14:38,
YEREVAN, JULY 25, ARMENPRESS. The number of patients who recovered from the novel coronavirus in Iran has surpassed 250,000, the healthcare ministry’s official said, RIA Novosti reports.
2,316 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Iran in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 288,839.
The death toll has risen to 15,484.
Reporting by Angela Hambardzumyan; Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
15:20,
YEREVAN, JULY 25, ARMENPRESS. The main interests of Armenia – sovereignty, territorial integrity and the security of Artsakh, are introduced in the National Security Strategy, Secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan said at a public discussion dedicated to the Strategy.
“The Strategy has a logic, here we have tried to introduce the main interests of Armenia – sovereignty, territorial integrity and the security of Artsakh. Thus, we have given Artsakh the highest level of Armenia’s interest”, he said, adding that the security of Artsakh is one of Armenia’s key interests.
He said the approaches formulated in the National Security Strategy, fully reflect the reality.
“The possible military operations of Azerbaijan are formulated in the Strategy as a key threat. Turkey is a threat in a sense that it is supporting Azerbaijan. As for the foreign policy, there is the principle of pan-Armenianism which in general clearly showed the problems with the businesses in Russia, the agenda of pan-Armenianism, as well as the unity of Armenians in different parts of the world”, he said.
Reporting by Lilit Demuryan; Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
17:00,
YEREVAN, JULY 25, ARMENPRESS. The opposition Prosperous Armenia faction of the Parliament has initiated a working discussion on July 25, faction MP Iveta Tonoyan told Armenpress.
“General agenda issues will be discussed”, she said.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
15:15,
STEPANAKERT, JULY 25, ARMENPRESS. President of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan signed a decree today on relieving Sergey Stepanyan from the position of deputy prosecutor general of Artsakh, the Presidential Office told Armenpress.
According to another presidential decree, Sasun Gabrielyan has been appointed deputy prosecutor general of Artsakh.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office (PRCIO) Andrzej Kasprzyk welcome the relative stability along the Azerbaijan-Armenia border since 16 July.
In a released statement on July 25, the mediators appeal to the sides to take advantage of the current reduction in active hostilities to prepare for serious substantive negotiations to find a comprehensive solution to the conflict. “The Co-Chairs stress once more that refraining from provocative statements and actions, including threats or perceived threats to civilians or to critical infrastructure, is essential during this delicate period,” the Co-Chairs said, according to the statement posted on the official website of the OSCE.
The Co-Chairs note that recent public statements criticizing the joint efforts of the co-chairing countries, and/or seeking unilaterally to establish new “conditions” or changes to the settlement process format are not conducive to resuming a constructive dialogue. The Co-Chairs reiterate that political will to achieve a lasting peaceful settlement is best demonstrated by refraining from maximalist positions, adhering strictly to the ceasefire, and abstaining from provocative statements and actions.
The Co-Chairs and PRCIO express appreciation for the strong engagement by leaders of international organizations including the United Nations, OSCE, and European Union, whose calls for strict adherence to the ceasefire and renewed dialogue under the auspices of the Co-Chairs have aligned with and supported the Co-Chairs’ own intensive mediation efforts. “We note as especially positive the impartiality of such interventions, which have urged the sides to focus on reducing tensions rather than on assigning to others the sole responsibility of causing the recent escalation. The Co-Chairs welcome the growing international consensus calling for de-escalation and a swift return to negotiations in good faith without conditions,” the statement read in part.
The Co-Chairs next reaffirm that the principles and elements as laid out in their statement of 9 March 2019 continue to form the basis of their mediation efforts. The Co-Chairs are prepared to meet with the leaders or their designees at any time. The Co-Chairs also emphasize that OSCE monitors should return to the region as soon as possible.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has not yet been notified by Turkey of the required guarantees that Hagia Sophia will be preserved after being converted from a museum into a mosque, UNESCO’s press office told TASS on Friday.
“We have not received full information yet. Access to the cathedral is among a variety of issues, including the preservation of structural integrity and interior elements, management methods and others,” the spokesperson explained adding that UNESCO would do its utmost to gather as much information as possible concerning the preservation of that cultural site.
According to the source, the decision to change the status of Hagia Sophia museum will be discussed at a next session of the World Heritage Committee, which comprises representatives of 21 member states.
To remind, earlier UNESCO expressed its deepest regret for Turkey’s decision to change the status of Hagia Sophia without preliminary dialogue.
Ukrainian nationalists are recruiting civilians, as well as experienced former and current soldiers to be sent to Azerbaijan to take part in the military clashes against Armenia, a spokesman of the militia of the unrecognized Luhansk People’s Republic, Yakov Osadchiy, told a press briefing on Friday.
According to him, the recruitment is generally coordinated by Deputy Chairman of the Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Vladimir Gorbenko.
“This fact testifies to Ukraine’s meddling in another country’s domestic affairs at the state level,” Osadchiy said.
Watch the part of the briefing from the 4th minute.
The Human Rights Defender of Armenia Arman Tatoyan joins the call of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation Tatyana Moskalkova who earlier called to resolve all disputes within the framework of existing legal mechanisms. Moskalkova’s call came following series of mass brawls between Azerbaijani and Armenia nationals in Moscow.
“We share the position of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russia Federation. The physical violence and incitement to ethnic hatred disrupts the basis of human rights and freedoms which may lead to mass violations and irreversible losses,” Tatoyan wrote on his Facebook page.
In Tatoyan’s words, the Human Rights Defender’s Office will be in contact with Russian colleagues to ensure the protection of the rights of our citizens.
The U.S. Embassy in Yerevan and the U.S. Embassy in Baku condemn acts of violence as inconsistent with the universal principles of peaceful assembly and protest. According to the joint statement released on Saturday by the two Embassies, the United States takes seriously its obligation to protect diplomatic facilities and is working with local law enforcement to support this effort.
“Freedom of speech and peaceful assembly are protected by the U.S. Constitution, however, acts of violence will be addressed by law enforcement as appropriate. We call on all demonstrators to engage peacefully and exercise restraint,” the statement read.