13:58,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. The price of Russian gas for Armenia will not change in 2024. Accordingly, the tariff for consumers will remain unchanged as well,  Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan told "Armenpress".

"As of now, we have clear information that the gas price at the border will not change in 2024. And I am confident,  based on that, the tariff for consumers will stay unchanged, as well," clarified Grigoryan.

According to the Deputy Prime Minister, 'Gazprom Armenia' has already signed a contract with 'Gazprom' for 2024, according to which no price changes are envisaged.

The cost of Russian gas at the border with Armenia is 165 USD per 1000 cubic meters.

 15:21,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. The Russian Federation actually supports the implementation of the 'Crossroads of Peace' project presented by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexey Overchuk said on December 15 at the intergovernmental session on economic cooperation between the Republic of Armenia and the Russian Federation. 

“We actually support the implementation of the “Crossroads of the World” presented by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, financing the construction of the fourth tranche of the North-South road corridor  with the funds from the Eurasian Fund for Stabilization and Development.

The amount of support in this direction now amounts to $150 million. The decision to support the construction of the Kajaran tunnel is now at the stage of agreement between the collegial bodies of the fund. The amount of support  for the tunnel will be $200 million,” Overchuk said.

 15:31,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian and Russian parties are currently negotiating regarding the construction of new nuclear power units in Armenia, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexey Overchuk said on December 15 at the intergovernmental session on economic cooperation between the Republic of Armenia and the Russian Federation. 

The Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation emphasized that cooperation in the field of peaceful uses of nuclear energy is an extremely important topic in relations between Russia and Armenia.

"We are grateful that the decision has been made to extend the term of operation of the Armenian NPP, and the Russian company has been appointed as the executor," Overchuk said.

“As for the new nuclear power units, negotiations are also underway," concluded Russian Deputy Prime Minister.

 16:16,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. A consultation was held today chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, in which representatives of about 30 large IT companies participated.

Vice President of the National Assembly Hakob Arshakyan, Minister of High-tech Industry Robert Khachatryan, Minister of Finance Vahe Hovhannisyan and other officials also participated in the consultation, the Prime Minister's Office said in a readout.

"At the beginning of the meeting, the Prime Minister noted that the purpose of the consultation is to understand what problems exist in the sector, to find out the effectiveness of the policies implemented by the government for the development of the sector, as well as to discuss the future tasks.

The representatives of the IT sector presented the problems solved in the sector through the programs carried out by the government, presented their ideas on improving the existing regulations, as well as suggestions for long-term solutions of the existing problems in the sector, reads the statement.

According to the source, based on the results of the discussion, the Prime Minister instructed to create a working group, to carry out follow-up work on the raised issues, to develop an effective solution model, to set a timetable and to present it at the next meeting. The Head of the Government emphasized that seeing Armenia as a technological and technologically developed country has been a strategic goal since 2018. "My message is that the government has that political will, and it is a program thesis for us," added the Prime Minister.

 16:29,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS.  On December 15, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan had a meeting with Tatiana Molcean, UN Under Secretary-General, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, the foreign ministry said in a readout.

According to the source, during the meeting, topics of cooperation between Armenia and the UN institutions, including the UN Economic Commission for Europe, and the implementation of joint projects were discussed. The possibilities of further cooperation on developing sectoral directions, including energy and infrastructure, and the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals were touched upon.

Ararat Mirzoyan and Tatiana Molcean exchanged views on the regional issues as well. In the context of the peace agenda and expected economic benefits, the "Crossroads of Peace" project developed by the Government of Armenia was touched upon.

 16:34,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexey Overchuk at the intergovernmental session on economic cooperation between the Republic of Armenia and the Russian Federation noted that Armenia and Russia have historical, friendly relations based on the principles of mutual respect.

''We and Armenia are allies. Certainly, the high dynamics of our allied cooperation is due to intensive and reliable dialogue at the highest level,” said the Russian Deputy Prime Minister.

 17:58,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. US ambassador to Armenia Kristina Kvien on Friday met with a group of young people from Nagorno-Karabakh to discuss the challenges they have faced and the opportunities they see in Armenia for greater inclusion through civic engagement, informs the US embassy in Armenia, the U.S. Embassy said.

“On Human Rights Day, recognized this week, and every day, the rights of those displaced must be acknowledged and defended,” the embassy added.

 18:03,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan is determined to advance the normalization and peace process with Armenia, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov, stated this during his speech at the 47th meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization, which took place in a video conference format, the Azerbaijani media reports.

Bayramov informed the participants about the current situation in the region in the post-conflict period, as well as the process of normalizing relations between Baku and Yerevan.

 18:20,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. According to the Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mikhail Galuzin, temporary difficulties in relations between Russia and Armenia could be overcome with the prospect of further development of relations between the two countries, TASS reports.

According to the source, Galuzin pointing out the many historical, cultural, humanitarian and economic ties between the peoples of Armenia and Russia, said that the  temporary difficulties in the relations are not only surmountable, but  could be overcome with the prospect of further development of relations between Armenia and Russia.

 11:57,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS.  Bankruptcy court judge Tigran Poladyan has been jailed in pre-trial detention on bribery charges, the prosecution announced Saturday. 

Lusine Martirosyan, the Advisor to the Prosecutor-General, said that a court has approved the prosecution’s motion on remanding the judge in pre-trial detention.

Judge Poladyan was earlier stripped of immunity by the Supreme Judicial Council.