23:25,
On March 13, from 7:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., the units of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces opened fire from different caliber firearms towards the Armenian combat positions located in the direction of Verin Shorzha.
There are no casualties from the Armenian side.
As of 10:00 p.m., the situation on the frontline is relatively stable.
12:53, 6 March 2023
YEREVAN, MARCH 6, ARMENPRESS. Nagorno Karabakh authorities announced Monday they’re treating the March 5 ambush by Azeri forces as “international terrorism”.
In a statement, the General Prosecution of Nagorno Karabakh said it instituted a criminal case under article 415 of the Criminal Code. Article 415 deals with international terrorism cases.
Three Nagorno Karabakh police officers died and one was injured when they were ambushed by the Azerbaijani military while on duty in their police cruiser on March 5.
According to the prosecutors in Nagorno Karabakh, the Azeri ambush sought to “destabilize the domestic situation” in Nagorno Karabakh by killing or wounding people and destroying or damaging infrastructures and other property. The prosecutors said the attackers had intent to kill and murdered police Lt. Colonel Armen Babayan, police Major Davit Danielyan and police Lieutenant Ararat Gasparyan. Police Lt. Davit Hovsepyan suffered a gunshot wound and is hospitalized.
20:56, 2 March 2023
YEREVAN, MARCH 2, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan considers sending international fact-finding mission to Lachin Corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh to be important for the international community in terms of getting more comprehensive information of the situation, ARMENPRESS reports Pashinyan said at the joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Pashinyan first thanked the German government for supporting the decision to deploy a new EU long-term monitoring mission in Armenia. The Prime Minister expressed confidence that this mission will play a significant role in establishing peace and security in the region. He personally thanked Chancellor Scholz, because his personal contribution to making that decision was very big.
One of the key topics of the discussions between Pashinyan and Scholz was the security situation in the South Caucasus and the challenges facing Armenia.
“After the signing of the declaration on November 9, 2020, Armenia spared no effort to achieve the normalization of relations with Azerbaijan and ensure the rights and security of the people of Nagorno Karabakh. Unfortunately, instead of participating in negotiations in good faith, the Azerbaijani side continues its unconstructive policy, threatens Armenia’s democracy, undermining our government’s efforts to establish peace, stability and security in the South Caucasus. Today, the most urgent problem is that since December 12, 2022 the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia and the outside world, the Lachin Corridor, has been closed by Azerbaijan, as a result of which 120,000 residents have found themselves in a blockade,” said the Prime Minister.
He emphasized that these actions of Azerbaijan are a gross violation of the obligations assumed by the tripartite declaration of November 9, թճթճ, which is a part of the large-scale and systematic policy of Azerbaijan aimed at the ethnic cleansing of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.
“We think it could be very important to send an international fact-finding mission to the Lachin Corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh for the international community to get a more comprehensive understanding of the situation,” Pashinyan said.
The Prime Minister reminded that on February 22, the International Court of Justice made a legally binding decision for Azerbaijan, obliging it to take all necessary measures to ensure the uninterrupted movement of people, vehicles and cargo in both directions through the Lachin Corridor.
“We call on our international partners to take active steps to ensure the immediate implementation of the court’s decision by Azerbaijan. We attach importance to the clear position of Germany, a country of democracy, protection of human rights and preservation of universal values, which will support Armenia’s efforts towards stability and peace in the South Caucasus,” said Pashinyan.
Federal Member for Mackellar, Dr Sophie Scamps, has signed the Joint Justice Initiative’s Affirmation of Support calling for the Australian Government to recognise the 1915 Armenian, Assyrian and Greek genocides perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire.
Dr Scamps joined over thirty of her parliamentary colleagues to support the Greek, Armenian and Assyrian communities in Australia.
Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU), Michael Kolokossian, said in a statement: “We thank Dr Sophie Scamps for affirming her support and working constructively with the ANC-AU to advance national recognition of the genocides.”
“Australia must recognise the 1915 Genocides and hold the perpetrators accountable to ensure crimes against humanity are never repeated,” Mr Kolokossian said.
19:13,
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 28, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan chaired a consultation, during which issues related to the development of the demographic strategy were discussed, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.
In particular, reference was made to the current demographic situation, existing risks and opportunities, management of migration flows, changes in the population structure, demographic programs and other topics.
An exchange of ideas took place on the goals and targets of the strategy to be developed.
20:34,
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 21, ARMENPRESS. The US President Joe Biden’s administration has expressed readiness to meet with Russian partners to discuss the Strategic Offensive Arms Reduction and Limitation Treaty, in which Russia recently suspended participation, ARMENPRESS reports, Gazeta website informed, citing the representative of the National Security Council of the White House.
“We are ready to meet with Russia to discuss issues related to the treaty and nuclear stability,” the US official said.
The US administration has also announced its willingness to work on key arms control measures.
In his address to the Federal Assembly, the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, informed that Moscow is suspending the participation in the “Treaty between the Russian Federation and the United States on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms”, signed in 2010.
A warm greeting awaited Paros Foundation staff and guests at the ribbon cutting at the Akunk Medical Center.
AKUNK VILLAGE, Armenia—The Gegharkunik region village of Akunk has a new medical center thanks to the work of The Paros Foundation through benefactor Alex Cherchian (SC-USA). Prior to the completion of this new center, the medical staff worked to address the needs of more than 4,500 people in this community from a room in the nearby village school.
“The fact that Akunk did not have a dedicated medical center space with sanitary conditions to adequately service its population was a huge problem,” said Peter Abajian, executive director of The Paros Foundation. “I would like to extend our appreciation to Mr. Alex Cherchian and his family for sponsoring this important project.”
While the work on the medical center was completed in September of 2022 and the staff began work at the new center, the official ribbon cutting was delayed until mid-February because of the September attack on Armenia by Azerbaijan.
In 2020, the regional government of Gegharkunik partially renovated the facility but never completed the work. The Paros Foundation installed the center’s heating system, completed the plaster and painting, installed flooring throughout and completed the plumbing systems and bathroom. Now the center is fully equipped with a laboratory, restroom, patient exam rooms and administrative offices.
Paros staff, Akunk Medical Center staff, Tavush Regional Deputy Governor, Akunk Village representative and head of the Vardenis Consolidated Community celebrate the opening of the Akunk Medical Center.
Armenia’s third President Serzh Sargsyan issued a message on Artsakh Revival Day and the 35th anniversary of the Karabakh movement marked on February 20. His full message is below.
“Dear Compatriots,
The Karabakh movement became the beginning of Artsakh’s revival and prevented the extinction of a part of the Armenian nation which has been living in its cradle for ages. Thirty-five years ago by the demand of the Armenian population of the Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous region (NKAO) the issue of removing the region from the jurisdiction of the Azerbaijani Soviet Republic and placing it under the jurisdiction of the Armenian Soviet Republic was put on the agenda. The demand of the Armenians of Artsakh was legal and justified. On February 20 of 1988, the delegates of a special session of the 20th Convention of the NKAO Soviet Council adopted a decision which sealed the will of the people of Artsakh to fulfill their right of self-determination. It was a momentous event in the history of the Armenian people and its historical and political significance is undeniable.
Many sons of our nation in Artsakh, Mother Armenia, and Spyurq, who viewed the defense of Fatherland as their greatest mission, united to achieve the national goal and were victorious in their endeavor. The Karabakh movement turned into a national awakening and one of the pivotal episodes of our history.
The Karabakh movement and the 1994 glorious victory of our national liberation struggle manifested first and foremost the dignity of the Armenian people and our resolve to defend our right to live on our own land free, independent, and secure.
For me and many of my friends those were the most difficult, most demanding but also the most gratifying years of our lives. We knew what we were fighting for, what for were organizing the defense of Artsakh, what for we were sacrificing our young years, what for our families and compatriots were going through hardship. We witnessed the Armenophobic attitude of the Azeri leaders, discrimination against Armenians, we had before our eyes the fate of another Armenian region – Nakhichevan, which was totally cleansed of its Armenian population, and were determined to prevent the same happening to Artsakh.
To a peaceful and legitimate demand of our people Azerbaijan responded with ethnic cleansing in Sumgait, Baku, other towns with a dense Armenian population as well as in some areas of Northern Artsakh. Armenians were subjected to the most devious barbarities, massacres, and expulsions. The same fate awaited the Armenians of Artsakh, but we won in the war imposed on us.
The aggressor – Azerbaijan, in war, which it unleashed against us, received a heavy blow of the united Armenian fist, and begged for a ceasefire.
Glory to all the brave men who created that victory! We bow our heads to the memory of all our heroes who gave their lives for Fatherland.
In 1991, the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh declared independence and started the process of state-building. Since then it has been developing as a modern and democratic state.
Unfortunately, Azerbaijan did not come to terms with the heavy defeat it suffered in 1994, or that in 2016 April Four-Day War. It used the opportunity and took advantage of the state ruining policies of the anti-national forces, which usurped power with the support from abroad, and unleashed a new war in 2020, which ended with the signing of a capitulation paper on November 9.
In recent years, the achievements of the Karabakh movement were greatly wasted, a considerable part of the territories liberated during the first, victorious Artsakh war were handed to the enemy, nearly five thousand young men perished, many became disabled, tens of them are still in captivity, the very future of Artsakh and the Republic of Armenia is in peril, the enemy has unobstructedly occupied territories in Armenia’s border areas. The national revival turned into national disappointment, for some it even turned into despair.
Armenia’s ruling authority continues to persistently depreciate the just struggle of the Armenian people, deliberately compromises the victorious heroes and continues to weaken the Armenian Army, undermines national unity, adding its voice to the enemy’s and through the false peace slogans diminishes within the country the awareness for resisting possible outside threats.
Compatriots,
This jubilee of the Karabakh movement presents yet another opportunity to awaken our languid national self-consciousness as a shield against the present challenges and new impeding threats. Thirty-five years ago that very self-consciousness became potent force in the seemingly desperate and impossible situations, and we won because of our national unity. None of us, who is a part of our nation, has a right to despair, retreat in the face of hardship, or move away from the struggle, just as Artsakh, which is adamant in its determination to live free and independent on its own land, is surviving today under blockade and hardship.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Artsakh,
Thirty-five years ago the Lachin corridor was closed just as today. But with your staunch will and courage, together with the support of the entire Armenian nation, it was opened. I have no doubt it will happen again because today too, Artsakh’s struggle has become the struggle for Armenian dignity, which we, just as before, have to defend together. This is a struggle for the Armenian statehood, for our existence, for our identity, this is a life and death fight which we are destined to win.
God bless our Fatherland!”