News.am, Armenia
18:10, 20.06.2020
Author: Toneyan Mark
Plainclothes policemen to monitor compliance with state of emergency in Armenia
Vestnik Kavkaza
Police officers dressed in civilian clothes will monitor compliance with epidemiological standards in Armenia, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan warned during an online briefing.
"I want to note that violations of epidemiological standards in our country continue. According to our analysis, a large number of infections are detected in courtyards, during funerals and weddings. From now on, policemen in civilian clothes will serve to prevent such phenomena," TASS quotes him as saying.
Armenian economy minister says what was lost will be brought back in 2021 by quantitative figures
16:22, 8 June, 2020
YEREVAN, JUNE 8, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Minister of Economy Tigran Khachatryan says 2021 is going to be the year when as a result of the novel coronavirus situation what was lost in the economy will be restored by quantitative indicators.
During the parliamentary debate of the 2019 budget performance report, asked how much time will be needed for recovering the damages caused to the economy, the minister said: “The world’s leading organizations assess 2020 as a year which will be overcome with minimal losses. There are various assessments, according to different international organizations 3-5% decline will be registered both in the developed and developing economies. And almost all international organizations assess that in 2021 these same economics will be restored with the same rate”, he said, adding that Armenia will not be an exception as well.
Armenia will try to orient itself quickly, will try to act quickly, as this will be very important during the restoration period. He said 2021 will be a year for restoring what has been lost. “We can’t and don’t want to return to the point where all these started. We should position ourselves in the new world’s new reality in a way and propose the world such goods and services which are competitive, demanded and guarantee long-term development opportunities. I think 2021 will be the year of growth when what has been lost will be mainly brought back in the form of quantitative figures”, he added.
But as for 2020, an economic decline is forecast both in the global economy and Armenia.
Reporting by Anna Grigoryan; Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
Greek Defense Minister says Athens ready for military conflict with Turkey
Panorama, Armenia
June 5 2020
Greek Minister for National Defense Nikos Panagiotopoulos said that his country was ready for a military conflict with Turkey to defend its sovereign rights against the backdrop of Turkey’s provocations related to planned shelf exploration, Sputnik news agency reported.
On Monday, Athens condemned Turkish Petroleum Corporation’s intention to receive operation rights in areas considered by Greece to be a part of its continental shelf, as another attempt to usurp the country’s sovereign rights. It noted that the move had followed the signing of the controversial deal on maritime boundaries between Ankara and Libya’s Tripoli-based government. The same day, the Greek Foreign Ministry summoned the Turkish ambassador to lodge a protest. On Thursday, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis sent letters to the EU leadership in light of Turkey’s provocation.
“Turkey’s behavior has been quite aggressive recently. I believe that the only way for Greece to deal with such a behavior, which generally tends to be an aggression, is, on the one hand, to use all its diplomatic means, and on the other hand, to ensure the strengthening of the armed forces’ deterrent force,” the minister told Greece’s Star TV channel on Thursday, as quoted by the source.
Answering a question on whether Greece was ready to engage in a military conflict with Turkey, Panagiotopoulos responded affirmatively, noting at the same time that it was not a desirable solution.
PM Pashinyan explains the decline of recoveries from coronavirus
20:20, 5 June, 2020
YEREVAN, JUNE 5, ARMENPRESS. When compiling statistics in the past, the number of recoveries from coronavirus was calculated from all positive-tested citizens, but now it’s calculated from patients in serious or critical situation, ARMENPRESS reports PM Pashinyan said in a briefing following the session at the Commandant’s Office.
''I can bring my example. I and my faily show no symptoms and if it continues like this, we will recover without any medical intervention. We will be included in the data of positive-tested citizens, but will not be included in the data of recovered citizens, since we receive no treatment’’, Pashinyan explained.
A total of 11,817 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Armenia by June 5. Death toll is 183. Another 69 deaths have been recorded for patients who were infected with coronavirus but died of other causes. State of emergency has been prolonged until June 13 in Armenia.
Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan
RFE/RL Armenian Report – 06/06/2020
Saturday, June 6, 2020 Tsarukian Demands Armenian Government’s Resignation June 6, 2020 Armenia -- Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik Tsarukian attends a parliament session, Yerevan, March 24, 2020. Gagik Tsarukian, the leader of the opposition Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK), has demanded that the Armenian government step down, accusing it of mishandling the coronavirus crisis and its socioeconomic consequences. Pashinian swiftly hit back hard at Tsarukian after he criticized the government in unusually strong terms at a meeting with senior BHK members held on Friday. “I said last year that with this composition and structure [of the government] it’s impossible to live up to the [people’s] expectations and that if they want to live up to them they must replace 97 percent of [government members,]” said Tsarukian. “Seeing all these failings now, I can say for certain that not 97 percent but 100 percent of them must be replaced because all spheres have been mismanaged.” “We are losing the country,” he declared in a speech aired by a TV channel controlled by him. “Every day, every hour passes to the detriment of our country and our people.” Tsarukian, whose party has the second largest group in the Armenian parliament, accused Pashinian of failing to deliver on his pledges to carry out an “economic revolution” that would significantly improve living standards. The BHK leader claimed that Pashinian’s cabinet consists of mostly inexperienced and incompetent people. He also slammed the government for failing to contain the rapid spread of coronavirus in the country. “In all other countries the pandemic has subsided, whereas in Armenia [the daily number of new coronavirus cases] reaches 400, 500, 600 and 700 day by day,” he said. “This is the result of fruitless and inefficient work for which people must he held answerable.” Tsarukian went on to call on “healthy” political groups and individuals “concerned about country’s future” to join forces and discuss with him “ways out of the existing situation.” He did not name any potential allies, saying only that he will not cooperate with politicians “unacceptable to the people.” Pashinian was quick to react to Tsarukian’s speech through his spokeswoman, Mane Gevorgian. Armenia - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian (C) arrives for a business forum organized by Gagik Tsarukian (L), October 26, 2018. “I think that Mr. Tsarukian is simply concerned about the course of a number of criminal cases relating to money laundering, vote buying, tax evasion and corruption,” Gevorgian wrote on Facebook. “If Mr. Tsarukian thinks that his political statements will derail the investigations then it’s a wrong calculation because in Armenia everyone is equal before the law.” The official suggested that Tsarukian, who is one of the country’s richest men, is also worried about the recent entry into force of a law allowing authorities to confiscate private properties and other assets deemed to have been acquired illegally. Tsarukian’s spokeswoman, Iveta Tonoyan, responded by saying that the authorities are thus threatening to prosecute the leader of the largest parliamentary opposition force on “fabricated grounds.” “Gagik Tsarukian stands by every point of his speech and calls on the authorities to put an end to the political blackmail,” said Tonoyan. The top manager of dozens of companies belonging to Tsarukian, Sedrak Arustamian, was arrested in late April on bribery and money laundering charges denied by him. Arustamian was earlier indicted in two other criminal investigations. The BHK had joined Pashinian’s first cabinet formed in May 2018 in the wake of the “Velvet Revolution.” Pashinian fired his ministers affiliated with BHK in October 2018, accusing Tsarukian’s party of secretly collaborating with the country’s former leadership. The BHK finished second in the December 2018 parliamentary elections and won 26 seats in Armenia’s 132-member parliament. Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL Copyright (c) 2020 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc. 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
Analyst: Artsakh people have no expectations of changes from the oligarch president
Arminfo, Armenia
June 3 2020
ArmInfo. There are no expectations of changes from the oligarch president in Artsakh. I don't think that today someone in Artsakh has any expectations from Arayik Harutyunyan. Director of the Armenian Center for National and Strategic Studies Manvel Sargsyan expressed a similar opinion to ArmInfo.
<In any case, a slight revitalization of the situation as a result of the recent elections will still have an impact on political life in the future. A lot of people have already realized the impossibility of returning to the past, while others associate hopes for the future with the advent of new people, new political forces. Otherwise, stagnation is inevitable – people realized the futility of expectations from the new government and, accordingly, no one expects changes from Harutyunyan in the economic field, moreover in the political one," he said. According to Sargsyan, the expectations of most of the people of Artsakh did not materialize, which does not allow us to talk about their indifference to the current situation. And this majority, in his opinion, does not expect significant changes from the new parliament and government in comparison with the rigorous power regime of government established in Artsakh since 1992. According to the analyst, this is what prompts the people of Artsakh to become more interested in the future development of the political situation, the ability of Arayik Harutyunyan to change something. Sargsyan describes the existing climate as oligarchic, on the basis of which a power structure continues to operate in Artsakh today, backed up by many people involved in politics in the recent elections.
<There is no organized opposition force in Artsakh today. There are individual opposition masses who are creating significant problems for the new government. In this light, the new government is simply obligated to implement certain, real changes. One can also clearly predict the creation of a new opposition force or forces in Artsakh - new people already appear and will appear in the future> Sargsyan summed up. 4
Real estate to be taxed equivalent to wealth
15:20,
YEREVAN, MAY 27, ARMENPRESS. The Cabinet approved the bill on amending the tax code which envisages taxing real estate equivalently to wealth.
“Armenia is staying behind in the rank of 38 countries with the property tax/GDP indicator. This is the result of the tax being based on the cadastre value of real estate, which significantly differs from market value”, Finance Minister Atom Janjughazyan said.
“It is expected that this change will result in the property tax potential growing 4,3 times. This will allow communities to ensure better quality in solving their own issues,” he said.
The new mechanism is planned to be installed gradually within three years.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
The Literary Armenian News – Rocks in The Garden – 05/25/2020
Rocks in the GardenRocks in a garden, isolation, invocationRocks in a garden, sizes, shapes, colorsGray in intent, rocks in a garden, huddledYet sparse, mutually repelling, poke markedAged agents, crazed edges, sharp chirped tonesRocks in a garden where birds streak white talesBirds of all colors, shapes, sizes, rocking in a gardenWe age inside the house, far from the garden, glass coversWindows and curtains, pots and pans, cats and bowlsNot in the garden, no rocks up the inclined burdenRemote control, wifi, surround sound, creature comfyNo rocks but music, no garden but in salads, no in, no a.Tales of cats, curses, birds, fences, trees dreaming of answersI write for rocks moved in the garden, you, smiling off camera.
Bedros Afeyan
5-21-2020
Pleasanton, CA
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Asbarez: Schiff Visits Glendale Youth Center to Assist and Support COVID-19 Relief Program
Rep. Adam Schiff joined volunteers at the Glendale Youth Center on May 19, to help in COVID-19 relief efforts
GLENDALE—The Krikor and Mariam Karamanoukian Glendale Youth Center’s COVID-19 Relief Task Force continued its daily efforts on Tuesday and was joined by Congressman Adam Schiff who volunteered his time to support the community-based relief efforts. Schiff, who represents the 28th Congressional District, has been a longtime advocate for Armenian-Americans.
Since late March, GYC along with the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Glendale “Aharonian” Chapter, Armenian Cultural Foundation (ACF) Glendale Chapter, Armenian National Committee of America – Glendale Chapter (ANCA Glendale), Armenian Youth Federation Western United States (AYF-WUS) Glendale “Roupen” Chapter, Armenian Relief Society (ARS) Glendale “Sepan” Chapter, Homenetmen Glendale “Ararat” Chapter, Hamazkayin Glendale Chapter, and St. Mary’s Armenian Apostolic Church, have been collaborating to provide assistance to at-risk Glendale residents during the pandemic by creating a community hotline.
Rep. Adam Schiff takes bags to be delivered to community members
The services offered include resources regarding tenant’s rights, filling out unemployment claim forms, assistance with mental health concerns, and information on how to stay safe during a global pandemic. A majority of the center’s work has been concentrated on delivering packaged food donations and sanitation supplies to vulnerable people in Glendale.
Congressman Schiff arrived to help package and deliver non-perishable food items along with the other volunteers that regularly help out at GYC. “We’re proud to say that our efforts have reached over 800 families in the City of Glendale thus far, and we are happy to have Congressman Schiff’s support and participation,” said ARF Glendale Representative Vaché Thomassian.
Rep. Adam Schiff meet with Vaché Thomassian at the Glendale Youth Center on May 19
“The community center has transformed into a relief-providing space where committed volunteers are preparing food and sanitation supplies for the day’s deliveries,” said ANCA Glendale Chairperson Lucy Petrosian. “We have been at the frontlines of addressing the needs of our residents through these relief efforts and plan to continue until we get through this pandemic.
If you or a loved one is in need of assistance, please reach out to us at [email protected] or call (818) 243-3444.
ANCA Glendale advocates for the social, economic, cultural, and political rights of the city’s Armenian American community and promotes increased civic participation at the grassroots and public policy levels.