Armenian violinist Astrid Poghosyan gave herself a sparkling Chinese name-"Xingxing," which means "star." She came to Shanghai at the age of 16, completed her studies there, and began to work at the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. The young violinist believes that music can transcend language barriers and foster cultural exchanges. Stay tuned to "CGTN The Stage" to explore the charm of multicultural dialogue with music stars like Xingxing!
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to recognise their territorial borders, RIA Novosti reports.
"I want to confirm that Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed on the mutual recognition of each other's territorial integrity, and on this basis, we can say that we are moving quite well towards the settlement of our relations,” he said.
The prime minister of Armenia also set out a hope for a constructive dialogue between Baku and Stepanakert (the capital of the unrecognised Nagorno Karabakh Republic — ed.) to ensure the rights and security of Nagorno Karabakh residents within the framework of the international mechanism.
There are serious prerequisites for the relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia to improve and normalise as long as the countries officially agree to recognise each other's territorial integrity, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said at a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council.
According to Aliyev, Azerbaijan has no territorial claims against Armenia today. Therefore, the two countries may sign a peace treaty.
"There is an opportunity to reach a peace agreement, given that Armenia has recognised Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan,” the president said.
On April 18, Pashinyan announced that Armenia would recognise the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan within the borders of the Soviet era. During his report to the parliament, he said that peace in the region could be possible only if Yerevan could legally acknowledge its territory as 29.8 thousand square kilometres of the Armenian SSR, within the borders of which the republic gained independence in 1991.
Armenian opposition movement accused Pashinyan of giving up on Nagorno Karabakh. The disputed region was part of the Azerbaijan SSR. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was recognised as part of Azerbaijan. After the end of the first Karabakh war in 1994, the region came under Armenia's control. Armenia supported the independence of the self-proclaimed Nagorno Karabakh Republic, but did not legally recognise it as such.
Negotiations on a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan have been going on for several years. In 2020, the Azerbaijani army occupied a number of large cities in the unrecognised republic, including the city of Shushi. In November 2020, the parties, through the mediation of Russia, managed to conclude a ceasefire agreement, and a Russian peacekeeping contingent was deployed on the demarcation line.
The status of Nagorno Karabakh remained unsettled, and the parties repeatedly accused each other of shelling. In January of 2023, Azerbaijan conveyed its proposals to Armenia for a peace agreement and expressed readiness to resume negotiations as soon as possible.
MOSCOW, May 25. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin hopes that agreements "in the interests of economic development" will be reached at a trilateral meeting with Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.
Conditions are in place "providing the basis to believe that relevant agreements, including as regards transport lines, can be reached between Armenia and Azerbaijan," the Russian leader said at the meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council.
"I believe we can discuss all that today at the trilateral meeting. I hope [we] will manage to agree on what is resting – absolutely obviously – in the sphere of economic development for Azerbaijan, for Armenia, and for the entire region," Putin said.
"It seems to me we will have time to discuss all that in the trilateral format," the head of state stressed.
MOSCOW, May 25. /TASS/. The implementation of the agreement on free trade between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) is a priority for Armenia, the republic’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Thursday.
"Considering the high dynamics of development of cooperation with Iran, the commencement of the free trade agreement and the following implementation are a priority for us in the context of real extension of trade cooperation with third countries," he said at a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council. "Further work on such prior and promising negotiating directions as India and Egypt, as well as the development of a comprehensive dialogue on the economic agenda and the deepening of trade and economic cooperation with the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia will speed up the process of integration of the Union into global economy," Pashinyan said.
Armenian PM added that he considers it important to form a collective system of providing food security inside the EAEU. "The necessity of forming a collective system of providing food security has risen sharply by now. I consider the necessity to consolidate EAEU countries’ efforts in this direction obvious," he noted.
MOSCOW, May 25. /TASS/. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday and told him that the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and the Lachin corridor remains tense due to actions by Azerbaijan.
"Regionally, of course, we have a rather tense situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and the Lachin corridor. Contrary to the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020, Azerbaijan illegally blocked the Lachin corridor, which put Nagorno-Karabakh in a humanitarian crisis. The supply of natural gas and electricity to Nagorno-Karabakh is blocked, which has exacerbated the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh," he said.
The Armenian prime minister added that "it’s hard to supply food to Nagorno-Karabakh," and Russian peacekeepers are helping to deal with the issue.
"Unfortunately, the blocking of the Lachin corridor took place in the presence of Russian peacekeepers," he said.
The Arizona State Legislature has affirmed the Republic of Artsakh’s (Nagorno Karabakh) right to self-determination in a proclamation issued by Arizona State House Speaker Ben Toma, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
“We welcome the proclamation from the Speaker of Arizona’s State Assembly recognizing Artsakh’s right to self-determination – an important step towards justice for the Armenians of Artsakh,” remarked ANCA National Board Member Zanku Armenian. “Amid Azerbaijan’s blockade of Artsakh, this demonstration of solidarity is a crucial part of our community’s ongoing efforts to raise awareness of this unfolding humanitarian catastrophe and ensure Azerbaijan is held accountable for its unabated aggression against the Armenian people. This proclamation is a testament to the tireless advocacy of Arizona’s Armenian-American community, and the ANCA looks forward to continuing to work alongside local activists in the state to ensure our community’s voice is heard at every level of government.”
Arizona Armenian community leaders Artur Artenyan and Vartan Arabyan, working in conjunction with the ANCA, spearheaded the legislative effort. The proclamation cites Artsakh as “the indigenous homeland of the Armenian people, and has been a center of Armenian cultural, political and religious life for several millennia.”
It goes on to document Soviet Azerbaijan’s decades of Artsakh oppression and post-independence aggression, “culminating in an assault on Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020 that saw Azerbaijan perpetrate war crimes against the region’s Armenian population, and resulted in Azerbaijan seizing control of 70% of Karabakh’s territory.”
The proclamation salutes the Artsakh Armenians “efforts to exercise the right to self-determination and live free from violence and repression, and by recognizing the government of Artsakh, the international community can help put to rest this century-old conflict.”
Arizona House Speaker Toma then affirms support for the “Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh’s right to self-determination, and its continuing efforts to develop as a free and independent nation, in order to guarantee its citizens those rights inherent in a free and independent society; and be it further, I encourage the United States government to strengthen and solidify our country’s economic and cultural relationship with the Artsakh Republic and its citizens and continue to promote the humanitarian and economic rehabilitation of the region.”
10:24,
YEREVAN, MAY 26, ARMENPRESS. The negotiations process between Armenia and Azerbaijan continues to be a priority for the United States, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a press briefing when asked on the May 25 talks between the two countries in Russia.
“We’re not in the room, as you noted, but this continues to be a priority for us,” Miller told a reporter when asked whether Washington was following the developments in the talks held without its participation. “As you know, the Secretary welcomed the two sides here in Washington several weeks ago. We understand that talks continued after that in Brussels, and we support the talks continuing. As we’ve said, we believe that an agreement is in reach, and we continue to press the two parties to work together to reach an agreement on the issues that remain outstanding,” he added.
Miller said that Secretary of State Antony Blinken “will continue to stay engaged.”
10:58,
YEREVAN, MAY 26, ARMENPRESS. Neuralink, the neurotech startup co-founded by business magnate and investor Elon Musk, announced Thursday it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to conduct its first in-human clinical study.
Neuralink is building a brain implant called the Link, which aims to help patients with severe paralysis control external technologies using only neural signals. This means patients with severe degenerative diseases like ALS could eventually regain their ability to communicate with loved ones by moving cursors and typing with their minds, CNBC reported.
“This is the result of incredible work by the Neuralink team in close collaboration with the FDA and represents an important first step that will one day allow our technology to help many people,” the company tweeted.
11:15,
YEREVAN, MAY 26, ARMENPRESS. May 26 marks the Georgian Independence Day and the country’s Ambassador to Armenia Giorgi Saganelidze hosted a reception on this solemn occasion.
Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan, government officials, cultural figures and foreign ambassadors were in attendance.
Ambassador Saganelidze was wearing Georgian traditional clothing during the event.
In his remarks, the Georgian Ambassador said that on May 26, 1918, Georgia declared independence and the first Social-Democratic state emerged on the world map.
“For more than a century the freedom-loving Georgian people were selflessly fighting against the Imperial regime, and in 1918 we succeeded and returned to the thousand-years practice of independent state. Despite the fact that the first Georgian republic existed only two years and nine months, it achieved much. Georgia was the first state in the region to give the right to vote to both men and women, and five women were elected to the supreme legislative body, one of whom was an Armenian,” the Georgian Ambassador said.
Speaking about the present-day Georgia, the ambassador said that over the course of 32 years of independence the country succeeded and is now in a leading position among 19 countries in the region in the corruption perception index. He said that in 2020 Georgia was ranked number 1 among 23 countries of Europe and Central Asia in the Ease of Doing Business report and is 5th globally in the economic freedom index.
“In this phase we have double-digit economic growth and unemployed dropped in half in the past ten years. The Georgian people’s will has been recorded on the Constitutional level on integrating into the European Union and NATO,” the ambassador said.
Speaking about the Armenian-Georgian friendship, he said that the centuries-old tradition of good-neighborliness, friendship and brotherly relations between Georgians and Armenians is an unprecedented example in world history.
“Numerous Armenian public figures have been displaying their special love for Georgia, including Naghash Hovnatan, Sayat Nova, Shamchi Melko, Khachatur Abovyan, Avetik Isahakyan and, of course, Hovhannes Tumanyan. Many Georgian classical writers have done the same. We are happy to note that the cooperation level in political, cultural, energy, tourism and other sectors is on the historical high today. There’s been an unprecedented growth in trade turnover and soon Georgian and Armenian nationals will be able to cross the border without a passport, only with [IDs], which will further strengthen and deepen the eternal brotherhood of Georgia and Armenia,” Ambassador Giorgi Saganelidze said.
Speaker Alen Simonyan, wishing peace and prosperity to Georgia, said that the two countries know the price of independence very well, which is the entirety of struggle, patriotism, great sacrifice and unity.
Armenia and Georgia are tied with Christian and many other cultural links, he added.
“The huge Armenian-Georgian cultural heritage has a special role in our relations, on which the great Sayat Nova, Hovhannes Tumanyan, Petros Adamyan, Sergey Parajanov and others have had their permanent trace. Our peoples have numerously faced the issue of being absorbed by powerful states, but today, we stand as independent and democratic states. We are going through difficult times now as well. In times of new geopolitical transformations and development of new architecture, we are facing the most serious challenges and we must support each other, unite efforts to withstand them. Together we will succeed in creating strong foundations for regional security, peace and development,” Simonyan said, praising the development of intergovernmental and interparliamentary ties. He noted the frequent meetings taking place between the Armenian and Georgian leaders.
Simonyan concluded his speech by reciting a piece by Tumanyan addressed to Armenians and Georgians. “Look at everything from the heights of friendly love, love that rises, love that thrives, love that unites and warms.”
11:32,
YEREVAN, MAY 26, ARMENPRESS. The Yerevan police force is now also using motorcycles, electric vehicles and Segway personal transporters in addition to its existing means of transportation.
The Patrol Police announced on May 26 that the use of the personal transporters allows officers to swiftly respond to any situation, especially in crowded areas.
[see video]