Author: Chaltikian Arsine

429 complaints sent to RA Ombudsman’s Office given positive solutions

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YEREVAN, MARCH 12, NOYAN TAPAN. 5 800 citizens applied to RA
Ombudsman’s Office in 2008. 429 applications were given positive
solutions, RA Ombudsman Armen Haroutiunian reported on March 10 when
presenting his 2008 report on the situation the in human rights sphere.

Among human rights violations the Ombudsman mentioned violations of the
right of freedom of gatherings: according to him, in more than 90 cases
the opposition was not permitted to hold a mass action. While
experience showed that opposition’s events proceeded peacefully and
calmly, and it is not clear, on the basis of what information the
authorities did not permit their holding.

Among problems of freedom of expression and journalists’ security the
Ombudsman mentioned, in particular, the fact of a policeman’s hitting
Gohar Vezirian, a correspondent of the Chorrord Ishkhanutyun newspaper
and throwing her on the ground, which has received no response by the
authorities so far. He also mentioned the fact of dismissing from her
work at Gladzor University Karine Haroutiunian, a correspondent of the
Zhamanak Yerevan oppposition newspaper. "She proved not to meet the
lecturer’s title after some stage," Armen Haroutiunian noted.

The Ombudsman mentioned two cases of non-differentiated approach of the
law, cases of the GALA TV company and the Bjni mineral waters factory.
He emphasized that Ombudsman’s Office did not examine the issue of
whether the above mentioned companies have problems with the law or not.

The Ombudsman classed as alarming the atmosphere of "very big" fear at
penitentiary institutions, because of which people do not confess the
fact of tortures. He also mentioned one of the cases of violating the
principle of presumption of innocence.

According to A. Haroutiunian, the situation in the sphere of protection
of ownership right is very serious: Ombudsman’s Office has received
more than 100 complaints regarding the problem, which, in particular,
concern the fact of valuing real estate lower than the cadastral value.
The Ombudsman emphasized that no citizen won any trial on protection of
the above mentioned right over 7 years in Armenia, whereas RA citizens
applying to the European Court of Human Rights mostly win the trials.

A. Haroutiunian said that Ombudsman’s Office has received many
complaints regarding the issue of dismissal from work: according to
him, the dismissals are grounded from point of view of the letter of
the law, but their number is rather big.

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INTERVIEW-Azerbaijan says Russia arming enemy Armenia
Fri Mar 13, 2009 1:02pm EDT

Azerbaijan sees ‘no miracle’ in sight to end conflict

Diplomats see little progress over Nagorno-Karabakh

Time has come for Armenia to ‘think realistically’

By Matt Robinson and Margarita Antidze

BAKU, March 13 (Reuters) – Azerbaijan accused Russia on Friday of
supplying arms to Armenia, its foe in one of the most intractable
conflicts arising from the Soviet Union’s collapse.

Azeri Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov denied his country’s
oil-financed military expansion meant it was planning war to take back
the region of Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenians, and said there was "no
miracle" in sight to resolve the dispute.

"Armenia is being supplied by its military ally, Russia," Azimov, who
is responsible for security issues at the foreign ministry, said in an
interview with Reuters.

He said Moscow was equipping Armenia, its closest ally in the
Caucasus, under cover of restocking its military hardware at the
Russian military base in the Armenian town of Gyumri.

"We know that from time to time Russia is maintaining its presence in
Gyumri. When new pieces are brought in, what happens to the old ones?"
he said. "Things are coming in, and nothing is coming out."

Both Moscow and Yerevan have vehemently denied that Russia is
supplying a military build-up in Armenia. Russia says it moved some
troops and equipment to Gyumri after they pulled out of bases in
neighbouring Georgia under an arms control pact.

Some analysts suggested last year’s war between Russia and Georgia,
also over an unresolved ethnic and territorial dispute, might
revitalise efforts to resolve Nagorno-Karabakh, but diplomats say that
beyond rhetoric there is little progress.

Ethnic Armenian separatists, backed by Armenia, fought a war in the
1990s to throw off Azerbaijan’s control over mountainous
Nagorno-Karabakh. An estimated 30,000 people were killed.

No peace accord has ever been signed, and the ceasefire is frequently
tested by fatal exchanges of fire across the frontline. Armenia backs
Nagorno-Karabakh’s demand for independence, something Azerbaijan says
it can never have.

SHIFTING POWER

But the balance of power in the region has shifted dramatically since
the end of the Soviet Union. Azerbaijan’s economic and military
growth, based on oil exported westwards, has rapidly outpaced that of
Armenia.

The mainly Muslim country, led by President Ilham Aliyev since he
succeeded his father Heydar in 2003, refuses to rule out taking back
Nagorno-Karabakh by force. Azerbaijan votes in a referendum next week
on whether to scrap a two-term presidential limit, allowing Aliyev to
run again in 2013.

Azimov said Azerbaijan, by growing its economy, its military and its
image as a stable partner for the West, was trying to convince Armenia
of the need to compromise.

But he denied Baku was looking for war, saying: "It’s good to have a
strong army, it’s even better not to use it."

"We never said and we never say that we shall go to war with Armenia,"
he said. But with Armenia insisting on independence for the region, "I
have to say that in all circumstances and by all means we will restore
territorial integrity."

Azimov said he hoped the global economic crisis would force Armenia to
give up demands for independence for the region, adding: "The time has
come to think realistically for them."

Armenia has been hit hard by the crisis. Turkey’s decision to close
its border with Armenia in 1993 in solidarity with Azerbaijan has also
taken its toll and shut Armenia out of lucrative energy transit deals
currently enjoyed by Georgia.

Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
March 11 2009

High prices are one of major problems in domestic travel of Armenia
11.03.09 15:48

High prices are one of the major problems in the internal travel of
Armenia, Head of the Tourism Department of the Economy Ministry of
Armenia Mekhak Apresyan told journalists today.

He said the Department will focus on resolving of this problem. ‘Like
the previous years, we shall hold discussions with the sector
representatives and try to find more acceptable solutions. The key is
to offer not just cheap but competitive tourist services which will be
more preferable than those in abroad’, M. Apresyan said.

To recall, the number of travelers inside Armenia made up 447,000,
reported ArmInfo.

PanARMENIAN.Net

ECB head: a turning point could be near
11.03.2009 21:56 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The head of the European Central Bank and some other
central bankers said the world’s economy is still slowing but
suggested a turning point could be near as massive fiscal-stimulus
packages, low interest rates and cheaper energy prices bolster
prospects for growth, The Wall Street Journal reports.

"We’re approaching a moment where we might have a pickup," said
European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet in his most
optimistic assessment to date of tentative signs of stabilization in
some markets. He cited a modest rebound in corporate-bond markets as
one positive sign. He spoke to reporters on behalf of participants in
a meeting of central bankers from the world’s leading economies at the
Bank for International Settlements in Basel, Switzerland.

The ECB expects little recovery until 2011, with its central forecast
at 0 percent growth next year.

Mr. Trichet also suggested that investors, who last week drove major
U.S. stock indexes to 12-year lows, are underestimating the
significance of government efforts. Policy makers world-wide have made
"a very, very strong commitment … not to let any systemic
institution go under," Mr. Trichet said. This "may not be fully priced
in by the market."

The Trichet view isn’t shared uniformly among central bankers. Federal
Reserve officials have been struck in recent weeks by the sharp
deterioration in stock prices.

Falling stock prices make it harder for banks to raise private
capital. Moreover, some credit-market conditions, which had shown
signs of improvement earlier this year, have worsened a bit amid a
stream of dour economic data.

Economic policy makers from around the world are jockeying for
position ahead of a gathering of finance ministers and central bankers
from the Group of 20 nations this weekend in preparation for a summit
of G-20 leaders on April 2. The U.S. is pressing for more aggressive
government spending to lift the global economy; others seek to use the
meetings to restructure global financial regulation.

Books of famous Armenian poet Yeghishe Charents to be presented at
Salon due Livre in Paris

2009-03-10 17:55:00

ArmInfo. This year Armenia will take part in Salon du Livre (Paris
International Book Fair) for the first time, reports the head of the PR
Department of the Ministry of Culture of Armenia Gayane Durgaryan.

The fair will take place Mar 13-18 with 3,000 authors and
representatives of over 1,000 publishing houses taking part in the
show. Armenia will present some 120 books: books about Armenian arts
and culture, fiction, albums, books translated into French, German and
English. A special section will be given to Yeghishe Charents as the
opening of the fair will take place on the birthday of the great
Armenian poet. Some of his works will be presented in French.

The Armenian delegation will comprise the advisor of the Minister of
Culture Armenia Nerses Ter- Vardanyan, the head of the Book Publishing
Agency of Armenia Edward Militonyan and the chief
specialists of the agency Edik Hakobyan.

Salon du Livre is one of the world’s biggest and almost interesting
events in the field of book publishing.

Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan receives World Bank Regional
Director for South Caucasus Asad Alam

2009-03-06 20:23:00

ArmInfo. Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan received World Bank
Regional Director for the South Caucasus Asad Alam. Head of WB Office
in Armenia Aristomene Varoudakis also took part in the meeting. The
meeting participants discussed programs for the next 4 years being
implemented in Armenia with the WB support.

The Armenian prime minister expressed content with the level of
Armenia-WB cooperation and pointed out that Armenia is interested in
continuation of cooperation in all programs, including the spheres of
agriculture, governing system, improvement of irrigation systems, etc.
despite the fact that the government will have to give up a number of
high-risk projects due to the financial and economic
crisis. Tigran Sargsyan stressed the significance of implementation of
social programs.

Asad Alam pointed out the importance of effective spending of $525 mln
provided to Armenia by WB, particularly, the elaboration of a distinct
action plan. He added that according to the results of
assessment of 2-year implementation of programs, possible further
financing by WB will be considered.

Asad Alam said that the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility program
in Armenia was declared the best at the WB competition "Improvement of
life in Europe and Central Asia" and awarded a commemorative prize to
Tigran Sargsyan.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version: nian.htm

H.E. ARCHBISHOP SEBOUH SARKISSIAN REPRESENTS HIS HOLINESS ARAM I AT THE
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON PALESTINE IN IRAN

Since Wednesday 4 March 2009, Iran is hosting a two-day international
Conference on Palestine in Tehran. His Holiness Aram I was personally
invited to this Conference through the Iranian Embassy in Lebanon. Due to
prior commitments, His Holiness Aram I delegated Archbishop Sebouh
Sarkissian, the Primate of the Armenian Orthodox Diocese of Tehran (Iran) to
represent the Catholicossate.

Mr. Nabih Berri, the Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, is heading the
Lebanese delegation to this conference.

##
View the photo here:
EADER.jpg
*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician
Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
Antelias, Lebanon.

NEWLY APPOINTED AFGHAN AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA HANDS OVER HIS CREDENTIALS TO ARMENIAN PRESIDENT

ARMENPRESS
March 5, 2009

YEREVAN, MARCH 5, ARMENPRESS: The newly appointed Afghan ambassador
to Armenia Zalmay Azizi (residence in Moscow) today handed over his
credentials to the Armenian President Serzh Sargsian.

Press service of the Armenian president told Armenpress that the
president congratulated the diplomat on the assumption of the post
and expressed confidence that with his appointment certain activeness
will be registered in the bilateral relations.

Head of the country said that Armenia greatly signifies the
establishment of stability and security in Afghanistan and highly
assesses the efforts exerted in that direction.

Noting that Armenia and Afghanistan used to have certain relations in
Soviet years, the sides stressed the importance of their restoration
and development and pointed out that it is based on the interests of
the two states.

BUDGET WON’T BE REVISED YET

A1+
[12:20 pm] 05 March, 2009

"The logic of our actions is a calculated policy. We are implementing
that along with our colleagues and using their financial and economic
help," said Armenian PM Tigran Sargsyan during a press conference as
he touched upon the loans granted to Armenia by the World Bank and
the International Monetary Fund.

The two international organizations have granted nearly half a
billion dollars in loans to help Armenia overcome the effects of the
financial/economic crisis.

Sargsyan assured the world’s best experts are helping Armenia
implement the correct macroeconomic policy which, according to the
Prime Minister, is aimed at securing the financial/economic stability
of the country.

"On the other hand, our policy is also aimed at accumulating sufficient
means to confront the new challenges facing us due to the global
financial/economic meltdown," noted the Armenian PM.

Will the RA Government re-calculate the state budget after making the
transition to a floating exchange rate policy? In response Sargsyan
said that the government is flexible in terms of the budget. According
to him, taking a look at the budget legislation, it is clear that
the flexibility allows the government to maneuver and make changes
to expenditures taking into account the changes taking place in the
financial/economic environment.

"I believe that it is too early totalk about radical changes in the
budget. It is still not possible to make predictions on development
of events in light of the global economic and financial activities for
this year. That is why rushing may hurt us," declared Tigran Sargsyan
adding that if things turn out for the better, there will be no need
to revise the budget; otherwise, they will obviously refer to issues
relating to the budget in mid-2009.

Sargsyan assures that Armenia has enough flexibility, instruments
and reserves that are accumulated in the Central Bank, particularly
the savings of the government. According to the Prime Minister, that
allows Armenia to be quite flexible in confronting the difficulties
in the first two trimesters of the year.

"The instruments and flexibility of the budget allow us to redistribute
expenditures based onb trimesters. For example, we can refrain from
certain expenditures during the 1st trimester and postpone them for
the fourth trimester," underlined Tigran Sargsyan.

IMF FORECASTS 1.5% ECONOMIC DECLINE IN ARMENIA THIS YEAR

Noyan Tapan

M arch 4, 2009

YEREVAN, MARCH 4, NOYAN TAPAN. After implementing a monitoring in
Armenia, the IMF experts said that the global financial and economic
crisis has had a negative impact on Armenian economy, the IMF’s
Resident Representative in Armenia Nienke Oomes said at the March 3
press conference.

She announced that the IMF forecasts a 1.5% economic decline in
Armenia this year. According to her, Armenia’s exports fell by 44%
in 2008 as compared with 2007. The annual growth of remittances from
abroad made 35% in recent years, whereas their amount declined by 25%
in January 2009 on the same month of 2008. N. Oomes noted that the
main reason is that Russia currently has serious economic problems,
whereas most of remittances sent to Armenia are from Russia.

The IMF official said that the sharp fall in copper and molybdenum
prices in international market have also affected negatively
Armenia. "GDP growth has slowed down considerably in Armenia: it
amounted to 7% in 2008 as compared with 14% in 2007. 8% inflation
is forecast by late 2009, which is not a very bad index," N. Oomes
said. She underlined that support of international structures is of
great importance under such conditions.

To recap, the Managing Director of the IMF Dominique Strauss-Kahn will
propose that the IMF Executive Board approve a 540 million Stand-By
Arrangement with Armenia. If the Executive Board accepts that proposal
on March 6, Armenia will receive 239 million USD next week. The credit
will be provided at 1.54% interest rate for a 5-year period, with
a grace period of 3 years. The credit will be given to the Central
Bank of Armenia for replenishment of its foreign currency reserves.