10:44,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 17, ARMENPRESS. System of a Down lead vocalist, musician Serj Tankian has called on American pop-rock band Imagine Dragons to cancel their planned concert in Baku, Azerbaijan in order not to “help whitewash the dictatorial regime’s image there.”

“Now it has to be said. A few months ago, it came to my attention that Imagine Dragons had planned a show on Sept 2nd in Baku Azerbaijan. I was sure they were unaware that Azerbaijan’s petro-oligarchic dictatorial regime was starving 120k people in Nagorno-Karabagh which is now being called a Genocide by the former prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo. So through representatives, I sent them a kind letter urging them to reconsider playing their show in Azerbaijan as it would help whitewash the dictatorial regime’s image there. I included various articles including one by Amnesty Int’l who I was told they have worked with in the past. There was no response. No answer, no response. As the humanitarian crisis worsens in Nagorno-Karabagh with starvation already being recorded I am forced to publicize this letter and their disregard for this humanitarian catastrophe. Maybe they felt they had a legal liability to play the show, maybe they just don’t care. My whole life I have been an advocate for genocide recognition and have always said there has to be a price to pay for Genocidal regimes or deniers. Another genocide is looming by Azerbaijan and while this happens they get to enjoy an American band from LV. [expletive] that!
That’s not right. Go to my profile to sign a petition to the band on if you care to sign and you can see my letter to the band on my Facebook page,” Tankian posted on social media.

 10:55,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 17, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani military violated the ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh on August 16, the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) Defense Ministry said in a statement Thursday. 

The Azeri forces used small arms in the shooting in Martakert region around 22:10. Nagorno-Karabakh did not suffer casualties.

The Nagorno-Karabakh authorities said they’ve notified the Russian peacekeepers on the shooting.

 10:59,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 17, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense continues to disseminate disinformation, the Armenian Ministry of Defense warned Thursday.

Azerbaijan has once again falsely accused Armenia of opening gunfire on the border.

“The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan disseminated another disinformation. The statement disseminated by the MoD of Azerbaijan that allegedly on August 16, at around 11:25 p.m., the units of the Armenian Armed Forces fired against the Azerbaijani combat outposts located in the eastern part of the border, does not correspond to reality,” reads a statement released by the Armenian Ministry of Defense.

 11:19,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 17, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Thursday that the UN Security Council emergency meeting gave three results.

“Firstly, the fact that Lachin Corridor is closed was emphasized at the highest international body,” Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting. “It could seem odd to the Armenian society that I am noting this to be a result of the UNSC meeting, but don’t forget that Azerbaijan has constantly and continually claimed that the Lachin Corridor isn’t closed. Thirdly, the UN Security Council discussion affirmed the existence of a humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh and that the lives and safety of the 120,000 population of Nagorno-Karabakh are in question. Thirdly, it was emphasized that the International Court of Justice ruling on ensuring the unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and goods along the Lachin Corridor hasn’t been fulfilled by Azerbaijan. Now we can note that the truth about the illegal blockade of Lachin Corridor and the resulting humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh has been voiced in the highest international body. And the international community made a collective call upon Azerbaijan to end the illegal blockade of Lachin Corridor,” the Prime Minister said, adding that so far the international community’s call hasn’t been realized because 22 trucks with over 400 tons of humanitarian aid are still blocked at the entrance of Lachin Corridor, waiting for the chance to deliver the essential goods to Nagorno-Karabakh.

 11:37,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 17, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has warned that the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is getting worse day by day.

At the same time, farmers in Nagorno-Karabakh are being targeted by Azerbaijani military forces in shootings aimed at disrupting harvesting work, he added. 

“On one hand Azerbaijan has blocked the 100 tons of flour sent by the Armenian government for Nagorno-Karabakh, and on the other hand it doesn’t allow the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to harvest its own grain to have flour. This is yet another fact that substantiates the narrative by international experts that Azerbaijan is committing genocide against the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh through starvation, therefore the opening of the Lachin Corridor must be viewed as a step aimed at genocide prevention. I think the international community ought to focus on this perception,” Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting.

The best solution of the situation would be the lifting of the illegal blockade by Azerbaijan and launching Stepanakert-Baku dialogue within the framework of an international mechanism, the Armenian PM added.

“The Republic of Armenia continues to reiterate its commitment to the peace agenda and calls upon official Baku to refrain from steps aimed at nullifying the historic chance for establishing peace,” Pashinyan said.

 14:55,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 17, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani military has again opened gunfire at a combine harvester in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) Ministry of Defense said in a statement Thursday.

The Azeri troops opened small arms fire around 11:30, on August 17, in the direction of a combine harvester working in the fields of Sarushen.

No one was hurt in the shooting.

Nagorno-Karabakh authorities said they’ve reported the incident to the Russian peacekeeping contingent’s command.

 15:25,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 17, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited Kapan on Thursday on board the Let L-410 Turbolet twin-engine aircraft which will be used for the regular Yerevan-Kapan passenger flights starting next week. 

“Today I visited Syunik Province on the Yerevan-Kapan flight. I also became acquainted with the conditions at the Syunik airport,” Pashinyan said on Facebook.

[see video]

 15:29,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 17, ARMENPRESS. The United States remains deeply concerned about the continued closure of Lachin Corridor and continues to urge Azerbaijan to restore free transit through the corridor, United States National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said at a press briefing on August 16.

“We remain deeply concerned about the continued closure of that corridor in Nagorno-Karabakh to commercial, humanitarian, and private vehicles.  We want to see that corridor opened up again.  We continue to urge the Government of Azerbaijan to restore free transit of commercial, humanitarian, and private vehicles through the corridor expeditiously,” Kirby said.

He added that the White House has maintained a level of dialogue and diplomacy at various levels and is “engaged on a routine basis to see if we can achieve a better outcome diplomatically. “

“…we’re going to continue to stay engaged diplomatically to encourage a peaceful resolution here for an easing of tensions, and certainly to get the corridor open again in Nagorno-Karabakh so that humanitarian assistance and supplies can get to the people that need it most,” he added.

 16:56,

YEREVAN, 17 AUGUST, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 17 August, USD exchange rate up by 0.18 drams to 386.15 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 1.15 drams to 420.21 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.01 drams to 3.99 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 0.46 drams to 492.19 drams.

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

Gold price up by 15.36 drams to 23640.66 drams. Silver price up by 3.67 drams to 281.76 drams.

 17:26,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 17, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan violated the Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire for the second time on Thursday, once again targeting farmers in what Nagorno-Karabakh authorities said is an attempt to disrupt their grain harvest.

In a statement, the Ministry of Defense of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) said that the Azerbaijani military opened small arms fire around 17:00, August 17, in the direction of a combine harvester working in the fields of Sarushen village.

The Ministry of Defense said that it is obvious that by trying to disrupt the grain harvest Azerbaijan seeks to aggravate the humanitarian disaster in Nagorno-Karabakh resulting from its blockade.