Author: Ani Tigranian

 14:26, 1 June 2022

YEREVAN, JUNE 1, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan assures that they are in daily touch with the Russian partners in order to solve the problem of queues of trucks at the Upper Lars border checkpoint as quickly as possible.

The minister said he will meet his Russian counterpart in Lars on June 11 to discuss the possibilities of enhancing the clearance capacity of the checkpoint.

Minister Kerobyan said they are very concerned about the situation in the Upper Lars checkpoint, but assures that he and his partners are dealing with this issue on a daily basis.

“All European directions, that used to come through Belarus and Ukraine, now have to enter Russia through Turkey and Georgia. Therefore, there is a big traffic there. However, we understand that this is a heavy problem for exporters, and we work on several directions in order to mitigate the burden”, he said.

For example, the minister reminded that the ferry communication will start operating between Georgia and Russia from June 15. He said the government allocated nearly 2.5 billion drams for the subsidy of the first 6 months.

“Secondly, last week I had a major consultation with the Russian partners. We agreed to meet also in the Upper Lars on June 11 to jointly understand what opportunities we have in order to further accelerate the clearance capacity of the Upper Lars. I think we will be able to do so to greatly mitigate this tension at the beginning of the season”, he said.

The minister said that despite these difficulties, the export growth from Armenia comprised 20%.

As for serving the EAEU cargo separately at the checkpoint, the minister said the negotiations are underway in this direction, there is some progress, but no final positive result has been achieved yet.

 16:39, 1 June 2022

YEREVAN, JUNE 1, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan has not been held accountable for its crimes committed during the 2020 large-scale military attack against Artsakh and after that, which encourages the Azerbaijani government to continue conducting ethnic and racial discrimination against the Armenian population of Artsakh, promoting hate speech against them and its aggressive policy of depriving Artsakh-Armenians of their fundamental rights.

An international conference titled “Human Rights and Accountability: The Aftermath of War” was held today at the American University of Armenia, dedicated to the current post-war human rights crisis in Artsakh.

The First Annual International Conference on Human Rights was organized by the Center for Truth and Justice.

Talking about the importance of this event, the conference coordinator Emilia Mikayelyan recalled the large-scale military attack unleashed by Azerbaijan and Turkey against the people of Nagorno Karabakh on September 27, 2020, reminding about the thousands of people who were killed by them and terrorists, and the current humanitarian crisis in Artsakh caused by the war. She said the Armenians of Artsakh want to live freely, without fear that they will again be subject to violence and ethnic cleansings by the Azerbaijani government. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan, not being held accountable for its war crimes, continues promoting hatred and hate speech against Armenians and is regularly violating the 2020 November 9 trilateral agreement on the ceasefire.

“The consequence of this is that Armenians of Artsakh live in an absolute isolation and face continuous threats, encroachments and a real danger of ethnic cleansings. And during this whole period Azerbaijan has not been held accountable for any of its crimes, which encourages it to continue its aggressive policy of depriving the Armenians of Artsakh of their fundamental rights. The Center for Truth and Justice has organized this conference to gather the representatives of legal mind and to discuss very sincerely this crisis facing the Armenians of Artsakh for many years”, she said.

President of the Constitutional Court of Armenia Arman Dilanyan welcomed the conference participants and thanked the organizers for the efforts made. He also thanked all organizers and participants who arrived from the Armenian Diaspora.

“I think that the participation of internationally known lawyers, international law experts and human rights advocates from more than 15 countries is the best indicator that the topics to be discussed in coming days are relevant and have an important meaning not only for the Armenian public, but also for our international partners”, Dilanyan said.

The President of the Constitutional Court said that today lawyers witness with their own experience manifestations of xenophobia propaganda, promotion of extremist nationalist ideaology, religious intolerance and other condemnable phenomena. Therefore, he highlighted organizing this international conference dedicated to the rights of the Artsakh population and overcoming the consequences of war.

In addition to the reports of experts, the testimonies of war witnesses, collected by the CFTJ students from the persons who suffered from the war, including the displaced persons and the soldiers who returned from the Azerbaijani captivity, will be presented during the three-day conference.

 13:23,

YEREVAN, MAY 31, ARMENPRESS. To improve access to high-speed internet and support a strong digital economy in Armenia, Team Telecom Armenia raised a total of $45 million from international financial institutions, IFC and EBRD, and Ameriabank. Team Telecom Armenia will direct this funding for the construction of the region’s best 25 Gb/s Next Generation Network in cities and villages of Armenia.

Commenting on the launch of the partnership, Chairman of the Board of Team Telecom Armenia Aleksandr Yesayan noted, “We highlight the trust in ourselves, especially given reduced investor appetite amid global developments. This support will enable “Team” to accelerate the capital investment program and expand and upgrade both fixed and mobile networks and as a result. improve service quality to both individual subscribers and business clients, which will spur innovation and economic growth.”

The financing package will help the company to improve both the coverage and service quality of its telecom networks, including expansion of the 4G mobile network and rolling-out the NGN fiber access network across the country. As a result of the project, at least 1.1 million mobile subscribers will be provided with faster and higher-quality internet connections, and more than 450,000 households will be provided with access to faster fiber access technology.

Cheryl Edleson Hanway, IFC’s Regional Senior Manager for Infrastructure and Natural Resources, said: IFC’s investment will support better mobile phone services and faster internet in Armenia, spurring digital economy, trade and entrepreneurship, accelerating post-COVID recovery. By supporting Armenia’s digital infrastructure, we also hope to create an enabling environment for additional investments and job creation opportunities in the country.”

As a result of implementation of the project, Team Telecom Armenia will strengthen its position also in the field of providing data transit services to local and regional telecom operators, creating a more flexible and faster Internet infrastructure.

“Within the framework of our strategic plan, we have started and are continuing with great vigour the construction of the region’s best 25 Gb/s Next Generation Network, at the end of which a separate fiber-optic cable with almost unlimited bandwidth will enter the apartments of citizens living in every part of Armenia. This will open up a wide range of opportunities to connect with global economic developments and create new products for them”, stated CEO of Team Telecom Armenia Hayk Yesayan.

The launch of the 25G-PON network is also expected to reduce energy consumption, allowing its subscribers to access high-speed Internet through a more energy-efficient telecom infrastructure.

Speaking about the motivations for joining this program, Dirk Werner, EBRD Director, Information and Communication Technologies, said: “As well as enhancing digitalisation and energy efficiency, the project is consistent with the EBRD’s two strategic priorities for Armenia, strengthening private sector competitiveness and promoting sustainable infrastructure through commercialization and green economy transition.”

Gagik Sahakyan, Corporate and Investment Banking Director at Ameriabank CJSC, commented: “In the era of digital transformation, the availability of broadband internet services is crucial for providing better connectivity to people and businesses, especially to those in the remote communities. As the leading bank in Armenia, we have joined our international partners, IFC and EBRD, to finance this strategic project for the country. It aims to develop infrastructural and technological innovation in Armenia, which will boost social development and strengthen the economic potential of underdeveloped communities. This is an investment long into the future.”

Team Telecom Armenia provides internet, IPTV, mobile and fixed telephony services throughout the Republic of Armenia. As the successor of the first telecommunication system in Armenia, “Team” combines the rich experience of the first communication operator with modern technologies.

IFC (International Finance Corporation) —a member of the World Bank Group—is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. They work in more than 100 countries to create new markets and opportunities.

EBRD (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development) is a multilateral bank that promotes private sector development and entrepreneurship in 38 countries on three continents. The bank is owned by 67 countries, including the EU and the EIB. Investments of the EBRD are aimed at making the economies of the regions competitive, inclusive, well-governed, green, sustainable and integrated.

Ameriabank is the largest financial institution and a major contributor to the Armenian economy, with assets exceeding AMD 1 trillion. Being a dynamically developing universal bank, Ameriabank provides a large package of innovative banking services through its omni-channel distribution platform and with clear focus on digital products

BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 27. Let no-one come and teach us, try to advise or guide us. There is no need for that, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said during the meeting with the Aghali village residents, Trend reports.

“We have done a lot to strengthen our independence. We are fully independent politically. No country can influence our will, and everyone already knows that Azerbaijan must be reckoned with. Azerbaijan’s position must be taken into account. Azerbaijan is a self-respecting state and demands and receives this respect from everyone.

We are economically independent. Today, the number of economically independent countries is not so high. Recent history has shown this. But we are completely independent, we do not depend on anyone, we are building our own lives and do not need any help or credits. On the contrary, we are lending money to some countries. As a result of economic independence, I can say that this village of Aghali has become one of the most progressive villages in the world now. We have done this, we are carrying out restoration work on our own. We are doing that in all other liberated lands on our own. Huge projects are being implemented now. The people of Azerbaijan are regularly informed about this.

Political and economic independence has allowed us the opportunity to build our lives the way we want, to build a state based on the ancient traditions and values of the Azerbaijani people, and to live comfortably in this state. The processes taking place in the world today are before our eyes of course. Azerbaijan is a land of stability and security. I can say that it is an island of stability and security. The whole world already sees and knows this. Of course, if we were not independent, i.e. if we were not truly independent, we would not be able to end the Armenian occupation. Because there were the factors that had led to this occupation, of course, external factors. Armenia itself cannot be considered a military, political or economic power, not even a medium-level state. The situation in Armenia is obvious. Of course, we must take into account these external factors. But at the same time, they could not have stopped us. From the first days to the last days of the war, I said that no-one and nothing could stop us. But the Armenian leadership had to give us a timetable of when our lands would be vacated, and then we are ready to stop the war, and we have kept our word. Therefore, if we did not pursue an independent policy, it is possible that these external factors, the foreign patrons of Armenia, and some of them threatened us, could deter us from this. But they did not. Because we have shown a strong will, our people united, and this is, of course, based on solidarity, national pride, dignity and power.

Today, the power factor is in the foreground. I said this 10 years ago. All my speeches are available in the media. I said that international law does not work. We must not deceive ourselves, we must be stronger, we must gather strength. If necessary, we must drive the enemy out of our lands by force. I said it and I did it.

The power factor will continue to dominate the world. The recent history shows this too. Therefore, we must continue to be strong, and we are getting stronger. Today, our economic indicators are very positive. I can say that Azerbaijan is one of the fastest growing countries in the world. We are also increasing our military strength. After the war, new armed forces are being created, new equipment is being purchased, and we will continue to do so. Because if we are not strong, we cannot live the way we want. We want to live freely. We want no-one to interfere in our work from now on. There is no need for that. We have built such a beautiful state that many today are jealous of it. Let no-one come and teach us, try to advise or guide us. There is no need for that,” the head of state said.