Author: Karapet Navasardian

                                        Thursday, September 3, 2020
Armenian Health Ministry Details COVID-19 Spending
Armenia -- A COVID-19 patient and a medic at the intensive care unit of Surp 
Grigor Lusavorich hospital, Yerevan, May 10, 2020. (A photo by the Armenian 
Mnistry of Health)
The Armenian Ministry of Health said on Thursday that it has spent since March 
almost 11.5 billion drams ($23.6 million) on treatment of people infected with 
the novel coronavirus and preventive measures against the spread of the disease.
The figure is equivalent to more than 10 percent of overall public spending on 
healthcare projected by Armenia’s 2020 state budget. The budget was drafted by 
the government and approved by the parliament late last year before the onset of 
the COVID-19 pandemic.
A report released by the ministry says that more than a quarter of the sum has 
financed the current expenditures of Armenian hospitals treating COVID-10 
patients. Another 2.9 billion drams has been spent on the purchase of medical 
equipment for those hospitals and medical labs.
According to the report, the ministry has also bought 1.8 billion drams worth of 
medication as well as protective gear for medical personnel worth 876 million 
drams. Bonuses paid to Armenian healthcare workers at the frontline of the fight 
against the pandemic have cost the state an additional 826 million drams.
The Ministry of Health stressed that its coronavirus-related expenditures do not 
cover measures against the pandemic that have been financed by other Armenian 
government agencies.
The ministry has recorded 44,271 coronavirus cases and at least 887 deaths 
caused by them so far.
In addition to the extra healthcare expenditures, the government has allocated 
about 150 billion drams ($310 million) for wide-ranging financial assistance to 
people and businesses severely affected by the pandemic. The stimulus package 
has included cash handouts to various categories of the vulnerable population as 
well as loan subsidies and grants to businesses and farmers.
The state budget for this year calls for a total of 1.88 trillion drams ($3.9 
billion) in government spending.
Armenian Parliament To Discuss Coronavirus Bill
        • Robert Zargarian
Armenia -- Pedestrians wear face masks in downtown Yerevan, July 10, 2020.
A standing committee of Armenia’s parliament will discuss on Friday a bill that 
would allow the authorities continue enforcing coronavirus-related safety rules 
without again extending a state of emergency.
The government approved the bill, drafted by the Armenian ministries of justice 
and health, last week as it signaled plans to lift the state of emergency which 
expires on September 11.
The draft amendments to several Armenian laws would empower the authorities to 
impose a nationwide lockdown, seal off local communities hit by serious 
coronavirus outbreaks, quarantine infected people and require all citizens to 
wear masks in public spaces. They also allow other anti-epidemic measures such 
as a ban on street gatherings or closure of schools in the absence of emergency 
rule.
The government already lifted last month a coronavirus-related ban on rallies 
strongly criticized by the Armenian opposition. But it set strict physical 
distancing requirements for organizers and participants of public gatherings.
Vladimir Vartanian, the pro-government chairman of the Armenian parliament 
committee on legal affairs, approved of the proposed legal alternative to the 
state of emergency. He said it is in line with Council of Europe recommendations 
to member states successfully containing the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Coronavirus cases in our country seem to be falling,” Vartanian told RFE/RL’s 
Armenian service. “I hope that this decrease will continue and will not face a 
second wave [of infections.]”
The daily number of new confirmed cases in Armenia has shrunk by more than half 
since mid-July after growing rapidly during the previous three months. The 
Armenian Ministry of Health said on Thursday morning that 196 more people have 
tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing to 44,271 the total 
number of cases recorded in the country of about 3 million.
The ministry also reported the deaths of five more people infected with the 
virus. It said the total number of people killed by the disease thus reached 
887. It said 271 other infected persons have died from other, pre-existing 
conditions.
Russian-Armenian Dispute Over Railway ‘Settled’
        • Emil Danielyan
Armenia -- A commuter train at Yerevan railway station, February 27, 2018
After yearlong negotiations with Moscow, the Armenian authorities appear to have 
agreed to drop criminal proceedings against Armenia’s national railway network 
managed by the Russia Railways (RZD) giant.
RZD runs the network called South Caucasus Railway (SCR) in line with a 30-year 
management contract signed with the former Armenian government in 2008. The deal 
committed it to modernizing Armenia’s disused and rundown railway infrastructure 
with substantial investments.
An Armenian law-enforcement agency raided the SCR offices in Yerevan and 
confiscated company documents in August 2018. The Investigative Committee 
alleged afterwards that SCR inflated the volume of its capital investments by 
400 million drams ($830,000).
Both SCR and its state-owned Russian operator strongly denied any wrongdoing. 
Russia’s Deputy Transport Minister Vladimir Tokarev complained in September 2019 
that the criminal investigation has disrupted RZD’s operations in the South 
Caucasus country. He said the company managing Russia’s vast network of railways 
is therefore considering pulling out of the 2008 deal.
Tokarev and RZD’s chief executive, Oleg Belozerov, visited Yerevan in October to 
discuss the dispute with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian. No concrete agreements 
were reported after the talks.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized the “inappropriate” crackdown 
on SCR in April this year. Armenia’s Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigorian 
dismissed the criticism, saying that his government cannot allow any company to 
operate “beyond the law.” Grigorian also said that Yerevan and Moscow have 
reached a “mutual understanding” on how to end the dispute.
The Russian Ministry of Transport announced on Wednesday that the two sides have 
“settled all disagreements” over RZD’s activities in Armenia as a result of 
negotiations led by Tokarev and Armen Simonian, the Armenian deputy minister of 
territorial administration and infrastructure.
In a statement, the ministry said a protocol signed by Tokarev and Simonian 
certifies RZD’s full compliance with its investment commitments and upholds the 
findings of independent audits of the Armenian railway conducted since 2008.
“The parties emphasized the significance of the signed document and noted that 
it will foster the further development of economic cooperation between our 
countries,” added the statement.
The Armenian Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure confirmed 
the signing of the protocol but did not divulge any of its details. It said the 
deal will help to boost SCR’s cargo shipments and passenger traffic and “refresh 
its rolling stock.”
Grigorian openly voiced last October the Armenian government’s dissatisfaction 
with the amount of Russian investments in SCR.
No senior SCR executives are known to have been formally charged in the criminal 
investigation launched three months after the 2018 “Velvet Revolution” that 
brought Pashinian to power.
Later in 2018, law-enforcement authorities also launched a fraud inquiry into 
Armenia’s gas distribution network owned by Russia’s Gazprom giant. They have 
not indicted any senior network executives either. Russian officials have 
complained about this probe as well.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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