Arthur Baghdasaryan, RA National Security Council Secretary, Chairman of Orinats Yerkir (Country of Law) Party (member of coalition) says rumors that he has been forced to change the ministers belonging to his party by a quota, are senseless.

On March 1, Radical opposition Armenian National Congress announced its plan of actions, according to which snap presidential elections would be held this summer in Armenia. Representatives of ANC non-member parties have stated that they do not see any prerequisites for early elections, however, almost all the parties are reshuffling positions, and, generally, they seem to be getting ready for election campaigns.

“Economic issues have seriously affected Armenia, foreign transfers have decreased, Armenia’s economic counter-measures have proved to be neither dynamic nor effective. All those factors can raise public discontent. Foreign political issues, say, Armenia-Turkey negotiations and the Karabakh issue, might be another factor to cause tensions.”

Members of the Public Council, a president-appointed body embracing the country’s leading public figures and intellectuals, say their work in the past year led to addressing some of the most vital concerns of society, but also acknowledge that some important issues still remain unattended.

In its March 13 meeting, the political bureau of Rule of Law (Orinats Yerkir) political party discussed the issue of minister’s positions held by two of its members — Mher Shahgeldyan, Minister of Emergency Situations, and Gurgen Sargsyan, Minister of Transport and Communications. The Bureau decided to recall these two ministers and proposed the candidacy of Armen Yeritsyan and Manuk Vardanyan, respectively, for these positions.

US President Barack Obama’s invitation sent to Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan to visit Washington DC in mid-April is considered by some politicians in Armenia to be another “trap” and another attempt for Obama to avoid using the word genocide in his speech on April 24 -- the Armenian Genocide commemoration day. (Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also invited).

On March 13, the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan called a meeting of the National Security Council.

The examination of the circumstances mentioned in the news broadcast on November 13, 2008 by the “Haylur” program of Public TV about the immoral acts committed against the pupils of Nubarashen Special School 11 by the teacher L. S. of the same school is carried on in the Yerevan Investigation Department of the RA Police General Investigation Department.

Armenia’s two ethnic minority groups have revealed their strong differences over matters of identity as their leaders held rival press conferences on Thursday, accusing each other of misrepresentation and being misleading.

The preliminary investigation of the criminal case launched on the illegal turnover of narcotic drugs with the purpose of sale and abuse of official duties by the employee of the penitentiary has been completed in the Special Investigation Service. The prosecutor supervising the pre-trial investigation of the criminal case has confirmed the bill of indictment.

During the preliminary investigation it has been stated that Arthur Arakelyan, a leading specialist of the Social, Physiological and Legal Provision Division of the “Sevan” penitentiary, RA Ministry of Justice, came to agreement with the convicts to buy narcotic drugs with the purpose of sale.

The small Armenian contingent deployed in Afghanistan has earned praise from immediate German commanders for effective service and exhibited initiative in protecting strategic facilities in a troubled Afghan city, according to a report by the Armenian Defense Ministry.