2022 May 24

Daily news wrap-up

May/24/2022. Your daily news digest from Armenia.
by ar_david_hh

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12 minutes. 3125 words.

today in history

1923: Armenian painter Hakob Hakobyan is born.

1936: Writer and humorist Aramais Sahakyan is born.

[article](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1083987.html)

European Boxing: three Armenian athletes competed today

This is day-2 of the European boxing championship in Yerevan's Hamalir complex. Yesterday Armenia scored a victory. Three athletes are playing today:

54kg Janik Sahakyan lost. 71kg Narek Zakhalyan lost. 80kg Hambardzum Hakobyan won.

Former pro boxer [Vic Darchinyan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vic_Darchinyan), who held multiple world championships in two weight classes in 2000-2017, welcomes the decision to hold the tournament in Yerevan. "This tournament is very well organized. Our athletes and the referees are great."

[article](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1083990.html) [article](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1084034.html) [article](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1084039.html) [article](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1084050.html) [article](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1084091.html)

Azeri boxing federation files a complaint against Armenian federation after two activists displayed Artsakh flag during the opening ceremony

Azerbaijan did not send athletes to Yerevan.

[photos](https://factor.am/514678.html)

Armenian tennis coach's student is one of Time's 100 Most Influential people

American ~~tennis~~ figure skater Nathan Chen won the gold medal in Beijing Olympics. His coach is Rafael Harutyunyan. Chen was listed as one of the most influential figures in [Time's 100 list](https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people-2022/).

[article](https://factor.am/514628.html) [article](https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people-2022/)

16yo athlete from Gyumri defeats his Turkish opponent to win gold at European Junior Wushu Championship

This was Narek Muradyan's first international tournament. Gevorg Papoyan won bronze in a different category.

[article](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1084061.html)

Pyunik FC becomes Armenian soccer champion for 15th time

[article](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1084111.html)

President Khachaturyan met FIFA president Gianni Infantino

The Davos economic forum continues. The two spoke about the development of soccer in Armenia. Khachaturyan also met representatives of the UN and Poland.

[video](https://youtu.be/6nASVnMO04Y) [article](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1084107.html) [article](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1084095.html)

shipping company Globbing was reportedly hacked

Globbing is a service that allows residents of several ex-USSR republics to order an item from abroad and receive it in their country, even if the seller doesn't ship to that country.

Justice Ministry has launched an investigation to find out if the company followed data protection rules.

Several Armenian media outlets received data of 250,000 people yesterday from an anonymous source using ProtonMail. The source claims they warned Globbing about a vulnerability but allegedly it wasn't addressed, so they decided to "punish" them.

Globbing says some of the shared information did not come from their systems, and that the info might be from another source. They said their system does not collect photos and bank card information. They asked authorities to investigate.

A cybersecurity firm says they believe the leak [at least some of it] is real, after studying the data, and believe that the hack is meant to discredit the company. The Justice Ministry said some of the information in the "leak" does not match the info in Globbing's servers. Globbing claims some of the "leaked" data is from other leaks.

[article](https://www.azatutyun.am/a/31865780.html) [article](https://www.1lurer.am/hy/2022/05/24/Արդյոք-Globbing-ի-բազայից-է-250-հազարից-ավելի-քաղաքացու-տվյալների-արտահոսքը․-մասնագիտական-կարծիքներ/728641)

deputy Chief of General Staff of Army and 3 ranking officers are charged with negligence that led to death of soldiers during 2020 war

Prosecutors report: A.M. served as the deputy CoGS and the head of the Department of Military Preparedness. He was appointed as a commander on the southern front during the 2020 war.

On October 21st he learned that another commander's unit was encircled near Kovsakan. Instead of organizing an ambush to destroy the enemy unit, he ordered his men to retreat. As a result, the troops in Kovsakan fought outnumbered: 22 survived, 5 were captured, 12 died, 23 are missing.

A.A., the commander of the unit that was encircled near Kovsakan, is also charged. He disobeyed the order to properly discuss the path they were supposed to take to reach a destination. As a result, their guides took them to the wrong location.

Later, Kovsakan commander A.A. also encouraged other officials to falsify documents to claim that a certain contractor was part of military actions. The commanders and accomplices are charged with crimes. The case has reached the court. //

[article](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1084004.html)

Corruption Prevention Commission wants to brainwash you into believing that corruption is bad

The CPC, with the help of USAID, has launched video tutorials to help and encourage public officials to fill out their mandatory asset and wealth declaration documents.

[tutorials](http://cpcarmenia.am/hy/news/item/2022/05/24/2022-05-24/), [Youtube channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5P3Bs2iLUwDO7OwMJzscqw/videos), [article](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1084038.html)

anti-corruption: Robert Kocharyan will not get his $4 million bail money back

Kocharyan and his aide are going through a multi-million $$$ corruption trial. His aide was allowed to leave the country to take part in diplomatic meetings. Kocharyan himself is free because he posted a $4 million bail earlier.

Today he tried to get the money back, or at least replace the "bail" restriction with a "signature not to leave the country" restriction, but the judge decided to keep the cash for now.

[article](https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/237625)

anti-corruption: investigation concludes, former mayor of Vanadzor Mamikon Aslanyan and other officials are charged

Investigative Committee: The 2016-2021 mayor of Vanadzor wanted to change the legal definition of two pieces of land in Vanadzor to authorize certain commercial activities. He sent three letters to the government but received a rejection and was asked to amend the documents.

The mayor ignored the law and conspired with another official to sign and authorize the illegal documents. On 9 June 2021 and 12 August 2021 they took steps to finalize the conversion process. [Aslanyan was arrested a few months later, while the municipal elections were underway.]

The investigation has also uncovered evidence that the mayor conspired with two other officials to convert 7 other lands in a similar scheme. The lands went under Vanadzor municipality's control. The goal was to sell the lands.

The mayor also intentionally ignored the illegal use of lands managed by the mother-in-law of his friend. The lands were illegally converted into a graveyard in 2020-2021.

The mayor and two other accomplices were charged with crimes. The mayor was arrested, while the accomplices were barred from leaving the country. The investigation is over. The case is in court. //

[article](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1084002.html)

opposition resumed the anti-Pashinyan street protests in Yerevan

Protest leader ARF [Ishkhan](https://www.reddit.com/r/arMEMEia/comments/uufgsw/any_day_now/) Saghatelyan instructed the crowd to encircle the foreign ministry building in the morning. The crowd clashed with the police. Some of them were able to enter the building area. The organizers were allowed to enter and convey their message. They proceeded to march towards France Square - the main camping site.

[video](https://youtu.be/13lglnZ3nv8?t=7) [video](https://youtu.be/ftTk4eWa0Ro?t=23) [article](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1083999.html) [article](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1084014.html)

a man dubbed by the [Western media](https://www.ft.com/content/3c8495d0-c0ba-11e3-a74d-00144feabdc0) as "Russia's propagandist" joins Robert Kocharyan during street protests

Informed Citizens NGO: Andranik Migranyan referred to Armenian citizens who took part in the 2018 revolution as "охлос, чернь, мразь" ("scum"). He has just arrived from Moscow to tell us that we are "sacrificial scum". While working at MGIMO [Russian foreign ministry-affiliated university], he wrote an article about the need for Russia to create conflicts to maintain influence over post-USSR republics. In other words, a person who once said that Armenians must be sacrificed for Russia, has come from Moscow and joined a protest after Pashinyan's Parliament speech in which he said Armenians should no longer be used as sacrificial lambs. //

[article](https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/237594) [article](https://www.ft.com/content/3c8495d0-c0ba-11e3-a74d-00144feabdc0)

Armenian official thanks U.S. ambassador Tracy for regular visits to Syunik province

Syunik governor Ghukasyan hosted ambassador Tracy in Syunik.

Ambassador: This is a period with many challenges. The embassy continues to provide assistance through various US government agencies.

Governor: Thanks for the USAID programs in our villages. We hope the programs will continue. Your regular visits to Syunik are an important indicator for our people. //

The two spoke about tourism, economy, road construction, agriculture, etc. They agreed to meet again.

[article](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1084071.html)

EU's Charles Michel about the trilateral meeting in Brussels:

Productive 3rd meeting with Aliyev and Pashinyan. We reviewed the entire agenda, including communications, borders, humanitarian issues, and the work towards the future peace treaty. A tangible process has been made. Next meeting by August.

EU's Joseph Borrell about the trilateral meeting in Brussels:

We welcome the 3rd trilateral meeting hosted by Charles Michel in Brussels. Hopefully, concrete steps will be taken to support dynamics towards sustainable peace. The EU continues to be strongly engaged in peace and reconciliation efforts.

[article](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1084053.html)

Pashinyan and U.S. Secretary Blinken discussed the Brussels meeting

Blinken: We highly appreciate the efforts of the Armenian government aimed at establishing peace and stability in the region, as well as the process of the democratic reforms in Armenia.

Pashinyan: Overall I assess the meeting as positive, but there have been some interpretations after the meeting that have no connection with the content of the discussions. ["corridor" trashtalk]

Blinken: We will continue to support the efforts to open the regional communications, demarcate the borders, settle the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, and continue the democratic reforms in Armenia. //

[article](https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1084073.html)

the communication agreements reached in Brussels are in line with what the Armenian side has been saying since last year: Security Council chief Grigoryan

Grigoryan: Our position hasn't changed since last year. There will be no "corridors". All the agreements reached in Brussels relate to the opening of communications in the region. They are in line with what we've been saying. The agreements around border checkpoints, customs, transfer fees, and international transit are an important part of implementing the Armenian Crossroads program envisaged by the government. //

[article](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1084011.html)

Armenian-Azerbaijani border commissions hold the first meeting on the border

The commissions are led by Deputy Premier Grigoryan and Deputy Premier Mustafayev. The parties reaffirmed readiness to discuss issues relating to delimitation and border security.

The next Border Commission meeting will be held in Moscow, followed by one in Brussels.

[article](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1084094.html)

government wants to reduce customs bureaucracy on borders by forming "one window" so businesses only have to deal with state agencies once

Parliament is discussing a Government bill that envisages the implementation of the "one window" principle. Businesses will approach one window, where two security agencies will conduct their checks.

Authors: Currently, the border checks are conducted by NSS border guards, customs agencies, police (passport), and inspectors (food).

After the reforms, we will have NSS border guards (will now handle passports) and customs agencies (will now handle food safety). They will carry out other duties if necessary.

Today you have to deal with multiple agencies on the border. After the amendment, you will approach one window and deal with state agencies once. The goal is to simplify the process for businesses. //

[article](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1084029.html)

Pashinyan and ANIF

The Premier attended the event dedicated to the State Interest Fund of Armenia (ANIF) to summarize the programs implemented in 2019-2021.

Pashinyan: ANIF was established 3 years ago. During this period the Government has had great expectations from it. I want to talk about the reason behind the decision to establish ANIF.

ORIGINS

Both in the system of public administration and in the economy, we see that the most important thing is to have the determination to overcome inertia. Otherwise, we will just have to follow the economy like an observer. ANIF was created to overcome that inertia and provide a new course for our economy.

TAX REFORMS

In 2018 we made a political decision to introduce a flat tax in Armenia. Do you remember there was a lot of criticism then, a lot of pessimism, yet according to the latest statistics we have a new absolute record in the labor market (number of jobs). Usually, the highest point is in December, so December 2021. But already in April we surpassed the previous record by more than 5,000 jobs, and compared to 2018, the number has risen by 123K. I am talking not only about registered jobs but also about paid jobs.

We were warned about the risks of losing budget revenues. Yet in terms of income tax, in 2021 we collected ֏120 billion more than in 2018.

In spite of everything, it seems the economic mood in our country is not bad, because according to Q1 data we had a real GDP growth of 8.6%. According to January-April data, we have an additional trade turnover of ֏574 billion against last year.

INVESTMENTS

In the near future, we are expecting a number of interesting investment programs by the Government. For example, the launch of the new airline founded by ANIF. We hope the presence of ANIF in our economy will become more and more visible.

In general, ANIF invests $214 million in various sectors of our economy through joint projects with partners (91% partners, 9% ANIF).

During the 2.5 years of activity, ANIF has signed more than a dozen memoranda of cooperation and documents with international companies. Two major investment projects of strategic importance for the country have been launched:

1) Construction of a 200MW solar plant.

2) Fly Arna national airlines.

ANIF's subsidiary "Entrepreneur + State" Investment Fund continues to support local companies through investments. To date, the fund has invested $10 million in 6 companies, creating 170 jobs. The purpose of the Fund is to foster the inflow of private capital into the economy.

To promote the development of the investment environment in Armenia, the ARFI (Armenian Financed) program will be launched this year, which aims to spread investment activities on the online platform.

[article](https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1084078.html) [video](https://youtu.be/O4o_0ZOkXPE?t=5) [article](https://factor.am/514766.html)

֏554 million allocated to design the construction of Yerevan's new subway station in Ajapnyak

The municipality council voted to approve the allocation of funds --which came from an anti-corruption raid against a parking company -- to finance the first phase of the construction.

[article](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1084027.html)

Vatican wants to strengthen relations with Armenia

The countries are celebrating the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations. FM Mirzoyan and FM Paul Richard Gallagher exchanged letters about the global and regional events and Christian ties between the two states.

The Vatican, which opened a diplomatic mission in Yerevan last year, wants to strengthen ties to promote moral values, justice, and peace.

[article](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1084049.html)

Armenia held discussions with Japan Airlines about the prospects of operating direct flights

Armenia's ambassador met with the airline officials. They also spoke about using Armenia as a transit state to reach Europe.

[article](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1084042.html)

VIDEO: suspected thieves flip a van during a high-speed chase with police

Police: We received a report from a warehouse owner in Yerevan about a group of thieves repeatedly breaking into the warehouse. The group was planning to conduct another raid this morning with the use of vehicles.

Police agents organized an ambush and began chasing the suspects after they drove the vehicle toward officers during the escape. One of the Patrol officers fired warning shots during the chase, then fired at the fleeing vehicle's rear tire. The vehicle flipped over. The group was detained.

The second van was stopped at a different location. A few others were detained not far from the warehouse. Stolen items were recovered from a van. Eight suspects are facing charges. //

[video](https://youtu.be/poiXVKS1TOE?t=50), [article](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1084065.html)

Armenian "ArMath" tech lab program expands in Georgia

Georgia's Javakheti region already has a dozen ArRMath labs where students learn science and engineering. Another lab has opened in village Ozni (Tsalka region).

The lab will operate in a house owned by an Armenian landlord who agreed to donate the territory. Another local Armenian businessman agreed to renovate the area to meet the standards.

[photos and article](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1084010.html)

Orion Summit 2022: techies will gather on June 22 to discuss Armenian startup ecosystem and acquisitions

The five key topics will be mergers and acquisitions, growing Armenia's GDP, creation of a success model for other emerging markets, etc.

There are more than 2,500 companies in the Armenian high-potential startup ecosystem, which is a good basis for market consolidation and for the potential creation of unicorn companies. Merged companies can be more competitive. //

[links and araticle](https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1084017.html)

Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE) will acquire 65% of Armenian Securities Exchange (AMX)

The seller is the Central Bank of Armenia, which owns 90%. The acquisition talks began in mid-2020. Studies were carried out and a 5-year development plan was presented. The deal is worth ֏873 million.

Central Bank: WFB will be an important institutional investor in the Armenian financial market, which will give an impetus to the development of the Armenian capital market and will foster the integration of Armenian and Polish capital markets, opening new opportunities for Armenian companies and investors.

The deal will develop the trading system, expand the stock exchange and Central Depository services, and introduce state-of-the-art technological solutions.

The GPW is the largest and most developed market in Central and Eastern Europe. It organizes trading in stocks, bonds, derivatives, fund shares, and other instruments. It is a public company. //

Deputy Premier of Poland: Our relations with Armenia's central bank are good news for both sides. Many branches of the Armenian economy need investments. The country has excellent growth potential. The acquisition will accelerate capital market growth. //

[article](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1084008.html) [article](https://www.armbanks.am/en/2022/05/20/139919/) [article](https://www.tert.am/am/news/2020/09/18/Cba/3399682)

this year's economic growth might be higher than what the central bank predicted immediately after Ukraine war, says central bank chief

The government was expecting a 7% growth. Then Ukraine happened and the central bank and international organizations downgraded their expectations to ~1.6%. There are also worse scenarios, depending on how badly the Russian economy will suffer.

CB chief: It's possible we'll need to revise the 1.6% growth estimate.

MP: Was that a good idea to raise the interest rate by 1.25% if there are signs of positive developments?

CB chief: The positive developments could lead to higher inflation. We do have signs that the economy could grow above 1.6%, but if the growth is driven by spending from foreign visitors, this will create additional demand and inflation, so we can't lower the interest rate. The 1.25% interest hike was appropriate and mild. //

[article](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1084056.html), [more](https://youtu.be/XmSl29JR6_M)

litter the streets of Yerevan and you might pay a $100 fine

Today it's $10. Mayor Hrachya will ask the government to amend the law to raise it by 10x. Council held a meeting today to discuss the trash that you can find everywhere.

As for waste sorting in Yerevan, a pilot program will launch in the Davtashen district. The Mayor said there are currently few sorting facilities and their efficiency is low. They will purchase more trash cans and launch a pilot program.

[article](https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1084058.html) [more](https://youtu.be/2l4ykFwrvfI?t=445)

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/uwzz7w/may242022_your_daily_news_digest_from_armenia/