Thursday,
Prosecutors Seek Pashinian’s Acquittal In 2008 Unrest Case
• Naira Nalbandian
Armenia - A man walks past burned cars on a street in Yerevan where security
forces clashed with opposition protesters, 2 March 2008.
Prosecutors have asked Armenia’s Court of Cassation to absolve Prime Minister
Nikol Pashinian from all responsibility for the 2008 post-election unrest in
Yerevan that left ten people dead.
Pashinian played a major role in an opposition movement led by former President
Levon Ter-Petrosian, the main opposition candidate in a hotly disputed
presidential election.
The then 32-year-old journalist was the main speaker at an opposition rally held
in Yerevan on March 1-2, 2008 amid vicious clashes between some protesters and
security forces. Eight protesters and two police officers were killed in what
was the worst street violence in Armenia’s history.
Outgoing President Robert Kocharian declared a state of emergency and ordered
Armenian army units into the capital, accusing the Ter-Petrosian-led opposition
of attempting to seize power.
Pashinian went into hiding but surrendered to law-enforcement authorities in
July 2009. He was subsequently tried and sentenced to seven years in prison for
organizing the “mass disturbances,” a charge rejected by him as politically
motivated.
Like other Ter-Petrosian allies, Pashinian was released from jail in May 2011
under a general amnesty declared by the former Armenian authorities.
Armenia - Opposition leader Nikol Pashinian addresses protesters that barricaded
themselves in central Yerevan, 1 March 2008.
A spokesman for Armenia’s Office of the Prosecutor-General confirmed on Thursday
that it has appealed to the Court of Cassation to overturn the guilty verdict in
Pashinian’s trial and declare him innocent.
The official, Gor Abrahamian, insisted that the move “has nothing to do with the
position occupied” by Pashinian at present. He said it is based on a ruling
handed down by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) last month.
The Strasbourg court ruled that Armenian law-enforcement authorities had
violated Pashinian’s freedom of speech and assembly.
The authorities radically changed the official version of the events of March
2008 shortly after Pashinian swept to power in May 2018. They prosecuted
Kocharian and three other former officials on coup charges strongly denied by
them.
Kocharian was first arrested in July 2018. He was then twice freed and twice
rearrested before Armenia’s Court of Appeals released him on bail in June 2020.
A district court in Yerevan acquitted Kocharian and the other defendants in
April 2021 after the Constitutional Court declared the coup charges
unconstitutional.
The 67-year-old ex-president has said that his prosecution is part of a
“political vendetta” waged by Pashinian. The prime minister has denied that.
Yerevan Seeks Railway Accord With Baku
• Karine Simonian
Armenia - A disused railway leading to Azerbaijan's Nakhichevan region.
Official Yerevan said on Thursday that it needs to sign a legally binding
agreement with Baku before it can start building a railway that will connect
Azerbaijan with its Nakhichevan exclave.
The Armenian government set up last month a task force that will coordinate
construction of the 45-kilometer railway estimated to cost about $200 million.
The move followed verbal understandings reached by Prime Minister Pashinian and
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev late last year.
Speaking at a weekly session of his cabinet, Pashinian reiterated on Thursday
that the Armenian side is already gearing up for the construction.
“Although technical and design works have already started, we hope that the
understandings reached will soon be registered in the form of a document so that
a de jure process also unfolds in full swing,” he said.
Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigorian, who represents Armenia in Russian-mediated
talks on transport links with Azerbaijan, defended this position.
“Before we can launch such a project there needs to be a written agreement to
that effect because it requires substantial investments,” he told RFE/RL’s
Armenian Service.
Grigorian discussed the matter with Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexei
Overchuk and the head of Russian Railways (RZD) state monopoly, Oleg Belozerov,
when they visited Yerevan two weeks ago. He gave no details of the talks, saying
only that the Russian and Armenian governments are closely cooperating.
RZD runs Armenia’s railway network, called South Caucasus Railway (SCR), in line
with a 30-year management contract signed with the former Armenian government in
2008. Grigorian indicated that the Azerbaijan-Nakhichevan rail link passing
through Armenia’s Syunik province will also be managed by SCR.
Kocharian Deplores Armenia’s ‘Pro-Turkish Drift’
• Nane Sahakian
Armenia - Former President Robert Kocharian speaks at a news conference in
Yerevan, .
Armenia’s political leadership is succumbing to “the Turkish-Azerbaijani threat”
instead of strengthening the armed forces and deepening military ties with
Russia, former President Robert Kocharian said on Thursday.
Kocharian, who leads the main opposition Hayastan alliance, accused the
authorities of being ready to increase “Turkish influence” at the expense of
“Russian presence” in the country.
“More than one year has passed since the war [in Nagorno-Karabakh] but during
this time almost nothing has been done to restore our army’s combat readiness
and weaponry,” he told a news conference.
In these circumstances, he said, Russia has become the only real guarantor of
Armenia’s national security.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian pledged to deepen military ties with Moscow and
embark on “large-scale defense reforms” following Armenia’s defeat in the
six-year war stopped by a Russian-brokered truce in November 2020. Russian
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu promised continued military aid to Yerevan in
August.
Kocharian insisted that only Moscow can help Armenia rebuild its army and
develop a “new military-industrial complex.”
“We need to understand to what extent Russia is prepared for such assistance and
cooperation with Armenia. I believe that is possible but also doubt that there
are such signals or requests from our side,” he said.
The ex-president claimed that Pashinian has different geopolitical priorities
now, pointing to ongoing talks on normalizing Turkish-Armenian relations.
“Turkey will cease to regard us as an obstacle to its [regional] programs only
if it gains total influence on our political processes and policies,” he said.
“This means that Turkey must also have dominant positions in our economy and
strong influence on our political elite.
“When could this happen? When the Russian presence here starts coming to an end
and being replaced with Turkish influence.”
Kocharian’s bloc and other opposition groups have expressed serious concern over
the Turkish-Armenian talks, saying that Yerevan is ready to make unilateral
concessions to Ankara. Pashinian’s government insists that it continues to stand
for an unconditional normalization of bilateral ties.
Russia as well as the United States and the European Union have publicly
welcomed the Turkish-Armenian dialogue. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
again discussed it with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan in a phone call
on Tuesday.
Armenia Pressing Ahead With Road Upgrades In Strategic Region
• Sargis Harutyunyan
Armenia - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian chairs a cabinet meeting in Yerevan,
.
The Armenian government on Thursday took the first step towards attracting
potential contractors for the multimillion-dollar construction of a new highway
in Armenia’s southeastern Syunik province bordering Iran.
The 60-kilometer highway is to connect the provincial towns of Sisian and
Kajaran. It will significantly shorten travel time between Armenia and Iran and
bypass Armenian-Azerbaijani border areas.
Armenia lost control over a 21-kilometer stretch of an existing Syunik road
leading to the Iranian border after a controversial troop withdrawal ordered by
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian following the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Yerevan had to hastily finish work on a 70-kilometer bypass road late last year.
Pashinian has acknowledged that it is not convenient enough for heavy trucks and
needs further upgrades.
The bypass road will presumably overlap the Sisian-Kajaran highway. According to
Minister for Territorial Administration and Infrastructures Gnel Sanosian, the
mountainous highway will include as many as 27 bridges and five tunnels with a
combined length of 12 kilometers.
“We will do everything to get large international companies seriously interested
[in the project,]” Sanosian told a weekly cabinet meeting in Yerevan.
Pashinian announced at the meeting that his government has formally initiated a
“prequalification” of prospective bidders that will be shortlisted for an
international tender for the project.
“We hope that by the end of the year we will have [selected] a company that will
carry out that work,” he said.
Pashinian also said that the 60-kilometer highway will cost Armenia “several
hundred million dollars.” Neither he nor other government members specified the
sources of funding for the project.
The government is understood to expect Western donors, notably the European
Union, to foot the bill. The EU expressed readiness last year to provide up to
600 million euros ($680 million) in grants, loans and loan guarantees for road
construction in Armenia.
Pashinian suggested on Thursday that the Kajaran-Sisian highway will link up
with another planned road in Syunik that would connect Azerbaijan with its
Nakhichevan exclave.
Yerevan and Baku disagree on the status of that road link. Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly demanded an exterritorial land corridor passing
through Syunik.
The Armenian side rejects these demands, saying that Azerbaijani freight cannot
be exempt from Armenian border controls. Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi appeared
to back Yerevan’s stance during a January 3 phone call with Pashinian.
The Iranian ambassador in Yerevan, Abbas Badakhshan Zohouri, said later in
January that Syunik must remain a key route for cargo shipments between Armenia
and Iran even after the anticipated launch of Armenian-Azerbaijani transport
links. The Iranian side is therefore looking forward to further highway upgrades
in the strategic Armenian region, he said.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2022 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
Author: Albert Nalbandian
Armenia’s representative for Eurovision 2022 to be announced in early March
10:55,
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 15, ARMENPRESS. It’s still unclear who is going to represent Armenia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 as the Public TV is at a discussion stage, Head of Public Relations and Digital Communication at the Public TV, Anna Ohanyan, said.
“We haven’t yet reached the final stage. The name of the participant is not decided yet. We will officially announce his/her name when there is a final decision”, she said.
According to her, there is still time, and the Public TV is using it to reach the working discussions to the final phase.
Anna Ohanyan said Armenia’s representative will be announced in early March.
Earlier some media outlets reported that singer Rosa Linn (Rosa Kostandyan) will represent Armenia at Eurovision 2022.
Turin will host the Eurovision Song Contest 2022. The first semi-final will take place on May 10, the second one on May 12 and the final will be held on May 14.
Azerbaijani troupe performs play on 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war at Fajr festival
Tehran Times
Feb 12 2022
– 19:37
TEHRAN – An Azerbaijani group performed a tragedy about the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war at the 40th Fajr International Theater Festival on Friday.
Azerbaijani Ambassador Ali Alizada attended the performance of the play “Like a Breath”, which was directed by Samir Gulamov at Tehran’s City Theater Complex.
The play tells the story of a mother who does not believe that her son has been killed in the war and is always waiting for him with longing and high hopes. The mother believes that her son will definitely return someday. In the darkness of one of the long nights, the mother almost reaches her dream. In fact, she has to come to terms with the lack of a bridge between fantasy and reality.
“We have always supported our soldiers in wars and we remember them by telling stories about their valor,” Alizada said before watching the play.
“For sure, theatergoers here will feel impressed by the play and will show sympathy,” he added.
The troupe performed the play at the Azerbaijan State Academic Musical Theater on November 8, 2021 to celebrate Victory Day, which is observed every year since 2020 in commemoration of Azerbaijan’s victory in the Nagorno-Karabakh war, which is called “The Patriotic War” in the country.
During the performance, which was also attended by several Turkish diplomats, Alizada said that the victory belongs to all Muslims.
He also added that there are many cultural affinities between Iranian and Azerbaijani people and hoped that the participation of the troupe would help widen cultural relations between the two countries.
The troupe also performed “Shy Girl” (“Utancaq Qiz”) based on a story from the Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky on Saturday. One more performance has also been arranged for each play.
Groups from Afghanistan, Armenia, Iraq, Algeria and several other countries are scheduled to perform during the Fajr International Theater Festival, which will run until February 15.
Groups from Italy and France canceled their performances at the festival due to COVID-19 restrictions for departure from their country of origin.
Photo: An Azerbaijani troupe performs “Like a Breath” during the 40th Fajr International Theater Festival at Tehran’s City Theater Complex on February 11, 2022.
MMS/YAW
Armenian FM presents to Greek counterpart developments from normalization process with Turkey
16:46,
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 11, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan held a phone conversation with the Foreign Minister of Greece Nikos Dendias on February 11.
Mirzoyan and Dendias addressed the “rich agenda of the Armenian-Greek relations,” the Armenian foreign ministry said in a readout.
The foreign ministers were pleased to note the dynamics of political dialogue between the two countries.
“The importance of steps aimed at the further strengthening of mutually-beneficial cooperation was emphasized. During the phone conversation views were exchanged on regional issues of mutual interest. Ararat Mirzoyan presented to his colleague the current developments relating to the normalization process without preconditions of the Armenia-Turkey relations,” the Armenian foreign ministry said.
Court orders re-arrest of Kajaran Mayor
11:06, 7 February, 2022
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 7, ARMENPRESS. A Court of Appeals ordered the re-arrest of the Mayor of Kajaran Manvel Paramazyan, weeks after he was freed on bail, his lawyer Yervand Varosyan said.
Mayor Paramazyan is accused in fraud, bribery and obstruction of voters/vote buying. He was indicted in July 2021. Paramazyan denies wrongdoing.
Paramazyan is on a 70,000,000 dram bail since December 2021, when the Syunik Province Court of General Jurisdiction approved the bail bond.
Turkey: Second Reactor Vessel Arrives At Akku
World Nuclear News Feb. 4, 2022 A cargo ship carrying materials and equipment for the Akkuyu nuclear power plant – including the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) for unit 2 – has arrived from Russia at the construction site on the southern coast of Turkey. The RPV is now in storage onsite awaiting installation later this year. The ship left St Petersburg in northwest Russia on 23 November and, after sailing more than 9000 kilometres, has now arrived at the Eastern Cargo Terminal Vostochny at the Akkuyu construction site. Among its cargo was the RPV for unit 2 as well as sections of the second tier of inner containment for unit 3, pipes and other equipment and materials. The steel RPV – 12 metres in height, 4.5 metres wide and weighing 334 tonnes – has been unloaded and placed in a temporary storage place, where it will be subject to an inspection. “Production and delivery of the main equipment for Akkuyu NPP are carried out precisely in accordance with the planned schedule,” said Sergey Butckikh, first deputy CEO and director of NPP construction at Akkuyu Nükleer AŞ. Manufacture of the RPV for Akkuyu 2 began at Izhorskiye Zavody in March 2019. The RPV for unit 1 was delivered to the construction site in November 2020 and installed in June last year. The production of the RPV for unit 3 continues at the Volgodonsk branch of AEM-Technologies JSC of Atommash, part of Atomenergomash, the machine production division of Russian state atomic energy corporation Rosatom. Rosatom is building four VVER-1200 reactors at Akkuyu, under a so-called BOO (build-own-operate) model. Construction of the first unit began in 2018, with startup planned for 2023. The 4800 MWe plant is expected to meet about 10% of Turkey’s electricity needs. Turkey’s Nuclear Regulatory Authority has approved the manufacture of the power unit electrical equipment instrumentation and control for Akkuyu units 1 and 2, Rosatom noted.
Azerbaijani MFA cynicism in ‘explaining’ attempts to limit ICRC activities in Karabakh
News.am
Armenia – Feb 2 2022
Azerbaijani MFA cynicism in ‘explaining’ attempts to limit ICRC activities in Karabakh
17:31, 02.02.2022
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry responded to a statement made by Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan about Baku’s attempts to limit ICRC activities.
Speaking at a joint press conference with his Austrian counterpart on 2 February in Yerevan, the Armenian Foreign Minister highlighted the attempts of the Azerbaijani authorities to hinder the work of international organizations in Nagorno-Karabakh by stating that Azerbaijan forces ICRC, purely humanitarian organization, to fit into the policy dictated by them.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry immediately responded. Leyla Abdullayeva, head of the MFA Press Service said that the activities of international organizations in the territory of Azerbaijan, in accordance with a resolution of the UN General Assembly of December 19, 1991 “On the coordination of humanitarian assistance”, must be carried out on the basis of respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state. She pointed out that in accordance to that principle the activities of international organizations in the territory of Azerbaijan were implemented.
The representative of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry reminded Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan that the activities of any international organization in the sovereign territories of Azerbaijan are a subject of discussion between the international organization and Azerbaijan.
She labeled the comment of the representative of a third state as inappropriate. Leyla Abdullayeva concluded by saying that the Armenian Foreign Minister was better to comment on the issues related to the fulfillment of the obligations undertaken by the country to establish peace in the region.
Meanwhile, the resolution mentioned by the representative of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry and its annex have a completely different meaning and context. The UN document implies the consent of the affected party to provide humanitarian assistance and, in principle, on the basis of its request. The people of Nagorno-Karabakh, as a side suffering from Azerbaijani aggression, are asking international organizations for help. However, Azerbaijan, having in reality neither legal nor factual rights to Artsakh, in violation of both OSCE and UN principles, is trying to oppose this.
The endless cynicism with which the Azerbaijani authorities refuse to help solve Artsakh’s humanitarian problems should be a grave warning to the international community, confirming Baku’s genocidal policy against the Armenians of Artsakh.
Vachik Mangassarian, Veteran Character Actor, Dies at 78
The Hollywood Reporter
Jan 24 2022
Jan 24 2022
Vachik Mangassarian, Veteran Character Actor, Dies at 78
The Armenian performer had roles in ‘CSI,’ ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ and, more recently, a supporting role in Paul Weitz’s ‘Moving On’ film.
BY ETAN VLESSING
Vachik Mangassarian COURTESY OF ROBERT KAZANDJIAN
Vachik Mangassarian, an Armenian actor known for his TV roles on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, NCIS, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, has died. He was 78.
Mangassarian died in Burbank from COVID-19-related complications, his manager, Valerie McCaffrey of McCaffrey Talent Management, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Born in Iran of Armenian descent, he emigrated to the U.S. at age 23 and worked as a waiter in Los Angeles as he set his eyes on a career in Hollywood.
Besides doing theater work, he had early roles in Iranian movies before landing his first American film role in The South’s Shark in 1978. Mangassarian played the role of a father in The Stoning of Soraya M, which starred Jim Caviezel and portrayed the stoning of an Iranian woman.
He also appeared in the movie Lost and Found in Armenia, which starred Angela Sarafyan and Jamie Kennedy in an landmark collaboration between Armenian and American actors.
Mangassarian most recently completed a supporting role in Paul Weitz’s new film Moving On, starring Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda.
As a supporter of the Armenian community, he anchored his own radio and a TV show, The Armenian National Network, for 10 years as he and guests discussed politics, film and art.
Survivors include his sisters, Linda Lalaian and Elda Hacopian.
President of Artsakh chairs meeting of Board of Trustees of Shushi Technology University
10:13, 26 January, 2022
YEREVAN, JANUARY 26, ARMENPRESS. President of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan chaired the session of the Board of Trustees of the Shushi Technology University on January 25, his Office said.
Acting rector of the University Nver Mikayelyan presented the annual report about the activity of the educational institution.
The meeting sides discussed issues relating to improving the building conditions of the university and ensuring it with equipment.
During the session the members of the Board also elected Nver Mikayelyan as rector of the University in a closed voting.
In his remarks President Harutyunyan, who is also the member of the Board of Trustees of the University, said that all efforts will be made for restoring the necessary conditions for the operation of the University.
Armenian Government will provide budget assistance of about 144 billion AMD to Artsakh in 2022 – Nikol Pashinyan
18:02,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 24, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and President of the Artsakh Republic Arayik Harutyunyan held a consultation on the solution of social and infrastructural problems in Artsakh, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.
Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Mher Grigoryan, Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister Arayik Harutyunyan, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Narek Mkrtchyan, Deputy Minister of Finance Vahe Hovhannisyan, Minister of Finance of Artsakh Vahram Baghdasaryan and Permanent Representative of Artsakh to Armenia Sergey Ghazaryan attended the consultation.
Welcoming the attendees, Prime Minister Pashinyan, in particular, said,
“Dear Mr. President,
Dear colleagues,
Glad to see you. We are at a very important stage of cooperation with Artsakh. After the 44-day war, the Armenian Government is much more actively involved in solving the socio-economic problems of Artsakh. And, if I remember correctly, Artsakh’s annual budget for 2022 is unprecedented, which, in fact, is natural, because post-war rehabilitation is, first of all, very important, of course, it will naturally require a lot of effort from us. And I think this is normal.
I want to emphasize that in 2022 the Armenian Government will provide budget assistance of about 144 billion AMD to Artsakh. In 2021, it exceeded 100 billion AMD. It is very important and we have discussed many times to move from the stage of management of a possible social crisis to the logic of development, trying to place our cooperation into this logic, to implement development programs in Artsakh.
I’m very happy about this discussion. By the way, this is not our first discussion on this topic. We have had many discussions, some of them were purely working discussions, which were not covered, the rest were covered. I think in general we can state that the programs are implemented effectively.
I want to remind also that after the war, of course, we had great concerns about the social situation and everything else. Of course, it is clear that the social situation not only in Artsakh, but also in Armenia is not like we could dream of, but we are talking about the manageability of the situation in general. Especially today, the social situation and inflation caused by the Covid are much discussed. It is, in fact, a global phenomenon, we can not consider the problem separately.
The war, the aftermath of the war came as a supplement. And in that sense, we can say that at least we have been able to maintain the situation in a certain area of manageability through joint efforts, so as to rule out the emergence of humanitarian crises in the post-war situation.”
In his speech, President of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan said,
“Mr. Prime Minister,
First of all, I would like to thank the Government of the Republic of Armenia again for solving the social problems during the war and in the post-war period. There have been no problems in terms of healthcare, accommodation, and other issues, regardless of the amount of benefits provided.
We have always felt that the support of the Armenian Government, its members and all officials in general has always been visible for the people of Karabakh during that difficult period. And in the post-war period we have done everything to be able to solve our most difficult problem – to give the displaced population the opportunity to first find temporary asylum in Artsakh and Armenia, and, of course, to provide radical solutions afterwards.
Mr. Prime Minister, let me note that in 2022, to be precise, 140 billion AMD, was provided to the budget of Artsakh as an interstate loan or direct grant. In addition, the Government of Armenia, through the programs of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, implemented numerous social programs directly. That’s why the number is so large, thanks to which we managed to prevent emigration and solve even more important problems today.
I would like to mention, Mr. Prime Minister, that the construction of 300 apartments has already been completed, which have been handed over firstly to the displaced families and families of the victims, and secondly to the vulnerable families. Construction of 3000 houses has kicked off. We have renovated and provided about 500 apartments from the old, free fund in the villages, about 2000 apartments are already being designed, which we will start in 2022. In other words, with that 5,000 housing construction program, we will mainly solve the problem we have set before us by also reopening the old funds where no one lives.
By the way, Mr. Prime Minister, let me note that, yes, in the case of 144 billion AMD, we will be able to solve the existing problems, not only housing. We have started very ambitious programs. The Badara-Stepanakert pipeline is already under construction, which will completely solve not only the issue of quality drinking water for Stepanakert, but also the mentioned settlements under construction, some of which are located in the vicinity of Stepanakert. At the same time, the construction of the Badara Reservoir has already started, which is an unprecedented event in the history of independent Artsakh. The works on the canal called Sovetar is nearing completion, which will provide an additional opportunity for irrigation of 3,000 hectares. And at the same time, as you mentioned, in terms of implementing economic programs, we are doing our work in the direction of numerous artesian wells, so that agriculture, which should become the locomotive of our economy, can move forward.
It should be noted in terms of Base Metals, that it is already operating at a capacity of 70-80%, according to the planned. The issue of water and energy supply has been solved, the state budget revenues in 2021 amounted to 34 billion against the 17 billion prediction. We have planned 40 billion this year, but, of course, our expectations are much higher. At the same time, we are developing greenhouses and other areas through various charitable programs and cooperation.
In general, Mr. Prime Minister, the pace of housing construction corresponds to the volumes that we have discussed together and reached an agreement. At the same time, the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund is building 1,061 apartments, as well as other infrastructure projects, water pipelines in other villages and other settlements, and asphalting works are underway. In other words, infrastructural projects are being implemented in all areas, including housing. We managed to solve the most important problem – the issue of electricity, we have been able to maintain the situation almost uninterrupted so far, because it was difficult in terms of capacity supply, provision, etc. If there is no force majeure, that problem will be solved, given that we have also been able to supply the necessary power to “Base Metals”.
In general, I would like to express my satisfaction, Mr. Prime Minister, in terms of the established cooperation. We are always in touch with those in-charge. Thank you.”