Opposition MP Nikol Pashinyan suggested on Monday organizing parliamentary hearings in order to define the concept of political prisoner.

The Armenian National Congress (ANC) will use all possible means to free Shant Harutyunyan and his friends.

 Armenia's path and prospects in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) are vague. The EAEU founders themselves do not know what to anticipate and are trying to minimize the risks for their economies in every possible way, Hovhannes Igityan, expert at the European Business Association, member of the Board of the Armenian National Movement Party, told the media on Friday.    

Armenia, which has a ruined agriculture, can export nothing to the market of the Eurasian Union. Lyova Khachatryan, MP from the Prosperous Armenia Party, thinks that Armenia's agriculture is absolutely unready to join the EAEU. 

Several Turkish media outlets have qualified the White House Administration's decision to showcase the Orphan Rug as a message addressed to Turkey.     

The Armenian judicial system is the most dependent in the world and this is proved by the case of Tseghakron Party Leader Shant Harutyunyan and his friends, Naira Zohrabyan, MP from the Prosperous Armenia Party, told ArmInfo on Saturday.    

The Armenian authorities do not want to lag behind Azerbaijani colleagues by the number of political prisoners in the country, Armen Martirosyan, Deputy Head of Heritage Party, told ArmInfo when commenting on the verdict against Shant Harutyunyan and his friends.      

The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group have issued a press release.  

 VivaCell-MTS undertook the General Partnership of the Olympiad in 2010 donating more than AMD 42 million throughout five years for organizing the annual event. 

 Beeline awarded winners of My Beeline Armenia contest which was held on the company's official Facebook page.  

VivaCell-MTS hosted RA Ombudsman Karen Andreasyan, who conducted a meeting-seminar workshop on "Human Rights in Businesses" for the Company's employees. The seminar was aimed at increasing the awareness of VivaCell-MTS staff on issues connected to Human Rights and their exercise in the relationships between the Company and its stakeholders, including employees, clients, suppliers, and wider society. 

Armenia participated in the Frankfurt Book Fair on October 8-12.  

 Leader of Tseghakron Party Shant Harutyunyan has been sentenced to 6 years in prison and his son Shahen Harutyunyan has been given a 4-year suspended sentence. The verdict was delivered on October 17 by the court of general jurisdiction of Kentron and Nork Marash communities of Yerevan. The term for serving punishment starts from 5 November 2013 when Shant Harutyunyan and his supporters held a protest action in Liberty Square in Yerevan and were arrested following clashes with the police.        

 Habitat for Humanity Armenia with the support of INECOBANK has repaired the entrances of an apartment house in Yerevan's Shengavit community.

Armenia must not cherish hopes that its membership to the Eurasian Economic Union will give it more investments, economist, Head of Alternative Research Center Tatul Manaseryan said at a forum on the prospects of Armenia's membership to the EEU on Friday.

 Heritage Party Leader Raffi Hovannisian would not mind seeing a new person and even a woman as President of Armenia.  

Many experts and politicians in Armenia tend to think that the Armenian President’s Eurasian choice comes from the support he personally enjoys from the Kremlin...

VTB Bank Armenia reported, that it has reopened two renovated branches in Nor Nork administrative district of Yerevan and another branch in the town of Charentsavan in central Kotayk province.

Lydian International Limited plans to launch gold recovery from Amulsar Gold Deposit in the Southern Armenia in the first half of 2017, Lydian International Limited President and CEO Howard Stevenson said in a 
press briefing on 16 October.

According to him, after the final mining permit is granted, the construction activities on the site are planned for the second quarter of 2015 and will take 18 months. Company anticipates the 
Armenian Government to grant the final permission for field operation by January 2015, Howard Stevenson said. 

He told that 17 representatives of international banks and credit organizations visited the Amulsar Gold Deposit last week to prepare a report on the deposit's potential. Howard Stevenson said investors positively assessed the Project and will reflect that assessment in their reports. He believes that Amulsar Gold Project with its economic component is extremely attractive by any definition, considering the inferred reserves of 75 tons, recovery rate, and other economic parameters. Another visit included representatives of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), who are the shareholders and potential creditors of Lydian International Limited. CEO Stevenson emphasized that these international financial institutions require implementation of the highest environmental standards, from their clients. 

He said investments in the geological exploration and other activities since the deposit was discovered in 2006 totaled $69 million. After the final mining permit capital investments will total $426 million. The pay-back period is five years in line with the updated feasibility study published in September. Along with other external risks, Stevenson mentioned the world gold demand trends. A gold price of $1,250 per ounce is indicated in the feasibility study, currently it is $1.240 per ounce 

The president of the Lydian International Limited says the implementation of the Amulsar Gold Project may have a very positive impact on economy of the country and on development of the local communities. It is anticipated that with current gold prices, the state budget tax revenues will total $40 million per year and nearly $1 million will be paid to the local governments per year for the lease of the community lands. Up to 1500 jobs will be created in the course of the construction activities at the Project site, with the majority of workforce from Armenia. Over 700 people will be employed during the Project operation within the coming 10 years. There will be also indirect benefits in terms of contracts and services, Stevenson said.  

As it was reported earlier, Lydian International Limited plans capital investments of approximately $426 million during the 2 years of construction.  

Lydian International has lately published a Press release on the  positive results from Updated Feasibility Study for its 100% -owned Amulsar Gold Mine and Heap Leach Project in Southern Armenia. The updated feasibility study indicates that the contained gold reserves are 2.130 million ounces. The mine life is 10.4 year with the gold production averaging over 200,000 ounces per year. The average cash  operating cost for gold production will total $694 per ounce of gold Gold recoveries will total 84% and the strip ratio anticipated at 2.8:1. The return of investments is anticipated in 5 years of production. During the Project lifetime, the nominal throughput of 
10 million of ore per year is planned from the outset, with processing of higher- grade ore during the initial five years. The feasibility study has been prepared by SGS, an international mining consultant with additional support from other internationally recognized mining experts.According to the Mineral Resources Estimate by the AMC Consultants (UK) Limited, the measured and indicated quantity of gold-bearing ore at Amulsar Gold Deposit is 122.4 million tonnes. The estimated gold grade is 0.77 (g/t). The estimated silver grade is 3.5 (g/t), with the contained gold and silver totaling 3,030,000 (oz) and 13,930,000 (oz), respectively. The inferred quantity of gold bearing ore is estimated at additional 106.2 million tonnes of ore.  

Geoteam CJSC launched large-scale geological exploration for gold and silver at Amulsar resulting in the discovery of the deposit in 2006.  It is the only new gold deposit found in Armenia after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The company has already invested $69 million in exploration and development to date.

Lydian International listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) on the 10th January 2008. EBRD and IFC are the majority shareholders of the company and hold by 6.9% stake.