Author: Ani Basmajian

                                        Friday, 
Government Vows ‘Strict’ Measures Against COVID-19 Infections
        • Karlen Aslanian
        • Naira Bulghadarian
Armenia - A busy cafe in downtown Yerevan, .
The Armenian authorities will strictly enforce their social distancing and 
hygiene rules for citizens after lifting virtually all restrictions on business 
activity in the country, senior government officials insisted on Friday.
They made the assurances after the Ministry of Health reported a record-high 
number of new coronavirus cases registered in Armenia in the past day.
The total number of cases rose by 184 to 4,044, with at least three more people 
dying from the virus and bringing the country’s official death toll to 52.
The figure does not include the deaths of 22 other individuals infected with 
COVID-19. The ministry claims that they died as a result of other, pre-existing 
conditions.
The daily number of new COVID-19 infections has been rising steadily since the 
government began easing in mid-April restrictions on people’s movements and 
economic activity imposed in late March. It decided on Thursday to lift the last 
remaining restrictions, including a ban on public transport and the closure of 
shopping malls and indoor cafes and restaurants, while extending a state of 
emergency by another month.
Armenia -- People outside churches in downtown Yerevan, May 12, 2020.
Critics say that the virus is continuing to spread rapidly because the 
authorities ended the lockdown too soon and never enforced it properly in the 
first place.
Justice Minister Rustam Badasian denied this while acknowledging “shortcomings” 
in their handling of the coronavirus crisis. “The quality of oversight measures 
must definitely improve,” he told RFE/RL’s Armenian service.
Public transport services in Yerevan and other major urban communities will 
resume on Monday. The latest government rules require commuters to wear face 
masks and gloves and disinfect their hands with sanitizers to be placed inside 
all buses, minibuses and even taxis. They also limit the number of people who 
will be allowed to ride them.
Bus and taxi drivers must not only wear masks and gloves but also change them 
once in every three hours. They will also have to have their temperature 
measured twice a day. Drivers having a fever will not be allowed to work.
Also, starting from May 25 all people will be obliged to possess masks when 
walking in the streets, parks or other public spaces.
Armenia -- A waiter disinfects a table at a Yerevan cafe, May 4, 2020.
They currently must wear them when entering shops, banks and other offices. The 
latter are not allowed to let in any unprotected customers.
This requirement is widely flouted by business owners, their employees and 
customers, a fact which is fuelling skepticism about the effective enforcement 
of the new rules set by the government.
Badasian insisted that the authorities will take “strict measures” to ensure 
widespread compliance with them. “All sanctions envisaged by us -- namely, 
administrative and even criminal liability -- will be enforced,” he said.
“But I am also calling on citizens to voluntarily abide by all restrictions 
because at stake is the health and safety of everyone and the older generations 
in particular,” added the minister.
“The rules are strict and monitoring of the compliance with them will also be 
strict,” said Deputy Economy Minister Varos Simonian.
Armenia Warns Azerbaijan Over War Games
Armenia -- The Armenian Defense Ministry building, Yerevan.
The Armenian military has warned Azerbaijan against heightening tensions in the 
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone during large-scale exercises which the 
Azerbaijani army will hold next week.
Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry announced earlier this week that the five-day 
exercises will involve around 10,000 soldiers, hundreds of tanks and artillery 
systems, and dozens of warplanes and helicopters. It held similar drills in 
March.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Armenian Defense Ministry condemned the 
upcoming war games, saying that they pose a threat to the “regional security 
environment.” It accused Baku of ignoring United Nations Secretary-General 
Antonio Guterres’s recent call for a global ceasefire so the world can focus on 
fighting the coronavirus pandemic.
“We are calling on the Azerbaijani side to show restraint and honor its 
obligations to the international community,” read the statement.
“At the same time we notify that any attempt to move military hardware and 
personnel close to the Armenian border or the Line of Contact with 
Nagorno-Karabakh would be viewed as a provocation and have appropriate 
consequences,” it warned.
Truce violations in the conflict zone have decreased significantly since 
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev 
met for the first time in September 2018. The two leaders and their foreign 
ministers have held regular talks since then.
Still, there have been signs of increased tension on the frontlines in recent 
weeks. Karabakh’s Armenian-backed army claimed to have shot down an Azerbaijani 
military drone on April 21 and said a week later that Azerbaijani forces have 
fired mortars on its frontline positions for the first time in almost a year.
Meeting with the Azerbaijani army top brass on May 2, Azerbaijan’s Defense 
Minister Zakir Hasanov said the likelihood of hostilities has increased 
dramatically because of what he called Armenian “provocative actions.” Armenian 
Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanian denounced that statement.
The Defense Ministry in Yerevan reported on Wednesday that Azerbaijani troops 
fired from heavy machine guns at a border village in Armenia’s northern Tavush 
province. It released photographs of bullet holes and other damage caused to one 
of the village houses.
The U.S., Russian and French mediators co-heading the Minsk Group renewed their 
calls for the conflicting parties to “strictly” observe the ceasefire and “avoid 
provocative actions in the current environment” when they held a joint video 
conference with Mnatsakanian and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov 
on April 21.
Speaking on May 12, Mammadyarov accused Yerevan of hampering progress in 
Armenian-Azerbaijani peace talks. “Azerbaijan is committed to a political 
settlement of the conflict but negotiations cannot continue endlessly,” he 
warned.
Mnatsakanian rejected Azerbaijani “threats of use of force” and insisted that 
the Armenian side is prepared to negotiate a peace deal based on “mutual 
concessions.”
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2020 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
 

                                        Friday, May 8, 2020
Former Armenian PMs Urge Kocharian’s Release
        • Anush Mkrtchian
Armenia -- Former Prime Ministers Vazgen Manukian (L), Khosrov Harutiunian (C) 
and Karen Karapetian attend the trial of former President Robert Kocharian, 
Yerevan, May 8, 2020.
Three former Armenian prime ministers petitioned a Yerevan court to release 
former President Robert Kocharian from custody when his trial resumed after a 
two-month pause on Friday.
The trial of Kocharian and three other former officials prosecuted on coup 
charges denied by them was suspended in March after the presiding judge, Anna 
Danibekian, unexpectedly took sick leave. Danibekian officially returned to work 
on April 17 but did not rush to restart court hearings.
Former Prime Ministers Vazgen Manukian, Khosrov Harutiunian and Karen Karapetian 
attended the latest hearing to guarantee in writing that Kocharian will 
demonstrate “proper behavior” and not go into hiding or obstruct justice if set 
free. A former Karabakh prime minister, Anushavan Danielian, also signed such a 
statement and handed it to Danibekian.
Manukian had served as Armenia’s first post-Communist prime minister from 
1990-1991. He was succeeded by Harutiunian in 1992. For his part, Karapetian 
held the post from 2016-2018, during former President Serzh Sarkisian’s rule. 
None of the three men agreed to talk to reporters after leaving the courtroom.
Meanwhile, Kocharian’s lawyers submitted two separate petitions demanding his 
release on health grounds or on bail. They said late last month that he risks 
being infected with coronavirus in a Yerevan prison.
The ex-president, who ruled Armenia from 2008-2018, was hospitalized a few days 
later. Nevertheless, he attended the latest court session.
Armenia -- Former President Robert Kocharian is brought to a courtroom in 
Yerevan, May 8, 2020.
Kocharian likewise claimed to be at risk of contracting the virus when he spoke 
in the courtroom. “Now I’m alone in my prison cell … but there is obviously 
contact with [prison] personnel,” he told the judge. “It’s impossible to avoid 
it. Given the prison conditions it’s impossible to maintain a safe physical 
distance.”
The trial prosecutors continued to oppose Kocharian’s release. One of them, 
Petros Petrosian, said that the ex-president could flee prosecution or obstruct 
justice.
Danibekian said she will rule on the petitions on May 13. The judge had 
repeatedly refused to free Kocharian pending the outcome of the trial since 
taking over the high-profile case last August.
The three other defendants -- Kocharian’s former chief of staff Armen Gevorgian 
and retired army Generals Seyran Ohanian and Yuri Khachaturov -- have not been 
held in detention. The charges leveled against them and Kocharian mostly stem 
from the 2008 post-election unrest in Yerevan.
The 65-year-old ex-president also stands accused of bribe-taking. He rejects all 
accusations as politically motivated.
Lawmakers Brawl In Armenian Parliament
        • Ruzanna Stepanian
Armenia -- Pro-government and opposition deputies brawl on the parliament floor, 
Yerevan, May 8, 2020.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and a major opposition party traded bitter 
accusations after lawmakers representing them brawled on the Armenian parliament 
floor on Friday.
The brawl erupted in the presence of Pashinian and his ministers as Edmon 
Marukian, the leader of the Bright Armenia Party (LHK), lambasted pro-government 
deputies for their angry reactions to opposition criticism of the government.
Marukian was heckled by some of those deputies affiliated with Pashinian’s My 
Step bloc and shouted back at them during his speech. One of them, Sasun 
Mikaelian, then punched him before other lawmakers from My Step and the LHK 
joined in the resulting fistfight or shoved and chased each other in the chamber.
The session of the National Assembly resumed several minutes later after speaker 
Ararat Mirzoyan managed to stop the fight with the help of other deputies and 
Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinian.
“I will speak up no matter how much you hit me,” Marukian declared when he again 
took the floor.
“Who was it that sneaked up and struck me in the back?” he asked, sparking 
another shouting match with Mikaelian and other My Step deputies.
The session again descended into chaos, with Mirzoyan deciding to interrupt it. 
It resumed later in the day. Marukian again addressed the parliament before he 
and other LHK deputies walked out of the chamber in protest
Armenia -- Deputies from the opposition Bright Armenia Party attend a parliament 
session in Yerevan, January 20, 2020.
“The incident must have consequences, political consequences,” said the 
opposition leader. “What happened is not so much our problem as the revolution 
leader’s problem. We will now leave this auditorium and, depending on political 
evaluations and consequences, we will draw conclusions … and decide how we will 
be working in this parliament in the future.”
Speaking in the parliament shortly after the walkout, Pashinian deplored the 
violence but effectively blamed it on the LHK. He said that his political allies 
should not have succumbed to what he described as a LHK “provocation” aimed at 
discrediting the government.
“The incident, which is condemnable, happened over there,” Pashinian said, 
pointing to an area between the parliament rostrum and the first row of seats. 
“Why was the person giving the speech standing there? Why did [Marukian] walk 
off the rostrum and swiftly move towards Sasun Mikaelian? For engaging in a 
political dialogue?”
Pashinian said he told Marukian at a meeting Thursday that he has “grounds to 
suspect that you and your activities are an integral part of a plan to use 
psychological, moral and ultimately physical violence” against members of his 
political team. The prime minister went on brand Marukian’s party as 
“parliamentary servants” of former Presidents Serzh Sarkisian and Robert 
Kocharian.
A close Pashinian associate, deputy speaker Alen Simonian, likewise accused the 
LHK of deliberately provoking a violent response from Mikaelian. He dismissed 
calls for Mikaelian to resign from the parliament.
Simonian and Marukian traded serious insults on the parliament floor last week. 
The opposition leader was enraged by Simonian’s sexist comments about a female 
LHK parliamentarian. The vice-speaker apologized to the lawmaker, Ani Samsonian, 
afterwards.
Armenia - The opposition Yelk alliance led by Aram Sarkisian (L), Edmon Marukian 
(C) and Nikol Pashinian holds a demonstration in Yerevan, 30Mar2017.
Pashinian and Marukian are former political allies who used to co-head the Yelk 
bloc that was in opposition to Armenia’s former leadership. The bloc fell apart 
after Marukian and his party refused to join mass protests launched by Pashinian 
in April 2018 against then Sarkisian’s attempt to extend his decade-long rule.
The LHK is one of the two opposition parties represented in the current Armenian 
parliament. It holds 17 seats in the 132-member parliament.
Armenian Authorities ‘Still Able’ To Isolate All COVID-19 Carriers
        • Susan Badalian
        • Gayane Saribekian
Armenia -- A medical worker clad in protecive gear and an ambulance parked at 
the entrance to Surp Grigor Lusavorich hospital, Yerevan, April 8, 2020.
Armenian health authorities are still able to hospitalize or isolate all people 
testing positive for coronavirus as it continues to spread in the country, the 
Ministry of Health said on Friday.
The ministry reported 145 new infections which raised the total number of 
confirmed coronavirus cases to 3,029. It said that one more person, a 
48-year-old woman, has died from the virus, bringing the official death toll to 
43.
The ministry has also reported the deaths of 10 other individuals infected with 
the virus. It says that they died from other, pre-existing diseases.
Health Minister Arsen Torosian warned last week that the health authorities will 
soon be no longer able to hospitalize or isolate all infected people.
Armenia has a total of 1,550 hospital beds set aside for COVID-19 patients. The 
number of active cases reached 1,758 on Friday morning, according to Alina 
Nikoghosian, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health.
Nikoghosian said that many of these patients are monitored or treated by doctors 
at hotels isolated from the outside world. “We are talking about people showing 
no symptoms at all,” she explained.
Despite the rising number of infections, the Armenian government essentially 
ended on Monday a nationwide lockdown imposed by it in late March. It 
specifically lifted a temporary ban on virtually all types of business activity.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has said that the onus now is also on ordinary 
Armenians to stop the spread of the virus. Some critics have accused his 
government of trying to dodge responsibility for its lax enforcement of 
stay-at-home orders and failure to contain the epidemic.
Arman Badalian, an epidemiologist, warned that the lifting of lockdown 
restrictions could speed up the spread of the virus. “A rapid spread of 
infections would lead to the collapse of the healthcare system as was the case 
in Italy, Spain and other countries,” he told RFE/RL’s Armenian service.
Armenia -- Epidemiologist Arman Badalian, May 7, 2020.
Badalian said the government should strictly enforce its social distancing and 
hygiene rules instead of relying on people’s health consciousness. Many business 
owners, their employees and other citizens are not taking “elementary” 
precautions against the virus, he said.
Random interviews on the streets of Yerevan suggest that many Armenians are 
still not taking the virus seriously.
“I don’t wear a mask and I don’t believe the virus exists,” said one woman 
flanked by her mother and teenage son. “God is on my side.”
“I don’t believe in coronavirus,” said a young man. He argued that he does not 
know of anyone infected with it.
There was also widespread evidence of shops and supermarkets not requiring 
customers to wear face masks and gloves contrary to a government order. In one 
supermarket located in Yerevan’s southern Shengavit district very few shoppers 
wore them on Thursday.
The supermarket administration refused to explain why it is not enforcing the 
requirement. It only pointed to supermarket workers wearing masks and gloves.
A smaller food store located in the area notified people of the requirement but 
still let in some unprotected customers. Its manager, Davit Khosrovian, said 
many elderly people claim to have trouble breathing through masks. “It’s hard to 
tell whether they really have such problems,” he said.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2020 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
 

                                        Thursday, 
Lawmakers Seek To ‘Cleanse’ Armenian TV Content
        • Robert Zargarian
Armenia -- Television cameramen at an opposition rally in Yerevan in 2011.
A group of pro-government parliamentarians have drafted a bill that would give 
an Armenian regulatory body more powers to monitor broadcasters and “cleanse” 
their programs of what they see as harmful content.
Under the bill, TV and radio stations will have to clearly separate facts from 
opinions, air only credible and verified information and avoid any calls for 
violence, hatred and illegal “overthrow of the constitutional order.”
The bill stipulates that the broadcasters would have to devote 20 percent of 
their weekly programming to children, culture and education. Also, TV channels 
would be allowed to show films featuring violent, scary or sex scenes only after 
midnight.
These requirements would be enforced by the National Commission on Television 
and Radio, a state body issuing broadcasting licenses. Although the commission 
can also revoke those licenses in certain cases, its legal authority to 
influence the content of TV and radio programs has been quite limited until now.
The authors of the bill mostly affiliated with Armenia’s ruling My Step bloc 
insisted on Thursday that its purpose is to “cleanse” and “disinfect” television 
content, rather than shut down any broadcasters or ensure government control of 
the airwaves.
“This would run counter to our value system, and we hope that there will be no 
comparisons with the former authorities’ practices,” said Mkhitar Hayrapetian, 
the chairman of the parliament committee on science, education, culture and 
youth affairs.
“Our objective is to set new, healthy rules of the game, and yes, many, many TV 
channels and TV programs will have to follow them,” he said.
Boris Navasardian, the chairman of the Yerevan Press Club, expressed concern 
over some provisions of the bill, while noting with satisfaction clear 
mechanisms for sanctioning broadcasters set by it.
“How will violations of this law be interpreted and sanctioned?” Navasardian 
told RFE/RL’s Armenian service. “On one hand, it could be perceived as 
declarative provisions and not affect [broadcasters] in a negative way. But it 
could also endanger freedom of speech as a result of a biased perception.”
Armenia’s former governments had a strong influence on the news reporting of 
virtually all TV stations that were mostly owned by businesspeople loyal to 
them. The situation changed significantly after the 2018 “Velvet Revolution.”
Some TV channels are now controlled by political groups or individuals 
challenging the current Armenian government. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has 
repeatedly accused them of seeking to discredit and weaken his administration. 
The broadcasters have rejected the accusations.
Pashinian In Fresh War Of Words With Former Security Chief
        • Astghik Bedevian
        • Ruzanna Stepanian
Armenia -- Prime Miinister Nikol Pashinian and National Security Service 
Director Artur Vanetsian (R) walk in downtown Yerevan, September 21, 2018.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has launched fresh scathing attacks on Artur 
Vanetsian, prompting angry rebuttals from the former head of Armenia’s National 
Security Service (NSS).
Vanetsian was one of the most influential members of Pashinian’s entourage until 
being unexpectedly relieved of his duties in September last year. He criticized 
Pashinian’s “impulsive” leadership style following his dismissal, triggering a 
bitter war of words with the premier.
The public feud between the two men was reignited in January by Pashinian’s 
“Haykakan Zhamanak” newspaper. In an extensive article, it charged that 
Vanetsian is behind a smear campaign against the prime minister’s family waged 
by anti-government media.
The former NSS chief strongly denied the allegations before filing a defamation 
suit against the paper in February.
Earlier this week, Pashinian’s spokeswoman, Mane Gevorgian, accused Vanetsian of 
cutting shady business deals with Mikael Minasian, a once influential son-in-law 
of former President Serzh Sarkisian. Gevorgian said that “according to the 
government’s information” he abused his NSS position to buy Minasian’s minority 
stake in Armenia’s largest mining company.
Vanetsian strongly denied the claim on Wednesday. “There is a lie, a great lie 
and a Pashinian lie,” he said in a statement.
He insisted that Pashinian knew beforehand that Minasian’s stake in the Zangezur 
Copper-Molybdenum Combine will be sold to individuals unrelated to Vanetsian in 
2018.
Pashinian’s brother-in-law, Hrachya Hakobian, added to the latest attacks on 
Vanetsian by suggesting that the latter may have worked for a foreign 
intelligence service.
“Will it turn out one day that Vanetsian was sacked as NSS director because of 
having been recruited by foreign intelligence services?” Hakobian wrote on 
Facebook on Wednesday night. He wondered if Vanetsian has not been prosecuted 
for espionage because the Armenian government does not want to “spoil relations 
with the recruiting country.”
Hakobian clarified on Thursday that he has no evidence of such espionage and 
simply “raised questions.” “I don’t have such information but suspect that maybe 
his resignation occurred in those circumstances,” he told RFE/RL’s Armenian 
service.
“We see no need to comment on yet another unserious and irresponsible 
statement,” said Kristine Melkonian, a spokeswoman for Vanetsian. “Our lawyers 
will deal with that.”
Hakobian, who is also a parliament deputy representing Pashinian’s My Step bloc, 
already alleged in January that Vanetsian was sacked because he was plotting a 
coup. The NSS said at the time it is not aware of any coup attempts and will not 
look into Hakobian’s claims.
Vanetsian officially announced his entry into politics in February, saying that 
he is setting up an opposition party for this purpose. He said the party will 
strive to disprove government claims that Armenia’s former leaders are the main 
political rivals of the current authorities.
Armenian Vice-Speaker, Anti-Government Activist Investigated After Brawl
        • Anush Mkrtchian
Armenia - Deputy parliament speaker Alen Simonian, speaks to RFE/RL, Yerevan, 
April 13, 2019
Law-enforcement authorities on Thursday pledged to investigate a violent clash 
between a deputy speaker of Armenia’s parliament and an outspoken 
anti-government activist which raised eyebrows in the country.
The influential vice-speaker, Alen Simonian, and Artur Danielian, the leader of 
the nationalist Adekvad movement highly critical of the Armenian government, 
came to blows after crossing paths in downtown Yerevan on Wednesday.
They blamed each other for the brawl, with Danielian posting a picture of his 
bloody nose on social media. Simonian also appeared to have suffered an injury. 
Both men received medical assistance at different hospitals.
Simonian said later on Wednesday that he head-butted Danielian after the latter 
swore badly at him. The vice-speaker defended his actions, saying that they 
amounted to self-defense.
“I am prepared for any decision that will be taken by law-enforcement bodies,” 
he said in a video message streamed live on Facebook.
Danielian and his supporters portrayed this statement as proof that Simonian was 
the first to resort to violence. The activist’s lawyer, Tigran Atanesian, said 
law-enforcement authorities have sufficient grounds to prosecute the close 
political associate of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.
Prosecutors said on Wednesday that the incident will be investigated by 
Armenia’s Special Investigate Service, a law-enforcement body which normally 
deals with criminal offenses allegedly committed by state officials.
Armenia -- Artur Danielian, the leader of Adekvad movement, January 28, 2020.
Commenting to the incident, the parliamentary leader of the ruling Civil 
Contract party, Lilit Makunts, said that any form of violence is unacceptable to 
Armenia’s political leadership.
But Makunts also said: “This incident should not be viewed as a separate case. 
It is a consequence of public threats, verbal abuse of sexual character which 
have moved from the online domain to the offline domain.”
The brawl occurred one day after Simonian traded insults with Edmon Marukian, 
the leader of the mainstream opposition Bright Armenia Party (LHK), on the 
parliament floor. He also launched a sexist attack on a female LHK 
parliamentarian after being criticized by her during a parliament debate.
Simonian apologized to the lawmaker, Ani Samsonian, later on Tuesday.
Danielian is a former member of Civil Contract who left Pashinian’s party before 
the 2018 “Velvet Revolution.” Danielian and his supporters set up Adekvad 
following the Pashinian-led revolution which they strongly opposed. Heavily 
relying on social media, the hardline group regularly accuses the current 
authorities of undermining traditional Armenian values, posing a threat to 
national security and plotting unilateral concessions to Azerbaijan in the 
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Pashinian and his allies dismiss these accusations. They say that Adekvad is 
linked to Armenia’s former leadership toppled in 2018.
Armenian Government Sticks To Reopening Plan As COVID-19 Cases Surge
Armenia -- Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian speaks at a cabinet meeting, Yerevan, 
.
The government said on Thursday that it does not intend yet to stop the ongoing 
gradual reopening of Armenia’s economy despite a record-high number of new 
coronavirus cases recorded in the country in the past 24 hours.
The Armenian Ministry of Health reported 134 new cases and two more deaths in 
the morning. The total number of people who have tested positive for coronavirus 
thus reached 2,066 while the nationwide death rose to 32.
Health Minister Arsen Torosian presented these figures at the start of a weekly 
cabinet meeting in Yerevan. He again warned that the health authorities will 
soon be no longer able to hospitalize or isolate all infected persons.
“Of course, we will try to delay the day when we make such a decision as much as 
possible because it will lead to a further spread [of the disease] in the 
future,” said Torosian. “I presume that we will manage to last for five or six 
days at this pace.”
The spread of the virus slowed significantly at the beginning of April following 
the government’s decision in late March to impose a nationwide lockdown 
involving the closure of most nonessential businesses. The government began 
gradually lifting on April 13 the ban on various types of economic activity. The 
Ministry of Health has reported increased daily numbers of COVID-19 case for the 
past ten days.
Armenia -- Medical personnel clad in protective gear pose for a photograph 
outside the Surp Grigor Lusavorich hospital in Yerevan, April 9, 2020.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian announced on Tuesday that the authorities are 
planning to allow all companies, including cafes and restaurants, to resume 
their operations within the next ten days. A government task force enforcing the 
coronavirus-related state of emergency in Armenia eased restrictions on people’s 
movements the following day.
“I think that our plans have not changed yet,” the head of the task force, 
Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinian, told Pashinian and fellow cabinet members.
“Nevertheless, depending on the infection growth dynamic, our decisions may 
change,” he said. “I think that there is no need for such changes as yet. The 
statistics of the coming days as well as the circle of individuals who will test 
positive will allow us to make final decisions.”
“If we see that our policy of easing restrictions is bringing about dangerous 
consequences and the virus is spreading so fast that the healthcare system may 
not be able to treat all infected people, then I think that we will have to 
revert to the toughest possible [restrictions] regime,” added Avinian. “It is 
therefore essential that economic entities follow [safety] rules set by us.”
Pashinian indicated, for his part, that he believes that the authorities should 
stick to their reopening plan. “It’s obvious that we will have [coronavirus] 
cases at least until March or April next year, and we therefore cannot live in a 
closed regime for a whole year,” he said. “No country of the world can.”
Pashinian also complained that many Armenians are continuing to flout social 
distancing rules mandated or recommended by the authorities.
Critics say that the authorities themselves have contributed to the population’s 
complacency through a lax enforcement of those rules and early easing of the 
lockdown.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2020 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.