Author: Emil Lazarian

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS

Sevan Startup Summit 2022 will not take place due to technical reasons

Emil Lazarian

Save

Share

 14:25,

YEREVAN, JULY 13, ARMENPRESS. This year Sevan Startup Summit will not take place due to technical and time-related reasons, Startup Armenia Foundation said in a statement.

“Despite that we have found a new convenient area for the summit as a result of the joint work with the Sevan National Park and other government agencies, and have carried out major works since 2021 for the Sevan Startup Summit 2022 to happen, we have to inform that this year as well, due to technical and time-related issues, the biggest and the most awaited gathering in the region will not take place in late July with its scale and format as it is perceived by our ecosystem”, Seaside Startup Summit executive director Vahagn Rapyan said.

Currently, Startup Armenia Foundation is working for holding Seaside Startup Summit Australia and SSSholidays India Goa this year in autumn. The organizers said that the preparations for the Sevan Startup Summit 2023 will start soon and assured that it will take place.

Roman Trotsenko’s promise to help build new nuclear plant in Armenia ‘up in the air’

Emil Lazarian
Panorama
Armenia –

No progress has been made in the negotiations on the construction of a new nuclear plant in Armenia, while Russian billionaire Roman Trotsenko, owner of the GeoProMining Gold LLC who announced plans to join its construction, seems to “have gone into hiding”, Pastinfo reports.

Nikol Pashinyan met with General Director of Rosatom Corporation Alexey Likhachev on Tuesday. According to a statement released by the prime minister’s office, the interlocutors discussed issues related to the further operation of the second power bloc of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (ANPP), the possibilities of building a new nuclear power plant in Armenia, the development of nuclear energy as well as the cooperation in the field of renewable energy.

Incidentally, earlier in 2021 Pashinyan said “negotiations” were underway over the construction of a new nuclear plant, thus attempting to “smooth over” the corruption scandal related to the Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine (ZCMC) transaction.

On September 30, 2021, Industrial Company JSC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Roman Trotsenko’s GeoProMining, mysteriously acquired 60% of the ZCMC shares and promptly donated a quarter of that stake to the Armenian government. The granted 25% of the shares make up 15% of the ZCMC equity. Trotsenko’s company acquired the shares immediately after they were unfrozen by an Armenian court. The government has not revealed how Trotsenko became the recipient of the stake or the sum paid by him.

Speaking about the corruption scandal in the parliament in October 2021, Nikol Pashinyan said that “Armenia received a proposal from one of the GeoProMining owners which was discussed and they came to the conclusion that it meets the economic and state interests of Armenia.”

“This includes two very important components: the first is the construction of a copper smelter. Second, the construction of a new nuclear power plant is part of the program. GeoProMining LLC has undertaken investment commitments for the establishment of a copper smelter, which has been duly recorded, and talks on the construction of a new nuclear power plant in Armenia have already started,” Pashinyan said.

Roman Trotsenko also announced the corporation’s plans to support the construction of a new nuclear plant in Armenia.

Likhachev confirmed back in November 2021 that Trotsenko was interested in new power sources in view of his new industrial projects in Armenia.

“It’s known that Mr. Trotsenko has, as they call it, dropped anchor here,” Likhachev said on Nov. 16, 2021.

“Several months have passed since that statement, but not only haven’t the negotiations on a new nuclear power plant taken shape, but also the fervor of the statements has diminished. Nikol Pashinyan no longer speaks about the progress or the results of negotiations on the construction of a new nuclear power plant, saying only such a possibility is being discussed. While Trotsenko, who promised billions in investments, no longer appears on the scene. It seems that the promises given to each other remain unfulfilled. Trotsenko was not present at yesterday’s meeting of Likhachev and Pashinyan,” Pastinfo says.

Ex-PM on national currency rise, curbing it: Armenia Central Bank is deceiving the government

Emil Lazarian
NEWS.am
Armenia –
18:10, 13.07.2022

Back on February 24, when the [Armenian] dram had not appreciated yet, we said that the war could bring benefits to Armenia’s economy in the short term, that the Russians would come to us who will bring money; secondly, Russia will start selling [natural] gas and oil in [Russian] rubles, and there we will win again. Former PM of Armenia, chairman of the opposition Freedom Party, and economist Hrant Bagratyan stated this in an interview with Armenian News-NEWS.am.

“As a result, only in the first four months—on the account of the money brought to Armenia by the Russians and economizing it—we [i.e., Armenia] started paying in rubles, as we had a surplus of rubles, whereas the dollar was not enough, we received one billion dollars more than we used to receive. This resulted in the dram’s appreciation. It is a sad thing because of the improper action of the Central Bank [of Armenia],” he added.

Bagratyan noted that dram’s rise in Armenia will not continue for long, it is a one-time phenomenon, and this effect will gradually disappear after the end of the war in Ukraine.

He expressed a conviction that the Central Bank of Armenia could have restrained the increase of the exchange rate of the dram, but did not do so.

When asked how is it that prices in Armenia continue to rise amid the dram’s appreciation, Bagratyan responded: “Inflation continues because they have fake growth, but we have no production. Inflation is not only a monetary phenomenon. Also, that production, those volumes do not exist. On the other hand, yes, the demand has increased because several tens of thousands of additional consumers have come here from Russia.”

Commenting on the popular view that after the end of the Russian-Ukrainian war, Armenia could return to the situation of 2019, Bagratyan said: “(…) remittances put pressure on the market; it’s a short amount of money that we received.”

According to Bagratyan, the Central Bank of Armenia is deceiving the government.

“The government is subject to the Central Bank today. Maybe it seems to the Prime Minister that he is ordering the Central Bank. Today, the Central Bank is making Armenia’s economy ‘dance,’” he said.

As per Bagratyan, it is beneficial for the US that its dollar is depreciating against the Armenian dram today.

Armenian PM receives new Ambassador of Syria

Emil Lazarian

Save

Share

 16:23,

YEREVAN, JULY 12, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received newly-appointed Ambassador of Syria to Armenia Nora Arissian, the PM’s Office said.

The PM congratulated the Ambassador on assuming office, wishing a productive activity for the benefit of the development of the relations between Armenia and Syria.

“Armenia attaches importance to the cooperation and historical ties with Syria. We follow the developments and wish that friendly Syria overcomes the crisis as soon as possible”, the Prime Minister said.

He touched upon Armenia’s humanitarian mission delivered to Syria in 2019 that carried out demining works and provided medical services to the population.

The Ambassador of Syria thanked the Armenian PM for the warm words and stated that the diplomatic service in Armenia is an honor for her, also as a Syrian-Armenian. On behalf of the Syrian authorities, the Ambassador expressed gratitude to the authorities of Armenia for the humanitarian aid provided to Syria and stated that she will make all efforts to further intensify the mutual relations.

The sides highlighted the role of the Syrian-Armenian community in strengthening the Armenian-Syrian ties.

Views were exchanged also on the agenda and prospects of the cooperation.

AW: NAASR to host webinar on new Matenadaran publication on Manuscript Heritage of Artsakh and Utik

Emil Lazarian
 NAASR Announcements 0

BELMONT, Mass. — The National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) and the Matenadaran / Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts in Yerevan, Armenia, with the co-sponsorship of the AGBU New England District, will hold a webinar on Tuesday, July 19, 2022, at 12:00 noon (Eastern Time), “Manuscript Heritage of Artsakh and Utik,” presented by Dr. Vahan Ter-Ghevondian, the director of the Matenadaran.

The webinar, the second of a series of NAASR collaborations with the Matenadaran, will be accessible live on Zoom (registration required) and on NAASR’s YouTube Channel.

In this webinar, Dr. Ter-Ghevondian will present the recent Matenadaran publication Manuscript Heritage of Artsakh and Utik, co-authored by Dr. Hravard Hakobyan, Dr. Tamara Minasyan and Dr. Vahe Torosyan. The publication was made possible by a grant from the Lawrence Terzian Fund of the AGBU within the framework of the AGBU Artsakh Research Grants.

The volume consists of three parts and reflects the history of Artsakh and Utik, presents the scriptoria and educational centers of these regions that operated adjacent to the large monasteries, as well as reveals the iconographic peculiarities of illuminated manuscripts created between the 13th and the 18th centuries. More than 100 images of the illuminated manuscripts are included in the book, aimed at propagating the rich and, at the same time, little known written culture of Artsakh and Utik.

Dr. Ter-Ghevondian has served as the director of the Matenadaran since 2018, having been the acting director since 2016. He is the author of L’Arménie Cilicienne et les Pays Arabes du Proche-Orient (1990), Kilikyan Hayastaně ev Ayyubyan petutʻyunnerě (1171-1260) (Cilician Armenia and the Ayyubid States, 1171-1260), and co-editor of Catalogue of the Qurʼan Manuscripts of the Matenadaran (2017), among numerous other publications.

  •  Bio
  •  Twitter
  •  Latest Posts
Founded in 1955, NAASR is one of the world’s leading resources for advancing Armenian Studies, supporting scholars, and building a global community to preserve and enrich Armenian culture, history, and identity for future generations.


IUNetworks presents Armenia’s digitalization experience to the Zimbabwean delegation

Emil Lazarian
Armenia –

IUNetworks hosted the delegation from Zimbabwe. During the meeting, the Armenian experience of introducing electronic management systems was presented to the guests. Itel.am presents the details of the meeting.

Exchange of experience

The Armenia-based IUNetworks company provides integrated hardware and software solutions, facilitating interaction with government agencies and minimizing the administrative burden for economic operators.

The cooperation between the Government of Zimbabwe and IUNetworks launched in early 2022 after the company won the competition for the development of a new tax system for the Republic of Zimbabwe announced by the African Development Bank.

Image by: Mediamax

Aram Mkhitaryan, Chief Executive of IUNetworks, said their specialists have already had business trips to Zimbabwe, and this is the first official visit of the partner party to Armenia.

“More than 10 years ago our company developed Armenia’s tax information system. The tax information system is one of the most important systems for any state, because it is a connecting link for other systems.

Armenia once took a big step in the digitalization of tax processes, and today we have 100% fiscalization. This applies to electronic invoices, cash registers and other similar subsystems. The purpose of today’s meeting is to share this experience with our partners,”he said.

Toward African market

Aram Mkhitaryan noted that the Zimbabwean delegation was also presented the experience of introducing other electronic management systems by both IUNetworks and other partner organizations.

“There are quite a few companies that develop tax information systems and have that experience in the world, while our company, after Armenia, introduced such a system in Tajikistan as well. Currently works on developing the Kosovo tax information system are underway, we have also done a great work in Bhutan. This meeting is also important for our company in terms of entering the African market. We are sure that after the successful completion of the program, it will be quite easy to introduce our systems in other countries of the region,” IUNetworks CEO said.

He stressed that the “One window for foreign economic relations” system was also developed by IUNetworks. It has been introduced in Armenia, as well as in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. The company is currently working to start cooperation with another African country.

Continuous cooperation

The Zimbabwean delegation included not only representatives of the tax inspectorate, but also officials from the Central Bank, the Ministry of Finance, the President’s Office, etc. Representatives of Armenian state bodies also attended the event.

Dr. Paradza Paradza, a member of the Board of the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, stated that they are very pleased with the work of the Armenian company and consider continued cooperation very likely.

“The involvement of representatives of state bodies in our delegation speaks about how important this visit is for us. It is aimed at creating solid foundations for relations with the IUNetworks company, ensuring development and continuity. There are other systems that we are interested in and would like to introduce them in our country too. Among them are, for example, criminal processes and road traffic management systems,” he said, adding that the strategy adopted by the Zimbabwean government is to achieve full automation and digitization of management systems within the next 10 years.

Dr. Paradza Paradza said that they are enjoying their first visit to Armenia and will try to extend their stay here if possible. “We hope to expand more our business cooperation with Armenia,” he added.

Gayane Yenokyan


Armenian parliament majority to apply to top court for ouster of opposition MPs

Emil Lazarian
Panorama
Armenia –

Lawmakers from Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract party have called a special parliament session on July 14 to debate the ouster of opposition MPs who have been boycotting parliament sessions for over two months now.

They plan to apply to the Constitutional Court to strip all deputies from the opposition Hayastan and Pativ Unem factions of their seats, except for Ishkhan Zakaryan and Taguhi Tovmasyan, lawyer Robert Hayrapetyan said in a Facebook post.

The draft decision was posted on the official website of the National Assembly but was later removed.

Tsovinar Khachatryan, the spokeswoman for the parliament speaker, told Panorama.am there is no such decision at this point.

“There are no such plans for now. It’s the “for now” that matters here,” she said in response to the question whether the ruling faction MPs plan to apply to the top court.

Turkish president, Armenian PM vow to push for normalization of ties

Emil Lazarian
Cyprus –

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held a phone conversation on Monday on the diplomatic normalization process to end decades-long hostilities between the two neighbors.

The two leaders expected the steps agreed upon in the Vienna meetings earlier this month will be implemented soon, Erdogan’s office said in a statement.

They agreed that the normalization between Turkey and Armenia will “contribute to the strengthening of peace and stability in the region,” it said.

The two leaders also exchanged holiday greetings on the occasions of Eid al-Adha in Turkey and the upcoming Vardavar Festival in Armenia, it noted.

Representatives of the two countries met in Vienna on July 1 for the fourth round of talks on normalization, where they agreed on taking new steps to push forward the process, including moves to enable border-crossing for third-country travelers and direct air cargo trade between Turkey and Armenia at the earliest possible date.

After the first bilateral meeting was held on Jan. 14 in the Russian capital of Moscow, the two countries in February resumed charter flights between Turkey’s largest city Istanbul and the Armenian capital of Yerevan.

Relations between the two countries were severed in 1993 during the first war between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh when Turkey closed the border with Armenia in support of Azerbaijan. ■

Turkey Proposes To Hold Meeting With Armenia In Ankara Or Yerevan – Source

Emil Lazarian

 Muhammad Irfan

ANKARA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik – 12th July, 2022) Turkey has proposed to hold the next meeting on normalization of relations with Armenia in Ankara or Yerevan, a diplomatic source told Sputnik on Tuesday.

“If we are talking about the process of normalizing relations between the two countries, it would be logical for the negotiations to take place without the participation of third countries.

We proposed to hold a meeting in Ankara or Yerevan, but have not received a response yet,” the source said.

According to the source, a pressure from the Armenian diaspora is an obstacle in the path of normalizing relations.

“In some cases, the process is sabotaged. But we hope that the normalization process will continue,” the source added.

Russia building new military base in Armenia

Emil Lazarian
MEHR News Agency, Iran


TEHRAN, Jul. 12 (MNA) – According to an Armenian newspaper report, Moscow is building a new military base in Armenia and plans to deploy 2,000 soldiers there.

Hraparak daily of the Republic of Armenia in a report wrote that the first news about the construction of a new Russian military base in the Armenian territory appeared in mid-June when the government adopted at a regular [Cabinet] session the decision to make amendments to the October 3, 2012 protocol on the placement of the Russian military base in the Armenian territory. 

There is no mention of a new military base in the justification, but it is said that the “placement points of the Russian military base” and the composition of the land and immovable property being transferred to the Russian side and the legal basis documents are being changed, the report added. 

The lands being transferred to the [new] Russian military base are within the administrative boundaries of Noyemberyan and Berd enlarged communities [in Tavush Province].

According to the report, they will be deployed in Aygepar and Voskepar settlements, as well as in the territory of the Noyemberyan community. According to preliminary information, about 2 thousand Russian soldiers will be brought there.

The news comes as none of the official sources of Armenia or Russia have yet reacted to it.

ZZ/FNA14010421000457