17:37,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 28, ARMENPRESS. Russia’s COVID-19 case tally rose by 98,040 over the past day to 11,502,657, TASS reports citing the anti-coronavirus crisis center.
In relative terms, the growth rate reached 0.86%.
As many as 14,046 patients with COVID-19 were hospitalized in Russia in the past day.
Russia recorded 673 COVID-19 deaths over the past day, and the total death toll hit 329,443.
The COVID-19 recoveries rose by 29,506 over the past day, reaching 10,159,197.
The Armenian Ministry of Defense has refuted the reports of the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry claiming that on January 27 units of the Armenian Armed Forces opened fire on the Azerbaijani military positions located in the north-eastern part of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
The Ministry said that on January 27, at around 22:00, several irregular shots were fired by the Azerbaijani side in the mentioned part of the border, to which the Armenian units did not respond.
At the moment, there is a mutual understanding at the highest level regarding the railway, and this is confirmed by the statements. Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan told this to reporters at Yerablur Military Pantheon in Yerevan Friday—on Army Day anniversary—, referring to the matter of unblocking roads in the region.
“I believe this is a very positive progress. At the moment, expert work is being done more. I will additionally inform about our future meetings as a result of that work,” added the deputy PM.
According to Grigoryan, the aforesaid railway is already a constructive work because at this stage, the working group is carrying out work that is very specific and pursues a specific goal.
“It is the construction of a railway in the parts that of the Republic of Armenia,” the deputy premier explained.
The armed forces and servicemen of independent Armenia are the true children of their homeland, who stand out by their courage and bravery. This is noted in a statement posted Friday on the Facebook page of the Russian embassy in Armenia.
“They are the proud continuation of the glorious military traditions of the generation of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War. Without exaggeration, their loyalty and unwavering service are the main guarantee of the country’s peace and prosperity,” the statement also reads.
The Russian embassy added that in a world that is complex, rapidly changing, and full of various challenges, effective cooperation between the Russian and Armenian Armed Forces is an inseparable element of the entire complex of Russian-Armenian allied relations, and that bilateral strategic cooperation in the military sphere plays a key role in protecting the national interests and sovereignty of the two countries.
“Armenia” opposition bloc issued a statement on the 30th anniversary of the formation of the Armenian Armed Forces. “The Armenian Army marks the 30th anniversary of its formation. Its formation was the call of the times: the Army was formed and matured to defend the newly gained independence and statehood, ensuring its security and recording victories,” the message said.
According to it, over the past 3 years the Army has enjoyed the love and respect of all Armenians, strengthening our collective spirit through decency and pride.
“Being the inseparable part of our independent statehood, the Armenian Army is going through many trials, face severe challenges. It is impossible to straighten the hurt back of our state without organised and combat ready army. We believe we are capable to revive the spirit and combat readiness of the army, bring decent peace to our homeland, keep our border indestructible. We are indebted to our heroic soldiers who fell on this land, Armenian mothers and accountable to future generations. We should join national efforts of empowering the Armenian statehood with will and decisiveness,” the message said.
Boys walk on railtracks near Akyaka Train station on January 9, 2022 in Akyaka district of Kars city, eastern Turkey, near the Turkish-Armenian border. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP)
Turkey’s National Security Council (MGK) on Thursday stressed that the relevant actors must take constructive, sincere steps to improve mechanisms to strengthen peace and stability in the South Caucasus, especially Turkey and Armenia.
With normalization efforts between Turkey and Armenia underway, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on Thursday welcomed Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s recent announcement that his country will “most likely” attend this year’s Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF).
Speaking at a joint press conference with his Central African Republic counterpart Sylvie Baipo-Temon, Çavuşoğlu said Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Armenia’s Special Envoy to Turkey Ruben Rubinyan are expected to attend the annual forum.
He noted that the normalization process with Armenia is continuing with “confidence-building steps,” referring to the first round of negotiations held in Moscow with special envoys from both countries. He also mentioned that diplomats from the two countries are in frequent contact.
Çavuşoğlu welcomed Pashinian’s earlier statement on participating in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum and also confirmed Azerbaijan’s participation.
“Both Azerbaijan and Armenia will share their thoughts at the forum. Thus, becoming a part of their confidence-building steps,” he said.
On Tuesday, Pashinian said it would be unreasonable to miss the opportunity for dialogue at the forum.
After a 1 1/2 hour meeting recently in Moscow, the Turkish and Armenian foreign ministries published the same statement hailing the talks and agreeing to “continue negotiations without preconditions.” Turkey aims for their next meeting to be held either in Turkey or Armenia, sources said.
Former Ambassador to the United States Serdar Kılıç was named as the Turkish special envoy on Dec. 15, 2021, to discuss steps toward normalization with neighboring Armenia. Three days later, Armenia appointed its special representative, deputy parliamentary speaker Rubinyan.
Turkey and Armenia have had no diplomatic or commercial ties for three decades, and the talks are the first attempt to restore links since a 2009 peace accord. That deal was never ratified and ties have remained tense.
The neighbors are at odds over various issues, primarily the 1915 incidents and Turkey’s support for Azerbaijan regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Turkey has been putting heavy emphasis on creating enhanced cooperation and integration in the region following the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Turkey and Azerbaijan also closely cooperate within the scope of the Organization of Turkic States and established the 3+3 Caucasus platform, which envisages further integration and cooperation in the region.
Ankara has made frequent calls for a six-nation platform comprising of Turkey, Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia for permanent peace, stability and cooperation in the region, saying it would be a win-win initiative for all regional actors in the Caucasus.
The first meeting took place in Russia, without the participation of Georgia, which announced it would not take part in the next round, expected to take place in Turkey.
The MGK on Thursday also called for the de-escalation of tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
An escalation is not in anyone’s interest, the council, chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said in a statement after meeting at the presidential complex in the capital Ankara.
Russia recently amassed tens of thousands of troops near Ukraine’s eastern border, prompting fears that the Kremlin could be planning another military offensive against its former Soviet neighbor.
Moscow has denied that it is preparing to invade and said its troops are there for exercises.
On Wednesday, Erdoğan reiterated that he is ready to host the leaders of Russia and Ukraine to “pave the way for re-establishing peace” as tensions between the two countries show little sign of diminishing.
“Turkey wants tensions between Russia and Ukraine to be resolved before they turn into a new crisis,” the president said during a televised interview.
Erdoğan also announced that he had invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to Turkey, but the date is yet to be set. The Kremlin later announced that Putin had accepted Erdoğan’s invitation to visit Turkey.
The Russian president will visit Turkey once the pandemic situation and schedules allow it, the Kremlin said.
Turkey has been closely following the developments and is in close contact with both Kyiv and Moscow. Erdoğan had said Turkey could mediate between the neighbors amid increasing tensions in the region and recently announced plans to visit Ukraine in February to help defuse tensions.
NATO member Turkey has friendly ties with both Kyiv and Moscow but opposes Russian policies in Syria and Libya, as well as its annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014.
Kyiv has also bought Turkish drones to possibly use against Russian-backed forces in eastern Ukraine, angering Moscow, and agreed with Ankara to manufacture the drones locally this year.
Meanwhile, both Russia and Ukraine are open to the idea of Turkey playing a role in easing tensions between the two countries, as proposed by Ankara in November, Turkish diplomatic sources said last week.
Turkey is discussing the possibility of hosting the next meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s (OSCE) Minsk Group, during which Ukraine’s eastern Donbass region will be discussed.
10:39,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 27, ARMENPRESS. Fly Arna, Armenia’s national airline and a joint venture company between the Armenian National Interests Fund (ANIF) and Air Arabia Group, announces the appointment of Mr. Antony Price as Chief Executive Officer, the company said in a statement.
Mr. Antony Price brings over 20 years of aviation and tourism experience and has held senior leadership positions with British Airways, Air New Zealand, FlyBMI, and most recently as Head of Flight Supply Strategy for Agoda, part of the Booking.com family of OTA brands. Mr. Price brings strong knowledge and experience from one of Fly Arna’s founding shareholders where he previously held the position of Regional General Manager Europe for Air Arabia Group. Price has an extensive global background driving business growth in the UK, USA, New Zealand, Thailand, North Africa and across Europe.
Built on the knowledge and experience gained from previous roles, he will work closely with all stakeholders to ensure the company achieves growth and enduring value for its customers and shareholders.
With Zvartnots International Airport in Yerevanas its base, ‘Fly Arna’ follows Air Arabia Group’s successful low-cost business model offering comfort, reliability, and value-for-money air travel.
10:58,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 27, ARMENPRESS. Human Rights Academy will be established at the Office of the Ombudsman of Armenia in the upcoming two years, Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan said in a statement on social media.
He informed that the initiative has been proposed by him and will be funded by the European Union.
On January 25 Tatoyan attended the launch of a new international program, which, among other events, also envisages creation of a Human Rights Academy, new divisions of the Office of the Ombudsman in provinces, creation of teenagers and youth councils, introduction of new, electronic tools of jobs and digital technologies, strengthening of control on implementation of Armenia’s international commitments and many other events.
He informed that these programs will be implemented by the funding of the European Union and within the frames of the UNDP, UNICEF, UNFPA and the OSCE program.
17:02,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 27, ARMENPRESS. The venue and timeframes of the next meeting between the Armenian and Turkish special representatives for dialogue is not clearly decided at this moment, a senior lawmaker from the ruling Civil Contract party said.
“Our public will certainly be informed as soon as there will be clarity, including on the location of the next meeting another details,” MP Eduard Aghajanyan, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee of Foreign Relations told reporters.
Turkish journalist Cem Kucuk sees Armenia as the reason for the cutting off Iranian natural gas supply to Turkey.
According to the Internethaber website, Kucuk stated that Iran is concerned about a rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia, and this is why it stopped supplying natural gas to Turkey—and which has created chaos in Turkey.