Category: 2018

Panorama, Armenia

Nov 10 2018

Arminfo, Armenia

Nov 7 2018

RA Ministry of Healthnare: In Armenia system of compulsory medical insurance can be implemented within 3-4 years.

Yerevan November 7

Alexander Avanesov. The system of compulsory medical insurance in Armenia can be implemented within 3-4 years. This was announced on November 7 at the parliamentary hearings on the draft state budget of the country for 2019, Acting Healthcare Minister Arsen Torosyan said.

According to him, at present the Ministry of Healthcare of Armenia is preparing a legal framework for the introduction of the new system. The system will be regulated by the National Foundation, which will issue insurance policies. "The state is interested in ensuring that citizens are healthy and apply for medical assistance as little as possible. The state apparatus does not depend on insurance payments, while the revenue of private companies is directly related to insurance policies and the number of patients (the more, the better)" Arsen Torosyan noted.

He said that in this situation, insurance would become a link in the chain of public policy, aimed primarily at preventing diseases, and not treatment. To ensure the efficiently of the system, it is proposed to evaluate the work of family doctors by the health of their patients. "They will have to, for example, ensure that patients with cardiovascular diseases do not have exacerbations, and do not try to send them to the hospital for an operation", Torosyan said, adding that medical insurance would become a means for healthcare, not a means for earnings At the same time, if there is a single insurance agency, it will be possible to save on administrative expenses, which will not exceed 2% of their total budget. At the same time, the Acting Minister stressed that discussions are currently underway on whom will be the beneficiary of the future system, all workers or all citizens of the country, including children and pensioners.

Arminfo, Armenia

Nov 7 2018

Dentists of Armenia in front of the government demanding reduction of license tax

Yerevan November 7

Tatevik Shahunyan. A group of dentists is holding a protest action in front of the Ministry of Healthcare of Armenia. They require a license tax reduction.

As a representative of the Constructive Dentistry public organization Hovhannes Gevorgyan stated in an interview with journalists, nothing has changed over these 6-7 months – the practice of making decisions continues without taking into account the opinions of interested parties. Gevorgyan argues that most of the specialists in this field are dissatisfied. According to him, 85% of dentists in Armenia are not satisfied with the current system. Despite this, as Gevorgyan assured, the Acting Healthcare Minister Arsen Torosyan does not intend to make concessions to specialists, since he is not sure that in this case the sector will work in a white field.

Meanwhile, experts say that in the event of a decrease in licensing tax, the cost of services will go down. To note currently small dental clinics pay a tax in the amount of 80 thousand drams for a chair, and a large (more than 4 chairs, ed.) 48 thousand drams. -sh–

Arminfo, Armenia

Nov 7 2018

Manoyan: Armenia should be concerned over internal discrepancies in Iran

Yerevan November 7

Marianna Mkrtchyan. This is not the first time Iran has voted for documents or resolutions within Islamic organizations that are contrary to the interests of Nagorno- Karabakh, but this has never reflected on its policy on this issue. On November 7, Kiro Manoyan, ARF Dashnaktsutyun Bureau's Hay Dat and Political Affairs Office Director, expressed this opinion at a press conference in Yerevan, commenting on the adoption of the Istanbul Declaration by the foreign ministers of Turkey, Iran and Azerbaijan.

Manoyan noted that such items as respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, non-violation of internationally recognized borders and peaceful settlement of all conflicts were included in the declaration, but there was not a word about the right of peoples to self-determination.

"In fact today a contradictory situation has developed in Iran, and a number of radical forces are already making statements regarding changes in the political line, including on Nagorno-Karabakh. And this should worry us. Maybe today there is an attempt to flirt with Azerbaijan, but it is unpromising, since Baku's foreign policy is absolutely anti-Iranian, "Manoyan added, while stressing the need to focus on internal political discrepancies in Iran.

To note, on October 30, Istanbul hosted the VI trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Turkey, Azerbaijan and Iran – Mevlut Chavushoglu, Elmar Mammadyarov and Mohammad Javad Zarif, at the end of which the Istanbul Declaration was adopted.

The joint declaration expresses the commitment of Ankara, Baku and Tehran to the declarations adopted at the previous tripartite meetings of the Urmii, Nakhijevan, Van, Ramsar and Baku. In addition, the ministers reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen the solidarity and cooperation among the peoples of the three countries based on ancient historical roots, religious and cultural community, serving peace, security, welfare and cooperation in the region. "The parties agreed to continue close consultations on regional and global issues of common interest for strengthening regional and international peace, security and stability at various levels and platforms, as well as within international and regional organizations. At the same time, they emphasized interest in strengthening peace and security in the region, and in this context declared commitments on the principles of international law, including respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity not-violation of internationally recognized borders and the peaceful settlement of all conflicts. In this context, the ministers reiterated the importance of an early resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict based on the above principles, stressed the importance of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), reflecting the success of multilateral negotiations and diplomacy; recognized that the successful implementation of JCPOA and the full utilization of the benefits provided by JCPOA require full observance of obligations by all the parties ", the declaration reads.

Arminfo, Armenia

Nov 7 2018

Member of ARF Dashnaktsutyun: US pressure on Armenia over cooperation with Iran will continue

Yerevan November 7

Marianna Mkrtchyan. US pressure on Armenia over cooperation with Iran will continue, Kiro Manoyan, ARF Dashnaktsutyun Bureau's Hay Dat and Political Affairs Office Director, expressed this opinion at a press conference in Yerevan On November 7.

Speaking about the deterioration of relations between the United States and Iran, he stated that the visit of Trump's national security adviser John Bolton was aimed at putting pressure on regional countries on their interaction with Tehran. "The pressure on Armenia will continue in order to bring the Armenian-Iranian relations to a minimum. And this cannot but cause our concern," member of Dashnaktsutyun said.

At the same time, he is convinced that in today's realities, it is impossible to simultaneously pursue a policy satisfactory for the United States, and to maintain good relations with Iran. At the same time, Manoyan believes that it is necessary to bring to the United States the position that the Armenian-Iranian relations are not directed against Washington.

Manoyan reminded that today Armenia has two borders – with Iran and Georgia, and it is necessary to continue developing this cooperation. "Armenia has always led a cautious foreign policy and tried to do everything not to harm its partners in any way. In this situation, we can adopt a balanced position of the European Union," Manoyan said, adding that, despite the complexity of the situation, Armenia should continue develop economic cooperation with Iran.

At the same time, he, assured that he did not understand the phrase by Acting Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on the possible closure of borders with Iran and Georgia. At the same time, Manoyan believes that today there is a need to bring to the Iranian side what is happening inside Armenia, to introduce clarity, that the internal political processes in the country will in no way affect its foreign policy vector. "I don't think that there is no clarity from the Armenian side in relations with Iran. And the only thing we can do today is to further develop our relations with Iran, and this is primarily based on our interests, not those of Tehran", he summarized.

On November 5, new US sanctions against Iran entered into force. Sanctions will cover oil exports. Washington earlier announced the goal to bring Iranian oil exports to zero and urged its buyers to abandon purchases. On Monday, the Finance Ministry announced that the United States added to the sanctions list more than 700 individuals, organizations, aircraft and ships of Iran.

To recall, US President Donald Trump announced in May that Washington was withdrawing from an agreement on nuclear program with Iran. He also reported on the restoration of all sanctions against Iran, including secondary ones, that is, against other countries doing business with Iran. The United States re-introduced part of the sanctions against Iran on August 7. More substantial sanctions, which will cover oil exports, entered into force on 5 November. Iran and the "six" international mediators (Russia, USA, Britain, China, France, Germany) on July 14, 2015 reached a historic agreement on resolving the perennial problem of the Iranian atom: the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was adopted, the implementation of which removed Iran's previously economic and financial sanctions by the UN Security Council, the United States and the European Union. In this connection, the Foreign Ministry of Armenia made a statement and stressed that Yerevan closely follows the processes and is in constant contact with all the parties involved in the process. "We clearly voice our concerns. Traditional and friendly relations with Iran are vital for Armenia. A comprehensive expert analysis of the impact of sanctions against Iran on Armenia is underway," the RA Foreign Ministry said.

Arminfo, Armenia

Nov 7 2018

Vache Terteryan: Construction of a landfill for utilization of solid household waste will start in 2019 in the Kotayk region of Armenia

Yerevan, November 07. ArmInfo, Alexander Avanesov In 20

9, in the Kotayk region of Armenia, construction of a landfill for utilization of solid household waste will begin. On November 7 at the parliamentary hearings on the draft state budget of Armenia in 2019, Acting First Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Development Vache Terteryan stated.

According to him, as of today, four companies from Iran, Great Britain, Lebanon and Greece have passed the prequalification stage of the tender for choosing a contractor. After studying all the packages, the winner of the tender will be determined, who will be engaged in the construction of the landfill.

At a meeting on June 8, the Armenian government approved a draft decision, according to which the Hrazdan community of the republic's Kotayk region will be donated land for construction of a solid waste landfill. According to the Acting Minister of Territorial Administration and Development of Armenia Suren Papikyan, this decision is based on the obligations assumed by Armenia under the loan agreement concluded with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. According to the agreement, Armenia undertakes to provide a site for the construction of a solid waste landfill in the city of Hrazdan. The landfill will serve the residents of 12 cities of Kotayk and Gegharkunik regions. The total cost of the program is 11 million euros, of which 5.5 million euros is a loan, and the same amount is a grant. Earlier, the Eastern European Partnership Fund for Energy Efficiency and Environment (E5P), managed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), provided Armenia with a grant of 2 million euros for the construction of a new solid waste landfill for the Gegharkunik and Kotayk regions of Armenia . The corresponding agreement was signed on June 30, 2016 between E5P and the Ministry of Finance of Armenia. The landfill construction program is the first EBRD project in the field of solid waste management in Armenia, and aims to promote the plans of the Armenian government to modernize the sphere and bring it in line with European standards. The works, in the framework of the program, started in December 2014. The EBRD provided a loan of ? 3.5 million, which, in turn, was supplemented by a grant of ? 3.5 million from the EU's investment partnership tool. Eight communities will be included in the solid waste management system, of which 7 are in the Kotayk region of Armenia and 1 in Gegharkunik. Already in 2016, the program was expanded with a sovereign loan from the EBRD in the amount of 2 million euros, which allowed the program to include all 7 communities of Kotayk, in particular, Hrazdan, Abovyan, Nor Hachn, Byureghavan, Charentsavan, Yeghvard, Tsakhkadzor, as well as 5 communities Gegharkunik – Sevan, Vardenis, Gavar, Martuni and Chambarak. The E5P grant of ? 2 million, which will complement the EBRD loan of ? 2 million, will be co-financed by the marshalling yards, the acquisition of trucks for collecting and transporting garbage, trash cans and other equipment and inventory. As a result, the total budget of the program will be 11 million euros.

Arminfo, Armenia

Nov 7 2018

Discussions on fighting tax evasion and capital outflow from the country to offshore companies started in Yerevan

Yerevan November 07

Naira Badalyan. Officials and experts from 20 countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia gathered in Yerevan today to understand how to deal with modern challenges in the field of taxation, follow tax evasion and capital outflow from the country to offshore companies. The issues will be discussed at the IV regional meeting of the two-day IV regional meeting devoted to the system of preventing the erosion of the tax / tax base and the withdrawal of income / profits from taxation (BEPS) in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA).

According to the head of the international programs and transfer pricing department of the RA State Directorate of Taxation, Nairui Avetisyan, in the age of electronic commerce and unrestricted movement of capital, the country's domestic legislation in a certain sense loses its relevance. Armenia is trying to resolve this issue, including with the help of international tax regulations. "The more the borders open, the closer the cooperation of the tax authorities," she said.

Back in June 2017, Armenia joined the 15th Action of the Organization for the Development of Economic Cooperation in the framework of a program to prevent the erosion of the tax base and the export of profits (BEPS), against transfer pricing. and the country's reliability is improved from the investor's point of view. Accession to the 15th BEPS protocol, as explained by Avetisyan, gives the tax authority of the country an additional lever of control in order to avoid tax evasion in by a foreign organization carrying out the activity of the Republic of Armenia, proving that the company's profit is formed in Armenia and, consequently, it is subject to taxation in Armenia. "The idea of BEPS is that the tax is payable in the country where additional value is created", – she said. At the same time, Armenia will avoid the fate of becoming a country for money laundering.

Today, already with 46 countries, Armenia has agreements against double taxation. Citizens and enterprises of the republic working abroad pay taxes there, and vice versa, the last agreement was recently signed with Israel. Purpose of these agreements

– eliminate double taxation in foreign trade between the two states, prevent tax discrimination against economic entities of the parties, eliminate double taxation of property and income, and create a predictable and stable tax environment for business. In November of this year. An agreement with Switzerland is planned to be signed, which is expected to be signed next year. The conclusion of a similar document with Argentina, Portugal and South Korea is also expected.

It should be noted that the issue of excluding double taxation between Armenia and the USA has been discussed for over 20 years – since 1994, the RA government has repeatedly raised this issue. In 2000, already during the Armenian-American intergovernmental meeting, the question was raised about the need to conclude an agreement. Since then, although preparatory work has been carried out to conclude an agreement, in fact, the negotiations themselves have not started. The current agreement concluded between the Soviet Union and the United States, as stated in the Ministry of Finance, is overdue and irrelevant, only for the simple reason that the Republic of Armenia is not the successor of the USSR. The American side argues its refusal by the fact that it sees no difficulty for US companies from the absence of such a contract. Yerevan, however, believes that even in the absence of obvious difficulties at this stage, the elimination of double taxation can be a barrier to attracting mutual investments, since the prospect of paying taxes twice can scare off potential investors.