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Author: Christine Harutyunian

Chess: Levon Aronian to represent Armenia at FIDE World Cup

Christine Harutyunian
Public Radio of Armenia
June 22 2021  

Levon Aronian to represent Armenia at FIDE World Cup

Grandmaster Levon Aronian will represent Armenia at the FIDE World Cup.

Armenia will have four other participants in the World Cup: Hayk M. Martirosyan, Shant Sargsyan, Hovhannes Gabuzyan and Gabriel Sargissian.

The tournament will take place in Sochi from July 10 to August 8. The prize fund is $1,892,500.

These top-rated event is part of the World Chess Championship cycles. The two finalists of the open event will qualify for the 2022 FIDE Candidates Tournament..

The rating favourites of the open event are the current World Champion Magnus Carlsen (representing Norway, rated 2847 in the June 1st list), Fabiano Caruana (USA, 2820), Levon Aronian (Armenia, 2781), Anish Giri (Netherlands, 2780), Alexander Grischuk (Russia, 2776), Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan, 2770), Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France, 2760), Alireza Firouzja (FIDE, 2759), Leinier Dominguez (USA, 2758), Sergey Karjakin (Russia, 2757), alongside many other well-known chess players from all over the world.

Armenia reports 102 daily coronavirus cases

Christine Harutyunian

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 11:13,

YEREVAN, JUNE 25, ARMENPRESS. 102 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Armenia in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 224,635, the ministry of healthcare reports.

3724 COVID-19 tests were conducted on June 24.

111 patients have recovered in one day. The total number of recoveries has reached 216,423.

The death toll stands at 4505 (no death case has been registered in the past one day).

The number of people who have been infected with COVID-19, but died because of another disease has reached 1096.

The number of active cases is 2611.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

‘A national disgrace’: Vardan Voskanyan slams Pashinyan for brandishing steel hammer during election campaign

Christine Harutyunian
Panorama, Armenia
June 15 2021

Armenian expert on Iran Vardan Voskanyan, who is on the list of the I’m Honored bloc running in the June 20 snap parliamentary elections, on Monday lambasted Nikol Pashinyan for brandishing a steel hammer during his election campaign rallies.

“Some parts of the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia have been occupied by the enemy for more than a month.

“It is “against the background” of the enemy occupation that the capitulator is brandishing a hammer in front of the Armenian society, raving about "new revolutions", " hammering", "crushing teeth", "getting a steel mandate" and other, to put it mildly, unbalanced actions,” he wrote on Facebook.

“Can you imagine what the world thinks about Armenia as a nation and a state, witnessing such behavior of the acting prime minister still holding the post under the conditions of the partial occupation by the enemy? 

“Among other things, it is a national disgrace, an insult to our dignity as a nation and a state, when such a clown is trying to “lead” a cultural nation with a history of millennia,” Voskanyan said.

Government employees in Armenia’s Vayk attending acting PM’s campaign meeting during working hours

Christine Harutyunian
News.am, Armenia
June 16 2021
Government employees in Armenia's Vayk attending acting PM's campaign meeting during working hours
17:20, 16.06.2021

Government employees in Vayk town are attending the campaign meeting of Civil Contract Party and acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan during their working hours.

During a conversation with Armenian News-NEWS.am, they stated that they had voluntarily come to meet with Nikol Pashinyan.

One of the female schoolteachers said there was nothing bad about a large number of children attending Pashinyan’s campaign meetings, if the latter don’t disturb the children’s classes. Another woman said they were all in a great mood and that they want Pashinyan to win the elections, not the former authorities.

According to Zakharova, tensions on Armenia-Azerbaijan border are declining

Christine Harutyunian

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 19:46,

YEREVAN, JUNE 17, ARMENPRESS.  According to the Foreign Ministry of Russia, during the recent weeks it has been possible to reduce the tensions on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, ARMENPRESS reports, citing TASS, official representative of the Russian MFA Maria Zakharova said in a briefing.

‘’During the recent weeks it was possible to reduce the tensions. The consultations on solving the border dispute will continue’’, she said.

She added that Russia continues to make active mediation efforts for easing the situation. ‘’We have established close contact with Baku and Yerevan through the ministries of foreign affairs, defense ministries and border patrol services’’, Zakharova said.

Zakharova said that a quick launch of demarcation and delimitation works between the two countries  will be a stable and long-term solution to the issue. Zakharova reaffirmed the readiness of Russia to provide active assistance to that procedure.

Armenpress: Pashinyan urges citizens to go to polling stations on June 20 and to establish justice

Christine Harutyunian

Pashinyan urges citizens to go to polling stations on June 20 and to establish justice

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 18:05,

YEREVAN, JUNE 16, ARMENPRESS. Head of ''Civil Contract '' Party, caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced in a meeting with the residents of Aren Community in Vayots dzor Province that the biggest goal for the goverment led by im during the last 3 years was to establish justice in the country. ARMENPRESS Nikol Pashinyan expressed confidence that on June 20 the Armenian people will establish justice.

‘’Today, the power is in the hands of the people'', Pashinyan said, adding that the citizens will decide the fate of any political force. ''I hope the people will conduct fair judgement because during the history of the 3rd Republic our people has mostly talked about justice and lack of justice'', he said.

‘’Dear people, on June 20 you will go to the polling stations and establish justice in Armenia’’, Pashinyan said, emphasizing that justice has been their greatest goal in the last 3 years. ‘’We have not been able to finish this process but we have done quite a lot'', Pashinyan said.

Journalist asks Armenia acting PM if members of his team also think he has a mental health problem

Christine Harutyunian
News.am, Armenia
15:49, 14.06.2021

When Civil Contract Party’s campaign meeting in Ararat Province was over and Nikol Pashinyan was about to sit in the car to leave, a journalist asked the following question from a distance: “What do you have to say about the phone talk with the mayor of Etchmiadzin? Do members of your team also think you have a mental health problem?”

Pashinyan left the question unanswered, or perhaps he didn’t hear it, and sat in the car.

Until then, he had thanked the residents for their cordial reception.

Confidence-building impossible when hundreds of families are waiting for their sons to return – Armenian President

Christine Harutyunian
Public Radio of Armenia

President Armen Sarkissian says it is impossible to build confidence, when hundreds of Armenian families are waiting for their sons to return.

There are hundreds of prisoners of war still in Azerbaijan, while the Armenian side has handed over all POWs, the President said at a forum hosted by Horasis – an independent, international think tank, headquartered in Zurich

“You cannot build trust when hundreds of families in Armenia are waiting for their sons to return and under the conditions when Azerbaijani soldiers are crossing the border to the Armenian side thus inciting tensions,” he said.  

Armenian ombudsman warns against manipulating POW issue during election campaign

Christine Harutyunian
Panorama, Armenia
June 9 2021

Armenia’s Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) Arman Tatoyan on Wednesday warned the political forces running in the upcoming snap parliamentary elections against manipulating the issue of Armenian prisoners of war (POWs) held in Azerbaijan during the election campaign.

“During the election campaign, it is unacceptable to manipulate the issue of the return of the captives illegally held in Azerbaijan, or to discuss the possibility of exchanging the captives for other individuals, and the willingness of these individuals to be exchanged,” the ombudsman said in a statement.

“It is obvious that [such an exchange] cannot happen, and the manipulations only increase the tension in the country, and make the return of the captives more difficult: in this way, the “price” of the return of the POWs simply increases for the Azerbaijani authorities. And, of course, it is openly disrespectful treatment toward the captives, their families and their emotions.

“Therefore, I urge everyone to completely stop manipulating the issue of the return of the POWs. 

“It is necessary not to complicate the process with manipulations, but to make real efforts toward the return of our compatriots who are illegally held captive in Azerbaijan,” the statement said.

Vaccines in Armenia: a struggling campaign

Christine Harutyunian
June 8 2021
08/06/2021 -  Armine Avetysian Yerevan

Vaccinations against coronavirus started in Armenia last April, using Oxford's AstraZeneca, Russian "Sputnik V", and Chinese "CoronaVac". Vaccination is free, voluntary, and many hesitate.

The third wave of the pandemic is fading in the country. The number of cases and deaths is decreasing day by day. If a month ago about 1000 new cases were registered daily, today the number is about 100. Overall, about 223,000 cases of coronavirus have been registered in Armenia so far, and the number of deaths has exceeded 4,000.

As a result, the dedicated medical centres – there were 23 with 2600 beds, 13 in the capital and 10 in the regions – are closing. 4 out of 10 have already been closed, and patients will be transferred to nearby regions or the capital.

The only possible way to avoid the 4th wave of the pandemic is vaccination, specialists keep reminding.

“I have not been vaccinated yet, I will definitely be vaccinated in the near future, but I haven’t decided yet by which vaccine. We cannot overcome the pandemic without being vaccinated”, says medical worker Sanam Hovhannisyan, adding that it is very important for citizens to have a chance to choose.

AstraZeneca and CoronaVac, used in Armenia, are available to everyone, regardless of age, while the Russian vaccine is available to vulnerable groups of citizens aged 18 to 54 years.

“There is a fear of vaccinations in Armenia. That's why the process is slowing down. The reason for all this is the lack of awareness of the people and the anti-vaccination campaign”, notes public health specialist Davit Melik-Nubaryan.

“I hope the vaccine will never become mandatory, otherwise I do not know what I will do”, says Anna, 30, who fears the vaccine will only hurt her. Anna points out that the vaccine has not been fully studied yet; its effects in the long term cannot be determined.

“It protects me from COVID now, and what then? No one can say that it does not cause side effects. For example, I am about to become a mother. There are a lot of materials on the Internet that vaccines cause infertility. I know that these claims are not scientifically proven, but that makes me insecure”, she says.

Anna is worried that if she is not vaccinated, she will not be able to go to many countries, e.g. Europe. “I understand that step by step a 'green passport' will become mandatory. I understand very well that if I do not have it, I will probably be confined in Armenia. And this makes me very sad. I had planned to visit Europe at the end of the year, but now it turns out that if I am not vaccinated, I will not be able to. I convince myself that it’s OK. I think these requirements will soon be removed”, Anna notes.

Unlike Anna, her sister got vaccinated a month ago. She says she feels very well and should take the second dose of the vaccine soon. “My acquaintances are divided: one half fears that vaccination is bad, the other half thinks that without vaccination we can never fight this pandemic. Only few friends of mine want to be vaccinated”, she says.

At a government meeting about a month ago, in order to intensify the vaccination campaign in Armenia, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan urged members of the government to get vaccinated. “Let's start from us. We all need to be vaccinated. The number of vaccinated citizens in the world today is a sign of the quality of the country in all respects – economic, political, civilc”, the Prime Minister noted.

This statement was followed by mass vaccination of state representatives. Ministers, deputies, and other high-ranking officials rushed to get vaccinated and post pictures of the process.

Citizens can be vaccinated both in medical facilities and at mobile vaccination centres located in crowded areas of the capital Yerevan and other major cities. Here, every citizen can get a triage and a medical examination, and then get vaccinated. About 30,000 people have been vaccinated in Armenia, against a population of over 3 million, while only 2,690 people had been vaccinated before the Prime Minister's statement.

Medical workers note that the number of people wishing to be vaccinated is growing day by day. At mobile vaccination points, tourists are often vaccinated as well, also for free.

In parallel, the limitations are being eased as well. Wearing a mask is no longer mandatory in open areas from June 1st, and for vaccinated citizens wearing a mask in closed areas will not be mandatory from July 1st.