2020 June 1

Anti-Corruption Daily

Jun/1/2020 News: (1) Parliament bans antibiotics in food; Other drug reforms (2) More gas from Iran (3) Armavir ex-mayor busted (4) Army retaliates in Nakhijevan (5) Crime stats (6) COVID update (7) Missing weapons (8) Parks (9) Prison food (10) Foreign affairs (11) Cash registers required (12)...
by ar_david_hh

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.

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Happy June 1st, kids.

Parliament bans antibiotics in cattle food

Antibiotics can only be used to treat medical problems, and not for animal growth. Punishable between ֏100k-200k.

Context: https://www.reddit.com/r/armenia/comments/ge4gn1/may52020_news_1_gun_laws_to_get_stricter_2_govt/?

http://arka.am/en/news/business/armenia_bans_use_of_antibiotics_as_fodder_additives/

cash registers are required

Parliament approved a bill to require mobile trade merchants to use cash registers so IRS can calculate taxes. Sales receipt must include info on the type of purchased item, weight, price.

A new electronic sales receipt system will be implemented for online merchants.

http://arka.am/en/news/business/mobile_trade_points_required_to_use_cash_registers_armenia_amends_its_tax_code_/

Armavir ex-mayor busted

NSS says:

In 2010, while abusing his powers and bypassing the city council, Armavir's ex-mayor gave a piece of land to ex-HHK MP Nemets Rubo. The land lease was for 75 years so Nemets could build a shopping store. A felony case is launched.

(Nemets himself was charged with similar land crimes a few days ago. He's hiding in Russia.)

https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/189105

crime stats

General Prosecutor Davtyan:

Fewer policemen "covered up" crimes to give themselves good clearance ratings.

Overall crime reports +8.8%. Partially because the public is more willing to report a crime. Burglaries and traffic incidents. rose.

The share of serious crime decreased from 28% (2008-2018 avg) to 18% (2019). Property crime rose 3x in this period.

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In 2019 vs 2018, the share of crime against an individual -13% (by 671 incidents).

Murder incidents went from 35 to 47, but 5 were old incidents. 2018 saw record low murders.

906 total crime incidents per 100k. 1.6 murders per 100k population (5 in USA, 7 in Russia, 2 in GEO/AZE).

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1016974.html

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

update: Dendropark overcrowding

Police installed checkpoints near Stepanavan Dendropark after 10,000 people visited and packed near its entrance, many without masks, to see nature. Masks will be required.

https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/189077

when will school resume?

Education Minister: if we want classes to resume on September 1st, we have to start wearing masks the correct way, remind the kids to wash their hands and to avoid overcrowding.

Don't organize school parties with classmates. Recently a young man ignored his symptoms and went to a friend's house for a party. It turns out he had COVID and gave it to the friend's family member, who died.

https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/189097

Days since discussing 5G towers and Bill Gates: 0

Education Minister: dear parents, teachers, and students. Reject the foolish misinformation about 5G towers causing COVID and micro-chips being planted in COVID vaccines. Those who spread it should be ridiculed and mocked. Block them on Facebook. They micro-chip your brain to spread nonsense about micro-chips.

https://youtu.be/v3_L04mLFnM?t=415

Pashinyan during COVID conference:

Ignore the occasional drop in daily detection number. The situation hasn't gotten better....

+7 deaths (3 of which from unrelated causes)....

Many COVID patients with chronic illnesses didn't know they had the illness until they were hospitalized with COVID...

The police ticketed 1.3k people in 3 days for ignoring safety...

Wear a mask while visiting a neighbor. Socializing with a non-family member without a mask is unacceptable...

I thank brotherly Georgia for offering COVID help. Two countries have always been together. When Georgia had a measles outbreak we sent them 30,000 vaccines.

https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/189109

crowd protests chapel restrictions

Last week the Education Minister asked police to prevent overcrowding near St. Hovhannes Chapel because of overcrowding. On Saturday >100 visitors complained and tried to shut down a nearby road when they learned the chapel area was restricted.

"We weren't informed that the chapel would be closed, otherwise we wouldn't come all the way from Yerevan," said visitors. Nearby residents who rely on selling items to visitors joined the protest.

https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/189124

trade centers closed

Food Safety Inspectors audited bazaars, restaurants, and malls, and found that traders in many bazaars don't follow safety rules. Popular restaurants Parvana, KFS, and Tumanyan Shaurma were shut down for not wearing masks or checking temps.

https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/189130

https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/189135

Austrian parliament ratifies EU-ARM Comprehensive agreement

22 out of 28 have done so far. Belgium is very close.

The treaty is about justice, security, economics, agriculture, the environment, social policy, health care, migration issues, education, and science.

http://arka.am/en/news/politics/austrian_parliament_ratifies_armenia_eu_comprehensive_and_enhanced_partnership_agreement/

Azat Reservoir up close

https://youtu.be/VLLSZNMoOms?t=2

stray dogs in Gyumri

"My Vet" collects stray dogs and neuters them to reduce long-term population and aggressiveness. Recently they found an area where residents dumped lots of trash in the backyard. This attracted a large number of stray dogs. My Vet went and collected 12 dogs. Days later, some dogs attacked a 3yo child in this neighborhood.

My Vet: 80% of the time we have a confrontation with residents who refuse to let us take the dogs. They want the dog to give birth before we neuter them. Others think we're going to kill them.

Gyumri has asked govt for financial assistance. Recently they bought a tranquilizer gun.

https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/189221

Armenian army responds to Nakhijevan attack

Armenian army is doing construction to strengthen its positions on Nakhijevan border. Azeri army shot an Armenian transport vehicle days earlier.

Today a video was published, allegedly showing the Armenian side retaliating, by shooting an Azeri vehicle. The army didn't confirm or deny, saying "we only open fire to respond to provocations."

https://youtu.be/7XkRJ6NPlQk

https://razm.info/142580

the battle for the air

Armenia recently purchased 4 SU fighter jets and plans to obtain 8 more.

Military expert Artsrun Hovhannisyan:

When used with other weapons, these jets give us a big advantage. Azerbaijan has nothing to match. Recently they purchased M-346 training jets from Italy. They plan to purchase Russian Su-35 or Mig-35 jets as an answer to Armenia's "4+" generation SU-30.

Azeris have Mig-29. The purchase of Mig-35 would be a logical step because the basics are the same, plus more modern abilities.

Even purchasing Su-35 won't give them a clear advantage over Su-30. Even though 35 is newer, the 30 has more functions and has 2 pilot seats, one of whom can handle weapons. The 30 plays better with other friendly air units.

Even though Azeris still have numerically more fighter jets (20 Mig-29), their units aren't as long-range and complex as Su-30. Su-30 can hit targets <300km away, taking the task away from human soldiers. It can help S-300 SAM units to pick targets.

As in the case of Iskander SAM units, Azeris will try to downplay Su-30. They used to say the Iskanders located in Armenia didn't belong to Armenia.

Full: https://www.1in.am/2761225.html

Army crime stats

General Prosecutor: crime in the army was -18% in 2019 v 2018. The solving rate was 97%.

2019: 49 deaths (20 service related)

2018: 63 deaths (38 service related)

-50% in death from the enemy bullet.

-36% suicides.

-11% serious injuries.

-33% crime by high-ranking officers.

https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/189194

Missing weapons / Dysfunctional tech / Serj & Mikael Minasyan

Serj's fugitive son-in-law Mikael Minasyan accused PM's family of smuggling weapons. (earlier he blamed the cigarette story on Pashinyan's brother-in-law)

QP MP Hrachya Hakobyan (1st lady's brother) said:

The weaponry and ammo depot was in a miserable condition before 2018, while Serj's family and his son-in-law Mikael Minasyan had millions of dollars on their foreign bank accounts. Now Minasyan has the audacity to accuse Pashinyan of "arms smuggling" when Armenia presents itself in the international weapon market and buys weapons during this wartime.

Under Serj's administration, ֏15bln was given to Serj's friend to import weapons for Armenia. They took the money and used it as a free loan, and didn't bring the weapons until the 2018 revolution.

Another ֏19bln ($40mln) was spent by them on purchasing fully dysfunctional weapons for the army. The NSS is currently investigating. One person is already arrested.

For years, Artsakh's air defense was neutered, until our administration bought the modernized ASA and AKA air units.

Minasyan and his buddies were the ones delivering food to our soldiers in the past. That's why soldiers were eating ragu and lapsha.

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Have you wondered how Minasyan got his shares in the giant import-export SPAYKA company? He received ֏10bln from Syunik's ex-governor Surik "Liska" Khachatryan, which they laundered through offshore firms to buy 50% of SPAYKA's shares for Minasyan.

During Serj's administration, Minasyan used his "position" to obtain shared in Armenia TV and other media outlets, whose owners were unable to refuse the offer.

In 2017 he spent $30mln to buy Zangezur Copper mine's 12.5% shares. Why isn't Minasyan explaining how?

He was liberally paying people in Serj's circles. Vigen Sargsyan (ex Defense Minister) got paid $25,000/month. Gevorg Kostanyan (ex General prosecutor and alleged March 1st coverup coordinator) got paid $10,000/mo. Etc.

Minasyan also obtained shares in Rosneft oil importer, as well as in UCOM. He should explain how from his hiding facility in Sochi, Russia.

https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/189159

https://factor.am/255206.html

the arrested official...

NSS arrested the army's ex-chief of Radio-Electronics Division as part of the investigation about $42mln dysfunctional equipment purchase by Serj administration in 2016-17.

The ex-chief is Vahan Avetisyan. After the 2018 revolution, he was included in the investigatory committee tasked with examining the handling of April 2016 battles.

When his alleged ties with the $42mln waste were discovered, the NSS arrested him. He sent a letter to Pashinyan claiming his military colleagues are persecuting him.

https://factor.am/255372.html

COVID stats

+210 infected. +16 healed. +13 deaths (5 were "indirect"). 9492 all-time infected. 5896 active.

440 serious. 55 critical.

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Healthcare Ministry will add ~150 emergency/ICU beds soon.

https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/189163

https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/189224

https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/189225

Pashinyan's family catches COVID

On Monday the PM revealed that he unknowingly infected his whole family with COVID. They don't have symptoms.

PM believes he got it from a staff member who sets a table before meetings, saying that the worker was earlier warned for ignoring safety rules. That worker was also diagnosed with COVID.

"I'll work from home. Please follow safety rules," said PM, who celebrates his birthday on this day.

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PM's family denied media rumors about PM infecting Artsakh officials. PM and other Armenian officials took COVID tests before visiting Artsakh for the recent presidential inauguration ceremony. Artsakh president also took a test today and it came negative.

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RU President Putin called to congratulate PM's B-Day and wish him a speedy recovery. They discussed AM-RU healthcare cooperation and the upcoming June 24th parade in Moscow to commemorate the 75th anniversary of WW2 victory.

https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/189155

https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/189193

https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/189214

Belarus president...

Kuklashenko recently arrested hundreds of journalists, bloggers, and activists. A protest ensued.

During a security conference, he said: We won't have Maidan [revolution] before the upcoming presidential elections [for his 6th term]. We don't have Pashinyans and Zelenskies here. Both of them are talented and patriotic politicians. Our Belarussian opposition doesn't have leaders like them; they want to sell Belarus.

https://www.azatutyun.am/a/30646511.html

gas price negotiations

Gazprom wants to increase prices for the internal Armenian market by 11%. Armenian regulator suggests a 4.5% increase.

The Regulator doesn't want Gazprom to +35% the price for those residents, including low-income, who use little gas.

Gazprom wants to raise agricultural business prices from $212 to $283, while the Regulator wants $224.

If the Regulator's version is accepted, ordinary citizens won't notice a big change. Negotiations begin on June 4th.

https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/189219

Armenia will import more gas from Iran

Armenian ambassador to Iran met Minister of Oil and discussed the installation of the 3rd high-volt electric grid network between AM-IR. Its construction is due in 2020.

Upon completion, Armenia will export multiple times more electricity and import multiple times more gas from Iran.

https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/189240

prison food

All penitentiary facilities are now part of the program to deliver high-quality food for prisoners. The menu changes every week.

https://factor.am/255326.html

drug regulations / post office

Parliament voted 114-0 to approve the QP bill to allow citizens to receive dugs over mail under some circumstances.

The bill also establishes tighter safety regulations to prevent the commercial-scale imports of untested and unapproved drugs from EAEU for sales. QR codes will be used.

https://factor.am/255124.html

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1016959.html

Masha Mnjoyan...

...sings for Australian Voice.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=880654255743989

Dilijan park

Dilijan city's park is being revamped to be more attractive for tourists. IDeA and TURBO foundations are helping the local govt with the project.

Unusable carousels were removed to be replaced with new attractions. A new "VereV" walking wooden pathway is installed, suspended in the air.

A new basketball court and open-air amphitheater are built. Ready when COVID is gone.

https://www.1lurer.am/hy/2020/06/01/Դիլիջանի-բարեկարգված-քաղաքային-այգին՝-գեղեցիկ-հանրային-ժամանցի-վայր/250263

do you like Lake Sevan photos?

https://www.civilnet.am/news/2020/06/01/Սևանն-ու-Շողակաթը՝-Արտանիշի-բարձունքից․-Հայաստանի-մորդվաները/386174

absolute unit

A 12.3lb baby named David was born in Erebuni hospital. "The mother had no problem during pregnancy." This is their 6th child.

https://factor.am/255475.html

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Link to original report and comments: https://www.reddit.com/r/armenia/comments/gurl58/jun12020_news_1_parliament_bans_antibiotics_in/