Author: Toneyan Mark

Armenia Signs Biden’s Democracy Summit Declaration with Reservations

Toneyan Mark
by Asbarez Staff

 

 

 

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

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan participated in the Summit for Democracy hosted by President Biden on March 29

Armenia has signed a declaration emanating from the Summit for Democracy that took place on Wednesday, however it expressed its objection over a portion of the document that specifically addresses the response of the participants to conflicts.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan attended the the virtual summit, hosted by President Joe Biden. During his presentation Pashinyan pledged Armenia’s dedication to democracy and democratic principles. He also said that Armenia was committed in advancing a peace deal with Azerbaijan.

Armenia expressed reservation regarding a portion of the declaration known as the “preambular paragraph 3,” saying, “this paragraph does not comprehensively reflect all conflicts and crises and does not address the fact of the Azerbaijani aggression against, and occupation of parts of the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia.”

Armenia, along with India and Mexico, endorsed the document as a whole, but expressed their reservations to the said paragraph.

The gist of the paragraph was the recognition of fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter, which says that “all states shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state and shall settle their international disputes by peaceful means.”

Yet the remainder of the preamble solely focused on condemning Russia for its “aggression” against Ukraine and did not address the violations of rights and democratic principles as it relates to other conflicts around the world, including the current state of Artsakh, which has been blockaded by Azerbaijan since December 12. The statement also does not make reference to other violations of sovereignty and does not call for the immediate release of prisoners of war elsewhere in the world, but Ukraine.

“We deplore the dire human rights and humanitarian consequences of the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine, including the continuous attacks against critical infrastructure across Ukraine with devastating consequences for civilians, and express our grave concern at the high number of civilian casualties, including women and children, the number of internally displaced persons and refugees in need of humanitarian assistance, and violations and abuses committed against children. We are deeply concerned by the adverse impact of the war on global food security, energy, nuclear security and safety and the environment. We demand that Russia immediately, completely, and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders and call for a cessation of hostilities.  We also call for the parties to the armed conflict to adhere to their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law.  We call also for the complete exchange of prisoners of war, the release of all unlawfully detained persons and the return of all internees and of civilians forcibly transferred and deported, including children. We strongly support accountability for the most serious crimes under international law committed on the territory of Ukraine through appropriate, fair and independent investigations and prosecutions at the national or international level, and to ensure justice for all victims and the prevention of future crimes,” the paragraph in question stated in part.

Three nations dissociate from Ukraine-related part of Summit for Democracy Declaration

Toneyan Mark
 TASS 
Russia –
The second "Summit for Democracy," co-chaired by Costa Rica, the Netherlands, South Korea, the United States and Zambia, is being held online on March 29-30

WASHINGTON, March 30. /TASS/. Armenia, India and Mexico chose to dissociate from the Ukraine-related paragraph of the Summit for Democracy Declaration, according to the US Department of State.

"We underscore the need to reach, as soon as possible, a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine in line with the principles of the UN Charter," the document reads.

Its authors also deplored the "humanitarian consequences" of Russia’s special operation in Ukraine. "We demand that Russia immediately, completely, and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders and call for a cessation of hostilities," the declaration said. The document also supported "accountability for the most serious crimes under international law committed on the territory of Ukraine."

Meanwhile, footnotes indicate that Armenia, India and Mexico denoted endorsement with reservations or disassociation from that particular paragraph of the declaration.

The second "Summit for Democracy," co-chaired by Costa Rica, the Netherlands, South Korea, the United States and Zambia, is being held online on March 29-30.

The United States hosted the first virtual Summit for Democracy in December 2021, when 110 countries and territories were invited to attend. The list of guests particularly included the Chinese island of Taiwan, while China, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and a number of other countries were not invited. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the event was primarily attended by those who took their lead from Washington as well as some who, while having their own vision of the international situation, sought to maintain good relations with the United States.

Ameriabank honored as the Best Investment Bank in Armenia for 2023 by Global Finance

Toneyan Mark

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 16:15, 21 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 21, ARMENPRESS. Ameriabank has been named the Best Investment Bank in Armenia by Global Finance, a leading international financial publication. The award recognizes Ameriabank excellence in investment banking and its ability to provide tailored investment banking and advisory solutions designed to meet the clients’ diverse financial needs.

To score and select winners, Global Finance editors, with input from industry experts, used a series of criteria—including entries from banks, market share, number and size of deals, service and advice, structuring capabilities, distribution network, efforts to address market conditions, innovation, pricing, after-market performance of underwritings and market reputation.

“Companies rely on the advice, consultation and guidance of investment bankers whenever a major initiative is in play. Perhaps their expertise is of utmost importance during tumultuous times,” said Joseph D. Giarraputo, publisher and editorial director of Global Finance. “In a year shrouded by record inflation and economic uncertainty, Global Finance is proud to recognize the accomplishments of the leading institutions in this sector with our World’s Best Investment Bank Awards for 2023.”

Artak Hanesyan, Chairman of the Management Board, CEO at Ameriabank, commented: "We are incredibly proud to be recognized as the Best Investment Bank in Armenia from Global Finance for the eighth year in a row. Despite our more diversified universal banking model of the recent years, we have been the leading corporate and investment bank in Armenia for more than a decade, serving the largest corporate clients and financing the largest strategic projects in the country.We are deeply grateful to Global Finance for this recognition and our investment banking team, whose expertise and dedication continue to position Ameriabank as a leader in the Armenian market.As we look to the future, we remain committed to financing sectors and projects that are most promising in terms of sustainability and long-term development.”

This latest award of Ameriabank comes at a time of active campaign underway on the occasion of having been named the Best Bank in Armenia by the leading international magazines in 2022 – Global Finance, Euromoney and The Banker. The “Triple Best” Campaignruns under the slogan “The Best Opportunity Is Created by People” is dedicated to all people who have stood behind the Bank’s achievements during the recent years, from clients and partners to employees of the bank. 

Ameriabank CJSC

Ameriabank is a leading financial and technology company in Armenia, a major contributor to the Armenian economy, with assets exceeding AMD 1 trillion. In the course of digital transformation, it has launched a number of innovative solutions and platforms going beyond banking-only needs of its diverse customer base, thus creating a dynamically evolving financial technology space. 

Ameria was the first in Armenia to create ecosystems for both businesses and individuals, which give one-window access to a range of banking and non-banking services, among them - Estate.ameriabank.am, Automarket.ameriabank.am, Business.ameriabank.am. 

As a truly customer-centric company, Ameria aims to be a trusted and secure financial technology space with seamless solutions to improve the quality of life.

The Bank is supervised by the Central Bank of Armenia.

Council of Europe is pressuring Azerbaijan to comply with ICJ ruling, says Justice Minister

Toneyan Mark

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 14:53, 13 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 13, ARMENPRESS. The Council of Europe is pressuring Azerbaijan to comply with the binding ruling of the International Court of Justice ordering it to open the Lachin Corridor, the Minister of Justice of Armenia Grigor Minasyan told reporters.

He said that the toolkit for enforcing the ICJ rulings is a political one.

“Unlike national courts, when a bailiff is sent to enforce the court verdict and when there’s a state agency in charge of enforcing the ruling, the toolkit for enforcing the rulings in international courts is a political one. And our international partners, particularly the Council of Europe, is already using its political toolkit, putting pressure in order for the party to fulfill the obligations which have been assigned to it,” Minasyan said.

The United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – ordered Azerbaijan on February 22 to “take all steps at its disposal” to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. The Lachin Corridor is blocked by Azerbaijan since 12 December 2022.

Kerobyan: Border is open for Turkey agricultural products’ import, Turkish goods come to Armenia without hindrance

Toneyan Mark
News.am
Armenia – March 15 2023
19:03, 15.03.2023

From the point of view of the import of Turkish agricultural products to Armenia, the border with Turkey is open; that is, Turkish goods come to Armenia without hindrance. Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan said this in an interview with Armenian News-NEWS.am, addressing the question of whether it is possible that in the event of the reopening of the Armenian-Turkish border, cheap Turkish agricultural products will be imported into Armenia, and therefore the local producers of Armenia will not be able to withstand that competition.

"Last year, the trade between Armenia and Turkey was more than $300 million, which is a record indicator. It was mainly import, and we mainly imported agricultural products. In 2019-2020, the trade with Turkey was about $200 million. Today there is no ban for these products. Yes, that product comes through Georgia, but still, those are tiny percentages. Today, the [Armenian] government implements many programs that are aimed at increasing agricultural productivity.

“Yes, in general, the productivity of Armenia's economy in 2021 was about $7 per hour of GDP created by one person. It is about seven times less than the average indicator of the 37 countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development [(OECD)]. And productivity in agriculture lags far behind [in Armenia]. If, for example, our difference from developed countries in the IT sector is 3-4 times, then in some industries it is seven times, then in agriculture it is dozens of times. The main problem [in Armenia] is the severe fragmentation of the land and limited access to the water system. The solution of these two issues should be brought about by land enlargement and the development of the water system, which is in our plans," said Kerobyan.


PM Pashinyan congratulates Irish counterpart on national holiday

Toneyan Mark

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 11:25,

YEREVAN, MARCH 17, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan congratulated Prime Minister of Ireland Leo Varadkar on the occasion of the Irish national holiday.

“I congratulate you and the friendly people of Ireland on the Irish national holiday, St. Patrick's Day,” Pashinyan wrote in a telegram to Varadkar. “Armenia attaches great importance to the development of cooperation with Ireland based on democratic values, both on bilateral and multilateral platforms. I believe that there is a significant potential for cooperation between our countries, and I want to reaffirm the readiness of the Armenian side to maximally ensure the realization of this potential.

I sincerely hope that in the near future we will have an opportunity to meet and discuss the Armenian-Irish bilateral agenda, enriching it with promising programs for the benefit and welfare of our countries.

I wish you good health and all the best, and prosperity and well-being to the friendly people of Ireland further."

Deputy PM Khachatryan and IMF representatives discuss wide range of issues of mutual interest

Toneyan Mark

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 21:21,

YEREVAN, MARCH 17, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Khachatryan had a working meeting on March 17 with Iva Petrova, head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission in Armenia, and IMF Resident Representative for Armenia Mehdi Raissii.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the office of Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Khachatryan, at the beginning of the meeting, Deputy PM Khachatryan, welcoming the guests, highly appreciated the willingness of the IMF to constantly support the reform programs of the Armenian government.

Iva Petrova thanked for the reception and emphasized the high-level partnership relations with the Armenian government, expressing confidence that the effective cooperation will continue in the future.

The parties discussed a wide range of issues of mutual interest, in particular, referred to topics related to the latest macroeconomic developments, capital expenditures and tax policy.

It is noted that at the end of the meeting, a number of agreements were reached to continue discussions of current programs in a working format in the near future.

Azerbaijani president accuses Armenia of violating trilateral statement on Karabakh

Toneyan Mark
 TASS 
Russia –
Ilham Aliyev also noted that due to Armenia's occupation of the country's territory, Azerbaijan is among the most mine-infested countries in the world

ANKARA, March 16. /TASS/. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has accused Armenia of grossly violating the trilateral statement signed in November 2020.

"Although Armenia recognized the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan in Prague and in Sochi in 2022, it still has not fully withdrawn its troops from the territories of Azerbaijan. Illegal Armenian units and criminals remain in Karabakh. Armenia also dodges its commitment to open the Zangezur corridor," the Azerbaijani president said at an extraordinary summit of the Organization of Turkic States in Ankara on Thursday.

"Thus, Armenia grossly violates the statement signed on November 10, 2020, and must take responsibility for this," Aliyev added.

He also noted that due to Armenia's occupation of the country's territory, Azerbaijan is among the most mine-infested countries in the world. "Since the second Karabakh war, that is, since November 2020, about 300 Azerbaijanis have been killed or seriously injured by landmines," the president went on to say.

The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh escalated on September 27, 2020. On November 9, 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on the full cessation of hostilities.

The sides stopped at their positions at that moment, a number of districts went under Baku’s control, and Russian peacekeepers were deployed at the contact line and at the so-called Lachin Corridor.

Press Release: AUA Signs Agreement with ServiceTitan

Toneyan Mark

For Immediate Release  

YEREVAN, Armenia — On March 14, the American University of Armenia (AUA) signed a research collaboration agreement with ServiceTitan, the world’s leading and fastest-growing software technology company and the first Armenian-founded tech unicorn. 

Within the scope of the agreement, AUA’s engineering students from the Akian College of Science and Engineering will conduct research for the company. The goal of the research is to develop novel algorithms based on machine learning and artificial intelligence to solve problems that are highly relevant in the industry.

In his opening remarks, AUA Interim President Dr. Armen Der Kiureghian underscored the importance of such collaborations, stating, “I cannot overstress the importance of having means to engage our students in doing work that is related to their studies and also relevant for the industry. It is very gratifying to have this kind of opportunity, and we are thankful to ServiceTitan for providing this opportunity to our students as well as our faculty.” Dr. Der Kiureghian also mentioned that President and Co-Founder of ServiceTitan Vahe Kuzoyan and his wife Ruzan Kuzoyan are among the 200 AUA Changemakers. Together with his co-founder Ara Mahdessian, Kuzoyan has also established the ServiceTitan Endowed Scholarship Fund at AUA to support the “Yes, Armenian Women Can” campaign. The scholarship currently has two recipients. The Kuzoyans are also supporters of the “Build a Better Future with AUA” capital campaign, and so are Mahdessian and his wife Katherine. 

In his turn, the Managing Director of ServiceTitan Armenia Ashot Tonoyan expressed his enthusiasm for the project, remarking that the company is committed to supporting education and science in Armenia. “One of the gaps that stands out in Armenia is the availability of actual data and work on real industry problems. That is why we decided to partner with AUA to give youth the opportunity to work with real data and solve actual industry problems,” he remarked.


Then the floor was given to Arman Zakaryan (MSCIS ‘20; BSCS ‘18), AUA alumnus and data science engineering manager at ServiceTitan, who briefly introduced the project. AUA Data Science Program Chair Dr. Habet Madoyan introduced the project team which includes data science students Gagik Khalafyan (MSCIS ‘23), Hermine Grigoryan (MSCIS ‘23), and Celine Hovannesian (MSCIS ‘23) led by AUA adjunct lecturer Aram Butavyan. 

The official part of the event was followed by an informal reception during which the attendees had a chance to network with one another and share ideas.

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, affiliated with the University of California, and accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission in the United States. AUA provides local and international students with Western-style education through top-quality undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs, promotes research and innovation, encourages civic engagement and community service, and fosters democratic values.

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Bella Karapetyan | Communications Manager

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AW: ANC of Artsakh’s Gev Iskajyan to discuss current challenges in ANC of Eastern MA webinar

Toneyan Mark
 Guest Contributor Announcements 0

WATERTOWN, Mass. – The Armenian National Committee (ANC) of Eastern Massachusetts is hosting a webinar on the current situation in Artsakh. The free and open online event will be held on Thursday, March 16, at 8:00 p.m.

 This online presentation, hosted by Garen Chiloyan, will feature ANC of Artsakh representative Gev Iskajyan directly from Stepanakert, who will discuss “Current Challenges Faced by the Armenians of Artsakh.”

A native of Los Angeles, Iskajyan previously served as the chairperson of the Armenian Youth Federation – Western Region and as a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Central Committee of the Western United States. Additionally, he is the former editor of Haytoug magazine. Iskajyan currently resides in Artsakh and serves as the executive director of the newly-established ANC of Artsakh.

The audience will have the opportunity to engage the speaker in a Q&A session following the presentation.