Author: Khoyetsian Rose

 17:07,

YEREVAN, JUNE 25, ARMENPRESS. Armenia’s economic activity index increased 4.3% in January-May 2021 compared to January-May 2020, and the increase only in May compared to May 2020 comprised 10.9%, the Statistical Committee reported today.

Industrial production volume increased 2.3%, construction volume – 14.3%.

The increase in trade turnover comprised 7.4%, in the services field (without trade) – 0.9%.

Consumer price index increased 5.5%, industrial production price index – 9% and energy production volume – 2%.

11.6% increase has been registered in external trade turnover volumes in January-May 2021, whereas in May only the growth was 35.3% compared to May 2020.

Export from Armenia in January-May 2021 increased 20.8%, import – 6.7%.

Dram exchange rate against US dollar has been 523.87 as of January-May 2021.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 18:30,

YEREVAN, JUNE 25, ARMENPRESS. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev continues speaking about readiness to establish peace with Armenia, but Azerbaijan has failed so far to implement the agreements of November 9 and January 11 statements, particularly, the return of war prisoners.

ARMENPRESS reports, citing Azerbaijani media, during a meeting with the Foreign Ministers of Romania, Austria and Lithuania, Aliyev said that he wants to step from post-war situation to the era of strengthening of peace and cooperation.

”If we have no peace treaty with Armenia, that means there is no peace. There is no peace not only between the two countries, but in the South Caucasus. We need peace and sustainable development with zero risks of war. We do not need war”, Aliyev said.

Earlier, caretaker Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan had said that by June 17 there were 60 POWs in Azerbaijan, as well there are suspicions of 110 more POWs.

False charges are pressed against 20 Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan. They are accused of murders, diversionism and crimes.

The November 9 declaration signed between the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia says that the sides should exchange POWs, other detainees and bodies of victims, but Azerbaijan has not carried out its obligation so far.

 15:22,

STEPANAKERT, JUNE 16, ARMENPRESS. The Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Artsakh has issued a statement on the occasion of the 29th anniversary of the occupation of the Shahumyan region of Artsakh, the ministry told Armenpress.

The statement says:

“These days mark the 29th anniversary of the occupation of the Shahumyan region of the Republic of Artsakh. As a result of a large-scale offensive launched on June 12, 1992, the Shahumyan region had been completely captured by the Azerbaijani armed forces by mid-June 1992.

During the occupation, the Azerbaijani army committed numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity, including deliberate execution of people who tried to leave the occupied settlements, extrajudicial killings of prisoners and hostages, preventing the evacuation of civilians, shelling from heavy weapons civilian infrastructure.

As a result of the occupation of the Shahumyan region and the ensuing ethnic cleansing, about twenty Armenian villages were looted, burned and destroyed, over 20 thousand people were forced to leave their homes and became internally displaced persons and refugees, hundreds of people were brutally killed or have gone missing. The subsequent offensive of the Azerbaijani armed forces on the Martakert region led to the occupation of almost half of Artsakh and drove the Republic to the verge of humanitarian catastrophe. However, thanks to their unshakable spirit and strong will, perseverance and selfless struggle, the people of Artsakh, with the support of All Armenians, managed to undermine Azerbaijan’s plans to annihilate the Republic of Artsakh and its citizens.

In September-November 2020, Azerbaijan, with the direct military participation of Turkey and international terrorists, again tried to implement its criminal and xenophobic plans and do what it failed to do in 1991-94. In the course of the new armed aggression, Azerbaijan and its supporting forces committed war crimes and crimes against humanity on an even larger scale and with greater regularity. The new war has led to even greater human suffering, a new wave of refugees and internally displaced persons, and the occupation of a large part of the Republic of Artsakh.

The Shahumyan region is an integral part of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, the historical territory of Artsakh, where our people realized their inalienable right to self-determination and subsequently established their statehood. The de-occupation of the Shahumyan region and other territories of Artsakh occupied in 1991-1994, 2016 and 2020, along with the recognition of the right to self-determination exercised by its people, is a key element of a comprehensive settlement of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict and the establishment of a lasting peace in the region. The ongoing illegal occupation of the territories of Artsakh is a constant source of threats to regional peace and security in the South Caucasus”.

 16:12,

YEREVAN, JUNE 15, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia has revised the economic growth projection for 2021 because the ongoing developments outline faster recovery rates than expected, CBA President Martin Galstyan said during a press conference today.

“The economic growth projection has been revised. We forecast 4.6% economic growth for 2021, mainly conditioned by the growth in services, as it has been revised from 1.2% to 6.1%, the industry growth has been revised from 0.7% to 4.5%”, he said.

He said the industry growth is mainly connected with the high growth in prices of raw materials, and also with the higher volumes of export and import. As for the services, tourism sector is showing activeness. “We receive some signals from the external sector as well that the year is more positive than we predicted. We expect positive change in private consumption during the year, but the private investments continue to remain weak”, the CBA President said.

This year in March the CBA again has revised the economic growth projection for 2021, lowering it from 2% to 1.4%.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan