Author: Ani Kharatian

Russian President, President of the European Council discuss situation in Nagorno Karabakh

Ani Kharatian

Russian President, President of the European Council discuss situation in Nagorno Karabakh

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 19:18, 7 June, 2021

YEREVAN, JUNE 7, ARMENPRESS. President of Russia Vladimir Putin and President of the European Council Charles Michel discussed the issue of Nagorno Karabakh, emphasizing the importance of the implementation of the statements adopted by the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia, ARMENPRESS reports, citing Ria Novosti, the press service of the Kremlin informed.

‘’The unblocking of regional economic and transport infrastructures, the solution of the humanitarian issues of the people are among the priority issues. Charles Michel expressed solidarity with the works being carried out, including the works carried out through the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chair countries (Russia, USA and France)’’, reads the statement.

Armenia’s caretaker PM and his delegation arrive in Belgium

Ani Kharatian

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 23:51, 1 June, 2021

BRUSSELS, JUNE 1, ARMENPRESS. Armenia’s caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his delegation arrived in Belgium on a working visit, Armenpress correspondent reports from Brussels.

On June 2, Nikol Pashinyan will meet with President of the European Council Charles Michel in Brussels. He is also scheduled to meet with Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Belgium Alexander De Croo.

Prior to the visit to Belgium, Pashinyan was in Paris, France, where he met with President Emmanuel Macron, Speaker of the National Assembly Richard Ferrand and Senate President Gérard Larcher.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Armenpress: Russia has significant contribution to ensuring Armenia’s security within frames of allied duties – Ambassador

Ani Kharatian

Russia has significant contribution to ensuring Armenia’s security within frames of allied duties – Ambassador

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 16:56, 4 June, 2021

YEREVAN, JUNE 4, ARMENPRESS. Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergei Kopyrkin met with Governor of Syunik province Melikset Poghosyan on June 3 on the sidelines of his working visit in the province, the Russian Embassy told Armenpress.

The officials discussed the situation in Armenia’s south, including that in the border communities. The Ambassador said Russia has a significant contribution to ensuring Armenia’s security within the frames of fulfillment of its allied duties. In particular, the number of Russian border guards has increased, material-technical and financial resources have been provided for their operation.  

The Syunik Governor thanked Russia and its leadership for stopping the recent bloodshed in Artsakh and for the invaluable contribution to the post-conflict recovery. He also highly appreciated the service of the Russian border guards in the province.

The sides also discussed the socio-economic development of the province, and in this respect the Ambassador stated that Russia will continue assisting the utilization of the province’s economic potential, also in the tourism sector. He also emphasized the visible presence of the Russian capital in the province, as well as the funding for the UN projects by Russia aimed at assisting the local population and developing the economy.

The Russian Ambassador also congratulated the Governor on the launch of the CIS Youth Capital program, within the frames of which a number of events will take place in the town of Kapan.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Artur Vanetsyan: What debate should I possibly have with the capitulator?

Ani Kharatian
Panorama, Armenia
June 2 2021

On the International Day for Protection of Children celebrated on June 1, Homeland Party Chairman Artur Vanetsyan, the leader of the I Have the Honor bloc running in the upcoming snap parliamentary elections, visited Charentsavan community of Armenia’s Kotayk Province.

In Charentsavan City Park, he congratulated the children and extended them his best wishes.

The Homeland Party leader also answered a question of one of the journalists about whether he was going to debate caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

“What debate should I possibly have with the capitulator?” Vanetsyan said.

Armenia’s first President Levon Ter-Petrosyan also turned down Pashinyan’s proposal for a debate on Tuesday.

The spokesman of Ter-Petrosyan’s Armenian National Congress party, Arman Musinyan, said in a Facebook post that the former president has nothing to talk about with the “nation-destroying scourge.”

Earlier on Monday, second President Robert Kocharyan also rejected such an offer through the official representative of his Armenia bloc’s election campaign headquarters, Aram Vardevanyan.

“The second president of Armenia and the first president of Artsakh who has liberated lands should under no circumstances hold a debate with a person who has handed over lands, with even the foreign minister appointed by him openly announcing that he does not take into account the interests of Armenia. Not taking into account the interests of Armenia means going against them. I think it makes no sense and there is no expediency to debate such a person,” Vardevanyan told reporters.

Armenia/Azerbaijan: EU Statement by the Spokesperson on recent developments on the border

Ani Kharatian
Relief Web
 

 

Originally published

 

 

Statements by the Spokesperson

Recent developments on the Armenia/Azerbaijan border are both dangerous and worrying. Immediate de-escalation is needed. The European Union urges both sides to refrain from any further military deployment and actions. All forces should pull back to positions held before 12 May and both sides should engage in negotiations on border delimitation and demarcation. We continue to call on Azerbaijan to release all prisoners of war and detainees without delay. We welcome all efforts aimed at decreasing tensions, including proposals for a possible international observation mission.

The EU is ready to provide expertise and help on border delimitation and demarcation, as well as to support much needed confidence building measures, in order to move towards sustainable peace and prosperity for the South Caucasus.

Peter STANO(link sends e-mail)
Lead Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
+32 (0)460 75 45 53
Adam KAZNOWSKI(link sends e-mail)
Press Officer for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
+32 (0) 2 29 89359
+32 (0)460 768 088

Armenia reports 104 daily coronavirus cases

Ani Kharatian

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 11:10,

YEREVAN, MAY 28, ARMENPRESS. 104 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Armenia in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 222,513, the ministry of healthcare reports.

301 patients have recovered in one day. The total number of recoveries has reached 212,566.

The death toll has risen to 4423 (7 death cases have been registered in the past one day).

2835 COVID-19 tests were conducted on May 27.

The number of active cases is 4443.

The number of people who had coronavirus but died from other disease has reached 1081 (2 new such cases).

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Armenia denies Azeri accusations on opening fire

Ani Kharatian

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 14:54,

YEREVAN, MAY 26, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Ministry of Defense is denying as fake news the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense statement which claimed that the Armenian military has shelled Azerbaijani positions from May 24 until May 26.

“It is clear that this statement is yet another pitiful attempt to cover up the provocations committed against the sovereign territories of the Republic of Armenia in recent days and the May 25 killing of Junior Sergeant Gevorg Khurshudyan, a serviceman of the Armenian Armed Forces,” the Armenian Ministry of Defense said.

“Moreover, it is noteworthy that the statement claims that the Armenian side is shelling the Azerbaijani positions for already three days, but the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense has decided to speak about it only today. The statement also claimed that the Azerbaijani positions have been shelled in Artsakh too, in the direction of Shushi. The command of the Russian contingent carrying out the peacekeeping mission in the Republic of Artsakh told the Armenian Ministry of Defense that no shots were fired in that direction also. The Ministry of Defense of Armenia announces that the armed forces did not fire any shots in the direction of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the said period of time.

The Ministry of Defense of Armenia is again stressing that the Azerbaijani encroachments against the sovereign territories of the Republic of Armenia are completely inadmissible and is demanding an immediate withdrawal, otherwise reserving the right to solve the issue in any other option, including by the use of force,” the Armenian Ministry of Defense said.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Our two nations should support each other for the sake of development: Armenia’s acting PM receives Georgian counterpart

Ani Kharatian
Public Radio of Armenia
     

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has arrived in Armenia on an official visit. After the official welcome ceremony Armenia’s acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Irakli Garibashvili had a face-to-face meeting.

Addressing the guest, Nikol Pashinyan noted.

“Dear Prime Minister of the Republic of Georgia,
Dear Irakli,

I welcome you to Armenia. Our high-level meetings were deferred for a while due to the global pandemic. I am glad that we are resuming the top-level contacts. The agenda of our bilateral relations is very wide, ranging from transport communications to energy and road infrastructures. Indeed, the fight against COVID-19 is among the most pressing issues on our agenda.

Armenia and Georgia are traditionally bound by close political intercourse, based on deep-rooted friendship and brotherhood between the two nations. I believe that the regional developments and prospects stand high on our agenda and we should discuss them in order harmonize our positions and strengthen the humanitarian, educational and cultural components.

Our two nations should support each other for the sake of development. Welcoming you once again, I remain confident that we will have fruitful talks today.”

Thankful for the warm welcome, Irakli Garibashvili said:
“Mr. Prime Minister, thank you ever so much for the warm welcome. It is a great honor for me to meet you. You mentioned the global pandemic, which affects every nation and every country. Notwithstanding, I feel greatly honored to visit Yerevan. Our peoples are bound by close ties of friendship in addition to good-neighborly relations. Our interaction and friendship go far back to centuries. Therefore, we are keen to see peace, stability and development in Armenia and in the region, as a whole.

You next referred to our hectic bilateral agenda. We should discuss ways of boosting trade and economic exchanges, promoting our cultural relations and strengthening cooperation in key areas, such as transport and logistics. This will bring us closer to each other from a regional perspective as well. I am greatly honored to be your guest. I am confident that we will have a fruitful meeting. Thank you.”

Nikol Pashinyan’s face-to-face meeting with Irakli Garibashvili was followed by an extended meeting of the two government delegations. Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan noted that regional security-related issues had been discussed with the Georgian Premier during their private talks, and in that context, views were exchanged on the situation in Armenia’s Syunik province.

Both sides stressed that Armenia and Georgia are interested in maintaining peace and stability in the region, which is important for the development of cooperation. In this regard, Nikol Pashinyan condemned Azerbaijani’s attempts to circumvent the trilateral statements of November 9, 2020 and January 11, 2021.

The interlocutors were pleased to state that the centuries-old Armenian-Georgian friendly relations provide a solid groundwork for deepening mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries.

The development of transport communications, including railway infrastructure, was emphasized in the context of promoting trade and economic exchanges. The parties expressed reciprocated interest in initiating new joint programs and pledged to work more closely in this direction.

Both sides stressed the importance of cooperation between Armenia, Georgia, Bulgaria, Greece and Iran on the draft agreement for establishing an international Persian Gulf-Black Sea transport corridor.

Taking the opportunity, Nikol Pashinyan and Irakli Garibashvili referred to their respective efforts aimed at lifting the restrictions caused by the global pandemic.

The military police unit of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh is patrolling the Lachin corridor

Ani Kharatian
Panorama, Armenia

Military personnel of the Russian peacekeeping continent continue to perform tasks to monitor compliance with the ceasefire and ensure the safety of motor transport, transportation of food and various goods along the Lachin (Berdzor) corridor, Russian Defense Ministry reported. 

Since November 12 last year, the military police unit of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh has been patrolling the Lachin corridor on a daily basis. The purpose of this patrol is to monitor the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, gather information, check areas of terrain that are not visible from observation posts, and demonstrate the presence of the Russian peacekeeping contingent.

"The Lachin corridor is a road that connects the city of Stepanakert with Armenia. The Russian peacekeeping contingent, in accordance with the agreements, exercises control over it. Control is carried out not only of the road, but also of the approaches to it up to 5 kilometers wide, " said Lieutenant Colonel Ivan Kuzmin, an officer of the military police unit. "The corridor is patrolled daily. In all weather conditions. The most difficult period was December – January, when there were serious fogs on the Lachin corridor, as well as icing of the road," he added.

Every day, the length of the patrol routes of the military police of the Russian peacekeeping contingent is about 50 kilometers, the source said. 

In addition to the tasks of patrolling the Lachin corridor, the military police unit of the Russian peacekeeping contingent is regularly involved in ensuring security during humanitarian actions, escorting pilgrims to the monasteries of Amaras and Dadivank, located in the immediate vicinity of the line of demarcation of the parties, as well as escorting convoys with humanitarian supplies delivering everything necessary for the restoration of the infrastructure of the Kelbajar district and other events.