Over 2,500 Russian servicemen in Armenia have taken part in snap drills that involved aviation and missile defense systems, the press service of the Southern Military District said on Tuesday.
“Over 2,500 servicemen at a Russian base in Armenia completed tasks after receiving an alarm signal and preparing the equipment for emergency withdrawal from the places of permanent deployment,” the press service said adding that over 500 units of equipment were used in the drills.
The servicemen will be deployed to unfamiliar locations where they will receive training tasks.
The press service noted that most stages of the drills will use fighter jets and army aviation, as well as S-300V and Buk-M1-2 missile defense systems.
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The head of the Armenian delegation to PACE is known
- 18.01.2019
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The National Assembly approved the RA NA draft resolution “On approving the composition of the delegation of the seventh convocation of the National Assembly at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe”.
The delegation will lead Ruben Rubinyan (“My step” faction). The delegation includes: Hovhannes Igityan (“My step”), Naira Zohrabyan (“Prosperous Armenia”) and Edmon Marukyan (“Bright Armenia”).
The alternate members are: Vladimir Vardanyan (“My step”), Sos Avetisyan (“My step”), Tatev Hayrapetyan (“My step”) and Mikael Melkumyan (“Prosperous Armenia”).
Azerbaijani Press: Presidential Administration official: Armenia is trying to use "fait accompli" attitude and strengthen the occupation
Baku, January 12, AZERTAC
“The status quo based on occupation is unacceptable. Armenia is trying to use the “fait accompli” attitude and strengthen the occupation,” said head of the Department of Foreign Policy Affairs of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration Hikmat Hajiyev as he was interviewed by TRT World.
Hajiyev said that the fundamental basis of the conflict is the aggression policy pursued by Armenia against Azerbaijan by using force. He noted that Armenia carried out a bloody ethnic cleansing against Azerbaijanis in the occupied territories and more than a million Azerbaijanis are still forced to live as refugees and IDPs. Hajiyev underlined that in order to achieve progress in the settlement of the conflict, first of all, the occupation must be ended and Armenian troops must be withdrawn from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. Noting that the basis for the settlement of the conflict was enshrined in the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council, the Helsinki Final Act and other documents, Hajiyev stressed that after the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the occupied territories, opportunities for a political solution to the conflict can appear.
Touching upon the Dushanbe Summit, he recalled the conversation between President Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and said that the Republic of Azerbaijan once again demonstrated its constructive position. Hajiyev pointed out that Azerbaijan is the most interested party in the soonest settlement of the conflict because Azerbaijan has been suffering from occupation for more than 26 years. Hajiyev pointed out that there are favorable opportunities for settling the conflict and noted that Armenia should take steps to resolve the conflict after the formation of government.
Answering a question about the possibility of ethnic reconciliation, the Presidential Administration official said that Azerbaijan is proud of its multicultural values and culture of tolerance, and despite the fact that the national peace process is a complicated and time-consuming issue as part of the conflict resolution process, it is possible. “For this, first of all, Armenian troops must be withdrawn from the occupied territories and the return of Azerbaijani IDPs to their native lands must be ensured. In this aspect, confidence-building measures can be taken, comprehensive regional cooperation can be restored and ethnic reconciliation can be ensured,” he said.
Hajiyev reminded that at present Armenia is isolated, does not have access to regional transport projects, adding that however the settlement of the conflict can create regional cooperation opportunities for the country. He called on Armenia to end its occupation policy and pursue international law-based policy toward neighboring states, adding that the Armenian authorities should prepare their people for peace with neighboring countries.
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Armenia’s acting premier says he discussed bilateral ties, gas at meeting with Putin
December 28, 7:44 UTC+3 YEEREVAN
YEEREVAN, December 28. /TASS/. Armenia’s acting prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, said he discussed the strategy of bilateral relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their talks in Moscow on December 27.
The Armenian premier’s visit to Russia and meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on December 27 was the first since his bloc won presidential elections in Armenia on December 9. Pashinyan’s bloc will control 88 out 132 seats in the country’s parliament.
“Our talks concerned the strategy of our further relations. I would like to stress that we have total understanding on the matter. This meeting was to sum up the results of our previous conversations. The talks were held in a very positive atmosphere,” Pashinyan said in a live broadcast on his Facebook page.
“Armenia and Russia have special relations, which are of strategic nature,” Pashinyan added.
Pashinyan said after his visit to Moscow that he hoped to eventually reach consensus with Moscow on the price of Russian gas.
“I would like to inform that no final decision has been made regarding the price for Russian gas. Nevertheless, I’m optimistic and I hope that we achieve the intended result, or, at least, avoid the negative scenario,” Pashinyan said in a live broadcast on his Facebook page.
Pashinyan added that the issue of gas remains “very sensitive for bilateral relations.”
Armenia’s authorities have repeatedly said that they were negotiating a reduction of prices for natural gas with the Russian side. Natural gas is supplied to Armenia by Gazprom’s subsidiary Gazprom Armenia.
In early 2016, Armenia asked Russia to reduce the gas price from $165 to $150 per 1,000 cubic meters. This year, Armenia purchased Russian gas at this price and charged consumers nearly twice as much – $290 per 1,000 cubic meters.
Russian gas deliveries to the country stood at 1.87 billion cubic meters in 2016, and at 2 billion cubic meters in 2017.
Asbarez: Mesrobian High School Hosts ‘Path to Success’ Evening
Students take party in Mesrobian school’s “Path to Success” evening
PICO RIVERA, Calif.—Armenian Mesrobian School hosted its annual ‘Path to Success’ evening on Wednesday, December 12, at the school’s Iknadossian Hall to discuss expectations and preparation for High School and Higher Education.
The presentation had two sessions for students and parents of 8th graders and 9th through 11th graders. Faculty and administration discussed High School graduation requirements, preparing for higher education, choosing a college, and fulfilling admission requirements to different college and university systems.
Students, along with their parents, shared what characteristics they want to develop as they become adults, the professional careers they are considering pursuing, and which universities they would ideally like to attend.
Faculty and administration answered questions and spoke about the comprehensive, research-based approaches to foster student achievement at Mesrobian School, which strives for tradition, innovation and excellence.
“Mesrobian School is an environment where every student is treated as an individual, and where every student can rise to their true potential,” said the school.
Mesrobian School’s outstanding College Counseling program includes a team of professionals with a very personalized focus on each student, as well as an emphasis on starting early. Mesrobian’s 8th graders, prior to matriculating to Mesrobian High School, already begin on their journey of exploration and preparation for higher education with individualized and customized advisement.
Upon graduation, Mesrobian High School students have been directly admitted to the following colleges and universities: California Lutheran University, Cal Poly Pomona, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, California State University including CSU Fullerton, CSU Long Beach, CSU Los Angeles, and CSU Northridge, Claremont-McKenna College, Columbia University, Drexel University, DePaul University, Fordham University, Georgetown University, Loyola-Marymount University, Pitzer College, Pomona College, Saint John’s University, Scripps College, University of California including UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Los Angeles, UC Riverside, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Santa Cruz, University of Chicago, University of Southern California, Whittier College, Woodbury University, and Yale University.
Mesrobian’s Alumni Network and Mentorship Program connects students with over five decades of alumni who have distinguished themselves in fields as diverse as education, science, business, medicine, music, law, dentistry, chiropractic, politics, art, marketing, engineering, veterinary medicine, and psychology.
Armenian Mesrobian School, established in 1965, is fully accredited from Preschool through High School by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and is the nation’s first Armenian Elementary School. The college preparatory High School curriculum is certified to the University of California. Mesrobian School includes Ron and Goharik Gabriel Preschool (which serves students 2-5 years old), Elementary, Middle School and a college preparatory High School on the same campus.
Zakharova: we do not set a time frame for resolution of Karabakh conflict.
YEREVAN, December 26 /ARKA/. Russia has always supported the earliest possible resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing on Wednesday.
“We do not set a time frame. We have always advocated an early settlement and supported all the measures that are aimed at an early resolution of this problem. I will not speak about specific terms. The conflict has along history. Unfortunately, this is a protracted conflict,” Zakharova said.
According to her, everything that depends on the Russian side as a co-chair (of the OSCE Minsk Group), and as a country that has a common past and a common history with Azerbaijan and Armenia, will be done.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict erupted into armed clashes after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s as the predominantly Armenian-populated enclave of Azerbaijan sought to secede from Azerbaijan and declared its independence backed by a successful referendum.
On May 12, 1994, the Bishkek cease-fire agreement put an end to the military operations. A truce was brokered by Russia in 1994, although no permanent peace agreement has been signed. Since then, Nagorno-Karabakh and several adjacent regions have been under the control of Armenian forces of Karabakh. Nagorno-Karabakh is the longest-running post-Soviet era conflict and has continued to simmer despite the relative peace of the past two decades, with snipers causing tens of deaths a year.
On April 2, 2016, Azerbaijan launched military assaults along the entire perimeter of its contact line with Nagorno-Karabakh. Four days later a cease-fire was reached. -0
Newspaper: Armenia will get no loans from abroad if acting PM carries out his promise
YEREVAN. – The World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) took very hard Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s remarks regarding project implementation units (PIUs) and foundations, as he called these institutions the biggest hubs of corruption in Armenia, Hraparak (Square) newspaper reported.
“In the meantime, these organizations [the WB and the IMF] not only implement major projects with these PIUs, but also oversee the spending of the financial means provided to them. And if Pashinyan carries out his promise and closes all PIUs, SNCOs and foundations [in Armenia], not only a large number of people—including foreigners—will be deprived of their jobs, but, also, after the negative [respective] assessment by these international financial organizations [the WB and the IMF], they may not give us [Armenia] loans from outside [anymore], more harshly demand the amount of the provided loans, and in general, cooperation with us from outside will be stopped, since the WB and IMF view on these matters often becomes decisive,” Hraparak wrote.
“We” Alliance proposes building up Armenia army with additional contract servicemen
“We” (Menk) Alliance proposes building up the Armenian army with another 20,000 contract servicemen.
Meeting with voters in Tsaghkahovit village of Armenia’s Aragatsotn Province, Republic Party leader, MP and ex-PM Aram Sargsyan, an MP candidate from the aforesaid alliance, on Tuesday stated that if they win seats in the forthcoming snap parliamentary election, they will see to it that this proposal is brought to fruition.
“Twenty-thousand contract military servicemen are quite sufficient to draw the conscript military servicemen back from the most active points on our borders,” he said. “The conscripts should not stand at the border line. (…) the [conscript] soldier should be standing behind; he should learn the military affairs so as to work during the war.”
In the MP candidate’s words, as a result of this change, the people’s employment issue will also be resolved.
The electoral list of “We” alliance—which comprises the Republic and the Free Democrats Parties—is headed by Aram Sargsyan. Next on the list are Free Democrats Party Chairman and former MP Khachatur Kokobelyan and Vice-Chairperson Anzhela Khachatryan, respectively.
Campaign season for the upcoming snap National Assembly (NA) election has gotten underway Monday in Armenia.
The campaign season will conclude on December 7, whereas December 8 is election silence day, and December 9—election day
Eleven political forces—two alliances and nine parties—are running for parliament.
As a result of this election, the NA seats will be distributed proportionally among the political forces that have passed the respective minimum thresholds: 5% for parties, and 7% for alliances.