Date: 05/15/2024

Reading time: 11 minutes, 2384 words

🪖 Military

The ceremony of withdrawal of peacekeepers from Nagorno-Karabakh took place

Russian peacekeepers were in Nagorno Karabakh based on a statement of November 9, 2020. The military group was supposed to stay in the region until 2025, which could be extended for another five years. The population of Artsakh was subjected to forced displacement, more than 100 thousand people moved from Artsakh to Armenia.

CivilNet

Armenia and Slovakia discuss issues of military-technical cooperation

Armenia participated in the IDEB-2024 defense exhibition in Bratislava, Slovakia, at the invitation of the Slovak Ministry of Defense. A number of agreements have been reached between Armenia and Slovakia.

Armenpress, Armenia, Slovakia discuss expanding defence cooperation

Armenia and India plan to create a working group on defense issues

The first defense consultations between the Ministries of Defense of Armenia and India took place under the chairmanship of Levon Ayvazyan. The progress and development prospects of Armenia-India cooperation in the field of defense were discussed, including military-technical, personnel military education and tactical training, exchange of experience and other fields.

CivilNet, Armenian and Indian Defense Ministries hold first defense consultations in Yerevan, Armenia, India hold first defense consultations

🏛️ Politics & Government

Over 52% of respondents in Armenia support Tavush for Homeland movement to certain extent, Gallup phone poll shows

A total of 35.1% of respondents in Armenia said they “fully support” the Tavush for Homeland movement, Aram Navasardyan, head of the Armenian office of GALLUP International Association, said at a press conference on Wednesday. 17.8% said they feel “more than positively” about the movement, 10% - ‘more than negatively’, 10.5% “absolutely negatively”; 13.6% found it difficult to answer the question.

ArkaAm

Civil disobedience campaigns continue in Yerevan

People demanding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation again blocked streets in Yerevan on May 15.

PanArmenian

The Baku court has extended the terms of detention of Artsakh officials for five months

Former presidents Bako Sahakyan, Arayik Harutyunyan, Davit Babayan and Davit Ishkhanyan are speaking. The detention period of the former President of Artsakh Arkady Ghukasyan was also extended by five months. 23 Armenian servicemen and civilians were arrested in September 2023, after a one-day war against Artsakh.

CivilNet

Political consultations held between foreign ministries of Armenia, Georgia

The Republic of Armenia and Georgia held a round of political consultations in Tbilisi on May 13-14. It is noted that the participants of the meeting reviewed the existing relations between the two countries.

Armenpress, Political consultations held between Foreign Ministries of Armenia and Georgia

Education reforms, institutional development, peace agenda implementation: PM delivers speech at EBRD annual meeting

Nikol Pashinyan attended the opening ceremony of the annual meeting of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in the Republic of Armenia. Armenia's economy has grown by almost 30 percent since the People's Nonviolent Velvet Revolution of 2018.

Armenpress, Prime Minister highly values the partnership with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Armenian PM and EBRD President discuss joint projects and perspectives, EBRD plans to invest up to 500 million Euros in Armenia in 2024, EBRD and InecoBank bolster science innovation hub in Yerevan

Border delimitation between Armenia, Azerbaijan should become a key tool for learning peaceful coexistence - PM

Armenia and Azerbaijan lack experience and knowledge of peaceful co-existence, says Prime Minister. Pashinyan: "What you don't know brings uncertainties, concerns, tensions, which you understandably formulate and perceive based on your experience"

Armenpress, Moscow welcomes Armenia-Azerbaijan foreign ministers' negotiations in Almaty, Demarcation should become one of the tools that will teach Armenia and Azerbaijan to live peacefully – PM Pashinyan

PM Pashinyan sends congratulatory message to the Prime Minister of Serbia

Nikol Pashinyan congratulates Miloš Vučević on occasion of his election to the post of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia. The message reads as follows: "Armenia values friendly relations with Serbia based on mutual respect and trust"

Armenpress

Armenia and EBRD sign €236 million agreement for Sisian-Kajaran road construction

The EBRD signed a loan agreement worth €236 million for the construction of the 24.2 km southern section of the Sisian-Kajaran North-South Road. The project is a strategic priority for Armenia, ensuring its connectivity and access to Europe and beyond.

Armenpress, EBRD plans to invest up to 500 million Euros in Armenia in 2024, EBRD grants Armenia 12 million euros for the construction of a logistics center in Syunik, EBRD funds largest road project in Armenia

Armenia and France expand cooperation in civil aviation sector

Meeting was held between the Director General, Mihran Khachatryan, and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to the Republic of Armenia, Olivier Decottignies. Issues of strengthening and expanding cooperation between Armenia and France in the field of civil aviation were discussed.

Armenpress, French Development Agency to extend cooperation with Armenia’s government, Armenia, France extend partnership in civil aviation, Armenia and France are expanding cooperation in the field of civil aviation, Armenia, French Development Agency to expand cooperation

The delegation led by Tigran Avinyan leaves for Paris

The Yerevan delegation will visit Paris from May 15 to 19. They will meet with the president of the regional council of Île-de-France.

Armenpress, Yerevan Mayor to travel to Paris on May 15-19

Moscow sees the need to resume the work of the tripartite group on the issue of de-blockade

Moscow considers it necessary to resume work of tripartite working group co-chaired by deputy prime ministers of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan on blockade issue. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin said about it in an interview with the News.ru website: "We do not use the term Zangezur Corridor, but in favor of the complete unblocking of economic and transport communications in the South Caucasus. He also spoke about the role of Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh.

CivilNet

Armenia is waiting for the decision to join the European Peace Foundation. Pashinyan

Pashinyan: We are waiting for the decision to include Armenia in the European Peace Fund. The fund was established in 2021 to promote world peace, prevent conflicts and supply non-lethal weapons to countries in need. In mid-April, the media wrote that a preliminary agreement was reached in Brussels to provide 10 million euros to Armenia from this fund, but Hungary blocked the decision.

CivilNet

Mirzoyan to take part in Council of Europe ministers’ Committee session in Strasbourg

Ararat Mirzoyan will travel to French city of Strasbourg for a working visit on 16-17 May. He will take part in the 133rd session of the Committee of Ministers, devoted to the celebration of 75 years since the foundation of the Council of Europe.

ArkaAm, Armenian FM to participate in the session of CoE Committee of Ministers

High-Tech Minister: Armenia considers creating investment fund

Armenia’s Minister of High-Tech Industry Mkhitar Hayrapetyan discussed a potential creation of an investment fund in the country with Noubar Afeyan, the founder of venture capital firm Flagship Pioneering. Fund is expected to improve cooperation between Armenian authorities and the private sector.

ArkaAm

Armenia's policy is to diversify its foreign relations - Pashinyan

Armenia's policy is to diversify its foreign relations in all areas, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at Copenhagen Democracy Summit. "We are happy about the deployment of the EU Civilian Monitoring Mission on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan," he said. The prime minister said that the EU decision on Armenia's inclusion in the European Peace Facility is now awaited.

ArkaAm

Moscow slams EU mission in Armenia for “provocative activity”

The EU mission is doing more and more against Armenia’s neighbors Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran, Mikhail Galuzin said.

PanArmenian

Uruguay Chamber of Representatives votes to submit draft law on the Armenian Genocide Memorial Day to executive branch

Chamber of Representatives of Uruguay on May 14 unanimously passed the draft law declaring April 24 as Armenian Genocide Memorial Day in Uruguay, 74 votes in favor by the 74 MPs present. After the executive's approval within 10 days, the law will come into force immediately, the Armenian Embassy in Uruguay said in a post on Facebook.

Armenpress, Uruguay House of Representatives approves billdeclaring April 24 as Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day

Slovak PM in ‘life-threatening condition’ after being shot

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico is fighting for his life after he was shot multiple times following a government meeting. Fico's condition is life-threatening and he’s being flown by helicopter to hospital for emergency treatment.

Armenpress, Slovak PM Fico in hospital after being shot, Violence has no place in politics: Armenian PM wishes speedy recovery to Slovakia’s Robert Fico, Slovak PM in life-threatening condition after assassination attempt, Slovak PM Fico in hospital after being shot

Zelenskiy cancels visit to Spain and Portugal

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has cancelled a visit to Spain and Portugal, authorities said on Wednesday. CNN Portugal and other media reported it was because of renewed fighting in his country. Spain's King Felipe of Spain had been due to hold a reception and host a meal in his honour. He had also been expected to sign a bilateral security cooperation agreement.

Armenpress

The Power of One Dram Sums up the Two-Year Program with Teach for Armenia

During November and December 2021, AMD 9,328,753 was transferred to the “Teach for Armenia” educational foundation. The amount gathered within the framework of “The Power of One Dram” initiative of IDBank and Idram. As a result, two schools of Aragatsotn Region have been conducting an education program based on change for two years.

Armenpress, Power of One Dram sums up two-year program with Teach for Armenia

Blinken, guitar in hand, sings ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’ in Kyiv bar

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken plays guitar and sings Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World" with a local band. Blinken assured Ukrainians they are not alone and that billions of dollars in American military aid on its way will make a "real difference" on the battlefield.

Armenpress

Armenia’s ruling party frames anti-government protesters as ‘Russia-backed’ on social media: DEMOCRACY WATCH #4

A CivilNet investigation has found that the campaigns, mostly on Facebook, are generated by the country’s ruling party. Among the main targets is the leader of the protest movement Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, the Primate of the Tavush Diocese. They circulate videos and photos suggesting his involvement in a “Russian plan to destabilize Armenia”

CivilNet, Echoes of Déjà Vu: Reviving Resistance in Armenia, Archbishop Bagrat: This is our first victory

India and Iran have announced the launch of the Chabahar port development project

India and Iran signed a ten-year agreement on the development and operation of Iran's Chabahar port. The agreement aims to expand regional communication and facilitate trade, particularly between India, Iran and Afghanistan. India has invested in the infrastructure and modernization of the port, making it a viable transit route for Indian goods to Afghanistan and Central Asia.

CivilNet

U.S. warns Georgia not to side with Moscow against the west

Georgia has been warned by the U.S. not to become an adversary of the west by falling back in line with Moscow.

PanArmenian

💵 Economy

EBRD predicts Armenia’s economy to grow by 6.2% in 2024

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development expects Armenia’s economy to grow by 6.2% in 2024 and 4,8% in 2025. The EBRD forecasted a 4.5% economic growth in 2024 for Armenia in its previous report, published in September 2023. The World Bank expects the Armenian economy to. grow by 5.5%, the IMF predicts 5% growth for the country's economy in 2024.

ArkaAm

VTB (Armenia) expands opportunities for cross-border money transfers by phone number

Retail customers of VTB Bank (Armenia) can receive money transfers from Russia by phone number. Funds are credited instantly to the recipient's account or card in national currency. In 2023, the bank's retail customers received more than 94 thousand money transfers.

ArkaAm, VTB-Armenia Bank has expanded the possibilities of international transfers by telephone

EBRD has significantly improved the forecast of the growth of the Armenian economy in 2024 to 6.2%

The EBRD predicts 6.2 percent economic growth in Armenia in 2024, and 4.8 percent in 2025. The World Bank expects that Armenia's economy will grow by 5.5 percent in 2024. The IMF predicts a 5 percent growth for the country's economy in 2024 and 2025.

ArkaAm

Donations to Armenia:

Himnadram
ServicemenFund
Armenian Wounded Heroes
ArmeniaFund

22-minute read to cover the latest developments in Armenia beyond headlines.

Azeri public continues to discuss the possible return or exchange of Armenian exclave Artsvashen currently under Azerbaijani control

Context in Monday news digest. A ranking member of Azerbaijani parliament suggested returning Artsvashen to Armenia in exchange for the Azeri exclaves, or swapping them so each side can keep what it currently controls. An Azeri analyst called it dangerous to allow Armenians to return to Artsvashen because he believes it would make the entire territory of Azerbaijan "up to Ganja" vulnerable.
AZERI JOURNALIST (Fatima Movlamli): There are currently [Azeri] military positions near the entrance of the village [Artsvashen]. Although the local population is not strictly checked upon entry and exit, some control appears to be in place. The army checks "strangers". The village is also observed from far away. All the houses are empty; they are crumbling. There is no one around. The only people you see are nearby villagers who take their cattle to [Artsvashen's] pasture.
NEARBY AZERI VILLAGER: I visit the [Armenian] village to feed my cattle and my family. If they give it to Armenians, it will be my end. This is our source of bread, and these areas will no longer be safe for us. Many of us rely on these territories for a living. There is total unemployment and none of us have other jobs. We will have to emigrate if they give this village.
NATIN JAFARLI (ReAl party): There are two reasons why the village was not populated [by Azeris, after the capture in 1992]. The first is for legal reasons because Armenia could claim it's their land and demand compensation. There are also socio-economic components that have forced the population to migrate to Baku over the past 30 years. If there was a normal socio-economic policy, there would be no migration. It's not easy to create social infrastructure in Bashkend [Artsvashen] for natural reasons. If we decide to swap the enclaves, then referendums must be held in both countries. Can you imagine the Armenian police or army marching 30 kilometers deep into Azerbaijan? It doesn't sound realistic. The same about Azeris entering the exclaves inside Armenia. How will you guarantee the population's food, banking, communication, gas, etc.? It doesn't seem realistic.
ELKHAN SHAHINOGLU (Atlas research center): Even if Armenians return our 4 villages [presumably within Azeri exclaves], it will be difficult for Azeris to live in them because we will be forced to reach the villages through Armenia. The same is true if we transfer [Artsvashen] to Armenia. Therefore, I believe this issue can be resolved if the lands are exchanged.
AZERI RESIDENT: I used to work as a nurse in [Artsvashen]. I remember how I attempted to save the lives of the soldiers who captured it. I don't want it to be returned to Armenia because I'm concerned that the same events will repeat. Nothing good will happen if Armenians return here. This place connects Shinikhi to the entire Ganja region. Should we allow Armenians to stand between the two? I'm 65 so the future generations will have to live here but no one will dare to come if they hear about the presence of Armenians.
source,

Azerbaijan is still reluctant to include the Almaty Declaration in the final peace agreement despite the April 19 separate agreement to use it for border demarcation

FM MIRZOYAN: Recently we agreed that the demarcation should take place on the basis of the Almaty Declaration and the Regulations of the border commissions should also refer to the Almaty. This is one of the principles, and if we manage to include Almaty in the peace agreement, then we will get very close to a final resolution. Our neighbor is still reluctant to make a clear reference to the Almaty Declaration in the peace treaty, which is a more comprehensive document.
The second issue is with the unblocking of communication routes. Armenia is ready to become a part of the international transit route. The Crossroads of Peace will benefit Armenia and the entire region. Turkey and Azerbaijan would also benefit by connecting East and West. If this is implemented, it will be another interesting way to connect the Persian Gulf countries with the Black Sea economic region.
QUESTION: You froze your participation in CSTO. Do you plan to join NATO?
MIRZOYAN: We do not want to be part of a dysfunctional mechanism [CSTO]. But we are still a CSTO member so it's necessary to take steps to make it function; we are discussing the issues on the AM-RU agenda. Simultaneously we have launched a process to strengthen AM-West relations and to diversify Armenia's economy.
source, video,

interview with Azeri opposition activist-in-exile Arif Yunusov

REPORTER: Azerbaijan had long refused to use 1991 Almaty for delimitation but on April 19 they agreed to launch the process based on Almaty. Why did they change their position?
YUNUSOV: Because of the problems Aliyev developed with the West. When Blinken makes a phone call, that means extensive work was done prior to the call. The issue of sanctions raised earlier this year was also raised after months of work. The collective West is pressuring Azerbaijan. We have entered the decisive phase of the West-Russia confrontation. The physical fights are taking place in Ukraine, while diplomatic wars rage in the South Caucasus.
Russia attempted on several occasions to destabilize Armenia's internal stability by using Azerbaijan but their efforts have failed and there hasn't been any serious escalation on the AM-AZ border. Pashinyan was not exaggerating the possibility of a war in Tavush a few months ago; there was indeed a real threat. However, the likelihood is much lower now and Azerbaijan has given its approval to launch the delimitation process. The ongoing delimitation process is part of the effort to regulate AM-AZ relations and push Russia out of the region.
REPORTER: Blinken spoke on Sunday with Aliyev and Pashinyan. I'm under the impression that this AM-AZ delimitation, despite being called "bilateral", is actually being moderated by the US.
YUNUSOV: Absolutely agree. Aliyev has a lengthy history of rejecting many Western efforts and being close with Putin, so the fact that he didn't reject it this time indicates serious pressure from the West. By the way, Aliyev became president in February but Biden hasn't congratulated him yet. For Aliyev, it's very important to receive a congratulation personally from Biden.
The US is moderating this process step-by-step. This process began in 2022 when Pashinyan recognized Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan; that was part of the US plan to normalize AM-AZ relations. Under this plan, Azerbaijan announced the formation of a commission to "integrate" Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians. Obviously, it all changed later and the US officials began to raise the issue of Aliyev being too close to Russia and about a need to pull him away from Putin. It appears the US is gradually getting what it wants because the US's role in this demarcation process is huge.
REPORTER: Is this also why Azerbaijan asked Russia to withdraw its military base from Nagorno-Karabakh? Was it under the US pressure?
YUNUSOV: I'm not entirely sure about the full details behind their withdrawal. I don't even know if they are truly being withdrawn because there is a motive to calm the Azerbaijani public that's anti-Russian.
There is also the fact that Russia was unable to deploy those peacekeepers on the AM-AZ border and push out the EU border monitoring mission from Armenia. Russia attempted to achieve this in December 2023 during a meeting in St. Petersburg but Pashinyan rejected Putin's efforts. Moreover, Pashinyan said that Armenia is no longer interested in the fate of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh and that this topic must be resolved between Russia and Azerbaijan. This was followed by Pashinyan's order to remove Russian agents from Yerevan's airport by August 2024. So Russia's effort to pressure Armenia with the hands of Azerbaijan has totally failed.
It's a strange situation, the withdrawal of peacekeepers. We don't know how many were removed and how many remain. I do not have information that the US pressured Azerbaijan to remove the Russian peacekeepers. [audio cuts off] The US is only strong when there is Armenia, during meetings, and we tend to receive information whenever Armenia is part of a negotiation process, whereas Azerbaijan-Russia talks are more secretive.
It appears Russia is withdrawing the equipment first because they need it ahead of the May offensive in Ukraine, before possibly a wider withdrawal by September.
Regarding the demarcation of the AM-AZ border, Russia understands that if the parties reach an agreement, that could mean the end of Russian presence in the South Caucasus. The AM-AZ border is a geopolitical issue. Russia will publicly formally welcome the delimitation efforts but it's not in their interest.
REPORTER: Why is France silent about the April 19 delimitation agreement?
YUNUSOV: France has adopted the correct position. First of all, Western states coordinate their policies [including on delimitation], but in each region, each Western state takes up a different position. For example, on the Ukraine issue, France provides support to Ukraine but the main locomotive is the US. In the South Caucasus, it's the opposite: the US provides the moderation efforts while the main locomotive - in this case, support for Armenia - is France. There is a crisis in FR-AZ relations. So France doesn't want to hinder the delimitation effort by intervening; they let the US handle it. There is currently an anti-French hysteria in Azerbaijan. The French endorsement of the AM-AZ delimitation agreement would be a big blow to the process.
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ruling party rejects opposition's motion to conduct the AM-AZ border delimitation based on 1993 "de facto" borders instead of 1991 Almaty borders

Context and debates in April 23 news digest. The opposition is against delimiting borders with the 1991 Almaty maps.
The opposition accuses the ruling party of serving Turkey's interests while the ruling party accuses the opposition of attempting to derail the 1991 delimitation process so they can drag Armenia into a new conflict before bringing the Russian "empire" as a savior to establish their rule in Armenia.
One thing that struck the ruling party's nerves was the opposition's narrative that "Armenia ends where the Armenian soldier stands". The ruling party believes that this principle is both dangerously expansionist [in the case of 2.5 Azeri villages] and would also endanger the fate of occupied Armenian lands. "We have a clear border with Azerbaijan, and it must be reproduced on the ground," said a ranking ruling party MP. Yesterday the government said over 50% of the task was done on a section of the Tavush-Gazakh border.
In response to the opposition's accusations that the ruling party serving the interests of Azerbaijan by "surrendering lands", a ruling MP accused the opposition of pressuring the government to surrender a corridor to Russia and Azerbaijan.
RULING MP: Mr. Sharmazanov [ex-president Serj's party] routinely says the quiet part out loud. At first, he spoke about the need to give a corridor [to Azerbaijan and Russia, via Syunik], and more recently he made another fantastic statement. Sharmazanov said "a homeland is eternal while a state is variable. The state's borders can expand or shrink." This stems from their mentality that today they are MPs of the Armenian parliament but tomorrow they could just as easily be Russian Duma MPs, representing the Armyanski Oblast. This is the clash of values: a stable state with borders vs. a "homeland" with variable borders. For us, the Republic of Armenia is irreplaceable and the independence of Armenia is non-negotiable. //
source, video, source, source,

the independent TV & radio regulator was summoned to parliament to report the 2023 activities

REGULATOR: Last year the broadcasters under our watch operated freely, without government intervention. The TV outlets stated that they were not pressured or obstructed by any branch of the government to limit their freedom of expression.
The issue persists with misinformation and hate speech, but our 3-year-long monitoring reveals that this negative content has been significantly reduced in public multiplex. This positive trend has multiple reasons, including our Committee's fight against the abuse of "freedom of speech". This type of negative content has, by in large, moved from television to the internet and social media.
We are strongly against the government's electoral code amendment that required private media outlets to allocate a limited number of free hours to candidates during electoral campaigns. How is this different from requiring gas stations to provide free gas to candidates? The media outlets are deprived of hours that they could use to generate income.
We've been calling for reforms in the law regulating the media. The 2020 law on liberalizing media regulations is a welcoming change. The field is free, with minimal intervention from the Committee (regulator) or the government.
However, this liberalization also endangers Armenia's media security. For example, foreign channels broadcasted over Armenia's public multiplex and cable often spread content illegal under Armenian law and against the Republic of Armenia's interests. The law does not grant the Committee enough powers to curtail this. At the moment, the Committee has jurisdiction over public multiplex TV and licensed radio channels only. This creates an uneven competition field with channels broadcasted over the net, which do not have to follow the same rules. Under European directives, a minimal level of regulation of internet content has become a requirement for European countries. We advise the government to follow European practices.
The public often wonders what share of cable TV content is in Armenian or made in Armenia. Our research reveals the content based on the country of origin: Armenian 71 (vs 68 last year), Russian 174 (vs 167), European 75, American 38, Other 15. As you can see, relevant parties should take steps to increase the share of Armenian content.
We have very important progress in another metric: Armenian-language programs aired over Armenian channels, nationwide or in Yerevan. The Armenian-language programs accounted for 95% of the air. This includes foreign content translated into Armenian or with Armenian subtitles.
2018: <60%
2020: 79%
2021: 81%
2023: 95%
We have progress in another important area. Over the last 3-4 years, on the public multiplex, the share of partisan ideological content has been gradually replaced by content more beneficial to the general public. For example, (1) we now have a sports program that promotes the development of local sports and provides coverage of local events. (2) We have a family channel called Noor available in Yerevan. Despite some challenges and flaws, they are doing their best to establish themselves as a family channel. (3) We have an educational channel Bun. (4) We have a music channel Dar21.
By in large, the public multiplex still falls short of delivering what we envisage. We believe the time has come to adopt a new state strategy on media to prevent a crisis. We could have a crisis because the state has too many regulations and not enough incentives to allow channels to use their slots to generate income and produce quality content.
We fear that during the next auction for slots in 2027, several slots could be left uncontested, which could pave the way for the entry of propagandistic channels or clearly weak channels unable to deliver quality content. If the channels fail to generate income, they could also be sold to foreign buyers. Therefore, some channels could begin to serve the interests of foreign states and serve foreign propaganda to Armenian citizens.
We advise the government to...
(1) reduce the number of channels on public multiplex. It's an unreasonably high number for a country size of Armenia. Fewer public multiplex channels means each channel would receive more ad dollars, which would raise the quality of content.
(2) establish a media assistance fund to incentivize quality content over the public multiplex.
How do we monitor media channels for compliance? The monitoring phase lasts 2 months per year. In Lithuania and Georgia, it's 1 month. The rest of the time the monitoring is done by NGOs, the public, and other institutions.
We penalized 34 companies for broadcasting pirated content. This is a shamefully high number. There are unfortunately companies that do not respect intellectual property. The only option left is to ramp up the enforcement. The atmosphere of impunity among channels is driven by the fact that the size of the penalty is only $130, which is a lot less than what they'd spend on obtaining the rights to the content.
We've been enforcing rules more vigorously, and in 2023 alone there were 64 administrative proceedings. In comparison, between 2011-2018 there were a total of 17 such proceedings.
2011-2018: 17
2021: 84
2023: 64
Reasons for administrative proceedings: copyright violation, illegal ads, content harmful to children, gore & violence, cussing on air, failure to meet the minimum threshold of 20% for certain types of content, etc.
In December we made a decision to suspend the re-broadcasting of [Russian] Sputnik Radio for a month. We were accused of violating their free speech [by Armenia's opposition factions], however, the radio's leadership visited Armenia, apologized for their content, and agreed to exclude the violating show [Kremlin propagandist Tigran Keosayan] from their programming aired in Armenia. We lifted the suspension.
Once again, the Committee reminds that it will suspend any foreign outlet that broadcasts content that spreads hatred towards the Republic of Armenia or its people, interferes with Armenia's internal affairs, questions Armenia's sovereignty, or engages in provocative actions.
Along with increased enforcement, we also have more complaints filed against our decisions in courts, which shows that the enforcement & appeals process is functioning freely. Sometimes we lose these trials. We learn and gain experience.
We recently signed the first-ever agreement with a country outside Eurasia. The agreement with friendly Argentina's state media agency will allow Armenia's public channel to film a big սերիալ.
The Committee is cooperating with the high-tech ministry to use AI in our work to save resources and raise efficiency.
ASSYRIAN-ARMENIAN MP: The law requires television to provide content in the Assyrian language. Similar programs exist for Yezidis but not Assyrians.
REGULATOR: The law requires the content to be either in Assyrian language or about Assyrian culture. The latter requirement was met.
ASSYRIAN-ARMENIAN MP: But we would like to hear content, speech, in Assyrian language.
REGULATOR: We want to do that by requiring local television channels [presumably where Assyrians mostly live] to provide content in Assyrian language, rather than requiring the public channel to broadcast that content nationwide, because the vast majority of nationwide consumers would not be able to consume content in a language they do not speak. It should be more targeted. Assyrian subtitles on public nationwide channels are also an option so submit your suggestion and we'll negotiate with H1.
RULING MP: I welcome your decision to take action against [Kremlin's] Solovyov and Keosayan for their anti-Armenian and anti-Armenian Republic content, but people wonder why you don't take similar measures against others, like [Kremlin's] Kisilyov. What have you done in this regard and what suggestions have you sent to the high-tech ministry?
REGULATOR: Our Committee has the authority to suspend re-broadcasted radio channels, as in the case of Sputnik, but we cannot suspend television channels. We can only send complaints to the high-tech ministry so they can take action against TV channels based on the AM-RU interstate agreement. We have been frequently sending reports to our high-tech ministry, and after 3 years of inaction, they finally decided to take steps recently. You already know about their actions against Solovyov's content. The ministry is working with Russia to replace the [empty] Solovyov timeslot with other cultural or entertainment content. You can forget about Solovyov. As a reminder, this program was banned in Armenia not for being "anti-Armenian", which is a vague term, but for violating specific laws of Armenia. They often call for violence, incite steps to launch a war, etc. Even Armenian channels are not allowed to broadcast such content. We need to revise the AM-RU interstate agreement to grant the Committee more powers to regulate foreign channels as well. In the future, we should entirely ban all foreign channels on Armenia's public multiplex.
RULING MP: What is Shoghakat TV, who owns it, and does its content meet the requirements? [It's the channel operated by the church]
REGULATOR: Shoghakat was formerly called a religious-cultural channel. Under the new law, it must broadcast cultural-educational content; its genre legally is not religious-cultural. A recent study shows that the share of religious content is too high and it must be reduced by raising the share of cultural-educational programs to meet the requirements. The channel is receiving funds from the state and must therefore meet the cultural-educational programming requirements.
RULING MP: In other words, Shoghakat is a public channel, at least in part financed by the taxpayers, and does not provide the content it is legally required to? Religious content is not a bad thing but we must be mindful of the state resources.
REGULATOR: It's co-financed by the church and state. Shoghakat is also operating from a building owned by the church, and not the public TV.
OPPO MP: Isn't it time to also regulate the TV channels' social media accounts on Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok? They get more views than the content aired over the public multiplex. Children consume dangerous content on YouTube and TikTok. There are countries that are attempting to regulate it. Can Armenia do this? There are also unlicensed channels on the internet that spread whatever they want. How do we regulate all of this?
REGULATOR: This morning the EU's Ursula von der Leyen announced the possibility of banning TikTok in the EU. The same about the US. Even the most democratic states restrict platforms that pose a danger to their societies. It will be expensive to technologically restrict these platforms in Armenia but we must consider any measure that would protect the Armenian society. Armenia is falling behind the EU directives in terms of content restrictions.
OPPO MP: Today a 9-year-old boy sees as many naked girls in one day as the world's richest sultan throughout his whole life. This is going to have a negative impact on children. The same about narcotics. When are we going to amend the law to regulate this?
REGULATOR: In the case of the 9 y/o boy, the most important institutions are the school, parents, and the surrounding environment. As for regulating the media field, I've been saying this for 4 years and this appears to be a bipartisan issue so let's get together and decide how to regulate it.
RULING MP: Under the existing media regulation law, foreign companies are not allowed to operate a cable service in Armenia. Why is Rostelecom able to operate? Should we lift the ban on all foreign firms or should we ban Rostelecom?
REGULATOR: I believe they meet the requirement by not owning over 49% of the company shares. I believe 51% of their shares belong to an Armenian resident company. In their defense, Rostelecom has voluntarily banned Solovyov's show in Armenia.
full report, source,

անախորժ միջադեպ պառլամենտի բակում

The bodyguard of Armenia/ARF MP Levon Kocharyan, the son of ex-president Robert Kocharyan, is accused of punching and knocking down a journalist in the backyard of the parliament building after the outlet's criticism of opposition churchman and his portrayal as a corrupt agent of Russia.
REPORTER (Davit Levonyan, civic.am, affiliated with ruling party): After finishing an interview with a ruling party MP, I noticed that Levon Kocharyan's assistant/bodyguard Arthur Sukoyan was waiting nearby. He approached me and asked to speak for 2 minutes. I asked my operator to stand a bit further from us so we could talk. The bodyguard attempted to provoke a fight. He was unhappy about my opinion about churchman Bagrat [the co-organizer of the opposition's road closures in Tavush] and he said my actions were blasphemy. I said dear Arthur I have the right to free speech and I don't force my opinion on others, and that he can express his own opinion and that I don't really care about his opinion. He went on to escalate it into a physical fight in a way to present it as "two boys fighting" rather than hooliganism. He began to cuss at me. I said, "If you think I'm that type of person then I can say the same about you". I never punched him, knowing well that it was a provocation. He punched me and knocked me to the ground. I got up and cussed at him but chose not to fight. I told him that "you and the likes of you will answer for this". I wanted to verify whose assistant he was so he said Kocharyan's, and he invited me to his office to "settle the dispute". I told him to get the hell out of here and that he will answer later pa lyubomu.
QUESTION: Were there witnesses and is there a video recording?
REPORTER: My operator witnessed it and it was in front of the parliament building's security cameras. //
The alleged suspect, Arthur Sukoyan, is the son of Judge Alexei Sukoyan whose duties as a judge were terminated by SJC last year for "severe violations".
OPPO MP (Mher Sahakyan): That guy has no right to be called a journalist because I've seen his video [about the opposition churchman] and as a Christian Armenian, it's prosto unacceptable for me. Are you telling me you can describe a representative of a church any way you like and not answer for it? //
MP Mher Sahakyan himself was arrested last year after punching a ruling party MP and forcing him to get stitches.
What was the outlet's report that angered Kocharyan's bodyguard? The outlet accused the churchman of serving Russian interests and owning a meat production business in Tavush. A fact-checker has found that the churchman is indeed reported as a 25% shareholder of the company but the company says the churchman hasn't received profits. The ruling faction accuses the church of unethically using the church's media resources to advertise the "churchman's meat business".
source, source, source, source, source, source, source, source,

PM Pashinyan hosted the European Commission's Director-General of EU Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations

Pashinyan considered the AM-EU-US high-level meeting held in Brussels on April 5 as key and emphasized the need for effective implementation of the agreements reached.
Koopman noted that the European Commission is ready to contribute to the implementation of the priorities of the Armenian government to strengthen the resilience of Armenia and its economic growth.
Koopman expressed confidence that Armenia-EU relations will continue to develop and expand dynamically. The interlocutors discussed a wide range of issues related to Armenia-EU cooperation.

... On Tuesday Armenia, the EU, and Germany signed an agreement to reduce the Armenian rural population's reliance on imported Russian gas

They want to help low-income villagers and municipal buildings of Tavush, Shirak, Gegharkunik, and Syunik provinces to switch to solar energy. It will include solar water heaters, etc.
EUROPEAN COMMISSION rep.: The EU-Armenia relations are stronger than ever and the EU's dedication to Armenia is reflected in the agreements reached on April 5 in Brussels. This is a 3-year program worth €12.5 million.
GERMAN EMBASSY: Why not use the sun's energy for daily activities? Yesterday we noticed on our faces and skins how powerful the Armenian sun is. [please SPF 100 yourselves]
source, source,

World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved a $116 million program for Armenia to enable reforms aimed at promoting green, resilient and inclusive development

It includes a $100 million loan from IBRD and a $16 million grant. This budget support will help the Government of Armenia to build climate resilience and reduce vulnerabilities to future shocks, as part of the 2021-2026 plan.

It includes actions that will fortify anti-corruption measures by implementing a robust framework with a whistleblowing system and gift monitoring mechanism for public servants. Further, it is aligned with the Paris Agreement.

source,

Azerbaijani regime arrested another pro-democracy activist as part of a crackdown on an independent outlet

Mammadli, the head of the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Centre, had his home raided by the police and was detained on Monday on charges of smuggling.
EUROPEAN UNION: This detention is the latest in a series of arrests of independent journalists & activists, and a matter of concern for the EU. All those imprisoned for exercising their fundamental rights should be released.
UNITED STATES: We are deeply concerned about the ongoing arrests of representatives of the Azerbaijani political society, in particular, Anar Mammadli. We call on the government of Azerbaijan to immediately release all those unjustly arrested. We continue to call on the government of Azerbaijan to respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all.
source, source,

Armenia's Ambassador to the US Lilith Makunts met the experts of the US-based analytical center RAND that recently advised the West to provide defense assistance to Armenia and not to pressure Armenia to cut all ties with Russia prematurely

Ambassador Makunts presented the latest developments in the AM-AZ peace process and the Crossroads of Peace logistics process.
source, source,

Hungary is blocking the €10 million military assistance to Armenia

Context in April 17 news digest. Hungary is so far preventing the transfer of European Peace Facility resources to provide Armenia with a mobile field camp capability for a battalion-size unit, including a medical treatment facility as well as relevant services and facilities
Armenia submitted the application for funding in 2023. Georgia had earlier received €30 million in assistance as part of the same fund. They received equipment for controlling artillery divisions and engineering equipment.
Hungary, led by Turkish-Azeri-Russian ally Orban, demands that Azerbaijan receive assistance with demining activities in exchange for authorizing the transfer to Armenia. However, since Azerbaijan has not formally requested assistance with demining, it's possible the process could reach a dead end. The internal negotiations continue.
source,

Armenia's Defense Minister discussed AM-FR defence cooperation and army reforms with a French Senator

MOD Papikyan hosted Ronan Le Gloyot from the French Senate Committees on Foreign Relations, Defense, Armed Forces and European Affairs. The parties discussed AM-FR defense ties, the AM-EU ties, the Armenian army reforms, etc.
source,

Armenia and France discussed cooperation in military industry and aerospace (🤔)

High-Tech Minister Mkhitar Hayrapetyan hosted the French Senate delegation led by Ronan Le Gloyot. They discussed cybersecurity, digitization, the establishment and operation of French high-tech firms in Armenia, defense, military industry, and aerospace cooperation.
source,

France donates 4 diesel power generators with 100 kW to city halls and hospitals in Syunik

source, source,

Saudi Arabia's ethnic Armenian Prince Abdulaziz bin Talal Al Saud will visit Armenia

The agreement was reached during the recent visit by Armenia's Labor Minister to SA. The Prince and the Minister also agreed to establish cooperation between the Prince's AGFUND and Armenia's labor ministry.
source,

Armenia's Central Bank continues to cut the refinancing rate

2020: 4.25%
2022: 10.75%
2023: 9.25%
Jan 2024: 8.75%
Mar 2024: 8.50%
Apr 2024 8.25%
source, source,

Armenian migrant workers are sending fewer remittances from Russia and could find working in Armenia more beneficial

The net inflow of individuals' remittances from Russia in Q1 2024 amounted to $656.6 million compared to $1.1 billion in Q1 2023.
CENTRAL BANK: There is a decline this year due to economic and geopolitical issues, the exchange rate, and the ratio of salaries. It is necessary to have an understanding of whether Armenian migrant workers plan to continue working in Russia. Some prefer to return to Armenia and work here, as the difference in salaries now is much smaller than, for example, 10 years ago.
source, full,

agreement is signed to build a World Trade Center in Yerevan

Details in September 7 news digest.
Construction company RenShin presented the $212 million project to the government for approval. It's expected to create 10,000 jobs. There will be 4- and 5-star hotels as well.
PASHINYAN: It will be in place of the HayPost [post office] building on 22 Saryan St. Modern construction standards will be introduced in Armenia. Since our independence, there has never been a complex of this scale. It will help Armenia raise the "we are open for business" flag.
MHER GRIGORYAN: Armenia is the only country in the region without a World Trade Center. Being the last means we can have the best quality and newest technology. //
Armenia-based Renshen will invite the international architectural giant Norman Foster, known for developing the Apple Park in California, Germany's Reichstag Building, New York skyscraper Hearst Tower, the City Hall of Southwark (London), Millennium Bridge in London, Bilbao Metro, and more.
Who will own the complex? 50% investors, 30% HayPost, 20% Government. The company will buy HayPost's shares within the next 5 years. The revenue will help develop HayPost. It will have a new modern sorting facility to handle more parcels.
source,

16-year-old boy survives a fall from Kievian Bridge

source,

Yerevan's Yeritasardakan subway station has new lighting: VIDEO

It's the first of several to come.
video,

13-minute read.

authorities charge another suspect as part of the February terror plot against ruling party figures

Authorities say they have identified the 4th bomb tied to the same group. Recently there was an explosion near a mechanic shop owned by the father of two ruling party members - Hayk and Nairi Sargsyan. The former is a QP MP, the latter is a former assistant to PM Pashinyan. The suspect is wanted.
Context: Last month the authorities arrested a (former) ARF member and a few other alleged accomplices suspected of planting 3 bombs near the members of Pashinyan's party. The suspects are accused of attempting to coerce the MPs to change their policies. One of the bombs exploded but was misplaced and didn't harm anyone. The other 2 bombs didn't explode due to faulty ignition mechanisms.
source, source,

Armenia's 2013 decision to drop EU agreement and join Russia's EAEU bloc has turned out to be a major pain in the ass, the full extent of which is only now becoming visible; interview with EU official

Armenia completed technical talks on a ‘deep and comprehensive free-trade agreement’ (DCFTA) with the EU in July [2013] and it was set to be signed at a summit with the EU in late November.

However...

Following his meeting with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Armenia’s President Serzh Sarkisian said: “We have…held a detailed exchange of views on issues of Eurasian integration, and I confirmed Armenia’s desire to join the [Russian] Customs Union

Yesterday the spokesman for EU's foreign ministry said the EU is not requiring Armenia to withdraw from Russian EAEU and CSTO blocs in exchange for closer cooperation with the EU, while the President of the European Commission praised Armenia's sanctions compliance during the April 5 meeting.
Here are parts from an interview with Marie Dumoulin, the director of the "Wider Europe" program at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Wider Europe is a program that aims to help the EU defend its interests and values in neighboring regions including South Caucasus.
REPORTER: On April 5 the EU and US announced additional aid for Armenia on top of the half a billion euro that was gathered as part of the previous €2.6 billion program. How significant is this aid and what is the long-term goal?
DUMOULIN: This increase is a result of the EU's decision to strengthen its engagement with Armenia, help increase Armenia's economic resilience, and create more jobs and opportunities. This is a long-term plan and the EU will be next to Armenia in the coming years.
REPORTER: Can we assume the EU will also help Armenia improve its defense capabilities? Will the European Peace fund be used? Any plans to open the EU market for Armenia? Because Armenia cannot detach itself from Russia's EAEU or CSTO without access to the EU.
DUMOULIN: I don't think the aim of the EU is to push Armenia to break its existing ties with Russian organizations. The goal is to help Armenia strengthen its resilience. So there is an economic component in this cooperation. And then there is the security and defense dimension that you mentioned. Discussions on the possibility of using the European Peace fund continue. There are discussions to use this tool for Armenia specifically, so its army can receive non-lethal assistance which would increase the army's capabilities without having a broader impact on Armenia's alliances.
REPORTER: Is there a chance for Armenia to become an EU candidate, or is there still a lot of homework to be done, as happened in the case of Georgia? Some experts believe Armenia has made more progress than Georgia in certain areas of reforms. Should Armenia apply for EU candidacy?
DUMOULIN: Discussing EU candidacy is a little premature because Armenia is still a member of the EAEU and cannot easily withdraw from it. These are long-term commitments that Armenia should consider carefully before choosing a road. In the meantime, Armenia should carry out more domestic reforms. The EU wants to help with that through various existing tools.
REPORTER: I have the impression that the EU also understands the dangers of severing Armenia's ties with all Russian-led organizations. At the same time, the EU wants to provide as much support as possible to Armenia without severing those ties. In 2013 Armenia was negotiating a deeper association agreement with the EU that included a free trade agreement. President Serj Sargsyan then decided to join the Russian EAEU and the deal collapsed. Is it possible to revive this association agreement today?
DUMOULIN: After the failure of the 2013 negotiations, we signed CEPA. Today the EU wants to expand CEPA but it probably won't offer the same opportunities that Moldova and Ukraine had under DCFTA, but it will provide greater opportunities for cooperation. I think the EU is realistic about the fact that it cannot replace Russia as Armenia's economic partner and I don't think that's the EU's goal, but the EU can do more to strengthen Armenia's resilience in both economic and social development.
REPORTER: The EU's decision to grant Georgia the status of a candidate country was adopted taking into account Russia's aggressive policy towards neighboring countries. I believe that was the main consideration, because prior to the candidacy decision, the EU officials were criticizing Georgia's lack of progress, but they realized that the strict candidacy rules were only promoting the pro-Russian sentiments and elements in Georgia. The granting of candidacy was a victory for pro-European parties in Georgia. I think the same steps can be beneficial for Armenia as well, or at least an initiation of this process.
DUMOULIN: Armenia and Georgia are two very different situations despite their similarities. Georgia already had an Association Agreement and DCFTA with the EU, which is why it is closer to the EU than Armenia is. Armenia, as a member of EAEU and CSTO, has other things to do before reaching the same point. You are absolutely right in noting that Armenia is in some ways more advanced than Georgia in terms of reforms. I think the decision to grant Georgia a candidacy was first of all a signal to the Georgian public, the overwhelming majority of which is enthusiastic about a European future. However, the EU will monitor Georgia's reforms very carefully.
source, source, source, source, source,

the Secretary of the Council of Europe visited Armenia

Note: The Council of Europe supports countries with domestic reforms but it doesn't make decisions regarding EU's policies, which is the task of the European Council.
CoE leader Marija Buric met FM Mirzoyan to discuss the rule of law, refugee aid, anti-corruption, democratic reforms, and the implementation of the 2023-2026 action plan drafted by Armenia and CoE.
MARIA BURIC: I'm glad to be again in Armenia. We've worked for a long time on many issues and I wanted to commend and thank your government for working on the reforms and action plan 2023-2026. It's assisting Armenia in this important job. One piece of information that could give you an idea of how much the member states of the Council of Europe are dedicated to the action plan and to developing relations with Armenia is the fact that we've already secured almost the totality of the necessary funding. In the first year, we have already secured almost the totality of what is needed. //
They discussed assistance for Nagorno-Karabakh refugees.
video, source, source,

Crossroads of Peace project could become an important prerequisite for Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process: the head Council of Europe

Maria Burić then met PM Pashinyan and expressed CoE's support for continuous reforms in Armenia and the unblocking of communications routes.
source, source,

PM Pashinyan hosted members of the Political and Security Committee of the Council of the European Union

Note: The Council of the European Union is an official body that makes EU policy decisions, not to be confused with the Council of Europe mentioned above.
Pashinyan welcomed the visit of the delegation to Armenia and emphasized the consistent development of AM-EU cooperation and in that context emphasized the April 5 meeting in Brussels. The parties discussed the AM-AZ peace process, Armenia's security, and humanitarian topics.
FM MIRZOYAN: We are in the middle of a process to significantly deepen our relations with the EU. As PM Pashinyan said last year at the European Parliament, Armenia is ready to get as close to the EU as much as it would be acceptable for the EU. We have the CEPA agreement. Now we are exploring an agreement beyond CEPA. We have the economic and investment plan, we have the flagship initiatives, and we are currently discussing with the EU support for the resilience of Armenia. We know that the global and regional processes may have unpredictable or, as some say, "inevitable" consequences. To meet these challenges we should raise Armenia's resilience, including economic resilience. We could have challenges in the spheres of energy supplies [gas], accessible markets, etc. So there is a very deep understanding between Armenia and EU in terms of what can be done. Where this path will bring Armenia and the EU is difficult to tell right now but we are open to many possibilities. The people of Armenia have European aspirations. We will be guided by these aspirations. //
Pashinyan and the guests discussed defense topics and the AM-AZ peace process.
source, source, source, source, source,

PM Pashinyan's deputy chief of staff accuses Armenia's pro-Russian opposition figures of engaging in a "hybrid warfare" to discredit the West

TARON CHAKHOYAN: Armenia received what it wanted to receive during the Brussels meeting. Various propagandists and sazandar musicians are attempting to devalue the April 5 meeting. The same circles were circulating fake claims about military aid and billions of dollars prior to the meeting so they could later promote a sense of disappointment in the public. This is part of their hybrid warfare against Armenia to instill a sense of despair and the idea that Armenia cannot survive as an independent state and that it's necessary to become a peripheral province [of Russia]. Democracy is our trump card in this hybrid war against Armenia. The meeting in Brussels was another very important step towards establishing sovereignty and deepening cooperation with the civilized world. //
source, source,

Armenia's Foreign Minister will not take part in a Russian-led CIS meeting of foreign ministers

Mirzoyan won't fly to Belarus on April 12.
source,

NatSec Armen Grigoryan held a meeting with his Swedish counterpart

The interlocutors discussed bilateral cooperation in various directions, emphasizing the security factor. Grigoryan spoke about the diversification of Armenia's economic and defense sectors and described Sweden as an important partner.
source,

Armenia and Azerbaijan continue to exchange proposals around the peace treaty

Armenia has responded to Azerbaijan by sending the 8th modification of the peace treaty to Baku.
source,

Azerbaijan's goal was to provoke a response by Armenia so it could justify a full-scale attack, which did not happen: Jean-Christophe Buisson, the deputy chief of the French newspaper Le Figaro

The EU border mission members visited one of the residents of the 5 houses targeted by Azerbaijani fire over the weekend. The resident avoided injury from broken glass by pure luck because days earlier they moved the bed to a different position.
source, source,

new government decision will replace Soviet-era "hurrah" with Armenian "kecce" during ceremonial congratulatory chants by soldiers

The switch is part of wider reforms in the army. A package is underway. The ministry had earlier announced a decision to switch to new uniforms with NATO standards.
source,

how many Nagorno-Karabakh refugees have left Armenia and haven't returned (yet)?

As of...
Oct 2023: 3,000
Nov 2023: 6,600
Mar 2024: 8,800
Over 100,000 refugees were forced to move to Armenia in September.
source, source,

businessman Ruben Vardanyan is nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by a group of organizations and individuals

His supporters highlighted Vardanyan's 2022-2023 activities in blockaded Nagorno-Karabakh and investments in various educational programs around the world. Vardanyan is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan.
source, source,

agreement is signed to sell Armenia's Ameriabank to an internationally-owned Bank of Georgia

Armenia's Central Bank gave its approval. Here are the new shareholders:
60% Bank of Georgia Group (registered in UK and London stock exchange)
30% Bank of Georgia JSC
10% European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
The $304 million acquisition was announced in February. The Ameria bank will maintain its name and leadership.
source,

economy: construction stats for January-February

Construction +10% YoY
Who financed the construction? 55% organizations, 11% government, ...
What was constructed? 60% real estate, 10% utility facilities, 6% transport facilities, ...
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economy: domestic trade turnover stats for January-February

Domestic trade +24% YoY
Wholesale trade +38%
Retail trade +7%
Vehicle sales -7%
Of retail trade, stores accounted for 82% of the total, markets of agricultural products +4%, ...
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economy: tourism stats for March

2024: 154,200
2023: 159,900
The largest share of tourists: 42% Russian, 14% Georgian, 8% Iranian, ...
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economy: services sector stats for January-February

Services +5%
Financial and insurance activities +16%
Information and communication -0.2%
Transport +15%
accommodation and catering +7%
culture, entertainment and recreation +3%
health care and social security +10%
Real estate related services +9%
education services +6%
source,

Foreign Direction Investments in Armenia

2018: $267 million
2019: $100 million
2020: $59 million
2021: $366 million
2022: $988 million
2023: $443 million
source, more, source, source,

Yerevan subway arrival timetable

MAYOR AVINYAN: Since we're working on public transport reforms, can we also make arrival timetables available for the metro trains so riders will know when to expect them?
DEPUTY MAYOR: We will buy new equipment to make it possible.
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video shows before and after the removal of giant ad billboards from Yerevan's sidewalks: VIDEO

Context in April 5 news. The city recently approved a new visual code for ads and has launched a process to remove non-compliant ones from building façades and sidewalk poles.
When it comes to façade ads, the city is mandating shop owners to remove colorful banners covering part of the building's architecture and replace them with more minimalistic letters without a background color.
MAYOR AVINYAN: We informed the shop owners and ad companies last year and they've been cooperating with us despite some dissatisfaction. This process is necessary to remove the excessive "information noise" from the capital. This is especially necessary in areas where we have beautiful buildings and architecture. Additionally, work is underway to move the electric cables underground, for now on 28 streets.
video,

Yerevan mayor instructs every department worker to use the Active Citizen app

The app was created to receive reports and suggestions from Yerevan residents. Mayor Avinyan has instructed every worker to use it and treat it as a "hotline". Warnings will be issued to employees who do not use the app starting next week.
source,

Yerevan administration consulted with over 20 scientists before replacing the outdated and dying trees on sidewalks, will invite new scientists

MAYOR AVINYAN: Last week we decided to temporarily delay the tree replacement process after a meeting with eco-activists [a group of Armenian and Russian residents held a picket in front of City Hall]. We have requested additional opinions from scientific circles. If this opinion questions the findings of the previous 20+ member scientific board, we will organize debates. Any news on this?
CITY OFFICIAL: We have not received any scientific counter-arguments. Moreover, the national academy held a discussion participated by various agencies. Everyone except for one person agreed that թեղի trees must be removed from Yerevan. We will invite scientists from two other agencies soon. Any group that wants to carry out a more detailed analysis is free to do so, but there is widespread agreement that թեղի trees are expired, were never great for Yerevan's climate, and were planted in Yerevan only because they were a quick solution. We will need 10-20 years to replace all թեղի in Yerevan because of their sheer numbers.
MAYOR AVINYAN: Our residents are not properly informed about all these details, so here is a background: The process began in February 2023 after discussions by 25 scientists who concluded that a significant share of Yerevan's trees are outdated, deformed, and do not meet the environmental benefit requirements, and that in many cases they only inflate the number of trees without providing the benefits. We will publish these scientific findings again. Anyone with a scientific counter-argument is free to prove otherwise. We are open to new and contradicting information, but this is not going to be an amateur street-level debate. //
A group of scientists recommended on Friday to use more specialized devices to scan each tree and make a decision for each one of them separately.
Context: The city says certain types of trees were planted half a century ago while their city lifespan is 30-40 years. The city says the replacement process should have been launched in the early 2000s.
OFFICIAL: New trees do a much better job of keeping the air clean and reducing dust and noise. These are much better than the old թեղի trees. թեղի isn't a bad tree but its city lifespan is too short. Why do we have so many թեղի in Yerevan? During the USSR, when they were deciding what to plant, the priority was to choose a tree that could grow fast because Yerevan was in a semi-desert climate and needed trees ASAP. This is why they planted թեղի and բարդի. These trees expired about a decade ago. Not only do they no longer serve their function optimally, but they have become a safety hazard and fall easily during winds. The older բարդի have rotten roots, while the younger ones are being treated to reduce their height and the risk of falling. To make things worse, բարդի were planted on sidewalks. //
source, source, source,

a justice ministry department is entering the 21st century with the purchase of modern equipment: VIDEO

The ministry's Expert Center has forensics experts with different specialties. They have imported new tools that allow them to locate electric cables running 6 meters underground (so they don't have to dig), whether a wire is grounded, etc. They'll be able to investigate the schematics of a building in the event of collapse or fire.
source,

parliament's Defense Committee greenlights Armenia's integration with Europol

Armenia will send an officer to the Netherlands to represent the country's law enforcement agencies in Europol, while Europol will install secure communication equipment in Armenia for the exchange of information. The parties will combat crime, trafficking, exchange classified data, etc.
ANDRANIK KOCHARYAN: We recently found cocaine in bananas from Ecuador. Are there any plans to launch a similar cooperation with other countries to combat trafficking?
MINISTRY: We are working with the U.S. to have a similar separate agreement to target such crimes.
more, source, source,

government of Chechnya prohibits the production of music with high tempo

Ramzan Kadyrov has instructed the ministry of culture to monitor domestic musicians and ensure their content doesn't go above 116 beats per minute. The goal is to protect traditional "Chechen mentality", "cultural heritage", and "children".
This effectively bans the production of techno and trans music. One major side effect is that it also bans the Russian anthem because the ban has a lower limit of 80 beats per minute, while the Russian anthem is only 76.
source,

11-minute read.

in 2022 Armenia's budget revenues from taxes surpassed Azerbaijan's revenues from non-energy sources

AM: $4.9 billion
AZ: $4.7 billion (without oil & gas)
AZ: $9.1 billion (with oil & gas)
source, source,

Armenia's budget revenues continue to grow YoY in January

2022: ֏144.2 billion
2023: ֏166.3 billion (+15.3%)
2024: ֏177.6 billion (+6.8%)
source,source,

private monetary transactions out of Russia have declined

RU to CIS: -36% ($628M total)
RU to AM: -30% ($298M)
RU to KG: +25% ($245M)
RU to GE: -4.5x ($71M)
RU to KZ: -3x ($15M)
source,

number of Armenians migrating to Russia for work is on the decline, and so is the remittance share of GDP: EDB

Remittances as a percent of GDP have over the years declined from 18.5% in 2013 to 8.7% in 2023.
EDB rep.: This decline is largely a result of a growing GDP. Besides this, the statistics show that the migration flow from Armenia to Russia has seen a decline since 2014. Armenian economy is less reliant on remittances today, and this trend will continue in the coming years. //
Russia is seeing more Uzbek and Tajik laborers, and fewer Armenians and Kyrgyz. An expert attributes this to the creation of new jobs in Armenia and the devaluation of the ruble. This doesn't make it worthwhile for some Armenian workers to travel to Russia.
Years ago Armenians accounted for 16% of foreign workers in Russia. Today it's only 8.6%, the lowest in modern history.
source,

Armenian economy in 2023: real average wages +12%, economic activity +9.4%

WORLD BANK: In 2023, economic activity grew by 9.4% (yoy), surpassing expectations. On the demand side, private consumption was fueled by a 12% increase in real average wages, improvements in employment, and cash transfers provided by the Government to the displaced population.
In January 2024, prices registered 0.9% deflation driven by 5.8% deflation in food prices. The Central Bank of Armenia continued easing the monetary stance by reducing the policy rate by 50 basis points (to 8.75 percent) in its January 30th Board session. //
source, more,

recap of PM Pashinyan-led delegation's trip to the Munich Security Conference and the meeting with the Armenian diaspora

🗞️ German Chancellor Scholz hosted Pashinyan and Aliyev. The latter two agreed to continue the work on the peace treaty. Foreign ministers and border commissions will meet again.
🗞️ US foreign minister Blinken met with both leaders. Pashinyan lauded the AM-US Strategic Dialogue launched in 2019 and said he is looking forward to a new meeting to discuss an "extensive agenda". Blinken praised Armenia's peace-oriented agenda.
🗞️ Aliyev said that "Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is resolved" so the OSCE Minsk Group should be dissolved.
🗞️ Azerbaijan again complained about the lawsuits filed by Armenia in international courts, misrepresenting them as "territorial claims". Armenia's lawyer recently spoke about lawsuits for Azerbaijan's ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh and war crimes during the invasion of Armenia in September 2022.
🗞️ Defense Minister Papikyan met his Lithuanian counterpart to discuss cooperation as part of NATO and EU programs. He discussed topics of cooperation with his Bulgarian counterpart as well.
🗞️ German Defense Minister Pistorius expressed readiness to assist Armenia with the ongoing army reforms.
🗞️ Aliyev met Zelensky and said both countries have suffered from "occupation".
ARMENIA: Our relations with the EU have never been stronger. We work together to achieve new tangible results in areas of mutual interest. //
PASHINYAN: The European community is changing its perception of Armenia. It is more and more being perceived as a democratic state. Armenia and the EU are interested in strengthening relations.
PASHINYAN: In Munich we held discussions around the development of green hydrogen and battery farms in Armenia. We have reached certain agreements. We held discussions with representatives of Fichtner [engineering, renewable energy, etc.] and Amazon AWS. We asked Fichtner for assistance.
PASHINYAN: With Aliyev we agreed to reaffirm the agreements reached earlier. FMs and border commissions will meet soon.
PASHINYAN: The Armenian public was kept in the dark and for decades was fed with false promises that Nagorno-Karabakh could become an independent state through the negotiations that the administrations were engaged in. In reality, the best-case scenario was Nagorno-Karabakh having a certain status within Azerbaijan. This became evident after 1996 when the international community expressed its stance on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and especially after 2016. We weren't upfront with the public because we were still hoping to find cracks to overcome the international community's resistance. This wasn't a struggle against Azerbaijan, this was a struggle against the whole world. It wasn't smart on our part. There were forces that encouraged us to do this. We will lose Armenia if we continue with the old mentality. Armenians should not live in an alternative reality. We must leave behind the formula that developed the faux patriotism over the years. This faux patriotism was instilled in us from centers located outside Armenia purposefully. Armenia's policies must have legitimacy from the perspective of international law in order to allow us to develop our country.
QUESTION: Do you plan to replace Yandex and other Russian tech solutions with Google, Netflix, and other Western alternatives? These services don't work in Armenia.
PASHINYAN: I use Google Maps in Armenia. I recently wrote a letter to Google management to bring more services.
QUESTION: Do you plan to return Nagorno-Karabakh refugees to their homes or integrate them into Armenia?
PASHINYAN: Today they have refugee status in Armenia. In the event they don't have the ability to return, we'll do everything possible to ensure they stay in Armenia. Today most refugee students are in Armenian schools, tens of thousands of people are working, and all refugee seniors are receiving their pensions. We will soon launch a housing program for Nagorno-Karabakh refugees and Armenian citizens. We want refugees who join this housing program to also apply for citizenship.
QUESTION: Many large Armenian food producers do not meet European standards. For example, their labels state the date of production and the number of months it's usable after production, whereas the EU requires a more specific expiration date. This doesn't allow us to import many Armenian products to the EU.
PASHINYAN: Our businesses have many shortcomings. We have asked our EU colleagues to help us help our businesses to raise the standards. Additionally, we've introduced subsidy programs for industrial modernization, energy efficiency, and wage subsidies for hiring foreign-trained experts.
QUESTION: Are you changing Armenia's foreign vector?
PASHINYAN: We want to sit down around a table with the EU and learn from them.
QUESTION: What was a 67-year-old grandpa doing in a military position in Nerkin Hand?
PASHINYAN: We have Ashkharazor forces which we plan to convert into Territorial Defense under upcoming reforms.
QUESTION: Describe the relations with Iran.
PASHINYAN: The world is not the same anymore, from the Middle East to Ukraine to the other parts of the world. The world is in turmoil and we're trying to protect Armenia in the midst of it. Today we are being asked to pick a "side". Picking one side is guaranteed to cause problems with the other side. We have deep relations with Iran and we're committed to it. This is also a difficult thing to balance. Improve relations with Iran, and it creates tensions elsewhere. Improve relations with others, and it causes tensions with Iran.
QUESTION: About the Syunik "corridor" demanded by Russia and Azerbaijan.
PASHINYAN: There is no "corridor" described in the 9th paragraph of the 2020 ceasefire statement. You can't find one. There is no mention of allowing another state to control a territory in Armenia. It was about unblocking communication routes. We are offering the Crossroads of Peace initiative to unblock routes. We created the Crossroads of Peace to make our proposal clear to the world. Nowhere does it say in the 9th paragraph that Russia must control a territory within Armenia. Moreover, Russia and Azerbaijan have violated the other paragraphs of the 2020 statement. You can't ignore everything except one paragraph. Where are the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh today? This was the area of responsibility of Russian peacekeepers.
QUESTION: Your stance on war in Ukraine.
PASHINYAN: We recognize the 1991 Almaty Declaration. It defines the borders of Armenia, Ukraine, and Russia. We recognize Ukraine's territorial integrity under the Almaty Declaration. As I've been stating for two years, Armenia is not Russia's ally in the Ukraine conflict. Ukrainians are a brotherly nation for us. Armenians have been treated well in Ukraine before and during the USSR; we can't be ungrateful.
PUTIN's OFFICE: It is true that Armenia and Russia have a polar opposite stance on the Ukraine conflict. It is a well-known position of our Armenian friends. We disagree with them so we will persistently continue to promote our stance.
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nationalist BEVER organized a rally on Monday with calls to remove PM Pashinyan

They marked the 103rd anniversary of the February Uprising during which Armenian nationalists clashed with the Bolshevik regime. The rally organizer drew comparisons with the 1921 February Uprising and the 2016 terrorist attack committed by BEVER members against a police station in Yerevan. They refer to the terrorist attack as "rebellion".
BEVER (organizer): The decisive moment is approaching. We will continue the rebellion, we will conclude it soon. We have internal enemies and traitors that must be dealt with. Today's government is a remnant of the Turko-Bolsheviks. //
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Russia is producing a lot more weapons than the West thought

Moscow has massively ramped up its industry, giving it advantages in Ukraine and leading to a redistribution of wealth

...

Total defence spending has risen to an estimated 7.5% of Russia’s GDP, supply chains have been redesigned to secure many key inputs and evade sanctions, and factories producing ammunition, vehicles and equipment are running around the clock, often on mandatory 12-hour shifts with double overtime

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[allegedly] 520,000 new jobs had been created in the military-industrial complex, which now employs an estimated 3.5 million Russians, or 2.5% of the population

The tank factory at Uralvagonzavod wants to train 1,500 additional workers, as it switches to a 24/7 schedule.
This year tank factories delivered 1,500 tanks, of which 1,200 were old units that underwent repairs. At this pace, Russia can sustain its assault for another 2-3 years.
ESTONIA's intel: NATO has been underestimating Russia's war machine, from the production of ammunition to the recruitment of troops. Russia has not reached its limits. Putin also claims he can produce several million artillery shells a year, far outstripping European efforts. We confirm that Russia can produce a lot more than it used to. At the current pace, Russia will need 3-5 years to pose a direct threat to NATO.
EU: We won't be able to meet the target of producing 1 million rounds by March. Meanwhile, North Korea shipped 1 million shells to Russia last year.
BELGIUM's army: Russia can open a second front in Moldova in a matter of years. Prepare for a potential conflict with Moscow. //
And when the party was over, everyone joined the circle to sing the Star-Spangled Banner cheerfully while jacking off President Biden for an additional $100 billion in aid. "Happy Birthday, El Presidente!", chanted the crowd while manufacturing the second Statue of Liberty suspiciously resembling Melania Trump.
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Russia has more churches than schools for the first time in modern history

year: schools / churches
1990: 69K / 3K
2000: 68K / 21K
2010: 52K / 30K
2020: 41K / 40K
2022: 40K / 42K
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anti-corruption: prosecutors have an asset forfeiture case worth tens of millions of dollars against Serj-era Deputy Transport Minister Hayk Chshmarityan & associates

7 real estate properties, 1 car, shares in 2 companies, and $39 million.
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wages will increase for kindergarten nannies in Yerevan

MAYOR AVINYAN: Tens of kindergartens are being rebuilt at the moment to improve the conditions for children. This year the wages will increase by 30% for nannies and directors. This is where the money goes when we increase fees for parking and other things.
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ruling party is preparing a new law on stray and family-owned animals

QP MP: We've been working with the Government and international partners for quite some time now on drafting a new bill on responsible treatment of animals. It's an entirely new law to regulate this field, including stray animals.
The state is expected to increase resources and cooperate with municipalities to address issues. New shelters, sterilizations, and clarification of criteria for euthanasia.
The policies are being built around the control of the number of stray dogs and public safety. //
Yerevan spends between $35 to $75 to catch and treat stray dogs. The annual budget for the program is $742,000. Provinces could receive resources under the new law.
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new law will ban "hidden" cameras in clinics

Cameras will be prohibited in medical diagnosis cabinets, surgery (intervention) rooms, wards, and bathrooms. If other areas have a camera, a sign must be placed in a visible area so the visitor can see it before entering the area.
The law was adopted last year and goes into effect on March 1. The camera operators will be required to preserve footage if there is an investigation and delete it within X months afterward. There were instances of visitors discovering cameras in doctors' rooms that were allegedly installed to catch bribery.
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number of women willing to call a hotline to report domestic violence has exploded over the last decade

2010: 50
Now: 2,220
Armenia passed a law on domestic violence in 2018, and starting in 2019, the number of NGOs tasked with protecting women's rights has increased significantly. They operate in provinces and Yerevan together with the Social Ministry.
An NGO says the police still lack the capacity and motivation to thoroughly investigate domestic incidents.
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Yerevan State University included in Times Higher Education for the first time

(1) Oxford
(2) Stanford
(3) MIT
(1201-1500) Georgia's Ilia State
(1501+) Yerevan State
(1501+) Baku State
(1501+) Georgian Technical
(1501+) Tbilisi State
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update: Bank of Georgia wants to acquire 90% of Ameriabank for $304 million

We learned last week that Bank of Georgia (BoGG), a UK-incorporated company (owned by Georgia Capital, JPMorgan, BlackRock, Vanguard, etc.), is in advanced talks to acquire Armenia's Ameriabank, a financial and technology company with assets over ֏1 trillion. BoGG is a major bank in Georgia with a developed network and a million clients.
If approved by the Armenian government, 90% of Ameriabank's shares will be owned by BoGG and 10% by the EBRD (European Bank for Reconstruction & Development).
MEL CARVILL (Chairman of the Board of Directors of BoGG): This transaction is a significant milestone for the Group and a new chapter in our strategic development. Through Ameriabank we are set to enter Armenia, one of the fastest-growing economies in the region. Ameriabank has a well-regarded and experienced management team, and I am delighted that they will stay on after the transaction is closed.
The Board believes this transaction will enable the Group to substantially increase scale and unlock additional growth opportunities as our impressive results in digitalisation, payments and customer franchise growth can be applied to Ameriabank’s further development. This transaction is immediately earnings enhancing, using the Group’s existing cash resources, with no dilution for existing shareholders. The Board unanimously views it as an excellent opportunity to create more value for our shareholders. //
Armenian media wrote that 49% of Ameriabank is owned by Russian-Armenian billionaire Ruben Vardanyan, currently imprisoned in Baku. The head of Ruben Vardanyan's political party Aprelu Yerkir stated that Vardanyan does not directly own 49% of the shares, that the shares are owned by his "Imast Group", and that Vardanyan himself doesn't make decisions since he is no longer a board member. The party chief added that the talks to acquire Ameriabank began back in 2022, in response to speculations that the sale is connected with Vardanyan's abduction and imprisonment by Azerbaijan in 2023. Other shareholders of Ameriabank are EBRD (EU) with 18%, EBD (based in KZ) with 14%, ESPS (Armenian) 12%, Afeyan Foundation (Armenian) 7.5%.
Investigative journalists are attempting to uncover the owners of 45% of BoGG shares. The other 55%, as listed above, is owned by big-name corporations.
After the acquisition, Ameriabank will join the London Stock Exchange (LSE) as a standalone entity. Ameriabank will operate as a standalone entity within the Group under its own brand name and the current leadership in place.
expert interview, source, source, source, source, source, source,

Armenian community of Jerusalem files a lawsuit to invalidate the property transaction contract between a former churchman and an Israeli businessman that led to physical assault and clashes for Cows' Garden

The plaintiff mentions (1) a law that makes the contract invalid if it does not benefit the Armenian community, (2) other church members called the signatory's action "unauthorized", (3) property's cultural and material value for the Armenian Quarter and the local community, (4) ...
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Transavia will hold direct flights between Yerevan and Lyon

Once a week starting April, and twice a week starting July.
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chad report

Wrestler Arsen Harutyunyan (57 kg) is the European champion.
Wrestler Arman Andreasyan (70 kg) is the European champion. 2021: bronze, 2022: silver, 2024: gold, 2025: ???? 🤔
Greco-Roman wrestler Malkhas Amoyan (77 kg) is the European champion.
Greco-Roman wrestler Arthur Alexanyan (97 kg) is the European champion.
Gymnast Arthur Davtyan is the World Cup winner.
Figure skater Adelia Petrosyan is Russia's champion.
Weightlifter Hakob Mkrtchyan (96 kg) is the European champion. He defeated Armenia's Davit Hovhannisyan, who finished with silver. Shame on Davit.
Boxer Davit Simonyan (92 kg) is the winner of the Dracula Open.
Weightlifter Hripsime Khurshudyan (87 kg) won bronze at the European Championship and ended her career. 👏👏👏
video, source, source, source, source, source, source, source,
Update: typos and corrections

16-minute read.

government cuts the number of families on poverty aid by tens of thousands after reevaluating income-based eligibility and discovering that many weren't "poor"

PASHINYAN: Many families were still receiving poverty aid despite growing incomes that placed them above the poverty line. In 2023, compared to 2021, the number of recipients declined by 18%. This is part of our effort to make poverty assistance more targeted and actively identify and remove ineligible recipients. //
2021: 97,000
2023: 82,000
Additionally, fewer families are applying to receive poverty aid.
MINISTRY: Every year we have thousands of families who apply for this aid. Their number has declined by 8,000. //

... a higher number of unemployed residents asked the government for assistance to find a job

In 2023, around 87,000 people contacted the Ministry for employment consultation. The Ministry cooperated with over 18,000 businesses to hire the unemployed. This led to the hiring of 11,000 people.
Of that 11,000, around 3,000 were individuals listed as poverty aid recipients.
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PM Pashinyan's interview with The Telegraph

REPORTER: Why are peace talks being delayed?
PASHINYAN: Armenia and Azerbaijan have made joint statements in Russia and the West recognizing each other's territorial integrity based on the 1991 Declaration of Alma-Ata. It's very important to note that Armenian and Azerbaijani parliaments have ratified the Alma-Ata Declaration. This Declaration should become the basis for border demarcation. Borders don't need to be "created", they already exist, they need to be reaffirmed. We have also agreed to unblock regional roads without violating the sovereignty and jurisdiction of countries.
The architecture and principles of the peace treaty have been agreed upon. We were very close to finally agreeing on the text. Azerbaijan committed ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh and refused to participate in negotiations. I assume after the presidential elections we will be able to move forward if the Azerbaijani leadership has political will, but there are signs that Azerbaijan is abandoning the agreements reached on international platforms. If Azerbaijan does not recognize the documents it has signed, it must announce it publicly.
REPORTER: Do you fear a 3rd war between Armenia and Azerbaijan?
PASHINYAN: Fear is not the right word to use, because Armenia is a democratic, developing state that is implementing large-scale reforms to improve its resilience. In recent years we have seen that the resilience of our country has improved significantly. We continue the path of reforms.
REPORTER: Let's say you got the international commitments from Azerbaijan, but do you trust Aliyev to keep those commitments?
PASHINYAN: I trust in God and I believe that every self-respecting state should follow its commitments.
REPORTER: You recently said that Armenia can no longer rely on Russia as its main military and defense partner. I think it's pretty clear why. Russia did not fulfill its obligations under CSTO. What does this mean in practice? Is Armenia seeking future NATO membership?
PASHINYAN: We have not said that we reject cooperation with Russia. What we have said is that we are going to diversify our relations in the security sector. We are working to establish relations, for example, with the EU, France, the US, Iran, India, and other countries. This is not directed against Russia. This is simply the consequence of the reality that the security relationships we used to have in the past do not address our security needs.
Joining NATO is not an item on our current agenda but we do have a partnership with NATO. We used to have an Individual Partnership Action Plan, now that program is being reformatted into a certain partnership format that doesn't imply membership.
We are at least a de jure member of the CSTO today, and I am not sure if there are discussions on that topic in general, or rather in Armenia, as to how well the alliance-based strategy corresponds to Armenia's interests, in general, in the long term.
REPORTER: The Western countries you are partnering with view Russia as an enemy. Don't you have to choose between the West and Russia?
PASHINYAN: As I've said, we are not Russia's ally in the Ukraine war. I've also said that our security cooperation with the West is not directed against Russia. Another thing is that our partners may have concerns about how cooperation with others could affect their security systems. We are trying to manage this issue by being as transparent as possible.
REPORTER: As part of your realignment, embracing other security structures, you joined the International Criminal Court, the Rome Statute. The ICC has issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin. If Putin arrived in Yerevan, would you arrest him?
PASHINYAN: Armenia launched the process of joining the Rome Statute in December 2022 [months before ICC issued Putin's warrant], and our decision was conditioned by the assessment of changes in our security environment. We ratified the Rome Statute by analyzing the consequences of the September 2022 war [when Russia refused to help] and noting that there are some cracks in our security system. In that sense, we also ratified the Rome Statute as an additional factor to increase Armenia's security level.
As for arresting Putin, I can't carry out a legal analysis right now because that's the job of lawyers. Armenia as a responsible state, should adhere to all its international commitments, including the commitments it has in relations with Russia and the international community. There are various opinions and legal analyses on that topic. Some lawyers say that the current heads of state have immunity due to their status. It's a legal issue, not a political issue that I have to discuss and respond to.
REPORTER: I understand. An arrest would put you in an awkward situation. Is it possible for you to simply call Vladimir Putin and tell him just not to come because you cannot promise that he will not be arrested?
PASHINYAN: I don't think that Vladimir Putin needs my advice.
REPORTER: You say your new cooperation with the West is not directed against Russia, but that's not how Russia sees it. A source from Moscow called your October 17 speech "absolutely irresponsible and provocative" and that you are "following Volodymyr Zelensky's footsteps". If I were you, I would be pretty worried about such rhetoric coming from Russia, given what Russia is doing in Ukraine.
PASHINYAN: I prefer to comment on quotes after reading them myself, with all due respect, at least that's what my political experience has shown me. But, in general, as I clearly said in my speech in the European Parliament [October 17], we cooperate with the EU, and our relations with the EU are deepening.
A very significant event has taken place in our region in recent months: our neighbor and friendly Georgia has become a candidate for EU membership. It is essential for Armenia to position itself around that event. I had the opportunity to congratulate Georgians on the occasion of that positive event. It is an event that will inevitably have an impact on the overall picture and atmosphere of our region. Armenia and our government should be positioned around that event.
REPORTER: You want to lead Armenia in the direction of the EU?
PASHINYAN: Even before I became the prime minister, Armenia and the EU had already signed the CEPA. Now this agreement is being implemented. The relations between Armenia and the EU are deepening, including because of the implementation of the CEPA and the visible successes in implementing democratic reforms.
REPORTER: The reason I ask about Russia's sharp reaction after Armenia joined the ICC is because...
PASHINYAN: Excuse me, whose reaction are you talking about?
REPORTER: From an anonymous Russian official.
PASHINYAN: I don't think it's appropriate for me to comment on what an anonymous source said. Can you imagine how many anonymous sources there are now?
REPORTER: I mean, it is a state Russian news agency, it sends certain message.
PASHINYAN: If the source is anonymous, it means that he is not really so confident in what he says.
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Russia again complaints that Armenia is resisting the handover of a Russian-controlled corridor to Azerbaijan, says it wants the corridor to export products to Turkey

Azerbaijan wants to access Nakhijevan through an Armenian road controlled by Russia without customs procedures. On the other hand, Armenia wants to be present on its road and regulate the customs processes. Russia has taken Azerbaijan's position.
On Monday, Russia's ambassador to Azerbaijan repeated the demands.
AMBASSADOR: Russia is ready to quickly restore this route with Russian funds. For various reasons unclear to me, Armenia is delaying the negotiations.
This is a road to Turkey. Now the main thing is to build railways from Turkey to Nakhijevan; a double track is planned, with European and Soviet standards. We will be able to transport goods from Russia to Turkey via Azerbaijan, Iran, and Nakhijevan. [thanks for not mentioning Armenia thus making your "corridor" intention clear?] //
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Russia: Nagorno-Karabakh residents left at their will

GALUZIN, DEPUTY FM of RUSSIA: We can help Nagorno-Karabakh residents return home if they wish. Leaving was their choice. It is important to ensure the rights and safety of those who wish to return. The presence of our peacekeepers plays an important role. The presence of peacekeepers in Azerbaijan is only discussed with Azerbaijan [not Armenia].
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USAID is helping Armenia to develop an export diversification program

Economy Minister Kerobyan and his deputies met the USAID representatives on Saturday to discuss the ongoing joint program to create a 2025-2030 export strategy for Armenia.
KEROBYAN: Export is the backbone of any country's economy. With this strategy, we should minimize Armenia's export risks and find new export destinations to reduce dependence on political actions. The new strategy should help discover new markets. In the near future, discussions will be held with representatives of the private sector and other interested parties. //
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Azerbaijan complains about the 8 new maps transferred by Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army soldiers

On January 26 Armenia said it received 8 additional landmine maps from Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army soldiers. They were transferred to mediators and Azerbaijan the same day.
On Monday Azerbaijan claimed that these maps, containing landmine info in areas near Mt. Mrav, were "inaccurate". They had made a similar unsubstantiated claim in regard to previous maps as well.
Armenia says the international players have also received copies of these 8 maps and can verify the accuracy if necessary. Armenia urged Azerbaijan to stop manipulating the topic and "display a real commitment to building trust".
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Armenian army will investigate a claim about wounding an Azeri soldier

Azerbaijan claims an Armenian soldier wounded an Azeri soldier on the southeastern border with the Zangelan district.
MOD of ARMENIA: There are orders defining the circumstances under which our soldiers are allowed or required to open fire after assessing the situation. According to the preliminary information, there was no such situation on February 12. If this circumstance is confirmed, those guilty of violating the order will be held accountable. //
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Pashinyan's newspaper accuses pro-Western bloggers of spreading misinformation and unfairly targeting certain cabinet members with "pro-Russian" labels

On February 6 we learned that HSBC has agreed to sell its assets to Ardshinbank.
PRO-WEST BLOGGERS: Ardshinbank is tied to Deputy PM Mher Grigoryan, who is a Russian asset and always promotes Russian interests. Grigoryan pressured HSBC to sell the assets. Lydian gold miner was supposed to get its loan from HSBC by the officials forced them to take it from Ardshinbank. //
ARMTIMES (Pashinyan's outlet): This is a lie. There is no evidence that Amulsar miner has taken any loans from Ardshinbank. There is a concerted effort by certain bloggers to discredit the reputation of certain officials who are undesirable to them. Their lies are also harming Armenia's image as an investment destination. //
Deputy PM Mher Grigoryan and Economy Minister Vahan Kerobyan are the frequent targets of pro-West bloggers who often accuse them of maintaining Armenia's dependence on Russia and sabotaging Pashinyan's pro-West efforts.
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Armenia's "first venture fund" invests in an AI startup co-managed by Armenians

Granatus Ventures is a venture capital firm based in Armenia that provides initial seed and early-stage investment.
They have invested in Modicus Prime, a startup specializing in AI, computer vision for biology, and real-time analysis and anomaly detection.
Modicus Prime, founded by a pharma data scientist Taylor Chartier, has a team of engineers in Armenia.
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Armenian company is exempt from import duties to produce and export military outfit items: VIDEO

ZGST was founded shortly after the 2020 war with the help of investors. They have a research and production center that designs and procures over 60 types of military outfits and components.
The company received a waiver on import tax. They plan to supply items to domestic and international buyers. They are currently manufacturing items requested by the Armenian government.
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prosecutors ease the pre-trial restrictions on two lower-ranking members of Synergy tech firm accused of conspiring with Deputy Economy Minister to rig a procurement process

A group of ruling party MPs submitted a petition to the court to release all 3 jailed Synergy employees for now.
On Monday the prosecutors said the two lower-ranking employees had been cooperative, provided testimonies and underwent a cross-examination. They are not deemed a threat, are unlikely to meddle with the investigation, and have been released on bond. Their leader is still under pretrial arrest, and so are the ministry officials.
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Georgia's "anti-smuggling" law goes into effect, forcing many Armenian truck drivers to modify their vehicles before entering Georgia

Some drivers (Armenian or international) who cross the Armenia-Georgia border are using trucks that contain a second fuel tank installed outside the factory. Georgia complained that these drivers were using the second tank to smuggle fuel for commercial purposes. An Armenian expert confirms that this fuel scheme is real.
Georgia adopted a law in 2019 and began enforcing it in February 2024. Modified trucks are forced to pay a $750 fine and dump the fuel in the second tank before crossing the border.
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students of Vazgen Sargsyan Military Academy are training in snowy mountains: VIDEO

The 3-day practice involves mountain climbing with skis, survival techniques for finding food and water, staying warm, and discovering and securing paths. During the summer months, they will train to climb difficult mountains.
The training is for students in all professions, not just special forces.
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ranking defense official Armen Khachatryan about military education reforms & industry

QUESTION: The defense minister recently said Armenia is acquiring weapons from countries other than India and France. Which countries?
KHACHATRYAN: I cannot reveal the countries but today we are signing contracts for unused 4th and 5th-generation weapons, after having analyzed the 2020 war, our shortcomings, and modern wars.
REPORTER: French military academy representatives recently visited Vazgen Sargsyan Military Academy. Does this mean Armenian students will soon be able to study NATO techniques in France?
KHACHATRYAN: Vazgen Sargsyan Military Academy is the only place where we train officers with modern skills. Up until 2022, the Academy was in a desolate state. It was something in between a military base and a prison. The amount of work done over the past 2 years was so extensive that today it's a topic of interest by international academies. A few months ago the Academy joined a prestigious network of international academies. The education has become far more interactive, it is more student-centric. No other Armenian university has that level of quality. Every student has access to laptops and an internal network with 70,000 books and tutorials. All classes are recorded so a student can watch a lecture on demand. The Academy has a TUMO center where the students study modern technologies. There is a language center where they study Italian, English, French, German, Azeri, Turkish, Russian, and a few other languages. Some of the civilian subjects are taught in civilian universities: Yerevan State, Polytechnik, Brusov, etc. And don't get me started on the physical training: parachute, mountains, biathlon, hand-to-hand combat, sambo, kickboxing, etc. These graduates are going to be the pioneers in the modern army. The state pays special attention to this field. Students will receive 3-bedroom apartments in Yerevan upon completion. They are receiving a stipend of ֏35,000-֏170,000. After graduation, when they join the army service, they will be already certified and their salaries will start from ֏500,000 ($1,200/mo). One of our students is already in France, another two will depart soon for a 4-year education. A large number of students will then travel to West Point Military Academy in the US, Saint-Cyr in France, Modena in Italy, and Greece. After a few years, we will have officers equipped with international and modern knowledge.
REPORTER: What about the domestic military industry?
KHACHATRYAN: Up until ~3 years ago our domestic military industry was almost non-existent. There were scientific and research programs and small quantities of productions but I wouldn't call it a military industry. There has been rapid development over the past 2 years and these are bringing real, material results. Today we produce types of weapons, you could say 4th or 5th generation, that are not being manufactured in many developed countries. If we maintain this pace, within 2 years we will have high-tech solutions popular at an international level. We can't produce everything, however. We focus on solutions that are modern and "solve problems".
REPORTER: Azerbaijan wants to manufacture drones jointly with Turkey. Do we have similar plans in the future?
KHACHATRYAN: Not in the future, we already do. They are being implemented. We cannot match Azerbaijan and Turkey with our resources but our goal is to have a highly combat efficient army with high-tech.
source,

representative of Sweden's International Cooperation Development Agency SIDA visited the Vazgen Sargsyan Military Academy

to discuss human rights in the army, certain classes, and retraining programs for professors.

Yerevan is installing thousands of new benches; mayor threatens to reprimand employees who accepted low-quality benches

On Monday the Council discussed an issue reported on the internet about the quality of 75 benches installed in Malatia district. The city had ordered a specific type of wood but the company decided to "cut the corners", allegedly.
EMPLOYEE: The company presented documents containing information about the material used in the benches. Our investigation revealed discrepancies between the delivered product and the documents. The same could have been purchased at a lower price.
MAYOR AVINYAN: I've instructed the Malatia district chief to replace the benches at the expense of the supplier. The company has agreed to fix the problem within 20 days. Why are we hearing about this from the internet? Someone must be reprimanded for not doing their duties. //
The city is installing and repairing thousands of new public benches in multiple districts.
source, source, source, source,

comparing the cost of public transit in Yerevan and European cities

The city council has until September to tweak the earlier proposed 7 packages. The "cheapest" is the annual package with 1,000 rides, costing ֏106 per ride via the app.
If you live in a suburb and change 3 lines to get to your destination, a new package could reduce your fee from the current ֏100 to ֏93. This is the only instance when the price goes down if we don't count the discounts for seniors, students, and low-income residents.
Expiration / max rides / price per ride:
70-minute / 3 / ֏93
1 day / 8 / ֏112
7 days / 30 / ֏160
30 days / 60 / ֏180
90 days / 180 / ֏133
365 days / 1000 / ֏106
The most affordable option for the heaviest users would be the annual package, costing ֏106,000 in advance. Many other cities in Europe provide unlimited rides for long-term packages. Here is a price comparison by CivilNet:

... Annual ...

Vienna: ֏159,200
Moscow: ֏134,000 (my research shows under 90k)
Vilnius: ֏130,000
Belgrad: ֏130,800
Athens: ֏130,800
Rome: ֏109,000
Yerevan: ֏106,000
Prague: ֏64,000
Bucharest: ֏61,100
Tbilisi: ֏38,000

... Monthly ...

Vienna: ֏22,200
Rome: ֏16,000
Athens: ֏14,000
Vilnius: ֏13,000
Belgrad: ֏13,000
Moscow: ֏12,100 (Google says ֏9,600)
Yerevan: ֏10,800
Prague: ֏9,600
Bucharest: ֏7,000
Tbilisi: ֏6,000
The proposed prices are expected to change before September.
source,

update: media outlet managed by the wife of Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan pays the debt, avoids shutdown

The public TV regulator won't revoke FreeNews's broadcasting license because it has paid the fees accumulated over the past 2 years, said the regulator.
source,

survey among Russians by Levada Center

Full-scale war against Ukraine: 77% support, 16% oppose. The majority of all age groups support it. TV watchers are most likely to support, YouTube watchers least likely, but the majority of all groups support it.
Will Russia win the war? Yes 77%
Continue the war or launch peace talks? Continue 40%, negotiate 52%. The highest support for negotiations is among women and young adults. Moscovites want war, villagers and small cities want negotiations. TV consumers want war, YouTubers want negotiations.
Are ordinary people like you morally responsible for civilian deaths in Ukraine? Yes 31%, No 62%. YouTubers significantly more likely to say Yes.
How will the war end? Victory 77%, Defeat 14%.
Are we paying too high of a price in this war? Yes 66%, No 25%.
Was it a mistake to start the war? Yes 22%, No 64%.
source, [original,](2024/02/06/konflikt-s-ukrainoj-otsenki-kontsa-2023-nachala-2024-goda/)

your future

You may have heard of the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of a larger water circulation network called AMOC.
AMOC takes warm water from the tropics to the North Atlantic, where the water cools, becomes salty and sinks deep into the ocean, before spreading southward. This current plays a vital role in keeping the climate relatively mild in the Northern Hemisphere.
Many scientists believe it's just a matter of time until AMOC grinds to a halt as the ocean gets warmer and the ice melts. AMOC shut down over 12,000 years ago following rapid glacier melt. Now scientists are using expensive equipment to run models to predict the next shutdown.
Where we are headed to: Ice melts and adds freshwater to AMOC, dilutes the salinity, and weakens the current. As scientists increased the amount of freshwater in their simulations, at a certain point the current simply collapsed instead of gradually weakening. It’s the first time a collapse has been detectable using these complex models. What the study doesn’t do, however, is give timeframes for a potential collapse; more research is needed.
What comes next after AMOC collapses? Parts of Europe could see temperatures drop by 30°C over a century. It would completely change the climate within 1-2 decades from the collapse. “No realistic adaptation measures can deal with such rapid temperature changes.”
No one knows when AMOC will collapse. Some scientists have predicted as early as 2025, while others expect it to take much longer. When it happens, the Southern Hemisphere is expected to get warmer while the North freezes.
source, source,

billionaires have been buying up New Zealand property in preparation for apocalypse

By New Yorker and The Guardian, and your copy of Friends.
Some of the wealthiest people in America—in Silicon Valley, New York, and beyond—are getting ready for the crackup of civilization.
Steve Huffman, the C.E.O. of Reddit, had an eye surgery to correct his vision to "improve his odds of surviving a disaster".

Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn and a prominent investor, recalls telling a friend that he was thinking of visiting New Zealand. “Oh, are you going to get apocalypse insurance?” the friend asked. “I’m, like, Huh?” Hoffman told me. New Zealand, he discovered, is a favored refuge in the event of a cataclysm.
“I know hedge-fund managers all over the world who are buying airstrips and farms in places like New Zealand because they think they need a getaway.”
An American hedge-fund manager in his forties—tall, tanned, athletic—recently bought two houses in New Zealand and acquired local residency.
New Zealand’s reputation for attracting doomsayers is so well known in the hedge-fund manager’s circle that he prefers to differentiate himself from earlier arrivals. He said, “This is no longer about a handful of freaks worried about the world ending.”
Peter Thiel, the billionaire venture capitalist who co-founded PayPal and was an early investor in Facebook, considered New Zealand to be “the future”

source, source,

13-minute read.

the church asked public TV not to broadcast Catholicos's New Year message

This year the public television allocated part of the evening primetime news slot to broadcast New Year's messages by ranking politicians, including the church leader. The agitated church asked the channel not to broadcast Catholicos's message because Catholicos wanted it to be aired shortly before 12:00 am and the PM's message as it was done in previous years. The church, citing the intellectual property rights to Catholicos's video footage, instructed the outlet not to use the footage at all.
source, source, source,

more showbiz stars are paying their taxes due diligently after several high-profile IRS investigations post-2018

IRS boss: We have cases when show business representatives have begun to declare and pay their taxes more dutifully. However, some of them are still in the shadows and we are investigating such cases. [There have been reports of stars failing to report their income after earning revenue through Instagram and TikTok ads.]
source, source,

thousands of landlords are disclosing their rent income to the IRS

IRS boss: As of December 2023, we had 3,000 landlords who disclosed their rental contracts. For those who did not sign an official rental contract, we have a separate form that they can fill out until February 1 to declare the rent income. //
The government approved a law requiring landlords to pay taxes from their rental income. Failure to do so is punishable by a fine equaling 5% of the property value or $1,200, whichever is lesser. Repeated violations will double the fine.
source,

universal healthcare is being deployed in Armenia through stages starting this year

Healthcare Minister Avanesyan would like to remind you that taking annual medical exams for preventative care will become mandatory to maintain the health package. The package will cost a "small sum" compared to what you might otherwise end up paying without insurance. It will cover the essential and expensive medical services and prescription medication. Exceptions are dental care and non-essential surgeries (plastic), and there might be a cap on how much the state pays for a brand-name expensive medication.
The ministry expects the wait times to increase, "similar to the US and EU", as a result of healthcare becoming more accessible to low-income residents.
The patient will have to get a referral from a family doctor (or GP) to undergo a special examination, for example, with MRI.
Private insurance companies will be allowed to sell "plus" packages that cover services not found under the government package. There will be private clinics as well.
Some workers are currently employed by companies that pay for their healthcare. The company will continue to pay for the "base" plan to the state healthcare system. If the company wants, they can also provide the "plus" healthcare package to their workers.
The government had to calculate the risks and expected expenditures by analyzing every age, social, and other groups and come up with one package to ensure the stability of the system. The package will cost $500/yr. Able-bodied persons not on "socially vulnerable" lists are expected to pay if they want the package. Residents whose employment is not formally registered can also receive the package if they voluntarily use the new IRS tool to declare their income. If the income is below the average wage, the government will subsidize that $500/yr as well.
For residents earning below the average wage, the government will subsidize 30%-50% of the annual insurance fee. For example, if you currently earn $500/mo, you will pay $270/yr while the government will subsidize the rest. Additionally, the IRS will refund you up to $125 at the end of the year.
A single state insurance fund was created. Private insurance companies are not part of this fund but they can provide additional "plus" services directly to consumers.
Some surgeons complain that they've spent years studying abroad on how to conduct complex surgeries so it's unfair that the state insurance fund will compensate less than what they currently receive. The ministry says it's important to calculate the fair value of the service. The government spent the past few years studying the "real cost" of providing such services (cost price) and set the prices based on the research after discussing it with medical experts. Certain medical professions will be "indexed" and receive bonuses in order to encourage the training and hiring of more medical experts in those fields.
source,

Pashinyan vandalizes several schools, fires the governors of Lori and Armavir and the head of the Urban Development Committee after complaining about poor quality of school construction

The PM visited several newly built schools in Lori last week and complained that the work was half-assed and too many corners were cut, especially in sports centers.
For example, the wood on gym furniture had spikes that could injure the kids; the basketball net looked like a knockoff that didn't meet the size and shape standards; the soccer goal had a cheap plasticky net; a toilet had a transparent window that lacked a privacy film; plastic hooks breaking easily; outdoor basketball court turning into a water pond because of poor design and lack of drainage; the sports center had a volleyball net but no painted lines, making it impossible to play by the rules; and so on. Pashinyan unscrewed a showerhead from a school's bathroom and asked the Education Minister to "Google" its market value and compare it to the price they were charged under the contract to see if they were swindled.
The following day Pashinyan fired the governor and the Urban boss. "I don't want to hear excuses anymore. I want solutions to the problems," said the PM, jokingly drawing a comparison between certain officials and the episode from the Soviet movie Gentlemen Udachi in which one of the characters is being described as a skilled crook who can draw a paper bill so realistically you won't believe it's fake.
During a visit to a school in Janfida, Pashinyan noticed that something was off about the volleyball net. An official admitted that a makeshift system was used instead of the items provided by the government. I want to know how many patriotic toasts these people made before building this stuff, said the visibly fuming PM while walking back and forth and shaking his head.
He then fired the governor of Armavir for the shortcomings.
video, video, video, source, source, source, video, video, video,

Armenia enters the final stage of aviation reforms to exit EU's safety "blacklist"

Civil Aviation Committee: In 2023 we had an unprecedented six (vs. usual two) Armenian airlines conducting international flights from Yerevan. The share of traffic handled by Armenian airlines grew to >30%.
There are restrictions on the flights to the EU but there is also a [loophole that allows an Armenian company to operate jointly with an EU-based company to bypass the ban].
We've implemented over 50 legislative changes since 2020 to bring Armenia closer to European standards to lift the ban.
We also signed a 2-year agreement with the European aviation safety agency. They dispatched experts to Armenia for 2 years to assist us.
We have also implemented structural changes at the Civil Aviation Committee. New departments were formed and more employees were hired.
Work was done to retrain our experts to certify them with European standards. They have the right to conduct inspections.
Last week the EU sent a delegation to Armenia to discuss the reforms of recent years. The massive amount of work was acknowledged.
To conclude this process, we need to have more certified inspectors to meet the minimum quota. We can retrain our own experts or invite them from Europe. We have conducted hundreds of job interviews. We are hiring. This is the only thing remaining to lift the ban.
Simultaneously, Armenia has signed an aviation agreement with the EU and will implement hundreds of legislative reforms to meet European standards. This is not a prerequisite for lifting the ban. //

... Yerevan's Zvartnots airport

The max capacity is 6 million. The current traffic is 5.2 million. They want to install new equipment to expedite the processing of passengers and cargo. There are also discussions about building a new infrastructure like a terminal to handle the ever-increasing traffic.

... neighbors

Armenian airlines are allowed to use Azerbaijani air but they don't use it because they don't hold flights to-from (Central) Asia.
Turkey is violating the Chicago Convention by prohibiting Armenian airlines from flying to Europe over Turkey. Although they don't outright reject the flights, they simply ignore an Armenian company's request for permission, which has the same effect as a ban. Armenia has contacted various international aviation agencies to end Turkey's illegal ban. Turkey allows Armenian airlies to fly to Turkey, but not to Europe.
source,

almost 4,000 teachers now earn $500/mo plus a 30%-50% bonus as part of the new certification program

Teachers take a surface-level knowledge exam in exchange for a raise. Experts want the exams to be more thorough.

2023 թ. ներդրվել է ուսուցիչների աշխատավարձի բարձրացմանն ուղղված երկու այլ ծրագիր ևս՝ բնագիտական առարկաներ դասավանդող ուսուցիչների 25% հավելավճարի տրամադրումը, որի շրջանակում շուրջ 8420 ուսուցչի աշխատավարձը բարձրացել է 1 ուսուցչի հաշվով միջինում 32 000 դրամով և մինչև 100 սովորող ունեցող գյուղական դպրոցների ուսուցիչների խրախուսում, որի շրջանակում գյուղական մինչև 100 սովորող ունեցող դպրոցներում դասավանդող 3987 ուսուցչից 2975 ուսուցչի աշխատավարձի ավելացում է եղել 0,5 դրույքի չափով՝ միջինում 1 ուսուցչի հաշվով 71 700 դրամից դարձել է 115 300 դրամ:

source, source,source,

another lie about Armenia's Metsamor nuclear plant is debunked

Earlier the government of Turkey embarrassed itself by claiming that Armenia's nuclear plant was unsafe, before being shut down by the international nuclear monitoring agency officials who praised the safety reforms implemented by Armenia.
Last week Azerbaijan claimed Armenia dumped radioactive waste from NPP into the river Araks which then supposedly reached the Caspian Sea. Iran debunked the claim by noting that its inspection of the water quality has not identified such issues.
source,

Ural truck carrying Azeri soldiers in occupied Nagorno-Karabakh had an accident, leaving 2 dead and 9 injured

source, source,

US adds Azerbaijan to the religious freedom watchlist amid reports of the destruction of Armenian Christian heritage in occupied Nagorno-Karabakh and oppression of Shiite residents

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, releasing an annual index of designations, maintained all 12 countries that had been on the previous year's blacklist, including China, Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
In the sole change, Blinken added Azerbaijan to a watchlist, meaning it will join the blacklist, which carries potential sanctions, without improvements
In a recent recommendation to the State Department, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom pointed to concerns for the preservation of Christian religious sites in Nagorno-Karabakh, where virtually the entire population of 100,000 ethnic Armenians has fled to Armenia.

source, source, source, source,

Azerbaijan doesn't object to customs procedures and border checks on international cargo passing through Armenia

Aliyev's aide Hajiyev says Azerbaijan wants the cargo to pass freely if the final destination is Nakhijevan, while the cargo headed to other countries can be stopped and processed by Armenia's customs as necessary. Armenia sees no reason to give Azeri cargo/passengers such privileges.
In addition to a railway link, Armenia offers a road connection between Azerbaijan and Nakhijevan. It's the Kornidzor-Angeghakot road that starts from central Karabakh and ends in central Nakhijevan. Azerbaijan says this road goes through difficult terrain and might not be operational in the winter, so they want Armenia to build a new road parallel to the southern railway link near River Araks.
In regards to connecting Azerbaijan to Nakhijevan and managing the traffic, Azerbaijan suggests exploring the idea of an AM-AZ agreement similar to the one signed between the EU and Russia for Kaliningrad.
Azerbaijan says it will use a new route via Iran and increase the capacity of the existing Georgian link in the event Armenia rejects the proposals, but they still want the route passing through Armenia in order to diversify their options.
source,

Russian radio Sputnik removed the episode that got them suspended in Armenia, editor visits Armenia

The executive director of "Russia Today" and chief editor of Radio Sputnik Kirill Vyshinsky visited Armenia to meet the head of Armenia's independent TV & radio regulatory agency Tigran Hakobyan. The channel was banned for a month for allegedly inciting illegal activities in Armenia. They are also accused of airing misinformation and slurs.
Hakobyan said the channel won't be unblocked because the radio has not officially addressed the reasons for the suspension.
Vyshinsky said they immediately pulled out the problematic episode after the regulator's action. He also promised to take into account the Armenian laws before producing and broadcasting content.
source,

Russian reporter retracts a claim that US special forces were guarding PM Nikol Pashinyan during riots

Armenia's opposition forces stormed the government building in September 2023. During a show on Russian channel NTV, Russian reporter and public figure Gevorg Khachaturyan claimed that US airborne forces were guarding the PM. His statement was re-circulated recently so he decided to put an end to the speculations.
REPORTER: Dear subscribers. Last year I stated that there were reports about US forces being spotted in the government building. It was disinformation. My source was incorrect. I'd like to apologize to my subscribers. Hopefully this disinformation won't harm my reputation. //
video,

Armenia's pro-Western figures urge Pashinyan administration to ban the entry of a Russian state media agency reporter for "coming to Armenia to stoke division between Armenians and Indians"

RUSSIAN REPORTER: I greeted 2024 in central Yerevan. At 11:30 pm it felt like I was in another country. The central streets and square were full of foreigners, mainly from India. Many of them were not sober. This time there were no fireworks unlike on December 19 when the Christmas Tree was lit up. This New Year was almost fully in the hands of guests who were singing and dancing their traditional folklore so confidently as if this wasn't a New Year's celebration but rather the annexation of Armenia into their countries. There were almost no Armenians on the streets. [In case anyone doesn't know, Armenians have a habit of celebrating New Year at home, at a restaurant, or in Georgia.] //
RUBEN MEHRABYAN: This TASS reporter visits Armenia and complains about the presence of other visitors. Next time the authorities should turn him around at the airport.
AGHASI TADEVOSYAN: This is funny. The reporter should disclose which Russian security agency he is working for because it is a known fact that there are no independent journalists left in Russian state media organizations. Perhaps the 80,000 Russians who migrated to Armenia pose a bigger threat? My profession involves spending time in the public and observing the city and its culture. I've seen many Indian workers who are doing types of work that many Armenians refuse to do because of their "honor". We need these migrant workers. Interviews with employers reveal that they are very satisfied with Indian workers, who are usually hard-working, punctual, and honest. On December 31 I came across many Indians celebrating the New Year on the streets. I also saw many Russians celebrating it in expensive restaurants near Northern Avenue. Indians are poorer so they chose to celebrate it outside, which is why you saw more Indians than Russians. We don't need the Russian reporter to "save" us from Indians. This was an attempt to incite divisions between Armenians and Indians.
(Q: But some Armenians on social media also complain about the presence of Indians.)
AGHASI TADEVOSYAN: People should come to terms with the new reality: it's not just Armenians who migrate to find work. If you're going to migrate and work in another country, then we need to "replace" you with a foreign worker. Young internet users who complain about Indians should focus on making babies instead of peddling racism against Indians.
source, source,

Indian man moves to Armenia to cultivate the "abandoned agricultural lands": VIDEO

Farmer Harminder moved to Armenia a few months ago. He has already learned to count in Armenian and several commonly used words despite his old age. Harminder's two sons had moved to Armenia earlier and currently work at Yerevan's garbage collection agency. They like Armenia for its low crime rate and high wages.
Over 37,000 Indians arrived in Armenia in the first 9 months of 2023. If in the past the primary goal was to study at medical university, today you can find many Indian laborers, sanitation and delivery workers.
video,

Armenia's demographics in 1922

Population: 781,000
Armenian: 671,500
Turkish/Azeri: 76,600
Russian: 19,200
Yezidi: 8,000
Assyrian: 2,200
...
Number of settlements: 1,101
And the predominant ethnicity living in those settlements:
Armenian: 611
Azeri: 274
Armenian/Azeri mixed: 88
Yezidi: 31
Russian: 16
Persian: 16
Armenian/Yezidi mixed: 9
Turkish: 8
Kurdish: 4
...
The vast majority of the population lived in villages. Yerevan and Gyumri had similar numbers.
Yerevan: 46,700
Gyumri: 44,700
Gavar: 9,300
Vagharshapat: 8,000
Population by year:
1922: 781K
1923: 841K
1924: 908K
1926: 868K
source,

Armenia established diplomatic relations with these countries in 2023

Saudi Arabia
Trinidad and Tobago
Botswana
Bringing the total to 182
source,

Yerevan is still replacing dangerous elevators found in Soviet-era apartment condos

The city replaced 510 elevators in 2023, bringing the total since 2019 to 1551. That's about a third of all the outdated elevators
source,

Yerevan installs singing benches

Armenia is marking the legendary composer Aram Khachaturyan's 120th anniversary. The newly installed benches near the Opera, Moscow Theater, and the Khachaturyan Museum have a button that plays his music.
How did they choose the locations? The Opera and Khachaturyan Museum are obvious choices. As for the Moscow Theater, the first-ever film with a sound displayed in this theater was "Pepo" which featured music composed by Khachaturyan.
video, article,

Armenian authorities have a new division specialized in forensic linguistics and author identification

Experts can identify whether someone was forced to write a text. This can be used to combat extortion and blackmail crimes. It can also be used against investigators who pressure a suspect or a witness to write a false testimony. This is done by analyzing the known writings of two individuals to reveal the real author of the text.
Citizens and law enforcement agencies can request an examination which takes anywhere between 1 to 7 days to complete.
video,

anti-corruption: the ex-commander of 2nd Army Corps is charged with money laundering

AUTHORITIES: Haykaz Baghmanyan (active 1999-2017), a former commander of an Army Corps and a deputy CoGS, laundered $625,000 and concealed his properties and income. //
source,

Armenian Steve Jobs

Steve was born to an American mother and a Syrian father. His mother's father was racist and didn't want the Syrian migrant in the family so Steve's family fell apart and Steve was adopted by an Armenian woman named Clara Hagopian and Paul Jobs.
Steve's biological parents reunited sometime later and gave birth to novelist Mona Simpson, Steve's sister.
After the death of adoptive mother Clara Hagopian, Steve found his biological mother and sister but decided not to meet his biological father.
The biological father ran a restaurant in Silicon Valley and served food to Steve on several occasions without realizing it was his son. He referred to Steve as a "great tipper".
source,

Juventus wants to sign a contract with Edward Spertsyan: sources

Juve is in talks with Krasnodar to purchase Spertsyan. Could we actually see a Mkhitaryan vs. Spertsyan match in Italy?
source,

Hidden away in northern Armenia is a magical place where JRR Tolkien fans can live out their Lord of the Rings fantasy: PHOTOS

Deep in the snow-covered forest of Dilijan, two brothers have built a hobbit-style village that welcomes guests from all over the world.

I'm taking the hobbits to Armengard.
see it,

Date: 08/18/2023
Reading time: 8 minutes, 1668 words
TLDR: - Shots fired from Azeri territory at Syunik airport - Azerbaijani military obstructs harvest in Nagorno-Karabakh - Azerbaijan accused of spreading fake news against Russian peacekeepers - US ambassador emphasizes support for Armenia's sovereignty - Artsakh President discusses challenges with army command - PM Pashinyan visits border guard servicemembers - MEP believes international coalition can prevent Azeri invasion - Op-ed highlights importance of Yerevan municipal election - New confectionery factory in Armenia to create jobs

- Azerbaijan disrupts internet prior to online press briefing

BREAKING: Shots fired from Azeri territory at Syunik airport hours after PM Pashinyan’s arrival

Shots were fired on August 18 from the territory of Azerbaijan in the direction of the "Syunik" airport in Kapan. Two bullets damaged the airport’s window and roof.

Armenpress, Shots fired at Syunik Airport from Azerbaijani side – Armenia NSS, Shots fired from Azerbaijani territory at Armenian airport

Azerbaijani military opens gunfire at tractor in Nagorno-Karabakh to obstruct harvest

Azerbaijan violated the Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire on August 18 in the Martuni region. The Azeri military opened small arms fire in the direction of a tractor working in the fields of Myurishen village.

Armenpress, Azerbaijan violates ceasefire in Artsakh, targets tractor in the field, Azerbaijan fired again at a tractor working in the fields of Artsakh, Azerbaijan fired for the second time during the day at the harvester working in the field. PB:, Shots fired from Azerbaijani territory at Armenian airport

Azerbaijan prepares new provocations by consistently spreading fake news, accusing Russian peacekeepers - says Artsakh

Azerbaijani Defense Ministry continues its disinformation campaign targeting Nagorno-Karabakh. Azeri accusations that they’ve allegedly observed reinforcements and use of ambulances accompanied by Russian peacekeepers to transport landmines, weapons and radio-electronic warfare systems to jam aircraft is ‘complete falsehood and disinformation’

Armenpress, Azerbaijan again falsely accuses Armenia of border shooting, Azerbaijan violates ceasefire in Artsakh, targets tractor in the field, Artsakh’s Defense Ministry refutes fresh disinformation from Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan disrupted the Internet connection of Artsakh

Ambassador Kvien emphasizes U.S. support for Armenia’s sovereignty and security

U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Kristina Kvien traveled to Vayots Dzor to meet with local officials and observe the security situation on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. The Ambassador met with the Governor of Vayotot, the EU Monitoring Mission, and local military representatives, joined by Armenian Ambassador Lilit Makunts.

Armenpress

Artsakh President discusses existing challenges with army command

Artsakh’s President Arayik Harutyunyan held a meeting with the command staff of the Defense Army of the Republic. Issues related to the defense capability were discussed during the meeeting.

ArmRadio

PM Pashinyan visits NSS Border Guard servicemembers in Kapan outpost

Nikol Pashinyan has visited service memembers of the National Security Service Border Guard in an outpost in Kapan, Syunik Province. Prime Minister arrived on board Let L-410 Turbolet twin-engine aircraft which will be used for the regular Yerevan-Kapan passenger flights starting next week.

Armenpress

Strong international coalition can prevent full Azeri invasion of Nagorno-Karabakh and impose respect for ceasefire -MEP

François Alfonsi is not fully satisfied with the EU’s policy regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He said that as a result of consistent work and pressure by the European Parliament, the EU is trying to be more active and involved in the process. The MEP said that first of all Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Russian President Vladimir Putin must adhere to the 9 November 2020 agreement.

Armenpress

Op-ed: Yerevan municipal election is a double test for Armenia’s ruling party

Yerevan residents will elect a mayor on September 17. This will be the most important vote in Armenia until the 2026 parliamentary election. The outcome of the election will largely predetermine the future trajectory of political events in Armenia.

CivilNet

New confectionery factory in Armenia to create 1 500 jobs – Minister

Vahan Kerobyan visited the newly built confectionery factory of ‘Wellar group LLC’s. The factory will create 1 500 new jobs, a number of highly qualified specialists are already involved in the work.

ArmRadio

Azerbaijan disrupts internet in Nagorno-Karabakh 5 minutes prior to online press briefing featuring ex-ICC prosecutor

Azerbaijan has cut off the cable to allow access to the internet. The cable was used to connect the internet to the south of the country's border with Azerbaijan.

Armenpress, Azerbaijan violates ceasefire in Artsakh, targets tractor in the field, Artsakh’s Defense Ministry refutes fresh disinformation from Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan disrupted the Internet connection of Artsakh

Yerevan-Kapan flights in line with all international laws, concept of sovereignty – Armenian aviation authorities

NovAir will launch Yerevan-Kapan passenger flights on the occasion of Kapan Day, on August 19. The airline will use a Let L-410 Turbolet aircraft to operate the roundtrip flights. Kapan airport served more than 10 flights every day operated with Yak-40 planes in Soviet years.

Armenpress

UNSC has power to prevent genocide, says Nagorno-Karabakh

Foreign Minister Sergey Ghazaryan has thanked countries that called out Azerbaijan during UN Security Council meeting for blockading Lachin Corridor. He also expressed concern about some other countries' attempts to equalize the corridor with some other roads and transport connections.

Armenpress, Nagorno-Karabakh expects consistency and principled stance from UNSC members to prevent further criminal actions by Baku, ‘Azerbaijan continues to distort the appeals of the international community’, Armenia warns after UNSC meeting, Artsakh expects UNSC members to adopt resolution compelling Azerbaijan to lift the illegal blockade

Armenian talent Eduard Spertsyan still top target for Ajax – Fabrizio Romano

Eduard Spertsyan is still top target for Ajax, Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano says. He was the best player in Russian Premier League last season with 10 goals and 12 assists.

ArmRadio

Azerbaijan ignores offers from Nagorno-Karabakh to hold meetings – FM Ghazaryan

Sergey Ghazaryan says Nagorno-Karabakh is most eager to achieve a comprehensive settlement to conflict with Azerbaijan through peaceful negotiations. He said he received an offer to meet with Azeri representatives in a third country planned for early August, but Azerbaijan cancelled its participation. He added that any meeting, especially without international mediators, in Azerbaijani territory, is impossible.

Armenpress

Offering ethnic minority status within Azerbaijan is “a vision detached from reality,” says Nagorno-Karabakh

Armenia-bound Nagorno-Karabakh has not yet received any official offer from Russia. The deal would be the first time the two sides have been able to reach out to each other.

Armenpress

ICRC evacuates 11 patients from Nagorno-Karabakh

Red Cross facilitated evacuation of 11 patients from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia for treatment. 11 patients were accompanied by their attendants. Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno Karabakh with Armenia and the rest of the world, has been blocked by Azerbaijan since late 2022.

Armenpress, 11 patients were transferred from Artsakh to Armenia, Karabakh starts evacuating hemodialysis patients to Armenia

Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi calls for US support to Artsakh amid blockade

Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has called for US support to Artsakh amid blockade. “The people of Artsakh are still at risk of starvation and running out of basic needs due to the ongoing of illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan,” he said.

ArmRadio, Artsakh expects UNSC members to adopt resolution compelling Azerbaijan to lift the illegal blockade

"A grain of optimism from the session of the UN Security Council". Vardan Oskanyan

Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Vardan Oskanian, wrote on his Facebook page about the session of the UN Security Council on the Artsakh issue. The possibility of its becoming a reality depends only on the position of the Armenian authorities and actions.

CivilNet

Turkish Cypriot forces assault Cyprus peacekeepers: UN

Turkish Cypriot forces on Friday assaulted UN peacekeepers who attempted to block controversial road construction in the buffer zone dividing Cyprus. The buffer zone is technically territory belonging to the Republic of Cyprus, which views Turkish military presence on the island since a war in 1974 as illegal occupation.

ArmRadio

We will continue the work in the UN Security Council to unblock the Lachin Corridor. MFA

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia issued a statement regarding the emergency session of the UN Security Council. It was clearly emphasized that the difficult humanitarian situation created for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of the blockade should be eliminated.

CivilNet

Charges were brought against the head of the battalion headquarters for causing the soldier Granik Khnkoyan to commit suicide

Deputy Battalion Commander-Chief of Staff has been charged with committing suicide of soldier Granik Khnkoyan. The body of the soldier was found on August 11 with a gunshot wound to the head. The court partially satisfied the motion to apply his arrest as a preventive measure.

CivilNet

UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs briefed on Nagorno-Karabakh humanitarian crisis

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan met with United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo. Minister emphasised the need for Azerbaijan to refrain from actions and provocations aimed at neutralising international efforts in that direction.

Armenpress

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Date: 08/16/2023
Reading time: 10 minutes, 2073 words
TLDR: - Farmer in Artsakh targeted by Azerbaijani fire - Armenian reservist missing, Azerbaijan detains soldier - Nagorno-Karabakh warns of Azeri provocations through fake news campaign - Azerbaijani armed forces fire at Armenian military positions in Gegharkunik Province - Lavrov emphasizes need to open Lachin Corridor in conversation with Bayramov - Russian proposal on rights of Armenian population in Nagorno-Karabakh published - Turkish intellectuals unite to break Nagorno-Karabakh blockade and prevent genocide

- UN Security Council discusses deteriorating humanitarian situation in Artsakh

Farmer in Artsakh comes under Azerbaijani fire

A grain harvester driven by a resident of Murishen village M. A. was targeted by Azerbaijani forces in the area called “Gomer” of the administrative area of Avdur village. The information has been passed on to the Russian peacekeeping troops.

ArmRadio, Azerbaijan fired at a combine harvester in Artsakh

Armenia reservist goes missing as Azerbaijan announces detaining soldier

A reservist voluntarily left the combat position on Wednesday, August 16, the Defense Ministry reports. Azerbaijan declared that its forces had detained an Armenian soldier. Baku also accused Yerevan of sending a sabotage group that was allegedly supposed to infiltrate Azerbaijan.

PanArmenian

Continual Azeri fake news campaign indicates its intention to commit provocations, warns Nagorno-Karabakh

Azerbaijani Defense Ministry falsely accused Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army of carrying out reinforcement work in the Shushi region. Nagorno Karabakh Ministry of Defense warns Azerbaijan is preparing information basis for its next provocations.

Armenpress, Azerbaijan continues intense disinformation campaign against Armenia, defense ministry warns

Azerbaijani armed forces open gunfire at Armenian military border positions in Gegharkunik Province

Azerbaijan opened gunfire on August 16 at Armenian positions near Norabak, a village in Gegharkunik Province. Azerbaijani armed forces units fired from fire arms towards the Armenian combat outposts, the defense ministry said.

Armenpress, Azerbaijani forces open fire in the direction of Armenia’s Norabak

China calls for mutual concessions between Armenia and Azerbaijan

China is closely following the situation in the Lachin Corridor and is calling for existing disputes to be resolved through dialogue, discussions and consulations. A common path to security and development is in the interests of both Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Armenpress

Armenian FM holds phone call with Russia's Lavrov, emphasizes need for effective use of mechanisms ahead of UNSC meeting

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan had a telephone conversation with Sergey Lavrov. Ararat emphasized the imperative to prevent the humanitarian catastrophe resulting from Azerbaijan's 8-month-long illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor.

Armenpress, In a phone talk with Lavrov, Armenian FM emphasises the imperative to prevent humanitarian catastrophe in Nagorno Karabakh

France expresses concern about Azeri shooting targeting EU monitors in Armenia, announces extra funding for ICRC in NK

France will provide an additional €3,000,000 to support the humanitarian activities of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Nagorno-Karabakh. France's Catherine Colonna expressed concern about the blockade of Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan. The ministers also discussed the Azerbaijani cross-border shooting that happened on the Armenian border on August 15 during an EU monitoring patrol.

Armenpress, French FM expresses concern over deepening crisis in Nagorno Karabakh, shooting at EU monitors

Protesters in Nagorno-Karabakh gather outside Russian peacekeeping contingent’s HQ, block entrance

The People’s Movement for Unblocking the Corridor is calling on the Russian peacekeepers to lift the blockade of the Lachin Corridor. The group is calling for the Russians to ensure the safety of the area.

Armenpress, Los Angeles demonstrators call on France, China and UK to take UNSC action to end Nagorno-Karabakh blockade

Senators call for US-backed UNSC resolution demanding end of blockade,unfettered humanitarian access to Nagorno-Karabakh

U.S. Senators have called on the U.N. Ambassador to the United States. Linda Thomas-Greenfield to exert pressure on Azerbaijan and ‘take a strong stance’ at the forthcoming U.n. Security Council emergency meeting on Nagorno-Karabakh. “Azerbaijan’s actions are nothing short of an attempt of ethnic cleansing of the Armenian community that has lived there for centuries.”

Armenpress

Rep. Pallone urges US envoy to UN to work with partners to hold Azerbaijan accountable

The UN Security Council will hold an urgent meeting to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Artsakh. U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone urges the meeting to end the illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor.

ArmRadio

"Armenia" alliance issued a statement ahead of the UN Security Council session

The opposition faction of the National Assembly issued a statement in connection with the UN Security Council session on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. The statement said the international community should be aimed at solving the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Nagorno Karabakh as soon as possible.

CivilNet

In the conversation with Bayramov, Lavrov stressed the need to open the Lachin Corridor

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had a telephone conversation with his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeihun Bayramov on August 15. The ministers discussed the need for the practical implementation of the steps agreed in principle earlier. Mirzoyan discussed with his French counterpart the issue of the UN Security Council session on Nagorno-Karabakh.

CivilNet

The chairman of the council attached to the president of Artsakh published a Russian proposal on the "rights of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh".

Tigran Petrosyan, the chairman of the Anti-Crisis Council attached to the President of Artsakh, published on his Facebook page, as he claims, the proposal of the Russian side on ensuring the security and rights of the Armenian population of Nagorno Karabakh. According to the Russian proposal, the Armenians should have proportional representation in the republican and local structures of legislative, judicial and executive power.

CivilNet

Pregnant woman suffers miscarriage in blockaded Nagorno-Karabakh because ambulance was unavailable due to fuel shortages

The Human Rights Defender of Armenia Anahit Manasyan has issued a statement condemning the gross violations of the fundamental rights of Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijan. The blockade of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan has resulted in the gross violation of the. rights of the residents of Nag. Karabakh.

Armenpress, Karabakh blockade: Unborn baby dies as mother can’t reach hospital

Dutch legislators call for action to prevent genocide in Nagorno-Karabakh

Dutch parliament addressed urgent questions to foreign ministry and prime minister to take action. It follows obligations in Genocide Prevention Convention to prevent ongoing genocide of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenpress

German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development Parliamentary State Secretary to visit Armenia

Germany’s Parliamentary State Secretary Niels Annen will visit Armenia on November 21. He will participate in the first session of the Armenian-German Intergovernmental meeting.

Armenpress

Intellectuals from Turkey unite to break Nagorno-Karabakh blockade and avert potential genocide

Politicians, writers, politicians, and human rights advocates from Turkey have united to issue a plea to the global community, urging immediate intervention to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh caused by Azerbaijan's blockade. The heart of the appeal lies in the conviction that waiting for a humanitarian disaster to unfold before acting is unacceptable.

Armenpress, Intellectuals who are citizens of Turkey call to prevent the genocide in Nagorno Karabakh

United States urges Azerbaijan to restore free transit through Lachin Corridor

The United States has urged Azerbaijan to restore free transit through Lachin Corridor amid a deteriorating humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. The U.S. Department of State Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said at a press briefing. “The halting of this kind of humanitarian traffic, in our opinion, it worsens the humanitarian situation," Patel said.

Armenpress, US urges Azerbaijan to restore free transit of commercial, humanitarian, and private vehicles through Lachin corridor, The USA again calls on Azerbaijan to restore free movement through the Lachin Corridor

MEP expects Borrell to seek answers from Azerbaijan regarding shooting on EUMA staff

Member of the European Parliament Miriam M. Lexmann expects that Josep Borrell will be seeking immediate answers from Azerbaijan regarding shooting on EUMA staff. Members of the EU Mission in Armenia came under Azerbaijani fire on July 16.

ArmRadio

OSCE Chairperson-in-Office instructs personal representative to visit adjacent areas of Lachin Corridor

Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE Bujar Osmani instructed his personal representative Andrzej Kasprzyk to visit the Lachin Corridor's adjacent areas. OSCE is ready to be involved as a mediator as long as dialogue over political issues resumes, he said.

Armenpress, OSCE Chairman-in-Office reiterates call to open the Lachin corridor

UN Security Council discussing deteriorating humanitarian situation in Artsakh

The United Nations Security Council is holding an emergency meeting on the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Artsakh. The meeting has been convened at the request of

ArmRadio, People of Artsakh anxiously anticipating the extraordinary session of the UN Security Council – President, The session of the UN Security Council on Artsakh issue will take place today at 23:00, The results of the UN Security Council session will become an indicator of the effectiveness of international actors. Artsakh MFA

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Himnadram
ServicemenFund
Armenian Wounded Heroes
ArmeniaFund
If you'd like to support me: Patreon

Hey everyone :)
For the past 1.5 years I've been bookmarking and saving many websites and they were all around the place. But a month ago I started organizing them and added a few more and right now I have around 500 websites that I use myself on a daily basis all in one place.
It wasn't something that I was planning on sharing like this publicly but I mean, why not share it? I've benefited from many people's free work that I don't even know the names of so I might aswell contribute to that a little bit myself.
Here you go :)

AI Tools for Web Design

• Playground AI - One of the best text-to-image AIs out there imo. Also you can generate as much as you need without paying anything (One of My Favorites)
• Midjourney - We all know what this is. For those who don't, it's the most popular text-to-image AI generator out there. You have to pay after using it a while tho. But still it's AI is one of the best ones imo. (One of My Favorites)
• DreamStudio My favorite text-to-image generator AI. I love using it most. (One of My Favorites)
• Stable Diffusion Online Like Midjourney, another big text-to-image AI (One of My Favorites)
• DALL·E 2 Another text-to-image AI by OpenAI (One of My Favorites)
• Designs.ai - I haven't used them myself but I tried it once it the results were looking good. I think this one has potential (One of My Favorites)
• Writesonic - Haven't used this one myself either but I've heard some good things about it. But I'm no expert in this topic. I don't personally like using AI for writing (I mostly use it for formatting or researching etc.) (One of My Favorites)
• Fireflies.ai - Generate transcripts and smart summaries for Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Webex, and several other platforms. (One of My Favorites)
• AI Image Enlarger - A free online image enlarger that could upscale and enhance small images automatically. Make jpg/png pictures big without losing quality. (One of My Favorites)
• Khroma.co - An AI tool to discover, search, and save color combos and palettes you'll love. (One of My Favorites)
• Magician for Figma - Haven't had much time to experiment with it but it looks cool. It basically lets you use AI on Figma for various stuff. (One of My Favorites)
• Galileo AI - I haven't tried this one but even their own website is looking dope & clean af so they might be really good when they go fully live (One of My Favorites)
• ChatGPT Just putting it here out of formality 😂 We all know what this is. I also think it's pretty shitty rn.
• Flair - Haven't tried it aswell but it's looking dope so I'm including it. It let's you create branded product imagery with AI
• Snazzy AI Another AI content writer. Haven't tried it myself but seems promising.
• SurferSeo A good-looking SEO tool with AI
• LogoAi.com Another AI product imagery creator. But as far as I can see they also place them on mock-ups etc.
• Kive Using AI to build moodboards and inspiration boards. Looks interesting but haven't tried it myself
• Jenni AI Haven't tried myself but this looks like one of the better ones of AI writing assistants mostly towards academics.
• Jasper AI One of the most famous alternatives to ChatGPT. Haven't tried myself
• GetGenie Ai An AI assistant but more heavily focused on SEO content creation.
• Frase A similiar one. An SEO content writer assistant similar to top one with some built-in SEO tools.
• Durable AI I don't think I like these AI atm (AI that helps you create website in seconds) but they seem to be evolving really fast and this one has so much traffic so it should be working.
• Cortex Demystify what drives your brands content with Cortex Content Intelligence. Get deep content insights into the visual elements that drive content performance.
• ClosersCopy Another AI content writer.
• Beautiful.ai A presentation software for teams, infused with AI.
• Avatar AI™ Create Photoshoots of yourself with AI.
• AI Code Reviewer Automatic code review by AI
• CoSchedule A work management software to get more done in less time for marketers.
• Copy.ai: Get great copy that sells. Copy.ai is an AI-powered copywriter that generates high-quality copy for your business.
• Kafkai An AI algorithm that can write articles from scratch.
• Uneed A collection of the best tools and startups on the internet, curated by hand, daily. Find your favorites, and promote your own.
• MagicBrief Save Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok ads in a creative library that enables you to rework them in your own storyboards, which you can share with your team.
• VanceAI Manipulate images with AI including enhancing, upscaling, sharpening, denoising, background removal, and more

​

Be a Better Marketer

• BuiltWith - Find out what a website is built with. It's my go to website for detecting tech stack of a website (One of my Favorites)
• Namelix - Create a business name in no time (One of my Favorites)
• Sprig (One of my Favorites)
• Ballpark (One of my Favorites)
• Tally (One of my Favorites)
• Swipe-Worthy - The largest analyzed swipe file collection of profitable marketing & rare copywriting examples. An exclusive community for smart marketers and copywriters. (One of my Favorites)
• Joe La Pompe - A site dedicated to hunting similar advertising ideas from around the world. Shameless copycats or unfortunate coincidences? You decide. (One of my Favorites)
• Copywriting Examples - The only swipe file you’ll ever need. 330+ handpicked examples.
• Ads of the World™ - Creative advertisements from around the world highlighted by the AOTW team.
• Best Slogans - Collection of the best slogans online! We have the largest and best collection of slogans updated daily.
• Sex in Ads - You've read the name...
• Unblock Coffee - A large collection of the most brilliant ideas from around the world to get you inspired.
• Ribbon - The Continuous Product Insights Platform
• UserZoom - UX research, done right.
• The Atlas of Economic Complexity - Visualize global trade data and economic growth opportunities for every country
• Search Response - Content and Keyword Research Platform
• Ad Age - Since 1930, Ad Age is your daily-must read covering the rapid changes taking place in media, retail, food and beverage, sports marketing, travel, and more.
• slogan-tagline.com - A best collection of advertising and marketing slogans, brand taglines, mottos in English.
• Activation Ideas - The most inspiring creative commerce, brand experience & activation ideas from around the world to help you stay in the know and get inspired.

Best Landing Page Inspiration Websites

• Landing Love: This one’s unique because it showcases websites with cool animations. Definitely a sight to behold! (One of my Favorites)
• Built For Mars: This is one of the websites that I admire. It has great UI and UX, and it has a UX glossary which the UX of that glossary feels amazing. Def. worth the check. (One of my Favorites)
• Land-Book: This is one of the best ones. You can filter landing pages for nearly every possible category. (One of my Favorites)
• One Page Love: This is also one of the best ones in terms of landing pages. Similiar to Land-Book, it has many categories.Just go see it yourself (One of my Favorites)
• Lapa Ninja: This is one the best ones for finding great landing pages. This is one of my top 5 inspiration sites to go for (One of my Favorites)
• Webflow Portfolio Showcase: This one’s straight forward. It’s the webflow library. This is just amazing (it also has some cloneable templates soooo def. check it out)
• UI Patterns: This is one of the best websites for you to understand UI and UX principles. It has so many principles in it. Just go dive deep into this website haha
• Call to Idea: NOW this is one of the most unique and amazing websites for inspiration. “Why???” you may ask.It’s because it has inspiration for each component.I mean footers, testimonials, contact forms etc..Just check it out yourself
• Nicely Done Club: Honestly, I found about this while also searching for more websites for this document, but I’m in love with it and definitely going to look more to this. Def. check this out. Great for UX and understanding conversion principles
• Landing Folio: This is another one of my top 5 websites to go for since it’s landing page specific. It has extensive categories. Go check it for yourself definitely
• Saas Landing Page: Specifically SAAS Focused inspiration. Definitely check it out
• Page Collective: Another one of my favorites since it’s landing page specific. Similiar to other ones, but I love this site for landing page inspirations.

​

Blogs that I like

• Learn UI Design by Erik Kennedy - This is probably the most important and best blog site out there. I just LOVE Erik Kennedy. He has the best approach teaching UI and UX in my opinion. (One of my Favorites)
• Marketing Examples One of the best marketing blogs out there imo (One of my Favorites)
• [UX Product Design Hints](https://) - Stay on top of your design process with the bite-sized hints and cheat sheets about UX Product Design. (One of my Favorites)
• GoodUI - Reach higher conversions faster by repeating what worked for others and avoiding what failed. (One of my Favorites)
• UX Planet (One of my Favorites)
• NNGroup.com - The guys are a research organization on user behavior and stuff. They have some great blogs and researchs.
• Dan Mall - I don't know Dan too much, but I've read some articles from his blog and I love how he explains stuff.
• Checklist Design
• DESIGNERCIZE
• Copywriting Examples
• UXmatters
• Design Libs
• Design Principles
• Hackdesign.org

​

Color Websites

• Huemint - I like this one a lot because it's very easy to see some color combinations and how they look in UI (One of my Favorites)
• Dopely.Top - MANY MANY tools about colors (One of my Favorites)
• Material Design - The design system of Google. Pretty great seeing these things in public (One of my Favorites)
• Color Designer.io (One of my Favorites)
• Poolors - Poolors generates color palettes using the colors least-used by designers. (One of my Favorites)
• Colors - House of van Schneider - Pre-selected color palettes. You can find some really cool premade palettes in here.
• Coolors
• Randoma11y
• Khroma AI
• Color Shades Generator
• Color Hunt
• Paletton
• COLOURlovers
• Flat UI Colors.com
• Supa Palette
• Palitra App
• Colorspectrum.design
• Colormind.io
• Adobe Color Wheel
• Leonardo Color

​

Copywriting Websites

• Greatlandingpagecopy.com - A little corner of the internet to find good landing page copywriting examples. (One of my Favorites)
• Swiped.co - Swipe-Worthy » Swipe File Archive » Marketing & Copywriting Examples. (One of my Favorites)
• Marketingexamples.com - Copywriting Examples - The world's best copy. In one place. (One of my Favorites)
• The Measure of Things - Express a measurement in a different way. Really fun to play with (One of my Favorites)
• Lose the Very - The title is pretty self-explanatory. Lose the VERYY (One of my Favorites)
• Hemingway Editor - A text editor to see how readable your copy is (One of my Favorites)
• Thesaurus.com - Find the synonmys for every word you need.(One of my Favorites)
• Content Row - Haven't tried it myself much. Headline Generator
• Grammarly: Free Writing AI Assistance - We all know it, but it doesn't hurt to include does it?
• Urban Dictionary - When you need to learn what a slang or a term means. Perfect for non-native English speakers
• WordHippo! - "Another word for X" kind of website
• Modern Copywriter - A blog about copywriting. Haven't read it much honestly
• Slogan-tagline.com - A website to find slogans
• Deck of Brilliance - A really cool website for creating ideas. I really like this one honestly. (One of my Favorites)
• Randomlists.com - Generate a list of random X
• Word Associations Network - A website to find associated words for specific words & topics.
• Spruce - Give it a word and it gives you Quotes, Lyrics etc.
• Pun Generator - The title is self-explanatory on this one aswell haha.
• RhymeZone - It's like thesaurus, but rhyming related words haha.
• Power Thesaurus - It's what title says haha.

​

Email Design and Copy Inspiration

• Milled - This is probably the best one in terms of finding inspiration. You can categorize stuff by their industry etc. (One of my Favorites)
• Really Good Emails - Another one of the bangers. (One of my Favorites)
• Email Love - Another of the bangers. It's really one of the best ones to find email design inspiration (One of my Favorites)
• Good Sales Emails - This website leans on the copy side of things, but still great imo. (One of my Favorites)
• SMS Archives - Inspiration database but for SMS campaigns. (One of my Favorites)
• SimilarMail.com
• Mailjet.com
• Postermywall.com - This is essentially a Saas but it has some cool inspirations for emails
• Pinterest - The good ol' Pinterest. You can find some cool stuff here from time to time
• Campaign Monitor.com - These guys are a Saas aswell, but this specific link has some cool email designs imo.
• Mailcharts.com - This is essentially a paid tool and I haven't tried them but they look promising imo.
• Calltoidea - This website is not only for emails but it has email categories sooo why not include haha
• Beautiful Email Newsletters - This website is pretty old but can still be useful for finding email inspiration
• HTML Email Gallery - One of the old ones but can still help.
• Email Gallery - Same. It's old but why not include haha.
• Beefree.io It's essentially an email sending platform but it has some pretty cool design templates. Might worth taking a look. ​

Email Marketing

• Klaviyo Academy - Klaviyo Academy. It's probably the best resource on email marketing. (One of my Favorites)
• Litmus - These guys have some incredible and on-point articles on email marketing. They are essentially a Saas but worth looking even just for their blog.(One of my Favorites)
• Pop-up Examples.com - Over 100 of the best-performing pop-up design examples of 2020-2021. (One of my Favorites)
• NeverBounce - An email verifier tool. I used them in the past and I was pretty happy with them. (One of my Favorites)
• SPF Check - MxToolBox - SPF Check & SPF Lookup - Sender Policy Framework (SPF). (One of my Favorites)
• The Holy Grail Of Email Deliverability - An article that I loved reading on Medium about email deliverability.
• Niftyimages.com - Have personalized images on your emails. I never tried them but the idea is cool.
• Loading.io - Text to animation. A tool that I used in the past to have some basic animations on my emails
• GlockApps - Get insights into your email deliverability, reputation, authentication, and DMARC compliance.
• Gmass.co - The free email tester you can use for a deliverability test.
• Lusha - Finding B2B data for outreach.
• Hyperise - Personalize images in your outreach.
• Responsive Email CSS Inliner - It's what the title says haha

​

Font Websites

• Google Fonts - It's Google Fonts. Do you really need my explanation haha (One of my Favorites)
• Fontpair - Pre-selected font pairings. I love this one so much (One of my Favorites)
• What Font Is - Identify any font. Literally. I use this one every week at least once (One of my Favorites)
• Fonts In Use - Real life examples of fonts being used. (One of my Favorites)
• DaFont - Probably the best website to download free fonts. (One of my Favorites)
• WhatTheFont - I haven't tried this font finder but it looks good aswell.
• Pangram Pangram Foundry - A company making some cool fonts.
• Fontshare - Another website to download fonts.
• YouWorkForThem - Another website to download some fonts.
• MyFonts - I'm tired of writing "Another website to download fonts" but I have to. You get the idea.
• Uncut.wtf - Another website to download fonts like ... duh
• AllFreeFonts.co - A website to ... download fonts?
• Fontesk - You get the idea, eh?

​

Gradient Websites

• CssGradient.io - You can find thousands of gradients on this website IN CSS. That's the neat part. (One of my Favorites)
• Colordesigner.io - I love this one because you can pick 2 colors and it generates the shades in-between. It has so many tools aswell (One of my Favorites)
• Dopely.Top - This website has various color tools, and one of them being a gradient generator like, it's expected no? (One of my Favorites)
• Gradientos - A really cool website to find gradients. I love this one (One of my Favorites)
• Codioful.com - Not only color gradients, but abstract shapes integrated with it
• DesignGradients.com
• WebGradients.com
• Ingradients.net
• Free Mesh Gradient Collection

​

Icon Websites

• Freepik - I've tried many stock icon/illustration websites and for me this one is the absolute best of them. If you're going to try one of them on paid plan, let it be this one. (One of My Favorites)
• Envato Elements - This is the 2nd best imo. It’s search algorithm is pretty weird and I don’t like it but you can probably find what you need in here. (One of My Favorites)
• Vecteezy (One of My Favorites)
• UI8 - (One of My Favorites)
• MonsterONE - (One of My Favorites)
• UpLabs - (One of My Favorites)
• CopyChar - (One of My Favorites)
• Shape
• Icons8
• Streamline
• Shapefest
• 3dicons
• SVG Doodles
• Reshot
• JoyPixels
• iconmonstr
• Icônes
• Notioneers
• Iconism
• Myicons

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Illustration Websites

• Freepik - As I've said, this is probably the best one out there. (One of My Favorites)
• Envato Elements - This is the 2nd best imo. It's search algorithm is pretty weird and I don't like it but you can probably find what you need in here. (One of My Favorites)
• UI8 - (One of My Favorites)
• Vecteezy - (One of My Favorites)
• FlatIcon.com - (One of My Favorites)
• Font Awesome - (One of My Favorites)
• Iconer - (One of My Favorites)
• Icons8 - (One of My Favorites)
• Noun Project - (One of My Favorites)
• Pngtree - (One of My Favorites)
• VectorStyler
• Inkscape
• Boxy SVG Editor
• Craftwork
• Imgbin.com
• JoyPixels
• Iconmonstr
• Craftwork.design
• Noticons.com
• Renderforest.com
• Monsterone.com
• Graphicmama.com
• Uplabs.com
• unDraw.co
• ManyPixels.co
• ls.graphics
• Humaaans.com
• Storyset.com
• SVG Shapes
• DrawKit.com

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Image Editing & Manipulation

• Canva - Well, if you have no experience with graphic design Canva is your go-to software. I use it pretty much everyday (even though I now kindaknow Photoshop. I find it way easier for simple tasks) (One of my Favorites)
• TinyPNG - When I tell you that this website can easily speed up your website %50 I'm not kidding. If you have any sort of image, ALWAYS PUT IT IN HERE FIRST. It can reduce your image sizes tremendously and it's extremely easy. Can't praise this one enough (One of My Favorites)
• Remove.bg - Pretty straightforward. It's paid but if you're not comfortable with using other tools it's a good one. And I found that this one has the best background removing software. (One of My Favorites)
• Free PDF solutions for all PDF problems - Anything you want to do with a PDF. I like this one. (One of My Favorites)
• Thispersondoesnotexist.com - It's what the title says. It's terrifying but whenever you refrest the page, it shows you a new "person" who doesn't exist.
• Face Generator AI - A less scary one of the above website. But essentially they're pretty similiar 😂

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Landing Pages & Accessibility

• SaaSPages.xyz - Best practises on building Saas Pages (One of My Favorites)
• The A11Y Project (One of My Favorites)
• Cards for Humanity - Deal the cards to get a random person and their needs. Your challenge is to work out how to design for this person. (One of My Favorites)
• Randoma11y (One of My Favorites)
• Webaimorg - A blog about accessibility in web design. It's a bit outdated but can help.
• AccessGuide.io
• Accessibility Not-Checklist

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Mockup Generator Websites

• Placeit.net - This is probably the best one on mock-up generation imo. It has many many real-life mock-ups to choose from. (One of my favorites)
• Mockup Plugin - It's a Plugin for Figma and I love it (One of my favorites)
• UpLabs (One of my favorites)

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No-Code Tools

So there's A LOT of tools in this category and I haven't tried at least half of them. I'm including them because I've seen them and they looked at least ok and it might be useful to someone. The ones that I use & love are marked as "One of my Favorites" and at the top.
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WEBSITE BUILDERS:

• Webflow - To me, Webflow is the best website-builder out there. Yes, it's not extremely easy to get used to but with it I can pretty much build anything. I've tried elementor and a bunch of shopift page builders but Webflow is the best one for me. The others have advantages but if I were to learn at least 1 of them it'd be Webflow (One of My Favorites)
• Elementor - As much as I hate Elementor after getting used to Webflow, it deserves a praise. You can build so much stuff with little-to-no knowledge with it on Wordpress. (One of My Favorites)
• Carrd - One of the easiest platforms to publish anything to web and it's REALLY cheap. Great if you need something similiar.
• Typedream - Haven't used it myself but it's a really easy website builder. If you just want a website that gets a small problem solved give it a try.
• Unbounce - Haven't used it myself but heard good things about it. It's good for building landing pages that you are going to delete or change very often.
• Adalo
• Squarespace
• Duda
• 10Web.io
• Weebly
• Without CodeWix.com
• Tilda
• Tailwind CSS Page Creator - Tails
• Kepler
• Editor X
• Dorik
• Bookmark.com

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NOTION TO WEBSITE:

• Potion.so
• Notelet
• Simple.ink
• Feather.so

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APP BUILDERS:

• Bubble.io - Haven't used it myself but you can build extremely detailed apps with it. It's a huge industry as far as I can tell (One of my Favorites)
• Twinr.dev - I haven't ever built an app but this one looks promising. Check it out if you want to build an app with no-code.
• Thunkable
• Appy Pie
• V.One
• Stage.so
• Sizze.io
• Pory.io
• PandaSuite
• Glide
• Fliple
• DrapCodeDraftbit
• Bravo Studio
• Bildr
• AppMySite.com
• AppMaster
• Appmaker.xyz
• Apphive
• Andromo

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OTHER NO-CODE TOOLS:

• Swiper Studio - No-code Swiper builder. You can build pretty slick sliders with no-code (One of My Favorites)
• Softr - Softr turns your Airtable or Google Sheets data into beautiful and powerful client portals or internal tools
• No Code Founders - Find the right No Code Tools
• Stackerhq.com - Stacker makes it easy to build customer portals, CRMs, internal tools, and other business applications for your team
• Makeswift - Unlock your Next.js site in minutes
• Jetboost.io - Real-time search, dynamic filtering, and more for Webflow — without writing code
• Peaka - Consolidate your data from SaaS apps and popular data sources
• Autocode - Build JavaScript-powered bots, scripts, and APIs with code generation and instant deployment.

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SEO Websites

• Learningseo.io - Literally the best website to learn SEO. Look no further. It's hands-down the best one in my honest opinion (One of my Favorites)
• Semrush - Other than being pricey, I think this is the best SEO tool out there. If you're new (like me) you can get lost in it in a good way haha (One of my Favorites)
• Moz - Another Semrush alternative (One of my Favorites)
• Ahrefs - I just used it very briefly and I liked it. A pretty good alternative to Semrush if you ask me (One of my Favorites)
• KWFinder - It's a dope tool to find low competition keywords. (One of my Favorites)
• Google Trends - Everyone knows it but not everyone uses it. It's a great way to do market research aswell (One of my Favorites)

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Stock Photo & Video

• Pexels.com - This is my go-to stock photo website on a daily basis. (One of My Favorites)
• Pixabay (One of My Favorites)
• Unsplash (One of My Favorites)
• Coverr.co
• Shotdeck
• Nappy
• Storyblocks
• MotionElements
• Videvo
• Life of Pix
• SplitShire
• Rawpixel
• Burst.Shopify
• Stocksy
• Getty Images
• Shutterstock
• Artgrid.io
• Generated Photos
• Vidsplay.com
• Openverse
• Gratisography

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TYPOGRAPHY WEBSITES

• Typewolf - Probably the website about Typography out there. A comprehensive collection of the best typography resources from around the web, including typography blogs, books, tools, and learning resources. (One of My Favorites)
• The good line-height - Website dedicated to providing information and guidance on setting good line heights. (One of My Favorites)
• typo/graphic posters - A reference platform for typographic and graphic posters since 2008.
• BetterWebType.com - Web typography course for web designers and web developers.
• Typescale - A free Figma and XD plugin to quickly generate a modular scale for your typography.
• TypeInspire - Typography inspiration and design gallery showcasing beautiful typographic works.
• Proportio.app
• Typography Daily
• Typography.Guru
• Quotes on Design
• Pimp my Type
• Glyphs
• Speak Human

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A few important notes about this list:

1. To make navigation more pleasant, I put the best websites in each category to the top of their respective category and put a "One of my Favorites" tag at the end of it.
2. I wrote most of the descriptions myself and gave my opinions on those websites but for some websites (like icon websites) I just pulled the meta descriptions because there's not much to explain on these websites. You can easily tell the descriptions I wrote personally and the meta descriptions apart.
3. I had to cut down some websites & most descriptions because of Reddit's 40k character limit. I'm sad :( Also I haven't personally tried each website/tool here but let's say %80.
4. This list is essentially my sign-up gift on my newsletter about psychology, copywriting & web design (and it has cute unicorns too) but I've been sharing parts of this list in comments lately and people seem to love them so I said fuck it and wanted to share them all here without any sign-up required. But if you want to get the Notion Database (which looks nicer than the reddit text format) and you want unicorns in your inbox you can get them here

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That's the end of the list. I hope you liked it and found it useful.
P.S. If you want to access this list that looks way better than Reddit text format, there is a Notion Database version of this list with each website that you see here (and trust me, it's better to navigate that haha).
It's kind of promoting my own thing here aswell, yes, but it took me literally months to get this database together so I'd really love any feedback and support (converting it to Reddit markdown text format alone took a full day). It's ok to promote a little bit after you've given this much for free (right?) . Also this list was already the gift of my newsletter anyways sooo it's ok (I suppose 😂) Ok I'm just babbling stuff right now haha.
Have a good day y'all.

Hey everyone :)
For the past 1.5 years I've been bookmarking and saving many websites and they were all around the place. But a month ago I started organizing them and added a few more and right now I have around 500 websites that I use myself on a daily basis all in one place.
It wasn't something that I was planning on sharing like this publicly but I mean, why not share it? I've benefited from many people's free work that I don't even know the names of so I might aswell contribute to that a little bit myself.
Here you go :)

AI Tools for Web Design

• Playground AI - One of the best text-to-image AIs out there imo. Also you can generate as much as you need without paying anything (One of My Favorites)
• Midjourney - We all know what this is. For those who don't, it's the most popular text-to-image AI generator out there. You have to pay after using it a while tho. But still it's AI is one of the best ones imo. (One of My Favorites)
• DreamStudio My favorite text-to-image generator AI. I love using it most. (One of My Favorites)
• Stable Diffusion Online Like Midjourney, another big text-to-image AI (One of My Favorites)
• DALL·E 2 Another text-to-image AI by OpenAI (One of My Favorites)
• Designs.ai - I haven't used them myself but I tried it once it the results were looking good. I think this one has potential (One of My Favorites)
• Writesonic - Haven't used this one myself either but I've heard some good things about it. But I'm no expert in this topic. I don't personally like using AI for writing (I mostly use it for formatting or researching etc.) (One of My Favorites)
• Fireflies.ai - Generate transcripts and smart summaries for Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Webex, and several other platforms. (One of My Favorites)
• AI Image Enlarger - A free online image enlarger that could upscale and enhance small images automatically. Make jpg/png pictures big without losing quality. (One of My Favorites)
• Khroma.co - An AI tool to discover, search, and save color combos and palettes you'll love. (One of My Favorites)
• Magician for Figma - Haven't had much time to experiment with it but it looks cool. It basically lets you use AI on Figma for various stuff. (One of My Favorites)
• Galileo AI - I haven't tried this one but even their own website is looking dope & clean af so they might be really good when they go fully live (One of My Favorites)
• ChatGPT Just putting it here out of formality 😂 We all know what this is. I also think it's pretty shitty rn.
• Flair - Haven't tried it aswell but it's looking dope so I'm including it. It let's you create branded product imagery with AI
• Snazzy AI Another AI content writer. Haven't tried it myself but seems promising.
• SurferSeo A good-looking SEO tool with AI
• LogoAi.com Another AI product imagery creator. But as far as I can see they also place them on mock-ups etc.
• Kive Using AI to build moodboards and inspiration boards. Looks interesting but haven't tried it myself
• Jenni AI Haven't tried myself but this looks like one of the better ones of AI writing assistants mostly towards academics.
• Jasper AI One of the most famous alternatives to ChatGPT. Haven't tried myself
• GetGenie Ai An AI assistant but more heavily focused on SEO content creation.
• Frase A similiar one. An SEO content writer assistant similar to top one with some built-in SEO tools.
• Durable AI I don't think I like these AI atm (AI that helps you create website in seconds) but they seem to be evolving really fast and this one has so much traffic so it should be working.
• Cortex Demystify what drives your brands content with Cortex Content Intelligence. Get deep content insights into the visual elements that drive content performance.
• MagicBrief Save Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok ads in a creative library that enables you to rework them in your own storyboards, which you can share with your team.
• VanceAI Manipulate images with AI including enhancing, upscaling, sharpening, denoising, background removal, and more

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Be a Better Marketer

• BuiltWith - Find out what a website is built with. It's my go to website for detecting tech stack of a website (One of my Favorites)
• Namelix - Create a business name in no time (One of my Favorites)
• Sprig (One of my Favorites)
• Ballpark (One of my Favorites)
• Tally (One of my Favorites)
• Swipe-Worthy - The largest analyzed swipe file collection of profitable marketing & rare copywriting examples. An exclusive community for smart marketers and copywriters. (One of my Favorites)
• Joe La Pompe - A site dedicated to hunting similar advertising ideas from around the world. Shameless copycats or unfortunate coincidences? You decide. (One of my Favorites)
• Copywriting Examples - The only swipe file you’ll ever need. 330+ handpicked examples.
• Ads of the World™ - Creative advertisements from around the world highlighted by the AOTW team.
• Best Slogans - Collection of the best slogans online! We have the largest and best collection of slogans updated daily.
• Sex in Ads - You've read the name...
• Unblock Coffee - A large collection of the most brilliant ideas from around the world to get you inspired.
• Ribbon - The Continuous Product Insights Platform
• UserZoom - UX research, done right.
• The Atlas of Economic Complexity - Visualize global trade data and economic growth opportunities for every country
• Search Response - Content and Keyword Research Platform
• Ad Age - Since 1930, Ad Age is your daily-must read covering the rapid changes taking place in media, retail, food and beverage, sports marketing, travel, and more.
• slogan-tagline.com - A best collection of advertising and marketing slogans, brand taglines, mottos in English.
• Activation Ideas - The most inspiring creative commerce, brand experience & activation ideas from around the world to help you stay in the know and get inspired.

Best Landing Page Inspiration Websites

• Landing Love: This one’s unique because it showcases websites with cool animations. Definitely a sight to behold! (One of my Favorites)
• Built For Mars: This is one of the websites that I admire. It has great UI and UX, and it has a UX glossary which the UX of that glossary feels amazing. Def. worth the check. (One of my Favorites)
• Land-Book: This is one of the best ones. You can filter landing pages for nearly every possible category. (One of my Favorites)
• One Page Love: This is also one of the best ones in terms of landing pages. Similiar to Land-Book, it has many categories.Just go see it yourself (One of my Favorites)
• Lapa Ninja: This is one the best ones for finding great landing pages. This is one of my top 5 inspiration sites to go for (One of my Favorites)
• Webflow Portfolio Showcase: This one’s straight forward. It’s the webflow library. This is just amazing (it also has some cloneable templates soooo def. check it out)
• UI Patterns: This is one of the best websites for you to understand UI and UX principles. It has so many principles in it. Just go dive deep into this website haha
• Call to Idea: NOW this is one of the most unique and amazing websites for inspiration. “Why???” you may ask.It’s because it has inspiration for each component.I mean footers, testimonials, contact forms etc..Just check it out yourself
• Nicely Done Club: Honestly, I found about this while also searching for more websites for this document, but I’m in love with it and definitely going to look more to this. Def. check this out. Great for UX and understanding conversion principles
• Landing Folio: This is another one of my top 5 websites to go for since it’s landing page specific. It has extensive categories. Go check it for yourself definitely
• Saas Landing Page: Specifically SAAS Focused inspiration. Definitely check it out
• Page Collective: Another one of my favorites since it’s landing page specific. Similiar to other ones, but I love this site for landing page inspirations.

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Blogs that I like

• Learn UI Design by Erik Kennedy - This is probably the most important and best blog site out there. I just LOVE Erik Kennedy. He has the best approach teaching UI and UX in my opinion. (One of my Favorites)
• Marketing Examples One of the best marketing blogs out there imo (One of my Favorites)
• [UX Product Design Hints](https://) - Stay on top of your design process with the bite-sized hints and cheat sheets about UX Product Design. (One of my Favorites)
• GoodUI - Reach higher conversions faster by repeating what worked for others and avoiding what failed. (One of my Favorites)
• UX Planet (One of my Favorites)
• NNGroup.com - The guys are a research organization on user behavior and stuff. They have some great blogs and researchs.
• Dan Mall - I don't know Dan too much, but I've read some articles from his blog and I love how he explains stuff.
• Checklist Design
• DESIGNERCIZE
• Copywriting Examples
• UXmatters
• Design Libs
• Design Principles
• Hackdesign.org

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Color Websites

• Huemint - I like this one a lot because it's very easy to see some color combinations and how they look in UI (One of my Favorites)
• Dopely.Top - MANY MANY tools about colors (One of my Favorites)
• Material Design - The design system of Google. Pretty great seeing these things in public (One of my Favorites)
• Color Designer.io (One of my Favorites)
• Poolors - Poolors generates color palettes using the colors least-used by designers. (One of my Favorites)
• Colors - House of van Schneider - Pre-selected color palettes. You can find some really cool premade palettes in here.
• Coolors
• Randoma11y
• Khroma AI
• Color Shades Generator
• Color Hunt
• Paletton
• COLOURlovers
• Flat UI Colors.com
• Supa Palette
• Palitra App
• Colorspectrum.design
• Colormind.io
• Adobe Color Wheel
• Leonardo Color

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Copywriting Websites

• Greatlandingpagecopy.com - A little corner of the internet to find good landing page copywriting examples. (One of my Favorites)
• Swiped.co - Swipe-Worthy » Swipe File Archive » Marketing & Copywriting Examples. (One of my Favorites)
• Marketingexamples.com - Copywriting Examples - The world's best copy. In one place. (One of my Favorites)
• The Measure of Things - Express a measurement in a different way. Really fun to play with (One of my Favorites)
• Lose the Very - The title is pretty self-explanatory. Lose the VERYY (One of my Favorites)
• Hemingway Editor - A text editor to see how readable your copy is (One of my Favorites)
• Thesaurus.com - Find the synonmys for every word you need.(One of my Favorites)
• Content Row - Haven't tried it myself much. Headline Generator
• Grammarly: Free Writing AI Assistance - We all know it, but it doesn't hurt to include does it?
• Urban Dictionary - When you need to learn what a slang or a term means. Perfect for non-native English speakers
• WordHippo! - "Another word for X" kind of website
• Modern Copywriter - A blog about copywriting. Haven't read it much honestly
• Slogan-tagline.com - A website to find slogans
• Deck of Brilliance - A really cool website for creating ideas. I really like this one honestly. (One of my Favorites)
• Randomlists.com - Generate a list of random X
• Word Associations Network - A website to find associated words for specific words & topics.
• Spruce - Give it a word and it gives you Quotes, Lyrics etc.
• Pun Generator - The title is self-explanatory on this one aswell haha.
• RhymeZone - It's like thesaurus, but rhyming related words haha.
• Power Thesaurus - It's what title says haha.

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Email Design and Copy Inspiration

• Milled - This is probably the best one in terms of finding inspiration. You can categorize stuff by their industry etc. (One of my Favorites)
• Really Good Emails - Another one of the bangers. (One of my Favorites)
• Email Love - Another of the bangers. It's really one of the best ones to find email design inspiration (One of my Favorites)
• Good Sales Emails - This website leans on the copy side of things, but still great imo. (One of my Favorites)
• SMS Archives - Inspiration database but for SMS campaigns. (One of my Favorites)
• SimilarMail.com
• Mailjet.com
• Postermywall.com - This is essentially a Saas but it has some cool inspirations for emails
• Pinterest - The good ol' Pinterest. You can find some cool stuff here from time to time
• Campaign Monitor.com - These guys are a Saas aswell, but this specific link has some cool email designs imo.
• Mailcharts.com - This is essentially a paid tool and I haven't tried them but they look promising imo.
• Calltoidea - This website is not only for emails but it has email categories sooo why not include haha
• Beautiful Email Newsletters - This website is pretty old but can still be useful for finding email inspiration
• HTML Email Gallery - One of the old ones but can still help.
• Email Gallery - Same. It's old but why not include haha.
• Beefree.io It's essentially an email sending platform but it has some pretty cool design templates. Might worth taking a look. ​

Email Marketing

• Klaviyo Academy - Klaviyo Academy. It's probably the best resource on email marketing. (One of my Favorites)
• Litmus - These guys have some incredible and on-point articles on email marketing. They are essentially a Saas but worth looking even just for their blog.(One of my Favorites)
• Pop-up Examples.com - Over 100 of the best-performing pop-up design examples of 2020-2021. (One of my Favorites)
• NeverBounce - An email verifier tool. I used them in the past and I was pretty happy with them. (One of my Favorites)
• SPF Check - MxToolBox - SPF Check & SPF Lookup - Sender Policy Framework (SPF). (One of my Favorites)
• The Holy Grail Of Email Deliverability - An article that I loved reading on Medium about email deliverability.
• Niftyimages.com - Have personalized images on your emails. I never tried them but the idea is cool.
• Loading.io - Text to animation. A tool that I used in the past to have some basic animations on my emails
• GlockApps - Get insights into your email deliverability, reputation, authentication, and DMARC compliance.
• Gmass.co - The free email tester you can use for a deliverability test.
• Lusha - Finding B2B data for outreach.
• Hyperise - Personalize images in your outreach.
• Responsive Email CSS Inliner - It's what the title says haha

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Font Websites

• Google Fonts - It's Google Fonts. Do you really need my explanation haha (One of my Favorites)
• Fontpair - Pre-selected font pairings. I love this one so much (One of my Favorites)
• What Font Is - Identify any font. Literally. I use this one every week at least once (One of my Favorites)
• Fonts In Use - Real life examples of fonts being used. (One of my Favorites)
• DaFont - Probably the best website to download free fonts. (One of my Favorites)
• WhatTheFont - I haven't tried this font finder but it looks good aswell.
• Pangram Pangram Foundry - A company making some cool fonts.
• Fontshare - Another website to download fonts.
• YouWorkForThem - Another website to download some fonts.
• MyFonts - I'm tired of writing "Another website to download fonts" but I have to. You get the idea.
• Uncut.wtf - Another website to download fonts like ... duh
• AllFreeFonts.co - A website to ... download fonts?
• Fontesk - You get the idea, eh?

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Gradient Websites

• CssGradient.io - You can find thousands of gradients on this website IN CSS. That's the neat part. (One of my Favorites)
• Colordesigner.io - I love this one because you can pick 2 colors and it generates the shades in-between. It has so many tools aswell (One of my Favorites)
• Dopely.Top - This website has various color tools, and one of them being a gradient generator like, it's expected no? (One of my Favorites)
• Gradientos - A really cool website to find gradients. I love this one (One of my Favorites)
• Codioful.com - Not only color gradients, but abstract shapes integrated with it
• DesignGradients.com
• WebGradients.com
• Ingradients.net
• Free Mesh Gradient Collection

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Icon Websites

• Freepik - I've tried many stock icon/illustration websites and for me this one is the absolute best of them. If you're going to try one of them on paid plan, let it be this one. (One of My Favorites)
• Envato Elements - This is the 2nd best imo. It’s search algorithm is pretty weird and I don’t like it but you can probably find what you need in here. (One of My Favorites)
• Vecteezy (One of My Favorites)
• UI8 - (One of My Favorites)
• MonsterONE - (One of My Favorites)
• UpLabs - (One of My Favorites)
• CopyChar - (One of My Favorites)
• Shape
• Icons8
• Streamline
• Shapefest
• 3dicons
• SVG Doodles
• Reshot
• JoyPixels
• iconmonstr
• Icônes
• Notioneers
• Iconism
• Myicons

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Illustration Websites

• Freepik - As I've said, this is probably the best one out there. (One of My Favorites)
• Envato Elements - This is the 2nd best imo. It's search algorithm is pretty weird and I don't like it but you can probably find what you need in here. (One of My Favorites)
• UI8 - (One of My Favorites)
• Vecteezy - (One of My Favorites)
• FlatIcon.com - (One of My Favorites)
• Font Awesome - (One of My Favorites)
• Iconer - (One of My Favorites)
• Icons8 - (One of My Favorites)
• Noun Project - (One of My Favorites)
• Pngtree - (One of My Favorites)
• VectorStyler
• Inkscape
• Boxy SVG Editor
• Craftwork
• Imgbin.com
• JoyPixels
• Iconmonstr
• Craftwork.design
• Noticons.com
• Renderforest.com
• Monsterone.com
• Graphicmama.com
• Uplabs.com
• unDraw.co
• ManyPixels.co
• ls.graphics
• Humaaans.com
• Storyset.com
• SVG Shapes
• DrawKit.com

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Image Editing & Manipulation

• Canva - Well, if you have no experience with graphic design Canva is your go-to software. I use it pretty much everyday (even though I now kindaknow Photoshop. I find it way easier for simple tasks) (One of my Favorites)
• TinyPNG - When I tell you that this website can easily speed up your website %50 I'm not kidding. If you have any sort of image, ALWAYS PUT IT IN HERE FIRST. It can reduce your image sizes tremendously and it's extremely easy. Can't praise this one enough (One of My Favorites)
• Remove.bg - Pretty straightforward. It's paid but if you're not comfortable with using other tools it's a good one. And I found that this one has the best background removing software. (One of My Favorites)
• Free PDF solutions for all PDF problems - Anything you want to do with a PDF. I like this one. (One of My Favorites)
• Thispersondoesnotexist.com - It's what the title says. It's terrifying but whenever you refrest the page, it shows you a new "person" who doesn't exist.
• Face Generator AI - A less scary one of the above website. But essentially they're pretty similiar 😂

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Landing Pages & Accessibility

• SaaSPages.xyz - Best practises on building Saas Pages (One of My Favorites)
• The A11Y Project (One of My Favorites)
• Cards for Humanity - Deal the cards to get a random person and their needs. Your challenge is to work out how to design for this person. (One of My Favorites)
• Randoma11y (One of My Favorites)
• Webaimorg - A blog about accessibility in web design. It's a bit outdated but can help.
• AccessGuide.io
• Accessibility Not-Checklist

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Mockup Generator Websites

• Placeit.net - This is probably the best one on mock-up generation imo. It has many many real-life mock-ups to choose from. (One of my favorites)
• Mockup Plugin - It's a Plugin for Figma and I love it (One of my favorites)
• UpLabs (One of my favorites)

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​

No-Code Tools

So there's A LOT of tools in this category and I haven't tried at least half of them. I'm including them because I've seen them and they looked at least ok and it might be useful to someone. The ones that I use & love are marked as "One of my Favorites" and at the top.
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WEBSITE BUILDERS:

• Webflow - To me, Webflow is the best website-builder out there. Yes, it's not extremely easy to get used to but with it I can pretty much build anything. I've tried elementor and a bunch of shopift page builders but Webflow is the best one for me. The others have advantages but if I were to learn at least 1 of them it'd be Webflow (One of My Favorites)
• Elementor - As much as I hate Elementor after getting used to Webflow, it deserves a praise. You can build so much stuff with little-to-no knowledge with it on Wordpress. (One of My Favorites)
• Carrd - One of the easiest platforms to publish anything to web and it's REALLY cheap. Great if you need something similiar.
• Typedream - Haven't used it myself but it's a really easy website builder. If you just want a website that gets a small problem solved give it a try.
• Unbounce - Haven't used it myself but heard good things about it. It's good for building landing pages that you are going to delete or change very often.
• Adalo
• Squarespace
• Duda
• 10Web.io
• Weebly
• Without CodeWix.com
• Tilda
• Tailwind CSS Page Creator - Tails
• Kepler
• Editor X
• Dorik
• Bookmark.com

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NOTION TO WEBSITE:

• Potion.so
• Notelet
• Simple.ink
• Feather.so

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APP BUILDERS:

• Bubble.io - Haven't used it myself but you can build extremely detailed apps with it. It's a huge industry as far as I can tell (One of my Favorites)
• Twinr.dev - I haven't ever built an app but this one looks promising. Check it out if you want to build an app with no-code.
• Thunkable
• Appy Pie
• V.One
• Stage.so
• Sizze.io
• Pory.io
• PandaSuite

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OTHER NO-CODE TOOLS:

• Swiper Studio - No-code Swiper builder. You can build pretty slick sliders with no-code (One of My Favorites)
• Softr - Softr turns your Airtable or Google Sheets data into beautiful and powerful client portals or internal tools
• No Code Founders - Find the right No Code Tools
• Stackerhq.com - Stacker makes it easy to build customer portals, CRMs, internal tools, and other business applications for your team
• Makeswift - Unlock your Next.js site in minutes
• Jetboost.io - Real-time search, dynamic filtering, and more for Webflow — without writing code
• Peaka - Consolidate your data from SaaS apps and popular data sources
• Autocode - Build JavaScript-powered bots, scripts, and APIs with code generation and instant deployment.

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SEO Websites

• Learningseo.io - Literally the best website to learn SEO. Look no further. It's hands-down the best one in my honest opinion (One of my Favorites)
• Semrush - Other than being pricey, I think this is the best SEO tool out there. If you're new (like me) you can get lost in it in a good way haha (One of my Favorites)
• Moz - Another Semrush alternative (One of my Favorites)
• Ahrefs - I just used it very briefly and I liked it. A pretty good alternative to Semrush if you ask me (One of my Favorites)
• KWFinder - It's a dope tool to find low competition keywords. (One of my Favorites)
• Google Trends - Everyone knows it but not everyone uses it. It's a great way to do market research aswell (One of my Favorites)

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Stock Photo & Video

• Pexels.com - This is my go-to stock photo website on a daily basis. (One of My Favorites)
• Pixabay (One of My Favorites)
• Unsplash (One of My Favorites)
• Coverr.co
• Shotdeck
• Nappy
• Storyblocks
• MotionElements
• Videvo
• Life of Pix
• SplitShire
• Rawpixel
• Burst.Shopify
• Stocksy
• Getty Images
• Shutterstock

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​

TYPOGRAPHY WEBSITES

• Typewolf - Probably the website about Typography out there. A comprehensive collection of the best typography resources from around the web, including typography blogs, books, tools, and learning resources. (One of My Favorites)
• The good line-height - Website dedicated to providing information and guidance on setting good line heights. (One of My Favorites)
• typo/graphic posters - A reference platform for typographic and graphic posters since 2008.
• BetterWebType.com - Web typography course for web designers and web developers.
• Typescale - A free Figma and XD plugin to quickly generate a modular scale for your typography.
• TypeInspire - Typography inspiration and design gallery showcasing beautiful typographic works.
• Proportio.app
• Typography Daily
• Typography.Guru
• Quotes on Design
• Pimp my Type
• Glyphs
• Speak Human

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A few important notes about this list:

1. To make navigation more pleasant, I put the best websites in each category to the top of their respective category and put a "One of my Favorites" tag at the end of it.
2. I wrote most of the descriptions myself and gave my opinions on those websites but for some websites (like icon websites) I just pulled the meta descriptions because there's not much to explain on these websites. You can easily tell the descriptions I wrote personally and the meta descriptions apart.
3. I had to cut down some websites & most descriptions because of Reddit's 40k character limit. I'm sad :( Also I haven't personally tried each website/tool here but let's say %80.
4. This list is essentially my sign-up gift on my newsletter about psychology, copywriting & web design (and it has cute unicorns too) but I've been sharing parts of this list in comments lately and people seem to love them so I said fuck it and wanted to share them all here without any sign-up required. But if you want to get the Notion Database (which looks nicer than the reddit text format) and you want unicorns in your inbox you can get them here

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That's the end of the list. I hope you liked it and found it useful.
P.S. If you want to access this list that looks way better than Reddit text format, there is a Notion Database version of this list with each website that you see here (and trust me, it's better to navigate that haha).
It's kind of promoting my own thing here aswell, yes, but it took me literally months to get this database together so I'd really love any feedback and support (converting it to Reddit markdown text format alone took a full day). It's ok to promote a little bit after you've given this much for free (right?) . Also this list was already the gift of my newsletter anyways sooo it's ok (I suppose 😂) Ok I'm just babbling stuff right now haha.
Have a good day y'all.

Hey everyone :)
For the past 1.5 years I've been bookmarking and saving many websites and they were all around the place. But a month ago I started organizing them and added a few more and right now I have around 500 websites that I use myself on a daily basis all in one place.
It wasn't something that I was planning on sharing like this publicly but I mean, why not share it? I've benefited from many people's free work that I don't even know the names of so I might aswell contribute to that a little bit myself.
Here you go :)

AI Tools for Web Design

• Playground AI - One of the best text-to-image AIs out there imo. Also you can generate as much as you need without paying anything (One of My Favorites)
• Midjourney - We all know what this is. For those who don't, it's the most popular text-to-image AI generator out there. You have to pay after using it a while tho. But still it's AI is one of the best ones imo. (One of My Favorites)
• DreamStudio My favorite text-to-image generator AI. I love using it most. (One of My Favorites)
• Stable Diffusion Online Like Midjourney, another big text-to-image AI (One of My Favorites)
• DALL·E 2 Another text-to-image AI by OpenAI (One of My Favorites)
• Designs.ai - I haven't used them myself but I tried it once it the results were looking good. I think this one has potential (One of My Favorites)
• Writesonic - Haven't used this one myself either but I've heard some good things about it. But I'm no expert in this topic. I don't personally like using AI for writing (I mostly use it for formatting or researching etc.) (One of My Favorites)
• Fireflies.ai - Generate transcripts and smart summaries for Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Webex, and several other platforms. (One of My Favorites)
• AI Image Enlarger - A free online image enlarger that could upscale and enhance small images automatically. Make jpg/png pictures big without losing quality. (One of My Favorites)
• Khroma.co - An AI tool to discover, search, and save color combos and palettes you'll love. (One of My Favorites)
• Magician for Figma - Haven't had much time to experiment with it but it looks cool. It basically lets you use AI on Figma for various stuff. (One of My Favorites)
• Galileo AI - I haven't tried this one but even their own website is looking dope & clean af so they might be really good when they go fully live (One of My Favorites)
• ChatGPT Just putting it here out of formality 😂 We all know what this is. I also think it's pretty shitty rn.
• Flair - Haven't tried it aswell but it's looking dope so I'm including it. It let's you create branded product imagery with AI
• Snazzy AI Another AI content writer. Haven't tried it myself but seems promising.
• SurferSeo A good-looking SEO tool with AI
• LogoAi.com Another AI product imagery creator. But as far as I can see they also place them on mock-ups etc.
• Kive Using AI to build moodboards and inspiration boards. Looks interesting but haven't tried it myself
• Jenni AI Haven't tried myself but this looks like one of the better ones of AI writing assistants mostly towards academics.
• Jasper AI One of the most famous alternatives to ChatGPT. Haven't tried myself
• GetGenie Ai An AI assistant but more heavily focused on SEO content creation.
• Frase A similiar one. An SEO content writer assistant similar to top one with some built-in SEO tools.
• Durable AI I don't think I like these AI atm (AI that helps you create website in seconds) but they seem to be evolving really fast and this one has so much traffic so it should be working.
• Cortex Demystify what drives your brands content with Cortex Content Intelligence. Get deep content insights into the visual elements that drive content performance.
• ClosersCopy Another AI content writer.
• Beautiful.ai A presentation software for teams, infused with AI.
• Avatar AI™ Create Photoshoots of yourself with AI.
• AI Code Reviewer Automatic code review by AI
• CoSchedule A work management software to get more done in less time for marketers.
• Copy.ai: Get great copy that sells. Copy.ai is an AI-powered copywriter that generates high-quality copy for your business.
• Kafkai An AI algorithm that can write articles from scratch.
• Uneed A collection of the best tools and startups on the internet, curated by hand, daily. Find your favorites, and promote your own.
• MagicBrief Save Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok ads in a creative library that enables you to rework them in your own storyboards, which you can share with your team.
• VanceAI Manipulate images with AI including enhancing, upscaling, sharpening, denoising, background removal, and more

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Be a Better Marketer

• BuiltWith - Find out what a website is built with. It's my go to website for detecting tech stack of a website (One of my Favorites)
• Namelix - Create a business name in no time (One of my Favorites)
• Sprig (One of my Favorites)
• Ballpark (One of my Favorites)
• Tally (One of my Favorites)
• Swipe-Worthy - The largest analyzed swipe file collection of profitable marketing & rare copywriting examples. An exclusive community for smart marketers and copywriters. (One of my Favorites)
• Joe La Pompe - A site dedicated to hunting similar advertising ideas from around the world. Shameless copycats or unfortunate coincidences? You decide. (One of my Favorites)
• Copywriting Examples - The only swipe file you’ll ever need. 330+ handpicked examples.
• Ads of the World™ - Creative advertisements from around the world highlighted by the AOTW team.
• Best Slogans - Collection of the best slogans online! We have the largest and best collection of slogans updated daily.
• Sex in Ads - You've read the name...
• Unblock Coffee - A large collection of the most brilliant ideas from around the world to get you inspired.
• Ribbon - The Continuous Product Insights Platform
• UserZoom - UX research, done right.
• The Atlas of Economic Complexity - Visualize global trade data and economic growth opportunities for every country
• Search Response - Content and Keyword Research Platform
• Ad Age - Since 1930, Ad Age is your daily-must read covering the rapid changes taking place in media, retail, food and beverage, sports marketing, travel, and more.
• slogan-tagline.com - A best collection of advertising and marketing slogans, brand taglines, mottos in English.
• Activation Ideas - The most inspiring creative commerce, brand experience & activation ideas from around the world to help you stay in the know and get inspired.

Best Landing Page Inspiration Websites

• Landing Love: This one’s unique because it showcases websites with cool animations. Definitely a sight to behold! (One of my Favorites)
• Built For Mars: This is one of the websites that I admire. It has great UI and UX, and it has a UX glossary which the UX of that glossary feels amazing. Def. worth the check. (One of my Favorites)
• Land-Book: This is one of the best ones. You can filter landing pages for nearly every possible category. (One of my Favorites)
• One Page Love: This is also one of the best ones in terms of landing pages. Similiar to Land-Book, it has many categories.Just go see it yourself (One of my Favorites)
• Lapa Ninja: This is one the best ones for finding great landing pages. This is one of my top 5 inspiration sites to go for (One of my Favorites)
• Webflow Portfolio Showcase: This one’s straight forward. It’s the webflow library. This is just amazing (it also has some cloneable templates soooo def. check it out)
• UI Patterns: This is one of the best websites for you to understand UI and UX principles. It has so many principles in it. Just go dive deep into this website haha
• Call to Idea: NOW this is one of the most unique and amazing websites for inspiration. “Why???” you may ask.It’s because it has inspiration for each component.I mean footers, testimonials, contact forms etc..Just check it out yourself
• Nicely Done Club: Honestly, I found about this while also searching for more websites for this document, but I’m in love with it and definitely going to look more to this. Def. check this out. Great for UX and understanding conversion principles
• Landing Folio: This is another one of my top 5 websites to go for since it’s landing page specific. It has extensive categories. Go check it for yourself definitely
• Saas Landing Page: Specifically SAAS Focused inspiration. Definitely check it out
• Page Collective: Another one of my favorites since it’s landing page specific. Similiar to other ones, but I love this site for landing page inspirations.

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Blogs that I like

• Learn UI Design by Erik Kennedy - This is probably the most important and best blog site out there. I just LOVE Erik Kennedy. He has the best approach teaching UI and UX in my opinion. (One of my Favorites)
• Marketing Examples One of the best marketing blogs out there imo (One of my Favorites)
• [UX Product Design Hints](https://) - Stay on top of your design process with the bite-sized hints and cheat sheets about UX Product Design. (One of my Favorites)
• GoodUI - Reach higher conversions faster by repeating what worked for others and avoiding what failed. (One of my Favorites)
• UX Planet (One of my Favorites)
• NNGroup.com - The guys are a research organization on user behavior and stuff. They have some great blogs and researchs.
• Dan Mall - I don't know Dan too much, but I've read some articles from his blog and I love how he explains stuff.
• Checklist Design
• DESIGNERCIZE
• Copywriting Examples
• UXmatters
• Design Libs
• Design Principles
• Hackdesign.org

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Color Websites

• Huemint - I like this one a lot because it's very easy to see some color combinations and how they look in UI (One of my Favorites)
• Dopely.Top - MANY MANY tools about colors (One of my Favorites)
• Material Design - The design system of Google. Pretty great seeing these things in public (One of my Favorites)
• Color Designer.io (One of my Favorites)
• Poolors - Poolors generates color palettes using the colors least-used by designers. (One of my Favorites)
• Colors - House of van Schneider - Pre-selected color palettes. You can find some really cool premade palettes in here.
• Coolors
• Randoma11y
• Khroma AI
• Color Shades Generator
• Color Hunt
• Paletton
• COLOURlovers
• Flat UI Colors.com
• Supa Palette
• Palitra App
• Colorspectrum.design
• Colormind.io
• Adobe Color Wheel
• Leonardo Color

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Copywriting Websites

• Greatlandingpagecopy.com - A little corner of the internet to find good landing page copywriting examples. (One of my Favorites)
• Swiped.co - Swipe-Worthy » Swipe File Archive » Marketing & Copywriting Examples. (One of my Favorites)
• Marketingexamples.com - Copywriting Examples - The world's best copy. In one place. (One of my Favorites)
• The Measure of Things - Express a measurement in a different way. Really fun to play with (One of my Favorites)
• Lose the Very - The title is pretty self-explanatory. Lose the VERYY (One of my Favorites)
• Hemingway Editor - A text editor to see how readable your copy is (One of my Favorites)
• Thesaurus.com - Find the synonmys for every word you need.(One of my Favorites)
• Content Row - Haven't tried it myself much. Headline Generator
• Grammarly: Free Writing AI Assistance - We all know it, but it doesn't hurt to include does it?
• Urban Dictionary - When you need to learn what a slang or a term means. Perfect for non-native English speakers
• WordHippo! - "Another word for X" kind of website
• Modern Copywriter - A blog about copywriting. Haven't read it much honestly
• Slogan-tagline.com - A website to find slogans
• Deck of Brilliance - A really cool website for creating ideas. I really like this one honestly. (One of my Favorites)
• Randomlists.com - Generate a list of random X
• Word Associations Network - A website to find associated words for specific words & topics.
• Spruce - Give it a word and it gives you Quotes, Lyrics etc.
• Pun Generator - The title is self-explanatory on this one aswell haha.
• RhymeZone - It's like thesaurus, but rhyming related words haha.
• Power Thesaurus - It's what title says haha.

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Email Design and Copy Inspiration

• Milled - This is probably the best one in terms of finding inspiration. You can categorize stuff by their industry etc. (One of my Favorites)
• Really Good Emails - Another one of the bangers. (One of my Favorites)
• Email Love - Another of the bangers. It's really one of the best ones to find email design inspiration (One of my Favorites)
• Good Sales Emails - This website leans on the copy side of things, but still great imo. (One of my Favorites)
• SMS Archives - Inspiration database but for SMS campaigns. (One of my Favorites)
• SimilarMail.com
• Mailjet.com
• Postermywall.com - This is essentially a Saas but it has some cool inspirations for emails
• Pinterest - The good ol' Pinterest. You can find some cool stuff here from time to time
• Campaign Monitor.com - These guys are a Saas aswell, but this specific link has some cool email designs imo.
• Mailcharts.com - This is essentially a paid tool and I haven't tried them but they look promising imo.
• Calltoidea - This website is not only for emails but it has email categories sooo why not include haha
• Beautiful Email Newsletters - This website is pretty old but can still be useful for finding email inspiration
• HTML Email Gallery - One of the old ones but can still help.
• Email Gallery - Same. It's old but why not include haha.
• Beefree.io It's essentially an email sending platform but it has some pretty cool design templates. Might worth taking a look. ​

Email Marketing

• Klaviyo Academy - Klaviyo Academy. It's probably the best resource on email marketing. (One of my Favorites)
• Litmus - These guys have some incredible and on-point articles on email marketing. They are essentially a Saas but worth looking even just for their blog.(One of my Favorites)
• Pop-up Examples.com - Over 100 of the best-performing pop-up design examples of 2020-2021. (One of my Favorites)
• NeverBounce - An email verifier tool. I used them in the past and I was pretty happy with them. (One of my Favorites)
• SPF Check - MxToolBox - SPF Check & SPF Lookup - Sender Policy Framework (SPF). (One of my Favorites)
• The Holy Grail Of Email Deliverability - An article that I loved reading on Medium about email deliverability.
• Niftyimages.com - Have personalized images on your emails. I never tried them but the idea is cool.
• Loading.io - Text to animation. A tool that I used in the past to have some basic animations on my emails
• GlockApps - Get insights into your email deliverability, reputation, authentication, and DMARC compliance.
• Gmass.co - The free email tester you can use for a deliverability test.
• Lusha - Finding B2B data for outreach.
• Hyperise - Personalize images in your outreach.
• Responsive Email CSS Inliner - It's what the title says haha

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Font Websites

• Google Fonts - It's Google Fonts. Do you really need my explanation haha (One of my Favorites)
• Fontpair - Pre-selected font pairings. I love this one so much (One of my Favorites)
• What Font Is - Identify any font. Literally. I use this one every week at least once (One of my Favorites)
• Fonts In Use - Real life examples of fonts being used. (One of my Favorites)
• DaFont - Probably the best website to download free fonts. (One of my Favorites)
• WhatTheFont - I haven't tried this font finder but it looks good aswell.
• Pangram Pangram Foundry - A company making some cool fonts.
• Fontshare - Another website to download fonts.
• YouWorkForThem - Another website to download some fonts.
• MyFonts - I'm tired of writing "Another website to download fonts" but I have to. You get the idea.
• Uncut.wtf - Another website to download fonts like ... duh
• AllFreeFonts.co - A website to ... download fonts?
• Fontesk - You get the idea, eh?

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Gradient Websites

• CssGradient.io - You can find thousands of gradients on this website IN CSS. That's the neat part. (One of my Favorites)
• Colordesigner.io - I love this one because you can pick 2 colors and it generates the shades in-between. It has so many tools aswell (One of my Favorites)
• Dopely.Top - This website has various color tools, and one of them being a gradient generator like, it's expected no? (One of my Favorites)
• Gradientos - A really cool website to find gradients. I love this one (One of my Favorites)
• Codioful.com - Not only color gradients, but abstract shapes integrated with it
• DesignGradients.com
• WebGradients.com
• Ingradients.net
• Free Mesh Gradient Collection

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Icon Websites

• Freepik - I've tried many stock icon/illustration websites and for me this one is the absolute best of them. If you're going to try one of them on paid plan, let it be this one. (One of My Favorites)
• Envato Elements - This is the 2nd best imo. It’s search algorithm is pretty weird and I don’t like it but you can probably find what you need in here. (One of My Favorites)
• Vecteezy (One of My Favorites)
• UI8 - (One of My Favorites)
• MonsterONE - (One of My Favorites)
• UpLabs - (One of My Favorites)
• CopyChar - (One of My Favorites)
• Shape
• Icons8
• Streamline
• Shapefest
• 3dicons
• SVG Doodles
• Reshot
• JoyPixels
• iconmonstr
• Icônes
• Notioneers
• Iconism
• Myicons

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Illustration Websites

• Freepik - As I've said, this is probably the best one out there. (One of My Favorites)
• Envato Elements - This is the 2nd best imo. It's search algorithm is pretty weird and I don't like it but you can probably find what you need in here. (One of My Favorites)
• UI8 - (One of My Favorites)
• Vecteezy - (One of My Favorites)
• FlatIcon.com - (One of My Favorites)
• Font Awesome - (One of My Favorites)
• Iconer - (One of My Favorites)
• Icons8 - (One of My Favorites)
• Noun Project - (One of My Favorites)
• Pngtree - (One of My Favorites)
• VectorStyler
• Inkscape
• Boxy SVG Editor
• Craftwork
• Imgbin.com
• JoyPixels
• Iconmonstr
• Craftwork.design
• Noticons.com
• Renderforest.com
• Monsterone.com
• Graphicmama.com
• Uplabs.com
• unDraw.co
• ManyPixels.co
• ls.graphics
• Humaaans.com
• Storyset.com
• SVG Shapes
• DrawKit.com

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Image Editing & Manipulation

• Canva - Well, if you have no experience with graphic design Canva is your go-to software. I use it pretty much everyday (even though I now kindaknow Photoshop. I find it way easier for simple tasks) (One of my Favorites)
• TinyPNG - When I tell you that this website can easily speed up your website %50 I'm not kidding. If you have any sort of image, ALWAYS PUT IT IN HERE FIRST. It can reduce your image sizes tremendously and it's extremely easy. Can't praise this one enough (One of My Favorites)
• Remove.bg - Pretty straightforward. It's paid but if you're not comfortable with using other tools it's a good one. And I found that this one has the best background removing software. (One of My Favorites)
• Free PDF solutions for all PDF problems - Anything you want to do with a PDF. I like this one. (One of My Favorites)
• Thispersondoesnotexist.com - It's what the title says. It's terrifying but whenever you refrest the page, it shows you a new "person" who doesn't exist.
• Face Generator AI - A less scary one of the above website. But essentially they're pretty similiar 😂

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Landing Pages & Accessibility

• SaaSPages.xyz - Best practises on building Saas Pages (One of My Favorites)
• The A11Y Project (One of My Favorites)
• Cards for Humanity - Deal the cards to get a random person and their needs. Your challenge is to work out how to design for this person. (One of My Favorites)
• Randoma11y (One of My Favorites)
• Webaimorg - A blog about accessibility in web design. It's a bit outdated but can help.
• AccessGuide.io
• Accessibility Not-Checklist

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Mockup Generator Websites

• Placeit.net - This is probably the best one on mock-up generation imo. It has many many real-life mock-ups to choose from. (One of my favorites)
• Mockup Plugin - It's a Plugin for Figma and I love it (One of my favorites)
• UpLabs (One of my favorites)

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No-Code Tools

So there's A LOT of tools in this category and I haven't tried at least half of them. I'm including them because I've seen them and they looked at least ok and it might be useful to someone. The ones that I use & love are marked as "One of my Favorites" and at the top.
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WEBSITE BUILDERS:

• Webflow - To me, Webflow is the best website-builder out there. Yes, it's not extremely easy to get used to but with it I can pretty much build anything. I've tried elementor and a bunch of shopift page builders but Webflow is the best one for me. The others have advantages but if I were to learn at least 1 of them it'd be Webflow (One of My Favorites)
• Elementor - As much as I hate Elementor after getting used to Webflow, it deserves a praise. You can build so much stuff with little-to-no knowledge with it on Wordpress. (One of My Favorites)
• Carrd - One of the easiest platforms to publish anything to web and it's REALLY cheap. Great if you need something similiar.
• Typedream - Haven't used it myself but it's a really easy website builder. If you just want a website that gets a small problem solved give it a try.
• Unbounce - Haven't used it myself but heard good things about it. It's good for building landing pages that you are going to delete or change very often.
• Adalo
• Squarespace
• Duda
• 10Web.io
• Weebly
• Without CodeWix.com
• Tilda
• Tailwind CSS Page Creator - Tails
• Kepler
• Editor X
• Dorik
• Bookmark.com

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NOTION TO WEBSITE:

• Potion.so
• Notelet
• Simple.ink
• Feather.so

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APP BUILDERS:

• Bubble.io - Haven't used it myself but you can build extremely detailed apps with it. It's a huge industry as far as I can tell (One of my Favorites)
• Twinr.dev - I haven't ever built an app but this one looks promising. Check it out if you want to build an app with no-code.
• Thunkable
• Appy Pie
• V.One
• Stage.so
• Sizze.io
• Pory.io
• PandaSuite
• Glide
• Fliple
• DrapCodeDraftbit
• Bravo Studio
• Bildr
• AppMySite.com
• AppMaster
• Appmaker.xyz
• Apphive
• Andromo

​
​
OTHER NO-CODE TOOLS:

• Swiper Studio - No-code Swiper builder. You can build pretty slick sliders with no-code (One of My Favorites)
• Softr - Softr turns your Airtable or Google Sheets data into beautiful and powerful client portals or internal tools
• No Code Founders - Find the right No Code Tools
• Stackerhq.com - Stacker makes it easy to build customer portals, CRMs, internal tools, and other business applications for your team
• Makeswift - Unlock your Next.js site in minutes
• Jetboost.io - Real-time search, dynamic filtering, and more for Webflow — without writing code
• Peaka - Consolidate your data from SaaS apps and popular data sources
• Autocode - Build JavaScript-powered bots, scripts, and APIs with code generation and instant deployment.

​

SEO Websites

• Learningseo.io - Literally the best website to learn SEO. Look no further. It's hands-down the best one in my honest opinion (One of my Favorites)
• Semrush - Other than being pricey, I think this is the best SEO tool out there. If you're new (like me) you can get lost in it in a good way haha (One of my Favorites)
• Moz - Another Semrush alternative (One of my Favorites)
• Ahrefs - I just used it very briefly and I liked it. A pretty good alternative to Semrush if you ask me (One of my Favorites)
• KWFinder - It's a dope tool to find low competition keywords. (One of my Favorites)
• Google Trends - Everyone knows it but not everyone uses it. It's a great way to do market research aswell (One of my Favorites)

​

Stock Photo & Video

• Pexels.com - This is my go-to stock photo website on a daily basis. (One of My Favorites)
• Pixabay (One of My Favorites)
• Unsplash (One of My Favorites)
• Coverr.co
• Shotdeck
• Nappy
• Storyblocks
• MotionElements
• Videvo
• Life of Pix
• SplitShire
• Rawpixel
• Burst.Shopify
• Stocksy
• Getty Images
• Shutterstock
• Artgrid.io
• Generated Photos
• Vidsplay.com
• Openverse
• Gratisography

​
​

TYPOGRAPHY WEBSITES

• Typewolf - Probably the website about Typography out there. A comprehensive collection of the best typography resources from around the web, including typography blogs, books, tools, and learning resources. (One of My Favorites)
• The good line-height - Website dedicated to providing information and guidance on setting good line heights. (One of My Favorites)
• typo/graphic posters - A reference platform for typographic and graphic posters since 2008.
• BetterWebType.com - Web typography course for web designers and web developers.
• Typescale - A free Figma and XD plugin to quickly generate a modular scale for your typography.
• TypeInspire - Typography inspiration and design gallery showcasing beautiful typographic works.
• Proportio.app
• Typography Daily
• Typography.Guru
• Quotes on Design
• Pimp my Type
• Glyphs
• Speak Human

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A few important notes about this list:

1. To make navigation more pleasant, I put the best websites in each category to the top of their respective category and put a "One of my Favorites" tag at the end of it.
2. I wrote most of the descriptions myself and gave my opinions on those websites but for some websites (like icon websites) I just pulled the meta descriptions because there's not much to explain on these websites. You can easily tell the descriptions I wrote personally and the meta descriptions apart.
3. I had to cut down some websites & most descriptions because of Reddit's 40k character limit. I'm sad :( Also I haven't personally tried each website/tool here but let's say %80.
4. This list is essentially my sign-up gift on my newsletter about psychology, copywriting & web design (and it has cute unicorns too) but I've been sharing parts of this list in comments lately and people seem to love them so I said fuck it and wanted to share them all here without any sign-up required. But if you want to get the Notion Database (which looks nicer than the reddit text format) and you want unicorns in your inbox you can get them here

​
That's the end of the list. I hope you liked it and found it useful.
P.S. If you want to access this list that looks way better than Reddit text format, there is a Notion Database version of this list with each website that you see here (and trust me, it's better to navigate that haha).
It's kind of promoting my own thing here aswell, yes, but it took me literally months to get this database together so I'd really love any feedback and support (converting it to Reddit markdown text format alone took a full day). It's ok to promote a little bit after you've given this much for free (right?) . Also this list was already the gift of my newsletter anyways sooo it's ok (I suppose 😂) Ok I'm just babbling stuff right now haha.
Have a good day y'all.

Hey everyone. For the past 1.5 years I've been bookmarking and saving many websites and they were all around the place. But a month ago I started organizing them and added a few more and right now I have around 500 websites that I use myself on a daily basis all in one place.
It wasn't something that I was planning on sharing like this publicly but I mean, why not share it? I've benefited from many people's free work that I don't even know the names of so I might aswell contribute to that a little bit myself.
A few important notes about this list:

1. To make navigation more pleasant, I put the best websites in each category to the top of their respective category and put a "One of my Favorites" tag at the end of it.
2. I wrote most of the descriptions myself and gave my opinions on those websites but for some websites (like icon websites) I just pulled the meta descriptions because there's not much to explain on these websites. You can easily tell the descriptions I wrote personally and the meta descriptions apart.
3. I had to cut down some websites & most descriptions because of Reddit's 40k character limit. I'm sad :( Also I haven't personally tried each website/tool here but let's say %80.
4. This list is essentially my sign-up gift on my newsletter about psychology, copywriting & web design (and it has cute unicorns too) but I've been sharing parts of this list in comments lately and people seem to love them so I said fuck it and wanted to share them all here without any sign-up required. But if you want to get the Notion Database (which looks nicer than the reddit text format) and you want unicorns in your inbox you can get them here.

AI Tools for Web Design

• Playground AI - One of the best text-to-image AIs out there imo. Also you can generate as much as you need without paying anything (One of My Favorites)
• Midjourney - We all know what this is. For those who don't, it's the most popular text-to-image AI generator out there. You have to pay after using it a while tho. But still it's AI is one of the best ones imo. (One of My Favorites)
• DreamStudio My favorite text-to-image generator AI. I love using it most. (One of My Favorites)
• Stable Diffusion Online Like Midjourney, another big text-to-image AI (One of My Favorites)
• DALL·E 2 Another text-to-image AI by OpenAI (One of My Favorites)
• Designs.ai - I haven't used them myself but I tried it once it the results were looking good. I think this one has potential (One of My Favorites)
• Writesonic - Haven't used this one myself either but I've heard some good things about it. But I'm no expert in this topic. I don't personally like using AI for writing (I mostly use it for formatting or researching etc.) (One of My Favorites)
• Fireflies.ai - Generate transcripts and smart summaries for Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Webex, and several other platforms. (One of My Favorites)
• AI Image Enlarger - A free online image enlarger that could upscale and enhance small images automatically. Make jpg/png pictures big without losing quality. (One of My Favorites)
• Khroma.co - An AI tool to discover, search, and save color combos and palettes you'll love. (One of My Favorites)
• Magician for Figma - Haven't had much time to experiment with it but it looks cool. It basically lets you use AI on Figma for various stuff. (One of My Favorites)
• Galileo AI - I haven't tried this one but even their own website is looking dope & clean af so they might be really good when they go fully live (One of My Favorites)
• ChatGPT Just putting it here out of formality 😂 We all know what this is. I also think it's pretty shitty rn.
• Flair - Haven't tried it aswell but it's looking dope so I'm including it. It let's you create branded product imagery with AI
• Snazzy AI Another AI content writer. Haven't tried it myself but seems promising.
• SurferSeo A good-looking SEO tool with AI
• LogoAi.com Another AI product imagery creator. But as far as I can see they also place them on mock-ups etc.
• Kive Using AI to build moodboards and inspiration boards. Looks interesting but haven't tried it myself
• Jenni AI Haven't tried myself but this looks like one of the better ones of AI writing assistants mostly towards academics.
• Jasper AI One of the most famous alternatives to ChatGPT. Haven't tried myself
• GetGenie Ai An AI assistant but more heavily focused on SEO content creation.
• Frase A similiar one. An SEO content writer assistant similar to top one with some built-in SEO tools.
• Durable AI I don't think I like these AI atm (AI that helps you create website in seconds) but they seem to be evolving really fast and this one has so much traffic so it should be working.
• Cortex Demystify what drives your brands content with Cortex Content Intelligence. Get deep content insights into the visual elements that drive content performance.
• ClosersCopy Another AI content writer.
• Beautiful.ai A presentation software for teams, infused with AI.
• Avatar AI™ Create Photoshoots of yourself with AI.
• AI Code Reviewer Automatic code review by AI
• CoSchedule A work management software to get more done in less time for marketers.
• Copy.ai: Get great copy that sells. Copy.ai is an AI-powered copywriter that generates high-quality copy for your business.
• Kafkai An AI algorithm that can write articles from scratch.
• Uneed A collection of the best tools and startups on the internet, curated by hand, daily. Find your favorites, and promote your own.
• MagicBrief Save Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok ads in a creative library that enables you to rework them in your own storyboards, which you can share with your team.
• VanceAI Manipulate images with AI including enhancing, upscaling, sharpening, denoising, background removal, and more

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Be a Better Marketer

• BuiltWith - Find out what a website is built with. It's my go to website for detecting tech stack of a website (One of my Favorites)
• Namelix - Create a business name in no time (One of my Favorites)
• Sprig (One of my Favorites)
• Ballpark (One of my Favorites)
• Tally (One of my Favorites)
• Swipe-Worthy - The largest analyzed swipe file collection of profitable marketing & rare copywriting examples. An exclusive community for smart marketers and copywriters. (One of my Favorites)
• Joe La Pompe - A site dedicated to hunting similar advertising ideas from around the world. Shameless copycats or unfortunate coincidences? You decide. (One of my Favorites)
• Copywriting Examples - The only swipe file you’ll ever need. 330+ handpicked examples.
• Ads of the World™ - Creative advertisements from around the world highlighted by the AOTW team.
• Best Slogans - Collection of the best slogans online! We have the largest and best collection of slogans updated daily.
• Sex in Ads - You've read the name...
• Unblock Coffee - A large collection of the most brilliant ideas from around the world to get you inspired.
• Ribbon - The Continuous Product Insights Platform
• UserZoom - UX research, done right.
• The Atlas of Economic Complexity - Visualize global trade data and economic growth opportunities for every country
• Search Response - Content and Keyword Research Platform
• Ad Age - Since 1930, Ad Age is your daily-must read covering the rapid changes taking place in media, retail, food and beverage, sports marketing, travel, and more.
• slogan-tagline.com - A best collection of advertising and marketing slogans, brand taglines, mottos in English.
• Activation Ideas - The most inspiring creative commerce, brand experience & activation ideas from around the world to help you stay in the know and get inspired.

Best Landing Page Inspiration Websites

• Landing Love: This one’s unique because it showcases websites with cool animations. Definitely a sight to behold! (One of my Favorites)
• Built For Mars: This is one of the websites that I admire. It has great UI and UX, and it has a UX glossary which the UX of that glossary feels amazing. Def. worth the check. (One of my Favorites)
• Land-Book: This is one of the best ones. You can filter landing pages for nearly every possible category. (One of my Favorites)
• One Page Love: This is also one of the best ones in terms of landing pages. Similiar to Land-Book, it has many categories.Just go see it yourself (One of my Favorites)
• Lapa Ninja: This is one the best ones for finding great landing pages. This is one of my top 5 inspiration sites to go for (One of my Favorites)
• Webflow Portfolio Showcase: This one’s straight forward. It’s the webflow library. This is just amazing (it also has some cloneable templates soooo def. check it out)
• UI Patterns: This is one of the best websites for you to understand UI and UX principles. It has so many principles in it. Just go dive deep into this website haha
• Call to Idea: NOW this is one of the most unique and amazing websites for inspiration. “Why???” you may ask.It’s because it has inspiration for each component.I mean footers, testimonials, contact forms etc..Just check it out yourself
• Nicely Done Club: Honestly, I found about this while also searching for more websites for this document, but I’m in love with it and definitely going to look more to this. Def. check this out. Great for UX and understanding conversion principles
• Landing Folio: This is another one of my top 5 websites to go for since it’s landing page specific. It has extensive categories. Go check it for yourself definitely
• Saas Landing Page: Specifically SAAS Focused inspiration. Definitely check it out
• Page Collective: Another one of my favorites since it’s landing page specific. Similiar to other ones, but I love this site for landing page inspirations.

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Blogs that I like

• Learn UI Design by Erik Kennedy - This is probably the most important and best blog site out there. I just LOVE Erik Kennedy. He has the best approach teaching UI and UX in my opinion. (One of my Favorites)
• Marketing Examples One of the best marketing blogs out there imo (One of my Favorites)
• [UX Product Design Hints](https://) - Stay on top of your design process with the bite-sized hints and cheat sheets about UX Product Design. (One of my Favorites)
• GoodUI - Reach higher conversions faster by repeating what worked for others and avoiding what failed. (One of my Favorites)
• UX Planet (One of my Favorites)
• NNGroup.com - The guys are a research organization on user behavior and stuff. They have some great blogs and researchs.
• Dan Mall - I don't know Dan too much, but I've read some articles from his blog and I love how he explains stuff.
• Checklist Design
• DESIGNERCIZE
• Copywriting Examples
• UXmatters
• Design Libs
• Design Principles
• Hackdesign.org

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Color Websites

• Huemint - I like this one a lot because it's very easy to see some color combinations and how they look in UI (One of my Favorites)
• Dopely.Top - MANY MANY tools about colors (One of my Favorites)
• Material Design - The design system of Google. Pretty great seeing these things in public (One of my Favorites)
• Color Designer.io (One of my Favorites)
• Poolors - Poolors generates color palettes using the colors least-used by designers. (One of my Favorites)
• Colors - House of van Schneider - Pre-selected color palettes. You can find some really cool premade palettes in here.
• Coolors
• Randoma11y
• Khroma AI
• Color Shades Generator
• Color Hunt
• Paletton
• COLOURlovers
• Flat UI Colors.com
• Supa Palette
• Palitra App
• Colorspectrum.design
• Colormind.io
• Adobe Color Wheel
• Leonardo Color

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Copywriting Websites

• Greatlandingpagecopy.com - A little corner of the internet to find good landing page copywriting examples. (One of my Favorites)
• Swiped.co - Swipe-Worthy » Swipe File Archive » Marketing & Copywriting Examples. (One of my Favorites)
• Marketingexamples.com - Copywriting Examples - The world's best copy. In one place. (One of my Favorites)
• The Measure of Things - Express a measurement in a different way. Really fun to play with (One of my Favorites)
• Lose the Very - The title is pretty self-explanatory. Lose the VERYY (One of my Favorites)
• Hemingway Editor - A text editor to see how readable your copy is (One of my Favorites)
• Thesaurus.com - Find the synonmys for every word you need.(One of my Favorites)
• Content Row - Haven't tried it myself much. Headline Generator
• Grammarly: Free Writing AI Assistance - We all know it, but it doesn't hurt to include does it?
• Urban Dictionary - When you need to learn what a slang or a term means. Perfect for non-native English speakers
• WordHippo! - "Another word for X" kind of website
• Modern Copywriter - A blog about copywriting. Haven't read it much honestly
• Slogan-tagline.com - A website to find slogans
• Deck of Brilliance - A really cool website for creating ideas. I really like this one honestly. (One of my Favorites)
• Randomlists.com - Generate a list of random X
• Word Associations Network - A website to find associated words for specific words & topics.
• Spruce - Give it a word and it gives you Quotes, Lyrics etc.
• Pun Generator - The title is self-explanatory on this one aswell haha.
• RhymeZone - It's like thesaurus, but rhyming related words haha.
• Power Thesaurus - It's what title says haha.

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Email Design and Copy Inspiration

• Milled - This is probably the best one in terms of finding inspiration. You can categorize stuff by their industry etc. (One of my Favorites)
• Really Good Emails - Another one of the bangers. (One of my Favorites)
• Email Love - Another of the bangers. It's really one of the best ones to find email design inspiration (One of my Favorites)
• Good Sales Emails - This website leans on the copy side of things, but still great imo. (One of my Favorites)
• SMS Archives - Inspiration database but for SMS campaigns. (One of my Favorites)
• SimilarMail.com
• Mailjet.com
• Postermywall.com - This is essentially a Saas but it has some cool inspirations for emails
• Pinterest - The good ol' Pinterest. You can find some cool stuff here from time to time
• Campaign Monitor.com - These guys are a Saas aswell, but this specific link has some cool email designs imo.
• Mailcharts.com - This is essentially a paid tool and I haven't tried them but they look promising imo.
• Calltoidea - This website is not only for emails but it has email categories sooo why not include haha
• Beautiful Email Newsletters - This website is pretty old but can still be useful for finding email inspiration
• HTML Email Gallery - One of the old ones but can still help.
• Email Gallery - Same. It's old but why not include haha.
• Beefree.io It's essentially an email sending platform but it has some pretty cool design templates. Might worth taking a look. ​

Email Marketing

• Klaviyo Academy - Klaviyo Academy. It's probably the best resource on email marketing. (One of my Favorites)
• Litmus - These guys have some incredible and on-point articles on email marketing. They are essentially a Saas but worth looking even just for their blog.(One of my Favorites)
• Pop-up Examples.com - Over 100 of the best-performing pop-up design examples of 2020-2021. (One of my Favorites)
• NeverBounce - An email verifier tool. I used them in the past and I was pretty happy with them. (One of my Favorites)
• SPF Check - MxToolBox - SPF Check & SPF Lookup - Sender Policy Framework (SPF). (One of my Favorites)
• The Holy Grail Of Email Deliverability - An article that I loved reading on Medium about email deliverability.
• Niftyimages.com - Have personalized images on your emails. I never tried them but the idea is cool.
• Loading.io - Text to animation. A tool that I used in the past to have some basic animations on my emails
• GlockApps - Get insights into your email deliverability, reputation, authentication, and DMARC compliance.
• Gmass.co - The free email tester you can use for a deliverability test.
• Lusha - Finding B2B data for outreach.
• Hyperise - Personalize images in your outreach.
• Responsive Email CSS Inliner - It's what the title says haha

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Font Websites

• Google Fonts - It's Google Fonts. Do you really need my explanation haha (One of my Favorites)
• Fontpair - Pre-selected font pairings. I love this one so much (One of my Favorites)
• What Font Is - Identify any font. Literally. I use this one every week at least once (One of my Favorites)
• Fonts In Use - Real life examples of fonts being used. (One of my Favorites)
• DaFont - Probably the best website to download free fonts. (One of my Favorites)
• WhatTheFont - I haven't tried this font finder but it looks good aswell.
• Pangram Pangram Foundry - A company making some cool fonts.
• Fontshare - Another website to download fonts.
• YouWorkForThem - Another website to download some fonts.
• MyFonts - I'm tired of writing "Another website to download fonts" but I have to. You get the idea.
• Uncut.wtf - Another website to download fonts like ... duh
• AllFreeFonts.co - A website to ... download fonts?
• Fontesk - You get the idea, eh?

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Gradient Websites

• CssGradient.io - You can find thousands of gradients on this website IN CSS. That's the neat part. (One of my Favorites)
• Colordesigner.io - I love this one because you can pick 2 colors and it generates the shades in-between. It has so many tools aswell (One of my Favorites)
• Dopely.Top - This website has various color tools, and one of them being a gradient generator like, it's expected no? (One of my Favorites)
• Gradientos - A really cool website to find gradients. I love this one (One of my Favorites)
• Codioful.com - Not only color gradients, but abstract shapes integrated with it
• DesignGradients.com
• WebGradients.com
• Ingradients.net
• Free Mesh Gradient Collection

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Icon Websites

• Freepik - I've tried many stock icon/illustration websites and for me this one is the absolute best of them. If you're going to try one of them on paid plan, let it be this one. (One of My Favorites)
• Envato Elements - This is the 2nd best imo. It’s search algorithm is pretty weird and I don’t like it but you can probably find what you need in here. (One of My Favorites)
• Vecteezy (One of My Favorites)
• UI8 - (One of My Favorites)
• MonsterONE - (One of My Favorites)
• UpLabs - (One of My Favorites)
• CopyChar - (One of My Favorites)
• Shape
• Icons8
• Streamline
• Shapefest
• 3dicons
• SVG Doodles
• Reshot
• JoyPixels
• iconmonstr
• Icônes
• Notioneers
• Iconism
• Myicons

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Illustration Websites

• Freepik - As I've said, this is probably the best one out there. (One of My Favorites)
• Envato Elements - This is the 2nd best imo. It's search algorithm is pretty weird and I don't like it but you can probably find what you need in here. (One of My Favorites)
• UI8 - (One of My Favorites)
• Vecteezy - (One of My Favorites)
• FlatIcon.com - (One of My Favorites)
• Font Awesome - (One of My Favorites)
• Iconer - (One of My Favorites)
• Icons8 - (One of My Favorites)
• Noun Project - (One of My Favorites)
• Pngtree - (One of My Favorites)
• VectorStyler
• Inkscape
• Boxy SVG Editor
• Craftwork
• Imgbin.com
• JoyPixels
• Iconmonstr
• Craftwork.design
• Noticons.com
• Renderforest.com
• Monsterone.com
• Graphicmama.com
• Uplabs.com
• unDraw.co
• ManyPixels.co
• ls.graphics
• Humaaans.com
• Storyset.com
• SVG Shapes
• DrawKit.com

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Image Editing & Manipulation

• Canva - Well, if you have no experience with graphic design Canva is your go-to software. I use it pretty much everyday (even though I now kindaknow Photoshop. I find it way easier for simple tasks) (One of my Favorites)
• TinyPNG - When I tell you that this website can easily speed up your website %50 I'm not kidding. If you have any sort of image, ALWAYS PUT IT IN HERE FIRST. It can reduce your image sizes tremendously and it's extremely easy. Can't praise this one enough (One of My Favorites)
• Remove.bg - Pretty straightforward. It's paid but if you're not comfortable with using other tools it's a good one. And I found that this one has the best background removing software. (One of My Favorites)
• Free PDF solutions for all PDF problems - Anything you want to do with a PDF. I like this one. (One of My Favorites)
• Thispersondoesnotexist.com - It's what the title says. It's terrifying but whenever you refrest the page, it shows you a new "person" who doesn't exist.
• Face Generator AI - A less scary one of the above website. But essentially they're pretty similiar 😂

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Landing Pages & Accessibility

• SaaSPages.xyz - Best practises on building Saas Pages (One of My Favorites)
• The A11Y Project (One of My Favorites)
• Cards for Humanity - Deal the cards to get a random person and their needs. Your challenge is to work out how to design for this person. (One of My Favorites)
• Randoma11y (One of My Favorites)
• Webaimorg - A blog about accessibility in web design. It's a bit outdated but can help.
• AccessGuide.io
• Accessibility Not-Checklist

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Mockup Generator Websites

• Placeit.net - This is probably the best one on mock-up generation imo. It has many many real-life mock-ups to choose from. (One of my favorites)
• Mockup Plugin - It's a Plugin for Figma and I love it (One of my favorites)
• UpLabs (One of my favorites)

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No-Code Tools

So there's A LOT of tools in this category and I haven't tried at least half of them. I'm including them because I've seen them and they looked at least ok and it might be useful to someone. The ones that I use & love are marked as "One of my Favorites" and at the top.
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WEBSITE BUILDERS:

• Webflow - To me, Webflow is the best website-builder out there. Yes, it's not extremely easy to get used to but with it I can pretty much build anything. I've tried elementor and a bunch of shopift page builders but Webflow is the best one for me. The others have advantages but if I were to learn at least 1 of them it'd be Webflow (One of My Favorites)
• Elementor - As much as I hate Elementor after getting used to Webflow, it deserves a praise. You can build so much stuff with little-to-no knowledge with it on Wordpress. (One of My Favorites)
• Carrd - One of the easiest platforms to publish anything to web and it's REALLY cheap. Great if you need something similiar.
• Typedream - Haven't used it myself but it's a really easy website builder. If you just want a website that gets a small problem solved give it a try.
• Unbounce - Haven't used it myself but heard good things about it. It's good for building landing pages that you are going to delete or change very often.
• Adalo
• Squarespace
• Duda
• 10Web.io
• Weebly
• Without CodeWix.com
• Tilda
• Tailwind CSS Page Creator - Tails
• Kepler
• Editor X
• Dorik
• Bookmark.com

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NOTION TO WEBSITE:

• Potion.so
• Notelet
• Simple.ink
• Feather.so

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APP BUILDERS:

• Bubble.io - Haven't used it myself but you can build extremely detailed apps with it. It's a huge industry as far as I can tell (One of my Favorites)
• Twinr.dev - I haven't ever built an app but this one looks promising. Check it out if you want to build an app with no-code.
• Thunkable
• Appy Pie
• V.One
• Stage.so
• Sizze.io
• Pory.io
• PandaSuite
• Glide
• Fliple
• DrapCodeDraftbit
• Bravo Studio
• Bildr
• AppMySite.com
• AppMaster
• Appmaker.xyz
• Apphive
• Andromo

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OTHER NO-CODE TOOLS:

• Swiper Studio - No-code Swiper builder. You can build pretty slick sliders with no-code (One of My Favorites)
• Softr - Softr turns your Airtable or Google Sheets data into beautiful and powerful client portals or internal tools
• Mighty Networks - The #1 ranked community platform on G2
• No Code Founders - Find the right No Code Tools
• Maze.co - Empower your team to deliver customer-centric products with expert insights on usability testing.
• Stackerhq.com - Stacker makes it easy to build customer portals, CRMs, internal tools, and other business applications for your team
• Makeswift - Unlock your Next.js site in minutes
• Jetboost.io - Real-time search, dynamic filtering, and more for Webflow — without writing code
• Ghost - The world's most popular modern publishing platform for creating a new media platform
• Peaka - Consolidate your data from SaaS apps and popular data sources
• Autocode - Build JavaScript-powered bots, scripts, and APIs with code generation and instant deployment.
• AppGyver.com - Full-stack visual development.

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SEO Websites

• Learningseo.io - Literally the best website to learn SEO. Look no further. It's hands-down the best one in my honest opinion (One of my Favorites)
• Semrush - Other than being pricey, I think this is the best SEO tool out there. If you're new (like me) you can get lost in it in a good way haha (One of my Favorites)
• Moz - Another Semrush alternative (One of my Favorites)
• Ahrefs - I just used it very briefly and I liked it. A pretty good alternative to Semrush if you ask me (One of my Favorites)
• KWFinder - It's a dope tool to find low competition keywords. (One of my Favorites)
• Google Trends - Everyone knows it but not everyone uses it. It's a great way to do market research aswell (One of my Favorites)
• Google Search Console - Anything from when it comes to SEO is top tier imo (One of my Favorites)
• SERP SEO Tools - Like Ahref's I haven't used it but it looks powerful
• Screaming Frog - Like SERP, I haven't used this one too 😂
• Siteliner - It helps you find duplicate content on your website.
• Majestic -This tools maps and categorizes the web to provide valuable SEO information.
• SpyFu - Haven't tried it myself but looks promising like other tools

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Stock Photo & Video

• Pexels.com - This is my go-to stock photo website on a daily basis. (One of My Favorites)
• Pixabay (One of My Favorites)
• Unsplash (One of My Favorites)
• Coverr.co
• Shotdeck
• Nappy
• Storyblocks
• MotionElements
• Videvo
• Life of Pix
• SplitShire
• Rawpixel
• Burst.Shopify
• Stocksy
• Getty Images
• Shutterstock
• Artgrid.io
• Generated Photos
• Vidsplay.com
• Openverse
• Gratisography

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TYPOGRAPHY WEBSITES

• Typewolf - Probably the website about Typography out there. A comprehensive collection of the best typography resources from around the web, including typography blogs, books, tools, and learning resources. (One of My Favorites)
• The good line-height - Website dedicated to providing information and guidance on setting good line heights. (One of My Favorites)
• typo/graphic posters - A reference platform for typographic and graphic posters since 2008.
• BetterWebType.com - Web typography course for web designers and web developers.
• Typescale - A free Figma and XD plugin to quickly generate a modular scale for your typography.
• TypeInspire - Typography inspiration and design gallery showcasing beautiful typographic works.
• Proportio.app
• Typography Daily
• Typography.Guru
• Quotes on Design
• Pimp my Type
• Glyphs
• Speak Human

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That's the end of the list. I hope you liked it and found it useful.
P.S. If you want to access this list that looks way better than Reddit text format, there is a Notion Database version of this list with each website that you see here (and trust me, it's better to navigate that haha).
It's kind of promoting my own thing here aswell, yes, but it took me literally months to get this database together so I'd really love any feedback and support (converting it to Reddit markdown text format alone took a full day). It's ok to promote a little bit after you've given this much for free (right?) . Also this list was already the gift of my newsletter anyways sooo it's ok (I suppose 😂) Ok I'm just babbling stuff right now haha.
Have a good day y'all.

This week I did something that was incredibly stupid but it opened my eyes. I am 7 months post break up and 4 months NC. I broke NC this week. The last time we talked it was about money. Once I got what was owed to me I told her that I didn't want ANY sort of a relationship with her and that she was going to be deleted and blocked. Before I could block, I got a "goodbye" from her. I stuck to my word, until this week.
I have been dating lately and although I am enjoying myself, I can't help but notice the lack of "excitement" when comparing it to my nex. I began going through old photos and reminiscing a lot about the old times, my rose tinted glasses were thicker than they had ever been. In an attempt to bring myself back to reality, I tried re-reading my old journal entries in which I can only describe myself as a sad lonely man that was confused as to why he wasn't getting the love he deserved. I reached out to all my safety nets, talked to my therapist and against their advice/concern for me, I unblocked her Facebook and sent her a message asking if she would be open to meet for a coffee.
In the days leading up to this I had been feeling underwhelmed with dating and started fantasizing about seeing my nex again, even if it was just one more time to say hi. Like an addict, I wanted my dopamine hit. I couldn't find a way to get my brain to stop running through these fantastical scenarios about meeting with her to catch up, wondering if she still likes me and even the possibility of closure and/or rekindling an old flame. I felt better even after sending the message, at the thought of what she might say and eventually seeing her again for the first time in months. So what happened? As far as I can tell, she didn't even open the message. Out of all the possible responses, I didn't expect that. I prepared myself to be left on read even but I was sunned by this.
I understand that the healing process isn't linear and I made a choice and must live with the consequences of said choice. A lot of those old feelings from when I was in the relationship have flooded back. The feelings of being alone while living with someone, the feelings of not being enough for someone despite giving everything you have (affection, money, time, etc) and the feeling of confusion. I don't like these feelings. Going through old photos make me miss the "good times". I haven't been able to delete the photos of her because I kept telling myself that this was a part of my life and I don't want to forget it. It wasn't that superficial. In reality, I didn't want to lose the piece of her that I still had, that last morsel of hope that maybe I got this wrong and she was capable of being a kind person that loved me. She isn't and she only loved what I could do for her. These photos have been preventing me from fully grieving the person I thought I lost, the person that never truly existed. I deleted all of my photos of her prior to writing this.
It is time to take care of myself again. I have been putting off true healing by leaving the door slightly open. It is time to make her, our life and the potential I thought we had together to rest. I am going to allow myself to cry this week for everything that I thought could have been and the person I kept trying to convince myself she was. This is the last time I want this wound to be open. Today is day 1 of truly moving past what was. Thank you for reading.

Date: 06/16/2023
Reading time: 8 minutes, 1639 words

Azerbaijani forces target metallurgical plant in Yeraskh – Armenia MoD

Azerbaijani army opened fire from different caliber small arms on the metallurgical plant under construction in Yeraskh. Two Indian nationals were wounded as Azerbaijan opened fire in the direction of the plant earlier this week. EU monitors, representatives of foreign diplomatic missions visited the site.

ArmRadio

Azerbaijan again falsely accuses Armenia of opening gunfire in ongoing disinformation campaign

Azerbaijani military is spreading disinformation, the Armenian military warns. Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan falsely accused Armenian forces of opening fire on the border.

Armenpress, Artsakh denies shooting at Azerbaijani positions, AND IN OTHER NEWS: Alarms Rise As Azerbaijan Increases Attacks On Armenia, The Ministry of Defense of Armenia and Artsakh deny the rumors of shooting at Azerbaijani positions

Azerbaijani military again opens gunfire at U.S.-affiliated steel plant construction site in Armenian village

Azerbaijani forces again opened gunfire at 10:00 on June 16 at the steel mill which is under construction in the Armenian village of Yeraskh. 2 Indian construction workers were wounded during the June 14 shooting. The steel factory building the plant said on June 15 that construction would resume as planned.

Armenpress, Azerbaijan fired again at the factory under construction in Yeraskh. Ministry of Defense

Azerbaijan has launched ethnic cleansing in Nagorno Karabakh with total blockade, warns Armenian Prime Minister

Azerbaijan's actions confirm Armenia’s concerns that Azerbaijan is carrying out a policy of ethnic cleansing in Nagorno Karabakh, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said.

Armenpress, Blockade and threat of force make genuine dialogue with Azerbaijan impossible – Artsakh MFA, No Humanitarian Aid to Karabakh: Azerbaijan Tightens Blockade of the Region

Following information on the supply of armored vehicles from France to Armenia. how reliable is the news?

Emmanuel Dupuy, director of the Institute for Perspectives and Security in Europe (IPSE), stated in an interview that France will supply Armenia with 50 VAB MK3 armored personnel carriers. Dupuy gave the interview to the French Caucase de France news agency, which was referred to by the news media.

CivilNet

Sometimes Azerbaijan has greater influence on Turkey than vice versa-analyst weighs in on Baku's tactics against Armenia

The U.S. seeks to achieve the signing of any document between Armenia and Azerbaijan, political analyst Tigran Grigoryan told ARMENPRESS. The Armenia-Azerbaijan foreign ministerial in Washington D.C. was supposed to take place earlier but was postponed by Baku.

Armenpress

Only Russia ought to exercise control over Lachin Corridor, says MP

Armenia is in direct contact with Russia over the latest Azerbaijani provocation on Hakari Bridge. The ruling Civil Contract faction secretary Artur Hovhaninsyan said the situation since the latest Azeri attempt to advance has been the same. Hovhannisyan said Armenia views Azerbaijan’s actions as yet another provocation.

Armenpress

Armenia-Azerbaijan foreign ministerial meeting expected in Washington D.C. soon – PM

A meeting between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan is planned to take place soon in Washington D.C., PM Nikol Pashinyan said. “As difficult as it is, our work in the direction of normalizing relations with Azerbaijan and establishing peace must be continuous, we must be consistent in this issue,” he said.

Armenpress, Pashinyan: Armenian, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers to meet soon

U.S. Congress Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission to hold hearing on Safeguarding the People of Nagorno Karabakh

The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the U.S. Congress will hold a hearing on June 21 on Safeguarding the People of Nagorno-Karabakh. A blockade of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijani-backed activists has entered its 7th month.

Armenpress

Armenian Prosecutor General raises the issue of POWs at a meeting with Russian and Azerbaijani counterparts

Russian Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov hosted Armenian and Azerbaijani Prosecutor Generals Anna Vardapetyan and Kyamran Aliyev for a meeting in Saint Petersburg on June 15.

ArmRadio

Azerbaijan carrying out a policy of ethnic cleansing in Artsakh – PM Pashinyan

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said the blockade of electricity and natural gas supplies to Nagorno-Karabakh for over six months have aggravated the humanitarian situation. He said Azerbaijan was providing some access through the Lachin Corridor through the Red Cross and Russian peacekeepers for propaganda purposes, from yesterday even the supply of essential food has been stopped.

ArmRadio

Armenia interested in expanding relations with India – PM Pashinyan

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of India to Armenia Nilakshi Saha Sinha. The Prime Minister thanked the Indian government for the care and attention shown to the injured.

ArmRadio, Pashinyan: Armenian, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers to meet soon

After the complete blocking of the Lachin Corridor, Artsakh went into austerity mode

Artsakh State Minister Gurgen Nersisyan announced this on his Facebook page on June 16. He asked the leadership of the state administration system to address fuel and other similar issues only in case of extreme necessity, to stop or minimize the use of official vehicles.

CivilNet

The President of Georgia loses the right to nominate a member of the Central Electoral Commission

The amendments to the Electoral Code passed the third reading with 82 votes in favor and two against. Members of the opposition mostly abstained from voting. The new system allows the Parliament to choose CEC president as well as seven CEC members for a five-year term.

CivilNet

Passability through the Lachin Corridor has been reduced to zero since June 15. Pashinyan

The supply of essential food and medicine to Karabakh has been stopped, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced at the start of the government session. He also stated that any corridor logic through the RA territory is unacceptable.

CivilNet

The state system of Artsakh has completely switched to eco-mode. Minister of State of Artsakh

The state system of Artsakh has completely switched to eco-mode, Artsakh’s Minister of State Gurgen Nersisyan announced during a live broadcast on his Facebook page. The closure of the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan led to the supply of essential food being stopped.

Armenpress

Armenia ready for regional unblocking in accordance with 2020 agreement – PM

Armenia is ready for the unblocking of regional transport and economic connections as envisaged under the 9 November 2020 trilateral statement, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said. He ruled out any extraterritorial corridor through Armenia.

Armenpress

Armenian President visits Russia to participate in St. Petersburg International Economic Forum

President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan is visiting Russia to participate in the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. He met with members of the Armenian community to discuss socio-political and economic issues in Armenia.

Armenpress

Even humanitarian issues are used by Azerbaijan to make demands from people of Artsakh. HRD of Artsakh

Artsakh’s human rights defender Gegham Stepanyan wrote on his Facebook page. For the second day now, Azerbaijan has blocked all types of humanitarian transportation to Artsakh. The already poor food situation caused by the six-month long blockade creates existential threats for the 120,000 people.

Armenpress, Ongoing blockade, growing threats of force damage prospect of starting genuine dialogue, says Nagorno Karabakh, Blockade and threat of force make genuine dialogue with Azerbaijan impossible – Artsakh MFA, No Humanitarian Aid to Karabakh: Azerbaijan Tightens Blockade of the Region

In Artsakh, the already scarce stocks of medicines and medical supplies are decreasing day by day. Ministry of Artsakh

Due to blocking of Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan, it was not possible to organize the planned transfer of 102 medical patients and their relatives. The two-way movement of Artsakh medical patients under the mediation of the Red Cross has been banned since yesterday.

Armenpress

Flynas announces launch of first ever direct flights between Armenia and Saudi Arabia

Flynas will launch direct roundtrip flights from Riyadh to Yerevan on June 21. The flights will be carried out three times per week, on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Armenpress, First-ever direct Armenia-Saudi Arabia flights coming soon

MyInvest. Ameriabank launches online investment platform

Ameriabank has launched a new platform, MyInvest, available in MyAmeria mobile application. Users are able to trade securities online, have real-time access to the investment portfolio, and obtain detailed information about their holdings.

PanArmenian

Armenia's strong displeasure regarding the incident near the Hakari bridge presented to Russian Ambassador

Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergey Kopirkin presented with Armenia's dissatisfaction with the incident involving Russian peacekeepers near the Hakari Bridge. Earlier, the border guard service of the National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia reported that on June 15, around 08:40, a group of so.

Armenpress

Government will soon submit Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court to the National Assembly for ratification

The Government will soon submit the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court to the National Assembly for ratification. In 2022, the Government appealed to the Constitutional Court on this issue.

Armenpress

Former minister of education Armen Ashotyan jailed in pre-trial detention

Armen Ashotyan, a former minister of education, was taken into custody on June 14 for allegedly violating bail restrictions. He is accused of abetting then-rector Mikayel Narimanyan in committing misconduct and inflicting over 38 million drams in property damages to the university.

Armenpress, Armen Ashotyan was detained for two months

Head coach: Armenia seeks to qualify for Euro-2024

Coach Oleksandr Petrakov says that Armenia will try to qualify for Euro 2024. “I think this year we have a much better team with quite talented players,” he said in a pre-match press conference.

PanArmenian

Russia details transport link talks with Armenia, Azerbaijan

Moscow maintains almost daily contact with Baku and Yerevan to unblock transport links between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Alexei Overchuk discussed issues with Azerbaijani Deputy PM Shahin Mustafayev on sidelines of the SPIEF.

PanArmenian

Donations to Armenia:

Himnadram
ServicemenFund
Armenian Wounded Heroes
ArmeniaFund
If you'd like to support me: Patreon

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We have arrived at Super Bowl LVII and for as dominant as other teams may have been for stretches, I think we ended up with the two best teams in the league facing off – not only in terms what they did all season long, but also the versions we get from them leading into this matchup. With both sides entering the tournament atop their conference, the Chiefs were able to overcome a high-ankle strain by Patrick Mahomes and got revenge on the team that kept them from going to the big game last year, while the Eagles were dominant in their two wins, with a point-margin of +55 in their two playoff matchups (with some help in the lattern one, where the 49ers ended up with basically no quarterback left).
You could also call this the “Storyline Bowl” because of all the different angles to this matchup off the field. For starters, you have Chiefs head coach Andy Reid facing his former team, which he could never quite get all the way over the hump with, along with DC Steve Spagnuolo spending his first eight years in the NFL with that organization as a defensive assistant. Meanwhile the head-man on the other side in Nick Sirianni actually started his NFL career as a quality control coach in Kansas City, a couple of years before Reid arrived there. We’ll see the first Super Bowl between brothers, with Travis and Jason Kelce on either side, who both already have a ring, but were still each the best players at their positions respectively this season. Depending on the results of NFL Honors, we may have the guys finish first and second in MVP at quarterback with Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts, who might still both be dealing with injury, but have done a great job playing through those. And even for more of the football nerds – we’ve got KC and Philly with the number one offense vs. defense respectively in yards per play.
As I do every week, I wanted to dive into the tape and numbers, to give you comprehensive insight into who both these teams are, how they match up on both sides of the ball, some players who could be X-factors and finally I give you my prediction on what I think will happen.
Let’s get into it:

Chiefs offense vs. Eagles defense:

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Kansas City obviously led the league with 29.2 points per game during the regular season and 2.71 points per drive, but they also averaged 0.3 yards more per play than any other team (6.4). Their offense was easily number one in DVOA (25.2%) and EPA per play (0.179). However, while many people still look at the Chiefs as this uber-explosive aerial attack, that constantly stresses defenses vertically, they’ve really become a much more efficient machine as a unit. Mahomes finished the regular season only 23rd in intended air yards per pass attempt (7.2) and he was actually second in YAC per completion (6.6). In part that has been due to teams feeling more comfortable blitzing and playing man against this group of receivers, but also Pat has shown so much maturity this season, of getting to his checkdown or outlet when the defense was falling off in deep zone coverages. With opponents bracketing Travis Kelce at a high rate, they’ve needed to find other solutions against the looks they’re presented with. KC is one of the best groups at utilizing stacks and bunches, in combination with rub-routes, to give their receivers advantages against man-coverage, while being unique in the way they create voids against zone, by letting guys push straight at safeties and forcing them to match, along with attacking the rules of coverages.
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https://reddit.com/link/10w73p8/video/5tv2qzixgsga1/player
Where the KC offense has added another dimension this year, is their traditional run game, as altogether they finished the regular season sixth in rushing success rate (44.5%). That’s actually slightly lower than 2021, but their top two backs this year average 4.63 yards compared to 4.09 yards per rush. Isaiah Pacheco has given this group a physical presence, who they hand the ball off a lot more from under center this season. That young man runs with an aggression and violence that this team has been missing in past years, along with having legit burst to threaten the corner and clear the second level if the backside doesn’t cover enough ground laterally. While they do run some zone concepts, especially in combination with their RPO game, what Andy Reid and Eric Bienemy excel at is using angles and drawing up gap-schemes including multiple pullers, such a power and counter from different personnel sets. A key ingredient to that is their variety in usage of tight-ends. Their 13 personnel (three TEs) in particular is a weapon for them, as they can analyze how opposing defense match them, and depending on that, get Travis Kelce, Noah Gray and Jody Fortson in favorable matchups in the pass game, or take advantage of pulling smaller bodies into the box.
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Examining the Chiefs offensive line, with Orlando Brown at left tackle, they can cover up guys on the front-side, to string out lateral plays. And between the interior three of Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith, they’re all more than comfortable being utilized as pullers, while Smith is the biggest mauler on down-blocks and the other two execute reach- and seal-blocks very effectively. Andrew Wylie at right tackle may be the weak-link of that group, but he’s the most experienced in that system, now in his fifth season with the Chiefs and 69 starts to his resume. As a team, they’ve averaged 3.4 yards before contact on the ground. As far as the pass game is concerned, the O-line was charged with the third-fewest sacks allowed (26) and while Mahomes is close to average in pressure rate (19.4%), if you take that number in relation to time spent in the pocket before the ball comes out (2.6 seconds), he’d be tied for the sixth-highest rate. Even though I would challenge the way ESPN calculates this, they have the Chiefs with by far the highest pass-block win rate in 2022 at 75%. And looking at their two playoff games, Mahomes has only been pressured on 18.8 and 10.2% respectively. The way this unit handles games up front, sorts out simulated pressure and passes off twists is very impressive.
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Finally, for KC’s offense, since Mahomes was put under center, they’ve been one of the best situational offense, in particular finishing top-three in third down percentage each of the past five years. They finished the 2022 season second in third (48.7%), fourth down (75.0%) and red-zone percentage (69.4%) each. Over their five most recent games in particular, they’ve converted 82.3% of their red-zone trips into six points. That’s a result of Andy Reid’s willingness to delve into all kinds of creative play-designs, Patrick Mahomes’ magic off script and the mind-meld you see between him and Travis Kelce in those condensed spaces. Whether it’s some full-house sets, where anybody in the backfield could receive the snap, running “Ring around the Rosie” or any of their different shovel pass variations they throw out, they’re a unique group to prepare for. Plus, then of course you have the best QB-to-pass-catcher combinations in the game, where Pat and Kelce can make up stuff on the fly and see that condensed space very similarly, which allows them to cash in even when the defense seemingly does everything right.
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https://reddit.com/link/10w73p8/video/uvq7fln0hsga1/player
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Now, switching over to the Eagles defense, they’ve been one of the more consistent and at times dominant units in the league. On average, they’ve allowed just over 20 points per game, with seven each in their two playoff games – even though you can argue the Giants were certainly outmatched and the 49ers played large stretches with a quarterback who couldn’t actually throw the ball. Nevertheless, they finished the regular season number six in defensive DVOA (-9.7%) and forced the fifth-most takeaways in the league (27). Under defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, Philly has seen an overhaul of defensive principles to some degree, compared to 2021. While they still run a lot of zone-coverage, they do a much better job of squeezing down passing windows and letting their safeties attack forward in quarters, not nearly giving as much easy access to the middle of the field. And with the addition of Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, they can change up the picture from when the ball is snapped, rotating him towards the deep middle – a role he hasn’t tasked with since his college days. As far as blitz rate is concerned, they’ve increased from 31st (17.4%) to 18th (22.1%), in large part due to Haason Reddick being on the field as a hybrid linebacker, who they rush along with the four down-linemen a lot of times.
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https://reddit.com/link/10w73p8/video/rffhqe42hsga1/player
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Philadelphia has been particularly effective against the pass, being responsible for an NFL-low 4.9 net yards per dropback. Their two starting corners Darius Slay and James Bradberry have surrendered passer ratings of 83.9 and 51.6 respectively, with three picks each to their names. Both understand very well to play to their leverage and funnel vertical routes to the safeties inside of them. While Marcus Epps is better at driving on routes and buzzing down as a flat defender or robber, CGJ has really capitalized of those opportunities to make plays on the ball, being tied for the lead-league with six interceptions, despite missing five games. Meanwhile on the second level, T.J. Edwards has had the best season of his career, in terms of how quickly he IDs and triggers on run schemes, but also his usage on passing downs. That’s where pairing him up with Kyzir White has reaped major benefits, because now he’s the one who gets matched up with backs a lot of times in cover-fou-six on the weakside, as he’s right on par with Bradberry on the perimeter, holding opponents to just 4.4 yards per target.
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Of course a major reason this group has been so much better on the back-end is thanks to the pressure they create up front. The Eagles recorded the third-most sacks in NFL history (70) behind only the ’85 and ’86 Bears respectively, and they were only 0.1% behind the Cowboys with a pressure rate of 25.5 percent. Looking at ESPN’s pass-rush win rate metric, Philly has the edge rusher with the second-best mark in Haason Reddick (28%) and an IDL in Javon Hargrave, who’s tied for second at his position (17%). They keep those guys fresh as well, as they have ten guys playing at least 16% of snaps, if you count Reddick, who led them at just under 74%. At times this season they’ve had some issues this season stopping the run, due to some of the front mechanics – which I’ll get to in a minute – but also some injuries along the D-line. Now, with some of the veteran additions, those have been largely ironed out and they can bring those guys in waves.
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Since I just talked about the trenches, why not start by breaking down how these two sides match up. Looking at Brandon Thorn’s D-line rankings, the Eagles D-line was at the top of the league, but the Chiefs finished the season as the sixth-best O-line themselves, and their interior-three is as good as any out there right now. Their tackles are closer to average, with Haason Reddick having a significant advantage over right tackle Andrew Wylie, who was responsible for nine sacks and had seven accepted penalties in 2022. However, what Andy Reid can do in terms of mitigating any disadvantages on the edges is remarkable. I think back to the Chiefs’ trip to San Francisco and how much they slowed down Nick Bosa, in terms of not being allowed to attack and having to process too much information. And we’ve seen this group make the heads on linebackers spin on several occasions throughout the years, with misdirection, eye-candy and a diverse screen game. Philly also led the NFL with 97 tackles for loss during the regular season, but I have a tough seeing Kansas City go laterally a whole lot and allow those guys on the other side to defeat single-blocks. Rather I think they’ll use that aggressiveness against them on trap, wham and counter plays. The Eagles finished the regular season 23rd in rushing success rate (43.2%) and EPA per rush (-0.023). Especially when KC goes to 12 personnel, the tendencies for Philly would say that they’ll counter five-man surfaces, and when the 49ers put both tight-ends to one side, we saw Kyzir White actually move over the wing in more of “penny” front, where Edwards is the only linebacker behind it. That’s where Reid & company put a lot of pressure on the opposition, with being corrected in reading their keys.
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Going back to that NFC title game, backup Josh Johnson – as long as he was available ran himself into trouble, getting wide against looping D-tackles and drifting too deep at times – that won’t happen with this version of Patrick Mahomes, who is one of the niftiest quarterbacks at pocket navigation in the NFL today. How much he can manipulate rush lanes and potentially deliver off-script with that banged-up ankle will be a major factor. From a coverage perspective, the most interesting will be if DC Jonathan Gannon can change up the picture enough post-snap to make Mahomes hold onto the field or if KC will be able to dictate what they’ll face, in particular considering I thought motions typically forced them to simplify things and use a lot of cover-four or -six. Because of how much the Chiefs want to attack between the numbers, with heavier tight-end usage and the addition of Juju Smith-Schuster as a “power slot”, which they haven’t had prior to his arrival, they can lessen the impact of those two great corners on the other side. And the second thing will be how they approach the usage of tight-ends and Travis Kelce especially. Could we see Chauncey Gardner-Johnson be more heavily deployed in the slot, similar to their most recent matchup, or does Gannon use the two weeks of preparation, to install some designer coverages, for designated passing situations?
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Eagles offense vs. Chiefs defense:

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Let’s switch over to when the Eagles have the football. In 2021, they became one of the most effective rushing attacks in the league, along with what Jalen Hurts could deliver as a scrambler and a lot of the deep crossing and post routes off play-action. The passing game has evolved in a major way this season, thanks in large part to the draft-day trade for A.J. Brown and how the presence affects defenses. In the 15 games played with Jalen Hurts under center, Philly has turned the ball over multiple times just three times, and they’ve scored at least 24 points in all but four of those. Once again, just looking at the 15 games with Hurts at QB, the Eagles would be one of only three teams to average just below one giveaway per contest. While the volume at which they run the ball – due to regularly bleeding out the clock with the lead – “only” has them tied for 12th in yards per rush, I’ll present a couple of the more advanced numbers in a second, and they’re tied for third in net yards per dropback (7.1). Altogether, they finished the regular season at number three in offensive DVOA (15.1%) and what I love about the way offensive coordinator Stane Steichen calls plays, is how he allows those great players they have all across that unit to be featured in rather simplistic fashion, with clear play-designs, that include multiple options, plus some of the little wrinkles they add regularly off those.
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Everything of course starts up front for this group. Philadelphia has the best and most versatile O-line in the NFL – and I’m not sure if it’s particularly close. The physical ability of that group in combination with the tutelage of position Jeff Stoutland, allows Steichen to call up anything from a simple zone to long-developing passing concepts. As a unit, they finished 2022 at number one in pass-blocking and third in run-blocking, according to Pro Football Focus. The advanced rushing numbers for Philly have been completely absurd, in comparison to the rest of the league. They are the only team with a rushing success rate of over 50% and their EPA per rush +0.72 is twice as high as the next-closest team (Ravens at 0.34). You see them attack the edges of a defense with outside zone, they can create vertical movement on duo, take advantage of angles by pulling bodies and then they match those things beautifully with easy alerts. Having Jalen Hurts as an extra body in the run game, to where you have to account for him pulling the ball at all times certainly helps. In particular, they’ve been pretty much unstoppable in short-yardage situations. Including the postseason, Philly has converted 31 of 35 QB sneaks into first downs or touchdowns, when they’ve had a yards or less to gain (88.6%). And the Eagles as a team have gone for fourth down 80% of times when the analytics would suggest that as the smart decision, according to RBSDM.com
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However, Philly also ran an NFL-high 185 RPOs during this season – only eight teams reached the hundred-mark. They can put defenders in conflict, by having to commit downhill and leave a window to attack with glance routes, and they can afford to leave the backside contain player unblocked, because either he flattens down the line and allows Hurts to pull the ball or he stays home and then often they have the tight-end sifting across the formation and releasing into the flats. The outside receiver to that side if regularly tasked with picking off anybody trying to redirect against that slip route, plus as a change-up off that, the wideout will release as a threat behind that. That way, they simplify the job for the quarterback by being able to key on one read and then become a play-maker off that. Yet, they can also spread the field and create space by forcing the defense to get into lighter boxes. They love to run draw from out of their 11 personnel sets, especially when they go empty and run it towards the shade nose in an OveUnder four-man front, where the guard to that side can block down and Jason Kelce wraps around, to become the lead-blocker for Hurts.
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For all of that to be as effective, the development of Jalen Hurts as a passer and the threat that he can attack all of levels of the field was imperative. In particular for defenses to respect the perimeter weapons, how he delivers beautiful, high-arcing balls down the sideline for A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, is a major ingredient. Compared to 2021, Hurts’ average yards per attempt increased from 7.2 to 8.8 yards. As a team, they Eagles finished top-four in third (45.9%), fourth down (68.8%) and red-zone TD percentage (67.8%) for the regular season. Hurts become a much better distributor and while he still doesn’t feel as comfortable working deep into progressions, if there’s a little bit of color in the backfield, the offensive infrastructure combined with his mental progress, allow him to find solutions to most problems defenses throw at him. That was apparent when facing overloaded fronts and some of the cover-zero rain that the Dolphins popularized over the last couple of years. Here’s an example against the Giants early on in their week 18 victory over the Giants, where Hurts decides to lock the left tackle on his man and slide the rest of the line, in order to make Landon Collins rush rather then drop out, and create a clear window to get this ball to Quez Watkins on a little hitch for the first down.
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As far as the Chiefs defense is concerned, they were dead-average in defensive DVOA (17th), but they finished 12th in dropback and 10th in rushing success rate respectively. So the issue were more so the big plays they’ve given up, in large part due to relying on rookies way more than they’ve done in part years. On defense alone, first-year players have combined for over 3000(!) snaps this year. For comparison’s sake, last year Nick Bolton was the only rookie to log even 50 snaps. With that being said, those young players have grown a lot and the defensive numbers have been a lot better from week 16 on. Just looking at those five games, their EPA per play of -0.077, which would rank fourth league-wide behind only the 49ers, Cowboys and Patriots. And dissecting who they’ve faced across that stretch, only one of those offenses have ranked outside the top-15 in EPA per play themselves. One name that stands out here is Trent McDuffie, since in the 13 games without him, they didn’t allow a single 300-yard passer, while four of the six QBs they’ve faced without him have reached the mark. That’s not necessarily just the result of McDuffie playing, but the fact that they can deploy him in the slot and use L’Jarius Sneed in the boundary, now lot leaving two rookies on guys like Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins out wide, thinking back to the AFC Championship.
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While Kansas City’s run defense was a weakness in years past, they rarely control opponents to dictate game-scripts, in part because of how effective their own offense is at converting possessions into points, when given fewer opportunities, but also what they’ve built in the front-seven. This season, they have held opponents to under 120 rushing yards in 13 of 19 games. Along with the trade for Frank Clark and Chris Jones ascending to the level of a Defensive Player of the Player candidate, they’ve found guys to play more of the strong-side defensive end role, typically with those longer body types, before spending a first-round pick on George Karlaftis this April. Meanwhile, rotating through a trio of Derrick Nnadi, Tershawn Waron and Khalen Saunders at shade nose, has been working for them, to keep those linebackers clean. And that’s where those guys can shine. Nick Bolton already was a key player for them as a rookie, but how quickly he triggers on stuff and the speed to beat blockers to the spot is very impressive. And Willie Gay’s range alongside him is a major asset in both facets of the game. Plus, they frequently shift their D-line just before the snap and blitz the backside backer, to cover up an extra man from climbing up a lot of times. As a unit, they’ve been able to create negative plays on the ground at a higher rate, being tied for sixth with 89 tackles for loss during the regular season. Chris Jones has the short-area agility to back-door against zone schemes and he’s quick to go underneath down-block on the backside, before chasing down the puller and get to the ball-carrier. And opposing linemen better get on their horse, if they want to cut off the angles of those backers on toss/sweep plays, as well peel off combos earlier in time. Going back to the AFC title game, if you take away Joe Burrow’s four scrambles for 30 yards, the Chiefs were able to hold the Bengals to just 13 carries worth 41 yards.
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What they do in the pass game is where they’ve seen a major transition. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has a reputation for throwing out crazy blitzes and playing physical man-coverage behind. However, with three rookies starting the secondary for the most part and an offense on the other side, less built on quick-scoring drives, they’ve changed their approach, in order to play more complementary football. After being ninth and sixth in 2020 and ’21 respectively, the Chiefs actually ranked just 14th in blitz rate (24.2%) this season. That’s combined with playng split-safety coverages on an NFL-high 57% of coverage snaps. However, that doesn’t mean giving receivers easy access at all, as their corners are in press-alignment on 44% and those young guys can challenge opposing receivers off the line, with help over the top, so to speak. And it’s not just that, but thanks to having two veteran safeties in Juan Thornhill and Justin Reid, they’re excellent as disguising coverages without compromising themselves in where they can get to ultimately. That’s how they force quarterbacks to pull down the ball and find solutions post-snap. Kansas City sacked the Bengals’ Joe Burrow five times most recently, where all but one of those I would label as “coverage sacks”.
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Despite a much lower blitz rate, they’ve actually finished the regular season fifth in pressure rate per dropback (24.9%) for the second year in a row. According to ESPN, Chris Jones easily led all interior D-linemen with a 21% pass-rush win rate this season (next-closest was at 17%), despite being double-team at a higher rate than anybody else, at a stupid 68% of dropbacks. That sets the table for guys around him to capitalize on winning one-on-one matchups. KC has four other D-linemen with at least four sacks and 16+ pressures. Yet, depending on who they use as the primary slot defender – Sneed, Reid or McDuffie – on some key downs, Spags still excels at creating free rushers by bringing guys from different angles and forcing the O-line to communicate mid-play. So there’s a lot of variety in the way they can force offenses to process information pre- and post-snap, to create errors, while at same time being very sound in their coverage distribution.
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We’ll probably get an idea early on about how much the Eagles offense can dictate terms with their ground game. As I outlined and backed up with statistics, they have been dominant in the regard for most of the season and it’ll take a great performance on Kansas City’s side to slow that area down. Back when I previewed the regular season (week 13) matchup between the Chiefs and Bengals, I showed a few examples on how Chris Jones has improved as a run-defender at the point of attack. However, Philly has consistently been able to wash down the front-side on zone concepts and ride three-techniques into the lap of the backside backer on power. If he can split those combos and/or the second-level defenders scrape over the action quickly enough will be an element to track. Of course it’s also going to be a big game for Derrick Nnadi not getting sealed on the backside and holding his ground when the offense tries to go vertically. And he’ll need those other bodies to give him a breather a few times, to avoid getting physically tired out and overwhelmed as the game progresses. Maybe we’ll see recently-signed Brandon Williams be a bigger part of the game and look if he can give them 10-15 snaps of what he used to be in Baltimore. It’s certainly a product of the volume we saw, with 44(!) rush attempts against the 49ers, but those guys were able to hold Philly to 3.4 yards per carry in the NFC title game, largely thanks to how aggressive they were on the second and third level to fill. Particularly those backside LBs didn’t shuffle along much, but rather decided to shoot their gun and basically run-blitz from behind. Meanwhile, KC just executed a very effective plan to slow down Cincinnati’s attack, with those last-second shifts and blitzes from the second level, which can create that confusion against gap- or man-schemes, since altered responsibilities can’t be communicated in time. Even when opponents have gone heavy on 11 personnel, which the Eagles use on well over 70% of plays, and they catch Kansas City in dime personnel, Justin Reid does not shy away from filling the A-gap either.
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Now, as much as the Niners were able to contain Philly’s run game in the NFC Championship game – which by the way San Francisco had the second-best EPA against defensively for the season (-0.174), compared to Kansas City being 16th – that vaunted pass-rush for the Niners could barely get a hand on Hurts, sacking him once and just getting two additional hits on. The O-line of the Birds had no issues picking up twists and games run by the defense. With that being said, I thought the 49ers back-seven actually did a very good job in designated dropback situations, passing off and falling underneath those deep crossers and post routes. And while I would say those ideas of how they structure coverages is in line with the new-found shifts for Kansas City, the challenging part in trying to break down this matchup on this side of the ball, is the fact that Steve Spagnuolo isn’t really as hung up with general schematic tendencies, but rather is willing to craft a gameplan specifically designed to attack the weaknesses or challenge teams to win in different ways than they usually do. We do know that he wants to bring pressure in high-leverage moments, but as I outlined earlier, they bring extra bodies at a much lower rate. While they might sprinkle in it every once in a while, they’ve liked to play quite a bit of two-man versus the better passing attacks in the AFC – that’s a death wish going up against Jalen Hurts and what he presents as a runner, if you have everybody in the back-seven with their backs to him. So I’d expect a lot more quarters, similar to what we saw in KC’s latter matchup with the Bengals, along with some late weak-side rotations, in order to cloud that passing lane they may have with A.J. Brown as the single receiver running a slant route away from his corner with outside leverage. And I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Justin Reid at big nickel, to alleviate some issues in their run fits, with one less defender in the box, if Philly spreads them out.
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A common misconception about Jalen Hurts is what he provides as an off-schedule creator, because he’s been so deadly at making one guy miss in the backfield and breaks the spirits of defense by picking up third downs with legs. However, in fact he’s completing just 37% of his passes, for 4.2 yards per attempt and a QB rating of around 52, when throwing outside the pocket. And a layer that stands out in terms of pressure, he’s only 28th in success rate and 29th in EPA per dropback when the defense rushes five or more guys, according to Sports Info Solutions. I’m sure the Eagles will want to test those young corners on the other side with vertical shots on the perimeter – and I ultimately went with another name, but Jaylen Watson likely starting as one of the outside corners could have easily been an X-factor. Yet, they have not been able to cash in on those nearly as regularly since Hurts sprained his SC joint of his throwing arm. I think he attempted four of those go balls in the NFC title game and didn’t complete any, with more wobble and those being further off target than we’re used to. It’s obviously a very small sample size, but in those three games Hurts has played with the banged-up shoulder, his EPA + CPOE (completion percentage above expected) composite has taken a nose-dive from 0.155 (second among QBs behind only Mahomes) to just 0.054 (which would rank 23rd for the full season). And the Chiefs will need to create those stops between the twenties, by not giving that guy easy opportunities, because they were the second-worst defense in the red-zone during the regular season, allowing touchdowns on 67.3% of those trips.
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X-factors:

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Chiefs – Kadarius Toney & Mike Danna

Since being traded from the Giants, Toney has once again dealt with lower body injuries, which along with some of the interpersonal relationships, were the reason a New York team devoid of WR talent was ready to move on from a first-round pick just a year-and-a-half later. He has only played 133 total snaps for KC, but he’s caught 20 of 26 targets for 216 yards and he’s carried the ball six times for an additional 73 yards, with two combined touchdowns. For the regular season, Toney was the only wide receiver on the team who finished above 56th for his position in PFF’s rankings (WR20). Mecole Hardman is currently listed as doubtful for Sunday and the Chiefs need that one guy they can use as eye-candy on jet sweep fakes and orbit motions, but also to create some cheap offense at times on screen passes and at times as the outlet, if the defense doesn’t account for a guy like him – just as we saw in Toney’s debut with the Chiefs at Jacksonville, which I believe still is deemed the most wide-open touchdown of the season, when he was left all alone in the flats off a sweep fake. So his status for the game due to the ankle sprain and what he can provide, in terms of how jittery and explosive he is when given the ball, along with the effect he can have just as a presence once established to the defense, will be an important factor.
While Toney is a fairly well-known name, due to his draft status, some of the headlines he’s made off the field, but also some very impressive moments when suited up, I don’t think many casual NFL fans are familiar with the name Mike Danna. A fifth-round pick for the Chiefs in 2020, his role Spags’ defense has increased all three years and I’d say he’s one of the more underrated pass-rushers and overall players in football. Danna has missed four games this year, but when available, he’s played a career-high 54% of defensive snaps, And it has led to new personal top-marks in sacks (five) and additional pressures (16). He also had three tackles for loss and a couple of forced fumbles during the regular season. Even though first-rounder George Karlaftis has started every game, these last two weeks he and Danna have played basically the exact same amount of snaps. I could see the latter play a lot of strong-side defensive end on early downs, allowing Frank Clark to chase from the backside and be soloed up when the Eagles go to play-action, while Danna takes care of combo-blocks between the tackle and tight-end at the point of attack, fighting over down-blocks and funneling the ball back inside. The third-year man can be effective rushing off the edge, but mostly it’s what he can bring reducing inside and going against guards, which could make a difference.
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Eagles – Landon Dickerson & Reed Blankenship

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Rest of the analysis can be found here!
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Prediction:

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27-24 Chiefs

So many of the numbers I’ve brought up in this breakdown favor the Eagles, and right now I’d say they feature a more complete all-around roster. If you take out the two games with Gardner Minshew starting at quarterback, the Eagles would be tied for number one with the 49ers in turnover differential (+13). And they’ve had the advantage up front in most of their matchups this season. However, all that be viewed in the lense of them having faced the 32nd-ranked schedule this season, according to Football Outsiders. Against teams that were close to their talent level, they’ve gotten challenged, and I don’t think they’ve faced an offense particularly in the stratosphere of Kansas City.
The Chiefs are more battle-tested, looking at this postseason run and in terms of the competition they’ve faced throughout the regular season. Patrick Mahomes has been pretty unflappable during his MVP campaign, and has shredded some of the best defenses in the NFL, such as the Buccaneers, 49ers and the Broncos twice. Obviously how much more comfortable he is now at moving around on the banged-up ankle will be a key element, but he already showed some really encouraging signs two weeks prior to Super Bowl LVII.
Philadelphia still has quite a few players left from that championship run five years ago, but a lot of guys that will be in the spotlight on February 12th for the Eagles haven’t been on that stage. That includes the head coach, offensive and defensive coordinator, the quarterback and no players in defensive back-seven. I just believe Andy Reid’s staff and Patrick Mahomes have more answers for what the Eagles defense presents, being able to attack certain areas and having the combination of O-line plus schematic ways to slow down the defensive front on other side from taking over the game. And Philly’s offense has been nearly unstoppable in large part thanks to how many great players they have, but at its core is fairly simplistic in the way they build plays off another, to where Spags can give them some unscouted looks, which throw off the plan and don’t allow the Eagles to stay ahead of the chains as regularly as they’re used to
This should be a highly entertaining game between the two best teams for most of the season and I believe it will be decided by a razor-thin margin, but I’m going with the championship pedigree of the Chiefs here and think Harrison Butker hits a game-winning field goal with time running out.
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If you enjoyed this analysis, please consider checking out the original piece, and feel free to check out my Youtube channel for more detailed content like this!
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This technically wasn’t my revenge. It was my friend getting it for me in my stead.
Background: I broke up with my ex of a decade for holding rent over my head along with a bunch of other things that were much worse, but that was the straw that broke the camels back.
He was still living with me so I gave him a grace period of 30 days(he took 2 weeks longer) to move out. I found another roommate Missie who was also friends with Sam to move in who was my friend at the time.
My friend Sam was not in a good place with her family cause of issues so she was considering sleeping in her car. I gave her a key and told her she can crash with me till she figures something out.
So my ex tries to drag his feet. He says I’m not making the best decisions being influenced by my friends. Says that the roommate can still move in and he can stay and we can work on our relationship. I still refuse.
Story
After he moves out to another state and lives with his mom does he start to harass me. I was trying to be nice and even remain friends because he requested that and I only requested for him to give me space for a little bit. He did not and even pushed. So I blocked him.
He hacked into my Facebook to unblock him. He messed with my Disney fast passes in my account. He got into my FanFiction.net account and deleted my stuff. Also took stuff that wasn’t his before he moved and then mailed back to me as a power play.
He sent me letters. Some of which I didn’t see because my friend Sam did me the favor since I wasn’t in a good place emotionally.
The basics of him saying I would be nothing without him and that I let other people get into my head rather than thinking for myself. Some threats as well.
Revenge: I being a door mat and wanting nothing to do with just block him and try to move on. Eventually he stops and I’m just happy he did.
My friend Sam was apparently the one who got him to stop.
What she did:
-before he moved she got her cat to sleep on his pillow. He’s allergic to pet dander.
-she subscribed him to gay porn magazines and had that sent over to his mother’s house under his name.
-an ugly email he sent me from his job email. She sent one back to his work calling it unprofessional.
-Sam got the letters that were him spouting abuse and showed them to her uncle, who’s a cop. Who then sent a letter from his work stationary back to the return address. Stating that if any more letters were sent along with other forms of harassment that a restraining order would be placed and that would go on his permanent record.
She tells me this years later. I tell ya I never felt more loved and supported in that moment. She is still my best friend.
Edit: thank you so much for the awards and the comments. Next time I see Sam, I will be sure to let her know how much she is appreciated and how awesome she is.

21 minutes, 5271 words.

Parliament summons Government to discuss 2023 budget

The prime minister visited parliament to present the new budget and a broad range of topics.
Pashinyan: Today Armenia's economy is booming, with +14.1% economic growth in January-September. This will allow us to overcome the economic difficulties experienced in 2020, and return to the 2019 pace.

... anti-monopoly and corruption

Our goal since 2018 has been for the government to get out of the way and focus on the creation of economic opportunities. Today we are collecting the fruits of our policy of eliminating monopolies and systemic corruption. These are the pillars of economic growth.

... economic freedom

An important event took place this year in terms of Armenia’s economic image. Armenia has been ranked 11th among 100 countries in the Economic Freedom Index, after a big improvement.
The opposition laughed at us, claiming that Armenia's improvement in the Index was only because other countries scored worse amid the pandemic. But that really means is we managed the COVID economy much better than others, which is even more important than the Index score.

... jobs

We have a new record number of registered and taxable jobs in Armenia: 691,000 in October. The growth since May 2018 has been 143,000, of 108,000 since September 2018.
How did we achieve this? By introducing new opportunities, combatting the shadow economy, and reforming the income tax law. The latter was one of the most important reforms.

... taxes

Besides collecting taxes, we also return them. Nowadays we refund greater sums, including to citizens who purchase a house with a mortgage. The income tax return numbers are growing impressive:
2018: ֏5B
2021: ֏33B
2022: ֏41B (so far)
In the past, we had many workers who were in the grey economy, which deprived them of the opportunity to take advantage of similar benefits.

... lower tax rate = more taxes

In 2018 there were three income tax brackets: 36%, 28%, 23%. We switched to a flat rate: 21% in 2022, and 20% in 2023.
Despite significantly lowering the rate, we collected ֏125B more taxes in 2021 vs 2018.

... reforms in VAT tax refunds

VAT tax return has long existed in Armenia, but it has undergone reforms, we've repaid the outstanding balance, and today the institute is functioning autonomously while relying less on the decisions of individual officials.
The frequency of refunds has gone from once every 6 months to once a month. Here are the amounts returned to businesses:
2018: ֏88B
2021: ֏148B
2022: ֏171B (so far)
These large refunds are helping us grow the economy, it's an important indicator for an investor. In 2019 we began refunding the sums that investors were supposed to receive a decade earlier. This was their money all along, and today businesses understand they can receive their money within 1 month, without bureaucracy.

... budget revenues

Our promise in 2018 was to increase the budget revenues by 40% within a few years. It was accomplished:
2022 vs 2018: +53% (֏662B more)
2023 vs 2018: +75% (֏946B more)
2022's budget revenues will surpass projections by ֏80B.

... domestic aviation revival

We promised to create conditions for the rebirth of Armenian aviation. In 2018 and 2019, when my jet would land at Yerevan airport, I would be greeted by a complete emptiness. Zvartnots was often empty.
Today we see more flights, including from Armenian airlines (~30% of flights), and the lines are getting longer. We've attracted private investments while working on a national carrier. Institutional reforms are underway to address the outstanding issues regarding blacklist, etc.

... digital > cash

We have adopted laws to encourage the use of digital payments. I'd like to emphasize the importance of the reduction of cash. This will have 3 effects:
1) Anti-corruption. Any government that claims to fight corruption seriously must take steps to reduce the use of cash.
2) Fiscal opportunities. The transparency of turnover leads to more budget revenues. This leads to greater financial and microeconomic stability.
3) Social effect. We are only now learning to use this tool. I'd like to emphasize the importance of the new social program for senior citizens. If they keep the pension money on the bank card and use it for purchases, they will receive a certain % as a refund at the end of the month.
As you know, we raised the pensions starting in September. It will rise again in 2023. This digital-oriented cashback program can be viewed as another hike. Basically, we're raising the pensions 3 times in 2022 and 2023.

... aid must be targeted for specific groups

We must better manage the resources meant for low-income families. I have instructed our agencies to explore the use of artificial intelligence, in a privacy-preserving and non-individualized fashion, to analyze the spending habits of our seniors and low-income families.
This is necessary to make the aid programs more targeted. If we see that our seniors prioritize certain product categories over others, we can tweak our policies accordingly.
We can already guess what they need, but our policies must be based on solid data. This is where the reduction of cash and the rise of digital can help us.

... gambling addiction

I'd like to thank Parliament for the [resolutions]. People don't fully understand how critical the gambling situation is.
When I became the prime minister in 2018, during the June-July months we recorded a high 9%-11% economic growth, so I began studying the underlying reasons. And I was petrified to learn that it was driven by the 2018 soccer world cup gambling. Gambling was becoming a major branch of the economy.
I am glad that laws are being approved to address addiction today. But we must go beyond banning gambling ads. We are working on new regulations and efficient taxation.
It's terrible that many social aid recipients are wasting the aid on gambling. This must stop, otherwise, why are we even helping them financially? Gambling will be allowed only with the use of bank accounts, so every gambler can be identified [including by family members]. The government can use statistical data for targeted policies.

... universal income declaration will be introduced in January 2024

A very important reform is underway to introduce the universal income declaration system in Armenia. Every citizen must file taxes.
Don't be frightened though, because over 90% of your work will be done by IRS. At least during the first phase, you will receive your pre-filed declaration document, you just need to verify or correct it. It'll go into effect in 2024.
This was attempted once, it raised questions about citizens who go abroad for work. We have found a legal solution to this issue. The declaration system won't impose additional tax burdens on such workers. Finance Ministry will explain later.

... education

Budget 2023 vs 2018: +70% (֏91B more)
Today teachers have an opportunity to double or triple their salaries, by using the new voluntary attestation exam. Hundreds have already accomplished this. I'm saddened by the fact that we still have thousands of teachers who are not taking advantage of this opportunity. It's okay, we will continue to encourage them.
In 2023 we will introduce this opportunity in music, arts, and sports schools, and kindergartens.
Today a teacher has an opportunity to earn ֏450K/mo, but our goal is above ֏1M.
In rural schools with under 100 students, where many teachers earn under the base ֏120K/mo, we will raise their salaries without this attestation requirement. Today they can't earn մեկ դրույէաչափ due to an insufficient number of students and classes. The aim is to ensure no teacher earns under ֏90,000. However, if they do take the attestation exam, it will increase their wages accordingly. The number of teachers in this category is 4,500.
STEM teachers will also get a raise without an attestation. That's 8,135 people. But if they do take the attestation, the salary will grow even bigger.
Today we have mixed classes with students from the 4th, 6th, and 8th grades. The teacher works with them simultaneously, in the same class. After reforms, even if there are two students in the class, the teacher will get paid for the equivalent of a full class. The exception is fizkult and art, where the grades can be mixed, but for these teachers we envisage a 50%-70% raise as well.
By 2026 we will build 300 schools and 500 kindergartens. This year will end with 24 new schools and 53 kindergartens, and next year 64/141. Next year we will launch the construction of many more facilities.
It isn't just about facilities. We need new building standards. The era of tolerating crappy quality is over, from colors to internal design. It's a process.

... science budget

2022 vs 2018: +100%
2023 vs 2018: +154% (֏22B more)
This year we launched a process to raise scientific salaries. You already know the details, but I'll mention the salary for a lab chief:
2021: ֏140K
2022: ֏350K
2025: ֏477K

... labor shortage

Despite today's record number of taxable jobs, despite lowering unemployment by 4.7% in 2021 vs 2018, we still have a big unemployment rate. At the same time, we have a workforce problem caused by a flawed education system.
Education does not necessarily mean a university diploma. Professional and vocational skills are also education. There is a serious gap in this field. Heck, we have a dire situation in every field, starting from preschool. This is why the reforms are important.
The best investment for the development of our economy is the investment in human capital: education, healthcare, etc.

... healthcare budget

2022 vs 2018: +54%
2023 vs 2018: +87%
We plan a big wage increase for medical staff in the first ring. Get checked early, don't let it progress!
The ban on smoking in restaurants is not being enforced properly. I have instructed the police to look into it.
In 2021 we had to deal with a shortage of state-funded healthcare subsidies. The more healthcare resources we allocate, the more people use them. People normally have a habit of ignoring health issues for financial reasons, but when they see that the government provides free care, they change their attitude, they seek treatment early, hence the 2021 shortage.
We have decided that families of fallen soldiers will use the free healthcare without waiting in line.

... higher standards

Beginning in January 2023, only certified medical workers will be allowed to work in the healthcare system. This is part of our goal to raise the standards in Armenia.
Soon, a voluntary quality attestation process will become available to employees at police, NSS, and [Secret Service]. Just as in the case of teachers, they will have a path to double their salaries. Those who do not take the voluntary quality tests will continue to earn the current wages, but we will likely make the attestation mandatory within 3 years. Improve, or leave.

... defense budget & army reforms

2023 vs 2018: +113% (֏270B more)
For 2023 we have allocated ֏509B or $1.2B. By now you have heard about the ongoing process to reform the army. Several bills were sent to Parliament, and hopefully will be adopted soon. The goal is to set new quality standards and salaries.
The goal is to switch to a professional army model to improve the country's protection. It does not contradict our peace agenda. We need a strong army regardless.

... tripartite negotiations in Sochi, and Nagorno Karabakh resolution

Can we record that Sochi was a step toward the implementation of the peace agenda? Absolutely yes. It was a very useful and important meeting. It contained public and private elements. Important issues were raised.
There were certain discussions in Armenia ahead of that meeting, on wheater we have chosen the best path for Armenia and Artsakh. And this meeting in Sochi gave a clear answer to that. The process is transparent now, and the public can see and analyze it.
You know there were speculations about the existence of Western and Russian proposals, and there was an attempt to form the illusion that the path chosen by us was contradicting Russia's proposal, but this was of course false.
I wasn't allowed to discuss the details sooner for ethical reasons, but since the Russian leader has publicized the process, I will provide you with details:
Our Russian colleagues had informed us that they believe the topic of Nagorno Karabakh's status should be delayed by an unspecified period. Their justification is that it is objectively impossible to find a mutually acceptable status today. That has always been the case actually, but anyways, we 100% agree with that assessment.
At home, we were heavily criticized for making certain statements because we were not allowed to explain our actions in public. In the beginning, we recorded that the Nagorno-Karabakh issue has 3 components: security, rights, and status.
Over time, we set aside the "status" from our rhetoric and no longer included it as an issue that needed to be addressed urgently. It was for this reason. We had agreed with Russian colleagues that we should not attempt to resolve the status issue today, in order to avoid a crisis.
I'm glad I'm able to speak about this publicly today. Those who were unjustifiably criticizing us earlier for not pursuing this path, were again recently criticizing us for [choosing a "bad Western plan" over the preferred "delay" offered by Russia].
That was Russia's proposal, to delay the status indefinitely. During the Sochi meeting, we exerted maximal effort to insist for the final statement directly mention Russia's [delay] proposal, but at the suggestion of Russia, we adopted a more mutually acceptable language [and did not mention Nagorno Karabakh at all] in order not to have gridlock.
In Sochi, we called for the extension of peacekeepers by X years or indefinitely. It wasn't mutually accepted so it wasn't included in the public statement, but we can record that we have injected this topic into the agenda.
But let's not forget that according to the Nov. 9 ceasefire statement, peacekeeping presence is extended automatically, even if we don't later explicitly agree to extend it, as long as neither side cancels it.
So what was new in Sochi? We attempted to cancel the part that allows [Azerbaijan] to remove peacekeepers, and to guarantee a longer presence. This is a topic that's part of the discussions now. Peacekeepers are necessary for as long as there are no trustworthy security and rights guarantees.
Sochi has reaffirmed the Prague agreements. Our policies have not changed before and after Sochi. The work continues toward the peace agenda. 2022 is a unique year. It is the first time when the Armenian leader met the leaders of every neighboring state.
We've held bilateral meetings with the president of Iran on 4 occasions since August 2021. Georgia is clear, you already know Azerbaijan. Very importantly, we met the president of Turkey this year. With Turkey, we have resolved the issue with communication. We no longer have the dilemma of wheater to meet and discuss, or not. There is a dialogue. We will continue to pursue the peace agenda.

... Armenia-Azerbaijan border

It's very important that we were able to confirm, on international platforms, that Armenia and Azerbaijan do have internationally recognized state borders, defined by the 1991 CIS agreement and adjacent declarations.
The existence of the border means the existence of military aggression by Azerbaijan in September. In Prague, by confirming the border, we confirmed the fact of aggression, with all its legal ramifications. The recognition of the 1991 border in Prague is what has allowed us to bring the EU border monitoring mission. If there was no recognized border, what/where exactly were they supposed to record?
I am grateful to our public. We are on the same wave today, regarding what the tasks are, and where we are headed.

... institutional reforms in 2023

We will establish the new Interior Ministry and the foreign intel agency. The latter is very important. It shouldn't be your average agency that works like its counterparts.
The new Police Patrol Service is being implemented across Armenia. It's the first step towards a new standard. We are happy with the improvement, but the Patrol Service must continuously improve its standards.

... economic growth

We are ending the year with double-digit economic growth while closing the 2020 gap. The goal in 2023 is to have +7%, but it will be difficult because that 7% growth must be against this year's massive 14% growth. But it's doable.
The government needs to get out of the way to ensure this economic growth. This has been our approach. In every recent year, except for 2020, the real growth has been above the projections made by us and international organizations. Our job is not to go and directly create that growth, our job is to create the right conditions and step aside for the private sector to bring the growth. But there is a problem there...

... capital expenditures, not enough construction firms

2023 budget for capital expenditures is unprecedented ֏558B, that's 4x from 2018.
The private sector is overloaded. Our concern is the inability to find enough available construction firms to build all those roads and schools. The +14% construction boom has led to a cement deficit. We need to think twice before protecting domestic cement producers that are unwilling to increase their production.
We wanted to use more domestic stones to build infrastructure, but as it turns out, rocky Armenia doesn't have enough stones. It's absurd. This is a result of years of improper mining practices, illegal dealings, and a lack of a business development plan. We have addressed those systemic issues today, but we have to face the consequences of the damage now.
source,
Tags: #budget #2023budget #economy #NagornoKarabakh

gross private sector wages +20% from 2021, unemployment at a historically low level: Central Bank chief

The Chairman of Armenia's Central Bank Martin Galstyan said at a press conference on Tuesday that gross private sector wages have risen by more than 20% from 2021. 'We have been observing this phenomenon for several months in a row. We also notice that unemployment is at a historically low level, but there are still many vacancies," he said.

Galstyan also noted that some companies complain about a lack of workforce despite high salaries, especially in the construction, trade, and services sectors.

... Armenia's unemployment rate dropped to 13% in June 2022: CEIC

The highest in recent years was 21% in March 2019.

the unemployment rate measures the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labour force.

source, source, source,

government will give Gagik Tsarukyan a tax waiver to encourage a $147 million investment in tobacco

Tsarukyan's Multi Group is expanding its Multi Tabak business in Kotayk province. They need to import products worth $407M. It includes $147M in new investments.
The government has agreed not to charge $40M in taxes as an encouragement. It's expected to open 100 new jobs with avg. ֏350K/mo salary.
source,

interview with Aram Sargsyan about the Sochi negotiations

Sargsyan: Putin was unable to keep his promise and the paragraph about delaying the Nagorno Karabakh status to a later date was not mentioned in the statement. Still, the statement contains 3 positive points for Armenia.
1) It reaffirms the Prague process. Even Aliyev, who was complaining about "biased" France while displaying an unwillingness to respect Prague, has agreed to reaffirm Prague.
2) It mentions the importance of having peacekeepers in Nagorno Karabakh.
3) Once again confirms no "corridor" through Armenia.
The chances of major military clashes are slimmer in the near future. It's also great that AM and AZ border commissions will meet tomorrow.
World powers recognize Russia's important role in resolving this conflict. It is Russia that's distancing itself from other OSCE Minsk Group members. We know this from meetings with OSCE members. Russia should engage in dialogue with others, so I find it positive that Putin signed a Sochi statement that recognizes the Prague efforts.
Reporter: Pashinyan says Armenia is the one who lobbied for the recognition of territorial integrity in Prague and Sochi, but wasn't it promoted by Azerbaijan?
Sargsyan: Azerbaijan was pushing for older maps that included Armenian territories when they were talking about "territorial integrity". In contrast, Armenia was insisting on 1991 CIS maps. The latter is what was adopted, thanks to cooperation between Pashinyan and the U.S. It began with Pashinyan's UN General Assembly speech and ended in Prague. The West supports the 1991 map.
Reporter: Will Azerbaijan's 1991 borders include Nagorno Karabakh? Will Armenia recognize it as part of Azerbaijan?
Sargsyan: It's according to the 1991 document. It was signed by LTP with some reservations, according to which the Nagorno-Karabakh issue would still need to be resolved according to international laws. The Supreme Council also had reservations.
Officials from U.S. and Minsk Group often asked me: do you have territorial claims against Azerbaijan? Obviously not, but there is an issue with the right of Artsakh people to live in their homeland. The world agrees with that. The world doesn't want a country with a problem with ethnic minorities to resolve the conflict exclusively internally, because there are bad precedents.
Reporter: Then why is the world closing its eye on the mistreatment of Lezgins and Talysh in Azerbaijan?
Sargsyan:* Because unlike Nagorno Karabakh Armenians, Lezgins and Talysh are not relentlessly fighting for their rights, I don't see 40,000-strong rallies organized by them. When they do, the world will pay attention.
The West is saying that it's necessary to take into account the opinion of the Nagorno-Karabakh population about their own fate.
There is a practice used by the world. They acknowledge the line of contact between the two peoples, they install peacekeepers, and they insist for the people to have communication with the world. If these are not met, it's the same as ethnic cleansing, which the world does not support.
The world has addressed many difficult issues. Cyprus's status is still a difficult topic, but the conflict has been frozen.
There is a Kosovo example where the Serbs rejected every single international offer until the world got fed up and recognized Kosovo without respecting Serbia's opinion. This is the path chosen by Ilham Aliyev.
China agreed to the one country two systems approach, and today Taiwan is more independent than Belarus, Georgia, and Armenia.
But Ilham Aliyev will reject even the one country two systems approach. He will reject everything proposed by the world.
Today U.S. and Armenia have very good relations, but when it comes to Nagorno Karabakh status, we have disagreements. Armenia cannot continue to claim "Stalin gave our Karabakh to Azerbaijan. It must be ours now." The world does not accept this approach. That is the same argument used by Russia to invade Ukraine. To receive U.S. support, I think we should propose some of the aforementioned resolution options.
Pashinyan relies too much on Russia, his policies are too pro-Russia. Russia has lost its power. Putin is even afraid of using the phrase "Nagorno Karabakh" in the presence of Aliyev. The only country that can be a true guarantor of peace is the U.S.
Why is the opposition even planning a November 5 protest against Pashinyan's negotiation policies? They are in the same pro-Russia camp, Pashinyan supports the Russian proposal.
I have many friends today, who were heavily pro-Russians, but came to realize that Russia cannot be a guarantor after the peacekeepers' inaction in Parukh, and Russia's pro-Azerbaijan stance in UN Security Council. Russia cannot go against Azerbaijan. Russia will not publicly criticize Azerbaijan for aggression also because Russia itself knows it is committing similar aggression in Ukraine.
The 40,000 rally in Artsakh was a big help for Pashinyan's negotiation efforts.
source,

Serj Sargsyan administration had the worst relationship with Russia: Speaker Alen Simonyan

Question: The opposition accuses your administration of being anti-Russian. How would you assess AM-RU relations today?
Simonyan: Today AM-RU relations are much closer than during the previous administration. During meetings with our Russian colleagues, they agree with my observation that today, the administration is one of the most pro-Russian ever.
During my recent trip to Moscow, the Speaker of the Duma praised the fact that our meetings have become a lot more frequent. It was insufficient under Serj. They even had a Speaker who had the status of "невыездной" (travel restrictions). They had officials who didn't even speak Russian. The relations were overall poor.
At the moment, we have much closer ties. During my visit to Russia, the most negative feedback that I received was regarding the 10-year leadership by Serj and HHK Party.

... 🥔🤡

Context: Armenia and Belarus are part of the Russia-led CSTO military bloc. Critics want Armenia to leave the bloc because its member states always side with Azerbaijan, despite being Armenia's allies on paper. During a recent meeting, the head of Belarus supported Azerbaijan and dismissed Armenia's complaints about the occupation of territories in September.
Foreign Ministry of Armenia: We do not consider it appropriate to comment on the insolent statements of the President of Belarus, unrelated to the logic of negotiations and totally against the nature of allied relations and friendship, which call into question the obligations of the member-state signed by himself within the framework of the CSTO. //
Speaker Alen Simonyan: I did not see any seriousness in Lukashenko's statement. I have concerns that they originated from elsewhere.
Reporter: What do you mean? Was Lukashenko expressing someone else's stance?
Simonyan: Maybe it came from Kazakhstan, maybe Azerbaijan, maybe Russia. But he surely wasn't the author of those statements. Lukashenko has many domestic problems. I assume the people of Belarus do not share his stance.
source, source, source, source,

gas pipe from Iran has unused capacity, we will increase imports: Armenian Government

Yesterday the Government visited Iran to discuss the construction of the North-South highway corridor, Kajaran tunnel, and gas-electricity swap. Armenia imports Iranian gas, turns it into electricity, and sends it back.
Infrastructure Minister Sanosyan: We signed a very good document yesterday. Obviously, the gas pipe coming from Iran has a greater capacity and there is an opportunity to import more. An important component of this deal is the electricity export to Iran. With my Iranian counterpart, we discussed efforts to expedite the construction of the 3rd interstate power line, which is being carried out by an Iranian construction firm.
Reporter: [Will it replace Russian gas]?
Minister: Not at this capacity, but there is a potential to increase imports.
Reporter: What volumes are we talking about?
2022: 365 million m³
2024: 500
Soon: 730
source, source, source,

Red Cross provided monetary assistance to 104 Armenian families who were illegally forced to leave their homes in the Lachin Corridor of Nagorno Karabakh

The agency distributed ֏12.7M in aid.
source,

Armenia cancels contract with a Jordanian company due to "failure to deliver"

Armenia has unilaterally canceled the contract with "Jadara Equipment and Defense Systems" and wants to collect $57,000 in penalties within 5 business days, according to the agreement signed in 2021.
The company is known for its Nashab anti-tank weapons. They heavily rely on Russian imports to produce them. They also produce night vision tech, thermal tech, and sniper rifles. It's unclear what they were supposed to deliver to Armenia.
Jadara also has agreements with Azerbaijan on the joint production of 152mm anti-dank shells.
source, source,

did Moscow finally get the memo?

A Turkish journalist asked a question about the "Zangezur corridor" during a Q&A with the Foreign Ministry of Russia.
Foreign Ministry of Russia: We use the term "route", not "corridor". The issue of the unblocking of transportation routes in the region was discussed in Sochi, and an agreement was reached that the joint work will continue within the working group operating under the co-chairmanship of the deputy prime ministers of the three countries.
source,

Human Rights Ombudsman budget will increase by ֏70 million

2021: ֏531M
2022: ֏542M
2023: ֏612M ($1.5M)
It will help with digitization and automation reforms, the opening of a new office in Lori, etc.
source,

IT companies ask the government for emergency assistance amid the strengthening of dram against the dollar

Group of IT firms: 90% of our products are being exported. Our clients pay us in dollars, which has greatly devalued since February. Many of us are facing layoffs and closures.
The Economy Ministry has submitted a resolution to provide assistance in the form of tax waivers, which will cover 1/3rd of our losses. The resolution has not yet been adopted due to internal disagreements. We hope it will be resolved soon.
source,

net inflow of private cash in the first 9 months

$1.7 billion. Around 67% came from Russia.
source,

anti-corruption: the new police Patrol Service officers have arrested 24 drivers on the spot for offering bribes

The Anti-Corruption Committee (ACC) and the police Patrol Service (PPS) were formed approximately around the same time last year. During this period, ACC has investigated 24 bribery arrests made by PSS at the scene.
ACC boss: Such arrests were extremely rare in the past. Now we have 24 cases within a year. If you look at the statistics, it appears that corruption cases have increased, but in reality, it's law enforcement that began to function.
source,

anti-corruption: ex-governor of Tavush is facing prison for allegedly hiding wealth in income declaration docs

ACC: Hovik Abovyan was appointed as Governor in 2014 and was required to disclose his wealth. He intentionally did not mention the existence of multiple properties in the 2018 declaration. The ex-governor is charged with a felony. The case is headed to court. //
source,

several famous gambling companies are slapped with hefty fines for "misleading ads"

Competition Protection Commission: Adjarabet, Vbet, and TotoGaming ran a promotional campaign during which they used advertisements with misleading content. The ads concealed important information, the consumers weren't able to get a complete picture. The companies will need to pay ֏433M in total. //
source,

Armenia's national carrier FlyArna now offers 30-minute flights to Tbilisi PHOTO

The new carrier offers Armenian tourists flights to neighboring Georgia. There are special offers for Russians who are trying to reach Georgia through Armenia. FlyArna's Moscow-Yerevan and Yerevan-Tbilisi flights are timed conveniently.
The first flight fo Tbilisi was held on October 30. The carrier invited journalists to record their experience. The reporters claim the seats are more comfortable than the similarly-priced economy flights.
▶︎ 81 cm (32") distance between the seats.
▶︎ Free entertainment streaming, including programs in Armenian.
▶︎ Promotional videos for tourists to learn about Armenia (soon).
▶︎ 10 kg hand luggage included in the standard ticket.
▶︎ AirRewards mileage program. Use the points to buy food or baggage allowance. 10% cashback for most loyal clients.
So far they have flights to Moscow, Sochi, Tbilisi, and Sharm el Sheikh (Egypt). Beirut will be added this month.
They are in the process of acquiring the third Airbus A320 jet.
source,

Israeli airlines Israir launches Tel Aviv-Yerevan flights

Once a week, every Tuesday.
source,

Facebook is using AI to shrink the size of MP3 files by 10x while preserving the voice quality

Small if true.
source,

Global Livability Index 2022: Cities with the best and worst quality of life

(1) Vienna, Austria
(2) Copenhagen, Denmark
(3) Zurich, Switzerland
(170) Tripoli, Lybia
(171) Lagos, Nigeria
(172) Damascus, Syria
source, source,

if you missed

Follow on Twitter. Yesterday's news in English, русский (by Impossible-Ad-). Archive by Armeniapedia. Donate to Armenia & Artsakh here.
The accused are innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law, even if they "appear" guilty.

16 minutes, 4186 words.

Freedom House index: Countering the Authoritarian Overhaul of the Internet

Armenia is among the countries with "free" internet with 74 points, up from last year's 71. To be considered free, the score has to be above 70.
Iceland 95
Georgia 78
Armenia 74
Zimbabwe 49
Libya 44
Azerbaijan 38
Turkey 32
Russia 23
Iran 16
Report: Civil society persuaded the government to repeal a criminal defamation clause passed in 2021.
source, source, source,

surveillance shows that Azerbaijani military is staging false flag attacks as a pretext for shelling Armenian outposts

Azerbaijani forces violated the ceasefire on the eastern border last night.
Defense Ministry: Nighttime surveillance of Azerbaijani activity in the Sotk-Kut direction shows that Azeri units at first fire shots towards their own positions, followed by shots at Armenian units.
By doing so, they are attempting to create the impression as if the Armenian side is shooting at their outposts, so they can begin to shoot at Armenian positions using various caliber small arms, while falsely claiming it to be a "response". //
source, source, source,

47 members of PACE published a letter: Condemnation of aggression by Azerbaijan against the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia

It calls on Azeri forces to be immediately withdrawn from Armenian territories.
read,

Chamber of Senators of Uruguay unanimously approves a statement condemning the invasion of Armenia's internationally recognized territory

source,

Azerbaijan needs to be sanctioned for its aggression: interview with Swiss lawmaker Stefan Müller-Altermatt

Stefan Müller-Altermatt: Azerbaijan committed a crime in September. Russia committed a similar crime against Ukraine and was promptly sanctioned, but we have no sanctions on Azerbaijan at all, only energy agreements with them. Unacceptable.

... we need a political solution for Nagorno Karabakh conflict to avoid a second genocide: Swiss MP

We need the Minsk Group negotiations and Russian peacekeepers to prevent genocide. After decades of hatred towards ethnic Armenians, there will be crimes and cruelties against the Armenian population of Nagorno Karabakh.

... Republic of Nagorno Karabakh is democracy and we should stand for this democracy: Swiss MP

We should stand for freedom of expression and human rights. We find these values in Nagorno Karabakh, but not in Azerbaijan.
source,

U.S. Congressional delegation met Pashinyan

The House Democracy Partnership delegation led by David Price visited the Genocide Memorial before meeting Pashinyan on Tuesday.
Pashinyan: Welcome to Armenia. We value the AM-US mutual partnership and assistance with democratic reforms in Armenia. That is the path chosen by the Armenian people, and we will continue to implement it.
Recently we've held intensive contacts and high-level visits that will significantly contribute to the development of AM-US strategic dialogue.
David Price: Thanks for the warm welcome. We value the consistent steps aimed at developing democratic institutions in Armenia. We should expand the AM-US close partnership for the benefit of the development and strengthening of ties in different spheres.

... we appreciate the targeted response of the U.S. against Azerbaijan's aggression: PM Pashinyan

Pashinyan: We have seen a targeted response by the U.S. and the international community in general. It's important to ensure the security and rights of Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh.

... Azerbaijan’s incursion into Armenia’s sovereign territory is unacceptable, they should immediately withdraw to their initial positions: Congressman David Price

Price called for the release of all POWs. The sides also exchanged views on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, as well as the processes happening in the region.

Congressman David Price about AM-US relations

Price: We are trying to ensure that the U.S. support to Azerbaijan is never used for offensive purposes against Armenia. We are ready to engage in bilateral and multilateral negotiations. We take the role of our Co-chairman of the OSCE MG seriously and do not want any party to assume a pre-determined role, on the contrary, we support peace that is based on the values of the people living in the region.
Question: Will there be any military cooperation between Armenia and U.S.?
Price: I can't answer right now, but you remember Speaker Pelosi's very clear reference. It is obvious that the balance in the region is changing, taking into account the developments related to Russia. Perhaps, some forces are no longer as radical as they used to be. And there will certainly be changes.
At the moment, various discussions are taking place, in particular, about what relations will develop, including in the security domain. These discussions are quite intense.
source, source, source, source, source, source, source, source,

the only "corridor" mentioned in our agreements is the Lachin Corridor: PM Pashinyan

Pashinyan: Can anyone find any mention of a "corridor" referring to the territory of Armenia in the Nov. 9 statement? Of course not. Is there any mention of a "corridor" in that statement? Yes, and it's the Lachin corridor connecting Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia. That's the only one.

Armenia has no unilateral obligation to build any new roads to connect Azerbaijan to Nakhijevan: PM Pashinyan

Pashinyan: Is there any unilateral obligation of Armenia to construct new roads between Azerbaijan and Nakhijevan in the Nov. 9 tripartite statement? There isn't. Can w build roads if Armenia and Azerbaijan reach an agreement? Yes we can. Armenia is ready to build roads according to its legislation. A positive response from Azerbaijan is necessary.
Our stance and Azerbaijan's response so far prove that no one can accuse Armenia of avoiding its obligations. I reiterate that we are ready to open 3 checkpoints to fulfill our obligation and work towards utilizing opportunities arising from the comprehensive unblocking of the region.
source, source,

journalists and experts held a secret meeting with Pashinyan. Here is what they discussed.

Journalist Tatul Hakobyan: Over the past few weeks, a group of experts and I held three lengthy secret meetings with PM Pashinyan and his team. Since the topic of "corridor" is being discussed a lot today, I have to disclose part of that meeting.
A bit of context. Kocharyan's Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan recently wrote an article, speculating that Pashinyan might have given a "verbal" agreement to a "corridor", and that Aliyev might be demanding it now, and that Russia is "silent" because of the verbal agreement. [this was repeatedly denied by the government]
Oskanyan's positive attitude toward Russia and the desire to vindicate Moscow is understandable.
During the meeting with Pashinyan, we asked him directly if there were any verbal agreements over a corridor. Pashinyan said that Aliyev was demanding a corridor, but he refused to agree to it. Moreover, Pashinyan and his team members informed us about having no plans to agree to a corridor now, even if it means more military aggression by Azerbaijan.
It is obvious that Azerbaijan was attempting to coerce a corridor with military aggression on September 12, but it was stopped thanks to our 200+ soldiers who sacrificed their lives.
And lastly, Vardan Oskanyan promised to give Azerbaijan the Meghri corridor in 2001, in a written form. More on that later.
source,

they publicly claim to want a "corridor" similar to Lachin, but during face-to-face negotiations Azerbaijan doesn't make such demands: Foreign Minister Mirzoyan

Turkey: Our brother Azerbaijan is rightly saying that the Lachin corridor and the Zangezur corridor must have the same status.
FM Mirzoyan: During the negotiations, Azeris are not proposing to have a road with the same terms and regulations as the Lachin corridor. This terminology is an exaggeration; Azerbaijan is not saying such a thing.
No one could demand one from Armenia anyway, because of the regulations defined by the Nov. 9 and Jan. 11 statements. Lachin Corridor is necessary because it's a road of life for the Armenian population of Nagorno Karabakh.
Parallel to negotiations, Azerbaijan displays maximalist behavior with a desire to influence the negotiations through a threat of force.
The tripartite statements include a topic of unblocking the region's transport and economic infrastructures. A new link between Nakhijevan and Azerbaijan is mentioned. We've already stated that we are ready to use existing roads or build new ones via Armenia, as long as they operate under the sovereignty and legislation of Armenia.
There is certain progress in this area. I'm optimistic that the negotiations can be successfully completed soon. //
source, source, source,

Defense Minister visited arms expo in India, a month after news that Armenia will acquire $260 million armament from India

MOD Papikyan's delegation is in India. Papikyan met his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh before attending the DEFEXPO exhibition in Gandhinagar, where he met the leaders of arms manufacturers.
Papikyan: We praised the current level of cooperation and discussed the opportunities to expand the partnership, as well as a number of issues of the bilateral military and military-technical cooperation.
I presented the current situation resulting from the latest Azerbaijani aggression and thanked India for its clear stance on international platforms [UNSC]. I invited my counterpart to Armenia on an official visit. //
source, source, source,

Armenia's defense expenditures by year

2019: ֏301 billion
2020: ֏384 billion
2021: ֏334 billion
2022: ֏361 billion possibly
2023: ֏501 billion expected
Defense budget allocations in million dollars
2015: 461
2016: 453
2017: 464
2018: 523
2019: 652
2020: 634
2021: 601
2022: 713
2023: 1,238
source, source,

Defense Minister Papikyan embezzledn't millions of dollars through construction tender fraud

Defense Minister Papikyan was initially the Infrastructure Minister. He oversaw the unprecedented levels of asphalting projects that began after 2018.
Last year, Kocharyan-affiliated outlet "Yerevan Today" claimed that Papikyan used shady tactics to enrich himself and become a dollar millionaire within a few years.
The outlet published a retraction today after losing the defamation lawsuit.
source,

"first Norwegian high-level visit to Armenia in more than a decade"

FM of Norway Anniken Huitfeldt visited Yerevan, where she discussed Azerbaijan's military aggression with her Armenian counterpart FM Mirzoyan, and later with PM Pashinyan and Speaker Simonyan.
FM Mirzoyan: This is the first Norwegian high-level visit to Armenia in more than a decade. We appreciate your visit and the sign of Norway's solidarity with the Armenian people.
We appreciate Norway's targeted stance in support of Armenia's territorial integrity and the condemnation of extrajudicial killings of Armenian prisoners by Azeri forces. We hope that Norway, as a pioneer of democracy and human rights protection, will continue to be committed to its adopted position.

... I reaffirmed the readiness of Norway to support Armenia’s sovereignty and internationally recognized borders: FM of Norway

Anniken Huitfeldt: The purpose of my visit, first of all, is to express the readiness of Norway to support the Armenian people. I would be glad to better understand the current situation in the region.
We mark the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year. It’s a great honor for me to know that Fridtjof Nansen [helped save refugees during the Genocide] is still remembered in Armenia for his work done with the refugees in Armenia 100 years ago.
We will consider how Norway could support the processes of democratic reforms, in addition to the funding for the CoE-Armenia Action Plan. Our common values, the belief that our societies should be built on democracy, human rights, and rule of law, are a firm base to develop our bilateral relations.

... Armenian nature is quite colorful during the autumn

Anniken Huitfeldt: On my way from Tbilisi to Yerevan, I had a chance to be admired by the colorful autumn of Armenian nature.
source, source, source, source,

Armenia wants to deploy OSCE observers on AM-AZ border, in addition to EU mission

FM Mirzoyan: It's under discussion. We will have clarity very soon. The EU mission will record the facts, which will prove that aggression was taken place against Armenia's sovereign territory and that there is an Azerbaijani military invasion into the internationally recognized territory of Armenia.
source, source,

there is no decision to send CSTO observers yet: FM Mirzoyan

Ararat Mirzoyan: It can be discussed only during the CSTO Council session. At this moment there is no decision, there are discussions.
Reporter: Russia's FM Lavrov stated that they are ready to send observers, but you need to organize that CSTO session first.
Ararat Mirzoyan: Armenia had applied to the CSTO. A decision was made to send a fact-finding mission at first. They arrived, prepared the report, and shared it with all CSTO members. The Secretariat is currently circulating a draft decision based on that report.
Through verbal discussions, we have tried to understand when the session of the Council could take place where the leaders of the countries can discuss sending a new observer mission. We are at this stage now, there is no decision, there are discussions.
source,

Denis Djorkaeff:

Le Monde s’émeut à juste titre des drones kamikazes russes envoyés sur Kiev, mais personnes n’a rien dit lorsque pendant 44 jours la coalition turco/azéris a pilonné l’Artsakh avec ces mêmes drones tuant plus de 5000 Arméniens. Stoppez Aliyev pour éviter une nouvelle catastrophe!!
source, source,

treason: sold his country for less than an Xbox

NSS: In November 2021, an army contractor grenadier [redacted] was recruited by a foreign intel agent through the Odnoklassniki social network.
In exchange for $370, he used WhatsApp to transfer classified information until May 2022. The information included details about positions, regulations, vehicle fleet, and weapons inventory.
The suspect gave a confession after the arrest. //
video, source,

American USAID will provide humanitarian assistance to thousands of families affected by Azerbaijan's September aggression

1,500 families in Vayots Dzor Province will receive aid packages that include food, hygiene, and bedding items.
source,

efforts begin in villages Sotk and Kut to rebuild the infrastructure damaged after Azerbaijan's September attack

The state-funded construction projects began a few days ago. They are building roofs, ceilings, windows, balconies, and walls.
source,

doctors in Nagorno Karabakh reattached a child's amputated hand after a sawing incident at home

The 10yo child went to the hospital with the dismembered hand. Doctor Igor Zakaryan's team was able to reattach it. The child is receiving rehabilitation care.
source,

false Azerbaijani names of Armenian toponyms in Syunik province were removed from Google Maps

Azeris had added Azerbaijani names to several Armenian cities and geographical locations in Syunik. ANCA and Tatoyan Foundation Center decided to contact Google to have them removed.
source,

Nagorno Karabakh has a state subsidy program to install solar water heaters in residential homes

Government: Considering the energy efficiency of solar water heaters, it was decided to expand this program to include settlements that are connected to the gas network.
Starting in August, we've been installing them in settlements without gas, but the process was suspended due to Azerbaijan's military aggression. As of right now, there are 66 recipient households and 16 educational facilities.
Records show that the energy bill for households in gas-less settlements reduces by an average of 80%.

... buildings run by municipalities are receiving general-purpose solar panels to cut expenditures

In March we approved the program to supply solar panels to municipality-run facilities. Several buildings already have 4-10 kilowatt panels. They help save ֏300,000-֏700,000 per year.
In the event of an energy surplus, they will be allowed to sell it to ArtsakhEnergo grid. We are also installing stations to store the excess energy.
This program will run until 2023-2025, and its goal is to raise Nagorno Karabakh's energy independence. Today we produce only 57% of what we consume. The rest is imported from Armenia. The energy and transmission infrastructure in general are being revamped.
We will continue to focus on solar energy over the coming years. Our climate is suitable for it. The annual energy flow per m² of a horizontal surface is 1,400 kWh. // (1700 in Armenia, 1,000 in Europe)
source, source,

Turkish court acquits Diyarbekir Bar members over "Armenian Genocide" comments

Several members of the legal association, located in Turkey's Kurdistan region, were charged with "insulting Turkey" after publicly speaking about the Armenian Genocide in 2019.
In turn, the Bar prepared a report, highlighting the government's targeted persecution in the Kurdish-majority city.
In the end, prosecutors requested the case to be dropped.
source, [redacted](english/law/268651-diyarbakir-bar-members-acquitted-over-armenian-genocide-statement)

breast cancer awareness month

Dozens of women took free mammography tests in provinces as part of an awareness campaign. Doctors recommend ultrasound scans once a year for women above 20, and mammograms once every two years for those above 40.
Doctor: The standard surgical methods, known to everyone, can lead to complications and negatively affect the patient's quality of life. This is why the Oncology Center has imported 2 new types of devices that allow us to conduct a surgical procedure without degrading the quality of life.
Nowadays, around 80% are coming to us at an early stage, and choose to preserve their breast. //
source, video,

Yerevan city council discussed the 2023-2025 budget size and expenditures:

income/expenditure (income in dollars)
2023: ֏106b/֏107b ($262 million)
2024: ֏112b/֏112b ($277 million)
2025: ֏153b/֏155b ($378 million)
The spending part is in line with revenues and is mostly related to educational, environmental, and construction projects. Yerevan's own revenues are expected to be ֏43b.
Budget revenues will see an increase in almost all categories. A significant portion of additional revenues will come from the property tax.
source,

Yerevan council member calls security on a fellow member: check if he is carrying a gun 🍿

So here is the deal. Last year, unknown assailants broke into a ruling faction member's house and stabbed him 11 times. He believes the attack was related to his work activities. Sometimes later, apparently, he claimed that a fellow councilwoman was somehow involved in the attack [I don't have the full details]. They don't get along with each other.
During today's Council session, out of fear for her safety, the councilwoman asked the security personnel to check to make sure he [attack victim] did not have a gun on him.
"There are sufficient checks," said the administration.
source, source, source, [other]

Yerevan will install memorial plaques in multiple locations dedicated to famous figures

They will be dedicated to actor Karen Janibekyan, academic Prof. Sergey Hambardzuumyan, architect Levon Hovhannisyan, poet Yeghishe Charents, and vulcanologist Sergey Karapetyan.
source,

Yerevan will import hundreds of medium and short buses soon

165 units of 8.5-meter buses and 30 trolleys will arrive this year. They will acquire another 87 units of longer 12-meter buses [likely German MAN] by the end of 2023.

Yerevan public transit will have a unified payment system that includes subway and 946 ground vehicles

They hired the WYG analytical company to create a new development plan for public transit. It envisages a unified payment system. You can use QR codes and NFC to buy tickets for 1-time use or by hours.
A public tender was organized late last year to select a company for the implementation, but the deal apparently did not go through. The city will re-announce the tender soon.
For now, the fare system will include the subway and ground transport. Later they could add airport transport and buses that connect provinces to Yerevan.
It will take a year to implement the system.
Routes are being changed as well. The goal is to ensure that you can travel from point A to point B with one bus, or up to two (e.g. Silikyan district).
source, source, source, source,

Armenia and Bulgaria will launch an economic chamber to promote trade

A memorandum was signed in Bulgaria on Tuesday to establish the Trade and Economic Chamber to promote AM-BG trade. It will focus on mechanical engineering, the production of composite materials, trade, canned goods, pharmaceuticals, tourism, and the green economy.
Gagik Makaryan: Bulgaria is interesting for us as an important transport logistical hub, as a producer of composite materials used in road construction, shipbuilding, and nuclear energy. Bulgaria is interested in our pharmaceutical, tourism, and other areas. //
A business forum will be held in Bulgaria tomorrow. Around 6% of Armenian exports go to Bulgaria today.

... Bulgaria is our door to Europe, and supports the creation of a corridor between Persian Gulf and Black Sea: President Khachaturyan

Khachaturyan: Bulgaria is a reliable partner for Armenia in the field of increasing the mutual connectivity of the region. Bulgaria is also a friendly door that is open for the export of Armenian production to Europe.
The Armenian side is interested in improving and developing the infrastructures uniting the two countries, including the establishment of direct air communication between the two capitals.
In this context, the operation of direct flights from Yerevan to Bulgaria’s coastal cities during summer was a successful example.
I highly appreciate also the support of the Bulgarian side in the process of creating a Persian Gulf-Black Sea international transport corridor. //

... we support the relations between Armenia and the EU: President Radev

Rumen Radev: Stability in South Caucasus is important to us. There can be no prosperity without stability. We also support the relations between Armenia and the EU. We performed a review of the bilateral relations and we are convinced that we should do much more to develop the huge potential.

... Bulgaria supports Armenia's internationally recognized borders

Deputy FM Hovhannisyan: We highly appreciate the respect for Armenia's borders recorded in the joint statement of the presidents of Armenia and Bulgaria. It should be understood in the context of the latest aggression by Azerbaijan, as well as the fact that Bulgaria supports the sending of an EU observation mission.
Special emphasis was placed on cooperation with the EU because Bulgaria is one of our traditional supporters. As a NATO member country, Bulgaria also plays a big role in security issues. //
source, source, source, source, source,

judiciary reforms: Yerevan to have civil and criminal courts, shorter wait times

The lower court in Armenia, aka First Instance Court, includes the Yerevan City Court.
To address the issue of the courts being overloaded and slow, the Yerevan branch will convert into two courts: Criminal and Civil. The bill was drafted by Justice Ministry and it is yet to be approved by the government.
Yerevan courts are 4-10 times busier than their provincial counterparts.
2019: 34,000 cases
2020: 44,000
2021: 44,000
80% of cases are about relatively minor financial disputes under ֏2 million. They should be resolved within 3 months, but in practice, it takes much longer because of overload. These minor disputes "steal" time and resources from more serious trials.
The new Civil and Criminal courts will have at least 35 and 30 judges respectively, but the Government is expected to ask SJC to have more than the minimum, certainly no less than the number we have today, said the Ministry.
The efficiency will come from the fact that the court branches will be more "decentralized" and controlled by separate offices, which will have to deal with fewer judges.
continue, source,

new Arbitration Center is being established

Justice Ministry has formed a 26-member council, consisting of local and international experts, to help create Armenia's new Arbitration Center. The members can later apply to become arbiters.
source,

two medical centers will merge to "become competitive and revamp their facilities"

Yerevan administration: The Qanaqer-Zeytun and Levon Hovhannisyan Cardiology will merge and adopt the name "Yerevan" medical center. As a result, we will have a new versatile medical center.
The equipment at Levon Hovhannisyan Cardiology was acquired in the 1960s and is no longer in good shape. According to our estimates, the facility needs ֏1.8b for reconstruction, which they cannot afford, and therefore cannot be competitive. Next year, the newly merged center will receive ֏600m in modern equipment. No layoffs are planned.
source, source,

Armenia's first mountain bike park opens in Vanadzor PHOTO

Boo Mountain Park is a project by Emma Petrosyan and Vaghinak Karapetyan, co-financed by Germany and the EU.
Cyclists and pedestrians can enjoy the great scenery. The bike paths are free to use, as long as you bring your bike and helmet. You can rent one and visit the nearby զխկտվելանոց for food, that's what keeps the business going.
continue,

Armenia's weightlifter Gor Sahakyan is declared European U23 champion

The 67 kg chad lifted a combined 301 kg. A few days earlier, Rafik Minasyan won bronze in a different category.
source,

Armenia's wrestler Malkhas Amoyan is the European U23 champion

The 77 kg Gercoroman wrestler defeated his Moldovan opponent in the final. Hrachya Poghosyan won bronze in a different weight category.
source,

flow of Russians escaping mobilization has sharply declined, says Kazakhstan

Hundreds of thousands have fled to neighboring Kazakhstan after the announcement of mobilization in Russia. The country reports that the daily number of Russians leaving the country (11k) now surpasses the arrivals (9k).
source,

gas prices drop to $1,200 in Europe, for the first time since June 15

Dutch gas futures are trading at €113 per MWh, down from August's €275.
Why? The EU has done a decent job with filling its gas reserves, the weather appears to be mild, wind power is gaining popularity.
Brent oil is $89.
source, source, [redacted](economy/1524101)

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