First of all, it is interesting in itself, on what basis did the American University switch to distance learning, allegedly due to the threat of an Iranian strike? Who gave such an instruction to the university, which institution made such a call? Or can every educational institution itself determine the danger of Iran’s attack and switch to a certain regime based on its explanation?

Who announced that the institutions in Armenia are supposedly working, and the prime minister can be on a “happy bus” and the institutions are working?

Which institution acted in the case of American University? With which Armenian institution did the university make the decision to switch to distance learning due to the threat of an Iranian strike? If there was no such adjustment, no consultation, by what right did the university make such a decision?

If it sounds like it’s about the “internal affairs” of the university, you’re sorely mistaken, to say the least. There cannot be any educational, public, any type of institution within the state, which will decide for itself whether there is a risk of an attack from an external place, and will make a decision accompanied by awareness. Because those students who stay at home due to the danger of being hit have relatives, friends, and a significant part of them probably pass on the information, and then they pass on the information to their acquaintances, you know, the American university like this. I think you can imagine what a chain could go as a result of that.

Accordingly, if the American University made such a decision, there should be a mechanism of responsibility for it. It can be a warning or something else, but any such self-activity should be stopped.

Analyst Hakob Badalyan

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The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved a $200 million (€170.3 million) Economic Transformation Development Policy Operation to support Armenia’s transition to a more competitive and globally integrated economy that will also have an emissions control and management system. In addition, the OPEC Fund intends to provide up to USD 92.8 million equivalent (EUR 80 million) of financing in parallel, bringing the total support package to approximately USD 290 million (EUR 250 million).

“Armenia’s Economic Transformation Development Policy Operation” supports a multi-sectoral reform agenda aimed at modernizing Armenia’s investment and business environment, strengthening competition and consumer protection, as well as strengthening resilience in the country’s fiscal and regulatory systems.

“Armenia has an ambitious reform agenda, and we support the country’s efforts to build a more open, competitive and sustainable economy,” said Fabrizio Dzarcone, head of the World Bank’s Armenia office. “The transition to a more diversified and resilient economy will create growth conditions that will be favorable for every citizen.”

The operation is based on two pillars. The first focuses on realizing investment and trade potential and promoting competition. The reforms include modernizing the legal framework for investment, increasing the efficiency of customs processes, reducing import processing times by 20 percent, as well as strengthening the consumer protection system and curbing unfair trade practices. The reforms also support the adoption of fundamental laws for the digital economy, including improving cybersecurity governance.

The reforms carried out within the framework of the Second Henasian aim to contribute to the creation of a more resilient economy and complement the agenda of the First Henasian reforms by contributing to the introduction of a responsible emissions management system. Key measures include the adoption of a new “Climate” law that supports the use of climate budget “labelling” in the state budget, the creation of a national greenhouse gas emission permit system, and the introduction of a green taxonomy to standardize a system for defining and classifying actions for sustainable economic growth in the economy, which will help attract private investment for them.

The development of the operation was supported by the Climate Support Fund and the PROGREEN Trust Fund, which provided technical and analytical support for the climate reform components. The implementation of the operation is the RA Ministry of Finance. The Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Environment, the State Revenue Committee, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and the Ministry of High-Tech Industry act as the main supporting agencies.

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The government named the process election, but to secure its electoral success, it interprets and applies the laws according to the situation.

Based on political expediency, they catch whoever they want. It doesn’t matter what article they use, whoever they want, they target, regardless of the topic or the occasion.

They still do not talk about how the entire state apparatus was put into action not to serve the interests of the state, but of a specific political group.

And the Western actors and structures that support them and turn a blind eye to gross violations of human rights encourage the construction of tyranny and the “burial” of democracy in Armenia.

Tigran Abrahamyan, secretary of the NA “I have an honor” faction

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On March 31, the delegation led by the head of the Belgium-Armenia friendship group of the Parliament of the Kingdom of Belgium, Els Van Hoff, accompanied by the head of the NA Armenia-Belgium friendship group, Armen Rustamyan, visited the Tsitsernakaberd memorial complex and paid tribute to the memory of the Holy Martyrs. This is reported by the National Assembly.

The guests also visited the Museum-Institute of the Armenian Genocide and made a note in the memorial book of honored guests.

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Ararat Mirzoyan, who holds the post of RA Foreign Minister, appeared at the Sunday meeting of Nikol Pashinyan’s unannounced campaign in a very ordinary, simple “look” with a half-sleeved jacket.

“However, as open sources show, that jacket of his is from the Brunello Cucinelli brand and is quite expensive: according to some websites, it ranges from 5,000 to more than 5,600 dollars,” 168.am writes.

The mass media had the opportunity to make various publications about Ararat Mirzoyan’s rapid social growth, especially since they themselves opened the topic back in 2019. Pashinyan said that the loan for the washing machine in their house has not been repaid until now, and Ararat Mirzoyan also remembered. “I went to get a TV on credit, they didn’t give it to me, the enforcer put a lien on my account.”

Of course, the official presenting himself in this “expensive-modest” form in meetings with “proud citizens of the Republic of Armenia” is only a part of the “happy bus and sad reality”.

Let’s just remind that many of them had accumulated debts even in pubs and cafes before the color revolution of 2018. And now they only use expensive shops, restaurants…

Moreover, the other members of the Communist Party do not give up either. not only are they talking about millions, but they are also living a luxurious life with expensive acquisitions, purchases and pleasures.

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Today, the member of the board of the “Strong Armenia” party, Narek Karapetyan, signed a memorandum on the creation of the alliance with the chairman of the “New Era” party Harutyun Harutyunyan and the honorary chairman of the “United Armenians” party, authorized representative Nairi Sargsyan.

The political parties that signed the memorandum declare that they unite around the political agenda and pre-election program of the “Strong Armenia” party and will act on the principles of strengthening statehood, protecting national and spiritual values, effective and accountable governance, sustainable economic development, ensuring legal and social justice and solidarity.

It is noted that the ideological basis of the forming alliance is consistent with the national-state and value approaches put forward by Samvel Karapetyan, and the parties express their willingness to unite around that ideological basis.

The political parties will participate in the upcoming elections in a joint political alliance, “Strong Armenia with Samvel Karapetyan”.

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A few days ago, the inaugural session of the coordinating council of the “Offer to Armenia” project took place.

Authoritative persons of different generations, with respectable biographies, with serious public weight, gathered under one roof, where party affiliation did not matter.

This session was preceded by my many meetings with public, political, public figures, representatives of various circles, the result of which is the respectable and solid composition of the project coordinating board.

Understanding very well that now is the pre-election phase and the formation of pre-election lists is an inevitable process, I want to start this phase with a word of thanks and gratitude, because the vast majority of our colleagues accepted the principle that I published weeks ago, that the position is not important, the state is important, that the mandate is not important, but the result of the work.

I am simply amazed that until today no one I have met has raised the issue of a mandate or a place on the list.
This speaks about team and individual qualities, this speaks about the quality of the team.

This is the key to success, because we are forming a new quality of public cooperation, a new rule of the game.

Many people said from the beginning that they did not claim any list and any position, many said: as you see fit, because this is not a program of one election and one day, but a program of post-war reconstruction of Armenia.

We will cross the road together and we will certainly achieve our goal: to have a guaranteed peace and a prosperous Armenia.

Gagik Tsarukyan

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On March 26, at 3:40 a.m., the officers of the 2nd company of the 3rd battalion of the Yerevan police regiment found 3 young people, 22 and 34 years old, residents of Aragatsot region, residents of Aragatsot region, and arrested them on suspicion of illegal possession and carrying of weapons.

A loaded gun and a folding knife with a secret lock were found during a personal search of the 34-year-old man.

The young people were presented with the prepared documents to the pre-trial body.

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The criminal case against the young people after the incident in St. Anna Church raises many questions.

The authorities claim that there was “interference with the legal official’s official or political activity”. But there is a fundamental contradiction here. Did the Prime Minister carry out official or political activities in the church?

According to the logic of the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, the church and the state are separate. The church is not a platform of state administration, and the implementation of state power cannot take place there. If there is no service activity, then what did those young people “interfere” with?

This is the key point where the whole structure of the accusation collapses.

Moreover, the proposed articles are clearly disproportionate and artificially expanded. The juxtaposition of hooliganism and “interference” creates an artificially weighted charge that is more like a political message that those who disagree should be punished.

This case is a dangerous precedent. If any incident can be presented as “interference in the activities of an official”, then tomorrow any disagreement can be criminalized with the same logic.

If we consider the “activities of an official” in the church as logical and proportional, then this means that expressing disagreement with the Prime Minister in any public place (church, cafe, theater) can become “interference”. This is a legal absurdity and a dangerous precedent.

Political scientist Suren Surenyants

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The Ministry of Defense presented the chronicle of the Armenia-France defense cooperation.

[See video]

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