Category: 2022

Japanese ex-PM Shinzo Abe shot while making election speech

 09:24, 8 July 2022

YEREVAN, JULY 8, ARMENPRESS. Japanese former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot on Friday while campaigning for a parliamentary election, with public broadcaster NHK saying a man armed with an apparently homemade gun opened fired at him from behind, Reuters reports.

Police said a 41-year-old man suspected of carrying out the shooting in the western city of Nara had been arrested.

Kyodo news agency and NHK said Abe, 67, appeared to be in a state of cardiac arrest when airlifted to hospital, after having initially been conscious and responsive.

TBS Television reported that Abe had been shot on the left side of his chest and apparently also in the neck.

 13:08, 8 July 2022

YEREVAN, JULY 8, ARMENPRESS. Japanese former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has died, Reuters reports citing public broadcaster NHK.

Abe, 67, had been delivering a stump speech near a train station in the western city of Nara when he was shot by an assailant.

 09:40, 8 July 2022

YEREVAN, JULY 8, ARMENPRESS. Armenian travel agencies call the facilitation of visa procedures for the citizens of Egypt a very important step.

Anriva Tour, which is the official representative of Air Cairo in Armenia, is operating regular flights from Armenia to Egypt for already five years. The tour agency hopes that the visa facilitation will ensure a great tourist flow to Armenia. Director of Anriva Tour Lilit Muradyan told Armenpress that this step of the government will positively affect Armenia’s economy.

“We take quite a large number of Armenian tourists to Egypt, it would be much better if Egyptians visit our country and have a chance to discover it. Previously, the procedure of obtaining visa was quite complex, but now in fact the citizens of Egypt can apply for a visa online or visit a diplomatic mission of Armenia. Moreover, the citizens of Egypt, who have a visa of EU countries, the USA and a number of other countries, can obtain the Armenian visa at the Zvartnots airport. As you see, the process is quite simplified. These new regulations come into force from July 11, we should wait for its launch in order to understand how long it takes to give an answer, and then we will organize our work”, she said.

She said that they have received many inquiries from Egyptian citizens for spending their vacation in Armenia, especially during the New Year. As the previous procedures of obtaining visa were difficult, it was taking a long time, and they could not understand how to regulate the process.

“Now it’s a very good chance for many Egyptian tourists to visit Armenia. We spread information about country, about the tours in Egypt via the Armenian community and our partner companies. We have sent packages in average prices. We are already working, but now we will do it more intensively because the biggest problem with visas is already solved”, she said, adding that they also consider increasing the number of flights.

President of the Armenian Tourism Federation Mekhak Apresyan also called this visa facilitation for Egyptian citizens an important step. He said the proposal on this direction was made years ago.

“Egypt is a very big market, it’s a country with a population of over 100 million. Let’s not forget that there are 10 million Copts. We have a lot to do to attract the attention of Egyptian tourists to Armenia. I want to inform that we have an initiative within the frames of which we are planning to organize mutual cognitive visits of tour operators. The Egyptian tour operators will visit Armenia, we will present them our tourism opportunities. The member companies of the Federation will be hosted in Egypt. The tourism opportunities of Egypt will be presented. This mutual activeness will greatly affect our country’s economy. Those who will organize flights to Egypt will not work unilaterally, they will not take tourists from Armenia only, but will bring tourists from Egypt. As a result, the airlines will start operating actively and the flights will become more frequent”, Mekhak Apresyan said.

Armenia is facilitating visa procedures for citizens of Egypt

 10:15, 8 July 2022

YEREVAN, JULY 8, ARMENPRESS. Many Armenians face this question ahead of summer: “Where to spend vacations?” For Armenian tourists, Tunisia is definitely still an undiscovered destination. At this moment all conditions exist for Armenian tourists to spend their vacation in Tunisia, a country with rich history, culture and beautiful sites, without any complications.

Tunisian airline Nouvelair is operating charter flights from Monastir, a city on the central coast of Tunisia, to Yerevan and the opposite direction every week. Armenian travel agency Anriva Tour has not only managed to bring the Tunisian airline to Armenia, but also facilitated the process of obtaining Tunisian visa for Armenian tourists. In the past, Armenian tourists, wishing to visit Tunisia, had to obtain a visa in a third country, mainly in the Embassy of Tunisia in Moscow, Russia. The cost of the visa was about $150-200, and the process was taking quite a long time. But now, thanks to the tour packages offered by Anriva Tour, the citizens of Armenia can obtain a visa at Tunisia’s airport paying just $25. The Yerevan-Monastir flight duration is nearly 4 hours.

Anriva Tour organized a media tour recently for a group of Armenian reporters to Tunisia. During the tour Armenian journalists had an opportunity to visit various sites of Tunisia, get acquainted with the country’s history and culture.

The words can’t describe the impressions, the reporter of ARMENPRESS, who was also in the group, says. Tunisia, definitely, is an attractive country for a tourist with various preferences. Both passive and active recreation lovers can visit Tunisia, for sure, he adds.

The reporter of ARMENPRESS shared some beautiful sites that a tourist MUST visit during the travel in Tunisia.

The Amphitheatre of El Jem – a must visit place! Built in 3^rd century BC, the amphitheatre was the 4^th biggest in its size in the Roman Empire. The amphitheatre had hosted gladiatorial games, animal games, as well as performances. It is well preserved. The tour here is really amazing as you feel the history that goes back centuries.

Are you an adventure lover? If yes, then Quad Biking at Sahara Desert is waiting for you. Challenging yourself to drive in a desert, you also enjoy am amazing view as the tours here are usually organized during sunset or sunrise. You must definitely visit this place to understand what I mean. Words are not enough.

However, the adventures in the desert do not end with quad biking only as there is also a wonderful off-road driving tour. With their different maneuvers professional SUV drivers will make you feel that the car is about to turn over, but you only get positive and indescribable emotions in the end. These tours are also organized on sunsets for tourists to have a chance to take wonderful photos.

Well, Tunisia is much more than a seaside destination. If you ever travel to this country, take the tour to the ancient city of Carthage. Carthage was the capital city of the ancient Carthaginian civilization, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. During the tour you can see the ruins of the ancient city which give you some imaginations about the buildings that had existed here in the past. Excavations are being regularly held in the city. The Baths of Antoninus or Baths of Carthage, built on the 2nd century BC, is located in this city and again is an amazing place for taking beautiful pictures.

 

Sidi Bou Said – the Tunisian Santorini. Not visiting this charming town during your Tunisian trip means you haven’t seen Tunisia. Known for its cobbled streets and blue-and-white houses, this town looks like a real fairy tale. You will enjoy a beautiful view from the town to the Mediterranean Sea and the port.

Tunisia also is rich of culture. The Sousse Archaeological Museum, another place for you to further discover this country. The Museum keeps collection of ancient Roman mosaics.

Finally, let’s talk a little about the shopping in Tunisia which is an “art of haggling”. Almost all towns in Tunisia have markets (medina) where shopping is a real “art of haggling”. You need to have good haggling skills while trading in these markets, otherwise you will buy a good at a price 10-20 times higher than its real price. The most interesting part here is that the sellers themselves like when you start bargaining. Therefore, I highly recommend you to visit the medina as you will bring with you unforgettable memories from here.

 10:26, 8 July 2022

YEREVAN, JULY 8, ARMENPRESS. Ruben Vardanyan, Тhe Future Armenian co-Initiator, the co-founder of Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, is confident that The Future Armenian is an initiative giving an opportunity to work together, discuss new solution paths and make changes.

During a panel discussion at The Future Armenian Convention, Vardanyan said with this initiative they want to show that the Armenian people, who live not only in Armenia but also abroad, can really be united and find joint and effective solutions.

“It’s truly important that we manage to use our strongest sides. We have wonderful people living in Artsakh, Armenia and Diaspora who should feel that we can change our future together. Today the only way to success in the world is the model of working and cooperating together, and we as well need to understand that the best way to move forward is the cooperation with all circles”, Ruben Vardanyan said.

According to him, most of the Armenian people are used to live with the past and remember the sad moments of the past. However, he notes that everyone should be only optimistic towards the future and understand that today the only right way is not to look back, but to look ahead.

Touching upon the historical responsibility of the Armenian people and the current challenges, Ruben Vardanyan said: “For many years education and science have been very important for the Armenian people. Today keeping this is one of the most important issues for me. One of our goals is for the educated Armenian again to become an example and model for all. The second one is Artsakh which is a red line for me. We should get out of the status of a victim, we are a winning nation, it should be in our blood and genes that we can and must win. Thirdly, we need to clearly understand that the 21^st century is our century, and we should use its opportunities for the development and the best future of Armenia because we bear a responsibility before our fallen boys, our children and our future generations”, Ruben Vardanyan said.

 10:41, 8 July 2022

YEREVAN, JULY 8, ARMENPRESS. Japanese former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, 67, is in grave condition after being shot on Friday during a campaign for a parliamentary election, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said, reports Reuters.

Fumio Kishida condemned the shooting in the western city of Nara during the campaign for Sunday's upper house election as an unacceptable attack on the foundation of Japan's democracy.

Shinzo Abe was shot on Friday while campaigning for a parliamentary election, with public broadcaster NHK saying a man armed with an apparently homemade gun opened fired at him from behind.

Police said a 41-year-old man suspected of carrying out the shooting in the western city of Nara had been arrested.

Kyodo news agency and NHK said Abe, 67, appeared to be in a state of cardiac arrest when airlifted to hospital, after having initially been conscious and responsive.

TBS Television reported that Abe had been shot on the left side of his chest and apparently also in the neck.

 12:27, 8 July 2022

YEREVAN, JULY 8, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan received today Ambassador of Estonia to Armenia Riina Kaljurand, the Parliament’s press service said.

During the meeting the priorities of the mutual partnership between the parliaments of the two countries and the continuation of the cooperation within parliamentary diplomacy were discussed at the meeting.

“We always follow the activity of the Parliament of Estonia and attach great importance to any statement or any other demonstration around the sensitive issues for us”, the Armenian Speaker of Parliament told the Estonian Ambassador. He commented on the visit of the Estonian Speaker of Parliament Jüri Ratas to Shushi this May, calling it “extremely concerning”.

According to Alen Simonyan, the statements made by Mr. Ratas in Shushi not only do not reflect the breath of the friendly relations existing between Armenia and Estonia, but also contradict to Estonia’s official support to the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict within the frames of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship. The Speaker told the Ambassador that he has sent a letter to the Estonian Speaker of Parliament on this occasion, where he explained the essence of the conflict and the consequences of the 2020 devastating war. Alen Simonyan expressed hope that his Estonian counterpart will visit Armenia in the future and will get acquainted with the situation, as well as will meet with officials representing Nagorno Karabakh.

In her turn the Ambassador of Estonia expressed hope that there will be a chance to discuss all these issues with the Speaker of Parliament of Estonia in the future. She conveyed the official invitation of the Estonian Speaker of Parliament addressed to his Armenian counterpart, and in response Alen Simonyan again repeated the desire to see his Estonian counterpart in Armenia and accepted the mutual invitation with pleasure.

 13:14, 8 July 2022

YEREVAN, JULY 8, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Alen Simonyan received today Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan Masanori Fukushima, the Parliament’s press service said.

The sides congratulated each other on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Japan.

Both sides voiced the necessity of cooperation in different spheres between the two countries.

“Japan is the most important partner for us, and Armenia is concerned about deepening the trade-economic ties, involving Japanese investments in our country, implementing programs of students’ exchange in the sphere of education and deepening cooperation in high technologies, health, tourism and in other directions,” Alen Simonyan stressed.

The interlocutors discussed issues connected with the importance of regional peace and security.

The Ambassador of Japan highlighted the intensive interaction at different levels, noting that very often the popular diplomacy assumes more effective role, helping the classical diplomacy.

 13:45, 8 July 2022

YEREVAN, JULY 8, ARMENPRESS. This year the Armenian cinema is celebrating its 100^th anniversary.

On this occasion, a commission on the 100^th anniversary of the foundation of Armenian cinema has been set up by the decision of the Prime Minister of Armenia.

The commission staff has also been approved.

The Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport is the Chairman of the Commission.

According to the decision, the commission will develop a program of jubilee events to be held in Armenia and abroad within three months.