Month: February 2021

The European Union has provided EUR 10.2m in investment grant and technical assistance for the electricity grid interconnection with Georgia to be implemented by the German Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KFW) under the Caucasus Transmission Network project.

The link allows continuous energy trade between the two countries, and in particular allows Armenia to better access regional and European markets. The link will improve security of electricity supply in both participating countries.

“The EU Neighbourhood Investment Facility (NIF) grant will not only ensure the overall financing, but have a positive economic impact on the project finally resulting in limiting the potentially required end user tariff increases for the Armenian consumers thereby contributing to energy affordability especially for the poorer part of the population, In addition the EU NIF funds will be used to adapt energy sector regulation approximating EU standards,” said the EU Ambassador, Andrea Wiktorin.

Member of the Armenian National Assembly Naira Zohrabyan has appealed to women leaders in Europe, requesting to call on Azerbaijan to release Lebanese Armenian Maral Najarian from captivity.

Maral Najaryan moved to Berdzor, Artsakh, after the explosion in the port of Beirut. She was taken captive on the Goris-Stepanakert road on her way to Berdzor to transport her personal belongings to Yerevan before the region would be handed over to Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan has officially confirmed the fact of Maral’s captivity, and she is supposedly kept in the Gubistan prison, about 70 km from Baku.

Naira Zohrabyan from the opposition Prosperous Armenia faction has appealed to European women leaders, human rights activists and all organizations dealing with women’s issues to force Azerbaijan to return Maral and all prisoners of war.

“I have appealed to all women at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to call on Azerbaijan and Aliyev’s wife, a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, to return Maral Najaryan, a civilian, to Armenia immediately,” Zohrabyan said in a Facebook post.

“I have appealed to UNESCO, which gives the title of a goodwill ambassador to the wife of the president of a war criminal country, so that UNESCO demands within its mandate that its Azerbaijani goodwill ambassador not spit on international humanitarian law and keep Armenian prisoners of war and Maral Najaryan as a “political currency,” to  immediately return all prisoners of war to Armenia under the 3rd Geneva Convention,” Zohrabyan said.

Foreign Minister Ara Ayvazyan had a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov today.

In the follow-up to the previous communication, the Foreign Ministers discussed in detail issues of regional security and stability.

Ministers Ayvazyan and Lavrov touched upon the process of full implementation of the provisions of the November 9 trilateral statement.

Minister Ayvazyan especially emphasized the importance of addressing the humanitarian situation in Artsakh on the spot.

The interlocutors exchanged views on issues of bilateral and multilateral cooperation. In this context, reference was made to the schedule of consultations between the foreign ministries of the two countries.