15:55, 15 December, 2020
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. The ruling My Step bloc has summoned Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Justice Minister Rustam Badasyan to parliament for a closed meeting.
According to unconfirmed media reports the meeting will focus on the electoral code reforms.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
16:49, 15 December, 2020
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. Governor of Armenia’s Lori province Andrei Ghukasyan will resign.
“Yes, I made a decision, I will resign tomorrow”, the Governor told Armenpress.
Andrei Ghukasyan has been serving as Governor of Lori province since October 2018.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
17:28, 15 December, 2020
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. A second exchange of POWs between Armenia and Azerbaijan will take place in the next few days, according to the ruling My Step bloc lawmaker Nazeli Baghdasaryan.
“It’s a matter of days,” she said in parliament after the ruling bloc met with the Prime Minister.
“It’s about the number of captives which Azerbaijan has confirmed officially, but we have doubts that there could be more captives than that number,” she said.
On December 14, the Russian peacekeepers mediated a POW swap which repatriated 44 Armenian captives.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
09:20, 16 December, 2020
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. Industrial production growth in Armenia, according to the current prices and the average exchange rate of the Armenian dram against the US dollar calculated by the Central Bank, comprised 3 billion 355,3 million USD in January-October 2020, recording an increase of 0.5% compared to the same period of 2019, the Eurasian Economic Commission reports.
According to the EEC data, the total industrial production figure of the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) in January-October 2020 has been 837 billion 433,8 million USD and recorded a decline of 2.8% compared to the same period of 2019.
Moreover, the industrial production volume of Belarus comprised 38 billion 601,5million USD according to the current prices and the exchange rate of the national currency against the US dollar: it registered a decline of 1.2% compared to January-October 2019.
The industrial production volume in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia in January-October 2020 comprised 52 billion 210,3 million USD (0.6% decline), 3 billion 480,1 million USD (3.6% decline) and 739 billion 786,6 million USD (3.1% decline) respectively.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Dec. 18
By Jeyhun Alakbarov – Trend:
Azerbaijan will make every effort to restore Shusha city, to turn it into a modern and developed historical city, Deputy Chairman of the State Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture Ilgar Isbatov said, Trend reports on Dec. 18.
"In this regard, the research work has already begun in Shusha city," the deputy chairman said. "Specialists are exploring the housing stock, social enterprises, infrastructure, and transport on the spot. The first tasks that we face are the revival of the city during a short period of time and ensuring necessary conditions for the population to live there. The development of the master plan of the city and the revival of the historical parts of the city are of paramount importance."
Isbatov added that the committee has prepared an appropriate plan, the whole team has been involved in this work.
Following over a month of military action to liberate its territories from Armenian occupation from late Sept. to early Nov. 2020, Azerbaijan has pushed Armenia to sign the surrender document. A joint statement on the matter was made by the Azerbaijani president, Armenia's PM, and the president of Russia.
A complete ceasefire and a cessation of all hostilities in the zone of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was introduced on Nov. 10, 2020.
Armenian Armed Forces launched a large-scale military attack on positions of the Azerbaijani army on the front line, using large-caliber weapons, mortars, and artillery on Sept. 27. Azerbaijan responded with a counter-offensive along the entire front.
Back in July 2020, the Armenian Armed Forces violated the ceasefire in the direction of Azerbaijan's Tovuz district. As a result of Azerbaijan's retaliation, the opposing forces were silenced. The fighting continued the following days as well. Azerbaijan lost a number of military personnel members, who died fighting off the attacks of the Armenian Armed Forces.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, the Armenian Armed Forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.
United States FDA grants emergency authorization to Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine
11:34,
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized a vaccine developed by Moderna and federal researchers, a week after giving similar clearance to one made by Pfizer and its German collaborator, BioNTech.
Moderna’s vaccine is 94% effective at preventing Covid-19, and is authorized in adults 18 and older.
The vaccine will be distributed over the weekend, with the first of 5.9 million already manufactured Moderna shots expected to be given on Monday.
Editing by Stepan Kocharyan
12:00,
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. According to a survey conducted by research centers, Italians believe that Turkey is one of the most dangerous countries posing a threat to the entire world, the BBC Turkish reports.
ISPI and Ipsos research organizations asked respondents in Italy ‘Which country poses the greatest threat to the world?’
27% of Italians said it is China, 15% said Iran, while 14% said Turkey. This is the first time in 5 years that respondents in Italy are mentioning Turkey when asked this question.
According to ISPI Director Paolo Magri, Turkey’s highly aggressive foreign policy, escalation with Greece and Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean, military interventions in Syria, Libya and Nagorno Karabakh contributed to this perception among Italians.
Reporting by Sedrak Sargsyan; Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
13:24,
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. A commemorative procession honoring the Artsakh war victims started from Republic Square in Yerevan. The participants of the procession, including Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Speaker of Parliament Ararat Mirzoyan and other officials, are moving towards the Yerablur military cemetery to pay homage to the war victims. Today is also the first day of the national three-day mourning period.
Meanwhile, anti-Pashinyan protesters have gathered at Yerablur.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
Tensions running high at Yerablur military cemetery's entrance
15:05,
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. The situation is tense at the entrance of the Yerablur military cemetery where many war veterans, families of fallen troops and others have gathered to prevent Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his supporters from entering the pantheon as a sign of protest. Meanwhile, the commemorative march led by the PM and other government officials is already approaching the cemetery.
Police officers are attempting to open the entrance.
The commemorative march is taking place on the first day of the three-day national mourning in honor of the Artsakh war victims.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
15:34,
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. Anti-Pashinyan protesters are again rallying in downtown Yerevan.
The demonstration, organized by the Homeland Salvation Movement, is holding a commemorative procession from Freedom Square to St. Gregory the Illuminator Church, where a requiem mass will be served in honor of the Artsakh war victims.
Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) leader Gagik Tsarukyan is also in attendance.
Meanwhile, another commemorative procession began hours earlier, where Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and other government officials led thousands of supporters to the Yerablur military cemetery. There, anti-Pashinyan protesters, families of fallen troops and others had gathered to prevent the PM from entering the cemetery as a sign of protest.
Today, Armenia began a three-day national mourning period.
The Homeland Salvation Movement is created by 16 political parties (1 parliamentary and 15 non-parliamentary).
The movement officially declared ex-PM Vazgen Manukyan as their candidate for interim Prime Minister who they say would organize early general elections.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan