Category: 2020

For Immediate Release: Viva-MTS and FCHA partnership. Construction of a half-built home in Gomk, yet another achievement of the partnership

Lara Chatinian

Fuller Center for Housing Armenia

53 Armen Tigranyan St., Apt. 26, Yerevan,0037,  RA
Tel: +374 10 24 23 48
E-mail:  
Web: www.fcharmenia.org
Contact: Alla Asatryan

   , Yerevan, Armenia  

Construction
of a half-built home in Gomk, yet another achievement of the partnership

 

By the end of the year, the problem of some 15 years will be
solved in the village of Gomk in Vayots Dzor. Construction of a half-built
house will be finished and the homeowners will finally forget the memories of
their life in a damp basement. The eldest of the five children who were raised
in these conditions is now 15; the youngest one is 2.

 

The leaking roof of the house was replaced long time ago;
yet, the construction half-built structure remained unfinished. In several
months, though, the family will move into their sun-lit finished house, where the
necessities will no longer be a luxury.

 

Viva-MTS and the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia support
the homeowner, Artash Ghazaryan to fulfill the long-cherished dream. The
partners are unable to join the construction works at the moment, but are fully
engaged in the process. They remotely shared words of encouragement with families
with an unexpected video call waiting for the opportunity to work on the construction
site together again.

 

“I am reaching you remotely because I cannot be physically by
your side hand in hand with you and helping your family. But you are in my mind
and my heart. I hope you will stay strong despite our absence, which, I am
sure, is temporary, and will complete the construction works in the set time.
Stay strong and always strive to reach your long-cherished dreams,” Viva-MTS
General Manager Ralph Yirikian said in a video call.

 

The Ghazaryan family has already started the construction
works. Hamlet, the 15-year-old son of the family, whose childhood and
adolescence passed inside the damp walls, more than ever recognizes the
necessity of finishing the construction as soon as possible. He is proud to be
his father’s help. He wants to be a real support for his mother and sisters.
The Ghazaryans work while making plans about furnishing the home and dreaming
of a life free from current worries.

 

“Gomk is a wonderful village. I could have left the village
in search of a better life, but I didn't. No one will be left in the village,
if people start thinking that way. Here, I build my house with my own hands. I would
never imagine hearing words of encouragement with a surprise video call.
Viva-MTS and the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia support even they are
physically not here. The call inspired me and I feel even more obliged to
finish the construction in the set time,” Artash Ghazaryan said.

 

Viva-MTS
and the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia solve the social problem of housing
and strive to change the lives of people at the same time.

 

Viva-MTS
(MTS Armenia CJSC) is Armenia’s leading telecommunications operator, having the
widest network reach and spreading a wide range of Voice and Data services all
across Armenia. Having the best of the Armenian people interest at heart
since its launch on 1st July 2005 and in a short period
of time Viva-MTS has managed to build a nationwide network and a
considerable customer base. Viva-MTS drives innovation and aims at always being at the
forefront of any development serving the Armenian mobile communications market.  The
company follows the guidance provided by ISO 26000 (International Standard of
Social Responsibility) and ISO/IEC 27001:2013
(Information Security Management System). For more information, visit www.mts.am

 

* * *

 

Mobile TeleSystems PJSC ("MTS") is the leading
telecommunications group in Russia and the CIS, offering mobile and fixed
voice,
broadband, pay TV as well as content and entertainment
services in one of the world's fastest-growing regions. Including its subsidiaries, the Group services over 100 million mobile subscribers in
Russia, Ukraine, Armenia and Belarus. Since July 2000, MTS' Level 3 ADRs have been listed on the New York Stock Exchange
(ticker symbol MBT). Additional information about the MTS Group can be found at www.mtsgsm.com    

 

Fuller Center for Housing Armenia is a non-governmental, charitable
organization that supports community development in the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh by assisting in building and renovating simple, decent
and affordable homes, as well as advocating the right to a decent shelter as a matter of conscience and action. FCHA provides long-term,
interest-free loans to low-income families. The monthly repayments flow into a Revolving Fund, which is used to help more families, thereby providing a
financial foundation for sustainable development. Since 2008 the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia has assisted over 800  families. For more information,
please visit www.fcharmenia.org or email us at


 

Armenia MFA: Threats of war or military posturing are traditional components of Azerbaijan’s destructive stance

Maral Chavushian
News.am, Armenia
Armenia MFA: Threats of war or military posturing are traditional components of Azerbaijan's destructive stance Armenia MFA: Threats of war or military posturing are traditional components of Azerbaijan's destructive stance

15:29, 21.05.2020
                  

Anna Naghdalyan, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Armenia, has issued a comment on the statement issued by the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan regarding the inauguration of the newly elected President of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) in Shushi town. Naghdalyan’s comment reads as follows: 

It’s worth mentioning that the threats of war or military posturing communicated either through statements or large-scale military exercises in violations of international commitments, represent traditional components of Azerbaijan's destructive stance, which has no impact either on the positions of the Armenian sides in the Nagorno-Karabakh issue or on the ongoing democratic processes in Artsakh. Nevertheless, they definitely undermine the establishment of an environment conducive to peace, which is necessary for the consideration of substantive issues. Armenia is committed to an exclusively peaceful settlement of the conflict within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship.

Once again congratulating the people of Artsakh on the formation of authorities as result of democratic processes, we would like to reiterate that the Republic of Armenia will continue to closely cooperate with the new authorities, which represent the people of Artsakh in the peace process, and in this context we will consistently protect the exercise of the right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination without any limitations.

Armenia facing hard time in handling coronavirus, PM says

Emil Lazarian
News.am, Armenia

Armenia is facing a hard time in handling the growing coronavirus infections, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told a cabinet meeting on Thursday.

Presenting the fresh figures, the premier said 335 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the country, with the national death toll reaching 70.

The PM referred to fake news suggesting the government is giving money to people so that they agree to become coronavirus patients in an effort to allegedly ensure a high number of cases and deaths to get international support.

Stressing that the government has never spread any manipulative information on the matter, Pashinyan stated the situation is “serious beyond imagination".

“We must take strict measures to keep the pandemic under control so that we don’t have to re-impose the most extreme restrictions,” the PM said.

He stressed the need to ensure quarantine conditions without declaring a quarantine. Highlighting the requirement to use face masks and practice social distancing for all citizens, including the government members, Pashinyan called for tighter supervision by police, the Commandant’s Office and relevant inspection bodies.

Czech Senate issues resolution condemning Armenian genocide

Liana Toganian
Expats, Czech Republic
The Czech Senate has condemned Nazi crimes against humanity during WWII and the Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire
Prague, May 20 (CTK) – The Czech Senate has condemned the crimes against humanity committed by Nazis during World War Two and the Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire 105 years ago in a resolution issued today.

The Senate has also condemned the annihilation of ethnic and religious groups anywhere in the world today.

The resolution was passed on the 75th anniversary of Victory Day at the instigation of Senate deputy chairman Milan Štěch (Social Democrats, ČSSD).

The upper house did not comply with the efforts of Tomáš Jirsa (Civic Democratic Party, ODS) to condemn the persecution of Christians in countries with a different religion in the same manner.

TOP 09 deputy chairman Tomáš Czernin demanded that Communist reprisals in the former Soviet Union countries be also condemned, but this proposal was also rejected.

Štěch said the addenda had not corresponded with the intentions of the resolution in question.

The Senate passed the same resolution as the Chamber of Deputies three years ago. At that time, the Chamber of Deputies condemned the genocide of Armenians just like Nazi crimes against the Jewish, Slav and Roma populations.

President Miloš Zeman, too, has labelled the massacre of Armenians a genocide.

Turkey protested at the time, to which the Czech Foreign Ministry replied that the evaluations were not legally binding.

Turkey, the successor to the Ottoman Empire, refuses to interpret the events as a genocide. It says the information about 1.5 million killed Armenians is overblown and that the dead were victims of a civil war, not genocide.

IC of Armenia: On suspicion of murder of conscript soldier Aramyan his comrade-in-arms was detained

Raffi Khondkarian
Arminfo, Armenia

ArmInfo. On suspicion of killing a soldier of the Army of Defense of Artsakh, Private Heinrich Samsonovich Aramyan (born in 2000), his comprade-in-arms was arrested - an enlisted soldier, junior sergeant Kh.D. ArmInfo was informed  about this in the press service of the Investigative Committee of  Armenia.

At the same time, the department emphasized that the investigation is  ongoing, all necessary measures are being taken for a comprehensive  and objective investigation of the incident.  According to the report  of Artsakh Defense Army, the body of a military serviceman Aramyan  with a gunshot wound in the head was found at around 8:30pm local  time on May 19 at one of the combat positions located in the eastern  direction of the contact line of the troops. A criminal case has been  instituted on the grounds of Part 1 of Art. 104 of the Criminal Code  of the Republic of Armenia (murder). 

First hearing on the suit of Robert Kocharyan against Nikol Pashinyan will be held June 23

Hovik Karapetian
Arminfo, Armenia

ArmInfo. The court hearing on the suit of second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will be held on June 23 at 2:00 pm. This was reported by the press service of the Judicial Department.

According to the source, the case will be examined by judge Tigran  Grigoryan.

It should be noted that Robert Kocharyan filed a lawsuit against  Nikol Pashinyan on charges of defamation. 

During the election campaign, Pashinyan said that $ 2.4 billion  should have been allocated to the defense budget, of which 1.2  billion were stolen. The name of Robert Kocharyan also sounded during  this statement. 

Armenian parliament again discusses crisis resolution of Constitutional Court

Emil Lazarian
Arminfo, Armenia

ArmInfo. . On May 21, Anna Kostanyan, deputy  from the Enlightened Armenia faction, stated such an opinion during  parliamentary discussions on the crisis in the Constitutional Court.

The deputy stated that , Kostanyan emphasized.  She noted that, for a  referendum, firstly, all the necessary preliminary procedures had not  been carried out.  In particular, the parliament did not appeal to  the Constitutional Court on this issue. "It seems to me that perhaps  the authorities are afraid of the failure of the referendum,  therefore we intend to carry out this initiative through parliament,  but in this case we can violate the principle of differentiating the  branches of government – legislative, judicial and executive,"  Kostanyan concluded.

Meanwhile, according to the deputy of the ruling faction "My Step"  Vahagn Hovakimyan, the crisis of the Constitutional Court can be  resolved through amendments to the Constitution. He noted that the  authorities that gave judges of the Constitutional Court their powers  do not exist any more. 

, Hovakimyan noted.  The  deputy stressed that it is simply impossible to abruptly change the  Constitution or deal with the issue of courts. ,  concluded Hovakimyan.  Explaining the issue, in an interview with  ArmInfo correspondent, Vahagn Hovakimyan stated that the Minister of  Justice of Armenia Rustam Badasyan addressed the Venice Commission on  the issue related to the crisis of the Constitutional Court. , the  deputy stressed. He also touched on the possibility of creating the  Supreme Court, stressing that the commission on constitutional  amendments is dealing with this issue.  Meanwhile, at a recent press  conference, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that the  issue of a possible liquidation of the institution of the  Constitutional Court is being discussed by the constitutional  commission. The Prime Minister noted that the issue of creating the  Supreme Court is being considered.  , – said Pashinyan. He said  that if by the end of next year it becomes obvious that there are no  special changes in the judicial system, then fundamental reforms will  be implemented in this area.  It should be noted that on February 6  the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia adopted a decision  on submitting draft amendments to the Constitution to the referendum.  88 deputies voted for this decision, against 15. It is a question of  introducing amendments to Article 213 of the Constitution, providing  for the dissolution of the Constitutional Court. A referendum on  constitutional amendments was scheduled for April 5 this year.  However, because of the coronavirus epidemic, it had to be canceled. 

Armenia’s former security chief urges creation of new anti-crisis government

Janet Ekmekjian
Panorama, Armenia

Former Director of Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS) Artur Vanetsyan took to Twitter on Thursday to raise the need for the creation of a new anti-crisis government to handle the coronavirus situation in the country.

“The growing pace of the infection spread and the significantly increasing economic and social tensions are a serious threat to our country,” he tweeted.

“To avoid a humanitarian disaster we need a new anti-crisis government to bring the country out of this plight by uniting all forces," Vanetsyan added. 

 

Sports: 2019–20 Armenian Premier League – Pyunik vs Ararat-Armenia Preview & Prediction

Arbi Tashjian
The Stats Zone

THE FACTS

When is Pyunik vs Ararat-Armenia taking place? Saturday 23rd May, 2020 – 15:15 (UK)

Where is Pyunik vs Ararat-Armenia taking place? Vazgen Sargsyan anvan Hanrapetakan Marzadasht, Yerevan

Where can I get tickets for Pyunik vs Ararat-Armenia? Ticket information can be found on each club’s official website

What television channel is Pyunik vs Ararat-Armenia on? This match will not be televised live in the UK

Where can I stream Pyunik vs Ararat-Armenia? This match cannot be streamed live in the UK

THE TEAM NEWS

PYUNIK

  • Pyunik lost a crucial encounter against Noah in their last match before the league was disrupted and it was a defeat which left them four points adrift of the top six.
  • Prior to that setback they had won three of their last four league matches to put themselves in with a good chance of breaking into the Championship Round play-off positions.
  • It is their defensive record that has been a weakness throughout the campaign so far and entering this round of matches they have conceded 33 goals in 17 matches compared to 32 goals conceded in 32 matches during the 2018-19 league season.

ARARAT-ARMENIA

  • Ararat-Armenia went into the enforced break with a lead at the top of the league table of two points and will be looking to pick up from where they left off as they aim to retain the title that they claimed last year.
  • They registered back-to-back wins against Ararat and Shirak before the postponement of campaign back in March and also notably kept clean sheets in both of those matches.
  • Much of their success this season has been built on their home form which has been formidable with seven wins and two draws from nine matches but away from home they have not been as dominant.
 

THE PREDICTION

The defending Armenian Premier League champions Ararat-Armenia will be aiming to extend their lead at the top of the table with a win against the team who finished second last season. Pyunik are a shadow of the team that finished as runners-up last season and they face a tough task to try and stop their opponents from claiming the three points. It is unlikely that they will be solid enough in defence to do so.

Sports: Discovering young talents: Armenian defender from France

Emil Lazarian
News.am, Armenia

By Samvel Sukiasyan

NEWS.am Sport continues to represent young Armenian football players playing abroad and wishing to play for the national team of Armenia in the future.

Armenian defender Artur Manoukian plays in the FC Saint Charles Vigilante U13 squad.

"Arthur was born on July 5, 2008, in Yerevan. He was 3 years old when we moved to France," the boy's father Ararat Manoukian told us.

"My son has been playing football since he was 5 years old," he said. "According to the results of last season, he was recognized as the best defender of the championship in his age category. Another French club – L'Etrat la Tour Sportif – is interested in him."

"Coaches of FC Saint Charles Vigilante are very pleased with Artur's game and consider him an indispensable football player. Last year, my son took part in the Copa Jordi international tournament in Barcelona, where his team took third place."

"Artur dreams to receive an invitation to the youth team of Armenia. It will be a great honor for our family," Ararat Manoukian noted.