ONE DOLLAR TRADEING AT AMD 560 IN ARMENIA
18:04 | December 17,2014 | Economy
Deals amounting to $100,000 at an average price of AMD 560/USD 1 were
concluded at NASDAQ OMX Armenia on December 17. The closing price
was AMD 560/USD 1, reports the press service of the stock exchange.
HYDRO-PLANTS VS TOURISM: BATTLE LINES DRAWN IN ARMENIA’S SYUNIK PROVINCE
Kristine Aghalaryan
13:32, December 17, 2014
Ruben Vardanyan, a wealthy businessman based in Russia who supports
various tourism development projects in Armenia, is so concerned
that the construction of two mini hydro-plants may adversely affect
tourism in the country’s southern Syunik region that he has met with
Armenia’s prime minister in an attempt to halt their construction.
This news was conveyed by a Hetq source close to the issue.
The two hydro-plants are being built in the Syunik communities of
Tatev and Tandzatap by a company called Tatevi Anapat LLC which is 50%
owned by Sourik Khachatryan, the governor of Syunik Province.
The affected areas fall within a region that the IDeA (Initiatives for
Development in Armenia), co-founded by Vardanyan, has been actively
promoting as a prime tourist zone in Armenia.
In 2010, IDeA launched the construction of the Wings of Tatev aerial
cable car that leads to the historic Tatev Monastery. The cable car
project is just one part of the Tatev Revival program, envisioning
the reconstruction of the Tatev Monastery Complex and the development
of local communities (job creation, fostering entrepreneurship in
communities and local standards of living).
Hetq got in touch with IDeA to find out if the above meeting actually
took place between Vardanyan and Armenia’s prime minister.
In response, the IDeA’s public affairs division said that discussions
have been held with various government officials regarding the
hydro-plants and that the issue has also been broached locally,
within the scope of plans to create a national park in the region.
“We hope that all these discussions will lead to resolutions that will
allow for the full implementation of regional development projects,”
concluded the IDeA’s reply.
Pipes for the hydro-plants, now under construction, are already been
laid in the two abovementioned communities.
It would thus seem that these discussions have run their course and
that the plants will be constructed, even if Tatev Revival Program
suffers as a result.
NUKE STATION DIRECTOR DISMISSAL REASONABLE – ARMENIAN MINISTRY OF ENERGY
YEREVAN, December 17. /ARKA/. Armenian ministry of energy believes
that dismissal of the director of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant
was natural under the existing circumstances, the deputy minister of
energy Areg Galstyan told reporters on Thursday.
According to earlier mass media reports, the director of the Armenian
NPP Gagik Markosyan was relieved of the post following his own
request and the chief engineer of the nuke station Movses Vardanyan
was appointed as acting director.
Mass media report that the deputy directors of the plant were relieved
of their posts as well and one of them was arrested as part of a
criminal misappropriation case.
“Director of the Armenian NPP has resigned, and I believe, he has
made the right choice under the current circumstances when a criminal
procedure is initiated against the commercial director on abuse in
procurement”, Galstyan said.
The deputy minister refrained from mentioning any details and said
an investigation is under way.
The new director appointment and confirmation procedure is quite
complicated and long and no candidates for the post have been defined
yet, Galstyan said.
The National Security Service press secretary Artsvin Baghramyan
confirmed the former deputy director on commerce Rubik Movsesyan was
arrested, and the inquiry is under way.
The Armenian Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant, the only nuke station in
the region, is located some 30 kilometers south of Yerevan. It was
built in the 1970s but was closed following a devastating earthquake
in 1988 that killed some 25,000 people.
One of the plant’s two VVER 440-V230 light-water reactors was
reactivated in 1995. According to the expert estimates, the plant
can operate till 2016, but the European Union insists it should be
closed down now. -0–
GREENBACK’S KING AGAIN: ARMENIAN BANKS LIMIT HARD CURRENCY SALES AS DRAM PLUNGES AGAIN
Economy | 17.12.14 | 13:00
Most commercial banks and exchange offices in Yerevan did not sell
hard currency to citizens on Tuesday evening after a day of what could
be described as ‘panic foreign exchange buying’. Some businesses,
meanwhile, responded to the turbulence on the financial markets by
stopping their trading in anticipation of stability.
Some stores and supermarkets in Armenia set limits on purchases of
certain basic foodstuffs, others were changing price tags several
times during the day revising the prices upwards.
According to the CB rates released for Tuesday, the dram fell by an
average of 18.56 points to stand at 490.34AMD/1USD, while the fall
of the Armenian currency against the Euro and the British pound made
28.25 and 29.77 points, respectively (614.20/1 EUR and 770.32/1 GBP).
The selling price of the US dollar at some exchange offices in Yerevan
on late Tuesday reached 575 AMD, but currency traders said they did
not have any dollars to sell. Meanwhile, some banks purchased dollars
from the population for up to 535 AMD/$1.
During the day commercial banks sold limited amounts of hard currency
only to their customers. Queues were observed at bank offices during
the day, with some people angered by the situation when they literally
saw the dram exchange rate falling on the display as they stood in
the queue waiting for their turn to buy some foreign currency.
The current depreciation of the dram started in late November. Before
that, for a durable period of time the Armenian national currency
traded at around 410-415 AMD against the dollar.
On December 8, the CB declared a “new approach” to stabilizing the
national currency as it began selling fixed amounts of dollars to
Armenian commercial banks on a daily basis. The financial regulator
said the move was aimed at dealing with “speculative” currency trading
and would result in the stabilization of the currency market by the end
of the year. For four days the CB sold $6 million on a daily basis,
but on Monday and Tuesday it reduced the amount of its daily sales
to $4 million.
Armenian authorities as well as economists explain the depreciation
of the national currency by developments in international markets,
including the appreciation of the U.S. dollar against other currencies,
the economic and financial situation in Russia caused by Western
sanctions and falling oil prices. Another major factor cited by
economists these days is panic among businesses and the population
anticipating a serious shortage of hard currency in the near future.
Neither the CB nor the government made any statements directly
concerning the situation on the currency market as of early Wednesday.
WAKE UP THE SOULS: SERJ TANKIAN EXPLAINS THE MESSAGE BEHIND THE TOUR
11:57, 17 Dec 2014
System Of A Down frontman Serj Tankian has explained the message
behind the ‘Wake Up the Souls’ tour.
“We are doing a tour called ‘Wake Up the Souls’ to further spread
awareness having to do with the Armenian genocide, first genocide of
the 20th century and put pressure on the Turkish Parliament to kind
of come to grips with its own history and deal with the massacres of
the first world war,” Tankian told theBillboard.
“We’ve done the soul shows before, and this is kind of a growth of
that. It will be the first time that we played in Armenia in Republic
Square, giant free show, we’re gonna televise that around the world,
or stream it, whatever you want to call it. So it’s gonna be really
unique and beautiful, and so we’re looking forward to it.”
The band just announced an April 6 date in Los Angeles at the Forum.
That will be part of a very brief run. “We’re only doing eight
dates, and they’re all World War I countries in some ways, which
is interesting.”
To Tankian, the actual concerts are a very small part of delivering
their message. “The show itself is only one part of the message,
because the streaming worldwide of a show in Armenia having to do
with the genocide, the press around it, the press conferences we’re
going to do in each major capital around it, that’s going to reach
probably more people than actual ticket-holders at the show,” he
said. “That said, we’ve talked about this many times: Music’s power
of transcendence having to do with reaching people’s consciousness
is unique. It’s an incredible thing, and you know I’ve always paid
attention to it and respected it.”
As he’s gotten older, Tankian has found role models he admires for the
way they mix music and social consciousness. “I didn’t have musical
heroes growing up; now I do. I look back at someone like John Lennon,
his simple words, ‘War is over’ for example, the idea of visualization
combined with music, combined with that type of audience is genius.
And all he was doing is following his vision and being true to himself,
which hopefully all artists are,” he says. “Bob Marley was genius
too, making people dance to socially conscious music is like doing
two things simultaneously because the motion of dance is a positive
spiritual existence. And getting the messages through at the same
time is incredible.”
ARMENIE
QUATRE-VINGT-SEPT POUR CENT DES ARMENIENS CONSIDÈRENT LA RUSSIE COMME UN PAYS AMI
Environ 87 pour cent des Armeniens considèrent la Russie comme un
pays ami, selon un recent sondage d’opinion publique mene par la
Banque eurasienne de developpement (EDB).
Les resultats de l’enquete ont ete annonces par Igor Zadorin, le
chef de l’agence > lors d’une videoconference
reunissant des experts de l’Armenie, de la Bielorussie, du Kazakhstan,
du Kirghizistan et de la Russie.
L’enquete appelee > a implique plus
de 13 000 sondes dans 11 pays de la CEI et la Georgie.
Elle a ete realisee en fonction du sexe, de l’âge et de la geographie
de residence des sondes.
Selon l’enquete, 88 pour cent des sondes en Armenie ont nomme les
anciennes republiques sovietiques comme les pays amis, 16 pour cent
ont nomme des pays membres de l’Union europeenne et 7 pour cent
d’autres pays.
La Russie a ete nomme en tant que pays ami par la majorite des
sondess dans sept pays l’Armenie, le Belarus et les republiques
d’Asie centrale.
la Russie n’a pas ete consideree comme une nation amie par la
majorite des sondes dans trois anciennes republiques sovietiques –
l’Azerbaïdjan, la Georgie et l’Ukraine.
mercredi 17 decembre 2014, Stephane (c)armenews.com
SA SAINTETE ARAM I COMMENCE SA VISITE PASTORALE AUX EMIRATS ARABES UNIS
religion
Le 4 decembre 2014 Sa Saintete Aram Ier est arrive a Dubaï, où il va
consacrer l’eglise armenienne a Abu Dhabi. Le Vicaire le Père Mesrob
Sarkissian, et des representants du Conseil de l’Eglise armenienne
dans les Emirats Arabes Unis et les membres de la communaute, ainsi
que les ambassadeurs du Liban et de l’Armenie aux Emirats arabes unis
(EAU) l’ont accueilli a l’aeroport . L’Eglise armenienne a Abu Dhabi
est la deuxième eglise que le Catholicos va consacrer aux Emirats
arabes unis ; la première etait l’Eglise saint Gregoire l’Illuminateur
a Sharjah il y a seize ans.
Dans la soiree du 5 decembre, Sa Saintete a preside la Divine Liturgie,
celebree par l’eveque Papken Charian, le prelat d’Ispahan (Iran). Dans
son message, le catholicos Aram Ier a remercie le vicaire et les
membres du conseil pour leur service a l’eglise et la communaute. Il
a ensuite rappele que la vocation du Seminaire du Catholicosat
de Cilicie est de preparer les moines et les enseignants a servir
l’Eglise et la communaute. Se referant a l’Evangile, Sa Saintete a dit
que “nos ancetres ont accepte le christianisme il y a des siècles ;
nous devons rester fidèles a leur heritage et pratiquer notre foi
individuelle et la vivre ensemble dans nos communautes. ”
mercredi 17 decembre 2014, Stephane (c)armenews.com
LA CRISE RUSSE ACCELERE LA DEPRECIATION DU DRAM
Monnaie
La depreciation du dram armenien s’accelère cette semaine, au milieu
d’une crise financière qui ne fait que s’approfondir en Russie,
principale source d’envois de fonds a l’Armenie.
Le rouble russe a plonge de plus de 10 % hier, enregistrant sa plus
forte baisse depuis 1998.
La depreciation de la monnaie a ete tout aussi spectaculaire en
Armenie. Le dram se negociait a environ 530 pour un dollar americain
a la fin de l’après-midi, en baisse de plus de 9 % par rapport a
la fin de semaine dernière. La monnaie armenienne a perdu 22 % de
sa valeur par rapport au dollar depuis le debut de la depreciation,
debut novembre.
La Banque Centrale d’Armenie (BCA) a insiste il y a une semaine pour
affirmer que les fluctuations des taux de change seront desormais
“negligeables” car il y a suffisamment de reserves en dollars. La
BCA n’a pas intensifie ses interventions de change jusqu’a present,
vendant seulement 4 millions de dollars pour les banques commerciales
hier, et pareil avant-hier. Ses ventes quotidiennes de dollars etaient
en moyenne de 6.000.000 $ la semaine dernière.
Les dernières fluctuations ont conduit les banques armeniennes et les
detaillants de devises a limiter davantage leurs ventes en dollars
aux entreprises et aux prives. De nombreuses boutiques de change a
Erevan ont cesse de vendre des dollars et des euros hier.
La crise monetaire affecte de plus en plus l’activite economique
en Armenie. Certains supermarches alimentaires et des epiceries ont
eleve a maintes reprises les prix des biens importes toute au long de
la journee. Certains d’entre eux sont meme alles jusqu’a fixer des
limites sur les achats de produits alimentaires de base tels que le
sucre. Certains magasins d’electronique ont suspendu leurs activites
pour la meme raison.
mercredi 17 decembre 2014, Claire (c)armenews.com
PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Karine Abalyan
Tel: (212) 686-0710; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
December 15, 2014
__________________
ARMENIAN CHRISTMAS SERVICE AT ST. VARTAN CATHEDRAL TO TAKE PLACE ON TUESDAY,
JANUARY 6, 2015
The Nativity and Baptism of Jesus Christ will be observed at New York’s St.
Vartan Armenian Cathedral on Monday and Tuesday, January 5 and 6, 2015. A
special liturgical schedule will be in effect for these “Armenian Christmas”
services; please make a note of the times.
On ARMENIAN CHRISTMAS EVE-Monday, January 5-there will be an Evening Service
with Scripture Readings (by students from the Diocese’s Khrimian Lyceum and
the St. Vartan Armenian School) at 6:30 p.m. The Divine Liturgy will
immediately follow, beginning at 7:00 p.m., celebrated by the Very Reverend
Fr. Mamigon Kiledjian, the dean of St. Vartan Cathedral.
The St. Vartan Cathedral Choir will sing the Divine Liturgy, under the
direction of Maestro Khoren Mekanejian. A reception will take place
following the services.
On ARMENIAN CHRISTMAS MORNING-Tuesday, January 6-His Eminence Archbishop
Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America
(Eastern), will celebrate the Divine Liturgy. The Morning Service begins at
9:30 a.m., and the Divine Liturgy follows at 10:30 a.m.
The sacred music will be sung by the St. Vartan Cathedral Choir, under the
direction of Maestro Mekanejian.
In Armenian tradition, this feast day commemorates not only the birth of
Christ, but also his baptism by John the Baptist. The latter is remembered
through the “BLESSING OF WATER” ceremony, which will follow the Divine
Liturgy. Dr. Vicken Pamoukian will serve as “godfather” of the Blessing of
Water service.
After the cathedral’s January 6 church services, a HOME BLESSING SERVICE AND
CHRISTMAS RECEPTION will take place in Haik and Alice Kavookjian Auditorium.
The Akh’tamar Armenian Dance Ensemble, under the direction of Sylva
Assadourian, will perform during the reception, which is open to all.
Admission is free.
Armenian Christmas will also be observed at local parishes across the
Eastern Diocese. Many parishes will celebrate on the day itself-Tuesday,
January 6. However, Diocesan parishes have also been authorized to
celebrate on Sunday, January 11, if local circumstances so demand. Please
contact your local parish to ascertain the date and time of its Armenian
Christmas celebration.
St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral is located at 630 Second Avenue (corner of
34th Street and Second Avenue), in New York City. Armenian Christmas Eve
services begin at 4:00 p.m. on Monday, January 5. The Armenian Christmas
Morning Service on Tuesday, January 6 will begin at 9:30 a.m., with the
celebration of the Divine Liturgy beginning at 10:30 a.m., followed by the
traditional Blessing of Water ceremony. For information, call (212)
686-0710, or log onto the Eastern Diocese’s website,
###
RUSSIA’S WESTERN “PARTNERS” MAY HANG A NEW IRON CURTAIN OVER POST-SOVIET STATES
ArmInfo’s interview with Alexander Skakov, Working Group Coordinator
at the Research Center for Central Asia (Caucasus and Volga-Urals
Region, Institute of Oriental Studies, Russian Academy of Science)
by David Stepanyan
Tuesday, December 16, 13:59
The Russia-West confrontation seems to grow with every coming day. Do
you anticipate any improvements in 2015 given the emerging trends in
the EU countries?
One can and should hope for positive breakthroughs in the so far
growing confrontation of the West and Russia in 2015. Neither Russia
nor the EU gains from that confrontation, as both the parties are
experiencing financial- economic and political losses.
I anticipate no drastic changes of the situation so far. The point is
that the U.S. is gaining from the Russia-EU discrepancies that are
weakening both the parties. The United States has all the levers of
influence on the European Union. Not only these are the countries of
the former Eastern Europe, but also some influential forces, power
elites, in the key EU countries. It is the U.S. with its satellites
like Carl Bildt and Donald Tusk that has created the idea of Eastern
Partnership and Associate membership that is fundamentally unsound.
They are well aware that none of those associate member-countries will
ever become a full member of the EU. The United States has achieved
its major goal i.e. it has spoiled the relations of Russia and the EU.
The U.S. has finally broken Moldova and Ukraine from Russia, though
it has pulled Ukraine to pieces, but it was the cost of that all.
Consequently, the U.S. will do its best not to mend the rift between
Russia and the EU. European Union in alliance with Russia is too
serious a challenge to the U.S. Washington will never allow a second
China to emerge.
What are the potential consequences of this confrontation for the
post-Soviet area?
The global West-Russia confrontation may result in even deeper
borders between spheres of interest, blocs and worlds. Borders are
gradually turning into frontlines. One example is Ukraine’s plan to
build a ‘wall’ on its border with Russia or the de facto closure
of the border between Georgia, from one side, and South Ossetia
and Abkhazia from the other. And this tendency will continue. The
post-Soviet area tends will be structured according to the principle
“who is not with us is against us” – quite a dangerous tendency that
may lead to new – at best local – wars. The current activities of
Russia’s western “partners” may result in a new iron curtain and
growing authoritarianism in “outlaw” states. On the other hand,
there will be growing impunity in the countries that are currently
acting as Brussels’ and Washington’s satellites as they will start
behaving according to the principle once formulated by Roosevelt:
“Somoza may be a son-of-a-bitch, but he’s our son-of-a-bitch.”
The relations of Russia and Turkey have attained a new quality
recently, which, however, cannot be called economic amid the
Russia-West confrontation. What are the prospects of these relations
for the parties? What consequences may it have for Armenia and
Azerbaijan?
Turkey is famous for its ability to maneuver between centers of force,
to get what it wants and to give little in exchange. Just remember
how the Turks made use of the illusions cherished by Lenin and the
Bolsheviks. Now too they may get from the Russians much more than
the Russians may get from them. Turkey’s key advantage today is that
it will be able to maneuver between Russia and the West and to get
preferences from both. So, it is not a surprise that the old idea of
Turkey’s EU membership has suddenly come back to life. Armenia is not
among Turkey’s priorities. Of course, you better have good relations
with neighbors but you may well have no relations at all. The key
reason Turkey prefers Azerbaijan is not so much the Turkic sentiments
as the fact that the Azeris have energy resources. And it was this
very factor that once helped them to torpedo the Turkish-Armenian
rapprochement. Turkey will continue developing special relations,
strengthening ties with Georgia and ignoring Armenia, and this
situation will not change even if Turkish- Russian relations are
improved.
It is widely rumored that Moscow hinted Ilham Aliyev that Western
security services are preparing a state coup in Azerbaijan. Do you
think it’s true? Why are they so uncomfortable with Aliyev? Does
it explain the latest repression – unprecedented even for Aliyev’s
regime – against local journalists and human rights defenders?
Color revolutions are the scariest phantoms for most of the post-Soviet
countries, and the fight against them has become their favorite thing
to do. This is true not only for Azerbaijan where nothing actually
threatens Aliyev’s power. The latest large-scale repressions were
organized for warning ‘so that it doesn’t become a habit’. There
was no threat of a state coup, particularly, ‘a color revolution,’
in Azerbaijan in the given case. Meanwhile, an imaginary threat can
scare people for a long time and quite successfully. I think, Aliyev
is young enough and Azerbaijan is successful enough not to yield to
such games. Evidently, the best way to fight the threat of ‘color
revolutions’ is the successful fight against overall corruption. It is
corruption rather than ‘foreign agents’ that creates conditions for
such revolutions. I believe that the West is not keen to overthrow
Aliyev so far, even if it were possible. I don’t understand why they
are so uncomfortable with him, given that he is quite easy to deal
with. Nevertheless, it should be admitted that psychosis is growing
in Azerbaijan. Not only I mean the Armenophobia, but also the fear of
foreigners, freedom in all its displays, including the predominance
of the security services. What are you talking about if they do not
allow to Azerbaijan the Russian scientists invited to their country
just because of the Armenian stamps in their passports, leaving aside
the Nagorny Karabakh stamps.
The year 2014 saw unprecedented upsurge of tension on the border
Armenian and Karabakh border with Azerbaijan. The peace process is
being protracted as never before. Was the recently downed Armenian
helicopter part of that all? What are your forecasts for the coming
year 2015?
The growing tensions on the contact line may sooner or later grow
into a war, at least, because the conflicting parties may lose
control of the situation at one point. But for the time being this
is just a reconnaissance. The parties just want to see what they can
do and how the enemy will react to what they do. Their principle is
‘you see we can shoot down helicopters and go unpunished.’ But one
more reason why the tensions are growing is that the OSCE Minsk Group
is facing a crisis due to no accord among its members. On the other
hand, Armenia’s accession to the Eurasian Economic Union will give
it additional military-political guarantees and this may become a
restrictive factor for Azerbaijan, who is ruled by quite a pragmatic
regime. In 2015 the situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone
will not change unless any external disasters occur. For the time
being I see no prerequisites for this but as you have seen this year
things in the world can change very quickly.