12:09,
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, ARMENPRESS. Urban Development Committee head Vahagn Vermishyan has been remanded into pre-trial detention, 5 days after being detained on suspicions of accepting bribes, the National Security Service said.
Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
13:15,
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, ARMENPRESS. Ambassador of Japan to Armenia Jun Yamada assures his country is ready for the launch of the 32nd Olympic Games, adding that it has a special meaning.
“It’s a great honor for the people of Japan to host the 32nd Summer Olympic Games. I was in Japan in the end of 2019 and saw with my own eyes how the preparations were going. Everything is almost ready in Tokyo for the launch of the Games. I am full of hope that we will manage to hold good Olympic Games”, the Japanese Ambassador told a press conference in Armenpress.
Talking about the buildings the Ambassador said some infrastructures, used during the 1964 Games, still can be used for the upcoming Games.
“This Olympic Games are very important for Japan. We have one common idea: ‘the Olympics are for the whole humanity’, and one key message: ‘How to be in harmony with the nature’. We want to show to the world how our country has recovered after the 2011 tsunami”, Jun Yamada said.
The Ambassador said the organizers want to make these Games more convenient for the participants and guests by using the latest technologies.
As for the Armenia-Japan cooperation in the field of sports, the Ambassador said after the Olympic Games Armenia’s team will be hosted at the Japanese town of Minamiizu as this town has chosen Armenia’s team because of its great interest to wrestling. “I regret that there is still no cooperation between the Armenian and Japanese cities, there are no sister cities yet”, he said.
The Ambassador said Japan will do everything to hold the Games at the highest level, especially from security perspective, and as for the new coronavirus spreading from China, he said he is optimistic and hopes that this virus will disappear before spring.
Tokyo will host the 32nd Summer Olympic Games from July 24 to August 9.
Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
13:20,
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, ARMENPRESS. The upcoming meeting of the Armenian-German Inter-Governmental Commission for Financial and Technical Cooperation is set to be held in Berlin July 21-22.
Deputy Chief of Mission of Germany to Armenia Klaus Wendelberger conveyed the official proposal from the German side on hosting the event to Deputy Minister of Economy of Armenia Varos Simonyan during a meeting on February 10. Simonyan, the co-chair of the commission, accepted the offer.
GIZ Country Director Anne Kempa, KfW Armenia Senior Project Coordinator Bella Andriasyan and economy ministry staffers also participated in the meeting.
The German envoy said Germany is willing to continue providing assistance to the Armenian government’s reforms, especially in the economic sector – highlighting the development of “green economy” and the SME sector and tourism.
Andriasyan briefed on the KfW’s Armenia activities, namely the agricultural insurance system, as well as the support in opening the TUMO Center in Berlin, Germany.
Simonyan invited the officials to participate in the EU-Armenia Investment Forum due in autumn.
Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
13:21,
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, ARMENPRESS. The representatives of the Russian Embassy in Armenia led by Ambassador Sergei Kopyrkin visited today the statue of renowned Russian poet and diplomat, the great friend of the Armenian people, Alexander Griboyedov to lay flowers and a wreath on the occasion of the professional day of Russian diplomats.
Talking about the current level of the Armenian-Russian relations, the Ambassador told reporters that these relations are at the highest level.
“That status is quite clear: we are allies, strategic partners, and the Armenian and Russian peoples are brothers. This is also reflected in our diplomatic relations. The relations between our diplomatic services are really very close”, the Russian Ambassador said.
The Ambassador and his staff also visited the central cemetery in Yerevan to lay flowers at the tombs of famous Armenian diplomats who had a great contribution in diplomacy.
“With these rich history and traditions, I think we are doomed to close cooperation, in a good sense, especially when we have many common issues and interests. In this complex world Armenian and Russian diplomats stand in the same frontline on key matters. This is very important, and Russia appreciates that”, Ambassador Kopyrkin said.
Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
13:25,
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan on February 8 held a telephone conversation with Foreign Minister of Greece Nikos Dendias, the Armenian MFA told Armenpress.
During the phone talk the two FMs discussed broad range of issues of mutual interest relating to the Armenian-Greek agenda.
They highlighted the importance of Armenia-Greece-Cyprus trilateral cooperation in terms of strengthening the partnership and the regional cooperation, as well as discussed the preparations of the upcoming summit at Cyprus-Armenia-Greece format in Yerevan.
The Armenian and Greek FMs also exchanged views on a number of urgent international and regional issues.
Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Avinyan and Head of CoE office in Yerevan Natalia Voutova have discussion opportunities for cooperation in digitization, e-judiciary and cyber security during the meeting in Yerevan today.
The parties have also discussed AI-related matters in the context of human rights protection.
Tigran Avinyan has touched on the Armenia-CoE action plan for 2019-2022, launched last year.
He has noted that digitization is quickly progressing in Armenia and underlined the importance of Armenia-CoE cooperation in the areas of mutual interest.
Armenia and Jordan discussed the possible prospects of creating firm ties between the private sectors of Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and Armenia, Jordan's Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Tareq Al Hammouri told the reporters today.
He said they have clear instruction from Abdullah II of Jordan.
“Today meetings are scheduled with representatives of the private sector, these meetings must have their reflection on trade and economic exchanges,” the minister said, adding that Armenia and Jordan may cooperate in various sectors.
“Among these sectors are the IT, one of the leading sectors in Armenia, and I see big prospects in this sector,” he said.
Tareq Al Hammouri stressed that they see prospects of cooperation in the tourism sector as well.
The Rockefeller Museum of Jerusalem opened an exhibition dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian ceramics of Jerusalem, The Times of Israel reported.
The artist David Ohannessian and his British customer changed the face of the capital in the 1920s, and now the works of the Armenian are exhibited in the archaeological museum as well as on the streets of the city.
In 1919, the British military governor of Jerusalem, Ronald Storrs, asked the artist , who had previously worked in the UK, to restore the glazed tiles on the outer walls of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. Ohannessian accepted the invitation, and along with the British brought over Armenian artists Neshan Balian and Megerdish Karakashian. All three had experience in glazed ceramic workshops in Turkey.
For several years, the governor and Armenian artists changed the face of Jerusalem. Armenians combined traditional ceramics with everything that is unique to Jerusalem. Armenian Jerusalem ceramics can be seen in dozens of buildings throughout the city since then.
The Rockefeller Museum opened a new amazing exhibition last fall, opening for visitors 100 years of Armenian ceramics. The curators called the exhibition “A Glimpse of Paradise” in honor of the fabulous fresco of the same name created by the late Marie Balian, the world-famous Armenian ceramic artist.