The Armenian environmentalists have expressed protest against the Government's decision to shoot some 200 wolves.President of the Center of Lovers of Birds NGO Silva Adamyan has told ArmInfo that the problem is not that the number of wolves is growing.  Simply, they have no place to live because of the mass cutting of woods and the active development of mining. "Wolves are kind of 'sanitarians' of the woods: they hunt for sick and weak animals. Mass shooting may have very bad consequences. In England such a campaign has resulted in near extinction of wolves," Adamyan said.She suggests a way-out of the situation: breeding wolf dogs for scaring off wolves from populated areas.  "We have some 700 wolves. So, killing as many as 200 species is too much. Now that our forest area is shrinking they will hardly be able to normally reproduce," Adamyan said.
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Today Areximbank-Gazprombank Group CJSC held a seminar on "Up-to-date banking services for trade finance transactions" to familiarize the Bank's customers with the trade finance instruments applied in the international practice.     Deputy Director General of Areximbank-Gazprombank Group CJSC Rouben Khachatryan said that the seminar is aimed at familiarizing the customers with various types of letters of credit and banking guarantees, as well as with the mechanisms and terms of their provision. The audience was also told about the changes that have recently taken place in the Incoterms International Commercial terms and in the international rules of on-demand guarantees.   Khachatryan said that the Bank is going to increase the trade finance volumes by 30-40%, which totaled about $5 mln in 2011. For that purpose the Bank has big opportunities to fund the transactions by means of credit lines provided by Gazprombank (Russia) and other correspondent banks. "As cheap resources are attracted in the trade finance schemes, the value of such product is much lower than direct corporate lending. Today the average rate of standard loans is 11-13% p.a., while the average rates of trade finance by Gazprombank are 4-5%.  At present these are the best terms of lending in Armenia", he stressed and added that this rate is equal to "the price" of Armenia's country risk.   It was also noted at the seminar that sometimes many businessmen dealing with trade export and import operations are not well aware of the banking products and services meant to not only considerably reduce the risks, but also to considerably reduce the expenses if the matter concerns operations with borrowed resources. This is especially relevant for such a country as Armenia, where the risks and expenses connected with transportation of cargoes abroad and from abroad are high and the deliveries are very often delayed for 2-3 months. It is especially optimal to carry out the leasing and factoring operations by the trade finance schemes, i.e. by various types of letters of credit rather than on the basis of standard loans.   Rouben Khachatryan told an ArmInfo correspondent that the Bank is negotiating with the Eurasian Development Bank to receive a credit line worth about 10 mln USD for development of trade finance. To note, the Bank is participating in a number of international projects of the World Bank and German Development Bank KfW.   According to the Ranking of Commercial Banks of Armenia by the Agency of Rating Marketing Information (ArmInfo), as of late 2011 the total capital of Areximbank-Gazprombank Group amounted to 15.7 bln AMD (6% annual growth), assets - 95.9 bln AMD (42.2% growth), provision of crediting - 75.9 bln AMD (52.5% growth). In the credit portfolio of the bank about 82% fell on lending to economy, particularly, the major part of the loans were replaced in the industrial sector (about 40%) and in the trade sphere (almost 20%). The net profit of the Bank totaled 1.0 bln AMD. The full package of shares of the Bank belongs to Gazprombank (Russia).
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    Because of stepping in of the sanctions of the EU against Iran, the problem of these sanctions affecting the Armenian-Iranian partnership is become more and more relevant. Let’s turn to the key problem – the energy projects, being implemented by the two countries, which are of a great significance in the Armenian-Iranian dialogue.   It is obvious that the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline is one of the brightest displays of the Armenian-Iranian energy partnership, and is of an important geo-political significance at the local as well as regional level. The project was successfully launched and despite various views about functioning of the gas pipeline and its further entering the third countries, one thing is obvious: the gas pipeline has provided an alternative way for the energy safety of the republic and diversified its energy system much.    The Iran-Armenia gas pipeline is the only project being implemented by the Iranian and Armenian parties today. The construction of the oil processing plant at the Armenian-Iranian border as well as of hydro power plants at the border river Arax and laying of the oil pipeline Tabriz-Megri should be mentioned among the most important ones.   As for the affect of the economic sanctions at the Armenian-Iranian partnership, I should say that the system of the closed-loop reproduction is impossible in the modern world despite the level of a country’s integration in the world political and economic processes. Certainly, in this case we would like it very much. So, what is the most possible scenario of development of events around our neighbor Iran? And how can it affect Armenia?   Today Iran says about possible closing of the Ormuz channel, which links the Persian Gulf to the Oman one. This will undoubtedly strike a serious blow upon the world oil market. According to some predictions, the oil price will grow up to $200 for a barrel, which will directly affect the economy of several European countries and the USA. It means that the possibility of US attack upon Iran will grow much. As no country can implement large-scale projects in the war conditions, which demand big financial investments, Iran will be forced for some time to forget about extension of its energy and transport markets. Moreover, foreign investments are often necessary for fulfillment of similar programmes, which is hardly possible. There is a viewpoint that the financial potential of Iran is enough to continue the fully-fledged cooperation within the frames of the new projects. But I should say that even in case of availability of the political will and readiness to activate cooperation by Iran, it will hardly want to single-handedly finance inter-state projects. So, Armenia will be forced to apply to foreign credits and increase its foreign debt in such a way. But is the country ready to such a risk?      At the same time, the pressure by several countries of League of Arab Countries which support the West, has been growing, especially from the side of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which said about increasing of oil production by 3-5 barrels per day and about the guaranteed delivery of oil to the western countries. Moreover, the authorities of Saudi Arabia have been holding an active dialogue with their Chinese counterparts on refusal for China from the Iranian oil. We have the first results of these talks. One of the two biggest buyers of the Iranian oil – Unipec company has recently said about reduction of the Iranian oil purchasing in 2012. It is obvious that even if certain volumes are preserved, the pragmatic China will try to make use of the created situation and force Iran reduce the price for oil. And although Iran is in the three of the most oil and gas containing countries of the world, and consumption of energy resources by mankind is growing by 2% every year, it is very much possible that for some period of time Iran will find itself out of the big energy game. Undoubtedly, Armenia will go on purchasing Iranian oil, but some programmes recorded by inter-governmental commissions perhaps will not be implemented, at least over the coming years.      Candidate of political science
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 The situation around Mashtots park urges Police to hold a round table dedicated to legality of policemen's actions. As press-service of the Police reported, all the interested public organizations are invited to take part in the discussions which will be held on 28 February. Unlike the Administrative Court, the Police is not authorized to cast doubt upon the document about construction in the Mashtots park submitted by the Yerevan mayor's office. "For this reason, the Police is obliged to prevent the attempts to hinder the construction works. That's why, the actions of the Police directed to providing of public order were stemming from  requirements of the law", - the Police reported. In the meantime, green activists still picket the construction site. Nevertheless, the construction is continued under protection of the police. The protesters and Mass Media are not allowed to the construction site. The key requirements of the green activists is to stop the building works in the park as they are illegal. According to the fixed normative, the distance between a pavilion and a tree should be not less than 5 m, but here this distance is just 50 sm.The construction of the trade pavilions has already urged the "Heritage" party to file a lawsuit in the Administrative Court against Yerevan mayor's office.
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In 2012 Geoteam CJSC will invest $52mln in the prospecting of the Amulsar gold field in southern Armenia.   The company reports that since 2006 it has invested $30mln and has provided people living near Amulsar with jobs and social benefits.    On Wednesday the company commented on the opinion expressed by the Environment Protection Committee of the Armenian National Congress on the previous day that the operation of the Amulsar field will be bad for the local environment.   "This opinion is groundless. Before making such a statement the Committee should have familiarized itself with the findings of foreign and local ecologists, which are available on our web-site.  Should the findings fail to convince them, we are ready to organize a public discussion," the company said.   It urged all political parties to refrain from making environmental issues a subject for pre-election speculations. "We guarantee that the Amulsar project complies with the national environmental standards. We are a transparent and socially oriented company. Our shares are quoted at Toronto Stock Exchange. Our shareholders are highly reputed international institutional investors."    During a recent press-conference Armenia's Economy Minister Tigran Davtyan said that the Amulsar project will be carried out by a well- known company, which has promised to meet all environmental requirements. "The field is far from Jermuk. The technologies that will be used at the field meet all ecological requirements. So, there is no ground for saying that the project is harmful for the environment," Davtyan said.   Geoteam was set up in 2005. 95% of its shares are owned by Lydian International Ltd. According to preliminary estimates, Amulsar may contain almost 40 tons of gold. Among the shareholders of Lydian International are the IFC (16.5%) and the EBRD (7.5%).
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ArmInfo-TURAN. Washington-DC based global think-tank Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, has criticized the Obama Administration's democracy policy, due to its relations with the undemocratic governments of Central Asia and Caucasus.According to Turan's Washington DC correspondent, in his recent report on "Democracy Policy Under Obama Revitalization or Retreat?", Carnegie's vice president Thomas Carothers, mentioned that in Central Asia and the Caucasus, the Obama administration "maintains friendly or at least mutually productive relations with undemocratic governments in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Kyrgyzstan. It is for the sake of various benefits, especially logistical cooperation relating to the war in Afghanistan and access to oil and gas".Does this larger reality of Obama's foreign policy-democracy being only a secondary emphasis overall and downplayed in many places for the sake of other interests-represent a relative retreat to US democracy policy of the last several decades? He said, "answering this question requires stepping very carefully through the confusing thicket of rhetoric and reality that perennially surrounds US democracy promotion".At the same time, he adds, the administration downplays democracy and human rights in a number of non-democratic countries for the sake of other interests. This inconsistency represents a familiar pattern rather than a change in US policy.
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The crisis of the European zone, European economy has been gradually turning into the political problems. Can this crisis affect partnership within the frames of NATO?     The events taking place in the European Union are the reflection of deeper transformations that touched the world economy and are known like for the last three years. The analysis shows that the developing economical crisis is not at all impartial. Today there is no doubt everything was framed up. The crisis was planned and launched for fulfillment of the programme on creation of the new world order. The fundamental problems of the modern civilization development: exhausting of strategic resources, first of all oil, the population growing old and changing of the migration flows, as well as wide distribution of new technologies which can radically change the established economic order, lay in basis of this programme fulfillment. The key elements of today's world order: UN, WB, EU, NATO, etc. were developing under other circumstances during which they were effective. However, along with changing of the environment the former elements lose their effectiveness and require replacement by something new. In particular, the EU which is so much tense today, is a final product of the epoch of confrontation of the superpowers: the USSR and the USA, the expert said. The EU was born like a machinery for the political and economical integration of the countries of Europe in the face of the enemy - socialistic bloc. The same is regarding NATO which demonstrates Euro-Atlantic unity in the matter of standing against the .   In fact, the last years of development of EU and NATO connected with active extension and introduction of EUR was just an inertial motion. All this would be expedient if we still had the USSR. Moreover, the economical infrastructure of the EU has been so much integrated in the energy infrastructure of its - Russia, that today to imagine the situation when Europe will refuse Russian oil and gas is practically impossible. Such dependence of Europe, the major part of the countries of which are NATO members, on the Russian energy resources makes the whole project senseless. Moreover, many European countries shocked by economical problems and being on the edge of bankruptcy are simply unable to fulfill their obligations within the frames of NATO.  For this reason, I think the situation with NATO is quite clear - in its present state it will not exist for a long time, and will be swallowed by the crisis just the same way as Europe was.    More than  60% of the oil containing regions of the world as well as the oil prices have been controlled by the USA in this or that way. May the appetites of Washington regarding Iran be watched like a part of the strategy  on covering of the oil potential of the world?   The embargo imposed on Iranian oil today will be a suicide for Europe tomorrow. Considering the hard economic conditions most of the European countries (Greece, Italy, Spain) are facing today, any attempts to change the existing energy supply scheme will be disastrous. The EU's decision has proved once again that Europe is not politically independent and cannot pass crucial political decisions without consulting the United States. In this particular case, the Europeans are forced to act to their own detriment. The United States controls over 60% of the world's oil fields, and its actions against Iran are part of its strategy to grab the whole. Oil is still the key fuel, the "blood" of the modern civilization. But its resources are growing increasingly scarce. If the world continues extracting oil as quickly as it is doing today, it will have none by the end of 2030, with no real substitutes available yet. So, the Americans are acting quite pragmatically: they are trying to gain control over oil and, even more importantly, gas - for it will be exactly gas that will be able to replace oil for several decades after the latter expires. So, if the war for oil is our present, the war for gas is our future.    The situation around the nuclear programme of Iran has becoming more and more tense. The tension in the Middle East is extremely beneficial for Russia as it maintains high prices for oil. Nevertheless, Moscow is trying to ease tension around Iran by all means. What is the reason of such a paradox?    There is no paradox here. The rise of oil prices caused by escalation of tension around Iran is recompensed in Russian oil incomes due to the falling oil consumption by Europe's economies that keep falling into bankruptcy. All this is now favorable to Moscow.  In addition, escalation of tension around Iran and even an armed conflict are quite short-term events, while the further changes in the region and in the world may prove much more serious for Russia than the monetary profit from high oil prices. Russia has already made a mistake supporting USA's aspiration to strengthen its positions in Central Asia to fight the Taliban. The U.S. is currently holding peace talks with the Taliban and regards its members almost as allies. Nevertheless, the USA has no intention to leave Central Asia.    Does instable situation in Syria find room in the frames of the American foreign policy conception? Or the USA has nothing in common with the situation and the Saudi Arabia is the master of the situation?   I think that the situation in the region depends also on the situation in Iran's ally country Syria. At the same time, regional developments show that without Syrian's exclusion, the military operation against Iran will not be as lighting as Washington wants.  Therefore, the developments in Syria are backed mainly by the USA and Israel, which has not put up with the idea of killing the nuclear program of Iran preserving the status of the only regional nuclear super power.  The stakes are so high today that regional players yield their places to global ones. The USA's interests in the region are much higher than the interests of Saudi Arabia, which has become just an instrument for the United States.   The main oil and gas lines run  through the territory of the South Caucasus which is direct neighbor of Iran. How can the possible attack upon Iran affect the countries of the region in this context, taking into consideration different attitude of the three republics of the South Caucasus towards Iran?    The Caucasus countries Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan are experiencing hard times now with the active political games around these countries being the best evidence of that. Thus, before starting the conflict with Iran, the U.S.A, Israel and France try to change the political landscape in the region and maybe launch reconstruction processes also in the region. And these countries have certain success, for the situation as of  February 2012 differs from the situation a few months ago. Today the South Caucasus states differently assess the possible consequences of the regional conflict with involvement of Iran. It is very important considering that the key oil and gas arteries extend through the territory of the South Caucasus neighboring with Iran.     Does the Nabucco project have prospects, taking into account an extremely unstable situation in the region as well as changing of Turkeys priorities from Nabucco to  Trans Anadolu?     The Nabucco prospects were rather misty from the very beginning. Today the project is practically dead. There are several reason of that. First, it would change the conjecture of the world energy market - the project had to be developed in other conditions, and today it is economically unprofitable. Second, Russia has fulfilled energy projects. The completion of the "North flow" construction and the beginning of the construction has made more discord in the brains of the Nabucco ideologists. One thing is to build the pipeline for the political pressure upon Russia, and another thing is to get from Russia the vital oil and gas, perhaps for the lower price as the crisis has emptied the financial stores.  In the present unstable situation Turkey and Azerbaijan have understood that it is more beneficial to have close relations with Russia which is next to them than to take part in the political games of the far away Washington.
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 I would call the election of the Hrazdan Mayor a "Prescott" election as PACE co-rapporteur on Armenia John Prescott hurried to proclaim the election democratic on that very morning without even caring to learn what actually happened during the voting, member of the opposition Armenian National Congress Gurgen Yeghiazaryan said during a press-conference on Tuesday."Did Mr. Prescott mean that threats, pressure, kidnapping of proxies and violence are considered democratic in Europe? Or does this just a dual standard approach? The same is true for US Ambassador John Heffern, who also said that the election were democratic. Mr. Heffern had no right to make such statements being unaware of the actual results. He displayed a dual standard approach by opining on the whole election after visiting just one polling station," Yeghiazaryan said.  He said that the ANC is ready to show everybody the video displaying a woman complaining that all of her neighbors were given 5,000 AMD bribes for their votes while she was left without 10,000 AMD for her two votes even though she had two hungry children at home.During the Feb 12 elections of the Hrazdan Mayor, the candidate of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia Aram Danielyan polled 13,000 votes, while his rival from the ANC Sasun Mikaelyan - 11,500 votes.
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Armenia is ready establish relations with Turkey, but the same cannot be said about Turkey, Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Armenian National Academy of Sciences, turcologist Rouben Safrastyan said at today's debates on the Armenian-Turkish relations and the perspectives for the next 5 years. The representatives of the Association of Young Politicians attended the debates.    "Our diplomacy has demonstrated that Armenia is ready to establish relations with Turkey, but Turkey is not. Ankara is trying to use these factors, which actually have nothing to do with the Armenian-Turkish interstate relations", Safrastyan said. As a result of the Armenian-Turkish process, Armenia has managed to raise its diplomatic image as a country, which was loyal to the bilateral protocols, unlike Turkey.     "As regards the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the Armenian Cause in general, we can state that the process with Turkey has not done any harm to the Armenian people", he said.  Safrastyan pointed out with content that the contemporary youth representatives take an active part in debates on this topic.
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