20:16,
YEREVAN, APRIL 13, ARMENPRESS. The National Assembly of Armenia will convene an extraordinary session on April 18, ARMENPRESS reports, the session will be convened on the initiative of the MPs.
The agenda of the extraordinary session includes 6 issues, including the report "On the implementation process and results of the Government’s Action Plan (2021-2026) for 2022".
21:21,
YEREVAN, APRIL 13, ARMENPRESS. The President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan received the delegation led by the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani.
As ARMENPRESS was informed from the office of the President of the Republic of Armenia, welcoming the guests, the President said: "I am sure that your visit will contribute to solving problems in the region. Unfortunately, the situation is not so that we have nothing to worry about in the current process on the way to peace. We are convinced that the OSCE has its role in solving the problems of our region, taking into account both the activities of the OSCE and our long-term working experience with the OSCE."
Thanking for the reception, Bujar Osmani noted in his speech. "Mr. President, this is my first visit to this region and Armenia. I am here today as the OSCE Chairman-in-Office to discuss the long-standing relations between the OSCE and Armenia. I can say that we have a valuable and effective cooperation based on mutual trust, and we are also ready to open a new page of cooperation, taking into account the changed geopolitical circumstances."
During the meeting, the President of the Republic presented to the OSCE Chairman-in-Office the approaches and opportunities of Armenia regarding the solution of regional problems. Vahagn Khachaturyan emphasized that Armenia is firm in its position to achieve ssustainable peace in the South Caucasus and establish neighborly relations with its neighbors.
The interlocutors discussed issues related to the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh issue, the humanitarian crisis created in NK due to the illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor, the security and rights protection mechanisms of the NK population.
Bujar Osmani, referring to conflict resolution, noted that the OSCE and North Macedonia in particular have a great experience in solving such problems and are ready to share that experience.
20:56,
YEREVAN, APRIL 13, ARMENPRESS. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan will be in Samarkand on a working visit on April 14 to participate in the session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the CIS, ARMENPRESS was informed from MFA Armenia.
LOS ANGELES - From fighting in the Navy to helping his community and inspiring people… Paul Ignatius has done it all.
At 102 years old, the Armenian-American Veteran is filled with joy, passion and charisma.
His family roots and history travel far. His grandfather was among the first Armenians to settle in Glendale, California in 1911. After living in Armenia and then Manchester, England, his family moved to sunny California and made Glendale their home. Paul was then born on Nov. 11, 1920.
He graduated from Hoover High School in 1938 then attended the University of Southern California, graduating in 1942.
Glendale now has the second-largest Armenian population of any U.S. city, behind Los Angeles, but it wasn’t always like that.
TBILISI/BAKU, April 11 (Reuters) – South Caucasus rivals Armenia and Azerbaijan on Tuesday accused each other of opening fire around the contested Nagorno-Karabakh region in a clash that killed a total of seven soldiers.
The two neighbours – both formerly part of the Soviet Union – have fought repeatedly over the last 35 years for control of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but home to a mainly ethnic Armenian population.
The Azeri defence ministry said three troops had died in a clash close to the contested Lachin Corridor, a key road into Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenia that crosses through Azeri territory. The Armenian defence ministry said four of its soldiers had died and another six had been wounded.
Yerevan had earlier accused Azerbaijan of opening fire on Armenian troops performing engineering work near the village of Tegh in Armenia's southern Syunik province. It said its forces had taken "countermeasures", without providing details.
Tegh is the last village on the Lachin Corridor in Armenia before it enters Azeri territory.
Baku said its troops came under "intense fire" from Armenian troops stationed in Syunik province.
Russia dispatched a thousands-strong peacekeeping contingent to the region in 2020 as part of a deal to end weeks of fighting that killed thousands and saw Azerbaijan make significant territorial gains.
Moscow is an ally of Armenia through a mutual self-defence pact, but also strives for good relations with Baku. The latest stand-off has been seen as a key test of Moscow's ongoing influence in the region as it wages its own war in Ukraine.
The latest stand-off is over control of the Lachin Corridor – the only road route linking Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh.
Azerbaijanis claiming to be environmental protesters have been blocking the route since the end of last year, resulting in what Armenia calls a humanitarian crisis.
Baku denies those claims, saying essential supplies can get into the territory and has defended the protesters as rallying against legitimate environmental concerns. Yerevan calls them government-backed agitators.
The countries have fought two wars and engaged in scores of violent clashes over the status of the region of Nagorno Karabakh since 1988, leading to the deaths of thousands of people
by Peoples Dispatch
An unknown number of soldiers have been killed in fresh clashes between state forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan near the Lachin corridor in the afternoon of Tuesday, April 11. The cause of the fresh clashes is not clear with both sides accusing the other of provocation.
The clashes started at around 4 pm on Tuesday and lasted till 7 pm local time near the Lachin corridor, which connects Armenia with the Nagorno Karabakh region. The corridor has been the subject of intense legal and military confrontation between both the countries for some time.
In February, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) asked Azerbaijan to guarantee free movement across the corridor after Armenia claimed that Azerbaijan had prevented movement for months, causing a humanitarian crisis for the ethnically Armenian population of Nagorno Karabakh.
Since December 2022, hundreds of protesters, calling themselves environmental activists, have gathered in the narrow corridor opposing Armenian mining activities in the region.
Following the clashes on Tuesday, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that the armed forces of Armenia, “from the direction of the Digh settlement of the Gorus district,” subjected the Azerbaijan army’s opposing positions stationed in the direction of the Lachin district to intensive fire. While not specifying any numbers, the statement claimed that the attack caused deaths and injuries among Azerbaijani servicemen.
Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Iran Ali Alizada claimed in a twitter post that at least three Azerbaijani soldiers were killed in the clashes.
According to the Armenian Defense Ministry, four of its soldiers were killed and six others were wounded in the Azerbaijani attack. It also issued a video claiming that its forces engaged in engineering work were approached by the Azerbaijani servicemen who opened fire on them.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought two wars (1994 and 2020) over Nagorno Karabakh, which is legally Azerbaijan’s territory but is inhabited by majority ethnic Armenians. In 1988, the ethnic Armenians broke away from Azerbaijan—calling themselves the Artsakh republic—supported by the Armenian military. Thousands of people have been killed in the wars and the military clashes that have broken out between the two sides from time to time. Clashes have not stopped despite a ceasefire deal in 2020 and the presence of Russian peacekeepers in the region since then.
09:46,
YEREVAN, APRIL 13, ARMENPRESS. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France issued a statement on the April 11 Azerbaijani attack on Armenian troops near the village of Tegh in Armenia.
In the statement, the French Foreign Ministry expressed deep concern over what it described as “violence near the Tegh settlement in Armenian territory on the border of Armenia and Azerbaijan on April 11.”
“France reminds that delimitation must take place exclusively through negotiations and calls on the parties to continue efforts in this direction. Respect for Armenia’s territorial integrity and withdrawal of Azerbaijani forces from occupied positions of the line of contact’s Armenian side are of significant importance for preventing future incidents and maintaining the foundations for sustainable peace in the region. France fully supports the activities of the EU monitoring mission deployed in the Armenian side of the border, which plays a key role in reducing tension. France will continue to act along with the EU for the benefit of adherence to the ceasefire, dialogue and resumption of negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” the French Foreign Ministry added.
On April 11, Armenian troops carrying out engineering works near the village of Tegh close to the border with Azerbaijan came under heavy gunfire in an unprovoked attack by Azerbaijani forces. Four Armenian soldiers were killed and six wounded.
10:15,
YEREVAN, APRIL 13, ARMENPRESS. On April 12, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan had a telephone conversation with US acting Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Derek Hogan.
Mirzoyan and Hogan discussed regional security issues, the foreign ministry said in a readout.
“Minister Mirzoyan presented the details on the provocation carried out by the Azerbaijani armed forces in the area of Tegh village of the Syunik region of the Republic of Armenia on April 11, noting that it was another manifestation of the general aggressive policy of Azerbaijan, also aimed at disrupting the efforts to continue the peace negotiations. Views were exchanged on the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh and on issues of normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Ararat Mirzoyan reaffirmed Armenia's commitment to the peace process and presented the approaches of the Armenian side to the settlement of existing problems,” the foreign ministry said.
On April 11, Armenian troops carrying out engineering works near the village of Tegh close to the border with Azerbaijan came under heavy gunfire in an unprovoked attack. Four Armenian soldiers were killed and six wounded.
09:52,
YEREVAN, APRIL 13, ARMENPRESS. The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Foreign Minister of North Macedonia, Bujar Osmani has arrived in Armenia.
A meeting between Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Osmani is currently underway in Yerevan. It will be followed by an enlarged meeting.
Osmani is in Armenia as part of a regional trip.
He traveled to Georgia and Azerbaijan before arriving in Armenia.
10:40,
YEREVAN, APRIL 13, ARMENPRESS. The US believes the UN Secretary General is too willing to accommodate Russian interests, BBC reported citing fresh revelations in classified documents leaked online.
The files suggest Washington has been closely monitoring Antonio Guterres.
Several documents describe private communications involving Guterres and his deputy.
It is the latest from a leak of secret documents.
The documents contain candid observations from Guterres about the war in Ukraine and a number of African leaders.
One leaked document focuses on the Black Sea grain deal, brokered by the UN and Turkey in July following fears of a global food crisis.
It suggests that Guterres was so keen to preserve the deal that he was willing to accommodate Russia's interests.
"Guterres emphasised his efforts to improve Russia's ability to export," BBC quoted the document as saying, "even if that involves sanctioned Russian entities or individuals."
His actions in February, according to the assessment, were "undermining broader efforts to hold Moscow accountable for its actions in Ukraine."
Saying he wouldn't comment on leaked documents, one senior UN official told the BBC the UN was "driven by the need to mitigate the impact of the war on the world's poorest."
"That means doing what we can to drive down the price of food," he added, "and to ensure that fertiliser is accessible to those countries that need it the most."
Russian grain and fertilizer are not subject to international sanctions, but Russia says it has experienced difficulties with securing shipping and insurance.
UN officials say that Guterres has made his opposition to Russia's war very clear.
Another document from mid-February describes a frank conversation between Guterres and his deputy, Amina Mohammed.
In it, Guterres expresses "dismay" at a call from the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, for Europe to produce more weapons and ammunition as a result of the war in Ukraine.
US national security spokesperson John Kirby told the BBC that the US government was scrambling to get to the bottom of the leaks.
"This was a series of dangerous leaks. We don't know who's responsible, we don't know why. And we are assessing the national security implications, and right now there is also a criminal investigation," he said on Wednesday.
Washington was "reaching out actively" to allies to answer questions they have about the leaks, so they know "how seriously we are taking this", he added.
Kirby said that while the authenticity of some of the documents had yet to be established, they "certainly appear to have come from various source of intelligence across the government".
The leaked documents allegedly expose the extent of US spying on key allies and partners, including South Korea and Israel, among other information.