PRESS RELEASE: Lecture Series at AUA by Dr. Richard Hovannisian
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Deputy Minister: Armenia will make a decision to build a new nuclear power plant in 2020-2021
ArmInfo, Armenia
April 4 2018
Deputy Minister: Armenia will make a decision to build a new nuclear power plant in 2020-2021
Yerevan April 4
Yerevan April 4
Naira Badalian. . In the Comprehensive and Expanded Partnership Agreement between Armenia and the European Union, the theme of the Armenian nuclear power plant is only touched upon in one sentence, which states that the Republic of Armenia should, as soon as possible, submit a road map for the decommissioning of the nuclear power plant. There is no other, camouflaged, secret or non- public article on the nuclear power plant in the document. With this statement, Deputy Minister of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources of Armenia Hayk Harutyunyan spoke at a press conference on April 4. This agreement, as the deputy minister pointed out, does not deprive Armenia of the right to have a new nuclear power plant.
According to the representative of the Ministry of Energy, at this stage the entire financial resource is sent for the extension of the life of the second power unit of the Armenian NPP. The work is scheduled for completion by the end of 2019, and then it will be possible to specifically answer the question of which station will have an operational resource, and whether it will be possible to extend it after 2026 for an additional period. The assessment, which will be given by representatives of the IAEA after the completion of the modernization of the second block, will allow us to understand the terms of the start of construction of a new nuclear power plant, its installed capacity and technology. Thus, the Armenian government will decide to build a new nuclear power plant in 2020-2021.
Atomexpo “, responding to the question of the ArmInfo correspondent, the General Director of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant, Movses Vardanyan, reported on the possibility of extending the life of the second power unit until 2040.At the beginning of this year, responding to a question from ArmInfo, Dirk Lorenz, deputy head of the Eastern Partnership at the European External Relations Service, stated that the European Union continues to insist on the early closure of the Armenian nuclear power plant, since it is impossible even to modernize its security level to international standards .
RFE/RL Armenian Report – 04/03/2018
Tuesday,
Leaders Deepen Rift In Armenian Opposition Bloc
• Karine Simonian
Armenia - Edmon Marukian (L) and Nikol Pashinian, leaders of the opposition
Yelk alliance, address supporters rallying in Yerevan, 19Jan2018.
Disagreements within the opposition Yelk alliance seemed to deepen on Tuesday
as two of its top leaders publicly traded verbal barbs over how to fight
against President Serzh Sarkisian.
The bitter exchange came as one of them, Nikol Pashinian, continued to prepare
for a series of demonstrations in Yerevan aimed at forcing Sarkisian not to
extend his decade-long rule. Pashinian and a group of activists of his Civil
Contract party began touring Armenia’s northern and central regions on foot for
that purpose on Saturday.
The two other parties making up Yelk, Bright Armenia and Republic, have refused
to join this campaign, saying that anti-Sarkisian protests will not attract
large crowds. The Bright Armenia leader, Edmon Marukian, criticized Pashinian’s
tactics in an op-ed article posted on Aravot.am.
In particular, Marukian said his opposition ally is seeking “short-term glory”
and following a “path trodden by defunct political forces” which failed to
achieve regime change in the country. “It is reckless to do the same thing
every time and to expect to achieve a different result every time,” he wrote.
Armenia - Opposition leader Nikol Pashinian and his supporters pose for a
photograph in Lori province, 2 April 2018.
Pashinian hit back at Marukian as he and his associates walked through the
northern Lori province in heavy rain. “The path drawn in Mr. Marukian’s article
has been repeatedly trodden, including by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
and the Orinats Yerkir party,” he said, referring to parties that have closely
collaborated with Sarkisian during his rule.
“I am convinced that my actions reflect the will of the overwhelming majority
of Yelk’s voters,” insisted Pashinian. He argued that the Yelk leadership has
unanimously spoken out against Sarkisian’s “third term in office” before.
The Civil Contract leader is due to finish his 200-kilometer-long walking tour
in time for his first anti-government rally in Yerevan slated for April 13. His
party is planning to rally supporters in the city’s Liberty Square for at least
four consecutive days.
The Armenian parliament dominated by Sarkisian’s supporters is scheduled to
elect a new prime minister on April 17. The outgoing president, whose second
term expires on April 9, is widely expected to take up what will now be the
country’s top executive post.
Yelk finished third in last year’s parliamentary elections, winning 9 seats in
the 105-member National Assembly.
Tax Breaks Fuel IT Startup Growth In Armenia
• Emil Danielyan
Armenia - Young people at the annual DigiTec Expo tech exhibition in Yerevan,
30 September 2017.
The Armenian government reported on Tuesday a sharp rise in the number of new
information technology (IT) firms that have qualified for tax breaks introduced
three years ago to boost Armenia’s rapidly growing IT sector.
Under a government bill passed by the Armenian parliament in late 2014, such
firms employing up to 30 people can be fully exempt from profit tax. They are
also eligible for a preferential income tax rate for their employees,
equivalent to 10 percent of their gross wages.
Nearly 430 IT startups have been granted the tax breaks, valid for five years,
by a special government commission since then. According to the Armenian
Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, 281 of them
received such exemptions last year, up from around 100 in 2016.
The ministry touted the privileged tax regime on Tuesday in a statement and a
video report attached to it. The footage featured interviews with the founders
of three Armenian tech firms set up in the last few years.
One of them, Himnark, specializes in accounting software development. “We
provided services to one foreign company and our resulting profit wasn’t
taxed,” said its young owner, Ruben Osipian. “We invested it in developing new
software. Had it not been for the tax exemption, we would have obviously
invested less.”
“Our income tax is lower and that allows us to pay higher [real] wages,” said
Vahram Bleyan, one of the two founders of another startup, Mamble. The company
claims to mainly sell software to a large corporate client in the United States.
Armenia - Prime Minister Karen Karapetian visits an IT company in Yerevan, 30
March 2018.
IT is the fastest-growing sector of the Armenian economy, having expanded by
over 20 percent annually in the past decade. The sector employing more than
15,000 people grew by almost 30 percent last year, according to government data.
Deputy Transport Minister Amalya Yeghoyan predicted last week that this rapid
growth will continue unabated this year. “I am sure that the number of jobs
will increase,” she said, according to the Armenpress news agency.
The government-funded Enterprise Incubator Foundation (EIF) estimates that the
combined turnover of at least 650 IT firms currently operating in Armenia
reached $765 million in 2017. The figure, which includes Internet service
provision, was equivalent to over 6.5 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic
Product.
The sector’s largest companies include the Armenian branches of U.S. tech
giants like as Synopsys, National Instruments, Mentor Graphics and VMware. Its
steady expansion is also increasingly driven by homegrown Armenian companies.
“Local firms are now in better shape than they were five years ago,” the EIF
said in a recent report. “They have more employees, attract venture investment,
and demonstrate an improvement in technical expertise and knowledge of the
market. In addition, they are implementing more complex and value-added
projects.”
A lack of skilled personnel is widely seen as the main challenge facing the
sector. Local IT executives have long complained about the inadequate
professional level of many graduates of IT departments of Armenia universities.
The latter often need to undergo on-the-job training after graduation.
“This is a problem,” said Yeghoyan. In her words, there are now at least 2,000
job vacancies in the sector.
German Embassy Suspends Visa Service Outsourcing
• Anush Muradian
Armenia - German Ambassador to Armenia Matthias Kiesler gives a press
conference in Yerevan, 22 November 2016.
The German Embassy in Armenia has effectively suspended its decision to
outsource consular services to a Turkish-based company which is being
investigated by the Armenian authorities, it emerged on Tuesday.
The embassy has long processed visa applications from Armenian nationals
planning to travel to Germany and five other European Union member states. It
announced last week that starting from April 3 this will be done by Vizametric,
a Turkish-Russian private firm registered in Turkey.
The announcement raised fears in Armenia that the Turkish government will gain
access to sensitive personal data of many Armenians. The latter are required to
disclose their incomes, bank details and other personal information in their
applications for so-called Schengen visas valid in virtually all EU member
states.
The Armenian government’s Agency for Personal Data Protectionsaid on Friday
that it has ordered the Vizametric office in Yerevan avoid accepting visa
applications pending its investigation aimed at “preventing possible
violations” of Armenian law.
The German ambassador to Armenia, Matthias Kiesler, told RFE/RL’s Armenian
service (Azatutyun.am) that his mission will therefore continue to provide
consular services for the time being. “We have to wait and see how the process
goes,” he said.
“I want to reassure that the agreement between the German Foreign Ministry and
Vizametric stipulates that the protection of personal data must be at the
highest level and that it cannot be passed on to a third party,” stressed
Kiesler.
Meanwhile, the head of the Armenian government agency, Gevorg Hayrapetian, said
it is scrutinizing the visa service provider to see whether the latter would
comply with Armenia’s law on personal data protection. Vizametric must prove
that there would be no “illegal” access to information collected by it, he said.
Hayrapetian denied that the Turkish origin of the company was not the reason
for the launch of the inquiry. He noted, though, that Turkey is known for
adequate protection of personal data.
Turkey refuses to establish diplomatic relations with Armenia and fully
supports Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Ruling Party Figures Defend ‘Real Opposition’
• Astghik Bedevian
Armenia - Eduard Sharmazanov, spokesman for the ruling Republican Party, at a
news conference in Yerevan, 14May2017.
Senior representatives of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) praised
on Tuesday an opposition leader who has criticized other opponents of President
Serzh Sarkisian for planning rallies against his continued rule.
Edmon Marukian and his Bright Armenia party have refused to join the campaign
launched by the Civil Contract party of Nikol Pashinian, a fellow member of the
opposition Yelk alliance. In a newspaper article, Marukian said voters
essentially allowed Sarkisian to become prime minister during last year’s
parliamentary elections. Nothing can therefore stop the outgoing president from
remaining in power, he wrote.
Pashinian insisted on the opposite. He said Armenians should take to the
streets and thwart Sarkisian’s “third term.”
Gagik Melikian, a senior HHK parliamentarian, said Marukian “told the truth.”
“I highly appreciate Edmon Marukian’s political and legal knowledge,” he told
RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). “What Edmon Marukian is saying is
written in our constitution, electoral code and the National Assembly statutes.”
Another senior HHK figure, Eduard Sharmazanov, was careful not to openly take
sides in the deepening dispute within the Yelk leadership. Still, he said: “To
my knowledge, Bright Armenia has never spoken of fighting against concrete
persons or disputing the April 2 [2017] election results in the streets. That
is why I’m not surprised [by Marukian’s stance.] Pashinian’s behavior is more
unexpected.”
“In democratic countries around the world, the real opposition is not those who
cry loudly but those who consistently follow their ideological path,” added
Sharmazanov.
Sarkisian stated in 2014 that he will “not aspire” to the post of prime
minister if Armenia becomes a parliamentary republic immediately after his
second and final presidential term ends on April 2, 2018. He is now widely
expected to be named premier by the HHK later this month.
HHK representatives deny that the outgoing president is about to break his
pledge. They claim that he never explicitly promised to leave office in April
2018.
Press Review
“Zhamanak” comments on opposition leader Nikol Pashinian’s and his supporters’
200-kilometer-long walking tour of Armenia aimed at drumming up popular support
for their upcoming anti-government rallies in Yerevan. The paper says this is
not the first opposition attempt to “take Yerevan politics to the regions” and
it is likely to fail just as the previous ones have.
“The small group of young oppositionists has decided to pass through at least
half of the country on foot and to inform people who live in towns and village
and are cynical and indifferent towards everything about the rallies that will
start on April 13,” “Hraparak” writes on the same subject. “The public has
split in two parts. The larger part -- namely those who prefer a problem-free
life and are ready to run risks only in case of having a 100 percent guarantee
of success -- is extremely pessimistic. They consider Nikol Pashinian to be
crazy or adventurist. The other, smaller section thinks that one has to fight
even if the likelihood of victory is very small.”
“Zhoghovurd” laments the fact that none of the high-ranking state officials
laid flowers on Monday at the graves of Armenian soldiers who were killed in
the four-day war in Nagorno-Karabakh which broke out exactly two years ago. The
paper says that only some officials from the Armenian Defense Ministry visited
the Yerablur military cemetery in Yerevan for that purpose. It wonders whether
President Serzh Sarkisian and key members of his entourage forgot the war
anniversary or just did not want to look the soldiers’ relatives in the eyes.
“The commander-in-chief of Armenia’s armed forces, Serzh Sarkisian, did not
visit Yerablur,” writes “Haykakan Zhamanak.” “Nor does the presidential website
contain any message on the second anniversary of the April war.” Instead, the
paper says, Sarkisian on Monday congratulated Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah
el-Sisi on winning another term in office.
(Tigran Avetisian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2018 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org
Parliament Restricts Media Access To Yerevan City Council Sessions
Yerkir Tsirani’s Marina Khachatryan is being pulled and shoved during the Yerevan City Council meeting on Tuesday
YEREVAN (RFE/RL)—The Armenian parliament approved on Friday a government proposal to essentially ban reporters from attending sessions of Yerevan’s municipal council.
Yerevan Mayor Taron Markarian moved to impose such a ban last month just days after an embarrassing brawl witnessed by journalists.
Two members of the city council representing the opposition Yerkir Tsirani party were confronted by their pro-government colleagues when they tried to hand Markarian glass containers filled with sewage collected from a damaged sewer pipe in the city’s Nubarashen district.
Yerkir Tsirani’s Marina Khachatrian slapped a male councilor representing the ruling Republican Party (HHK) after being jostled by him. The latter slapped Khachatrian while another HHK councilor puller her hair in response. Khachatrian and two other Yerkir Tsirani members, including the party leader Zaruhi Postanjian, were then physically forced to leave the hall.
One week after the incident, Markarian called for “regulating” the work of the press corps accredited by the municipality. A spokesman for the mayor said afterwards that journalists will now be able to watch council debates only through monitors to be placed in a separate press room.
The government accepted the proposed restrictions, drafting relevant legal amendments that were passed by the National Assembly. They stipulate that the press will now need special permission from the mayor to be able to attend council sessions.
Justice Minister Davit Harutiunian argued that the same rules are already in place for media coverage of sessions of the Armenian parliament. “We don’t interfere with [reporters] and they don’t interfere with us,” he said on the parliament floor. “The same rules will be introduced for sessions of the Yerevan council.”
Markarian’s spokesman, Artur Gevorgian, insisted earlier that the restrictions are not aimed at covering up more such incidents. He said that the municipal administration will install more video cameras in the chamber to ensure the transparency of proceedings. The official noted, however, that live broadcasts of debates could be interrupted in case of “hooliganism” on the part of councilors.
Sports: Armenia national squad hold first training session
News.am, Armenia
YEREVAN. – The Football Federation of Armenia (FFA) has posted the video of the first day of the training camp of the national squad.
Prior to this training session, manager Artur Petrosyan welcomed 22-year-old newcomer, forward Norberto Briasco-Balekian from Atlético Huracán (Argentina), to the national team.
Armenia are training for their friendlies against Estonia (Saturday) and Lithuania (March 27), in capital city Yerevan.
Video at link:
Sports: ‘Real fans’ Henrikh Mkhitaryan takes swipe at Arsenal fans who boycotted win over Watford
The Sun, UK
‘Real fans’ Henrikh Mkhitaryan takes swipe at Arsenal fans who boycotted win over Watford
Armenian forward has praised the Gunners who turned up to support team despite wretched run of four straight defeats
By Warren Haughton
HENRIKH MKHITARYAN has called out the Arsenal fans who failed to turned up for Sunday’s 3-0 win over Watford.Arsene Wenger’s side followed up a fine Europa League display in Milan by getting back to winning ways in the league against the Hornets.
The official attendance was 59,131, but it was clear the Emirates was less than full as thousands of Arsenal fans gave the game a miss.
It was the same story when Manchester City embarrassed the North London side on their own patch, just days after strolling past them in the Carabao Cup final.
The Armenian who joined the Gunners in the deal that took Alexis Sanchez to Old Trafford dedicated Sunday’s win to the “real fans” who stuck by them after four straight defeats.
Mkhitaryan told beIN Sports: “We’re always playing for the fans, it doesn’t matter if they could have come today (Sunday) or not.
“We’re always playing for those who come and support us, (those) who are really coming and supporting us are real fans.
“(To those) who are coming to the stadium just when we are winning we have nothing to say.
“Just thanks to the fans who were supporting.”
Mkhitaryan’s comments are after the attacker scored two goals in his last two games for the Gunners and will hope to continue his run of form in the return leg against Milan on Thursday.
PM Karen Karapetyan meets with Catholicos Aram I of Great House of Cilicia
Public Radio of Armenia
10:51, 13 Mar 2018
Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan visited Antelias to meet with His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia.
Prior to the meeting, Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan joined the Catholicos for a tour of the Mother Cathedral of St. Gregory the Illuminator, after which he called at the nearby chapel commemorating the victims of the Armenian Genocide.
During the meeting that followed, Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan and Catholicos Aram I discussed issues related to Armenia’s development. The Premier presented Armenia’s current economic status and the latest growth indicators, noting that the Government will continue to take steps toward achieving better results in different spheres.
Karen Karapetyan provided details of his talks with the top leadership of Lebanon, describing them as fruitful and constructive.
Highlighting the importance of the Armenian Prime Minister’s official visit to Lebanon, Catholicos Aram I singled out the economic agenda, which he considered a good opportunity to discuss the prospects of bilateral economic ties.
The Prime Minister answered the questions of Armenian community representatives in attendance of the meeting, which specifically bore on Armenia’s economic agenda, the prospects for Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement and EU-Armenia cooperation.
Chess: 34 chess players from Armenia to compete at European Individual Chess Championship 2018
Panorama, Armenia
March 9 2018
The European Individual Chess Championship 2018 will kick off in Batumi, Georgia, on March 16 with 318 chess players, including 138 grandmasters set to participate in the tournament. As the National Olympic Committee of Armenia reported, our country will be represented by 34 players, members of the national team Gabriel Sargsyan, Hrant Melkumyna, and Hayk Martirosyan among them.
As the organizers of the tournament inform, the European Individual Chess Championship will be played in 11 rounds according to Swiss system in accordance with ECU and FIDE Tournament Rules and Rules of Chess, with time control 90 minutes for 40 moves plus 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with an increment of 30 seconds per move, starting from the move one.
The Championship is a qualification event for the next World Cup.
Nonsense: Naira Zohrabyan about releasing Iveta Tonoyan
- 22.02.2018
- Armenia:
- arm
718
Today, the press wrote that PAP leader Gagik Tsarukyan has decided to get rid of the services of speaker Iveta Tsarukyan and, accordingly, first of all, from the position of the director of the media department of Kentron TV, and the fate of the parliamentary mandate is still in question.
First of all, let’s note that Iveta Tonoyan has not held the position of director of the “Epicenter” news service of the TV company for a year, after receiving the mandate of the deputy, she is no longer a member of the board of directors of the Center TV company.
In a conversation with VERELQ, a member of the “Tsarukyan” faction Naira Zohrabyan denied those rumors. according to him, a journalist should understand what he is writing about. “After being elected deputy, Iveta Tonoyan could not do other paid work, we are also talking about the news director of the “Kentron” TV station,” he said.
As for the issue of depriving Tonoyan of his mandate, Naira Zohrabyan considered it simply nonsense.
“I know few people who would be able to do the enormous work that Iveta Tonoyan does as Gagik Tsarukyan’s spokesperson and MP with such efficiency and responsibility,” he emphasized.
Iveta Tonoyan also made a statement.
“Thank you to all my colleagues for the concern, some also for spreading dishonest and untrue information with great diligence. I officially declare that Gagik Tsarukyan did not release me from any position and did not dismiss me. And this is for the simple reason that on June 1, 2017, as soon as I assumed the powers of a member of the National Assembly, I stopped being the head of the news department of Kentron TV. I am sure that everyone is aware of what kind of work a deputy of the RA National Assembly can perform according to the law, and the functions of the head of the news department in a TV company are not among those. About that I announced the date of receiving the mandate.
During this period, the Epicenter news program had and still has a chief editor, Baghdasar Mheryan, who performed those functions. And my cooperation with Kentron TV, as Gagik Tsarukyan’s spokesperson, was on a daily basis and will continue. In order not to end up in a purely ridiculous situation, I would advise you not to use any more futile tricks to force the desired into reality.”
Festive march in Yerevan on the occasion of Feast of St. Sarkis the Captain
Panorama, Armenia
Jan 27 2018
Festive march started in Armenia’s capital Yerevan on the occasion of Feast of St. Sarkis the Captain. By the order of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, the Feast of St. Sarkis the Captain and his soldiers-companions is proclaimed day of blessing of the youth.
In Armenia, it is accepted to celebrate the Feast of St. Sarkis not only according to church rites and prayer, but also according to various folk traditions. St. Sarkis the Captain is considered the patron of youth. Many miracles happen thanks to his intercession. On the day of the feast, young people pray the saint asking him to make their prayers audible to God. St. Sarkis is the realizer of the love longings.
People in love present each other cards, flowers or sweets on the occasion of the feast.
On the day of the feast, a Divine Liturgy is celebrated in all churches named after St. Sarkis.
Following the Liturgy, a special ceremony of blessing of young people is offered.