Author: Khoyetsian Rose

Opposition MP Tigran Abrahamyan addresses criminal cases against military personnel

Khoyetsian Rose
panorama.am
Armenia – Feb 5 2022

MP Tigran Abrahamyan from the opposition With Honor faction has visited arrested military officers at the Nubarashen penitentiary.

“At different stages, I have met with a large number of military personnel arrested as part of a criminal probe into the 44-day war, the incidents in Hin Tagher and Khtsaberd villages, as well as the Azerbaijani aggression of November 16, 2021,” he wrote on Facebook on Saturday.

“Naturally, I can’t claim that the military men involved in different cases have not made any mistake, but each case needs an individual approach.

“The mess created by the authorities, their inaction, the backstage arrangements, the crisis provoked in the army, the transformation of the military into a target, which had a huge impact both on the 44-day war and the situation with the villages of Hin Tagher and Khtsaberd in the Hadrut region, as well as the November 16 Azerbaijani aggression, are not taken into account in the criminal cases.

“I am used to meeting soldiers in military units and combat outposts in general, and It’s hard for me to meet with them at penitentiary institutions –  prison cells,” the lawmaker said.

He highlighted that many of the military personnel facing prosecution have served in the army for decades, have taken part in various combat operations, including during the April 2016 and the 44-day wars, and have been honored with awards.

Stating that such a situation in the military was predictable given the policy of the current authorities, Abrahamyan said its “dire consequences will soon have other manifestations”.

Production of Turkish Bayraktar UAVs will be expanded in Ukraine

Khoyetsian Rose

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 19:37, 3 February, 2022

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 3, ARMENPRESS. Ukraine and Turkey have signed an agreement to expand production of Turkish Bayraktar UAVs in Ukraine, ARMENPRESS reports, citing “RIA Novosti”, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said.

“An agreement was signed today, which will significantly expand the production of “Bayraktar” UAVs in Ukraine. These are new technologies, these are new jobs, an increase in Ukraine’s defense capabilities,” Zelensky said after talks with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.

Media report about Armenia President Sarkissian is sent to National Security Service

Khoyetsian Rose
  News.am  
Armenia – Jan 25 2022
15:28, 25.01.2022

The prosecutor’s office has sent to the National Security Service (NSS) the report of Hetq online newspaper about Armen Sarkissian being a citizen of another country before becoming the President of Armenia, according to Gor Abrahamyan, Adviser to the Prosecutor General.

As per Abrahamyan, this report was sent to the NSS considering the fact that a criminal case was initiated back in April 2021 on the grounds of falsifying documents in order to conceal Sarkissian’s dual citizenship. And this report will be reviewed within the framework of this criminal case.

Hetq, citing the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), on Monday publicized an investigation, according to which Armen Sarkissian, in addition to being an Armenian citizen, was also a citizen of another country—at least before becoming the President off Armenia.

According to the website, Sarkissian was also a citizen of Saint Kitts and Nevis. As per Hetq’s information, the incumbent Armenian President—who has submitted his resignation—had a St. Kitts and Nevis passport, and this was confirmed during a correspondence with Sarkissian.

Under the Armenian Constitution, however, one of the requirements for the President is to be only an Armenian citizen for the last six years and to live permanently in Armenia for the last six years.

“President Armen Sarkissian mentioned several reasons in his letter of resignation. But we believe that they have little to do with his resignation. In our opinion, the [real] reason for his resignation is but one: he was a citizen of another country—at least before he became President. (…). Let us note that this country [i.e., Saint Kitts and Nevis] is not the United Kingdom, of which Armen Sarkissian was a citizen and which became known before he was elected [President],” Hetq had written, in particular.

COVID-19: Over 2700 people in Armenia received booster shot so far

Khoyetsian Rose

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 10:15,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 17, ARMENPRESS. So far, a total of 2736 people in Armenia received a booster shot against COVID-19, the ministry of health said today.

The total number of COVID-19 vaccinations in the country is 1 million 761 thousand 529, of which the number of fully vaccinated is 784,849.

The following vaccinations are available in Armenia: Coronavac (only the second dose), AstraZeneca, Sputnik-V, Sinopharm and Moderna. Armenia also offers Sputnik Light vaccine which can be used as a booster shot.

Vaccinations are free of charge.

Opening of borders with Turkey without preconditions in Armenia’s interests – Vice Speaker of Parliament

Khoyetsian Rose

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 15:09,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 17, ARMENPRESS. Armenia’s agenda for the negotiations with Turkey has not changed, it continues to be the opening of borders and establishment of diplomatic relations without preconditions, Vice Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Hakob Arshakyan told reporters today.

“Since Armenia’s independence, the country’s borders are tense, and we had thousands of losses both during the war and the peaceful times. I think that the peace agenda we are currently pushing forward and for which we received a mandate from our people is directed to that purpose in order to ensure the security of our borders and Armenia as soon as possible so that no soldier will be killed in peaceful times, so that Armenia will never appear in wars”, Arshakyan said.

As for the recent meeting of the special envoys of Armenia and Turkey, Arshakyan said that it was their first meeting and it’s normal that there is not so much information.

“The first meeting took place, people got acquainted with one another, our side has presented its agenda on what we are interested in, the Turkish side brought its agenda, and a discussion has taken place. After that discussions the sides left for their capitals to clarify and discuss that agenda issues”, the Vice Speaker commented.

Asked what Armenia is interested in, Hakob Arshakyan said Armenia is interested in the opening of borders and the establishment of diplomatic relations without preconditions.

“Our agenda has not changed. All authorities of independent Armenia have announced that our agenda for talks with Turks is the following – the borders must be opened and diplomatic relations must be established with Turkey without preconditions”, he said.

Asked what trust there is that Turkey won’t push forward preconditions, the Vice Speaker said that there is such a risk. He reminded that those meetings, negotiations are taking place at Russia’s mediation, the Russian foreign ministry also has a positive reaction. “I hope that with the help of also international partners we will be able to solve the issue of opening borders, establishing diplomatic ties. And this derives from Armenia’s interests”, the Vice Speaker of Parliament added.

The first meeting of the special envoys of Armenia and Turkey for the dialogue between the two countries was held in the Russian capital of Moscow on January 14.




NATO welcomes the first meeting between the Armenian and Turkish special representatives

Khoyetsian Rose
panorama.am
Armenia – Jan 15 2022

NATO welcomes the meeting in Moscow between the special envoys of Armenia and Turkey, the NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia wrote on Twitter.  

“NATO supports the normalisation of their relations, which will help in bringing stability to the region, and we encourage Ankara and Yerevan to make further efforts,” the Special Representative tweeted on January 14. 

To note, the special envoys from Armenia and Turkey, Ruben Rubinyan and Serdar Kilic, met in Moscow on Friday for the first round of talks to normalize relations between the two countries.

History of Armenian Genocide to be taught in Massachusetts schools

Khoyetsian Rose

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 15:34,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 14, ARMENPRESS. The history of the Armenian Genocide will be taught in middle and high schools in the U.S. state of Massachusetts after legislative amendments were passed.

A group of lawmakers had presented genocide education bill No. 692 for the Massachusetts Senate and House of Representatives approval in February 2021, and it was signed into law by the Governor on December 2, 2021.

The law will take effect from the beginning of the new academic year – July 1, 2022, the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute said in a press release.

The amendments to the compulsory education law seek “ to achieve and promote the teaching of human rights issues in all districts, with particular attention to the study of the inhumanity of genocide, including but not limited to the Holocaust, the Armenian Genocide, the Famine-Genocide in Ukraine known as Holodomor, the Pontian Greek Genocide, the forcible transport of Africans to the Americas in the slave trade in the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries, the violence committed against indigenous people in the Americas, and more recent atrocities in Bosnia, Cambodia, Rwanda, and Sudan, there shall be established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a separate fund to be known as the Genocide Education Trust Fund for the purpose of educating middle and high school students on the history of genocide.”

“The administration of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute welcomed the passage of the bill and sent a letter of gratitude to Senator Rodriguez. In the letter, we underscored genocide education as a preventive factor of the crime, its importance for Armenia and the Armenian nation, and expressed readiness to support the Massachusetts department of education and the state’s educational institutions with materials,” the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute said.

MVRDV’s reveals plans for ‘visionary valley of Eden’ in Armenia

Khoyetsian Rose
Design Boom
Jan 12 2022

 

MVRDV has announced its plans to transform an existing valley in armenia into a base for sustainable agriculture and ecotourism. gagarin valley is already inhabited by around 11,000 inhabitants across several villages but this ambitious masterplan will add 12,000 new housing units, 10,000 plant species, and a host of innovative facilities such as a spherical building for agricultural education at the heart of the valley.

 

the massive project was commissioned by the armenian non-profit organisation DAR foundation for regional development and competitiveness, and MVRDV’s proposal was unveiled on tuesday (january 11th, 2022) to armenian government officials. 

image © MVRDV

 

 

named after cosmonaut yuri gagarin, gagarin valley is situated in armenia’s mountainous highlands, close to lake sevan and just only 50 km from the capital yerevan. the landscape comprises a patchwork of different plots of land across a 34,000-hectare area.

 

the goal of this project, developed by MVRDV and local partners, is to make the valley an attractive destination for both future residents and ecotourists—in line with armenia’s aim to attract 2.5 million tourists a year by 2026.

the agro center will be located at the heart of the valley

 

 

MVRDV’s proposal begins by preserving and reinforcing the 10,000 plots and the existing roads in the valley. a network of walking and cycling paths will then be added to connect all the villages. the plans also include planting different species on each plot to make the landscape visually more attractive and stimulate economic diversity.

 

water management will be improved with the restoration and enlargement of the route of the hrazdan river, a new canal system, water reservoirs in the mountains, and other water sources to irrigate farmland. canals, public paths and greenery will also be inserted along boundary lines to improve the water system. 

 

‘the area is named after yuri gagarin, who was the first human to orbit the earth; he saw the planet’s vulnerability, a house in need of extra care, as many other astronauts have since stressed. I share that concern: stimulating biodiversity, improving water management and the ecosystem is of great importance for the future of the gagarin valley and the world,’ says MVRDV founding partner winy maas. ‘the valley can be seen as a series of test fields for the 10,000 species that will soon flourish there, an enrichment that will give the area the appearance of a garden of eden.’ 

stacked vertical villages will have green roofs

 

 

as for the architecture, MVRDV proposes to transform existing buildings—some of which date from the soviet era—into new buildings to reduce material wastage. traditional armenian farmhouses will form the inspiration for the newly built homes, to which green, vegetated roofs will be added. this new future and the innovative, sustainable housing will make the valley attractive for different target groups and make the area attractive again for young armenians.

existing buildings, some from soviet times, will be transformed to waste as little building material as possible

 

the proposed facilities include a market hall, a commercial center, a center for the arts, and a sunken stadium for 4,500 visitors. the heart of the valley will be formed by an educational agricultural center, around which the highest density can be found, with houses stacked to form vertical villages.

 

‘we designed a sphere that acts as mini-planet, where the classrooms surround a spherical void and where all the species of the valley and beyond are shown and monitored’, adds maas. ‘the sphere will be surrounded by a central park that contains all the species – a scientific arboretum, reflected in the mirroring sphere. gagarin would have loved it, I think.’



10,000 different species will be planted in the valley



project info:

 

name: gagarin valley

location: gagarin, armenia

year: 2022
client: DAR foundation for regional development and competitiveness
size and program: 33,828 hectares – agricultural & eco-tourism masterplan, housing 35,000 residents (11,000 current residents + 24,000 newcomers)

architect: MVRDV
founding partner in charge: winy maas
director: enno zuidema
design team: emilie koch, chun hoi hui, luisa correa de oliveira, nahid aghaie tabrizi, dirco kok, amrei gutmann, tasos antonopoulos, hadi boudouch
sustainability advisor: daniel de witte
strategy and development: elija kozak
copyright: MVRDV winy maas, jacob van rijs, nathalie de vries

 

partners:
client team: DAR foundation for regional development and competitiveness (arsen aghajanyan, margarita gevorgyan, sarhat petrosyan, ani aghajanyan, aram gharibyan, nune manukyan, arevik abrahamyan, alvard avetisyan, hayk bianjyan, vladimir bianjyan, seda grigoryan, angelika tamaryan, anahit nahapetyan)
water management: deltares (begona arellano jaimerena, perry de louw)

visualizations: A2 studio (rafal hanski)
economic consultant: CIVITTA armenia
terms of reference: storaket architectural studio
tangible heritage research: mazaz expedition team
intangible heritage research: hazarashen armenian center for ethnographic research
biodiversity research: armen gasparyan, ivan gabrielyan, arthur alaverdyan, vasil ananyan

hydrological research: alexander arakelyan
GIS creation: artak piloyan
model assistants: varant yessaye hadjian, marat mayilyan, ani avetisyan, gayane aramyan, liparit atabekyan, isabella harutyunyan, grigor nalchajyan

For more photos, go to 

No case of COVID Omicron variant reported in Armenia so far

Khoyetsian Rose

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 17:25, 5 January, 2022

YEREVAN, JANUARY 5, ARMENPRESS. All procedures developed by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Armenia related to coronavirus disease are valid for all variants, Romella Abovyan, Head of the Epidemiology Department of Infectious and Non-Infectious Diseases of the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the RA Ministry of Health said at the press conference at ARMENPRESS media hall, referring to the observation that Omicron variant has usually milder course.

“Yes, international organizations say that in countries where there is an Omicron variant, the disease has still mild course. Of course, this does not change anything about coronavirus disease procedures. No matter if it is a Delta or an Omicron variant, all the procedures developed by the ministry related to the coronavirus are in force”, Romella Abovyan said, adding that Omicron variant has not yet been reported in Armenia.

Turkish Press: Turkish, Armenian special envoys to hold normalisation talks in Russia

Khoyetsian Rose
Dec 27 2021
Moscow is set to host the first meeting between Turkish and Armenian special envoys to discuss steps for normalising ties between the two countries.

Speaking at a year-end evaluation of Turkiye’s foreign policy, Turkiye’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday the special envoys of each country should first speak over the phone and decide on the date and place of a face-to-face meeting.

“Our impression is that the first meeting will take place in Moscow, as Armenia desires. Aside from the first meeting, we also want communication to be held directly … We have mutually appointed special envoys to speak directly,” Cavusoglu said.

He said a roadmap towards normalising ties needed to be set, adding that this would be on the first meeting’s agenda.

Noting that charter flights between Turkiye and Armenia would soon begin, he reiterated that Turkiye was pursuing its normalisation discussions in consultation and coordination with Azerbaijan.

READ MORE: Turkiye, Armenia resume flights as normalisation looms

Positive rhetoric

Armenia’s rhetoric has so far been positive, said the Turkiye’s top diplomat, adding that Turkiye wanted to action, as well.

Citing the attempts in 2009 by Turkiye and Armenia to normalise relations, Cavusoglu said that though this previous attempt had been conducted in “good faith,” the new process was separate.

“Within the framework of this process, new steps must be taken to normalise relations. This will be important for the stability, peace, and prosperity of the Caucasus,” he said.

On December 15, Turkiye appointed Serdar Kilic, a former ambassador to the US, as its special envoy to discuss steps for normalisation with Armenia. 

Three days later, Armenia also appointed its special representative for dialogue with Turkiye, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Ruben Rubinyan.

READ MORE: Turkiye, Armenia appoint special envoys for normalisation talks

Azerbaijan supports normalisation

Azerbaijan “fully supports” the normalisation of relations between neighboring Turkiye and Armenia, the Azerbaijani foreign minister said on Monday.

Speaking at a year-end evaluation of Azerbaijan’s foreign policy, Jeyhun Bayramov said Azerbaijan and Turkiye favor relations with all countries on the basis of international law.

“The basis for the normalisation of interstate relations can only be international law,” he said. 

“Both Azerbaijan and Turkiye have always shown this attitude. We’re in favor of improving our relations with all countries and neighbors on the basis of international law, and we are doing this. The exception so far on this list has been Armenia. We offer the same proposal to Armenia.”