Author: Kajoyan Gevork

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT THANKS COLLEAGUES FOR SUPPORTING HIS COUNTRY’S ACCESSION TO EEU

YEREVAN, December 23. / ARKA /. Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan
thanked today the presidents of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus for
their support to the process of Armenia’s accession to the Eurasian
Economic Union (EEU).

“I would like to single out the great job made by ministries,
government agencies and the Eurasian Economic Commission”, said
Sargsyan at a summit of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in
Moscow.

Russian president Vladimir Putin said the Eurasian troika is turning
into the Eurasian five after Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia ratified
the agreement on Armenia’s membership in the trade bloc and after
signing an agreement today on Kyrgyzstan’s accession.

Putin expressed confidence that the membership of Armenia and
Kyrgyzstan meets the fundamental national interests of these countries
opening wide horizons for their economic and social development.-0-

ARTSAKH SECURITY COUNCIL MEETING CONVENES

Wednesday, December 24th, 2014

Artsakh’s Security Council met in Stepanakert on Dec. 24.

YEREVAN (Armenpress)–The President of Artsakh, Bako Sahakian,
called to order a meeting of the Security Council on Wednesday, the
President’s press office reports. Issues related to organization of
combat duty and improvement of engineering structures were on the
agenda. The Armenia Fund 2014 Telethon and programs to be implemented
within its frameworks were also on the agenda of the meeting.

Defense Minister Movses Hakobian delivered a report on the military.

The President underlined that securing a high level of military
readiness of the armed forces had always been among the most
significant tasks of the state.

The meeting also discussed the construction of the Vardenis-Martakert
highway with funds from the Armenia Fund Telethon. The meeting agreed
on close cooperation between Armenia Fund organizers and Artsakh’s
authorities, as well as on the importance of wide media coverage of
the project.

VIVACELL-MTS EMPLOYEES’ PERSONAL INVESTMENT IN CREATION OF COMPUTER CLASS IN BYUREGHAVAN BOARDING SCHOOL

17:00 24/12/2014 >> SOCIETY

For already nine years, the leading telecommunications operator of
Armenia VivaCell-MTS has been following a civilized model of business
administration. The system of values adopted in the organization,
which implies putting Corporate Responsibility at the core of its
activities, has already become a worldview for VivaCell-MTS employees.

Their desire to help the country and society is realized through
numerous projects; employees of different departments of the Company
make decisions and gather funds for their implementation, the press
service of VivaCell-MTS reports.

One of these programs was realized in Byureghavan town of Kotayk
region. This time it was the staff of VivaCell-MTS administrative
department that made Á personal investment in the program. The
managerial staff also took part in the initiative, encouraging the
employees. As a result of joint donation, a computer class opened up
in the child care and protection boarding school of the town. The
school was equipped with 15 computers, tables and chairs, with an
LCD TV set, a DVD player and two water heating boilers.

To make the initiative of the administrative department staff more
efficient, the company has provided a 4G/Wi-Fi router with “Home-Zone
Turbo” Internet tariff plan and also created a local area network. It
will give the schoolchildren an opportunity to widen their knowledge
and develop their handicraft skills owing to the benefits of the
Internet.

“Respect and care towards society have a special place in
VivaCell-MTS. We appreciate the will and determination to achieve
success together. Our employees, following this principle, realize
the significance of ensuring an optimal learning environment for each
and every child. The innovative classroom will allow the children to
widen their knowledge,” VivaCell-MTS General Manager Ralph Yirikian
commented.

Source: Panorama.am

ARMENIA’S ACCESSION TO EURASIAN ECONOMIC UNION TO ALLOW IT TO IMPLEMENT LUCRATIVE ECONOMIC PROJECTS – RIZHKOV

YEREVAN, December 24. /ARKA/. Armenia’s accession to the Eurasian
Economic Union will open a way for implementing many promising economic
projects, said Nikolay Rizhkov, a member of the Federation Council
of the Russian Federation and a National Hero of Armenia.

He is quoted by Novosti-Armenia as saying that today many want to
implement economic projects in Armenia in various areas. he told journalists on Tuesday.

Calling Armenia’s accession to the union a great event, he said that
it is better to live in a large family than separately and that the
Eurasian Economic Union member countries should unite their efforts
to resist challenges together.

He said he visited Armenia every year and talked to Armenian President
Serzh Sargsyan, who was steadfast in his determination to join the
union. In his words, when he traveled to Armenia one month ago,
the Armenian president urged him to speed up ratification of the
accession agreement.

Rizhkov reminded journalists that the agreement had been ratified
unanimously. He said he asked his fellow senators to support
ratification and they did.

The Eurasian Economic Union establishment treaty signed by Russia,
Belarus and Kazakhstan on May 29 in Astana takes force on January
1, 2015.

Armenia signed its accession agreement on October 10, 2014. The
agreement is already ratified by Russian, Belarusian and Kazakh
parliaments. After Spitak Eearthquake in Armenia in 1988 Rizhkov,
as head of the then Soviet government, provided invaluable support
to Armenian people and won their affection. —0—-

APARTMENT HOUSE FOR SYRIAN ARMENIANS TO BE BUILT IN YEREVAN

16:06, 24 Dec 2014

The groundbreaking ceremony for the new apartment house for Syrian
Armenians was held in Yerevan today. The Mayor of Yerevan, Taron
Margaryan participated in the ceremony.

A 14-storey house with 78 apartments will be built on the area of 600
sq. meters at 4/3, Mikoyan Street. The project approved by the Yerevan
City Hall is funded by the “Help Your Brother” Charity Foundation.

FIOLETOVO VILLAGERS’ REQUEST ADDRESSED TO NATURE PROTECTION MINISTER ARAMAYIS GRIGORYAN – VIDEO

18:00 December 23, 2014

EcoLur

Fioletovo villagers are asking Nature Protection Minister Aramayis
Grigoryan to help them and not to allow the development of Fioletovo
gold mine. Village representative Vasily Desyatov passed the letter
signed by over 140 villagers to the Ministry. The letter says,
“To Nature Protection Minister Aramayis Grigoryan

Dear Mr. Grigoryan

The residents of Fioletovo Village are asking for your help. Our
villagers are the only purely Russian religious people in Armenia.

Many tourists from different countries of the world have visited to
enjoy this site. They admire with our modest and diligent villagers.

We mainly deal with agriculture and husbandry. Currently an oligarch
intends to open a mine in a distance of 100 meters from the village
and to develop a mine there. He wants to lay a road through the village
to transport the production, which will result in eliminating our land
areas used for pasturing cattle. Here we and our ancestors have lived
for 200 years. We will have to leave the village, as we will lose
our cattle, as there will be no place for pasture and our products,
which we are fed with, support our families and supply the country
with cabbage, potatoes and other vegetables, as well as dairy products.

We are begging and asking for your help and assistance in the
preservation of our religious and purely Russian village in Armenia.

All the villagers oppose to the mining.

With best regards

Fioletovo Villagers

Signatures attached.”

Below is the conversation between Nature Protection Ministry employee
and the representative in Governmental building N 3.

Desyatov: The life in Fioletovo is destroying. The villagers asked
me to pass the letter to Nature Protection Minister Aramayis Grigoryan.

Can I hand it in person?

Nature Protection Ministry employee: No, give the letter to me,
I will hand it.

Desyatov: Please, hand it as soon as possible.

Nature Protection Ministry employee: Sure, I will hand it today,
but the reply will be available only after the New Year.

In his interview with EcoLur Desyatov said, “I am the resident of
Fiolotovo Village, and currently I am living in Yerevan. Yesterday
evening Fiolotovo villagers called me and said that a gold mine is
going to be opened there. The main issue they are concerned with is the
loss of pastures and water. The villagers have collected signatures and
asked me to hand it to the proper bodies. All the villagers unanimously
oppose to the opening of this mine. I have worked in the mine, Armanis,
and I know to what extent it’s dangerous for my health.

EcoLur: Were any public hearings held in the village?

Desyatov: The hearings were held, however, nobody knew about it and
nobody was aware of it. They (the organizers) wanted to organize
voting. But the villagers said that they wouldn’t vote, we all oppose
to it. The whole village will be destroyed, if the mine is opened. The
life there and the existence of our village is undermined. Several
villagers want to apply to the Russian Ambassador and ask him to
influence on the Armenian Government not to allow this mining project.

OVER ONE THIRD OF EUROPEANS THINK SANCTIONS AGAINST RUSSIA HOBBLE UKRAINE CRISIS SETTLEMENT

YEREVAN, December 24. /ARKA /. Over one third (35%) of the 3,013
people surveyed by ICM Research in France, the United Kingdom and
Germany at the request of Russia Today International News Agency
think that economic sanctions against Russia have had adverse impacts
on the Ukraine crisis settlement, Novosti-Armenia reports. Only 26%
of the respondents think otherwise and over 28% said the sanctions
have had absolutely no effect. The poll shows that 40% of British
respondents said the sanctions have had a favorable impact on the
Ukrainian crisis settlement, while the answer of 21 percent was polar
opposite. In Germany, 54% said the sanctions have had a negative
impact on the crisis settlement and only 16% welcomed them. Some 37%
of the people surveyed in France see absolutely no impacts, while
30% think the sanctions harmed the efforts to settle the conflict
and only 23% supported them. The people were surveyed over a period
between December 5 and 17. The poll conducted by ICM Research also
shows that more than half of British and French people are opposed to
the EU financing for Ukraine and less than one quarter of Europeans
think the sanctions against Russia had been decided by the European
Union. Some 40% in Germany would like the sanctions to be lifted and
almost half of British, French and German respondents would like to
have a more independent European Union. –0—-

MINISTER SAYS ARMENIA CAN EVEN TRIPLE EXPORTS OF AGRICULTURAL GOODS TO EEU

YEREVAN, December 24, /ARKA/ Armenia may double or even triple the
exports of agricultural products to Russia and other countries of the
Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), agriculture minister Sergo Karapetyan
told his final news conference this year. He added that exports of
Armenian fruits (except fort apricots) and vegetables to Russia this
year have doubled.

“Because of poor harvest of apricot this year we exported to Russia
only 1,490 tons of this fruit, compared to 24,000 tons in 2013 and if
we do not take this into account, the overall exports of fruits and
vegetables to the Russian Federation have doubled,” said Karapetyan.

He said production of meat products is increasing too and given the
full use of the existing capacities of processing companies exports
of meat products can be increased too.

He noted that markets in Russia, Belarus and partly in Kazakhstan
have been the largest for Armenia to sell its agricultural products to
and now with duty-free export opportunities Armenia may dramatically
increase the volume of sales in these traditional markets.

According to the ministry of agriculture, in 2014 Armenia produced
296,100 metric tons of fruits and berries, which is 42,000 tons less
than in 2013 due to damage caused by spring frosts.

Nevertheless, figures for other fruit crops are higher than last year.

This year Armenia winegrowers produced also 258,000 metric tons of
grapes against 240,800 tons 2013.-0–

ARMENIA AND TURKMENISTAN HAVE UNTAPPED RESERVES TO BOOST THEIR TRADE AND ECONOMIC RELATIONS, TURKMEN VICE PRIME MINISTER SAYS

YEREVAN, December 23. / ARKA /. Armenia and Turkmenistan have
untapped reserves to boost their trade and economic relations,
according to Sapardurdy Toiliyev, Turkmenistan’s deputy prime minister
who spoke today at the six meeting of the joint Armenian-Turkmen
intergovernmental commission in Yerevan.

Mr. Toiliyev, who is also the Turkmen cochairman of the commission,
stressed that his country is willing to strengthen ties with Armenia
in various economic sectors.

“We emphasize the importance of stepping up our bilateral trade,
for which there is real potential”, he said.

The Armenian cochairman of the commission, energy and natural
resources minister Yervand Zakarian said the bilateral trade now
stands at about $12 million, which is not large and the countries
can increase it tangibly.

The minister said the good dynamics of interstate political relations
between the two countries is a good condition for promoting also
economic ties.

Today’s meeting discussed also the possibility of starting direct
flights between Yerevan and Turkmen capital Ashgabat.

The seventh session of the Armenian-Turkmen Intergovernmental
Commission on Economic Cooperation will be held in Ashgabat in 2015.

-0-

ZAHIDUL HUQUE: ARMENIA HAS TREMENDOUS POTENTIAL DUE TO ITS HUMAN CAPITAL

December 23, 2014 14:19
EXCLUSIVE

The demographic situation in Armenia raises concerns mainly with regard
to three issues: low fertility, aging and migration. According to the
National Statistical Service of Armenia (NSS,) the fertility rate is
1.5 children per woman, while for simple reproduction of population it
should be 2.1 and higher. The share of population of ages 65 or older
is 11.1%. According to UN classification, a population is considered
old when this indicator exceeds 7%. During the last 10 years, the
total mortality rate has increased by around 13.3%. According to NSS
estimates, Armenia’s population will be 2.9 million in 2035.

Mediamax talked to UNFPA Representative for Turkey and Country Director
for Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia Dr. Zahidul Huque.

– Mr. Huque, which are the most critical demographic challenges
Armenia faces today?

– As you might know, the entire Eastern Europe is experiencing low
fertility. It is part of demographic transition, and Armenia is not
an exception. But Armenia has been facing high level of migration
over the years and this has caused Armenia to suffer more than other
countries. In terms of low fertility, Armenia and Georgia are almost
comparable. Population growth in Georgia is even less than in Armenia.

I think the most important challenge is lack of enough investments
for young population – in education, health, building capacity and
job opportunities. From my perspective, all these issues set major
concern for Armenia. But Armenia has tremendous potential due to its
human capital. Young Armenian people are very vibrant, intellectual
and what we need to do is invest in them. In this case, your country
will have brighter future than it has now.

– There are many speculations that Armenia’s current demographic
situation is alarming. Do you agree with it?

– I don’t think so. I think there is lack of understanding of the
situation. As I said, many parts of the world are going through this
transition. All they need is to rethink how to reposition themselves
in the context of low fertility and high level of migration. Beyond
doubt, they need pension reforms as well as reforms in labor markets.

It will definitely help Armenia.

It is crucial to involve the young in pension and aging policy-making
process. We saw it in case of Albania, and it produced very dramatic
results. Young people think about their own future, and there was no
fight between young and older generation. The young population plays
a fundamental role in this kind of policy-making.

– Could you please present the demographic situation in Georgia
and Azerbaijan?

– Aging is actually a serious issue for Georgia as well. Life
expectancy in Georgia is quite high, fertility is low. But Georgia
has privatized a lot of sectors and some of the burdens are shared
among the private sector. Georgia has gone a little bit extreme in
this direction. Total privatization is not a solution, but selective
privatization might be, take the U.S. There should me partnership
between the private and public sectors. As to Azerbaijan, the country’s
economy is blooming and they should invest in the social sector. Every
time I visit Azerbaijan, I say they need to invest in the social
sector, otherwise the situation there might be like what we see in
the Middle East countries, which are rich in oil but did not invest in
education, health and other social sectors. It was a serious problem
for those countries, and the same might happen with Azerbaijan –
quality of education and healthcare raise serious concerns.

– You might be well aware of selective abortion in Armenia. Recently
the Armenian PM spoke about this issue and assigned the government
bodies to submit an Action Plan until March 2015. How will you assess
the sex selection situation in Armenia?

– Firstly, it is a serious concern not only for Armenia, but for the
whole region. The question of gender equality is the primary cause
of the problem. The solution lies in our understanding and mindset
– how the girl child is valued in the society. We need to bring to
society the idea that girls are equally important, and they have a
right to equal rights and job opportunities. This understanding must
be the basis of the decision-making process.

Yekaterina Poghosyan talked to Zahidul Huque