Author: Rose Khoyetsian

 21:35, 1 December, 2020

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. The issue of servicemen who have been declared missing due to the recent war in Nagorno Karabakh is under the spotlight of Russia’s top leadership, the Russian Embassy in Armenia said in a statement.

“The Embassy is receiving numerous appeals over finding the missing servicemen and transferring those killed to their relatives. We fully share the pain and panic of families who faced that big human tragedy. The Russian peacekeeping contingent and inter-agency humanitarian response center are directly involved in solving that acute issue, acting in close coordination with the competent authorities of Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as the authorized international organizations. This issue is under the spotlight of the top leadership of Russia which gives a special importance to the comprehensive implementation of the provisions of the November 9, 2020, trilateral statement”, the statement says.

The Embassy reminded that Armenia’s defense ministry has established a special commission for collecting and developing information about those killed, missing in action, captured servicemen and other people aimed at helping those who have appeared in this tragic situation.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Expert says Russia would not tolerate Turkey’s actions to populate NK territories with Syrians

 09:07,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. Turkey’s plans to populate the territories of Nagorno Karabakh, which have come under the Azerbaijani control, with Syrians will not be accepted by both Russia and Iran. Russia would not allow it or will take anti-terrorist measures later, Expert on Turkish studies Ruben Melkonyan told Armenpress, commenting on the foreign and local media reports according to which Turkey is transferring Syrians to the territories of Nagorno Karabakh currently controlled by Azerbaijan.

The expert said these reports, even they are not coming from real facts, have a very serious potential of becoming a reality.

According to him, the issue should be viewed from two important domains. “The first one is that Turkey’s open participation to the recent war [in Karabakh] made us suppose that after the war as well Turkey will continue to keep its active presence in this matter. And it’s natural that Turkey will try to take some steps in its policy priorities. Secondly, we need to take into account that the demography policy or the demographic engineering has a very important place in Turkey’s policy. It is based on a state tradition and has a history of centuries. In the occupied territories Turkey is immediately starting the policy of neutralizing the further threats and creating additional threats for the enemy countries”, the expert said.

Melkonyan reminded that before the Armenian Genocide Turkey has populated various territories of historic Armenia with different Muslim nations which later played a role in the implementation of the Armenian Genocide. He said Turkey, by occupying several territories in Syria, is populating them with people faithful to it. According to the expert, Turkey is trying the same also in the territories of Artsakh which have come under the Azerbaijani control. “My analysis is based on the principles of the Turkish demographic policy, and these principles allow to claim that populating the occupied territories of Artsakh with people faithful to Turkey is very realistic”, he said.

Melkonyan is sure that some of these people will be terrorists with their families who can turn from a ‘peaceful civilian’ to an extreme terrorist at any moment, by participating in military or terrorist operations. “In other words, by populating that territories with that people, Turkey in fact is deploying a special division of the army in the face of terrorists and their families”, the expert on Turkish studies noted.

Asked why there is no wish to populate those territories with Azerbaijanis, Melkonyan said the question should be viewed in the context of expected public developments, complaints in Azerbaijan and we should understand whether Azerbaijan’s statement that the refugees want to move to Aghdam and other territories is true or is another myth.

Melkonyan also stated that Turkey’s such plans are not in the interests of Iran and Russia.

“Russia should not allow transfer of terrorists to that region which is closer to its borders. But if we look at the issue from political perspective, the presence of terrorists in this territory would allow Russia to take certain steps at any moment under the anti-terrorist war flag or other”, he said.

Ruben Melkonyan proposed to wait for developments and understand which priority will be more influential for Russia – the humanitarian one or the anti-terrorist one. The expert, however, believes that both Russia and Iran would not accept these steps and may take some actions either now or later. “Nevertheless, we need to understand that this issue is going to be one of the key points of the Russian-Turkish or Turkish-Iranian clash”, Ruben Melkonyan said.

Interview by Anna Grigoryan

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 19:49,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. Accompanied by Minister of High-Tech Industry Hakob Arshakyan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan went on a working tour to Garni Ler Scientific-Production Association and the newly established Arsenal Military-Industrial Plant. During the tour, the Premier got acquainted with the plant’s production-professional potential, the range of its products and development opportunities, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister was shown ordnance, projectiles and warheads produced by the company. He was introduced to new test specimens featuring automatic, remote-controlled, large-caliber firearms systems equipped with night-day gun-sights. The plant will soon get new investments, expand its output capacity, generate new jobs and expand export opportunities.

The Premier highlighted the need for military industry’s continued development and instructed the management to develop the plant’s output capacity at a faster pace in terms of expanding the range of weaponry.

 11:50,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 11, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has denied what he described as “absurd” accusations claiming that he wasn’t giving consent for Russian peacekeepers to be deployed to Karabakh until the fall of Shushi.

Opposition leader Gagik Tsarukyan (Prosperous Armenia Party) claimed in an interview that Russia was ready to deploy its peacekeepers to Karabakh as early as October 28, when the town of Shushi wasn’t yet captured by Azeri forces, but Pashinyan did not agree at that time. Tsarukyan vehemently lambasted the armistice conditions and claimed that Shushi fell because of a “conspiracy”.

“This is total absurd”, Pashinyan said in a Facebook video address on November 11.

He cited his interviews of October 22 and October 25 where he publicly said that he favors Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh. “By publicly speaking in favor of this, how could I be against it on October 28?”

Pashinyan then criticized the opposition leader for what he described as not fulfilling his pledge to lead a volunteer detachment to the frontlines.  Tsarukyan had formed a detachment of volunteer soldiers and said he would lead them to active duty. “But seemingly we didn’t see any detachment of volunteers led by Gagik Tsarukyan fighting near Shushi,” Pashinyan said. “How come they make a public statement but no practical step?”

“Perhaps these detachments were formed not for conducting operations in Shushi but in Armenia? This must be investigated and assessed under criminal law.”

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

 17:28, 5 November, 2020

YEREVAN, 5 NOVEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 5 November, USD exchange rate up by 0.37 drams to 493.87 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 6.21 drams to 582.32 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.12 drams to 6.35 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 4.18 drams to 644.30 drams.

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

Gold price down by 106.71 drams to 30171.13 drams. Silver price down by 2.81 drams to 380.68 drams. Platinum price down by 21.34 drams to 13861.75 drams.