The heads of “Armenia 2020” project have today held a meeting. They introduced their work done for development of our country. {BR} ”The project stresses comparison of various viewpoints on political, economic and social spheres, which condition the future of our state”, “Armenia-2020” director Artashes Ghazaxhetcyan says. Scenarios were made basing upon the present...

A-INFO Agency informs that Georgia’s Development Fund has allotted about $ 40.000 for reconstruction of the Therapy Department of Akhalqalaq District Hospital. According to Hospital Director Alexan Toroyan, the works will be launched in January. {BR} The new building of Akhalqalaq District Hospital was a barracks of a Russian military base before. 2 years ago the first and the second floors...

The staff of General and Inorganic Chemistry Institution of National Academy of Sciences has today held a press conference to inform that Yerevan Municipality has sold the 1-hectare land of the institution. {BR} According to institution director Sevand Davtyan, Yerevan Municipality has illegally sold a ground area at auction, which it didn’t own. “By the way, 4200 square meters located...

”Protection of Liberated Territories” social initiative has today addressed an open letter to Parliament Members and parties. Sending a 50-men group to Iraq will be discussed in Parliament tomorrow. {BR} ”I call everybody to vigilance at this decisive moment. Responsibility for sending hirelings to Iraq was imposed on Parliament. No one can cite even one logical reason to substantiate...

”If emigration continues the same pace as it is, population of Armenia will decrease by 1/3 in 2050“, Hranush Kharatyan, head of Governmental Department for Religion and National Minorities says being guided by the results of a public poll recently conducted. Mainly 15-59 age group population will reduce. {BR} Unlike this, in 2 Moslem states neighbouring Armenia – Turkey and Azerbaijan,...

Do you agree that Armenia sends a 50-men group to Iraq for participation in reconstruction there? Armenian Centre for National and International Studies /ACNIS/ held a survey on this. 24% of 100 experts who partook in it answered “Yes”, 67% said “No” and 9% found difficulty in answering. {BR} 70,5% of citizens partaking the poll said “No”. Only 15,6% agreed to...

”The present education system of Armenia is in a sad state”. 81% of experts and 47% of citizens who partook in the survey conducted by Armenian Centre for National and International Studies /ACNIS/ concluded. {BR} The results of the expert and public poll on “The Urgent Topics of the Political Agenda of Armenia and the Public Opinion” were represented in the centre. 100 experts...

”Thousands of citizens have rejected the social cards for religious or legal reasons. Majority of them handed the cards they had been imposed on to us – “Armenian Constitutional Right Defence Centre” and asked us to return the cards to the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare since the proper bodies refuse to take them back”, Gevorg Manukyan, Chairman of ACRDC said...

Media Self-regulation System Creation Prospects in Armenia seminar was held Monday by Yerevan Press Club in Congress Hotel in Yerevan. The club has conducted a survey in association with the OSCE Yerevan office as part of preparations for the seminar.{BR} As many as 109 people, including prominent journalists as well as local and overseas media outlets’ representatives, have been questioned....

International Lawyers Union sent Monday an open letter to president Kocharyan. The Union members called on the president not to sign the act on lawyers passed recently by the parliament at the last reading.{BR} At the third reading, another bill, not the bill worked out by them and approved at the second reading, was presented to lawmakers, the message says. The union members are convinced the...

Suit of Haykakan Zhamanak newspaper’s correspondent Arman Galoyan filed against Armen Vardanyan was to be heard Monday in Center, Nork-Marash first instance court.{BR} On September 23 a booth owner made an alarming phone call to the newspaper editorial board saying all booths located near one of the capital’s biggest supermarkets are being dismantled without any explanation. Arman...

Yerevan reconstruction scheme is intended for 1 million 200 thousand residents, Yerevan Project institute director Gurgen Musheghyan said Monday at a news conference in Yerevan City Hall.{BR} He also said the scheme will be presented for public consideration. In his words, shoddily-built houses will undergo reconstruction. New roads will be built in 2005 to ease traffic congestion in the city center, Musheghyan said.

Armenian post-graduate students gathered last week in Tsakhkadzor at their first scientific conference held at Healthy Society NGO.{BR} Issues related to religion, terrorism and media were discussed at the conference. Ruzanna Azroyan noted in her report that the media should cover terrorist acts with delicacy and caution not to help terrorists to achieve fame. Nationalism- and democracy-related...

Manvel Badalyan, Chairman of Public Service Council, assures that he respects speech freedom and press pluralism equally with independent Mass Media. Today he has been the guest of National Press Club. {BR} Manvel Badalyan had to talk about own dissident orientation when he was asked if he conducted censorship peculiar to the Soviet one in “Civil Agent” Official Newspaper. ”It’s...

During today’s conference the social initiative for “Protection of Liberated Territories” expressed concern over the events recently spread about returning the liberated territories. {BR} According to them, numerous representatives of former and present Authorities keep participating in the process by mutual agreement. Armen Aghayan, Secretary of “Protection of Liberated...

”Joining the citizens concerned with the future of the country ”New Armenia” Bloc keeps focus on the problems alarming the society”, Eleonora Manandyan, head of “New Armenia” social organization said at the conference held today. {BR} The probable forming of a new opposition bloc has widely been discussed in the pres recently, and the pro-Western orientation is...

”Everything is money”, Vladimir Pryakhin, head of OSCE Yerevan Office has said today at the conference. According to him, OSCE offices in Armenia and worldwide always obtain off-budget money to implement projects. By his words, the sum envisaged for the programs fulfilled in Armenia twice exceeds the budget allocated to the office. {BR} Mr. Pryakhin didn’t answer the question over...

More than fifty university students, public policy professionals, and community activists joined with the Armenian Youth Federation [Ho. Hee. Dashnaktsutyan Yeridasartagan Miutiun] last Friday outside the gates of the Turkish Embassy to protest a program honoring the Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA) - a group noted for its strident and hateful denial of the Armenian Genocide....

UNDP and Armenian government continue their studies as part of struggle against corruption.{BR} Research conducted in Yerevan universities showed many students have even no idea about what is corruption. Lusine Margaryan, director of National Center for Liberalization Processes Monitoring, said talk-shows will be staged in the republic and a program on dissemination of information will be launched...

Under coming year’s state budget, pensions will rise from 8,300 in 2004 to 9,700 in 2005.{BR} Family benefit will become 12,000 instead of former 9,600.

Yerevan’s vice-mayor said Monday a concert will be held New Year’s night at Republic Square. A huge cake will be brought here by the end of the event.{BR} Children will watch festive shows in follow-up days and given presents. The municipality intends to allocate 15 to 20 million drams from the state budget for New Year celebration.

Armenian government decided in recent days that doctors having academic degrees ought to fulfill compulsory national service duties in Armenian army. For the Sake of Science Development initiative group’s members, speaking at a news conference on Monday, said this would strike hard at science and medicine.{BR} 70 from 114 will be called to army this year. There are no any criteria for selection....

The people driven from their homes because of Northern Avenue construction gathered Monday outside Yerevan City Hall.{BR} They say they have been deceived and the compensations given to them were so little that they can’t buy new apartments. The protesters spent hours by standing outside the City Hall but were denied meeting with Yerevan mayor Yervand Zakaryan. They said they would keep protesting.

Two inmates serving their life term in Armenian city of Goris escaped from prison last weeks Friday.{BR} Despite all the efforts made by police, fugitives Mher Yenokyan, 29, and Soghomon Kocharyan, 38, remain at large so far. On Monday the police promised reward to those, who can indicate their whereabouts and said condition of anonymity is guaranteed.