2023 November 27

Daily news wrap-up

Universal healthcare terms // Guilty verdict: Ex-gen stole millions // Two new subway stations // Stats: Refugee migration, labor migration, economy // Indian & French weapons: interview // Trade routes // And more...
by ar_david_hh

---

construction of Yerevan's new Ajapnyak subway station begins next year

OFFICIAL: The company hired to create the plan has submitted the results to the city. The construction of Ajapnyak station must begin next year. The second new subway station will be built near the Surmalu Mall. A tender will be launched next year to choose a company to design the plan.

[video,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhQiUB0LBlk) [source,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjFYZp3a-KU) [source,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP88g_1m1PI)

Yerevan has a new $4.9 million school built under a seismic resilience plan: PHOTO

821 students are attending school No. 122, the construction of which began in 2021 with a loan from the Asian Development Bank to improve the seismic resilience of buildings in Armenia.

[source,](https://factor.am/715602.html)

stats about the number of Nagorno-Karabakh refugees who left Armenia

The government revealed that over 3,000 refugees left Armenia in the initial days. That number later increased to 6,600, but the trend has stopped according to PM Pashinyan.

4,300 of the 10,900 refugees who left Armenia have already returned, leaving 6,600 currently abroad.

[source,](https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/274473)

labor migration stats: 2020-2022

13% of Armenian households had a member who migrated for a job.

Half of those migrant household members were still absent from home: 60% were in Russia, 33% in other regions of Armenia.

>The results of the study indicate that the estimated average annual number of migrant household members who left Armenia in 2020-2022 for 3 months or more and did not yet return in 2022 was about 25,000, those who returned from abroad - 21,700, and newcomers from abroad - 11,000

[source,](https://arka.am/en/news/society/overwhelming_majority_of_armenian_labor_migrants_in_202_headed_for_russia_/)

government ended September with $187 million in surplus instead of $619 million in deficit mostly because of issues with the capacity of the construction sector

The capital expenditure rate was only 57% as of September. However, the Finance Ministry says this number is expected to grow significantly by year-end because there is a lag between the company finishing the work and the government certifying the completion and making the payment. *"The last month is when the results and the payments are synchronized."*

The final completion rate is still expected to be well below 100%. The Ministry says the budget for capital expenditures has grown so rapidly that they couldn't find enough construction companies to complete the projects and that some companies promise things but fail to deliver them.

[source,](https://arka.am/en/news/economy/armenian_government_ends_9_months_with_budget_surplus_of_74_6_billion_drams/) [source,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-e2sDKrFCc)

economy & inflation: January-October, YoY

Economic activity: +9.2%

Consumer prices: +2.5%

[source,](https://arka.am/en/news/economy/consumer_prices_in_armenia_rose_by_2_5_in_january_october/)

universal healthcare: premium subsidies & coverage

Healthcare Minister Avanesyan provided more details about the planned rollout of the new healthcare system starting in mid-2024.

It will cost around ֏164,000 per year (up to $40 per month). Free for <18 and >65 age groups *(gradual rollout)*. The government will subsidize 30%-60% of your premium depending on your income if you earn below average wage.

The package will cover heart surgeries, cancer surgeries, cancer medication, surgeries, medication, trauma care, urgent care, preventative care, exams, etc., except for dental care and plastic surgery.

The recipient must undergo a set of mandatory medical exams every year to maintain the package. The types of exams will depend on your age and gender. *(Nikol literally wrote a law to grant himself the right to touch your anal cavity without your consent)*

Able-bodied residents must be employed to maintain the package. You can report yourself as self-employed, pay taxes, pay the monthly fee, and receive the health package.

QUESTION: Who will be the insurance companies? Will they be private or state organizations?

A: The government will create a single insurance fund. All the "healthcare and insurance risks were calculated", taking into account the share of paying workforce and free recipients, etc. The Minister says this will allow the government to reduce the price of the average insurance package.

QUESTION: But I thought competition is what drives down the cost.

A: The competition will be among hospitals (and clinics). They will compete with their quality and selection of services. The recipient will choose where to visit.

QUESTION: Can we pull this off financially?

A: The benefit is that you pay a smaller amount each month and get to enjoy the benefits without going bankrupt when you get sick or retire. Currently, according to World Bank estimates, the Armenians are overburdened with out-of-pocket medical expenses. Early detection and prevention through mandatory exams is expected to significantly improve the situation.

[source,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2krxOPVLTwg)

production of whisky grew by 78% in Armenia

Armenia also became one of the largest exporters of whisky to Russia this year.

(1) Latvia $191 million (+500% YoY)

(2) Lithuania $29 million (+800%)

(3) UK $10 million (-18%)

(4) France $7 million (+50%)

(5) Armenia $6 million (+150%, overtook Spain)

[source,](https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/274402) [source,](https://arka.am/en/news/economy/armenia_becomes_one_of_five_largest_exporters_of_whisky_to_russia/)

800 Armenian cargo trucks cannot enter Russia because of bad weather on Georgia's border road: official

Lars is unreachable again due to weather conditions on Georgia's Stepantsminda-Lars road.

In related news. Georgia is building a bypass route involving tunnels and bridges to guarantee traffic in any season and to cut travel time by almost an hour. This route should be available in 2024.

In related news. Some Armenian truck drivers are saying their cargo was denied by Russian customs agents yesterday due to "agricultural safety violations". The government says they have requested information from Russia to clarify the nature of the issue. Several weeks earlier Russia suspended the entry of Armenian brandy, but despite fears that it was a political retaliation, Armenia admitted that there was indeed a quality issue with that particular batch of brandy.

[source,](https://www.civilnet.am/news/758077/լարսը-փակ-է-բոլոր-տեսակի-տրանսպորտային-միջոցների-համար/) [source,](https://arka.am/en/news/business/the_reason_why_armenian_trucks_not_allowed_into_russia_through_upper_lars_will_be_known_in_2_days_de/)

image depicting the ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh is chosen as TIME's one of the best photos of the year

[Spasiba Vladimir Vladimirich](https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/274411)

Armenian authorities press tax fraud charges against a major car reseller that was importing Western cars for resale in Russia

AUTHORITIES: A group of individuals established a business in June 2022 and imported hundreds of vehicles worth $47 million from Germany and the UAE for resale in Russia. They came up with a scheme to defraud the VAT debit system. We have fully recovered the damages worth $4.3 million.

[source,](https://factor.am/715529.html)

verdict: court has found ex-General Manvel Grigoryan and his wife guilty of embezzlement and tax evasion

Ex-regime ally Manvel Grigoryan died from health complications in 2020. His wife was a co-defendant.

Grigoryans will have to transfer the state $4.5 million, 8 vehicles, and compensate for the stolen "Zinvori Bazhin" food and similar items that they stole from the army.

Grigoryan's wife was sentenced to 6 years in prison but she won't spend it in prison because of her status as a veteran of the first Karabakh war.

[source,](https://factor.am/715702.html)

ruling party (plaintiff) asks the court to lift sanctions on an NGO's (defendant) assets in a defamation case

The Informed Citizens NGO claimed the ruling party was using shady tactics to help Tigran Avinyan win the Yerevan elections. The ruling party claimed the publication contained defamation and sued the NGO. The court froze the NGO's assets.

During today's session, the NGO was preparing to argue that the freezing was unjustified, but the trial was cut short because the plaintiff (ruling party) itself asked the court to unfreeze the defendant's assets.

The court unfroze the assets. The defamation trial continues.

[source,](https://www.pastinfo.am/hy/news/2023/11/27/pxcchuyt6/1675914) [source,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ej2LYAjFJU)

interview with military expert Leonid Nersisyan: $1 billion worth of self-propelled artillery and missile launcher acquisitions from India is enough to cover 2020 losses

REPORTER: Yesterday Russia's MOD Sergey Shoygu announced that a unified air defense network was formed between CSTO countries based on bilateral agreements. Given the worsening of AM-RU relations, is it possible Armenia could refuse to join this system?

LEONID: Armenia joined it a long time ago. In practice, this system did not work. Armenia needed it in September 2022 [to fend off the Azerbaijani attack] but no reaction was displayed by the system. The same could be said about the 2020 war. But if in the case of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war Russia could argue it wasn't "covered", then there was no such justification during the 2022 attack on Armenia itself.

REPORTER: How does this unified air defense network work?

LEONID: If Armenia wants, it can add or withdraw, for example, a division of a [air defense] system. It's a flexible system. Armenia and Russia have formed a joint group. Armenia can "recall" its members and send them to war on the Azerbaijani border if necessary. This is a system that's *pointless* but at the same time not necessarily *harmful*.

REPORTER: After the 2020 war we heard that Armenia's air defense was a weak point and the air wasn't "closed". Could this CSTO unified network help Armenia in case of new attacks?

LEONID: By CSTO you mean the Russian 102nd military base in Armenia. Russian air defense systems are very limited in quantity and very outdated. It exists, but it wasn't really better than what the Armenian army had during the 2020 war. Armenia will be better off focusing on its own air defense system rather than investing in a unified network. Lately, work has been done to improve our own air defense.

REPORTER: Armenia wants to acquire aid defense systems from France. Can they be incorporated in Armenia, or will there be resistance driven by the fact that we currently use Russian weapons?

LEONID: Resistance by Russia? It's unlikely. Obviously Armenia is not going to make the French weapons part of the AM-RU air defense network.

REPORTER: Can the Armenian army integrate Soviet and French weapons under one roof, in our army?

LEONID: Yes. It's possible.

REPORTER: Will the new French and Indian weapons help Armenia resolve the issues and will they be a serious asset during a future possible war?

LEONID: The AM-FR cooperation is very new so it's too early to suggest that the limited number of acquisitions we have made so far will make a strategic difference. We are only aware of 4 agreements so far. (1) Bastion armored vehicles. They are great but the quantity is limited. (2) Radio-location radar systems. They are very serious and new weapons. Even 3 units can play a noticeable role. (3) Mistral air defense systems for very short distances. The agreement will be signed soon. It will improve the army's abilities even if not at a strategic level. (4) We will see more announcements because the French army plans to send specialists to analyze the Armenian army's needs.

REPORTER: What about the Indian weapons?

LEONID: This is a different case. We are talking about a strategic level of quantities of weapons. If we put together all the media publications from India, we are talking about acquisitions worth around $1 billion. This is an *unprecedented* large number for Armenia. If we combine all the acquisitions from Russia in 2015-2020, that's around half of the Indian contracts signed in a single year. This is especially true if we take the artillery, for example. This is a major upgrade. We have never had that many self-propelled artillery, we have never had that range of fire, and the number of units mentioned in Indian press is very large. I believe it can fully cover the 2020 losses. The other weapons are also interesting, but the effect of this new artillery is going to be the most significant.

REPORTER: Armenia is no longer attending CSTO meetings. What gives?

LEONID: Armenia wants to diversify its foreign partners and increase Western involvement. Armenia has not yet formally left CSTO and has not canceled the agreements with Russia yet, and I don't think this will happen in the near future either. It all depends on how Russia and the West react. Armenia will leave CSTO if the West offers serious security guarantees.

REPORTER: What institutions or countries can restrain Azerbaijan?

LEONID: The combination of Iran and the West. As for Russia, I see a scenario in which Russia's interests can align with Azerbaijan's because they would benefit from a Russian-controlled corridor through Armenia.

[source,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhjy2Lgi3GI)

U.S. State Department: no forceful creation of a "corridor" is allowed

O'BRIEN: We see a real opportunity for Azerbaijan and Armenia to make peace. We’re encouraged that the two sides are speaking with one another directly and with mediators. And with that, we see a real opportunity for the entire region to benefit. For example, if trade from Central Asia is able to flow through Azerbaijan and Armenia into Türkiye, then it would be a substantial boost for all the countries on that trade route. And we’d welcome the opportunity to be part of that.

At the same time, if the decision is made not to pursue that by peaceful means, then we would have to use whatever tools we could to avoid having that kind of trade route created. So we’ve been very clear with the parties about what we hope to see and about the consequences of moving forward otherwise. So we’ll look forward to seeing where the parties come out. We know they’ve expressed an interest in concluding a peace agreement very soon, and we would love to see that happen.

[source,](https://www.state.gov/assistant-secretary-for-european-and-eurasian-affairs-james-obrien-on-the-secretarys-upcoming-travel-to-belgium/)

---

Link to original report and comments: https://www.reddit.com/r/armenia/comments/185i1r5/universal_healthcare_terms_guilty_verdict_exgen/