09:52,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. Secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan will travel to Switzerland to participate in the 4th Ukraine Peace Formula meeting.
Grigoryan’s office said the meeting will take place on January 14 in Davos.
10:11,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. The United States and Britain launched strikes from the air and sea against Houthi military targets in Yemen in response to the movement's attacks on ships in the Red Sea, Reuters reports.
As witnesses in Yemen confirmed explosions throughout the country to Reuters, U.S. President Joe Biden cautioned in a statement late on Thursday he would not hesitate to take further action if needed.
"These targeted strikes are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation," Biden said.
Britain's ministry of defence said in a statement that "early indications are that the Houthis' ability to threaten merchant shipping has taken a blow."
Iran, which supports the Houthis, strongly condemned the attacks. A spokesperson for the Houthis said there was no justification for the attacks and that the group will continue targeting ships heading towards Israel.
Russia said it had requested an urgent meeting of the U.N. Security Council to discuss the military strikes.
The Houthis say their attacks on shipping routes in the Red Sea are a show of support for the Palestinians and Hamas, the Islamist group that controls Gaza.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who is in hospital due to surgery complications, said in a statement that the strikes targeted Houthi capabilities including drones, ballistic and cruise missiles, costal radar and air surveillance.
10:39,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. The U.S. continues to believe that a durable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan is possible, State Department principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel has said.
“We continue to believe that a durable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan is possible. It’s something that the department will continue to work towards. Obviously, Coordinator Bono, the Secretary, and others continue to be deeply engaged on this. I just don’t have any updates for you right now at this time,” Patel said at a press briefing when asked to give updates on U.S. Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations Louis Bono’s recent trip to the region.
11:12,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. The U.S. supports a durable and dignified peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O’Brien has said.
“We support a peace agreement, a durable and dignified peace, between Azerbaijan and Armenia,” O’Brien said at an online press briefing. “And on this, a couple points. We’re very encouraged that they continue to have a robust agenda bilaterally and address the issues that remain between them. There are more to work through, and to the extent we can be helpful as they do, we’re happy to support. We have very full relationships with both countries that range across economic, security, and political ties and we would like to see them both benefit from a peace arrangement, and we’ll be working to that end in whatever way is most acceptable.”
He went on to laud Armenia’s reform agenda.
“I think this is another great opportunity for both governments to deliver more for their people. The reform agenda in Armenia is very impressive. Azerbaijan has elections coming up and I know can talk about the role that it wants to play in regional economic development, and I think a peace arrangement would only contribute to those plans. Now, we would like to be able to discuss all the issues we have on the agenda with both countries, from our concerns about some people in detention to bilateral issues, and we’ll have a very full agenda as we go forward. But it’s all under the umbrella of encouraging a lasting, durable, dignified peace between the two countries,” James O’Brien said.
11:32,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. France's new Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, 34, unveiled his government on Thursday with several cabinet members remaining in their posts, including Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin and Justice Minister Éric Dupond-Moretti, France24 reports.
Under the French system, the president sets general policy while the prime minister is responsible for choosing a cabinet and the day-to-day management of government.
A new French government is officially announced by the secretary general of the Élysée Palace. Alexis Kohler made the announcement from the Jardin d’Hiver (Winter Garden) of the presidential palace.
In addition to Darmanin as interior minister and Dupond-Moretti as justice minister, Bruno Le Maire retained his post as minister of finance and Sébastien Lecornu remains defence minister.
Stéphane Séjourné was named France's new foreign minister, replacing Catherine Colonna.
Séjourné is the head of Macron’s Renaissance party and the leader of the Renew Europe group of liberal, pro-European lawmakers at the European Parliament.
Some of the women nominated to cabinet posts include former justice minister Rachida Dati as the new culture minister. Dati, who served as justice minister under former president Nicolas Sarkozy, had to leave the conservative Les Républicains party to take up her new post.
Catherine Vautrin was appointed health and labour minister, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra will lead the education ministry and Sylvie Retailleau will head up education and research. Prisca Thevenot, previously deputy youth minister, was named government spokesperson.
Other cabinet appointments announced Thursday include:
11:45,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. The number of deaths caused by cancer, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes have dropped in Armenia, Healthcare Minister Anahit Avanesyan has said.
Cancer, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes are the three leading causes of death in Armenia.
The number of tests and hospital care cases also grew in 2023; 861,845 cases were recorded, which is more by 74,981 compared to 2022.
Deaths from cardiovascular diseases decreased 14,1% in 2022, and in 2023 (January-September) by nearly 13,5%. Avanesyan said the numbers are decreasing because of the diagnostics, treatment and preventative measures.
More screenings contributed to more early diagnosis of cancer and cancer deaths have dropped. The number of new cancer cases grew 10,5% in 2022, while the death rate dropped by 3,4%. In 2023 (January-September), the number of new cases grew 3% (first cancer diagnosis), while the death rate dropped 0,5%.
Diabetes deaths also dropped. 371 people died of diabetes in Armenia in 2022 when the number of diabetes patients was 115,000. In 2015, the number of diabetes patients was 77,000 and the deaths stood at 1276.
12:39,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. The Margara border crossing checkpoint in the Armenian-Turkish border is ready for use after a major renovation, the Deputy Chairman of the State Revenue Committee of Armenia Karen Tamazyan has said.
“All infrastructures in terms of technical customs equipment, passport control, and for the border guards, are ready for duly implementation of the passenger service,” he said.
Turkey shut down its border with Armenia in 1993.
In 2021, Armenia and Turkey announced readiness to normalize ties. In 2022, the two countries agreed to open the land border for citizens of third countries and diplomatic passport holders. The agreement is yet to be implemented.
In October 2023, Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan said he hoped the border would be opened soon.
Washington, D.C. – The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) mourns the passing of Arpi Vartanian, the Assembly's Regional Director in Yerevan, Armenia.
A longtime and instrumental member of the Assembly's staff team, Vartanian served the organization in numerous capacities, both at its headquarters in Washington, D.C., including a stint as Acting Executive Director, and in its regional office in Yerevan, for nearly three decades.
"The Assembly shares the deep pain of her family, neighbors, and many friends in this unexpected and tragic loss, as do the countless people Arpi positively impacted through her personal touches and through her training and advocacy work over the decades, and sustained commitment to serving the Armenian people and the causes of democracy and human rights," said Assembly Co-Chairs Van Krikorian and Anthony Barsamian. "Arpi truly loved Armenia and Artsakh, along with her friends and colleagues. Her professionalism and her joy in our efforts shone through with all of us. In partial tribute, an endowed fund for interns in Armenia, a program she pioneered, is being established and the Director's office in our Yerevan office will be named in her honor. It will be difficult to imagine those without her."
Vartanian began employment in Yerevan in 1994 as Director of the Assembly's NGO Training and Resource Center, followed by roles as the Director of Grassroots and Internship Program in 1996, Country Director for Armenia and Artsakh in 1997, Acting Executive Director in 2000, and assumed the role of the newly-formed Armenia Regional Director position in 2015 that included responsibilities for Assembly undertakings in Armenia and Artsakh. She worked closely with the Assembly's flagship office in D.C., as well as the Assembly's regional offices in Los Angeles, Boston, and New York. Vartanian also served as Director of AGBU's Yerevan Office in 2012.
A native of Michigan, where she attended the AGBU Alex and Marie Manoogian School, Vartanian graduated from Dearborn High School and Albion College, followed by the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University. Vartanian moved to Armenia in 1993 and amassed a wealth of hands-on experience on the ground by carrying out countless projects of the Assembly on behalf of the people of Armenia.
"Arpi's deep knowledge of Armenia, Artsakh and America was invaluable. Her insights and tireless work behind the scenes led to many achievements," said Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny. "She will be dearly missed by her Assembly family, colleagues, and all those whose lives she touched."
During her tenure with the organization, Vartanian served as the conduit between the homeland and the U.S., helped raise public awareness of Armenian issues with U.S. and other officials, spearheaded educational initiatives, coordinated and participated in meetings with members of government and community leaders, collaborated with national and international organizations, and connected with youth from the Diaspora and Armenia, including leading the Assembly's Yerevan Summer Internship Program, which was established in 1999.
Vartanian also routinely traveled and led Congressional Member Delegations to Artsakh. In the aftermath of the 2020 Artsakh War, she was joined by Assembly Congressional Relations Director Mariam Khaloyan on a trip to assess the plight of people and the ensuing humanitarian crisis.
With her close knowledge of the country and its institutions, Vartanian coordinated numerous Armenian Assembly missions to Armenia, organizing their itineraries and securing meetings with key officials. Vartanian greeted hundreds of Armenian Assembly members who were introduced to the country through her and her generous spirit.
She also skillfully steered many delegations, large and small, ranging from U.S. journalists and analysts to government officials and special guests to meet their objectives and improve Armenia's standing with the international community.
Memorably, Vartanian welcomed the Morgenthau family to Armenia in 1999 and saw to every detail of their visit from meeting President Robert Kocharian to joining the Armenian people on April 24 in laying flowers at the genocide memorial in remembrance of their grandfather Ambassador Morgenthau. A larger gathering of the Morgenthau family traveled to Armenia for the centennial commemorations in 2015, and Vartanian again made all necessary arrangements for their introduction to Armenia and its grateful people.
With her devoted work through the Assembly that positively impacted Armenia, Vartanian was awarded the Medal of Gratitude in 2017 from President Serzh Sargsyan expressly for her "contributions to the strengthening of Fatherland-Diaspora relations."
Reflecting on receiving the distinction, Vartanian stated that she was "honored" to receive the presidential award and she remains "dedicated to Armenia and the work we do to better relations with the United States for the good of our people in Armenia and Artsakh."
Vartanian also received a Certificate of Congressional Recognition from Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-CA) for her role in bolstering relations between the U.S., Armenia, and Artsakh, as well as a Certificate of Recognition from the City of Los Angeles by Mayor Eric Garcetti.
"We were heartbroken to hear of Arpi's passing," said Assembly President Carolyn Mugar. "We worked together for many years, and she had the heart of the Assembly embedded within her as she was with us for so much of our history. Arpi witnessed positive changes in Armenia and built many long-standing relationships in the homeland and in the U.S. We mourn for her family and friends."
Burial services will take place tomorrow, Friday, at 2 pm at Arin Berd Cemetery in Armenia. Memorial services will take place in the U.S. and Armenia, with details to follow.
Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.
NR#2024-01
09:00,
In the overall picture of inbound tourism, the number of visitors from the Middle East is very small but dynamics is significant in this case. According to the results of 2022, Georgia has received 208,341 tourists from the Middle East, which is 15 times more than ten years before.
Moreover, the increase in the number of visitors from the region has exceeded the pre-pandemic level. Furthermore, the former Soviet republic admitted almost 160,000 visitors from the Middle East in 2019. Georgia is popular among tourists from the Middle East not only thanks to its picturesque views, affordable hotels, and relative proximity but also because of the growing availability of halal food and Arabic-speaking guides (Middle East Monitor, 2022).
The increase in the number of visitors from the Middle East is mainly due to tourists from the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, particularly Saudi Arabia, which accounts for more than 50% of the total number of tourists from the Middle East. In 2022, the number of tourists from Saudi Arabia increased by 60% compared to the pre-pandemic period of 2019, reaching 119,921 visitors.
Let's consider how the above-mentioned success factors for Georgia work and examine the possibilities of achieving similar results in Armenia.
Citizens of only 45 countries can enter Armenia without a visa and stay in the country for up to 180 days, which is twice less than in the case of Georgia, when this opportunity is given to citizens of 107 countries (Table 4). Moreover, only citizens of two countries of the Middle East- UAE and Qatar are allowed to visit Armenia without a visa.
Unlike Georgia, in Armenia the number of direct flights from many airports of the region (Dubai, Doha, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam) is less and they are more expensive.
The price of a round trip ticket from the mentioned cities to Armenia if booked two months before the date of departure is 82 – 470 Euros while the average price is 454 Euros.
At the same time, Armenia is considered one of the safest countries in the world, according to the Numbeo crime index as of July 2023, Armenia ranks 6th in terms of security, with a crime index of 21.6 and a safety index of 78.4. This is a notably high safety index, surpassing that of Georgia, which holds the 20th position. In terms of safety, Armenia is a much more preferred destination for tourists compared to Georgia (Numbeo, 2023).
10:01,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 11, ARMENPRESS. Mayor of the town of Armavir Davit Khudatyan is set to be appointed Governor of Armavir Province.
The appointment is included in the agenda of the January 11 Cabinet meeting.
Khudatyan has been the Mayor of Armavir and the President of the Armavir Regional Board of the Civil Contract Party since 2018.