Tuesday, Armenia To Evacuate Nationals From Coronavirus-Hit Iran Iran -- Emergency first responders wearing protective masks stand along a street in Tehran, Armenia said on Tuesday that it will evacuate at least 65 of its citizens from neighboring Iran hit by the new coronavirus. The announcement followed the Armenian government’s decision to close the Armenian-Iranian border for individual travel and essentially suspend flights between the two countries for two weeks. The border will remain for open cargo shipments to and from Iran. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian indicated on Monday that the drivers of Iranian trucks entering Armenia will be monitored by Armenian health authorities. Pashinian also stressed that Armenian nationals living in Iran will be able to return to their home country by land or air. Iranians based in Armenia will likewise remain free to go back to the Islamic Republic, he said. According to a senior official from the Foreign Ministry in Yerevan, Arsen Avagian, 65 Armenians in Iran have responded to an evacuation offer made by the Armenian Embassy in Tehran late last week. They are due to be flown to Yerevan on Wednesday, Avagian said in written comments to Aysor.am. The official noted that some of these individuals are dual citizens of both Armenia and Iran. IRAN -- IRAN -- A man disinfects the shrine of Saint Masoumeh against coronavirus in the city of Qom, A much larger number of Armenians lived and worked in China until the outbreak of coronavirus there last month. Around 200 of them returned to Armenia by the beginning of this month, according to government estimates. Many others had trouble doing the same due to the widespread cancellation of flights to and from China. In an update posted on its website on Tuesday, the Armenian Ministry of Health said it has registered no “confirmed cases” of coronavirus in Armenia so far. It said it is continuing to take precautionary measures against the possible spread of the deadly virus. “The ministry has acquired a new batch of test kits and has no problems now in terms of diagnosing [coronavirus,]” the statement said, adding that it is also trying to import more medical masks and disinfectants to the country. In Iran, meanwhile, two more people infected with coronavirus died on Tuesday, raising to 14 the total number of coronavirus deaths reported by the Iranian authorities. Citing the authorities, the Reuters news agency reported that 61 people were infected and around 900 other cases were suspected in Iran as of Monday. To prevent the spread of the virus, the Iranian government has ordered the nationwide cancellation of concerts, soccer matches, closures of schools and universities in many provinces as a precaution. Russian, Armenian FMs Discuss Karabakh Switzerland -- Foreign Ministers Zohrab Mnatsakanian (R) of Armenia and Sergey Lavrov of Russia meet in Geneva, . The foreign ministers of Russia and Armenia discussed international efforts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict when they met in Geneva on Tuesday. According to the Armenian Foreign Ministry, Sergey Lavrov and Zohrab Mnatsakanian touched upon a “broad range of issues” during the talks held on the sidelines of a session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. Those included the “Nagorno-Karabakh peace process,” the ministry said in a statement. A separate statement released by the Russian Foreign Ministry said the two men discussed “topical issues on the bilateral and regional agenda” and “exchanged views” on the unresolved conflict. The official press releases gave no details of the meeting held less than a month after fresh high-level Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations. Mnatsakanian and his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov concluded in Geneva on January 30 two days of what they called “intensive discussions” mediated by the U.S., Russian and French co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group. In a joint statement with the mediators, they said they focused on “possible next steps to prepare the populations for peace; principles and elements forming the basis of a future settlement; and timing and agenda for advancing the settlement process.” Two weeks later, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev held a brief meeting before participating in a panel discussion on Karabakh held as part of an annual security conference in Munich. The two leaders publicly traded accusations during the discussion. Mnatsakanian accused Baku on February 18 of hampering progress towards a Karabakh settlement with “maximalist” demands. Still, the chief Armenian diplomat said on Monday that the fact that Pashinian and Aliyev publicly debated the long-running conflict was “very positive” in itself. Serzh Sarkisian’s Trial Starts • Anush Mkrtchian • Artak Khulian Armenia -- Former President Serzh Sarkisian arrives at a courtroom in Yerevan, . Nearly two years after resigning amid mass protests against his continued rule, Armenia’s former President Serzh Sarkisian went on trial on Tuesday on corruption charges which he rejects as politically motivated. Sarkisian stands accused of giving privileged treatment in 2013 to his longtime friend and businessman Barsegh Barseghian which cost the state 489 million drams (just over $1 million) in losses. According to law-enforcement authorities, he made sure that a government tender for supplies of subsidized diesel fuel to farmers is won by Barseghian’s Flash company, rather than another fuel importer that offered a lower price. Sarkisian is standing trial together with Barseghian, former Agriculture Minister Sergo Karapetian and two other former Agriculture Ministry officials also indicted as part of the criminal case. All five suspects deny any wrongdoing. Sarkisian’s lawyers again dismissed the embezzlement charges leveled against him when they spoke during the first session of the high-profile trial at a district court in Yerevan. One of them insisted that they are based on “contradictory, incredible and illogical” testimony given by a single person. Armenia -- Former President Serzh Sarkisian and four other defendants stand trial in Yerevan, . The trial prosecutor, Arsen Martirosian, denied that, saying that investigators collected enough evidence to press the charges against the man who ruled Armenia from 2008-2018. The incriminating pre-trial testimony was reportedly given by Karapetian. The former minister was jeered by the ex-president’s supporters when he entered the courtroom moments before the start of the trial. He refused to talk to reporters afterwards. The defense lawyers also alleged numerous procedural violations committed by investigators. They accused Martirosian of being biased against their client and demanded his replacement by another prosecutor. The presiding judge, Vahe Misakian, adjourned the court hearing to consider the demand. Sarkisian, 65, was greeted by more than 100 supporters rallying outside the district court building when he arrived for the hearing. Addressing the small crowd, he seemed to link the case against him to his position on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. “From the highest podiums of the world I have periodically stated and will repeat now that Nagorno-Karabakh will never be part of Azerbaijan. This has been the supreme goal of my life and it will accompany me to the end,” the Karabakh-born ex-president said in a short speech greeted with applause and “President!” chants. Armenia -- Supporters of former President Serzh Sarkisian rally outside a court building in Yerevan, . The crowd included senior members of the former ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) still headed by Sarkisian. In a statement issued earlier in the day, the HHK leadership similarly alleged a connection between the trial and the current state of the Karabakh negotiating process. “With such steps the authorities aim to deflect the Armenian people’s attention from numerous internal and external problems that are becoming more acute by the day,” said the statement. HHK representatives claimed earlier that their leader was indicted in early December in retaliation for his public criticism of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian. Law-enforcement officials and Pashinian’s political allies brushed aside those statements. Sarkisian accused Pashinian’s government of jeopardizing democracy and stifling dissent in a November 20 speech at a congress of the European People’s Party held in Croatia. He had kept a low profile since resigning in April 2018. Pashinian repeatedly implicated Sarkisian, his family and political entourage in corruption both before and after coming to power in the “Velvet Revolution” led by him. Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL Copyright (c) 2020 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc. 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.