Category: 2018

Damascus: Khamis to Armenian delegation: Syria working to prepare suitable atmosphere for attracting investments

Tania Jagharian
Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
Saturday
 
 
Khamis to Armenian delegation: Syria working to prepare suitable atmosphere for attracting investments
 
by Hazem al-Sabbagh
 
Damascus, SANA – Prime Minister Imad Khamis said that Syria continues to work towards preparing a suitable atmosphere for attracting local and foreign investments by preparing a modern investment law and a comprehensive investment map, as well as facilitating administrative procedures and providing necessary services to investors.
 
Meeting an Armenian economic delegation on Saturday, Khamis stressed the need for bolstering Syrian-Armenian investments to match the level of the relations between the two countries.
 
He also underlined the importance of Armenian companies participating in reconstruction in the fields of infrastructure, constructing builds, and producing building materials.
 
Khamis called on businessmen from friendly countries that supported the Syrian people in fighting terrorism to look into the incentives provided by Syria in all investments fields and seize available opportunities.
 
For his part, head of the delegation Narek Karapetyan said that Armenian businessmen are interested in making use of investment opportunities in Syria and of the facilitations provided for facilitating relations between the two countries' private sectors.
 
He stressed the need for developing partnerships between establishments and businessmen from both sides in all economic fields to expand cooperation in investments.
 

Miss Universe 2018 Contestants: Meet the 94 Women

Antranik Varosian
Heavy.com
Dec 16 2018
 
 
Miss Universe 2018 Contestants: Meet the 94 Women
 
 
 
Updated Dec 16, 2018 at 1:49pm

Steve Harvey has returned as the host of the Miss Universe Pageant for the 2018 edition of the competition and this year, there are 94 contestants in the running for the title. The show airs live at 7 p.m. ET, on the Fox network, and will follow a slightly different format this year. Instead of kicking off the run of show with the top 16, there will be a top 20. According to Phil Star, the top 20 will then be narrowed down to the top 10. These contestants will then participate in the swimsuit competition and evening gown segment. Many pageants have eliminated the swimsuit competitions from their events, but it remains in the lineup for Miss Universe 2018.

Five out of the top 10 will be narrowed down to the top 5 finalists and they will participate in a question and answer segment. Then, the top 3 will deliver a final word and look before finding out who will be crowned the winner of Miss Universe 2018. To find out more about the candidates participating in this year's competition, read on below and click through our gallery of all 94 Miss Universe 2018 contestants, starting with the four candidates pictured above (left to right).

Miss Armenia is a 25-year-old woman, who hails originally from Vagharshapat. She is a model as well as a pageant winner. Miss Armenia is also Russian and she actually lives in Moscow, where she studies medical science at the First Moscow State Medical University. Muradyan is the first-ever Armenian entrant in the Miss Universe competition, according to Angelopedia.

[Armenian News note: all info on the other contestants can be read at   ]

WFP Armenia Country Brief, November 2018

Elizabeth Jabejian
ReliefWeb
Dec 16 2018


Report

from World Food Programme

Published on 30 Nov 2018

In Numbers

  • 194 mt of food assistance distributed

  • 0 cash based transfers made US$0 m six months (December 2018 – May 2019) net funding requirements

  • 52,342 people assisted in November 2018

Operational Context

Armenia is an upper-middle income, landlocked, net food importer country, and is vulnerable to external shocks.

Since its independence in 1991, the border closure with neighbouring Turkey and Azerbaijan has constrained the country’s economic development. According to the latest National Statistical Service data, the poverty rate reached 29.4 percent in 2016.

WFP has been present in Armenia since 1993. Initially an emergency operation, WFP’s work has since evolved to development assistance since 2000. WFP is operating under the Transitional Interim Country Strategic Plan (TICSP) from January until December 2018.

The results of the ongoing National Strategic Review of Food Security and Nutrition will shape WFP Armenia’s five year Country Strategic Plan (CSP). The CSP (2019-2023) will leverage its current core programme towards an inclusive, innovative and transformative model to strengthen national capacities and systems, including nutrition. It will also explore pilot approaches and systems for greater impact.

Operational Updates

• On 5 November, Armenian Minister of Healthcare Mr. Arsen Torosyan and UN World Food Programme Representative in Armenia and Country Director Ms. Jelena Milosevic discussed future cooperation and joint efforts for 2019 – 2024. The partners highly appreciated efficient cooperation, acknowledging the importance of the school feeding programme for Armenia. The parties also agreed to develop a specific action plan for further partnership and cooperation including all stakeholders with a focus on Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger and Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals.

• On 12 November, Governor of Armavir Province Hambardzum Matevosyan, WFP Country Director Ms. Jelena Milosevic, and WFP programme staff discussed further how to enhance the cooperation to benefit more school children in the Province. The newly appointed Governor highly appreciated the efforts of WFP in the country and Armavir. Currently only 50 percent of the schools in Armavir are included in WFP’s school feeding programme. The parties agreed to jointly take steps to include more schools in the Programme. A follow up meeting is planned for the first week of December to discuss concrete steps and activities for the coming months.

• WFP presented the role of the school feeding programme within the social protection system and the achievements recorded so far in Armenia at the “Role of Social Protection in the Sustainable Development Agenda Conference” that was organised as a joint effort of UNICEF, the World Bank, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of Armenia and the Armenian Association of Social Workers. The presentation was based on three studies conducted by WFP : Scoping Study on Social Protection and Food Security, National Strategic Review of Food Security and Nutrition as well as Assessing Poverty Alleviation through Social Protection: School Meals and Family Benefits.

Russian FM comments on parliamentary elections in Armenia

Janet Ekmekjian
News.am, Armenia
Dec 13 2018
Russian FM comments on parliamentary elections in Armenia

[Armenian News note: the below is translated from Armenian]

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said that Russia wants constructive dialogue with the new Armenian Parliament and future government to further strengthen cooperation, News.am reported on 13 December.

This is the first reaction of the Russian side after the 9 December parliamentary elections, where acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's My Step bloc won a landslide victory.

Commenting on the absence of congratulations from Russian President Vladimir Putin, Zakharova told the Tert.am website that "it is the same thing as asking the man whether he loves you or not".

Zakharova did not specify whether any congratulations would follow later, the website said.

Putin congratulated former President Serzh Sargsyan on the victory of his Republican Party in the 2 April parliamentary elections back in 2017.

Leaders of Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan did not congratulate Pashinyan either.

Pashinyan already received congratulations from the US Department of State, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, EU Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn, and several other EU officials, as well as from Georgian president and Lebanese prime minister, News.am said.

President Sarkissian issues message on the occasion of Armenia’s National Assembly elections

Arpi Talalian
Panorama, Armenia
Dec 15 2018

Armenian President Armen Sarkissian has issued congratulatory message to the three political forces that entered the Armenian National Assembly as a result of early parliamentary elections on December 9.

On a written statement, released by the President’s Press Office, Sarkissian thanks also to all parties and alliances which participated in the elections, as well as all citizens of Armenia who have expressed their position regarding ‘the future of the country.’

“These elections, as a statewide political process, were the first since the changes that had taken place in our country last spring. The newly elected National Assembly and the government will be working in the realm of great responsibility. I wish them tenacity and vigor in the implementation of their programs,” reads the message of the President in part.

“Fatherland is becoming stronger, while its history is being written through our daily hard work. We all have to contribute with all abilities to the benefit of our country and people, for the powerful Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh, the entire Armenian nation and all citizens of Armenia,” the message concluded.

Pallone, Markey Lead Bipartisan, Bicameral Letter Commending Armenia on Free and Fair Election

Arpi Talalian
Senator Edward J. Markey
Friday
Friday,

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06), co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, and Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA) led a bipartisan, bicameral letter from eight members of the United States Congress congratulating Armenia on its historic elections that took place on Sunday. Since early 2017, Armenia has taken significant steps towards becoming a freer and more open democracy. The letter also reaffirms the long-standing ties between the United States and Armenia and pledges continued support from the United States to the Armenian people.

 

In addition to Pallone and Markey, the letter was signed by Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Congressman David Trott (R-MI), Congressman David G. Valadao (R-CA), Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA), Congressman Adam B. Schiff (D-CA), and Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R-FL).

 

 

Letter Text:

 

His Excellency Nikol Pashinyan

Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia

Yerevan

 

Dear Prime Minister Pashinyan:

 

As members of the United States Congress and the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, we write to offer our congratulations on Armenia’s historic elections that took place on December 9.

 

Since April of last year, the Republic of Armenia has seen a remarkable change in its government through peaceful and democratic means.  This change was motivated by the Armenian people strongly expressing their desire for an open democracy.  Sunday’s election was another resounding victory for advocates of a free and fair electoral process and ongoing democratic reforms.  As the political transition continues, we encourage your government to maintain that momentum by advancing initiatives to further government transparency, strengthen democratic institutions, and empower civil society in Armenia.   

 

We also wish to reassure the Armenian people that we will continue to support your nation in its steadfast pursuit of regional security and economic prosperity.  We will continue to identify opportunities to aid Armenia’s efforts to diversify its economy, strengthen its trade ties with countries like the United States, and continue to act as a safe haven for religious minorities fleeing persecution in the Middle East.  We are proud of the strong bilateral relationship between our two countries and look forward to bolstering our historic ties and friendship.

 

Once again, please accept our congratulations on an election that was calm, peaceful, and free of corruption or voter intimidation. We look forward to continuing our productive and robust dialogue with your administration moving forward.

Baku expects progress in Karabakh settlement in 2019 – Azerbaijani FM

Albert Nalbandian
Interfax – Russia & CIS Diplomatic Panorama
Friday
Baku expects progress in Karabakh settlement in 2019 – Azerbaijani FM
 
BAKU. Dec 14
 
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov says that the formation of a new government in Armenia in 2019 will help achieve progress in settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
 
"We hope that with the formation of a new government in Armenia based on the mandate of that country's people, we will achieve progress [in settling the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh] in 2019 and provide good conditions for establishing peace, stability, and progress in this region," Mammadyarov said at the 39th ministerial meeting of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) in Baku on Friday.
 
By continuing its "policy of occupation," Armenia has deprived itself of economic growth, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry quoted Mammadyarov as saying.
 
"This also causes damage to efforts to normalize common regional trade. The military occupation of Azerbaijani territories does not settle the conflict and will not produce the political result sought by Armenia," he said.

Aliyev’s stance on Karabakh peace talks constructive – Lavrov

Diana Dabaghian
Interfax – Russia & CIS Diplomatic Panorama
Friday
Aliyev's stance on Karabakh peace talks constructive – Lavrov

BAKU. Dec 14

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev wants to resume the Karabakh peace talks and find constructive solutions, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who met with Aliyev in Baku on Thursday, told the press on Friday.

"I had a very long, detailed conversation with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev yesterday. We saw his sincere wish to resume the talks and find constructive solutions," Lavrov said.

"As a close partner of Azerbaijan and Armenia and a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group together with the Americans and the French, our country will do its best to create the conditions necessary for achieving compromise," he said.

The presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia met in St. Petersburg on the sidelines of the recent Eurasian Economic Union and CIS events, and the two foreign ministers met during the Milan meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council, Lavrov said.

"Notably, that happened before the Armenian parliamentary elections of December 9. This event has already happened, and the Armenian government is due to be formed. I think that Armenia will be ready to resume the talks together with its Azerbaijani colleagues and the co-chairs quite soon," he said.

"We will try to find, if not a brand-new solution, considering that the outline of the settlement is already clear, but we'll try to find tactical or, if you please, creative ideas that would promote the achievement of a consensus," Lavrov said.

Sports: Glory at hand; Erik Bazinyan putting both titles and streak on the line in KO Boxing 84

Emil Lazarian
Edmonton Sun, Canada
Friday
Glory at hand; Erik Bazinyan putting both titles and streak on the line in KO Boxing 84
 
by  Gerry Moddejonge, Edmonton Sun
 

Erik Bazinyan (left) and Adrian Flores (right) at the official weigh-in on December 13, 2018. They will fight in the main event at KO Boxing's "Path To Glory" fight card held at the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton on Friday .Larry Wong / Postmedia

It's not just his titles that Erik 'Bzo' Bazinyan is putting on the line Friday at the Shaw Conference Centre.
 
The 23-year-old Montreal boxer also has a perfect 21-0 record coming into KO Boxing 84: Path to Glory.
 
And he's looking for win No. 22 in defence of his NABA and World Boxing Organization's NABO super-middleweight championships in the main event against Mexico's Adrian Luna Flores. While 21 straight wins – including 16 knockouts – since turning pro five years ago sounds impressive, it came on the heels of an amateur record that also saw him win his last 108 amateur fights.
 
"I started boxing at 13," said the Armenian-born Bazinyan, who earned his way onto Team Armenia and won a national championship there before moving to Canada with his family in 2011. "I have only one loss. It was my first amateur fight."
 
Forget charm, his first time was the harm.
 
But that's 129 fights ago. And now, 128 wins later, the 28th world-ranked boxer has shown he took that early lesson to heart.
 
"Yeah, but I still had tough fights," said Bazinyan, who doesn't put much weight on those first 108. "In amateur, it doesn't really matter. It's just the experience."
 
This time, he's coming up against an opponent with the same number of wins, with Flores'record sitting at 21-5-1.
 
"He's a tough guy, a Mexican guy with the Mexican style," Bazinyan said. "But I really don't think too much about my opponents, I care for me first.
 
"I'm going to do what I always do to win another fight and get more experience."
 
While experiencing Edmonton for the first time, no less.
 
"I'm excited to fight in front of new fans of boxing and hoping it's going to be a great night and I will gain a new fan base here," said Bazinyan, who also won back to back Golden Gloves championships as a Canadian amateur. "There's a lot of people that don't know me here and they're going to get to know me."
 
While he has boxed internationally as a member of Team Canada, including in Poland, Bazinyan has yet to return to his home country due to conscription concerns.
 
"No, I can't go because of the army, they can take me if I go," he said. "So until I'm 27 years old, I can't go."
 
His last fight came on Oct. 13, when he won both titles against fellow Montrealer Francy Ntetu in front of their hometown crowd.
 
"It was a great fight," said Bazinyan, who will hold a bit of a home advantage again as a Canadian on Friday against Flores. "Actually, I have my dad's friends, they live here so they are going to come.
 
"I will have some Armenians to cheer me on."
 
He plans to return to his home country as soon as he can, and would like nothing more than to be able to fight in front of them as a professional.
 
"Of course," he said. "A lot of people there know me.
 
"It's your homeland." Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. fights are on sale at eventbrite.ca starting at $65, with a live broadcast on punchinggrace.com available for $11.
 
UNDERCARD
 
While we're on the subject of amateur records, there is no overlooking the 240-11 run of former amateur world champion Sadriddin Akhmedov, a native of Kazakhstan who has gone 5-0 since making his pro debut in April. The 20-year-old Montreal resident is up against a fellow super welterweight in 29-year-old Ellud Melendez Rocha (14-10-2), of Mexico.
 
The undercard also features a cruiserweight bout between Montreal's Artur Ziyatdinov (7-0-0) and the more experienced Ricardo Marcelo Ramallo (22-13-1), of Argentina, who has lost four of his last five.
 
LOCAL TALENT
 
Raffaele Santoro (4-0-0) will fight in front of his hometown crowd in a middleweight match against Mexico's Mario Bedolla Orozco (2-2-1). Edmonton's Stan Surmacz Ahumada (9-1-0) is up against Mexico's Guillermo Casas in one of two heavyweight fights on the night. The other features fellow Edmontonian Nick Dragich (3-1-0), who tipped the scales Thursday at 293 lb., in a battle of the big boys against 300-lb. opponent Ken Frank (6-6-1) of Lethbridge.

Entertainment: Shooting of mystical series Sergey Sarkisov for American television has been completed in Armenia

Emil Lazarian
Arminfo Armenia
Dec 15 2018
Alexandr Avanesov

ArmInfo. In Armenia, the shooting of the mystical series "Evil Touch" was completed. The production of the shooting process was carried out by the Russian-American company Blitz Film in collaboration with the Armenian  Academy Films and American Associated television.

The shooting of the series lasted for 36 days and became one of the most large-scale film projects in Armenia over the past 20 years. Every day, 70-100 people  worked on the set. Next year, the series will be broadcast on one of  the largest US cable channels – CW.

The mystical series "Evil Touch" is an international project that was  filmed on the territory of Armenia for American television with the  participation of Armenian, American and Russian specialists. The  director is Sergey Sarkisov (), the general producer is  David Mackenzie (Associated television).

"Evil Touch" is a commercial project developed for the American  market, says the director and executive producer of the project  Sergey Sarkisov. "Its production will help foreign filmmakers to  assess the potential of the film industry in Armenia, clarify the  pricing policy, the level of specialists and get acquainted with  various locations for film production."

The events of the film unfold in Armenia. A group of American  students traveling around the country accidentally falls into a  remote village, which seems strange and dangerous to them. Having  been forced to spend the night there, they soon realized that the  initial suspicions were more than justified, because it was here that  there was a dungeon in which the Evil Spirit had been concluded over  the centuries.

The film features American actors Jennifer Will, Joseph Nisivoccia,  Perry Strong, Carmen Hodgson, Chris Sparks, Melanie Goldberg and  Daniel Covin. Of the Armenian actors in the series involved Alexandr  Khachatryan, Arsen Grigoryan and others.

The shooting took place in Yerevan (Kond), Dashtadem Fortress,  Oshakan, Saghmosavank, Ashtarak, where the historic building of the  old bath was completely restored for the film.

"The shooting was quite complicated, but I am very pleased with the  result. I think that we also managed to show Armenia – the  architecture, nature, and most importantly – the historical richness  of the earth. I think we succeeded in this", Sergey Sarkisov said.

Sergey Sarkisov is one of the founders and leaders of the  RESO-Garantia Insurance PJSC. In 2004, he withdrew from the  operational management of the company, taking the post of chairman of  the board of directors. In 2015, he graduated from the Higher Courses  for Scriptwriters and Directors, where he studied with Irakli  Kvirikadze. And next year, as part of the Cannes Film Festival,  Sarkisov presented his first full- fledged directorial work – the  short film "Afloat". In the same year, Sergey Sarkisov acted as the  producer of the film Red , directed by his son Nikolay. In 2017,  Sergey Sarkisov made his debut feature film "To Paris" with the  participation of Russian cinema stars (Dmitry Pevtsov, Renata  Litvinova, Sergey Makovetsky, Fyodor Dobronravov, Mikhail Efremov and  others).