Author: Kanayan Tamar

BANK VTB (ARMENIA) PLANS TO EARN AT LEAST 5.2 BILLION DRAMS IN NET PROFITS THIS YEAR: DEPARTMENT HEAD SAYS

/ ARKA /
May 18, 2011
YEREVAN

Yuri Gusev, head of the financial department of the Russian-owned
Bank VTB (Armenia) said today it plans to earn at least 5.2 billion
drams in net profits this year. According to Valery Ovsyanikov, the
chief executive officer of bank, in the first quarter of 2011 Bank VTB
(Armenia) earned 1.3 billion drams in net profits.

Speaking at a news conference Gusev said the bank did a great job
last year and made large infrastructure investments and hopes to get
payback .

According to the bank’s data, its assets as of March 31 stood
at 136.9 billion drams growing by 7.4% from December 2010, the
outstanding credit portfolio grew by 14.8% to 99.4 billion drams,
combined liabilities grew by 8.2% to 106.1 billion drams, the volume
of deposits grew by 10.8% to 64.8 billion drams, the total capital
increased by 5.2% to 30.8 billion drams and charter capital stayed
at previous level of 13.8 billion drams.

Valery Ovsyanikov said the bank has increased lending to individual
clients by 12% as the number of its customers has grown by 40,000 over
the last 5 years to 270,000. The bank also accounts for about 9% of all
individual deposits. The number of card holders has risen five times,
the number of ATMs by 7 times and that of POS terminals by six times.

He said at the end of quarter one the bank accounted for 8.7% of
lending to individuals, for 5.1% of attracted corporate deposits. The
bank handles about 6 000 corporate clients including 150 largest
Armenian companies and 30 companies with Russian capital.

Bank VTB (Armenia) is owned by Russian Bank VTB. It has 68 branches
across Armenia, 24 in Yerevan and 44 outside it. It also operates 59
ATMs and 400 POS terminals.($1 – 373.74 drams).

BELARUS PM SAYS ARMENIA INTERESTED IN COOPERATION IN AGRICULTURAL FIELD.

18.05.2011 15:06

According to Sarkisian, Armenia is working on a program of the
agrarian sector development and is considering renewal of the farm
machinery. Belarus is ready to offer the full range of agricultural
machinery, buses and a number of machines used in the construction
industry. In addition to all this there is a mutual interest in energy,
diamonds processing and in other sectors of the economy.

(Tigran Sargsyan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia) (Mikhail
Myasnikovich, Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus)

SCANDAL IN ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT: EMPLOYEE LEFT DELEGATION AND STAYED IN NETHERLANDS

news.am
May 17 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – An employee of Armenian Ministry of Labor and Social
Affairs, Suren Pivazyan, left the delegation during the working visit
to Netherlands and refused to return to Armenia.

Pivazyan was the lead specialist of the Department dealing with the
issues of persons with disabilities and aging, Ministry of Labor and
Social Affairs official informed Armenian News-NEWS.am. In Netherlands
Pivazyan passed an envelope to his colleague and asked her to give the
envelope to his boss, head of the department Arthur Kesoyan. In the
letter he wrote that he has health problems and asked to be dismissed.

He was appointed for the job recently.

The delegation of Armenian Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs was in
Netherlands to participate in the workshop “Persons with disabilities
as promising employees.”

AUSTRIAN TRAVELED TO ARMENIA BY BICYCLE TO DONATE MONEY TO CHILDREN

news.am
May 17 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – Austrian citizen, technician-statistician Matias Mayer
traveled from Austria to Armenia by bicycle.

“I like travelling. I knew about Armenian history, and I wanted to
see your country,” he said.

This is his first visit to Armenia. Mayer has a very positive opinion
about Armenians. He was found of the Armenia history, and his friends
wanted to share this interesting initiative. They opened an account
and collected money during all period of time that Mayer needed to
reach Armenia by bicycle. Later Matias Mayer decided to donate money
to Austrian children hospital in Armenian Gyumri city.

ROSE GARDEN TO BE UNVEILED AT YEREVAN BOTANICAL GARDEN

Panorama
May 17 2011
Armenia

The unveiling ceremony of a restored rose garden will take place at
the Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia
today, NAS press office reported.

The rose garden was restored thanks to the efforts of Swiss Ambassador
to Armenia Konstantin Obolensky and Embassy’s funding of 6000 euros
(3 million drams).

Botanical Garden’s dendrocollections and green plants sustained
serious damage due to the economic crisis in Armenia in the 1990s,
and the rose collection was almost completely destroyed.

INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS DISCUSS EVENTS OF SOUTH CAUCASUS IN YEREVAN

Vestnik Kavkaza
May 17 2011

International experts are discussing events of the South Caucasus at
the Caucasus-2010 conference in Yerevan.

The conference rounds up 2010 and highlights political, social and
economic processes, ethno-political conflicts, roles of foreign
agencies and regional security.

The Editor-in-Chief of the magazine “Russia in Global Affairs”,
Fyodor Lukyanov, believes that global processes keep increasing their
influence on certain regional situations.

Ambassador Raul de Lucenberger, head of the delegation of the European
Commission in Armenia, noted that 2010 was an important year for the
development of the South Caucasus and relations with the EU. Talks
started on the Association Agreement. A simplified visa regime was
introduced by Georgia. There was progress in negotiations with Armenia.

Talks on the Armenian-EU Association Agreement started in Yerevan on
July 19, 2010. It will replace the deal on partnership and cooperation
and improve ties in all spheres, including foreign policy, democracy,
economic integration, migration and energy.

Experts from Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Russia and Turkey will
present their reports at the conference.

AUTHORITIES DISCREDIT POLICE, SAYS RIGHTS ACTIVIST

Tert.am
17.05.11

The Armenian authorities are discrediting the police, the head of
the Helsinki Civil Association of Vanadzor Office has said.

Arthur Sakunts made the statement at a press conference on Tuesday
as he spoke of alleged violations that Stepan Hovakimyan – arrested
over a theft case from Moscow Cinema last year – has been subjected
to while in detention.

“Today’s political authorities in Armenia are spoiling the police,”
said Sakunts.

Sakunts, together with Hovakimyan’s lawyer, Vahram Kerobyan, further
said that the police resorted to torture to exert a self-incriminating
testimony from Hovakimyan.

They also said that despite several statements by the accused,
his lawyer, rights organizations and media publications, the
law-enforcement bodies refuse to launch a probe into their claims
over torture.

Arthur Sakunts further said that Hovakimyan’s cell-mates submitted
a statement to the Court of First Instance of Kentron (Centre) and
Nork-Marash administrative districts, in which they confirmed that
Hovakimyan had complained of having pain in various parts of the body
after interrogation.

Sakunts and Kerobyan also claimed the police are obeying an order
and hiding the actual perpetrator.

Stepan Hovakimyan, the father of the accused, in turn, said that
he also thinks the police are trying to hide the real person behind
the crime.

“For that reason they want to shift all the blame on one person so
that to close this case,” he said.

Further, Hovakimyan said that the area of the Moscow Cinema is under
24-hour video surveillance by four cameras.

“The police said that the suspect was caught on camera for half an
hour which means two hours’ recording,” said he, adding that only a
1.5-minute long edited excerpt has been attached to the case.

“When we demand to be given the entire video, it turns out that it has
been lost. How can we believe in that? Will any one believe that the
video recordings of a day of theft have been lost?” asked Hovakimyan.

The next court hearing on the case is scheduled on May 25.

MORE THAN 113 MILLION AMD WERE SIGNED OUT FROM THE STATE BUDGET TO PAY PENSIONS TO DECEASED PENSIONERS

ARMENPRESS
MAY 17, 2011
YEREVAN

More than 113 million AMD were signed out from the state budget in
the name of the deceased pensioners during 2009-2010. Head of the
public relations department of the Prosecutor General’s office Shahen
Tonoyan told Armenpress that the Interests’ Protection Department of
the Prosecutor General’s office studied the materials sent by the
Finance Ministry and found out that the top officials implementing
the organizational authorities in the appointment, payment and control
of pensions abused their power. Forming false documents in the names
of deceased pensioners, appointing double pensions during 2009-2010
they signed out 113181900 AMD from the state budget and took the
money causing serious harm to the state budget.

A criminal case has opened.

ARMENIAN MINISTER BUYS FIRST RAILWAY TICKET THOUGH ORION AUTOMATED SYSTEM

/ ARKA /
May 17, 2011
YEREVAN

Armenian transport and communications minister Manuk Vardanian bought
today the first railway ticket sold through an automated ticket sales
and reservation system launched by the South Caucasus Railways (SCR)
company operating Armenia’s railroads.

The system, developed on the basis of Orion information platform,
will operate in Yerevan, Gyumri, Vanadzor and Armavir towns.

Speaking to journalists after the ceremony the minister said the new
system will facilitate the process of handling of passengers.

‘From now all passengers can buy tickets without facing problems
and loss of time. The introduction of this system is part of the
government-designed reform to improve the quality of services offered
to railway passengers,’ he said.

He added that this will rule out many inaccuracies like selling one
and the same ticket to two different passengers.

Vardanian said also the ministry plans to launch a similar system
for sale of bus tickets.

SCR deputy CEO Marat Khakov said the new system will help eliminate
all negative factors that were reported in the past and will accelerate
the process of ticket buying and reservation.

Due to the launch of the system the price of tickets will include
assurance collection – 200 drams for Yerevan-Tbilisi-Yerevan trains
and 250 Drams for Yerevan-Batumi-Yerevan trains. Assurance collection
will be refunded in case passenger decides to return the ticket. The
cost of the ticket to Tbilisi ranges from 4,280 to 14,160 drams and
the cost of a ticket to Batumi from 7,500 to 24,000 drams.

On June 15 the South Caucasus Railways will start operating
Yerevan-Batumi-Yerevan trains that will run until September 30. An
additional train will run on Tuesdays and Fridays.

The South Caucasus Railways is run by Russian Railways. The
concessional agreement was concluded in 2008 for 30 years, with a
right of extension for another 20 years after the first 20 years
of operation.

Batumi, a resort town on the Georgian Black Sea coast is a very
popular tourist destination for thousands of Armenian holiday-makers.

ARMENIA READY TO ACTIVELY COOPERATE WITH UNHCR OFFICE

ARMENPRESS
MAY 17, 2011
YEREVAN

President Serzh Sargsyan received Antonio Guterres, UN High
Commissioner for Refugees, who has arrived in Armenia to participate
in the international conference of donor organizations.

President’s press office reported that President Sargsyan rated high
the role of the UNHCR Office and personally Antonio Guterres in the
solution of the problems of refugees in Armenia. President Sargsyan
expressed gratitude to him for the contribution to the programs
implemented in our country, underlining that Armenia is willing to
continue the active cooperation with the UNHCR Office to solve the
issues of refugees and protect their rights.

Serzh Sargsyan noted that from the first day of hosting the refugees,
Armenia has assumed the policy of helping them integrate with the
Armenian public and has never politicized the issue of refugees.

According to President Sargsyan, Armenia will speak once again about
its commitment to solve the problems of most vulnerable families and
improve the legislation during the Ministerial meeting to be held in
Geneva in December.

Antonio Guterres hailed the process of granting citizenship to
refugees, their integration and protection of their rights. According
to him, his visit and the conduction of the conference in Armenia was
another opportunity to join efforts to solve the remaining problems.