Category: 2023

 16:59,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS. Minister of High-Tech Industry Robert Khachatryan held a meeting on August 30 with the delegation of India’s National Defense College led by Commandant of the college, Lieutenant General Sukriti Singh Dahiya.

India’s Ambassador to Armenia Nilakshi Saha Sinha also participated in the meeting.

Minister Khachatryan said that the development of the defense industry based on modern technological developments is one of the strategic goals of the ministry.

Lieutenant General Sukriti Singh Dahiya expressed hope that Armenia and India will develop cooperation in the military industry.

The parties outlined the opportunities for partnership in the military industry.

The multinational delegation spoke about the importance of capacity-building and high-tech industry.

An exhibition of Armenian defense industry developments and products was also held.

 17:44,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia has issued a statement on the occasion of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.

Below is the full statement.

“13 years ago, in 2010, the UN General Assembly, with Resolution No.65/209, proclaimed August 30th as the Day of Victims of Enforced Disappearances, expressing concern at the "increasing incidence of violent or enforced disappearances, including arrests, detentions and abductions, in various parts of the world".

“Emphasizing the importance of the fight against enforced disappearances, including the prevention of this crime and the fight against impunity, Armenia has signed and ratified the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

“The Convention, as well as other fundamental international documents on human rights, reaffirm the right of every person to be free from enforced disappearance and to receive immediate, just and adequate compensation.

“The issue of enforced disappearances is one of the most severe and lasting problems both during and after conflict. All the while, the families of the missing person wait, search and remain hopeful about the return of their loved ones.

“As a result of the Azerbaijani aggression in 2020, new cases have been added to the hundreds of cases of missing persons and forced disappearances of the 90s of the previous century, when even in the face of documented and video evidence, the authorities of Azerbaijan demonstrated inaction regarding the fate of Armenian servicemen.

“Concerned about the fate of hundreds of missing people of the 44-day war, Armenia also draws attention to the cases where numerous videos and testimonies proving the forced disappearances were presented. However, no information about their fate and whereabouts has been provided by Azerbaijan.

“In this context, Armenia is taking all possible steps to bring this issue to international courts, taking into account the fact that enforced disappearances in certain circumstances are also crimes against humanity defined by international law.

“One of the objectives of the International Day of Enforced Disappearances is to remind all states to respect the rights of the families to know the truth about the fate of their loved ones.

“August 30 is the day when we not only address cases of enforced disappearances but also reaffirm our commitment to overcome all obstacles to clarify the fate of the missing.”

 17:33,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan doesn’t allow the Armenians of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) to live and is ignoring international law, Xavier Bertrand, the President of the Regional Council of the French region of Hauts-de-France said at a press conference in Armenia.

Bertrand is visiting Armenia together with the Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo and other regional officials from France to escort humanitarian aid for Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Everyone who’s here today knows very well whats happening in Artsakh. But we can’t say the same about many who are outside Armenia. Many don’t know that in 2023 Azerbaijan doesn’t allow the Armenians of Artsakh to live. Many don’t know that children in Artsakh are unable to eat normally, that newborns don’t have sufficient food, and many don’t know that access to gas, water and electricity is very limited there. These people are deprived of everything because of Azerbaijan, which is disregarding international law. This is why representatives of various French regions joined and organized this humanitarian convoy, in order for people to be able to live with dignity, until international law fully functions. And we were barred. And we want to raise and condemn this,” Bertrand said, calling on other international actors to initiate humanitarian aid to Artsakh as well. 

He said that French President Emmanuel Macron should introduce a resolution in the UNSC for the people of Artsakh.

“We are all demanding the French President to introduce a resolution in the UNSC for the people of Artsakh,” he said.

“Azerbaijan wants to turn Nagorno-Karabakh into a prison and expel the residents. We don’t want Nagorno-Karabakh to become a cage, we want the residents there to live freely,” Xavier Bertrand said.

“Naturally, there are other problems in Europe regarding the events in Ukraine, but a tragedy is unfolding here as well, and we stand by Armenia and Artsakh,” he said.

“Do we have to wait for several days, or weeks, or a month, until there are hundreds of deaths in Artsakh? Do we really have to wait for this to happen for the international community to wake up?” he added.

 17:58,

YEREVAN, 30 AUGUST, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 30 August, USD exchange rate down by 0.17 drams to 385.98 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 3.10 drams to 420.37 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate stood at 4.02 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 2.72 drams to 488.81 drams.

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

Gold price up by 169.47 drams to 23950.42 drams. Silver price up by 0.30 drams to 300.56 drams.

 18:12,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS. Member of the European Parliament Nathalie Loiseau has called for sanctions against the government of Azerbaijan for its actions in Nagorno-Karabakh.

“There’s a humanitarian disaster in Nagorno-Karabakh,” Nathalie Loiseau, the Chair of the European Parliament’s Security and Defence Subcommittee said in a post on X. “It is time to impose sanctions against Azerbaijan,” she added, sharing a BBC article on the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh.

 18:05,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS. On August 29, at the Permanent Representation of Armenia to the United Nations the ceremony of establishing diplomatic relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago took place, the foreign ministry said in a press release. 

The Permanent Representative of the Republic of Armenia to the UN Mher Margaryan and the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago to the UN Dennis Francis signed the Joint Declaration on Establishing Diplomatic Relations between the two countries.

During the conversation prior to the signing ceremony, the parties touched upon the development of mutually beneficial relations between the countries and the further deepening of existing cooperation at international platforms, particularly within the framework of the UN.

Ambassador Margaryan congratulated the Permanent Representative of Trinidad and Tobago on his election as the President of the upcoming 78th session of the UN General Assembly, wishing him success during his presidency.

 18:45,

S&P Global Ratings raised its long-term issuer credit rating on Ameriabank CJSC to 'BB-', outlook stable. The upgrade follows a similar action on Armenia. The ratings on Ameriabank are no longer constrained by the sovereign's creditworthiness and are now commensurate with its standalone credit profile of 'bb-'.

In S&P’s view, Ameriabank is well positioned to retain its leading market position in Armenia (it is the largest domestic lending institution with a market share of about 19% of loans at June 30, 2023), leveraging on its digital channels and diversifying further into the retail and small and midsize enterprise segments. S&P also expects Ameriabank to retain adequate capital adequacy in upcoming years, supported by strong internal capital generation.

The stable outlook reflects S&P’s view that over the next 12-18 months Ameriabank will maintain its leading positions in the Armenian banking sector and manage its expected strong lending growth while maintaining stable capital buffers.

 

 

About Ameriabank

Ameriabank is a leading financial and technology company in Armenia, a major contributor to the Armenian economy, with assets exceeding AMD 1 trillion. In the course of digital transformation, it has launched a number of innovative solutions and platforms going beyond banking-only needs of its diverse customer base, thus creating a dynamically evolving financial technology space. 

Ameria was the first in Armenia to create ecosystems for both businesses and individuals, which give one-window access to a range of banking and non-banking services, among them - Estate.ameriabank.am, Automarket.ameriabank.am, Business.ameriabank.am. 

As a truly customer-centric company, Ameria aims to be a trusted and secure financial technology space with seamless solutions to improve the quality of life.

Ameriabank is supervised by the Central Bank of RA.

 18:56,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan has blocked a French humanitarian convoy from delivering essential aid to the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo personally lead the convoy of 10 trucks from Yerevan to the entrance of blockaded Lachin Corridor. The trucks were unable to continue to Nagorno-Karabakh due to the Azeri blockade.

Xavier Bertrand, the President of the Regional Council of the French region of Hauts-de-France, said that their convoy was barred and condemned the move.

President of Nagorno-Karabakh Arayik Harutyunyan said he hoped the convoy would make it through and mitigate the sufferings of the people.

Meanwhile, a group of residents of Nagorno-Karabakh organized a meeting in the central plaza of Stepanakert to express gratitude to the French regions for the initiative.

The new convoy, sent by the City of Paris, the regions of Île-de-France, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Hauts-de-France, Occitania and Pays de la Loire, joined the Armenian humanitarian convoy and the previously sent French aid truck stranded at the entrance of Lachin Corridor in Kornidzor because of the Azerbaijani blockade.

 19:13,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS. Member of the Regional council of France’s Île-de-France, Patrick Karam, has said that he will file a complaint at the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for his actions against Nagorno-Karabakh.

Karam is in Armenia as part of a French delegation that escorted a humanitarian convoy for Nagorno-Karabakh from Yerevan to the entrance of Lachin Corridor. 

Speaking at a press conference after the convoy got blocked by Azerbaijan, Karam said the French diplomacy ought to go beyond its comfort zone and act.

“I have requested my lawyer, who is accredited at the International Criminal Court, to file a complaint against President of Azerbaijan Aliyev. The goal is to target President Aliyev personally, he is the despot and we must fight against him personally,” Karam said.

 19:49,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS. German lawmaker, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Bundestag (German parliament) Michael Roth has called out Azerbaijan for jeopardizing the peace process with Armenia and causing a humanitarian disaster in Nagorno-Karabakh.

“There’s a real danger of a humanitarian disaster and ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan is thus jeopardizing the fragile Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process and security in South Caucasus. The EU and Germany must not remain silent. Azerbaijan must immediately lift the blockade. We need a CoE fact-finding mission in Nagorno-Karabakh. The EU mission in Armenia (EUMA) must be enhanced and cover also Azerbaijan’s state territory,” Roth said in a post on X.