Author: Greg Madatian

Chinese tourist: Policeman sexually assaulted me in Yerevan

Greg Madatian
NEWS.am
Armenia –
23:00, 24.06.2022

Chinese Lei Manna, who came to Armenia as a tourist in early June, claims that she was recently sexually assaulted by a police officer in Yerevan.

"In Yerevan, the policeman touched my body, and I found myself in an awkward situation. The incident took place on 2 June, that day I applied to the police because the hotel did not return my money. When the police arrived, I was standing near the hotel. One of them touched my chest with his hand and squeezed it, then put his hand on my shoulder and said, "I will protect you, I will be with you." And when we were in the car, where there were two other policemen and an interpreter beside us, he hugged me and said, "You are beautiful." I think I was sexually assaulted. I felt very bad because that man touched me," the Chinese tourist told NEWS.am.

Lei Manna tried to report the incident to the police, but the police refused to accept the report, saying that there were no elements of a crime in the incident. The Chinese woman told us the name of the policeman, which we do not publish. "The police told me that it was nothing and they could not process my application, but for me, it is not. A police officer on duty in China has no right to touch a woman's body. They can hold hand or touch hair, but not the chest. The policeman would be held responsible for that in China. "

Relatives of fatal shooting victims hold protest in Armenian town

Greg Madatian
Panorama
Armenia –

The relatives of those killed and wounded in a fatal shooting in a village near the town of Aparan in Armenia’s Aragatsotn Province on Saturday staged a protest outside the Aparan police station, demanding a fair probe into the case.

Two Aparan residents, Hamik Mikayelyan and Tigran Harutyunyan, were killed and five others were injured in the shooting in the village of Nigavan on June 19, which the Investigative Committee said was sparked by a dispute between two groups of young men. The shooter, a 32-year-old resident of Yerevan, has been arrested.

Politik.am reported that the men responsible for the shooting are the relatives of Matevos Asatryan, an MP from the ruling Civil Contract party, and the cousin of Deputy Aragatsotn Governor Edgar Parvanyan. The media outlet claimed that the Aparan men were attacked because of swearing at Nikol Pashinyan. The law enforcement agencies likewise insisted that the shooting was not politically motivated.

Speaking to reporters at the protest, Hamik Mikayelyan's uncle demanded that police properly investigate the bloody incident and hold those responsible for it, including the pro-government MP and the deputy governor, to account.

“I don’t think that the dispute was politically motivated. Now I am applying to Nikol Pashinyan to ensure a fair investigation into the case. Aparan has always been a quiet place, but as long as they [the attackers] remain here, there will be no peace,” the man said.

The father of the other killed young man, Tigran Harutyunyan, also demanded justice in the case.

“A week on, only one man has been arrested. All those responsible [for the shooting] must be arrested and held accountable,” he said.


AW: KorniTun: Raising Hope at Our Borders

Greg Madatian
 Guest Contributor Non-Profit 0

All For Armenia co-founder and in-country director Matthieu Sahakian (left) at KorniTun with Shahen Zeytourtchian (right), philanthropist, retired surgeon, founder of Mirhav Hotel in Goris, and an early believer in the KorniTun project

The All For Armenia (AFA) nonprofit organization has announced that it is preparing to start renovations on its latest project in Armenia’s border village of Kornidzor, the last village at the gates of Artsakh, overlooking the Berdzor/Lachin corridor on the Syunik side.

The project, named KorniTun – a combination of Kornidzor and “tun” (“home” in Armenian) – will function as both a community center and community home: the former as an after-school educational hub and the latter as lodging for AFA volunteers, teachers and guests.

Renovations of the abandoned building – bombed during the First Artsakh War – which will house KorniTun are slated to begin in July. AFA is now launching the second phase of its fundraising campaign to raise the remaining 25,000 USD, half of the total funds needed. All interested parties are encouraged to visit the KorniTun section on the AFA website to learn more about and donate to this trailblazing project. Donors can have their name or a message of their choice displayed on a stone on the entrance wall of KorniTun (the Wall of Gratitude). There are also several sponsorship opportunities available until November 1, 2022.

“KorniTun has already filled our village with much-needed hope in the longevity of our community, encouraging our youth especially to be proud of their home,” says Lusine Qaramyan, former mayor of Kornidzor and town council member. Locals are encouraged by the prospect of Diasporans and friends of the Armenian nation coming to KorniTun for leisure, to work remotely, or even to give classes in language, computer science, graphic design, art and other topics of interest. Indeed, AFA firmly believes that investing in these strategic border communities is an act of faith in the future of the Armenian homeland. 

KorniTun is the first installment in AFA’s scalable SahmanaTun concept. The SahmanaTuns (literally, “Border Homes”) will be a network of houses located in Armenia’s most vulnerable border villages. The goal is to promote financial and cultural investment in these strategic areas and encourage a change in the prevailing mentality toward these communities and extend development beyond the capital city Yerevan. SahmanaTuns will add value to these regions, thereby securing their defense, preservation and development as a priority for the Armenian nation.

In these times of turmoil and uncertainty for the Armenian nation, AFA draws inspiration from the resilience and courage of these border communities to invest in a brighter and sustainable future for the homeland. AFA calls upon Armenians worldwide to join in its efforts to preserve and strengthen these most vulnerable communities.

Street view of KorniTun

Moscow Stock Exchange to start trading in Armenian drams

Greg Madatian
Public Radio of Armenia
Armenia –
, 10:28

 1 minute read

On June 27, the Moscow Stock Exchange will begin trading in the foreign exchange market with the Uzbek sum, Armenian dram and South African rand, the trading platform said, RIA Novosti reports.

The statement said, “On June 27, 2022, the Uzbek sum, Armenian dram and South African rand will begin to be traded in the foreign exchange market of the Moscow Stock Exchange.”

“The new currencies will expand the trading opportunities of professional market participants, their customers – including subjects of foreign economic activity.”

Trading participants and clients will have access to spot and clearing tools for the following currency pairs: South African rand – Russian ruble (ZAR/RUB), US dollar – South African rand (USD/ZAR), Armenian dram – Russian ruble (AMD/RUB), US dollars – Armenian drams (USD/AMD) and Uzbek sums – Russian rubles (UZS/RUB).

The exchange will later announce the start of trading in the UAE dirham – Russian ruble (AED/RUB) and US dollar – UAE dirham (USD/AED) currency pairs.

In early June, Andrey Skabelin, Director of the Foreign Exchange Market Department of the Moscow Exchange, said in an interview with RIA Novosti that the Moscow Exchange plans to start trading in Armenian drams, Uzbek sums and Emirati dirhams in the coming months.

Opposition staged protest outside ruling party office in Yerevan

Greg Madatian
Panorama
Armenia –


Armenian opposition members and supporters staged a protest outside the headquarters of Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party in Yerevan late on Monday, chanting “Armenia without Civil Contract!”.

Opposition MPs accused the ruling party of inciting hatred and splitting the country.

"The Civil Contract party has turned into the Civil War party at the bloody hands of Nikol Pashinyan. In addition to political repressions, you have now resorted to politically motivated murders,” said one of the protesters who marched towards the area from Yerevan’s central France Square.

“I would like to warn you that through Pashinyan's efforts you will consign yourself to the dustbin of history and will be remembered as the people who encouraged the killings of Armenians and divided the people. We stand united in our efforts to establish peace in the country," the activist said.

The protest comes after Sunday’s deadly shooting in the village of Nigavan, which reportedly involved relatives of a pro-government lawmaker and a cousin of Deputy Governor of Aragatsotn Province Edgar Parvanyan. Two people were killed and five others were injured as a result of the shooting which the police say was the follow-up of a “purely domestic” conflict and had no political subtext.

"The murder in Nigavan is a vivid example that they will not stop until we grab their hand. They will not stop, for blood is their symbol. They carry death and spread Armenophobia,” opposition Hayastan bloc MP Asprum Krpeyan said.

Afterwards, the activists doused the area with red paint and threw toy guns and leaflets on the ground, chanting “Nikol, murderer!” and “Traitor, go away!".

Vardevanyan: Criminal proceedings should be initiated against Gagik Jhangiryan

Greg Madatian
NEWS.am
Armenia –

19:10, 21.06.2022

Criminal proceedings should be initiated against Gagik Jhangiryan, MP from "Armenia" bloc Aram Vardevanyan said on his Facebook page.

He particularly noted:

"From a legal point of view, there are several undeniable starting points regarding the SJC-Jhangiryan situation. Having a number of subjective observations, we will limit ourselves to objective ones:

1)Criminal proceedings should be initiated against Gagik Jhangiryan;

2) Gagik Jhangiryan cannot participate in the consideration of disciplinary proceedings against Ruben Vardazaryan, including in terms of making a decision. Given the first circumstance, Jhangiryan's powers should inevitably be suspended, and this will extend to all proceedings;

3) the reputation of the judicial system, especially the SJC, and the legitimacy of the 2021 elections are irreversibly damaged".

Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 20-06-22

Greg Madatian

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 17:13,

YEREVAN, 20 JUNE, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 20 June, USD exchange rate down by 4.27 drams to 421.03 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 3.82 drams to 443.47 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.02 drams to 7.51 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 6.94 drams to 515.80 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 47.02 drams to 24928.01 drams. Silver price up by 2.60 drams to 295.70 drams. Platinum price stood at 16414.1 drams.

Armenian ex-minister Davit Tonoyan responds to Civil Contract MP’s statements

Greg Madatian
Panorama
Armenia – June 15 2022

Armenia’s former Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan, who is currently held in pre-trial custody, has responded to criticism from Gagik Melkonyan, an MP from the ruling Civil Contract party.

Speaking at parliamentary debates on the proposed amendments to the defense law on Tuesday, Melkonyan said that the country’s defense minister must necessarily be a member of Nikol Pashinyan's political team.

He claims that one of the key reasons of Armenia’s defeat in the 2020 war was that the defense minister was not a member of the ruling party, which led to “desertions”.

“The fact that Gagik Melkonyan previously held high posts in the Defense Ministry does not mean he has the necessary professional and organizational skills in the defense sphere to make a judgment about the outcome of the war,” Tonoyan said in a statement from prison on Wednesday.

“I am proud that as a government member I was not part of a "team" Melkonyan is a member of," the former official said.

He also questioned the objectivity of the parliamentary inquiry into the 44-day war launched by pro-government MPs.

“I strongly believe that the defense minister, assuming political responsibility for implementing the government's defense programs, should stand above the “political team-party” discourse,” Tonoyan said.


Armenia: Backyard greenhouse constructions underway in Artsakh

Greg Madatian
June 16 2022

Armenia Tree Project (ATP) distributed the greenhouse materials to the first 25 beneficiary families of Artsakh’s Martuni Town, and the villages of Taghavard, Karmir Shuka, and Herher in the Martuni Region, Armenia.

All 50 families participating in ATP’s backyard greenhouse program were severely affected by the recent 44-day war having lost family members and/or homes, businesses, and belongings. ATP’s program will provide some economic stability, access to produce as so much agricultural land was lost in the war, and most importantly, hope for their future.  

In about a few days, under the supervision of the greenhouse installation team, our beneficiaries were able to prepare the ground and assemble the 30-square meter greenhouses. 

Student design
The greenhouses are designed by students at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) to be small, durable, and made of locally available and affordable materials.

Earlier this April, ATP provided families with 10 fruit trees for their personal use. In addition, our partners at Green Lane NGO provided the families with berry bushes and vegetable seeds. The beneficiaries are invited to participate in a two-day training at Green Lane NGO's Learning Center in Armenia’s Kotayk region. The course will focus on crop production, greenhouse operation, the plant environment and pest control.

Masis Zargaryan, the Deputy Head of Martuni District Administration supervises the distribution and implementation of the backyard greenhouse program in Martuni.

Mardi and Rusanna Harutyunyan- a couple from Karmir Shuka, who lost one of their sons during the 44-day war, are currently busy preparing the greenhouse. Their other son Nver helps in the construction work.

Building the greenhouse
“Assembling the greenhouse went rather fast and it took only 2 days to finish it. Before sowing seeds and planting seedlings, I want to improve the quality of the soil, to enable the plants to grow better. I have also installed drip irrigation, so during hot summer days I can use it as well”, notes Mr. Harutyunyan

Davit Avanesyan from Martuni town is busy with preparing the soil for planting. “Since the area of the greenhouse is rather small, the vegetables and the greenery we will grow will be enough to feed my family year-round” says Davit.

Yuri is overseeing the reconstruction of a house in Karmir Shuka village severely damaged during the 44-day war. The house Yuri is rebuilding is for his daughter-in-law, Irina and her four children–the youngest of which is only 4 years old. Irina (35), a beneficiary of our backyard greenhouse program, lost her husband, Yuri’s son during the 44-day war. Originally from Karmir Shuka, she moved her young family to Stepanakert until the renovations are complete. They anticipate being returning in a month or two.

“The greenhouse is ready to plant the seeds provided by Green Lane NGO hopefully we will have a harvest this year. The renovations to the house are almost complete for my family to return. I have 10 grandchildren, who all live in this village. We have nowhere else to live but our birthplace."

For more information:
Armenia Tree
www.armeniatree.org 

FM Mirzoyan briefs U.S. Assistant Secretary of State on developments in Armenia-Turkey normalization process

Greg Madatian

 

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 13:14,

YEREVAN, JUNE 18, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan received today U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried, the foreign ministry reports. 

The sides touched upon the Armenian-American bilateral relations that are based on common values of human rights, democracy and rule of law, as well as the prospects of expanding the cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

Highlighting the positive dynamics in the mutual visits and contacts at an official level, the Armenian FM praised the visit of the delegation of Armenia to the United States this May and the meetings held there, as well as the launch of the activities within the Armenia-U.S. Strategic Dialogue. 

Issues relating to regional security and stability were also discussed. 

Minister Mirzoyan presented the current developments in the activity of the delimitation and border security commission between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the unblocking of economic ties and transportation communications in the region.

Touching upon the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, FM Mirzoyan highlighted the need for fully resuming the peaceful negotiations for the comprehensive and lasting settlement of the conflict within the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship, in this context emphasizing the efforts of the U.S. as a Co-Chair country.

FM Mirzoyan also presented the current humanitarian problems caused by the 2020 Azerbaijani aggression against Artsakh, particularly the issues on immediate release of Armenian prisoners of war and civilians held in Azerbaijan, and the preservation of Armenian cultural and religious heritage in the territories under the Azerbaijani control.

FM Mirzoyan briefed the guest also on the developments in the Armenia-Turkey normalization process. The necessity of taking concrete steps for the normalization was emphasized.