Category: 2022

 13:49,

YEREVAN, JULY 12, ARMENPRESS. Armenia plans to create a foreign intelligence agency, Secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan said during the parliamentary hearings about the creation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the importance of civil control.

“The government of Armenia is implementing large-scale reforms together with our political team in the Parliament. One of them is the Police reform, the next are the reforms of the Defense Ministry and the Armed Forces. In the context of these reforms we plan to create a separate foreign intelligence body. And the Office of the Security Council has already started discussions with the partners over the creation of this new structure. The Police reforms should be viewed within this broad context. The democratic concept also falls on it basis”, he said.

He said that starting 2018 the government has started a process of democratizing the security field, which is important from the perspective of increasing security, stability and capacities.

He also attached importance to the fact that the Police and the Ministry of Emergency Situations are merging into a single ministry, the Ministry of Interior.

“During the sessions of the Security Council sometimes there are topics relating to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, or functions of the MES relating to defense. And the Ministry of Emergency Situations was not represented in the Security Council. But now, these reforms also create efficiency because the Minister of Interior, as a body coordinating the policy and functions in the field of emergency situations, will have an opportunity to be engaged in the Security Council in the policy development process and in terms of solving the issues”, Armen Grigoryan said.

He believes that these reforms will positively affect Armenia’s democratization process. “We believe that democratization in all spheres of Armenia’s governance is of vital importance for our state. We will continue to move forward on this direction”, he said.

 13:53,

YEREVAN, JULY 12, ARMENPRESS. Armenia will raise pensions, benefits and minimum salary next year, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Narek Mkrtchyan told reporters in the Parliament.

“In 2023 we are planning to increase the pensions and benefits. The Prime Minister has also announced at the Cabinet meeting about raising the minimum wage”, he said, adding that currently they are discussing the budget of 2023. “Pensions are expected to rise by up to 6000 drams at two stages”, he said, adding that the ministry is discussing other measures as well.

 14:04,

YEREVAN, JULY 12, ARMENPRESS. Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan will wear number 22 at Inter, the club said.

“After his arrival was made official and his first few days at the Suning Training Centre, Henrikh Mkhitaryan has chosen his shirt number for next season. The Armenian midfielder will wear the number 22”, Inter said.

Mkhitaryan joined Inter on July 2 after leaving AS Roma.

 15:04,

YEREVAN, JULY 12, ARMENPRESS. Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Iran next week, the Kremlin confirmed the news today, reports RIA Novosti.

Putin will meet with Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi and President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“In addition to a trilateral meeting, there will also be bilateral meetings. Yesterday, we announced highest-level contacts between Putin and Erdogan. Well, such a meeting will also take place there”, Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said as quoted by TASS.

 16:23,

YEREVAN, JULY 12, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received newly-appointed Ambassador of Syria to Armenia Nora Arissian, the PM’s Office said.

The PM congratulated the Ambassador on assuming office, wishing a productive activity for the benefit of the development of the relations between Armenia and Syria.

“Armenia attaches importance to the cooperation and historical ties with Syria. We follow the developments and wish that friendly Syria overcomes the crisis as soon as possible”, the Prime Minister said.

He touched upon Armenia’s humanitarian mission delivered to Syria in 2019 that carried out demining works and provided medical services to the population.

The Ambassador of Syria thanked the Armenian PM for the warm words and stated that the diplomatic service in Armenia is an honor for her, also as a Syrian-Armenian. On behalf of the Syrian authorities, the Ambassador expressed gratitude to the authorities of Armenia for the humanitarian aid provided to Syria and stated that she will make all efforts to further intensify the mutual relations.

The sides highlighted the role of the Syrian-Armenian community in strengthening the Armenian-Syrian ties.

Views were exchanged also on the agenda and prospects of the cooperation.

 17:09,

YEREVAN, JULY 12, ARMENPRESS. A meeting-discussion was held today at the Armenian Ministry of Emergency Situations attended by heads of different units of the Ministry and the Disaster Preparedness Assessment Team of the US European Command, the ministry said in a news release.

The aim of the Team’s visit to Armenia is to implement nationwide assessment on the issues of the disaster preparedness.

The Team first visited Armenia in 2019. Now they are in Armenia to revise and make amendments to the assessment report made during the previous meeting.

The sides discussed the role of the Ministry of Emergency Situations during all types of dangers, as well as other issues relating to preparedness planning and response.

 17:18,

YEREVAN, JULY 12, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received Director General of the Russian state corporation “Rosatom” Alexey Likhachev, the PM’s Office said.

During the meeting PM Pashinyan said that the Armenian-Russian cooperation in energy sector has a rich agenda, and Rosatom is the Armenian government’s main partner in the field of nuclear energy.

Pashinyan highly valued the role of the corporation in the extension of the term of operation of the second energy unit of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant and expressed confidence that the mutual partnership will be effective also in the future.

Alexey Likhachev thanked for the close cooperation and said that Rosatom is interested in effectively cooperating with the Armenian government in coming years as well.

During the meeting the sides discussed issues relating to the further operation of the Armenian NPP’s 2nd energy unit, the opportunities of building new nuclear power plant in Armenia, the development of nuclear energy, as well as the cooperation in renewable energy sector.

 20:00,

YEREVAN, JULY 12, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received representatives of the Armenian Missionary Association of America, led by Executive Director Zaven Khanjian.

The Prime Minister welcomed the guests and congratulated them on the occasion of the 175th anniversary of the Armenian Evangelical Church.

Zaven Khanjian thanked the Head of the Government for the meeting and presented the programs being implemented by the Armenian Missionary Association.

The interlocutors exchanged ideas on Armenia-Diaspora relations, challenges facing our state and ways to overcome them.

 20:27,

YEREVAN, JULY 12, ARMENPRESS. en contained, the press service of the Ministry of Emergency Situation of Armenia told ARMENPRESS.

"The fire is currently contained. An investigation will be carried out to find out the cause of the fire," the press service of the Ministry said.

On July 12, at 3:55 p.m., the Shirak Regional Crisis Management Center received an alert that a grassy area was burning in the territory of the Russian 102nd military base in Gyumri.

It was found that the warehouse of construction materials is on fire.

According to the WHO head, the COVID-19 pandemic is far from being over

 21:09,

YEREVAN, JULY 12, ARMENPRESS. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned that the end of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic is not near, ARMENPRESS reports, Interfax informs.

"The pandemic is far from being over," the head of the WHO said at the press conference held in Geneva.

The WHO Regional Office for Europe said countries should offer a second booster dose of vaccination to groups such as the elderly, healthcare workers and pregnant women.

In recent weeks, there has been an increase in cases of coronavirus infection in Europe.