Category: 2022

 16:39, 4 August 2022

YEREVAN, AUGUST 4, ARMENPRESS. NATO calls for immediately ceasing the hostilities between the Armenian and Azerbaijani forces and returning to the negotiation table.

“NATO calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces. We deeply regret the loss of life and urge both sides to de-escalate and return to the negotiating table”, Javier Colomina, NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy and Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia, said on Twitter, adding: “NATO supports the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan”.

On August 3, two Artsakh soldiers were killed and 19 others were wounded when Azerbaijani forces violated the ceasefire and launched an attack on Artsakh military positions. The Azerbaijani military used mortars, grenade-launchers, combat UAVs in attacking a permanent deployment location of an Artsakh military base.

 17:10, 4 August 2022

YEREVAN, AUGUST 4, ARMENPRESS. The construction of the alternative road of Lachin will be completed by spring, according to the Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures of Armenia Gnel Sanosyan.

“We’ve started the construction, the equipment is working, the road is under construction,” he said.

Asked when the construction will be finished, the minister said: “Until spring.”

 17:20, 4 August 2022

YEREVAN, 4 AUGUST, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 4 August, USD exchange rate down by 0.47 drams to 405.95 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.44 drams to 413.66 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.01 drams to 6.73 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 0.86 drams to 494.28 drams.

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

Gold price down by 268.35 drams to 22987.12 drams. Silver price down by 5.72 drams to 259.99 drams. Platinum price stood at 16414.1 drams.

 17:20, 4 August 2022

YEREVAN, AUGUST 4, ARMENPRESS. A 44-year-old reservist of the Armenian military who was called up and was participating in the training musters died in his sleep in the night of August 3-4, the Armenian Ministry of Defense said.

The ministry described Reserve Private Atom Harutyunyan’s death as “sudden death”.

A medical examination is underway to determine the cause of death, it said.

The ministry offered condolences to the family and friends of Private Harutyunyan.

 18:27, 4 August 2022

YEREVAN, AUGUST 4, ARMENPRESS. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken raised the issue of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, among other issues, during a telephone conversation with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on August 4, ARMENPRESS reports the spokesperson of the US Department of State Ned Price informed.

"The Secretary of State also raised the issue of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, noting that the United States is ready to engage both in a bilateral format, with like-minded partners, and within our role as Co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, to promote dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan and help achieve a long-term political settlement of the conflict”, reported the spokesperson of the Department of State.

Yesterday, on August 3, the spokesperson of the State Department said that the United States is deeply concerned about the intense fighting around Nagorno Karabakh.

The tension in Nagorno-Karabakh started on August 1, when, according to the Artsakh Defense Army, Azerbaijani units resorted to provocation in a number of parts of the northern and northwestern border zone of the Artsakh Republic starting at 09:00 in the morning, trying to cross the contact line. As a result of the Azerbaijani provocation, the serviceman Albert Bakhshiyan was injured. Aggressive actions of the Azerbaijani side continued in the following days. On August 3, around 3:00 p.m., Azerbaijani units launched a new attack in the northwestern direction of the contact line, using attack drones, as a result of which two servicemen of the Artsakh Defense Army were killed, and 14 more servicemen were wounded in various degrees.

 19:24, 4 August 2022

YEREVAN, AUGUST 4, ARMENPRESS. As of 19:00 on August 4, the operational-tactical situation along the contact line is relatively stable. No significant violations were registered during the day, ARMENPRESS reports the Information Headquarters of Artsakh informs about this.

"With the mediation of the command of the Russian peacekeeping troops stationed in Artsakh, continuous steps are being taken to defuse the situation," the source writes.

 19:26, 4 August 2022

YEREVAN, AUGUST 4, ARMENPRESS. The Russian Federation will take all measures to prevent further escalation of the situation in Nagorno Karabakh, ARMENPRESS reports the Telegram channel of the Russian peacekeeping force informs that commander of the peacekeeping force Andrey Volkov said during the meeting with the representatives of public and opposition forces of Nagorno Karabakh.

"At the meeting, Major-General Andrey Volkov clarified the position of the peacekeeping troops regarding the events taking place, informed about the work done, and also assured that the Russian Federation will take all measures to prevent further escalation of the situation," the Telegram channel informs.

The tension in Nagorno-Karabakh started on August 1, when, according to the Artsakh Defense Army, Azerbaijani units resorted to provocation in a number of parts of the northern and northwestern border zone of the Artsakh Republic starting at 09:00 in the morning, trying to cross the contact line. As a result of the Azerbaijani provocation, the serviceman Albert Bakhshiyan was injured. Aggressive actions of the Azerbaijani side continued in the following days. On August 3, around 3:00 p.m., Azerbaijani units launched a new attack in the northwestern direction of the contact line, using attack drones, as a result of which two servicemen of the Artsakh Defense Army were killed, and 14 more servicemen were wounded in various degrees.

Putin's visit to Armenia is not planned yet. Peskov

 19:49, 4 August 2022

YEREVAN, AUGUST 4, ARMENPRESS. Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Armenia is not yet scheduled, ARMENPRESS reports, citing TASS, the press secretary of the Russian President Dimitri Peskov said, answering the question whether Putin will visit Armenia by the end of the year.

"Of course, there is an invitation, but no, now there are no clear dates," said Peskov.

 20:39, 4 August 2022

YEREVAN, AUGUST 4, ARMENPRESS. The President of the European Council Charles Michel is in close contact with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan over the issue of their relations. He has already talked with the Prime Minister of Armenia and will talk with the President of Azerbaijan as well, ARMENPRESS was informed from the EU.

It is also noted that Charles Michel's team and EU Special Representative Toivo Klaar have been in intensive contact with both sides in recent days to achieve immediate de-escalation and progress through dialogue on all the issues on the agenda.

The tension in Nagorno-Karabakh started on August 1, when, according to the Artsakh Defense Army, Azerbaijani units resorted to provocation in a number of parts of the northern and northwestern border zone of the Artsakh Republic starting at 09:00 in the morning, trying to cross the contact line. As a result of the Azerbaijani provocation, the serviceman Albert Bakhshiyan was injured. Aggressive actions of the Azerbaijani side continued in the following days. On August 3, around 3:00 p.m., Azerbaijani units launched a new attack in the northwestern direction of the contact line, using attack drones, as a result of which two servicemen of the Artsakh Defense Army were killed, and 14 more servicemen were wounded in various degrees.

 20:50, 4 August 2022

YEREVAN, AUGUST 4, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Assembly of America calls upon His Excellency Mr. Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and current Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives, to affirm the Armenian Genocide following the deletion of his original statement on Twitter about his visit to the Armenian Genocide Memorial (Tsitsernakaberd) and Museum-Institute in Yerevan on July 27, 2022, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Armenian Assembly of America.

In response, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) stated that “The UN should not be complicit in Turkey's rejection of history. UN General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid was wrong for deleting his tweet and capitulating to pressure from Turkey.”

To date, 31 countries and dozens of international organizations recognize the genocide of the Armenian people committed by the Ottoman Turkish Empire from 1915-1923, which resulted in the loss of 1.5 million Armenians and the dispossession of a nation from its three millennia-old Western Armenian homeland. The UNGA codified the crime of genocide by adopting the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (the “Genocide Convention”) in December 1948, heeding many of distinguished international human rights lawyer Raphael Lemkin’s ideas, who coined the term genocide in 1944 and referenced the 1915 Armenian Genocide as a seminal example of the act of genocide.

The UNGA President’s actions are demonstrative of genocide denial, which is the worst form of hate speech. To honor the 50th anniversary of the Genocide Convention in 1998, over 150 distinguished scholars and writers issued a statement to commemorate the Armenian Genocide and condemn the Turkish government's denial of this crime against humanity. In the statement, the scholars emphasized that the “denial of genocide strives to reshape history in order to demonize the victims and rehabilitate the perpetrators. Denial of genocide is the final stage of genocide. It is what Elie Wiesel has called a ‘double killing.’ Denial murders the dignity of the survivors and seeks to destroy remembrance of the crime.”

UNGA President Shahid’s action undermines the international community’s trust in and responsibilities towards upholding the letter and spirit of the UN Genocide Convention. The Armenian Assembly of America urges UNGA President Shahid to issue a public explanation and retraction with respect to his deleted tweet, and affirm his commitment to recognize the Armenian Genocide and condemn its denial.