The protesters of the Resistance movement brought flowers and toys to the site of the death of a pregnant woman in Yerevan.
Yesterday the car of the traffic police escorting Nikol Pashinyan's motorcade hit the pregnant Sona Mnatsakanyan, 28 years old, at the intersection of Leo and Paronyan streets.
None of the cars of the prime minister's motorcade even stopped. Sona and her unborn baby died in hospital.
TASS reports that Patrushev particularly said:
“After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States and its satellites deployed a network of biolaboratories in the territory of the former Soviet republics – in Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Armenia, where, under the guise of scientific research, they conduct military biological activities.”
Mediamax reminds that in May 2021 Armenia and Russia signed Memorandum of Understanding on Ensuring Biological Safety.
The Republic of Ireland’s revised June fixtures for the Nations League group that includes Ukraine have been confirmed, and despite the Russian invasion Uefa have slated two matches in six days against Oleksandr Petrakov’s side.
Ireland will host Ukraine at the Aviva stadium on June 8th with the return leg, previously suggested to take place in Poland, happening on Tuesday June 14th. The venue has yet to be decided.
This follows the rescheduling of the World Cup playoff between Scotland and Ukraine at Hampden Park to June 1st with the winner facing Wales in Cardiff four days later. The victor of that playoff final lands into Group B alongside England, USA and Iran at the first ever winter World Cup in November.
Either Ukraine or Scotland will be using competitive matches against a Stephen Kenny squad that is expected to be without injured duo Matt Doherty and Adam Idah, as preparation for the tournament in Qatar as Scotland also comes to Dublin on June 11th.
The rejigged fixture list sees Ireland off to Yerevan for their opening Nations League B1 games, now against Armenia on June 4th. All told Kenny’s improving young side will play four important ties in just 10 days this summer with taxing trips either end of the schedule.
The final two matches of a competition Kenny is on record stating Ireland can win outright, are away to Scotland and home to Armenia in September.
The FAI will expect to sell out the Aviva stadium for Ukraine and Scotland games in June despite there only being a three-day gap between each visit. Kick-off times for all matches have yet to be agreed by broadcasters and associations.
“We held very productive and amicable talks with Uefa, Fifa and our fellow associations this week and we are delighted to accommodate our colleagues in Ukraine with this rescheduling,” said FAI chief executive Jonathan Hill. “The FAI and European football stand with the people of Ukraine and we look forward to welcoming them to Dublin on June 8th.”
Earlier this week, FAI president Gerry McAnaney wrote to all member clubs and leagues with details of the Government’s request to use of sports halls and clubhouses as temporary accommodation for Ukrainian refugees over the next two months.
“The situation is quite drastic for the next eight weeks or so until other State bodies and various institutions can release accommodation spaces,” said McAnaney. “As an association we acknowledge that [this request] from Government will not be feasible for many of our clubs but there are so many other ways that Irish football can help.
“Members may consider acting as host families for our visitors from Ukraine in this period, members may have access to residential or non-residential units that can help with this short-term crisis or they may know somebody who can help with accommodation. Every little bit will make a difference in this situation.
“We are due to play Ukraine in the Uefa Nations League in June so let’s continue to show solidarity with our friends from Ukraine between now and then.”
Saturday, June 4th: Armenia v Republic of Ireland
Wednesday, June 8th: Republic of Ireland v Ukraine
Saturday, June 11th: Republic of Ireland v Scotland
Tuesday, June 14th: Ukraine v Republic of Ireland
Saturday, September 24th: Scotland v Republic of Ireland
Tuesday, September 27th: Republic of Ireland v Armenia
11:12, 5 April, 2022
YEREVAN, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS. 13 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Armenia in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 422,594, the Ministry of Healthcare said.
2733 tests were conducted on April 4.
105 patients have recovered in one day (410,229 total recoveries).
2 death cases have been registered in the country, raising the death toll to 8619.
As of April 5, the number of active cases is 2067.
13:18, 5 April, 2022
YEREVAN, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS. The parliamentary standing committee on labor and social affairs disapproved the bill submitted by the opposition “Armenia” faction, which proposed to raise the minimum wage from 68,000 drams to 80,000 drams.
Faction MP Aghvan Vardanyan presented the bill on making amendments to the Law on Minimum Monthly Wage during the committee’s session.
The lawmaker reminded that recently the Armenia faction has once again proposed to increase the minimum monthly salary, but the proposal was not included into the agenda of the plenary sessions and was not approved in the committee.
“The draft has been amended. The current draft proposes to set the minimum wage at 80,000 drams”, he said, proposing this regulation to take effect from January 2023.
Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Ruben Sargsyan presented the conclusion of the government. He reminded that the government’s 2021-2026 action plan envisages taking steps by 2026 to set the wage up to 85,000 drams. “The increase in minimum wage must be accompanied by a respective economic opportunity as a source of funding for the additional costs”, he said.
The deputy minister said that the draft submitted by the MP has no analysis from economic justification perspective. According to him, the unjustified increase in minimum monthly wage could lead to GDP and employment level decline, which could result in inflation pressures. Therefore, he urged to keep the law unchanged.
The bill was disapproved after long debates at the committee.
Armenia is participating for the first time in Artozyma International Exhibition of Bakery and Confectionery which will beheld in the Thessaloniki International Exhibition Centre from the 2nd to the 4th of April, 2022.
The Exhibition takes place alongside the Detrop Boutique Show, which hosts the major food and beverage companies in Greece. Both shows with their original thematic features highlight the modern trends of food and beverage sectors.
A wide range of Armenian products will be presented at the show, including the legendary brandy ArArAt, the world famous ZULAL, ARMENIA WINE, KARAS, ARAME wines, legendary ZORAH – one of the best 10 wines of the world, according to Bloomberg, the multi-award winning KILIKIA beer, JERMUK and BJNI mineral waters as well as NOYAN Premium juices and sweets. For the first time wine labels ARMAS and OSHIN will be presented to the Greek consumers.
Armenia’s participation is organized by the Hellenic-Armenian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as part of an annual series of events dedicated to the 30th anniversary of establishment of the Chamber back in 1992. The event is held under the auspices of the Embassy of Armenia to the Hellenic Republic
Chamber’s staff will be available at the booth to provide important information about doing business with Armenia.
16:21,
YEREVAN, MARCH 31, ARMENPRESS. Human Rights Defender of Armenia Kristinne Grigoryan participated today in the online general assembly of the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI), her Office said in a news release.
The discussions focused on a number of issues relating to protection of human rights in different regions and sectors. Particularly, the situation of migrants in Europe and ensuring their rights, as well as the possible actions aimed at assisting national human rights institutions that appeared under danger, were discussed during the online meeting.
Welcoming her international colleagues, the Armenian Ombudswoman highlighted the ENNHRI role in promoting the protection of human rights in the region and strengthening the role of national institutions.
During the discussion of the topic titled “National Human Rights Institutions under Danger – Ukraine”, the Ombudsperson of Armenia said, in particular: “From the viewpoint of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia, I can say that we know well from our experience what difficulties and challenges the conflicts could bring and their devastating consequences for the defense institutions. Therefore, I call on my colleagues from Ukraine and Russia to use at best the potential of this wonderful network and also the direct contacts, to fulfill their mandate at best in these difficult times”.
Saturday, Russia Tells Azerbaijan To Withdraw Troops From Karabakh Village NAGORNO-KARABAKH -- A Russian peacekeeper patrols near a dog at a checkpoint outside Askeran, November 19, 2020 Russia has accused Azerbaijan of violating a Russian-brokered ceasefire that stopped the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh and called for the withdrawal of Azerbaijani forces from an area in eastern Karabakh occupied by them this week. The Azerbaijani army on Thursday reportedly captured Parukh, a village in Karabakh’s Askeran district, before advancing towards strategic hills to the west of it controlled by Karabakh Armenian forces. Fighting in that area continued for the second consecutive day on Saturday despite the presence of Russian peacekeeping troops. In a statement released on Saturday, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Azerbaijani army units “entered the zone of responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping contingent” in breach of the 2020 truce accord. It also confirmed that they used Turkish-made combat drones to strike Karabakh Armenian positions near Parukh. “At present, the command of the Russian peacekeeping contingent is taking measures to resolve the situation and return the troops to their original position,” added the statement. “A call for the withdrawal of the troops was sent to the Azerbaijani side.” The Russian Foreign Ministry said, meanwhile, that it is “extremely concerned” about the rising tensions in Karabakh. It urged the warring sides to “show restraint” and avoid ceasefire violations. Earlier on Saturday, the Armenian Foreign Ministry urged Moscow to “issue a clear demand” for the Azerbaijani withdrawal. It said Yerevan also expects the Russian peacekeepers to take other “concrete, visible steps to resolve the situation.” Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation in Karabakh in phone calls on Thursday and Friday. The U.S. State Department on Friday expressed serious concern over the Azerbaijani troop movements, calling them “irresponsible and unnecessarily provocative.” Baku rejected the criticism. Both conflicting sides reported fresh fighting near Parukh on Saturday. Karabakh’s Defense Army said its troops thwarted Azerbaijani attempts to gain more ground outside the village. Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry claimed, for its part, that Armenian forces tried to launch a sabotage attack on one of its frontline positions but were pushed back. The Karabakh army denied that. Fighting Continues In Karabakh Nagorno-Karabakh - A view of the village of Khnapat in the Askeran district, March 11, 2022. Fighting continued in Nagorno-Karabakh on Saturday, with military authorities in Stepanakert accusing Azerbaijani forces of trying to push deeper into Karabakh’s eastern Askeran district. The Karabakh Armenian army said that its troops are “taking appropriate measures to stop the enemy’s advance.” It said it is also working with the Russian peacekeeping contingent stationed in the Armenian-populated territory to try to stop the hostilities. The Karabakh state minister, Artak Beglarian, spoke later in the afternoon of an “unsuccessful” Azerbaijani attack on one of the Karabakh Armenian positions in the area. Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry claimed, meanwhile, that Armenian forces tried to launch a sabotage attack on one of its frontline positions but were pushed back. Karabakh’s Defense Army was quick to dismiss the claim as a “complete lie” designed to cover up the Azerbaijani truce violations. Tensions along the Karabakh “line of contact” rose dramatically on Thursday after Azerbaijani forces reportedly captured a village in Askeran and tried to advance to strategic hills to the west of it. Three Karabakh Armenian soldiers were killed and more than a dozen others were wounded in the area on Friday. The U.S. State Department expressed serious concern over the Azerbaijani troop movements, calling them “irresponsible and unnecessarily provocative.” The French Foreign Ministry similarly urged Baku to withdraw its troops to the positions occupied by them before Thursday. NAGORNO-KARABAKH -- An Armenian police officer patrols as the truck of Russian peacekeeping forces moves past him at their checkpoint outside Askeran, November 20, 2020 Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian discussed the situation in Karabakh in a phone call late on Friday. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the following morning that the two leaders also spoke by phone on Thursday. He did not comment on Russia’s possible responses to the escalation. Armenian officials have said that they expect the 2,000 or so Russian peacekeepers to do more to ensure Baku’s compliance with the ceasefire regime and withdrawal from the village of Parukh. According to Beglarian, the Russian peacekeepers are maintaining their presence in Parukh as well as the nearby village of Khramort. They have made “considerable efforts” to prevent further ceasefire violations, said the Karabakh official. Earlier on Saturday, Karabakh’s leadership announced that it has appealed to Putin to deploy more Russian soldiers in Karabakh. It said that the existing peacekeeping contingent is too small to carry out its mission in the current circumstances. The Russian peacekeepers were deployed in Karabakh under the terms of a Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement that stopped the Armenian-Azerbaijani war in November 2020. Pashinian, Putin Agree ‘To Make Efforts’ To Resolve Crisis In Nagorno-Karabakh Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting in Sochi, Russia, on November 26, 2021. The leaders of Armenia and Russia reportedly agreed “to make efforts to resolve the crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh” as they had a phone call late on Friday. The conversation between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Russian President Vladimir Putin was held after reports of fresh fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh where at least three ethnic Armenian soldiers were killed and more than a dozen were wounded as Azerbaijani forces took control of a village and nearby heights supposed to be protected by Russian peacekeepers. The Armenian prime minister’s press office said that during the phone call the two leaders discussed “the situation created after the invasion by Azerbaijani units into the zone of responsibility of the peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation in Nagorno-Karabakh.” It said that Pashinian assessed the situation as tense. “Prime Minister Pashinian raised the need to investigate the actions of Russian peacekeepers in the given situation and stressed that it is necessary that Russian peacekeepers demand that Azerbaijani armed forces withdraw to their initial positions,” the transcript of the phone call released by the Armenian side said. “The leaders of the two countries agreed to make efforts to resolve the crisis situation in Nagorno-Karabakh,” it added. About 2,000 Russian peacekeepers were deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh as part of a Moscow-brokered ceasefire that put an end to a six-week war between Armenians and Azerbaijan in November 2020. Meanwhile, France, which along with Russia and the United States co-chairs the OSCE Minsk Group that spearheads international mediation efforts on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, has expressed its concern over the advancement of the Azerbaijani army in the region and called for its withdrawal to the positions determined by the 2020 truce. “France regrets the armed incidents in the area of Parukh and Khramort, and calls on the Azerbaijani units to return to the positions they held on the day of the declaration of a ceasefire on November 9, 2020,” the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement released late on Friday. During a U.S. State Department briefing on March 25, principal deputy spokesperson Jalina Porter said that “the United States is deeply concerned about Azerbaijan troop movements.” “Troop movements and other escalatory measures are irresponsible and unnecessarily provocative,” she said, according to the transcript of the briefing published by the State Department’s official website. Porter added that the United States, as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, “remains deeply committed to working with the sides to achieve a long-term political settlement of the conflict.” The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry has denied reports about fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh. According to Azerbaijani media, official Baku says that “specifications of positions and locations are taking place on the ground without any use of force.” Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL Copyright (c) 2022 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc. 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
A group of women of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) on Thursday held a peaceful rally—together with their children—outside the children's hospital of capital Stepanakert.
They demand that international organizations force Azerbaijan to resume natural gas supply to Artsakh.
The people of Artsakh are concerned that they may be deprived of other vital necessities as well in the near future.
"The people of Artsakh do not want to leave their land and house; let the Azerbaijanis understand that. The people of Artsakh have lived and will live in Artsakh. Artsakh is not Azerbaijan, and will never be! We will live and fight for our rights. They cannot de-Armenianize Artsakh," said a participant of this peaceful protest.
Turkey deployed Syrian mercenaries to fight alongside Azerbaijani forces during 2020 Artsakh war
A group of civic organizations has compiled a detained report about the role of mercenaries—jihadists—deployed by Turkey to fight alongside Azerbaijani forces during the 2020 Artsakh War.
The report was proposed by and will be submitted to the United Nations Working Group on use of mercenaries.
According to the Open Society Foundations-Armenia, the report is based on the evidence a group of human rights activists obtained during and after the 44-day war.
“The submitted evidence proves that Syrian mercenaries were hired and transported to Azerbaijan to fight against Artsakh Armenians and took part in the hostilities for material gain, which was a violation of the international humanitarian law. The evidence is incorporated in the report entitled ‘Human rights violations during the 44-day war,’” an OSF report reads.
Both Armenian servicemen and civilians, including the elderly who were unable to leave the combat zone, were killed by the mercenaries.
The NGOs are calling on the relevant U.N. agencies to investigate the facts of hiring and using mercenaries by Azerbaijan and Turkey in Nagorno-Karabakh and in other conflicts, as well as to apply sanctions against the Turkish and Azerbaijani officials involved in hiring and deploying Syrian mercenaries. The NGOs also proposed submitting the evidence to the International Criminal Court for holding Azerbaijan and Turkey, as well as other countries, responsible for using mercenaries.
The NGOs point out a disturbing fact of the UN Working Group using Azerbaijan’s false claims in their statements. They stress that by equating the two parties this and other international agencies aggravate the atmosphere of impunity and reduce the possibility of compensations to the victims.
The report has by prepared by the Open Society Foundations-Armenia, Helsinki Citizens Assembly- Vanadzor, Protection of Rights Without Borders, Transparency International, Public Journalism Club, Analytical Centre on Globalization and Regional Cooperation and For Equal rights NGOs.