11:19,
YEREVAN, AUGUST 26, ARMENPRESS. Four people are under arrest in the investigation into the Surmalu trade center explosion, the prosecution announced.
Two of them are suspected in violating fire safety regulations which caused death and the two others are suspected in involuntary manslaughter.
The August 14 blast killed 16 people and injured over 60 others.
1 person is still presumed missing.
11:22,
YEREVAN, AUGUST 26, ARMENPRESS. The heads of government of the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) agreed during their August 26th meeting in Kyrgyzstan’s Cholpon-Ata to hold the next session of the Eurasian Inter-governmental Council in Armenia this October, reports TASS.
In particular, Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission Mikhail Myasnikovich proposed to hold the next meeting on December 1-2. In response, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said that his Armenian counterpart Nikol Pashinyan earlier proposed to hold the next session on October 21-22. The EEU Prime Ministers once again discussed the issue and made a collective decision to hold the next meeting in October.
12:23,
YEREVAN, AUGUST 26, ARMENPRESS. U.S. President Joe Biden will travel to New York Sept. 18-20 to participate in a session of the United Nations General Assembly, Reuters reports citing a statement from the White House.
The UNGA high-level week will start September 20.
Earlier Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as the head of the delegation to the 77th United Nations General Assembly.
13:01,
STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 26, ARMENPRESS. The Shushi-Berdzor-Goris road section of the interstate highway connecting Artsakh with Armenia will function until August 31, the Artsakh Ministry of Interior said in a statement.
“Russian peacekeepers will ensure the free and safe passage of citizens entering the Republic of Artsakh or departing to the Republic of Armenia in the abovementioned period of time. The Ministry of Interior will issue additional information regarding the new alternative road,” the ministry said.
13:13,
YEREVAN, AUGUST 26, ARMENPRESS. The ethnic-Armenian Member of Parliament of Turkey Garo Paylan submitted a query to the presidency of the Turkish parliament regarding the 2016 assassination plot against him.
Questions include whether or not parliament has launched a probe into the plot, which lawmakers provided Mehmet Sinan Injei with access to parliament, among others.
Paylan earlier filed a report to the Ankara general prosecution regarding attorney Mehmet Injei’s claims that he plotted to kill Paylan back in 2016.
13:14,
STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 26, ARMENPRESS. All five factions of the Artsakh Parliament announced that Independence Day (Republic Day) events will be held on September 2 in Stepanakert city.
The Members of Parliament said that all citizens and guests of Stepanakert city are invited to the Stepanakert Freedom Square at 17:30, September 2 where a march will take place. And then at 19:00 a rally will take place at Revival Square dedicated to the proclamation of the Republic of Artsakh.
“The people of Artsakh are committed to the sovereign statehood affirmed with the blood of their sons and shaped through the persistent and painstaking work of thousands of devotees. By participating in the march-rally, we join the continuous struggle for freedom, showing to the whole world our unity and the will and determination to protect our rights. A free Artsakh is the main guarantee for having an Armenian Artsakh,” reads the statement published by the press service of parliament of Artsakh.
13:24,
YEREVAN, AUGUST 26, ARMENPRESS. Polish artists are here in Yerevan for the upcoming STARMUS VI International Festival.
The members of the Instytut B61, an international art and science collective, are going to make a symbolic, scientific performance in Armenia on the sidelines of the Festival. The performance will last 1 hour 20 minutes and will be held in a place which will open its doors before the audience for the first time in history.
Speaking to ARMENPRESS, founder of the group, astronomer Jan Świerkowski and curator Aleksandra Bednarz said they are visiting Armenia for the first time as they received an invitation for the participation in the STARMUS VI by festival founders Garik Israelian and Brian May. They say they are very impressed by Yerevan, calling Armenians very hospitable people. Jan Świerkowski and Aleksandra Bednarz said they especially liked the fact that Armenians are proud of their culture and language and preserve what belongs to them.
Instytut B61 was founded in Torun, Poland by an artist, astronomer and art curator Jan Świerkowski, with an ambitious goal to push the boundaries of understanding of the Universe through art and science storytelling. The group consists of scientists and artists, who create immersive, site-specific performances combining art, science and technology. Since 2009 the group has launched 15 premieres presented in Poland and abroad, including Portugal, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and India. Now it’s Armenia’s turn.
Evolution Of Stars: a mysterious performance on an unusual stage in Armenia
The Evolution Of Stars show will be staged in Yerevan. The actors and the audience will gather in the Republic Square from where they will travel to an unknown direction, to the site of the performance by a mysterious yellow bus. The performance will involve artists both from Poland and Armenia. A music band from the Indian city of Mumbai will also arrive in Armenia for joining the performance. The Armenian audience has a chance to watch the performance for three days, on September 7-10, 3-4 times a day. No tickets will be sold. Those interested can register online and attend the performance.
It will not be a classical theatrical performance. The audience will walk and touch by becoming the witness of the evolution of stars.
The performance will be held under the auspices of the Ambassador of Poland to Armenia Paweł Cieplak.
While in Yerevan, Jan Świerkowski and Aleksandra Bednarz already visited the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies. They reached an agreement with the Center to again visit Armenia but already with an educational program.
According to them, Artsakh’s Zhingyalov hats( a type of flatbread stuffed with finely diced herbs and green vegetables), is the most delicious food, and the best way to wake up is the coffee prepared in an Armenian way. Vegetarian Aleksandra Bednarz even can’t stay indifferent to the Armenian dolma. The Polish artists, who never had much love for coffee, now can’t wake up without it.
Armenia will host this year festival on September 5-10.
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14:42,
YEREVAN, AUGUST 26, ARMENPRESS. Russia recorded 46,452 coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, the highest daily number since March 12, TASS reported citing the anti-coronavirus crisis.
The total number of cases has reached 19,311,973.
As many as 3,912 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, down from 3,936 the day before. Hospitalizations declined in 35 regions of the country and rose in 45 regions.
Moscow’s COVID-19 cases surged by 7,602 to 2,997,659 in the past day and St. Petersburg’s cases increased by 4,435 to 1,639,356.
Coronavirus recoveries
Russia’s coronavirus recoveries rose by 33,709 to 18,435,096 in the past 24 hours, the crisis center reported. As many as 30,775 recoveries were confirmed on Thursday. Recoveries increased by 8,292 to 2,765,293 in Moscow and by 5,009 to 1,568,873 in St. Petersburg.
Coronavirus death toll
Russia recorded 81 coronavirus fatalities in the past 24 hours, the highest daily number since June 4. The total death toll has climbed to 383,910. Moscow’s daily coronavirus death toll was above 30 for the first time since March 20. The city’s fatalities surged by 31 to 44,986 in the past 24 hours and St. Petersburg’s COVID-19 deaths rose by 22 to 34,631.
15:11,
YEREVAN, AUGUST 26, ARMENPRESS. The heads of government of the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) signed 10 documents on development of cooperation based on the results of today’s session of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council held in the Kyrgyz city of Cholpon-Ata, reports TASS.
The EAEU PMs also discussed the draft agreement on regulating the EAEU alcohol market and agreed over the assignment relating to it. They also approved the statement on creating a Eurasian insurance company. The company will provide insurance support to mutual and external trade, will boost the investment cooperation and will ensure export loans and mutual cooperation with credit companies and insurers.
The EAEU PMs also agreed to hold the next meeting of the Intergovernmental Council in Armenia this October.
15:22,
YEREVAN, AUGUST 26, ARMENPRESS. The Eurasian Expert Club has presented another research: Armenia’s economic activity index has increased by 10.5% in the first six months, which was unexpected because leading international credit organizations were forecasting much lower indicators in late 2021 and for the first half of this year, Coordinator of the Eurasian Expert Club, political analyst Aram Safaryan said at a press conference in ARMENPRESS.
He said that Armenia’s GDP grew 8.5% compared to the same period of the previous year, which, he called, a major figure.
“The market of the Eurasian Economic Union is the most favorable for Armenia. In the past three years the EAEU role for Armenia has gradually increased. In case of a right work and positioning, our country could further increase its economic ties with this space”, he stated.
Safaryan noted that the development of commercial relations has already created ongoing processes, the most dramatic of which is the increase in poverty.
“In the end of the year we will have some cut in extreme poverty, but the World Bank and other organizations are alarming that in line with the double-digit economic growth we will also have an increase in poverty in the end of the year”, he said, adding that the overall poverty level in the country will rise from 27% to 48%.
“Our trade-economic cooperation with Russia is the largest investment in the strengthening of our country’s security, safety. The Eurasian market is irreplaceable for the economy of Armenia, and we should increase our efforts in the Eurasian market”, Aram Safaryan said.
Doctor, Professor in Economics, member of the Eurasian Expert Club, Tatul Manaseryan said that the Eurasian Economic Union is just giving an oxygen to Armenia in terms of ready-made products. “Russia has been and will remain a dignified and serious partner with Armenia in commercial relations”, he said.
As for economic threats, Manaseryan said that Armenia could have a serious participation to the cut of these threats during the session of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council, particularly in the issue of ensuring food safety, information security and intellectual, financial security.
Doctor, Professor in Economics, member of the Eurasian Expert Club, Ashot Tavadyan stated that the Eurasian Economic Union is playing an important role from the perspective of Armenia’s economic growth.
“If in 2020 we were exporting the 25% of our production to EAEU, now we are exporting the 30% of our whole production”, he said, adding that there is a serious gap in the trade balance in Armenia.
“Last year the import exceeded the export 1.7 times, but this year it is 1.82 times. Unemployment in Armenia is in double digits. There are also serious problems in terms of migration”, he stated.