Author: nina hovnanian

U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT REFLECTS ON ARMENIAN DRAM’S DEPRECIATION

14:00, 18 December, 2014

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. The economic situation in Russia
that may be impacting neighbors is not solely related to sanctions.

It’s more complicated and it involves other issues. As reports
“Armenpress” the U.S. Department of State Spokesperson Jen Psaki
stated this at the course of daily press briefing held on December
18 in Washington, DC answering the question raised by Voice of America.

The reporter stated: “The United States signaled earlier this week
that it might increase the economic pressure with more sanctions
targeting defense, energy, and banking. This – but the sanctions on
Russia are having an impact on other countries too, smaller countries
such as Armenia, which has good relations with the United States, and
the depreciation of the Armenian dram has accelerated this week. So my
question is: Is there a policy or approach to help those countries that
are or may be suffering because of the U.S. actions against Russia?”

In this regard, Jen Psaki noted: “Well, I think any country should look
at the decisions and the policies of Russia as it relates to that. I
would also say the economic situation in Russia that may be impacting
neighbors is not solely related to sanctions. It’s more complicated and
it involves other issues. Oil prices and general economic mismanagement
in Russia play significant roles. The lack of economic diversification
and development of innovation and entrepreneurship over the past
decade all play roles. And so these are all factors that have led to
some of the economic challenges that Russia is experiencing.

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.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT DRIVERS IN NOR-NORK DISTRICT IN YEREVAN BLOCK ROAD TO CITY CENTER

by Marianna Lazarian

ARMINFO
Thursday, December 18, 09:54

Since early morning today, drivers of the public mini-buses No73 have
blocked the main road from the Nor-Nork district in Yerevan to the
city center.

According to ArmInfo’s correspondent, drivers are protesting against
price hike at the gas-filling stations. Meanwhile, the local residents
cannot arrive at work. The situation is critical. Drivers of various
transport routes clash from time to time. The drivers of the public
mini-buses No58 have joined the strike too.

Earlier on Wednesday, drivers of public transport announced a strike
protesting against gasoline price hikes in Yerevan. The point is that
the prices at the gas-filling stations in Yerevan went up by over
20% – from 190 up to 230 drams per cu m. Meanwhile, in the regions,
the prices average at 170 dram per cu m.

Head of the Yerevan Municipality Transport Department Henrik
Navasardyan and other officials of the Municipality have been
negotiating with the protesting drivers since Wednesday. They try to
persuade drivers to resume work, as the gas prices do not depend on
the city administration.

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–

SELON LE GOUVERNEMENT, LE SYSTÈME FINANCIER DU PAYS N’EST PAS EN DANGER

Monnaie

Les autorites armeniennes ont decrit hier comme artificiel et
temporaire l’affaiblissement continu du dram et ont insiste sur le
fait que cela ne portera pas atteinte au système financier du pays.

La Banque Centrale d’Armenie (BCA) a affirme que le dram est
manifestement sous-evalue alors qu’il a perdu de nouveau 4 % de sa
valeur par rapport au dollar americain, malgre un renforcement de
près de 3 % du rouble russe.

“La panique en Russie s’est facilement propagee a l’Armenie”, a declare
le gouverneur de la BCA, Artur Javadian. Il a en particulier blâme les
“messages de panique” provenant de centaines de milliers d’Armeniens
qui travaillent en Russie.

Leurs envois de fonds ont longtemps soutenu une partie considerable
de la population de l’Armenie et couvert une partie du deficit des
comptes courants du pays. Le dram a commence a perdre du terrain debut
novembre, en pleine diminution croissante de ces flux de tresorerie
resultant de l’effondrement du rouble. Le dram a depuis ete deprecie
de plus de 25 %.

La monnaie armenienne s’echangeait a une moyenne de 553 drams pour
un dollar hier soir, contre environ 530 drams mardi.

“La principale raison de la surevaluation du dollar est la panique
et les speculations par certaines entites economiques”, a declare
Javadian lors d’une conference de presse en urgence. ” Actuellement,
le dram est largement sous-evalue. Une fois que les speculations et
la panique injustifiee auront disparu, le dram armenien s’appreciera
considerablement. ”

“La Banque centrale continue a garder la situation sous contrôle”, a
t-il dit. “Nous sommes confiants, nous exercons tous les leviers pour
dissuader l’inflation et notre objectif supreme reste la stabilite
des prix.”

Le gouvernement armenien a aussi decide de rassurer la population. Le
Premier ministre, Hovik Abrahamian, a publie une declaration speciale a
l’appui des mesures prises par la BCA. “Le gouvernement est egalement
en contact permanent avec nos partenaires internationaux et il est
convaincu que, grâce aux efforts conjoints, nous pouvons assurer
la stabilite sur les marches financiers et des matières premières”,
a t-il dit.

Abrahamian a discute des efforts ainsi que “des developpements
possibles” et “d’autres mesures” avec les representants du Fonds
monetaire international et la Banque mondiale hier. Selon le service
de presse du gouvernement, ils ont salue la reponse des autorites
armeniennes a la crise.

Le bureau a dit que les deux parties ont convenu de la necessite de
maintenir le taux de change flottant base sur le marche du dram. Il
n’a pas precise si Erevan est a la recherche de financements du FMI
et de la Banque mondiale supplementaires pour consolider le dram.

Abrahamian et Javadian ont egalement voulu rassurer les Armeniens en
leur disant que leurs economies mises dans les banques ne craignent
rien. La BCA a insiste pour assurer que les banques commerciales
armeniennes restent solvables et ne sont confrontees a aucune
restriction du gouvernement sur les operations de change.

Pourtant, les banques semblent avoir deja gravement limitees les ventes
de devises a des clients particuliers et des entreprises, ce qui incite
les plaintes de beaucoup d’entre eux. Raffi Mkhchian, proprietaire
d’une societe armenienne de transformation et de conditionnement du
cafe, a parle de graves perturbations dans ses operations commerciales.

“En ce moment j’ai l’obligation de transferer de l’argent en
Thaïlande”, a explique Mkhchian. “Mais je ne peux pas convertir
rapidement une quantite correspondante de drams.”

Pendant ce temps, une seance d’urgence a eu lieu au Parlement. Les
partis d’opposition s’inquiètent de l’impact negatif sur la situation
economique. Des hauts fonctionnaires etaient sur place pour informer
les legislateurs sur les derniers developpements.

jeudi 18 decembre 2014, Claire (c)armenews.com

SAGA NAIRIT : L’AVENIR DE L’INDUSTRIE CHIMIQUE ARMENIENNE SEMBLE SOMBRE

ARMENIE

Les travailleurs de Nairit, une usine chimique en Armenie mondialement
connu pour sa production de caoutchouc chloroprène, ont organise
plusieurs manifestations près des bureaux du gouvernement a Erevan
ces derniers jours exigeant leurs arrieres de salaires ainsi que plus
de clarte sur le sort de l’entreprise.

Le Premier ministre Hovik Abrahamyan a recu une delegation des
manifestants pour entendre leurs plaintes et a promis de tenir une
autre reunion plus tard cette semaine pour en savoir plus sur les
problèmes de l’usine qui tourne essentiellement au ralenti. Dans le
meme temps, il a ete annonce que les travailleurs seront payes de
leur salaire a la fin de l’annee.

Nairit, qui a ete construit a la peripherie d’Erevan dans les annees
1930, a fourni jusqu’a 30 types de produits chimiques a l’epoque
sovietique. Mais l’usine a ete fermee en 1989 pour des raisons
environnementales. Elle a reprise son activite partiellement en 1992
après que l’Armenie ait acquis son independance. Nairit est la seule
usine dans l’espace post-sovietique a avoir la capacite de produire
du caoutchouc chloroprène. C’est une des plus grandes entreprises en
Armenie employant un effectif d’environ 3000 personnes. Mais depuis
des annees la plupart des travailleurs ont ete au chômage technique
car l’usine a tourne au ralenti fonctionnant avec une fraction de sa
capacite. L’usine est confrontee a des problèmes financiers et doit
jusqu’au 18 mois de salaires a ses travailleurs. La dette totale a
l’heure actuelle est estimee a quelque 15 millions de dollars.

En 2006 Rhinoville Property Limited Company, a acquis 90 pour cent
des parties de Nairit et fait un pret auprès de la Banque Interstate
CIS afin d’hypothequer l’usine. Plus tard, elle a omis de rembourser
le pret et en Janvier 2014 la Cour d’arbitrage de Moscou a oblige
la societe offshore a payer a la banque Interstate CEI la somme de
107,9 millions de $ en raison des engagements en cours.

La direction de l’usine a assure ses employes qu’elle est determinee a
effacer les arrieres de salaires. De nombreux travailleurs craignent
que l’usine pourrait bientôt etre declaree en faillite et que ses
obligations sur les salaires accumules restent sur le papier, au mieux.

La declaration publiee par l’administration Nairit dit que la societe
va signer de nouveaux contrats avec près de 500 employes, ce qui
confirme en fait que plus de 1000 travailleurs seront eventuellement
mis a pied en Fevrier.

Ancien directeur de Nairit Karen Israyelyan estime que le genre
d’approche d’une installation industrielle geante prive l’Armenie de
son atout majeur.

“Si un pays comme la Chine se tourne vers l’Armenie pour la cooperation
dans l’industrie chimique, cela signifie que meme la, ils comprennent
la valeur de l’entreprise. Mais nous conduisons cette entreprise vers
la faillite, l’arreter serait absurde “, a-t-il dit a ArmeniaNow, se
referant a des projets de cooperation menees avec la Chine depuis 2002.

Le specialiste souligne que Nairit ne survivra pas une autre fermeture
qui serait egalement etre un coup majeur a l’industrie chimique du
pays.

YURI VARDANYAN’S SON HAS BEEN RELEASED: ARMTIMES.COM

13:48 | December 18,2014 | Social

RA MoJ PI Press Secretary Gor Ghlechyan confirmed the information
spread on media that the son of Ambassador of Armenia to Georgia,
weightlifter Yuri Vardanyan was released.armtimes.com informs about it.

Ghlechyan said that “Independent committee” had applied to the court
with the issue to release Davit Vardanyan prematurely and the court
satisfied the motion.

We remind that the son of Vardanyan was sentenced to 4 years 6
months of imprisonment for large-scale drug acquisition and illegal
transportation into Armenia.

He was in prison for about 1.5 year.

IN TURKEY, WITHIN FRAMEWORK OF “NUR’S” CASE NEW DETAILS ABOUT AZERBAIJANI MOVEMENT UNIT HAVE BEEN EXPOSED

13:07 18/12/2014 >> SOCIETY

In criminal cases instituted in Turkey against Turkish journalists
and the police, who have been supporting Fethullah Gulen, the leader
of the “Nur”, has suddenly been emerged also the name of the Tanzila
Rustamkhanly the wife of the deputy of the Azerbaijani Parliament,
the chairman of the “Civil Solidarity” party Sabir Rustamkhanli,
reports the Azerbaijani information portal “Haqqin.az.”

As it is noted in the article, the arrested journalists and police
officers in Turkey are accused of fabricated false charges against
a group of “Tahshiejits” – supporters of Sheikh Said Nursi, who is
the ardent opposition of Fethullah Gulen.

As stated in the article, in 2011, as a result of investigation
Tahshiejits’ leader Mehmet Dogan unexpectedly turns to be the head
of the unit of “Al Qaeda” terrorist organization in Turkey and
Azerbaijan. The inquiry sent by Ertan Ercikti, the chief of the
police of anti-terrorism in Istanbul, states that Mehmet Dogan has
had contacts in Azerbaijan too.

“Mehmet Dogan was in close ties with Tanzilya Rustamkhanly, Agil
Hussein F. and Hussein B. in Azerbaijan. These ties have been
confirmed through tapping of phones,” the inquiry sent to the
republican prosecutor’s office in Turkey notes.

It is assumed that Agil F. mentioned in the document is the editor of
“Yeni Chag” newspaper published in Azerbaijan by Agil Alasgar. This
newspaper by its consistent criticism towards Fehtullah Gulen has
caused extreme dissatisfaction of his supporters. One of those arrested
by the case of Tahshiejits was Hussein Beyukfyrat, a businessman
from Shanliurf province. He is a Turkish student in Azerbaijan,
who has long ago opened a chain of restaurants “Beyukfyrat.”

Portal notes that soon editor of “Yeni Chag” Agil Alasgar got in
touch with their editorial staff and said that Fehtullah Gulen and his
supporters have harassed the critics of their movement in Azerbaijan.

According to him, he has become one of the victims of harassment
after publishing a number of articles about Fehtullah Gulen. “After
this series of articles published in 2007, they started to accuse
me of working on PKK,” Ergenekon “,” Al-Qaeda “and even Mossad,”
Agil Alasgar says.

According Agil Alaskar, the head of the Fethullah Gulen sect learnt
about his revelatory publications too. The latter instructed his
supporters in Azerbaijan to solve this problem, the portal writes.

“Then the head of the department of the Presidential Administration
Elnur Aslanov and MP Jeyhun Osmanli attempted to arrest me,” said
Agil Alasgar.

As noted in the portal, despite the fact that Aslanov has lost his job,
the pressure on the journalist still continues. “This suggests that the
position of Nur in Azerbaijan has not weakened,” concludes the portal.

Nur are members of the pro-Turkish religious organization, of Sunni
persuasion. They are the followers of an Islamic cleric and scholar
Mullah, Said Nursi (1873-1960). The name of this organization comes
from the village of Nursi (near Bitlis), which is the birthplace of
the founder of the movement.

Supporters of Nur are for the creation of an Islamic state, believing
that the secular power “is not from Allah.” The Nur are hostile towards
Kemalism. According to the Turkish experts, Turkish billionaire
sponsoring this organization, Fattulah Gulen and the Nur community
itself today has a capital of 50 billion dollars. After the collapse
of the USSR the Nur penetrated almost all the Muslim republics of
the former Soviet Union, as well as into the Turkic-speaking regions
of Russia.

In March 2014, the Azerbaijani newspaper “Yeni Musavat”, citing sources
in social networks spread information that official circles in Turkey
provided the government with a list of high-ranking officials of
Azerbaijan in the administration of President Ilham Aliyev and the
Azerbaijani government, which have ties with such religious direction
as Nur.

In the list of officials recruited by the Gulen sect, are such
names like the department head of the Presidential Administration
of Azerbaijan Elnur Aslanov, SOCAR Vice President Khalig Mammadov,
Chairman of the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations
Elshad Isgandarov, his deputy Gunduz Ismayilov, Deputy Minister of
Youth and Sports Intigam Babayev, MP Jeyhun Osmanli, Director of CSI
at the Presidential Administration Farhad Mammadov, Chairman of the
Youth Foundation Farhad Hajiyev.

THE BODYGUARD OF GOVERNOR’S OFFICE EMPLOYEE THREATENED TO KILL (VIDEO)

14:41 | December 18,2014 | Politics

Firing the car of Preparliament member Vardan Hakobyan caused him
300.000 AMD damage. “All the cars of 6 members were set on fire in
an organized way,”- he said. He doesn’t expect a fair investigation,
he says that everything is formal. “Right and freedom” foundation
organized a fundraising and collected necessary amount of money,
by which the owners of the burnt cars have already repaired their cars.

Armen Mikayelyan from the members noted, “In Syunik region the
bodyguard of Governor’s office employee threatened to kill Gevorg
Gasparyan, who is an active member of Preparliament. Then they
apologized, but it is a criminal offense.”

“We are becoming the attache of Russia by entering the EEU,”- said
Preparliament member Varuzhan Avetisyan turning to the inner political
situation. He stressed that if the present authorities don’t take
drastic steps to improve the situation in the country, the plans of
“The Centennial without regime” movement will be changed. The members
of Preparliament are ready to form a government with emergency powers
in a force majeure situation. They also think that Artsakh must be
joined to Armenia de jure, so that foreign powers aren’t able to make
that country a hostage.

By the way, on December 20 the members of Preparliament will leave
for Artsakh holding car march in order to meet the residents and
inform about the dangers of the events happening in Armenia and in
the world and the necessary actions in that situation.

AGRESSION A L’ENCONTRE D’ANCIENS COMBATTANTS DE LA GUERRE DU HK

ARMENIE

L’ensemble des quotidiens relève que le 10 decembre, jour de la
defense des droits de l’Homme, un ancien combattant de la guerre du
HK, Souren Sargsyan, a ete tabasse par un groupe de personnes masquees
non loin de son domicile. Blesse a la tete, il a ete hospitalise. Les
quotidiens indiquent par ailleurs que cet incident a fait suite
a l’agression de deux autres combattants de la guerre du HK, le
8 decembre dernier. Ceux-ci avaient ete agresses a l’issue d’une
rencontre avec l’adjoint au chef de la Police, Levon Yeranossian,
>. Les trois combattants agresses sont des
membres actifs d’une union anti-gouvernementale nouvellement formee
>. Les trois hommes ont denonce
une tentative des autorites visant a les intimider. Sollicite par
le quotidien Joghovourd, l’adjoint au chef de la Police ne dement
pas avoir donne lui-meme cet ordre :