Author: Hovik Karapetian

ArmInfo. The Armenian Ombudsman's activities has been one of the leading in Europe in the field of protecting the rights of refugees and asylum seekers. 

According to the press service of the Office of the Human Rights  Defender, this was reported in a special report of the European  Network of National Human Rights Institutions(ENNHRI).

The Armenian Ombudsman's experience has been one of the leading in  Europe in the field of refugee and asylum seekers, that is to say,  migrants' rights.  

The report also noted the experience of joint monitoring by the  apparatus of the Ombudsmen of Armenia and Georgia at border crossing  points. A positive example was the retraining and discussions  organized for interested parties in the framework of cooperation  between the Ombudsman, the Armenian office of the Office of the  United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and the Armenian Red  Cross Society.  ENNHRI in its report also referred to the  extraordinary report of the Ombudsman on ensuring the rights of  refugees and asylum seekers, pointing out the studies and proposals  of the Ombudsman regarding legislation. 

 11:06,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 21, ARMENPRESS. The village of Tsaghkunk in the province of Gegharkunik is getting geared up to host the first Lavash Day on August 1, a festival dedicated to the famous Armenian flatbread.

In 2014, "Lavash, the preparation, meaning and appearance of traditional bread as an _expression_ of culture in Armenia" was inscribed in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Visitors during the festival will have the chance to see how cooks prepare the flatbread, and then taste it. Moreover, visitors can also have some hands-on participation in making lavash snacks.

A special gastro zone will feature a number of restaurants from Yerevan and elsewhere in the region who will offer Armenian culinary delights, and a wide range of dishes made from lavash.

The organizer, EVENTTOURA, said the visitors of the event can also visit the locals to taste the healthy village food.

The festival will also feature a special agro-product zone, where eco food will be presented. Another special section will be a fair-exhibition of the homemade foods, canned products, jams and other goods.

Organizers vow some really fun and entertaining time for visitors with the competitions “Most Good-Looking Lavash” and “Fastest Lavash Eating”.

EVENTTOURA revealed a surprise for the event: this year’s guest country is Serbia, and it will represent its national cuisine at the festival and present the preparation of the famous pogaca bread.

A concert program featuring DJs and different bands is also planned, with a very special surprise performance by Emir Kusturica and The No Smoking Orchestra.

And of course, what party without drinks……the very best of Armenian wines and brandy will be available, with a special presentation of vodka distillation. Parties for children are also expected.

Organizers plan to hold the Lavash Day festival annually, and each year a guest country will be invited to represent their national bread and cuisine.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

Recordings of the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra are now available on IDAGIO App – a streaming mobile service for classical music. As the Orchestra reported in a press statement, IDAGIO is a prestigious platform for classical music that allows users to listen to the works of famous bands and musicians. The App cooperates with number of well-known groups, music agencies and catalogues.

In November 2019, IDAGIO was named one of Time Magazine's 2019 Best Invention.

Works of Aram Khachatryan, Avet Terteryan, Edgar Hovhannisyan and Nikolay Rimski-Korsakov performed by the State Symphony Orchestra are among the list of the App. It is noted that IDAGIO offers all music lovers to subscribe free of charge for two months and enjoy the recordings.

 20:53, 5 February, 2020

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 5, ARMENPRESS. Chairman of Urban Development Committee of Armenia Vahagn Vermishyan has been arrested on the suspicions of receiving bribes of particularly large amount, ARMENPRESS reports the National Security Service of Armenia informs.  

The National Security Service of Armenia has revealed that Vahagn Vermishyan received bribes from individuals engaged in construction or constructing companies in 5 separate cases ranging from 1 million to 2.5 million AMD. He received the bribes both personally or through other peoples.

For the purpose of hiding the traces of his acts, Vahagn Vermishyan violated the ban for officials to engage in business activities and established an architectural company registering it in the name of his trusted person and suggested the people who applied to him to do the architectural works with that company, guaranteeing them favorable conditions for their future works.

Vahagn Vermishyan and others suspected in the crime have been arrested. After being interrogated, Vermishyan admitted his guilt.

Preliminary investigation is underway.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan

 10:59, 5 February, 2020

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 5, ARMENPRESS. Deputy minister of economy Naira Margaryan met with Director of the Institute of Management Consulting, IMC Armenia, Silva Mesropyan.

IMC Armenia is a member of the International Council of Management Consulting Institutes (ICMCI), the ministry told Armenpress.

The meeting aimed at discussing the organization and preparations works of the upcoming Big Business Bridge global forum which will take place in Armenia in May.

The Armenian ministry of economy, as an official partner of the event, attaches great importance to the development of consulting institute in Armenia. “Among our priorities is the creation of a favorable ecosystem for business development, and the presence of high-quality and relevant consulting services is one of its most important components. We still have a lot of work to do on this path”, the deputy minister said.

Holding the forum in Armenia aims at boosting the consulting service market in the country by enabling the representatives of the consulting field and the business to get acquainted with the mutual cooperation opportunities, the international experience and developments.

On the sidelines of the forum the Asia Pacific Hub Meeting will take place.

ICMCI member states are Austria, Australia, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, the Netherlands, Russia, US, China, Sweden, Switzerland, etc.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan

 19:50,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 30, ARMENPRESS. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group reiterate their full commitment to helping the sides find a peaceful solution to the conflict and the principle of confidentiality in the settlement process, reads the joint statement by the Armenian, Azerbaijani FMs and the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the official website of the OSCE, the statement runs as follows,

“The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stéphane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America) met separately and jointly with Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov in Geneva on 28-30 January. They were joined in their meetings by the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Andrzej Kasprzyk.

Over three days of intensive discussions, the Co-Chairs and the Ministers discussed the following agenda items: implementation of agreements and proposals discussed in 2019 and possible next steps to prepare the populations for peace; principles and elements forming the basis of a future settlement; and timing and agenda for advancing the settlement process.

The Co-Chairs reiterated their full commitment to helping the sides find a peaceful solution to the conflict and the principle of confidentiality in the settlement process, as well as the need for creativity and a spirit of compromise to achieve a fair and lasting peace.

The Ministers agreed to meet again in the near future under Co-Chair auspices”.