Author: Eduard Nalbandian

Armenpress: About 806 thousand tourists visited Armenia in the first five months of the year. Minister

Eduard Nalbandian

 17:37,

YEREVAN, JUNE 10, ARMENPRESS. According to the data of the first five months of this year, approximately 806 thousand tourists visited Armenia, ARMENPRESS reports, Economy Minister Vahan Kerobyan informed in a post on his Facebook page.

The Minister said that he participated in the Sheep Shearing Festival in Khot settlement of Syunik region.

"I am very happy that such events are organized and we are able to strengthen and activate our communities, show the importance of local businesses in communities.

Tourism in Armenia is developing quite well now, and according to the data of the first five months, we have approximately 806,000 tourists, but I must say that domestic tourism is also very important," Kerobyan wrote.

He also noted that the Ministry, together with the Tourism Committee, supports more than two dozen festivals every year, one of which is this festival.

Armenian Foreign Ministry extends condolences to India on tragic train accident

Eduard Nalbandian

 12:44, 3 June 2023

YEREVAN, JUNE 3, ARMENPRESS. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia has extended condolences to India on the train accident in Balasore, Odisha.

“Deeply saddened by the tragic train accident in Balasore, Odisha. Armenia shares the grief of brotherly people in India. Our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families & prayers for the speedy recovery of those injured,” the Armenian foreign ministry said on twitter.

As of the latest , at least 290 people were killed in the tragic June 2 train collision in India.

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1112460.html?fbclid=IwAR26CUabW_477dWsvgGXOFsfYlEGeudirfW1Z8dgihyoG6Fx-GzcCjSjfMU

Pashinyan, Aliyev, Michel will meet again on July 21 in Brussels

Eduard Nalbandian

 20:14, 1 June 2023

YEREVAN, JUNE 1, ARMENPRESS. The meeting of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and European Council President Charles Michel is planned for July 21 in Brussels, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.

“The five-sided meeting of the Prime Minister of Armenia, the President of France, the Chancellor of Germany, the President of the European Council and the President of Azerbaijan took place in Chișinău

The five-sided meeting of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, European Council President Charles Michel and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev took place in Chișinău.

 During the meeting, issues related to the unblocking of regional transport and economic infrastructures, border delimitation and border security between the two countries, the agreement on the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the need to address the rights and security of the people of Nagorno Karabakh, as well as POWs, missing persons and other humanitarian issues were discussed.

 On July 21, a meeting of the Prime Minister of Armenia, the President of the European Council, and the President of Azerbaijan is scheduled in Brussels”, the Prime Minister’s Office said.

US ‘pleased to see’ that talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan continue

Eduard Nalbandian
By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON, May 30 (Reuters) – The United States said on Tuesday it was pleased to see that talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan continue as they seek to resolve a decades-long dispute over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.

"The United States stands ready to support the efforts of both parties to conclude a durable and dignified peace agreement," the State Department said in a statement.

The former Soviet states have fought two wars over the region, recognized as part of Azerbaijan but populated mainly by ethnic Armenians. Azerbaijan in 2020 recaptured chunks of territory lost in a conflict as Soviet rule collapsed in the early 1990s.

On Wednesday, the leaders of the two countries are due to meet at an European Union development meeting in Moldova to be attended by leaders from more than 40 states as well as European institutions.

"We hope that will be a productive step to resolving these issues at the negotiating table and not through violence," the State Department said on Tuesday.

Peace talks had appeared to be making progress in recent weeks, with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan acknowledging Azerbaijan's control over Karabakh.

But Armenia accused Azerbaijan on Monday of threatening to resort to force after Azeri President Ilham Aliyev demanded the dissolution of Karabakh's "separatist" local government.

The State Department warned against escalations. "Aggressive rhetoric can only perpetuate the violence of the past; constructive dialogue—both public and private—can create peace, opportunity, and hope," it said.

Tension had been rising despite the peace talks over Azerbaijan's setting up of a checkpoint last month to the Lachin corridor – the only route linking Armenia with the territory. Border clashes are frequent.

The two leaders met last week in Moscow, where Russian President Vladimir Putin said he believed the two sides were making progress towards clinching a long-term peace deal.

Reporting by Kanishka Singh; Editing by Doina Chiacu
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/us-pleased-see-that-talks-between-armenia-azerbaijan-continue-2023-05-30/

Annual export from Iran to Armenia up 62.5%

Eduard Nalbandian
 TEHRAN TIMES 
  1. Economy
– 11:31

TEHRAN- The value of Iran’s non-oil export to Armenia rose by 62.5 percent in the past Iranian calendar year 1401 (ended on March 20), from the preceding year.

As reported, Iran exported commodities worth $478 million to Armenia in 1401, while the figure was $294 million in 1400.

Liquefied natural gas, iron and steel rods, bitumen, light oils and related products, unalloyed iron and steel products, bituminous mineral oils, floor coverings, liquid cream, linear alkylbenzene, and rebar were Iran’s major products exported to Armenia in the past year.

Iranian Labor and Social Welfare Minister Solat Mortazavi has said Tehran and Yerevan are determined to use all their capacities to expand economic ties.

Mortazavi made the remarks in a meeting with his Armenian counterpart Narek Makratchian in Yerevan in late February.

Referring to the targeting of three billion dollars of annual trade between Iran and Armenia, Mortazavi said the development of all-out ties with Armenia is one of the priorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The minister stated that the main approach of the Iranian government is to advance economic diplomacy with neighboring countries, especially in the Caucasus region, adding: “Iran and Armenia's interactions in the economic, commercial, and investment fields are going to be diversified.”

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to put all its facilities and capacities in the service of establishing peace and stability in the Caucasus region,” he said.

Makratchian for his part referred to the long-standing and friendly relations between the two countries and noted that the joint cooperation between the ministries of labor of Iran and Armenia in the field of social welfare, employment, well-being, and the development of technical and vocational training complexes will expand with the formation of joint specialized working groups.

“The Ministry of Labor of the Republic of Armenia is fully prepared to develop economic and social cooperation with the Ministry of Labor of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he stressed.

Mortazavi, who visited Yerevan on top of a high-ranking delegation, also met with Gnel Sanosyan, Armenia’s minister of territorial administration and infrastructures.

During this meeting, the minister expressed Iran’s readiness to cooperate with Armenia in all areas.

Iran and Armenia always enjoy very good friendly relations based on mutual respect and good neighborliness, he underlined.

The official emphasized the significance of Armenia for the Iranian foreign policy, saying that Armenia's role in the development of foreign relations and access to the Eurasian Union market is of prime importance for Iran.

He further mentioned some of the areas for mutual cooperation, saying that various projects in the fields of construction, road, tunnel digging, dam construction, urban development, energy infrastructure as well as technical and engineering services are among spheres of cooperation between Tehran and Yerevan.

The Armenian minister, for his part, said that the Armenian government pays special attention to the development of cooperation with the Islamic Republic in its five-year plan.

Iran and Armenia signed an MOU at the end of the two countries’ 17th meeting of the Joint Economic Committee in Yerevan last May.

The MOU, which covers cooperation in areas of transit, transportation, facilitation of exchange of goods, energy, development of environmental cooperation in the Aras area and removal of pollution from border rivers, as well as medical tourism, was signed by the Iranian Energy Minister Ali-Akbar Mehrabian and Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan, who are the chairmen of the two countries’ Joint Economic Committee.

In that meeting, which was attended by a large number of deputy ministers, senior officials, ambassadors, and members of parliament of the two countries, the main issues that play a key role in the development of relations between the two countries were discussed.

According to the officials, the purpose of holding the 17th meeting of the Iran-Armenia Joint Economic Committee was the real and tangible development of relations between the two countries.

Among the issues raised at the meeting were transit, transportation, facilitation of trade, and broader cooperation in the field of energy.

MA

Armenian and Azerbaijani Leaders Spar in Front of Putin

Eduard Nalbandian
Voice of America
May 25 2023
Reuters - 
MOSCOW — 

The leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia argued openly in front of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday in exchanges that underlined the extent of their differences over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.

At a meeting in Moscow, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan raised the issue of the Lachin corridor, the road which links Armenia to the Armenian-populated enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh inside Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijani activists in mid-December began obstructing the road, which Pashinyan noted should be under the control of Russian peacekeepers, and Baku subsequently erected a checkpoint along it.

"Azerbaijan, unfortunately, has blocked this corridor," Pashinyan said at a round-table meeting of the Eurasian Economic Council in Moscow.

Azberbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev responded: "Azerbaijan did not block any corridor… There is no need to use this platform for unfounded accusations."

The two leaders continued arguing for several minutes before Putin closed off the conversation, noting that the topic was sensitive. He was due to host three-way talks with Aliyev and Pashinyan later.

"We will now have the opportunity, as we agreed, to talk about everything calmly in a businesslike manner in a trilateral format, and I hope to reach some agreements that will put the situation not only between Armenia and Azerbaijan, but also in the region, on the path of constructive development," Putin said. "I can assure you that everyone here has an interest in this, absolutely everyone."

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been at loggerheads for three decades, fighting two wars over Nagorno-Karabakh. In recent months, both sides have expressed increasing willingness to sign a permanent peace agreement, even as regular skirmishes have continued.

Minutes before the testy exchanges with Pashinyan, Aliyev had said there were "serious grounds for the normalisation of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia on the basis of mutual recognition of territorial integrity and sovereignty".

SIOP President praises ‘most successful’ Asia 2023 XV Congress in Yerevan

Eduard Nalbandian

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 10:01,

YEREVAN, MAY 24, ARMENPRESS. The International Society of Pediatric Oncology SIOP Asia 2023 XV Congress in Yerevan has concluded.

SIOP President Guillermo Chantada said at the end of the event that the congress held in Armenia in May is the most successful congress he has participated in. He praised the organizers for taking into account every detail and that all conditions were ensured for participants.

Over 500 doctors, scientists and experts from the US, China, Japan, Russia, India, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Lebanon, Great Britain, Greece, Czech Republic, Sweden, Lithuania and other countries participated in the SIOP Asia 2023 XV Congress in Yerevan.

They were all united by the joint struggle against pediatric cancer and mission to save lives, desire to share modern treatment options and develop the sector.

Prospects of cooperation with many organizations were discussed. Many experts said they’d want to continue the treatment of their patients in Armenia and deepen partnership. Participants will be given 24 CPD credits by the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education – EACCME.

The congress featured a Survivorship Symposium, Cancer Predisposition Symposium and Immuno-Oncology Symposium, Psychosocial Symposium, Registry symposium, Surgical Treatment Symposium and Radiotherapy Symposium.

During the opening ceremony, renowned pediatric oncologist Lawrence Faulkner was bestowed with the Honorary Doctor title by the Yerevan State Medical University. The allogeneic stem cell transplant treatment option has been introduced in Armenia with Faulkner’s support.

Armenian opposition warns about protests following PM’s statements on Karabakh

Eduard Nalbandian
 TASS 
Russia –
It was stressed that in the current situation, "people have no other choice but to stand up against the current authorities"

YEREVAN, May 23. /TASS/. Armenia’s opposition forces are planning street protests following Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s statement recognizing the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, which includes Nagorno-Karabakh.

"Yesterday, Pashinyan announced the cession of Artsakh (unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh republic – TASS) as well as when this will happen. I think that on May 25 in Moscow (at a meeting with Russian and Azerbaijani presidents) there will be a trilateral statement, which will be followed by meetings in Chisinau and Brussels and in October he will try to sign the capitulation. We have five to six months to prevent this. And we are planning protests, acts of defiance," Ishkhan Sagatelyan, a parliament member and leader of the Dashnaktsutyun party, told a briefing on Tuesday.

He stressed that in the current situation, "people have no other choice but to stand up against the current authorities."

Pashinyan said on Monday that Armenia will recognize Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity as well as that of Nagorno-Karabakh on the condition that the security of the Armenian population is guaranteed.

Pashinyan discusses Nagorno Karabakh humanitarian crisis with PACE President

Eduard Nalbandian

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 16:47,

YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has met with the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Tiny Kox during the 4th Council of Europe Summit in Rejkjavik, Iceland.

Pashinyan and Kox “discussed the course of the ongoing democratic reforms in Armenia and the planned programs in this direction,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a readout.

PM Pashinyan said that strengthening democracy is a strategy for the Armenian government and that Armenia will consistently move forward on this path. Kox welcomed the policy and proactivity of the Armenian government in this direction.

Issues related to the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno Karabakh resulting from the illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan were also discussed.

Pashinyan then held a brief meeting with the Prime Minister of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel.

The USA accused Azerbaijan of destroying the Armenian spiritual heritage in Nagorno Karabakh

Eduard Nalbandian

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 19:15,

YEREVAN, MAY 15, ARMENPRESS. The US State Department has released the International Religious Freedom Report 2022 of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. Azerbaijan was included in the list of countries under special control.

ARMENPRESS reports, according to the report, the state of religious freedom in Azerbaijan had negative dynamics in 2022.

The report mentions the destruction of Armenian spiritual heritage by Azerbaijan in the territories of Nagorno-Karabakh that passed under the control of Baku.

"International structures and other organizations continue to question the willingness of the government of Azerbaijan to protect and preserve the religious and cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding territories under Azerbaijani control. In February, the former Minister of Culture Anar Kərimov announced the creation of a working group, the purpose of which was to remove Armenian Apostolic inscriptions from churches, which he called "unreal". With most probability, the government abandoned the plan after the international community's outrage, and in March the European Parliament condemned Azerbaijan's continuous policy of erasing and denying the Armenian cultural heritage in and around Nagorno-Karabakh," the document says.

USCIRF recommends that the US government "provide funding to the US Agency for International Development and the US Embassy in Baku for the restoration, preservation, and protection of places of worship and other religious or cultural sites in Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas."