Category: 2021

 14:09,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 29, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian received members of the Atlantic Council, his Office said today.

The Atlantic Council is an American think tank in the field of international affairs, founded in 1961. It manages ten regional centers and functional programs related to international security and global economic prosperity.

Before visiting Armenia, the members of the Council visited Azerbaijan and Georgia. The purpose of the regional visit is to explore the situation in the three South Caucasian countries, the operation of democratic institutions there, as well as to understand the causes and possible developments of the situation in the region.

The guests addressed questions to President Sarkissian about the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the recent developments, the 2020 war, the post-war situation in Armenia, the level of democracy and the future programs.

The President introduced the essence of the Artsakh issue, presented the humanitarian problems caused by the war and stated that Azerbaijan is still refusing to return the Armenian prisoners of war.

Talking about the contemporary world, the Armenian President said that the latest technological and scientific developments have made the world unpredictable and instable. He said that the key guarantee of becoming successful in such a world is to effectively use the human resources.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 14:44,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 29, ARMENPRESS. A 1-month-old baby infected with COVID-19 died at a Yerevan hospital.

The Yerevan State Medical University Chief of Staff Shushan Danielyan said in a statement that the baby died in the morning of October 29 at the ICU of the Muratsan hospital, where it was admitted on October 19.

“[the baby] was put on ventilator on October 26,” Danielyan said. “Listen to experts, get vaccinated and protect yourself and your loved ones from this menacing disease.”

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

 15:26,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 29, ARMENPRESS. An internationally wanted terror suspect was apprehended by Yerevan Zvartnots airport security personnel.

Kader S., a 33-year-old suspected member of a terrorist organization wanted by Interpol since November 9, 2020, was detained while attempting to board the Yerevan-Minsk flight.

The national Interpol bureau and the prosecution were notified on the arrest.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

 15:54,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 29, ARMENPRESS. A Russian border guard truck crashed 150 meters into a gorge in Armenia, leaving 1 dead and another injured, the emergency situations ministry reported.

The incident happened midday October 29 in the 80^th kilometer of the Yerevan-Meghri road, near Tigranashen.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

 17:14,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 29, ARMENPRESS. Russia has registered 39,849 new confirmed COVID-19 infections over the past 24 hours with the total number of infections reaching 8,432,546 cases, TASS reports citing the anti-coronavirus crisis center.

According to the crisis center, the relative increase of new infections is at the level of 0.47%.

In the past 24-hour period, 3,452 new cases were uncovered in St. Petersburg, along with 2,556 new infections in the Moscow Region. Also, during this timeframe, 1,389 new cases were discovered in the Samara Region, 806 cases – in the Nizhny Novgorod Region, and 776 new cases were detected in the Voronezh Region.

All in all, at present, 893,811 patients are still undergoing treatment in Russia.

 17:21,

YEREVAN, 29 OCTOBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 29 October, USD exchange rate up by 0.01 drams to 477.80 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 2.83 drams to 556.73 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.02 drams to 6.77 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 1.68 drams to 658.98 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price up by 127.31 drams to 27704.69 drams. Silver price up by 1.85 drams to 369.83 drams. Platinum price down by 91.84 drams to 15622.77 drams.

 18:04,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 29, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received the  Catholicos Patriarch of Cilicia of Armenian Catholics, Archbishop  Raphaël Minassian.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan once again congratulated His Holiness Raphaël Bedros on the occasion of being elected the 21st Catholicos Patriarch of Cilicia of Armenian Catholics.

“Your Holiness,

I am glad to see you, this time in the new status, and I want to congratulate you first of all on being elected Catholicos Patriarch  of the Armenian Catholic Church. We highly appreciate the activity of the Armenian Catholic Church in preserving and developing the identity of our people. The undeniable contribution made by the representatives of the Armenian Catholic Church to the Mekhitarist Congregation and the Zmmar Congregation is widely recognized.

I am very glad that you have been elected Catholicos Patriarch  of the Armenian Catholic Church, taking into account that you have, in fact, been active in the Republic of Armenia for the last 10 years.

Of course, leading a larger diocese of the Armenian Catholic Church, but your main residence was in the Republic of Armenia, which means that you are better aware of the problems, nuances, peculiarities of Armenia. I think that your choice in this regard will further contribute to our cooperation, to making it more effective. “

Catholicos Patriarch  of Armenian Catholics said,

“Mr. Prime Minister,

I am very thankful to you for your sincere expressions, feelings, and I am deeply touched, first of all, that you were the first, even prior to the Catholics, to congratulate me on my election to this new post. I keep in my heart that, in the end, I am seen as a dear son of my nation, as you noted, and be sure, all these sacrifices that you are making are in our hearts.

We have nothing else to do but remember you in prayers, in a special way, so that the kindest God can truly support you, protect you, and lead you to good, peaceful shores. It is our wish, our dear feelings towards you, and also towards our homeland.”

The interlocutors exchanged views on preservation of the Armenian identity, strengthening of Armenia-Artsakh-Diaspora unity, state-church ties, and the cooperation of the secular and spiritual authorities in this direction. The Prime Minister emphasized that the Catholicosate of Cilicia of Armenian Catholics has a great role in strengthening the spiritual values of our people, preserving the national identity and cultural heritage, and that the Armenian Government will continue to contribute to that cause.

 18:49,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 29, ARMENPRESS. As a result of the coordinated actions taken by the head of Tegh community Davit Ghulunts, Armenian and Russian border guards, the Azerbaijani side returned 106 sheep stolen from a resident of Kornidzor, Syunik Province on October 22, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Facebook page of Tegh Municipality.

The community’s municipality also noted that the recent media reports by the Ombudsman of Armenia Arman Tatoyan that the Azerbaijanis had entered the administrative territory of Kornidzor and stolen the livestock is misinformation. The municipality urged everyone not to distort any information, to wait for the official statements of the local municipality, noting that if necessary, they are ready to cooperate with everyone.

PM Pashinyan holds separate meetings with the heads of Sada and Service Titan companies

 20:17,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 29, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had separate meetings with Ara Mahdessian, President of Sada Company and Hovig Safoian, one of the founders of Service Titan Company, which operate in the field of high technologies, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.

During both meetings, the Prime Minister highlighted the activities of the above-mentioned companies in the field of high technology, emphasizing that this area is one of the Government priorities. Nikol Pashinyan added that the Government is interested in the development of IT companies, the expansion of the latter as a result of new investments, and the creation of jobs. The Prime Minister noted that during such meetings he is ready to discuss issues of concern to those companies, opportunities to provide appropriate assistance to the companies within the framework of Government tools.

Hovig Safoian, referring to the activities of Sada company, noted that the branch of the company operating in Armenia now has 30 employees, but they plan to increase that number to 350 as a result of new investment programs in the near future. He added that the company cooperates with a number of leading companies in the world, including Google, develops various software solutions, including in the field of education. Mr. Safoian noted that in particular, the platform designed for the sphere of education, which was developed in cooperation with Google, was introduced in the education systems of different countries, and is ready to be introduced in Armenia in cooperation with the Government of the Republic of Armenia.

Prime Minister Pashinyan highlighted the initiative, noting that he will instruct the responsible Government departments to discuss with Mr. Safoian the opportunities of cooperation in that direction.

Ara Mahdessian, one of the founders of Service Titan, provided details about the company’s activities and upcoming programs. He noted that the company’s Armenian office, which was established in 2018, already has 200 employees, the amount of investments in Armenia has reached $40 million. Mr. Mahdessian emphasized that the Armenian team is constantly expanding, new departments with new specializations are being opened, and investment projects will continue to develop. The programs are aimed at the continuous growth of the company, product improvement, training and involvement of the best specialists.

Prime Minister Pashinyan welcomed the successful operation of Service Titan, adding that both this company and other successful organizations in the field contribute to the continuous development of the high technology sector in Armenia. In this regard, the Prime Minister highlighted the preparation of highly qualified specialists and the steps taken to ensure their long-term activities in Armenia.