Author: Nyrie Kalashian

Armenia Defense Minister visits combat positions at border

Nyrie Kalashian

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 10:08,

YEREVAN, APRIL 23, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Defense Davit Tonoyan visited on April 22 the combat positions of the Armenian military situated in the south-western direction of the Armenia-Azerbaijan state border.

He was briefed on the tactical-strategic situation on the border, the implemented and current engineering and reinforcements works and re-equipment – logistical issues.

Tonoyan talked with the troops and assured that the authorities are always focused on the continuous improvement of the social-household conditions of the military personnel.

The Defense Minister awarded encouragement rewards to the troops serving in the high-altitude mountainous terrain and thanked them for their excellent service.

The commanders of the military bases also delivered their briefings.

Editing and translating by Stepan Kocharyan

An investigation is ongoing in Armenia on how prepared the country was for the “April war” of 2016

Nyrie Kalashian
JAM News

17.04.2020

    JAMnews, Yerevan


    Former President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan participated in a meeting of the commission on April 16, which investigates the events related to the escalation on the contact line of the Armenian and Azerbaijani armed forces in April 2016.

    These were the first large-scale military operations around Nagorno-Karabakh after the signing of the armistice in 1994. They received the name “April”, or “four-day war.”

    The ex-president agreed to answer the questions of the commission, provided that he will then be given a copy of the transcript and video of this discussion. The Commission agreed to satisfy this request.

    Before the meeting, Serzh Sargsyan told reporters that he had nothing to hide and that he was ready to answer all questions. After the meeting, he said that the decision to meet with the commission “was justified.”

    He reiterated that he was interested in providing the public with truthful and reliable information about the April war. In his opinion, during those events, the Armenian side “won not only on the battlefield, but also in the diplomatic arena.”

    The creation of the investigative commission of the National Assembly became known on May 20, 2019. Then Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that the time had come to create a parliamentary commission to study the circumstances of hostilities on the contact line of troops in Karabakh from April 2 to 5, 2016.

    In 2019, the commission held 21 meetings; conversations were held with many military, former and current high-ranking officials.

    The commission consists of 11 deputies. Her powers were transferred to the standing commission on defense and security. The chairman of this standing commission is Andranik Kocharian, a former deputy minister of defense, deputy from the ruling faction My Step.

    The commission also includes representatives of the prosperous Armenia and Enlightened Armenia opposition parties.

Armenia Commandant banned entry of deceased person’s close relatives into country as well

Nyrie Kalashian
News.am, Armenia
Armenia Commandant banned entry of deceased person's close relatives into country as well Armenia Commandant banned entry of deceased person's close relatives into country as well

23:56, 16.04.2020
                  

Yesterday Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Avinyan, who is also the Commandant for the state of emergency declared in the country, signed a decision on banning entry of close ones into the territory of Armenia to attend a deceased person’s Requiem Service or burial.

Before this, an exception could be made from the ban on entry into the territory of the Republic of Armenia for the close relatives of the deceased person to attend the Requiem Service or burial ceremony.

According to the new decision of the Commandant, entry of the close relatives of the deceased person into Armenia is prohibited.

Yesterday the Commandant signed a decision on closing entry into and exit from Norashen village since, during the funeral, a villager had had contact with a person from abroad who had tested positive for coronavirus and had violated the instructions of the Commandant.

Norashen village will remain closed until April 18 (11:59 p.m.).

Sports: Micki: How Henrikh Mkhitaryan got his nickname

Nyrie Kalashian
Public Radio of Armenia
April 11 2020


In a video shared on social media, Armenia international Henrikh Mkhitaryan tells how he got the nickname “Micki.”

Mkhitaryan says when he first arrived at Borussia Dortmund, manager Jurgen Klopp approached him and asked whether he had a nickname.

Henrikh said he didn’t. Klopp then asked whether they could call him Micki, because Henrikh is long, Mkhitaryan is long.  

“I said ‘yes, why not,no problem’,” tells Mkhitaryan.

After three years at Borussia Dortmund, Henrikh moved to the English Premier League and played for Manchester United and Arsenal. Mkhitaryan is currently on loan at Italian club Roma.

Armenia water supply operator exempts coronavirus hospitals from paying bills

Nyrie Kalashian

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 14:09,

YEREVAN, APRIL 16, ARMENPRESS. Veolia Jur has announced that the nine medical organizations currently treating COVID-19 patients in Armenia will not have to pay their water bills for March and April.  

“We thank the healthcare facilities and health workers for their heroic work,” the water supply operator said in a news release.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan




Central Bank urges not to give in to short-term expectations, to trust and work with Armenian dram

Nyrie Kalashian

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 17:13,

YEREVAN, APRIL 15, ARMENPRESS. During crises Armenia’s Central Bank is recording drastic changes in the exchange rate in the Armenian financial market, and the recent cases are not an exception. The problem has been solved with the CBA’s intervention, but the Bank urges not to give in to forming short-term expectations, Director of the Financial Stability Department at the CBA Andranik Grigoryan said at a press conference today, asked what developments are noticed in the foreign exchange market.

He firstly reminded that the foreign exchange market or exchange rate in Armenia in fact are free-floating, the Central Bank intervenes to the foreign exchange market only in extreme cases to smooth out the potential or possible strict volatility of the market. “These latest cases are also not an exception when the CBA intervened in the market just to solve it in order to avoid strict fluctuation. However, during the current crisis as well we see that numerous speculative fluctuations are taking place in us where drastic changes in the exchange rate are occurring. Our call has always been and remains the same – do not give in to forming various expectations towards short-term fluctuations. We just need to believe in our dram, our policy”, he said, adding: “Dram is our currency, we need to believe in the Armenian dram, work and think with the dram”.

Reported by Anna Grigoryan     

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan




April Is Armenian Genocide of 1915 Commemoration Month in PUSD [Pasadena]

Nyrie Kalashian
Colorado Boulevard
April 9 2020
April Is Armenian Genocide of 1915 Commemoration Month in PUSD

By Laura Hackett

To ensure that the Armenian Genocide is taught properly, the PUSD will provide teacher-training workshops and educational resources to all of its high school social studies teachers and students. PUSD stated that it “recommits itself to engaging teachers in extensive discussions about best practices around teaching the subject of genocide and the most effective ways of communicating the important society themes that run through the continuum of genocides of modern history.” The PUSD, in collaboration with the City of Pasadena Human Relations Commission, “commends its conscientious educators” who teach about human rights and genocide.

The PUSD Board resolution reads as follows:

The Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923, 1.5 million men, women, and children of Armenian descendants lost their lives at the hands of the Turkish Ottoman Empire in their attempt to systematically eliminate the Armenian race. PUSD recognizes that the genocide of the Armenians constituted one of the most atrocious violations of human rights in the history of the world; and despite the overwhelming proof of the genocidal intent, the Republic of Turkey has inexplicably and adamantly denied the occurrence of the crimes against humanity committed by the Ottomon and Young Turk rulers; and in response to the Genocide and at the behest of the President Woodrow Wilson and the U.S. State Department, the Near East Relief organization was founded and was provided unprecedented complete access to all U.S. Government documents and files concerning the plight of Christian minorities; and the Near East Relief was the first Congressionally-sanctioned American philanthropic effort created exclusively to rescue the Armenian Nation and other Christian minorities from annihilation after U.S. Ambassador to Constantinople Henry A. Morgenthau, Jr., pled for assistance upon personally witnessing the systematic massacre of Armenians; and Near East Relief efforts resulted in delivering $117 million of assistance between 1915 and 1930, including the delivery of food, clothing, and materials for shelter, setting up refugee camps, clinics, hospitals, and orphanages; and the generous philanthropy of the American people, including many Californians, directly resulted in the salvation of the Armenian and Assyrian refugee nation from being completely annihilated by the Genocide by saving more than one million refugees, including more than 130,000 orphans through their humanitarian assistance; and the Near East Relief evolved into the Near East Foundation in 1930, and continues to provide humanitarian aid to people throughout the Middle East and Africa; and on April 24, 2013, the President of the United States stated, ‘A full, frank, and just acknowledgment of the facts is in all of our interests. Nations grow stronger by acknowledging and reckoning with painful elements of the past, thereby building a foundation for a more just and tolerant future’; and the State of California has been at the forefront of encouraging and promoting a curriculum relating to human rights and genocide in order to empower future generations to prevent recurrence of genocide.

The concern for human rights is a major element in the History-Social Science framework for California public schools, kindergarten through 12th grade.  The PUSD noted the significant Armenian student population in Pasadena, and that many students have family members who experienced the Armenian Genocide first-hand, as well as the years of denial.

This PUSD Board resolution coincides with the decision to place an Armenian DLIP (Dual Language Immersion Program) at Blair High School. Superintendent Dr. McDonald stated that the Armenian DLIP program would raise money to make sure that it had necessary resources, including an Armenian teacher, optional smaller classes, and a crossing guard that would assist students going between Blair Middle School and Blair High School. Due to COVID-19, the PUSD is closed for the rest of the school year; students are being educated through distance learning. The Governor of California, in accordance with Assembly Concurrent Resolution 51, proclaimed each April 24 as the State Day of Remembrance in recognition of the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.


Defense minister, Russian Ambassador got familiarized with operation of coronavirus testing lab in Yerevan

Nyrie Kalashian
Panorama, Armenia

Armenian defense minister Davit Tonoyan and Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergey Kopirkin got familiarized with the mobile laboratory conducting testing for Covid-19 infection that was set up in Yerevan. As the ministry of defense press service reported, Minister Tonoyan conversed with the staff of the mobile lab, got familiarized with the first results of the tastings and the lab capabilities.

It is reminded that the mobile lab was transferred from the Russian Federation to the Republic of Armenia on April 7  as part of bilateral agreement between the defense ministries of the two countries.

As the source said, specialists of Russia’s Armed Forces are in Armenia for exchange of experience  and knowledge with Armenian colleagues in the works of preventing and combating the spread of Covid-19. Along with Armenian specialists, they are conducting laboratory examinations, trainings and discussions on organizing the ongoing activities. 

It is noted that the mobile lab operates in all terrains and weather conditions, producing 99% accuracy of the results. 

Armenia COVID-19 updates: Recoveries reach 31, active cases stand at 498

Nyrie Kalashian

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 16:04, 31 March, 2020

YEREVAN, MARCH 31, ARMENPRESS. One more coronavirus patient has recovered in Armenia, Healthcare Minister Arsen Torosyan said on social media.

“The number of recoveries reached 31. Also, 150 people have been released from quarantine, 65 of whom were the citizens who were airlifted from Italy,” Torosyan said.

The total cumulative number of confirmed novel coronavirus cases in Armenia is 532. With 31 recoveries and 3 fatalities, 498 are active cases.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan




Media Advocate urges Armenian authorities not to use epidemic for political purposes

Nyrie Kalashian
Panorama, Armenia
April 1 2020

Media Advocate initiative issued a statement on Wednesday, urging the Armenian authorities not to use the coronavirus outbreak in the country for political purposes.

Below is the full text of the statement:

"The National Assembly adopted the draft law on amendments to the Armenian law “On Legal Regime of State of Emergency and the Law on Electronic Communication” with 71 votes in favor. According to the bill, during a state of emergency, the movement, calls and SMS data of individual citizens using telecommunications operators, will be collected and may be used at any time.

Media Advocate initiative regrets that the bill which is actually nothing but an invasion into someone else’s private life was in fact adopted. This project was opposed by the human rights defender of the Republic of Armenia, as well as by a number of media representatives and human rights organizations.

After failing to secure a quorum, the ruling party lawmakers convened a special session for passing the bill and, as opposition lawmakers state, they were informed about the session five minutes after the session began: as a result, the actual session was held without opposition representatives.

The emergency state, established because of coronavirus, is not yet a basis for invading into people’s private lives. We urge to adhere to the principles of human rights and not to reach their ultimate and total abolition by means of these restrictions.

Media Advocate initiative urges the authorities to refrain from using the epidemic for their political interests. The technical means, the human and financial resources that are planned to be used when implementing his project, are not justified and are actually new means of fighting against the opposition.”