Author: Mary Lazarian

 10:21, 3 August 2023

YEREVAN, AUGUST 3, ARMENPRESS. “Ucom” closed joint-stock company has decided to discontinue the practice of using stamps on contracts, protocols, and other related documents, in line with the amendments introduced in the RA Law "On Joint Stock Companies", the RA Civil Code in 2012. This decision was approved by the executive body of "Ucom" CJSC. The legislative changes have rendered the use of round seals mandatory requirement null and void.

"We are now officially announcing the discontinuation of stamp usage, and we assure all our partners that it will have no impact on their cooperation with Ucom," stated Ralph Yirikian, the Director General of Ucom.

 15:35,

YEREVAN, JULY 29, ARMENPRESS. Many international organizations, governments and international human rights advocates are united in assessing the serious humanitarian situation in Nagorno Karabakh and call for an end to the blockade of Lachin Corridor, Armenian foreign ministry spokesperson Ani Badalyan said on July 29.

In a tweet, Badalyan called on Azerbaijan to implement its obligation and not deviate from it.

“Many international organizations, governments, international human rights advocates are united in assessment of serious humanitarian situation in Nagorno Karabakh &in call to lift Lachin Corridor blockade as confirmed by ICJ and ECHR. Instead of deviating from its clear obligation, Azerbaijan should implement it,” Badalyan tweeted.

She also shared the previous statements made by Freedom House, Human Rights Watch and the ICRC calling on Azerbaijan to end the blockade.

Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia and the rest of the world, has been blocked by Azerbaijan since late 2022. The Azerbaijani blockade constitutes a gross violation of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, which established that the 5km-wide Lachin Corridor shall be under the control of Russian peacekeepers. Furthermore, on February 22, 2023 the United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – ordered Azerbaijan to “take all steps at its disposal” to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.  Azerbaijan has been ignoring the order ever since. Moreover, Azerbaijan then illegally installed a checkpoint on Lachin Corridor. The blockade has led to shortages of essential products such as food and medication. Azerbaijan has also cut off gas and power supply into Nagorno-Karabakh, with officials warning that Baku seeks to commit ethnic cleansing against Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. Hospitals have suspended normal operations.

Yerevan /Mediamax/. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that Armenian Genocide of 1915 happened because Russia had to exit the region.

He said this in an interview with AFP, the transcript of which is posted on Prime Minister’s website. Talking about the prospect of leaving CSTO one day, Nikol Pashinyan said:

“No organization in the world is eternal, and every country makes decisions in accordance with its interests. The issue here is that we had and we still have an issue in terms of the effectivenes of the CSTO and the implementation of its commitments. We have discussed this issue transparently with our partners.

The question is not whether Armenia leaves or will leave the CSTO or not. The question is whether the CSTO is leaving or exiting Armenia. There are many experts in Armenia, independent expers, who regularly send me reports stating that these processes demonstrate that the CSTO is exiting Armenia.

Moreover, there are many experts whose assessment is that Russia is exiting the region. This may seem like a science fiction, but unfortunately, our people have seen this in hostory. After all, a consequence of what was the 1915 genocide of the Armenians, when Russia essentially had to exit the conflicting region under its domestic burden? And the Armenians, that had made a clear geopolitical choice, were left to face Turkey.

And naturally, this analysis has intensified because of an event that recently happened in Russia, an even that we all know very well. True, it lasted one and a half days, but dozens of analytical statements were sent to me during the one and a half days, saying that this is the 1915 scenario.

1915, 1917, 1918 – years of instability in Russia, Russia having to withdraw from the region and the genocide carried against the Armenian people. But now the problem is that in 1915 the Armenian people did not have a state, a statehood that would have the obligation of safeguarding its own people. Now the Armenians have a state, and the policy of the state must be built in accordance with this logic, because the likelihood that one day we will see Iran or Turkey leaving this region is zero, there is no such likelihood, but the likelihood that any geopolitical center which is currently present here, we may wake up one morning and find they have left, that likelihood is greater than zero, not necessarily with the intention of doing harm, not necessarily with the reluctance to carry out their obligations towards anyone, including Armenia”.

 15:47,

YEREVAN, JULY 22, ARMENPRESS. The President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Alen Simonyan had a telephone conversation with the President of the National Assembly of Artsakh Artur Tovmasyan.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Facebook age of the National Assembly of Armenia, during the regular telephone conversation initiated by Alen Simonyan, the colleagues discussed the situation in Artsakh. Artur Tovmasyan gave details about the developments of the last days.

The interlocutors referred to the parliamentary opportunities of finding joint solutions to the situation created as a result of the crisis.

 15:21, 6 July 2023

YEREVAN, JULY 6, ARMENPRESS. Russia has expressed extreme concern over the frequent ceasefire violations in Nagorno Karabakh and the continuing blockade of Lachin Corridor.

“According to the existing information, the humanitarian situation in the region is deteriorating. Regrettably we have to note that due to the suspension of supplies the population of Karabakh could be left without food, other essential products and reserves of medication,” Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said at a press briefing. She said that this contradicts the trilateral agreements between the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.

She also called on Azerbaijan to unblock the Lachin Corridor.

“We call on Baku and Yerevan to resolve all issues exclusively through political-diplomatic means, we call on the Azerbaijani side to unblock the Lachin Corridor and ensure unimpeded passage of persons, vehicles and goods for civilian purposes,” Zakharova said.

Zakharova said the actions of the Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno Karabakh would depend on the development of the situation on the ground and the trilateral agreements.

She said that Moscow maintains contact with the sides to de-escalate the tension in the region.

“These contacts continue on the political level, as well as in terms of the Russian peacekeeping contingent. And of course, a lot depends on the parties themselves, their political will and readiness to meet each other halfway. We are making all necessary efforts from our side,” Zakharova said.

Zakharova added that the Russian Foreign Minister’s Special Envoy for supporting normalization between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Igor Khovaev, could pay a visit to the region soon.

 17:47, 5 July 2023

YEREVAN, JULY 5, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan spoke by phone on Wednesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Pashinyan and Putin discussed the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Nagorno Karabakh resulting from the illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor and ways of overcoming it, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a readout.

 12:37, 4 July 2023

YEREVAN, JULY 4, ARMENPRESS. Authorities have launched a criminal investigation into the blast which ripped through a garage in Yerevan and is believed to have been caused by a gas leak.

In a statement released Tuesday, the Investigative Committee said it launched a criminal case under paragraph 2, clause 2 of article 412 of the Criminal Code, which deals with the circulation, work or services related to products or raw materials in aggravated violation of safety requirements.

No suspect has been named so far.

Preliminary investigation suggests that the garage was used to store gas cylinders and other gas equipment.

One of the cylinders began to leak and the explosion is believed to have occurred after the owner of the garage entered it and switched on the light. The owner is hospitalized.

[see video]