The measures undertaken by the government allow curbing inflation by the second half of 2011, a representative of the Central Bank of Armenia said.

“Of course, the high prices arouse concern,” head of the CBA monetary and credit policy department Arthur Stepanyan told a news conference in Yerevan.

The 12-month inflation reached 12.4%, mostly conditioned by the rise in prices for foodstuffs and world prices for raw materials.

“Nevertheless, we expect slower inflation rate in the second half of the current year. CBA forecasts are close to real,” Stepanyan noted.

The 2011 national budget envisages 4±1,5% inflation.