MFA announces competition to recreate Armenian landmarks on Minecraft App

Panorama, Armenia

Armenia’s foreign ministry has announced an online competition to recreate famous Armenian buildings on Minecraft game, including the building of the foreign ministry. As the ministry tweeted, the winner of the competition will get a prize from the ministry.

To note, Minecraft involves players creating various types of blocks in a three dimensional environment. The player takes an avatar that can destroy or create blocks, forming fantastic structures, creations and artwork across the various multiplayer servers in multiple game modes.

Sports: Summer Universiade: Artur Avetisyan reaches final

Panorama, Armenia
July 4 2019
Sport 19:37 04/07/2019 Armenia

The 30th Summer Universiade has kicked off in Napoli. Gymnast Artur Avetisyan was the first of the Armenian athletes to start the competition, the National Olympic committee reported.
In the rings qualification round he scored 14,750 points and qualified for the final on the second position. The young athlete conceded with a slight difference to Turk Ibrahim Cholak (first place) who was a 2018 Universiade and 2018 European silver medalist.

A year after Armenia’s 250,000-person revolution, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan explains what comes next for the country

Business Insider
July 3 2019
  • Last April, Armenia had a bloodless revolution to declare the resignation of their previous President turned Prime Minister, Serzh Sargsyan.
  • Opposition leader and current Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan led these peaceful demonstrations. Pashinyan and his supporters called for a more democratic governmental system in Armenia.
  • Our team traveled to Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, to interview Nikol Pashinyan about what comes next for the country. We also spoke with citizens about their thoughts on post-revolution Armenia.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Following is a transcript of the video.

Narrator: This is Nikol Pashinyan.

In April 2018, he led a 250,000-person revolution in Armenia.

The peaceful demonstrations were in reponse to the decadelong rule of Serzh Sargsyan.

After serving as president for 10 years, lawmakers elected Sargsyan to become prime minister.

But many Armenians agreed that Sargsyan had been in power for too long.

So they took to the streets to protest it.

The revolution was successful in ousting Sargsyan from power.

And Pashinyan has since been elected prime minister of Armenia.

Pashinyan: Our people were convinced that they decide nothing, and only government or establishment has opportunities and real tools and leverages to decide their destiny, and the destiny of our country.

We had a problem with the official results of elections because continuously the results of elections were falsified.

We had a huge problem of electoral bribes, vote buying, etc. But our last snap parliamentary elections were assessed by international observers as free, democratic, independent, and reliable.

And we had a tremendous change in our political life because of the change of personal behaviour of every citizen.

Narrator: Armenia has historically been a crossroads between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

Neighbors include Turkey to the left, Azerbaijan to the right, Iran to the south, and Georgia and Russia to the north.

With such a diverse group of neighbors and a long history of conflict, international relations can be very complicated.

Pashinyan: For us, it's very important, our relations with our neighbors, Iran and Georgia. Unfortunately, two of our borders from four are closed.

Narrator: Those two closed borders are Turkey and Azerbaijan, largely because of the frozen conflict regarding the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

While international relations can be difficult, Pashinyan is focusing on domestic economic changes to shape the country's near future. One growth sector he's confident about is tech.

That includes the Tumo Center for Creative Technologies, a free learning center for the Armenian youth that specializes in technology and design.

The center has recently expanded to Paris and Beirut, with plans for more international locations.

Pashinyan: That means that Armenia is starting to export technologists. These kinds of technologists actually are changing the face of Armenia.

Narrator: Armenia has a population of about 2.9 million people for 11,484 square miles.

For comparison, about 8.9 million people live in New York City.

Armen Ghazaryan, head of migration services, hopes this number can grow following the revolution.

Ghazaryan: Armenia is a country of destination, country of transit, and country of origin.

We are all those three in one.

Armenia is also a country that is in the process of change, and this is a very important pull factor.

It brings people here because people want to be part of the change, and they want to transform a country and be engaged in this transformation process, be it on a political level, be it on economic level, and hopefully later on, on social and cultural levels as well.

Narrator: We spoke with citizens in the capital of Armenia about post-revolution life.

Man: Of course, it's changed, of course.

Because today already, within the people, there's trust.

Student: Before, our job market was very busy, and new graduates usually weren't employed.

Now there are many organizations, which are international organizations, that have come here and opened their branch in Armenia.

Woman: I don't know, I'm from a far village.

Our countryside life hasn't changed much, nothing more, nothing less.

In our lives, everything is normal, we hope God makes it better.

Video at https://www.businessinsider.com/armenian-revolution-serzh-sargsyan-prime-minister-armenia-2019-7?fbclid=IwAR3XRUC85uYOoN4RFEjDv_StmBYZJD5tCw7CA8eDqRxwQwwGOKkDCHGDVTE

Yerevan court denies bail for indicted Armenian Gen. Manvel Grigoryan

Panorama, Armenia
July 2 2019

A Yerevan court of general jurisdiction judge Mnatsakan Martirosyan rejected on Tuesday a defense motion to release Manvel Grigoryan, a retired Armenian army general and a former Republican lawmaker facing various criminal charges, from custody pending the outcome of his trial.

His attorney Levon Baghdasaryan had earlier requested the court to release the ex-MP on a bail of 10 million drams, citing his ‘extremely’ poor health condition.

Meanwhile, prosecutors had opposed to the defense motion.

The retired general, who has been receiving treatment in a civil hospital for several weeks, was taken to the courtroom on a wheelchair, hooked up to a ventilator at today’s court hearing into his and his wife Nazik Amiryan’s trial.

Grigoryan is charged with embezzlement of army supplies and illegal procurement and possession of firearms and ammunition in large quantities in a prior agreement with his wife, son and several other individuals, tax evasion and extortion.

He was initially arrested on 19 June last year after being stripped of his parliamentary immunity.

The ex-MP was freed from pre-trial arrest on 21 December on 25 million drams bail – a ruling appealed by the Prosecutor General’s Office.

On 22 January the Yerevan Court of Appeals ruled to re-arrest Grigoryan, who was hospitalized one month later.

Armenia’s sustainable energy development under spotlight of CSOs coalition: 4th session held in Yerevan

Armenia’s sustainable energy development under spotlight of CSOs coalition: 4th session held in Yerevan

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15:44, 28 June, 2019

YEREVAN, JUNE 28, ARMENPRESS. The 4th session of the Coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) for sustainable and transparent energy development in Armenia was held within the framework of the “Civil Society Organizations for Sustainable and Transparent Energy Development” (EU4STED) project implemented in the scope of the “Commitment to Constructive Dialogue” project funded by the European Union.

The session was attended by various member organizations of the coalition and guests.

Chairman of the “Armenian Lawyers’ Association” NGO Karen Zadoyan said he attaches great importance to the activities of the coalition in the past period. “After formation we expect two results from the coalition. The first one is aimed at monitoring and improving the public policies in energy field, and the next one is directed for internal capacity development of the coalition so that it will become one of the major role players in its activity field and the government’s partner”, Zadoyan said.

Karen Zadoyan told ARMENPRESS that they highlight the development of internal documents. “These are vital documents and are very important for the development of the coalition. I am confident that the coalition has a great impact on the further development of energy sector in Armenia”, he said, adding that their NGO has provided a grant for public policy development, reforms and capacity development of the coalition.

Director of the Energy Saving Foundation NGO Astghine Pasoyan stated that from now on they should not be a group of organizations only, but a structure that has a common goal, tools and vision. “Program ends, but actions start”, she said.

The session aimed at introducing the works of the CSOs coalition, in particular those relating to the introduction of energy efficiency procurement and regulations of operation of sustainable energy stations in communities, the creation and launch of a “smart” monitoring platform for sustainable energy development in communities and etc.

ARMENPRESS is the information partner of the coalition.

 

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan




Pharmaceutical drugs found on bus coming to Armenia from Turkey

Vestnik Kavkaza
27 Jun in 11:40

Armenia's State Revenue Committee officers, in conjunction with officers at the Bagratashen customs checkpoint on the border with Georgia, have detected pharmaceutical drugs hidden from customs inspection, on a bus coming to Armenia from Turkey.

A total of 3.5kg pharmaceutical drugs hidden from customs control were found in the cargo of an Armenian citizen passenger, the SRC said.

This person said he was unaware of the presence of these pharmaceutical drugs, that another passenger of this bus had given them to him as an accompanying cargo, and upon the instruction of the founder director of the company conducting the given passenger transportation.

The pharmaceutical drugs have been confiscated and a report on violation of customs rules has been prepared. The items have been sent to the corresponding SRC division, News.am reported.

Artsakh’s Tigranakert Plays Host to Pan Armenian Games Torch Lighting

Lighting of the third torch of the Pan-Armenian Games in Tigranakert, Artsakh

The third torch lighting ceremony for the 7th Pan-Armenian Summer Games took place Monday in Tigranakert, Artsakh, with the message of Armenia-Artsakh-Diaspora trinity, informed the news service of the World Committee of the Pan-Armenian Games.

The event brought together Artsakh President Bako Sahakian; Primate of the Artsakh Diocese Archbishop Pargev Martirosyan; chairman of the international committee of the Pan-Armenian Games Ishkhan Zakaryan; and several other high-level guests.

Artsakh Defense Army Senior Lieutenant Artur Aghasyan lit the torch

The third torch of the 7th Pan-Armenian Summer Games was lit by Artsakh Defense Army Senior Lieutenant Artur Aghasyan, a participant of the April 2016 war and a Knight of the Battle Cross.

The first torch of the Pan-Armenian Summer Games was lit earlier this month in Mousa Ler, in Vakf of the former Kingdom of Cilicia, in present-day Turkey, while the second torch was lit last week at the Khor Virap monastery in Armenia.

The 7th Pan-Armenian Summer Games will be held from August 5 to 17 in Armenia and Artsakh, and the motto of this event is, “Unity, with Sports.”

Armenian citizen arrested in Georgia for failure to obey lawful order of police officer

Armenian citizen arrested in Georgia for failure to obey lawful order of police officer

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13:15,

YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. Human Rights Defender of Armenia Arman Tatoyan is in contact with his Georgian counterpart, Public Defender Nino Lomjaria over the ongoing rallies and Police operations in Tbilisi.

“My counterpart today informed me that according to their data there is an Armenian citizen among the arrested people. He will stay in administrative detention for 13 days for failure to obey the lawful order of the police officer. The personal contacts of the detainee’s relative have been transferred to us, and we will also be in touch with him”, the Armenian Ombudsman said.

He thanked his Georgian counterpart for the cooperation and effective joint work. “I wish to our Georgian friends that the current situation in the country will be solved quickly and peacefully”, Arman Tatoyan said.

Earlier the Armenian foreign ministry informed that there is an Armenian citizen among the people arrested in Georgia during the ongoing clashes. Armenian citizen Minas Minasyan, born in 1995, studies in Tbilisi.

“The Armenian Embassy in Georgia is constant contact with the Georgian law enforcement agencies, and the Embassy diplomats will soon visit Minas Minasyan”, the Embassy said.

On June 20, several thousand protesters converged on the parliament in downtown Tbilisi, demanding the resignation of the interior minister and the parliament’s speaker, and tried to storm the building. In response, police used tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons to disperse the demonstrators. According to Georgian media, dozens were detained, 240 people suffered injuries.

The protests were sparked by an uproar over a Russian State Duma delegation’s participation in the 26th session of the Inter-parliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy (IAO). On Thursday morning, IAO President Gavrilov opened the session in the Georgian parliament building. Opposition lawmakers were outraged by the fact that Gavrilov addressed the event’s participants from the parliament speaker’s seat. In protest, they did not allow the IAO session to continue.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan




‘It was a Tough Victory,’ Says Armenia Soccer Coach of Beating Greece

Armenia’s National Soccer Team ahead of the match with Greece on June 11

The head coach of Armenia’s National Soccer Team, Armen Gyulbudaghyants, said that Tuesday’s 3 to 2 victory over the Greek National team in the Euro 2020 qualifier was “tough.”

“The boys did a great job, they played in a disciplined manner,” he told reporters during a post-match press conference. He said the team “lost focus only in a single moment.”

“This was a very difficult victory for us,” added Gyulbudaghyants, who added that during these types of matches what matters is the mood, setting and the desire to win.

Armenia’s National team captain Henrikh Mikhitaryan was seen warmly greeting and embracing the captain of the Greek team, Sokratis Papastathopoulos. The two play alongside each other on Arsenal

In fact it was not all rivalry during Tuesday’s match. Armenia’s National team captain Henrikh Mikhitaryan was seen warmly greeting and embracing the captain of the Greek team, Sokratis Papastathopoulos. After all, the two also are teammates at Aresenal.

Armenians had traveled from all over Europe to attend the match and cheer for Armenia’s National team.

“Many thanks to our fans. We felt your support,” Gyulbudaghyants said.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan also congratulated the Armenian National Football Team for its stunning victory against Greece on Tuesday.

“Six goals and two victories in two matches. This is getting serious. Congratulations to the Armenian National Football Team, with expectations of a heated matches in the fall,” said Pashinyan .

We intend to make Armenia heaven on earth for talented people – Nikol Pashinyan attends plenary session at St. Petersburg International Economic Forum

We intend to make Armenia heaven on earth for talented people – Nikol Pashinyan attends plenary session at St. Petersburg International Economic Forum

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18:59, 7 June, 2019

YEREVAN, June 7, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, who is paying a working visit to the Russian Federation, attended the 23rd plenary meeting of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, referred to as “Forming an agenda for sustainable development.”

President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation, PRC President Xi Jinping, President of Bulgaria Rumen Radev, Prime Minister of Slovakia Peter Pellegrini, UN Secretary General António Guterres were in attendance.

Addressing the forum, Prime Minister Pashinyan stated:

“Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich,
President Xi Jinping,
President Radev,
Prime Minister Pellegrini,
Secretary General Guterres,

I will start my speech with the traditional remarks of appreciation for organizing this meeting and for the opportunity to share thoughts about our country’s development paths and the steps taken by our government on the way to achieving the proposed goals.

Today, Armenia is experiencing an important period in its modern history. Against the background of political stability and an unprecedentedly high degree of legitimacy of the authorities, fundamental changes are taking place in the country.

Their ultimate goal is to create a competitive and technologically advanced economy and modern society based on the universal principles of equality, justice and the rule of law.

What is the essence of these transformations? We can state in short that they are aimed at improving the efficiency of our political and economic institutions.

Armenia is a country that has no direct access to the sea, with limited economic and natural resources and a difficult geographical position in terms of logistics corridors and the geopolitical features of the region. These challenges are prompting us to be in permanent search of ways of increasing competitiveness and efficiency. What does this mean for us?

First of all, this means increasing efficiency in the state governance system. I can say with full confidence that we have already managed to achieve tangible results in this regard.

Systemic corruption has been eradicated in the country. The activity of artificial monopolies and oligopolies is minimized. However, we faced a fundamental problem while trying to improve the economic and political environment of our country.

The judicial power, unlike the executive and legislative branches where we made tangible progress in terms of optimizing institutions, has not been subject to any tangible transformation. As a result, there was a huge breach in public confidence in the judiciary. And this, in turn, creates serious obstacles to the development of the country as a whole.

All our efforts to protect capital, create equal conditions for economic activity and a favorable environment for attracting foreign investment cannot lead to the desired result if the judiciary is not qualitatively transformed.
Therefore, the creation of a truly independent judiciary, free from corruption and political influence, is today a pressing problem for our society and a priority in the reform strategy of the Armenian government.

The second priority is the full use of the potential inherent in foreign economic relations and participation in international integration structures. Institutionalizing access to global economic centers and activity is extremely important for countries like Armenia. This primarily relates to our cooperation with the Russian Federation and participation in the Eurasian Economic Union.

We are committed to the further improvement of our strategic partnership with Russia and the most productive participation in the Union. To this end, we will make every effort to improve cooperation mechanisms and maximize integration between the members of our association. This is also true for our CSTO membership.

I would like to emphasize our interest in expanding the geographic coverage of EAEU’s foreign economic relations. China is of particular importance in this respect. I am pleased to note that for a month now, we have achieved a high dynamics in the development of bilateral relations with China, which plays a key role in the global economy.

As an EAEU-member country, we see the importance of creating institutional cooperation between various integration associations and projects. I am prioritizing the idea of pairing the EAEU and the Silk Road Economic Belt. It seems to be both logical and reasonable. I also consider as quite promising the policy of seeking closer cooperation between the EAEU and the European Union. I feel that such cooperation is feasible and even inevitable if not in the near future, but at least in the medium term.

Armenia has signed an enhanced partnership agreement with the EU, which we intend to use with maximum efficiency for the design and implementation of reforms in our country. Partnership with the EU in no way contradicts our membership of the EAEU. They are complementing each other and enriching our capabilities with new comparative advantages.

The third priority is the most effective use of human resources. Human capital is our core asset. Our government seeks to create favorable conditions for full development of our citizens’ creative, intellectual and business potential. We intend to make Armenia heaven on earth for talented people.

We see the future of Armenia in the development of an innovative economy. It has no alternative for a country like Armenia. The technological sector is a top priority for us. Education in this regard is of particular importance. Armenia inherited a strong school of physics and mathematics from Soviet times, and today we are doing everything possible to consolidate and use this potential.

Over the past seven years, the IT and high-tech sectors have grown fivefold in Armenia. They have become the drivers of Armenia’s economic growth and most promising industries.

Education and innovation, cooperation and integration, the rule of law and good governance are what we believe to be our competitive edge, which will help us tap our resources and provide conditions for sustainable economic development.

We think that we have already embarked on this path, because in the first quarter of this year, Armenia recorded a GDP growth of 7.1%, while the economic activity index rose to 9.2% in April.
International business is invited to invest in Armenia. We have even formulated a motto for potential investors: we invite them to get richer and enrich our country.

Thank you.”

Prior to the plenary session, Nikol Pashinyan toured the stands of an exhibition organized as part of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. The Premier got acquainted with the achievements of participating companies.

During the tour, the Prime Minister was interviewed by Euronews, RIA Novosti and CGTV.