Author: Toneyan Mark

IMF staff to increase financial support to Armenia by about $175,000,000

Toneyan Mark
News.am, Armenia
April 9 2020

23:17, 09.04.2020
                  

The team of the International Monetary Fund reaches a staff level agreement with the Armenian authorities for the completion of the second review of Armenia’s reform program, which is supported by the IMF. End-of-Mission press releases include statements of IMF staff teams that convey preliminary findings after a visit to a country.

The press release reads as follows:

“An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team led by Nathan Porter conducted discussions on the second review of Armenia’s reform program supported by the IMF Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) during March 12-April 8, 2020. At the conclusion of the mission, Mr. Porter issued the following statement:

“We are happy to announce that the IMF team reached a staff-level agreement with the Armenian authorities on the conclusion of the second review under their economic reform program supported by a three-year SBA. The agreement is subject to approval by the IMF’s Executive Board, which is scheduled to consider the review in mid-May. The staff will also recommend an increase in IMF financial support for Armenia by SDR128.80 million (about US$175 million), which together with the authorities’ intention to draw purchase rights accumulated under the SBA would make SDR 206 million (about US$280 million) available to be disbursed immediately after the Board meeting. Such an increase is justified in the context of the urgent balance of payments financing needs resulting from the consequences of the spread of the COVID-19 virus. This financing will be allocated to the budget to help the authorities’ efforts in meeting urgent medical and socio-economic needs during the peak of the virus outbreak, thereby preserving the gains in economic potential and inclusion that Armenia has achieved over recent years.

“As elsewhere, the current global crisis will significantly weaken Armenia’s near-term economic outlook. Although projections are subject to very high uncertainty, since the duration of the containment measures is hard to predict, economic growth is expected at -1.5 percent in 2020 given COVID-related restrictions on domestic mobility and activity, substantially lower external demand, tighter financial conditions, and disruptions in global trade and supply chains.

“The authorities are appropriately focused on measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 and ensure that Armenia’s health system is ready to meet the needs of the population. They have been working to equip the Ministry of Health with additional resources and legislative powers to expeditiously acquire necessary goods and equipment. Staff also welcomes the authorities’ economic policy response aimed at aiding businesses and vulnerable people in order to avoid more permanent socio-economic damage. This response is framed around a set of measures announced to be about 2 percent of GDP that include liquidity provision to businesses, direct labor subsidies, and lump sum transfers to vulnerable individuals. The authorities are committed to ensure strong governance and transparency in implementation of these programs. Staff encourages the authorities to continuously monitor the implementation of these measures to ensure their effectiveness and evenhanded coverage.

“The fiscal deficit in 2020 is expected to widen to about 5 percent of GDP, due to lower revenues and higher spending on healthcare and economic support. The emerging financing gap would be closed by mobilizing financing from the IMF and other partners to complement that available from domestic capital market. While the government debt is projected to exceed 60 percent of GDP in 2020, as the crisis abates, the authorities are committed to the medium-term fiscal goal of debt sustainability, which will see government debt-to-GDP gradually decline over the medium term in line with Armenia’s fiscal rule, while maintaining space for investment and social spending.

“The Central Bank of Armenia has moved quickly to respond to the COVID-19 crisis within its dual mandate of price and financial stability. It promptly reduced the policy rate to boost inflation and support economic activity, yet it stands ready to adjust policies in case of capital outflow pressures and disorderly exchange rate movements to preserve financial stability. Domestic financial markets have generally functioned smoothly since the onset of the pandemic helped by CBA liquidity provision. The CBA’s regulatory and supervisory responses have been appropriately balancing the goals of preserving financial stability, maintaining banking system soundness, and sustaining economic activity.

“Beyond the short term, staff welcomes the authorities’ intention to continued economic reform aimed at lifting inclusive and resilient growth, safeguarding social spending, bolstering financial sector resilience, and enhancing business climate and governance.”

Rwandan, Armenian Genocides Remembered in April

Toneyan Mark
Voice of America
April 6 2020
05:38 AM
Two major genocides are being memorialized in April…the 1994 mass killings in Rwanda and the Armenian genocide of a century ago. A husband-and-wife team of researchers are now publishing oral testimonies from the Rwandan atrocities. Mike O’Sullivan reports.
By

Mike O’Sullivan
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Armenian official: Authorities don’t run statistics on cases of teachers infected with COVID-19

Toneyan Mark
News.am, Armenia
April 7 2020
Armenian official: Authorities don’t run statistics on cases of teachers infected with COVID-19 Armenian official: Authorities don’t run statistics on cases of teachers infected with COVID-19

17:44, 07.04.2020
                  

The government doesn’t run statistics on separate cases of teachers infected with coronavirus. This is what Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Armenia Zhanna Andreasyan told reporters today.

According to her, in some sense, the release of these statistics may be considered release of personal data, but, in any case, there is no need to run these statistics.

Andreasyan also recalled the cases of contacts that a student of a school in Etchmiadzin had had after testing positive for coronavirus and added that the government had taken all the necessary measures and had even isolated people. However, the deputy minister fell short of stating that one of the main reasons for the outbreak of coronavirus in Etchmiadzin was the government’s decision to resume classes on schools on March 9 in order to not cancel the campaign for a referendum to make amendments to a particular article of the Constitution.

Armenia Parliament approves sensational bill in second and final reading

Toneyan Mark
News.am, Armenia
March 31 2020

23:33, 31.03.2020

After the second try and in the second and final reading, the Parliament of Armenia today approved the package of bills on making supplements to the Law on the Legal Regime of State of Emergency and related laws that had been proposed by the government. Moreover, the deputies of the ruling My Step Alliance were the only ones who supported the legislative initiative.

The deputies of the Bright Armenia and Prosperous Armenia political parties had boycotted the vote.

The amendments to the laws envisage that, during the regime of state of emergency, the relevant authorities will have access to collection of public data in the electronic network. The government will have the opportunity to track citizens, their movement, Internet connection and contacts, the phone numbers linked to them, the readdressing of the particular phone number, as well as the phone calls, their duration, but, based on the assurances of the Ministry of Justice, not the content of those phone conversations. The changes of personal data of citizens and the possibility of collecting the personal data will only apply to the period of the regime of state of emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic. The data collected during the regime of state of emergency, including personal data, must be eliminated within a month after the end of the regime. Use of data (obtained in this way) for other purposes shall be punished under Articles 144, 145 and 146 of the Criminal Code (illegal collection and publication of personal data, divulging medical secrets, illegal publication of personal correspondence).

If a citizen refuses to download the app, other measures for isolation will be envisaged in another place or apartment, and if the citizen doesn’t have a smartphone, the State might provide one.

Potato reserves in Armenia decreased by 30%

Toneyan Mark
Potato System, Russia
March 30 2020
Mar 30, 09:47
V World News 

The reduction in potato acreage in Armenia in 2019 reduced its reserves by 30%, said the Chairman of the Agrarian-Peasant Association public organization Hrach Berberyan on March 27 at a meeting with reporters.

“Last year, the sowing of potatoes, which along with bread is of strategic importance, decreased, and this year its stocks in the country are 30 percent less,” the expert said.

Berberyan noted that in addition to potatoes, there was a decrease in grain crops. He pointed out that the reduction of agricultural products per se in the domestic market and the emergence of low-quality imports are the result of the absence of subsidies to farmers. Agricultural machinery enterprises are subsidized instead of seed producers, the expert explained.      

Armenia denounces Azerbaijani disinformation on situation along shared border

Toneyan Mark
Public Radio of Armenia
April 3 2020

Armenia has denounced the systematic dissemination of disinformation by the Azerbaijani authorities concerning the situation along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, as well as on the line of contact between Artsakh and Azerbaijan.

“The actions aim to cover-up or justify Azerbaijan’s own violations of the ceasefire and international humanitarian law,” Spokesperson for the Armenian Foreign Ministry Anna Naghdalyan said in a statement.

The statement comes after the Azerbaijani side claimed Armenian forces had opened fire in the direction of Azerbaijani defense posts, villagers and farmers.

The Spokesperson reminded that on March 30, a minor of Voskevan village of Tavush region and two servicemen were wounded as a result of the ceasefire violation by the armed forces of Azerbaijan. During this military incident, the Azerbaijani armed units targeted the child within a civilian infrastructure, which is a clear violation of the international humanitarian law.

“Obviously, Azerbaijan attempts to use the suspension of monitoring exercises by the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, which is due the spread of COVID-19, in order to violate the ceasefire regime and disseminate disinformation.

“We once again reiterate our commitment to respect the calls of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and the United Nations Secretary-General to strictly observe the ceasefire and refrain from any provocative action during this period,” Naghdalyan said.

She noted that such developments particularly emphasize the importance of implementing the agreements on risk reduction and the establishment of effective international mechanisms to this end.

Asbarez: Countries Opposing Artsakh Elections Betray Democratic Values, Says ANC-International

Toneyan Mark
April 2, 2020

ANC-International

On March 31, 2020, the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) successfully held its presidential (sixth) and parliamentary (seventh) elections, with the Central Election Commission (CEC) reporting that 72.7 percent (76,728 voters) of Artsakh’s 105,540 eligible voters cast ballots at polling places across the republic.

Sadly, several individual states and international organizations responded to this exercise in democratic self-government by joining with the authoritarian regimes of Azerbaijan and Turkey in refusing to recognize and – in some cases – even condemning these elections. Others withheld direct criticism, explaining their refusal to recognize the legal framework of these presidential and parliamentary elections considering the ongoing OSCE Minsk Process for peacefully resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

We remind all those offering such ill-advised criticism that the initial OSCE/CSCE decision of March 24, 1992, which laid the very foundation for the Minsk Process, refers directly to the “elected representatives” of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) as a participant in the peace process. It goes without saying, that, in order to have “elected representatives,” elections must be held, meaning that these Artsakh elections are not at odds with the OSCE but, rather, fully in line with the foundational OSCE agreements at the heart of the Minsk Group process.

The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, in their March 31, 2020, statement on these elections, properly noted that they “recognize the role of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh in deciding its future.” Yet they contradict this commonsense conclusion by saying that these elections – and the leaders democratically chosen by this free and fair electoral process – do not have any bearing on the legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh. They further seek to dismiss the human and civil rights of Artsakh citizens by saying “that Nagorno-Karabakh is not recognized as an independent and sovereign state by any of the Co-Chair countries or any other country,” when such rights are inalienable and not contingent upon any third party acceptance or agreement. Having rejected democracy for Artsakh and denied its citizens the right to vote, the OSCE Co-Chairs seemingly believe that this population should be represented by means other than popular elections.

States and state-level bodies aligning with the corrupt and authoritarian Azerbaijani government’s attack on free and fair Artsakh elections do a disservice to their own international commitments and obligations to uphold and defend the universal principle that: “All peoples have the right of self-determination,” including the right to freely determine their political status through “genuine periodic elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret ballot, guaranteeing the free _expression_ of the will of the electors.” (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 19 December 1966).

The Armenian National Committee-International, in cooperation with partner organizations worldwide, will continue to strive for the international recognition of the right to self-determination of the people of Artsakh and of independence of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). We expect, in fact, we demand, that states and international organizations claiming to be committed to human rights, justice, and peace refrain from any actions hindering the exercise of these rights and freedoms by the people of Artsakh to self-determination. The international community is obliged to assist Artsakh to express the will of its population through free and fair elections.

ARMENIAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE-INTERNATIONAL

President of Artsakh offers condolences over death of French politician Patrick Devedjian

Toneyan Mark

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 12:37,

STEPANAKERT, MARCH 30, ARMENPRESS. President of Artsakh Bako Sahakyan sent a condolence letter to the family of prominent French political figure of Armenian origin Patrick Devedjian, the Presidential Office told Armenpress.

The letter runs as follows:

“We have learnt with deep sorrow in Artsakh about the death of prominent French political figure of Armenian origin, great patriot Patrick Devedjian.

He has made an invaluable contribution to the recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the defense of the Armenian Cause, contributing in every possible way to the preservation of the Armenian national identity in the Diaspora, the development of ties with Artsakh and the resolution of national issues.

Patrick Devedjian’s death is a huge loss for all of us.

On behalf of the Artsakh people, authorities and myself personally I extend my deepest condolences and support to all the relatives and friends of the deceased, and wish them endurance and tenacity”.

Mother See to offer Prayer for the Republic on Saturday

Toneyan Mark
Panorama, Armenia
March 28 2020

Under the presidency of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, a Prayer for the Republic will be offered in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin for the homeland and nation on Saturday, March 28.

On this occasion, one of the greatest sanctities of the Armenian Church, the Right Hand of St. Gregory the Illuminator will be brought out, the press service of the Mother See reports.

The Armenian faithful will be able to watch the service broadcast live from the Mother See at 6pm on the Armenian Public TV and Shoghakat TV Company.