17:37,
YEREVAN, 16 AUGUST, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 16 August, USD exchange rate down by 0.69 drams to 385.97 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 1.34 drams to 421.36 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.06 drams to 4.00 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 0.48 drams to 491.73 drams.
The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.
Gold price down by 40.99 drams to 23625.30 drams. Silver price down by 4.41 drams to 278.09 drams.
Malta’s Armenian community held a peaceful demonstration on Wednesday calling for the opening of the Lachin Corridor which is the sole route through which 120,000 ethnic Armenian residents in the Nagorno-Karabakh region get essential goods and services.
The small community gathered in front of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs to raise awareness and seek support for the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the region.
It urged the Maltese government to use its diplomatic channels and international influence to address the urgent situation and support the opening of the Lachin corridor.
“By taking a strong stance in international forums, Malta can play a crucial role in advocating for the rights and wellbeing of the affected civilians in Nagorno Karabakh,” the community said.
Since 12 December 2022, the Lachin Corridor has been blocked by Azerbaijani military forces, leading to an unfolding humanitarian catastrophe, with supplies being halted, shelves empty, and medicine unavailable.
In a press release the community said it is actively participating in discussions in various international organizations Malta is a member of, calling for immediate attention to the “critical situation”.
It said that for over a week, approximately 400 tonnes of vital humanitarian aid have been unable to reach the Armenian population due to the blockade of the only supply road by the Azerbaijani government.
“Innocent lives are at risk as essential supplies, including food and medicine, are cut off, leaving the region in a state of extreme distress and peril. Both the International Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ordered Azerbaijan to open the corridor, however, despite the court’s order, the corridor has not been implemented by Azerbaijan, leading to concerns about the protection of human rights,” the community said.
It emphasised that children are among the most vulnerable victims, suffering due to the severe shortage of food and basic medicine. Elderly individuals are not receiving the support they need, as there are no supplies available.
The crisis has left the region without transportation options, as there is no petrol, and people are forced to wait for hours in long queues, just to purchase a single loaf of bread for their families.
“We cannot stand idly by while innocent lives, especially children and the elderly, suffer the consequences of this devastating blockade,” said Anna, a member of the Armenian community in Malta.
“As part of this multicultural and compassionate nation, we seek Malta’s solidarity and support to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches the affected population swiftly.”
In July 2022 the European Commission embraced the autocratic regime of Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev, as its search for gas in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine took Ursula von der Leyen to Baku.
There, the EC president and energy commissioner for energy Kadri Simson, met Aliyev to sign a new Memorandum of Understanding on a Strategic Partnership in the Field of Energy in a bid to move away Europe away from Russian fossil fuels.
Since 2014, Malta has sourced gas through Azerbaijan’s trading arm in Geneva, SOCAR, a deal tainted by corruption accusations linked to Muscat’s closest allies in government at the time the Panama Papers broke.
The community also called for the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola’s support, asking her to highlight the gravity of the humanitarian crisis.
“As the highest-ranking official in the European Parliament, her support can garner greater international attention and mobilize action to resolve the situation,” the community said.
It said that it is determined to use peaceful protests and advocacy to raise awareness and make a difference.
“We believe that the international community, including Malta and the European Parliament, can play a decisive role in ending the suffering of the vulnerable population in Nagorno Karabakh,” it said.
Malta is both a United Nations member state and a member of the UN Security Council.
“The Armenian community calls upon all concerned citizens, media outlets, and international organizations to unite in solidarity and amplify their voices to end the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno Karabakh.”
https://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/124333/armenian_community_calls_for_maltas_backing_in_ongoing_crisis_in_nagornokarabakh
Armenia Resort Struggles To Heal ‘Scars’ After Azerbaijan Attack
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By Irakli METREVELIAugust 2, 2023
Jermuk was Armenia’s busiest spa resort before arch foe Azerbaijan attacked nearly a year ago.
Now only the croaking of frogs and the occasional cry of a solitary swan fill the silence in the small town’s deserted park.
The mountain spa town dotted with hot springs came under artillery fire from Azerbaijan in September 2022.
While authorities insist Jermuk is ready to host tourists again, locals say the wounds are still raw and the tourism industry has been struggling to recover in the aftermath of the assault.
“You can’t see the scars of the war in the streets of Jermuk any more. They are on people’s souls,” said restaurant owner Ovsanna Stepanyan.
She said that the number of tourists visiting Jermuk — which gave its name to Armenia’s most famous mineral water brand — had plummeted after the Azerbaijani attack.
“Hotels and restaurants are nearly empty, we are operating at a loss,” the 42-year-old told AFP.
Stepanyan’s eatery was once so busy people had to book a table days in advance. Now she receives just several customers each day and has been forced to lay off half of her staff.
Tour guide Vazgen Galstyan, 33, said hotels, cafes, schools, and kindergartens were open but stressed that the emotional trauma inflicted by the conflict had not healed.
“Many people here are still suffering from psychological trauma,” he said. “We know that the risk of a new war persists.”
Stepanyan said she had been struggling to forget last year’s attack.
She hid with her toddler son and mother in a basement when Azerbaijani forces shelled the town, an experience similar to that of many residents.
“Those hours were full of fear, like in a horror movie,” she said. “Then women and children fled Jermuk for Yerevan in trucks.”
“The road was full of cars with fleeing people, forests and fields on the outskirts of Jermuk were ablaze. I am still trembling when I remember that terrible night.”
Locked in a decades-long dispute over Azerbaijan’s Armenian-populated region of Nagorno-Karabakh, Yerevan and Baku have fought two wars for control of the mountainous enclave, in the 1990s and 2020.
Despite a Moscow-brokered ceasefire that ended the latest conflict, there have been near-daily border clashes between the Caucasus neighbours.
In the worst fighting since the end of the war, Azerbaijan captured a pocket of land inside Armenia last year in fierce clashes between the neighbours that claimed the lives of 210 people.
Both sides have accused each other of provoking the hostilities, which erupted on September 13, 2022, and ended with international mediation the next day.
Yerevan said at the time that Azerbaijan attacked the towns of Jermuk, Sotk, and Verin Shorza — located near the two countries’ border — using artillery, mortars, and large-calibre firearms.
“The shelling of Jermuk began at midnight,” said the town’s vice-mayor, Vardan Sargsyan.
“Azerbaijanis were targeting roads and forests; they damaged residential buildings, vital infrastructure, the cemetery.”
But he insisted that “the consequences of the attack were eliminated, and damaged infrastructure was rebuilt”.
“Jermuk is ready to host tourists again,” added the vice-mayor.
Tigran Sargsyan, 20, returned to Jermuk four months ago after completing his military service and is now running a shooting gallery in an amusement park. Targets feature Azerbaijani flags and portraits of Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev.
“The enemy is too close,” he said, referring to Azerbaijani troops stationed about four kilometres from Jermuk.
“If the situation does not change, there will be a fresh conflict and I’ll have to go to war.”
A Russian tourist strolling nearby sounded a more optimistic note.
“I know what happened in Jermuk last year, but I am not scared,” said Yuliya Shtykova, a 51-year-old Muscovite.
“Jermuk is a miracle, it has huge tourism potential.”
With support from the EU, a new public transport system will be implemented in Ashtarak community in Armenia, within the framework of the Mayor’s for the Economic Growth (M4EG) Programme.
Thanks to this project, public transport reforms will provide comfortable transportation for residents in all settlements in the community. The plan includes acquiring 11 minibuses and constructing at least one bus stop in each village, totaling 35 bus stops.
The new public transport system will incorporate innovative features such as smart bus stops.
“Ashtarak community has the possibility to install smart bus stops, which will be equipped with such amenities as air conditioning, heating, Wi-Fi, and GPS systems. This will allow users to see the location of the route, the schedule, and the waiting time. The stop will also be accessible to people with disabilities. It will be possible to charge devices at the bus stop as well,” says Ishkhan Barseghyan, head of the Development Programmes and Tourism Department at Ashtarak Municipality.
The introduction of the new public transport system will benefit vulnerable families in the community by providing them with the opportunity to use public transport. The new transport service will cover all settlements in the community, and special rates will be available for vulnerable groups who are regular commuters.
The Mayors for Economic Growth Programme, launched in collaboration with the European Union and the United Nations Development Programme in Armenia, will operate until 2024. It encourages local governments in Eastern Partnership countries to adopt innovative development methods that will ensure fairness and have a positive impact on the environment. The Ashtarak community joined the programme in 2019.
Find out more
Press release
https://euneighbourseast.eu/news/latest-news/armenia-eu-supports-new-public-transport-system-in-ashtarak-community/
The story: In its latest diplomatic foray into South Caucasus politics, Iran has hosted Armenia’s foreign minister while endorsing peace talks between Baku and Yerevan. Coming after recent Iranian efforts to ease heightened tensions with Azerbaijan, Tehran’s maneuvering underscores its desire to avoid pushing its estranged northwestern neighbor further toward Israel—and to protect its interests in the South Caucasus.
The coverage: Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on July 24 met his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan in Tehran.
President Ebrahim Raisi expressed similar sentiments in a meeting with the visiting Armenian top diplomat.
In parallel, Iran has over the past week stepped up its efforts to pursue de-escalation with Azerbaijan.
Meanwhile, Iran’s government-run IRNA news agency on July 21 inaugurated an office and launched an Azerbaijani website during a visit to Baku by the outlet’s director.
The context/analysis: Azerbaijan’s deepening ties with Israel in past years have been a key source of contention between Baku and Tehran. Tensions have also flared more recently due to Azerbaijan’s alleged efforts to sever Iran’s land connection to Armenia.
Azerbaijan and Iran have engaged in a war of words that has escalated into military drills along their border.
The already tense relations between Baku and Tehran took a turn for the worse following a series of developments earlier this year.
The border between Armenia and Iran is of high importance to both countries.
The future: An armed conflict between Azerbaijan and Iran, however unlikely, could quickly come to involve multiple external actors. It could also mean a second major confrontation in the South Caucasus, which is still reeling from the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.
14:32,
YEREVAN, JULY 25, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has commented on the probability of Russia withdrawing its peacekeeping troops from Nagorno Karabakh and the subsequent possible scenarios.
Speaking at a July 25 press conference, Pashinyan said that the Russian peacekeeping force in Nagorno Karabakh has a goal which is stipulated in the decision of the Russian parliament which authorized the deployment in 2020.
“The decision says that the Russian Federation Council authorizes the Russian president to deploy a peacekeeping contingent to Nagorno Karabakh to prevent the massacre of the local population. Now, if Russia were to decide to withdraw, regardless of nuances, this would at least mean that there’s no such threat in Nagorno Karabakh anymore, because if there is such a threat in Nagorno Karabakh it’s difficult to imagine a decision like that being made,” Pashinyan said.
If a threat of massacres would no longer face the people of Nagorno Karabakh, it would mean that the Baku-Stepanakert dialogue under an international mechanism was effective and the sides decided that there is no longer a need for a peacekeeping presence.
16:28,
YEREVAN, JULY 25, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that he sees some degree of harmonization of stances of the West and Russia in the Armenia-Azerbaijan negotiations process.
Speaking at a press conference on July 25, PM Pashinyan praised Washington’s efforts and noted that Russia’s activeness in the negotiations process has indeed reduced because of the ‘developments in Ukraine.’
“I highly appreciate the efforts of the United States. They are making truly serious efforts for making a peace treaty possible. Yes, Russia’s negotiations activeness has reduced to some extent. But not because they don’t want a resolution of the issue, but because they aren’t investing the presumed time and energy because of the developments in Ukraine. In relation to our current situation, we see harmonization trends happening in the positions of the West and Russia,” Pashinyan said.
The Armenian PM said that he’s held most of his meetings in Western platforms for objective reasons, and not because Armenia wanted to push Russia out of the process.
17:02,
YEREVAN, JULY 20, ARMENPRESS. In the last 5 years, 68.6% of businesses had at least one public crisis and 19.2% of these crises resulted in legal proceedings, shared the speaker, mentioning that only 16% of the companies that reported a crisis recovered their reputation.
This is a quote from the speech of Shushan Harutyunyan , Managing Partner, Chief Executive Officer of “AxelMondrian & Partners” was one of the invited speakers of the EACD summit held in Brussels this year.
Shushan Harutyunyan presented the growing precedents of “reputational laundering”. According to Shushan, there is no secret that litigation can harm a defendant’s reputation. However, litigation is often used by plaintiffs to enhance their own reputations in the court of public opinion.
“Contextually speaking, the court today is not only an official authority to make legal decisions, but yet another platform for directing public opinion, where businesses and leaders advance in the agenda of eliminating a competitor or restoring their own reputation. Moreover, in such cases, the court’s verdict is no longer substantial in its public relevance and the public discourse is mainly driven by the narratives and emotions”, – said Shushan Harutyunyan, adding that today professional ethics is rediscovering its importance.
This year themes of the EACD Summit included Purpose in a polarized world, the future of communications and the digital agenda, Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) topics, Communicating trust with different stakeholders, among others.
The EACD summit discussed the latest challenges in the communications industry and concluded that in the polarized times, now more than ever, public communication has an important mission. Founded in 2006, with representatives from 23 countries, EACD is one of the most trusted institutions in the European area, and this year’s summit was the largest after the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Axel Mondrian & Partners” CJSC (AxelMondrian & Partners) is a qualified consulting company, a member of the European network, which opened its office in Yerevan in 2022. It is the first reputation management company in the region and provides services in public relations, branding and marketing communication, data processing and analysis and related fields.
The evacuation of patients from Azerbaijan’s breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia resumed Friday, after Baku shut the road linking the enclave to its neighbour, the Red Cross said.
“Evacuation of patients by the Red Cross from Karabakh to hospitals in Armenia resumed today (Friday),” the Red Cross’s Armenian branch spokeswoman Zara Amatuni told AFP, adding that “11 patients in serious condition were transported through the Lachin Corridor” which Baku shut Tuesday, sparking concerns over a humanitarian crisis in the region.
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