Author: Khondkarian Raffi

PanARMENIAN.Net

Armenia politically correct toward neighbor states
10.03.2009 14:17 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili’s statement
on Armenia’s economy is absolutely groundless, said Samvel Farmanyan,
spokesman for the Armenian President.

`Saakashvili has chosen a wrong way to distract the Georgian citizens’
attention from domestic problems,’ he said. `Armenian President was
numerously asked about social and economic situation in neighbor
states but he always refrained from giving assessments. This is what
we call politically correctness,’ Mr. Farmanyan said.

Yesterday, Georgian President said that `Armenia’s economy burst
because of its dependence on Russian market.’

PanARMENIAN.Net

What could make Turkey open the borders within 1,5 years?
09.03.2009 19:12 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ `We expect a serious progress in Armenian- Turkish
relations in a month and a positive approach to the opening of borders
in a year,’ Republican Party of Armenia Leader, Galoust Sahakyan told
a news conference today. According to Sahakyan, Turkey plans to join
EU, and EU Member States do not accept closed borders.

Galoust Sahakyan stressed that Turkey’s preconditions are unacceptable
for Armenia. `Armenia sets no preconditions, we’re open to
negotiations,’ he said referring to the future of Armenian-Turkish
diplomatic relations.

There are no official diplomatic relations between Armenia and
Turkey. Armenian ` Turkish border has been closed by Ankara since 1993
because of Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

18 female representatives of Armenian political parties to pay
cognitive visit to Great Britain

9

YEREVAN, MARCH 9, NOYAN TAPAN. 18 female representatives of
parliamentary and extraparliamentary political parties functioning in
Armenia and 3 RA NA deputies will be in Great Britain on a cognitive
visit on March 9-14 within the framework of the Wo/Men in Politics
program implemented with the financing of the Embassy of Great Britain
in RA.

According to the British Council Armenian Office, visit’s goal is to
acquaint Armenian politicians with Great Britain’s parliamentary
system, parliamentarians’ legislative activity and to create a
possibility for cooperation. During the visit the interlocutors will
also have a possibility to get acquainted with women’s and men’s
rights, with laws regarding equal possibilities in politics and their
use in Great Britain.

Visits to parliaments of England, Wales, and Scotland, meetings with
representatives of standing parliamentary committees and deputies, as
well as with representatives of civil society are planned within the
framework of the visit. Rosemarie Butler, the Vice-Speaker of
parliament of Wales, will receive the representatives of political
parties and the deputies in Wales.

The Wo/Men in Politics two-year program launched in 2008 July is
implemented by British Council with the financing of the Embassy of
Great Britain in RA. The program is aimed at raising women’s role in
the political sphere, at development of skills, establishment of new
cooperation possibilities.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Aronian stands no chance to win Linares 2009
07.03.2009 11:09 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In the 13 tour of Linares 2009 Armenian grandmaster
Levon Aronian, playing with black pieces sustained a defeat at in a
game with Ukraine’s Vassily Ivanchuk. This has been the 4th defeat of
the grandmaster at Linares 2009. After the 13th tour Aronian was 1,5
points behind the tournament leaders, losing all his chances for
victory during the last tour.

According to 13th tour results, Ivanchuk and Grischuk are leading the
tournament. The other games of the tour ended in a draw.

In the last tour of Linares 2009 Levon Aronian will be playing against
Russian grandmaster Alexander Grischuk, who defeated him in the 6th
tour.

13th tour results:
Vassily Ivanchuk (Ukraine)- Levon Aronian (Armenia) 1-0
Alexander Grischuk (Russia)- Viswanathan Anand (India) draw
Magnus Carlsen (Netherlands)- Teimour Radjabov (Azerbaijan) draw
Wang Yue (China) – Leinier Dominguez (Cuba) draw

Standings after 13th tour
Grischuk, Ivanchuk – 7.5 points each, Carlsen ` 7 points, Anand-6.5
points, Aronian, Radjabov, Wang Yue ` 6 points each, Dominguez ` 5.5
points

14th tour participants:
Aronian -Grischuk, Dominguez -Ivanchuk, Anand- Carlsen, Radjabov – Wang Yue.

HERITAGE PARTY THREATENS TO DEMAND LEADERSHIP RESIGNATION

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.03.2009 16:57 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Heritage Faction made a statement today on current
financial situation.

According to the statement, the crisis of trust in Armenia entered
a new stage. "The Heritage Faction will not allow a new social
outbreak. Heritage demands that the authorities and the president
introduce radical changes in the governmental policy and immediately
implement the following steps: release political prisoners,
eliminate oligarch criminal system fundamentals, provide state
budget formation and implementation and submit it to parliamentary
consideration, promote legality, justice and freedom of choice at
Mayoral elections. Non fulfillment of the demands above will result
in the intensification of political and economical crisis, which
could only be resolved by the change of authorities."

Meanwhile, the member of Heritage Faction Armen Martirosyan is
confident, that to resolve the current situation , the authorities
should undertake drastic steps jointly with the opposition. "Both
ruling and opposition political forces are elected by the people,
and should therefore serve their interests."

"The Faction statement and its further activities prove it to pursue
a policy of advising, assisting and demanding from authorities,"
Larisa Alaverdyan noted.

UC RUSAL’S ARMENIAN FOIL MILL RUNNING AT FULL CAPACITY

Interfax
March 4 2009
Russia

UC RUSAL’s Armenal foil mill in Armenia is now running at full capacity
for 25,000 tonnes of aluminum foil per year.

Armenal has produced and sold around 30,000 tonnes of foil since the
beginning of 2007, when an overhaul was completed, UC RUSAL said.

Armenal will start shipping foil to the Middle East and Africa in
addition to the United States and European Union in the near future.

Foil is still in demand in almost all spheres of application, despite
the global drop in demand for primary aluminum.

"Reaching design capacity at Armenal will allow RUSAL’s Packaging
Division to satisfy demand for rolled foil products which is growing
among other reasons because of the reduction of foil production in
North America. At the same time this year Armenal plans to increase
production of extra thin foil with a width of 7-9 micron, which is
in strong demand in the market, by 25%," RUSAL said.

DRAM DOWNFALL WON’T AFFECT ARMENIAN BANKS SOLVENCY

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.03.2009 22:20 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The results of the February monitoring do not
question paying capacity of Armenian banks, a CB senior official said

"The banking system will suffer losses but the banks will not
experience solvency problems," Central Bank Vice President Vache
Gabrielyan told a news conference on Wednesday.

"I am not afraid to open an account in any of Armenian banks,"
he added.

Mr. Gabrielyan also emphasized that the Central Bank applies
stress-tester methodology, which bases on detailed calculations. "The
system helps watch the developments and fix any changes including
those caused by exchange rate fluctuations," he said

NO DEFICIT OF GOODS IN ARMENIA

ARKA
March 5, 2009

YEREVAN, March 5. /ARKA/. No deficit of goods is currently observed in
Armenia nor is it expected during the next few months, stated Chairman
of the RA State Commission for Protection of Economic Competition
Ashot Shahnazaryan.

"No excitement on the commodities market is being observed now. The
population should not get panicky and bur large quantities of goods,"
Shahnazaryan told a press conference.

He gave assurances that sufficient quantity of all the essential
products is available in Armenia. Shahnazaryan stated that the
Commission will apply sanctions to violators.

CBA Board took into account the gradually worsening trade conditions
amid the present global economic and financial crisis, as well as
lower capital flow rates, and decided to restrict its interventions
in the currency market thereby reverting to its floating exchange
rate policy. CBA experts believe that the USD average exchange rate
will be 360-380 AMD/$1 this year.

ARMENIAN ECONOMIST: HAVING ANNOUNCED A FLOATING RATE OF THE NATIONAL CURRENCY, CENTRAL BANK OF ARMENIA ‘JUMPED FROM THE TENTH FLOOR’

ArmInfo
2009-03-04 12:11:00

ArmInfo. The national currency had to the transferred to a floating
rate even in the midst, 2008, a well-known Armenian economist, Director
of a Scientific- Research Center "Political Economy" Andranik Tevanyan
told journalists today when commenting on the Central Bank’s March
3 decision on returning the Armenian dram to a floating rate.

According to CB forecasts, the average dollar rate in 2009 is expected
within 360-380 AMD per US$1. To note, the dram rate to dollar increased
from 570-580 to 305 AMD/$1 during the last two years. A. Tevanyan
thinks that gradual increase of the Armenian dram rate from the midst,
2008 was the only way out of the situation developed as a result
of increase of its rate starting 2006. ‘The rate could be regularly
corrected, let us say by 5-10 drams, for which the Central Bank could
carry out moderate currency interventions which would be justified
for correction of the situation.

Then, this increase would be smooth at least and less painful. Now,
we have to jump from the tenth floor while we could go down stairs
at the proper time’, A. Tevanyan said.

He also said that formulation on to the floating rate conflicts with
the statements about a floating rate made during the last 1-2 years
by representatives of CB and government. ‘It was announced in 1994
that the Armenian national currency rate is floating. If there is a
decision on return to a floating rate, then where is a decision which
set a fixed rate?

Let CB representatives show it’, A. Tevanyan said.

"ALROSA" SUGGESTS LINE OF CREDIT TO ARMENIA

armradio.am
04.03.2009 16:35

The Prime Minister of Armenia, Tigran Sargsyan, today received the
President of the Russian "ALROSA" Company, Sergey Vibornov, and
his delegation.

Discussed were issued related to the process of future cooperation with
the company under the conditions of the global financial crisis, the
opportunities and perspectives of assistance to Armenian enterprises
engaged in diamond production.

The President of "ALROSA" suggested providing a large credit line
to Armenia, which will allow acquiring raw materials from "ALROSA"
and will provide the Armenian companies engaged in diamond refining
with necessary raw materials for the coming years.

The parties agreed to additionally discuss the conditions of the
credit, considering all the risks for the creditor and the borrower,
taking into consideration the possible future expressions of the
global financial crisis and their influence on economy.