- 10.08.2019
- Հայաստան
- arm
- rus
Ղրղզստանում գտնվող ՀՀ վարչապետ Նիկոլ Փաշինյանը ԵԱՏՄ անդամ պետությունների վարչապետների հետ սելֆի է հրապարակել Facebook-ի իր էջում.
«Վարչապետական սելֆի»,- գրել է Փաշինյանը:
Ղրղզստանում գտնվող ՀՀ վարչապետ Նիկոլ Փաշինյանը ԵԱՏՄ անդամ պետությունների վարչապետների հետ սելֆի է հրապարակել Facebook-ի իր էջում.
«Վարչապետական սելֆի»,- գրել է Փաշինյանը:
Yerevan City Hall and the European Union are implementing a renewable energy programme with a budget exceeding one million euros
Yerevan Municipality and the European Union are implementing a joint renewable energy programme called the European Union for Yerevan. Solar community.
The aim of the project is to reduce energy consumption and, accordingly, greenhouse gas emissions – by about 850 tonnes per year. The total budget of the joint programme is 1,250,000 euros.
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The following will take place during the project:
• installation of solar panels on 90 high-rise residential buildings in Yerevan,
• replacement of all lights in the courtyards of the city with energy-saving lighting systems,
• providing socially disadvantaged families with energy-saving bulbs
Earlier, in 2017, thanks to cooperation with the EU, public transport stops appeared on Yerevan, on which solar panels were installed.
With their help, you can charge mobile phones, tablets and other devices. After installing solar panels, one of the stops was visited by the head of the EU delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Petr Svitalsky. He called it the “EU solar stop.”
“Armenia is rich in sun, and we need to use this natural advantage. The energy sector is a priority in Armenia, therefore the European Union provides it with long-term assistance for the development of energy efficiency at the local, community and state levels.”
The government believes that Armenia has great potential in solar and wind energy and the authorities intend to increase the share of renewable energy.
To this end, five industrial solar stations with a capacity of up to 120 mW will be built in the country.
Now in Armenia there are ten solar stations of different capacities.
Significant investments in renewable energy in Armenia may come from the United Arab Emirates.
The “State Interest Fund” of Armenia and “Masdar” company signed an investment memorandum, according to which the initial investment volume may amount to $500 million.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Avinyan, Masdar intends to build solar and wind station in Armenia, the total capacity of which will reach 500 MW. The government considers these investments to be a major contribution to Armenia’s energy security.
Currently the share of renewable energy in Armenia does not exceed one percent of the total energy produced in the country.
The energy system itself is quite diversified and consists of nuclear, thermal and hydropower sources.
The Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant operates in the country, which produces about 40 percent of electricity. Another 40 percent is accounted for by two large thermal power plants.
Hydropower provides 20 percent of the country’s electricity. These are mainly small hydropower plants, the number of which, according to 2018, was 184.
Armenia was also interested in implementing a joint project with Iran to build a hydroelectric station in Meghri, which would be the largest in the region, but so far it has not been possible to switch to the active phase of implementation.
Experts spoke out again about energy security in Armenia after a major energy accident that happened in July this year, when large-scale problems with electricity supply were registered throughout Armenia.
Metro passengers had to be evacuated in Yerevan after metro cars got stuck in tunnels.
Due to fluctuations in the energy network, there were failures in the work of mobile and Internet connection operators as well.
This situation arose due to problems at the Yerevan TPP and at the fifth power unit of the Hrazdan TPP.
25 football fields under development in two provinces of Armenia
10:21, 5 August, 2019
YEREVAN, AUGUST 5, ARMENPRESS. The Vayots Dzor province will soon have 10 new football fields as the construction of the venues are nearing completion.
President of the Armenian Football Federation (FFA) Arthur Vanetsyan, who is also the National Security Service Director, personally visited the province to review the ongoing construction of the 40/20 sized pitches that were ordered by the FFA.
Vanetsyan emphasized that since taking office at the FFA he has always attached importance to the even development of football. There are a total of 25 football fields under development in the provinces of Vayots Dzor and Gegharkunik.
During meetings with locals and municipal authorities, Vanetsyan also talked to players of youth teams, urging them to train harder. He expressed hope that in the nearest future the players will be signed by different clubs and teams.
Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
As part of his working visit to Gegharkunik Province on Friday, Armenia’s Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) Arman Tatoyan paid a visit to the orphanage of Gavar to familiarize himself with the issue of the low-quality meat supplied to the facility.
The employees told the ombudsman that the children had not eaten the meat. According to the deputy director of the orphanage, the administration noticed the problem immediately after looking at the meat and rang an alarm to the State Service for Food Safety to record the fact.
Arman Tatoyan also examined the conditions of the orphanage and held private talks with the orphanage children over possible violations of their rights.
Earlier on Thursday, Armenia’s social welfare ministry reported that low-quality meat with unpleasant smell had been supplied to the orphanage. According to the orphanage administration, the supplier had to eliminate the shortcomings within three days.
The forum sought to attract businessmen and investments to help the local population
Armenia has held its sixth Business Innovation Forum. This time it took place in the country’s north and was called “My step for the Shirak Province”.
My Step is the slogan by which the Armenian Velvet Revolution came to be known. Today, the current ruling party’s parliamentary faction in parliament also goes by this name.
The goal of the forum is to attract entrepreneurs who are willing to help the Armenian provinces develop economically.
“My step for Shirak Province” was held in the region’s largest city, Gyumri, which is also the second largest city of the country.
Previously, similar forums have taken place in the Ararat, Lori, Gegharkunik, Syunik, and Tavush regions.
This event gives a chance to young entrepreneurs to pitch their projects to businessmen and long established companies.
Ordinarily, such forums also feature exhibitions of local products that are typical for each given region.
This year more than 60 companies from the Shirak province have taken part.
The prime minister was given two gifts: a doll crafted in the likeness of him as the leader of the velvet revolution, and a pair of shoes made by a local business.
“I would love to wear these shoes,” he said. “Everything I am wearing now, except the tie, has been made locally. So I will gladly wear shoes made in Gyumri.”
Nikol Pashinyan also looked into how the region’s banking system worked.
More than 300 people took part in the forum. In addition to government members, there were heads of various departments, MPs, foreign ambassadors, heads of large state-owned and private companies, 50 foreign and 150 local businessmen.
The prime minister reiterated that the business forum was a good opportunity to talk about the conceptual approaches of the government’s economic policy a year after the revolution:
“It is important that we have created a new stratum in the Armenian economy – something we’ve called ‘microbusiness’. Starting from January 1, 2020, companies with a turnover of up to 24 million drams [50,000 US dollars] will be exempted from certain taxes. Plus, the tax for these companies’ employees will only be 5,000 drams [10 dollars].”
After the forum, Nikol Pashinyan took to Facebook:
“At a time when businessmen struggle to find themselves employees, some able-bodied people in the Shirak province scream and shout, demanding humanitarian aid every time they see a ‘man wearing a tie.’”
He listed the benefits that his government provides to various segments of the population, and concluded:
“Other than that, every family should solve their problems through work. There is plenty of work in Armenia. It is possible to create jobs in Armenia. There is no way to achieve well-being other than through working.
“By the way, people who have received a solid education fare well in Armenia, and they deserve to do even better. We should encourage our children to pursue competitive education, to work on personal growth, to be self-critical and creative. This is a simple formula for achieving well-being.”
During this tour, the group visited high-profile, cutting-edge companies such as Google, Amazon, Facebook, PayPal, and Nvidia as well as fast-emerging companies like Doordash, Eat Club, EyeQue, Pinterest, and Parkstash. They also had meetings at Silicon Valley’s leading startup incubators, including UC Berkeley SkyDeck and Draper University. Company visits were complemented by lectures and presentations on personal and professional growth, developing an entrepreneurial mindset, and starting a business. The students were housed at San Jose State University and many of the business presentations also were hosted by the university.
The impact of the trek on AUA students was apparent. “The Silicon Valley trip was truly a life-changing experience,” said AUA 2019 graduate and Breedge co-founder Liana Hakobyan.
“The trek overall was an exceptional experience for all of us,” said Irina Tirosyan (CSE ‘19). “Attending lectures, meeting new startups, and learning more about top companies were especially helpful in shaping our entrepreneurial mindset and exposing us to innovation. Such opportunities come once in a lifetime.”
During a visit to PayPal, the students were introduced to PayPal’s Innovation Incubator and were introduced to the latest FinTech innovation. Participants visited Pinterest where the Senior Vice President of Engineering Jeremy King, who also is the former chief technology officer of Walmart, shared the stages of his journey and how Pinterest came to be. A highlight of the trip included a visit to Google, where the students were introduced to their disruptive technologies, including self-driving cars, the inner workings of Google Search, and how Google uses machine learning in Google Cloud.
There were also visits to Stanford University and UC Berkeley. At Berkeley, the students discussed startup ecosystems and the potential within Armenia with Dr. AnnaLee Saxenian, the dean of the School of Information. The group also visited the Amazon fulfillment center, where they witnessed the robot-enabled automated workflow of the center. Perhaps most eye-opening was a discussion and demonstration at Nvidia, where the company’s stunning vision of the future for artificial intelligence, machine learning, gaming, and visual computing – as well as the sophistication displayed by their innovation and technology – reinforced their position as an industry leader.
Another highlight of the trek was networking with the vast Armenian diaspora community within the Silicon Valley high technology and entrepreneurial scene. During company tours, the students were able to meet with numerous Armenian executives, technologists, and employees. HyeTech, an Armenian organization at the center of the San Francisco Bay Area technology community, hosted a reception for our student entrepreneurs to present their EPIC startups. The organization also facilitated discussion and networking at the Armenian-founded Vineti, Inc. office in San Francisco.
“At almost every company we visited, we heard the same advice: ‘think ten times,’ which meant setting targets that are ten times greater than what we believe is achievable. That way, we may not only get further than expected but might also come up with new solutions that we wouldn’t have thought of previously,” said Sona Sharoyan, founder of EPIC startup BeautyBook (BAB ‘19).
Raffi Sahakyan, a recent graduate of AUA’s College of Business and Economics, noted: “The Silicon Valley Industry Trek allowed me to investigate the corporate culture and work environment of companies like Google, Amazon, Facebook, Nvidia, and other industry leaders. During my four years of studies at AUA, we have read more than 100 case studies of these companies. Now, we can draw our conclusions on these cases. The experience gained during the trip has the full potential to be applied in the Armenian business reality.”
Throughout the trek, the students also heard lectures by San Jose State University professors on the differentiating aspects of Silicon Valley and insights on how to enter markets and accelerate the growth of companies. During topical presentations, the students were introduced to cutting edge developments in the fields of blockchain, artificial intelligence, smart mobility, the internet of things, and sharing economy.
“I cannot wait to go to Armenia and implement and share what I’ve learned,” remarked Alisa Chalakhyan (CBE ‘19). “This trip serves as a great motivation and inspiration for me, as well as helps me see my career growth clearer. In many ways it changed my life and my way of thinking. The experience and knowledge will hugely contribute to my personal and professional development.”
Besides business meetings, the students enriched their trip with leisure activities such as tourism. They spent a day in San Francisco visiting the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman’s Wharf, and having dinner in the iconic Chinatown. A day was spent visiting Santa Cruz Beach as well as Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park where the group spent a few hours on an adventurous, team-building hike through the giant California redwoods.
President Sarkissian visits Meghri Free Economic Zone
16:58, 5 July, 2019
MEGHRI, JULY 5, ARMENPRESS. Armenian President Armen Sarkissian is in Syunik province on a two-day working visit, Armenpress correspondent reports from Meghri.
Firstly, President Sarkissian visited the Meghri free economic zone, toured the area and got acquainted with the ongoing activities.
Director of Meghri Free Economic Zone Ashot Zarbabyan said the Free Economic Zone has been established on December 15, 2017. At the moment they still face some problems, connected with lands and entry-exit regime. “As it is a border zone, entry and exit are certainly restricted, therefore, we face problems”, he said.
The President asked whether these issues have not been discussed before 2017, whether they have not been solved before its launch, the staff of the Free Economic Zone stated that the project should have been implemented at two stages. The first stage was its launch and the next stage was to solve the remaining issues. The President was informed that a working group has been formed by the Prime Minister’s instruction which deals with these issues.
Thereafter, President Armen Sarkissian will visit a military position and the regional medical center of Meghri.
Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) along with Congressman Gus M. Bilirakis (FL-12), Congressman Peter King (NY-03), Congresswoman Jackie Speier (CA-14), and Congressman Adam Schiff (CA-28) introduced a bipartisan resolution that reaffirms the critical importance of the relationship between the United States and Armenia. It also recognizes the recent free and fair parliamentary elections and transfer of power that took place in Armenia in December 2018. The Members serve as the Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues.
"Over the past year, Armenia has been transformed through the organic, grassroots movement that led to the nonviolent 'Velvet Revolution' and free and open national elections in December. These momentous events are a testament to the Armenian people's commitment to democracy and show why it is so important for the United States to elevate our engagement with the Pashinyan government," Congressman Pallone said. "Armenia is at a critical moment where U.S. support can help foster the growth of pro-democratic and civil society institutions. I am hopeful that this resolution is the beginning of a broad-based strategic upgrade of the U.S.-Armenia partnership based upon our shared interests and common values. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues and with House Leadership to pass this important bipartisan legislation. Additionally, I will continue to work with my colleagues toward official U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide."
"I want to express my sincere gratitude to Congressman Frank Pallone – a longtime friend of the Armenian American community and a strong advocate of the U.S.-Armenia relations in the U.S. Congress. The introduction of this resolution is yet another significant moment to mark the centennial of the United States-Armenia relations, partnership based on shared democratic values," said Armenian Ambassador Varuzhan Nersesyan. "We greatly appreciate the steadfast leadership and continued support of Congressman Pallone and his colleagues in the Congressional Armenian Caucus for strengthening the friendship between our countries and nations."
"As co-Chairman of the Congressional Armenian Caucus, I am proud to co-sponsor a resolution celebrating the strategic alliance between Armenia and the United States. The two nation's continued friendship and cooperation promotes regional stability and is mutually beneficial for both parties," said Congressman Gus Bilirakis.
"Armenia's recent free and fair parliamentary elections provide an opening to strengthen U.S. ties to Armenia and support democratic institutions and economic growth, and Congress and the Administration should take the initiative to do so," said Congressman Adam Schiff. "I am pleased to support this resolution along with my colleagues on the Congressional Armenia Caucus to recognize the progress Armenia has made and to support continued engagement to empower the Armenian people and deepen our bilateral relationship."
"I am proud to join my colleagues in celebrating a century of U.S.-Armenian friendship," said Congresswoman Jackie Speier. "As one of only two Armenian-American Members of Congress, I have been proud to play my part safeguarding U.S. aid to Armenia and enacting programs to bring our countries and peoples closer together. I believe that the best days of our relationship are still ahead as we work together to build Armenia's blossoming democracy."
A copy of the resolution is available here https://edit-pallone.house.gov/sites/pallone.house.gov/files/PALLON_010_xml.pdf.