Author: Kalantarian Kevo

EBRD LAUNCHES INAUGURAL BOND ISSUE IN ARMENIAN DRAM

Cbonds. Info
Feb 3 2014

03.02.2014 – Cbonds

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has issued
its first-ever bond in Armenian Dram (AMD), helping to drive forward
the development of the local capital market and providing funds for
the EBRD’s own lending to the Armenian economy in local currency.

The one-year bonds for a total of AMD 2 billion (approximately USD
$5 million) were placed via an auction on the NASDAQ OMX Armenia
exchange in Yerevan on 31 January.

This was the first publicly-auctioned issue by either a foreign
borrower or an international financial institution on NASDAQ OMX and it
was also the first floating rate note to be issued on the local market.

“This is a very significant step for the Armenian capital market and
opens the way for further capital raising in Armenia by those seeking
to on-lend AMD to the real economy, thereby ensuring a better fit for
borrowers who want to avoid foreign currency risk ,” said Mark Davis,
Head of the EBRD Yerevan Office.

“As a floating rate note, it also provides a useful liquidity
management tool for banks, which the application to the Central Bank
of Armenia for repo-eligibility should further enhance.”

This issue is the latest milestone in the EBRD’s Local Currency and
Capital Markets Development Initiative that was launched in May 2010
in the wake of the global economic crisis to tackle the problems of
excessive reliance on foreign capital and foreign exchange borrowing
in emerging economies.

The crisis had highlighted the problems facing borrowers who were
unable to pay back their foreign currency loans in the face of a
sharp depreciation of their own currencies.

The EBRD’s response has aimed to encourage borrowing in the local
currency and also to develop or strengthen local capital markets and
so increase the supply of locally-sourced finance.

The EBRD made its first local currency loan, in Hungarian Forint,
in 1994.

Its first loan in Dram was signed in March 2010 and it has since
extended a further 22 loans for an overall total of AMD 67.86 billion
(USD 170 million approximately), including most recently a financing
package worth the equivalent of US$ 12.5 million to provide credits to
micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and also to support energy
efficiency lending.

The EBRD’s issuance in Dram supports the Armenian authorities’
programme of reforms aimed at reducing dollarisation in the economy
and stimulating locally-generated savings.

The semi-annual coupon rate on the EBRD’s inaugural Dram bond issue was
linked to the 6-month AMD T-Bill rate, which is used by the interbank
market for reference pricing, and which is also used by the Central
Bank of Armenia for repo transactions.

Ameriabank CJSC and HSBC Bank Armenia CJSC acted as advisers and
agents to the issuer.

CONSCRIPTION SHOULDN’T BE WAY FOR SOME PEOPLE TO EARN MONEY: DEFENSE MINISTRY ADVISER

[ Part 2.2: “Attached Text” ]

09:35, 3 February, 2014

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 3, ARMENPRESS: The organization of the military
conscription in Armenia by draw was quite an important change,
which proved that conscription should not be a way for some people to
make money. This mechanism of conscription brought to the situation,
where the corruption and patronage do not have their place now. The
Adviser to the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia Gegham
Harutyunyan told Armenpress about it. “I think that during the
recent years the level of the public trust towards the conscription
process has considerably increased. Consistently policies are being
implemented to strengthen the principles of fairness and legality of
the conscription. The implementation of the draw was another step in
that direction. It came to inspire more trust that the corruption
and patronage must not happen and are omitted from the process of
conscription”, – said Harutyunyan.

According to him, the draw process is a transparent method, as it
is attended by the parents of the soldiers, who take the papers
from the corresponding boxes, on which the number of the military
unit is written. Then those numbers are shown to everybody present
and are registered in the draw paper, after which the soldier
puts his signature under it. The number of the military unit is
immediately imported to the computer – in front of the name of the
soldier. “That means that it is absolutely impossible to falsify
the results of the draw and the risk is brought to the minimum. I
consider this initiative of the Minister quite important and besides
the fact that this mechanism, being a transparent one, provides
for the objectivity of the process, it should be mentioned that the
generals, who are entrusted with the implementation of the process,
are ambitious people and carry out their responsibilities quite well,
considering that the conscription process should not be a way for
some people to make money. I would like to apply to the parents of our
soldiers and the society that this significant national event should
be implemented based on the fair principles only and the pressure by
the society should be gradually reduced”, – said the Adviser to
the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia Gegham Harutyunyan.

or-some-people-to-earn-money-defense-ministry-adviser.html

MILITARY EXPERT CALLED “ANTI-NATIONAL” FOR SAYING MURDERS IN ARMENIAN ARMY ARE HIDDEN

02.03.2014 12:18 epress.am

A meeting between journalists and military expert Ruben Martirosyan
(pictured) on Saturday quickly turned into a war of words, resulting
in some of the journalists opting to boycott the press conference.

Some members of the media claimed the press conference was
“anti-national”; in other words, against the nation’s interests.

At the press conference, Martirosyan said he doesn’t trust the
statements issued by Armenia’s Ministry of Defense, except for those
which announce the start of the (annual) military draft. Martirosyan
said that many incidents of murder in Armenia’s army are covered
up and presented as suicides. Journalists became enraged when the
military expert said that in some of these cases the Ministry of
Defense claims the soldier was killed by Azeris.

Martirosyan recalled the cases of Albert Adibekyan, Zorik Margaryan,
Arman Gharakhanyan, and Khachatur Melikyan: immediately after the
deaths of these soldiers, the defense ministry issued a statement
saying they were a result of Azerbaijani “sabotage attacks,” but it
was later discovered that some of the deaths occurred without enemy
intervention; indictments were drawn up and people were arrested
(according to Martirosyan, innocent soldiers). In one incident,
the case was quashed.

Some of the journalists present began to wonder whether Martirosyan
was doubting the more recent shooting incident on the frontline, which
resulted in the death of Armen Hovhannisyan, and whether Martirosyan
could say so “looking into the eyes of Hovhannisyan’s parents.”

“Yes, we know what happens, but you can’t make such anti-national
statements,” said one journalist who left the meeting.

Attorney Mushegh Shushanyan, also a guest at the press conference,
intervened: “This is not about denying the incursion but that in
some cases there is information being circulated about incursions,
based on which claims are put forward, and later it becomes proven
that those claims were false, but they are not denied.”

TWO OF RUSSIA’S REAL ESTATE ‘KINGS’ ARE ARMENIANS – FORBES

10:45 * 03.02.14

A new Forbes ranking, naming the top 30 figures on the Russian real
estate market, includes two Armenians.

Samvel Karapetyan, the owner of Tashir Group, is the second on the
list published by the magazine’s Russian edition. The businessman’s
estimated income is $960 million; his total assets are worth $3.8
billion.

Karapetyan has improved his positions in the ranking, jumping from
the third notch in 2013 to the 2nd in 2014.

The Moscow-based RIO Trade Center (105 sq. m.), GasOil Plaza business
center (30,000 sq. m.) and Novotel Moscow City Hotel (360 rooms)
are under his ownership.

Apart from Moscow, Karapetyan also operates businesses in St
Petersburg, Kaluga, Yaroslavl, Tula, Belgorod, Ivanovo, Vologda,
Rostov-on-Don, Nizhny Novgorod, Orel and Sochi.

Danil Khachaturov, the other Armenian businessman, is the last in the
ranking. His company, Legion Development, has an estimated $70 million
income from leasehold. The businessman owns $2.4 billion worth assets.

Khachaturov is a co-owner of the insurance company Rosgosstrakh.

His main businesses are based in Moscow (total 2,500 sq. m.).

Khachaturov has weakened his positions on the list since last year.

With a leasehold income of $80 million, he ranked as the 25th in 2013.

LA CAMPAGNE ELECTORALE DES MUNICIPALES VIRE A L’AIGRE

TURQUIE

A deux mois d’un scrutin municipal très attendu, le debat politique
a pris un tour très agressif en Turquie où les polemiques et les
incidents violents se multiplient dans un climat de tension exacerbe
par le scandale politico-financier qui agite le pays.

En quelques jours, trois des quatre grands partis politiques
representes au Parlement ont ete la cible d’attaques qui revèlent
l’importance des echeances a venir et la nervosite des camps qui
s’y affrontent.

La plus serieuse d’entre elles est survenue dimanche, lorsque des
inconnus ont ouvert le feu contre une permanence du Parti de l’action
nationaliste (MHP) dans un quartier d’Istanbul, faisant un mort et
sept blesses parmi ses militants.

Le lendemain, des personnes non identifiees ont mis le feu a la
voiture d’un cadre du Parti de la justice et du developpement (AKP)
dans la province d’Hakkari (sud).

Et tard lundi soir, des inconnus ont ouvert le feu, sans faire de
victime, sur la mairie du district stambouliote de Sisli. Cette
municipalite est le fief de Mustafa Sarigul, candidat du principal
parti d’opposition a la mairie d’Istanbul, qui espère bien la ravir
au parti du Premier ministre islamo-conservateur Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Dans la foulee de cette serie d’incidents, les attaques ont fuse de
toutes parts.

Le chef du MHP Devlet Bahceli a accuse “ceux qui sont presses de
declencher une guerre civile dans le pays” d’avoir cible son parti,
citant les rebelles du Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK)
et le Parti de la justice et du developpement (AKP) au pouvoir.

M. Sarigul a lui aussi pointe du doigt la responsabilite du regime.

“Nous avons deux points d’avance sur eux dans les sondages. Notre
mairie a ete attaquee pour ca. Ils croient pouvoir nous intimider et
nous faire reculer, mais ils n’y arriveront pas”, a-t-il lance.

La bataille pour la mairie de la plus grande ville du pays concentre
toute l’attention. Quel que soit le score national obtenu par l’AKP
le 30 mars, son basculement dans le camp de l’opposition aurait un
retentissement politique majeur.

“Ce serait un coup de tonnerre dont Erdogan et l’AKP auraient vraiment
du mal a se relever”, observe un diplomate occidental.

La cle d’Istanbul

Ancien maire d’Istanbul, le Premier ministre a donc resolument pris
la tete des operations. Eclabousse par les enquetes anticorruption,
sa cote de popularite en baisse, M. Erdogan a decide de contre-attaquer
sur le meme terrain.

Lors de ses reunions publiques, il denonce devant des milliers de
partisans la “corruption” du candidat de l’opposition, mis en cause
dans une affaire de remboursement de pret, et l’a accuse de cooperer
avec “la mafia du bâtiment”.

Le CHP a riposte en mettant en cause le fils aîne du chef
du gouvernement, Bilal, dont le nom a ete cite dans l’enquete
anticorruption qui fait la “une” de l’actualite turque depuis le 17
decembre. “Je n’ai jamais vu un fils apprendre a son père a voler”,
a lance le president du CHP Kemal Kilicdaroglu, “c’est toujours
le contraire”.

Le climat est electrique comme jamais. “Il y a toujours eu des
derapages en periode electorale mais cette fois, c’est vraiment a
couteaux tires car les enjeux sont enormes”, remarque le politologue
Cengiz Aktar, de l’universite privee Sabanci d’Istanbul, “et la
rhetorique du Premier ministre n’y est pas pour rien”.

A longueur de discours, M. Erdogan pourfend le “gang” du predicateur
musulman Fethullah Gulen, accuse de vouloir le faire tomber, les
medias etrangers qui lui ont donne la parole ou les patrons turcs
“traîtres” qui s’inquiètent de la situation economique du pays.

“Erdogan parle comme un parrain de la mafia”, s’est offusque le
vice-president du CHP Gursel Tekin, “si les gens n’avaient pas
agi avec bon sens après les attaques (contre le MHP et le CHP),
on risquait la guerre civile”.

Le gouvernement a promis des mesures de securite supplementaires
après l’attaque contre la permanence du MHP. Mais, en baisse dans les
sondages, lui-meme ne dedaigne pas attiser la tension pour mobiliser
son electorat.

“Il est possible que certaines organisations illegales essaient
d’influencer le scrutin et de provoquer certains derapages”, a ainsi
souligne le vice-Premier ministre Bulent Arinc.

Repute pour ses outrances verbales, le maire AKP d’Ankara Melih Gokcek
est alle plus loin encore. “Malheureusement, il y aura des assassinats
dans les deux semaines qui precèdent le scrutin”, a-t-il pronostique.

AFP

lundi 3 fevrier 2014, Stephane (c)armenews.com

L’ARMENIE NE SOUHAITE PAS UNE NOUVELLE GUERRE, MAIS EN CAS DE REPRISE, ELLE SERA PRETE A SE BATTRE

ARMENIE

C’est ce qu’a declare le President Sarkissian lors d’une rencontre
avec le personnel du Ministère du Travail et de la Securite sociale.

Tout en affirmant qu’il ne croyait toujours pas probable une reprise
des operations militaires dans un avenir proche, le Chef de l’Etat
a neanmoins indique qu’au moins deux personnes- le President et le
ministre de la Defense – se doivent de penser que les hostilites
pourraient survenir dès demain. Il a souligne que le niveau de
combativite des forces armees armeniennes etait très eleve, ce qui
s’etait une nouvelle fois avere le 20 janvier lorsqu’une unite
militaire armenienne de 9 hommes avait repousse l’incursion des
unites speciales azerbaïdjanaises, tuant au moins 7 militaires et en
blessant une vingtaine. Le President a rappele qu’il y a deux ans,
une tentative azerbaïdjanaise similaire de sabotage avait atteint
son but, ce qui avait conduit les commandants armeniens a ameliorer
les equipements des positions avancees. Il a souligne que l’Armenie
n’avait de cesse, tout comme d’autres pays, de renforcer ses armements
et ses techniques militaires. >. Interroge sur les menaces recurrentes du President Aliev
de reprendre les hostilites, Serge Sarkissian a repondu : l’action du Groupe de Minsk dans la mesure
où l’absence de cette institution rendrait extremement difficile
le maintien de la paix. >.

Extrait de la revue de presse de l’Ambassade de France en Armenie en
date du 27 janvier 2014

lundi 3 fevrier 2014, Stephane (c)armenews.com

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Feb 1 2014

Armenia is on way to lose ‘existence’

1 February 2014, 10:28 (GMT+04:00)
By Jamila Babayeva

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan received a “warm welcome” from
Armenians living in Czech Republic.

The crowd chanted slogans such as “We are against the Customs Union”,
“Stop the oligarchy”, and “Serzhik, go!” outside the President’s
resident where Sargsyan met with his Czech colleague on January 30.

Sargsyan’s official visit to Czech Republic encouraged Armenians
living in Prague to voice their protest publicly. Protestors
dissatisfied with the serious problems like emigration and
unemployment in their homeland called for on his resignation.

Sargsyan in turn said at a press-conference in Prague that the
decision on joining the CU was based on national interests.

“If our decision is based on our national interests, then it must be
put into a practice as soon as possible,” Sargsyan said.

Yerevan has decided to become a member of the CU, which came into
existence on January 1, 2010, and signed a memorandum of cooperation
with the Eurasian Economic Commission.

Armenia hopes that joining the CU will save its almost dead economy
and intends to complete all procedures for joining the Customs Union
in 2014.

Armenian diaspora continues to remain an economic and political power
which supports Armenia. The Armenian expatriates recently accused
their homeland’s authorities of misusing the financial aid. The
expatriates believe that the Armenian authorities do not spend public
funds for the needs of the population.

“The representatives of the Armenian authorities and government
without any need buy new expensive cars which are used just for the
needs of their families,” Diaspora said recently.

Armenian authorities seem to lose this power continuing to worsen the
dead-end situation in the country. An unexpected “warm welcome” for
Sargsyan in Prague allows predicting this.

Interfax, Russia
Jan 30 2014

Armenian-Russian military cooperation should not be in doubt – Armenia president

YEREVAN. Jan 30

Yerevan cannot stop Moscow from cooperating with Azerbaijan in the
military sphere, Armenia President Serzh Sargsian told a press
conference held jointly with Czech President Milos Zeman in Prague on
Thursday.

“Yes, Russia is cooperating with Azerbaijan but that does not mean we
have the right and possibilities to prohibit it from this
cooperation,” Sargsian said, when asked about Yerevan’s reaction to
the supplies by Armenia’s strategic ally of modern arms to Azerbaijan.

“Armenian-Russian military cooperation should not be in doubt,” the
Armenian president said.

The situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border is fully under
Armenian control, Sargsian also said.

“There is every opportunity to protect our borders, their
inaccessibility. I would like to point out that these opportunities
have been formed and are being replenished with Russia’s efforts,” the
Armenian president said.

The press conference of the Armenian and Czech presidents was
broadcast live on the Internet.

Sargsian is in the Czech Republic on a state visit.

Huffington Post
Jan 31 2014

Conan Sells A Bunch Of His Own Ridiculous Memorabilia At A Pawn Shop,
Gets Actual Money

Posted: 01/31/2014

Conan has a pretty great collection of ridiculous memorabilia of
himself, but who knew it was worth so much?

Unfortunately, he couldn’t get $6,000,000 for his enormous bobblehead,
but he did get a pretty good price on his string dance sculpture.

Watch him unload some junk above, and we hope you take as much delight
in his assistant mocking him in Armenian as we did.

Watch video at

Turan Information Agency, Azerbaijan
February 1, 2014 Saturday

Regional NGOs initiated direction petition the presidents of
Azerbaijan and Armenia

Baku/31.01.14/Turan:

The Caucasian Centre of Peaceful Initiatives (CCPI) began action to
support the Armenian citizen, Mamikon Khojayan, who crossed on January
28 the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, and was detained in the village of
Alibeili in Tovuz region. The NGO called on to sign a petition to the
presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia to return Khojayan. Detailed
information can be found on the link
/index.php?p=anons2901. According to the Azerbaijani side, Khojayan is
65 years and he was conductor of the Armenian sabotage group. The
Armenian side claims that the 77-year-old Khojayan , is a resident of
the border village, and he entered the Azerbaijani side accidentally.
The International Committee of the Red Cross is dealing in this
matter. Earlier the CCPI conducted a similar campaign to liberate
Allahvardi Pelengov, an ethnic Azeri citizen of Georgia, who
accidentally crossed the border, and was arrested by Armenian border
guards. -06–