Russia’s ex-finance minister predicts 2-3 more years of eurozone crisisFebruary 10, 2012 - 14:02 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The European Union will continue to grapple with a debt crisis for the next two or three years, Russia's former finance minister Alexei Kudrin said on Friday, Feb 10. According to RIA Novosti, responding to a question from a Twitter user whether Italy would return to the lira in 2012, Kudrin said that would not be clear until after 2012. "The debt crisis in Europe will unfold over (the next) two or three years. This is why the fate of the Italian currency will be known after 2012," Kudrin wrote in his Twitter account. He said in late January that the currency crisis in Europe had already started and that he was 90 percent certain that one to three states would leave the eurozone. Greece, Ireland and Portugal have the largest debt problems, while Spain and Italy may enter the high-risk zone in the near future. As for gold, Kudrin wrote that it is overrated and gold prices might grow in the short-term but will decline after that. Prices for gold went up nearly 10 percent in 2011, an eleventh straight year of gains and the longest growth streak since 1920. Investors view gold as a safer alternative to unstable currencies and highly volatile shares amid debt crisis in the EU states and rising inflation in various countries. 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 | Second round of Armenia-Azerbaijan talks set for May 11 The second round of negotiations between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan will take place on May 11. About 32,000 rally in Yerevan to deman Pashinyan’s resignation About 31,700 people attended an opposition rally on Thursday, May 9 in Yerevan demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Armenian, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister to meet in Almaty Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov will meet in Almaty. Viva-MTS: Tech solutions to modernize infrastructure of border village The border village has been the focus of Viva-MTS and the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Values since 2015. |