10:09,

STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 29, ARMENPRESS. President of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) Arayik Harutyunyan has “guaranteed” that the three men kidnapped by Azerbaijani authorities on Monday will “soon” be returned.

“I have some assuring [news],” Harutyunyan said after a meeting with public figures and politicians in parliament. “First of all, I’ll try to establish contact in order to speak with our boys, and get an exact date when they will return. This won’t take long. And they will personally know the name of the official who will bring our boys back to Stepanakert. I guarantee it,” Harutyunyan said.

He called on the families of the kidnapped men to visit his office Tuesday morning.

On August 28, Azerbaijani border guards in the illegally installed checkpoint in Lachin Corridor kidnapped residents of Nagorno-Karabakh Alen Sargsyan, Vahe Hovsepyan and Levon Grigoryan. All three are students who were traveling to Armenia to continue their studies. The transport was agreed upon in advance and was being carried out with Russian peacekeeping escort.

The Foreign Ministry of Armenia called out the Azerbaijani authorities for derailing peace efforts and warned that Baku seeks to perpetrate collective punishment against the entire population in Nagorno-Karabakh.

 10:22,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 29, ARMENPRESS. United States Senator Robert Menendez has called out Azerbaijan for its “outrageous behavior” after three Armenians were kidnapped by Azeri border guards in Lachin Corridor on Monday. 

“Deeply troubled that Azerbaijan continues its outrageous behavior aimed at intimidating Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, withholding humanitarian access, and undermining the critical work of the ICRC. This is unacceptable,” Menendez, the Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said in a post on X.

On August 28, Azerbaijani border guards in the illegally installed checkpoint in Lachin Corridor kidnapped residents of Nagorno-Karabakh Alen Sargsyan, Vahe Hovsepyan and Levon Grigoryan. All three are students who were traveling to Armenia to continue their studies. The transport was agreed upon in advance and was being carried out with Russian peacekeeping escort.

The Foreign Ministry of Armenia called out the Azerbaijani authorities for derailing the peace efforts and warned that Baku seeks to perpetrate collective punishment against the entire population in Nagorno-Karabakh.

 10:28,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 29, ARMENPRESS. On August 28, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan had a meeting with Tanja Fajon, Vice-President and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Bled Strategic Forum in Slovenia.

During the meeting, the interlocutors touched upon the issues of bilateral cooperation between Armenia and Slovenia, ongoing programs, expressing willingness to take steps to activate bilateral political dialogue.

Referring to the damages in Slovenia resulting from the floods – the worst natural disaster since the country gained independence, Minister Mirzoyan expressed Armenia’s solidarity with the people of Slovenia and expressed readiness to provide support in overcoming the consequences of the natural disaster. He emphasized the importance of adequate response and steps to address natural and man-made disasters.

Views were also exchanged on the Armenia-EU partnership and cooperation within international organizations.

Regional security issues were also on the agenda of the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Slovenia.

Ararat Mirzoyan briefed his counterpart on the deepening humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh resulting from Azerbaijan’s illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor and stressed that  Azerbaijan’s policy of keeping 120,000 people under actual siege, aimed at ethnically cleansing the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, should not be tolerated in the 21st century.

Minister Mirzoyan emphasized the imperative to implement legally binding Orders of the UN International Court of Justice of February 22 and July 6, 2023, immediately lift the blockade of the Lachin corridor, and prevent the imminent humanitarian catastrophe in Nagorno-Karabakh. The importance of targeted calls and steps from international partners, including the EU and its member states, was emphasized.

 10:46,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 29, ARMENPRESS. In an apparent effort to whitewash its lengthy record of human rights violations and disregard for international law, the Azerbaijani authorities, who have caused a humanitarian disaster in Nagorno-Karabakh, have now unilaterally decided to send “humanitarian aid” to the victims of their own actions.

Nagorno-Karabakh has been blockaded by Azerbaijan since December 2022. The blockade has led to a humanitarian crisis, with shortages of all essential products.

Azerbaijan had previously claimed to be willing to send supplies through the Aghdam road. This was viewed in Nagorno-Karabakh as an attempt by Baku to subjugate them. Nagorno-Karabakh rejected the offers on receiving any Azeri aid through the Aghdam-Stepanakert road despite the crisis.

On August 29, Azerbaijani news media reported that the Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society will send 40 tons of flour to the Aghdam-Stepanakert road in what Azerbaijan hypocritically described as a “humanitarian gesture.”

 11:21,

STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 28, ARMENPRESS. President of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) Arayik Harutyunyan has revealed that he has been considering stepping down.

Addressing demonstrators Monday evening in Stepanakert City, Harutyunyan said his potential resignation was discussed during his latest emergency meeting with officials on Monday.

“My possible resignation was also discussed, and a few days before I also wanted to resign. Tomorrow or the day after we will have another meeting in a narrow format, and in the event of a decision being made that I shall resign, I will go and serve in the outposts with the militia as early as this Sunday,” Harutyunyan said.

The demonstrators had gathered after Azeri border guards kidnapped three residents of Nagorno-Karabakh in Lachin Corridor.

 11:26,

STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 28, ARMENPRESS. Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) does not negotiate the opening of any road other than the Lachin Corridor, President Arayik Harutyunyan has said.

Addressing demonstrators outside the parliament building in Stepanakert, the Nagorno-Karabakh President said that malnutrition is now the cause of every third death amid the ongoing Azeri blockade.

The demonstrators had gathered after Azeri border guards kidnapped three residents of Nagorno-Karabakh in Lachin Corridor.

“Famine, widespread shortages, pregnant women are suffering miscarriages as a result of this situation. We’ve come to this situation because we had faith in everyone, the major powers, the UN,” Harutyunyan said.

He added that he held an emergency meeting for 6 hours Monday evening with political forces but they did not reach any joint decision. Harutyunyan said as president he has a duty to make a decision, which nevertheless could not get public approval.

“We must solve our food problem, the humanitarian problem in a very short period of time, within a few days,” Harutyunyan said. This comment sparked an angry reaction by the crowd, who said that they are fighting for their right to live in their homeland and build a future, and not for food.

“We are alone. We don’t have friends or support. We will resolve all problems together,” Harutyunyan responded.

He said that they are not discussing the opening of any other roads except the Lachin Corridor.

“Regardless of anything the issue of the road must be resolved. We were waiting so far, we had faith, we believed Putin, we believed Biden, we believed Macron and the government of Armenia…but we are left as hostages,” Harutyunyan said, vowing to resolve the humanitarian issue soon.

 11:53,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 29, ARMENPRESS. The Ministry of Defense of Armenia announced on August 29 that applications are open to women who want to join the military for the new service option.

In June, parliament approved a bill enabling women aged 18-27 to voluntarily join the military for a 6-month service.

The recruits will serve in the training military bases.

Servicemembers will receive a 1,000,000 AMD remuneration upon completion of the 6-month service. After completing the term, recruits will have the voluntary option of renewing their contract for another 5 years under the Homeland Defender contract service option.

 12:22,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 29, ARMENPRESS. Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo will visit Armenia on August 30 to personally lead a humanitarian convoy for Nagorno-Karabakh to the entrance of Lachin Corridor, the Coordinating Council of Armenian Organizations of France (CCAF) announced Tuesday.

The new convoy, sent by the City of Paris, the regions of Île-de-France, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Hauts-de-France, Occitania and Pays de la Loire, will join the Armenian humanitarian convoy and the previously sent French aid truck stranded at the entrance of Lachin Corridor in Kornidzor because of the Azerbaijani blockade.

 13:25,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 29, ARMENPRESS. International Influential Just Drinks Excellence Awards announced the winners’ list for 2023, in which ARARAT won two honorable awards.

ARARAT Cherry from ARARAT Flavors range won prize in two nominations – “Innovations” and “Product Launches”.

“With the ARARAT Flavor range, the company is taking Armenian brandy in a new direction, opening new opportunities to find new customers and embrace the growing mixology culture by introducing new flavor profiles to broaden its appeal,” is mentioned in the announcement of the awards.

By uniting the professionals of the field – including both researchers and connoisseurs – Just Drinks Excellence Awards receives thousands of applications from across the world each year.

It is worth mentioning that ARARAT Flavor range launched in 2019 and is currently producing several flavored drinks such as ARARAT Apricot, ARARAT Coffee, ARARAT Cherry, and the newly launched product ARARAT Honey.

ARARAT Flavor range was aimed at strengthening the brand’s position in the “Premium +” segment and involving new consumers. Produced in the previous years, ARARAT Apricot, ARARAT Coffee, and ARARAT Cherry have been holding the title of “N1 imported flavored brandy worldwide” with their consumption values for several years thanks to the dedicated and consistent work of Yerevan Brandy Company professionals and ARARAT team across the world. This research is done by IWSR – a leading international research company in the alcohol sector.

 14:05,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 29, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Ministry of Economy and the Armenian-American Business Council will jointly organize an Armenia-United States Business Forum on September 25-29 in Los Angeles and Burbank, California.

The Ministry of Economy said representatives from the areas of winemaking, IT and agriculture are invited to participate.

American business circles will become acquainted with the Armenian investment climate and business opportunities during the event.

Participants are invited to register .