Category: 2023

 16:22, 22 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 22, ARMENPRESS. National Mortgage Company RCO CJSC is planning to issue and underwrite AMD-denominated coupon bonds on March 30, 2023.ARARATBANK OJSC will act as an underwriter of bonds.

The placement of bonds will take place on Armenia Securities Exchange through an auction, scheduled for March 30, 2023, at 11:00-13:30. As a reminder, the nominal value of AMD-denominated bonds is AMD 10,000 with 36-month maturity period and 12% coupon yield. The company will underwrite 500,000 AMD-denominated bonds for a total volume of AMD 5,000,000,000.

“Once placed, the bonds will be listed on the Armenia Securities Exchange,” the statement reads.

 16:57, 22 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 22, ARMENPRESS. Secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan held a meeting with the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani on Wednesday in Yerevan. 

Grigoryan and the Iranian Deputy FM “underscored the trend of stable development of cooperation in various areas between the two countries,” Grigoryan’s office said in a readout.

They also “attached importance to ensuring regional security, stability and peace.”

The Secretary of the Security Council presented the current situation along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and around Nagorno Karabakh. Other security issues posing a threat in the region were also discussed.

 17:10, 22 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 22, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan has described the EU civilian mission which was launched in Armenia on 20^th February as “an additional important tool” for the peace process.

“First of all, the mission is a civilian one, secondly, this mission is an additional tool for Armenia which must be served to the general peace process,” FM Mirzoyan told lawmakers during questions time in parliament.

He dismissed rumors and accusations claiming that Armenia is making some sort of “provocations” while “hiding behind the EU mission”.

“Firstly, the Armenian side isn’t making any provocations at all. Secondly, for Armenia, the EU mission is purely a tool which has to additionally strengthen the peace process, stability in the region, as well as the assessment and relay of the objective reality to our EU partners,” FM Mirzoyan said.

 17:15, 22 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 22, ARMENPRESS. Armenia will soon respond to Azerbaijan’s peace treaty proposals with its own proposals, FM Mirzoyan said Wednesday.

The Foreign Minister was asked in parliament to comment on the recent threats by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

“What you are talking about isn’t a new thing. On one hand we have the negotiations process like the ongoing process around a peace treaty, and on the other hand we see the worsening rhetoric by Azerbaijan, its threats and aggressive actions on the ground. We witnessed it on 13 September, when Azerbaijan invaded the sovereign territory of Armenia. We witnessed it with the closure of the Lachin Corridor on 12 December. And regrettably this phenomenon continues. Furthermore, recently both the promotion of Armenophobia and direct threats have become worse. You recall that the Azerbaijani president even said that there won’t be any peace treaty, that they won’t live calmly in Armenia on their 29,000 square kilometers if they don’t accept Azerbaijan’s terms. This stance of ultimatums and rhetoric exists. At the same time, the negotiations over a peace treaty are ongoing. We’ve again received Azerbaijani proposals, we are working on it and our proposals and response will naturally soon take place. Certainly, needless to say the abovementioned rhetoric and aggressive stance not only don’t contribute to the peace process but also create new obstructions on the path of this process,” Mirzoyan said.

He added that Armenia is determined to its goal of establishing peace in the region and will continue to negotiate for establishing lasting and sustainable peace.

 17:24, 22 March 2023

YEREVAN, 22 MARCH, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 22 March, USD exchange rate down by 0.18 drams to 388.17 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 0.70 drams to 418.91 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.01 drams to 5.04 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 0.94 drams to 476.94 drams.

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

Gold price down by 221.68 drams to 24367.11 drams. Silver price down by 0.51 drams to 280.36 drams. Platinum price stood at 16414.1 drams.

 17:28, 22 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 22, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to ensure the return of the displaced Armenian refugees to Nagorno Karabakh and adjacent territories, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said on March 22.

FM Mirzoyan was asked to comment on the matter during questions time in parliament. MP Arusyak Julhakyan inquired on the instructions issued by the Prime Minister to the Foreign Ministry.

FM Mirzoyan said that almost immediately after the 9 November 2020 trilateral statement, Armenia began working with the UNHCR to ensure the return of refugees to Nagorno Karabakh and adjacent territories, the territories that are now under Azerbaijan’s control.

“We have correspondence, several meetings with my participation have also taken place. The issue continues to be discussed. And after the Prime Minister’s instructions another meeting has already taken place, not with my participation and with the participation of a representative of the High Commissioner,” FM Mirzoyan said.

He said that Azerbaijan is creating some obstructions. The foreign minister said that Armenia seeks to act maximally constructively in this issue as well, to find solutions in order for the clause 7 of the statement to be fulfilled.

“Regarding the mechanism of genocide prevention, we’ve been working in this direction for a very long time. And now we’ve intensified our efforts, because now, obviously, as everyone can see, there is a real danger of ethnic cleansing and genocide facing particularly the Armenian population of Nagorno Karabakh.  This is even explicitly seen in the narrative of the highest government officials in Azerbaijan,” the Armenian foreign minister said.

He added that the international community, namely the UN, must act in this direction.

On March 16, PM Nikol Pashinyan said Armenia will urgently initiate international mechanisms for genocide prevention in Nagorno Karabakh, and will also launch negotiations with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees over Nagorno Karabakh IDPs.

 17:39, 22 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 22, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan does not rule out that a trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan will take place in the near future, ARMENPRESS reports, Mirzoyan said during the parliament-Cabinet Q&A session, answering the question of Lilit Minasyan, MP from the "Civil Contract" faction, whether the issue of holding a trilateral meeting was discussed in Moscow.

"Naturally, that topic was discussed. Last year on December 23, such a trilateral meeting was planned between me, the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Russia, the meeting was supposed to take place in Moscow, but the Armenian side did not participate, we postponed our participation in that meeting because the Lachin Corridor was illegally closed by Azerbaijan. In Nagorno-Karabakh, there was a very acute need for food, medicine, and other basic necessities. It is clear that the negotiations are going on remotely at the moment, because we are exchanging our proposals, our ideas regarding the peace treaty, but it can be assumed that at some point the physical meetings and discussions should also be resumed. Yes, that topic was discussed in Moscow, and there is a possibility of such a meeting in the near future," said Mirzoyan.

 17:42, 22 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 22, ARMENPRESS. Armenian FM Ararat Mirzoyan sees a danger of new aggression by Azerbaijan against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, despite the negotiations, ARMENPRESS reports, Mirzoyan announced during parliament-Cabinet Q&A session, referring to the question of possible escalation.

"Of course there is. There is always a danger of aggression, regardless of the negotiations, regardless of the constructive approach shown by the Republic of Armenia in those negotiations. And these days, when we are witnessing such sharp rhetoric and threats, we must state that there is indeed a danger of new aggression, both against the Republic of Armenia and NK, and in the case of NK, also in the form of ethnic cleansing and manifestations of genocidal policy”, Mirzoyan said.

Mirzoyan also welcomed the statement adopted by the PACE Commission regarding Azerbaijan's illegal blocking of the Lachin Corridor. However, he also reminded of the relevant decision by the UN International Court of Justice that Azerbaijan should ensure uninterrupted movement through the Lachin Corridor as provided for by the trilateral declaration of November 9.

"Before this decision and even after this decision, there are many partner states that make this same call. I think that the international community really has something to do here, they should continue this policy and apply more effective measures," said Mirzoyan.

He emphasized that the decisions of the UN International Court are subject to mandatory implementation. And in case of non-compliance, there should be consequences, otherwise the system of international relations will not work at all.

 17:50, 22 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 22, ARMENPRESS. Armenia does not negotiate on the issue of installing a checkpoint in the Lachin corridor, ARMENPRESS reports, Armenian FM Ararat Mirzoyan said during parliament-Cabinet Q&A session.

"Armenia considers that the negotiations on the Lachin Corridor and its regime have long been completed and the regulations were included in the document signed by the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia on November 9, 2020. It says that the Lachin Corridor remains under the control of Russian peacekeepers and Azerbaijan ensures unhindered two-way traffic," Mirzoyan noted.

According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, it is a recorded agreement, and Armenia should already have doubts about the expediency of further negotiations.

"In other words, what is the point of reaching agreements on other issues if they will definitely be violated by Azerbaijan after some time? No, we are not negotiating on establishing an Azerbaijani checkpoint in the Lachin corridor," Mirzoyan stated.

 19:00, 22 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 22, ARMENPRESS. In a declassified information note, the co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of Armenia, Kimmo Kiljunen (Finland, SOC) and Boriana Åberg (Sweden, EPP/CD), today shared their findings with the PACE Monitoring Committee following their visit to Armenia on 17-19 February, ARMENPRESS was informed from the PACE website.

The purpose of their visit was to assess the situation on the border with Azerbaijan and at the entrance of the Lachin Corridor. During their stay, they visited the cities of Jermuk, Goris, and Vardenis, their surroundings, and met with local officials and Nagorno-Karabakh residents, blocked in Goris due to the ongoing obstruction of the Lachin Corridor.

Based on their observations, movement along the corridor is “severely obstructed”, making the transport of some essential supplies impossible. This situation could soon result in a humanitarian crisis.

Referring to the Trilateral Statement signed in November 2020, the rapporteurs called on Azerbaijan to allow an independent assessment of the situation. “We urge the Azerbaijani authorities to authorise an independent fact-finding visit and to allow independent journalists to operate freely in the whole area,”