Author: Garnik Tadevosian

WATCH: Stepanakert City after latest Azerbaijani bombardment

Garnik Tadevosian

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 11:39, 7 October, 2020

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 7, ARMENPRESS. Stepanakert City is under continuous Azerbaijani bombardments targeting civilian infrastructures of the capital of Artsakh.

Air raid sirens are heard many times during the day.

The video released on October 7 shows Stepanakert after the latest bombardment attack overnight October 6-7. Heavy damages to civilian infrastructure, residential homes and property was inflicted.

Artsakh’s presidential spokesperson Vahram Poghosyan told ARMENPRESS that currently the authorities are assessing the damages.

According to latest available information 21 civilians were killed in Artsakh and Armenia since the beginning of the Azeri attacks.

[see video]
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

CivilNet: Karabakh President Thanks Diaspora for Support

Garnik Tadevosian
CIVILNET.AM

6 October, 2020 07:15

Translation of Nagorno-Karabakh President Arayik Harutyunyan’s October 5 Statement. 

Dear Compatriots,

We conclude another successful day at the front lines of a war that has been unleashed upon us by Azerbaijan. The [Karabakh] Defense Army is brilliantly carrying out its combat mission, and at the moment is able to prevent all enemy advances – both in the air and on the ground. Our army is inflicting heavy equipment and manpower losses upon Azerbaijan. It is perhaps for this reason that Azerbaijan’s terrorist army fired more than a hundred rockets from the Smerch launcher towards the direction of the capital Stepanakert. Fortunately, there were no major losses. 

I was informed today that the donations from Diaspora Armenians in these few days have already amounted to 50 million euros. I am grateful for your support, and I urge you to continue donating, because, after the war, after the impending victory, we must quickly rebuild the ruins, we must continue to flourish Artsakh – the pride of all Armenians. This is what our collective response to the world must be.

Our national unity once again proves that Azerbaijan has already lost this war. The victory is ours and let no one doubt that. 

Georgia suspends military cargo transit to Armenia, Azerbaijan

Garnik Tadevosian
Xinhua, China
Oct 3 2020
 
 
 
 
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-03 20:46:36|
Editor: huaxia
 
TBILISI, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) — Georgia on Saturday decided to suspend the issuance of permits for transiting military cargo through its territory to Armenia and Azerbaijan due to the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts.
 
According to a statement released by the National Security Council of Georgia on Saturday, the transition of military cargo through the country to Armenia and Azerbaijan, both by land and air, has been temporarily suspended by the Georgian side.
 
However, civilian cargo can still transit through Georgia as usual, including to Azerbaijan and Armenia, the statement said.
 
It also called on the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Minsk Group Co-Chairs and international community to take all necessary measures to stop the violence and resume dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
 
Meanwhile, Grigol Liluashvili, head of the State Security Service, denied that some Syrian militants were moving from Turkey to Azerbaijan via Georgia, according to local media.
 
A new round of clashes broke out on Sept. 27 in the Nagorno-Karabakh region between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
 
Armenia and Azerbaijan have been at loggerheads over the mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh since 1988. Peace talks have been held since 1994, when a ceasefire was reached, but there have been occasional minor clashes along the borders. Enditem
 

‘Heavy fighting’ over Karabakh amid Azerbaijan offensive: Armenia

Garnik Tadevosian
The Times of India
Oct 3 2020
Agencies | Updated: Oct 3, 2020, 19:11 IST
In this photo taken from video released by the Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry on Friday, Oct. 2, 2020, Azerbaij…Read More
YEREVAN: Armenian and Azerbaijani forces engaged in intense fighting over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region after Azerbaijan launched a large-scale new offensive on Saturday, Armenian officials said.
Nagorno-Karabakh said on Saturday that 51 more servicemen had been killed in the war with Azerbaijan, a sharp rise in the death toll from a week of fierce fighting.
Baku and Yerevan have for decades been locked in a simmering conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnically Armenian region of Azerbaijan which broke away from Baku in a 1990s war that claimed the lives of some 30,000 people.
Both sides have defied international calls for a ceasefire and accused the other of starting the new clashes that began last Sunday and have seen the heaviest fighting since a 1994 ceasefire.

Trump on Nagorno-Karabakh Escalation: ‘We’ll See if We Can Stop it’

Garnik Tadevosian
Sputnik
Sept 28 2020
© REUTERS / STRINGER
US

22:55 GMT 27.09.2020

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – US President Donald Trump says Washington is looking into what can be done to stop a flare-up of tensions in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan erupted along the region’s contact line on Sunday morning, with each side blaming the other for putting civilian lives in danger.

“We are looking at it very strongly. We have a lot of good relationships in that area, we’ll see if we can stop it,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Sunday.

The US State Department said in a Sunday statement addressing the Nagorno-Karabakh escalation that involvement of any external party would be “deeply unhelpful and only exacerbate regional tensions.”

Washington urged the conflicting parties to cooperate with the Minsk Group co-chairs, which, aside from the US, includes France and Russia, with the aim to “return to substantive negotiations as soon as possible.”

The contact line of the Nagorno-Karabakh region saw military escalation on early Sunday, with Armenia and Azerbaijan accusing each other of sparking the hostilities. Many international observers, including Russia, the UN and France, expressed their concern about the conflict, calling for a ceasefire, while Turkey expressed “full support” to Azerbaijan.

Armenia has lodged a request to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to make Azerbaijan halt what Yerevan describes as military operations against civilians in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The region has been the subject of dispute between Yerevan and Baku since the late 1980s, when the two nations were Soviet republics. Following the end of the Nagorno-Karabakh war in 1994, the two sides have held peace talks mediated by the OSCE Minsk group.




Prosperous Armenia Party leader: Our priority issue is international recognition of Artsakh independence

Garnik Tadevosian
News.am, Armenia
Sept 19 2020
Prosperous Armenia Party leader: Our priority issue is international recognition of Karabakh independence
               Prosperous Armenia Party leader: Our priority issue is international recognition of Karabakh independence
15:49, 19.09.2020

If we do not get out of this situation, we are really in the abyss. Gagik Tsarukyan—chairman of the opposition Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP), MP, and business tycoon—stated this in Ararat Province—and referring to the situation in the country.

“People taking care of 120,000 families did not go to work abroad, those who work for a daily wage do not work, today the turnover has decreased. The state must subsidize and repay the loans of the people for a year. Today, the state has increased its national debt by 1 billion 400 million, has neither created jobs nor has granted forgiveness to the [loan] interests of the people. The state can petition to the World Bank, bring 1 billion [dollars], and distribute it to the people; they should give at least $2,000 to each family so people can spend their winter. If the condition of my people is not good, the condition of my children will not be good either,” said Tsarukyan. He added that the problems accumulated in Armenia should be resolved, as the country is not a testing ground.

Tsarukyan touched also upon the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) conflict, noting that the issue of international recognition of the Artsakh Republic should be raised in the negotiations. “You do not know exactly what was agreed on the Artsakh issue, what was discussed, saying ‘We are consulting, we are drinking coffee.’ C’mon! Our priority is the issue of international recognition of Karabakh’s independence. The people of Karabakh have settled this issue, Karabakh has been independent for 30 years, [and] the issue of [its] international recognition remains,” Gagik Tsarukyan said.




Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 16-09-20

Garnik Tadevosian

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 18:45,

YEREVAN, 16 SEPTEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 16 September, USD exchange rate down by 0.38 drams to 484.93 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.65 drams to 575.95 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.03 drams to 6.49 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 1.93 drams to 627.79 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 169.71 drams to 30392.04 drams. Silver price up by 9.96 drams to 429.45 drams. Platinum price up by 424.98 drams to 15201.09 drams.

Armenia’s central bank sees economy contracting 6.2% in 2020

Garnik Tadevosian
Reuters
Sept 15 2020

By Reuters Staff

YEREVAN, Sept 15 (Reuters) – Armenia’s central bank said on Tuesday it expected the economy to contract by 6.2% in 2020 due to the negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic, but it should get back to 4-5% growth next year.

The central bank had previously projected a contraction of 4% for this year and a recovery of 5.5% in 2021 after growth of 7.6% in 2019.

“The contraction is mostly connected to the construction and agriculture spheres,” Martin Galstyan, the central bank head, told a news conference.

He said annual inflation was expected to be around 2.5% in 2020 and in a range of 1.7%-2% in 2021.

The central bank cut its key refinancing rate to 4.25% from 4.5% on Tuesday, citing low inflation as well as the delay in recovery in external and internal demand.

“The central bank is inclined to continue the weakening of the monetary conditions in the future given expected economic developments,” Galstyan said.

Armenia’s consumer price index declined by 0.1% in August, month-on-month, but rose 1.8% year-on-year.

The country of around 3 million people, has registered 46,119 confirmed coronavirus cases and 920 deaths from COVID-19. It is the worst-affected country in the South Caucasus region. (Reporting by Nvard Hovhannisyan; Editing by Ed Osmond)

Turkey is an exporter of instability, Armenia’s top diplomat says

Garnik Tadevosian
Public Radio of Armenia
Sept 15 2020

Armenia sees Turkey as a country promoting “policies of instability and aggression, Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan said in an interview with Italian EFE agency.

“While all countries were calling for a halt to the escalation with Azerbaijan, Ankara was doing the opposite by instigating the conflict and approving joint military maneuvers with Baku,” the Minister said,

Mnatsakanián said the denial of the genocide, the threats, the economic blockade and the total support for Baku represent a “threat to the security of Armenia.”

“While Turkey says it does not want problems with its neighbors, in reality it is an exporter of instability and aggression for its entire neighborhood and this policy is exported to the South Caucasus. We cannot remain indifferent,” he said.

Referring to the Karabakh conflict, the Foreign Minister said Yerevan believes that the best thing for regional stability would be to strengthen the ceasefire regime in force since 1994 with “control mechanisms” that prevent escalations and that “target” the party responsible for violating the truce.

“But Baku has been avoiding it. They had better accept it. De-escalation is the priority now. That is the most important thing,” he stressed.

The Foreign Minister stressed that there is no alternative to a peaceful settlement.

“No one can expect a solution at the expense of Armenia or Nagorno Karabakh,” he said.

In this regard, Yerevan has two priorities: the recognition of Nagorno Karabakh’s right to self-determination “without limitations” and security agreements that prevent the resumption of hostilities.

“For us everything starts from security. The physical and existential security of Nagorno Karabakh. But security is one issue and the status of Nagorno Karabakh is another issue,” he stressed.

And he defended the participation of the Nagorno Karabakh authorities in the peace process, as they have received the mandate from the people to negotiate.


Parliamentary committee investigating 2016 April War expected to submit final report soon

Garnik Tadevosian

 14:21, 9 September, 2020

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. The parliamentary ad hoc committee investigating the circumstances of the 2016 Four Day April War will submit its final report to the Speaker of Parliament Ararat Mirzoyan by the end of September, committee chair MP Andranik Kocharyan told reporters.

“The report will be definitely fully presented to the Speaker of Parliament during this month, in order for its further fate to be initiated as required by the Rules of Procedure,” he said. “The report will have top secret, secret, classified, unclassified parts,” he added, noting that lawmakers, the society, as well as security bodies will be enabled to get acquainted with the unclassified parts.

However, he mentioned that he will do everything in order for the families of the soldiers who died during the 2016 Azeri attack on Artsakh to have all details of the report.

Reporting by Norayr Shoghikyan; Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan