16:24,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 31, ARMENPRESS. The government will allocate 20,2 billion drams in 2024 for the double extension project of the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant’s lifespan.

The project will be commenced in 2024, Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures Gnel Sanosyan told lawmakers Tuesday.

He said there are two processes pertaining to the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant.

In 2024, 7 billion drams is envisaged for the first, ongoing extension project which began several years ago. “And next year we plan to start the double extension project, the purpose of which is to extend the nuclear power plant’s lifespan until 2036, with corresponding licenses,” Sanosyan said at a parliamentary committee hearing on the 2024 budget.

20,2 billion drams will be allocated next year for this project.

 17:03,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 31, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has met with the newly appointed Ambassador of Poland to Armenia Piotr Skwieciński.

PM Pashinyan congratulated Ambassador Skwieciński on assuming office and wished him success in his work, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a readout.

Prime Minister Pashinyan attached importance to the continuous development of the Armenian-Polish relations in both political dialogue and the economy. He stressed the importance of utilizing the existing potential for enhancing the trade-economic ties.

The forced displacement of more than 100,000 Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of Azerbaijan’s policy of ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh and the current humanitarian situation were also discussed.

Ambassador Skwieciński stressed the willingness of the Polish government to deepen and expand cooperation with Armenia in various directions and added that he will make every effort for the further development of bilateral ties.

Views were exchanged on the Armenian-Polish relations, Armenia-EU partnership and other issues.

 17:10,

YEREVAN, 31 OCTOBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 31 October, USD exchange rate up by 0.74 drams to 403.00 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 4.37 drams to 429.84 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.06 drams to 4.38 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 3.84 drams to 491.62 drams.

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

Gold price up by 237.64 drams to 25882.40 drams. Silver price up by 5.66 drams to 299.95 drams.

 18:02,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 31, ARMENPRESS. France wants the European Union to create an independent watchdog authority to fight corruption in the EU institutions, which have been rattled by ongoing scandals in recent months.

''France’s President Emmanuel Macron and French Secretary of State for European Affairs Laurence Boone are proposing an independent anti-corruption body that would have powers to check officials’ income and spot conflicts of interest,''  Boone told POLITICO’s Brussels Playbook.

 18:18,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 31, ARMENPRESS. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian will pay an official visit to Ankara on Wednesday to discuss the conflict between Israel and Palestinians, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

''The foreign ministers of Turkey and Iran will also hold talks on bilateral ties and other regional issues,'' the ministry said in a statement.

 19:33,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 31, ARMENPRESS. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken Blinken urged members of the UN Security Council on Tuesday to consider “humanitarian pauses” in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza in order to protect Palestinian civilians.

''It means food, water, medicine and other essential humanitarian assistance must be able to flow into Gaza and to the people who need it. It means civilians must be able to get out of harm’s way. It means humanitarian pauses must be considered for these purposes,’’ Blinken said during the ministerial Security Council gathering to discuss the Gaza war.

 18:26,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 31, ARMENPRESS. An Armenian delegation led by the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs of Armenia Narek Mkrtchyan, within the framework of the working visit to Iran, participated in the forum on the development of economic cooperation between Iran and Armenia, in Tehran,  the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of the Republic of Armenia said in a statement.

''The Armenian delegation included around 15 business representatives, who discussed the directions and possibilities of further cooperation with their Iranian partners within the framework of the event.

During the forum, a number of issues of mutual interest in the field of work and employment were discussed, including the development of the labor market.

In his address at the forum,  the Armenian Minister of Labor and Social Affairs praised the role of friendly relations formed with Iran and expressed confidence that  based on the best interests of both nations, further cooperation would continue to progress.

As part of the event, working groups have been established involving the two parties to determine further steps of cooperation,'' reads the statement.

 21:14,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 31, ARMENPRESS. The United Nations chief said Tuesday he was “deeply alarmed by the intensification of the conflict between Israel and Hamas” as fierce fighting raged in Gaza.

The escalation includes “ground operations by the Israel Defense Forces accompanied by intense air strikes, and the continued rocket fire towards Israel from Gaza,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says in a statement.

“I remain deeply concerned about the risk of a dangerous escalation beyond Gaza,” he added.

 18:35,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 31, ARMENPRESS. The financial support provided to the forcibly displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh by the Government of the Republic of Armenia will contribute to an increase of the domestic demand in the short term.

The Governor of the Central Bank of Armenia Martin Galstyan stated this during a press conference Tuesday.

Along with the increase of the domestic demand, Galstyan underscored the importance of the creation of conditions for the forcibly displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh to integrate them into the labor market of Armenia and in everyday life,  since the opposite may lead to certain inflationary phenomena.

The Governor of the Central Bank of Armenia finds two directions for solving the problem: to ensure the employment of internally displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh in such a way that they are included in productive sectors, and before that, in the short term, try to ease their burden.

 20:49,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 31, ARMENPRESS. Russia's GDP has grown by 2.8% over the nine months of this year, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said at a meeting on economic issues, Tass informs.

"The period of adaptation to external challenges has largely passed, and by the end of this year we expect the Russian economy to grow. Based on the results of nine months, the increase in gross domestic product was 2.8% – this is a preliminary estimate of the Economic Development Ministry," the Russian PM said.

According to him, in September, GDP was twice as high – more than 5% in annual terms. 

"By the middle of the year, the economy had almost completely recovered to pre-crisis level," Mishustin stressed.

But he noted that there is still some decline in the oil and gas sector.

He also drew attention to the fact that domestic production and the creation of a supply economy contribute to the overall dynamics of GDP growth.