Author: Nyrie Kalashian

Armenpress: Cabinet members hold moment of silence in honor of fallen troops

Nyrie Kalashian

Cabinet members hold moment of silence in honor of fallen troops

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 11:10,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 30, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan proposed Cabinet members at the December 30 Cabinet meeting to observe a moment of silence in honor of the fallen troops.

“We’ve had and continue having very serious problems in the external environment. Since May 2021, the fact of the Azerbaijani military invasion in the Sotk-Khoznavar section, its consequences and the November 16 incident are further underscoring our problems in the security environment. I am proposing that now we observe a moment of silence and honor the memory of those who sacrificed their lives for our country in 2021 and in the past,” PM Pashinyan said.

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 12/30/2021

Nyrie Kalashian 
                                        Thursday, 


More Armenian Officials Get Hefty Bonuses

        • Astghik Bedevian

Armenia - The main government building in Yerevan, March 6, 2021.


In a move strongly criticized by Armenia’s leading anti-corruption watchdog, 
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has allocated hefty holiday bonuses to his two 
deputies and all members of his staff.

In a statement to RFE/RL’s Armenian Service, Pashinian’s press office said each 
of those 479 officials has received bonuses equivalent to their monthly salary. 
The payout cost taxpayers 97.5 million drams ($203,000) in total, it said.

Several government ministers acknowledged that they and their subordinates too 
have received such yearend payments. But they refused to reveal any figures.

Parliament speaker Alen Simonian rewarded all members and staffers of the 
National Assembly just as lavishly last week. Simonian approved similar, albeit 
slightly more modest, bonuses on the occasion of Armenia’s Independence Day 
marked on September 21.

Both opposition alliances represented in the National Assembly criticized that 
decision as profligate and unethical. Lawmakers representing them donated the 
money to victims of the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh and their families.

Pashinian significantly increased the amount and frequency of bonuses paid to 
civil servants and especially high-ranking government officials after coming to 
power in 2018. Responding to criticism from opposition figures and other 
government critics, he has said that these payments discourage corrupt practices 
in the government and the broader public sector.


Armenia - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian holds a cabinet meeting in Yerevan, 
December 16, 2021.

The Armenian affiliate of the anti-graft watchdog Transparency International, 
has dismissed these explanations. Its program coordinator, Varuzhan Hoktanian, 
on Thursday denounced the lopsided bonuses as “political corruption” aimed at 
making sure that Pashinian’s political allies and other senior officials stay 
loyal to the prime minister.

“The loyalty of doctors, teachers or kindergarten workers is probably not 
important,” Hoktanian said, alluding to much more modest salaries and bonuses 
received by these and other public sector employees.

Most of them are paid less than Armenia’s official average wage of 200,000 drams 
($417) a month. Government ministers and deputy ministers earn 1.5 million and 1 
million drams respectively.

Pashinian caused uproar in 2019 when it emerged that he secretly doubled these 
officials’ monthly incomes.

Hoktanian argued that the latest holiday bonuses paid by Pashinian are also not 
performance-based.

“If the people’s living standards improve and pensions are raised … 
significantly, then [the senior officials] are doing a good job and let them get 
[those bonuses,]” he said. “But I don’t see that. So what’s the difference from 
the past when they stole from the state budget? Now they have simply legalized 
that theft.”



Armenia Lifts Ban On Imports From Turkey

        • Sargis Harutyunyan

A man walks beside trucks waiting to cross into Iran from the Turkish side of 
the border near the Gurbulak border crossing between Turkey and Iran on June 27, 
2012, at Dogubeyazit.


The Armenian government has lifted a ban on imports of manufactured goods from 
Turkey which it initiated during the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The ban came into force on December 31, 2020 and was extended by six months in 
June. Yerevan described it as retaliation for Ankara’s “inflammatory calls,” 
arms supplies to Azerbaijan and “deployment of terrorist mercenaries to the 
conflict zone.”

The Armenian Ministry of Economy told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service on December 13 
that it will likely recommend another six-month extension to the government. 
However, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s cabinet has adopted no such decisions 
since then. The cabinet held its last session of the year on Thursday.

In a statement issued later in the day, the Ministry of Economy confirmed that 
the embargo will no longer be in force starting from January 1. The ministry 
said this is the result of “interagency discussions” held in recent weeks.

Economy Minister Vahan Kerobian hinted at the impending lifting of the ban when 
he spoke with journalists on Tuesday. “Political motives will be the overriding 
ones,” he said.

Armenia and Turkey are due to start soon talks on normalizing bilateral 
relations. The governments of the two neighboring states appointed special 
envoys for that purpose earlier this month.


Armenia -- A commercial truck enters Armenia from Georgia through the Gogavan 
border crossing, November 29, 2018. (Photo by the Armenian State Revenue 
Committee)

In recent months, Turkish leaders have made statements making the normalization 
of Turkish-Armenian relations conditional on Armenia agreeing to open a land 
corridor that would connect Azerbaijan to its Nakhichevan exclave. They have 
also cited Baku’s demands for a formal Armenian recognition of Azerbaijani 
sovereignty over Karabakh.

Citing these statements, Armenian opposition leaders have accused Pashinian of 
being ready to make unilateral concessions to Ankara and Baku. The Armenian 
Foreign Ministry has insisted that Yerevan continues to stand for “normalizing 
relations with Turkey without preconditions.”

Turkey has refused to establish diplomatic relations with Armenia and kept the 
border between the two states closed since the early 1990s out of solidarity 
with Azerbaijan. It has also banned all imports from Armenia.

Armenia imported (mostly via Georgia) $267 million worth of Turkish-manufactured 
products in 2019. According to the Ministry of Economy, Turkish imports fell to 
just $20 million in the first nine months of 2021.

The ministry statement released on Thursday said the ban, which does not cover 
raw materials, has had both positive and negative effects on the Armenian 
economy.

“The positive results include a number of newly established or expanded 
manufacturing businesses in the light industry, construction materials, 
furniture and agricultural sectors,” it said. “But the main negative consequence 
of the embargo is its substantial impact on inflation.”



Armenian Tax Revenue Up In 2021

        • Sargis Harutyunyan

Armenia -- The entrance to the State Revenue Committee headquarters in Yerevan, 
November 29, 2018.


The Armenian government reported on Thursday a more than 14 percent rise in its 
tax revenue in 2021 reflecting renewed economic growth in the country.
Rustam Badasian, the head of the State Revenue Committee (SRC), said his agency 
collected almost 1.59 trillion drams ($3.3 billion) in various taxes and duties. 
It thus surpassed the revenue target set by Armenia’s 2021 state budget by 146 
billion drams ($304 million), Badasian said during a weekly cabinet meeting in 
Yerevan.

Speaking at the meeting, Finance Minister Tigran Khachatrian said the surplus 
allowed the government to spend an additional 85 billion drams this year. In 
particular, he said, it doubled economic assistance to Nagorno-Karabakh to 128 
billion drams ($267 million).

Overall government spending thus reached 1.94 trillion drams ($4 billion). It is 
projected to increase by nearly 13 percent in 2022.

The 2022 state budget calls for a sharper rise in the government’s tax revenue. 
That would cut the budget deficit that widened considerably last year to a deep 
recession primarily caused by the coronavirus pandemic and a resulting shortfall 
in tax revenue.

The Armenian economy contracted by 7.4 percent in 2020 before returning to 
growth this spring. It was projected to grow by at least 4.2 percent in 2021.

Tax collection improved as a result of the renewed growth as well as the 
government’s continued fight against tax evasion. In Badasian’s words, the 
number of the country’s officially registered workers paying taxes increased by 
over 7 percent, to 654,000, in the course of the year.


Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2021 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

One of Armenia POWs who were returned Wednesday from Azerbaijan is detained

Nyrie Kalashian
 News.am 
Dec 30 2021
15:27, 30.12.2021

Arman Khachatryan, one of the Armenian POWs who was captured on November 16 by Azerbaijan and was returned Wednesday, has been detained. This information was confirmed to Armenian News-NEWS.am by the Investigative Committee of Armenia.

The committee added that he has been charged with violating the rules of military service.

As reported earlier, five Armenian captives were returned from Azerbaijan Wednesday.

To note, a criminal charge has now been brought against the sixth Armenian soldier who was captured during the November 16 battles and then was returned.

Turkish press: Famous “brothel streets” in Beyoğlu to turn into culture center

Nyrie Kalashian
  • 07:00:00

The three famous streets in Istanbul’s Beyoğlu district hosting the “brothels of the city” for more than a century will convert into a “culture and art zone” of the metropolis after a two-year renovation.

“As the municipality of Beyoğlu, we are bringing a new function to the streets of Zürafa [Giraffe], Alageyik [Fallow deer] and Kadem [Foot],” Haydar Ali Yıldız, the mayor of the district, said in a press conference held in the ruins of the streets on Dec. 20.

The first brothel in Zürafa Street was opened during the era of the Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamit II for “serving the Europeans living in Beyoğlu” in the late 19th century. In the middle of the 20th century, some 120 escorts were working in 18 houses located in Zürafa and the streets nearby.

The brothels were officially closed with the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020.

“Civilizations can be determined with people, time and place. It is our responsibility to shape the future by analyzing the soul of the time,” the mayor said.

“Today I announce that all the houses in the Zürafa Street will convert into art and culture centers. As of today, Zürafa, Alageyik and Kadem will be seen as a cultural zone,” he added.

He especially thanked the three heirs of the Turkish-Armenian businesswoman Matild Manukyan, who own most of the 42 properties in the streets, for helping the municipality.

Born in 1914 and died in 2001, Manukyan, famously known as “brothel boss,” was a tax champion, owning some 37 brothel houses. She also was the owner of some 500 properties, more than 200 taxi plates and dozens of buildings in Istanbul.

During the pandemic, the municipality officials contacted Manukyan’s three heirs, Dora, İlda and Edvin Çilingir, and told the plan.

“Within the scope of the Beyoğlu Culture Road project, these streets will become landmarks of the city in a cultural way,” the mayor highlighted.

According to the project, a board with experts and owners of the properties in the streets will be established. This board will analyze the culture and art zones globally and form an archaeological plan.

The cost of the urban renewal will be taken care of by Manukyan’s heirs and other property owners. According to the officials, the three heirs “accepted to pay for the renewal costs willingly.”

The first thing to do will be to pick garbage and clean the streets.
There is no official renewal plan at the moment, but the mayor underlined that the zone would host cafes, bookshops and cultural activity centers.


Lawyer: Azerbaijan has confirmed detention of 50 Armenian PoWs

Nyrie Kalashian
PanArmenian, Armenia
Dec 20 2021
– 14:00 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Azerbaijan has confirmed the detention of 50 Armenian prisoners of war, but unofficially there are 80 more captives still being held captive in Baku, human rights lawyer Siranush Sahakyan told reporters on Monday, December 20, Pastinfo reports.

Sahakyan noted that the process of repatriating the captives will be ongoing. According to her, as long as Azerbaijan holds the officially confirmed prisoners of war captive, the repatriation is "inevitable".

The lawyer said the process of repatriation is usually arranged within some political circles, with Russia, the United States, the European Union or other powerful countries using political influence for the cause.

On Sunday, EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia Toivo Klaar repatriated 10 Armenian prisoners of war from Azerbaijan.

Happy to have repatriated 10 Armenian servicemen: Tovio Klaar

Nyrie Kalashian
Public Radio of Armenia
Dec 19 2021
, 13:58

 Less than a minute

Happy to have been able to repatriate 10 Armenian servicemen, EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia Tovio Klaar said in a Twitter post.

Ten Armenian POWs were repatriated with the mediation of the President of EU Council Charles Michel.

Tovio Klaar called it “an important gesture by Azerbaijan in the process of addressing humanitarian issues ”

“The European Union will continue to work with both countries to build on the successful meetings of the President of the EU Council with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

EU Council President Charles Michel hosted the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan for a trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Eastern Partnership Summit in Brussels.

Sports: Armenian weightlifter Andranik Karapetyan wins small gold at IWF World Championships

Nyrie Kalashian
Panorama, Armenia
Dec 13 2021

SPORT 20:19 13/12/2021 WORLD

The representative of Armenia Andranik Karapetyan, competing in the 89kg weight category at the IWF World Championships in Tashkent, claimed gold medal. The Armenian lifted 175kg in the snatch, leaving behind Revaz Davitadze from Georgia by 4kg. 

According to the National Olympic Committee report, in the first attempt of the clean and jerk, the Armenian athlete held overhead 196kg but failed the second attempt due to an injury. 

Armenia's next representative at the tournament is Davit Hovhannisyan who will compete in the 96kg weight category on December 14. 

Government sees possible re-launch of Amulsar as “positive risk” in state budget draft

Nyrie Kalashian

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 11:44, 8 December, 2021

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. The Pashinyan Administration sees the possible re-launch of the Amulsar Mine as a “positive risk”, finance minister Tigran Khachatryan told lawmakers during parliamentary debates of the 2022 state budget.

The opposition Hayastan faction MP Andranik Tevanyan asked the minister whether or not the budget includes projections on the Amulsar mine and what’s the government’s approach regarding the mine and whether or not it will be re-launched.

Finance Minister Khachatryan said the budget draft describes as a “positive risk” if Amulsar mine were to be re-launched during the year. “Nevertheless, you should know that during a 12-months period starting from the launch there will be preparatory works which should lead to the mine’s operations,” the minister said.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Reforms of the Armenian army stall

Nyrie Kalashian
Vestnik Kavkaza
Dec 6 2021
 6 Dec in 19:30  Factor TV

Although a year has passed since the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikolai Pashinyan, stated that the country’s armed forces should be modernized, non-governmental organizations working in the defence sector see no progress in this matter. It is mentioned in the report of the Armenian Internet channel Factor TV.

On November 18, 2020, the Prime Minister spoke for the first time about the post-war reform of the army, when a road map for the transformation of the Armed Forces of Armenia was presented. Three months later, at the end of February 2021, Pashinyan announced the creation of a working group on army reform. Although a separate concept for the country's military reform was never published, government officials have noted some of the proposed changes in their interviews.

Thus, the first factor of Armenia’s security was called "the modernized Armenian army", then the "strategic alliance with Russia" and "membership in the CSTO" were noted. The Government’s five-year programme reflected many of the priorities of army construction. In particular, the reduction of the period of military service for conscripts, an active transition to a contract basis and stage-by-stage creation, the purchase of new weapons and military equipment, the development of military education, etc.

However, as reported by the Vanadzor office of the Helsinki Assembly, since then there is no information about what concrete steps have been taken towards the reforms of the Armenian army. Also, it was not possible to find out anything from the secretary of the Armenian Security Council Armen Grigoryan. In response to a request from civil society representatives, he responded with only general phrases that "the discussions are continuing", and there is no additional information for the public yet. The head of the Vanadzor office of the Helsinki Assembly Artur Sakunts believes that such an answer from Grigoryan may indicate that no work was carried out in principle. Meanwhile, Andranik Kocharyan, who chairs the parliamentary committee on security and defense, believes that "personnel changes in the government" in the military sphere speak of "modernization of the armed forces".

In this context, it should be noted that four Defence Ministers have been replaced in Armenia since the 2020 44-day war. Also, since 2018, the Chief of the General Staff of Armenia has been replaced three times, and Artak Davtyan appointed to this position twice. According to the Vanadzor Office of the Helsinki Assembly, 19 personnel changes have been made in the General Staff in the last two years, most of them in the post-war period. Six of these personnel changes affected the military who signed the resignation letter of Nikola Pashinyan. Artur Sakunts also considers it "problematic" that Russia is considered the only partner for the modernization of the Armenian army. 

In his turn, Andranik Kocharyan, who is considered one of Nikol Pashinyan's closest associates, emphasizes that partnership with Russia does not exclude Armenia's opportunities to purchase weapons from third countries, including NATO countries. "The general public still does not know when the armed forces will begin noticeable reforms. High-ranking officials are still silent on this topic," the NGO notes.