17:35,
YEREVAN, 11 JANUARY, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 11 January, USD exchange rate down by 0.47 drams to 405.01 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 0.25 drams to 444.21 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.02 drams to 4.56 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 0.26 drams to 516.27 drams.
The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.
Gold price down by 136.22 drams to 26391.72 drams. Silver price down by 2.43 drams to 299.04 drams.
18:16,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 11, ARMENPRESS. A state of emergency has been declared in Papua New Guinea's capital after at least 15 people were killed in rioting.
More than 1,000 troops are on standby "to step in wherever necessary", Prime Minister James Marape said on Thursday, reports BBC.
Shops and cars were torched and supermarkets looted after police went on strike on Wednesday over a pay cut the authorities say was a mistake.
The unrest was triggered after police and other public servants staged a protest strike outside parliament on Wednesday, after discovering that their wages had been reduced by up to 50% in their latest pay cheques.
According to the source, in response, Mr Marape said the pay cut was an error due to a computer glitch – which had deducted up to $100 (£78) from the pay cheques of public servants. He said the administrative error would be corrected in next month's payments.
But this answer was not accepted by many protesters.
18:57,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 11, ARMENPRESS. The number of countries one can take direct flights to from Russia increased by 25% in comparison with 2022, reaching 40 by the end of 2023, Tass reports, citing the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR).
"The number of countries with which Russia has direct flights increased by a quarter as of the end of 2023 in comparison with December 2022. Russian and foreign airlines plan to operate direct flights from the Russian Federation to 40 countries in 2024. A year earlier, there were only 32 countries on this list," the statement says.
In particular, Russians can travel direct to Azerbaijan, Algeria, Armenia, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Belarus, Venezuela, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Georgia, Egypt, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Kazakhstan, Qatar, China, Cuba, to Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Mauritius, the Maldives, Morocco, Mongolia, Myanmar, the UAE, Oman, the Seychelles, Serbia, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka and Ethiopia, ATOR reports.
20:10,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 11, ARMENPRESS. Armenia's Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan has reached an agreement with India's Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal to develop commercial and industrial relations between the two countries, Kerobyan said on social media.
Within the framework of the Vibrant Gujarat Summit, Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan met with the Minister of Commerce and Industry of India Piyush Goyal. They have reached an agreement on the development of trade and industrial relations between India and Armenia. The sides also discussed concrete steps for realizing the agreement.
21:09,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 11, ARMENPRESS. The Finnish government has decided to keep the crossings on the border with Russia closed for one more month, Finnish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Sari Essayah said, reports Tass.
A number of Finnish media reported earlier that checkpoints would be closed for a month.
"In this case, I can confirm information that has been made public," Essayah, who is a candidate for Finnish president, said in an interview with the Yle television channel.
In November 2023, Finland closed all eight of its motorway crossings on the eastern border, saying the move was motivated by Russia’s alleged campaign to let migrants from third countries reach the Finnish border.
Two crossings were opened on December 12 only to be closed again on December 14 for a period of one month "due to security considerations," according to the Finnish side.
On January 9, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said that Helsinki would not reopen the border crossings after January 14. The cabinet was expected too make a decision on this matter on January 11.
20:36,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 11, ARMENPRESS. The Tbilisi International Airport failed to receive several flights on January 11 due to fog.
According to Georgian media, the Georgian Airways airline operating a flight from Moscow landed in Kutaisi.
Flights from Yerevan, Tehran, and Baku were forced to return. The flight from Yerevan to Tbilisi was operated by the Air Dilijans airline.
21:38,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 11, ARMENPRESS. On January 5, 2024, at the Palazzo di Città (headquarters of the Municipality of Bari), Prof. Carlo Coppola, the president of the “Hrand Nazariantz” Study Center—Italian by birth and Armenian by choice—was honored with the "pro manibus" Gratitude Medal. The award was presented by the Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia, Tsovinar Hambardzumyan, on behalf of the President of the Republic, Vahagn Khachaturyan.
The Armenian ambassador had a confidential meeting with Prof. Eugenio Di Sciascio, the deputy mayor (Rector Emeritus of the Polytechnic of Bari). The meeting was attended by the Chief of Staff of the Mayor of Bari, Hon. Vito Leccese, Dr. Giuseppe Cascella, President of the Culture Commission. The Armenian side was represented by Dr. Dario Rupen Timurian, Head of the Armenian Community of Bari, Prof. Coppola, and Dr. Siranush Quaranta.
The meeting also served as an opportunity to further strengthen relations between Armenia and the City of Bari. Among the topics addressed were the intensification of cooperation in cultural and educational fields, high technology—which is highly developed in Puglia—tourism, and transportation.
The parties also discussed the significant opportunities arising from the increasing economic exchange between Armenia and Italy. Following the private meeting, the deputy mayor of Bari congratulated the ambassador and the representatives of the Armenian community of Bari for their courtesy and the high quality of the conversation, full of diverse and concrete ideas. The ceremony continued in the City Council Hall, welcoming the community, friends, and supporters of the Armenian Cause who filled the hall.
In her speech Ambassador Hambardzumyan underlined the strength of the bond between Armenia and the City of Bari, citing the village of “Nor Arax” near Bari (which one hundred years ago welcomed many Armenian refugees fleeing the genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire), the life and work of the great Armenian poet from Bari Hrand Nazariantz and the presence, on the Emperor Augustus seafront, of the “khachkar” created by the Armenian architect Ashot Grigoryan and donated by the Armenian community to the city, symbolizing the historical bond between the two peoples dating back to the 9th century.
“I'm happy to be back in this city. The Armenian Khachkar, the Nor Arax village, the small but qualified community of my compatriots make me feel like a piece of Armenia in this wonderful and iconic city. This city captured my heart and I wanted to spend my holidays right here. I am very honored to have presented this medal of Gratitude to Carlo Coppola, 'Italian by birth and Armenian by adoption', on behalf of the President of the Republic. A man who was able to profoundly grasp the essence of our people and who allowed himself to be captured by the dreams of the Armenian poet Hrant Naziarants who, right here in Bari, together with the other refugees, founded the Village of Nor Arax. A historian who has always been able to deal with even the most painful aspects such as the genocide and ethnic cleansing by Azerbaijan with professionalism and great sensitivity,'' said the Ambassador.
Carlo Coppola on the occasion of the awarding of the Medal of Gratitude described the technical, legislative and moral significance of the Medal received.
“I am honored to receive this Medal which on July 21st the President of the Republic of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan wanted to award me, in a completely unexpected and surprising way for me, a medal which is awarded for a great personal contribution, many years of dedication and fruitful work in the development of state, economic, social, scientific and technical spheres, public activities, healthcare, education and culture.
As many know, the work of the Armenian and Bari poet Hrand Nazariantz instilled in me the love for this people, apparently so distant.
This Love was increased by one of his noblest spiritual heirs, Rupen Timurian and finally by my wife Tamar and my children Nicholas and Armen whom we educate in Sacred Devotion to both languages and cultures and Homelands.
I thank His Excellency the President of the Republic of Armenia for bestowing on me the honor of this Medal, His Excellency Tsovinar Hambardzumyan, Ambassador Extraordinary Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia in Italy, who presented my name.
I thank the Mayor of my city, the municipal administration, councilor Giuseppe Cascella, organizer of this meeting, who has shown sympathy and closeness to the Republic of Armenia since its foundation in 1991.
I dedicate a thought to the Armenian Community of Puglia and Bari, the ancient one and the contemporary one, small, but strong in resilience, which welcomed me into its ranks, among them the prof. Arthur Timurian, Dean Rupen Timurian and Mrs. Nicoletta Timurian, their sister My friend Siranush Quaranta, mother Araxi and brother Tito, they are present today in this hall.
Allow me to give a special thank you to Dr. Dario Rupen Timurian, promoter of this today event. He combines Italian and Armenian skills as an honest and far-sighted entrepreneur.
I would like to dedicate a final thought to the Servant of God Father Francesco di Vittorio da Rutigliano, a fellow citizen of our metropolitan city, who on 23 January 1920 fell as a martyr in defense of 20 Armenian orphans, of the values of the Faith and of the universal ones of brotherhood, equality and freedom so strenuously professed by the Armenian and Italian people. In the 1920s, the Italian port city of Bari became an island of salvation for a few dozen survivors of the Armenian Genocide.
Armenian refugees founded the village of "Nor Arax" here. The surviving compatriots were brought to Italy by the writer, public figure Hrand Nazariantz, who left his native Istanbul in the spring of 1913 and with the help of the writer Yenovk Armen,’’ said Carlo Coppola.
During the ceremony, the Armenian community of Bari presented two plaques as a gift: one dedicated to Mayor Antonio Decaro, highlighting his commitment "to actions of peace and dialogue between the peoples who have always inhabited the city territory," while the other was presented to Giuseppe Cascella "for his sensitivity shown towards the Armenian people during his presidency of the Council Culture Commission."
An armed mob attacked the Armenian Quarter in Jerusalem on Dec. 28
The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention has strongly condemned the recent brutal attack on the Armenian Quarter in East Jerusalem by armed mobs associated with an Israeli-Australian businessman Danny Rubenstein. It reiterates the call to protect the cultural heritage of the Armenian Quarter and respect the will of its residents, who continue to resist the forcible development of their land.
The most recent incidence of violence occurred on December 28, 2023, when an armed mob of about thirty people associated with Israeli-Australian businessman Danny Rubenstein attacked the historical area called Goveroun Bartez (the “Cows’ Garden”), injuring several Armenians, including a priest and students of the Theological Seminary. According to the local activists, two Armenian residents were arrested by Israeli police while none of the attackers were apprehended.
This incident, together with others, occurred after a controversial land development deal was canceled by the Armenian Patriarchate in November. The deal, originally signed by the Armenian Patriarchate in July 2021, would have granted Danny Rubenstein’s company, XANA, rights to build a luxury hotel on the property, destroying many historic buildings in the area. The deal was canceled after the Patriarchate faced pressure from the local Armenian community, the greater Armenian Diaspora, and Palestinian authorities. Since November, XANA has sought to claim the Cows’ Garden by use of force.
Prior to the attacks in the Armenian Quarter, there were other incidents in which Israeli extremists harassed Jerusalem Armenians. For instance, on January 29, 2023, an Armenian restaurant in the Christian Quarter of East Jerusalem was attacked. Continuing harassment and attacks on Jerusalemite Armenians together with coercive and possibly illegal construction in the Cows’ Garden pose an existential threat to the oldest Armenian Diaspora community in the world. This threat is very alarming, especially after the tragic fate of the 4000 year-old Armenian community in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), where, in September, Azerbaijan forcibly displaced more than 100,000 Artsakh Armenians – the entire Artsakh population – from their ancestral home to Armenia.
“In the context of the violent climate against Christians in Israel fueled by Prime Minister Netanyahu’s far-right government and the ongoing genocide against Palestinians unfolding in Gaza and the West Bank, attacks on the Armenian Quarter can be also viewed as another attempt by Israeli extremists to create a homogenized Jewish ethnostate in Palestinian territories. It is crucial for international organizations and the UN to keep an eye on the tense situation in the Armenian Quarter and protect the 1600-year-old neighborhood and its inhabitants from violence and elimination,” the Lemkin Institute said.
The Lemkin Insitute stressed that such events contribute to an environment conducive to mass atrocities and genocide; recognizing and responding to these warning signs promptly is essential for preventing further escalation against Armenians. Moreover, it expressed full support for the resistance of Jerusalemite Armenians and calls on relevant authorities to ensure the safety and territorial integrity of the Armenian Quarter and the rest of East Jerusalem by all necessary means.
President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan was interviewed by reporters in Baku on Jan. 10
President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan on Wednesday said that without a land corridor connecting his country to Nakhichevan, he will not authorize the opening of any border with Armenia, a condition of the peace treaty, as well as the November 9, 2020 agreement.
Speaking to local reporters on Wednesday, Aliyev doubled down on Baku’s insistence to carve out the so-called corridor, warning that if Yerevan does not comply with his demands, Armenia will remain land locked.
“Otherwise, Armenia will remain an eternal deadlock, and if the route (Zangezur) I mentioned is not opened, we are not going to open our border with Armenia anywhere else. So they will do themselves more harm than good,” Aliyev emphasized.
“People and goods should pass from Azerbaijan to Azerbaijan without any checks,” Aliyev added.
Yerevan has opposed the creation of such a corridor, a move supported by Iran, whose foreign ministry reiterated Tehran’s opposition to border changes in the region, in response to Ankara’s insistence that such a “corridor” be opened.
Aliyev pointed to a clause of the November 9, 2020 agreement that calls for the opening of transport links — railway and roads — between Armenia and Azerbaijan, claiming that this provision of the document mandates the opening of the so-called “corridor.”
He called the adoption of the document “our great political success,” saying that Azerbaijan’s occupation of Shushi during the 2020 War paved the way for Baku to insist on these preconditions.
“If Shusha [Shushi] had not been liberated from occupation, we would not have been able to achieve the inclusion of these conditions in the statement,” said Aliyev.
“That is, our victory. The fact that we were strong, allowed us to include in it [Nov. 9, 2020 document] even those conditions that were not related to this issue, in particular those related to the Zangezur corridor,” Aliyev outlined.
The Azerbaijani president’s remarks come at a time when Baku has stepped up its insistence to include the “corridor” concept within the text of a proposed peace treaty. This position was also recently echoed by Turkish officials.
Aliyev’s top advisor, Hikmet Hajiyev, told Reuters last week that the “corridor” was a “main point” of the peace agreement. This followed remarks by Turkey’s defense minister, who said the road to Nakhichevan must open by 2029, prompting Tehran to reiterate its opposition to the plan.
In his responses to questions from reporters, Aliyev also brought up his claims that eight Azerbaijani villages are currently “under Armenia’s occupation,” saying that Baku is backpedaling in its most recent proposal for a peace treaty.
“This issue was discussed during my contacts with the prime minister of Armenia, including the last conversation in St. Petersburg. I raised this issue, and this issue is also on the agenda of commissions dealing with delimitation. I should also inform you that the next meeting of the commissions is scheduled for this month, and this issue is on the agenda,” Aliyev noted.
Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan on Wednesday echoed remarks by Armenia’s National Security chief Armen Grigoryan, who told Armenia’s Public Television about the recent proposals by Azerbaijan regarding the peace treaty.
Yerevan has also insisted that international mediators act as guarantors for the peace treaty, a notion categorically rejected by Aliyev on Wednesday.
“This is a peace treaty to be signed between two sovereign states. We don’t need any guarantors here, and if it is going to be signed in a bilateral format, it should be signed. If someone wants to help, we don’t mind that either. However, this help should not be mandatory,” Aliyev added.
The Azerbaijani leader also took the opportunity to issue threats and warnings not only to Armenia, but also the international community, saying they underestimated his drive to advance his agenda.
“I openly told both the leadership of Armenia and international actors that I can press a button at any time and carry out this operation in one minute, and they would not be able to do anything,” Aliyev said, referring to Azerbaijan’s attack on Artsakh in September which resulted in the forced exodus of the Armenian population there.
“The course of these events showed — and I believe that this should serve as a lesson not only for Armenia, but also for those who stand behind it — that it is impossible to speak to us in the language of threats or behave arrogantly,” Aliyev warned, taking particular aim at France, which Baku has said is advancing a one-sided, pro-Armenia, policy.
He said negative attitudes toward Azerbaijan — from traditional targets — will not abate, saying that by providing military assistance to Armenia, France is aiming to put “constant” pressure on Azerbaijan.
“These are efforts to prevent us from living comfortably and, unfortunately, France is still in the forefront. France is the country that arms Armenia, gives them support, trains their soldiers and prepares them for another war. When I said that France’s policy is causing tensions in the Caucasus, this is exactly what I meant,” Aliyev emphasized.
ANCA-WR staff and activists with LA County Supervisors Kathryn Barger and Holly Mitchell
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a motion introduced by ANCA Western Region-endorsed candidate for re-election, Supervisor Kathryn Barger, and seconded by Supervisor Holly Mitchell on Tuesday.
The motion calls for a letter signed by the full Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to the Biden Administration urging for concrete action to address Azerbaijan’s ongoing illegal detention of Armenian hostages.
The motion also calls on the Biden Administration to impose sanctions against Azerbaijani leadership pursuant to the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act on the grounds of Azerbaijan’s illegal detention, torture, and extrajudicial killing of Armenian POWs and hostages, as well as suspending all United States military and economic assistance to Azerbaijan.
Additionally, the motion urges thee leadership of the House Foreign Affairs Committee to move forward on the passage of H. Res. 861 (introduced by Rep. Adam Schiff and supported by Reps. Valadao and Bilirakis), which calls on Azerbaijan to immediately release all prisoners of war and captured civilians. ANCA Western Region staff and other Armenian community organizations attended the hearing to speak in support of the motion, urging for its passage.
This motion was introduced in light of growing concerns about inhumane treatment and conditions for the Armenian hostages held in Azerbaijani detention.
Azerbaijani authorities most recently have arrested and detained three of Artsakh’s former presidents, Artsakh’s former foreign minister David Babayn and former State Minister Ruben Vardanyan, along with Artsakh Parliament Speaker Davit Ishkhanyan.
The ANCA-WR honored Babayan with its Freedom Award in 2022 and hosted a downhill forum with Vardanyan at the start of Azerbaijan’s blockade of Artsakh.
Azerbaijan has also illegally detained civilians, among them the 68-year-old Vagif Khatchatryan, who was arrested at an unlawfully implemented Azerbaijani checkpoint as he was being transported for urgent medical care by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
“This is about accountability,” said Supervisor Barger. “We need to hold Azerbaijan accountable for violations of humanitarian law. As leaders of a country that is home to the greatest number of Armenians outside of Armenia itself, we must do what is within our power and use our voice to condemn Azerbaijan’s violations of human rights and urge the return of all Armenian hostages and prisoners of war. We have a moral obligation to do so. I am proud to stand in solidarity with the Armenian community.”
“The conflict between Azerbaijan and the people of Armenia impacts our Armenian community in Los Angeles County,” said Supervisor Mitchell. “ We must make it clear that these crimes against humanity will not be tolerated by our government. We support the Biden administration in urging the Azerbaijan government to immediately return all Armenian prisoners of war and work toward a solution for lasting peace in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.”
“The ANCA Western Region welcomes this motion, which brings further attention to the suffering and hardships endured by the people of Artsakh, and Azerbaijan’s Armenian hostages,” said Nora Hovsepian, Esq., Chair of the ANCA Western Region Board of Directors. “Now, more than ever, it is vital that policymakers and community advocates work tirelessly to secure their release, and ensure accountability for Azerbaijan’s numerous violations of humanitarian and international law.”
The ANCA-WR urges the community to take action by urging members of Congress to take urgent and tangible action to end Azerbaijan’s illegal detention of Armenian hostages, and demand accountability for Azerbaijan’s crimes against humanity.
The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the largest and most influential Armenian-American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.