The new Russian head of the Yerevan office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said Thursday there is substantial progress in Armenia's democratization process, contradicting the OSCE's harsh criticism of this year's presidential and parliamentary elections.

He also made an unusually positive assessment of the situation with press freedom in the country that sharply contrasted with the opinion of OSCE's Vienna-based media watchdog.

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While many welcome the long-awaited construction of Yerevan's North Avenue, progress is coming with an unpleasant price for at least one family business at the heart of Abovian street.

As around them only walls of former businesses are standing, the Hayrapetyan family's Threads boutique is holding on and holding out.

Since 1994, the Hayrapetyans have made their little shop a virtual museum of knitting, using skills handed down through three generations of mothers and daughters. The quaint stone room has become popular among locals and tourists.

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