12:57,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 28, ARMENPRESS. The Cabinet installed Razmik Petrosyan as the new Governor of Aragatsotn after Davit Gevorgyan stepped down.
PM Nikol Pashinyan congratulated Petrosyan on assuming office and also thanked Gevorgyan for the work he’s done.
Governor Razmik Petrosyan thanked for the trust and assured that he’ll try to justify all expectations.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
Shackled to our neighborhoods by a foe we couldn’t see, the darkness seemed darker because, among all the other things that this virus stole from us, it pilfered the purely random moments that adventure travelers live for.
In the bowels of the “Great Travel Hiatus,” you might have dreamed about late-July afternoons in Cinque Terra or slurping margaritas and Mexican mules down in Cabo, but my visions had had no such glow nor form. I’ve always pined for things I haven’t yet seen, in person, print or pixel. For 18 months, I’ve yearned to flight-mode my iPhone and follow my nose again, trusting it to lead me enchantingly astray.
I’ve subsisted on one vivid flashback, of the last time I went full free-range, just before we were slammed into our proverbial cages. The time I stumbled on a tacitly forbidden space, recommended by no one and remembered by few, on the shadowed fringes of a Middle-Earthian town in northern Armenia.
In recent days, deputies of the ruling Civil Contract party in Armenia have noted a number of remarkable statements on the topic of Karabakh. Two parliamentarians from Nikol Pashinyan's party at once voiced their thoughts, for which they would probably have been hung on the first Yerevan pillar a year ago.
For example, the deputy from the Civil Contract faction Vigen Khachatryan bluntly stated: "It is very dangerous to promote the idea that Armenia has no future without Karabakh. The highest goal is Armenia, not Karabakh. There can be no question of these lands being considered territories Armenia, we should talk about whether the lives of these people (the Armenian population of Karabakh – editor's note) in Azerbaijan are in danger or not. " Surprisingly, in the Armenian segment of social networks, this statement caused only moderate dissatisfaction among the opposition, and Khachatryan's party members did not react to him at all and, accordingly, did not pull up his colleague.
Vigen Khachatryan's reconnaissance by force was successful, and after a couple of days his fellow in the faction Gagik Melkonyan stated that the guarantor of the security of the Armenian population in Karabakh is not Armenia, but Russia. In particular, answering a question about the recent aggravation of the situation in the region, Melkonyan said: "Contact the Russian embassy. The Russians are the guarantor of security, and ask them why this happened."
Let us recall the background: a few days ago a civilian Armenian was killed in Karabakh, then an Azerbaijani civilian column was fired upon, and a little later – a sniper shot an Azerbaijani soldier. On the same night, there was a bloody incident at an Armenian military post in the Agderin direction, as a result of which six Armenian soldiers were seriously wounded. Azerbaijan denied any involvement in both the first and the last incidents, while Armenia claimed that the military position was destroyed by an Azerbaijani strike UAV (initially, the Armenian media reported a mortar attack). Meanwhile, pro-government sources in Azerbaijan report that the conditional "civilian" of Armenian origin, after whose murder an exacerbation began in the region, worked on his tractor near the contact line without the necessary coordination with Russian peacekeepers and the Azerbaijani Armed Forces and did not respond to repeated warnings to leave the territory. …
Remarkable in this story is the rather mild reaction of official Yerevan to the recent incidents in Karabakh. It suggests that the aforementioned Armenian MPs from the ruling party did not voice private opinions, but announced changes in Armenia's approaches to Karabakh. For example, the Armenian Foreign Ministry got off with statements about the need to investigate and punish the perpetrators, while the RA Defense Ministry completely ignored the shootings in Karabakh, in particular, the wounding of six servicemen. On the other hand, the Armenian military department hastened to refute the report about the shelling of Armenian positions in Yeraskh on the border with Nakhchivan by Azerbaijan. Paradoxically, the most radical statements from Yerevan today are voiced not by officials and the military, but by Arman Tatoyan, who received the post of RA Ombudsman during the reign of Serzh Sargsyan.
Yerevan's cooled interest in the Karabakh separatists can be explained, in our opinion, by both a large regional policy and purely economic reasons. Today Baku and Yerevan have brought their positions closer on some key aspects of the new regional configuration, which implies mutual recognition by the two countries of each other's territorial integrity and unblocking of regional communications. At the last CIS summit, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for the first time announced that Azerbaijan will receive through the territory of Armenia not only railway, but also automobile communication with Nakhchivan. Earlier, Yerevan insisted that only a railway would be presented to Baku for communication with the autonomous republic.
On the other hand, after Azerbaijan returned under its direct control most of the territory of Karabakh, which remained in the zone of responsibility of the RF Ministry of Defense from the abolished Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region, the economically unviable "stub" turned into a financial black hole for Armenia, which is experiencing an economic crisis.
Yerevan does not understand what to do with this "appendix", but political and economic expediency suggests only one way out – to carefully throw "ballast" on Azerbaijan, preferably securing temporary security guarantees for the Armenian population there from Russia. This arrangement seems to suit Moscow, Baku and Yerevan.
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan received NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia Javier Colomina Píriz.
The interlocutors commended the level of political dialogue between Armenia and NATO. Minister Ararat Mirzoyan attached importance to the implementation of the Individual Partnership Action Plan as an effective tool for the development of Armenia-NATO cooperation. Javier Colomina Píriz noted that Armenia is considered a reliable partner of the North Atlantic Alliance.
Reference was made to the continuous involvement of Armenian peacekeeping units in international peacekeeping missions. Javier Colomina Píriz thanked Armenia for its participation in NATO peacekeeping operations.
Issues related to international and regional security were discussed during the meeting. Minister Mirzoyan drew the interlocutor’s attention to the situation created due to the aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh. In this context, he stressed the need for a comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict under the mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.
The parties also noted the importance of maintaining the principle of non-use of force in the settlement of disputes.
YEREVAN. – Hraparak daily of the Republic of Armenia (RA) writes: In recent months, the dissatisfaction of the Western authorities and international organizations with the conduct of the RA authorities is clearly growing.
We learned that in recent times, the US ambassador is having meetings with various circles, including the civil society, the opposition [of Armenia], and is not hiding their dissatisfaction with everything that is happening in Armenia. She says almost straightforwardly that Armenia is recording a serious regression in the field of human rights and democracy.
And the concerns are in several directions. First of all, on the issues related to the freedom of speech. The US authorities are puzzled that defamation and insult have been criminalized at us, and the amount of [respective] fines has been increased. They see a problem with the [relevant] bill authored by [parliament speaker] Alen Simonyan.
The next direction is that the law on confiscation of illegal property is being arbitrarily applied—only to the targets of the authorities.
The other [concern] refers to the enlargement of [Armenia’s] communities, which, in the American view, also corresponds to the palate of the authorities.
Finally, the American government is concerned about the political prosecution being carried out against political opponents.
15:22,
WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 15, ARMENPRESS. Artsakh security forces have released surveillance video showing how an Azerbaijani serviceman is breaching the ceasefire and opening gunfire at Armenian positions.
The National Security Service of Artsakh said in a statement that the Azerbaijani military began committing provocative actions and intentional ceasefire violations from the beginning of October of 2021.
The video shows an Azeri soldier firing an AK-74 assault rifle at the Armenian positions while another Azeri soldier is hiding behind the DFP. After firing several rounds, the shooter can be seen laughing before resuming the shooting.
The Azeri provocations began when the Azeri forces shot and killed a farmer in Martuni, and then continued ceasefire violations in other parts of the line of contact. The NSS said that the Azeri soldiers are now explicitly aiming to kill in the ceasefire breaches, whereas previously they’d shoot as a warning.
“Yesterday, Azerbaijani troops deployed in a position near the Nor Shen community of Martuni region shelled an Armenian position nearby deployed with the purpose of protecting the village population. The nearly point-blank range shots were fired so explicitly that the surveillance cameras of the Armenian side caught it on video,” the NSS said, stressing that the images prove that the Artsakh Defense Army adhere to the ceasefire agreement, whereas the Azeri side is intentionally violating it.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
[see video]
Moscow [Russia], October 11 (ANI/Sputnik): Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will discuss the implementation of the trilateral agreements on Nagorno-Karabakh at their negotiations on Tuesday in Moscow, the Kremlin said.
21:57, 30 September, 2021
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 30, ARMENPRESS. Newly appointed Ambassador of Armenia to Belarus Razmik Khumaryan delivered credentials to President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, ARMENPRESS reports, BelTa agency wrote.
Lukashenko said the two countries are linked by traditional friendly relations, a shared history and close interpersonal ties. "Our countries are actively cooperating within the framework of integration structures, mostly acting from a common position," Lukashenko said.
The Belarusian leader, however, noted that the significant potential of bilateral cooperation has not yet been fully realized. He assured that Belarus is open to proposals for further development of strong relations with Armenia in all spheres.
WHO / Lusine Ghukasyan
WHO, with funding from the European Union, has supplied X-ray equipment to 7 COVID-19 frontline hospitals – 1 in the capital Yerevan and in 6 other cities in Armenia. The new X-ray units facilitate monitoring of a patient’s progress and improve clinical decision-making. They are invaluable to COVID-19 hospitals which see hundreds of patients daily.
While traditional film X-rays continue to be effective in establishing a diagnosis, digital X-rays allow for images to be manipulated, providing better quality and definition. This allows for precise and fast diagnostics in hospitals. Stella Karapetyan, a radiologist at Martuni Medical Center, which has already started using the new X-ray equipment, says efficiency there has increased.
“During the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, we had 120–150 patients daily,” she says. “The improved quality of images from the new X-ray equipment makes diagnosis quicker. Fewer retakes are needed, which reduces exposure to radiation and improves both patient and healthcare worker safety.”
WHO/Europe, in collaboration with the Armenian Ministry of Health, assessed and evaluated hospitals in preparation for the installation of the new X-ray equipment. WHO advised on the development of plans and technical specifications for the radiology rooms where the X-ray units would be located. These specifications included the need for large and well-ventilated waiting areas, which are crucial for preventing and controlling infection.
Claudio Meirovich, an expert on medical devices at WHO/Europe, visited the hospitals to check that the sites met requirements and international standards for installing the X-ray units. “WHO has developed guidelines and recommendations to assist countries to get the best value for their investments in medical equipment,” he says. “It is not just about technical specifications; it is also about compliance with standards of quality and about having trained staff to maintain the equipment. It’s about making sure that the rooms in the hospitals where the equipment will be installed are safe for workers and patients.”
Oleg Storozhenko, WHO Representative in Armenia, said the EU and WHO/Europe had joined efforts to help make Armenia’s health sector strong and resilient. “The hospital equipment we have procured will not only help patients with COVID-19 but will also assist in expanding the health system’s capacity to respond to future health emergencies,” he noted.
14:06,
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 30, ARMENPRESS. The Government of Lithuania has decided to donate to Armenia 50,000 doses of Spikevax vaccine manufactured by Moderna, the Lithuanian Embassy in Armenia said on social media.
“It is the first time a Moderna-manufactured vaccine reaches Armenia, as well as the first time Lithuania is donating this type of vaccine. Lithuania will continue to contribute to the #TeamEurope initiative of the EU’s global efforts to manage the pandemic”, the statement says.
“I am glad that today we can share with the people of Armenia not only AstraZeneca, but also Moderna vaccines, as Armenians had to wait much longer than Lithuanian citizens for their jab”, said Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė.
So far, Armenia has been supplied with the following vaccines against COVID-19: Sputnik V, Coronavac, AstraZeneca, Sinopharm.
Editing by Aneta Harutyunyan