Ex-ombudsman: Right of Artsakh’s indigenous people to self-determination ‘totally ignored’

Panorama
Armenia –

The statement following the trilateral meeting hosted by European Council President Charles Michel with the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders in Brussels on Sunday “totally ignores” the right of Artsakh’s (Nagorno-Karabakh) indigenous Armenian population to self-determination, former Armenian Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan claims.

“The May 23 statement completely ignores the inherent right of Artsakh’s indigenous people to self-determination and Azerbaijan’s genocidal policy against Artsakh,” he wrote on Facebook.

“Armenia’s security is evidently being undermined and there are no guarantees. But what is happening is also the consequence of the Armenian authorities’ consistent efforts to dismiss our fundamental historical theses, starting with the fact that the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan has nothing to do with Artsakh,” Tatoyan said.

The accused the incumbent authorities of legitimizing the unlawful deployment of the Azerbaijani military in Gegharkunik and Syunik Provinces and conceding Armenia’s territorial jurisdiction to Azerbaijan.

“Azerbaijan’s crimes have been and remain hidden from the outside world, the domestic public and the Diaspora,” the ex-ombudsman said.

“In order to hide their own mistakes, not to cause discontent and stay in office, the current leaders put pressure on all those who speak about them.

“They have tied Armenia’s hands in the use of international mechanisms, making the country a victim of geopolitical interests. All this has further untied Azerbaijan’s hands to spread fake news. They have blunted and continue to blunt people’s vigilance,” he stated.

Sports: Caparros unveils Armenian team’s lineup for upcoming Nations League matches

Panorama
Armenia –

Armenia’s national football team is starting to prepare for the upcoming UEFA Nations League matches, the Football Federation of Armenia (FFA) reports.

Head coach Joaquin Caparros has called up the following players:

Goalkeepers

David Yurchenko-FC Alashkert

Arsen Beglaryan-FC Urartu

Stanislav Buchnev-FC Pyunik

Henri Avagyan-SC Noravank

 

Defenders

Varazdat Haroyan-Cádiz CF (Spain)

Hovhannes Hambardzumyan-FC Anorthosis Famagusta (Cyprus)

Kamo Hovhannisyan-FC Astana (Kazakhstan)

Hayk Ishkhanyan-FC Pyunik

Arman Hovhannisyan-FC Pyunik

Taron Voskanyan-FC Alashkert

Hrayr Mkoyan-FC Ararat

Styopa Mkrtchyan-BKMA

Monroy Ararat-FC Noah

Zhirayr Margaryan-FC Urartu

 

Midfielders/Forwards

Solomon Udo-FC Ararat-Armenia

Wbeymar Angulo-FC Ararat-Armenia

Artak Grigoryan-FC Alashkert

Eduard Spertsyan- FC Krasnodar (Russia)

Hovhannes Harutyunyan-FC Pyunik

Rudik Mkrtchyan-FC Ararat

Artak Dashyan-FC Pyunik

Khoren Bayramyan-FC Rostov (Russia)

Edgar Malakyan-FC Ararat

Edgar Babayan-Vejle FC (Denmark)

Tigran Barseghyan-ŠK Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia)

Artur Serobyan-BKMA

Vahan Bichakhchyan-MSK Pogoń Szczecin (Poland)

Lucas Zelarayan-FC Columbus Crew (USA)

Sargis Adamyan-Club Brugge KV (Belgium)

The Armenian national team will hold a training camp in the FFA Technical Center/Football Academy starting from May 29.

The schedule of the Nations League matches is below.

June 4, at 17:00 – Armenia-Republic of Ireland

June 8, at 22:45 – Scotland – Armenia

June 11, at 17:00 – Ukraine – Armenia

June 14, at 20:00 – Armenia – Scotland

Armenia MoD confirms: Year ago Azerbaijani Armed Forces advanced in Vardasar region

NEWS.am
Armenia –

The Armenian Defense Ministry in response to Sputnik Armenia’s request confirmed the fact of another advance of Azerbaijani troops in Syunik – in the area of Mount Vardasar.

“At the beginning of May, we reported that the Azerbaijani Armed Forces or border guards had infiltrated the Armenian territory much to the south – near the height south of the villages Tsav and Nerkin Khand – about a year ago.

The information about the locations of the positions coincides with the former ombudsman Arman Tatoyan’s data. Tatoyan said so on 11 April, after Azerbaijani guards moved into the area of Nerkin Hand in March.

However, when Sputnik Armenia asked, the Defense Ministry said that “there are no Azerbaijani positions on the territories adjacent to the village of Tsav, and there never was any.”

Moreover, when asked if there were other areas of Azerbaijani armed forces intrusion, except for the Vardenis community (Kut, Verin Shorzha and others) in Gegharkunik, Sev lich, Ishkhanasar and Nerkin Hand areas in Syunik, then the Defense Ministry said that “except for the incursions on Armenian territory in the past, no other cases were recorded”.

After examining the satellite maps, on 10 May we decided to send a request to the Defense Ministry again with a satellite picture and indication of the areas of engineering works near Vardasar.

We asked for clarification whether Azerbaijani positions were visible in the photo and (if so, when the incursion took place). The reply was: “Enemy military positions at the points indicated by the arrows were deployed in May-June 2021.

We should note that during the last year there was no official information from the Armenian authorities about an Azerbaijani invasion in this region, as in the case of the Nerkin Hand village area.

https://news.am/eng/news/703482.html

Subway: protesters glued emblems with flag of Artsakh on cars

NEWS.am
Armenia –

Representatives of the Resistance Movement held an action of disobedience on the territory of the Yeritasardakan station of the Yerevan subway.

“This time we will not stop the operation of the subway, as soon as the cars arrive, we will stick emblems with the flag of Artsakh. Remember how yesterday they ripped off the flag of Artsakh from the carriage, well, let them do it now,” Hovhannes Harutyunyan, the founder of the Voice of Youth initiative, said live on his Facebook page.

Young people attached stickers with the flag of Artsakh to the walls of the Yeritasardakan station of the Yerevan subway. The protesters are also chanting “Armenia without Nikol [Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan – ed.].” 

Parliament debates bill on allowing withdrawal of media accreditation by state bodies

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 10:54,

YEREVAN, MAY 24, ARMENPRESS. Parliament debated the bill by the ruling Civil Contract Party seeking to enable state bodies to withdraw the accreditation of journalists in case of violation of rules of accreditation.

State bodies will be entitled to withdraw the accreditation of journalists only if the journalist again violates the rules during 1 year after being warned in a written notification.

Lawmaker Artur Hovhannisyan from Civil Contract said the media outlet which employs the given journalist will be entitled to substitute them.

“I think this change is about maintaining the rules of coexistence in state bodies, about maintaining the normal work of journalists,” Hovhannisyan said.

Hovhannisyan said that some journalists’ conduct during press briefings in parliament is disrupting the course of the briefings and the work of other journalists. At the same time, Hovhannisyan noted the duly work of many other journalists covering the parliament.

Lawmaker Gevorg Papoyan expressed opinion that sometimes the society associates journalism with the conduct of individual journalists. “Therefore, this bill is for the hundreds of truly professional journalists, who shouldn’t think that some individual people can cast a shadow on an entire community with their inappropriate conduct,” he said.

Central Bank approves Warsaw Stock Exchange acquisition of Armenia Securities Exchange (AMX) 65.03%

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 11:34,

YEREVAN, MAY 24, ARMENPRESS. The Board of the Central Bank of Armenia approved the acquisition of the Armenian Securities Exchange (AMX) by the Warsaw Stock Exchange.

According to the agreement, the Warsaw Stock Exchange (GPW) will acquire 65.03% of AMX.

The Armenian Central Bank issued the following press release on the acquisition:

“On its May 24 sitting, the Board of the Central Bank of Armenia gave its consent to the acquisition of the Armenian Stock Exchange by the Warsaw Stock Exchange. According to the agreement, the Warsaw Stock Exchange (GPW) will acquire 65.03% of shares of the Armenian Stock Exchange (AMX) (967 shares in total). The Central Bank of Armenia will maintain 25.02% of shares, and the remaining 9.95% are the AMX’s own shares. The value of the transaction will be about AMD 873 million, a part of which (about AMD 499 million) will be paid after signing the Share Purchase Agreement, and the rest, after completion of processes established by the Share Purchase Agreement.

The GPW announced about its plans to acquire the AMX in September 2020, after which necessary studies were carried out, a development plan for the next five years was developed, and necessary corporate approvals were obtained.

The Board of the Central Bank stresses the importance of the entry of the WFB as an institutional investor into the Armenian financial market, which will give an impetus to the development of Armenian capital market, and will foster integration of Armenian and Polish capital markets, opening new opportunities for both the Armenian companies and the investors.

Development program prepared by the GPW provides for a number of measures aimed at the improvement of capital market infrastructure, including development of the trading system, expansion of the stock exchange and the Central Depository services, as well as introduction of state-of-the-art technological solutions.”

The GPW is the largest and the developed market in Central and Eastern Europe. The GPW organizes trading in stocks, bonds, derivatives, fund shares and other instruments. The GPW is a public company, the shares of which have been listed since 2010 with a capitalization of about 320 million euros.

The AMX is the only operator in the regulated securities market in Armenia, which organizes trading of both securities and other financial instruments. The AMX is the 100% shareholder of the Central Depository of Armenia. 90.05% of the AMX shares belong to the Central Bank of Armenia, and the remaining 9.95% are the AMX’s own shares.

One of the key topics of the Orion Summit 2022 is Mergers & Acquisitions of the Armenian Startup Ecosystem.

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 12:27,

YEREVAN, MAY 24, ARMENPRESS. Five key topics will be discussed during Orion Summit 2022 which will be held on June 22nd. One of the most important  topics in the field is the Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), as a mean of accelerating the growth and maturity of the Armenian startup ecosystem. 

The organizers and partners of the technology summit united around this aim to achieve global impact through M&A, contribute to the growth of Armenia’s GDP, and create a success model for other emerging markets. There are more than 2,500 companies in the Armenian high-potential startup ecosystem, which are a good basis for market consolidation and for the creation of potential “unicorn” companies. Merged or enlarged companies can be more competitive in the global market. 

Arsen Babayan, Director of Engineering at Adobe Yerevan will present about the rapid global growth he has experienced through recent M&A. Adobe is a technological giant with a worldwide brand for consumer software. The company’s most prominent products include Photoshop, Acrobat, and Creative Cloud. Over decades, Adobe has integrated many companies via acquisition which have enhanced Adobe’s portfolio and enabled them to compete in new markets and accelerate digital media and digital marketing businesses. Representatives of other world leading companies will present their observations on M&A; Kamo Karapetyan- Director, Head of Tax Practice for EY Armenia, Diana Arzumanyan-CEO & Co-Founder of Orion Worldwide Innovations Armenia, and many more.  

 

Immediately after the panel discussion, the M&A Fair entitled “Building Bullish Armenian Market” will open. Armenian companies that are members of or collaborating with the BAJ Accelerator program will present their M&A plans. 

 

About Orion:

Orion Worldwide Innovations (“Orion”), is a startup growth and ecosystem acceleration hub and offers a full-service package to make companies investable and enter the US market, enhance their customer acquisition strategies, stay competitive, and protect their innovation. Orion is a U.S.-based company that was formed in 2017, with offices in New York City, U.S., and Yerevan, Armenia. Orion partners with companies and investor networks worldwide.

Bishkek ready to host Eurasian Economic Forum on May 26

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 16:06,

YEREVAN, MAY 24, ARMENPRESS. Around 10 documents on cooperation in different sectors are expected to be signed at the upcoming Eurasian Economic Forum in Kyrgyzstan’s capital of Bishkek, Daniyar Turusbekov, Director of the Protocol and Organizational Support Department at the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC), said during the Bishkek-Yerevan-Minsk-Nur-Sultan meeting today held via videoconferencing. He informed that the first Eurasian Economic Forum is fully ready.

“At this moment we are holding the final rehearsal of the Eurasian Economic Forum under the chairmanship of the Committee President, First Deputy Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Arzibek Kojoshev”, Daniyar Turusbekov said.

He said that organizing this Forum was not an easy work, but noted that Kyrgyzstan in the face of the government and the presidential staff, has made all efforts to make the capital ready for holding the event, hosting the guests and solving other organizational issues. “Therefore, I want to officially announce that Bishkek is ready to host the Eurasian Economic Forum”, he said.

The Forum program includes a plenary session involving the Heads of the EAEU States and the Chairman of the EEC Board, as well as six panel discussions:

  • “Eurasian Integration Strategic Development Prospects in the Time of Global Changes”;
  • “Financial Markets and Development Institutions: Opportunities for Macroeconomic Stability and Growth Points of the EAEU Countries’ Economies”;
  • “Manufacturing Industry and Agriculture as Drivers of the Union’s Economic Growth and Ensuring Economic Security”;
  • “Energy and Transport Infrastructure to Promote Economic Development and Integration”;
  • “EAEU Digital Agenda 2.0”;
  • “New Areas of Interaction in the EAEU”.

Around 2500 people were registered for the participation to the Forum. Among EAEU member states – Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, there are also participants from the countries of South America and South East Asia.

Daniyar Turusbekov said that the first group of the Forum participants will arrive in Bishkek today.

As for the documents to be signed, he said: “I want to note that these documents are of non-commercial nature. It is planned, for instance, to sign a memorandum on cooperation in the field of tourism development. A separate agreement will also be signed by the results of the meeting of the university rectors of the EAEU states. It will be dedicated to creating an inter-university consortium”.

A new agreement will be signed between the Eurasian Economic Commission and the International Union of Non-Governmental Organizations – the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly for 2023-2025.

The Eurasian Economic Forum is being held for the first time within the EAEU. The Forum has been planned to be held in 2020, but it was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Eurasian Economic Forum will launch on May 26.

Armenian PM, US Secretary of State hold phone talk

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 17:32,

YEREVAN, MAY 24, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan held a telephone conversation with United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the PM’s Office said.

The US Secretary of State highly appreciated the efforts of the Armenian government aimed at establishing peace and stability in the region, as well as the process of the democratic reforms in Armenia.

The sides exchanged views on the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the opening of regional communications and the regional security-related issues.

Prime Minister Pashinyan shared his impressions from the trilateral meeting held in Brussels on May 22, stating that overall he assesses the meeting as positive, but notes that unfortunately, interpretations having no connection with the content of the discussions were made after the meeting.

The Secretary of State reaffirmed the US readiness to continue the support to Armenia’s democratic reforms, the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the Armenia-Azerbaijan border demarcation, the opening of regional communications and the establishment of regional stability.

The phone talk also touched upon the current Armenia-Turkey discussions at a level of special envoys.

PM Pashinyan and Secretary Blinken agreed to continue the Armenia-US high level contacts.

Asbarez: As Border Talks Begin, Baku and Yerevan Spar Over ‘Zangezur Corridor’

The Armenia-Azerbaijan border


The deputy prime ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Mher Grigoryan and Shahin Mustafayev met on Tuesday on the border of the two countries to kick off the process of delimitation and demarcation of borders as agreed to during talks in Brussels a day before.

However, the so-called progress that was hailed by President of Council of Europe Charles Michel—who hosted the meeting with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan—seemed short-lived because Aliyev announced that they had reached an agreement on the opening of the so-called “Zangezur Corridor,” a scheme he has hatched to connect mainland Azerbaijan with Nakhichevan through Armenia.

Yerevan has continuously denied such an agreement and has called it an infringement on Armenia’s territorial integrity.

Aliyev reportedly telephoned his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to update him about his meeting with Pashinyan. Aliyev’s press service reported on Tuesday that he told Erdogan that “the parties reached an agreement on the opening of the Zangezur corridor, including the issue of laying both the railroad and the highway.”

Yerevan was quick to deny Aliyev’s statements with Armenia’s National Security Chief Armen Grigoryan telling Armenpress on Tuesday that no road to transport route can operate as a corridor in the territory of Armenia.

“There have been no changes in the positions of the Republic of Armenia. No road or transport route in can operate as a corridor in the territory of Armenia. All agreements reached in Brussels relate to the opening of regional communication,” said Grigoryan. “All agreements reached in Brussels fit in the framework of the public statements made previously by representatives of Armenia.”

Grigoryan explained that a statement released by Michel on Monday delineating the result of the Pashinyan-Aliyev talks specified the opening of regional transport routes and in that context discussed border and custom controls, road tolls and international transit prerequisites.

“These are important issues for realizing the Armenian Crossroads project, and the Government of Armenia will consistently move in this direction,” Grigoryan emphasized.

Reportedly, Aliyev told Erdogan that the meeting with Pashinyan was “positive” and added that the two discussed “the preparation of a peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia, especially the five principles proposed by Baku, the normalization of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, opening of transport corridors, delimitation of borders.”

As announced by the Michel, Mher Grigoryan and Mustafatyev, the deputy prime ministers, voiced their readiness to embark on the border delimitation process and other relevant issues, including border security matters.

Pashinyan and Aliyev on Monday announced the formation of respective commissions, which will be headed by the deputy prime ministers.

In addition to holding meetings at the interstate border, Mher Grigoryan and Mustafatyev agreed on the expediency of different platforms for further meetings of the commissions. Specifically, an agreement was reached to hold the second meeting in Moscow and the third one in Brussels.