Category: News

Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan, a senior member of the ruling Civil Contract party, said on Tuesday that all problems with Russia will be resolved through dialogue.

“We will raise all issues with Russia and try to move forward by resolving them,” he said at a press briefing when asked about economic issues with Russia.

“We do not pose any threat to Russia and do not intend to become one; there is no such intention. There are some issues, and such issues exist between all countries. At times, these issues increase or decrease. That’s what we politicians are for — to discuss and resolve these issues,” Simonyan added.

Bright Armenia Party leader Edmon Marukyan announced on Tuesday that his party will run for parliament in the June 7 elections.

In a statement, former lawmaker and former Ambassador-at-Large Edmon Marukyan said his efforts to unite the entire opposition into a single force had not yielded results, and that each political force is running on its own. He said he had been trying to unite the opposition for the past six months.

“We acknowledge that it did not work out; each of us went our separate ways, and Karpis and I have decided to go our own way, with a single goal — to serve the Republic of Armenia,” Marukyan said, referring to Karpis Pashoyan, the journalist and podcaster with whom he co-hosts a weekly program.

Meanwhile, Pashoyan said he is temporarily stepping down as a political commentator and from his journalistic role, and will run for parliament under the Bright Armenia party list.

Pashoyan added that over the past six months they had done everything possible to consolidate the opposition and create a joint electoral list, but nothing had come of it.

“Our partners chose a different path, and we decided to go our own way. And what is our path? To participate in the elections with our own agenda, with our modest approach, but with big ideas — very big ideas,” Pashoyan wrote.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has received Benjamin Haddad, France’s Minister Delegate for European Affairs.

According to a readout from Pashinyan’s office, during the meeting the sides discussed issues related to the agenda of Armenia–France bilateral relations and the further development of multifaceted cooperation. They also touched upon Armenia–EU cooperation, as well as matters related to hosting the European Political Community Summit in Armenia.

Pashinyan and Haddad also exchanged views on regional developments and steps aimed at ensuring peace and stability.

Both sides emphasized the importance of continuing active political dialogue and expanding cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

Armenia’s Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff Arayik Harutyunyan met with Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Vassilis Maragos, the government’s press service said.

The interlocutors highlighted the ongoing development of Armenia–EU cooperation and stressed the importance of further advancing the comprehensive bilateral agenda.

Harutyunyan underscored the European Union’s support for the effective implementation of democratic reforms in Armenia, noting that ensuring the continuity of reforms remains a key priority for the government.

The parties also discussed the agenda of the inaugural Armenia–EU summit scheduled to be held in Yerevan in May, as well as organizational issues related to the European Political Community summit.

Secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan held a meeting with the Ambassador of Qatar to Armenia, Mansoor Abdullah Al-Sulaitin.

In a statement on social media, Grigoryan said the meeting highlighted the high level of Armenia–Qatar bilateral relations.

The Secretary of the Security Council and the Qatari ambassador reaffirmed their readiness to continue cooperation in areas of mutual interest, in order to fully realize the existing potential for multifaceted cooperation, according to the readout. 

“We also discussed regional developments, emphasizing the importance of establishing peace and stability,” Armen Grigoryan added.

A government-drafted bill proposing amendments to Armenia’s Tax Code envisages creating a favorable tax environment for two key manufacturing sectors of the economy — gold and diamond manufacturing.

The bill was presented for first reading in parliament by Deputy Finance Minister Arman Poghosyan.

He said the bill essentially introduces systemic improvements to the tax environment in these sectors, as it proposes preferential VAT regulations that differ from those applied to other industries.

Following the law’s adoption, for producers of gold and precious stones, the VAT base will be calculated not on the full price set by the producer, but on the difference between that price and the documented costs of the gold and precious stones used to produce the item.

“In other words, it will be calculated based on the newly created value generated by the producer, excluding the cost of gold and precious stones. Under roughly the same logic, resellers will be allowed to calculate VAT not on the full sale price, but on the difference between the sale price and the price paid to the producer, reflecting only their trade margin,” the deputy minister said.

He added that, in order to simplify tax accounting and administration and to ensure predictable rules, it is proposed that if the taxable base calculated under this method is less than 10 percent of the total price, then at least 10 percent of the price will be used as the basis for taxation.

Benjamin Haddad, France’s Minister Delegate for European Affairs, visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial and Museum on April 14 during his trip to Armenia.

French Ambassador to Armenia Olivier Decottignies and other officials accompanied the minister delegate.

The Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute said in a press release that its acting director, Hrachya Tashchyan, welcomed and accompanied the dignitaries.

Benjamin Haddad laid a wreath at the memorial. The delegation then laid flowers at the Eternal Flame and observed a moment of silence in memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide.

The delegation also viewed the exhibitions at the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute and toured the memorial complex.

Parliament on Tuesday debated at second reading a bill proposing new regulations to the Law on Audiovisual Media, including the possibility of sanctioning foreign broadcasts that interfere in the domestic political life of the Republic of Armenia.

Armenia’s Minister of High-Tech Industry, Mkhitar Hayrapetyan, presented the bill to lawmakers.

The regulations will ban the dissemination of audiovisual content that aims to call for the violent overthrow of the constitutional order, promote war, or interfere in Armenia’s domestic political affairs through foreign audiovisual programs.

Hayrapetyan said that between the first and second readings, the bill had been amended in collaboration with the Justice Ministry and the Television and Radio Commission. The regulatory body will be authorized to define the criteria for applying the ban.

According to him, the amendments and additions proposed by the bill will clarify the cases in which audiovisual content is prohibited. In particular, the dissemination of foreign audiovisual programs containing content that interferes in Armenia’s domestic political affairs will be prohibited. Clear grounds and mechanisms will be established for suspending and terminating the licenses of network operators, and fines will be introduced for network operators engaging in activities in violation of the law.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan met in Brussels with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas.

According to the foreign ministry’s readout, Mirzoyan and Kallas discussed issues related to the consistent implementation of the strategic agenda of the Armenia–EU partnership.

Detailed attention was paid to the substantive preparation of the Armenia–EU summit to be held in Yerevan in May, with an emphasis on agreement to implement programs aimed at ensuring tangible results for Armenian citizens.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and EU High Representative Kaja Kallas discussed initiatives aimed at the continued strengthening of democratic resilience, which form an important part of the Armenia–EU value-based partnership and strategic agenda. In this context, agreement was reached on ensuring the continuity and effectiveness of existing mechanisms supporting democratic processes.

The Armenian Foreign Minister and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy emphasized the importance of implementing mutually beneficial programs to promote economic and transport connectivity, as well as cooperation in the energy sector.

The sides also exchanged views on other issues of mutual interest.

YEREVAN, 14 APRIL, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 14 April, USD exchange rate stood at 375.19 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 3.86 drams to 442.61 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate stood at 4.9341 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 4.73 drams to 508.8 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 616 drams to 56968 drams. Silver price down by 14.23 drams to 897.04 drams.