Author: Lara Chatinian

Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 08-08-22

Lara Chatinian

Save

Share

 17:46, 8 August 2022

YEREVAN, 8 AUGUST, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 8 August, USD exchange rate up by 0.47 drams to 406.61 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 1.26 drams to 414.38 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.02 drams to 6.73 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 0.85 drams to 492.20 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 103.13 drams to 23181.37 drams. Silver price down by 2.37 drams to 262.24 drams. Platinum price stood at 16414.1 drams.

Armenia calls on Russia to thwart «any attempt» to violate line of contact in Nagorno-Karabakh

Lara Chatinian
MSN
Aug 4 2022
News 360
View Profile
Daniel Stewart 
Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on Thursday called on Russia to thwart "any attempt" to violate the line of contact in the Nagorno-Karabakh region disputed with Azerbaijan and warned that the Azeri military deployed in the area will be withdrawn.

During a Cabinet meeting, Pashinian has indicated that "there are numerous institutional issues in connection with the issue" and recalled that "point 3 of the trilateral communique of November 9, 2020 clearly states that the line of contact exists and that the Russian military is deployed in the area."

"It is an area of responsibility for the Russian contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh and we hope that any attempt to cross this line of contact will be prevented," he has asserted in statements reported by Armenpress agency.

Pashinian thus referred to the Russian peacekeeping mission, which Azerbaijan refuses to sign. For him, the signature of the Azerbaijani authorities is not necessary as he considers the signature of Armenia and Russia sufficient to implement it.

"If not, it would be necessary to take steps to approve the mandate at the international level. I don't want to give too many details about it now, but we have been concerned about this since November 2020 and we have moved forward to find solutions," he asserted a day after new clashes between Armenian and Azeri soldiers near Nagorno Karabakh were reported.

Pashinian has used the occasion to insist on the importance of "clarifying" the details of the Russian peacekeeping operation and stressed that the Russian presence is a "key factor" in ensuring the safety of Armenians. "We appreciate Russia's efforts to achieve stability in the region," he has said.

"We have to admit that Azerbaijan has obstructed this process by refusing to sign the mandate of the Russian contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh when Armenia signed it in November 2020, but we hope that they will eventually agree," he has asserted.

Related video: Nagorno-Karabakh: Major flashpoint between Armenia–Azerbaijan

EXTREMELY TENSE" SITUATION

In this regard, he regretted that the situation remains "extremely tense" on the line of contact although he ruled out active combat operations in the area.

Therefore, he pointed out, "it is necessary to continue working to lower the tension". "I want to emphasize that Armenia is pursuing a policy of constructive negotiations to strengthen peace in the region", he said, although he stressed that if Azerbaijan maintains its refusal "we will have to activate international mechanisms".

Currently there is no plan among the three parties to build a new traffic route through the Lachin corridor. According to Pashinian, Azerbaijan is using precisely this as a reason to provoke an increase in tension. "These kinds of issues are a serious violation of the trilateral agreements reached," he said, referring to the roads built by Azerbaijan, which claims the territories they cross.

"The communiqué does not even name the construction of a new road. Many issues need to be clarified, including gas and electricity supplies to Nagorno-Karabakh and others related to security," he said, while stressing that Azerbaijan is "falsely accusing Armenia of trying to avoid talks on these issues."

"It is absurd because I have publicly announced all of the above," he has stressed before pointing out that precisely the trilateral communique after the war was a "victory" for Armenia, which "has complicated its obligations." "Azerbaijan has to accept the existence of the Nagorno-Karabakh entity and the line of contact," he has maintained.

He also warned that if it does not do so, "an international process will be opened with a view to put pressure on Azerbaijan to respect its obligations and assume them".

His words come a day after two Armenian soldiers were killed and almost twenty wounded in new clashes with Azeri military in the vicinity.

Baku, for its part, has indicated that at least one army personnel has died, while the Ministry of Defense has assured that the situation is completely "under control of the Azeri units", according to information from the daily 'Azarbaycan'.

The US government has expressed its "concern" about the new clashes near Nagorno Karabakh and, in a statement, the State Department spokesman, Ned Price, said that Washington is "closely monitoring the events".

"We call for immediate action to prevent further escalation of tension in the area," he asserted. "The increase in tension shows the need to take steps and start negotiations to resolve the issues that remain open in the framework of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," he concluded.

Russia will take measures to prevent escalation, commander of Russian peacekeeping contingent assures

Lara Chatinian
ARMINFO
Armenia – Aug 4 2022
Naira Badalian

ArmInfo.Commander of the Russian peacekeeping contingent, Major General Andrey Volkov met with representatives of the public and opposition forces of Artsakh.

"During the meeting, Major General Andrey Volkov explained the  position of the peacekeeping contingent regarding the ongoing  developments, informed about the work done, and also assured that the  Russian Federation would take all measures to prevent further  aggravation of the situation," the message on the Russian  peacekeepers' in Artsakh Telegram channel says.

On August 3, in the morning, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces fired at  the combat positions of the Artsakh Defense Army and the place of  permanent deployment of one of the military units, using mortars,  grenade launchers and attack UAVs, as a result of which two contract  soldiers were killed and 19 soldiers were injured.

On August 3, Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan announced a partial  military mobilization. 

Expert: How Azerbaijan’s expansion at the expense of Armenia, Iran and Georgia is imagined

Lara Chatinian
Panorama
Armenia – Aug 4 2022

The real political ambitions of Azerbaijan and Turkey concerning the South Caucasus region are sometimes more vividly illustrated by maps that are widely shared both by decision-makers and ordinary people, Turkologist Varuzhan Geghamyan said.

“Here is one of the most famous maps, which shows how they imagine the expansion of Azerbaijan at the expense of Armenia, Iran and Georgia,” he wrote on Facebook on Thursday, sharing a copy of the map.

“One of the first political rationales for this was given by one of the founders of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mammad Amin Rasulzadeh, back on April 8, 1920.

"Turkey has set itself the task of creating Southwest Azerbaijan, which would include some parts of Erivan (Iravan) and Tiflis (the Akhaltsikhe and Akhalkalaki districts) provinces as well as the Republic of Azerbaijan after incorporating Southwest Azerbaijan, Adjara, Muslim-populated Terek, Dagestan, Karabakh, Persian Karadag, Tavriz and Marat into it. Thus, a great Azerbaijan should be created under the protectorate of Turkey.”

“We are now witnessing not only how it is becoming a reality, but also how it is being facilitated by the de facto pro-Turkish authorities of Armenia,” the expert said.


Three Die in New Clashes Between Azerbaijanis and Armenians

Lara Chatinian
BLOOMBERG
Aug 3 2022
  • Fighting erupts in territory overseen by Russian peacekeepers
  • Azerbaijan and Armenia fought 2020 war over Nagorno-Karabakh

An Armenian soldier stands guard in the village of Shurnukh on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border on March 4, 2021. 

Photographer: Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images

Bloomberg News

August 3, 2022 at 3:47 PM GMT+3Updated onAugust 3, 2022 at 6:01 PM GMT+3

At least three soldiers were killed in fighting between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces in disputed territory that’s overseen by Russian peacekeeping troops as part of a truce deal that halted a 2020 war.

Two Armenian serviceman died and 14 were wounded when Azerbaijani troops fired grenade-launchers and used attack drones, the defense army of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic said Wednesday. One Azerbaijani soldier died when units came under intense fire from “illegal Armenian armed formations,” the Defense Ministry in Baku said in a statement.

The fighting took place in the Lachin corridor, a strip of land connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia through Azerbaijan that’s patrolled by Russian peacekeeping forces, and in the enclave’s northeast. As many as 2,000 Russian troops were sent to the area under the agreement brokered by President Vladimir Putin to end the 44-day war that killed thousands in late 2020. 

Armenian officials in Nagorno-Karabakh later said Russian peacekeepers had helped to stabilize the situation after Wednesday’s clashes. Still, the breakaway region’s leader announced a partial mobilization.

Azerbaijan took over part of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is mostly populated by Armenians but internationally recognized as part of its territory, during the war and reclaimed seven surrounding districts that it lost in an early 1990s conflict. 

Azerbaijan-Armenia Tensions Surge With Russia Distracted by War

While they have agreed to work on defining their state border and to open transport routes between their countries, Armenia and Azerbaijan have yet to reach a peace agreement to end the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh that began as the Soviet Union was collapsing more than three decades ago. The Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers held their first direct talks last month in Georgia.

— With assistance by Zulfugar Agayev, and Sara Khojoyan

(Updates with death toll in first paragraph, mobilization announcement in fourth.)

EU Calls For Immediate End To Karabakh Hostilities: Borrell Spokesman

Lara Chatinian
BARRON'S
Aug 3 2022
By AFP – Agence France Presse

August 3, 2022

The European Union on Wednesday called for an "immediate cessation of hostilities" between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh.

"It is essential to de-escalate, fully respect the ceasefire and return to the negotiating table to seek negotiated solutions," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell's spokesman said in a statement.

Azerbaijan announced earlier on Wednesday it had taken control of several strategic heights in the disputed region in a new escalation that killed three soldiers.

Six weeks of fighting in the autumn of 2020 claimed more than 6,500 lives and ended with a Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement.

"The European Union remains committed to help overcome tensions and continue its engagement towards sustainable peace and stability in the South Caucasus," Borrell's spokesman added.

csg/raz/lcm

https://www.barrons.com/news/eu-calls-for-immediate-end-to-karabakh-hostilities-borrell-spokesman-csg-gw-imm-01659546006
READ ALSO
EU calls for immediate end to Karabakh hostilities: Borrell spokesman – Times of India (indiatimes.com)

Azerbaijan says Armenia shelled positions near disputed enclave, Tass reports

Lara Chatinian
REUTERS
Reuters

July 30 (Reuters) – Azerbaijan on Saturday accused Armenia of shelling its positions near the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, which the two neighbours have been fighting over intermittently for 30 years, Tass news agency said.

The Azeri defence ministry said it had returned fire after Armenia used artillery to attack troops in the Lachin and Kalbajar regions to the west of the enclave.

Separately, Armenia's defence ministry denied the charge, Interfax news agency said.

The dispute over the region, a mountainous territory inside Azerbaijan controlled since the 1990s by ethnic Armenians, flared in 2020 into a six-week war in which Azeri troops regained swathes of territory.

The two sides agreed to work on a peace plan after Russia brokered a ceasefire but periodically accuse each other of firing shells across the border.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke separately with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan on Monday to try to nudge the former Soviet republics toward peace. read more

HayPost CEO Hayk Karapetyan leaves office

Lara Chatinian
Panorama
Armenia –

Two years ago, on July 20, Hayk Karapetyan was appointed CEO of HayPost in order to carry out the digital transformation of the company. Huge changes were made at HayPost under Hayk Karapetyan's leadership both towards digital transformation and in the courses of human resources, tariffs, commercial, customer service, mail exchange organization and international areas, the postal operator said on Monday.

HayPost ecosystem was built under the five-year development strategy of HayPost adopted in 2020, affiliated companies were established, and many new products and services were launched: iNovation, HayPost Retail, HayPost Med, Ber-Ber, Armoteca, etc.

This stage of transformation successfully ends with the launch of the juridically certified mail. The cooperation between Hayk Karapetyan and HayPost finishes from 25 July.

MEP: Europe sees Algeria, Qatar or Azerbaijan as an alternative to Russia in terms of supply of energy resources

Lara Chatinian
ARMINFO
Armenia –

ArmInfo.Despite the gas memorandum signed with Azerbaijan, the European Union continued to monitor and raise human rights issues in this country.

This position was voiced by Chair of the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) David McAllister, at a press conference together with head of the Foreign  Affairs Committee of the Armenian Parliament, Eduard Aghajanyan.

He stressed that today Europe is facing serious energy challenges and  needs energy resources, while at the same time it is aimed at  reducing energy dependence on Russia and expanding the  diversification of energy resources.  The MEP noted that the problem  of human rights violations should be considered separately, taking  into account that energy and other cooperation has nothing to do with  this problem.  On July 18, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan  Ilham Aliyev and head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen  signed the next, third in a row, energy document between the EU and  Azerbaijan.  The memorandum will make it possible to double the  volumes of incoming gas from Azerbaijan and bring its volumes up to  20 billion m3 per year and significantly reduce supplies from Russia. 

European Fund for Southeast Europe partners with Armenian bank to help small businesses

Lara Chatinian

The European Fund for Southeast Europe (EFSE) has partnered with Inecobank in Armenia by providing US$10 million in financing to support micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) operating in critical sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, and transportation, The financing is expected to enable around 1,200 loans to MSMEs and to support more than 4,000 jobs.

The investment is an essential part of EFSE’s overall programme to support MSMEs affected by the economic, social, and security challenges triggered by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the related sanctions.

Rising inflation and surging energy prices are raising MSMEs operational costs and depleting their liquidity buffers. The investment aims to give MSMEs in vital sectors continued access to finance to secure the needed inputs, services, inventories, and reserves, and to help them mitigate supply-chain disruptions. 

Working with the EU4Business initiative, EFSE aims to foster economic development and prosperity in Southeast Europe and the Eastern Neighbourhood Region by investing in the success of micro and small enterprises as well as improved living conditions for private households. 

Find out more

Press release