2021 December 1

Daily news wrap-up

News - Dec/1/2021: Details on Levon Aronian's departure to US __ All Armenia Fund audit __ Official on army reforms: what was/is/should be done __ European MPs discuss CSDP Mission on AM-AZ border; landmines, POWs __ Crowdfunding platform __ Textbooks to have e-books __ Anti-corruption busts __ More
by ar_david_hh

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This is your 14-minute Wednesday briefing in 3515 words.

chess grandmaster Levon Aronian finalizes switch to U.S. team

2020 was a difficult year for Aronian for multiple reasons: the death of his wife, the pandemic, and war. He was reportedly unable to have access to chess equipment for some period, which aggravated the situation, leading him to accept an offer from the U.S. to switch teams in early 2021. Aronian complained about a lack of support from the state.

Chess Federation, led by Aronian's relative Serj Sargsyan, offered financial assistance, but Aronian rejected it, saying the problem was not in the lack of financial support but rather the attitude towards him and chess. Aronian disagreed with certain chess policies.

Aronian's criticism about bad policies appeared to be towards Mkhitar Hayrapetyan, a Parliamentary official tasked with chess. One complaint was that some schools were closed after 2018. Aronian complained that Sports Minister and Premier Pashinyan ignored his complaints about these issues and neglected the field. Sports Minister responded saying there were no official obligations they had not fulfilled.

Mkhitar Hayrapetyan denied Aronian's accusations about the field being neglected, and announced the opening of a new Chess Mastery School with the efforts of Yerevan Chess Federation (separate from Serj's Chess Federation).

Mkhitaryan said the new chess school will train youth to become Armenia's next generation players, amid a drop in performance by the Armenian team "in the past six years". "[The new school] is necessary to restore Armenia as a chess superpower."

In response to hateful social media comments towards Aronian and comments about the lack of a chess supercomputer in Armenia, Aronian's girlfriend wrote, "It's strange. Even without a powerful supercomputer Levon Aronian continues to score victories. Do you even hear yourselves? What computer? It is a pity that a part of the population, directed by misinformation, betrays the devotees of the nation."

In 2019, the government allocated $133,000 to fund Aronian. "Modern-day chess is linked to high-tech and players need good computers. Aronian is using a 2013 computer which needs a revamp," explained the government. The financial transactions show that the government sent the funds to Ministry, and the latter spent it on the equipment. There was no similar aid for Aronian in 2020, possibly due to pandemic and war hardships.

Aronian's mother said the allocated funds weren't specifically for Aronian, but rather for payers at Chess Federation to have access to a special server. This funding ended in 2020. [Hopefully someone can explain: Is the "supercomputer" a subscription service you have to renew?]l

Aronian said that chess is heavily supported by governments around the world, however, in many countries, it's the private sector that acts as a sponsor. "It is up to Chess Federation to find private sponsors."

Aronian moved to St. Louis this September with the help of a businessman and chess enthusiast Rex Sinquefield. He has long been offered salaries orders of magnitude higher than what Armenia paid.

This isn't the first time Aronian "ragequits". He moved to Germany in the early 2000s after the chess federation didn't include him in the team for an international tournament. Serj Sargsyan, his wedding godfather, later convinced him to return.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1045077.html https://www.reddit.com/r/armenia/comments/lt66pc/fed262021_1_aronian_quits_amid_conflict_with/ https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/206122 https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042845.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069562.html https://www.panarmenian.net/arm/news/297091/

Tags: #LevonAronian

Education Ministry wants school books to use scientific facts, and become available electronically

A bill was drafted to clarify how textbooks should be written.

Minister: The textbook should present only accurate, scientifically proven information, and use only scientifically-backed hypotheses. Proper references should be provided.

The book must provide comprehensive coverage about a topic and help the learner to form their own position and opinion about it.

The complexity of sentences should be adjusted for the reader's age and exclude unnecessary jargon and long sentences. It should have a simple and understandable structure. [NSS could use this advice for their public announcements.]

The book can be paper, electronic, or hybrid. The paper should have an electronic version that's obtained with the hard copy. The parent can give written consent for the student to use only the electronic book.

Auction to draft books will be separated from the auction to publish books.

There will be multiple phases to review and verify the content. //

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069544.html

International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance

... will help Armenia with constitutional reforms, said the representative during a meeting with Justice Ministry today.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069632.html

All Armenia Fund: Working Group found no credible evidence of misuse of Himnadram funds; external audit continues

Himnadram reports: the board of trustees has reviewed the information presented by the audit firm conducting the fund's audit, the Working Group formed by the board, and the Finance Ministry.

The Working Ground found no credible evidence of misuse of funds.

The external auditor and the Working Group reported that the legal regulations did not allow them to have access to certain initial expenditure documents. Pashinyan announced the readiness to make available all the initial documents to finalize the process. Pashinyan contacted the RA Audit Chamber and suggested involving the external auditor and Working Group at the expert level. We will keep this issue in focus. //

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069604.html

Appeals court authorizes the arrest of opposition figure accused of planning to assassinate Pashinyan

Ashot Minasyan, a military figure allied with the opposition, was accused of discussing the assassination of Premier Pashinyan after the November 9 trilateral statement. Part of a phone conversation was published with the alleged plot discussions.

Authorities arrested several suspects at the time, including former National Security Services chief Arthur Vanetsyan (Serj camp), ex-HHK MP Vahram Baghdasaryan, and ARF member Ashot Avagyan. They were later freed by the court.

The prosecutors appealed the decision to release Ashot Minasyan, the main suspect. Today the Appeals court sided with prosecutors and authorized his pre-trial arrest.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069563.html

anti-corruption: former Soccer Federation chief HHK MP Nemets Rubo's company is in trouble

Investigators report: in 2014-2018, three directors at Noralusin Ltd committed fraud and aided the director of Federation's "Technical Center Academy" to embezzle large sums. The latter also evaded taxes.

Federation officials forged documents to claim Noralusin's "Zephyr" camp hosted soccer training and provided services. //

Long story short, they are accused of embezzling $190,000.

The case has reached the court. Three people are charged with crimes. The fourth one is wanted by the police.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069577.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1026902.html

anti-corruption: you were the CHOSEN one

18 forest protection officials are currently facing criminal deforestation charges in Tavush province after authorities discovered 210 instances of illegal tree cutting.

42 people got away with fines because the damages were small. Plus they repaid 85% of damages.

Others, including forest guards, were charged with more serious crimes. Among the suspects are the former and current directors of ArmForest state forest agency's Artsvaberd branch.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069583.html

anti-corruption: a cop is charged with bribery

Anti-Corruption Committee reports: the investigation revealed that a policeman in Kotayk received $700 in bribes, with the assistance of an accomplice, to ensure a Yerevan resident would get her driver's license.

He was arrested immediately while accepting the cash after the exam. The accomplice is also in jail. //

https://factor.am/448538.html

Better behave, kids. Economic Competition Commission isn't messing around.

Commission rep.: from now on, businesses will be able to submit secret reports to the Commission. This is necessary to protect small businesses from possible retaliation from big chains, if they wish to file a complaint against a big chain.

Very often small players choose not to come forward, out of fear of retaliation. The bill adopted on March 3 introduced the institute of secret reporting, which can be accessed only by authorized Commission members. //

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069571.html

Azerbaijan is still jamming radio signals near Artsakh borders

We learned on August 6 that Azerbaijan jammed radio frequencies used by an FM radio station operated by Mix Media, causing serious financial damage to the operator.

Artsakh Human Rights Ombudsman reported that cell service interferences continue to this date, especially in settlements near the borders. The peacekeepers have been informed.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069596.html

European Parliament discussed the Armenia-Karabakh-Azerbaijan conflict

Several European MEPs spoke about Azerbaijani authorities' hateful rhetoric towards the Armenian population, the border clashes, the need to use OSCE as the only platform to resolve the Karabakh conflict.

MEP Michael Gahler said the EU needs to upgrade its relevance in eastern European conflicts. He asked EU leadership whether it's a coincidence that AM-AZ conflict flared amid Russia's actions in other regions. "Are [Russia] creating little flares everywhere to keep us busy?"

An MEP replied that Europe is trying to reshuffle the OSCE Minsk group because it hasn't been very functional. "We need to assess what is our position towards Russia as a broker. Do we want Russia to be the only broker and the guardian of agreements?" The MEP said the borders should be demarcated, and Armenia must share the landmine maps, "it's an international obligation", and Azerbaijan must return POWs.

MEPs discussed their understanding of a "corridor" between Azerbaijan and Nakhijevan.

MEP L. Devigne speech: [spoke about the establishment of direct MOD contact between AM and AZ, and Sochi meeting.] Armenia and Azerbaijan also discussed economic issues and unblocking the transport corridors. You have to be aware that the word "corridor" is not liked at all by Armenia because it presupposes a lack of control of what goes in and out. Their working groups will meet soon to discuss routes. //

MEP Austrevicius: our Eastern Partnership policy is very marginalized in South Caucasus. Political tensions in Georgia, the AM-AZ conflict, we are losing 50% of our "assets" in the Eastern Partnership strategy. Russia is a fake referee that joins one of the sides from time to time. The EU needs security mechanisms on the AM-AZ border. Let's think about CSDP, a civilian mission perhaps. //

MEP Von Cramon Taubadel: Minsk format has not been effective, the EU is mainly absent. It's good that Charles Michel will host a meeting in Brussels soon but that's not sufficient. We need a long-term commitment, a security mechanism. It's in our best interest if the EU is [physically] present in the region, instead of just funding stuff. I'd like to see European leadership set up a taskforce and establish a presence on the ground. //

Full hourlong video: https://youtu.be/Bi1fd5QNtqA

https://factor.am/448252.html https://factor.am/448357.html

foreign affairs & meetings

Deputy Premiers of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia met in Moscow to discuss unblocking of communication routes and Sochi results. The meeting will last several days.

EU representative Toivo Klaar arrived in Baku after holding talks with Pashinyan. He discussed regional issues with Aliyev.

Foreign Ministers Mirzoyan and Bayramov will meet in Sweden tomorrow, during the OSCE Ministerial Conference.

Putin and Erdogan will meet on December 3.

https://factor.am/448294.html https://factor.am/448457.html https://factor.am/448523.html https://factor.am/448562.html

Parliamentary Security Commission chief Andranik Kocharyan about army reforms, that info can be shared, the draft reform package

Reporter: civil society is dissatisfied with the lack of information.

Andranik: I accept that many things have been kept secret. I understand their complaints, I accept the complaints from real civil society that wants things done, and not the "fake" types.

Before the war, we formed a platform with civil society, OSCE office, and the Security Council office. The platform will meet on December 17 to discuss various security issues, including our plans.

The MOD confirmed yesterday that the reform package has been drafted and will enter the discussion phase in Parliament. //

Reporter: can you reveal what has been done in the past year?

Andranik: I can list a few things but you have to consider the fact that the armed forces are just now entering the main phase to implement programs, but they have already undergone some structural changes, the frontlines were built. Sooner or later you will learn the details, even if not today. There are ongoing processes. MOD should be the one to discuss the structural changes.

Reporter: we've seen the appointment of 4 MODs since the war. Isn't that too much?

Andranik: Vagharshak Harutyunyan played a big role after the war, including in the prevention of a military coup by Kochrayan's forces who attempted to bring the army to Yerevan. 90-100% of opposition MPs supported the coup but Vazgen Manukyan failed, because the last time he was relevant was during the Karabakh Committee years.

Reporter: are you buying more weapons? Is it part of the package?

Andranik: without new weapons there can be no word about a new army. But to publicly discuss it today would endanger our ability to obtain those weapons and the necessary intellectual knowledge. How exactly do you imagine having a new army without new weapons? We should have obtained those sooner to withstand the enemy's attacks. We knew what the enemy was purchasing.

I recently watched Mossad leader's interview boasting about the level of support they provided to Azerbaijan. Did our former admins fail to see that Israel was not only selling weapons but also helping shape-up Azerbaijan's army and to boost its military industry? We found ourselves alone during the war.

We knew Azerbaijan was purchasing long-range missiles. We should have spent a lot on tools to neutralize them. I'm not even talking about the lack of mobilization efforts. Today we're filling the mobilization gap with these 3-month drafts.

Yesterday I participated in the citizenship naturalization ceremony of my diasporan friend. He served in the military [in a foreign state]. He wanted to use his knowledge to help the Armenian army.

I'd like the 3-month reservist mobilizations to draft many opposition members so they'll personally go and see the level of engineering work that's being done in new front lines. Perhaps then they wouldn't try to hinder our reform efforts with the media rumors.

Reporter: what weapons are you buying, and from whom? [DUDE, lol]

Andranik: multi-vector, but obviously the main partner is Russia. That doesn't mean we won't buy weapons from NATO and European countries if Russia lacks what we need.

For example, Sweden is producing high-quality artillery. Russia should be happy if a CSTO country buys quality weapons from abroad to strengthen the bloc.

Our army must buy good weapons, regardless of who the seller is, but servicing the weapons is also important. We need the know-how to service the purchased weapons. We should avoid jealously episodes.

Reporter: can you give weapon examples?

Andranik: weapons that every strong army has today. Weapons that require great human and artificial intelligence. I won't give specific examples.

Reporter: there were discussions about reducing conscription from 2yr to 1.5yr in favor of contract-based service.

Andranik: discussions continue. This is part of the long journey to the professional army. Our army was fighting fidayee-style in Soviet uniforms in the 1990s, until one day they realized they had turned into a more professional army. There were barely any conscripts. We used conscripts once in the Lachin corridor, and I think it was a mistake.

Reporter: when will we have the professional army?

Andranik: every time we hold these 3-month reservist drafts, they will notice every time that something has changed in the army. This includes the officer staff. We had losses but also victories during the 2020 war. The quality officer staff should have a bigger role and expedite the reforms. The upcoming War Committee will help reveal the good officers.

Reporter: what steps are you taking to reduce personal conflicts between soldiers?

Andranik: it's a layered problem. Before the war, we formed a committee to discuss this. We invited psychologists, experts, church members, etc. to discuss the moral code for the army, like the one in the Israeli army.

The army is a great area to strengthen these ethical norms, which can then be applied to the general population. Join the army without morals, leave it with morals. Brotherly relations should be established.

Why is service easier in Israel? The soldier's time is managed properly. No free time to roam around. Education time, leisure time, etc. Involving women was a good decision because it serves as a balancing force. It took them a while to achieve this. //

https://youtu.be/Z-SSUW8UH9o https://factor.am/448611.html

Tags: #Andranik #ArmyReforms

Ski Federation will develop winter sports in Armenia

The Ski Federation has a new president. They plan to develop winter sports in resort city Jermuk. It will host next year's skiing, snowboarding, and alpine skiing championships. The town will have a ski club.

Federation chief: we plan to expand the geography and boost the development of snowboarding in Armenia. We have favorable conditions thanks to Jermuk, Ashotskh, Tsakhkadzor, and Yeghipatrush.

We want to turn Ashotsk (northwest) into a regional center because of its elevation [2 kilometers].

Yeghipatrush (35km north of Yerevan) will host youth competitions.

I hope our team will have 3-4 representatives in the coming winter Olympics. It'll be a great achievement if we beat our previous record. We won't know the total number of players until January 17, because of recent changes to the quota system. //

Snowboarding Committee member: we launched a training campaign on a voluntary basis. Children from the age of 12 have a great desire to play sports and later represent the country in international tournaments.

Alpine Skiing coach: in the coming days, several athletes plan to visit European countries for training and tournaments. //

Expect some international tournaments in Armenia next year.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069578.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069579.html

Japan will renovate Ejmiatsin's kindergarten #13

Ambassador Fukushima and mngo director signed a $90,000 grant agreement to renovate classrooms, sports centers, bathrooms, etc. as part of the "Grassroots" program. 420 children and teachers use the facility.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069601.html

how global fuel prices skyrocketed this year amid pandemic recovery, supply & demand

In Armenia, you can buy regular gas for 500-520 drams ($1.05) per liter. The global average is $1.21/liter.

Global oil prices are the highest in 7 years. A 60% increase from the start of this year. Gas prices in Europe and UK have tripled.

Fuel prices this year: Armenia +33%, US +40%, Moldova +37%, Georgia +35%, Turkey +34%, Germany +26%, BElarus +25%, France +20%, Russoa +7%, Azerbaijan maintained Regular fuel prices and hiked the Premium.

The cheapest prices in the EAEU bloc can be found in Kazakhstan at $0.45/liter, followed by Russia's $0.62. Iranians pay only $0.05 (wtf?).

Armenians, Georgians, and Americans pay approximately the same, but their incomes vastly differ.

Israelis pay 3.7x more than Azeris, but they also earn a lot higher wages so the fuel is more easily available for them.

Similarly, Armenians can buy fuel more easily than Kyrgyz residents, despite fuel being significantly cheaper in Kyrgyzstan.

The chart shows fuel prices in each state, compared to GDP per capita: https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069607.html

COVID stats

7.3k tested. 0.5k infected. 0.6k healed. 43 deaths.

unvaccinated workers must submit a PCR test once a week

It used to be once every two weeks. Ministry says the change is necessary to protect public health and raise the vaccination rate.

Exceptions are those who got sick within the past 3 months, have taken at least one dose, allergic people, etc.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069551.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069591.html

barn fire kills 500 sheep in Gegharkunik

The emergency department received a call at 1 am about a fire in Edoyi Gomer farms near Lichk village in Gegharkunik.

It took the lives of 500 sheep and 25 cows, and burned 6,000 haystacks. The fire was extinguished eight hours later. Firefighters were able to save hundreds of sheep.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069546.html https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/226480

crowdfunding platform Khachen allows diasporans to help Armenia-based small and medium businesses

Russia-based large investment platform "Potok.Digital" has partnered with Mikro Kapital holding (Delimobil, Gorod Deneg p2p) to launch "Khachen", a crowdfunding platform for small and medium Armenian businesses. A resident of any country can invest and help businesses.

Potok's Armen Minasyan: it is difficult to ensure a flow of investments to Armenia due to the current state of the economy, pandemic, geopolitics. The presence of an 8-million-strong diaspora can be a substitute for the traditional foreign capital.

Diaspora sends $2B to Armenia annually. It's mostly charity, tourism, and remittances to relatives.

We're proposing a smart financial tool, available to anyone, which can provide significant assistance to the Armenian economy.

Khachen platform's Ferdinando Pelazzo: Armenia and Republic of Grazie are both ancient countries with both having diaspora. Enabling the diaspora to help their relatives in their historical homeland is a dignified way to preserve the memory of their own roots.

Khachen's Dario Pelazzo: one of the goals is the creation of new jobs. We aim for 5,000 by 2028. That means 130 small businesses per year. After that, we will focus on medium businesses. There will be equity crowdfunding.

We expect 150 new projects to launch in the micro and small business segment in 2022, with 300-400 million ruble investment. //

https://khachen.com/projects More: https://youtu.be/o4iQRiA6VSw https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069494.html https://www.panarmenian.net/arm/news/297075/

book purchases rose 3-4x on Black Friday

Bookinist has sold 10,000 copies of Robin Sharma's "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari" in the past year. They ran out on Black Friday.

Black Friday's bestseller children's book was a book about human anatomy written for children. [by SoRoS?]

More: https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/226500

end of report

The accused are innocent unless proven guilty in the court of law, even if they "appear" guilty.

News archive: http://www.armeniapedia.org/wiki/Daily_Anti-Corruption_Reports

Donations: soldiers' families, humanitarian aid, US tax-deductible donation.

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Link to original report and comments: https://www.reddit.com/r/armenia/comments/r6oejj/news_dec12021_details_on_levon_aronians_departure/