16:04,
YEREVAN, JUNE 18, ARMENPRESS. 74 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Iran in the past one day, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 7, 234,597, IRNA reports.
2 death cases were registered in Iran in the past 24 hours. The death toll in the country has risen to 141,363.
305 hospitalized patients are in critical condition.
The total number of recoveries has reached 7,060,283.
16:19,
YEREVAN, JUNE 13, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament of Artsakh Artur Tovmasyan met with Permanent Representative of Artsakh in France Hovhannes Gevorgyan and his staff in Paris on June 13, the Artsakh Parliament’s press service said.
The meeting touched upon the assistance provided by French politicians and local self-government authorities during the 2020 Artsakh War, and the necessity of making it constant.
The Speaker of Parliament highlighted the importance of the adoption of resolutions by the French Senate and National Assembly immediately after the war on the recognition of the Republic of Artsakh.
Artur Tovmasyan also highly valued the work of the Artsakh Permanent Representation in France.
The Speaker is also scheduled to meet with French political circles and representatives of the Armenian community during the visit.
ANKARA
Azerbaijan welcomes the talks between Türkiye and Armenia for the normalization of their ties, the country’s foreign minister has said.
Jeyhun Bayramov’s remarks came in an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency in the Turkish capital Ankara, which he visited to attend the 30th Anniversary Reception of Diplomatic Relations with Friendly and Brotherly Countries.
“Azerbaijan has expressed at the highest level that it supports the normalization of Türkiye-Armenia relations,” Bayramov reiterated.
“We evaluate the appointment of special representatives by Türkiye and Armenia, and three meetings they have held so far quite positively,” he said.
Ankara and Yerevan last December appointed special representatives, Serdar Kilic and Ruben Rubinyan, for talks on normalizing the ties, with the first meeting held in Moscow on Jan. 14. The second and third meetings were held in Vienna on Feb. 24 and May 3, respectively.
Also, a historic bilateral meeting took place between the foreign ministers of Türkiye and Armenia on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum on March 12.
As part of the efforts, Ankara and Yerevan have also resumed commercial flights as of Feb. 2 after a two-year hiatus.
The two countries have been divided on a range of issues, including Armenia’s occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and the 1915 events between the Ottoman Empire and Armenians, and the border between the two neighboring countries has been closed since 1993.
Azerbaijan favors “establishing normal neighborly relations with Armenia,” Bayramov said. “If Armenia takes appropriate steps, respects international law, and understands regional realities correctly, it will be possible to achieve good results.”
Azerbaijan’s ties with Türkiye, Armenia
Azerbaijan’s top diplomat stressed the importance of the Southern Gas Corridor project amid the energy crisis in Europe in the wake of Russia’ war on Ukraine.
“With the cooperation and potential of Azerbaijan and Türkiye, there are opportunities to transfer additional natural gas to the European market,” he said.
On the bilateral relations between Baku and Ankara, Bayramov said they are at an “unprecedented level of closeness.”
“The Shusha Declaration has raised the ties to the level of alliance and set new targets in many areas,” he added.
On relations with Armenia, Bayramov recalled that Armenia occupied 20% of Azerbaijan’s lands in the First Karabakh War, citing it as a reason why the normalization of ties between the two countries were not on the table during that period.
Azerbaijan ended the occupation of Armenia following the Second Karabakh War in 2020, he said, adding that Azerbaijan put aside what happed in the past and called on Armenia to take the necessary steps for the normalization of relations and a peace agreement.
Although there was no response from Yerevan to Baku’s call for about a year, Azerbaijan submitted the basic principles of a possible peace agreement between the two countries to the Yerevan administration at the beginning of this year, Bayramov said.
He also said Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has met two times over the past two months with the initiative of European Council President Charles Michel, with the subjects of a possible peace agreement discussed.
The issues, such as the launch of transportation between the two countries and the start of the boundary determination commissions, were also discussed in Brussels, according to Bayramov.
“It is more necessary for Armenia than anyone else to lay the base for its development by normalizing relations with neighboring countries, Azerbaijan and Türkiye,” he stressed.
10:01, 8 June 2022
YEREVAN, JUNE 8, ARMENPRESS. President of the Constitutional Court of Armenia Arman Dilanyan met today with President of the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission Claire Bazy Malaurie, who arrived in Armenia on a two-day official visit, Armenpress correspondent reports.
Welcoming Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie in Yerevan, Arman Dilanyan thanked her for accepting the invitation to visit Armenia.
“I want to once again congratulate you on your election as President of the Venice Commission. The continent of Europe is facing quite difficult times, and I hope we will be able to overcome these problems with your support. I want to specifically note that we attach great importance to our cooperation with the Council of Europe, to our partnership with the Venice Commission. We have old traditions of cooperation, they have been for decades. I hope under your presidency these ties will not only strengthen, but also a new impetus will be given to these relations”, Arman Dilanyan said in his welcoming remarks.
In her turn the President of the Venice Commission said that she is very happy to be in Armenia and highlighted this meeting especially after the coronavirus pandemic and the refreshing of the relations with a CoE member state.
14:01, 8 June 2022
YEREVAN, JUNE 8, ARMENPRESS. UEFA European U-21 championship qualification round Group A match between Estonia U-21 and Croatia U-21 will take place in Estonian city of Parnu on June 8.
Armenian referees will officiate the match. The referee is Ashot Ghaltakhchyan, assistant referees are Mesrop Ghazaryan and Artur Gdlyan, the 4th official is Zaven Hovhannisyan, the Football Federation of Armenia reported.
12:29, 9 June 2022
YEREVAN, JUNE 9, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan and Foreign Minister of Russia Sergei Lavrov held a meeting in Yerevan on June 9.
The private talk of the two FMs was followed by the meeting attended by the delegations.
Sergei Lavrov arrived in Armenia on June 8 on a working visit.
He is scheduled to meet also with Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Vahagn Khachaturyan.
14:19, 9 June 2022
YEREVAN, JUNE 9, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan sent a letter of condolences to President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ebrahim Raisi over the derailment of a passenger train in the South Khorasan province, the PM’s Office said.
The letter reads:
“Your Excellency,
I learnt with pain about the crash of the passenger train near the city of Tabas in the South Khorasan province of Iran.
I address my sincere words of condolences to the families and relatives of the victims, wishing a speedy recovery to all those injured”.
14:32,
YEREVAN, JUNE 10, ARMENPRESS. The Foreign Ministers of the CSTO member states adopted a statement on international security issues with the results of today’s session in Yerevan, as well as approved the consultation plan of the representatives of the CSTO states for the next three years on foreign policy, defense and security affairs, Armenian FM Ararat Mirzoyan said at a joint press conference with CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas after the session.
“We completed the session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, which was attended by the Foreign Ministers of the CSTO member states and the CSTO Secretary General. This year we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Collective Security Treaty and the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, and I want to once again congratulate all of us on this occasion. During the narrow and extended-format sessions we discussed with the Foreign Ministers of the CSTO member states the situation development trends in the field of international and regional security and their impact on the security of our states. We also touched upon the issue of improving the crisis response mechanisms, which, as you know, is the priority of Armenia’s presidency at the CSTO. In January the Organization responded to the incidents in Kazakhstan on the right time, but the issue connected with the incursion of the Azerbaijani troops into Armenia’s sovereign territory, which started in May 2021, still remains open. We also discussed the implementation process of the agreements that were reached at the level of the leaders of the CSTO member states in September 2021 on the sidelines of the session of the Collective Security Council, as well as Armenia’s chairmanship priorities”, the FM said.
Mirzoyan said Armenia has been and remains committed to the initiating cooperation within the CSTO aimed at expanding the mutual partnership between the member states, including developing the foreign policy coordination within the CSTO and raising the role of the Organization in the international arena.
Based on the session results, that took place in the Armenian Presidential Palace, the CSTO Foreign Ministers agreed to hold the next session of the Council again in Yerevan in the fourth quarter of 2022.
Armenian weightlifters won two medals in the 96kg event of the European Championships under way in Tirana, Albania.
David Hovhannisyan was crowned champion with a total result of 377 kg. He also won a small gold medal in the snatch with a result of 160 kg and was second in the clean and jerk (206 kg).
Ara Aghanyan won the silver in the same weight category with a total result of 375 kg.