Category: 2023

 16:10, 7 June 2023

YEREVAN, JUNE 7, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Alen Simonyan has met with Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle during his visit to the United Kingdom.

Speaker Simonyan thanked for the invitation and warm reception, noting that Armenia is eager to bring its ties with the UK to sustainable foundations and develop multilateral relations with the country, and expects the same from the UK, the parliament’s press service said in a readout.

It was noted that over the course of three decades Armenia and the UK have developed a promising agenda of bilateral relations based on common values and principles. The sides discussed issues related to strengthening of democratic institutions.

Speaker Simonyan expressed certainty that the Armenia-UK Comprehensive and Enhanced Agreement will soon be finalized and that it will be signed as soon as possible.

“Armenia, as a young parliamentary republic, attaches great importance to effective inter-parliamentary cooperation and partnership between parliamentarians. I am pleased to note the mutual visits and active partnership of the friendship groups of our parliaments in the last two years,” Simonyan said and invited his British counterpart to visit Armenia.

 16:32, 7 June 2023

YEREVAN, JUNE 7, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan and his delegation met on June 7 with UK House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Alicia Kearns.

The legislators discussed the opportunity for launching direct contacts between the foreign relations committees of the two parliaments.

The imperative of sending an international mission to Nagorno Karabakh and Lachin Corridor and ensuring unimpeded access of international humanitarian organizations was emphasized.

At Kearns’ request, Simonyan presented details on the humanitarian and other issues resulting from the crisis in Lachin Corridor. The continuous Azerbaijani aggression against Armenia’s territorial integrity was also discussed.

Alicia Kearns notified about her upcoming visit to the United States and said she’s ready to discuss the abovementioned security issues during the official meetings.

Simonyan is leading a delegation to the UK on a three-day visit.

 10:16, 8 June 2023

YEREVAN, JUNE 8, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijani forces opened fire at 22:35, June 7 at Armenian military positions in the Khoznavar section, the Ministry of Defense of Armenia said in a statement.

The Armenian side did not suffer casualties.

As of 10:00 the situation on the frontline was relatively stable, the ministry added.

 09:52, 8 June 2023

YEREVAN, JUNE 8, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Alen Simonyan and his delegation have met with Penny Mordaunt, the Leader of the House of Commons of the UK Parliament.

Speaker Simonyan said that his visit to the UK is a good chance to discuss issues related to cooperation between the two countries, and added that Armenia is eager to bring relations with the UK to sustainable grounds and develop ties.

The brief meeting between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on June 1 in Chisinau, as well as UK Minister for Europe Leo Docherty’s visit to Armenia were also discussed.

Simonyan commended the programs carried out by the UK for the strengthening of the parliament’s capacities.

Members of the delegation also discussed regional security with their British colleagues and presented the situation resulting from the Azerbaijani aggression.

 11:08, 8 June 2023

YEREVAN, JUNE 8, ARMENPRESS. Turkey's lira plunged 7.6% to a record low on Wednesday in its biggest selloff since the historic 2021 crash, Reuters reports.

Traders called it a "strong signal" that Ankara is moving away from state controls toward a freely traded currency.

The lira was trading at 23.2300 against the dollar at 1739 GMT, after touching a record low of 23.2620, bringing losses this year to nearly 20%. Turkish media then reported that the lira was trading at 23,31.

 10:26, 8 June 2023

YEREVAN, JUNE 8, ARMENPRESS. The United States looks forward to hosting another round of talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Washington next week, State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel has said.

“We look forward to hosting another round of talks in Washington as the parties continue to pursue a peaceful future in the South Caucasus region. You’ve heard the Secretary and others speak to this. We continue to believe that direct dialogue is key towards reaching a durable and dignified peace,” Patel said at a press briefing on June 7. 

Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov are scheduled to start a new round of talks in the U.S. capital on June 12.

 11:25, 8 June 2023

YEREVAN, JUNE 8, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Alen Simonyan has met with the UK minister of culture John Whittingdale to discuss multi-sector cooperation, as well as cooperation in culture between the two countries.

John Whittingdale, Minister of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport,  a long-time member of the UK-Armenia parliamentary friendship group, said that he is well aware on the situation in Armenia and the destruction of Armenian cultural heritage by Azerbaijanis in Nagorno Karabakh as a result of the 2020 war. Whittingdale said that any encroachment against fundamental human rights is unacceptable, referring to the Azerbaijani military’s continual aggression against Armenia’s sovereign territory. The sides also discussed the need to establish lasting peace in the region, strengthen and develop democratic values.

 11:31, 8 June 2023

YEREVAN, JUNE 8, ARMENPRESS. United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Turkey’s new foreign minister Hakan Fidan have discussed, among other issues, the normalization processes of Armenia with Turkey and Azerbaijan during a phone call.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken phoned Hakan Fidan on Thursday to congratulate him on his appointment, Turkish Anadolu state news agency reported citing anonymous sources.

Fidan and Blinken discussed Sweden’s bid to join NATO, Armenia-Turkey and Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization processes, F-16 purchase and modernization, and the Ukrainian grain deal, Anadolu reported citing the Turkish sources who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to media.

 12:25, 8 June 2023

YEREVAN, JUNE 8, ARMENPRESS. Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to find a mutually acceptable solution to end the conflict.

“Patience and efforts, to find a solution that would be acceptable both for Armenia and Azerbaijan,” TASS news agency quoted President Lukashenko as saying at a meeting with CSTO Secretaries of Security Council.

 12:32, 8 June 2023

YEREVAN, JUNE 8, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan has met with Mayor of London Sadiq Khan during his visit to the United Kingdom.

“Had a brief meeting with Mayor of London Sadiq Khan in the British Parliament. London is a great megapolis, hope one day partnership ties will be established with my beloved Yerevan,” Simonyan tweeted.