Category: 2023

 15:52,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. Russia sees political will in Armenia and Azerbaijan to achieve a peace treaty and supports the process, TASS reported citing Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.

“What matters is that we see the presence of political will both in Yerevan and Baku. We support this. We think that the signing of such a treaty would be beneficial for stability and peace both in the two countries, as well as the entire region,” he said.

Peskov said that the contacts between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the sidelines of the informal CIS summit in Saint Petersburg were “brief conversations” and not negotiations.

“They did not hold negotiations yesterday, however this kind of events, such as the informal summit of the CIS, are always a good opportunity for brief conversations,” Peskov said.

The Armenian Prime Minister’s Office said on December 26 that PM Pashinyan and President Aliyev discussed “issues related to the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agenda” on the sidelines of the CIS summit.

 19:59,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. Chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Relations, Sargis Khandanyan in response to Armenpress question about how he would assess the informal contact between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in St. Petersburg and how close Armenia and Azerbaijan are to signing a peace treaty, answered that Armenia’s goal and strategy is to sign a peace treaty with Azerbaijan as soon as possible, emphasizing the need for the document to reflect the principles  outlined by the Armenian side.

"Our goal and strategy are to sign the peace agreement as soon as possible. However, the agreement should reflect the fundamental issues that Armenia has consistently raised. It should be a document that will truly  bring peace to the region and to Armenia,’’ said Khandanyan.

"As for yesterday's meeting, I am not familiar with the details of the informal conversation. However, it is important that contacts continue at all levels. If negotiations do not take place, it means that the process is not moving forward. Armenia aims for the process to proceed as quickly and smoothly as possible," emphasized the Committee Chair.

According to Khandanyan, the recognition of the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia, agreement on the principles of border delimitation, and acknowledgment by Azerbaijan of the fundamental principles of opening communications and economic channels remain as priorities for the Armenian side.

Recently, official Yerevan has received Baku's proposals regarding the peace treaty. When asked whether there is an indication that the principles outlined by the Armenian side are acceptable to Azerbaijan, Khandanyan answered: “It is difficult to talk about these indications at the document level, given that the government is negotiating on this issue and access is limited. However, it is very important that the principles that Armenia outlines are accepted by Azerbaijan, including publicly, which will allow us to move forward.”

 19:02,

 15:34,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA) monitors have conducted a security situation awareness patrol in Sotk adjacent to the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, EUMA has said.

“EUMA monitors conducted a security situation awareness patrol in Sotk adjacent to the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. The objective of the patrols is to observe and report on the security situation on the ground and to contribute to human security in conflict-affected areas,” EUMA said in a post on X.

 15:17,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian team won bronze in the first European Universities Winter Championships skiing tournament in Val Di Zoldo, Italy. Athletes Gleb Mosesov and Zhirayr Arakelyan represented Armenia at the event from the Armenian State University of Economics. 

Mosesov won silver in the slalom.

The inaugural European Universities Winter Championships and the EUSA Winter Forum saw more than 200 participants attending and witnessing the first time Winter Sports being put on EUSA Championship programme featuring three sports: Alpine Skiing, Snowboarding and Snow Volleyball.

On 19th of December, the races in the first Alpine Skiing category – Slalom took place on the Cristelin Alta slope, bringing already the first champions in both men’s and women’s competition.

After some spectacular races, in the women’s competition the three winning places on the podium were taken by: Maja Chyla, from Jagiellonian University (POL) holding the gold medal, followed by Julia Zlatkova from Technical University Sofia (BUL) with the silver medal and Anna Rech from University of Udine (ITA), winning the bronze.

In the men's competition the first place went to Kamen Zlatkov, from Technical University Sofia (BUL), while the silver medal went to Gleb Mosesov, Armenian State University of Economics (ARM), followed by Jan Sanitrar from Technical University in Zvolen (SVK) who won the bronze medal.

In the men’s competition, the best three teams were:

• University of Bern (SUI)
• University of Grenoble Alpes (FRA)
• Armenian State University of Economics (ARM)

 15:45,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. The informal summit of the CIS has kicked off in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

The meeting is traditionally hosted by the Russian President ahead of New Year.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is among the participating leaders.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has invited CIS leaders to start the talks during a tour in the Saint Petersburg Palaces and Gardens complex.

 17:15,

YEREVAN, 26 DECEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 26 December, USD exchange rate down by 0.13 drams to 405.20 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.22 drams to 446.37 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.01 drams to 4.42 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 0.94 drams to 514.56 drams.

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

Gold price down by 8.53 drams to 26598.21 drams. Silver price down by 0.10 drams to 318.65 drams.

 15:52,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Russian President Vladimir Putin have talked on the sidelines of the informal summit of the CIS in Saint Petersburg, TASS reports.

The conversation took place during a tour for visiting CIS leaders in the Pavlovsk Palace.

A TASS video from the building shows Pashinyan and Putin engaged in a discussion.

 20:18,

YEREVAN, 26 DECEMBER, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan took part in the unofficial summit of the heads of CIS member states in St. Petersburg, the Prime Minister's Office said.

First, the participants posed for a family photo, then the Russian President Vladimir Putin greeted the participants.

According to the source, issues related to cooperation in the CIS zone were discussed at the meeting.

Before that, the leaders of the CIS countries had visited the "Pavlovsk" State Artistic and Architectural Palace and Park Museum-Reserve, the Catherine Palace, the complex of Peterhof palaces and gardens, and during the tour got acquainted with the exhibits of historical significance.

 20:22,

YEREVAN, 26 DECEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and the President of Azerbaijan  Ilham Aliyev, have expressed their readiness to finalize the peace treaty, Russian mass media reports, quoting Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.

“They are ready to conclude peace negotiations, issue a joint document, to sign the peace treaty," Peskov said in an interview with Channel One during the unofficial summit of the CIS in St. Petersburg. When asked whether it is not risky to gather conflicting parties in one place, Peskov responded: "There is no danger here."