Category: 2020

 11:18,

YEREVAN, APRIL 16, ARMENPRESS. A 73-year-old man died from coronavirus complications in Armenia on April 15th, bringing the total number of fatalities to 18.

Healthcare ministry spokesperson Alina Nikoghosyan said that the patient had developed double pneumonia and also suffered from underlying health conditions, such as heart disease and hypertension. The man suffered a stroke and arrhythmia during treatment as his condition worsened. He died at a Yerevan hospital. 

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

 11:51,

YEREVAN, APRIL 16, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan offered congratulations to law enforcement officers as Armenia is marking Police Day.

Speaking at the Cabinet meeting, the PM addressed Police Chief Arman Sargsyan, and said: “Mr. Sargsyan, allow me to congratulate you and the entire personnel of the police on this important holiday. Police is one of the most important institutions of maintaining the legal order of any state, just like our state, and the level of human rights protection, democracy, up to the preservation and application of economic and political liberties depends on the quality work of the police. We must admit that in Armenia the relations between the police and the public weren’t simple, they had many difficulties, even crises, and today our biggest objective is to establish complete mutual trust, total trust towards the work of the police. This is a highly important task on our agenda,” Pashinyan said.

He said that the government has been discussing the police reforms strategy for a long time and that it should’ve launched from April 1, but the coronavirus pandemic delayed the plans. He said the agenda of reforms is based on two important cornerstones – the public’s complete confidence in the police and the effectiveness of the police work.

Pashinyan said the police must reform its image, and become the law enforcement agency which is in line with the present-day demands of Armenia, the aspirations that the state and the people bring forward.

After the speech, the Prime Minister and the Cabinet members held a moment of silence in honor of all police officers who fell in the line of duty.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

 11:09,

YEREVAN, APRIL 16, ARMENPRESS. 48 people tested positive for the coronavirus in the past 24 hours in Armenia, bringing the total cumulative number of cases to 1159 – out of which 783 are active cases, the NCDC said.

One patient has died, raising the death toll to 18.

61 patients recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 358.

Reporting and writing by Lilit Demuryan

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

 12:05,

YEREVAN, APRIL 16, ARMENPRESS. Armenia has a “reliable” situation in the food market, with no shortages expected amid the coronavirus pandemic, PM Nikol Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting.

He said that after some fluctuations prices are returning to normal.

“Except for a few types of products, we don’t have and won’t have shortages of products,” the PM said.

He said that the through close cooperation with Georgia and Russia the uninterrupted exports from Armenia were secured, and there were no problems with imports. He thanked Georgian and Russian colleagues for rapidly responding to Armenia’s issues.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

 13:17,

YEREVAN, APRIL 16, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says he has personally read letters sent to him on social media and realized that many people are not fully aware of the government’s relief programs amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Zaruhi Batoyan said their specialists are providing assistance to citizens over the phone on how to fill in the data online. According to her, there are some citizens who require simple information, for example what certain abbreviations stand for. Pashinyan himself said he is unaware what a specific abbreviation in the forms stands for, and highlighted that the information must be explained and made very accessible and simplified.

“Today there is a task to deliver the relief on time and effectively. Therefore, all powers must focus – the information system, the social security and technology systems. It is important for this assistance to reach people immediately. And now we have to discuss this publicly, we have already discussed this 5-6 times on the working regime,” he said.

Pashinyan tasked his deputy Mher Grigoryan to personally check the system every two hours.

“We aren’t adopting these relief measures just to announce on live television that we are doing so. This is done in order for this help to reach the people immediately. Therefore, the entire state system must serve the people, in order for the help to reach them immediately,” the PM said.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

 14:08,

YEREVAN, APRIL 16, ARMENPRESS. Former President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan is going to hold a press conference on the 2016 April War when the state of emergency is over in the country, the 3^rd President told reporters today in the Parliament.

Serzh Sargsyan has been summoned to the Parliament to take part in the session of the parliamentary committee investigating the 2016 April War.

“Dear reporters I am more interested than you in communicating with our media outlets for a simple reason that I have nothing to hide, and the time has come that I am ready to respond to all your questions. I applied to the committee requesting to hold the session after the completion of the state of emergency, but the committee found it appropriate to hold the session on April 16, therefore, I am deprived of that opportunity because the issue is so important that I will not satisfy you by answering one-two questions. Immediately after the completion of the state of emergency I will invite all media outlets and will answer to all your questions connected only with the April events”, he told reporters.

Today’s session of the parliamentary committee investigating the April War is being held in a closed-format. The committee will provide the video recording of the session to the 3^rd President.

Reported by Norayr Shoghikyan

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan

 14:15,

YEREVAN, APRIL 16, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan addressed a congratulatory message on the Police Day, the PM’s Office told Armenpress.

The message says:

“Dear Police Officers,

Congratulations to all of you on your professional holiday – Police Day!

The police force is the most important institution to enforce the rule of law in the country; the better you work, the higher is the civil wellbeing of the citizens of the Republic of Armenia. Each of you communicates with dozens, hundreds of people on a daily basis. In view of the above, you have to comply with the following crucial task: our citizen should feel protected when they see a police officer; instead, police officers should live up to citizens’ trust by their presence and through proper exercise of their duties. This is a prerequisite for ensuring a high level of public order in the country as it will increase the effectiveness of our efforts to combat and prevent crime.

Citizens should have unconditional trust in the police, and this situation can be achieved through systemic reforms, where every police officer will have the task of improving his or her skills and knowledge on a daily basis, where the Government shall take steps to provide the necessary equipment and facilities to police officers in a bid to ensure that they enjoy a decent salary and an effective social security system.

As much important is the regulatory framework, which should clearly articulate the powers and responsibilities of the police, the red lines that the police cannot cross: the rule of law and the fight against crime cannot be achieved at the expense of human and civil rights.

There should be no corruption in the police, and the police must first fight to root out corrupt behavior among insiders. This is the agenda that we will have to jointly implement in the coming years. The police are in for comprehensive reforms, as a result of which we will have a more efficient and modern police force.

Dear Police Officers,

I would like to take this opportunity to commend you for your work in the coronavirus epidemic. Here you are on the front line.

I would like to once again extend my heartfelt congratulations to all of you and your families who have experienced your professional challenges in their daily life.

I wish you all a dignified and safe service!”

 14:01,

YEREVAN, APRIL 16, ARMENPRESS. Third President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan is currently in parliament for the hearing of an ad hoc committee investigating the circumstances of the 2016 April War.

Sargsyan was summoned to testify.

Earlier Sargsyan had told the committee he would make an appearance if his testimonies would be videotaped and provided to him – the request was granted.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

 14:09,

YEREVAN, APRIL 16, ARMENPRESS. Veolia Jur has announced that the nine medical organizations currently treating COVID-19 patients in Armenia will not have to pay their water bills for March and April.  

“We thank the healthcare facilities and health workers for their heroic work,” the water supply operator said in a news release.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

 15:34,

YEREVAN, APRIL 16, ARMENPRESS. Iran confirmed 1,606 more cases of the novel coronavirus, bringing the total number of infected to 77,995, the Armenian Embassy in Iran said.

According to the latest reports, the number of people who died from COVID-19 in Iran has increased by 92. The death toll has reached 4,869. 

3,594 patients are in serious condition.

The total number of recovered patients has reached 52,229.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan