Armenian News...A Topalian... Explanation of crossing oneself...
The explanation and way of crossing oneself
in the Armenian Church
https://www.facebook.com/westerndiocese/videos/10154354711271111/
https://www.facebook.com/westerndiocese/videos/10154354711271111/
arka.am
Private remittances to Armenia in 2015 slash by 30.1% or
Private remittances to Armenia in 2015 slash by 30.1% or
$520 million to about $1.208.470 billion, central bank
YEREVAN, February 1. Private remittances sent to Armenia in
2015 via banks slashed by 30.1% or $520 million from the previous year
to about $1.208.470 billion, the Central Bank of Armenia said in a
statement, posted on its official website today.
It said also remittances sent from Armenia to other counties via banks
fell by 6.6% from 2014 to $317 million. Thus, the net inflow of
private remittances last year amounted to $891.390 million, a decrease
of 35.8% when compared to 2014.
Remittances to Armenia, sent largely by Armenian labor migrants in
Russia and some other countries have been dwindling for the second
year in row. Thus, in 2014 they dropped by 7.6% from the previous year
to $1.7 billion.
The dramatic decline is blamed on the steep depreciation of the
Russian ruble. For example, in 2015 one Russian ruble was worth from
5.9 to 8 drams. In 2014, the ruble was worth 10.98 drams and in 2013
it traded at 12.88 drams.
Nonetheless, about 76% of all the remittances last year came as usual
from Russia. More specifically, they decreased by 36.1% to about
$915.9 million, while remittances from Armenia to Russia grew by 0.6%
to $204.57 million.
Private remittances are known to be the largest source of hard
currency inflows into Armenia. According to the Central Bank, from
2000 to 2013 remittances from abroad made 15-18% of Armenia's GDP.
According to some experts, the Armenian economy may grow at the rate
of 6-7% annually given that remittances grow by 10-15%. -0-
armradio.am
Armenia ranked 54th in 2016 Index of Economic Freedom
01 Feb 2016
Siranush Ghazanchyan
With an overall score of 67.0 Armenia is ranked 54th in the 2016 Index
of Economic Freedom released by the Heritage Foundation. Placed two
positions lower than last year, Armenia is rated as `moderately free'
country.
Other countries in the region are ranked as follows: Georgia ` 24,
Azerbaijan ` 91st, Turkey -79th, Iran 171th.
Armenia's partners in the Eurasian Economic Union Russia and Belarus
are placed 153rd and 157threspectively, Kazakhstan is 68th, Kyrgyzstan
is 96th.
Hong Kong tops the rating, followed by Singapore and New Zealand.
According to the report, considerable diversification of the economic
base has increased economic dynamism in Armenia. Broad simplification
of business procedures has facilitated regulatory efficiency.
Following expansionary fiscal policies in recent years, steps have
been taken to limit the cost of government through more prudent
management of public finance.
The Index of Economic Freedom focuses on four key aspects of the
economic environment over which governments typically exercise policy
control: Rule of law, Government size, Regulatory efficiency, and
Market openness.
In assessing conditions in these four categories, the Index measures
10 specific components of economic freedom, each of which is graded on
a scale from 0 to 100. Scores on these 10 components of economic
freedom, which are calculated from a number of sub-variables, are
equally weighted and averaged to produce an overall economic freedom
score for each economy.
YEREVAN, February 1. Private remittances sent to Armenia in
2015 via banks slashed by 30.1% or $520 million from the previous year
to about $1.208.470 billion, the Central Bank of Armenia said in a
statement, posted on its official website today.
It said also remittances sent from Armenia to other counties via banks
fell by 6.6% from 2014 to $317 million. Thus, the net inflow of
private remittances last year amounted to $891.390 million, a decrease
of 35.8% when compared to 2014.
Remittances to Armenia, sent largely by Armenian labor migrants in
Russia and some other countries have been dwindling for the second
year in row. Thus, in 2014 they dropped by 7.6% from the previous year
to $1.7 billion.
The dramatic decline is blamed on the steep depreciation of the
Russian ruble. For example, in 2015 one Russian ruble was worth from
5.9 to 8 drams. In 2014, the ruble was worth 10.98 drams and in 2013
it traded at 12.88 drams.
Nonetheless, about 76% of all the remittances last year came as usual
from Russia. More specifically, they decreased by 36.1% to about
$915.9 million, while remittances from Armenia to Russia grew by 0.6%
to $204.57 million.
Private remittances are known to be the largest source of hard
currency inflows into Armenia. According to the Central Bank, from
2000 to 2013 remittances from abroad made 15-18% of Armenia's GDP.
According to some experts, the Armenian economy may grow at the rate
of 6-7% annually given that remittances grow by 10-15%. -0-
armradio.am
Armenia ranked 54th in 2016 Index of Economic Freedom
01 Feb 2016
Siranush Ghazanchyan
With an overall score of 67.0 Armenia is ranked 54th in the 2016 Index
of Economic Freedom released by the Heritage Foundation. Placed two
positions lower than last year, Armenia is rated as `moderately free'
country.
Other countries in the region are ranked as follows: Georgia ` 24,
Azerbaijan ` 91st, Turkey -79th, Iran 171th.
Armenia's partners in the Eurasian Economic Union Russia and Belarus
are placed 153rd and 157threspectively, Kazakhstan is 68th, Kyrgyzstan
is 96th.
Hong Kong tops the rating, followed by Singapore and New Zealand.
According to the report, considerable diversification of the economic
base has increased economic dynamism in Armenia. Broad simplification
of business procedures has facilitated regulatory efficiency.
Following expansionary fiscal policies in recent years, steps have
been taken to limit the cost of government through more prudent
management of public finance.
The Index of Economic Freedom focuses on four key aspects of the
economic environment over which governments typically exercise policy
control: Rule of law, Government size, Regulatory efficiency, and
Market openness.
In assessing conditions in these four categories, the Index measures
10 specific components of economic freedom, each of which is graded on
a scale from 0 to 100. Scores on these 10 components of economic
freedom, which are calculated from a number of sub-variables, are
equally weighted and averaged to produce an overall economic freedom
score for each economy.
tert.am
Post-Christmas crisis or foot-and mouth disease? ` Meat sale
Post-Christmas crisis or foot-and mouth disease? ` Meat sale
down in Armenia after holidays
01.02.2016
The supermarkets and food-stores of Armenia saw a sharp decline in the
demand for meet after reports emerged that Russia banned the import of
Armenian meat products over concerns of reported cases of
foot-and-mouth decease.
Neither supermarket workers nor customers are silent on the fact.
`There isn't any trade at all, as people have heard that Russia has
banned the meat import because of the foot-and-mouth disease ¦ So they
choose instead to buy chicken,' a meat-seller from a Yerevan
food-store told our correspondent.
The State Food Security Service said in official statements recently
that only one case of the disease was registered in Armenia over the
past period. The infected animal, found in the village Arazap (Armavir
region) was later killed and buried.
Speaking to Tert.am, the village's mayor, Manvel Harutyunyan, said
that no further animal deaths.
`Everything is absolutely all right in the village; and no problem at
all with any animal ¦ I don't understand what they have made the panic
for. We every year have cases of foot-and-mouth disease,' he said in
an angry tone.
Babken Pipoyan, the president of the NGO Informed and Protected
Consumer, confirmed the recent reports, adding that an animal
slaughter has begun across the republic to avert a further spread of
the infection.
He disagreed to the remark that the disease is observed annually in
the republic. `The information wasn't initially made public; then we
had the report from Russia, and the fuss later spread across the
world, and our society. Panic is inevitable when Armenia isn't the
primary source of information as a state,' he added.
Tert.am also talked to Hrach Berberyan, the chairman of the Agrarian
Union, who cited the population's low purchasing power as a serious
reason for not buying meat in the post-holiday season.
`The meat sale is always down in Armenia in January. First, people
have quite a lot of different things left after the New Year, so they
try to avoid expenses, using only what they have. But [the sale boom]
will begin in January,' he added.
Commenting on the animal slaughter statistics in the country,
Berberyan said he thinks that it is commensurate with the market
demand.
The supermarkets and food-stores of Armenia saw a sharp decline in the
demand for meet after reports emerged that Russia banned the import of
Armenian meat products over concerns of reported cases of
foot-and-mouth decease.
Neither supermarket workers nor customers are silent on the fact.
`There isn't any trade at all, as people have heard that Russia has
banned the meat import because of the foot-and-mouth disease ¦ So they
choose instead to buy chicken,' a meat-seller from a Yerevan
food-store told our correspondent.
The State Food Security Service said in official statements recently
that only one case of the disease was registered in Armenia over the
past period. The infected animal, found in the village Arazap (Armavir
region) was later killed and buried.
Speaking to Tert.am, the village's mayor, Manvel Harutyunyan, said
that no further animal deaths.
`Everything is absolutely all right in the village; and no problem at
all with any animal ¦ I don't understand what they have made the panic
for. We every year have cases of foot-and-mouth disease,' he said in
an angry tone.
Babken Pipoyan, the president of the NGO Informed and Protected
Consumer, confirmed the recent reports, adding that an animal
slaughter has begun across the republic to avert a further spread of
the infection.
He disagreed to the remark that the disease is observed annually in
the republic. `The information wasn't initially made public; then we
had the report from Russia, and the fuss later spread across the
world, and our society. Panic is inevitable when Armenia isn't the
primary source of information as a state,' he added.
Tert.am also talked to Hrach Berberyan, the chairman of the Agrarian
Union, who cited the population's low purchasing power as a serious
reason for not buying meat in the post-holiday season.
`The meat sale is always down in Armenia in January. First, people
have quite a lot of different things left after the New Year, so they
try to avoid expenses, using only what they have. But [the sale boom]
will begin in January,' he added.
Commenting on the animal slaughter statistics in the country,
Berberyan said he thinks that it is commensurate with the market
demand.
RFE/RL
Armeni ranked 54th in 2016
Emil Danielyan
01.02.2016
President Barack Obama has reportedly hailed a significant increase in
U.S. investments in the Armenian economy registered last year and said
U.S.-Armenian commercial ties should deepen further in the years
ahead.
According to the Armenian Foreign Ministry, Obama made the comments as
he received the credentials of Armenia's newly appointed ambassador to
the United States, Grigor Hovannisian, late last week.
"President Obama noted that the 2015 rise in U.S. investments in
Armenia to a historic level is only the beginning of large-scale trade
and investment ties that are critical for Armenia, the region and
beyond," the ministry said in a statement.
Most of those investments stemmed from the sale of Armenia's largest
hydroelectric complex to a U.S. company, ContourGlobal. The $250
million deal, signed in June 2015, marked the single largest private
U.S. investment made in the Armenian economy to date. The U.S. Embassy
said afterwards that Washington is "very pleased" with the deal.
ContourGlobal's takeover of the Vorotan complex was formalized one
month after the signing in Washington of a U.S.-Armenian Trade and
Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA). In line with that agreement,
the U.S. and Armenian governments set up a joint Council on Trade and
Investment tasked with addressing obstacles to bilateral trade and
facilitating U.S. investments.
The council held its inaugural session in Yerevan in November. The
issues on its agenda included customs administration, intellectual
property rights, non-tariff trade barriers, food safety standards and
government procurement.
Richard Mills, the U.S. ambassador in Yerevan, said after the meeting
that Armenia needs to improve its investment climate if it is to
attract more U.S. investors. He said that while there are "real
opportunities" in the country for American firms they need a stronger
rule of law and a level playing field in order to set up shop there.
Another intergovernmental body, the U.S.-Armenia Task Force (USATF),
met in the Armenian capital the following day. It too discussed
trade-related issues.
"It's something that I am actually very optimistic about," Bridget
Brink, the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for European and
Eurasian affairs, said ahead of the annual USATF meeting.
Despite those developments, U.S.-Armenian trade plummeted by over 27
percent to $162 million in 2015, according to Armenian government
statistics. Armenian exports to the U.S. alone tumbled by as much as
40 percent to about $55 million. The reasons for this sharp drop are
not yet clear.
Armenia's overall foreign trade shrunk by over 20 percent in 2015
mainly because of decreased imports reflecting a significant fall in
multimillion-dollar cash remittances from Armenian migrant workers in
recession-hit Russia.
President Sarkisian reaffirmed the importance of close relations with
the U.S. to his government when he met with a visiting senior Obama
administration official on January 14. Charles Kupchan, senior
director for European affairs at the U.S. National Security Council,
arrived in Yerevan the day after visiting Baku and holding talks with
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
Both Aliyev and Sarkisian have been officially invited to attend a
global nuclear security summit that will begin its work in Washington
on March 31. Ambassador Hovannisian told Obama that the Armenian
president has accepted his invitation.
Sarkisian was among some 50 heads of state and government who
participated, at Obama's invitation, in a UN peacekeeping summit held
in New York in September.
hetq.am
While Imports From Some Countries Drop, Armenia Still Has
01.02.2016
President Barack Obama has reportedly hailed a significant increase in
U.S. investments in the Armenian economy registered last year and said
U.S.-Armenian commercial ties should deepen further in the years
ahead.
According to the Armenian Foreign Ministry, Obama made the comments as
he received the credentials of Armenia's newly appointed ambassador to
the United States, Grigor Hovannisian, late last week.
"President Obama noted that the 2015 rise in U.S. investments in
Armenia to a historic level is only the beginning of large-scale trade
and investment ties that are critical for Armenia, the region and
beyond," the ministry said in a statement.
Most of those investments stemmed from the sale of Armenia's largest
hydroelectric complex to a U.S. company, ContourGlobal. The $250
million deal, signed in June 2015, marked the single largest private
U.S. investment made in the Armenian economy to date. The U.S. Embassy
said afterwards that Washington is "very pleased" with the deal.
ContourGlobal's takeover of the Vorotan complex was formalized one
month after the signing in Washington of a U.S.-Armenian Trade and
Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA). In line with that agreement,
the U.S. and Armenian governments set up a joint Council on Trade and
Investment tasked with addressing obstacles to bilateral trade and
facilitating U.S. investments.
The council held its inaugural session in Yerevan in November. The
issues on its agenda included customs administration, intellectual
property rights, non-tariff trade barriers, food safety standards and
government procurement.
Richard Mills, the U.S. ambassador in Yerevan, said after the meeting
that Armenia needs to improve its investment climate if it is to
attract more U.S. investors. He said that while there are "real
opportunities" in the country for American firms they need a stronger
rule of law and a level playing field in order to set up shop there.
Another intergovernmental body, the U.S.-Armenia Task Force (USATF),
met in the Armenian capital the following day. It too discussed
trade-related issues.
"It's something that I am actually very optimistic about," Bridget
Brink, the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for European and
Eurasian affairs, said ahead of the annual USATF meeting.
Despite those developments, U.S.-Armenian trade plummeted by over 27
percent to $162 million in 2015, according to Armenian government
statistics. Armenian exports to the U.S. alone tumbled by as much as
40 percent to about $55 million. The reasons for this sharp drop are
not yet clear.
Armenia's overall foreign trade shrunk by over 20 percent in 2015
mainly because of decreased imports reflecting a significant fall in
multimillion-dollar cash remittances from Armenian migrant workers in
recession-hit Russia.
President Sarkisian reaffirmed the importance of close relations with
the U.S. to his government when he met with a visiting senior Obama
administration official on January 14. Charles Kupchan, senior
director for European affairs at the U.S. National Security Council,
arrived in Yerevan the day after visiting Baku and holding talks with
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
Both Aliyev and Sarkisian have been officially invited to attend a
global nuclear security summit that will begin its work in Washington
on March 31. Ambassador Hovannisian told Obama that the Armenian
president has accepted his invitation.
Sarkisian was among some 50 heads of state and government who
participated, at Obama's invitation, in a UN peacekeeping summit held
in New York in September.
hetq.am
While Imports From Some Countries Drop, Armenia Still Has
Trade Deficit
Seda Hergnyan
14:11, February 1, 2016
Armenia is one of those countries that imports more than it exports¦much more.
In 2015, Armenia imported US$ 3.254 billion in goods and exported $
1.487 billion, resulting in a trade deficit of $1.767 billion.
The top ten countries Armenia imported from in 2015 were Russia (29.1%
of overall imports), China (9.7%), Germany (6.2%), Iran (6.1%), Turkey
(4.2%), Italy (4.6%0, Ukraine (3.8%), USA (3.3%), Georgia (2.1%),
France (2%).
Imports from Russia declined by 15.6% in 2015 when compared to 2014;
France by 18.4%, Germany by 28.7%, Italy by 17.4%, USA by 18.5%, Iran
by 3.9%, Turkey by 41%, China by 24.2%, Georgia by 7.1%, and Ukraine
by 38.2%.
Georgia is the only country with which Armenia has a positive trade
balance. Last year, Armenia exported $116 million in goods to Georgia
and imported $67 million.
Despite dropping imports, Armenia still imports twice as much as it exports.
In 2011 Armenia imported $4.145 billion in goods and exported $1.334 billion.
In 2012 Armenia imported $4.261 billion and exported $1.380 billion.
In 2013 Armenia imported $4.385 billion and exported $1.478 billion.
In 2014 Armenia imported $4.424 billion and exported $1.547 billion.
In 2015 Armenia imported $3.254 billion and exported $1.487 billion.
Overall, imports from CIS countries dropped by 18.5% and by 31.3% from
the European Union.
Seda Hergnyan
14:11, February 1, 2016
Armenia is one of those countries that imports more than it exports¦much more.
In 2015, Armenia imported US$ 3.254 billion in goods and exported $
1.487 billion, resulting in a trade deficit of $1.767 billion.
The top ten countries Armenia imported from in 2015 were Russia (29.1%
of overall imports), China (9.7%), Germany (6.2%), Iran (6.1%), Turkey
(4.2%), Italy (4.6%0, Ukraine (3.8%), USA (3.3%), Georgia (2.1%),
France (2%).
Imports from Russia declined by 15.6% in 2015 when compared to 2014;
France by 18.4%, Germany by 28.7%, Italy by 17.4%, USA by 18.5%, Iran
by 3.9%, Turkey by 41%, China by 24.2%, Georgia by 7.1%, and Ukraine
by 38.2%.
Georgia is the only country with which Armenia has a positive trade
balance. Last year, Armenia exported $116 million in goods to Georgia
and imported $67 million.
Despite dropping imports, Armenia still imports twice as much as it exports.
In 2011 Armenia imported $4.145 billion in goods and exported $1.334 billion.
In 2012 Armenia imported $4.261 billion and exported $1.380 billion.
In 2013 Armenia imported $4.385 billion and exported $1.478 billion.
In 2014 Armenia imported $4.424 billion and exported $1.547 billion.
In 2015 Armenia imported $3.254 billion and exported $1.487 billion.
Overall, imports from CIS countries dropped by 18.5% and by 31.3% from
the European Union.
RFE/RL Report
Dashnaktsutyun Defends Return To `Discredited' Government
Ruzanna Stepanian
01.02.2016
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) on Monday
defended its readiness to cut a new power-sharing deal with President
Serzh Sarkisian, while acknowledging that his administration is
unpopular with many Armenians.
Armen Rustamian, a Dashnaktsutyun leader, insisted that his party can
improve the state of affairs in Armenia by rejoining its "discredited"
government.
"In this situation, we can see that the authorities are discredited,"
Rustamian told reporters. "But their being discredited is a problem
for all of us, isn't it? We are looking to change the quality,
approaches and policies of the government and to change the situation
in the country."
Rustamian agreed that Dashnaktsutyun will upset many of its supporters
by again teaming up with Sarkisian and taking up government
posts. "Naturally being part of the government automatically means
losing your approval ratings," he said. "But it's better for us to pay
this price than for the whole nation to lose the state."
"We are going to pay the price. But rest assured that we are also
going to have a much better Armenia," he added.
Eduard Sharmazanov, the spokesman for Sarkisian's Republican Party of
Armenia (HHK), was quick to rebuke Rustamian for alleging a lack of
popular support for the ruling regime. "I'm not saying that the people
are crazy about the Republicans," he said. "But the fact is that for
all its shortcomings, the HHK is the most established, stable,
disciplined and influential political force in Armenia."
Dashnaktsutyun pulled out of Sarkisian's coalition government in 2009
in protest against his controversial policy of rapprochement with
Turkey. The party which is particularly influential in the worldwide
Armenian Diaspora increasingly criticized the government in the
following years. But it effectively stopped challenging Sarkisian in
2013 as the latter pressed ahead with a constitutional reform backed
by Dashnaktsutyun.
Sarkisian reportedly offered Dashnaktsutyun, which holds 5 seats in
the 131-member National Assembly, to rejoin his cabinet last
month. The two sides have since been negotiating details of the
power-sharing deal.
Rustamian said they have not yet reached an agreement on the
ministerial and other government posts that will be given to his
party. He said that Dashnaktsutyun will primarily strive to make a
difference in Armenia not with those posts but through the full
implementation of the constitutional reform. To that end, he said,
Dashnaktsutyun will lobby for the passage of a dozen major laws
stemming from the reform.
The sweeping constitutional changes envisage Armenia's transition to
the parliamentary form of government after Sarkisian ends his second
and final presidential term in 2018.Dashnaktsutyun says that the
parliamentary republic bodes well for the country's
democratization. Rustamian claimed that the reform has already made
Armenia's political system more democratic.
Leading opposition groups are bound to brush aside these claims. They
maintain that the main purpose of the amendments enacted in the
December 6 referendum is to enable Sarkisian to effectively extend his
rule. They also accuse the authorities of having blatantly rigged the
referendum and planning similar fraud for the next parliamentary
elections due in 2017.
No comments:
Post a Comment