Author: nina hovnanian

GOVERNMENT REFUSES TO REMOVE MANDATORY COMPONENT OF NEW PENSION LAW

06.04.2014 16:19 epress.am

MPs Heghine Bisharyan and Hovhannes Margaryan’s bill on amendments and
supplements to the RA Law on Funded Pension presented as a legislative
initiative was discussed at the Armenian government’s meeting today.

The lawmakers are proposing the mandatory component be removed from
the law.

According to the Government of the Republic of Armenia website [AM],
the executive branch of government referred to the Constitutional
Court ruling, the requirements of which the law has to comply with
by September 30, and that if the draft law is adopted, it will lead
to a legal mess, the government considered the draft law deficient,
which “in systemic terms does not provide legal security and is
not acceptable.”

Note, with the current law, an employee can renounce the mandatory
component of the pension law only if he submits a request in writing
to his employer. Recently, there have been many media reports that
particularly in state bodies, managers refuse to accept the written
requests of their employees.

PRESS RELEASE
June 4, 2014

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA
Contact: Taniel Koushakjian
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (202) 393-3434
Web:

ASSEMBLY’S TERJENIAN-THOMAS SUMMER INTERNS ARRIVE IN WASHINGTON

Washington, D.C. – This week, the 37th class of the Armenian Assembly
of America’s (Assembly) Terjenian-Thomas summer interns arrived in the
nation’s capital, reported the Assembly. Twelve students from across
the United States will be living together and working throughout
Washington, D.C. in various capacities in both government and private
sectors during the eight-week program.

“We have a bright and capable group of young adults this summer who
are excited to begin the next chapter in their professional careers,’
stated summer internship coordinator Lena Krikorian. `Everyone is
looking forward to exploring Washington and making life-long
friends,’ Krikorian said.

Founded in 1977, the Armenian Assembly Summer Internship Program is the
first internship program established by an Armenian organization in
America. Last summer, the Terjenian-Thomas Internship Program announced
that over 1,000 students of Armenian descent have graduated through the
Assembly ranks. From its earliest phases the Armenian community strongly
supported the Assembly Summer Internship Program with major gifts from the
Richard Tufenkian Memorial Fund, the John Hanessian Scholarship Fund, the
Armen Astarjian Scholarship Fund, the Ohanian Memorial Fund, James and
Connie Melikian and the Knights of Vartan. In 2003, the Assembly’s Summer
Internship Program was renamed in honor of Aram and Florence Terjenian and
Annie Thomas after the announcement of their pace-setting $1 million
donation to the program.

The 2014 Assembly Terjenian-Thomas Summer Intern participants include:
Garen Alexander, University of Wisconsin; Joseph Ayanian, College of
William and Mary; Tyler Bagdasarian, University of Dayton; Aram Balian,
Columbia University; Taleen Barsam, University of California-Irvine;
Chrystal Densmore, Milwaukee Area Technical School; Lusine Mehrabyan,
Cornell University; Sona Movsisyan, Michigan State University; Mariam
Pashayan, Fresno State College; Gevorg Shahbazyan, Florida International
University; Ani Stamboulian, Michigan State University; and Anna Lisa
Strohmeyer, Virginia Commonwealth University.

You can follow the 2014 summer interns on their journey by visiting the
Assembly’s Intern Blog and on the Assembly Internship Facebook page.

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest
Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and
awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt
membership organization.

###

NR: # 2014-032

Photo Caption (L-R): Gevorg Shahbazyan, Ani Stamboulian, Anna Lisa
Strohmeyer, Sona Movsisyan, intern coordinator Lena Krikorian, Chrystal
Densmore, Mariam Pashayan, and intern program manager Joseph Piatt.

Available online:

OROGEN GOLD REVEALS GOLD EXPLORATION PROGRESS IN ARMENIA

Proactive Investors UK
June 3 2014

By Jamie Ashcroft June 03 2014, 8:55am

Orogen Gold (LON:ORE) has extended its target zone at the Mutsk gold
exploration project in Armenia following geophysical surveying.

Chief executive Ed Slowey said the “very successful” programme has
taken the target to about 2.5 kilometres, and it remains ‘open’
to the north.

“We will now plan for drill testing of this target, as well as
extensions of gold mineralisation encountered further south in earlier
drill phases, with drilling due to commence shortly,” he said.

BURKHALTER URGES END TO AZERBAIJAN-ARMENIA FEUD

The Local. Switzerland
June 2 2014

Swiss President Didier Burkhalter on Monday urged arch-foes Azerbaijan
and Armenia to step up efforts for a peaceful solution to their
conflict over the disputed Nagorny Karabakh region.

On a visit to Baku, Burkhalter — who is also chairman of the
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) —
“called on the sides to strictly adhere to the ceasefire agreement”
and increase efforts for the conflict’s peaceful settlement, the OSCE
said in a statement.

Burkhalter backed a proposal for a meeting in Paris between the
Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents that “should mark the beginning of
a new phase in peace talks,” he was quoted as saying by Azerbaijan’s
state news agency, Azertag.

In Baku, the Swiss president was beginning a three-day visit to the
South Caucasus which will see him holding high-level talks in Georgia
on Tuesday and Armenia Wednesday.

There has been an increase in violence in recent months along the
Azerbaijan-Armenia border and at the Karabakh frontline, with both
sides regularly accusing the other of tit-for-tat raids.

Armenia-backed separatists seized Nagorny Karabakh from Azerbaijan in
a 1990s war that killed 30,000 people. Despite years of negotiations
since a 1994 ceasefire, the two sides have yet to sign a peace deal.

Azerbaijan has threatened to take back the disputed region by force
if negotiations do not yield results, while Armenia has vowed to
retaliate against any military action.

The Karabakh peace talks are mediated by the so-called OSCE Minsk
Group co-chaired by France, Russia, and the United States.

OSCE OFFICE IN YEREVAN SUPPORTS TRAINING OF CIVIL SERVANTS ON SIMPLIFYING MARKET REGULATIONS

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
June 2 2014

Austria

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe has issued the
following press release:

A series of training sessions for civil servants from Armenian
ministries and state agencies on simplifying regulations in the market
environment kicked off today in Yerevan with OSCE support.

The three-day training session aims to promote the involvement of
Armenian ministries in the so-called Regulatory Guillotine project on
simplifying regulations. Participants will learn about the current
reform process and the upcoming programmes, and be trained on the
review process, regulatory costs and their importance to Armenia.

Participants will also explore the most common regulatory mistakes in
the market environment and good practices in regulatory consultation.

“The long-term process of reviewing and reforming the regulatory
framework in Armenia is of great importance,” said Tomasz Dembski,
Economic and Environmental Officer at the OSCE Office in Yerevan. “It
is crucial that this initiative translates into a tangible contribution
to people’s lives, making the business environment more friendly and
open to economic development.”

Scott Jacobs, a consultant with Jacobs, Cordova & Associates, said:
“Armenia’s prosperity is driven by markets and entrepreneurs and
its potential for growth is affected by government regulations. A
single paragraph in a law can kill an entire emerging industry. It is
therefore critical that regulators across the government understand
basic principles of good market regulation, and use these principles
in their everyday work.”

He added that the training will provide background to the national
regulatory reform underway in Armenia, and help prepare the ministries
to continue supporting job creation, increases in wages and new
opportunities for young Armenians through good regulations.

Armen Yeghiazaryan, Head of the National Centre for Legislative
Regulation, said: “The Regulatory Guillotine is a multi-layer exercise
that includes different groups of stakeholders. Ministries and state
agencies, as the implementing entities, are critical partners for us.

It is very important to co-operate in reviewing the legal system and
making reform recommendations. I believe that the series of training
sessions will move our collaboration to a new, more co-operative
level.”

Promoting good economic governance in Armenia is the aim of the
Regulatory Guillotine project, and is initiated and supported by the
OSCE Office in Yerevan. Other donors involved in the project include
the Austrian Development Agency (the operational unit of the Austrian
Development Co-operation) and the World Bank.

For more information please visit:

EXPERT: PUTIN’S STATEMENT ON ARMENIA’S ACCESSION ADDRESSED TO BAKU

June 03, 2014 | 15:32

YEREVAN. – The statement by Russian president on Armenia’s speediest
accession to Eurasian Economic Union is addressed to Baku, political
analyst Manvel Sargsyan said.

Commenting on the recent meeting in Astana, Sargsyan emphasized that
Kremlin is making an attempt to attract Azerbaijan in the Union.

“Azerbaijan has stated they do not plan to join the economic alliance.

Russia sent its delegate to Baku, and they decided to ponder on the
proposal,” he said.

The analyst believes Nursultan Nazarbayev’s remark mentioning Armenia’s
accession with internationally recognized borders did not bear relation
to Yerevan.

“No one cares whether Armenia will join with Karabakh or without. No
one even cares whether we will join at all. They wanted to hear Serzh
Sargsyan’s response that Karabakh is not a part of Armenia and then
sell the answer to Baku for a better price,” he added.

The treaty on the establishment of the Eurasian Economic Union was
signed, in the Kazakh capital city Astana on May 29, by the leaders
of Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan. In addition, Armenia President
Serzh Sargsyan participated in the meeting of the Supreme Eurasian
Economic Council and offered to sign a treaty on Armenia’s Union
accession by no later than June 15.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, for his part, stressed the need to
sign a respective document with Armenia in the shortest period of time.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

SPEAKER OF ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT: NAGORNO-KARABAKH WILL BECOME DE FACTO MEMBER OF CUSTOMS UNION

by Tatevik Shahunyan

ARMINFO
Monday, June 2, 19:34

Nagorno-Karabakh will not join the Customs Union as it is not an
international recognized state, Speaker of the Armenian Parliament
Galust Sahakyan said on Monday.

On the other hand, he said that Armenia will not open a customs point
with Nagorno-Karabakh once it joins the Customs Union.

“De facto Nagorno-Karabakh will be a member of the Customs Union,
de jure it will not,” he said.

In response to Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s support for
Azerbaijan’s position that Armenia can join the Eurasian Economic Union
only within the borders it joined the WTO, Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan said that Armenia is not going to join the Customs Union
together with Nagorno-Karabakh. He said that the Customs Union is
not the place where the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can be settled, but
Armenia’s accession to the Union will certainly promote the settlement.

BUSINESSES OF RUSSIA AND ARMENIA SHOULD HELP PEOPLE OVERCOME ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION – VARDANYAN

DILIJAN, June 3. /ARKA/. Business of Russia and Armenia should help
their countries to mitigate hardship on populations from transformation
from one economic system to another, co-director of Sberbank CIB
Ruben Vardanyan said.

According to the businessman, Russian and Armenian societies are
currently going through not an easy process that is often very painful
as the governments fail to fully ensure a mild transformation.

But on the other hand, Vardanyan says, the world is becoming more
competitive and dynamic, and the government-private partnership makes
the process more effective and fast.

‘I believe it is a very important and necessary mechanism that should
exist both in Russia and Armenia’, Vardanyan said in responding
ARKA’s question.

Vardanyan said the projects he is doing are not pure charity. An
attempt is made to make the mechanisms work on their own, without
donors and philanthropists and to launch changes in economic situation
through anchor projects like in Tatev and Dilijan, the businessman
said. For instance, the ‘Wings of Tatev” ropeway helped boost tourism
in Siunik region, hence create new hotels and new jobs.

The 5.7-kilometer-long aerial tramway, built by Austrian-Swiss
Dopplemayer/Garaventa transports visitors from the village of
Halidzor across the Vorotan gorge to the village of Tatev, within
walking distance of the monastery, allowing tourists and visitors to
bypass a 90-minute drive on a road in and out of the Vorotan River
Gorge. The cable car travels at a speed of 37 kilometers per hour
(23 miles per hour) and a one-way journey takes 11 minutes. At its
highest point over the gorge, the car travels 320 meters (1,056 feet)
above ground level. It has two cabins, each capable of carrying
up to 25 passengers. The cable car is part of a $45 million-dollar
public-private effort to develop tourism at Tatev and in the overall
region of Syunik. The aerial tramway was officially registered by a
representative of the Guinness World Records as the world’s longest
aerial tramway built to transport visitors. -0–

– See more at:

BRUNO BRUNI IMPRESSED BY ARMENIAN WOMEN’S BEAUTY

June 03, 2014 | 09:27

YEREVAN. – Armenia is a small country, and it is similar toSwitzerland.

Famous Italian painter Bruno Bruni, who was in Armenia for more than
a month, told the aforementioned to Armenian News-NEWS.am.

In his words, the women are very beautiful in both Armenia and in
Italy. The painter also stressed that Armenians and Italians are not
so different from each other.

“For example, the women have a common feature,” Bruni noted, and
added that he was amazed at the unique nature of Armenia.

Bruno Bruni also said that even though Armenia is a beautiful country,
the difference between the rich and the poor is very large.

“[But] the same goes for Italy,” he added.

At the end, the renowned painter advised to visit Venice.

Famous Italian artist Bruno Bruni’s exhibition was held from April 26
to June 2 in Armenia’s capital city Yerevan. The event was organized
under the auspices of President Serzh Sargsyan.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

ZHOGHOVURD: SERZH SARGSYAN SHOULD HAVE SACKED ARMENIAN AMBASSADOR TO KAZAKHSTAN

09:49 * 03.06.14

In a report commenting on the Kazakh leader’s pro-Azerbaijani call
voiced at the Supreme Eurasian Economic Summit in Kazakhstan, the
paper says that the move should have been followed at least by a
presidential decree to sack Armenia’s ambassador to the country.

It quotes President Serzh Sargsyan as saying at the Monday meeting
with Foreign Ministry officials and heads of diplomatic missions that
“A diplomat must be able to properly study, analyze and evaluate
the situation … An expectant and reactive diplomat who dodges his
responsibilities is an inadmissible luxury for a state like ours.”

Describing the speech well-arranged, the paper says that a subsequent
decree to relieve the ambassador of duties for not being aware of the
“diplomatic correspondence” would have been a logical move under the
circumstances. “Thereafter, the president should have signed a decree
on sacking all the ambassadors who do only business abroad and serve
the ‘shopping’ of high-ranking officials’ spouses leaving Armenia,”
comments the paper.

Armenian News – Tert.am