Category: 2017

In order to protect the rights of conscripts, HCA Vanadzor will continue to provide the conscripts and their relatives with legal assistance, legal advice, clarification of legislative provisions, making necessary documents, conducting inquiries, appealing against court decision, and so on, during the winter conscription of 2017.

An organization can also apply to all recruits who have health problems and do not agree with the medical commissions’ decisions on their health status. In case of disagreement, the Organization will provide a medical expert to study the results of their medical condition and the conclusion on the basis of which conscripts can challenge the legitimacy of recognizing them fit for military service.

For free legal support you may apply to HCA Vanadzor ( Vanadzor, Tigran Mets St. 59) from 9:30 to 18:30 or call HCA Vanadzor Peace Program Coordinator Armine Sadikyan / 0322/4 22 68 or our free hotline 0 8000 12 11. Or you can write to [email protected].

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The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has published a new ranking of the strongest chess players in the world.

As of November 1, world champion Magnus Carlsen is leading the men’s table with 2837 points. Levon Aronyan takes the second place with 2801 points. The Italian GM Fabiano Caruana, presenting the USA, is in the third place (2799).

Among the top 100 world chess players there are three other representatives of Armenia: Sergey Movsisyan (76th place, 2667 points), Vladimir Hakobyan (77, 2667) and Gabriel Sargsyan (97, 2655).

Chinese Hou Yifan, former World Champion, is leading the women’s rankings with 2680 points. She is followed by Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine, 2576) and Yu Venun (China, 2567). Elina Danielyan is the 49th (2415), and Lilit Mkrtchyan is in the 70th place (2390).

Today at the joint sitting of the RA NA Standing Committees on State Legal Affairs, Human Rights and Financial-Credit and Budgetary Affairs, discussion of the draft law on State Budget of the Republic of Armenia for 2018 went on. As Atom Janjughazyan, First Deputy Minister of Finance, said there was no dwindle of financial resources in legislative and executive bodies.

Edmon Marukyan, MP of the Yelk (Way Out) faction, while asking him the question, noticed that the communication services grew by 500 million drams. “It is confusing. If we do not hire more people why are the expenses growing?”

“I do not think it is possible to discuss it very much, but if you let me I will find its clarification, and say that when there is reduction in one sphere then growing of expenses can be noticed in another,” explained Atom Janjughazyan.

Edmon Marukyan’s next question referred to the staff reduction in management system. “Starting with the previous government, I demand the dwindle of regional governors.” Atom Janjughazyan again found it difficult to answer, but Hrayr Tovmasyan, Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs and Human Rights, responded instead. “There are not any.”

“All right, then we will curtail the working people,” noticed Edmon Marukyan.

Measures taken jointly by the State Revenue Committee’s Pre-Release Control and Anti-Smuggling departments prevented the import of about 105 kilos of heroin to the country, at Meghri customs point. X-ray examination was carried out to DAF refrigerated truck owned by Turkish citizen Ferdin Ozdemir, who arrived in Armenia from Iran by car, belonging to Omertransport LLC. The truck was subsequently accompanied by customs control to Yerevan where a detailed examination of the vehicle was carried out.

In the cargo chamber, 105 kg of heroin-type narcotic substance were found from the preliminary prepared cache. The prepared materials were transferred to the NSS Investigation Service to carry out the proceedings, Information and Public Relations Department of the RA Revenue State Committee reports.

In the opinion of the NA Vice President Eduard Sharmazanov there are controversial points in the draft law on the prevention of domestic violence. “The law is problematic in this regard, in particular, there is no certainty about what economic or psychological violence is, whether shelters are needed if there are more people there, who takes care of those expenses, if there are problems with the parent’s authority, etc.”

Eduard Sharmazanov reminded of Serzh Sargsyan’s statement in 2016, that the cornerstones of our society are a traditional families, “and those points that create a problem for the family’s value system should be reviewed. A traditional family does not include violence, there is no normal man who would support violence. It should be explained whether there is a social need for this law. It is another thing if its purpose is to create healthy families.”

The NA Vice President Eduard Sharmazanov explained his idea: “Having traditional Armenian families does not mean wearing traditional costume, but having families where women and men have their own roles.” And then he quotes a Biblical idea: “As we are obedient to God, women are obedient to God and their men. That is the Biblical law, one can accept, another cannot.”

Details are available in the video

Former National Assembly Chairman Galust Sahakyan advised students who were opposed to serving in army during their studies: “Let them become deputies and then not to join the army then. Becoming deputy does not mean not serving in the army. This shows that there is something wrong.”

Galust Sahakyan could not understand those who said that part of the Republican MPs, for example, Armen Ashotyan had not served in the army while studying, but they wanted all male students to serve.“It was not Ashotyan’s age to join the army, and by the age of 18 he was already an MP.”

Mr. Sahakyan assumed who was provoking students to protest against the adoption of a new law on military service. “Certain students, as if these students have great minds, stand up saying that their minds will be declined if they go to the army. And after knowing who they are you wish them to join the army.”

The MP thought that serving for two years was not a big deal and that it would not hinder future scientists or intellectuals. “I do not think our science and education so many achievements, and that suddenly the young people will be deprived of it all.”

As to the authorities, who will try to save their children from the new law, Galust Sahakyan predicted punishment. “It does not matter whether it is an authority or a businessman.”

By the way, Galust Sahakyan himself was against of sending everyone to the army by the age of 18. He was waiting for the nation to become mature.

Hovhannes Ghazaryan, a jailed member of the Founding Parliament, who was detained at case of Sari Tagh District in July last year, and then released, is unaware of the stage of his case. “The case is stopped, they neither close it, or do anything. At the moment they have my passport and also some of my things: keys, money, that they have not returned,” said Hovhannes Ghazaryan to A1+.

Hovhannes Ghazaryan, a journalist arrested on the case of Sari Tagh district, is charged with participating in mass disorders, in particular, in throwing stones at the police station, on July 29. “This was an unsuccessful act that did not last long, the accusation was completely groundless, as no such action was taken by me,” added the supporter of the Founding Parliament.

Hovhannes Ghazaryan knew why he had been arrested. “They just wanted to say we will bring you to your level, go and have a rest, then we will put you under pressure and you will not take part in it. But they did not succeed.”

To remind, the supporter of the Founding Parliament spent 6 months and 13 days in the detention center and was released under the decision of the Court of Appeal on signing a decree not to leave the city.

Today at the joint sitting of the RA NA Standing Committees on State Legal Affairs, Human Rights and Financial-Credit and Budgetary Affairs, MP Tigran Urikhanyan, Deputy of the Tsarukyan Alliance, asked Atom Janjughazyan, Deputy Minister of Finance, during the discussion of the draft law on State Budget of the Republic of Armenia for 2018, whether there ere changes in financial means. “Has money been added to the state budget? Will it be added in 2018? If yes, then is it due to investments or is it due to development?”

Atom Janjughazyan answered: “To tell the truth I have not noticed that I have skipped over such questions, since I did my best to touch upon all the questions. There may be some questions to which I will not have answers. My honesty will let me say that I cannot answer. If we compare the numbers of the two years, we will see that next year both expenses and income will increase by 100 million drams.And we will be able to make judgments only in 2019 on whether money has increased or not. At least at this moment we can say that yes, there is an increase in the state budget.”

On October 31, the Chairman of the RA NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations, the Head of the RA NA delegation to Euronest PA Armen Ashotyan delivered a speech at the opening of the Euronest PA Plenary Session on the future of the Eastern Partnership and Armenia-EU relations.

In the context of Eastern Partnership priorities Armen Ashotyan touched upon Armenia’s multi-track or the so-called ‘complimentary’ Eastern partnership position and in relation to this underlined that we should take into consideration that every state included within the framework of the Eastern Partnership has its own interests and guideline. Armen Ashotyan highlighted the formation of the new legal framework of the RA-EU cooperation and the signing of the RA-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced New Agreement. The Head of the RA NA delegation also expressed hope that there will be positive results connected with the visa liberalisation process in the near future.

In his word Armen Ashotyan emphasized the effective role of the Eastern Partnership platform for the interests of the citizens of the Eastern Partnership countries.

Regarding the current differences between the Eastern Partnership Member States, Armen Ashotyan highlighted the definition of such values, which will be common and admissible for all Eastern Partnership countries.

In his speech Armen Ashotyan has also talked about the conflicts existing in the Eastern Partnership countries and has noted that the Euronest is not a platform of the conflicts’ settlement, however it can be observed as a unique means for the political dialogue of conflicting states, particularly between the colleagues of Armenia and Azerbaijan. In this context Armen Ashotyan emphasized the circumstance that the Assembly could underline in its works in Kiev and record the important fact that all the conflicts existing in the Eastern Partnership countries are different, the Nagorno Karabakh conflict has no military solution, and the problem settlement is based on the OSCE Minsk Group fundamental principles and Helsinki Final Act. Armen Ashotyan attached importance to the fact that the Assembly reaffirmed its support to the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.

Armen Ashotyan also underscored the circumstance that the Eastern Partnership is not an agreement and document turnover mentioned on the paper and cannot be, it is a platform for the justification of the expectations of the Eastern Partnership countries, making as a basis and goal of the activity the implementation of the reforms and the daily consistent work.

At the end of his speech Armen Ashotyan has noted in relation to the signing of the RA-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced New Agreement within the framework of the upcoming Summit of the Eastern Partnership that in this new legal framework Armenia will become the first country which is a member of the Eurasian Economic Union and at the same time it will be a legally bounding agreement with the European Union. In this context Armen Ashotyan noted that the signing of the Agreement would be a link to the international community that the Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union should not be conflicting parties, and in this case Armenia could be a bridge connecting two different economic and political efforts of the two Unions.

The Road Department of the Ministry of Infrastructures and Territorial Development of Georgia informed the Ministry of Transport, Communication and Information Technologies that Stepantsminda-Lars highway opened for all types of transport on November 1, at 15:00, News Service of the RA Transport, Communication and Information Ministry of Technology reports.