15:30,
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. An Azerbaijani farmer was killed in a landmine explosion while carrying out agricultural works in the village of Bala Jafarli in the country’s north-western Qazakh district, Turan news agency reported.
The report said that the victim was a resident of the village of Khanlgar of the same district.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
A new memorial dedicated to the victims of the Armenian genocide was unveiled in Kralupy nad Vltavou, Czech Republic, on Wednesday, Orer.eu reports.
It was made by an Armenian native Telman Nersisjan, who lives in Kralupy. According to the author, the khachkar (cross-stone) will also stand as a symbol of solidarity and cooperation between peoples.
The official unveiling was also attended by Armenian Ambassador Ashot Hovakimijan and Cardinal Dominik Duka, who blessed the monument.
The deputy mayor of Kralupy Libor Lesák noted that Armenians settled in their city in the 1990s, showed their best, received higher education here and provided worthy services to the city. According to him, Armenians deserve to have their monument in this city.
Armenian Ambassador to the Czech Republic Ashot Hovakimyan noted that this year Armenians around the world marked the 106th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, and in fact the 6 million Armenian Diaspora are the descendants of Armenians scattered around the world as a result of that genocide.
The Ambassador stressed that Armenians all over the world are fighting against the denial of the Armenian Genocide, which Turkey continues to deny, and thanked the countries that support the Armenian people in their struggle. In particular, Ambassador Hovakimyan expressed his gratitude to the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament for adopting a resolution on the Armenian Genocide in 2017, and to the Czech Senate, which adopted a similar resolution in 2020.
The opening ceremony was aired live on Czech TV.
Russia has told Baku about its position on the Turkish-Azerbaijani military exercises. This is what Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Maria Zakharova said during her weekly briefing.
According to her, the Azerbaijani side has accepted the position with understanding.
Zakharova added that she will refrain from making comments, but clarified that the Russian MFA is always in contact with its Azerbaijani colleagues and is closely following the situation in certain sectors of the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Ankara and Baku recently held three joint military exercises, and servicemen of Pakistan’s armed forces participated in one of them, that is, the “Three Brothers-2021” military exercises.
THE HAGUE (Reuters) – Armenia filed a case at the World Court asserting that Azerbaijan has violated an international treaty on racial discrimination, the court said on Thursday.
A spokesperson for the Azerbaijan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Azerbaijan would defend itself "robustly" and planned to file a countersuit accusing Armenia of the same thing.
In fighting last September to November, Azeri troops drove ethnic Armenian forces out of swathes of territory they had controlled since the 1990s in and around the Nagorno-Karabakh region, before Russia brokered a ceasefire.
In the filing, Armenia accused Azerbaijan of subjecting Armenians to racial discrimination "for decades" in violation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, to which both states are signatories, the court said.
The conference on International Religious Freedom and Peace, convened at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin in Armenia on 9-10 September 2021, brought a special focus to the promotion of freedom of religion and preservation of spiritual, cultural and historical heritage. As the Information Service at the Mother See reported, at the end of the conference the organizing Committee adopted a joint Communiqué.
The document reads:
'Meeting in Holy Etchmiadzin, under the patronage of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, and with the presence and testimonies of representatives of the Government of Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, we conference participants from the worldwide Christian community were deeply moved and inspired by the history of the Armenian people, the first nation to adopt the Christian faith as State religion, their survival despite the crime of genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire in early XX century, the horrors of the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh and other ills in the course of history. The Armenian people’s continued resilience and faithfulness to their faith and culture deserved further appreciation by the Christian world.
We re-affirm the principles of the right to freedom of religion or belief, as articulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and subsequent international and regional human rights treaties. We claim this right, equally, for all people, of any faith or none, and regardless of nation, history or political circumstances – including for those Armenian prisoners of war still illegally held in captivity by Azerbaijan, for whose swift release and repatriation we appeal and pray, and for the people of Artsakh/Nagorno Karabakh whose rights to free and peaceful assembly and association necessarily implicate the sacred character of human life.
We stress the critical importance of the protection of holy sites, places of worship and religious heritage for the effective realization of religious freedom, and for the promotion and preservation of peaceful relations among nations and communities. Protecting places of worship and safeguarding free access to them is essential for guaranteeing the exercise of religious freedom.
Moreover, holy sites, places of worship and items of religious heritage are representative of the deepest identities of people and communities of faith. Precisely for this reason, in situations of conflict they are often deliberately targeted in order to inflict maximum collective trauma on a particular community. Any attack on any religious community, whether on individuals who are members of that community or on places related to that community, is an attack on religious freedom in general, and therefore an attack on all religious communities. And because religious buildings and sites are bearers of religious identity, damaging a place of worship is an act of real violence against the personal and collective religious identity of believers, wounding their identities and memories.
On the other hand, by caring for the physical integrity of holy sites and places of worship, we uphold the human dignity of those who hold them dear, and, when we cooperate among nations, governments and communities of faith to protect religious heritage, a transformative message of healing and togetherness is conveyed.
We therefore join in endorsing the Universal Code of Conduct on Holy Sites, and in particular the following provisions and stipulations:
• Holy sites shall be preserved for present and future generations, with dignity, integrity and respect for their name and confessional identity. They shall be preserved both as sites of religious significance, and as historical, cultural and ecological legacies of their communities and of humankind. They shall not be desecrated or damaged, nor shall religious communities be forcibly deprived of their holy sites; and
• …all parties shall promote the preservation of holy sites, acknowledge the significance of holy sites of others as places of worship and sites of identity, respect the sensitivities of others with regard to these sites, and stress their spiritual value rather than any strategic, territorial or military significance. The attachment of a group to its holy site shall not be denied.
We also acknowledge and affirm relevant provisions of the UN Plan of Action to Safeguard Religious Sites; the UN Plan of Action for religious leaders and actors to prevent incitement to violence that could lead to atrocity crimes; the World Heritage Convention; and the Statement on the protection of religious properties within the framework of the World Heritage Convention.
With regard to the situation in Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh following the conflict in 2020, perpetrated by Azerbaijan and supported by its allies, we are deeply alarmed by the many reports of destruction, damage and desecration of Armenian religious and cultural heritage in areas now under Azerbaijani control. Our concern is greatly amplified by the well-substantiated reports of the systematic erasure of Armenian historical sites of world heritage significance in Djulfa, Nakhichevan, and elsewhere in Azerbaijan.
We therefore:
– Call on the Government of Azerbaijan to allow immediate and unimpeded international access to the areas of Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh which have recently come under Azerbaijan’s control, as well as to relevant sites in Nakhichevan and elsewhere in Azerbaijan, for the purpose of independent assessment and monitoring missions.
– Urge UNESCO to make an assessment mission to these areas an urgent priority.
– Encourage proactive and regular engagement in dialogue and cooperation, and vocal and active solidarity when religious sites and worshippers from other religions and faiths are targeted.
– Appeal for solidarity and action from all members of the international community to assure Armenian people and communities of the same rights to which all are entitled as a matter of international law and moral responsibility, including the rights to life, to freedom of religion or belief, to cultural _expression_, and to self-determination.
– Express our deep Christian solidarity, and the solidarity of the global ecumenical fellowship with the Armenian Church and people in their lives, ministries and witness to the world.
– Pledge to continue to work together in the development and implementation of a more detailed action plan to address the issues and concerns raised during these days together in Holy Etchmiadzin.
18:07, 9 September, 2021
YEREVAN, 9 SEPTEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 9 September, USD exchange rate is down by 0.49 drams to 493.17 drams. EUR exchange rate is up by 0.31 drams to 583.52 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate is up by 0.03 drams to 6.75 drams. GBP exchange rate is up by 2.43 drams to 681.46 drams.
The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.
Gold price is down by 284.46 drams to 28318.43 drams. Silver price up by 0.72 drams to 385.53 drams. Platinum price is down by 237.91 drams to 15808.21 drams.
Artsakh’s Defense Minister, Lieutenant General Mikayel Arzumanyan has resigned.
President Arayik Harutyunyan has formally accepted and signed the resignation letter, the President’s Press Office reported.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Friday that the end of the conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region paves the way for improvement in Turkish-Armenian relations.
Speaking at the New Knowledge Forum in Moscow, Lavrov said Ankara and Yerevan should resume efforts toward normalization after Armenia and neighboring Azerbaijan signed an agreement on Nagorno-Karabakh last year.
“The parties saw the process of resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh issue differently. But now, when the war in Nagorno-Karabakh is over, there are grounds for unblocking the political process, transport and economic ties. It would be logical if Armenia and Turkey resumed efforts to normalize relations,” the minister said.
Russia is ready to actively support this process, he added.
On Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova also said Russia always supported the normalization of Armenian-Turkish ties and has in the past participated in mediation efforts toward this end.
She noted that Russia welcomed the signing of the Zurich Protocols in 2009, which suggested a gradual improvement in relations between Armenia and Turkey without preliminary conditions.
“Along with the normalization of Azerbaijani-Armenian relations in the context of the implementation of the statements signed by the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia on Nov. 9, 2020, and Jan. 11 this year, this (normalization between Armenia and Turkey) would work for peace, stability and prosperity in the region,” she said.
Turkey believes that permanent peace is possible through mutual security-based cooperation among states and people in the South Caucasus region, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in June as he addressed Azerbaijan’s National Assembly in the capital Baku.
The president reiterated his proposal for a six-nation platform comprising Turkey, Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia for permanent peace, stability and cooperation in the region.
Relations between the former Soviet republics of Azerbaijan and Armenia have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.
20:44, 3 September, 2021
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 3, ARMENPRESS. The Russian peacekeeping forces deployed in Nagorno Karabakh conflict zone have not recorded a ceasefire violation incident during the past day, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Defense Ministry of Russia. By this, the Russian Defense Ministry denies the statement of the Azerbaijani defense ministry about the ceasefire violation incident committed by the Defense Army of Artsakh in Shushi direction.
Earlier, the Azerbaijani defense ministry had issued a statement that allegedly on September 3 from 01:00 to 02:15 the Armenian side opened fire at one of the Azerbaijani positions in Shushi, but after the counteractions of the Azerbaijani side, retreated suffereing casualties. The Defense Ministry of Artsakh had announced about the Azerbaijani disinformation, noting that the Defense Army units strictly respect the ceasefire regime and only take counteractions for preventing the provocations of the adversary.