2023 November 16

Daily news wrap-up

Pashinyan's speech: Karabakh, economy // Deterioration in Azeri-West relations: Senate bill, Permanent monitoring in Karabakh // Ammo from India; EU's possible defense aid // Armenian satellite // Pension reform: postpone retirement=bigger check // ...
by ar_david_hh

---

PM Pashinyan was in Parliament to promote the 2024 budget

PASHINYAN: This is a historic budget. It has more than doubled since 2018, an increase of ֏1.3T or $3 billion.

... healthcare

Health expenditures have doubled since 2018. We have made healthcare more accessible to our citizens. No one should be left behind. The latest data shows that it takes only a month between requesting non-urgent care and receiving one, for the recipients of free healthcare.

In January-September 2023, we recorded the lowest death rate in 6 years and the highest natural growth.

... defense

Defense expenditures have doubled since 2018. This isn't a preparation for war, this is a preparation for peace.

... construction

Capital expenditures have tripled since 2018. We are building water networks, roads, power lines, kindergartens, schools, and so on.

... jobs & poverty

We have created over 170,000 new jobs since 2018. The poverty rate has decreased from 26.5% in 2021 to 24.8%. Extreme poverty has decreased from 1.5% to 1.2%.

We could have "distributed" the newly generated billions of dollars to people, but we have chosen to invest it in creating new opportunities for them. Employment is the only way to overcome poverty. We respect our able-bodied citizens and don't want them to live off of government "handouts" forever.

Today, thousands of foreign workers are coming to Armenia to seek employment.

... personal wealth

The GDP per capita has increased by ֏1,170,000 ($2,900) or 58% since 2018.

Real wages have increased by 33%. This is the wage growth after we subtract the inflation.

... tourism

As of October, we had over 2 million visits by tourists. I believe this is a historic record for our republic. The financing for tourism has increased by 35 times since 2018. We are investing to help our SMEs in the tourism sector.

... education

Education expenditures have doubled since 2018. There have been several reforms in this area.

Our economy grew by 28% in the last 5 years. This is an enormous number that has expanded our potential. To realize this potential, we must now focus on our education and science so we can develop our human resources.

... culture

We don't protect our culture and values by raising a glass in a toast, we protect them by raising the funding by 5.5 times. Our monuments will be protected and restored.

... foreign policy

These are historic times for Armenia. We should not be a platsdarm or forpost for foreign actors. Armenia should be a country that provides security, prosperity, and freedom to its citizens. *[a jab at Russia]*

... Nagorno-Karabakh

We haven't had a realistic chance to have independent Nagorno-Karabakh since the December 1996 OSCE meeting in Lisbon, when the world stood against us.

Those who deceived us during closed-door meetings by giving us false hope, in reality, did so in order to prevent Armenia from developing into an independent state. Their strategic goal was to use Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as a lever to keep Armenia locked in a conflict until the day when Armenia had no choice but to lose its statehood and independence. *[a shot at Russia]*

The topic of Nagorno-Karabakh ceased to exist in December 1996. Everything afterward was about the Republic of Armenia. We witnessed this in 1998, 27 October 1999, 2020, and 2023.

Couldn't we have understood this sooner without going through these tragedies? We could have, but only if we changed our mindset, but it was impossible to change it because of the pseudo-patriotism we inherited from the Communist times.

Today, you are witnessing a change of mindset in Armenia. We are replacing the provincial-grade Soviet pseudo-patriotism with a state-oriented patriotism.

hայրենիքը պետությունն է, սիրում ե՞ս hայրենիքդ՝ ուժեղացրու պետությունդ, հայրենիքը պետությունն է, սիրո՞ւմ ես հայրենիքդ՝ եղիր օրինապահ, հայրենիքը պետությունն է, սիրո՞ւմ ես հայրենիքդ՝ վճարիր հարկերդ: //

[source,](https://factor.am/711858.html) [full session,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAbli3mSgxw)

Azerbaijan cancels negotiations in the U.S. after Washington's rebuke of the Aliyev regime for the ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh

Context in [Wednesday news](https://www.reddit.com/r/armenia/comments/17w8b9j/armenia_and_us_working_realtime_to_uphold_russian/). The U.S. has "downgraded" ties with Azerbaijan because of the September 19 attack that came after a 10-month-long blockade. It's not going to be the same as before until Aliyev chooses peace, was the message sent by O'Brien.

Azerbaijan has canceled the November 20 meeting with FM Mirzoyan in Washington, citing O'Brien's "one-sided and biased" statements. Azerbaijan said the U.S. could lose its role as a mediator. Azerbaijan feels offended. They will similarly cancel high-profile visits by U.S. officials in response to cancellations by the U.S.

[source,](https://civilnet.am/news/757137/ադրբեջանը-հրաժարվել-է-վաշինգտոնում-հայաստանի-հետ-հանդիպումից/)

U.S. Senate votes in favor of a pro-Armenian bill, stripping Azerbaijan of military aid

Senators voted YES on Act S.3000, (Armenian Protection Act of 2023), repealing Freedom Support Act section 907 waiver authority with respect to assistance to Azerbaijan. If the House approves it, the U.S. President won't be able to circumvent the ban by issuing a waiver.

[source,](https://arka.am/en/news/politics/u_s_senate_votes_in_favor_of_pro_armenian_bill_stripping_azerbaijan_of_aid_/)

EU urges Azerbaijan to allow permanent independent monitoring missions in Nagorno-Karabakh after the return of ethnic Armenians

EU's BORRELL: We condemn Azerbaijan's September 19 military aggression which resulted in a mass exodus of over 100,500 Karabakh Armenians. We call upon Azerbaijan to ensure the rights and security of Karabakh Armenians, including the right of return, and to allow permanent independent monitoring of the situation on the ground, in addition to the visits of the UN missions.

[source,](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-9-2023-002520-ASW_EN.pdf)

Russia criticizes the West for "pressuring" Moscow's ally Azerbaijan

MATVIENKO VALENTINA (Minister of Happiness): Russia has always taken an active role in ensuring stability and peace in the South Caucasus. This is very important to us. We see that the Western states only aim to incite conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Azerbaijan has been pressured on various Western platforms and it will not lead to anything good.

Russia-Azerbaijan relations are continuously improving. Putin and Aliyev are constantly in touch. The alliance agreement [February 2022] between our countries has given new qualities to the development of our bilateral relations. We are currently discussing large-scale infrastructure, interregional, and interstate projects. //

[source,](https://factor.am/712070.html)

EU reaffirms its support for Armenia's sovereignty and territorial integrity and welcomes its readiness for closer cooperation

The second high-level AM-EU Political and Security Dialogue took place in Brussels.

The EU reiterated its unequivocal support for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and inviolability of borders of Armenia and welcomed Armenia’s readiness for closer cooperation with the EU. The U.S. State Department is separately working with Armenia and the EU to strike a deal between the two in an attempt to make Armenia less dependent on the Russian market.

Armenia's delegation highly appreciated the fast deployment of the EU civilian mission to observe the AM-AZ border. They discussed non-lethal support to Armenia through the European Peace Facility.

The support for Armenia's participation in regional projects such as the Black Sea Underwater Electricity and Internet Cables was reaffirmed.

[source,](https://arka.am/en/news/politics/eu_reaffirms_its_support_for_armenia_s_sovereignty_territorial_integrity_and_welcomes_its_readiness_/)

Armenia is buying a bunch of grenades from India

An Indian company will supply 150,000 pieces of 30mm and 40mm grenades to Armenia. Two months ago they supplied 5 million rounds of 7.62mm bullets.

[source,](https://www.civilnet.am/news/757087/հնդկաստանը-հայաստանին-150-հազար-միավոր-նռնակ-կմատակարարի/)

more about the French armored vehicle "Bastion"

Armenia's National Security chief Armen Grigoryan denied rumors that the dozens of Bastion armored vehicles that Armenia received from France were low-quality "leftover" vehicles that Ukraine refused to accept. Grigoryan said Armenia was negotiating specifically around these vehicles because they meet Armenia's demands.

These vehicles are mobile and have a shield that's "good enough". Armenia has received the "APC" model. It is the beefed-up version, unlike the "PATSAS" model. The APC can transport 10 soldiers. You can attach 7.62 and 12.7 millimeter machine guns and grenade launchers.

It has Level 3 (out of 6) protection under NATO's STANAG 4569 standard. Here is what it can take:

>7.62×51mm [machine gun fire]

>8 kg (explosive mass) Blast AT Mine:

>Mine Explosion pressure activated under any wheel or track location.

>Mine Explosion under center.

>155 mm High Explosive at 60 m

As well as safety mechanisms that prevent fuel leaks, internal fire, and explosion.

[source,](https://www.civilnet.am/news/757111/ֆրանսիական-bastion-ների-մասին՝-հերքելով-տարածված-կեղծիքները/) [source,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STANAG_4569)

Iran has slowed down the enrichment of uranium after striking a deal with the U.S.

>The rate at which Iran is enriching to 60%, however, has slowed to around 3 kg a month from 9 kg earlier this year, which diplomats said is the apparent result of indirect negotiations with the United States that led to a prisoner exchange between the two countries in September.

Iran removed security cameras from facilities last year. They have reinstalled some of them. The IAEA is dissatisfied with the compliance.

Iran has enough enriched uranium to produce 3 nukelear bombs at the moment.

>Uranium enriched at 60% purity [which is what Iran has] is just a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.

[source,](https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/irans-nuclear-enrichment-advances-it-stonewalls-un-iaea-reports-show-2023-11-15/) [source,](https://apnews.com/article/iran-nuclear-inspectors-iaea-uranium-f4a9adde3ff41cd7586afc52e0031311) [source,](https://factor.am/711773.html)

Armenia joins the International Solar Alliance to combat climate change

Founder: India

Bosses: India, USA, UK, France, Australia

Goal: Efficient consumption of solar energy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

Today Armenia signed the agreement to join the ISA. The ceremony was attended by ambassadors of India and France. The parliament will ratify it later.

... solar energy in Armenia

The Armenian government has a goal to bring the share of solar energy to 15% by 2030, or 1000 MW, and build an additional 500 MW by 2040.

[source,](https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1124306/) [source,](https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/273741)

interview with astrophysicist Garik Israelyan: Armenian satellites

REPORTER (1in): Ukraine is searching for Starlink alternatives after a conflict with Elon Musk. Starlink has been crucial for its military's communication. Armenia sent its first-ever surveillance satellite in 2022. Azerbaijan's satellite will expire soon. What does this mean for Armenia?

GARIK (Starmus co-founder): Armenia's satellite has a high-resolution camera with a 2-meter resolution. It is too early to say that it will solve complex military objectives but it's a good first step. This satellite will pave the way for new imaging and models of our region. Analysis by AI is the future. The AI algorithms need a vast amount of data to function properly. This satellite should take images and build that database so that future satellites can resolve more complex tasks.

REPORTER: What problems can the existing satellite resolve?

GARIK: It can easily detect large military equipment, small military camps, and illegal buildings. It cannot detect objects smaller than 1m, let's say 50 centimeters. That's for future projects. Building such satellites is very difficult and very few companies have the necessary optics and software. Armenia has the opportunity to continue to cooperate with one of those companies so we can have the next-gen satellite in the near future.

This field is developing quickly so we can't afford bureaucracy. Elon Musk's company is successful because they have eliminated internal bureaucracy. The decisions are made rapidly. One of my friends recently said, "There are two types of people: fast and dead." A business either works fast or doesn't exist. In this industry, it's better to make multiple decisions quickly at the cost of making some errors, rather than wait a year to make a single correct decision. I want Armenia to take quick action now and not settle.

Sadly, the space industry was not developed in Armenia for decades, so today we found ourselves having to enter the game rapidly with minimal investments. It's a difficult journey. Azerbaijan invested $120 million to purchase two military satellites from Israel. We don't have to spend as much money in order to compete. I'm confident we can have our own advanced military satellites at a much much lower cost, we just need to act quickly. We have excellent space experts in the diaspora who could help us. I have not yet seen serious efforts to invite them to Armenia. We tried this in STARMUS. This is a common problem with governments as opposed to the private sector. The former always works slowly.

Today the investments are focused on the IT field or hotels; I don't see a lot of interest by investors in the space industry. That's because they are more familiar with how IT and hotel works. This is why the state should step in and invest.

Ukraine released its own satellite a few months before Armenia. Their satellite was 3x more expensive yet came with weaker parameters. They aren't using that satellite for the war because the U.S. provides them with better images. Armenia has no such access to more advanced satellites in "real-time", so we need to release our own. We can buy images from established players today but it's difficult to predict in advance what you will need and when you will need it.

Today we don't need to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to have the best-in-class surveillance satellite. The cost has dropped to $30 million, vs $300 million a decade ago. //

[source,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uut-ljO4NXY)

Mars or Armenia?

[photo](https://scontent.fevn7-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/401852472_714938747333486_6544609935986932488_n.jpg?_nc_cat=108&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=5f2048&_nc_ohc=es-PKxq04lEAX_nxoXE&_nc_ht=scontent.fevn7-1.fna&oh=00_AfCR2SqDKJwTjf3Byf-Dm0b6asSX0v0yzka0wKcUqwq_Uw&oe=655ADA3C)

the most innovative countries: Global Innovation Index 2023

What is measured: knowledge & tech outputs, human capital & research, and a host of other things.

(1) Switzerland (13th consecutive year)

(3) U.S.

(11) France

(23) Belgium

(29) Spain

(39) Türkiye

(51) Russia

(60) Moldova

(62) Iran

(65) Georgia

(72) Armenia

(89) Azerbaijan

(92) Lebanon

(132) Angola

[source,](https://www.visualcapitalist.com/most-innovative-countries-in-2023/)

Armenia plans major reforms in pension calculation system

MINISTER: Next year we will reform the pension calculation system. Each employed year will have the same coefficient while calculating the pension, whether the person has worked >10 years or <10 years.

The "minimum pension" will be abolished and replaced by a base pension + the sum that reflects the number of employed years.

Those who've worked many years will have a new coefficient to boost their pension.

A new system will allow you to voluntarily postpone your retirement in exchange for receiving a bigger pension later. You can postpone your retirement for 1+ years.

Self-employed persons and farmers will be able to easily register with the IRS, declare their income, pay taxes, and receive pension benefits upon their retirement. This is also an important tool to combat the shadow economy. //

[source,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAbli3mSgxw?t=2232)

---

Link to original report and comments: https://www.reddit.com/r/armenia/comments/17wyxtr/pashinyans_speech_karabakh_economy_deterioration/