Author: Samvel Nahapetian

18 Armenian companies present achievements in military engineering solutions at an international exhibition

Samvel Nahapetian

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 18:01,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 20, ARMENPRESS. The 16th international exhibition of defense technologies "IDEX 2023" has started in Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC).

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Ministry of High-tech Industry, 18 Armenian companies present the latest achievements and potential of Armenia in the direction of information, defense and military technologies, engineering solutions under the "Armenia" joint pavilion. Not only finished products, but also innovative projects are presented.

Within the framework of the official visit, Minister of High-tech Industry Robert Khachatryan toured the 12 thematic exhibition halls, familiarized himself with the latest technologies in the fields of land, sea and air defense, exchanged ideas with representatives of Armenian companies.

"IDEX" international defense technology exhibition is considered one of the most prestigious and strategically important events in the Middle East and North Africa region, bringing together the leading and prestigious leaders of the defense industry, as well as various innovative technology companies, well-known experts in the technology field.

The event is organized every two years, has a conference and exhibition components, with the aim of creating a platform to discuss the latest developments, trends and innovative solutions of the industry, accompanied by the demonstration of the best practices and achievements of the industry.

Asbarez: France Demands Withdrawal of Azerbaijani Forces from Armenia

Samvel Nahapetian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

President Emanuel Macron of France (right) hosted Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Paris on Sept. 26

President Emmanuel Macron of France demanded that Azerbaijan pull back its forces from Armenia, after the September 13 attack on Armenia’s sovereign territory, as a result of which more than 200 people have died and over 7,500 people were displaced.

Macron joined the growing chorus of countries making the same demand from Baku. On Friday, the United States also made the same demand in a statement from its embassy in Armenia. A similar statement was made by the United Kingdom’s Embassy in Yerevan on Monday.

The French president made the remarks during a joint press conference on Monday with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan who is visiting France at Macron’s invitation to discuss Azerbaijan’s latest attacks on Armenia.

With France holding the United Nations Security Council presidency this year, Macron swiftly placed Azerbaijan’s attack on Armenia on the agenda of the body, which discussed the matter in depth on September 15 and called on Azerbaijan to swiftly end the military hostilities and observe a fragile ceasefire, which was brokered through international mediation.

“Taking into account that there are occupied positions, France demanded that the Azerbaijani forces return to their initial positions,” Macron said. “I told President [Ilham] Aliyev on September 14 that the fact that the border is not demarcated cannot justify any advance into the territory of the other country.”

“I have clearly stated since September 13 that France is convinced that the use of force cannot be a solution for either Armenia or Azerbaijan and it is necessary to resume the dialogue immediately. All unresolved issues, which are numerous, should be resolved exclusively through negotiations. The negotiations are held in different formats, particularly under the auspices of the EU, and they should be resumed,” added Macron.

He also reflected back to 2020 when Azerbaijan launched an aggressive attack on Artsakh in what is now commonly referred to as the 44-Day War.

“It is impossible to build peace under the threat of force. To that end, France will do everything, will pursue its goal, which is a stable, safe and prosperous South Caucasus,” said Macron.

“I emphasize France’s commitment to achieving peace and stability for your country and the entire region. I salute your sense of responsibility and your position to do everything to establish peace. I want your country to have tranquil and peaceful borders,” Macron told Pashinyan ahead of their closed-door meeting at the Elysee Palace.

“I would like to emphasize that our position is unequivocal: the Azerbaijani armed forces must withdraw from the sovereign territory of Armenia, and I want to thank France, personally President Macron, for recording this position,” Pashinyan, in his turn, told Macron, explaining that official Baku’s claim that the attack took place because of the absence of border delimitation is absolutely false.

“The administrative borders between Soviet Armenia and Soviet Azerbaijan became state borders in the first months of independence of the two countries, since both Armenia and Azerbaijan signed and ratified the December 8, 1991 Agreement on Establishing Commonwealth of Independent States. Moreover, both countries are members of the CIS until now. I want to emphasize that it is an integral part of this agreement that the administrative borders, the existing borders basically become state borders and the countries that joined the agreement recognize these borders,” Pashinyan explained.

“This means that the actions of Azerbaijan cannot be assessed in any way other than deliberate aggression. As a result of the Azerbaijani occupation, the situation in our region remains tense. I think that sending an international observation mission to the regions affected by the Azerbaijani occupation and the border zone will help the international community to receive direct and not mediated information, and will also become an important factor in stabilizing the situation,” added Pashinyan.

“As for long-term solutions, I think it is necessary to sign the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty with the mutual recognition of the borders reaffirmed by the agreement of December 8, 1991. Armenia is ready for the opening of communications and the construction of new communication routes in the region, in accordance with the national legislations of the countries through which they pass,” said Pashinyan.

“We also attach importance to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, which will guarantee the rights and security of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh. I think the start of Azerbaijan-Nagorno Karabakh discussions can be useful. In this context, I must emphasize the role of France as an OSCE Co-chair country,” the prime minister added.

Senator Menendez to Secretary Blinken: “Halt all security assistance to Azerbaijan”

Samvel Nahapetian
 ANCA ANCA News 0

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, citing Azerbaijan’s most recent attacks on Armenia, called on the Biden administration to “halt all security assistance to Azerbaijan and review all assistance programs to the country,” reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA.)

“We want to thank Chairman Menendez for his principled, powerful and persistent leadership in cutting off all US military aid to Azerbaijan – an urgent undertaking made all the more pressing by Aliyev’s bombing, invasion and occupation of sovereign Armenian soil,” said ANCA National Board Member Ani Tchaghlasian, who hails from the Garden State. “Working alongside Senator Menendez, we are committed to pursuing statutory and all other avenues available to us to stop the flow of US tax dollars to oil-rich Azerbaijan’s openly aggressive and violently anti-Armenian regime.”

In a strongly worded September 22nd letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Chairman Menendez asserted, “The United States must play no part in supporting authoritarian brutality,” pledging to work with Senate and House colleagues to eliminate the presidential waiver authority of Section 907 (Public Law 107-115) restrictions on US aid to Azerbaijan.

Chairman Menendez stressed that a Government Accountability Office (GAO) review he had commissioned, detailing US aid to Azerbaijan had shown that the State Department, “failed to meet statutory reporting requirements to Congress on the impact of US assistance during the period considered. While the Department of State has concurred with the GAO on its recommendations to ensure the necessary requirements are met to invoke the waiver, it has not yet provided action plans to the GAO on how it will address this concern.”

He went on to emphasize that the “administration must not minimize the Azerbaijani assault in an effort to appear impartial. President Biden said in his 2022 State of the Union Address, ‘…when dictators do not pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos.’ The United States has an important opportunity to stand with the Armenian people as they attempt to repel an authoritarian assault.”

Earlier this week, Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) was joined by seven Senate colleagues in sending a letter to the State Department and Defense Department arguing that, “in light of Azerbaijan’s recent and repeated acts of aggression toward Armenia, the United States should cease providing any security assistance to Azerbaijan until Armenia and Azerbaijan reach a permanent and lasting resolution that respects the will of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.”

#####

The Honorable Antony J. Blinken
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20520

Dear Secretary Blinken,

I am writing to express my deep concern over the renewal of Azerbaijani attacks on Armenian territory, including on civilian infrastructure. These unprovoked and illegal attacks on communities like Kapan, Goris, Jermuk, Vardenis and Tchakaten, which according to reports killed over 100 Armenians, serve to underscore the brutality of the Aliyev regime. In light of the renewed Azerbaijani aggression, I urge you to halt all security assistance to Azerbaijan and review all assistance programs to the country.

This heinous assault on Armenian territory is only the latest example in a pattern of Azerbaijani brutality. Azerbaijan’s aggression during the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh War resulted in the deaths of 6,500 people, and displaced close to 100,000 ethnic Armenians. The State Department highlighted in its 2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices the illegal detention of Armenian soldiers and civilians in Baku, and credible reports of unlawful killings and torture by Azerbaijan forces. Aliyev’s military has reportedly used illegal cluster munitions and phosphorous bombs, and posted videos of beheadings online. Azerbaijan’s unambiguous aggression cannot be tolerated.

The United States must play no part in supporting authoritarian brutality. That is why I will continue to pursue efforts in Congress to eliminate the waiver authority under the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-115) that the Administration has used annually to provide certain kinds of security assistance to the Aliyev regime. However, even under current law, there is more that the State Department is required to do in order to assess the impact of U.S. assistance on the military balance between Armenia and Azerbaijan. I commissioned a Government Accountability Office review of U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan which found that the Department of State failed to meet statutory reporting requirements to Congress on the impact of U.S. assistance during the period considered. While the Department of State has concurred with the GAO on its recommendations to ensure the necessary requirements are met to invoke the waiver, it has not yet provided action plans to the GAO on how it will address this concern.

As we bear witness to Azerbaijan’s most recent attack, the Administration must not to minimize the Azerbaijani assault in an effort to appear impartial. President Biden said in his 2022 State of the Union Address, “…when dictators do not pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos.” The United States has an important opportunity to stand with the Armenian people as they attempt to repel an authoritarian assault.

Sincerely,

Robert Menendez
Chairman

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The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and most influential Armenian-American grassroots organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.


RFE/RL Armenian Report – 09/01/2022

Samvel Nahapetian 
                                        Thursday, September 1, 2022


More Charges Brought Against Former Karabakh Army Chief

        • Anush Mkrtchian

Former Nagorno-Karabakh army commander Mikael Arzumanian.


An Armenian law-enforcement agency brought additional criminal charges against a 
former commander of Nagorno-Karabakh’s army on Thursday hours after a court in 
Yerevan allowed his pre-trial arrest.

Lieutenant-General Mikael Arzumanian was detained and charged with criminal 
negligence immediately after entering Armenia from Karabakh earlier this week.

The Investigative Committee initially indicted Arzumanian over the capture by 
Azerbaijani forces of the Karabakh town of Shushi (Shusha) which happened at the 
end of the 2020 war. It claims that he failed to deploy more troops around 
Shushi beforehand.

Arzumanian was appointed as commander of Karabakh’s Armenian-backed Defense Army 
on October 27, 2020 less than two weeks before the fall of the strategic town.

The Investigative Committee said on Thursday that the 49-year-old general also 
ordered Karabakh Armenian forces to withdraw from “strategically important” 
positions retaken by them days after the war broke out on September 27, 2020. It 
said that the order amounted to abuse of power.

Arzumanian’s lawyer, Yerem Sargsian, did not return phone calls throughout the 
day. He reportedly said on Wednesday that his client rejects the first 
accusation leveled against him.

Armenian opposition leaders have criticized Arzumanian’s arrest, saying that it 
is part of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s efforts to deflect blame for the 
disastrous war. They continue to hold Pashinian primarily responsible for 
Armenia’s defeat.

Movses Hakobian, Armenia’s former top general, also denounced the criminal case 
against Arzumanian. He implied that it is aimed at lending credence to 
Pashinian’s “political statements” on the outcome of the war.

“Accusing Arzumanian is not honest, to say the least, because he took over the 
army at a time when everything was already predetermined,” Hakobian told 
RFE/RL’s Armenian Service. “Secondly, nobody can judge whether a commander made 
a right or wrong decision in a particular situation.”

“Although I used to be Arzumanian’s superior, I wouldn’t reserve myself the 
right to say whether he made the right or wrong decision at that point because 
there are lots of factors that influenced it,” added the Karabakh-born general.

Arzumanian was dismissed as Karabakh army commander last year. He has worked as 
an advisor to Arayik Harutiunian, the Karabakh president, since then. A 
spokeswoman for Harutiunian on Tuesday described Arzumanian as “one of our best 
military commanders.”



Armenian Prosecutor Favors Death Penalty For Treason


Armenia - Prosecutor-General Artur Davtian speaks at an official ceremony in 
Yerevan, July 1, 2022.


Armenia’s outgoing Prosecutor-General Artur Davtian on Thursday called for 
restoring the death penalty for individuals convicted of high treason in the 
country.

Davtian’s office reported that he has filed a corresponding appeal to Justice 
Minister Karen Andreasian, who heads a government task force on constitutional 
reform.

According to the office, Davtian cited in his letter the increased number of 
espionage cases investigated by Armenian law-enforcement authorities since the 
2020 war with Azerbaijan. He said punishment for such crimes should be toughened 
“especially against the background of existing security challenges in the 
region.”

Dozens of Armenians, including military officers, have been arrested and/or 
accused of spying for Azerbaijan during and after the war. None of them is known 
to have been convicted by local courts so far.

Armenia agreed to abolish capital punishment when it joined the Council of 
Europe over two decades ago. The ban is enshrined in Article 24 of its 
constitution.

Citing research conducted by his office, Davtian claimed that Armenia has no 
“direct international legal obligation” to maintain the full ban on the death 
penalty. He also said various “manifestations of high treason” pose a growing 
threat to national security.

Representatives and political allies of the Armenian government did not 
immediately react to the appeal.

By contrast, the country’s human rights ombudswoman, Kristine Grigorian, was 
quick to reject Davtian’s calls, saying that they run counter to people’s right 
to life and “democratic values.” Armenian authorities should deal with high 
treason through “more effective preventive measures” rather than death 
sentences, she said in a statement.

Grigorian said that the constitutional reform council, of which she too is a 
member, should therefore not even consider the chief prosecutor’s proposal.

The Office of the Prosecutor-General deplored the ombudswoman’s “extremely 
hasty” and “superficial” comments. It said that it is ready to present more 
detailed arguments in support of the idea floated by Davtian.

Davtian will complete his six-year term in office on September 15. He will be 
replaced by a former aide to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.



Talks With Aliyev ‘Not Easy,’ Says Pashinian

        • Gayane Saribekian

Belgium - Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President 
Ilham Aliyev begin talks in Brussels, .


Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian described his latest talks with Azerbaijani 
President Ilham Aliyev as “not easy” but gave no other details on Thursday.

“The discussion was extensive, the discussion was not easy,” he said the day 
after the talks hosted by European Council President Charles Michel in Brussels.

Pashinian reaffirmed the Armenian government’s commitment to its “peace agenda” 
declared after the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh.

“We all need to understand that it’s not easy and simple and that possible 
solutions are not obvious,” he added at the start of a weekly cabinet meeting in 
Yerevan. “We need to continue our consistent work.”

Michel said late on Wednesday that Aliyev and Pashinian agreed to intensify 
negotiations on an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty sought by Baku. The 
Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers will meet in September to “work on 
draft texts,” he said in a statement.

“Clearly, Azerbaijan will try to secure solutions maximally beneficial for it,” 
said Vigen Khachatrian, an Armenian pro-government parliamentarian. “Our 
objective is the opposite. Our aim is to guarantee the territorial integrity of 
Armenia and the kind of conditions for the people of Artsakh that would not 
jeopardize their life in their homeland.”

The Azerbaijani side did not publicly comment on the results of what was 
Michel’s fourth trilateral meeting with the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders in 
nine months. Aliyev’s chief foreign policy aide, Hikmet Hajiyev, praised the top 
European Union official’s efforts to “facilitate bilateral peace treaty talks.”

Azerbaijan wants Armenia to recognize Azerbaijani sovereignty over Karabakh 
through such a treaty.

Armenian opposition leaders claimed that Wednesday’s talks in Brussels brought 
Baku closer to achieving this goal.

Armenia - Opposition deputy Hayk Mamijanian attends a parliament session, 
September 13, 2021.

“Every negotiation conducted by Pashinian presupposes losses,” said Hayk 
Mamijanian of the opposition Pativ Unem alliance. “They could be territorial 
losses or losses in terms of security guarantees.”

“The whole negotiating process bypasses the issues of Karabakh’s status, 
prisoners of war and the withdrawal [of Azerbaijani forces] from Armenian 
territory and is based on the logic of selling out our lands and homeland,” he 
told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.

An Armenian government statement on the Brussels talks said the return of 
Armenian soldiers and civilians remaining in Azerbaijani captivity was also on 
the agenda. Michel said in this regard that he “stressed to Azerbaijan the 
importance of further release of Armenian detainees.”

“Having essentially accepted the enemy's latest orders, Nikol continues to talk 
about the so-called peace agenda,” charged Ishkhan Saghatelian, a leader of the 
other parliamentary opposition force, Hayastan.

In a Facebook post, Saghatelian urged Armenians to attend the next 
anti-government rally which Hayastan and Pativ Unem will hold in Yerevan on 
Friday. He said they must show Pashinian and the international community that 
“the Armenian nation has not abandoned Artsakh.”

The opposition blocs launched daily street protests on May 1 two weeks after 
Pashinian signaled his readiness to recognize Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity 
and “lower the bar” on Karabakh’s status acceptable to the Armenian side. They 
scaled back the protests six week later after failing to unseat the prime 
minister.


Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2022 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

Charles Michel: The European Union is ready to further increase its support towards a long-term and sustainable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Samvel Nahapetian
ARMINFO
Armenia – Aug 31 2022
Alexandr Avanesov

ArmInfo.The European Union stands ready to further increase its support towards a long-term and sustainable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan. This is stated in  the statement of  President of the EU Council, Charles Michel,  following the meeting in Brussels between RA Prime Minister Nikol  Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.  

As the official website of the EU council reports, the press  statement by President Charles Michel reads:  "As agreed during our  last meeting in May, I hosted President Aliyev of Azerbaijan and  Prime Minister Pashinyan of Armenia today.  This was our fourth  discussion in this format. Our discussions focused on recent  developments in the South Caucasus and the relations between the EU  and both countries.  Our exchanges were open and productive – and I  would like to thank both leaders for that. We reviewed the entire set  of issues on our agenda.  It is positive to see that quite a few  steps have been taken to take forward the agreements reached during  our last meeting.

Today we agree to step up substantive work to advance on the peace  treaty governing inter-state relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan  and tasked the Foreign Ministers to meet within one month to work on  draft texts.

We also had a detailed discussion on humanitarian issues, including  demining, detainees and the fate of missing persons.  President  Michel stressed to Azerbaijan the importance of further release of  Armenian detainees.  The EU will continue to be engaged in these  questions.

We reviewed progress on all questions related to the delimitation of  the border and how best to ensure a stable situation.  We agreed that  the next meeting of the Border Commissions will take place in  Brussels in November.

We reviewed progress of discussions on the modalities for unblocking  the transport links.  With all these discussions, I would like to  underline that it is important to take the population along on both  sides and prepare them for a long-term sustainable peace.  Public  messaging is critical in this regard – in a sensitive situation like  this every word spoken in public is obviously listened to by the  other side and weighed.  The EU is ready to further step up its  support towards a long-term sustainable peace.  The EU will also  continue to push for the advancement of economic development for the  benefit of both countries and their populations.  We have agreed to  meet again in this format by the end of November." 

Turkey talks about Zangezur corridor without even mentioning Armenia

Samvel Nahapetian
NEWS.am
Armenia – Aug 18 2022
17:24, 18.08.2022

Deputy Minister of Trade of the Republic of Turkey, head of the Customs Department Riza Tuna Turagay told APA that the "Preferential Trade Agreement" between Azerbaijan and Turkey will be extended. Turagay noted that the goal was set to increase trade turnover between the two countries to $15 billion: "Currently, our trade turnover is about $5 billion. In 2021 we had imports of $2.3 billion and exports of $2.7 billion. We're working to increase that trade turnover."

One of the most important issues for expanding trade relations, he said, is the opening of the Zangezur corridor. "The opening of this corridor will give us an advantage in terms of getting access to Azerbaijan, and from there to Central Asian countries, to increase the volume of trade. High-level negotiations with Russia to open the Zangezur corridor are ongoing. We expect the corridor to be opened in the very near future," the Turkish deputy minister said, thus hinting at some secret negotiations with Russia.


Fireworks explosion in Armenia kills at least 6 and injures 60

Samvel Nahapetian
Aug 15 2022

A popular market in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, was devastated by a massive explosion at a fireworks storage area on Sunday.

The blast at Surmalu market in the early afternoon killed at least six people, injured 60 others and sparked a huge fire that raged into the night, according to the country's Ministry of Emergency Situations.

Another 18 people are unaccounted for, with relatives believing they could still be trapped in the wreckage of a building that was destroyed by the blast.

The cause of the explosion remains unknown.

Rescue workers and volunteers are still searching amid still-exploding fireworks, using diggers to pull dead and injured people from under slabs of concrete and twisted metal on Sunday.

Armenia's General Prosecutor's Office announced overnight that it was opening an investigation into possible violations of "fire regulations" or rules around storing flammable products.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan also visited the scene of the explosion on Monday morning, according to his press office.

The Surmalu wholesale market is traditionally very busy on Sundays. Eyewitnesses reported that the explosion occurred in an area where fireworks were stored, yet the authorities have not confirmed this.

"There is no information at the moment," Alen Simonyan, Chairman of the National Assembly of Armenia told The Associated Press on Sunday afternoon.

"There is no conclusion [on what caused the blast] yet, but most likely a violation of fire discipline or something like that."

Footage circulating on social media showed a thick plume of black smoke rising high into the sky, with the sound of small detonations crackling in quick succession in the background.

"I have never seen anything like this in my life, this is the first time I see such a thing," said one local resident Arsen.

According to Armenia's Ministry of Emergency Situations, around 350 firefighters and rescue workers were deployed to the scene, as well as several trucks and construction machinery. They used long water hoses and ladders to extinguish the flames, leaving blackened, smouldering ruins.

The market, two kilometres south of the city centre, is popular with locals for its low prices and variety of goods.

The embassy of Russia, a neighbouring country of Armenia, indicated on Sunday evening it was seeking to establish whether Russians were among the victims.

"We express our sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of those who died in the explosion," it said in a statement.

350 firefighters, 150 volunteers involved in search and rescue operation

Samvel Nahapetian

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 10:25,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 15, ARMENPRESS. 350 firefighter-rescuers from Yerevan and other cities participated in the efforts to put out the fire at the Surmalu market after the deadly explosion, the Ministry of Emergency Situations spokesperson Hayk Kostanyan said in a statement. An additional 150 volunteers are involved in the search and rescue, and firefighting operations.

[See video]
Rescuers pulled out 10 injured people and 6 bodies from the rubble.

21 vehicles were also pulled out. 

The volume of the fire and the collapse area is complicating the search and rescue operation.

The death toll in the explosion stands at 6.

61 people were hospitalized after the blast, but as of August 15 most of them were treated and discharged with 21 still receiving treatment.

16 people are missing.

A strong explosion ripped through the Surmalu market in Yerevan just outside the city center around 13:23, August 14.

The prosecution said the investigators are looking into all possible versions. However the criminal case is opened on Violation of Fire Safety Rules Causing Deaths and Violating of Safety Rules for Storing, Transporting, Using or Supplying Flammable or Incendiary Materials Causing Death.

Initially it was reported that the building which caught fire and subsequently exploded was a fireworks warehouse.

Firefighters still battling to contain blaze at Surmalu market

Samvel Nahapetian

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 12:14,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 15, ARMENPRESS. There are still clusters of fire under the rubble at the Surmalu market where the explosion took place and the fire is still not contained, Deputy Minister of Emergency Situations Davit Hambaryan told reporters.

“There’s a lot of work to do in cleaning the rubble and carrying out the search and rescue operation,” he said.

Right now 158 firefighter-rescuers are working on the scene. Volunteers had joined the rescuers overnight August 14-15.

Hambaryan says the volunteers have registered and are on stand-by to be deployed whenever needed.

Asked about the cause of the explosion, Hambaryan said: “Only a specialized investigation will give the answer, I will refrain from giving any assessment now. We can only see with the naked eye that especially explosives can be one of the reason or the main reason of the blast or the shockwave, the investigation will give the answer. We can still hear the cracks in various parts this morning, which shows that the material is spread out.”

Initially it was reported that the building which exploded was a fireworks warehouse. 

61 people were hospitalized after the blast, but as of August 15 most of them were treated and discharged with 21 still receiving treatment.

15 people are missing.

The death toll in the explosion stands at 6.

The prosecution earlier said the investigators are looking into all possible versions. However the criminal case is opened on Violation of Fire Safety Rules Causing Deaths and Violating of Safety Rules for Storing, Transporting, Using or Supplying Flammable or Incendiary Materials Causing Death.