YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, NOYAN TAPAN. The 2009 annual report on the state of human rights in Armenia will be presented to the public in February or March, RA Ombudsman Armen Harutyunian announced at the February 10 press conference. In his words, although some positive phenomena which did not exist in the previous years were recorded in 2009, no progress "in the system sense" has been made. A. Harutyunian said that statements regarding the possible rise in the gas and water tariffs are being prepared. "I think it would be correct to manifest political will and courage and to make all those big businessmen pay the full amount of taxes, rather than to make citizens bear the main burden of the tariff rise," he noted. A. Harutyunian reminded that under the Constitution of the RA, Armenia is a social state and "the policy should be somewhat socially-oriented".

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