16:42,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 11, ARMENPRESS. Drug addicts, dealers and homeless who have plagued San Francisco’s downtown have miraculously disappeared this week as the city cleans up for a huge international event, reports the New York Post.
The homeless have been pushed to other parts of the city in preparation for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, which starts tomorrow and runs through Nov. 17, reports the Post.
A scene from the immunogenetics of transplantation conference held in Sophia, Bulgaria on Nov. 3 and 4. Photo courtesy of the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry
The Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry on November 3 and 4 participated in a leading international medical and scientific conference, the European Federation of Immunogenetics’ Region 8 Balkan EPT Meeting.
Representing Armenia and ABMDR at the annual conference, which took place in Sofia, Bulgaria, were Dr. Frieda Jordan, president of ABMDR; and Dr. Sevak Avagyan, executive director of the organization.
As a featured speaker at the conference, Dr. Jordan made an in-depth presentation on the most recent achievements of ABMDR.
These include the pan-Armenian organization’s HLA-typing and many kinds of molecular-based testing at its lab in Yerevan; its stem cell-harvesting work, which facilitates life-saving transplantations for Armenian and non-Armenian patients alike — not just in Armenia, but throughout the world; its growing network of support groups in 44 countries on four continents; and its ongoing recruitment efforts for the goal of maintaining a robust registry of potential bone marrow stem cell donors.
Dr. Frieda Jordan during her presentation at the conference. Photo courtesy of the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry
Dr. Jordan’s presentation was titled “The Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry: a catalyst for life-saving transplantation in Armenia and beyond.”
“To date, we have facilitated 40 bone marrow transplants, and hope to facilitate our 41st very soon,” Dr. Jordan said. “ABMDR is a volunteer-run organization, and one that promotes a culture of grassroots volunteerism, particularly among the youth.”
Dr. Jordan is an official inspector with the European Federation of Immunogenetics, in charge of assessing the work of labs in various countries for EFI accreditation. ABMDR’s own HLA Typing Laboratory, in Yerevan, is the only one of its kind in the Caucasus, and the only EFI-accredited facility in the entire region.
During her presentation, Dr. Jordan also touched on the Artsakh war and the humanitarian catastrophe that has followed. “Among the more than 100,000 Artsakh citizens forcibly displaced from their homeland were 3,000 ABMDR stem cell donors,” Dr. Jordan said. “Today, these selfless individuals, each of whom can potentially save someone’s life, are desperately trying to rebuild their lives after becoming refugees.”
Dr. Jordan went on to express her condolences to colleagues in Israel and Palestine who have suffered great losses as a result of the current conflict, and conveyed ABMDR’s solidarity with all victims of the war.
Dr. Jordan, who also chaired one of the EFI conference’s scientific sessions, afterwards said, “It is profoundly gratifying to represent Armenia at such a prestigious event. And my colleague Dr. Avakian and I were absolutely thrilled to have many conference participants not only congratulate us on ABMDR’s accomplishments, but also seek our advice on best practices for their registries. It was all truly humbling.”
Established in 1999, ABMDR, a nonprofit organization, helps Armenians and non-Armenians worldwide survive life-threatening blood-related illnesses by recruiting and matching donors to those requiring bone marrow stem cell transplants. To date, the registry has recruited over 33,500 donors in 44 countries across four continents, identified over 9,000 patients, and facilitated 40 bone marrow transplants. For more information, call (323) 663-3609 or visit the website.
18:29, 6 November 2023
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS. Armenia’s Central Bank has unveiled its approaches to regulation and control over the issuance and turnover of virtual assets (crypto-assets).
The statement issued by Armenia’s Central Bank said that the central Bank is monitoring the developments in this area both in Armenia and globally in order to adequately respond to the risks arising along with the emergence of virtual assets.
"In 2018, the Central Bank issued a statement on virtual assets, informing the public about the high risk and danger of transactions with them. With the increasing turnover of virtual assets in recent years, a number of related problems have become evident," the statement reads.
''These problems include
– the growth of individuals’ investments in virtual assets occurs with insufficient protection of their interests, with unfair preservation of funds and unsatisfactory transparency of information, liquidity and pricing;
– the virtual assets market is characterized by a high degree of interconnection of different cryptosystems, vulnerable structures of vertical integration of functions accumulated in one organization or group, inappropriate management systems, significantly high level of liabilities, containing, among other things, clashes of interests of other persons and financial stability risks;
– the anonymity of virtual asset transactions and the volume of cross-border transactions increase the associated money laundering and terrorist financing risks;
– a number of services provided by virtual assets are similar in content to traditional financial services and therefore should be regulated by the same legislation, but in fact they operate outside the existing legislation, which creates an unequal competitive environment for traditional financial service providers.
International standardization organizations (IOSCO, FSB, IMF, BIS, FATF) have expressed a clear position, giving importance to the need for uniform and comprehensive regulation of virtual assets by all countries, due to the non-localized (virtual) nature of the virtual asset market and cross-border turnover.
''Taking into account the above, as well as global developments related to this sector, the Central Bank has initiated activities to develop and implement an effective model for comprehensive regulation and control of virtual assets.
For effective regulation, the Central Bank will adopt the principle of "same activity, same risk, same regulation", whereby virtual asset service providers offering services similar to traditional financial activities should be regulated in the same manner.
Regulation will allow for an adequate response to existing and potential risks in virtual assets, while creating a clear legal framework for the development of related innovation and technology,'' reads the statement.
15:17, 2 November 2023
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. Greece has sent humanitarian aid to Armenia for the forcibly displaced persons of Nagorno-Karabakh, the Ambassador of Greece to Armenia Evangelos Tournakis said Thursday.
4 tons of humanitarian goods were delivered to the Armenian authorities on November 2. A team of psychologists and social workers have also arrived to Armenia to provide psychological assistance to the forcibly displaced persons of Nagorno-Karabakh.
“Greece stands by Armenia, which is once again proven today. Taking this occasion, I’d like to also say that Greece strongly supports Armenia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” the Greek ambassador said.
17:38, 1 November 2023
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock will visit Yerevan and Baku this week.
''Baerbock will head to the Armenian capital Yerevan on Friday for talks with her counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan,'' said German foreign ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer.
Fischer told journalists that her visit will also include a visit to the European Union's monitoring mission in Armenia and camps hosting Armenian refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh.
''Baerbock will subsequently travel to Baku on Saturday for talks with Azerbaijani foreign minister Jeyhun Bayramov.
Germany is committed to sustainable peace… building trust and reconciliation in the region are crucial," Fischer said.
18:51, 24 October 2023
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 24, ARMENPRESS. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin assured that Ankara will make every effort for de-escalation in the Middle East.
"During the negotiations, President Erdogan emphasized that Turkey will continue to make all efforts to ensure peace in the region," RIA Novosti reports, citing the office of Turkish President.
10:54,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 26, ARMENPRESS. The top 1000 taxpayers in Armenia paid a total of over 1 trillion 266 billion 911 million drams in taxes and customs duties to the state budget in January-September 2023, the State Revenue Committee has said.
The sum of taxes paid to the tax service amounted to more than 967 billion 676 million while the sum of payments to the customs body amounted to 299 billion 235 million drams.
Wednesday,
Armenian Citizenship Of Karabakh Refugees Called Into Question
• Susan Badalian
Armenia - Refugees from Nagorno Karabakh wait at a Karabakh office in Yerevan,
October 18, 2023.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian indicated on Wednesday that his government does
not regard refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh’s as Armenian citizens despite the
fact that virtually all of them hold Armenian passports.
Pashinian said that the government will therefore grant the more than 100,000
Karabakh Armenians, who fled their homeland after last month’s Azerbaijani
military offensive, “temporary protection” formalizing their status of refugees.
This, he said, will increase “the possibilities of protecting their rights in
the local and international arenas.”
“Right after that decision, our sisters and brothers from Nagorno-Karabakh will
have an opportunity to apply for Armenian citizenship and we will solve that
issue in the fastest possible way,” he added during the government’s
question-and-answer session in the parliament.
An Armenian law on refugees stipulates that only foreign nationals and stateless
persons are eligible for the “temporary protection status.”
Many of some 20,000 other Karabakh residents who took refuge in Armenia prior to
the September mass exodus have sought such a status for almost three years in
hopes of receiving regular government aid. They say government officials in
Yerevan have repeatedly told them that they do qualify because of being citizens
of Armenia.
“If they have Armenian passports, it means they are citizens of Armenia,” the
head of the government’s Migration Service insisted recently.
Ara Ghazarian, an international law expert, made the same point when he spoke to
RFE/RL’s Armenian Service hours before Pashinian’s announcement. Ghazarian said
that under the law in question, the displaced Karabakh Armenians are formally
not refugees.
Pashinian’s government sparked controversy earlier this month when it refused to
pay Karabakh’s public sector salaries, pensions and other benefits. The decision
caused discontent among civil servants, teachers, military and security
personnel, pensioners and other socially vulnerable people who made up a large
part of Karabakh’s population. They will not be even paid for September.
Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Khachatrian said on Monday that these and other
refugees will instead receive 50,000 drams ($125) each in November and December
in addition to 100,000 drams given to them this month.
“I had a monthly salary of 150,000 drams, plus my pension,” complained Seda
Sargsian, who worked as an accountant in Karabakh’s northern Martakert district
before fleeing to Armenia with her family.
“We don’t want alms,” said another Karabakh woman. “My family has lost a member
during each war [with Azerbaijan.]”
Canada Opens Embassy In Armenia
• Astghik Bedevian
Armenia - Canada's Foreign Minister Melanie Joly inaugurates the Canadian
Embassy in Yerevan, .
Foreign Minister Melanie Joly reaffirmed Canada’s support for Armenia’s
territorial integrity when she visited Yerevan and inaugurated the Canadian
Embassy there on Wednesday.
Joly hoisted a Canadian flag outside an office building in the Armenian capital
that will house the embassy. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan also
attended the ceremony.
The Canadian government announced its decision to open the embassy in June 2022.
It said it wants to deepen Canadian-Armenia relations in view of a “profound
geopolitical shift” in the world resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
It said the diplomatic presence in Armenia as well as four Eastern European
states will help Ottawa “counter Russia’s destabilizing activities.” Russia
denounced that explanation, saying that it is indicative of the West’s “arrogant
attitude towards other countries and peoples.”
Mirzoyan as well as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian welcomed the opening of the
Canadian mission during their talks with Joly. Pashinian described it as a
“remarkable event for our bilateral relations.
“I must note with satisfaction that the relationship between Armenia and Canada
is based on common values such as democracy, human rights and the rule of law,”
Mirzoyan said, for his part.
The Armenian leaders also praised the Canadian government’s recent decision to
join a monitoring mission launched by the European Union along Armenia’s border
with Azerbaijan in February. Ottawa said in July that two Canadian experts will
be sent to the South Caucasus country in the coming months to act as a
“third-party contributor to the mission.”
Armenia - Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and his Canadian counterpart Melanie
Joly meet in Yerevan, .
“Canada calls for the full respect of the territorial integrity of Armenia and
reaffirms the importance of strict adherence to the principle of non-use of
force or threat of it,” Joly told a joint news conference with Mirzoyan earlier
on Wednesday.
Joly alluded to the risk of an Azerbaijani invasion of Armenia which Armenian
officials as well as some analysts believe increased after Azerbaijan’s
September 19-20 military offensive in Karabakh. She did not rule out the
possibility of Canadian sanctions against Baku in the event of the invasion.
“When it comes to sanctions … I have said that everything is on the table,”
stressed the top Canadian diplomat.
Joly also reiterated Canada’s condemnation of the Azerbaijani offensive which
forced Karabakh’s virtually entire Armenian population to flee to Armenia. Baku
must respect “the right to return of the recently displaced Armenians from
Nagorno-Karabakh,” she said, adding that Ottawa has approved additional
humanitarian aid to those refugees.
Just days after the outbreak of the 2020 Armenian-Azerbaijani war in Karabakh,
Canada suspended the export of drone technology to Turkey. It banned such
exports altogether in 2021 after investigating and confirming reports that
Turkish-manufactured Bayraktar TB2 combat drones, heavily used by the
Azerbaijani army, are equipped with imaging and targeting systems made by a
Canada-based firm. Ankara criticized the embargo and urged the Canadian
government to reconsider it.
Fresh Armenian-Azeri Summit ‘Delayed’ Again
• Anush Mkrtchian
Belgium - European Council President Charles Michel hosts talks between the
leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Brussels, May 14, 2023.
The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan will not meet in Brussels before the end
of this month for fresh talks that were due to be hosted by the European Union’s
top official, it was confirmed on Wednesday.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
had been scheduled to meet, together with European Council President Charles
Michel and the leaders of Germany and France, on the fringes of the EU’s October
5 summit in Granada, Spain. However, Aliyev withdrew from the talks at the last
minute, citing pro-Armenian statements made by French officials. Michel said
afterwards that the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders will likely hold a
trilateral meeting with him in Brussels later in October.
“We will not have a meeting by the end of October,” Toivo Klaar, the EU’s
special envoy to the South Caucasus, told a conference in Yerevan.
Speaking via video link from Brussels, Klaar suggested that this is a “slight
delay, rather than anything else.” There was not have enough time to organize
the summit, he said, adding that the trilateral meeting should take place soon.
But he gave no possible dates.
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said, meanwhile, that the two leaders
will not meet in the coming days because Aliyev “did not find the time” to fly
to Brussels.
“I hope that the problem was indeed to do with concrete dates and that a new
date for the meeting will be agreed upon soon,” he said. “Armenia is ready to
participate in that meeting. We remain committed to our peace agenda.”
“We have received no new proposals yet regarding [meeting] dates,” Mirzoyan
added during a news conference.
Spain - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian meets German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and
French President Emmanuel Macron in Granada, October 5, 2023.
Despite last month’s Azerbaijani military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh and
Baku’s resulting takeover of the region, Pashinian hoped to sign a framework
peace deal with Aliyev at Granada. The document would lay out the key parameters
of an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty discussed since the beginning of last
year. One of the main sticking points in those talks has been a mechanism for
delimiting the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
In a joint statement with Pashinian issued in Granada, Michel, French President
Emmanuel and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz effectively backed the idea of using
a 1975 Soviet military map for the border delimitation, which is advanced by
Armenia. Azerbaijan continues to oppose it.
Klaar said that although the conflicting sides are “moving slowly” towards a
peace accord, they will likely sign it in the near future.
Russia has been very critical of the EU mediation, saying that it is part of the
West’s efforts to drive Moscow out of the South Caucasus. Yerevan appears to
prefer Western peace efforts now amid a continuing deterioration of
Russian-Armenian relations.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held talks with his Azerbaijani
counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov but not Mirzoyan on the sidelines of a multilateral
meeting of the top diplomats of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia and Turkey
held in Tehran on Monday. Lavrov also phoned Bayramov the following day.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the two men “reaffirmed the need to
step up efforts to normalize relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan” on the
basis of agreements brokered by Moscow.
Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2023 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
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17:05,
YEREVAN, 17 OCTOBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 17 October, USD exchange rate up by 0.41 drams to 401.63 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 1.36 drams to 423.88 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.01 drams to 4.13 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 0.78 drams to 488.34 drams.
The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.
Gold price up by 139.44 drams to 24767.21 drams. Silver price up by 6.94 drams to 291.76 drams
Armenian youth from Artsakh enjoying a full course warm meal in the Vayots Dzor region of Armenia
Over the past week, tens of thousands of Armenians finally concluded a long and arduous trip out of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) to begin another journey in Armenia. That road begins in the town of Goris in the southern region of Armenia, where many of the forcibly displaced, for the first time in nearly a year, were served a fresh, warm, nutritionally balanced meal—compliments of the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), working with international NGO, World Central Kitchen (WCK). Since then, AGBU has prepared and distributed over 10,000 meals per day, with the demand increasing exponentially.
As soon as the WCK team arrived on the scene on September 29, they immediately joined forces with friend and kindred spirit Aline Kamakian, a prominent Lebanese-Armenian restauranteur and lifelong member of the AGBU global network, the world’s largest Armenian nonprofit organization with deep experience in humanitarian relief dating even prior to the Armenian Genocide of 1915. Collaborating with WCK, AGBU is ready to tackle this humanitarian crisis of historic proportions.
“With an influx of over 100,000 displaced people entering in a matter of days, AGBU is ready to provide for people who have suffered through a nine-month blockade of vital supplies, as part of the ethnic cleansing campaign of Armenians by Azerbaijan,” stated AGBU President Berge Setrakian. “Working with World Central Kitchen and our friend Aline Kamakian once again is a critical partnership of resources, know-how and reach.”
Kamakian and WCK had collaborated and cooperated before, in the aftermath of the 2020 Beirut Blast. That was when Kamakian found herself on the front lines of humanitarian relief, feeding hundreds of disaster victims for weeks and months on end. Working with the WCK team in person gave Kamakian and AGBU the opportunity to learn from this experienced group what is entailed in solving massive food insecurity in a disaster zone. Now the team is back in action to bring comfort and hope to ever-growing numbers of forcibly displaced Armenians.
Last week, within hours of the first reports of those seeking refuge in Armenia from Artsakh, Kamakian was in Armenia working with the local AGBU office and its volunteers in the Syunik region near the Azerbaijani border. In short order, they set up a command post in Goris with nearby hubs in Sisian and Ishkhanasar. Another location was then established in the historical Vayots Dzor (Vayk) region, where many forcibly displaced are headed in the next leg of their journey to recovery. More hubs in Ararat, Massis and Yerevan were up and running, as those forced to leave Artsakh have spread out to the north, east and western regions of Armenia. Back in Goris, distribution is now focused on local hotels, hospitals and schools, as well as private residences where the refugees are sheltering. This aid has spread to seven regions and counting.
In all cases, hot meals are prepared in local restaurant spaces, using locally sourced ingredients and recipes. In a full-circle AGBU moment, some local restaurant owners happened to be alumni of the AGBU EmpowerHer Initiative, which offers support to Armenia’s women entrepreneurs.
“Many of these evacuees, including the very sick and ailing, had to pack up in a hurry only to face standstill traffic for hours upon hours to cross the border to safety in Armenia proper. This only added to the trauma of the situation,” explained Kamakian. “The shock to the body, mind and spirit is something we have seen before, when victims of disaster and catastrophe are in no condition to fend for themselves. That’s where a balanced warm meal made with fresh ingredients—with lots of dignity and compassion added to the mix—may be the first sign of hope for them. It gives them the physical and moral strength to begin a new and uncertain chapter in their lives.”
AGBU has made it possible for WCK and Kamakian to waste no time setting up the logistics of this immense effort, providing them with the resources, volunteers and anything else she needs to ensure that her fellow Armenians have a chance to rebuild their shattered lives. With the support and generosity of WCK, she is confident that this vital aspect of humanitarian relief will make an important difference in this very difficult transition period.
Setrakian went on to say, “We appreciate that WCK immediately recognized the tragic dimensions of this crisis and is able to provide free meals for an extended period to evacuees, including those in hospitals in desperate need of emergency care. We also owe our thanks to Aline Kamakian for her take-charge spirit and professional skill set that enable her to organize such an urgent and multifaceted undertaking. Her presence here in Armenia during this critical time is both reassuring and inspiring for all.”
Donations to the humanitarian effort for Armenians forcibly displaced from Artsakh can be made to AGBU Global Relief Fund.