Entries for March 2004

Armenia, Iran to sign gas pipeline agt early April | March 31, 2004
From Itar-Tass: Armenia, Iran to sign gas pipeline agt early April By Tigran Liloyan YEREVAN The negotiations with Iran regarding the construction of a gas pipeline to Armenia reached the final stage, Armenian Energy Minister Armen Movsesyan said on Tuesday....

Rights activist beaten in Armenia | March 31, 2004
From Associated Press: A representative of a leading human rights organization was beaten by assailants on Tuesday and blamed the Armenian authorities for the attack, which left him hospitalized in serious condition. Mikael Danielyan, the chairman of the Armenian Helsinki...

Armenia's Software Advantage | March 31, 2004
The McKinsey Quarterly (free registration required) has a good piece about Armenia's software industry. Something quite in vogue, I believe there was an article in The Economist not too long ago... Geopolitical problems and macroeconomic reforms are currently preoccupying Armenia,...

Armenian President's Resignation Inevitable - Opposition Leader | March 31, 2004
More on Kocharyan's troubles, from Mediamax news agency: "The overthrow of the regime of Armenia's illegitimate president Robert Kocharyan is inevitable," Albert Bazeyan, the chairman of the Republic Party and leader of the radical opposition, said in Yerevan today. Addressing...

A gathering storm? | March 31, 2004
This from Transitions Online: As the opposition prepares to challenge the president, Kocharian and his government play the good cop/bad cop routine. Read...

Editorial calls for boycott of British ambassador | March 31, 2004
AZG.am has this piece calling for a boycott of British ambassador to Armenia Thora Abbott-Watt. This story has been simmering for a while, ever since the ambassador made her famous comments about the genocide....

US: Opening Turkey's border with Armenia would bring benefits | March 31, 2004
From Turkish Daily News: US: Opening Turkey's border with Armenia would bring benefits Deputy Secretary of State says opening of the gate would bring significant gains but is aware that Azerbaijan opposes the idea ANKARA - Turkish Daily News The...

AmCham hosts Business Ethics Roundtable | March 31, 2004
This from the American Chamber of Commerce: Yerevan. A Roundtable, organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in Armenia (`AmCham'), took place on March 23rd 2004 in the Queen Erato Room of the Armenia Marriott Hotel....

Armenian environmentalists protest against "illegal" construction | March 29, 2004
From Arminfo: The mayor's office has called on the police to ban a picket to protest against illegal construction in Yerevan's green areas. The picket, however, took place on 27 March despite the presence of more than 20 policemen in...

Say You Want a Revolution?: Opposition parties say change of power only weeks away | March 29, 2004
This story from ArmeniaNow. Dissatisfaction from last years' election rumbles on... Read the article...

Aza-Hye.com joins the fray | March 29, 2004
Azad-Hye.com was launched recently. It focuses on Armenian news from the UAE. There is a email list as well, which has the usual news....

Around $1 billion invested in Armenia in last decade | March 28, 2004
This from ArmenPress (by way of Groong): YEREVAN, MARCH 26, ARMENPRESS: Deputy trade and development minister, Tigran Davtian, predicted today that the average amount of annual investments in the Armenian economy will from now on range between $200 million-250 million....

NY Armenian Film Festival | March 26, 2004
From Groong. Anyone in New York in April can check this out. I'll be there. NEW YORK - Following its sold-out run in San Francisco, the Armenian Film Festival is bringing a program of feature-length and short films by and...

Pan Armenian Cultural Festival to be held in Armenia on August 14-23, 2004 | March 25, 2004
This from Armenian News Network: A pan-Armenian Cultural Festival will be held in Yerevan, Armenia on August 14-23, 2004. The festival is organized by the Armenian Ministry of Culture and Youth to promote cultural ties and cooperation between Armenian organizations...

Flats (Apartments) for sale in Yerevan | March 25, 2004
Raffi over at cilicia.com has posted this poll about Flats (Apartments) for sale in Yerevan. Looks like prices are on the rise. On my last visit I saw some of the apartments on Abovian Street nearest to Republic Square had...

$544 million transferred by armenians abroad in 2003 to relatives | March 25, 2004
From ArmenPress: The amount of cash sent home by Armenians working abroad, the main source of income for thousands of families, reached last year some $544 million, as much as Armenia's budget was, showing an $85 million growth over the...

First group of repatriates to arrive in Armenia from Russia in late summer | March 25, 2004
This from PanARMENIAN.Net The first group of repatriates from Russia will arrive in Armenia from Russia in late summer, said Chief of the Department of Migration and Refugees under the Armenian Government Gagik Yeganian. It should be noted that he...

Armenia in Russia's Embrace? | March 25, 2004
Interesting story from the Moscow Times......

Japan sends financial aid to promote stability of South Caucasus | March 25, 2004
This from Pravda The Armenian agriculture minister, David Lozhan, and an adviser to the economic section of the Japanese embassy in Russia, Masataka Esidzave, on Monday signed an agreement for the transfer to Armenia of a Japanese grant worth USD...

Online! | March 23, 2004
Blogrel is born. A new blog about Armenia: Business, politics, the future and good lavash! I will use this space to talk about the latest Armenian news, issues that affect Armenia and the Diaspora. It will be a mix of...