Dr. Armen Muradyan has been re-elected rector of Yerevan State Medical University (YSMU) following a vote by the university’s Board of Trustees on June 26.

According to a statement from the university, all 20 members of the Board of Trustees participated in the meeting, which was chaired by Board Chairman Mikael Adamyan.

The election was held by secret ballot, with Dr. Muradyan receiving 19 votes in favor and one invalid ballot recorded.

On May 27, the Board of Trustees had announced an open competition for the post of rector of YSMU, in accordance with established procedures.

Dr. Muradyan has served as rector of YSMU since 2016.

During a visit to the Netherlands, Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Vahan Kostanyan and Deputy Minister of Economy Arman Khojoyan took part in a roundtable discussion in The Hague on the prospects for exporting Armenian flowers to the European market.

The event was organized by the Embassy of Armenia in the Netherlands.

According to the foreign ministry’s readout, the discussion was attended by representatives of the Dutch Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Agriculture, as well as Armenian and Dutch flower producers, logistics and brokerage companies, and representatives of the Dutch flower auction house Royal FloraHolland.

Participants highlighted the importance of establishing long-term and mutually beneficial cooperation, as well as involving as many greenhouse farms as possible in export processes. The discussion also addressed state support programs aimed at developing the sector and potential assistance provided by the government.

The Armenian officials also visited the headquarters of Royal FloraHolland and two major Dutch flower production companies to observe auction procedures on site and discuss opportunities to expand cooperation with Armenian companies.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Vahan Kostanyan and Deputy Minister of Economy Arman Khojoyan met with the European Commission’s Director-General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood (DG ENEST), Gert Jan Koopman, on the sidelines of the high-level Connectivity Agenda Platform event held in Brussels.

The Ministry of Economy said in a press release that the discussions focused on agreed programs aimed at developing economic and transport connectivity, as well as other issues related to the Armenia–EU partnership in this area.

In that context, both sides emphasized the importance of the Joint Declaration on the Armenia–EU Connectivity Partnership, signed within the framework of the first Armenia–EU summit.

Developments regarding the situation arising from economic restrictions on goods of Armenian origin were presented, and support provided by the EU and EU member states was highlighted.

Further steps in this direction were outlined. The two sides agreed to continue joint efforts aimed at strengthening Armenia’s economic resilience and identifying new export markets.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Armenia has warned that false information is being circulated on X, including a fabricated video falsely presented as an official communication from the Seismic Protection Territorial Service of the ministry, which falsely claims that a warning has been issued about a possible 7.4 magnitude earthquake in Kotayk Province in the coming weeks.

The Ministry said in a press release that the post constitutes disinformation that misuses official branding and includes a fabricated reference to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

No such earthquake warning has been issued by the seismic protection agency.

The agency reports that specialists from the Seismic Protection Territorial Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Armenia carry out 24-hour ongoing seismic hazard monitoring, and that timely and appropriate updates on earthquakes are published as necessary.

A discussion dedicated to the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture took place in Yerevan, organized by the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM).

Human Rights Defender of Armenia Anahit Manasyan, in her opening remarks, emphasized the importance of the event and the topic for all actors engaged in the protection of human rights.

“I would like to particularly note that this field is quite large, multi-layered, and has many dimensions, and work in this direction presupposes the existence of a number of mechanisms. The primary one is, naturally, the prevention of torture and other forms of ill-treatment, which again implies a multi-layered process and the availability of proper preventive mechanisms, such as the Office of the Human Rights Defender as a national preventive mechanism and various monitoring groups acting as oversight bodies,” Manasyan said.

According to her, from the perspective of the prevention system, an important role is played by having a proper and favorable environment for reporting cases of torture, because if the environment is not safe and appropriate, then the mechanisms for addressing such cases are also not safe for victims in terms of reporting.

“It is extremely important that representatives of all systems, especially in places of deprivation of liberty—whether penitentiary institutions or detention facilities—and, of course, we also carry out very serious functions in this regard within the armed forces, that service members have proper information about what ill-treatment is and how it should be prevented,” the Human Rights Defender emphasized, highlighting the importance of working in an appropriate format to create an enabling environment, so that, in addition to preventive mechanisms, a safe environment is formed for reporting relevant incidents.

UNDP Resident Representative Natia Natsvlishvili, expressing readiness to continue and strengthen existing cooperation, noted that the European Commission, in its 2023 report, recorded a number of very positive developments in Armenia in terms of the prevention of torture.

However, she added that there are also challenges related to the situation and conditions in specific institutions.

The UNDP representative also emphasized the importance of using digital tools in the prevention of torture in order to increase the effectiveness of monitoring mechanisms through systematic oversight.

Tomasz Ostropolski, Deputy Head of the Political Section of the EU Delegation to Armenia, said that the European Union remains committed to continuing its support to Armenia in this field, as well as to strengthening the work of human rights mechanisms.

From the perspective of protecting the rights of vulnerable groups in Armenia and preventing torture, the speaker emphasized, alongside state and other human rights institutions, the role of civil society, describing it as irreplaceable.

Elīna Šteinerte, member and Vice-Chair for NPM of the United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture, speaking online, noted that a four-year cooperation has already been established with the responsible bodies of Armenia’s National Preventive Mechanism.

“This event is truly a very important opportunity to understand Armenia’s approach in this field, and I wish us all a truly fruitful discussion, which is very important from the perspective of making Armenian society more protected,” Šteinerte said.

Afterwards, panel discussions began, focusing in particular on existing mechanisms for supporting victims of torture and other topical issues in the field.

The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 26 June, USD exchange rate down by 0.14 drams to 368.12 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 2.09 drams to 419.84 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.1271 drams to 4.7383 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 1.8 drams to 486.69 drams.

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

Gold price down by 286 drams to 47363 drams. 

Another batch of petroleum products has been exported from Azerbaijan to Armenia, the Azerbaijani APA news agency reported.

A total of 18 railcars carrying 971 tons of AI-92 gasoline and 8 railcars carrying 467 tons of diesel fuel were dispatched, it said.

According to APA, to date, more than 14,000 tons of diesel fuel and more than 4,000 tons of AI-92 and AI-95 gasoline have been exported from Azerbaijan to Armenia.

At the same time, more than 34,000 tons of grain, nearly 8,000 tons of fertilizer, 133 tons of aluminum, 68 tons of buckwheat, and 414 tons of anthracite have so far been transported from Russia to Armenia in transit via Azerbaijan.

The cargo is passing through Georgian territory because the direct railway connection between Armenia and Azerbaijan has not yet been restored.

One of four candidates for parliament from the Strong Armenia bloc who are fugitives from justice, Artur Abrahamyan, has been apprehended and placed in pre-trial detention, the Investigative Committee said on Friday.

A total of six Strong Armenia parliamentary candidates were earlier indicted on charges of vote-buying and money laundering.

Two of the suspects were taken into custody and placed in pre-trial detention. Following the latest arrest, three suspects are still at large, with outstanding arrest warrants. 

The grand opening ceremony of the 9th Yerevan International Short Film Festival took place on Friday at the Cinema House.

Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Daniel Danielyan delivered a speech at the event, emphasizing the importance of the festival in terms of establishing new cooperation, implementing joint projects, and holding professional discussions.

According to the Deputy Minister, the Yerevan International Short Film Festival is among the country’s most established cultural events.

“The festival contributes to the commercialization of culture, which is a priority of state policy. It is encouraging to note that the geography of the festival expands every year; this year we received applications from 95 countries, which is an exceptional figure. Such projects in the film industry allow for the expansion of cultural boundaries, viewing the entire world as a market and presenting a product that meets global demand,” the ministry quoted Mr. Danielyan as saying in a press release.

Deputy Minister Danielyan also highlighted the festival’s importance in terms of cultural decentralization. In addition to Yerevan, the festival is also held in the regions; it has already taken place in Tavush, Syunik, Lori, Kotayk, and Gegharkunik, and this year it will also be held in Gyumri.

The festival also has an educational component, including creative meetings, film screenings and discussions, master classes, round tables, presentations, and experience-sharing events.

Danielyan also emphasized the importance of preserving cultural heritage while ensuring its continuous development, thanking all partners for their joint work and successful outcomes.

Guzh Tadevosyan, Director of the Yerevan International Short Film Festival, said the aim of the festival is to create a platform for discovering new young talents, giving them the opportunity to express themselves, present their work, and reach wider international audiences through various programs. He thanked all supporting partners who contribute to the development of Armenian cinema.

The opening film of the festival was Haze Over, an Iranian production directed by Seyed Ali Ghasemi.

The festival is held with the support of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Armenia. The main sponsor is the Yerevan City Hall. Admission to all events is free.

The festival will take place from June 25–29 in Yerevan and Gyumri.

This article is published under the cooperation agreement between Armenpress and BTA.

The organizers from the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria have announced that the sixth “Hello, Space! Bulgaria Calling” festival will take place on June 26-27 at Sofia Tech Park, the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) reported.

For the first time, the festival will be held over two days. Its programme will focus on both inspiration and career development in STEAM fields — science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.

On June 26, visitors will be able to take part in workshops and scientific demonstrations, as well as explore cutting-edge technologies.

The highlight of this year’s programme will be a live virtual link with NASA astronaut Timothy Kopra, a former commander of the International Space Station and a veteran of two space missions.

On June 27, the initiative will continue with the pilot event “Hello, Space! STEAM Careers,” organized in cooperation with the Technical University of Sofia and SofiaTalks.

The event will focus on career guidance for high school and university students interested in space and STEAM disciplines. According to the organizers, the programme includes lectures, an interactive exhibition, hands-on workshops and networking opportunities, enabling participants to engage directly in practical and educational programmes.

The Atlantic Club of Bulgaria said that, under the motto “We Walk the Path to the Future,” the festival continues its mission of making science accessible to children, young people, parents and teachers.