16:58,

YEREVAN, 19 JANUARY, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 19 January, USD exchange rate up by 0.17 drams to 405.42 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.38 drams to 441.10 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.01 drams to 4.58 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 0.11 drams to 514.07 drams.

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

Gold price up by 29.89 drams to 26241.16 drams. Silver price down by 2.48 drams to 294.65 drams.

 18:02,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan, in response to a question from a journalist of Croatia's public television about efforts aimed at establishing peace, stated that Armenia is engaged in negotiations with Azerbaijan in good faith.

''As I said, Armenia is engaged in negotiations with Azerbaijan in good faith and we are more than interested in establishing lasting peace in our region.

We believe that this will be beneficial not only for the people of Armenia, but for the countries in the region.

However, we see that our constructiveness sometimes does not meet the same constructive approach in the behaviour of our neighbours.

We have been engaged in negotiations by facilitation of the European Union, among other facilitators, and nowadays we see that Azerbaijan, unfortunately, refuses to resume the negotiations in the existing frameworks.

However, we are interested in continuing our negotiations. As I said, we attach importance not so much to the issue of who facilitates the negotiations, but to the principles, according to which the negotiations should continue.

And in this context I would like to emphasize again that those are territorial integrity, recognition of legitimate borders, inviolability of borders, respect for each other’s sovereignty.

These are the principles, according to which, I believe, peace should be agreed. When it comes to participation of Croatia or the European Union in general, I would like to express our appreciation that the EU and Croatia has shown in ensuring security in our region along the borderline.

I’ve already mentioned the EU’s Monitoring mission, but also I would like to express appreciation that Croatia and other EU countries showed in the context of meeting the urgent needs of the refugees who had to flee Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of military operation several months ago in September 2023,’’ the Foreign Minister said.

 18:22,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 19, ARMENPRESS.  Rhetoric and statements of the high-level Azerbaijani officials continue challenging the rule-based order, territorial integrity, sovereignty of Armenia and, hence, the prospects of lasting peace in the region.

Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan announced this on January 19, in Zagreb, during a joint press conference with the Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman.

“Today we exchanged views on international and regional security topics. I thoroughly updated my counterpart on the situation in the South Caucasus. As mentioned, we had earlier opportunities to discuss Armenia’s vision of establishing stability and peace in the region, efforts aimed at overcoming the challenges and developing regional connectivity. Unfortunately, we see rhetoric and statements of the high-level Azerbaijani officials that continue challenging the rule-based order, territorial integrity, sovereignty of Armenia and, hence, the prospects of lasting peace in the region,” the foreign ministry quoted Mirzoyan as saying.

We believe our partners interested in stability in the South Caucasus share the same approach, that peace requires unwavering commitment and genuine interest in lasting solutions. Armenia’s position has been very clear on possible solutions based on well-known principles and agreements. Countries should recognize each other's territorial integrity without any ambiguity.

The peace treaty should provide clear foundations regarding the further delimitation process, which, according to our belief, should take place in accordance with the Alma-Ata Declaration and based on the freshest and legitimate Soviet Union maps. We also are sure that the connectivity that can be unlocked in the region, the economic and transport infrastructures could also help to advance lasting peace in the region.

 We believe that all the infrastructure should be unlocked according to and under the sovereignty and national jurisdictions of the countries and in accordance with the principles of equality and reciprocity.

 Moreover, to promote this idea of peace and connectivity, the Government of the Republic of Armenia came up with the initiative of “Crossroads of Peace”, which is, as I said, about unblocking the infrastructure, increasing the interconnectivity in the region,’’ the Foreign Minister Mirzoyan said.

 18:44,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. We should stress that this year is special for our bilateral relations as we mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. During the past three decades, our states have made important efforts aimed at developing high-level political dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation.

Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan said the abovesaid on January 19, in Zagreb, during a joint press conference with the Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman.

Foreign Minister Mirzoyan expressed satisfaction, noting that the recent reciprocal visits and active interactions reflect the positive dynamics of the bilateral relations as well as the readiness to further enhance the agenda, deepen the cooperation in various fields and different platforms, and, of course, strengthen the ties between the two friendly nations.

“During our discussions today, we touched upon a number of issues of bilateral agenda and possibilities to develop cooperation in different sectors, including economy, culture, IT, tourism and education. Along with the development of the political dialogue, there is huge untapped potential in the economic sphere. While the business forum held in Yerevan during the Minister's visit last February was of particular importance, we are keen to promote and expand the trade and economic cooperation to achieve tangible outcomes,” said FM Mirzoyan.

Mirzoyan noted that they discussed the ongoing processes and steps undertaken to further enhance the Armenia-EU partnership.

“The aspirations of our citizens to see the further deepening of this relationship are based on the shared values upheld by Armenia, Croatia, and the European Union, particularly in the realms of democracy, protection of human rights and other fundamental principles.

At the same time, our commitment derives from the vision of a better and more secure environment for our citizens. Thus, with my Croatian counterpart we looked into the whole spectrum of the Armenia-EU relations covering our democratic reform agenda, people-to-people contacts, visa liberalization dialogue, economic cooperation as well as security matters. In this context, I would like to underline that the Armenia-EU partnership is being enhanced with new dimensions, namely the EU monitoring mission and security dialogue,’’ noted Armenian Foreign Minister.

“Today, we also had the chance to touch upon issues of cooperation in multilateral fora, within international organizations where Armenia and Croatia already have or will further benefit from closer cooperation,” added Mirzoyan.

 18:58,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 19, ARMENPRESS.  Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to Romania, Tigran Galstyan on Friday was received by the Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luminița Odobescu for the presentation of copies of his Letters of Credence.

The Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs congratulated the Ambassador on his assumption of office, wishing him success in his mission and expressing confidence that his tenure will contribute to the further strengthening of friendly relations between Armenia and Romania, the Embassy of Armenia to Romania said on social media.

It is noted that during the meeting, the potential of deepening and expanding bilateral cooperation in various fields, as well as issues related to multilateral cooperation within the framework of Armenia's partnership with the EU, were discussed. Reference was made to the regional security and humanitarian issues, emphasizing the importance of establishing stable peace.

 19:28,

 20:12,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 19, ARMENPRESS.  Estonia has allocated an additional 14 million euros ($15.2 million) in development aid for Ukraine to be disbursed annually, the Estonian media outlet ERR reported on Jan. 19, citing Mariin Ratnik, Estonia's Undersecretary for Development Aid.

Ratnik said that the bulk of the additional aid announced on Jan. 19 would be used for development through the Estonian Center for International Development (ESTDEV), while one million euros ($1.09 million) would be set aside for humanitarian aid.

 20:36,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. The new office of the Honorary Consulate of Italy has been opened in Gyumri.

The opening ceremony was attended by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Italy to the Republic of Armenia Alfonso Di Rizzo, Deputy Governor of the region of Shirak Anna Martikyan, officials of the governor's office, Italy's Honorary Consul in Gyumri Massimiliano Floriani, the Honorary Consul of Germany in Gyumri Alexan Ter-Minasyan, intellectuals and guests, the Office of the Governor of Shirak said.

On behalf of the governor of Shirak Mushegh Muradyan, the deputy governor Anna Martikyan welcomed the attendees and wished the consulate effective work, emphasizing the need to deepen decentralized cooperation between the two friendly countries. Subsequently, the deputy governor and staff officials attended the 'Gran Duo Italiano' concert organized by the embassy.

 21:16,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues Co-Chairs Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06), Gus M. Bilirakis (FL-12), David G. Valadao (CA-21), and Adam B. Schiff (CA-30) released a statement on Thursday condemning dangerous statements made by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in his January 10 interview to local TV networks, laying claim to Armenian territory and refusing to withdraw his troops.

“President Aliyev’s most recent escalatory remarks, including his refusal to remove troops from Armenian territory, follow the same pattern he used in the build up to the ethnic cleansing of over 100,000 Armenians in Artsakh last fall. He makes hostile statements, uses those claims to justify further mobilizing his military, and then takes aggressive action because he believes there will not be any consequences. The international community has sadly proven him right with its inaction over the last few years.

“It is past time we hold his regime accountable for the belligerent rhetoric and actions it has taken against Armenians in the South Caucasus. The United States and our regional partners should use every diplomatic tool, including sanctions, to help guarantee the territorial integrity of Armenia and push back against Aliyev’s blatant threats against it. We call on the State Department and our international partners to take immediate action to halt any further Azeri aggression and ensure Armenia’s safety and security,” reads the statement.