Category: 2023

 16:15,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 25, ARMENPRESS. The Pan Armenian Council of Western USA has launched a 24-hour nationwide hunger strike in solidarity with Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).

The Pan Armenian Council of Western USA demands affirmative action by U.S. President Biden and the U.S. Department of State, to prevent a new Armenian Genocide at the hands of the Aliyev regime by:

-Ensuring the immediate re-opening of the Lachin Corridor by introducing and facilitating the passage of a UN Security Council Resolution requiring Azerbaijan to adhere to the February 22, 2023, preliminary measure of the ICJ ordering Azerbaijan to open the Lachin Corridor;

-Immediately halting all U.S. military assistance to Azerbaijan in light of the illegal humanitarian blockade imposed on the Armenians of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), consistent with Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act;

-Sanctioning members of the Aliyev regime under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act for ongoing war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated by individual members of the Aliyev regime;

-Delivering $100 million in USAID humanitarian assistance to Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) through the Lachin Corridor to ensure the survival of the 120,000 civilians who have been completely blockaded since June 15, 2023;

-Introducing a UN Security Council resolution to establish a United Nations Mission in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) [UNMINK] consisting of 5,000 international military personnel to ensure the physical security of the population.

Congressmen Adam Schiff and Brad Sherman joined the members of the Armenian community for a press briefing during the demonstration held outside the Azeri consulate in Los Angeles. 

“We are watching a humanitarian catastrophe unfold in Artsakh. Yesterday, I joined my colleague Adam Schiff and the Armenian community at a press conference in my district. We must hold the Aliyev regime accountable and end U.S. military assistance to Azerbaijan,” Sherman said on X.

Congressman Schiff called on the U.S. government to act.

“I stand with Artsakh's 120,000 residents, and the Armenian diaspora defending them. Azerbaijan's illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor must end.  The US recognized the Armenian Genocide and said never again. We must do more than pledge. We must act,” Schiff said on X.

 11:42,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 26, ARMENPRESS. Real Sociedad manager Imanol Alguacil praised newcomer Arsen Zakharyan after his first performance for the Spanish La Liga club against Las Palmas which ended in a draw.

“Honestly he surprised me,” Alguacil told reporters. “Not in terms of the level but how he’s adapted to the team,” the head coach added, praising the Russian-Armenian footballer. He said Zakharyan will become a great player in the future.

Russian national team midfielder Arsen Zakharyan, 20, joined Real Sociedad on August 19. He signed a contract with the club until the end of the 2028–29 season. Zakharyan played for FC Dynamo Moscow for three years before that.

 12:33,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 26, ARMENPRESS. The Danish government on Friday said it will propose a law that would make it illegal to desecrate any holy book in Denmark, where a recent after a series of burnings of the Quran led to uproar in Muslim countries, AP reports. 

The Danish government seeks to extend Denmark’s existing ban on burning foreign flags by also “prohibiting improper treatment of objects of significant religious significance to a religious community,” Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard said. 

“The bill will make it punishable, for example, to burn the Quran or the Bible in public. It will only aim at actions in a public place or with the intention of spreading in a wider circle,” Hummelgaard said. He said such acts would be punishable by fines or up to two years in prison.

Hummelgaard told a news conference that the recent protests were “senseless taunts that have no other purpose than to create discord and hatred.”

Denmark’s government has repeatedly distanced itself from the desecrations, but has insisted that freedom of _expression_ is one of the most important values in Danish society. It said that would not be affected by the proposed law.

Freedom of _expression_ is “a cornerstone of Danish democracy, and the freedom to express oneself is a central value in Danish society,” Hummelgaard said. The proposal is “a targeted intervention which does not change the fact that freedom of _expression_ must have a very broad framework in Denmark,” he said.

 13:35,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 26, ARMENPRESS. United States Senator Bill Cassidy has accused Azerbaijan of committing a crime against humanity in Nagorno-Karabakh by weaponizing food.

“The humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is growing more and more dire by the day. If Azerbaijan doesn’t lift the blockade people will starve. Weaponizing food constitutes an Article 7 Violation of the Rome Statutes, a ‘Crime against Humanity,’” Cassidy said in a post on X.

 12:46,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 26, ARMENPRESS. Italy's northern city of Milan registered a new record high average daily temperature of 33 Celsius (91.4 Fahrenheit) on Wednesday as a heatwave which began around mid-August reached its peak, Reuters reported citing the regional environmental protection agency (ARPA).

It was the hottest day since the Milano Brera weather station started recording temperatures in 1763. Milan's previous record of 32.8 C was set on Aug. 11, 2003.

The Italian capital Rome registered a record peak of 41.8 Celsius (°C) in July, as much of southern Europe broiled this summer, fuelling wildfires, prompting governments to issue health warnings, and disrupting holidays for many tourists.

ARPA said in a statement that Aug. 23 and 24 have been the hottest days of the summer across the whole of the Lombardy region which surrounds Milan, with several towns registering peak temperatures above 40 C.

 17:13,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 25, ARMENPRESS. On August 25, Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan held a meeting with Ambassador of the Netherlands Nicolaas Schermers on the occasion of the end of his diplomatic mission in Armenia.

The sides touched upon the undertaken and outlined steps towards deepening bilateral cooperation between Armenia and the Netherlands, as well as the Armenia-EU partnership agenda, the foreign ministry said in a readout. 

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia highly appreciated the efforts made by the Ambassador in this direction in the last three years, awarded him with an honorary medal of the Foreign Ministry of Armenia and wished him success in next steps in diplomatic career.

During the meeting, the interlocutors also touched upon the issues on regional stability, particularly discussing the worsening humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh resulting from the blockade of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan. Highlighting the importance of the clear positions expressed by international organizations and countries, including the Netherlands, Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized the urgency of taking steps towards the immediate lifting of the blockade of the Lachin corridor blockade in accordance with the Orders of the International Court of Justice of February 22 and July 6, 2023.

Minister Mirzoyan stressed that the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is close to turning into a humanitarian catastrophe and can significantly undermine the efforts of Armenia and the international community to establish stability in the region.

 16:55,

YEREVAN, 25 AUGUST, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 25 August, USD exchange rate up by 0.02 drams to 385.98 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 1.95 drams to 416.97 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.01 drams to 4.08 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 2.71 drams to 486.84 drams.

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

Gold price up by 6.20 drams to 23789.72 drams. Silver price up by 5.41 drams to 300.12 drams.