Author: nina hovnanian

“Mika cement” pays off its debts and resumes production

by Arthur Yernjakyan

ARMINFO
Friday, October 10, 18:50

The “Mika cement” plant that has not been functioning since April of
the current year, started production. It will produce 100 thsd tons
of cement till the end of 2014, Director of the plant, Naira
Martirosyan, told Arminfo correspondent.

She said that the production was resumed at the end of September when
all the main debts were paid off. “We paid off the main debts on
salary and electric power and at present we have been paying off the
current debts”, – she said. She also added that at present the
furnace is functioning and the full circle of production has been
organized. The plant has got into top gear. The total of 410 people
have been employed at the plant. The production of the plant is sold
at the local market. However, the company is going to export its
production to Georgia and Russia, if the prices are competitive.
Martorisyan also added that they are going to extend assortment of
production and to raise its quality.

To note, the production volumes of “Mika cement” started decreasing in
2009 after the global economic crisis. So, in 2011 “Mika cement”
produced about 120-130 tons of cement, although before the crisis in
2008 the production volume was 375 thsd tons.

To note, businessman Mikhail Bagdasarov is a former owner of the
plant. The property of “Mika Cement” was pawned for the credit debt to
VTB Bank (Armenia). “Mika Cement” did not publish its financial report
for 2013. But we can see from the previous reports that the debt of
the enterprise was growing for the last years. So, in 2012 the loss of
the company was more than 2,3 billion AMD versus 22 million AMD in
2011 and 19 million AMD in 2010 and 5,6 million AMD in 2009.

Absence of ground borders between Armenia and EAEU countries will not
be obstacle – Khristenko

16:45 11/10/2014 >> INTERVIEWS

The fact that Armenia does not have ground borders with other
countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) will not be an
obstacle for the country’s joining the Union, head of the Eurasian
Economic Commission Viktor Khristenko told the Vesti on Saturday
television programme, TASS reported.

“It is not an issue,” he said. “This problem is, probably, even less
than that to deliver goods from the Far East, from Vladivostok, to
Moscow inside one country. From the point of view of pricing or
logistics.”

“The Eurasian Union means four freedoms – goods, services, capitals,
labor force. For the three latter borders are of less and less
importance,” he said.

The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the European Union (EU) sooner
or later will come to joining efforts and to a “deep partnership” to
develop free trade, Khristenko said.

“I consider as most necessary a big project of the kind between the
Eurasian and the European Unions,” he said commenting on the
development of the idea of “free trade zone from Lisbon to
Vladivostok.” “I am telling you, if we have a long-term task of the
kind, many worries will fade away and simple solutions will be
possible.”

He expressed confidence the cool relations between Russia and the EU,
which followed the situation in Ukraine, “will go,” though chose not
to give any time forecasts.

The Eurasian Economic Union Treaty was signed by the presidents of
Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus on May 29, 2014. The treaty provides
for free movement of commodity, services, capital and labour force
within the union. It also envisages that the three countries
coordinate or pursue common policy in certain economic sectors. The
Eurasian Economic Union is seen as a tool to strengthen economies of
its member states and to bring them closer together, moreover, such
closer integration will add to their competitive edge on the global
market. It will begin functioning on January 1, 2015.

Source: Panorama.am

Armenia can develop ties with EEU without common border – official

14:19 * 11.10.14

The absence of a common border between Armenia and the Eurasian
Economic Union (EEU) does not appear to be a problem at all, says
Victor Khristienko, the chairman of the Eurasian Economic Commission.

The EEU is to become the legal successor of the Eurasian Customs Union
starting from January 1, 2015. The Armenian Government approved the
treaty to accede to the economic bloc on October 2. The document was
signed on Friday at the Supreme Eurasian Economic Summit in Minsk
(Belarus).

“We speak of an ordinary border when it comes to goods. But the
Eurasian Union implies four levels of freedom. They include goods,
services, capital and the labor force. So border appears a less
important factor for the latter. Hence the absence of a common border
does not create any obstacle at all,” Khristienko said in an interview
with a Russian TV channel.

He added that the digitalized financial services would facilitate the
country integration process further.

Armenian News – Tert.am

GRECE
Sa Sainteté Aram Ier visite l’ambassade d’Arménie en Grèce

Sa Sainteté Aram Ier a visité l’ambassade d’Arménie à Athènes et a
rencontré l’ambassadeur, Gaguik Ghaladijian. Le Catholicos était
accompagné par l’archevêque Khoren Toghtamadjian, Prélat de Grèce, le
Père Housig Mardirossian, M. Ara Mangoyan, Président du Conseil de
l’Église et du prêtre Sempad Saboudjian.

Le Catholicos a remercié l’Ambassadeur pour son accueil chaleureux, et
ils ont discuté des relations actuelles entre l’Arménie et la Grèce,
des commémorations du 100e anniversaire et des questions spécifiques
liées à la communauté arménienne en Grèce.

samedi 11 octobre 2014,
Stéphane (c)armenews.com

LE GOUVERNEMENT FAIT DES CONCESSIONS AUX COMMERCANTS

ARMENIE

Le gouvernement armenien a decide de faire des concessions a des
dizaines de commercants en colère en reponse a leurs manifestations
contre les nouvelles règles fiscales introduites recemment. Le Premier
ministre a charge le ministre des Finances Gagik Khachatrian de rediger
des amendements juridiques pertinents après la tenue de deux reunions
avec les leaders du mouvement en l’espace de quelques heures.

Khachatrian les a egalement rencontre separement.

Les quatre representants des manifestants ont annonce après les
entretiens qu’ils ont atteint un accord de compromis relatif a des
changements dans une loi sur l’impôt sur le chiffre d’affaires, qui est
percu par les entreprises dont les ventes annuelles ne depassent pas
58 millions de drams ( 140000$). Ceux-ci ne paient pas d’autres taxes.

La loi modifiee, qui est entree en vigueur le 1er Octobre, a abaisse
de 3,5 a 1 pour cent du taux de l’impôt sur le chiffre d’affaires.

Cependant, elle oblige les proprietaires de petites entreprises de
fournir aux autorites fiscales les documents justificatifs de leurs
achats en gros aux grandes entreprises. Les petites entreprises
risquent sinon de lourdes amendes.

Les commercants disent qu’ils ne peuvent pas se conformer a ces
nouvelles exigences destinees a compliquer l’evasion fiscale parce
que leurs fournisseurs refusent le plus souvent de leur delivrer des
recus et des factures. Des centaines d’entre eux ont manifeste devant
le bureau d’Hovik Abrahamian au cours des deux dernières semaines. Des
manifestations de colère ont egalement ete signalees dans d’autres
parties du pays.

CONTRE LA VIOLENCE DOMESTIQUE

ARMENIE

La Coalition pour mettre fin a la violence contre les femmes a organise
une campagne d’une journee a Erevan le 1er Octobre, afin de marquer la
Journee nationale contre la violence domestique. La campagne poursuit
le but de sensibiliser sur la question au sein de la population. Dans
la soiree, une veillee aux chandelles a eu lieu près de du lac des
Cygnes, un petit etang artificiel dans la capitale armenienne, pour
se souvenir des victimes de la violence domestique.

Les actions sont aussi un rappel au gouvernement sur la necessite
d’avoir une loi speciale qui s’occuperait de la prevention de la
violence domestique.

Par Nazik Armenakyan

ArmeniaNow

jeudi 9 octobre 2014, Stephane (c)armenews.com

BRITAIN HAS LARGEST LEGAL AID BUDGET IN EUROPE, SAYS REPORT

Official study shows British legal aid spending – and the court
system in general – is better staffed and funded than most other
European countries

The Council of Europe report found British judges were among the
highest-paid in Europe, with salaries for Supreme Court judges about
eight times the gross annual salary. Photo: ALAMY

By David Barrett, Home Affairs Correspondent

10:00AM BST 09 Oct 2014

Britain has one of the largest numbers of lawyers and the highest
spending on legal aid in Europe, according to a new report.

The Council of Europe report found British judges were among the
highest-paid in Europe, with salaries for Supreme Court judges about
eight times the gross annual salary.

The annual document, known as the European Commission for the
Efficiency of Justice, also noted that Britain remained one of the
worst performers for attracting women into judicial roles, with only
Azerbaijan and Armenia worse than here.

Chris Grayling, the Justice Secretary, has been criticised by the legal
profession for his plans to cut legal aid by £215 million by 2018-19.

The dispute led to an unprecedented walk-out by barristers and other
legal staff earlier this year.

Britain has 186,000 lawyers and legal advisors, said the new Council
of Europe report, while Spain has 226,000 and Germany – a far larger
country – has 161,000.

The UK’s legal aid budget was £2 billion (EURO 2.6 billion) compared
with France’s £290 million (EURO 367 million) and Germany’s £272
million (EURO 345 million), it said.

The European average was just £97 million (EURO 123 million), said
the study, while the England and Wales average spend of £26.59 (EURO
33.69) per head was far above the European average of £7.10, or EURO 9.

In per capita terms Britain’s spending was only exceeded by Norway,
which allocated £39.90 per head, or EURO 50.59.

On judicial pay, the study said a district judge in England and Wales
earned £100,000, about four times the gross annual average.

Among the most senior judges in the country, Supreme Court justices
had an annual salary of around £197,000 a year, about eight times
the gross annual average, it added.

Around a quarter of professional judges in England and Wales were
female in 2012, with slightly lower proportions in Scotland and
Northern Ireland, compared with a European average of 49 per cent.

Only Armenia (22 per cent) and Azerbaijan (11 per cent) had fewer
professional women judges, a category which excluded magistrates
or equivalents.

FRENCH-GERMAN RECONCILIATION PRACTICE MAY ALSO BE APPLIED IN CAUCASUS, AMBASSADOR SAYS

Thursday 9 October 2014 12:30
Photo: Photolure

Henri Renaud

Yerevan /Mediamax/. German Ambassador to Armenia Rainer Morel said
today, France-Germany reconciliation after the World Wars I and II may
be a good example for settlement of conflicts in the South Caucasus.

The Ambassador said this addressing a speech during “From Loss of Peace
to Establishment of European Union” conference dedicated to the World
War I Centennial in the Yerevan State University, Mediamaxreports.

“Europe’s biggest lesson learnt from the World War I is that all the
conflicts should be settled a peaceful way. Mutual concessions are the
beginning for friendly relations among the states and France-Germany
reconciliation practice was one vivid example of it. This European
peacebuilding practice can also be applicable to South Caucasus”,
said the Ambassador answering Mediamax’s question.

According to Rainer Morel, the will of the conflicting sides is needed
to reach peace and that will “should be dictated not only from the top
(the country’s leadership- edit.) but the bottom”.

“We realize the historic situation that German and French peoples were
in and it were the leaders of the countries who demonstrate the will
to change the political situation. As for the situation in Armenia
and Azerbaijan, we should confess it’s really tough. The OSCE Minsk
Group is engaged in the conflict settlement and it tries to maintain
the ceasefire. But an extra step is needed to be taken on the path of
reconciliation of the two states and the dialogue is the start. The
rhetoric voiced by the parties contain some phrases which just need
not be mentioned. I think it would be right to organize such an event
in Baku as well so as people could learn lessons there , too”, said
Rainer Morel.

According to the Ambassador, 1914 and 2014 differ in the sense that
the international community has already created relevant tools for
conflict settlement and OSCE is one of them.

French Ambassador to Armenia Henri Renaud who also spoke at the
conference said that the OSCE Minsk Group and the EU always used all
the occasions to condemn the bellicose rhetoric over NK conflict as
well as ceasefire violations.

“We have always stated and we do repeat- the issue has no military
solution. The NK conflict should be settled in a solely peaceful way
through negotiations”, said the French Ambassador.

FINAL COUNTDOWN: NON-GOVERNING TRIO WRAPS UP PROVINCIAL TOUR AHEAD OF YEREVAN RALLY

POLITICS | 09.10.14 | 12:17

Photolure

By GAYANE MKRTCHYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter

The last stop of the provincial rallies organized by non-governing
political forces was in Gyumri where once again representatives of
the three parties criticized the government and called for a change
of power and drastic reforms.

The city of Gyumri, which is in the northwest of Armenia, is considered
to be an opposition stronghold and ruling parties almost never get many
votes there. During the last two presidential elections opposition
candidates won in Gyumri: in 2008 it was current Armenian National
Congress (ANC) leader, first president of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan,
in 2013 it was opposition Heritage Party leader Raffi Hovannisian.

Enlarge Photo

Deputy head of the Heritage party Armen Martirosyan addressed thousands
of people who gathered in Gyumri’s Theatrical Square reminding of
last year’s presidential election and saying that the people formed
their government still then.

“By your 77 percent of the vote you showed who the government is
in Armenia. Voting for Raffi Hovannisian you showed that today’s
government is illegal. There is no other way out now but change of
government. Fish rots from the head, the system must be changed in
Armenia, changing some individuals will do no good. But a new system
must be formed by the people, not by this government,” Martirosyan
said.

Reflecting on the glory that Gyumri once used to have, the
oppositionist mentioned that the highest indexes of emigration and
poverty are in Gyumri today.

“The government is to blame for the situation. And unification is an
urgent necessity today, and the problems are clearly manageable by
the new government that will come [after the power change]. I traveled
around Shirak a lot, and in other cities and towns of the country as
well, I saw what is happening. Because of the government’s consistent
policy people are in debts,” Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) lawmaker
Stepan Margaryan said in his speech.

Especially during the last days of provincial rallies there were more
frequent calls for a power change. Reaffirming the calls made yet in
Vanadzor, PAP MP Zohrabyan repeated the demand in Gyumri.

“I said that and I repeat it – this government must leave, and we must
not allow this government to make constitutional changes in order to
provide another ten-year existence for themselves. This must be one
and only priority, one agenda,” Zohrabyan said.

ANC lawmaker Aram Manukyan advised one not to stand in the way of
the new rising wave as “it will blow them away”.

Among those attending the rally were also many from socially vulnerable
families and elderly people, Gyumri residents dissatisfied with their
life. People from Artik, Maralik came to Gyumri on minivans. None of
the three party leaders were present at the rally.

Several days before the rally Gyumri Head of Police Vardan Nadaryan
said that Gyumri Theatrical Square would not be crowded on October 8.

Aram Manukyan turned to the Gyumri Head of Police from the stage,
saying that he was wrong.

“Didn’t you say there will be no one attending the rally? But the
square is full. I suggest that government officials should not
oppose the rallies. Gyumri is a proud city, a city with dignity and
with this dignity we will stand up and say what we want. There is a
completely new reality in Armenia now. Three powerful leaders, often
very different, unified for one common cause – to save Armenia from
an impending collapse. Armenia is collapsing, and these political
forces set the aim of stopping that process,” Manukyan emphasized.

Gyumri mayor representing the PAP Samvel Balasanyan was not present at
the rally – he had left on vacation abroad on October 7 to celebrate
his 60th birthday together with his family.

“He had planned a vacation, and it is Mr. Balasanyan’s birthday, I
think he had the right to celebrate it with his family, and I ask you
not to search for another reason behind this. The City Hall was, is
and will always be an apolitical institution led by Samvel Balasanyan,
the mayor himself mentioned that, and that information is not subject
to any changes,” the mayor’s spokeswoman Lilit Makaryan told media.

ANC MP Levon Zurabyan spoke about an upcoming joint rally in Yerevan,
mentioning that on the same day Armenia is supposed to sign the
agreement about membership in the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union
(EEU). He mentioned that these two events go parallel by the government
to win dividends.

“It turns out that our government tells in Russia that the opposition
intentionally chose October 10 for the rally not to let Serzh Sargsyan
join the EEU. But the same government, the same people go to the United
States and now tell the Americans that the opposition set their rally
on October 10 so that Serzh Sargsyan goes and joins the EEU.

They sell the same event to Russia and America. But the mere fact
that the government turns to such cheap acts shows just one thing –
they are really scared.”

Representatives of the opposition trio urged people of Gyumri to
attend their joint rally in the capital on October 10.

NO EXPLANATION BY PROSECUTOR FOR REJECTING LAWSUIT AGAINST NSS

10.08.2014 15:22 epress.am

Journalist and Heritage Party board member Hrayr Manukyan (pictured)
had demanded a criminal case be instituted against the National
Security Service (NSS) and during the lawsuits examination the
prosecutor did not present the claimant with his demanded explanation.

Epress.am was informed of the latter by one of the claimants, Heritage
Party lawyer Harutyun Baghdasaryan. Both the Heritage Party and Hrayr
Manukyan have submitted a separate lawsuits.

The journalist’s and party’s complaint are based on a NSS
representative’s attempt to recruit Manukyan. An audio recording
released (ARM) by the journalist reveals that the NSS representative
threatened Manukyan after he declined an offer to work for the NSS.

The Prosecutor General had refused to initiate a criminal case against
the NSS and both the party and Manukyan have demanded to overturn the
prosecutor’s decision. Until now, the case had been examined in two
separate proceedings, which have now conjoined, and will be presented
as one case during the next court session on October 10.

“Before the court case, I had demanded time, in order for the
prosecutor to present me a hand-written explanation on the basis of
the decision to not initiate the criminal case. The court session
was delayed because the prosecutor had not prepared those documents.

Anyways, nearly a month has passed and the court hasn’t received any
documents. The last session didn’t take place because the judge was
absent, and the prosecutor didn’t even show up, while we learned
from the court that there hadn’t even been any documents sent,”
said Harutyun Baghdasaryan.