5 minutes of Armenia coverage in Transcaucasian Telegraph’s Aug/27/2024 edition.
education reforms and Academic City
On Tuesday the Government held a meeting to discuss the upcoming education reforms. It’s about
• new standards for quality control and accreditation of universities
• new process of licensing educational programs in universities
• financing mechanisms for universities
• shift from the current vertical university management model to horizontal, by introducing several independent entities for control & regulation
• defining the scope of regulations related to the Academic City
• the National Academy of Sciences will serve as an autonomously managed fund
PM PASHINYAN: Our political principle is that there can be no social discrimination in higher education. Students with a certain level of academic progress should not be excluded from university because of financial problems. //
Armenia will carry out a seismic resilience assessment of reservoir dams across the country: VIDEO
24 dams will be examined by 2026. Additionally, the government wants to inspect the floodgates in several provinces and create a risk score with various models.
We also know from the July 25 telegraph that the government wants to create a map of Armenia’s flood-risk zones and the infrastructure near those areas so they can be better prepared for major floods. Each potential flood zone will have a plan of action that meets the CEPA agreement signed with the EU.
peace efforts
The foreign minister of Azerbaijan visited Turkey to meet his counterpart and discuss the AM-AZ peace efforts. Azerbaijan continues to reject Armenia’s offer to sign a peace document ASAP, and continues to derail the efforts by imposing additional conditions towards Armenia’s Constitution.
U.S. denies supplying lethal weapons to Armenia after a hysteria raised by an Azerbaijani media outlet
Regular readers know that during the recent U.S.-Armenia military exercises, the U.S. brought a jet loaded with armored vehicles and other stuff for the exercises. There were speculations that Armenia might have purchased them, but it was later denied.
This is apparently still a topic of discussion in Azerbaijan. This time the "sources" told an Azerbaijani outlet that the U.S. was secretly sneaking in lethal weapons to Armenia with the help of third countries, including Iran. The U.S. embassy in Azerbaijan denied it.
Azerbaijani regime arrests more journalists
Two researcher-journalists were arrested last week. Javid Agha, the latest target, is also a contributor to OC Media, an outlet that regularly publishes articles about the Caucasus and corruption in Azerbaijan.
Javid Agha is known for his critical stance against the authoritarian regime in Azerbaijan and his outspoken opposition to the war. His sudden disappearance is part of a broader pattern of repression conducted by the Azerbaijani government against its own citizens
One anti-war activist advised his fellow activists who are still in Azerbaijan to "stay hidden for a while" and not attempt to use the airports because that’s where the arrests are usually made.
Some anti-war activists in Azerbaijan speculate that the recent wave of arrests is either an attempt by Aliyev to suppress dissidence ahead of COP29, or a preparation of a new war against Armenia.
Georgia’s pro-Russian government will install a statue of a "polarizing figure" whose efforts led to Russia’s annexation of Georgia in the 18th century
Prime Minister Kobakhidze announced a plan to raise the statue of King Erekle II of Georgia, not far from the Interior Ministry building.
Erekle signed the Treaty of Georgievsk with the Russian Empire in 1783. According to Wikipedia:
The treaty established eastern Georgia as a protectorate of Russia, which guaranteed its territorial integrity and the continuation of its reigning Bagrationi dynasty in return for prerogatives in the conduct of Georgian foreign affairs
By this, eastern Georgia abjured any form of dependence on Persia (who had been its suzerain for centuries) or another power, and every new Georgian monarch of Kartli-Kakheti would require the confirmation and investiture of the Russian tsar.
PM KOBAKHIDZE: It is our duty to pay tribute to Georgian history and all the heroes who preserved our religious and national identity. Erekle II was a wonderful national hero. //
Georgian authorities accuse opposition of violating campaign finance rules, amid fears of repressions and mass crackdown signaled by the ruling party’s billionaire owner
Georgian authorities claim 6 opposition parties violated finance rules by not disclosing financial statements. The head of Georgia’s Anti-Corruption Bureau called it a "threat" and said the opposition parties were possibly funded by NGOs and foreign organizations.
Armenia’s permanent population increased, but not in these provinces
July 2023: 2,945,500
July 2024: 3,057,800 (+112,000 YoY)
Over the last 5 years, 40,000 people have left Gegharkunik, Tavush, and Syunik provinces.
Gegharkunik: from 230,000 to 217,000
Syunik: from 140,000 to 120,000
Locals say the migration is a result of war and young people preferring to live in large cities like Yerevan or mining cities like Kapan and Qajaran where they can earn higher wages.
Central Bank also approves the sale of HSBC bank’s Armenia branch
Armenia’s competition protection agency approved HSBC’s sale to Ardshinbank back in June. The Central Bank also approves it. Ardshinbank promises a "smooth transition" for 30,000 customers.
HSBC made $27M in profit last year, while Ardshinbank made $162M.
Regular readers of Transcaucasian Telegraph recall that HSBC is selling its branches in several countries, including Armenia, as part of a localization effort.
Reuters reported in May 2023 that HSBC is considering a possible exit from as many as a dozen countries after earlier announcements about selling off parts or all of its activities in France, Canada, Russia and Greece.
is the famous Turkish assassin actually Armenian?
Turkish Olympic sharpshooter Yusuf Dikec who recently went viral for casually nailing the shots without fancy gear, is probably Turkish. He was jokingly referred to as an assassin for his nonchalant style.
An idiotic media outlet based in Armenia claimed that Dikec is Armenian. The outlet provided no source or evidence, only saying that Dikec’s hometown was populated by Armenians before the 1915 genocide.
A fact-checker found the possible source: a Facebook post by a Turkish-Armenian man who noted that many Turkish citizens from Dikec’s hometowns are likely Armenians who were converted to survive.
The Facebook author didn’t, however, claim that Dikec himself was Armenian. Nevertheless, he doesn’t rule out that Dikec might be part Kurdish or part Armenian.
Education reforms: university for the poor \ Population migration within Armenia \ U.S. "sends lethal weapons to Armenia", claims Azeri media \ Reservoir dams \ HSBC sale approved \ Fresh repressions in Azerbaijan; AM-AZ peace talks \ Georgia slipping \ Turkish assassin's origins \ and…
byu/ar_david_hh inarmenia
Posted by ar_david_hh
3 Comments
Looks like Azeri media try to throw shit on the wall and see what sticks.
Armenia is simultaneously “secretly” buying weapons from Iran and USA. Makes sense. We store them next to the nuclear submarines in Sevan.
>The foreign minister of Azerbaijan visited turkey
To probably discuss the offer Putin showed Aliyev a week ago. Turkey has been pretty much silent on the issue, and according to some Armenian politician wanted the borders to open for increased trade in its Eastern region.
“Georgia’s pro-Russian government will install a statue of a “polarizing figure” whose efforts led to Russia’s annexation of Georgia in the 18th century”
So I guess Russia is going straight to annexation of Georgia. I mean if this isn’t telegraphing it.