16:21, 9 February 2024

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 9, ARMENPRESS. Human Rights Defender of Armenia Anahit Manasyan on February 8 in Geneva, Switzerland met with the UNICEF Deputy Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia Octavian Bivol.

UNICEF Representative in Armenia Christine Weigand also participated in the meeting.

The discussion focused on the projects implemented in cooperation between UNICEF and the Human Rights Defender's Office, the existing problems in the field of protection of children's rights and ongoing work to resolve them. Other possible directions of cooperation were also outlined, Manasyan's office said in a readout.

 16:48, 9 February 2024

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 9, ARMENPRESS. German authorities have approved an extradition request filed by the General Prosecution of Armenia and a fugitive suspected of embezzling over 28,000,000 drams has been handed over to Armenian authorities.

In a statement, the Armenian General Prosecution only released the initials of the fugitive M.M. The fugitive’s transfer to Yerevan was ensured by Armenian police officers.

 17:24, 9 February 2024

YEREVAN, 9 FEBUARY, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 9 February, USD exchange rate up by 0.08 drams to 404.55 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.19 drams to 435.46 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.02 drams to 4.45 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 0.55 drams to 509.89 drams.

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

Gold price down by 163.19 drams to 26385.80 drams. Silver price up by 0.84 drams to 290.70 drams.

 17:55, 9 February 2024

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 9, ARMENPRESS.  Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Armenia Aoki Yutaka.

The Prime Minister congratulated the Ambassador on assuming the diplomatic mission, attaching importance to the Armenia-Japan cooperation in all fields. In particular, Nikol Pashinyan emphasized the need for consistent development of economic relations and the implementation of consistent steps in that direction. At the same time, the Prime Minister highly valued the cooperation with Japan in the field of crisis management, the PM's Office said.

According to the source, Aoki Yutaka noted that he will make every effort to promote the development of bilateral relations in various directions. The Ambassador emphasized that the government of his country is interested in the "Crossroads of Peace" project presented by the Armenian government.

The interlocutors exchanged ideas on various issues of mutual interest.

Prime Minister Pashinyan wished the Ambassador an effective work for strengthening the cooperation between the two countries.

 18:38, 9 February 2024

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 9, ARMENPRESS.  BBC Travel has published an article about the Armenian alphabet. Sugato Mukherjee, the author of the article entitled “How a 1,600-year-old alphabet shaped Armenian identity", has noted that the Armenian alphabet is not just a writing system, but it's also a numerical system used for mathematical calculations and recording calendar dates, as well as a national point of pride.

In the article, the journalist also has shared his impressions from his visit to the Armenian Alphabet Monument and Matenadaran.

 “I knew that the aesthetically eloquent shapes of Armenian letters, with their long usage in folk art and calligraphy, have made it onto Unesco's Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage. But I had no idea that the dainty, artistic designs are also imbued with secret codes and cryptographs, and endowed with hidden properties.

All the original 36 letters also have an assigned numerical value based on their order in the alphabet. When arranged in four columns and nine rows, the letters in each column respectively represent digits in singles, tens, hundreds and thousands,’’ writes Mukherjee.

 19:20, 9 February 2024

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 9, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan has purchased new Akinci attack unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from Turkey, Trend reports.

According to the information, Akinci attack UAVs have already been adopted into the service of the Azerbaijani Army.

It is noted that President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Aliyev and his son Heydar Aliyev have visited the Air Force military facilities and watched the flyover of the Akinci attack UAVs, put into service.

 19:25, 9 February 2024

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 9, ARMENPRESS.  Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan sent a congratulatory message to Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on the occasion of assuming the post of the Head of the Government, the Prime Minister's Office said.

The message states: "I warmly congratulate you on assuming the position of the Head of the Government of Georgia and wish you success in serving this important and responsible mission for the benefit of Georgia and the Georgian people.

The development and deepening of multifaceted cooperation with friendly Georgia is one of the priorities of the Armenian government's foreign policy.

I believe that establishing a strategic partnership between the Republic of Armenia and Georgia will reveal new horizons for further expanding bilateral cooperation in all fields.

I reaffirm the readiness of the Armenian government and myself to cooperate closely with your government for the benefit of our countries and brotherly peoples."

 20:18, 9 February 2024

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 9, ARMENPRESS.  The meeting of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan and the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France Stéphane Séjourné has commenced in Paris, the foreign ministry said.

''The Armenian Foreign Minister has arrived in France. The meeting of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan and the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France Stéphane Séjourné which encompasses a wide range of issues pertaining to both bilateral partnership and regional issues has launched," the statement reads.

 21:35, 9 February 2024

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 9, ARMENPRESS.  Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan on  Friday had a meeting the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France Stéphane Séjourné, in Paris.

Armenian Foreign Minister Mirzoyan congratulated his French counterpart on assuming the position of the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

The interlocutors discussed a wide range of issues of mutual interest, reflecting on the perspectives of joint close interaction on both bilateral and multilateral platforms.

Referring to issues related to the bilateral agenda, the high-level political dialogue was noted with satisfaction, and there was an emphasis on the willingness to further strengthen multi-sectoral cooperation. The ministers of Armenia and France discussed upcoming high-level events.

According to the source, Ararat Mirzoyan and Stéphane Séjourné also exchanged ideas on the Armenia-EU partnership agenda. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia emphasized the intensively deepening dialogue with the European Union, which is also evolving in new directions aimed at ensuring tangible results for the citizens of the Republic of Armenia.

Issues related to the security situation in the South Caucasus were discussed in detail. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia presented to the French counterpart the vision of Armenia regarding the establishment of stability and peace in the region.

It is noted that Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized the key principles in the process of regulating Armenia-Azerbaijan relations, particularly the importance of territorial integrity and the inseparability of borders, unconditional respect for sovereignty, as well as the need to ensure greater certainty to implement the further process of demarcation based on the Alma-Ata Declaration and the most recent and legitimate maps of the USSR.

According to the source, the Armenian Foreign Minister highly appreciated the special attention and efforts of France aimed at overcoming the security challenges in the South Caucasus, as well as establishing a just and stable peace.

It is noted that ideas were exchanged on issues related to regional transport and economic programs.

 20:51, 9 February 2024

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 9, ARMENPRESS. The Office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs of the Republic of Armenia continues to accept  applications for the iGorts 2024 program.    

This year, the fifth cohort of specialists from the Diaspora will be recruited to work in over 20 Armenian government entities for one year.

Applications for the year 2024 will be accepted until March 4th in Armenian, English, and Russian. Successful candidates who pass the final round of interviews will commence their work in the respective entities starting from September 1 of this year, the Office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs said in a statement.

"Participants in the program will receive a round-trip air ticket to and from Armenia, a monthly salary of 336,000 drams throughout the program, health insurance, and coverage of the residence permit fee for one year.

Through funding provided by the H. Hovnanian Family Foundation, five specialists will be afforded the opportunity to engage in the program and work within the Shirak province.

Candidates can submit their applications through the website of the Office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs by following this link: http://diaspora.gov.am/en/programs/25/fellowship.

The program was added to the Repository of Practices of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and showcased as an exemplary initiative during the EU Future Forum.

For any inquiries, please feel free to contact the Office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs at 

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