You are reading Transcaucasian Telegraph’s Jul/26/2024 edition.
Armenia has invested $2.5 million to modernize the Margara customs checkpoint with Turkey amid negotiations to lift the blockade
PM Pashinyan visited the facility on Friday. The video shows the new equipment and customs rooms.
The PM also met the local residents to discuss everyday life and agricultural topics. One farmer said the apricot harvest was small this year [likely damaged by hail] but he was able to sell it for a higher price.
who is Magdalena Grono?
You may recall the July 17 telegraph about Magdalena Grono replacing your favorite Toivo Klaar as EU’s Special Representative for South Caucasus.
Who is Grono?
• Worked on foreign policy and conflict resolution issues for the past 25 years.
• She will contribute to the peaceful settlement of conflicts in the region.
• She will engage with the main interested actors regarding the region.
• Currently serves as a chief adviser to Charles Michel.
• Ex-foreign policy adviser to Donald Tusk, the former leader of the European Council.
• Ex-director of Europe and Central Asia International Crisis Group.
it’s not worth losing three provinces in exchange for visa-free travel to EU: Edmon Marukyan, ex-ambassador at large
Armenia has not yet received a significant portion of the $109 million in assistance for Nagorno-Karabakh refugees pledged by international organizations and countries
Pledged:
$50M UN High Commissioner for Refugees
$26M Red Cross
$16M World Bank
$15M European Commission
$13M USAID
$1M China
$350K Lithuania
$50K Latvia
Some countries or amounts are missing from this list because they are donating through international organizations.
When asked to clarify who has and has not provided the pledged support, the Armenian government advised not to make "comparisons or assessments" yet.
several law enforcement departments received electric vehicles for work
There is a pilot program for several Investigative Committee departments in Yerevan: The government has purchased BYD electric vehicles for some of them.
government pauses the new housing subsidy program for anyone who wishes to build a house in border communities, after a massive demand
The state is giving tens of thousands of dollars to people to upgrade their living spaces or build new ones in communities near the borders.
Around 1,800 applications have been approved and another 200 are being reviewed.
The plan was to pause the program after reaching 2,000 applications to wait and analyze the outcome. The program is currently on hold.
Armenia’s food safety agency denies rumors that it’s intentionally obstructing the export of agricultural goods to Russia
Regular readers of Transcaucasian Telegraph recall from the July 18 report that Russia has banned food from several Armenian exporters, one of which suspects it might be a political retaliation against Armenia.
Others have speculated that the Armenian government is intentionally creating difficulties for exports to Russia to push Armenian businesses to seek alternative markets. Today the Food Safety Agency denied the rumors of intentional sabotage, calling it a "total disinformation." Since it’s peak season, the agency said it has been operating on weekends as well to minimize downtime of export shipments.
The Food Safety Agency has launched an investigation into 16 companies that were banned by Russia for "high amounts of pesticide."
You may also recall from the Thursday telegraph that the Armenian government will soon launch a program to examine Armenian food in labs and support businesses that raise their safety and quality standards:
… Government approves a program to monitor the amount of harmful substances, heavy metals, and pesticides in domestically produced plant foods
Such studies were conducted in 2019 and 2021 but for a limited number of products. Now they want to monitor it at a national level, trace the origins of food, and identify possible sources of contamination. There will be lab examinations.
The government says the program will improve public health and make Armenian products more competitive. The gathered information will be used for targeted policymaking and advisory. Eventually, new quality standards will be set, and the government will provide assistance aimed at meeting the standards.
DEPUTY PM: We recently held an extended meeting with the participation of the Prime Minister’s office and various departments and ministries. We are on a mission to use every possible means to keep the topic of quality standards at the center of our attention. The economy ministry will soon introduce encouragement/assistance programs to promote higher quality standards. Businesses that respect the standards will be encouraged.
two judges were recused from the ex-President Robert Kocharyan’s case at the Constitutional Court
As you know from the July 22 telegraph, the highest court of Armenia has ruled that Kocharyan’s charges regarding 2008 events can be reclassified, which means we’re likely going to see a new criminal trial against him and co-defendants.
How did the hearing unfold at the Constitutional Court?
The Court has 9 judges, 2 of whom were not allowed to participate in this ruling for having been part of other Kocharyan-related cases in the past, outside of the Constitutional Court.
One of the recused judges (Seda Safaryan) is believed to be "anti-Kocharyan"and the second judge (Hrayr Tovmasyan) is "pro-Kocharyan". The third judge, leaning "anti-Kocharyan"offered to recuse himself but fellow judges voted to keep him after deciding that his past activities did not disqualify him.
The Court does not disclose how each judge voted but it passed with the majority’s approval.
anti-corruption: asset forfeiture case underway against the mayor of Kajaran, Syunik
Prosecutors have requested the court to seize the following assets from Manvel Paramazyan and his family members:
• ֏1 billion
• 3 apartments in Yerevan
• 2 apartments in Kajaran
• 1 gas station
• 2 cars
• Shares in 2 companies
AUTHORITIES: The respondents had a combined legal revenue of ֏400M but their expenses were over ֏2B.
RESPONDENT: Nothing illegal. I’ll do the calculations and present evidence. //
The respondent of this asset forfeiture case is also a defendant in a criminal trial over alleged bribery, fraud, forgery, and embezzlement.
other criminal news
• A young couple and their 8-year-old son died after a frontal collision with a BMW on the Gyumri-Vanadzor highway. The driver of the BMW fled the scene but was soon located and arrested. photo
• A kindergarten employee in Ararat province is under arrest and the director is issued a warning after a video was circulated on social media showing her assaulting a little boy, presumably for not falling asleep. video, source,
hepatitis cases have decreased 1.3 times in Armenia this year
EXPERT: Most cases of hepatitis are asymptomatic and people infected with B and C are completely unaware of it. Regular examinations and preventive measures are very important. Armenian medical organizations conduct free examinations to detect this disease.
The Ministry of Health is taking steps to make the treatment and medicines available to patients. This program started in the second half of 2020.
December 2020: 500 patients
December 2023: 2,569 patients to date. //
who were the biggest taxpayers in H1 2024?
The top 1,000 taxpayers paid ֏900B ($2.33B). They paid 72% of all taxes.
The Zangezur mine operator has paid almost twice as much this year.
(rank) company’s taxes [last year same period]
(10) City 9 [7]
(9) Soft Construct 9 [6]
(8) CPS energy 10 [11]
(7) Viva 11 [8]
(6) AmeriaBank 17 [19]
(5) Pretty Way 18 [15]
(4) Grand tobacco 24 [20]
(3) Gazprom 28 [31]
(2) Mobile Center Art 32 [16]
(1) Zangezur 64 [35]
… taxies and duties paid by Zangezur mine every year (in billion drams)
2014: 20
2015: 28
2016: 9
2017: 19
2018: 51
2019: 51
2020: 43
2021: 62
2022: 144
2023: 71
2024: 64 (first half)
source,
source,
source,
source,
Armenian Vishapaqar (dragon stones) included in the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites: PHOTO
The Vishaps and the Cultural Landscape of Tirinkatar have been included in the Tentative List of UNESCO’s World Heritage.
In the high mountains of Armenia, unique archaeological monuments have been preserved to our days, which are traditionally called by the people “vishap” (Armenian for “dragon”).
These are two to five meter high basalt stelae, which are unique among the stone stelae of the ancient world because of their unparalleled animal iconography and peculiar locations.
kerfuffle after an unidentified nincompoop confused January with July
Someone apparently mixed up the two months, prompting shock and complaints about the police issuing half a million tickets in one month alone: January 1-25.
The police responded saying those tickets were issued between January 1 and July 25.
The article, which accused the authorities of using drivers as a "cash cow"was published by an ex-regime-run media outlet known for poor journalistic standards and frequent false stories. It’s unclear if they got it wrong or if some idiot from the Interior Ministry fed them the wrong information. The article was later edited without a note about the correction.
Armenian grandmaster Vladimir Akopian wins the 2024 U.S. Senior Chess Championship
The 52 y/o resident of Glendale, Not Armenia, remained undefeated and took home $20,000.
Armenian athletes wave the national flag on the boat during the opening ceremony of Paris Olympics: VIDEO
Pashinyan shared a video of the new color-dancing fountain in Armavir
Open after 9 pm.
Food safety labs & Russia exports \ Modern checkpoint on AM-TR border \ Top taxpayers \ Zangezur mine tax stats \ Dragon stones & UNESCO \ Foreign aid for refugees: 404? \ Border housing subsidy: big hit \ Chess champion \ Kocharyan vs. Constitutional Court \ Sports \ And more…
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>it’s not worth losing three provinces in exchange for visa-free travel to EU: Edmon Marukyan, ex-ambassador at large
Fuck you too.