Category: 2019

Armenia suggests reforming Refugee Convention

09:40,

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Regional Bureau for Europe invited the first high level Conference of the Asylum Systems Quality Initiative in the Eastern Europe and South Caucuses (QIEE), held in Geneva, Switzerland. Government of Armenia have been actively engaged in QIEE since 2013. Over these years, the project led to substantial achievements in the quality of asylum procedures in Armenia, Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, Azerbaijan and Moldova. UNHCR stands ready to continue to support the governments on working towards solutions to challenges in this sphere. During the conference, Armen Ghazaryan talked about the defense of the national security in the context of not violating the refugee defense system. Particularly, the head of the Migration Service highlighted that in this field it is of infrequent importance to apply not only the legal approach but also the political one.

“I want to highlight the characteristics of the national security and also mention that we continue the cooperation with the National Security Service trying to balance the national security and the defense of the refugees,” mentioned Armen Ghazaryan. The head of the Migration Service indicated that there are problems in this field, such as the refugee institute is used to avoid the punishment of the committed crime. “This institute is also used for the purposes of desertion and terrorism. The special territorial and political situation of the Republic of Armenia assumes serious challenges in this regard,” mentioned Armen Ghazaryan. During the conference it was suggested to create united information platform and an effective institute, which will balance the solutions to those problems. In his speech the head of the Migration Service of Armenia indicated that the Refugee Convention was adopted in 1951 and the time has come to make some reforms according to the modern challenges.

“We should aim not to let the defense of the refugees be exploited and transformed to the “trade for shelter”. We should refresh the Convention, so that it considers the current dangerous risks in the world,” concluded his speech Armen Ghazaryan. The conference was followed by a working lunch with participation of Volkan Türk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on international defense affairs.

Armenia bans Boeing B-737-MAX 8, MAX 9 aircraft from its airspace amid growing safety concerns

10:04,

YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. Armenian aviation authorities have banned Boeing B-737-MAX 8 and Boeing B-737-MAX 9 aircraft from its entering its airspace.

“Taking into account the safety notice issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency, as well as the NOTAM’s banning the Boeing B-737-MAX 8 and Boeing B-737-MAX 9 aircraft from Turkish and Georgian airspace, the Armenian Civil Aviation Committee, upon studying the situation, and considering flight safety a priority, has decided to ban the operations of B-737-MAX 8 and Boeing B-737-MAX 9 aircraft in Armenian airspace from March 13th to April 13th,” the committee said in a news release.

Many countries have banned the aircraft from entering its airspace until further notice as safety concerns continue to mount following two deadly crashes.

The move comes after the recent Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed all 157 people on board.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

Pawnshop operators protest planned 6000% tax hike

10:40,

YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. Entrepreneurs operating pawnshops and currency exchange offices are demonstrating outside the government headquarters in Yerevan against a planned amendment of a law regulating their businesses whereby the government wants to raise state duties for operating this kind of businesses. The bill suggests raising pawnshop duties from the current 100,000 drams to 6,000,000 drams (5900% hike), while currency exchange operators will pay 3,000,000 instead of the current 50,000 drams.

The entrepreneurs claim they will go out of business in the event of such tax hikes.

Ashot Poghosyan, a man who runs a pawnshop, says the proposed changes are illogical.

Few days earlier the entrepreneurs were holding a similar protest outside the government headquarters. On that day, Vice Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan approached the crowd to negotiate. He said he has convened an expert discussion on the matter to understand what can be done.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

Restoration works of St. Giragos Armenian Church begin in Diyarbakir, Turkey  

10:58,

YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. The St. Giragos and catholic churches in Turkey’s Diyarbakir province are being restored, Dailysabah reported.

Funding is provided by the ministry of environment and urban development.

The government has provided 15 million Turkish liras for the restorations works.

The St. Giragos Church has been built in 1376 and is one of the biggest Armenian churches in the Middle East. The first church ceremony after 32 years of pause was held in November 2012. The renovation works of the Church have been carried out by the financial support of the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul. The Diyarbakir Municipality also provided assistance.

In 2015 the local churches of Diyarbakir greatly suffered due to the Turkish-Kurdish clashes.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan

Deputy PM Avinyan receives delegation of Eurasian Fund for Stabilization and Development

11:02,

YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Avinyan on March 13 received the delegation of the Eurasian Fund for Stabilization and Development (EFSD) led by acting executive director of the Fund Andrey Shirokov, the deputy PM’s Office told Armenpress.

Welcoming the guests the deputy PM said the cooperation with the EFSD has recorded positive results, and there are great opportunities to further deepen and expand it.

In his turn Andrey Shirokov thanked for the reception and stated that this year the EFSD is celebrating its 10th anniversary, and during this period key programs have been implemented aimed at contributing to the economic development and stabilization of the Fund’s participating states. He expressed hope that the Fund’s investment portfolio will further grow in Armenia.

Deputy PM Avinyan touched upon the government’s reforms and development priorities, stating that Armenia has adopted a policy of inclusive economic growth, which supposes that the ongoing and upcoming initiatives should find a place within this ideology.

The officials also discussed the process of projects being implemented by the Fund’s assistance, as well as touched upon the further cooperation prospects in new directions.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan

Armenian economy minister attends EEU industrial meeting

11:05,

YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. Ministers of the industrial sector of Eurasian Economic Union member states have held a session on March 13 in Moscow, with delegations of the Eurasian Economic Commission and governments from all member states in attendance.

Armenia’s delegation was led by Minister of Economic Development and Investments Tigran Khachatryan, the ministry reported.

Issues related to import substitution in priority economic sectors were discussed.

In this context, Russia’s Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov expressed his country’s readiness to study concrete proposals of EEU countries.

The possible participation of member states in Russia’s state information system in the processed industry sector was discussed, and prospects of creating a single industrial policy in the EEU were also addressed.

The participants exchanges ideas over the possibilities for creating a single Eurasian trademark for certain goods for more efficient exports to non-EEU countries.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

Importers of LHT vehicles given temporary green light

11:16,

YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian parliament has adopted a bill allowing temporary imports of right-side wheel vehicles into the country. The bill covers vehicles that have been acquired until December 30, 2018 and that were stranded at customs checkpoints due to technicalities.

The bill was unanimously voted in favor for by all 97 MPs in attendance.

The importers have been given a green light until May 1.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

UNFPA Executive Director highly appreciates cooperation with Armenian government

11:37,

YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. Armenian minister of labor and social affairs Zaruhi Batoyan met with Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Natalia Kanem, the minister said on Facebook, reports Armenpress.

The minister said Dr. Kanem highly appreciated the cooperation with the Armenian government at three main directions (family planning, gender-based violence and reproductive health).

“I thanked the Fund for assisting in gender equality, fighting domestic violence and human rights protection, in this context recalling the adoption of the law on prevention of domestic violence and the upcoming processes aimed at improving it”, Zaruhi Batoyan said.

At the end of the meeting the UNFPA Executive Director invited the Armenian minister to attend the conference to be held in Nairobi, where the Fund will celebrate its 50th anniversary and the 25th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) which was held in Cairo in 1994.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan

Armenia, Georgia have great potential to be developed and strong countries: Official dinner served in honor of President Zourabichvili

12:10,

YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. An official dinner was served on behalf of Armenia’s President Armen Sarkissian and spouse Nune Sarkissian Wednesday evening in honor of President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili who arrived in Armenia on an official visit, the Presidential Office told Armenpress.

The Armenian President welcomed his Georgian counterpart and her delegation and stated:

“I am happy to host you in Armenia.

The friendship of Armenian and Georgian peoples has a centuries-old origins and a history of millennia.

During those centuries the two peoples have passed through huge experiments, but the common history, culture united us, and there are numerous such examples”, the President said, adding that time has showed that Armenia and Georgia had had a great history of friendship, but it will also show that both states have good and friendly future.

President Sarkissian said the rich cultural heritage of the two peoples has a special place in the bilateral relations. “Last month we celebrated the 150th birthday anniversary of renowned Armenian poet Hovhannes Tumanyan. I want to state that Tumanyan was also honored in Tbilisi, and this is not a coincidence. Tumanyan’s human and poetic trace is not only in Dsegh, Yerevan and Armenia, but also in Tbilisi and Georgia.

Dear Mrs. President, I am sure you know that Tumanyan had a specific sympathy towards Georgia and its people”, Armen Sarkissian said, wishing peace, prosperity and all the best to the Georgian people.

“Let the Armenian-Georgian friendship remain uninterrupted. Let peace and welfare always spread in Armenia and Georgia and between our two peoples”, he said.

In her turn the Georgian President also delivered remarks, noting: “Georgians and Armenians are united with the value system on which the Caucasus has been historically based. And the culture is the sector where our close relationship is seen at best. Both Georgians and Armenians are proud of Sayat-Nova, Aram Khachatryan, Parajanov, Charles Aznavour, Givi Shahnazar and other renowned Armenians.

I think that in addition to further deepening the cultural ties, it is also necessary to expand the cooperation spectrum. We have a great potential to be developed and strong states. Supporting each other on this path will bring great success”.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan