Author: Vanyan Gary

 12:36, 20 March, 2020

YEREVAN, MARCH 20, ARMENPRESS. Armenia’s Central Bank doesn’t see risk of increase in inflation under the current state of emergency in the country, CBA Board member Artur Stepanyan said at a press conference on the topic relating to inflation and macro-economic stability.           

“On March 17 we reduced the refinancing rate in case when many countries in our region raised it or kept unchanged. It’s clear that in such situation the role of the monetary-credit policy is limited as it’s impossible to have an effect on the real economic developments and separate parts of the economy with the tools of this policy because of the ongoing health problems caused by the novel coronavirus. But it’s important to continue maintaining the macroeconomic stability which will enable the government to more effectively ensure the targeted actions connected with the various sectors of the economy. At the same time, as starting from 2015 we have low inflationary environment, and currently as well the inflation is quite low, with this step we allow to balance the economic activity and our price stability, economic development goals. The inflationary expectations are anchored for sufficient time, and here we carried out a certain enlargement policy. I can state for sure that the inflation will remain at a low level in coming months”, Stepanyan said.

The CBA official stated that the Bank conducts daily monitoring of economy and financial markets, discusses various alternative scenarios for the further development of the economy and is ready to respond to any development. At the same time, in order to keep the efficiency of the current policy the Central Bank is always in touch with the commercial banks and credit companies, as well as other participants of the financial market.

On March 16 Armenia declared a 30-day state of emergency to fight against the spread of the novel coronavirus. The state of emergency is effective until April 14, at 17:00.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan

 18:30, 11 March, 2020

YEREVAN, MARCH 11, ARMENPRESS. The Criminal Court of Appeal upheld the complaint of the lawyers of the owner of Channel 5 TV Armen Tavadyan against the decision of prolonging his detention, ARMENPRESS reports Tavadyan’s lawyer Hovhannes Khudoyan told the reporters, adding that Tavadyan will be set free.

Armen Tavadyan was jailed in December, 2019.

Heis charged under Article 340 of the Criminal Code (Bribing or forcing someone for false testimony, false conclusion or false translation).

He is charged as part of an ongoing investigation concerning an alleged attempt by a man to bribe a witness in the trial concerning ex-president Robert Kocharyan.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan

 13:05, 4 March, 2020

YEREVAN, MARH 4, ARMENPRESS. The political opening in Armenia that began with Nikol Pashinyan’s rise to the premiership in 2018 had a positive effect on Nagorno Karabakh during 2019, according to the Freedom in the World 2020 report published by the Freedom House.

According to the report, “there was an increase in competition and civil society activity surrounding local elections in September, and the stage was set for further changes in the 2020 elections for Nagorno Karabakh’s president and parliament. Unfortunately, the Eurasia region’s other breakaway territories, which are all occupied by Russian troops, remained locked in a pattern of stagnation or decline in political rights and civil liberties”.

The report in general registered a grim picture in Eurasia in terms of human rights and fundamental freedoms, but states that some positive signs were evident in several of the region’s Partly Free environments, including in Armenia and Ukraine.

As for the other regions of the world, the report says democracy faces obstacles around the world in 2020. Not only China, Russia and Iran, but also a number of other countries with democracy traditions recorded a regress. In terms of freedoms, the worst condition is recorded in Syria, Eritrea, South Sudan, Turkmenistan and North Korea.

 09:47,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 28, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian addressed message in the memory of the victims of the carnage organized in Soviet Azerbaijan and Day of Protection of the Rights of the Expelled Armenian Population, the Presidential Office told Armenpress.

The message says:

“Dear Compatriots:

Today is the 32nd anniversary of the tragic events in Sumgait town of Azerbaijan. In those days in February, 1988, supported by the criminal acquiescence of the authorities of Soviet Azerbaijan, local armed gangs in Sumgait executed mass violence against the Armenian population, which mounted to massacres, accompanied by torture, rape, looting, and torching of the Armenian property. As a result of the crime instigated and carried out at the state level multiple citizens of the Armenian origin were killed, many were injured, subjected to violence, and deported.

Violence and savageries against Armenians in Sumgait, and later in Baku, Kirovabad, and Maragha in their nature were reminiscent of the horrendous days of the Armenian Genocide of 1915. They also resulted in xenophobia and especially Armenophobia enthused in Azerbaijan for decades which today has become even more pronounced and have acquired state-sponsored and state-coordinated features.

Recalling the tragic events, which happened more than 32 years ago, paying tribute to our compatriots, who became victims, and proclaiming February 28 in Armenia and Artsakh the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Carnage Organized in Soviet Azerbaijan and Day of Protection of the Rights of the Expelled Armenian Population, we also send a message to the humankind that civilization cannot develop guided by fascism, national discrimination, and xenophobia.

Each case which goes unpunished, each distorted fact, each life taken based on hatred means a new opening and possibility for tragedy, it means complicity with those who perpetrate xenophobia, instigators and those who use it as a weapon. It also means incessant waves of hatred in the region, unhindered path to ethnic cleansing, and ultimately to the gravest crime against humanity – genocide.

The tragedy in Sumgait and Armenians affected by it were the immediate victims of homophobia and Armenophobia. Keeping the road open for the “Brown plague” today too, manifests disrespect to the memory of all those who fell victims of fascism and xenophobia.

I bow to the memory of all those who became victims of the Azerbaijani violence in Sumgait and Baku.

May they rest in peace”.