Category: 2018

Deputy Minister of foreign affairs of Armenia Garen Nazarian expects the reaction of the international community on the Azerbaijani statements.

“Official Yerevan has already responded to this statement, and our task is for these statements not to remain unanswered by the international community”, the deputy FM told reporters, commenting on Azeri President Ilham Aliyev’s infamous statement where he made territorial claims for Yerevan.

The deputy FM was speaking to reporters after the opening of the 14th session of the Public Administration Reforms panel of the Democracy, Good Governance and Sustainably first platform.

Asked by reporters why the CSTO didn’t give an appropriate response to the Azeri statement, Nazarian said: “We are working in the direction of CSTO and other international structures as well”.

Agreements, including in the field of commercial cooperation, have been reached during Armenian Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan’s official visit to Lebanon.

During today’s Cabinet meeting the PM said a number of meetings with the Lebanese top leadership, as well as businessmen, representatives of the banking system and the Armenian community were held on the sidelines of the visit.

Based on this PM Karapetyan tasked the ministers of Foreign affairs, Economic development and investments, Energy infrastructures and natural resources, Agriculture, Territorial administration and development, as well as the executive director of the Development Foundation of Armenia (DFA) to take measures in a month to implement the agreements reached during the visit and submit proposals to the government staff on boosting the activities of the Armenian-Lebanese intergovernmental joint commission, preparing the next session, as well as to discuss actions aimed at creating the Armenian-Lebanese Investment Fund.

“Here it’s necessary to clearly define the deadlines with the businessmen with whom we have agreed to organize visits”, the PM noted.

Ambassador Piotr Świtalski, Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, is impressed with the Armenian government’s recent initiatives aimed at ensuring food safety.

During the opening ceremony of conference titled ‘Digital Solutions for Food Safety’, the EU Ambassador congratulated the Armenian government for the efforts made in the fields of protection of consumer rights and food safety.

“We are impressed by the number of initiatives, level of ambitions demonstrated by the government led by Prime Minister Karapetyan over the recent months. We, as a European Union, are ready to assist these efforts as the issues of the protection of consumer rights play an important role in the Armenia-EU agreement. There are concrete programs, we are getting out of the circles of the World Trade Organization and this process is in full accordance with Armenia’s membership to the EAEU. This is a bilateral useful process, and we are ready to provide concrete support to these efforts”, Piotr Świtalski said.

The Ambassador expressed confidence that within the frames of assistance and cooperation the EU can propose concrete steps in the new financial package. This, according to him, is the development of technical capacities, exchange of experience, as well as assistance to implementation of concrete actions. “I hope the assistance will lead to necessary results. I am confident that the government’s respective steps will contribute to increasing the export volumes to the EU market. The Armenian food is very tasty, we know that, it’s just necessary to create a necessary circle that will provide guarantees, will ensure not only the food’s taste, but also its being safe and secure. A new Armenia-EU certified procedure has been introduced in February, and I am happy that the Armenian honey already has a free access to the European market. I hope the same will apply to the crayfish and other goods in the near future”, the EU Ambassador noted.

Azeri activists held a protest rally March 14 outside the Azerbaijani Embassy in Washington D.C..

The activists were protesting against the dictatorial regime of Azeri President Ilham Aliyev, the Azerbaijani Azadliq news agency reported. “This is our first step, but this will continue. Our goal is to make our voices hear in Azerbaijan,” one of the activists said.

The protesters were wearing masks and holding posters saying “Resist Aliyev”, “Freedom to the people of Azerbaijan”, “Same Dictator Different Century” “Protect Human Rights”.

The activists also addressed the hundreds of political prisoners currently jailed in Azerbaijan, demanding Baku to immediately release them. The activists, who have fled Azerbaijan due to oppression, criticized the state-sanctioned pressures against their families back home and demanded the resignation of Aliyev’s government.

“In addition of Ilgar Mamedov, Afghan Mukhtarli, Giyas Mamedov and Gyozal Bayramli, there are more than 200 political prisoners in Azerbaijan. As people living abroad who love their country, we too express our discontent and demand the release of all political prisoners [in Azerbaijan],” they said.

Voice of America asked the protesters why they are wearing masks, and the activists said it is a precaution in order to protect their families in Azerbaijan.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May said March 14 that the British intelligence will begin supervising and probing financial and business conduct of people suspected in corruption, Azerbaijani Adaqliq news agency reported.

According to RFE/RL, the business activities of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s family will be under secret investigation.

New details are emerging over the corruption scandal involving Ilham Aliyev and his family.

The scandal was dubbed Azerbaijani Laundromat and involved a 3 billion dollar secret account which the Azeri ruling elite used to bribe European politicians.

Deputy foreign minister of Armenia Shavarsh Kocharyan says the Armenian side must always be ready for any provocation by Azerbaijan.

After today’s Cabinet meeting the deputy FM, commenting on the ongoing large-scale military exercises in Azerbaijan and the rumors according to which by this Azerbaijan prepares for war, stated: “Of course, we follow them, we must always be ready to any step by them. In this case there can be different comments as it is also a pre-election stage, but one should not explain holding these military drills only by this, we need always to be careful to Azerbaijan’s actions. We should always be ready for any provocation by Azerbaijan”, deputy FM Kocharyan said.

With the military exercises launched on March 12, Azerbaijan is clearly violating the 2011 OSCE Vienna document in terms of equipment involved by failing to notify member countries about these military drills.

The Russian Red Wings Airlines’ entry to the Armenian market will positively affect the increase of competitiveness and decline of prices, Sergey Avetisyan – Head of the General Department of Civil Aviation, told reporters after today’s Cabinet meeting.

“Red Wings enters the Armenian aviation market, this airline is going to operate daily flights to Moscow. This will also positively affect the competitiveness. The Russian market is demanded in Armenia, and there is always a need for work, therefore, the entry of new airlines to the Armenian market continues”, he said.

Red Wings Airlines received a permission from Armenia’s General Department of Civil Aviation to operate Moscow-Yerevan-Moscow (Domodedovo Airport) regular flights.

The flights will launch on March 18 and will operate four times a week until April 2.But starting from April 3 the flights will be carried out seven times a week.