Category: 2017

ArmenPress, Armenia
Aug 29 2017
President Sargsyan hosts distinguished school children and youth
YEREVAN, AUGUST 29, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan on
August 29 hosted the schoolchildren, who demonstrated excellent
results in the academic year 2016-17, graduates awarded with Gold
Medals as well as the laureates of the 2017 international subject
Olympiads – Kangaroo International Olympiad on Mathematics and the Bee
Armenian Language competition - from the educational establishments of
the Republic, press service of the President’s Office told Armenpress.
At the traditional meeting the President addressed a welcoming speech
to the participants. Serzh Sargsyan responded to the questions of the
participants after which the graduates and schoolchildren received
awards – medals, certificates from the President of Armenia and the
Minister of Education and Science.
President delivered congratulatory remarks at the meeting.
“Dear children,
Dear youth,
I sincerely welcome you at the residence of the President of the
Republic of Armenia. Once again I warmly congratulate you on the
achievements recorded in the international subject Olympiads -
Kangaroo International Olympiad on Mathematics and the Bee Armenian
Language competition, and of course, on the graduation of school with
excellence. Your achievements give strength and power to our people,
encourage me and inspire belief towards our country’s future. By this
we want to state that we link our country’s future with the
development of science and education and want your example to be
contagious for your peers, relatives and classmates. The thirst for
science and education, if it can be considered infection from good
point of view, should not be ever prevented, quite the contrary, we
want that infection to spread everywhere.
Our people have always liked and strived to science. Dear children and
youth, you know that the Armenian people are spread across the world,
and wherever Armenians reached, first of all they have set up a
school. Of course, they have built a school in order to preserve the
native language, but they have never been limited only to the native
language, and the leading that exists in the world, they have always
tried to understand it, transfer to the homeland, localize and develop
it. Thanks to this our people managed to overcome these difficulties
for thousands of years and reached to the 21st century. Thus, your
love towards science contributes to the longevity of our people.
I want to thank you for your deep curiosity and diligence since it is
impossible to reach major success only with curiosity. I perfectly
imagine the hard work done by our distinguished children, Gold medal
winners, our youth who received awards at the international subject
Olympiads. It is my desire that this purposefulness, curiosity and
especially diligence accompany you throughout your life.
The basis of goodness is knowledge. The basis of competitiveness is
knowledge. In this regard, the Republic of Armenia is always ready to
stand together with all of you. I want for you to study at other best
universities after graduation of school, also after graduating high
educational institution or even half of the way. After graduating from
the universities of Armenia or other countries, I would like most of
you to be engaged in science since as I said the love and skills
towards science and education have reached our people up to the 21st
century. Thus, you should continue the efforts of the best individuals
of our medieval and modern times. We are always ready to assist and
support you.
Of course, I am grateful to your parents who have been able to spread
this infection on you on the one hand, and have always tried to create
conditions so that you can study good and reach results on the other
hand. But know, you are the main hero, you are the creator of the
history. Your parents and teachers assist you with love, support from
the positions of more knowledgeable people, but you will hardly be
able to reach serious achievements without your desire and diligence”.

Netgazeti , Georgia,
28 Aug 17
Armenia in the Eurasian Economic Union and disappointed citizens
Armine Avetisyan
[Armenian News note: the below is  translated from Georgian]
Two years have passed since Armenia joined the [Russian-led] Eurasian
Economic Union [EEU]. What benefits has our country gained from the
membership in the union and which expectations have our citizens
fallen short of?
Government notes Armenia's achievements as EEU member
To discuss the issue, a round table was even held in Armenia, where
Armenian Deputy Prime Minister and International Economic Integration
and Reforms Minister Vache Gabrielyan said that over the past two
years, Armenia's resources had increased and prices on imported goods
had decreased. Armenian Economic Development and Investment Mistier
Suren Karayan said that as a result of two years of Armenia's
membership in the EEU, trade turnover of the aforementioned
organisation's member states was increasing every year. He presented
the data of 2016.
According to the EEU data, in 2016, Armenia's exports to the EEU
countries increased by 53 per cent, making Armenia the leader
according to the production growth rate.
Independent experts disagree
However, independent experts insist that the true picture is
different. In 2015, when Armenia joined the EEU, economic growth
decreased by 3 per cent and it was only the country's national debt
that increased.
In 2014, the national debt amounted to 4.4bn dollars. In 2015 and
2016, it amounted to 5.08bn and 5.8bn. According to forecasts for
2017, the national debt is going to amount to 6.3bn dollars and make
54 per cent of the GDP.
"Becoming a member of the EEU was a political step, not economic. From
the economic point of view, the organisation proper is at the forming
stage and it is too early to speak about achievements. Before joining
the organisation, its member states did not even try to unite or take
joint efforts. They have made no such attempts after joining it,
either. This was just Russia's attempt to restore the former Soviet
Union, gathering former Soviet countries around it, no more, no less,"
economist Mesrop Arakelyan told the Netgazeti [website].
In his opinion, compared to 2016, relatively dynamic processes have
been noticeable in the Armenian economy anyway.
"In 2016, the war delivered a severe blow to the Armenian economy. The
damage caused by Azerbaijan was really substantial and it ruined [the
Armenian economy]. Our economy has just begun to revive. Indeed,
compared to 2016, 2017 has been much more positive from this point of
view. However, compared to previous years, we are still in a dire
situation."
Expert explains difference between EEU, EU
According to Arakelyan, any union, be it Eurasian or European, should
be organised in such a way that its member states should
unconditionally cooperate in the sphere of foreign trade. This
cooperation will make it possible to speak about economic growth. The
EU ensures connections of the kind. However, I cannot say the same
about the EEU.
"Sixty per cent of the foreign trade of European countries is
conducted within the EU. Due to close relations, they can import local
products to neighbouring countries, conducting trade and sales there.
In the EEU, this showing does not exceed 25 per cent. This implies
that we cannot sell our products to the EEU member states. However, we
can conduct trade in third countries."
EEU not to be blamed - economist
According to economist Babken Tunyan, low economic showings are not
linked to Armenia's membership in the EEU and they have nothing to do
with this.
"We are witnesses of a paradoxical phenomenon. When Armenia's economic
showings are positive, public sector employees directly link this to
the EEU. When they are negative, they either make no comments on this
or make illogical statements. The same applies to the opposition. When
we get low figures, they link this to the EEU, and so forth. In actual
fact, our connection with the Russian market has deep roots. Economic
factors and the problems Russia is facing are our problems. Sanctions
imposed on Russia make an impact on us, too," Babken Tunyan said.
And if economists carry out a professional analysis of the situation,
citizens of Armenia speak about their experience:
Ordinary Armenians dissatisfied with EEU membership
"The EEU is the area of great opportunities. However, political games
do not allow us to gain benefits. It would be better if the union
could really work. However, our dreams have failed to come true,"
38-year-old citizen of Armenia Karine Harutyunyan said.
Karine lives in the settlement of Bagratashen [near the Georgian
border] [square brackets as published]. Bagratashen is one hour away
from Tbilisi and three hours away from Yerevan. For many years now,
local residents have been going shopping to the regions of
neighbouring Georgia, which are adjacent to the border. As Karine put
it, two years ago, when Armenia joined the EEU, she was sure that
Armenia would soon become economically strong.
"I have never strived for Europe. Similar to my friends, I said that I
preferred the EEU, as borders with its member states were nearer. I
thought that it would be easier to import or export goods. However, we
are still facing problems. At that time, they said that by entering
the EEU, we would be able to conduct trade with neighbouring Georgia.
However, at present, thousands of problems have emerged, causing
hindrances. Earlier, we used to go to [the Georgian village of]
Sadakhlo [near the Armenian border], to buy household products there
and bring in some [products] to sell here. This time, I was able to
bring only six water melons."
As from 1 July 2017, the new requirements introduced by the EEU
Commission came into force. According to them, without customs
formalities, only 5 kg of phytosanitary products can be imported to
the territory of the European [Eurasian] [square brackets as
published] Union. Such products are fruits and vegetables.
Those, who live near the Armenian-Georgian border and used to bring
products from Georgia for many years to run small businesses, say that
they now feel bewildered, facing major problems. The thing is that
they can no longer engage in trade, which was their only source of
income.
In protest, on 25 July, residents of Bagratashen staged a rally near
the [border] crossing point, temporarily blocking the road to Armenia
for trucks. By doing so, they tried to show their dissatisfaction.
In response to the protest, the customs service chose not to come out
to with the protesters. In their interview to Netgazeti, the agency
people said that they obeyed only the law. Members of the [local]
community are not the only people dissatisfied with [Armenia's]
membership in the EEU. In Yerevan, one can come across a lot of people
saying that membership of the union has not brought them any changes
for the better.

                                        Tuesday, 
Israeli Drone Exports `Halted' Amid Azerbaijan Inquiry
Israel -- Defense Ministry building in Tel Aviv, 5Aug2007
Israel's Defense Ministry has reportedly halted exports of "suicide"
drones manufactured by an Israeli company that was accused earlier
this month of using them against an Armenian army position at the
request of Azerbaijan.
In a statement cited by the Newsru.co.il news service, the company,
Aeronautics Defense Systems (ADS), said late on Monday that the
ministry's export control agency has at least temporarily banned it
from delivering a batch of Orbiter 1K drones to a key foreign
client. The statement said ADS was due to supply $20 million worth of
such unmanned aircraft, capable of carrying special explosive payload,
to the client in 2017-2018.
The ADS statement did not specify the buyer of the sophisticated
weapon, saying only that Israel has close commercial ties with that
country. It also attributed the ban to an ongoing inquiry conducted by
the Israeli security agency.
The Israeli newspaper "Maariv" reported on August 13 that the agency
launched an investigation after receiving a formal complaint stemming
from ADS's commercial dealings with the Azerbaijani government. It
said ADS representatives traveled to Azerbaijan earlier this summer to
finalize a contract for the sale of Orbiter drones to the Azerbaijani
military.
The paper claimed that two Israeli drone operators working for the
defense company rebuffed Azerbaijani officials' demand to demonstrate
the use of the deadly drone by hitting the Armenian position with
it. But other, more senior ADS executives agreed on launch the deadly
craft on the target, according to "Maariv."
ADS denied the report, saying that "the operational action was carried
out by the purchaser alone."
Nagorno-Karabakh - An Israel-manufactured Azerbaijani "suicide" drone
is shot down in the Martakert district, 4Apr2016
According to Nagorno-Karabakh's Armenian-backed Defense Army, the
Azerbaijani military most recently attacked its frontline positions
with a suicide drone on July 7. The commander of an army unit
stationed in northeastern Karabakh said in early August that two of
his soldiers were lightly wounded in the incident. No Armenian
military hardware was damaged in that drone attack, he said.
The Azerbaijani army heavily used similar suicide drones manufactured
by another Israeli company, Israel Aerospace Industries, during the
April 2016 hostilities in Karabakh. Baku had received them as part of
multimillion-dollar defense contracts signed with Israeli arms
manufacturers.
The Israeli weapons sold to Azerbaijan have included not only various
types of unmanned aircraft but also air-defense systems and anti-tank
rockets.
Armenia has long expressed concern at the Israeli-Azerbaijani arms
deals, saying that they undermine international efforts to end the
Karabakh conflict. Still, its reaction to the "Maariv" report was
rather cautious.
Yerevan Fire Mostly Extinguished
 . Astghik Bedevian
Armenia - Firefighters battle a fire in the Nairit chemical plant in
Yerevan, 28Aug2017.
Firefighters largely extinguished on Tuesday a massive fire in a
chemical plant in Yerevan that raised health concerns among people in
nearby residential areas.
The blaze quickly engulfed on Monday storage containers filled with
chemical waste from the Nairit plant located on the city's southern
outskirts.More than a hundred firefighters were sent to the scene to
contain it.
The Armenian Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES) said that they put
out the flames in three of the four burning tanks by Tuesday
burning. "A small source of fire remains active only in one
container," it said in a statement. Black smoke was still billowing
from it in the afternoon.
"Cooling efforts are still being made to prevent further outbreaks of
fire," the head of the ministry's National Center for Crisis
Management, Hovannes Khangeldian, told RFE/RL's Armenian service
(Azatutyun.am).
Some officials suggested that the fire was caused by an explosion. "It
is too early to speak of theories," cautioned Khangeldian. "I think
that relevant bodies will examine all theories and establish the
causes."
In another statement issued later in the day, the MES said it will
conduct forensic tests for that purpose. Some "materials regarding the
fire" have already been submitted to an Armenian law-enforcement body,
it added.
The Armenian ministries of environment and health said, meanwhile,
that they took air samples from parts of Yerevan's Shengavit district
adjacent to Nairit. They insisted that toxic emissions from the fire
pose no major health risks to local residents.
Still, the Health Ministry released a written statement on Monday
urging them to stay indoors and shut their windows.
Some Shengavit residents complained that government officials did not
visit their neighborhoods and communicate with them in person. "They
could have told us what to do through megaphones," said one
woman. "They work much harder during elections."
Armenian Government Coy About Troop Deployment To Syria
Syria -- A Russian Mil Mi-24 "Hind" attack helicopter flies above the
damaged site of the ancient city of Palmyra, March 4, 2017
Armenia's leadership on Tuesday declined to confirm or deny a senior
Russian military official's claim that that it is prepared to send a
demining team to Syria.
Major General Alexander Novikov of the Russian army's General Staff
said late last week that Armenia and Serbia have expressed readiness
to join an "international coalition" which Russia hopes would help its
troops clear landmines in the war-torn country.
Moscow called for the creation of such a coalition through its
permanent representative to the United Nations in April.
Asked by News.am whether Yerevan has indeed decided to join the
Russian-led effort in Syria, President Serzh Sarkisian's press
secretary, Vladimir Hakobian, said: "When a decision is made and all
issues are clarified, the public will be notified in an appropriate
manner." Hakobian did not comment further.
A spokesman for the Armenian Defense Ministry similarly told RFE/RL's
Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) on Monday that the matter requires
"further examination."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed possible Armenian
involvement in demining operations in the historic Syrian city of
Palmyra when he met with his Armenian counterpart Edward Nalbandian in
Yerevan in April 2016. "I hope that our joint initiative can be
implemented," Lavrov said after the talks.
It is not clear whether Sarkisian and Russian President Vladimir Putin
spoke about Syria when they met in the Russian city of Sochi on August
23. The Armenian presidential press service said they discussed
"topical international and regional issues."
Armenia is a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization
(CSTO), a Russian-led military alliance of six ex-Soviet states.
Press Review
"Haykakan Zhamanak" says the latest fire in Armenia's troubled Nairit
chemical plant is the third major accident to occur there in the last
11 years. "If Nairit worked, provided jobs to thousands of people, was
constantly modernized in the process, paid taxes to the state budget
and exported its products, one could weigh up benefits and dangers
created by it," writes the paper. "One could discuss whether or not we
need Nairit. But with Nairit periodically exploding, burning and
putting people's lives at risk and at the same time standing idle,
there is probably nothing to weigh up. The Nairit problem requires a
radical solution. It must either operate at full capacity or become a
thing of the past and cede several hundred hectares of land occupied
by it to other businesses or be turned into a big and nice park."
"Haykakan Zhamanak" believes that the sorry state of Nairit is "the
result of populism." "Nairit's operations were not discontinued on the
grounds that thousands of people work there," it says. "That seemed
very convincing. However, if there was a political decision to
liquidate Nairit under legal and transparent procedures, proceeds from
the sale of its expensive equipment would be enough to properly
compensate its thousands of employees."
"Zhoghovurd" notes that the Nairit fire erupted just weeks after a
group of European investors made renewed efforts to take over the
plant and restart its production operations. They met with Deputy
Prime Minister Vache Gabrielian on August 8 to present their $100
million investment plan. They also made clear that they need to
conduct a thorough audit before finally deciding whether to invest in
the Soviet-era giant. The paper also notes that the fire broke out in
a Nairit unit whose chief manager and two dozen other employees were
fired in July. They were tasked with preventing accidents. "Time will
tell whether these events are connected with yesterday's fire or
whether this is just coincide," the paper says.
"Hraparak" hits back at President Serzh Sarkisian's strong denial of
suggestions that his 2013 decision to make Armenia part of the
Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) at the expense of a major
deal with the European Union was a last-minute U-turn. The paper
argues that just days before the announcement of that decision senior
Armenian officials were insisting that Armenia has no intention to
join the EEU.
(Tigran Avetisian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2017 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org