11:08,
YEREVAN, APRIL18, ARMENPRESS. 8 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Armenia in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 422,770, the ministry of healthcare said.
1679 tests were conducted on April 17.
1 death case has been registered in the past day. The death toll has risen to 8622.
The recoveries rose by 10 (the total is 410,458).
As of April 18, the number of active cases is 2008.
FM Ararat Mirzoyan holds meeting with OSCE Minsk Group’s U.S. Co-Chair Andrew Schofer
12:04,
YEREVAN, APRIL 18, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan held a meeting on April 18 with Ambassador Andrew Schofer, the United States Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, the foreign ministry spokesperson Vahan Hunanyan said on social media.
On April 11 Mirzoyan also held a meeting with Ambassador Brice Roquefeuil, the French Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group.
13:39,
YEREVAN, APRIL 18, ARMENPRESS. Member of Parliament Vilen Gabrielyan from the ruling Civil Contract party presented a new gun control bill seeking to introduce new regulations on sale and use of firearms.
The bill seeks to define the minimum age for a gun license at 21. It would further lift the current mandatory requirement of being a member of the Hunting Union for eligibility of buying a hunting rifle, and also lift the requirement of owning a smoothbore firearm (shotgun) for the past 5 years for eligibility to buy a rifle.
Other regulations include the definition of the mandatory examination procedure, lifting of the restriction on the number of ammunition, specification of the types of firearms and standards of shooting ranges.
The current 5-year license for the acquisition, possession, carry and transportation of firearms would be extended to 10 years.
The firearms manufacturing, import and trade license’s 3-year term will be extended to 5 years.
Buyers will be eligible to acquire up to 10 civilian firearms instead of the current 5.
The permit for holding collection of firearms will become without a fixed term.
The bill, if passed, will take effect three months after adoption.
The current law allows Armenian citizens to own only “civilian firearms’. Weapons considered “civilian firearms” should not be equipped with automatic fire modes and should not have a magazine with the capacity of more than 10 cartridges.
The law also prohibits the issue of civilian and service weapons which resemble other items, firearms modified to fire larger caliber rounds, incendiary, explosive, armor piercing or tracer rounds, as well as several other limitations concerning gas handguns including revolvers.
The minimum age requirement to be eligible for gun possession is 18. Citizens must apply to law enforcement bodies for a license. Citizens must undergo medical checkups, background checks and provide other documents as requested by the Police.
14:26,
YEREVAN, APRIL18, ARMENPRESS. Leader of the main opposition party – the Republican People’s Party (CHP) in Turkey Kemal Kılıçdaroglu visited the Hrant Dink Foundation together with a group of teammates and the representatives of the party’s Istanbul branch.
Kemal Kılıçdaroglu and his team members met with Hrant Dink’s widow Rakel Dink and the leaders of the Foundation.
During a press conference following the meeting, Kemal Kılıçdaroglu said their main fight is going to be against the dark circles. “Yes, the murderer of Hrant Dink is known, is arrested, but we must fight and find the real murderers”, he said.
15:06,
YEREVAN, APRIL18, ARMENPRESS. Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan received today the United States Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Andrew Schofer, the Office of the Security Council said in a news release.
During the meeting Armen Grigoryan presented the current situation in Nagorno Karabakh caused by the latest incursion of the Azerbaijani armed forces. He also reaffirmed the readiness of the Armenian side to support the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs for the lasting and comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
In his turn the US Co-Chair said the United States remains committed to its mandate assumed within the frames of the OSCE Minsk Group.
The sides also exchanged ideas about the establishment of peace in the region and the security issues.
15:40,
YEREVAN, APRIL18, ARMENPRESS. Armenia’s Ministry of Economy proposes to ratify the draft agreement on comprehensive economic cooperation between the Eurasian Economic Union, its member states and Singapore.
Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan presented the draft today during the session of the parliamentary standing committee on regional and Eurasian integration affairs.
The minister said that the single package of agreements on development of commercial cooperation between the Eurasian Economic Union and Singapore has been developed based on the 2016 December 26 decision of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council.
“The agreement on comprehensive economic cooperation envisages an obligation of multilateral development of interaction of the sides, which aims at promoting the trade of goods and services, expanding the cooperation, and ensuring capital investments, contemporary standards for the foundation of companies and protection of their activity”, the minister said.
Kerobyan said that 7 negotiation stages were held with Singapore, within the frames of which talks were also held over the signing of the Framework agreement, which aims at creating a package of agreements, as well as bilateral talks over the signing of agreements on trade of services and investments.
“The agreement aims at creating an environment and conditions for the development of commercial relations and promotion of economic cooperation between the sides in areas of mutual interest, as well as for eliminating the trade and investment barriers between the sides, reducing the business expenditures and raising the economic efficiency”, he said.
Based on this the minister said that the ministry of economy finds the ratification of the agreement by Armenia appropriate.
The parliamentary standing committee on regional and Eurasian integration affairs approved the draft.
14:51,
YEREVAN, APRIL18, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan received Ambassador Andrew Schofer, the United States Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, the foreign ministry said in a news release.
The sides exchanged views about starting negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan around the comprehensive peace treaty. In this context the Armenian FM highlighted the mediation role of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.
The implementation of agreements on creating a commission on demarcation and border security issues was emphasized.
Ararat Mirzoyan presented to the US Co-Chair the situation in Nagorno Karabakh. The sides discussed in detail the humanitarian problems caused by the 44-day war, particularly, those relating to the immediate release and repatriation of the Armenian prisoners of war and other persons held, the preservation of the Armenian cultural and religious heritage in the territories that have come under the Azerbaijani control.
15:55,
YEREVAN, APRIL 18, ARMENPRESS. Representatives of the Armenia-Israel and Armenia-Syria parliamentary friendship groups will visit the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial on April 24 to pay tribute to the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims, the Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Harutyun Marutyan said at a press conference.
Marutyan added that as of the latest information the foreign officials visiting the memorial will also include a Cabinet member from the Netherlands and a representative of International Organisation of la Francophonie.
Speaking about the pre-April 24 events scheduled in Armenia, Marutyan said an unprecedented international seminar titled “21st Century Challenges in Teaching Armenian Genocide” will be organized April 20-22. The seminar will feature 29 reports, including by representatives from the United States, Spain, Cambodia, Israel, Rwanda and Lebanon.
Marutyan said a new temporary exhibition will be opened on April 20 in the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute. “The Armenian people left a huge heritage in the Ottoman Empire, in Western Armenia, Cilicia. Under pressure, the Armenians were able to organize their education. The exhibition is dedicated to that,” he said.
On April 23 the exhibition of illustrations by French-Armenian painter Jean-Pierre Seferian will be opened at the museum.
And on April 29 the temporary exhibition titled Armenian Horrors Through the Eyes of the Dutch will be opened.
17:07,
YEREVAN, APRIL18, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received today the United States Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Andrew Schofer, the PM’s Office said.
During the meeting the Armenian PM highlighted the role of the United States as an OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair country and welcomed the visit of Mr. Schofer, which, he said, will enable to discuss the situation in Nagorno Karabakh and the ongoing processes in this respect.
The sides emphasized the role of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship in the comprehensive settlement process of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
The humanitarian problems, as well as the possibility of launching talks with Azerbaijan around a peace treaty were also touched upon.
In this respect the Armenian PM highlighted the mediation role of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship and the Co-Chair countries.
17:22,
YEREVAN, 18 APRIL, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 18 April, USD exchange rate down by 0.09 drams to 471.35 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.42 drams to 509.11 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.08 drams to 5.97 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 1.77 drams to 614.07 drams.
The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.
Gold price down by 5.68 drams to 29751.59 drams. Silver price down by 0.08 drams to 388.78 drams. Platinum price stood at 16414.1 drams.