16:27,
YEREVAN, APRIL 21, ARMENPRESS. The Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex in Yerevan will be closed for all visitors on April 24th, the 105th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, due to the coronavirus pandemic, Eduard Aghajanyan – the Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister’s Office – said at a news conference.
He said the entrance to the memorial will be sealed from today due to organizational and security issues.
Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
Media Advocate initiative issued a statement on Monday reacting to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s remarks on media outlets and reporters in a Facebook live on Sunday. The statement reads:
“During his yesterday’s Facebook live Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addressed several political issues, as well as referred to journalists: “How was the media field controlled? The 99 percent of the news outlets and 70 percent of journalists used to receive money from the authorities. Now they don’t receive money, as a result of which they are furious. Even if they receive money from somewhere they do it cautiously, as they are afraid if is revealed and they are disgraced.
Media Advocate Initiative urges the Prime Minister Pashinyan not to label his former colleagues and not to disseminate ungrounded information. We urge Pashinyan to publicize the names of the news outlets and journalists who received money. Thus, Pashinyan will do a favour for domestic journalism, otherwise it turns out that Pashinyan baselessly labels journalists and media community at large. This kind of working style is not in the interests of the right to free speech.
This again acts as a basis of continuation of the policy of dividing news outlets into ours (insiders) and theirs (outsiders), whites and blacks. We urge not to attack the news outlets, not to show a biased, targeted approach to the work of this or that news outlet and journalist.”
Wed 15 Apr 2020 16:15 GMT | 20:15 Local Time
“This, of course, does not help in any way further the cause of peace and may even hurt the peace process. The International community responsible for conflict resolution will not be happy with these so-called “elections” because the mood across the world is to promote cooperation and peace,” he said.
Sobhani pointed out that the three co-chairs US, Russia, and France may now renew their efforts to solve the conflict.
“In fact, the global pandemic has created a situation across the world that shows world leaders must cooperate to solve problems such as the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. More broadly speaking, the recent intense talks between Russian and US presidents on the global oil price collapse may pose a new opportunity for world leaders to cooperate on the resolution of the conflict,” he concluded.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Armenia has confirmed 28 new coronavirus infections, bringing the total number of cases to 881 in the country as of 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 8, the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
So far, 114 people have recovered and 9 have died from COVID-19 in Armenia.
The results of 4,571 tests have come back negative.
11:15, 3 April, 2020
YEREVAN, APRIL 3, ARMENPRESS. In response to the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic globally, and recently in Armenia, the World Bank is supporting the Government’s response to protect its people amid the coronavirus outbreak, the World Bank Office in Armenia told Armenpress.
At the request of the Ministry of Health of Armenia, the World Bank has allocated $3 million to address the country’s urgent needs for equipment and supplies needed for the intensive care of people with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis. These funds are supporting the procurement of 50 artificial pulmonary ventilation (APV) devices worth $1.35 million under the ongoing Disease Prevention and Control Project (DPCP).
This procurement became possible due to the application of the streamlined procedures of the World Bank in emergency situations. The technical expertise provided by the World Bank helped to carry out rapid market analysis to ensure value for money amid acute shortages in global supply of medical equipment and increasing prices. As a result, Armenia’s health system will be equipped with additional high-quality devices necessary for treating an increasing number of confirmed COVID-19 cases.
“In these dramatic times the Bank stands ready to support the country’s response to help mitigate the impact of the pandemic,” says Sylvie Bossoutrot, World Bank Country Manager for Armenia. “I would like to recognize the unprecedented dedication of health professionals in Armenia to protect the people. I would also like to strongly encourage each citizen of Armenia to strictly abide by the requirements of these emergency times and observe social distancing and isolation measures aimed at minimizing the impact of the pandemic.”
Similar arrangements will be applied to purchase additional ventilators, as well as personal protective equipment to address immediate healthcare needs. In addition, the World Bank stands ready to reprogram parts of its active ongoing portfolio in Armenia to support the government’s response to COVID-19 in various areas.
The World Bank’s financial and technical support is closely coordinated with that of other international organizations and development finance institutions. In particular, the above equipment will be procured directly through United Nations agencies’ supply channels in view of the current constraints for these types of medical emergency equipment in the global market.
The World Bank Group is rolling out a $14 billion fast-track package to strengthen the COVID-19 response in developing countries and shorten the time to recovery. The immediate response includes financing, policy advice and technical assistance to help countries cope with the health and economic impacts of the pandemic. The IFC is providing $8 billion in financing to help private companies affected by the pandemic and preserve jobs. IBRD and IDA are making an initial US$6 billion available for the health-response. As countries need broader support, the World Bank Group will deploy up to $160 billion over 15 months to protect the poor and vulnerable, support businesses, and bolster economic recovery.
15:28, 3 April, 2020
YEREVAN, APRIL 3, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian signed a decree according to which Armen Haykyants has been appointed acting member of the Supreme Judicial Council, the Presidential Office told Armenpress.
Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan