Category: 2022

 12:26, 1 September 2022

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. PM Nikol Pashinyan says he believes that the launch of reforms in higher education can no longer be delayed.

“The embarrassing statistics of admission exams must become a strong signal for this,” the PM said at the Cabinet meeting. “This year over 60% of admission seat in universities remained vacant. Furthermore, in state universities more than 40% remained vacant while in private universities over 98%. Although there are some state universities where the statistics is similar to the private [university] indicators. We have state universities where the state allocated seats and 90, 92, 94 or 98% of these seats remained vacant,” Pashinyan said.

“There are no university standards or are non-functioning ones in the country. People with higher education diplomas are very often not competitive in the job market,” the PM said.

He said that the government plans to consolidate universities through integrating with certain scientific-research institutes, and to have maximum 8 state universities in the country. “These universities will be in line with international standards will full state funding, starting from educational, research, sports, dormitory infrastructures up to international educational programs and qualified and properly remunerated academic staff,” the PM said.

 12:50, 1 September 2022

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Chief of the Police of Armenia Ara Fidanyan commented on media reports and a footage which allegedly shows Turkish nationals attempting to party in Vedi, insulting Armenians, which then resulted in a brawl.

Speaking to reporters, Fidanyan said that an incident did occur in Vedi and that they are now identifying the participants.

“Police were notified that there’s been an incident, a brawl between several people. Police responded. The respective work for identifying these people is currently underway, we will update on the results,” Fidanyan said.

Fidanyan did not confirm or deny the reports that Turkish nationals were involved in the altercation. He said the identities of the participants are now being clarified.

 12:55, 1 September 2022

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. PM Nikol Pashinyan presented details from his recent Brussels trilateral meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and President of the European Council Charles Michel.

He said they had a comprehensive discussion.

“The discussion isn’t easy, but I’d like to record that our goals remain the same and must continue remaining the way I had announced,” he said.

Pashinyan added that the government adopted the peace agenda and it requires determination to realize this agenda.

“We all must understand that this isn’t easy and simple, and the possible solutions aren’t obvious,” Pashinyan said.

“It is a necessity and the people’s desire for lasting and comprehensive peace to be established in our region as soon as possible. And we must focus more and more on solving this issue,” Pashinyan said.

 13:11, 1 September 2022

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. The participants of the incident in the town of Vedi in Ararat Province are Turkish citizens, authorities confirmed to ARMENPRESS.

“They are Turkish nationals, a married couple,” Investigative Committee spokesperson Vardan Tadevosyan told ARMENPRESS.

The Investigative Committee launched proceedings based on the materials forwarded by police.

Media reports and a footage showed the Turkish nationals attempting to party in Vedi, insulting Armenians, which then resulted in a brawl.

 13:14, 1 September 2022

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Police Chief Ara Fidanyan presented details from the incident in the town of Masis when a gunman breached into city hall and then, according to authorities, committed suicide.

Speaking to reporters after the Cabinet meeting, when asked why the police immediately announced that the gunman committed suicide, Fidanyan said: “Police conducted special operations for some time there, trying to achieve the suspect’s surrender through negotiations. Regarding why we announced immediately that a suicide happened, because during that time police didn’t carry out any special action that would be aimed at storming the building, and there was no one else in the building at that time.”

He said the results of all forensics will be released in the investigation.

 13:51, 1 September 2022

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. Russian-Armenian football player Arsen Zakharyan will not be transferred to Chelsea F.C. because of the sanctions against Russia, according to media reports.

Earlier reports said that Chelsea F.C. is willing to pay 15,000,000 euros to get the Dynamo Moscow player.

 14:03, 1 September 2022

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev plans to call an early election in coming months and seek a second term, he told the country’s parliament in an annual address.

Tokayev also proposed holding snap parliamentary elections early next year, Reuters reports.

Tokayev was elected for a five-year term in 2019 when former leader Nursultan Nazarbayev abruptly resigned after almost three decades in power.

Tokayev has also proposed increasing the presidential term to seven years from five while prohibiting future presidents from seeking more than one term.

 14:11, 1 September 2022

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. The state must have concrete mechanisms for noticing a discovered talent and developing it as required, PM Nikol Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting.

“Someone is talented in natural sciences, another one in arts, the third in crafts, someone else in sports,” the PM said. He said that the state must be able to notice a child’s talent early on, assess the needs for maximal development of the talent and create state guarantees for ensuring the development through individualized programs.

The PM added that the PM’s Office and the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport should consider this as an objective.

The talent development system must work from kindergarten to university, he added.

“It is our vision that no child should be deprived from the chance to maximally develop their talent in our country because of the social condition of their family. On the contrary, the state must guarantee the approach that the talent of each and every child is a state value and must be protected by the state,” the PM said.

 14:35, 1 September 2022

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. Prosecutor-General of Armenia Artur Davtyan is recommending creating the constitutional-legal basis, constitutional amendments, that would allow capital punishment for high treason.

Davtyan said in a statement that the investigations into the multiple cases of state treason committed during the 2020 war, recruitment of Armenian citizens by enemy intelligence agencies are creating the need to strengthen the criminal-legal fight against this type of crime and requiring stronger punishment.

“The kind of disgusting manifestations of state treason which are being recorded in which case the urgent issues of ensuring social justice and security are causing the need to apply the strongest punishment against perpetrators of such actions, up to the use of death penalty,” Davtyan said.

Armenia doesn’t have a direct international-legal obligation on defining a total ban of death penalty.

Although the constitution bans death penalty, the ban can be overcome through constitutional changes.

At the same time, the constitution also defines that during state of emergency or martial law it is possible to deviate in human rights area within the framework of international obligations.

Davtyan has applied to the Minister of Justice Karen Andreasyan, who is the Chairman of the Constitutional Reforms Council.

 15:34, 1 September 2022

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. Russia’s COVID-19 case tally rose by 49,761 over the past day to 19,445,581, TASS reported citing the Russian Anti-Coronavirus Crisis Center.

In absolute terms, the number of daily cases has been the highest since March 11. A day earlier, 46,321 daily cases were recorded.

As many as 4,128 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in Russia over the past day, down 2.5% from a day earlier. The number of hospitalized patients increased in 37 regions, while in 46 regions the figure decreased. The situation remained unchanged in two regions. A day earlier, 4,232 people were rushed to hospitals.

Moscow’s COVID-19 cases surged by 7,242 over the past day versus 8,518 cases a day earlier, reaching 3,036,347, according to the anti-coronavirus crisis center. St. Petersburg’s COVID-19 cases increased by 3,152 over the past day versus 3,247 a day earlier, reaching 1,661,577.

COVID-19 recoveries

Russia’s COVID-19 recoveries rose by 38,940 over the past day, reaching 18,635,574, the anti-coronavirus crisis center told reporters on Thursday.

A day earlier, some 39,054 patients recovered.

COVID-19 death toll

Russia’s COVID-19 death toll rose by 95 over the past day, reaching 384,441, the anti-coronavirus crisis center told reporters on Thursday.

A day earlier, 92 COVID-19 deaths were registered.