Spokesperson of the President of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Vahram Poghosyan posted the following on his Facebook page:
President Arayik Haroutyunyan on Saturday visited the 3,274-meter high Mount Gomshasar, the highest fighting position of Artsakh (and perhaps the world).
The head of state carried out combat duty with the border guards all night and personally followed the operative situation in that sector of the border.
The President returned from the border minutes ago. The details of the visit will be provided soon. The night was peaceful in the direction of Mount Gomshasar and along the entire length of the Artsakh-Azerbaijan border. The Defense Army continues to be in full control of the situation on ground and in the air.
Glory to the victorious Armenian army!”
RFE/RL Armenian Report – 07/18/2020
Saturday, Pashinian Calls For Safeguards Against Armenian-Azeri Truce Violations Armenia -- Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian speaks at a meeting with Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan (L) and top Armenian army generals, Yerevan, July 18, 2020. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on Saturday called for a new international mechanism to maintain the ceasefire in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone and said Armenia and Azerbaijani should continue peace talks after the latest deadly clashes on their border. Pashinian met with Armenia’s Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan and top army generals to discuss the situation at a volatile border section where at least 16 Azerbaijani and Armenian soldiers were killed in heavy fighting that broke out on July 12. The military authorities in Yerevan and Baku reported no serious ceasefire violations there for the second consecutive day. In his opening remarks at the meeting, Pashinian again blamed Azerbaijan for what was the worst escalation of the Karabakh conflict since 2016, saying that it was sparked by a failed Azerbaijani attempt to seize an Armenian border post. Pashinian noted that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stepped up his “bellicose rhetoric” and threatened to pull out of Karabakh peace talks in the weeks leading up to the flare-up. The Armenian army proved this week that Azerbaijan cannot resolve the long-running conflict militarily, he said. Pashinian also condemned as a “crime against humanity” an Azerbaijani threat to launch a missile attack on Armenia’s Metsamor nuclear power plant. “We all must finally get out of the whirlwind of continuous statements about ceasefire violations and create an international system of credible monitoring of the ceasefire regime,” said the Armenian premier. “Also, the negotiating process within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group presidency should continue, and Azerbaijan should at last adopt a constructive position.” Baku maintains that the Armenian side itself provoked the hostilities by attacking Azerbaijani army positions in the western Tovuz district bordering Armenia’s Tavush province. ARMENIA -- Armenian soldiers take their position on the front line in Tavush region, July 14, 2020 On Thursday, Aliyev again threatened to withdraw from peace talks with Armenia, saying that they have been “meaningless” so far. He said the U.S., Russian and French mediators co-heading the OSCE Minsk Group should do more to make the talks “substantive” in addition to trying to prevent truce violations. In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, the mediators stressed the “importance of returning OSCE monitors to the region as soon as circumstances allow.” Aliyev and Armenia’s former President Serzh Sarkisian reached agreements on bolstering the shaky ceasefire regime during a series of face-to-face meetings held after the April 2016 hostilities in Karabakh. They specifically agreed to allow the OSCE to deploy more field observers in the conflict zone and investigate truce violations occurring there. Baku subsequently refused to implement these safeguards against deadly fighting, however, saying that they could cement the status quo. Pashinian did not clarify whether he now wants to revive Aliyev’s confidence-building agreements with Sarkisian brokered by the mediators. Serious skirmishes along the Tavush-Tovuz section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border appear to have largely ground to a halt on Thursday afternoon. A spokesman for Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry said on Saturday morning that the situation there remains “relatively calm.” An Armenian military spokesman, Artsrun Hovannisian, said Azerbaijani forces “sporadically” fired small arms overnight. He spoke of a lingering “potential” for renewed attacks on Armenian troops deployed in the mountainous area. “If they resort to large-scale provocations they will get an adequate answer,” Hovannisian warned at a news conference. Nagorno-Karabakh -- An official photograph purportedly showing an Azerbaijani military drone shot down by Karabakh Armenian forces, . Meanwhile, Karabakh’s Armenian-backed army claimed to have shot down an Azerbaijani military drone early on Saturday. It released photographs of what it described as an Israeli-made Orbiter-3 drone lying in a field. Hovannisian said that the reported destruction of the unmanned aerial vehicle does not necessarily mean that fighting could also break out soon at the Armenian-Azerbaijani “line of contact” around Karabakh. No major ceasefire violations have been reported from there in recent weeks. Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL Copyright (c) 2020 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc. 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
Artsakh Will Seek Liberation of all Its Territories, Says Foreign Ministry
The Artsakh Foreign Ministry
The authorities of the Republic of Artsakh reaffirmed their determination to advance the liberation all of its territories and the restoration of Artsakh’s territorial integrity, the Artsakh foreign ministry said in an announcement.
On July 4, 1992, the Azerbaijani armed units, with their more superior manpower and military equipment, employing heavy artillery and combat aircraft launched a large-scale offensive in the direction of Martakert town of the Republic of Artsakh. Martakert was completely destroyed, and the Armenian population of the town of about 13 thousand people was forced to leave their homes and become internally displaced persons, finding temporary shelter in the capital city Stepanakert and in various settlements of the Republic of Armenia.
Following the capture of Martakert, the Azerbaijani army continued the offensive, destroying about 80 percent of the region, looting the Armenian settlements and subjecting their population to forcible deportation.
In general, almost half of the territory of the Republic of Artsakh fell under the occupation of Azerbaijan. The republic itself was on the verge of total annihilation. The humanitarian situation was even more catastrophic. By the end of the summer of 1992, more than half of the population of the Republic were refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). The situation was aggravated by the almost complete indifference of specialized international organizations to the fate of Armenian refugees and IDPs who were on the verge of a humanitarian disaster in Artsakh.
However, even in these seemingly hopeless conditions, the people of Artsakh managed to summon its collective will, mobilize its full potential and repel the armed aggression of Azerbaijan.
A year later, on June 27, 1993, the Defense Army of the Republic of Artsakh liberated the town of Martakert. Those who returned to their homeland began the process of restoration and improvement of the war-torn border town, which gained even greater scope after signing the termless trilateral (Azerbaijan, the Republic of Artsakh, and the Republic of Armenia) ceasefire agreement on May 12, 1994.
To this day, some settlements of the Martakert region, part of the Martuni region and the entire Shahumian region, a total of over 1000 square kilometers of the territory of the Republic of Artsakh, are under the Azerbaijani occupation, where the Azerbaijani authorities implement illegal settling and pursue a policy of destroying the traces of presence of the native Armenian population in these territories.
The authorities of the Republic of Artsakh reaffirm their determination to seek the liberation of the territories of Artsakh and the restoration of the territorial integrity of the Republic.
Argentina Embassy in Armenia presents Armenian translation of Cortazar’s "From the Observatory"
MFA Armenia spokesperson comments on Azerbaijani president’s announcements
21:18, 8 July, 2020
YEREVAN, JULY 8, ARMENPRESS. The Armenophobia is the last line of defense of Aliyev’s power, and hiding behind it describes the evolving domestic crisis and desperation in Azerbaijan at its best, spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry of Armenia Anna Naghdalyan said, referring to Ilham Aliyev’s recent announcements in Khatai district, ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Foreign Ministry.
Question: During his visit to Khatai district, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev made a historical excursion about Armenia and the Armenian nation. He also commented on Armenia’s domestic processes, Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, as well as criticized the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship. We would like to ask for your comment on that.
Answer: My colleagues have already issued comments on this issue. I would simply like to add that President Aliyev, who was malicious about the spread of COVID-19 in Armenia a few weeks ago, today has no other words to address his society in lockdown than bringing forward the image of “useful enemy”. The Armenophobia is the last line of defense of Aliyev’s power, and hiding behind it describes the evolving domestic crisis and desperation in Azerbaijan at its best.
It’s ridiculous that Armenia’s domestic processes, human rights and freedoms have been reviewed by a leader of a country where for decades political and economic power has been in the hands of a single family, defined internationally as a repressive regime. It’s noteworthy that Ilham Aliev, with his hostile and racist comments, expresses irresponsible and disrespectful attitude, first of all, towards the statement of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs issued a week ago, which contained concerns about the inflammatory and provocative rhetoric.
As the Prime Minister Pashinyan stated at the recent joint session of the Security Councils of Armenia and Artsakh: “attempts to turn the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict into a long-term Armenian-Azerbaijani enmity within which our peoples will fight on everything – past, present, future and the whole region – is in the interests of neither the Armenian nor the Azerbaijani people.”
Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 08-07-20
17:46, 8 July, 2020
YEREVAN, 8 JULY, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 8 July, USD exchange rate up by 0.62 drams to 485.74 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 0.65 drams to 547.57 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.10 drams to 6.82 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 2.91 drams to 608.34 drams.
The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.
Gold price up by 61.41 drams to 27947.23 drams. Silver price down by 3.30 drams to 281.42 drams. Platinum price up by 63.34 drams to 12962.03 drams.
Lebanese freedoms not immune to Ankara’s encroachment
Azerbaijani press: Korotchenko: Pashinyan is clinging to power, realizing that in case of resignation he will go to jail
- ANALYTICS
What is happening in Armenia is not a political struggle. It is a struggle against the opposition in the most open and obvious form.
The due statement came from Russian political scientist, editor-in-chief of “National Defense” magazine Igor Korotchenko while commenting to News.az on the political persecution of opposition members in Armenia, in particular, the arrest of former “Tsarukyan” faction MP Vanik Asatryan.
He recalled that when Nikol Pashinyan came to power, he proclaimed the need to take into account the opinion of the minority, the opposition and respect for opposition rights.
“But after he became Prime Minister, we see a systematic attack on the fundamental democratic rights and freedoms of Armenian citizens. In fact, there is a usurpation of power and its retention, cleansing of the political field. The deputies from Gagik Tsarukyan’s party are also under this attack. All accusations against him are farfetched and aimed at taking away his business and distributing it among Armenian oligarchic groups loyal to Pashinyan,” Korotchenko said.
The expert is sure that Pashinyan is acting under the logic of the previous Armenian authorities: “What he accused them of, he is doing today himself. In fact, Pashinyan is a typical usurper of power and it has already become obvious for the Armenian society. That’s why there is a consolidation of opposition forces, parties, obviously, some temporary and wide anti-Pashinyan alliance of the opposition will be formed, the purpose of which will be to remove him from power. Pashinyan may resort to a rigid form of suppression of the opposition, which includes the introduction of a state of emergency and the use of army units. In fact, he is clinging to power, realizing that in case of his resignation, he will go to jail, where his political opponents are today.
The expert also stressed that Tsarukyan’s guilt is that he defied Pashinyan by calling things happening in Armenia they way he seeing and that he is not some marginal political figure, but a politician with his party and finances. Therefore, the charges against him are absolutely politicized accusations in the spirit of 1937, the well-known events that took place in Moscow.
Speaking about how the “allied” state in Moscow reacts to these violations, the expert noted that Russia does not interfere in Armenia’s internal affairs, but Pashinyan and his government cause “the Kremlin’s strongest irritation”.
“He is just not an ally to us, but a person connected with the Americans and playing his own political game. Pashinyan has allowed a number of anti-Russian actions. This is the arrest of Robert Kocharian, despite the clearly expressed position of Vladimir Putin not to do this, this is the arrest of the former CSTO Secretary-General, what Pashinyan hit the organization’s reputation with, this is the persecution of Russian business in Armenia, it’s also an attempt to impose unfavorable conditions to Russian companies for gas supplies to Armenia. In a word, Pashinyan is very irritating in Russia, but we do not interfere in Armenia’s internal affairs. And the fate of Pashinyan and his ruling group will be decided by the Armenian people,” summed up the Russian political scientist.
Sarkissian to Trump: Strong partnership between Armenia and US has always been marked by mutual trust
Music: System of a Down’s Serj Tankian Explains His Musical Collaboration With Armenian Prime Minister
In a recent interview with Armenian-born American television personality Araksya Karapetyan, SYSTEM OF A DOWN frontman Serj Tankian spoke about his collaboration with Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan on the song called “Hayastane” (Hayastan is the Armenian name for Armenia). Asked how the track came about, Serj said (see video below): “The [2018 Armenian] Revolution happened, and the new government got in and the new parliament got in. And a couple of months after the Revolution, I brought my family back to Armenia with me, ’cause when I had gone there in early May of 2018, I went alone with a few friends, and then I wanted to take my family back. And I was hanging out with the prime minister, talking to him about different things. And I played him an Armenian song that I had written, which was very sad. It was based on my experiences in 2017 when there was a rigged parliamentary election and I had gone with a number of artist friends as part of an organization we created called Justice Within Armenia. And we were minitors — we were trained to be monitors and go from different voting booths and seeing what was going on. And it was a depressing trip, ’cause I went back home going, ‘Nothing’s changing. Nothing’s going to change. It’s gonna take another 20 years, like everyone thought’ — just in that deep state of not feeling well about things. And I wrote that song. And he listened to it, and he said, ‘You know what? We have so many melancholic songs in our history. A lot of them are melancholic. Let’s write one that’s positive and victorious.’ I’m, like, ‘I’m with you. You write the lyrics, I’ll do the music.’ And we didn’t really talk about it after that; I thought that was that. And then one day he had kind of written this piece, the lyrics that are now to the song ‘Hayastane’. And I saw it actually on Facebook — some kind of thing with the lyrics on it, talking about Armenia. And he had posted it or something like that. And then he sent it to me. And I’m, like, ‘Oh, this is great.’ So I sat down, grabbed my acoustic guitar, worked on it, sent it to him for notes, and we just [went] back and forth with notes until it was done. So we basically co-wrote the song, and it was really fun, it was really cool. So when the COVID thing just started happening, I was in New Zealand; obviously, he is in Armenia. And I hit him up. I said, ‘I think the song is done. Should we make a video and just release it and maybe donate the funds to My Step?’ And he said, ‘What a phenomenal idea. Thank you.’ And that’s what we did.”
According to Serj, at, the My Step Foundation is an “amazing charity that is spearheading many meaningful initiatives within Armenia focusing on public health, education, culture, social welfare, environment along with other sectors in need, including the current crisis surrounding COVID-19.”
Tankian is the grandchild of Armenian Genocide survivors and achieved fame as the frontman of SYSTEM OF A DOWN, which has sold over 40 million records worldwide. While still touring with the hard rock group, Tankian has also recorded success as a solo musician and singer, songwriter, film score composer, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, poet and political activist.