In case of a war with Azerbaijan, Russia will help Armenia, Head of the Armenian Armed Forced General Staff Yuri Khachaturov has told reporters.

 Tension on the Karabakh-Azerbaijani border keeps growing since the beginning of the year. The latest ceasefire breaches in Yeraskh showed that surprises can be expected even from the border with Nakhijevan that was relatively peaceful even during the Karabakh war. What is the reason of the constantly growing tension on the border and on the Nakhijevani border, particularly?

 The growth of foreign debts is not critical for Armenia.  In addition, given the current situation, Armenia will continue the policy of raising foreign loans. The statement came from Deputy Minister of Finance, Chief Treasurer of Armenia Atom Jhanjugazyan, in response to the question by MP Naira Zohrabyan (Prosperous Armenia Party) as to why the raised loans do not help reduce migration, poverty and unemployment in the country. 

 The four opposition parliamentary forces (Heritage, Armenian National Congress, ARFD and Prosperous Armenia) have made public their 12 proposals for improving the situation in Armenia.

 South Caucasus Railway (SCR) CJSC launches "Armenia" train running Yerevan-Batumi-Yerevan starting June 15, SCR CEO Viktor Rebets told reporters on 10 June. 

 Turkey's Armenian community has criticized Ankara's indifference towards Armenians from Syria's Kessab region fleeing from the war-torn country and seeking shelter in Turkey, also bringing attention to the inadequacy of Turkish-Armenian associations, including the Armenian Patriarchate, in helping Kessab Armenians settle in Turkey, Today's Zaman reports.

In accordance with the arrangement reached with the authorities of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, the OSCE Mission conducted a planned monitoring of the Line of Contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan in the Hadrut direction near Horadiz settlement on Tuesday.

  Armenia will be represented at NATO PA's Rose-Roth seminar in Baku on 16-18 June, Head of Armenia's Delegation to NATO PA Koryun Nahapetyan told reporters.

 Istanbul Armenians build first school since 1923.

For the first time in the banking market of Armenia Ardshininvestbank offers personalized bankcards - Visa Individual, the bank told ArmInfo. Visa Individual can be designed at the request of the future cardholder.  This will enable Ardshininvestbank's customers get unique cards and an opportunity to express themselves and their preferences. 

 The investments program of the South Caucasus Railway CJSC (SCR) for 2014 amounts to 6.5 billion drams, SCR CEO Viktor Rebets told reporters on 7 June on the sidelines of an economic forum "Customs Union: Armenia - Cooperation" in the resort town of Tsakhkadzor.

Tbilisi. The Interagency Commission for Free and Fair Elections will respond to incidents, that have occurred on the threshold of the local elections in Georgia on June 15 and caused the concern of the U.S. Embassy in Georgia, First Deputy Foreign Minister  of Georgia, David Zalkaliani stated on Monday, June 9.

Tbilisi. On Monday, June 9, the Georgian Ambassador to Turkey Tariel Lebanidze will visit the Foreign Ministry of Turkey to get explanations, concerning a visit of Turkish MP to the territory of Abkhazia, uncontrolled by Official Tbilisi, the First Deputy Foreign Minister of Georgia David Zalkaliani briefed journalists on Monday.

Tbilisi. Georgian citizens, staying abroad during elections to local government bodies, will not be able to participate in the election  process, Ketevan Dangadze, a head of the Georgian Foreign Ministry's Public Relations Department stated on Monday, June 9.

 The Armenian armed forces are preparing a retaliatory attack on Azerbaijan's armed forces, retired Major General Arkady Ter-Tadevosyan told RFE/RL Armenian Service. "I have relevant information," he said.

 Ameriabank has announced a new campaign SME loans "Boomerang" for May 12 - August 31. The bank offers SME-borrowers to transfer their SME loans to Ameriabank and get 1% of the loan back, Ameriabank press-service told ArmInfo.  

 Construction of the North-South road corridor proved in the focus of the behind-the-scenes struggle inside power in Armenia, MP Nikol Pashinyan said in the course of the parliamentary discussions on additional $170 million loan for construction of the road corridor, Monday. 

"I'd like to congratulate Serzh Sargsyan on this jubilee loan - Armenia's foreign debt exceeded $4 billion," Pashinyan said adding that as parliamentarian he has always voted against new credit agreements.  He said every new loan paves a way to new embezzlements, corruption schemes and siphon off money by the top leadership. 

"The first thing Gagik Beglaryan did immediately after taking the office of the minister of transport and communications was to fire Ara Hovsepyan from the post of the investment program director.  The latter is the right-hand of Serzh Sargsyan's son-in-law, whose 'political clan' from time to time  'attacks' the project. Actually, there is severe right for new loans," Pashinyan said.

According to him, the country's foreign debt grew thrice under Serzh-Sargsyan-Tigran Sargsyan tandem, amid 10% growth of poverty and population decline by 200,000 people. "What the raised loans were spent on and why the people living under poverty level have to redeem those loans, that is the question," the parliamentarian said. 

According to ArmInfo's expert calculations based on the official statistics, the debt burden per capita grew from $1400 to $1500 in 2013, while foreign debt per capita grew from $1200 to $1300. In the crisis year 2009, this indicator was only $550. Considering the large-scale migration from the country, the number of the population is much lower than official data (from 3.027 million people in 2012 to 3,107 million people in 2013), the foreign debt burden per capital grew even higher. The share of the foreign debt in GDP of Armenia in 2009-2012 was 35%-38%, growing 26% in absolute term amid slackening GDP growth rates (given the 14% decline in 2009). 
}
By statistical data, 87% or $3.395 bln of the foreign debt is the share of the government, with the remaining 13% or $508.3 mln being the share of the Central Bank. Armenia's total state debt as of Jan 1 2014 was 1.9 trillion drams or $4.6 bln with a 1.2% growth for December and a 5.5% growth for Jan-Dec.  The share of the internal state debt is 15% or 277.7 bln drams ($684.7 mln) with a 0.6% growth for December and 8.7% growth for Jan-Dec. The share of the government bonds in the internal state debt for 2013 grew from 97.7% to 98.5% with a 9.7% year-over-year growth of the absolute indicator. The share of trade loans fell from 1.9% to 1.2% with a y-o-y decline of the absolute indicator by 33%.  The remaining are guarantees that fell from 0.4% to 03% with a y-o-y decline of the absolute indicator by 10.5%.

As of Jan 1 2013, the state debt of Armenia was 1.8 trillion drams of $4.4 bln, including 1.5 trillion drams or $3.7 bln was the foreign debt and 255,5 bln drams or $633 mln - internal debt.

Converse Bank and Avers  system have awarded the winners of the TRAVEL WITH AVERS action. As press-service of the bank reported, the awarding ceremony was held on 6 June.

The Republican Party of Armenia stands ready to discuss the 12 initiatives by the non-governmental four parties (Armenian National Congress, Heritage, Prosperous Armenia and ARFD), Vice Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Eduard Sharmazanov told reporters on 9 June. 

The role of Serzh Sargsyan as the leader of the Republican Party of Armenia will be high in the country's political life also after 2018, Armenian Parliament Speaker Galust Sahakyan told reporters, Monday.  He called absurd the statements claiming that the president- initiated Constitutional reform looks to help him longer stay in power. 

"After Sargsyan's term, the Republican Party will remain actively involved in the country's political life.  Sargsyan's figure will remain as high as now," he said.
Commenting on the first president Levon Ter-Petrosyan's latest harsh criticism levered at Sargsyan's policy, Galust Sahakyan refused to respond to him in the same style. "In the succession of time, some people think that their deeds are forgotten, but it is not so. Simply, we do not want to talk to those people as harshly as they do. The first president has a right to express his personal views, but he'd better be more correct with epithets," the speaker said.