Month: June 2022

 16:31,

YEREVAN, JUNE 16, ARMENPRESS. Prosecutor General of Armenia Artur Davtyan met with Russian Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, the Office of the Prosecutor General of Armenia said.

Artur Davtyan wished success to the activities of the Forum, calling it a major platform to discuss the development of economic relations between countries in context of contemporary global challenges.

Davtyan said that recently many Russian citizens, businessmen visited Armenia, noting that the Prosecution of Armenia keeps under its spotlight the security, protection of rights and business interests of these people, keeping a stable contact with the Russian Embassy in Armenia for this purpose.

The Russian Prosecutor General highly valued the participation of his Armenian counterpart to the Forum. He praised the high level of the cooperation between the Russian and Armenian Prosecutions, highlighting the role of the Prosecutor General of Armenia in this process and expressing readiness to further deepen this partnership.

The issues on observing the agreements reached between the Prosecutors General of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan last year during the trilateral meetings were also discussed during the meeting. Particularly, the sides emphasized the importance of jointly investigating the ceasefire violations and their consequences and not making the exchange of information on incidents formal.

Artur Davtyan thanked Igor Krasnov for his personal contributions to solving the humanitarian problems of the conflict settlement and to launching a communication format between the sides. He said that Azerbaijan continues not fulfilling the requirements of point 8 of the 2020 November 10 trilateral statement on the ceasefire in Nagorno Karabakh, although the unconditional return of all persons and prisoners of war held in Azerbaijan is a key factor for regional peace and secure partnership. Davtyan called for uniting efforts for quickly solving this issue.

 16:47,

YEREVAN, JUNE 16, ARMENPRESS. The Presidency of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia held a session today hosting Armenian-American scientist, Nobel Prize laureate and molecular biologist Ardem Patapoutian.

During the meeting a diploma of an honorary member of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia was handed over to Ardem Patapoutian.

NAS President Ashot Saghyan congratulated Mr. Patapoutian for the great achievement, calling it also one of the achievements of the Armenian people. “We have agreed with Mr. Patapoutian. Next time he will visit Armenia at the invitation of the Academy. There will be meetings, reports”, he said.

In his turn the Armenian-American scientist said that the welcome he received in Armenia shows that science and scientific achievements are valued in Armenia. “I started my work in a laboratory, but I never imagined that science could be a profession. But then I fell in love with that work. Surprisingly, the Nobel Prize was the motivation for me that I am proud of my biography and institutions where I studied. I have been engaged in science with pleasure and dedication”, he said.

Ardem Patapoutian was elected honorary member of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia by the June 9 decision of the NAS general assembly.

 17:27,

YEREVAN, 16 JUNE, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 16 June, USD exchange rate up by 3.11 drams to 427.53 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.08 drams to 444.67 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.07 drams to 7.56 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 3.25 drams to 516.29 drams.

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

Gold price up by 256.73 drams to 25068.19 drams. Silver price up by 5.22 drams to 294.98 drams. Platinum price stood at 16414.1 drams.

 17:34,

YEREVAN, JUNE 16, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received the delegation led by Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović Burić, the PM’s Office said.

Welcoming the visit of the CoE Secretary General to Armenia, the Prime Minister said that Armenia, as a CoE member state, will continue the democratic path and is attaching importance to the cooperation in the field of protection of human rights, democracy development and development of independent judiciary.

Pashinyan called the work with PACE, ECHR productive and touched upon the issue of the return of Armenian prisoners of war, hostages and other civilians held in Azerbaijan, stating that the government is working closely with the ECHR on this direction. The PM highlighted the support of the international community, including that of the CoE to the solution of the issue and thanked the CoE Secretary General for addressing the issue for many times.

Marija Pejčinović Burić said the Council of Europe values the partnership with Armenia, and the purpose of her visit is to further strengthen it. She welcomed Armenia’s democratic reforms, over which the country is registering a visible progress, and highly valued the holding of snap parliamentary elections in 2021 in accordance with the international standards, which were free and competitive.

The sides also touched upon issues on the agenda of the bilateral relations. The discussion also focused on the course and challenges of the reforms in the justice sector. Pashinyan highlighted the importance of raising public trust towards judiciary, and in her turn the CoE Secretary General reaffirmed the readiness to support this process with the CoE consulting assistance, experience and knowledge.

Promoting women engagement into different spheres of public life was also touched upon. The implementation of the Armenia-CoE Partnership Program 2019-2022 was discussed.

Views were exchanged on the domestic and foreign political situation in Armenia, the regional and international security challenges. The importance of dialogue on the path of achieving peace and prosperity was emphasized.

PM Pashinyan presented the positions of Armenia on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border demarcation and delimitation, the activity of the border security commission and the peace agenda, emphasizing the importance of the addressed response of the international community to the provocative statements and actions that distort the regional stability.

 17:57,

YEREVAN, JUNE 16, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received a delegation led by the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Margareta Cederfelt, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minster.

The Prime Minister attached importance to the close cooperation and permanent dialogue between the Armenian parliament and the OSCE PA. Nikol Pashinyan referred to the democratic reforms being implemented in Armenia and stressed the important role of the international community in their effective implementation. The Prime Minister added that the development and strengthening of democratic principles and institutions will continue to be among the priorities of the Armenian Government.

Margareta Cederfelt highly appreciated the cooperation with the Armenian parliamentary delegation, noted the latter’s dynamic activity in the Assembly. She welcomed the democratic reforms of the Republic of Armenia and highly assessed the holding of the snap parliamentary elections in accordance with international standards in 2021.

At the request of the OSCE PA President, the Prime Minister referred to the domestic political situation in Armenia, the processes taking place in the South Caucasus, and presented the situation around Nagorno Karabakh.

The Prime Minister highlighted regional stability and peace and stressed the need for an adequate response by the international community to provocative statements and actions undermining regional stability, as well as to the steps aimed at destroying Armenian cultural heritage in areas that have passed under Azerbaijani control.

At the same time, Prime Minister Pashinyan stressed the need for a comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group.

 19:16,

YEREVAN, JUNE 16, ARMENPRESS. President of the National Assembly of Armenia Alen Simonyan, who is in the Islamic Republic of Iran on an official visit, met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran Hossein Amir Abdollahian on June 16, ARMENPRES was informed from the National Assembly of Armenia.

After the exchange of greetings, the parties spoke about 30 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries, which gave a start to the process of development of Armenian-Iranian interstate cooperation, the foundation of which was laid hundreds of years ago. Alen Simonyan noted that the bilateral relations with friendly Iran, built on mutual respect and trust, are of great importance for the Republic of Armenia, as Iran is not only a neighboring country, but also an important, reliable trade partner for us.

The sides also attached importance to the development of inter-parliamentary cooperation, agreeing that the intensification of parliamentary contacts in both bilateral and multilateral formats contributes to the strengthening of mutual understanding and trust, the expansion of scope of common positions and the development of cooperation between the countries.

The President of the National Assembly of Armenia noted that Armenia, always taking into account the interests of friendly Iran on various platforms, supported its position as much as possible and expects a respective attitude from Iran, adding that the Armenian-Iranian cooperation has always contributed and will contribute to the strengthening of regional peace and stability.

The sides touched upon the war unleashed by the Azerbaijani-Turkish tandem against Nagorno Karabakh and the situation created as a result, as well as many unresolved humanitarian issues, in particular, the return of prisoners of war.

“I think that friendly Iran’s impartial approach to pro-Azerbaijani initiatives circulating in the international and regional arenas will make a significant contribution to the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” Alen Simonyan said.

During the meeting the sides highlighted the importance of the strategic dialogue with Iran and hoped for significant progress of bilateral relations in all directions.

During the discussion, the parties spoke about the investment interests of the Iranian side in the Syunik region of Armenia.

In this regard, the President of the National Assembly of Armenia highlighted the establishment of the Consulate General of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Kapan, as well as the need to open a Consulate General of the Republic of Armenia in Tabriz.

The Iranian Foreign Minister expressed confidence that the Armenian-Iranian cooperation has a great potential for development and expansion and is ready to support the development of Armenia-Iran mutually beneficial cooperation for the benefit of our friendly peoples.

 19:36,

YEREVAN, JUNE 16, ARMENPRESS. Secretaries of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan Nikolai Patrushev, Marat Imankulov and Nasrullo Rakhmatjo arrived in Armenia on May 16 to participate in the regular sitting of the Committee of Secretaries of the Security Councils of the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

As ARMENPRESS was informed form the Office of the Security Council of Armenia, Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan met his colleagues at Zvartnots International Airport in Yerevan.

 20:26,

YEREVAN, JUNE 16, ARMENPRESS. World-famous rock musician, lead singer of System of a Down band Serj Tankian issued a video message urging to join him at the STARMUS VI festival to be held in Yerevan in September.

ARMENPRESS reports Tankian, in a video message posted on his “Instagram” page with more than a million followers, says in particular: “Dear friends, join me at the STARMUS VI Science and Art Festival, which will take place in Armenia on September 5-10.”

Tankian reminds that the festival will include music, scientific conferences, lectures, symposia, etc.

Holding Armenian captives by Azerbaijan is a gross violation of international law. Armenian FM to OSCE PA President

 20:38,

YEREVAN, JUNE 16, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan received the delegation led by the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Margareta Cederfelt.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the MFA Armenia, Minister Mirzoyan stressed the role of the OSCE as the largest regional security organization, praised the cooperation with the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly as a parliamentary platform for ensuring comprehensive, indivisible security in the OSCE area of responsibility.

Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Margareta Cederfelt agreed that the visit of the delegation is a good opportunity to outline new opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation.

During the meeting, the Armenian side presented the positions on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement process, as well as the work carried out to normalize the relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The Armenian Foreign Minister stressed that despite Azerbaijan’s claims that Nagorno Karabakh no longer exists, that there is no Nagorno Karabakh conflict, there is a general consensus among the international community that the Nagorno Karabakh conflict remains unresolved.

Ararat Mirzoyan also stressed that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict should find a comprehensive settlement within the framework of the only internationally authorized mediation mandate, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs’ format.

The Armenian Foreign Minister expressed concern over the continuous anti-Armenian and belligerent rhetoric of the Azerbaijani authorities, provocative actions against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. He condemned Azerbaijan’s continued statements about aspirations towards the sovereign territory of Armenia, which seriously question the sincerity of Azerbaijan’s statements on achieving peace in the region.

Ararat Mirzoyan drew the interlocutors’ attention to the fact that in gross violation of the norms of international humanitarian law, Azerbaijan continues to hold Armenian prisoners of war and civilians hostage, as well as pursues a targeted policy of destroying and distorting Armenian religious and cultural heritage in the territories that passed under its control after the 44-day war. In this context, the importance of practical steps by the international community to fully address these urgent issues was emphasized.