Category: 2020

 17:45, 9 March, 2020

YEREVAN, 9 MARCH, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 9 March, USD exchange rate up by 0.66 drams to 480.48 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 5.74 drams to 547.70 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.53 drams to 6.51 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 7.58 drams to 630.87 drams.The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price up by 406.74 drams to 26008.67 drams. Silver price up by 4.69 drams to 270.03 drams. Platinum price up by 466.36 drams to 13825.77 drams.

 17:26, 9 March, 2020

YEREVAN, MARCH 9, ARMENPRESS. Spouse of the Armenian prime minister, Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees of My Step and City of Smile charitable foundations Anna Hakobyan was hosted on March 7 at the Casa Rosada, the presidential residence of Argentina, where she met with First Lady Fabiola Yáñez, Mrs. Hakobyan’s Office told Armenpress.

The two ladies discussed their role and mission, highlighted implementing joint programs, stating that the status of the wife of a country’s leader should serve for the benefit of that particular country and the whole world.

Anna Hakobyan introduced the activities of the My Step and City of Smile charitable foundations, as well as the goal of the Women For Peace campaign. In her turn the First Lady of Argentina introduced her activities.

At the end of the meeting PM’s spouse Anna Hakobyan invited the First Lady of Argentina to Armenia. The invitation was approved, and the visit will take place in autumn.

The First Lady of Argentine invited Mrs. Hakobyan to take part in the upcoming meeting of the Alliance of First Ladies of Latin America, and the invitation was approved.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan

 11:36, 11 March, 2020

YEREVAN, MARCH 11, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Avinyan has applied to President Armen Sarkissian with the proposal to grant Armenian citizenship to 1698 people.

“Based on the Law on Citizenship of the Republic of Armenia yesterday I submitted a proposal to President Armen Sarkissian to grant Armenian citizenship to 1698 people. The fact that so many people wish to become a citizen of Armenia, thus by becoming a part of the Armenian statehood, inspires and gives additional strength to us to carry out our job with a great responsibility and effort”, the deputy PM said on Facebook.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan

 11:52, 11 March, 2020

GORIS, MARCH 11, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, representative of the YES campaigning side, today released the draft declaration of the April 5 referendum on Constitutional amendments during a campaign in Goris town.

“After the 2018 Velvet, peaceful revolution in Armenia there is a topic which is constantly under circulation according to which it is necessary to give a political assessment to the previous leadership. Currently we have created a declaration of the referendum which will give a political assessment to the political processes that have taken place in Armenia in the past 30 years”, the PM said, while reading the text of the draft in Goris.

The first point of the declaration states that starting from 1995 up to the 2018 Revolution, except from the 1999 parliamentary elections, all the remaining national elections didn’t express people’s free will. The declaration also touches upon the corruption system and other topics in Armenia before the Velvet revolution.

Pashinyan informed that before March 31 the citizens can present their proposals over the draft declaration to the YES staff.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan started on March 10 the campaign for YES vote in the upcoming referendum which is scheduled on April 5. The PM started his campaign from Syunik province. He is accompanied by his spouse Anna Hakobyan, Minister of education Arayik Harutyunyan, Minister of territorial administration Suren Papikyan and My Step faction head Lilit Makunts. The April 5 referendum proposes to suspend the powers of the President and 6 judges of the Constitutional Court.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan

 13:04, 11 March, 2020

YEREVAN, MARCH 11, ARMENPRESS. Russia’s State Duma (the lower house of parliament) has passed the third and final reading of a bill amending the country’s Constitution, reports TASS news agency.

A total of 383 lawmakers voted in favor of the bill, and no one voted ‘no.’ As many as 43 legislators (members of the Communist Party’s faction) abstained from voting. Other parliamentary factions supported the document.

The bill expands the authority of Russia’s parliament and Constitutional Court, bars officials from holding foreign passports and residence permits and ensures the supremacy of the Constitution within Russia’s legal system. Besides, it adds a reference to God to the Constitution and enshrines the role of Russian as the language of a state-forming ethnic group. The bill also amends laws related to procedures and the implementation of the constitutional amendments.

The bill will now be submitted to the Federation Council (the upper house of parliament), which plans to consider the document later on Wednesday.

If two-thirds of Russia’s regional legislatures support the bill, the president will ask the Constitutional Court to check the amendments. If the court releases a positive ruling, a nationwide vote will be held on April 22. If the country’s people support the constitutional amendments, the head of state will issue a decree on the official publication of the amended Constitution, announcing the date when the amendments will take effect.