Armenian News

CASH FLOWS FROM ARMENIA'S PARTNER COUNTRIES REASON FOR

PESSIMISTIC FORECASTS, PREMIER SAYS
ARKA
Oct 20, 2008

YEREVAN, October 20. /ARKA/. The reason for gloomy forecasts of
Armenia's economy is financial flows from the country's main trade
partners, RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan said last week.

"Since the European Union has 60% share in Armenia's trade, we
depend much on the financial situation in the European trade zone,"
the premier said, summing up the Armenian delegation's visit to
Washington on October 9-15.

Armenia-EU trade turnover totaled $1,219.3mln in January-August 2008 -
20.5% year-on-year increase. The share of EU in Armenia's trade was
36.8% in the reporting period. European exports to Armenia rose 9.6%
to $392mln.

Armenian imports to EU increased by 26.4% to $827.3mln.

"Inflation risks remain high in EU, and the European Central Bank
has to lower the interest rate to avoid further economic downturn,"
Sargsyan said, stressing the importance of overhauling European and
U.S. economies.

"However, the record-low fuel prices in stock markets have no influence
on consumer prices due to considerable economic lags," the premier
was quoted saying.

He underlined the Washington debates and talks over 2009 fuel price
forecasts.

Sargsyan urged Armenia to keep a vigilant watch over economic
developments in Europe, adding setback of import prices will be

beneficial for Armenia's economic programs, as the main reason for
this year's record-high inflation was the hike in import prices.

"If import prices plummet, Armenia's harsh monetary and credit policy
will help curb inflation and the Central Bank will be able to lower
interest rates, covering liquidity needs and boosting economy,"
the premier said.

Azerbaijan's military expenses to make $7 bln for 2003-2009
18 October 2008 [10:46] - Today.Az

Day.Az reports with reference to AzerTac that in 2003 the overall
military expenses of Azerbaijan made $163,000,000, while in 2008 this
figure makes $1,850,000,000.

In 2003-2008 $4,500,000,000 was allocated for military purposes.

In the future Azerbaijan will raise its military expenses over this
year. Thus, about $7 bln will be used for military expenses in
2003-2009.

Armenia To Cut Visa Fees In Bid To Boost Tourism
By Emil Danielyan

The government will ask parliament to approve a fivefold reduction in
visa fees for foreign citizens making short trips to Armenia as part of
its efforts to boost the national tourism industry.

Foreigners traveling to Armenia currently have to pay a fixed fee of
15,000 drams ($50) for a visa valid for up to 120 days. Under a draft
legal amendment approved by the government on Thursday, those of
them who plan to stay in the country for up to 21 days would be
charged only 3,000 drams. The fee for those planning longer stays
would remain unchanged.

A government statement said the measure is designed to attract more
tourists to Armenia. It argued that such travelers typically spend no
more than three weeks in a particular country.

Obtaining an Armenian visa is already quite easy. Foreigners can get it
not only at Armenian consulates abroad but at Yerevan airport and the
country's land border crossings. Also, in 2003 Armenia became the second
country in the world to issue visas online.

Armenia's tourism sector has expanded significantly over the past decade
parallel to its economic growth and improving services infrastructure.
Successive governments in Yerevan have declared its development a top
economic priority.

The cabinet of Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian also approved on Thursday
a separate four-year plan of measures which it hopes will spur further
growth in tourism. The government statement said they are specifically
aimed at `improving the legal framework regulating the sector and
developing the tourism infrastructure.' It did not elaborate.

According to government estimates, a record-high 500,000 foreigners,
most of them ethnic Armenians from Europe, the United States and Russia,
visited Armenia last year. Tourism officials at the Armenian Ministry of
Economy say their number will likely rise to 600,000 this year despite
the recent war in neighboring Georgia.

ARMENIA: QUARREL OVER MARCH VIOLENCE CONTINUES
Opposition says evidence of police violence against protesters in

Yerevan on March 1 being suppressed.
By Gegham Vardanian in Yerevan

Fierce debate is continuing in Armenia over the bloody events that took place

in Yerevan following the disputed parliamentary elections in February.

The focus of attention is a parliamentary commission set up in June to

investigate the violence. Although the main opposition is boycotting the

commission saying it is too biased towards the government, it has become

the main focus for agonised discussions about the events in the Armenian

capital on March 1-2, in which at least ten people died after police broke up

opposition demonstrations.

The opposition said the government was trying to break up peaceful protests,

after what they say was a rigged election on February 19 that saw Serzh

Sarkisian declared president of Armenia. The authorities say they were

acting to prevent an attempt by the opposition, led by former president Levon

Ter-Petrosian, to seize power.

More than 100 opposition activists were arrested after the night of violence

and many are still in jail.

Last week, the monitoring commission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the

Council of Europe, PACE, said it was still deeply concerned about the detentions.

A statement on October 2 read, "Serious questions remain regarding the nature

of the charges brought against people arrested in relation to the events on 1 and

2 March, as well as regarding the court proceedings of several cases, including

with regard to the principle of a fair trial. In addition, and contrary to assembly

demands, 19 persons have been convicted on the basis of police testimony only."

The parliamentary commission was due to present its findings this month, but has

asked for another two months to finish its enquiries.

The commission contains representatives from the main pro-government parties

as well as other smaller political groups outside parliament. But neither the main

opposition grouping in parliament, the Heritage Party, nor the new opposition,

Armenian National Congress alliance, are taking part in the commission.

The commission has set up a fact-finding group and is considering evidence

from journalists and independent activists.

The opposition has said it may take part in the fact-finding group if it is given

proper representation in the new body along with independent experts.

In recent sessions of the commission, there has been heated debate about

footage shot by a cameraman from the A1+ company, which is generally critical

of the government, that shows blood on a Yerevan street and what look like

fragments of a jaw-bone and brains lying on the ground.

If confirmed to be human remains, they indicate that there was a further victim

of the bloodshed, who was not officially listed among the casualties.

Shota Vardanian, an expert with the Armenian ministry of health, told the

commission that the footage was a fabrication and that the body parts actually

belonged to a piglet. He promised to provide written documents supporting

his case, although he has not yet done so.

Human rights ombudsman Armen Harutiunian was not convinced, saying,

"Shota Vardanian's conclusions about the jaw-bone of a piglet reassured no

one. This episode has confirmed my opinion that the video-footage needs to

be assessed by an international expert."

Viktoria Abrahamian, a correspondent with A1+, said that she was working

in the studio on the night of March 1 and that three cameramen brought in

terrible pictures of what they had filmed.

"They were young inexperienced cameramen," she said. "They came back

from their filming in a state of shock. They saw a lot of blood. They brought

back the terrible pictures showing the jaw-bone and human brains. They

said they saw the dead man. They felt sick."

Abrahamian said she had no doubt that the pictures were genuine, having

seen some of the street scenes herself.

"On March 1 I came into the studio and my trousers and shows were covered

in blood," she said. "I was wearing long trousers and they were stained by

the blood as I walked along."

The head of the commission, Samvel Nikoyan, has complained that not

enough witnesses are making themselves available to the enquiry.

"There are both policemen and demonstrators who are eye-witnesses,"

he said. "Unfortunately, there are no neutral eye-witnesses who have come

forward and publicly given their point of view."

Opposition activist Armen Khachatrian responded, "Someone has to be

sure that if they go to the commission his words will be used properly. But

up till now, the testimony of our witnesses in the courts and also the video

materials we've supplied have had absolutely no effect."

The opposition is angry about the trial next month of seven of its supporters,

amongst them three members of parliament, who are facing charges of

trying to seize power.

The man leading the investigation into what has been called "the case

of the seven", Vahagn Harutiunian, said that people with information and

eyewitnesses were not coming forward to help his enquiries.

Anna Israelian, a journalist with the newspaper Aravot, has published a

number of articles on the case and says it is a clear instance of a politically

motivated prosecution.

"The enquiry has been conducted with the clear goal of collecting the

maximum possible amount of material and trying to confirm the allegation

that the opposition is exclusively responsible for what happened," she said.

"The testimony of people who were hurt and who bore witness to the use

of police violence has been made deliberately vague. For example, the

testimony of one man about how he was on his way home amidst a crowd

of demonstrators and was wounded ended up as follows: 'well, I am not

sure who wounded me, a policeman or a demonstrator'.

"There were definitely cases of throwing of stones; of barricades; of

resistance - that's a fact. But it is just not true that the opposition was

trying to seize power."

Human rights ombudsman Armen Harutiunian said that his office has

received around 15 complaints that their evidence is being twisted by

investigators.

"People say that they were beaten so as to give voluntary confessions

or testimony about others," said Harutiunian. "But when we ask the

prosecutor's office about this, we are told that these complaints have

no basis in reality."

PACE is insisting it wants to see an impartial investigation into what

happened on March 1-2 in Yerevan. Thomas Hammarberg, PACE's

commissioner for human rights, said last month, "The situation with

respect to the persons deprived of their liberty in connection with the

1-2 March events continues to be a source of serious concern."

Gegham Vardanian is a correspondent with Internews in Yerevan.

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