CIVILNET.AM
10:05
Former President Robert Kocharyan holds his first election rally.
The Armenian Parliament is officially dissolved.
Author: Vardan Badalian
Asbarez: Destruction of More Armenian Monuments in Hadrut Reported
May 4, 2021
A satellite image of the destroyed Mets Tagher cemetery in Hadrut (CHW photo)
An Armenian cemetery in the village if Mets Tagher in Artsakh’s Hadrut district has been destroyed by Azerbaijanis, who not control the area since the November 9 agreement.
A group called Caucasus Heritage Watch, which monitors and documents endangered and damaged cultural heritage using satellite imagery, reported in a Twitter post on Tuesday.
CHW, which is comprised of researchers at Cornell and Purdue Universities, said the Armenian cemetery in Mets Tagher was founded in the early 19th century and was in use when Armenians evacuated the village in 2020. Satellite imagery shows its complete destruction. Signs of bulldozer scars can be seen.
Satellite image of the Holy Savior Church in Hadrut (CHW photo)
In the same village, CHW warned, the Surb Amenaprkitch (Holy Savior) church, founded 1846, appears to be threatened by construction. As of April the area just east of the church was bulldozed, and trucks were parked in the clearing.
This is the latest in a string of reports detailing Azerbaijan’s systematic destruction, demolition or desecration of Armenian churches and monuments.
Artsakh’s Human Rights Defender reported Monday that the Ghazanchetstots Cathedral in Shushi was being dismantled, with all traces of its Armenian characteristics having been erased, including the dome of the iconic church.
CivilNet: Is Democracy in Armenia Declining or Progressing?
CIVILNET.AM
06 May, 2021 06:05
The Project Coordinator at Freedom House in Armenia Sossi Tatikyan gives her take on President Biden’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide, Armenia’s Democracy score in the latest Nations in Transit report and comparisons that can be made with other countries in the region.
Another Cabinet member gets vaccinated
14:10, 4 May, 2021
YEREVAN, MAY 4, ARMENPRESS. Caretaker Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Vahram Dumanyan received his first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine.
“For more than a year, the world is fighting against the pandemic, which has actually thrown a disastrous challenge to mankind. We can break the chain of the pandemic only by getting vaccinated,” he said, calling on citizens to get vaccinated.
Dumanyan’s deputy Karen Giloyan also received his first shot, the ministry said.
Caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his two deputies, as well as the healthcare minister have also received the vaccine earlier.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
Cenbak governor forecasts increase in crediting interest rate
16:58, 4 May, 2021
YEREVAN, MAY 4, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank governor Martin Galstyan forecasts a certain increase in the crediting interest rates after they raised the refinancing rate.
At its meeting today, the Board of the Central Bank of Armenia raised the refinancing rate by 0.5 percentage point to 6.0%,
The Lombard repo facility rate was set 7.5%, while the Deposit facility rate at 4.5%.
The Central Bank is forecasting external and internal inflation effects on the Armenian economy but the 12-months inflation – after a certain acceleration in the short-term sector- will gradually decrease and stabilize around a targeted 4%, the Armenian Central Bank’s governor Martin Galstyan at a news conference after the refinancing rate was raised.
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1051230.html?fbclid=IwAR153G2VGZxUvcwP9mT9iWF-32HsLh-WsIs4uPe9JgieYmwOqM7AtZSIAO0
Ombudsman: Thousands of Artsakh workers deprived of their dignified employment after 2020 war
Panorama, Armenia
May 1 2021
Artsakh's Human Rights Ombudsman Gegham Stepanyan extended congratulations on Labor Day celebrated on May 1. The ombudsman’s message reads:
"Dear compatriots,
Congratulations to all of us on May 1, Labor Day. Diligence, work, and respect for the working person are among our unique national features, which we must always maintain in order to strengthen our families and the state.
Labor Day is an opportunity to raise the problems faced by working people in Artsakh, as the exercise of labor rights and fair working conditions are essential for the harmonization of public relations, the strengthening of social justice and the sustainable development of the state.
There are sufficient legal guarantees for the protection of labor rights in Artsakh, but in a number of cases, labor rights violations have been reported and continue to occur, which could have been ruled out if the participants in the labor relations were sufficiently aware of labor protection mechanisms.
In 2020, The Human Rights Ombudsman received 75 applications related to labor rights, which mainly referred to the groundless termination of the employment contract, reduction of posts without a legal basis, non-provision of final settlement, imposition of disciplinary sanctions without following the procedure established by law. Due to the socio-economic situation and the scarcity of vacancies, as well as the insufficient labor market, workers often had to come to terms with the fact that their labor rights were being violated.
The situation is aggravated by the Azeri aggression unleashed against the people of Artsakh in the fall of 2020. Thousands of Artsakh workers from the territories occupied by Azerbaijan were deprived of the opportunity to exercise their labor rights, our compatriots working in the field of agriculture were deprived of their dignified employment.
In such conditions, greater efforts are required to improve the labor market and provide society with decent work.
Congratulating again on this day, I wish that with our daily work we will be able to stand up and develop our homeland and build a competitive state, ensuring modern methods and standards of work organization and protection of workers' rights."
Hovhannes Hovsepyan elected President of Boxing Federation of Armenia
13:48,
YEREVAN, APRIL 29, ARMENPRESS. Hovhannes Hovsepyan is the new President of the Boxing Federation of Armenia. Before the voting began, 2 of the 4 candidates withdrew, leaving retired boxer Israel Hakobkokhyan as the only competition for Hovespyan – who serves as the President of the Armenian National Boxing Federation.
IBF representative Yuri Zaytsev was in attendance at the event.
Hovsepyan vowed to elevate Armenian boxing to a “new global level”.
From the registered 95 voters, 92 cast ballots. Hovsepyan beat Hakobkokhyan with 67/10 votes, with another 15 ballots declared invalid.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
Meetings of Armenian, Azerbaijani NSS chiefs over POW issue taking place regularly – Melkonyan
13:51,
YEREVAN, APRIL 29, ARMENPRESS. The heads of the Armenian and Azerbaijani national security services are meeting regularly aimed at solving the issue of the Armenian prisoners of war who are held captive in Azerbaijan. In addition to the direct meetings, there is also a phone contact, Deputy Director of the National Security Service of Armenia Stepan Melkonyan told reporters in the Parliament, asked whether the talks over the return of the POWs continue or not.
“Meetings are taking place regularly for giving a solution to the issue relating to the prisoners of war”, he said.
Mr. Melkonyan stated that last such meeting took place about a month ago, but, he noted, that this doesn’t mean that there is no contact. “Besides the direct meetings, there is also a phone contact”, he said.
On January 9, 2021, Director of the National Security Service of Armenia Armen Abazyan had a working meeting with Director of the State Security Service of Azerbaijan Ali Nagiyev in the neutral border zone adjacent to Yeraskh community of Armenia’s Ararat province. During the meeting issues relating to the exchange of prisoners of war and the search for the missing in action were discussed. Another meeting also took place on January 10.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 29-04-21
17:48,
YEREVAN, 29 APRIL, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 29 April, USD exchange rate up by 0.82 drams to 520.63 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 3.75 drams to 630.95 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.06 drams to 7.01 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 3.59 drams to 725.55 drams.
The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.
Gold price down by 152.99 drams to 29664.22 drams. Silver price down by 6.25 drams to 433.03 drams. Platinum price down by 435.91 drams to 20337.45 drams.
US Senator Markey releases statement on reports of Biden’s potential recognition of Armenian Genocide
11:48,
YEREVAN, APRIL 23, ARMENPRESS. US Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement after reports that the Biden administration will formally recognize the century-old atrocities committed by the Ottoman Empire against Armenians as genocide, marking the 106th anniversary of the atrocities that took the lives of 1.5 million Armenians beginning in 1915, Armenpress reports citing the Senator’s official website.
“It’s long past time that the United States formally recognized the crimes committed against the Armenian people for what they were – genocide,” said Senator Markey. “I applaud the Biden administration for taking this step that many have pledged, but none have fulfilled. As we approach the 106th anniversary of the first genocide of the 20th century, we not only remember the 1.5 million Armenians who lost their lives, but embark on a new era in history in which the United States formally recognizes the atrocities committed against them.
I and many of my colleagues have been calling for years for the United States to take this step of acknowledgment and place us firmly on the right side of history. The only way to seek to live up to the phrase ‘never again’ is to honestly and openly accept the past. The Biden administration has rightfully placed human rights at the center of U.S. foreign policy and this step will send an important message to those around the world who think they can commit abuses without consequence. I thank the Armenian-American community for their decades of passionate advocacy in their fight for recognition, and I will continue to stand with them as we strive to heal the wounds of the past. Together we can build something positive, something hopeful, something good for the future – an Armenia that is respected and honored by its allies and neighbors”, Edward Markey said in his statement.
On March 19, 2021, Senator Markey joined Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and 35 colleagues in a letter calling on President Biden to become the first U.S. President to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide.