JAN. 12 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Armenia accused Azerbaijan of killing two of its soldiers along the border to the dispute region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Separatists backed by Armenia control Nagorno-Karabakh but peace, or a relative peace, is only held by a 1994 UN-brokered ceasefire. There are weekly shootings along the border.
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(News report from Issue No. 214, published on Jan. 14 2015)
JAN. 12 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — The new Mrs Clooney, wife of Hollywood superstar George, is adding a dash of glamour to a case going through the European Court of Human Rights involving Armenia. Amal Clooney has agreed to represent Armenia as it challenges an appeal against a Turkish politician who denied an alleged genocide against Armenia in 1915.
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(News report from Issue No. 214, published on Jan. 14 2015
JAN. 13 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Armenia is bracing itself for a major celebrity visit when Kim Kardashian, a Los Angeles-based reality TV star, and her sisters travel to Yerevan later this year. US media announced that the sisters were planning a visit to their ancestral homeland.
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(News report from Issue No. 214, published on Jan. 14 2015)
JAN. 12 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Azerbaijan’s ministry of culture has said it may ban British tour operator Regent Holidays after the company started advertising trips to Nagorno-Karabakh via Armenia. Azerbaijan and Armenia are still officially at war over Nagorno-Karabakh.
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(News report from Issue No. 214, published on Jan. 14 2015)
>>Russian rate rise triggers Armenian reaction>>
DEC. 23 2014, (The Conway Bulletin) — Armenia’s Central Bank raised its key interest rate to 8.5% from 6.75%, a move widely interpreted as an attempt to keep up with its Russian counterpart.
Inflation in Armenia is creeping up, mainly because of anticipated price pressure triggered by joining the
Kremlin-led Eurasian Economic Union which ties the Armenian economy even more closely into the Russian economy.
In November Armenia’s annualised inflation was 2.6% up from 2.2% in October and economists have said that this trend is likely to accelerate.
But the Russian Central Bank’s defence of its rouble currency is also giving its allies a headache.
In mid-December to stop a run on the rouble, the Russian Central Bank raised interest rates overnight to 17% from 10.5%. This has forced its closest allies to follow.
Armenia is in a tight spot.
It is so reliant on Russia that it has become a virtual satellite state, and more so after it signed a deal to enter the Eurasian Economic Union.
Adapting to the Kremlin’s Eurasian Economic Union and the impact of this political-economic move will dominate Armenia in 2015.
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(News report from Issue No. 213, published on Jan. 7 2015)
JAN. 1 2015, (The Conway Bulletin) — After a year long build up, Armenia joined the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EaEU). The EaEU also includes Kazakhstan and Belarus. Kyrgyzstan will join in May. Critics of the project have said that it is a Kremlin power grab.
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(News report from Issue No. 213, published on Jan. 7 2015)
>>Membership to become political ahead of elections>>
DEC. 23 2014, (The Conway Bulletin) — Kyrgyzstan signed a deal that will make it the fifth member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EaEU) in May.
At a meeting in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the union, which from Jan. 1 includes Belarus, Kazakhstan and Armenia as well as Russia, would benefit from Kyrgyzstan’s membership.
“All the participants of this integration process are already experiencing its real benefits,” media quoted Mr Putin as saying.
“We are convinced that Armenia and Kyrgyzstan’s membership in the Eurasian [Economic] Union meets the key national interests of both countries.”
Many analysts, though, and people on the streets of Bishkek questioned whether there would be any real economic benefit. Instead, they said that Kyrgyzstan had joined the Eurasian Economic Union for political rather than economic reasons.
Kyrgyzstan is, largely reliant on Russia for economic and military support, but its membership of the Eurasian Economic Union is likely to become a political issue later this year in the run up to its parliamentary election, scheduled for October.
In an interview with Russian state-linked newspaper Rossiskaya Gazeta before the official signing ceremony, Kyrgyz president Almazbek Atambayev waived aside concern.
“When making decisions, we guide solely by economic expediency,” he said.
“This step will revive our industry, strengthen security, open borders with neighbouring countries, improve the standard of living of the people. Entry into this union opens up new opportunities for economic development.”
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(News report from Issue No. 213, published on Jan. 7 2015)
JAN. 5 2015, (The Conway Bulletin) — Air Armenia, which suspended its international flights in October after declaring itself bankrupt, will re-start operations in March after agreeing a deal to sell 49% of the company to a Ukrainian company called East Prospect Fund, media reported. The news is important for Armenia’s travel links to Russia.
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(News report from Issue No. 213, published on Jan. 7 2015)
DEC. 8 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Bread prices have begun to rise for the first time since March, Armenian media reported. Armenia’s economy has been hit by the downturn in Russia’s economy. Commentators said that the rise in bread prices was directly attributable to an increase in the price of flour.
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(News report from Issue No. 212, published on Dec. 10 2014)
DEC. 5 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – The Georgian lari and the Armenian dram have fallen sharply against the US dollar. The lari hit its lowest level for 10 years and the dram its lowest level since 2006. The root cause of the collapse of the currencies is the weakening of Russia’s economy because of a collapse in oil prices and Western- imposed sanctions.
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(News report from Issue No. 212, published on Dec. 10 2014)
