What’s interesting about this document?

On Friday news broke out that former Sen. Bob Dole has registered as 'Foreign Agent' for Armenia in Washington, and has been hired by the Embassy of Armenia, with a goal to "foster improved diplomatic relations" between Armenia and the U.S.

Bob Dole is 97 years old and has always been a friend of Armenia and Armenians, and he’s charging what seems to be a nominal 10 thousand dollars for a month of work signed as of September 15.

Is this the first time the Armenian embassy hires a lobbyist in Washington?

• Azerbaijani air defense forces blocked the flight of the Russian military aircraft DRLOU A-50 (AWACS).

• Yerevan mayor Hayk Marutyan said that the government will build a Metro station in Ajapnyak.

• The new procedure for obtaining a driver's license is being postponed.

• First-graders had their first classes on September 14. All other grades will resume schools from September 15.

• Exports of several Agricultural products from Armenia grew despite the pandemic. Exports of livestock grew 256% in January-July 2020 (sheep and goats, etc.)

• In Egypt, FM Mnatsakanyan said that Turkey has been undermining efforts for peace and stability in the region. Mnatsakanyan fully backed Cyprus, Greece and Egypt in defending their legitimate interests in the Mediterranean. The FM also discussed areas of  cooperation and development between Armenia and Egypt, including Armenia’s support for Egypt’s Free Trade association with the Eurasian Economic Association. The FM also met with Egyptian president Al Sisi, as well as the Grand Imam of al-Azhar Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed El-Tayeb.

• The BHK has opted out of the confirmation vote on the three candidates to the Constitutional Court. Meanwhile, the OSCE ODIHR contacted the Armenian Ombudsman to provide expert support in assessment, a legal analysis regarding the legislation regulating the judges’ appointment, applicable international standards, obligation and experience regarding the high court appointment processes.

• The National Institute of Health of the Armenian Healthcare Ministry will soon open a branch in Artsakh where medical personnel will undergo training.

• Armenian and Russian airborne recon and strike teams hold joint military drills. Meanwhile, electronic warfare and air defense troops held anti-UAV drills.

• The Pashinyan family hosted children from various border towns for a barbecue party in their official residence on September 13.

• Authorities have launched criminal proceedings on vote buying, bribery, electoral violations and other alleged offenses concerning the BHK party.

• PM Pashinyan and Argentine-Armenian businessman Eduardo Eurnekian discussed the implementation of investment projects like the development of Yerevan’s Zvartnots, Gyumri’s Shirak airports, improvement of infrastructures, their renovation and further operation.

• Former BHK MP and former head of the Control Chamber of Armenia Ishkhan Zakaryan has been summoned to the NSS regarding suspicious acquisition of lands in Garni.

• Armenian philanthropist Ruben Vardanyan is again involved in a Russian corruption scandal.

• President Sarkissian invites Lord Ara Darzi to speak at Armenian Summit of Minds.

• The International Symposium Astronomical Surveys and Big Data 2 (ASBD-2) started on Monday, September 14, and it will continue till 18 September.

• GM Levon Aronian shared third place at the 2020 Champions Showdown: Chess 9LX online chess tournament after scoring 5/9 points.

• Azerbaijan continues to instigate politicians and analysts to make anti-Armenian statements regarding Lebanese and Syrian-Armenians who are repatriating to Artsakh. Today there were over a half dozen articles in Trend.az and other Azeri media. One example: Matthew Bryza.

• Lydian will provide scholarships to 15 students in the Amulsar communities studying at any licensed university in Armenia.

• Citing strong objections from civil society members, two BHK MPs have abandoned plans to introduce legislation that would ban abortions in Armenia except in cases of medical emergency.

• Schools reopen across Armenia, but not all school employees have been tested for coronavirus yet.

• Former head of the EU Delegation in Armenia, Piotr Switalski, has written a book titled “The Armenian Revolution. An Unfinished Cable,” where he recommends that the EU should pay more attention to Armenia and the EAP region.

• Russian president Putin has agreed to infuse $1.5 Billion into the Belarus economy to help it stabilize, and also help its public decide its path without outside interference.

• An interesting reflection on the demographic situation in Armenia.

• President of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan signed a decree approving the new composition of the Security Council.

• OSCE MG Co-Chairs propose to meet with Armenian, Azerbaijani FMs in coming weeks. The mediators have called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to prepare the ground for renewed talks on resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh, and clarify their current positions.

• In Egypt, president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received FM Zohrab Mnatsakanyan in the presence of Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt Mr. Sameh Shoukry and the Armenian ambassador to Cairo. They agreed on the importance of preventing foreign interventions in the region that destabilize and undermine the people.

• During the official visit to Egypt FM Mnatsakanyan also met with Secretary-General of the League of Arab States Ahmed Aboul Gheit. Meanwhile, Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities made a short visit to Yerevan, and met with tour and hospitality operators. Must have something to do with Armenian Cuisine. 😉

• Armenia will use advanced technologies to connect the fuel nozzles with the cash register at the gas stations, to automate billing and prevent violations.

• The Central Bank of Armenia has cut the refinancing rate by .25 and set it at 4.25%. CBA President Martin Galstyan says that in 2020 a 6.2% decline is forecast for Armenia, followed by nearly 5% economic growth in 2021.

• A fire erupted in a futuristic seafront building in downtown Beirut on September 15 that was close to completion after years of construction. Two prominent Lebanese-Armenian journalists suspect that the incidents involve foul play, but they have not said more.

• All three candidates nominated for Constitutional Court judges were confirmed by parliament. Yervand Khundkaryan, Artur Vagharshyan and Edgar Shatiryan, were nominated by the General Assembly of Judges, the President of Armenia, and the Cabinet respectively. The confirmation was boycotted by lawmakers representing the parliamentary opposition parties.

• Most of Armenia’s Independence Day celebrations will take place online.

• The Armenian State Symphony Orchestra opened its 15th season with Dvořák’ Symphony No.9 “From the New World” and three pieces from Tigran Mansurian’s “The Snow Queen” ballet, at the Karen Demirchyan Hamalir.

• 3 Armenians and 8 Azerbaijanis were arrested pending investigations arising from a massive brawl between Armenians and Azerbaijanis in Javakhk on August 23.

• A group of university students marched from Yerevan State University (YSU) to the main building of the government of Armenia. They have prepared a petition with more than 5,000 signatures demanding partial reimbursement of their tuition.

• Young Aurora 2020: The three Finalists announced. The winner will be announced on November 3.

• Feature film “Chnchik” by Aram Shahbazyan has been included in “New Currents” competition section of Busan International Film Festival,  which will be held Oct. 21-30.

• Artsakh President commemorated the late Armenian journalist Hrant Dink on his birthday

• Azerbaijani, Turkish Air Forces mark Baku's 102nd “liberation” anniversary, with plenty of  anti-Armenian rhetoric. Aliyev and Erdogan also noted this in their call today.

• The Catholicos and the Minister of Education met and decided that a meeting of relevant subgroups on education will take place in the near future, to discuss important topics in Education Reform.

• LHK MP Arkady Khachatryan was elected chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Financial and Budgetary Affairs.

• A Virtual U.S.-Armenia Strategic Dialogue Took Place, and it will continue this fall, culminating in a capstone session in Washington, D.C. next month.

• Kim Kardashian is supporting of the #StopHateforProfit campaign, which accuses major Social Media platforms of allowing groups to spread misinformation and bigotry.

• A day of blessing for lawyers will be established by the Catholicos of All Armenians.

• The Asian Development Bank forecasts that this year Armenia’s GDP will decline by 4%, a further drop from the -3.5% that was projected in April 2020, growth is expected to pick up to 3.5% in 2021.

• Parliament adopted a bill authored introducing paternity leave in Armenia.

• An Armenian soldier has been killed from gunshot and shrapnel wounds in the latest Azerbaijani ceasefire violation at the state border. DM Tonoyan said that the Armenian army will take “appropriate actions” in retaliation for its soldier’s death. Tavush governor Hayk Chobanyan has also reported increased cross-border shootings for the past two weeks.

• PM Pashinyan met with Lydian Canada Ventures Board of Directors member Jeffrey Coach and Lydian Armenia Executive Director Hayk Aloyan, and discussed the Amulsar project.

• BHK officially joined LHK in their call for Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, Arayik Harutyunyan’s resignation. Harutyunyan has rejected these calls. My Step continued to back the minister, so the proposal in the parliament failed.

• Chairman of the State Revenue Committee Edward Hovhannisyan met with Iranian Ambassador Abbas Badakhshan Zohouri and emphasized the necessity of upgrading and expanding the Meghri border checkpoint, and the operation of the Meghri free economic zone.

• PM Pashinyan stated that with the election of judges of the Constitutional Court by the Parliament the crisis around the Court is now over.

• At Armenia’s recommendation, Russia’s Interior Ministry has developed a bill to allow the migrants from the EAEU states to drive in Russia using their national driver’s license.

• According to Armenia’s Amberd Station, the Earth’s Ozone layer is gradually recovering.

• Ahmet Cetin, a pro-Turkey extremist who assaulted Armenian community members in Décines-Charpieu commune of Lyon on July 24, will go on trial on Thursday, September 17.

• The building that housed Vasbouragan Hall, as well as offices for St. Gregory Armenian Church in San Francisco was set ablaze around 4am on Thursday. The San Francisco Fire Department responded immediately, however, the building suffered significant damage. It is suspected that this was the result of a Hate Crime.

• Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan has installed Sasun Barseghyan as the new Governor of the Askeran Region. He will replace Ashot Dadayan.

• Charges of embezzlement have been pressed against the former Rector of the Yerevan State University Aram Simonyan.

• Armenia will honor modern day heroes fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and guarding the country's borders – medical workers and troops – during the Hero Of Our Times Awards on September 21. 

• The fifth annual Aurora Humanitarian Prize for Awakening Humanity went to Fartuun Adan and Ilwad Elman, the mother and daughter team who lead the Elman Peace and Human Rights Centre in Somalia.

• Iranian company Tunnel Sadd Ariana will construct a new landfill and waste management system in Hrazdan as part of the Kotayk and Gegharkunik Municipal Solid Waste Management” program.

• The government has introduced a bill on spending disclosure for public officials as a further anti-corruption measure. The bill passed.

• The Yerevan City Council has tripled to AMD 200,000,000 (over 2018) the allocation to upgrade medical equipment at the medical polyclinics in the Armenian capital.

• Residents of a Yerevan building which was partially destroyed in a gas leak explosion on August 26 will be provided with financial compensation to buy new apartments.

• A lawyer is challenging in court the coronavirus protocols in schools requiring children to wear face masks.

• 64 IT companies in Armenia in AI, data science, robotics, communications, and other areas have been approved by the Ministry of High Tech for the first and second programs of the coronavirus relief package.

• The Armenian Nuclear Power Plant’s administration is discussing the re-extension of the lifespan of its power unit N2 beyond 2026.

• Moody’s has upgraded the rating of IDBank: outlook changed to stable.

• President Sarkissian met with the leadership of the French Dassault Systèmes company, and discussed implementing special educational projects in IT.

• My Step MP Armen Pambukhchyan has resigned from Parliament, and plans to work in government.

• No verified information about resettlement of Lebanese Armenians in Karabakh, Russian MFA spox Maria Zakharova has said, adding that this is the time to focus on resumption of the peace process, including the issue of IDPs.

• Armenia is tightening its gambling laws, with steps that affect both the location and size of betting venues.

• A postage stamp dedicated to Armenian cultural heritage in the Asian region has been put into circulation.

• An all-star concert at Lithuania’s Opera and Ballet Theater will mark the 30th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and 29th anniversary of independence of Armenia.

• Artsakh has written to the OSCE that it's unacceptable for Lebanese Armenians to become a politicized target of attacks by Azerbaijani authorities.

• Armenian pianists Lilit Mkrtchyan and Nune Asatryan won the Odin International Music Online Competition in Estonia.

• Former Police Chief Vladimir Gasparian has been indicted for threatening two RFE/RL Armenian Service journalists and obstructing their work on a report about government plans to dismantle private houses illegally constructed near Lake Sevan. Gasparian has a luxury house located in the lakeside area. 

• The new Ambassador of Iran to Azerbaijan Seyyed Abbas Mousavi stated that relations between Tehran and Baku are progressing in all dimensions.

• The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ and EFJ) have  joined the Union of Journalists of Armenia (UJA), in urging the Armeniain Parliament to not approve a legislative proposal on insult and defamation that aims to increase fines for publishing insults and defamatory comments in the media and social networks. 

• The Warsaw Stock Exchange (WFB) has signed an agreement with the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) to acquire 65% of the Armenian Stock Exchange (FBA), pending various approvals. AMX is currently valued at $1.6 Million. The Central Bank of Armenia holds 90.1% of AMX. The remaining 9.9% are AMX’s treasury shares. After the deal, CBA will hold 25% of AMX and the remaining 10% will be acquired by a third party to be named by GPW.

• Anna Hakobyan has resigned as the chair of the board of trustees of the City of Smile charitable foundation.

• DM Tonoyan expressed continued concern to the ICRC over videos spread by Azerbaijani media on Armenian POW Gurgen Alaverdyan.

• We have to mention the Khodorkovsky Dossier on Armenia and Azerbaijan, since everyone is talking about it.

• Lawmakers from the LHK and My Step are working on legislation to regulate the film industry in Armenia, raise the level of copyright protection, state sponsorship transparency and stipulate content rating.

• Artsakh re-trains military reserve forces periodically for optimal readiness.

• Qatar Airways will operate daily flights to Yerevan starting October 5.

• The Government is building new houses for families in the Tavush region after Azeri bombardment.

• Former Sen. Bob Dole has registered as 'Foreign Agent' for Armenia with a goal to "foster improved diplomatic relations" between Armenia and the U.S. The hiring comes as the Donald Trump administration prepares to host a meeting of the U.S.-Armenia Strategic Dialogue next month. 

• Lady Gaga has based her new video for Chromatica single “911” largely on Armenian filmmaker Sergei Parajanov’s classic 1969 art film The Color of Pomegranates. Some outfits for the video were designed by Karina Akopyan.

• The American University of Armenia (AUA) has established an emergency fund for Lebanese students who have been affected by the explosion.

• The first flight via Air Cairo coming from Armenia has arrived at Sharm el Sheikh International Airport, carrying 52 passengers.

• Armenian Embassy officially opened in Israel, on the eve of Rosh  Hashanah.

• Clothing and footwear traders staged a protest in front of the Armenian government building on Friday, complaining about new customs clearance pricing policies.

• A silver denarius of Rome’s first emperor is being auctioned. It depicts Augustus and the reverse shows a tiara and bow cases with quiver, and the legends ARMENIA / CAPTA, a reference to the successful effort to claim Armenia for the Romans.

• Azerbaijani oppositionist Tofiq Yaqublu stopped his hunger strike after a Court of Appeals released him on house arrest.

• US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died At age 87.

• Schools started in Artsakh this week without masks and distancing.

• New Pottery, tombstones and other historical artifacts have been excavated in Armenia’s Tavush Fortress.

• Artsakh has announced the relocation of its Parliament from Stepanakert to Shushi, effective officially on May 9, 2022.

• Ilham Aliyev has given a very negative assessment to the current state of the talks aimed at resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,  calling them stalled, “nearly mothballed.”

• Russia will resume flights with EAEU states, except Armenia.

• “The Trio” by Russian-Armenian film director Anna Melikyan won best cinematography at the 31st Kinotavr Open Russian Film Festival in Sochi.

• According to the data of 2019, a total of 24,221 monuments are included in the list of Armenia’s state owned immovable historical and cultural monuments.

• A public rift has widened between Ilham Aliyev's dynastic administration and one of its longest-serving and most powerful former figures, Ramiz Mehdiyev.

• Yervand Mkrtchyan scored a gold medal in the 1,500-meter race at the championship of the Balkan states, in Romania. He ran the 1,500 meters in 3 minutes, and 47 seconds.

• First 3 (of 10) TUMO Boxes will be installed in Karabakh this year.

The Greece vs. Turkey animosity has been escalating in the past weeks. We will dedicate a section here to the headlines we’ve seen building:

• Presidents Macron and Erdogan: Navigating or Generating a European Crisis?

• Turkey’s Erdogan chases Ottoman dream, ends up unsettling West Asia | Analysis

• Will China intervene in the Greek-Turkish crisis?

• The hypothetical compromise: The end of 10 years of war in West Asia

• NATO further marginalised

• Turkey triggers the final dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire

• India Pulls No Punches Against Turkey; Tells Erdogan To 'understand Democratic Practices'

• Turkish aggressive policy backfires as Europe, Arab countries form anti-Erdogan axis – researcher.

• Erdogan Is Turning Turkey Into a Chinese Client State

• EU chief warns Turkey against ‘intimidating’ its neighbors

• Egypt rallies Arab League to counter Turkey's regional policies

• Is Turkey’s New Gas Discovery in the Black Sea a Game Changer?

• Erdoğan reveals vision for 2053, calls it ‘Turkey model’

• How Turkey influences German politics – Erdoğan’s power and the AKP networks

• Why UAE’s landmark deal with Israel is bad for Turkey

• How Turkey became the bane of Arab regimes.

• Turkey and Iran are engaging in new operations in Africa – reports

• ESTIA: Germany is pushing Greece to demilitarise its islands close to Turkey

Armenian pianists Lilit Mkrtchyan and Nune Asatryan won the Odin International Music Online Competition in Estonia. They won the first prize in the Piano Four Hands category. They performed two symphonic pieces by Grieg and Tchaikovsky.

Former Sen. Bob Dole has registered as 'Foreign Agent' for Armenia with a goal to "foster improved diplomatic relations" between Armenia and the U.S.

Lady Gaga has based her new video for Chromatica single “911” largely on Armenian filmmaker Sergei Parajanov’s classic 1969 art film The Color of Pomegranates. Some outfits for the video were designed by Karina Akopyan.

Yervand Mkrtchyan scored a gold medal in the 1,500-meter race at the championship of the Balkan states, in Romania. He ran the 1,500 meters in 3 minutes, and 47 seconds.

That concludes our program for this week’s Armenian News Week in Review.

Please contact us with your feedback and suggestions. You can do so through our website, at groong.org, or on our Facebook Page “ANN – Armenian News”, or in our Facebook Group “Armenian News – Armenian News  Network”.

Special thanks to Laura Osborn for providing the music for our podcast. I’m Hovik Manucharyan, and on behalf of everyone in this episode, thank you for listening and we wish you a good week. 

Karabakh Negotiations, Madrid Principles, State of Emergency Russia, AWACS.

Additional: Emil Sanamyan, Hrant Mikaelyan, Arayik Harutyunyan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh, Egypt, Arab League, Iran, Russia, Lady Gaga, Sergei Parajanov, Pomegranates, Bob Dole, Lilit Mkrtchyan, Nune Asatryan.