Category: 2020

 16:27,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 24, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has signed an order on relieving Deputy Minister of Economy Artak Kamalyan from duties effective from January 31.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

 16:09,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 24, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan today held a consultation discussing the agenda and vision of the Police reforms, the PM’s Office told Armenpress.

Touching upon the topic, the PM said in particular: “In general, from the very first day of the formation of our government the Police reforms have been in our agenda, and I think this is one of our key issues. We should record that after the 2018 peaceful, velvet and democratic revolution in Armenia the Police, overall, have fulfilled its tasks and continue fulfilling them, but we all admit that we need a new Police in these new political and public realities. In general, the key goal of this process should be the establishment of a new police-citizen relationship.

During this period we had various discussions, considered different models, but overall our conclusion is the following that both in the Police case and other cases we should refrain from sectional steps and make all our actions of strategic nature”, the PM said, adding that all actions and changes should be of strategic nature. “What do I mean by saying strategic changes? In any sphere where we make a change, even a smallest one, we should take into account that that change has a certain field of mutual effects. And while discussing the change we need to consider this field of mutual effects, not that particular change in its point, and then to make respective decisions. And in this sense I do believe and hope that the Police reforms will be one of our most successful examples”.

The consultation touched upon the main directions of the Police reforms, the process of strategy development works and its implementation. The discussion, in particular, focused on the structural changes of the Police, the new content of personnel policy, technical upgrading, introduction of new educational programs, professional preparedness, etc.

The PM tasked the responsible officials to complete the development of the reforms strategy as soon as possible and submit for discussion.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan

 16:28,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 24, ARMENPRESS. During today’s session the Board of the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) made a decision to keep the refinancing rate unchanged, 5.5%, the CBA told Armenpress.

The Lombard repo rate provided by the CBA is 7.0%. The rate of funds attracted from banks by the CBA is 4.0%.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan

 16:42,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 24, ARMENPRESS. Foreign minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan on January 24 received newly-appointed Ambassador of Ukraine to Armenia Ivan Kuleba who presented the copy of his credentials to the FM, the ministry told Armenpress.

The Armenian FM congratulated the Ambassador on assuming office and expressed hope that his activity will contribute to further deepening and developing the Armenian-Ukrainian relations which have firm historic ties.

The officials highly valued the role of the Armenian community in Ukraine’s public-political life in terms of strengthening the friendly ties between the two states.

Both sides highlighted taking actions to strengthen the Armenian-Ukrainian political dialogue, including to hold regular consultations between the foreign ministries and boost the dialogue at all levels. In this context they attached importance to the next session of the Armenian-Ukrainian joint inter-governmental commission on economic affairs.

The Armenian FM and the Ukrainian Ambassador also exchanged views on a number of urgent international and regional issues.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan

 18:14,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 24, ARMENPRESS. The gunman who opened fire at Erebuni Plaza business center on January 23 denies giving testimony, ARMENPRESS reports head of the press service of the Investigative Committee of Armenia Naira Zohrabyan told ARMENPRESS.

“Yesterday he denied giving testimony and requested a lawyer. He said he will talk only in the presence of the lawyer. There are no more details so far”, Harutyunyan said.

At 14:45, January 23, Yerevan police received a shots fired call in the Erebuni Plaza Business Center. No one has been injured. The gunman surrendered to the Police after talks with the acting Police Chief of Armenia Arman Sargsyan.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan

 20:07,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 24, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Mher Grigoryan received on January 24 the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Armenia Sergey Kopyrkin.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of Mher Grigoryan, greeting the guest, the Deputy PM of Armenia highly assessed the strategic relations between the two countries. Mher Grigoryan and Sergey Kopyrkin highlighted that the cooperation between the two countries in different spheres dynamically develops.

The interlocutors exchanged views on the agenda of the Armenian-Russian bilateral relations.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan

 20:24,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 24, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian, who is in Israel on a working visit, visited on January 24 one of the leading educational institutions of that country, the Holon Institute of Technology.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the President’s Office, Armen Sarkissian met with the leadership of the Institute, after which delivered a lecture on the topic “Geopolitical realities in the era of artificial intelligence”.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan

 18:11,

YEREVAN, 24 JANUARY, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 24 January, USD exchange rate is up by 0.14 drams to 478.87 drams. EUR exchange rate is down by 2.19 drams to 528.43 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate is up by 0.02 drams to 7.75 drams. GBP exchange rate is down by 1.64 drams to 626.79 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price is up by 99.38 drams to 24062.45 drams. Silver price is down by 2.54 drams to 270.97 drams. Platinum price is down by 26.28 drams to 15411.42 drams.

 20:10,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 24, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Diocese of Baltic States was established by the Patriarchal Epistle of the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II. The Diocese of the Armenian religious communities of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia was established by their separation from the Armenian Diocese of Russia and New Nakhichevan.

His Holiness Bishop Vardan Navasardyan has been appointed the Primate of the newly established Diocese.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan

 19:57,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 24, ARMENPRESS. Head of Jewish community in Armenia Rima Varzhapetyan-Feller is confident that in Armenia there has never been and cannot be manifestations of Antisemitism. In an interview with ARMENPRESS Varzhapetyan said that there are all the conditions in Armenia allowing them to proudly voice about their Jewish origin.

“We have a Jewish community here and Armenia is a very tolerant country. It can never happen here that someone’s blood is shed for being a representative of other nationality. We feel very well here and there can be no anti-Semitism or xenophobia in Armenia. Armenians also have ethnic minorities in other countries for which they always understand the situation of other ethnic minorities in their country”, Rima Varzhapetyan-Feller said.

Today in Armenia 300-400 Jewish families reside. They have been present in Armenia since the 19^th century.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan