Author: Kalantarian Kevo

ARFD MP: Government program lacks clear formulations

12:46 21/05/2013 » COMMENTS

Member of ARFD parliamentary faction Artsvik Minasyan says that the
government program submitted by Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan is not
a program, but rather a declaration which lacks clear formulations.

`The program does not reflect the main challenges faced by the
country,’ the MP told reporters, adding that it was prepared based on
the President’s speech as well as the viewpoints of various political
forces.

According to Minasyan, the authorities should have involved
individuals with sound professional skills and those enjoying public
confidence in the new government.

A vague future awaits our people, the ARFD MP said, expressing
confidence that a public riot will soon occur in the country.

Source: Panorama.am

APA, Azerbaijan
May 21 2013

Sergei Lavrov: `We will continue helping Azerbaijan and Armenia to
find acceptable ways of solution’
[ 21 May 2013 15:16 ]

Moscow. Farid Akbarov – APA. `Russia is one of the three major
international mediators in the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh
conflict.

We will continue helping the sides to find acceptable ways of solution
both in capacity of OSCE Minsk Group co-chair and within the framework
of our bilateral relations with Baku and Yerevan,’ Russian Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov said at the briefing with his Azerbaijani
counterpart in Moscow, APA reports.

Elmar Mammadyarov underlined the importance of increasing efforts
towards the settlement of the conflict. Touching on the Armenian media
reports that Armenia is ready to accept the six articles of the
mediators’ proposals, Foreign Minister urged to start work on the
development of comprehensive peace agreement basing on these articles.

Interfax, Russia
May 20 2013

Russian Foreign Minister to discuss Karabakh settlement in Moscow

BAKU. May 20

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov is leaving for an
official visit to Moscow on Monday, Interfax was told at the press
service of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

The visit will last for two days. The development of
Azerbaijani-Russian relations and the settlement of the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict are expected to top the agenda of the talks with
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Earlier Lavrov discussed the settlement in Nagorno Karabakh with
Armenian Foreign Minister Edvard Nalbandian during the visit of the
Armenian leader to Moscow at the end of April.
Ml

ANC MP speaks about trust toward government – VIDEO

15:26 – 21.05.13

Addressing the parliament today Aram Manukyan, Armenian National
Congress MP, said the government expects trust but presents no grounds
why it should be trusted.

`You want our trust and we say you have not done anything to gain it,’
he said, speaking from the NA platform.

`You have promised to fight against monopolies, nothing has been done,
absolutely nothing. You have not kept your promise to bring the
oligarchs to the tax field. You have promised to create secure
competition field for business, it is not so, moreover the small and
medium-sized enterprises are in desperate situation. Your government
has not done anything to fight against corruption,’ he said.

Speaking about Armenia’s foreign policy, he said, `Look at the map of
gas pipes, roads and international projects of Armenia, you know very
well what strategic programs Azerbaijan is carrying out. Does Armenia
participate in any of international projects? No, they all bypass
Armenia. You have more cut the bread than made opportunity to make it.
Tell me a sphere and I will tell you the failures.’

Aram Manukyan urged not to speak on behalf of the people who voted for
them. `You have distributed money during the election, at least stop
claiming that people voted for you,’ he said, adding that he is ready
to apologize if any of the accidental passers-by in the street says no
money were distributed.

Armenian News – Tert.am

Khachatur Kokobelyan: New government program does not differ from previous one

15:44 21/05/2013 » POLITICS

The new government program does not differ from the previous one –
everything is stated nicely but there is no word about the program
itself, independent MP Khachatur Kokobelyan said during today’s
discussion of the government program in parliament.

`I would ask to take it back, to outline all problems and present the
ways of their solution. The public demands solutions. This is the only
thing that matters to it,’ said the MP.

Armenia’s parliament started discussions of the new government program
at the beginning of the four-day parliament session Monday, May 20.

Source: Panorama.am

Did You Hear Me?

Interview with Armen Movsisyan, minister of energy and natural resources, on gas

Mr. Movsisyan, an opinion was expressed at the National Assembly that
gas price goes up due to the faulty policy of the government. What are
your thoughts on this opinion?

Does it mean that all the governments except for that of Russia were
faulty, yes? That opinion means this. I don’t think one can agree with
this opinion because the Republic of Armenia buys gas at the cheapest
price in the region. If the government were faulty, I don’t think the
price would be the cheapest.

The Armenian side has made a lot of concessions to Russia over the
past decade, donated lands, now they again boost the price of gas.

Did we give them away for free?

Almost.

I don’t think so. How can the price be higher compared with the region
if we get it the cheapest? If we compare with Georgia, there is a
difference, Georgia has a transit pipeline, Georgia gets lots of cheap
gas for transit. We don’t have such an advantage due to our
geographical position. Even in this case we buy gas more cheaply than
Georgia.

Why don’t we import gas from Iran?

If you remember, with Iran it is not sale but barter. This is another
issue, we don’t have such capacity to import the required amount of
gas from Iran. The width of Iran-Armenia pipeline is sufficient, one
day or another, in case of a force majeure, it will fully supply the
demand of Armenia. The price of gas is another issue. Iran does not
offer a cheaper price for gas than Russians because the prices at
which Iran sells gas to Turkey and others is higher, about 370
dollars.

The press reported regularly that the price of gas will go up, and it
will be announced after the election.

It has nothing to do with the elections. We all know that the price of
gas will grow. It is not the final price, several years later the gas
price will be reviewed. Energy prices never drop, they always tend to
grow. These discussions began long before the elections, we agreed
with Russia on 180 dollars for Armenia, now we will finish the
negotiations, and the prices will be decided, the opportunities will
be considered. The negotiations are not over, today it was fixed in
the result of negotiations that we will get it at the cheapest prices.
But this is not the end, negotiations continue, and we will have a say
some time later. This has nothing to do with the elections, I say this
is a process that started 3 years ago.

However, two months ago Serzh Sargsyan dismissed rumors on gas price.

The price has not gone up, whatever is said now is rumors. As soon as
the sale price grows, it will be clear.

You just said the price will grow up, now you say it’s a rumor.

I said the tendency is to grow. Certainly, we are not negotiating
reduction. If we are offered a cheap option, we will raise our hands
and stop negotiations, say yes. We have assessed the effect of
increase on each sphere.

According to customs reports, the gas price went up in the third
quarter of 2011.

I repeat we have been paying 180 dollars per 1000 cu m so far. Did you hear me?

Roza Hovhannisyan
14:50 21/05/2013
Story from Lragir.am News:

Minasian: Armenia does not need strategic partners like Russia

Tuesday,
May 21

`The natural gas supplied to Armenia is not the cheapest in the
region. This is nonsense, `the deputy of ARF-Dashnaktsutyn
parliamentary faction Artsvik Minasian told reporters today.

In his words, in case of a gas price hike, `no people will remain in
Armenia’. `Russia does not conceal the fact that it uses gas as a
political instrument,’ Minasian noted.

According to him, the volume of gas consumed in Armenia is only 2% of
that consumed in CIS. `The gas price increase by Gazprom Company
because of those two percent is a result of unreasonable actions. It
is necessary to nationalize ArmRosGazprom and also to think about
Iranian gas and alternative energy resources,’ Artsvik Minasian
stressed.

In his words, `Armenia does not need strategic partners like Russia
because that country’s policy contributes to the outflow of population
from Armenia’.

TODAY, 14:58
Aysor.am

“Aravot”: Page of March 1 will remain in our history as not closed page

21/05/2013 13:23:00 lurer.com

Yesterday, RPA parliamentary faction voted “against” the initiative of
the Armenian National Congress to set up a temporary committee on
March 1. In this regard, in an interview with the newspaper “Aravot”
RPA MP Margarit Yesayan said she personally voted against this bill.

“When the establishment of the Temporary Commission on March 1 was
discussed, I delivered a speech in which I said it was not a task that
should be constantly speculated, trying to discover the events of
March 1 with the aid of some commissions. Page of March 1 will remain
in our history as the page, which is not closed, but we should be
demanding and should demand that the judicial system, the prosecutor’s
office opening of March 1. That’s the problem. And then, the creation
of commissions will not solve the problems.”

Turquie-tourisme-transports-accident
Chute d’une montgolfière en Turquie : un mort, 24 blessés (officiel)

(AFP) – Un touriste brésilien a péri et 24 autres personnes ont été
blessées lundi en Cappadoce, dans le centre de la Turquie, lors de la
chute d’une montgolfière qui les transportait, ont affirmé des
responsables locaux.

`Une personne est malheureusement décédée dans l’accident et 24 autres
sont légèrement blessées`, a déclaré sur la chaîne d’information NTV
Hasan Ünver, le maire de Nevsehir, la principale municipalité de
Cappadoce, une région aux impressionnants paysages sculptés dans le
tuf, qui propose de nombreuses excursions en montgolfière aux
touristes.

La montgolfière a décollé vers 06H00 (03H00 GMT) de Göreme, dans le
centre de la Cappadoce, a indiqué le gouverneur de la province de
Nevsehir, Abdurrahman Savas, précisant que le touriste décédé était de
nationalité brésilienne.

`D’après les dépositions de témoins, l’accident a été causé par un
choc entre la montgolfière qui s’élevait et la nacelle d’un autre
aéronef. Le ballon de la montgolfière du dessous s’est déchiré et elle
est rapidement tombée`, a déclaré M. Savas, cité par l’agence de
presse Anatolie.

`La plupart des blessés sont victimes de fractures`, a précisé le
gouverneur, faisant état d’un blessé grave.

Le secteur des montgolfières de tourisme s’est sensiblement développé
ces dernières années en Turquie, principalement en Cappadoce.

Il comptait fin 2012 20 entreprises, équipées de 140 montgolfières et
faisant travailler quelque 1.400 personnes, selon des statistiques de
la Direction générale de l’aviation civile (DHGM), citées par le site
spécialisé dans le tourisme turizm.güncel.com. Dix ans plus tôt, le
nombre de compagnies était de six et celui des montgolfières de 31.

L’accident en Cappadoce survient deux mois après un incident analogue
à Louxor (Egypte), qui a fait 19 morts le 26 février. La montgolfière
avait alors explosé.

mardi 21 mai 2013,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

ARMENIE
L’augmentation du prix du gaz naturel va déclencher l’inflation en Arménie

Vazgen Safaryan, président de l’Union des fabricants nationaux, a
déclaré aux journalistes que la hausse du prix du gaz naturel en
Arménie va causer des pertes économiques et déclenchera l’inflation.

Plus tôt cette semaine, ArmRosGazprom et Transgaz LLC ont demandé au
régulateur de revoir à la hausse du tarif actuel pour le gaz naturel
russe. Ils veulent augmenter les prix pour les consommateurs qui
utilisent jusqu’à 10000 mètres cubes par mois à 221 000 drams les 1000
mètres cubes.

L’Arménie achète actuellement 1000 mètres cubes de gaz russe à 180 $.

« L’augmentation n’est inattendue, mais une telle différence est
surprenante », a déclaré Safaryan. « ela va avoir des impacts négatifs
sur l’économie et la population du pays et aura une incidence sur les
activités de consommation d’énergie des entreprises ».

Il a dit en particulier que les fabriques de ciment seront frappés de
plein fouet par cette hausse des prix.

Safaryan a déclaré que cette hausse des prix sera suivie par une
augmentation des prix des autres matières premières, et le
gouvernement doit donc accorder des subventions aux familles à faible
revenu et aux retraités.

Il a également souligné que l’Arménie devrait utiliser d’autres
sources d’énergie comme le charbon de Martakert et les centrales
hydroélectriques.

mardi 21 mai 2013,
Stéphane ©armenews.com