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Author: Anna Tamamian

CSTO Secretary General informs Pashinyan about details of peacekeeping mission in Kazakhstan

Anna Tamamian

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 15:26, 7 January, 2022

YEREVAN, JANUARY 7, ARMENPRESS. CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas held a telephone conversation today with Prime Minister of Armenia, Chair of the Collective Security Council Nikol Pashinyan, the CSTO press service reports.

The CSTO Secretary General informed Pashinyan about the details of the January 6 decision of the Collective Security Council aimed at solving the current situation in Kazakhstan.

Mr Zas also informed about the process of solving organizational issues.

The transportation of peacekeeping troops via Russian military planes continues.

The main tasks of the CSTO joint peacekeeping forces in Kazakhstan will be to protect state and strategic facilities, provide support to the law enforcement agencies of the country for stabilizing the situation.

Turkish Pegasus airline requests permit from Armenian aviation authorities to re-launch Istanbul-Yerevan flights

Anna Tamamian

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 12:33, 4 January, 2022

YEREVAN, JANUARY 4, ARMENPRESS. The Turkish Pegasus airline asked Armenian aviation authorities permit to re-launch its roundtrip flights from Istanbul to Yerevan, the spokesperson for the Armenian Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures Sona Harutyunyan told ARMENPRESS.

“Pegasus applied to the Civil Aviation Committee of Armenia requesting permit to operate two flights a week starting February,” Harutyunyan said.

The application is now being processed and a decision will be issued soon.

Last week, the Flyone Armenia airline announced that it was granted permit by the Armenian aviation regulator to operate flights from Yerevan to Istanbul. Flyone Armenia had said that it’s awaiting permit from Turkish aviation authorities to launch the flights.

CoE: More awareness of Armenian language in Cyprus, but room for improvement

Anna Tamamian
Public Radio of Armenia
Jan 3 2022
January 3, 2022, 20:43

 2 minutes read

State authorities in Cyprus continue to support minority language speakers by funding existing cultural institutions and establishing new sports facilities where their languages can be used, according to a new report by the Committee of Experts for the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.

The Charter had entered into force in Cyprus in 2002 and applies to the Armenian and Cypriot Maronite Arabic languages.

The report indeed praises “regular” consultation with representatives of minority organizations and their elected representatives in the Parliament, by which their opinions are taken into account. Indeed, awareness about the Armenians and Maronites in Cypriot society has improved, and no cases of discrimination were reported. A new scheme for funding cultural activities and the overall financial support of the state authorities is “well-structured and adequate,” within the possibilities of the state budget, according to the report.

Armenian is taught in pre-school, primary and lower secondary education, with teaching of Armenian begun in upper secondary education from September, this year according to the state authorities of Cyprus. The Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation broadcasts a radio program in Armenian on a daily basis, but Armenian is absent from print media.

Meanwhile, Cypriot Maronite Arabic is taught only in primary education. The report says that teaching this language should be extended to pre-school and secondary education to cover more age groups and thus ensure the future of Cypriot Maronite Arabic. Cypriot Maronite Arabic is almost absent from broadcast media. However, according to government sources from Cyprus, a series of short documentaries on minorities that are being broadcast since September 2021 by the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC) may raise awareness in Cyprus about both minorities and their languages, besides providing teaching materials in minority languages.

While the offer of teaching materials has improved since previous monitoring, the report calls on state authorities to improve teacher training for Armenian and especially for Cypriot Maronite Arabic.

The report notes that state financial support for both minority languages focuses on the cultural sphere of public life. But consultation between the minority language speakers and state authorities could be initiated to gradually extend both minority languages to other fields of public life, based on the slow but steady rise of the number of speakers of Armenian and Cypriot Maronite Arabic.

13th ArmRobotics Championship of Autonomous Robots takes place in Yerevan

Anna Tamamian
December 27, 2021 Guest Contributor News 0

YEREVAN—On December 12, the finals of the 13th Armenian Robotics Development and Support Program (ArmRobotics) Championship of Autonomous Robots, entitled “Smart City”, took place at the Olympavan Center. Almost 200 teams from all regions of Armenia applied, 46 of which competed in the final.

During the competition, robots designed by children were faced with various tasks: to respond to a gas leak, to put out a fire, to empty a trash can, to notice a pedestrian crossing the road, to stop or proceed depending on the color of the traffic light.

In the 10-13 age group, third place was given to the “Azhdahak” team of Gegharkunik Secondary School (250,000 AMD), and second place was awarded to the team of Aygut Secondary School (350,000 AMD). The winner was the team of Goris Basic School No. 2 (450,000 AMD). 

In the 14-17 age group, third place was taken by the team of Etchmiadzin Innovation Ethnic Regional Center (350,000 AMD), the 2nd place – the team of Verin Karmiraghbyur Village Secondary School (450,000 AMD). The team of Gandzak Secondary School No. 1 received the ArmRobotics Championship transfer cup and a 550,000 AMD cash prize. 

All the members of the winning teams and their teachers in both age categories received mobile phones from “Team Telecom Armenia.”

The jury included Arman Poghosyan (Instigate Design), Hrachya Khachatryan (Symotec), Hrachya Makaryan (“PUL” Company), Satenik Mnatsakanyan (American University of Armenia), Hayk Aslanyan (Ministry of High-Tech Industry), Sargis Manukyan (Technology Management  Center of Yerevan City) and Sedrak Vardanyan (Union of Advanced Technology Enterprises).

The competition was attended by Union of Advanced Technologies Enterprises (UATE) board members, the Ambassadors of India and Romania, a representative of the Russian Embassy, and  representatives of UATE partner organizations.

ArmRobotics has been implemented by the UATE since 2008. The general sponsor of the competition was the RA Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports.




Military analyst: Armenia PM statements on handing over Karabakh were absolutely predictable

Anna Tamamian
News.am, Armenia
Dec 29 2021
13:53, 29.12.2021

YEREVAN. – The statements by the prime minister of Armenia, capitulator Nikol Pashinyan, about handing over Karabakh were absolutely predictable. It is quite expected that one day he will make an argument on handing over Karabakh to the enemy. Military analyst Davit Jamalyan told this to a press conference Wednesday.

At the same time, the analyst stated that the notion of handing over Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) had appeared in Armenia’s information field much earlier, and it was generated by Pashinyan’s supporters, as well as members of his political team.

“This notion has been voiced by people who had neither a[n] [approval] rating nor a reputation. They simply had nothing to lose. They threw that notion into the public masses, and after a while, Pashinyan himself started to develop it through various kinds of manipulations,” Jamalyan said.

Also, he strongly criticized PM Pashinyan’s statements regarding the inevitability of Karabakh being included in Azerbaijan.

“All this is a lie. Who do you have to be to lie so brazenly?” the military analyst asked.

Armenia interested in signing peace treaty with Azerbaijan — Armenian PM

Anna Tamamian
TASS, Russia
Dec 24 2021
The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs have recently offered an agenda for the talks

YEREVAN, December 24. /TASS/. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Friday that Yerevan is interested in signing a peace treaty with Baku.

“Naturally, we are interested in signing a peace treaty and the beginning of talks on it. The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs have recently offered an agenda for the talks. One of its provisions was the issue of the comprehensive peace settlement. We are interested in it. We have never refused to discuss this topic and are not going to refuse,” he said in a live broadcast on his Facebook account.

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the highland region of Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory that had been part of Azerbaijan before the Soviet Union break-up, but primarily populated by ethnic Armenians, broke out in February 1988 after the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its withdrawal from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1992-1994, tensions boiled over and exploded into large-scale military action for control over the enclave and seven adjacent territories after Azerbaijan lost control of them. Talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement have been ongoing since 1992 under the OSCE Minsk Group, led by its three co-chairs – Russia, France, and the United States.

Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27, 2020, with intense battles raging in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. On November 9, 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on a complete ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh. Under the document, the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides stopped at the positions that they had held and Russian peacekeepers were deployed along the engagement line in Nagorno-Karabakh and along the Lachin corridor that connects Armenia with the enclave to exercise control of the ceasefire observance. Apart from that, a number of districts came over to Baku’s control.

Several months later, on January 11, the three leaders met in Moscow and reached an agreement on unblocking regional communications. Following this agreement, a working group at the level of deputy prime ministers was set up.

Putin, Aliyev and Pashinyan met again in Sochi on November 26. The talks were timed to mark the anniversary of their ceasefire statement. The three leaders agreed to take steps to enhance stability and security at the Azerbaijani-Armenian border. They also agreed that a bilateral commission on the delimitation and demarcation of the state border should be set by Azerbaijan and Armenia. Russia will provide consultancy on the sides’ request.

Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 20-12-21

Anna Tamamian

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 17:37,

YEREVAN, 20 DECEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 20 December, USD exchange rate down by 0.58 drams to 480.61 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 4.17 drams to 541.02 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.06 drams to 6.47 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 6.97 drams to 633.78 drams.

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

Gold price up by 151.93 drams to 27932.52 drams. Silver price up by 6.85 drams to 349.91 drams. Platinum price up by 59.92 drams to 14447.59 drams.

Armenia government to pay salaries and benefits of employees of Nairit Factory

Anna Tamamian
News.am, Armenia
Dec 16 2021
21:25, 16.12.2021

During today’s session, the Armenian government made redistribution in the state budget, amendments and supplements to one of its previously adopted decisions and allocated AMD 237,862,400 to the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Armenia.

As a result, the salaries of the employees of Nairit Factory CJSC and the unpaid benefits for 18 employees will be paid.

Azerbaijani press: Dangerous to fully trust accuracy of minefield maps provided by Armenia – Azerbaijani president’s special representative

Anna Tamamian
9 December 2021 15:10 (UTC+04:00)
511

By Trend

It is dangerous to fully trust the accuracy of the minefield maps provided to Azerbaijan by Armenia, Emin Huseynov, the special representative of the President of Azerbaijan in the liberated territories [which were liberated from Armenian occupation during the 2020 second Karabakh war] within the Karabakh economic region, said in an interview with Xalq gazeti newspaper, Trend reports on Dec. 9.

“Only a year passed after the liberation of the city of Aghdam from occupation, but we managed to build a power line to the city. The territory along which the contact line passed was literally stuffed with unexploded ordnance, anti-personnel and anti-tank mines. It was very difficult to clear the territory,” he said.

“There are many defensive fortifications and ramparts. Therefore, it is difficult to use special vehicles for mine clearance. These territories are mostly cleared of mines manually. Finally, a 20-meter-wide corridor was recently opened on the former contact line, thanks to which Azerenerji OJSC was able to build a power line from the village of Khindyrystan to Aghdam-1 substation. Power supply to Aghdam is provided, but the danger still remains,” he said.

Asbarez: Moscow ‘Refrains’ from Addressing Aliyev’s War Threats

Anna Tamamian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 December 9, 2021

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

The Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Armenia’s strategic ally, Russia, has refrained from addressing Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s most recent threat of war against Armenia, when he said earlier this week that his country will force the opening of the so-called “Zangezur Corridor.”

“Moscow’s principled position is that we proceed from the need to refrain from making statements and taking actions that may handicap the implementation of the trilateral agreements at the highest level and, of course, statements and actions that may lead to escalation of the conflict,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told a press briefing on Wednesday.

“I believe it would be better to stick to the issue, not political statements,” added Zakharova.

“As a mediator, Russia is doing everything it can to stabilize the situation…You know our principled approaches…We are doing everything we can to make sure the agreements are implemented, and the situation…it can never be guaranteed since we are dealing with an old conflict, but, either way, we are doing everything we can to make sure the situation in the region doesn’t worsen,” she added.

“We consider the continuation of constant contacts between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan important. We hope the heads of both states reaffirm their commitment to implementing all the trilateral agreements following the meeting scheduled to take place on Dec. 15 in Brussels. We hope the support to the efforts of the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group is reaffirmed…In this stage, the activities of the Co-Chairs are focused on the solutions to the priority humanitarian issues,” Zakharova explained.

Zakharova also didn’t address the killing last week of an Artsakh resident by Azerbaijani forces. Seyran Sargsyan, 65, had wandered into territory currently under control of Azerbaijan near the Tchartar village in Artsakh Martuni district while shepherding his cattle. He was caught by Azerbaijani forces who beat and killed him.