Category: 2022

Pashinyan, Putin hold private talks at the Kremlin

Emma Nadirian
Public Radio of Armenia
May 17 2022
May 16, 2022, 23:49

 1 minute read

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a private talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin.

“We regularly keep in contact on all issues of the bilateral agenda and on regional issues, however, there are always a lot of questions – this is obvious given the intensity of our dialogue,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the beginning o fthe meeting.

Putin noted that over the past year the two countries have seen a decent growth in trade, investments continue. “We continue to work actively together in the settlement of the Karabakh issue – already in a trilateral format, together with our partners from Azerbaijan,” he added.

“There are a lot of questions, I am glad to have the opportunity to meet with you both and talk about this entire complex,” Putin said.

Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan, in turn, expressed gratitude for organizing the CSTO Jubilee Summit and for the traditionally warm reception.

“Of course, the 30th anniversary of the Collective Security Treaty and the 20th anniversary of the Collective Security Treaty Organization are significant events, and I think we had a very meaningful conversation. It is very important that this conversation is aimed at the future, the further development of our organization,” Pashinyan said.

“Of course, less than a month has passed since my first official visit to the Russian Federation. We had a very meaningful conversation then, and as you rightly pointed out, our bilateral agenda is so rich that we can meet more often,” the Armenian PM said.

“In terms of the economy, I would like to note that after a certain decline in March, there is an intensification of bilateral economic ties. We see investment interest from Russian business that wants to invest in Armenia. And I know that you are encouraging Russian businessmen to invest in Armenia. I want to thank you for that,” Nikol Pashinyan added.

“Of course, I hope that today we will discuss issues related to regional security, stability, the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as we mentioned in our joint statement, as well as the important role of the OSCE Minsk Group,” the Armenian PM said.

Iran, Armenia agree to increase cargo transit cooperation

Adrine Hakobian
Public Radio of Armenia
May 17 2022
May 17, 2022, 10:28

 1 minute read

Iran and Armenia have agreed to increase the transit of cargoes through the two countries as part of efforts to activate a transportation corridor that will pass through the Armenian territory to Europe bypassing Azerbaijan, Press TV reports.

Iran’s Minister of Transportation and Urban Development Rostam Qassemi said on Monday that he had reached “good agreements” with Armenian Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Gnel Sanosyan during a meeting held in Tehran earlier in the day.

He said the agreements will lead to increased transit cooperation between the two countries, adding that Armenia had agreed to ease its restrictions on the number of Iranian trucks allowed to travel through the country.

“The (volume of) road transit with Armenia is not significant but we hope to increase that based on the agreements reached today,” Qassemi told reporters after the meeting.

Armenia’s Sanosyan told Iranian reporters after the Monday meeting with Qassemi that his country plans to facilitate the movement of Iranian trucks through the Armenian roads.

He promised that Iranian drivers will experience a shorter and safer journey on the new Armenian transit road that he said will be ready in the very near future.

U.S. Embassy donates five Virtual Reality headsets to Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Armenia

Karapet Navasardian
Public Radio of Armenia
May 17 2022
May 17, 2022, 12:46

The Office of Defense Cooperation of the U.S. Embassy has donated five Virtual Reality headsets for the Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Armenia.

These headsets are an innovative technology developed by a local Armenian startup company “10X Immersive, Inc.”

The tests have registered extremely positive results in relieving pain during pediatric care, vaccination, immunization, anesthetics induction, blood transfusion, blood tests, and finger prick (for diabetics) procedures.

These VR sets have been shown to be 374 percent more effective than traditional entertainment content delivered to children during medical procedures.

The donation was funded by United States European Command’s Humanitarian Assistance Program.

Contemporary Armenian writer Grigor Shashikyan awarded the Rückert Prize in Germany

Garnik Zakarian
Public Radio of Armenia
May 17 2022
May 17, 2022, 12:59

 1 minute read

Contemporary Armenian writer Grigor Shashikyan has been awarded the Rückert Prize in Germany, the Armenian Embassy in Germany informs.

Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to the Federal Republic of Germany Viktor Yengibaryan attended the award ceremony at the Ehrenburg Palace.

This year, the Armenian language is the focus of the award ceremony. Hans-Herbert Hartan, Deputy Mayor of the city of Coburg offered opening remarks.

The Coburg Rückert Prize, in memory of the famous orientalist, poet, translator and linguist Friedrich Rückert, was awarded to Grigor Shashikyan for his novel Jesus’katze (The Cat of Jesus).

The novel was translated into German by Anahit Avagyan and Wiebke Zollmann. The event was accompanied by performances of Armenian miniatures and dance by the string quartet of the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Landestheater Coburg.

The Ambassador Yengibaryan signed the golden book of the city of Coburg.

Armenia, Iran discuss new gas-for-electricity deal

Ani Basmajian
Public Radio of Armenia
May 17 2022
May 17, 2022, 14:17

 1 minute read

The Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of the Republic of Armenia Gnel Sanosyan met with the Minister of Oil of the Islamic Republic of Iran Javad Owji within the framework of his working visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran.

During the meeting, the new agreement on the gas-for-electricity program was discussed. Minister Sanosyan submitted proposals related to the renewal of the contract. The agreement will be signed when the agreement is finalized, and the answers of the Iranian side to the submitted proposals are ready.

Issues related to oil refining, bitumen and its price were discussed.

The Minister noted that active road construction works are underway in Armenia, but the changes related to the price of bitumen have caused certain difficulties. The Minister noted that it would be desirable for bitumen to be delivered to Armenia at a more affordable price.

Other issues of mutual interest were discussed. The parties assessed the meeting as positive and constructive.

PM Pashinyan briefed on plans to open World Trade Center in Armenia

Jane Topchian
Public Radio of Armenia
May 17 2022
May 17, 2022, 18:13

 Less than a minute

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received Robin van Puyenbroeck, Executive Director of the World Trade Centers Association, Eduard Marutyan, Founder of RENSIN Urban Development Investment Company, and Levon Kasparov, Director of the company.

During the meeting, the project of establishing a World Trade Center in Yerevan was presented to the Prime Minister, which was also approved by the World Trade Organization. The benefits of the project, the conditions and opportunities for business were presented in detail.

Prime Minister Pashinyan noted that the Government is interested in the project, proposing to continue discussions with relevant agencies in the near future to evaluate the project implementation possibilities, to develop a “road map” of relevant actions

Armenian serviceman wounded in landmine explosion

Emil Lazarian
Public Radio of Armenia
May 17 2022
May 17, 2022, 20:52

 Less than a minute

Armen Babayan, a contract serviceman of one of the military units located in the north-eastern direction of the republic, was wounded in a mine explosion on May 17 at around 4:15 pm, the Ministry of Defense informed.

His life is not in danger, the Ministry said.

An investigation into the the circumstances of the incident is under way.

Armenian Foreign Minister due in Brussels for key EU council

Baghdasarian Karlen
PanARMENIAN
Armenia – May 17 2022
May 17, 2022 – 11:00 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan will leave for Brussels to chair the 4th session of the Armenia-EU Partnership Council on May 17-18, a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry reveals.

During the meeting, the sides will discuss the implementation of the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement and the Economic-Investment Program, cooperation in the areas of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. They will exchange views on trade and sectoral cooperation, and the prospects of launching visa liberalization.

Issues related to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as well as regional security will be on the table too.

The EU delegation will be headed by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Joseph Borrell.

During his trip, the Foreign Minister of Armenia will also have meetings with a number of EU officials.

Police detain 414 people in anti-Pashinyan demonstrations in Yerevan

Kalantarian Kevo
PanARMENIAN
Armenia – May 17 2022
May 17, 2022 – 14:01 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Police in Yerevan detained 414 people on Tuesday, May 17, who took part in opposition-led demonstrations demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, the Armenian service of RFE/RL reports.

The chairman of the National Assembly State and Legal Affairs Committee, Vladimir Vardanyan, said earlier in the day that they treat the absence of the opposition lawmakers with understanding, but if any employee of any institution dails to show up for work for a long time “without good reasons”, they should be held responsible.

In recent weeks, protesters demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan have taken to the streets to block major roads in the capital Yerevan and call on the population to commit acts of civil disobedience. Pashinian has come under fire after he and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev agreed to start drafting a bilateral peace treaty to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and set up a joint commission on demarcating the borders.

Armenia police detain 300 at anti-government protests

Vorskanian Yeghisabet
Nigeria – May 17 2022

Published

 7 hours ago 

on

 May 17, 2022

Armenian police on Tuesday detained nearly 300 opposition supporters who tried to block the streets of the capital Yerevan, which has been gripped by anti-government protests for a month.

Since mid-April, opposition parties have been organizing rallies demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan over his handling of a territorial dispute with Azerbaijan.

On Tuesday morning, hundreds of opposition supporters tried to block streets in central Yerevan, an AFP journalist testified.

The Armenian police department said that “286 people who disobeyed law enforcement officers’ legal demands were briefly detained.”

Archenemies Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought two wars, in 2020 and in the 1990s, over the long-contested Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Six weeks of fighting in the fall of 2020 claimed more than 6,500 lives and ended with a Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement.

Under the deal, Armenia ceded swathes of territory it had controlled for decades and Russia deployed some 2,000 peacekeepers to oversee the truce.

The pact was seen in Armenia as a national humiliation and sparked weeks of anti-government protests, prompting Pashinyan to call early parliamentary elections that his Civil Contract party won last September.

Opposition parties have accused Pashinyan of planning to cede parts of Karabakh still under Armenian control to Baku.

Ethnic Armenian separatists from Nagorno-Karabakh broke away from Azerbaijan when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. The ensuing conflict claimed some 30,000 lives.