Author: Nalbandian Albert

3.7% INFLATION RECORDED IN ARMENIA IN 4TH Q 2009

ARKA
Feb 8, 2010

YEREVAN, February 8. /ARKA/. The Central Bank of Armenia says 3.7%
inflation was recorded in Armenia in the fourth quarter 2009.

In its monetary policy program for 2010, the central bank said that
its 2009 monetary policy has been focused on combination of spurring
economy and ensuring price stability.

This policy produced results already in the fourth quarter – economic
decline slowed down.

Despite the ongoing rise in world prices for raw materials and foods,
inflation pressures intensified in Armenia, but the inflation has
not exceeded the set benchmarks.

Inflation pace speedup was seen in December, but unlike the previous
quarter’s inflation impacted by increase in prices for non-foods
and services, this inflation was due to a season rise in prices for
agriculture industry’s products.

The central bank says that 3.7% inflation recorded in the fourth
quarter 2009 was mainly due to 5.8% rise in prices for foods,
cigarettes and spirits that drove inflation 3.1 percentage points up.

Fruit prices rose 35.9% adding 0.9 percentage points to inflation,
and prices for vegetables went 44.2% up adding 2.1 points to it.

Remarkable is that increase in prices for tomatoes, cucumbers, pepper
vegetables and potatoes and eggplants pushed inflation 4.2 points up.

Prices for nonfoods and services climbed 3.0% and 0.7% lifting
inflation by 0.7 points.

Hence, the 12-month inflation leapt 2.8 points in the fourth quarter,
compared with the third quarter, to 6.5% (one point higher than
planned).

The quarterly inflation pressure affected also natural inflation –
1.7% in the 4th Q. As a result, 12-month inflation rose 1.5 percentage
points in the 4th Q, compared with the 3rd Q, and reached 5.2% by
late December.

PRESIDENT SERZH SARGSYAN RECEIVED THE AMBASSADOR OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA TO ARMENIA HON JUIYIN

president.am
Feb 8 2010
Armenia

Today, President Serzh Sargsyan received the Ambassador of the People’s
Republic of China to Armenia Hon Juiyin, who is concluding his mission
in our country.

The President of Armenia thanked the Ambassador of China for his
activities aimed at the enhancement of the Armenian-Chinese relations
and noted that relations between the two countries develop dynamically.

Serzh Sargsyan wished the Ambassador of Chine success in his future
endeavors.

AZERBAIJANI DIASPORA REPRESENTATIVES MEET CONGRESS MEMBERS

news.az
Feb 8 2010
Azerbaijan

Leaders of the US Azerbaijani Diaspora have taken part in the meeting
with a group of senators from New York.

During the meeting they discussed issues concerning Azerbaijan.

According to sources in USAN, the annual meeting with the Senate
members and House of Representatives in the format of a joint morning
was attended by the leaders of USAN, other organizations of the
Azerbaijani, Jewish and Turkish diaspora. It is the third time that the
USAN representatives are invited for such a meeting by its organizer –
the Council of communities for the New York Jewish community.

During the meeting the Congress members informed about the development
of strategic cooperation between Azerbaijan and the United States,
friendly ties between Baku and Israel. It was noted that Azerbaijan
is among one of the few countries of the world where there is no
antisemitism.

Moreover, during the meeting the sides discussed issues of
international energy security, as well as problems of occupation of
Nagorno Karabakh and other regions of Azerbaijan from the Armenian
side.

ARMEN MARTIROSYAN: ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES BOYCOTT HERITAGE PARTY

ArmInfo
2010-02-05 14:44:00

ArmInfo. "The Armenian authorities boycott Heritage oppositional
party", Chairman of Heritage party Board, Armenian parliamentarian
Armen Martirosyan said at today’s parliamentary briefings.

According to him, this is testified by the fact that Zaruhi Postanjyan
was first deprived of the opportunity to take part in PACE work, and
now Larisa Alaverdyan is hindered to take part in the work of OSCE PA.

In her turn, secretary of Heritage faction, member of the substitutive
staff of the Armenian delegation to OSCE PA Larisa Alaverdyan said she
was informally warned that she cannot take part in OSCE PA session,
to be held in the midst of February, because of insufficient funds. "I
am aware that the Azerbaijani delegation to OSCE PA intends to make
a corresponding statement on the Karabakh conflict, and I am sorry
I was deprived of participation in the Assembly session at such an
important moment", the MP emphasized.

Another participant in the briefing from Orinats Yerkir party
faction, representative of the Armenian delegation to PACE PA Khachik
Harutyunyan said he has been among the delegation for two years and
he does not remember a case for the Armenian delegation not to raise
the issues concerning Armenia.

In her turn, member of Prosperous Armenia party faction Naira Zohrabyan
just advised his counterparts to read the law On PACE PA Regulations,
according to which member of the substitutive staff is entitled to
take part in the session only in case if someone is absent in the
main staff.

TEHRAN TO HOST ARMENIAN INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES CONFAB

Trend
Feb 3 2010
Azerbaijan

An international conference on introducing trade and investment
opportunities in Armenia will be held in Tehran during February 10-11.

A senior advisor to the Armenian president will lead a delegation of
agriculture, transportation, telecommunications, economy, energy and
health ministers and their deputies, IRNA news agency reported.

A group of distinguished Armenian traders and industrialists will
also hold meetings with their Iranian counterparts on the sidelines
of the conference.

ARMENIA SIGNIFIES RELATIONS WITH CHINA

news.am
Feb 3 2010
Armenia

February 3, RA Premier Tigran Sargsyan received outgoing Chinese
Ambassador to Armenia Hong Jiuyin.

The officials summed up the results and expectations about bilateral
joint programs, RA Governmental information and PR department informs
NEWS.am. RA Premier underlined that Armenia-China relations are at the
stage of dynamic development, adding that Armenia attaches significance
to friendly relations with China and deepening of further cooperation.

Commenting on bilateral cooldown, the officials highly assessed the
increase of trade turnover, adding that mutually beneficial cooperation
in social, political, economic and cultural spheres will contribute
to expansion of mutual understanding.

Tigran Sargsyan signified Shanghai Expo 2010 international exhibition
and expressed gratitude to Chinese government and people for
multifaceted assistance to Armenia.

US DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE MEET LEADERS OF ARMENIA, GEORGIA AND AZERBAIJAN

ArmInfo
2010-02-04 10:15:00

ArmInfo. US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg will meet with
the leaders of Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan.

As US Department of State told ArmInfo, James Steinberg will visit
Armenia and Georgia on February 4-5. He will meet with President
of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan in
Yerevan to discuss bilateral and regional issues. He will proceed to
Tbilisi, Georgia where he will meet with President Mikheil Saakashvili
and representatives of Georgia’s opposition. Deputy Secretary Steinberg
will travel to Munich, Germany on February 5th to attend the Munich
Security Conference. In Munich, he will meet with Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu as well as
other leaders attending the conference.

IN 2050 WE WILL BE OVER 2 MILLION

Lragir.am
03/02/10

The sociologist Aharon Adibekyan, commenting on the indexes of the
State Statistics Service on marriages and divorces noted that the
statistic is a lie. When statistics becomes state policy, it becomes
a way to hide something. For example, when Azerbaijan stated that it
has 9 million inhabitants, the real number is 6 million. We do not
have a population of 3, 230, 000 people but less, says Adibekyan.

According to him, the numbers of the State Statistics Service are
not right, because the number of population is not mentioned. For
example, Adibekyan says when he goes to a village which officially
has 700 inhabitants, the local villagers say the number is 500.

There are conceptions in the statistics of marriages such as hidden
marriages or hidden divorces. According to him, the ¾ of 40 old-year
couples stop having sexual life, so their marriage is false.

According to Adibekyan, in Yerevan, 1 of 4 couples divorces, in
villages 1 of 10. Women’ positions about having children also changed.

If before, women in villages had 3-4 children, in cities-2-3, now all
of them want 1-2 children. The number of divorces increases this way.

The age for marriages also increased: for women-23-24, for men-26-28.

The number of women of this age is more than the one of men which will
bring about the decrease of marriages. According to Aharon Adibekyan,
the population of Armenia by 2050 will be 2 million.

ERVAND GASPARYAN WINS RUSSIA’S TENNIS CUP

PanARMENIAN.Net
03.02.2010 12:09 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Muscovite Anna Lapuschenkova and a native of
Sochi Ervand Gasparyan became winners of the 19th Cup of Russia 19 ,
completed in Almetyevsk (Tatarstan).

Ervand Gasparyan and Victor Kozin reached the men’s final round.

Gasparyan won with a score of 7:6, 2:1, in the second set the opponent
withdrew due to the injury. The third winner of the competition was
Andrew Levin.

Anna Lapuschenkova became the winner among women, defeating in the
final Julia Kalabina (6:2, 6:3). The Cup of Russia gathered sportsmen
from all the leading tennis centers of Russia: Moscow, Togliatti, St.

Petersburg, Sergiev Posad, Ufa, Sochi, Saratov, tennis-russia.ru
reported.

IRAN ALTERS POSITION ON NUCLEAR FILE

PanARMENIAN.Net
03.02.2010 12:54 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said that
his country is ready to send part of its uranium stock abroad for
further enrichment, as proposed by the United Nations’ International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Ahmadinejad said on state television
that Iran would have "no problem" if most of its uranium was held
for several months before being returned as fuel rods. Until now
Tehran always refused to accept the proposal, and if confirmed the
move would mark a major shift in Tehran’s position, WJC reported.

Last month, Iran had informed the IAEA that it could not accept the
terms of the deal, which was agreed in October 2009 between the IAEA
and the so-called Group of Six Nations – Britain, China, France,
Germany, Russia and the United States. It envisages that Iran send
about two thirds of its low-enriched uranium to Russia and France,
where it would be processed into fuel for a research reactor.

In his interview, Ahmadinejad dismissed the concerns of his
"colleagues" that the West would not return the uranium, saying Iran
would respond by producing more. "We have no problem sending our
enriched uranium abroad," he said, adding: "We say: We will give you
our 3.5 percent enriched uranium and will get the fuel. It may take
four to five months until we get the fuel. If we send our enriched
uranium abroad and then they do not give us the 20% enriched fuel
for our reactor, we are capable of producing it inside Iran."

In Washington, the US administration said that if this was a new offer,
it was "prepared to listen". In a first reaction, US State Department
spokesman P.J. Crowley said the US was "not prepared to change the
deal. We are not interested in renegotiating it". In a later response,
a White House official told the BBC: "If Mr.

Ahmadinejad’s comments reflect an updated Iranian position, we look
forward to Iran informing the IAEA."

The International Atomic Energy Agency is the world’s center of
cooperation in the nuclear field. It was set up as the world’s "Atoms
for Peace" organization in 1957 within the United Nations family. The
Agency works with its Member States and multiple partners worldwide
to promote safe, secure and peaceful nuclear technologies.

The IAEA Secretariat is headquartered at the Vienna International
Centre in Vienna, Austria. Operational liaison and regional offices
are located in Geneva, Switzerland; New York, USA; Toronto, Canada;
and Tokyo, Japan. The IAEA runs or supports research centers and
scientific laboratories in Vienna and Seibersdorf, Austria; Monaco;
and Trieste, Italy. See Offices and Contacts.

The IAEA Secretariat is a team of 2200 multi-disciplinary professional
and support staff from more than 90 countries. The Agency is led by
Director General Yukiya Amano and six Deputy Directors General who
head the major departments. See IAEA Staff.

IAEA programs and budgets are set through decisions of its policymaking
bodies – the 35-member Board of Governors and the General Conference
of all Member States. Reports on IAEA activities are submitted
periodically or as cases warrant to the UN Security Council and UN
General Assembly.

IAEA financial resources include the regular budget and voluntary
contributions.