2022 August 3

Daily news wrap-up

Your Wednesday news digest from Armenia. Aug/3/2022.
by ar_david_hh

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11 minutes. 2865 words.

Azeri soldier who accidentally crossed the Gegharkunik border was returned to Azerbaijan last week

MOD: A week ago our border guards apprehended Pvt. Kamiz Ibayev on the Gegharkunik border after he got lost and crossed the state border. He was returned home through the mediation of Russian peacekeepers. //

[read,](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1089522.html)

Q&A with security council chief Armen Grigoryan

Reporter: Yesterday Azerbaijan presented a demand to organize the Armenia-Artsakh traffic through a different route, instead of the one in Lachin.

Grigoryan: Point 6th of the 2020 trilateral statement says that the parties have agreed that a plan for the construction of an alternative route along the Lachin corridor shall be determined within the next 3 years, to provide communication between Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia.

Some work has already been done here, but as of this moment, there is no agreed plan. In any case, Armenia has not approved any plan, therefore, Azerbaijan’s demand is not legitimate.

Reporter: You have stated that Armenia will soon launch the construction of the Kornidzor-Tegh-M12 road within Armenia, which will connect to the new route in Lachin.

Grigoryan: Yes, that construction has already started, but notice that the trilateral statement mentions the plan for the construction of a new route. No such agreed-upon plan exists. Armenia has already proposed to sign a plan in a trilateral format and move forward with an agreed schedule and roadmap. This is what is envisaged by the Nov. 9 statement.

[read,](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1089544.html)

19 soldiers wounded and 2 killed after ceasefire violations by Azerbaijan that began on Monday

Artsakh army: Azerbaijani troops resumed the ceasefire violation this morning with the use of mortars, grenade launchers, and drones. In separate incidents, 19 soldiers were wounded (mostly from shrapnel) and 2 were killed. The peacekeepers have been informed about the incidents. The situation is relatively calm as of 6 pm.

Azerbaijan claimed the death of a soldier in Lachin

Azerbaijan claimed that one of its soldiers was killed in Lachin.

Arsakh launches a partial mobilization

President Arayik Harutyunyan issued an order to organize a partial mobilization in the republic.

interview with the mayor of Berdzor, Artsakh

Mayor: There were no clashes near our settlement. There hasn't been any since November 2020.

Reporter: There was information about a possible evacuation by August 5th.

Mayor: I've also heard this date but there is no order to evacuate by August 5th. We are simply informing the population about possible dangers, even though the clashes are far away from us. There has been no change in daily life. People are eating at the bistro in the corner store.

[Context: Residents of several settlements in the Lachin Corridor need to be relocated as part of the November 9 agreement, when the new Lachin road is complete.]

interview with the mayor of Aghavno, Artsakh

Reporter: Will Aghavno be evacuated? There were reports that residents don't want to leave.

Mayor: Not anytime soon. It's not like you can enter the village and tell people to leave. Many issues need to be addressed first.

Artsakh foreign ministry about the border attack:

We urge the international community to condemn Azerbaijan's actions and take appropriate steps to end Baku's aggressive policies. Artsakh Armenians are determined to live free and sovereign in their homeland and to overcome all difficulties with dignity.

Armenia's foreign ministry:

Despite the steps taken by the Armenian side to achieve stability and peace in the region, Azerbaijan continues its pre-planned policy of terrorizing the population of Nagorno-Karabakh, subjecting them to ethnic cleansing and creeping occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh.

We would like to remind you about the illegal incursion of the Azerbaijani armed forces in the direction of Parukh village and the attack on the Khtsaberd and Hin Tagher villages on December 11.

We consider unacceptable the statements of the Azerbaijani side attempting to unilaterally change the legal regime in the Lachin Corridor defined by provision 6 of the Nov. 9 statement, and reaffirm that the road passing through the Lachin Corridor can be changed only according to the plan approved by the parties to the Statement. It is clearly defined that within the next 3 years, the parties should determine the plan for the construction of a new road through the Lachin Corridor.

We emphasize that there is no such plan approved within a trilateral format so far, and we call on all parties to the Trilateral Statement to adhere to their commitments, to put immediate efforts to implement the conditions established by the Statement of November 9, including the maintenance of a ceasefire regime, the opening of regional communications, the release and return of prisoners of war, hostages and other detainees.

We consider it necessary to underscore once again that the Republic of Armenia has fulfilled all its obligations. The reason for the non-implementation of a number of provisions of the trilateral statement is the arbitrary interpretations, continued aggressive rhetoric and actions by Azerbaijan.

OSCE Minsk Group represetnative Andrzej Kasprzyk visited Armenia

FM Mirzoyan hosted Kasprzyk on Wednesday. They spoke about Azerbaijan's attempts to destabilize the region and their arbitrary interpretation of tripartite agreements.

Polish OSCE chairmanship released a statement about Azerbaijan's attack:

We are extremely concerned about reported armed incidents and casualties in the South Caucasus. We urge Armenia and Azerbaijan to take all necessary measures to bring de-escalation and resume dialogue. We remain committed to supporting all efforts aimed at consolidating peace in the region.

NATO:

We are concerned. We support the efforts towards the normalization of AM-AZ relations, which will contribute to the stability and prosperity in the region that is of strategic importance for us.

Russia's defense ministry:

The situation in the peacekeepers' zone of responsibility has escalated. The Azeri soldiers violated the ceasefire at Saribaba height. The peacekeepers are working with the Azeri and Armenian sides to stabilize the situation.

QP MPs:

Azerbaijan's latest aggression was aimed at Lachin. The Lachin Corridor is exclusively under the responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping mission. We expect clear and specific actions by the peacekeepers to prevent further escalation and defuse the existing tensions. This is part of the November 9 tripartite agreement.

Artsakh president:

Our soldiers have carried out the duties placed in front of them. Refrain from spreading negative sentiments towards Russian peacekeepers.

The necessary steps are being taken with the help of peacekeepers to defuse the situation after Azerbaijan's provocations that began on August 1. We record that at this stage there are changes towards the de-escalation regarding the military situation and the Berdzor corridor.

[read,](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1089559.html) [read,](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1089565.html) [read,](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1089582.html) [read,](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1089584.html) [read,](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1089585.html) [read,](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1089566.html) [read,](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1089588.html) [read,](https://twitter.com/PLinOSCE/status/1554821109819883522) [read,](https://factor.am/540201.html) [read,](https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1089592.html) [read,](https://factor.am/540421.html) [read,](https://factor.am/540385.html) [read,](https://factor.am/540512.html) [read,](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1089598.html) [read,](https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/241793) [read,](https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/241796) [read,](https://www.azatutyun.am/a/31972206.html) [read,](https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/241804) [watch,](https://youtu.be/UkTqUbM8eMs)

Ukrainian soldiers are using mortars made in Azerbaijan

Ukrainian officials shared information proving that their troops are using 20N5 mortars in Zhaparozhiya. Made in Azerbaijan in 2015, these mortars have a range of up to 5.4 kilometers.

Azerbaijani government-linked outlets denied that Azerbaijan sold the mortars directly to Ukraine, suggesting that they ended up in Ukraine through an intermediary.

[read,](https//www.civilnet.am/news/669970/ադրբեջանը-ուկրաինային-զենք-մատակարարո՞ւմ-է-պնդումների-հետքերով/)

tourism skyrockets in the first half of 2022

H1 2020: 308k

H1 2021: 239k

H1 2022: 590k

Tourism Committee: The numbers are recovering after the pandemic slump. You can tell that by walking on the streets of Yerevan.

As always, most of them are from Russia (56%), Iran, Germany, Georgia, and the US.

We have launched new programs to attract tourists from France and UAE. The visa regime has been simplified for UAE residents, and lately for Egyptians as well.

There were numerous sports, music, and cultural events in July that attracted many diasporan Armenians. [Thank you $0.50]

... what is attracting the tourists?

Depends where they come from. Europeans prefer nature and hiking tours. Diasporans love culture projects.

Today we are developing programs around the Armenian culture and cuisine. We are also developing adventure tourism like paragliding and river rafting for everyone, so not everything relates to culture.

[watch,](https://youtu.be/lBMoWjVW7SQ) [read,](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1089561.html) [read,](https://www.armstat.am/file/article/sv_07_21a_421.pdf)

Gegharkunik farmer becomes the first in the province to switch to a giant automated overhead sprinkler system that conserves water | PHOTO

Sotk resident Vardan Hayrapetyan has 33 hectares of potatoes and other crops. He used to waste water with the traditional irrigation system. Today he uses 200-meter-long "Kuban" overhead sprinklers that roll above the crops.

He purchased two units with the help of the state program that subsidizes agricultural equipment. The farmer invested $80k, the state invested $40k.

Governor's office: Agriculture is being automated. This acquisition is an unprecedented event in our state's history. It will conserve water and manpower, improve crop yield, and we won't have to worry about drought anymore. Other farmers should follow Hayrapetyan's example.

Farmer Hayrapetyan: I brought the units from the factory in Tolyati, Russia. They confirmed that I'm the first Armenian to own their product.

Our experience shows that during drought years, even if you organize the traditional irrigation in time, the yield is usually small, whereas in rainy years the yield is high, so I decided to invest in a sprinkling system.

Each 6-hectare land requires 7 hours to irrigate with this system, versus 3 days with the traditional method. The water waste is minimized, and I no longer have to hire two workers for $40/day to irrigate it for me.

With the traditional method, the water reaches only the roots, while the sprinkler also feeds the stems and leaves.

It's an automated system. I can observe and manage it from home. These Kuban systems are the modern version of the Soviet-era systems that some farmers were using in Gegharkunik. The old ones were limited in their mobility and the sprinkling was inefficient. The modern ones require a far smaller pressure to operate. //

[read,](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1089553.html)

cargo routes

Infrastructure Ministry hosted representatives of the Asian Development Bank to discuss multimodal transportation in the South Caucasus.

The Ministry spoke about the existing transport routes to Russia, Georgia, and Europe, and announced that 2 Armenian airlines will soon launch cargo transfers. Efforts are underway to launch ferry transfers via the Black Sea this month.

The ADB representative presented the "South Caucasus Gateways" project, the goal of which is to increase investments in the region.

South Caucasus Gateways:

>will facilitate the development of a regional cooperation approach to unleash the economic potential of the South Caucasus region comprising of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia in the new realm of reopening gateways agreed in the 2020 Armenia-Azerbaijan Ceasefire Agreement.

>will provide options to identify and optimize international and domestic gateways and provide a roadmap for the region to regain its historical significance for trade and transit especially with Central West Asia and as a bridge to Europe.

[read,](https://factor.am/540220.html) [read,](https://www.adb.org/projects/55118-001/main)

court extends pre-trial arrest of opposition activist accused of offering bribes to a student union leader to organize anti-Pashinyan protests

Activist Avetik Chalabyan was arrested after the [audio leak](https://youtu.be/egR4pSk-seE) in May. In the audio tape, a professor at the Agrarian University, who is also facing charges, allegedly offers the student union leader to meet Avetik Chalabyan to discuss the protest terms. The student leader was told he would receive $4,000 for recruiting thousands of students.

In an audio tape, Avetik Chalabyan allegedly tells the student leader to "formulate their needs". The authorities pressed bribery-related charges. Chalayan considers himself a "political prisoner".

He was recently freed from pretrial detention because the court couldn't organize his follow-up trial on time. That trial was held today. Even though prosecutors agreed with Chalabyan's lawyers that bail would be sufficient, the judge decided to keep him behind bars for 3 more months, after finding that the defendant could illegally intervene with the investigation and evidence.

[read,](https://youtu.be/egR4pSk-seE) [read,](https://www.civilnet.am/news/670041/ավետիք-չալաբյանը-կրկին-կալանավորվեց․-մնացական-մարտիրոսյանը-մնաց-իր-ոճի-մեջ/) [read,](https://www.azatutyun.am/a/31972139.html)

Corruption Prevention Committee has vetted hundreds of candidates who applied for public office

CPC: We vetted 261 candidates in the first half of this year: 149 positive, 78 positive with reservations, 29 negative, 5 inconclusive.

The candidates had applied to join the Anti-Corruption Courts, various other courts, prosecutor's office (including those who wanted a promotion).

... define "positive with reservations"

When we compare the candidate's property declaration document with the information gathered from elsewhere, and discover non-major discrepancies which are not serious enough to disqualify, but at the same time, we don't receive sufficient explanation that addresses the discrepancies.

When a candidate has a record of being disciplined, we examine the incident to understand its severity and frequency. This includes traffic citations received by the candidate.

... define "negative"

When the property ownership declarations submitted by the candidate and their family members have significant gaps or falsifications.

When the candidate has a record of being disciplined but doesn't disclose it in the questionnaire. The frequency and severity of disciplinary measures.

[read,](https://factor.am/540357.html)

businesses form long lines to activate their Point-of-Sale terminals after the recent law requiring them to provide a cashless payment option if the customer requests one

The new law requires any business, other than small kiosks, to provide the option to pay with a card, if that's what the client prefers.

A store owner: The law went into effect but we're still waiting for our terminal to be activated because of long lines. We applied two months ago. I don't like electronic transactions because the bank charges 2.5% [it's between 1 to 2.5 depending on the account]. //

The lines are long partly because only two banks have so far agreed to join the program that provides the accounts. At the moment, around 20k businesses have activated theirs. Around 60% of businesses are yet to do so.

Central Bank: The remaining businesses are actively activating theirs, hence the long waiting time.

YSU's head of the Department of Statistics: The lack of smooth organization of this process unnecessarily targets the positive changes brought by the reform. This is our traditional way of doing things: wait until the deadline then scramble to resolve the situation ախպերականով. //

[read,](https://factor.am/540292.html)

the law requiring meat to originate from certified slaughterhouses is entering the next phase

Economy Ministry organized a meeting with food inspectors and representatives of slaughterhouse businesses to discuss the upcoming changes.

Businesses: We've invested in certified slaughterhouses but many cattle owners bypass the law, falsify their Form-5, and sell meat that doesn't originate from certified slaughterhouses.

Minister Kerobyan: Inspectors and other enforcement agencies plan to launch a campaign starting this month to visit the meat markets and slaughterhouses to prevent the sale of uncertified meat. We're also making changes to Form-5 to raise the oversight. The process to number the cattle in Armenia will launch in the fall.

[read,](https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/241768)

inflation report: July 2022 vs July 2021

Eggs -20%

Vegetables -1%

Sunflower oil +1%

Wine +2%

Butter +3%

Pork +7%

Fish & seafood +8%

Sugar +8%

Non-food +8%

Mineral water +9%

Beer +9%

Tobacco +9%

Vodka +10%

Coffee, tea, cocoa +12%

Petrol fuel +12%

Rice +13%

Flour +18%

Beef +20%

Bread +21%

Fruits +22%

Cheese +26%

Buckwheat +29%

Lentil +32%

Pasta +31%

Diesel fuel +43%

July 2022 prices -1.4% compared to June 2022.

The 12-month inflation was +9.3%.

[read,](http://arka.am/en/news/business/prices_of_food_and_non_alcoholic_beverages_rose_by_13_5_in_armenia/) [read,](http://arka.am/en/news/economy/armenia_s_12_month_inflation_in_july_2022_was_9_3_percent/) [read,](http://arka.am/en/news/business/petrol_and_diesel_fuel_prices_in_armenia_grow_by_11_6_and_43_2_/)

hundreds of new buses are on their way to Yerevan as part of transport reforms | PHOTO

Mayor Hrachya: By the end of this year, we will have 150 units of Chinese "Jhong Tong" buses and 15 "Yutong" trolleybuses.

By May 2023, we will have 87 units of 12-meter "Man" buses.

[read,](https://factor.am/540505.html)

"Symphonic Yerevan" international music festival will be organized next week

Education Ministry: Armenian and international musicians will give modern and classical concerts every day, for two weeks.

State Sympony Orchestra chief: Վստահ եմ, որ փառատոնի շրջանակում Հայաստան այցելող բոլոր արտիստները մեր երկրից կգնան՝ իրենց հետ տանելով հայ ունկնդրի ջերմ ընդունելությունը, իսկ երաժշտասերները փառատոնի 14 համերգների երկացանկում կգտնեն իրենց հոգեհարազատ երաժշտությունը:

[read,](https://factor.am/540186.html)

South Korea plans to open an embassy in Armenia

Gu Ho Eom, researcher at Hanyang University: Right now there are no active ties between the two states. There are plans to open an embassy in Armenia and Georgia. No clear timeframes yet.

Korea has a rich experience in modernization of industry and digital transformation - policies that are now being implemented in Armenia. We can have a serious contribution in this area.

Armenia has a multi-vector foreign policy. It maintains close relations with Russia and the EU, US, and China. We can establish productive cooperation in various directions.

[read,](https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1089529.html) [read,](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1089529.html)

Austria will invest in Syunik

Syunik governor hosted the Austrian ambassador today to discuss the planned investment programs. Details will be available when they hold more discussions.

[read,](https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/241761)

Armenian-Swedish MP visited Armenia to discuss tourism & cultural cooperation

President Khachaturyan hosted Swedish MP Arin Karapet, who received a medal last year for his contributions towards the strengthening of AM-SE relations.

The two spoke about the ongoing reforms in Armenia and potential areas where Sweden can assist.

[read,](https://www.president.am/en/press-release/item/2022/08/03/President-Vahagn-Khachaturyan-received/)

Armenia's chess team defeats the tournament favorite India during Chess Olympiad 2022, so far #1

The men's team has taken the lead. In the previous 5 rounds, they defeated Madagascar, Andorra, Egypt, Austria, and England.

5 more rounds to go.

[read,](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1089587.html) [read,](http://chess-results.com/tnr653631.aspx?lan=1)

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/wfg14i/your_wednesday_news_digest_from_armenia_aug32022/