Author: Hambardsumian Paul

 20:52, 16 June, 2021

YEREVAN, JUNE 16, ARMENPRESS. Presidents of Russia and the USA Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden have issued a joint statement on strategic stability. As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Kremlin, the statement runs as follows, .

”We, President of the United States of America Joseph R. Biden and President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, note the United States and Russia have demonstrated that, even in periods of tension, they are able to make progress on our shared goals of ensuring predictability in the strategic sphere, reducing the risk of armed conflicts and the threat of nuclear war.

The recent extension of the New START Treaty exemplifies our commitment to nuclear arms control. Today, we reaffirm the principle that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.

Consistent with these goals, the United States and Russia will embark together on an integrated bilateral Strategic Stability Dialogue in the near future that will be deliberate and robust. Through this Dialogue, we seek to lay the groundwork for future arms control and risk reduction measures”.

 17:35,

YEREVAN, 15 JUNE, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 15 June, USD exchange rate down by 1.31 drams to 515.68 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 1.02 drams to 625.16 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.03 drams to 7.18 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 2.57 drams to 725.87 drams.

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

Gold price down by 335.37 drams to 30930.71 drams. Silver price down by 7.98 drams to 459.75 drams. Platinum price down by 31.98 drams to 19132.74 drams.

 12:43,

YEREVAN, JUNE 10, ARMENPRESS. Caretaker Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received US Acting Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip T. Reeker and his delegation on June 10, Pashinyan’s Office told Armenpress.

Welcoming the US delegation, the Armenian caretaker PM highlighted the development of Armenian-American cooperation and stated that this visit is a good opportunity to discuss the agenda and prospects of the bilateral relations.

Pashinyan appreciated the recent address of US President Joe Biden on recognizing and condemning the Armenian Genocide and expressed hope that it will contribute to the maintenance of stability and security in the region. He said the recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide is an important factor for regional security because the security challenges of the Armenian people have not changed in the past 100 years, and the recent war against Artsakh has proved that because the same players, who have been involved in the organization and implementation of the Armenian Genocide, were involved in this war.

Philip T. Reeker in his turn noted that he is visiting Armenia for the first time and is happy to be in Yerevan to discuss the bilateral relations with the Armenian partners. He conveyed the greetings of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to Nikol Pashinyan and reaffirmed his readiness to develop the partnering relations with Armenia.

The US official highly appreciated the processes aimed at developing democratic institutions in Armenia and considered the 2018 parliamentary elections as exemplary. The US side expressed readiness to continue assisting the implementation of democratic reforms in Armenia.

The Armenian and US sides also discussed the situation in the region. They both highlighted the key role of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship and the necessity of taking actions to mitigate the tension.

In the context of the Artsakh issue, caretaker PM Pashinyan said the position of the Armenian side is that the Nagorno Karabakh conflict must be solved within the frames of the peaceful process under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship, based on the principles proposed by the Co-Chairs.

Pashinyan also drew the attention of his guest to the necessity of quick return of Armenian POWs, hostages and other detained persons and immediate withdrawal of the Azerbaijani armed units from Armenia’s sovereign territory.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 12:14, 9 June, 2021

YEREVAN, JUNE 9, ARMENPRESS. The status of Nagorno Karabakh should be agreed upon with the participation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs – Russia, US and France, but at the moment the important is to return the peaceful life to region, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

“I understand that many people are now talking about the fact that the status of Nagorno Karabakh remains unresolved. It should be finally agreed with the participation of the OSCE Minsk Group, which, at this stage, maybe should focus not on the status issue, but should contribute to the strengthening of trust, solution of humanitarian issues so that Armenians and Azerbaijanis will again live together in security and economic welfare”, the Russian FM said.

He expressed confidence that in this case there will be a situation in several years that the status of Nagorno Karabakh will be resolved much easier.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan