11:13,
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 11, ARMENPRESS. 2676 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Armenia in the past one day, the ministry of health reported.
The total number of confirmed cases in the country has reached 402,403.
The COVID-19 recoveries rose by 3658 in a day, bringing the total to 365,662.
The death toll has risen to 8145 (31 death cases in past day).
6743 COVID-19 tests were conducted on February 10.
The number of active cases is 27,029.
11:57,
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 11, ARMENPRESS. The electric-energy balance in January-December of 2021 compared to 2020’s same period is positive, the Armenian Statistical Committee reported.
Electric-energy production volume in the reporting period totaled 7 billion 674,9 million kWh, which is a 0,6% drop compared to 2020’s same period.
995,2 million kWh of electric-energy was exported, a 25,3% drop compared to 2020.
Imported volume of electric-energy increased 15% and totaled 368,5 million kWh.
Thus, the electric-energy balance of 2021’s January-December totaled 7 billion 048,2 million kWh, a 5% increase against 2020’s same period.
12:40,
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, ARMENPRESS. The authorities of Armenia are regularly assessing the current security environment around the country and are taking actions over it, Secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan told reporters today, when asked to comment on why Armenia is not officially responding to the ratification of the “Shushi Declaration” by the Turkish and Azerbaijani parliaments.
“We are regularly assessing the security environment around us and are taking actions connected with it. Some of these steps could be publicly, and some not, but each process that is taking place in the region is in our spotlight, and if necessary, we are responding in different ways”, he said.
The declaration on “Allied Relations” signed by the Presidents of Turkey and Azerbaijan in Artsakh’s Shushi, which has come under the Azerbaijani control following the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh war, envisages that the two countries must provide mutual support in case of an “aggression of a third country”. The document has been ratified recently by the Turkish and Azerbaijani parliaments.
14:19,
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Government approved at the Cabinet meeting the bill on ratifying the Armenia-EU Common Aviation Area Agreement signed on November 15, 2021 in Brussels.
The new agreement will replace the EU Member States’ bilateral aviation agreements with Armenia and create a Common Aviation Area between Armenia and the EU. Armenia will progressively align its aviation legislation with EU rules in areas such as safety, security, air traffic management, economic regulation and the environment. The Agreement will also gradually enhance market access to the benefit of consumers, provide new business opportunities for European companies and ensure fair and transparent market conditions, based on a clear regulatory framework. It will provide more connections and better prices for passengers. Global connectivity is a driver of trade and tourism and directly contributes to economic growth and job creation.
Going far beyond traffic rights, the EU-Armenia agreement will provide a single set of rules, a level playing field with strong provisions for fair competition, and a platform for future cooperation on a wide range of aviation issues (safety, security, air traffic management (ATM), environment etc.).
The agreement ensures that new traffic rights will gradually be made available, provides new business opportunities for European companies, and ensures fair and transparent market conditions, based on a clear regulatory framework. Global connectivity is a driver of trade and tourism, and contributes directly to economic growth and job creation.
15:36,
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, ARMENPRESS. At the initiative of Members of Parliament from the Civil Contract party, a commission was set up in parliament to investigate the circumstances of the 2020 war.
The commission’s powers are vested in the parliamentary commission for Defense and Security Affairs, the parliament’s press service said in a statement.
17:33,
YEREVAN, 10 FEBUARY, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 10 February, USD exchange rate down by 0.07 drams to 479.04 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 0.78 drams to 548.21 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate stood at 6.41 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 0.09 drams to 650.11 drams.
The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.
Gold price up by 75.99 drams to 28150.85 drams. Silver price up by 5.95 drams to 358.08 drams. Platinum price up by 13.09 drams to 15863.54 drams.
TUMO Box opens in Martakert, Artsakh
20:00,
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, ARMENPRESS. Today’s opening of the TUMO box in Martakert, the first in Artsakh, marked the launch of TUMO’s Artsakh expansion program. Attending the ceremony were TUMO’s leadership and high-ranking government officials from the Republic of Artsakh, ARMENPRESS was infomred from TUMO Center for Creative Technologies.
During the event, alumni and experienced students from TUMO Stepanakert shared insights and worked on short projects with teenagers who were the first to register in Martakert.
In her welcoming speech, TUMO CEO Marie Lou Papazian noted, “Knowing Artsakh and its youth, I’m certain that our box in Martakert will further inspire and motivate students to develop their skills in technology and design. This is only the first step: Through the TUMO Armenia campaign, we will also build boxes in Askeran and Martuni, making our program accessible to all teenagers in Artsakh. By connecting the boxes to TUMO Stepanakert, we will shape the center into an education hub full of workshops, learning labs, and projects.”
The TUMO center in Artsakh’s capital has welcomed approximately 4000 students and held over 300 workshops, 100 learning labs, and countless special projects with the support of AGBU since 2015. Future students from Martakert, as well as those from the upcoming boxes in Askeran and Martuni, will participate in the self-learning portion of the program at the boxes, and commute to TUMO Stepanakert for workshops and learning labs, using a specially organized transportation system.
The State Minister of the Republic of Artsakh Artak Beglaryan emphasized the importance of expanding an education in technology in Artsakh, “Encouraging a technology education is one of the priorities of Artsakh’s government. The opening of the TUMO box in Martakert gives us an additional boost of positive energy and sets a high benchmark for future achievements. This education experience is incredibly important for teenagers from the city of Martakert and neighboring villages. I’m convinced that they will contribute to Artsakh’s hidden potential with their ideas, creative thinking, and flexibility.
17-year-old Martakert native Arman Danielyan, who participated in many robotics workshops while attending TUMO Stepanakert, is currently a coach at the Armath Engineering Labs. Arman attended the opening of the TUMO box in Martakert to congratulate the teenagers from his city. “The most important thing that I learned at TUMO is independent thinking. Congratulations to the teenagers for the opening of the box. We really need this. You will think hard, develop and use the skills you acquire here in your everyday life and pursue big achievements.”
Marie Lou Papazian highlighted next steps for the TUMO Armenia campaign, “Thanks to our generous sponsors, the next phase of the campaign will consist of opening six centers in the cities of Kapan, Vanadzor, Koghb, Etchmiadzin, Hrazdan, and Martuni, along with 40 new boxes connected to those new centers and to existing ones.”
In the coming five years, the TUMO Armenia initiative will grant all teenagers nationwide access to TUMO’s education program by building 16 fully-equipped centers in the largest cities of the regions and 110 TUMO boxes in smaller communities.
The TUMO box is an easy-to-build, transportable and fully equipped mini-TUMO, where students complete the self-learning portion of the program. Throughout the year, students commute to the nearest TUMO center to participate in workshops and learning labs. Each TUMO box grants 320 teenagers weekly access to an education in technology and design.
The TUMO Armenia campaign is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Yemenidjian family, the Armenian General Benevolent Union, Elie and Elzbieta Akilian, and many other donors.
MP Hayk Mamijanyan, who represents the opposition With Honor faction, on Thursday deplored the Armenian authorities’ statements that there are positive signals from Turkey regarding the Armenia-Turkey normalization process.
“The Turkish president has repeatedly stated that all preconditions put forward by the Turkish side remain in force, while the “corridor logic” issue has also been added to them,” the MP told a briefing.
Earlier in December, the Turkish vice-president spoke about the active involvement of the Turkish special forces in the 44-day war in Artsakh. Afterwards, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Turkey had consulted with and received the approval of Azerbaijan for the launch of Yerevan-Istanbul flights, Mamijanian recalled.
The MP stressed that he did not notice any positive signals, adding in all cases when they were seen by Nikol Pashinyan and the ruling Civil Contract party members, Armenia had “territorial losses and casualties”.
“You have to be from Civil Contract to see positive signals. I am afraid to imagine what could happen this time,” the deputy said.
By Trend
NATO supports the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Special Representative of the organization’s Secretary General for the South Caucasus and Central Asia Javier Colomina said on Twitter, Trend reports.
Commenting on the repatriation of eight servicemen of Armenian origin by Azerbaijan to Armenia, Colomina called it good news.
“NATO appreciates the partnership with both Armenia and Azerbaijan,” he noted.
According to him, the normalization of relations between the countries will contribute to increasing stability and prosperity in the region.
Guided by the principle of humanism, on February 7, 2022, Azerbaijan repatriated eight servicemen of Armenian origin to Armenia.
Some of them were servicemen detained on November 16, 2021 while suppressing a provocation committed by the Armenian armed forces in direction of the Kalbajar district of the state border.
As Turkey and Armenia head toward normalization after decades of frozen ties, analysts say that the process is on the precipice of a “real turning point” but warn that Ankara and Yerevan must avoid walking into the same “trap” that derailed past attempts at reconciliation.
Achieving the final objective “will not be easy, but the hardest parts have been overcome,” said an Armenian analyst as he delved into why he is “justifiably optimistic” about the historic bid by Turkey and Armenia to normalize their long-strained ties.
Turkey and Armenia have ramped up efforts to bury the hatchet over long-standing differences that led to the freezing of diplomatic ties and a border between the neighbors.
Special envoys recently appointed by the two countries to spearhead the latest peace push held the first round of talks in Moscow on Jan. 14, where they agreed to continue negotiations without preconditions for “full normalization.”
“The reason I’m justifiably optimistic is because we see a rapid pace of diplomacy. That’s very unusual,” Richard Giragosian, a U.S.-born Armenian who heads the Regional Studies Center (RSC) in Yerevan, said in an interview with Anadolu Agency (AA) in the Armenian capital.
For Giragosian, the recent normalization process is a “re-engagement of diplomacy.”
“In other words, this is very much round two, after the protocol process and football diplomacy back in 2008 and 2009,” he said, referring to the Zurich Protocols signed by Ankara and Yerevan in 2009.
The agreements were part of a move to “establish good neighborly relations and to develop bilateral cooperation,” but never received the stamp of approval from their respective legislatures.
“This time, however, we have much more advantage in the re-engagement. We see greater political will on both sides to pursue and succeed in normalizing relations,” he continued.
Vahram Ter-Matevosyan, an associate professor at the American University of Armenia, however, sees some “red flags” in the “methodology of rapprochement.”
“Turkey and Armenia are getting into the same trap that they did in 2008 and 2009; that trap is clubbing together reconciliation and normalization,” he argued.
“It is important to go ahead with normalization first, reconciliation later,” he said, explaining that “normalization is between states, reconciliations between nations.”
Giragosian agrees that normalization is not reconciliation, but stresses that it is the “first step toward addressing any and all issues between our societies and our countries.”
“This time, unlike the protocols in 2009, Turkey and Armenia do not need a third party,” he said.
“A second key difference is the appointment of special envoys, which actually speeds up the process and removes any requirement of parliamentary ratification.”
Another critical change in circumstances is that “Azerbaijan is much more self-confident and much less opposed to normalization,” he added.
Talha Köse, associate professor of political science at Ibn Haldun University in Istanbul, viewed the new bid for normalization as “quite promising.”
“There are sincere and positive signals from both sides. There is a belief that this will be a win-win situation for both countries,” said Köse, co-author of the 2019 report, “Armenia and Turkey: An Overview of Relations,” published by the Turkey-based Hrant Dink Foundation.
“Expectations are not high either. Parties will start from diplomatic normalization and recognition, and other issues related to historical reconciliation will be left to the future,” he continued.
The normalization process received a major boost this week as flights between Turkey and Armenia resumed after a two-year halt.
However, their land border – shuttered since 1993 when Armenia occupied Nagorno-Karabakh – remains closed.
In Ter-Matevosyan’s view, resuming flights “is not enough,” as the “real turning point in relations will be the reopening of the land border.”
He said there are many more important issues still to be addressed, particularly the factor of public perception in the two countries.
For Köse, the change in leadership in Armenia has bolstered the prospect of a successful normalization process.
“(Prime Minister Nikol) Pashinian demonstrated bold leadership in taking the normalization attempt more seriously,” he said.
Giragosian echoed his views and built on them by pointing out that Pashinian has a “fresh second mandate” after his reelection last year.
“First of all, most importantly, economics and trade are now recognized as real incentives (for normalization). This wasn’t the case in the past,” he continued.
“For Turkey, normalization is also part of a broader strategy to repair and restore relations with the UAE (United Arab Emirates), Israel, Egypt. This is a positive development … it is part of a bigger package of opening borders, establishing trade, transport, and ending embargoes.”
Relations between Armenia and Turkey have historically been complicated. Turkey’s position on the events of 1915 is that Armenians lost their lives in eastern Anatolia after some sided with the invading Russians and revolted against Ottoman forces. The subsequent relocation of Armenians resulted in numerous casualties, with massacres by militaries and militia groups from both sides increasing the death toll.
Turkey objects to the presentation of the incidents as “genocide” but describes the 1915 events as a tragedy in which both sides suffered casualties.