Category: 2019

Armenian parliament adopts resolution to remove Constitutional Court head

Arpi Talalian
Panorama, Armenia
Oct 4 2019

The Armenian National Assembly adopted on Friday a draft resolution calling on the Constitutional Court judges to replace its Chairman Hrayr Tovmasyan.

98 out of 101 lawmakers backed the measure in a secret ballot held from 11am to 12pm. Only one MP voted against the draft resolution, Chairman of the Counting Commission Vahagn Hovakimyan said, summing up the voting results.

Two ballot papers were declared invalid.

Earlier on Thursday, the Bright Armenia faction unveiled its decision to vote for the measure, while Prosperous Armenia said the faction would not take part in the vote.

The resolution is to be submitted to the Constitutional Court.

ERI’s John Shegerian to Speak at World Congress on Information Technology in Armenia

Bedik Zaminian
BusinessWire
Oct 4 2019
ERI’s John Shegerian to Speak at World Congress on Information Technology in Armenia

04:09 PM Eastern Daylight Time

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–John Shegerian, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of ERI, the nation’s leading fully integrated IT and electronics asset disposition provider and cybersecurity-focused hardware destruction company, will be speaking at the World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) 2019 next week in Yerevan, Armenia.

The WCIT, the signature event of the World Information Technology & Services Alliance (WITSA), a consortium of ICT associations from 83 countries, representing 90% of the industry, is one of the largest and most prestigious technology-related events in the world. It features discussions and presentations delivered by many of the world’s leading authorities on the digital age.

Shegerian will be featured on the October 9th panel titled “How Green is Silicon.”

“I am honored and very humbled to be have been invited to join this group of illustrious leaders to speak at WCIT next week in Armenia,” said Shegerian. “This truly one-of-a-kind, forward-looking event is designed to shape the conversation around our Digital Future and discuss the outcomes that the information and communications technologies have in our lives. I look forward to sharing our experiences with the Circular Economy, Cybersecurity, the 4G to 5G switchover, and how we built the leading brand in our sector.”

“Also, and something particularly exciting for me personally,” added Shegerian, “is that I will be visiting my family’s homeland, Armenia, for the first time in my life! And coming home is always a good thing — whoever you are and wherever your home is.”

Shegerian will be joined on stage by a consortium of diverse and notable speakers ranging from Kim Kardashian West, Richard Quest of CNN and Alexis Ohanian of Reddit to executives from Coca-Cola, Intel, Pixar, Lyft, Siemens and many others.

ERI is the largest fully integrated IT and electronics asset disposition provider and cybersecurity-focused hardware destruction company in the United States. ERI is certified at the highest level by all leading environmental and data security oversight organizations to de-manufacture, recycle, and refurbish every type of electronic device in an environmentally responsible manner. ERI has the capacity to process more than a billion pounds of electronic waste annually at its eight certified locations, serving every zip code in the United States. ERI’s mission is to protect organizations, people and the environment. For more information about e-waste recycling and ERI, call 1-800-ERI-DIRECT or visit https://eridirect.com.



Newspaper: 64 religious organizations registered in Armenia

Adrine Hakobian
News.am, Armenia
Oct 4 2019
Newspaper: 64 religious organizations registered in Armenia Newspaper: 64 religious organizations registered in Armenia

10:10, 04.10.2019
                  

 

YEREVAN. – According to official data, in addition to the Armenian Apostolic Church—which comprises the majority, there are 63 more registered religious organizations in Armenia, Past (Fact) newspaper reported. 

“These include the Russian Orthodox Church—with its 4 communities, the church of the Molokans, the Jewish and Assyrian churches, the Armenian Catholic Church.

“The rest are, in essence, organizations that are defined in society as sectarian organizations. (…) 31 such separate structures function in Armenia.

“Moreover, according to some unverified information, this number is not at all complete, as several [religious] organizations are simply not officially registered [in Armenia].

“In recent times, more and more often it is said that in the case of the current perilous geopolitical trends, the unity of Christian communities is extremely important. But the fact remains that there are at least 31 [sectarian] organizations—with their branches—functioning [in Armenia] today,” Past wrote.

Iran’s oil minister holds bilateral meetings with Armenian, Qatari counterparts

Chakrian Hovsep
Mehr, Iran
Oct 4 2019

TEHRAN, Oct. 04 (MNA) – The Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh held separate meetings with his Armenian and Qatari counterparts in Moscow on Thursday.

The Iranian oil minister is in Russia to attend the 21st ministerial meeting of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (which is also known Gas OPEC) held in the Metropol Hotel in the Russian capital of Moscow.

On the sidelines of the Gas OPEC meeting, Zanganeh held a bilateral meeting with Suren Papikyan, Armenia’s Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures on Thursday. 

The Iranian minister in the meeting with the Armenian counterpart emphasized the growing ties between the two countries in the field of energy, especially gas, and described the prospects of Tehran-Yerevan cooperation as positive given the constant communication between the two countries’ leaders.

The Iranian and Armenian ministers also discussed the latest bilateral plans between the two countries.

Zanganeh also had a meeting with Qatari minister of state for energy affairs Saad al-Kaabi, during which the two ministers exchanged views on the latest developments in the field of energy and safe gas exports and the prospects for a global market.

Valery Osipyan resigns as Armenian premier’s chief advisor – media report

Ani Basmajian
ARKA, Armenia
Oct 4 2019

YEREVAN, October 4. /ARKA/. Valery Osipyan, Chief Advisor to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, submitted Thursday his resignation to the latter, Aysor.am reported on Friday. Novosti-Armenia asked Prime Minister Spokesman Vladimir Karapetyan to confirm the information, but the latter said he knew nothing about that. “I can’t confirm the information, and that’s my answer,” he said.

Earlier, on September 18, Valery Osipyan resigned as the Armenian police chief. On the same day, the premier appointed him to the position of his chief advisor. According to media reports, immediately after this appointment Osipyan took a vacation, which came to an end today. -0—  

11:38 04.10.2019


Female tractor drivers as part of Armenia’s agriculture development strategy – daily

Jalatian Sonya
ARKA, Armenia
Oct 4 2019
 
 
Female tractor drivers as part of Armenia’s agriculture development strategy – daily
 
YEREVAN, October 4. /ARKA/. The Armenian government has presented a project of the agriculture sector’s development for 2020-2030, and the analysis of the project shows that its authors have no idea about the real situation in the country’s agriculture.  
 
“Some objectives outlined in the project just provoke laughter, and one of them is digitalization of agriculture,” the authors of the daily’s report say.  
 
They also find the wish to reach gender equality in rural areas ridiculous. “This means that we will see female tractor and combine drivers soon,” they say. -0—

Armenia to take pilot population census

Chakrian Hovsep
ARKA, Armenia
Oct 4 2019

YEREVAN, October 4. /ARKA/. The government of Armenia will take a pilot population census in a number of communities to check out a new census methodology and its technical modalities, Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan said today.

Avinyan was quoted by his press office as saying that the population census is very important, because the collected and analyzed data will serve as a basis not only for developing a demographic policy, but also for the organization of electoral processes and planning of a socio-economic strategy. He said therefore, every effort should be made to ensure that the pilot population census is taken at high level and with accuracy.

Avinyan said not only the results of the census are important, but also the process itself, since it is an excellent exercise for developing state offices and identifying their omissions.

The pilot population census will be conducted in the Artik community of Shirak region and the communities of Aramus, Akunk, Kamaris and Mayakovski of Kotayk region. Avinyan asked the head of the National Statistical Committee to personally oversee the pilot population census. -0-



Mahatma Gandhi`s 150th birth anniversary commemorated in Armenia

Arbi Tashjian
Arminfo, Armenia
Oct 4 2019

ArmInfo.The 150th anniversary of the ideologist and leader of the national liberation  movement of India, Mahatma Gandhi, was celebrated in Armenia. The  event was organized by the Embassy of India in Armenia jointly with  the Russian Armenian University (RAU). At the event held in the  audience of RAU, the Ambassador of India to Armenia Kishan Dan Dewal  delivered a welcoming speech, which pointed to the relevance of  Gandhi’s ideology in the modern era.

On the sidelines of the event, an exhibition of works by students of  Armenian schools dedicated to Gandhi was presented. The exhibition  was organized as part of the competition, and the four winners  received prizes from the hands of the Ambassador of India.

The event was attended by over 300 guests, including  parliamentarians, representatives of the Armenian government, the  Indian community, RAU students and others.

Before the event, Ambassador Dewal held a meeting with RAU Rector  Armen Darbinyan, with whom he discussed academic cooperation between  RAU and Indian universities.

Mahatma Gandhi, a famous freedom activist and an influential  political leader, played a dominant role in the nonviolent resistance  to lead the successful campaign for India’s independence from British  Rule. His philosophy of nonviolence inspired movements for civil  rights and freedom across the world. 

US should provide no military assistance to Azerbaijan – Congressman Pallone

Khondkarian Raffi
Panorama, Armenia
Oct 4 2019

“The US should provide no military aid to Azerbaijan, since Azerbaijan is very aggressive and demonstrated that aggression in 2016,” Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues Frank Pallone has told Armenpress news agency in an interview.

“They should get no military assistance from the USA. We, the members of the Congress did not know that the amount of the military assistance to Azerbaijan was so large, over 100 million USD in the last 3 years, and recently learned about that. And that’s much more than the assistance provided to Armenia. And traditionally, under the section 907 of the Freedom Support Act you cannot provide military assistance to a country that has been actively aggressive, like Azerbaijan was in April 2016,” Pallone has said.

In the Congressman’s words, the respective letter have sent to the Department of State and Department of Defense saying no military assistance should be provided to Azerbaijan, and they would like to know the justification for providing military assistance. 

“There is a paradigm that whatever you do for one country, you have to do the same for the other country. But I don’t say that we should give hundreds of millions of dollars of military assistance to the two countries, since we want peace, we do not want to encourage war. At this moment we are very upset that Trump’s administration has done that, but we want them to stop giving money to Azerbaijan,” added Pallone.

 The interview in its entirety is available here.

Sports: Armenian separatists claim responsibility for drone

Hovhannisian John
RTL Luxumburg
Oct 4 2019
Armenian separatists claim responsibility for drone

RTL
Thursday night’s match between F91 Dudelange and Qarabag was interrupted by a drone, shortly after the visitors scored their second goal, in an apparent political gesture.

The appearance of the drone caused a delay to the game, as well as unnerving some Qarabag supporters.

Officials paused the game when the drone appeared over the pitch and sent both teams to the dressing rooms. Fans of the home team stormed the pitch, in spite of security which struggled to contain the Azerbaijani supporters.

Shortly after the match, the separatist group “First Armenian Front /FAF ultras/” published an image on Facebook explaining the origins of the action. According to the group, “the action was led by the young people of Belgium thanks to Spartak J”.


Through this gesture, the group wanted to convey the message that Qarabag does not belong to Azerbaijan. The football club originated in the city of Agdam, until they were forced to move to the capital, Baku, as a result of the Nagorno-Karabakh War.
According to the instigators of the movement, Qarabag is an independent city with its own flag. They claimed on Facebook that the football club has no connection with the name of the city which, according to them, has been used wrongly.

Minister of Sport Dan Kersch presented his apologies in the name of the government for this provocation. Although the match was interrupted, play resumed after almost 20 minutes.

Police also reported that a number of cars had been broken into during the match, in a car park near the stadium.