Author: Emil Lazarian

 17:46,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 10, ARMENPRESS. The draft concept of introducing comprehensive health insurance in Armenia was discussed during today’s consultation chaired by Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.

The draft concept was presented by the Minister of Health Anahit Avanesyan and the Deputy Minister of Health Lena Nanushyan. It was noted that several models were studied in the process of developing the concept with the idea of a state health system as the basis. The aim of the reform is to create a system of sustainable health financing based on the principles of the social responsibility of the state and social solidarity of the population, and ensuring financial access to basic medical services for all groups of the population. The work done in the direction of financial evaluation of the introduction of the system, development of the package of basic services, definition of the groups of the population being insured, calculation of the necessary expenses were presented. It was noted that the draft is under discussion with the interested departments, and following the approval, a package of relevant legislative changes will be developed. The officials of the Ministry of Health emphasized that the parallel implementation of other reforms in the sphere, such as the improvement of infrastructure, the development of e-health, the strengthening of the capacity of the primary health care unit, is an important precondition for the successful introduction of the system.

An exchange of views took place on the conceptual approaches to the introduction of comprehensive health insurance. Issues related to funding mechanisms and sources, definition of population groups, insurance premiums and collection, service quality standards, calculation of the amount of money needed for the health expenses of insured citizens, cost-effectiveness, ensuring of social justice and social solidarity, investment risks were raised and a number of proposals were presented.

Emphasizing the importance of the reform, the Prime Minister noted that the primary goal of the comprehensive health insurance should be the prevention of diseases. Accordingly, it is necessary to introduce a model that will guarantee the operation of a cost-effective, high-quality health care system. The Prime Minister highlighted the introduction of a universal asset declaration system in parallel with the introduction of comprehensive health insurance system, taking into account the interconnectedness and interaction of these reforms.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan instructed to amend the draft concept based on the results of the consultation and submit it for final discussion.

 20:23,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 10, ARMENPRESS. FlyOne Armenia and Pegasus Airlines have received permission from the Civil Aviation Committee to operate Yerevan-Istanbul-Yerevan charter flights, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure.

Earlier, the Armenian aviation authorities issued a permit to FlyOne Armenia airline to operate charter flights in the Yerevan-Istanbul-Yerevan route. FlyOne Armenia had applied to the aviation authorities of both Armenia and Turkey with the request to operate charter roundtrip flights from Yerevan to Istanbul.

Asked when the flights will be launched, Flyone Armenia President of the Board Aram Ananyan said they are awaiting the permit from the Turkish aviation authorities.

On December 16, the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Ankara is considering bids from both Turkish and Armenian airlines for operating flights between Istanbul and Yerevan. Then, the Turkish authorities said that the Turkish Pegasus airline will operate the flights.

 12:02, 8 January, 2022

YEREVAN, JANUARY 8, ARMENPRESS. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko and President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev held a phone talk today in the morning, discussing the current situation in Kazakhstan, the Belarusian president’s press service said.

“The leaders of the countries discussed the current situation in Kazakhstan and the future actions”, the statement says.

No other details from the telephone conversation are being reported.

 12:47, 8 January, 2022

YEREVAN, JANUARY 8, ARMENPRESS. President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev declared January 10 a day of national mourning for the victims of the latest events across the country, the president’s spokesperson Berik Uali said.

On January 2, protests sparked in several cities of Kazakhstan. In several days, they escalated into mass riots and assaults at the bodies of authority in many cities. Thousands of people were injured, and there were casualties. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev asked the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) for assistance. CSTO peacekeepers have already commenced their mission in Kazakhstan. According to the authorities, the constitutional order in Kazakhstan was generally restored on January 7. The situation in Almaty remains the most complicated, reported by TASS.

 14:29, 8 January, 2022

YEREVAN, JANUARY 8, ARMENPRESS. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko held a telephone conversation today with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Belarusian Presidential Office reports.

Putin and Lukashenko discussed the situation in the CSTO states, particularly in Kazakhstan.

The presidents also discussed the format of further discussions of the CSTO leaders.

 17:30, 8 January, 2022

YEREVAN, JANUARY 8, ARMENPRESS. Baroness Caroline Cox has touched upon the Nagorno Karabakh conflict in her remarks during the debate of the UK House of Lords relating to refugees and mass displacement.

“In 2020, more than 91,000 people fled to Armenia from Nagorno Karabakh; 88% of them were women and children. More than 40,000 people were deprived of their homes in areas such as the Shushi and Hadrut regions, which are still under the occupation of the Azerbaijani armed forces”, Caroline Cox said in her remarks. “I have had the painful privilege of visiting the region more than 85 times, during the wars in the 1990s and in 2020. Last September, I visited Syunik region in Armenia to witness the suffering caused by Azeri military incursions into Armenian territory, causing displacement of local villagers within Armenia itself. Countless refugees describe the anguish of the loss of loved ones, and Azerbaijan still violates the conditions of the 2020 ceasefire by detaining Armenian prisoners of war and civilians, and perpetrating atrocities, sometimes taking a prisoner’s phone to film horrendous activities, then sending the pictures back to their families.

Refugees also describe the loss of livelihoods, agricultural lands, water resources, and other vital infrastructure. Yet the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh have received almost no support from the British Government. The UN Secretary-General’s official spokesperson in May last year unequivocally indicated that it is Azerbaijan that, despite the calls of the international community, and the UN in particular, has not provided permission for unhindered humanitarian access in Nagorno Karabakh, and that situation remains the same”, she noted.

In conclusion, she raised a question whether the Minister can confirm that the UK will no longer turn a deaf ear to this cry for help, and will ensure the provision of urgent humanitarian assistance to the thousands of Armenians displaced by war.

The Baroness urged to give greater priority to the problems she has identified and to many others suffering in similar situations.