2022 August 19

Daily news wrap-up

Friday, Aug/19/2022. Your daily news digest from Armenia.
by ar_david_hh

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10 minutes. 2744 words.

new program to tackle unemployment: government will pay companies to hire unemployed or aid recipient citizens

Official: The program will incentivize companies to hire unemployed or low-income residents who receive aid. If you sign a 1+ year employment contract with the applicant, we will give you ֏250k ($620) if the person is unemployed, or ֏350k ($860) if they are an aid recipient.

... who qualifies?

Residents in the Labor Ministry's unemployment database, and those above the age of 35 who haven't had a job in the past 3+ months. It has to be a full-time job.

... which companies qualify?

A private sector business that has been operating for at least 2 years, has employed at least 10 workers in the past three months, with a salary budget that hasn't reduced by more than 5% in recent times.

[read,](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1090643.html)

PM Pashinyan and PM Gharibashvili met on the Armenia-Georgia border to celebrate the opening of the newly constructed "Friendship Bridge" | PHOTO/VIDEO

The construction began last year. It's on the Sadakhlo-Bagratashen crossing point, above the Debed River. It's a joint program funded by the EBRD and the governments of Armenia and Georgia. The bridge will ease traffic and facilitate passenger and cargo movement.

Gharibashvili: Congrats. Nice bridge. 160 meters long, 25 meters wide, 4 lanes, 2x the capacity. This will be an important part of the East-West international transport corridor [linking to Europe]. We have already built half of the East-West highway in Georgia. The main parts will be completed in 2 years.

Pashinyan: Congrats. Nice bridge. Communication channels are of key importance for the development of trade and the economy. Our cooperation in a number of international transport projects gives us the opportunity to take realistic steps not only in the Persian Gulf-Black Sea corridor, but also in other initiatives that provide a nodal link in the transport sector.

Both PMs: Thank you sugar daddy EU for the cash. //

The "Bagratashen" customs checkpoint on the AM-GE border is under reconstruction. IRS chief gave Pashinyan a tour through the customs facility to present the ongoing reforms and reconstruction activities.

[photo,](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1090668.html) [video,](https://youtu.be/07ecY9Pm67M) [video,](https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=798836687782311) [read,](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1090658.html) [read,](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1083134.html) [read,](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1090675.html)

next year will be decisive for Georgia on its Euro-Atlantic integration path: president Salome Zurabishvili

Georgia applied for EU membership in March, shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The EU gave them several months to address issues in the judiciary and to carry out de-oligarchization.

President Zurabishvili visited the birthplace of Niko Nikoladze, a prominent pro-Western journalist and orator who is credited with bringing European values to Georgia.

Zurabishvili: I call on all political parties to merge forces for the country's European future. [Next year they will mark the 180th anniversary of Nikoladze]. It will be a jubilee year, and at the same time a crucial year for us on our path to the EU. This is likely not a coincidence. Nikoladze brought Europe to Georgia. //

[read,](https://factor.am/545321.html) [read,](https://frontnews.ge/en/news/details/29449)

anti-corruption: Yerevan municipality officials, including the former mayor, are accused of illegal land transactions in 2017

State Supervision Service: The former mayor of Yerevan authorized the sale of a 425 m^2 land to a citizen for $4,500. That was 7.2x below the market value.

Moreover, since the land was adjacent to a sidewalk, the sale was supposed to happen through an auction, but they sold it to a buyer directly.

In another instance, the former mayor authorized the sale of a 709 m^2 property to a single buyer for $7,900 near the same location, with the same violations, again 7.2x below the market value.

The findings are sent to prosecutors to investigate officials at Yerevan municipality and the Government's Cadastre Committee. //

[read,](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1090648.html)

update: Surmalu blast

▶︎ 95% of the scattered debris has been removed. 3 remain in a hospital. 1 person, a Surmalu employee, is still missing. Rescuers have seen the footage so they know the exact location of the missing person at the time of the blast, but they might never be able to find him because of the proximity to the blast.

▶︎ Preliminary evidence shows that there were fireworks on the upper floors as well. Either that's what exploded, or those exploded in addition to fireworks that were located in the main storage. The investigation continues.

▶︎ [This is Jack](https://youtu.be/5qHgnoo9Eec?t=7), the sniffy boy who works at Armenia's emergency ministry. He located several bodies in the first few days of the rescue operations, allowing them to focus on specific areas and waste no time.

▶︎ [Here is more of Jack.](https://youtu.be/krWoISSAaAs) Sources say Jack is a good boy.

▶︎ Labor Ministry will provide material assistance to families and residents who suffered losses. The details will be made available when the internal discussions conclude.

▶︎ CSTO session, attended by emergency departments of member states, began with a minute of silence.

▶︎ The annual "Yerevan Days in Gyumri" celebrations will be postponed from August 26 to September 2.

▶︎ Water samples taken from districts near the blast have shown no elevation of toxic particles.

▶︎ Employee at nearby Petak mall: We were taken by surprise because the explosion shook Petak. It's closed right now. We ran outside, thinking it was an earthquake. That's when we saw the fireworks and the large fire. It looked like things were repeatedly catching fire and blowing up. We had two Petak employees who were in Surmalu at the time, and both survived.

[read,](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1090653.html) [read,](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1090655.html) [read,](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1090693.html) [read,](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1090694.html) [watch,](https://factor.am/545172.html) [read,](https://factor.am/545248.html) [watch,](https://factor.am/545265.html) [watch,](https://youtu.be/5qHgnoo9Eec) [read,](https://armlur.am/1206407/)

2022 Aurora Prize

Today is international World Humanitarian Day. The Aurora humanitarian organization has revealed the names of organizations, one of whom will be named as Aurora Prize Laureate.

On behalf of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide, the Laureate will have an opportunity to help others by using part of the $1,000,000 prize. "People around the world who have received aid in time of crisis can best express their gratitude by offering similar assistance to someone else."

... who chooses the nominees?

At first, Aurora chooses the "Humanitarians", people and organizations who have made a significant contribution to humanity. The Humanitarians then pick the nominees. One of the nominees becomes the Laurate and receives $1,000,000.

The Humanitarians are Jamila Afghani, a peace activist who founded an organization that has been educating Afghan women for 25+ years; Hadi Jumaan, a mediator who risks his life to exchange POWs and recover human remains in Yemen; Mahienour El-Massry, a lawyer who promotes human rights in Egypt.

The Humanitarians have nominated 6 organizations, one of which will be chosen as the winner during the October 14-16 event in Venice.

[read,](https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1090657.html)

international community should force Azerbaijan to retreat from its policy of ethnic cleansing of Armenians of Artsakh: Artsakh Ombudsman

Ombudsman Stepanyan: It is critical that the international community understands the severity of the humanitarian issues in post-war Artsakh and makes Azerbaijan retreat from its aggressive behavior and its policy of ethnic cleansing of the Armenians of Artsakh.

World Humanitarian Day is a reminder that we must act to alleviate human suffering irrespective of their origin. As a result of Azerbaijan's war in 2020, we have 40,000 displaced persons and thousands of casualties.

The Nov. 9 agreement stopped the active phase of the war, but Azerbaijan continues to take civilians hostage, threatens and kills them, deliberately disrupts civilian infrastructure to cause serious humanitarian disasters, intimidates civilians with different methods and regular violations of ceasefire. This is accompanied by hate speech against ethnic Armenians by Azerbaijan's president.

Due to the unrecognized status of the Republic of Artsakh, the UN and other international organizations do not have a presence in Artsakh to monitor the violations of the ceasefire and international law.

Although some support has been provided by individuals and organizations, a number of calls to key international humanitarian actors are still up in the air. It is critical that the international community understands the severity of the humanitarian issues. //

[read,](https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1090689.html)

European Court of Human Rights comments on the displacement of Berdzor and Aghavno communities

Armenia had asked ECHR to apply an interim measure for the protection of the rights of civilians. The ECHR reaffirmed the interim measures applied on 29 September 2020 and the expansion on 3 November, stating that it remains in effect.

The ECHR requested the parties to refrain from actions that could lead to the violation of the rights of the civilian population protected by the Convention, including endangering their rights protected by Articles 2, 3, and 8 of the Convention.

The ECHR also recorded that the decision of September 29, 2020, which is still in force, is applicable to the actions referred to by the Government of the Republic of Armenia, that is, armed attacks on peaceful settlements, threats of displacement of the population of Berdzor and Aghavno communities.

[read,](https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1090700.html)

international Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention raises a RED FLAG on Azerbaijan and Turkey

>The Lemkin Institute calls on all international and state bodies to monitor Turkey and Azerbaijan for genocidal ideology and practices, to place pressure on Turkey and Azerbaijan to cease their genocidal threats against the Armenian people, and to reinforce the security of Armenians and the Armenian identity in the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Artsakh, and in Diaspora communities worldwide.

>A recent Telegram video making its way through Azerbaijani social media shows an Azerbaijani soldier tying what is allegedly an Armenian skull dug up from a nearby Armenian cemetery to the back of a military truck while fellow soldiers cheer.

>In the wake of this new apparent atrocity, the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention is once again issuing a Red Flag Alert for Azerbaijan

[continue,](https://www.lemkininstitute.com/red-flag-alerts-1/red-flag-alert---azerbaijan-update)

[ECER 2022](https://eera-ecer.de/ecer-2022-yerevan/): scientific researchers from around the world will gather in Armenia

YSU rector & organizer: Armenia is the first country in the region to host the European Conference on Educational Research. Quite a lot of organizational work has been done. The guests will discuss questions related to pedagogy and education, and will come up with ideas to address common and local issues in countries.

[read,](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1090664.html)

Armenian teachers from around the world gathered in the mountain resort Aghveran

No, not to make khorovats or ոտերը թրջել. They held the biannual Pan-Armenian Educational Conference. Diasporan teachers from dozens of countries were also invited to discuss programs that promote Armenian culture abroad, and to synchronize their efforts with the Education Ministry.

[read,](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1090652.html)

the number of teachers who are willing to take an attestation exam for a 30%-50% raise is skyrocketing

Last year the government announced a new initiative to allow teachers to prove/improve their skills in exchange for up to a 50% raise.

The practice was new, so only 1,300 teachers dared to apply at the time. Only 1,000 of them ended up taking the exam. Less than half of them received a satisfactory score.

This year the number of applicants is 4x. The Education Ministry will make adjustments to the exam process based on the feedback.

The Minister [discussed other education reforms](https://factor.am/545208.html) such as the elimination of grades in 1-5th classes in favor of an assessment based on feedback and support. "Any grade on a scale of 1-10 is considered progress."

[read,](https://factor.am/545208.html) [read,](https://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/289976/) [read,](https://iravaban.net/356356.html) [read,](https://armtimes.com/hy/article/217820) [read,](https://jam-news.net/am/%D5%B8%D6%82%D5%BD%D5%B8%D6%82%D6%81%D5%AB%D5%B9%D5%B6%D5%A5%D6%80%D5%AB-%D5%A1%D5%BF%D5%A5%D5%BD%D5%BF%D5%A1%D5%BE%D5%B8%D6%80%D5%B8%D6%82%D5%B4-%D5%B0%D5%A1%D5%B5%D5%A1%D5%BD%D5%BF%D5%A1%D5%B6%D5%B8/)

Gyumri has decided not to raise the public transport fare

The passengers will continue to pay ֏100 or $0.25 despite the higher fuel prices and the additional costs associated with the ongoing transport fleet reforms.

Gyumri municipality established the Gyumri Autobus CJSC in March. They purchased dozens of new minibusses from Russia.

The city will set the driver's salary at ֏100k/mo (ներառյալ հարկերը). The new base salary is lower, but if the passenger traffic is high, the drivers will receive a significant bonus.

[read,](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1090673.html) [read,](https://factor.am/545334.html)

national carrier FlyArna will soon launch Yerevan-Moscow flights

14 times a week, to-from Domodedovo airport, starting September 23.

[read,](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1090681.html)

thanks, Nikol

Opposition outlet Hraparak published an article about "Azeris already taking advantage of Armenia's wide-open gates to walk on the streets of Armenia in the broad daylight." [Note: The Armenia-Azerbaijan border is still closed.] The article states that the Azeris were freely walking on the streets of Armavir and behaving aggressively.

The NSS investigated the claim and found they were Iranians who legally live and work in Armenia.

[read,](https://factor.am/545397.html) [read,](https://web.archive.org/web/20220819174146/https://hraparak.am/post/33822b218b84f7bc5be74fddb584ddf1)

ranking officials from Armenia and Azerbaijan held a meeting in Brussels

Security Council chief Armen Grigoryan and Aliyev's assistant Hikmet Hajiyev were hosted by EU's Toivo Klaaar in Brussels. This is likely the meeting that was supposed to be held earlier.

Klaar: Good and substantive discussions in Brussels today on 🇦🇲-🇦🇿 relations and 🇪🇺 engagement.

[read,](https://factor.am/545400.html) [read,](https://twitter.com/ToivoKlaar/status/1560650082122285058)

authorities press charges against a blogger for "fake reports" about army generals killing people during the 2020 war

Artsakh authorities: Last year an Armenia-based blogger named Roman Baghdasaryan claimed that several generals and officers from Artsakh Defense Army had organized a murder and similar acts against several individuals during the war.

The claim was refuted by the evidence gathered during the investigation. The case is closed. A new criminal case is launched against Baghdasaryan for the false reports. //

Baghdasaryan, an anti-former regime blogger, had accused the Artsakh army leadership of issuing bad orders and getting hundreds or thousands of people killed on the northern front, with "200 in Mataghis alone".

[read,](https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/242454) [read,](20220819/rvoman-baghdasarjani-dem-qrgvorts-e-harucvel-sut-matnutjan-hatkanishnervov-46990309.html)

IRS collected ֏928b ($2.290b) in first half, a +24% from last year

Top-1000 taxpayers paid ֏722b (+33%). They paid 78% of all the collected taxes.

Where did the money come from?

▶︎ VAT: ֏228b (+19%). It accounts for 31% of all taxes. The rise is contributed by the fact that imported products cost more, therefore the collected taxes are higher.

▶︎ Profit Tax: ֏163b (+49%). Partly thanks to Zangezur copper.

▶︎ etc.

[read,](https://hetq.am/hy/article/147478)

Armenia's largest taxpayer Zangezur copper plant is investing $1.7m in nearby Kajaran

Since mining companies tend to take a dump on local settlements, they also have programs to support them. Sometimes they co-finance infrastructure programs launched by the government.

Zangezur wants you to know that this year they will invest ֏700m in about a dozen road construction and water projects.

[read,](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1090661.html)

hunting season begins in Armenia

Nature Ministry has [published the list](http://env.am/storage/files/order-287.pdf) of animals that hunters are allowed to catch, the quantities, and for how long.

For example, you can shoot 20 wild boars until January, but no more than one per day. No such limits on jackals and regular foxes. The hunting associations will distribute licenses to their members.

[read,](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1090647.html) [read,](http://env.am/storage/files/order-287.pdf)

the reconstruction of the Assyrian church in Arzni has been completed | PHOTO

St. Mariam Աստվածածին was built in 1881. It's one of 3 Assyrian churches in Armenia.

Հայաստանում բնակվող ասորիները համարվում են Արևելքի Ասորական կաթողիկոսության Սուրբ Առաքելական Եկեղեցու հետևորդները:

They settled in Armenia in 1829 after the Russo-Persian war. That's when hundreds of Assyrians asked the tsar for permission to live in Armenia. They moved from the western shores of Urmia Lake to Yerevan Province.

[photos,](https://www.facebook.com/kotayqimarzihushardzanner/posts/pfbid032xuNa6dHiQJq4FPwcj94PyQ4xdtBdYMLVu7WaqPbVGep9po3DJ7jRSCoxY3RqNsSl) [article,](https://www.panarmenian.net/arm/news/302139/)

top-10 bestseller children's books in July

5) The Blue Arrow, by Gianni Rodari

4) Mowgli, by Rudyard Kipling

3) Pinocchio, by Carlo Collodi

2) Հայկական հեքիաթներ collection

1) Tumanyan's Շունն ու կատուն

[read,](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1090537.html)

Greek, Armenian, Mexican: San Francisco wine bars are going hyper-specific

>The playbook for opening a wine bar in San Francisco this summer, apparently: Choose a country that's not particularly well known for making wine, and go deep.

>The Armenian wine-focused Roaming Goat opened in the Marina.

[continue,](https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/wine/article/Greek-Mexican-Georgian-wine-bars-17377519.php)

what does it feel like to work for comedian Conan O'Brien?

Sona Movsesian has been Coco's personal assistant since 2009. She spills all the beans.

[read,](https://www.businessinsider.com/conan-obrien-assistant-sona-movsesian-family-job-podcast-2022-8)

in case you missed

Yesterday's news in English, русский (by Impossible-Ad-). Archive by Armeniapedia. Donate to Armenia & Artsakh here

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

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Link to original report and comments: https://www.reddit.com/r/armenia/comments/wsn742/friday_aug192022_your_daily_news_digest_from/