Category: 2021

 13:50, 15 November, 2021

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) will hold the Cobalt-2021 special forces military exercises in Tajikistan November 17-19, Interfax reported citing the Central Military District.

CSTO-members Armenia, Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan will send units from special forces, internal troops bodies, state security, emergency situation and drug enforcement agencies to the drills. Russia will send troops from its special forces and the 201st military base reconnaissance battalion, including two helicopters.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

 15:18, 15 November, 2021

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. Members of the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) of Ukraine led by head of the friendship group with Armenia Artyom Dmitruk visited today the Tsisternakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan, AnalitikaUA reports.

They were accompanied by head of the Armenia-Ukraine friendship group Hrachya Hakobyan and members of the group.

The Ukrainian lawmakers visited Armenia to attend the workshop dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the foundation of the Union of Armenians of Ukraine.

The delegation members laid flowers at the Eternal Flame, paying tribute to the memory of the Genocide victims.

“Armenia and Ukraine are brotherly countries. The Armenian Genocide is the fact of the history of humanity which must not be repeated”, Artyom Dmitruk said.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 16:38, 15 November, 2021

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received today the delegation of the World Bank led by Vice President for Europe and Central Asia Anna Bjerde, the PM’s Office told Armenpress.

Pashinyan highly appreciated the cooperation with the World Bank, within the frames of which different development programs have been carried out and continue to be carried out in Armenia.

He said that the government’s action plan highlights education, infrastructure, administration system reforms as priority directions, and taking into account the successful experience of the joint work, the Cabinet attaches importance to the deepening of partnership with the World Bank in this and other mutually beneficial directions.

The WB Vice President praised the level of cooperation with the Armenian government and congratulated Nikol Pashinyan on his re-election as PM. Anna Bjerde said that the World Bank assesses the government’s action plan as a targeted program for resisting the current challenges and is ready to continue the support to the Armenian government for implementing all those reforms.

The sides also discussed the Armenia-World Bank partnership prospects. They highlighted the public administration reforms, institutional capacity and human capital development programs.

Mr Pashinyan and Mrs Bjerde also discussed issues on raising public awareness about the COVID-19 vaccinations. Pashinyan highly valued the World Bank support to Armenia for COVID-19 response.

The Prime Minister said that the government is committed to the consistent implementation of the agenda of reforms and thanked the World Bank, its Armenian team for the readiness to continue the productive cooperation.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 16:45, 15 November, 2021

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. The Secretary of Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan will travel to Russia November 16-17 to participate in the 9^th meeting of CIS Security Council Secretaries in Moscow, his office said in a statement.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

 17:12, 15 November, 2021

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan introduced the newly appointed Minister of Defense Suren Papikyan to the Defense Ministry personnel and the top military officials of the Armed Forces, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister thanked former Minister Arshak Karapetyan for his work in the Ministry of Defense and referred to the decision to appoint Suren Papikyan as Minister of Defense. “In fact, I have made an important political decision. When we met with Mr. Karapetyan this morning, he said an idea with which I cannot disagree, and which I cannot but voice. He rightly noted that the status of the Minister of Defense is perhaps the most vulnerable status in the Republic of Armenia or one of the most vulnerable. I would like to thank Mr. Karapetyan for his responsibility and courage in assuming that vulnerable status. At the same time, I would like to thank Mr. Papikyan for accepting my decision, in fact, replacing the less vulnerable status of the Deputy Prime Minister with the very vulnerable status of the Defense Minister.

Dear colleagues, dear Generals, officers, our country is facing serious strategic challenges, we simply have no right not to manage those challenges in line with the interests of the Republic of Armenia, Artsakh and the Armenian people. You know, there can be many assessments, those assessments can be emotional, less emotional, but we must know for sure that the Government of the Republic of Armenia, the leadership of the country clearly understand what steps are needed to successfully bring the country out of the crossroads of these strategic challenges, to pave the way for sustainable development, and we will pursue that way.

I told Mr. Karapetyan this morning that I continue to consider him a teammate. You know that Suren Papikyan is my old political ally and companion, and I want to make the following statement once again here.

Following 2018, when I assumed the post of Prime Minister, there has not been a single case when the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia, the Ministry of Defense, put forward an issue that is within the scope of the Government’s capability to solve it, which has not been solved. This will be the case after this, I do not want to say we will do more, because we have not done less before this, but we are facing a very important and serious challenge, the solution of which Mr. Karapetyan started, I am sure Mr. Papikyan will continue successfully.

The Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces is the largest state body in our country, and that body must be healthy, efficient in terms of functionally, the decisions of which must be deep, substantiated, based on our military-strategic needs. In this regard, I want to emphasize this nuance, around which we must continue to work,” the Prime Minister said.

Arshak Karapetyan thanked the Defense Ministry’s personnel and the officers of the Armed Forces for the joint work. “I ask everyone to consider this my last order: do everything, support the new Minister, consoidate around the new Minister. I am confident that Mr. Papikyan will be able to continue and implement the programs approved by the Government for the Armed Forces. I had a private conversation with Mr. Papikyan, I expressed my readiness to support in case of necessity. Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for your trust, I hope that the next Minister will be even more successful. Thank you for the joint service”, Arshak Karapetyan said.

In turn, the newly appointed Minister Suren Papikyan said, “Honorable Prime Minister, Generals, officers, dear colleagues, It is a great honor for me to assume this position in this responsible and difficult period. Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, for entrusting me with this responsible position. I am ready to serve the Republic of Armenia day and night. “

 17:13, 15 November, 2021

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. The appointment of Suren Papikyan as the new defense minister of Armenia is a right decision, Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan told reporters, commenting on today’s decision of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan according to which Arshak Karapetyan has been relieved from the position of the defense minister and deputy prime minister Suren Papikyan was appointed as the new defense minister.

“Concerning the resignation of the minister, there was the decision of the prime minister. The PM announced it, and as for the appointment of Suren Papikyan, I consider it very right and welcome. I think that trusting such a field on such a hard-working person who is aware of the whole situation was a very important and right step”, Speaker Simonyan said, assuring that Mr Papikyan will be “one of our best defense ministers in our history”.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 17:25, 15 November, 2021

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Finance Tigran Khachatryan received today Asian Development Bank’s Country Director for Armenia Paolo Spantigati and his delegation, the ministry said in a statement.

Minister Khachatryan in his remarks highlighted the cooperation with the ADB, touched upon the process and strategy of joint programs, as well as Armenia’s economic development trends.

At the meeting the sides discussed issues relating to the potential cooperation in the construction of North-South highway, in the field of transport and communication, as well as the reforms expected in education and healthcare sectors.

Paolo Spantigati said in his turn that the Asian Development Bank is ready to continue the support to the initiatives of the Armenian government in infrastructure development, energy, healthcare, education and other areas.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 17:39, 15 November, 2021

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. In the case of carrying out the demarcation and delimitation process, if it turns out that the Azerbaijani armed forces must withdraw from certain areas, they will definitely withdraw, ARMENPRESS reports President of the National Assembly of Armenia Alen Simonyan told the reporters, answering the question based on what grounds some territories of Syunik Province have passed to Azerbaijan, if demarcation and delimitation works have not yet been carried out.  

“We note in our Security Council statement that delimitation and demarcation process must kick off. We must understand that what is happening today will have impact on all kinds of negotiations, because the activities that Azerbaijan is carrying out today do not meet the logic of the November 9 declaration.

This has been voiced by us and we have discussed and discuss this issue with all our international partners, including the Russian Federation”, Simonyan emphasized.

According to him, demarcation and delimitation process, clarification of borders is first of all necessary for the Republic of Armenia.

“We have to record where Armenia starts and where it ends to avoid speculations, not to leave room for domestic or external influences, which can be also used by our adversaries”, Simonyan said.