FEB. 27 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – Armenia’s economy grew by 3.4% in 2014, lower than the expected 5.2%, the country’s statistics office said quoting preliminary data (Feb. 27). The economies of Central Asia and the South Caucasus suffered from a general downturn in the second half of last year due to falling oil prices and problems in Russia’s economy.
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(News report from Issue No. 221, published on March 4 2015)
FEB. 25 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – Armenia has asked Russia not to raise the price it pays for gas despite a drop in the value of its dram currency, media reported quoting the head of the Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC) Robert Nazaryan.
Russia’s Gazprom owns the gas distribution system in Armenia and can, therefore, dictate the price that Armenians pay for their gas.
The worry for officials in Armenia is that the dram lost around 15% of its value against the US dollar at the end of last year. Energy prices are set in US dollars, making it more expensive for people in Armenia to buy.
“In this connection at this moment the Armenian side is conducting negotiations with the Russian side for the natural gas price not to be raised because of the dram-dollar fluctuations,” media quoted Mr Nazaryan as saying.
Russia dominates Armenia’s economy and by asking Gazprom to keep the cost of gas consistent, Mr Nazaryan is effectively asking for a subsidy. If Gazprom agrees, Armenia will fall further under the control of the Kremlin.
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(News report from Issue No. 221, published on March 4 2015)
FEB. 24 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Armenia has agreed to allow Iraq Airways to fly a direct flight from Baghdad to Yerevan and also to grant Iraqis visa-free access, Iraqi media reported. If confirmed by Armenia the move will open it up to tourism and business from Iraq. Neighbouring Georgia already hosts thousands of Iraqi businessmen and tourists.
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(News report from Issue No. 220, published on Feb. 25 2015)
FEB. 23 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan and the main opposition party’s leader, Gagik Tsarukyan, are embroiled in an increasingly bitter and acrimonious row.
Parliamentarians aligned to the Prosperous Armenia party walked out of the national assembly to protest against a government crackdown on Mr Tsarukyan.
They accuse Mr Sargsyan of launching a tax investigation on Mr Tsarukyan for purely vindictive reasons. The argument appears to have started at the beginning of the month with Mr Sargsyan describing the thick-set Mr Tsarukyan as “evil” after he accused the governing Republican Party of complicity in the abduction and beating of an Armenian civil rights protester.
In retaliation for ordering the tax investigation, Mr Tsarukyan called for demonstrations against the government on Feb 20.
The demonstrations didn’t materialise but the image of mainstream politics in Armenia has been tarnished.
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(News report from Issue No. 220, published on Feb. 25 2015)
FEB. 23 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Armenia’s Central Bank has said that economic growth this year could virtually stagnate at a mere 0.4%, media reported. This figure is at the lower end of its updated estimate which blamed a poor Russian economy for the general slowdown in Armenia’s own economic prospects.
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(News report from Issue No. 220, published on Feb. 25 2015)
FEB. 16 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Gagik Tsarikian, head of the opposition Prosperous Armenia Party, has accused the government of harassing his staff and sacking police tasked with defending his property, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported. Mr Tsarikian said President Serzh Sargsyan ordered the tax police to close his operations.
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(News report from Issue No. 219, published on Feb. 18 2015)
FEB. 16 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland is due to travel to Yerevan and Baku over the next few days to discuss their relations with Washington and how to reduce rising tension along the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Ms Nuland’s trip is part of a wider South Caucasus mission.
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(News report from Issue No. 219, published on Feb. 18 2015)
>>Peace accords had been in front of parliament>>
FEB. 16 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan withdrew a series of peace accords relating to the country’s long-running dispute with Turkey.
The move is a major setback for the region as the Armenia-Turkey spat is a hindrance to improved ties and trade with Europe. The two countries’ argue about the alleged mass killings by Turkish Ottoman soldiers of Armenians who were fleeing their land around Lake Van in the east of Turkey.
Mr Sargsyan blamed Turkey for the cancellation.
“We were ready for a fully-fledged settlement in our relations with Turkey by ratifying these protocols, but we were also ready for failure,” media quoted him as saying.
The two countries signed declarations in 2009 to establish diplomatic relations and open a land border.
The problem is that neither the Turkish nor the Armenian parliaments have approved the deals. Nationalists on both sides have instead slowed progress and frustrated efforts.
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(News report from Issue No. 219, published on Feb. 18 2015)
FEB. 6 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Three more people — an Armenian civilian, an Armenian solider and an Azerbaijani soldier — have died in sporadic fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan around the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, media reported quoting the Armenian defence ministry. Observers have urged calm but tension has increased.
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(News report from Issue No. 218, published on Feb. 11 2015)
FEB. 4 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Despite protests, Armenia’s parliament passed a law that will reduce tax imposed on small businesses to 1% of sales from 3.5%. The proposed law has angered businesses because it will mean that they have to provide more paperwork. Armenian PM Armen Rustamyan said the law would be introduced in July, a delay of six months.
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(News report from Issue No. 218, published on Feb. 11 2015)