Daily News Summary

Daily News Summary [30.05.2022]

Meeting between President Vahagn Khachaturyan and President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili took place President of the Republic of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan has arrived in Georgia today on an official visit. At the Shota Rustaveli Tbilisi International Airport, President Khachaturyan has been welcomed by Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia Levan Davitashvili, Deputy Foreign Minister of Georgia Lasha Darsalia, and other officials. At the residence of the President of Georgia, Orbeliani Palace, the official welcoming ceremony has taken place for President of the Republic of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan, who arrived in Georgia today on an official visit. The military orchestra has performed the state anthems of Armenia and Georgia. The Presidents of Armenia and Georgia have performed the inspection of the military orchestra and the guard of honor in the company of the commander of the guard of honor. After the official welcoming ceremony, President Vahagn Khachaturyan has written a note in the honorary guest book of the Georgian presidential palace. “I am glad to state that my first official visit in the capacity of the President of the Republic of Armenia is to the brotherly Georgia. I am certain that as Presidents of good neighborly states, we will make significant contributions to further strengthening and extending of the relations between the two countries,” wrote the President of Armenia. Afterwards, the private meeting took place between Presidents of Armenia and Georgia, Vahagn Khachaturyan and Salome Zourabichvili, which has been followed by the extended meeting of the delegations. Upon welcoming the official delegation of Armenia, President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili has stated that it is very appreciated that the visit takes place on the 30th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Georgia, a period that has been 30 years of close friendly relations between the two countries, and so it will continue. President Khachaturyan has thanked for the warm welcome and noted that Armenia attaches great importance to continuous development and strengthening of relations with neighborly Georgia, for which there are all pre-conditions. At the meeting, the parties have discussed matters related to Armenian-Georgian relations and the prospects of development. Both parties have underlined that there is large potential for increasing collaboration in various fields, particularly transport, communications, information technologies. The parties have touched on matters of security, political, and regional importance, and noted that the high level of relations between Armenia and Georgia is an important factor of security in the South Caucasus. Baku still continuous xenophobic rhetoric against Armenians, violations of the ceasefire. Interview of the Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan to “WION” Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan gave an interview to the leading Indian "WION" media outlet. The situation in our region remains volatile and tense. Aftershocks of the war unleashed by Azerbaijan against Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020 still affect Armenia and the whole region. Though large-scale hostilities were stopped after the Russian brokered ceasefire by November 9, 2020, Trilateral Statement of the leaders of Armenia, Russia, and Azerbaijan, many issues still remain unresolved, Mirzoyan said answering a question about the situation in the region. "There is still continuous xenophobic rhetoric against Armenians coming from the official Baku. There is still psychological terror being made on Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, like broadcasting through loudspeakers appeals to leave their homes threatening otherwise to force them to do so, or cutting gas supply during severe weather conditions. There are still violations of the ceasefire taking place around Nagorno-Karabakh. The latest case in point is the incursion of the Azerbaijani armed forces in Parukh village of Nagorno-Karabakh on March 24. Nevertheless, we think that peace, not war, is the solution, and Armenia continues its efforts aimed at establishing peace and stability in the region. We’ve repeatedly stated that we are ready to start negotiations on comprehensive peace with Azerbaijan, which will also include the lasting settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, including the protection of all rights of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh and its final status. During the meeting of leaders in Brussels on May 22, it was agreed to start work towards delimitation and security of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, finalize talks on opening the transport infrastructure in the region and work on preparation for comprehensive peace talks. If Azerbaijan demonstrates a constructive approach and refrains from creating hurdles along the way like they did many times before, I think we can move forward." Armenian Armed Forces units didn't fire at Azerbaijani positions, Azerbaijan spreads disinformation. RA MoD The message spread by the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan that on May 30, units of the Armenian Armed Forces fired at Azerbaijani combat positions located in the eastern direction of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border is disinformation, the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia reports.The situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border is relatively stable and is under the full control of the units of the RA Armed Forces.

08:19 - 31 մայիսի, 2022

Daily News Summary [15.02.2021]

Read daily news summary for February 14 here. Armenian citizen demanded nude photos from female relatives of missing servicemen The National Security Service of Armenia reported that an Armenian citizen, registered on Facebook with an Azerbaijani name "Aziz Muradov," got in touch with the female relatives of the soldiers who went missing during the 44-day war. Introducing himself as an Azerbaijani he provided false information about the whereabouts of the missing person and in return demanded nude photos/ videos from them, otherwise threatened to kill or use violence to their captive relatives. During the preliminary investigation, about a dozen victims were clarified, among those was a minor. The man has been arrested by the NSS of Armenia and has given testimonies. The described criminal acts are classified as particularly serious crimes, which are punishable by ten to twelve years in prison. Armenian Ombudsman posts a video of showing Azerbaijanis firing weapons towards Syunik Armenian Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan posted a video on his Facebook account showing Azerbaijani servicemen firing small and large-caliber weapons in the immediate vicinity of Armenia’s Syunik villages. “This video was recorded 2 days ago, at different times of the day, in the middle of Agarak and Yeghvard villages of Kapan community; the footage was captured by our perimeter guards at the lines of contact,” clarified Tatoyan. The Ombudsman reported that he periodically receives alerts about the anger and the concerns of residents of Kapan villages over the discharging of firearms by the Azerbaijani military on a regular basis. All of these once again confirm that in the immediate vicinity of Syunik communities, and on the roads connecting those communities, there should not be any Azerbaijani military forces. The presence of these forces seriously endangers the rights of Armenian civilians, disturbs their peace and peaceful life. Highlights from the interview of the Third president of Armenia The extended interview conducted with Serzh Sarkissian was aired today on ArmNews TV. “I have never been one of those who were telling they would not give up a piece of land, neither during our successes in the early 90s, nor during the 2000s. And from the very first days, when I was already the president, I was telling in different formats that I see the solution of this issue only through mutual concessions,” Sarkissian claimed. He also said that they were never negotiating “what we will give away, we were always negotiating what we will gain”. “But the negotiations for these people were the issue of giving or not giving, what is nonsense, nonsense which is typical for this kind of people in some sense. Our desire and our red line was that Nagorno Karabakh will never be a part of Azerbaijan. It was our red line, and we were defending this line up to 23 April 2018,” Serzh Sarkissian said. Other news from Armenia and Artsakh Armenian Foreign Minister Ara Aivazian will pay a working visit to Russia on Wednesday, February 17, the Armenian Foreign Ministry reports. During his trip, Aivazian will meet his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow. Anna Naghdalyan, spokesperson of the MFA Armenia answered to the question of ARMENPRESS, refuting the announcement of the Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev as if in the joint declaration there is special provision about creating a corridor linking Nakhichevan with Azerbaijan. “The 9th point of the November 9 trilateral declaration is about the unblocking of all regional infrastructures and this is the approach of Armenia for the future regional stability and cooperation. The mentioned point does not contain any idea of creating a corridor. Any road or communication passing through the territory of Armenia has always been and will be exclusively under the jurisdiction and sovereignty of Armenia,” Naghdalyan said. As reported last week, Armenian President Armen Sargsyan has returned to Yerevan from London. Sarkissian had travelled to England to spend New Years with family members and was later diagnosed with Covid-19. He was hospitalized in London after developing double pneumonia. New Artsakh Foreign Minister Babayan declared the Artsakh Republic must remain a geopolitical actor. “This is not only the key task for foreign policy but for the state-building process,” Babayan said. War participants held protests near the Armenian Defense Ministry, demanding to receive their military cards as they participated in the Artsakh war back in autumn. Meanwhile a large protest is promised by the candidate of the opposition for Prime Minister of Armenia. Vazgen Manukyan told reporters today, that “the police won’t use force because the rally on February 20 will be so large that there won’t be enough police troops.” The Seismic protection service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Armenia recorded a 2.3 magnitude earthquake in the depth of 10 km on February 15 at 18:21 local time 17 km south from Yerevan. Authorities are denying the online reports which claim that a major earthquake is going to hit Armenia. Crime in Yerevan decreased by 7.1% in 2020 when compared to 2019, Yerevan Prosecutor Sevak Hovhannisyan presented a recap of last year’s crime figures. Cases of home burglary in Yerevan in 2020 decreased by 31.3%. The decrease was explained by the fact that more people stayed home last year due to the coronavirus outbreak. In addition, 30% more apartment buildings were equipped with outside locks requiring a password for entrance. You can stay updated with the latest news from Armenia through our Telegram channel in English and Twitter page.

23:40 - 15 փետրվարի, 2021

Daily News Summary [13-14.02.2021]

Read daily news summary for February 12 here. Earthquakes in Armenia Two earthquakes hit Armenia in the last two days. The first one was registered on February 13 at 15.29 local time, 8 km away from Yerevan with a magnitude of 4.7. It was followed by 46 aftershocks, the Ministry of Emergency Situations reports. The earthquake was felt in Yerevan at an MMI of 5-6 and 3-4 in Aragatsotn, Ararat, Shirak, Armavir and Vayots Dzor Provinces. Another earthquake was registered on February 14 at 01:47 local time, 13 km south-west of Yerevan at a depth of 10 km, magnitude of 2.4. Some buildings were damaged as a result. The Emergency Ministry refutes rumors on strong earthquake risk in Yerevan. As of 21:00, February 13, 25 people applied to medical centers with different injuries following the earthquake, the spokesperson of Ministry of Healthcare reports. Among them was a pregnant woman, who was hospitalized and discharged later. Two more pregnant women were hospitalized during the night. There is neither risk to their health nor a risk of premature birth, the Healthcare Ministry reports. Serzh Sarkissian gave an interview to ArmNews TV What happened in the spring of 2018 was, in its essence, an anti-Karabakh movement. The third President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, said this in an extensive interview with ArmNews TV. Sargsyan spoke about the reasons for the Armenian side’s capitulation in the recent Artsakh war, the diplomatic, military and political failures of Armenia, and future-oriented plans. Armen Ashotyan from Republican party called this interview as “historical without any exaggeration”. To the remark that there is a widespread theory that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is his “project,” and asked whether or not this is so, Serzh Sargsyan responded: "I would not want such a ‘project’ even for my enemy. Would I scribble such nonsense for myself? They had put me before a ‘zugzwang.’" And regarding the actions of the Armenian government, Serzh Sargsyan stated: "When these crazy authorities rejected our accomplishments and started learning—from Aliyev—about the negotiation history, it was already clear to me that we were going toward defeat; that we are going toward war." The interview will be broadcast on Monday at 9pm local time. Ombudsman: War left 100,000 displaced, 72 civilians killed, 40,000 homeless Human Rights Defender of Armenia Arman Tatoyan published more evidence of Azerbaijan's gross violations of the rights of the civilians of Artsakh during the 44-day war in 2020. According to the Ombudsman, more than 100,000 civilians were displaced during the war. "Around 40,000 people were left homeless and/or deprived of their homes, personal belongings, basic standards of living and other rights," Tatoyan wrote on Facebook. Between September 27, 2020 to January 28, 2021, the Ombudsman said, 72 civilians fatalities were registered: they were killed, among other means, by ill-treatment and torture. The list of 163 civilians who were injured, includes some with life-long disabilities, he added. As for the disabled servicemen, a total of 457 people have applied and been examined for being included in disability groups, and 368 of them have been recognized as having a disability. The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of Armenia provided this data in response to the NEWS.am inquiry. "65 people were issued the 1st-group disability category, 119 people—2nd group, 184 people—the 3rd group category. As of 10. 02.2021, 66 of those recognized as having a disability need prostheses for upper or lower limbs,” the Ministry informed. Other news from Armenia and Artsakh The remains of three servicemen were found on February 12 as the result of the search operations. Four more bodies were found on the following day. An incident was recorded in Armenia-Azerbaijan border. Several Azerbaijani servicemen seized 173 sheep from Armenian shepherd, who was grazing his flock of 185 sheep near the border with Azerbaijan on February 12 morning. According to the municipality of the village of Khdzoresk, Armenian border guards and shepherds from nearby villages, as well as mayor Yervand Malunts and the command of the 1st Army Corps quickly arrived at the scene. It was only after negotiations that the Azerbaijani soldiers returned all but one of the sheep they had taken, the municipality added. Armenia International Airports CJSC, that operates Yerevan’s Zvartnots Airport, has gone to court, seeking to overturn a July 2020 decision by the State Commission for the Protection of the Economic Competition finding that the company had unjustly raised car parking fees at the airport. The SCPEC fined the company 5 million drams for abusing its monopoly position and set a deadline for rectifying the violation. Armenian parliamentary committee, investigating the country’s anti-Covid-19 campaign, has sent a questionnaire consisting of 251 questions to the government. Committee Chairman Arkady Khachatryan, in a Facebook post today, writes that he will publish the government’s answers once received. Armenian media organizations have accused the Government of trying to restrict press freedom with bills that would sharply increase fines for libel and make it harder for journalists to use anonymous sources. Photo: armenpress.am You can stay updated with the latest news from Armenia through our Telegram channel in English and Twitter page.

00:24 - 15 փետրվարի, 2021

Daily News Summary [12.02.2021]

Read daily news summary for February 11 here. Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani Deputy PM hold session of trilateral working group The Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Mher Grigoryan, his Russian and Azerbaijani counterparts Alexei Overchuk and Shahin Mustafayev held the 3rd session of the trilateral working group through a video-conference on February 12. The sides discussed the process of the joint work based on the 9th point of November 9, 2020 trilateral declaration signed by the leaders of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan, as well as the 2nd, 3rd and 4th points of the declaration. Meanwhile, the MP from the ruling My Step faction said that Armenia is not considering trade with Azerbaijan and Turkey. In particular, Sisak Gabrielyan said "Negotiations between Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan are not related to trade with Turkey or Azerbaijan," Aysor.am reports. Armenian opposition MPs demand clarification on alleged Syunik border document While the ruling My Step faction in Armenia claims that no “secret document” has been signed regarding the disputed Davit Bek-Goris stretch of highway in the country’s southern Syunik Province, some opposition MPs claim otherwise, hetq.am reports. The MPs say the deal is a secret addendum of the November 9 ceasefire agreement. They are demanding clarification from the Government.Sections of the new border between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the province are being demarcated, thus giving rise to allegations that the Pashinyan government has signed off on a secret deal on the issue. Today, at a parliamentary briefing, My Step MPs said that a text, recently disseminated on social network, alleging to be such an agreement, is a fabrication. In regards to safety of the residents in the borderside communities, a new bill has been drafted by Armen Khachatryan and Sergey Bagratyan from the ruling My Step faction. If approved, the Armenian citizens living in border settlements will be allowed to carry hunting rifles. Other news from Armenia and Artsakh The “To Live and Not Forget: To the Memory of the Victims of the Genocides of the Armenian and Jewish Peoples” memorial in the Circular Park of Yerevan was vandalized today. Armenian public-political circles consider “an act of vandalism” and strongly condemn the desecration of the memorial. Yerevan law enforcement agencies launched an immediate investigation and city authorities have sent specialists to restore and clean the memorial from the paint. The rally initiated by the oppositional candidate for the post of PM Vazgen Manukyan, took place at the Liberty Square in Yerevan. The Union of Informed Citizens NGO counted that as of 15:37, 1800 people gathered there. “What we have today is not a rally, our rally will take place on 20 February, it will be a big rally. Today I just invited people to discuss issues together. Today it is my personal initiative. This rally-discussion has nothing in common with the Motherland Salvation Movement initiative,” Vazgen Manukyan said. The layout of the ‘’Engineering city’’ has already been confirmed and soon a tender for the construction will be announced and the construction will kick off, Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Avinyan wrote on his Facebook page. The project of the ''Engineering city'' has entered an active phase. It's carried out in collaboration with the World Bank. Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan, the Director of National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia Armen Abazyan and the commander of Russian peacekeeping forces Rustam Muradov met with the official representative of Azerbaijan in the territory under the control of the Russian troops today. Issues related to the return of POWs and the search for the missing were discussed. Issues related to the fate of missing persons during the war of the 90s were also discussed. As a result of search operations carried out today, bodies of 3 servicemen were found in Ishkhanadzor of Kashatagh region. Disinformation had been spread since February 11, as if the statue of Garegin Nzhdeh was dismantled in Martuni, Artsakh, due to Azerbaijan’s demand. You can stay updated with the latest news from Armenia through our Telegram channel in English and Twitter page.

01:18 - 13 փետրվարի, 2021

Daily News Summary [11.02.2021]

Read daily news summary for February 10 here. It is necessary to have the consent of Armenian NSS in order to cover various topic in some areas of Syunik RA NSS border troops issued a statement on Wednesday, announcing that due to the operative situation and security reasons, as well as based on the fact that border works are carried out in the relevant areas of Syunik marz, it is necessary to have the consent of the Armenian National Security bodies in order to cover various topics in those places. The consent is granted based on written application to the RA NSS. As this decision was largely criticised, the RA NSS clarified today that “it is not aimed at the impede of the implementation of the professional activities of journalists or obtaining of the consent of the NSS. Coordination of works is also aimed to ensure efficient and secure conditions for the implementation of journalist activities.” Another news regarding Syunik: Armenian Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan issued a statement today, saying that the presence of Azerbaijani armed forces (flags and signs) in the communities of Armenia's Syunik province, or on the roads connecting those communities, especially their any movement on those roads should cease and be ruled out forthwith. "To be clear, by the mere presence of the Azerbaijani military, the rights of the border residents of Armenia, first and foremost, are seriously violated and severely endangered, including but not limited to their property rights. Military shootings. All these undermine the peaceful life and tranquility of Armenian civilians," Tatoyan said. Parliament approves life imprisonment for high treason The Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK)-authored bill on making high treason punishable by life imprisonment passed in the first reading. The bill is authored by MPs Iveta Tonoyan, Naira Zohrabyan and Vice Speaker Vahe Enfiajyan. Enfiajyan said that the law will define life imprisonment for espionage for the enemy, conveying state secrets to a foreign state or foreign organizations or their representatives, assisting in conducting hostile activities, collecting and transferring information containing state secrets at the orders of a foreign intelligence agency. Armenia’s National Assembly adopted another bill in the first reading introduced by Vice Speaker Alen Simonyan to increase the fines for insult and slander charges. Those found guilty of “insult” will be forced to pay a maximum of five million drams, compared to the current one million. Those found guilty of “slander” will be forced to pay a maximum of ten million drams, compared to the current two million. Other news from Armenia and Artsakh 4 more bodies of killed servicemen were found in the area of Fizuli. “The optimal solution for the issue of war prisoners is the exchange of ‘all for all’,” official representative of the Foreign Ministry of Russia Maria Zakharova said in a weekly briefing today. Artsakh Presidential Chief of Staff Artak Beglaryan told Hetq.am today that Artsakh will certainly have some sort of defense force, regardless of what it is formally called. The European Union notified Armenia about the completion of the ratification process by the EU and its Member States of the Armenia-European Union Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement on Wednesday, February 10. The Agreement will fully enter info force on March 1, 2021, the Armenian Foreign Ministry reports. The European Union and the World Health Organization announced they would spend 40 million euros ($48.48 million) over three years to ensure better access to COVID-19 vaccines in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, Reuters reports. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, at today’s Government cabinet session, said that the country’s agriculture was one of the two economic sectors that registered growth in 2020. Pashinyan noted that the growth was due to a 2018 program designed to provide equipment to agribusinesses on favorable leasing terms. Today, the Government adopted a decision to improve the terms of the state leasing support program. The Armenian Government approved the sale of a piece of land in Yerevan to Armenia Wine Factory LLC. The company says it plans to invest US $40 million at the site to build a high-rise Digitown International Center for Innovative IT Technologies. Armenia Wine says the project will create 5,000 new jobs. The site, at 13/12 Isakov Avenue now houses the boiler room and land adjacent to Yerevan Music Special School No. 13. You can stay updated with the latest news from Armenia through our Telegram channel in English and Twitter page.

23:21 - 11 փետրվարի, 2021

Daily News Summary [10.02.2021]

Read daily news summary for February 9 here.The relatives of the POWs from Shirak region have closed roads since noon today According to Sputnik Armenia, the relatives protested because they had been informed that 25 POWs were returning to Armenia, instead 5 of them were repatriated yesterday. As a result of negotiations the relatives of the POWs decided to open the Gyumri-Yerevan road. They headed to the Shirak regional administration. The Governor of Shirak Hovhannes Harutyunyan was negotiating with them. The Prime Minister of Armenia announced in the Parliament that they are planning a visit to the Shirak region, where they will have meetings, including with the relatives of the POWs. “I want to assure you that we don’t need to be reminded of the problem with POWs, as we don’t forget about it. Daily work is carried out in connection with the return of the POWs,” said Nikol Pashinya. Meanwhile, the Deputy Prime Minister’s office told ARMENPRESS that up till now Azerbaijan has returned 69 captured. 12 wounded servicemen need additional treatment abroad Armenia’s Defense Ministry has appealed to the professional commission of the Healthcare Ministry to organize the treatment of 12 servicemen wounded during the Second Artsakh War abroad, the Minister of Healthcare Anahit Avanesyan said during the Q&A session in the Parliament today. “There is concrete procedure for such cases when the Defense Ministry is submitting such applications to the professional commission of the Healthcare Ministry, which in turn assesses whether there is a need to send them abroad or not, and after that it makes a decision, as a result of which the Government fully covers the costs of the treatment of the wounded servicemen,” she said. At the moment 12 such applications have been submitted for the commission’s discussion. Russia: OSCE Minsk Group should continue Karabakh activity The activities of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs should continue, the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said in an interview with TASS. “They made an important contribution to the development of basic principles for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, many of which were reflected in the statement of November 9, 2020,” he said. According to Rudenko, the task of achieving a comprehensive political settlement, which, in accordance with the decisions of the OSCE Budapest Summit (1994), is entrusted to the Minsk Group co-chairs, remains in demand. “The “Troika” [the Russian, French and U.S. co-chairs] has strong international support and can be useful in developing mutually acceptable approaches to further steps, including on the issue of status, but carefully and slowly, when the time comes,” the Deputy FM said. According to him, now the OSCE Minsk Group and its co-chairs could be active in strengthening confidence-building measures between Armenians and Azerbaijanis. Other news from Armenia and Artsakh The Armenian Government plans to build alternative roads to Syunik Province "as soon as the weather conditions allow, the Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Suren Papikyan said during Parliament-Government Q&A session today. During the same session Foreign Minister Ara Aivazian said that Turkey no longer has a reason to blockade Armenia. According to him, Turkey has been keeping the border with Armenia closed for years due to the status quo in Nagorno-Karabakh, now changed as a result of the use of force. “Under pressure from the global community, Turkey will have to open the border sooner or later. At the same time, we understand that opening the border contains both opportunities and risks,” Ayvazian said․ Armenia continues to serve as a transit country for drug smugglers despite border restrictions imposed last year because of pandemic. The number of registered cases of customs violations have more than doubled in 2020, numbering 426. Post-war donations of Diaspora Armenians to the Hayastan All Armenian Fund has amounted to 27,000,000 dollars, the organization’s marketing and PR chief Ashot Barseghyan told ARMENPRESS. Stepanakert airport will soon open according to Artsakh Presidential Chief of Staff Artak Beglaryan, hetq.am reports. The airport will service both military and civilian flights. Artsakh’s Foreign Ministry has issued a statement, informing that the entry procedure of foreign citizens to the territory of the Republic of Artsakh in the post-war conditions has been updated. Taking into account security considerations, information about applications is also transmitted to the Russian peacekeeping forces. Photo: armeniasputnik.am You can stay updated with the latest news from Armenia through our Telegram channel in English and Twitter page.

23:57 - 10 փետրվարի, 2021

Daily News Summary [09.02.2021]

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. You can stay updated with the latest news from Armenia through our Telegram channel in English and Twitter page.

23:37 - 09 փետրվարի, 2021

Daily News Summary [06.01.2021]

Read daily news summary for February 5 here. Armenia should seriously consider deeper cooperation with Russia – Armenian second President ‘In my view, Armenia should think very seriously about deeper cooperation with Russia, much deeper than it is doing now,’ Kocharyan said speaking about ongoing transitions from global to regional integrational processes in an interview with Sputnik Armenia. In response to the question about the collapse of the Soviet Union, Kocharyan noted that it is time for a present-day format of full integration. He added that integration within Eurasian Economic Union is much deeper, interesting, and broader than that of the Commonwealth of Independent Countries (CIS). Speaking about the recent Nagorno Karabakh war, Kocharyan said that if he were in power, there would be no war. ‘This was a well-planned information attack, the start of hostilities, and it was obvious that [Azerbaijan] had been prepared for this for a long time,’ Kocharyan said adding that if he were in power a total mobilization of resources would stop Azerbaijan. ‘I have returned to big politics,’ Kocharyan said adding: ‘We now feel a great demand for predictable, perceivable, and strong individuals.’ According to him, the next elections will be a choice between the current government and the forces that oppose it. ‘People tasted the fruit of populism, the consequences of colourful revolutions and the work of inexperienced people,’ Kocharyan said adding that it is time for professional leaders and people with will, who are able to tell the truth to their opponents. ‘None of the presidents of Armenia had the power that the prime minister has today,’ said Kocharyan stating his preference for a presidential system of governance as a better way to balance the interests of political forces. According to him, if the PM’s ruling party did not have an absolute majority, the situation in Armenia would be completely different. Kocharyan described the defeat in the war as a whole series of wrong decisions and failures in diplomacy that brought the negotiations to a deadlock. In his words, these are the consequences of those who came to power from the street without any experience in politics and knowledge in geopolitics, and those who only care about the number of likes on Facebook. In Kocharyan’s words, there are similarities between Nikol Pashinyan and Alexei Navalny distinguished by the past, technologies, lack of experience, and talent to manipulate people. Kocharyan called the emergence of such people an anti-systematic trend nurtured by the Internet and social networks. Families of missing servicemen protest in front of Ministry of Defence Families of those missing as a consequence of the recent Nagorno Karabakh war held a protest rally in front of the Ministry of Defence, Armenpress.am reports. The protesters said they demand a meeting with Minister Vagharshak Harutyunyan to have answers to their questions about their missing family members and relatives. Earlier on Friday, Armenian Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan had a meeting with the Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Andrea Wiktorin. The parties discussed the issue of the urgent return of Armenian servicemen and civilians captures by Azerbaijan. Tatoyan noted that the Azerbaijani authorities artificially delay the return of the captives to cause mental suffering to the families of the captives and to the Armenian society. Provision 8 of the Moscow-brokered truce statement ending war between Armenian and Azerbaijan, provides for the immediate return of captives. Earlier the Armenian Ombudsman made a statement saying that Azerbaijan misreports the real numbers of the captives which goes against the international humanitarian law and violates the rights of the family members of the captives. He added that Azerbaijan, which abuses legal proceedings, started prosecution against the PoWs using detention as a punishment. Other news from Armenia Armenian Foreign Minister Ara Ayvazyan and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov discussed issues of regional security and stability by phone on Saturday, Hetq.am reports. Ministers Ayvazyan and Lavrov, according to a statement released by Ayvazyan's office, discussed the full implementation of the provisions of the November 9 trilateral statement. Ayvazyan emphasized the importance of addressing the humanitarian situation in Artsakh on the spot. Armenian Ministry of Emergency Situations informed that in the coming days the seismic activity will continue in Armenia. Earlier it was reported that on February 5a 4.7 magnitude earthquake was registered 5 km northeast of the village of Shorzha in Armenia, at a depth of 10 km from the hearth. The magnitude of the earthquake in the epicenter was 6-7, 1urer.am reports. The earthquake was felt in the RA Gegharkunik region with a magnitude of 5-6 and caused minor damages. You can stay updated with the latest news from Armenia through our Telegram channel in English and Twitter page.

23:23 - 06 փետրվարի, 2021

Daily News Summary [05.01.2021]

Read daily news summary for February 4 here. Armenian PM Pashinyan attends Almaty Digital forum in Kazakhstan On the margins of his working visit to Kazakhstan, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan today attended the Almaty Digital Forum 2021, Armenpress.am reports. The Forum was attended by the prime ministers of the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), Eurasian Economic Commission Board, CIS Executive Committee representatives, and international experts. ‘I am sure that today’s forum will have an important contribution in identifying the priority directions and efficient toolbox for cooperation in the high tech and digital technology sector between our countries,’ Pashinyan said at the Forum. Pashinyan also noted that the EAEU countries were able to use digital technologies in overcoming some of the problems caused by the pandemic. He particularly emphasized the ‘Traveling without Covid-19’ mobile application, which kicked off on February 1, and restored the free movement of citizens between Armenia, Russia, and Belarus. ‘We should strive to achieve full-fledged and all-encompassing digitalization of services provided to citizens by the state. To this end, we need to use the entire range of electronic services - mobile phones, network services, cloud technologies, and so on,’ Pashinyan said. According to Pashinyan, opportunities opened up through digitization can be used to increase the efficiency of the free labor movement and one mobile application can serve as a one-stop-shop with ‘all information on available jobs throughout the EAEU, enabling people to fill out and submit the necessary documents to get the job of our choice.’ ‘We should strive to ensure that the borders between the EAEU states disappear at the digital level and that existing restrictions are minimized,’ Pashinyan said. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, in turn, expressed gratitude to the Deputy Chairman of the Eurasian Development Bank’s Management Board Tigran Sargsyan for the creation of the “Travel Without COVID-19” application that is used in restarting travel following the pandemic-related shutdown, Armenpress.am reports. In the frames of the Forum, Armenian PM Pashinyan met with the new Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Ulukbek Maripov. Noting the close cooperation between the two countries, Pashinyan added that Armenia is interested in deepening the partnering ties. For his part, the Kyrgyz PM noted traditional warm relations between the countries, adding that works must be done to deepen both the commercial and the cultural-humanitarian cooperation. Armenian Deputy PM and Iranian Ambassador discussed Armenia-Iran partnership Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Avinyan received on February 5 Ambassador of Iran to Armenia Abbas Badakhshan Zohouri and discussed issues related to trade and economic cooperation, as well as the ‘Persian Gulf-Black Sea’' international transport corridor. As Armenpress.am was informed from the office of Tigran Avinyan, greeting the guest, Avinyan noted that Armenian-Iranian relations are unique for their centuries-old friendship, based on mutual trust and respect. The sides shared the opinion that the Armenian-Iranian partnership has great potential, which should be brought to life step by step. Assessing peace, stability, and sustainable development as a common interest for Armenia and Iran, Tigran Avinyan referred to the regional situation resulted from the Azerbaijani aggression against Artsakh. The Deputy PM particularly focused on the issue of the exchange of detainees, which is a priority for Armenia. The sides also discussed trade and economic cooperation issues. Ambassador Zohouri highlighted the necessity of joint efforts for the best use of the existing economic cooperation potential. The sides also referred to cooperation in the sphere of cooperation. Issues related to the ‘Persian Gulf-Black Sea' international transport corridor were also discussed at the meeting. Other news from Armenia Former Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan will participate in snap elections to the National Assembly if and when they are held, Ohanyan himself said in an interview with Kentron TV, Panarmenian.net reports. Ohanyan, however, has yet to decide which party or political bloc he is going to join for the possible parliamentary elections. ‘Every individual has a constitutional right, in some cases a duty, to participate in elections in this difficult, hopeless situation,’ Ohanyan said. Armenian second President Robert Kocharyan also has recently confirmed his intention to run in snap elections. Armenia's first President Levon Ter-Petrosyan met on Friday with U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Lynne Tracy, News.am reports.During more than one-hour conversation, the parties discussed issues related to the situation in Armenia and Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and underscored the importance of the humanitarian aid that the international community, particularly the United States is providing. Among other issues, they also discussed the immediate return of prisoners of war and addressing the social needs of the people in Artsakh and Armenia, as well as the families of those who fell in the war, as well as those injured and disabled. Nagorno-Karabakh rescue workers have resumed the search for the remains and bodies of Armenian servicemen killed in the 44-day war unleashed by Azerbaijan in fall 2020, Karabakh authorities PanArmenian.net reports. Baku did not authorize search activities for two days in territories controlled by Azerbaijan. Since November 13, the Nagorno-Karabakh rescue teams have found the bodies and remains of 1355 people, including at least 15 civilians, who have failed to leave their homes when their settlements went under Azerbaijan's control. The Defense Army of Nagorno Karabakh has published on Friday the names of 52 more soldiers killed in fighting against Azerbaijan. Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan said earlier that some 3500 bodies had been recovered from the zone of hostilities in Karabakh as of January 20, and that the final death toll from the six-week war wouldn't surpass 4000. Armenia's cooperation with Russia is developing successfully, but there is potential for deepening it, Armenian Economy Minister Vahan Kerobyan said on Friday at a meeting with Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergey Kopyrkin, ARKA.am reports. ‘Currently, we are planning to develop a multi-vector agenda for cooperation with Russia. I hope that it will contribute to the rapprochement of economic ties between our countries,’ the press service of the Ministry of Economy quoted Kerobyan as saying. Ambassador Kopyrkin, in turn, stressed that ‘the time has come to think about strengthening economic ties between the two countries that will help attract new investment.’ You can stay updated with the latest news from Armenia through our Telegram channel in English and Twitter page.

22:38 - 05 փետրվարի, 2021

Daily News Summary [04.01.2021]

Read daily news summary for February 3 here. Azerbaijani forces grossly violate water rights of residents of Armenia’s Meghri – Ombudsman ‘The residents of Meghri community have sounded alarms according to which soldiers of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces had changed the flow of water from a tributary of ‘Meghri’ river towards Nakhijevan,’ Armenia’s Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) Arman Tatoyan said on Thursday. Armenian southern Meghri is in the Syunik province where demarcations and delimitations of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border have been accompanied by serious human rights violations by Azerbaijani forces alarmed by the Ombudsman earlier. As the Ombudsman explained, the change of water flow has created serious problems with the accessibility of drinking and irrigation water in the cities of Meghri and Agarak, as well as Nrnadzor, Shvanidzor, and Alvank villages of Syunik Province where the population is the majority. The residents and the head of the Meghri community have informed the Human Rights Defender that Azerbaijani soldiers are creating barriers through special engineering machinery every month and changing the flow of the tributary towards Nakhchivan. ‘With these acts, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, and the authorities, are grossly violating the right of the residents of the Meghri community of Armenia to water that is guaranteed by absolute international bans. The right to water is internationally guaranteed and includes the human right to have sufficient and continuing drinking water and water for domestic purposes (irrigation, hygiene, etc.),’ the Ombudsman said. In Ombudsman’s words, analyses and evaluation of the ongoing violations by the Azerbaijani forces are summing up and will be sent to specialized international organisations and competent Armenian authorities. Government to take important decisions on Amulsar gold mine Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said the country should take measures to make investment programs in the mining sector more manageable and acceptable’ for the society, PanArmenia.net reports. Addressing a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, Pashinyan expressed hope that the government will manage to make important decisions, including on the Amulsar gold mine. This topic should be discussed, taking into account the balanced interests of Armenia. We must find solutions,’ the Prime Minister said. ‘Whether we like it or not, the mining industry plays a very important role for the Armenian economy, including in the security context.’ As PanArmenian.net reports, located in the southern Armenian province of Vayots Dzor, the Amulsar gold mine, owned by Jersey-incorporated Lydian International, has been in development for over a decade. In 2013, UK ambassador Katherine Leach called it ‘potentially the largest British investment in Armenia’. Lydian states it will provide $488 million to the Armenian state budget in tax and royalty contributions through the ten-year operation of the mine, as well as provide 770 jobs. Over time, the mine has become the site of a major stand-off between the Armenian government, environment activists, protesters, and the mining company. Other news from Armenia The delegation led by Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan has arrived in Kazakhstan to participate in the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council session on February 5.The correspondent of Armenpress. reports from Almaty that Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan, Deputy Foreign Minister Armen Gevondyan, Deputy Minister of Economy Varos Simonyan, SRC Deputy Chairman Ashot Muradyan, and others are included in the Armenian delegation. Starting from January 1, 2021, Kazakhstan assumed the chairmanship over the EAEU. On the initiative of the Russian side, a meeting of the chairman of the former ruling Republican Party of Armenia and third President Serzh Sargsyan with Russian ambassador Sergey Kopirkin took place on Wednesday, RPA vice-chairman Armen Ashotyan RPA vice-chairman Armen Ashotyan informed, as News.am reports. ‘A wide range of issues related to the aftermath of the Nagorno-Karabakh war were discussed during the meeting,’ Ashotyan reported. ‘In the context of the discussion of the current situation, the importance of making effective efforts for the return of prisoners of war and other detainees in Azerbaijan to Armenia, the search for the bodies of fallen servicemen was stressed,’ the statement reads. According to the statement, at the request of the Ambassador, President Sargsyan touched upon the domestic political situation [in Armenia], as well as issues related to the new regional geopolitical realities. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) reported on February 4 that it has received Armenia’s Inter-State complaint against Azerbaijan regarding the latter’s convention violations committed during and after the 2020 Artsakh War, Armenpress.am reports. The court also said that it received numerous requests under Rule 39 concerning captives and POWs lodged by Armenia or by relatives of the captives. The requests received so far concern 228 Armenians, it said. Armenia’s complaint concerns Azerbaijan’s violations of the right to life, the prohibition of torture and inhuman treatment, the right to liberty, the right to property, the right to personal and family life, the right to education, as well as a number of other Convention rights of the population of Artsakh and Armenia. Among other things, the Government of Armenia raised the issues pertaining to the protection of the rights of prisoners of war; individual civilian captives; displaced people; deceased and wounded persons and their relatives; persons who lost their property; local and international reporters, have been raised in the Application. A large amount of evidence has been submitted along with the Application. You can stay updated with the latest news from Armenia through our Telegram channel in English and Twitter page.

23:07 - 04 փետրվարի, 2021

Daily News Summary [03.01.2021]

Read daily news summary for February 2 here. We urge Turkey to strictly adhere to its obligations under international agreements – Armenian FM ‘We strongly condemn the policy of consistent destruction and misappropriation of Armenian cultural heritage by the Turkish authorities that gained new momentum and urge Turkey to strictly adhere to its obligations under the international agreements,’ Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Anna Naghdalyan said in response to the question about reported sales and destruction of Armenian churches in Turkey and Turkish FM Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu’s advice to Armenians ‘to learn lessons’. ‘We are familiar with the reports in Turkish media about the sale of Armenian churches in Turkey. In particular, the Armenian Catholic Church in Sebtash district of Bursa was put up for sale for 6 million Turkish lira, while another Armenian church in Bursa was put for sale for 6,3 million Turkish lira. Moreover, the Armenian St. Toros Church in the western Turkish province of Kutahya was destroyed,’ the Spokesperson said. In the Spokespersons words, calling on cooperation for regional peace and stability by a state which demonstrates such attitude towards historical-cultural monuments at least cannot be credible. ‘As for the "advice to learn lessons from history": no one has the right to speak disrespectfully with the language of threat and give lessons of history to the nation who survived genocide,’ the Naghdalyan added. ‘Turkey’s authorities must clearly realize that a relevant environment of trust is needed for a dialogue, and the destruction of the Armenian historical-cultural heritage definitely does not contribute to the establishment of such an environment,’ the Spokesperson said. Azerbaijan barred search for bodies of Armenian servicemen and civilians The Azerbaijani authorities have barred a planned search operation for bodies of the war victims that was supposed to take place today in two directions, the Artsakh authorities in charge of the retrieval operations said, Armenpress.am reports. The total number of bodies retrieved since the recent Nagorno Karabakh ended is 1355, which includes both servicemen and civilians. Artsakh State Service of Emergency Situations spokesperson Hunan Tadevosyan said they planned to resume the search operations on February 3 in the regions of Fizuli and Jabrail currently under the Azerbaijani control. ‘But the Azerbaijani side, without giving any reason, did not allow it,’ he said. Meanwhile, Azerbaijanis continue sending more text messages to the parents and relatives of the missing Armenian servicemen from their phones, media and information security expert Samvel Martirosyan alerted as PanArmenian.net reports. ‘The messages give the relatives of the servicemen hope that they are still alive,’ the expert said. Protests held in Yerevan. Parliament seeking to prohibit news media from using uncited sources Protests have been held Wednesday in Yerevan demanding Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan's resignation, while the parliament was holding a special session, News.am reports. The citizens marched from the Armenian parliament's building to the main building of the government. The protests ended in Yerevan’s main square. Police forcibly apprehended several people during this protest, including Gegham Manukyan, a member of the opposition Armenian Revolutionary Federation-ARF Dashnaktsutyun Party. Yesterday, the ‘Homeland Salvation Movement’, an opposition of 17 parties demanding PM Pashinyan’s resignation, called on their supporters to gather near the parliament building to protest against ‘anti-state activities’ refereeing to bills on the agenda of the Parliament. A group of lawmakers from the ruling ‘My Step’ bloc are advancing a bill that seeks to prohibit the news media to write articles citing what they describe as sources of unknown origin, most likely referring to unreliable social media news accounts which are frequently cited by the Armenian press in their reporting, Armenpress.am reports. ‘There are journalistic organizations whom people can identify, people know them, they have editorial boards. Parallel to this, some telegram channels and Facebook accounts are emerging that generate information without doing any work, and then this information appears on the pages of real news media outlets through citation. Therefore, real media outlets star factually promoting sources whose origins are unknown,’ My Step lawmaker Artur Hovhannisyansaid. Other news from Armenia Armenian Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan had a meeting today with the Russian ambassador to Armenia Sergey Kopyrkin and thanked thank Russia for invaluable assistance in the fight against coronavirus, Arka.am reports. ‘Close cooperation with the Russian side, regular information, and experience exchange are very important for us, and today our specialists are actively negotiating the purchase of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine against Covid-19,” she said. The minister added that Armenia has signed a cooperation agreement within the framework of the COVAX FACILITY initiative. “We are also ready to purchase additional batches of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine as part of this initiative,” she added. Armenian third president Serzh Sargsyan responded to ‘Bright Armenia’ parliamentary party’s head Edmon Marukyan’s statement about his willingness to lead the interim government, PanArmenian.net reports.According to the former president, everyone remembers that ‘Bright Armenia’ was a part of the ‘traitorous government’ in 2018 referring to the Minister of Social Affairs from ‘Bright Armenia’ party appointed by Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan. Sargsyan also responded to Marukyan’s statement about the need for investigation of the circumstances of the recent Nagorno Karabakh war. According to the third president, Marukyan’s statement ‘leaves the impression of a clear political game, a distortion of reality.’ The Government of Armenia will provide funding to parties and blocs which won 3% or more votes during the National Assembly elections of 2018 in line with the program ''Assistance for political parties and blocs of parties'', Aam reports the draft decision is included in February 4 agenda of the Cabinet meeting. According to the program, the ARF will receive 4.3 million AMD, The Republic of Armenia Party will receive 5.2 million AMD, ''Bright Armenia'' Party 7 million AMD, ‘’Prosperous Armenia’’ Party will receive 9 million and 150 thousand AMD, and ‘’My step’’ bloc 48 million AMD. Photo: 1lurer.am You can stay updated with the latest news from Armenia through our Telegram channel in English and Twitter page.

22:18 - 03 փետրվարի, 2021

Daily News Summary [02.01.2021]

Read daily news summary for February 1 here. Artsakh FM calls on countries to be careful and correct in their statements about Nagorno Karabakh The Foreign Ministry of Artsakh has issued a statement, calling on all countries and organizations to be extremely careful and correct in their statements on the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict, ArtsakhPress.am reports. ‘Recently, we have witnessed an information campaign by Azerbaijan, which, in an effort to demonstrate alleged international support for the Turkish-Azerbaijani armed aggression against Artsakh, disseminates messages about congratulations by representatives of some international organizations and political circles of a number of countries on the ‘liberation’ of the so-called ‘occupied’ territories by Azerbaijan. ‘Leaving aside the question of the credibility of these statements, we nevertheless consider it necessary to note once again that the armed aggression unleashed in September 2020 by Azerbaijan with the support of Turkey and with the participation of international terrorists against the Republic of Artsakh has led to numerous sufferings: thousands of innocent citizens of Armenian nationality were killed and injured, hundreds are missing, are now in captivity, have become hostages, have been subjected to torture, inhuman and degrading treatment, and the Armenian cultural heritage is being destroyed,’ the statement reads. ‘We call on all countries and organizations to be extremely careful and correct in their statements on the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict, to avoid statements that may negatively affect the international efforts for the comprehensive settlement of the conflict, maintenance of peace and stability in the region, as well as hurt the feelings of thousands of people.,’ the Ministry said. Armenia submitted an inter-state application to ECHR against Azerbaijan The representative of Armenia before ECHR informed that on 1 February the Government of the Republic of Armenia submitted an Inter-State Application against Azerbaijan with the European Court of Human Rights claiming that Azerbaijan has violated the right to life, the prohibition of torture and inhuman treatment, the right to property, personal and family life, as well as a number of other Convention rights of the population of Artsakh and Armenia. Among other things, the Government raised the issues pertaining to the protection of the rights of prisoners of war and civilian captives, displaced people as well as deceased and wounded persons and their relatives, local and international reporters. A large amount of evidence has been submitted along with the Application. Armenian Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) Arman Tatoyan, in turn, made a statement on Tuesday about the violation of the rights of the residents of Armenia’s southern border communities in the Syunik province by the Azerbaijani military. In Ombudsman’s words, the residents of those communities alarmed that the Azerbaijani military erected a sign reading ‘Welcome to Azerbaijan’ on an Armenian inter-community road. ‘The residents of these neighborhoods have issued alarms that these steps by the Azerbaijani authorities are deliberate and are aimed at grossly violating their physical security and emotional well-being, property and other vital rights, as well as violative of the health and welfare of the resident children,’ the Ombudsman said. ‘By carrying out these demonstrative targeting of civilians, coupled with the practically daily shootings are undeniably exacerbating tensions in those Armenian villages,’ the statement reads. Syrian mercenaries must leave Nagorno Karabakh – CSTO Secretary-General ‘Syrian mercenaries must leave Nagorno Karabakh, their activity near the borders of the member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) poses risks for the CSTO,’ CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas said at an online press briefing, Armenpress.am reports. ‘We have information about the presence and actions of mercenaries from Syria in the Karabakh conflict zone. Any Syrian mercenary, militant must leave that territory, stop his activity as the creation of militant groups, squads, and illegal armed units near the borders of the CSTO member states contains certain risks for our collective security’, he said. On Tuesday, Armenian military expert Haik Khachikyan has identified the exact location of a photo featuring Hossam Deeb, a commander of the Sultan Murad terrorist group, who was recruited by Azerbaijan during the six-week war against Nagorno-Karabakh in fall 2020. The photo was taken in Jabrail which is under the Azerbaijani control, PanArmenian.am reports. International journalists like Lindsey Snell have published pictures of a number of terrorist mercenaries from Sultan Murad and other Syrian factions, who were transferred to Azerbaijan by Turkey to participate in hostilities against Karabakh. The Armenian side has repeatedly voiced out about the recruitment of foreign terrorist fighters and jihadists by Turkey from various ‘hot spots’ in the Middle East, particularly from Libya and the areas under its control in Syria, and their subsequent transfer and deployment to the region with the purpose of committing atrocities against the people of Artsakh during the recent Nagorno Karabakh war. . The above-mentioned fact is not merely confirmed by the intelligence services of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries, a number of our partners, and international community, but also by the direct testimonies of the terrorists. In addition to the photos and videos, the Armenian side captured terrorist fighters involved by the Azerbaijani side in the military hostilities against Armenians who provided direct testimonies. This fact has been confirmed by the intelligence services of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries. Concerns over the deployment of terrorists in the region by Turkey have been raised by the international community as well as heads of states. Other news from Armenia The opposition Homeland Salvation Movement, a coalition of 17 parties demanding Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation, called on their supporters to gather near the Armenian parliament building on Wednesday ‘to protest against the activities of the anti-national authorities,’ News.am reports.‘The My Step faction of the National Assembly continues to carry out anti-national and anti-state activities under the leadership of the government and its treacherous leader,’ the statement reads. ‘On February 3, at the initiative of the government, the National Assembly will hold a special session, and anti-state bills are among the items on the agenda,’ the opposition coalition said. ‘Negotiations on a lasting settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and on the region’s future legal status remain as indispensable as ever,’ Chair of the Delegation for relations with the South Caucasus, MEP Marina Kaljurand, the EP’s Standing Rapporteur on Armenia, MEP Andrey Kovatchev, and Standing Rapporteur on Azerbaijan, MEP Željana Zovko said in a statement, ArmRadio.am reports. ‘We call on both parties to reaffirm clearly and publicly their willingness to re-engage in the process led by the Minsk Group Co-Chairs and founded on the group’s Basic Principles that they themselves agreed to, reflecting the Helsinki Final Act principles of non-use of force, territorial integrity, and the equal rights and self-determination of peoples,’ the statement reads.‘The complete implementation of the ceasefire agreement is a necessary first step and it is regrettable that the exchange of prisoners of war has not been carried out fully yet. We welcome last week’s release of several of the Armenian servicemen captured after the end of hostilities and appeal to Azerbaijan to release the rest, so that trust can be rebuilt,’ the MEPs added. The European People’s Party (EPP) Political Assembly (PA) members have called on Azerbaijan to accelerate the exchange of prisoners of war, captives, and bodies of the dead and demand their immediate release, ArmRadio.am reports.In a statement adopted after a video conference held on Monday, February 1, the EPP PA members also urged the European Commission to pursue this humanitarian question in the current and future relations with Azerbaijan and called on the European Parliament to urgently discuss the process of exchange of Nagorno Karabakh prisoners of war and captives. ‘Armenia did not ask for CSTO assistance during the war in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh),’ CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas said on Tuesday, Arka.am reports. according to him, one should not think that the CSTO is limited only to observing the situation and expressing "readiness, demands, and proposals to cease fire and sit down at the negotiating table.’ ‘We did a lot of work. At the same time, we must understand that we have our basic agreement on collective security, which clearly spells out the conditions and procedure for using the capabilities of the CSTO to provide assistance to a member state,’ he said. Zas cited Article 4 of the CSTO, which states that in the event of a military attack threatening the security, stability, territorial integrity, or sovereignty of one of the CSTO member states, at the request of this state, it is immediately provided with comprehensive assistance, including the military one.‘There was no appeal from Armenia for military or other assistance from the CSTO. Therefore, we did not launch the mechanism further, and did not consider it, he added. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan chaired the session of the Security Council on Wednesday. The participants of the session discussed the current situation in Armenia and Artsakh, as well as security-related and humanitarian issues. You can stay updated with the latest news from Armenia through our Telegram channel in English and Twitter page.

21:36 - 02 փետրվարի, 2021

Daily News Summary [01.02.2021]

Read daily news summary for January 30-31 here. Nagorno-Karabakh: captives must be released – UN experts UN human rights experts called for the prompt release of prisoners of war and other captives from the recent Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and for the return of bodies to families for burial with due respect for cultural customs. ‘Failure to disclose information on the fate and whereabouts of missing persons and refusal to hand over the remains of the deceased may amount to enforced disappearance, which both Azerbaijan and Armenia have committed to preventing,’ the experts said. ‘We are alarmed at allegations that prisoners of war and other protected persons have been subjected to extrajudicial killing, enforced disappearance, torture, and other ill-treatment,’ the expert added. Human Rights Watch alarmed in December about widely circulated videos depicting Armenian captives subjected to inhuman treatment, physical abuse, and humiliation by Azerbaijani forces. ECHtR, in turn, urged the Azerbaijani government, which artificially delays the release of Armenian PoWs, to provide documented information about the detention of Armenian PoWs, their whereabouts, conditions of detention, and medical assistance. So far, Azerbaijan has failed to provide the real number of PoWs and initiated prosecution against them. ‘We are alarmed at allegations that prisoners of war and other protected persons have been subjected to extrajudicial killing, enforced disappearance, torture, and other ill-treatment,’ the UN human rights experts said. ‘No exceptional circumstances whatsoever – whether a state of war, internal political instability, or any other public emergency – may be invoked as a justification of torture and enforced disappearances,’ they added. ‘Such acts, when perpetrated in armed conflict, may also constitute war crimes.’ Artsakh Ministry of FM alerts of the presence of Turkish neo-fascism forces in Shushi Artsakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs has released a statement, expressing its deep concern over the ‘intentions of the ultra-right nationalist Turkish Nationalist Movement Party and its affiliated extremist neo-fascist organization “Gray Wolves” to implement certain projects in the territories that passed under Azerbaijani control after the recent Nagorno Karabakh war, in particular in the town of Shushi,’ ArtsakhPress.am informs. ‘The presence of any kind of foreign forces in the occupied territories of Artsakh, promoting the ideology of pan-Turkism and neo-fascism and resorting to terror as the main means of achieving their goals, poses a great threat not only to the Republic of Artsakh but also to regional and global security,’ the statement reads. ‘The fact that these forces are supported by the top leadership of Turkey and Azerbaijan for the implementation of their projects in occupied Shushi testifies to the plans of Ankara and Baku to create hotbeds of tensions in the region and the neighboring countries, as well as to undermine the efforts of the international community for the peaceful, comprehensive, and just settlement of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict,’ the Ministry said. In November 2020 France banned ‘Grey Wolves’ after defecting a memorial of victims of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire. The memorial had ‘Grey wolves’ and the initials of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan written on it. Earlier in October, footage of Turkish and Azerbaijani nationalists marching in Lyon and Vienne, France with Turkish flags and ‘hunting for Armenians’, were heard chanting ‘Allahu akbar’ and shouting violent threats like: ‘We are going to kill the Armenians.’ Nagorno Karabakh status has not been resolved - Medvedev Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev has said to the Russian TASS news agency the status of Nagorno Karabakh is not resolved yet. ‘It is completely obvious to everyone right now that the matter of its [Nagorno Karabakh’s] status has not been resolved, but we cannot discuss it right now, as any electrification of this field of discussion around its status leads to a very powerful charge,’ Medvedev said to the media. Medvedev pointed out that the conflict sides have very different stances on the matter, ‘even within Armenia, discussions are underway. He said ‘it would be better to move the discussion of its status for the future.’ Medvedev also highly appreciated the role of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the works on settling the NK conflict who was ‘engaged in hours-long discussions with all participants of this conflict.’ Commenting on Turkey’s role in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Medvedev noted that Ankara is a very important partner of Russia, is very close to Azerbaijan, and that ‘this factor cannot be ignored.’ Medvedev, however, does not consider the cooperation between Moscow and Ankara in Nagorno-Karabakh to be an element of long-term politics. ‘We were simply obliged to take the realities in our region into account. And the reality is that this issue must be discussed with the Turkish partners," Medvedev said.’ Other news from Armenia The Russian Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus has been approved by the Armenian Health Ministry, the Russian Direct Investment Fund informed as ArmRadio.am reports. ‘The vaccine was approved by a decree of the Ministry of Health based on data of Phase III clinical trials in Russia without conducting additional trials in Armenia,’ the Fund said. Press Service of the Armenian Ministry of Health confirmed the information. Armenian Minister of Defense Vagharshak Harutyunyan and his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoygu held a phone call on Monday over the results of last week’s Armenian-Russian bilateral military cooperation staff talks, as well as the ongoing process of resolving Armenia’s security issues in the post-war period, Armenpress.am reports. Minister of Defense Vagharshak Harutyunyan spoke highly about the activities of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno Karabakh, underscoring that the best testimony to this is the virtually total preservation of the ceasefire, thanks to which there weren’t any serious emergency incidents in the preceding two months, with the exception of one incident when an Artsakh Defense Army soldier was wounded. Photo: RFE/RL's Armenian service You can stay updated with the latest news from Armenia through our Telegram channel in English and Twitter page.

21:41 - 01 փետրվարի, 2021

Daily News Summary [30-31.01.2021]

Read daily news summary for January 29 here. Azerbaijani military open fire in the vicinity of Armenian villages - Ombudsman ‘The Azerbaijani military is opening fire with small and large-caliber weapons in the immediate vicinity of the villages of Chakaten, Nerkin Hand, Shikahogh, Yeghvard, Agarak, Uzhanis in the Syunik province of Armenia,’ Arman Tatoyan, Human Rights Defender of Armenia said today. In Ombudsman’s words, civilians and community bodies of these villages have informed that shootings take place regularly, both during the day and at night. ‘At the same time, the villagers observed that there are frequent cases when the shots of the Azerbaijani military are fired while they are drunk. It is then that the shootings are intensified with large-caliber weapons,’ the Ombudsman said. 'These condemnable acts have become a real threat to the rights to life and health, physical and psychological integrity, and other rights of civilians of Armenia and grossly violate the welfare of the children,' the Ombudsman said. ‘The referenced incidents further reinforce the Human Rights Defender's assessment that the presence of Azerbaijani armed forces in the immediate vicinity of Armenia's civilian border communities and on inter-community and interstate roads is a real threat to the lives and other vital rights of the civilians,’ the Ombudsman added. He informed that reports of those facts will be sent to international organizations, including the OSCE, the UN, and the Council of Europe Following the recent Nagorno Karabakh war, demarcations and delimitations of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in Armenia’s southern Syunik province have been done by serious human rights violations dangerously exposing the residents to the Azerbaijani armed forces. Some of the residents were told by the Azerbaijani military to leave their homes within hours as a consequence of mechanical demarcations ignoring the social and economic rights of the residents. Earlier on Friday, Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan visited border communities of the Syunik Province where he met a working group set up to coordinate the process of urgent response to the identified problems in the province, Armenpress.am reports. In his address in Syunik, Deputy PM Avinyan highlighted the need for urgent and accurate solutions to the difficult socio-economic and security circumstances that Armenia faces. He reassured the residents that the government will support them to resolve all issues. He also informed that new houses will be built for and financial assistance provided to those families who have lost their homes. Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian Deputy PMs held first meeting in Moscow Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk, and Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev held their first meeting in Moscow to discuss the practical issues of reopening of the transport connections in the region, TASS news agency reports. Following the Moscow-brokered truce statement ending the recent Nagorno Karabakh war, Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a statement in Moscow on January 11 specifying on the lifting of the blockade of all economic and transport links in the region connecting Armenia to Russia and Iran and, correspondingly, Azerbaijan to its exclave Nakhijevan. Armenian, Russian, and Azerbaijani leaders also agreed on setting up a working group under the chairmanship of the countries’ Deputy Prime Ministers to create a roadmap of implementation of regional transport infrastructures and economic development prioritising settlement of railway and road communications. The participants of the tripartite working group decided on Saturday to set up expert subgroups for the railway, road, and combined transport, for ensuring security, border, customs, sanitary, veterinary, and other types of control. The parties agreed to complete the formation of expert subgroups by February 2, 2021, and hold their first meetings by February 5, 2021. Other news from Armenia A criminal case has been filed for committing murder attempt against former Defence Minister of Artsakh, Lieutenant-General Jalal Harutyunyan, Armenian Prosecutor General’s office told Armenpress.am. Jalal Harutyunyan has been questioned.The spokesperson of the Investigative Committee of Armenia Rima Yeganyan stated that according to the aforementioned criminal case Jalal Harutyunyan has been recognized as a victim and has been questioned. “As for the claim according to which Azerbaijan could not have known about his movement on its own, the victim didn’t provide such information to the body conducting the proceedings during the questioning”, she said. Russian-Turkish joint center for monitoring the ceasefire in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone has opened in Azerbaijan's Aghdam region, News.am reports. ‘The center will collect, summarize, and verify information on the observance of the ceasefire regime and the actions of violation of the agreements reached by the parties,’ the Russian Defense Ministry told reporters on Saturday. According to the ministry, the monitoring will be carried out using drones and additional data received from other sources. The staff of the monitoring center is evenly represented — with up to 60 servicemen from each side. The center has direct lines of communication with the military command bodies of the conflict parties and the control centers of the Russian peacekeeping contingent. The United States is cooperating with Russia over Nagorno Karabakh and wants to continue the dialogue, US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan told Dozhd TV as Armenpress.am reports.He said not long ago he and his French colleague were present at a briefing of the Russian foreign ministry. “US, France, and Russia are Minsk Group Co-Chairs, at the briefing we were informed about the incidents in Nagorno Karabakh, the end of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. This is another example of the sphere where the United States is cooperating with the Russian government, and in this case also with the French government as Minsk Group Co-Chairs, and we want to continue our collaboration on these matters”, the US Ambassador said. You can stay updated with the latest news from Armenia through our Telegram channel in English and Twitter page.

22:17 - 31 հունվարի, 2021

Daily News Summary [29.01.2021]

Read daily news summary for January 28 here. 72 civilians killed by Azerbaijani forces since Nagorno Karabakh war – Ombudsman of Artsakh The Human Rights Defender’s office of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) released an updated interim report on the cases of killing of civilians by the Azerbaijani armed forces from the beginning of the war on September 27 to January 28, 2021. The report also presents the circumstances of gross, deliberate, and systematic violations of the right to life and other rights of the civilian population of Artsakh. 72 civilian causalities were recorded: 41 of them were killed as a result of targeted strikes, 31 - in captivity. The Human Rights Ombudsman also recorded the cases of 163 civilian injuries, most of which caused by strikes that resulted in the deaths of others. The report presents only the confirmed cases on indisputable grounds. The Ombudsman also received incomplete information on other alleged cases, which have not yet been fully verified. At the time of updating the report, the Ombudsman's office still has information on missing civilians some of whom most probably are in captivity, and others are allegedly killed by the Azerbaijani armed forces proved by the regular cases of finding the bodies of civilians in the communities of Artsakh under the control of Azerbaijan. France expressed its clear and unbiased position from Nagorno Karabakh war outset – Armenian FM ‘As we all remember, recently, in our most difficult times, the delegations from France have been visiting [Armenia] continuously, which proves once again that Armenia and France maintain privileged relations. It was once again reaffirmed that France supports the interests of Armenia, Artsakh, and the Armenian people,’ Armenian Foreign Minister Ara Ayvazyan summarized his meeting with Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, French Secretary of State for Europe and Foreign Affairs. The Armenian FM highlighted the importance of Lemoyne's visit aimed at the implementation of the agreements, reached upon by French President Emanuel Macron and Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan. In Ayvazyan’s words, France expressed its clear and unbiased position from the very first day of the war through the addressed statements made by President Macron and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, exposing the country that unleashed the aggression against Artsakh. According to Ayvazyan, France’s position also pointed out the danger of Turkey’s involvement [in the Nagorno Karabakh war] through deploying armed terrorists and mercenaries in the region which, in turn, threatens international peace and stability. The sides also discussed the issue of the immediate release of the PoWs captured by Azerbaijan expressing hope that Azerbaijan will soon give up its ‘hostage-taking policy’ adding that otherwise, it will cause further issues for Baku. Speaking about 1400 Armenian cultural and religious monuments passed under the Azerbaijani control, the Minister said that those monuments are in danger. He reminded of the attempts of destruction, falsification, and appropriation of the Armenian heritage by Azerbaijan highlighting France’s active role in addressing the issue within UNESCO and informing that France is foreseeing sending a fact-finding mission to Nagorno Karabakh. Other news from Armenia Armenian Deputy PM Tigran Avinyan visited Armenian southeastern Syunik province where he met with residents of Shurnukh and Vorotan villages. The residents were informed that new houses will be built for those who lost their homes as a consequence of border demarcations and delimitations with Azerbaijan. The families will also receive financial assistance for at least six months until the houses are built. After the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh war, the border demarcations left residents of different communities in Syunik province homeless and dangerously exposed to the Azerbaijani forces. The residents organized protests and did not allow PM Nikol Pashinyan to enter Syunik, blaming him for border demarcations and mishandling the war, and demanding him to resign. Armenian Human Rights Defender released a statement disclosing serious human rights violations of the Armenian residents in the course of border demarcations. ‘The EU welcomes the release of 5 Armenian servicemen captured by Azerbaijan in November and calls for the immediate release of the 57 remaining in custody,’ Lead spokesperson for the external affairs of the EU Peter Stano said on Twitter. He added that this would contribute to building confidence between both countries which is important for lasting peace in the region.Five Armenian prisoners of war have been returned to Armenia from Azerbaijan by the mediation of Moscow on January 28. The PoWs were among the 62 Armenian servicemen captured by Azerbaijan after the November 9 trilateral truce statement which ended the war. According to the Armenian Investigative Committee, during a preliminarily announced rally at Yerevan’s main square on 28 January a group of people, attempted to seize the Government building upon prior consent. A criminal case has been initiated and five people have been arrested. The protesters demanding Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation walked to the Prosecutor’s office on Thursday, urging the Prosecutor General to meet them in order to submit a request for PM Pashinyan’s arrest. Following the Prosecutor’s silence, the protesters moved to the Government building where a group of protesters attempted to enter the building causing clashes between the police and the citizens. You can stay updated with the latest news from Armenia through our Telegram channel in English and Twitter page.

22:17 - 29 հունվարի, 2021

Daily News Summary [28.01.2021]

Read daily news summary for January 27 here. The Nagorno Karabakh conflict has not been resolved – Armenian FM ‘The Nagorno Karabakh conflict has not been resolved,’ Armenian Foreign Minister Ara Ayvazyan told on Thursday, PanArmenian.am reports. He explained that the key issue remains the clarification of the status of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh), which has been discussed by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs. He added that the co-chairs’ upcoming regional visit is expected. “In order to be able to speak about stability, security, and peace in the region, we must first create an atmosphere of trust, which will be possible, first of all, after the release of our prisoners of war. I think Azerbaijan should understand that this is a humanitarian issue, and if this issue is further manipulated, the situation will become problematic for Azerbaijan,” the Foreign minister said. In Ayvazyan’s words, there is an interdepartmental working group that is working on a daily basis on the return of POWs. Later, an airplane bringing five Armenian war prisoners, who were captured by Azerbaijani forces, landed in Yerevan. According to the Moscow-brokered trilateral peace truce signed, which ended the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh war on November 9, prisoners of war, as well as other detained persons, should be immediately released and returned. After more than two months of the truce, Armenian PoWs, captured during and after the war, have been kept by Azerbaijan. ECtHR urged Azerbaijani authorities to provide information about the Armenian captives and have not received any information to this date. Earlier, a stream of videos depicting Armenian PoWs tortured and killed by Azerbaijani forces had been circulated through social media channels. Armenian second President Kocharyan will participate in elections Armenian second President (1998-2008) Robert Kocharyan said that he and his political allies will participate in snap parliamentary elections and win them even if they are held by Armenia’s current government, RFE/RL’s Armenian Service reports. ‘We have all the tools and a team necessary for the political fight,’ Kocharyan said. According to him, it is dangerous to have a snap election without stabilizing the situation in the country full of uncertainties, controversies, and the absence of answers to sensitive questions. In Kocharyan’s words, there is a need for a ‘time-lag’ before elections which will start from Pashinyan’s resignation. 'But if the authorities manage to force the elections sooner – and they seem to have enough votes in the parliament – I don’t think that not participating [in them] will be right. I think that participating will be right. Or else, we will enable these people [in power] to re-establish their rule,' Kocharyan said. Speaking about anti-government protests, Kocharyan said he shares the opposition's concerns over snap elections in the conditions the country found itself in after the recent Nagorno Karabakh war. In response to Pashinyan’s recent statement to hold a snap election, the opposition ‘Homeland Salvation Movement’ – a coalition of 17 parties demanding Pashinyan’s resignation – announced that they distrust Pashinyan in organizing fair elections. The opposition proposed to form an interim government with Vazgen Manukyan as an interim Prime Minister and hold new elections one year later. Earlier today protesters demanding PM Pashinyan’s resignation gathered at the main square of Yerevan, Armenpress.am reports. ‘Today we did what was beyond our powers, showing that we are ready to keep our word. Now I ask you not to take any measures because our powers are not equal. If the number of our protesters was large enough, the police would behave differently and would protect us,’ said one of the organizers of the rally. Later, the organizers of the protest informed that Arshak Zakaryan, one of the organizers, has been arrested. Other news from Armenia Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited the Ministry of Defense on the occasion of Army Day - the 29th anniversary of the formation of the Armenian Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia, PM’s press office reports.‘The Armenian army, the Republic of Armenia, Artsakh, the Armenian people have gone through a severe, cruel ordeal that had to do with the 44-day war,’ PM said referring to the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh war. ‘Of course, today we must ask ourselves what we have failed to do in order to ensure high-level fighting capacity for our country and the army,’ Pashinyan said. In PM’s words, the security of the Republic of Armenia, Artsakh, and the Armenian people is an absolute priority today. ‘The number one tool to ensure proper security is the Armenian Army, the Armed Forces of Armenia,’ Pashinyan added. ‘We must re-evaluate these challenges, our agenda; we must formulate new approaches, new perceptions, and understandings on this agenda, which must guarantee the security of our country,’ Pashinyan noted. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, French Secretary of State for Europe and Foreign Affairs on Thursday, PM’s press office informs. ‘There has traditionally been a sincere top-level dialogue between our two countries, and I want to express our gratitude to President Macron and Foreign Minister Le Drian for showing personal concern from the very first day of the war,’ PM Pashinyan said during the meeting. For his part, Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne noted: ‘“It was very important for our President to respond to each of your needs as quickly as possible.’ Issues related to the development of Armenia-France relations, including economic partnership, attracting investments, and providing financial assistance were discussed at the meeting. The parties considered promising interaction in the spheres of transport, reservoir construction, agriculture, high technologies, as well as cooperation in the development of regional communications. Under the joint leadership of the UN Resident Coordinator and UNHCR, the United Nations Country Team, together with NGO partners, launched the Armenia Inter-Agency Response Plan, Armenpress.am reports. The Response Plan runs until the end of June 2021 and serves as a coordination and advocacy tool. It outlines priorities for the humanitarian response, and achievements to date as well as appealing for the resources necessary to address the needs of the 90,000 people who have sought refuge in Armenia and of the hosting communities who have welcomed them. The Response Plan involves 36 humanitarian partners and 188 projects with total financial requirements amounting to USD 62.6 million across six key sectors: protection, including child protection; education; shelter and non-food items; food security and nutrition; health, and early-recovery. Armenia has further improved its position in an annual survey of corruption perceptions around the world conducted by Transparency International, RFE/RL’s Armenian Service It ranked, together with Jordan and Slovakia, 60th out of 180 countries and territories evaluated in the Berlin-based watchdog’s 2020 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) released on Thursday. ‘It is the second largest [CPI score] increase in the world after the Maldives,’ the watchdog’s note reads. Armenia was 105th in the corruption perception rankings two years ago. ‘A country to watch last year, Armenia has taken a gradual approach to reform, resulting in steady and positive improvements in anti-corruption,’ Transparency International report says. You can stay updated with the latest news from Armenia through our Telegram channel in English and Twitter page.

23:06 - 28 հունվարի, 2021