Tweet
AZG Armenian Daily #053, 26/03/2005
Armenia-Russia
RUSSIA IS STILL ONE OF MAIN TRADE-ECONOMIC PARTNERS OF ARMENIA
Vladimir Putin's Forth Visit to Armenia
Vladimir Putin, RF President, arrived in Yerevan on March 24. Mr. Putin
will officially open the arrangements of "The Year of Russia in
Armenia." This is Putin's fourth visit to Armenia. He visited
Armenia for the first time in 1999, then in 2001 and in the spring
of 2002. Putin participated in the congress of CSTO in Yerevan.
Robert Kocharian and other high-ranking officials met Mr. and
Mrs. Putins at Zvartnots airport.
Russia is still the key political, economic and strategic partner
of Armenia. Yerevan and Moscow closely cooperate both bilaterally
and within the framework of CSTO (Armenia, Russia, Byelorussia,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan). The Russian military station
N102 is located in Gyumri and the Armenian and Russian frontier guards
together watch the Armenian-Turkish and the Armenian- Iranian border.
The Armenian-Russian trade-economic relations are still strong thought
there are no common borders between the two countries and they are
connected through Georgia. The latter has serious contradictions with
Moscow that directly influence the Armenian-Russian relations. It's
worth reminding the Upper Lars events when the blocking of the
Russian-Georgian border directly hindered the Armenian goods and
passengers to get to their destinations.
The Armenian-Russian goods turnover amounted to $208 million in
2004. Russia became the main trade-economic partner of Armenia after
the collapse of the Soviet Union. On the other hand, Russia' s role in
the foreign goods turnover of Armenia decreases year by year. Thus,
it amounted to 19,2% in 2001, then to 17,4% in 2002, 15,2% in 2003
and 12,9% in 2004.
At present, there are 589 Russian companies registered in
Armenia. About 300 of them effectively function. Igor Levitin, co-chair
of the Armenian-Russian Cooperation Intergovernmental Committee,
told Novosti agency that Armenal, Sibir air-company are among the
most effectively working Russian companies in Armenia.
The Armenian-Russian goods turnover and the Russian investments in
Armenia could be larger, if Moscow launched the Armenian companied
purchased within the framework of asset-for-debt 2002 program. Russia
purchased Mathematical Machines Scientific-Research Institute ($2,75
million), Management Automatic Systems SRI ($3,37 million), Mars plant
($56,29 million), and Hrazdan Hydro ($31 million) in 2002.
After getting the Armenia companies, Russia almost hasn't made any
investments and this caused the dissatisfaction of the Armenian
side. The political experts who know Russia well say that in Russia
such companies are collapsing and one shouldn't expect that Moscow
will restore them and make serious investments in the Armenian
companies. Recently, Victor Khristenko, RF energy minister, stated
that $21 million will be needed for restoring "Mars" plant.
Last year in Sochi the Russian President publicly expressed
dissatisfaction with the Armenian-Russian economic cooperation and the
goods turnover volumes. Armenia is not content, either. Particularly,
in Moscow, in summer, Vartan Oskanian expressed concern about the
current situation in the companies purchased within the framework
of asset-for-debt program. Andranik Margarian, RA prime minister,
expressed concern in February when Sergey Lavrov was in Yerevan. But
the reason was quite a different one. Mr. Margarian stated that
Russia is going to get connected with Iran through the territory of
Azerbaijan, while a railway system is functioning in the territory
of Armenia and it can connect all the countries of the region.
Indeed, Kars-Gyumri-Tbilisi, Yerevan-Nakhijevan-Julfa railways
stretch in the territory of Armenia but, for known reasons, they
haven't functioned for years. Even if we want it very much, the road
connecting Russia with the Persian Gulf can't pass through Armenia. One
should take into account the fact that the unsettled Russian-Georgian
relations hinder the implementation of this project.
By Tatoul Hakobian
Armenia-Russia
RUSSIA IS STILL ONE OF MAIN TRADE-ECONOMIC PARTNERS OF ARMENIA
Vladimir Putin's Forth Visit to Armenia
Vladimir Putin, RF President, arrived in Yerevan on March 24. Mr. Putin
will officially open the arrangements of "The Year of Russia in
Armenia." This is Putin's fourth visit to Armenia. He visited
Armenia for the first time in 1999, then in 2001 and in the spring
of 2002. Putin participated in the congress of CSTO in Yerevan.
Robert Kocharian and other high-ranking officials met Mr. and
Mrs. Putins at Zvartnots airport.
Russia is still the key political, economic and strategic partner
of Armenia. Yerevan and Moscow closely cooperate both bilaterally
and within the framework of CSTO (Armenia, Russia, Byelorussia,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan). The Russian military station
N102 is located in Gyumri and the Armenian and Russian frontier guards
together watch the Armenian-Turkish and the Armenian- Iranian border.
The Armenian-Russian trade-economic relations are still strong thought
there are no common borders between the two countries and they are
connected through Georgia. The latter has serious contradictions with
Moscow that directly influence the Armenian-Russian relations. It's
worth reminding the Upper Lars events when the blocking of the
Russian-Georgian border directly hindered the Armenian goods and
passengers to get to their destinations.
The Armenian-Russian goods turnover amounted to $208 million in
2004. Russia became the main trade-economic partner of Armenia after
the collapse of the Soviet Union. On the other hand, Russia' s role in
the foreign goods turnover of Armenia decreases year by year. Thus,
it amounted to 19,2% in 2001, then to 17,4% in 2002, 15,2% in 2003
and 12,9% in 2004.
At present, there are 589 Russian companies registered in
Armenia. About 300 of them effectively function. Igor Levitin, co-chair
of the Armenian-Russian Cooperation Intergovernmental Committee,
told Novosti agency that Armenal, Sibir air-company are among the
most effectively working Russian companies in Armenia.
The Armenian-Russian goods turnover and the Russian investments in
Armenia could be larger, if Moscow launched the Armenian companied
purchased within the framework of asset-for-debt 2002 program. Russia
purchased Mathematical Machines Scientific-Research Institute ($2,75
million), Management Automatic Systems SRI ($3,37 million), Mars plant
($56,29 million), and Hrazdan Hydro ($31 million) in 2002.
After getting the Armenia companies, Russia almost hasn't made any
investments and this caused the dissatisfaction of the Armenian
side. The political experts who know Russia well say that in Russia
such companies are collapsing and one shouldn't expect that Moscow
will restore them and make serious investments in the Armenian
companies. Recently, Victor Khristenko, RF energy minister, stated
that $21 million will be needed for restoring "Mars" plant.
Last year in Sochi the Russian President publicly expressed
dissatisfaction with the Armenian-Russian economic cooperation and the
goods turnover volumes. Armenia is not content, either. Particularly,
in Moscow, in summer, Vartan Oskanian expressed concern about the
current situation in the companies purchased within the framework
of asset-for-debt program. Andranik Margarian, RA prime minister,
expressed concern in February when Sergey Lavrov was in Yerevan. But
the reason was quite a different one. Mr. Margarian stated that
Russia is going to get connected with Iran through the territory of
Azerbaijan, while a railway system is functioning in the territory
of Armenia and it can connect all the countries of the region.
Indeed, Kars-Gyumri-Tbilisi, Yerevan-Nakhijevan-Julfa railways
stretch in the territory of Armenia but, for known reasons, they
haven't functioned for years. Even if we want it very much, the road
connecting Russia with the Persian Gulf can't pass through Armenia. One
should take into account the fact that the unsettled Russian-Georgian
relations hinder the implementation of this project.
By Tatoul Hakobian