Serbia will send medical supplies and equipment to Armenia to help the country combat the coronavirus outbreak, the president’s office reported. The equipment will be sent through two charter flights expected to arrive in Yerevan in the comings days.
The assistance comprises of 10 lung ventilation devices, 10 monitors controlling the patients’ condition, 500 thousand surgical and 100 thousand respirator masks, 25 thousand protective eye-wears, 25 thousand protective medical uniforms and other equipment. The total amount of the assistance is $1 million.
According to the press statement, the medical assistance has been initiated by President Sargsyan and supported by President of Serbia Aleksandr Vučić. President Sargsyan held also a phone conversation with his Serbian counterpart and thanked him and the friendly people of Serbia for the continuous warm attitude toward Armenia and the Armenian people.
Adopted yesterday joint statement of the European Parliament (EP) rapporteurs on Azerbaijan and Armenia, condemning the occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia and calling on the parties to show readiness for a peaceful settlement of the conflict within the framework of the internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan, is, in any case, an unfavorable signal for the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, a leading analyst at the Agency for Political and Economic Communications, Mikhail Neyzhmakov told Vestnik Kavkaza.
“You can recall that one of the co-authors of the statement, Basescu, as president of Romania, interacted quite actively with Baku. At the same time, Zovko and Kaljurand are politicians quite cautious, with significant diplomatic experience. It is unlikely that they acted at their own risk, “the expert drew attention.
Further, the political scientist did not rule out that such a cold attitude of the European deputies to Yerevan is connected not only with the EU policy in the South Caucasus, but also with the EU-Turkey relations. “Despite the tension between Ankara and Brussels, for example, on the issue of exploration near Cyprus, the parties are clearly looking for interaction. Recall the statement made by European Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi in early June 2020 that Turkey is among the states that will receive funding from the EU budget in 2021-2027. The statement of the three European parliamentarians on the Karabakh issue, which offends the interests of Yerevan, can clearly get approval from Ankara, while for the EU leadership it costs nothing,” he said.
In any case, according to the analyst, the adoption of this statement is not a very favorable signal for Pashinyan, because the Armenian Prime Minister sought to prove to the domestic audience that the trust between Yerevan and the European Union has been strengthened over the past two years. “Pashinyan’s opponents (for example, Karen Bekaryan, a deputy of the National Assembly of Armenia of the two previous convocations) have already called this statement of the European parliament a failure of parliamentary diplomacy, “Mikhail Neyzhmakov explained.
Gasia Mkaelian shares her family’s forgiving recipe for shish kebabs.
I learned to cook from the best of the best: my mother.
I was lucky to grow up in a family where dinnertime was an event every evening. My sister and I would fight over who had to set the table. As soon as my dad came home from work we’d all sit down for a family meal.
My siblings and I grew up eating almost exclusively homemade Armenian food. These were things that were considered “exotic” in Livermore back in the 80s. Sarma (stuffed grape leaves), shish kebab and pita bread were (and are) some of my favorites. I especially liked scooping up tabbouleh with potato chips when Mom wasn’t looking.
I learned everything I know about cooking from observing and helping my mom, and it is because of her that cooking to feed my own little family is now one of my greatest joys.
I try to make Armenian food at least once a week. Sometimes it’s just hummus and pita bread. Other times, it’s what I call “Armenian feast:” shish kebab, pickled turnips, tabbouleh, and roasted vegetables.
There is a lot of misinformation being disseminated, starting from the authorities. This is what Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said during a question-and-answer session in the National Assembly today, responding to a question from deputy of the My Step faction Nazeli Baghdasaryan who said most citizens’ actions in this period are aimed at weakening the state apparatus and destroying certain state bodies and government agencies.
“It’s not only about misinformation, but also targeted actions. What I mentioned contains elements of Article 304 of the Criminal Code (crime against state security). Are police taking or will they take actions against this?” the deputy asked.
“Yes, there is a lot of misinformation being disseminated, starting from the authorities. The purpose is to create a confidence crisis. There are people who say my family and I have purchased a villa in Canada and are involved in smuggling. Can you imagine? In this regard, the Armenian legislation allows presses to be liberal, and I don’t think we need to make artificial changes. These phenomena are linked to several criminal cases that you know or don’t know about. Even if someone swears that I am making money on the side, know that it is a lie. That can’t happen simply because when I assumed the office of Prime Minister, I told the people that if I become involved in corruption, I will call on the citizens of Armenia to hang me at Republic Square in Yerevan,” Pashinyan said.
Armenia’s Police have not used enough force against some, Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated at the NA special session today.
“I think during the past two years the Police and National Security Service have not applied enough force against some. Soon they will use so much force against some that they will not open their mouths in general,” Pashinyan said, stressing that today the Police must not be afraid to act.
“The Police must act with spirit, but legally. An impression is as if the police must walk under walls, hide. No, those who violate the rules, the criminals must walk under walls. It seems as if the police are our number one enemy, no, the permissiveness is our enemy and those who spread it must enter their holes,” Pashinyan said.
Police officers detained a group of activists and lawyers who were rallying outside the Arabkir Police Department to support lawyer Ruben Melikyan and several others apprehended earlier on Friday for refusing to stop a protest action outside the parliament.
Among the detained citizens were Artur Danielyan, the leader of Adekvad party highly critical of the Armenian government, lawyer Arsen Babayan and dozens of other citizens, with some of them taken to other police departments.
Before being detained Danielyan insisted police did not move to disperse the rally as they were unable to clarify PM Nikol Pashinyan’s position on the matter, since the latter was addressing the parliament over the extension of the state of emergency at the time.
“I can’t get it what problem they are solving by detentions. Ruben Melikyan was standing alone in front of the National Assembly, but he was detained. At the moment, about 60 people are gathered here, but they are not being detained. We can’t follow the logic here,” he said, suggesting police officers took no action as they had not received an order from the premier yet.