14:26, 21 June 2023
YEREVAN, JUNE 21, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan has accepted Armenia’s offer to convene a meeting of the delimitation commissions, Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Mher Grigoryan told reporters on Wednesday.
“Yes, he’s given a positive answer,” Grigoryan said when asked whether or not his Azerbaijani counterpart Shahin Mustafayev has reacted to his proposal.
“There’s no agreement yet on the place and timeframe of the meeting, but we assume we’ll meet soon,” Grigoryan added.
15:03, 21 June 2023
YEREVAN, JUNE 21, ARMENPRESS. The unblocking process will begin with the re-launch of the Yeraskh-Julfa-Meghri-Horadiz railway, Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan has said.
Grigoryan was asked to comment on his Russian counterpart Alexey Overchuk’s statement that the Armenia-Russia-Azerbaijan working group on unblocking has reached an important agreement.
“There’s a consensus that the unblocking process will begin with the re-launch of the Yeraskh-Horadiz railway, which I believe is important because what’s being talked about is concrete and clear. I think there is a final understanding that the regulations should be under the jurisdiction and sovereignty of the countries through the territory of which the railwal will pass. This too is a highly important and fundamental agreement,” Grigoryan said, refusing to reveal details on other issues since there is no final consensus.
14:54, 21 June 2023
YEREVAN, JUNE 21, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani deputy prime ministers will hold a new meeting of the task force on unblocking, Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan said on June 21.
“I think there will be a trilateral meeting, but there’s no agreement yet on the date,” Grigoryan told reporters.
Grigoryan said that the routes that are to be opened through the territory of Armenia will unequivocally function under Armenian legislation. Asked to elaborate why the Russian Federal Security Service will be deployed to the road in that case, Grigoryan said: “First of all, let’s talk about the border guards as part of the FSB, to clearly understand what this is about if you are quoting the 9th clause of the 9 November trilateral statement. Secondly, discussions have yet to take place on the functions and the method of implementing the functions,” Grigoryan said.
15:28, 21 June 2023
YEREVAN, JUNE 21, ARMENPRESS. Four areas of capital markets, including Trading, Post-Trade, ESG, and Public Relations, were discussed during the ConFEAS 2023, an annual International Conference of the Federation of Euro-Asian Stock Exchanges. The conference returned with a brand new format and gathered in Armenia around 200 participants, including 40 speakers from Exchanges, CSDs, Banks, Regulatory Bodies, Investment Companies, and IFIs from more than 30 countries to touch upon the most recent developments, challenges, and potential in modern capital markets.
During their opening speeches, Armen Nurbekyan, Deputy Chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia, and Rafayel Gevorgyan, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Armenia, emphasized the strategic significance of fostering capital market growth in Armenia. They highlighted the need for constructive dialogue between the public and private sectors to ensure alignment between regulatory policies and private sector initiatives and challenges.
The annual ConFEAS event, previously held in Abu Dhabi and Bucharest, has been held for the first time in Armenia this year. Konstantin Saroyan, Secretary General of the Federation of Euro-Asian Stock Exchanges, mentioned: “This event presents a remarkable opportunity for all participants to acquire new knowledge and establish valuable connections through networking.”
High representatives and experts from renowned organizations such as Bloomberg, EBRD, Ernst & Young, Euronext, Blockstation, Eric Salmon and Partners, Baymarkets, stock exchanges, and central depositories from Greece, Poland, Kazakhstan, Jordan, Egypt, Romania, Hungary, Georgia, and Armenia, players from the private sector such as TBC bank, SPRING PR-Company, AICA – Angel Investor Club of Armenia and Team Telecom Armenia, engaged in extensive panel discussions. They covered diverse subjects, including trading and post-trading, sustainability and ESG, financial education, investment, and public relations.
Vachik Gevorgyan, Chief Executive Officer of Apricot Capital CJSC, the General Investment Partner of ConFEAS 2023, reflecting on their operations in Armenia as an investment and fintech company, mentioned several challenges that are being solved through joint efforts of ecosystem players and regulators. “We are actively addressing the issues by enhancing connectivity with local counterparts and supporting the efforts of the Armenian Stock Exchange and Central Depository in implementing new software solutions. Additionally, we prioritize workforce development through training programs and advocate for regulatory updates to keep pace with rapid technological advancements”.
Throughout the conference, there was a strong emphasis on fostering ecosystem development through collaborative endeavors, adopting best practices, and capacity building.
16:13, 21 June 2023
YEREVAN, JUNE 21, ARMENPRESS. The case of Armenian refugees displaced from Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh relates not only to the violation of the right to property, but also interference with the right to identity, which is protected in context of the right to privacy, therefore if court rulings were to record these violations then the state could take appropriate measures, according to Artak Zeynalyan, human rights advocate, lawyer and former Minister of Justice of Armenia.
The matter also contains an element of genocidal policy that Azerbaijan is carrying out against the ethnic Armenians. The Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has tasked relevant authorities to conduct studies in this regard and apply to the UNHCR.
“On this occasion there must be UN-developed mechanisms which would be used against Azerbaijan in order to eliminate the consequences of the genocide and enable the refugees to return to their homes, so that their rights are duly protected. There could be mechanisms defined by interstate agreements, so that each of the states could assume the protection of the rights of the displaced, those who have become refugees who were displaced by the adversary and are now on its territory,” Zeynalyan said.
Asked whether or not a return of Armenian refugees to their homes is realistic given Azerbaijan’s ongoing policy of ethnic cleansing against Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh, Zeynalyan said that this issue must definitely be included in the Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations in order to receive a legal solution.
“The international legal arena and the negotiations process must be used simultaneously, because these two directions complement one another, increasing the probability of resolving the refugee issue in context of the principle of the rule of law,” he said.
The PR manager at the Migration and Citizenship Service of the Interior Ministry, Nelly Davtyan, told ARMENPRESS that the refugee issue has a history of over 30 years, with the first major flow happening in 1988-92, when 360,000 Armenians were forced to leave Azerbaijan, which served as the basis of Armenia adopting a dedicated law on them. Some of them acquired citizenship of Armenia, while others maintained the status of refugee, while a part of them left for other countries. Today, the number of Armenians forcefully displaced from Azerbaijan comprises several thousands in Armenia.
16:31, 21 June 2023
YEREVAN, JUNE 21, ARMENPRESS. On the occasion of the 31st anniversary of the formation of the Police Troops, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on June 21 visited the Police Troops headquarters to felicitate the officers.
The Prime Minister was accompanied by Minister of Internal Affairs Vahe Ghazaryan, Chief of Police Aram Hovhannisyan and other officials.
PM Pashinyan first visited the Eternity Park, which was founded in memory of the fallen officers of the Police Troops who died in combat during the 2020 war. The length of the park is 44 meters, which symbolizes the 44-day Artsakh war, and the width is 33 meters, which symbolizes the 1033rd military unit of the Police Troops.
The Prime Minister congratulated those present on the occasion of the 31st anniversary of the formation of the Police Troops and noted: "It is very important to emphasize that we are celebrating the anniversary of the Police Troops in an extremely important period of police reforms, when the government itself underwent structural changes on that occasion, the Ministry of Internal Affairs was formed.
You are aware, of course, that in the context of these reforms, the Police Troops must also undergo certain structural reforms, being reformed and reorganized as the Police Guard. This is an extremely important change, and I want to get into the content of what this change will bring.
First of all, I consider it extremely important to emphasize that this will lead to the improvement of the social guarantees of the Police Troops officers. In other words, salary increase, more specifically, salary doubling. But this process, like in other different bodies, will not happen automatically and onc-time.
The first most important circumstance in this way is that the process of doubling salaries will take place through certification. Why are we doing this? We are doing this in order to once again make sure in that process that, in particular, the officers of the Police Guard, with their moral, physical, and intellectual training, meet the standards that we put forward as the Republic of Armenia. Those standards are important for the citizens of the Republic of Armenia and the state, because when we say a new standard, we mean a new standard for ensuring public safety. Each of you should be aware of this content, reaffirm your professional skills, so that you can deal with the citizens of the Republic of Armenia and foreign citizens at the highest level in daily service, and be ready to fulfill the tasks set before you morally and psychologically.
There's no doubt about that, it's just that during the structural changes, it's right for us to make sure once again that we keep that constant motivation to work on ourselves, because as I said, it's a matter of deciding whether this process will be repeated every five years or how often. Both re-affirming professional skills and increasing social guarantees should be a continuous process. In other words, the state should not raise salaries once, then forget about it for tens of years or longer, because it should be a continuous process, because inflation is also an economic factor, it will not be stopped anyway.
The second nuance, the change, which is very important. now police troops are stationed only in the capital city of Yerevan. We have also decided to change this system, and police troops units will also be stationed in the regions, because in many cases, when there is a need, when there is a service problem, police troops, units are moved from Yerevan to regions. Sometimes they have to spend days in buses, in all sorts of uncomfortable conditions. Many daily and service-related problems arise. We will also implement this change and a certain group of regions will be formed, for which a Police Guard unit will be provided, and this service will have a permanent location where the service will be carried out in more comfortable conditions. This implies that there should also be some new recruitment in the Police Guard, already with new standards and a new salary.
I want to specially emphasize that the process of involving women in the Police Guard should also be a priority for us, because women should also serve in the Police Guard to a greater extent, like we are currently doing this process in the Army, the Armed Forces, the Patrol Police, generally in the Police. Although we understand that this is not a very easy problem to solve. we should all encourage our women, the citizens of the Republic of Armenia, so that they do not hesitate to apply for this service. Also, of course, a lot depends on you, and you should do everything so that the already existing psychological barriers are not accentuated, but on the contrary, create a certain atmosphere to encourage that process, that service, because it is very important in terms of increasing the quality of the legal system in our country.
Dear Police Officers,
This is, I suppose, our last meeting under that title, because next year already the Police Troops will be transformed into the Police Guard, but it is important to understand that this is not just a name change. This is also a change in content, and without denying the best traditions formed in the past.
We have to record that the Police Troops have solved many important problems in the Republic of Armenia during their 31 years of existence. There were problems, complications, but in general, I think, the Police Troops rendered a serious service to the Republic of Armenia. We know that from the first day, the Police Troops had the most direct participation in the issues of ensuring the security, external security of Armenia.
I want to bow my head to all the police officers who sacrificed their lives for the Motherland, who died, fell while performing their official duties, and I suggest that we honor their memory with a minute of silence."
After the tribute, the Prime Minister thanked those present for their service. "I thank you for being able to stand firmly in the position of ensuring and preserving the legal system, democracy, and the Constitution in the Republic of Armenia.
I wish you all success in your future service and I hope that as we transform the Police Troops into the Police Guard, and as a result of that transformation, looking back, we will be able to record that we have indeed implemented a reform that, both in form, content and quality, meets our best wishes”, Prime Minister Pashinyan concluded.
16:53, 21 June 2023
YEREVAN, JUNE 21, ARMENPRESS. The complete and arbitrary blocking of the Lachin Corridor, in particular the deliberate obstruction of the delivery of humanitarian cargo by the Russian peacekeeping forces and the ICRC for the basic needs of the people of Artsakh under siege, is considered a war crime under international law, the Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) Foreign Ministry said in a statement on June 21.
Below is the full statement.
“For the seventh day now, since 15 June, Azerbaijan has completely blocked the delivery of all types of humanitarian cargo to the Republic of Artsakh through the Lachin Corridor, including food and medicine, carried out by the Russian peacekeeping forces and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), thereby deliberately depriving the 120,000 population of Artsakh, including women, children and the elderly, of the minimum means of subsistence.
“We emphasise that the complete and arbitrary blocking of the Lachin Corridor, in particular the deliberate obstruction of the delivery of humanitarian cargo by the Russian peacekeeping forces and the ICRC for the basic needs of the people of Artsakh under siege, is considered a war crime under international law. In essence, Azerbaijan has gone from blatant violation of the provisions of the Trilateral Statement of 9 November 2020 and complete disregard for the legally binding Order of the International Court of Justice of 22 February 2023 to actions that amount to a war crime.
“We recall that the Lachin Corridor, envisaged by the Trilateral Statement of the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan dated 9 November 2020, which establishes, inter alia, the exclusive control of the Corridor by the Russian peacekeeping forces, has been functioning for the past six months with severe and arbitrary restrictions imposed by Azerbaijan and was used only for the passage of vehicles of the ICRC and the Russian peacekeeping forces. On 15 June, after a deliberate provocation with the Azerbaijani flag on the Hakari bridge, Azerbaijan completely closed the Corridor, including by blocking the road with armoured vehicles. Thus, movement in both directions through the Corridor has now been blocked for representatives of the ICRC and the Russian peacekeeping forces, who delivered essential supplies to the Republic of Artsakh.
“The complete blockade and isolation of the Republic of Artsakh from the outside world exacerbate the humanitarian crisis and prepare fertile ground for the escalation of Azerbaijan's ongoing crimes against humanity into the crime of genocide. By completely blocking the Lachin Corridor, which is the only Road of Life for the people of Artsakh, Azerbaijan has actually taken its targeted policy of ethnic cleansing of Artsakh and destruction of its people as such to a new level.
“There is no doubt that the initial purpose of the illegal establishment of Azerbaijani control over the Lachin Corridor was its subsequent blockade and use as a means of conducting its aggressive and genocidal policy against the people of Artsakh. In fact, the Lachin Corridor, originally intended to connect Artsakh with the outside world and as one of the guarantees of the normal life activity of its people, is used by Azerbaijan as a military-political tool to carry out aggressive actions against the Republic of Artsakh and its citizens.
“The deliberate starvation of 120,000 people, including women, children and the elderly, inflicting unbearable daily suffering on them, as well as imposing Azerbaijan's own will with the use or threat of force, requires the international community to take urgent and effective enforcement measures aimed at preventing massive violations of rights of the people of Artsakh.
“We strongly demand that all responsible members of the international community take the necessary collective and individual measures to stop the ongoing international crimes committed by Azerbaijan, and to prevent a catastrophe threatening the people of Artsakh with genocide. We also consider it timely for the ICRC and other relevant international structures and human rights organisations to properly and adequately assess the situation and urge the Azerbaijani authorities to respect the right of the people of Artsakh to humanitarian assistance and international protection. We note that inaction and indifference in fact encourage Azerbaijan's genocidal actions.”
16:46, 21 June 2023
YEREVAN, JUNE 21, ARMENPRESS. Armenia cannot be involved in bypassing the Western sanctions against Russia, Deputy Foreign Minister Mnatsakan Safaryan told POLITICO.
Mnatsakan Safaryan told POLITICO that while the Eurasian Economic Union mandates the free movement of goods, “We cannot fall under sanctions ourselves by getting involved in shadowy activities and circumvention, bypassing sanctions.”
“We are very much concerned that such developments, getting under sanctions as a country or our companies getting under sanctions, will affect our economy and make it unbearable for Armenia economy-wise and security-wise,” he said.
The POLITICO article noted that Armenia has now publicly committed to working with the EU and the U.S. to block trade in ‘risky items’ and prevent its businesses ending up on the wrong side of the rules. A list drawn up last month by Yerevan applies strict control measures to goods that could be ultimately used by the Russian arms industry.
“As one of the only emerging democracies in the region, with a government that has overseen significant progress on civil liberties and press freedom, Yerevan is distancing itself from its traditional ally Russia and pushing for closer ties with the West,” POLITICO’s Gabriel Gavin wrote.
According to Safaryan, unpicking decades of close trade ties with Russia is no easy feat, and pragmatism is more useful than ideology. He insisted there's been no pressure from Moscow to keep sanctioned goods flowing.
“Our policy has been based on our dialog with the EU and the U.S.,” he said, “but we also work with Russia to help navigate these issues as our economies are very much connected.”
17:15, 21 June 2023
YEREVAN, 21 JUNE, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 21 June, USD exchange rate down by 0.92 drams to 386.16 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 1.47 drams to 421.65 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.01 drams to 4.59 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 3.61 drams to 490.58 drams.
The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.
Gold price down by 314.71 drams to 23967.18 drams. Silver price down by 2.95 drams to 295.11 drams.
17:18, 21 June 2023
YEREVAN, JUNE 21, ARMENPRESS. Governor of Kansas Laura Kelly is visiting Armenia June 22-23, 2023, the U.S. Embassy announced. The Governor’s visit will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Kansas-Armenia State Partnership, and strengthen ties between the State of Kansas and Armenia.
Governor Kelly is joined by U.S. Brigadier General Michael Venerdi on his first visit to Yerevan since being appointed as Adjutant General for the State of Kansas.
Governor Kelly and Brigadier General Venerdi will meet with the Prime Minister and senior officials from the Armenian government, including the Minister of Defense, Minister of Internal Affairs, Minister for Education, and Minister of Economy. They will also visit the 12th Peacekeeping Brigade, the Military Hospital, the National Defense Research University, Military University, and the Armenia National Agrarian University.
In 2003, the Republic of Armenia signed an agreement with the State of Kansas and the U.S. Department of Defense to establish the Kansas-Armenia State Partnership Program. Under the program, the Kansas National Guard has worked closely with the Armenian Ministry of Defense, and other governmental agencies on joint initiatives including military training, emergency preparedness, law enforcement, business, medical, public health, educational and humanitarian exchanges.