Author: Boshkezenian Garik

Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan rebuked fare dodgers on Monday, claiming that the city loses enough money each week to buy two new buses.

“Calculations show that we have 70–80 million drams of unpaid fares per week, which is enough to buy two buses. In other words, those who do not pay are complaining that, because of their irresponsibility, we are not buying additional buses. Although we purchase new buses every year and will continue to do so this year as well, and we are also improving quality. We are carrying people who do not pay as a burden on our shoulders,” said the mayor, adding that fare dodging in public transport ought to be considered shameful and condemnable, and that no one should allow themselves to use public transport without paying.

The mayor thanked law-abiding citizens and public transport drivers for their diligent work.

The mayor presented the work carried out over the past week to ensure proper fare collection in public transport, emphasizing that, according to averaged weekly data, the number of validations by public transport users in Yerevan has increased from 15 to 30 percent. He expressed gratitude to law-abiding citizens and urged them to support drivers and public order enforcement officers in tackling fare evasion.

“Actually, no matter how much some individuals try to provoke drivers, they mostly remain calm. I want to first of all thank them,” he said.

Avinyan stressed that instead of being ashamed, fare dodgers are giving speeches and displaying aggressive behavior.

He noted that several incidents had occurred in public transport in recent days. The mayor described a recent assault on a driver as an “attack against the city.”

“One particularly unpleasant incident occurred that escalated into a fight and involved an attack on a driver. I know that three individuals have been arrested, and the fourth is also being processed under the relevant case. I want to be confident that these individuals will be held accountable to the fullest extent. In reality, any attack on a driver is not just an attack on an individual; it is an attack on the city, an attack on the entire system,” said the mayor.

He assured that once order is established in the sector, Yerevan will have significantly higher-quality public transport.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Thursday that there are no grounds for an increase in the price of Russian gas for Armenia and dismissed hypotheticals about what the government would do if that were the case.

“[As the idiom goes], if my aunt were a man, she’d be my uncle,” Pashinyan said, dismissing the “what if” questions. “But if that’s not the case, what are those who ask that question supposed to do?”

The Prime Minister clarified that Armenia has long-term agreements with Russia, emphasizing that there is no basis for an increase in gas prices. According to him, two parties cannot interact under the assumption that one side will violate all agreements.

Nikol Pashinyan also addressed concerns raised by Armenian exporters of flowers and brandy to Russia, who have reportedly encountered difficulties in the Russian market.

“Armenia has long been prepared for all scenarios, but each case must be examined carefully and based on the facts. Since 2018, I have repeatedly spoken, both publicly and privately, about the need to standardize production in the country. We have allocated millions of dollars to support the economy so that producers can standardize their products. The issues that exist, related to the modernization of the economy, we will continue to support producers on those matters, but we do not agree that technical problems should be presented differently under the guise of political influence,” Pashinyan said.

On April 8–9, Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister, Yermek Kosherbayev, will pay an official visit to Armenia. The delegation also includes Kazakhstan’s Minister of Transportation, Nurlan Sauranbayev, the Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Ani Badalyan, said on social media.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan will hold a one-on-one meeting with his Kazakh counterpart on April 9, followed by an expanded-format meeting.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said his April 1 visit to Russia was “very successful” and that he achieved concrete agreements during his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Asked at a press briefing what agreements were reached, Pashinyan said: “We have reached concrete agreements in several areas; in fact, we have secured specific agreements across our entire agenda, from culture to military-technical cooperation. I consider the visit to be very successful,” the Prime Minister added.

An explosion and fire at a petrochemical plant in Russia’s republic of Tatarstan killed at least two workers and injured dozens more, the facility’s owner said Tuesday, according to the Moscow Times.

The blast occurred at Nizhnekamskneftekhim, Russia’s largest producer of synthetic rubber and plastics, located in the industrial city of Nizhnekamsk, around 170 kilometers (105 miles) east of Kazan.

Sibur, the petrochemical company that owns the plant, said the explosion was likely caused byan “equipment malfunction.”

It said injured workers were receiving medical care and that the facility had been evacuated.

Tatarstan’s prosecutor’s office said it had launched a preliminary investigation and could pursue criminal charges if safety violations are found.