Daily News Summary

Daily News Summary [01.02.2022-02.02.2022]

The participation of the Armenian side in in the Antalya Diplomatic Forum is still being discussed Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan stated during today's press conference that he and Armenian Special Representative in the Armenia-Turkey dialogue process Ruben Rubinyan are invited to participate in the Antalya Diplomatic Forum. At the same time, Mirzoyan informed that a final decision on this issue has not been made yet. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia has not yet made a decision on this issue, the issue is being discussed. I want to note that this is not a bilateral visit, it should not be considered in a bilateral context. This is an international diplomatic event that Armenia may decide to participate in. I do not see any problem here, and besides I think that even if we connect it with the Armenia-Turkey dialogue, it has nothing but positive shades,” Mirzoyan said. Vahagn Khachaturian is the presidential candidate of "Civil Contract" At least a quarter of the total number of MPs nominated Vahagn Khachaturyan as a candidate for President of the Republic of Armenia. Political forces have 4 days to nominate candidates. The opposition “Armenia” and “I Have the Honor” factions of the Parliament continue discussions over the issue on whether nominating or not nominating a candidate for the President of the Republic. “I cannot say anything about the decision yet, but the discussions continue, and we will keep informed about the decision on nominating or not nominating a candidate for the president within the proper timeframes”, MP from the “Armenia” faction Gegham Manukyan told Armenpress. Asked whether discussions over this matter were held with the “I Have the Honor” faction, the lawmaker said official discussions have not taken place yet. Other News On February 1, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko and the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus Toivo Klaar discussed issues of security and stability in the South Caucasus, as well as the settlement process between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs is an international format that has been created with a unique mandate to find a political solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan stated this at today's press conference. Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Mher Grigoryan and Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Aleksey Overchuk discussed prospects for the restoration of transport communications in the South Caucasus region.

23:48 - 02 February, 2022

Daily News Summary [31.01.2022]

After the April war, the proposals of the co-chairs in no way violated the red lines that we have always had. Serzh Sargsyan touched upon Pashinyan's statements The third President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, gave an interview to TV host David Sargsyan regarding the negotiation process on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. Referring to Nikol Pashinyan's statement that after the 2016 April war, Nagorno-Karabakh lost all theoretical and practical possibilities of secession from Azerbaijan, Serzh Sargsyan said: "After the April war we received proposals from the Co-Chairs. And those proposals in no way violated the red lines that we’ve always had. Firstly, it was issue of self-determination of Nagorno-Karabakh, secondly, the existence of a land border between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, thirdly, recognition of the authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh as legitimately elected people by the international community, and such numerous aspects, which in one place were called the interim status of Nagorno-Karabakh, in one place were called temporary status, in one place were called recognized status, and fourthly, security guarantees." "No declaration was signed or adopted in Kazan. That was the last document that was called a working document. After that, there was no document, no proposal from the co-chairs, where the provisions of the Kazan document were not protected. After Kazan, we didn’t agree to any document and didn’t express any opinion. We said that since we were ready to sign the document approved by you (ed.- the co-chairs), if you have any changes, coordinate them with Azerbaijan, and if they agree to accept those proposals as a basis, then we will respond," Sargsyan said answering a question about the negotiations in Kazan. US Ambassador to Armenia reaffirmed that the process related to the status of Nagorno-Karabakh should be carried out under the mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group On January 31, Deputy Prime Minister Hambartsum Matevosyan received a delegation headed by US Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia Lynne Tracy, office of the Deputy Prime Minister reports. On the issue of a final and comprehensive solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Deputy Prime Minister noted the importance of the role and mission of the United States as a co-chair country of the OSCE Minsk Group. Ambassador Tracy agreed with the Deputy Prime Minister noting that the issue of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh has not been resolved, and this process should be carried out under the mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs. It’s not nice for us to make any comments today․ Vahagn Khachaturyan on his possible presidential candidacy Vahagn Khachaturyan, the Minister of High-Tech Industry, touched upon the rumors that he is a presidential candidate from the "Civil Contract" faction. "Since at the moment there is no decision of the President of NA, which terminates the powers of the president, this conversation should take place tomorrow, and it’s not nice for us to make any comments today. He still has the opportunity, he can withdraw his application," Vahagn Khachaturyan told journalists.

00:44 - 01 February, 2022

Daily News Summary [28.01.2022]

Armenia celebrates 30th anniversary of the formation of the Armed Forces January 28 is the day of the formation of the Armenian Armed Forces. 30 years ago, the independent Republic of Armenia, together with the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, undertook the creation of the national army. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has sent a congratulatory message on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the formation of the Armenian Armed Forces. "Today we are following the path of systemic reforms aimed at further development of the Armed Forces, estimating what we’ve done, the advantages and problems. Armenia will have a professional army, and the government will carry out this work tirelessly, without pessimism, with optimism on the way to building our future security environment," the message reads. Regardless of the situation, our Army has been and remains the guarantor and protector of our security and identity, Armenian President Armen Sarkissian said in a message on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the formation of the Armenian Armed Forces․ "Together with all of you, I look forward to our captive compatriots. We must continue our efforts to return them home and quickly find the missing. We must all be united with the Army, keep its back strong, strengthen it, and consolidate around the army," the message reads. The Russian Embassy in Armenia congratulated Armenia and all its citizens on the Army Day. In a statement the Embassy said that the Armed Forces of Armenia and its servicemen are the real sons of their homeland, distinguished by their bravery and courage. "They are the ones who proudly continue the glorious military traditions of the generation of the Great Patriotic War heroes, who have jointly made our common victory”, the Embassy said. “In our today’s complex, rapidly changing world full of different challenges, the effective cooperation of the Armed Forces of Russia and Armenia is one of the inseparable elements of the entire complex of the Armenian-Russian allied relations. The bilateral strategic cooperation in military sector plays a vital role in the protection of the national interests and sovereignty of our countries," Armenpress reports. RA MoD denies shooting in the direction of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia reports that the information spread by the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan that on January 27, units of the Armenian Armed Forces opened fire on Azerbaijani combat positions located on the north-eastern direction of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border is disinformation. In fact, on January 27 at around 22:00 on that direction of the border, the Azerbaijani side opened several irregular shots, to which the Armenian units didn’t respond. Other News Marukyan considers it not serious to discuss his candidacy for the post of President of the Republic of Armenia. During the search operations in Varanda (Fizuli) region remains of an Armenian serviceman were found and evacuated, State Service of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Artsakh reports. The Armenian side has not yet clarified which of the demarcation and delimitation proposals is unacceptable to Baku, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan told journalists.

22:42 - 28 January, 2022

Daily News Summary [27.01.2022]

Cavusoglu spoke about the invitation of Ararat Mirzoyan and Ruben Rubinyan to the diplomatic forum in Antalya Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu touched upon the diplomatic forum in Antalya, stressing that the invitation to participate in the forum was also received by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and the Special Representative for normalization of Armenia-Turkey relations Ruben Rubinyan․ "The other day, Prime Minister Pashinyan said that they can take part in the forum․ That is, the people we invited can participate․ We will be glad, because Azerbaijan is also coming. Azerbaijan can express its opinion and Armenia can express its opinion," Cavusoglu said. MP from "Civil Contract" party Eduard Aghajanyan said that there is no final decision yet about the participation of Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Vice Speaker of Parliament Ruben Rubinyan, who is Armenia’s special envoy for the dialogue process with Turkey, to the Antalya Diplomacy Forum. When asked to comment on the statement of Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu that Ararat Mirzoyan and Ruben Rubinayn will attend the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in March this year, Mr Aghajanyan said: “As of this moment there is no final decision about the participation”. Peace treaty is the ultimate goal, but it's too early to talk about it. Eduard Aghajanyan Armenia has always stated its positive attitude towards advancing the peace agenda in the region, Eduard Aghajanyan said. "The ultimate goal is the peace treaty, which, as a result of long and comprehensive discussions, in a logic acceptable to both sides, should be published in the form of a text and be accessible to the public of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Right now we are talking about a peace treaty about which there was no detailed discussion in any format," Aghajanyan said. Other News The "Civil Contract" faction doesn’t yet have any decision regarding the nomination of a presidential candidate, Eduard Aghajanyan said. On January 26, servicemen of the Azerbaijani military deployed in positions adjacent to the Karmir Shuka village of Artsakh’s Martuni region opened irregular small arms fire into the air, not at the village, the Chief of the General Department of Information of the Artsakh presidency Vahram Poghosyan told Armenpress. Armenians and Iranians - two neighbors and friendly nations having millennia-old historical ties - are marking the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between their modern states – the Republic of Armenia and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

22:42 - 27 January, 2022

Daily News Summary [23-24.01.2022]

Armenian President resigns. Pashinyan found out about it a few hours before it went public Armenian President Armen Sarkissian has announced that he has decided to resign. "I thought for a very long time and decided to resign from the post of President of the Republic of Armenia after four years of active work. This decision is absolutely not emotional and comes from a certain logic. The President doesn’t have the necessary tools to influence the fundamental processes of domestic and foreign policy of the country in these difficult times. At this difficult stage for our country, when national unity is needed, the presidential institute should not become the target of gossip and conspiracy theories, thereby distracting the attention of society from the most important problems," the statement of Armen Sarkissian reads. Alen Simonyan, President of the National Assembly of Armenia, said that Armenian President has a week to withdraw his resignation application. "If the President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian does not withdraw his application for resignation, then a protocol shall be made on the termination of his powers, which shall be signed and promulgated by the President of the National Assembly. The resignation shall be deemed adopted from the moment of promulgation of the protocol." Seyran Ohanyan, the leader of "Armenia" (Hayastan) faction, commented on the resignation of the President. "Armen Sarkissian's resignation allows us to say that serious internal and external processes may begin, which is a blow to the Republic of Armenia, and he avoids all this," Ohanyan told journalists at a briefing. When asked if the "Armenia" (Hayastan) faction is going to nominate a presidential candidate, Ohanyan replied: "I can say that his resignation is possibility for new presidential elections, and our alliance has something to say in these elections. After the discussion, we will inform about it. I believe that the person who has great authority not only in Armenia, but also in the Diaspora should be elected President of the Republic," Ohanyan said. Nikol Pashinyan said that he found out about it a few hours before the announcement. "I found out about it (Armen Sarkissian's resignation -ed.) 3,5 hours before publication. He called me a few hours before and we talked. I asked if he was discussing the issue with me, or telling me that he had made a decision. I tried to understand whether there is a possibility to discuss this decision or not, after which the president said that he had made a decision." Pashinyan answered questions about establishing relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan at online press conference "Do we want to open the Armenia-Turkey border? Yes, we are sincere in that position. It did not happen then (In 2009 - ed.), now we must try to take into account the previous experience," Nikol Pashinyan said. Answering the question to what extent it is possible for Turkey to put forward preconditions for the normalization of relations again, Pashinyan emphasized. "Yes, there were no preconditions in the Armenian-Turkish protocols of 2009, but later preconditions appeared. We cannot guarantee that this will not happen again. We need to understand how interested the parties are. The process is transparent from the very beginning of the political negotiations. This has never been the case before." The Armenian PM mentioned that they have no secrets from the public. "Our policy will be in the realm of public announcements. But constantly leaking working information will not benefit the process." One of the questions at online press conference of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was about the latest statement by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev․ "We don't want a third war, we have no such plans, we want Armenia to finally recognize the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, but if we see that there is a threat to us, that threat will be destroyed." The journalist asked whether Armenia is going to recognize the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. "Recently, an analyst voiced a very important remark during our discussion. He drew attention to the fact that the statements made from Azerbaijan are similar to the statements made in Armenia after 1994. For example, when Azerbaijan makes a statement that the Nagorno-Karabakh issue has been resolved, this analyst drew my attention to the fact that after 1994, for decades, statements were made from Armenia and Artsakh that the Nagorno-Karabakh issue was resolved," Pashinyan said. "Much has been said about the signing of a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan․ We also believe that a peace treaty should be signed between Armenia and Azerbaijan, but before signing, that document should be formed, it is a result of negotiations. Those negotiations must take place. Yes, Armenia is ready for negotiations," Pashinyan added. Other News Kristine Grigoryan elected Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia

23:14 - 24 January, 2022

Daily News Summary [20.01.2022]

The Armenian side has no preconditions for delimitation Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said that Yerevan's preconditions for the start of delimitation process are unacceptable for Baku. At the same time, at yesterday's meeting with OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid in Vienna, the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister stressed that delimitation is an important component of the settlement of relations, and Baku stands for the immediate and unconditional start of the process. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia reacted to the statement of Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov that Yerevan's preconditions on the issue of the beginning of delimitation are unacceptable for Baku. "I think there is some misunderstanding on the issue. The Armenian side has no preconditions for delimitation. We are speaking about the arrangements. The trilateral statement adopted by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, the President of the Russian Federation and the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Sochi on November 26 reads that the sides agreed to "undertake steps towards increasing security and stability on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border and to take the matter to the establishment of a bilateral delimitation and demarcation commission." This arrangement was reiterated and an agreement on the withdrawal of troops was reached on December 14 during a trilateral meeting of the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Brussels, mediated by the President of the European Council. Accordingly the proposals of the Armenian side are not about preconditions, but the implementation of the agreements reached. The Republic of Armenia believes that the delimitation process should launch soon, in accordance with the above-mentioned agreements," RA MFA spokesperson Vahan Hunanyan said. Çavuşoğlu invited Armenia to take part in the diplomatic forum in Antalya Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu invited Armenia to participate in the diplomatic forum in Antalya․ "We invite everyone from all around the world. We want everyone's voice to be heard. We also invited our neighboring countries - Armenia, Greece, the Greek part of Cyprus, Israel, Egypt. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in his turn, has sent invitations to the heads of several countries of the world, now we are waiting for answers," Çavuşoğlu said. Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan has received and continues receiving invitations to participate in different events, including the Antalya Diplomacy Forum this year, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson Vahan Hunanyan said in response to the question of ARMENPRESS, relating to the statement of the Turkish foreign minister according to which Armenia is invited to the Antalya Diplomacy Forum. "The Foreign Ministry of Armenia is discussing the appropriateness of the minister’s participation to the aforementioned events in accordance with the respective procedures. The public will be properly informed about the decisions to be made," he said. Other news Armenia expects that the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group will visit the region because it has been recorded by the international community that the Nagorno Karabakh conflict is not solved, and the OSCE Minsk Group is an important platform for the resolution, Secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan told reporters today. Cavusoglu said that the measures for normalizing relations with Armenia are on the agenda. As a co-chair country of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia promotes the continuation of the work of this format in accordance with its mandate, as well as taking into account the regional realities that emerged after 2020, Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian MFA said at a briefing.

22:00 - 20 January, 2022

Daily News Summary [19.01.2022]

FM commented on the package of measures aimed at de-escalating the situation that the Armenian side has prepared Today, during the Q&A with the Government at the National Assembly, the MP of the "Civil Contract" faction Hripsime Grigoryan reminded the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan of the statement of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Sergey Lavrov, according to which the Armenian side has new proposals regarding the border demarcation commission. "The Armenian side has prepared a package of measures aimed at de-escalating the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, reducing tensions, increasing security and stability, and has handed it over to both the Russian side and with the mediation of Russian side to Azerbaijan and other partners. Now we are waiting for an answer. I can't publish the details and it doesn't really make sense. I can only say that they proceed from our previously announced concept of a mirrored withdrawal of troops, and the creation of additional security mechanisms," Mirzoyan said. Last week, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, in an interview with Azerbaijani TV channels, threatened to suppress the attempts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to address the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh. "They shouldn’t deal with the Karabakh conflict, because it has been solved. We solved it instead of them. Azerbaijan will fail the attempts of the OSCE Minsk Group to deal with the Karabakh conflict. We’ve been a party to this conflict," Aliyev said in particular. During the Q&A session with the government in the National Assembly, MP of the "Civil Contract" faction Sargis Khandanyan asked how the RA MFA is going to respond to this statement. In response, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan noted that it's not the first time that the leadership of Azerbaijan makes unconstructive statements, which hinders the discussion of existing problems in a constructive atmosphere and finding acceptable solutions. Azerbaijan is trying to prevent, but I don't think the co-chairs will give in to it, one day they should visit the region. FM of Artsakh 2021 is a special year for our country, as it was a period of recovery from a severe catastrophe, the third Artsakh War, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh David Babayan said this at a press conference, summing up the results of the activities and work done by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh in 2021. "The most important obstacle is Azerbaijan, which is trying to prevent or complicate their (Minsk Group Co-Chairs - ed.) visit to the region. You know that the President of the Republic of Artsakh held a meeting with the newly appointed Co-Chair of Russia, and I also took part in that meeting. We highly appreciate it. We discussed various issues. One day the Co-Chairs should visit the region, especially since they want to. We recently saw the statement of the President of Azerbaijan, and according to that logic, the Minsk Group should be closed, but I don't think the Co-Chair countries will give in to this," Babayan said. Other news 32 years ago, on January 13-19, 1990 a systematic and mass massacre of the Armenian population was carried out in Baku with apparent permission and support of the Azerbaijani authorities. Hundreds of Armenians were killed, dispossessed and hundreds of thousands of Armenians tortured during the week-long atrocities. The Human Rights Defender of Artsakh has issued the following statement. The total number of servicemen and civilians killed as a result of the 44-day war is 3 809, Investigative Committee reports.

23:07 - 19 January, 2022

Daily News Summary [18.01.2022]

The opposition factions are not against normalization of relations with Turkey The opening of the Armenian-Turkish border and the settlement of Armenian-Turkish relations should be considered in a package, Ishkhan Saghatelyan, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, said this in an interview with journalists. "In general, we are not against establishing relations with Turkey, but the problem is at what cost and at what expense. We believe that these authorities are unable to protect the interests of the Republic of Armenia. If they say that there were negotiations with Turkey in the past, then there were also negotiations with Azerbaijan in the past, but there were no concessions and losses," Saghatelyan said. Turkey has openly stated its preconditions, Tigran Abrahamyan, MP of "I Have Honor" (Pativ Unem), stated this in an interview with journalists. "Turkey has added the so-called "Zangezur Corridor" to its traditional preconditions. And to assure society that in reality the process takes place without preconditions, to put it mildly, in no way corresponds to reality. Even if Turkey is supportive for a while and shows that life has changed in Armenia, in reality it will have a very short-term result, because for the purposes of Turkey and Azerbaijan, the task is not to build economic relations, but to achieve their political and strategic interests," Abrahamyan said. Other News There were no conversations with the Special Representative of Turkey on the Armenian Genocide, Ruben Rubinyan, Deputy Speaker of NA, Special Representative of Armenia for the normalization of relations with Turkey, stated this in an interview with Karlen Aslanyan. As a result of search operations remains of a serviceman were found and evacuated in the Jrakan (Jabrail) region, the State Service of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Artsakh reports. The Polish OSCE Chairmanship reiterates its full support to the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, the OSCE Polish Chairmanship said in response to an inquiry from ARMENPRESS when asked to comment on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s threats to “pressure” the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs’ attempts to deal with the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement – its mandate.

23:19 - 18 January, 2022

Daily News Summary [17.01.2022]

Parliament adjourns as shouting match erupts between lawmakers |armenpress.am| The quarrel began after the opposition MPs accused Rubinyan – who is the Special Representative for Dialogue with Turkey – in being an agent of influence of Turkey. He strongly denied these accusations. Then, the Vice Speaker Hakob Arshakyan took the floor to again address the matter. "I’d like to inform our opposition colleagues, that to try and label a man, to connect the fact of him having been in any given country during the revolution or in any given period of time with being an agent of influence is the same as accusing someone of being an agent just because of their surname. Please look among yourselves, you might find a suspicion surname," Arshakyan said. Ruben Rubinyan, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia and Special Representative of Armenia for normalization of relations with Turkey, addressed a number of questions of opposition MPs regarding the meeting with the Special Representative of Turkey Serdar Kilic on January 14. According to Rubinyan, in the history of Armenia, negotiations with Turkey took place under all presidents․ "And in different formats, under Levon Ter-Petrosyan, under Robert Kocharyan, under Serzh Sargsyan. And what do you think, what percent of these negotiations was secret and what was open? It was more secret than open. For example, the football diplomacy, dear colleagues, the public part of which began during the presidency of Serzh Sargsyan, do you think that the non-public part of this process began during the presidency of Serzh Sargsyan? No, the beginning was laid during the presidency of Robert Kocharyan. The question is whether there were secret processes between Armenia and Turkey and why during the presidency of Robert Kocharyan it wasn't made public? Since the establishment of independence, and since Turkey closed its borders with Armenia, its position has always been that they advocate the establishment of relations without preconditions and the opening of borders, Deputy Speaker of the NA Hakob Arshakyan stated this at the National Assembly, referring to the question of the MP from the "Armenia" (Hayastan) faction Agnesa Khamoyan. Other news Parliament convenes first session of 2022, confirmation hearing of next Ombudsman expected |armenpress.am|

21:54 - 17 January, 2022

Daily News Summary [14.01.2022]

20:35 - 14 January, 2022

Daily News Summary [13.01.2022]

Russia is concerned about escalation of the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border The spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova touched upon the recent events on the Armenian-Azerbaijani eastern border, which led to the death of three Armenian servicemen. She noted that the Russian side is seriously concerned about aggravation of the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and calls on the parties to refrain from using force and resolve issues exclusively through political and diplomatic means. 4 Azerbaijani servicemen captured a resident of Tegh community and 400-450 sheep. Human Rights Defender of Armenia The Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia received a alarms that 4 Azerbaijani servicemen have criminally abducted a resident of Tegh village of Syunik region of the Republic of Armenia and his sheep. "According to alarms, the resident of Armenia grazed his sheep in a pasture located at the intersection of the villages of Tegh, Aravus and Khnatsakh. At around 15:30, 4 Azerbaijani servicemen, noticing a civilian from Armenia, descended from their positions 150 meters away and led him to their side with the use of force. It also refers to the abduction of 400-450 sheep together with the resident. According to the additional clarification, representatives of the border service of Russia have been informed about the incident and are working on the return of the citizen of the Republic of Armenia and his sheep. The crimes of Azerbaijani servicemen against the civilians of the Republic of Armenia, which happen almost every day make it impossible for people to live a normal life, deprive them of the opportunity to earn family income, engage in agriculture, and create social problems." Nikol Pashinyan holds phone talk with Kassym-Jomart Tokayev Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a telephone conversation with the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The President of Kazakhstan provided information on the normalization of the situation in the country. In this context, the sides referred to the end of the CSTO peacekeeping mission in Kazakhstan and the withdrawal of troops. Other News At an extraordinary session of the Council of Defense Ministers of the CSTO countries on January 13, the results of the operation of the peacekeeping forces in Kazakhstan were discussed. On January 13, Alen Simonyan met with the President Armen Sarkissian. The external and internal challenges facing the country were discussed at the meeting. Alen Simonyan discussed agenda themes of the Armenian-American cooperation with the U.S. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia Lynne Tracy.

23:54 - 13 January, 2022

Daily News Summary [12.01.2022]

The body of an Armenian serviceman was found in the zone of intense skirmis The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia reported the death of another Armenian servicemen as a result of the lastest provocation of the Azerbaijani side. "In the zone of intense skirmish, which began after the provocation committed on January 11 by Azerbaijani subdivisions in the eastern direction of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, on the same day at midnight, the body of an RA Armed Forces serviceman, private Vahan Vachagan Babayan (born in 2003) was found with a fatal gunshot wound. The condition of the two wounded servicemen is stable, nothing threatens their lives," the statement reads. OSCE and EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus expressed readiness to work with Armenia and Azerbaijan to establish peace in the region OSCE calls on Azerbaijan and Armenia to refrain from the use of force and engage in a meaningful dialogue to settle the dispute around Nagorno Karabakh, the Polish OSCE Chairmanship told ARMENPRESS, when asked to present its assessment of the January 11 deadly Azerbaijani attack on Armenian military positions. "Poland as OSCE Chair is committed to working with partners to renew and strengthen our efforts aimed at establishing lasting peace and promoting sustainable development in the region. We will support the effort of the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group in this regard," the Polish OSCE Chairmanship said. Toivo Klaar, EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia, expressed concern over renewed incidents and casualties on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. "It's important for the sides to de-escalate and make full use of available mechanisms, in particular the hotline between MoDs established under EU auspices in November 2021. The EU is ready to work with sides for a distancing of forces and I reiterate readiness to provide additional support in working with Armenia and Azerbaijan on border delimitation and demarcation," Klaar wrote on Twitter. Aliyev claimed that Baku will continue to "undermine the attempts of the OSCE Minsk Group to deal with the Karabakh conflict" "I don’t know what the OSCE Minsk Group is doing. I can only tell what they shouldn't be doing. They shouldn’t deal with the Karabakh conflict, because it has been solved. We solved it instead of them. Azerbaijan will fail the attempts of the OSCE Minsk Group to deal with the Karabakh conflict. We’ve been a party to this conflict. If one of the parties says that the conflict has been resolved, then there is no place for mediation. As far as I know, there is no unity between the co-chairs as before. They have different views on the past conflict and the current situation," Aliyev said. Other news Pashinyan and Putin discussed the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh in a phone call. President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that the start of the withdrawal of the CSTO peacekeeping forces is scheduled for Thursday. We welcome the reports of calm in the city of Almaty that we’ve heard in recent hours and over the course of the past day, Ned Price, the Spokesperson for the United States Department of State, told reporters.

23:21 - 12 January, 2022

Daily News Summary [11.01.2022]

The Azerbaijani Armed Forces opened fire in the direction of Verin Shorzha. 2 servicemen were killed, 2 are wounded On January 11, the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia reported, that at around 15:15, units of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces opened fire on Armenian combat positions located in Verin Shorzha of Gegharkunik region as a result of which one serviceman was wounded. At around 17:30, units of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces resumed firing in the direction of the Armenian positions located in the eastern direction of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, using also artillery and UAVs. Later the Ministry of Defense reported, that as a result of provocations by Azerbaijani units in the eastern direction of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, servicemen Artur Mkhitaryan (born in 2002) and Rudik Gharibyan (born in 2002) were killed and two other servicemen are wounded. According to RA MoD, as of 21:00, the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border is relatively stable. The Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia issued a statement sayin that the fire is being carried out mainly from the Azerbaijani positions, located in the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia; these are incursions of May 2021. These locations are in the immediate vicinity of the villages of Armenia; they are present in pastures, arable lands and grasslands that belong to people and their locations have no legal bases. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia strongly condemns today’s gross violation of the ceasefire regime by the Azerbaijani armed forces in the eastern direction of the border of the Republic of Armenia with the use of artillery and UAVs, as a result of which servicemen of the armed forces of Armenia Arthur Mkhitaryan and Rudik Gharibyan were fatally wounded and two servicemen were injured. "The Armenian side has repeatedly stated that one of the ways to avoid further escalation of the situation may be the mirrored withdrawal of troops from the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and introduction of an international monitoring mechanism along the border. We call on the Azerbaijani authorities to refrain from provocative actions and implement their commitment on establishing stability in the region undertaken as a result of the Brussels meeting and with the Trilateral Statement of Sochi," the statement of the RA MFA reads. Other news The situation at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border remains "not too tense" in the recent period, but authorities don’t rule out that tensions might happen at any moment, according to the Deputy Minister of Defense Arman Sargsyan. |armenpress.am| The number of Armenian peacekeepers who have left for Kazakhstan is not such to change the number of soldiers on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, Deputy Defense Minister Arman Sargsyan told reporters. On January 2, 2022, at around 14:00-15:00PM, when a resident of Lori province of Armenia was on his back from Artsakh with his wife and 3-year-old child with in his Nissan Teana car, several Azerbaijani armed servicemen with aggressive behavior pointed their guns towards his car, yelled and threw a big stone at his car, Arman Tatoyan, the Human Rights Defender of Armenia reports. The President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev reported on the situation in Kazakhstan and steps to restore constitutional order in the country during a telephone conversation with the President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian.

23:49 - 11 January, 2022

Daily News Summary [7.01.2022]

Developments around the deployment of the CSTO peacekeeping contingent in Kazakhstan Whether the timeframes will be a matter of days or weeks will depend on the situation that will develop in Kazakhstan, and of course this will also depend on the Kazakh leadership’s position, CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas said in an interview with RIA Novosty, adding that the mission will be completed and the troops will be withdrawn if the local government were to consider the situation as stabilized. Secretary General Zas added that all CSTO member states have expressed readiness to participate with their units and the deployment started. "As of now, according to the decisions made it is about over 2500 troops. We will make decisions according to the situation. We have over 3600 men in the entire formations comprising the CSTO peacekeeping forces, if necessary we will enhance the formation in Kazakhstan." Stanislav Zas underscored that it doesn’t matter how many troops a given member-state has sent. "It is a gesture which means readiness to support Kazakhstan. All CSTO member states have provided support. This is important for us," he said. Later the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia reported that the Armenian Armed Forces sent 100 servicemen to Kazakhstan as part of the CSTO peacekeeping forces. "During the mission, the peacekeeping unit of the Armenian Armed Forces will perform exclusively the functions of protecting buildings and infrastructures of strategic importance." Armen Grigoryan, the Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia commented on the decision of the Republic of Armenia to send peacekeepers to Kazakhstan. "When the Prime Minister of Armenia received information about the processes taking place in Kazakhstan, when he received the statement of President Tokayev, began consultations with the leaders of other CSTO countries. Everyone gave their assessments of the situation, and when Armenia made its decision, including as the chairman, at that time there were no more revolutionary processes there: there were already terrorist acts. Such a decision was made as part of the logic of ensuring stability and security," Grigoryan said. Pashinyan discussed the situation in Kazakhstan with Zas, Putin and Lukashenko The CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas informed Pashinyan about the details of the January 6 decision of the Collective Security Council aimed at solving the current situation in Kazakhstan. Zas and Pashinyan discussed the main tasks of the CSTO joint peacekeeping forces in Kazakhstan over the phone. On January 7, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Nikol Pashinyan and Vladimir Putin discussed the situation in Kazakhstan, as well as the implementation of joint steps within the framework of the CSTO. According to the Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Russian President Vladimir Putin didn't discuss the possibility of increasing the CSTO contingent in Kazakhstan. The press service of the President of Belarus informs that the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko held a telephone conversation with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Touching upon the activities of the CSTO peacekeeping forces in Kazakhstan, the leaders stressed that one of their main tasks is to prevent the penetration of armed gangs from outside into Kazakhstan. Other news Ahmet Davutoğlu, the former Turkish Prime Minister, called it concerning that Kazakhstan has to ask help from security organization chaired by Armenia. Pashinyan discussed a number of issues on the agenda of bilateral cooperation with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Vahan Hunanyan commented on whether the Armenian government is going to evacuate the Armenian citizens from Kazakhstan during the current violent unrest.

18:58 - 07 January, 2022

Daily News Digest [27.12.2021]

With his recent statements, the Prime Minister has questioned the Karabakh declaration, which is the basis for the existence of Karabakh. Robert Kocharyan The uncertainty regarding the security and future of Karabakh has remained the same during this year, but recently we have received certainty in connection with Armenia's position on the Karabakh settlement. It is already clear that if the Prime Minister says that since 2016 there has not even been a theoretical possibility for a status outside Azerbaijan, then this is, in fact, the position of the Republic of Armenia. This means that Armenia has washed its hands of Karabakh, and with these latest statements, the Prime Minister also, in fact, questioned the declaration on Karabakh, the declaration of September 2, which is the basis for the existence of Karabakh, the basis for its formation. Either they don't understand what they are doing, or they have planned this. [Robert Kocharyan] We are closely monitoring the situation in the South Caucasus and are in contact with the Armenian side. Zas The CSTO supports the intention, enshrined in the trilateral statement of November 26, to establish a bilateral commission between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the demarcation and delimitation of the border. We also welcome the steps taken by the Government of the Republic of Armenia aimed at a political and diplomatic settlement of the situation. We consider this the only way out. [CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas] At this moment, there are no agreed dates for the meeting of special representatives of Armenia and Turkey. RA MFA spox At this moment, there are no agreed dates for the meeting of special representatives of Armenia and Turkey. The possibility of holding the meeting in Moscow is being discussed. [spokesperson of the RA MFA] The first meeting of the envoys of Armenia and Turkey will take place in Moscow The first meeting of the special representatives to settle the Armenian-Turkish relations will take place in Moscow. We want the parties to have direct contacts before the meeting. Special representatives were appointed for direct dialogue. [Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu] PM Pashinyan to pay working visit to Russia Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will pay a working visit to the Russian Federation on December 28. The Prime Minister will take part in the informal meeting of the leaders of the CIS member states in St. Petersburg. We hope that in 2022 it will be possible to create completely new moods in Armenia and Artsakh - Nikol Pashinyan Our economy has gone through very difficult times, I hope we can already say it this way, because the coronavirus pandemic hit since 2020, which was a strong blow to the financial and economic system, followed by the second blow in the form of the war, and then the third blow - the domestic political crisis. We should state that during this entire period the banking sector of the Republic of Armenia, which had previously been able to withstand serious trials, successfully overcame this challenge, and this is extremely important not only for economic, but also for political and psychological stability. [Nikol Pashinyan] Coronavirus update On December 27 as of 11:00 in Armenia registered:Confirmed cases in total - 344 540 (+59)Recovered – 330 841 (+248)Active cases – 4 250Total tests – 2 540 319 (+4 669)Deaths – 7 950 (+7)Deaths, caused by other reasons – 1 499 (+1) [Ministry of Health]

23:58 - 27 December, 2021

Daily News Digest [24.12.2021]

Security Council session takes place Security Council session took place, chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Russian Foreign Ministry wishes "peace and patience" to Armenia and Azerbaijan |armenpress.am| I wish patience to Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as to all those experts who are working, including from the Russian side, to those who are directly controlling the situation. [Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova] Moscow describes EU-mediated meeting of Pashinyan and Aliyev as "development of trilateral agreements" of Sochi |armenpress.am| The entire complex of issues relating to the unblocking of transport and economic connections in South Caucasus, including the restoration of both railway and road connection is being discussed within the framework of this mechanism. Moscow welcomes international efforts aimed at the normalization of bilateral relations. But in this case it is very important to take into account regional realities, and consent of Yerevan and Baku. [Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova] Customs and border control will operate on both sides, which is acceptable both for Azerbaijan and for us, and we agreed to use the possibility of the railway. Nikol Pashinyan What we talked about railways in Brussels was a generalization of the conversation that began in Sochi, and there we stated the following: customs and border control will operate on both sides, which is acceptable both for us and Azerbaijan, and we agreed to use the possibility of the railway. [Nikol Pashinyan] Armenia returned recently captured two Azerbaijani servicemen to the Azerbaijani side without preconditions. Nikol Pashinyan Armenia returned recently captured two Azerbaijani servicemen to the Azerbaijani side without preconditions, Nikol Pashinyan said. "With our position, we have demonstrated our full commitment to international norms and rules." Coronavirus update On December 24 as of 11:00 in Armenia registered:Confirmed cases in total - 344 261 (+135)Recovered – 329 983 (+407)Active cases – 4 843Total tests – 2 522 916 (+6 236)Deaths – 7 939 (+3)Deaths, caused by other reasons – 1 496 (+1) [Ministry of Health]

23:25 - 24 December, 2021