IRAVUNK: MICROBUS ROUTE OWNERS BEHIND DRIVERS’ STRIKE
10:46 19/12/2014 >> DAILY PRESS
Owners of microbus routes and the Union of Transporters are behind
the strike of microbus drivers, Iravunk writes. Its aim is to raise
the transportation fares, the newspaper says. They plan to create
transport collapse in Yerevan during the New Year holidays so that the
Municipality will have no way out but to increase the transportation
tariffs.
Source: Panorama.am
“BIRTHLINK” NGO AND VIVACELL-MTS CONTINUE THEIR PARTNERSHIP TO IMPROVE NEONATAL CARE IN THE COUNTRY
13:59 * 19.12.14
VivaCell-MTS General Manager Ralph Yirikian and Director of “BirthLink”
NGO Kathy Mellor visited the maternity department in the central
hospital in Masis.
This hospital has received equipment for immediate reanimation
and warming of sick and small babies, monitoring and management of
respiratory difficulties and the provision of intravenous fluids. The
provided equipment will help support sick and low birth weight babies
after delivery, with provision to stabilize babies before transfer
to Yerevan or regional centers. By improving facilities, transfer of
some babies can be avoided.
The project with VivaCell-MTS concentrates on the first day of life
to ensure each maternity facility has doctors and nurses with the
right knowledge and equipment to improve survival of the vulnerable
newborn babies. In addition to the equipment being provided, education,
training and support for the medical staff continues.
This is now the seventh year of cooperation between “BirthLink” and
VivaCell-MTS, to improve the care of sick and premature babies in
Armenia, and thereby reduce neonatal mortality. The project commenced
in 2008, and till now has supported twelve neonatal departments in
Yerevan and twenty-three departments in seven regions of Armenia with
about AMD 535 million of support from VivaCell-MTS.
LES DEPUTES DE L’OPPOSITION QUITTENT LE PARLEMENT ARMENIEN
ARMENIE
Des dizaines de deputes representant les quatre partis de l’opposition
ont quitte lundi le Parlement armenien après avoir echoue a obtenir
un debat d’urgence sur la vague d’attaques contre des militants
de l’opposition.
Le Congrès national armenien (HAK), Armenie prospère (BHK) et le parti
Zharangutyun ont menace de boycotter d’autres sessions du Parlement
pour protester contre ce qu’ils considèrent comme de la violence
orchestree par le gouvernement visant a intimider leurs partisans.
Orinats Yerkir, un autre parti d’opposition represente a l’Assemblee
nationale, s’est joint au debrayage organise lorsque le president du
parlement Galust Sahakian a refuse de suspendre les debats sur les
questions inscrites a l’ordre du jour du parlement et de discuter
des coups aux cinq opposants, parmi eux Aram Manoukian du HAK.
LIVESTOCK GROWTH EXPECTED AT 2.5% IN ARMENIA BY END 2014
YEREVAN, December 19. /ARKA/. Armenia’s livestock is expected to grow
by 2-5% by January 1 2015, compared to the year before, first deputy
minister of agriculture Grisha Baghiyan said on Friday.
Cattle numbers are expected at about 695,000, sheep and goats at
750,000 heads, pigs at 145,000 and hens at about 5 million by the
end of this year, Baghiyan told a press conference on Friday.
The livestock farming capacity will increase as well, he said. As
of January 1, 2015, meat production will total about 165,000 tons,
by 18,000 more than the year before. Milk production will amount to
718,000 tons, 61,000 tons more than in 2013, and the egg production
will be 644 million pieces, by 28.8 million more than the year before.
A number of measures and programs implemented by the ministry of
agriculture helped increase livestock farming. These measures include
breed improvements, automation, vaccination, and etc., Baghiyan said.
According to the ministry of agriculture, cattle numbers were 671,000
heads, sheep and goats were 705,000 heads and number of pigs was
145,000 in Armenia as of the end of 2013. -0–
EU ASKS RUSSIA TO GO AHEAD WITH SOUTH STREAM
Economy
December 19, 12:13 UTC+3
Bulgaria is obliged to stand by its obligations to prepare for
construction work and issue the required permissions, Bulgarian Prime
Minister said after talks with the EU leaders (c) EPA/KOCA SULEJMANOVIC
(c) AP Photo/Mikhail Metzel
Bulgaria asks Russia for meeting on South Stream project
SOFIA, December 19. /TASS/. Bulgaria will issue all the required
permissions required for starting the construction of the South Stream
pipeline and keep working on the project, Bulgarian Prime Minister
Boyko Borisov said after talks with the leaders of European countries
on the sidelines of the EU summit in Brussels on Friday.
“I have received the full support and understanding of the European
Council. Bulgaria should not be held responsible and pay the fines
for the project’s termination,” the BNGES news agency quotes Borisov
as saying.
The Bulgarian prime minister went to Brussels to discuss with his
counterparts further action regarding the South Stream project,
abandoned by Russia.
“The answer to my question about South Stream was unequivocal — go
ahead with implementing the inter-governmental agreements in order to
avoid litigations and penalties and fines that may follow, the way it
happened to the Belene nuclear power plant project. From this moment
on all other liabilities are the liabilities of the European Union,”
Borisov said. “Our country is obliged to stand by its obligations to
prepare for construction work, in particular, for the seabed stretch
of the pipeline and issue the required permissions,” Borisov said,
adding he would now be waiting for a reaction from Gazprom.
“If Gazprom terminates the project despite the permissions issued by
Bulgaria, it will be its fault, not Bulgaria’s,” Borisov said.
(c) EPA/FILIP SINGER
Germany’s ex-chancellor names two reasons for South Stream termination
Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak and head of Bulgaria’s
Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova, according to the Bulgarian Energy
Ministry’s statement, are to hold telephone negotiations over South
Stream later on Friday. It is expected that the two ministers may
agree on a date of their personal meeting.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on December 1 said that “in the
current situation Russia would not implement the South Stream project.
Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller declared that the South Stream project was
no longer relevant.
“The project is closed. Period,” Miller told the media about
Russian-Turkish summit talks on the alternative to South Stream.
The South Stream gas carrier, originally estimated at EURO 15.5
billion, was expected to bring an annual 67 billion cubic meters of
gas to Europe.
GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL SIGNALS PLANS FOR ANOTHER ELECTRICITY TARIFF RISE IN ARMENIA
ECONOMY | 18.12.14 | 10:13
Armenia’s deputy minister of energy and natural resources said on
Wednesday the depreciation of the national currency will lead to an
increase in electricity tariffs.
Speaking at a press conference in Yerevan, Areg Galstyan said: “What
we have witnessed in the past month will have its direct impact on
our calculations and approaches.”
Asked if there were any measures to avert the rise in electricity
prices, the deputy minister said that “no one can answer the question
now”.
“But one thing is clear, the influence will be unavoidable,” he said.
The electricity tariff was already raised twice in Armenia in the past
two years. In July 2013 the Public Services Regulatory Commission
increased it by 27 percent, with an additional 10-percent increase
approved a year later. At present, households in Armenia pay 41.85
drams per kilowatt of electricity (31.85 drams for night hours).
The dollar that traded in Armenia at around 410-415 drams as recently
as mid-November rose to 570 drams today.
ARMENIA 56TH IN FORBES’ BEST COUNTRIES FOR BUSINESS 2014 RANKING
13:20, 18 Dec 2014
Armenia is placed 56th in the Forbes’ Best Countries for Business
2014 ranking.
The best country for business this year is Denmark, which ranked No. 1
three straight years between 2008 and 2010. The top10 includes also
Hong Kong, New Zealand, Ireland, Sweden, Canada, Norway, Singapore
and Switzerland.
Armenia’s neighbors in the region are placed as follows: Russia is
91st, Azerbaijan is 60th, Georgia is 47th, Turkey is 50th.
“After several years of double-digit economic growth, Armenia faced
a severe economic recession with GDP declining more than 14% in 2009,
despite large loans from multilateral institutions. Sharp declines in
the construction sector and workers’ remittances, particularly from
Russia, led the downturn. The economy began to recover in 2010 with
2.1% growth, and has grown even faster in the three years since then,”
Forbes writes.
” Armenia will need to pursue additional economic reforms and to
strengthen the rule of law in order to regain economic growth and
improve economic competitiveness and employment opportunities,
especially given its economic isolation from two of its nearest
neighbors, Turkey and Azerbaijan,” Forbes says.
Forbes’ annual ranking of the Best Countries for Business grades
countries on 11 different metrics, including property rights,
innovation, taxes, technology, corruption, freedom (personal, trade and
monetary), red tape, investor protection and stock market performance.
HAYRIKYAN : LE PARTI HERITAGE EST LE SEUL PARTI D’OPPOSITION DANS LA TROIKA
ARMENIE
Rien ne doit etre attendu des trois partis non-majoritaires et seul
le parti Heritage peut etre considere comme une opposition au sein
de cette troïka a declare le dissident de l’ère sovietique Paruyr
Hayrikyan aux journalistes.
Le leader de l’Union nationale pour l’autodetermination (NSDU) est
arrive a cette conclusion compte tenu du resultat du vote parlementaire
de la semaine dernière sur le traite d’adhesion a l’union economique
eurasienne.
“Il est inutile de parler de soit le Congrès National Armenien (ANC)
ou du Parti Armenie prospère (PAP). Nous pouvons dire que, sauf pour
le NSDU et Heritage toutes les forces sont pour l’adhesion a l’UEE “,
a declare Hayrikyan, qui etait candidat a l’election presidentielle
de 2013 en Armenie se considerant comme le seul adversaire de l’actuel
president.
En reponse a une observation d’ArmeniaNow que les partis de la Troïka
rassemblent plus de gens a leurs rassemblements que le NSDU le fait
lors de protestations contre l’UEE, Hayrikyan a fait la comparaison
suivante :
KAZAKHSTANI LAWMAKERS CONFIRM RATIFICATION OF ARMENIA’S ACCESSION TO EEU
YEREVAN, December 18. /ARKA/. The lower house of the Kazakhstani
parliament passed the bill about ratification of the agreement on
Armenia’s accession to the Eurasian Economic Union on Thursday.
The national economy minister of Kazakhstan Erbolat Dosaev said the
agreement was signed by the presidents of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan
and the Russian Federation on October 10 2014 in Minsk.
As from the date of enforcement of the EEU treaty Armenia becomes a
full-fledged member of the Union and undertakes the responsibilities
under the EEU treaty and within the legal framework of the Customs
Union and the EEU, Novosti-Kazakhstan reports.
“Armenia’s accession to the Eurasian Economic Union plays a great
role as we cooperate with Armenia, and our cooperation facilitates
economic development between our countries. We foresee development
of our legislative interest thanks to Armenia’s accession”, Dosaev
said as cited by RIA Novosti.
The reports circulated during the parliament session say Kazakhstan’s
turnover with Armenia is 7 million dollars today. After Armenia’s
accession to the EEU, talks will be held with the World Trade
Organization (WTO) to change the country’s tariff obligations, as
required by the WTRO regulations. -0–
L’OMBUDSMAN SE FELICITE DES PROGRÈS EFFECTUES DANS PLUSIEURS DOMAINES EN MATIÈRE DE DROITS DE L’HOMME
ARMENIE
Les quotidiens rendent compte de la table ronde organisee par
l’Ombudsman Karen Andreassian, le 10 decembre, journee internationale
des droits de l’Homme, avec la participation de divers Ministres et
hauts responsables, dont le President de la Cour constitutionnelle,
les Ministres de la Justice, de la Defense, de l’Education et des
sciences, le chef de la Police etc. L’Ombudsman a souligne avoir
invite les responsables des structures avec lesquelles il a etabli
une cooperation efficace au cours des dernières annees, deplorant
l’absence de cooperation avec le Parquet general. M. Andreassian a
presente les acquis dans chaque domaine et les problèmes qui persistent
en matière de droits de l’Homme. Il s’est felicite des arrets de la
Cour constitutionnelle cette annee, dont celui relatif a la loi sur
la retraite par capitalisation, qui ont permis de defendre les droits
des individus. Le President de la Cour constitutionnelle, quant a lui,
a reconnu l’absence de primaute de la loi en Armenie, ainsi que les
lacunes legislatives, notamment dans les lois fiscales et douanières,
qui donnent lieu a des interpretations et a des prises de decision
arbitraires par les organes superieurs.
L’Ombudsman s’est egalement felicite des reformes au sein de la Police
: le passage a tabac, les intimidations et les pressions dans les
commissariats de police ne sont plus habituels. Le Chef de la Police,
Vladimir Gasparian, a pour sa part remercie le bureau de l’Ombudsman,
qui, >.
L’ombudsman a en outre exprime son satisfecit face a l’engagement des
responsables du Ministère de la Justice de repondre aux defis qui se
posent, notamment en termes d’amelioration des conditions de vie dans
les centres penitentiaires. Il a qualifie de >
les progrès dans le domaine de l’education, se felicitant notamment
de l’adoption de lois assurant aux enfants handicapes une education
efficace.
M. Andreassian a par ailleurs affirme qu’en depit des >
vehicules au sein de la societe et dans la diaspora, son bureau n’a
jamais recu de requetes concernant la > des interets economiques des investisseurs locaux
ou internationaux.