Wednesday 3 July 2019

Armenian News... A Topalian

Armenpress.am
27 June, 2019
Armenia buys new assault armaments, re-equips Air Force

During the Army 2019 International Exhibition in Moscow, the Armenian military has signed agreements on purchasing new assault weaponry, new generation armaments and other means, Minister of Defense Davit Tonoyan told First Channel.

He said the Armenian Air Force is currently getting re-equipped and he is having relevant meetings with executives of a number of companies during the exhibition.

“These agreements are very important for ensuring the continuity of the development of our military,” Tonoyan said.

He said the new weapons will be supplied to Armenia either by yearend 2019 or in the beginning of 2020. Tonoyan said they continue negotiations on buying new armaments.

Tonoyan also commented on the Azerbaijani Defense Minister’s recent remarks when the latter underestimated the Armenian Air Force’s capabilities in the Caucasus. “If they were to pay greater attention they would notice that the same multi-functional military aviation is also used in the Himalayas, in higher altitudes,” Davit Tonoyan said.
Armenia is participating at the Army 2019 military expo in Moscow, Russia.

Around 100 foreign delegations are participating.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan


ARKA, Armenia
June 27 2019
In Armenia medical care for children under 18 will be free 

The government of Armenia approved today a decision to make medical care free for all children under 18. Currently, free inpatient treatment is available only to  children up to seven years old.

The expenses will be financed by the government, according to Deputy Minister of Health Anahit Avanesyan.

The government is expected to release 1.75 billion drams to that end. According to the Ministry of Health, the program will involve about 200 thousand children.

To date, free medical services is available to children under the age of 7; children with disabilities;  children without parental care  and some other categories 

Public Radio of Armenia
June 27 2019
Armenian Genocide filmmakers accused of propaganda 

Journalists documenting the “Islamized” life of Armenians following the 1915 genocide have come under fire by the Turkish Islamists newspaper Yeni Akit, the International Christian Concern reports. 

The documentary, entitled “The Hidden Cross”, screened in Diyarbakir at a building belonging to the city council for the first time on June 16th.

Since then, the newspaper has published a series of articles attacking the documentary.

According to the source, this news outlet is aggressively promoting the government narrative that there was no genocide and that this kind of documentary supports the west’s efforts to “put Turkey in a corner.” One of the film’s directors intends to initiate legal action against the newspaper.

 Screening the film in Diyarbakir was significant, as the city lost nearly a quarter of its population during the genocide.

Some Armenians converted to Islam after the genocide to save their lives. It is known, however, that some Muslims of today have converted back to Christianity when they realized their Armenian ancestors were forcibly converted during the genocide.


PanArmenian, Armenia
June 27 2019
Armenia's government OKs raising minimum wage by 24% 

The government on Thursday, June 27 approved a draft law on raising minimum wage in Armenia by 23.6% - from AMD 55,000 (approx. $115) to AMD 68,000 ($143).

Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Security Gemafin Gasparyan said the move will cover 45,000 people working in the private sector and 35,000 others employed in the public sector.

According to Finance Minister Atom Janjughazyan, the draft bill has nothing to do with the base salary which is used to calculate the salaries of public officials

The bill has yet to be discussed and approved by the National Assembly.

Earlier, lawmakers from the ruling My Step alliance had proposed raising the minimum wage in the country to AMD 63,000 ($132).


Armenpress.am
27 June, 2019
Investments grow sevenfold as result of customs privilege incentive in Armenia

investments in Armenia grew sevenfold, while jobs fourfold compared to the previous year as a result of providing customs duty exemption and VAT payment delays as part of investment programs in priority sectors, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at the June 27 Cabinet meeting.

“In last year’s first five months the government approved 11 programs with this tool worth 35,5 million dollars and 502 jobs. In January-May this year we have 25 investment programs worth 254 million dollars and 2379 jobs,” he said, adding that these figures express a “concrete certain picture”.
He added that not a single case of failure to fulfill obligations was recorded by any company after being granted privileges.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan


[Turkish civilian authorities meddling again in church affairs that should have nothing to do with them. What re they manipulating?]

Armenpress.am
27 June, 2019
Istanbul authorities delay Armenian patriarchal locum tenens election until July 4

The election of a patriarchal locum tenens in the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople has been delayed, Istanbul’s Agos newspaper reported.
The election was scheduled to take place on June 27.

According to Agos, the election has been delayed until July 4 at the order of the Provincial Government of Istanbul. The reason was not immediately clear.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan


Panorama, Armenia
June 28 2019
Massive crop loss as hailstorm hits Armenian community

Heavy hailstorm caused extensive damage to crops in Martuni community of Armenia’s Gegharkunik Province on Thursday, 27 June.

The hail, that lasted nearly 30 minutes, entirely destroyed potato sowing areas, other vegetable crops and orchards.

In a statement released on Friday, the Martuni Municipality said a special commission has been set up to measure the hail damages upon the instruction of the community head.

The commission has already prepared a report on the matter after conducting a research and will submit it to the Gegharkunik Governor’s Office for compensation. 


Public Radio of Armenia
June 27 2019
The Last Czars: New Netflix series features shots from Armenia 
                           
The trailer for Netflix’ new series “The Last Czars” features shots from Armenia, PanARMENIAN.Net reports. 

The beginning of the trailer, in particular, offers a view of Khor Virap Monastery in Armenia’s Ararat province and Mount Ararat in the background.

It’s still unclear whether the series will take viewers to Armenia or the shot was added for effect.

“A mix of documentary and reconstruction, “The Last Czars” chronicles the social upheaval that sweeps Russia in the early 20th century and follows Czar Nicholas II as he resists the change, sparking a revolution and ending a dynasty. The Last Czars takes an in-depth look into what led to the fall of the Romanov dynasty through production company Nutopia’s “mega-doc” lens, using dramatized scenes of historical events and an in-depth look into the history to create one epic series,” the synopsis of the series reads.

The Last Czars will stream on Netflix beginning July 3.


Panorama, Armenia
June 28 2019
Armenian films win awards at ECG Film Festival in London

First Eurasian Creative Guild (ECG) Film Festival was held in London as part of the British Romford Film Festival on 6-10 June.

Founded in 2017 by British filmmakers and enthusiasts, the Romford Film Festival this year teamed up with the Eurasian Creative Guild (London), which has created a unique platform for communication between British filmmakers and their post-Soviet counterparts, the official website of the festival reported.

Despite its infancy, the ECG Film Festival gathered over 60 films from 24 countries. The event kicked off with the British premiere of “My Name is Kozha” (1964) directed by Kazakh filmmaker Abdulla Karsakbayev.

During its five days, the film festival had over 1,500 attendees and screened films from diverse locations such as Kazakhstan, Russia, Italy, Finland, US, Belarus, Sweden, Germany, Iran, Georgia, Armenia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Canada and the UK.

Guests of the festival also had a unique opportunity to learn about the Eurasian region, not only through cinema, but also through exhibitions of paintings, handicrafts and books created by members of the Eurasian Creative Guild. Two Silk Road Fashion shows, networking round table events and creative meetings were also held within the framework of the Eurasian Film Festival. 

On the final day of the festival, the award ceremony was orchestrated to adorne the most talented filmmakers for their efforts.

A trailer for “Three Distichus”, a book by Armenian writer Elena Aslanyan was named the best book trailer of the festival. Boris Hayrapetyan won the best short film director award for his film "Yes! Today", while Mher Mkrtchyan's “Ludwig the Hedgehog” picked up the audience choice award in the Best Cast category. 

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