The Armenian women’s chess team created a sensation in the first match of the World Women’s Team Championship Quarterfinals, defeating one of the initial favorites, Ukraine, FIDE reports.
European Women’s Champion Elina Danielian walked on thin ice but managed to defeat Anna Muzychuk in a crazy game, while Anna Sargsyan won against Anna Ushenina.
Ukraine has a chance to bounce back in the second match and force a tiebreak.
The Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) has released an Interim Compliance Report (Fourth Evaluation Round) which assesses the actions taken by the Armenian authorities for implementation of the recommendations included in the report on the Fourth Evaluation Round.
The Interim Compliance Report on the Fourth Evaluation Round is devoted to “corruption prevention in respect of members of parliament, judges and prosecutors”.
GRECO, in its Fourth Round Evaluation Report, addressed 18 recommendations to Armenia. In the Second Compliance Report, GRECO concluded that seven recommendations had been dealt with in a satisfactory manner and eleven recommendations had been partly implemented.
With respect to members of parliament, transparency of the legislative process remains to be prioritized, placing the emphasis on the involvement of the public in the law-making process and the use of “urgent procedures”. A draft code of ethics for MPs and draft amendments to the National Assembly’s Rules of Procedure intended to establish a mechanism to monitor members’ compliance with ethical norms have been developed but have not yet been presented to GRECO for scrutiny.
Supervision of MPs’ side activities has become more systematic but is yet to yield tangible results.
With regard to the judiciary, the role of the Minister of Justice in disciplinary procedures against judges has not been discontinued and the current situation is not compatible with judicial independence. Proper appeal mechanisms have been provided for decisions on the recruitment and promotion of judges but not for dismissal decisions. While the internal counselling mechanism for prosecutors has been separated from the disciplinary bodies, there is no evidence of its operation in practice nor of counselling on incompatibilities and other restrictions being offered to prosecutors by the Corruption Prevention Commission (CPC). Dedicated, mandatory and regular training on ethics, etc. for all practicing prosecutors is yet to be introduced.
Finally, concerning members of parliament, judges and prosecutors, enhanced provisions on gifts are noted but it has not been confirmed whether a procedure for registering permissible gifts is in place. Also, appropriate measures are still to be taken to ensure the effective supervision and enforcement of rules on asset declaration, conflicts of interest, incompatibilities and gifts by the CPC.
In light of the foregoing, GRECO notes that the current level of compliance with the recommendations remains “globally unsatisfactory”.
The Armenian delegation needs to present a report on the actions taken to implement the unimplemented recommendations as soon as possible, no later than before September 30, 2022.
12:08,
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 30, ARMENPRESS. The Government of Armenia will provide 13,5 billion drams to the Republic of Artsakh in financial assistance, from which 1,2 billion will be directed for the program of compensating utility expenses of residents and the 12,2 billion will be allocated as an inter-state loan.
Finance Minister of Armenia Tigran Khachatryan said this is the fourth time that the government is allocating financial support to Artsakh – since 2020 nearly 100 billion drams in assistance was provided to Artsakh by the Armenian government.
The inter-state loan, given with a 0,001% interest rate with a repayment time by January 1, 2025 – is provided for covering salaries, benefits, pensions, healthcare expenses and bonds.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
12:11,
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 30, ARMENPRESS. The government of Armenia approved today the 2020 state budget draft.
On this occasion Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addressed his message, stating that Armenia is currently facing difficult challenges as the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic, social and security consequences of the 44-Day War are not overcome yet.
Pashinyan said the snap parliamentary elections this year helped to solve the domestic political crisis and created quite firm grounds for the Armenian people’s aspiration to look to the future.
“The government’s action plan must create grounds for the peaceful, stable and inclusive development of Armenia in the medium-run”, Pashinyan said. “Our goals, which are reflected in the 2020 budget and also in the action plan, are ambitious and realistic. We understand that their implementation requires not only economic measures by the government, but also public and cultural reforms. We first of all attach importance to raising the efficiency of the public administration system, as well as changing and developing the working culture. The most important, probably, is the planning and implementation culture, the implementation processes of programs, the non-fulfillment of which leads to underperformance of capital expenditures and slows down the implementation of the government’s goals, thus obstructing also the economic growth. In this regard the capacity development of the private sector plays a key role, and the government’s efforts for this goal have started to give results, in the person of those companies which are making investments in the state capital construction field for being competitive, thus seeking to implement these projects on time and in a high quality. The government plans to continue its policy of promoting investments in this field, applying three main tools for this: the first is the transparency of state procurement system, the second is the increase of volumes of tenders and the third are the new legislative initiatives aimed at facilitating the relations with reliable companies”.
According to Pashinyan, the next key task is the development of analytical capacities, which will allow to raise the efficiency of expenditures, investments, address the social programs, which is one of the most important issues. “As a result the citizens’ trust will be raised that their taxes are spent maximally effectively and in a targeted way. The citizens of Armenia must feel every day the impact of the government’s actions on their life. One of the key components of this is the engagement of the broad public circles into various stages of formation and performance of the budget, over which steps have already been taken in the past three years, and great attention would be paid also in the future”, PM Pashinyan said, adding that 2020 budget is based on three main priorities – reform of the security system, infrastructure development and upgrading of education and science.
“We are going to pay a great focus on ensuring security, without which it would be impossible to implement the long-term development goals. In this sense, not only the upgrading of defense capacities of the Army, but also the formation of a favorable external environment around Armenia, the consistent implementation of the agenda on opening a peaceful development era for Armenia, Artsakh and the region are important. In this sense the re-opening and development of regional economic and transportation infrastructure is also important, which can qualitatively change the content and structure of Armenia’s economy, be an additional boost for the domestic infrastructure development, ensure a long-term inclusive economic growth, by creating equal conditions for the citizens of Armenia in order to be engaged in economic activity, significantly raise our country’s attractiveness for foreign direct investments. Therefore, the access to education, inclusive development and content reforms is our long-term priority. Our goal is to make person’s education a lifestyle, this is the only way of being a competitive nation and an individual in the modern world”, the PM stated.
According to him, science and technology development is the logical continuation of this process, and here the government is already introducing new funding formulas. However, he notes that all the problems cannot be solved by one budget.
“In the budget of 2022 we have tried to cautiously balance the priorities of the government and at the same time ensure the manageability of different types of fiscal risks. We set our strategic goals and their implementation priorities in a way that the implementation of each of them creates grounds for the effective implementation of the others. We are confident that the government’s action plan will have a successful implementation to ensure the security, welfare and dignified life of the Armenian citizens”, Nikol Pashinyan said.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
12:38,
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 30, ARMENPRESS. Ambassador of Argentina to Armenia Mariano Vergara presented the embassy’s initiative on opening a Chamber of Commerce of Argentina in Armenia.
“It seeks to serve not only as a bridge between business circles of the two countries but also as a tool to encourage initiatives by SMEs and involve young experts. It will become an additional tool for elevating the bilateral trade cooperation to a new level and strengthening the already friendly relations between our two peoples,” he said during an event marking the establishment of the chamber of commerce.
The chamber will also help in developing bilateral tourism, supporting cultural activities and encouraging opportunities for cooperation and exchange through development of sport.
Artur Hakobyan, the executive director of Converse Bank – the main partner of the embassy in this initiative – congratulated on this occasion and attached importance to development of economic ties with various countries and boosting investments in this phase of economic development of Armenia.
“Naturally the new chamber will have its special place in implementing bilateral economic initiatives. We are more than certain that the Armenian-Argentine economic ties have great prospects for development in industry, trade, IT, tourism, agriculture and human capital management,” he said.
“Converse Bank is one of the first companies of Armenia with Argentine capital, whose main shareholder is Mr. Eduardo Eurnekian. We are part of a big family which includes Tierras de Armenia, Karas Wines, Armenia International Airports. Their founding not only boosted the development of various branches of the economy, but also created thousands of new and stable jobs,” he added, noting that Converse Bank is ready to maximally support the development of bilateral ties, by offering a wide funding toolkit and opportunities.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
By Trend
Chairperson of the Azerbaijani parliament Sahiba Gafarova, who is in Kazakhstan on an official visit, during a conversation with President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Chairman of the Parliament of Kazakhstan Nurlan Nigmatulin called for the recognition of the Khojaly genocide in the country’s parliament, Trend reports on Sept. 29 referring to the Azerbaijani parliament.
The chairperson of the Azerbaijani parliament informed about the Khojaly genocide which occurred almost 30 years ago.
Some international organizations and parliaments of many countries have already recognized this massacre as genocide, Gafarova stressed, expressing hope that the parliament of Kazakhstan will express its attitude to this grave crime against humanity.
During the meetings, the chairperson of the Azerbaijani parliament also spoke about the termination of the thirty-year Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani lands as a result of Azerbaijan’s victory in the 44-day second Karabakh war, the process of restoring cities and villages completely destroyed by Armenia during the occupation and large-scale infrastructure projects.
Moreover, during a meeting with Chairman of the Senate of the Parliament of Kazakhstan Maulen Ashimbayev, Gafarova also highlighted the topic of the Khojaly genocide and expressed hope that the Kazakh side will take appropriate steps in this regard.
On Feb. 25-26, 1992, during the first Karabakh war, the Armenian Armed Forces, supported by the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops, stationed in Khankendi city, committed an act of genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly.
As many as 613 civil residents, including 63 children, 106 women, and 70 old people were killed in the massacre, 1,000 people were injured, and 1,275 were taken, hostage.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS RELEASE
Knowledge as Ammunition: AUA Donor Serving on the Frontline of War
Dr. Shant Garabedian, an AUA supporter and medical doctor based in Tennessee, rushed to Armenia when the 2020 Artsakh War broke out. “I knew I wanted to be there to help. Though, I wouldn’t make the best infantryman, I could be valuable as an emergency doctor wherever the need was the greatest,” he recalls. Dr. Garabedian serves as the Medical Director at the Dyersburg Hospital Emergency Department. When the 2020 Artsakh War flared up in September 2020, he heeded the call to defend the homeland the best way he knew how, immediately volunteering his medical expertise to support the Armenian soldiers wounded at the front line.
Born in 1970 in Beirut, Lebanon, Garabedian was raised in a highly-respected family of Genocide survivor-descendants. His father, born in Kharpert in 1920, would tell him stories about Shant’s grandfather who was spared from the Turkish atrocities because he was a talented blacksmith who could skillfully repair horseshoes. His mother was born in Aleppo in 1933 to an orphan, who was taken to the Birds’ Nest Armenian orphanage as a five-year old after her entire family was massacred during the Armenian Genocide. These and many related stories have stayed with Garabedian throughout his life and have grown in him the determination to succeed and dedication to his nation.
Settling in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1985, Garabedian was involved in the youth activities of the local Homenetmen, Armenian Youth Federation, and the Armenian Church. He gradually grew an impressive professional record of success, which includes an undergraduate degree in Physiology from the University of California, Davis; a degree in medicine from the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Missouri, followed by a family medicine residency at the University of Tennessee program in Jackson, advancing all the way up to his current position as Medical Director of the Dyersburg Hospital Emergency Department in Tennessee.
Garabedian recounts his thoughts in the early days of the Artsakh War that started in September 2020. Determined to fly out as soon as possible, he thought he would be most helpful “within the first one or two hours of a soldier’s injury to bring to bear the initial stabilization.” He immediately began preparing for his trip establishing the necessary contacts, while acquiring from personal funds the necessary emergency room supplies to take with him. These included sutures, bandages, tourniquets, and IV kits, as well as endotracheal tubes for intubation, and bag valve masks for resuscitation. Advance arrangements in place and all packed, he was on a flight to Armenia on November 2, 2020.
Garabedian emphatically believes that it is the duty of every Armenian to serve the homeland however one can. “This is a matter of protecting our homeland, our sovereignty, our existence as a nation,” he admits as he explains the risk every serviceman takes of the unknown, the risk of not returning home, and also the risk of being permanently handicapped.
Garabedian was assigned to Goris since the Lachin throughway had closed by the time he arrived, barring safe passage to Artsakh. At the hospital in Goris, which functioned as back-up to the Khndzoresk mobile military hospital, Garabedian was involved in stabilizing the wounded soldiers brought there who would then be transferred according to the type of medical treatment or surgery they would need.
Garabedian was subsequently commissioned to Vardenis following the intensification of the fighting in Shushi, where he worked as an intensivist in both the civilian and military hospitals. “The military hospitals at Khndzoresk and Vardenis were well-prepared,” he recalls, “and had properly-trained medics to stabilize the wounded in the field.”
Garabedian speaks with deep emotion recounting his days in those hospitals and what he has witnessed. He then unequivocally commends the volunteers, all those dedicated men and women, young and old, as well as the soldiers who exhibited such heroism and bravery. “These young soldiers would be brought in very badly wounded, and they would plead with us to quickly patch them up so they would go back to the battlefield. These soldiers displayed immense camaraderie for their fellow servicemen in battle and were determined not to let them down, and ultimately not to let down their nation.”
Speaking to the future of Armenia, Garabedian believes the country needs to modernize its defense system and artillery based on a thorough analysis of the lessons learned from the 2020 Artsakh War. He wants to see Armenia “modernize our technology, especially in unmanned warfare, to be well-equipped and prepared to defend ourselves.”
Garabedian goes on to speak of the important role AUA is playing in educating the young generations and preparing them to lead the future. Making special reference to the new capital campaign, Build a Better Future With AUA, he is confident that a strong STEM education will significantly contribute to building a better and more powerful Armenia. Especially with the new labs and ancillary spaces to be built, the University will be even better positioned to educate the next generation of technologically-advanced young leaders. AUA will be in a superior stance and strength to engineer innovative drone solutions, tackle chemical-mechanical challenges, realize key transformations in electrical engineering, machine learning-based innovations, and much more.
Garabedian is a believer in the role of an AUA education, and in the shared knowledge and collaborative relationships that AUA cultivates with other universities and institutions. He is a proponent of expanding such relations, as well as research and development congruent with the long-term strategic goals of the University and those of the country.
He believes in the projected long-term solutions that an AUA higher education can provide, and wants all young people to have access to it, elaborating that, “specifically AUA, has the quality of education that is unsurpassed in Armenia, with a strong foundation in the UC system. Without this type of education, Armenia will stagnate and the country will not push forward. Armenia needs to become a powerhouse, and with the use of brain power as our ultimate natural resource, that could become a reality.”
Himself an AUA scholarship program supporter, Garabedian admits that the recent war has reawakened his belief in the urgency of empowering the next generation, preparing the leaders of tomorrow, and especially supporting our veteran students. Placing added emphasis on the need to amplify and further stretch the available sources of education, Garabedian recalls the benefits he had once received as an undergraduate student from the U.S. Federal Student Aid and asserts “there’s no reason why we couldn’t do the same to support our own Armenian youth. Today, we have veterans missing arms and legs, many who have gone through tremendous mental anguish and have developed stress disorders. Yet, they’re trying to make their lives better by aiming at a brighter future through education. The least we can do is to do our small part by supporting their education,” he urges.
As a diasporan himself, Dr. Garabedian calls upon all Armenians living in the Diaspora to contribute to this new ‘Build a Better Future with AUA’ campaign. “The easiest and least intrusive way for Diasporan-Armenians, and especially American-Armenians, is to help financially; this is the bare minimum we can do, for AUA and for each of those students to benefit from an AUA education.”
“We must now stand in remembrance of those who fell, but also with commitment to reinforce what we have and to strengthen our collective capacity to prepare the next leaders who will build Armenia. Now, more than ever before, we need that powerful new force to get back up on our feet and build a technologically-advanced Armenia. I invite you to join me in this imperative national endeavor.”
Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, affiliated with the University of California, and accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission in the United States. AUA provides local and international students with Western-style education through top-quality undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs, promotes research and innovation, encourages civic engagement and community service, and fosters democratic values.
Regards,
—
Margarit Hovhannisyan | Communications Manager
Margarit Hovhannisyan|: Communication manager
+374 60 612 514,
__________________________________________
American University of Armenia
Republic of Armenia, 0019, Yerevan, Marshal Baghramyan Ave. 40:00
40 Baghramyan Avenue, Yerevan 0019, Republic of Armenia
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Dr. Garabedian outside the Goris Medical Center.jpg
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Dr. Garabedian with a group of full-time and volunteer physicians at the Military Hospital in Vardenis.jpg
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Dr. Shant Garabedian’s medical supplies arrive at Zvartnots Airport.jpg
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21:14,
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan received on September 28 Ambassador of the USA to Armenia Lynne Tracy.
As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Security Council, the sides highly appreciated the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs aimed at the political settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
Secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan noted that the unblocking of communication channels in the region can play an important role in establishing comprehensive, lasting peace in the region. The side also referred to the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
The parties also touched upon a number of areas of Armenian-American cooperation, reaffirming the intention to resume the bilateral strategic dialogue. In this context, Ambassador Tracy praised the efforts of the Government of Armenia in the field of judicial reform and the fight against corruption, noting the effectiveness of the ongoing cooperation between the two countries in the process of democratic reform.
10:25,
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 29, ARMENPRESS. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the tourism sector in Armenia saw some activeness in the summer, according to data released by the Tourism Committee.
A total of 313,396 tourists visited Armenia in the summer, while the figure for January-August stood at 488,558.
Most tourists came from Russia, followed by Iran and Georgia, and Ukraine and India, among others.
The most active tourism month was August (143,168 visitors). In June and July the number of inbound tourists was 64,101 and 106,127 respectively.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan