2021 October 29

Daily news wrap-up

News - Oct/29/2021: Farming insurance gains popularity __ War commission __ Real estate stats __ Azerbaijan has narcotics problem __ Azeris return villager's sheep; study Armenian lang. __ 22% of Shirak vaccinated __ Low-cost FLYONE airlines certified __ Anti-corruption: riots, election fraud
by ar_david_hh

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Your 11-minute Friday briefing in 2884 words.

Prosecutors: Azerbaijan was included in the list of major countries for heroin trafficking

General Prosecutor's office: Armenia continues the fight against narco-trafficking. Last year we arrested 14 people for smuggling narco from Iran. This year so far there have been 24 arrests.

2017-2020: customs agency found 157kg

2021 alone: customs agency found 451kg

Through various methods, 717kg of heroin was found coming from Iran.

Similar operations were carried out to prevent smuggling from Iran to Artsakh and Armenia: 16 individuals were arrested, 10 of whom have been sentenced.

Our cooperation with Iranian law enforcement has improved, and that's reflected in these enforcement numbers.

This was also reflected in a letter sent by the UN Office of Drug and Crime, in which they praised Armenia's efforts in stopping narco-flow from Iran to Europe. The UN agency vowed to share intelligence and help retrain Armenian agents.

Lately, we've been more active in combatting trafficking thanks to closer cooperation between Armenian and Iranian agents. This was discussed during the 2019 and 2021 meetings, as well as during meetings on international platforms.

For example, during the Iranian prosecutor's October 12 trip to Armenia, we discussed the installation of modern technologies in customs checkpoint, and bringing the traffickers to justice.

This shows how untruthful Ilham Aliyev was during his CIS speech on October 15, when he accused Armenia and Iran of trafficking narcotics. This was done to cover up the fact that Azerbaijan is a major narco-transfer state.

According to the UN Drugs and Crime agency report, Armenia is in the "Not main countries source of transit" category, while Azerbaijan is listed as a main transit state. //

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1066815.html https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/WDR2021/7.4.2_Heroin_trafficking_TRANSIT.pdf

Armenia did not "sign" under Putin's "anti-West" statement made during the recent CIS bloc meeting

Security agencies of CIS republics held a meeting in Moscow on October 13, attended by Putin. It ended with the Russian agency releasing a statement about "West is using pro-democracy elements to destabilize CIS republics".

Armenia's NSS was asked to comment whether they "signed" under that statement since they were a participant.

NSS responds: No, it was not a joint statement made by all participants. It was simply information summarizing the October 13 sitting about ensuring collective security in the CIS region. //

https://factor.am/435029.html

authorities arrest a man wanted by Interpol for being a member of a terrorist organization

Kader A. was arrested in Yerevan airport while attempting to fly to Belarus. He was added to the Interpol list last year.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1066819.html

Russian army truck rolls down a 150-meter hill

The incident happened this morning on Tigranashen (Ararat) curve roads. One person died, another was injured. Rescuers stopped the fuel leakage at the scene.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1066825.html

fight broke out between Azeri police and poverty-stricken 2020 war participants

A group of war participants attempted to shut down Baku's Zia Buniatov avenue but were met by a harsh police response. The reason was the closure of a small bazaar and evictions.

The police raided and arrested 30 veterans, who were beaten at a police station. Some of them had to be transferred to a hospital.

The veterans said the bazaar was their only source of income. They want the government to address the socio-economic problems.

https://factor.am/434898.html

more Azeris have been trying to learn Armenian language after the war

Azeri State Economics University recently announced the launch of new Armenian language courses. We're unable to register and teach everyone due to high demand, said professor Askerov. The goal is to help Azeris read Armenian media and study the economy.

The courses are held three times a week. Most students are members of the Foreign Ministry, security agents, border guards, and journalists. It costs 60-120 Mənət per month.

They found that it takes 8 months to learn Armenian basics, and at least 2 years to speak more fluently. Up to 40 students graduate annually.

Professor Askerov himself was born and raised in Armenia. He worked as an English teacher before moving to Azerbaijan in 1988.

https://factor.am/435089.html

Türkiye Ermeni toplumundan bir kişi kaymakam olmaya hak kazandı

Berk Ajar Sahakyan, a lawyer representing the Armenian community in Turkey, has passed several exams and will become a district governor, the first such appointment in Turkey's history.

https://factor.am/434803.html http://www.agos.com.tr/tr/yazi/26345/turkiye-ermeni-toplumundan-bir-kisi-kaymakam-olmaya-hak-kazandi

Azerbaijan returns hundreds of sheep to Armenian villager

The sheep had ended up under the possession of Azeri soldiers near border village Tegh (Gegharkunik). Negotiations were held between the Tegh mayor, AM-RU-AZ soldiers, and as a result, the 106 sheep were recently returned to the owner.

Tegh municipality denied Human Rights Ombudsman's report that Azeris had intentionally crossed into the village territory to steal the sheep.

https://factor.am/434892.html

five children hospitalized in Yerevan with carbon monoxide poisoning

Aged 3-15. Their lives are not in danger. Carbon monoxide detectors are known to save lives.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1066851.html

a new FlyOne Armenia airlines is granted Air Operator's certificate

Not to be confused with the national FlyArna airlines which will be run by the government and Air Arabia.

FlyOne is a private initiative. Here is a news snippet from May 26 news post:

Armenian and Moldovan companies cooperated to launch a new Armenian airline. The Moldovan company started off small and studied the Armenian market. "We found that strangely, Armenia does not have its national carrier that can provide low-cost flights to its citizens or be part of a global network," said the Moldovan co-investor.

Armenian co-investor said: we hope to restore Armenia's pilot institute we had in the Soviet era. We can create aviation jobs and help our experts return and work in Armenia. We will create 135 new jobs initially.

This will be a low-cost airline geared towards the general population and local businesses. It can also help tourism with its low fares. No longer will you have to travel only once a year in certain directions due to high costs. www.flyone.am or www.flyone.eu //

FlyOne has invested €60M in the Armenian market. The destinations are Moscow, Tehran, Lyon, Paris, Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Krasnodar, Istanbul, and Tel Aviv. They will use Airbus A320 jets with 180 seats.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1066793.html

21 arrested over April 21 riots organized by opposition members during Pashinyan's Syunik trip

Investigators report: deputy mayor of Goris and the mayor of Shurnukh had learned about Pashinyan's April trip and began forming a group with an intent to commit hooliganism.

At 10:00 am, the group gathered in an area near the Goris-Kapan road for preparation. They had a party at 14:50 pm on tables installed on a nearby hill. The participants were given alcohol so they would become more aggressive and determined.

At 16:15, the two organizers instructed the group to shut down the road and prevent Premier's convoy from traveling. The Deputy mayor of Goris instructed participants to attack Premier's vehicle.

While the convoy was traveling in Shurnukh, the group committed hooliganism in front of the crowd, attacking vehicles in Premier's convoy, causing ֏24M in property damages. [some bodyguards had their clothes ripped]

Deputy Goris mayor, Shurnukh administrator, and 19 others have been charged with crimes. The case has reached the court. //

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1066845.html

Serj's PU alliance will not hold talks with Pashinyan

During the Parliament meeting on Wednesday, Pashinyan accused the opposition of hypocrisy regarding "why didn't you give the lands sooner" criticism. After the back and forth exchange, and two sides seemingly agreed to meet and discuss the conflict behind closed doors.

PU MP Tigran Abrahamyan today: we reaffirm our stance that the only topic we would discuss with Pashinyan is his resignation.

Reporter: you demanded government members appear and answer questions. But when Pashinyan attended Parliament and invited you for a closed-door meeting, you changed your stance and now claim that you will only meet him to discuss his resignation. What caused this change?

PU MPs Abrahamyan: we're talking about different topics. It's about the agenda of the meeting. Some officials did not appear for questioning within the past month. //

QP MP Hrachya Hakobyan: they backtracked perhaps because they hadn't asked for Kocharyan's permission first. It appears the opposition has a constructive wing that's willing to sit down and discuss things behind closed doors. //

HD MP Vardevanyan: we didn't actually say we wanted to meet Pashinyan. Also, there was no "ban" from Kocharyan.

QP MP Hrachya Hakobyan: wrong. I heard how opposition members expressed a willingness to meet and talk. The opposition MP said "In that case, let's hold a closed-door meeting", to which Pashinyan responded, "Invite and I will come. If you don't, then I will invite you".

HD MP Vardevanyan: it wasn't about a separate closed-door meeting. It was in general about government members appearing and answering questions. The only meeting with Pashinyan should be about his resignation.

QP MP Hrachya Hakobyan: we just held elections. This isn't serious. Let's hold another one; maybe HD/PU won't cross the threshold this time. //

HD and PU plan to resume the street protests next month.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1066810.html https://youtu.be/f1t76t0sZko https://factor.am/435025.html https://youtu.be/agPPo2Y_kak

Parliament is close to forming a bipartisan commission to investigate the 2020 war

Sec. Comm. chief Andranik K.: we're waiting for the opposition members of the Sec. Comm. to bring their permission-related documents in order. We've been waiting patiently.

Three of them have obtained the permission but HD MP Ghazinyan has not, because he did not submit his documents. Permission is necessary for members to gain access to classified information during the investigation.

We're dragging our feet so the opposition won't accuse us of starting the process without them. We will wait another week for Mr. Ghazinyan to make up his mind whether he is a member of this commission or not. //

The commission will consist of ruling and opposition members. Initially, the government planned to involve non-parliamentary parties as well, but Parliamentary experts argued it would be unconstitutional to involve them in this particular format.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1066804.html https://youtu.be/85VpIhpEJTI

anti-corruption: Goris (Syunik) official is found guilty and sentenced for pressuring subordinates to attend Kocharyan rally and skip Pashinyan's

Prosecutors report: Gusan Ashot cultural center director H.K. instructed employees to attend HD alliance's Goris rally on June 7.

The director also threatened to fire the librarian after learning that the latter planned to attend Pashinyan's rally a week later.

Director's arrest was downgraded to bail. The case was sent to Syunik court in July. Prosecutors had asked for a 5-year sentence and a 2-year ban on holding public offices.

The court ended up giving a 4-year sentence with a 2-year office ban, but the prison term was later replaced with 3-year probation. //

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1066822.html

Tags: #ElectionFraud #elections

President Sarkissian met the members of the Atlantic Council analytical agency

The American think tank was founded in 1961. It manages ten regional centers about international security and global economic prosperity. They are visiting the three Caucasus states to analyze the regional situation and the institutes in the countries.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1066811.html

Pope Francis awards President Sarkissian with Grand Collar of Papal Order, the highest award

... for his contributions to the development of the relations between the Holy See and Armenia. Sarkissian is the first both in Armenia and the region who receives such an order.

Ambassador Archbishop Edgar Parra: By opening an Apostolic Nunciature in Yerevan, we want to establish high-level relations and show to the world the importance of the first Christian nation in history. //

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1066797.html

movie about Artsakh wins 4 awards in Ontario International Film Festival

The movie is "Gate to Heaven", directed by Jivan Avetisyan. Best script, best sound, best music.

It was a joint production by Armenia and several European states. The lead actors are Richard Sammel, Benedict Freitag, and Nina Kronjäger.

The movie is about a German reporter who returns to Artsakh in 2016 to cover the April 2016 war, where he falls in love with opera singer Sofia. There is a major plot twist. (no, she is not a tranny)

https://www.panarmenian.net/arm/news/296415/ https://www.facebook.com/ONIFF1/posts/644220150317219

COVID stats

18.1k tested. 2.1k infected. 1.2k healed. 43 deaths. 31k active.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1066794.html

22% of the adult population in Shirak province has received a vaccine

Shirak govt: It's one of the highest in Armenia. It's even higher in specific categories: 86% of medical workers, 89% in schools, 67% of state/local offices, 48% of transport workers.

https://factor.am/435027.html

Yerevan Zoo closes doors for 4 days for sanitation and anti-pandemic measures

https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/224194

month-old baby dies from COVID

Doctor: the child was admitted to the hospital on October 19 and connected to a ventilator on 26th. Listen to experts and protect your family members by receiving a vaccine. //

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1066817.html

expert: people with chronic skin disease can take vaccines

Today is psoriasis awareness day.

Healthcare Ministry adviser: COVID can make your psoriasis worse. Even a mild infection can make it much worse. Dexamethasone [anti-inflammation] was shown to be effective but it's only temporary, patients can't take it forever.

We recommend people with skin diseases get vaccinated. There are only a handful of situations when vaccination can be postponed, for example during a very severe flare-up episode of acne. It's about very severe cases only.

When the flare-up ends, it is "mandatory" to take the vaccine because COVID can make your future symptoms much worse.

Don't rely on ill-informed treatment methods such as flowers collected from Tibet and China. It's ineffective. Not only do you waste money, but you endanger your life. //

More: https://youtu.be/-xm14pFkCrQ https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1066818.html

Metsamor nuclear plant and Yerevan Physics Institute will produce oxygen for COVID patients

...24/7, in order to meet the increased demand. Healthcare Ministry said they recently repaired the oxygen stations to prevent supply interruptions.

Armenia has 17 oxygen stations, including the new ones.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1066800.html

foreign citizens have started buying/selling more real estate in Armenia

1,242 transactions involving foreigners in 2Q2021. That's +26% from last year.

In 477 of them, the foreigner purchased the property, up from 354 last year.

What did they buy?

Apartment 44%, land 21%, house 19%, garage 9%, public building 6%, manufacturing property 1%.

Unsurprisingly, countries with the largest diaspora were the more active ones: Russia, U.S., Iran.

Property sales by foreigners have also increased, from 654 to 801.

Overall transactions by citizens and non-citizens: a 2% drop from last year, while Yerevan is up 11%.

https://factor.am/434945.html

Deputy Premier: Armenian government's Civil Service system is undergoing reforms

A meeting was held today between Armenian government and representatives of EU, France, Finland, and Estonia.

Papikyan: we have a joint initiative between the government and the EU's Twinning program to reform Armenia's Civil Service system. I'd like to thank our EU partners for their support.

The program, funded by the EU, launched in January 2020 and will finish in May 2022. The goal is to improve employees' skills, accountability, and transparency. //

https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/224183

construction of 5-story apartment complex begins in capital Stepanakert

Located on 45 Martuni Street, it's in place of buildings that were destroyed during the war. The former residents will receive keys.

https://www.panarmenian.net/arm/news/296431/

are farmers actually signing up for the new agricultural insurance program?

Yes. The number of insurance contracts has gone up from 1.5k to 4.3k this year.

The government launched the insurance program in 2019-2020 and began subsidizing 50-60% of the premium. It protects crops against hail, frost, etc.

Economy Ministry: As of this October, ֏305M were paid in compensation claims to holders of 1.4k agricultural insurance policies. //

http://arka.am/en/news/business/some_305_million_drams_paid_in_compensation_claims_to_holders_of_agricultural_insurance_polices_in_a/

PHOTO: Digitec Expo 2021 opens in Yerevan's Hamalir complex

The official website: https://digitec.am/

One of the participants is Team Telecom. They presented their Next Generation Network with 25Gbps speed. The 25G-PON tech is already operational in Yerevan's Davtashen district, Kajaran, and Gndevaz. This year it will expand to Arabkir district, Jermuk, and Hrazdan.

https://www.panarmenian.net/arm/news/296427/ https://factor.am/434829.html

Pashinyan met representatives of Armenian tech firms

Service Titan prides itself as "The world’s leading all-in-one software for commercial and residential HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and other field service businesses."

SADA cloud provider was named Google Cloud Partner of the Year for the third year in a row.

Both firms are founded by diasporan Armenians. They recently decided to expand their activities in Armenia. Pashinyan held two meetings with them today.

SADA's Hovig Safoian: our Armenian branch has 30 employees today but we plan to invest and bring the number of 350 soon. We partner with global leaders including Google to develop various solutions, including in the education field.

We partnered with Google to create an education platform that was implemented in several countries. We're ready to discuss its introduction in Armenia. //

Service Titan's Ara Mahdesyan: our Armenian office already has 200 employees. The investments have reached $40M. We will hire new experts and expand the departments. //

Pashinyan will organize a meeting between the firms and state agencies to discuss in more detail.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1066857.html https://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/294724/SADA_named_Google_Cloud_Partner_of_the_Year_for_third_year_in_a_row

Grand Chess tournament: men's & women's

Levon Aronian, Robert Hovhannisyan and Elina Danielyan won. Five other Armenians played a draw.

The winners of this tournament will gain a ticket to compete in the world championship qualification tournament.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1066787.html

top-10 bestseller documentary books in September

5) Ջոն Ստրելեքիի «Սրճարան աշխարհի եզրին»

4) Ռաֆայել Համբարձումյանի «Գարեգին Նժդեհ. կենսատարեգրություն, մտամասունքներ»

3) Մոնթե Մելքոնյանի «Պայքարելու իրավունքը»

2) Գարեգին Նժդեհի «Չխրատվող ժողովուրդը»

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

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1066653.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/qimfwp/news_oct292021_farming_insurance_gains_popularity/