Author: Ani Basmajian

Azerbaijani troops carry a giant flag during a procession marking the anniversary of the end of the 2020 war over Karabakh, in Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 8, 2021. (REUTERS Photo)

 15:08, 6 June 2022

YEREVAN, JUNE 6, ARMENPRESS. High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Zareh Sinanyan is on a working visit to the United States of America, his Office said in a news release.

For the first time, the High Commissioner visited the state of Michigan and held meetings with organizations and representatives of the Armenian community of Detroit.

On his first day visit, Zareh Sinanyan attended the St. John Armenian Church Women’s Guild annual membership dinner, where he met with 70 women leaders of the community and was acquainted with their work. The High Commissioner noted the importance of the inspiring activities of women in the community and their contribution to the preservation of the Armenian identity.

Afterwards, High Commissioner Sinanyan visited the Manoogian Manor, an assisted living facility for elderly Armenians and other nationalities, which was opened in 1949 as the first Michigan Home for the Armenian Aged by thirteen dedicated Armenian Women and the entire Armenian Community, and the generous support of Mr. and Mrs. Manoogian. Mr. Sinanyan had the honor of meeting one of the Manor’s oldest residents, 100-year-old Margret who told Mr. Sinanyan stories of her travels to Armenia.

Later on, the High Commissioner sat down with Edmond Y. Azadian and Harry Kezelian from the Armenian Mirror-Spectator at the Edward and Helen Mardigian Library for an in-depth conversation about the work of our Office and the future of Armenia-Diaspora Relations.

Then, Mr. Sinanyan visited the St. John’s Armenian Apostolic Church and complex in Southfield, Michigan which has been the pillar of the Armenian community in Greater Detroit. Very Reverend Father Aren Jebejian and Reverend Father Armash Bagdasarian introduced the High Commissioner to the church’s history and activities. Known for its large golden dome, the expansive church complex is home to the Parish Council, the Women’s Guild, the Komitas Choir, the Church Sunday School, The Armenian Church Youth Organization of America (ACYOA), Detroit Junior and Senior Chapters, the Men’s Society, and the Armenian Heritage & Culture Lyceum. On the church grounds are the complex houses, the Armenian-American Veterans Building, dedicated to veterans of World War II and the Korean War, as well as the Alex & Marie Manoogian Museum, the Edward & Helen Mardigian Library, and Perish Bookstore.

Zareh Sinanyan also visited the Alex & Marie Manoogian Museum which is North America’s largest museum of Armenian art, artifacts, and culture. The museum’s eight galleries offer a unique glimpse of Armenia’s past and present, paintings, sacred vessels and vestments, rugs and carpets, household and personal objects, early printed books, manuscripts, textiles, and ancient objects.

High Commissioner Sinanyan’s next visit was at the AGBU Alex & Marie Manoogian School, a tuition-free, multi-cultural school located in Southfield, Michigan that serves students in preschool through 12th grade, with a robust Armenian language program for all grades. The AGBU Alex & Marie Manoogian School’s Middle and High School programs have both been ranked by U.S. World & News Report as high-performing charter STEAM-focused and college-prep schools.

During the tour, High School Principal Dr. Hosep Torossian showed the recent expansion of the school for the STEAM program, which will soon have a fully functioning robotics workshop. Mr. Sinanyan also had the opportunity to speak with the 12th-grade students in their Armenian class and introduce them to the work of our Office and opportunities for youth in Armenia.

High Commissioner Zareh Sinan‎yan’s visit to Michigan was concluded with a meeting attended by community leaders from various Armenian churches, educational and cultural organizations in the Greater Detroit area. During the meeting, Mr. Sinanyan presented our Office’s programs, emphasizing the importance of professional repatriation and the need for highly skilled employees in the public sector. The meeting was attended by the leadership of multiple key Armenian-American active organizations. Zareh Sinanyan also touched upon the current challenges of Armenia-Diaspora cooperation and our Office’s work to create and deepen healthy relations with the Diaspora. The meeting continued in the format of questions and answers. Very Reverend Father Aren Jebejian thanked the High Commissioner for his visit and meetings, stressing the importance of working locally with the community.

 14:04, 1 June 2022

YEREVAN, JUNE 1, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Mayor of Tbilisi Ilia Eloshvili was found dead in his house on June 1, the Georgian ministry of internal affairs said.

Law enforcers are working on the spot.

The exact cause of the death is still unknown.

Ilia Eloshvili has been serving as Deputy Mayor of Tbilisi since 2017.

 11:11,

YEREVAN, MAY 31, ARMENPRESS. The government has returned 146 billion drams of value added tax (VAT) to economic entities in 2021, compared to the 60 billion drams in 2017, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said while presenting the 2021 state budget performance report at the joint session of parliamentary standing committees.

“We had an unprecedented taxes-GDP figure, when we registered the 22.7% of the GDP in the form of tax revenues. In the medium-run we have a task to raise this figure to 25%. Of course, this will not be easy, also in the background of reducing the tax provisions, but we have put this task and must try to solve it”, the PM said.

As for the 146 billion drams returned in VAT to businesses, the PM said that in case of export VAT is returned to economic entities.

“Debit funds emerge in the domestic turnover due to the peculiarities of VAT. And in 2021 we returned 146 billion drams to the economic entities. In 2017 the VAT return comprised 60 billion drams, we increased the VAT return by 140% compared to 2017”, the PM added.

As of January 1, 2018, the government owned a VAT debit of 125 billion drams to businesses. “When the new Tax Code was adopted in 2017, the government said they put aside the previous debts and will not address it. In 2019, when we were already overfilling the budget revenues, we decided to return the overdue VAT debits existing since the first days of independence. In other words, this was, in fact, a hopeless debt which we returned to economic entities”, he said.

He said they couldn’t not do it, but they considered the state’s reputation as the most important factor. He said that the government planned that time to return 56 billion drams in debt, but actually it returned 42 billion drams because many companies have been dissolved. Pashinyan said that there is practically no problem in Armenia that has existed for 30 years. And if there is a VAT debit debt, it means the economic entity has not yet managed to apply to get it within a month.

 19:32,

YEREVAN, MAY 25, ARMENPRESS. There are several directions on the Armenia-Azerbaijan negotiation table where some progress has already been registered, there are directions where the positions can or have the opportunity to coincide, ARMENPRESS reports Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan said during the parliament-Cabinet Q&A session, answering the question of MP Lilit Kirakosyan from Civil Contract Party about the perceptions of the Armenian side on peace and which perceptions of Armenia and Azerbaijan coincide and which do not.

“Your question, in fact, is about all the possible nuances of the whole negotiation process. Of course, I will find it difficult to answer all the sub-questions now, but the Prime Minister has already spoken extensively about those topics. I can only add that what is on the Armenia-Azerbaijan negotiating table is quite transparent, public, there are several directions in which we already have some progress, there are directions where we are still trying to understand the possible points where the positions can or have a chance to match.

For example, there is already some progress on demarcation, delimitation and security issues. You are aware that yesterday the Deputy Prime Ministers and the commissions headed by them met on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border and at the first meeting they discussed the working and methodological issues. There is an agreement to organize the next meeting in Moscow. Of course, there are certain ideas.

Another direction is the opening of transport and economic infrastructure, there are also certain coincidences and ideas here.

I have spoken about this many times, I can reaffirm that all the roads to be reopened must be under the sovereignty of the countries and the laws of the countries through which they pass. There are other coincidences, I am optimistic in this respect,” Mirzoyan emphasized.

The Foreign Minister reaffirmed that the “Zangezur Corridor” with the logic that was being circulated a year and a half ago, by which the Azerbaijani side was trying to present, is unacceptable for Armenia, and it seems there is a general perception that it will not happen.

 16:48,

YEREVAN, MAY 24, ARMENPRESS. 8 robbery suspects are arrested in Yerevan after a high-speed police chase ended in the fleeing van crashing as officers were forced to shoot out its tires.

Police said they were tipped off that a group of robbers are regularly stealing items from the warehouse of a company located in Bagrevand Street in the suburbs of Yerevan.

Tactical units of the criminal intelligence department of the police were deployed to the area for surveillance. The robbery team broke into the warehouse in the morning of May 24 using two Ford vans. The suspects refused to pull over and attempted to evade police.

Patrol Police officers of the Yerevan Police Department joined the chase. The YPD officer fired a warning shot and then shot out the tires of the van, which eventually flipped over. The second van was also stopped after officers opened warning shots. 

All 8 suspects were placed under arrest.

No injuries were reported.