Yerevan City Hall announced Wednesday that the Great Bridge of Hrazdan, also known as the Kievyan Bridge, will reopen to traffic in the coming days, ahead of schedule, after undergoing major renovation and maintenance work.

The bridge’s renovation included new asphalt, sidewalks, galvanized barriers, drainage and waterproofing systems, restored expansion joints, and relocated electrical cables to improve safety and comfort, City Hall said in a press release.

Traffic will reopen while the remaining renovation work continues, including repairs to damaged supports and the arch section.

The bridge was closed on June 17 and was originally scheduled to reopen on August 29.

A special polymer-concrete material, being used in Armenia for the first time, has been installed at the expansion joints. It is designed to reduce impacts and vibrations caused by passing vehicles, improve bridge safety, and make traffic more comfortable.

Traffic on Kyiv Bridge in Yerevan will resume from August 14, with the previous traffic arrangements reinstated on the roads adjacent to the bridge, the Yerevan Municipality said.

Following the completion of work on the carriageway of Kyiv Bridge, trolleybus route T5 will return to its regular route from August 14.

The municipality had earlier said that the carriageway of Kyiv Bridge would reopen within days, ahead of schedule.

The primary aim of all work carried out as part of the bridge’s major renovation is to improve traffic safety and provide safer and more comfortable conditions for residents.

The upper layer of asphalt concrete has been laid, pavements on both sides have been asphalted, new galvanised safety barriers have been installed, drainage and waterproofing systems have been restored and installed, and the expansion joints have been repaired. Electrical cables from the lighting poles have also been removed and relocated to inspection chambers beneath the pavement.

The remaining renovation work on the bridge will continue after the carriageway reopens.

The work will include cleaning damaged sections of the supports, treating deteriorated reinforcement, restoring the arched section and carrying out other repairs.

A special polymer concrete material has been used around the expansion joints for the first time in Armenia. It is designed to minimise impacts and vibrations caused by passing vehicles, ensure the safe operation of the bridge and make travel more comfortable.

Kyiv Bridge had been closed to traffic since June 17. It was initially scheduled to reopen on August 29, but the Yerevan Municipality later announced that the bridge would reopen to traffic ahead of schedule.

The Karasun Manuk Armenian Church in the İskenderun district of Hatay Province in southern Türkiye is undergoing restoration, Ermenihaber reports.

The church sustained significant damage in the 7.6-7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck Türkiye on February 6, 2023. The church was built in 1876 and has a 150-year history.

Yusuf Tabaş, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Karasun Manuk Armenian Church Foundation, said the restoration work would be carried out with 5 million Turkish liras ($105,000) in state funding.

The altar area was damaged and destroyed in the earthquake. Tabaş said the church would be completely closed for religious services by the end of this week.

As part of the restoration, the church roof will be repaired, the floor restored and the existing drainage problem addressed. The altars will be reconstructed, and necessary work will be carried out to restore the appearance of walls in need of repair.

In addition, structures adjacent to the church, including shops that provide a source of income for the church, will also be restored.

A meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was held to discuss the steps to be taken in 2027 under the Universal Health Insurance implementation strategy, the Information and Public Relations Department of the Office of the Prime Minister of Armenia said in a statement.

In particular, the specific features of the strategy for 2027 and the possibilities of including people earning a monthly salary of up to AMD 200,000 in the system were presented. The meeting also addressed the involvement of employers in the payment of insurance premiums and the continuation of the policy of subsidising insurance premiums for employees from the state budget.

The participants exchanged views on setting the insurance premium rate to be paid by employees depending on their salary level.

Nikol Pashinyan noted that possible scenarios are being discussed in connection with several issues: “One direction, of course, is simply the need to include people in the Universal Health Insurance system. The second is the assumption that, in the lower salary segment, according to our conviction and understanding, certain shadow schemes are in operation. The Government also faces the task of addressing the social issue without encouraging the shadow economy. This is why we are holding such discussions.”

The Prime Minister presented the Government’s current approaches to including citizens earning up to AMD 200,000 in the system from January 1, 2027: “During 2027, the Government may subsidise AMD 4,400 of the required AMD 10,800 cost, employees may pay AMD 2,000 — the AMD 2,000 they previously paid to the Zinapah Foundation until January 1, 2026 — and employers may pay the remaining AMD 4,400. This would naturally be on the condition that if the salary changes, increases and exceeds the AMD 200,000 threshold, citizens earning that amount would be included in the existing system designed for those earning AMD 200,000 or more.

“This is our current thinking at this stage, but what follows is also important. We envisage that, perhaps from January 1, 2028, we could introduce the following scenario: the employee would pay AMD 6,000 of the AMD 10,800 cost, which they would subsequently receive back in 2028 as a social credit upon filing the universal income declaration. In other words, in practical terms, not much would change in the citizen’s life, while the employer would continue to pay the remaining AMD 4,800, again on the condition that the salary remains below AMD 200,000. Once it exceeds the AMD 200,000 threshold, the system would operate under the general terms to be decided at that time.”

In this context, Pashinyan said it would be beneficial if employers used the opportunity to review their decisions and paid as many employees as possible salaries of AMD 200,000 or more: “Of course, this issue also exists in the public administration system, and we must also consider how to address it within the public administration system.”

Summing up, Nikol Pashinyan said: “At this stage, we are sufficiently satisfied with the implementation of the Universal Health Insurance system, but at the same time, we must understand that it is a dynamic system that needs to be maintained and continuously monitored. In other words, we have set the goal of ensuring that all segments of the population are included in the system by January 1, 2029, but that does not mean that our work will be finished.

“The system must always be monitored because of changes in the market, the economy and salaries. There are also interconnections with the social credit system. We must continuously monitor and discuss these issues so that we can ensure the overall health of the system.”

At the same time, Nikol Pashinyan emphasised the importance of ensuring the quality of services provided and maintaining the financial health of the system.

“We say that the purchasing power of pensioners’ pensions essentially needs to be indexed because inflation is inevitable. Inflation is also inevitable for the health insurance system because it affects everything. We will also need to address these issues in the future,” the Prime Minister concluded.

Various events were held in around 50 communities across Armenia on August 12 as part of International Youth Day, bringing together young people, youth organisations and community institutions around a common idea, the Armenian Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports said.

Throughout the day, various sports campaigns and initiatives, thematic discussions and panel sessions, exhibitions of handicrafts and works by young creators, intellectual games and quizzes, film screenings, theatrical performances, concert evenings and other events were organised.

“The initiatives gave young people an opportunity not only to spend an interesting and meaningful day, but also to present their ideas and creative potential. This year, International Youth Day is being held under the slogan ‘Different Environments, Shared Aspirations’, highlighting the common values, goals and aspirations for the future that unite young people living in different communities and environments,” the ministry said.

Khakhamyan Heritage press release 

Khakhamyan Heritage, a prime-class developer in Armenia, in partnership with the Municipality of Yerevan is implementing a program to restore 4 hectares of the Nork Forests, investing 500 million drams. As part of the first phase, two hectares of the territory have already been restored, with 1,100 trees and shrubs planted. The second phase will cover an additional two hectares with another 1,100 trees and shrubs to be planted.

As part of the program, the company is also equipping the area with a drip irrigation system and necessary lighting, while providing regular preventive tree care and security services, creating conditions necessary for the long-term care, preservation, and sustainable growth of the trees.

The company is guided by the idea of creating lasting value, based on the principle of responsible development. This involves caring not only for the comfort of residents within the district being built, but also for the environment beyond its boundaries as a long-term investment in the development of the urban environment.

This concept is also reflected in Amanoo residential district, a Khakhamyan Heritage project located on the hills of Nork Gardens. The district offers a limited number of apartments, accommodating just 50 families per hectare. Its buildings feature biomimetic architecture unique to the region, inspired by natural elements, while 75% of the district’s 11-hectare area will be landscaped. Additionally, 1,100 trees and shrubs will be planted per hectare, emphasizing the company’s principle of living in harmony with nature.

The district’s first project, Ivy, whose four buildings’ architecture is inspired by the shape of an ivy leaf, is already inhabited and was delivered within the promised timeframe. The second project, Sarin, inspired by the Armenian mountains, is under construction and will be completed in 2028. By 2036, 11 buildings across 8 projects are planned.

About Amanoo

Amanoo is a residential district being developed by prime-class developer Khakhamyan Heritage in Yerevan’s Nork Gardens, approximately 2.5 km from Yerevan’s small city center.

The district is characterized by low-density development, 75% green area, and biomimetic architecture unique to the region, in which the buildings resemble works of art and their forms are inspired by natural elements.

Amanoo will comprise 11 buildings across 8 projects on an 11-hectare site. The first project, Ivy, consisting of four buildings, is already inhabited, while the second project, Sarin, is under construction and will be finished in 2028. The entire district will be completed by 2036.

Offering a limited number of apartments, Amanoo is designed to accommodate only 50 families per hectare. The district includes lakes, rivers, and waterfalls, as well as shared recreational areas, creating the necessary conditions for a vibrant community life.

Amanoo’s buildings are built using advanced European systems, specifically window and facade systems from the German company Schüco, whose systems used at Amanoo have been honored with the renowned international Red Dot and iF Design Awards 2023, elevators by the Finnish brand KONE, and door handles by the Italian brand MOTTURA. The project combines architectural vision with excellence in craftsmanship, carefully selected materials, and close attention to every detail, ensuring the project’s compliance with internationally recognized standards for high-end buildings.

The founder and CEO of Khakhamyan Heritage is Avetis Khakhamyan, who is also the co-author of Amanoo’s architecture. He is guided by the idea of creating lasting value, based on responsible development — creating an environment where people, nature, and architecture coexist in harmony.