Month: October 2021

Armenia will never be involved in any anti-Iran conspiracy – Nikol Pashinyan

 20:48, 3 October, 2021

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 3, ARMENPRESS. Armenia has never been involved and will never be involved in any conspiracy against Iran, because Armenia extremely values those relations and we will never forget that Iran was the path of life for Armenia in the early 90s, Prime Minister of Amrenia Nikol Pashinyan announced during a meeting with the Armenian community in Lithuania, where he is on an official visit.

The correspondent of ARMENPRESS reports that Pashinyan also emphasized that Armenia has warm relations with Iran. ‘’President Raisi assumed the office in August 2021, and I also assumed my officie in August, following the elections, and we have already met twice. This is a fact showing how much we value our relations. It is not something new that there are certain circles that manage to publish materials in the Iranian press from time to time that Armenia is involved in some conspiracies against Iran. I am confident that our Iranian partners know that the Republic of Armenia has never been and will never be involved in any conspiracy against Iran, because we extremely value those relations and we will never forget that Iran was the path of life for Armenia in the early 90s. This is such a firm ground for our relations that rules our any involvement of Armenia in any anti-Iran conspiracy’’, Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan admitted that the economic relations between the two countries are hampered by economic sanctions. He also emphasized that Armenia will never be involved in any conspiracy against Iran and that’s so obvious that there is no need to even talk about that. “Just the opposite, we have major projects with Iran. During our discussions with Raisi we suggested that they should be accelerated, particularly, the 3rd high-voltage power transmission line is under construction’’, Pashinyan said, adding that the Armenian side hopes to prolong “gas for electriciy’’ contract. ‘’During the meetings I also suggested that we should return to the issue of the construction of Meghri reservoir and HPP, which I think is very important not only in terms of energy, but also in terms of joint management of water resources’’, PM Pashinyan said.

 21:12, 3 October, 2021

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 3, ARMENPRESS. The problems related to the external environment are quite complicated, the environment around Armenia remains tense. Despite all this, we have adopted the policy of opening an era of peaceful development for our region, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said at the meeting with the representatives of the Armenian community within the framework of his official visit to Lithuania on October 3.

According to PM Pashinyan, the post-war period was very difficult for Armenia, and if the problems related to the domestic political situation were solved, then the problems of the external environment remain tense.

“It was an interesting trial of overcoming domestic tensions.The elections served as a tool to resolve the problems, while in the past the elections mainly became the starting point of domestic political tension. In this regard, I am pleased to note that the atmosphere of public unrest that we had from November to June has been resolved.

The problems related to the external environment are quite complicated, the environment around Armenia remains tense. Despite all this, we have adopted the policy of opening an era of peaceful development for our region, we understand that peace does not depend only on the Republic of Armenia. At the same time, we will continue this path. Every day new developments occur, aimed at proving the opposite, but we must try to go forward on this path’’, Pashinyan emphasized.

He added that the protection of Armenia's sovereignty, the rights of the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh, including the right to self-determination, are among the priorities, but "we must know that we are walking in a minefield, in which we must be very vigilant." The Head of the Government added, “In fact, that field has always been mined, but it’s another thing that the density of the mines increases gradually, which we witnessed last year in autumn. Unfortunately, the war had a difficult, even catastrophic course for us, but Armenia, the Armenian people, the people of Artsakh show an exceptional resistance, it is very important. We need concetration of efforts to solve the problems set before us, and I consider its culmination as a necessity and imperative to open a peaceful era”. According to Nikol Pashinyan, on this path it is important to analyze the previous period in order to come to the right conclusions. "Of course, the election campaign contained such a component. There have been a lot of talks about what happened, but I know no matter how much has been said, there are nuances that have not been talked about. Analyzing the past thirty years is important. I hope that as a result we will be able to open a new page for the history of our state, which will be much more positive”, the Armenian PM said.

 10:04, 4 October, 2021

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 4, ARMENPRESS. On October 4, Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan will pay a working visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran, his spokesperson Vahan Hunanyan said on social media.

Within the framework of the visit, a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian is scheduled, which will be followed by a joint press statement of the Ministers.

 

Editing by Aneta Harutyunyan

 10:41, 4 October, 2021

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 4, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan is leading a delegation to Russia on an official three-day visit.

Speaker Simonyan will have meetings with FM Sergei Lavrov, Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin and Chairwoman of the Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko.

A visit to the Russian Diplomatic Academy is also planned, where discussions with students and academic staff will take place.

The delegation will also meet with Archbishop Yezras Nersisyan, the Prelate of the Diocese of Russia and New Nakhijevan of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

A meeting with representatives of the Armenian community of Russia will also take place.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

 10:47, 4 October, 2021

VILNIUS, OCTOBER 4, ARMENPRESS. Armenia sees the comprehensive and sustainable final resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict based on the well-known principles supported by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at a joint press conference with Lithuania’s Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte in Vilnius.

Pashinyan said that at the meeting with Simonyte he briefed her on the current situation in the region and the developments of the recent months. “Particularly I stressed that the final comprehensive and sustainable resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict must take place based on the well-known principles supported by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs. We highly appreciate Lithuania’s balanced and constructive position towards the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. We also highly appreciate your government’s humanitarian assistance provided for withstanding the challenges facing our people in the past year,” Pashinyan said and expressed gratitude for the 50,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine donated to Armenia by the Lithuanian government.

“I also informed my colleague about the June 20 early election of parliament which brought an end to the tensions within the society. These were the second consecutive elections in Armenia to be labeled as free, fair and competitive by international observers,” Pashinyan said.

The Armenian PM said that as a result of the election his administration received a mandate to work in the direction of opening an era of peaceful development for the people and region. He said that this strategic goal is noted in the government’s action plan. “We are planning to reach this key goal through dialogue and overcoming the atmosphere of hostility in our region. We are determined to pass this path. However, it should be noted with regret that constant ceasefire violations, the problem of return of prisoners of war, arbitrary interpretations of the trilateral statements and aggressive rhetoric continue to escalate the situation and hinder the establishment of strong and lasting peace greatly needed for all peoples of the region,” the Armenian PM said.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

 11:46, 4 October, 2021

VILNIUS, OCTOBER 4, ARMENPRESS. Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte expressed hope that it will be possible to return to the political resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.

“Everyone, including us, are hopeful that it will be possible to return to a political resolution under the auspices of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs,” PM Simonyte said at a joint press conference with Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan in Vilnius.

PM Simonyte said that there are a number of EU leaders who sincerely think about security and peace in the region. “Therefore I am sure that the EU will pay sufficient attention to this issue, also with practical advice and solutions will help the practical resolution of the conflict,” she said.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

 11:57, 4 October, 2021

VILNIUS, OCTOBER 4, ARMENPRESS. Lithuania wants to deepen bilateral relations with Armenia, continue exchange of experience in various sectors and is ready to be Armenia’s friend in the future as well, Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said at a joint press conference with Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan in Vilnius.

She expressed hope that the Armenian and Lithuanian governments will find ways to enhance ties.

“This year we celebrate the 30th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations. We celebrate the anniversary of restoring diplomatic ties with a number of states, but we managed to meet only with few representatives of states, and I am very happy that this meeting is taking place,” PM Simonyte said.

PM Simonyte said that the June 20 Armenian elections showed the very strong support for democracy in the country.

“The prime minister and his political team received strong support. They received strong support for reforms and democratic changes. And I believe that exchange of technical knowledge and experience and best practice and solutions, lessons learned from mistakes and information on alternatives can be useful. We passed a long way, we’ve amassed a rich experience and we have exchanged this experience and will further continue to actively exchange,” she said.

PM Simonyte said that soon Yerevan and Vilnius will be linked with direct flights.

Speaking about challenges facing Lithuania and Armenia, as well as other countries, PM Simonyte pointed out the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that Lithuania has very successful experience in fighting against the pandemic and is also supporting Armenia in this matter.

“Our health workers are providing assistance to Armenia, our government has made two decisions on donating vaccines to the Armenian people. We hope that we will be able to support in overcoming this issue and we will help the Armenian government,” the Lithuanian PM said, noting that the Lithuanian and Armenian healthcare ministries have signed an agreement on combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Lithuanian PM thanked the Armenian government for addressing illegal migration issues.

“One of the pressing needs was ensuring translators. We need translators to communicate with people illegally crossing the border, and Armenia helped us by dispatching Kurmanji translators. We highly appreciate this assistance.”

PM Simonyte said that Lithuania supports the EU’s efforts aimed at deepening partnership with Armenia and overcoming regional challenges.

Speaking about the Armenia-EU CEPA, she said: “We believe that with their support and participation  the European institutions play a highly important role. The mechanisms for re-establishing and maintaining peace are also very important. We are ready to be Armenia’s friend in the future too.”

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

 12:10, 4 October, 2021

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 4, ARMENPRESS. Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo, who is going to run for the 2022 French presidential election, says France can recognize the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.

She made a Twitter post, sharing the article by renowned French philosopher, writer Bernard-Henri Lévy titled “France can recognize the Nagorno Karabakh Republic” and wrote: “I definitely agree. France can recognize the Nagorno Karabakh Republic”.

In his article published at Le Point, Bernard-Henri Lévy said that France must find courage to support the Armenian side that has been attacked.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 14:05, 4 October, 2021

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 4, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan met with President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda on the sidelines of his official visit, the PM’s Office told Armenpress.

The Lithuanian President welcomed the Armenian PM’s official visit to Lithuania and expressed confidence that it will contribute to the development and deepening of the bilateral and multilateral relations.

Mr. Nausėda expressed hope that the partnership between the Lithuanian and Armenian governments will give a new impetus to implementing joint projects in economic and humanitarian sectors.

The Lithuanian President highlighted the partnership and the exchange of the Lithuanian experience in Armenia’s ongoing reforms.

Prime Minister Pashinyan thanked for the warm welcome and expressed confidence that the Armenian-Lithuanian relations will continue to develop and record progress. In this context, he emphasized the importance of expanding the economic ties and the trade turnover volumes.

The meeting also touched upon the cooperation within the EU’s Eastern Partnership program, the effective implementation of the 2.6 billion Euro support package provided by the EU to Armenia, as well as the ongoing developments in South Caucasus. The Lithuanian President expressed his country’s support to the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship aimed at settling the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 14:52, 4 October, 2021

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 4, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan met with Speaker of the Seimas Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen on the sidelines of his official visit in Lithuania, the PM’s Office said.

The Armenian PM and the Lithuanian Speaker of Parliament highlighted the development and strengthening of the cooperation between the parliaments of the two countries both in bilateral relations and within the international organizations. They also emphasized the importance of inter-parliamentary ties which, according to them, could contribute to the deepening of friendly ties between the two countries.

The sides also touched upon the ongoing democratic reforms in Armenia and the partnership in their effective implementation.

The Lithuanian Speaker of Parliament said her country is ready to closely cooperate on the sidelines of the EU’s Eastern Partnership program and stated that ahead of the upcoming Eastern Partnership summit in December the Lithuanian side will take necessary actions to provide support to Armenia.

At the end of the meeting PM Pashinyan left a note in the Honorary guest book of the Seimas, got acquainted with the materials published in the Lithuanian press in the late 19th century and the 20th century relating to the history of the Armenian people.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan