Category: 2020

 12:38,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament Ararat Mirzoyan requires one more surgery for the injuries he suffered when he was attacked outside parliament on November 10.

Healthcare Minister Arsen Torosyan told ARMENPRESS that Speaker Mirzoyan will fully recover after the surgery.

“I visited Ararat Mirzoyan yesterday. Overall he feels well, but he will undergo another small surgery, in order to fully recover,” Torosyan said.

Protesters angry over the terms of the Karabakh armistice attacked Mirzoyan’s vehicle outside parliament, dragged him out and battered him unconscious. He was hospitalized and underwent an emergency surgery.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

 12:27,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Fund of France, the Aznavour Foundation and the AGBU France announce joint establishment of an emergency humanitarian aid unit, the Aznavour Foundation said in a statement.

On Thursday, November 12, President Emmanuel Macron received at The Élysée Palace the representatives of humanitarian organizations in solidarity with Armenia and Artsakh to affirm France’s support after the announcement of the ceasefire.

The following humanitarian organizations took part in the meeting at the invitation of the Presidency of the Republic: the Armenian Fund of France (represented by Bedros Terzian, President of the Fund); the Aznavour Foundation (represented by Kristina Aznavour, CEO of the Foundation) and the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) France (represented by Nadia Gortzounian, President of the Union). The meeting was also attended by Youri Djorkaeff, Nicolas Aznavour, André Manoukian and Stéphane Hasbanian.

The head of state reaffirmed on this occasion the “historic friendship” between France and Armenia. “In this difficult time, France stands by Armenia”, he said. In addition to sending medical mission to Armenia, the President of the Republic also announced the provision of humanitarian aid to Armenia through a cargo plane and the pursuit of Franco-Armenian cooperation in healthcare.

In the course of the meeting, all the guests stressed the importance of recognizing the Republic of Artsakh to build a lasting peace and to ensure the security of the Armenian populations on their ancestral lands. They also mentioned the urgency of safeguarding cultural and religious heritage in Artsakh and the need for French local authorities to work towards closer cooperation and provision of humanitarian aid.

At the end of the meeting, a working group was organized with the Crisis and Support Center of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs to contribute to the initiatives of humanitarian organizations in solidarity with Armenia.

The Armenian Fund of France, the Aznavour Foundation and the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) therefore announce the establishment of an emergency unit for the coordination and implementation of humanitarian and medical aid from France to Armenia, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Presidency of the Republic. This unit is at the disposal of all humanitarian organizations which wish to help and support those displaced by the war, facing numerous urgent needs.

For any further information, please contact AGBU France at the following address: .

 13:14,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Moscow believes that the ongoing protests in Armenia won’t lead to destabilization in Nagorno Karabakh and won’t jeopardize the implementation of the provisions of the statement signed between Russian President Vladimir Putin, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, RIA Novosti reported.

“We think that the developments taking place in Armenia won’t lead to destabilization of the situation which would threaten the signed statement,” Russian Deputy FM Andrey Rudenko told reporters.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

 13:34,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Turkey understands that launching military actions against Armenia would mean a Russian-Turkish direct war, but the Turkish-Russian relations have not yet reached the degree of tension which could lead to a direct war, Expert on Turkish studies Ruben Melkonyan told Armenpress, commenting on the reports that Turkey is deploying troops and military transport aviation in Igdir section on the border with Armenia.

According to Melkonyan, this issue can be viewed in a broader perspective, mainly from the perspective of regional developments. He said Iran as well has deployed troops on the border, Russia is increasing its military presence in the region, with the deployment of peacekeepers in Artsakh. “Moreover, Russia’s entry is an expected and legal entry to the region and Artsakh. And it’s natural that Turkey, as another key role player in the region having aggressive goals with the South Caucasus, should have applied to political and military element, which is the deployment of troops and military equipment in the border”, he said.

The expert stated that all this can pursue several goals. According to him, the first one is the demonstration of power and the political message addressed to the two regional players – Russia and Iran. “Secondly, it will try with this to strengthen its aggressive aspirations in Azerbaijan in terms of having a military presence and already legitimizing its military presence in Azerbaijan. Thirdly, the issue of Nakhijevan has a potential for activation, and let’s not forget that Iran’s positions on Nakhijevan greatly differ in many points. And the accumulation of troops can also have a meaning of a message addressed to Iran. And the last one is of course Turkey’s traditional threat to Armenia”, the expert said, reminding that Turkey did similar accumulations also during the first Karabakh war.

Asked whether Turkey’s these actions would lead to concrete military operations, Ruben Melkonyan said starting direct military operations against Armenia doesn’t mean Armenian-Turkish war only, it means Russian-Turkish war, CSTO-Turkey war, CSTO-NATO war. “I think that the Turkish genocidal authorities clearly understand and calculate well that launching direct military actions against Armenia will be a war against Russia. And the current developments allow to assume that the Turkish-Russian relations have not yet reached the degree of tension which could lead to a direct war”, he said.

The expert, however, stated that Turkey itself is an unconstructive, aggressive state, therefore, nothing can be ruled out. But according to him, Turkey’s actions now contain attributes of a political message and demonstration of power.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 14:02,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. The Ministry of Defense of Artsakh released the names of 81 KIAs who were identified in the ongoing search and retrieval operations of bodies. So far the Artsakh authorities have released the names of 1586 killed servicemen. The health authorities had said that as of November 14 the coroner’s office had analyzed 2317 bodies of killed servicemen, which include bodies that are yet to be identified. This number is expected to rise because authorities in Artsakh are still searching and retrieving bodies from the battlefields.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

 14:05,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. The Hayastan All-Armenian Fund has issued a statement over the fundraising campaign “We Are Our Borders”.

Armenpress presents the statement:

“The Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s “We Are Our Borders” fundraising campaign was initiated within hours of the start of the war on September 27. Calls to action were made by the President of the Republic of Armenia and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Fund, Armen Sarkissian, members of the Board of Trustees including the President of the Republic of Artsakh, Catholicos of All Armenians and Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia. The campaign quickly became a global initiative involving hundreds of thousands of our compatriots both in the Diaspora and Armenia. The role of the many organizations involved in the fundraising efforts has been invaluable, in the Diaspora these included various political parties, non-governmental organizations as well as the Hayastan All Armenian Fund’s local affiliates in various countries around the world. Our sincere gratitude must go to our Global Armenian Family for their unity, commitment, contribution and trust.

Since day one, the Hayastan All Armenian Fund along with its international network, has worked closely with the Government of the Republic of Artsakh, the Artsakh Representation in the Republic of Armenia, the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Armenia and other entities to supply continued large scale humanitarian aid to Artsakh. Namely large scale diesel generators, ambulances, medical supplies and equipment, first aid kids, basic household necessities, electric and wood heaters, portable gas stoves, portable charging stations, beds and a significant amount of other humanitarian assistance. As well as over 100 tons of humanitarian aid delivered to Armenia thanks to the Fund’s international network of partner organizations.

As a result of the critical situation since September 27th the need to consolidate the resources available to the Republic of Armenia to allow a rapid response to the every changing urgent needs became necessary. These needs included the restoration of the damage caused by the hostilities to allow smoother supply lines, centralized implementation of urgently needed purchases including those for the healthcare systems, a significant and growing list of social issues related to the displaced population of Artsakh as well as the growing pandemic. In order to ensure the implementation and organization of these activities as quickly as possible, consolidation of both financial and human resources was essential.

In this context, the Board of Trustees of the Hayastan All Armenian Fund voted to provide a portion of the funds received through the “We Are Our Borders” fundraising initiative as direct assistance to the State Budget of the Republic of Armenia in order to combine the implementation of similar expenditures (social support, healthcare support, infrastructure, etc.). The decision of the Board of Trustees, on the basis of which the assistance was provided, includes all relevant and substantiating documentation and agreements.

These funds were directed to resolving the most urgent issues of tens of thousands of displaced compatriots from Artsakh as well as financing programs in the healthcare and other essential sectors.
As per the charter of the Hayastan All Armenian Fund, the Executive Committee of the Fund will prepare a detailed report on its activities and expenses to be reviewed by the Oversight Committee and submitted to the Board of Trustees for approval. The Fund’s detailed financial statements will be published following an audit carried out by an independent international auditor.

Staying true to the Fund’s mission to use funds sparingly, efficiently and purposefully, the available funds will be used for the most urgent needs of the families displaced from Artsakh, those killed or wounded as well as those returning to their homes in Artsakh (utility payments, restoration activities, partial compensation of damaged or lost houses, subsidies etc.). Detailed projects are already being developed in cooperation with partners.

The Fund, a charitable, none political organization with the mission to support social, economic, scientific, educational, cultural and healthcare initiative, continues to work for the people and benefit of Armenia, Artsakh and the Diaspora. The current needs are huge, the work ahead colossal and our unity and global mobilization is now more important than ever. It is through your generosity that we can continue to help those most in need. Thank you each and every one of the hundreds of thousands of donors from around the world who have stood with us and continue to support the Homeland and the people of Artsakh”.

 14:19,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian signed a decree on awarding three crewmembers of a Mi-24 Russian helicopter which was shot down by the Azerbaijani armed forces in the airspace of Armenia, the Presidential Office told Armenpress.

Major Yuri Ishchuk (posthumously), Senior Lieutenant Roman Fedina (posthumously) and wounded Senior Lieutenant Vladislav Gryazin have been awarded with the Medals of Combat Service for the courage and dedication while conducting service duties.

The Armenian President signed the respective decree based on the prime minister’s petition.

A Russian Mi-24 military helicopter was shot down over Armenia near the border with Azerbaijan on November 9. Two crewmembers died and the third pilot was wounded. Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry admitted that the helicopter had been shot down by the Azeri armed forces by mistake and stated Baku was ready to pay compensation to Moscow over the incident.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 15:55,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative urgently begins to assist and implement humanitarian programs designed to help children and adults affected by the war in Artsakh, IDeA Foundation told Armenpress.

The first assistance programs will be announced today, .

In addition, Aurora is ready to accept applications aimed at helping affected children, displaced families, and the wounded, both in Artsakh and in Armenia.

At the initial stage, applications can be sent to . The criteria and details of the projects will continue to be clarified further and will be provided in an additional announcement.

 15:34,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament Ararat Mirzoyan underwent a second surgery today for the injuries he suffered on November 10, when protesters angry over the terms of the Karabakh armistice assaulted him outside the parliament building in Yerevan.

The press service of the parliament told ARMENPRESS that the second surgery was completed successfully Wednesday afternoon.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

 16:09,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. The Pashinyan Administration is calling on its supporters to refrain from organizing any kind of rallies, citing the active martial law ban on gatherings and the coronavirus pandemic.

“We are calling on the persons who want to organize a rally in Yerevan in support of the government and the prime minister to refrain from doing so. We thank the volunteers who returned from the frontline and are expressing support to the Prime Minister and the government, however due to the martial law and the coronavirus pandemic we don’t encourage such rallies and we urge you to avoid organizing it. We assure you, as the Prime Minister mentioned presenting the roadmap for the next months, we must direct our efforts exclusively for the country’s stability, overcoming the current situation and the implementation of the programs in this direction,” Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s spokesperson Mane Gevorgyan said in a statement on social media.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan