Any comparison of Crimea and Kosovo is absolutely unjustified, given that Russia just tries to impose the thesis of self-determination of the 'Crimean people' speculating on the UN Statute. The statement came from Vladimir Kupriy, the Head of the Working Group, Eastern Partnership Ukrainian National Platform, in an online interview with ArmInfo.

Ara Shiraz, the renowned sculptor of Armenia, the son of the famous Armenian writer Hovhaness Shiraz died at the age of 73 overnight after long-lasting illness. 

 Following the logic of Russia's actions in Crimea and the way that country manipulates on the principle of 'the people's right to self-determination,'  there is no reason to deny the right of Chechnya, Bashkortostan, Komi and Tatarstan to self-determination. The statement came from Vladimir Kupriy, the Head of the Working Group, Eastern Partnership Ukrainian National Platform, in response to ArmInfo's question as to whether Crimea's independence from Ukraine will have an effect of domino and lay a mine under Russia. 

 Crimea and Nagorno Karabakh are inherently different.  At least, Crimea is not so mono-ethnic, Vladimir Kupriy, the Head of the Working Group, Eastern Partnership Ukrainian National Platform, said in an online interview with ArmInfo.

Armenian Minister of Education and Science Armen Ashotyan decreed dismissing Rector of the State Engineering University of Armenia (SEUA) Ara Avetisyan according to his resignation notice. By another decree, Hovhannes Tokmajyan has been appointed acting rector of the same University, the press service of the Ministry reports.   

To recall, in autumn 2013 Ara Avetisyan found himself in the center of a scandal when the switch to a new payroll system reduced the wages of the University's employees by 25-30%. As a result, the employees collected signatures to demand considering the expediency of Avetisyan's activities in the SEUA rector's office. 

IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is helping Armenia's Unibank increase access to finance for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) engaged in international trade transactions, boosting trade, economic growth, and job creation, the IFC press service told ArmInfo.

The Crimea referendum has canceled inviolability of borders of the former USSR, deputy director of the Caucasus Institute, political expert, Sergey Minasyan, told Arminfo  correspondent. 

The Government of Armenia is doing its best to make its people flare up, Executive Director of the Union of Information Technology Enterprises of Armenia Karen Vardanyan said on Monday.

The bill "On state support in IT sector" envisaging tax privileges for IT enterprises will cover start-up companies, not the incumbent ones, Karen Vardanyan, CEO of the Union of Information Technology Enterprises (UITE), said at today's press conference in Yerevan.     

The referendum in the Crimea on 16 March creates a foundation for separation of Ukraine, political expert, Aram Manukyan, said at today's press-conference. 
He thinks that the crisis in Ukraine will not end by the referendum in the Crimea, it will also lead to worsening of the situation in the south-east of the country. He also added that in the conflicting situations Russia is for the peoples' right for self-determination. The Crimea referendum is a precedent that such conflicts are resolved based on the nations' right to self-determination, he said and added that the referendum may cause anxiety in Azerbaijan, as the Karabakh conflict can be resolved fairly. "Obviously, this case cannot, but affect the process of resolving the Karabakh conflict," - Manukyan emphasized and added that international law takes effect, if powerful force is behind it. 

 After the Crimea referendum, new borders and new disorders will start in the Association Agreement countries, says Ashot Manucharyan, a member of the Karabakh Committee.

Armenian environmentalists will send an open letter to President Serzh Sargsyan asking him to ban planned increased water releases from Lake Sevan, Gagik Tadevosyan, a former chairman of a parliament committee on social, health and environment issues and a co-author of the law on Lake Sevan, said at today's press-conference.

 The referendum in the Crimea has shown that dual standards go on functioning in the world, Director of the Armenian office of the Institute for CIS countries, political expert, Aleksandr Markarov, told Arminfo correspondent. 

The Crimea will hardly become a precedent for Karabakh because of different weight categories of Armenia and Russia, Russian political expert, Andrey Epifantsev, told Arminfo correspondent. 

 Probably, Russia will not hurry to 'ratify' the results of the Crimea referendum. Instead, the final stage of that big game will start, Samvel Farmanyan, Armenian MP, Republican Party, Co-Chair of Armenia-EU Parliamentary Cooperation Committee, posted on Facebook.

"While the US cannot accept Russia's actions in Ukraine, there are areas where can continue to work together - peace in Nagorno-Karabakh," James Warlick, US Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group for settlement of the Karabakh conflict, posted on Twitter.

The March 16 referendum in Crimea has once again demonstrated domination of the right of self-determination over the principle of territorial integrity, Stepan Safaryan, Secretary of Heritage Party, told ArmInfo. 

UK Ambassador to Armenia Katherine Leach calls the upcoming referendum in Crimea illegitimate. 

Currently, the situation in the Crimea is very tense, and therefore the international community is discussing this issue, Deputy Foreign Minister, State Secretary for Strategic Affairs of Romania, Bogdan Aurescu, told journalists on March 14 during his visit to Baku, APA reported.

 Heritage Party Vice Chairman Armen Martirosyan refrains from making detailed comment on Heritage Paryt Leader Raffi Hovannisian's meeting with Gagik Tsarukyan, Leader of Prosperous Armenia Party, as discussions on many issues are continued so far.