Yerevan’s Bus Fare Protests: A Timeline July 18: Fares for public transportation by bus or minibus are scheduled to increase from 100 to 150 dram. The owners of 48 companies operating privatized transportation routes had filed petitions with the Yerevan municipality to increase the fares, citing high maintenance costs and price increases in liquefied gas…
Policy
Armenia, Foreign Affairs, In Politics, National Security & Defense, News, Policy
Opposition Slams Russian Arms Sales To Azerbaijan
(azatutyun.am RFE/RL) – Armenia’s three leading opposition parties on Tuesday strongly criticized Russia for selling offensive weapons to Azerbaijan, saying that they will strengthen Baku in the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Representatives of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), the Armenian National Congress (HAK) and the Zharangutyun (Heritage) party said the arms supplies reportedly worth around $1…
Armenia, Democracy & Human Rights, In Politics, News, Policy
Rustamyan Warns Against “Strangling” Control Chamber’s Independence
(azatutyun.am RFE/RL) Dashnak Leader Deplores Sarkisian Criticism Of Parliament Body A leader of the opposition Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) on Wednesday rejected President Serzh Sarkisian’s harsh criticism of a parliamentary oversight body that has alleged serious misuse of public funds by his government. Armen Rustamian warned the executive branch against “strangling” the supposedly independent Audit…
Armenia, Economics & Finance, In Politics, News, Policy
Vardanyan: Tension Between Control Chamber And Government Is Real
Speaking to media representatives, ARF-D Parliamentary Faction Secretary, Aghvan Vardanyan said that tension between the Control Chamber (CC) and the government is quite obvious, real and not fabricated, yerkir.am reports. Otherwise the government wouldn’t get so actively involved. The tension between the executive power and CC was caused after the latter’s report indicating that a…
Armenia, Economics & Finance, In Politics, Natural Resources & Mining, News, Policy
ARF-D Comments On Vorotan HPP Privatization Plan
(azatutyun.am, June 12) – A U.S. energy company announced on Wednesday that it is close to buying three big hydroelectric stations generating a considerable part of Armenia’s electricity. The New York-based ContourGlobal said it is engaged in “advanced negotiations” with the Armenian government over the takeover of the plants built along the fast-flowing Vorotan river…
Armenia, Economics & Finance, In Politics, News, Policy
Minasyan Critisizes Government, Central Bank Policy
During the Parliament’s discussion the monetary policy program of Armenia’s Central Bank for 2013, ARF-D MP, Artsvik Minasyan pointed out that both the government and the Central Bank don’t know what is going on with the country’s economy, lragir.am reports. Minasyan said that the banking system has choked other sectors of the economy and as…
Armenia, In Politics, Natural Resources & Mining, News
ARF-D Introduces Legislative Initiative On Nairit Plant
On Tuesday, June 4, the parliamentary faction of ARF-D introduced a legislative initiative offering to set up an ad hoc committee to investigate the reasons for the privatization of the Nairit rubber plant, news.am reports. The committee will also study the reasons for failure to comply with loan commitments. The letter has been sent to…
Armenia, Culture-Education-Sciences, Democracy & Human Rights, History, In Politics, News
Lessons from the First Republic
By Maria Titizian (asbarez.com, May 28, 2013) – After centuries of being stateless, the First Republic of Armenia, 1918-1920 was founded thanks to the perseverance, valor and heroism of the Armenian people and their leaders. These lands that we are blessed to walk upon are laden with the blood of those martyrs who fought courageous…
Democracy & Human Rights, Environment, In Politics, News
AYF At the IUSY Council And At The Workers Youth Festival
The IUSY World Council 2013 took place on May 8-9, in Dortmund, Germany with the participation of delegations from Youth organizations and NGOs from 57 countries. AYF was represented by Sarine Abrahamian from the Netherlands chapter. The delegates listened to the Presidium’s one-year term report. The Council’s agenda also included discussions about Statute amendments and…
Armenia, Culture-Education-Sciences, In Politics, Municipal Elections 2013, News
Aghbalyan: The Sector Of Education Must Be Depoliticized
Today, the entire structure of education is under the hands of the ruling regime said ARF-D candidate for the Yerevan municipal election, Artak Aghbalyan, during a debate at Media center. “During elections period, the educational structure changes into a political one” he argued and stated that one of ARF-D’s first goals will be to depoliticize…
