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ARSENAL OF AMMUNITIONS DISCOVERED IN ARMENIA'S LORI REGION

The Armenia's Security Bodies discovered an arsenal of ammunitions in the Armenia's Lori region.

4 shells 122 T-30 , 3 shells 100 MT-12, 2 shells BM-37 and 1 shell D-44 without war-heads are discovered in a 5 meter distance away from the permanent way under the ground, on the second kilometer of the railway Vanadzor-Spitak on Aug 21, the press-service of the Foreign Affairs Ministry told ARMINFO. Besides, 2 fragments of the missile 125-T and 1 flare are discovered. An investigation of this case is hold.

ACADEMICIAN OF NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, RECTOR OF
RUSSIAN-ARMENIAN STATE (SLAVONIC) UNIVERSITY LEVON MKRTCHYAN HAS DIED

The rector of the Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) State University, academician of the National Academy of Sciences, member of the Union of Armenia's Writers Levon Mkrtchyan has died.

Levon Mkrtchyan was born on 2 March 1933 in Akhalkalaki. In 1980-1999 he was the Dean of the faculty of Russian Language and Literature, and in 1999 he headed the Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University. He is the author of monographs dedicated to the classics of the Russian literature - Saltykov-Shedrin, Dostoevsky and Lev Tolstoy, researches of the Armenian-Russian relations, as well as to the Ancient and Middle Age Armenian poetry. He is also the author of the books "A and B were sitting on a tube", "Near William Saroyan", "If there were interpreters in Babylon" and many others. In 1978 levon Mkrtchyan was awarded with the premium of the Union of Writers of the USSR.

The staff of the information agency ARMINFO expresses deep and sincere condolences to the relatives of the deceased.

PROSECUTOR GENERAL'S OFFICE PROMISED TO HELP TWO HOMELESS WOMEN FROM ARMENIA'S GEGARKUNIK PROVINCE

The prosecutor general's office promised to help the two women from the Gegarkunik province who organized an action of protest in front of this office's building
yesterday.

As ARMINFO learned from the prosecutor general's office, one of the women Nakhshun Kojoyan was received by deputy prosecutor general Zhirayr Kharatyan and head of the department for reception of citizens and applications Agasi Chitchytan. The officials promised the woman to raise the issue for making responsible those guilty of destroying her house and for compensating for her losses.

To recap, Nakhshun chained her mother to a tree near the building of the prosecutor general's office. The women said they had been turned out of their houses and the houses had been destroyed.

PROBLEM OF DIVERSIFICATION OF NATIONAL RESERVES DURING FLUCTUATIONS OF U.S. DOLLAR IS BECOMING URGENT

Diversification of national reserves during fluctuations of US dollar is becoming a urgent task for Armenia's Central Bank, the CB chairman Tigran Sarkisyan said today.

He said CB has set up an investment commission to avoid the influence of possible risks. This commission will discuss the created situation monthly and will control the fulfillment of the medium-term monetary program. As of today CB has diversified Armenia's foreign assets quite sufficiently and has provided against the risks of fluctuations of not only the US dollar but also other currencies.

The drop of rates worldwide has resulted in a considerably decreased profitability of CB foreign assets. However, Sakisyan is sure that the created reserve portfolio and the terms of the agreements to manage foreign assets reduce these risks to the minimum.

According to the CB Armenia's gross foreign assets decreased from $324.2 mln to $312.7 mln during the second quarter of this year. International reserves (gross foreign assets in freely convertible currency) also decreased from $324 mln to $312.6 mln. Net foreign assets (less privatization funds) increased from $113.9 mln to $120.9 mln during this period.

ROBERT KOCHARIAN: ARMENIA WILL REPAY DEBTS TO RUSSIA AT EXPENSE OF TRANSFERRING STATE ENTERPRISES OF REPUBLIC TO PROPERTY OF RUSSIA

The President of Armenia Robert Kocharian considers very possible the repayment of a part of foreign debt to Russian Federation at the expense of transferring some Armenian state enterprises to property of Russia. The president informed the journalists, commenting the prospects of economic cooperation, connected with the official visit of Russia's President Vladimir Putin to Armenia, scheduled for Sept of the current year.

According to Robert Kocharian, he has himself proposed the scheme of such interaction during his official visit to Russia in Sept of last year. "The main thing is that the large Russian business showed an interest in these enterprise, which, in its turn, is conditioned with possibility of getting profit further", the president said. The president found difficulty in what enterprises and how concretely the Russian businessmen display interest.

Besides, the head of state mentioned that one should not directly bind the visit of Vladimir Putin to Armenia with conclusion of bargains with enterprises, as it is planned to discuss much more wide limits of bilateral cooperation.

It should be noted that a declaration on allied interaction between Russia and Armenia in the 21st century has been signed in the course of last year's visit of Robert Kocharian to Russia. During the visit of Russia's President Vladimir Putin to Armenia it is planned to sign Conception of long-term cooperation between Armenia and Russia in trade-economic sphere for the forthcoming ten years, agreements "On encouragement and mutual defence of investments", "On cooperation
in the sphere of tourism" and "On cooperation between the subjects of Russian Federation and the regions of Armenia".

It is also supposed to discuss the prospects of creation od joint enterprise in the sphere of electric power engineering and in military-industrial complex. The Russian party is also interested in ore enterprises of Armenia in Zangezur, the specialists of the Ministry ofindustry and trade of Armenia mention.

On the whole Russia has allocated to Armenia 8 credits for the total sum of $114 mln. As earlier the minister of finance and economy of Armenia Vardan Khachatrian informed, this year the foreign debt of the country to Russia has been reduced by $17 mln and made about $97 mln. Lat year, because of shortage of budgetary means, it was not succeeded to serve the foreign debt to Russia for the rate of $18.8 mln. Taking into consideration the fines in the current year this sum grew to $19.3 mln.

ENTERPRISING ARMENIAN INSPECTORS OF STATE MOTOR INSPECTION DEPARTMENT, BEING ON DUTY AT THE GATES OF "ZVARTNOTS" AIRPORT, WILL NO LONGER BE ABLE TO "EARN" MONEY FROM CREDULOUS FOREIGN TOURISTS

The enterprising Armenian inspectors of the state motor inspection department (SMID), being on duty at the gates of Yerevan's "Zvartnots" airport, will no longer be able to earn money from credulous foreign tourists, who arrive in Armenia.

As it is known, in the course of previous sitting of the presidential commission on human rights of Armenia it chairman Paruir Hairikian informed that over 20 complaints from foreign tourists have come in the commission. According to the complaints, the SMID's inspectors have stopped the tourists at the gates of the airport, fined them for far-fetched beaches, and then "transferred" the tourist to the next inspector, who stands 100 meters far. In the course of today's sitting Hairikian informed that only one post of SMID has remained and the "extortions" from the tourists have been stopped after the commission's visit the airport.

In the course of today's sitting the commission on human rights could not make decisions for the issue on delay of allowances and pensions to employees of budgetary organizations. We shall remind that the member of the commission Hayk Alumian had earlier worked out a project, according to which additions on criminal responsibility of official persons for delay of payment of salaries and pensions have been introduced to the Criminal Code of Armenia. Today this draft has been deflected, and the chairman of the commission Paruir Hairikian stated that "what we began to speak about it, has already done its bit in the solution of this problem". However, Alumian differently commented on the results of voting. "The satisfied does not understand the hungry-man", he said.

During today's sitting the members of the commission reported about their visit one of the military units of the republic of armed forces of the country, stationed in Stepanavan, where on July 27 of 2001, the hanged Mkrtich Poghosian has been found. Two soldiers, who are accused of cruel treatment with their fellow-soldier denied that violence has been used against them by law-enforcement bodies. However, the members of the commission did not succeed to meet with the private-soldier of the same unit Hambartsumian, who also passes on this case, who had informed about violence in respect of accused and witnesses on this case. The commission intends further to keep the case on suicide of Mkrtich Poghosian under his control.