Category: 2020

 10:02,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Il-76 aircraft and An-124 “Ruslan” aircraft of the military transport aviation of the Aerospace Forces of Russia continue delivering personnel of the Russian peacekeeping contingent, military, material equipment to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict zone, the Russian defense ministry said.

More than 170 flights have been carried out since November 10.

To control the ceasefire and military operations, a peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation is deployed in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict zone in the amount of 1,960 servicemen, 90 armored personnel carriers, 380 units of automobile and special equipment.

The core of the Russian contingent will be units of the 15th separate motorized rifle brigade (peacekeeping) of the Central Military District.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 10:16,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. The leadership of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, has issued a statement on the Armenian cultural heritage sites, Voice of America reports.

“The recent bloodshed and destruction in the Nagorno Karabakh region is a global tragedy of grave concern to us all. In addition to our plea and hope for the violence to stop, as museum leaders we urge that cultural heritage sites be protected.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is dedicated to preserving and exhibiting human creativity of over 5,000 years from across the globe. As the organizer and host of the ‘Armenia!’ exhibition in 2018—which was the first major exhibition to explore the remarkable artistic and cultural achievements of the Armenian people in a global context over 14 centuries—we have watched in horror and sadness at the recent violence and bloodshed in the Nagorno Karabakh region.

We implore all those involved to respect these international cultural heritage sites, which enrich our world and have survived for thousands of years. The loss of cultural heritage sites is permanent, and is a grievous theft from future generations”, the statement says.

 10:58,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Search operations for missing in action and recovery of bodies of the dead continued in the directions of Martuni and Shushi on November 17 until late night by the efforts of the representatives of the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) and the Russian peacekeeping troops, Armenia’s defense ministry told Armenpress.

The search operations in places where military actions took place continue, involving new areas.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 10:09,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has presented his ways, methods and programs for overcoming the situation in the country following the Artsakh war.

Pashinyan reiterated that he finds himself to be the main responsible person for the current situation, as well as overcoming it and establishing stability and security in the country.

“Dear people, dear countrymen,

During the last week we numerously talked about the war that began on September 27, our failures, the subsequent situation and details of this situation.

The time has come to speak about the ways, methods and programs for overcoming this situation. I have already said that I am the number 1 responsible person for the situation. I am also the main responsible person for overcoming the situation and establishing stability and security in the country. I am underscoring, not only don’t I intend to refuse from this responsibility, but I am entirely engaged in this work.

The roadmap of our actions is the following:

1. The restoration of the Karabakh negotiations process in the OSCE MG Co-Chairmanship format, with the emphasis of prioritizing the status of Artsakh and the return of Artsakh residents to their place of residence.
2. Ensure the return of the residents of Artsakh to their [homes]. Entirely restore normal life in Artsakh. Restoration of damaged homes, apartments and infrastructures in the territories that are under the control of the Nagorno Karabakh authorities.
3. Ensure social guarantees for the families of killed servicemen and citizens.
4. Restoration of residential and public buildings and infrastructures in the territory of Armenia that were affected during the war.
5. Ensure social guarantees, prosthesis process and professional training for servicemen who suffered disabilities.
6. Speedy return of captured servicemen and civilians. Ensure social guarantees for their families. Speedy clarification of the fates of those missing in action. Ensure social guarantees for their families.
7. The development of a psychological rehabilitation system for people who participated in the war and overall the entire society.
8. Confirmation of a military reforms program and launch of reforms.
9. Overcoming of the coronavirus pandemic and elimination of its consequences.
10. Restoration of the economic activity environment.
11. Activation of programs for solving demographic problems.
12. Amendments of the Electoral Code and adoption of a new law on political parties.
13. Introduction of the institution of specialized judges, as the first step in creating the Anti-Corruption Court. Launch of implementation of the illicit asset confiscation law.
14. Holding permanent thematic consultations with representatives of Armenia’s political and civil community.
15. Holding permanent thematic consultations with Armenian organizations and individuals in the Diaspora. Involvement of individuals and organizations of Armenia and the Diaspora in the above-mentioned processes.

The most important purpose of this is to ensure the democratic stability of Armenia and create guarantees that nothing is threatening the formation of government in Armenia through the free _expression_ of will.

Changes are underway in the government composition for realizing this roadmap.

The meaning and goal of the changes will be the more effective implementation of this program and the maximal adjustment of the government composition to the realization of this roadmap.

Dear countrymen, dear people,

Getting the realization of these programs on irreversible institutional tracks will take 6 months. In June 2021 I will deliver the performance report of this roadmap, and the public opinion and reaction will be taken into account for deciding future actions.

I would like to express special gratitude to employees of the state administration system of Armenia, as well as the My Step parliamentary bloc for their work and unity during this difficult period of time. We have a lot of work to do and we are obliged to succeed. Let’s get to work,” Pashinyan said in a statement.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

 11:11,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), the Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued a powerful call for renewed U.S. leadership in the face of Turkish and Azerbaijani aggression against Armenia and Artsakh, urging $100 million in U.S. assistance to prevent a humanitarian disaster, re-engagement in the OSCE Minsk Group negotiation process, and the end to U.S. arms sales to Ankara and Baku, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

Speaking on the U.S. Senate floor, Senator Menendez shared his solidarity with Armenian worldwide, in the face of “the devastation inflicted on the region by Azerbaijani President Aliyev, with the full support of President Erdogan of Turkey,” and decried the lack of American leadership “which could have averted much of this tragedy.”

Menendez continued that “the security of the Armenian people, who have already suffered brutal violence at the hands of Presidents Aliyev and Erdogan, now rests with ‘peacekeepers’ sent by Vladimir Putin – a flawed agreement that does nothing about the jihadists sent there by Turkey, who if allowed to remain, could commit further atrocities against Christian Armenians.”

In response, Senator Menendez offered four key areas of renewed U.S. leadership including a call for $100 million in U.S. humanitarian and development assistance.

“Second, the United States must immediately suspend the provision of defense articles to Turkey and Azerbaijan. We cannot and must not enable any future atrocities by either of these authoritarian countries,” stated Senator Menendez, who called for passage of his measures – S.Res.754 and S.Res.755 – which would block arms sales to Erdogan and Aliyev based on their human rights records.

Third, Senator Menendez called for the end of the annual U.S. presidential waiver of Section 907 restrictions on U.S. aid to Azerbaijan, based on their continued aggression against Armenia and Artsakh.

Fourth, Turkey’s aggression must be addressed, argued, Senator Menendez, who called for U.S. sanctions against Ankara. “President Erdogan clearly aspires to be a modern-day Ottoman sultan, putting down stakes in Libya, in Syria, across the Eastern Mediterranean, and now in the south Caucasus.”

Senator Menendez argued for broader U.S. leadership in the OSCE Minsk Group Artsakh peace negotiations. “Though the OSCE Minsk Group Process appears to be on life support, we can and must reinvigorate it with senior-level engagement. We must send a clear message to Ankara, Baku, and Moscow that violence as a means to ‘solve’ the conflict will not succeed, and pressure on Armenia from its eastern and western borders will not be tolerated.”

 11:42,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. 1589 new cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) have been confirmed in Armenia in the past one day, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 120,459, the ministry of healthcare said today.

1726 more patients have recovered in one day. The total number of recoveries has reached 80,069.

4109 tests were conducted in the past one day.

28 more patients have died, raising the death toll to 1839.

The number of active cases is 38,082.

The number of patients who had a coronavirus but died from other disease has reached 469 (6 new such cases).

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 12:05,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister’s Office Eduard Aghajanyan has addressed the the government and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s supporters who are willing to organize a rally in Yerevan, asking them to refrain from mass-meetings and rallies.

“Dear countrymen, we are aware that a number of servicemen and citizens who were on the frontline as volunteers who returned from Artsakh intend to organize a rally today in Yerevan in support of the government and the Prime Minister. We are grateful to all of you for your support, and we assure you that we will justify your support with our work. At the same time, we urge you to refrain from organizing any rally, because gatherings are banned under the martial law regime. In addition, during these days, more than ever we need to unite and we must direct our entire potential for rebuilding our country.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

 12:13,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Defense of Armenia Davit Tonoyan held telephone conversations with Defense Minister of Russia, Army General Sergei Shoigu, the Armenian defense ministry told Armenpress.

During the phone talks the ministers discussed the operative situation in the territory of Nagorno Karabakh, as well as issues relating to the activities of the Russian peacekeeping troops. The Armenian defense minister thanked his Russian counterpart for the effective and quick deployment of peacekeeping units, as well as for organizing the works of finding and exchanging the killed soldiers, prisoners of war and those missing in action.

A special focus was paid on the current humanitarian situation in Nagorno Karabakh.

The Armenian defense minister has expressed its support over the creation of a Russian inter-agency humanitarian response center in the territory of Nagorno Karabakh which should deal with the return of refugees, restoration of political infrastructure, search operations for killed soldiers, missing in action and combination of activities of various organizations in the humanitarian sector.

An agreement has been reached to sign a trilateral document in this field between Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani defense ministries if necessary.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 12:24,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. The Russian Federation Council (upper house of parliament) has passed a resolution granting consent to the Russian president to dispatch Russian military servicemen to Nagorno Karabakh starting from November 10, reports TASS.

“To grant consent to the president of the Russian Federation to send military servicemen the Russian Armed Forces with the necessary weapons, military and special equipment to Nagorno Karabakh starting from November 10, 2020, in accordance with the joint statement by the president of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the prime minister of the Republic of Armenia and the president of the Russian Federation of November 9, 2020, in order to ensure compliance with the agreements on the cessation of hostilities and other hostile actions from the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides to prevent mass civilian casualties and significant damage to civilian facilities”, reads the resolution approved by the Federation Council on Wednesday.

On November 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on a complete ceasefire in Nagorno Karabakh starting from November 10. The Russian leader said the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides would maintain the positions that they had held and Russian peacekeepers would be deployed to the region.