Month: November 2023

 14:39,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has met with Minister of Defense of Georgia Juansher Burchuladze, who is on an official visit in Armenia.

The Armenian Prime Minister said that relations with Georgia continue to develop dynamically and that expansion of cooperation is taking place in various areas, which is of great importance and a priority for the Armenian government, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a readout.

Juansher Burchuladze thanked for the warm reception and spoke about partnership with the Armenian Ministry of Defense. The Georgian Defense Minister said he’s impressed by the ongoing reforms in the defense sector in Armenia.

Issues related to cooperation and exchange of experience in security and defense, as well as regional peace and stability were also discussed.

 14:41,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s advisor and Chairman of the Council on National Minority Affairs Artashes Tumanyan has expressed concern over the November 15 alleged attempted arson targeting a synagogue in Yerevan.

Law enforcement agencies are now investigating the incident.

Tumanyan told Armenpress that the attempted arson is concerning especially as it wasn’t the first such incident.

Tumanyan said that law enforcement agencies are investigating, and if the investigation reveals that the incident was indeed arson, then the Armenian authorities will unequivocally condemn it.  “I am sure that the Armenian society’s attitude will be such as well. There are no manifestations of religious, ethnic or other kinds of xenophobia in our country. There is prevailing atmosphere of tolerance and mutual respect for national minorities in our society. Moreover, representatives of national minorities are involved in all sectors of public life,” Tumanyan said.

The official expressed hope that law enforcement agencies will reveal circumstances of the incident.

 16:33,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. United States Congressman Frank Pallone has commended the Senate passing of the Armenian Protection Act which aims to block all U.S. military assistance to Azerbaijan by removing the U.S. President's authority to waive Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act for Fiscal Years 2024 and 2025.

“I applaud the Senate for passing the Armenian Protection Act,” Pallone said on X. “Now, the House must follow and pass my bipartisan bill, H.R. 5683, which will repeal Section 907 and ban U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan. There must be real consequences for Aliyev's aggression toward Armenia.”

 16:36,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. Any encroachment against a place of worship is unacceptable and condemnable, Human Rights Defender of Armenia Anahit Manasyan has said, expressing concern over the attempted arson targeting a synagogue’s entrance in Yerevan.

She stressed that the investigation into the incident must reveal whether the alleged attack was a hate crime.

The Ombudsperson also stressed that the protection of the rights of national minorities, and their safety, must be guaranteed in Armenia.

 17:11,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. U.S. presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has welcomed the Senate passage of the Armenian Protection Act of 2023 and said that blocking military aid to Azerbaijan is the right step.

“It’s shameful that US taxpayer [money] has been used to fund the persecution of Armenian Christians by Azerbaijan,” Ramaswamy said in a post on X. “I’m astounded that not a single presidential candidate has even acknowledged the atrocity. Blocking military aid to Azerbaijan is the right step.”

 17:28,

YEREVAN, 17 NOVEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 17 November, USD exchange rate down by 0.31 drams to 402.41 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 0.75 drams to 437.50 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.01 drams to 4.52 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 0.71 drams to 500.28 drams.

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

Gold price up by 263.82 drams to 25618.10 drams. Silver price up by 3.13 drams to 306.24 drams.

 21:26,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. On November 17, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Paruyr Hovhannisyan participated in the 2nd Summit of Foreign Ministers "Voice of the Global South" on the topic "Global South and One Development", the foreign ministry said.

''The Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia emphasized the importance of initiating such events. Appreciating India's commitment to the implementation of the idea "The world is one family", Paruyr Hovhannisyan emphasized the priority of peace, solidarity and harmony in the world. He added that global challenges caused by the disruption of global supply chains and armed conflicts have severely affected Armenia, leading to the ethnic cleansing of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Deputy Foreign Minister also touched upon Armenia's commitment to function as a connecting node in such channels at the North-South, East-West crossroads and, as a component of the peace agenda, mentioned Armenia's "Crossroads of Peace" project,'' reads the statement.

According to the source, Minister of Foreign Affairs of India Subramanyam Jaishankar, as well as more than fifteen countries representing the "Global South" and states closely cooperating with them participated in the Summit.

 17:33,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received the delegation led by the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Pia Kauma.

The Prime Minister emphasized the fact that the OSCE PA session will be held in Yerevan for the first time and expressed hope that effective discussions and active dialogue will take place within the framework of the session, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a readout.

Pia Kauma thanked for organizing and hosting the OSCE PA session at a high level, adding that the processes taking place in the South Caucasus and the international arena will be discussed.

The sides referred to the humanitarian problems of more than 100,000 forcibly displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of Azerbaijan's ethnic cleansing policy, as well as to the steps taken by the Armenian government to overcome them. The support of the international community in solving the existing problems was emphasized.

The interlocutors discussed issues related to the process of normalization of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations. The importance of continuing the peace process based on the principles agreed upon in the trilateral meetings held in Brussels on May 14 and July 15, 2023 was emphasized.

Nikol Pashinyan and Pia Kauma exchanged views on regional peace and stability, as well as other issues of mutual interest.

 21:33,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. On November 16, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Vahe Gevorgyan received Pia Kauma, the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.

Welcoming the President of the OSCE PA, Vahe Gevorgyan noted that it is the first time in history that Armenia has the honor of hosting one of the OSCE PA sessions, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

''The interlocutors exchanged views on the existing conflicts in the South Caucasus and the OSCE region as well as the challenges emanating from them. In this context, Deputy Minister Vahe Gevorgyan briefed on the ethnic cleansing policy pursued by Azerbaijan against the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as the approaches of the Armenian side in terms of peace and regional interconnectivity.

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs highlighted the important role of parliamentary diplomacy and its contribution in addressing regional security challenges,'' reads the statement.

 19:12,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. The International Court of Justice of the United Nations has approved the application of an interim measure to the 5th claim of 'Armenia vs Azerbaijan'.

The Court has obliged Azerbaijan to ensure the safe, unimpeded and expeditious return of the persons who have left Nagorno-Karabakh after 19 September 2023 and who wish to return to Nagorno-Karabakh.

Moreover, according to the decision of the International Court, Azerbaijan is obliged to ensure that persons who have remained in Nagorno-Karabakh after 19 September 2023 and who wish to depart are able to do so in a safe, unimpeded and quick manner.

The Court has assigned Azerbaijan to ensure that persons who have remained in Nagorno-Karabakh after 19 September 2023 or returned to Nagorno-Karabakh and who wish to stay are free from the use of force or intimidation.

According to the decision, the Republic of Azerbaijan shall, in accordance with its obligations under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, protect and preserve registration, identity and private property documents and records, to accept them as a basis in its administrative and legislative practice.

Within 8 weeks after the publication of the decision, Azerbaijan must submit a report to the Court on the steps to be taken to ensure the implementation of the temporary measures.

The application was submitted by Armenia on September 28, after the Azerbaijani attack on Nagorno-Karabakh and the forced displacement of Armenians, in the 'Armenia vs. Azerbaijan' court case under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.