Encroachment on the right and law in Armenia – Vanetsyan

Panorama, Armenia
Feb 7 2020

Former Director of Armenia’s National Security Service Artur Vanetsyan commented on parliament’s decision of holding nationwide referendum on constitutional changes.

“Encroachment on right and law took place in Armenia yesterday. The consequences will be severe and will disrupt the judicial security of the country as well as damage its international reputation,” Vanetsyan tweeted.
To remind, the proposed referendum on constitutional and related changes relate among other at dismissing seven of the nine members of the Constitutional Court. It will also remove the requirement for the Constitutional Court to check the compliance of draft legislation with the Constitution of Armenia, and subsequently change the procedure of revision of the Constitution itself.

According to the substantiation of the draft law, the Constitutional Court has a problem of being perceived as a credible and unbiased court in the society.


  

PACE rapporteurs deeply regret signing into law of controversial amendments to Common Courts and Supreme Court laws

Aravot, Armenia
Feb 7 2020

                                                       

The co-rapporteurs for a report of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on the functioning of democratic institutions in Poland, Azadeh Rojhan Gustafsson (Sweden, SOC) and Pieter Omtzigt (Netherlands, EPP/CD), have expressed their deep regret at the signing into law by President Duda of the controversial amendments to the Law on the Common Courts and the Law on the Supreme Court, as well as several other laws, despite repeated calls from the international community, including the Assembly, not to do so.

These amendments, among other things, introduce a whole series of new disciplinary offences for judges and prohibit, under threat of severe disciplinary punishment, the questioning by another court or judge of the legitimacy of any judge appointed by the President of Poland, contravening recent rulings of the Polish Supreme Court and the Court of Justice of the European Union.

“In Resolution 2316 (2020) adopted on 28 January 2020 on the basis of our report, the Assembly expressed its deep concern about these amendments, which further undermine the independence of the judiciary and respect for the rule of law in Poland. We deeply deplore the signing into law by President Duda of these amendments, which are often referred to as a “muzzle law”. This underscores the need for the opening of a full monitoring procedure with regard to Poland, as decided by the Assembly last week,” said the rapporteurs.

On 28 January 2020, concerned about Poland’s backsliding with regard to the independence of the judiciary and respect for the rule of law, PACE decided to open a monitoring procedure in respect of Poland until its concerns are addressed in a satisfactory manner.

PACE


Security Council Secretary on suicides and deaths in the army under new authorities

Aravot, Armenia
Feb 7 2020

                                                       

There are also many deaths and suicides in the army under the new authorities. You promised that there would be changes, but we have seen that the sons of high-ranking officials have all mysteriously begun their service at a military base near Stepanakert. Isn’t this suspicious? The Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia, Armen Grigoryan, answered these questions asked by journalists. He said, “The issue is, of course, deep and multi-layered. The Defense Army issued a statement saying that it is seeking solutions. I am convinced that these solutions will be more visible in the near future. Taking into consideration the fact that the army is characterized as being a closed institution in many cases, it is difficult to speak as openly and publicly as possible. But I can say for sure that these issues are on our agenda and on the Prime Minister’s agenda. I am convinced that these steps will ease the situation a bit and will create the opportunity to make changes in the future.”

Lusine Budaghyan




Armenian designer creates new brand, Yerishi, in Milan

Aravot, Armenia
Feb 7 2020

                                                       

Armenians across the world have always been able to capture attention in many different fields. Fashion is no exception. Ethnic Armenian designer and stylist Irina Yeritsyan created a new brand, Yerishi, in Milan, which is known for its luxury and limited edition purses. The brand has already become well-known and a favorite of many due to the quality and uniqueness of these purses.

Irina Yeritsyan was born in Yerevan, but spent her childhood in the USA. She loved to travel and get the most out of life. Since she intended to be closer to international culture, she decided to continue her education abroad and moved to Budapest in 2010. She graduated from the IBS International Business School with a degree in MSS Marketing and Management. Then, since she loved to study and she wished to be closer to the world of fashion, Yeritsyan moved to Milan, where she graduated from the Instituto Marangoni with degrees in Fashion and Luxury Brand Management and Fashion Design. The designer is also a stylist and she works with women in many different fields to help them dress more attractively and appropriately for their field.

“As I was studying, I did a lot of research on the details of fashion and business. I learned more about fashion and the rules for creating luxury products. I began to work for different companies to gain experience and to become a professional in my work. I held many different positions when I worked for different brands in Milan. I had a long and difficult journey before I created my brand, Yerishi, which helped me to create high-quality and original products,” the designer said.

Yerishi is an abbreviation Yeritsyan came up with. It also has an interesting and somewhat mystical story, which the designer agreed to share in the future. Or, perhaps she will present this story in one of her future collections.

The designer took her first steps and created her brand in 2015. The purses are produced in Milan using high-quality products. Yeritsyan spent two years planning the purses in great detail, putting a lot of love into her work. Every collection has its own unique meaning and purpose. The first collection is called Eostre, which means ‘new beginning.’ These purses were made from high-quality leather, and the inside is made of high-quality and colorful velvet. Even the metallic details on the purses were produced specifically for the Yerishi brand, which emphasizes the uniqueness of the brand even further. Eostre is an elegant collection and a combination of unusual and interesting. It contains energy that signifies the personality of the woman. The designer wishes for women to come out of their comfort zones and wear unusual colors, which will further emphasize the fact that women are original and unrepeatable.

“Since purses are an indivisible part of a woman’s day, I created purses that will be in sync with the inner worlds of women. I created these purses with great respect for the image of the woman since I placed a lot of love and positive emotions into their creation, as well as placing a lot of importance on quality. By the way, I must mention that it is not easy to make purses that will satisfy the demands of all women while at the same time remaining in style, classic, comfortable, and unique. Creating purses for women is an art that demands attention since women are unique. We need to be able to understand them correctly,” the designer said. She intends to expand the Yerishi brand by creating a new collection of purses that will also include shoes and a men’s collection.

Exhibitions are expected to take place in Milan and in other European countries that Yerishi will take part in and present its purses to multi-brand stores.

Hasmik Sedrakyan


No cases of coronavirus in Armenia

MediaMax, Armenia
Feb 7 2020

“All persons who have arrived from China recently are under doctors’ supervision. Those with mild fever have been hospitalized, and corresponding tests are being run. As of today, all samples have tested negative for coronavirus,” the ministry said in a statement.

Armen Sarkissian: “Turning to the people is not a drastic measure”

MediaMax, Armenia
Feb 7 2020

President Sarkissian has made these remarks in the interview to Mediamax, Shant TV Company and Aravot newspaper today.

 According to the President, he has not yet received the decision of the referendum, which the National Assembly of Armenia made on February 6.

 “Once it is referred to me, I will inform the public about my opinion. It is not simply a matter of signing or not signing the document. I will try to make a contribution,” said Armen Sarkissian. He has underlined that the president should not be considered an “interpreter” of the Constitution.

 “The President observes implementation of the Constitution but does not guarantee it. The President must not interfere in the work of the branches of power or publicly share opinions about the work of executive or legislative powers. However, the President can give advice and support. The tools I have at my disposal to express opinion are quite limited, but this is not about craving more authorities. We shifted towards the parliamentary form of governance, which means that the less authorities the President has, the better,” said Armen Sarkissian.

 He believes that the institution of presidency should not be limited to observing compliance with the Constitution or detecting incompliance with it.

“The President should have a broader view on issues – consider how the given law, action or decision can affect the society. Let’s assume that I receive a bill, which the experts believe complies with the Constitution. They say there is no need to apply to the Constitutional Court. The President either signs the document or refuses to sign it, which means that the National Assembly will enforce it anyway some time later. However, even if the bill does not contradict the Constitution, the President could believe that the bill might have negative impact in certain areas. In some countries the President can veto the bill in such a case, showing the society that he or she disagrees with the proposed law and suggests executive and legislative powers to consider it again. There are countries where the President has the right to refer the law back to the parliament,” said Armen Sarkissian.

 President Sarkissian has noted that he followed the events of recent days closely.

 “I agree that the phenomenon of turning to the people should be established in our culture. Turning to the people is not a drastic measure. It can be done through referendum or plebiscite, and it is very valuable in the 21st century. Today we live two lives – real and virtual. There can be heated discussions, clash of opinions and huge amount of fake accounts in the virtual world. It prevents people from differentiating between real and unreal, true and false. In these circumstances, it is very important to face reality, so to say, communicate with the people and hear real opinions. Plebiscite does not have to be connected with the Constitution or a law. For instance, in Switzerland, making the people a party to the decision-making process is a success and a part of everyday life. We should not be afraid to try it here in Armenia. It is a necessity in the “double lives” we live in the 21st century,” said President Sarkissian. 



Sports: Armenia allocates AMD 121bn to preparations for Tokyo Olympics

MediaMax, Armenia
Feb 7 2020
Armenia allocates AMD 121bn to preparations for Tokyo Olympics

Armenia currently has Olympic quotas for three Greco-Roman wrestlers: Artur Aleksanyan (World, Europe and Olympic champion) in 97 kg weight category, Karapet Chalyan (silver medalist of European Games) in 77 kg and another athlete in the same category, who will be revealed later.

In the gymnastics team, silver medalist of European Games and European Championship Artur Davtyan has qualified for the Olympics.

Weightlifters are also competing for Olympic quotas. Their qualification will be clear in May.

Tourism: Hobbit that? Armenian hotel offers guests taste of Middle Earth

Dunya News
Feb 6 2020
  Last Updated On 07 February,2020 04:23 pm
Despite its theme, the rooms are not hobbit-size.

DILIJAN (Reuters) – Located at the foot of one of Armenia’s mountain ranges is “Cozy House” – a small hobbit-themed hotel that attracts hiking enthusiasts and Lord of the Rings fans alike.

Not surprisingly, its owner, Edgar Gulanyan is a fan of hobbits.

Hobbits are fictional characters created by English writer John Tolkien. They are best known for their love of comfort and good food. And they prefer living in small but snug underground houses built into the side of the hills.

The hotel, which opened in 2019, has six houses built into the side of the Caucasus mountains and can accommodate up to 16 guests.

Despite its theme, the rooms are not hobbit-size.

The ceiling is 2.5 metres high so guests will not need to stoop like Gandalf – one of the main characters in “The Lord of the Rings.”

With prices ranging from 25,000 to 40,000 Armenian drams (52-83 USD) per night, “Cozy House” is well above the local average price.

But this has not prevented people from coming. Off-season guests are around and all houses are already booked for the entire summer.

For these guests, a line from Tolkien’s famous poem rings true: “home is behind, the world ahead.” 

Armenian President receives Ambassador of Italy

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 15:05, 6 February, 2020

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 6, ARMENPRESS. President Armen Sarkissian received today Ambassador of Italy to Armenia Vincenzo del Monaco, the Presidential Office told Armenpress.

The Armenian President and the Ambassador discussed issues relating to the upcoming official visit of President Sarkissian to Italy in September 2020.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan




Artsakh Ombudsman comments on statement of Azerbaijani Central Election Commission

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 15:48, 6 February, 2020

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 6, ARMENPRESS. Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Artsakh Artak Beglaryan commented on the statement of the Azerbaijani Central Election Commission according to which the people of Artsakh can take part in the upcoming elections in Azerbaijan.

“The Azerbaijani CEC stated that the people of Karabakh can take part in the elections of Azerbaijan. I’m excited with this magnanimity. Instead of this, think of Armenophobia, domestic human rights and your democracy level. I am sure that the Azerbaijani people will be allowed to take part in the Artsakh elections if they get our citizenship”, the Artsakh Ombudsman said on Twitter.

Artsakh will hold parliamentary and presidential elections in April 2020.

Snap parliamentary elections will be held in Azerbaijan on February 9, 2020.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan