Author: Emil Lazarian

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS

Current developments are better than expected, cenbank governor says on economic growth

Emil Lazarian

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 16:27, 14 September, 2021

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. The current developments of economic growth in 2021 are better than projected, Central Bank Governor Martin Galstyan said at a press conference.

Galstyan said this is due to greater growth in agriculture and services.

“Gross demand is growing faster than expected too, which is greatly contributed to by the high growth of private consumption – the bigger than expected volumes of monetary transactions from abroad and the positive environment of foreign demand,” he said.

However, the growth of private investments is still comparably restrained.

Galstyan added that the short-term acceleration of inflation in recent months is mostly due to the increase in prices of seasonal food products, while the normal increase has formed lower than expected.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

One more body found during search operations in battle zones, says Artsakh

Emil Lazarian

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 17:13, 14 September, 2021

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. One more body of the 2020 Artsakh War casualty has been found during the search operations in the battle zones on September 14, the State Emergency Service of Artsakh said today.

The search operations were carried out in Varanda.

“He will be identified after forensic examination”, the statement says.

So far, a total of 1666 bodies have been found during the search operations.

 

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Armenian President, Foreign Minister of Slovakia refer to development prospects of Armenia-EU cooperation

Emil Lazarian

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 17:58, 14 September, 2021

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian received today Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia Ivan Korčok, who is in Armenia on an official visit, and the delegation led by him.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the President’s Office, Armen Sarkissian greeted the high-ranking guest and said that the two countries, as well as Armenia and the EU have a brilliant history of relations, but it’s necessary to talk about the future and the plans for the future.

The Foreign Minister of Slovakia noted that they want to work in the direction of developing bilateral relations.

‘’ Slovakia has friendly attitude towards Armenia, the two countries have a high-level political dialogue, which is a good basis for developing mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields’’, the Minister said.

Ivan Korčok stressed the great potential in the sphere of economy, including business relations, trade and economic relations, cooperation in various fields, and the need for its effective realization. He also highlighted the expansion of cultural partnership to bring the two peoples closer.

The President of Armenia and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia also exchanged views on the situation and challenges in Armenia and the region after the war.

The sides also touched upon the deepening and development prospects of Armenia-EU cooperation in different directions.

Syunik is a priority for the U.S. Embassy – Governor receives newly appointed Deputy Ambassador Chip Laitinen

Emil Lazarian

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 19:58, 14 September, 2021

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. The Governor of Syunik Melikset Poghosyan received the newly appointed US Deputy Ambassador to Armenia Chip Laitinen, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Governorate of Syunik.

The US Deputy Ambassador was accompanied by the military attaché of the embassy, the head of the political and economic office, who are also newly appointed.

According to Deputy Ambassador Laitinen, US Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia Lynne Tracy wished them to start their first visit to Armenia from Syunik, emphasizing that the region is a priority in terms of the activities of the embassy.

The US Deputy Ambassador expressed the desire to get acquainted with the situation on the ground and understand how they can continue to support democratic and economic development, as well as learn about security issues.

The Governor of Syunik Melikset Poghosyan presented the situation in the region in the post-war period, the concerns of the leadership and the population of the region, the problems related to the new border situation.

During the meeting the parties discussed issues related to security, roads and traffic, economic and other issues.

The Governor expressed readiness for further active cooperation, and referring to the programs implemented by the USAID in the region, he expressed hope that they will be continuous.

Situation at Charles Aznavour Square in Yerevan is tense, police are apprehending demonstrators

Emil Lazarian
News.am, Armenia
Sept 18 2021
15:38, 18.09.2021

The situation at Charles Aznavour Square in Yerevan escalated and police officers started apprehending the demonstrators.

One of the demonstrators took the microphone and declared that the demonstrators wouldn’t leave the street and would continue to fight for police officers’ children as well, no matter how much the police try to apprehend them. “If you are ready to serve the Republic of Turkey, we are not ready,” the demonstrator added.

Afterwards, the police and demonstrators clashed, and police officers apprehended a few participants.

The gathered are shaming the police and chanting “yanichar, Turk”, “Nikol, traitor”. An old man who was participating in the demonstration started feeling bad when the police were trying to apprehend him.

A large number of police officers and policemen in red berets are overseeing the demonstration.

On September 21, a concert dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Armenia’s Independence will be held at Republic Square in Yerevan. Earlier, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan had declared that “a vivid and scaled event will be held on Independence Day and will also be dedicated to the memory of those who fell in the war”.

Armenia files complaint against Azerbaijan at UN Court

Emil Lazarian
Caucasian Knot, EU
Sept 17 2021

Armenia has asked the UN International Court of Justice to oblige Azerbaijan to stop torture and killings of Armenian prisoners of war (POWs) and compensate for human rights violations.

Armenia has filed a complaint with the UN International Court of Justice against Azerbaijan, in which it claims a violation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.

The complaint says that for decades Azerbaijan has been subjecting Armenia to racial discrimination, which was expressed, among other things, in the massacres and torture of POWs, says a message posted on September 16 on the website of the International Court of Justice.

“Even after the end of hostilities, after the ceasefire, the agreement which entered into force on November 10, 2020, Azerbaijan continues killings and violence against Armenian POWs, hostages and other detained persons,” says the statement of the Armenian party as quoted in a press release of the Court, which was translated by the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

Armenia asks the UN International Court of Justice to bring Azerbaijan to justice for the acts committed in order to prevent such violations in the future, and also demands compensation for the committed violations, the statement informs.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on at 08:39 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

See earlier reports:

Armenian rights defenders claim abuse of POWs in Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan and Armenia exchange POWs, Relatives of Armenian POWs demand a meeting with Nikol Pashinyan, Terms for giving out POWs from Azerbaijan spark criticism in Armenia.

Author: Armine Martirosyan; Source: CK correspondent

Source: 
© Caucasian Knot

Soldier wounded in a shelling attack in Nagorno-Karabakh

Emil Lazarian
Caucasian Knot, EU
Sept 17 2021

Soldier Vruir Shakhramanyan was wounded in a shelling attack from the Azerbaijani side, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Nagorno-Karabakh reported.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that Azerbaijan and Armenia regularly exchange accusations of violating the ceasefire in the Karabakh conflict zone and on the border of the two countries. The authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh also claimed shelling attacks from the Azerbaijani positions. So, on September 7, the Ombudsperson of Nagorno-Karabakh reported that a house of a resident of the Tagavard village was damaged during a shelling attack from the Azerbaijani side.

Today, at about 12:30 p.m., “the Azerbaijani armed forces have violated the ceasefire” in the west of Nagorno-Karabakh, the Ministry of Defence of the unrecognized republic reports.

“As a result, Vruir Vardanovich Shakhramanyan, a soldier of the Defence Army, got a gunshot wound. In connection with the incident, the relevant information was provided to the commanders of the Russian peacekeeping contingent,” reads the report posted on the official website of the MoD of Nagorno-Karabakh as translated from the Armenian language by the “Caucasian Knot”.

As of 3:07 p.m. Moscow time, the Ministry of Defence of Azerbaijan has not posted on its official website any comment on the above information.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on at 03:10 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

See earlier reports:

Karabakh Ombudsman accuses Azerbaijan of a shelling attack on a village, Azerbaijan reports shootout near Shusha, Azerbaijan blames Armenia for border shelling.

Author: The Caucasian Knot;

Source: 
© Caucasian Knot

Armenia and Europol Sign Agreement to Tackle Cross-Border Organized Crime

Emil Lazarian
Sept 18 2021

The agreement will enable both partners to work on some key areas such as migrant smuggling, cybercrime, drug trafficking, asset recovery, money laundering, organized property crime and trafficking in human beings.

ByHomeland Security Today

On September 16, Europol and Armenia signed a strategic cooperation agreement to expand cooperation to combat cross-border criminal activities. 

The agreement will enable both partners to work on some key areas such as migrant smuggling, cybercrime, drug trafficking, asset recovery, money laundering, organized property crime and trafficking in human beings.

The agreement allows for the exchange of general strategic intelligence as well as strategic and technical information and operational information with the exception of personal data, and will lead to the secondment of an Armenian Liaison Officer to Europol.

The signing of the Agreement on Strategic Cooperation concludes the successful negotiations between Armenia and Europol on how to effectively join forces to fight serious and organized crime. 

After entry into force of the agreement, this new level of cooperation will be important for tackling priority crime areas affecting both the European Union and Armenia.

Read the announcement at Europol

https://www.hstoday.us/subject-matter-areas/border-security/armenia-and-europol-sign-agreement-to-tackle-cross-border-organized-crime/

Police detain a citizen protesting against the planned ‘colorful celebration’ of Independence Day

Emil Lazarian
Panorama, Armenia
Sept 18 2021

A protest action against the September 21 Independence Day celebration is underway near Moscow cinema in Yerevan. Dozens of police officers are deployed in Charles Aznavour Square who have already detained one citizen. The detention sparked the outrage of the gathered public. 

The police explained that the detained citizens had thrown insulting remarks about the law enforcement. It is expected that the protest participants will march to the Republic Square where the main celebration is scheduled to take place. Among the participants of the actin is producer Armen Grigoryan. Grigoryan informed that police had warned that they would not let the march reach the square. 

“I will do what I think is right and they would do what they have been instructed to do,” said Grigoryan. 

To remind,  ‘the colorful celebration’ of Armenia’s Independence Day was announced a week ago by Nikol Pashinyan during the cabinet session. The statement sparked an outrage among the public who considered Pashinyan’s wording and initiative as inappropriate after the recent Nagorno-Karabakh war and thousands of victims. 

The protect action can be watched live through 168.аm broadcast. 

Armenian, French FMs point to the need of resuming the NK peace process under the auspices of OSCE Minsk Group

Emil Lazarian
Panorama, Armenia
Sept 17 2021

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan held on Friday a phone conversation with Foreign Minister France Jean-Yves Le Drian. The interlocutors commended the consistent development of Armenian-French privileged relations and reiterated their interest in expanding the multidimensional cooperation. The sides agreed to discuss in detail in the near future the prospects of promoting the cooperation in the economic sphere, including through the implementation of new development programs in Armenia.

The Foreign Ministers touched upon the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, emphasizing the need of resuming the peace process within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship. Ararat Mirzoyan noted that Armenia and Armenian people highly appreciate the position of the French government and parliament and the steps undertaken during and following the aggression unleashed by the Azerbaijani side against Artsakh.

The sides also exchanged views on the humanitarian issues following the 44-day war, in this context specifically emphasizing the immediate repatriation of Armenian prisoners of war and captured civilians held in Azerbaijan.

The sides touched upon the situation resulting from infiltration of the Azerbaijani armed forces into the sovereign territory of Armenia. The need to make efforts aimed at de-escalating and stabilizing the situation was stressed. Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan also expressed gratitude to the French side for its continued support in the fight against COVID-19.