14:59, 3 October 2023

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 3, ARMENPRESS. Turkey’s demands on Armenia shutting down its nuclear power plant are ‘inappropriate and outdated’, Chair of the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee Sargis Khandanyan has said.

“Armenia has its strategy around energy security. Such demands are inappropriate and outdated. Armenia will proceed in a way that stems from our energy security,” the MP said, adding that there’ve been numerous such demands.

He said that the whole world is shifting to atomic energy regarding hydrocarbon reserves.

Turkey has appealed to the International Atomic Energy Agency with a request on shutting down the Armenian nuclear power plant.

However, just last year the International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi said he was pleased to see the safety and security improvements made to the Metsamor Armenian Nuclear Power Plant.

 16:24, 3 October 2023

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 3, ARMENPRESS. French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, who is now visiting Armenia, has welcomed the ratification of the Rome Statute by the Armenian parliament.

Saluting the move in a post on X, Colonna said that Armenia is now becoming a participating country in the international criminal court. “The fight against impunity of crimes is one of the conditions for peace and stability,” she said.

 16:23, 3 October 2023

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 3, ARMENPRESS. The number of forcibly displaced persons who’ve crossed into Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh reached 100,625 as of 16:00, October 3, the prime minister’s spokesperson Nazeli Baghdasaryan said at a press briefing.

21,195 vehicles have crossed into Armenia from NK.

 17:08, 3 October 2023

YEREVAN, 3 OCTOBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 3 October, USD exchange rate up by 11.24 drams to 413.45 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 9.24 drams to 433.09 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.10 drams to 4.17 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 9.57 drams to 498.54 drams.

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

Gold price up by 178.14 drams to 24366.23 drams. Silver price down by 11.00 drams to 287.39 drams.

 17:40, 3 October 2023

YEREVAN, 3 OCTOBER, ARMENPRESS. Head of “Armenia’’ Alliance faction of the National Assembly of Armenia Seyran Ohanyan emphasized that Armenia should raise its voice: the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is not settled, and there is no alternative to the negotiations in an internationally acceptable format. As Armenpress reports, Seyran Ohanyanexpressed this position at the time of announcements in the National Assembly.

The Member of Parliament first emphasized that Azerbaijan, being an aggressor state, today makes use of all the levers to put the entire blame on the Armenian people.

“Presenting the heroic army of Artsakh as a ‘terrorist group’, it dismembers, depopulates, illegally kidnaps dedicated figures of Artsakh naming its operations asanti-terrorist.We all want peace, but under these conditions there cannot be peace with Azerbaijan, which continues to carry out hostile actions against Armenia in an obvious way. For this very reason, Armenia is obliged to speak out that the Artsakh conflict is not settled, and there is no alternative to the negotiations in an internationally acceptable format, as well as to refrain from signing any interstate agreement with Azerbaijan, until Azerbaijan releases the officials, military figures and prisoners of the Republic of Artsakh and stops the encroachments on the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia,” said Mr. Ohanyan.

Azerbaijan launched a large-scale attack against Nagorno-Karabakh from September 19, targeting civilian infrastructures and civilians. Civilians were also killed and injured. On September 20, the authorities of the Republic of Artsakh accepted the proposal of the command of the Russian peacekeeping mission regarding the cessation of fire. In recent days, citizens forcibly displaced from Nagorno Karabakh have been transported to Armenia. As of 16:00, October 3, 100 thousand 625 forcibly displaced persons have been transported to Armenia from Nagorno Karabakh.

 18:24, 3 October 2023

YEREVAN, 3 OCTOBER, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijani media reports about the arrest of the former presidents of Nagorno Karabakh Bako Sahakyan and Arkadi Ghukasyan, President of the National Assembly Davit Ishkhanyan.

In a conversation with “Armenpress” correspondent, Member of Parliament of Nagorno Karabakh National Assembly Metaxe Hakobyan said that she does not have any information about them, as it has not been possible to contact them for several days.

 18:31, 3 October 2023

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 3, ARMENPRESS. State Minister of Nagorno-Karabakh Artur Harutyunyan, Nagorno-Karabakh Minister of Internal Affairs Karen Sargsyan and head of the National Security Service Ararat Melkumyan have been in Armenia for several hours.

State Minister of Nagorno-Karabakh Artur Harutyunyan confirmed the information in a conversation with “Armenpress”, adding that they have arrived in Armenia today.

Earlier, the Azerbaijani media circulated news about the “arrest” of the former presidents of Nagorno-KarabakhBako Sahakyan, ArkadiGhukasyan, as well as the speaker of the National Assembly Davit Ishkhanyan. Probably, the statement is about another illegal kidnapping of an official of Nagorno-Karabakh.

 19:32, 3 October 2023

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 3, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Affairs Ministerof France Catherine Colonna, accompanied by Armenian Minister of Health Anahit Avanesyan, visited the citizens injured in the fuel explosion in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Public TV reports.

The Foreign AffairsMinister transferred the French humanitarian aid to the National Burn Center.Mrs. Colonna stated that they intend to transfer 4 patients to France to continue the treatment there.

“My visit expresses France’s friendship, and not only thefriendship, but also the support and the solidarity, as well as the diplomatic solidarity. France reacted to the tragedyquickly. We will continue to be by your side,” said the French Foreign Affairs Minister.

Catherine Colonna noted that seeing the deterioration of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, the complete blockade, which is a violation of the international law, they have already decided to increase the support intended for Armenia. According to her, it has already been increased to 12.5 million euros for purpose of assisting the forcibly displaced.

 19:47, 3 October 2023

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 3, ARMENPRESS. On October 3, Iran’s humanitarian aid cargo intended for people forcibly displaced from Nagorno Karabakh arrived in Syunik. “Armenpress” learned about this from the official page of Syunik governor’s office on Facebook.

Syunik Governor Robert Ghukasyan and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Armenia Mehdi Sobhani welcomed the cargo in Kapan, the regional center.

It is noted that the humanitarian aid cargo, weighting 60 tons, contains food, hygiene items, warm blankets, heaters, and so on.

 20:08, 3 October 2023

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 3, ARMENPRESS. Since September 29, the employees of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)have helped to find and transfer more than 100 elderly, sick and disabled people from Nagorno Karabakh.According to “Armenpress”, this was stated on the ICRC Armenian mission official page on X (formerly Twitter).

It is noted that the ICRC employees collected and verified information about them, which later enabled the teams to find these people on the spot and to assist them in transportation if they wanted.

“Since September 29, 100 vulnerable people have been successfully transferred to the central squarewith our support, from where the last available buses and ambulances have taken them to Armenia,” the official page reports.