Category: 2017

Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian is going to visit Russia to participate in the session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the CIS member states scheduled for October 10 in Sochi, The RA Foreign Ministry reports.

Today, Serzh Sargsyan received Viktor Krivopuskov, Head of the Russian Association of Friendship and Cooperation with Armenia.

During the meeting Victor Krivopuskov presented to the President of the Republic of Armenia the activities and the upcoming programs of the organization headed by him, speaking in details about the works to be done to organize the Days of Armenian Culture in Russia in the near future.

The event will be held in the field of culture, within the framework of cooperation between Armenia and Russia 2016-2018. The Head of the Russian Association of Friendship and Cooperation with Armenia informed Serzh Sargsyan that besides the capital, the Days of Armenian Culture in Russia, will be also held in Russian regions.

The President of Armenia welcomed the activity of the Russian Association aimed at deepening the Armenian-Russian relations and strengthening the friendship between the two peoples and wished them success. The President assured that the state bodies of Armenia would render all the support to the Association in the implementation of the above mentioned initiatives.

Four defendants: Zhora Zakaryan, Andranik Kocharyan, Karen Kocharyan and Davit Harutyunyan, who were charged with money laundering today, refused to give evidence during the court hearing on the caseof Samvel Babayan, the former commander of the Artsakh Defense Army, and others.

One of the defendants, Zhora Zakaryan, did not even want to comment on the charge. Arshak Vardanyan, judge of the Court of General Jurisdiction of Kentron and Nork-Marash Administrative Districts of Yerevan, asked “Do you insist on your preliminary testimony? Don’t you have a wish to give testimony here in the courtroom? Don’t you want to answer the questions?”

The prosecutor filed a motion to release the defendant’s preliminary testimony.

Andranik Kocharyan had provided Zhora Zakaryan with a 20 euro banknote to eliminate red spots but Andranik could not manage it. Then two banknotes worth 20 and 50 euros were provided. However, he wanted to erase the spots with another material and ask for money. The judge read his preliminary testimony: “I did not know how the banknotes were going to be used after I cleaned them. Andranik told me that his brother Karen had given him the money. I am not close to him, but I knew that the money belonged to another person. I did not know that the above mentioned money belonged to Samvel Babayan,” was said in Zhora Zakaryan’s testimony.

Andranik Kocharyan, in the testimony given in the preliminary investigation, accepted him as a partly guilty. He mentioned that the money had been given to him by his brother.

During the preliminary investigation, Andranik Kocharyan’s brother, Karen Kocharyan, said that Samvel Babayan had given him the money.

David Harutyunyan, one of the defendants, used his connections so that the fraudulent 5,000 euros was transferred to Armenia from the RF, according to the preliminary investigation body. According to the pretrial testimony, he received the money, but could not convey to Karen Kocharyan as employees of the National Security Service detained him.

Samvel Babayan, Sanasar Gabrielyan and Armen Poghosyan will give testimony during the secons session.

On October 7 P. Fahradyan reported to Yeghegnadzor Police Department of the RA that on the same day at 11.00, in the medical center of Shatin, Vayots Dzor region, in the performance of his journalistic professional duties the director of the same center Z.M., her sister, working in the center as a doctor, as well as A. S., the head of the community Karagluh, prevented his journalistic professional activities, tried to snatch the video camera, and also to erase the contents of the carrier, about 9 minutes kept him in one of the offices of the medical institution.

Taking into account the fact that the materials present the obstruction of the legal professional activity of the journalist, a criminal case was initiated in the Vayots Dzor Prosecutor’s Office pursuant to Article 164 (Part 1) of the RA Criminal Code. Paylak Fahradyan was recognized as a victim.

The criminal case was sent to the Vayots Dzor Regional Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of the Republic of Armenia, for the pre-qualification review and the full-scale implementation of the case, the RA Prosecutor General’s Office reports

The Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia considered it unacceptable to block journalistic activities of ArmDay.am news website journalist Paylak Fahradyan. Any person who has committed such offense must be brought to justice.

The reporter said that Zoya Martirosyan, director of the Shatin community medical center in Vayots Dzor region, did not like his questions, and Zoya Martirosyan, her sister and son-in-law, Arthur Stepanyan, Karagluhkh community head, tried to seize the journalist’s camera and locked him in the room, requiring to delete the contents of the carrier. The journalist reported the police about the crime.

On the basis of information on obstruction of the journalist’s activities, the Defender’s Office initiated a discussion procedure on its own initiative to obtain information on the course and outcome of the measures taken by the law enforcement agencies. The RA Human Rights Defender Office reports.

The decision of the Traffic Police makes the traffic in the Republic Square dangerous. In the intersections near the Republic Square, there are no red or green lights, directing the flow of cars, anymore.

Traffic lights for pedestrians are also switched off. Now, citizens will have to wait for the drivers’ favor, instead of the traffic lights. The constantly illuminated yellow light has made the passing of the street not only uncomfortable, but also dangerous, especially for the elderly and the children.

The video below

The government delegation led by Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan is on a two-day visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The Islamic Republic of Iran and Armenia signed three memorandums in the field of veterinary, artistic, cultural and scientific-technical cooperation.

The government delegation headed by Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan is on a two-day visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran. This visit in Armenia gives hope that economic relations will eventually move from the dead point.

 “We are very interested in Iranian business and Iranian capital demand coming to Armenia. We are ready to provide openly the privileged regimes that Armenia has to our Iranian partners,” Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan said at a joint news conference with Iranian First Deputy Chairman Es’haq Jahangiri.

Iranian expert Vardan Voskanyan ties great hopes of developing relations. “Economic relations are the most vulnerable part of Armenia-Iran relations, because in our political sense our two countries have no obstacles and maintain very high level of relations.”

In the framework of the Prime Minister’s visit memorandums, veterinary, fiction, cultural and scientific-technical fields were signed. The steps of the more extensive economic programs are also being taken. Free economic zones are being created on the Armenia-Iran border. That’s something that can direct the flow of Iranian investments to Armenia. “It can also be a platform for the European and the Russian sides to settle here and to cooperate with Iran in more favorable conditions.”

According to Vardan Voskanyan, investors were found to build Armenia-Iran railroad. Additionally, Armenia builds the third high-voltage power line to Iran, after which Iran’s gas exports to Armenia will increase 3-5 times. Next project to be implemented is export of Iranian gas to Europe via Armenia. “Obviously, Iran is going to implement a program for exporting its gas Europe, and it would be great if it were done through Armenia, with the participation of the Russian side,” said the Iranian expert.

On the one hand, Armenia and Iran are taking steps to warm economic relations, on the other hand, the US President Donald Trump threatens to restore sanctions against Armenia’s southern neighbor. “The Iranian administration supports terrorism and Middle East exports of violence, bloodshed and chaos.Therefore, we must end Iran’s ongoing aggression and nuclear invasion,” said Donald Trump.

If the US President does not exacerbate the position and sanctions on Iran be restored, will Iran-Armenia economic ties be again in a deadlock? Iranian expert Vardan Voskanyan said “Armenia-Iran relations have vital and security significance for us. Armenia should have relations with Iran exclusively through its own system, and there will be pressures from different sides, but it is obvious that our relations with Iran have a vital importance both for us and for Iran. We solve the problem of our existence.”

Under these conditions, the Armenian government’s right work is required, which should make the United States be aware of Iran’s supremacy for the country. Armenia is not safe without powerful Iran, and Iran is not strong without developed Armenia.

On October 9, at 3:52 pm, an alarm was received that a supermarket was in fire on Nzhdeh St., Gyumri, Shirak region.

Four firefighting crews left for the scene.

Additional information will be given

Today, the topic “Domestic Violence: The work carried out and subsequent steps ” discussed at the Matenadaran hall, made a stir.

NGO representatives and individual citizens complained that the organizers of the discussion, the Ministry of Justice, did not let them speak because they did not want to hear the opposite oppinion.

A1 + invited Zara Hovhannisyan, a representative of the Against Violence Towards Women Coalition,who also had participated in the discussion.

Why is the so-called uproar raised to the discussion of the law authored by the Ministry of Justice?

Details of the interview are available in the video