Month: December 2020

 11:15,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 11, ARMENPRESS. 1077 new cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) have been confirmed in Armenia in the past one day, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 146,317, the ministry of healthcare said today.

1592 more patients have recovered in one day. The total number of recoveries has reached 123,474.

3057 tests were conducted in the past one day.

29 more patients have died, raising the death toll to 2445.

The number of active cases is 19,785.

The number of patients who had coronavirus but died from other disease has reached 613 (7 new such cases).

Reporting by Lilit Demuryan; Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 12:01,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 11, ARMENPRESS. Armenia’s National Security Service reports that a person has been arrested for illegally crossing the state border of Armenia.

Criminal case has been launched, the NSS said.

ARMENPRESS has sent an inquiry to the NSS requesting to clarify the reports according to which an Azerbaijani man has appeared in the territory of bordering Berdavan community of Armenia’s Tavush province overnight December 9-10 and has been detained by the NSS officers.

In response the NSS said: “A person has illegally crossed the state border of Armenia. Operative data has been obtained on that, the person has been found as a result of search operations. Criminal case has been filed. The person has a status of a suspect and is arrested”.

 11:28,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 11, ARMENPRESS. Russian deminers have used the Uran-6 mine clearing robot to clear a part of the Stepanakert airport area in Nagorno Karabakh of mines, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Friday, reports TASS.

“The robot helps ensure the safety of deminers and increase the effectiveness of mine clearance activities. In addition, demining activities were carried out along the Stepenakert-Shusha motorway and on Achapnyak Street in the city of Stepanakert”, the statement reads.

Russian peacekeepers have so far cleared over 80 hectares of land and 24.8 kilometers of roads of mines, and defused 4,577 explosive devices. “Explosive devices are taken to a specially equipped area and deactivated in accordance with safety requirements”, the ministry added.

In addition, peacekeepers are assisting in the restoration of power lines, a gas pipeline and electrical substations.

 12:24,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 11, ARMENPRESS. Servicemen of the Defense Army of Artsakh Vrezh Martirosyan, born in 2001, has died in a car crash on Yerevan-Goris highway on December 9, at around 20:40, the defense ministry of Artsakh told Armenpress.

Investigation is underway to clarify the details of the incident.

In a statement the defense ministry of Artsakh offered condolences to the family of the servicemen.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 13:31,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 11, ARMENPRESS. Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Javad Zarif has lambasted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for what he described as “ill-recital” of a poem during the Baku military parade on December 10.

“Pres. Erdogan was not informed that what he ill-recited in Baku refers to the forcible separation of areas north of Aras from Iranian motherland,” Zarif tweeted.

“Didn't he realize that he was undermining the sovereignty of the Republic of Azerbaijan? NO ONE can talk about OUR beloved Azerbaijan,” he said, referring to the eponymous province of Iran.

The Iranian state news agency IRNA described Erdogan’s recital of the poetry as “separatist sentiments about the Aras River which runs along the Iran-Azerbaijan border”.

Editing by Stepan Kocharyan

 14:04,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 11, ARMENPRESS. The recent statements of Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev show his expansionist aspirations towards Armenia, Expert on Turkish studies Ruben Safrastyan said at a press conference in Armenpress, stating that Aliyev, in fact, is telling the whole world about his aggressive policy.

“When the war started, I was already saying that Azerbaijan’s and Turkey’s goal is not only to attack and capture Artsakh, conduct genocide against Armenians of Artsakh, but also to weaken the Republic of Armenia. In fact, Erdogan is trying to continue the genocidal policy adopted by Young Turks, by using Azerbaijan”, Ruben Safrastyan said, adding that the whole people in Azerbaijan are under influence of fake history propaganda.

The expert said Armenia should resolutely counter that statements. It should counter using both the historical facts, as well as revealing the main essence and goals of that dangerous, aggressive policy of Azerbaijan and Turkey. Safrastyan said it’s highly important to make it clear that the recent war unleashed by Turkey and Azerbaijan against Artsakh was out of all rules of war operations. They committed numerous crimes against humanity, which should be punished, according to the expert.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 15:09,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 11, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian visited today the Parliament where he met with Speaker Ararat Mirzoyan, the Presidential Office told Armenpress.

President Sarkissian has once again wished good health to the Parliament Speaker, strongly condemning the recent assault against him and considering any act of violence impermissible.

Armen Sarkissian expressed confidence that high responsibility and restraint should be at the top priority during these difficult times, intolerance, calls for violence should be ruled out.

At the meeting President Sarkissian and Speaker Mirzoyan exchanged views on the current situation in the country, talked about the possible ways of solving it.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 14:05,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 11, ARMENPRESS. During the session of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council today Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan has touched upon the issue of elimination of the ban on entry of citizens of Armenia to several member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which is in force due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

“Having no borders with the EAEU member states creates some difficulties for Armenia. Passenger and cargo transportations without obstacles with the EAEU states is of great importance for us. The bans in this field are more sensitive for us, therefore, today the creation of conditions for the elimination of the ban on entry of Armenian citizens to several EAEU states has a special significance”, the PM said in his remarks.

He expressed gratitude to the President of Belarus for the productive and useful chairmanship at the Union in 2020.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 15:29,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 11, ARMENPRESS. Protesters calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan are again rallying in different parts of Yerevan.

One group had gathered at the Sayat Nova-Charents intersection, where ARF official Gegham Manukyan was leading the crowd. They began disrupting traffic and police intervened. Manukyan was detained. Protesters resumed marching down Sayat Nova Street. Similar demonstrations, described as “civil disobedience” campaigns are underway elsewhere in Yerevan.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

 15:56,

STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 11, ARMENPRESS. President of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan has signed on December 11 a decree on conducting 2021 winter military draft and demobilization, the Presidential Office told Armenpress.

According to the decree, male citizens of Artsakh to become 18 years old before December 31, who have not used the right to draft deferment or have lost it, will be called up to mandatory military service on January-February 2021.

The demobilization will take place in January 2021.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan