Armenia’s government on Monday reacted evasively to the weekend referendum in Crimea that was followed by a declaration of its independence from Ukraine welcomed by Russia but condemned as illegal by the West.
The easing of international sanctions against Iran would give a major boost to the Islamic Republic’s economic ties with neighboring Armenia, the Iranian ambassador in Yerevan said over the weekend.
Fighter jets deployed at the Russian military base in Armenia will continue to increase the frequency of their training flights and thus boost their combat readiness, their commander said on Friday.
The Armenian government on Thursday moved to offer small information technology (IT) companies significant tax breaks which it hopes will give a further boost to one of the most dynamic sectors of Armenia’s economy.
Western economic sanctions that could be imposed against Russia because of its military intervention in Ukraine would also hurt Armenia, Economy Minister Vahram Avanesian said on Tuesday.
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian called for a peaceful resolution of the crisis in Ukraine on Monday as Armenia remained reluctant to publicly take sides in Russia’s intensifying standoff with the West.
Riot police made three arrests on Wednesday as they clashed with several dozen activists who gathered outside the Russian Embassy in Yerevan to condemn Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine.
The Armenian government on Monday pointedly declined to react to Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine that has been strongly condemned by the United States and the European Union.
Armenia will finish the implementation of a “roadmap” to join the Russian-led Customs Union as early as next month, Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharian said over the weekend.
Official Yerevan intends to do business with Ukraine’s interim government formed after the overthrow of President Viktor Yanukovich, a senior representative of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) said on Thursday.
Former President Robert Kocharian on Monday voiced serious misgivings about Armenia’s “hasty” accession to the Russian-led Customs Union, saying that it could raise the cost of living in the country, harm local businesses and trigger trade sanctions by other nations.
The mayor of Spitak on Friday rejected opposition calls for a square in the central Armenian town honoring Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich to be renamed because of the bloody crackdown on anti-government protesters in Kiev.
An association representing Armenia’s 180 or so fish farms on Tuesday joined other local business groups in expressing serious concern about economic consequences of the country’s upcoming accession to the Russian-led Customs Union.
Membership of the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan may put Armenia at odds with the World Trade Organization (WTO), a senior Armenian government official acknowledged on Tuesday.
President Serzh Sarkisian insisted on Friday that membership of the Russian-led Customs Union will be good for Armenia, dismissing as “disinformation” critics’ claims that it will sharply raise the cost of living in the country.
Thousands of Armenian traders importing second-hand cars will face ruin if Armenia adopts much higher customs duties levied in the Russian-led Customs Union, an association representing them claimed on Wednesday.
Armenia will struggle to gain substantial economic benefits after joining the Russian-led Customs Union unless it restores its rail links with the outside world, according to a regional development bank mostly financed by Russia.
The government on Thursday acknowledged that Armenia’s imminent accession to a Russian-led trade bloc will push up the cost of many imported goods but insisted that the resulting inflation will not be as high as is claimed by its critics.
International mediators announced no possible dates for the next meeting of Armenia’s and Azerbaijan’s presidents as they ended their latest tour of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone in Yerevan on Wednesday.
The United States considers the latest acquisition of Armenia’s main cascade of hydroelectric plants by an American company to be important for the South Caucasus nation’s energy diversity and independence.
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