EXPORTS FROM ARMENIA DECLINE BY 5.6% IN JANUARY-MARCH 2006 ON SAME PERIOD OF LAST YEAR, IMPORTS GROW BY 13.6%
Noyan Tapan
May 11 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 11, NOYAN TAPAN. In January-March 2006, Armenia’s foreign
trade turnover made 273 bln 508.7 mln drams or 606.4 mln USD. According
to the RA National Statistical Service, commodity exports amounted
to 83 bln 131.3 mln drams or 184.4 mln USD, while imports – to 190
bln 377.4 mln drams or 422 mln USD. The foreign trade balance was
negative by 107 bln 246.1 mln drams (237.6 mln USD), without cargos
received as humanitarian aid – by 102 bln 682.9 mln drams (227.5 mln
USD). In the period under review, exports declined by 5.6% on the same
periood of 2005, whereas imports grew by 13.6%. In the first quarter
of 2006, exports to CIS countries amounted to 36 mln USD (a 8.8%
increase on January-March 2005), while imports – to 140.2 mln USD
(a 28.6% increase), including exports of about 19 mln USD to Russia
(a 4.4% decline) and imports of 55.6 mln USD from Russia (a 31.9%
growth), and exports of 12 mln USD to Georgia (a 33.4% growth) and
imports of 7.4 mln USD from Georgia (a 256.5%).
Exports to European Union countries made about 100 mln USD (a 10%
growth), imports from EU countries – 114.6 mln USD (a 17.1% growth),
including exports of 24 mln USD to Belgium (a 4.8% decline) and imports
of 27.6 mln USD from Belgium (a 22.9% decline), exports of 33.8 mln
USD to Germany (a 11.4% decline) and imports of 29.2 mln USD from
Germany (a 60.6% growth), exports of 28.6 mln USD from the Netherlands
(a 49.3% growth) and imports of 2.8 mln USD from the Netherlands
(a 19% growth). Exports to Israel – another large trade partner of
Armenia made 16.6 mln USD (a 49.9% decline) and imports from that
country amounted to 24.2 mln USD (a 32.3% decline), exports to the US
made 25.8 mln USD (a 25.8% increase) and imports from the US – 20.5
mln USD (a 12.8% increase). In the first quarter of 2006, exports
of plastic goods, rubber and articles made of rubber grew 10.6fold
on the same period of last year, exports of art works – by 212.4%,
exports of footwear, head-gear and umbreallas – by 130.4%, and exports
of devices grew by 76.4%. The most considerable decline in exports
was registered in the commodity group of various industrial goods –
18.5%, as well as live animals and production of organic origin –
17.1%, machines, equipment and mechanisms – 16.6%, and precious and
semiprecious stones, precious metals and items made of them – 14.8%.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TRANSFERS OF SYUNIK CUSTOMS-HOUSE TO STATE BUDGET INCREASE BY 207 MLN DRAMS IN FIRST QUARTER OF 2006 ON SAME PERIOD OF LAST YEAR
Noyan Tapan
May 11 2006
KAPAN, MAY 11, NOYAN TAPAN. Considerable work was done both at the
Syunik regional customs-house and the Agarak customs point in recent
months. Borik Sargsian, Head of Syunik regional customs-house of
the State Customs Committee adjunct to the RA government, said this
during an interview to the newspaper “Syunats Erkir”. According
to him, particularly the customs-house in Agarak underwent major
repairs, including the putting into operation a 5 thousand sq.m
area of examination zone, as well as the separation of passenger
and cargo spaces and rooms of frontier guards and passport service
employees. Besides, 100-ton capacity electronic scales were
installed. B. Sargsian said that in the first quarter of 2006,
VAT and customs duties of 2 bln 40 thousand drams (about 4.4 mln
USD) were transferred to the state budget, which exceeds by 207 mln
drams the index of the same period of last year. At the same time,
a growth in exports was registered. In the first quarter of 2005,
goods of the total amount of 4 bln 895 drams were exported, while in
the same period of this year, exports amounted to 6 bln 910 mln drams.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO BE PROVIDED TO COMPANIES – MEMBERS OF RA UNION OF BLIND
Noyan Tapan
May 11 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 11, NOYAN TAPAN. At the May 11 sitting, the Armenian
government made a decision to provide financial assistance to the
companies – members of the NGO “Union of the Blind of Armenia”. NT
was informed about it from the RA Government Information and PR
Department. The decision envisages compensating the companies –
members of the union (in case at least 50% of their employees are
disabled persons) the payments made or to be made for value added tax
(VAT) and compulsory social insurance that formed as a result of 2005
activities but were not compensated from the state budget or will
form as a result of 2006 activities. For this purpose, no more than
62 mln 772 thousand drams was allocated from the account of the 2006
RA government’s reserve fund to the RA Ministry of Labor and Social
Issues, of which 1 mln 800 thousand drams – for compensation of the
sums paid in 2006 based on the results of 2005 activities for VAT
(without sums separated at the tax accounts of suppliers and/or paid
to tax bodies), and no more than 22 mln 160 thousand drams (about 49
thousand USD) – for compensation of sums to be paid in 2006 based on
the results of 2006 activities. 3 mln 232 thousand drams was allocated
for compensation of the sums paid for compulsory social insurance
in 2006 based on the results of 2005 activities, and no more than
35 mln 580 thousand drams – for compensation of such payments to
be made in 2006 based on the results of 2006 activities. According
to the decision, the sums to be allocated from the 2006 RA state
budget through the treasury account of the RA Ministry of Labor and
Social Issues will be provided to companies in compliance with the
requirements of the legal acts establshing the procedures of budgets’
execution – based on payment substantiating documents submitted by the
RA Ministry of Labor and Social Issues to the RA Ministry of Finance
and Economy. It was decided that the VAT payments actually paid to
the state budget shall be compensated by 100%, while the compulsory
social insurance payments actually made by employers to the budget of
the RA State Social Insurance Fund – by 81.5%. Under the decision,
the sums paid by companies to the respective budgets in excess of
the amounts calculated based on the quarterly (monthly, annual) VAT
and compulsory social insurance payment statements by the results of
2006 activities are not subject to compensation.

NORTHERN AVENUE DEVELOPMENT MISTAKES ARE CONDITIONED BY NECESSITY TO MAKE INVESTMENTS IN A SHORT TIME, UAA CHAIRMAN SAYS
Noyan Tapan
May 11 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 11, NOYAN TAPAN. The mistakes related to high density
and the large number of storeys in development of Northern Avenue
in Yerevan are the result of the haste, which was conditioned by
the necessity to make investments in a short time. Chairman of the
Union of Architects of Armenia (UAA) Mkrtich Minasian expressed this
opinion during the May 11 discussion with the participation of the
Chief Architect of Yerevan Samvel Danielian and the Director of
the Yerevanproject Institute Gurgen Musheghian. In the words of
M. Minasian, Northeren Avenue would have been better developed,
if the existing problems had been discussed in a more detailed
way. G. Musheghian noted that Northern Avenue and other zones currently
being developed in the center of Yerevan will be transformed from a
residential and business area into a business district, which is due
to the process of the city’s natural development.
According to S. Danielian, the issue of land allocation in the green
zones of Yerevan has also been dealt with in a hurry. In his opinion,
if large land plots in these zones had been leased, the number of cafes
would have been smaller. M. Minasian said that many owners of cafes
near the Opera and Ring-Shaped Park have realized that these green
zones are overloaded, and they intend to reduce the development work
in these parts of the city. The chief architect noted that unfounded
land allocations are the cause of irregular development in Hrazdan
Gorge – the only recreational zone of the city. However, according
to UAA Chairman, the situation is improving: there have been some
successful architectural solutions, while the city authorities are
now implementing restoration work, particularly, the river-bed is
being cleaned.

YEREVAN’S KENTRON COMMUNITY ZONING PROJECT TO BE DEVELOPED IN 2006
Noyan Tapan
May 11 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 11, NOYAN TAPAN. Yerevan Mayor’s Office has developed a
draft program of measures to enact the Master Plan of Yerevan. The
draft will be soon submitted to the Armenian government for
approval. Chief Architect of Yerevan Samvel Danielian stated this
on May 11. According to him, one of these measures is development
of the city communities’ zoning projects. He said that this year it
is envisaged to develop the zoning project of the Kentron community,
for which 314 mln drams (about 698 thousand USD) has been allocated. S.
Danielian noted that the zoning projects of the other communities of
Yerevan will be developed in 2007.

ARMENIAN CIVIL AVIATION REPRESENTATIVE CONFIRMS THAT CRASHED PLANE DID NOT UNDERGO TECHNICAL EXAMINATION IN BRUSSELS
Noyan Tapan
May 11 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 11, NOYAN TAPAN. The A-320 plane that crashed near Sochi
on May 3 has not undergone technical examination by the Sabina Technics
company in Brussels this year. Serob Karapetian, Head of the Flight
Safety Inspection Unit of the Main Civil Aviation Department adjunct to
the Armenian government said this in an interview to Radio Liberty. He
said that the plane underwent techical servicing of Sabina Technics
in Yerevan in prescribed order. In his words, this year the plane
has not undergone a complete technical examination outside Armenia,
since there was no such necessity.

PARLIAMENT OF BULGARIA REFUSES RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
May 11 2006
SOFIA, MAY 11, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Parliament of
Bulgaria refused on May 10 the resolution of one of extremist parties
which called on to recognize the Armenian Genocide. As Radio Liberty
informs quoting the “Francepress” agency, 81 deputies of the 170 ones
participated in the sitting of the 240-seats parliament of Bulgaria
voted “against”, 56 deputies voted “for”, and 33 deputies remained
neutral. The Nationalist ATAKA party called on the Parliament to state
April 24 “the day of memory of the Armenian Genocide victims in Ottaman
Turkey.” But the resolution was refused by the coalition created by
socialists making the majority in the Parliament, representatives of
which insisted that in the case of adopting the resolution, relations
with Turkey will be strained as well as straining will be created
in the coalitional government formed by three parties of Bulgaria
(one of which Turk minority’s party is).

RA POPULATION’S MONETARY PROFIT INCREASES 16% COMPARED WITH FIRST QUARTER OF PREVIOUS YEAR
Noyan Tapan
May 11 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 11, NOYAN TAPAN. In January-March 2006, monetary profit
of the population in Armenia made 312 mln 792 thousand drams (about
695 thousand U.S. dollars), and monetary expenses made 326 mln 800
thousand 400 drams.
According to data of the RA National Statistical Service, speeds
of their increase made correspondingly 16% and 18.3% compared with
January-March of 2005. The population’s really managed monetary profits
(profits without compulsory payments, taking into account changes
of indexes of consumer prices) increased 16.6% in January-March,
2006 compared with January-March of 2005.

MEMBERS OF INVESTIGATION GROUP ON ACTION BROUGHT ON CASE OF “A-320” PLANE CRASH SENT ON MISSION TO SOCHI
Noyan Tapan
May 11 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 11, NOYAN TAPAN. Within the frameworks of the preliminary
investigation on the criminal action brought on the case of May 3,
2006 accident of the “A-320” aircraft of the “Armavia” company, members
of the RA Prosecutor’s General Office investigation group headed by
Hakob Karakhanian, investigator of the especially important cases
department attached to the RA Prosecutor’s General Office were sent
on mission to Sochi on May 11. The web-site of the RA Prosecutor’s
General Office informs about it. According to the agreement reached
between the RA and RF Prosecutors General, investigation group members
of the RA Prosecutor’s General Office, with the assistance of the
RA Prosecutor’s employees, will held a number of examinations, other
necessary investigating activities in the Sochi airport. Members of
the investigation group of the RA Prosecutor’s General Office will
give Russian partners materials got as a result of the invetigating
activities undertaken by them, they will exchange information. It is
expected that the Russian side will give the Armenian partners the
recording of the conversation taken place among the flying control
officers of the Sochi airport and the “A-320” pilot. The recording
reproduces the last 15-20 minutes of the flight.

WORKS OF SANITARY CLEANING AND PLANTING OF GREENERY CONTINUED IN VAYOTS DZOR
Noyan Tapan
May 11 2006
YEGHEGNADZOR, MAY 11, NOYAN TAPAN. Deadlines of the month of sanitary
cleaning and planting of greenery stated on March 20 were postponed
in the marz of Vayots dzor till in late May. As of May 10, works of
sanitary cleaning were implemented in 44 communities of the marz,
in 34 of which trees were planted as well. For the tree planting,
the Governor’s Office allocated about 35 thousand plants of ash-trees
to the communities. Community heads’ offices, public organizations
and individual citizens bought other 10 thousand plants. Members of
the “Miasnutyan Tsaratunk” (Unity Tree Planting) office headed by RA
Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepian planted trees in the communities
of Yelpini and Vernashen on May 7.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress