ARMENIAN POPULATION TO DECREASE BY 6% TILL 2025
arminfo
2007-08-14 13:56:00

World Bank experts forecast reduction of the Armenian population by 6%
(200,000 people) by 2025, WB Report on Demographics in Eastern Europe
and for Soviet Union says.

The countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union are
experiencing a third transition, a transition that overlaps with
their recent political and economic transitions. Populations have
been aging quite rapidly in many countries. The report says that by
2025, the population of Russia will decrease by 12% (17.3 million
people), Ukraine - by 24% (11.8 million people), Belarus by 14%
(11.4 million people), Georgia by 17% (800,000 people), Lithuania -
by 11% (400,000 people), Latvia by 13% (300,000 people), Moldova - 7%
(300,000 people), Kazakhstan by 2% (300,000 people), and Estonia by 9%
(100,000 people). Quite on the contrary, the population in Uzbekistan
will increase by 9.3 million people, in Tajikistan by 2.6 million
people, in Turkmenistan by 1.6 million people, in Azerbaijan by 1.5
million people and in Kyrghyzstan by 1.3 million people. Generally,
over the coming 20 years, the total population in Eastern Europe and
former USSR will decrease by 24 million people.

In 2025, more than one in five people in the region will be more
than 65 years old. The experts say the processes in the former
Soviet Union are almost similar to those in Eastern Europe in 1970
i.e. birth-rate decline and longevity growth. For instance, Ukraine
has common demographic features with Great Britain, and common living
standards with Venezuela.

Experts say the most serious problem in the former Soviet Union is
pension provision. Most of people in the region are unable to secure
their old age.

The way out of the situation is increase in labor productivity and
social reforms.

MOUNTAIN ARARAT CANNOT AVOID THIS GLOBAL RISE IN TEMPERATURE
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Aug 13 2007

ISTANBUL, AUGUST 13, NOYAN TAPAN - ARMENIANS TODAY. The Turkish Daily
"Sabah" reports that the global rise in temperature throughout the
earth, as well, as the drought hanging over Turkey had their influence
on the mountain Ararat. This year it is thawing on the top of Ararat,
which is covered with snow all the year round.

According to the Daily "Marmara", Jamaleddin, the head of the
Dogubayazit provice, has informed Demirtchogli that mountainers have
not noticed any phenomena of thaw. However, the information received
from the meteorological station shows that in comparison with previous
years, thaw though little has been recorded. 

Turkish organizations protest against Armenian nuclear power plant

7 August 2007

BBC Monitoring European

Text of report in English by Turkish news agency Anatolia

Igdir, 6 August: Members of several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) gathered in the eastern Turkish city of Igdir to draw attention to hazards of nuclear power plants.

They also demanded closure of the Metsamor nuclear power plant in Armenia, which is situated only 16 kilometres away from the Turkish border.

Speaking on behalf of the protestors, The Association of Health Workers For Peace and Environment Against Nuclear Jeopardy (Nused) secretary-general, Derman Boztokm said, "Global nuclear energy lobbies put pressure on the developing countries to use nuclear energy instead of renewable energy for their own financial benefits."

"Whole eastern and southeastern Anatolia would be affected in case of an accident at the Metsamor nuclear power plant. The plant was declared as the most dangerous power plant in the world by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the EU. This power plant should be shut down as soon as possible," he said.

The Metsamor Nuclear power plant was built in 1970s, about 30 kilometres west of the Armenian capital of Yerevan. The plant was constructed with two VVER-440 Model V230 nuclear reactors and the technology used at the time was no longer compatible with modern safety standards.

The power plant produces about 40 per cent of Armenia's electricity. It was closed due to the 1988 earthquake in Armenia. However, energy shortages in Armenia compelled the Armenian government to reopen the plant in 1993.

The EU continues to encourage the Armenian government to shut down the Metsamor power plant but the Armenian government first wants to acquire enough alternative sources of energy to compensate for a shutdown of the reactor.

Train with Russian military equipment leaves Georgia for Armenia.

9 August 2007

ITAR-TASS World Service

TBILISI, August 9 (Itar-Tass) — A train with 10 units of automobile equipment, 17 trailers and material property of the Russian base in Batumi weighing a total of 200 tonnes has been sent to the Russian military base Gyumri in Armenia on Thursday, a representative of the command of the Group of Russian Forces (GRF) in the Transcaucasus told ITAR-TASS on Thursday.

According to him, all the equipment and property “were delivered beforehand to the cargo railway station of Batumi and loaded on a train consisting of 21 cars which headed for Armenia at night today.” The GRF representative said that the train would cross the Georgian-Armenian border on Thursday afternoon and continue its movement to Gyumri.

As the GRF representative said, in the current year, another four trains and one motor convoy will take property and equipment of the base in Batumi from Georgia to the base in Gumri in Armenia. In the period from May to late July, 11 trains took equipment and property from the base in Batumi from Georgia to Russia (via Azerbaijan).

Under the Georgian-Russian accords, the Russian military base in Batumi should be closed before October 1, 2008. At the end of June, the Russian military base in Akhalkalaki was transferred to the Georgian Defence Ministry.

ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT TO ALLOCATE AMD 9.3BLN TO SUPPORT COUNTRY'S REGIONS

9 August 2007

ARKA - News (Armenia)

YEREVAN, August 9. /ARKA/. By the end of 2007, Armenia's Government will allocate AMD 9.3bln to solve priority issues of the country's regions, said Deputy Minister of Finance and Economy Pavel Safaryan. He said that regional administrations presented the list of the priority issues to this sum to the Government.

"The administrations treat as priority work rehabilitation of roofs of houses, gas supply, water communication, school repair. According to the order of Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan by the end of 2007 the work on support of local communities should be finished," he said.

Safaryan said that to organize project-accounting work on support program, Tuesday, Armenia's Government allocated AMD 300mln to the Ministry of Urban Development.

During a month, project-accounting work will be conducted in all the objects to be rehabilitated, precise calculation of costs will be made, only then construction work will start.

"At the average, from AMD 800mln to AMD 1.2bln will be allocated for rehabilitation work in one region. Maximum finances will be allocated for the work in Gegharkunik and Syunik regions of the country," he said. ($1 - AMD 337.21).