Month: June 2022

 10:25,

YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan is expected to have his medical with Inter Milan and sign the two-year contract on June 22, Football Italia reports.

The midfielder is a free agent after June 30, because he failed to agree a new deal with Roma.

It is reported the salary he agreed with Inter will be worth an initial €3.3m per season net plus performance-related bonuses, so with add-ons should reach €4.2m per year.

The Armenia international should be tied to the club until June 2024.

 10:38,

YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. Not only the circumstances, but also the great will to fight to live saved Aurora Mardiganian from the 1915 Armenian Genocide, allowed to settle in a foreign country and move forward by overcoming all the challenges.

Aurora’s Sunrise, a historical animated documentary film about the life of Aurora Mardiganian, premiered at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival in France recently.

The film will be screened at the Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival on July 10-17.

Speaking to ARMENPRESS, Director of the film Inna Sahakyan said that the idea of creating the film came while developing a program ahead of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, within the frames of which the creative team had a goal to touch upon ten stories. But when the Zoryan Institute sent Aurora’s interview to the director, who called it special, the project changed a little and the idea of creating the film “Aurora’s Sunrise” arose.

“CEO of Bars Media Vardan Hovhannisyan was familiar with the interviews of a collection of oral history of the Armenian Genocide. Since 1970s the Institute has documented the stories of the Armenian Genocide survivors. They have been provided with a questionnaire, through which the historical facts have been collected. This archive is very important as the Genocide survivors tell their stories sitting in front of the camera. However, in visual terms the materials are in low quality. We thought it would be nice and interesting if the interviews are retold through animation”, Inna Sahakyan said.

Aurora was given the same questionnaire which was provided to other survivors, but while answering to the questions she has constantly talked about the Hollywood film in which she starred. As a result of her answers, the questions have changed, and the talk went on a different course. It was revealed that after surviving the Genocide Aurora has starred in the movie “Auction of Souls” in the United States.

“It’s surprising to see how a girl, who has survived the Armenian Genocide, has starred in a film telling about her life. I got acquainted with other interviews as well, the American media reports and the articles about the film. We understood that we are going to make a full-length film, and it cannot become one of the ten small stories”, Inna Sahakyan said.

“Aurora’s Sunrise” is based on the interviews of the Zoryan Institute and the Armenian Film Foundation. Sahakyan has also used the book “Ravished Armenia”, professional literature, American press materials, etc.

According to Inna Sahakyan, the telling story is the most important element in the animation film. The “Auction of Souls” movie’s full version has not been maintained. Only an 18-minute part from the movie is available in the National Archive of Armenia. It has been restored and has been used in the visual section of the movie.

“I am very happy to have finished the film. Aurora has often survived because of her fate, but there have been situations when she continued moving forward as a result of her decisions. It was interesting to follow her story. I think the film transfers these emotions to the audience”, Inna Sahakyan said.

She is sure that people will watch the film with interest. Their target isalso the youth, and not only the Armenian youth.

“This is an important film for the Armenian audience, however both in terms of visual and script composition we have tried to do the utmost for the international community to be interested in it as well. I compare Aurora with Anne Frank. Anne was also a young girl, and the whole world knows about her, however very few people know about Aurora”, Inna Sahakyan said.  

At only 14 years old, in 1915, Aurora faced the horrors of the Armenian Genocide. Within a year, witnessing the deaths of everyone in her family, Aurora had lost everything, and was sold into a Turkish harem. But with extraordinary courage and luck, she escaped to America, where her story became a sensation. 

The Zoryan Institute’s objective with this film is to bring to life the ZI’s Oral History Testimonies onto the big screen, through animated documentary films, to relay the stories of the Genocide survivors to the younger generations, especially of girls and to empower them, and  to represent their communities in the face of great adversity and violence. 

In 2015, during the year of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, the Zoryan Institute, signed a partnership agreement with Bars Media of Armenia to produce the animated documentary based on the testimony of A. Mardiganian. Aurora’s Sunrise was made possible with the academic contribution of the Zoryan Institute Armenia, based on its oral history archives (filmed by the Zoryan Institute on January 29, 1984). 

The film is directed by Inna Sahakyan. It is produced by Bars Media, led by Vardan Hovhannisyan, Gebrueder Beetz Filmproduktion & Artbox Laisvalaikio Klubas, with the financial partnership of Eurimages, the Zoryan Institute Armenia & the National Cinema Center of Armenia, and with the contributions of the Lithuanian Film Center, ZDF/ARTE, Public TV Armenia, and LRT.

 11:07,

YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. Spain will not present a bid to host the 2030 Winter Olympics in the Pyrenees due to political differences between the governments of the Catalonia and Aragon regions, Reuters reports citing the statement of Spain’s Olympic Committee president Alejandro Blanco.

The idea of hosting the Olympics has divided public opinion in the Spanish regions, especially since Catalonia’s pro-independence government did not want to include Aragon in the bid due to a political dispute.

Japan’s Saporro is considered the favourite to stage the Olympics, with former Winter Games hosts Vancouver in Canada and Salt Lake City in the United States, also reportedly interested.

 11:52,

YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. Orion Summit 2022, that is taking place in Yerevan, is of vital importance for tech companies, as well as for the development of the sector. This technological summit is also a good opportunity to record the sector’s developments and achievements, Armenian Minister of High Technological Industry Robert Khachatryan said in his speech at the summit, Armenpress correspondent reports.

“Holding such events is of key importance for the technological companies, as well as for the development of the field. Today famous representatives of technological and business sectors will gather in a single platform to discuss the relevant topics, share their experience and success stories. This is also a good opportunity for us to record the developments and achievements of the field”, the minister said.

In his remarks the minister said one should not avoid talking also about the problems as, according to him, revealing and discussing them, developing solution ways allows not to repeat the mistakes and avoid making new mistakes.

He said that the development of startup ecosystem is on the agenda of the high-tech ministry. Minister Khachatryan assured that they are conducting consistent works for the development and progress of startups. He is sure that the experience of successful companies could be a serious impetus for the new startups.

“Armenia has a big technological potential, and this potential is partially gathered here. I am convinced the results of this summit will not make wait long. I am sure that the event will be productive and will contribute to finding jointly new directions for progress”, the minister said.

About Orion

Orion Worldwide Innovations (“Orion”), is a startup growth and ecosystem acceleration hub and offers a full-service package to make companies investable to enter the US market, enhance their customer acquisition strategies, stay competitive and protect their innovation. Orion is a U.S.-based company formed in 2017, with offices in New York City, U.S., and Yerevan, Armenia, though Orion partners with companies and investor networks worldwide.

 12:00,

YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Mher Grigoryan will depart for Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, to take part in the session of the Board of the Eurasian Development Bank on June 23-25, the government reports.

The respective decision has been signed by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and is posted on e-gov.am.

Within three days after returning from Kazakhstan, the deputy PM must present a report on the results of the visit to the Prime Minister.

 13:03,

YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. Armenia Workforce Development Activity first national conference, funded by USAID, launched in Yerevan today.

Chip Laitinen, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of the United States of America in Armenia, highlighted the cooperation between different structures that will support the government of Armenia in the activities of the Employment national strategy. “Human capital is one of the most important assets of Armenia. We continue supporting workforce development as they are developed and competitive people who will allow the country to fully use the economic potential”, he said.

Natia Natsvlishvili, the Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Armenia, also attached importance to the active collaboration. “We are here to support promotion of employment in Armenia. We know that this problem has existed here for years. We see much higher unemployment among the youth, women and girls. We believe that the efforts of the international partners and the Armenian government will be directed to solving the current issues”, she said.

Director of the Enterprise Incubator Foundation Bagrat Yengibaryan said that the basis of the Armenia Workforce Development Program are youth. This is one of the programs that creates future. “In other words, we create a person who should think, create and resist the future challenges”, he said.

Armenia Workforce Development Activity (AWDA) is a five-year program, designed to provide the youth and women with the opportunities to improve their skills in line with labor market needs and find employment in the fields of ICT/high-tech, agriculture, tourism and hospitality. The program is funded by the US Agency for International Development and will be implemented by Enterprise Incubator Foundation with Armenian National Agrarian University, Fund of Armenian Relief and CIVITTA Armenia.

 13:18,

YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. Competitive workforce is one of the most important preconditions for the development of the economy of the country and the community, therefore, the government of Armenia has set development of human capital, creation of jobs, and targeted and social development as a priority, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Ruben Sargsyan said during the Armenia Workforce Development Activity first national conference in Yerevan.

He said the ministry has adopted a policy of continuous development of human capital aimed at boosting labor and high-productivity employment.

“The ministry’s new draft strategy highlights more the conscious choice of profession, the promotion of employment, as well as the introduction of career development and effective training systems”, the deputy minister said, adding that the employment strategy will be adopted this November-December and will consist of several components.

Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Artur Martirosyan said the strengthening of connection between workforce and education is the continuous imperative in any country of the world. “Our task is to reach the point that the investments being made in education to have their direct affect also on the country’s economic life. There is an inter-agency stable dialogue in terms of enhancing the education-workforce link”, he said, adding that in 2021 the government of Armenia approved the state criteria for general education which is offering new content solutions, including introduction of a professional orientation institute in all schools of the country which will provide students with an opportunity to choose their future profession.

In his turn Deputy Minister of High Technological Industry Gevorg Mantashyan said that their ministry is open to all those people who want to participate in the country’s technological change. “Not only the abilities, but also knowledge are important. Making great changes is difficult alone”, he said.

Armenia Workforce Development Activity (AWDA) is a five-year program, designed to provide the youth and women with the opportunities to improve their skills in line with labor market needs and find employment in the fields of ICT/high-tech, agriculture, tourism and hospitality. The program is funded by the US Agency for International Development and will be implemented by Enterprise Incubator Foundation with Armenian National Agrarian University, Fund of Armenian Relief and CIVITTA Armenia.

 13:52,

YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. Governor of the Central Bank of Armenia Martin Galstyan commented on the current devaluation of the Armenian dram and the issues raised by exporters during his speech at the Orion Summit 2022 in Yerevan.

He presented factors which contribute to devaluation of the dram, such as the flow of foreign visitors to Armenia, the growth in export of services. “Many of you visit restaurants in the evening where you can see how many foreigners there are. According to the statistical rules, it should be registered as an export. Thus, we can see an unprecedented growth in export from Armenia this year, which, of course, leads to the devaluation of the national currency”, he said.

He said that now some part of the society, particularly the exporters call on the Central Bank to artificially depreciate the Armenian dram, which, most probably, should help them to be more effective and competitive. However, the CBA Governor raises a question whether the effectiveness or non-effectiveness of exporters depends on the devaluation of the dram by 5-10%.

“In my view, this is not a solution. The solution is to be unique. If we want to be unique, there are many things we can do together. But I will not rely only on the artificial depreciation”, he said.

Recently the Armenian dram has been appreciating especially against the US dollar. As of June 21 exchange rates set by the CBA, the US dollar exchange rate has decreased by 4.02 drams, comprising 417.01 drams. The Euro exchange rate decreased by 3.40 drams, comprising 440.07 drams.

 14:00,

YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Minister of High Technological Industry of Armenia Davit Sahakyan participated in the panel discussion “Maturing and Accelerating Armenian Startup Ecosystem: Innovation, Finance and Investment Perspective” during the Orion Summit 2022 in Yerevan.

In response to the question of ARMENPRESS, the deputy minister attached importance to this summit, which, according to him, is a platform to communicate with the field, understand the existing problems and jointly find their solutions.

“The summit enables to inform about the programs that the ministry is going to implement and is implementing for the development of the sector”, the deputy minister said.

According to Davit Sahakyan, Armenia is transitioning from a country of information technologies to a country of high technologies.

“During the panel discussion the initiatives, which we have implemented, were discussed, including the courses that are five such as cybersecurity, engineering, blockchain, artificial intelligence and technological entrepreneurship. We position today’s Armenia not based on today’s needs, but on future needs”, he said.

He said Armenia has a big potential to succeed in IT sector. This summit, he added, is one of the initiatives that is steadily moving towards the fulfillment of that goal.

About Orion

Orion Worldwide Innovations (“Orion”), is a startup growth and ecosystem acceleration hub and offers a full-service package to make companies investable to enter the US market, enhance their customer acquisition strategies, stay competitive and protect their innovation. Orion is a U.S.-based company formed in 2017, with offices in New York City, U.S., and Yerevan, Armenia, though Orion partners with companies and investor networks worldwide.

 15:24,

YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. FIFA President Gianni Infantino sent a letter of gratitude to President of the Football Federation of Armenia Armen Melikbekyan, the FFA said.

The letter reads: 

“Dear President,

On behalf of the entire FIFA delegation, I would like to thank you and the whole team at the FFA for affording us such a cordial welcome and warm hospitality, and making our stay so special on the occasion of our visit to Armenia last Wednesday, for the FFA 30th Anniversary’s celebrations.

First of all, please allow me to reiterate my heartfelt congratulations on this historic milestone and pay tribute to all those who keep our sport alive and ensure its prosperity in Armenia, and to all those who have contributed and continue to contribute to this invaluable legacy.

During our visit, we have shared important moments. The audience with H.E. Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, the exciting match at Tsovagyugh Village, and the memorable FFA 30th Anniversary Gala dinner were certainly some of the highlights. All these moments shared together offered us the opportunity to exchange our ideas and vision of football and to express FIFA’s support for the development of football in your country. No doubt that the mini-fields project will greatly contribute to it.

Dear President, I would like to assure you that this visit has reinforced our determination to work together for the prosperity of football and the community in Armenia, and you can always count on FIFA’s support for this.

Thank you for your invaluable work and contribution to the development and prosperity of football in Armenia, and I look forward to seeing you again soon”.