Author: Kalantarian Kevo

Pashinyan urges Azerbaijan to refrain from undermining chance of peace

Kalantarian Kevo

 11:44, 3 August 2023

YEREVAN, AUGUST 3, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan has said that there is a chance of achieving long-term and sustainable peace with Azerbaijan and called on Baku to refrain from steps aimed at decreasing these chances.

“Despite all difficulties, we really do have a chance of achieving long-term, sustainable and lasting peace. And I call on Azerbaijan to refrain from steps aimed at decreasing this chance, for example the continuous torpedoing of Stepanakert-Baku dialogue within the framework of an international mechanism, the illegal blockade of Lachin Corridor and the kidnapping of Vagif Khachatryan, who was being transported by the ICRC to Yerevan, from Lachin Corridor earlier this week.  The release of Vagif Khachatryan, other captives, prisoners of war and detainees would be an impressive signal of commitment to the peace agenda,” Pashinyan said.

Syunik to host “Navasard” Armenian-Iranian cultural-culinary festival

Kalantarian Kevo

 14:50, 2 August 2023

YEREVAN, AUGUST 2, ARMENPRESS. The upcoming “Navasard” Armenian-Iranian cultural-culinary festival will feature a rich program and draw a large number of tourists, organizers said Wednesday.  

The festival will take place August 10 in Sisian, Syunik.

“We manage to make it a traditional and long-awaited festival for many people,” said Armenian Tourism Federation President Mekhak Apresyan. “It is a unique regional tourism product. It is an important factor in directing the flow towards us in the reshaping global tourism market in the post-coronavirus era. This event is very important in terms of promoting cultural heritage, cuisine, presenting one of the results of Armenian-Iranian friendship.”

Sisian Boghossian, Chairman of the Tourism Committee of the Ministry of Economy, noted that Iran is one of the target markets for the Armenian tourism industry. Tourism authorities carry out targeted work to attract Iranian tourists.

“Iran is an important market for us, these festivals help us create a more interesting atmosphere in Armenia and attract more tourists from Iran. Last year was very successful for the festival, it had quite a large number of visitors. We expect the same and even more activity this year. I myself was born in Iran and I know Iranian cuisine very well, they have quite tasty dishes. So, I suggest you visit Sisian city and see for yourself,” said Sisian Boghosian.

Mohammad-Ali Kiani, the acting cultural adviser at the Iranian Embassy in Armenia, added that a variety of culinary and cultural events will be offered.

“We were allocated 20 booths in the festival. We’ve done everything to ensure high quality participation. We involved chefs from both Iran and Armenia. We aim to present to the locals that an Iranian cuisine market is available here as well,” said Kiani. He also added that there is a goal to organize such an event in Iran as well, the venue and dates of the event are being discussed.

Emphasizing the work with Iranian partners, the Chairman of the Development and Preservation of Armenian Culinary Traditions NGO Sedrak Mamulyan noted that both sides have a disposition to create a common tourist result and present it to the world.

The festival will feature the renowned Navasard harissa, a festive dish, as well as a cooking competition, Mamulyan said. The event will also include a music and dancing segment.

Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 24-07-23

Kalantarian Kevo

 17:15,

YEREVAN, 24 JULY, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 24 July, USD exchange rate up by 0.61 drams to 387.09 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.64 drams to 429.36 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.01 drams to 4.28 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 0.28 drams to 496.79 drams.

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

Gold price down by 154.15 drams to 24400.12 drams. Silver price down by 5.04 drams to 307.77 drams.

Armenian foreign minister to visit Tehran Monday

Kalantarian Kevo
 MEHR News Agency

TEHRAN, Jul. 23 (MNA) – The Armenian foreign minister will depart for Tehran to meet with his Iranian counterpart on Monday.

Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan is due in Tehran on Monday to hold talks with the officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

He will hold talks with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, local Iranian media said on Sunday evening.

KI

Asbarez: Yerevan and Moscow Discuss Azerbaijan’s Ongoing Artsakh Blockade

Kalantarian Kevo
by Asbarez Staff

 

 

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

Azerbaijan installed a concrete barrier on the Lachin Corridor on June 22


The Russian Foreign Ministry’s special representative on Armenia and Azerbaijan talks Igo Khovaev visited Yerevan on Friday and held meetings with Armenian government officials regarding the ongoing — more than seven-month-long — Azerbaijani blockade of Artsakh.

Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan spoke about the imperative to address the rights and security issues of the people of Nagorno Karabakh under the international mechanism was emphasized.

Khovaev and Mirzoyan “thoroughly discussed the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh resulted by the illegal blocking of the Lachin Corridor. The need for Azerbaijan to immediately lift the blockade of the Lachin Corridor, in accordance with the tripartite declaration of November 9, 2020 and the rulings of the UN International Court of Justice of February 22 and July 6,” the foreign ministry said.

Mirzoyan also discussed Yerevan’s approaches regarding the establishment of comprehensive stability in the South Caucasus and key issues in the process of regulating relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Khovaev, who is also the Russian co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, also met with Armenia’s National Security chief Armen Grigoryan, who emphasized the need for Azerbaijan to honor its obligations and implement the provisions of the November 9, 2020 agreement.

Grigoryan told Khovaev the Lachin Corridor blockaded continued a violation of that agreement.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan warned the visiting Russian diplomat of the deepened humanitarian crisis emanating from the blockade and emphasized the need for addressing the dire situation immediately.

Backlash in Armenia as EU backs Nagorno-Karabakh aid via Azerbaijan

Kalantarian Kevo


 

ByAni Avetisyan

Proposals to send humanitarian aid to Nagorno-Karabakh from Azerbaijani-controlled land appear to have been backed by the EU, causing outrage in Armenia.

Supplies to the region have repeatedly been cut off since the blockade of the Lachin Corridor began in December, with the situation again deteriorating since mid-June.

On Saturday, EU Council President Charles Michel appeared to back proposals by Azerbaijan to send supplies via Aghdam.

‘I emphasised the need to open the Lachin road. I also noted Azerbaijan’s willingness to provide humanitarian supplies via Aghdam’, Michel said.

His statement came after a round of talks with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev earlier that day.

The Lachin Corridor is the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia. Azerbaijan set up a checkpoint under its control at the start of the corridor in late April — a move seen as a violation of the November 2020 ceasefire agreement, which states that the Lachin Corridor falls under the control of the Russian peacekeeping mission in Nagorno-Karabakh.

As the region grappled with food and energy shortages under blockade, Baku has proposed sending humanitarian aid and supplies to Nagorno-Karabakh through Aghdam.

Stepanakert swiftly rejected Baku’s proposal.

Michel’s statement was condemned in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, with critics calling for the reopening of the Lachin Corridor instead of the establishment of alternative routes.

Azerbaijan dismisses claims of an ongoing blockade and humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, despite local and international reports indicating food and medicine shortages in the region.

On Tuesday, fifteen Armenian organisations jointly stated that the Lachin Corridor ‘has no alternative’.

‘Instead of addressing the root cause of the humanitarian crisis, the discussion of “alternative” routes, such as Aghdam, diverts the attention of the international community from the source of the problem: the illegal blockade of the humanitarian corridor by the Azerbaijani government and the policy of ethnic cleansing’, read their response to Michel’s statement.

Several organisations in Nagorno-Karabakh also issued a more pointed statement on Monday.

‘We emphasise and remind that the support provided at the cost of trampling on the dignity of people in a humanitarian catastrophe cannot be accepted from a country that can offer nothing but hatred, suffering, and pain’, stated the organisations in Nagorno-Karabakh.

David Babayan, adviser to Nagorno-Karabakh’s president and a former foreign minister, condemned the EU Council President’s statement as ‘dangerous’.

‘There is a decision of the international court [of Justice], which says that the corridor should be [reopened]’, Babayan told Armenian media. ‘So where does Aghdam come from?’

Toivo Klaar, the EU’s special envoy to the South Caucasus, also backed Baku’s proposal to provide Nagorno-Karabakh with humanitarian aid through Aghdam, stating that ‘every offer should also be used, not as an alternative to Lachin but as a complement to it’.

The humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh has continued to deepens as the region remains under total blockade since mid-June, when Azerbaijan barred Russian peacekeeping forces stationed in Nagorno-Karabakh from using the Lachin Corridor to supply the region.

Currently, only the International Commitee of the Red Cross can use the corridor to transfer people requiring medical assistance to Armenia. Despite assistance provided by the Red Cross, local authorities have warned of an increase in mortality rates and miscarriages due to the lack of food and medicine. 

In an effort to save energy and food in the region, Stepanakert has introduced rolling blackouts and rationing across Nagorno-Karabakh, in addition to suspending public transport last week.

They have also called for ‘indefinite rallies’ in the hope of attracting international attention, with President Arayik Harutyunyan leading a sit-in protest in central Stepanakert.

[Read more: Thousands rally in Stepanakert against blockade]

 For ease of reading, we choose not to use qualifiers such as ‘de facto’, ‘unrecognised’, or ‘partially recognised’ when discussing institutions or political positions within Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and South Ossetia. This does not imply a position on their status.

https://oc-media.org/backlash-in-armenia-as-eu-backs-nagorno-karabakh-aid-via-azerbaijan/

Apricot Capital has launched a foreign currency trading platform in its mobile application

Kalantarian Kevo

 11:05,

YEREVAN, JULY 20, ARMENPRESS. Apricot Capital, a licensed investment company in Armenia, has launched a foreign currency trading platform in its mobile application.

From now on, customers can make real-time foreign exchange conversions with the primary currency pairs (US Dollar, Euro, British Pound, Chinese Yuan, etc.) at global cross rates through the Apricot Capital application.

The Apricot Capital platform grants entry to currency transactions and trading in international securities markets at a competitive rate and the ability to observe the result of the transaction directly on the account.

To utilize Apricot Capital’s currency conversion tools and other platforms, one must become an Apricot Capital client by completing all the mandatory procedures once. Upon successful validation, resident, and non-resident citizens of the Republic of Armenia fund brokerage accounts in the specified minimum amount, after which the client gets access to the mobile application.

The Apricot Capital mobile app is available on the App Store and Google Play. It is a reliable platform through which Apricot Capital offers its clients a wide range of brokerage services. Apricot Capital’s commercial infrastructure ensures the high-quality execution of transactions with various financial instruments through a wide network of partnerships with leading European and American brokers and financial companies.

Zangi unveils messenger with NATO-approved military grade encryption for Nagorno Karabakh in case of internet blackout

Kalantarian Kevo

 17:15,

YEREVAN, JULY 20, ARMENPRESS. The Government of Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) has signed a memorandum with the Armenian Zangi on launching a modern and secure messenger capable of being used without internet.  

The messenger is developed by Zangi and will be called ArtsakhX.

“We’ve solved several problems, most importantly the problems of security and access. In case of Artsakh’s internet getting cut off, ArtsakhX will continue to work with partial functionality,” Zangi CEO Vahram Martirosyan told ARMENPRESS.

ArtsakhX is encrypted with NATO-approved military grade End-to-End AES-GSM-256 algorithm. The servers and data will be located in Nagorno Karabakh, enabling to ensure data transfer in the event of an enemy electronic warfare or cyber attack.

The messenger is free and will be available in Nagorno Karabakh soon.

“ArtsakhX is a unique solution in the world, integrating civilian GSM operator and messenger system. ArtsakhX is created by Zangi and will be serviced by Zangi for free,” the CEO added.

Zangi began to work on the project six months ago, but the idea was conceived after the 2016 Nagorno Karabakh Four-Day War.

Karina Terteryan




Press remarks by President Charles Michel following trilateral meeting with Prez Aliyev of Azerbaijan and PM Pashinyan of Armenia

Kalantarian Kevo
July 15 2023

We have just finished the sixth meeting with President Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan.

Our exchanges have once again been frank, honest and substantive.

Our meeting was the latest in a series of intensive and productive high-level meetings involving Armenia’s and Azerbaijan’s leaders, Deputy Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers since early May, in Brussels, Chișinău, Washington, Moscow and on the bilateral border.

We are going through one of the most comprehensive and vigorous stages of negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

I commended the leaders for their strong commitment to the peace process and encouraged them to take further courageous steps to ensure decisive and irreversible progress on the normalisation track.

And even though our meeting took place in the context of a worrying increase in tensions on the ground, I noted important momentum in the political discussions and efforts.

We discussed all issues on the agenda.

  1. Sovereignty and territorial integrity

The Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders once again fully reconfirmed their respect for the other country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Based on the understanding that Armenia’s territory covers 29.800 km2 and Azerbaijan’s 86.600 km2.

  1. Border delimitation

Both leaders reconfirmed their unequivocal commitment to the 1991 Almaty Declaration as a political framework for the delimitation.

I welcomed the 12 July meeting of the two border commissions. Work has advanced on the statutes of these commissions and on discussions regarding the basis for delimitation.

And — this is very important — the leaders agreed to intensify and accelerate the work of the commissions.

  1. Connectivity

On connectivity, the sides have also made clear progress over the past two months in their discussions aimed at unblocking transport and economic links in the region.

We discussed modalities of future transport arrangements which will respect the principles of sovereignty, jurisdiction and reciprocity.

The construction of the railway connection should be undertaken forthwith. The EU would be ready to contribute financially.

Some details still require clarification, but positions on this topic are now getting closer and options are being actively explored.

  1. Humanitarian supplies

We discussed the situation of the Karabakh Armenian population and the situation around the Lachin corridor. The current state of affairs is clearly not sustainable and is in no one’s interest.

We also discussed possible concrete steps to help bring the situation back to normal.

I emphasised the need to open the Lachin road. I also noted Azerbaijan’s willingness to provide humanitarian supplies via Aghdam. I see both options as important and encourage humanitarian deliveries from both sides to ensure the needs of the population are met.

I also welcomed the resumption of medical evacuations by the ICRC.

  1. Rights and security

The population on the ground needs reassurances, first and foremost regarding their rights and security.

In this context, I expressed the EU’s encouragement for direct dialogue between Baku and representatives of Armenians living in the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast.

This dialogue should provide much-needed confidence for all those involved.  

  1. Detainees

We also discussed the issue of detainees.

The leaders reconfirmed their commitment to the gentlemen’s understanding that the release of soldiers who inadvertently cross to the other side would be facilitated.

I advocated for the release by both sides of detainees.

The importance of ensuring increased cooperation in addressing the fate of missing persons and on demining was also discussed, and I once again called on the sides to exchange as much information as possible.

  1. Follow-up

We agreed that our teams will remain in close contact to ensure concrete follow-up on what has been discussed today.

Real progress depends on the next steps that will need to be taken in the near future. As a matter of priority, violence and harsh rhetoric should stop in order to provide the proper environment for peace and normalisation talks.

I also reiterated my intention to invite the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders for another meeting in Brussels after the summer, as well as for another pentalateral meeting, with the participation also of the leaders of France and Germany, in Granada in the margins of the next European Political Community Summit.

 Barend Leyts
Spokesperson for the European Council President
 +32 486 22 68 65
 +32 2 281 5150
 @BarendLeyts

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https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2023/07/15/press-remarks-by-president-charles-michel-following-trilateral-meeting-with-president-aliyev-of-azerbaijan-and-prime-minister-pashinyan-of-armenia/











The death of children in Nagorno-Karabakh is a consequence of the Azerbaijani blockade. FM Mirzoyan

Kalantarian Kevo

 17:18,

YEREVAN, JULY 13, ARMENPRESS. The 7-month blockade of Lachin Corridor total siege of Nagorno Karabakh people is having irreversible and devastating impact on the lives of the people, ARMENPRESS reports Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan wrote on Twitter.

“NK resident children 3-year-old Leo and 6-year-old Gita died as consequence of the serious humanitarian situation. In 21st century. This should not be tolerated”, Mirzoyan wrote.