17:13,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. There is a risk of escalation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said Tuesday.

“I think that there’s a risk of escalation even at this moment,” FM Mirzoyan said at a press briefing when asked whether the likelihood of tensions would grow during the U.S. presidential elections and the EP elections, when international partners will be focused on domestic agenda. “At least the rhetoric we’ve witnessed in the Azerbaijani president’s interview doesn’t allow us to be off guard, not even for a second.”  

FM Mirzoyan said that the Azeri President Ilham Aliyev, in his interview, made explicit territorial claims against the sovereign territory of Armenia.

“We saw them call various Armenian cities and provinces with distorted names, and they called nearly the entire territory of the Republic of Armenia as Western Azerbaijan. There’s always likelihood of escalation. Would this likelihood grow during ongoing elections in various countries? I think it would be rational not to think that way,” he said.

 17:58,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. For Armenia, it is not a matter of principle whether the negotiations with Azerbaijan are conducted through direct contacts or mediators. However, the content of the negotiations and the principal points, which have been repeatedly emphasized and around which the negotiations should take place, are a matter of principle.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized this during a press conference while responding to a question from "Armenpress" regarding the preference for negotiations with mediators or direct contacts.

"For us, this issue is not fundamental. But the content of these negotiations and the principles around which these negotiations should take place are fundamental," said Mirzoyan.

According to the Foreign Minister, the meetings, including the negotiations on the text of the peace treaty, could be described as either mediated or direct, as desired.

“By and large, various partners assisted us in organizing meetings. In some cases, tripartite meetings were held or proposals were made for specific formulations. But at the same time, if desired, we can say that they were direct negotiations because the main part was agreed upon by both parties with each other,” said the Armenian Foreign Minister.

“Armenia is ready to continue negotiations,'' said Armenian Foreign Minister.

 17:59,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. During the press conference on Tuesday, the  Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan referred to the expediency of canceling the tripartite statement of November 9, 2020.

"Armenia has always fulfilled its obligations, unlike Azerbaijan and Russia, and the evidence of non-fulfillment is more than clear and tangible, first of all, regarding Nagorno-Karabakh and the Lachin corridor,” Mirzoyan said.

Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized that Armenia has not undertaken any obligations regarding "the corridor."

The Minister of Foreign Affairs noted that the Republic of Armenia is not only ready, but also interested in achieving the unblocking of the transport and economic infrastructure of the region.

 18:46,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 23, ARMENPRESS.  In Tehran, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan reaffirmed the agreement to open the Armenia-Turkey border for citizens of the third countries and the holders of diplomatic passports, however, there has been no result thus far,  said Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan during the press conference.

"It was discussed and an agreement was reached to open the Armenia-Turkey border for citizens of the third countries and holders of diplomatic passports. We also reaffirmed this agreement with Minister Fidan on October 23 in Tehran.

As you can see, tangible and objective steps have not been taken in this direction, and there is no final result. The border is not open to the people of the mentioned group," said Mirzoyan.

The minister mentioned that there was a study of the infrastructure on both sides, including checkpoints, roads, and bridges, but the border remains closed.

 18:50,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Ararat Mirzoyan, has urged his Russian colleagues to accurately narrate the chronological sequence and refrain from attributing accusations to the Armenian side for which Armenia is not guilty.

Mirzoyan said on Tuesday, referring to the accusation from Russia that the Nagorno Karabakh issue, including the status issue, was closed when Nikol Pashinyan signed a statement in Prague in accordance with the Alma-Ata Declaration.
The Armenian Foreign Minister has accurately presented the sequence of events.

“In August 2022, Russia presented proposals that included the following provision: the status of Nagorno-Karabakh is postponed indefinitely. By the end of August, Armenia agreed to these proposals, but Azerbaijan expressed its disagreement. Subsequently, in September 2022, Azerbaijan initiated an attack on the sovereign territory of Armenia.

Then Armenia turned to Russia and the Russian side stated  that the boundaries are not clear enough, consequently, Russia faces difficulties in assessing the extent to which the sovereign territory of Armenia has been violated.

Afterward, in October 2022, Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a quadrilateral statement in Prague, in which they agreed that the delimitation of borders should occur based on the Alma-Ata Declaration. The declaration specifies the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, coinciding with the administrative border between the two former Soviet republics.

I want to urge my Russian colleagues to narrate  the cause-and-effect relationships and chronological sequence correctly and at least not to attribute to the Armenian side accusations in which the Armenian side has no guilt," said the Foreign Minister.

“On the contrary, there were expected and supposed actions by others, and in the absence of that action, Armenia took concrete steps, including in the form of the Prague statement,'' the FM said.

 19:18,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. Armenia should try to find new allies to address its security issues, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said Tuesday during the press conference, emphasizing that every sane and rational state should always make efforts to find new allies and supporters.

"It has become particularly evident and imperative for us after the 2020 war and the subsequent events. We came up against a situation where our allied mechanisms did not meet our expectations," said the FM.

"Amid the created the situation  it is natural for Armenia to find new allies in the direction of solving its security concerns," Mirzoyan said, denying the information about the signing of documents related to other security systems.

In that context, the FM also recalled the deployment of the EU observation mission in Armenia, which has increased the security level at the border, as well as the statements of the partners regarding the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia and the inviolability of the borders.

 17:39,

YEREVAN, 23 JANUARY, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 23 January, USD exchange rate down by 0.03 drams to 405.12 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.68 drams to 440.37 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.02 drams to 4.60 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 0.21 drams to 515.03 drams.

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

Gold price down by 92.48 drams to 26331.16 drams. Silver price down by 7.84 drams to 289.15 drams.

 20:21,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has advised US President Joe Biden to stop the fighting and not to veto UN Security Council resolutions that seek to establish a humanitarian ceasefire if he wants to resolve the crisis in the Middle East.

The minister made the statement in an interview with CBS television, when asked what advice he would give to Biden on the Middle East, reports Tass.

"Stop the fighting. Don't use veto when a resolution is proposed to declare humanitarian ceasefire. You used vetoes twice. There is no reaction from the Security Council as regards to demand a ceasefire. And of course, don't drag on like your predecessors did for decades on creating the Palestinian state,'' Tass quoted Lavrov as saying.