Month: May 2021

 10:25,

YEREVAN, MAY 14, ARMENPRESS. U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) issued a statement in reaction to reports of Azerbaijan’s illegal incursion into Armenia’s Syunik province.

“The violation of Armenia’s sovereign territory by Azerbaijani troops is a dangerous and illegal act of aggression that underscores the sustained threat that the Armenian people continue to face. After my conversation with Armenia’s Ambassador to the U.S. earlier today, it is clear that the United States, and the international community as a whole, must respond strongly to this incursion so Azerbaijan understands it will face serious consequences for its malign activities.

When Azerbaijan attacked the Armenian people last fall, the previous Administration failed to engage and left the door open for dictators like Aliyev, Erdogan, and Putin to decide the fate of the Armenian people. That cannot happen again. I urge the Biden administration to engage on this issue at the highest levels to make clear that Azerbaijan must respect Armenia’s sovereignty and that further threats and aggressions are simply unacceptable”, the statement reads.

 10:49,

GYUMRI, MAY 14, ARMENPRESS. The Governor of Armenia’s Shirak Province says the Ministry of Economy is developing projects in order to attract investments to his province.

“We are now very actively working with the economy minister, who’s given a lot of interesting promises regarding investments,” Governor Hovhannes Harutyunyan said at a press briefing.

According to Harutyunyan, a project on developing a dry port in Gyumri is currently under consideration. The governor says Gyumri’s airport and railway make it the best option for having a dry port there.

Reporting by Armenuhi Mkhoyan 

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

 11:03,

YEREVAN, MAY 14, ARMENPRESS. 230 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Armenia in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 220,447, the ministry of healthcare reports.

712 patients have recovered in one day. The total number of recoveries has reached 207,464.

The death toll has risen to 4301 (10 death cases have been registered in the past one day).

3361 COVID-19 tests were conducted on May 13.

The number of active cases is 7627.

The number of people who had coronavirus but died from other disease has reached 1055 (5 new such cases).

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 11:07,

YEREVAN, MAY 14, ARMENPRESS. Canadian senator Leo Housakos has labeled the Azeri actions at the border with Armenia as dangerous and aggressive.  In a statement on Twitter, Housakos called on democracies to stand with Armenia.

“The violation of Armenia’s sovereign territory by Azerbaijani troops is a dangerous and illegal act of aggression that underscores the sustained threat that the Armenian people continue to face. Democracies must stand with Armenia”, he tweeted.

On May 12, the Azeri military breached the Armenian state border in the Syunik border and advanced towards the Sev Lake.  Azeri troops breached the border in some parts of the Gegharkunik province as well. Over 250 of the Azeri troops are illegally located in Armenian territory.

 11:26,

YEREVAN, MAY 14, ARMENPRESS. A telephone conversation has taken place between Armenia’s caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the initiative of the Armenian side on May 13 late in the evening, Pashinyan's Office told Armenpress.

Pashinyan informed the Russian President about the situation caused by the incursion of the Azerbaijani armed forces to Armenia’s sovereign territory, the Syunik province.

The Armenian caretaker PM also informed the Russian President that he has tasked to officially apply to the Collective Security Treaty Organization for launching consultations in accordance with Article 2 of the Collective Security Treaty.

Vladimir Putin considered further escalation impermissible and expressed hope for the quick stabilization of the situation and for the creation of necessary conditions for the fulfillment of agreements reached by the 2020 November 9 and 2021 January 11 trilateral statements. The Russian side has reaffirmed its readiness to continue the active mediation efforts for ensuring stability in the region.

The officials agreed that the solution of this issue must be expressed by the return of Azerbaijani troops to their initial positions.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 12:40,

YEREVAN, MAY 14, ARMENPRESS. Armenia’s Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan and his Russian counterpart Nikolay Patrushev held a phone conversation to discuss the situation at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and discussed possible options for solving the issue, the Security Council of Armenia said in a news release.

Grigoryan presented the situation to Patrushev and stated that Armenia views this as an encroachment against its sovereign territory, and that this is unacceptable for Armenia, therefore the Azerbaijani military units must leave these territories and pull back.

Grigoryan also underscored that the Azerbaijani side’s aspirations are ungrounded, and there are maps back from Soviet times which substantiate that the said territories are Armenian.

Speaking about Armenia applying to the CSTO, Grigoryan also attached importance to the possibility of initiating the necessary mechanism within the framework of the CSTO for solving the issue as quickly as possible.

In turn, the Secretary of Security Council of Russia Nikolay Patrushev highly appreciated Armenia’s restraint in this issue, attaching importance to all possible diplomatic efforts for solving the issue, adding that the Russian side is intensely working in all levels for a swift solution.

Editing and translating by Stepan Kocharyan

 13:27,

YEREVAN, MAY 14, ARMENPRESS. Chairman of the Reformed Political Party (SGP) of the Netherlands, MP Kees van der Staaij has commented on Azerbaijan’s actions on the Armenian border.

In a Twitter post he called on the international community to stop the Azerbaijani violence.

“Armenia is still facing an aggression from Azerbaijan. It’s highly concerning. The international community must make more efforts to stop this violence”, Kees van der Staaij said.

On May 12 in the morning the Azerbaijani armed forces crossed Armenia’s state border in the territory of Sev Lake in Syunik province and advanced up to 3,5 kilometers, trying to surround the Lake. The Azerbaijani forces also advanced in some sections of the border in Gegharkunik province.

So far, neither the Armenian nor the Azerbaijani side have used any weapon. The number of Azerbaijani soldiers in the territory of Armenia is about 250.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 14:20,

YEREVAN, MAY 14, ARMENPRESS. During the latest phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Armenia’s caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan did not discuss the issue of Russia’s help regarding the situation at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

“No, Pashinyan didn’t ask for help,” Peskov said. “Of course, the Armenian side expressed extreme concern over the situation at the border. President Putin shared this concern. And President Putin put special emphasis on the necessity for implementing all terms of the trilateral agreements. First of all the term which states about the need for a ceasefire”.

Peskov said President Putin will convene a consultation with permanent members of the security council, and will also hold other meetings and consultations.

On May 12, Azeri military units breached the Armenian state border in an attempt to seize the area of the Sev Lake in Syunik Province. Azeri military formations advanced into the Gegharkunik Province as well. A total of 250 Azeri troops are illegally deployed inside Armenian territory.

PM Pashinyan called the Azeri actions a pre-planned provocation and infringement on Armenian sovereignty. Armenia officially applied to the CSTO to initiate the mutual-defense mechanisms. 

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan