14:32, 3 August, 2020
YEREVAN, AUGUST 3, ARMENPRESS. Armenian President Armen Sarkissian has addressed a telegram to Nigerien President Mahamadou Issoufou offering congratulations on the country’s Independence Day, Sarkissian’s Office said.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
21:54, 30 July, 2020
YEREVAN, JULY 30, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan gave an interview for Greek ''MEGA TV'', referring to the recent activities of Turkey. ARMENPRESS presents the full interview.
Question: How will Armenia react in the event that Turkey actually provides in practical terms arms, personnel and money to Azerbaijan?
Zohrab Mnatsakanyan. The only country which has been speaking the language of threat over this past week was, indeed, Turkey. We will be defending us, we will be strengthening our defense, we will be working with our international partners.
Question: There are analysts that claim that the Armenian-Azeri conflict is actually only a smokescreen of the growing rivalry between Russia and Turkey.
Zohrab Mnatsakanyan: We are a member of the international community, a sovereign state. We need peace and security in this region. We do not need making this region an object of international rivalry.
Question: Turkey’s president Rejep Tayyip Erdogan called the offensive beyond Armenia’s caliber.
Zohrab Mnatsakanyan: Well, this is exactly the language that we reject, the language of threat, to review these policies from a nation which has been living in denial and impunity. And lately we have also been observing the justification of the act of the Genocide. This is not exactly the way in which one nation is willing to contribute to peace in the region.
Question: Turkey is actually trying to recreate the neo-Ottoman state in a wide area.
Zohrab Mnatskanyan: Greece is a nation which has been working very hard towards peace and stability in its part of this neighbourhood. Armenia is pursuing very similar objectives.
Question: Great Hagia Sophia in Istanbul once again echoed with Muslim prayers.
Zohrab Mnatskanyan: This act of converting Hagia Sophia into a mosque is exactly a threat to that symbol of harmony and dialogue and mutual respect.
Question: How do you see the provocation from Turkey on Greece?
Zohrab Mnatsakanyan: I want to reiterate our strong support and solidarity to Greece and to Cyprus. This is a major destabilizing act in the Eastern Mediterranean which again manifests the very aggressive policies that Turkey has been consistently displaying in those recent times. Question: In the event that Turkey and Greece get involved in an armed conflict, will Armenia actually stand in solidarity with Greece?
Zohrab Mnatskanayan: I do not see anything that can shatter or can question the very strong solidarity, the very strong relationship and the very strong friendship between Armenia and Greece. We react decisively against such acts which put at risk our interests or our sovereign rights.
10:30, 31 July, 2020
YEREVAN, JULY 31, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan introduced today newly-appointed minister of environment Romanos Petrosyan to the ministry staff.
Pashinyan expressed hope that Romanos Petrosyan will manage to further develop the good results existing in the ministry.
“Mr. Petrosyan moves here from the position of the Governor of Kotayk, and we must record that he has carried out quite a productive activity in that status and must be confident that his activity in this new position will be more effective”, the PM said.
In his turn Romanos Petrosyan thanked for the high trust, adding that he will continue making efforts for creating a more protected environment.
Romanos Petrosyan has been appointed minister of environment on July 30. Before this appointment he was serving as Governor of Kotayk Province.
Reporting by Norayr Shoghikyan; Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
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President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Monday spoke over the phone and discussed a variety of issues, including bilateral relations and developments in the region, according to the Turkish Communications Directorate.
The directorate said Erdoğan and Putin discussed bilateral ties, recent escalation between Azerbaijan and Armenia and the latest developments in Libya and Syria.
The recent rise in tensions was triggered when the Armenian army attempted to attack Azerbaijani positions with artillery fire in the direction of the northwestern Tovuz border district, withdrawing after suffering losses following retaliation from the Azerbaijani military.
Twelve Azerbaijani soldiers, including a major general and a colonel, were killed and four others were injured in the recent border clashes.
Azerbaijan has blamed Armenia for the "provocative" actions, with Turkey throwing its weight behind Baku and warning Yerevan that it would not hesitate to stand against any kind of attack on its eastern neighbor.
Turkish and Russian leaders agreed on Monday to maintain cooperation and dialogue regarding bilateral relations and regional issues.
Since April 2019, putschist Gen. Khalifa Haftar's illegitimate forces have launched attacks on the Libyan capital of Tripoli and other parts of northwestern Libya, resulting in more than 1,000 deaths, including civilian women and children.
However, the Libyan government has recently achieved significant victories, pushing Haftar's forces out of Tripoli and the strategic city of Tarhuna.
The country's government was founded in 2015 under a U.N.-led agreement, but efforts for a long-term political settlement failed due to a military offensive by Haftar, who has been backed by France, Russia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.
The U.N. recognizes the Libyan government headed by Fayez Sarraj as the country's legitimate authority.
Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011 when the regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.
The regime violence led to the death and displacement of millions of Syrian civilians. Today, Turkey stands as the world's top refugee-hosting country with its Syrian population of 3.6 million.
The situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border was relatively calm at night, with nearly 137 shots fired on different parts of the border, Armenian Defense Ministry representative Artsrun Hovhannisyan told a press briefing on Monday, July 20.
In particular, he said, the Armenian military outposts near different villages of Tavush Province came under largely indiscriminate Azerbaijani gunfire overnight, but the Armenian troops did not return fire in most cases.
The Azerbaijani military also opened fire towards other army corps and provinces of Armenia, using grenade launchers in the direction of military posts near the town of Chambarak.
“The Armenian Armed Forces responded to the accurate shots with targeted fire and silenced the adversary,” he added.
Asked about possible sharp escalations of the border situation as Turkey and Azerbaijan are planning to launch large-scale military operations in the direction of Nakhichevan, Hovhannisyan questioned the accuracy of such reports.
“They may have some intentions, but it is too early to make a clear statement about a plan for large-scale operations. In any case, the Armenian Armed Forces are ready to defend the entire border from any encroachments,” he stressed.
13:20,
YEREVAN, JULY 16, ARMENPRESS. Russia will do everything possible to reduce the existing tension between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Deputy foreign minister Andrey Rudenko said in an interview to TASS.
“I can only assure that we will do everything possible and will show the best qualities of the Russian diplomacy in order to settle not only the current conflict in the border, but also the relations between our brotherly countries – Armenia and Azerbaijan. Russia has such opportunities, we have used them for many times. I am confident that our opportunities will be used”, the deputy FM said.
The Azerbaijani armed forces launched an attack on an Armenian military base located in Tavush province since July 12, using artillery, mortars and UAVs. In addition, the Azerbaijani side also shelled the town of Chinari in the province with mortars, damaging civilian homes. On July 14 the Azerbaijani armed forces continued targeting the civilian infrastructures of the Armenian town of Berd, using an attacking drone.
Overnight July 16, at around 03:40, the units of the Armenian Armed Forces have noticed movement of the Azerbaijani side. Switching to all-round defense, the Armenian Armed Forces prevented the sabotage infiltration attempt of the Azerbaijani side. After a hot battle the adversary was pushed back suffering losses. Thereafter, at 05:20, the Azerbaijani forces started shelling Aygepar and Movses villages of Tavush province, firing mortars and D-30 howitzer.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
by Charles Forrester
The assembly of Kalashnikov AK-103 assault rifles under licence in Armenia has commenced at the Neutron GAM facility, the country’s government has revealed.
A tour by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Minister of Defence David Tonoyan and Minister of High-Tech Industry Hakob Arshakyan on 7 July revealed a number of aims for the factory, as well as other defence industrial projects for the Caucasian country.
The new facility will be able to produce up to 50,000 rifles per year, according to a press release by Pashinyan’s office.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan inspects an assault rifle during a visit to Armenia’s Kalashnikov assault rifle factory. (Press Office of the Government of Armenia)
Neutron’s ammunition production lines are also being moved from the company’s current facility in the capital Yerevan to the neighbouring province of Kotayk. Following refurbishment, the facility will be able to produce 7.62 × 39 mm, 7.62 × 54 mm, 12.7 mm, and 9 × 18 mm and 9 × 19 mm ammunition. The modernisation of equipment for the 7.62 × 39 mm, 7.62 × 54 mm, and 12.7 mm production lines is being performed through a USD24 million contract with Russia’s Spetsmashingeneering.