Category: 2023

 11:01,

YEREVAN, APRIL 13, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan said Thursday that Russia’s ban on the imports of Armenian dairy products is a violation of the EEU trade regulations.

He said that Armenia is discussing the matter with Russian partners.

“We find this to be an obstacle for EEU trade,” Kerobyan said in parliament during question time when asked by MP Gegham Manukyan when the issue will be resolved. “We are now discussing this issue with our Russian colleagues. The ban placed by Rosselkhoznadzor [Russian governmental agriculture watchdog] contradicts the trade regulations in the Eurasian Economic Union. In addition, we are also engaged in talks to understand the regulations through which we can maximally swiftly resolve this issue without applying the EEU standard procedures,” Kerobyan said.

In response to the MP’s criticism over the government’s handling of the agriculture sector, Kerobyan said that agriculture is indeed a major sector but not the largest, while the dairy production isn’t the largest branch in agriculture itself.

Kerobyan said that in 2022 Armenia exported 18 million dollars worth of dairy products to the EEU market, which amounts less than 1% of the total exports of Armenia.

Russia banned on April 5 imports of dairy products from Armenia, saying that Armenian producers use Iranian raw materials banned in Russia.

 11:09,

YEREVAN, APRIL 13, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Cabinet members held a moment of silence during the April 13 Cabinet meeting in honor of the troops who were killed in the unprovoked Azerbaijani attack on April 11.

“Notwithstanding all our efforts, unfortunately the ongoing deployment of border guards in the section of Tegh village on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border didn’t proceed without escalations. On April 11, the Azerbaijani military made yet another provocation in that section, which resulted in four servicemen of the Armenian Armed Forces being killed, by selflessly fulfilling their duty and protecting the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia. I ask you to pay tribute to our fallen brothers with a moment of silence,” PM Pashinyan 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.

 11:07,

YEREVAN, APRIL 13, ARMENPRESS. The new Ombudsperson of Armenia, Anahit Manasyan, issued a statement on assuming office on Thursday.

Manasyan, who served as Deputy Prosecutor General until now, was sworn in as Human Rights Defender on April 11 after passing a confirmation vote in parliament.

Below is the full statement issued by Manasyan.

“ Dear compatriots,

In this period full of challenges for our motherland, I have taken on the mission of Human Rights Defender with serious responsibility.

I will strive to use all my knowledge and experience for the improvement of the mechanisms for protection of human rights in the Republic of Armenia.

When I was thinking about taking on this responsibility, I began to analyze the values I hold. They have accompanied me since my childhood, thanks to the upbringing I received. I have never betrayed those principles, namely: kindness, compassion for people and their fates, humanity, dignity, justice, honesty and infinite faith in knowledge.

It is important to note that the position of Human Rights Defender is not a political one. The process of the latter's election and tenure cannot be like that either. Hence, all my activities will be structured with that idea in mind.

I will strive to make the Human Rights Defender Institution a platform on the way to achieve public tolerance and solidarity, keeping it free from all possible political speculations.

My primary goal is to create an environment of respect for human dignity and rights in an atmosphere of public tolerance, bearing in mind the importance of the principle of separation and balance of powers.

I do not consider making critical statements to be the only tool I will use in my position as the Human Rights Defender. I will give special importance to the mechanisms of mediation between the public and state bodies (officials), as well as to the formation of a proper atmosphere for the protection of human rights through education.

I am sure that at this difficult stage, the priority goal for all of us should be to honestly look at our problems and find solutions for them with joint efforts, in an atmosphere of mutual respect and cooperation.

I believe that violence does not lead to any end result. At the same time, I am convinced that it is possible to win only by maintaining dignity.

And in this context, I emphasize that each of us individually, as well as we as a collective society, should do everything to preserve our dignity.

I will try to show the rest of my vision and values with my work.

Thank you!”

 11:41,

YEREVAN, APRIL 13, ARMENPRESS. Armenia welcomes the EU’s statement calling on Armenia and Azerbaijan to respect the 1991 line in absence of delimited border and is ready to withdraw its forces to a safe distance from this line, as proposed by the EU, PM Pashinyan said on Thursday.

“In terms of a political assessment of the border situation, I think the statement made by the EU yesterday is important, which emphasized the 1991 line. It is the administrative borderline that existed between the Armenian SSR and Azerbaijani SSR, which went on to become the state border under the 21 December 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration. This line must be respected, the EU statement noted. It emphasizes the need to withdraw the forces of either side to safe distances from this line as a reliable guarantee for stability of the situation. Armenia is ready to take such measure along the entire Armenia-Azerbaijan 1991 borderline. We’ve been expressing our readiness over this issue since 2021. Such actions stem from the logic of the quadrilateral Prague agreements and trilateral Sochi agreements,” PM Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting. 

The Armenian Prime Minister warned that Azerbaijan’s destructive approach hinders such solution. He said that Azerbaijan is systematically displaying its conduct of non-fulfilling international agreements. “It does so in the issue of releasing prisoners of war, maintaining the ceasefire and the issue of non-use of force or threat of force, around which there is a written agreement reached in Sochi, and it does so over its illegal blockade of Lachin Corridor,” Pashinyan said.

 11:31,

YEREVAN, APRIL 13, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Thursday that the situation in the Tegh village section since March 31, which was caused parallel with the deployment of Armenian and Azerbaijani border guards, requires a thorough investigation.

“Regarding the situation in the section of Tegh village since March 31, I think the situation requires a thorough investigation, including in terms of assessing our actions regarding taking the mentioned part of the state border under protection from the beginning,” the PM said.

PM Pashinyan described Azerbaijan’s action in the area as “provocative” and said that Azerbaijan contradicts the 6 October 2022 Prague and 31 October 2022 Sochi statements.

Misinterpretations of maps used in deployment of border guards from both sides of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border in the Tegh-Kornidzor section resulted in Azerbaijani authorities taking positions and conducting engineering works without awaiting the pre-planned adjustments. The Azerbaijani side took positions ranging from 100 to 300 meters deep into Armenian territory in five different locations. An agreement was reached for cartographers to clarify the positions. However, on April 11, Azerbaijani troops ambushed Armenian units near the village of Tegh in an unprovoked attack. Four Armenian troops were killed and six wounded.

 11:46,

YEREVAN, APRIL 13, ARMENPRESS. Armenia remains committed to the policy of resolving the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and the settling the relations with Azerbaijan through negotiations, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said.

“Notwithstanding all difficulties, we continue to be committed and be involved in the policy of resolving all regional issues, the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and the Armenia-Azerbaijan relations, through negotiations. We are also ready for the opening of the regional economic and transport connections, based on our principles expressed previously. We are also ready for delimitation based on the Prague and Sochi agreements,” the Armenian Prime Minister said during the April 13 Cabinet meeting.

 12:25,

YEREVAN, APRIL 13, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Mher Grigoryan on April 12 met with United States Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Todd Robinson in the U.S. State Department.

Grigoryan and Robinson “exchanged views around the ongoing democratic reforms in Armenia, particularly in the police and judiciary,” Grigoryan’s office said in a readout. Both sides acknowledged the Armenia-US high level cooperation in these sectors, it added.

 11:58,

YEREVAN, APRIL 13, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan has met with United States Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo in Washington D.C.

“Deputy Secretary Adeyemo discussed recent economic developments in Armenia. He also highlighted the United States’ global efforts to prevent evasion of U.S. sanctions and export controls imposed on Russia. He affirmed the United States’ commitment to ongoing collaboration between the United States and Armenia,” the U.S. Department of the Treasury said in a readout.

 12:28,

YEREVAN, APRIL 13, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan held a meeting with United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Assistant Administrator Erin McKee at the USAID headquarters in Washington D.C.

Grigoryan and McKee emphasized “the productive cooperation with the USAID and the agency’s involvement in Armenia,” Grigoryan’s office said in a readout. They also “exchanged views on the course of the International Development program in the country, and discussed opportunities for deepening cooperation in various sectors.”

 13:18,

YEREVAN, APRIL 13, ARMENPRESS. The second Azerbaijani servicemen who crossed into Armenian territory on April 10 and was missing since then was found and taken into custody by Armenian authorities on April 13, the Ministry of Defense announced Thursday.

“On April 13, the second Azerbaijani servicemen was found and arrested in the territory of the Republic of Armenia,” the Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

An Azerbaijani soldier was detained in Armenia on Monday after crossing the border. He claimed to have crossed into Armenia together with another Azerbaijani serviceman.

On April 12, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said that the Azerbaijani soldier detained in Armenia on Monday deserted his unit after being ill-treated by his Azerbaijani comrades.