Author: Shushan Frangulian

Armenia could start producing medical ventilators in 4-6 months

Shushan Frangulian
Public Radio of Armenia
May 6 2020

, Minister of High-Tech Industry Hakob Arshakyan told lawmakers during a Q&A session at the National Assembly today.

The Minister said a number of applications have been received in response to the Ministry’s call for proposals.

“We have received a number of proposals from Armenian engineers and scholars from different parts of the world, as well as individuals, organizations and research institutes in Armenia,” Arshakyan said.

Some of them include concrete commercial proposals, the Minister said, adding that the government has provided a grant amounting to 90 mln AMD for this purpose.

“The funds have been provided to the Engineering Association, which will process the whole information and fund the companies interested in launching production of ventilators.,” Hakob Arshakyan said.

According to preliminary assessments, he said, the designing will take 4-6 months, after which they will start the production.

Armenia will have the capacity to produce 40-50 ventilators a month, the Minister said, adding that not only will the companies manage to satisfy the internal demand, but will also have a chance to target external markets.

Armenian PM, World Health Organization chief discuss COVID19 pandemic and cooperation

Shushan Frangulian

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 14:12, 6 May, 2020

YEREVAN, MAY 6, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Director-General of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus held a phone call at the latter’s initiative, the Prime Minister’s Office said.

Pashinyan presented to the WHO chief the coronavirus situation in Armenia and the measures taken in fighting the pandemic.

Nikol Pashinyan and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus exchanged ideas around the global situation due to the pandemic.

The Armenian PM highlighted the WHO’s activities in the current situation. The sides also discussed issues of cooperation between the Armenian government and WHO and touched upon the prospects of enhancing the partnership.

“Thank you for a very good call Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister Armenia, and for your leadership in the national COVID19 response. We discussed the situation in Armenia and WHO’s recommendations on easing the lockdown measures. Our experts stand ready to support Armenia in fighting COVID19,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus tweeted.

 

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Armenian ombudsman: It’s unacceptable to use family tragedy to collect likes

Shushan Frangulian
Panorama, Armenia
May 7 2020

Armenian Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) Arman Tatoyan expressed concern over the discussions that followed Tuesday's tragic incident in Yerevan in which a man threw his child out of a 9th-floor window and then jumped himself grabbing another, and the dissemination of private information.

A statement issued by the ombudsman reads:

"After the tragic death of a father and his children, private information and even photos from the scene are spread on the Internet. Moreover, in some cases, it is done in such a way that a person's private life and family tragedy become a subject of obvious exploitation. The ongoing "discussions" are looking for culprits, targeting the wife in some cases.

I am deeply concerned about the approach of certain websites and social media.

It is unacceptable to collect likes or ensure views by using the family tragedy and sharing photos of the dead children from the scene

We need to keep in mind that such a move causes pain and suffering to those families. Moreover, in this way we create an opportunity for the photos that emerge on the Internet to always accompany people throughout their lives, with all the negative effects arising from it.

Such phenmena are also unacceptable in terms of values, perceptions and negative consequences in the society.

I offer my condolences to the relatives of the deceased.”

Food: A Recipe For Armenian Dumplings That Takes Chef Nina Festekjian Back To Her Childhood

Shushan Frangulian
WGBH
May 1 2020
Mise en place for mante (Armenian dumpings.)

Courtesy of Nina Festekjian
May 1, 2020

"My earliest memory of making mante was when I was about 10 years old," she told us. "My sisters and I would gather around the kitchen table and help our mother in making these little boats. Nowadays, every time I make mante, I go back into that kitchen and experience the aroma of the mante cooking, my sister and I giggling while making the mante and telling each other how bad each other's boats were."

My mom would always say, 'There is no such thing as bad mante as long as you do it with love and care.' She always put her heart and soul into her cooking. That sense of cooking with love and joy serving others has lingered in me and has been the foundation of Anoush'ella."

Ingredients:

For the dough

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 4 tablespoons vegetable oil

For the meat filling

  • 1/2 pound ground beef sirloin
  • 1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground Aleppo pepper

For the tomato sauce

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 cups chicken and beef broth
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons red pepper paste
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 to one ounce lemon juice

For the yogurt-garlic sauce

  • 1 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt or 1 cup of labne mixed with 1/2 cup of water
  • 2 cloves garlic crushed
  • Kosher salt
  • Sumac and Aleppo pepper for sprinkling

Directions:

Step 1: Prepare the dough
Beat the egg with the vegetable oil and then add salt and water. Combine the mixture with the flour and mix until a dough forms. On a lightly floured work surface, knead the dough until smooth, about 5 minutes. Divide into two pieces and cover each with plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for one hour.

Assembling the mante (Armenian dumplings.)

Courtesy of Nina Festekjian

Step 2: Make the meat filling
Combine the meat with the spices, chopped onion, and parsley; set aside in a bowl covered in the fridge.

Step 3: Make the tomato sauce
In a saucepan, saute garlic in olive oil for a minute and then add the tomato paste and the pepper paste and cook for another minute or so, until all is mixed well. Add the broth, lemon juice and the spices. Bring it to a boil then simmer and keep warm.

Step 4: Make the yogurt-garlic sauce
In a small bowl, combine the yogurt and garlic and season with salt. Mix well and refrigerate.

Step 5: Shape the mante
Roll out the first dough into a very thin layer. Cut the dough with a pizza cutter or knife into small 1.5 inch squares. Add 1/2 teaspoon of mante filling in the middle of the squares and form small boat-shaped dumplings by pinching the two sides of the square. Using a round or rectangular pan covered with thin layer of vegetable oil, arrange the mante close together. Repeat with the second dough.

Shaping the mante (Armenian dumplings) into purses.

Courtesy of Nina Festekjian

Step 6: Cook the mante
Preheat the oven to 400F and roast the mante for about half an hour, until golden brown color. Meanwhile, heat the red sauce, making sure the mixture is almost boiling.

A finished plate of mante (Armenian dumplings.)

Courtesy of Nina Festekjian

Step 7: Serve and enjoy
Remove the pans from the oven and serve the mante in individual soup bowls. Add the tomato sauce and then top it with a dollop of yogurt-garlic sauce. Drizzle with sumac and Aleppo pepper. Enjoy!

Nina Festekjian and her mother in the kitchen.

Courtesy of Nina Festekjian

Asbarez: ‘We Cannot Return to the Past”: Artsakh President Responds to Lavrov

Shushan Frangulian

Artsakh President Bako Sahakian speaks at Artsakh Parliament

Artsakh President Bako Sahakian on Thursday said that there will be no return to the past, both interns of territories and status of Artsakh, directly responding to statements made last week by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who claimed that the Karabakh peace talks were focused on a “phased” approach, which envisions ceding of territory to Azerbaijan as a first step to a settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

Speaking to a session of parliament where he presented a “state of the state” address detailing the progress made by his government in the past year, Sahakian said that the Artsakh authorities have not deviated from their principles regarding Artsakh. He also added that official Yerevan has already refuted Lavrov’s claims by saying that such an approach was not part of the negotiations.

“When we reflect on the Karabakh issue, we are talking about our destiny,” Sahakian said, adding that while he always has publicly and privately supported the OSCE Minsk Group’s mission of establishing peace, he has always advanced the notion that Artsakh’s security and independence could not be bargained with.

“During these years, we [Artsakh] have not deviated in any way, either from our position or from our principles,” said Sahakian, describing the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflicts as “one of the most complicated issues in the world.”

“Taking all this into consideration and respecting the interests of the international community, we are obligated to achieve a peaceful resolution to the conflict, while strongly maintain our position,” explained Sahakian who said that Artsakh will always “respect the proposals of the Co-Chairs and their sincere efforts to resolve the conflict.”

Leader of Latvian Lutheran Church pays tribute to memory of Armenian Genocide victims

Shushan Frangulian

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 19:45,

YEREVAN, APRIL 27, ARMENPRESS. Janis Vanags, the Archbishop of the Latvian Lutheran Church (Latvia's religious leader) has made an extensive statement, underlining that on Sunday in Latvian church they paid respects and prayed for the 105th Anniversary of the Memory of the Victims of the Armenian genocide.

ARMENPRESS reports he expressed his compassion towards the Armenians and condemns denial of the Armenian genocide. Thus, Jānis Vanags joined the religious leaders of Lithuania and Estonia in making a statement about the Armenian genocide and praying for the victims.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan

Sports: "Revealing Talents": Armenian right wing-back from Belgium

Shushan Frangulian
Public Radio of Armenia

NEWS.am Sport continues to present Armenian teen footballers who play abroad and dream of playing for the Armenian national football team.

Sargis Gaboyan, 14, plays in the U-15 team of the Belgian ASV Geel.

“Sargis has been playing football since he was six years old,” the father, Hrach Gaboyan told NEWS.am SPORT and added the following: He mainly plays as a right wing-back, but some coaches have also tried him in the “number 8” position (center midfielder-ed.).

In 2016-17, my son played for the teens’ team of KFC Duffel and then moved to Lierse SK.

Since 2019, he has been playing for the Belgian IP League’s ASV Geel. The Belgian teen championship is different from the championships of other countries in that it is a specific championship with high competition.

Sargis holds regular trainings at the Dutch PSV Academy. According to a preliminary agreement, he will be on probation in the Frency Lyon in September.

We’re in contact with FC Shirak’s coach Felix Khojoyan and the team’s former player Ara Adamyan, who is currently playing in France.

We would be happy and proud, if Sargis received an invitation from Armenia’s football team for teens. If invited, he will do everything he can to make sure he does his best and help his homeland.”

Samvel Sukiasyan

Armenian Public Television holding meeting, employees will be resigning

Shushan Frangulian
News.am, Armenia

15:39, 20.04.2020
                  

After the scandal related to the spread of scenes shot before Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan’s televised address, nobody has been punished yet, even though there were rumors and some were even demanding that there will be people resigning. It was assumed that members of the administration of Armenian Public Television and employees of the Office of the Prime Minister, particularly Spokesperson Mane Gevorgyan, who was present during the shooting of the televised address, will be among the people who will submit resignation letters.

The presses are disseminating news stating that employees of Armenian Public Television are currently discussing the causes and effects of the scandal in a meeting and that the resignations of most people will be most probably announced after the meeting, including the resignations of Executive Director of Armenian Public Television Margarita Grigoryan, Chairman of the Council of Public Television and Radio Ara Shirinyan, Head of News and Political Programs Petros Ghazaryan and Vardan Hakobyan, the person in charge of live broadcasts.

These employees don’t answer phone calls or turn their phones off. Head of the news service Petros Ghazaryan answered the call from Armenian News-NEWS.am and said he will comment when he has a commentary.

Martin Galstyan passes confirmation vote to become next cenbank president

Shushan Frangulian

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 13:10, 17 April, 2020

YEREVAN, APRIL 17, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian parliament installed Martin Galstyan to serve as the next president of the Central Bank, replacing outgoing chief Artur Javadyan.

Galstyan, a Member of the Board of the Central Bank, was confirmed to the position by 104 votes in favor. 15 lawmakers voted against. He was nominated by the ruling My Step bloc.

Incumbent cenbank President Artur Javadyan’s term in office is ending in summer 2020.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan




Village in one region, hospital in another quarantined in Armenia

Shushan Frangulian
JAM News
16.04.2020
    JAMnews, Yerevan

The Armenian village of Norashen in the Ararat region has been temporarily closed for quarantine.

At the entrances to the village of Norashen, checkpoints have been established. Until April 19, there will be restrictions on the entry and exit of citizens and vehicles, except for goods with food, medicine and essential goods.

The Prime Minister says the decision was made due to the fact that one of the inhabitants of the village, who was in quarantine, attended a funeral, where he hugged his fellow villagers out of grief, who were then infected.

In the Armenian region of Shirak, nine  doctors have become infected with the coronavirus in one hospital.

The health workers have already been delivered to the Gyumri Infectious Disease Hospital, and now the circle of contacts with them is being clarified in order to isolate them as well.

According to the governor, the primary source of infection is still unknown. The hospital will be placed under quarantine for several days.

According to official data, on April 16, 48 cases of coronavirus infection were registered in Armenia, while 61 people recovered.

“Therefore, we can say that we ended the day with a positive balance. The number of active cases decreased by 14. The total number of confirmed cases is 1159 … During this time, more than 1,500 people have left quarantine. Approximately 300 quarantined people had positive tests”, Health Minister Arsen Torosyan said.