On August 18, in the Saint Hovhannes church of Aygedzor, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated on the occasion of the Feast of the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God. The festive Liturgy was celebrated by Fr. Barsegh Mkrtchyan, who presented the meaning of the feast, explaining that it commemorates the completion of the earthly life of the Holy Mother of God Mariam and her heavenly transfiguration. The spiritual pastor also referred to the importance of the feast as a symbol of the rebirth of humanity and of faith.

At the conclusion of the Liturgy, the rite of the Blessing of Grapes was performed, which is a traditional part of the feast. The grapes were blessed and distributed to the faithful present in the church, as a symbol of blessing and abundance of harvest.

Author: Anahit Makyan

In Ijevan, the representatives of the European Union Monitoring Mission in Armenia held a meeting with the Deputy Governor of Tavush, as well as with the heads of the Ijevan, Berd, and Noyemberyan communities.

During the meeting, issues related to the mandate of the mission and the activities of the staff were discussed. The sides also referred to the formats of cooperation and to the importance of the mission’s work at the local level.

“Cooperation with local authorities in border regions continues to remain one of the priorities of the EU Monitoring Mission, with the aim of contributing to peace and stability in the South Caucasus,” the mission’s statement reads.

For the purpose of replacing damaged pipes detected at the 1.05 km section of the DN 100 diameter branch gas pipeline feeding the “Noyemberyan” gas distribution station, and in order to carry out works to prevent an emergency situation, on August 20 from 09:00 until August 21 at 21:00, the gas supply will be suspended for gas consumers in the town of Noyemberyan of Tavush Province, as well as in the settlements of Ayrum, Koghb, Berdavan, Haghtanak, Zorakan, Dovegh, Lchkadzor, Bagratashen, Ptghavan, Deghdzavan, Debedavan, and Archis.

On August 16, at approximately 07:30 AM, the Environmental and Mining Inspection Body (EMIB) received a report concerning pollution in the Debed River.

“Inspectors from EMIB’s Lori and Tavush regional divisions, in an effort to identify the possible source of the pollution, conducted several hours of inspection along the river. As a result, they determined that the pipeline leading to the ‘Nahatak’ tailings pond of the Akhtala Mining and Processing Plant had malfunctioned, which caused the pollution of the river.

At the scene, water and soil samples were collected from various sections of the river.

A report on the alleged offense has been submitted to the RA Investigative Committee,” the EMIB statement reads.

On August 16, at 08:31 local time (04:31 GMT), an earthquake with a magnitude of 3.5 was registered by the seismological network of the Seismic Protection Territorial Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, at the geographic coordinates of 41.01⁰ north latitude and 46.06⁰ east longitude, 38 km east of the town of Tovuz, Azerbaijan, at a depth of 10 km of the source.

In the epicentral zone, the underground shock’s intensity amounted to 4–5 points.

The earthquake was felt in the villages of Voskevan, Artsvaberd, Nerkin Karmiraghbyur, Aygedzor, and Chinari of Tavush region with an intensity of 2–3 points.

Dear compatriots, we once again remind you of the important:

In the section “Resilient Tavush” you can find vital information about earthquakes that have occurred in Armenia and worldwide, about the causes and consequences of earthquakes, and most importantly—about the rules of conduct during an earthquake.

Important links:

• Behavior and rules of the population before an earthquake.
• How to act during an earthquake.
• How to act after an earthquake.

Earthquakes have the characteristic of recurring. And Armenia has a two-thousand-year written history.

Historical testimonies about earthquakes in Armenia

The “Green Rock” company in Dilijan announced an Open Doors Day, welcoming sectoral representatives of the community to its office to present the company’s achievements, completed and upcoming programs, which have already begun to impact the development of the region.

“One of our company’s important values is transparency; this is what determined the organization of the Open Doors Day, when we give community members the opportunity to visit our office, get acquainted with our projects, ask all the questions of interest to them, and thereby learn more about the company. One of our primary projects is the multifunctional complex being built in Dilijan, which is aimed at increasing the city’s attractiveness and tourism potential,” noted “Green Rock” Chief Executive Officer Katerina Danekina.

One of the company’s notable projects is the “Apicius” International School of Hospitality, which will soon open its doors. The school specializes in hospitality management, food, wine, and healthcare sectors, and promises to become one of the leading educational centers in the region.

“This September, the ‘Apicius’ International School of Hospitality will begin operating in Armenia; most of the students are already enrolled, but applications will be accepted until August 18. ‘Apicius Armenia’ is one of the projects of the ‘Green Rock’ Foundation. The foundation is engaged in educational, social, and other projects intended for Dilijan and its visitors,” stated Katya Bredikhina, Director of the “Green Rock” Foundation and Head of the “Apicius Armenia” project.

“Green Rock” came to Armenia to contribute to the country’s sustainable development, creating new opportunities in the fields of education, business, the labor market, and community development. All the company’s programs have a unique impact, shaping a green environment and sustainable growth. Dilijan, known for its captivating nature and recreational opportunities, is now also at the center of innovation, education, and new ideas — thanks to such efforts.

Issues related to youth were discussed during the Tavush Youth Forum

A youth forum was held in Tavush, organized by the Civil Youth Center non-governmental organization. The central part of the event was a panel discussion with a Q\&A session, where young people were able to directly discuss issues of their interest and hear the opinions of experienced specialists.

The forum was attended by representatives of educational, cultural, and youth organizations, employees of local self-government bodies, school and university students, as well as members of youth NGOs.

During the panel discussion, reference was made to the topics of raising the civic consciousness of youth, opportunities for community engagement, development of innovative programs and initiatives. Participants actively asked questions, received interesting answers, and gained ideas for joint projects.

The organizers of the event emphasized that such meetings are an important platform for the exchange of ideas among young people and for their active participation in community life.

This event was implemented with the support of the program “EU for Youth: Engagement and Empowerment of Youth”, operating within the framework of the “Strengthening Civil Society in the Eastern Partnership Countries” program, co-financed by the Government of Germany and the European Union. The forum was organized by the Civil Youth Center community development NGO within the framework of the “Youth Voices in Democracy” program.

The video was prepared within the framework of cooperation.

Tavush Media correspondent Hayk Dombyan’s video tells about one of the sweetest works of summer—to squeeze honey

The time for honey squeeze is considered to be the period between July and August, when the beehives are in as much calm as possible.

Traditional honey extraction is carried out in several stages: smoking, removal of the frames, and then processing through the honey extractor device.

Throughout the year, the “Veolia Djur” company, both under the mandatory capital works program and with its own resources, carries out reconstruction works of water pipelines and sewer lines in the settlements it serves. For the company, there is no difference whether a community is large or small, far or near — “Veolia” is there where its subscriber has a problem. And so, this time the “Veolia team” is carrying out reconstruction works of both the sewerage and water supply systems in the city of Ijevan.
With its own resources, in the city’s Spandaryan district, the company is replacing a problematic 600-meter sewer line with a polyethylene pipeline. The frequent alerts received from here several times a week will soon come to an end. The residents of Khujumyan Street are watching the works on their street with joy.

The sewer lines of the district subject to reconstruction are dismantled section by section by the “Ijevan” operation site, the pipelines are replaced, the soil is backfilled, and then they move forward. They try to cause as little inconvenience as possible to their subscribers. However, the most important thing in all these works is the raising of the residents’ legal awareness. It is important to understand the difficulties and the large expenses of these large-scale works, and to use the sewerage purposefully so that it serves for as long as possible. The works are planned to be completed by August 25.

“Every year we implement 3-4 similar programs, because in Ijevan 30-35 percent of the area did not have sewerage. That is, section by section, within the limits of possibilities, we are building new sewer lines. We carry out works especially on those streets where, by decision of the municipality, asphalting and improvement works are to be done; in particular, in this street asphalting works are planned. The sewer line was built in the 1960s, with pipes of different diameters and different slopes. This year, in several places, both sewerage replacement and water supply replacement works are planned,” stated Volodya Ghalumyan, Head of the “Ijevan” operation site of “Veolia Djur” CJSC.

The solution to the water supply problems of Metaghagortsner Street is already nearing completion. The fact is that during about nine months of the year, Ijevan is provided with 24-hour water supply, although according to the established schedule in many areas only six-hour water supply is planned. Such are the technical capacities. But despite this, “Veolia Djur” is never satisfied with what exists. The company constantly seeks and finds solutions to direct more water to the settlements. All the works of the system are aimed precisely at this goal. The team of the “Ijevan” operation site is small, but the most important thing is that they treat their work conscientiously. All these works are also carried out while responding in parallel to daily emergencies. When the sewer lines are renewed and the water reaches the consumers according to the schedule, one of the residents’ everyday concerns simply becomes a solved issue.

The video has been prepared within the framework of cooperation.

Within the framework of International Youth Day, the Tavush Regional Rescue Service Department hosted a group of young people, giving them the opportunity to get acquainted with rescue work up close.

From the first moment of the visit, the young people found themselves in an atmosphere of real action: they saw how emergency call, how a response team is formed, and how quickly rescuers arrive at the scene.

During the meeting, the rescuers shared stories of their most difficult and memorable cases, emphasizing that this profession, in addition to professional knowledge, also requires will and endurance.

The numerous questions of the young people testified to their sincere interest in both the profession and the service. Many admitted that after the visit they had a clearer idea of ​​what a great responsibility a rescuer bears and what kind of dedication this path requires.

The meeting of the rescuers and young people ends with a symbolic promise: by your side, in all moments of life.