News.am, Armenia
Tense situation in Armenia's Kapan (PHOTOS) Tense situation in Armenia's Kapan (PHOTOS)
15:41, 24.05.2020
Author: Varazdat Torgomian
KUWTK: Why Kim’s Interest In Armenia Is Important
Screen Rant
Kim visited Armenia in the early episodes to visit the Armenian genocide memorial and talk important issues with the nation's president.
The newest season of Keeping Up With The Kardashians got off it's first six episodes before closing shop for COVID-19 but the first half of the season certainly did not disappoint. One of the most important highlights of the initial episodes was Kim and Kourtney's heartfelt visit to their heritage land, Armenia.
Kim previously visited Armenia along with Khloe and was left enamored by the experience. As a champion of Armenian culture and progress, Kim has a made it her mission to use her celebrity status to bring more attention to Armenian world issues.
The Armenian Genocide was an ethnic massacre that began in 1915 when the Turkish government enacted the expulsion and execution of Armenian people. Over the course of a decade, 1.5 million Armenians were slaughtered through the process of systematic mass murder. The genocide was carried out in two different phases. Phase one focused on the execution of Armenian males by direct means, labor, or army conscription. Phase two, involved the deportation of all children, women, and elderly through a series of military-led death marches into the Syrian Desert. Frequently, during these marches the people were deprived of basic necessities and endured atrocities such as rape, pillaging, and slaughter.
The origins of genocide were incited through tensions amongst Turkish immigrants who were displaced from conflict with the Russians in Armenian lands. These Turks began to hold resentment towards the culturally different and well off Armenian communities. Eventually an ethnic division developed between the groups. Soon after, Turkish propaganda from the popular Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) political party began to describe Armenians as traitors, thieves, and infidels. This sentiment spurned the actions that led towards the eventual genocide.
Since then, Turkey has failed to acknowledge their past regime's actions. They claim that the conflict that took place does not constitute the embodiment of the term genocide. The Turkish government at the time of these atrocities stated that these were retaliatory measures towards a pro-Russian insurrection. However, there is minimal evidence to suggest that the Armenians had anything to do with the Russians at the time. The push for recognition of the genocide in the West particularly has not been easygoing. Turkey is a huge political power in the region which has led to many Western nations turning their back on the atrocities that took place. In 2010, the US Congress passed a narrow vote to recognize the events that took place as genocide. Now many activists are pushing for the Turkish government to do the same.
Kim Kardashian is a major figure globally. Her status may be somewhat comparable to modern day princesses. As a proponent for Armenia and the recognition of this genocide, she aims to help facilitate better relations between Armenia and Turkey. The two countries understandably hold fierce tensions still to this day. Kim hopes that through the acceptance of wrongdoing both countries can work to move past their precedent issues. It's worth considering that our present time period is a new day and age with new people who are not necessarily responsible for the past transgressions of atrocious ancestors. A simple acknowledgement of wrongdoing is all that is necessary for the two countries to foster a new beginning in their relationship. With Kim using her status to bring awareness of this horrific reality, she hopes the modern world can acknowledge past mistakes and therefore progress forward. Fans can check out her emotional visit to Armenia in season 18 of Keeping Up With the Kardashians.
RFE/RL Armenian Report – 05/21/2020
Thursday,
Armenian Health Minister Warns Of Jump In COVID-19 Deaths
• Astghik Bedevian
Armenia -- A COVID-19 patient and a medic at the intensive care unit of Surp
Grigor Lusavorich hospital, Yerevan, May 10, 2020. (A photo by the Armenian
Mnistry of Health)
The number of people dying from coronavirus could rise sharply if the highly
infectious disease continues to spread rapidly in Armenia, Health Minister Arsen
Torosian warned on Thursday.
Torosian’s ministry reported 335 new COVID-19 infections in the morning, raising
the total number of cases to 5,606. It also said that three more people died
from the virus in the past day.
The official death toll from the epidemic thus reached 70. It does not include
the deaths of 27 other people infected with the virus. The health authorities
claim that those fatalities were primarily caused by other, pre-existing
diseases.
“There have been 70 deaths in the country,” Torosian told a news conference.
“Imagine if there were 120, 150 or 200 deaths every day. Such a scenario cannot
be ruled out if we fail to contain the spread of the virus.”
“If we have 5,600 cases today, at this rate [of new infections] we will have
11,200 cases within 15 days,” he said. “So our challenge is to break this tempo.”
Torosian was particularly worried about a possible shortage of intensive care
beds at the Armenian hospitals treating COVID-19 patients. There are a total of
203 such beds available at the moment and 131 of them are already occupied by
patients in serious or critical condition, he said.
The minister further announced that starting from Friday the authorities will
have to stop hospitalizing or isolating infected people who show mild symptoms
of the virus or none at all.
Such individuals, who account for more than 70 percent of all cases, will be
told to self-isolate at home. Asymptomatic patients currently kept in hospitals
or hotels turned into temporary medical care centers will also be sent home.
Armenia -- Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian chairs a cabinet meeting, Yerevan, May
21, 2020.
“Regarding the coronavirus pandemic, our situation is not good,” Prime Minister
Nikol Pashinian grimly stated during a cabinet meeting held earlier in the day.
While not ruling out renewed lockdown restrictions in Armenia, Pashinian said
that his government should continue for now to put the emphasis on the
“individual responsibility” of every citizen.
Pashinian has repeatedly said that the success of the fight against the virus
primarily hinges on the extent to which Armenians will practice social
distancing and take other precautions recommended by the health authorities.
Critics have responded by accusing him of trying to dodge responsibility for the
authorities’ lax enforcement of stay-at-home orders and failure to contain the
epidemic.
As part of a nationwide lockdown imposed in late March, the Armenian government
seriously restricted people’s movements and ordered the closure of most
nonessential businesses. It began relaxing these restrictions already in
mid-April. The daily numbers of confirmed COVID-19 infections in the country
have steadily increased since then.
For the first time since the outbreak of the coronavirus crisis Pashinian and
members of his government wore face masks during a cabinet meeting. As the prime
minister explained: “Citizens have correctly noted, including on social media,
that if wearing masks inside buildings is mandatory, then why is this rule not
respected during government meetings?”
New Karabakh Leader Inaugurated
• Sargis Harutyunyan
Nagorno-Karabakh -- Ara Hatutuinian is sworn in as new president, Shushi, May
21, 2020
Businessman Ara Harutiunian was sworn in as Nagorno-Karabakh’s new president on
Thursday more than one month after winning a presidential election condemned by
Azerbaijan.
Harutiunian described Karabakh and Armenia as “inseparable parts of a united
national homeland” when he spoke during the inauguration ceremony held in the
town of Shushi and attended by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.
“Artsakh (Karabakh) is Armenia. Period!” he declared, echoing a controversial
statement made by Pashinian in Stepanakert last August.
Harutiunian served as Karabakh’s prime minister from 2007-2017. He has extensive
business interests in the region which had broken away from Azerbaijan in 1991.
The 46-year-old cruised to a comfortable victory in the second round of the
presidential ballot held on April 14 amid concerns about the spread of
coronavirus in Karabakh. His main challenger, outgoing Foreign Minister Masis
Mayilian, had urged supporters to boycott it because of those concerns.
Mayilian said after the runoff that the official vote results “have no
significance whatsoever” for his political team. Nevertheless, he chose to
attend Harutiunian’s inauguration.
Nagorno-Karabakh -- A voter casts ballots at a polling station in Stepanakert,
March 31, 2020.
The first round of voting was held on March 31. Karabakh Armenians also elected
their new parliament on that day. Harutiunian’s Free Fatherland bloc won 16 of
the 33 parliament seats, falling just short of a parliamentary majority.
Four other political groups will also be represented in the new Karabakh
legislature. A Harutiunian ally, Artur Tovmasian, was elected its speaker
earlier on Thursday.
Azerbaijan strongly condemned the Karabakh polls, saying that they run counter
to Azerbaijani and international law. It also said that that Karabakh is
governed by an “illegal regime installed by Armenia.”
U.S., Russian and French diplomats co-heading the OSCE Minsk Group stressed, for
their part, that Karabakh is not recognized as an independent state by the
international community and that “the so-called general elections” cannot
predetermine the outcome of Armenian-Azerbaijani peace talks mediated by them.
By contrast, Armenia defended the holding of the elections. It cited a 1992 OSCE
document saying that “elected representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh” should also
participate in the peace process.
Nagorno-Karabakh -- A football pitch for children and an Armenian church in
Shushi (Shusha), September 6, 2018.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry also condemned the inauguration ceremony and
Pashinian’s participation in it. “The war is not yet over, and Azerbaijan
reserves the right to restore its territorial integrity within its
internationally recognized borders by all necessary means,” it said in a
statement released on Wednesday.
Anna Naghdalian, the Armenian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, rejected Baku’s “war
threats,” saying that they cannot influence the Armenian position on the
unresolved conflict and “democratic processes taking place in Artsakh.”
On Monday, the Azerbaijani military began five-day exercises which it said will
involve around 10,000 soldiers, hundreds of tanks and artillery systems, and
dozens of warplanes and helicopters. The Armenian Defense Ministry warned it
against trying to “move military hardware and personnel close to the Armenian
border or the Line of Contact with Nagorno-Karabakh.”
Yerevan Insists On Lower Russian Gas Price
• Sargis Harutyunyan
Armenia -- Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigorian speaks at at the TUMO Center for
Creative Technologies, Yerevan, January 21, 2020.
The Armenian government will keep pressing the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) to
create a single energy market which would lower the cost of Russian natural gas
imported by Armenia, Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigorian said on Thursday.
Grigorian insisted that “the issue is not closed” despite objections publicly
voiced by Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this week. “I think that we
will continue our attempts to solve that issue in the EEU framework through a
joint legal act,” he told RFE/RL’s Armenian service in an interview.
Grigorian said Moscow has signaled its readiness for a compromise deal on the
issue. He did not elaborate.
The gas price is currently significantly lower for consumers in Russia than
other members of the Russian-led trade bloc. Two of them, Armenia and Belarus,
say this puts their manufactures reliant on gas in a disadvantaged position
vis-à-vis their Russian competitors. Hence, their demands for uniform EEU energy
tariffs.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian insisted on this idea during a video conference
with the presidents of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan held on
Tuesday. Putin rejected it, however, implying that Yerevan and Minsk should
agree to even deeper economic integration with Moscow before pushing it.
Grigorian made clear that neither the Armenian side nor the EEU as a whole is
prepared for such integration which would lead what Putin described as a “single
budget and system of taxation” for all EEU member states. He said it would also
raise questions about Armenia’s “sovereignty.”
The Armenian and Belarusian governments say that Moscow should cut the prices of
gas delivered to their countries also because of the recent coronavirus-related
collapse in global energy prices.
For the same reason, Yerevan urged Russia’s Gazprom giant in late March to cut
its wholesale gas price for Armenia. It hopes that such a discount would at
least prevent a sizable increase in internal Armenian gas prices sought by
Armenia’s Gazprom-owned gas distribution network.
The Gazprom Armenia network argues that they have remained unchanged since
Gazprom raised its wholesale tariff by 10 percent in January 2019. The gas
operator has incurred major losses as a result. Armenian utility regulators are
due to decide by June 17 whether to allow the price hike.
“I have the impression that there are many possibilities of ensuring that gas
does not become more expensive for the population [of Armenia] at this point,”
Grigorian said in this regard. “You should consider this a mere impression or
opinion because it would be inappropriate if I spoke [definitively] of solutions
now.”
Armenian Government Softens Stance On Constitutional Court
• Karlen Aslanian
Armenia -- Constitutional Court Chairman Hrayr Tovmasian reads out a court
ruling, Yerevan, March 17, 2020.
Armenia’s political leadership no longer insists on replacing most members of
the Constitutional Court and is ready to settle for a less radical change in the
court’s composition, a senior lawmaker said on Thursday.
For almost a year, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s administration has pressured
seven of the court’s nine judges to step down. Pashinian has accused them -- and
chief justice Hrayr Tovmasian in particular -- of maintaining close ties to the
country’s former government and impeding judicial reforms.
Tovmasian and opposition figures have dismissed these claims, saying that
Pashinian is simply seeking to gain control over the court.
With all seven judges refusing to quit, the ruling political team decided in
February to hold a referendum on its bid to oust them. The referendum slated for
April 5 was subsequently postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Pashinian indicated last week that it will not be held anytime soon. Meanwhile,
his justice minister, Rustam Badasian, asked the Venice Commission of the
Council of Europe to help the Armenian government end its standoff with the high
court.
Armenia -- Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian (L) and Constitutional Court Chairman
Hrayr Tvomasian at a meeting in Yerevan, May 25, 2018.
According to Ruben Rubinian, the pro-government chairman of the Armenian
parliament committee on foreign relations, the government is specifically
seeking Venice Commission advice on an alternative solution to the
“constitutional crisis.” It essentially boils down to ensuring that no
Constitutional Court judge can serve for more than 12 years.
Such term limits were set by amendments to the Armenian constitution which took
effect in April 2018. However, the former authorities made sure that they do not
apply to those judges who were installed prior to that. The latter can therefore
retain their positions until reaching retirement age.
The solution suggested by the government would eliminate this transitional
provision through constitutional changes that would be passed by the Armenian
parliament. It would lead to the immediate resignation of only two judges who
had taken the bench in the mid-1990s. Two other Constitutional Court members
would have to resign in 2022.
Under the proposed scenario revealed by Rubinian, Tovmasian would have to resign
only as head of the country’s highest court and would remain one of its nine
judges. The next chairman would be chosen by the majority of those judges for a
six-year term.
“This is basically what the solution is all about,” Rubinian told RFE/RL’s
Armenian service. “Naturally, it also presupposes our cooperation with our
international partners and the Venice Commission in the first instance. It is in
this context that the justice minister sent questions to the Venice Commission.”
The government expects to receive the commission’s response already next month.
Rubinian implied that in case of a positive reaction from Strasbourg the
government will move to enact relevant constitutional amendments through the
parliament controlled by Pashinian’s My Step bloc.
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.
CIVILNET.Unlocking Creativity During Armenia’s Coronavirus Lockdown
CIVILNET.AM
12:47
In these tough times of self-isolation and social distancing, Armenia’s TUMO Center for Creative Technologies continues to inspire its students and shows how creativity can be unleashed even during a complete lockdown. From designing COVID-19 testing strategies to shooting films from isolation, TUMO has been keeping its students busy.
“Our online workshops are designed to be accessible for all of our students. That is, they require the minimum amount of equipment,” said Marie Lou Papazian, the director of TUMO. Just with a laptop or a mobile phone, and an internet connection, TUMO students can join the most sophisticated online workshops and continue their education.
“We also continue to do our ‘learning labs’ which were always conducted by professionals who were visiting us from abroad. This year, of course, they could not come here because of the pandemic, but they still joined us online,” noted Papazian.
This is how Erik Aznauryan, a PhD student at Harvard University, taught students how to reproduce the model of the World Health Organization COVID-19 testing platform.
“I think every time I make something with TUMO, either online or offline, I’m very happy to see how easily the TUMO students, who really represent students from all parts of Armenia, grasp this knowledge which is sometimes difficult to master. That's actually what motivates many people to do this type of thing,” said Aznauryan.
Students also discussed the pandemic from a more creative angle with Andranik Babayan, who led an online filmmaking workshop. During this workshop, TUMO students, or Tumonians, were exploring how quarantine and self-isolation changed their lives both physically and emotionally.
“For my film, I decided to make my grandmother the central character, because if we will be isolated for only a few months, she has been in isolation for a year due to old age,” noted Angelnina Afyan, a workshop participant.
Another participant,Hovhannes, created a story about his car. “My story is a little bit different from others’ because it is not about a person.”
For Hovhannes, who joined the workshop from Gyumri, the defining feature of isolation was his inability to roam around the city driving his car. “I shoot myself washing my car in the garage, taking care of it and being nostalgic of the careless times when we could enjoy Gyumri's evening streets together.”
At the end of the workshop, the students will create a short film that would reflect on how each of them experienced isolation. “The small, individual stories would connect with each other like a chain, showing the larger impact of the pandemic,” said Andranik Babayan.
Leo Antolini’s workshop on character design didn’t focus on COVID-19, instead allowed students to digress from this subject and creating their own cartoon characters. Even though the Argentinian illustrator led the workshop from Barcelona, according to him the classes went rather smoothly. “This is my first online workshop, and although at first it was a little strange, we got used to it very quickly.”
For many Tumonians, the online workshops also solved the issue of transportation. Erik Mnacakanyan lives in Byurakan, which is far from Yerevan’s Tumo Center. He said that he often would not make it to the workshops because of the distance.
“Now it is very easy for me because I no longer have to think about the hours I spend on the road.” Erik joined Seda Hayrapetyan’s programming workshop, at the end of which students create mobile applications related to their desired subject.
Hayrapetyan mentioned that these workshops connected the students from different TUMO branches. “For the first time, I have a chance to lead a workshop with Yerevan, Gyumri and Dilijan students.It is fun how instead of isolating, the pandemic in a way actually united us all,” she said.
“I think our lives will certainly be changed after the pandemic, and in the end it was a good lesson for us,” mentioned Marie Lou Papazian. “It gave us an opportunity to rethink the way we approach education and finally explore the online platform, and consider it as a means of providing our education also to the far off villages and regions of Armenia.”
Fire at National Library of Armenia destroys digital document servers
JAM News
May 15 2020
15.05.2020
A fire took place in the National Library of Armenia, damaging servers on which digital versions of books and periodicals in Armenian were stored.
Because of the coronavirus crisis in Armenia, library staff are working online, in remote mode. When it was noted the site was not available, the library staff, along with the police guarding the building, came in to check on the building and found the burned-out servers.
The digital information of the National Library had been put together over the course of almost 20 years. Many researchers and simply readers used it its open access source documents both in Armenia itself and abroad.
The cause of the fire has not yet been clarified. It is also not clear whether it will be possible to recover information stored on the destroyed servers. However, according to the acting director Hrach Saribekyan, the evaluation of their appearance by the library specialist is encouraging:
“A full assessment can be given only after verification, which will become possible after the Ministry of Emergencies will consider the case.”
However, according to Saribekyan, all the digitized and archived material that was on the server devices is stored on separate media, that is, in any case, it is not lost. And the library is already working to make online materials again available to readers.
Armenpress: Ucom fills vacancies through internal promotion and recruitment of new staff
Ucom fills vacancies through internal promotion and recruitment of new staff
19:27,
YEREVAN, MAY 14, ARMENPRESS. As of , 1160 Ucom employees keep on ensuring company’s regular operations as far as in addition to their duties they have temporarily taken over the functions of the colleagues resigned. In total, 520 employees specialized in different areas have resigned as per their own application, the retention process for many of them is underway, ARMENPRESS was informed from Ucom.
"By giving preference to internal resources and relying on the professionalism of Ucom employees, we have entrusted the positions of the heads of various departments, senior specialists, coordinators to the existing ones, thus promoting them internally. In addition, to fill the vacancies, at least 25 people a day are being interviewed by the Human Resources and Organizational Development Directorate. As a result of business processes’ optimization we still need to hire around 300 specialists," said Ara Sergei Khachatryan, Director General at Ucom.
Let us add, that Ucom publishes job postings on specialized websites and keeps on receiving CVs at [email protected].
Armenia coronavirus infections reach 2273
PanArmenian, Armenia
May 2 2020
May 2, 2020 – 11:01 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net – The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Armenia grew by 125 to reach 2273 on Saturday, May 2 morning, according to information provided by the Health Ministry.
Fresh figures also revealed that 33 more people have recovered from the disease. in the country.
23142 tests have been performed since the beginning of the outbreak in the country, the National Center For Disease Control and Prevention said.
Armenia has extended the state of emergency in the country by May 14 and restricted the movement of citizens.
So far, 1010 people have recovered, 33 have died from the coronavirus in the country, while three others carrying the virus have died from other causes.
Armenian Assembly of America: In Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide, the Boston Armenian Community Gives Back
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 1, 2020
Armenian Assembly of America
Contact: Mariam Khaloyan
Tel: (202) 393-3434
In Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide, the Boston Armenian Community Gives Back
Washington, D.C. – As part of the inspirational April 24th campaign to provide 1.5 million meals to individuals and families in need across the United States, and as a symbolic gesture of gratitude to America for the humanitarian relief provided to the Armenian people during the Armenian Genocide, the Boston Armenian community rallied support and also raised awareness through the purchase of 3 billboards, reported the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly).
“This is an amazing example of our community at work, seeing our best and brightest here in Boston come together to continue the effort to Feed America. This is at the core of Armenian Assembly’s objective to bring our community together in a meaningful way,” stated Assembly Co-Chair Anthony Barsamian. “Starting with our strong community in southern California, Boston and other communities continue to organize and raise awareness about the Armenian Genocide while giving back to those in need during the current state of emergency. I share with all of you my respect and thanks to all those who contributed to this effort throughout the country,” Barsamian added.
Drs. Shant and Reem Parseghian, in collaboration with following community members, were able to raise the needed funds: Dr. and Mrs. Noubar and Anna Afeyan, Mr. and Mrs. Armen and Lauren Arakelian, Mr. and Dr. Aram and Knarik Arkun, Dr. and Mrs. Armen and Araz Arslanian, Dr. and Mrs. Mihran and Elo Artinian, Mr. and Mrs. Nigoghos and Roset Atinizian, Mr. and Mrs. Nishan and Margrit Atinizian, Mr. and Mrs. Robert and Garineh Avakian, Mr. and Mrs. Jano and Arpi Avedissian, Mr. and Dr. Ara and Talin Balikian, Mr. and Mrs. Avedis and Carmen Barmakian, Mr. and Mrs. Jack and Rita Bejakian, Mr. and Mrs. Sam and Ida Bejakian, Mr. and Mrs. Stephan & Beth Boyamian, Mr. and Mrs. Avedis and Houry Boyamian, Mr. and Mrs. Sarkis and Rita Chekijian, Mr. and Mrs. Jirair and Susan Demirchian, Mr. and Mrs. Raffi and Nina Festekjian, Mr. and Mrs. Jean-Jacques and Nicole Hajjar, Dr. and Mrs. George and Kara Halebian, Mr. and Mrs. Chris and Talin Kebadjian, Dr. and Mrs. Berdj and Margaret Kiladjian, Mr. and Mrs. Alexander and Tamar Kouspakian, Mr. and Mrs. George and Zepure Kouyoumjian, Mr. and Mrs. Aurelian and Anahid Mardiros, Mr. and Mrs. Gary and Hasmig Mardiros, Mr. and Mrs. Armen and Sylvie Meguerditchian, Mr. and Mrs. Richard and Maro Meguerditchian, Dr. and Mrs. Vatche and Natalie Minassian, Mr. and Mrs. Charlie and Herip Minassian, Mr. and Mrs. Vahe and Ani Nigoghosian, Mr. and Mrs. Karnig and Linda Ostayan, Mr. and Mrs. Sarkis and Seta Ourfalian, Drs. Ashot and Yelena Papoyan, Dr. and Mrs. Vatche and Seza Seradarian.
“As genocide survivors, we were always grateful to the counties that hosted us and helped us to prosper and build our communities again, so expressing gratitude to this great country we live in is the least we can do, moreover the prominent placement of these billboards helps to further our collective goals in raising awareness about the tragedy of the Armenian Genocide,” stated Dr. Shant Parseghian of Massachusetts.
Thanks to the multi-coalition Armenian American organizational effort that was initiated in southern California in partnership with The Tony Robbins Foundation, a nationwide nonprofit organization, Feeding America, will be able to provide much-needed meals to more than 5 million people based on the funds raised.
Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.
###
NR# 2020-14
Stranded Kurdistan students airlifted from Armenia
14:26,
YEREVAN, APRIL 23, ARMENPRESS. The Kurdistan Region has evacuated 91 Kurdish students and other nationals from Armenia who were stranded because of the coronavirus pandemic, Kurdistan 24 reported citing the Kurdistan Region’s Department of Foreign Relations (DFR).
“A group of 89 students and two others arrived at Erbil International Airport through a flight from Armenia; 57 of them from Sulaimani province, 21 from Duhok, and 13 from Erbil,” DFR official Halgurd Salaye told Kurdistan 24. “They had been stuck in Armenia due to the suspension of flights as part of the prevention measures against the new coronavirus.”
“The process of returning the citizens was conducted in coordination with Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) DFR and Iraq’s Foreign Ministry,” Salaye added, thanking the governments of Armenia and Iraq.
He said there are more students currently in Armenia who will be airlifted over the next few days.
Editing by Stepan Kocharyan
Limit of contactless payments without entering PIN code via IDBank’s Visa cards is 20,000 AMD
17:49,
YEREVAN, APRIL 23, ARMENPRESS. Contactless payments are more than applicable nowadays. From now on, the limit for making a payment without entering the PIN code for newly issued cards is 20,000 AMD.
To pay via IDBank’s Visa payWave cards at different stores, you just need to keep the card near the POS terminal.
With this step, IDBank allows its customers not to endanger their health and make payments without even transferring the card to the merchant.
As was mentioned at the Bank, it is possible to make payments also through those IDBank cards attached to theIdram wallet, using QR and NFC technologies.
IDBank offers Idram Rocket Visa as well as Visa Gold, Visa Platinum, Visa Signature, Visa Infinite debit and credit cards, which you can order from the Idram app and from the Bank's website.
THE BANK IS CONTROLLED BY THE CBA