2020 July 29

Daily news and anti-corruption report

Jul/29/2020 news summary: / post-Tavush battles / Flashback 1993 / Aliyev's crisis & dissidents / Armenia bans Turkey / Israeli drones / Anti-corruption & Gangs / COVID is retreating / Obesity stats / Poll: Amulsar mining / Poll: inheritance / Lake Sevan / Garbage news / Solar panels & Elevators /
by ar_david_hh

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Tavush Battles / How did it start and end?

Context: July 12.... July 13…. July 14.... July 15.... July 16…. July 17…. July 18…. July 19…. July 20…. July 21... July 22…. July 23…. July 24.... July 25... July 27... July 28...

Aliyev's meltdown and internal issues / Pashinyan isn't a "giver"

Commentary by CivilNet:

The 2016 battles finally gave Aliyev the ability to brag about the army's strength. They presented it as a huge victory, even though Azeris didn't win and Armenians didn't lose, when you take into account what was achieved at what price.

The 2020 Tavush Battles took that pride away from Aliyev. The situation became even worse than pre-2016.

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Aliyev doesn't understand Armenia very well. He was hoping that Armenia's 2018 revolution brought a peace-lover who's ready to give lands.

He thought Pashinyan is born in Armenia while RoboSerj in Karabakh, so Pashinyan would be more willing to give lands. This myth is gone.

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Pashinyan began insisting for Karabakh to join the negotiating table, thus changing the strategy adopted by RoboSerj. This resulted in Aliyev getting angry with more militaristic threats. He made a mistake by calling Azeri opposition "worse than Armenians".

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After realizing that Pashinyan won't give lands, he chose to attack. But he has deep internal problems that make him nervous.

Four post-independence leadership changes and hybrid democracy in Armenia ended with a revolution in 2018. That had a deep impact on Azerbaijan, where father and son have been ruling since 1993.

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The collapse of oil prices had a major impact. It'll remain their bread and butter for years to come, but they'll need to cut spending.

All of this, combined with rumors about Aliyev's health problems, make it clear why he is nervous and unbalanced.

The way he fired MFA Mammedyavor was ugly. He's essentially rejecting Madrid Principles. He might even reject OSCE.

Armenia shouldn't pour fuel on the fire. It must preserve these negotiation platforms.

https://www.civilnet.am/news/2020/07/27/Ինչու-է-Ալիևը-Ադրբեջանը-նյարդային/391291

A contractor soldier was "lightly wounded" today

https://factor.am/272824.html

TR-AZ military exercise

TR and AZ will hold a military drill. The AM Defense Minister Tonoyan met French, Russian, and Iranian ambassadors, during which he said "we aren't concerned about the exercises, but we don't want it to turn into a provocation on our border."

https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/193765 , https://factor.am/272748.html , https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/193802 , https://www.azatutyun.am/a/30754467.html

Armenia bans Turkish inspectors

Along with European countries, Turkey is allowed to send inspectors to monitor military-related things in Armenia.

Armenia sent a letter to OSCE informing that Turkish groups are no longer allowed to enter, citing Turkey's open hostility and threats.

https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/193802

Armenians in Russia

Armenian community leader Ara Abrahamyan met with 250 people including Russian govt officials, during which he said, "Turkey and Azerbaijan cannot dictate their rules on Russian land." (referring to bringing the Tavush conflict on Russian soil)

https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/193748

The cross

The Turkish court sentenced a vandal to 16 months in jail for ripping the Armenian church's cross in Istanbul.

https://factor.am/272863.html

Azeri dissident Arif Mammadov about civilian attacks / Haqqin outlet / Aliyev regime

Earlier we learned how Azeri ex-MFA diplomat Mammadov accused Azeri president and special forces of coordinating the civilian attacks against Armenians in Russia to distract from failures. An article from Azeri Haqqin outlet called him a traitor.

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In a video, Mammadov claims Belgian authorities are aware of a plot to cause physical harm to him. "Aliyev regime plans to go after dissidents then blame Armenians for the attacks. Belgian police gave me a new phone and security."

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Mammadov responds to Aliyev's media attacks: Haqqin outlet is the dirtiest and least reputable outlet in AZ. It's the official propaganda mouthpiece of Aliyev's special forces. Beginning 2015 I got "popular" and they started writing pieces against me.

Eynulla Fatullayev is the editor in chief. Recently he was given the title of Honorary Journalist of AZ. We tend to call propagandists like him "zurnalist" and not "journalist".

[Disputed author's claims he is a Russian KGB agent.]

Full response: https://youtu.be/PK7p9TrLiT4 , https://youtu.be/zuZMM_fqNcg

Karabakh war / How the Azeri MoD "allowed Azeri troops to be captured"

Who is Rahim Gaziyev? He is a former Azeri Defense Minister who was arrested last week for stating that Azerbaijan lost dozens of soldiers (even before Yashma's second failed attack on Anvakh outpost).

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January 1992: Gaziyev is in charge of defending Shushi.

March 1992: he continues bombarding Stepanakert. AZ president promotes him as Defense Minister.

May 1992: he fails to defend Shushi. Armenians liberate it.

June 1992: Popular Front party accuses Gaziyev of intentionally surrendering Shushi in order to harm president [Elchibey?] and help return ex-president Mutallibov.

February 1993: a recorded conversion is published in which Gaziyev admits that they deliberately allowed Armenians to surrender Azeri troops in Hasanriz village during Operation Goranboy.

February 1993: he resigns.

June 1993: he accuses the new president Heydar Aliyev of breaking a promise and not giving him a high-ranking position.

August 1993: he's charged with treason for "giving Shushi to Armenians". He escapes to Russia.

April 1996: Russia deports him to Azerbaijan (wow things like these are possible). He's imprisoned.

March 2005: PACE convinces govt to release him from prison.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rahim_Gaziyev

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Goranboy

https://jam-news.net/former-azerbaijani-minister-of-defense-detained/

Will a revolution and democracy in Azerbaijan bring peace?

Commentary by CivilNet:

No. Research shows that countries that move from dictatorship to hybrid state were 50-135% more likely to get in a war, while a move from hybrid to democracy increased chances by 35-115%.

States that became Hybrid were 70% more likely to war than dictatorships, within the first 10 years.

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This contradicts the idea that if AZ became democracy their leadership would be less willing to sacrifice soldiers' lives due to accountability.

It is the already-established democracies that are less likely to choose war.

https://www.civilnet.am/news/2020/07/27/Ադրբեջանի-ժողովրդավարացումը-մեծացնելու-է-նոր-պատերազմի-հավանականությունը/391311

MFA Mnatsakanyan about Azerbaijan's Israeli weapons:

Israel should put an end to the deadly deal with Azerbaijan. These weapon sales cause deaths.

The recognition of the Armenian Genocide is a moral issue for Israel. It is a matter of their conscience. I know that many Jews share this view.

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Tavush battles were the 2nd attempt by Aliyev to solve the conflict by himself, after shunning mediators. He miscalculated.

Unlike AZ, we agree to install OSCE observers on borders.

https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/193780

Hands off Tavush

Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte is a US-Armenian writer. She escaped the Baku massacres in the 90s.

She launched the Hands off Tavush charity initiative after the border clashes. The $25K goal was met in 2 days. It's currently at $59K.

$30K will be spent on bomb shelters and the rest for the economy.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1023350.html

Hovhannes Ayvazovsky and his 6,000 paintings

https://youtu.be/7ygSS68OWQg

Cooking show must go on

The Appeals Court also denied prosecutors' petition to arrest president Serj Sargsyan's son-in-law Mikael Minasyan during his pre-trial period.

Minasyan is charged with several financial crimes and is hiding in his kitchen in Sochi, Russia. (the idea is to gain weight and become unrecognizable on camera)

https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/193773

NSS busts officials' embezzlement

From 2013, the admins of Nature Ministry's Meteorology agency allegedly registered 17 fake employees to embezzle $65K in salaries.

https://factor.am/272647.html

The fight against Criminal Subculture

The "thieve-in-law" gang culture was recently criminalized. Creation or participation is prohibited.

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A debtor owed money, so his car was placed for auction by a bank. Someone placed a bid.

The debtor found out the bidder's info and called him to make a deal. He wanted to buy back his own car.

The bidder refused, so the debtor contacted a thieve-in-law's gang for help. The gang couldn't convince the bidder, either. The police learned about it.

Two felony cases are launched against the "thieves".

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1023472.html

COVID stats / News / Discoveries / Donations

+1,853 tested (160,380). +308 infected (9,165 active). +6 deaths (723).

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Artsakh has +11 cases, with all of them being from known circles. +8 healed. 65 active.

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Pashinyan's daughter and Tavush governor denied rumors that they participated in parties in violation of COVID rules.

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President Sarkissian thanked Indian PM Modi for COVID support. Armenia recently obtained Remdesivir. Another batch was donated by "Hetero labs".

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Armenian scientists created a mask with silver and copper nano-particles that allegedly protect and "kill" the virus.

The inner layer of cotton is covered with those materials. Upon contact, they damage the virus's membrane and enter into deadly chemical reaction with proteins.

(this better not be some bill gates shit i swear to god i have no time to lose my reddit account for spreading covid fake news YOU HEAR ME BOY?)

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More details about masks https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/193720

https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/193744 , https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/193745 , https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/193753 , https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/193792 , https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1023364.html

It's afraid / It's retreating / Pashinyan's COVID briefing:

ԲAրև ձԷզ սԻրԵլի ՀԱյրԵնակԻցՆեՐ. It's getting better. We're down to late-May levels. We believe it's because of wearing masks. Don't let your guard down. We'll reduce the restrictions when we find it appropriate.

&nbps;

Instead of flying abroad for tourism, stay here, and explore your country. I'm sure you haven't been to many places in Armenia.

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We have many free hospital beds now. They'll be placed in reserves and be ready for deployment within a day. Five hospitals will return to their pre-COVID duties soon.

https://youtu.be/9ok9ZgPV-6k?t=201

re: Firdusi tourism center

Deputy PM's office released a video yesterday about the plan for reforming the Firdusi old district.

A "heritage protection" group criticized the plan, citing lack of communication, some construction firms having shady history, and unrealistic mock video "with the real intention being the construction of high-rises".

They want Yerevan municipality to suspend the project until there is more transparency.

https://hetq.am/hy/article/119958

Obesity in Armenia

WHO says 1.9B adults were overweight in 2016, with 650M being obese. 18% of kids were overweight/obese.

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In Armenia, 52% are overweight/obese (48% men, 54% women).

Young men are more likely to be fat, while among women it begins after 40-49 years of age.

72% of women between 30-49yo are fat.

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Obesity is usually accompanied by 3-4 illnesses, which makes the person vulnerable to infections.

COVID death rate is 27% higher among overweight and 2x higher among obese.

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Scientists recommend 75 minutes of heavy physical activity per week or 150 if it's medium-intensity.

https://factor.am/272751.html

Polls: what do Armenians think about Amulsar mining?

In general, I'd rather preserve nature than get cash out of it: said 84% in Yerevan and 73% in rural.

53% oppose / 19% support Amulsar gold mining.

61% of Yerevan and 49% of villagers oppose Amulsar.

Men are more likely to support Amulsar, but only 1-in-5 do.

60% of those under 30yo oppose Amulsar.

51% of unemployed oppose Amulsar. 19% support.

https://youtu.be/gNebdcAu3Sg

Polls about inheriting apartment and taking care of parents

Who should inherit the apartment, the son or the daughter? 49% son, 43% split it, 2% daughter.

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Who should take care of parents more? 60% equal, 33% son, 3% daughter.

https://www.civilnet.am/news/2020/07/29/Տունը՝-տղայի՞ն-թե՞-աղջկան․-ինչ-են-կարծում-քաղաքացիները/391508

Garbage collection and recycling

On Jan/13/2020 we learned about the state of garbage collection, recycling, and processing in Armenia.

Today the govt discussed the creation of a 2-year plan to reform Garbage. It's meant to improve the collection, environmental protection, new recycling centers.

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Two new garbage fields will be created in Yerevan and Hrazdan, soon.

Each settlement will have its garbage collection plan, a center, a separate center for construction waste.

https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/193771

Solar panels in Tavush

Infrastructure Ministry will spend $63K on solar panels for a govt-owned facility in Noyemberyan. It'll reach 80 kWh capacity this year.

Solar will be used to power the pumping stations that supply drinking water.

http://arka.am/en/news/technology/solar_power_installations_to_be_built_in_tavush/

ooOOooOOfff new elevators

This year Yerevan will replace 500 soviet-era elevators across the city's apartment complex buildings, as part of Mayor Marutyan's campaign promise.

https://www.1lurer.am/hy/2020/07/29/Այս-տարի-Երևանում-500-վերելակ-կփոխարինվի/285408

Sevan's blossoming won't be as bad this year

Detailed info about Sevan's blossoming with algae and plan of actions.

It's a bit better than expected due to lower temperatures. The blossoming began late and will finish sooner.

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The water transparency remains low, at 4 meters.

50 hectares of submerged trees were removed this year so far. Their removal is essential for increasing water quality.

The govt aims to remove 500 ha by 2022. This year the work slowed down due to COVID.

Photos: https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1023400.html , https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1023428.html , https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1023442.html

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You've read 2029 words.

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Link to original report and comments: https://www.reddit.com/r/armenia/comments/i06ikw/jul292020_news_summary_posttavush_battles/

Disclaimer: All the accused are innocent until proven guilty by the court of law, even if they may sound as being guilty. Currency in Armenian Drams ֏ unless specified otherwise. Helpful overview of Armenia's media ownership and leanings.