Month: May 2021

 14:50,

YEREVAN, MAY 14, ARMENPRESS. Opposition Bright Armenia (LHK) leader Edmon Marukyan says the Armenian government’s actions over the border incident are correct at this moment, at the same time if the negotiations fail Armenia has the legitimate right to use force to defend itself.

“Clearly this is a crisis situation, by breaching the Armenian state border the Azerbaijani side violated our state’s legislation and territorial integrity and is now located somewhere it shouldn’t be located,” Marukyan said at a press briefing.

Marukyan says there could’ve been two directions of actions for the Armenian authorities. “First would've been to attempt to prevent and deliver a strike during the breach. However, the situation is such that the Azeri troops breached the border, positioned themselves and then only got detected.” Negotiations began after the Azeri incursion was detected.

“I think the Armenian side has the legitimate right to use all levers it has, including force if Azerbaijan doesn’t pull back as a result of talks. However, the negotiations and actions which are now underway are correct, all measures must be exhausted to resort to the use of force. However, there is hope that the Azerbaijani side will pull back as a result of negotiations,” Marukyan said.

Marukyan says the government’s decision to apply to the CSTO was correct because a new escalation is maturing at the Armenian border.

He warned all political forces not to use the crisis for political goals. “If the enemy is infringing on our borders, that border isn’t the border of the [ruling party], it’s not Pashinyan’s border, it is the border of the Republic of Armenia, our border, and all of us must stand united and protect this border, if it’s a matter of negotiations, negotiate, if it’s a matter of fighting, fight,” he said.

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

 15:19,

YEREVAN, MAY 14, ARMENPRESS. Armenia’s caretaker foreign minister Ara Aivazian held a telephone conversation today with CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas, the Armenian foreign ministry told Armenpress.

The officials continued discussing the current situation on Armenia’s state border and the actions aimed at solving it.

Ara Aivazian told the CSTO chief that letters on behalf of the Armenian caretaker prime minister have been sent to the President of Tajikistan, who chairs the CSTO Collective Security Council, as well as to the members of this Council, requesting to start consultations as envisaged by Article 2 of the Collective Security Treaty.

The Armenian caretaker FM and the CSTO Secretary General also exchanged views on the future processes envisaged by the respective procedures.

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 sides have used any weapon. The number of Azerbaijani soldiers in the territory of Armenia is about 250.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 15:27,

YEREVAN, MAY 14, ARMENPRESS. Armenia's caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan officially applied to the CSTO Collective Security Council’s Chairperson-in-Office, Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon to initiate the mechanism of immediately launching emergency consultations for eliminating the danger and coordinating the positions of CSTO member states within the framework of Article 2 of the 1992 May 15 Treaty on Collective Security.

Pashinyan also notified the leaders of the other CSTO member countries about the situation, his office said.

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. 

 

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

 15:36,

YEREVAN, MAY 14, ARMENPRESS. Armenia has officially sent the application to the CSTO regarding the Azerbaijani military’s border infringement against Armenia’s state border in the provinces of Syunik and Gegharkunik, the caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan told reporters.

“The application has officially been sent. There is a three-day term, the defense ministry and the foreign ministry will notify on the procedure,” he said.

Avinyan says the Azeri side is showing fake maps. “In fact, the Azeri border troops advanced based on these maps. But nevertheless the Azeri side confirms its efforts aimed at a peaceful solution. According to them, they aren’t taking any actions and don’t want to take action to further deepen the tension,” Avinyan said, stressing however that the Armenian side is ready for all potential developments.

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. 

 

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

 15:46,

YEREVAN, MAY 14, ARMENPRESS. There are no final results yet amid ongoing negotiations with the Azerbaijani side regarding the territory near Lake Sev in Syunik Province, caretaker Deputy PM Tigran Avinyan told reporters when asked on updates from the talks.

“We don’t have final results at this phase. I am sure that anyhow we will reach a resolution, because it is clear that the Azerbaijani armed forces have breached into the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia,” Avinyan said, adding that Armenia wants to resolve the situation peacefully and is ready to hold discussions calmly. “But nevertheless we must be ready for potential bad developments and be ready to defend our sovereign territory, and we expect the support of our allies in the event of such a bad scenario. But I hope that there won’t be any bad scenario and that all issues will be solved through negotiations,” Avinyan said.

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 applied to the CSTO to initiate Article 2.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

 16:41,

YEREVAN, MAY 14, ARMENPRESS. Armenia’s caretaker defense minister Vagharshak Harutyunyan received today Commander of the Southern Military District of the Russian Armed Forces, Army General Alexander Dvornikov who arrived in Armenia on a working visit (the 102nd Russian military base in Armenia is under the jurisdiction of the Southern Military District), the Armenian defense ministry told Armenpress.

During the meeting the current situation in Armenia’s Syunik province and its solution ways, as well as the reforms launched in the Armenian Armed Forces were discussed. The sides also touched upon regional security-related issues.

The officials highly valued the level of the bilateral military cooperation and expressed confidence that the outlined programs will be implemented on time and in full scale.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 16:53,

YEREVAN, MAY 14, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Parliament will convene an emergency session today at 18:00.

The Parliament’s Council approved the opposition Prosperous Armenia faction’s proposal to convene an emergency session to discuss the ongoing situation in Armenia’s Syunik and Gegharkunik provinces.

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.

Armenia has officially applied to the CSTO over the Azerbaijani incursion into its sovereign territory.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 17:01,

YEREVAN, MAY 14, ARMENPRESS. Armenian caretaker Minister of Defense Vagharshak Harutyunyan and Russia’s Minister of Defense Sergey Shoygu held a phone conversation on May 14.

“The defense ministers of the strategic ally countries discussed the situation in the Syunik Province. Vagharshak Harutyunyan presented to his Russian counterpart the Armenian side’s actions in this situation, noting that in all areas where the Azerbaijani [troops] have invaded, including in Sev Lake, the entire terrain, the servicemen and the roads are under the complete control of the Armenian army,” the Armenian defense ministry said in a news release.

Attaching importance to the need for a peaceful resolution to the situation, at the same time Harutyunyan considered inadmissible any encroachment against the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia.

Harutyunyan and Shoygu also discussed a number of issues related to the Armenian-Russian military cooperation, the Russian peacekeeping mission in Artsakh and regional security.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

 17:21,

YEREVAN, MAY 14, ARMENPRESS. Chair of the Russian Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security Viktor Bondarev hopes the negotiation potential of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) will be used effectively over the situation of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

“I would like to note that Russia has repeatedly stated (and has proved its remarks with action) that our task is to solve the conflict between our neighbors through peaceful means. In order to contribute to the peaceful dialogue we have always tried to engage also the international organizations, such as the CSTO. I hope that this Organization’s negotiation potential will be effectively used in such situation”, Bondarev told TASS.

He is confident that the Russian peacekeeping mediation will prevent the escalation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict.

According to him, the current situation in Armenia’s Syunik province is explained by the fact that the relations of the two countries, which have been at war recently, are not so settled.

“The important is that such incidents (border violation) do not happen again, do not continue, and are solved peacefully as soon as possible (with quick withdrawal of the troops) so that the ceasefire regime will be fully observed. Such provocations must be prevented. And this is not a military-political, but rather a political issue”, he 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.

Armenia has officially applied to the CSTO over the Azerbaijani incursion into its sovereign territory.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 17:37,

YEREVAN, 14 MAY, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 14 May, USD exchange rate down by 0.62 drams to 522.48 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 1.50 drams to 632.67 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.03 drams to 7.06 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 0.96 drams to 734.61 drams.

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

Gold price down by 185.99 drams to 30602.82 drams. Silver price down by 10.45 drams to 450.53 drams. Platinum price down by 646.26 drams to 20224.94 drams.