Category: 2023

 16:26,

YEREVAN, MARCH 24, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held a meeting on March 24 with the new Ambassador of Georgia to Armenia George Sharvashidze.

PM Pashinyan congratulated Ambassador Sharvashidze on taking office and expressed confidence that his activities will boost the development of the Armenian-Georgian relationship, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a readout.

The Prime Minister praised the Armenia-Georgia cooperation course and attached importance to further expanding the economic ties and initiatives aimed at utilizing untapped potential.

Ambassador Sharvashidze vowed to make maximum efforts to strengthen the Armenian-Georgian ties.

PM Pashinyan and Ambassador Sharvashidze exchanged views around prospects of cooperation and discussed the trade-economic agenda. In this context they attached importance to active contacts and mutual-visits between business circles and their involvement in investment programs.

The importance of the signing of the agreement on introducing simplified visa-free travel requirements between Armenia and Georgia was stressed in terms of strengthening humanitarian ties.

Both sides attached importance to regional stability and peace.

 16:52,

YEREVAN, MARCH 24, ARMENPRESS. The development of relations with China is extremely important for Armenia, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said on March 24.

“The strengthening of relations between Armenia and China is extremely important for us. As you know, China is interested in developing logistic routes, infrastructures, including the Middle Corridor in various corners around the world, and especially in our region. We are also interested in being part of such projects logistically,” FM Mirzoyan told lawmakers during the parliamentary foreign relations committee hearings.

 17:17,

YEREVAN, 24 MARCH, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 24 March, USD exchange rate down by 0.26 drams to 388.07 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 6.14 drams to 416.17 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.03 drams to 5.07 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 4.04 drams to 473.33 drams.

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

Gold price up by 340.54 drams to 24678.37 drams. Silver price up by 6.74 drams to 285.72 drams. Platinum price stood at 16414.1 drams.

 17:11,

YEREVAN, MARCH 24, ARMENPRESS. Armenia and Azerbaijan have found mutually-acceptable, albeit non-ideal wordings in the several rounds of peace treaty talks, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said Friday.

However, he stressed that the issues of primary importance are still under discussion.

“We were able to find non-ideal, but mutually-acceptable wordings around numerous issues,” the foreign minister told lawmakers during the parliamentary foreign relations committee hearings.

“There’ve been discussions, exchange of views, some compromised texts were drafted. Unfortunately, this pertains to the non-priority issues. All priority issues are still under discussion. And I won’t hesitate to say that in most part the positions of the parties are rather far from each other.”

The FM was asked by MP Agnessa Khamoyan to comment whether or not there’s any issue that Armenia and Azerbaijan have thus far agreed upon.

There is no mediation in this negotiations process, FM Mirzoyan said. He stressed that these negotiations are bilateral talks.

He said that Armenia is notifying the three Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – the US, Russia and France – on the peace treaty talks.

Asked which option is being discussed – the version proposed by the West or by Russia, the FM said: ”A Western option simply doesn’t exist. There was a Russian option over the course, meaning there’ve been parameters. We agreed to take it as a basis, but the Azerbaijani side didn’t. The rest is basically the Armenian-Azerbaijani option.”

Neither the collective West nor any individual country has offered an option of a peace treaty, he said.

 17:17,

YEREVAN, MARCH 24, ARMENPRESS. Azeri forces have again opened fire on Armenian farmers in Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh).

The Nagorno Karabakh Ministry of Internal Affairs said “a group of citizens carrying out pruning work in the vineyards of Machkalashen community of the Martuni region” were targeted by Azerbaijani fire on March 23 and March 24.

In a statement issued Friday, the Ministry of Internal Affairs also denied the Azerbaijani accusations on having used the Stepanakert-Ghaibalishen-Lisagor road to transport military supplies.

“The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan continues to spread disinformation that the Armenian side is allegedly using the Stepanakert-Ghaibalishen-Lisagor road to transport military supplies.

Advancing this [narrative], the Azerbaijani side is misleading the international community, preparing the ground for another provocation against the civilian population of Artsakh.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs considers it necessary to emphasize once again that the movement of civilians and the transportation of humanitarian goods are carried out along the forest and mountain road bypassing Shushi, accompanied by Russian peacekeepers.

Taking into account the geographical location of that road, the traffic is organized by large and [high-clearance] vehicles, which the Azerbaijani side misrepresents as military transport.

While Azerbaijan falsely accuses the Armenian side of transporting weapons and ammunition, yesterday, March 23 and this morning, Azerbaijani combat positions targeted and opened fire with weapons of various types and calibers at a group of citizens carrying out pruning work in the vineyards of Machkalashen community of the Martuni region.

No casualties were registered. Agricultural work has been suspended,” the statement reads.

 18:30,

YEREVAN, MARCH 23, ARMENPRESS. Armenia and Turkey have agreed to open the border for citizens of third countries and persons with diplomatic passports until the beginning of the 2023 tourist season, ARMENPRESS reports Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan said at the session of the Foreign Relations Committee of the National Assembly, adding that Yerevan is actively working in this direction.

Presenting the report on the progress and results of the implementation of the Government's Action Plan, the Minister said that the process of normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey continued in 2022.

Mirzoyan reminded that on February 15 he was in Turkey to offer his condolences on the occasion of the many victims of the earthquake.

"We reaffirmed with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey the readiness to open the Armenian-Turkish border for citizens of third countries and persons with diplomatic passports before the start of this year's tourist season," said Mirzoyan.

 19:10,

YEREVAN, MARCH 23, ARMENPRESS. Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov said that Yerevan has not yet clarified its position regarding the decision of the International Criminal Court on arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Not yet. We will discuss this with our partners,” ARMENPRESS reports, Peskov told the Podyom telegram channel.

Earlier it became known that the Constitutional Court of Armenia recognized the Rome Statute as conforming to the Constitution of the Republic. Now the Armenian authorities will be obliged to detain Vladimir Putin on their territory, as well as the children's ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova, in respect of which the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant.

 20:11,

YEREVAN, MARCH 24, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a meeting with the heads of parties participating in the Consultative Assembly on Cooperation with Extra-Parliamentary Political Forces in the Government, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister. 

The meeting was attended by Republic Party Chairman Aram Sargsyan, Chairman of the Christian Democratic Party of Armenia Levon Shirinyan, United Motherland Party Chairman Mher Terteryan, Chairman of the European Party of Armenia Tigran Khzmalyan, “Power of the Fatherland” Party Tigran Arzakantsyan, Sovereign Armenia Party Chairman David Sanasaryan.

 20:44,

YEREVAN, MARCH 24, ARMENPRESS. At the initiative of the Armenian mission to the OSCE, the issue of "Azerbaijan's continuous aggressive policy aimed at aggravating the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and its surroundings and violations of the assumed obligations" was brought to the agenda of the OSCE Permanent Council session on March 23.

As Armenpress was informed from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, during the session the head of the Armenian mission, Ambassador Armen Papikyan, thoroughly addressed Azerbaijan's aggressive policy against Artsakh and the Republic of Armenia, the escalation of the situation in the Armenia-Azerbaijan border zone, and the shooting of an Armenian serviceman by the adversary on March 22.

The permanent representative of Armenia emphasized that since the cessation of hostilities in 2020, Azerbaijan has continued gross violations of trilateral and quadrilateral declarations adopted in various formats, and in practice there is not a provision of these declarations that Azerbaijan has not violated, from keeping Armenian prisoners, hostages, to this day in illegal detention, to the blockade of the Lachin Corridor and obstructing the opening of regional communications.

Armen Papikyan referred to the February 22, 2023 decision of the International Court of Justice, by which Azerbaijan was obliged to take all necessary measures to ensure the uninterrupted movement of people, vehicles and cargo in both directions through the Lachin Corridor.

The permanent representative stressed that the court's decisions are legally binding, but it has been more than 100 days that Azerbaijan continues the blockade of the Lachin Corridor, which is accompanied by actions aimed at creating a humanitarian disaster in Artsakh and demonstrates Azerbaijan's unconcealed policy of ethnic cleansing at the high level.

Armen Papikyan stressed that Azerbaijan continuously prevents the return of refugees and internally displaced persons to Nagorno-Karabakh and neighboring regions, while at the same time resettling the territories of Nagorno-Karabakh under its control in order to change the demographic picture.

The head of the Armenian mission emphasized that the belligerent rhetoric of the Azerbaijani president is aimed at completely disrupting the efforts to establish stability in the South Caucasus and resorting to use of force against both the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.

Highly appreciating the clear statements of a number of countries regarding the need for immediate reopening of the Lachin Corridor, the Ambassador emphasized the imperative of launching the international mechanisms for the prevention of genocides, as well as the dispatch of an international fact-finding mission to the Lachin Corridor and Nagorno Karabakh.

 21:28,

YEREVAN, MARCH 24, ARMENPRESS. The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan has again spread disinformation. The message of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan that allegedly on the evening of March 24 the units of the Armenian Armed Forces opened fire in the direction of the Azerbaijani positions located in several directions of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border zone does not correspond to reality, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Ministry of Defense of Armenia.