Author: George Mamian

 10:40, 9 May 2023

YEREVAN, MAY 9, ARMENPRESS. President of Nagorno Karabakh/Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan released a statement on May 9 on Victory Day.
Below is the full statement released by Harutyunyan’s office.

“Dear compatriots,

Dear veterans of the Great Patriotic War and Artsakh Liberation War,

Honorable generals, officers, soldiers of the Defense Army,

May 9 is one of the most glorious pages in the history of the Armenian people. The victory of our grandfathers along with other peoples in the Great Patriotic War, the formation of the Artsakh Republic Defense Army, the Liberation of Shushi are the [undisputed] victories that rightly made that day a symbol of national pride.

First of all, I want to bow [before] the [sacred] memory of all our martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the defense of the Motherland at different times, as well as to the merits of living heroes. Their feat and bravery are immortal and will always be a bright example of patriotism and selflessness for future generations.

Today, Artsakh has once again appeared in the focus of an [existential] struggle. The blockade by the authorities of Azerbaijan, which has been going on for five months now, aims to break the will and spirit of struggle of our people through psychological and physical pressure, to force them to leave the land of our ancestors with a history of thousands of years, or [subjugate] us, under security threats. 

The aspirations of the Turkish-Azerbaijani tandem are not new for us. We know this well, as well as the strength and power of the unity of the Armenian people, which was demonstrated in the most decisive periods of our history.
Today again, national unity has become the imperative of the day. We have no right to hesitate or step back. There is only one way. Artsakh was, is and should be Armenian, with the free will of its people and the right and determination to manage their own destiny. The efforts of all of us, in Artsakh, Armenia and the Diaspora, should serve [for] this purpose, we should rediscover and cherish the [meaning] and spirit of the victorious Triple Holiday as a guideline for our lives.
May God protect our homeland and people”.

 11:18, 1 May 2023

YEREVAN, MAY 1, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan issued a statement on International Workers' Day, also referred to as Labor Day.

Below is the full statement as released by the Prime Minister’s Office:

“Dear citizens of the Republic of Armenia, today we celebrate Labor Day. On this occasion I’d like to reiterate the idea voiced recently in parliament that the key to solving all our problems is work and education. And again, I can’t set apart work from education because you can’t get education without work, while work which isn’t based on knowledge is simply a suffering without the desired result.

Work based on knowledge is progress, education, productivity and creative pleasure. The economic success we have today is based on this very principle. It is on this very principle that hundreds of thousands of workers and businessmen ensure the impressive revenues of the state budget of Armenia, it is they who increase the respect towards work and education, proving that unbelievable successes can be reached through knowledge-based work.

Work based on knowledge and knowledge strengthened through work and experience – this is the principle that must make our economy, our army, our diplomacy, our educational system and overall our state modern and competitive. Furthermore, highlighting the establishment of standards in many sectors, we don’t find standardization of knowledge to be at all any useful, because bricklayers need the knowledge required in their own field, locksmiths in theirs, diplomats and military servicemembers in theirs. But it is unequivocal and unambiguous that only knowledge-based work can lead to development and progress.

And therefore, happy Labor Day to everyone and I thank everyone who are elevating Armenia with their work. I convey special congratulations and greetings to the foreigners who’ve chosen our country as a place for their work and economic activity, welcome.”

 20:27,

YEREVAN, APRIL 21, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received Jensen Huang, the President and CEO of Nvidia, one of the global leaders in the high-tech sector, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister welcomed Mr. Huang's visit to Armenia and noted that he fondly remembers their meeting in Silicon Valley in 2019. Nikol Pashinyan highlighted the establishment of a scientific research center by Nvidia in our country, the opening of which took place last year. The Prime Minister added that the high-tech sector is a priority for the Armenian Government and the Government will continue to create conditions and opportunities to attract new IT companies.

Jensen Huang noted that he is impressed by Armenia, the potential and human capital available in the field of high technology. The President of the Nvidia company added that the IT sector in Armenia has wide opportunities and prospects for consistent development, and their company will continue its effective activities in our country.

At the meeting, the interlocutors discussed issues and programs related to the development of engineering education, the further progress of the high-tech sector, as well as cooperation between the Armenian government and Nvidia.

 19:28,

YEREVAN, APRIL 21, ARMENPRESS. Since the first days of the ongoing European Weightlifting Championships, held in Yerevan, Turkish athletes have won 6 gold medals. President of the Turkish Weightlifting Federation, Talat Unlu, notes this fact with great joy. In his estimation, the championship is very well organised in Armenia.

"Everything is very serious and well prepared by the organisers. The only thing that saddens us is the episode known to all of you, a protester with a disrespectful act. Indeed, a lot of effort has been made. I told our country’s television the same thing that this is the best-organised European Championship in the last ten years. As I already mentioned, if it were not for that episode of the first day, when the flag of Azerbaijan was set on fire, then everything would be perfect. For us, everything is well-considered here. We have no problems. Even too much was done, which made us feel uncomfortable. However, we understand that what was supposed to be done was done, and it was also very well organised," Talat Unlu told ARMENPRESS. 

After the incident, the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of Armenia assured that the incident had been resolved. Azerbaijan’s representative was given a new flag, which ensured the regular course of the ceremony. Talat Unlu says that other than this incident, they haven’t faced any problems.

Talat Unlu – "We did not deal with any serious problems here. As I said, all safety considerations were very strictly taken into account. It was done more than it was necessary."

Turkiye will be the next country to host the European Weightlifting Championships. Preparations have already started in Antalya. Now they are carefully following the organisational work of Armenia, so that they can organise next year’s championship at the same high level.

Talat Unlu – "I will be here on all days of this championship, because one of the main reasons we came here was to see how it was organised. After asking for permission, I took photos and videos from the competition and training halls. To prepare for the championship in the best possible way, we received such information and advice from the organisers. We were helped in that regard, for which we are grateful."

The athlete of the Turkish national team, Nuray Gungyor, is one of the gold medal winners of the championship. The athlete finds it difficult to describe her feelings. She is happy that she was able to perform successfully in Armenia. According to the weightlifter, the European Championship was organised at a high level in Armenia.

 "The event is going very well. It was very well organised, for which I am very grateful to the organisers. We are satisfied. Everything is perfect," Nuray Gungyor said.

More than 300 athletes from about 40 countries are competing at the European Weightlifting Championships in Yerevan. There are only a few days left until the end of the championship, and the competition is heating up day by day.

 15:27, 13 April 2023

YEREVAN, APRIL 13, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan told the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Foreign Minister of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani that he is visiting Armenia in a difficult period of time for the country when it is facing threats and challenges that are directly related to the OSCE ‘s fundamental principles and mandate, regional security and stability.

“The visit by the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office to Armenia is a good opportunity to discuss the existing issues in the region, to emphasize the OSCE’s role and possibility of involvement, prospects of our future cooperation with the organization,” Mirzoyan said at a joint press conference with Osmani in Yerevan, Armenia.

FM Mirzoyan said that Armenia is constantly providing the OSCE partners with reliable information on the security situation in the region and developments on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and around Nagorno Karabakh.

“During our meeting today we discussed the latest developments of the situation, I presented my colleague the consequences of Azerbaijan’s aggression and attacks, occupation of sovereign territory of Armenia since May of 2021, as well as the Azerbaijani provocation and aggressive actions in the area of Tegh village in Syunik province on April 11, a day before the visit,” the Armenian FM said, adding that Azerbaijan’s aggressive actions constitute gross violations of the OSCE values and a number of fundamental principles of the Helsinki Final Act.

In this context the Armenian FM attached importance to the deployment of the OSCE fact-finding mission to Armenia that took place immediately after the 2022 September aggression, which enabled OSCE monitors to see the Azerbaijani military aggression and its humanitarian consequences on the ground. The Armenian Foreign Minister said that the mission’s observations and the final report must be accessible for all member-states, as well as for other representatives of the international community, as a source of objective information on the situation resulting from the Azerbaijani aggression.