Category: 2022

 10:01, 8 June 2022

YEREVAN, JUNE 8, ARMENPRESS. President of the Constitutional Court of Armenia Arman Dilanyan met today with President of the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission Claire Bazy Malaurie, who arrived in Armenia on a two-day official visit, Armenpress correspondent reports.

Welcoming Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie in Yerevan, Arman Dilanyan thanked her for accepting the invitation to visit Armenia.

“I want to once again congratulate you on your election as President of the Venice Commission. The continent of Europe is facing quite difficult times, and I hope we will be able to overcome these problems with your support. I want to specifically note that we attach great importance to our cooperation with the Council of Europe, to our partnership with the Venice Commission. We have old traditions of cooperation, they have been for decades. I hope under your presidency these ties will not only strengthen, but also a new impetus will be given to these relations”, Arman Dilanyan said in his welcoming remarks.

In her turn the President of the Venice Commission said that she is very happy to be in Armenia and highlighted this meeting especially after the coronavirus pandemic and the refreshing of the relations with a CoE member state.

 10:05, 8 June 2022

YEREVAN, JUNE 8, ARMENPRESS. Member of the German Bundestag Till Mansmann says it is necessary to find a political solution to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

In an interview to ARMENPRESS, the Bundestag MP said Germany supports the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship in the negotiations over the NK conflict.

“As a member of the Minsk Group, Germany supports the efforts of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs in the negotiations for the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, taking into account also the military clashes which started between Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2020 and lasted until November. Germany believes that it is necessary to find a political solution to the conflict. Following the clashes Germany has provided a total of 2 million Euro humanitarian aid at the level of the International Committee of Red Cross”, the MP said.

Till Mansmann also commented on the ongoing dialogue between Armenia and Turkey aimed at the normalization of the relations, stating that the long-term goal must always be the peaceful coexistence. “No matter how hostile the relations between Armenia and Turkey are, we face a reality when both Armenia and Turkey become more interconnected in conditions of globalization. Armenia should remain open for development of peace and trade”, he said.

 10:18, 8 June 2022

YEREVAN, JUNE 8, ARMENPRESS. In a new report adopted on June 7, the European Parliament urged Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide and respect its obligations to protect Armenian and other cultural heritage.

The report, adopted by 448 votes in favour, 67 against and 107 abstentions, also touched upon the recent efforts aimed at normalizing the relations between Armenia and Turkey. It says that the European Parliament “commends the recent rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia with regard to the decision to start bilateral contacts, the appointment of special representatives and the resumption of flights between the two countries”. The EP “considers this attempt a highly positive development which has a positive impact on prosperity and security in the region; encourages both sides to pursue these efforts with a view to fully normalizing their relations and calls for the EU to actively support this process”.

MEPs also encouraged Turkey to pave the way for genuine reconciliation between the Turkish and Armenian peoples, including settling the dispute of the Armenian Genocide, and to fully respect its obligations to protect Armenian and other cultural heritage. They expressed the hope that this may lead to a dynamic of normalization of relations in the South Caucasus.

The European Parliament encouraged Turkey, once again, to recognize the Armenian Genocide.

In the report, MEPs warned that in spite of Turkey’s repeated statements that it aims to become an EU member, over the past two years the country has consistently gone back on its commitments in relation to the accession process.

The report pointed to the continued deterioration of the human rights situation in Turkey.

MEPs also called on the Turkish government to handle Finland and Sweden’s NATO membership applications in good faith, to engage constructively in efforts to solve possible outstanding issues and to refrain from exerting any undue pressure in this process.

 10:22, 8 June 2022

YEREVAN, JUNE 8, ARMENPRESS. Former Rector of the Yerevan State University Aram Simonyan has passed away at the age of 67, YSU PR manager Azniv Grigoryan confirmed the news to Armenpress.

Aram Simonyan was born in Goris on April 12, 1955.

He has served as YSU Rector from 2006 May to 2019 May.

Education

1977 – 1981: Moscow Institute of History of USSR AS, Postgraduate studies
1972 – 1977: Yerevan State University, Faculty of History
1961 – 1972: Secondary school

Work experience

From 2008, July 10: Director of Institute for Armenian Studies of YSU

From 2006, May: Rector of YSU
2000 – 2006: Vice-rector on educational activities
2005: Received professor’s degree
1995 – 2000: Head of YSU Educational Administration
1986 – 2000: Assistant of YSU chair of USSR History, Associate professor of the chair of Armenian History
2000: Defended doctoral thesis
1993 – 1995: YSU Academic Secretary
1983: Defended PhD thesis
1981 – 1983: Junior scientific associate of Armenian SSR AS Institute of History, then scientific associate

Scientific activities

He is the author of eighty scientific studies, three of which are monographs. The field of research includes history of the Armenian nation (in the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century), especially historical statistics, industrial capital, as well as the issues of Artsakh and Zangezur history 1917-1921.
He was the supervisor of 6 defended PhD theses.
He took part in numerous international and republican symposiums. He was repeatedly invited in scientific-educational centers of Italy, Belgium, Great Britain, Germany, Spain, USA and a number of other countries, where he was engaged in scientific-educational activities.

 10:36, 8 June 2022

YEREVAN, JUNE 8, ARMENPRESS. Legendary Armenian director of essay films, screenwriter Artavazd Peleshyan’s Nature (La Nature) film will be premiered in Yerevan’s Moscow Cinema on June 18, at 19:00.

The Nature movie’s global festival premiere was held at the New York Film Festival-59 in September 2021.

Premiered by the Fondation Cartier, Nature brings together amateur shots of nature, such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, and grandiose landscapes from the internet, juxtaposing the overpowering force of nature with human ambition.

Artavazd Peleshyan received the “Lifetime Achievement Award” in the International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam (IDFA) for the movie.

ZKM Filminstitut founder Andrei Ujica and the Fondation Cartier’s artistic director Hervé Chandès will arrive in Yerevan for the premiere of the film.

The entrance is free of charge.

 12:26, 8 June 2022

YEREVAN, JUNE 8, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Russia Sergei Lavrov will meet with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Vahagn Khachaturyan during his upcoming working visit to Armenia, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said.

Lavrov will arrive in Yerevan on June 8-9 for participating in the session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

The meeting of the Armenian and Russian Foreign Ministers will be held on June 9.

 12:51, 8 June 2022

YEREVAN, JUNE 8, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan sent a letter of condolences to President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro over the heavy rains in Pernambuco state that claimed human lives, the PM’s Office said.

The message reads:

“Your Excellency,

With a deep sorrow I learnt about the dozens of people killed and missing in heavy rains and landslides in Brazil’s in Pernambuco state.

Sharing your grief and the good people of Brazil, I wish speedy recovery to the injured, and tenacity to the relatives of the victims and the entire people of Brazil.

Please, Your Excellency, accept the assurances of my highest respect”.

 13:25, 8 June 2022

YEREVAN, JUNE 8, ARMENPRESS. The European Union strongly supports and highlights the reforms of the democratic system of governance, the establishment of the rule of law and the fight against discrimination in Armenia, the EU Ambassador to Armenia Andrea Wiktorin said at a conference entitled “Judiciary as a Guarantor of Democracy” in Yerevan on June 8.

“We have always supported the implementation of justice reforms, and for this purpose we have provided long-term and short-term support. We highly value the efforts Armenia has made in recent years in terms of democratic processes. It’s also very important that the political leadership is committed to continue the constitutional reforms that are envisaged by the 2019-2021 judicial reforms strategy”, the EU Ambassador said.

The Ambassador said independent judiciary in a democratic country is the guarantor of human rights and freedoms, therefore, she said, the Constitutional Court has an important role to play to strengthen the public trust towards judiciary.

“Armenia is facing numerous challenges, and we are very impressed that the authorities willingly continue moving on the path of reforms. There is currently big tension in the country, and it’s very important that all sides work together to protect the constitutional rights of the citizens of Armenia. We closely follow the domestic political situation and the protests in the country. It’s very important for the people to be able to voice their opinion freely, and the law enforcement agencies and police forces should refrain from using brute force. Some incidents that have taken place should be investigated, it already happens in some of the cases, the cases reach to the court and a ruling is being made. That’s how democracy works”, Andrea Wiktorin said.

The Ambassador said it’s very important that all sides in Armenia refrain from hate speech and provocations. Any violence must be condemned, she added. “In such situation, I think, promoting trust towards our Constitutional Court and the judiciary is more than important”, she said.

 13:36, 8 June 2022

YEREVAN, JUNE 8, ARMENPRESS. The World Bank is forecasting 3.5% economic growth for Armenia in 2022, according to the World Bank Group’s report “Global Economic Prospects”.

The report forecasts that the economy in Europe and Central Asia will decline by around 3% in 2022 because of the war in Ukraine and its consequences.

The report also forecasts that the economic growth in Armenia will be 3.5% in 2022, 4.6% in 2023 and 4.9% in 2024.

 13:52, 8 June 2022

YEREVAN, JUNE 8, ARMENPRESS. The Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Norway exchanged congratulatory messages on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Kingdom of Norway, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said.

In his message, Ararat Mirzoyan, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Armenia, particularly noted that the mutual respect between the two countries, adherence to democratic values, rule of law and respect for human rights, as well as historically rooted warm ties formed a basis for cooperation over the three decades. Foreign Minister Mirzoyan emphasized that the Armenian people remember with gratitude Fridtjof Nansen, prominent Norwegian humanitarian, faithful and caring friend of Armenians, who epitomizes the collective identity of the Norwegian people for the Armenians. Expressing gratitude for Norway’s unprecedented support in the fight against COVID-19, Ararat Mirzoyan expressed his conviction that Armenia and Norway will jointly contribute to the development of cooperation and the expansion of the bilateral agenda.

Anniken Huitfeldt, Foreign Minister of Norway, noted that as members of the United Nations, the Council of Europe, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Armenia and Norway have built bilateral relations on the basis of international commitments, shared values and principles. The Foreign Minister of Norway highlighted the importance of further strengthening relations with Armenia, and reaffirmed the Norwegian Government’s readiness to continue cooperation with Armenia based on democratic values and respect for human rights for the benefit of the two nations.