Armenian News...A Topalian...'We are Armenians' Video https://youtu.be/hKWaUg4cC70 lragir.am KIRK KERKORIAN: BIG LOSS FOR ARMENIA Hakob Badalyan, Political Commentator 16 June 2015 The U.S. press informs that the American billionaire, financier Kirk Kerkorian of Armenian origin died at the age of 98. According to the American media, Kerkorian died in Los Angeles. The Armenian billionaire was one of the embodiments and symbols of the American Dream. He climbed up the stairs of life thanks to his hard work and business acumen and reached big heights. Kerkorian has had a big role in the history of independent Armenia. Beginning with the first years of independence he has provided huge financial assistance to Armenia. His biggest project was the donation of over 200 million dollars for the reconstruction of hundreds of kilometers of roads, dozens of schools, cultural institutions, construction of apartments in Gyumri. The latest initiative, according to the press, was going to be the production of a film on the Armenian genocide which would involve famous directors, writers and actors of Hollywood. It is hard to tell whether this initiative will stop or will continue. Kerkorian's death is a big loss for Armenia. However, not only because he provided financial assistance to Armenia and it may stop altogether. This is not the only issue. Kerkorian was the symbol of a world-level Armenian who succeeded in the global competition, achieved a lot. In addition, he did not get everything out of air or by mismanagement of state and public resources, as most of unlike Armenian billionaires. He came into a fortune with hard work of long years, starting at a young age. Thanks to his mind, hard work, consistency and willpower, he went higher step after step, having big achievements in business. At the same time he bore in mind the sense of statehood, an adequate vision of the Armenian state, evidence to which is the targets of his financial assistance. In this sense, Kerkorian was first of all a model of broad thinking, laboriousness, will, consistency. First of all, Armenia needed Kerkorian as a model, only then as a billionaire. It is a precious and important resource for Armenia, a landmark and guideline to values and civilization. Hence, the task of Armenia should be to manage during their lifetime to set up such communication with them as to use this resource for the modernization and competitiveness of Armenia at best. One should confess that in the case of Kirk Kerkorian this resource was not used efficiently. It was impossible to provide a sufficient level and depth and scope of communication which would produce a more comprehensive result and get from Kerkorian not only the money it gave to Armenia but also the value that he could give but Armenia did not demonstrate such demand. Moreover, the money was spent with such efficiency that the large-scale projects did not have a continuation. In this regard, Kerkorian's death is a big loss indeed, and even a signal of alarm to some extent, a bell that rings to warn that this resource should be used for Armenia with more depth and comprehensivene. RFE/RL Report Yerevan Downplays European Court Ruling On Karabakh Tigran Avetisian 18.06.2015 Armenia on Thursday played down political implications of a European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruling on an Azerbaijani lawsuit stemming from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian insisted that it will have no impact on international efforts to broker a solution to the conflict that are spearheaded by the United States, Russia and France. "The Minsk Group of the OSCE is the only structure with an international mandate to deal with the conflict's resolution," he said in comments to RFE/RL's Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). The ECHR ruled earlier this week on two lawsuits filed by Armenian and Azerbaijani former residents of districts around Karabakh who were displaced during the 1991-1994 war for the disputed territory. It said that Azerbaijan and Armenia violated the plaintiffs' respective property rights and should eventually compensate them. The Strasbourg court thus held Armenia responsible for the displacement of Elkhan Chiragov and five other Azerbaijani plaintiffs from Azerbaijan's Lachin district occupied by Karabakh Armenian forces in 1992. It said that Yerevan has had "effective control over Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding territories," including Lachin, despite Armenian claims to the contrary. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry hailed this conclusion on Wednesday, saying that the ECHR thereby "put an end to Armenia's nonstop denial of the occupation of Azerbaijani lands." "The decision on Chiragov's lawsuit applies to an individual case and it cannot affect the negotiation process aimed at the conflict's resolution," insisted Nalbandian. "By exploiting that decision Azerbaijan can only damage efforts at a peaceful settlement." Nalbandian said that the return of Armenian and Azerbaijani refugees to their homes can only be the result of a "comprehensive" Armenian-Azerbaijani peace accord. He said the U.S., Russia and France have repeatedly made this clear in their joint statements on the Karabakh dispute. RFE/RL Report World Bank Warns Of Future Power Shortages In Armenia Sargis Harutyunyan 16.06.2015 Armenia could face a shortage of electricity unless it builds a new and large power plant in the coming years, energy experts from the World Bank warned in a report made public on Tuesday. Their 67-page "policy note" analyzes challenges facing the Armenian energy sector and suggests concrete ways of confronting them. "Armenia will need an additional power generation capacity in the near future in order to avoid supply shortages in the long run," one of its authors, Artur Kochnakian, told reporters. He argued that the combined capacity of all Armenian power plants will fall well short of nationwide demand by 2026, the anticipated date of the decommissioning of the nuclear station at Metsamor. Metsamor's sole functioning reactor accounts for around 40 percent of electricity generated in the country annually. Its 30-year design life span ends in 2016. The Armenian government plans to modernize the 400 megawatt facility and keep it operational for 10 more years. It obtained last year a $270 million Russian government loan for that purpose. The decision to extend Metsamor's life reflected its failure so far to make good on its promises to build a new and twice as powerful nuclear plant. The government says that it is still committed to implementing the ambitious project worth billions of dollars. However, it has set no dates for the construction of the new plant. The World Bank report does not seem to regard Metsamor's replacement as a real possibility. It proposes instead that the government start looking for investors interested in financing the construction of a new 500 megawatt thermal power plant by 2020. Two new gas-fired plants have already gone on stream in Armenia in the last few years. One of them was built in Yerevan in 2010 with a $247 million loan provided by Japan's government. The state-owned facility has a capacity of 242 megawatts. The other, more powerful thermal-power plant is located in the central town of Hrazdan. The Russian gas monopoly Gazprom inaugurated it in 2013. Kochnakian agreed that investments in another gas-fired station will most probably necessitate a further rise in electricity prices in Armenia. State utility regulators are widely expected to raise them this month for a third time in two years. Electricity in Armenia is already almost twice as expensive as it was in 2009. The World Bank report effectively justifies its growing cost, while acknowledging that Armenians are increasingly struggling to pay their energy bills "Climbing energy costs increased the share of household energy expenses to 10 percent," says the report. "It will get worse as the much needed new investments are made." The World Bank experts also stressed the importance of upgrading Armenia's power transmission infrastructure. "Many transmission lines and substations incur high outage rates, which could lead to system-wide failure," they warned. Earlier this year, the World Bank provided the Armenian government with a $52 million loan to that will be used for modernizing some of these facilities. The government is due to contribute $17 million of its own funds to that project. RFE/RL Report Armenian Energy Prices Raised Amid Protests Electricity price increases, Yerevan, 17Jun2015. Astghik Bedevian ## Sisak Gabrielian 17.06.2015 Utility regulators formally raised the prices of electricity in Armenia by over 16 percent on Wednesday as dozens of people scuffled with riot police in Yerevan in protest against the unpopular measure expected to spark larger anti-government demonstrations. The decision unanimously made by the five members of the Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC) also failed to satisfy Armenia's Russian-owned power distribution network. The Electricity Networks of Armenia (ENA) operator has been seeking a more than 40 percent increase in the prices of its electricity delivered to households and corporate consumers, citing the need to end its massive losses. The PSRC chairman, Robert Nazarian, said earlier this month that the daytime electricity price for households will rise from 42 drams to almost 49 drams (10 U.S. cents) per kilowatt/hour. The households will pay almost 39 drams per kilowatt/hour during night hours, he said. The commission formalized these tariff increases, effective from August 1, in the presence of other government officials, journalists and anti-government activists. The latter responded by chanting "Shame!" Dozens of other activists, most of them young members of the opposition Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), protested outside the PSRC offices in downtown Yerevan. Scuffles broke out as riot police stopped them from breaking into the building after the announcement of the PSRC's decision. Armenia - The Public Services Regulatory Commission votes to raise the electricity prices, Yerevan, 17Jun2015. Some protesters threw eggs and tomatoes at law-enforcement officers led by Valeri Osipian, a deputy chief of the Yerevan police. Six of them were detained as a result. They all were set free later in the day. A much larger number of people took to the streets of the capital late last month to protest against the impending price hikes. A non-partisan pressure group that organized the protest is scheduled to again rally supporters on Friday. The protesters' anger reflected a widely held belief in Armenia that the ENA is forcing consumers to pay for its perceived mismanagement. Speaking during parliamentary hearings last week, Nazarian acknowledged that the ENA management has failed to tackle fraud within its ranks and indulged in extravagant expenses such as lease of expensive cars and office space for senior company executives. Still, Nazarian insisted that the ENA, which is owned by Russia's UES national electric utility, cannot stop incurring substantial losses with the existing electricity prices. He said higher tariffs are also need to enable the ENA to repay 106 billion drams ($225 million) in outstanding debts to power plants and commercial banks. The ENA, meanwhile, criticized the price rises approved the regulators as not far-reaching enough. In a letter to the PSRC sent ahead of its latest meeting, the ENA's Russian chief executive, Yevgeny Bibin, accused the commission of ignoring most of its "economically justified operational costs." Bibin warned that his company will not be able to meet the necessary "requirements for the quality and reliability of electricity supplies" if the PRSC refuses to accept its tariff application in full. Nazarian publicly condemned the warning as "blackmail." The daytime electricity price for households already went up by 27 percent in July 2013 because of the increased cost of Russian natural gas generating more than one-third of Armenia's electricity. The PSRC raised it by another 10 percent in July 2014. news.am TURKISH TREASURE HUNTERS DESTROY ARMENIAN CHURCH IN TURKEY 18.06.2015 Armenian gold hunters destroyed a church in Turkey. The church was located in the village of Tokular, Bingol province, Turkey. Tokular village head Fesih KıÅ~_lakcı said the village used to be Armenian and was called Togulkiran, Akunq.net reports. "Numerous historical ruins can be found in our village. Unfortunately, these historical monuments are unconciously damaged. Our village has been continuously and repeatedly destroyed by treasure hunters. The Armenian groups which visited our village said the church was called Akos," he told Dogan news agency. According to the source, one of the villagers, Abdurrahman Yilmaz, said many old ruins can also be found in the foundations of the houses built round the church. "Especially the surroundings of this church were full of monuments with depictions and signs. Our villagers didn't know what they meant. But some foreigners used to often come here and carry out excavations in the church. The church has turned into a tot lot. The state must take it under its protection. We found out from the old men of the village and the visiting Armenians that the church is Armenian and has a 800-year history," Yilmaz said. ARMENIA'S MATENADARAN TO RESTORE 11 LARGE MANUSCRIPTS IN 2015 18 June, 2015 YEREVAN, JUNE 18, ARMENPRESS: The Institute of Ancient Manuscripts (the Matenadaran) after Mesrop Mashtots continues the restoration works of the large manuscripts. In 2015 it is intended to complete the restoration of 11 manuscripts. The Head of the Restoration Department of the Institute of Ancient Manuscripts Gayane Eliazyan told Armenpress that more than 1000 large manuscripts are kept in the Matenadaran. And the restoration works have been carried out for already two years. "By now we did not implement any restoration, as we did not have the necessary materials for that. The administration, considering the preservation of the manuscripts to be very important, has purchased the necessary Japanese paper, which is quite expensive. In 2014 9 large manuscripts were restored. This year we will restore 11", - stated Gayane Eliazyan. arka.am CORRUPTION AND BUSINESS OLIGARCHS ARE MAJOR OBSTACLES FOR ARMENIAN COMPANIES TO ENTER EURASIAN ECONOMIC UNION MARKETS YEREVAN, June 18. / ARKA /. Corruption and business oligarchs are two major obstacles for Armenian companies to enter the huge markets of the Eurasian Economic Union, the chairman of the National Union of Employers Gagik Makaryan said in an interview with the local daily Hayots Ashkhar. "Corrupt businessmen make huge profits by selling their goods in Armenia; they use their own rules of game to settle all their problems. These businessmen simply fear external markets, where they may encounter certain risks, where one needs to be more educated, to have an understanding of management, and where their methods simply will not work,' he said. "Having a market is one thing, but using it is quite a different thing," said Makaryan, adding that one should not forget that these markets were available even before Armenia's joining the EEU, and Armenian legislation did not prevent free trade with EEU member states. "The quality of Belarusian goods is high enough, which means that not all of our products can be competitive there. Russia is Armenia's second largest trade partner and most of Armenian products, except for metals which are sold to Europe, are sold in Russia. They are brandy, alcoholic beverages, jewelry, some devices, canned food, etc.", said Makaryan. With regard to the Kazakh market, he said, trade with this country leaves much to be desired, and there are several reasons. "First of all, Kazakhstan is geographically quite distant from Armenia. Both countries are connected mainly by charter flights which complicates the development of their trade and economic relations,Â" he said. "It is not a secret that the state of the Russian economy has a direct impact on Armenia, regardless of whether our country is a member of the EEU or not. Russia is our main partner. For example, Armenia's trade with Belarus constitutes 0.8% of the total foreign trade, with Kazakhstan its 0.2%, while trade with Russia accounts for 24%," he said. According to the National Statistical Service, Armenia's trade with Russia in 2014 amounted to $1.4 billion, having increased by 3.2% from 2013; trade with Belarus was worth $40.1 million, having slashed by 19% and that with Kazakhstan declined by 6.5% to $7.5 million. Armenia's foreign trade turnover with EEU member countries in January-April 2015 amounted to $223.9 million.

We are Armenians Video 

https://youtu.be/hKWaUg4cC70 


lragir.am
KIRK KERKORIAN: BIG LOSS FOR ARMENIA
Hakob Badalyan, Political Commentator
16 June 2015

The U.S. press informs that the American billionaire, financier Kirk
Kerkorian of Armenian origin died at the age of 98. According to the
American media, Kerkorian died in Los Angeles.

The Armenian billionaire was one of the embodiments and symbols of
the American Dream. He climbed up the stairs of life thanks to his
hard work and business acumen and reached big heights.

Kerkorian has had a big role in the history of independent Armenia.

Beginning with the first years of independence he has provided huge
financial assistance to Armenia. His biggest project was the donation
of over 200 million dollars for the reconstruction of hundreds
of kilometers of roads, dozens of schools, cultural institutions,
construction of apartments in Gyumri.

The latest initiative, according to the press, was going to be the
production of a film on the Armenian genocide which would involve
famous directors, writers and actors of Hollywood. It is hard to tell
whether this initiative will stop or will continue.

Kerkorian's death is a big loss for Armenia. However, not only
because he provided financial assistance to Armenia and it may stop
altogether. This is not the only issue.

Kerkorian was the symbol of a world-level Armenian who succeeded
in the global competition, achieved a lot. In addition, he did not
get everything out of air or by mismanagement of state and public
resources, as most of unlike Armenian billionaires. He came into a
fortune with hard work of long years, starting at a young age.

Thanks to his mind, hard work, consistency and willpower, he went
higher step after step, having big achievements in business. At
the same time he bore in mind the sense of statehood, an adequate
vision of the Armenian state, evidence to which is the targets of
his financial assistance.

In this sense, Kerkorian was first of all a model of broad thinking,
laboriousness, will, consistency.

First of all, Armenia needed Kerkorian as a model, only then as a
billionaire. It is a precious and important resource for Armenia,
a landmark and guideline to values and civilization. Hence, the task
of Armenia should be to manage during their lifetime to set up such
communication with them as to use this resource for the modernization
and competitiveness of Armenia at best.

One should confess that in the case of Kirk Kerkorian this resource
was not used efficiently. It was impossible to provide a sufficient
level and depth and scope of communication which would produce a more
comprehensive result and get from Kerkorian not only the money it
gave to Armenia but also the value that he could give but Armenia did
not demonstrate such demand. Moreover, the money was spent with such
efficiency that the large-scale projects did not have a continuation.

In this regard, Kerkorian's death is a big loss indeed, and even
a signal of alarm to some extent, a bell that rings to warn that
this resource should be used for Armenia with more depth and
comprehensivene.

RFE/RL Report 

Yerevan Downplays European Court Ruling On Karabakh
Tigran Avetisian
18.06.2015

Armenia on Thursday played down political implications of a European
Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruling on an Azerbaijani lawsuit stemming
from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian insisted that it will have no
impact on international efforts to broker a solution to the conflict
that are spearheaded by the United States, Russia and France. "The
Minsk Group of the OSCE is the only structure with an international
mandate to deal with the conflict's resolution," he said in comments
to RFE/RL's Armenian service (Azatutyun.am).

The ECHR ruled earlier this week on two lawsuits filed by Armenian and
Azerbaijani former residents of districts around Karabakh who were
displaced during the 1991-1994 war for the disputed territory. It said
that Azerbaijan and Armenia violated the plaintiffs' respective
property rights and should eventually compensate them.

The Strasbourg court thus held Armenia responsible for the
displacement of Elkhan Chiragov and five other Azerbaijani plaintiffs
from Azerbaijan's Lachin district occupied by Karabakh Armenian forces
in 1992. It said that Yerevan has had "effective control over
Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding territories," including Lachin,
despite Armenian claims to the contrary.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry hailed this conclusion on Wednesday,
saying that the ECHR thereby "put an end to Armenia's nonstop denial
of the occupation of Azerbaijani lands."

"The decision on Chiragov's lawsuit applies to an individual case and
it cannot affect the negotiation process aimed at the conflict's
resolution," insisted Nalbandian. "By exploiting that decision
Azerbaijan can only damage efforts at a peaceful settlement."

Nalbandian said that the return of Armenian and Azerbaijani refugees
to their homes can only be the result of a "comprehensive"
Armenian-Azerbaijani peace accord. He said the U.S., Russia and France
have repeatedly made this clear in their joint statements on the
Karabakh dispute. 

RFE/RL Report
World Bank Warns Of Future Power Shortages In Armenia
Sargis Harutyunyan
16.06.2015

Armenia could face a shortage of electricity unless it builds a new
and large power plant in the coming years, energy experts from the
World Bank warned in a report made public on Tuesday.

Their 67-page "policy note" analyzes challenges facing the Armenian
energy sector and suggests concrete ways of confronting them.

"Armenia will need an additional power generation capacity in the near
future in order to avoid supply shortages in the long run," one of its
authors, Artur Kochnakian, told reporters. He argued that the combined
capacity of all Armenian power plants will fall well short of
nationwide demand by 2026, the anticipated date of the decommissioning
of the nuclear station at Metsamor.

Metsamor's sole functioning reactor accounts for around 40 percent of
electricity generated in the country annually. Its 30-year design life
span ends in 2016. The Armenian government plans to modernize the 400
megawatt facility and keep it operational for 10 more years. It
obtained last year a $270 million Russian government loan for that
purpose.

The decision to extend Metsamor's life reflected its failure so far to
make good on its promises to build a new and twice as powerful nuclear
plant. The government says that it is still committed to implementing
the ambitious project worth billions of dollars. However, it has set
no dates for the construction of the new plant.

The World Bank report does not seem to regard Metsamor's replacement
as a real possibility. It proposes instead that the government start
looking for investors interested in financing the construction of a
new 500 megawatt thermal power plant by 2020.

Two new gas-fired plants have already gone on stream in Armenia in the
last few years. One of them was built in Yerevan in 2010 with a $247
million loan provided by Japan's government. The state-owned facility
has a capacity of 242 megawatts.

The other, more powerful thermal-power plant is located in the central
town of Hrazdan. The Russian gas monopoly Gazprom inaugurated it in
2013.

Kochnakian agreed that investments in another gas-fired station will
most probably necessitate a further rise in electricity prices in
Armenia. State utility regulators are widely expected to raise them
this month for a third time in two years.

Electricity in Armenia is already almost twice as expensive as it was
in 2009. The World Bank report effectively justifies its growing cost,
while acknowledging that Armenians are increasingly struggling to pay
their energy bills

"Climbing energy costs increased the share of household energy
expenses to 10 percent," says the report. "It will get worse as the
much needed new investments are made."

The World Bank experts also stressed the importance of upgrading
Armenia's power transmission infrastructure. "Many transmission lines
and substations incur high outage rates, which could lead to
system-wide failure," they warned.

Earlier this year, the World Bank provided the Armenian government
with a $52 million loan to that will be used for modernizing some of
these facilities. The government is due to contribute $17 million of
its own funds to that project. 

RFE/RL Report
Armenian Energy Prices Raised Amid Protests
Electricity price increases, Yerevan, 17Jun2015.
Astghik Bedevian ## Sisak Gabrielian
17.06.2015

Utility regulators formally raised the prices of electricity in
Armenia by over 16 percent on Wednesday as dozens of people scuffled
with riot police in Yerevan in protest against the unpopular measure
expected to spark larger anti-government demonstrations.

The decision unanimously made by the five members of the Public
Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC) also failed to satisfy Armenia's
Russian-owned power distribution network. The Electricity Networks of
Armenia (ENA) operator has been seeking a more than 40 percent
increase in the prices of its electricity delivered to households and
corporate consumers, citing the need to end its massive losses.

The PSRC chairman, Robert Nazarian, said earlier this month that the
daytime electricity price for households will rise from 42 drams to
almost 49 drams (10 U.S. cents) per kilowatt/hour. The households will
pay almost 39 drams per kilowatt/hour during night hours, he said.

The commission formalized these tariff increases, effective from
August 1, in the presence of other government officials, journalists
and anti-government activists. The latter responded by chanting
"Shame!"

Dozens of other activists, most of them young members of the
opposition Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun),
protested outside the PSRC offices in downtown Yerevan. Scuffles broke
out as riot police stopped them from breaking into the building after
the announcement of the PSRC's decision.

Armenia - The Public Services Regulatory Commission votes to raise the
electricity prices, Yerevan, 17Jun2015.

Some protesters threw eggs and tomatoes at law-enforcement officers
led by Valeri Osipian, a deputy chief of the Yerevan police. Six of
them were detained as a result. They all were set free later in the
day.

A much larger number of people took to the streets of the capital late
last month to protest against the impending price hikes. A
non-partisan pressure group that organized the protest is scheduled to
again rally supporters on Friday.

The protesters' anger reflected a widely held belief in Armenia that
the ENA is forcing consumers to pay for its perceived mismanagement.

Speaking during parliamentary hearings last week, Nazarian
acknowledged that the ENA management has failed to tackle fraud within
its ranks and indulged in extravagant expenses such as lease of
expensive cars and office space for senior company executives.

Still, Nazarian insisted that the ENA, which is owned by Russia's UES
national electric utility, cannot stop incurring substantial losses
with the existing electricity prices. He said higher tariffs are also
need to enable the ENA to repay 106 billion drams ($225 million) in
outstanding debts to power plants and commercial banks.

The ENA, meanwhile, criticized the price rises approved the regulators
as not far-reaching enough. In a letter to the PSRC sent ahead of its
latest meeting, the ENA's Russian chief executive, Yevgeny Bibin,
accused the commission of ignoring most of its "economically justified
operational costs."

Bibin warned that his company will not be able to meet the necessary
"requirements for the quality and reliability of electricity supplies"
if the PRSC refuses to accept its tariff application in full. Nazarian
publicly condemned the warning as "blackmail."

The daytime electricity price for households already went up by 27
percent in July 2013 because of the increased cost of Russian natural
gas generating more than one-third of Armenia's electricity. The PSRC
raised it by another 10 percent in July 2014. 

news.am 

TURKISH TREASURE HUNTERS DESTROY ARMENIAN CHURCH 

IN TURKEY
18.06.2015

Armenian gold hunters destroyed a church in Turkey. The church was
located in the village of Tokular, Bingol province, Turkey.

Tokular village head Fesih KıÅ~_lakcı said the village used to be
Armenian and was called Togulkiran, Akunq.net reports.

"Numerous historical ruins can be found in our village. Unfortunately,
these historical monuments are unconciously damaged. Our village has
been continuously and repeatedly destroyed by treasure hunters. The
Armenian groups which visited our village said the church was called
Akos," he told Dogan news agency.

According to the source, one of the villagers, Abdurrahman Yilmaz,
said many old ruins can also be found in the foundations of the houses
built round the church. "Especially the surroundings of this church
were full of monuments with depictions and signs. Our villagers didn't
know what they meant. But some foreigners used to often come here
and carry out excavations in the church. The church has turned into
a tot lot. The state must take it under its protection. We found out
from the old men of the village and the visiting Armenians that the
church is Armenian and has a 800-year history," Yilmaz said.

ARMENIA'S MATENADARAN TO RESTORE 11 LARGE 

MANUSCRIPTS IN 2015
18 June, 2015

YEREVAN, JUNE 18, ARMENPRESS: The Institute of Ancient Manuscripts
(the Matenadaran) after Mesrop Mashtots continues the restoration
works of the large manuscripts. In 2015 it is intended to complete the
restoration of 11 manuscripts. The Head of the Restoration Department
of the Institute of Ancient Manuscripts Gayane Eliazyan told Armenpress
that more than 1000 large manuscripts are kept in the Matenadaran. And
the restoration works have been carried out for already two years.

"By now we did not implement any restoration, as we did not have the
necessary materials for that. The administration, considering the
preservation of the manuscripts to be very important, has purchased
the necessary Japanese paper, which is quite expensive. In 2014 9
large manuscripts were restored. This year we will restore 11", -
stated Gayane Eliazyan. 

arka.am
CORRUPTION AND BUSINESS OLIGARCHS ARE MAJOR 

OBSTACLES FOR ARMENIAN COMPANIES TO ENTER EURASIAN 

ECONOMIC UNION MARKETS
YEREVAN, June 18. / ARKA /. Corruption and business oligarchs are two
major obstacles for Armenian companies to enter the huge markets of
the Eurasian Economic Union, the chairman of the National Union of
Employers Gagik Makaryan said in an interview with the local daily
Hayots Ashkhar.

"Corrupt businessmen make huge profits by selling their goods
in Armenia; they use their own rules of game to settle all their
problems. These businessmen simply fear external markets, where they
may encounter certain risks, where one needs to be more educated, to
have an understanding of management, and where their methods simply
will not work,' he said.

"Having a market is one thing, but using it is quite a different
thing," said Makaryan, adding that one should not forget that these
markets were available even before Armenia's joining the EEU, and
Armenian legislation did not prevent free trade with EEU member states.

"The quality of Belarusian goods is high enough, which means that not
all of our products can be competitive there. Russia is Armenia's
second largest trade partner and most of Armenian products, except
for metals which are sold to Europe, are sold in Russia. They are
brandy, alcoholic beverages, jewelry, some devices, canned food,
etc.", said Makaryan.

With regard to the Kazakh market, he said, trade with this country
leaves much to be desired, and there are several reasons.

"First of all, Kazakhstan is geographically quite distant from
Armenia. Both countries are connected mainly by charter flights which
complicates the development of their trade and economic relations,Â"
he said.

"It is not a secret that the state of the Russian economy has a direct
impact on Armenia, regardless of whether our country is a member of
the EEU or not. Russia is our main partner. For example, Armenia's
trade with Belarus constitutes 0.8% of the total foreign trade,
with Kazakhstan its 0.2%, while trade with Russia accounts for 24%,"
he said.

According to the National Statistical Service, Armenia's trade with
Russia in 2014 amounted to $1.4 billion, having increased by 3.2%
from 2013; trade with Belarus was worth $40.1 million, having slashed
by 19% and that with Kazakhstan declined by 6.5% to $7.5 million.

Armenia's foreign trade turnover with EEU member countries in
January-April 2015 amounted to $223.9 million.