Category: 2021

 16:59, 5 November, 2021

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 5, ARMENPRESS. Mayor of Yerevan Hayk Marutyan is self-quarantined after his wife and children were infected with COVID-19, his deputy Sergey Nersisyan said.

“The Mayor of Yerevan was planning to be here personally and present the budget,” he told lawmakers in parliament at discussions of the 2022 state budget where Marutyan was expected to brief on the city’s spending and revenues for next year.

“But his wife and children are infected with coronavirus. Now, being a direct contact he didn’t want to put others at risk. He is in isolation,” the Vice Mayor said.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

 17:23, 5 November, 2021

YEREVAN, 5 NOVEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 5 November, USD exchange rate down by 0.31 drams to 475.91 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.83 drams to 549.25 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.01 drams to 6.64 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 9.75 drams to 639.29 drams.

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

Gold price up by 482.76 drams to 27482.64 drams. Silver price up by 2.06 drams to 363.09 drams. Platinum price up by 311.15 drams to 15943.5 drams.

 17:41, 5 November, 2021

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 5, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Defense Arshak Karapetyan received today Ambassador of France to Armenia Anne Louyot, the ministry said in a statement.

During the meeting the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the regional security, the ongoing reforms in the Armenian Armed Forces and the Armenian-French cooperation in the defense sector were discussed.

The sides highlighted intensifying cooperation development activities in order to continue the existing effective programs and initiate new directions for partnership.

 

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 18:26, 5 November, 2021

YEREVAN, 5 NOVEMBER, ARMENPRESS. Board Member of the EEC Internal Markets, Informatization, Information and Communication Technologies Gegham Vardanyan reported to the Government of Armenia about the intention of terminating his powers and presented to the Eurasian Economic Commission his application of resignation, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan told ARMENPRESS.

“Decisions on terminating the powers of Board Member of the EEC Internal Markets, Informatization, Information and Communication Technologies Gegham Vardanyan and appointing Varos Simonyan to that post were included in the agenda of the October 14 sitting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council and were approved.

The above-mentioned decisions are currently at signing phase and will take effect and will be published after being signed by heads of all EEU member states”, the Deputy PM’s office told ARMENPRESS.

 19:25, 5 November, 2021

YEREVAN, 5 NOVEMBER, ARMENPRESS.  The Constitutional Court has recognized the article that served as basis for the dismissal of the then Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia Onik Gasparyan as constitutional. ARMENPRESS reports the Constitutional Court decided that the Part 3 of Article 40 of the Law on Military Service and Status of Servicemen is in line with the Constitution.

In March 2021, the President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian applied to the Constitutional Court regarding the constitutionality of the given provision of the law, twice refusing to sign the draft decree submitted by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

 19:33, 5 November, 2021

YEREVAN, 5 NOVEMBER, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received PACE Monitoring Committee co-rapporteurs on Armenia Kimmo Kiljunen and  Boriana Åberg, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.

Greeting the PACE co-rapporteurs, the Prime Minister said,

“Dear Colleagues,

For 20 years we have always valued our membership to the the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and to the Council of Europe and viewed it as a key contribution to supporting democratic reform in our country. When we joined the Council of Europe, there were two main directions in our membership documents that were important at that time: one was democracy and the other was peace.

I must state that we have tangible success in the field of democracy; we can finally state that our success in the field of democracy is so much that the international community also sees and records it. I am also glad that the Council of Europe sees and records this. I think that especially the recent events make obvious the irreversibility of democratic processes in the Republic of Armenia. We still have the issue of adjusting the speed, it is very important that we will adopt the right speed in the context of these changes. One thing is clear: the fundamental problem that has existed in Armenia for many years has been solved just as fundamentally. I am talking about the reliability of the election results. In this regard, of course, we appreciate the contribution that the Council of Europe has made in supporting Armenia in the issue of democracy during the 20 years.

But we have problems in the other direction. Unfortunately, stability and peace in our region are greatly jeopardized, and the fact that we still have prisoners in Azerbaijan, in spite of the trilateral declaration of November 9, 2020, is the brightest _expression_ of this. I highly appreciate that this issue was voiced and recorded in the PACE. That’s really important. It is also important that the European Court of Human Rights expresses very firm position on a number of issues. This furthermore underscores the importance of our membership in the Council of Europe.

Nevertheless, despite all the challenges and difficulties, the Armenian Government has adopted a policy of opening an era of peaceful development for Armenia and the region. The bad news is that it does not depend only on us, or rather the bad news is that not everyone shares this agenda or, at least, the understanding of the parameters of peace are not the same. But we must continue to work consistently in that direction. Anyway, we also need the support of our international partners in this matter. I want to welcome you once again and I am happy for this opportunity to discuss the progress of our affairs.”

PACE Monitoring Committee co-rapporteur on Armenia Boriana Åberg said, “Mr. Prime Minister, I would like to express my and my colleagues’ gratitude for inviting us here. I would like to also congratulate you on your decision to hold early parliamentary elections in the summer of 2021 and on your convincing victory in those elections. It was a victory not only for you, but a victory for democracy in Armenia. As you have already mentioned, Armenia has made many achievements in the field of democracy. During the last 3 days we had the opportunity to meet many people, visit a number of institutions, such as the Anti-Corruption Commission and other bodies. And it is really gratifying to see that your country is a shining star of democracy in the region.”

In his turn, Kimmo Kiljunen said, “Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister. First of all, as the Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, on behalf of the PACE, I would like to congratulate you on the propper organization of the elections. We were observers and we recorded that the elections met international standards and commitments. I personally want to congratulate you on your victory in the elections. These elections were much more important for you and your party than the elections following the Velvet Revolution, because now the situation is more consolidated and you can implement your program. Your Government’s Action Plan has received a strong mandate from the people, and its credibility is guaranteed by the election results.”

The PACE Monitoring Committee co-rapporteurs on Armenia highlighted the efforts of all participating countries for peace and stability in the region, noting that they will continue to voice the need for the immediate release of Armenian prisoners of war and other detainees kept in Azerbaijan.

The parties exchanged views on issues referring to the post-war situation, the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the accomplishment of democratic institutions in our country, the protection of human rights, and a number of sectoral reforms.

The Prime Minister referred to judicial, anti-corruption, constitutional, institutional, electoral reforms, and stressed the progress in the field of freedom of speech, noting that freedom of press and speech in Armenia has never been at such a high level as after 2018 and now. Nikol Pashinyan stressed that Armenia is committed to the agenda of strengthening democracy and will continue to move forward in that path.

Issues related to the efficiency of the parliamentary system of governance were also raised.

 20:07, 5 November, 2021

YEREVAN, 5 NOVEMBER, ARMENPRESS. US Deputy Secretary of State Erika Olson, who has arrived in Baku, met with the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on November 5, ARMENPRESS reports Azerbaijani media informs.

Before that Olson was in Armenia where she participated in the regional forum, met with Armenian authorities and representatives of civil society.

 20:42, 5 November, 2021

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 5, ARMENPRESS. Lars Patrick Berg, Member of the European Parliament, paid a private visit to Armenia this week and as a member of the European Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, held meetings with Armenian parliamentarians, particularly  with Vahe Hakobyan, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Economic Affairs of the National Assembly of Armenia, and Arman Yeghoyan, Chairman of the Standing Committee on European Integration, ARMENPRESS reports Lars Patrick Berg told ARMENPRESS.

“Of course, this is not my first visit to Armenia, I have already been to Armenia. This visit of mine is private, I would like to exchange views with our Armenian partners on both economic and trade issues as well as strategic issues. In particular, I am interested in Armenia-EU economic relations”, the MEP said.

According to Berg, economic issues were discussed during the meeting with Vahe Hakobyan, and during the meeting with Arman Yeghoyan, opinions were exchanged on Armenia-EU relations. The meetings with the Armenian parliamentarians took place on November 4.

In that context, the MEP referred to the 2017 agreement between Armenia and the European Union, the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement, emphasizing that all parties in the European Parliament are interested in the implementation of this agreement, since Armenia, as a separate country and the region as a whole are important for the EU Member States not only in terms of economy but also geostrategy.

“Suffice it to say that Armenia has been a member of the Council of Europe since 2001, and that many events and programs have been implemented in Armenia over the past 20 years. Let’s take the issue of the rule of law, judicial reforms, etc. And any other step in this direction that will deepen these developments should always be welcomed”, Lars Patrick Berg said.

Roads remain under jurisdiction of countries through which they pass – Russian Deputy PM tells Pashinyan

 21:54, 5 November, 2021

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 5, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Alexei Overchuk.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister, the Prime Minister welcomed Mr. Overchuk’s visit to Armenia, noting that it is a good opportunity to discuss the current agenda. “I would like to note that I highly appreciate the works of the trilateral working commission chaired by the Deputy Prime Ministers of the Russian Federation, the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan. I hope that we will finally be able to reach concrete solutions.

I would like to say the following in this regard. Armenia is committed to the statements of November 9 and January 11, which refer to the unblocking of all transport and economic ties in the region. But I would like to emphasize that the statements made by Azerbaijan regarding the corridors have a negative impact on the efficiency of our work and atmosphere, especially considering that in our trilateral statements there are no remarks about corridors.

My impression is that Azerbaijan is trying to impose its perceptions on the commission, which, of course, is unacceptable for us. I would like to reaffirm that Armenia is interested in opening and unblocking regional transport and economic infrastructure. I have repeatedly stated publicly that we are ready to go to concrete solutions, the essence of which should be the following. Armenia should get road and railway communication routes through Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan should receive railway and road communication routes through Armenia, including one connecting Azerbaijan to the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic.

Our documents are about the unblocking of economic and transport infrastructures, our position is the following. What do we offer? The railways that existed during the Soviet era must be restored; the highways that existed during the Soviet era, including those connecting the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic with Azerbaijan, must also be restored.

We are ready for such solutions. We have concrete proposals, it should be emphasized that according to the January 11 statement, about which we have talked many times, we should also negotiate on customs control, phytosanitary control, border control and other possible types of control. This is what is stated in our statements of November 9, 2020 and January 11, 2021. I want to confirm once again that Armenia is interested, ready, and we hope that in the near future we will be able to reach concrete solutions to these issues. We are constructive,” Prime Minister Pashinyan said.

Alexei Overchuk thanked the Prime Minister for the meeting and for highly appreciating the activities of the working group comprised of the Deputy Prime Ministers of Armenia, Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation.

“We are really working within the mandate that you, together with the leaders of the other countries, granted us in the framework of the statements of November 9-10, 2020 and January 11, 2021. I would like to note that we are in constant touch with our partners and deputy prime ministers. We have held 8 meetings, 4 of which were in-person, the other four were held remotely.

At the same time, we talk on the phone almost every day, discussing various options to find more optimal, more acceptable solutions for all parties. You know that road construction experts also worked, who examined the roads. Today we have a very good understanding of what those roads really look like. Based on these data, after the 8th session of the joint working group held on October 22, it seems to us that we will reach concrete solutions. They are based primarily on that the roads remain under the jurisdiction of the countries through which they pass.

You also mentioned and it is enshrined in the statements that all kinds of controls should be carried out. We agreed that such control should be exercised based on the parity principle, and we also discussed it, including how and from where to start unblocking automotive infrastructure. We want to discuss it with you today and think about how to move forward,” Alexei Overchuk said.