Author: Kalantarian Kevo

ARMENIAN MARKET CLOSES FOR ARMENIAN COMPANIES: EXPORTS PLUMMET

Lragir.am
Business – 10 February 2015, 22:40

Armenian businessmen avoid exporting goods to Russia because the
situation of this country’s economy is uncertain. People relating to
this sector state that this January the levels of exports to Russia are
down compared with the previous years, levels of exports from Armenia
to Russia are down, though no official statistics is available yet.

There are several reasons for this which stem from the complicated
situation in the Russian economy. Gagik Makaryan, the head of the
Republican Union of Employers, highlights three problems. “Some
companies, considering the existing situation, have not resumed
exports, they are studying the setting, are cautious. Second, some
companies continue to export goods to Russia, suffering losses, not
to lose the market. Third, some employers have received new offers on
change of prices. Some canneries have to figure out if they can supply
goods to their Russian partners not to lose the market,” Makaryan said.

He notes that some businessmen have frozen their contracts with Russian
partners, others are negotiating. The Russian side has requested
Armenian exporters to supply their goods at cheaper prices since
their profits are down.

At this stage the Armenian companies have to export goods to Russia
at higher prices because according to contracts with the Russian side
payment is made in rubles and the ruble has devaluated. Expensive goods
sell badly in the Russian market, sales drop, which automatically cuts
exports. Wine and brandy companies are facing serious problems. The
head of Agrarian and Farmer Association Hrach Berberyan told Lragir.am
they have suffered considerable losses. Some companies avoid speaking
about their problems at this stage.

MAP told Lragir.am that they have encountered problems with export
and sale of drinks in the Russian market. Sales and exports dropped
as prices soar. “Our goods are not competitive in the Russian market.

They want to pay us in rubles, they say they lose from paying in
dollars,” MAP told us, adding that exports to Russia have been
dropping since September. Proshyan Brandy Factory’s spokesman told
us the same thing.

Hrach Berberyan said according to the contracts the canneries
signed with the Russian side, payment is made after selling the
goods. The companies of the sphere suffered great losses after the
ruble devaluated.

“Reliance on the Russian market was not the right thing,” he says. It
hits the economy of Armenia.

The head of Association of Exporters Raffi Mkhchyan told Lragir.am
that Armenian businessmen are in uncertainty. “The Russian side does
not want to pay in foreign currency, and the Armenian side does not
want to sustain losses. In this situation things are not moving in,
levels of exports plummeted. Some companies which used to export
till December have stopped exports since January. Instead, imports
from Russia have increased. At this stage businessmen are importing
flour from Russia to Armenia because the price of a bag of flour has
decreased by 4 dollars,” Mkhchyan says.

Forecasts of immense exports to the Eurasian Economic Union by members
of Armenian government are not coming true. “Kazakhstan and Belarus
do not make a big change, neither have we discovered new markets or
reached new agreements there. We need to look at the state of the
Russian market,” he said.

ARMENIAN REGULATOR RAISES REFINANCING RATE ONE POINT TO 10.5%

YEREVAN, February 10. /ARKA/. The board of the Central Bank of Armenia
raised Tuesday the refinancing rate by one percentage points to 10.5%,
the regulator’s press office reports.

According to the press release, at its session the board also placed
it in record that inflation stood at 2.5% in January 2015, and 12-month
inflation reached 4.3% in late January coming close the projected rate.

The board predicted that 12-month inflation would go up in the next
months, compared with the previous year’s low general indicator,
but after that it will return to the targeted rate.

It also said that certain speedup was seen in the U.S. economy in 2015
along with outlooks for increase in interest rates that contributed
to the U.S. dollar’s revaluation and price falls at the world’s food
and raw materials markets.

This drove investment risks in developing countries up, which, in
turn, enhanced volatility at developing countries’ forex markets,
increased interest rates and slowed down economic growth.

The board says the consequences of these developments and geopolitical
things that affected Armenia’s financial and trade markets by the
end of 2014 will gradually smooth over.

the press release says.

The central bank’s board also says that the mentioned measures will
narrow the difference between the regulator’s policy and short-term
market rates, which will create favorable environment for stabilization
at financial market and will ensure achievement of the projected
inflation rate over the medium term.

The central bank’s previous refinancing rate change was on January 22,
2014. The regulator then raise it from 8.5% to 9.5%. —0—–

ANOTHER ALBUM FROM THE GOLDEN COLLECTION PRESENTED TO THE MUSIC-LOVING PUBLIC

16:50 * 10.02.15

The collection of recordings of the Armenian Public Radio has been
enriched with just another digitalized album. As a result of the
cooperation between VivaCell-MTS, the RA Ministry of Culture and the
company “Prolighting”, a set of CDs has been released dedicated to
the 145th anniversary of Komitas Vardapet comprising 7 audio and 1
multimedia CDs in Armenian and English.

The collection includes photographs and drawings of Komitas, recordings
of songs performed by him, as well as recordings of best performances
of Komitas’ songs by the musical troupes in Armenia.

ôhis unique collection is important not only as a cultural value that
will be passed on to the next generations, but also as a call to the
whole world made ahead of the centennial of the Armenian Genocide. The
album is not intended for sale. It will be distributed to the libraries
of the largest universities of the world. The album is a message to
the coming generations is to cherish and to propagate the immense
cultural legacy that has reached our days.

“Komitas did the same for our musical language what Mashtots had
done for our spoken language centuries before”. These are the words
of Paruyr Sevak. It is time to present the musical treasures of this
great Armenian to the world in a thorough and consistent way.

Introducing the rich legacy of Komitas on the occasion of the
100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide has an enormous moral
significance. We should not only commemorate and honor Komitas but
also follow his example and try to contribute to the unity of our
nation and to the realization of national aims by living as humbly,
consciously and righteously as his legacy and his character dictate”,
noted VivaCell-MTS General Manager Ralph Yirikian.

The “Komitas” album has been issued upon the initiative of the RA
Ministry of Culture. VivaCell-MTS has allocated AMD 25 million for
the realization of the project; the Company has also provided over
AMD 64 million for the program of enriching the golden collection of
the Armenian Public Radio.

ISABEL BAYRAKDARIAN TO PERFORM AT CONCERT COMMEMORATING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

15:33, 10 February, 2015

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Genocide Centennial
Committee presents Grammy Award-nominated Armenian Canadian soprano
Isabel Bayrakdarian in concert with her husband, pianist Serouj
Kradjian, and the Henrik Karapetyan String Quartet in My Songs, My
Heritage at 7 p.m. March 7 at the Ford Community & Performing Arts
Center, 15801 Michigan Ave.

As reports “Armenpress” citing pressandguide.com, concert selections
include Armenian sacred hymns, folk songs, chamber music and 20th
century songs, with English subtitles.

Bayrakdarian, a Canadian of Armenian heritage, immigrated to Canada as
a teen. She graduated from the University of Toronto cum laude with
a degree in biomedical engineering science in 1997, the same year
she was a winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions.

Her opera career, now in its second decade, makes her an eagerly
anticipated artist at opera houses and concert halls worldwide.

Celebrated for her multi-hued voice as well as her beauty, presence
and style, Bayrakdarian’s career expands beyond opera.

She is a featured vocalist on the Grammy-award winning soundtrack of
Lord of the Rings: the Two Towers, and topped Billboard charts as a
guest soloist with the Canadian band Delerium on their 2007 Grammy
nominated dance remix Angelicus.

Bayrakdarian won four consecutive Juno Awards, presented to
Canadian musical artists for outstanding achievement in the recording
industry, from 2004 to 2007, for classical album of the year, vocal or
instrumental, for Azulao, Cleopatra, Viardot-Garcia: Lieder Chansons
Canzone Mazurkas, and Mozart: Arie e Duetti.

Bayrakdarian received a Grammy nomination for the BBC-produced short
film HOLOCAUST – A Music Memorial Film from Auschwitz. She was also
the focus of a Canadian television Gemini-nominated film, A Long
Journey Home, documenting her first trip to Armenia.

A century ago, the Armenian Genocide, planned by the leaders of the
Ottoman Empire, systematically exterminated 1.5 million Armenians
in what is now Turkey. The genocide had two phases: the wholesale
killing of able-bodied men through massacre and forced army labor,
followed by the deportation of women, children, the elderly, and
the infirm on death marches to the Syrian Desert. Military escorts,
driving the deportees forward, deprived them of food and water,
and subjected them to periodic robbery, rape and massacre.

In Michigan, the Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee of Metro
Detroit, comprised of 15 of the area’s leading Armenian-American
organizations, has organized commemorative events throughout 2015
to honor the genocide victims, demand recognition and reparations,
and increase public awareness of all genocides.

ARKA NEWS AGENCY CORRESPONDENT WINS ROSTELECOM’S CONTEST IN TWITTER

YEREVAN, February 10. /ARKA/. Inna Verlinskaya, a correspondent at ARKA
News Agency, has won Russian Rostelecom Telecommunication Company’s
contest in Twitter, the company’s press office reported on Monday.

On September 29, 2014, Rostelecom announced its Fourth Annual Contest
of Journalists titled ‘Technologies for Life – Light Velocity Internet’
in Russia.

The grand prize in this contest is a trip with a Russian delegation
to Huawei headquarters in Shenzhen, China in autumn 2015.

This project was launched in Armenia on December 23. Along with
this contest announcement, another contest announcement appeared on
the company’s page in Twitter – contenders here had to translate a
record about the launch of the contest in Armenia from Armenian to
Russian language.

“We are happy to name the winner – Inna Verlinskaya, ARKA News Agency’s
correspondent, to whom a corporate gift was handed in recent days,”
the company says in its press release.

The company also says that ‘Technologies for Life – Light Velocity
Internet’ contest is under way now and every media representative
who has a published article related to telecommunication may join
this race by posting the article on The winner from
Armenia will travel to China together with winners from Russia.

Journalists working in various areas – radio, television, Internet and
news agencies, as well as bloggers may take part in the contest. The
best articles will be selected by the professional jury made up of
representatives of IT community and Armenian media outlets.

Karen Vardanyan; the executive director of the Union of Information
Technology Enterprises; Bagrat Yengibaryan, director of the Enterprise
Incubator Foundation; Yeva Yusyan, head of Microsoft Armenia; Galina
Davidyan, director of Novosti-Armenia International News Agency,
head of Rostelecom Group’s GNC-Alfa CJSC and director of Armenpress
News Agency Aram Ananyan.

The first contest was conducted in 2011. It attracts no less than
500 articles every year.

‘Technologies for Life’ project is being implemented to attract
media outlets and bloggers to unbiased and higher-quality coverage
of innovative technologies and services and their application in
various areas.

Details are available on Applications are received
here. The application submission deadline is April 10, 2015.

The contest is organized by Rostelecom jointly with Huawei, the
Russian Association of Electronic Communications and Mikhaylov&Partners
under information support from flagship regional Russian and Armenian
media outlets.

GNC-ALFA CJSC, Armenian subsidiary of Russia’s Rostelecom, started
selling telecommunication services in December 2012 under Rostelecom
brand. In late 2012, it offered super-speed Internet as well as IP
television and telephony services to clients.

The company’s fiber optic network covers 80% of Armenia’s territory
stretching 2,500 kilometers across the country.

The company has built a backbone fiber optic cable from Iran, as well
as two outputs through Georgia. –0–

LET POLITICAL PARTIES HELP BUT NOT DIRECT PROTEST: ENTREPRENEURS ABOUT PROTEST MOVEMENT

02.10.2015 15:29 epress.am

Certain small and medium sized entrepreneurs have simultaneously
closed their businesses in protest to the Law on Turnover Tax. Today,
during a press conference, Armenian Association of Small Businessmen
NGO president Stepan Aslanyan (pictured on the right) said that since
the beginning of February around 700 businesses have closed. Aslanyan
observed that a few underground shopes at the “Barekamutyun” subway
station have closed, while business has always been good there.

Armenian Vendors NGO president Gagik Danielyan added that those
numbers are not final because businesses are closing every day. “Go
to the markets on Firdusi Street, in Malatya, you’ll see many booths
closed,” said Danielyan.

The two guest speakers claimed that law’s new version would have
serious damage to small and medium sized businesses.

According to Aslanyan, in addition to delaying the Law on Turnover Tax,
the government needs to begin discussions with the entrepreneurs.

That process still has not begun, but the organizations dealing with
the issues of entrepreneurs propose that a Government delegation
walk around trade centers to conduct discussions, which would allow
entrepreneurs to continue their daily work.

Gagik Danielyan said that they do not wish to be included in any
political activities. “We want to be able to earn our daily bread
for our families. We are telling the political parties that if they
can help, so be it, but don’t direct us,” said Danielyan.

The entrepreneurs restarted their fast growing protests from last
September-October, which were halted after the government promised
to delay the compulsory inventorization of products until February
1st of 2015. The protest restarted yesterday, because the government
refused to include other amendments to the law.

Last year, the protesters against the Law on Turnover Tax stated that
they do not have possibility of inventorizing their products, because
large distributors often do not give them invoices. In addition,
in the case of inventorizing, their turnover would be over the legal
minimum threshold of 58.3 million AMD ($126,000), so they would be
forced to pay VAT, which would be impossible for small and medium sized
businesses. Among the business owners, some demand that they sharply
increase the threshold, while others demand the law be nullified.

Those who work in the gold trade have stressed that once the new law
comes into effect they would be forced to immediately halt their work.

Certain experts have noted that the inclusion of the Law on Turnover
Tax would entirely wipe out small and medium sized businesses,
while the members of government claim that the purpose is to fight
against the illegal practices in large businesses and that they are
not prepared to consider the law void.

During last year’s protest, the merchants received backlash from
the owners of large marketplaces they rent space from. A few large
marketplaces threatened to fire (or cancel rent contracts) those
merchants who did not show up to work and protested. The most covered
case was that of Vosku Shuka owner Vagharsh Abrahamyan who broke tables
and showcases of those merchants who participated in the protests. the
destructive behavior of Abrahamyan was not dealt with by the police.

LE LEADER D’ARMENIE PROSPERE HAUSSE LE TON

NOUVELLE AGRESSION CONTRE UN OPPOSANT

Gaguik Tsarukian, le leader d’Armenie prospère (BHK) a mobilise
des centaines de manifestants et menace de boycotter les seances du
Parlement lundi 9 fevrier après que l’un de ses militants eut ete
enleve et laisse inconscient dans une rue de Erevan. Le militant,
Artak Khachatrian, avait ete roue de coups et retrouve dans une rue
près de son domicile le samedi 7 fevrier près de cinq heures après
avoir ete agresse alors qu’il marchait dans le centre de la capitale
avec un ami, Narek Abrahamian.

Selon M.Abrahamian, trois hommes masques avaient contraint Khachatrian
a monter dans une voiture et l’avaient enleve. Vahan Babayan, un
depute du BHK, aurait recu un appel telephonique de Khachatrian a peu
près au meme moment. Il a nettement entendu le militant supplier ses
agresseurs de ne pas le frapper. Khachatrian a ete emmene a l’hôpital
Malatia de Erevan où il a ete soigne notamment pour une fracture du
nez et de multiples contusions.

La commission d’enquete d’Armenie a annonce qu’elle lancait une
enquete sur l’agression dont il a ete victime. Aucune personne n’a
encore ete arretee dans le cadre de cette enquete. Khachatrian etait
l’un des principaux orateurs lors des dernières manifestations de
Erevan organisees par les chefs de PME en colère contre les impôts.

Ces manifestations avaient ete soutenues par le BHK, qui avaient
continue la semaine dernière en depit de la decision du gouvernement
de geler le texte pour cinq mois. La direction du BHK a condamne avec
vehemence l’agression contre Khachatrian, qu’elle a mise sur le compte
des manoueuvres des autorites visant a intimider l’opposition. Elle a
aussi appele le groupe parlementaire du BHK, la 2e force du Parlement,
a envisager un boycott des seances du Parlement avec ses allies de
l’opposition, en reponse a cette agression.

mardi 10 fevrier 2015, Gari (c)armenews.com

EEU MEMBERSHIP TO PROVIDE POWERFUL STIMULUS TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN ARMENIA – RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR

YEREVAN, February 10. /ARKA/. EEU membership will provide a powerful
stimulus to Armenia’s economic growth, Russian ambassador to Armenia
Ivan Volinkin said in his interview to Russia 24 TV channel on Monday.

No customs borders will ease access to a huge market for the Armenian
goods, he said. Increased production will, in turn, help create new
jobs, reduce prices, improve competitiveness and increase commodities
turnover, he added.

Volinkin said food imports of EEU-member states total $43 billion
today, and Armenia’s chances of taking a substantial niche in this
market are high.

According to the ambassador, some positive changes can be seen already
today. In particular, Armenia’s rural exports to Russia have grown
considerably, he said.

The Russian ambassador referred to the Armenian parliament’s evaluation
of EEU membership prospects and the benefits from accession to
170-millioin market of the union.

The only financial obligation will be the annual fee of $1.5-2 million,
according to Volinkin. But instead, a lot will be saved due to zero
export duty and low energy prices, he said.

The ambassador also reminded of the strategic allied partnership and
the trust-based dialogue.

Volinkin said they highly appreciate also the cooperation on the
international scene where the two countries have mainly similar
positions.

Passenger traffic between the countries keeps growing, and every day
twelve flights are carried out from Zvartnots airport to Moscow only,
Volinkin said. -0–

PROSPEROUS ARMENIAN PARTY (PAP) TO ORGANIZE ACTION OF PROTEST OVER ABDUCTION OF PAP MEMBER ON FEBRUARY 9

by Ashot Safaryan

Monday, February 9, 11:34

As unknown men in masks abduct Artak Khachatryan, a member of the
Prosperous Armenian Party (PAP) on February 7, PAP mulls an action of
protest. Vahe Enfiajyan, a parliamentarian (PAP), calls on everyone
who fights for free and democratic public to join the protests that
will be held outside the Government building at 1:00pm on February 9.

Artak Khachatryan, a member of the PAP Political Council, was abducted
by the three unknown in masks on February 7 in the evening. Several
hours later, he was found near his apartment severely beaten up.

PAP has disseminated a statement over the incident, wherein it
strongly condemned the violence against Khachatryan. The Party
blames the political leadership of Armenia for the incident that
happened shortly after Khachatryan took an active part in the protests
against the Law on Turnover Tax. The Party slams the authorities for
restoring to violence against their own citizens instead of settling
the social-economic problems accumulated in the country and recovering
the political atmosphere. The authorities are losing touch with reality
and acting in agony, the PAP says in the statement. The PAP informs
that it has received numerous offers from the regional headquarters
and territorial offices to organize a large-scale rally in Yerevan.

However, the PAP Political Council so far calls for restraint and
suggests its parliamentary faction to boycott the parliament sittings
until those who attacked and beaten up the activist are found and
punished.

OPINION: ‘SLOW’ WAR AT THE BORDERS BECOMING UNFORTUNATE DAILY REALITY IN ARMENIA

Opinion | 09.02.15 | 11:10

GOHAR ABRAHAMYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter

“All along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border the opponent, violating
the ceasefire regime, kept Armenian villages under open fire.” It
may be cynical to say, but this sentence has become so common in
recent years. But now the news is more and more about casualties among
civilians… Although, if we look at the fact that since the beginning
of the year – within around 40 days, ceasefire regime violations by
Azerbaijan claimed 13 Armenian lives, two civilians among them, this
‘news’ becomes common as well, considering the fact that before we
had that many deaths within a whole year.

At hearing another victim’s name each of us starts searching in mind
for relative-acquaintances and when we do not find anyone, we breathe
with ease, then coming to senses we realize that among two and a half
million or even less, there is no mine or yours. On a small piece of
land, on a point that can barely be seen on the Planet there should
not be mine or yours, as we are so few that the boundaries of ‘mine
and yours’ always intersect.

We, or some others, have convinced ourselves/us that we live in a
peaceful country… however that ‘peaceful’ is felt differently on
every section of the 300-400 km road stretching from the capital
toward north-south.

For instance, in the town of Sevan, 60 km from Yerevan, where I
moved three months ago after my 25-year-long life in the capital,
peaceful, as I see it, is when the wind is calm, salaries are not
late, the exchange rate of the ruble (most labor migrants wire
money back home from Russia in rubles) is high, shopkeepers watch
less TV and serve the customers more, and the culmination of shop
peace – when the shop-keeper greedily crosses out names from his
book of debts. People know very little about border shootings here,
they surely heard that there is a neighboring country that regularly
shoots, but very few imagine how harsh those shootings appear to be,
making the bravest and the most indifferent shiver out of helplessness.

This is the ‘peaceful’ in mostly all provinces and communities
of Armenia, maybe a bit different, though, in Yerevan, where the
luxurious buildings, magical lights cast shadow on the reality.

Nevertheless, in 31 communities of Armenia, more specifically in 10
villages, this daily problems of ‘peaceful’ are added up by daily
increasing shootings that have nothing to do with peaceful.

And right here, on the edge of the border between two countries the
small piece of land in deep misery gives away the weakness of the two
countries’ and specifically their governments’ strategy, the work done,
human treatment and the borderline of ‘mine and yours’ in general.

The northern province of Tavush, that has the longest, 300-km border
with neighboring but un-neighborly Azerbaijan and is in direct contact
with this country (I mean the intensity of shootings), with its 24
border communities and roads winding there demonstrate the connivance
of the government. The country that still two years ago promised 7
percent economic growth, but hardly provided half of it, could not
provide border community residents with jobs during 20 years, to be
able to earn their families’ daily food.

On the contrary, President Serzh Sargsyan, with promises, as part
of his pre-elections campaign for his second term, visited border
village of Movses and blamed the residents for being lazys saying
that they had to do farming and animal breeding, not knowing, or
maybe having forgotten that professions, so typical of farmer, here
would mean suicide: the arable lands are right within the range of the
opponent’s fire and people working in the field become easy targets,
increasing the number of sniper victims.

All throughout 20 years no strategic structures were built for the
villages living in constant danger of war.

Only during recent years, when an upcoming war can be ‘smelt’ even
stronger, private companies, individuals are trying to implement some
projects, but even they do not always end in success. And the worst
part is that most of the money allocated for border projects either
does not achieve its goals or simply does not reach there. Thus,
even the border, where our country starts and ends, where they were
supposed to provide all means for the residents to stay, has become
a best place for money laundry.

So much could have been done during 20 years that was not and that
weakened even more the border guard living by caprices of two country
governments.

Only during the 2014 August escalation, when the whole country was
focused on the border, and only the Armenian armed forces provided
unreserved defense, after official visits and long discussions,
despite opposition MP Nikol Pashinyan’s suggestion on a 50-percent
compensation of utility payments for border community residents, the
National Assembly in October approved the bill about tax privileges
for 31 villages situated closest to the border, according to which
only two types of taxes – employees’ income tax and social payments
were left to be paid. Earlier there was also a decision to realize
tax exemption for the land that is under fire, although this was not
as effective, because these lands are not used because of shootings.

Recently many military experts predict a possibility of renewed
hostilities and say that we must get ready for it, prepare the people
psychologically. They say we must get ready for it during peace, and
during 20 years after signing the ceasefire agreement, which we never
actually enjoyed, but the situation was not as tense as it has been
during the last two-four years and there was time to act. However,
our national arrogance might have made us once again change the rules
of the game and be sure that we will not see a wide-scale war anymore.

And let there be no wars, but then what is it that is happening on
our border now, if not war. Some experts call it situational warfare,
others – snipers’ warfare, some others – a slow one, many others simply
prefer calling it a war of nerves. Nevertheless, the fact is that as
a result of all of this each day we lose people, and if sometimes we
manage to avoid physical victims, it has become impossible to avoid
catching psychological traumas and many other diseases. And it is
shameful to realize that we lose people not only from the opponent’s
bullets, but also because of our government’s work.

In her journalistic work Gohar Abrahamyan has frequently visited
communities at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and written reports
and feature stories from there.