Tag Archives: Armenia

Wolf attack kills 100 sheep in Armenia

YEREVAN, JUNE 16 2017 (The Bulletin) — Wolves have ripped apart around 100 sheep in a province in Armenia, media reported, one of the worst attacks for years.

The attack highlights a long standing dispute between conversations who want to try to preserve the wolf population and farmers who want it culled.

The recent attack was recorded in the mountainous region of Aragatsotn in central Armenia. Wolf attacks in Aragatsotn and other upland parts of central Armenia are not uncommon but they are normally limited to killing around a dozen sheep.

An attack in which 36 sheep were killed in 2014 was considered significant, so an attack in which 100 were killed is a major incident.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 333, published on June 19 2017)

Rosatom to update Armenia nuclear plant

Leave a Reply

YEREVAN, JUNE 13 2017 (The Bulletin) — Russian energy company Rosatom said it was going to start repair works on Armenia’s nuclear power station, Metsamor, next year.

The repair works, which Rosatom has said will extend the lifespan of the nuclear plant to 2026, are controversial because both the European Union and the United States have called on the plant to be decommissioned as it is built in an earthquake-prone area.

Several years ago, the European Union offered Armenia $300m to close down the plant, an offer that the Armenian government, possibly under pressure from Russia, declined.

After meeting Armenian PM Karen Karapetyan, Rosatom director- general said: “Armenia’s nuclear facilities will in fact be thoroughly upgraded. Our common goal today is to move clearly on the agreed schedule, observing the unequivocal priority of quality work and safety requirements.”

For Armenia, the Soviet-built nuclear plant is a vital part of its power generation system, producing around 40% of the country’s electricity.

The deal for the maintenance work to extend the lifespan of Metsamor was agreed in 2014, with Russian finance for the project and Rosatom’s role finalised the following year. Russia agreed to lend Armenia $230m to fund the modernisation scheme and also added a $30m grant.

Rosatom has said that the main focus of their work is the modernisation of the plant’s cooling towers, its turbine unit and control and safety systems.

The original plan for the maintenance work was to schedule it for 2017, closing the plant for six months.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 333, published on June 19 2017)

Armenia accuses Azerbaijan

Leave a Reply

JUNE 16 2017 (The Bulletin) — Armenia-backed forces accused Azerbaijan of killing three of its soldiers in another spike in violence around the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Tension has really been reduced since fighting in April 2016 killed several dozen people. Analysts have said that there is a greater chance of all-out war over the region now than at any time since a UN- imposed ceasefire in 1994.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 333, published on June 19 2017)

RusHydro looks to pull out from Armenia

Leave a Reply

JUNE 6 2017 (The Bulletin) — Russia’s RusHydro said that it wanted to sell off the second largest hydropower plant in Armenia, Sevan-Hrazdan Cascade, which produces roughly 10% of Armenia’s power. RusHydro said that it had been in talks with a potential buyer but that these talks had fallen through. In 2015, Russia’s Inter RAO sold its debt-ridden electricity distribution network to a Armenian oligarch after a series of angry street demonstrations against planned electricity price rises.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 332, published on June 12 2017)

Armenia plans property privatisation

Leave a Reply

YEREVAN, JUNE 9 2017 (The Bulletin) — Armenia’s government plans to sell 47 state-owned properties, including post offices, Yerevan’s bus station and a football stadium, to raise an estimated $75m.

Armenia, like the rest of the region, has been trying to pull out of an economic downturn linked to a drop in oil prices and a recession in Russia. The data this year has showed an improvement but the government still needs to raise more cash, giving foreign investors the chance to buy into property in Armenia.

The head of the state property management department, Arman Sahakyan, said the government had tried and failed to privatise half the properties in 2006/7.

“The companies that will be put up for privatisation, are not managed effectively, they face problems, that’s why we included them in the list in order to ensure their effective management,” he was quoted by media as saying.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 332, published on June 12 2017)

Armenian exports rise

Leave a Reply

JUNE 6 2017 (The Bulletin) — Exports from Armenia have increased by 16.1% in the first four month of the year compared to the same period in 2016, media reported quoting the national statistics service. Russia was still the biggest trade partner and China the second biggest. Like the rest of the region, Armenia has been shrugging off an economic malaise triggered by a fall in oil prices and a recession in Russia that has lingered from 2014.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 332, published on June 12 2017)

Mkhitaryan receives award from Armenia

Leave a Reply

MAY 28 2017 (The Bulletin) — Henrikh Mkhitaryan, the Manchester United footballer, received Armenia’s highest order for “Services to Motherland” at a ceremony presided over by Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan. Mr Mkhitaryan who has played for Manchester United for one season is arguably the world’s best-known Armenian. He is certainly the best footballer Armenia has produced and is the first Armenian to play in the English Premier League.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 331, published on June 5 2017)

Armenia’s CB raises inflation target

Leave a Reply

MAY 31 2017 (The Bulletin) — Armenia’s Central Bank raised its inflation target for 2017 to 2.5% from 0.6%, a leading indicator that it feels the worst of an economic downturn has passed. Armenia has been struggling to deal with deflation over the past couple of years. Recent data showed the economy starting to grow. The government targets 3.2% growth.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 331, published on June 5 2017)

International Crisis Group warns that Armenia and Azerbaijan are close to war

Leave a Reply

JUNE 2 2017 (The Bulletin) — Armenia and Azerbaijan are closer to all-out war over disputed Nagorno- Karabakh than at any time since a 1994 ceasefire was agreed, the influential think tank International Crisis Group wrote.

This is just the latest warning, although it is also one of the most high-profile, that a conflict around Nagorno-Karabakh has become a real possibility.

“Both sides, backed by mobilised constituencies, appear ready for confrontation,” the ICG wrote. “These tensions could develop into larger- scale conflict, leading to significant civilian casualties and possibly prompting the main regional powers to intervene.”

Russia maintains a large military base in Armenia, while Turkey is one of Azerbaijan’s biggest allies.

ICG said since fighting in April 2016, tension around the region has worsened

“Since mid-January 2017, deadly incidents involving the use of heavy artillery and antitank weapons have occurred with varying degrees of intensity; May saw a significant increase, including reports of self- guided rockets and missiles used near densely populated areas,” it wrote.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 331, published on June 5 2017)

NATO deal to scrap unused vehicles in Armenia

Leave a Reply

MAY 29 2017 (The Bulletin) — NATO has struck a deal with Armenia to pay for 130 unusable military vehicles to be decommissioned, media reported. The cost of decommissioning the vehicles is estimated at 1.3m euros. NATO deals with Armenia are important as they show that Armenia, one of Russia’s closest allies, is prepared to work closely with the West’s main military structure.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 331, published on June 5 2017)