Azerbaijani snipers fire at Armenian borderguards
18:07,
YEREVAN, JULY 21, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijani snipers fired at the servicemen of the Armed Forces of Armenia, ARMENPRESS reports MoD spokesperson Shushan Stepanyan wrote on her Facebook page.
”The Azerbaijani armed forces have been informed about the possible consequences by relevant means of communication”, Stepanyan wrote.
She added that by now the situation on the border is relatively stable.
Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan
We have recorded some progress in the fight against coronavirus – PM Pashinyan
20:08,
YEREVAN, JULY 21, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said that Armenia has recorded some progress in the fight against coronavirus, ARMENPRESS reports Pashinyan wrote on his Facebook page, adding that people should not weaken vigilance.
”Our measures of preserving anti-pandemic rules should become more consistent for mitigating the intensity of the spread of the virus. Only doing so we will be able to significantly reduce the number of new cases”, Pashinyan wrote.
The PM once again called on the citizens to continue following the rules by wearing face masks, preserving social distancing and periodically disinfecting hands.
A total of 35,254 coronavirus cases have been recorded in Armenia. 273 new cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) have been registered in Armenia in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 35,254.
704 more patients have recovered. The total number of recoveries has reached 24,206.
12 people have died in one day, raising the death toll to 662.
The number of active cases stands at 10,171.
The number of people who had a coronavirus but died from other disease has reached 215 (6 new such cases).
So far, 148,180 people have passed COVID-19 testing.
State of emergency has been prolonged until August 13.
Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan
The war is not over and we don’t know when it may resume, how it may go and what scope it may have, Tigran Abrahamyan, former advisor to Artsakh President wrote on Facebook.
“This should not, however, keep us from analyzing our mistakes, the vulnerable points and eliminate all obstacles toward solution of our global military task,” Abrahamyan said, adding this requires preparation and readiness for a worse scenario.
Arecent attempted cross-border attack by Armenian troops on northwestern Azerbaijan targeted joint energy and transport projects conducted by Baku and Ankara, an Azerbaijani lawmaker said Friday.
Parliament member Ganira Pashayeva told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the only road connecting Azerbaijan with the West through Georgia passed through the country’s Tovuz district, where Armenian forces violated a cease-fire with Azerbaijan last Sunday, martyring 12 soldiers, including high-ranking officers, and one civilian, besides wounding four other troops.
“If Armenia captures strategic points, with only one main road that connects Azerbaijan and Turkey, the two countries joint energy and transportation lines may be shot at any moment by their armed forces. This is one of the aims of occupant Armenia in targeting Tovuz,” Pashayeva said.
Noting also that Armenia opened fire on civilian settlements, she said Yerevan sought to sow panic in the region.
“But, the people did not leave their homes. Their attack on civilians will cost Armenia dearly.”
Despite international calls for restraint, Armenian troops also opened fire on residential areas in the villages of Agdam and Dondar Kuscu. A 76-year-old Azerbaijani man lost his life in the attacks by Armenia, which Baku has accused of hiding losses.
Pashayeva underlined that Baku expects a “harsh reaction” from the world and international organizations on Armenia’s attacks.
“An international organization that has not reacted to this issue will have revealed its true face. International human rights organizations should notice the rights of these people,” she said.
Pashayeva stressed that human rights groups that had advocated attacks by terrorists and coup plotters in Turkey in the defeated July 15, 2016 coup attempt also do not respond to the attacks on civilians in Azerbaijan.
The defeated coup attempt in Turkey left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured. Ankara accuses the Gülenist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the legitimate state apparatus through infiltrations into Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.
Pashayeva also highlighted that the situation in the region was under the control of the Azerbaijani army.
Last Sunday, the Armenian army attempted to attack Azerbaijani positions with artillery fire toward the northwestern Tovuz border district, withdrawing after suffering losses following retaliation from the Azerbaijani military.
Azerbaijan has blamed Armenia for the “provocative” actions, with Turkey throwing its weight behind Baku and warning Yerevan that it would not hesitate to stand against any kind of attack on its eastern neighbor.
The Armenian military had since 1991 illegally occupied the Nagorno-Karabakh region, an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan.
Four U.N. Security Council and two U.N. General Assembly resolutions, as well as decisions by many international organizations, refer to this fact and demand the withdrawal of the occupational Armenian forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and seven other occupied regions of Azerbaijan.
19:06,
YEREVAN, JULY 15, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan has sent a congratulatory message to President Andrzej Duda of the Republic of Poland on his re-election. As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minster of Armenia, the message reads as follows,
“Please accept my heartfelt congratulations on your being re-elected to the high office of President of the Republic of Poland.
I am confident that your forthcoming tenure will be marked by successful completion of all those programs aimed at ensuring Poland’s wellbeing, the welfare of the Polish people and the strengthening of your country’s international standing.
Armenia is keen to consistently develop the ongoing Armenian-Polish cooperation in all areas of mutual interest and on multilateral platforms based on our deep-rooted historical friendship and shared values.”
11:21, 8 July, 2020
YEREVAN, JULY 8, ARMENPRESS. Russia considers it necessary to gradually curtail the cross-border assistance mechanism for Syria and suggests adopting a resolution providing for the extension of supplies through only one checkpoint on the border with Turkey, said Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, in a statement published on Tuesday, following the vote to extend the cross-border humanitarian assistance to Syria, reports TASS news agency.
Russia and China vetoed the draft resolution by Germany and Belgium, which proposed leaving two checkpoints open for the UN.
“The time has come to phase out this mechanism in order to replace it with humanitarian supplies that will be implemented in accordance with the principles outlined in UN General Assembly resolution 46/182”, the statement said. “However, we are aware of the need to meet the humanitarian needs of all Syrians”, Nebenzya added. “We will present our draft resolution, which implies a six-month extension of the mechanism, while limiting the number of existing checkpoints to one at the Bab al-Hawa checkpoint on the Turkish border”.
Due to the UN remote mode of operation, voting took place in written form to the head of the Security Council, a source in the organization told TASS.
“Russia and China voted against the document. 13 members of the council voted in favor. The draft resolution was not adopted because of a vote against it by the permanent members of the Security Council”, the source said.
The UN Security Council made the decision to start cross-border humanitarian operations in Syria in July 2014. In January of 2020, it extended the relevant resolution for six months, but the number of checkpoints was reduced from four to two on the border with Turkey.
VETO social-political movement urges people to join a rally of its leader Narek Malyan against the Armenian authorities’ “illegal work style”. A statement issued by the movement on Tuesday reads:
“The power that has occupied the state restricts the right to freedom of assembly by serving the agenda of foreign agent network and hiding behind the state of emergency.
Over the past four months the ruling political force, taking advantage of the illegal forced absence of public resistance, openly served the anti-state, anti-national agenda: they fight against the Armenian Apostolic Church, ratify various conventions spreading perversion among children, consistently remove the armenology subjects from educational programs. Instead, by introducing sex education programs, they take transgender prostitutes under their personal protection and support their unimpeded activities
On July 13 of the current year, the government intends to illegally extend the state of emergency once again, restricting freedom of assembly.
In this regard, the leader of VETO social-political movement Narek Malyan will hold a rally with his car, on his own, from Khor Virap to Yerevan, which in no way contradicts the decisions and restrictions of the Commandant’s Office.
The rally will commence on July 13, at 11 a.m. from Khor Virap monastery complex, where St. Gregory the Illuminator brought the light of Christianity to Armenia after 14 years of struggle.
All those people, social and political forces, who are concerned about the government’s illegal work style and the situation in the country, can join the rally.”