00:44, 9 September 2023
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. The UEFA Euro-2024 qualifying match between Armenia and Türkiye ended in a 1-1 draw on Friday at the Eskişehir Yeni Stadium in the northwestern Turkish city of Eskişehir.
Armenia’s midfielder Artak Dashyan opened the score in the second half-time. The score was equalized at the 88th minute by Turkish striker B. Yildirim.
Armenia will face Croatia in the next qualifying match on September 11.
11:54, 9 September 2023
YEREVAN, SPETEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan spoke by phone on Saturday with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Issues related to the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of the illegal blocking of the Lachin Corridor, the buildup of Azerbaijani troops around Nagorno-Karabakh, and the increasing tension on the Armenia-Azerbaijan state border were discussed, Pashinyan’s office said in a readout.
Prime Minister Pashinyan reaffirmed his commitment to the Prague agreements of October 6, 2022 and the Brussels agreements of May 14, 2023, and to the approach of solving all issues exclusively through diplomatic means and in a constructive atmosphere.
President Macron emphasized that the reduction of tension along the borders is a necessity. Prime Minister Pashinyan expressed readiness to hold urgent discussions with the president of Azerbaijan aimed at reducing the tension.
President Macron expressed his willingness to support the efforts aimed at establishing peace and stability in the region.
11:37, 9 September 2023
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. A powerful earthquake struck Morocco's High Atlas mountains late on Friday, killing at least 632 people, destroying buildings and sending residents of major cities rushing from their homes, Reuters reported citing local state television.
The number of injured stood at 329, state media reported on Saturday, citing an updated initial casualty toll from the Interior Ministry.
A local official earlier said most deaths were in mountain areas that were hard to reach.
Morocco's geophysical centre said the quake struck in the Ighil area of the High Atlas with a magnitude of 7.2. The U.S. Geological Survey put the quake's magnitude at 6.8 and said it was at a relatively shallow depth of 18.5 km (11.5 miles).
12:13, 9 September 2023
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. Several foreign Telegram channels are generating fake news and misattributing the disinformation to the Armenian Defense Ministry, authorities warned on Saturday.
“A number of foreign Telegram channels having lots of subscribers and referring to the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia, circulate disinformation and render it as a statement of the MoD of the Republic of Armenia,” the Armenian Ministry of Defense warned.
“The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia once again urges its media partners (including foreign ones) to monitor the official website of the MoD and the official pages of the department on social networks.”
Official pages of the Republic of Armenia Ministry of Defense on social networks are:
Facebook ՀՀ պաշտպանության նախարարություն / MoD of the Republic of Armenia
ՀՀ ՊՆ մամուլի քարտուղար Press Secretary of the RA Ministry of Defence
Telegram - https://t.me/mil_armenia
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ArmeniaMODTeam
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mil.am/
YouTube - https://youtube.com/@media5233
Official website of the RA Ministry of Defence -
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1119117.html
12:20, 9 September 2023
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Ambassador to the United States Lilit Makunts on September 8 held a meeting with former Member of Parliament of Türkiye Garo Paylan.
Ambassador Makunts and Paylan “exchanged views on the security situation around Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, the Armenian-Turkish relations, as well as regional developments,” the Armenian embassy in the U.S. said in a readout.
13:08, 9 September 2023
STEPANAKERT, 9 SEPTEMBER, ARMENPRESS. Samvel Shahramanyan has been elected as President of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh).
passed a confirmation hearing in parliament with 22-1 votes on Saturday.
His inauguration ceremony will take place on September 10.
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1119122.html
13:06, 9 September 2023
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan spoke by phone on Saturday with Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Olaf Scholz.
PM Pashinyan and Chancellor Scholz discussed issues related to the deepening of the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of the illegal blocking of the Lachin Corridor, the accumulation of Azerbaijani troops around Nagorno-Karabakh, and the increasing tension on the Armenia-Azerbaijan state border, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a readout.
Prime Minister Pashinyan reaffirmed his commitment to the approaches of settling all issues exclusively through diplomatic means and in a constructive atmosphere, based on the agreements reached on October 6, 2022 in Prague and on May 14, 2023 in Brussels.
Chancellor Scholz noted that he is ready to support efforts aimed at establishing peace and stability in the region.
Prime Minister Pashinyan emphasized that he is ready to hold urgent discussions with the President of Azerbaijan aimed at reducing tension.
14:50, 9 September 2023
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan, Deputy Mayor of Yerevan Tigran Avinyan and other government officials on September 9 attended the inauguration of the statue of Karen Demirchyan, the Speaker of Parliament of Armenia who was assassinated in 1999 during a terror attack in the Armenian parliament.
The statue was opened in front of the late politician’s namesake Sports and Concert Complex in Yerevan.
Pashinyan delivered a speech during the event, praising Demirchyan’s career and legacy.
“His idea was to transform Armenia from an agrarian country into an industrial one,” Pashinyan said.
“Unfortunately, we have to say that we’ve created far less since gaining independence than before, during Karen Demirchyan’s life. This is a problem,” he added.
The Prime Minister noted Demirchyan’s enduring popularity among the people.
“I’d like to note that during Soviet times Karen Demirchyan was never a despot, and this is one of the reasons that the people love him,” Pashinyan said.
“I don’t want to believe, and I can’t believe that the hand that opened fire at Karen Demirchyan could have any spiritual, value or humane connection with the Armenian people. I can’t believe this. I can’t believe that anyone who’d walked on this land and drank this water could’ve thought about plotting the assassination of Karen Demirchyan. That wasn’t a crime against individuals, that was a crime against the Republic of Armenia,” the Armenian PM said.
PM Pashinyan said that many people expect authorities to reveal the masterminds behind the assassination.
He said that the re-opening of various criminal investigations has revealed evidence tampering on the highest levels of the government committed in the past. “The most recent example is the March 1 case, when the re-opened investigation revealed that the cartridge cases were collected and destroyed, then other casings were presented as evidence. But I think that it is the people’s desire, including mine, and it would be very good, it would bring great honor to Armenia, to the law enforcement system, to give concrete answers to the citizens on why and how that [assassination] happened, and who are those responsible for it,” Pashinyan said.
Karen Demirchyan’s sons Samvel and Stepan Demirchyan were also in attendance.
On October 27, 1999 a group of five heavily armed gunmen led by Nairi Hunanyan stormed into the parliament while it was in session and assassinated Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan, Speaker of Parliament Karen Demirchyan, Deputy Speakers Yuri Bakhshyan and Ruben Miroyan, as well as three lawmakers and a Cabinet member. The gunmen held the remaining MPs in parliament hostage until surrendering to authorities the next day.
The five perpetrators, which include Hunanyan’s younger brother and uncle, were sentenced to life in prison in 2003.
In 2020, authorities re-opened the investigation to reveal the masterminds of the attack.
15:05, 9 September 2023
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan spoke by phone on Saturday with President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi.
“Issues related to the situation in the region were discussed,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a readout.
“In particular, reference was made to the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of the illegal blocking of the Lachin Corridor, the accumulation of Azerbaijani troops around Nagorno-Karabakh, the tendencies of increasing tension on the Armenia-Azerbaijan state border. Prime Minister Pashinyan once again emphasized the commitment to the agreements of Prague on October 6, 2022 and Brussels on May 14, 2023, as well as to the approach of solving all issues exclusively through diplomatic methods and in a constructive atmosphere. The Prime Minister expressed his willingness to hold urgent discussions with the President of Azerbaijan aimed at reducing tension. Issues related to Armenia-Iran bilateral agenda were also discussed,” Pashinyan’s office added.
16:18, 9 September 2023
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) must receive a status and direct connection with Armenia through Lachin Corridor, President-elect Samvel Shahramanyan has said.
“Nagorno-Karabakh must receive a status, and we must have direct connection with Armenia through Lachin Corridor, while other routes could be opened, but they shouldn’t replace the corridor,” Shahramanyan said after being elected President by the parliament of Nagorno-Karabakh.
“Negotiations must take place, the format [of talks] can be both multilateral and bilateral, with guarantees from a third party, Stepanakert must be a subject in the negotiations,” Shahramanyan added.
He called for the strengthening of the statehood, domestic stability, exercising the right to self-determination of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, improving the socio-economic situation and establishing law and order.