Author: Aram Torosian

Armenia enabled to import food products, medicine without customs duty from non-EEU countries

Aram Torosian

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 13:48, 7 April, 2020

YEREVAN, APRIL 7, ARMENPRESS. All Eurasian Economic Union countries, including Armenia, have been enabled to import a number of top priority products from non-EEU countries without customs duties, Deputy Minister of Economy Varos Simonyan told ARMENPRESS.

He described the measure as an opportunity of new markets for Armenian businesses, as well as an additional way to restrain potential price hikes.

The decision was made on April 3 by the Eurasian Economic Commission’s Council.

Simonyan said the decision covers products of “critical import” significance, such as buckwheat, rye, potato, onion, garlic, cabbage, carrot, pepper, baby food, medication. The decision will also cover some medical equipment, such as endoscopes or special thermometers.

Simonyan reminded an earlier decision by the EEU’s governing board on imposing a ban on exports of a number of priority products to non-member countries. For example, buckwheat can’t be exported to non-member states, but it can be imported on zero customs duty. Simonyan said this move is done to maintain balance to avoid a possible shortage within the union.

The food products are exempt from customs duties for three months starting April 1, while medical equipment for 6 months.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan




RFE/RL Armenian Report – 04/03/2020

Aram Torosian 
                                        Friday, April 3, 2020
Kocharian Discharged From Hospital
        • Naira Bulghadarian
        • Naira Nalbandian
Armenia -- Former President Robert Kocharian arrives for a court hearing, 
Yerevan, February 18, 2020.
Robert Kocharian, Armenia’s former president standing trial on coup charges, was 
taken back to prison on Friday after spending more than three weeks in hospital.
Kocharian was taken to the Erebuni Medical Center in Yerevan on March 9. His 
spokesman said at the time that he is suffering from blood pressure fluctuations 
and needs a thorough medical examination.
According to one of Kocharian’s lawyers, Hovannes Khudoyan, Erebuni’s doctors 
have improved the ex-president’s condition but believe that he needs to undergo 
further treatment and remain under medical surveillance.
Speaking to RFE/RL’s Armenian service, Khudoyan claimed that his client will 
risk being infected with coronavirus at Yerevan’s Kentron prison where he has 
been kept, on and off, since July 2018. This is another reason why Kocharian, 
who already underwent surgery in another hospital last year, should be released 
from custody, said the lawyer.
Khudoyan noted in that regard five members of the administration of another 
Yerevan prison, Vartashen, tested positive for coronavirus this week.
The Armenian Justice Ministry reported on Thursday that 28 other prison guards 
at Vartashen were placed under quarantine because of that. A ministry 
spokeswoman, Lusine Martirosian, said on Friday that none of them has tested 
positive for the virus.
The ministry, which runs Armenia’s penitentiary system, maintains that none of 
the infected guards had come into contact with prison inmates.
Martirosian stood by its earlier assurances that authorities are doing their 
best to prevent coronavirus cases among prisoners. She said the precautionary 
measures include regular monitoring of their health condition and a ban on 
visits from their relatives and friends imposed on March 13.
Kocharian, 65, as well as his former chief of staff and two retired army 
generals went on trial last year on coup charges mostly stemming from the 2008 
post-election unrest in Yerevan. The ex-president, who ruled Armenia from 
1998-2008, was also charged with bribe-taking a year ago. He rejects all 
accusations as politically motivated.
The judge presiding over the high-profile trial, Anna Danibekian, has repeatedly 
refused to free Kocharian pending a verdict in the case.
Danibekian was due to consider a written appeal for his release, signed by three 
former Armenian prime ministers, during a court hearing scheduled for March 17. 
The hearing was postponed because of her illness. It is still not clear when the 
trial will resume.
Armenian Authorities Expect Near-Zero Growth In 2020
        • Sargis Harutyunyan
Armenia -- Police officers enforcing a coronavirus lockdown check cars leaving 
Yerevan, April 1, 2020.
Economic growth in Armenia will practically grind to a halt this year due to the 
coronavirus pandemic, Economy Minister Tigran Khachatrian said on Friday.
The Armenian economy grew by 7.6 percent last year and continued to expand 
robustly in the first two months of this year. However, the situation changed 
dramatically last month as the government put the country under lockdown to 
fight against the spread of coronavirus. With the number of coronavirus cases 
continuing to rise, the economic shutdown is expected to continue in the weeks 
ahead.
In a report released earlier this week, the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) 
forecast a 0.7 percent GDP growth rate for 2020.
Khachatrian agreed with this projection. “This year our economic indicators will 
be substantially down from what was forecast early this year,” he told a news 
conference.
The minister argued that the Armenian economy will also be affected by 
coronavirus-related economic disruptions in other countries and Russia in 
particular. Russia is Armenia’s main export market and the principal sources of 
remittances from Armenians working abroad.
Armenia -- Economy Minister Tigran Khachatrian at a news conference in Yerevan, 
April 4, 2020.
Khachatrian insisted at the same time that Armenia will quickly recover once the 
global health crisis is over. “Despite the difficulties of 2020 we will quickly 
restore our economic activity and potential,” he said.
The CBA report says that economic growth in the country will accelerate to 7.2 
percent already in 2021.
The Armenian government approved last week a multimillion-dollar stimulus 
package designed to cushion the economic impact of the coronavirus epidemic on 
businesses and ordinary people. The plan makes most Armenian firms as well as 
farmers eligible for financial assistance or credit subsidies.
In particular, creditworthy firms and individual entrepreneurs will receive 
grants worth $500 million ($1 million) if they pledge to use that money to pay 
their workers’ wages, buy equipment or raw materials or pay taxes. The scheme 
will not apply to Armenian banks, insurance companies and casinos. The 
government will instead subsidize the banks to provide cheap credit to farmers 
across the country.
World Bank To Also Help Armenia Fight Coronavirus
Armenia -- An ambulance leaves the Nork Infectious Disease Hospital, Yerevan, 
March 20, 2020.
The World Bank said on Friday that it will give Armenia $3 million to acquire 
medical equipment and supplies needed for containing the spread of coronavirus 
in the country.
The bank said nearly half of the assistance requested by the Armenian Ministry 
of Health will be spent on buying 50 lung ventilation devices used for 
lifesaving treatment of people infected with coronavirus. The ministry will also 
obtain protective personal equipment for healthcare workers, it said in a 
statement.
“The equipment will be procured directly through United Nations agencies’ supply 
channels in view of the current constraints for these types of medical emergency 
equipment in the global market,” read the statement.
“I would like to recognize the unprecedented dedication of health professionals 
in Armenia to protect the people,” it quoted Sylvie Bossoutrot, the head of the 
World Bank office in Yerevan, as saying.
“I would also like to strongly encourage each citizen of Armenia to strictly 
abide by the requirements of these emergency times and observe social distancing 
and isolation measures aimed at minimizing the impact of the pandemic,” added 
Bossoutrot.
The World Bank, which is Armenia’s number one foreign lender, also expressed 
readiness to provide additional coronavirus-related assistance to Yerevan. It 
would be provided at the expense of other projects which were due to be financed 
in Armenia by the Washington-based development bank.
The announcement came the day after the European Union promised 51 million euros 
($55 million) in assistance designed to help the Armenian government deal with 
not only the coronavirus epidemic but also its severe socioeconomic consequences.
The United States allocated last week more than $1 million in similar aid to 
Armenia. The South Caucasus state has also received medical supplies from Russia 
and China.
The Armenian Ministry of Health reported on Friday morning that the total number 
of coronavirus cases in the country rose by over 10 percent to 736 in the past 
24 hours. According to the ministry, three more people died of COVID-19 on 
Thursday, raising to 7 the national death toll from the virus.
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.

Aurora donates 10 ventilators to Armenian hospitals

Aram Torosian
PanArmenian, Armenia
– 13:43 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative has decided to direct its #AraratChallenge funds to support Armenian health professionals on the front lines with 10 ventilators.

“On behalf of the partners and supporters of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, we would like to confirm that during the outbreak of COVID-19 we fully intend to continue our global efforts to help the most vulnerable while supporting local health professionals on the front lines,” people behind the initiative said.

“At the core of Aurora’s mission is the drive to offer life and hope to those in urgent need of basic humanitarian aid anywhere in the world.”

Aurora said they will continue giving a second chance to those who have already been through so much.

At the same time, the Initiative will contribute to fighting the pandemic and supporting the medical staff by providing ten lung ventilation devices for Armenian hospitals from the funds raised via #AraratChallenge campaign.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Armenia has reached 194 as of Sunday, March 22 evening.

The country declared a 30-day state of emergency on March 16 and banned citizens of 16 nations from entering the country.

So far, two patients have recovered from the coronavirus in Armenia.

People should change attitude towards coronavirus, paying more attention to older people – PM

Aram Torosian

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 19:38,

YEREVAN, MARCH 18, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan says it’s possible that many people who during this process have been infected with coronavirus, have recovered on their own and do not even know about that, ARMENPRESS reports Pashinyan said in a Facebook Live.

”Analyzing the situation I understand that many citizens get infected and recover without even knowing about it. The health condition of the confirmed cases also tell us about that. Possibly, there are many people who during this period got infected with coronavirus and recovered without knowing that they got sick and recovered”, Pashinyan said, adding that it’s necessary to change the attitude towards coronavirus.

”I think we should change our attitude towards coronavirus, and take it as a disease which is quite dangerous for older people, like the flue. Our main task should be being careful towards our beloved parents and grandparents”, the PM said.

On March 16 Armenia declared a 30-day state of emergency to fight against the spread of the novel coronavirus. The state of emergency is effective until April 14, at 17:00. By now there are 72 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Armenia, one of whom has recovered and been discharged from hospital.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan

Turla threat group targets Armenian government websites in a new cyber campaign

Aram Torosian
Computing Magazine, UK
March 12 2020

A new campaign by the Russia-linked Turla group has been using watering-hole attacks to target government and civilian websites in Armenia.

That’s according to the researchers at cyber security firm ESET, who noticed the campaign only recently, although they believe it might have been on-going for several months.


Armenian citizens returning from Italy to be sent into self-isolation

Aram Torosian
JAM News
JAMnews, Yerevan
Artur Xachatryan

Italy declared a state-wide quarantine due to the spread of coronavirus, and all Armenian citizens are returning home under doctor supervision

Armenian citizens are returning home to the country from Italy since the latter declared a country-wide quarantine.

A flight bringing Armenian citizens from Milan landed in the afternoon on March 10, and another flight is expected to arrive from Rome in the evening.

Examinations of all passengers on flights landing at the Zvartnots airport in Yerevan have been conducted upon arrival since news of the coronavirus first broke out.

As for the Armenian citizens arriving from Italy, all of them will be examined at the airport and then sent to home to remain in self-isolation.

• Georgia: no tourists, hotels on the verge of ruin

The Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement appealing to Armenian citizens:

“We urge the citizens of Armenia to refrain from visiting Italy, and for those now in Italy to immediately end their travels and return to Armenia.”

Ministry of Foreign Affairs press secretary Anna Naghdalyan says 200 citizens in Italy are maintaining regular contact with the Armenian Embassy, and so far none of them report any health problems.

Special security measures have been taken at the Zvartnots airport. Everything is being done to prevent contact between those arriving from Milan and Rome and passengers of other flights.

In Armenia, the first, and so far only case of infection was discovered on March 1. The infected individual entered the country from Iran. The border between Armenia and Iran has been closed since February 23. The 29-year-old Armenian citizen arrived on one of the special flights allowing citizens of Armenia and Iran to return to their homeland.

All people who had contact with him are isolated and feel fine, as does the infected person. He is not receiving treatment, as he has no fever and no symptoms of the disease.

The situation in the country as a whole is calm. There is no sense of panic.

Armenian State Symphony Orchestra to perform in Israel

Aram Torosian
Public Radio of Armenia
Feb 28 2020


The Armenian State Symphony Orchestra (ASSO) will participate in the Wandering Music Stars Festival in Israel on March 1-5. An international competition of saxophonists and clarinetists will also be held as part of the festival.

ASSO will be joined by the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and clarinetist Shirley Brill for the first concert in Jerusalem on March 1. Three more concerts will be held in Tel Aviv.  

Famous violinists Maxim Vengerov and Daniel Lozakovich, cellist Alexander Knyazev will perform with the orchestra. The concerts will be led by conductors Sergey Smbatyan and Dmitry Jablonski, who is also the artistic director of the festival.

The State Symphony Orchestra of Armenia will perform works by Haydn, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and other composers.

In Tel Aviv it will perform acclaimed Armenian composer Alexander Arutiunian’s symphony for string orchestra.

The orchestra is leaving for Israel with the support of the Armenian Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport and the European Fund for Cultural Assistance.

ACNIS reView from Yerevan #6, 2020_Weekly Update_15-22 February

Aram Torosian
Weekly Update  

21 FEBRUARY 2020  

 

  • Continued Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) demining and rehabilitation assistance and support for the implementation of the Royce-Engel proposal to deploy gunfire locators along the line-of-contact were key components of the Armenian National Committee of America’s (ANCA) testimony, submitted earlier today to the U.S. House panel drafting the Fiscal Year 2021 foreign aid bill, said News.am. The request for Artsakh aid was part of a broader $100 million targeted assistance package which would bolster U.S-Armenia economic and military partnerships and support for Armenia. ANCA Government Affairs Director Tereza Yerimyan shared with appropriators how the ANCA’s proposals advance U.S. interests and suggested concise, draft legislative language for their consideration. She reaffirmed the ANCA’s commitment to Armenia’s aid-to-trade transition, asking Members of the Subcommittee to encourage the Trump Administration to make full use of the U.S.-Armenia Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) and Economic Task Force, and, most urgently, to move forward with the long-overdue negotiation of a modern U.S. Armenia Double Tax Treaty.

  

  • RFE/RL’s Armenian Service (Azatutyun.am) reported, a newly formed government commission tasked with drafting wide-ranging amendments to the Armenian constitution met for the first time on Friday amid uncertainty about the outcome of its work. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian announced plans to set up the commission in December. It was decided then that the ad hoc body will comprise 15 members, including Armenia’s justice minister, human rights ombudsman, a representative of the country’s judges, members of the three political forces represented in the parliament and legal scholars chosen by the Justice Ministry. The commission’s members were appointed late last month just days before Pashinian’s political team unexpectedly drafted its own constitutional amendments and put them on a referendum slated for April 5.They call for replacing seven of the nine members of Armenia’s Constitutional Court locked in a dispute with the government.

  

  • President of the Republic of Artsakh Bako Sahakyan addressed a congratulatory message on the Artsakh Revival Day, the Presidential Office told Armenpress. The message says: “Dear compatriots, On behalf of the Artsakh Republic authorities and myself personally I extend my most heartfelt congratulations on the Artsakh Revival Day. On the 20th of February 1988 an extraordinary session of the Regional Council of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region was held in Stepanakert and lent legitimacy to our people’s perennial aspirations and announced the start of realizing their cherished dreams and goals…This day became the symbol of our people’s courage, determination and love for freedom, our nation-wide solidarity.”
  • The real agenda in Armenia continues to be the need to adopt a new Constitution as the basis of the state building process. Such an opinion was expressed to ArmInfo by political analyst Saro Saroyan. “Unfortunately, the current administration directed the post-revolutionary processes in the wrong direction.  As a result, they did not lead to a coordinated, fundamental resolution of the key issues facing the country.  In the conditions of abandonment of the evolutionary path of development, extinguishing the “fires” periodically arising here and there with palliatives is impossible,” he said. According to the analyst, it was the new Constitution that would allow the people to conclude a social contract on the basis of a dialogue that promotes the formation of public consensus. In turn, a social contract would open up the possibility of implementing institutional changes in Armenia and the establishment of state institutions, “he emphasized.

  

  • The Presidential Office informed, President Armen Sarkissian received today the Ambassador of the United States to Armenia Lynne Tracy. The parties exchanged views on the issues related to cooperation between the Republic of Armenia and the United States in different areas. In particular, among prospective areas were mentioned modern technologies, especially implementation of joint programs in the area of artificial intelligence. In this context, possible cooperation in the framework of the ATOM Presidential initiative aimed at the development of science and technology in Armenia was mentioned. The program is directed at making Armenia a leading center in the area of artificial intelligence and mathematical modeling. The parties discussed also opportunities of cooperation on a number of Presidential initiatives which are aimed at the enhancement of Armenia’s international standing and the boost of interest towards our country. The interlocutors exchanged also views on the referendum on the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia to be held on April 5.
  • Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia Toivo Klaar. Head of EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Andrea Victorin was in attendance, the Prime Minister Office Pleased with the current status of EU-Armenia relations, the Prime Minister noted that the ongoing cooperation is of intensive nature. The Premier advised that our country is in the process of holding a referendum on constitutional amendments and presented its rationale and objectives. The interlocutors discussed issues related to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Nikol Pashinyan assured of Armenia’s commitment to achieving a peaceful settlement in the OSCE Minsk Group format. He reflected on his vision of the negotiated settlement. The Prime Minister highlighted the involvement of Artsakh’s civil society in confidence building measures, which will help shape a constructive atmosphere in the negotiation process.

  

  • The Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders’ recent talks, on the sidelines of the 2020 Munich Security Conference, were a useless format in terms of pushing ahead with serious processes in the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) conflict settlement talks, according to an expert in international affairs. “Such a format did not exist at all on the level of the former leaders. To the best of my understanding, the Armenian authorities previously made proposals of the kind, which were later rejected. “I don’t think the format is useful given that the parties, by and large, voiced theses which have been raised for decades. And they practically did not say anything new at this meeting either; they did not discuss new ideas, approaches and thoughts, and hence the meeting itself cannot possibly have any effectiveness,” President and Founer of the Armenian Center for American Studies Suren Sargsyan told Tert.am.

  

  • Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev are holding a discussion on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. The session was presided by a conversation between Pashinyan and Aliyev, News.am informed.

 

Sources: https://www.primeminister.am/en/press-release/, https://www.president.am, https://www.azatutyun.am/en, https://armenpress.am, https://news.am/eng/, https://tert.am,  https://arminfo.info/.

  

Asbarez: AMAA’s Vanadzor ‘Shogh’ Day Center Moves to New Location

Aram Torosian

PARAMUS, New Jersey—Earlier this year, the Armenian Missionary Association of America’s “Shogh” Children’s Day Center in Vanadzor, Armenia moved to its new location. After purchasing the building last year, the AMAA renovated and furnished the property as the new “Shogh” Center.

Children who have attended the Center since its opening in 2013 participated in the ribbon cutting ceremony, which was held on February 4. The staff welcomed the children to the new Center with applause, smiles, and the announcing of “Welcome to the Shogh Center.”

Following the opening ceremony, the staff and families were given a tour of the Center, where they saw the new furnishings in the classrooms.

In the new Center, the bee serves as a symbol of diligence, production and punctuality. The staff welcomed the children with images of the bee family. The young attendees were happy to learn that they were also members of that same bee family. The many types of flowers in their imaginary fairytale garden had conventional names such as “A Flower of Kindness,” “Responsibility,” and “Care.” They chose the flower nectar from which they will receive and bring their drop of honey into the Center, filling it with a symbolic honeycomb. Each student made their own contribution by saying, “A drop of righteousness, kindness, faithfulness …” and they posted their bees on the wall as a promise to obey the Center’s rules, each repeating, “I am the Shogh.”

A reception held following the opening ceremony was also a reminder of a hive – the organized work of bees, its efficiency, and usefulness.

“Each AMAA Shogh center is a bee hive where children are cared for, nurtured, educated and prepared to be productive citizens in society, collectively contributing to structure a honeycomb state,” said AMAA Executive Director/CEO Zaven Khanjian.

AMAA’s “Shogh” Day Centers – located in Gyumri, Vanadzor, and Yerevan in Armenia and Askeran and Shushi in Artsakh – aim to support children 6 to 12-years-old who are living in socially underserved families. The main objective of the Centers is to help children overcome educational difficulties, grow personally, and become part of an educated and healthy society. Highly qualified and experienced professionals such as tutors, social workers, and psychologists provide social, educational, psychological, and recreational activities to nearly 290 school-age children. The “Shogh” Centers also provide a safe environment for children while their parents are at work, ensuring the safety and security of each child.

Established in 1918 in Worcester, MA, the AMAA serves the religious, educational, and social needs of Armenian communities in 24 countries around the world, including Armenia and Artsakh. For additional information, please visit the website.