Author: Anna Tamamian

 14:48, 8 September, 2021

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. Armenia’s tourism sector has registered 30% growth in tourism sector compared to January-September 2020, Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan said today.

“488,000 tourists arrived in Armenia as of late August, and 143,000 visited the country only in August. It means that we have a 30% growth compared to the last year. I suppose that we will have over one million tourists by yearend. It was planned to host 1.2 million [tourists]”, the minister said.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 
00:030:26

Turkey helped its Turkic Muslim ally Azerbaijan defeat Armenia in a short and bloody war over the mainly Armenian enclave of Nagorno Karabakh last fall. A Russian brokered peace remains in place and now Turkey says it is ready to reopen its sealed borders and establish diplomatic relations with Armenia. Armenia says it too is ready to normalize ties with Turkey. Given the tragic history, the 1915 genocide of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman forces, and the recent spate of bloodshed with Armenia losing large chunks of contested territory along with others it occupied in an earlier war, the newly dovish spirit has caught the uninitiated by surprise.

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 18:23,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 31, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan invites Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Armenia.

''Thank you for warm reception and constructive discussion. We are looking forward to your visit to Yerevan at any time convenient for you'', ARMENPRESS reports Mirzoyan said in a joint press conference with Lavrov.

Azerbaijani military blocks Karmrakar-Shurnukh section of Armenian interstate road

 08:16, 26 August, 2021

YEREVAN, AUGUST 26, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani military blocked the Karmrakar-Shurnukh section of the Kapan-Goris interstate road around 23:00, August 25, the National Security Service (NSS) said.

“Transportation vehicles that were located in the mentioned section were evacuated. Work is underway in the direction of opening the road and restoring the normal movement of people and transportation vehicles,” the NSS said.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

 12:29, 26 August, 2021

YEREVAN, AUGUST 26, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani armed forces have blocked the road leading from Goris to Vorotan in Armenia’s Syunik province, Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan said in a statement.

“This is an inter-state road that ensures the normal movement of the Armenian civilian population and is directly connected with people’s normal life.

These criminal acts of the Azerbaijani armed servicemen violate people’s right to free movement and have completely distorted their normal life. Their presence on that roads itself is a violation of people’s right to life and other international guaranteed vital rights”, Arman Tatoyan said.

The Azerbaijani military blocked the Karmrakar-Shurnukh section of the Kapan-Goris interstate road around 23:00, August 25.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 12:56,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 28, ARMENPRESS. Vice-President of the European Commission, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell sent a congratulatory message to Ararat Mirzoyan on the occasion of assuming the position of the Foreign Minister of Armenia, the ministry told Armenpress.

The message reads:

“Excellency,

I would like to congratulate you on your appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia. Armenia is an important partner of the European Union. Our relations have intensified significantly since 2018 and the entry into force of our Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement on 1 March 2021 was another important, positive milestone. The implementation of this agreement is a central part of our bilateral relations and we stand ready to continue cooperating in areas of mutual interest, including strengthening democracy, the rule of law and human rights, jobs and business opportunities, the environment, better education and opportunities for research.

Your appointment comes at a crucial time for Armenia. Following last year’s hostilities, I would like to reiterate the EU’s readiness to contribute, including through the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus, in the shaping of a durable and comprehensive settlement, for instance, where possible through support for post conflict rehabilitation and confidence building measures. We continue to support the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group in this regard. In addition, we are also prepared to provide assistance related to border delimitation. Given that all our countries are still grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, let me also emphasize that the European Union continues to be committed to supporting Armenia in dealing with this public health crisis and its consequences.

I wish you every success in your new important role.”

 15:18,

YEREVAN, JULY 30, ARMENPRESS. Chair of the Delegation for relations with the South Caucasus, MEP Marina KALJURAND, the European Parliament's Standing Rapporteur on Armenia, MEP Andrey KOVATCHEV, and the European Parliament's Standing Rapporteur on Azerbaijan, MEP Željana ZOVKO, have issued a joint statement on the recent deadly clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

ARMENPRESS presents the full text of the statement: “We deplore the death of three Armenian servicemen on 28 July in clashes with Azerbaijani forces at Armenia’s Gegharkunik province border after Armenian positions and several villages were reportedly fired at since early morning, and express our deep condolences to their families. Unfortunately, this is just the latest in a series of incidents or provocations over the last months, including violations of the inter-state border that began with the incursion of Azerbaijani troops into Armenian territory on 12 May. The recent exchange of fire at the Nakhchivan border, where another Armenian soldier died, was no less concerning. We call on both sides to strictly observe the ceasefire and refrain from any provocations. Any possible disagreements about the border must be addressed through negotiations in a border delimitation and demarcation process, not through the use of force and unilateral actions.

All forces need to pull back to positions held before 12 May and in line with the provisions of the Tripartite Ceasefire Statement. To de-escalate the situation, it is of utmost importance that inflammatory rhetoric ceases immediately. In this context, we condemn in particular recent statements by Azerbaijani representatives regarding so-called ‘West Zangezur’ and referring to the territory of the Republic of Armenia as Azerbaijani ‘ancestral land’.

Such statements are highly irresponsible and threaten to undermine regional security further. We recall the EU’s commitment to support confidence-building measures and the addressing of any issues at the negotiating table, including through the resumption of negotiations on a lasting conflict settlement and the future status of Nagorno Karabakh”.