2021 October 1

Daily news wrap-up

Oct/1/2021: Details emerge on Russian miner's donation of 25% Zangezur copper shares to Armenia; new copper smelter to be built __ Anticorruption cleanup: deputy army chief; voter bribery; mayors __ Bio-filters to keep Sevan clean __ Armenian diet research __ RIP Hayko __ Many medals __ Geopolitics
by ar_david_hh

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Your 10-minute Friday report in 2808 words.

Russian miner that operates Sotk gold mine buys majority shares in Zangezur copper plant and immediately donates 25% to the Armenian government, plans to build a new copper smelter

Read Thursday news in case you missed it. Pashinyan has been complaining about Armenia's largest taxpayer Zangezur Copper making "unfair" profits amid a massive rise in global copper prices. They recently swung the hammer and implemented a new mining tax, which resulted in additional dozens of millions of dollars in tax revenues.

Pashinyan had also announced plans to establish a Sovereign Wealth Fund. No details on this yet.

Recently we learned about legal disputes between private shareholders of Zangezur. One shareholder was trying to obtain majority shares after claiming that another transaction between other shareholders was illegal; they wanted those shares for themselves. A Kocharyan-linked shareholder protested the company's attempts to obtain the shares.

That company evidently failed to get the shares (at least for now), and today we learned that on September 30, another company called "Industrial Company" purchased 60% of Zangezur shares from Zangezur combine.

This "Industrial Company" belongs to Russian miner GeoProMining, which also operates Gegharkunik's famous Sotk gold mine. Immediately after obtaining the 60% shares, the Russian miner decided to hand over 25% to the Armenian government as a donation. The government happily accepted the gift.

Pashinyan office: the [parent company] GeoProMining plans to expand cooperation with us. Our's entry as a Zangezur shareholder is the first step in a broader investment vision. The 60% shareholder "Industrial Company" has agreed to donate its 25% shares to us, which accounts for 15% of Zangezur's total capital. //

GeoProMining rep. Roman Trotsenko: we've been operating in Armenia for two decades and have a strong partnership with the government and Armenian people. We're happy with the expansion of our business in Armenia, and this donation to the Republic of Armenia.

This is the beginning of a wider investment program in Armenia. New opportunities will open up for the economy. We plan to build a new copper smelter in Armenia in the coming years. //

A few months ago Pashinyan announced that Armenia needs a new copper plant to produce high-value products instead of simply exporting raw materials. He said a railway link would be necessary to transfer large volumes of copper in an economically feasible way. This is perhaps one of the reasons behind the heavy push to lift the blockade on Armenia by opening regional trade routes.

Deputy premier Papikyan: we'd like to thank GeoProMining for donating the shares to the Armenian people. This is a common practice in the mining industry around the world. We are confident that this joint project will be the beginning of a better governed, more inclusive, and sustainable mining industry in Armenia. //

Some observers speculated that the shares would not have been simply "gifted" to Armenia, and that this could have been a result of efforts to return what was "stolen" in the past. "In this case, someone should be held accountable for [plunder]. We need transparency."

Pashinyan during his June election campaign: our local mini-oligarchs who have a share in Zangezur... all those shares will return to the people. They want to know how we plan to do it. We're going to do it very calmly, with a hammer. //

Pashinyan office does not officially describe the transfer of these 25% shares as a "return of plundered assets". They describe it as a donation from the miner.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1064534.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1064558.html https://youtu.be/xbp7_LmyjVQ https://youtu.be/xbp7_LmyjVQ?t=198 https://www.civilnet.am/news/634685/ռուս-միլիարդատերը՝-զանգեզուրի-պղնձամոլիբդենայինի-նոր-բաժնետեր/

British miner will not dig gold on the Azeri side of the Sotk gold mine

The eastern portion of Gegharkunik's Sotk gold mine went under Azeri control after the war because the Soviet border was passing through the mine (although Armenia has the exclusive right to operate the mine, coming from the Soviet era).

Anglo Asian Mining was supposed to take over the Azeri portion, but they refused to invest, citing a combination of security and investment volume concerns. The miner signed a new deal with Azerbaijan to explore three other areas of the Karvachar region.

https://factor.am/423869.html

anti-corruption: deputy army commander Stepan Galstyan has been arrested

Deputy CoGS Stepan Galstyan is among several ranking army officials who are accused of corruption. Read Wednesday's news for details about the ongoing army cleanup. Ex-MOD Davit Tonoyan and a prominent weapon supplier Patron Davo were also arrested in a case involving bad missiles.

https://factor.am/423656.html

anti-corruption update: investigation concludes in the case involving pro-Kocharyan mayor of Goris (Syunik)

Investigators report: we finished investigating the case about abuse of power, improper use of municipal funds, and residents being forced to participate in election rallies.

Shortly before the June 20 election day, the mayor of Goris Irina Yolyan decided to help HD alliance candidate Arush Arushanyan who was running as an MP, by colluding with several municipal officials to distribute municipal funds as voter bribes, disguised as "poverty aid".

Arush Arushanyan and social aid department chief Menua Hovsepyan (who is a deputy mayor) met the voters a month before the elections. Menua Hovsepyan also abused his powers during the bribe distribution process.

115 families were subsequently given "poverty aid" without their petitions being investigated to verify that they qualified, because it was given as a bribe. The investigation revealed that 54 would not have qualified.

Moreover, Goris deputy mayor Menua Hovsepyan took advantage of the fact that the Karahunj community mayor depended on him, and demanded her to ensure that at least 80 people attended [Kocharyan's] June 8 rally in Goris.

Deputy mayor Menua Hovsepyan also demanded Karahunj mayor to lease an area to act as Kocharyan's campaign office in Karahunj. It was leased. After the elections, when the landlord demanded the rent payment, Menua Hovsepyan committed forgery to compensate the landlord from the municipal budget meant for low-income residents.

Mayor Irina Yolyan, deputy mayor Menua Hovsepyan, and several others are facing criminal charges. The case was sent to court and the prosecutors' office. //

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1064517.html

Tags: #mayors #VoterBribery

anti-corruption update: investigation ends in another voter bribery case involving Kocharyan-ARF alliance

Investigators report: four suspects distributed $20 bribes to several residents of Ararat and Kotayk provinces in exchange for a vote for HD alliance. The case has reached the court for prosecution. //

HD got caught on... 4K?

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1064564.html

2022 efforts to assist Lake Sevan ecosystem

The government approved a bill that has three main goals: installation of bio-waste filters in thousands of businesses on the lake shores to block pollutants from reaching the lake, installation of efficient drip-irrigation system in farms near the lake to reduce reliance on lake water, and more equipment for removing submerged trees so they won't turn into food for algae.

https://www.panarmenian.net/arm/news/295818/

Human Rights Ombudsman about the healthcare subsidies

Many Armenians qualify for free healthcare. The hospitals that treat them for free get compensation from the government. The Healthcare Ministry "predicts" what the annual expenditures will be, and allocates the sums to the hospitals ahead of time.

The main funds are usually depleted before December 31, but this year because of COVID, hospitals ran out of money several months before the year's end. Non-emergency subsidized services had to be queued. The Ministry has been gradually releasing additional funds to hospitals to treat the patients. The latest payments were sent yesterday.

Human Rights Ombudsman said the issue requires a systemic solution so it won't depend on "bandages", after receiving complaints from disabled residents about being turned away.

Ombudsman welcomed the government's decision to increase healthcare expenditures in the 2022 budget, saying it should be accompanied by systemic solutions, such as a mandatory health insurance system for certain groups in which the state will have mandatory participation.

Relevant: read more about the plans to implement Universal Healthcare by 2023. The idea is supported by 61% of Armenians. 73% are willing to pay an extra 2-6% from their paycheck. 9% are against paycheck deductions.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1064531.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1062219.html

consumption of bread & veggies in Armenian diet / what the diet stats indicate

The experts at the National Academy of Sciences conducted the first-ever detailed diet survey across Armenia. It was only done in Yerevan in the past.

NAS food expert: Shirak province consumes the highest amount of bread, followed by Aragatsotn and Kotayk. Bread consumption has been in decline in Yerevan.

For years, journalists speculated that the gradual decline in bread consumption in Yerevan was a result of population decline, but now we have actual data: many residents have switched from eating lots of bread to eating small quantities of lavash [so did yours truly]. In Yerevan, the daily bread consumption went from 270g in 2016, to 180g-220g in 2021.

33% of diet comes from flour-based foods and cereals.

In families where the members consume 250-300 grams of bread every day, they receive 800 calories from the bread alone. That means if the person consumes 1,600 calories per day, half of it is from bread.

In Armenia, 51% of the proteins come from flour-based products. In comparison, other countries receive it from animal-based products such as dairy and meat. The share of dairy and meat is 15% in Armenia, while 35-50% in other countries.

Vegetables and fruits have a small share in the Armenian diet. It gets worse in the winter. You're supposed to eat 400 grams of fruits and veggies every day, but in Armenia, that consumption is 40% below the goal in 8 out of 12 months. It gets better in the summer when the agricultural goods become cheaper.

The diet got worse during the COVID lockdown. People began eating more low-quality food. This was observed in high-income families, too. That's because people stayed home and began baking sweets instead of preparing salads. They continued to order junk food for delivery. Soda remains a big issue.

All this indicates that in Armenia, consumption of low-quality food isn't necessarily because of poverty. There is obviously a correlation between income and the ability to buy fruits and veggies.

Full: https://youtu.be/W3oQt4YLBFs https://youtu.be/ziQ11eBgBA8 https://youtu.be/7GPJe5SzZTo https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1064544.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1064551.html

Tags: #food #diet #DietResearch

COVID stats

11,385 tested. 934 infected. 728 healed. 20 deaths. 13,512 active.

The sudden spike in the number of daily tests, which is twice the usual daily count, is possibly related to the PCR testing requirement for the unvaccinated workers that began today.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1064513.html

COVID elsewhere

Russia keeps setting new anti-records. 24.5k infections and 887 deaths yesterday alone, the highest since mid-July.

Georgia conducted 42k tests and found 1751 infections. 30 deaths.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1064537.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1064547.html

goodbye, Hayko

The public gathered in front of the Opera building to bid farewell to popular singer and showman Hayk Hakobyan who passed away from COVID. The casket was transported under the tune of his music and loud applause. He will be buried in the Yerevan pantheon.

Famous artists and public figures visited to pay tribute. They recalled their journey with Hayko.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1064549.html https://youtu.be/yJ_Q7UbfvuY https://youtu.be/sAvgnxALt4Q?t=378

legendary artist Charles Aznavour died three years ago today

The 9-year-old boy had aspirations to become an actor; he joined several small clubs. He went on to co-produce over 1,000 songs.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1064492.html

weightlifter Karen Avagyan is the European U23 champion

89kg men's.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1064554.html

weightlifter Liana Gyurjyan is the European U23 champion

81kg women's. Earlier this year she won the bronze medal during the "adult" competition.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1064554.html https://www.vnews.am/liana-gyurjyany%D5%9D-yevropayi-arrajnutyan-bronze-medalakir/

weightlifter Margarita Arakelyan is the European U23 champion

87kg women's.

https://www.panarmenian.net/arm/news/295851/

Lyovik Aronian maintains his FIDE chess rating

96) Hrant Melkumyan (AM)

68) Gabriel Sargsyan (AM)

5) Levon Aronian (AM)

4) Ian Nepomniachtchi (RU)

3) Liren Ding (CN)

2) Fabiano Caruana (US)

1) Magnus Carlsen (NO)

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1064511.html https://ratings.fide.com/

municipal elections are approaching

Female participation is higher in municipal elections than federal ones, noted Helsinki NGO representative while discussing women's participation in the soon-to-be-held elections.

It's overall quite competitive, with even small villages having multiple male or female candidates.

https://factor.am/423675.html

feminists gathered to protest the violence against women

It's a tradition on every October 1st. A letter was sent to Premier Pashinyan to pay attention to the issue. They said legislative gaps remain, which leads to the loss of lives. They want October 1 to be officially declared a domestic violence prevention day.

https://youtu.be/fcp0ZgLBE4s?t=321

PHOTO: the Central Bank minted a new coin dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the CIS commonwealth

It's a 1,000 drams ($2) coin. Only 500 units in circulation.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1064515.html

Tourism Council of CIS republics held a meeting in Yerevan

Armenian representative spoke about winter, mountain, and extreme tourism in Armenia. They are working on expanding tourism relating to wine festivals, religion, nature, etc.

They spoke about ways to improve tourism within CIS.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1064528.html

After a year-long delay, Dubai kicks off Expo 2020 on an area size of 600 football fields

Armenia is also participating. Here is what Economy Ministry said on July 20 news: Armenia will have a pavilion in this largest expo of its kind, participated by 192 states. It's held once every five years and lasts half a year. The organizers expect 25 million visitors.

After negotiations, the UAE agreed to provide us an aid package and special conditions worth $1.5 million (free services and property). The expo is about the cultural, educational, scientific, and economic heritage of countries. There will be 11 topics presented by each country.

The location will be separated into three Districts: Sustainability, Mobility, and Opportunity. The Armenian pavilion is located in Opportunity District, which states "Witness how our lives and actions are interconnected in the Opportunity District. Meet the people worldwide who are transforming dreams and aspirations into the realities of tomorrow, and be empowered to shape the future by unlocking the potential within yourself."

Armenia will present its potential and investment opportunities and will help establish networking ties for the private sector. A 4-day "Made in Armenia" expo will present Armenian goods. There will be a special location for selling products. //

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1058613.html https://www.expo2020dubai.com/en/understanding-expo/opportunity-district https://indianexpress.com/article/world/dubai-expo-2020-uae-economy-covid-7544652/

Russian peacekeepers prevented Azeri advancement near Artsakh's Amaras

There is a grape farm between Armenian and Azeri positions near Artsakh's Amaras. Azeris had recently attempted to advance within this buffer zone, which would make grape harvest dangerous. Russian peacekeepers pushed the Azeris back. The farmers returned to harvest the grapes.

https://youtu.be/oor3HTU7SD4

Czech Foreign Minister visited Armenia

MFA Yakub went to the Tsitsernakaberd Genocide memorial in the morning before the meetings with Armenian colleagues.

MFA Mirzoyan met MFA Yakub and thanked the latter for Czechia's stance on the resolution of the Artsakh conflict. They agreed that OSCE must resume the negotiations ASAP.

MFA Mirzoyan: Armenia is ready to resume the negotiations based on the familiar principles. I give great importance to the recent meeting between MFAs of Armenia and Azerbaijan, mediated by the OSCE co-chairs. This comes to prove once again that the peaceful settlement of the conflict remains ont the agenda. //

A business forum was organized, attended by Armenian and Czech businesses and the MFAs. "This is a wonderful opportunity to raise the Armenian-Czech economic relations to a qualitatively new level."

They discussed Armenia's membership in the GSP and GSP+ trade systems, TUMO's expansion in Europe, possibly launching direct Yerevan-Prague flights, etc.

Pashinyan met MFA Yakub and discussed the planned €2.6B aid from the EU, and the overall situation in the region.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1064512.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1064524.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1064525.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1064540.html

High Tech Minister met Japanese ambassador to discuss digitization in Armenia

Japanese experts will visit Armenia next year to discuss high-tech.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1064532.html

Defense Minister Karapetyan met the Indian ambassador

Ambassador Dewal said India is ready to expand the defense cooperation with Armenia. They agreed to activate the work done by expert groups.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1064535.html

Defense Minister Karapetyan met the Iranian ambassador and military attaché

They discussed areas of cooperation and the situation in the region.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1064580.html

Iran launched large-scale military exercises near Azeri borders

The drill titled "Khyber Conquerors" began on northwestern borders. They're using drones, artillery, armored vehicles, and aviation. "Exercises are conducted with special equipment and ground troops to improve combat readiness in the region," said a commander.

Iranians had earlier complained about "pro-Israel" Azerbaijan and the fact that they took two Iranian truck drivers hostage.

https://factor.am/423630.html

top-10 bestseller documentary books in August

6) Ռեզիդենտը, by Ashot Aghababyan

5) The cafe on the edge of the world, by John Strelecky

4) Չխրատվող ժողովուրդը, by Garegin Nzhdeh

3) 8 keys to leadership from the monk who sold his Ferrari, by Robin Sharma

2) Գարեգին Նժդեհ. կենսատարեգրություն, մտամասունքներ; by Safael Hambardzumyan

1) The monk who sold his Ferrari, by Robin Sharma

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1064471.html

today in history

1387: Timur ends his two-year raid in Armenia and returns to Samarkand. (bye)

1827: the Russian army, led by Ivan Paskevich, invades Yerevan. (well hello there)

1969: Beijing metro opens. Seven million daily riders.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1064491.html

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/pzfndn/oct12021_details_emerge_on_russian_miners/