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Armenian troops neutralize Azerbaijani raids targeting Nakhichevan – minister

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Armenia’s minister of defense

Armenia’s minister of defense on Wednesday dismissed the reports about increased tension close to Nakhichevan’s military positions, saying that the Armenian troops have managed to avert an aggressive attack by Azerbaijan’s armed forces.

“[Our] armed forces have taken the necessary steps to neutralize attempts to reduce the area lying between military positions in the direction of Nakhichevan,” Davit Tonoyan told reporters.

He said that despite the relative peace in the recent period, the military is strongly recommended to be permanently be prepared for a war at any moment.“We always expect renewed military actions which by the way [may be provoked] not only by Azerbaijan,” he added.

Asked to comment on the strong-worded message to Azerbaijan in his recent interview with EADaily (Tonoyan’s warning was perceived by the Azerbaijani leadership as an attempt to lash out at the country), the minister said he has nothing to add to what he  already mentioned. “Apart from just making a statement, I also rely on the brevity of spirit and the preparedness of our armed forces,” he said.

Addressing corruption in the military, Tonoyan said they now observe certain risks in connection with the recent achievements. “There are corruption risks which used to be organizational in character, but the fight against it is a real, ongoing process. The new government and prime minister have established specific criteria, so our work is in progress at the moment,” he added.

Asked whether the billions of Armenian Drams returned to the State Budget inspire any chances for increasing the salaries in the public sector, the minister ruled out such plans for the nearest future. “We are not planning that for 2019, but the military budget will essentially increase,” he said.

WATCH: Armenia’s charismatic president deals with demonstrations in total swag – all smiles and joy as President Sarkissian grooves to folk music with protesters

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YEREVAN, MAY 23, ARMENPRESS. The “Amulsar Without Mine” initiative, a protest movement against Lydian’s Amulsar gold mine, rallied today in Yerevan. The rally began from the Mashtots Park with demonstrators marching towards the Presidential Residence to hand over a letter to President Sarkissian. Demonstrators claim that the mining industry is being implemented in Armenia with numerous irregularities and violations, and has negative impact on nature and other branches.

The protesters said that their rally isn’t solely against the Amulsar project. They said their goal is to draw the attention of the government on problems in the mining industry. Demonstrators called for a new independent expert group to study the mine. They said their letter contains evidence regarding the problems related to Amulsar. Shortly after handing over the letter in the building, the President himself came down to personally speak to the protesters.

“If we view the most important issues of our country, certainly everything is important, however for me, as a citizen and as a president, there are three important problems. One is the security of our country. Security in a broad sense, it isn’t only the army, not only the military industrial complex, but also foreign relations and others. Second is education, eventually the future of our country will depend on the level of the new generation. And it’s not just about academic education, but also civil, which they got on the street. I hope this isn’t en emotional outburst and being a citizen will continue. I hope that the new generation will be citizens in their entire lives,” President Sarkissian said.

The third important issue, according to the President, is nature protection, where numerous unregulated issues exist. “If Amulsar was our sole problem I would be happy, but our nature preservation issues are a lot bigger, it’s not one mine, but many mines which require studies. The most important issue in nature protection is water, which is our wealth and it must be preserved. Recently I met with Eduardo Eurnekian [Argentine-Armenian business tycoon, owner of many businesses in Armenia], who is cultivating grapes in a 400 ha area, then produces wine and exports it. The man says he can multiply the area if the water issue is solved, whereas a significant part of water gets wasted in the pipes. Therefore, any issue which will impact the water base must be scrutinized. I assure you that Amulsar and other issues will be under our spotlight, “ the President said.

The President vowed to give a quick response to the letter. In a joyous conclusion of the demonstration, the protesters began dancing under some Armenian music, and the President joined the group.

The Armenian president has personally interacted with protesters in various unrelated instances while in office. Recently the president went outside his residence to talk with protesting staff of a defunct factory. And most notably, perhaps, the President walked through thousands of protesters in Yerevan’s Republic Square earlier in April to negotiate with Nikol Pashinyan, then-opposition leader who is now serving as Prime Minister.

 

Armenia’s parliament sets date for prime minister vote

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Opposition protest leader Nikol Pashinian has said he wants to become prime minister. It’s unclear if he will get support from parliament where the Republican Party has a majority.

Armenia’s parliament will vote for a new prime minister on May 1, its speaker Ara Bablayan said Thursday.

Opposition protest leader Nikol Pashinian has said he is prepared to be a candidate.

Serzh Sarksyan quit as prime minister on Monday following two weeks of street protests over alleged corruption and cronyism.

Sarksyan moved to the premier position earlier this month after 10 years as president. Protesters accuse him of attempting a power grab under a new parliamentary system of government.

Pashinian and his supporters are demanding that parliament choose a “people’s candidate” who is not from the ruling Republican Party for the role of prime minister. Pashinian wants to hold new elections, reform the electoral code and carry out wide reforms of the political system.

Only about 8 percent of seats in parliament are held by the Way Out Alliance tied to Pashinian, who is seeking to gain the support of other opposition groups to become prime minister. The Republican Party holds a majority in parliament.

Pashinian has threatened extended protests, which continued Thursday, if the Republican Party nominates a candidate.

The deepening political crisis in Armenia, an ally of Russia, has sparked concerns over destabilization in the combustible Caucuses region, where there is a decades-long territorial dispute between Armenia with Azerbaijan.

cw/kms (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)

Serzh Sargsyan elected Armenia’s PM, while opposition leader announces the start of velvet revolution

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YEREVAN. – Armenia’s former president Serzh Sargsyan has been elected a Prime Minister with 77 votes for and 17 against.

Armenian lawmakers elected the prime minister for the first time in Armenia’s history after the Constitution was amended and Armenia changed its form of government and handed more powers to the prime minister.

Serzh Sargsyan was nominated by the Republican Party of Armenia and ARF Dashnakustyun.

Deputy minister highlights 117% growth in Armenia’s agriculture

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The agricultural sector has seen a 117% growth in Armenia in the past five years, a deputy minister said on Saturday, praising the effectively developing international cooperation in both the bilateral and multilateral formats,.

Speaking at a workshop organized for journalists, Armen Harutyunyan said they have agreed on plans to launch an irrigated agriculture project in collaboration with the EU later this year.

“We are negotiating a new program with the EU for 2019-2021 to address the agriculture registers and infrastructure development. Additionally, the Ministry of Agriculture is actively collaborating with international organizations, and the Austrian Development Agency to develop organic agriculture,” he noted.

The deputy minister said that the cooperation with the EU secured a funding of €38 million, of which €20 million went to budget insurance.

Hakobyan also addressed several joint projects with the World Bank. He added that their key export destination is the Russian market which sells the Armenian honey, tea and juices.

“We are making our first steps in organic agriculture to outline a format of government support starting from 2020,” he said, not ruling out the possibility of subsidies.

Harutyunyan also highlighted the increasingly competitive value of Armenia’s agricultural produce on the European continent. “Europe is facing an increasing demand for organic products,” he said.

The official promised future government efforts to boost the exports.

Minister of Agriculture Ignati Arakelyan added that the Armenian organic honey is now being exported to China.

Armenia’s Maksim Manukyan claims title of World Wrestling Champion

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Maksim Manukyan of Armenia jumped out to a 5-0 lead at break against Radzik Kuliyev of Belarus at the World Wresling Championships, currently underway in Paris, France.

The 29-year-old Greco-Roman wrestler who was fighting in the 80 kg weight class showed a stunning performance on Tuesday, August 22 to win Armenia’s second gold of the tournament.

Reigning Olympic champion Artur Aleksanyan had also won a gold medal in the men’s 98kg weigh category on Monday.

Armenia has thus secured two of a total of eight golds of the Paris-hosted event.

Armenia’s Khosrov Forest State Reserve still on fire

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Armenia’s Khosrov Forest State Reserve national park. is still on fore. As of 7:30am on Sunday, 77 rescuers, 50 servicemen of Ararat military unit, 60 policemen, 50 forestry workers and residents of Urtsadzor village are taking part in putting out the fire.

Apart from this, two helicopters of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia, which carried out six flights, have joined the rescue squads.

France: Lyon Mayor awarded Armenia’s Order of Honor

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Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan visited the Bellecour Square in Lyon today and laid a wreath at the memorial to the Armenian Genocide victims, President’s Press Office reports.

Later the day President Sargsyan had a meeting with Lyon Mayor Gérard Collomb. The President expressed gratitude to the Mayor for careful attitude towards Armenia-related issued.

Serzh Sargsyan said that Mayor Collomb’s efforts aimed at reinforcement of friendship between the two peoples and his principled stance on Armenian Genocide do not go unnoticed.

The interlocutors discussed issues of decentralized cooperation, interaction in science and education and a number of other directions.

President Sargsyan also left a note in the guest book.  He awarded Gérard Collomb with a Order of Honor for his significant contribution to the reinforcement and development of Armenian-French ties.

The Mayor of Lyon hosted an official dinner in honor of President Sargsyan.

Transforming Armenian Villages “Adopt A Village Project” – connecting Diaspora “Video”

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adopt-a-vilage-740By Wally Sarkeesian
Transforming Armenia
On 29 September 2016 something magical happened in Vayots Dzor Province, Armenia. It wasn’t just the sound of Armenian music or the dancing of young villagers. It was a day when the Armenian diaspora were able to connect directly with their fellow Armenians in a unique way.
The Adopt-a-Village Project (AAV) is an idea by Australia/New Zealand genocide activist Len Wicks, who is author of Origins: Discovery, a novel that features Armenia. Len married Armine Hakobyan in 2011 and since then has been on a quest for positive change in the Fatherland.
Everyone present – diaspora, tourists, dignitaries and ordinary villagers – were captivated by the simple concept of each village in Armenia having a mentor who organized direct assistance from the diaspora and friends of Armenia living in the diaspora nation. AAV uses direct, transparent micro-projects to avoid corruption. The scheme has the potential to systematically transform the nation, by strengthening the economic independence of the most vulnerable Armenians in rural villages. It’s surprising that this hasn’t been done before.

We witnessed a gathering of people from around the world at the unveiling of the Karas Monument – designed by Len as a tourist icon to symbolize the start of the Silk Road Wine Trail that he’s promoting for tourism. Excited young villagers unfurled a 125 metre Armenian flag from the monument, singing Mer Hayrenik.
They were happy to know that others cared for them and the future was brighter.
It was noted that villagers have to play their part too. They have to clean up their village, learn languages and welcome guests, especially the supporting diaspora.
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Special AAV projects were celebrated in three different villages: Rind (supported by the diaspora in Thailand), Areni (New Zealand) and Shatin (Australia). It’s an innovation intended to prepare villages for tourism and encourage the young to stay. Should we wait until the villages depopulate and die, vulnerable to those who desire our homeland?
If you would like to learn more about the Armenian Church-endorsed AAV Project, please check out the information at http://originsdiscovery.com/Adopt-a-Village.html, and contact Len through his website contacts. On the news page you can see the interviews about AAV on Armenian TV.

Fitch rates Armenia’s Yerevan “B+”, says outlook Stable

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armenia-b-plusFitch Ratings has assigned Armenian capital city of Yerevan Long-Term Foreign and Local Currency Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) of “B+” and a Short-Term Foreign Currency IDR of “B,” it said in a statement.

The Outlooks on the Long-Term IDRs are Stable. The ratings reflect Yerevan’s status as Armenia’s capital, satisfactory budgetary performance, supported by steady transfers from the central government, and a debt-free status.

In its base case scenario, Fitch expects the city to maintain satisfactory fiscal performance with an operating margin of 2%-3% in 2016-2018 (2011-2015: average 7.5%). The lower than historical margins will be driven by continued adjustment of the city’s operating revenue to negative shocks resulting from the protracted slowdown of Armenia’s economy in 2014-2015.

“We also expect Yerevan to run a slight surplus before debt variation of 1%-2% of total revenue in 2016-2018, after an average deficit of 1% in 2011-2015. Fitch projects Yerevan city’s operating revenue will total AMD78bn in 2016, up 3% yoy,” a statement said.

“Capital spending is likely to decrease slightly to about AMD7bn-AMD8bn in 2016-2017 (2015: AMD9bn) before rising to about AMD10bn in 2018. It will likely remain at below 10% of total expenditure, significantly below the average of 22% in 2011-2015, when the city made material infrastructure investment funded by state transfers and donor grants.”