Category: 2023

 10:25,

YEREVAN, JUNE 23, ARMENPRESS. Moody's changed Armenia's outlook to stable from negative and affirmed Ba3 rating on .

Moody’s changed the outlook because it found Armenia’s economic and fiscal prospects to have improved, while the risks are balanced compared to its March 2022 rating.

A part of the increased capital and workforce inflow, which improved the economic indicators in Armenia, are expected to be maintained, according to Moody’s.

The agency forecast 7% economic growth for 2023 and 5-6% for 2024.

The debt burden will be lower than during the pre-pandemic period, stabilizing around 45%, according to the assessment.

 19:54,

YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS/WAM. The UAE has launched the Andalusia: History and Civilisation initiative, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court.

The initiative is organised by the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre and the National Library and Archives.

The launch of the six-month initiative, in partnership with the Kingdom of Spain, reflects the UAE’s unwavering belief in the necessity of openness with civilisations and convergence among cultures and religions.

The UAE, through the initiative, aims to shed light on the Andalusian civilisation through an array of cultural and artistic activities aimed at developing the strong existing ties between the two countries, and highlighting the Arab civilisation that Andalusia witnessed, and the culture of dialogue, tolerance, and the values of openness and coexistence, which are the same values that the UAE seeks, through various efforts, to spread them.

Mohammed Al Murr, Chairman of the “Andalusia: History and Civilisation” Initiative Committee, said, “The launch of the initiative comes within the official interest of the UAE in the human heritage wherever it is, which comes through this serious participation that aims at preserving and restoring, introducing, and disseminating it globally, in addition to the fact that the initiative, in its essence, is an invitation to the general public to get acquainted with the components of one of the greatest Arab historical eras, and to educate new generations with the Andalusian civilisation in its human, cultural and scientific heritage, as well as to highlight and uphold the culture of coexistence and tolerance.”

The initiative comprises various cultural and artistic events including, an exhibition of Andalusian art holdings which will be hosted by the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre in November 2023 for a period of six months, and two cultural seminars in which specialists and scholars will participate in Andalusian studies in all its cultural, literary and scientific disciplines.

Spain will host the first forum in September 2023, while the UAE will host the second forum in February 2024, in addition to a number of artistic and musical performances, including Andalusian stanzas (Muwashshahas), symphony orchestras, flamenco, and Arabic and Spanish melodies.

[see video]

The initiative, through its various activities, enhances the role of the UAE that seeks to establish the values of tolerance and coexistence, by inviting local and international communities who are interested in the Andalusian art, history and architecture, as well as researchers and academics, to discover one of the greatest historical eras shared between the Arabs and Spain.

The initiative is also a global cultural mission led by the UAE to highlight the Andalusian heritage and its cultural, artistic and intellectual legacy that prevailed in Andalusia, and to emphasise the shared history between Arabs and Spaniards over the past centuries, as well as the depth of Arab-Spanish relations today at the level of cultural work.

The initiative seeks to strengthen knowledge of the unique Andalusian civilisation by translating the most important sources of Andalusian heritage in all arts and knowledge field, and republishing them in the Arabic language, to bring to mind a prosperous era in human history, and allow the Arab and international world to explore stages of continuous cultural and civilisational exchange.

 11:04,

YEREVAN, JUNE 23, ARMENPRESS. United States President Joe Biden has reiterated U.S. support for India’s permanent membership on a reformed UN Security Council (UNSC). 

“The United States and India reaffirmed their resolve to counter any attempts to unilaterally subvert the multilateral system,” the United States and India said in a joint statement after the meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“The leaders underscored the need to strengthen and reform the multilateral system so it may better reflect contemporary realities. In this context both sides remain committed to a comprehensive UN reform agenda, including through expansion in permanent and non-permanent categories of membership of the UN Security Council.  Sharing the view that global governance must be more inclusive and representative, President Biden reiterated U.S. support for India’s permanent membership on a reformed UN Security Council(UNSC).  In this context, President Biden welcomed India’s candidature as a non-permanent member of the UNSC for the 2028-29 term, in view of India’s significant contributions to the UN system and commitment to multilateralism, as well as its active and constructive engagement in the Inter-Governmental Negotiations process on Security Council reforms, with an overall objective of making the UNSC more effective, representative, and credible,” the statement reads.

President Biden and Prime Minister Modi recommitted themselves to empowering the Quad as a partnership for global good, according to the document.

Armenia has also backed India’s bid for permanent UN Security Council seat.

 12:04,

YEREVAN, JUNE 23, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani government is turning an Armenian church into a mosque in the territories under its control in Nagorno Karabakh.

A government agency in Nagorno Karabakh posted images online showing the St. Hambardzum Church of Berdzor (Lachin) in Nagorno Karabakh being converted into a mosque.

“Azerbaijan is turning the St. Hambardzum Church of Berdzor into a mosque. Appropriation of history, destruction of cultural identity, religious intolerance and falsification,” the State Service of Preservation of Historic Environment of Nagorno Karabakh said in a statement.

[see videos]

 11:45,

YEREVAN, JUNE 23, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has sent a congratulatory letter to Xavier Bethel, Prime Minister of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, on the occasion of the national day.

"Your Excellency, I heartily congratulate you on the occasion of the national holiday of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg,” Pashinyan said in the letter. “I note with great joy that the relations between our countries, based on mutual respect and trust, are at a historically high level, serving as the best basis for the further expansion and strengthening of cooperation. The friendship of states is strengthened by withstanding the disasters of time. The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg has repeatedly reaffirmed that it is a friend of Armenia, regardless of political expediency and geopolitical realities. In this difficult historical period, your country's firm support proves once again that Armenia, which professes democratic values, is not alone. I sincerely hope that through joint efforts we will strengthen the cooperation between Armenia and Luxembourg and contribute to the stable development of our countries through cooperation on international platforms. Once again, I warmly congratulate you and the friendly people of Luxembourg on this remarkable day, wishing peace, prosperity and new success."

 13:06,

YEREVAN, JUNE 23, ARMENPRESS. France and Armenia share a common history and ancient ties, French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu tweeted after meeting Armenian Minister of Defense Suren Papikyan.

“France and Armenia share a common history and ancient ties. At a time when the President of the Republic has decided to transfer Missak Manouchian to the Panthéon, honor to receive [Armenian Defense Minister] Suren Papikyan to keep the friendship and the defense relationship alive,” Lecornu tweeted.

Missak Manouchian, an Armenian poet and fighter in World War II, will enter the French Pantheon mausoleum and join an elite group of France's revered historical figures, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday, June 18.

Known as being "pantheonized," the rare tribute is reserved for those who have played an important role in the country's history.

He led a small group of foreign Resistance fighters against the Nazi occupation, carrying out attacks on German forces and acts of sabotage in Nazi-occupied France in 1943. Macron said Manouchian "embodies the universal values" of France and "carries a part of our greatness."

In 1944, the group, which included a number of Jews, was put out of action when 23 of its members were rounded up and sentenced to death by a German military court. Manouchian was shot by the Nazis on February 21, 1944. By entering the Pantheon, Manouchian will become both the first foreign and communist Resistance fighter to be awarded the honour. Manouchian will enter the Pantheon alongside his wife Mélinée, who survived him by 45 years and is buried alongside him at the Ivry-sur-Seine cemetery.

Macron paid tribute to Manouchian's "bravery" and "quiet heroism" in a statement Sunday, as well as to other foreign Resistance fighters. Other major French figures to be reburied in the Pantheon include Victor Hugo, Voltaire and Marie Curie, Le Monde reported.

Manouchian arrived in France in 1925 after surviving the Armenian Genocide.

 15:21,

YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. All government ministries are doing everything possible to restore the normal movement of persons and goods along the Lachin Corridor, Minister of Healthcare of Armenia Anahit Avanesyan told reporters.

“The humanitarian situation is certainly getting worse hour by hour, because the reserves are depleting. Besides, when planned medical treatment is postponed and the needs aren’t addressed, the needs become urgent,” she said.

The Ministry of Healthcare of Armenia maintains permanent contact with its colleagues in Nagorno Karabakh, Avanesyan said.

“There are patients in Artsakh whose treatment is only possible in Armenia. The Stepanakert hospital is well equipped, it has a good specialized team, but there are some specialized directions that can be addressed only in Yerevan,” she said.

 16:13,

YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization was among the issues discussed during United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in London, Turkey’s Anadolu state news agency reported.

Anadolu cited Turkish diplomatic sources as saying the duo discussed the latest situation in Ukraine, NATO's enlargement, and normalization between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the context of developments in the South Caucasus region.

The Black Sea Grain Deal and U.S.-Turkey relations were also discussed.

 15:34,

YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian government will provide an additional 2,9 billion drams to Nagorno Karabakh in the form of an “interstate loan” to help mitigate the social tension.

The bill was approved at the Cabinet meeting on June 22.

The bill envisages providing a 2,9 billion dram interstate loan from the tax revenues of the 2023 state budget to Nagorno Karabakh for additional funding aimed at mitigating the social tension in Nagorno Karabakh in the post-war period.

 16:29,

YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. The delegation led by the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia – First Deputy Minister of Defence, Major General Edward Asryan has visited Germany to attend the Annual Conference of European Armies at the invitation by the USAREURAF’s Commanding General, U.S. Army General Darryl Williams, the Ministry of Defense said on June 22.