Author: Edgar Tavakalian

U.S. Secretary of State, Turkish FM address “process of normalization with Armenia”

Edgar Tavakalian

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 09:30, 4 January, 2022

YEREVAN, JANUARY 4, ARMENPRESS. United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken had a phone call with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and discussed, among other issues, the process of normalization with Armenia.

Blinken and Cavusoglu “….. discussed issues related to the Horn of Africa, Turkey’s appointment of a Special Envoy to discuss the process of normalization with Armenia, and opportunities to deepen cooperation bilaterally and as NATO Allies to address areas of mutual concern,” the State Department said in a readout.

Longtime United States senator, former Democratic leader Harry Reid dies at 82

Edgar Tavakalian

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 11:20, 29 December, 2021

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 29, ARMENPRESS. Harry Reid, a former United States Democratic Senate leader who spearheaded epic legislative battles through three decades in Congress, has died at the age of 82, CNN reported citing a statement from his wife Landra Reid.

“I am heartbroken to announce the passing of my husband, former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. He died peacefully this afternoon, surrounded by our family, following a courageous, four-year battle with pancreatic cancer,” she said in a statement Tuesday.

Reid rose from humble beginnings in Searchlight, Nevada, to become the most powerful politician in Nevada history, capping off his political career as the Democratic leader in the Senate, including eight years in the majority.

United States President Joe Biden, who served with Reid in the Senate, called him one of “the all-time great Senate Majority Leaders in our history” in a statement Tuesday.

“He was my leader, my mentor, one of my dearest friends,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said in a statement Tuesday evening. “He’s gone but he will walk by the sides of many of us in the Senate every single day.”

Former United States President Barack Obama released a letter he had written to Reid before his death in lieu of a statement. “I wouldn’t have been president had it not been for your encouragement and support, and I wouldn’t have got most of what I got done without your skill and determination,” Obama wrote.

Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 29-12-21

Edgar Tavakalian

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 17:16,

YEREVAN, 29 DECEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 29 December, USD exchange rate up by 0.52 drams to 478.64 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 1.90 drams to 539.91 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.01 drams to 6.50 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 0.98 drams to 641.95 drams.

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

Gold price up by 30.18 drams to 27779.56 drams. Silver price up by 0.38 drams to 348.78 drams. Platinum price up by 16.23 drams to 14942.36 drams.

Artsakh Armenians’ right to self-determination not subject to reservation and concession – President

Edgar Tavakalian
Public Radio of Armenia
Dec 26 2021
, 16:52

 2 minutes read

The full recognition of the right of the Armenians of Artsakh to self-determination is not subject to reservation and concession, Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan said in a statement.

Therefore, he said, only the authorities of the Artsakh Republic are authorized to speak on behalf of the people of Artsakh.

“The goal of the international recognition of the independence of the Artsakh Republic is our main guideline, no government can afford to deviate from it. Therefore, the people and the authorities of Artsakh will never and in any way accept any status within Azerbaijan until our goal is achieved,” the President said.

He added that there can be no return to the past, not only in terms of status, but also in terms of demographics. “What kind of coexistence can we talk about, if Azerbaijan continues to feed its society with Armenophobia, to prepare it not for peace but for eviction of Armenians from Artsakh? Of course, we are in favor of a peaceful settlement of the conflict, we are ready to make efforts in that direction, but the vital rights, interests and demands of our people are not negotiable,” the President stated.

“The territorial integrity of the Artsakh Republic must be restored at least in the territories where the Republic of Artsakh was proclaimed in 1991. Therefore, our occupied territories must be de-occupied; our compatriots must be able to return to their homes,” he added.

“As for the security of Artsakh, we will continue our efforts to strengthen the capabilities of the Defense Army, and the Russian peacekeeping troops must remain in Artsakh permanently and indefinitely until the final and just settlement of the conflict and the provision of additional international security guarantees,” Arayik Harutyunyan added.

Without referring to the details of the negotiation process in the past, he stated that “now the moment is much more responsible and decisive than ever. Therefore, we have no right to make mistakes, otherwise those mistakes can be fatal for Artsakh and Mother Armenia.”

“If any Armenian wants to support Artsakh, he must take into account the will and goals of the Armenians of Artsakh, otherwise he should simply not interfere,” President Harutyunyan added.

“All authorities are temporary, but our goals and positions must be maintained firmly and unshakably. Unity around our national values and goals is important, and, as I mentioned, the guideline of every Armenian and the government in the settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict must be the will and goals of the Armenians of Artsakh,” he added.

“Artsakh has been Armenian for thousands of years and will remain Armenian, the Armenians of Artsakh have enough will and strategic patience to continue that struggle. Regardless of anyone’s will and opinion, I am confident that the Armenians of Artsakh will continue their just struggle for the international recognition of Artsakh’s independence and the defense of the Homeland,” Arayik Harutyunyan concluded.

Yerevan mayor: Efforts being made to make Civil Contract party sole bearer of ‘values of revolution’

Edgar Tavakalian
Panorama, Armenia
Dec 22 2021

Yerevan Mayor Hayk Marutyan believes the initiators of the vote of no-confidence in him are trying to privatize the “revolution” and present the ruling Civil Contract party as the “sole bearer and heir” of the revolutionary values.

Speaking at a special meeting of the Yerevan City Council on Wednesday, Marutyan said the impeachment process against him is based on the claims he quitted the Civil Contract party and the My Step faction of the municipal council. He stated that he has left the party, but not the faction.

“I remain a member of the My Step faction; those claims are false. By referring to the Civil Contract party in their arguments, these people are trying to privatize the revolution and to make Civil Contract the sole bearer and heir of the values of revolution, which is unacceptable for me and thousands of others, who are non-partisan like me and who carried out a revolution to build a better Armenia,” he said.

“Moreover, Civil Contract members went even further, saying that those who are not from the party are against the revolution and support counter-revolutionary forces. This is unacceptable and offensive,” Marutyan stated.

Also, he pointed to the lack of strong grounds for the motion of no-confidence in him.

“For instance, it could be related to an embezzlement of large funds from the budget or a horrific crime. As it became clear from the speeches, there’s nothing like that,” Marutyan said.

He noted that the reason for the impeachment process cited by the My Step members is quite different. “As the initiators said, since I left the Civil Contract party, I have to leave this position as well,” he said.

Love Nature 4K launches on Uсom in Armenia

Edgar Tavakalian
Dec 23 2021
Details
Faye Sutton
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Wildlife TV channel Love Nature 4K is now available for subscribers of the Uсom on-demand service in Armenia.

In Russia and the CIS countries, the channel is distributed by THEMA RUS, a Canal + International group company.

Natalya Kabikova, managing director of THEMA RUS, commented: “We are very pleased that the high-definition format is gaining popularity not only among Russian operators, but also among our partners in CIS. Winter is a great time to discover the fascinating educational content of Love Nature 4K, and we wish the viewers pleasure in watching the channel’s programmes.”

Ucom CEO Ara Khachatryan added: “At Ucom we try every day to anticipate the wishes and demands of our subscribers. This time, we were the first to make Love Nature 4K channel available in Armenia, and this deal became possible thanks to the co-operation with THEMA RUS. I am sure that this channel will delight viewers with its programmes about wildlife, as well as vivid images in stunning quality.”

In January, Love Nature 4K will premiere the programme A Wild Year on Earth. It looks at how animals around the globe navigate the changing seasons, with spectacular migrations, rebirths, and transformations as the planet’s patterns become less predictable.

https://www.rapidtvnews.com/2021122361798/love-nature-4k-launches-on-u-om-in-armenia.html#axzz7FtfjDM2J

French presidential candidate visits Karabakh

Edgar Tavakalian
PanArmenian, Armenia
Dec 23 2021
– 14:04 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – French presidential candidate from the conservative party Valerie Pécressehas visited to Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), journalist Julien Neny reveals on Twitter.

“Valerie Pécresse traveled to Nagorno-Karabakh. She met with local political representatives. For security reasons, the trip was not covered by most French media in Armenia, including France TV,” he wrote.

Pécresse is the second French presidential hopeful to arrive in Armenia ahead of national election in 2022. Eric Zemmour too launched his campaign with a trip to the country.

COVID-19: Armenia to acquire 200,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine

Edgar Tavakalian

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 12:23,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. The government of Armenia provided 1,2 billion drams for the purchase of Pfizer vaccine against COVID-19.

During today’s Cabinet meeting Minister of Healthcare Anahit Avanesyan said that there has been quite a long and checking process for acquiring the Pfizer vaccine.

“All these processes have been completed. Today the government provided funds for the purchase of 200,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine. We also have promises for donation and expect that in addition to these 200,000 doses, we will get new batches as a donation”, the minister said.

Arayik Harutyunyan takes part in the "Ethics and Innovation" ministerial round-table discussion

Edgar Tavakalian

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 19:10,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. Arayik Harutyunyan, the Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister, took part on December 14 in the “Ethics and Innovation” ministerial round-table discussion of the Eastern Partnership and Western Balkans countries, launched within the framework of the Global Summit of the Open Government Partnership (OGP). As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister, issues related to the challenges of the pandemic and escalations were discussed during the event. How do countries cope with them and what reform agenda do they envisage in their OGP national action plans?

The round-table was attended by high-ranking representatives of Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, North Macedonia, Serbia, Ukraine, Montenegro, as well as representatives of the OGP, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the European Commission, the Eastern Partnership and other civil society initiatives.




Wife of president of Armenia visits National Museum of Qatar

Edgar Tavakalian
Dec 8 2021
Published: 08 Dec 2021 – 06:49 | Last Updated: 08 Dec 2021 – 06:54

Doha:  Nouneh Sarkissian, wife of HE the President of the Republic of Armenia, visited today the National Museum of Qatar.

Her Excellency toured the museum’s halls and reviewed the various galleries that include the beginnings of the geological development of Qatar Peninsula, its natural environments, monuments and rock inscriptions in archaeological sites, the life of the people of Qatar on land and coasts, and the digital exhibition.

Her Excellency was also briefed on the most important pieces and collectibles related to pearls and jewelry design, in addition to the galleries of modern Qatari history since the discovery of oil and gas.

CEO of the National Museum of Qatar Ahmad Musa Al Namla welcomed HE the wife of the Armenian President and briefed Her Excellency on the museum’s galleries and collections.