XPRIMM: Starting 1st January 2013 a system of bonus was introduced, and starting January 1, 2014 - one of malus. Was this system accepted by the insurance market? What has been the total amount of bonuses granted to disciplined drivers? What are the expectations of the market since the introduction of this system? 

Elita BABAYAN: The bonus-malus system, or rather one of its components ("bonus") applies to contracts signed after December 31st, 2012. Thus, the system is already functional in Armenia; however, many drivers are still lacking knowledge about its details.

According to estimates by the Executive Director of the Motor Insurers' Bureau of Armenia, Anna VARDIKYAN, full implementation of the "bonus-malus" (BMS) in the next few years will lead to a reduction of the number of undisciplined drivers in Armenia by 6-10%.

The system, according to the Bureau will indirectly affect the behavior of drivers that pose a potential threat to the life and health of citizens, forcing the first to be more disciplined. "Bonus-Malus" also prevents fraud in the field of MTPL.

Since the date of implementation of the "bonus" component, the total amount of bonuses (3% of the premiums) issued to disciplined drivers amounted to about AMD 350 million.

Taner Akcam will write a book about Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's stand about the Genocide and deportation of Armenians. The book will be written for Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.   

 Armenian units suppressed provocations of Azerbaijani armed forces at the line of contact. As press-secretary of Armenia's Defence Ministry, Artsrun Hovhannisyan, reported that last night the Azerbaijani party opened an intensive fire towards Armenian positions at several sectors. However, as a result of counteraction of units of Armenian armed forces activeness of the enemy was suppressed . No victims and injured. 

 American television and radio host Larry King participated in the All Armenian Fund's 16th Telethon on 28 November. The famous host of CNN has accepted invitation of NKR President Bako Sahakyan to visit Artsakh.

The accumulative pension system has been developed in Armenia for 10 years with help of the best specialists and through numerous discussions, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan told reporters in Dilijan, Friday. 

Armenia and the European Union have adopted a joint statement within the framework of the EU Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius.

 Former advisor of Armenia's Prime Minister Narek Galstyan has been elected Chairman of Social-Democratic Hnchakyan Party.

Azerbaijan could take more active part in formation of the Eurasian Union if not Armenia, conflicting with us, which has already declared about its intention to join this union, the head of the Azerbaijani parliamentary committee on regional issues, Arif Ragimzade, said the public forum "Eurasian economic integration:

We want to build in Armenia a European state based in the Eurasian space, Armenia's Education and Science Minister Armen Ashotyan said during a Eurasian economic integration forum in Kazan.

The European Union is offended at Armenia and is preparing "punitive measures" against the country, the head of the "Modus vivendi" research center, Ara Papyan, said at today's press-conference. 

 "The Eastern Partnership should become a natural bridge that promotes integration from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans. In this sense we are committed to undertake consistent efforts towards building a more inclusive Europe free of dividing lines," said President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan in his speech at the ongoing third Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius, the press-service of the Armenian President said.

"This very understanding is the guiding milestone of our foreign policy, and it is precisely in this vein that we seek to settle problems with our neighbors by attempting to internalize the success stories of reconciliation in Europe at a regional level. I believe that consistent adoption of the European values can help Turkey to reconcile with its own past. Today thousands of Turkish people condemn the Armenian Genocide and stand by us to commemorate the victims of the Genocide. I believe that on the eve of the Armenian Genocide Centennial the Turkish authorities should be able to demonstrate will and decline the policy of denial. In order to continue its integration with the European Union in a capacity of a European nation Turkey still faces the challenge of opening the last closed border in Europe and establishing diplomatic relations with Armenia. We expect that the EU member States, as our partners, will fully engage themselves and display consistency in order to remove the illegal blockade of Armenia by Turkey," he said.

Touching upon the latest meeting of the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan that took place upon the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs in Vienna after a pause of almost two years, the president said that the fact of the meeting in itself is a positive phenomenon. 
"It is important to emphasize that the successful outcome of the negotiations in reality depends on our ability to reject the negative rhetoric and ease the tension on the Line of Contact. Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh have refrained from statements and steps that could destabilize the situation and embarked on the road of state-building founded upon democracy, human rights, free economic competition and freedom of speech, and unwaveringly move in that direction," he said.
For conclusion, Serzh Sargsyan said that there are high expectations from the Vilnius Summit. 
"We view this Summit as an important stage in the development of our relations with the EU on a more streamlined and realistic foundations.It is exactly in this context that we read the final document of the Summit and Armenia-European Union Joint Statement," the president said. 

 "Armenia is determined to continue with the implementation of the deep and large-scale reforms aimed at fighting corruption, ensuring free economic competition, raising transparency of government activities, safeguarding the independence of judiciary, guaranteeing freedom of speech, and strengthening the civil society, which constitute the pivot of Armenia-EU relationship," said Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan in his speech at the ongoing third Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius.

The Communist Party of Armenia is marking its 90th birthday today.

 Now, by activating the "Jan-jan" service, the subscribers of VivaCell-MTS' "Dialect" tariff plan can also enjoy the opportunities of the unlimited Internet, the company's  press-service said.

The settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict depends exclusively on the economic state of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Head of Modus Vivendi Research Center Ara Papyan told journalists on Friday.

Areximbank-GPB Group CJSC has reduced the price of the Habib Bank LTD cheques from 7,000 drams to 4,000 drams for a period from 1 Dec 2013 up to 31 Jan 2014, the bank's press-service told ArmInfo.

To recall, Areximbank-Gazprombank Group offers businessmen and tourists traveling to the United Arab Emirates to obtain bank cheques in UAE dirhams (AED). As press-service of the bank reported, the cheques were issued by HABIB BANK LTD in the name of Areximbank-Gazprombank Group.
The bank cheques are issued based on the rate of 3.66 AED per USD with maximum amount of a cheque being 40,000 AED (nearly $11,000). 
Maximum total amount of cheques issued in the name of a person is equal to 50,000 USD. Cheque holders may cash cheques in any branch of HABIB BANK LTD, with no additional commission fee required.

The bank also offers its clients cheques in USD issued by Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas in the name of Areximbank- Gazprombank Group.
Areximbank-Gazprombank Group closed joint-stock company was founded in 1998 to support entrepreneurs and to handle financial flows between Russia and Armenia. The bank is fully owned by Russian Gazprombank.

 A prosperous and stable Eastern Partnership is in the interests of all.

Tbilisi. The government of Abkhaz Autonomous Republic, acting in Tbilisi, stated about its readiness to assist residents of Abkhazia, uncontrolled by the Georgian central authorities, where numerous cases  of intoxication with polluted water were reported.

Tbilisi. A process of technical initialing  of the EU-Georgia Associated Agreement, which was conducted in the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry on Thursday, November 28, finished, the official of the Georgian Foreign Ministry's press-service reported.

Tbilisi. Foreign Minister of Georgia Maia Panjikidze hopes that representative of the parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee Teo Japaridze will become the country's ambassador to Great Britain.