Author: Hagop Kamalian

Armenia shoots down 2 Azerbaijani helicopters, 3 drones

Hagop Kamalian
CGTN, China
Sept 27 2020
CGTN

Armenia on Sunday has shot down two helicopters and three drones of Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on social media.

The move is a response to Azerbaijan's attack on civilian settlements in the disputed territory, according to Armenian Defense Ministry.

Also on Sunday, Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry said it is currently launching a counter-offensive in the region.

Heavy fighting in the Nagorno-Karabakh region has caused civilian casualties on both sides, the Azerbaijani presidency said.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been at loggerheads over the mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh since 1988.





US Library of Congress report refers to media restrictions in Armenia

Hagop Kamalian
News.am, Armenia
Sept 24 2020

13:56, 24.09.2020
                  

Zareh Sinanyan meets with Armenian journalists from US and Canada

Hagop Kamalian
Panorama, Armenia
Sept 19 2020

Armenia’s High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs Zareh Sinanyan on Friday held a virtual meeting with journalists from two dozen Armenian media outlets operating in the United States and Canada, his office said.

Welcoming the participants, Sinanyan highlighted the work of the Armenian media in the Diaspora, its role in strengthening Armenia-Diaspora cooperation and raising the awareness of our compatriots in the Diaspora.

During the meeting, which lasted for about 2 hours, he presented to the journalistic community the programs of the Office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs. The range of questions from the participants were wide, ranging from issues Lebanese-Armenians may have, investments, repatriation, and developments in Armenia.

At the end of the meeting, the participants and High Commissioner Sinanyan expressed hope for regular discussions on such a scale, aiming to strengthen the media communication between Armenia and the Diaspora.


Armenia’s PM, Emergency Situations Minister offer congratulations on ministry’s Personnel Day

Hagop Kamalian

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 13:45, 4 September, 2020

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 4, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and Minister of Emergency Situations Felix Tsolakyan addressed congratulatory messages on the occasion of the Ministry of Emergency Situations Personnel Day.

In a Facebook post the Armenian PM said the ministry’s personnel are always in the center of emergency incidents and situations due to their profession.

“Due to your profession you with your dedicated work are managing such risks which could have led our country and people to serious disasters. I want to thank you all for your dedicated work, wishing you good service and happiness”, the PM said.

In his congratulatory message Minister Tsolakyan said rescuer is a title involving strength and kindness, the love and caring attitude of a rescuer towards the people and the state.

“Rescuer is a hero, and that’s it… Dear compatriots, congratulating all of us on the ministry’s personnel day, I want to remind that each employee of the ministry of emergency situations is a rescuer regardless of the position he/she holds”, the minister said.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Ethnographer: Armenia schools must go on indefinite strike as of September 1

Hagop Kamalian
News.am, Armenia
Aug 25 2020

16:38, 25.08.2020

YEREVAN. – The standards created in secret were suddenly introduced like and explosion and put up for discussion. Armine Vaghramyan, a teacher at School No. 122 in Yerevan, mentioned this Tuesday at a press conference regarding the forthcoming education process in Armenia.

"I want to assure that no educator, no scholar, no figure in the field was aware of this process. In the conditions of secrecy, groups were created that have set absolutely unacceptable standards.

Next, we also received an imperfect document—the order for school attendance. That order was also discussed when it was already written, it should have been put into use, but it had not been discussed before. The order is completely imperfect,” she said.

Vaghramyan added that with this regulation, teachers are required to take a COVID-19 test en masse, and teachers cannot enter their schools without it. "Is there a provision [in the Constitution] that the schoolchildren and their parents must also take a mandatory test? In that case, let's test the whole nation," she stressed.

In her turn, historian and ethnographer Susanna Melikyan Noted: "How can a school with 700-800 students check so many children for fever and then admit them to school in the morning? How many hours should it take? Or does the teacher have to teach for eight hours in a mask? What about his/her health?”

Or what does it mean not to let a child to go on recess? This is something abnormal, unnatural and just hysterical, sickening. (…). No parent would agree to have their child sit wearing a mask for 45 minutes [in class]. Schools must go on indefinite strike as of September 1."

https://news.am/eng/news/598586.html

Armenia may appear in list of very high digitized governed countries – minister

Hagop Kamalian

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 13:57, 26 August, 2020

YEREVAN, AUGUST 26, ARMENPRESS. According to the specialists of the UN e-government development survey, Armenia will soon appear in the list of very high digitized governed countries, Minister of High Technological Industry Hakob Arshakyan said during a press conference today.

“According to the survey results Armenia is in the list of countries with very highly developed human capital. According to the forecasts of the research specialists Armenia will soon change its group from high EDGI to the very high EDGI group”, the minister said.

The minister said according to the survey in 2020 Armenia has improved its positions by 19 points compared to 2018 and recorded the highest progress in the Asian region, capturing the 68th place against the previous 87th.

Minister Arshakyan informed that Armenia’s 2020-2025 draft digitization strategy has been developed. The digitization processes and the process of developing cyber-security standards are underway.

Reporting by Norayr Shoghikyan; Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Erdogan, Trump discuss Mediterranean tension on phone

Hagop Kamalian
Panorama, Armenia
Aug 27 2020

urkish President Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. President Donald Trump talked on the phone on Wednesday to discuss bilateral and regional issues, including the Mediterranean, Erdogan's office said, according to Reuters report.

The source reminds that tensions between Turkey and Greece have escalated since Ankara sent its Oruc Reis survey vessel to disputed eastern Mediterranean waters this month, a move Athens called illegal.Turkey and Greece, both NATO allies, vehemently disagree over claims to hydrocarbon resources in the area based on conflicting views on the extent of their continental shelves in waters dotted with mostly Greek islands.

Internal investigation will reveal all circumstances of disappearance of the Armenian officer – defense minister

Hagop Kamalian
Public Radio of Armenia
Aug 28 2020
The exact circumstances of how the Armenian officer occurred in the territory of Azerbaijan will be revealed after an internal investigation, Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan told reporters on Friday.
 
“Our initial assessment is that the Armenian servicemen got lost and occurred in the territory of the adversary. The issue whether our officer was captured or other circumstances were there will be clarified. Based on that, we will work in different formats with international structures,” Tonoyan said.
 
In the minister’s words, for now the only demand of the Armenian side is to organize the visit of the representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to meet the captive which has not happened so far.
 
To remind, Armenian foreign ministry earlier condemned the degrading treatment of the officer Gurgen Alaverdyan, who appeared under the Azerbaijani jurisdiction on August 22. Armenian accused Azerbaijan of a flagrant and gross violation of the international humanitarian law.

Armenian lost officer Gurgen Alaverdyan charged under five different articles in Azerbaijan

Hagop Kamalian
Aysor, Armenia
Aug 26 2020

Azerbaijani Prosecutor General’s Office issued a statement noting that criminal case has been filed against confused and lost Armenian serviceman Gurgen Alaverdyan under 5 different articles, Armenia’s Defense Ministry spokesperson Shushan Stepanyan wrote on Facebook.

“All the accusations are deprived of any sense, the elaborated process is traditional low quality performance. Armenia’s Defense Ministry is in permanent touch with international structures and continues working over the created situation,” she wrote.


Armenian FM expresses solidarity to Georgian counterpart over tragic accident in Dusheti

Hagop Kamalian

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 15:27,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 25, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan held today a phone conversation with his Georgian counterpart David Zalkaliani, the Armenian MFA told Armenpress.

Minister Mnatsakanyan expressed solidarity with Minister Zalkaliani on the tragic accident in Dusheti municipality conveying condolences to the families of the deceased and wishing speedy recovery to the injured.

The Foreign Ministers touched upon a number of issues of bilateral agenda by attaching importance to the consistent efforts towards the further strengthening of the multifaceted cooperation between the two countries.

Ministers Mnatsakanyan and Zalkaliani exchanged views on the steps aimed at preventing the spread of Covid-19 and addressing its social and economic consequences.

During the phone call the Foreign Minister of Armenia underlined the importance of the efforts aimed at maintaining regional peace, security and stability, as well as the cooperation to this end.