CNN Feature
Armenian carpets: A multi-million dollar industry
25 November 2015
http://edition.cnn.com/videos/world/2015/11/23/spc-the-silk-road-armenia-b.cnn
SAFEST COUNTRIES
20.11.15
Armenia is among the safest countries in the world in terms of
potential threats of terrorism, according to a 2015 Global Terrorism
Index report published by the Institute for Economics and Peace
in London.
The Christian South Caucasus nation comes 116th in the list of
162 countries where the higher rank means more danger in terms of
terrorism.
The report says that one of the sources of possible threat to Armenia
is the participation of 70 ethnic Armenian fighters in the struggle
with Syrian Kurds against ISIS, a terrorist group seeking to establish
its control over Iraq, Syria and other regions.
Armenia's neighbors Azerbaijan and Georgia are ranked 93rd and 71st
in the list, respectively. Russia is ranked 23rd, while the U.S. came
in at 35th.
The Global Terrorism Index provides a detailed analysis of the
changing trends in terrorism across 162 countries over the last
15 years. It investigates the patterns of terrorism by geographic
activity, methods of attack, organizations involved and national
economic and political contexts.
According to the latest report, the highest terrorist activity is
concentrated in five countries -- Iraq, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Pakistan
and Syria. These countries accounted for overall 78 percent of the
lives lost in 2014 as a result of terror attacks. India, Somali,
Libya and Thailand also appeared in the top ten.
The report comes days after two major terrorist attacks against
Russia and France that groups affiliated with ISIS have claimed
responsibility for.
A total of 224 people were killed on board a Russian plane brought
down by a planted bomb over Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on October 31.
Islamist gunmen also perpetrated a series of coordinated terrorist
attacks in the French capital of Paris on November 13, killing at
least 129 and injuring several hundred people. An ethnic Armenian
teen was among the victims of the Paris attacks.
arka.am
Armenia's foreign trade shrinks 20.4% to $3 900.9 million
in Jan-Oct 2015
YEREVAN, November 20. Armenia's foreign trade turnover shrank
20.4% in Jan-Oct 2015, compared with the same period a year
earlier, to $3 900.9 million, the National Statistical Service of
Armenia reports.
Exports shrank 2.2% to $1 223.4 million and imports 26.6% to $2
677.5 million.
As a result, negative balance amounted to $ 1 454.1 million in
Jan-Sept 2015. ($1 - AMD 481.84).
ARMENIA, RUSSIA IN NEW AIR DEFENCE DEAL
Institute for War and Peace Reporting, UK
Nov 20 2015
By Arshaluis Mghdesyan
Russia's desire to increase its military role in Armenian airspace
may be connected to differences with Turkey on Syria.
Russian president Vladimir Putin has instructed ministers to negotiate
an agreement with Armenia on a shared air defence system.
In late October, the Russian government approved plans for the creation
of the joint air defence mechanism. The idea is to create an aerial
"umbrella" on the southern border of the Collective Security Treaty
Organisation (CSTO), a wider regional defence alliance that includes
Armenia, Russia, Belarus and three Central Asian states.
In the South Caucasus, Georgia and Azerbaijan are not CSTO members,
and unless this changes, their airspace is not part of the proposed
cooperation.
On November 11, Putin told the Russian defence and foreign ministries
to go ahead with negotiations with Yerevan.
Armenia already collaborates with Russia on air defence, and it is not
yet clear how the new system will differ, or whether it will function
within the CSTO framework. But analysts in Armenia believe this will
be the case.
Former defence minister Vagharshak Harutyunyan told IWPR that
the current mechanism consists of a "unified command centre where
information about the situation in the skies over the South Caucasus
is processed and exchanged," he said.
The new agreement seems likely to integrate this with similar Russian
arrangements with Kazakstan and Belarus.
"Thus, it can be said that a united air defence system for the CSTO,
of which these states are members, is being established," Harutyunyan
said.
Defence expert Sergei Minasyan expects the upcoming treaty to lead
to a more comprehensive regional air defence network. Apart from
interceptor jets and S-300 surface-to-air missiles, it will probably
incorporate detection systems and radars that are deployed in the
Russian North Caucasus.
In practice, says Harutyunyan, Russian and Armenian air defence forces
would work in sync, from the exchange of information to the launch
of missiles and military aircraft, in the event of the threat of
war or large-scale hostilities, for instance if the Nagorny Karabakh
conflict reignited.
"This system includes Russia's ships on the Black Sea, its Caspian
flotilla, detection systems, and aircraft squadrons in the North
Caucasus, as well as the components of Armenia´s air defence," he
said. "If necessary, this system will work as a single unit providing
coverage and reach for the Armenian defence forces in the skies over
the region, from the Caspian to the Black Sea."
The leaders of CSTO states have discussed a common unified air defence
system for several years. Putin first spoke of plans to build and
strengthen the air defence "umbrella" at a 2013 awards ceremony for
senior Russian army officers.
"We also plan to strengthen the unified air defence system with Belarus
and to start forming such regional systems with Armenia and Kazakstan,"
he said.
Some experts see air defence integration as a logical continuation
of the long-term security relation between Armenia and its major ally.
The Russians maintain ground forces and fighter jets in Armenia. A
2010 agreement extending Moscow's use of the Gyumri military base
until 2044 includes a Russian commitment to defend Armenia against
external threats.
Sergei Markedonov, a Caucasus expert in Moscow, says the forthcoming
deal has nothing to do with the Karabakh dispute, which has
been frozen since 1994 and has soured Armenia's relationship with
Azerbaijan. Instead, he argues, it is only the latest in a long line
of joint military initiatives.
"I don't see anything special or extraordinary about this decision on
unified air defences," Markedonov told IWPR. "It would be fundamentally
wrong to look for pitfalls in the expansion of joint air defences in
the context of the Karabakh conflict."
Commentators also acknowledge, however, that Moscow and Yerevan are
each acting in their own interests. Russia will be keen to reinforce
the southern borders in the Caucasus in light of the ongoing civil
war in Syria, and its own military engagement there.
Armenia, meanwhile, benefits from enhanced national security in an
unpredictable region where the risk of renewed war over Karabakh
is ever-present.
Azerbaijan has been using its oil revenues to spend large sums on
weaponry, much of which it buys from Russia, to Armenia's chagrin.
Moscow is thus acting as arms supplier to both protagonists, perhaps
in order to maintain a balance of power in the region, but also to
bind both countries closer to itself. (See Energy, Arms Trade Clouds
Armenia's View of Moscow.)
The importance of an effective air defence system was felt on October
8 when Turkish helicopters twice entered Armenian airspace. Turkey
is an ally of Azerbaijan, and has kept its border with Armenia sealed
for over 20 years.
In Ankara, the incursion was blamed on bad weather conditions. In
Armenia, however, it was seen as an indirect dig at Moscow in response
to an earlier violation of Turkish airspace by Russian fighters
engaged in hostilities in Syria. Russia attributed that incident,
too, to bad weather.
Some analysts view the timing of the joint air defence announcement in
the context of a sharply deteriorating Russian-Turkish relationship,
caused by differences over the Syrian conflict.
Anatoly Tsyganok, head of the Centre for Military Forecasting at
the Moscow Institute of Political and Military Analysis, told the
Haqqin.az news site recently that the air defence â~@~^umbrella"
project was aboutTurkey, not Azerbaijan.
Talks on common air defence have been going on for more than three
years, and it seems certain that their sudden acceleration is a result
of the fast-evolving situation in the wider region.
Arshaluis Mghdesyan is a freelance journalist in Armenia.
armenpress.am
Royal Academy of Belgium organizes conference dedicated
to Armenian Genocide
21 November, 2015
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 21. Royal Academy of Belgium (Académie
Royale de Belgique) and the Free University of Brussels (Université
Libre de Bruxelles) organized a conference dedicated to the Armenian
Genocide to be held in Brussels, Belgium on November 24. `Armenpress'
reports the abovesaid citing the official website of Académie royale
de Belgique.
Lecturers and academicians from Brussels, Geneva, Montpellier, Luven
and Amsterdam universities will participate in the conference.
`Condemnation of genocides has become one of the main issues of our
time. The recognition of the Genocide of Armenians and other peoples
committed by the Ottoman Empire in 2015 is still pending, as Turkey
still refuses to acknowledge the fact thus endangering the
establishment of new relations between the peoples,' is said on the
official website of Royal Academy of Belgium.
Moodys.com
Nov 21 2015
Moody's: Armenia's weak domestic demand and external
vulnerabilities to weigh on 2016 growthLondon, 20 November 2015 -- Armenia's (Ba3, negative) low economic
diversification, weakened domestic demand, and trade and financial
exposures to Russia will lead to lower growth in 2016, Moody's
Investors Service has said in a report published today.
Moody's report, entitled "Government of Armenia" is available on
www.moodys.com. Moody's subscribers can access this report via the
link provided at the end of this press release. The rating agency's
report is an update to the markets and does not constitute a rating
action.
"Armenia's weak domestic demand holds back consumption and investment,
while Russia's worsening economic climate has led to sharp declines in
remittances. Given that remittances account for around 15% of GDP,
Armenia is significantly exposed to the Russian growth cycle," says
Evan Wohlmann, Assistant Vice President -- Analyst at Moody's.
However, the rating agency also notes Armenia's credit strengths,
which relate to the government's commitment to fiscal prudence, high
debt affordability and macroeconomic stability, together with a
supportive business environment.
Nevertheless, the rating agency forecasts Armenia's GDP growth to slow
to 2.5% in 2015 and 2.2% in 2016. Overall, the country's weak economic
performance reflects the slow emergence of new growth drivers in the
economy, says Moody's. Business sentiment remains weak, while private
sector investment still drags on Armenia's economic performance.
However, the rating agency notes that the economy has performed better
than it had expected in 2015, given robust performances from the
agriculture and mining sectors.
Meanwhile, the agency projects that Armenia's fiscal deficit will
increase markedly to 4.2% of GDP in 2015, as a result of expansionary
fiscal measures and low revenue growth owing to weak domestic demand.
As such, the agency forecasts the general government debt ratio to
rise to around 48% of GDP in 2015. But Moody's expects the fiscal
position to improve slightly in 2016, with the deficit decreasing to
3.6%, as the efforts to improve revenue administration are
complemented by tax policy measures in 2016.
However, Moody's notes that economic headwinds owing to external
vulnerabilities could continue, which would negatively affect the
government's plans to increase tax revenues over the next two years.
In addition, Armenia's debt profile remains particularly susceptible
to negative growth shocks, and if spill over risks from Russia were to
worsen, further debt could accumulate, says Moody's.
armradio.am
HAYASTAN ALL-ARMENIAN FUND'S 2015 PHONEATHON RAISES
OVER 1.3 MILLION EUROS
14:42, 23 Nov 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan
The annual Pan-European Phoneathon of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund,
headed by the Fund's French affiliate and held during November 18-22,
raised over 1.3 million euros in donations and pledges.
The large-scale fundraising campaign mobilized the Armenian communities
of France (1,205,569 euros), Germany (76,050 euros) and Switzerland
(24,554 euros). Proceeds form the Phoneathon will be used for the
construction of community centers in Artsakh, expansion of agricultural
projects in Armenia's Tavush Region and assistance to the Armenian
communities of Syria and Iraq.
The Greek community traditionally joined the Phoneathon with their
fundraising held in Greece on November 22. The phoneathon raised around
29,000 euros, which will be used for the construction of a kindergarten
in Karin Tak, a village in Nagorno Karabakh's Shushi region.
Contributions are still being made.
arka.am
POVERTY LEVEL IN ARMENIA IN 2014 WAS 2.2 PERCENTAGE
POINTS DOWN FROM 2013, NSS
YEREVAN, November 23. Poverty level in Armenia in 2014
dropped by 2 percentage points from 2013 to 30%, Diana Martirosyan,
the head of a department at the National Statistical Service (NSS)
surveying households, said today when presenting the findings of a
study on living conditions of Armenian households in 2014.
She said the study conducted by the NSS in 2014, revealed that three
out of 10 citizens were below the poverty line with a monthly income
below 40.264 drams. She said the overall number of poor in 2014
stood at 900,000 people, of whom 330,000 were very poor and 70,000
extremely poor.
The poverty level in rural communities was 29.9%, while in urban
communities it was 30%. Only in the capital city Yerevan the poverty
rate was 25.2%.
"In 2008-2014 poverty rate growth in urban and rural communities was
equal. The poverty rate in the capital was 1.4 times lower than in
other cities," she added. She also noted that the extreme poverty
rate in 2014 exceeded the same indicator of 2008 by 0.7 percentage
points and the general poverty level by 2.4 percentage points
At the same time, she said, only 17% of respondents identified
themselves as poor. The National Statistical Service study embraced
5,184 households across the country.
The report "Poverty and Social Panorama of Armenia," prepared by the
NSS with the support of the World Bank is meant to assess the social
situation and changes in the level of life in Armenia in 2008-2014 -0-
RFE/RL Report
Armenian Government Claims Further Drop In Poverty
Sargis Harutyunyan
23.11.2015
Poverty in Armenia decreased in 2014 for the fourth consecutive year,
the National Statistical Service (NSS) said on Monday, presenting the
findings of its latest nationwide household income survey.
The survey conducted last year found that 30 percent of Armenians
lived below the official poverty line set at just over 42,600 drams
($84) per person. The NSS registered a poverty rate of 32 percent in
2013.
"Three in ten residents of the country did not surpass the monthly
income level of 40,264 drams," Diana Martirosova, a senior NSS
official in charge of the survey, told a news conference. She
attributed the decreased rate to the fact that the Armenian economy
grew by 3.5 percent in 2014.
Poverty in Armenia fell more rapidly during an almost a decade of
double-digit economic growth that came to an end with the onset of a
global financial crisis in late 2008. The Armenian poverty rate stood
at 27.6 percent at that time. It soared to almost 36 percent in 2010,
one year after the country's Gross Domestic Product shrunk by over 14
percent.
The Armenian economy is still reeling from that severe recession,
growing much more slowly than before 2009. Economic growth is expected
to remain sluggish this year and in 2016 due to knock-on effects of an
ongoing recession in Russia.
This is why the Armenian government's draft 2016 budget envisages
virtually no rises in public sector salaries, pensions and poverty
benefits. Opposition politicians and other critics of the government
say that with inflation averaging roughly 4 percent annually, this
means that many Armenians will be worse off in real terms next year.
The critics are bound to question the latest poverty figures by saying
that the official poverty line is set too low given the cost of living
in the country.
Stepan Mnatsakanian, the NSS head also present at the news conference,
insisted that his agency used objective criteria for measuring the
scale of poverty. He admitted, though, that his family spends each
month over 50,000 drams on utility fees alone.
According to the NSS, the official monthly wage in Armenia stood at
almost 185,000 drams ($385) as of September, up by 7 percent from the
same period in 2014.
Focus on Near East Foundation
Overview
In 1915, the Near East Foundation (NEF) was founded in urgent response to the Armenian Genocide. During a historic relief effort in the years that followed, NEF saved the lives of over 1,000,000 refugees, and in the process established the tradition of “citizen philanthropy” – a model used today by a majority of non-profit organizations around the world.
Nearly 100 years later, peace and prosperity in Armenia remain at the heart of NEF’s mission. Long ago forced by the Soviet regime to leave our partner communities, NEF returned to Armenia after a 75-year hiatus. A new era of development work began in 2004 with a focus on improving the lives and future opportunities of street children. NEF efforts have since transitioned into helping revitalize communities to improve livelihoods among vulnerable groups, and to build a stronger economy that will create a brighter future for all Armenians.
Creating Businesses and Jobs
In 2007, NEF undertook an exploratory mission to identify opportunities to support rural economic development. Those initial efforts led to a strategic alliance with Business Pareta, the leading Armenian firm specializing in rural economic development, and Armenia Fund USA, one of the primary channels for philanthropic action among the Armenian Diaspora in the U.S. In 2009, this consortium initiated a collaborative effort to develop a model for local economic development combining micro-enterprise, micro-finance, and micro-franchising. This initiative draws on complementary areas of expertise and a common understanding of the importance and challenges of grassroots economic development for poverty reduction in rural Armenia.
In 2013, NEF extended its focus to include the economic empowerment of vulnerable women. A new project is helping survivors of domestic violence to start their own businesses and secure employment.
NEF-UK Launches Women’s Economic Development Programs in Armenia
NOV 19, 2015
Yerevan—In January 2015, the Near East Foundation UK (NEF-UK) and the Gegharkunik Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (CGGI) launched a project—financed by the European Union—to advance gender equality and the rights of survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) in Armenia. Now, in only the tenth month of the project, there is an opportunity to share some of its successes.
Last month, NEF-UK, GCCI, and their partner and beneficiary civil society organizations (CSOs) set up and furnished four safe spaces in the Yerevan, Lori, and Syunik regions in Armenia to welcome women for meetings, workshops, networking opportunities, and business development trainings. Over ninety women survivors participated in these trainings and workshops aimed at improving economic agency, equality, and economic independence for women survivors of GBV.
About two thirds of the participants have chosen an enterprise development stream, while the rest have chosen an employment development stream. At the workshops, a selection committee was set up to assess business plans presented by enterprise development program participants and to determine which plans were at an appropriate stage to receive funding. Of the fifty women, twenty-five in the Yerevan group were selected to receive funding for their microbusinesses.
“I had no hope that I could receive funding for my small business that I was dreaming about for many years. My family never supported me to earn money, now I have proved that I am able to do something.’’ said one of the participants in the training who recently received funds to purchase a modern knitting machine to make clothes. She already has made arrangements with nearby fashion centers to sell the clothes she is making.
The business ideas presented to the committee were diverse and spanned from traditional business ideas, such as baking, hairdressing, nail art, and cosmetology to less traditional ambitions like shoe production, pottery, and opening and running a bistro.
Another woman who is improving her cosmetology skills also received a grant, and afterward said: “My trainings are going very well. This profession is perfect for me, I like it so much! I have purchased all the necessary items through the grant and I am looking forward to starting my small business now. Thank you very much, this is the start of my future career and success which was made possible with your support.”
In addition to those who have developed plans for their micro-businesses, a second group of participants are supported with trainings to improve their CVs and employment status so they can earn an income to increase their economic independence. Since the project launched in January, thirty-three women from the Lori region and Yerevan have attended job skills development training sessions and were presented with job opportunities available for them to pursue.
After receiving vocational training in hairdressing, one of the women plans to start a home based business. She told us: “First of all, you made a change in my family’s approach in that women are not created only for sitting at home, but also for working and earning. My husband never allowed me to work. Now, when I receive vocational training and have plans to start my small hairdressing business at home, my husband has become more interested in what I am learning and my success. Thank you very much not only for the grant and for funding my vocational training, but most of all for making a positive change in my families life.”
Since July, six participants of the job component have found and sustained jobs, which include the following sectors: accounting, cleaning, baking, gardening, health care, and secretarial work. Seven women have made arrangements with potential employers to get jobs after receiving vocational training, and three of the employers have promised to promote women to positions with more responsibility after they attend the vocational training sessions.
The job skills development training sessions have improved participant’s communication and negotiation skills, as well as increased their self-confidence and capacity for self-reliance. One of the workshop’s trainers said that they have seen an ‘’increase in the project participants’ self-confidence during a very short time. We see positive changes in their behavior every day.’’
Along with helping survivors of GBV, the project helps to strengthen CSOs internal capacities and technical skills in protection strategies linked to economic empowerment activities for survivors of GBV. Since the project launched, seventy people from a number of state and non-state agencies have participated in round tables conducted in Goris, Spitak, and Yerevan. The purpose of the round tables was to increase the ability of the community and state agencies to facilitate inclusive civil society and community dialogue, private-public-civil-society collaborative activities, and learning and awareness initiatives linked to GBV prevention and gender equality. Ten more round tables are planned for January 2016.
Despite being in its early stages, the project has already seen tremendous success in the communities in which it works. The project team and beneficiaries are looking forward to the next phases and future achievements with the hope that a positive and lasting impact will be made for gender equality and prevention of GBV in Armenia.
This project is funded by the European Union and implemented by the Near East Foundation-UK in partner with the Gegharkunik Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
to visit Armenia in late November to officially sign the air defense system deal.
