Month: October 2019

Iran-Armenia joint economic commission reviews bilateral agreements

Markos Nalchajian
Mehr, Iran
Oct 1 2019

TEHRAN, Oct. 01 (MNA) – Iranian Minister of Energy Reza Ardakanian and Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan, as heads of Iran-Armenia Joint Economic Commission, met and held talks in Yerevan on Tuesday and reviewed the latest situation of bilateral projects and agreements.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s visit to Armenia.

Ardakanian termed separate visits of Armenian prime minister with Leader of the Islamic Revolution and President Rouhani as ‘a basis for boosting and enhancing bilateral cooperation’ and expressed hope that recognizing relations between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) will lead to further development of cooperation.

The two sides also discussed the latest status of Meghri power plant construction, controlling air pollution in Aras River, increasing electricity and gas barter deals, launching the third power transmission line and synchronizing power grids between the two countries.

MA/IRN83498331

Armenian parliament discusses delay in payments for registration of unauthorized buildings

Alex Nanijanian
News.am, Armenia
Oct 1 2019
Armenian parliament discusses delay in payments for registration of unauthorized buildings Armenian parliament discusses delay in payments for registration of unauthorized buildings

13:32, 01.10.2019
                  

This package of bills is related to the provision of privileges to communities, said Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures Vache Terteryan on Tuesday.

According to him, it is proposed to pay and carry out voluntary registration of property rights to home-made buildings and structures, for example, garages, in a quarterly mode for two years in local governments.

The official noted that, especially in large communities, there are thousands of illegal buildings that, according to the law and legal norms, are considered the property of legal entities owning this land. To regulate this process, local governments should be able to register and properly own these properties as public property. 

“In my opinion, this will facilitate the performance of functions by the municipal authorities, expand their capabilities,” he noted.

Armenia on the way to ratification of the key Air Convention protocols with help from UNECE

Elizabeth Jabejian
Modern Diplomacy
Oct 1 2019
 
 
Armenia on the way to ratification of the key Air Convention protocols with help from UNECE
 
October 1, 2019
 
Four decades of experience under the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (Air Convention) have demonstrated that ratification and implementation of the Convention and its protocols reduces health and environmental impacts in a more cost-effective way than unilateral action by one country alone. This also creates economic benefits as harmonized legislation and standards across borders can introduce a level playing field for industry across countries and prevent Parties from competing with each other at the expense of environment and health.
 
One of the priorities for the Convention in recent years has been to encourage the ratification and to strengthen the implementation of the Convention and its protocols, targeting Parties from Eastern, Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. In this regard, UNECE organized a high-level level awareness-raising meeting in Armenia, which included a national round table to discuss domestic law on air pollution control, in Yerevan this week (25 September 2019).
 
The purpose of the event was to raise the political profile of the Convention and increase awareness of the benefits of accession to its Protocols; to further assist Armenia in aligning national legislation with the provisions of the Protocols and determining the next steps towards ratification; and to highlight the Convention’s links and complementarity with the relevant European Union legislation, which Armenia plans to transpose into domestic law pursuant to its Partnership Agreement with the European Union.
 
High-level participants from the Ministry of Environment and other Ministries as well as representatives from the private sector and civil society discussed the recommendations on the steps towards ratification of the key protocols of the Convention. Parties to the Convention also shared their experiences with ratification and representatives from the European Union presented on the links between the Convention and European Union legislation.

Soros office in Armenia funds programs infringing national values: political analyst

Emil Lazarian
Aysor, Armenia
Oct 1 2019

For years Soros office in Armenia funded projects aimed at infringement or reviewing of a number of our values, political analyst Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan who is participating in today’s VETO initiative’s action told the reporters.

“The activity of the office was a campaign against Armenian Apostolic Church and Armenian traditional family and force institutions. It was a movement to make different state institutions more controllable,” he said, adding that the campaign succeeded and the forces funded by Soros office managed to seize the power in Armenia.

The political analyst said that VETO’s activity is aimed at fostering state institutions and preservation of Armenian values.

“Recently I have started supporting VETO trying to participate in its gatherings and to once again voice about the dangers existing in our country today. We must make our state, people and church find their worthy place and role in the life of our society,” Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan said.

Russian Railways threatens to pull out of Armenia

Emil Lazarian
OC Media
Sept 30 2019

by Dvin Titizian

This post is available in:Russian

Pho­to­graph: Harutyun Nazaryan/SCR

Russian Railways has threat­ened to pull out of Armenia’s rail sector in response to an inves­ti­ga­tion by the Armenian gov­ern­ment, trig­ger­ing the latest row between the two countries. 

Armenia’s railways currently belong to Russia. But likely, not for long.  

News broke this week that the state-owned Russian Railways (RR) company is con­sid­er­ing ter­mi­nat­ing its agreement with the Armenian Gov­ern­ment over a criminal inves­ti­ga­tion into its sub­sidiary, South Caucasus Railway (SCR).

The story was first covered by RTVI, a New-York based Russian-language tele­vi­sion network, which claimed a source close to the Armenia-Russia nego­ti­a­tion process regarding the SCR had confided that the company was con­sid­er­ing ter­mi­nat­ing the contract. 

According to RTVI’s source, Russian Railways was angered over the criminal inves­ti­ga­tion by Armenian law enforce­ment agencies.

In August 2018, inves­ti­ga­tors searched SCR’s offices con­fis­cat­ing documents per­tain­ing to the last decade of the company’s oper­a­tions. 

By December, Armenia’s Inves­tiga­tive Committee announcedthat it was looking into the last 10 years of SCR’s oper­a­tions in Armenia to examine the effi­cien­cy of a ֏110 billion ($230 million) invest­ment SCR had sup­pos­ed­ly made into the country’s railway system. 

The Inves­tiga­tive Committee accused the SCR of tax evasion amounting to ֏9.7 million ($19,000). 

The SCR has claimed the accu­sa­tion to be unfounded.

The Inves­tiga­tive Committee also announced that a former unnamed deputy transport minister was also under criminal inves­ti­ga­tion for covering up vio­la­tions that had been found at the SCR during an audit in February 2015.

RTVI reported that the company strongly denied these claims. SCR report­ed­ly said that, in recent years, in addition to under­go­ing inspec­tion by Armenia’s tax author­i­ties, the company has been audited by Price­wa­ter­house­C­oop­ers, a major inter­na­tion­al auditing firm. 

The company has also claimed that the con­fis­ca­tion of critical documents by inves­ti­ga­tors has been hindering their oper­a­tions for the past year.

SCR did not respond to a request for comment.

After the August 2018 inves­ti­ga­tion of the SCR’s office, Armenia’s Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin by telephone. In an interview with Kom­m­er­sant on 10 September 2018, Pashinyan said that he had discussed this issue with Putin and that both parties were eager to find a solution. 

Pashinyan claimed that the taxes the company had evaded amounted to roughly $60 million, and not the pre­vi­ous­ly cited figure of $19,000. He did not provide further details on where he obtained the number. 

Currently, the Gov­ern­ment of Armenia, the Russian Trans­porta­tion Ministry, and Russian Railways are con­duct­ing nego­ti­a­tions over the issue. The Russians have report­ed­ly proposed Armenia shut the case down in return for addi­tion­al invest­ments. They have also suggested con­duct­ing a new inde­pen­dent audit of SCR.

However, according to RTVI, these nego­ti­a­tions have proven fruitless and Moscow is now seriously con­sid­er­ing ter­mi­nat­ing the contract with Armenia. 

Russia’s Deputy Minister of Trans­porta­tion, Vladimir Tokarev, told RTVI that ‘Armenia has created a situation in which the SCR cannot work properly, unfounded accu­sa­tions have been brought forward and no guar­an­tees have been given’.

The press service of Russia’s Trans­porta­tion Ministry told the TASS news agency that the Russian side was con­sid­er­ing all options, including early ter­mi­na­tion of the con­ces­sion agreement.

Armenia’s Ministry of Ter­ri­to­r­i­al Admin­is­tra­tion and Infra­struc­ture told Kom­m­er­sant that talks on carrying out the oblig­a­tions stip­u­lat­ed in the con­ces­sion agreement were still in process. 

Armenia’s Ambas­sador to Russia, Vardan Toghanyan, in turn, told TASS that the Gov­ern­ment did not plan to terminate the agreement and, on the contrary, that the Armenian Gov­ern­ment aimed to develop more invest­ment projects with Russian Railways.  

South Caucasus Railway has also declined to comment on inquiries by Russian media. However, an anonymous source told Kom­m­er­sant that the company is still carrying out oper­a­tions.

Pashinyan remarked on the criminal inves­ti­ga­tion during a briefing in Vanadzor in early September, stating that certain legal processes regarding the SCR were taking place and that the Armenian Gov­ern­ment aimed to protect its interests. He said that if anyone was crim­i­nal­ly respon­si­ble they would be held account­able. 

He went on to say that and there was no need to turn this into a ‘tragedy’.

When state-owned Russian Railways attained full rights to Armenia’s railway system through a 30-year con­ces­sion agreement with the Armenian Gov­ern­ment in 2008, it was con­sid­ered a major invest­ment in the country’s economy.

For this purpose, the South Caucasus Railway was created, a wholly-owned sub­sidiary of Russian Railways. For the past 11 years, SCR has been operating Armenia’s railways as well as imple­ment­ing several projects aimed at devel­op­ing the country’s railway infra­struc­ture. 

Currently, SCR is one of the largest employers in the country with 3,000 employees and is a major taxpayer having paid $70 million in taxes over its 11 years of operation.

In 2013, Armenia also awarded a con­ces­sion agreement to the Dubai-based Rasia FZE for the design, financing, and con­struc­tion of a new railway linking Armenia with Iran for an operating period of 30 years.

The operating partner for the Southern Armenia Railway (also known as the Armenia-Iran Railway) is also Russian Railways. 


Iran Ready to Export Engineering Services to Armenia

Jirair Kafian
Iran Front Page
Oct 1 2019
By IFP Editorial Staff
–

October 1, 2019 – 07:24

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has discussed issues of mutual interest in a meeting with his Armenian counterpart Armen Sarkissian in the city of Yerevan.

During the Monday meeting, the two sides highlighted the importance of developing relations between Tehran and Yerevan in different political, economic and cultural fields.

Rouhani said, “Further development of relations with neighbouring countries, including Armenia, is a tenet of the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

The Iranian president highlighted the cultural and historical commonalities between the two countries and nations, and said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran and Armenia have ample capacities in different fields, including energy, transit and transportation, tourism, and industry, which can be used to the benefit of both nations’ interests.”

Rouhani further stressed the capabilities of the private sectors of the two countries, and said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to share with Armenia its experience in different technical and engineering fields, dam construction and energy.”

He further highlighted the significance of cooperation under the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), saying, “Iran’s participation in Eurasian Union’s economic relations can be a very good opportunity for deepening bilateral economic relations, and also at the regional level.”

The president also called for enhanced relations and cooperation between the two countries’ free economic zones, including Aras and Meghri, and further attention to the environment and optimal use of the two neighbours’ tourism potentialities.

In turn, Sarkissian stressed that his country attaches great importance to cementing its ties with Iran. “Armenia is seeking to develop relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran in different fields, including economy, industry, energy and environment.”

“The Eurasian region can extend its activities, and in this regard, we are ready to develop relations Tehran,” he added.

The Iranian president arrived in Yerevan on Monday in order to attend a meeting of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which Iran is going to join as of October 27 as its first membership in a regional economic union.

Before leaving Tehran for Yerevan, Rouhani had noted that joining the EAEU is an opportunity to enhance the economic power at the regional level before a competition on a global scale.

Based on Iran’s agreement with the EAEU, 502 Iranian goods will be subject to preferential tariff rates for the exports to the EAEU members.

The Eurasian Economic Union is an international organization of regional economic integration with international legal personality. It has international legal personality and is established by the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union.

AI To Generate Music At WCIT-2019 Opening In Armenia

Nahapetian Samvel
Eurasia Review
Oct 1 2019
AI To Generate Music At WCIT-2019 Opening In Armenia

October 1, 2019

By PanARMENIAN

 

On the evening of October 6, Yerevan’s iconic Republic Square will set the scene for WCIT 2019’s opening ceremony. Spectators will be treated to an unprecedented concert blending human and computer talent like never before.

The orchestra was created to perform for the first time at the WCIT 2019 opening ceremony. Grammy award winning DJ Armin Van Buuren will perform. The orchestra musicians are already arriving in Armenia (video). The main rehearsal for the performance will be on October 5.

The WCIT Orchestra, composed of musicians from 15 countries, which have hosted the forum in the past 40 years will perform on stage the music composed by AI in real time. The orchestra will have 100 musicians, including 30 from Armenia. The participating host nations include Canada, the Netherlands, Malaysia, the United States, Greece, Taipei, Spain, Japan, France, Denmark, Mexico, Brazil, Australia and India.

The concert will be performed under the baton of Maestro Sergey Smbatyan, the Artistic Director, and Principal Conductor of the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra. The Orchestra will be accompanied by an AI software whose programmed to incorporate the musical DNA of all 15 countries, including uniquely Armenian compositions. Renowned Armenian composer Aram Khachaturyan’s most acclaimed composition, The Sabre Dance, will be brought into the digital age, with awe-inspiring 3D mapping projected onto Republic Square.

“Initially, we have intended to make the IT World Congress in Yerevan an unforgettable and remarkable event: this is one of the surprises we have prepared for the international community to show the Armenian innovative thought. As it is known, the music will be composed by artificial intelligence, which we call artificial talent. We prove that the center of the world is where there is talent and innovation, in this particular case in Yerevan’s heart, in the Republic Square,” said the president of the Union of Advanced Technology Enterprises (UATE), Alexander Yesayan.

“It is considered that technologies distance people. With the creation of the WCIT global orchestra we break that stereotype: the orchestra unites musicians from different countries providing a new platform for communication. Both music and technologies contribute to this union as a means of communication. As a rule, world orchestras are formed around an idea.

 

By the creation of the WCIT orchestra the IT world highlights the power of art and music. Thus, the IT world promotes the development of classical music,” said Artistic Director, and Principal Conductor of the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra Sergey Smbatyan.

The ceremony will conclude with the hypnotic sound of world-class musical innovator Armin Van Buuren. His show will be accompanied by psychedelic visual effects. Armin Van Buuren is a Grammy-winning DJ and record producer, whose unique mixes are credited with erupting trance music into a global sensation. Van Buuren’s heavy schedule includes headlining at over 150 concerts per year. He also leads some of the world’s biggest festivals, including Electric Daisy Carnival, Ultra Music Festival and Tomorrowland.

Severe damage caused to health of Russian Armenian sisters who killed their father, additional expertise confirms

Jane Topchian
News.am, Armenia
Oct 1 2019
Severe damage caused to health of Russian Armenian sisters who killed their father, additional expertise confirms Severe damage caused to health of Russian Armenian sisters who killed their father, additional expertise confirms

10:29, 01.10.2019
                  

An additional forensic medical examination commission has confirmed that the violent actions of Mikhail Khachaturyan have caused serious damage to the health of his daughters, who are accused of killing their parent. This is noted in the statement which these girls’ attorneys have issued, Interfax reported.

“The psychiatric disorders found in the Khachaturyan sisters have a cause-and-effect link with Mikhail Khachaturyan’s actions,” the statement also reads.

The legal defense of these sisters also states that the expertise has assessed the damage to the girls’ health as severe.

“The girls were in the necessary defense state,” the statement also said. “In the attorneys’ view, the criminal prosecution of the Khachaturyan sisters should be terminated.” 

On July 27, 2018 the dead body of Russian Armenian Mikhail Khachaturyan, 57, was found at the entrance to a Moscow building—and with multiple stab wounds. According to the respective investigation, he was killed by his three teenage daughters, and due to personal enmity.

Criminal charges were brought against them.

On August 2, a Moscow court ruled that they be remanded in custody.

On September 27, another Moscow court released these three sisters from the detention center where they spent two months, thus granting the investigating body’s petition to commute their pretrial measure of arrest.

In June 2019, the investigation was completed. According to the final edition, the girls were charged with murder.

As per the case files, the cause of this crime was the father’s multiple abuses of her daughters, and which involved physical and sexual violence against them. The sisters, however, plead innocent under the said qualification.

This past July, the case materials on Mikhail Khachaturyan were separated from her daughters’ case. His actions included crimes of torture and sexual abuse of her daughters. But due his death, no criminal charges were brought against him.

Armenia, Belarus cooperate very effectively – Pashinyan meets with Lukashenko

Jane Topchian

Armenia, Belarus cooperate very effectively – Pashinyan meets with Lukashenko

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 19:55,

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 30, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia NIkol Pashinyan met with President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko on September 30. Lukashenko is in Armenia to participate in the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council meeting.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister of Armenia, greeting the President of Belarus, Nikol Pashinyan said,

”Honorable Alexander Grigoryevich,

I am very glad to meet with you in Armenia’s capital, Yerevan. The Supreme Eurasian Economic Council meeting will take place tomorrow. I think it’s a very important meeting, since the free trade agreement between Iran and the EAEU enters into force from October, while tomorrow we plan to sign a similar agreement with Singapore. This means that the EAEU expands the circle of its partners and I am very happy that it takes place during the period of Armenia’s presidency over the Eurasian Economic Union. I am confident it will raise the attractiveness of the EAEU and new business opportunities will be created for the EAEU member states. I am very glad for this meeting, because we will be able to discuss a range of issues referring to our relations, which are on quite a good level. Of course, we always say that we should not be satisfied with our achievements and should continue developing relations. Of course, Belarus is our strategic partner and a very important partner and we cooperate very effectively. I hope that cooperation will become more and more productive”.

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said, ”Honorable Nikol Vovayevich,

Thank you for this very important meeting before tomorrow’s meeting of Heads of State of our economic union. I want to congratulate you for the very productive presidency (over the union-edit). I know how interested you were and how actively you worked with Singapore for signing the agreement. Frankly speaking, when I was reported on that we have to elaborate a free trade agreement with Singapore, I said ”Focus on Nikol Pashinyan, focus on Armenia”, because our economies have many similarities and I do not think that Armenia can do something bad for itself that can harm us as well.  For that reason we focused on your elaborations, but of course, we also analyzed the situation and always supported you. You cannot deny that. We always supported each of your applications and I have to say that this is the 1st case when during a period of one year you were able to not only move forward, but also elaborate the relevant agreement. Frankly speaking, for such a good agreement Singapore should be 1st off all thankful to Armenia. But I have to also emphasize that all the countries will benefit from the agreement, otherwise, no one would even observe it. And for that reason this agreement was elaborated in an optimal period of time.

I attentively follow the situation in Armenia in the context of relations with Belarus. I know that Armenians have always had a good attitude towards the people of Belarus. Our peoples have many similarities – hard working and with many sufferings left behind.  You often and rightfully mention the sufferings that you felt on your own skin over 100 years ago. We often speak about what happened 75-80 years ago during fascism and genocide in Belarus which affected also Armenians. From this viewpoint the histories and peoples are very similar and of course, we are interested in developing the relations.

Today our trade turnover is not so great, as you noted, but it could be none. In both our and your countries many thought that we would not cooperate, that Yerevan will cooperate with its neighboring countries, but back then we said no, we have to gradually establish relations. And today, already after your becoming the Prime Minister, I observed the statistics and we have 140% increase of trade turnover. This is a very good dynamic. We found the ways, particularly when we entered the EAEU, and I have to assure you that it will continue the same way in the future. We will support you, your business in Belarus and if our companies are interesting for you, we will come to Armenia and will create joint ventures.

Nikol Vovayevich, I am saying this so as you never think that our policy towards Armenia has changed. You know that even if you refuse to cooperate with us, we will insist on being close and friendly countries and you have to always know that we are ready to always stand with Armenia.

It happened so that you became my good friend and the president of Azerbaijan has been a good friend for many years. And what can I do? I have very good attitude towards both Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the leadership of Azerbaijan starting from the time when Heydar Aliyev was their president and we started working with him. We have good relations with you as well. You should not worry that we can make friends with someone against the interests of Armenia. Never. Come to Belarus, show what you need and we are ready to work for the benefit of Armenia. Believe, this is what our relations are.

I referred to such a non-diplomatic issue, maybe I should not have done it, but I do not want that completely unclarified issues remain between us. We are obliged to reflect the expectations of Armenians and Belarusians, and we have to be friends, since our peoples are friends. We are leaders of countries who have to fulfil the will of the people. This is not just a conversation. You have to believe in my sincerity and you should know that we will always have a good attitude towards you, like relatives, like brothers.

The President of your country came to Belarus and met with the Armenian Diaspora and asked them what objections they have against the authorities and no Armenian stood and said anything. By the way, they are our Armenians, the Armenians of Belarus and they said that they have no issues with the President and the authorities. And it will always be like this”.

Thanking Alexander Lukasheno for the warm words, Nikol Pashinyan said, ”I am thankful, Alexander Grigoryevich, for the warm words. You talked about the agreement with Singapore. I want to note that it is really fair, it is the result of a team work, since all the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union, all the governments and the Eurasian Economic Commission very intensively worked on the document, but not only Armenia and the Government of Armenia. I want to also thank you for the cooperation. As refers to speaking directly, we agreed long ago that I greatly value it, it’s a very open style and we should interact just that way. I think it’s very important that we have no dark corners in our relations and we always discuss all the issues openly. You know that we have quite uneasy relations with Azerbaijan, directly speaking – conflicting relations. We discussed that issue also in the frameworks of the CSTO. Of course, each country should take into account its own interests, but I want to emphasized that, like we spoke about it before, we have also united interests and I am glad that we can work together and discuss all the nuances for reaching a joint conclusion. Of course, not all issues are easy, and generally, it’s not an easy task to do the work we do. I am confident we have enough prudency, courage and will to solve all the issues, and solve in a way that the friendship and brotherhood between our countries and peoples continue developing and strengthening. I am confident in that”.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan




President of Iran Hassan Rouhani arrives in Armenia

Emil Lazarian

President of Iran Hassan Rouhani arrives in Armenia

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 19:58,

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 30, ARMENPRESS. President of Iran Hassan Rouhani arrived in Armenia. ARMENPRESS reports he was welcomed by Armenia’s Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan at the Zvartnots airport.

Photos by Hayk Manukyan

He will take part in the extended format session of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in Yerevan with the status of Head of State of an invited country on October 1.

The session will also be attended by the leaders of the remaining member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), including Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, President of Russia Vladimir Putin, President of Kyrgyzstan Sooronbay Jeenbekov, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) Tigran Sargsyan will also take part in the session.

Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong will attend the session as a Head of State of an invited country, and President of Moldova Igor Dodon will participate in the session with the status of head of an observer state.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan