interstate
Council of the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAzEC) on the level of
the Heads of Government of the member states.

Presenting the developments in Armenian economy, PM Tigran Sargsyan
said “we expect a 4.2% economic growth next year,” adding that “the
government will do its best to ensure a 4.6% economic growth this
year and maintain the inflation at the level of 5%.”

“Armenia is interested in integration processes within the framework
of the CIS and the EurAzEC. The new platforms of cooperation will
boost the economic development in our countries and will help us
resist the possible challenges to world economy. We are preparing
resist to the new wave of the crisis by reducing the budget deficit,
the inflation rate and applying other tools. At the same time we have
to think of new tools that have not been used before.”

During the sitting the Heads of Government discussed the more than
ten issues, including the process of implementation of the joint
anti-crisis program of the EurAzEC member states. Reference was
made the comparative analysis of the economic development of member
states, etc.

The Republic of Armenia participates in the activity of the Eurasian
Economic Community as an observer.

EXPERT DOUBTS FRANCE WILL ASSUME LEADERSHIP IN MINSK GROUP EFFORTS

PanARMENIAN.Net
October 19, 2011 – 14:43 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Russia’s active involvement in OSCE Minsk Group
efforts is not an attempt to compensate for the passivity of
co-chairing France and U.S., according to Caucasus Institute director.

“In reality, Russia’s activity have been endorsed by U.S. and France
following Russia-Georgia conflict, which made it clear that Moscow has
better ability to tackle regional situation as compared to Paris and
Washington,” Alexander Iskandaryan told a news conference in Yerevan.

Iskandaryan expressed confidence for the situation to remain unchanged
as far as Russia’s involvement is concerned. The expert, however,
doubted over France’s assuming leadership in Minsk Group activities.

ARMENIA’S 2012 DRAFT BUDGET DANGEROUS – EXPERT

Tert.am
19.10.11

Armenia’s 2012 state budget is not ambitious, which means it is a
dangerous document, the economist Vahagn Khachatryan, a member of
the opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC), told journalists
in Yerevan.

He does not see the Armenian government’s willingness to improve
anything. This is one more budget the government drafted only to submit
it to Parliament, he added. It is a paradox, but the draft budget,
with revenues AMD 101bn more than this year’s budget revenues, which
might be used for raising pensions, wages and allowances, is in fact
a dangerous initiative.

“The government is the first to assess the Armenian economy’s
potential. Especially since various international agencies indicate
that shadow economy constitutes 50 to 70 percent in Armenia,” the
expert said. “Our economy is absurd due to the fact that numerous
importers can clear their goods by indicating prices that are two or
three times as low as international prices,” Khachatryan said.

He is concerned over how the government is going to ensure budget
revenues. “President Serzh Sargsyan must gather all the oligarchs and
say to them, ‘Stop, from now on we are going to work on the basis of
invoices. You must clear the goods at the price you purchase them.’
They should change the rules of the game, but they are increasing
the budget without doing it. So the question is: at what expense? No
political decision has been made, so small and medium businesses are
going to be pressurized once again,” Khachatryan said.

“If this budget is translated into reality, it will affect businesses,”
the expert said. The national debt will be increased to cover the
budget deficit,” Khachatryan said. He is concerned over Armenia’s
external debt.

The expert noted that the tax package being drafted is, first of all,
a blow on high-paid employees. This measure will only boost shadow
economy. “If the law is for everyone, I do not object to it. But
if it will only apply to economic entities that are honestly paying
their taxes, I do object to this initiative,” Khachatryan said.

TIGRAN SARGSYAN: NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES MUST BE ABLE TO FIND A COMMON LANGUAGE TO ENSURE FUTURE PROGRESS IN THIS RAPIDLY CHANGING WORLD

armradio.am
19.10.2011 16:44

“Armenia is interested in the signing of the agreement on creation of
a free trade zone between the CIS participating countries,” Armenian
Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan said at the joint press conference of
the Heads of Government of the CUIS member states in Saint Petersburg.

“The agreement will contribute to the growth of trade-economic exchange
between the CIS member states. We have to create modern platforms
that will help our economies solve all problems of reciprocal
interest. This document we signed will serve as a new impetus for
the integration process and the further economic growth,” the Prime
Minister said, adding that “the Heads of Government of CIS states
needed to demonstrate political will to sign the agreement.

“This is a historic day, proving that the CIS is moving in the right
direction,” Tigran Sargsyan stated.

This morning PM Tigran Sargsyan visited the Saint Petersburg State
University of Economics and Finance, which he graduated from.

The Prime Minister delivered a lecture for the faculty and students
of the University, dwelling on the developments in world economy and
Armenia’s economic policy.

Touching upon the economic processes in the Nagorno Karabakh Republic,
Tigran Sargsyan said: “The economic growth in Artsakh has always been
twice as higher as in Armenia. There exists an organized civil society
in Artsakh. We sometimes follow Nagorno Karabakh’s experience of
reforms implementation. I think the contemporary processes will make
the conflicting parties reach a peaceful settlement of the issue,
since I see no alternative here. In this rapidly changing world
neighbouring countries should be able to find a common language to
ensure their future progress.”

SERZH SARGSYAN HIGHLY APPRECIATES EBRD’S ACTIVITY IN ARMENIA

ARMENPRESS
OCTOBER 19, 2011
YEREVAN

President Serzh Sargsyan received today the delegation of the Board
of Directors of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development,
president’s press office reported.

The President described the visit of the EBRD delegation to Armenia
as a step directed toward the development of cooperation with our
country and highly appreciated the Bank’s activity in Armenia.

Noting that the cooperation with the Bank has been formed since the
country’s independence and the circles of partnership expand from
year to year, the President hailed the Bank’s participation in every
important and promising program for the Armenian economy. The President
said this effective cooperation results in the reinforcement of trust
and contributes to the flow of foreign investments.

EBRD representatives first congratulated Serzh Sargsyan on the 20th
anniversary of Armenia’s independence and noted that the delegation
arrived in Armenia to discuss the priorities of cooperation, get
acquainted with the current economic situation in Armenia and the
ongoing programs of the bank. They said the Armenian Government has
done a great work toward improvement of the business environment and
particularly emphasized the amendments in the tax legislation. They
noted though that there are still a number of problems in some spheres,
and the EBRD is ready to assist in their solution.

The parties discussed the possible spheres of future cooperation.

ARMENIAN JOURNALISTS KILLED IN 1915 PUT ON “MURDERED JOURNALISTS” LIST

PanARMENIAN.Net
October 19, 2011 – 11:35 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Following the Contemporary Journalists’ Association
(CGD), the Turkish Journalists Association (TGC) has decided to
include the names of Armenian journalists killed during the 1915
Armenian Genocide in its list of “murdered journalists,” with a special
section of the Press Museum to be dedicated to the murdered Armenian
journalists, Hurriyet Daily News reported.

“What is important for us is that they are our colleagues; their
religion, language and race are irrelevant,” Ahmet Ozdemir, TGC’s
deputy secretary-general, said.

CGD added the names of 10 murdered Armenian journalists to its list
in recent months. The TGC, however, plans to add only two names:
Diran Kelekyan, an editor of the daily Sabah and Cihan journals, as
well as a writer and an academic; and Krikor Zohrab, a legal expert,
writer, journalist and three-time deputy in the Ottoman Parliament.

“We took journalism as the criterion. Persons who published poems and
discursions on newspapers do not carry significance for us in terms of
journalistic criteria,” Ozdemir said, adding that Zohrab and Kelekyan
were murdered for their professional journalistic activities.

CGD member Ahmet Abakay said: “We would like to make space for more
Armenian journalists as the CGD. We also came in very late, but we had
neither any documents nor any information. Official history concealed
the truth from us. It constitutes a crime to conceal from society the
names of these individuals who labored for the Turkish press. We are
going to continue waging this struggle.”

TODAY, ARTSAKH IS AN INDEPENDENT STATE CAPABLE OF DEFENDING ITS CITIZENS: BRIEFING IN USA

Panorama
Oct 19 2011
Armenia

On the occasion of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic’s twentieth
anniversary of independence, the Armenian Assembly’s Northern
California Regional Council (NCRC) held a briefing featuring Robert
Avetisyan, NKR Representative to the United States, reported the
Armenian Assembly of America (AAA).

Convened at the St. Vartan Armenian Church in Oakland, California,
the Bay Area audience also heard remarks from Andrew Lyons, Vice
President of HALO Trust USA, and AAA Executive Director Bryan Ardouny.

Mr. Avetisyan provided a historical overview of Karabakh as well as
current-day issues and challenges explaining how “during almost the
seven decades of Nagorno Karabakh’s existence within Soviet Azerbaijan
– a part of the Soviet Union – the authorities in Baku regularly
violated the rights of Karabakh Armenians, hampered the region’s
economic development, and implemented a policy of deportation of
Armenians from Nagorno Karabakh, thus transforming the demographic
composition of the region in favor of its Azerbaijani minority.”

“Today, Artsakh is an independent state capable of defending its
citizenry and the process of depopulating our homeland by the Azeri
authorities has ended. Nor do we intend that they should have the
opportunity to resume such policies and violations of basic human
rights,” Avetisyan added.

For his part, Andrew Lyons discussed the important life-saving work
his organization is doing to clear unexploded ordinance and mines
in Nagorno Karabakh left over from the time of the war in the early
1990s. Lyons also expressed concern that, without additional funding
sources, progress will be hampered and thus prolonging the time it
will take to rid NKR of this lingering danger.

Introduced by Armenian Assembly ARAMAC Northern California State
Chair and NCRC Member, Valina Agbabian, Ardouny focused his remarks
on the current environment in Washington, DC and urged those present
to stay actively involved to ensure that Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia
receive the attention they merit as well as ongoing U.S. assistance
to develop their economies.

Following the briefing, a lively question and answer period ensued
and covered a range of important topics for the speakers to address.

Afterwards, there was an opportunity for further discussion while
guests enjoyed an assortment of refreshments.

“I would like to express our appreciation to the members of the NCRC
for all of their hard work in conjunction with the members of St.

Vartan’s Cultural Committee for making this event possible. We also
extend our gratitude to Rev. Fr. Hovel Ohanyan for hosting us,”
stated the Assembly’s Western Region Manager Aline Maksoudian.

ARMENIAN EXPERT CONSIDERS NOT SERIOUS AZERBAIJAN’S WAR THREATS

news.am
Oct 19 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN.- Rhetoric of the Azerbaijani leadership has undergone some
changes, said Director of Caucasus Institute Alexander Iskandaryan.

According to him, the speeches still contain threats but at the same
time there is another type of rhetoric – Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh
are dangerous for Azerbaijan, it is assumed that the Armenian side
may initiate violation of truce.

The political analyst considers the conflicting parties mange to
maintain balance. In this context, Iskandaryan said he does not take
Azerbaijan’s threats seriously. According to him, the situation does
not suggest possibility of war.

As regards Azerbaijani press reports about a wall to protect “against
the Armenian bullets”, Iskandaryan said he did not know whether the
reports are true.

Earlier, one of Azerbaijani agencies reported they are building a
stone defensive wall in the line of contact between Azerbaijani and
Karabakh armed forces.

DMITRY MEDVEDEV WILL RECEIVE PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA SERZH SARGSYAN AT THE KREMLIN

Office of the President

Oct 17 2011
Russian Federation

President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan will make a state visit to Russia
on October 23-25, 2011 at Dmitry Medvedev’s invitation.

A Russian-Armenian summit meeting will take place at the Kremlin on
October 24.

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