Russian President Vladimir Putin's intention to create a single air defense system with Armenia becomes even more interesting in the light of his upcoming visit to Yerevan, Deputy Director of the Caucasus Institute Sergey Minasyan told ArmInfo.

On 19 November, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia would create a joint air defense system with Armenia and Kazakhstan and improve the joint air defense system with Belarus.  "We will enlarge our cooperation with our traditional partners and allies, first of all, with members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Commonwealth of Independent States," Putin said. 
"Particularly, the results of the upcoming meeting of the Russian and Armenian presidents and they negotiations on the military-political cooperation are of special interest. A new quality of interaction with the 102nd Russian military base in Gyumri, Armenia, and establishment of joint military-industrial ventures is in question. This aspect of the Armenian-Russian strategic relations will become one of the key topics for discussion in Yerevan. As for development of a joint air-defense system, the military and political leaderships of Russia and Armenia discussed this issue long ago. Actually, in the case of Armenia, it has been fully implemented," Minasyan said.  
He believes that Armenia's intention to become part of the Customs Union implies development of military cooperation, particularly, new formats of cooperation, delivery of new air defense systems and modernization of the existing ones. Minasyan is sure that a single air defense system will become a strong "umbrella" for both Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. 
The Russian 102nd Military Base in Gyumri, Armenia, is part of the Transcaucasian Group of Forces. The military base is part of a joint air defense system of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), which was deployed in Armenia in 1995. The 102nd military base is a high-readiness force comprising 13 basic combat units and 17 overall support units. The base has an air defense missile battalion armed with BUK- M1-2 anti-aircraft system, Smerch artillery batteries and MiG-29 fighters.

The Central Bank of Armenia has registered a prospectus for the issue of Shen Holding's USD nominal coupon bonds with a total amount of $4 million ($100 per bond) and an 11% yield. 

 Armenia's delegation headed by Finance Minister David Sargsyan will leave for Washington on November 20 to attend a meeting of the Armenian-American Intergovernmental Committee, the Finance Ministry said.

Jen Psaki, the US Department of State Spokesperson, has made a statement on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Summit on Nagorno-Karabakh, overnight. 

OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara welcomed the meeting between the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsian and the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, that took place in Vienna overnight, according to the OSCE official website.

 In the World Economic Forum's Networked Readiness Index 2013, Armenia has risen by 12 positions. Nevertheless, it still lags far behind its neighbors.  

The Armenian-Turkish protocols are on the agenda of the Turkish Parliament. Subsequently, the process of normalization of the bilateral relations is still going on, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said in Washington. 

"I expect nothing extraordinary from the meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents," an Armenian MP, ARF Dashnaktsutyun Party Faction, Vahan Hovhannisyan told reports, Tuesday. 

 Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliyev will be discussing issues that were not settled during their previous meetings, a member of ARF Dashnaktsutyun Party Faction in the Parliament, Artsvik Minasyan, told reports on 19 November.  He anticipates nothing extraordinary from the upcoming meeting. 

  The upcoming meeting of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will bring no changes to the Karabakh peace talks, Armen Martirosyan, Vice Chairman of Heritage Party, told reporters, on 19 November.

On Monday, November 18, some 150 people joined a few members of the Yerevan-based Civilitas Foundation staff to mark the beginning of an enhanced Civilitas presence in Istanbul.  

An international conference on carpet weaving traditions in Armenia will be held in Yerevan on Nov 20-22 2013, for experts from the United States, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and other countries to study Armenia's carpet weaving culture and to discuss modern carpet recovery technologies.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan had a phone conversation with Secretary of State John Kerry on 18 November evening. 

In an attempt to close the as yet unresolved offshore financial scandal involving Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan and Ararat Diocese Locum Tenens Archbishop Navasart Kjoyan, a team of police investigators travelled to Cyprus in September to verify if the signatures of the two on a company registry document were fake or not.

Chairman of the National Self- Determination Union, will hold a rally to protest against Armenia's accession to the Customs Union. Hayrikyan says on his Facebook page that he has applied to the Municipality of Yerevan to get a permit to hold the rally in Liberty Square on November 28 and 29.      

 Foreign Minister of Turkey Ahmet Davutoglu and US Secretary of State John Kerry have discussed the Karabakh issue, US Department of State said.

Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliyev have agreed to give a new impulse to the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process.

 Shant Haroutiunyan, Leader of Tseghakron Party, may undergo forensic psychiatric expert examination, the Public Relations Office of the Armenian Police told ArmInfo.

 Accession to the Customs Union (CU) implies introduction of a new single currency or linking of the national currencies of the CU countries to the Russian ruble in future, Hrant Bagratyan, oppositionist MP, the former prime minister of Armenia told reports, Tuesday. He is sure that the Central Bank of Armenia will lose its regulatory functions, if this happens.

"With accession to the CU, many products will rise in price in the local market, as single customs duties - higher than they are now - will be applied.  For instance, cigarettes and alcohol will rise in price due to difference in the customs duties (7% in Armenia now, 15% in the CU), imported meat (nearly 10% in Armenia and 60% in the CU). We usually buy pork for 3500 per kg on the threshold of the New Year holidays, meanwhile, it will cost 6000 drams/kg at the end of the current year. The customs tax for import of cars will increase to 20%-25% from 15%. The change of the customs duties is not even discussed, as it is the essence of the CU," Bagratyan said.

In addition, introduction of the accumulative pension system and creation of pension funds rules out export of these funds (nearly $150 million) outside the CU, he said.

To recall, on September 3, 2013 in Moscow the Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Vladimir Putin confirmed the aim of the Republic of Armenia and the Russian Federation in the direction of further development of economic integration processes in the Eurasian territory. Earlier on 21 October, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko told the heads of the CIS mass media outlets that there are many uncertainties in the issue of Armenia's accession to the CU.  Lukashenko believes that Armenia cannot access the Union overnight.  The country is to pass all the necessary procedures to the CU, like to the WTO, the president said.

The Customs Union has been created within the Eurasian economic space for trade and economic integration of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia on the initiative of Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2011. CU is one of the biggest integration unions in the world with a population of 170 mln people and GDP of $2.7 trillion. 

 The meeting between Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliyev has kicked off in Austrian capital city Vienna.