Author: Khoyetsian Rose

Photo: Sputnik/ Alexey Filippov

 

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) will exert necessary efforts to guarantee the participation of Russia’s representative in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 hosted by Ukraine, the chairman of the Reference Group of the Eurovision said, reports.

Children in Armenia start thinking about their careers at a very young age — around six months or so, Bryant Rousseau writes in . 

When an infant’s first tooth arrives, typically in four to seven months, a celebration takes place known variously as the “agra hadig” or “atam hatik.”

As part of the ritual, objects symbolizing different professions are arrayed in front of a child: a microphone for an entertainer, a stethoscope for a doctor, scissors for a tailor or money for a banker. Whichever object the baby chooses first is thought to be a sign of where the child’s professional aptitude lies.

With the appearance of teeth, a child can begin to eat solid food, and the acquisition of this skill is believed to be a propitious time to foretell what the future holds, said Yulia Antonyan, a professor in the department of cultural studies at Yerevan State University in Armenia’s capital.

There are no obligatory objects, but sets available for purchase will often include traditional artisan tools and choices epitomizing a more modern lifestyle. Parents are free to add to or omit from the mix as they wish.

The ceremony begins by pouring various cereal grains over and around the child. Typically but not always, the baby’s head is protected by a piece of fabric, a pair of hands or sometimes even an umbrella.

The ritual sprinkling is thought to ensure that the child will have healthy, even teeth. It could also have fertility associations, akin to throwing rice at a wedding, according to Levon Abrahamian, a cultural anthropologist in Yerevan.

Today, teeth-shaped cakes, toys, candy and balloons are popular party favors at these celebrations, which are widely practiced in Armenia and across the Armenian diaspora.

In the earliest written references to the ritual, from the 19th century, just two objects were put before the teething child. The prediction then was not about an adult profession but the sex of the next sibling: Grasping a knife meant a brother was on the way, a comb (or mirror) a sister.

“The divination for the future profession was developed much later in the urbanized and modernized environment of Soviet Armenia and the diaspora,” Professor Antonyan said, “when the future career would determine the baby’s life.”

President Serzh Sargsyan has signed a decree, relieving Oleg Yesayan of the duties of Armenia’s Ambassador Extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Russia.

According to another presidential decree, Vardan Toghanyan has been appointed Armenia’s Ambassador to Russia.

Photo: Reuters

 

South Korea’s President Park Geun-hye has become the country’s first democratically elected leader to be forced from office, the BBC  reports.

Judges unanimously upheld Parliament’s decision to impeach Ms Park over her role in a corruption scandal involving close friend Choi Soon-sil.

She now loses her presidential immunity and could face criminal charges.

There have been angry scenes outside the court, as supporters of Ms Park protested against the verdict.

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported that two people had died, including one elderly man who fell from a police van. The details are still emerging.

The Freedom House ranks Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh as “partly free” in its Freedom in the World 2017 report.

Armenia’s neighbors Georgia and Turkey are also ‘partly free,’ while Azerbaijan and Iran are ranked as ‘not free.’

Armenia’s partners in the Eurasian Economic Union Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan are listed among ‘not free’ countries. Kyrgyzstan is ranked as ‘partly free.’

Freedom in the World is an annual global report on political rights and civil liberties, composed of numerical ratings and descriptive texts for each country and a select group of related and disputed territories. The 2017 edition covers developments in 195 countries and 14 territories from January 1, 2016, through December 31, 2016.

Freedom in the World assesses the real-world rights and freedoms enjoyed by individuals, rather than governments or government performance per se. Political rights and civil liberties can be affected by both state and nonstate actors, including insurgents and other armed groups.

The Danish Parliament is set to vote on an Armenian Genocide bill on January 26.

The lawmakers had 2.5 hours of discussions on the issue on January 19. Danish Foreign Minister Aners Samuelsen said in his opening remarks he stands against adoption of the documents and urged to leave the issue to historians, President of the National Press Club Narine Mkrtchyan reported from Copenhagen.

Part of the MPs backed the Foreign Minister’s stance, urging not to put the bill on a vote at the plenary sitting.

Others agreed with the bill, but called to think about the consequences. A third group of lawmakers expressed their unequivocal support for the adoption of the resolution.

The Parliament is proposed to adopt the following text:

“The Parliament confirms its decision no. V 54 of 19 May 2015 on the tragic and bloody events that took place in eastern Anatolia in the period 1915-1923. The Danish Parliament finds that the best path to reconciliation will be an open dialogue about the story on the basis of a free and uncensored history research, including the release of all official documents from the period. The Parliament regrets that Turkish law prohibits citizens and media to use the term “genocide” about the events, and considers this to be an unreasonable restriction of both academic freedom as freedom of expression relates to the use of this term. Parliament maintains its parliamentary tradition not to issue judgments about historical events.”

A seven-member family was killed in Gyumri on this day two years ago. Soldier Valry Permyakov from the Russian military base #102 in Gyumri entered  Avetisyans’ house and killed six. The youngest member of the family, Seryozha Avetisyan succumbed to injuries days later.

On August 23, a court in Armenia sentenced Permyakov to life in prison. He was found guilty on all accounts including murder, assault related to robbery and attempt to cross the border illegally.

The family, including a six-month-old baby, was killed as a result of an armed assault on January 12, 2015. Valery Permyakov, a soldier at a Russian base in the Armenian town of Gyumri, was arrested and later charged with the murder of two or more persons under the Armenian Criminal Code.

On August 12, 2015, Permyakov was found guilty of desertion, theft of weapons and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The murder case was singled out for considering it in a separate procedure and passed to the Armenian authorities.

On October 13, 2015, Permyakov was found sane despite certain deviations. According to experts, he was not in the heat of passion while committing the crime and could recognize the consequences of his actions.

On October 16, he was additionally charged with armed assault, home-invasion robbery and attempted border crossing.

 

 

 

An agreement of cooperation on research at the archeological site of Karmir Blur (Red Hill) has been signed between the Armenian Ministry of Culture and the Hermitage Museum.

The agreement was signed today between Armenian Minister of Culture Armen Amiryan and Director General of the Hermitage Museum Mikhail Piotrovski.

“The agreement envisages joint expeditions and scientific research on the territory of Karmir Blur, research of Armenian scholars at State Hermitage, organization of an international conference dedicated to the 2800^th anniversary of Yerevan, etc.,” Mikhail Piotrovski said.

He informed that Yerevan will host Days of Hermitage, which will mark the start of new steps and progress towards development of the rich scientific, educational and cultural traditions formed by several generations of intellectuals.

“The layers of cooperation are diverse, and it was necessary to sign the agreement to outline the framework and timetable of joint work,” Minister of Culture Armen Amiryan said. According to him, the deal will help popularize the Armenian culture worldwide.

The Minister is confident that the research at Karmir Blur will become a source of interesting findings not only for Armenia, but also the world, at large.

“Karmir Blur occupies an aria of 40 hectares, but only 10% of it has been studied. Therefore, there is a huge material to study,” said Gagik Gyurjyan, Director of the Erebuni Historic and Archaeological Museum Reserve.

Armenia and the World Bank have signed a US$50 million development policy finance operation to support the Government’s reforms program across key economic areas. The Fourth Development Policy Financing (DPF-4) for Armenia supports a wide range of reforms promoting fiscal, social and environmental sustainability and strengthening competitiveness. This is the last operation in a programmatic series of four DPFs spanning 2013-2016.

“We aim to support macroeconomic stability in Armenia. This operation will help to improve the country’s competitiveness and business environment, and enhance employment opportunities”, said Laura E. Bailey, World Bank Country Manager for Armenia. “The DPF series are based on a longstanding partnership between the Bank and Armenia and builds on previous operations. The current series is focused on supporting the Government in addressing challenges faced by the country with high external vulnerability and persistent unemployment.”

The first pillar of this operation includes measures for improving the financial sustainability of key sectors and the efficiency of social protection programs while enhancing environmental safeguards in the mining industry, which accounts for over half of Armenia’s exports. The second pillar, on improving competitiveness, focuses on strengthening the business environment and improving trade facilitation and connectivity, as well as access to credit.

Key milestones supported by this operation include the enactment of the Unified Tax Code, which will address shortcomings in the tax system, and increase the fiscal space for growth-enhancing capital investment and social spending. It includes measures to enhance revenues, improve the efficiency, transparency and equity of the tax system, and to strengthen tax administration.

“The new Code is a major step forward in the tax policy reform, as it unifies and harmonizes what were previously two different sets of tax laws, bringing them together into a single Code. The Code will reduce the risk of rule duplication and, more importantly, of inconsistencies across different tax laws. By revisiting the level and structure of income taxes, reducing the number of exemptions and tax gaps, increasing excise taxes and strengthening coverage of high-wealth individuals and large companies, the Code will lead to higher revenue mobilization in the medium-term,” said Gohar Gyulumyan, World Bank Co-Task Team Leader of the Project.

The program supports several reforms aimed at enhancing environmental safeguard legislation. In particular, the amendments to the Mining Code to align with the Law on Waste Management will reduce the negative environmental impacts from mining operations and preserve the asset endowment for households in rural areas, which often depend on income from agricultural activity.

Another focus area of this operation is improvement in the business environment, through enactment of the amendments to the Law on Bankruptcy, which strikes a better balance between creditors’ and debtors’ rights. The operation also supports increasing transparency and reliability of the financial sector by enacting regulations to ensure disclosure of beneficial ownership of financial institutions and groups.

The Fourth DPF, totaling US$50 million, is an IBRD loan with a fixed spread with a 14.5-year grace period and repayment of 25 years.

Since joining the World Bank in 1992 and IDA in 1993, total IDA and IBRD commitments to Armenia amount to US$2.3 billion.

Armenia and the European Union will start talks on comprehensive air transport agreement. The negotiating groups will be formed in the near future.

“Under the planned agreement, Armenia will join the European Common Aviation Area. As a result, the parties will liberalize their markets, thus providing air companies with access to routes without restrictions, and therefore, use the capacities of the 500 mln market under unbiased and equal conditions,” the General Department of Civil Aviation of Armenia said in statement today.

On 1 December 2016 the Council adopted a mandate that will allow the Commission to start negotiations on a comprehensive air transport agreement with Armenia.

Comprehensive EU-level aviation agreements aim to increase Europe’s international connectivity, ensure a high-quality service and more choice for the passengers, and boost the international competitiveness of the EU’s aviation industry.

The agreement with Armenia will take the form of a Common Aviation Area Agreement, since Armenia is one of the countries with which the EU is creating closer ties under its neighbourhood policy.