THEY ARE RELUCTANT TO RETURN TO ARMENIA
Lragir.am
9 Aug 06
Money transfers to Armenia will total 1.1 billion drams in 2006,
forecasts the Central Bank. This forecast is based on the results of
the survey conducted from February to April, which was published on
August 9. The survey suggests that in 2005 the households of Armenia
received 940 billion dollars from abroad. The survey was conducted
to evaluate the transfers and forecast tendencies. And this very
forecast suggests that money transfers in 2006 will total 1.1 billion
drams. The survey was conducted among people who transfer money, and
85 percent said transfers would continue. It is interesting that 28
percent of Armenian respondents in Moscow suggests that 28 percent
will not work in Armenia on any conditions, and 44 percent said they
would work in Armenia only for a salary of 300-1000 dollars.

CENTRAL BANK CAN BE DISSOLVED
James Hakobyan
Lragir.am
9 Aug 06
It is known to every citizen of Armenia that the Central Bank of
the Republic of Armenia is not related with the exchange rate of the
dollar. The Central Bank is only for finding clarifications or excuses
for the depreciation of the dollar, which it does with great devotion,
it is unclear to whom.
On August 9 the Central Bank held an event, which has little direct
relation to the exchange rate of the dollar. And before the event the
press secretary of the Central Bank even told the news reporters not to
ask questions about the exchange rate because the topic is different,
and the speakers are not competent in the exchange rate.
And the topic was foreign money transfers. The Central Bank conducted
a survey with the help of the World Bank to assess the transfers. The
survey, the results of which were presented to news reporters, involved
households, the persons who make transfers and the companies, which
provide transfers. The survey was conducted in the months of February
to April in 2006.
And why are they presenting the results four months later? Well,
sure, they were summing them up. They asked for three months and
summed up for four months. And they finished now when the exchange
rate of the dollar is dropping fast, and naturally the society wants
to know why or due to who. And this is the best moment to tell how
big the influx of transfers to Armenia is, which naturally has an
impact on the exchange rate of the dollar, because the dollar is also
a product, and if there is too much of it, the price drops. This is
only our supposition, of course, but the Central Bank would not tell
everything. We are supposed to realize some things ourselves. And the
Central Bank merely says 37 percent of households in Armenia receive
foreign money transfers, mainly from Russia and the United States.
The receivers of money transfers said they spend the money for
everyday expenses.
Imagine that one third of the population of Armenia live on the money
they get from their relatives abroad, and do not even save it, spending
about 80 percent on everyday needs. In the meantime, the government of
Armenia does not worry that over one third of households in Armenia
are being robbed. Plus the people whose income is in Armenia but in
dollars or drams equal to the exchange rate, it is apparent that over
half of the population of Armenia is impoverished, and the government
calmly follows the process. One should not exclude that it also calmly
benefits from it.
We should also add people who get transfers, which are not reported
anywhere because these are delivered from hand to hand. Considering
this, we will see that over half of the population of Armenia suffers
from the dropping exchange rate of the dollar. The problem is that
the revaluation of the dram does not improve the state of people who
get income in drams. The income of these people remains the same,
whereas the prices in drams soar. Hence, the monetary and loan policy
of the government does not favor anyone.
It should also be taken into account that several hundreds of
thousand pensioners, whose income is in drams, and who are the
favorite example of the Central Bank, in reality live on the money
they get from abroad. In other words, it is hard to believe that over
70 percent of the population of Armenia gets income or more exactly
lives on the income they get in Armenia. Therefore, the Central Bank
should do the contrary rather, ask for three months and count for
four months. And generally, it will be better if the Central Bank
neither asks, nor counts, and dissolves as soon as possible. Anyway,
the dollar will float without the help of the Central Bank.

IN 2005 ARMENIAN HOUSEHOLDS RECEIVE REMITTANCES OF 940 MLN USD FROM ABROAD
Noyan Tapan
Aug 09 2006
YEREVAN, AUGUST 9, NOYAN TAPAN. In 2005, Armenian households received
remittances equivalent to about 940 mln USD, 97% of this amount was
in dollars.
Karine Karapetian, head of the Foreign Section Statistics Unit of the
Central Bank of Armenia (CBA’s) Statsitical Department, stated this
during a press conference today. 37% of Armenian households, mainly
citizens of the middle class, whose average monthly income exceeds
the minimum consumer basket of 12,467 drams, receive remittances. The
share of the poor and the extremely poor is large in the number
of remittance recipients, with the extremely poor accounting for
a small part of recipients. According to K. Karapetian, the above
mentioned indices were evaluated as a result of a survey conducted in
February-April 2006. She said that residents of Yerevan make up 34%
of those receiving remittances. Remittances are mainly sent from Russia
(72%) and the US (14%).
Among other countries are Germany, Greece, Ukraine, from which 5% of
remittances come. 31% of remittances are from those engaged in seasonal
work abroad, while 69% – from relatives and other persons living in a
foreign country. The speaker noted that the majority of those who send
remittances to Armenia are engaged in construction and trade abroad.

IMPLEMENTATION OF 8 DRAFTS DIRECTED TO PROTECTION OF MINORITIES’ RIGHTS STARTS IN JAVAKHK
Noyan Tapan
Aug 09 2006
AKHALKALAK, AUGUST 9, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Akhalkalak
Office of the European Center on Minorities Issues plans to implement
eight drafts on themes of protection of the national minorities’
rights. According to the “A-Info” agency of Javakhk, the first draft
has already started on August 7.
The draft on the theme “Human Rights Protection in Javakhk” is being
implemented by the union “In the Name of Regional Civil Initiatives of
Development of Democracy in Javakhk” and the “Lawyers and Economists in
the Name of Reforms” union. Within the framework of the first draft,
it is envisaged to organize courses dedicated to protection of the
human rights in some settlements of Javakhk.

KAREKIN II DECORATED WITH RUSSIAN “FRIENDSHIP” ORDER
Noyan Tapan
Aug 09 2006
MOSCOW, YEREVAN, AUGUST 9, NOYAN TAPAN. By RF President Vladimir
Putin’s decree, Karekin II Catholicos of All Armenians was decorated
with the “Friendship” order. According to the Kremlin information
service, the order was awarded to the Armenian Catholicos for his
contribution in the affair of developing and strengthening the
Russian-Armenian friendly relations.

PROCESS AND MAIN RESULTS OF ENTRANCE EXAMINATIONS OF INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION PRESENTED TO RA PRESIDENT
Noyan Tapan
Aug 09 2006
YEREVAN, AUGUST 9, NOYAN TAPAN. At the August 9 working meeting with
RA President Robert Kocharian, Levon Mkrtchian, the RA Minister of
Education and Science presented the process, main results and some
compendious data of entrance examinations of institutions of higher
education. Noyan Tapan was informed about it by the RA President’s
Press Office. The Minister also presented the process of reforms and
main deeds in the sphere of comprehensive education as well as the
process of changes of the system of higher educational institutions
and reforms in the scientific sphere. The necessity of having a
systematized program of reforms concerning science was mentioned
which will include in it both structural and context parts.

WHO IS MR. EVANS?
Lragir.am
9 Aug 06
The Lragir has learned that certain NGOs and political forces in
Armenia seek for revealing the foreign connections of the criminal
elite of the government. In particular, the problem of revealing
the real attitude of great powers is put forward. The authors of the
initiative are especially interested in the standpoint of the United
States. Namely, the United States keeps on talking about democracy,
rule of law, fair governance, whereas in reality it supports part
of the government that denies all these things. Considering this,
the initiators of investigation on the criminal-outer world relation
are going to study the activities of the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia
John Evans to find out his relations with some public officials of
the Armenian government, and whether these relations proceed from
the U.S. policies.

NOYEMBERIAN HAS NO DRINKING WATER FOR WEEK
Noyan Tapan
Aug 09 2006
NOYEMBERIAN, AUGUST 9, NOYAN TAPAN. Inhabitants of the city
of Noyemberian of the Tavush marz have had no drinking water for
already a week. In consequence of drought, the city is not supplied
water by the Gizhsar self-streaming water pipe. As the Noyan Tapan
correspondent was informed by the Armenian Water Supplying Sewerage
“Noyemberian” department, the second, Berdavan, water pipe supplying
water to the city does not function as the pumps are out of order.

STANDARDS AND NORMS ON QUALITY AND MANAGEMENT OF EFFECTIVE USAGE OF WATER RESOURCES OF SOUTH CAUCASUS TO BE WORKED OUT
Noyan Tapan
Aug 09 2006
YEREVAN, AUGUST 9, NOYAN TAPAN. The regional program “Application of
International Standards and Norms for Management of Water Resources
of Trans-Border Rivers Kura and Araks” which is implemented jointly
by public organizations of Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan, pursues
the goal of assisting effective management of water resources of
the Kura-Araks river system. In Armenia, it is implemented by the
Armenian Ecologists’ Union NGO with the assistance of the Eurasia
Foundation. Rafayel Hovhannisian, the organization chairman,
informed about it at the August 8 conference entitled “Problems
of Usage and Ecology of Water Resources of Trans-Border Rivers of
Kura and Araks.” According to him, the program envisages working out
standards and norms on quality and on management of effective usage
of water resources of the South Caucasus, to create an internet
site “Kura-Araks.” Creation of a computer geo-information s ystem
of water resources of the Kura-Araks system, and organization of a
national conference dedicated to social-ecological and water usage
problems existing in basins of those rivers, shooting of a video
film covering those problems, are also envisaged. R.Hovhannisian
beleives that after completion of the program, a similar program,
with participation of Turkey and Iran as well, would be purposeful
to implement, as many rivers of the Kura and Araks basins run or
start in those countries. Volodya Narimanian, the Deputy Chief of
the Water Resources Management Agency of the RA Ministry of Nature
Protection mentioned that the new Water Code defines modern methods
of management of water resources which envisage wide participation
of the society in those processes.
According to his estimation, work of public organizations gives
positive result in the management of water resources, not only national
but also trans-border ones.

STATEMENTS ON CATASTROPHIC STATE OF LAKE SEVAN EXAGGERATED: DIRECTOR OF HYDRO- ECOLOGY AND ICHTHYOLOGY INSTITUTE
Yerevan, August 8. ArmInfo. The statements by ecologist of Armenia
regarding the catastrophic state of Lake Sevan are exaggerated, Rafael
Hovhannissyan, Director of Hydro-ecology and Ichthyology Institute,
National Academy of Science of Armenia, told ArmInfo.
He called a normal factor the rotting of plants that went under
water due to the rise of the lake’s level. He did not deny that
waterlogging increases the harmful substances in the water, which
leads to deficit of oxygen and kills small fish. R. Hovhannisyan said
after the cleaning of coastal areas, the so- called “blossoming” in
the lake will stop. Moreover, he thinks the great volume of plankton
that was a result of eutrophication will become a good source of food
for fish and animals.
To note, in the current year the Government of Armenia provided 69
million drams to the National Park “Sevan” for cleaning of coasts
from plantations as the yearly water rise by 40 cm in average leads
to rotting of coastal plantations. Specialists and ecologists say the
cleaning is carried out extremely ineffectively. Water has flooded
over 92 ha of lands planted with trees and bushes.