18:33, 8 December, 2021
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. The units of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces opened fire from different caliber firearms in the direction of the rear support vehicle (water truck) of the N military unit of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia located in the south-western direction of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. The Defense Minister informed ARMENPRESS that the incident claimed no casualties.
In the third and final round of local elections held on Sunday, Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract party won in 24 of 36 municipalities — this vote, the third in a trio of local elections held, has involved the largest number of municipalities since 2016.
Commenting on the election results, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan took to Facebook with a post addressing his party’s landslide victory. Turnout among the roughly million eligible voters in the election was 42%.
‘It is obvious that our priorities are connected with external challenges. I must note that the quality of these local elections, where the citizen is lord and arbiter, is our future dream come true,’ Pashinyan wrote.
The lowest voter turnout, 0%, was found in two villages in the province of Gegharkunik after they collectively decided to boycott the elections in protest of the looming reorganisation of local governments that will integrate their villages into the Sevan municipality.
The local elections were held in parallel with the municipal amalgamation process which integrated villages into the municipal structure of nearby towns. The new changes decreased the number of municipalities in the country from over 500 to 79.
The municipal councils elected in the elections will vote to choose the mayor of the municipality who later will appoint the heads of each sub-municipality (e.g. amalgamated villages).
Despite winning most contests in this election, the ruling party still lost in several major cities, including Vanadzor — the country’s third-largest city — Abovyan, and Sevan.
In both Vanadzor and Sevan, the municipal slates that received the most votes are tied to Armenia’s pre-revolution ruling Republican Party. In Abovyan, the hometown of opposition Prosperous Armenia party head Gagik Tsarukyan, the Prosperous Armenia slate won with a resounding victory.
Local election observers reported a number of violations, including individuals bringing groups of voters to the polls and then instructing them who to cast a ballot for, however, this was ‘not systematic’.
After the series of the municipal election this autumn, the Civil Contract party has secured rule over most municipalities in the country. A key exception is the southern province of Syunik, where opposition figures had seized major electoral upsets.
Additionally, while the country’s ruling party lost the elections in Armenia’s second largest city of Gyumri, the party signed a memorandum with the winning Balasanyan Alliance slate, with Civil Contract candidates filling both deputy mayor spots.
[Read more:Armenia’s ruling party faces defeat in limited municipal elections]
Gyumri Information Technology Center (GITC) partners with IBM to announce AI educational program in Armenia. Within the framework of the program, GITC and SmartClick offer an advanced course of Artificial Intelligence + admission of a program with a trial period.
The program’s partner company SmartClick, the largest artificial intelligence (AI) company in Armenia, is always looking for AI specialists. According to Rem Darbinyan, Founder and CEO of SmartClick, the demand for specialists in the company will continue to grow, and this program is a good opportunity to train new specialists and provide them with jobs.
The educational program is based on the professional needs of SmartClick and includes AI content of IBM. The graduate with the best final exam results will be given the opportunity to visit IBM’s headquarters in London.
The 6-month course will begin on January 12, 2022, and will be led by SmartClick Data Science technical lead Ardalan Hosseini. Applications must be submitted by December 7 here.
The program currently has more than 100 applicants who will take the exam to participate in the program.
“Members of the GITC Board of Trustees in the United States have been in discussions with IBM about introducing and implementing IBM’s educational programs in Armenia. As a result of the negotiations, we are now implementing the pilot phase,” noted Amalya Yeghoyan, the Director of the GITC, adding that the long-term goal of the partnership is for IBM to consider Armenia as its strategic partner.
According to Julia Game, IBM SkillsBuild Europe Project Manager, it is important for IBM that program students have the opportunity to find a job, the number of participants grows year after year, and that representatives from various vulnerable groups are involved in the future.
Armenian Deputy Defense Minister Arman Sargsyan refused to answer journalists’ questions about the reported withdrawal of Azerbaijani troops from Ishkhanasar in Syunik Province.
During a briefing in the Armenian parliament on Tuesday, reporters asked the official to confirm or deny the reports. They also wanted to know whether there was an agreement with Azerbaijan.
However, Sargsyan left all questions unanswered.
By Trend
The meeting of the heads of Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia – Ilham Aliyev, Vladimir Putin and Nikol Pashinyan in Sochi is a new step towards sustainable peace in the South Caucasus after the liberation of Azerbaijani territories from Armenian occupation [in the 2020 second Karabakh war], Turkish Presidential Administration told Trend on Nov. 27.
According to the administration, Turkey supports any steps aimed at establishing peace and stability in the South Caucasus, which meets the interests of not only Turkey but also all countries of the region.
“Peace in the South Caucasus will contribute to the economic development of the region, as well as the opening of communications. Turkey highly appreciates the meeting in Sochi,” the administration said.
At the meeting held on November 26, the leaders of Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia a number of issues, including the opening of communications, delimitation and demarcation of borders were discussed. The results of the trilateral meeting are assessed positively. Azerbaijan achieved its goals, in particular, a decision was made to launch projects to open roads and railways.
13:55,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Defense Suren Papikyan chaired a meeting with the leadership of the Armed Forces, the General Staff and the Ministry of Defense.
In his speech the Minister of Defense attached importance to the continuity and effective course of the ongoing large-scale reforms in the military and assured that the country’s political leadership is resolute in supporting any necessary step for increasing the combat readiness of the armed forces.
At the same time Minister Papikyan demanded maximum efforts for resolving the disciplinary problems in the armed forces. He attached importance to raising the appeal of military careers, as well as emphasizing the government’s care towards officers. Papikyan expressed certainty that significant steps will be taken in this direction in the nearest future.
At the end of the meeting Minister Papikyan issued relevant instructions regarding active-service duty, solution of current issues and upcoming programs.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
17:02,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 25, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Alen Simonyan and chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on state-legal affairs Vladimir Vardanyan met today with Birgitte Ebbesen, Regional Director for Europe at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in St. Petersburg, Russia, on the sidelines of the international conference dedicated to healthcare services and sustainable development goals.
During the meeting the post-war humanitarian crisis in Artsakh and the organization’s role in solving these issues were discussed. Birgitte Ebbesen praised the legislation in Armenia relating to the Red Cross and Red Crescent. She informed that a similar CIS model law is being developed.
Speaker Simonyan highlighted the direct representation of international organizations in Artsakh.
The meeting also touched upon the upcoming visit of the IFRC Secretary General to Armenia. Speaker Alen Simonyan expressed readiness to host the Secretary General and discuss the agenda priorities.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, Armenia — The Entrepreneurship and Product Innovation Center (EPIC) of the American University of Armenia (AUA) is proud to announce that Denovo Sciences, the Entrepreneurship World Cup (EWC) Armenia national winner, was selected as a Top 25 Global Finalist to participate in the EWC Global Finals later this year in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The EWC is one of the world’s largest and most diverse pitch competitions and support programs for the next generation of entrepreneurs. Since launching in 2019, EWC has supported more than 300,000 participants from 200 countries, awarded $2 million in cash prizes, and provided in-kind support and services valued at $150 million.
In the 2021 competition, EWC received 100,000 registrations from 200 countries. One thousand startups pitched at the National Finals organized and judged by local entrepreneurship organizations spread across six continents. The top 100 startups advanced to the virtual component of the Global Finals, and the top 25 will travel to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the final stage of the competition.
Armenia’s National Winner, Denovo Sciences, is among the Top 25 EWC Global Finalists. It will compete with startups from 20 other countries, some of which have very mature ecosystems, such as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Singapore, China, and India.
The Armenian National Finals was held on July 24, in Yerevan, and two Armenian startups, Denovo Sciences, and Zoomerang advanced to the global competition as national representatives.
“It is the first time that Armenia is participating in this global competition. We were elated that two startups from Armenia advanced to the Top 100 Global Finalists. To then have one of the two, Denovo Sciences, our National Winner, to advance further in the competition to be among the Top 25 Global Finalists is beyond all expectations. It is a massive achievement for the whole Armenian entrepreneurship ecosystem which will receive substantial visibility and acclaim. Congratulations to all!” says Nejdeh Hovanessian, national coordinator of EWC Armenia and assistant director of EPIC.
To date, Denovo Sciences has already received $750,000 in-kind services and support, including from top service providers in the field, like AWS, Segment, Brex, Hubspot, and others. It will compete in a live event with the other 24 finalists in the last stage of the competition.
In the EWC Global Finals in Riyadh, $500,000 will be awarded for placement in first place, $250,000 for second place, and $100,000 for third place. Cash prizes of $100,000 will also be awarded to the top-scoring startups in the idea stage and social enterprise categories.
The Entrepreneurship and Product Innovation Center (EPIC) is a platform of the American University of Armenia (AUA) for promoting entrepreneurial education, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and startup venture incubation. EPIC provides an ecosystem for emerging entrepreneurs consisting of first-class facilities and collaborative workspace, programs and events, and a network of mentors, advisors, and investors. EPIC fosters the understanding and application of entrepreneurship in students and faculty at AUA to craft high-impact multidisciplinary ventures.
Margarit Hovhannisyan | Communications Manager
Margarit Hovhannisyan|: Communication manager
+374 60 612 514,
mhovhannisyan@
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American University of Armenia
Republic of Armenia, 0019, Yerevan, Marshal Baghramyan Ave. 40:00
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The son of Armenia’s ex-President Robert Kocharyan Levon Kocharyan has commented on Facebook media reports about a meeting that has allegedly taken place between Robert Kocharyan and Nikol Pashinyan.
“A lie has been actively spreading recently, alleging my father has met with Nikol. No matter how difficult to imagine anyone may believe it is possible, I need to deny that any meeting has taken place between them and no interaction through mediators or in any other format happened. There hasn’t been even an idea about this before the war and after it,” Kocharyan’s son wrote, questioning the reasons behind circulating those false reports.
The authorities have failed the army-building process, Nikol Pashinyan said in an interview to the Public TV Company on Sunday, speaking about the reasons for the defeat in the 2020 Artsakh war.
“We have to admit that we have, in fact, failed the army-building work in the sense that the army must have met the challenges that existed around the Republic of Armenia,” he said.
Pashinyan pointed to the fundamental problems in the army-building, as well as the breach between the statements and the reality as some of the reasons for Armenia’s defeat in the war.
“For example, the Security Council is reported that the army is able to keep the front line with the logic of “no step back”, but in practice this does not happen. These are issues that need to be studied very seriously,” he stated.