Category: 2021

Local elections: Ruling Civil Contract party wins in Ijevan and Stepanavan, loses in Kapan

 09:34, 15 November, 2021

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. The Central Electoral Commission released preliminary results of the local elections in the towns of Kapan, Ijevan and Stepanavan.

In Kapan (Syunik Province) the election saw a 20,087 turnout from 31,673 eligible voters. The Shant alliance won with 13,962 votes, while the ruling Civil Contract party garnered only 5791 votes.

But the Civil Contract party won in Ijevan and Stepanavan.

It garnered 10,003 votes in Tavush province’s Ijevan, where the turnout stood at 12,383 from 33,009 eligible voters. The ARF received only 1964 votes.

In Lori’s Stepanavan Civil Contract won win 4,004 votes. The turnout was only 5,107 from 13,343 eligible voters. The Armenian National Congress (HAK) and Prosperous Armenia (BHK) garnered 218 and 705 votes respectively.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

 09:58, 15 November, 2021

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. European Union’s Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia Toivo Klaar has expressed his concerns over the increase of tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“Concerned about increase of tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan this week. Important to defuse, address causes, and engage in work towards comprehensive settlement”, Toivo Klaar said on Twitter.

On November 14 the Azerbaijani armed forces attempted to advance their positions in the eastern direction of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border which was prevented by the Armenian Armed Forces. The Defense Ministry of Armenia later said that as of 19:00 the situation has been relatively stable.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 10:23, 15 November, 2021

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. 1,004,493 vaccinations against COVID-19 have been carried out in Armenia so far, the ministry of health said today.

682,188 people received the first dose, and 322,305 – the second dose.

Vaccinations are free of charge in Armenia.

The following vaccines are available in the country: AstraZeneca, Sputnik V, Sinopharm, Coronavac (only the second dose), and Moderna.

Foreigners as well can get vaccinated in Armenia for free.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 11:08, 15 November, 2021

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. 378 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Armenia in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 328,963, the ministry of healthcare reports.

5966 COVID-19 tests were conducted on November 14.

1962 patients have recovered in one day. The total number of recoveries has reached 293,760.

The death toll has risen to 7016 (39 death cases have been registered in the past one day).

The number of active cases is 26,810.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 12:50, 15 November, 2021

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. The Deputy Prime Minister Suren Papikyan was appointed as the new Minister of Defense on November 15, replacing Arshak Karapetyan.

The order of appointment signed by President Armen Sarkissian was published midday Monday.

A replacement for Papikyan as Deputy PM is yet to be named.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

 12:53, 15 November, 2021

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. The winter season is fast approaching, and the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative and UN Armenia are glad to announce that they will host a Christmas Market to benefit those in need. The event, held in partnership with the Tovmasyan Charity Foundation, will raise funds for Aurora’s programs and the UN projects in Armenia, as well as contribute to the appreciation of charity and promote giving back. All the proceeds will go to support the projects across the globe that help people suffering as a result of wars, atrocity crimes or other major human rights violations, IDeA Foundation said in a statement.

“The holiday season is a wonderful time of joy and celebration with our friends and family, but I think it’s also a great opportunity to consider giving back to those who have not been so lucky. As you know, Aurora is based on the universal concept of gratitude that everybody can relate to. By expressing this gratitude in action, Aurora showcases an inspirational transition from surviving to thriving and giving back.  Attending our Christmas Charity Market gives everyone a chance to do just that – while also having a genuinely good time,” said Nicola Stanisch, Executive Director of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative.

The event will be held on Sunday, December 12, 2021, from 10am till 8pm in the Dvin Music Hall (40 Paronyan Street, Yerevan, Armenia). With its jolly atmosphere and a wide range of merchandise, including books, toys, souvenirs, postcards, handmade crafts, jewelry, etc., as well as festive snacks and drinks, the Christmas Market will be a really special experience for the whole family. Admission to the event is free for all, and the gathering will be organized in strict compliance with local COVID-19 restrictions, including respiratory hygiene and social distancing.

“Winter holiday markets are a cherished tradition across many countries and cultures, and they are also a great way to raise funds for those most in need. We are delighted to be organizing this event with the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative as there are still so many communities across the globe and in Armenia that are at risk of being left behind. It is our collective responsibility to continue caring and supporting as long need remains and help build a path towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals for all. I hope that this joint initiative will also become a tradition, and we will be able to support even more people together,” said Shombi Sharp, UN Resident Coordinator in Armenia.

 12:59, 15 November, 2021

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Mher Grigoryan received World Bank’s Vice President for Europe and Central Asia Anna Bjerde, the deputy PM’s Office told Armenpress.

Welcoming the guest, deputy PM Grigoryan thanked the World Bank, in particular its team in Armenia for supporting and assisting Armenia in the difficult period, highlighting the role of the Bank’s support to the fight against COVID-19. Mher Grigoryan said that the cooperation with the World Bank is of key importance for Armenia both from scale and content perspective. Introducing the main directions of the government’s action plan, he said that the comprehensive partnership framework with the World Bank creates a base to continue the joint works in conducting the government’s key reforms.

World Bank Vice President Anna Bjerde thanked for the reception and stated that both the World Bank and other development partners of Armenia have assessed the government’s action plan as a targeted and comprehensive program for resisting the challenges. On behalf of the Bank she expressed readiness to continue assisting the implementation of the government’s action plan.

Both sides also highlighted the public administration reforms, including the digitization process and the actions aimed at raising the efficiency of the public administration system. The efforts aimed at developing human capital were also discussed.

They also touched upon the development of green economy in Armenia, as well as the necessity of introducing promoting tools by the government on this path.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 13:29, 15 November, 2021

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan chaired a meeting of the Security Council. Aside from members of the Security Council, the Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan, Prime Minister’s Office Chief of Staff Arayik Harutyunyan and Parliament Majority Leader (Civil Contract Party) Hayk Konjoryan were also in attendance.

“Since yesterday we’ve had several meetings and discussions in this composition and various formats,” the Prime Minister said at the meeting. “The subject of discussions was the fact of Azerbaijani troops invading into the territory of the Republic of Armenia in one of the eastern parts of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. The goal of today’s session is to summarize the discussions and also to provide complete information to our public on the developments. Before that I’d like to emphasize that I have made a decision to dismiss Arshak Karapetyan as Minister of Defense and to appoint [Deputy PM] Suren Papikyan instead. This decision was made as a result of analyzing the developments taking place since yesterday. I’ve invited Mr. Karapetyan in the morning and thanked him for his work as Minister of Defense, I told him that I appreciate what he’s done, but right now the situation led me to a decision that there should be a change of the Minister of Defense. Today we will first of all listen to the briefing of the Chief of General Staff Mr. Davtyan on the situation and generally the tactical situation, and we will also analyze the situation and we will try to make a decision on several directions regarding our actions aimed at defending the security, territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Armenia,” Pashinyan said.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

 13:34, 15 November, 2021

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. The Security Council of Armenia issued a statement today, informing that on November 14, at around 13:00, the units of the Azerbaijani armed forces, with the support of armored vehicles, invaded into the sovereign territory of Armenia in one of the eastern sections of the Armenian-Azerbaijani borderline. The statement says that the Azerbaijani military equipment and troops were withdrawn from the territory of Armenia as a result of negotiations.

“Due to the actions of the Azerbaijani armed forces, four combat positions of the Armenian Armed Forces were besieged. As a result of negotiations, the Azerbaijani military equipment and troops, that invaded the sovereign territory of Armenia, left the territory of Armenia, the units of the Armenian Armed Forces have been withdrawn from the aforementioned four combat positions. Nevertheless, Azerbaijani servicemen, who have invaded Armenia’s sovereign territory since May this year, continue to be deployed in the aforementioned section.

The reports, according to which the top command of the Armenian Armed Forces or the political authorities ordered not to show resistance, have nothing to do with the reality. The Security Council of Armenia tasked the respective authorities to properly investigative the incident.

The Security Council draws the attention of the Russian Federation, the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the international community on the continuous aggressive actions of the Azerbaijani armed forces and states that these actions are directed against the sovereignty, territorial integrity of Armenia, the regional security and stability, as well as contradict the provisions of the November 9, 2020 trilateral statement.

The Security Council of Armenia expresses the determination of the authorities and the people in defending the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of the homeland.

As for the sections of the Goris-Kapan and Kapan-Chakaten roads, that have come under the control of Azerbaijan, we want to emphasize that they are not in the territory of Armenia according to the Soviet-year documents of direct legal significance relating to the borders of Armenia and Azerbaijan. The government of Armenia has taken measures to create a new network of alternative roads in Syunik province, and these works will be completed soon. We want to note that no settlement of Armenia has been deprived of vital roads.

The Security Council of Armenia continues emphasizing the necessity of the peaceful resolution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border situation, that is the withdrawal of troops from de jure established borderline between Soviet Armenia and Soviet Azerbaijan in mirrored fashion and the launch of demarcation and delimitation process under international auspices.

We also call on the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship to activate efforts for the peaceful and comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict”, the Security Council’s statement says.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan