Category: 2022

 14:03, 19 May, 2022

YEREVAN, MAY 19, ARMENPRESS. The position of the Armenian side is that the proposals made by Armenia and Azerbaijan over the normalization of the relations should be combined and the negotiations around a peace agenda should start as a result of, Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan said at a briefing today.

“Regarding the peace agenda, our approach, of course, is that the packages proposed by Armenia and Azerbaijan should be combined and then to start negotiations around a peace agenda. Of course, we have raised this issue in Brussels. What we have seen is that there is a perception by Azerbaijan that we must move forward. But recently, there have also been public statements over this”, he said.

He said the Armenian side hopes for coming to a common ground around the peace agenda at some moment. “Because the peace agenda could not be unilateral, the peace agenda must be bilateral. And that two packages of proposals should be included in this bilateral logic, which should be merged and then to move forward with that agenda”, he said, adding that they will continue the work.

“From the very beginning we understood that the peace process is a difficult process, and we will continue working on this direction. Our agenda remains the same, and we will try to move forward”, he said.

 14:14, 19 May, 2022

YEREVAN, MAY 19, ARMENPRESS. The security and the protection of rights of the people of Artsakh is a priority for Armenia, and Armenia is heading for the negotiations with this agenda, the Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan said at a press briefing when asked on Armenia’s position on the issue of the status of Artsakh.

“Security and protection of rights are priority, meaning our compatriots living in Artsakh must have security and protection of rights. And the status of Artsakh will stem from this. And we are headed to negotiations with this agenda,” Grigoryan said.

 14:48, 19 May, 2022

YEREVAN, MAY 19, ARMENPRESS. The meeting of the commission on delimitation and demarcation between Armenia and Azerbaijan isn’t taking place because a technical agreement hasn’t been reached yet, the Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan said at a press briefing.

“Naturally, because of not having a technical agreement we haven’t been able to organize that meeting so far,” he said.

He added that Armenia hopes that the technical issues will be resolved soon and the meeting will take place.

The technical issues concern the overall agenda which was formed last year in November in Sochi and Brussels. “We expect the delimitation and demarcation process to take place within the framework of the logic of these two statements. We expect that a solution will be found within the framework of the logic of these statements,” Grigoryan said.

 14:15, 19 May, 2022

YEREVAN, MAY 19, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan had a meeting today with the participants of the Consultative Assembly on Cooperation with Extra-Parliamentary Political Forces, the PM’s office said.

In addition to monthly sessions, these kind of meetings will be held regularly.

The meeting was attended by leader of the Republic party Aram Sargsyan, leader of the European Party of Armenia Tigran Khzmalyan, Christian-Democratic party chairman Levon Shirinyan, United Motherland party chairman Mher Terteryan, Sovereign Armenia party chairman Davit Sanasaryan and Head of Armenia Office of the Social Democrat Hunchakian party Sedrak Achemian.

 14:49, 19 May, 2022

YEREVAN, MAY 19, ARMENPRESS. Over 300 probes are currently in process in the stolen asset recovery division of the prosecutor-general’s office.

Deputy Prosecutor General Srbuhi Galyan said 20 probes have been completed and the illegally acquired assets have been frozen.

“We have 9 motions that were submitted to court, and proceedings were launched over 8 of them. I can’t mention numbers over the nearly 330 cases because the assets in question must undergo studies to determine the market value. But in terms of the 9 motions filed to court, it is about nearly 43 billion drams in assets,” Galyan said, adding that this number could actually be as high as 60 billion drams if the assessment of assets of legal entities is also calculated.

Galyan made the remarks in parliament where she was presenting to lawmakers the bill on amending the law on stolen asset recovery.

Galyan said the bill seeks to enhance the timeframes of probes and revision of opportunities of confiscation of stolen assets, among others.

She said that the amendments will definitely contribute to increasing the effectiveness of the highly important law.

The bill on amending the stolen asset recovery law, officially known as the Law on Confiscation of Illegally-Obtained Assets was earlier approved by the parliamentary Committee on State-Legal Affairs.

Deputy Prosecutor-General Srbuhi Galyan said at the committee meeting that the amendments will expand the meaning of the term “official person” and in addition to public office holders anyone having the obligation to asset disclosure in terms of public service will be considered an “official person”.

In addition, the amendments seek to authorize the investigative body to launch studies at its own initiative, but only in the event of suspicions arising on an illegally-obtained asset during existing proceedings. 

The stolen asset recovery law, officially known as the Law on Confiscation of Illegally-Obtained Assets, was adopted by parliament in 2020 April. In September of 2020 the division in charge of investigating alleged illicitly acquired assets was launched in the general prosecution.

 14:57, 19 May, 2022

YEREVAN, MAY 19, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan met with European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell in Brussels ahead of the 4th session of the Armenia-EU Partnership Council, the foreign ministry said.

During the meeting the sides touched upon the Armenia-EU relations, as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest.

Ararat Mirzoyan presented Armenia’s position on the establishment of regional peace and stability and the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. The FM highlighted the international community’s support, particularly that of the EU to the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship to contribute to the comprehensive and lasting settlement of the conflict.

 14:59, 19 May, 2022

YEREVAN, MAY 19, ARMENPRESS. Ambassador of Armenia to Greece Tigran Mkrtchyan issued a statement on the occasion of the remembrance day of the genocide of Greeks of Pontus and Asia Minor.

The Ambassador published the statement on social media.

“On May 19 we commemorate one of the most tragic and shameful pages of the history of mankind of the 20^th century, one of the biggest disasters in the beginning of the 20^th century, the day of remembering the Greeks of Pontus and Asia Minor who fell victim to the genocide in the Ottoman Empire.

The genocide of Greeks of Pontus and Asia Minor was pre-planned by Young Turks and has been perpetrated in parallel with and in continuation of the Armenian Genocide. More than 350,000 Pontic Greeks fell victim to the Pontic Greek Genocide, which was perpetrated in 1916-1923.

Memory and the commemoration of victims are the best ways of perpetuating the memory of the Genocide victims. On March 24, 2015, the Parliament of Armenia unanimously adopted a statement condemning the genocide of Pontic Greeks and Assyrians in the Ottoman Empire, by saying a decisive “no” to Turkish denialism and the genocide and a decisive “yes” to the international recognition and condemnation of that genocide.

The final goal of the fight for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, the genocide of Pontic Greeks and Assyrians by the international community is the restoration of justice, as well as the prevention of such crimes. Unfortunately, ethnic cleansings in different parts of the world do not stop. Just two years ago Armenians living in Artsakh were again subject to ethnic cleansing as a result of Azerbaijan’s genocidal policy.

In order to put the slogan “Never Again” into practice, it is necessary to unite the potential of Armenians and all friends of the Armenian people, as well as to decisively and undoubtedly condemn the rhetoric leading to hatred and creating a genocidal atmosphere.

We remember and bow”, the Armenian Ambassador said.

 15:17, 19 May, 2022

YEREVAN, MAY 19, ARMENPRESS. The Greek community of Armenia gathered near the Surb Gevorg (Saint George) Church in Yerevan to pay tribute to the memory of the victims of the Pontic Greek genocide perpetrated by the government of the Ottoman Empire and then its successor the Republic of Turkey from 1916 to 1923.

This is the first time that the commemoration ceremony is taking place in a church with a mass being served.

Avag Hakobyan, the Head of the Educational-Cultural Center of National Minorities at the Prime Minister’s Office and the President of the Yerevan Ponti Greek Community Eduard Mikhaylov were in attendance. They lit a candle in the church in memory of the victims of the genocide.

Organizers seek to set new bar with EUBC Men’s European Boxing Championships in Yerevan

 15:20, 19 May, 2022

YEREVAN, MAY 19, ARMENPRESS. The Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister’s Office Arayik Harutyunyan, who is the Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the EUBC Men’s European Boxing Championships in Yerevan, says they want to set a new bar for European championships with the Yerevan event.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve hosted such a major sports event in Armenia, and both the government and the [boxing] federation and our other partners are doing their best to organize the championship on the highest level. The assessments we get from our international partners are very positive. We want to set a new bar for European championships,” Harutyunyan said, adding that all participating delegations and athletes are taken care of.

The EUBC Men’s European Boxing Championships in Yerevan will take place May 21-30.

Team Armenia earlier its lineup for the championship.

 15:52, 19 May, 2022

YEREVAN, MAY 19, ARMENPRESS. Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin announced today that the session of the Council of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) will take place in Yerevan on June 6, Interfax reports.

“The session of the Council of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly will be held in Yerevan on June 6”, Volodin said during the State Duma session.