Armenian News

RA Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan Presents the Newly-Appointed
Rector of RA Foreign Ministry’s Diplomatic School


YEREVAN, JULY 1, ARMENPRESS: RA Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan
presented today the newly-appointed Rector of RA Foreign Ministry’s
Diplomatic School Vahe Gabrielyan to the staff and the students of the
diplomatic school. An official from the press and information
department of RA Foreign Affairs Ministry told Armenpress that Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandyan mentioned that the experience and skills of
Ambassador Vahe Gabrielyan will help the school achieve its goals.





Mr. Nalbandyan also mentioned that being the head of the first
farriery [??] of the Armenian diplomats is honor, and at the same time,
very difficult and obliging. The Minister mentioned that the Foreign
Ministry’s Diplomatic School should become the main educational
establishment for the Armenian diplomats. Ambassador Vahe Gabrielyan
expressed his gratitude and said he will do his best for strengthening
the roots of the diplomatic school and registering success.

Poverty level may reach 31% in Armenia in absence of remittances
PanARMENIAN.Net
June 25, 2010 - 19:10 AMT 14:10 GMT

Executive Director of the Center for Economic Development and
Researches Gagik Torosyan said that the poverty level may increase
from 23.5% to 31.5% in Armenia in absence of remittances.

Problems of national and economic security, development of financial
mediation, securing of services availability, as well as development of
communities and introduction of experience, culture and technologies
for the development of small business are among priorities of
remittances' policy.

Besides, the policy should be balanced, so that it does not encourage
migration extremely, what may lead to serious demographic problems,
Torosyan told an international conference on economic and social
impact of migration, remittances and Diaspora.

PRICES DOWN IN ARMENIA
news.am
June 30 2010
Armenia

A 0.8% fall in consumer prices was registered in Armenia this June.

The RA Statistical Service reports that the food prices showed a 1.2%
fall, with a 0.9% fall in the nonfood prices registered.

RA Premier Tigran Sargsyan stated the other day that Armenia
was entering a deflation stage. Nothing extraordinary - seasonal
inflation fluctuations are typical of Armenia. This June-September,
the agricultural season, deflation and slower rates of price rise are
registered every year. Inflation normally follows the agricultural
season.

According to the statistical data, the reason for deflation is a fall
in the prices for eggs, vegetables, fruit, and sugar. Deflation would
be more appreciable if this year's fruit yield had not been affected
by bad weather. However, the statistical data are hardly trustworthy.

Specifically, an 8.4% fall in the fruit prices was allegedly registered
this June as compared with last June. However, the prices for fruit
must have reached the record level this year. Any Armenian housewife
will confirm this.

According to the RA Statistical Service, a 4.5% inflation rate was
registered this June as compared with last December, and a 5.8%
inflation rate as compared with last June. Therefore, the inflation
still exceeds the target, 4%±1.5%.


lragir.am

IMF CRITICIZES AND GIVES LOANS
NAIRA HAYRUMYAN
12:49:18 - 29/06/2010

The International Monetary Fund confirmed two anti-crisis credit
programs for Armenia. Each of them is scheduled for three years; the
amount of each is approximately 197, 4 million. About 53, 6 million
will be immediately allocated. IMF, once again extending its hand to
Armenia, proposes structural reforms.

Already no one conceals the fact that the Armenian economy is
structured wrongly, even the power itself. The prime minister chose
a safe tactics: he recognizes the dominant on the market of major
business, but indirectly hints that he is not capable of fighting
against them. For systemic changes, political steps are needed to
be implemented by the president. He, in turn, is linked to the major
business with obligations.

All is well versed in the situation, but nothing concrete has been
taken. Life in Armenia takes place in information space: here we have
8.8% economic growth, grandiose plans, "fingers" that threaten to
oligopolies, negative assessments of the international organizations
that are "overwritten" in the news, but they later trumpet on the
amount of loans from the same organizations.

How effective the economic policy of the government is we can judge by
the prices of foodstuffs. Many housewives this summer refused cooking
jams and dried fruits, because in the height of the season, fruits
are sold at fabulous prices. Prices are supported artificially. In
May, compared with December of last year, the consumer price index
in Armenia amounted to 105, 3%.

Despite the "fight" against monopolies the profit of major enterprisers
keeps growing. Thus, the share of 344 largest taxpayers in the
total imports of the country in January-April amounted to 56, 7%,
and exports - all of 72, 4%. 50 largest companies have provided
exactly 50% of all taxes paid in 1000 companies.

Today in Armenia there are big possibilities for a faster increase
in case we are able to build the structure of our market on the
principles of a more open system, said the executive director of
the Fund of national competitiveness of Armenia Bekor Papazyan. "The
game rules for investors are to be clearer for them to work on the
basis of the law and in order to have a more open system. Today,
in Armenia we do not have it", said the director.

Recently, the head of the World Bank Yerevan Office has stated that
more than one third of the Armenian economy is in the shadow.

Moreover, he suddenly pointed out the main "shadow" industry- mining.



RFE/RL Report

Armenian Railway `Still Readying' For Turkish Border Opening
Armenia -- Transport and Communications Minister Manuk Vartanian (L)
and Vladimir Yakunin, head of Russia's national railway, visit
Yerevan's newly renovated central railway station, 1July 2010.
01.07.2010
Hasmik Smbatian

The head of Russia's state-run railway, RZD, said on Thursday that its
Armenian subsidiary is continuing technical preparations for the
possible opening of Armenia's border with Turkey and renewed rail
communication between the two countries.


`We are conducting work on the future exploitation of the border
crossing with Turkey,' Vladimir Yakunin told reporters in
Yerevan. `Although this issue has not yet been solved, we will
nonetheless be working on the rail component, and this issue has
already been agreed with the government of Armenia.'

`Naturally, in our strategies, we proceed from the assumption that
sooner or later political problems [between Armenia and Turkey] will
be settled. And as far as I know, the Armenian leadership attaches
huge importance to this issue,' Yakunin said.

The Armenian railway network, which is managed by RZD, began upgrading
a railway station and other infrastructure near the Turkish-Armenian
border shortly after Yerevan and Ankara made significant progress in
fence-mending negotiations in late 2008. The subsequent stalling of
the normalization process made the border's opening highly unlikely in
the foreseeable future.

RZD took over the struggling network, now called the South Caucasus
Railway (SCR), in January 2008 in accordance with a long-term
management contract signed with the Armenian government. The deal
committed the Russians to investing $230 million in Armenia during the
first five years of operations and another $240 million in the
following years. The government repeatedly accused them, until
recently, of failing to honor this and other contractual obligations.

The SCR's chief executive, Shevket Shaydulin, said in late December
that RZD investments in the network soared in 2009 and that the
company will fully honor its commitments by the end of 2010.

Yakunin also defended his company's track record in Armenia, saying
that RZD boosted capital investments despite the global recession. He
also pointed to Yerevan's newly renovated main rail station, which he
inaugurated on Wednesday together with Armenian Transport Minister
Manuk Vartanian.

The RZD chief met with Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian later in the
day. A government statement said Sarkisian `highly assessed bilateral
cooperation' with the Russian rail giant.

ARMENIA'S ORIENT EXPRESS
by Giorgi Lomsadze
EurasiaNet
June 29 2010

The Russians are likely to build and the Iranians plan to pick up much
of the tab for a proposed Armenia-Iran railroad, meant to provide a
second international railway route for landlocked and semi-blockaded
Armenia.

Two subsidiaries of Russian Railroad placed bids to construct the
400-kilometer line, a job with an estimated cost of anywhere from
$1.7 billion to $4 billion. The terrain is mountainous, making it
difficult and cost-consuming to clear the roadbed, but Yerevan says
the link will offer a vital gateway for Armenia's exports.

The furthest Armenians can now travel by train is to the Georgian
Black Sea port city of Batumi. The dispute over the breakaway region
of Abkhazia and the Nagorno-Karabakh War long ago put paid to railway
connections to Russia.

After completing a feasibility study, Tehran said it will pay its own
money to build the Iranian section of the railroad and will co-sponsor
the Armenian section.



KIM KARDASHIAN GETS HER BEHIND MEASURED FOR
MADAME TUSSAUDS WAX FIGURE IN NEW YORK
Anthony Benigno
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Wednesday, June 30th 2010, 4:00 AM

In a scene straight out of most men's fantasies, the reality star
posted a photo on her Web site last week of a woman measuring her
ample behind.

"Hmm... why would I be getting measured... Curiosity? Dress fitting?

Can you guess?"

Kardashian now reveals that she was getting measured for her own
Madam Tussauds wax figure.

The 23-year-old star, who posted a photo of her head cast on Tuesday,
will appear in red-carpet position in a Herve Leger dress at the New
York museum.

"This is one of the greatest honors ever and I am so thrilled and
excited," Kardashian tweeted. "Now I will never have to leave NYC.

I've officially gone bi-coastal!"

This is not the first time Kardashian's assets have inspired artists.

Her rear end popped up in Eminem's "We Made You" video last year.

In the video, the spoof Kim gets up from a table and shakes her
oversized behind in Eminem's face as he falls over in surprise.

"Damn, I think Kim Kardashian's a man/She stomped him just cause
he asked to put his hands/On her massive Gluteus maximus again,"
the rapper sings.

Though Kardashian may have stomped ex-boyfriend Reggie Bush's heart
two months ago, she has reportedly moved on to another NFL star:
Dallas Cowboys' Miles Austin.