Author: Christine Harutyunian

 13:15,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 28, ARMENPRESS. Armenian health authorities consider keeping schools closed for another week after the two-week autumn break amid rising COVID-19 infection rates, health minister Anahit Avanesyan told reporters.

Meanwhile, universities have switched to remote learning.  Avanesyan said this will help in suppressing the spread of the virus.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

 11:33,

STEPANAKERT, OCTOBER 27, ARMENPRESS. 37 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Artsakh in the past 24 hours, the ministry of health said today.

169 COVID-19 tests were conducted on October 26.

At the moment, the number of people hospitalized is 145, 18 are in critical condition, 70 in serious condition. The other confirmed cases receive treatment at home.

A 68-year-old patient has died from the disease.

The ministry again urged the citizens to get vaccinated, to follow all the rules to prevent the spread of the virus.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 14:42,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 21, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan received today NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia Javier Colomina Píriz, the foreign ministry said in a news release.

The officials praised the level of the current political dialogue between Armenia and NATO. Ararat Mirzoyan highlighted the implementation of the Individual Partnership Action Plan as an effective tool for the development of the Armenia-NATO cooperation. Mr. Píriz said that Armenia is the reliable partner of the North Atlantic alliance.

The meeting also touched upon the constant engagement of Armenian peacekeeping troops to the international peacekeeping missions. Javier Colomina Píriz thanked for Armenia’s participation to the NATO peacekeeping operations.

International and regional issues were also discussed during the meeting. The FM drew the attention of his guest to the current situation caused by the 2020 aggression launched by Azerbaijan with Turkey’s support against Artsakh. In this context Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized the necessity of the lasting and comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict under the mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship.

The sides also highlighted the importance of keeping the principle of non use of force aimed at settling disputes.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

US Senate Committee on Appropriations recommends $2 million aid to Artsakh

 20:12,

YEREVAN, 19 OCTOBER, ARMENPRESS. The United States Senate Committee on Appropriations released its Fiscal Year 2022 Appropriations Bills today, which includes a recommendation of $2 million in aid to Artsakh, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly).

Specifically, “the Committee recommends up to $2,000,000 for humanitarian demining and UXO clearance activities in areas affected by the 2020 fighting in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, subject to prior consultation with the Committees on Appropriations.”

The report also called “for humanitarian assistance” for those that have been “displaced by the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.”

In addition, the Committee remained “concerned with the protracted conflict,” and requested “the Secretary of State to consult with the Committees on Appropriations prior to obligating assistance made available under title IV of the act for Armenia and Azerbaijan.”

The bill itself restates Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act, which was adopted in 1992 when Congress took a principled stand against Azerbaijani aggression toward the Armenian people. Section 907 states that U.S. funds “may not be provided to the Government of Azerbaijan until the President determines and so reports to the Congress, that the Government of Azerbaijan is taking demonstrable steps to cease all blockades and other offensive uses of force against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.” In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on American soil, a national security waiver was added to Section 907. The exercise of the waiver is valid so long as it “will not undermine or hamper ongoing efforts to negotiate a peaceful settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan or be used for offensive purposes against Armenia.”

The Senate Committee’s action follows the recommendation of $50 million in funding for Armenia and $2 million for Artsakh in the Bill and Report by the House Committee on Appropriations in relation to the Fiscal Year 2022 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations legislation.

“The Assembly welcomes continued U.S. support for the Armenian people. As the House and Senate finalize the Appropriations bills, we urge Congress to allocate robust funding for both Armenia and Artsakh,” said Assembly Congressional Relations Director Mariam Khaloyan.      

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.

 17:08, 14 October, 2021

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 14, ARMENPRESS. The development of common energy resource markets in the territory of the Eurasian Economic Union is a necessary pre-condition for the full utilization of the economic integration potential in the union, from which all member states will benefit in the long-term prospect, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said during the October 14 online meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council.

Pashinyan thanked Belarus for organizing the session and welcomed the presidents of Uzbekistan and Cuba, who participated by virtue of having an observer status.

He expressed hope that disputed issues and development of the future agreement on the matter will be resolved in reasonable timeframes.

Pashinyan noted that eliminating the obstructions for mutual trade in the union is a priority.

“The implementation of existing agreements in this area will strengthen the foundations of the union’s activities, and the absence of obstacles within the union will raise not only mutual trust between member states, but will also increase competitiveness in external markets,” Pashinyan said, stressing that it is necessary to boost efforts for eliminating obstacles, harmonizing productive supply chains, increasing transit potential taking into account the interests of business communities and citizens’ rights of member states.

The Armenian PM expressed certainty that applying and developing digital technologies would contribute to this process.

PM Pashinyan said right now the union must also protect its internal markets from the negative effects related to economic pressure from third countries. “Armenia is ready to closely cooperate in direction of finding ways for developing a common approach in this issue,” he said.

Addressing global challenges, Pashinyan also spoke about climate change, which in his words is impacting also not only the economy but social processes. He called for partnership in developing measures to mitigate climate change consequences, encouraging the restoration of green spaces and adapting low emission-level economies.

In this context he highlighted the Eurasian Economic Commission’s work in the direction of developing an ecologically clean transportation. The Armenian PM asked the commission to jointly intensify the work with member states and involve business communities and scientific circles.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Armenia’s Yereaskh village under day and night shooting by Azerbaijani army

 18:19,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 15, ARMENPRESS. The Offic eof the Human Rights Defender of Armenia issued a statement about Yeraskh village of Armenia’s Ararat Province, which is under regular shootings of the Azerbaijani armed forces. ARMENPRESS reports, the statement runsa s follows,

“Yeraskh village of Ararat province is subjected to regular shootings by the Azerbaijani armed forces, both during the day and night.

Today, on , the village has been subjected to shelling again.

The unruliness of the Azerbaijani servicemen has reached such a level that they set fire through intentional shootings to 8000 stacks of grass belonging to a resident of Yeraskh community. The entire winter stockpile, which the citizen had collected to feed his livestock, has been destroyed.

Moreover, the fire spread destroying the roof of the barn belonging to the citizen. The fire was extinguished only by the timely intervention of the firefighters, saving the remaining part of the roof.

These facts were studied and confirmed by the Human Rights Defender of Armenia through the alarming-calls addressed to the Defender, the collected subjective evidence, and verified data from various sources. The fact of the Azerbaijani shootings in the direction of the positions of the Armenian Armed Forces protecting the population of Armenia was also confirmed by The Ministry of Defense of Armenia.

Taking into consideration that the Azerbaijani positions are located in the immediate vicinity of the village, it is evident to the Azerbaijani servicemen know that their actions are harming the residents of the village, destroying their property, violating their rights to life and property, and are disturbing their life and peace.

The process of creating a demilitarized security zone around the borders of Armenia with Azerbaijan and the removal of the Azerbaijani armed servicemen form the vicinity of the villages and from the roads between the communities of Armenia should start immediately.

The proposal of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia has already been included in an international instrument- in Resolution 2391 (2021) of September 27, 2021 of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). The Human Rights Defender will send relevant reports about this situation to international organizations, to the State bodies of Armenia, and to civil society organizations.

It is evident that the basis of these criminal harassments and the gross violations of human rights is the same: The policy of Armenophobia and enmity, and of ethnic cleansing and genocide of the Azerbaijani authorities. This policy has institutional bases, and until the perpetrators are punished, the violations will not end, and the security of the people will not be guaranteed”.