Author: Tatoyan Vazgen

Armenian PM thanks Putin for help in returning Armenian soldiers back home

Tatoyan Vazgen
TASS, Russia
Dec 21 2020
Earlier on Sunday, Nagorno-Karabakh’s emergencies ministry informed of the return of six military officers

YEREVAN, December 21. /TASS/. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for his help in returning Armenian military officers back home.

"I would like to thank President Putin for the fact that yesterday, six of our soldiers who had spent 70 days in the forest were found and evacuated. This is something akin to a miracle. We are constantly working on returning our soldiers, and we have spoken about this with the Russian president dozens of times," Pashinyan said on Monday during a meeting with the residents of the town of Sisian.

Earlier on Sunday, Nagorno-Karabakh’s emergencies ministry informed of the return of six military officers.

Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27, with intense battles raging in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory that had been part of Azerbaijan before the Soviet Union break-up, but primarily populated by ethnic Armenians, broke out in February 1988 after the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its withdrawal from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1992-1994, tensions boiled over and exploded into large-scale military action for control over the enclave and seven adjacent territories after Azerbaijan lost control of them.

On November 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on a complete ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh starting from November 10. The Russian leader said the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides would maintain the positions that they had held and Russian peacekeepers would be deployed to the region. Besides, Baku and Yerevan must exchange prisoners and the bodies of those killed.

Goris-Davit Bek road is secure – Defense Minister

Tatoyan Vazgen

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 12:09, 21 December, 2020

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 21, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Defense Vagharshak Harutyunyan says the safety of the Goris-Davit Bek road is guaranteed.

“Russian peacekeeping troops are taking the Goris-Davit Bek road under control. Our border guards are deployed in our territory and are visually supervising this road – ensuring a second-layer security. Our army stands behind our border guards, and an agreement is reached that no troops will be stationed in between our border guards and this road. The same refers to Azerbaijan: the Azeri border troops are under visual supervision, with their troops behind them. Again, no armed units should be in between the border guards and the road there. In this situation the safety of road traffic is guaranteed,” Harutyunyan told Zinuzh media.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Moderna expects its COVID-19 vaccine to protect against UK coronavirus variant

Tatoyan Vazgen

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 15:02, 24 December, 2020

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 24, ARMENPRESS. Moderna Inc said on Wednesday it expects that the immunity induced by its COVID-19 vaccine would be protective against the coronavirus variants reported in the UK, Reuters reports.

The company said it plans to run tests to confirm the vaccine’s activity against any strain.

Moderna’s comments came amid the British government’s plan to place huge swathes of England under its strictest COVID-19 restrictions as a highly infectious virus variant sweeps the country.

The U.S.-based company said it would be performing additional tests of the vaccine in the coming weeks to confirm its expectation.

Decorated tents for a New Year event organized by Anna Hakobyan being dismantled in Stepanakert

Tatoyan Vazgen
Panorama, Armenia

Dec 25 2020
Society 13:07 25/12/2020NKR

The tents and the New year tree installed in the yard of Stepanakert Vallex Hotel are being dismantled, Deputy Mayor of Stepanakert Suren Tamrazyan informed on his Facebook page. The tents were set up to host Artsakh children for celebrating the New Year at the initiative of  Armenian PM's wife Anna Hakobyan. 

"The decorated tents and the New Year tree are being dismantled now, our people are against this initiative," the deputy mayor said. 

To note, Anna Hakobyan's idea to organize New Year celebration in Artsakh has triggered anger among many people in Artsakh who called on Stepanakert residents to boycott the event. 

Three members of Yerevan municipal council leave majority faction

Tatoyan Vazgen
News.am, Armenia
Dec 22 2020
 
 
 
 
 
YEREVAN. – The Yerevan Council of Elders convened its regular session Tuesday.
 
As Mayor Hayk Marutyan was late, the session started without him, and it is chaired by First Deputy Mayor Hrachya Sargsyan.
 
At the beginning of the session, Sargsyan announced that Hayk Tsirunyan and Mesrop Papikyan, members of the Council’s majority My Step faction, had submitted petitions to terminate their powers as members of the Council of Elders. Before that, Arsen Karapetyan also had submitted a similar request.
 
According to the relevant protocols of the Central Electoral Commission of Armenia, the aforesaid mandates of the My Step faction of the Yerevan city council were given to Sergey Gyozalyan, Vahe Ohanjanyan, and Karine Panosyan.
 
But Panosyan also submitted a petition to terminate her powers as a member of the Council of Elders, and her respective mandate was given to Gevorg Achemyan.
 
In addition, Ernes Avanesov and Sergey Gyozalyan, members of the My Step faction, have submitted requests to leave the faction, but they will continue to be members of the Yerevan municipal council.
 
In its turn, the opposition Prosperous Armenia Party faction resigned—in writing—from the post of Deputy Chairman—held by Markos Harutyunyan—of the Standing Committee on Urban Development and Land Use Affairs of the Yerevan Council of Elders.
 
 
 

Armenian court postpones examination of appeal against Goris mayor’s detention

Tatoyan Vazgen
News.am, Armenia
Dec 21 2020
Armenian court postpones examination of appeal against Goris mayor's detention

The Yerevan court of general jurisdiction postponed examination of the appeal against the detention of Mayor of Goris Arush Arushanyan since the body implementing proceedings hadn’t shown up to court, Arushanyan’s attorney Armen Melkonyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Melkonyan stated that the body implementing proceedings had submitted to the court a letter stating that it couldn’t attend.

The court hearing is scheduled for tomorrow at 10:30 a.m.

Earlier, we reported that the mayor of Goris was detained within the framework of a criminal case launched by the police, this criminal case was sent to the Investigative Committee of Armenia.

At this moment,  several human rights activists and citizens are standing in the yard of the Investigative Committee in support of the mayor of Goris.

To note, Arush Arushanyan had announced Sunday that they will be at the gates of Goris Monday morning and will not allow Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to enter Syunik Province, after which Arushanyan was apprehended.


Eleven Armenian POWs killed and 70 soldiers captured following Azerbaijani ceasefire violations

Tatoyan Vazgen
BARNABAS Fund
Dec 18 2020

Eleven Armenian prisoners of war have been killed by their Azerbaijani captors, and more than 70 Armenian soldiers taken captive following Azerbaijan’s violation of the ceasefire which had halted the fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh on 10 November.

Footage emerged on 15 December showing the shooting of the eleven prisoners.

Armenian Christians forced to shelter from Azerbaijani bombing prior to November's ceasefire agreement

Azerbaijani forces have also taken control of four Armenian villages in addition to territory gained during the fighting which took place from September to November this year.

These incidents come amidst allegations of Azerbaijani war crimes committed during that fighting, including the beheading of two elderly men and an attack on Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in the town of Shushi. Azerbaijani soldiers have also been accused of atrocities such as defiling corpses and desecrating graves during their advance.

Russian forces acting in a peacekeeping capacity had on Monday 14 December effected the return of 44 Armenian prisoners of war as part of a prisoner exchange.

Azerbaijan’s territorial gains

A Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement, signed on 9 November, had led to an abatement in the conflict. This agreement required Armenia to cede large areas of the Nagorno-Karabakh region previously under its control to Azerbaijan.

This includes areas with gold deposits, and Azerbaijan will likely seek to begin mining operations. The ceasefire agreement has also created the possibility of a land corridor through Armenian territory linking Azerbaijan with Turkey.      

Although nominally within the borders of Muslim-majority Azerbaijan, the region is populated by Armenian Christians and has, since the end of the first Nagorno-Karabakh war in 1992, been largely self-governed by ethnic Armenians.

The ongoing conflict has raised fears about the ambitions of Azerbaijan and Turkey, as well as the possibility of a regional pan-Turkic war and a new Armenian genocide. 

From Barnabas Fund contacts and other sources

Head of Armenia’s Vorotan town: If we give Syunik Province, the Turks will want Yerevan as well

Tatoyan Vazgen
News.am, Armenia
Dec 17 2020
Head of Armenia's Vorotan town: If we give Syunik Province, the Turks will want Yerevan as well
17:38, 17.12.2020


Head of Vorotan town of Armenia’s Syunik Province Surik Ohanjanyan has joined the demonstrators who have shut down the road to Goris.

“We all demand that the Turks don’t reach our borders. Even if the authorities are giving a territory to them, it should be a neutral zone. The issue of Kubatlu and Zangelan wasn’t stated in the joint statement signed on November 9. The sides to the conflict had to stop at their positions,” Ohanjanyan stated, adding that if Armenia gives one territory, it will have to give more territories.

“It’s easy for people living in Yerevan. If Armenia gives away Syunik Province, the Turks will want Yerevan as well. What we’re saying is that there should be a neutral zone that is far away from Syunik Province,” Ohanjanyan said.

According to Mayor of Kapan Gevorg Parsyan, the Ministry of Defense of Armenia has issued an order according to which all the positions of the city of Kapan of Syunik Province will be transferred to Azerbaijan by 5 p.m. tomorrow.


 

Armenia’s Pashinyan thanks Russia for assistance in fighting against COVID-19 pandemic

Tatoyan Vazgen
TASS, Russia
Dec 11 2020
Earlier, Russia’s consumer rights watchdog Rospotrebnadzor handed over to Armenia a mobile laboratory for identifying the pathogens of infectious diseases and making PCR-tests for the novel coronavirus

YEREVAN, December 11. /TASS/. Armenia is grateful to Russia for the assistance provided in the struggle against the coronavirus pandemic, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said during a video conference of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council on Friday.

"We are grateful to Russia for its invaluable assistance in resisting the pandemic and warding off the challenges that we were confronted with this year," he said.

Earlier, Russia’s consumer rights watchdog Rospotrebnadzor handed over to Armenia a mobile laboratory for identifying the pathogens of infectious diseases and making PCR-tests for the novel coronavirus. Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko shared with his Armenian counterpart Arsen Torosyan samples of Russia’s anti-coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V.

Last April, Russian military specialists arrived in Armenia under an agreement between the two countries’ defense minsters to provide assistance in the struggle against the coronavirus pandemic. A Russian diagnostic laboratory has operated in Armenia since April. During the pandemic Rospotrebnadzor provided Armenia with equipment free of charge. Russian businesses operating in the country transferred large donations to the government fund for struggle against the infection.

3 Armenian POWs transferred to Armenian side by Russian mediation

Tatoyan Vazgen

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 20:55, 9 December, 2020

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. 3 Armenian POWs have been transferred to Armenian side by the Russian mediation, ARMENPRESS reports the United Armenian Information Center wrote on its Facebook page, citing the Office of Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan.

‘’The office of Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan informs that 3 Armenian POWs have been transferred to the Armenian side by the Russian mediation’’, reads the statement.