The Azerbaijani army opened fire at an Iranian helicopter, Miran Press Telegram channel reports.
The portal reports that, according to its sources, Baku opened fire at the helicopter with a Sam-8 system, and the pilot managed to dodge the strike.
Later, Miran Press reported that the news had been confirmed.
17:25, 14 September, 2021
YEREVAN, 14 SEPTEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 14 September, USD exchange rate down by 1.69 drams to 490.19 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.82 drams to 579.16 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.02 drams to 6.72 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 0.38 drams to 679.55 drams.
The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.
Gold price down by 108.54 drams to 28271.82 drams. Silver price down by 8.32 drams to 371.62 drams. Platinum price down by 352.53 drams to 15098.05 drams.
Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan on Thursday held a meeting with Foreign Minister of India Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
The interlocutors touched upon a wide range of bilateral agenda, commending the high level of traditional Armenian-Indian warm relations based on close ties. Both sides expressed readiness to raise the cooperation to a qualitatively new level, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The sides agreed to start substantive discussions on cooperation on specific programs in various fields. In this context, the importance of activating high-level reciprocal visits was emphasized.
Ministers Mirzoyan and Jaishankar commended the mutual support of Armenia and India within the framework of international organizations.
The interlocutors also discussed the developments around the International North-South Transport Corridor.
The foreign ministers of Armenia and India touched upon regional and international security issues. Mirzoyan briefed his counterpart on the situation resulting from the infiltration of the Azerbaijani armed forces into the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia. In this context, the minister commended India’s principled position, as well as its continued support for a peaceful and comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship. Ararat Mirzoyan reiterated Armenia’s position on supporting India in the issue of Jammu and Kashmir.
The sides also discussed the situation in Afghanistan.
The meeting of the foreign ministers took place in the capital of Tajikistan, Dushanbe, where Ararat Mirzoyan is to participate in the works of the CSTO bodies.
The US is doing everything to bring the parties together under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group, US Ambassador to Armenia Lynne Tracy told reporters in Yerevan today.
She noted that the fundamental issues of peace and security require negotiation and diplomacy.
“Secretary Blinken has made our commitment to this process very clear on several occasions,” Amb. Tracy emphasized.
“It’s obviously a very tough environment, 30 years of war and tensions are not going to be resolved overnight, but we understand that there are some fundamental issues that have to be addressed, and one of them is that we do not consider the status of Karabakh resolved,” the Ambassador added.
She noted that the US will continue to keep that on the agenda of the Minsk Group.
Asked about the perspectives of dialogue, Amb. Tracy noted: ” I don’t want to speak for the parties. The Government of Armenia has made clear that the issue of prisoners held by Azerbaijan is to be resolved before it’s possible to talk about wider issues.”
“As you know, the United States has made efforts in this regard, our Russian colleagues have made efforts in this regard with some success. We hope to get to a place where we have all the prisoners returned, and it is certainly the call that we have been making,” she added.
She noted that there is no perfect platform, but the Minsk Group is a platform that has a mandate and legitimacy and can still play a role in the process.
A man continues to pay the loan for his animals stolen by the Azerbaijanis. Arman Tatoyan, the Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) of Armenia, stated about this during Thursday’s working discussion in the National Assembly.
According to him, 120 small cattle were stolen in Syunik Province by the Azerbaijanis.
“They stole 80 cattle, which belonged to five families, from Kut village. In such conditions, the man continues to pay the loan taken for the stolen animals,” Tatoyan noted.
The ombudsman added that they will submit a written petition to the Armenian government, and will present their proposals for the solution of the existing problems.
Alen Simonyan thanks President of the Senate of the Netherlands for 17 resolutions condemning Baku’s behavior
21:19, 7 September, 2021
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS. President of the National Assembly of Armenia Alen Simonyan met with Anthonie Bruijn on September 7 in the sidelines of the 5th World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments taking place in Vienna. Alen Simonyan thanked the colleagues of the Dutch parliament for the 17 resolutions condemning the war unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh in the fall of 2020.
As ARMENPRESS was informed from the National Assembly, after the exchange of greetings, the President of the National Assembly of Armenia noted that he remembers with pleasure the visit of the parliamentary delegation of Armenia to the Netherlands at the invitation of Anthonie Bruijn in October 2019.
Alen Simonyan noted that despite the obstacles created by COVID-19, the friendly relations between Armenia and the Netherlands and their parliaments are developing quite harmoniously, and the countries are ready to implement a deeper and more targeted Armenian-Dutch cooperation. Simonyan noted that the opening of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Yerevan in September 2020 is a vivid proof of that. Alen Simonyan reaffirmed the readiness to deepen the Armenian-Dutch inter-parliamentary cooperation.
The President of the National Assembly of Armenia singled out 3 challenges, in which Armenia expects political support from its partners – establishment of peace in the region, solution of the problem of Armenian prisoners of war, taking into account that Azerbaijan has made it subject for political bargain and effective implementation of the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement.
Simonyan stressed that the unconstructive position of the Azerbaijani delegations in various parliamentary assemblies and the behavior of the delegates supporting them for personal interest remain a problematic issue for the Armenian side.
During the discussion, the President of the National Assembly considered inadmissible the trumped-up trials against Armenian prisoners of war and other detainees, which contradict international law. Alen Simonyan reaffirmed that Armenia is interested in a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.
The President of the Senate of the Netherlands noted that he has good memories of the visit of the Armenian parliamentary delegation. Highlighting the opening of the Dutch Embassy in Armenia, he said that it is encouraging and will greatly contribute to the development of bilateral relations. The President of the Senate emphasized that the resolutions adopted by the Dutch Parliament during the 44-day war received a wide response in the Armenian society.
According to him, the supremacy of human rights is extremely important in any situation, in this context also emphasizing the Armenia-EU cooperation. At the end of the meeting, Anthonie Bruijn reaffirmed his readiness to support the activities of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs in the region. The President of the National Assembly of Armenia invited his counterpart to pay an official visit to Armenia.
According to the preliminary data of the National Statistical Service of Armenia, the natural increase of the country’s population in January-July was only 1,252 people. This is 1.8 times less than the indicator for same period last year.
And compared to the report for January-July 2019, this decline is already about 2.9 times.
Among other things, the sharp increase in Armenia’s population mortality from COVID-19—more than 2,300 cases in January-July, whereas 800 cases in the same period last year—also played a role.
The growing emigration of the population of Armenia has a negative impact on the dynamics of the country’s permanent population. In 2018-2020 and in January-June of the current year, 103,600 thousand Armenian nationals received Russian citizenship, and 21,900 of them—or 21% of the total—was in January-June this year.
Judging by the above indicators, this process is obviously growing. It is quite possible that last year’s “record” will be surpassed this year. Mostly young families, including men and women of reproductive age, emigrate from Armenia, and this threatens with irreversible negative consequences in the demographics of the country in the short term already.
Serbia detains North Macedonian diplomat on Armenia’s request
September 4, 2021, 12:34
The detention took place on August 27 as Milenkovski was crossing the border point “Presevo” to enter the territory of North Macedonia. However, the news was confirmed by the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday, September 3.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of North Macedonia confirms that an employee of the Ministry, who is currently assigned to our OSCE Mission to Vienna, was detained in the Republic of Serbia on 27.08.2021. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia has officially has reported this to the Embassy of North Macedonia in Belgrade. According to the report, the competent court in Serbia has ordered extradition detention on the basis of an international arrest warrant for a crime he is accused of having committed during his private trip abroad,” the Foreign Ministry stated.
According to the TV channel, the Serbian authorities acted in accordance with the request of the Armenian side, which is investigating the case, in which Milenkovsky is one of the defendants.
At the same time, the diplomat is a relative of the former head of the country’s national counterintelligence Sasho Mijalkov, who is currently serving a prison term for abuse of office.
According to Armenian law enforcement agencies, in 2018, three diplomats from North Macedonia, led by Milenkovski, helped a former Armenian government official flee the country on a private jet.
First President of the Artsakh Republic, second President of Armenia and Artsakh Hero Robert Kocharyan has sent a congratulatory message on Independence of the Artsakh Republic.
“Dear Artsakh Armenians,
I warmly congratulate you on the Artsakh Republic Independence Day. As a result of the 44-day war Artsakh suffered severe losses and faces uncertainty at present. Your unbending will to live on your own land and develop is the guarantee for preserving the Artsakh statehood. I am confident you realize the seriousness of the situation. We must do everything together to defend the Artsakh Republic,” the message read.
PanARMENIAN.Net – The Azerbaijani military is setting fire not only to the pastures of Armenia’s Gegharkunik province but also to the hay that villagers have freshly baled to prepare for the winter, Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan said in a statement on Tuesday, August 31.
According to the locals, once the Armenian side extinguishes the fires, the Azerbaijanis start new ones. In some areas, the fires have spread and are already reaching the villages nearby, while in others the fires can’t even be reached as the Azeris open fire, Tatoyan said.
“As a result of the actions of the Azerbaijani servicemen, pastures and hayfields belonging to civilians are being destroyed, people are being deprived of their livelihood, which in turn contributes to the increase of their social problems,” the Ombudsman noted.
“Given that the Azerbaijani armed forces have intruded and are stationed in the immediate vicinity of the villages in the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia, the fires pose a real threat to the lives of the civilian population of the villages and their entire property.”
Azerbaijani forces violated Armenia’s border in several sections in the provinces of Syunik and Gegharkunik on May 12 and 13 and are still refusing to withdraw their troops from the area. Since then, almost a dozen Armenian servicemen have been killed in Azerbaijan’s shooting, a dozen others have been wounded, while six troops were captured on May 27, although four of them have already returned home.