Saturday,
Armenian, Azeri FMs Meet In Georgia
Georgia - Foreign Ministers Ararat Mirzoyan (right) of Armenia and Jeyhun
Bayramov meet in Tbilisi,
The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijani reported no concrete agreements
after meeting in Tbilisi on Saturday.
According to the Armenian Foreign Ministry, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan
discussed with his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov “the fulfillment of
previously undertaken commitments” and “possible further steps” in the
Armenian-Azerbaijani peace process.
A ministry statement cited Mirzoyan as telling Bayramov that a “political
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict” is essential for achieving a
lasting peace in the region. He stressed the importance of using the “mandate”
and “experience” of the OSCE Minsk Group to that end.
Baku has repeatedly questioned the need for continued existence of the mediating
group co-headed by the United States, France and Russia. It says that
Azerbaijan’s victory in the 2020 war with Armenia put an end to the Karabakh
conflict.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry also reported few details of the Tbilisi talks
which lasted for about three hours.
It said Bayramov called for a full implementation of Armenian-Azerbaijani
agreements brokered by Moscow during and after the war. He singled out “the
withdrawal of Armenian forces from Azerbaijani territory.”
The talks followed fresh recriminations traded by the two sides in recent weeks.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev again threatened military action against
Armenia last month, saying that Yerevan remains reluctant to open a land
corridor connecting Azerbaijan to its Nakhichevan exclave. Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinian claimed, for his part, that Baku is torpedoing peace talks and
preparing the ground for another war.
Armenian Film Producer Collapses And Dies In Court
07:56 GMT
• By Current Time
Film producer Armen Grigorian (center) is seen in the courtroom shortly before
he collapsed to the floor and died.
An Armenian film producer collapsed and died in a Yerevan courtroom where he was
facing charges of inciting hatred, raising questions about why authorities
ignored defense warnings about the 57-year-old's flagging health.
Video shared by the news.am website showed Armen Grigorian slump suddenly in his
chair as his lawyers were pleading his case on July 15, and he reportedly died
before medics arrived.
The cause of death was not initially disclosed.
Grigorian was known among post-Soviet filmmakers in the Caucasus for productions
exploring regret and redemption, like 2007's I'm Staying; the fateful drama of
2015's An Interrupted Flight; as well as crime and comedic films, including
Ticket To Vegas.
His lawyer was seeking a dismissal of the case and said there was no reason for
Grigorian to even be in court following his arrest in May.
He was facing accusations of inciting ethnic, racial, or religious hatred under
Article 226 of the Criminal Code, according to news.am.
Ombudsman Kristina Grigorian has demanded an explanation from the
Prosecutor-General's Office and the Justice Ministry regarding Grigorian's
condition, his treatment, and the circumstances around his death.
"It is extremely unacceptable and alarming that in the conditions of preliminary
arrest in relation to a person in the place of his detention, the right of a
person to health protection is not guaranteed, health problems are not
identified and eliminated properly, which leads to such tragic consequences,"
she said.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.rferl.org/amp/armenia-film-producer-dies-courtroom-grigorian-grigoryan/31946117.html__;!!LIr3w8kk_Xxm!qmUdcLp2yJKVpenw5PC3M00IeivlWX-lbW2bTaUJdsXiQ-04PftOJnImMVx1DDujYEgCtTrVJzt_$
CIA Director Meets With Armenian Prime Minister, Security Council Secretary In
Yerevan
06:34 GMT
• By RFE/RL's Armenian Service
CIA Director William Burns at a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinian in Yerevan on July 15.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on July 15 received U.S. Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director William Burns, Pashinian’s press office said.
The two “discussed issues related to international and regional security and the
fight against terrorism. Reference was made to processes taking place in the
South Caucasus region,” the brief statement said.
While in Yerevan, Burns also met with the secretary of Armenia’s Security
Council, Armen Grigorian, whose office said the two discussed issues related to
the further development of U.S.- Armenia bilateral relations.
Grigorian outlined for the CIA director the security environment in the region,
existing challenges, and Armenia’s approach to establishing peace in the region,
a statement from Grigorian’s office said.
“The sides talked about Armenia-Azerbaijan and Armenia-Turkey negotiation
processes,” the statement said.
Official Armenian bodies and the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan would not comment on
media reports about Burns’ visit to Yerevan.
Burns, 66, served as U.S. ambassador to Russia from 2005-08. He visited Armenia
and Azerbaijan in 2011 in his capacity as U.S. deputy secretary of state.
During that trip, he urged a greater “sense of urgency” for the resolution of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, saying that “the status quo is not sustainable.”
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.rferl.org/amp/cia-burns-pashinian-armenia/31946049.html__;!!LIr3w8kk_Xxm!qmUdcLp2yJKVpenw5PC3M00IeivlWX-lbW2bTaUJdsXiQ-04PftOJnImMVx1DDujYEgCtZJ9HCt2$
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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