Weekly update
9 May
Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated all veterans of the Soviet Union’s 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War and all Russians on Victory Day, TASS reported. He laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin wall and addressed Russian citizens from the tribune installed near the Eternal Flame. Russia is celebrating on May 9 the 75th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War.
8 May
On the occasion of the 28th anniversary of the liberation of Shushi, President Armen Sarkissian visited today the Erablur military pantheon, informed the President Office. President Sarkissian laid flowers on the tomb on the National Hero of the Republic of Armenia, National Hero of Artsakh, first Minister of Defense of Armenia Vazgen Sargsyan, heroes of Artsakh’s fight for freedom Monte Melkonian, Jivan Abrahamian, as well as on the tomb of Zoravar Andranik, and the memorial wall of the sons of our nation who gave their lives for freedom and independence of our Fatherland. The President of Armenia honored with a moment of silence the undying memory of the devotees who sacrificed their lives for the Fatherland.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and a major opposition party traded bitter accusations after lawmakers representing them brawled on the Armenian parliament floor on Friday, RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) reported. The brawl erupted in the presence of Pashinian and his ministers as Edmon Marukian, the leader of the Bright Armenia Party (LHK), lambasted pro-government deputies for their angry reactions to opposition criticism of the government. Marukian was heckled by some of those deputies affiliated with Pashinian’s My Step bloc and shouted back at them during his speech. One of them, Sasun Mikaelian, then punched him before other lawmakers from My Step and the LHK joined in the resulting fistfight or shoved and chased each other in the chamber. The session of the National Assembly resumed several minutes later after speaker Ararat Mirzoyan managed to stop the fight with the help of other deputies and Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinian.
7 May
The task work, which is to develop a package of constitutional amendments, is currently working on a concept, said Armenian justice minister Rustam Badasyan on Thursday at the parliament, NEWS.am said. According to him, the work is ongoing. "We are currently working on a concept that will be ready only by September," he added. "Discussions will then begin, and the final draft of constitutional amendments will be submitted next year."
6 May
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a telephone conversation with World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on the latter’s initiative, the PM Office said. The Prime Minister of Armenia presented the situation with the coronavirus in our country and the government’s response to COVID-19. The interlocutors exchanged views on the global situation caused by the pandemic. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan highlighted the activities implemented by the World Health Organization in the current situation. The parties also discussed the prospects of cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Armenia and the World Health Organization.
5 May
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan today chaired a consultation on the 2020 capital expenditure programs in the healthcare sector, the PM’s Office told Armenpress. Minister of Healthcare Arsen Torosyan reported the process of ongoing works aimed at constructing the medical centers in Martuni and Yeghegnadzor towns. Programs on renovating, building and reconstructing 12 more medical centers are also implemented in different cities and communities of the Republic. The total cost of construction of these facilities is estimated 18,5 billion drams. Additional 3,8 billion drams will be provided for acquiring necessary equipment and property. PM Pashinyan highlighted conducting these works in high quality and within the set timeframes. He said the capital expenditure programs must ensure capital outcome and create new jobs, especially in the construction sector.
3 May
The Guardian reported, the US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, claimed on Sunday there is “enormous evidence” the coronavirus outbreak originated in a Chinese laboratory – but did not provide any of the alleged evidence. Pompeo’s claims, made in an interview with ABC’s This Week, represented an escalation in rhetoric. He had previously said the US was looking into the possibility the virus came from a lab in Wuhan, China. On Sunday, Pompeo said: “There is enormous evidence that that’s where this began,” later adding: “I can tell you that there is a significant amount of evidence that this came from that laboratory in Wuhan.” At one point, the secretary of state appeared confused over whether he was claiming the Sars-CoV-2 virus (which causes the Covid-19 disease) was deliberately engineered or escaped as the result of a lab accident. “Look, the best experts so far seem to think it was manmade. I have no reason to disbelieve that at this point,” he said. But when he was reminded that US intelligence had issued a formal statement noting the opposite – that the scientific consensus was that the virus was not manmade or genetically modified – Pompeo replied: “That’s right. I agree with that.”
Sources: https://www.primeminister.am/en/, https://www.president.am/en/press-release/, https://armenpress.am, https://news.am/eng/, https://www.azatutyun.am/en, http://tass.com, https://www.theguardian.com/international.