Author: Kanayan Tamar

ARMENIAN MPS REFER TO ASSAULT ON ANC MP AND FREEDOM FIGHTERS AT THE EXTRAORDINARY SESSION

13:30 / 15.12.2014

Extraordinary session started today in the National Assembly. Before
passing to the agenda, the MPs of the non-governmental forces referred
to the recent cases of attacks on freedom fighters and Armenian
National Congress MP Aram Manukyan.

Speaking at the NA, PAP faction secretary Naira Zohrabyan said,
“Taking into consideration the lawless situation in the country when
different riffraff beat freedom fighters and our colleague the PAP
states that it will boycott the extraordinary session if the situation
is not discussed first of all.”

Rubik Hakobyan from Heritage faction noted that the people wait
for the response of the National Assembly over the situation in the
country. “We must refer to this issue at the extraordinary session
and then pass to the routine work,” he stressed.

Rule of Law faction head Heghine Bisharyan stressed that what happened
to Aram Manukyan is a slap to all the MPs.

Head of the ARF-D faction Armen Rustamyan too described what happened
to the freedom fighters as unacceptable offering conduction of
consultation with the NA chairman and issue a statement condemning
the incident. For that purpose Armen Rustamyan offered a twenty-minute
break.

Nyut.am

SELECTIVE DISCLOSURE: ARMENIA’S CENTRAL BANK CONCEALS DATA ON OFFSHORE TRANSFERS

Kristine Aghalaryan

00:05, December 15, 2014

Armenia’s Central Bank (CB) claims thatsome data regarding money
flows to and from offshore financial centers is protected from public
disclosure under the law.

We say ‘some’, because the CB is being selective when it comes to
which information can be disclosed and what cannot.

When Hetq contacted the CB, requesting that it provide figures of
cash inflows and outflows to and from the British Virgin Islands,
Cyprus, Lichtenstein, Luxembourg, Panama, the Cayman Islands, the
Seychelles and other offshore centers since 2007, it only did so for
‘natural persons’.

And even in this case, the CB confessed that it had no data for
certain countries (see asterisk) prior to 2012.

Based on this incomplete data, the largest inflows to Armenia came from
Cyprus and Switzerland – each registering more than US$370 million. The
largest outflows from Armenia also went to the same two countries –
$77 million and $143 million respectively.

Inflows to Armenia – Outflows from Armenia Natural Persons (USD
millions)

When Hetq again requested that the CB provide data regarding cash
flows made by ‘legal entities’, it refused to do so citing Article 12
of the RA Law on Combatting Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing,
claiming that any such information is protected.

The Authorized Body shall be prohibited to publicize or otherwise
provide any information (except for the information provided to
criminal investigation or other authorities in the manner established
by law) disclosing or facilitating disclosure of any person having
reported on a suspicious transaction (business relationship) and
(or) having participated in its reporting to the Authorized Body or
in sending a statement to criminal investigation authorities by the
Authorized Body.

According to data from Armenia’s National Statistical Service, legal
entities based in Cyprus, the British Virgin Islands and Luxembourg
are investing the most money in Armenia.

Overseas Investment in Armenia (AMD thousands)

We must point out that Article 8 of Armenia’s Law on the Freedom
of Information specifies the following limitations regarding the
disclosure of information: contains state, official, bank or trade
secret; infringes the privacy of a person and his family, including the
privacy of correspondence, telephone conversations, post, telegraph
and other transmissions; contains pre-investigation data not subject
to publicity; discloses data that require accessibility limitation,
conditioned by professional activity (medical, notary, attorney
secrets); infringes copy right and associated rights.

There is nothing in the law prohibiting the public disclosure of
information regarding financial inflows and outflows. What, then,
is the Central Bank hiding?

Moreover, why does the Central Bank see fit to provide data regarding
‘natural persons’ but balk when it comes to legal entities?

This is nothing less than selective public disclosure and merely leads
us to believe that the Central Bank may indeed have something to hide.

DASHNAKTSUTYUN DID NOT BOYCOTT NA SESSION, THEY SIMPLY LEFT NA HALL

13:50 | December 15,2014 | Politics

Talking to reporters a couple of minutes ago, Head of the
ARF-Dashnaktsutyun faction Armen Rustamyan said his party had not
boycotted the special session of the National Assembly: they simply
left the NA hall.

Dashnaktsutyun MP Artsvik Minasyan has returned to the NA hall where
the legislature is discussing international loan agreements.

“We did not use the word ‘boycott,’ we only said we wanted a 20-minute
recess to hold a consultation,” faction Armen Rustamyan told reporters.

Earlier on Monday, the non-governing forces in parliament boycotted
the special session invited by the Armenian government and demanded
to convene a special sitting to discuss the recent attacks on Karabakh
war veterans and HAK Lawmaker Aram Manukyan. After receiving a negative
response from the NA Speaker, the forces left the NA hall.

Dashnaktsutyun followed suit and left the hall with the opposition
forces.

NAIRIT EMPLOYEES HAVE NOT RECEIVED SALARIES YET

14:58 | December 15,2014 | Social

Employees of Nairit plant have set up a committee to determine their
future steps but they are not going to stop the protests.

Talking to A1+, Spokesperson for Nairit plant Anush Harutyunyan said
in the morning the acting director of the plant, Ruben Saghatelyan,
met a group of employees gathered outside the plant. He said their
salaries will be repaid but did not specify any date.

Nairit Plant CJSC, which produces chloroprene rubber and was considered
a giant of its kind during the Soviet era, hasn’t been operating
since 2010. Only 500 of its 2500 employees work in the plant today,
others are on compulsory layoff. The plant was founded in 1940.

Nairit owes 5 milliard 768 million drams to its employees. The
employees have not received salaries for 18 months.

OPPOSITION PARLIAMENTARY FACTIONS DEMAND HOLDING OF EXTRAORDINARY SESSION BECAUSE OF BEATING UP ARAM MANUKYAN AND VETERANS OF THE KARABAKH WAR

by Nana Martirosyan

Monday, December 15, 12:40

The opposition parliamentary factions demand holding of extraordinary
session because of beating up of a member of the parliament from
Armenian National Congress, Aram Manukyan, and veterans of the Karabakh
war, Suren Sargsyan, Razmik Petrosyan and Manvel Egiazaryan.

Secretary of the Prosperous Armenia Party faction, Naira Zohrabyan,
said that the parliament should delay discussion of the issues involved
in the agenda and immediately start discussing the above mentioned
incidents, otherwise the PAP will boycott the session.

The head of the Heritage faction, Ruben Hakobyan, said that they will
also boycott the parliamentary session if the issue is not discussed.

For her part, the head of the Orinats Yerkir faction, Heghine
Bisharyan, said that beating up of Aram Manukyan is like a slap in
the face of the whole parliament. She also added that beating up
of a member of the parliament and Karabakh war veterans has left a
negative trace in the Armenian society. Therefore, the parliament
should adequately assess the situation. She also said about the
readiness of their faction to boycott the session.

Speaker of the parliament, Galust Sahakyan, did not rule out the
possibility of discussion of the incidents at the extraordinary
session of the parliament and offered to prepare the text of the
statement on the matter.

LA COMMUNAUTE INTERNATIONALE NE DOIT PAS PERMETTRE QUE LA SUPREMATIE DE LA LOI SOIT REMPLACEE PAR LA SUPREMATIE DU PETROLE

ARMENIE

Hayastani Hanrapetoutioun reproduit le discours du Ministre des
AE, Edward Nalbandian, au Conseil Ministeriel de l’OSCE a Bâle,
a l’occasion duquel il a accuse Bakou de ne pas respecter les
principes et les fondements memes de l’organisation.

LA REPRESENTANTE DU FMI AFFIRME QUE L’ARMENIE PEUT EVITER D’ETRE ENTRAENEE PAR LA CRISE EN RUSSIE AVEC UNE BONNE PREPARATION

ARMENIE

Les inquietudes grandissent en Armenie sur la facon dont elle sera
affectee par les problèmes economiques de la Russie provoques par
les sanctions internationales mais selon un representant du Fonds
monetaire international la stabilite interne servira de contre-poids
contre le malaise etranger.

Teresa Sanchez Daban, Representante residente du FMI, a declare
aux journalistes que la Banque centrale de l’Armenie (CB) et le
Gouvernement de l’Armenie peuvent preserver la stabilite economique
et financière avec la mise en oeuvre correcte d’une politique.

> a declare Sanchez. >.

Afin de preserver la stabilite de la situation, le FMI a conseille
au gouvernement armenien de depenser plus tout en soulignant qu’il
est important d’avoir un budget stable.

Neanmoins, l’Armenie devra faire face aussi a des difficultes.

Au cours des 10 derniers mois, les transferts de la Russie a
l’Armenie ont diminue de plus de 53 millions de dollars (sur un
montant de 1,34 milliard de dollars) ce qui, selon l’evaluation du
FMI, est conditionnes par la diminution des prix du petrole sur le
marche international et les problèmes auxquels l’economie russe est
confrontee en raison des sanctions occidentales.

Le FMI, en meme temps, ne craint pas un niveau eleve d’inflation a la
fin de l’annee en Armenie, en disant que la Banque Centrale sera en
mesure de preserver la hausse des prix dans la gamme des 4% prevue
en l’expliquant par la faible inflation (1,3 pour cent) jusqu’ici
cette annee.

Lors de la reunion gouvernementale de jeudi le Premier ministre
Hovik Abrahamian a demande une surveillance etroite des biens de
consommation afin de temperer les rumeurs sur une hausse de 10 a 15
pour cent de l’inflation attendue dans les prochaines semaines.

La representante du FMI n’a pas su prevoir comment les evenements
vont suivre avec la devualuation du dram et les achats liees a la
Nouvelle Annee.

7 ARMENIAN MINISTERS ARRIVE IN TEHRAN

December 15, 2014 09:43

Photo:

Yerevan/Mediamax/. 7 members of the Armenian government will be
in Tehran to take part in the session of the Armenian-Iranian
Intergovernmental Commission today.

Armenian Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Minister of Finance,
Minister of Transport and Communication, Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Urban Development and Minister
of Health will take part in the meeting, Iranian Tasnim agency reports.

In October 2014, Armenian Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan visited
Tehran.

– See more at:

ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNVEIL AMENHOTEP III STATUE RESCUED AFTER 3,200 YEARS

12:48, 15 Dec 2014

Two huge statues of Egyptian Pharoah Amenhotep III that were toppled
by an earthquake in the year 1,200 B.C., have been re-erected on their
bases at the northern entrance to the ruler’s funerary temple on the
west bank of the Nile River here, the GlobalPost reports.

An international team of archaeologists headed by Armenia’s Hourig
Sourouzian and Egypt’s Abdelkarim Karrar on Sunday unveiled the second
of the two colossal restored statues in the presence of Egyptian
Antiquities Minister Mamduh al Damati and Luxor Gov. Tarek Saad el Din.

The two statues, which had broken into some 200 chunks of stone and
had lain submerged in the river had suffered the ravages of 3,200
years of humidity, erosion and vandalism.

The project to raise them, which was deemed an emergency by
archaeological and cultural authorities, was undertaken in two stages
within a single year, an unusual feat.

The first stage was completed between January and March 2014, when
more than 200 fragments of the statues were removed from the water,
transported 50 meters (yards) to dry land and reassembled into the
first of the two colossi standing 12.35 meters (40.5 feet) high and
showing the pharoah striding forward.

In November, the second stage was carried out, in which the second
statue – this one standing 12.93 meters (42.4 feet) high and weighing
110 tons – was raised and reassembled over the course of a month and
10 days.

“It’s the best reconstruction of colossal (statues) in the world,”
the technical director of the operation, Spanish archaeologist and
restoration expert Migual Angel Lopez, told Efe.

The project was made possible thanks to a system of compressed air
cushions and pulleys capable of moving items weighing up to 70 tons.

The huge pieces of stone were glued together with various types of
resins and reinforced with steel spikes.

Plans are for the entire temple – which also includes the famous
Colossi of Memnon, which are also huge, albeit seated and badly
damaged, statues of Amenhotep III, as well as three patios, a
peristyle, a sanctuary and other archaeological elements – to be
made into a museum in which assorted monumental art and other works
commissioned by the pharoah will be displayed.

Amenhotep III was the son of Pharoah Thutmose IV and belonged to
the 18th Egyptian dynasty, which ruled Egypt from 1554-1304 B.C.,
during which time the empire’s capital was located at Thebes.

The pharoah – who was the grandfather of Tutankhamen – died in
about 1354 B.C. and experts say his reign marked Ancient Egyptian
civilization’s political and cultural zenith.

OPPOSITION BOYCOTTING PARLIAMENT SESSION IN ARMENIA, DEMANDING A DISCUSSION ON THE LAWMAKER BEATING

YEREVAN, December 15. /ARKA/. The opposition factions of the Armenian
parliament are boycotting the special session that started on Monday
after the speaker Galust Sahakyan refused to hold a special discussion
on the fact of attack on the opposition Armenian National Congress
(ANC) deputy Aram Manukyan, Novosti-Armenia reports.

The secretary of ANC parliament faction Aram Manukyan was attacked last
Thursday outside his house in Yerevan. The case is under investigation.

The speaker told the opposition parties that they can make a statement
on the attack.

“If needed, we can hold a special session on the matter after 18:30,
but it is not appropriate to interrupt the current special session”,
the speaker said after a 20-minute break he took to discuss the issue
with the heads of the factions.

After the speaker’s statement, the head of Heritage faction Ruben
Hakobyan said the five off-power parties are boycotting the parliament
session until a special discussion is held on the attack on Manukyan.

The Prosperous Armenia, Heritahe, Orinats Yerkir, ARF Dashnaktsutiun
and the ANC factions left the parliament.

The police reported on Monday, 41-year-old Arshak Svazyan was detained
early morning on Sunday December 14, suspected of attacking the
lawmaker. The investigation is under way. -0–