Category: 2022

 15:00,

STEPANAKERT, MARCH 25, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijani armed forces are deploying Bayraktar TB-2 drones in renewed attacks against Artsakh, the Defense Army of Artsakh said in a statement.

“Starting midday March 25, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces continued gross violations of the ceasefire and in addition to small arms are also using combat drones, including Bayraktar TB-2s,” the Defense Army said.

Two servicemen of the Artsakh Defense Army were killed in the Azerbaijani attack. The number of wounded is being clarified.

“As of 14:00 the operative-tactical situation in the eastern borderline of Artsakh remains critically tense,” the Artsakh military added.

 15:33,

YEREVAN, MARCH 25, ARMENPRESS. The Office of the Prosecutor General of Artsakh filed a criminal case by Article 313 of the Criminal Code – actions directed against the territorial integrity, and sent it to the Investigative Committee for conducting preliminary investigation.

In a statement, the Office said that on March 24, at around 16:00, a group of servicemen of the Azerbaijani armed forces illegally entered into Parukh community in Askeran region, an area located in the responsibility zone of the Russian peacekeeping forces, occupied it by using weapons and threatening to use them and captured the hill close to it, thus violating the territorial integrity of the Republic of Artsakh.

 15:43,

YEREVAN, MARCH 25, ARMENPRESS. Despite the high-level negotiations, the Russian peacekeeping contingent deployed in Artsakh managed at this stage to stop only the advancement of the Azerbaijani armed forces in the section of the village of Parukh in Askeran region and the Azerbaijani shots fired from various caliber weapons, the Artsakh Information Center said in a statement.

“At the same time, however, we note that the Russian peacekeeping forces didn’t manage to solve the main issue within their mission as the Azerbaijani troops, who infiltrated into Parukh village and adjacent territories in Askeran region on March 24, are still there.

The authorities of Artsakh, however, hope that with the decisive efforts of the Russian side, the Azerbaijani troops will return back to their initial positions, and the peaceful population of Artsakh to their homes, otherwise the security guarantees given to the peaceful population living in Artsakh are seriously questioned”, the statement says.

The Center reminded that the Armenian side had wounded and 2 losses as Azerbaijan applied Bayraktar drones on March 25. “Therefore, Azerbaijan is grossly violating the provisions of the 2020 November 9 trilateral statement in the form of both incursion and violations of the ceasefire regime”, the Center said.

 16:02,

YEREVAN, MARCH 25, ARMENPRESS. Russian Minister of Defense Sergey Shoygu had a phone conversation with Azerbaijan’s Minister of Defense Zakir Hasanov.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a readout that Shoygu and Hasanov discussed “the ways for stabilizing the situation in Nagorno Karabakh.”

“The sides also exchanged views on the course of the peacekeeping operation and the humanitarian situation in the area of its implementation,” it added.

 17:01,

YEREVAN, MARCH 25, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Finance Tigran Khachatryan received today Ambassador of France to Armenia Anne Louyot, the ministry said.

Minister Khachatryan thanked for the meeting and briefly presented the economic year of 2021, particularly the main fiscal and macroeconomic indicators.

Ambassador Anne Louyot highlighted the high level of the Armenian-French relations and reaffirmed the readiness of France to work jointly with Armenia, deepen and strengthen the bilateral ties.

The meeting also touched upon the current agenda of the Armenian-French relations.

The sides exchanged ideas also about the regional and international issues.

 17:17,

YEREVAN, MARCH 25, ARMENPRESS. President of Russia Vladimir Putin said he will hold a phone conversation with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan today, on March 25, TASS reported.

Putin announced the call during a meeting with laureates of culture and arts awards.

“I will have the opportunity to convey your warm words about Yerevan today to the Armenian Prime Minister, with whom I will have a phone talk,” TASS quoted Putin as saying at the event.

 17:48,

YEREVAN, 25 MARCH, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 25 March, USD exchange rate up by 0.49 drams to 490.30 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 1.87 drams to 540.07 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.09 drams to 5.23 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 0.31 drams to 646.71 drams.

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

Gold price up by 557.72 drams to 30978.45 drams. Silver price up by 5.12 drams to 399.05 drams. Platinum price stood at 16414.1 drams.

 18:28,

YEREVAN, 25 MARCH, ARMENPRESS. The positions of Russia and Ukraine are getting closer on secondary issues in the talks, but are actually stagnating on key political issues, ARMENPRESS reports, citing TASS, Vladimir Medinsky, the head of the Russian delegation, Assistant to the President told journalists.

“The talks have been going on all week, from Monday to Friday, and will continue tomorrow. Negotiations are held through video conference between expert groups, two or three times a week between the heads of delegations, and the last time was last night. Now the positions on secondary issues are getting closer, but on major political issues we actually have no progress,” Medinsky said.

As a result of Azerbaijan’s criminal actions, 14 servicemen received various degrees of injuries. Artsakh’s Ombudsman

 19:01,

YEREVAN, 25 MARCH, ARMENPRESS. Artsakh’s Human Rights Defender Gegham Stepanyan got acquainted with the health condition of the servicemen wounded as a result of the March 25 actions of Azerbaijan at the Stepanakert Military Hospital, ARMENPRESS reports Stepanyan wrote on his Facebook page.

“According to the verified information at the moment, 14 people received various degrees of injuries. Doctors assess the condition of 10 people as mild, 1 as moderate, 1 as severe, and 2 as extremely severe.

Private conversations with the wounded revealed that almost all cases of injuries were registered due to the use of drones by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces.

Such actions against military personnel in the context of the ceasefire should be considered as crimes and violations of international humanitarian law. The private conversations with the wounded have shown that some of them were deliberately targeted by drones as they tried to provide first aid to injured friends. It is reported that the Azerbaijani side, while being able to observe unhindered by UAVs, struck at the moment when a humanitarian operation was being carried out by the military personnel.

In the conditions of systematic ethnic cleansing and genocidal actions carried out by the military-political leadership of Azerbaijan, the Artsakh Defense Forces indisputably carry out self-defense enshrined in international documents to ensure the right to life and existence of the people of Artsakh”, Stepanyan wrote.

 19:21,

YEREVAN, 25 MARCH, ARMENPRESS. President Vahagn Khachatryan on March 25 visited “Soldier’s House” rehabilitation center.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the President, President Khachaturyan made a tour in the rehabilitation center accompanied by Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Vahram Dumanyan, Rector of the Yerevan State Medical University of Armenia after Mkhitar Heratsi Armen Muradyan, Director of “Soldier’s House” rehabilitation centre Haykuhi Minasyan, got acquainted with the created opportunities, talked with persons receiving treatment at the centre.

“President Khachaturyan highlighted the necessity of the return to dignified and normal life of the persons receiving treatment”, the message says.

The leadership of the center emphasized that besides restoring the health problems of military disabled, they also greatly highlight the process of their accomplishment as good professionals and support them in finding a job.

President Khachaturyan thanked the defenders of the fatherland for the dedication and non-stop service and wished them quick recovery.