The Let's Pay 100 AMD movement has just announced that it is starting a timeless action of protest in front of the Yerevan Municipality until its demands are satisfied.  The movement participants have also started collecting signatures for the resignation of Henrik Navasardyan, Head of the Municipality's Transport Department. 

Today, the maximum buying rates at commercial banks of Yerevan were 410,5 drams for 1 dollar, 543,5drams for 1 EUR and 12,5 drams for 1 Russian ruble. The minimum selling rates stood at 411,7 drams for 1 dollar, 547 drams for 1 EUR and 12,6 drams for 1 Russian ruble .

The statement by the co-chairs of OSCE Minsk Group shows that they favor a certain outcome and accuse the conflicting parties of the current situation.  However, the co-chairs must show their fundamental point of view, the director of the Center for Strategic Studies (CSS) under the President of Azerbaijan Farhad Mammadov said during the press-conference on the results of work for the first six months of 2013, Trend reports.

 Despite Mayor of Yerevan Taron Margaryan's July 25 statement about suspension of the decision on public transport fare rise, the Let's Pay 100 AMD movement participants have organized an action of protest in front of the Municipality of Yerevan.  

An emergency happened to 22-year-old Armenian citizen Asatur Khachatryan in Ukraine on Thursday.

Mayor of Yerevan Taron Margaryan has decreed suspending his decision on the public transport fare rise, says the Municipality's press release. On July 25 the mayor held a consultation with officials in the transport field. Before setting up a relevant commission and providing privileges to some social groups of population, the mayor decreed suspending the decision he had made earlier.   

The Let's Pay 100 AMD movement condemns any violence, insulting or illegal actions against citizens, no matter whether they are drivers or passengers, says the movement's statement.   

The Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) Faction in the Elders' Council of Yerevan stresses the need to reduce the public transport fare to the former 100 AMD.   

The PAP press service reports that Mayor of Yerevan Taron Margaryan has initiated a meeting with a member of the Elders' Council from the PAP Faction and expressed his position about the rise in the public transport fare. The PAP considers the fare rise to be unacceptable and thinks that Margaryan's initiative to set up a working group to find solutions to the problem is inefficient.     

"It is necessary to introduce the former tariff and work out different social packages for students and different public strata. We'd like to remind that during his electoral campaign Margaryan officially stated that there would be no rise in the public transport fare", the PAP's statement says. The PAP also advocates holding an extraordinary session of the Elders' Council.

 The injured driver of the 67th microbus line has already undergone surgery at Erebuni Medical Center and his condition is satisfactory, Spokesperson of the Medical Center Shushan Hunanyan told ArmInfo.    

The incident that resulted in the knife injury of the 67th microbus line driver was a provocation.

An incident witness has told the Civil Society Institute NGO that the driver was injured by a well-dressed man at the age of about 50. According to the witness, the man paid 100 AMD and the driver perceived that normally, however, the passenger started insulting the driver and provoking a scuffle. The driver told the passenger to go away, but the passenger approached him and injured the driver's left hand with a knife.    

The Police press service has told ArmInfo that at the moment the driver is in hospital and the incident circumstances are being specified. The injured driver is Alexan Ghazaryan (born in 1980). He is currently being operated on at Erebuni Medical Center.  

To note, since July 20 numerous quarrels have occurred between the public transport drivers and the activists of the Let's Pay 100 AMD movement. In particular, the drivers have sworn at those who refuse to pay 150 AMD. The drivers have even resorted to tough measures, trying to hit the passengers with their tools. The drivers, in turn, say that they get nervous in the current situation and may provoke a road accident.  For instance, one of the drivers of the 22nd microbus line fainted and was hospitalized on Thursday.

A driver of the 67th microbus line has received knife injuries at a bus stop in Tigran Mets Street in Yerevan, Armen Malkhasyan, representative of the Armenian Police press service told ArmInfo.  

He has said that at the moment the driver is in hospital, and the incident circumstances are being specified.  

The new public transport fare should remain unchanged, Galust Sahakyan, Head of the Faction of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), said at a press conference on Thursday. To note, Sahakyan is also reported to own a microbus line.     

Perhaps, there will be discounts on public transport fares for socially disadvantaged people, Armenia's Labor and Social Affairs Minister Artyom Asatryan told journalists on Thursday.

The optimal fare for public transport services in Yerevan should be decided at a public discussion. In fact, such a discussion should have been held before the rise, Former Speaker of the Armenian Parliament, MP from the ruling Republican Party Samvel Nikoyan told journalists on Thursday.

Armenia's Justice Minister Hrayr Tovmasyan told journalists on Thursday that if he had an own rather than office car, he would also carry people free of charge. 

It is impossible to reform the transport field with the 100 AMD public transport fare, Mayor of Yerevan Taron Margaryan said during a meeting with the representatives of Barev Yerevan bloc.   

The House Appropriation Committee on Wednesday, July 24, approved assistance to Nagorno Karabakh within the Fiscal Year 2014 Foreign Aid Bill, which, however, does not cite a specific level of aid to Armenia, reported the Armenian National Committee of America.

 The inter-city transport fares in Armenia may grow by 10%-15%, Armenia's Transport and Communication Minister Gagik Beglaryan told journalists on Thursday.

The action of protest that started in front of the Government building today morning has moved to Yerevan's Municipality, where the city's elders are discussing the recent rise in the public transport fare.

 Today, the maximum buying rates at commercial banks of Yerevan were 409,5 drams for 1 dollar, 540,5drams for 1 EUR and 12,6 drams for 1 Russian ruble. The minimum selling rates stood at 411,5 drams for 1 dollar, 545 drams for 1 EUR and 12,7 drams for 1 Russian ruble .