TASS reports that Patrushev particularly said:
“After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States and its satellites deployed a network of biolaboratories in the territory of the former Soviet republics – in Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Armenia, where, under the guise of scientific research, they conduct military biological activities.”
Mediamax reminds that in May 2021 Armenia and Russia signed Memorandum of Understanding on Ensuring Biological Safety.
Support Our Heroes – Armenia NGO took to Facebook on Wednesday to pay tribute to its founding member, Sona Mnatsakanyan, 29, who was killed after reportedly being hit by a car of Nikol Pashinyan’s convoy on Tuesday.
“It is with great sorrow that we mourn the loss of our beloved Sona and her unborn child. Sona Mnatsakanyan was a founding member of Support Our Heroes and the leader of the Artsakh Tever IT Center project group within SOH. Sona will always remain in our hearts as an exemplary patriot and a dear friend with great human values. Our condolences to Sona’s family, loved ones, friends…” the organization said.
ArmInfo.Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I has addressed congratulatory message to Emmanuel Macron on the occasion of his re-election as President of France.
In his message, Aram I highly appreciated Mr Macron’s support for the Armenian people and Armenian Cause and called on France to continue supporting Artsakh’s independence and Armenia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
In the context of contemporary concerns, Aram I emphasized France’s decisive role in the present-day geopolitical developments and as a symbol of justice, diversity and human rights in Europe, Middle East and Caucasus.
Aram I also emphasized France’s vital role for Lebanon and expressed hope that Lebanon will remain among President Macron’s priorities, especially in the present critical period of its history.
ArmInfo. The statement by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is evidence of the combined efforts of the United States and European Union to force Russia out of Artsakh first and later of the entire South Caucasus, David Stepanyan, associate member, Armenian Institute of International and Security Affairs (AIISA), said in an interview with ArmInfo.
“This statement by Mr Blinken, as well as his telephone talks with Armenia’s Premier Nikol Pashinyan and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev before the Brussels meeting, are evidence of not only indirect – through the EU – but also direct involvement of the United States in, let us say, the post-Minsk process of settlement of the Artsakh problem. And we can be sure of the USA’s presence, albeit invisible, at the Michel-Pashinyan-Aliyev meeting in Brussels on April 6, 2022,” he said.
In his remarks at the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee session, Secretary Blinken said the United States supports a long-term political settlement with regard to Nagorno Karabakh.
“I have been very actively in directly engaged with leadership in both Armenia and Azerbaijan including just as recently as a week ago phone calls with Prime Minister Pashinyan and with President Aliyev, as well as their foreign ministers, trying to help advance prospects for a long-term political settlement with regard to Nagorno Karabakh”, Blinken said. “We have been developing and promoting various confidence- building measures. We have been trying to push back on any unilateral actions particularly by Azerbaijan that would only inflame the situation and we have a number of programs in place that are part of the budget to try to help advance more peaceful prospects”.
After the geopolitical confrontation over Ukraine entered an active phase, the trilateral OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship has transformed into two separate, even rivaling, processes. And intense rivalry of the United States and France with Russia is an accomplished fact. However, neither the USA nor France or Russia is not going to officially dissolve the OSCE Minsk Group in the foreseeable future, primarily due to the fact that it is as OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs that they are internationally mandated to mediate between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
“I would like to emphasize the part of Mr Blinken’s statement saying that the USA has ‘been trying to push back on any unilateral actions particularly by Azerbaijan.’ I think that part of the statement is addressed to Moscow rather than to Baku. And it is not without reasons that the United States believes that Russia, along with Turkey, is actually provoking Azerbaijan’s excessive bellicosity as a means of keeping a tight rein on Armenia and preventing it from making any steps toward the West,” Mr Stepanyan said.
In other words, the USA’s statements are a means of curbing the present and preventing further militant tendencies by President Ilham Aliyev thereby stripping its principal rival, Russia, of one of the means of influencing Armenia and, therefore, the settlement process.
“Of course, it is being done primarily in the national interests of the United States, which is seeking to project the current situation in Ukraine to the South Caucasus and force Russia to leave the other side of the Caucasian Range,” Mr Stepanyan said.
16:51,
YEREVAN, APRIL 26, ARMENPRESS. On April 26, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh David Babayan met with heads of parliamentary factions in the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh, the Artsakh Foreign Ministry said in a news release.
A wide range of issues related to the recent regional developments, the settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict and the foreign policy of Artsakh were discussed.
David Babayan stressed that the priority issues of the foreign policy agenda of Artsakh remained unchanged; the international recognition of the independence of Artsakh, comprehensive settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict with the full-fledged participation of official Stepanakert, as well as the expansion and consolidation of bilateral relations and preservation of the status of Artsakh as a geopolitical actor.
The Minister noted the importance of maintaining the Armenia-Artsakh-Diaspora trinity and the perception of Artsakh as a supreme value by the Armenian people in the context of providing effective solutions to the aforementioned issues.
Minister Babayan also highly appreciated the role of parliamentary diplomacy as an effective means of achieving foreign policy goals.
19:28,
YEREVAN, APRIL 25, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan chaired a consultation at the Government, during which the state program for the development of education in Armenia until 2030 was discussed, which was amended based on the results of the previous consultation, as well as the main provisions of the draft law on “Higher Education and Science”, ARMENPRESS was infomred from the Office of the Prime Minister.
In particular, reference was made to the changes made in the above-mentioned state program as a result of amendments, the vision and goals of the program. The officials stressed that the main goal of the program is to provide a competitive education that meets international standards.
It was noted that the program was developed in cooperation with international partners.
In the context of presenting the main provisions of the draft law on “Higher Education and Science”, the provision of quality education by the universities, their compliance with the clear standards to be still defined, and the consistent solution of the existing problems in the university system were emphasized.
A number of issues related to the licensing and accreditation processes of the universities, the future activity of the departmental universities, the training of qualified personnel meeting the professional requirements of the labor market, the development of a new complete list of professions were touched upon. Various suggestions and observations were presented, around which an exchange of views took place.
Prime Minister Pashinyan specially emphasized the implementation of consistent work aimed at improving the quality of education, noting that a person should be able to satisfy the needs based on the education he received. “A person should be endowed with knowledge and skills from childhood, so that he can build a dignified life in his own country. We must rule out a situation in which any student with progress is dismissed from the university due to financial problems,” said the Prime Minister, considering it necessary to have a clear plan of development measures for universities, which will solve the existing problems in a targeted way and will foster the development of the higer education system. At the same time, the head of the government attached importance to the existence of a research component in the universities, the link between science and higher education. “The future of our country depends on the development of education, it is of strategic importance for us,” said the Prime Minister, considering it necessary to continue the discussions on the state program for the development of education until 2030 and draft law on “Higher Education and Science” for finalising them.
Catholicos Aram I of the Great House of Cilicia and the Shnorhali Choir are singing “Hayer Miatsek” (Unite Armenians) by Gusan Haykazun (Armenian composer and songwriter Gagik Nazaryan) in a video shared by Cilicia TV.
15:20,
YEREVAN, APRIL 25, ARMENPRESS. President of Uruguay Luis Lacalle Pou criticized Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu for making the Grey Wolves ultranationalist organization’s salute towards Armenians in Montevideo.
“It is very unfortunate that the Turkish foreign minister showed the Turkish ultra-nationalist Grey Wolves salute to a group of Armenians in Montevideo. Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu’s conduct must be strongly critisized. The Armenian community is hurt, and they are right,” the Urugayan president said, noting that advancing ties in commercial matters doesn’t mean that they agree with the other side’s domestic or foreign policy.
During a visit to Uruguay for the opening of the Turkish embassy , Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu mocked demonstrators in Montevideo who gathered to demand recognition of the Armenian Genocide on the eve of the Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.
A video posted on Twitter shows how demonstrators were shouting “asesino” – meaning murderer in Spanish, when Cavusoglu exited the building and was about to be driven away. Then, Cavusoglu is seen smiling and making the gesture of the ultranationalist Turkish Grey Wolves organization, taunting the demonstrators.
The gesture used by the Turkish ultra-nationalists was banned in Austria in 2019. In Germany, the Christian Democratic Union of Germany and the Left party also proposed to ban the use of the symbol, describing it as fascist.
17:22,
YEREVAN, 25 APRIL, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 25 April, USD exchange rate down by 0.76 drams to 466.52 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 4.83 drams to 500.53 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.02 drams to 6.38 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 10.22 drams to 592.95 drams.
The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.
Gold price down by 79.74 drams to 29121.24 drams. Silver price down by 5.10 drams to 365.15 drams. Platinum price stood at 16414.1 drams.
Monday,
Armenian Opposition Gears Up For ‘Big Rally’
• Gayane Saribekian
• Robert Zargarian
Armenia - Opposition members and supporters led by deputy parliament speaker
Ishkhan Saghatelian (center) march through Yerevan, .
Armenia’s leading opposition alliances began on Monday coordinated small-scale
demonstrations in Yerevan in preparation for mass protests aimed at toppling
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.
Senior members of the Hayastan alliance again pledged to thwart what they say
are sweeping concessions to Azerbaijan planned by Pashinian as they led several
hundred supporters on an “awareness march” through the city’s northern Arabkir
district.
Earlier in the day, a group of Hayastan activists blocked Arabkir’s main
thoroughfare, Komitas Avenue, before being detained by riot police.
Several others headed to Yerevan on foot from Pashinian’s hometown, Ijevan. The
opposition bloc headed by former President Robert Kocharian promised similar
marches to the Armenian capital from three other parts of the country.
“Every day we will be organizing various protests, marches and demonstrations in
Yerevan,” Hayastan’s Ishkhan Saghatelian told reporters.
“Our goal is to get our people all over Armenia to rise up over the next five
days,” he said, adding that the opposition has scheduled its first “big rally”
for Sunday.
“We have come out for a decisive fight,” said Anna Grigorian, another lawmaker
representing the bloc. She charged that Pashinian and his political team are
“ready to see Karabakh as a part of Azerbaijan.”
Meanwhile, Artur Vanetsian, a leader of the Pativ Unem alliance, led a similar
march through the city center. Vanetsian and a group of his loyalists had begun
a nonstop sit-in in Liberty Square on April 17.
Armenia - Opposition leader Artur Vanetsian (right) and his supporters protest
in Yerevan, .
Vanetsian said on Monday morning that he has succeeded in attracting public
attention and that the opposition can now switch to the “second phase” of its
“decentralized” campaign.
Pativ Unem and Hayastan jointly rallied thousands of supporters in Liberty
Square on April 5 to warn Pashinian against agreeing to restore Azerbaijan’s
control over Nagorno-Karabakh. The prime minister met with Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev in Brussels the following day for talks hosted by European Council
President Charles Michel.
Speaking in the parliament on April 13, Pashinian said the international
community is pressing Armenia to scale back its demands on Karabakh’s status and
recognize Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. He signaled Yerevan’s intention to
make such concessions to Baku.
Some pro-government lawmakers insisted afterwards that Pashinian did not call
for the restoration of Azerbaijani control of Karabakh.
Karabakh Leader ‘Reassured’ By Pashinian
Armenia - Prime Minsiter Nikol Pashian meets with Karabakh President Arayik
Harutyunian, Yerevan, July 9, 2021
Nagorno-Karabakh’s leader said on Monday Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has
assured him that Armenia will not back any agreements on the territory’s status
unacceptable to the Karabakh Armenians.
Addressing the Armenian parliament on April 13, Pashinian said that the
international community is pressing Armenia to “lower a bit the bar on the
question of Nagorno-Karabakh’s status” and recognize Azerbaijan’s territorial
integrity. He signaled Yerevan’s intention to make such concessions to Baku.
The speech welcomed by the United States and the European Union stoked Armenian
opposition allegations that Pashinian has agreed to Azerbaijani control over
Karabakh.
Karabakh’s ethnic Armenian leadership openly deplored it. In a resolution
unanimously approved by its members, the Karabakh parliament demanded that the
Armenian authorities “abandon their current disastrous position.”
Arayik Harutiunian, the Karabakh president, again commented on the issue at a
meeting with other officials in Stepanakert. Harutiunian was quoted by his press
office as telling them that “no document on the status of Artsakh (Karabakh) is
being discussed at this stage.”
He announced a “clear agreement with the prime minister of Armenia to the effect
that in case of any discussion on the future status of Artsakh at the
international level the position of the Armenian side must be agreed with the
opinion of the Republic of Artsakh’s authorities and people.”
Pashinian insisted on Friday that his administration has no plans to “surrender”
Karabakh through a peace deal with Azerbaijan. But he again did not specify
Karabakh’s status acceptable to Yerevan in the current circumstances. He
attacked his political opponents instead, saying that a tougher line advocated
by them would lead to another war with Azerbaijan and a complete loss of
Karabakh.
Armenia Plans New Nuclear Plant
• Sargis Harutyunyan
Armenia - A general view of the Metsamor nuclear plant, 12May2011.
Armenia has revived plans to build a new nuclear plant and is already
cooperating with Russia for that purpose, a senior Armenian official said on
Monday.
Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures Hakob
Vartanian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that a joint task force formed by the
Armenian and Russian governments will explore ways of implementing the ambitious
project.
“The working group has already held the first meeting,” he said. “Right now we
are working on a feasibility study, and yes, we are going to build a new
[nuclear] energy block.”
Roughly 40 percent of Armenia’s electricity is currently generated by the
nuclear power station at Metsamor. Its sole functioning reactor went into
service in 1980 and was due to be decommissioned by 2017. Armenia’s former
government decided to extend the life of the 420-megawatt reactor after failing
to attract billions of dollars in funding for the construction of a new and
safer nuclear facility.
In 2015, the Russian government provided Yerevan with a $270 million loan and a
$30 million grant for major safety upgrades at Metsamor. Russian and Armenian
specialists essentially completed the modernization last year. Armenian
officials say the Soviet-built plant located 35 kilometers west of Yerevan is
safe enough to operate until 2036.
Vartanian indicated that the new plant would be built in time for the planned
decommissioning of the Metsamor reactor. He said the cost of the project depends
on the plant’s design capacity which is due to be recommended by the
Russian-Armenian task force.
The Russian side, the official went on, has already floated the idea of building
multiple and smaller reactors in Armenia.
“But I’m not sure that we will opt for building small modular energy blocks,” he
said, arguing that small reactors are not necessarily more cost-effective than
large ones.
Armenia, Azerbaijan To Start Talks On Border Demarcation
• Naira Nalbandian
ARMENIA -- Azerbaijani (L) and Armenian checkpoints at the Sotk gold mine on the
Armenian-Azerbaijani border, Gegharkunik province, June 18, 2021
Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to start negotiations on delimiting and
demarcating their long border, the Armenian Foreign Ministry announced on Monday.
The ministry said Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and his Azerbaijani
counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov reached the agreement in what was their second phone
call in two weeks. The two sides will soon hold a “meeting regarding the
commission” on border demarcation, it said without giving any dates.
According to the ministry’s readout of the phone call, Mirzoyan and Bayramov
also discussed preparations for separate negotiations on an Armenian-Azerbaijani
peace treaty.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said, meanwhile, that he has already
appointed Azerbaijani negotiators two will discuss the treaty and border
demarcation with their Armenian counterparts.
It was not clear whether Yerevan has also named members of its two negotiating
teams. The Armenian government could not be reached for comment.
Aliyev and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian first agreed to form such a commission
during their trilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin last
November. However, it was not set up in the following months not least because
of confidence-building measures demanded by Yerevan.
Aliyev and Pashinian pledged to form the commission before the end of this month
during their April 6 talks in Brussels hosted by European Council President
Charles Michel. The latter said they also plan to “move rapidly” towards
negotiating the peace treaty.
Russian responded by accusing the European Union and the United States of trying
to hijack Russian efforts to broker peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan as part
of the ongoing geopolitical standoff over Ukraine.
In a joint declaration issued after their April 19 talks, Pashinian and Russian
President Vladimir Putin reaffirmed Moscow’s key role in the peace process. They
said they will speed up the planned creation of the border demarcation
commission.
“We are ready to provide advisory assistance to the bilateral Commission on
border delimitation, to provide the necessary cartographic materials,” a senior
Russian Foreign Ministry, Denis Gonchar, told the RIA Novosti news agency in an
interview published on Monday.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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