Category: 2019

Speaker congratulates on 29th anniversary of independence declaration

11:19,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 23, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament Ararat Mirzoyan has addressed the nation to congratulate on the 29^th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Armenia.

“Dear countrymen, 29 years ago on this day the Supreme Council of the Armenian SSR – taking the three-year pan-national movement to a logical destination – signaled the beginning of the process of establishing an independent statehood. I congratulate us all on the occasion of the anniversary of this epochal event,” the Speaker said.

The only interest I have is Armenia’s balanced interest, PM says on Amulsar

12:22,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 23, ARMENPRESS. Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan is touring the town of Jermuk and meeting locals to discuss the situation around the Amulsar gold mine.

Talking to a local family in an apartment, the PM noted that he believes the biggest problem to be that many people are claiming that regardless of the environmental impact assessment’s outcome the mine shouldn’t be operated.

“This is the biggest difficulty which is hindering the conversation because if you are now saying that 10 or 5 years later consequences will happen regardless of it happening or not. You already have this in mind. The biggest difficulty in this conversation is that there are many people who are saying – doesn’t matter, if it is even determined to be safe, I am against. This is an understandable point of view, but a point of view which creates other difficulties. We have realities, and these realities exist. This reality is that we have a process that began by the Armenian legislation. We have a process by Armenian legislation where the Armenian government has invited or has granted privilege to a company to come here and spend 400,500 or 600 million, and 400 million has already been spent. And a question. If it turns out that this activity is lawful, and that this activity is safe for the environment, if these people have made 400 million dollars investment legally, why aren’t we allowing them to work? This question must be answered,” the PM said.

The local resident argued that during the previous government the situation was such that the people didn’t have a voice, and the PM responded by saying that there is no former or incumbent government for the international community. “There is a Republic of Armenia for the international community”, he said.

The PM reminded a speech that he made last year in Jermuk, when he said that while making a decision on this matter they should take into consideration the balanced interest of Armenia. “There is an environmental interest, economic interest, security interest, political and moral interest. Our decisions must be in a way that servicing one interest doesn’t happen at the expense of the other,” the PM said, adding that the mine will not operate if it is determined that there are no guarantees that the environment won’t get polluted.

He said that during a potential operation of the mine the government has mechanisms of supervision – daily, weekly and monthly monitoring when groundwater, soil, grass and air samples are tested.

“I don’t have an economic interest here, I don’t have a corruption interest, the only interest I have is the balanced interest of the Republic of Armenia,” the PM said.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

Central Bank issues Admiral Isakov-125 silver collector coin

12:25,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 23, ARMENPRESS. (Press Release, Central Bank of Armenia) The Armenian Central Bank has issued the Admiral Isakov 125 collector coin.

Admiral Isakov (born Hovhannes Ter-Isahakyan 1894-1967)is a famous Armenian military commander, Soviet Union Navy Admiral(1955), Hero of the Soviet Union (1965).

Isakov graduated from the Tiflis realschule in 1913. In 1917 he left the Naval Guards School of Petrograd and in 1928 completed the excellence courses at the Naval Academy of Leningrad. The greater part of Isakov’s life was dedicated to service in the navy, where he held high positions. Isakov lectured at the Soviet Naval Academy since 1932 and was the Head of the Academy in 1938-1939. During WW2 Isakov played a crucial role in shaping the Soviet navy, particularly the Baltic and Black Sea flotillas.

Apart from commitment to naval affairs, Isakov was greatly involved in study of naval history and doctrine, took part in the compilation and editing of WW1 history conventions and worked on the development of naval regulations. In 1947 he was appointed as president of the editorial board of a three-volume work “The Atlas of the Sea”.

A cruiser of the Navy of the Russian Federation is named after Admiral Isakov, and there are streets in the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh named after Isakov.

Obverse: the images of cruiser after Admiral Isakov, a star on the Admiral’s shoulder strap, a ship and an anchor.

Reverse: a portrait of Admiral Isakov, the images of the seafarer’s dirk and books.

Technical parameters

Face value        1000

Metal/fineness   silver 925⁰

Diameter         40,0

Weight            33,6

Quality            proof

Edge               ribbed

Quantity          500   

 

Designed by Vardan Vardanyan.

Minted in the Lithuanian mint.

 

 

Collector coins are made of precious metals and are issued to present to the society the national, international, historical and cultural, spiritual and other values of the country, to immortalize these values in the metal and to meet the demands of the numismatic market.

Like any other currency the collector coins have face value which makes them the means of payment. However, the face value of these coins is much lower that their cost price which includes the cost of the precious metal used for manufacturing of the coin, mintage and other expenses. Low face value and high cost price allow these coins to be considered as the items of collection and not the means of payment used in money circulation. The collector coins have also the sale price set by the Central Bank of Armenia.

As the items of collection the collector coins are issued in very restricted quantities and are not reissued.

Numismatists, collectors and all interested persons can buy the Armenian collector coins in the sales salon “Numismatist” which is in the building of the Central Bank of Armenia and is open for everyone.

Amulsar mine’s potential operations to be monitored "daily, weekly, monthly"

12:48,

JERMUK, AUGUST 23, ARMENPRESS. An Armenian woman who says she has returned from the United States to live in Jermuk met Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and expressed her concerns regarding the potential operations of the Amulsar gold mine.

The PM is touring the town and speaking to locals regarding the mine.

The woman told the prime minister that her only hope is for Armenia to be ecologically clean and that all other Armenians living in the US want the same.

The PM noted that the Government of Armenia has adopted the Eco Armenia policy, which was also included in the campaigning program.

He reiterated that the government has put an objective that the operation of the Amulsar project should not have any impact of the environment.

“How are we going to ensure that? I am told that there is a daily, weekly and monthly monitoring. This means that an expert group under the auspices of the state will go and take samples from the fields for laboratory tests. If the tests determine that the dust on the sample grass is more than the international standard, 90 days will be given to eliminate the problem, and if the problem is not eliminated the mine is shut down on lawful grounds,” Pashinyan said.

The PM said the expert group will include Lydian Armenia company representatives, as well as representatives of the government and the civil society.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

Armenian National Congress party to convene special meeting on Amulsar

14:19,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 23, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian National Congress (HAK) an extra-parliamentary political party led by 1st President of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan, will convene a special session of its Board on August 27 regarding the Amulsar gold mine.

HAK Vice-President Aram Manukyan said at a press conference they are convening the meeting to decide their stance over the matter.

“We are studying all possible reports, stances and calculations of all parties. We have invited ecologists, we are gathering expert information to try and express our opinion,” Manukyan said.

Manukyan argues that the issue isn’t a matter for a referendum and rather it requires a deep expert research.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

Armenian PM to personally conduct videoconference with Amulsar environmental audit group

14:24,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 23, ARMENPRESS. The Government of Armenia will hold a video conference with experts of ELARD – the company which conducted the environmental audit at Amulsar gold mine, PM Nikol Pashinyan told residents of Jermuk during a visit.

“I have decided that we will have a Skype conference with the ELAR expert group. We will tell them that there is a big debate in Armenia on what their conclusion is and they will interpret their conclusion. The entire conversation will be videotaped and published. Phrase the questions which you have, if needed we will hold the conversation for two hours, if required for two and a half. The meeting will take place, we will film it and publish it, let ELARD interpret their conclusion themselves, we will publish it and speak about it,” the PM said, adding that he will personally conduct the conversation in order to have clear answers and that no misinterpretations happen.

The PM added that since taking office Amulsar has been the only issue regarding which he has personally read all letters. “The people’s voice is always heard and I hope you know that in today’s Armenia the people’s voice can’t not be heard. As I have announced last year, the solution of this issue can be relied on the balanced interest of the Republic of Armenia. Now there is a claim that the water will be contaminated, air will be polluted, the soil will be contaminated, that there will be noise. If it turns out to be so, the mine cannot be operated. But if it turns out there it isn’t so, it is another situation,” Pashinyan said.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

Yerevan to have $270,000,000 skyscraper

14:30,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 23, ARMENPRESS. Armenia’s Minister of Economy Tigran Khachatryan held a meeting with Laura Investment representatives to discuss the company’s upcoming project on building a 270,000,000 dollar skyscraper in Yerevan.

The skyscraper will be a 270 meter, 71-storey multifunctional residential complex. The developer of the project told the minister that construction will last 5 years. Laura Investments also briefed on the seismic safety actions in the project.

The company is planning to build the tower in an area adjacent to the Dalma Gardens, where Laura Investments will also improve other infrastructure and build parks, playing grounds, a recreation zone and a ropeway.

Minister Tigran Khachatryan said that investors will have the government’s support wherever required. He also proposed to consider the opportunities of utilizing local potential in realizing the project.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

Yerevan to host first ever Armenian International Photography Festival

15:00,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 23, ARMENPRESS. The 1st Armenian International Photography Festival will be inaugurated August 26 in Yerevan, with photographers from 20 countries including Japan, Denmark, Italy, France, Russia, Switzerland, USA, United Arab Emirates and elsewhere participating.

The festival’s steering committee chair Tatev Mnatsakanyan said at a press conference that pictures will be displayed in 39 different locations across Yerevan – ranging from the Zvartnots International Airport up to the Presidential Residence.

“Pictures will be displayed also at the Hovhannes Tumanyan Museum, two stations of Yerevan subway and a number of other locations,” she said, highlighting the festival’s significance in terms of tourism.

Photolur agency Director Melik Baghdasaryan noted that as a photographer he is very interested in the upcoming event.

“Indeed, Armenia has a good history of photography, however it hasn’t been promoted and covered. This kind of events will contribute for our society to be able to get to now the Armenian photography history better,” he said.

ARMENPRESS News Agency Director Aram Ananyan emphasized that the newly created festival will have its unique place on the global photo festival map.

“When we speak about Armenian historic photography we see the stories of dynasties. The several decades-old archive of ARMENPRESS keeps the works of the Baghdasaryans themselves and many others, which we have digitized and published at history.armenpress.am,” Ananyan said.

ARMENPRESS will participate in the festival with three exhibitions, and jointly with Converse Bank and Hovhannes Tumanyan Museum the “Hovhannes Tumanyan’s Retrospect” event will be organized in honor of the poet’s 150th anniversary of birth.

“The same retrospect will also take place regarding Komitas. We will organize exhibitions of also individual photographers in various platforms. One of our international partners, the National News Agency of Belarus, will have its individual exhibition dedicated to ceremony and tradition,” Ananyan said.

The festival will be inaugurated on August 26 and is organized under the auspices of the Yerevan City Hall.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

Ex-Defense Minister Vagharshak Harutyunyan’s military rank reinstated

15:19,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 23, ARMENPRESS. Former Minister of Defense Vagharshak Harutyunyan’s military rank of Lt. General has been reinstated.

President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian formalized the decision at the recommendation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Sarkissian’s Office said.

Harutyunyan’s military rank was revoked in 2002 by President Robert Kocharyan.

Vagharshak Harutyunyan served as Minister of Defense from 1999 to 2000.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

Frank Engel & Tatev Manukyan: Husband and Wife Cheering for Opposite Teams in Europa League

16:30,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 23, ARMENPRESS. It’s been two years since Frank Engel and Tatev Manukyan got married.

When the couple tied the knot Engel was serving as a Member of the European Parliament representing Luxembourg, while Manukyan is a foreign affairs officer at AGBU Europe.

Now, Frank Engel is Armenia’s Honorary Consul in Luxembourg. He is also the President of the Christian Social People's Party, Luxembourg's biggest political party. 

August 22, 2019 – Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium in Yerevan, Ararat Armenia are clashing with Luxembourg’s F91 Dudelange for the UEFA Europa League qualification play-off.

Seems like a serious problem for an Armenian-Luxembourgish couple in terms of whom to cheer for. But not this couple. Engel was seen together with his gorgeous Armenian wife Tatev Manukyan at the Yerevan stadium. Both were holding two flags, one Armenian and one Luxembourgish, and cheering for both their own country and the spouse's homecountry. It was a touching and sweet sight. 

Engel told ARMENPRESS that the match and the location have special significance for him, and that the importance of the match is the friendly atmosphere.

“The significance of this match is friendship. We’ve come as a friend and we feel the friendly atmosphere here. Only one of the teams will win, but we will remain friends,” Engel told ARMENPRESS at the stadium.

“Ararat-Armenia is a strong team and if it wins it will deserve the victory,” he added.

Ararat-Armenia went on to win the match 2:1. A second leg match will take place August 29th in Luxembourg and the winner will qualify for the Europa League group round.

 Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan