17:19,
YEREVAN, 19 JUNE, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 19 June, USD exchange rate down by 0.27 drams to 386.27 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 1.57 drams to 421.73 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.03 drams to 4.59 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 0.20 drams to 494.66 drams.
The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.
Gold price up by 74.96 drams to 24337.88 drams. Silver price up by 7.06 drams to 297.93 drams.
12:48,
YEREVAN, JUNE 19, ARMENPRESS. On 24 and 25 June, days rich in historical and cultural events are expected in Tatev; the immersive festival of Syunik history and legends “In the Mountains” will be held.
Theatrical performances, master classes, music, national dances and games, traditional dishes and a tour of historic old villages. The two-day festival program includes various events aimed at the development of cultural and gastronomic tourism in Syunik.
The guests and tourists of the festival will have the opportunity to participate in various events, and at the same time enjoy the mountain panorama of Syunik and the spectacular flight of the “TaTever” aerial tramway over the Vorotan gorge, the destination of which is one of the significantspiritual, educational and architectural monuments of the Middle Ages, Tatev monastery complex of the 9thcentury.
“Festivals play a significant role in the tourism industry. The Tourism Committee of the Republic of Armenia is promoting tourism in four main directions: adventure, culture, gastronomic and nature. All these 4 directions will be present in the festival “In the Mountains”, which is key in attracting tourist flows. We are always eager to organise interesting events in order to make Armenia an attractive destination for international tourists. Emphasizing the international market, the Committee implements the program of educational visits, within the framework of which we host media representatives and bloggers from different countries. Representatives of popular periodicals from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Austria will attend the festival “In the Mountains””, said the Head of The Tourism Committee of the Republic of Armenia Sisian Boghossian.
The festival will have several directions, including interests of different age groups.
“History of Syunik. travel through time” interactive performance about Syunik’s historical events and prominent figures will take place near Tatev Monastery after which the visitors will take part in national games and dances.
A fair will be organized throughout the day at the Halidzor station of the Wings of Tatev aerial tramway, where craftsmen will demonstrate traditional crafts of the region and hold master classes for visitors. As part of the musical program, the group Tarup Trio by Miqayel Voskanyan will perform.
A dance floor with a DJ, a large children’s entertainment and leisure zone is also planned.
During the festival actors from Syunik will be involved in staging of the special dinner-performance “Medieval dinner with the noble Orbelian family”.
There will also be a tour to the Old Halidzor village to watch the interactive performance “Local lifestyle in the 17th century”, and on the second day of the festival a visit will be paid to the Old Khndzoresk village.
“Our goal is to boost,through the festival “In the Mountains”, the flow of tourists to Syunik, Tatev, as well as to present the rich history and culture of Syunik through theatrical performances and games. We hope that guests will appreciate the hospitality of the people of Syunik, enjoy the beautiful mountain views and have a fun weekend. The festival is also significant in that the new flow of tourists to Tatev will have a positive socio-economic impact on the entire community”, says Ani Davtyan, project manager of the festival.
The festival “In the Mountains” is held with the support of the Tourism Committee of the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Armenia. Festival organizers are Tatev Revival Foundation, Ruben Vardanyan Foundation, Impulse Management Company and TaTeveraerial tramway.
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“TaTever” is the longest passenger aerial tramway in the world, included in the Guinness Book of Records. The aerial tramway is a part of the non-profit project “Tatev Revival” Foundation, the profit from which is directed to the restoration of the Tatev Monastery and the development of the surrounding areas.“TaTever” aerial tramway project is managed by Impulse Management Company.
“Tatev Revival” Foundation is a non-profit organization the main goals of which are the restoration of Tatev Monastery, the development of the communities of the region, the creation of new jobs and necessary infrastructure in the region, the development of the tourist destination of Tatev and the provision of support to local entrepreneurs.
Statements recognising Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity signal painful decisions may lie ahead.
FREELANCE JOURNALIST BASED IN YEREVAN
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s statement on the readiness to recognise the region of Nagorny Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan could end a territorial dispute that has locked the two nations in a three decades long war.
But it has also shaken Armenian society, whose fight for the region has defined its history and identity.
“The perception of the international community is increasingly leaning towards the formula that Armenia and Azerbaijan must, without reservation, recognise each other’s territorial integrity, 29,800 sq km and 86,600 sq km respectively. We agree with this logic and [we] are negotiating according to this logic,” Pashinyan stated during a four-and-half-hour press conference on May 22. He added that “a dialogue must take place between Baku and Stepanakert aimed at ensuring the rights and security of the Armenians of Nagorny Karabakh”.
Prompted by journalists, he added that “those 86,600 square kilometres also include Nagorny Karabakh”.
This is the first time an Armenian leader has said that Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity includes the Armenian-populated enclave in the neighbouring South Caucasus nation.
“Artsakh [as Armenians call Karabakh] is the homeland that we are holding on to with our teeth,” Marat Hovhannisyan told IWPR. Originally from Armenia’s Kotyak region, the 27-year-old joined the army in Karabakh when he was 18: for him, the territory is the land of his ancestors.
“I cannot imagine it as part of Azerbaijan, every Armenian who sets foot here can feel how strong and how long we have fought to have our home and our statehood.”
The mountainous region has been an integral part of Armenia’s political identity since 1988 when ethnic Armenians, comprising a majority in the territory, demanded it be transferred from then Soviet Azerbaijan to Soviet Armenia.
Armenian forces won the war that broke out following the collapse of the Soviet Union, claiming nearly 30,000 lives and leaving hundreds of thousands displaced. The 1994 ceasefire gave Karabakh de facto independence, but its 150,000 residents have been living in limbo as the territory’s sovereignty was not internationally recognised.
The link between Yerevan and Stepanakert, Karabakh’s de facto capital, is deep: it is included in Armenia’s declaration of independence and recognising it as part of Azerbaijan would require this to be amended.
However, while the prime minister’s statement has undoubtedly stirred ire, this has not gone beyond angry debate on social networks, small gatherings and outrage in Stepanakert.
This marks a stark contrast with the recent past.
In 2020, tens of thousands marched in Yerevan calling for Pashinyan’s resignation after Armenia lost the Second Karabakh war and Azerbaijan regained the control of districts around Karabakh and some key towns in the territory, like Hadrut and Shushi (Shusha in Azerbaijani).
Large protests also erupted in May 2022 after Pashinyan said in parliament that Armenia had to “lower the benchmark of expectations” on the status of Karabakh. Then, as now, the opposition was not able to capitalise on the anger and the interest eventually faded.
“The prospects of subordinating Karabakh to Azerbaijan are sensitive, any idea of ceding the territory is profoundly unpopular in Armenia,” political analyst Alexander Iskandaryan, who leads the Caucasus Institute, told IWPR. “However, due to harsh post-war consequences, it is getting more admissible.”
SELF-DETERMINATION
For decades, Yerevan countered Baku’s claim of territorial integrity with the right to self-determination, stressing that Armenians in the territory had the right to determine their international political status and sovereignty without outside or external interference.
The 2020 war changed the balance of power and narratives.
The right of Karabakh to self-determination has disappeared from the rhetoric of the political elite, which is increasingly raising the need to accept a difficult reality.
Those in Karabakh do not see such painful decisions as an option.
“We have sacrificed our dearest people for Artsakh and what our heroes did in 1990 cannot be devalued…This is unacceptable,” Loretta Bakhshiyan, whose 18-year-old son Aram and her two brothers died in 2020, told IWPR in a phone conversation from Stepanakert.
Bakhshiyan has been unable to visit her son’s grave in the Yerablur military cemetery in Yerevan since December 2022 due to the blockade by Azerbaijani so-called eco-activists of the Lachin corridor, the only road connecting Karabakh with Armenia.
“Artsakh must always be Armenian; I cannot imagine [it] as part of Azerbaijan. If you [Armenian government] had to recognise it as part of Azerbaijan, why did you sacrifice this generation?” the 41-year-old said.
For three decades, surveys have mirrored Bakhshiyan’s position: Armenians have only seen Karabakh either as an independent state or a part of Armenia.
Grieving mothers are the most critical voices. In mid-May, Armenian media reported an attempt to abduct Ashot Pashinyan, the premier’s 23-year-old son who also fought in the Second Karabakh war. The culprits belonged to an NGO advocating for mothers of the fallen soldiers of 2020 who have regularly staged protests against the government.
FROM DISSENT TO SOLUTION
Polls on Pashinya’s latest statement are not available, but a survey conducted by the Washington-based International Republican Institute (IRI) in early 2023 showed that 53 per cent of Armenians think that government policy towards Karabakh “regressed a lot” while 16 per cent thinks that it “somewhat regressed”.
Issues related to the region, including the blockade in Lachin corridor or the state of the army, dominate what Armenians see as their government’s biggest failure during the previous six months.
“Pashinyan’s rating has fallen sharply from 75 per cent [of his election in 2018] to 14 per cent today. This figure is below the line of legitimacy; making such an extreme decision with such a trust rating is very risky. A huge wave of dissatisfaction will rise,” Gevorg Poghosyan, sociology professor at the National Academy of Science, told IWPR, adding that a referendum should be held.
Surveys, however, do not detail how far society is ready to go to defend Karabakh, including through a new military confrontation.
“Even when iconic Karabakh leaders, such as Vazgen Manukyan and Robert Kocharyan [former Karabakh-born Armenian president] joined the opposition, there was no awakening as in 1988. People get so tired of wars that they may be ready for a ‘disgraceful peace’,” Sergey Markedonov, a Russian political scientist specialising on Caucasus issues, told IWPR.
A treaty may also not secure long-lasting peace in the region.
“The government thinks that by ceding Karabak it will solve all problems in Armenia, from security issues to economic development. But history has proved that Azerbaijan’s aggression and territorial claims are not limited to the territory… Baku did not cease its ambitions towards Armenia after the [2020] war,” Tigran Abrahamyan, an opposition MP from the I Have the Honour Alliance, told IWPR referring to the 2022 attack along a broad swathe of border areas within Armenia.
Iskandaryan agreed, pointing out that Baku did not feel under any military threat.
“Yerevan wants to protect itself with a peace treaty, Baku does not have such a need [and] accordingly, it needs something else, the full control of Karabakh. Even with declaration of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, Baku receives Karabakh only on paper,” the analyst stressed. “There are still Russian peacekeepers stationed there, there are local government institutions, even though not recognised, and Azerbaijani legislation does not extend to it.”
16:55, 29 May 2023
YEREVAN, MAY 29, ARMENPRESS. Armenia has applied to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) seeking interim measures in the case of the two Armenian servicemen kidnapped by Azerbaijani forces on May 26.
“On May 28, Armenia applied to the European Court of Human Rights requesting interim measures over the fact of the kidnapping of the two military servicemen who were supplying food to a military position. The court is waiting for Azerbaijan’s response. At this moment it is confirmed that the [servicemen] are in Baku and we expect to receive an answer in the next days,” the Office of the Representative of Armenia for International Legal Affairs told ARMENPRESS.
The two servicemen of the Armed Forces of Armenia were kidnapped by an Azerbaijani military squad that had infiltrated into the territory of Armenia. The kidnapped Armenian servicemen are facing fabricated charges in Baku.
10:41, 31 May 2023
YEREVAN, MAY 31, ARMENPRESS. The head coach of the Armenian national gymnastics team says the World Challenge Cups serve as an “exploratory” tournament for Armenian athletes.
“It was important to participate in the World Challenge Cup to see how much Artur Davtyan will score in the all-around, because at the World Championships we are going to seek to qualify for the Olympic Games in the all-around. The World Challenge Cups are exploratory tournaments for the team,” Head Coach Hakob Serobyan told ARMENPRESS.
He praised the result of his team in the World Challenge Cup in Bulgaria, where Artur Davtyan won 1 gold, 2 bronze, while Artur Avetisyan won 1 gold.
Olympic bronze medalist, World and European Champion Artur Davtyan has most chances of winning a ticket to the Olympic Games with results of the World Championship, Serobyan added.
We are pleased to see that talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan have continued. As Secretary Blinken said, peace is achievable in the South Caucasus. We recently expressed appreciation for Prime Minister Pashinyan’s commitment to peace, and we welcome President Aliyev’s recent remarks on consideration of amnesty.
Armenia and Azerbaijan’s leaders will meet later this week in Chisinau with our European partners, and we hope that will be a productive step to resolving these issues at the negotiating table and not through violence. Aggressive rhetoric can only perpetuate the violence of the past; constructive dialogue-both public and private-can create peace, opportunity, and hope. The United States stands ready to support the efforts of both parties to conclude a durable and dignified peace agreement.
Bilateral relations between Türkiye and Armenia have been strained for many years.
One of the most important reasons for the cold relations between the two countries is the Armenian side’s stance on the 1915 events.
The Armenian side is trying to have the world recognize the so-called “genocide” of the “deportation” policy of the Ottoman Empire against Armenians during the World War I.
While Türkiye says that both sides suffered greatly during the war, it strongly rejects Armenia’s so-called genocide allegations.
Both Ankara and Yerevan have recently taken steps to normalize bilateral relations.
Türkiye and Armenia are taking steps to normalize their bilateral relations.
At a time when normalization efforts are underway, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s statements attracted considerable attention.
Pashinyan stated that the government has frozen its attempts to have the so-called genocide allegations recognized in the international arena and called on the Armenian diaspora to adopt the same attitude.
The recent change of policy by Pashinyan, who has been on the agenda with his anti-Türkiye statements in previous years, is considered as an indication that the normalization efforts in the relations between Türkiye and Armenia have yielded results.
Source: turkiyegazetesi.com.tr
21:44, 1 June 2023
YEREVAN, JUNE 1, ARMENPRESS. On June 12, the meeting of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov will take place in Washington, USA, ARMENPRESS reports, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said during the meeting with the Armenian community in Chișinău.
“I would like to inform you that on June 12, a meeting in the format of the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan will take place in the United States, in Washington,” said the Prime Minister.
‘Maestro’, a new application to make learning classical music more attractive and enjoyable has been launched in Armenia, developed by professional musicians Lucy Bichakhchyan and Arus Nazaryan as part of the EU-funded Artbox programme.
“Traditional methods of music education can sometimes seem dry and unappealing. These methods discourage young people, and they lose interest in music over time. That is why, while developing the application, we strived to create a game through which people can easily connect with the history and basics of classical music,” say the app’s creators.
The ‘Artbox’ programme helped the musicians fully visualise their idea and turn it into a business, understand its shortcomings, and find the best possible solutions.
The app offers many opportunities to enhance the user’s musical knowledge, including conversations with famous musicians, interactive games, music theory lessons and ear training exercises. The app is designed for anyone who loves music and wants to learn more about it, from beginners to experienced musicians. It will soon be available for the visually and hearing impaired, with text-to-speech and closed captioning options.
The ‘Artbox’ programme was developed by ‘Creative Armenia’ and is implemented in Armenia with funding from the European Union and in cooperation with AGBU Armenia within the framework of the ‘Katapult’ creative acceleration programme.
Find out more
Press release
16:11,
YEREVAN, MAY 27, ARMENPRESS. The Investigative Committee of Armenia presented details about the kidnapping of two servicemen of the Armenian Armed Forces by the Azerbaijani armed forces on May 26.
According to the statement of the Investigative Committee, two Armenian servicemen, Harutyun Hovagimyan and Karen Ghazaryan, transported food for one of the military positions located in the southeastern direction with a “Kamaz 43114”, after which communication was lost with them. As a result of searches, the vehicle was found on the road leading to the military position, the engine of which was still running. One AK-74 rifle was found in the vehicle, but the two servicemen were not found.
According to preliminary data, the Azerbaijani armed group crossed Armenian border and kidnapped the two servicemen.
Since there are elements of crime of illegal crossing of the Armenian state border, kidnapping of servicemen, transfer against their will or ignoring their will, a criminal procedure has been initiated at the Investigative Committee of Armenia.
Large scale measures are being implemented to fully clarify the circumstances of the illegal crossing of the border by the servicemen of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan and the abduction of the servicemen.