16:56,
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijani Armed Forces on September 12 targeted Armenian military outposts in Gegharkunik Province with small arms fire, the Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
“On September 12, at around 2:35 p.m., the Azerbaijani Armed Forces units discharged fire from small arms against the Armenian combat outposts in the vicinity of Verin Shorzha. (Gegharkunik Province),” the Armenian Ministry of Defense said.
19:43,
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS. Nagorno-Karabakh President Samvel Shahramanyan has held a meeting with top law enforcement and military officials, local authorities announced.
The Nagorno-Karabakh President’s Office said Shahramanyan on Tuesday visited the Defense Ministry headquarters to hold a “consultation” with heads of security services.
The military-political situation in the region was discussed at the meeting. The ongoing Azerbaijani military movements and buildup, which began on September 5, was also discussed.
“Particular attention was paid to the issues of ensuring the security of the civilian population in the conditions of a humanitarian crisis and in case of possible developments of the situation, as well as to the objectives of the defense ministry of the republic in the current situation,” President Shahramanyan’s office added in a statement.
11:15,
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian parliament on Tuesday ratified the Protocol N. 13 to the Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, Concerning the Abolition of the Death Penalty in All Circumstances.
The protocol was ratified with 87 votes in favor and 7 abstentions.
Deputy Minister of Justice Karen Karapetyan told lawmakers earlier on Monday that the protocol was signed by Armenia in 2006 but hasn’t been ratified since. “Whereas, this protocol is one of the unique international documents for which every year, as part of the universal campaign for abolition of death penalty, the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers is making written inquiries to Council of Europe member countries who haven’t ratified it, to clarify the reasons for delay,” he said.
“The ratification of the protocol is in line with Armenia’s policy as a country that is in favor of full abolition of death penalty. Moreover, death penalty is already prohibited by the Armenian constitution. The number 13 protocol is in line with the international obligations already assumed by Armenia,” Karapetyan added.
VLADIVOSTOK, September 11. /TASS/. Russia will put Armenia’s decision to host a joint military exercise with the United States rather than with the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) under a microscope, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
"Against the backdrop of Armenia’s reluctance to hold drills with the CSTO and its latest plan to host a joint exercise with the United States, for us, perhaps, these are decisions that will require our thorough analysis in order to understand why Armenia has decided to do this and what its goals are here," Peskov said.
In any case, Moscow will establish a partnership dialogue with Armenia to "try and make sense of it," he added.
Earlier, the Armenian Defense Ministry announced that the South Caucasus country will host a joint military exercise, Eagle Partner 2023, with the United States on September 11-20.
An Armenian match fixer nicknamed the Maestro, who masterminded the biggest illegal betting ring in tennis, has said he is 'proud' of corrupting more than 180 players and paying them to throw hundreds of matches.
Over several years, Grigor Sargsyan, an Armenian immigrant in Belgium with no tennis background turned savings of $350 into millions. He supposedly considered himself the sport's 'Robin Hood' after building a web of players from around the world – believed to include some based in the United States – and convincing them to fix matches.
He was recently jailed for five years in Belgium after a SWAT team arrested him at his parent's house following an exhaustive investigation.
The tennis authorities issued a raft of lifetime bans and suspensions after Sargsyan's network was uncovered. It was described as 'one of the largest match-fixing files ever to surface in the world' but just ‘the tip of the iceberg.'
'(The) biggest in size, biggest in money, and biggest in number of matches fixed and number of players involved,' prosecutors said. 'More than 181 tennis players are involved; more than 375 matches are involved.'
According to an investigation by the Washington Post, players, typically from the sport's lower rungs, agreed to throw points, games or sets for money. His network of associates would then profit by betting on the outcome.
Sometimes, it's claimed, both players in a match would be working for Sargsyan. His profits – which amounted to at least $9million in just two years – ended up in bank accounts linked to a man apparently working from behind bars in Armenia.
Sargsyan is believed to have worked on behalf of a transnational criminal syndicate based in Armenia. In tennis circles, he was known as the Maestro, Gregory, Greg, GG, TonTon and Ragnar, after the Viking warrior.
While in prison, the fixer read Fyodor Dostoevsky’s 'Crime and Punishment'. 'Honestly, it made me proud,' he told The Post. 'It was my entire life,' the 33-year-old said.
Sargsyan reportedly targeted those who were struggling to afford the cost of life on the Futures and Challenger Tours. They included Younes Rachidi, who was found to have committed 135 match-fixing offenses in less than 10 months – a record. He was banned from the sport for life earlier this year but did not face criminal charges.
'It’s like doubling your money. It feels perfect, and no one knows,' Rachidi told the Post. 'You think: "That’s it?" The whole world is rose-colored.'
French player Yannick Thivant, who reached a career-high ranking of 590, reportedly received more than $50,000. He was one of four players taken into French custody in 2019. So far, none of them has been charged.
Sargsyan, whose family moved to Brussels when he was nine, was a 24-year law student when, in 2014, he fixed his first match.
He persuaded a young player from Latin America to lose the second set of his match 6-0. It's said Sargsyan made nearly $4,000 and paid the player around $600. 'It was an incredible feeling,' he told the Post.
Soon, it's claimed, he was treating players at fancy restaurants, driving them around in his Jaguar. He bought one player's diamond engagement ring. He would occasionally overpay players, it's said.
All the while, Sargsyan lived a double life – even working alongside his parents at a delicatessen in a bid to avoid detection.
Betting regulators now reportedly consider tennis 'the world's most manipulated sport'. Sargsyan 'put his finger on the weakness' when he realised anyone can gamble on thousands of obscure matches in sporting backwaters.
Since 2022, 40 players have been banned or suspended for match fixing.
They would deliberately double fault or miss easy shots; some athletes reportedly played Sargsyan off against other match fixers on the circuit.
Sebastian Rivera, a Chilean coach based in the United States, was accused of recruiting players for Sargsyan. He had got a job with Sean Bollettieri-Abdali, the son of iconic coach Nick Bollettieri, in California.
Bollettieri Sr coached Andre Agassi, Venus and Serena Williams and Boris Becker. Rivera tasked with training some of the program’s best prospects. There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing on either he or his son's part.
US authorities questioned Rivera, but the case ended there. Eight tennis players living in the US were named by Belgian authorities as appearing to be part of Sargsyan’s network.
The web began to close on Sargsyan after Egyptian player Karim Hossam aroused suspicion and was asked to hand over his phone to tennis match-fixing investigators. Hossam was later banned for life but did not face criminal charges.
Russia has voiced its concerns regarding Armenia’s plans to conduct a joint military exercise with the United States, with many interpreting this exercise as the latest indication of the former Soviet republic moving away from Moscow.
On September 6, Armenia announced its plans to host a joint military drill with the United States next week. The exercise, Eagle Partner 2023, is scheduled from September 11 to September 20 at Armenia’s Zar training center.
Following this development, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov conveyed to reporters that the news regarding Armenia’s intention to hold a joint military exercise with the United States is “alarming.”
He further said that Moscow will thoroughly analyze and monitor the situation.
“When it comes to the drills — of course, it causes concern, especially in the current situation. Therefore, we will deeply analyze this news and monitor the situation,” Peskov said.
According to the Armenian defense ministry, the Eagle Partner 2023 exercises enhance cooperation and compatibility between Armenian and US military forces, particularly in international peacekeeping missions.
The Ministry pointed out that units preparing for international peacekeeping operations often engage in comparable joint exercises and training activities in partner nations as part of the preparations for peacekeeping missions.
A US military spokesperson said 85 American soldiers and 175 Armenian personnel are slated to participate in the upcoming military exercises.
The American contingent, which includes members from the Kansas National Guard, known for its two-decade-long training partnership with Armenia, would be equipped with rifles but would refrain from using heavy weaponry during the exercises.
Additionally, on September 4, Gunther Fehlinger, the European Committee for NATO Enlargement Chair, called on Armenia to consider becoming a part of the North Atlantic Alliance.
Subsequently, on the same day, Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan responded that Armenia had been actively collaborating with NATO across multiple formats and was ready to continue this process.
Nevertheless, the development poses a considerable concern for Russia, which is expected to raise eyebrows and potentially ignite significant irritation within the Russian government.
Russia and Armenia find themselves in a contentious situation regarding a 2,000-strong Russian peacekeeping contingent assigned to oversee the Lachin corridor.
This corridor serves as the vital link between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, a region that witnessed a conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, leading to a ceasefire brokered by Russia in 2020.
In recent months, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has become more critical of the Russian peacekeeping presence, particularly their alleged failure to ensure unrestricted access along a corridor connecting Armenia with Nagorno-Karabakh.
This criticism underscores the growing tensions between Armenia and Russia in the context of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Recently, Pashinyan expressed dissatisfaction with Russia’s handling of the corridor, suggesting that Moscow might either lack the ability or the willingness to manage it effectively.
The Armenian government contends that Azerbaijan has blocked access to the corridor and imposed a blockade on Nagorno-Karabakh, resulting in a humanitarian crisis in towns inhabited by Armenians.
Furthermore, in a significant shift in foreign policy, Pashinyan also said that Armenia’s longstanding reliance on Russia as its security guarantor had been a “strategic mistake.” This admission reflects a shift away from Armenia’s traditional alliance with Russia.
Adding to the complexities, Pashinyan’s wife visited Kyiv to participate in a meeting of first ladies and gentlemen and to provide humanitarian assistance.
Early this year, Armenia declined to host military exercises conducted by the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).
Russia maintains a permanent military base in Armenia, part of the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization.
On its part, the Kremlin has reiterated its commitment to fulfilling obligations towards Armenia, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov emphasizing that Russia has no intentions of withdrawing its support.
“Russia is an integral part of this region,” he said. “Russia plays a consistent, vital role in stabilizing the situation in this region … and we will continue to play this role.”
The tensions between Baku and Yerevan have markedly intensified, with both sides leveling allegations of cross-border attacks against each other.
Thursday, September 7, 2023
Prosecutors Drop Case Concerning Ex-President Sarkisian’s Foreign Trips
• Naira Bulghadarian
Armenia - Former President Serzh Sarkisian and his supporters visit the Komitas
Pantheon in Yerevan, March 25, 2022.
Former President Serzh Sarkisian has been cleared of any wrongdoing following a
more than yearlong investigation into the legality of his private trips to
Germany taken during his rule, it emerged on Thursday.
The Yerevan-based Union of Informed Citizens (UIC) said two years ago that
Sarkisian used a government plane to travel to the German resort town of
Baden-Baden on at least 16 occasions from 2008 through 2017. In a written
complaint submitted to state prosecutors, the non-governmental organization
claimed that the flights were financed by taxpayers’ money illegally and without
any justification.
The prosecutors ordered the Special Investigative Service (SIS) to look into the
claims. The SIS opened in October 2021 a criminal case in connection with what
it called a possible abuse of power. It said some of Sarkisian’s flights to
Germany appear to have been carried out in breach of official rules and
procedures for the use of the government jet.
A lawyer for Sarkisian, Amram Makinian, has dismissed the investigation as a
publicity stunt organized by the current Armenian government. He has said that
the UIC’s allegations are based on inaccurate information provided by the
government’s Civil Aviation Committee.
The Office of the Prosecutor-General said on Thursday that the law-enforcement
body, which is now called the Anti-Corruption Committee (ACC), found no evidence
in support of the allegations during the probe that lasted for over 18 months.
The criminal case against the 69-year-old ex-president was therefore closed, the
office told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service. The UIC leader, Daniel Ioannisian,
criticized the decision.
Sarkisian, who co-heads one of the opposition groups represented in Armenia’s
current parliament, admitted earlier in 2021 spending vacations in Baden-Baden.
But he flatly denied allegations that he visited the world-famous German resort
for gambling purposes. Sarkisian’s political allies have repeatedly accused
law-enforcement authorities of targeting him and his relatives on government
orders.
Karabakh Youths Freed By Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan - Three Karabakh Armenian men are pictured after being arrested at
the Azerbaijani checkpoint in the Lachin corridor on August 28, ,2023.
Three residents of Nagorno-Karabakh were set free and handed over to Armenia on
Thursday ten days after being arrested at the Azerbaijani checkpoint in the
Lachin corridor.
The young men were taken into Azerbaijani custody as they and dozens of other
Karabakh Armenians travelled to Armenia in a convoy of vehicles escorted by
Russian peacekeepers. Karabakh’s leadership and the Armenian government strongly
condemned the arrests.
The Azerbaijani authorities said the three detainees aged between 20 and 22 are
members of a Karabakh football team that had “disrespected” the Azerbaijani
national flag in a 2021 video posted on social media. They were placed under a
ten-day administrative arrest as a result.
Armenia’s National Security Service reported that Alen Sargsian, Vahe Hovsepian
and Levon Grigorian were handed over to its border guards deployed the near the
Azerbaijani checkpoint. The office of Karabakh’s human rights defender said it
will talk to them to find out more details of their “kidnapping” and their
treatment by Azerbaijani authorities.
Another Karabakh man, Vagif Khachatrian, was arrested at the Azerbaijani
checkpoint in late July while being evacuated by the International Committee of
the Red Cross (ICRC) to Armenia. The 68-year-old was taken Baku to stand trial
on charges of killing and deporting Karabakh’s ethnic Azerbaijani residents in
December 1991, at the start of the first Armenian-Azerbaijani war.
Karabakh’s leadership rejected the “false” accusations and demanded
Khachatrian’s immediate release. The Armenian Foreign Ministry likewise
condemned Khachatrian’s arrest as a “blatant violation of international
humanitarian law” and a “war crime.”
Russia Steps Up Criticism Of U.S.-Armenian Drills
• Gevorg Stamboltsian
• Ruzanna Stepanian
Russia - A view of the Kremlin, Moscow, April 20, 2020.
Russia continued to criticize on Thursday Armenia’s decision to host a joint
U.S.-Armenian military exercise later this month.
The Eagle Partner 2023 exercise, scheduled for September 11-20, will reportedly
involve 85 U.S. and 175 Armenian soldiers. According to the Armenian Defense
Ministry, they will simulate a joint peacekeeping operation in an imaginary
conflict zone.
“Holding such exercises in the current situation does not contribute to the
strengthening of stability and the atmosphere of trust in the region,” Kremlin
spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
The planned drills were also criticized by three Russian deputy foreign
ministers. One of them, Mikhail Galuzin, claimed that the drills are part of
NATO’s efforts to lure Russia’s ex-Soviet neighbors into its “vicious zone of
influence.”
“It is natural that we draw the attention of our partners to the fact that
rapprochement with NATO would hardly have any positive results in terms of
ensuring their own security", Galuzin told the official TASS news agency. "I am
sure that the Armenian people, the Armenian public understand everything very
well and will draw the right conclusions corresponding to Armenia's long-term
security.”
Another vice-minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said Armenia should instead participate
in joint exercises with Russia and other allies making up the Russian-led
Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).
Early this year, Yerevan cancelled a CSTO exercise which it was due to host this
fall, underscoring its unhappiness with what Armenian leaders see as a lack of
Russian and CSTO support for Armenia in the conflict with Azerbaijan.
The discontent is the main reason for growing tensions between Moscow and
Yerevan. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian stoked them last week when he declared
that his government is trying to “diversify our security policy” because
Armenia’s reliance on Russia for defense and security has proved a “strategic
mistake.” Pashinian also suggested that Russia will eventually “leave” Armenia
and the South Caucasus in general. Moscow denounced his statements.
Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Paruyr Hovannisian downplayed the deepening
rift between the two allied countries.
“We always have differences with all partners,” Hovannisian told journalists.
“This doesn’t mean that they can be construed as tensions.”
For his part, Sargis Khandanian, the pro-government chairman of the Armenian
parliament committee on foreign relations, defended Yerevan’s “sovereign
decision” to host the joint drills with U.S. troops. “I think this [Russian
criticism] is also a reaction to and a result of the deepening U.S.-Armenian
relations,” he said.
Pashinian Asks World Powers To Prevent ‘New Azerbaijani Attack’
• Astghik Bedevian
Armenia - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian speaks during a cabinet meeting in
Yerevan, September 7, 2023.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian pleaded with the international community on
Thursday to intervene to thwart what he described as Azerbaijan’s plans to
launch a new military attack on Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.
Echoing statements by other Armenian officials, Pashinian said that Azerbaijani
troops have been massing along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the
Nagorno-Karabakh “line of contact.” He said Baku is thus “demonstrating its
intention to launch a new military provocation.”
“I think the situation is such that the international community, UN Security
Council member states should take very serious measures to prevent a new
explosion in our region,” he added during a cabinet meeting in Yerevan.
The secretary of Armenia’s Security Council, Armen Grigorian, made the same
appeal when he met with the Yerevan-based ambassadors of foreign countries on
Wednesday.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry was quick to deny Pashinian’s claims and blame
Armenia for rising tensions in the conflict zone. It said that Yerevan should
end its “military-political provocations,” drop “territorial claims” to
Azerbaijan and stop hampering the signing of an Armenian-Azerbaijani treaty.
Pashinian insisted that Armenia stands ready to sign such a treaty. He also
reaffirmed his commitment to Armenian-Azerbaijani understandings brokered by
Russia and the European Union.
Pashinian pledged in May to recognize Azerbaijani sovereignty over Karabakh,
drawing condemnation from Karabakh’s leadership and the Armenian opposition. He
complained afterwards that Baku is seeking the kind of peace deal that would not
prevent it from laying claim to Armenian territory.
Pashinian on Thursday did not specifically request military assistance from
Russia, Armenia’s increasingly estranged ally. The Armenian government has
repeatedly accused Moscow and the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty
Organization (CSTO) of ignoring such requests made during the September 2022
large-scale fighting on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
Tensions between Yerevan and Moscow have deepened since then. They escalated
further last week after Pashinian said that his administration is trying to
“diversify our security policy” because the Russians are “unwilling or unable”
to defend Armenia
Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2023 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
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17:14, 4 September 2023
YEREVAN, 4 SEPTEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 4 September, USD exchange rate down by 0.11 drams to 385.79 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 1.62 drams to 416.81 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.01 drams to 3.99 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 1.68 drams to 487.45 drams.
The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.
Gold price down by 28.57 drams to 24069.49 drams. Silver price up by 1.27 drams to 305.68 drams.
11:14, 1 September 2023
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. Two Armenian servicemen were killed and another was wounded Friday morning when Azerbaijani Armed Forces targeted Armenian border outposts in a cross-border shelling, the Armenian Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
“There are two killed in action and one wounded as a result of Azerbaijani AF fire on the Armenian combat outposts near Sotk,” reads a statement released by the Defense Ministry.
On September 1, Azerbaijani forces opened heavy gunfire with small arms and mortars at Armenian border outposts near Sotk.
The Ministry of Defense said it would release the names of the fallen troops and details on the condition of the wounded soldier in an additional statement later.
16:44, 1 September 2023
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. Ucom is set to embark on a comprehensive modernization of its mobile network, commencing from September 4th to 10th in the Kentron administrative district of Yerevan, with partial inclusion of the Arabkir administrative district.
“We wish to provide our valued subscribers with advance notice that this marks just the initial phase. The project will be executed in stages, with the ultimate goal of providing a smoother and more contemporary mobile experience on Ucom's already modernized network by the end of the year. In the interim, we kindly ask for your patience, as such improvements may entail potential fluctuations in connection quality, temporary reductions in network coverage, and intermittent service interruptions," explained Ralph Yirikian, Director General of Ucom.
Ucom is committed to providing advance notice regarding any ongoing work within the administrative districts of Yerevan. The company extends its apologies to its subscribers in advance for any potential inconvenience while assuring them of a high-speed mobile connection by year-end.