Zakharova: we do not set a time frame for resolution of Karabakh conflict.

ARKA, Armenia
Dec 26 2018

YEREVAN, December 26 /ARKA/. Russia has always supported the earliest possible resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing on Wednesday.

"We do not set a time frame. We have always advocated an early settlement and supported all the measures that are aimed at an early resolution of this problem. I will not speak about specific terms. The conflict has along history.  Unfortunately, this is a protracted conflict," Zakharova said.

According to her, everything that depends on the Russian side as a co-chair (of the OSCE Minsk Group), and as a country that has a common past and a common history with Azerbaijan and Armenia, will be done.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict erupted into armed clashes after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s as the predominantly Armenian-populated enclave of Azerbaijan sought to secede from Azerbaijan and declared its independence backed by a successful referendum. 

On May 12, 1994, the Bishkek cease-fire agreement put an end to the military operations. A truce was brokered by Russia in 1994, although no permanent peace agreement has been signed. Since then, Nagorno-Karabakh and several adjacent regions have been under the control of Armenian forces of Karabakh. Nagorno-Karabakh is the longest-running post-Soviet era conflict and has continued to simmer despite the relative peace of the past two decades, with snipers causing tens of deaths a year. 

On April 2, 2016, Azerbaijan launched military assaults along the entire perimeter of its contact line with Nagorno-Karabakh. Four days later a cease-fire was reached. -0

Artsakh Defense Ministry urges Azerbaijani side to stay committed to reached oral arrangement and stop escalating situation on Line of Contact

Aysor, Armenia
Dec 26 2018

Despite the oral arrangements reached between parties the adversary continues violating ceasefire regime on the Karabakh-Azerbaijani Line of Contact in different sectors and even carries our provocative actions, Artsakh Defense Army press service reports.

The defense army refrains from response actions yet, but if such behavior of the Azerbaijani armed forces continues it is ready to undertake equivalent actions stemming from the situation.

Artsakh Defense Ministry urges the Azerbaijani side to refrain from unpromising attempts to escalate the situation on the line of contact and stay committed to oral arrangement reached between the parties at least during the upcoming holidays.

Armenia attorney general’s office not to appeal overturning of custody decision on Investigative Committee ex-official

News.am, Armenia
Dec 26 2018
Armenia attorney general’s office not to appeal overturning of custody decision on Investigative Committee ex-official Armenia attorney general’s office not to appeal overturning of custody decision on Investigative Committee ex-official

16:34, 26.12.2018
                  

YEREVAN. – The Prosecutor General’s Office of Armenia will not file an appeal with the Court of Cassation against the Criminal Court of Appeal decision regarding Investigative Committee former Deputy Chairman Vahagn Harutyunyan, who is a defendant in the criminal case into what had occurred in capital city Yerevan, in March 2008.

Arevik Khachatryan, head of the public relations division at the attorney general’s office, told about the abovementioned to Armenian News-NEWS.am.

On December 12, the Criminal Court of Appeal overturned the first instance court decision on remanding Harutyunyan in custody He is charged with falsifying evidence within the framework of the aforesaid March 2008 criminal case.

According to the Special Investigation Service statement, during investigation along the lines of the above-said criminal case, it was found out that, from 2007 to 2011—and as head of the team investigating the events that occurred in Yerevan in March 2008, Harutyunyan had falsified evidence during the investigation of this criminal case.

This July, Vahagn Harutyunyan was dismissed from the office of Deputy Chairman of the Investigative Committee, and as head of the general department of investigation of especially important cases.

Byurakan village becomes a popular tourist attraction of Armenia

ARKA, Armenia
Dec 26 2018

YEREVAN, December 26 /ARKA/. The Armenian village of Byurakan, hosting the famous Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory, has become one of the most popular tourist attractions of the country, Areg Mikayelyan, the director of the observatory, said at a press conference on Wednesday.

He said in 2017 some 17,000 tourists visited the observatory, up from 3-4 thousand tourists that used to visit it several years ago. He said this year alone the observatory has earned 12 million drams as tourism-generated income, up from 4.7 million drams in 2017.

He said also the  Byurakan Observatory has successfully retained its status of the regional astronomical center.  

In 2018 Byurakan Observatory researchers have published 50 scientific papers in various journals  and participated in a number of key international scientific conferences and projects.

Mikayelyan said that the observatory in 2018 received 212 million drams of budget funds, a similar amount is provided by the draft state budget for 2019. According to the director, the wage fund makes up 65% of budget financing. ($ 1- 484 dram) –0–

Armenian tech sector in 2018: The huge investments

iTel.am, Armenia
Dec 26 2018

2018 has been good to a number of IT companies founded by Armenians: they received large investments from foreign venture funds as well as individuals.

Itel.am tells about the tech companies with Armenian founders, which have managed to raise USD 1 million and more this year.

ServiceTitan – USD 227m

2018 has been fairly successful for ServiceTitan, the U.S.-based provider of field service management software for home-service businesses.

Founded by Armenian experts Ara Mahdessian and Vahe Kuzoyan, the company raised USD 62m in Series C funding in spring, USD 165m in Series D funding in autumn, and later reached the valuation of USD 1.65bn.

The round was led by Index Ventures, joined by Dragoneer, T. Rowe Price, Battery Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners and ICONIQ Capital.

Political consultations between MFAs of Armenia and Georgia held

News.am, Armenia
Dec 26 2018
Political consultations between MFAs of Armenia and Georgia held Political consultations between MFAs of Armenia and Georgia held

20:56, 26.12.2018
                  

Political consultations were held between the Foreign Ministries of Armenia and Georgia. They were held in Tbilisi at the level of deputy ministers. The Armenian delegation was headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan. The Georgian delegation was headed by Deputy Minister  Lasha Darsalia.

According to the press service of the Foreign Ministry, the parties discussed a wide range of issues of mutual interest – regional security, development of bilateral relations, cooperation within international organizations. The high-level visits made in 2018 were noted with satisfaction. The question of holding a meeting of the intergovernmental commission in early 2019 was discussed, which will give new impetus to the development of trade and economic relations between the two countries.

Armenia MP: Turkey has nothing to do in Karabakh process

News.am, Armenia
Dec 26 2018
Armenia MP: Turkey has nothing to do in Karabakh process Armenia MP: Turkey has nothing to do in Karabakh process

14:16, 26.12.2018
                  

Turkey has nothing to do in the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) process.

Eduard Sharmazanov, former ruling Republican Party of Armenia Vice-Chairman and Spokesperson as well as outgoing vice-speaker of the National Assembly, wrote the abovementioned on Facebook.

“The day before, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu made a precarious and impermissible statement, linking Armenian-Turkish relations directly to the Artsakh [conflict’s] settlement,” Sharmazanov wrote. “

1. The Artsakh settlement and the Armenian-Turkish issue are two different processes, and it is impermissible to link them to one another.

“2. Armenia’s new power is obligated to strongly react to this absurdity by Çavuşoğlu.

“3. Turkey has nothing to do in the Artsakh issue; there is the OSCE Co-Chairmanship for that.

“4. The international recognition of Artsakh’s independence is just a matter of time.

“5. Turkey’s policy of dictating preconditions is reprehensible.”

Protesters demand closure of Russian base in Armenia

JAM News
Dec 26 2018

Protesters voiced their demands in front of the Russian Embassy to Armenia – the demonstration was immediately followed by a gathering of Armenian Communists under the slogan "Forever with Russia"

Two demonstrations took place in Yerevan yesterday in front of the Russian Embassy to Armenia. The first demanded the closure of a Russian military base in the country, and the second, organized by Armenian communists, expressed their support for Russia. 

On 3 December, a woman was murdered in Gyumri, the second largest city in Armenia.

Julieta Gukasyan, 57, was allegedly assaulted by a serviceman from the 102nd Russian military base in the city. After the attack, she was taken to hospital where she was able to convey who had attacked her on her way to work. However, her injuries were too severe and she passed away.

She had worked as a janitor in the Gyumri municipal housing department.

Almost immediately after news of her death, it was reported that she had been killed by a Russian serviceman. However, his name and the reason for committing the crime are still unknown.

Protesters’ demands

Protesters demanded that the Russian military base be closed down. They said they were outraged by the behavior of the Russian military, which threatens the security of Armenian citizens.

They justified their demand not only by referring to the last murder, but also to the tragedy of the Avetisyan family: in 2015, Russian serviceman Valery Permyakov killed seven members of the family, including an infant.

There are also numerous other stories about how drunken Russian soldiers have organised fights and shootouts which have resulted in dozens of civilian injuries.

Demonstrators complained that the current government of Armenia has continued the same policy towards Russia as the previous authorities.

“We are forming a new political agenda for Armenia, and this is one of the priorities of our political agenda. Yes, this is a political question. This is a matter of the lives and safety of the citizens of Armenia, because we don’t know when, where, or with whom [a] Russian soldier will meet and what atrocities they will commit,” said one of the organizers of the protest, journalist Narine Mkrtchyan.

Immediately after the first demonstration, Armenian communists came out in support of Russia under the slogan “Forever with Russia”, and stated that the 102nd Russian military base is necessary to ensure security in Armenia.

Magnitude 3-4 earthquake hits Armenia

News.am, Armenia
Dec 26 2018
Magnitude 3-4 earthquake hits Armenia Magnitude 3-4 earthquake hits Armenia

09:40, 26.12.2018
                  

YEREVAN. – The “Survey for Seismic Protection” Agency of Armenia on Wednesday recorded a magnitude-2.7 earthquake in the country, at 12:09am local time.

The seismic activity occurred 10 km southeast from Ashotsk village of Shirak Province, and its hypocenter was 10 km beneath the surface.

The Ministry of Emergency Situations informed Armenian News-NEWS.am that the tremor measured magnitude 3-4 at the epicenter.

The quake was felt in Bavra and Ashotsk villages, with magnitude 3.

Syria national threatens Armenia ministry staff

News.am, Armenia
Dec 26 2018
Syria national threatens Armenia ministry staff Syria national threatens Armenia ministry staff

10:01, 26.12.2018
                  

YEREVAN. – A Syrian citizen in Armenia on Monday threatened some ministry staff, in capital city Yerevan.

At 9:50am on that day, police received a report informing that a person was insulting and cursing at the employees at Government Building No. 3, and he was threatening to break the glass with a stick and pour it on this staff.

According to shamshyan.com, police inspectors were dispatched to the scene where a specialist from the Ministry of Health said Syrian citizen Yeghia K.—who now resides in Yerevan—had threatened to cause serious injury to himself and several personnel of the ministry.

As per the source, the police report on this incident has been transferred to the investigative department.