I do not think that the election in Azerbaijan will influence upon the domestic situation in Armenia. As for Karabakh, in case the opposition wins the negotiation process will be re-started. If the authorities win, the talks will be continued, Armenian Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan stated today. {BR} When asked whether the Armenian foreign policy can change after the visit to the U.S. Serge Sargsyan...

About $150 million (74 billion AMD) will be allocated by the state budget for the defense expenses in 2006. {BR} “For the first time the budget was compiled proceeding not form the absolute sum of previous years but the GDP per cent. There is an agreement that a bit more than 3% of the GDP is allocated to the defense field. The more is the per cent the more we will receive” , Armenian defense...

During 2.5 months the state labor inspection revealed financial violations totaling in 90 million AMD. {BR} According to Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Aghvan Vardanyan, the funds brought in by the service will several times exceed the one allocated to it by the state. 90 million AMD was revealed after carrying out inspections in 150-160 organizations and payment of salaries. During the press...

With these words the well known musicians concerned over the fate of the House of Chamber Music after Komitas addressed the RA President. {BR} Chief conductor of the Armenian chamber orchestra Aram Gharabekyan noted that most part of the building is glassed-in, the walls are not isolated, there is no lobby and noise easily penetrates into the hall. The loud music that has been for already three years...

“Economy cannot develop in a state where human rights protection institute is not developed”, Estonian Chancellor of Justice Allar Joks stated during the meeting with Armenian Ombudsman Larisa Alaverdyan. {BR} The Estonian Chancellor of Justice was not surprised to learn about the limited authority of the Armenian Ombudsman. Mr. Joks himself, for example deals with the complaints of the citizens,...

Daniel Fried, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, visited Armenia on October 18 as part of regional travel that included stops in Georgia and Azerbaijan. Joining Assistant Secretary Fried's delegation was U.S. Special Negotiator for Nagorno-Karabakh and Eurasian Conflicts, Ambassador Steven Mann. {BR} During these meetings, Ambassador Fried and Ambassador Mann discussed...

Corruption causes poverty and hinders its overcoming, Transparency International President Peter Eigen considers. {BR} His statement is of great interest taking into account the National Program on Poverty Reduction” implemented by the Armenian government. Transparency International has carried out an investigation on the level of corruption in 159 countries. The investigation showed that corruption...

Member of the delegation of the CoE Local and Regional authorities Congress David Lloyd Williams from Britain told the journalists today about the fact he witnessed in Vanadzor during the elections of mayor where he was fulfilling his duties as observer. {BR} “There was a case when we were looking for one of the electoral areas and we noticed a group of about 150 people. We found out that it was...

It is now yet known how the draft Constitution will be preached. The details about the process will be announced in several days. {BR} Today head of the Constitutional preaching structure and the NA Standing Committee on Defense, National Security and Internal Affairs Mher Shahgeldyan invited the journalists to a briefing to tell that their aim is to adopt the Constitution. «We work for the sake...

«Thanks to the draft Constitution the Presidential-Parliamentary governing system of the country turns into Parliamentary-Presidential», the RA President representative Armen Haroutyunyan says. He considers it a serious achievement. {BR} Mr. Haroutyunyan claims that we cannot take the constitution of another country and copy it like the other post-Soviet countries did. “It does not work”, he...

“The elections were generally correspondent to the Europeans standards”, announced head of the delegation of the CoE Local and Regional authorities Congress Sean O’Brian today during the press conference in hotel “Ani”. {BR} The delegation has come to this conclusion as the impression of its members about the atmosphere of the elections was «fair and peaceful». Sean O’Brian also considered the process of elections in Tavoush, Armavir...

October 16 during the elections in Vanadzor Adela Poghosyan born in 1936 died in the electoral area N 30/27. {BR} She had come with her family to participate in the elections of Mayor in Vanadzor. The workers of the Committee did not find her name in the electoral roll and sent her to the court to re-establish her suffrage. She was informed in the court that her name is included in the electoral rolls...

October 16 in the Lori, Tavoush and Armavir regions of the Republic the elections of local governing bodies were held. {BR} We learned the preliminary results from the Central Electoral Committee. In Echmiadzin 58% of the electors has participated in the elections. Avagyan Gagik received 18 793 votes, Aghvanyan Yervand – 5 970, Haroutyunyan Susana – 300, Ghandzyan Avetiq – 140, 68 ballots...

Trying not politicize the matter of returning the deposits, Human Rights Defender Larisa Alaverdyan has the following approach towards the problem: “If a person deposited money and cannot receive it back, it is the violation of human rights”, she stated. In her opinion, the state is obliged not only to return the deposits but also to reimburse the people the absence of possibility to use the sums in the course of years. “The matter should be...

The RA citizens do not believe that the sums deposited to the soviet banks will be returned, even despite the promise made by Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan to allocate 1 billion AMD for this purpose. The compensation will be paid within the strategic program on poverty reduction. It is not ruled out that the depositors will not be happy to receive the sums, since it is already clear that the sum...

Once member of temporary commission for examining the possibilities of restoration and reimbursement of the deposits of the RA citizens Aghasy Arshakyan submitted 3 proposals on behalf of National Unity party. Despite the fact that the indexation proposed by the coalition is in a way admissible for A. Arshakyan, he noted that in accord with this program the deposits will be returned no sooner than...

”It is not important when a person deposited money in a bank. This is his property and the failure to return these funds is a grave violation of human rights”, human rights activist Vardan Harutyunyan considers. As for the statements of the political forces on returning the deposits, V. Harutyunyan welcomes them. However he noted, “What does not mean to return little but now or later but much. These sums are the result of work of people. This...

In the opinion of economist Eduard Aghadjanov, the program of returning the deposits is not an economic but a populist step and the decision has all the chances to remain on paper. The budget for 2006 provides for a sum of $140 million to be allocated for the reimbursement of the deposits. “I was always surprised how inattentiveness of our authorities towards this issue”, he says. In his opinion the government will not be able to return the...

In 2006 the foreign debt of Armenia will be 1 billion 285 million UDS. It will exceed the index of this year by 50 million. By the way, the sum Armenia owes to international organizations as membership fee is not calculated. That sum will be 9 million USD. {BR} Today the NA Ad-Hoc Committees discussed the financing of the Foreign Ministry from the budget. Taking into account the fact that the Armenian...

Today 10 candidates for the posts of aldermen of Nor Hachin went to the Local Electoral Committee head Gnel Galoumyan demanding the results recorded in the 5 electoral areas. The LEC head refused to give them any results except the general protocol of the Committee. {BR} When the candidates some of whom have been elected already insisted on their demand, Gnel Galoumyan called the police who arrived...

Today the RA Ombudsman Larissa Alaverdyan had a new reason to complain of the RA Government. The budget fails to allot the stipulated sum to the Ombudsman's administration for the second year already. {BR} Larissa Alaverdyan announces that the Government did not want to support the Ombudsman's office. Taking into account the fact that the Ombudsman receives complaints mainly from several regions,...

The elections are over in Nor Hachin, but the post-elections passions are not. This time it refers to the elections of the aldermen. 5 days have already passed after them, but the electoral areas do not tell anything about the results. {BR} The headquarters of the candidates apply to the electoral areas to get information about the results of the elections, but they are sent to the Local Electoral...

Today several hours before the meeting with candidate for Mayor of Echmiadzin Yervand Aghvanyan 5 his supporters disappeared. Then an anonymous person informed that if the meeting with Aghvanyan does not take place, they won’t see the kidnapped any more.{BR} The indignant residents of Echmiadzin tied to meet with President Kocharian or his representative. However the meeting did not take place.

October 13 the capital city of Kabardino-Balkaria was attacked. Armed forces attempted to capture the force structures of Nalchik. Several hundreds of military rushed into the city.{BR} According to the latest data, 50 hirelings were eliminated, 12 civilians were killed and 88 taken to hospital.