Category: 2023

 17:05, 2 March 2023

YEREVAN, 2 MARCH, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 2 March, USD exchange rate down by 0.06 drams to 388.95 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 2.01 drams to 412.87 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.02 drams to 5.15 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 3.22 drams to 465.26 drams.

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

Gold price up by 204.69 drams to 23024.89 drams. Silver price up by 5.83 drams to 262.54 drams. Platinum price stood at 16414.1 drams.

 19:46, 2 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 2, ARMENPRESS. It is planned to sign an agreement regulating the presence of the EU civil mission in Armenia in the near future, ARMENPRESS reports Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, addressing the question of the possibility of signing a new agreement on relations between Armenia and the EU after the deployment of the mission.

Pashinyan mentioned that the topic of the EU mission was one of the issues discussed with Scholz. Armenia is very happy and grateful for the decision made.

"Now the presence of the EU observer mission is regulated by mutual official letters. But we also have an agreement that an agreement regulating that presence and mission should be discussed, negotiated and signed. And I also think that we will probably sign a document regulating the presence of the monitoring mission in the near future, after we negotiate and come to a general agreement," said Pashinyan.

Scholz emphasized. "I am very proud of the EU mission in Armenia, it will make a great contribution. We'll develop that mission and see."

On February 20, the European Union launched the EU civilian mission in Armenia within the framework of the Common Security and Defense Policy. It is noted that the purpose of deployment on the Armenian side of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border is to promote stability in Armenia's border regions, build trust and security in conflict-affected regions, and provide an environment that will facilitate settlement efforts between Armenia and Azerbaijan, supported by the EU. In total, the EU mission's all-civilian staff consists of approximately 100 people, including around 50 unarmed observers.

 20:56, 2 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 2, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan considers sending international fact-finding mission to Lachin Corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh to be important for the international community in terms of getting more comprehensive information of the situation, ARMENPRESS reports Pashinyan said at the joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Pashinyan first thanked the German government for supporting the decision to deploy a new EU long-term monitoring mission in Armenia. The Prime Minister expressed confidence that this mission will play a significant role in establishing peace and security in the region. He personally thanked Chancellor Scholz, because his personal contribution to making that decision was very big.

One of the key topics of the discussions between Pashinyan and Scholz was the security situation in the South Caucasus and the challenges facing Armenia.

"After the signing of the declaration on November 9, 2020, Armenia spared no effort to achieve the normalization of relations with Azerbaijan and ensure the rights and security of the people of Nagorno Karabakh. Unfortunately, instead of participating in negotiations in good faith, the Azerbaijani side continues its unconstructive policy, threatens Armenia's democracy, undermining our government's efforts to establish peace, stability and security in the South Caucasus. Today, the most urgent problem is that since December 12, 2022 the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia and the outside world, the Lachin Corridor, has been closed by Azerbaijan, as a result of which 120,000 residents have found themselves in a blockade," said the Prime Minister.

He emphasized that these actions of Azerbaijan are a gross violation of the obligations assumed by the tripartite declaration of November 9, թճթճ, which is a part of the large-scale and systematic policy of Azerbaijan aimed at the ethnic cleansing of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.

"We think it could be very important to send an international fact-finding mission to the Lachin Corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh for the international community to get a more comprehensive understanding of the situation," Pashinyan said.

The Prime Minister reminded that on February 22, the International Court of Justice made a legally binding decision for Azerbaijan, obliging it to take all necessary measures to ensure the uninterrupted movement of people, vehicles and cargo in both directions through the Lachin Corridor.

"We call on our international partners to take active steps to ensure the immediate implementation of the court's decision by Azerbaijan. We attach importance to the clear position of Germany, a country of democracy, protection of human rights and preservation of universal values, which will support Armenia's efforts towards stability and peace in the South Caucasus," said Pashinyan.

 21:20, 2 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 2, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz emphasized the great development potential in the relations between the two countries and expressed their willingness to consistently cooperate in forming a new, more ambitious agenda, ARMENPRESS reports Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said  at the joint press conference after the meeting with the Chancellor in Germany.

"Our delegation and I have noted with satisfaction that there is a high level of political dialogue between Armenia and Germany. Our relations are actively developing both bilaterally and multilaterally, which is evidenced by the recent high-level mutual visits and active contacts," said the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister and the Chancellor discussed issues related to Armenia-Germany trade and economic cooperation. They emphasized the continuous efforts of both sides to maintain the positive dynamics of growth of trade turnover, to encourage mutual investments.

"Armenia attaches great importance to the inclusion of Armenia as a bilateral partner within the framework of the "BMZ 2030" reform strategy of the German Ministry of Economic Development and Cooperation, which provides an excellent opportunity to ensure the stable continuity of current reforms and programs in Armenia," said Pashinyan.

Pashinyan and Scholz also touched on the Armenian-German financial and technical cooperation, in particular, the activities of the German international cooperation agencies GIZ and KFW in Armenia.

"We hope that the opening of KfW and GIZ local offices in the near future will be a new impetus for development cooperation between the two countries. Germany and Armenia have a long experience of cooperation in the field of environmental protection, in the conditions of the changing climate, we are interested in developing this cooperation in the fields of water resources management, forest restoration and renewable energy. We are also interested in the development of "green hydrogen", said the Prime Minister.

Pashinyan also noted with satisfaction the effective cooperation between the two countries in the field of science and education. There is effective cooperation between Armenian and German universities and individual scientists, which has great potential for development. He also considered joint cultural events and contacts between people extremely important.

At the meeting, the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of Germany also referred to the inter-parliamentary cooperation, noting with satisfaction the active contacts and visits of the parliamentarians during the last few years. Decentralized cooperation also plays an important role in bilateral relations, where there are many examples of already established cooperation.

"We both emphasized that there is a great development potential in the relations between Armenia and Germany and we expressed our willingness to consistently cooperate with joint efforts in forming a new, more ambitious agenda," said the Prime Minister.

Armenia-EU partnership was also on the agenda of their meeting, the sides emphasized the importance of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement. The Prime Minister expressed the readiness of the Armenian side to make efforts to contribute to the expansion of the cooperation agenda between Armenia and Germany.

 19:31, 2 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 2, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan assures that sanctions against Russia are not circumvented through Armenia, ARMENPRESS reports, Pashinyan said at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, referring to the question of the possibility of bypassing sanctions against Russia through 3^rd countries, including Armenia, and the observation that EU trade with Armenia has increased.

"As a democratic country and as a country for which transparency is very important, we have told all our Western partners and we are telling them that we are ready and transparent in this matter. Yes, the numbers are changing, the numbers are changing all over the world, because the logistics chains, relationships are changing. Not only the imports from the EU to Armenia have increased, but also the exports from Armenia to the EU countries have increased," said the Prime Minister.

He emphasized that Armenia is interested in establishing relations with the EU.

Referring to the rumors about circumventing the sanctions, Pashinyan emphasized. "They are nothing more than mere rumors. The reality is just the opposite. Last spring, a western owner took possession of an aircraft used by one of the Russian airlines from Armenia. And this, I think, is the most direct and clear example when we have shown that, respecting all our relations, all our partners, the legality of actions and activities is of fundamental importance to us."

Pashinyan does not think that a country where such a thing has happened can be blamed for any other shady circumstances. On the other hand, the Prime Minister emphasized that they will follow the events with all their attention to help the private sector not to engage in such activities that could spoil Armenia’s relations with any partner.

 21:47, 2 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 2, ARMENPRESS. As part of his working visit to the Federal Republic of Germany, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited the office of the German Konrad Adenauer Foundation, where he was welcomed by Norbert Lammert, the Foundation's Chairman, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister. 

At the meeting with the representatives of the Foundation, the Prime Minister touched on the developments taking place in the South Caucasus, the democratic reforms being implemented in Armenia, the works being carried out in the framework of the fight against corruption and other topics.

In Berlin, the Prime Minister laid flowers at the khachkar (cross-stone) to the memory the victims of the Armenian Genocide.

 22:44, 2 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 2, ARMENPRESS. The deployment of the monitoring mission of the European Union in Armenia will play a crucial role in ensuring security and stability in the region, as well as will deliver timely and reliable reports on the current situation to partners in the EU and its member states, the correspondent of ARMENPRESS informs, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced in his opening speech of the discussion at the German Council on Foreign Relations.

“I am pleased to have this opportunity to be here today and address this distinguished audience. First of all, I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to Mr. Ralf Nickel, vice President of the Council, and Director Mr. Guntram Wolff and his team for organizing this event. 

Today we are living at a time when not only natural but also geopolitical tectonic shifts are taking place all around the world. Deepening geopolitical instability, growing tensions and unpredictability are weakening the world order and international security system, creating even bigger challenges, especially for a country like Armenia, with democracy, making us more vulnerable in our complicated region. 

Dear attendees, 

We witnessed the first sprouts of today’s challenges and the collapse of the European security architecture in our region back in 2020 when Azerbaijan unleashed a war against Nagorno-Karabakh. 

After the signing of the November 9, 2020 trilateral statement, Azerbaijan not only didn’t abandon its bellicose policies and threats, but also carried out new aggression, this time against the sovereign territories of the Republic of Armenia in May 2021, November 2021 and September 2022.  

During the last aggression – on September 13-14, 2022, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale military attack targeting the military and civilian infrastructure of Armenia using heavy artillery, missile systems, and drones. As a result, the Armenian side had 225 victims, including 3 civilians. More than 150 square kilometers of the sovereign territories of Armenia were occupied. 

Today, I wouldn’t like to go deep into the details of the aggressions of 2020, 2021, 2022, but it is impossible to ignore the evidences of multiple cases of torture, mutilation of captured or already dead Armenian servicemen (including servicewomen) and other atrocities by Azerbaijani military forces. The horrible videos of the Azeri militaries committing “ISIS-style” war crimes by executing Armenian prisoners of war (POWs) should be acknowledged and addressed by the international community. Another issue is the engagement of the mercenaries from Syria by Azerbaijan.  

During the aggression of September 2022, when the external security system of Armenia didn’t work, we requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council that was held on September 15, 2022. During the meeting, the UN Security Council member states noted* that the use of force is totally unacceptable, explicitly named the aggressor – Azerbaijan, highlighted the importance of adherence to the norms of international humanitarian law, emphasizing also the fact that civilian infrastructure on the territory of Armenia was targeted.

An important step towards de-escalation of the situation was a quadrilateral meeting of President Macron, President Michel, President Aliyev and me, in Prague on October 6, 2022, where an agreement was reached on deploying short-term EU monitoring capacity along the international border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. 

When this mission’s mandate ended on December 19, 2022, at Armenia's request the EU Council made a decision to deploy a new, fully-fledged civilian mission (EUMA) on the territory of the Republic of Armenia for a two-year period. 

On behalf of the Government of Armenia, I would like to express our gratitude to the EU and its member states, particularly to the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany for its support to our request. The Mission was launched on 20th February, and I have already met the Head of the Mission, your compatriot with extensive experience in international deployments – Mr. Markus Ritter in Yerevan.  

The Mission shall play a crucial role in ensuring security on the ground and stability in the region, as well as timely and reliable reporting on the current situation to our partners in the EU and its member states”, Pashinyan said.

 23:22, 2 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 2, ARMENPRESS. Armenia is ready for a full normalization of relations with Turkey, to establish diplomatic relations, the correspondent of ARMENPRESS informs, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced in his opening speech at the discussion at the German Council on Foreign Relations.

"Another aspect of Armenia's vision of regional peace is the normalization of relations with Turkey. We are ready to fully normalize relations with Turkey, to establish diplomatic relations. We hope to fully open our common border, which was unilaterally closed by Turkey in the early 90s.

We have some small but hopeful signs that we are moving forward. Special Representatives of our countries agreed upon establishing air cargo transportation and opening interstate borders for third-country citizens in July 2022”, the Prime Minister said.

Pashinyan reminded that in January the ban on direct air cargo transportation between Turkey and Armenia was lifted, expressing hope for the speedy implementation of the opening of the border for third-country citizens. 

“Armenia reacted rapidly after the recent devastating earthquake in Turkey. I called up President Erdogan with condolences and proposed our support. After that we sent humanitarian aid and rescue team to the affected areas. It is very important to state that two convoys of humanitarian aid entered into Turkey through the border bridge which had been closed for 30 years. Our rescue team returned to Armenia through that bridge as well.  

Armenian Foreign Minister visited Türkiye, met his counterpart and reiterated our readiness and willingness to fully normalize relations. Though the last interactions were, of course, of purely humanitarian essence, we, however, would be glad to have the political outcomes”, Pashinyan concluded.