2022 January 7

Daily news wrap-up

News - Jan/7/2022: (1) Weighing & tracking cargo trucks (2) Zangi app goes global (3) €90m Vedi reservoir (4) Intl. response to events in Kazakhstan (5) Milonov triggers Aliyev (6) Macron is cooking something (7) Trains are cool again (8) Sevan Nishanyan is free (9) Haypost hacked (10) Mayor ratata
by ar_david_hh

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This is your 9-minute Friday briefing in 2323 words.

Day 3: Kazakhstan riots suppressed | 12th Brigade Peacekeepers deployed | World response

CSTO administration: Kazakh president requested aid under Articles 3 & 4. We expect the peacekeeping mission to last only days or weeks, depending on the situation.

Russian forces are already in Kazakhstan. Belarusians will join in 2-3 hours. Others will join gradually throughout the day. There will be 2,500 in total, but we can add more if necessary.

The issue is not in the quantity sent by each state. It's a gesture that shows a willingness to aid Kazakhstan. Every CSTO member has agreed to help. This is important for us.

The peacekeepers are guarding important state facilities. They are not tasked with neutralizing militants or dispersing protests. //

Documents were filed to contact the United Nations regarding the peacekeeping mission.

EU called for parties (govt and protesters) to show restraint and offered to hold dialogue.

The US had "questions" about sending the CSTO peacekeepers to Kazakhstan, and whether it was legally justified. The US believes Kazakhstan had enough resources to deal with its own problems.

The peacekeepers began guarding Almaty airport. It was earlier breached by rioters before being retaken by Kazakh forces. RIA Novosti reports that some 500 local civilians formed "druzhinas" (voluntary squads) to help guard the country's important facilities.

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100 Armenian peacekeepers were sent to Kazakhstan. They are the soldiers from the 12th Peacekeeping Brigade who had earlier served as peacekeepers in Lebanon, Afghanistan, Kosovo, and Iraq.

Kazakh president Tokayev thanked premier Pashinyan and other members for the aid. Leaders of CSTO states spoke over the phone.

Security Council chief Grigoryan: Armenia wants CSTO's security mechanisms to function. Hopefully, Armenia will also receive help if in need. We are fulfilling the responsibility Armenia has assumed within the framework of CSTO chairmanship.

Pashinyan received an application from Tokayev to initiate discussions within CSTO. There was no "revolution" when the process began, there were reports of terrorist attacks. You may have seen the videos of armed individuals. //

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There are no plans to evacuate Armenian nationals from Kazakhstan, and there were no injuries among them, announced MFA on Friday.

French nuclear fuel firm Orano said its uranium mining operations in Kazakhstan were continuing as they are in an isolated region away from areas hit by unrest, reported Reuters on Thursday. Russia tightened the security at Baikonur cosmodrome, its main rocket launch facility.

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Opposition LHK Khazhakyan: Pashinyan could have démarched from CSTO in 2018 but today Armenia cannot afford that luxury.

I find the parallels between the 2018 revolution and today's events in Kazakhstan inappropriate. These are different events. Just because the Armenian government came to power through a revolution doesn't mean it should aid any Kazakh on the streets.

I also disagree with the political retaliatory mindset, that just because Kazakhstan had spoken in favor of Azerbaijan in the past, "let's answer the same way". Maybe nothing will change after this gesture, we don't know yet, but նեղացկոտություն is more an emotion than պետականամետ դիրքավորում. //

Opposition PU MP Abrahamyan: The events in Kazakhstan must be viewed in the broadest context of regional security. It is still unclear what the real grounds are for CSTO deployment in Kazakhstan. Was this purely an internal event or there were external players? We don't know yet what the full picture is.

The CSTO deployment was very prompt, which indicates that an "explosion" in Kazakhstan, regardless of motives, posed a threat and more serious consequences in the Eurasian region. //

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Former chairman of "Turan Alem" bank Mukhtar Ablyazov, who opposes USSR-style Russian influence in Kazakhstan, declared himself the leader of the protesters. He was forced to flee Kazakhstan over a decade ago. According to him, protesters in Almaty consult with him on how to act every day, and that he would be willing to return and lead an interim government if protesters succeed. Ablyazov is a fugitive who was charged with murder and fraud in absentia. He believes the charges were political.

Azdak newspaper's Gantaharyan: Turkey's former MFA Davutoglu criticized Kazakhstan for requesting aid from CSTO "chaired by Armenia". Davutoglu's message states that Kazakstan is the central state of the Turkic world. Mentioning Armenia is of secondary importance. The main target of the statement was Russia, the real leader of CSTO. Turkey's concern is with the deployment of Russian troops in Kazakhstan. This speaks about a new strategic point of the Russo-Turkish conflict of interests. Kazakhstan is becoming the second such ex-USSR state after Ukraine. //

Davutoglu called for Turkic nations to contribute to overcoming tensions in Kazakhstan. The fact that sufficient steps have not been taken in this direction until now is a weakness in terms of the internal solidarity of the Turkic world, said Davutoglu. The Organization of Turkic States will hold a meeting on January 11, according to Turkish MFA Cavusoglu.

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President Tokayev: The constitutional order is mainly restored in all regions. Local authorities are in control of the situation but there are still terrorists who continue to use weapons to damage the property of the citizens, so counter-terrorism operations must continue until the complete destruction of the militants. Security forces have permission to fire at terrorists without warning. //

The worst clashes appear to be behind. January 5-6 was the peak, with several journalists reporting being attacked, and shots being fired by rioters and security forces amid anarchy. "You could walk on the streets and someone could just shoot you for not liking you," recalled one reporter.

On January 7 the authorities announced the arrest of 70 armed individuals and 30 looters in the largest city Almaty, the main protest area. Authorities counted 20,000 protesters in Almaty. 3,800 were arrested. The president said they will not negotiate with any "criminals and murderers".

A local private organization estimated property damages at $200 million, almost all being in Almaty.

https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/228789 https://factor.am/461204.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072447.html https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/frances-orano-says-kazakh-uranium-mining-operations-continuing-2022-01-06/ https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072388.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072391.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072393.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072394.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yB85AIE0Jfs https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072396.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072398.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072403.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072408.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072410.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072416.html https://tass.com/world/1384807 https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-sentences-kazakh-banker-ablyazov/31024486.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072417.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072441.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072438.html https://factor.am/461108.html https://youtu.be/OocZvHXD4BI https://factor.am/461111.html https://factor.am/461184.html https://newsreadonline.com/the-us-state-department-announced-issues-on-sending-csto-peacekeepers-to-kazakhstan/ https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072447.html https://youtu.be/-RyuE5jQUxg https://www.facebook.com/tigran.abrahamyan/posts/4829158770482936 https://twitter.com/Ahmet_Davutoglu/status/1479174650227798016 www.1lurer.am/hy/2022/01/07/Հունվարի-11-ին-կկայանա-Ղազախստանի-հարցով-Թյուրքական-պետությունների-կազմակերպության-արտգործնախարարնե/638718 www.1lurer.am/hy/2022/01/07/Ղազախստանի-մայրաքաղաքում-ստեղծվում-են-ժողովրդական-պահակախմբեր

Azerbaijan sent a complaint to Kremlin after Russian ruling party MP's visit to Karabakh

Ilham Aliyev sent a letter to United Russia party leader Dmitri Medvedev after MP Vitali Milonov visited Karabakh on December 27. Milonov is a staunch critic of Turkey and Azerbaijan and had visited Karabakh during the war to show support. Azerbaijan had added him to the infamous blacklist, but that apparently didn't deter him last week.

Miilonov gave an interview to Artsakh media outlet in which he criticized TR-AZ.

Aliyev's letter says Milonov's visit is against Russia's official position regarding the "territorial integrity of Azerbaijan".

http://www.aniarc.am/2022/01/07/aliyev-medvewdev-milonov-visit-arthakh-2021-december-27/ https://www.facebook.com/ArtsakhTV/videos/441103237498199/

France takes EU reins with push for more sovereignty & plans to increase EU's security capabilities

>French President Emmanuel Macron pledged Friday to boost Europe’s strategic power and sovereignty, as France formally took the reins of the 27-nation bloc for the next six months with big ambitions.

Macron said the bloc will finalize the EU's so-called strategic compass, its geopolitical strategy that focuses on defense capability building to reduce reliance on NATO and the U.S.

>“It will allow us to have a common European position at NATO and to act together in a more coordinated way,” Macron said, adding that he wants to develop Europe’s defense industry and increase the bloc’s technological autonomy.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/france-takes-eu-reins-with-push-for-more-sovereignty/2022/01/07/fbacefec-6f9a-11ec-b1e2-0539da8f4451_story.html

update: Greek yogurt court frees Sevan Nishanyan so he can move to a country of his choice

Context in January 3 post. The Armenian-Turkish dissident was facing deportation after the expiration of marriage documents. The Greek court has decided to free him on Friday. He has 15 days to leave Greece.

Armenian embassy: Since Nishanyan is an Armenian citizen, he can leave for Armenia if he wishes. //

Sevan Nishanyan: The ambassador worked hard day and night and never left me. For the first time in my life, I felt that a state was behind me without any conditions and hesitation.

I might have to leave Greece for a brief period. I could live in Armenia or elsewhere. It would be good if we succeed and opened the door to Turkey. But sadly this is not our main problem. //

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072404.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072443.html https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/228847

Armenia and US mark the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations

MFA released a statement about the ties that were established in 1992. During his address to the American people on 25 December 1991, President George Bush had announced the dissolution of the USSR and the plans to recognize Armenia's independence.

Prior to this, the US had recognized Armenia's independence on 23 April 1920.

https://youtu.be/228kPi62glE https://factor.am/461072.html

Orthodox church celebrated Christmas

Pashinyan called his Georgian counterpart to congratulate. They spoke about regional topics and cooperation.

https://factor.am/461211.html

Haypost's Facebook page was hacked by trolls

The post office reported the breach to Facebook and regained access. They are yet to fix the account name, presumably because Facebook requires manual approval to change names when it's done frequently. It currently contains letters of the Turkish alphabet so there is your giveaway, lads.

https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/228822

moronic mayor detained after firing shots into the air to celebrate his birthday 👏👏👏

The police received reports about gunshots in Kapan's Kaghnut settlement yesterday evening. It turns out the 52yo settlement leader used his "Vepr KM" hunting carbine(?) to celebrate his birthday. "Էսօր ծնունդս ա," he said after firing the shots.

He was released but the gun was taken away. Charges could be pressed.

https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/228813

Economy and Infrastructure Ministries connect to the "One Window" electronic system

IRS: The system launched on 1 Oct 2021. Gradually, 17 state agencies that issue various permits documents will join the e-system. As a result, the customs clearance and permit process will become simpler, contacts with state bodies will be minimized, time and resources will be saved. //

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072406.html

construction of €90 million Vedi reservoir will finish this year

The small and big dams are 40-60% complete. The rest of the components are >90% ready. It was supposed to finish last year but covid delayed it. They plan to finish it in December.

The construction of the dam and irrigation network will bring water to Ararat valley farms. It's co-financed by the French and Armenian governments.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072414.html

20 cops were fired and 7 were issued warnings last year

The police holds routine disciplinary hearings to investigate complaints against police officials.

https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/228836

developer: Armenian mobile messaging app ZANGI is being promoted by UN

Founder Vahram Martirosyan: Along with its cryptocurrency, the United Nations has decided to spread the Armenian "Zangi" all over the world. The Armenian application will be used as a wallet for the emerging cryptocurrency. The project begins in 1H2022.

Our app will gain more popularity. It will once again promote Armenia as a tech hub.

UN chose our app for two reasons: it's secure and works even with poor internet connection.

It's gaining popularity in Latino America without spending a dime on the advertisement. The main driver is the ability to work under any condition.

7 million users after 8 years on app store. //

Tech experts Arthur Papyan: Zangi is not yet popular in Armenia. Users are mostly from Asia, Pakistan, etc. The main adoption barrier is the lack of usage by friends. If you join and don't see your friends there, you won't use it.

Developer: Armenia has a small share in the global market. Global success will lead to domestic success. We're developing a desktop client. //

www.1lurer.am/hy/2022/01/07/ՄԱԿ-ը-որոշել-է-իր-կրիպտոարժույթի-հետ-ամբողջ-աշխարհում-տարածել-նաև-հայկական-«Զանգին»/638928

Provincial & interstate passenger transport firms won't have to pay a fee every year | Change in how cargo trucks are taxed

To simplify things, starting this year, instead of paying $200 every year, the passenger firms will pay $200 for a ten-year permit. The $4 per-seat fee is still in effect.

Deeper changes are expected when the unified digital payment system is fully implemented.

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Regarding cargo transfers, semis currently pay $200-$300 for 15 days. The system will switch to a per-mile fee. That way, an Iranian truck that makes delivery and returns halfway doesn't pay the same as a Bulgarian truck that travels all the way from north to southern checkpoint. The bill is being drafted.

Scanners will be installed on main roads to track Armenian cargo trucks' weight and travel distance. A private firm will be hired to manage the system in exchange for investing $16-$20 million in it. It'll take at least a year to install those.

Per the AM-EU CEPA agreement, Armenia is required to ensure fair conditions for local and foreign cargo firms, concludes the report.

www.1lurer.am/hy/2022/01/07/Ուղևորափոխադրողների-տուրքը-կգանձվի-մեկ-անգամ՝-10-տարվա-համար/638731

why companies are turning to long-haul trains for cargo shipments

>Once unusual, long-haul train freight shipments between China and Europe have become much more common during the pandemic

Five years ago, there were 8 trains per day, now there are 20.

Trains are popular with companies that need to move time-sensitive goods and don't want to pay for expensive air cargo.

Europe-China travel time is 20 days via rail and 70 via ship.

Launched in 2011 as part of Beijing's Belt and Road infrastructure program, the China-Europe rail service expanded quickly as the pandemic wreaked havoc on global shipping. The sharp increase in rail traffic is already causing overcrowding on the tracks.

Sea cargo China-EU: $9,408

Rail cargo China-EU: $8,000

Rail cargo EU-China: $2,000 (Beijing subsidizes the rest to encourage rail transfers towards China)

Rail accounts for only 5% of the total transport market between Europe and China. But that could double by 2030.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/06/business/trains-europe-china-pandemic-shipping/index.html

top-10 bestseller Armenian books in December

5) Քաղցր կյանք, by Հովիկ Աֆյան

4) Կախվածություն, Սյունե Սևադա

3) Ինձ պիոններ չնվիրես, Գոհար Նավասարդյան

2) Դուռը, by Վանո Սիրադեղյան

1) Վերջին անգամ ենք ապրում, by Աշոտ Աղաբաբյան

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072380.html

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The accused are innocent unless proven guilty in the 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/ryh7uk/news_jan72022_1_weighing_tracking_cargo_trucks_2/