Category: 2022

United States names new OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair

 09:18, 25 August 2022

YEREVAN, AUGUST 25, ARMENPRESS. United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken appointed Ambassador Philip T. Reeker as Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations, who will also serve as U.S. OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair.

“I am appointing Ambassador Philip T. Reeker as Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations.  In this capacity, Ambassador Reeker will serve as U.S. OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair and lead negotiator for the U.S. delegation to the Geneva International Discussions during this critical period,” Blinken said in a statement published by the State Department.

Ambassador Philip T. Reeker served most recently at the Embassy of the United States of America in the United Kingdom as Chargé d’Affaires to the Court of St. James’s.  From March 2019 to August 2021, Ambassador Reeker was Acting Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs.  Prior to heading the Bureau, Ambassador Reeker was Civilian Deputy and Policy Advisor to the Commander of U.S. European Command in Stuttgart, Germany.  He served earlier as United States Consul General in Milan, covering northern Italy, and was Deputy Assistant Secretary of State focused on the Balkans, Central Europe, and Holocaust Issues.  From 2008-2011 he was U.S. Ambassador to North Macedonia.

“The United States is committed to helping Armenia and Azerbaijan negotiate a long-term political settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.  Ambassador Reeker will engage bilaterally, with like-minded partners such as the European Union, and through his role as an OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair, to facilitate direct dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan.  Ambassador Reeker’s appointment at this time reaffirms the importance the United States places in the Geneva International Discussions on Georgia,” Secretary Blinken added.

Gevorgyan, Sargsyan, Mkrtchyan win in 5th round of European Women's Individual Chess Championship

 09:37, 25 August 2022

YEREVAN, AUGUST 25, ARMENPRESS. The representatives of Armenia continue their performances in the European Women's Individual Chess Championship in Prague.

In the 5th round, Armenian representatives Elina Danielyan and Susanna Gaboyan ended their games in draws, while Maria Gevorgyan, Anna Sargsyan and Lilit Mkrtchyan won. Mariam Mkrtchyan lost.

Now Elina Danielyan, Maria Gevorgyan and Lilit Mkrtchyan have 4 points each and are only half a point behind the leader.

 09:54, 25 August 2022

YEREVAN, AUGUST 25, ARMENPRESS. India is ready to dispatch the 12th batch of humanitarian assistance at Ukraine’s request, Indian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ruchira Kamboj said on Wednesday, reports TASS.

According to the Indian diplomat, the cargoes include 26 types of medicines, including hemostatic bandages.

She stressed that India’s position is to promote dialogue and diplomacy to put an end to the conflict and ease economic problems stemming from the situation in Ukraine.

 10:01, 25 August 2022

YEREVAN, AUGUST 25, ARMENPRESS. The residents of Berdzor town, Aghavno and Sus villages of Artsakh’s Kashatagh region had until August 25 to leave their settlements as these settlements come under the control of Azerbaijan connected with the launch of a new corridor linking Artsakh to Armenia.

The residents of these settlements are taking out their last belongings from their homes, the cultural monuments are being evacuated.

Commenting on the settlement of these people, spokesperson to the Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Artsakh, Viktoria Petrosyan, told ARMENPRESS that most of the residents of these settlements wished to settle in different settlements of Armenia. “The number of families settling in Artsakh is not clear yet. Certificates for evacuated families of acquiring apartments will be ready in late August. Accordingly, they will be settled in the settlements where they wish”, she said.

Many of the residents of Berdzor and Agavno have settled in Armenia’s Syunik province, others moved to the settlements where they have relatives. Armine Avagyan, assistant to the Governor of Syunik, said that 20 families from Berdzor and Aghavno expressed a wish to settle in the province. “The last family moved to the province yesterday. So far, the Governorate of Syunik assisted with cargo transportation and finding a shelter. They mostly settled in Goris and Sisian towns. Tomorrow, the staffers of the Governorate will visit these people to assess the needs and understand who has settled and how”, she said, adding that the Governorate will keep in its spotlight the issues of these families, by trying to give a respective solution.

Zara Manucharyan, spokesperson to the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs of Armenia, told ARMENPRESS that there are no concrete programs for Aghavno and Berdzor, but added that there is a mortgage program of state support for providing people displaced from different regions of Artsakh with apartment. “If they meet the criteria, they can apply, like other beneficiaries and can use the program”, she said.

Asked whether families from Aghavno and Berdzor have applied for settling in Yerevan, the Yerevan City Hall said that no one has applied to them on this matter.

 

Ani Danielyan

Van Novikov

 10:20, 25 August 2022

YEREVAN, AUGUST 24, ARMENPRESS. The government approved a new state support program of ensuring employment which will incentivize employers who will hire unemployed persons, including  social benefit recipients. According to the program, in case of signing employment contracts with unemployed persons for at least a year, the government will provide a one-time compensation to the employer in the amount of 250,000 drams, and 350,000 drams in case of hiring a social benefit recipient.

Zhora Sargsyan, the Head of the Department of Labor and Employment at the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, said during the ARMENPRESS Podcast that similar programs existed in the past as well, but given the changing demands of both employers and unemployed people this project is the revised option.

“Unemployed people aged 35 or above who’ve been registered as unemployed for at least the past three months are eligible for the program. If the unemployed person is a social benefit recipient then only that circumstance is sufficient to be eligible. In case of unemployed persons who are social benefit recipients the three-month registration and age limit is not a mandatory condition,” Sargsyan said.

There are several criteria in case of employers: the program is carried out only for private sector employers; employers who’ve been active in the market for at least two years at the time of application are eligible for the program; employers must also have had at least 10 employees in the three month before applying for the program whose income hasn’t declined in the period, or has declined not more than 5%.

If the employer is hiring a social benefit recipient unemployed person for seasonal work then they are eligible to sign the contract for a period of up to 8 months instead of a year.

Ani Danielyan

Photos by Mkhitar Khachatryan

 10:25, 25 August 2022

YEREVAN, AUGUST 17, ARMENPRESS. The level of air pollution in Yerevan has reached the red zone. The worst air pollution after the capital is recorded in the cities of Vanadzor, Alaverdi and Gyumri.

Deputy Director of the Hydrometeorology and Monitoring Center Gayane Shahnazaryan told ARMENPRESS that this isn’t a new problem and it is associated with the widespread construction in Yerevan, increase of mining industry and open burning of landfills, while the gases in the atmosphere are a result of car emissions (automobile transport is the main movable source of pollution in Yerevan, while the natural gas consumption in households and gas-powered thermal power stations is considered the main immovable source).

“I’d like to mention that the dust-caused air pollution in conditions of absence of precipitation is seen acutely in Yerevan but we are recording the pollution throughout the entire year and there are no significant differences compared to the previous year. The pollution recorded in Yerevan was this high and concerning in the last years as well,” Shahnazaryan said.

Shahnazaryan said it is highly important for the public and construction companies to display responsibility. The construction planning licenses already stipulate the required steps which construction companies should adhere to.

A monitoring conducted August 8-14 in Yerevan showed that the dust levels exceeded the admissible concentrate by up to 3,5 times.

“According to our monitoring results the most polluted areas in Yerevan were Arshakunyats Avenue and the adjacent area to the Circus. After Yerevan, the cities of Vanadzor, Alaverdi and Gyumri have the most pollution with dust, where the levels have exceeded the admissible concentrate levels from time to time,” Shahnazaryan said.

Nitrogen dioxide levels in Yerevan exceeded the levels again in the area of the circus. Results showed day-to-day changing data elsewhere in the city.

Meanwhile, Armen Lablajyan, the Director of the Yerevan Department of the Environment and Subsoil Inspection Agency said the pollution is caused by the construction boom, mining exploitation in Yerevan, as well as improper and uncovered cargo transportation of materials such as sand.

Lablajyan highlighted that construction companies must adhere to the safety regulations and adhere to the rules and use new technologies: water the construction sites to avoid emissions, keep sand and other similar materials in closed spaces, etc.

“We frequently organize meetings with businesses for preventive purposes and we involve relevant government agencies, for example city hall, as well as inspection agencies in charge of construction. We record the frequent violations and give instructions and then monitor their implementation,” Lablajyan said.

According to Lablajyan, they’ve recently received positive response from citizens who’ve noted that the levels of dust have decreased.

In one year, 29 construction companies were fined a total of 4,5 million drams for violations, with an additional 1,2 million drams fines for damages.

9 mines were monitored in 2022 and administrative penalties of 2,5 million drams were issued, while damages to the state were estimated to be over 23 million drams.

Gayane Gaboyan

 10:35, 25 August 2022

YEREVAN, AUGUST 25, ARMENPRESS. Ashot Smbatyan has been appointed as Armenia’s new Ambassador to Georgia according to the decree of President Vahagn Khachaturyan.

According to another presidential decree, Ruben Sadoyan has been relieved from the position of Ambassador of Armenia to Georgia.

 10:53, 25 August 2022

YEREVAN, AUGUST 25, ARMENPRESS. During “Symphonic Yerevan" International Music Festival’s 12th concert there were featured the works of Edward Elgar, Samuel Barber, Tigran Mansurian, Alexey Shor, John Branning.

Guitarist Xuefei Yang has performed with the string section of the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra. Xuefei is one of the few guitarists whose artistry connects with audiences far beyond the guitar fraternity. Her international success has led her to be invited to play in more than 50 countries at numerous prestigious venues, and is frequently invited to play with the world’s leading orchestras.

The concert was conducted by Daniel Raiskin who is the Music Director of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Chief Conductor of the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as Principal Guest Conductor of the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra.

Throughout “Symphonic Yerevan” Festival Daniel Raiskin conducted 5 concerts. According to maestro Rayskin, it’s not possible to fix contact with the audience, if there is no such contact with the orchestra and musicians. Speaking about the collaboration with the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra, the conductor notes that personal and professional contact with the orchestra was very easy. “Cultural generalities unite us. The school, especially the string school, is very close to my heart, I went through the same school myself. I have been connected with Armenia and Armenian music for many years, I studied with Kim Kashkashian, the outstanding violist of Armenian origin, I have many Armenian friends, I have performed many works of Armenian composers and have recorded Khachaturian's concerts and rhapsodies. So, for me, this is a culture where I feel very comfortable,” says Daniel Raiskin.

To recall that the Symphonic Yerevan International Music Festival was held in Yerevan commencing on the 12th of August and running until the 25th of the month, co-organized by the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra and European Foundation for Support of Culture (, President Konstantin Ishkhanov). Alexey Shor is the Composer-In-Residence for the Festival.

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1091014.html?fbclid=IwAR3ldOk7CXSa0L9JzZu8izYFGRD2zsGrxT5SjRshi1Syv-yNmsFLm0gvRWY

 11:12, 25 August 2022

YEREVAN, AUGUST 25, ARMENPRESS. Korea Development Institute (KDI) has a special place in South Korea’s economic life.

Founded in 1971, Korea Development Institute has been recognized as a leading think tank of Korea significantly contributing to the economic and social development of the country. KDI has conducted research on a broad range of economic and social issues, including macroeconomics policy, fiscal policy, and labor.

From the moment of its establishment up to 1996 the Institute has developed and presented to the country’s leadership 5-Year Economic Development Plans which have been consistently implemented by ensuring the country’s drastic economic development. Since 1996, this policy of fulfilling 5-Year Plans has been suspended, but the Institute continues cooperating with the government, assisting with policy development and implementation.

Within the frameworks of the media tour organized by the Korean Culture and Information Service, ARMENPRESS spoke with KDI Visiting Senior Fellow Byung Koo Cho. He said that the development and implementation of these 5-Year Economic Development Plans is justified, the evidence of which is the high level of economic development of South Korea.

“In 1960s we thought it’s necessary to achieve economic development with the use of own technologies, and the 5-Year Plans served for achieving this goal. Everything worked out well for us, that’s why we achieved such success”, he said.

According to him, Korea has achieved wonderful economic results because of these 5-Year Plans, however, notes that this path was also full of barriers and crisis situations which were overcome thanks to a flexible policy.

“During the implementation of the 4th Plan, President Park Chung-hee died, and starting from late 1960s up to mid-1970s our country faced an economic and political crisis. There was also the conflict with North Korea, and that time North Korea was a richer country economically, politically and militarily. We were mainly exporting light industry products that time, such as clothing, shoes, etc. The problem was that many other countries had that product and were exporting it, therefore, we understood that we need to focus on other directions. There was a goal to develop the military and defense industry. But Korea didn’t have that capacities that time, and starting 1973 our country began developing the heavy and chemical industry”, Byung Koo Cho said.

How South Korea made such a drastic economic development thanks to the 5-Year Plans, Byung Koo Cho gives a very simple explanation. According to him, many countries have developed economic development plans, but developing plans only is one thing, and implementing them is another. He thinks that these plans must be implemented, not be left on paper.

The KDI Visiting Senior Fellow informed that every time facing a new crisis the leaders of South Korea were changing the development plans in order to adapt to the new situation and overcome the crisis.

Another feature that Korea has, according to Byung Koo Cho, is that here private companies have a big role and freedom in promoting the economic development plans. “In other countries the government is pushing forward the economic development plan, but in our country private companies have freedom in this regard. That’s why Samsung and Hyundai developed that time and still continue their development course”, he said.

Currently, South Korea also has its own military production as the country is producing tanks, missiles, fighter jets. South Korea started its own military production after the collapse of the Soviet Union when they managed to obtain the military technologies of the collapsed Union. “On its basis we achieved the development of the military industry, but, of course, with developing, improving the technologies that we have obtained. Now we have orders for military products from Poland, Norway and other countries”, he added.

Before the interview, the reporter of ARMENPRESS also toured the Global Knowledge Exchange & Development Center where the models and main directions of economic development of modern Korea are presented in chronological order.

 

Shant Khlghatyan

Photos by PENTA PRESS

 11:13, 25 August 2022

YEREVAN, AUGUST 25, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan sent a congratulatory message to the President of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay Luis Lacalle Pou on the occasion of the Independence Day, the Prime Minister’s Office said.

"Your Excellency,

On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Armenia, the Armenian people and personally myself, I warmly congratulate you on the Independence Day of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay.

I am confident that the historically friendly relations between our states and peoples will continue to develop and strengthen for the benefit of our peoples and our states.

I wish you productive working activity and energy, and peace and well-being to the friendly people of Uruguay.

Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurance of my highest consideration,” the Armenian PM said in the message.