In the first game of the UEFA Europa League 1/16 finals, Arsenal lost to Belarusian BATE.
Midfielder Stanislav Dragun scored the only goal in the 45th minute.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Armenia’s Arsenal midfielder, took part in the whole match.
Category: 2019
LIVE. Sitting of Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs (video)
The following question will be discussed during the session:
1) Project History of Statement on the activities of the Central Electoral Commission “On the Extraordinary Elections of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia on December 9, 2018”
Main speaker: Chairman of the Central Electoral Commission Tigran Mukuchyan
More details here
168: Every year in Armenia 80-100 children up to 18-years-old suffer from cancer
Category
Society
he whole world celebrates February 15 as International Childhood Cancer Day since 2002 to raise awareness and to express support for children and adolescents with cancer, survivors and their families.
Every year in Armenia 80-100 children up to 18-years-old suffer from cancer.
Currently, the full treatment of these children is possible in Armenia with the standardized American and European schemes.
The role of the City of Smile charitable foundation in the treatment of those kids is highly valued. The foundation fully takes care of all the treatment expenses.
By the initiative of healthcare minister of Armenia Arsen Torosyan, major changes occurred in the field of medicine acquirement, by ensuring the availability of non-registered, but very necessary medicines.
RFE/RL Armenian Report – 02/14/2019
Thursday,
Armenia Plans To Buy More Russian Fighter Jets
RUSSIA -- Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (R) and his Armenian
counterpart David Tonoian meet in Moscow, February 8, 2019
Armenia will buy more Sukhoi Su-30SM fighter jets from Russia after receiving
the first batch of such aircraft, according to Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan.
The Defense Ministry in Yerevan confirmed last week the signing of a
Russian-Armenian contract on the delivery of four Su-30SMs to the Armenian
Armed Forces. A ministry spokesman hinted at more such acquisitions in the near
future.
“Yes, we will not content ourselves with the four planes,” Tonoyan told
reporters on Wednesday. He described Su-30SM as the “best modern multirole
fighter jet” of its kind.
The Armenian Air Force has had no fighter jets until now. It currently consists
of 15 or so low-flying Su-25 jets designed for air-to-ground missions.
Russia - A Russian Sukhoi Su-30SM multirole fighter jet
The Russian newspaper “Kommersant” reported on February 1 that Yerevan will use
a Russian loan to buy four Su-30SMs at internal Russian prices set well below
international market-based levels. It did not specify their total price.
The Armenian Defense Ministry has refused to disclose the cost of the
acquisition, saying that that is “classified information.”
Tonoyan made the comments five days after his latest visit to Moscow during
which he met with Russia’s Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu and the head of a
Russian government agency overseeing arms deals with foreign states.
Tonoyan’s office said that he and Shoygu discussed, among other things,
supplies of Russian-made “state-of-the-art and precision-guided weapons” which
would give the Armenian military “preventive superiority” over its adversaries.
It did not elaborate.
The Russian Defense Ministry noted the “friendly and constructive character” of
the talks between the two ministers. It said Shoygu thanked Armenia for its
“humanitarian assistance” to Syria.
The talks came as Armenia deployed 83 army medics, demining experts and other
military personnel to Syria.
Pashinian Wins Confidence Vote, Slams Opposition Party
• Astghik Bedevian
Armenia - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian presents his government's program to
the parliament, Yerevan, .
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian lambasted one of the two opposition parties
represented in Armenia’s parliament as he secured parliamentary approval of his
government’s five-year policy program on Thursday.
In what amounted to a vote of confidence, the National Assembly endorsed the
program by 88 votes to 40 after three days of heated debates which involved
bitter recriminations between some opposition lawmakers and Pashinian.
The government’s action plan was rejected by the deputies representing the
opposition Bright Armenia (LHK) and Prosperous Armenia parties. Both parties
said that it lacks concrete socioeconomic targets that would back up
Pashinian’s repeated pledges to carry out an “economic revolution.”
The LHK was particularly scathing about the 70-page document. Its leader, Edmon
Marukian, said that an annual economic growth rate of 5 percent promised by the
government is too modest.
Marukian also claimed that the government is full of “second-tier players” from
former President Serzh Sarkisian’s administration. “With those cadres it’s
impossible to do an economic revolution,” he said.
“My worry is that the majority of the public has started losing faith in their
future,” said Mane Tandilian, another LHK leader who served as labor minister
in Pashinian’s cabinet until last December.
Armenia - Nikol Pashinian (C) and Edmon Marukian (R), leaders o the opposition
Yelk alliance, campaign for mayoral elections in Yerevan, 21Apr2017.
A furious Pashinian rejected the criticism in his final speech before the
parliament vote. He was especially incensed by parallels drawn by the LHK
between the current and previous Armenian governments.
“Don’t you try again to put me and them on the same plane,” he said. “Put
yourself and them on the same plane because you were saying the same thing in
2018.”
Pashinian recalled in this regard that the LHK refused to back him and his
Civil Contract party when they started campaigning in March 2018 against
Sarkisian’s attempt to cling to power. He charged that Marukian’s party, which
holds 18 seats in the current parliament, favored instead behind-the-scene
deals with Sarkisian and is now keen to whitewash the latter’s legacy.
“They’re saying that there was no revolution,” scoffed the premier. “Look
around you. If there was no revolution, what are 18 of you doing here?”
The LHK, Civil Contract and another party, Republic, made up the now defunct
Yelk parliamentary alliance which was in opposition to the former regime.
Pashinian managed to organize last spring a successful popular movement against
Sarkisian’s continued rule, widely referred to as the “velvet revolution,”
without the backing of his Yelk allies.
The government program was drawn up and submitted to the parliament for
approval last week two months after Pashinian’s My Step alliance scored a
landslide victory in snap general elections. The LHK finished a distant third
in those polls.
Yerevan Downplays U.S. Reaction To Syria Mission
• Sargis Harutyunyan
SYRIA -- U.S. armored vehicles patrol in the countryside of the eastern Syrian
Deir Ezzor province, January 31, 2019
A senior official in Yerevan insisted on Thursday that Armenia’s relations with
the United States will not deteriorate after Washington’s negative reaction to
the deployment of Armenian military personnel to Syria.
Commenting on the dispatch of 83 Armenian army medics, sappers and other
servicemen to Syria last week, the U.S. State Department said on Wednesday that
it does not support “any engagement with Syrian military forces” or “any
cooperation between Armenia and Russia for this mission.”
“Russia has partnered with the Assad regime to slaughter civilians and trigger
a humanitarian catastrophe,” it said in a statement.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry said later on Wednesday that it “took note of the
statement.” A ministry spokeswoman, Anna Naghdalian, repeated the official line
that the Armenian deployment is “purely humanitarian.”
Ruben Rubinian, the pro-government chairman of the Armenian parliament
committee on foreign relations, downplayed the U.S. reaction when he spoke to
journalists the following day.
“I don’t think that the statement by the U.S. State Department was very sharp,”
he said. “I think that our American partners understand the logic of our policy
and our motives.”
“Sending a team of specialists to Syria is very important for us because it is
first of all aimed at ensuring the physical security of our [ethnic Armenian]
compatriots living there and second of all the security of peoples living in
Syria. So this was not a geopolitical or political or military move. This is a
purely humanitarian move,” added Rubinian.
The official announcement of the deployment coincided with talks held by
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu and his Armenian counterpart Davit
Tonoyan in Moscow on February 8. Shoygu thanked Yerevan for its “humanitarian
assistance” to Syria.
More Charges Brought Against Jailed General
• Marine Khachatrian
Armenia - Retired General Manvel Grigorian speaks at a congress of the
Yerkrapah Union in Yerevan, 18 February 2017.
An Armenian law-enforcement agency has brought more criminal charges against
Manvel Grigorian, a retired army general prosecuted for illegal arms possession
and embezzlement.
The Special Investigative Service (SIS) said on Thursday that Grigorian now
also stands accused of evading more than 1 billion drams ($2.1 million) in
taxes, wasting 1 billion drams worth of public funds and extortion.
It alleged that he used threats and intimidation to dispossess in 2004 the
owner of a petrol station in the town of Echmiadzin where Grigorian lived and
held sway up until his arrest in June 2018.
The once powerful general was arrested when security forces raided his
properties in and around Echmiadzin. They found many weapons, ammunition,
medication and field rations for soldiers provided by the Armenian Defense
Ministry. They also discovered canned food and several vehicles donated by
Armenians at one of Grigorian’s mansions.
An official video of searches conducted there caused widespread shock and
indignation in the country. Grigorian, who served as deputy defense minister
from 2000-2008, denied the charges.
His lawyer, Arsen Mkrtchian, rejected the fresh accusations leveled by the SIS
as “absurd” and “even more fabricated.” Mkrtchian said that they will “burst
like a bubble” if his client gets a fair trial.
The trial should get underway soon. The SIS also announced on Thursday it has
completed the criminal investigation into the high-profile case.
Also prosecuted as part of that probe are Grigorian’s wife, Nazik Amirian, and
younger son Arman. The latter is on the run, according to the SIS.
The 62-year-old general suffers from a number of serious illnesses, reportedly
including cancer. A district court in Yerevan ordered Grigorian’s release from
pretrial detention on health grounds in December. He was arrested again on
January 22 immediately after Armenia’s Court of Appeals overturned that order
at the request of prosecutors.
Press Review
“There are definitely errors, omissions, raw and unclear provisions and the
like in the government’s program,” writes “Aravot.” “But the overall ideology
presented by the prime minister from the parliament podium is correct. Economic
development is contingent on the economic and even civic behavior of us,
citizens. In that sense, yes, even the pensioner granny must demand a cash
receipt in any store. Everyone, including lawyers and singers, must pay taxes.
Certain companies must not enjoy tax and customs privileges no matter what nice
formulations they come up with to substantiate their wishes.” The paper
believes that Nikol Pashinian’s government can “quickly sort out these spheres”
because it is much more popular and legitimate than the previous Armenian
governments.
“Zhamanak” comments on the corruption charge brought against former President
Robert Kocharian. It seems to be based on incriminating testimony given by a
well-known businesswoman, Silva Hambardzumian. The latter has said, though,
that he has not directly implicated Kocharian in bribery. The paper sees a
contradiction between Hambardzumian’s claims and statements made by Kocharian’s
lawyers.
“Zhoghovurd” says that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has reverted to
“bellicose rhetoric” on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. “Aliyev has expressed
confidence that the factor of force is becoming dominant in the world,” writes
the paper. It says that such statements are at odds with the logic of Aliyev’s
and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov’s negotiations with their
Armenian counterparts. “If they agree to hold negotiations on the basis of …
the Madrid Principles it means that they agree that the conflict must be
resolved on the basis of three internationally recognized principles: non-use
of force, peoples’ self-determination and territorial integrity,” it says. “And
the fact that the international community constantly stresses the need to
resolve the conflict in accordance with internationally accepted norms means
that it cannot support only Azerbaijan’s position.”
(Lilit Harutiunian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2019 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
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Speaker: One of the most important challenges for the government of Armenia will be a change in people`s self-consciousness
Arminfo, Armenia
Feb 14 2019
Alexandr Avanesov
ArmInfo.One of the most important challenges for the government of Armenia will be a change in the self-consciousness of the people. On February 14, President of the Parliament Ararat Mirzoyan stated this from the rostrum of the National Assembly of Armenia.
According to him, either the people continue to live in a feudal state, or take the path of development, there is no third option. A thousand years ago, Armenia lost its statehood, and throughout this period of time, one thought prevailed in the creation of a people - my house and my land plot. "Taxation, the army, wars, management systems, etc. – everything was not ours, only the house and the land remained. Unfortunately, this thought continues to prevail today," the President of parliament stated. He noted that with independence at the beginning of the last century, the goal was not achieved. Three wars, the maintenance of internal order did not allow to achieve the desired result; it was impossible to do this even during the Soviet period. Under the conditions of the third republic, continued Ararat Mirzoyan, the country also faced a number of problems – war, crises did not allow to realize his plans. "We won the war, but we could not overcome the citizens' self-consciousness, "the Speaker said, adding that later the country generally moved to the level of a feudal state, in which the central government had to agree to repair the valve. Only in exceptional cases, it was possible to achieve victories, and this happened when the people united – the Artsakh war, the velvet revolution.
Ararat Mirzoyan stressed that the government's program can be implemented only if the citizen's identity changes, who must realize the importance of a check requirement when making purchases, the importance of paying taxes, the importance of observing laws. And only then, as the speaker noted, four reservoirs will be built, other objects, pensions and wages will rise.
Minsk to Yerevan: The post of general secretary of an international military-political organization is not a hotel room that can be booked and not used
Arminfo, Armenia
Feb 14 2019
Naira Badalian
ArmInfo. Belarus hopes that the Armenian side will soon announce the date of the meeting with State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus Stanislav Zas. This was announced today at a press briefing by thead of the department of information and digital diplomacy, Foreign Ministry spokesman Anatoly Glaz, the BelTA correspondent reports..
As the Foreign Ministry spokesman stressed, Stanislav Zas held meetings with the heads of five states who supported his candidacy. At the same time, it is known that Armenia would like to retain the chairmanship in the CSTO until 2020. "The CSTO has been working without a secretary general for a long time," Anatoly Glaz said. "The situation does not benefit the organization and requires speedy resolution. Especially since at meetings in Astana and St. Petersburg, the heads of the CSTO states favored the candidate from Belarus."
A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry said that back in December last year, on behalf of the president of Kyrgyzstan's chairman of the Collective Security Council, the CSTO Secretariat prepared the necessary draft decisions on the appointment of Stanislav Zas as Secretary General. "Stanislav Zas immediately held meetings in five capitals with the heads of state. All the presidents supported his candidacy. In light of the fact that last December parliamentary elections were held in Armenia, and then the government was formed, we were aware of the fact that The Armenian Minister did not have the opportunity to meet with the Belarusian candidate. Now this period is over. Therefore, we expect the Armenian side to announce the dates of this meeting in the near future, " Anatoly Glaz said.
The official representative of the Foreign Ministry stressed that Belarus is committed to constructive cooperation with Yerevan. "We hope that we can find mutual understanding. After all, the post of Secretary General of an international military-political organization is not a hotel room that can be booked, even if there is no way to use it again," Glaz said. At the same time, according to the representative of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry, the member states of the organization are interested that this, in general, technical aspect of the CSTO activity does not affect the work of the organization and bilateral relations between its participants.
The position of the CSTO Secretary General became vacant after the representative of Armenia Yuri Khachaturov was released from it in 2018 due to criminal prosecution in his homeland. His deputy, Valery Semerikov, became the acting secretary general of the CSTO. Armenia insists that the leadership position should remain with the representative of Yerevan until 2020. Meanwhile, as President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev said earlier at the summit in Astana on November 8, it was decided that the representative of Belarus should take now the post of the CSTO Secretary General. On December 21, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko held a working meeting with the country's State Security Secretary Stanislav Zas and signed a draft decision of the CSTO Collective Security Council to appoint him as the general secretary of the organization. Earlier, Zas had already visited Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Russia to coordinate his appointment. At the same time, Yerevan was informed that visit of Zas to Armenia is not planned. Zas himself noted that he was ready at any time convenient for the Armenian prime minister to arrive in Armenia, to meet with the head of government, the minister of foreign affairs and the minister of defense. He expressed hope for a consensus on his appointment.