21:37,
YEREVAN, 14 APRIL, ARMENPRESS. Official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said that Russian Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Igor Khovaev will continue to work as a the Special Representative of the Russian Foreign Minister for supporting the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
ARMENPRESS reports Zakharova said that the preperation of the peace treaty will be in the center of Khovaev’s attention.
16:47, 8 April, 2022
YEREVAN, APRIL 8, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan discussed with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov the development of cooperation in defense, military-political and military-technical field, as well as the situation in the South Caucasus, in and around Nagorno Karabakh.
During the joint press conference with FM Lavrov in Moscow, the Armenian FM said the Armenian-Russian cooperation in defense, military-political and military-technical field has a special place in the bilateral relations.
“For that reason we paid a proper attention to the implementation process of the high-level agreements in that field. Ideas were exchanged about those issues, the implementation of which will serve for the protection of the interests of our countries. From positive terms we have observed the activity of existing mechanisms for the further development of our strategic partnership. The talk is about the inter-governmental commission on military-technical, economic issues, as well as the inter-parliamentary commission”, the FM said.
The Armenian FM said the high-level meetings and contacts contributed to the respective development course of the relations. “As you know, the official visit of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to Russia is expected in the nearest future, and it is necessary to be properly prepared for that”, he said.
He reminded that his visit is taking place in conditions when the main topic of the discussion is the situation in the South Caucasus, in Nagorno Karabakh. The Armenian FM said the steps of Azerbaijan are directed to causing a humanitarian crisis in Artsakh, and recalled the recent case of the “damage” of the gas pipeline in the territory under the control of Azerbaijan. Moreover, FM Mirzoyan also reminded the regular ceasefire violations by Azerbaijan, particularly the March 24 incursion of the Azerbaijani armed forces into the Parukh village located in the responsibility zone of the Russian peacekeepers.
“Of course, the most important part of the discussion was dedicated to these issues”, he said.
The Armenian FM once again highlighted Russia’s mediating role in the cessation of fire and military operations in Nagorno Karabakh.
“We also highly value the efforts of the Russian Federation aimed at the implementation of the trilateral agreements”, Ararat Mirzoyan said.
He emphasized Armenia’s commitment to the implementation of these agreements, of which the return of prisoners of war and other persons held, the preservation of the historical-cultural heritage in the territories under Azerbaijan’s control are extremely urgent.
“We believe that it is possible to achieve the solution of the issue exclusively through peaceful negotiations that will lead to peace and stability in the South Caucasus”, Mirzoyan said.
He also said that he has presented to Lavrov the position of the Armenian side on starting negotiations with Azerbaijan around a peace treaty.
“In this regard, I once again highlighted the importance of the complete work of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship”, the Armenian FM said.
14:08, 7 April, 2022
YEREVAN, APRIL 7, ARMENPRESS. One of the world’s largest stock exchanges, Nasdaq, has congratulated BAJ Accelerator and Orion Worldwide Innovations for attracting $27 million in investments in 2021. As previously reported, the investments were made in Armenian startups operating in the fields of Security, SaaS, Robotics, FinTech, and AI. Orion is a New York-based company that opened an office in Armenia two years ago. Startups in the accelerator portfolio are on pace to attract another $20 million in 2022.
The showcase congratulating both BAJ Accelerator and Orion Worldwide Innovations were published on the large Nasdaq screen in Times Square, New York (photo attached) with the following text: “NASDAQ congratulates BAJ Accelerator & Orion Worldwide Innovations for their program companies raising $27M in 2021.”
“We are very honored to be recognized by Nasdaq. Armenian talent invent many innovative products, and we are glad that through Orion the successes of the Armenian startups are becoming more visible to the world. For the first time this upcoming summer, we will organize the “Orion Summit 2022,” which will be an opportunity to highlight achievements together with rising unicorns that are part of our portfolio, and the Armenian startup ecosystem overall,” said Diana Arzumanyan, CEO & Co-Founder of Orion Armenia.
About Orion
Orion Worldwide Innovations (“Orion”), is a startup growth and ecosystem acceleration hub and offers a full-service package to make companies investable and enter the US market, enhance their customer acquisition strategies, stay competitive, and protect their innovation. Orion is a U.S.-based company that was formed in 2017, with offices in New York City, U.S., and Yerevan, Armenia. Orion partners with companies and investor networks worldwide.
About “BAJ Accelerator”
BAJ Accelerator is a growth stage accelerator and is for startups at the Seed to Series A+ levels. BAJ Accelerator is the first one in the world “accelerating the acceleration of technology” by offering high-touch relationships for funding and growth, business and legal, investment and academia. Topics span an impressive range including technology, legal, finance, sales, marketing, leadership, storytelling and exponential thinking.BAJ Accelerator brings fast-paced Firing Range drive with the unique vision of “Less Talk, More Deals” slogan.
12:30, 28 March, 2022
YEREVAN, MARCH 28, ARMENPRESS. There will be no cut in expenditures envisaged by the 2020 state budget, the capital expenditures will be carried out completely, and if the tax revenues would be lower than expected, it will be compensated by attracting state debt in case of necessity, Minister of Finance Tigran Khachatryan said at the session of the parliamentary standing committee on economic affairs.
“We will have a need to borrow funds also in coming years because in most cases these are financial resources directed to privileged development programs which should enable to make investments in infrastructures, key branches of the economy, thus raising the economic growth potential. Respectively both now and in the future we must think of ways of implementing it, which are safe and manageable from macroeconomic perspective”, the minister said.
The heavy year of 2020 ended with 63.5% debt-to-GDP ratio. However, the minister reminded that the government planned to significantly improve this figure in the next five years. “We summed up the year [2021] with 60.3% debt-to-GDP ratio”, he said, considering this a significant improvement.
The government debt in the end of the year comprised 4 trillion 210 billion drams (8 billion 768 million dollars) – 6 billion 191 million dollars external debt, and 2 billion 577 million dollars internal debt. The share of internal debt in the overall debt has significantly improved, reaching around 29%.
Member of Parliament Babken Tunyan was interested in what will be the debt-to-GDP ratio by the end of the year. The minister said it’s early to give assessments. According to him, the macroeconomic uncertainties could have a negative effect on the predicted economic activity and growth rates, which in turn directly affects the tax revenues.
“If this situation has a long-lasting effect, we may end the year with lower tax revenue performance than expected. And our decision is that, by following the situation, we will attract so many necessary additional financial resources which are needed for completely conducting the expenditures approved by the 2022 state budget. And we will not go on the path of cutting the expenditure if tax revenues decline. I think that in terms of performance we will be within quite good indicators, we will seek to implement the capital expenditures with certain increase in debt because the funds to be borrowed, that will compensate the taxes, will be especially additional credit resources. It’s possible that by the end of the year we will have a debt slightly higher than GDP, we envisaged 60.2%, but it may be a little bit higher from that”, he said.
He said they came to this decision as a result of long discussions and joint conclusion with the International Monetary Fund.
Azerbaijan said on Tuesday it was ready for peace talks with Armenia, after Yerevan urged Baku to negotiate a comprehensive peace treaty amid new tensions over Nagorno-Karabakh.
“If Armenia is serious about a peace agreement, then concrete steps have to be made. We repeat that Azerbaijan is ready for this,” the foreign ministry in Baku said in a statement.
The ministry pointed out that Azerbaijan had proposed that the two countries hold peace talks a year ago.
In 2020, Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a war over the long-contested enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh which claimed more than 6,500 lives.
A ceasefire deal brokered by Russian President Vladimir Putin saw Armenia cede swathes of territory to Azerbaijan, and Moscow deploy a peacekeeping contingent to the mountainous region.
Last week, Yerevan and Moscow accused Baku of violating a ceasefire in the Russian contingent’s zone of responsibility.
They accused Azeri forces of capturing the village of Farukh in the Askeran region of Karabakh, where three Armenian soldiers were killed in a shootout last week.
Baku rejected the accusation, insisting the area was part of its internationally recognized territory.
On Monday, Armenia’s security council accused Azerbaijan of “preparing the ground for fresh provocations and an offensive on Nagorno-Karabakh.”
It urged Baku to “immediately start talks on a comprehensive peace treaty.”
Armenia also demanded an investigation into the Russian peacekeeping contingent’s actions during the Azeri “incursion” and urged the Russian force to take “concrete steps” to diffuse tensions.
A major flare-up in Karabakh could pose a challenge for Moscow, at a time when tens of thousands of Russian troops are engaged elsewhere, in Ukraine.
Moscow has deployed some 2,000 peacekeepers in Karabakh and a land corridor linking it with Armenia.
Ethnic Armenian separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh broke away from Azerbaijan when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. The ensuing conflict claimed around 30,000 lives.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2022/03/29/Amid-new-tensions-Azerbaijan-says-ready-for-peace-talks-with-Armenia-
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14:45, 31 March, 2022
YEREVAN, MARCH 31, ARMENPRESS. The humanitarian aid imported from France and Italy to Armenia will be handed over to the State Emergency Service of Artsakh’s Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The respective decision was approved today during the meeting of the Armenian government.
In December 2021, goods were sent from France and Italy, destined for the needs of the Republic of Artsakh.
The Armenian opposition will hold a rally in Yerevan’s Liberty Square on 5 April to discuss issues concerning the defense of Artsakh and Armenia, an opposition Hayastan faction MP and deputy parliament speaker, Ishkhan Saghatelyan, announced on Friday.
“I urge all citizens to gather at the Liberty Square on April 5, at 6:30pm, to discuss together how to preserve Artsakh and to defend Armenia, to take measures to ensure the security of the countries,” he said, addressing the parliament.
The MP claims the Armenian authorities are “unable” to organize the defense of the country.
The National Assembly convened a special session to debate a bill proposing changes to the law on local self-government.
Saghatelyan stated the agenda of the parliament is not adequate to the challenges facing the country.
“The enemy troops have invaded Parukh and took control of the strategic height [Karaglukh], but what are we discussing in the parliament? What would the people living in Stepanakert, the Khramort or Karmir Shuka communities of Artsakh think of the parliament and its majority?” he said.
He accused the ruling Civil Contract faction MPs of attempting to tighten their “grip on power”, leaving aside the main responsibility for ensuring the country’s security.
Four influential California lawmakers called this week for an investigation into a $17.5-million class-action settlement on behalf of Armenian genocide victims that a Times investigation found had been marred by fraud, diverted funds and a rejection rate of 92%.
U.S. Reps. Jackie Speier (D-Hillsborough) and Anna Eshoo (D-Menlo Park), the only Armenian Americans in Congress, along with Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) and state Sen. Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge), chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said they were disgusted by misconduct The Times detailed in a report last week.
“I am deeply concerned and outraged by the issues raised,” Portantino said in a statement. “The Armenian Genocide was a horrendous historical atrocity and descendants of those murdered should not be victimized or be denied their rightful settlements.”
Three Armenian American attorneys from Los Angeles, including prominent lawyers Mark Geragos and Brian Kabateck, secured the settlement with the French insurance company AXA a decade and a half ago. The funds were supposed to compensate the families of genocide victims with unpaid insurance policies and support Armenian charities selected by a French nonprofit.
The Times investigation found that that the French nonprofit was never established; some of the money was sent to the pet charities of lawyers involved in the case, including their alma mater; and hundreds of thousands of dollars were directed to sham claimants. Less than 8% of claims submitted by Armenians around the world were approved, despite what in many cases was overwhelming evidence that the applicants were rightful heirs.
“It’s clear by the dismal claims approval rate and finger-pointing that something is rotten in Denmark, or Glendale, or France as the case may be,” said Speier, the co-chair of the Congressional Armenian Caucus, in a statement.
Schiff, who represents Glendale, home to a sizable Armenian community, and is chair of the powerful House Intelligence Committee, said he was concerned by the “ordeal” faced by descendants of the genocide.
“I think all of us who read these stories have been horrified that some of the survivors and their families may have been victimized again,” Schiff said in a statement. “I fully support an investigation to ensure all such survivors get the compensation they deserve.”
Eshoo agreed that “a full investigation” was “absolutely warranted,” adding: “It is shameful that fraudsters are profiting from the pain of the Armenian community.”
The settlement in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles was overseen by Judge Christina A. Snyder from shortly after its filing in 1999. The Times described how various parties — the Armenian Ministry of Justice, claimants, a lead attorney in the case and a court-appointed French settlement board — voiced concerns to Snyder about the handling of claims and settlement funds over a period of years.
Among the irregularities was the award of some $575,000 to a Syrian man who had never applied for compensation, and payments totaling $400,000 to an Iraqi man whose existence could not be verified. Some of those funds were converted to cashier’s checks in Southern California. Additionally, at least $750,000 that was supposed to go to religious organizations never arrived, church officials told The Times.
Snyder greenlit some investigative efforts to uncover misconduct, but repeatedly denied a complete audit of the settlement.
“The court’s refusal to grant an independent audit is equally puzzling,” Speier said in the statement.
Related: Read The Times investigation in Armenian
Snyder previously told The Times that the judicial code of conduct barred her from speaking about the settlement. She formally closed the case in 2016. Geragos and Kabateck, both descendants of genocide survivors, denied any wrongdoing in statements from representatives.
They have blamed others for the problems in the claims process, including other lawyers and a claims administrator, and pointed out that millions of dollars did go to Armenian charitable causes. Kabateck’s representative noted that money they sent to his and Geragos’ alma mater, Loyola Law School, was used to establish a genocide law center. Both noted that, despite complaints about the settlement to the State Bar of California, which polices the legal profession, and law enforcement agencies, there have been no criminal charges against the two lawyers or findings of misconduct on their part.
The Times’ investigation relied on newly unsealed records, emails among attorneys and confidential settlement records. Authorities previously took action against three other lawyers in connection with the settlement. A Beverly Hills attorney, Berj Boyajian, pleaded no contest in Superior Court to a felony and a misdemeanor charge in connection with making false claims to the State Bar and ultimately served no jail time. He later resigned his law license.
The bar moved against the law licenses of Vartkes Yeghiayan, a Glendale attorney who worked on the cases with Geragos and Kabateck, and his wife for allegedly misappropriating charity money. The case against her was thrown out. Yeghiayan died before trial.
Some Armenians in France and the U.S. have campaigned to hold accountable additional figures in the settlement. As recently as last year, a member of the court-appointed French settlement board urged the L.A. County District Attorney to launch a new probe and similar requests have been made in recent years to the State Bar. There is no statute of limitations for investigations initiated by the bar into potential attorney misconduct.
Speier, the Bay Area congresswoman, raised the possibility of an investigation by the state auditor or state insurance commissioner.
Portantino said he wanted “continued investigation and transparency until the rightful recipients are justly compensated and any and all actions of potential wrongdoing are exposed and properly dealt with.”
The settlement and a preceding case against the insurer New York Life were lauded by Armenians in the mid-2000s. At the time, the community was still fighting for the U.S. government and others to recognize the 1915 genocide as a historical fact. President Biden finally recognized the genocide last year.
In 2018, the Armenian Bar Assn. — a professional organization for Armenian American lawyers — feted Snyder at its annual banquet with Kabateck, one of the attorneys in the AXA case, proclaiming, “Every judge should take lessons from the Honorable Christina Snyder.”
In the wake of The Times investigation, the Armenian Bar Assn. expressed “profound sadness and concern” over the involvement of Armenian American lawyers in the improprieties.
“If true, these allegations not only violate the ethical aspirations of the Armenian Bar Assn.’s membership, but they represent a grave breach of our organization’s core values,” the group’s board said in a statement.
17:04,
YEREVAN, MARCH 29, ARMENPRESS. Armenia’s Rosa Linn will take the stage at the Eurovision 2022 International Song Contest at the first semi-final on May 10 under number 17 in Turin.
The second semi-final will take place on May 12, and the final on May 14.
Rosa Linn will perform her song Snap.
Moscow on Saturday accused Azerbaijan of violating a ceasefire agreement by entering the Russian peacekeeping mission’s zone in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, the first time Russia publicly assigned the blame for violating the 2020 deal.
The Russian defence ministry also accused Azerbaijani troops of using Turkish-made drones to strike Karabakh troops, while the foreign ministry in Moscow expressed “extreme concern” over the spiralling tensions in the region.
The defence ministry in Baku said it “regretted the one-sided statement of Russia’s defence ministry, which does not reflect the truth”, adding that “Azerbaijan didn’t violate a single provision” of the ceasefire agreement.
The two countries’ defence ministers had discussed the situation in the enclave and the “Azerbaijani side stated that it is clarifying the positions and deployment locations of its armed forces” on the ground, the ministry said, accusing Armenia of “an attempted provocation” and failure to withdraw troops from Karabakh.
The ministry “requests Russia’s defence ministry to fully withdraw the remaining Armenian troops and illegal armed units from the internationally recognised territory of Azerbaijan.”
Incidents between the armed forces of arch enemies Azerbaijan and Armenia have been frequent in recent months but Saturday’s announcement was the first time since the end of the hostilities over Karabakh in November, 2020 that Moscow has accused one of the parties of violating the uneasy ceasefire.
Moscow denounced the flare-up on the 31st day of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine, with signs indicating that both sides were digging in for a protracted conflict in the pro-Western country.
The Kremlin said on Saturday that President Vladimir Putin had discussed the situation with Armenian leader Nikol Pashinyan twice — on Friday and Thursday.
“Violating the provisions of a trilateral statement of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia from November 9, 2020, Azerbaijan’s armed forces between March 24 and March 25 entered the zone of responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh and set up an observation post,” the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.
The statement added that Turkish-made drones were used to strike Karabakh troops near the village of Farukh also known as Parukh.
Russia urged Azerbaijan to pull back troops.
“An appeal has been sent to the Azerbaijani side to withdraw its troops,” the defence ministry said.
“The command of the Russian peacekeeping contingent is taking measures to resolve the situation.”
The foreign ministry in Moscow urged all the parties “to exercise restraint and ensure strict compliance with the existing tripartite agreements”.
In 2020, Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a war over the long-contested enclave which claimed more than 6,500 lives.
A ceasefire deal brokered by Putin saw Yerevan cede swathes of territory, with Russia deploying a peacekeeping contingent to the mountainous region.
– ‘Constant shelling’ –
On Saturday, the breakaway region’s defence ministry said in a statement that Azerbaijani drones had killed three people and wounded another 15.
“Azerbaijan’s armed forces are continuing to remain in the village of Parukh,” the statement added.
Armenia called on the international community to prevent attempts aimed at “destabilising the situation in the South Caucasus”.
“We also expect the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh to undertake concrete, visible steps to resolve the situation and prevent new casualties and hostilities,” the Armenian foreign ministry said in a statement.
Yerevan said that the “invasion” of strategically important Parukh “was preceded by constant shelling of Armenian settlements and civilian infrastructure”.
Armenia’s foreign ministry said earlier this week that Azerbaijani troops on Thursday moved into the village of Parukh — under control of Russian peacekeepers — in what they said was “a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement”.
Armenia has also warned of a possible “humanitarian catastrophe” in Karabakh after gas supplies to the disputed region were cut off following repair work.
Yerevan has accused Azerbaijan of deliberately leaving Karabakh’s ethnic-Armenian population without natural gas, a charge which Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry rejected as “baseless”.
Ethnic Armenian separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh broke away from Azerbaijan as the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, and the ensuing conflict claimed around 30,000 lives.
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