The gross domestic product of Armenia increased by 7.2% in the 2nd quarter of 2018 compared to the same period of 2017.
This is reported by the RA National Statistical Service. In the 1st semester, the growth rate was 9.6%. In the 1st quarter, the GDP was about 1.112 trillion drams, in the second quarter – about 1.358 trillion drams.
The Blue Diamond Geroskipou beach in Paphos will offer the chance to enjoy the moonlight, the majestic feel of last nights by the sea, while providing a truly international musical affair next Saturday.
Under Music in the Moonlight, soprano Anoki Von Arx, singer Gore Melian and pianist Zara Barkhoudarian will present a very diverse programme. Together, the three artists will set the tone for the night with pop and opera songs in English, German, Russian, Armenian, Italian, French and Czech.
Arx brings a fun element to the Opera. She gives the audience an explanation about the songs on the programme to get closer to the people she is singing to and also to bring more people close to opera.
After an international dancing career, Arx devoted herself to opera singing. Her voice covers the entire spectrum from high and dramatic soprano to mezzo. In 2010, she started to combine opera singing with break dance and hip hop. It may sound like a clash of artistic forms that should not blend together, but Arx creates a productive contrast that leaves you wondering why it was not done before.
Melian, from Armenia, grew up in a musical family and was greatly inspired by his mother Zara Barkhoudarian. Since the age of three he sung and performed on local and international stages. He studied Rock and Pop Grade eight at Trinity College London and has been composing music and lyrics since he was 15 years old.
He sings in English, Greek and Armenian. His music covers a broad spectrum from R ‘n’ B, soul, pop and the classics. He also deals with music production.
Among his many achievements is his digital single Suddenly which he wrote, produced and performed. The song made it through to the semi-finals in the Love Songs category of a UK song writing contest in 2011. It has been played consistently on Cypriot radio stations such as KissFM, Deejay radio and Ant1. In 2016 he wrote, produced and performed his digital single Fear vs Love which has received lots of media attention and has also been broadcast on local radio stations. He also came first in a competition to represent us at the Eurovision Song Contest with his song I Wanna Thank You. Although he didn’t represent us at the Eurovision, he did do so at the Malta International Hit Song Festival with the song. His first album was released in 2009 and he has recently had the honour of being successfully involved in the Berlin Eurovision Song Contest in Berlin.
Soprano and concert pianist, Barkhoudarian started piano lessons at the age of six at the Armenian Music School Tchaikovsky. She continued her studies at the Conservator of Yerevan. At 18 she became the soloist of the Armenian State Tele Radio Choir, with which she toured all over Europe and won numerous prizes and awards. She moved to Cyprus in 1995 and regularly performs all over the island. She also performs abroad and organises a number of charity-concerts every year. Barkoudarian also teaches piano, vocal and music theory at the European Conservatory of Music of Litsa Koutalari-Iaonnou.
Music in the Moonlight
Musical performance with diversity, pop and opera. September 8. Blue Diamond, Geroskipou Beach, Paphos. 8.30pm. €12. Tel: 26-273001
The Yerevan Council of Elders elections are a very important exam for us, and we must pass this exam with flying colours. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced this during today’s government session.
Now the government has developed a package of draft laws, with the adoption of which, in particular, it is proposed to criminalize the actions provided for in Article 40.10 of the Civil Code (giving and taking bribes), imposing not only a fine, but also imprisonment for a certain period of time. Along with the criminalization of the mentioned administrative offense, it is proposed to provide an exception in the disposition of the article, according to which the name and (or) symbols of the party or the products containing the name, surname and (or) image of the candidate and with a value not exceeding a certain reasonable amount will not be considered as the object of the crime.
Referring to the importance of the legislative initiative, Nikol Pashinyan said: “I think that we will not advance significantly, but we will go to the point where there is no place to advance, that is, we must exclude such phenomena. The Yerevan Council of Elders elections are, of course, a very important exam for us in this regard, and we must pass this exam with flying colors.”
With the acceptance of the presented package of projects, Prime Minister Pashinyan addressed the Minister of Justice of the RA regarding the above Artak Zeynalyan, noted. “Your wording says that it is forbidden to distribute drams, food, securities, products on free or preferential terms, except for products containing the name or symbol of the party or the name or image of the candidate and the value of which does not exceed three times the minimum salary. Taking into account our “historical” experience, 3000 drams is enough money to distribute, say, lavash or jam or a bag of flour with the party’s symbol, or to put 3000 drams in a bag and distribute it with the party’s symbol. The wording, at least, gives rise to misinterpretation, that limit should be clearly indicated. Let’s not underestimate the creative mind of our election fraudsters, Mr. Zeinalyan. In my opinion, it should be specified specifically: pen, pre-election booklet, cap, T-shirt, etc., because I have read this wording several times, and I see no obstacle to dividing these products according to the same logic.”
In relation to the discussed issue, an exchange of ideas took place, a number of observations were made.
The Prime Minister instructed the Minister of Justice to once again discuss the concerns presented in working order. “The project will be discussed in 2 readings in the National Assembly, in the committee, in the plenary session, and we should do our best to make it clear, not giving rise to re-readings and without ambiguities,” he said. Nikol Pashinyan:
The appellate court rejected the appeal of Yuri Khachaturov, accused in the “March 1” case, General Secretary of the CSTO, leaving the decision of the court of first instance in effect.
According to Mihran Poghosyan, Khachaturov’s defense attorney, after indicting him, the pre-trial body submitted a motion to the court of first instance to detain Khachaturov. But, as the lawyer conveyed, the court, despite finding that there are no reasonable doubts that Khachaturov is related to the charge brought against him, at the same time found that the arrest was justified, but decided to apply bail as an alternative preventive measure and released Khachaturov on a bail of 5 million drams, “Azatutyun” radio station reports.
According to the lawyer, if the court decides that there are no reasonable doubts about the accusation, it should reject the motion to detain him, instead of considering the detention permissible. Poghosyan said that they were appealing this very circumstance to the appeals court.
Poghosyan has not yet received the decision of the appellant and after receiving it, he will specify whether to appeal to the cassation court or not.
To remind, CSTO General Secretary Yuri Khachaturov was charged under Article 300.1 of the RA Criminal Code – subverting the constitutional order.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan sent a congratulatory message to President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko on the occasion of Independence Day, the national holiday of Ukraine.
Nikol Pashinyan noted that the centuries-old ties between the two peoples are a solid basis for interstate cooperation between Armenia and Ukraine. The Prime Minister emphasized the further development of bilateral relations, the implementation of prospective projects in the economic and humanitarian spheres.
Nikol Pashinyan expressed confidence that the joint efforts will contribute to revealing the full potential of bilateral interaction for the benefit of increasing the well-being of the citizens of both countries and the development of the states.
PanARMENIAN.Net – Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) President Bako Sahakyan on Saturday, August 18 received head of the General Staff of Armenia Armed Forces Artak Davtyan, Sahakyan’s office said.
Issues related to army building and cooperation between the two Armenian states were high on the agenda.
Artsakh defense minister Levon Mnatsakanyan also attended the meeting.
Today, Sedrak Mamulyan, chairman of the Armenian Culinary Traditions Development and Conservation NGO, told a news conference that this year, a barbecue festival is being held in Armenia for the tenth time, and which is the favorite dish of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. He expects that the Prime Minister and some members of the Government will attend the festival as well.
“I would like officials to come as guests and taste like everyone else. I have not yet encountered with the new government, I invite everyone,” he says.
Traditionally, there will be also participants from Georgia. The festival will be held this Sunday in Akhtala.
“We have demanded that the prices should be. They should start from 1000 to 1500 AMD and will be available by weight. That is, they will be in the form of small pieces that a person can take 2 or 3 different dishes and that should be affordable for him,” says Sedrak Mamulyan.
More information is in the video.
Alina Hovhannisyan. Syrian youth is interested in higher education in Armenia in the following areas: IT, medicine, linguistics and intercultural communication. This was stated by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Syrian Arab Republic to Armenia Mohammed Haj Ibrahim during a meeting with the Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Armenia Araik Harutyunyan.
According to the press service of the department, the Ambassador stressed that Armenia is attractive from the point of view of training for Syrian students, in view of the fact that favorable and safe conditions for education have been created in the country.
In turn, Harutyunyan noted that the expansion of bilateral cooperation in the educational sphere is the issue on the agenda of the ministry, since hundreds of Syrian students receive education in Armenia.
According to the source, the sides discussed the draft program of interdepartmental cooperation for 2018- 2021 in the sphere of higher education and a number of other working issues.
PanARMENIAN.Net – In Yerevan, VayotsDzor Wine Route was launched by My Armenia Program. The initiative was brought to life with joint efforts of My Armenia and five wineries from the region – Old Bridge, Trinity Canyon Vineyards, Getnatoun, Areni and HinAreni, as a result of participation in the World Wine Forum 2016 in Georgia. During the event, the new webpage (vayotsdzorwineroute.com) of wine route and brochure were presented, which include information about member wineriesandVayotsDzor region’s tourism experiences.
Armenia, which has a millennial history of viticulture and wine making, today has prerequisites to develop a new business culture – wine tourism, along with traditional wine making. The main goal of VayotsDzor wine route development is to present Armenian wine and promote tourism in the region, contributing to the sustainable economic development.
In attendance at the event were the Mission Director of USAID Armenia, Deborah Grieser, My Armenia Program Chief of Party, Sisak Mkhitaryan, and the owners of the five wineries that are member of the VayotsDzor Wine Route.
– During a study tour to Georgia organized by My Armenia Program, a group of Armenian wine makers realized that the traditions of wine making in their area could become a profitable business, which inspired them to create the wine route. With the support of My Armenia these wine makers from VayotsDzor learned how to start a wine tourism business and be competitive. The Program trained local guides, created marketing materials, including brochures, advertising clips, attractive wine bottle labels. The wine map was created in cooperation with «One Armenia». The road signs will be placed inVayotsDzor. I am sure that the wine route will engage more winemakers from other regions of Armenia very soon,- said DeborahGrieser.
– The My Armenia Program continuously supports the creation and development of cultural heritage touristic experiences.
This time VayotsDzor is in our focus. The wine route is a unique experience for the visitors to meet the local big and small winemakers and taste the Armenian wine, with the narration of the history of the wine making in this area. Our goal is to make this region more attractive, so that the number of visitors increases, bringing the tourism services and trade to growth, thus developing sustainable income for the regional talented people, – said Sisak Mkhitaryan.
– The development of a wine route in Armenia will not only attract more visitors to our region, but also will give a big opportunity to all of us to present the wine making history of Armenia.From now on, by joint efforts we will present the ancient and modern wine making techniques, the different types of Armenian wines, and similarities of wine making in family businesses and large factories, – shared Ashot Khalatyan, Old Bridge Winery representative.
«My Armenia Program» organized a visit to VayotsDzorWine Route for the local media the day before the launch event.Eight local media representatives had the opportunity to visit five wineries involved in the wine route, interview the winemakers and broadcast from the wineries.