Author: Lilit Nahapetian

Coronavirus cases reach 13 in Armenia

Lilit Nahapetian
Public Radio of Armenia
March 13 2020

Armenia has now confirmed 13 cases of the new coronavirus.

Meanwhile, 28 out of 31 people in quarantine will go home today because their test results are negative. Two of them are hospitalized because the test results have been positive and one will remain in quarantine.

In addition, as of 22:00 today, 3 more cases were confirmed, two of which were contacts of the already confirmed case, and 1 came from France.

According to the Minister, all patients are in satisfactory condition, with only one diagnosed with pneumonia.

Armenian soldier killed in Azerbaijani fire had two small daughters

Lilit Nahapetian
News.am, Armenia

19:51, 10.03.2020
                  

Contractual serviceman, 36-year-old Zohrab Sianosyan, who died from a gunshot fired by the Azerbaijani side on the border with Nakhchivan today, was from the Pokr Vedi village of the Ararat Province of Armenia and a father of two daughters aged 2 and 4.

Head of the village Norik Martirosyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am that Zohrab had just gone to serve as a contractual serviceman and had been helping his parents with farming until then.

Zohrab was the eldest, and his younger brother is working abroad.

A soldier of the Armenian Armed Forces was killed in fire by Azerbaijani side, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Zohrab Sianosyan (born in 1984) was fatally wounded as Azerbaijani side opened fire on Tuesday afternoon in the direction of one of the military units in Armenia’s southwest.

An investigation has been launched.

Armenia’s Pashinyan Meets Georgian Leaders in Tbilisi

Lilit Nahapetian
Civil Georgia
March 3 2020
03/03/2020 – 13:57

 

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan who is paying a two-day official visit to Georgia on March 3-4, met his Georgian counterpart Giorgi Gakharia today.

During the face-to-face meeting this morning, the two PMs discussed future projects, which, according to Pashinyan “will have their impact on regional developments.”

At the meeting, PM Gakharia spoke of the importance of peace and stability in their “difficult region,” noting that Georgia’s integration with NATO would guarantee its peace, stability and security. 

Later at the extended meeting, the Georgian and Armenian officials expressed readiness to further deepen bilateral dialogue on political, trade, economic and other issues of common interest, including tourism.

  • Armenian PM Seeks Deeper Ties in Tbilisi
  • Georgian, Armenian PMs Meet, Pledge to Deepen Ties

At a joint press briefing, the Georgian PM said at the today’s meeting, they have “set plans” aimed to move their countries’ cooperation “to a qualitatively new level.”

“Despite [the differences in] the foreign orientation of our countries, it is impossible to have any misunderstandings… and we continue cooperation in a good-neighborly manner,” PM Gakharia said.

As part of his visit to Georgia, Nikol Pashinyan meets with President Salome Zurabishvili, Parliament Speaker Archil Talakvadze, and Georgian Orthodox Church’s Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II. 

Nikola Pashinyan came to power in May 2018 following peaceful protests that ousted President-turned-PM Serzh Sargsyan. In his capacity as the Prime Minister, Pashinyan visits Georgia for the third time. In May 2018, then newly-elected Pashinyan paid his first two-day visit to Tbilisi, while in January 2019, then Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze hosted his Armenian counterpart for an informal meeting in Bolnisi, southern Georgia.

Armenia 3rd President Sargsyan is hosted at Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies

Lilit Nahapetian
News.am, Armenia
March 6 2020

11:50, 06.03.2020
                  

Within the framework of its working visit to Belgium, the delegation led by Serzh Sargsyan, the third President of Armenia and chairman of the former ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), was hosted in Brussels at the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies (WMCES) where Sargsyan met with Centre president, former Slovak Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda. RPA vice-chairman Armen Ashotyan informed this on Facebook.

According to Ashotyan, ex-President Sargsyan noted that the meeting was held at the center named after Wilfried Martens, as the latter was a good friend of Armenia. Also, Sargsyan highly praised Wilfried Martens' contribution and comprehensive support to Armenia's European rapprochement process.

During the meeting, the prospects of cooperation between the Luys cultural, scientific and educational foundation and the WMCES were discussed.

The interlocutors emphasized the importance of educational, analytical and research work, including on the topic of the fight against populism.

At the request of Mikulas Dzurinda, Serzh Sargsyan also referred to Armenia's domestic and foreign policy developments and challenges.

Vladimir Solovyov posts video of incident with Armenia PM on Telegram page

Lilit Nahapetian
News.am, Armenia
March 6 2020

00:05, 07.03.2020
                  

Famous Russian journalist Vladimir Solovyov has posted on his Telegram page the video of the incident with Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan in a metro wagon in Yerevan.

“Today Pashinyan went to the metro and called on people to participate in the referendum and met a young woman who disliked Pashinyan’s populism and the referendum. The young woman ripped the passport of a proud citizen that Pashinyan was handing out and returned it to the Prime Minister.

Our song is dedicated to the madness of the brave©,” the note reads.

As reported earlier, an incident took place at Yerevan Metro today. When Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan’s was handing out booklets reading “YES” to passengers in a metro wagon as part of his election campaign, a female passenger ripped the booklet and threw it at the Prime Minister.

Pashinyan was rather calm.

“Everything is fine. We respect your opinion. This is what democracy is all about,” the Prime Minister said.

Nikol Pashinyan: If we decide that a referendum should be held on Amulsar mine operation, we will inform about it

Lilit Nahapetian
Arminfo. Armenia
March 4 2020

ArmInfo. If we decide that a referendum should be held on the operation of the Amulsar mine, we will inform about this. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan  stated this in the parliament.

He noted that if to this day there has been no initiative then the  government does not consider it necessary.  "If the legislation of  Armenia makes it possible to resolve this issue through a referendum,  then the citizens of the country can raise the issue of its need  through civil initiative. This issue is considered exclusively in the  legal framework. And all the provisions of this law should be  examined. We will discuss this issue again," Pashinyan said.  Amulsar  field is the second largest reserve in Armenia. According to the  company, the deposit contains about 73733 kg of gold with an average  grade of 0.78 g per ton, and 294.367 tons of silver with an average  grade of 9.29 g per ton. It is located in the south-east of the  country, 13 km from the spa town of Jermuk, between the rivers Arpa  and Vorotan.

It should be noted that despite the assurances of the Lydian company  that about $ 300 million has already been invested in the development  project of the Amulsar gold deposit, environmentalists do not share  the government's enthusiasm about the attractiveness of the mine's  operation plan. Environmentalists fear that the exploitation of the  field, during which sodium cyanide will be used, may lead to the  oxidation of water in rivers. Contaminated waters will become  unsuitable for drinking and irrigation and may cause irreparable harm  to the mineral springs of Jermuk and the ecosystem of Sevan.  Since  the end of 2018, the road to the field has been blocked by  environmental activists. The company in December last year announced  that it was starting the delisting of its shares on the Toronto Stock  Exchange, where they were quoted, and in fact announced a default. 

Asbarez: AEF Announces Oratorical Contest Winners

Lilit Nahapetian
February 28,  2020

Participants of the AEF’s fourth annual Oratorical Contest

The Armenian Educational Foundation’s fourth annual Oratorical Contest drew in over 100 supporters. This year, the contest was held on February 22 at the Chevy Chase Country in Glendale, California. The hall was generously donated for the event by the country club owners, Nick Agakanian, Vatche Kouyoumdjian, and Esteban Nazarian.

Representatives from all five local Armenian high schools attended and participated in the Armenian and English language speech competition. The participating schools included:

  • A.G.B.U. Manoogian-Demirdjian High School
  • Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School
  • Armenian Mesrobian High School
  • Rose & Alex Pilibos Armenian High School
  • A.G.B.U. Vatche & Tamar Manoukian High School

The topic for the Armenian segment related to the impact of social media on our society and the English competition topic addressed issues associated with emigration from Armenia. The judging criteria were based on the American Legion National Oratorical Contest guidelines.

The professional experience of the panel of judges encompassed a variety of backgrounds, including, education, linguistics, law, broadcast journalism, and performing arts. The distinguished judges included:

  • Ellina Abovian (News Reporter, KTLA 5)
  • Mher Baghdasaryan (TV Host and Journalist, PanArmenian TV)
  • Dr. Peter Cowe (Professor, Dept. of Near Eastern Languages & Cultures, UCLA)
  • Armen Hovannisian, Esq. (Founding Executive and Three-Term Chairman of the Armenian Bar Association)
  • Dr. Hrach Martirosyan (Armenian Linguist and Lecturer, Dept. of Near Eastern Languages & Cultures, UCLA)
  • Lory Tatoulian (Writer and Actor)
  • Teni Karapetian, Director of Publicity for Film at Netflix and Oratorical Contest committee member, also took part as Mistress of Ceremonies.

The winners of the 2020 AEF Oratorical Contest were Alik Artinian (10th grade) representing Armenian Mesrobian School for the Armenian language competition, and Nareh Aghakhanian (12th grade) from Rose & Alex Pilibos Armenian School for the English contest. Each winner was awarded with a $1,000 prize.

“I am so happy to see that the Armenian Educational Foundation created a competition, which emboldens students to take the art of communication seriously,” remarked Lory Tatoulian. “I was completely impressed by the oratorical prowess of these young high school students. They displayed such confidence in their presentations, replete with intelligent opinions and animated delivery, articulating thoughts and forward-thinking ideas,” she added.

AEF’s purpose in hosting the Oratorical Contest is to promote public speaking in Armenian youth, with the hope of encouraging and shaping a future generation of leaders, motivators, and influencers who can become a positive force and promote progress within their community.

For more information on the Armenian Educational Foundation or to donate online, please visit the AEF website.

Armenpress: Process manufacturing became leader of growth in Armenia, says economy minister

Lilit Nahapetian

Process manufacturing became leader of growth in Armenia, says economy minister

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 13:47,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 21, ARMENPRESS. The 7,6% economic growth indicator meets the government’s expectations, Economy Minister Tigran Khachatryan told ARMENPRESS.

In 2019, Armenia recorded 7,6% growth – the highest growth in Europe and among Eurasian Economic Union countries.

ARMENPRESS: What measures made this indicator possible?

Khachatryan:  A few important notes in this regard. First of all, I am very happy that the manufacturing branch, which was always in the center of our discussions and attentions during the year, greatly contributed to the GDP growth, with 10,2%. More importantly, the process manufacturing grew this year and recorded the highest share in the GDP structure since 2008 – 12,1%. This is a very important achievement: the process manufacturing became the main leader of Armenia’s economic growth. The government’s economic policy priorities include for the process manufacturing to be competitive, in line with the modern world demands and to create quality workplaces. I believe we are heading in the right direction in this context. Another indicator testifying this is the 10,3% growth of goods and services exports, which too became one of the main leaders securing growth.

He said the 7,6% growth meets the expectations that the government had for the year.

Khachatryan also pointed out the hospitality and public food services with the more than 27% growth.

“Another noteworthy chance in relation to the economic growth peculiarities is the indicator of the financial sector and insurance service: the economic brokerage role is increasing, and we believe this is the foundation which must be strengthened and contribute to the sustainability of further growth”, he said.

Khachatryan said they have been clearly instructed by the Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to make all efforts in order for 2020 to be “no less effective than 2019”, with at least 8% growth.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

Fresno State to host presentation on Armenian refugees after WWI

Lilit Nahapetian
PanArmenian, Armenia
Feb 19 2020
– 12:59 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Dr. Ari Sekeryan will speak on “The Survivors: Armenian Orphans and Refugees After the First World War (1918-1923)” March 5 in the University Business Center of the Fresno State campus.

The presentation is part of the Spring 2020 Lecture Series of the Armenian Studies Program and is supported by the Clara Bousian Bedrosian Fund, Massis Post reports.

Dr. Sekeryan was appointed the 16th Henry S. Khanzadian Kazan Visiting Professor in Armenian Studies for the Spring 2020 semester and the March 5 lecture will be his second public presentation of the semester.

Following the First World War and the Armenian Genocide, protecting the lives of Armenian orphans and refugees was the greatest challenge that the community leadership faced. During the Armistice period, with the help of the Allied Powers and humanitarian aid organizations, thousands of Armenian orphans and refugees were rescued and brought back to community life. The lecture presents the story of Armenian orphans and refugees by employing Armenian and Ottoman Turkish media sources published in Istanbul and Anatolia during the Armistice period. It explores the nature of the aid campaigns organized by the community leadership and the importance of the contribution of the Armenian intellectuals, press and the community members to these aid campaigns.

Dr. Sekeryan will give his final public lecture on “The Armenian Patriarchate, Politics and the Postwar Settlement in Istanbul: the Story of Patriarch Zaven, on Thursday, April 2.

Dr. Sekeryan graduated from the Department of Oriental Studies at the University of Oxford, defending his dissertation entitled, “The Armenians in the Ottoman Empire after the First World War (1918-1923).” In the 2018-2019 academic year, Dr. Sekeryan was an Honorary Fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Institute for Research in the Humanities. Sekeryan was a Visiting Lecturer in the Faculty of Oriental Studies at Yerevan State University (summer of 2018) and a Research Assistant in the Department of Sociology at the University of Oxford in 2016.

Pashinyan chairs consultation on concept of tax reforms

Lilit Nahapetian

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 15:22,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. Consultation was held today in the Armenian government led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan over the concept of tax reforms, the PM’s office told Armenpress.

Finance Minister Atom Janjughazyan introduced the goals set by the concept for which the tax reforms are going to serve, as well as the directions and principles under which these changes should be carried out. The main goal is to form a balanced approach that will contribute to creating favorable conditions for economic development, solving social issues and ensuring a balanced attitude towards environment.

PM Pashinyan highlighted the importance of the topic and stated: “We are going to make very courageous decisions in the future starting from property tax up to the next tax changes. The logic and goal of these changes is the following that the state revenues should increase with the logic to give an opportunity to the economy to develop so that they will further increase in the future. And people should change their attitude to paying taxes which exists today. So what we need to do for this purpose? Firstly, the pillar is the anti-corruption fight, in other words each citizen of Armenia should be convinced that there is a government in Armenia which doesn’t rob from them and doesn’t rob from any place, and not only the government, but also the whole public administration system. The citizen should believe that the state leadership is not robbing, and if there are cases of robbery, that people will be found and punished.

The second one is the constant increase of efficiency of maintenance costs of the public administration system, in other words, we must convince our citizens every year that we spend the money paid by them purposefully, effectively and in a right way, including also how the employees of the public administration system are paid, starting from bonuses up to other social guarantees. I think today all the necessary political conditions exist based on the results of 2019 that we should also ensure the high salaries of employees of public administration system, at the same time guaranteeing their high qualification”.

Thereafter, the consultation participants discussed issues relating to the strengthening and spread of culture of paying taxes, providing tax privileges based on sectors, introducing income declaration system, etc.

Pashinyan said the current concept should become the base for the tax reforms strategy.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan