Armenian News... A Topalian Our Ancient City on the brink of change.
Informative Articles on Armenia:
BBC - Travel - Armenia’s ancient city on the brink of change
The interaction of History and Innovation
From Rouben Galichian
An interview regarding the beginnings of the Armenian velvet revolution, up to the arrest of Mr Kocharyan that provides some basic facts and description of events, with English subtitles.
Today Online, SIngapore
Oct 10 2018
Armenian PM to resign for early election
PARIS - Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Wednesday he would tender his resignation in the coming days in preparation for an early election in December.
Pashinyan, the former opposition leader, became prime minister in May after the Republican Party was toppled following weeks of mass protests against corruption and cronyism. He submitted a new government program and promised an early parliamentary election.
"Early elections should be held around Dec. 9-10, give or take a day. It will be in that timeframe so I will have to tender my resignation by Oct. 16," Pashinyan told France 24 TV. REUTERS
Emerging Europe
Oct 9 2018
US tech start-up to set up shop in Yerevan
Tamara Karelidze
DISQO, a fast-growing tech company from the US has announced that it is to set up operations in Armenia. The founders of the company – American-Armenian entrepreneurs – have confirmed that they are ready to invest 13.5 million US dollars in the business. DISQO provides high quality first-hand consumer data to the world’s most extensive market research and analytics companies. The founders intend to recruit senior Armenian specialist, creating 30 ne jobs.
“We are excited about tapping into a talented pool of people to help us build the product and scale our company. Armenia has a flourishing tech community which we want to connect with at this early stage,” said DISQO’s CEO, Armen Adjemian.
The Armenian office of DISQO’s will operate as an official branch of the company and not as an outsourcing team. In doing so, the company believes that it will double its potential and disrupt the industry with new initiatives and projects. The Armenian team will continue working for current customers, which include the world’s largest market researchers and a number of organisations listed in the Fortune 500.
The Armenian team will start work within the next month at the Tumo Centre for Creative Technologies in the country’s capital, Yerevan. DISQO promises new perspectives for developing the local IT industry and believes that it will strengthen the country’s economic relations with the international market.
DISQO was founded in 2015 by Armenian entrepreneurs, Armen Adjemian, Drew Kutcharian and Armen Petrosian in Los Angeles. It boasts the largest consumer research panel in the US.
News.am, Armenia
Oct 9 2018
US announces assistance increase for Armenia
US Ambassador to Armenia Richard M. Mills, Jr., was pleased to announce on Tuesday an increase in U.S. assistance funding for Armenia.
The United States recently provided more than $14 million in additional foreign assistance resources for initiatives in Armenia following the political transition, and in the coming year the U.S. government intends to provide more than $26 million in FY 2018 foreign assistance funds, an increase of approximately $20 million above what had been requested for Armenia. These funds will support priority programs in the political processes, anti-corruption, civil society, and independent media sectors. Funds will also advance the Administration’s foreign policy priorities to increase business and trade opportunities for American and Armenian companies including by supporting energy reforms as well as Armenia’s fast-growing information technology industry.
U.S. assistance to Armenia supports many areas of bilateral cooperation, including governance, transparency and accountability, political inclusion, legislative strengthening, and local governance reforms. To support Armenia’s political transition, programs will help rebuild multiparty political systems and support free and fair elections. Assistance will also strengthen civil society and improve access to independent media. In the economic growth area, programs will seek to generate sustained and broad-based economic growth by supporting sectors that have high growth potential, enhancing workforce skills, and facilitating innovation. Assistance will also support energy market liberalization reforms and promote cross-border trade and integration.
[Azeri press articles are attacking Armenia as the bogus ;ovation for this festival and conference. Apparently it is corrupt, undemocratic and does not respect human values. Anyone read the news that the £16 million UK property purchases of the daughter of an Azeri central bank CEO are being investigated by the British authorities as to the source of the funds?]
Radio Canada International
Oct 10 2018
Trudeau, Legault travel to Armenia for La Francophonie summit
By Levon Sevunts
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Quebec Premier-designate Francois Legault are set to depart for Armenia Tuesday evening to attend the XVII Francophonie Summit in the Armenian capital of Yerevan.
The three-day summit of heads of state and government in Armenia’s 2,800-year-old capital brings together leaders from 84 member states and governments from five continents from Oct. 11 to 13.
Canada has four seats on the International Organisation of La Francophonie (IOF): the federal government and the provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec are full members, while Ontario has observer status.
The Canadian delegation in Yerevan will also include Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie Mélanie Joly who is already in Armenia to participate in the 35th Ministerial Conference of La Francophonie, which is wrapping up Tuesday.
Joly, whose riding in northern Montreal has a large and active Armenian community, will then join Trudeau to take part in the leader’s summit.
The theme of this year’s summit is “Living together in solidarity, shared humanistic values, and respect for diversity: a source of peace and prosperity in La Francophonie.”
Trudeau will highlight the importance of working together to address shared challenges, inclusive economic growth, and promoting diversity and inclusion, said a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.
Canada’s Michaelle Jean facing an uphill battle for re-election as secretary general of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (IOF). The Canadian government under Trudeau said it would support her bid for a second term.
He is also expected to lobby world leaders on behalf of outgoing IOF secretary general Michaelle Jean, who is facing a stiff challenge from Rwandan Foreign Affairs Minister Louise Mushikiwabo.
Jean, Canada’s former governor general, is fighting for her political future at the helm of the organization dedicated to the promotion of French language and culture.
Armenia joined La Francophonie in 2004 as an observer and obtained full member status in 2012.
The summit in Yerevan comes as Armenia mourns the passing of French-Armenian singer Charles Aznavour.
French President Emmanuel Macron had invited Aznavour to participate in the summit and the 94-year-old was even expected to perform at a gala concert, which will also feature Canadian diva Celine Dion, according to Armenpress news agency.
Trudeau’s second visit to Armenia, but first official
Following the summit, Trudeau will stay on for a bilateral visit to the country. This will be Trudeau’s second visit to Armenia but his first official visit as prime minister.
Trudeau told Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during a brief introductory encounter at the NATO summit in Brussels in July that he visited Armenia in 1988 together with his father, former Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, and has good memories of his visit.
‘Excellent relationship’
Armenia declared independence from the Soviet Union on Sept. 21, 1991. Diplomatic relations between Canada and Armenia were formally established the following year.
“Canada enjoys an excellent relationship with Armenia, and I look forward to further deepening that friendship,” Trudeau said in a statement, issued on Sept. 21, officially confirming his participation at the summit and the bilateral visit.
“Together, we will discuss ways to create more economic opportunities for businesses and people in both our countries.”
Canada is host to an Armenian community of more than 60,000 people, with vibrant communities in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.
Many Canadian Armenians are the descendants of refugees and survivors of the 1915 Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire, which forced nearly the entire Armenian population of Turkey to flee their historic homeland and set up diaspora communities all over the world.
In 2006, despite strong objections by its NATO ally Turkey, Canada became one the 28 countries to officially recognize the slaughter of as many as 1.5 million people and mass deportations of Armenians during World War One as genocide.
In recent years, Canada has accepted thousands of Armenian refugees fleeing wars in Iraq and Syria, as well as skilled immigrants, mostly IT professionals, from Armenia itself.
However, bilateral trade between the two countries remains very modest. In 2017, Canada’s exports to Armenia totalled $9.3 million and imports from Armenia reached $26 million, according to government statistics.
However, Pashinyan, a 43-year-old former newspaper editor and opposition leader, who became Armenia’s prime minister in May after leading mass street protests against the former ruling elites, has promised to uproot endemic corruption and attract foreign investment.
Pashinyan hopes the summit will help showcase Armenia’s potential as an attractive investment and tourism destination with a highly educated workforce, a burgeoning IT and high-tech sector, and a rich culture and history.
On a lighter note, an Armenian company is hoping to add to Trudeau’s collection of flashy socks. The digital branding company Braind has made socks with the colours of the Armenian flag – red, blue, orange – as a special gift for Trudeau and Pashinyan.
Panorama, Armenia
Oct 9 2018
Armenia refused 78 asylum seekers this year
Armenia received 84 asylum applications about 145 people in January -September 2018, the head of the country’s migration service Armen Ghazaryan told reporters at a briefing on Tuesday. In Ghazaryan’s words, 36 applications out of the total number were solved with 67 people granted a refugee status, while 18 applications were rejected.
In terms of geography, Ghazaryan said most of the applications had been submitted from Syria, Iraq and Yemen: “As a result of the civil war and humanitarian crisis in Yemen, we have increased asylum seekers from that country. We live in a volatile region where the number of asylum seekers increases during an escalation of any conflict,” added the speaker.
Ghazaryan outlined the housing issue as the main problem refugees currently face.
“Housing was been periodically provided to refugees from Azerbaijan, yet the housing issue has not been fully addressed even after they obtained Armenian citizenship. In 2004, the Armenian government adopted a decision to provide housing to refugees yet the programme was stopped in 2009 due to insufficient budget means. Today, we are working to address the matter both through budget and at the same time elaborate on attracting alternative means,” the head of the migration service said.
JAM News
Oct 9 2018
Armenia’s young men increasingly suffering strokes
Specialists say contributing factors are social issues and irregular work schedules
In recent years there has been an increase in the number of young Armenian men aged 20-30 who suffer strokes. The Armenian media has begun paying particular attention to the problem.
Reasons
The head of Armenia’s Association of Neurology, Gurgen Hovhannesyan, states that it is aggravated by social factors and irregular work schedules.
“For example, taxi drivers work up to 14-16 hours per day without extended breaks or weekends off. This also interferes with their ability to receive proper nutrition. All of this, in addition to harmful habits such as smoking, can lead to a stroke.”
Hovhannesyan says that immunity issues and resistance to strokes are specific to individuals.
Moreover, cardiovascular issues are not properly observed and treated in Armenia:
“Healthcare is not free in Armenia, and thus many avoid going to the doctor.”
Why people do not stay in hospitals after strokes
Most people who suffer strokes in Armenia do not remain in hospitals. They try to leave as soon as possible due to socio-economic problem.
Hovhannesyan says that hospitals approach stroke patients in a number of various ways, and there are no standards as to their treatment. Moreover, rehabilitation is costly and not everyone can afford the costs associated with a rehabilitation centre.
PanArmenian, Armenia
Oct 10 2018
Moody's: Armenia among countries that face greatest funding risks
Sri Lanka, Armenia and Pakistan top the list of smaller emerging economies most vulnerable to refinancing risks, because they face a combination of large upcoming repayments and low foreign currency reserves, ratings agency Moody's said on Wednesday, October 10, according to Reuters.
Across frontier markets - a subset of riskier and often smaller emerging economies - some $4 billion of hard-currency sovereign bonds will mature each year from 2019 to 2021, with Asia most affected, Moody's found.
The refinancing burden will soar to $7 billion to $9 billion a year from 2022 to 2030 as large repayments come due in sub-Saharan Africa.
"As international sovereign bonds mature in 2019 and 2020, governments in Sri Lanka, Armenia and Pakistan, and to a lesser extent Honduras and Kenya will be most exposed to more costly debt financing," Moody's analyst Matthew Circosta wrote in a note.
"If pronounced and sustained, this would weaken debt affordability and raise their debt burdens, especially if local currencies depreciate," he said.
While the sovereign credit ratings of Sri Lanka, Armenia and Pakistan reflected how vulnerable they are, a further hit to their foreign currency reserves could raise the risk of lower capital inflows and higher refinancing costs. That in turn could spell a cloud over credit ratings, said Moody's.
Sri Lanka has $1.5 billion of hard-currency bonds maturing in the first four months of 2019 and another $1 billion in 2020, translating to 2.7 percent of its gross domestic product, Moody's calculated. Armenia has $500 million coming up for repayment in 2020, which translates to 3.9 percent of GDP.
Lonely Planet Magazine
Oct 8 2018
How to get the first modern hiker’s map for Armenia’s Dilijan National Park
Travellers who want to explore Armenia’s beautiful Dilijan National Park may soon have some help, thanks to a new modern hiking map of the region.
Cartisan is a new independent branch of the Transcaucasian Trail that has spent the last year researching and developing a hiking map for the area. They are aiming to raise US$12,900 (€11,206) to create the map and are currently halfway to their goal. While any amount can be donated, a US$30 (€26) donation will get you a copy of the finished map as well as “bonus goodies”.
The organization notes that paper maps are important when exploring remote regions, as they don’t lose signals or run out of battery like electronics. Since there’s now a trail network in the park that is seeing more and more visitors, some people have been seeking out maps, but none existed.
The map is just one part of the TCT’s efforts to turn the region into a destination for hikers, starting with this small region. “If successful, the 1:25,000-scale topographical map published through this campaign will represent another huge step towards transforming Dilijan National Park into a sustainable, world-class hiking destination”
While the TCT is still being completed, one eager traveller has already hiked the trail between Georgia and Armenia. University of Bristol student Val Ismaili became the first person to hike the uncompleted trail last year.
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