President of Moldova confirms participation in upcoming EEU Yerevan summit
10:16,
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. President of Moldova Igor Dodon has confirmed his participation in the upcoming Eurasian Economic Union summit in Yerevan on October 1.
Dodon confirmed his upcoming visit to Armenia in a phone conversation with President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko.
“We’ve talked about the Eurasian Economic Union’s Supreme Council session which will take place on October 1 in Yerevan where I will also participate,” Dodon said in a Facebook post.
Moldova is currently an observer at the EEU.
Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
The Khoren and Shooshanig Avedisian School and Community Center, located in the Malatia-Sebastia District of Yerevan, Armenia has been awarded a Silver LEED Certification – the FIRST building in Armenia to achieve such an award.
As the School said in a statement, the School was also awarded the LEED Earth Designation, given only to the very FIRST building project in each developing country to satisfy the USGBC LEED criteria.
LEED, (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is an ecology-oriented building certification program run under the sponsorship of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), headquartered in Washington, DC. According to Mahesh Ramanujam, President and CEO of the USGBC, “the LEED Certification identifies the AMAA Avedisian School as a showcase example of sustainability and demonstrates the AMAA’s leadership in transforming the building industry. The USGBC congratulates the AMAA Avedisian School on earning the LEED Certification and thanks you for your commitment to our common goal of building a healthy, sustainable future.”
Սեպտեմբերի 13-ին փոխվարչապետ Տիգրան Ավինյանն ընդունել է Ղազախստանի փոխվարչապետ Բերդիբեկ Սապարբաևի գլխավորած պատվիրակությանը: Ողջունելով հյուրին՝ Տիգրան Ավինյանը նշել է, որ Ղազախստանը Հայաստանի համար կարևոր գործընկեր է, որի հետ ունենք պատմական և բարեկամական հարաբերություններ: Նա հավելել է, որ բարձր մակարդակում պաշտոնական հանդիպումները նոր ազդակներ են հաղորդում երկկողմ փոխգործակցությանը:
Ինչպես հայտնում են կառավարության մամուլի ծառայությունից, շնորհակալություն հայտնելով ընդունելության համար՝ Բերդիբեկ Սապարբաևն ասել է, որ հայ-ղազախական հարաբերություններ լավ զարգացում են ապրում և նշել, որ այս տարի լրանում է Ղազախստանի և Հայաստանի միջև բարեկամության և համագործակցության մասին համաձայնագրի 20-ամյակը:
Զրուցակիցները համակարծիք էին, որ երկու երկրների առևտրաշրջանառության ծավալը չի համապատասխանում առկա ներուժին և պայմանավորվել են նոր ուղիներ փնտրել առևտրատնտեսական համագործակցությունն ակտիվացնելու համար: Ղազախստանի փոխվարչապետն ընդգծել է, որ մեծ նշանակություն են տալիս կրթության զարգացմանը: Նա ասել է, որ հետաքրքրված են Թումո նորարարական կրթական ծրագրով ու մտադրություն ունեն Թումո կենտրոն ստեղծել նաև Ղազախստանի մայրաքաղաք Նուր-Սուլթանում:
Բերդիբեկ Սապարբաևը կարևորել է նաև թվայնացման ոլորտում Հայաստանի ունեցած փորձի ուսումնասիրությունը: Այս առումով Տիգրան Ավինյանը կարևորել է ղազախական կողմի մասնակցությունը Երևանում անցակացվելիք Տեղեկատվական տեխնոլոգիաների համաշխարհային համաժողովին, որը լավ հնարավորություն կդառնա ոլորտում համագործակցության ուղիներ հարթելու համար:
Iranian President, Singapore’s PM expected to attend upcoming EAEU Summit in Yerevan
14:21, 6 September, 2019
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS. Armenia is preparing for the upcoming Summit of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan said during today’s press conference.
President of Iran Hassan Rouhani and Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong are expected to attend the Summit.
“We are preparing for this Summit. We expect that it will be held with the participation of heads of EAEU member states and guests who cooperate with the EAEU, including Iran and Singapore”, the FM said.
The EAEU Summit will take place in Yerevan on October 1.
Earlier Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan invited the Iranian President and Singapore’s PM to participate in the Summit.
Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
Stories from those who have already come back home
Recently, Armenian youth have found a new destination for labor migration – China.
And what is surprising is not so much the choice of the country as the specialization of many migrants. They go to China to teach English. There are about 900 Armenian teachers in China.
Sveta Ghukasyan was one of the first to leave Gyumri three years ago for China. She graduated in Yerevan with a bachelor’s degree in English, and a master’s degree from the American University of Armenia.
In 2016, she applied to AIESEC (Association Internationale des Étudiants en Sciences Économiques et Commerciales) This international organization offers young people from the ages of 18 to 30 years old to find development opportunities in Armenia and abroad. The association helped Sveta find work in China.
As a qualified specialist in China, she was first paid $2,500 a month and given an apartment. Every three months they raised her salary.
In China, she underwent additional retraining, and was given the right to teach children under 12 years using a local technique.
For those who want to follow her example, she says:
“Some people have mediocre English, and in Armenia they could not even work as mid-level managers. But they are going to teach some made up English in China. They are inspired by the salary – in Armenia they could receive $200 a month, and in China they pay 1200-1500. Now they have begun to carry out checks there, because they realized that not everyone came with the level of English necessary for teaching.”
“For them it’s a matter of prestige that there should be a foreign teacher in the school. If you do not have an Asian appearance – then you know English, it does not matter whether you are a native speaker or not. Most Chinese think so. And schools, in order to attract students, hire foreign teachers”, says Alvard Grigoryan from Gyumri.
She graduated from the State Pedagogical Institute in Gyumri with a degree in English translation, and went to China for a higher salary.
After the first lesson, Alvard understood why the Chinese were inviting teachers from abroad:
“The English of the Chinese are jokingly called ‘Chinglish.’ After almost all words that do not end with a vowel they add a sound similar to ‘e.’ For example, I ask my class: ‘What is this?’ And they respond, ‘It is a buke.’
Chinese English teachers teach children that way. Foreign experts are trying to correct their pronunciation.”
Alvard plans to go to China again and work at the same school where now she has been promised an even higher salary.
Hasmik says she left Gyumri and her favorite job because she wanted to see the world.
Asmik talks about the problems that expats face in China:
“Armenian migrants are considered cheap labor. Their salary is lower by 500-1000 dollars than those who come from the USA, England or South Africa, where English is the official language.”
The first and most important step, Asmik says, is to find a reliable intermediary.
Armenian Ambassador to China Sergey Manasaryan says:
“English can be taught in a Chineses school by those for whom English is a native language, or those who have the international qualifications of an English teacher – and who can confirm their knowledge and experience.
“The majority of people who come from Armenia do not meet either the first or second criteria. They speak English, but they don’t fall into either the first or second category of people. And you definitely need a business visa, otherwise you are powerless in relations with your employer”, explains Sergey Manasaryan.
Over the past year, 15 Armenian citizens were deported because they were working without a business visa. After that, they are deprived of the right to visit China for 5 years.
In 2003, less than 60 labor migrants from Armenia lived in China.
In 2013, their number reached 500.
According to preliminary data for 2019, in China there are 2,500 people with Armenian passports.
ArmInfo. "Jermuk should remain a resort city," said a resident of Jermuk, on whose door the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan knocked and asked her opinion on the exploitation of the Amulsar field.
To the prime minister's clarifying question, will she change her mind if the absolute security of the program is proved, a resident of Jermuk said: "I don't think that a mine can be operated in the immediate vicinity of the resort town. This is the opinion of the entire population of the city." When the prime minister left the building, the city residents met him, chanting: "Amulsar – without a mine."
Note that the Amulsar gold mine is located 10 kilometers in a straight line from Jermuk. After Pashinyan gave a preliminary "green light" to the program during a Facebook live broadcast on August 19, stating that according to the international expertise, Amulsar does not harm Sevan and the environment, residents of the surrounding areas and Jermuk assured that they will take part in unlimited protests, but they will not allow to continue the operation of the mine.
It should be noted that earlier the Prime Minister during a live broadcast on his Facebook page, the head of government said that the Government of Armenia will conduct constant monitoring during the development of the field. He once again assured that if facts were suddenly revealed that would cast doubt on the feasibility of exploiting the field, then the authorities would return to the problem, as they were not constrained by anything.
On August 14, the Investigative Committee of Armenia presented the expert opinion on the Amulsar project of the consulting company Earthlink & Advanced Resources Development (ELARD). Based on the conclusion of the examination, the SC of Armenia stated that there is no direct connection between the underground waters located on the territory of the Amulsar project and the thermal hot springs of Jermuk. There is also no connection with the waters of the Sevan basin.
Moreover, as indicated in the UK, during an earthquake, a certain concentration of acid drainage can penetrate into the basin of Lake Sevan through the Spandaryan and Ketchut reservoirs. However, the combination of this concentration will be insignificant on the scale of Lake Sevan. The third important conclusion, on the Arpa, Vorotan and Darb rivers, can be mitigated if LydianArmenia takes 16 environmental mitigation measures proposed by experts. As the head of the UK Hayk Grigoryan pointed out, LydianArmenia representatives have already expressed their readiness to implement 15 of the proposed 16 events: 10 events they are already holding, 5 will be ready to conduct in the near future. In addition to the water basin, the public is also concerned about the possible presence of uranium reserves in the deposit. So, in his work "Uranium bearing of geological formations in Armenia", the famous scientist, Doctor of Geological Sciences Petros Gevorkovich Aloyan noted that the Amulsar manifestation of uranium is located 4 km south-east of the village of Ketchut and 5 km north-west of the top of the mountain of the same name .
Approximately 76 tons of uranium were calculated for five sections of the Amulsar manifestation, and taking into account uranium in the thorium section, its total reserves can be estimated at 100 tons. Moreover, according to the research of another scientist, Professor G.S. Avagyan, according to 40 samples of Amulsar ore, there are 195 tons of uranium and thorium there. Meanwhile, the development of uranium deposits requires special permission from the government, which Lidian does not have. According to the company, the deposit contains about 73733 kg of gold with an average grade of 0.78 g per ton, as well as 294.367 tons silver with an average content of 9.29 g per ton. At the same time, about uranium – not a word.
Lydian Armenia is a subsidiary of British Lydian International The total cost of the Amulsar project is $ 370 million. The field's life will be 10 years and 4 months, with an average of 200 thousand ounces of gold being mined annually. Amulsar field is the second largest reserves in Armenia.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 23
By Elchin Mehdiyev – Trend:
According to the UN Charter and the corresponding procedural rules of the organization, each member has the right to distribute documents to bring information, which is of interest from the point of view of the government of the member-state, to the attention of other member-states and the secretariat of the organization, Chairman of the Azerbaijani Center for International Relations Analysis Farid Shafiyev said.
Shafiyev made the remarks regarding the distribution of a report of the self-proclaimed regime in Nagorno-Karabakh region by Armenia in the UN, Trend reports on Aug. 23.
The appeal on behalf of the permanent missions of UN member-states includes various issues related to the international events and security, trade, development, culture and others.
The member-state that distributed the document is responsible for the content of the document. There have been such cases when permanent missions even distributed poems as a UN document.
"In turn, the secretariat is obliged to distribute letters submitted by the permanent missions of UN member-states,” Shafiyev said. “The documents are classified by the organization and within the agenda item of the next session of the Security Council, General Assembly and other UN bodies. The agenda item is determined by the author of the letter, that is, permanent representation of a member-state.”
“Unfortunately, member-states often abuse this right and distribute documents even contrary to the UN Charter,” he said. “In particular, Armenia has repeatedly sent "NKR" letters on its behalf. In any case, the author of the letter is considered an official member of the organization, that is, in this case, Armenia. The information circulated in the Armenian media that the so-called “NKR” document was distributed as a UN document is false. The UN does not recognize "NKR" and the secretariat of the organization, in accordance with the rules, distributed a letter of the permanent mission of Armenia to the UN. This is its official status."
As for the content of the letter, Shafiyev commented on it briefly.
"How can one talk about sustainable development, democracy or humanitarian goals in the occupied territory, where Armenia carried out ethnic cleansing of the indigenous Azerbaijani population and continues to violate the Security Council’s corresponding resolutions and UN Charter?" he asked.
“Azerbaijan also intends to distribute a letter in the UN,” Shafiyev said. “This provocation of the permanent mission of Armenia to the UN once again demonstrates who is actually the occupier of the internationally recognized Azerbaijani territories."
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.