Category: 2020

                                        Sunday, 
Authorities Step Up Control In Armenian Town Hit By Coronavirus
Residence of the Catholicos of All Armenians in Echmiadzin
Most exits from Echmiadzin will be closed for commuters after authorities have 
designated the central Armenian town as a potential coronavirus hotspot in 
Armenia.
In a live broadcast on Facebook late on Sunday, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian 
said that 18 out of 28 coronavirus cases identified in Armenia so far have been 
linked to a notorious engagement party in Echmiadzin held by a woman who had 
returned from Italy and later tested positive for the infection.
Many of the 300 people who are currently under quarantine in Armenia are those 
who may have had close contacts with Echmiadzin patients.
Pashinian said that starting at 11 pm on March 15 only three out of 27 exits 
from Echmiadzin, a town of some 45,000 residents located about 20 kilometers to 
the west of capital of Yerevan, will continue to operate. Temperature screening 
will be conducted at the exit points, said Pashinian, asking those who have 
fever to quarantine themselves.
Echmiadzin (also called Vagharshapat) is also an important religious center in 
Armenia. The seat of the Catholicos of All Armenians, the head of the Armenian 
Apostolic Church, is located in the town.
During the live broadcast the prime minister also reported about the recovery of 
Armenia’s first coronavirus patient who was hospitalized on March 1. He said the 
29-year-old man who had been evacuated from Iran is going to be discharged from 
hospital soon after testing negative for the second time.
Meanwhile, Pashinian said he himself had to undergo another test for coronavirus 
earlier on Sunday after having contacts with a Meghri resident who had tested 
positive.
The prime minister and his wife Anna Hakobian had already taken tests with 
negative results on Saturday as they spent a night in self-isolation in the town 
of Sevan.
Pashinian said then they had decided to be tested after local media raised 
concerns about Hakobian’s contacts with the wife of Brazilian President Jair 
Bolsonaro during a visit to that Latin American country on March 7. The 
Brazilian leader has since said he tested negative for the virus after it was 
discovered that an aide and another senior government official were infected.
Pashinian said results of his new test would be available soon, and until then 
he would remain in self-isolation in Sevan.
Earlier this week, citing risks to public health posed by the novel coronavirus 
infection, Pashinian suspended his political campaign ahead of next month’s 
constitutional referendum. As for the referendum, he said today: “No political 
goal can be above public health.” The prime minister added that the referendum 
issue, as well as the issue of declaring a state of emergency in some parts of 
the country will be discussed on Monday and in the coming days.
In the referendum scheduled for April 5 Armenians are to be asked to vote on a 
constitutional amendment that would lead to the dismissal of seven of the 
Constitutional Court’s nine members installed before nationwide protests swept 
Pashinian to power in 2018.
The seven, including Constitutional Court Chairman Hrayr Tovmasian, would be 
replaced by judges to be confirmed by the National Assembly, in which 
Pashinian’s My Step bloc holds a majority.
Shopping Mall Closures, Self-Quarantines As More Coronavirus Cases Confirmed In 
Armenia
Cars parked outside Dalma Garden Mall, a large shopping center in Yerevan, 
January 9, 2020
Shopping centers, entertainment facilities and other public institutions have 
been announcing suspension of their operations amid a rising number of 
coronavirus cases in Armenia.
As the number of confirmed patients rose to 28 on Sunday, Yerevan Mall and Dalma 
Garden Mall, two of the largest shopping centers in the Armenian capital, said 
they will be closed on March 16-23 to reduce the risk of the infection spreading.
Yerevan Mall said only the Carrefour supermarket housed by the center will 
continue to operate “in order not to restrict people’s ability to buy food and 
other essentials.”
Earlier, to prevent a possible further spread of the virus the Armenian 
government suspended classes in all schools, universities and kindergartens at 
least until March 23 and tightened controls at its borders with Iran and Georgia.
According to reports, government agencies have also been looking into options of 
letting their employees work from home whenever it is possible.
Initially, Armenia’s coronavirus cases were brought from Iran, Italy and France. 
A majority of cases, however, were transmitted locally from a woman who had come 
from Italy and participated in her son’s engagement party in the town of 
Echmiadzin, some 20 kilometers to the west of capital Yerevan.
Among those affected is an employee of Armaeronavigation, a state-owned air 
traffic control company at Zvartnots Airport located not far from Echmiadzin.
On Sunday, the administration of the company in charge of controlling traffic in 
Armenian airspace said 75 of its employees had gone into two-week 
self-quarantines at their workplace on the airport’s premises because of the 
staff member’s diagnosis.
According to Health Minister Arsen Torosian, 300 people are under quarantine in 
Armenia today.
Meanwhile, dozens of Armenian citizens were expected to arrive at Yerevan’s 
Zvartnots airport late on March 15 on a charter flight from Rome arranged by the 
Armenian government. Under a government decision, all of the arriving citizens 
will be immediately placed under a 14-day quarantine.
Earlier on Sunday, Minister Torosian also called on religious organizations to 
suspend mass events. “People’s health is above all,” the minister said in a 
Facebook post.
Armenia’s Former Top Investigator Arrested In Russia, Official Says
        • Naira Bulghadarian
Vahagn Harutiunian, former head of the investigative group on 2008 post-election 
events
A former senior investigator wanted in Armenia as part of a probe into the 2008 
crackdown on the opposition has been arrested in Russia, according to the 
Armenian prosecutor-general’s adviser.
Gor Abrahamian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service (Azatutyun.am) on Sunday that the 
information on Vahagn Harutiunian had been reported to the Armenian police by 
their Russian colleagues.
The official added that Armenia will soon initiate a process for Harutiunian’s 
extradition. No other details are reported yet.
Harutiunian resigned as deputy chief of Armenia’s Special Investigation Service 
(SIS) and left for Russia, ostensibly for medical treatment, in July 2018, three 
months after Armenia’s “Velvet Revolution.”
He was first accused of forging factual evidence to cover up the Armenian army’s 
alleged involvement in the post-election violence. Later, the SIS also charged 
him with two counts of abuse of power also stemming from the long-running probe 
of the 2008 unrest.
Harutiunian rejects all accusations leveled against him as baseless and illegal.
Eight protesters and two police servicemen died in Yerevan on March 1-2, 2008 as 
security forces broke up opposition demonstrations against alleged fraud in the 
February 2008 presidential election.
The former Armenian authorities accused the opposition of organizing the “mass 
disturbances” in a bid to seize power. They jailed dozens of opposition figures, 
including the country’s current Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, on corresponding 
charges.
The SIS radically changed the official version of events shortly after the 2018 
revolution which brought Pashinian to power. It charged former President Robert 
Kocharian and three retired army generals with illegally using the Armenian 
armed forces against the protesters. Kocharian was taken into custody. All four 
men, whose trial began last year, deny the accusations.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2020 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
 

                                        Monday, 
Armenia’s Former Top Investigator Released In Russia After Brief Arrest
        • Naira Bulghadarian
Vahagn Harutiunian, former head of the investigative group on 2008 post-election 
events
A former senior investigator wanted in Armenia as part of a probe into the 2008 
crackdown on the opposition has been released after a brief arrest in Russia, 
his lawyer Mihran Poghosian said.
On Sunday, the Armenian prosecutor-general’s adviser Gor Abrahamian told 
RFE/RL’s Armenian Service (Azatutyun.am) that Vahagn Harutiunian had been 
arrested by the Russian police that informed Armenian law-enforcement agencies 
about this.
The official added that Armenia planned to initiate a process for Harutiunian’s 
extradition soon.
Harutiunian resigned as deputy chief of Armenia’s Special Investigation Service 
(SIS) and left for Russia, ostensibly for medical treatment, in July 2018, three 
months after Armenia’s “Velvet Revolution.”
He was first accused of forging factual evidence to cover up the Armenian army’s 
alleged involvement in the post-election violence. Later, the SIS also charged 
him with two counts of abuse of power also stemming from the long-running probe 
of the 2008 unrest.
Harutiunian rejects all accusations leveled against him as baseless and illegal.
Eight protesters and two police servicemen died in Yerevan on March 1-2, 2008 as 
security forces broke up opposition demonstrations against alleged fraud in the 
February 2008 presidential election.
The former Armenian authorities accused the opposition of organizing the “mass 
disturbances” in a bid to seize power. They jailed dozens of opposition figures, 
including the country’s current Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, on corresponding 
charges.
The SIS radically changed the official version of events shortly after the 2018 
revolution which brought Pashinian to power. It charged former President Robert 
Kocharian and three retired army generals with illegally using the Armenian 
armed forces against the protesters. Kocharian was taken into custody. All four 
men, whose trial began last year, deny the accusations.
Armenian Referendum Delayed Due To State Of Emergency
Armenia -- Campaign banners urging Armenians to vote for constitutional changes 
sought by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, Yerevan, March 5, 2020.
A constitutional referendum originally scheduled in Armenia for April 5 will be 
delayed after the country’s authorities declared a 30-day state of emergency 
over the novel coronavirus outbreak on Monday.
“Under Armenian legislation, a referendum cannot take place in conditions of a 
state of emergency. The referendum will take place no sooner than 50 and no 
later than 65 days after the end of the state of emergency,” Prime Minister 
Nikol Pashinian said in parliament today.
In the referendum Armenians are to be asked to vote on a constitutional 
amendment that would lead to the dismissal of seven of the Constitutional 
Court’s nine members installed before nationwide protests swept Pashinian to 
power in 2018.
The seven, including Constitutional Court Chairman Hrayr Tovmasian, would be 
replaced by judges to be confirmed by the National Assembly, in which 
Pashinian’s My Step alliance holds a majority.
Originally, campaigning in Armenia’s referendum began on February 17. Prime 
Minister Pashinian got actively engaged in street campaigning earlier this 
month. He took a vacation on March 10 to start a series of campaign rallies in 
provinces, but interrupted it and returned to work two days later after the 
number of coronavirus patients in Armenia had risen to six.
Parliamentary opposition parties then called for the suspension of the campaign. 
Edmon Marukian, the leader of the Bright Armenia party, also spoke in favor of 
the government introducing a state of emergency.
On Sunday, Pashinian took a coronavirus test after one of the persons he had a 
contact with on his campaign trip had tested positive. The Armenian prime 
minister reported last night that the test came back negative.
As of March 16, Armenia’s health authorities have confirmed 45 coronavirus cases 
in the country. One patient has recovered, and more than 300 people remain in 
quarantine. There have been no deaths from the disease caused by the virus in 
Armenia yet.
Armenia Declares State Of Emergency Over Coronavirus Outbreak
The Armenian Government convened for a special meeting on  to 
declare a month-long state of emergency
Citing the need to contain the further spread of a potentially deadly novel 
coronavirus, the Armenian government on Monday declared a state of emergency, 
introducing a range of limitations for Armenian citizens and partially 
prohibiting entry into the country for foreigners.
According to the decision, the state of emergency will last for 30 days 
beginning at 6:30 pm on March 16.
“The decision comes into effect upon the publication of its text,” said Prime 
Minister Nikol Pashinian after his cabinet unanimously voted to endorse the 
decision.
The government then presented the decision at a special session of parliament 
dominated by members of Pashinian’s My Step alliance.
After several hours of debate none of the three parliamentary factions raised 
any objections to the state of emergency or proposed amendments to the decision 
on its introduction. Parliament Speaker Ararat Mirzoyan said this meant that the 
decision was considered approved by parliament and no vote was needed to be 
taken.
Addressing Armenian lawmakers, Pashinian said that at this moment the greatest 
risk is connected with the most recently identified coronavirus patient, who is 
employed by a large production enterprise in Yerevan. “I think we’ve managed to 
outline the scope of his contacts, but you cannot be absolutely sure in such 
cases and this is one of the reasons for declaring a state of emergency,” the 
prime minister said, without naming the enterprise.
“I want to assure you that the government of Armenia will refrain from applying 
any restrictions not emanating from the situation and that we will do everything 
for the state of emergency, which will last until April 14, to be as justified 
and efficient as possible in terms of curbing the spread of the coronavirus,” 
Pashinian added.
Under the constitution, referendums cannot be held in conditions of a state of 
emergency, meaning that the constitutional referendum scheduled for April 5 will 
have to be delayed.
In presenting the decision Justice Minister Rustam Badasian said that 
Vice-Premier Tigran Avinian, who has so far led government efforts to contain 
the spread of the disease, will be placed in charge of coordinating measures 
connected with the state of emergency.
According to the declared state of emergency, Armenian citizens will be allowed 
to leave the country only by plane on condition that upon their return they will 
be placed under quarantine or self-quarantine. Entry for foreigners is to be 
restricted upon recommendations of the Health Ministry based on the current 
epidemiological situations in countries or territories in question. All arrivals 
in Armenia will be screened for their health condition and placed under 
quarantine if they exhibit coronavirus-like symptoms.
Under the decision, authorities are also empowered to set up checkpoints around 
Armenia, restricting travel of citizens based on the results of medical 
screenings for coronavirus-like symptoms.
Assemblies and strikes are to be prohibited throughout Armenia. “Mass events” 
involving more than 20 people, including religious ceremonies, concerts, 
exhibitions, displays, theater performances, sports, cultural, educational and 
entertainment events, celebrations and memorial services, can also be banned 
under the provisions of the state of emergency.
The measure also implies the possibility of regulation of attendance at family 
occasions like weddings, birthday parties and funerals upon decisions by the 
authorities.
The coordinator of the state of emergency is also empowered to prohibit the 
activities of public catering facilities, trade and entertainment centers in 
designated communities.
Schools, universities and kindergartens will remain closed, with remote learning 
options allowed.
Under the terms of the state of emergency, limitations are also introduced for 
visits and parcels sent to prisons and military units to preclude the spread of 
the virus inside these closed institutions.
Citing the need to prevent “panic-mongering”, the government has decided that 
media reports and posts in social media on some specific aspects of the 
coronavirus-related situation will have to reflect official reports, and that 
information reported “in violation of the provisions of this clause must be 
subject to immediate removal by persons who reported it.”
The measure come after the number of cases originally brought to Armenia from 
Iran, Italy and France reached 45 on March 16, with about two dozen of them 
linked to a single community.
Late on Sunday Armenia’s authorities already stepped up control in Vagharshapat 
(Echmiadzin), a town with a population of some 45,000 situated about 20 
kilometers to the west of capital Yerevan.
Exits from Vagharshapat have been limited to only three, with medical screening 
of commuters conducted at checkpoints to prevent the possible spread of the 
disease.
Armenia - Medical workers screen citizens for coronavirus-like symptoms before 
allowing exit from Vagharshapat, 
Traffic congestions were reported in Vagharshapat’s streets leading outside the 
town on Monday morning.
Vagharshapat’s mayor Diana Gasparian called on local residents to stay at home 
and travel only if absolutely necessary.
Earlier today Armenian Prime Minister Pashinian called on citizens to remain 
calm. He said that the country has a sufficient supply of food to last it for at 
least a month even in the unlikely event of all supply chains being cut because 
of the global pandemic. He asked citizens not to resort to “panic buying.”
The prime minister also assured the public that, if necessary, his government 
has the capacity to provide more means and effort to ensure due quarantines for 
those suspected of having been affected by the virus.
Earlier on March 16, 67 Armenian citizens evacuated on a charter flight from 
coronavirus-hit Italy were placed under 14-day quarantine in addition to about 
300 already being quarantined in Armenia.
At the government meeting today Prime Minister Pashinian also announced that 
Armenia and Russia have decided to limit mutual travels of citizens for a period 
of two weeks.
Earlier, Armenia also tightened controls at its borders with Iran and Georgia.
Armenians Evacuated From Coronavirus-Hit Italy
Emergency services at standby at Zvartnots Airport in Yerevan ready to receive 
Armenian citizens arriving on a charter flight from Rome, Italy, 
Armenia has evacuated dozens of its citizens from coronavirus-hit Italy on board 
a plane operating a charter flight that arrived in Yerevan from Rome early on 
March 16.
The Armenian government published a video on Monday showing passengers, all of 
them wearing protective masks, getting off the plain in Yerevan’s Zvartnots 
Airport.
Medics in protective gear and other emergency services met the 67 passengers, of 
all whom are said to have been placed under 14-day quarantine.
Another video published by Armenian Health Minister Arsen Torosian late on 
Sunday showed that all passengers had been given protective masks before 
boarding the plane in Rome.
In announcing the arrangement of the charter flight last week, the Armenian 
government said all of its passengers would be immediately isolated and 
quarantined to prevent the possible penetration of more of the potentially 
deadly virus into Armenia from Italy.
“The plane arrived at Zvartnots several hours late, but all was good. There had 
been no emergencies during the flight. No one had fever upon arrival. The rest 
will be according to the initially announced plan,” Minister Torosian said.
According to the Armenian government’s decision, from now on all passengers 
arriving in Armenia from European countries, including Italy, where the 
coronavirus risks are assessed as high will also have to be placed under 
quarantine or quarantine themselves at their homes.
Last month the Armenian government also evacuated dozens of citizens from Iran, 
which has also been hit hard by the new coronavirus declared by the World Health 
Organization a global pandemic last week.
So far Armenia has confirmed 30 cases of the new coronavirus also known as 
COVID-19, with one patient declared cured.
Most of the cases transmitted locally are linked to a woman who had come from 
Italy earlier this month and presumably spread the virus at a family occasion in 
Echmiadzin, a town of 45,000 residents situated some 20 kilometers to the west 
of capital Yerevan.
The Armenian government blocked most of the exits from Echmiadzin late on 
Sunday, saying that medical screening will be conducted at the remaining three 
exit points and those having fever will be asked to return home and temporarily 
isolate themselves from the public.
In a live broadcast on Facebook early on Monday Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian 
said his government will hold consultations later today on the possibility of 
introducing a state of emergency in Armenia or in parts of the country most 
affected by the novel coronavirus.
“If as a result of these consultations we decide that it is necessary to declare 
a statement of emergency in the republic or in parts of it, this decision will 
be made,” the prime minister said.
Pashinian Again Tests Negative For Coronavirus
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian during a live broadcast on Facebook, 
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has decided to end his self-isolation in 
Sevan and return to Yerevan after testing negative for the novel coronavirus for 
the second time within two days.
Pashinian underwent another test for the highly contagious and potential deadly 
disease after one of the persons he had contacts with during his trip to a 
southern Armenian province as part of a constitutional referendum campaign last 
week had tested positive.
“The answer to our tests is negative again. Coming back to Yerevan in the 
morning,” Pashinian wrote in a Facebook post during the night referring to the 
results of his test and the test of his wife Anna Hakobian.
The couple had first decided to isolate themselves in a government villa at Lake 
Sevan late on Friday and undergo coronavirus tests after local media raised 
concerns about Hakobian’s contacts with the wife of President of Brazil Jair 
Bolsonaro during a visit to that Latin American country on March 7. The 
Brazilian leader has since said he tested negative for the virus after it was 
discovered that an aide and another senior government official were infected. 
Pashinian’s and Hakobian’s first tests also came back negative.
Earlier last week, citing risks to public health posed by the novel coronavirus 
infection, Pashinian suspended his political campaign ahead of next month’s 
constitutional referendum. He said his government will be in discussions on what 
to do about the referendum scheduled on April 5 and the possibility of declaring 
a state of emergency in some parts of the country over the coronavirus outbreak 
on Monday and in the coming days.
“No political goal can be above public health,” Pashinian said.
In the referendum Armenians are to be asked to vote on a constitutional 
amendment that would lead to the dismissal of seven of the Constitutional 
Court’s nine members installed before nationwide protests swept Pashinian to 
power in 2018.
The seven, including Constitutional Court Chairman Hrayr Tovmasian, would be 
replaced by judges to be confirmed by the National Assembly, in which 
Pashinian’s My Step bloc holds a majority.
As of Sunday, Armenia’s health authorities confirmed 28 coronavirus cases in the 
country. They said the first patient hospitalized on March 1 had recovered from 
the disease.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2020 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.