Category: 2022

 10:23,

YEREVAN, APRIL 12, ARMENPRESS. On April 11 the Office of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia led by Defender Kristinne Grigoryan visited Syunik province within the framework of the joint visit organized by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the Ombudswoman’s Office said in a news release.

The visit was attended by acting UN Resident Coordinator in Armenia Lila Pieters Yahia, EU Ambassador to Armenia Andrea Wiktorin and Ambassador of Lithuania to Armenia Inga Stanytė-Toločkienė.

The delegation visited the Women Resource Center in Kapan and the Center’s social entrepreneurship where they met with the representatives of the WINNET Armenia Network of Women Resource Centers and the persons displaced from Artsakh, who are the beneficiaries of the UNFPA’s humanitarian program.

“I would like to state that as a Human Rights Defender, one of my key five priorities is women’s economic, political strengthening. More than half of our population are women, but when we see how we are using their potential, we understand that we still have a long path to pass”, the Ombudsperson said.

Head of the UNFPA Armenia Office Tsovinar Harutyunyan said that the network’s experience has been recognized as the best.

Addressing the women in the meeting, the head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Andrea Wiktorin said she understands the difficulties the women have faced and are facing. “We are here to listen to you, understand your situation and what we can do to better cooperate”, she said.

Acting UN Resident Coordinator in Armenia Lila Pieters Yahia said this was her first visit to Armenia’s provinces. She said they will listen to the solutions proposed by women and how they can move forward the work together. Lila Pieters Yahia said the empowerment of women is one of the priority directions of the United Nations.

Ambassador of Lithuania to Armenia Inga Stanytė-Toločkienė said their Embassy is promoting the use of renewable energy in Syunik, but is also working on women empowerment as a special direction.

Thereafter, the meeting sides held a discussion about various issues.

The visit will continue in the Office of the Ombudsperson in Kapan where they will meet with NGO representatives. Thereafter, the delegation will depart for Gyumri.

 10:30,

YEREVAN, APRIL 12, ARMENPRESS. Both opposition blocs of the Armenian parliament announced that they are boycotting the parliament session and will instead travel to border towns of Armenia and to Artsakh.

Hayastan faction leader Seyran Ohanyan said that Armenia and Artsakh are facing the most serious challenges and cited the “red lines” which they had stated during their latest rally in Yerevan.

“The provisions stipulated in the Consitution of Armenia, our territorial integrity, sovereignty, are not for bargain, we find unacceptable any option of resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict that would make Artsakh part of Azerbaijan,” Ohanyan said.

Ohanyan accused the Pashinyan administration in being incapable of solving numerous foreign and domestic issues. He said the latest developments show that everything is proceeding by the “Azeri-Turkish agenda”.

“Based on this situation, the parliamentary opposition announces that it won’t participate in this week’s sessions and votes, we are going to Artsakh and to border provinces of Armenia,” Ohanyan said.

Secretary of Pativ Unem bloc Hayk Mamijanyan also announced that they won’t participate in the sessions. He said their lawmakers are also traveling to Artsakh.

Meanwhile, ruling Civil Contract bloc lawmaker Vagharshak Hakobyan accused the opposition MPs in “endangering the citizens of Artsakh and Armenia” by traveling to Artsakh.

“A narrative was voiced here, that they are traveling to Artsakh to follow the most important agenda and to protect the citizens of Artsakh. I’d like to argue the contrary, by traveling to Artsakh now they are endangering the citizens of the Republic of Artsakh and the citizens of the Republic of Armenia. Take this into consideration,” Hakobyan said.

 10:39,

YEREVAN, APRIL 12, ARMENPRESS. FIFA Futsal World Cup 2024 qualifying round match of C group between Kosovo and Armenia took place in a Bulgarian city of Varna on April 11. Armenia defeated Kosovo with a score of 2:1, the Football Federation of Armenia reported.

Winning all 3 matches, the Armenian team scored 9 points and confidently took the first place in the group.

 10:41,

YEREVAN, APRIL 12, ARMENPRESS. A.S. Roma’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s two-year old son scored a goal at Stadio Olimpico after the Wolves’ Serie-A clash against Salernitana (2:1).

 10:49,

YEREVAN, APRIL 12, ARMENPRESS. Parliament Majority Leader Hayk Konjoryan (Civil Contract) accused the opposition in carrying out a “provocation” by boycotting the parliament session and traveling to Artsakh. He accused the opposition in exploiting the Artsakh issue and the security issues in Armenia to carry out a coup d’état in Armenia.

Konjoryan cited Hayastan faction leader Seyran Ohanyan’s post-election statement where he’d said that entering to parliament is a trench for them, and they must fight in that trench. Konjoryan accused the opposition in attempting to de-value the parliament and paralyze it. “And perhaps they think they have solved their objective in this trench and now they are traveling to Artsakh to perhaps take another trench, most likely against the government and people of Armenia,” Konjoryan said.

Speaking on the opposition bringing the flag of Artsakh to parliament, Konjoryan said he doesn’t understand the demonstrative installation of the flag in Armenia against anyone.

“The flag of Artsakh and Artsakh is in the hearts and thoughts of everyone. Our people sacrificed its finest children for Artsakh. And the opposition ought to install the flag of Artsakh, defend the interests of Artsakh where it is needed to raise awareness on the issue of the rights and freedoms of our compatriots in Artsakh. But what does this opposition do? They boycott all inter-parliamentary platforms where they ought to go and defend the rights and interests of Artsakh and its people, so to say raise the flag of Artsakh there for the world to see,” Konjoryan said, accusing the opposition in not fulfilling the mandate they received from the people.

“Today, with this step the parliamentary opposition is not defending Artsakh but rather making a provocation, it is escalating the security issues of Artsakh and of Armenians,” Konjoryan said.

He further accused the opposition in exploiting the Artsakh issue and the security issues for carrying out a coup d’état in Armenia. “Today they are entrenching in the domestic-political life of Artsakh to generate more domestic intrigues. But we, with our people, won’t allow this,” Konjoryan said.

 11:13,

YEREVAN, APRIL 12, ARMENPRESS. 13 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Armenia in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 422,691, the ministry of health said.

2838 tests were conducted on April 11.

The recoveries rose by 24 in a day, bringing the total number to 410,365.

No death case has been registered. The death toll stands at 8621.

As of April 12, the number of active cases is 2025.

 14:54,

YEREVAN, APRIL 12, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received today Executive Director of the Corporación América Airports, Martín Eurnekian, who was accompanied by Director General of the Armenia International Airports CJSC Marcelo Wende and deputy director Sergei Avetisyan, the PM’s Office said.

PM Pashinyan attached importance to the company’s activity in Armenia and stated that the government is interested in deepening the mutually beneficial partnership.

Martín Eurnekian praised the cooperation with the Armenian government and conveyed the warm greetings of Argentine-Armenian entrepreneur, philanthropist Eduardo Eurnekian to the Armenian PM.

The meeting sides discussed the process of ongoing programs by Corporación América Airports in Armenia and their expansion prospects. Particularly, they discussed issues relating to the development of Yerevan’s Zvartnots and Gyumri’s Shirak airports. In this context, the opportunities of implementing new investment projects that will lead to the development of aviation market, the increase in passenger flows and high-quality services, were discussed. The sides also exchanged ideas about the new possible programs in other directions.

The sides agreed to continue the discussions over the future actions and substantive steps.

 15:47,

YEREVAN, APRIL 12, ARMENPRESS. On April 12, a special envelope was postmarked dedicated to the 30th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Egypt, HayPost reported.

The postmarking was carried out by the Acting High-Tech Industry Minister Davit Sahakyan, HayPost CEO Hayk Karapetyan, the Head of the Division of Middle East and African Countries at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Armen Melkonyan, the Ambassador of Egypt to Armenia Bahaa El Din Bahgat Dessouki and the President of the Union of Philatelists Hovik Musayelyan.

The envelope pictures Mount Ararat and Egyptian pyramids, and reads “Diplomatic Relations Between the Republic of Armenia and the Arab Republic of Egypt” in Armenian and English languages, stamped with the post stamp dedicated to the anniversary.

 16:06,

YEREVAN, APRIL 12, ARMENPRESS. Parliament adopted at second reading the ruling party MP Hayk Sargsyan’s bill on introducing a special separation policy for the military draft, whereby men who lost their father or brother in active-duty combat service will be exempt from the mandatory military service.

 17:25,

YEREVAN, 12 APRIL, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 12 April, USD exchange rate down by 1.71 drams to 473.13 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 3.95 drams to 514.20 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.10 drams to 5.96 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 3.70 drams to 615.73 drams.

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

Gold price up by 47.67 drams to 29685.97 drams. Silver price up by 5.11 drams to 381.05 drams. Platinum price stood at 16414.1 drams.