Armenian News...A Topalian... 'Turkish' Tea
Lecture on 'Turkish' Tea
Sounds innocent until you hear the salesmanship including that Turkey is a democracy, all given by a sincere non-Turk:
MediaMax, Armenia
Oct 24 2018
Armenian president is ready to dialogue with Erdogan
Armenian President Armen Sarkissian is ready to dialogue with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, he said in the interview to Swiss public television channel RTS.
Citing his Christian beliefs, Armen Sarkissian said that forgiveness is possible, but “recognition must come first”.
According to the Armenian President, the recognition will have a broader historical scope because the Armenian Genocide was “the first genocide of the 20th century”.
“Firstly, I would tell Mr. Erdogan: “Good morning, Mr. President. I believe we have an issue to discuss together. You are the President of Turkey and I am the President of Armenia. My family, my ancestors were from Erzrum, Van and Bitlis. My family has long history. Why don’t we talk about the relations between Turkey and Armenia and about our personal stories? We have to discuss not only the past, but also the future - the future of your children and mine, your grandchildren and mine, and our nations,” said Armen Sarkissian.
RFE/RL Report
Pashinian’s Party Wins, Loses Local Elections
October 22, 2018
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s Civil Contract party won mayoral elections in at least two major Armenian towns but was defeated in another at the weekend.
Voters in nearly 50 communities across Armenia went to the polls on Sunday to elect their chief executives or local councils. As was the case in the September 23 municipal elections in Yerevan, the polls were marked by a lack of serious fraud reported by election candidates, observers and media.
In the largest of those communities -- the towns of Armavir, Echmiadzin, Hrazdan and Kapan -- the elections were held because their former mayors resigned shortly after Pashinian swept to power in May in what is known as a democratic “velvet revolution.” They were affiliated or linked with former President Serzh Sarkisian’s Republican Party (HHK).
In Echmiadzin, official vote results gave victory to Civil Contract’s Diana Gasparian, the acting mayor appointed by Pashinian’s government in June. Gasparian, 30, was challenged by 11 other contenders. She is the first female head of an Armenian urban community elected since the early 1990s.
Another Civil Contract candidate, Davit Khudatian, prevailed in the mayoral race in Armavir. The town located about 50 kilometers west of Yerevan is the administrative center of the Armavir province encompassing Echmiadzin.
The snap election in another provincial capital, Hrazdan, was won by a 25-year-old son of Sasun Mikaelian, a prominent Hrazdan-based politician and a leading member of Civil Contract. The party leadership pointedly declined to back Sevak Mikaelian for still unclear reasons, however.
Pashinian’s party suffered a setback in Kapan, the capital of the southeastern Syunik province bordering Iran. Its candidate, Narek Babayan, was defeated by a non-partisan challenger.
Pashinian personally campaigned for Babayan, holding a rally in Kapan on Friday.
The Armenian prime minister put a brave face on the setback on Monday. While saying that he is “very sorry” for Babayan’s defeat, he portrayed the election outcome as a triumph of democracy.
“It’s an unprecedented phenomenon [for Armenia] when the country’s prime minister backs a candidate and that candidate doesn’t win an election. This is the greatest victory for democracy in the history of the Third [Armenian] Republic,” Pashinian declared in a trademark video address to the nation aired on Facebook.
“Citizens made a decision and the government didn’t even attempt to place the citizens’ choice into the bounds of its wishes. Dear people, this is what we did the revolution for,” he said.
The former ruling HHK had for years swept most local elections in Armenia, heavily relying on its administrative and financial resources. Sarkisian’s party has essentially refrained from contesting such polls since losing power.
According to Pashinian, Civil Contract nominated or endorsed candidates in 15 communities and only two of them lost in Sunday’s elections.
Oct 22 2018
Giuliani visits Yerevan for Eurasian forum
He came on the invitation of a Russian-Armenian businessman who prides himself on his ties with Putin.
Joshua Kucera
Rudy Giuliani, the personal lawyer of U.S. President Donald Trump, has visited Yerevan for a forum dedicated to the Eurasian Economic Union, a Russia-led economic bloc.
Giuliani, a former mayor of New York, has recently become known for his full-throated – and often facts-challenged – defense of Trump as the president bounces from one controversy to the next. But Giuliani said he was visiting Armenia only in his private capacity.
“I’m here as a private citizen, just to learn some facts in my first time in Armenia,” he told reporters on October 22 during a visit to Yerevan's genocide memorial. Asked by local reporters if he recognized the Armenian genocide – which the U.S. government has not formally done – he said he did. “I certainly recognize it. I think it is a historical fact, but I am not here in my capacity as a private lawyer for President Trump, I am here as a private citizen.”
Giuliani also laid flowers at the monument and planted a tree.
The same day, Giuliani visited the Ministry of Defense and met with Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan, who gave him a briefing on Armenia's security environment.
He came to Yerevan at the invitation of Ara Abrahamyan, a Russian-Armenian businessman and head of the Union of Armenians of Russia, who prides himself on his ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “He gives orders and I carry them out,” Abrahamyan has said of Putin. Abrahamyan also publicly opposed the rise to power of Nikol Pashinyan, claiming that the “real goal” of the protests that swept Pashinyan into office was destabilization and economic damage to Armenia.
It's not clear how Abrahamyan enticed Giuliani to Yerevan, but the American has a record of getting involved in other countries' politics for money. In August, Giuliani spoke out against an anti-corruption effort in Romania, contradicting the official position of the State Department. He later acknowledged that he did so after being engaged by a lobbying firm.
It didn't appear that Giuliani took part in any formal events connected to Eurasia Week, which began on October 22 and was the ostensible reason for his visit. “The aim of the Forum is to boost integration, growth of economic capacity and expand industrial cooperation between [Eurasian Union] countries,” the event's website says. The Eurasian Union is a bloc including Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, aimed at integrating the region's economies.
Despite the Russia-heavy focus of the event, Giuliani's visit could boost ties between Armenia and the U.S., said analyst Suren Sargsyan, who first broke the news about the trip on his Facebook page. “Our country’s leadership will establish a direct contact with him. The acquaintance will potentially promote also further ties with the U.S. leadership. He may be a contact person between Yerevan and Washington,” Sargsyan told Armenian newspaper Tert. Giuliani's visit will be closely followed by that of National Security Adviser John Bolton, another close Trump ally.
Giuliani's consulting company did not respond to an email from Eurasianet requesting comment. The forum continues through October 24.
RFE/RL Report
Armenian President Refuses To Sign ‘Counterrevolutionary’ Bill
October 23, 2018
President Armen Sarkissian has asked Armenia’s Constitutional Court to rule on the legality of a controversial bill that sparked angry street protests in Yerevan early this month.
The bill hastily passed by the National Assembly on October 2 might complicate the parliament’s dissolution and the holding of fresh general elections sought by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian. It took the form of amendments to the parliament statutes.
Pashinian accused the former ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) and two other parliamentary forces of hatching a “counterrevolutionary” conspiracy against his minority government. Responding to his appeal, thousands of his supporters rallied outside the parliament building immediately after the passage of the bill.
Pashinian held talks with parliament majority leaders in the following hours. He told the angry crowd afterwards that he received assurances that they will not hamper his efforts to force the elections in December.
Under the Armenian constitution, such polls can be held only if the prime minister resigns and the parliament fails to replace him or her within two weeks.
Some observers had suggested earlier that after Pashinian’s tactical
resignation his supporters will blockade the parliament to prevent it from electing another premier during the two-week period. The controversial bill would effectively extend that period indefinitely.
Sarkissian’s office said on Tuesday that he has decided not to sign the bill into law because he sees “apparent legal-constitutional problems” emanating from it. The president will therefore ask the Constitutional Court to determine whether the bill conforms to the constitution, the office announced in a statement.
The statement said that Sarkissian’s decision is based on a “thorough examination” conducted by the presidential staff.
The court is extremely unlikely to hand down a ruling on the appeal before the parliament’s dissolution widely expected to occur on October 31.
168.am
October 25 2018
Yerevan included in world’s Top 10 Cities For Tech Career list by Enterprise Times
Enterprise Times, a British online platform covering business technology news, has included Yerevan, the Armenian capital, in its 10 Best Cities for Tech Career Opportunities list.
Yerevan is ranked 4th in the top 10 list, titled “Yerevan – Silicon Mountains”.
“Research shows that by 2025, the need for programmers in Armenia will have tripled to 30,000. This is largely due to the ever-increasing innovation in their tech sector. A sector that is growing at an annual rate of 20% and shows no signs of slowing down. If you haven’t considered a move to the country previously, it’s worth considering. Cost of living is very low, crime rates are low and culture is in abundance. Currently the main speaking languages are Armenian & Russian but the English language is becoming more and more popular”, Enterprise Times said in the article.
The top 10 cities for a tech career, according to Enterprise Times, are:
San Francisco
New York
Austin
Yerevan
Singapore
Melbourne
London
Stockholm
Bangalore
Toronto
“If you work in Tech, you’ll know it’s one of the fastest growing industries. Digital jobs are fast becoming a necessity for strong growth and the professionals that work within this field are becoming highly sought after. As these opportunities continue to grow – so do the cities that house them. To understand the cities we’ve looked at the companies that are already home amongst their tech district, the opportunities for start ups and the growth and employment opportunities within them.
So if you are looking to relocate, take a look at this list highlighting the 10 best cities offering tech career opportunities right now”, Enterprise Times said in the article.
A1+
Armenia’s national football team out of top 100
15:09 | October 25,2018
The International Federation of Football Federation (FIFA), has released a new ranking list today.
The Armenian team occupies the 101st place. Gibraltar’s unexpected victory over our team has risen them to 8th place and now Gibraltar is 190th. Macedonia, which was defeated by our team occupies the same place- 68th.
The Belgian team is leading the ranking list with only one point exceeding the world champion France. The Brazilian team finishes the top three.
Panorama, Armenia
Oct 23 2018
Where are bread eaters? Bread production keeps dropping in Armenia
Hasmik Hakobyan
Bread and flour production volumes continue dropping in Armenia, according to the latest figures released by the National Statistical Committee.
Armenia produced 2.4 percent less bread from January to August 2018 compared to the same period last year.
The first eight months of this year also saw a sharp decline in flour production, which cut down by around 30 percent to some 76,023 tons.
Speaking to Panorama.am, Director of Sevan Bakery Ashot Avetisyan said his factory’s bread output has not declined yet, but is expected to drop in autumn months, linking it to mass home bread-baking typical to the period.
According to the director, in recent months many in the capital Yerevan have also turned to handmade bread. “People try to save money in this way,” he says.
In parallel to low breadmaking volumes, production of lavash, traditional Armenian thin bread, has risen in the country conditioned with its increased consumption.
“I guess people have realized that the best bread type is lavash, which has higher calorific value: 1 kg lavash is equal to 1,5 kg bread,” he said.
Speaking about bread prices, Avetisyan refuted claims that lavash is more expensive than other bread types. “1 kg lavash is priced at 450-470 drams, while 1 kg bread – at 450-500 drams,” he said.
Economist Vahagn Khachatryan links falling bread production volumes with a decline in population numbers.
“The lower the population, the lower the consumption and, therefore, production volumes,” he told Panorama.am.
The economist says bread production could also cut down if Armenia saw a strong economic growth, which would boost people’s buying capacity to further lead to lower bread or other flour-made products consumption in their daily diet.
“But, obviously, it is not the case here; population is decreasing, so bread and flour production is falling. There is no other explanation here. We can’t state that people have started to consume healthier food in Armenia, it does not refer to our country,” he said.
Meantime, the economist states declined bread output cannot also be conditioned with people’s reduced buying power.
“Bread and potato are leading food types in lower-income countries like ours, so the talk cannot go about low consumption here. Today, bread is the most affordable food,” he said.
The economist pointed to the migration issue persisting in the country, calling on the government to implement serious programs in this regard given its negative impact on demography.
“Even the experts state that deaths will outnumber births in two years in Armenia. This has always been on the agenda, and I believe the government will draw appropriate conclusions and come up with solutions,” he said, pointing out to immigration as the only tool to handle the issue.
The economist also pointed to misleading statistics as a possible reason behind Armenia’s decreased bread production, questioning their reliability.
