Secretary of Armenia's National Security Council, Artur Bagdasaryan, has been elected as a head of the CSTO Academy Council, Hraparak daily reported referring to its own sources. 

 Within the frames of charitable action CJSC Anelik Bank staff gathers 1 billion AMD to help Kessab Armenians, which will be transferred to the Jinishian Memorial Foundation for Armenians from Kessab of Syria, the bank's press office reported.

 Armenia is on the second position in the list of the post- Soviet countries by the number of the Schengen visa rejection rate, According to the latest annual report on visa liberalization by Liberal Academy Tbilisi.

The decision to raise the maximum admissible level of water release from Lake Sevan will have a negative effect on the lake's ecosystem, Director of the Ichthyology and Hydroecology Institute Evelina Ghukasyan said in an interview to ArmInfo.

 Ex-prime minister of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan will be appointed as Ambassador to the U.S., a local newspaper Hraparak writes.  

 Republican parliamentarian, ex-head of the President's Staff Karen Karapetyan has no intention to occupy any position in the government, according to Karen Karapetyan's Office.

 President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan did not offer the position of the parliament speaker to Galust Sahakyan, the head of the Republican Party Faction in the Parliament, at the meeting in the president's residence, Tuesday. 

Talking to ArmInfo, Sahakyan said the candidature for the new speaker was discussed in the course of the meeting with the president, but Serzh Sargsyan made no direct offer to him. The president just asked Sahakyan whether he could name the most reasonable candidate for that position. However, Sahakyan did not unveil his answer to the president's question.
In response to ArmInfo's question as to whether he would take the given position in case of a relevant offer by the RPA Leader or the Executive Body, Sahakyan said: "Everything depends on what will be the conditions of that appointment. If my responsibilities will be connected with organization of the natural process of the legislative body, I will assume such responsibility. I have never avoided undertaking a responsibility." 

 The Government of Armenia has de-facto suspended the mandatory component of the Law on the Accumulative Pension until a new bill is introduced by 30 September 2014, Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan said in a statement, according to the government website.

 Both Armenians and Turks deserve to have such leaders and governments, that are truly egalitarian, democratic and non-corrupt, "Agos" weekly reported, citing an open letter of the world-famous Armenian musician Serj Tankian addressed to Turkey. The content of the letter is presented below:
"Dear People Of Turkey,

On 23 April Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan introduced newly appointed Economy Minister Karen Chshmarityan to the staff of the Ministry of Economy of Armenia.

 Armenian Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan has appointed Vacheh Gabrielyan as top advisor to the prime minister, the government website reports.

The successful experience of the first two Ameria Generation projects in 2012-2013 has encouraged Ameriabank to launch the third similar project in 2014.  The Bank has told ArmInfo that 20-25-aged graduates who want to gain theoretical and practical skills in banking and to familiarize themselves with the corporate culture peculiarities can take part in the project.  The talented graduates will receive an opportunity to start their career at Ameriabank.    

Unlike Tigran Sargsyan, new Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan is aware that social reforms cannot be carried out against the will of people, the head of the parliamentary group of ARFD Armen Rustamyan told journalists on Tuesday.

 The consultations between the political forces and the civil sector are underway, leader of Prosperous Armenia Party Gagik Tsarukyan said at a meeting with the leaders of United Labor Party on Tuesday.

Serzh Sargsyan shuts down for Robert Kocharyan the way towards the power. For this reason, the second president of Armenia criticized him, chairman of the opposition "New times" party, Aram Karapetyan, told Arminfo correspondent. 

 Having proclaimed me Mata Hari, the authorities of Azerbaijan are striving to put the lid on the people's diplomacy, director of the "Region" research centre, Laura Bagdasaryan, told Arminfo correspondent when commenting on her "implication" in the arrest of the known Azerbaijani journalist and political analyst, Rauf Mirkadyrov, who was arrested at the Baku airport after deportation from Turkey. Azerbaijani Prosecutor General's Office blames the journalist for cooperation with intelligence agencies of Armenia since 2008. According to the accusation, many times Mirkadyrov was meeting representatives of intelligence agencies of Armenia and executing their orders, was giving them "National Security information, photos and schemes, with a help of which hostile activity was implemented at the territory of Azerbaijan". He was detained for three months. The accusation was brought against him by the 274th clause  of Azerbaijan's Criminal Code -betrayal of Motherland, which supposes imprisonment for 10-15 years or the life imprisonment.  

In Q1 2014 Areximbank- Gazprombank Group registered net profit of 289mln AMD (143.1mln more in Q1 2013). As a result, the capital grew by 1.4% in Q1 2014 and by 27.3% as compared with Q1 2013 to 21.6bln AMD.

 It is  high time for the president of Armenia to abandon the protocols signed in Zurich, as these documents are doing damage to Yerevan, the head of the Hay Dut central office for political issues of the ARFD, Kiro Manoyan, said at today's press-conference. 

There is no vital problem of the country which the present Constitution hinders to settle, the second president of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, said in an interview with the 2rd.am portal, when touching on the Constitutional reforms initiated by President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan. "The first question that arose was - has such a reform escalated? How much does the Constitution hinder the authorities to adequately react at challenges? I can say for sure - no it has not", - Kocharyan said. He emphasized that there is no external pressure in the matter of the constitutional reforms either, conditioned by any lack of conformity between the Constitution and the standard democratic norms. "Moreover, the public mood has no escalated expectations from the constitutional reforms", - he said and added that just the authorities have initiated the reforms, but the explanations voiced by them are worthless and extremely muzzy. This caused doubt in the society regarding the true objectives of the offered reforms. 

The Council of Field Commanders will meet in the Republic Square on 23 April.