Month: September 2020

 13:59,

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. The Yerevan City Council has allocation 200,000,000 drams (nearly 3 times more than in 2018) in 2020 to the medical institutions of the Armenian capital.

Mayor Hayk Marutyan visited the polyclinics of the city to review the ongoing works.

“I attach great importance to primary care service, this is a highly important component in terms of the general medical system and the state, “ Mayor Hayk Marutyan said. “We must prevent illness, we shouldn’t let our citizens need to go to a hospital. I had issued a directive for our polyclinics to make a need assessment of technical re-equipment, and we’ve already launched the process in 2019-2020. A rather large number of equipment is procured, high-quality equipment, which the doctors themselves noted. The results are felt, diagnostics are done more accurately and targeted,” he said.

325 units of 10 different types of medical equipment was given to the polyclinics by City Hall, and this year the numbers are 134 units of 11 types.

Three stations of the city’s ambulance service were also rebuilt, and 5 polyclinics will be renovated soon.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

 18:01,

YEREVAN, 17 SEPTEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 17 September, USD exchange rate down by 0.53 drams to 484.40 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 4.36 drams to 571.59 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.03 drams to 6.46 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 0.67 drams to 628.46 drams.

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

Gold price down by 29,962.59 drams to 429.45 drams. Silver price down by 30,123.27 drams to 30552.72 drams. Platinum price stood at 15201.09 drams.

 16:04,

Moody’s international rating agency has upgraded IDBank’s long-term foreign and local currency deposit ratings to B2 from B3; outlook changed to stable.

The agency has also adjusted the long-term counterparty risk ratings (CRR) from B2 to B1. The Bank’s baseline credit assessment (BCA) is B2, and the long-term counterparty risk assessment is B1(cr).

As Arman Asatryan, the financial director of IDBank mentioned, this kind of rating reflects the improvement of the Bank’s credit profile, overall stability and high level of liquidity.

“Thus, according to Moody’s rating, against the background of reduced risks, the Bank has a stable development outlook. This means that in the future IDBank will remain liquid and according to our forecasts, it will have a stable growth”, said Arman Asatryan.

 15:55,

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Nuclear Power Plant’s administration discussed the re-extension of the lifespan of its power unit N2 beyond 2026 during a videoconference with Rosatom Service.

The executives also discussed the interim results of the ongoing lifecycle extension works of the power unit N2 and the 2021 equipment and systems modernization plan.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

 16:47,

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. An arrest warrant has been issued for an ethnic Arab, resident of Palestine who is suspected in defrauding a Syrian-Armenian in Yerevan as well as the latter’s acquaintances for more than 600,000 dollars.

The Committee of Investigations said Ibaida A.A. Nassar is wanted for fraud. The Palestine resident is said to have posed as an affluent entrepreneur and defrauded Shahe Paharian, as well as his friends, of a total of 611,800 dollars.

Nearly 500,000 dollars of the total money was the cost of a very large number of livestock belonging to Paharian’s Yazidi acquaintances, who too were deceived.

Nassar had told the victims that the money would be used to gain access to frozen assets totaling 3,000,000 dollars in a Belarus bank. Nassar said the 3,000,000 dollars would be invested in Armenia in livestock business, and gained the victims’ trust, only to disappear with the 611,800 dollars.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

 17:48,

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian met with the leadership of the French Dassault Systèmes company, the Presidential Office told Armenpress.

Issues relating to the implementation of special educational projects developed by Dassault Systèmes in the IT sector were discussed during the meeting.

The meeting touched upon the cooperation development and prospects with Armenia in the science-technology and education sectors. In particular, the meeting sides discussed the concrete cooperation directions within the frames of the Armenian presidential initiative ATOM (Advanced Tomorrow), especially considering artificial intelligence, data management, math modelling as prospective fields.

Dassault Systèmes is a subsidiary of the Dassault Group created in 1981. It develops and markets PLM software and services that support industrial processes by providing a 3D vision of the entire lifecycle of products from conception to maintenance.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 15:42,

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. An Armenian lawyer attempted to challenge in court the coronavirus protocols in schools requiring children to wear face masks, maneuvering into technicalities of the lawful power of the protocols and whether or not the guidelines constitute a “legal act”. 

A Yerevan court indeed found that the school guidelines are not technically considered a “normative legal act”, but at the same time returned the lawyer’s application citing errors.

After this, lawyer Gegham Simonyan issued a statement on his social media account claiming that the court’s stipulation that that the school guidelines are not normative legal acts is sufficient in order for children not to wear masks in schools. His statement was widely distributed and could potentially cause confusion.

Shortly afterwards the Healthcare Ministry issued a statement stressing that even if the guidelines aren’t technically considered “normative legal acts”, there is an order from a higher authority in place regarding mandatory face masks – the health minister’s order on mandatory face masks in all enclosed facilities, which is in force.

“The author, as a lawyer and attorney, should’ve been aware that the mentioned guideline was never a normative legal act, and disputing it in terms of contradicting the Law on Normative Legal Acts is senseless”, the health ministry said.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Armenian PM holding meeting with ministers, provincial governors and MPs

 19:36,

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. A meeting has kicked off in the headquarters of the Civil Contract Party led by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

The meeting is attended by ministers, provincial governors and the ruling My Step faction MPs.

Before the start of the meeting Speaker of Parliament Ararat Mirzoyan told reporters that it’s a regular meeting.

No other details are available about the meeting agenda.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 19:27,

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. Armenia’s Investigative Committee revealed a number of circumstances over the case of obstruction of legal activity of a reporter by former police chief Vladimir Gasparyan, the Investigative Committee told Armenpress.

According to the data obtained, on August 8, 2020, former police chief Vladimir Gasparyan, while in his house at Drakhtik village in Gegharkunik province, noticed that a drone is shooting the house area. In order to find out who is making the shooting, the former official moved on the direction of a drone with his own vehicle. After noticing reporter from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Robert Zargaryan and his crew, the ex-police chief started insulting the journalists, as well as threatened to use violence dangerous for life and health. Upon learning that the reporters carry out their professional activity and prepare a report about the illegally constructed buildings in the Lake Sevan basin, Vladimir Gasparyan again urged them to stop the shooting and continued insulting them. He forced them to delete the video and refuse to spread it.

Based on the sufficient evidence charges have pressed against Vladimir Gasparyan for obstructing the legal activity of a reporter. Signature bond not to leave the country has been chosen as a preventive measures for the former police chief.

Investigation continues.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 18:45,

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. Member of Parliament from the ruling My Step faction Armen Pambukhchyan has resigned, Speaker of Parliament Ararat Mirzoyan said in a statement.

The lawmaker will continue working in the government.

The lawmaker also issued a statement on Facebook which says: “I want to state that by my wish and the consent of the political team I will continue my state service in the government. I want to thank all my colleagues in the Parliament for the productive work. Of course, I want to specifically thank the My Step faction for the discussions aimed at the common goals and the decisions made. I assure you that the faction has been and remains a strong institute holding the values of the Revolution and serving the interests of our statehood”.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan