17:14,
YEREVAN, 27 OCTOBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 27 October, USD exchange rate up by 0.07 drams to 402.55 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 0.72 drams to 424.77 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.04 drams to 4.34 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 1.90 drams to 487.93 drams.
The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.
Gold price down by 102.95 drams to 25561.01 drams. Silver price up by 2.12 drams to 297.28 drams.
17:15,
SOFIA, OCTOBER 25, ARMENPRESS/BTA. Following a meeting with Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov on Thursday in Brussels, the non-governmental organisation Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontieres, RSF) welcomed his willingness and commitment to strengthening media freedom and the right to information in Bulgaria, RSF said on Friday. The organisation assured that it will continue to monitor the implementation of these goals in Bulgaria.
In the course of the conversation on the sidelines of the European Council meeting in Brussels Denkov responded positively to the RSF's call to take action in support of press freedom and the right of Bulgarian citizens to have access to reliable news and information.
Denkov expressed particular concern about the "misinformation and strong pressure journalists are subjected to in Bulgaria" and pointed out that his government is ready to use the experience of RSF to implement the necessary reforms at national and European level.
Denkov and RSF agreed to cooperate to guarantee press freedom and the right to information, using the experience and initiatives of RSF.
"We welcome Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov's willingness to implement the necessary reforms to guarantee press freedom and the right to reliable information. We will remain vigilant in this difficult context and will be available to contribute to concrete results," RSF said in a statement.
According to the Reporters Without Borders' 2023 global media freedom index, Bulgaria is ranked 71st out of 180 countries, climbing 41 places in the ranking for the past two years.
(This information is being published according to an agreement between Armenpress and BTA.)
17:25,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 27, ARMENPRESS. Within the framework of the 15th edition of ReAnimania International Animation Film & Comics Art Festival, in the Sergei Parajanov Museum in Yerevan, the representatives of OnOff animation studio met the delegation led by the French Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul Malak, the Ambassador of France to Armenia, Olivier Decottignies, the Minister of MoESCS of the Republic of Armenia, Zhanna Andreasyan, the Mayor of Yerevan, Tigran Avinyan, and Catherine Trotman, President of Eurimages, the largest European fund for co-production, film rental and exhibition support.
At the meeting, OnOff's co-founder, film director Tigran Arakelyan, along with the studio's executive producer, Susanna Khachatryan, introduced the animation film, ZAKO, directed by OnOff Studio and the ongoing activities regarding the film. The film is dedicated to the life story of artist Sargis Mangasaryan, who survived the Second World War thanks to his paintings. ZAKO is one of those exceptional films that gained the attention of the international animation community, even during its design and filming stages. In June of this year, OnOff signed an agreement with the prominent French company Sacrebleu during the ANNECY International Film Festival, marking a significant step towards co-producing this film. Therefore, the delegation of the French Ministry of Culture expressed their desire to learn more about the project. It's worth noting that OnOff also signed a memorandum of cooperation with another French entity, TCHACK, within the framework of the ReA Animation Film Festival.
Participants of the meeting highly appreciated the close collaboration between Armenia and France, particularly in the realm of cultural endeavors, including the production of animated films. Once again, the vital role played by the ReAnimania International Film Festival in nurturing such initiatives was underlined.
It's important to acknowledge that Yerevan Municipality serves as the main sponsor of the 15th edition of ReAnimania International Animation Film & Comics Art Festival and the RA Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports is the primary supporter. The French Embassy in Armenia and the French Institute in Armenia have also played a crucial role in supporting the "ReA" film festival.
17:50,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 27, ARMENPRESS. Patriarchal delegates and leaders of the dioceses of the Armenian Apostolic Church in European countries, Archbishop Khazhak Parsamyan, Bishop Tatev Hakobyan, Bishop Serovbe Isakhanyan and Bishop Tiran Petrosyan held a meeting with OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid on October 25 in Vienna, the press service of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin informed.
During the meeting, representatives of the Armenian Apostolic Church conveyed to Ms. Schmid the blessings and best wishes of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, as well as presented the works carried out by the Armenian Church aimed at establishing regional peace, taking care of the needs and protection of the rights of forcibly displaced Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as the preservation of historical, cultural and religious heritage.
The Holy Fathers emphasized that although the European Parliament has condemned the terrible crimes committed by the Azerbaijani authorities against the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, and a number of countries have adopted resolutions condemning the genocidal actions of Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan still ignores the calls and decisions of the international community.
They called upon international sanctions against Azerbaijan for the genocidal policy adopted by the Baku authorities and the ethnic cleansing carried out against the Artsakh Armenians.
Such an attitude of Azerbaijan should be a reason for the European Union to re-evaluate its relations towards the latter. It should undertake a thorough investigation of war crimes, as well as to create international guarantees to ensure the return of displaced Artsakh Armenians to their historical homeland.
Ms. Schmid assured that the OSCE and she personally will do everything possible to contribute to the establishment of lasting peace in the region. She emphasized that the right of return for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh and their safe life in their homeland should be taken into account.
The Secretary-General also pledged that the OSCE will continue to support the humanitarian and psychological needs of the displaced persons.
At the end of the meeting, the Holy Fathers, on behalf of all the leaders of the Armenian Church in Europe, handed a letter to Mrs. Schmid in which the main points of their discussion were summarized.
18:43,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 27, ARMENPRESS. Brussels intends to continue its mediation in the settlement of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations. The President of the European Council, Charles Michel said at a briefing with journalists.
''We have discussed the situation in the South Caucasus. We are committed to promoting EU mediation efforts to achieve the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia on the basis of mutual recognition of territorial integrity and sovereignty,'' said Michel.
European Union Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia Toivo Klaar announced earlier the meeting planned for late October between the President of the European Council Charles Michel, the Armenain Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev will not take place.
18:34,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 27, ARMENPRESS. The Council of Europe has emphasized its continued support to promote the establishment of a stable and long-term peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan based on the principles of recognizing sovereignty, inviolability of borders, and territorial integrity.
This was mentioned in the resolution adopted as a result of the two-day summit of the Council of Europe, in which the regulation of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations is also touched upon.
The Council of Europe has underscored the importance of ensuring the rights and security of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians, including those who wish to return to their homes.
It expresses its support for the Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement process with the mediation of Brussels and calls on the parties to engage in good faith and complete this process by the end of this year.
The resolution adopted at the EU summit also states that the Council of Europe invites the High Representative and the Commission to present the best options for strengthening the EU-Armenia relations in all dimensions.
19:23,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 27, ARMENPRESS. The Iranian Army's Ground Force has begun a massive military exercise in the central region of the country with the objective of assessing combat capabilities of various military units and testing new weaponry.
The drills started in the Nasrabad region of Isfahan on Friday..
A spokesperson for the drills provided details about the exercise, stating that it involves various units of the Army, including infantry, armored, missile, artillery, aviation, drones, as well as electronic, modern and cyber warfare units, IRNA reports.
20:16,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 27, ARMENPRESS. Georgian parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili has noted that the main goal and task of Georgia is to establish peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
"I am glad that there are positive developments in this regard for the signing of a peace agreement. I hope that it will be implemented as soon as possible, as it is in our shared interest to make our region an area of peace and security," Papuashvili said, reports Sputnik Georgia.
According to Georgian parliament speaker, Georgia has always been a country that has given friendly Armenia and Azerbaijan an opportunity to meet for substantive discussions, maintaining neutrality towards both countries.
19:31,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 27, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Economy of the Republic of Armenia, Vahan Kerobyan, had a meeting with Minister of State in the Department for Business and Trade, Timothy Minto, in London.
Kerobyan informed on his Facebook page, adding that issues related to trade, services, and investments were discussed during the meeting.
"We have also discussed the possibility of organizing direct flights between Armenia and Great Britain," wrote Kerobyan.
20:52,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 27, ARMENPRESS. Israel offered the Hamas movement a ceasefire in exchange for the release of all hostages and the release of the bodies of dead citizens of the Jewish state from Gaza, Al Arabiya reports with reference to sources.
According to sources, Israel and Hamas, with the mediation of Qatar and Egypt, are negotiating the release of the hostages.
“Israel offered a ceasefire in exchange for the release of all hostages and the transfer of the bodies of the dead Israelis”the message says.
It is emphasized that Hamas rejected this proposal from the Israeli side and also demanded the release of Palestinian prisoners.
In addition, it is reported that Hamas asked for a long-term truce, but representatives of the Jewish state refused to respond to this proposal.