Author: George Mamian

 11:12, 1 August 2023

YEREVAN, AUGUST 1, ARMENPRESS. Former U.S. senator Sam Brownback has said that Azerbaijan must be sanctioned for its humanitarian abuses in Nagorno-Karabakh.

“It is getting progressively worse for Christians in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Lanchin [sic] Corridor is closed, in spite of an agreement to keep it open. Azerbaijan must be sanctioned for their humanitarian abuses before it gets even worse. #SaveKarabakh,” the former United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback tweeted.

Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia and the rest of the world, has been blocked by Azerbaijan since late 2022. The Azerbaijani blockade constitutes a gross violation of the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh ceasefire agreement, which established that the 5km-wide Lachin Corridor shall be under the control of Russian peacekeepers. Furthermore, on February 22, 2023 the United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – ordered Azerbaijan to “take all steps at its disposal” to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.  Azerbaijan has been ignoring the order ever since. Moreover, Azerbaijan then illegally installed a checkpoint on Lachin Corridor. The blockade has led to shortages of essential products such as food and medication. Azerbaijan has also cut off gas and power supply into Nagorno Karabakh, with officials warning that Baku seeks to commit ethnic cleansing against Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh. Hospitals have suspended normal operations.

 21:36,

YEREVAN, JULY 25, ARMENPRESS. A violation of the ceasefire regime was recorded in the Lachin Corridor, the zone of responsibility of the Russian peacekeepers. There were no casualties or injuries, ARMENPRESS reports, citing “RIA Novosti”, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation said in a statement.

“One violation of the ceasefire regime was recorded in the Lachin Corridor, there were no casualties or injuries,” the message says.

The command of the Russian peacekeeping troops is conducting an investigation with the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides in relation to this incident.

 09:36,

YEREVAN, JULY 24, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan will travel to Tehran on July 24 to meet with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the Armenian foreign ministry announced Monday.

“On July 24, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan will pay a visit to Tehran. The meeting of Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Iran is scheduled. It will be followed by statements for the press,” foreign ministry spokesperson Ani Badalyan said in a statement on social media.

 09:50,

YEREVAN, JULY 17, ARMENPRESS. Armenian military positions in two different provinces have come under Azeri cross-border gunfire, the ministry of defense said Monday.

“On July 17, from 12:05 a.m. to 1:40 a.m., units of the Azerbaijani armed forces opened fire from small arms at the Armenian combat positions in the vicinity of Sotk and Nerkin Hand,” the Ministry of Defense of Armenia said in a statement posted on social media.

The ministry did not report casualties.

 09:49,

YEREVAN, JUNE 28, ARMENPRESS. The Ministry of Defense of Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) has released the names of the fallen troops of the June 28 Azerbaijani bombardment.

The Nagorno Karabakh Defense Army troops who were killed in action are Armo Abgaryan, Samvel Torosyan, Yervand Tadevosyan and Gagik Balayan.

In a statement, the ministry extended condolences to the families and friends of the fallen troops.

Azerbaijani forces bombarded Nagorno Karabakh positions with artillery and drone strikes in the early hours of Wednesday.

 18:20,

YEREVAN, JUNE 20, ARMENPRESS.  Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received the delegation led by the chairperson of the European Parliament’s Security and Defense Subcommittee Nathalie Loiseau, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister emphasized the close cooperation with the European Parliament and highly commended the resolution adopted by the latter on ensuring the uninterrupted operation of the Lachin Corridor. Nikol Pashinyan expressed confidence that the visit of delegation of the European Parliament will contribute to assessing the situation in the region. The Prime Minister added that the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh is worsening as a result of the illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor, given that food supplies have also been blocked for several days. In this context, the Prime Minister highlighted the entry of the international fact-finding mission into the Lachin Corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh. Nikol Pashinyan also added that Azerbaijan continues its aggressive rhetoric and ceasefire violations, which increase tensions in the region.

Nathalie Loiseau emphasized the need for steps to ensure peace and stability in the region, as well as to reduce the risks of tension.

In this regard, the interlocutors highlighted the activities of the European Monitoring Mission in Armenia.

Reference was made to the opportunities for unblocking regional transport infrastructures and border delimitation. Prime Minister Pashinyan presented the positions of the Armenian side on these issues.

The sides exchanged thoughts on the course of institutional reforms and future programs implemented in our country with the assistance of the EU, as well as the process of normalizing the Armenian-Turkish relations.

 13:16,

YEREVAN, JUNE 16, ARMENPRESS. Chinese leader Xi Jinping called Bill Gates “an old friend” and said he hoped they could carry out activities together beneficial to both China and the United States, in the Chinese president’s first meeting with a foreign entrepreneur in years, Reuters reports.

In a meeting at Beijing’s Diaoyutai state guesthouse, where China’s leaders have historically received senior foreign guests, Xi told the Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist that he was very happy to see him after three years and described Gates as the first American friend he had met this year.

“I often say the foundation of US-China relations lies with its people. I place my hopes on the American people,” Xi said.

“With the current global situation, we can carry out various activities beneficial to our two countries and people, activities that benefit humanity as a whole,” he said.

Gates, who arrived in Beijing on Wednesday, told Xi that he was “honoured” to have the chance to meet. “We’ve always had great conversations and we’ll have lot of important topics to discuss today. I was very disappointed I couldn’t come during the last four years so it’s very exciting to be back.”

Xi stopped travelling abroad for nearly three years as China shut its borders during the pandemic and his international meetings since the reopening have mostly been with other state leaders. Plans for his meeting with Gates were first reported by Reuters.

The last reported meeting between Xi and Gates was in 2015, when they met on the sidelines of the Boao forum in Hainan province. In early 2020, Xi wrote a letter to Gates thanking him and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for pledging assistance to China, including $5 million for the country’s fight against COVID-19.

 20:15,

YEREVAN, JUNE 13, ARMENPRESS. The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed the first review under the Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) with Armenia, ARMENPRESS was informed from the website of the IMF. The completion of the review enables access of SDR 18.4 million (about US$24.5 million), bringing total access to SDR 36.8 million (about US$49 million). The SBA was approved by the IMF’s Board on December 12, 2022 (see Press Release No. 22/429 ). The Armenian authorities continue to treat the arrangement as precautionary. The Executive Board’s decision on the first review was taken without a meeting. [1]

Armenia’s economic activity was very strong in 2022, with real GDP growing at 12.6 percent, driven by robust consumption and external demand, and fueled by large foreign exchange and migrant inflows from Russia. The growth momentum has continued in 2023Q1, led by expansion in construction, service, and trade-related sectors. The current account deficit plummeted to 0.9 percent of GDP for the year, benefiting from strong tourism income and remittances. Foreign direct investment and other investment inflows also increased, reflecting primarily capital inflows from Russia. Gross reserves increased to US$4.1 bn. The dram appreciated by over 20 percent against the US dollar in 2022.

Inflationary pressures started to ease in late 2022-early 2023. Headline inflation declined to 3.2 percent (y-o-y) in April 2023, mainly on account of base effects and rapidly easing food and transportation prices. But core inflation remains above headline at 4.3 percent (y-o-y) in April 2023. Double-digit nominal wage growth and service price growth are sources of significant underlying inflationary pressures.

The fiscal position improved significantly in 2022. The headline fiscal deficit narrowed to 2.1 percent of GDP in 2022 on account of robust revenues and spending under-execution. Central government debt dropped by 14 percentage points of GDP to 46.7 percent of GDP, due to deficit reduction, high nominal growth, and exchange rate appreciation.

The program is broadly on track. All end-December quantitative performance criteria (QPCs) and indicative targets (IT) were met, and good progress was made toward the completion of structural benchmarks (SB). The end-March structural benchmark requiring the adoption of a decree clarifying the mandate, reporting, transparency, and viability requirements for the Armenian National Interests Fund (ANIF) was completed as a prior action for the review.

The economic outlook for 2023 is generally positive, although risks remain substantial. GDP growth is projected to decelerate but strong momentum, consumption and investment are expected to keep it at 5.5 percent in 2023. With services trade and remittances normalizing, the current account deficit is expected to widen in 2023. Inflation is expected to stabilize at the CBA’s target of 4 percent within a year. The outlook is subject to elevated risks stemming from a challenging external environment, including regional tensions, tighter global financial conditions, and a slowdown in major trading partners.

Macroeconomic policies need to prevent overheating of the economy in the short term, while supporting inclusive and resilient growth in the medium term. To elaborate:

• Should growth and revenues be stronger than projected, building fiscal buffers is a priority. At the same time, revenue mobilization efforts should continue, including by broadening the tax base and tackling informality.
• Decisive and pro-active monetary policy tightening has been successful in containing inflationary pressures, but monetary policy needs to remain vigilant and data dependent. Financial sector risks related to the real estate sector require close monitoring by strengthening supervisory tools.
• To unlock Armenia’s long-term growth potential, continued progress with implementation of structural reforms is needed,including by boosting trade links and diversification, enhancing access to finance, completing governance reforms, and improving climate change resilience.