News - Country profile: Armenia
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Situated along the route of the Great Silk Road, it has fallen within the orbit of a number of empires and come into contact with many cultural influences throughout its history.
OVERVIEW |
 OVERVIEW FACTS LEADERS MEDIA |
One of the earliest Christian civilisations, its first churches were founded in the fourth century. It later spent centuries largely under Turkic or Persian control and its rich cultural and architectural heritage combines elements from different traditions. The Armenian language is part of the Ethnic dating family but its alphabet is unique.
Armenia’s parliament sits in the capital, Yerevan
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Yerevan wants the world, and particularly Turkey, to recognize that the killing by the Ottoman Empire of hundreds of thousands of Armenians between 1915 and 1917 was genocide. Turkey says that there was no genocide and that the dead were victims of World War I. The two countries have no diplomatic relations.
An independent Republic of Armenia was proclaimed at the end of the first world war but was short-lived, lasting only until the beginning of the 1920s when the Bolsheviks incorporated it into the Soviet Union.
When that empire in turn collapsed in 1991, Armenia regained independence but retained a Russian military base at Gyumri.
In the mid-1990s the government embarked on an economic reform programme which brought some stability and growth. The country became a member of the Council of Europe in 2001.
Unemployment and poverty remain widespread. Armenia’s economic problems are aggravated by a trade blockade, imposed by neighbouring Turkey and Azerbaijan since the dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh. The conflict over the predominantly Armenian-populated region in Azerbaijan overshadowed Armenia’s return to independence in 1991.
Full-scale war broke out the same year as ethnic Armenians in Karabakh fought for independence, supported by troops and resources from Armenia proper. A ceasefire in place since 1994 has failed to deliver any lasting solution.
There is concern over safety at the Metsamor nuclear plant west of Yerevan. It was closed in 1988 following a catastrophic earthquake in the area but reopened in 1995 for economic reasons. The country is heavily reliant on it for electricity.
Armenia receives most of its gas supply from Russia and, like some other republics of the former Soviet Union, has had to face sharp price rises. The Russian gas giant Gazprom more or less doubled the price in April 2006. Russian gas arrives via a pipeline running through Georgia.
Armenia has a huge diaspora and has always experienced waves of emigration, but the exodus of recent years has caused real alarm. It is estimated that Armenia has lost up to a quarter of its population since independence, as young families seek what they hope will be a better life abroad.
Conversely, Armenia is richly endowed with potential as a tourist destination and recent figures indicate that some success is being achieved in attracting visitors.
- Full name: The Republic of Armenia
- Population: 3 million (UN, 2005)
- Capital: Yerevan
- Area: 29,743 sq km (11,484 sq miles)
- Major languages: Armenian, Russian
- Major religion: Christianity
- Life expectancy: 68 years (men), 75 years (women) (UN)
- Monetary unit: 1 dram = 100 lumas
- Main exports: Processed and unprocessed diamonds, machinery, metal products, foodstuffs
- GNI per capita: US $1,470 (World Bank, 2006)
- Internet domain: .am
- International dialling code: +374
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President: Robert Kocharyan
President Kocharyan
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President Kocharyan is a former president of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. He became Armenian prime minister in 1997 and was elected president the following year on a platform of ensuring the existence of Karabakh and boosting the Armenian economy.
Mr Kocharyan’s re-election as president in 2003 and a parliamentary vote just afterwards were followed by widespread allegations of ballot-rigging.
A referendum on proposed constitutional amendments took place in November 2005. The proposals, which were endorsed by the Council of Europe, were designed to enhance the role of parliament while placing some restrictions on the powers of the president. The result was a yes vote but the opposition protested, saying that the referendum had been rigged.
The Armenian president has said he wants to solve the Nagorno-Karabakh question and has held meetings with his Azerbaijani counterpart. But while he acknowledges the importance to peace of compromise on both sides, he insists that the people of Nagorno-Karabakh must be guaranteed the right to exist within safe borders and that a link with Armenia must be maintained.
Mr Kocharyan was born in Nagorno-Karabakh in 1954 and trained as an electrical engineer in Yerevan.
MEDIA |
OVERVIEW FACTS LEADERS MEDIA |
Television is Armenia’s dominant medium. There are more than 40 private TV stations, operating alongside the two public networks. The main Russian TV channels are widely available.
Few Armenians rely on newspapers as their primary source of news. Print runs are small and most publications are owned by wealthy individuals or political parties.
Censorship is prohibited under a 2004 media law. However, libel and defamation are punishable by prison terms and journalists have been sentenced under these laws.
The US-based NGO Freedom House reports that self-censorship is common, particularly in coverage of corruption, security and the Nagorno-Karabakh situation.
The press
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Radio
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