NOV. 5 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – Armenia’s trade with Russia, its most important partner, has fallen sharply this year compared to the same period in 2014, official data showed. Exports to Russia were down 28% to $158.5m and imports were down over 10% to $712.7m between Jan-Sept. A recession in Russia has hit Central Asia and South Caucasus.
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(News report from Issue No. 255, published on Nov. 6 2015)
OCT. 31 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – The Armenian Orthodox Church reconsecrated the Cathedral of St George in Tbilisi, considered one of its most important churches in the region. The Cathedral was closed in 2012 for restoration work.
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(News report from Issue No. 255, published on Nov. 6 2015)
NOV. 5 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – Campaigning has started ahead of a referendum on Dec. 6 on the Armenian constitution. The referendum debate focuses on whether to increase the powers of Parliament and the PM over the President. Opposition groups say Pres. Serzh Sargsyan wants to give himself more power once he leaves the presidency in 2018.
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(News report from Issue No. 255, published on Nov. 6 2015)
NOV. 4 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – Five Armenian crew members, including the pilot, were killed in plane crash in south Sudan. The Antonov-12 cargo plane, operated by Armenia’s Ala International, was carrying 40 people.
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(News report from Issue No. 255, published on Nov. 6 2015)
OCT. 26 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – Russia said it would not block Armenia signing an agreement with the European Union that will deepen bilateral relations.
This is important because the deal has been drawn up to replace the Association Agreement that Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan ducked out of signing at the last moment two years ago.
Back then the West accused Russia of interfering by giving Armenia sweeteners to ditch the EU for the Kremlin-led Eurasian Economic Union, which is joined this year. The Kremlin pulled a similar trick with Ukraine, although this led to a public outpouring of anger, street demonstrations and, eventually, a revolution.
Russian news agencies quoted Vasily Nebenzya, a Russian deputy foreign minister, saying that the Kremlin would not try to stop the deal this time.
“I think that [the planned EU-Armenia accord] does not contradict partnership with the Russian Federation,” he said.
The deal that Armenia and the EU hope to sign this year is not as deep as the Association Agreement of 2013 was intended to be but it is an important step for EU-Armenia relations.
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(News report from Issue No. 254, published on Oct. 30 2015)
OCT. 23 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — US’ Microsoft launched a new so- called acceleration programme for start-up companies at its Innovation Centre in Armenia. People working on 14 new projects selected for the programme will receive in- depth training in California, Australia and Russia. Armenia has been looking to attract increased investment from tech start-ups over the past few years and has brokered various deals with Microsoft.
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(News report from Issue No. 254, published on Oct. 30 2015)
OCT. 29 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – Armenia’s government and Tahir Group, which bought the country’s electricity networks last month, said that they will subsidise electricity prices until the end of July 2016. Earlier this year thousands of Armenians protested against proposed electricity price rises.
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(News report from Issue No. 254, published on Oct. 30 2015)
OCT. 19 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – Armenia has complained to NATO about an incursion by the Turkish military into its airspace earlier this month. Turkey is a NATO member and has stepped-up activity in the east of the country to counter the IS extremist group. Armenia’s military said that on Oct. 6 and Oct. 7 a Turkish military transport helicopter strayed into its airspace.
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(News report from Issue No. 253, published on Oct. 23 2015)
OCT. 15 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — The Eurasian Economic Commission published the latest statistics on trade turnover among EEU countries. It made for interesting, if also distressing, reading.
Trade among Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan was down by a quarter in Jan.-Aug. 2015, compared to the same period last year.
By volume, Russia was the country that suffered the largest fall, amounting to over $4b. In terms of percentage, however, all other countries except for Kyrgyzstan fared worse — Kyrgyzstan acceded as a full member only in August, so its numbers could be misleading.
Curiously, Armenia increased trade turnover with non-EEU countries such as Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan by over 40%.
In the two periods analysed by the Commission, oil prices were significantly different. And this can be clearly seen in Kazakhstan’s statistics, which show a sharp fall in exports to Italy, China and Russia, its main trade partners by volume. In particular, the value of Kazakhstan’s exports were reduced by the double whammy of lower oil prices and the decrease in the value of the tenge after the government abandoned its peg to the US dollar.
It is undeniable that the rouble crisis and the fall in oil prices have affected the Eurasian region. And the EEU has been unabel to contain the spill-over effects on its members.
OCT. 23 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) —
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(News report from Issue No. 253, published on Oct. 23 2015)
OCT. 21 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Perhaps it’s the Eurasian Economic Union effect. Prices of Mars chocolate bars in Armenia have fallen by around 20%, the Haykakan Zhamanak newspaper reported. Shopkeepers said a cut in customs duties have contributed to the price deflation. Armenia imports most Mars-branded chocolate bars from Russia. Armenia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan are members of the Eurasian Economic Union.
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(News report from Issue No. 253, published on Oct. 23 2015)
