Author: Nahapetian Samvel

Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan: “Baku is trying to legitimize another war”

Nahapetian Samvel


  • JAMnews
  • Yerevan

Pashinyan’s online press conference

“Baku wants to legitimize another war, therefore it refuses dialogue, publicly accusing Armenia [of refusing to participate in the negotiations]”, the Armenian Prime Minister said. After a five-month break, Nikol Pashinyan held another online press conference, already the fourth in this format.

This caused indignation of more than 30 media resources, which decided to boycott the press conference and did not send questions to the prime minister’s office. Their joint statement said that the online format was justified during the pandemic, but now was the time to restore direct contact with journalists.

PM Pashinyan’s press conference began with an address to the media that had boycotted it. The prime minister said that he had chosen this form of communication, considering it an opportunity, not coercion, and “there will always be a reason for a boycott”.

  • PM Pashinyan: “Any alternative to peace will be disastrous – both for NK and Armenia”
  • «They shot us in foot»: Pashinyan blames former government for failed Karabakh negotiations

Speaking about the complicated relations with Azerbaijan, the Prime Minister of Armenia stressed that the unblocking of economic and transport communications in the region is the obligation of both countries. This is not a unilateral demand to Armenia, but a point of a joint statement signed with Azerbaijan on the cessation of hostilities in Karabakh.

“But Azerbaijan is trying to resolve the issue in a way that would leave Armenia in the blockade”, Pashinyan stressed.

According to him, the choice of routes for unblocking the region is small, a maximum of five options can be considered. But Baku is trying to politicize this technical issue, the prime minister believes:

“No one can be more interested in the issue of [unblocking] routes than we are․ Because we are faced with the task of sending as much international transit as possible along these roads, which will bring income to Armenia”.

“It is not so easy to be a direct, honest, reliable partner for both Russia and the West, our duty is not to betray anyone” – Armenian PM Pashinyan’s interview to Al-Jazeera TV channel

According to the Prime Minister, Baku wants to legitimize a new war.

It is for this reason that the Azerbaijani side refuses dialogue, Pashinyan and cited a few examples. A meeting of the Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia and the Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan was scheduled for June 27 and was canceled by Baku. Armenia offered to meet at the level of foreign ministers, but has not received an official response yet.

Meanwhile, the President of Azerbaijan earlier accused Armenia of allegedly rejecting a proposal to hold a trilateral meeting in Tbilisi at the level of the foreign ministers of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. And the Armenian Foreign Ministry had to refute this information.

According to Pashinyan, Baku demonstrates the same approach in connection with the work of the commission on the delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. He believes that Azerbaijan is trying in this way to create the impression that Armenia is avoiding participation in the work of the commission:

“However, reality is different. During May, the Azerbaijani side canceled or postponed this meeting twice”.

Shot from the press conference

According to the prime minister, preliminary discussions have already been held with Azerbaijan on the peace treaty and there are agreements to continue work. Therefore, Pashinyan considers “very strange” Baku’s statements that “Armenia is dragging out negotiations on a peace agreement.”

“As a result of the discussions, it was decided that the officials of Armenia and Azerbaijan should keep in touch with each other, but we already have at least one such case when Azerbaijan boycotted the work contrary to the agreements,” Pashinyan stressed.

The provisions of the agreement and a number of other issues are yet to be discussed. The Prime Minister assures that there is no other document at the negotiating table, except for the one already published.

This is a five-point document from Azerbaijan on the principles on which the peace treaty should be based. The Armenian side announced that there is nothing unacceptable in it, but it does not cover the entire agenda of issues to be discussed, and added its 6 points.

Political observer Hakob Badalyan believes that Azerbaijan is trying to solve its main task – “to dictate its own agenda and its own conditions for the peace process”

During the press conference, Pashinyan also spoke about the transfer of new territories to Azerbaijan. After the completion of the construction of an alternative road to the Lachin corridor, which connects Armenia with NK, the territories outside the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region will come under the control of Azerbaijan. This refers to the city of Berdzor (Lachin), as well as the settlements of Agavno and Sus.

“We are solving the problems of the inhabitants of Lachin [the government of Armenia], they, of course, should be provided with apartments. In fact, families do not live in Lachin today. I think that the problems of the residents of the village of Aghavno will be resolved at the expense of the government of Nagorno-Karabakh․ I can’t say anything about Sus, I don’t have any information at the moment”.

According to the prime minister, the purpose of building a road bypassing Lachin is to provide a “more reliable” road connection between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. Pashinyan has confirmed that there is a preliminary agreement on the construction of the road and the transfer of territories to Azerbaijan. But the prime minister believes that there can be no question of this happening this or next week.

According to the 2020 tripartite declaration of cessation of war, the route change should take place by agreement of the parties and after three years.

According to Pashinyan, negotiations on this topic are now in progress with Russian partners, since the new route, according to the trilateral statement, should be controlled by Russian peacekeepers.

“Just because we are paying a lot of attention to the Russian-Ukrainian war does not mean that we are not paying attention to other issues” – US Assistant Secretary of State in Yerevan

According to Azerbaijan, 38 Armenian prisoners of war are still being held in Baku. Armenian human rights activists claim that there are many more of them. During a press conference, Pashinyan stated that all those who have reliable evidence that they were captured and can now be on the territory of Azerbaijan are considered “forcibly displaced”. Even a list of these people was compiled, but the prime minister did not say how many people were on it.

Pashinyan emphasized that more than 90% of the confirmed prisoners were captured after the entry of Russian peacekeepers into NK, in their zone of responsibility:

“Azerbaijan’s policy of not returning prisoners is aimed at discrediting the activities of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh, in the Lachin corridor”.

He believes that the Armenian side, Russia and the international community should make additional efforts to return the prisoners. The Prime Minister assesses their retention in Azerbaijan as a violation of the November 9, 2020 tripartite ceasefire statement:

“It says that prisoners of war, hostages, and other detainees must be returned to their homeland. There are people who were captured before November 9, and there are those who were later captured. But the November 9 statement does not say that this clause does not concern them”.

The new CRRC Armenia survey has determined what worries the Armenian people the most: the need to strengthen the army, poverty, and the peace agreement with Azerbaijan

“There is an opportunity for a positive shift, and we must do everything to use it,” the prime minister said about the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations.

According to him, if negotiations are ongoing, then there is “a realization that a settlement is possible,” and we need to move forward in small steps.

However, Pashinyan believes that some statements that come from Turkey have a negative impact on this process, create a negative background. In particular, he touched upon the wording “Zangezur corridor”.

This refers to the road through the territory of Armenia, which will connect Azerbaijan with its exclave Nakhichevan. Azerbaijan and Turkey call this road a “corridor”. The Armenian side has repeatedly announced that it agrees to unblock communications, but with the preservation of sovereign control over these roads, since the term “corridor” implies a loss of sovereignty.

At the same time, Pashinyan stressed that dissatisfaction with the statements of the Turkish side does not mean the end of the dialogue with the Armenian side.

https://jam-news.net/armenian-prime-minister-pashinyan-baku-is-trying-to-legitimize-another-war/







RFE/RL Armenian Report – 06/28/2022

Nahapetian Samvel 
                                        Tuesday, 
Pashinian Warns Of New War With Azerbaijan
        • Naira Nalbandian
Armenia - Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian speaks on state television, 
Yerevan, .
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has claimed that Azerbaijan is torpedoing peace 
talks and preparing the ground for another war with Armenia.
“They are trying to create legitimacy for a new war,” he said in televised 
remarks aired late on Monday. “Whether they plan the new war in three months, 
three years or thirty years is a different issue.”
In that regard, Pashinian pointed to continuing Azerbaijani claims that Yerevan 
is reluctant to negotiate a peace treaty with Baku, demarcate the 
Armenian-Azerbaijani border and open it to commerce. He said that the 
Azerbaijani side itself cancelled a fresh meeting of senior Armenian and 
Azerbaijani officials which was due to take place in Brussels on Monday. It has 
also not responded to an Armenian proposal to organize a face-to-face meeting of 
the foreign ministers of the two states, he said.
On Sunday Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev again implicitly threatened to 
resort to military action. He said that Armenia will “regret it” if it delays 
the border demarcation.
Aliyev voiced similar threats earlier this month when he warned Yerevan against 
continuing to oppose the opening of a land corridor connecting Azerbaijan to its 
Nakhichevan exclave.
Armenian officials again ruled out such an extraterritorial corridor afterwards, 
arguing that Armenian-Azerbaijani agreements brokered by Russia call for only 
conventional transport links between the two South Caucasus states.
Pashinian said on Monday that Baku itself is violating those agreements by 
breaching the ceasefire regime in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone and 
continuing to hold dozens of Armenian prisoners.
Pashinian adopted a conciliatory policy towards Azerbaijan following Armenia’s 
defeat in the 2020 war over Karabakh. He has since repeatedly promised that it 
will usher in an “era of peaceful development” for Armenia and the entire region.
Pashinian sparked weeks of antigovernment protests in Yerevan after signaling in 
April his readiness to “lower the bar” on the status of Karabakh acceptable to 
Armenia. Armenian opposition leaders accused him of helping Azerbaijan regain 
full control over the Armenian-populated territory.
One of those leaders, Ishkhan Saghatelian, claimed on Tuesday that Pashinian’s 
warning about a new war with Azerbaijan is aimed at discouraging Armenians from 
fighting for regime change. In a Facebook post, Saghatelian insisted that 
Pashinian’s removal from power is on the contrary the only way to “save Armenia 
and Artsakh from this destructive course.”
Opposition Leaders Set To Lose Parliament Posts
Armenia - Parliament vice-speaker Ishkhan Saghatelian leads an opposition 
demonstration in Yerevan, May 18, 2022.
The ruling Civil Contract party moved on Tuesday to dismiss a deputy speaker of 
the Armenian parliament and the chairman of one of its standing committees 
affiliated with the main opposition Hayastan alliance.
Hayastan’s Ishkhan Saghatelian holds one of the three posts of vice-speaker 
reserved for the opposition. The other opposition lawmaker, Vahe Hakobian, 
chairs the parliament committee on economic affairs.
A representative of Civil Contract’s parliamentary group, which controls the 
majority of seats in the National Assembly, said it has decided to strip them of 
their posts because of their continuing boycott of parliament sessions.
Saghatelian, Hakobian and the 33 other deputies representing Hayastan and the 
other parliamentary opposition force, Pativ Unem, began the boycott in April in 
advance of their daily demonstrations demanding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s 
resignation.
Under Armenian law, a lawmaker can lose their seat if they skip, for 
“non-legitimate” reasons, at least half of parliament votes during a single 
semi-annual session of the National Assembly. The final decision to that effect 
is to be made by the Constitutional Court at the initiative of the parliament’s 
leadership or at least one-fifth of the deputies.
Parliament speaker Alen Simonian said on May 17 that he is considering 
initiating such an appeal to the court. According to the parliament’s press 
office, over a dozen opposition lawmakers could be formally accused of 
absenteeism at that point.
Simonian told reporters on Tuesday morning that he and other pro-government 
lawmakers will discuss the issue at a meeting later in the day.
After the meeting, the ruling party announced no decision to strip any 
opposition parliamentarians of their seats. It said instead that Saghatelian and 
Hakobian will only lose their posts.
Speaking shortly before that announcement, Saghatelian again dismissed the 
government threats to terminate his and his colleagues’ membership of the 
National Assembly.
“We are out to fight against that gang,” he told News.am. “For us, the 
[parliamentary] mandate is only a tool for struggle. If the authorities want to 
strip us of our mandates let them do that. That will not affect our struggle in 
any way.”
Saghatelian announced earlier in the day that the opposition forces will hold 
their next antigovernment rally on Friday.
Pashinian Admits Failure Of ‘Judicial Reforms’
        • Naira Nalbandian
Armenia - Parents of soldiers killed in the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh protest 
outside the Supreme Judicial Council building in Yerevan, May 26, 2022.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian acknowledged late on Monday that a scandal 
sparked by leaked audio featuring Armenia’s top judicial officer has undermined 
the credibility of judicial reforms declared by his administration.
But Pashinian did not say whether he believes Gagik Jahangirian, the 
controversial acting head of the country’s Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), 
should resign.
Ruben Vartazarian, the SJC’s previous chairman, publicized on June 20 a 
14-minute audio clip which he secretly recorded during a dinner meeting with 
Jahangirian in February 2021. The meeting took place two months before 
Vartazarian was controversially suspended by other SJC members amid rising 
tensions with Pashinian.
In the recording full of profanities uttered by him, Jahangirian can be heard 
seemingly warning Vartazarian to resign or face criminal charges.
Jahangirian claimed late last week that he simply tried to trick Vartazarian 
into resigning as head of the state body that nominates judges and can also 
dismiss them. He dismissed calls for his resignation voiced by opposition and 
civil society groups.
Armenia -- Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian chairs a meeting with senior 
law-enforcement and judicial officials, Yerevan, November 30, 2020.
Pashinian did not comment on those calls when he was asked about the scandal 
during a live televised appearance. Instead, he attacked Vartazarian, saying 
that the recording also raised questions about the former SJC chairman.
“I always say that our biggest problem is the judicial system, that we don’t 
have real successes here,” Pashinian told Armenian Public Television.
Asked whether the leaked audio scandal has cast a shadow over his declared 
judicial reforms, Pashinian said: “I think so.” He expressed hope that an 
Armenian law-enforcement agency will properly investigate the content of the 
recording and its implications.
The Investigative Committee reportedly interrogated Vartazarian on June 23. But 
it has still not opened a formal criminal case in connection with Jahangirian’s 
secretly recorded comments.
Critics say Jahangirian must be not only sacked but also prosecuted for what 
they see as blackmail and illegal interference in the work of law-enforcement 
bodies.
The SJC indicated last week that it will not even launch disciplinary 
proceedings against its embattled head. But one of its members, Davit 
Khachaturian, announced on Monday that the judicial watchdog has set up a 
working group that will look into the leaked audio and determine whether it 
warrants such proceedings.
Armenia - Ruben Vartazarian, head of the Supreme Judicial Council, at a news 
conference in Yerevan, June 20, 2022.
The SJC formally deposed Vartazarian as its chairman and member on June 23. The 
official reason for the move was a recent newspaper interview in which he 
claimed that Jahangirian joined the watchdog in January 2021 in breach of 
Armenian law.
Vartazarian fell out with Pashinian in late 2020 as the prime minister’s 
political allies accused him of encouraging Armenian courts to free arrested 
government critics. Vartazarian denied the accusations. He says that he was 
indicted and suspended in April 2021 as part of government efforts to replace 
him with Jahangirian, a former prosecutor widely seen as a figure loyal to 
Pashinian.
Pashinian’s political opponents dismiss his stated efforts to reform the 
Armenian judiciary as a smokescreen for increasing government influence on 
courts. Pashinian and his political allies say the reforms are on the contrary 
aimed at strengthening judicial independence.
U.S. Reports Russian Boycott Of Talks On Karabakh
        • Tatevik Lazarian
US - The Department of State building in Washington, DC, April 20, 2020.
Russia has boycotted a multilateral discussion on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict 
initiated by the United States within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group, the 
U.S. State Department said on Tuesday.
“The U.S. OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair spoke with her counterparts today to discuss 
the future of Nagorno-Karabakh,” tweeted the department’s Bureau of European and 
Eurasian Affairs.
“It's unfortunate the Russian Co-Chair [of the Minsk Group] did not accept the 
invitation. We look forward to the Minsk Group’s continuing work,” it said.
The State Department division did not specify who else took part in that 
discussion or give any other details.
The U.S., Russia and France have for decades jointly tried to broker an 
Armenian-Azerbaijani peace accord in their capacity as the co-chairs of the 
Minsk Group. According to Russian officials, Washington and Paris stopped 
working with Moscow in that format following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Armenia -- The U.S. and French co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and other 
diplomats meet with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, Yerevan, December 
14, 2020.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Karen Donfried denied the Russian claims when 
she visited Yerevan on June 18. She told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that the 
Minsk Group remains a “very important format” for Washington.
The Russian Foreign Ministry dismissed Donfried’s assurances on June 22. A 
ministry spokeswoman said the U.S. and France caused “irreparable damage” to the 
mediating format as a result of their broader attempts to isolate Russia on the 
international stage.
Visiting Baku two days later, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insisted 
that “the Minsk Group stopped its activities at the initiative of the American 
and French co-chairs.”
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian suggested on Monday that Lavrov’s comments 
contradict one of the provisions of his joint declaration with Russian President 
Vladimir Putin adopted in April. It stresses “the importance of using the 
potential and experience of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship institute in 
accordance with its international mandate.”
ARMENIA - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (right) is about to meet with 
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian in Yerevan, June 9, 2022.
“I think that this contradiction needs to be clarified,” Pashinian said, adding 
that the Minsk Group is not dead.
Incidentally, the secretary of Armenia’s Security Council, Armen Grigorian, met 
with the group’s the French co-chair, Brice Roquefeuil, in Paris on Tuesday. A 
statement by the council said the two men agreed on the need for achieving a 
comprehensive Karabakh settlement “under the aegis of the OSCE Minsk Group 
co-chairmanship.”
In recent weeks, Armenia’s leaders have called on the U.S., Russian and French 
mediators to resume their joint peace efforts.
By contrast, Azerbaijani officials and President Ilham Aliyev in particular have 
repeatedly questioned the need for the group’s continued existence. Aliyev has 
said that Azerbaijan’s victory in the 2020 war with Armenia put an end to the 
Karabakh conflict.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry urged Yerevan 
to “stop wasting time on restoring a format the effectiveness of which was 
always low.”
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2022 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

Armenia’s ruling party nominates Anna Vardapetyan for Prosecutor General

Nahapetian Samvel
Public Radio of Armenia
Armenia – June 20 2022
June 20, 2022, 15:33

 Less than a minute

The ruling Civil Contract Party has officially nominated Anna Vardapetyan for Prosecutor General.

Incumbent Prosecutor General Artur Davtyan’s term in office expires on September 16.

According to the Constitution, the Prosecutor General shall be elected by the National Assembly upon the proposal of the competent Standing Committee of the National Assembly by at least three-fifths of the total number of votes of the Deputies for a term of six years.

Armenian conscript killed in Azerbaijan’s fire

Nahapetian Samvel
PanARMENIAN
Armenia – June 20 2022
June 20, 2022 – 10:44 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The Armenian Defense Ministry on Monday, June 20 confirmed that a conscript was killed in Azerbaijani fire.

Media reports suggested earlier that a soldier was killed near Vardenis in the province of Gegharkunik on June 18.

Armenia Police on fatal shootings in Aragatsotn Province: Incident has no political context

Nahapetian Samvel
NEWS.am
Armenia – June 20 2022
00:35, 20.06.2022

The cause of the incident is domestic. The Police of Armenia told Armenian News-NEWS.am this in connection with Sunday evening’s fatal shootings in Aragatsotn Province.

“On June 19, at around 7:45 pm, an incident took place in Nigavan village of Aragatsotn Province, with the participation of a group of people.

During that time, a shot was fired. According to preliminary data, a hunting rifle was used.

The six wounded men were taken to various medical centers. One of them died.

A criminal case has been initiated in connection with the incident (…).

We inform that the incident does not have a political context; moreover, the reason is domestic,” the police stated, in particular.

We reported earlier that shots were fired and a murder took place Sunday in Aragatsotn Province.

And according to politik.am website, relatives of two members of the ruling Civil Contract Party had shot at a group of youth because they had cursed at PM Nikol Pashinyan.

Armenpress: Mirzoyan assures Armenia is consistent in its peace agenda

Nahapetian Samvel

Mirzoyan assures Armenia is consistent in its peace agenda

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 21:32,

YEREVAN, JUNE 24, ARMENPRESS. Armenia is consistent in its agenda of establishing peace, which it has repeatedly stated both publicly and in the international platforms, and during direct contacts with the Azerbaijani side. ARMENPRESS reports Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan gave an interview to RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.

Question: The President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev stated that their proposal to commence the works on the peace agreement has not received a response from the Armenian side yet. How would you comment on that? 

Answer:  Both publicly and in the international arena, as well as in the direct contacts with the Azerbaijani side, Armenia has repeatedly stated its consistency in the agenda of establishing peace on the highest levels, and that we do not consider anything unacceptable in the proposals of Azerbaijan regarding the future peace agreement, certainly, completing those proposals with our ideas. 

We have conveyed our proposal for the framework of the agenda of comprehensive peace negotiations to Azerbaijan through the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries, but so far we have not heard any official response. In other words, contrary to the statements of the President of Azerbaijan, Armenia not only did not reject but also responded positively to the proposal of peace talks, waiting for Azerbaijan’s response. At the same time, we have proposed Azerbaijan to launch consultations on the peace agreement between the Foreign Ministers, but so far we have not received any response. The Republic of Armenia reaffirms its readiness to launch consultations on a peace agreement at once.

Question: The President of Azerbaijan also noted that one and a half years later, the Trilateral Statement of November 9, 2020, is not fully implemented, referring, in particular, to the issue of unblocking regional transport communications. What can you say about that?

Answer: Indeed, the Trilateral Statement of November 9 has not been fully implemented yet. Azerbaijan, violating not only its obligations under the Trilateral Statement but also international humanitarian law, continues to illegally hold in captivity the Armenian prisoners of war and civilians, using them as hostages, bargaining and subjecting them to human trade.

Moreover, Azerbaijan denies one of the basic realities enshrined in the Trilateral Statement, stating that there is no Nagorno-Karabakh, and there is no Nagorno-Karabakh issue. Meanwhile, the President of Azerbaijan confirmed the existence of the Nagorno-Karabakh entity by signing a Trilateral Statement. And as long as there is the Trilateral Statement, the existence of that entity cannot be denied.

A gross violation of the Trilateral Statement of November 9 is also the fact that the Azerbaijani armed forces, violating the first provision of that statement, invaded the area of responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh on March 24, 2022, and still remain there.

As for the unblocking of regional transport communications, we have repeatedly stated that Armenia is greatly interested in the success of this process.

The process would have been completed much faster if it were not for the continuous groundless statements of the Azerbaijani authorities on the exterritorial corridor, which have nothing to do with reality and the agreements reached in the presence of several international partners. Anyway, for the sake of justice, it should be noted that the discussion on the issue of unblocking is carried out in a constructive environment. I hope that it will not fail due to incomprehensible political intrigues and will be successfully completed soon.

Fly Baghdad starts Yerevan flights

Nahapetian Samvel
Public Radio of Armenia
Armenia –
, 10:33

 Less than a minute

Iraqi air company Fly Baghdad started operating flights on Baghdad-Yerevan route today.

Flights will be operated once a week, every Thursday.

For the availability of air tickets, their acquisition and other details, it’s necessary to visit the webpage of the airline at or contact the local travel agency.

Discussion to be held in France Square on latest scandalous recording and bloodshed in Aparan

Nahapetian Samvel
NEWS.am
Armenia –
23:22, 21.06.2022

A discussion on the latest scandalous audio recording and the bloodshed in Aparan will be held in France Square tomorrow at 19:30.

The “Armenia” bloc reports that Artsvik Minasyan, Ruben Melikyan and Benik Galstyan will take part in the discussion.

After the discussion, the deputies from “Armenia” “With Honor” faction will talk to the citizens and answer their questions of concern.

Music: Armenia’s Juliana Grigoryan wins Grand Prix at Stanisław Moniuszko Vocal Competition

Nahapetian Samvel
Public Radio of Armenia
Armenia –


The 11th International Stanisław Moniuszko Vocal Competition has announced the winners of its annual competition, Opera Wire reportd.

The 12 finalists performed Polish arias and arias from the world repertoire, accompanied by the orchestra of the Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera under the baton of maestro Andriy Yurkevych.

The Grand Prix was awarded to Juliana Grigoryan from Armenia while the winner of the first prize in the category of female voices was Nombulelo Yende from RSA. The second prize went to DariJa Augustan m from Croatia, and the third prize went YulIia Zasimova from Ukraine.

The first prize in the male voices category was not awarded, while the second prize went to SzYmon Mechlinski from Poland and Volodymr Tyshkov from Ukraine ex aequo and the third prize went to Rafael Alejandro Del Angel Garcia from Mexico.

With her interpretation of Halka’s aria Nombulelo Yende won the year’s Audience Award.

The final concert is available online on the VOD streaming platform of the Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera and on OperaVision. It will also be retransmitted by the TVP Kultura at 3.15 p.m. on the 15th of June.


Sports: Two Armenian gymnasts crowned all-round champions of the World Cup series

Nahapetian Samvel
Public Radio of Armenia
Armenia –


For the first time in the history of athletic gymnastics of the Republic of Armenia, Arthur Davtyan (vault) and Vahagn Davtyan (rings) have become all-round champions of the World Cup series, the Armenian Gymnastics Federation informs.

The Armenian gymnasts participated in three of the four rounds of the World Cup. They missed the fourth round in Baku, where the all-round winners were announced.