Armenian News... A Topalian

Asbarez.com

11 June 2019

Defense Forces Retaliate for Killing of Artsakh Soldier

In a military operation over the weekend, Armenian Defense Forces successfully retaliated for the June 1 killing of Artsakh Soldier Sipan Melkonyan by Azerbaijani forces.

Armenia’s Defense Ministry spokesperson Artsrun Hovanhanniyan took to social media in a rare post announcing that Defense Minister David Tonoyan has bestowed the highest honors on the soldiers who were involved in the retaliatory operation to “avenge the death of Sipan Melkonyan” and praised their conduct.

Ignoring the role that Azerbaijani soldiers played in the 19-year-old Melkonyan’s killing, official Baku issued an announcement through the foreign ministry that acknowledged the death of one Azerbaijani soldier as a result of “diversion operations by the Armenian side.”

The Azerbaijani foreign ministry said in its announcement that on the eve of planned meeting by the top diplomats from Armenia and Azerbaijan, mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen, the Armenian side undertook “a regular bloody operation,” in an effort to thwart the Karabakh peace process. Official Baku also placed the so-called blame on Armenia and its authorities.

I should worth noting that the retaliatory operation took place following last week’s meeting between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Vladimir Putin of Russia in St. Petersburg.

 news.am, Armenia

June 12 2019

Artsakh MFA: Restoration of Artsakh's territorial integrity still

needs to be resolved

Twenty-seven years ago, the Azerbaijani armed formations with the support of the units of the 23rd division of the former Soviet Army occupied the Shahumyan region of Artsakh, Artsakh Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“For the subsequent period a large part of the Martakert region was captured: in total, around 50% of the territory of Artsakh wasoccupied.

To date, the Shahumyan region and part of the Martakert and Martuni regions are under the occupation of Azerbaijan where the authorities

of this country are pursuing a policy of illegal settlement.

The issue of restoration of the territorial integrity of the Republic of Artsakh and return of the indigenous Armenian inhabitants to theplaces of their residence still needs to be resolved, which is one ofthe key elements of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict settlement,” the statement reads.

PanArmenian, Armenia

June 11 2019

Dutch parliament slams Erdogan’s comments on Armenian Genocide

The Dutch House of Representatives on Tuesday, June 11 adopted a resolution condemning Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s April 24 comments concerning the victims of the Armenian Genocide, lawmaker Alen Simonyan said in a Facebook post.

Erdogan said back then that the deportation of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century was “appropriate at the time.”

The “deportation of Armenian gangs who were massacring Muslims including women, children and elderly people in the Eastern Anatolia region was the most appropriate act at that time,” Erdogan said. “No group or state has been able to prove their claims on the Armenian issue with archive documents.”

The document adopted by the parliament of the Netherlands obliges the government to inform the Turkish authorities on the lawmakers stance.

April 24, 1915 is the day when a group of Armenian intellectuals was rounded up and assassinated in Constantinople by the Ottoman government. On April 24, Armenians worldwide commemorated the 104th anniversary of the Genocide which continued until 1923. Some three dozen countries, including the Netherlands, hundreds of local government bodies and international organizations have so far recognized the killings of 1.5 million Armenians as Genocide. Turkey denies to this day.

AHVAL, Armenia

June 12 2019

Pro-Kurdish HDP submits queries to interior minister on Armenian woman attacked in Istanbul

2019-06-12

Turkey’s pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP) have submitted written queries to the interior minister after an Armenian woman was stabbed in İstanbul last month, left-wing news site Gazete Duvar reported on Wednesday.

HDP lawmaker Hüda Kaya submitted a series of written inquiries in parliament to Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu in connection with the woman from Armenia, who was attacked on May 31 in the Samatya district of Istanbul.

Fellow HDP deputy Garo Paylan also brought up the attack in parliament on Wednesday, asking why the assailants, who had committed a hate crime, had not been caught.

The woman, identified as Arpine T., was hospitalised after masked men stabbed her at the entrance to her house in Samatya. The two men told the woman the attack was only the beginning, according to reports. Arpine T., who had moved to Istanbul from Armenia, is relocating back to Armenia, the newspaper said.

The written queries included questions whether work had been done to identify the attackers and to prevent similar attacks, and how many people who targeted Armenians’ homes have been arrested, Gazete Duvar said.

Historically one of the most significant ethnic minorities in Turkey, the current Armenian population of 50,000 to 70,000 is a fraction of the number that lived in the Ottoman Empire before expulsions and mass killings began in 1915. The fate of the country’s Armenians is still one of the most controversial topics in Turkey, whose government denies that a genocide took place.

Kensington Chelsea & Westminster Today, UK

June 11 2019

The Summit of Minds – Armenia June 2019

Only the sharpest minds and their cooperation are capable of addressing the global issues we face today. War, money, technology, so many things created by humans to control our world have also managed to become what appear to be insurmountable obstacles to building a clearer and brighter future. While many international conferences meet to address such dilemmas, one conference in particular looks to address these issues directly. The Summit of Minds is an annual conference which features thematic discussions on topics such as: geopolitical developments in Eurasia and the Middle East, high technologies and management, artificial intelligence, digital economy, and other contemporary fields of interest. It boasts a vast and diverse array of attendees, from private investors to generals, current and past country prime ministers and Presidents, economists to entrepreneurs, scholars, politicians, the list goes on.The conference is typically held in Chamonix, France but for the first time in the history of the conference the venue has changed.

This year’s Summit of Mind’s takes place in the historic city of Yerevan in the beautiful country of Armenia. Why Armenia? The country is currently in the middle of a radical change, both politically and economically. After decades of corruption Armenia is now headed by a Prime Minister and President who have nothing but the people’s interest and the prosperity of their country at heart. If this sounds implausible, a look at the two leaders’ backgrounds will settle any doubts. President Armen Sarkissian has a doctorate in theoretical physics and was longtime Armenian ambassador to the UK and the EU. He also studied at Cambridge alongside Stephen Hawking and was one of the original authors of TETRIS. The Prime Minister is a great favourite of the Armenian people.  After holding protests calling for political fairness for over a decade culminating with the 2018 democratic revolution, Prime Minister NikolPashinyanentered office with the people of Armenia behind him. Speaking at the Summit of Minds, PM Pashinyan focused mainly on the future of humanity and how very bright it could be. Here is an excerpt from his speech:

An ancient Indian parable asks, ‘what is more than the stars?’ The answer is: ideas. Only one person’s ideas are taken into consideration in this answer though. The idea is the most important variable and the turning point for shaping and creating our reality. The whole of civilization, in fact, is based on a single factor, the human mind. Generally speaking, there are only two key factors affecting the planet: the cosmic factors and human mind. As we talk about the main topic of today’s debate on economic, investment and geopolitical trends worldwide and in the region, we can see that the greatest investment in the modern world is already being done by the human mind.

Today, the idea is the main driving power behind the economy. The point here is that the human mind is no longer limited to itself, and a global industry of using artificial thinking, artificial intelligence is thriving all over the world. This is the main trend in the 21st century, in the modern world. When we look at the structure of the global economy established just over the past 20-30 years, we will see that the most dramatic change is thought and new ways of thinking. The forces that stem from human thought, talent and intellect, have become economic locomotives in the modern world.

Armenpress.am

 11 June, 2019

First Armenian Diaspora Opinion Survey results released

The Armenian Diaspora Survey (ADS) published the results of the first ever survey which presents the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the Armenian world in the 21st century, Massis Post reported.

The 150-page Pilot Project includes six thematic chapters – identity, language and culture, religion, community, policy and relations with Armenia, as well as the full results of the pilot survey conducted in May and June 2018 in Boston, Cairo, Marseille and Pasadena. 

Реклама 14

Hratch Tchilingirian, a scholar at University of Oxford, says the main goal of this research project is to understand the multilateral and various aspects of the life of the Armenian Diaspora.

According to him, the information and all responses of the survey can be useful for the leaders of communities and institutions of the Armenian Diaspora and policy-makers in Armenia, especially when they make decisions on the priorities and programs of the communities.

Over 1000 Armenians in four cities in the Diaspora took part in this survey, which was led by a team of academics, researchers and experts. In May and June 2018 four teams conducted the survey and interviews in Boston, Cairo, Marseille and Pasadena.  These cities were chosen to provide variety for the initial phase, as well as for their community history and characteristics. 

The overwhelming majority of the respondents consider the continuation of the Armenian Diaspora as important and meaningful space—94% marked as “fairly” to “very” important. Along these lines, 84% of respondents felt it was important to help Diaspora communities in the Middle East. This is significant as traditionally the Genocide and the Republic of Armenia have been the focus of funding, study or discourse in the Diaspora.  The respondents showed interest in all of these, but considered the Diaspora equally important.  Armenia is “fairly” and “very” important to 90% of respondents and 75% have visited the country at least once, while 93% intend to visit. 

Respondents said that Armenian language, history and religion were important to themselves and to Armenian identity generally—but variations appeared between the cities and further questions revealed broad variations in practice.   

Even as ADS respondents in the four cities seem to be more active than perhaps a broader population of Armenians, 73% claimed no active affiliation with any Armenian political organization. However a majority said they were active in other Armenian organizations such as the AGBU, Hamazkain and others.  

Predictably, Christianity is considered an important part of Armenian identity—for Apostolic, Evangelical and Catholic respondents across the four communities. While only 14-16% attended church weekly or monthly, 70% felt it is important to be married in an Armenian church.

RFE/RL Report

Armenian Government Pushing Through Major Tax Cuts

June 10, 2019

Nane Sahakian

Pashinian holds a cabinet meeting in Yerevan, 

February 21, 2019.

The National Assembly has approved wide-ranging tax cuts which Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s government says will stimulate economic growth in Armenia.

A government bill passed by the parliament in the first reading on Friday will introduce a flat personal income tax, cut the corporate profit tax rate from 20 

to 18 percent and make more small businesses eligible for preferential taxation. These measures are due to take effect on January 1, 2020.

Presenting the bill to lawmakers, Deputy Finance Minister Arman Poghosian said that it is designed to make the Armenian economy and especially its 

export-oriented sectors more competitive. He also stressed the importance of shoring up small and medium-sized enterprises.

The upcoming change of the existing income tax rates, which had been rendered more progressive by the former Armenian government, will primarily benefit relative high earners. The rates are currently set at 28 percent for monthly wages ranging from 150,000 drams to 2 million drams ($310-$4,150) and at 36 percent for higher incomes.

Armenians earning up to 150,000 drams per month now pay 23 percent of their income to the state. They make up around two-thirds of the country’s workforce, according to tax authorities.

The government bill will set a 23 percent tax rate for all individuals. What is more, that rate will be gradually cut to 20 percent over the next three years.

Government officials and Pashinian in particular have said that this will discourage employers from underreporting their workers’ wages for tax evasion 

purposes and spur broader economic activity. Artak Manukian, one of the 72 pro-government deputies who backed the bill, said on Monday that the uniform rate will also “simplify things” for businesses.

Critics, among them some of the 32 opposition lawmakers who voted against the tax cuts, dismiss these arguments. They say that the flat tax is unfair and would only widen the already serious income inequality in Armenia.

In another significant change, the government wants to increase from 58.3 million drams to 115 million drams the annual revenue ceiling for businesses 

that are exempt from profit and value-added taxes and pay a much lower “turnover tax” instead. Small businesses outside Yerevan earning up to 24 million drams annually will pay no taxes at all.

At the same time, the bill calls for significant increases in excise taxes collected from tobacco and alcohol. This is meant to partly make up for a short-term loss of the government’s budgetary revenues that will inevitably result from the tax cuts.

Visiting Yerevan in February, a senior official from the International Monetary Fund, Hossein Samiei, said the government should also offset those losses with a further improvement in tax administration. Samiei also cautioned that the tax cuts could have positive effects on the Armenian economy only in the medium term.

Iran Front Page

June 11 2019

Handicrafts of Isfahan’s Jolfa: Epitome of Iranian-Armenian Art

By Fatemeh Askarieh

Jolfa, an ancient neighbourhood of Isfahan, is known for its traditional arts which make up an important part of the history of handicrafts in Isfahan province. 

Those arts were produced in line with models of medieval Armenian art and in conformity with Ancient Iranian arts.

June 10th marks World Handicraft Day. Some 600 handicrafts have been registered on the list of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Of that figure, 450 belong to Iran. Interestingly, 287 handicrafts out of 450 belong to Isfahan.

Around 300 years ago during King Abbas Safavid, Armenians migrated from the banks of the Aras river to the banks of Zayandehrood in Isfahan to remain immune to the mass killing of Armenians. After the threat was removed, they stayed there.

Little by little, Armenians in Isfahan managed to spread their traditional and native arts and produced works of art using gold and tile as well as works of miniature and Qalamkari, part of which is on show at Isfahan’s Vank church.

The following are images of handicrafts produced in Isfahan and its Jolfa neighbourhood.

* After the second World War, handicrafts with an artistic and cultural touch drew the attention of many countries. On that day, the first international conference was held in New York, bringing together university professors, artists  and industrialists from more than 40 countries. The day when the conference was held was named as International Handicraft Day.

Armenpress.am

 10 June, 2019

Armenia’s exports to EAEU states grow by over 20%

The trade turnover between Armenia and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) has greatly increased since the country’s membership to the Union, Armenian economy minister Tigran Khachatryan said during parliamentary hearings on Armenia’s chairmanship year in the EAEU. The minister said the export of final consumer goods from Armenia to the EAEU states has also increased. 

Overall, last year the export grew by 20.7%.

“EAEU has opened great opportunities for Armenia’s economy. We have made some comparisons as of late 2014 (before Armenia’s membership) the quantitative figure of our relations with the member states. And we can state that the trade turnover volumes between Armenia and the other EAEU states has increased by 34.5%. Moreover, in the same period the exports from Armenia to the EAEU states has grown 2.1 times. In 2018 the exports from Armenia to the EAEU states has increased by 20.7%. These exports include final consumption goods”, the minister said.

1.1% in the overall export comprised mining goods. Only 99% comprised goods of reprocessing industry and agriculture. The minister attached importance to these figures which show that goods of Armenian production are competitive and demanded for the consumers of the EAEU member states.

In 2018 alcoholic drinks, diamond, fresh and frozen vegetables, fruits, tobacco, jewelry, pharmaceutics and construction stones have been exported to the EAEU states.

Armenia assumed the EAEU chairmanship on January 1, 2019.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan

J

AM News

June 11 2019

Armenia stands to benefit from Eurasian Economic Union, Iran trade deal

JIran has ratified an agreement on a free trade zone with the Eurasian Economic Union, which includes Armenia

The Iranian Parliament ratified an agreement on the creation of a free trade zone with the Eurasian Economic Union on 10 June.

Negotiations on behalf of the union were led Armenia.  As a result, all its members, including Armenia, will pay lower duties when importing and exporting more than 500 goods from Iran.

The countries of the Eurasian Economic Union have already ratified this agreement in their parliaments. However, this is still a temporary agreement.  Negotiations around the main agreement will begin in a year.

The Eurasian Economic Union is an international economic integration organization that operates under the auspices of Russia and includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.  The organization provides its members with the freedom of movement of labor, goods, services and capital.

Details of the agreement

The agreement between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union provides for a reduction in customs fees for all participants.

This will concern more than 500 goods, for which customs fees will be reduced or entirely removed.

The agreement hopes to boost trade between the EEU and Iran.

The countries of the EAEU will export meat products, sweets, cosmetics, machinery and technical equipment to Iran, while Iran will export vegetables and fruits, building materials and carpets to the countries of the EAEU.

The agreement will involve a particular reduction on duties for industrial goods:

– Iran will reduce them from 22.4 percent to 15.4,

– While the EAEU will reduce duties from 8 percent to 4.7.

The reduction of duties will also affect agricultural products.  In Iran, border payments for agricultural products are quite high – more than 32 percent.  The agreement will reduce them more than half – to 13.2%.

In the EAEU zone, duties on agricultural products will also be significantly reduced – from 9.6% to 4.6%.

What does this mean for Armenia?

The simplification of the customs regime will allow Armenia and the members of the EAEU to export more products to the Islamic Republic.  The market of this country for many years was unavailable due to high customs duties.

“It is worth noting that Iran continues to remain inaccessible to many foreign exporters. Duties on industrial products in this country are 4.5 times higher than in the EAEU.  The reduction of duties will affect almost half of the  goods that form the trade turnover between Armenia and Iran”, said economist Atom Margaryan. 

Iran’s economy is closed.  The country resorts to serious protectionist measures to protect the local producer. Iranian scholar Vardan Voskanyan says Armenia should make the most of new opportunities:

“Armenia is the only EAEU country that has a land border with Iran. And in Iran there is a point of view that Armenia should become a gate for them that goes to the countries of the EAEU, and  a gate to Iran for the countries of the EAEU. So we must try to fully take on the functions of this gate for two parties.”

Voskanyan says there are necessary prerequisites for this, in particular, a zone of free economic trade on the Armenian-Iranian border.

The Meghri Free Economic Zone on the Armenian-Iranian border officially opened in December 2017.  Here, goods are sold at cost price – in duty free mode.  Entrepreneurs working in the free economic zone “Megri” are exempt from income tax, value added tax, excise tax and customs duties. They are charged only income tax. 

Voskayan says that thanks to this agreement, Armenia can receive not only economic dividends, but also political ones: in the region there is a struggle for Iran between Armenia and Azerbaijan.  Each country is trying to attract Tehran with large projects, in particular in the field of transport and energy.  This agreement will allow Armenia to significantly strengthen its position.

Greek Reporter

June 12 2019

Greece Sinks to New Low in Shocking Defeat to Armenia (video)

By Tasos Kokkinidis

J

Greece slipped to a new low on Tuesday, conceding a shock 2-3 loss to Armenia in Group J of the European Championship qualification process.

It was a humiliating defeat as Armenia ranks 106th in the world according to FIFA.

As a result, Greece now trail second-placed Finland by five points, with the team’s hopes of finally qualifying for a major tournament again rapidly diminishing.

First-half goals from Aleksandre Karapetyan and Gevorg Ghazaryan put Armen Gyulbudaghyants’ men in firm control of this Group J clash, and although Zeca pulled a goal back for Greece, Tigran Barseghyan struck a third after 74 minutes to restore the two-goal lead.

There was still time for Kostas Fortounis to pull another goal back with just three minutes left, but the home side could not find a dramatic late equalizer to salvage a point.