Author: Jagharian Tania

 10:13,

YEREVAN, MAY 18, ARMENPRESS. A Chinese special envoy has stressed the need to build trust among all parties to the “Ukraine crisis” and create conditions for peace talks during a two-day visit to the country, Chinese state media reported citing a foreign ministry statement.

Li Hui, special representative of the Chinese government on Eurasian Affairs, met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and held separate talks with Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and other senior officials in Ukraine from Tuesday to Wednesday, CGTN reported citing a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry released on Thursday.

“There is no panacea to resolve the crisis,” said Li.

He called on all parties to make their own due efforts to build up mutual trust and create conditions for “ceasing the hostilities” and securing peace talks, CGTN reported.

The Chinese envoy is now on a trip to five countries – Ukraine, Poland, France, Germany and Russia – in a bid to “engage with various parties on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis”.

The trip comes about two weeks after a phone call between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Zelenskyy, in which the Chinese leader renewed Beijing’s commitment to standing on the side of peace.

 16:22, 10 May 2023

YEREVAN, MAY 10, ARMENPRESS. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has not facilitated transfer of patients from Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia since April 29 and is now discussing details pertaining to the format of its work with decision-makers from the parties involved, the ICRC told ARMENPRESS on May 10.

“In regards to developments, the International Committee of the Red Cross is discussing with all decision-makers from the parties the details pertaining to the format of our work,” ICRC Armenia Communications and Prevention Manager Zara Amatuni said when asked to comment on Nagorno Karabakh ombudsman Gegham Stepanyan’s tweet that Azerbaijan has been obstructing the ICRC’s work ever since it illegally installed a checkpoint on Lachin Corridor.

Amatuni explained that the process is confidential since it is proceeding in a format of a dialogue. She did not elaborate further on the discussions.

“It’s about the continuity of our humanitarian work. We hope it will be restored. However, there’s some need for clarification, and now this process is taking place. During this period we are factually not implementing transfers because we must have clarity regarding several details with all parties involved,” Amatuni said.

 21:17,

YEREVAN, MAY 14, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, President of the European Council Charles Michel and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev discussed on May 14 during a trilateral meeting issues related to the unblocking of regional transport and economic infrastructures, border delimitation and border security between the two countries, the treaty on the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the need to address the rights and security of the people of Nagorno Karabakh, as well as other issues related to the POWs, missing persons and other humanitarian issues.

An agreement was reached to continue the discussions on June 1 in Chisinau within the framework of the summit of the European Political Community, where a five-sided meeting with the participation of the Prime Minister of Armenia, the President of Azerbaijan, the President of France, the Chancellor of Germany, and the President of the European Council is scheduled, and in July, within the framework the tripartite meeting in Brussels between the Prime Minister of Armenia, the President of Azerbaijan, and the President of the European Council, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a .

 20:48,

YEREVAN, MAY 10, ARMENPRESS. On May 10,  Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan received the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway to the Republic of Armenia (seat: Tbilisi) Helene Sand Andersen, on the occasion of completing her diplomatic mission.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the interlocutors touched on the issues related to regional security and stability. Minister Mirzoyan presented the latest developments in the process of normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the vision of the Armenian side on fundamental issues in the negotiation process. Ararat Mirzoyan noted the constructive involvement of the Armenian side and emphasized the importance of Azerbaijan’s renunciation from extremist aspirations, the policy of using force against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as addressing the rights and security of Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh, among other issues.

At the meeting, the sides discussed issues on the agenda of bilateral relations between Armenia and Norway, emphasized the positive dynamics of political dialogue. The importance of further deepening the interaction based on common values and democratic principles and using the existing potential in the expansion of economic cooperation was emphasized.

In his speech, the Foreign Minister noted that he highly appreciates the Ambassador’s contribution to the development of bilateral relations and wished her success in further diplomatic work.

 20:22, 5 May 2023

YEREVAN, MAY 5, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan had a meeting with representatives of the Armenian community in the Czech Republic in Prague, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister answered many questions of the attendees, which related to the developments in the region, the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the steps taken in the security sector, the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno Karabakh resulted by the illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor, opportunities for the involvement of Diaspora specialists in Armenia’s state administration system within the framework of the “iGorts” program and other programs, Armenia-Diaspora relations, economy, tourism, culture and other fields.

In Prague, Prime Minister Pashinyan laid flowers at the khachkar dedicated to Armenian-Czech friendship in the park of Saint Jindrich and Kunhuta Church.

Within the framework of the visit, the Prime Minister visited the European regional headquarters of RFE/RL in Prague. After the meeting with director Jamie Fly, Nikol Pashinyan gave an interview to the Armenian service of the radio station.

The Prime Minister’s official visit to the Czech Republic is over.

 11:52, 4 May 2023

YEREVAN, MAY 4, ARMENPRESS. The United States has noted with “disappointment” Turkey’s decision to ban Armenian airline overflight permissions, State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said at a press briefing.

Patel said that ‘the U.S. strongly supports Armenia-Türkiye normalization, which we believe would be important for not just these two countries but helpful for stability across the region.’

“We note with disappointment Türkiye’s announcement that it would suspend Armenian airline overflight permissions. An agreement that had previously been reached between these two countries to resume air connections had been a very important confidence-building measure – not just between these two countries, but, again, for regional stability broadly. And it’s our sincere hope that Türkiye and Armenia can continue to rebuild economic ties and open transportation links as well,” he added.

 20:54, 3 May 2023

YEREVAN, MAY 3, ARMENPRESS. The Government of the Republic of Armenia and Armenia must declare that they not only do not have territorial ambitions, but also will not have them, ARMENPRESS reports Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said during the parliament-Cabinet Q&A session in the National Assembly.

“Our position is as follows: the government of the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Armenia must declare that they not only do not have territorial aspirations, but also will not have them. And this is the only principle that will give us the opportunity to have a state, otherwise everything will be done from all sides to prevent us from having a state,” the Prime Minister emphasized.