Category: 2020

French doctors arrive in Armenia to help fight Covid-19

Arbi Tashjian
Public Radio of Armenia

     

A group of French doctors have arrived in Armenia on a charter flight to assist Armenian colleagues in the fight against COVID – 19.

Responding to the request from the Ministry of Health, the Office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs in close collaboration with USAID coordinated this initiative. U.S. Ambassador Lynne M. Tracy, French Ambassador Jonathan Lacôte, Deputy Minister of Health Anahit Avanesyan, and Chief of Staff of the Commissioner’s Office Sara Anjargolian welcomed the doctors at Zvatrnots Airport.

Right now, a charter flight from France has landed at Zvartnots Airport with a group of doctors who are here to assist Armenian doctors in the fight against COVID – 19. Responding to the request from the Ministry of Health, the Office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs in close collaboration with USAID coordinated this initiative. U.S. Ambassador Lynne M. Tracy, French Ambassador Jonathan Lacôte, Deputy Minister of Health Anahit Avanesyan, and Chief of Staff to our office Sara Anjargolian are here with me to welcome the doctors.

Gepostet von

Zareh Sinanyan am Sonntag, 14. Juni 2020

Lawyer: Prosperous Armenia Party leader has not been detained

Ani Tigranian
News.am, Armenia

22:08, 14.06.2020
                  

Prosperous Armenia Party MP: We are prepared to be arrested

Arbi Tashjian
News.am, Armenia

21:48, 14.06.2020

YEREVAN. – The Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) officials of Gegharkunik Province have been apprehended since the morning, the houses of the people in charge of various villages have been entered, even the phones of 5-year-old children have been confiscated. PAP MP Naira Zohrabyan on Sunday evening said this in a conversation with journalists in front of the National Security Service (NSS) building.

To note, PAP leader, MP, and business tycoon Gagik Tsarukyan is being interviewed for about 8 hours now at the NSS, within the framework of several criminal cases, and as a witness.

Ordinary citizens and PAP MPs have gathered in the courtyard of the NSS.

Since noon, the police have been apprehending citizens, and such persons’ number exceeds one hundred.

“The set 7 hours, plus the break period, ends at 10pm. I hope that the halls of power will not resort to extreme tension, aggravation of the situation. We will see Gagik Tsarukyan in 45 minutes; if not, the PAP is ready for all possible scenarios, all possible developments, we are prepared to be arrested, (…), but no tool will affect,” she added, in particular.

“All this gives grounds to claim that what is happening is political revenge,” Zohrabyan also said.

And when asked what was confiscated during the NSS search in the morning at Tsarukyan’s mansion, the MP said: “There were some papers. But I managed to see something; I saw the invitation to Tsarukyan’s son’s wedding, which was postponed.”



Five parties met today, reached general consent over situation in Armenia

Babken Chilingarian
Aysor, Armenia

Representatives of five parties met today in the office of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutyun, ARF-D Supreme Body representative Ishkhan Saghatelyan told 168.am.

“Five parties participated – Single Armenia, National Agenda, Prosperous Armenia, Hayrenik. Overall, we discussed the situation created in the country and reached general consent over it,” he said.

Saghatelyan said Hayrenik party was represented by its president Artur Vanetsyan.

MP: There are also searches at opposition Prosperous Armenia Party offices

Chakhmakhchian Vatche
News.am, Armenia

10:34, 14.06.2020

This is obviously political persecution; there can be no second opinion here. Arman Abovyan, an MP of the opposition Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP), on Sunday told this to reporters, adding that he has been at party leader, MP and business tycoon Gagik Tsarukyan’s mansion—together with some other PAP MPs—since the morning, where the National Security Service is conducting a search.

Many supporters also have gathered outside Tsarukyan’s mansion.

According to Abovyan, Gagik Tsarukyan is at home at the moment.

As per the PAP deputies there, according to their information, this search is connected with some document found at an MP candidate who was nominated from Martuni town in Gegharkunik province, during the 2017 parliamentary elections.

These PAP lawmakers are convinced, however, that this is actually political persecution in connection with Tsarukyan’s recent harsh criticism of the authorities, and therefore the latter are trying to silence them with widespread pressure.

According to Arman Abovyan, searches are currently being carried out in their party offices, too, particularly in their Gegharkunik office.

More than 90 arrested at Armenia protest during clashes

Jirair Kafian
WBOC TV 16
Posted:
Jun 14, 2020 6:33 PM <em class=”wnDate”>Sunday, 11:33 AM EDT</em>Updated:
Jun 14, 2020 10:23 PM <em class=”wnDate”>Sunday, 3:23 PM EDT</em>

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) – More than 90 demonstrators were arrested Sunday in clashes between police and protesters outside the headquarters of Armenia’s national security service.

The protest in the capital, Yerevan, took place after security service officers conducted a search at the residence of the leader of the country’s principal opposition party.

A criminal investigation of the Prosperous Armenia party’s leader, tycoon Gagik Tsarukyan, says he is suspected of conducting unlicensed gambling activities that have deprived the government of revenue.

Tsarukyan claims the allegations are political. His party holds 25 of the Armenian parliament’s 132 seats.

Armenpress: Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 12-06-20

Alex Nanijanian

Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 12-06-20

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 17:36,

YEREVAN, 12 JUNE, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 12 June, USD exchange rate up by 0.18 drams to 481.79 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 2.64 drams to 545.53 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.06 drams to 6.93 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 1.89 drams to 609.42 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price up by 260.90 drams to 26925.33 drams. Silver price up by 2.58 drams to 276.88 drams. Platinum price down by 273.97 drams to 12701.72 drams.

ICRC in touch with authorities over Azerbaijani trespasser

Hunanian Jack

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 19:23,

YEREVAN, JUNE 12, ARMENPRESS. The Yerevan Office of the International Committee of the Red Cross is in touch with the relevant bodies over the Azerbaijani trespasser.

In an interview with ARMENPRESS head of the press service of the Yerevan Office of the ICRC Zara Amatuni said, ‘’We keep in touch with the relevant bodies over this issue. As you may know it’s in the powers of the ICRC, which is a neutral mediator, to visit individuals arrested as a result of the conflict for oversighting the treatment towards them, the detention conditions and for giving them opportunity to contact with their family members’’.

The National Security Service of Armenia informed today that an Azerbaijani citizen, who violated the Armenia-Azerbaijan border in the north-eastern direction at about 10:00, has been arrested. The trespasser is 26 years old. His name is Elshan Rasul Oghli Aliyev.

Editing and translating by Tigran Sirekanyan

Armenpress: The three MEPs cause damage to peace process – comment of Artsakh MFA

Hambardsumian Paul

The three MEPs cause damage to peace process – comment of Artsakh MFA

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 18:16,

YEREVAN, JUNE 12, ARMENPRESS. The press service of the Foreign Ministry of Artsakh has commented on the simultaneous statements made by the foreign ministry of Artsakh and 3 MEPs over the construction of a road linking Armenia and Artsakh. As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Foreign Ministry of Artsakh, the Ministry issued the following statement,

‘’In connection with the synchronous statements by the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry and three MEPs regarding the construction of the road connecting Artsakh with the Republic of Armenia, we consider it necessary to note the following:

First of all, it is important to emphasize that the construction of new roads and the implementation of other communication projects in the Republic of Artsakh, needed to ensure its safe development and to increase the freedom of movement of the citizens, is the sovereign right and obligation of the authorities of Artsakh. The calls to coordinate any projects of the Republic of Artsakh with neighboring Azerbaijan are devoid of any legal ground and logic.
 
The implementation of communication projects connecting Artsakh with the Republic of Armenia and the outside world is especially urgent against the background of Baku’s incessant attempts to isolate Artsakh by manipulating separate principles of international law. At the same time, the Azerbaijani authorities do not even hide that they consider the blockade, including the air one, as an integral part of their overall  strategy aimed at the physical annihilation of Artsakh and its inhabitants. One of the markers of Azerbaijan’s inhumane policy is the threat of the Azerbaijani authorities to shoot down civilian aircrafts.
 

It is noteworthy that the Azerbaijani authorities openly demonstrate their dismissive attitude to international law. The quintessence of Azerbaijan’s attitude to international law is the _expression_ of the Azerbaijani President that “international law does not work in the world today, and international treaties are just a piece of paper, having no value.”
 
Secondly, this statement is the private opinion of separate MEPs, which does not comply with the documents previously adopted by the European Parliament, including the resolutions on the inadmissibility of the blockade of Artsakh. The fact that some of the authors of the statement were awarded with state awards of Azerbaijan largely explains why their position fully coincides with the position of official Baku. The bias and partiality of the statement by the MEPs is so obvious that it cannot contain any useful message and play a positive role “to create conditions conducive to peace, trust and reconciliation”, allegedly cared about by the aforementioned parliamentarians.
 
Even more cynical is the attempt by the authors of the statement to cover up their bias by the concern for the peace process under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship. Using politically motivated language, which contradicts the terminology of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen and misleads the international community about the essence of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict, the three MEPs, in fact, cause damage to the peace process.
 
We are convinced that the just settlement of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict is possible only based on a human-centered approach. The attempts to isolate an entire nation, the threat of its physical annihilation, the obstruction of the realization of individual and collective rights of people are remnants of the past and cannot take place in today’s world’’.

Artsakh will consistently seek de-occupation of its regions by Azerbaijan – MFA Artsakh

Kalashian Nyrie

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 19:57,

YEREVAN, JUNE 12, ARMENPRESS. The Foreign Ministry of Artsakh has issued a statement on the occasion of the 28th anniversary of the occupation of Shahumian region by Azerbaijan, emphasizing that the restoration of the territorial integrity of Artsakh is one of the key elements for the settlement of the conflict.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the MFA Artsakh, the statement runs as follows,

‘’28 years ago, on June 12, 1992, the Azerbaijani armed forces, supported by the units of the 23rd division of the former Soviet Army, launched a large-scale attack on the Republic of Artsakh, employing heavy equipment and military aircraft. The first to be targeted was the Shahumian region. Having multiple superiority in manpower and equipment, the Azerbaijani armed forces managed to capture the Shahumian region of the Republic of Artsakh, after which they started ethnic cleansing and brutal massacre of Armenian civilians.
 
To escape, the people had to leave for the Martakert region through mountain paths, where along the way they were being attacked by the Azerbaijani militants. According to the recollections of the residents of the Shahumian region, the column of civilians was fired on, including from combat helicopters. The attack on the civilians was deliberate and had only one goal – to kill as many people as possible. It was in such an inhuman way that the Azerbaijani side tried to recoup on civilians for their own military defeats in the winter and spring of 1992.
 
As a result of the war crimes committed by the Azerbaijani armed forces during the occupation of the Shahumian region, about twenty Armenian villages were destroyed and looted, over twenty thousand Armenians became internally displaced persons and refugees, and several hundred people were deliberately killed or have gone missing.
 
By committing war crimes and subjecting the civilian population to terror the Azerbaijani authorities tried to break the will of the people of Artsakh seeking to defend its right to life, self-determination and independence. However, the atrocities by the Azerbaijani side only strengthened the determination of the people of Artsakh to defend its sovereignty, its ideals and its rights. The subsequent actions by the Defense Army of Artsakh to repel the Azerbaijani aggression and to ensure safe borders were conditioned by the need to defend the Republic and its population from physical annihilation.
 
Today, the Shahumian region and parts of the Martakert and Martuni regions of the Republic of Artsakh continue to remain under the occupation of Azerbaijan. In violation of international humanitarian law, the Azerbaijani authorities continue the policy of illegal settlement and eradication of the signs of presence of the indigenous Armenian population on the occupied territories of the Republic of Artsakh.
 
The authorities of the Republic of Artsakh will consistently seek the de-occupation of the Shahumian region, as well as parts of the Martakert and Martuni regions. The restoration of the territorial integrity of the Republic of Artsakh is one of the key elements of the position of official Stepanakert on the peaceful settlement of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict’’.