Category: 2023

 15:44,

SOFIA, OCTOBER 31, ARMENPRESS/BTA.An international conference on "Cyber Threats and Solutions: Safeguarding Europe's Digital Landscape" was held here on Tuesday. Attending were leading experts, politicians, and representatives of specialized units in the field of cybersecurity in the EU. The forum was organized by the Center for the Study of Democracy and  Konrad Adenauer Foundation. 

Following are sound bites from the conference.

Deputy Interior Minister Stoyan Temelakiev: The risk of computer crimes is a threat to both the public and the private sectors. Reporting cybercrimes is the path to a safer digital environment. It is important to report such crimes; otherwise, the real threat level remains hidden from the competent bodies and the criminals might evade justice.

Jan Kralik, Programme Manager at the Council of Europe Cybercrime Division: Cybercrime is a threat not only to organizations and institutions but also to human rights and rule of law. It can erode the foundations of democracy, for example through interference in elections. It is important to report cybercrimes to the competent institutions because a large part of them remain unsolved due to not being reported by the victims. Cyberattacks have increased in frequency after the the start of the war in Ukraine, and they are a challenge on a world scale that require work across the globe, not just in Europe.

(This information is being published according to an agreement between Armenpress and BTA.) 

 15:51,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 31, ARMENPRESS. Trade relations with Russia are important to Armenia but the Armenian government is also making effort to simultaneously diversify its economic relations in other directions, Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan has said.

He said that the increased customs inspection targeting Armenian brandy exporters by the Russian customs agency has been lifted. “That problem, which existed for a few days, doesn’t exist anymore,” he said when asked on the matter.

Some companies have been using the ferry option for exports and no obstructions have been recorded.

Kerobyan said there are no obstacles in the Armenia-Russia exports process.

“Trade relations with Russia are very important to us, and we are developing them. But we are also spending significant efforts, resources and time in order to diversify our foreign economic relations in other directions as well,” Kerobyan said.

Pointing out successes, the minister said that there’s been a tenfold increase in mutual trade with the UAE in the past 2-3 years, and turnover already exceeds 1 billion dollars. This volume will reach 2 billion dollars, Kerobyan said.

“We are very close to surpassing 1 billion dollars in bilateral trade turnover with Germany and the US, and the trade turnover with France is also significantly growing,” Kerobyan said.

The economy minister said that Armenia will participate in one of the largest international exhibitions in China in November this year and in the UAE in February 2024.

“Overall, we’ve significantly diversified our participation in regional exhibitions,” he said.

 16:24,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 31, ARMENPRESS. The government will allocate 20,2 billion drams in 2024 for the double extension project of the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant’s lifespan.

The project will be commenced in 2024, Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures Gnel Sanosyan told lawmakers Tuesday.

He said there are two processes pertaining to the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant.

In 2024, 7 billion drams is envisaged for the first, ongoing extension project which began several years ago. “And next year we plan to start the double extension project, the purpose of which is to extend the nuclear power plant’s lifespan until 2036, with corresponding licenses,” Sanosyan said at a parliamentary committee hearing on the 2024 budget.

20,2 billion drams will be allocated next year for this project.

 17:03,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 31, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has met with the newly appointed Ambassador of Poland to Armenia Piotr Skwieciński.

PM Pashinyan congratulated Ambassador Skwieciński on assuming office and wished him success in his work, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a readout.

Prime Minister Pashinyan attached importance to the continuous development of the Armenian-Polish relations in both political dialogue and the economy. He stressed the importance of utilizing the existing potential for enhancing the trade-economic ties.

The forced displacement of more than 100,000 Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of Azerbaijan’s policy of ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh and the current humanitarian situation were also discussed.

Ambassador Skwieciński stressed the willingness of the Polish government to deepen and expand cooperation with Armenia in various directions and added that he will make every effort for the further development of bilateral ties.

Views were exchanged on the Armenian-Polish relations, Armenia-EU partnership and other issues.

 17:10,

YEREVAN, 31 OCTOBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 31 October, USD exchange rate up by 0.74 drams to 403.00 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 4.37 drams to 429.84 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.06 drams to 4.38 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 3.84 drams to 491.62 drams.

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

Gold price up by 237.64 drams to 25882.40 drams. Silver price up by 5.66 drams to 299.95 drams.

 18:02,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 31, ARMENPRESS. France wants the European Union to create an independent watchdog authority to fight corruption in the EU institutions, which have been rattled by ongoing scandals in recent months.

''France’s President Emmanuel Macron and French Secretary of State for European Affairs Laurence Boone are proposing an independent anti-corruption body that would have powers to check officials’ income and spot conflicts of interest,''  Boone told POLITICO’s Brussels Playbook.

 19:33,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 31, ARMENPRESS. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken Blinken urged members of the UN Security Council on Tuesday to consider “humanitarian pauses” in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza in order to protect Palestinian civilians.

''It means food, water, medicine and other essential humanitarian assistance must be able to flow into Gaza and to the people who need it. It means civilians must be able to get out of harm’s way. It means humanitarian pauses must be considered for these purposes,’’ Blinken said during the ministerial Security Council gathering to discuss the Gaza war.

 18:18,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 31, ARMENPRESS. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian will pay an official visit to Ankara on Wednesday to discuss the conflict between Israel and Palestinians, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

''The foreign ministers of Turkey and Iran will also hold talks on bilateral ties and other regional issues,'' the ministry said in a statement.

 18:26,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 31, ARMENPRESS. An Armenian delegation led by the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs of Armenia Narek Mkrtchyan, within the framework of the working visit to Iran, participated in the forum on the development of economic cooperation between Iran and Armenia, in Tehran,  the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of the Republic of Armenia said in a statement.

''The Armenian delegation included around 15 business representatives, who discussed the directions and possibilities of further cooperation with their Iranian partners within the framework of the event.

During the forum, a number of issues of mutual interest in the field of work and employment were discussed, including the development of the labor market.

In his address at the forum,  the Armenian Minister of Labor and Social Affairs praised the role of friendly relations formed with Iran and expressed confidence that  based on the best interests of both nations, further cooperation would continue to progress.

As part of the event, working groups have been established involving the two parties to determine further steps of cooperation,'' reads the statement.

 21:14,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 31, ARMENPRESS. The United Nations chief said Tuesday he was “deeply alarmed by the intensification of the conflict between Israel and Hamas” as fierce fighting raged in Gaza.

The escalation includes “ground operations by the Israel Defense Forces accompanied by intense air strikes, and the continued rocket fire towards Israel from Gaza,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says in a statement.

“I remain deeply concerned about the risk of a dangerous escalation beyond Gaza,” he added.