Author: Kajoyan Gevork

FORBES RANKS ARMENIA AS WORLD’S 2ND WORST ECONOMY
Mu Xuequan

English.news.cn
July 7 2011
China

TBILISI, July 6 (Xinhua) — The Forbes magazine has ranked the South
Caucasus country of Armenia as the second worst economy in the world
this year, after having analyzed the macro-economic indicators of
177 countries and regions over the past three years.

Other data used by Forbes for its analysis included the per capita
gross domestic product growths as released by the International
Monetary Fund (IMF), the IMF-forecast inflation rates in the coming
2012 and the current account balances.

The 2011 Forbes-ranked world’s worst five economies are Madagascar,
Armenia, Guinea, Ukraine and Jamaica.

Armenia’s economy in 2010 witnessed a 2.6-percent year-on-year
GDP growth.

In 2010, the Forbes magazine ranked Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic
of the Congo and Guinea as the world’s three worst economies.

The Armenian national statistical service reported that the country’s
per capita GDP at the end of last year was 2,885 U.S. dollars and
3,509.6 dollars in current prices over the reporting period.

RUSSIAN INVESTMENTS IN ARMENIA REACH $3 BILLION – ARMENIAN FM

news.am
July 6, 2011
Armenia

MOSCOW. – Russian investments in Armenia are reaching $3 billion,
said Armenian FM Edward Nalbandian.

Speaking at a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart
Sergey Lavrov, he recalled that about 1,500 companies with Russian
capital are functioning in Armenia.

Nalbandian informed the journalists of a session of Armenian-Russian
inter-governmental commission which will review new programs, in
particular related to the fields of transport, energy, communication
and IT sector.

DEAL TO EXTEND RUSSIAN MILITARY BASE IN ARMENIA COMES INTO FORCE

RTTNews

July 6, 2011

(RTTNews) – An agreement between Russia and Armenia that extends the
deployment of Russian forces in the Caucasian country until 2044 has
come into force.

On Wednesday, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and his
Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov exchanged instruments of ratification
to bring into effect the protocol extending Russia’s use of a military
base in the Armenian city of Gyumri, Russian media reported.

The deal was signed in August last year in Armenian capital Yerevan
during Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s visit to the country.

Speaking on the occasion, Medvedev assured Armenia of Moscow’s military
protection if the country is attacked by neighboring Azerbaijan.

He added, as the “most powerful state in the region,” Russia is
committed to securing peace and order there.

The defense ministers of both the countries signed a protocol on
prolongation of the agreement on Russia’s military base in Armenia,
signed in 1995.

Under the current deal, about 3,500 Russian soldiers are stationed
in the cities of Yerevan and Gyumri, about 100 kilometers north-west
of the capital.

Russia has agreed to supply Armenia with armory and modern defense
technologies to ensure its ally’s security.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT DISCUSSED KARABAKH CONFLICT RESOLUTION WITH CLINTON

news.am
July 7 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan had a telephone
conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The sides
discussed the current stage of negotiations upon Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict settlement, informs presidential press service.

The sides also touched upon Armenian-U.S. relations and prospects
for their future development. The talk was initiated by the U.S. side.

ARMENIA: CURTAILED APRICOT CROP LEAVES VILLAGERS FINANCIALLY VULNERABLE

Fresh Plaza

July 7 2011
Netherlands

The apricot harvest is going full steam ahead in Armenia’s Armavir
Marz. But the bumper crop predicted at the start of the year hasn’t
materialized. Large scale purchasers of the fruit also aren’t pleased
that the frequent hailstorms have damaged the appearance of the
apricots, making them less desirable in terms of saleability. Today,
a kilo of apricots can be purchased in the marketplace for between
300-500 AMD. The damaged fruit is much cheaper; 80-100 AMD. Village
growers either have to accept the depressed prices offered by the
fruit canners and processors or else they must pit the fruit to make
dried apricot paste and other items.

The apricot harvest in the village of Lenough started two days ago.

Mayor Gegham Ghazaryan told Hetq that most local residents derive a
bulk of their revenues from apricots but that this year’s hail storms
have thrown their financial budgets out of whack. The village plans to
harvest about 100 tons of apricots. The number would have been thrice
as much without the damaging hail. Mayor Ghazaryan is concerned that
many small farmers will not be able to pay back the loans they are
straddled with. “The entire village faces a debt crisis due to the
agricultural loans people have received from the banks. The community
is slowly dying out.” The apricot harvest is already over in the
Armavir village of Dasht. There wasn’t much to harvest.

Constant rains wreaked havoc on the blossoming fruit trees early in
the season. Two years ago 120 tons of apricots were harvested. This
year’s crop was only 10 tons. Dasht Mayor Hrant Petrosyan said that
growers have had no trouble selling the fruit to resellers at 200-350
AMD per kilo. The Armavir Regional Administration told Hetq that
they had predicted an apricot crop of some 25,000 tons but that due
to the inclement weather it would be several times less. Officials
at the Department of Agriculture said they were actively working in
hard hot communities so that growers could at least sell their fruit
at 70-100 AMD to companies like Artfood, Byurak and Yevroterm. The
Armavir Administration confesses that their earlier predictions for the
grape and peach crop will also be much more than actually harvested.

AZERBAIJAN PUBLICLY DENIED TWO OF BASIC PRINCIPALS BEFORE KAZAN TALKS ON KARABAKH – MP

news.am
July 7 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – The international community wants fast resolution of
Karabakh conflict. That’s why before each meeting we hear optimistic
statements calling for the sides to adopt the proposed document
on Basic Principles. However these optimistic expectations do not
come true which causes much disappointment, the deputy Speaker of
Armenian Parliament from the ruling Republican Party Samvel Nikoyan
told Armeian News-NEWS.am.

According to him, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev publicly denied
two of the basic principals [Helsinki Final Act] – non-use of force or
threat of force and the right of people to self-determination – even
before Kazan summit of Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani presidents.

The position of Azerbaijani authorities brings the optimistic
expectations to naught. The international community and OSCE Minsk
Group in particular must display a targeted approach towards the side
that hinders the adoption of basic principles, Nikoyan added.

CORRUPTION RISKS IN STATE AGENCIES REDUCED IN ARMENIA – PRIME MINISTER

news.am
July 7 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN.- The Armenian government continues monitoring of the state
organizations providing services to the citizens and business entities
where the reforms were carried out over the recent months, said Prime
Minister Tigran Sargsyan.

Results of monitoring in eight agencies were presented during
government session held on Thursday.

Premier Sargsyan stressed there are some positive changes. Tens
of thousands are able to receive high quality services avoiding
corruption risks.

Although some problems still exist, the Prime Minister promised that
results of reforms will become tangible within the next few months
and the monitoring will continue.

FAITH LAW SPARKS RELIGIOUS ROW IN GEORGIA

Agence France Presse
July 6, 2011 Wednesday 3:38 PM GMT

The powerful Georgian Orthodox Church strongly criticised the country’s
pro-Western government on Wednesday after a new law allowing minority
faiths to claim legal status infuriated some believers.

The Georgian Patriarch — the single most respected person in the
ex-Soviet state — issued a statement saying that the legislation
“contradicts the interests of the Church and of the country”.

“We believe that there will be negative consequences in the near
future and the authorities will bear responsibility for that,” the
statement published on the Patriarch’s website said.

The new law, which was approved by parliament on Tuesday, allows
other religious groups to be legally registered in the overwhelmingly
Orthodox country which also has Muslim, Armenian Apostolic, Jewish,
Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Protestant minorities.

“Georgia is a multi-ethnic and multi-confessional country and every
citizen of this country, regardless of what religion he belongs to,
must have equal rights,” senior governing party lawmaker Nugzar
Tsiklauri told AFP.

But he said that the Georgian Orthodox Church would retain its
special status which is guaranteed by a constitutional agreement with
the state.

The agreement grants tax privileges to the Church, which also receives
state funding.

Orthodox Christianity has undergone a major revival since Georgia’s
independence from the Soviet Union and the Church has become
increasingly influential in everyday life.

Some minorities have alleged religious discrimination, although
international rights reports have suggested that violations have
decreased under the current government.

Georgia’s Evangelical-Baptist Church welcomed the new legislation.

“Different religious groups existing in Georgia have been demanding for
many years to have the right to register,” Bishop Rusudan Gotsiridze
told local media.

But opposition parties said that such a sensitive issue needed wider
public discussion and called on President Mikheil Saakashvili to veto
the law.

The opposition Christian-Democratic Movement party described it as a
“very dangerous step”, vowing to launch a campaign for the Church’s
status to be upgraded and for Orthodox Christianity to be declared
the country’s official religion.

A small group of protesters gathered outside a church near parliament
in the centre of Tbilisi to express their anger.

“This law could provoke confrontation on religious grounds in Georgia.

We demand a presidential veto,” one of them, Shota Glurjidze, told AFP.

The Patriarchate — seen by many people in the country as above any
criticism — wields political as well as ecumenical power.

It has intervened in recent years to end an anti-government hunger
strike and to ensure that a television series that displeased it was
taken off the air.

WHY ARE THEY STAYING SILENT?

06:18 pm | July 07, 2011 | Social

Correspondent from the office of the Prelacy of Isfahan Armenian
Diocese Bartukh Baghumyan confirmed the news about the robbery of
icons from the Holy Savior Monastery in New Julfa.

“Yes, we confirm that news,” Baghumyan told Arax Weekly. According
to Armenia’s presses, on June12, two unknown Armenians tried to sell
five Armenian museum icons in London.

This is not the first robbery from the Holy Savior Monastery.

Arax Weekly asks: Why is the Catholicosate of the Great House of
Cilicia and the Isfahan Armenian Diocese staying silent regarding
the icons robbed from the monastery?

DEMAND TO DISCLOSE THE DOCUMENT
HAKOB BADALYAN

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 16:44:14 – 07/07/2011

Although Kazan did not report a legally-binding settlement of the
Karabakh conflict, nevertheless rumors that some agreement was reached
in Kazan, and some document was signed which hasn’t been disclosed
yet don’t stop.

In fact, it is difficult to find out if these rumors are grounded.

Videos of signing a document in Kazan will hardly appear on YouTube.

Whatever happened, the ceremony of signing will be anew, and it will
be difficult to prove that the signature was put earlier, and the
solemn but outrageous ceremony was imitated later.

What should the society do? What should it do if rumors continue,
if the appeals of the mediators and European organizations to reach
settlement don’t stop but there is no proof, there is no material
content which would orient the public opinion.

Apparently, it is time for the Armenian society to demand complete
disclosure by the government and mediators of what the sides were
offered to sign. The notion of society may be perceived abstractly
but there are a number of NGOs and political units which may act on
behalf of the society, represent the interests of the society.

These organizations must publicly demand official disclosure of the
negotiations. All the political forces and expert communities focusing
on this issue should uphold this demand.

It is time to open the cards because playing with hidden cards leads
to tension and endangers Armenia. Certainly, there are no irrevocable
situations but post factum it is more difficult to handle the situation
and relieve the consequences. Therefore, the negotiations must be
disclosed. Setting forth or not setting forth this demand will be an
indicator of the real expectations and plans of different political
forces and the expert community in Armenia.