Read daily news summary for February 6 here.


Search operations for the casualties halted again will resume tomorrow

Search operations for the casualties of the 2020 war in the territories outside the control of Artsakh were halted again, the spokesperson for the Artsakh State Service of Emergency Situations told Armenpress.

“The reason is the change of shift in the Azerbaijani army happening today. The operations will resume tomorrow,” Hunan Tadevosyan said. The total number of retrieved bodies that were found from the combat zones of the 2020 war since the hostilities ended stands at 1367.

5 POWs returned to Armenia and 1 prisoner was returned to Baku today through the mediation of the Russian side.

Azerbaijani media launch organized attacks against Armenian Human Rights Defender

The Armenian Human Rights Defender's Office reports that the Azerbaijani media have launched organized attacks against Arman Tatoyan, Armenia’s Human Rights Defender.

According to the press release, the attacks are accompanied with extreme insults against him, threats and hatred. The Ombudsman received threats also by personal messages.

Those attacks are connected with the Ombudsman's statements in regards of human rights violations in the process of determining the borders of the Republic of Armenia, the appearance of Azerbaijani soldiers (flags and signs) in the Syunik region of the Republic of Armenia and Azerbaijani provocations against civilians.

Moreover, the statements of the Defender are openly falsified, after which they are subjected to manipulative speculations.

Tatoyan considers absolutely condemnable these manipulative attacks of the Azerbaijani media, which are carried out with the participation of politicians, personal correspondence and falsify the real statements of the Defender, provoke new hostility and hatred against Armenians.

Armenia high tech industry records 20,6% growth

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and the war, the Armenian high-tech industry’s turnover grew 20,6% in 2020, amounted to around 198 billion drams, the Minister of High Tech Industry Hakob Arshakyan said in a press conference.

Arshakyan mentioned more statistics. The number of employees working in the sector grew 22%, reaching 18,747. The number of active companies also grew։ 1228 active companies, and 192 new ones received certifications in 2020.

Speaking about startups of Armenian origin which operate scientific-research centers in Armenia, Arshakyan said that these companies have attracted nearly 50 million dollars in investments in 2020, mostly from abroad.  “This means that they created science-based products and companies in Armenia which were able to record the kind of results that became interesting for venture investors and other investors,” Arshakyan said.

Two more highlights: the Minister said that 5 ventilators made in Armenia are already ready, clinical trials will soon be conducted, and the loitering munitions are successfully passing the state testing in some cases and the process will be followed by military tests.

Other news from Armenia and Artsakh

• Lilit Tadevosyan was elected as president of the Court of Cassation of the Republic of Armenia. 103 MPs participated in the voting - 102 voted in favor and 1 against. She was nominated to the post by the Supreme Judicial Council.
• Armenian President Armen Sarkissian, now being treated for the coronavirus in London, is expected to return to Yerevan later this week.
• A consultation chaired by PM Nikol Pashinyan and Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan took place on large infrastructure projects to be implemented in Artsakh. The future programs, their financial allocations and further steps were outlined, said the Armenian PM’s spokesperson Mane Gevorgyan.
• Azerbaijani authorities did not permit a group of Armenian pilgrims to enter Dadivank monastery. From now on they demand to receive the list of the pilgrims’ names beforehand. “Previously, the Azerbaijani side was demanding only the number of pilgrims heading to Davdivank, and the number was to be no more than 30 persons,” the Prelate of the Diocese of Artsakh of the Armenian Apostlich Church Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan told Armenpress.
• For the preservation of the rest of the monuments left behind after the 2020 war: The Armenian Minister of Education and Science Vahram Dumanyan discussed the issue at a meeting with United Nations Resident Coordinator in Armenia Shombi Sharp. Dumanyan said that Armenia expects the support of international organizations, particularly the UN, in the preservation of the historical and cultural heritage under Azerbaijani control due to the war in 2020.
  
  

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