Category: 2019

Communist Party of Armenia: Europeans forced our authorities to act as we proposed

Jagharian Tania
News.am, Armenia
Communist Party of Armenia: Europeans forced our authorities to act as we proposed Communist Party of Armenia: Europeans forced our authorities to act as we proposed

12:51, 16.07.2019
                  

YEREVAN. – The Venice Commission has made it clear—with open text—to our authorities that it is necessary to abandon the idea of massive vetting of judges, as well as an obvious criticism was made aimed at the blocking of the courts in May, and the unconstitutional nature of Constitutional Court member Vahe Grigoryan’s statement was stressed. The Communist Party of Armenia (CPA) has noted this in a statement.

“In fact, the European partners of our authorities forced them to act in the way the communist party was proposing two months ago, that despite the need for reforms in the judiciary [of Armenia], it is indispensable to act within the framework of the Constitution, [and] without any vetting and things like that,” the CPA statement also reads. “Armenia and its people need a creative work that will be aimed at improving the socioeconomic situation [in the country] and preparing for withstanding major external challenges.”

Discussions being held in Yerevan on protections of women’s rights in Armenia

Karakhanian Suren
News.am, Armenia
Discussions being held in Yerevan on protections of women’s rights in Armenia Discussions being held in Yerevan on protections of women’s rights in Armenia

11:19, 16.07.2019
                  

A discussion initiated by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of Armenia is being held on Tuesday in Yerevan.

Zaruhi Batoyan, the head of the department, Lena Nazaryan, deputy speaker of the parliament, deputies, representatives of public organizations take part in it.

Lena Nazaryan made an opening speech.

According to her, the task of the legislative and executive authorities is to inform the citizens of different provinces of the country about the existing problems, and then to form an appropriate policy aimed at solving them.

“Recently, we have witnessed resistance during public discussions on violence against women,” the parliamentarian complained, adding that many of these problems have a social component – social problems.

https://news.am/eng/news/524147.html

Syria Received 100 Tons of Humanitarian Aid from Armenia

Chatinian Lara
Prensa Latina
 
 
Syria Received 100 Tons of Humanitarian Aid from Armenia
 
Damascus, Jul 16 (Prensa Latina) Syria has received 100 tons of humanitarian aid offered by the Government of Armenia, officila sources reported Tuesday in Damascus.
 
An Ilyushin Il-76 plane loaded with Armenian humanitarian aid landed in the Russian air base of Hemeymim, in the province of Latakia, reported the newspaper Al-Watan.
 
It added that 100 tons of Armenian assistance arrived in Syria in three flights, and includes wheat, rice, cereals, oil and basic aid material that will be distributed to Syrian families in need.
 
Armenia had sent a brigade of doctors and deminers to Aleppo province, where there is an Armenian community of more than 100 people.
 

Armenia put on list of countries that produce most waste

Emil Lazarian
News.am, Armenia
Armenia put on list of countries that produce most waste Armenia put on list of countries that produce most waste

15:13, 15.07.2019
                  

Armenia is included in the list of countries producing the most waste per capita, USA Today reported. 

According to a study conducted by Tempo, Canada ranked first, leaving behind Bulgaria and US.

Every citizen of Canada accounts for 36 tons of garbage per year. In Bulgaria, each citizen accounts for 26.7 tons of garbage per year, and in the United States – 26 tons, the source noted.

Armenia ranked sixth. For every citizen of Armenia accounted for 16.3 tons of garbage per year.

According to the source, in 2014, Armenia produced almost 493,000 tons of municipal waste.

“Armenia produces relatively little municipal waste, with nearly 493,000 tons in 2014. It also ranks among the countries producing the least amount of agricultural and construction waste. However, what contributes to Armenia’s rank among the world’s biggest producers of waste is the huge amount of industrial waste it produces. Of the nearly 48 million tons of total waste the country produces, 47.3 million is industrial,” the source noted.

The list also includes Estonia (23.5 tons), Finland (16.6 tons), Sweden (16.2 tons), Luxembourg (11.8 tons), Ukraine (10.6 tons), Serbia (8.9 tons).

Parliament ex-deputy speaker: Armenia authorities agreed judges’ general vetting will be neither necessary nor useful

Boshkezenian Garik
News.am, Armenia
Parliament ex-deputy speaker: Armenia authorities agreed judges’ general vetting will be neither necessary nor useful Parliament ex-deputy speaker: Armenia authorities agreed judges’ general vetting will be neither necessary nor useful

13:07, 15.07.2019
                  

Former Vice President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia (RA), Arpine Hovhannisyan, who is also an ex-Minister of Justice, went on Facebook and reflected on the Venice Commission 119th plenary session report’s section on Armenia, and which refers to the vetting of judges and the recent legal-political statement by recently elected Constitutional Court (CC) judge Vahe Grigoryan.

Hovhannisyan wrote as follows, in particular:

“The sections related to Armenia in the document summarizing the plenary session of the Venice Commission are distinctive with several episodes. And, so, the commission has stated:

‘“1. Following a court decision to release on bail [Armenia’s] former President [Robert] Kocharyan, [on 19 May] Prime Minister [Nikol] Pashinyan had strongly criticised the courts, ASKED his supporters to BLOCK court houses, and called for a renewal of the judiciary. In a letter to the Prime Minister the President of the [Venice] Commission [Gianni] (Buquicchio) acknowledged that there was a lack of trust in the judiciary [of Armenia] but INSISTED that any measures taken had to be fully in line with the Constitution [of Armenia] and international standards.’

“1.1. Upon the invitation of the Armenian authorities, a high Council of Europe delegation arrived in the RA to discuss judicial reforms [in the country].

‘“AGREEMENT was reached that it would be neither necessary nor useful to carry out a general VETTING of all sitting judges [of Armenia]. Instead, disciplinary procedures should be strengthened and a link with the asset declaration system established.’

“I believe there is no need to explain in detail that in the Venice Commission’s view, the call for blocking [the court houses] and the subsequent measures have not been in line with the Constitution and international standards, the political cause of that demeanor is clearly stated, and whereas vetting is not a panacea, to put it mildly; it’s not necessary, it’s not useful, [and] therefore the [Armenian] authorities have agreed to give up that idea, which, of course, is very encouraging.

“2. The other important emphasis of the [Venice] Commission refers to the tangle that has been created around the Constitutional Court. The commission was informed about Vahe Grigoryan’s comments and, as a result, it has stressed the following:

‘“Article 213 of the revised Constitution, however, provided CLEARLY and UNAMBIGUOUSLY that the chairman and members of the Constitutional Court appointed prior to the entry into force of the amendments shall CONTINUE TO SERVE until the end of their term of office prescribed by the Constitution amended in 2005. It was disturbing that this statement by the judge had been applauded in [Armenia’s] parliament and there might be a risk of interference with the mandates of the sitting judges.’ 

“I believe everything is clear here, too. There is no need for additional colorful interpretations: the CC judge and member separation is imaginary. Let me add that the [Venice] commission has authorized commission president G. Buquicchio to follow developments on this matter and to make a public statement, as needed.”

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14 hrs ·

The position of the Venice Commission on vetting and Vahe Grigoryan’s legal and political statement

In the document summarizing the plenary session of the Venice Commission, the sections concerning Armenia are notable for several episodes. And so the commission stated:

1. “Former president R. After the court’s decision to release Kocharyan on personal bail, Prime Minister Pashinyan harshly criticized the courts, CALLED his supporters to BLOCK the entrances to the courts, and also spoke about renewing the judicial power. The chairman of the commission (Bukicchio) in his letter to the Prime Minister, although he admitted that there is a lack of trust in the courts, he INSISTED that all the measures taken should be implemented in accordance with the Constitution and international standards.
1.1. At the invitation of the Armenian authorities, a high-ranking delegation of the CE arrived in RA to discuss judicial reforms.

“It is AGREED that a common vetting of all sitting judges would be neither necessary nor helpful. Instead, disciplinary procedures should be strengthened and a link with the income declaration system should be established.”

I think there is no need to explain at length that, according to the Venice Commission, the blockade call and the measures that followed it were not considered in accordance with the constitution and international standards, the political reason for that behavior is clearly stated, and vetting, to put it mildly, is not a panacea, it is not necessary, it is not useful, so the authorities agreed to abandon that idea, which is of course highly encouraged.

2. Another important emphasis of the commission refers to the chaos created around the Constitutional Court. The commission was informed about Vahe Grigoryan’s comments and as a result emphasized the following.
“Article 213 of the revised constitution, however, CLEARLY and unequivocally stipulates that the president and members of the Supreme Court appointed before the constitutional amendments come into effect shall CONTINUE TO SERVE until the end of their term of office specified in the 2005 constitution.
It is disturbing that this statement of the judge was welcomed by the parliament and there is a risk of interference with the mandates of the existing judges.
I think everything is clear here as well. There is no need for additional colorful comments: the separation of judges and members of the CC is fictitious. I should add that the committee authorized the chairman of the committee Z. Bukicchio to monitor developments on this issue and make public comments as needed. 

https://www.facebook.com/arpine.hovhannisyan.14/posts/3348808068478374


https://news.am/eng/news/523928.html






Armenia Civil Aviation Committee head on work and results

Emil Lazarian
News.am, Armenia
Armenia Civil Aviation Committee head on work and results Armenia Civil Aviation Committee head on work and results

16:13, 15.07.2019
                  

I have noticed that sometimes people misinterpret the activities of the Civil Aviation Committee. This is what Head of the Civil Aviation Committee Tatevik Revazyan told journalists today.

According to her, many people in Armenia think the Civil Aviation Committee deals with pricing of airline tickets, but this is not the case. “The Committee regulates the air transport sector in line with international standards. Our main function is flight safety. The Committee is the authority responsible for introducing new international standards in the Armenian market and issues permits to airline companies that can implement flights to Armenia,” Revazyan said.

Talking about her activities, Revazyan stated that she has participated in the meeting of the heads of civil aviation authorities of 120 countries and has had important meetings in different countries. “My trips have helped Armenia achieve results. For instance, the Singapore Aviation Academy and the Civil Aviation of China provide free education. Singapore’s Civil Aviation will send a delegation to Armenia and will deal specifically with airport security. Basically, we will have an understanding of the problems that exist and the ways we can solve them, and all this for free,” Revazyan said.

Head of Civil Aviation Committee suggests removing departure tax for new routes

Christine Harutyunian
Panorama, Armenia

One of the main problems of the civil aviation sector of Armenia is the high cost of service, Tatevik Revazyan, the Chairwoman of Civil Aviation Committee stated at a press conference on Monday in Yerevan.

“Apart from high service prices of Zvartnots airport we have the so-called departure or air tax of 10,000 AMD (around $22) which is not a low amount,” Revazyan said, adding the regular ticker price is around 40 Euros in Europe, while the air tax in Armenia only amounts for $22

“This is a major problem and we plan to suggest removing the tax for new routes, since when air carriers are exploring new routes it could be a risk for them. It needs time to create its own market,” Revazyan added.

in the words of the head of the Civil Aviation Department, if the departure tax is removed and Yerevan Zvartnots Airport reduces its service prices, two new air carriers may enter the Armenian market in the summer of 2020, one of them Ryanair low-cost airline.

“I have this commitment in writing as well,” said Revazyan.

Air tax may be removed and ticker prices downed in Armenia

Babken Chilingarian
ARKA, Armenia

YEREVAN, July 15. /ARKA/. , Air tax in Armenia may be removed, and ticket prices will go down, Tatevik Revazian, head of the General Department of Civil Aviation of Armenia, told journalists on Monday summarizing the results of one year of her activity in office.  The air tax (AMD 10,000 or around $20.9) was introduced in Armenia on March 29, 2009. 

In 2014, the tax was removed for Shirak Airport in Gryumri to attract lowcosters. Revazian said she finds it wrong to set such high prices for tickets and take air tax from passengers, since this deters new companies from entering Armenian market.  

In her words, to make the Armenian air market more attractive to lowcosters, the department has worked out legislative changes, which imply also air tax exemption. –0—


Ryanair and Wizz Air planning to enter Armenian market

Tatoyan Vazgen
ARKA, Armenia

YEREVAN, July 15. /ARKA/. Ryanair and Wizz Air are planning to enter Armenia’s market, Tatevik Revazian, head of the General Department of Civil Aviation of Armenia, told journalists on Monday summarizing the results of one year of her activity in office. 

“The lowcoster companies have already expressed their willingness to enter the Armenian market in summer 2020 if all difficulties in acquisition of new aircrafts are settled,” she said.

In her words, to make the Armenian air market more attractive to lowcosters, the department has worked out legislative changes, which imply preferences, including air tax exemption, for launch of new routes. 

She said this approach will be applied only to new routes and only with taking their financial risk exposure for companies. 

“We intentionally don’t assign preferences to air companies, since this can lead to monopolies, unfair competition and price rise in the future,” Revazian said. “We offer preferences for new routes for five years. If, for example, Yerevan-Marseille flights are operated by Ryanair, it will enjoy preferences, and if Air France launches flights in the same routes, it will have preferences as well.” 

She said the project is almost ready and is likely to be put on the National Assembly’s floor in late August.

Both companies, she said, expressed their interest in working with Armenia in writing. –0—

Armenian Ombudsman discusses Khachaturian sisters’ case with Russia’s High Commissioner for Human Rights

Ani Kharatian
Panorama, Armenia

Armenian Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan held a phone conversation with Russian High Commissioner for Human Rights Tatyana Moskalkova over guaranteeing the rights of Khachaturian sisters three teenage sisters of Armenia origin accused of murdering their father.

As the Ombudsman’s office reports in a release, Tatoyan arranged with Moskalkova to exchange information regarding the sisters’ case, consider the concerns voiced by the public, including human rights watchdogs for examining them along with other materials of the case and where relevant take actions in the scope of her capacities.

To note, investigators charged the three Khachaturian sisters with killing their 57-year-old businessman father shortly after his body with multiple stab wounds to the neck and chest was found in an apartment in Moscow on July 27, 2018. When questioned, the young women pled guilty and explained that they had reasons for hostility towards their father, because he abused them mentally and physically for a lengthy period of time. According to state commission findings reported by Russian media the prominent local businessman and churchgoer had insulted, humiliated, threatened and “subjected his daughters to physical and sexual violence.”