Month: November 2016

Armenian Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan hosted a group of intellectuals today to present the proposed program of increased social security benefits to be paid to the families of servicemen killed or handicapped in action.

The participants exchanged views on the expediency of implementation of the proposed program, formation of effective management mechanisms, the willingness of the society to support the families of the servicemen, the need for transparent oversight, etc.

The participants of the meeting stressed the importance of public discussions, noting that is provides an opportunity to get full comprehension of the initiative and present different public perspectives.

Moldova’s Foreign Minister Andrei Galbur will visit Armenia on November 16 at the invitation of Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian.

The Moldovan Foreign Minister will have meetings with Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan and Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian.

The meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the two countries will be followed by a joint press conference.

On November 13^th, a souvenir sheet with 1 postage stamp dedicated to the theme ““Religion. 350^th anniversary of the First Bible in Armenian printed by Voskan Yerevantsi” has been cancelled in the hall of the Special Collections of the University of Amsterdam.

The stamp depicts the first printed Bible in Armenian language and the souvenir sheet depicts the illustration from the Genesis Book of the Bible picturing the Creation of the World.

The official cancellation of the souvenir sheet was attended by the Ambassador of Armenia in the Netherlands Dzyunik Aghajanyan, Member of the Christian Party in the Dutch Parliament Joel Voordewind, president of the board of the University of Amsterdam, prof. dr. Geert ten Dam, the Vicar of the Patriarchal Delegate of Western Europe in the Netherlands, Hayr Aren Shahinian, the director of Saint Grigor Narekatsi School Vahan Avagyan (Surp Hoki Armenian Apostolic Church Amsterdam) and the Acting Chief Executive Officer of “HayPost” CJSC.

Religion. 350^th anniversary of the First Bible in Armenian printed by Voskan Yerevantsi

Date of issue: November 13, 2016

Designer: David Dovlatyan

Printing house: Cartor, France

Stamp size: 30,0 x 40,0 mm

S/sheet size: 80,0 x 93,0 mm

Print run: 20 000 pcs.

The 4th Business Innovation forum 2016 will be held on November 18-19, in Dilijan resort under the slogan “Armenia 20.18 – Armenia among 20 most innovative countries in the world by 2018.”

Today Mr. Hayk Chobanyan, Deputy director of the Union of Information Technologies Enterprises (UITE)- the organiser of Business Innovation Forum, Mr. Emil Tarasian, Deputy Minister of   Economic Development and Investments of RA, Mr. Raffi Kasarjian, moderator of Business Innovation Forum, Mr. Ludovic Ciechanowski,  International Aid/Cooperation Officer of EU Delegation to Armenia and Mr. Peer Priewich, Technical adviser of “Support to SME development in Armenia” (SMEDA) project, funded by the EU and BMZ and implemented through GIZ Private Sector Development in South Caucasus Programme, spoke about the forum during the meeting with journalists.

The two-day Business Innovation Forum is supported within the framework of EU4Business and EU4innovation initiatives. It is a unique platform for knowledge sharing and practical solutions, where the best experience of innovative development will be presented through thematic discussions, presentations and communication of participants and business discussions will be held with participation of stakeholders. The key topic of the discourse is the positioning of Armenia among the 20 most innovative countries in the world.

The representatives of the leading local and international companies will   participate in the Business Innovation Forum.

The forum will focus on 4 main topics:

• Innovative Products and Services
• Business process development through innovation
• Knowledge and innovation for development
• A strategy to innovative economy

The conditions of Business Innovation Forum participation and registration are presented in BIF.am.

Traditionally the Forum is organized by UITE under the high patronage of the Prime Minister of RA. The Forum is sponsored by the “Support to SME development in Armenia” (SMEDA) project, funded by the EU and BMZ and implemented through GIZ Private Sector Development in South Caucasus Programme.

Photo: Mikhail Metzel/TASS    

Russia’s Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev has been accused of taking a bribe to endorse a state takeover, the BBC reports.

Russia’s main anti-corruption body, the Investigative Committee (SK), said he received a payment of $2m.

Mr Ulyukayev is the highest-ranking Russian official held since the 1991 coup attempt in what was then the USSR.

The SK said he had “threatened” to create obstacles for Rosneft’s operations when it took a 50% stake in another state oil company, Bashneft.

According to SK spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko, “Ulyukayev was caught red-handed”, receiving a $2m bribe on 14 November for giving a favourable assessment of the Rosneft deal.

The apparent sting operation came after months of electronic surveillance, including phone-tapping, officials said.

The arrest was big news on Russia’s state-run TV channels, under the headline “Battle against corruption”.

 

 

 

The Military Attachés of the diplomatic representations registered in Armenia visited the Peacekeeping Brigade today within the framework of the NATO Week events, familiarized with the history of creation of the unit, the ongoing works and everyday life.

Deputy Chief of the Operative Department of the Peacekeeping Brigade, Major Yervand Voskanyan briefed the Military Attachés of the US, German, French and British Embassies on the history of the brigade.

According to the Brigade’s Commander, Major General Arthur Simonyan, two detachments with 56 and 65 peacekeepers currently carry out mission in Afghanistan. Another 35-member group is in Kosovo, while a 32-member detachment is on mission in Lebanon. The Commander says the mission in Lebanon may be expanded in the future.

German Embassy’s Military Attaché Michael Westerman hailed the cooperation with the Armenian authorities, especially the ministry of Defense and the Peacekeeping Brigade. He expressed gratitude for Armenia’s contribution to NATO’s peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan.

The Armenian language will be taught as a separate profession at the Beijing Language and Culture University. China’s Education Minister Chen Baosheng confirmed the plans at a meeting with Armenian Minister of Education and Science Levon Mkrtchyan.

He welcomed the agreement reached between the Beijing Pedagogical University and the Yerevan State Pedagogical University to implement joint programs and issue double diplomas.

The perspectives of functioning of the Chinese school being constructed in Yerevan were also discussed at the meeting.

The parties emphasized the importance of giving a regional status to the school and creating a training system.

The Council of the European Union discussed current multilateral and bilateral relations with the six Eastern Partnership countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.

Ministers had an exchange of views on the implementation of the Partnership and possible deliverables to be achieved in 2017, notably with a view to the next Eastern Partnership Summit in November 2017 in Brussels.

The Council reaffirmed the high importance it attaches to the Eastern Partnership, as a specific dimension of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), offering close political association and economic integration with the EU and tangible results to citizens

The Council welcomed progress in negotiations of a new framework agreement with Armenia.

The Council said it looks forward to consideration in due course of the possible opening of a visa dialogue with Armenia.

An international conference on “Damascus: Prism of hope” organized by the Pontifical Oriental Institute was held in Rome.

The Armenian Embassy at the Holy See participated in the organization works. The conference was aimed at considering the problems existing in Syria and the Middle East from different perspectives.

Speeches were delivered by the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches Leonardo Sandri, Armenia’s Ambassador to Vatican Mikayel Minasyan, representatives of different Christian churches and universities of the Middle East.

Addressing the conference, Armenian Ambassador Mikayel Minasyan said that “terrorists are trying to distort the cultural diversity in Syria.” He urged to struggle against such expressions of vandalism, indifference, the systematic destruction of Christian values in Syria, as it is impossible to imagine the Middle East without Christians.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan is determined to prove his worth at Manchester United.

Mkhitaryan, who played in the whole of his country’s dramatic World Cup qualifying win over Montenegro in Yerevan on Friday, says he will not give up his quest to impress his new boss.

In an interview on the , Mkhitaryan said: “I know I can succeed at Manchester United, and I want to show everyone that I deserve to be a key player in this team and this league.”

“Today I don’t have enough playing time, so I have to do my best so the coaching staff give me the chance to play,” he said.

“There are no disappointments, just challenges. I never give up when I encounter obstacles in my way. I just continue going until I reach my career objectives,” Mkhitaryan added.

Mkhitaryan went on to hail Mourinho’s “fantastic record” as a coach.

He added: “Regarding Jose Mourinho, I hope I can learn a lot from him – he is a coach with a fantastic record.

“I saw the move to Manchester United as an opportunity to grow as a player and as a person.

“It was definitely not the salary that made me join Manchester United, I went for football reasons – for the history of the club, the fans and the coach because he is one of the best in the world.

“The EPL is the best league in the world and it gives me something different, a new challenge. I think I can become stronger by playing there.”