12:56, 1 November 2023
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. The European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA) has opened its headquarters in Yeghegnadzor.
EUMA Head of Mission Markus Ritter and Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Armenia Ambassador Vassilis Maragos attended the opening ceremony on November 1.
[see video]
YEREVAN, Armenia – Members of the 35th Infantry Division staff met with the Armenian National Defense Research University, members of the ministry of defense general staff, and students of the Vazgen Sargsyan Military Academy September 1-16 as part of the Kansas Army National Guard State Partnership Program. The purpose of the visit was to facilitate discussions and training on mission command and the officer/non-commissioned officer relationship from a U.S. Army and National Guard perspective.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the State Partnership Program between the Kansas National Guard and the Republic of Armenia. Over the years, the Kansas National Guard has worked closely with the Armenian Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Health, Rescue Service, and other governmental offices and agencies, cooperating on military-to-military, military-to-civilian, and civilian-to-civilian events.
Topics for engagements are chosen through discussions between the two entities and depend on the capabilities and interests of each.
“One of the first things we did was meet with the commander of the NDRU – which is the equivalent of the U.S. Army War College – and his staff and talk through what he wanted out of the engagement,” said Lt. Col. Jason Inskeep, deputy operations officer for the 35th Inf. Div. “And then similarly, we talked with the commander of the military academy to see what his intent was. A big part of it is making sure we are meeting the commander’s intent.”
Mission command and officer/NCO relationships were chosen as topics in part because of the significant differences between the two countries’ doctrines.
“Currently, they are in the process of revising their doctrine and looking at how they utilize their NCO corps,” said Inskeep of the Armenian military. “Their NCOs don’t have the same types of responsibilities that NCOs have in the U.S. Army.”
Discussions centered around the U.S. Army’s concept of mission command, which allows for decentralization and the execution of disciplined initiative.
Command Sgt. Maj. Richard Peplow, senior operations NCO for the 35th Inf. Div., also noted of the differences in the way the doctrine of the two militaries codifies officer/NCO roles and responsibilities, remarking that the concept of mission command might seem somewhat strange to militaries in other countries.
“The Armenian idea of how their NCO corps works is completely different than in the United States Army,” said Peplow. “I hoped to be able to give the Armenian officers a different point of view. We weren’t there to say ‘Our way is the right way.’ It was about having an open dialogue about how we operate and the success we’ve had with it.”
Peplow, who recently returned from the 35th Inf. Div. 2022 deployment in support of Operation Spartan Shield, said it was helpful being able to provide real-world examples from his experiences.
“It was my first visit to Armenia and I didn’t really know what to expect,” said Peplow. “But I was pleasantly surprised with how open and accepting everyone was of us bringing a somewhat unusual, different way of doing things and their willingness to at least listen.”
With the Armenia/Kansas Army National Guard relationship being now well-established, Inskeep sees many more opportunities in the future to continue the conversations.
“Over the past 20 years, the amount of involvement we have had has only increased,” said Inskeep. “There’s a lot of opportunities to participate in exercises and instruction. The division is the unit of action for the Army, so it’s a good opportunity for us to teach what we know and what we do, and also for us to learn from their experiences.”
https://www.dvidshub.net/news/456824/kansas-national-guard-armenia-partnership-stays-strong-with-help-35th-infantry-division
09:52,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 30, ARMENPRESS Pobeda Airlines has launched direct flights from the Russian city of Sochi to Armenia’s Gyumri.
The roundtrip flights will be operated 4 times per week from Sochi International Airport to Shirak International Airport in Gyumri, Armenia International Airports said in a statement.
19:31,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 27, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Economy of the Republic of Armenia, Vahan Kerobyan, had a meeting with Minister of State in the Department for Business and Trade, Timothy Minto, in London.
Kerobyan informed on his Facebook page, adding that issues related to trade, services, and investments were discussed during the meeting.
"We have also discussed the possibility of organizing direct flights between Armenia and Great Britain," wrote Kerobyan.
16:23,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 23, ARMENPRESS. Armenia and Iran have discussed the prospect of building a new bridge on the Armenian-Iranian border, the Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mehrdad Bazrpash said Monday in Yerevan.
Speaking at a signing ceremony of the agreement on constructing a section of the North-South Road, Bazrpash said Iran is ready to convey its rich experience in infrastructure development to Armenia.
The current bridge’s capacity is no longer sufficient to ensure the growing trade volumes, he said.
An agreement has been reached to launch a working group on this matter.
“The Iranian government is expressing its readiness on cooperating with Armenia around various programs,” the Iranian minister said, adding that many Iranian businesses want to be involved in the Armenian economy.
In turn, Armenian Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures Gnel Sanosyan said that the construction project of the southern part of North-South highway went through a rather difficult phase of discussions, but eventually reached its launch. He said that the project is of great significance for both countries.
“I am happy to note that there are multiple infrastructure programs on both sides, and the construction of the North-South highway’s southern part is being launched thanks to the joint work with Iranian companies,” Sanosyan said.
10:38,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 23, ARMENPRESS. A magnitude 4,3 earthquake that struck Iran 31km south-east from the city of Khoy on October 23 was felt across the Armenian province of Syunik at a low intensity.
The quake was felt in the towns of Kapan, Kajaran, Meghri and Agarak in Syunik Province at an intensity of 2-3 on the MSK scale, the interior ministry’s rescue service said in a statement.
09:40,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 19, ARMENPRESS. As Yerevan gears up to host the World Sambo Championships in November, organizers say they want the event to be “unprecedented” in the history of the martial art.
Karen Giloyan, the Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, told Armenpress that the number of invited countries could surpass 100.
“I think the World Sambo Championships will be unprecedented. We will try to make it become the biggest championships ever. We will try to invite over 100 countries. We are now in discussions with international and the Armenian federations. We also have an intergovernmental commission that is regularly holding discussions around the championships. I’m sure we will host the event on the highest level,” Giloyan said.
He said that hosting international championships in Armenia is of “vital importance” for the country. By doing so, he said, the country is “promoting itself and demonstrating that it is capable of hosting high level championships.”
“Besides, we are giving our athletes the chance to compete here at home, and enabling the fans to be part of the global sports,” Giloyan added.
The deputy minister said Armenia was chosen as the host of the World Sambo Championships 2023 due to having flawlessly organized the 2021 World Cadet, Youth and Junior Sambo Championships.
Furthermore, without revealing any details Giloyan said Armenia will host other international championships in 2024.
The World Sambo Championships (M&W, Combat Sambo) will take place November 10-12 in Yerevan.
11:30,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 19, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian government will allocate 2 billion drams from the state budget’s reserve fund to provide the financial assistance of October to 40,000 forcibly displaced persons of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The decision was approved at the Cabinet meeting on Thursday.
“The government will provide assistance for six months, 40,000 drams for temporary accommodation and another 10,000 drams for utility expenses. The payments for the month of October will be allocated by this decision,” Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Narek Mkrtchyan said at the Cabinet meeting.
20:53,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 18, ARMENPRESS. On October 18, the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs of Armenia Narek Mkrtchyan received the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Belgium to the Republic of Armenia, Eric de Muynk.
During the meeting, the minister presented the programs implemented by the ministry for people forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh, detailing the priorities set at the moment in the field of social protection.
"In order to meet the primary needs of our compatriots forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh and to provide necessary social services, social support programs have been developed and implemented by the ministry.
The most vulnerable groups, thus the single elderly, people who need round-the-clock care and people with disabilities, children left without parental care are in the center of our attention," the minister noted.
Eric de Muynk, in his turn, expressed the readiness of the Kingdom of Belgium to support the forcibly displaced people from Karabakh and noted that several victims of Nagorno-Karabakh fuel depot explosion transferred to Belgium to receive necessary medical services.
15:13,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 13, ARMENPRESS. Ambassador-at-Large Edmon Marukyan has called on Azerbaijan to stop the treatments that degrade people’s fundamental freedoms and human dignity and release all prisoners from Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh immediately.
Marukyan made the comments after a court in Azerbaijan started a sham trial of Vagif Khachatryan, the elderly resident of Nagorno-Karabakh who was kidnapped by Azeri border guards during his ICRC-mediated medical evacuation.
In a statement on X, Marukyan said that all existing proceedings in Azerbaijan are a farce, a mockery of the European Convention and a violation of all universally accepted international norms in the context of all obligations undertaken by Azerbaijan itself.
“The trial of Vagif Khachatryan, abducted from Nagorno Karabakh, has started in Azerbaijan today. He, of course, has nothing to do with the crime, he is merely punished for being born in Nagorno Karabagh and for living on his ancestral land. I want to make this very clear, in Azerbaijan, where the government has not changed for more than 20 years, during which 5 presidents were elected in Nagorno-Karabakh, which Freedom House rated as partially free with 37 score by all indicators, and Azerbaijan – Not Free, with 9 scores, there cannot be a fair trial, fair court and/or fair accusation. All existing proceedings are a farce, a mockery of the European Convention and a violation of all universally accepted international norms in the context of all obligations undertaken by Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan must end the treatments that degrade people’s fundamental freedoms and human dignity and release all prisoners from Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh immediately. P. S. In the video you can see a crying man in the fake court hearing,” Marukyan said on X.
A Baku court has held a preliminary hearing in the show trial of Vagif Khachatryan, an elderly Nagorno-Karabakh man who was kidnapped by Azeri border guards during his ICRC-mediated medical evacuation on July 29.
In Baku, the Azeri authorities pressed fabricated charges against Khachatryan. Khachatryan has since been jailed in Azerbaijan.
The hearing in the show trial will continue on October 17.
The Armenian foreign ministry earlier said that the arrest of the Red Cross-protected patient from Nagorno-Karabakh amounts to war crime.
Prominent lawyer Siranush Sahakyan earlier said that the kidnapping constitutes extraordinary rendition in terms of international law and a due process is therefore ruled out.
The kidnapped man’s daughter, in a plea to the UN to ensure the safe release of her father, said that all charges pressed by the Azeri prosecution are fabricated and her father is innocent.