Category: 2023

 12:08, 6 October 2023

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 6, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will meet in Brussels later this month, President of the European Council Charles Michel has said.

Michel told reporters in Granada that both leaders have accepted his invitation to meet in Brussels by the end of October, according to RIA Novosti.

The Armenian and Azeri leaders were supposed to hold EU-mediated peace talks in Granada on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit but Azerbaijan’s Aliyev cancelled his participation a day before the talks. The Armenian PM nevertheless visited Granada and met with EU leaders. A joint communiqué was adopted after the meeting. Afterwards, Michel said he wants to organize a meeting between the Armenian and Azeri leaders in Brussels.

 13:11, 6 October 2023

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 6, ARMENPRESS. A Russian Defense Ministry delegation will travel to Yerevan on October 6 to discuss the timeframes of withdrawing the Russian peacekeeping force from Nagorno-Karabakh, TASS reported citing a diplomatic source.

Russia sent peacekeepers to Nagorno-Karabakh as part of the 2020 ceasefire terms. The terms of the ceasefire agreement, officially known as the 9 November 2020 trilateral statement by the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, provide for a repeated extension of the peacekeeping contingent’s mission by five more years if Armenia and Azerbaijan do not object to that.

In September 2023, Azerbaijan again attacked Nagorno-Karabakh. The offensive resulted in the forced displacement of over 100,000 persons – almost the entire population – of Nagorno-Karabakh.

 13:19, 6 October 2023

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 6, ARMENPRESS. At the Central Bank of Armenia Board meeting on September 5, the publication of the "National Sustainable Finance Roadmap of Armenia" was approved.

The Roadmap is an important milestone in the CBA's continued commitment to transition to sustainable financing, the Central Bank said in a press release.

The Sustainable Finance Roadmap consists of 4 key pillars, which are:

• Facilitate the flow of capital to industries and activities aligned with low-carbon ambitions of Armenia in a risk-based, market-oriented and sustainable manner.
• Enhance knowledge transfer, reduce information asymmetries, instill market confidence, and strengthen the enabling environment for sustainable finance.
• Guide financial market participants in embedding ESG principles in their business decisions.
• Raise awareness of sustainability risks and opportunities in Armenia and build capacity within the CBA and among financial market participants.

 

In collaboration with the relevant stakeholders the CBA will implement the completed action plan based on these pillars.

 13:41, 6 October 2023

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 6, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Ministry of Defense has said it’s unaware of Russia sending a delegation to Yerevan to discuss the timeframes of withdrawal of the peacekeepers from Nagorno-Karabakh.

Ministry of Defense spokesperson Aram Torosyan told ARMENPRESS that the Ministry of Defense doesn’t have information on the visit first reported by TASS.

“The Ministry of Defense of Armenia doesn’t have any information on the visit of the Russian Defense Ministry delegation, which the media just reported, and no such meeting is planned in the Armenian Ministry of Defense,” Torosyan said.

 14:00, 6 October 2023

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 6, ARMENPRESS. The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, will hold public hearings in the case concerning Application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Armenia v. Azerbaijan) on Thursday 12 October 2023, at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the seat of the Court, the ICJ press service reported.

The hearings will be devoted to the request for the indication of provisional measures submitted by the Republic of Armenia on 28 September 2023.

The Republic of Armenia, referring to Article 41 of the Statute and Article 73 of the Rules of Court, submitted a request to the Court for the indication of provisional measures, “to preserve and protect rights enshrined in the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (‘CERD’)”. Armenia requests the Court to indicate the following provisional measures, and to reaffirm Azerbaijan’s obligations under the Orders it has rendered in this case, in particular those of 7 December 2021 and 22 February 2023:

“1) Azerbaijan shall refrain from taking any measures which might entail breaches of its obligations under the CERD;

2) Azerbaijan shall refrain from taking any actions directly or indirectly aimed at or having the effect of displacing the remaining ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh, or preventing the safe and expeditious return to their homes of persons displaced in the course of the recent military attack including those who have fled to Armenia or third States, while permitting those who wish to leave Nagorno-Karabakh to do so without any hindrance;

3) Azerbaijan shall withdraw all military and law-enforcement personnel from all civilian establishments in Nagorno-Karabakh occupied as a result of its armed attack on 19 September 2023;

4) Azerbaijan shall facilitate, and refrain from placing any impediment on, the access of the United Nations and its specialized agencies to the ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, and shall not interfere with their activities in any way;

5) Azerbaijan shall facilitate, and refrain from placing any impediment on, the ability of the International Committee of the Red Cross to provide humanitarian aid to the ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, and shall cooperate with the International Committee of the Red Cross to address the other consequences of the recent conflict;

6) Azerbaijan shall immediately facilitate the full restoration of public utilities, including gas and electricity, to Nagorno-Karabakh, and shall refrain from disrupting them in the future;

7) Azerbaijan shall refrain from taking punitive actions against the current or former political representatives or military personnel of Nagorno-Karabakh;

8) Azerbaijan shall not alter or destroy any monument commemorating the 1915 Armenian genocide or any other monument or Armenian cultural artefact or site present in Nagorno-Karabakh;

9) Azerbaijan shall recognize and give effect to civil registers, identity documents and property titles and registers established by the authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh, and shall not destroy or confiscate such registers and documents;

10) Azerbaijan shall submit a report to the Court on all measures taken to give effect to this Order within one month, as from the date of this Order, and thereafter every three months, until a final decision on the case is rendered by the Court.”

 14:45, 6 October 2023

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 6, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will deliver a speech at the European Parliament during the plenary session on October 18, President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola has said.

“I’ve invited the Armenian Prime Minsiter to deliver a speech at the plenary session. He will do so on October 18 in Strasbourg,” Metsola told reporters.

On October 5, the European Parliament adopted a condemning Azerbaijan’s aggression in Nagorno-Karabakh.

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 14:39, 6 October 2023

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 6, ARMENPRESS. Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister’s Office Arayik Harutyunyan has met with USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator (DAA) in the Bureau for Europe and Eurasia Alexander Sokolowski, USAID Armenia Mission Director John Allelo and USAID emergency response coordinator Mike Lambright.

The USAID delegation is visiting Armenia to assess the needs of the forcibly displaced Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh.

“In this context, issues related to the strategic communication, reforms plan carried out by the government of the Republic of Armenia, and the needs for rapid response were discussed. Both sides attached importance to institutionalization of the communication system,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a readout.

The USAID officials expressed readiness to provide continuous support to the government of Armenia for capacity building, exchange of experience, as well as in the area of rapid response in the current situation.

 17:06, 6 October 2023

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 6, ARMENPRESS. Armenia’s Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Khachatryan has met with European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič to discuss the humanitarian issues of the forcibly displaced Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh (NK). 

Khachatryan and Lenarčič delivered a joint press conference after their meeting on October 6. 

“We attached importance to coordinating the efforts by the Armenian government and the EU regarding the large-scale measures of humanitarian nature and directing the incoming humanitarian aid to the needs of the forcibly displaced persons. We discussed issues of developing a single platform of cooperation and increasing the effectiveness of our actions in that format,” Khachatryan said.

He appreciated the rapid response by the EU and its member states to address the needs of the over 100,000 forcibly displaced persons of NK who’ve arrived to Armenia.

Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič is in Armenia to coordinate the EU's assistance to the country in light of the mass exodus of people from Nagorno-Karabakh. This follows European Commission President von der Leyen's meeting with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan yesterday in Granada where a series of EU support measures were outlined. The visit comes as a plane carrying EU emergency supplies is due to arrive in Yerevan. The aid flight is part of the European Humanitarian Response Capacity which has been activated to provide support to humanitarian organisations on the ground, the European Commission said in a press release.

Mobilising its humanitarian stockpiles, the EU is delivering hygiene kits, kitchen sets, blankets, solar LED-s, and solar flashlights to EU humanitarian partners who will then rapidly distribute them to the people in need. This aid flight will therefore help support people in need with shelter and accommodation essentials.

Furthermore, the Commissioner will discuss the latest support mobilised via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism which was activated on 29 September upon a request from Armenia. So far, Austria, Germany, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, and Sweden have offered urgently needed shelter equipment and food and medical supplies. Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, and Sweden have offered medical support to assist the mass burn victims of the fuel depot explosion in Stepanakert. The first medical evacuation flight transporting patients for treatment in France landed yesterday in Paris.

A team of EU humanitarian experts have been deployed to Armenia where they are now coordinating with humanitarian partners to assess the developing needs and to ensure a rapid response to the crisis. The EU's Emergency Response Coordination Centre is operating 24/7 to coordinate donations via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to Armenia.

 16:44, 6 October 2023

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 5, ARMENPRESS. A Russian government official has met with the Mayor of Meghri in Armenia to discuss the upcoming opening of the Russian consulate-general in Kapan. 

The head of the delegation in charge of the works from the Russian side and the Meghri mayor discussed the prospects of swiftly opening the consulate ‘which will significantly simplify access to consular services for Russian citizens living in Armenia’s south,” the Russian embassy said in a readout.

“In addition, it was noted that the new consulate-general will contribute to the further strengthening of Armenian-Russian relations and stabilization of the situation in the region, and will contribute to the expansion of cultural, humanitarian, trade, economic and inter-regional cooperation,” the Russian embassy in Armenia said.

 17:15, 6 October 2023

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 6, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has met with European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič.

PM Pashinyan welcomed Lenarčič’s visit to Armenia in this difficult situation and said that international support is required, including financial support, to overcome the crisis resulting from the forced displacement of more than 100,000 Armenians as a result of Azerbaijan’s policy of ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh. PM Pashinyan added that he had productive discussions with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen in Granada regarding needs assessment and further assistance.

Janez Lenarčič reiterated EU’s commitment to provide assistance to the government of Armenia and the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh to mitigate and overcome the current problems.

The Armenian Prime Minister and the European Commissioner for Crisis Management also discussed issues related to future partnership and actions.