Iranian New Year affects Armenian dram rateMarch 26, 2010 - 18:15 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Sharp fluctuations in the national currency of Armenia are mainly conditioned by the influx of dollars into the country, in particular, the influx of tourists from Iran who came to celebrate Novruz (New Year) in Armenia, Andranik Tevanyan, head of Political Economy Research Center told PanARMENIAN.Net According to him, unlike the rest of the world, the dollar rate in Armenia is an internal process controlled by the state. At this point, in his opinion, the dram rate is closer to the fixed rate. Sharp fluctuations are not expected, Andranik Tevanyan said. On March 17 at the foreign exchange market the rate of Armenian dram to U.S. dollar exceeded the "psychological" mark and reached 400.10 dram/dollar, after which the rate of drama gradually devalued. In recent days the situation on the foreign exchange market started to stabilize, and today the rate is 394.62 dram/dollar. According to the representative of RA Ministry of Economy Mekhak Apresyan , the tourism sector recorded significant growth. "Only within March 15-17 thousands of Iranian citizens arrived in Armenia, at least three times more than during the same period of 2009," he said. Top stories Yerevan has dismissed Turkey’s demand to shut down the Armenian nuclear power plant as “inappropriate”. Armenia will loan 2.9 billion drams to Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh), according to a draft government decision. The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan has “strongly condemned” Armenia’s decision. Kerobyan has said that for the first time in the history of Armenia, the volume of foreign direct investments amounted to about $1 billion. Partner news | Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. Azerbaijan must respect human rights, Scholz tells Aliyev German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for greater respect for human rights in Azerbaijan. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. |