17:16,

YEREVAN, 15 NOVEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 15 November, USD exchange rate down by 0.27 drams to 402.92 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 5.19 drams to 437.49 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.09 drams to 4.52 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 6.68 drams to 502.16 drams.

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

Gold price up by 474.20 drams to 25507.42 drams. Silver price up by 3.37 drams to 289.53 drams.

 17:29,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. The CSTO has failed to properly react to Armenia’s security challenges in accordance with its de-jure mandatory obligations for several times, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said.

During question time in parliament, the PM was asked why Armenia is not participating in the CSTO and CIS meetings and whether this means that Armenia is preparing to withdraw from the CSTO.

PM Pashinyan said that Armenia is not opting out of the meetings, but has rather decided not to attend the specific meetings in question due to various reasons.

“Regarding the question whether I am preparing the grounds for something, I am not preparing grounds for anything, because that ground both exists and doesn’t exist, regardless of our preparations. You also asked what security system we worked or ensured our country’s security with. Our most important note regarding the processes taking place in the CSTO and our positions is that unfortunately the CSTO, with its de-jure mandatory obligations, did not give a proper reaction to Armenia’s security challenges, and this has happened repeatedly for several times. With all due respect to all our colleague, we simply note that it is incomprehensible also for our society why every time we go and repeat the same things, say the same things, and not get any reaction, and simply come back. And then the next time we go again and return the same way, without getting a reaction,” Pashinyan said in response to a question from MP Agnessa Khamoyan. 

The Prime Minister said that the “fundamental problem” is that the CSTO is refusing to de-jure record its area of responsibility in Armenia. “This could mean that in these conditions, by silently participating, we could join the logic that would question Armenia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. We can’t allow ourselves such a thing also because we are making such decisions in order to give the CSTO and ourselves time to think over further actions,” Pashinyan said.

He said that Armenia did not reject the CSTO’s deployment of a mission, but it wanted the CSTO to clearly record Armenia’s territorial integrity before doing so.

“We were shown the Republic of Armenia, and we showed the Republic of Armenia [to them] and said that this must be recorded, something the CSTO did not do. We cannot accept such a mission because it would turn out that by doing so we would legitimize the blurred perception of the Republic of Armenia and thus also legitimize Azerbaijan’s invasions in such conditions,” the PM said.

Pashinyan said Armenia is diversifying its security relations because its security partners aren’t selling weapons, also because of objective reasons. “We are looking for other security partners. And we look for and find other security partners, we try to sign agreements, acquire some armaments. This is our policy. And we are not planning to announce a change in our policy in strategic terms as long as we haven’t decided to leave the CSTO,” Pashinyan said.

 18:37,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. This year, the Ministry of Defense has initiated a change in the uniform of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia, Minister of Defense Suren Papikyan said during a question-and-answer session with members of the government in the National Assembly.

"I want to draw your attention to the fact that this initiative is not only about changing the color of the uniform; it also implies a content change. Military clothing must be of very high quality, comfortable and comply with current international standards in all its components. This applies to all types of uniforms. To achieve this, we have announced an open competition with the goal of involving all specialists in Armenia who can present their ideas regarding the new uniform," said Armenian Defense Minister, adding that the Ministry of Defense is actively collaborating with international partners in this direction.

 19:53,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. China's oil imports from Iran have hit record highs as Iran ramps up output despite the threat of further U.S. sanctions, Reuters reported.

China, the world's largest crude importer and Iran's top customer, bought an average 1.05 million barrels per day (bpd) of Iranian oil in the first 10 months of 2023, according to shiptracking data from Vortexa. According to the source, this is 60 percent above pre-sanction peaks recorded by Chinese customs in 2017.

 20:17,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. On November 15, in Brussels Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan delivered remarks at the 15th annual Assembly of Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

The full speech is presented below.

“Dear colleagues, 

This is an honor to address the participants of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum Annual Assembly. I do believe that today, among like-minded partners, we can openly discuss and critically assess the developments both in each Eastern partner state, and on regional and European levels. 

 So, for triggering further discussion let me put forward two questions, reflection on which might be helpful today.

1. What was and what is the Eastern partnership about?
2. What is the role of civil societies in changing the world and the Eastern partnership, in particular?

Back in 2009, when EaP was being launched, it was aimed to strengthen the ties of the partners with the EU and EU Member states based on common values, deepen economic and political cooperation and support reform agenda. If we try to summarize it in one sentence – EaP was launched being about democracy and today it remains about democracy.

I can proudly state that my country remains committed to democracy and democratic values. During the recent years despite the whole challenges that we have been facing – COVID 19 pandemic, war of 2020, military attacks and aggressions against the sovereign territory of Armenia, influx of more than 100 thousand refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of ethnic cleansing, the democratization process and implementation of ambitious reform agenda did not stop in Armenia for a single moment. The Government of Armenia continues to remain committed to the endeavors of the 2018 democratic, non-violent Velvet revolution.

And it is really difficult. It is difficult to sustain democracy if there is no conducive environment. The collapse of the European security architecture, rise of authoritarianism in the world, massive violations of the UN Charter on the one hand and the democratic values on the other, make it necessary to seriously rethink how the EU should position itself. And this requires the EU not only strengthening its links with Eastern Partners, but also the EU encouraging the cooperation among Eastern Partners. 

In this context, I want to commend the European Commission’s decision to recommend the European Council to open accession talks with Moldova and Ukraine and to grant candidate status to Georgia. This decision is welcomed not only by the Government of Armenia, but also people of Armenia, who also have European aspirations. During the last several years we have had an impressive record of joint work to bring Armenia and the EU closer. We are cooperating on implementation of the reform agenda, on realization of flagship initiatives of 2.6 billion euros, and in many other fields. Recently we launched the high-level Armenia-EU Political and Security Dialogue, the second round of which is taking place today in Brussels. I should also commend the decision of the EU to deploy a monitoring mission along the state border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Moreover, the EU is an important partner of Armenia’s peace agenda in assisting our efforts in bringing peace and stability in the South Caucasus. The Government of Armenia has political will to normalize relations with another Eastern Partner – Azerbaijan, and we are ready to move forward to that end on the basis of the principles adopted in Granada by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia, President Michel of the European Council, President Macron of France and Chancellor Scholz of Germany. 

Furthermore, as we believe that peace and stability in the Eastern neighborhood much depends on economic cooperation of the Partners, Armenia has recently introduced the project of the “Crossroads of peace”, as a token of our commitments to the establishment of peace and cooperation in the region and beyond. Armenia is also interested in joining the Black Sea Electricity Cable project, and we hope that the European Union will support this aspiration using its toolbox. 

Ladies and gentlemen, 

Coming to my second question on the role of civil societies, I should confess that no government in the world is able to implement a development agenda nor to combat the challenges alone without you. The times that we are living through are not easy at all, and I definitely know that the issues which I was talking about will not be addressed without your participation, without your criticism but also your support.

And I thank you. 

And this is not the traditional “thank you” that we usually say at the end of our statements, I really want to thank you for the tremendous job that you are doing for Eastern Partnership’s common cause, for our values, for democracy, for peace.”

 20:23,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. Russia is committed to supporting the return process of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians in every possible way, as it is of fundamental importance for the reconciliation process between Baku and Yerevan.

 The spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova, said this during the weekly briefing while responding to a question about Russia's assessment of the prospects for the return of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians.

"We welcome the recent statement of the high-ranking representative of the Azerbaijani president's office regarding the guarantees for the rights, security, and economic well-being of Armenians who want to return to Nagorno-Karabakh. This is a crucial point, and we will actively support this process, considering it of fundamental importance for the reconciliation between Yerevan and Baku, including through the Russian peacekeepers," said Zakharova.

 20:34,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. The delegation led by Deputy Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Hakob Arshakyan  on Wednesday held a meeting with the President of the Syrian Arab Republic, Bashar al-Assad, the Armenian National Assembly said in a statement.

''Expressing gratitude for the invitation and warm welcome, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament noted that Armenia underscores and highly values the warm, friendly relations with Syria. He emphasized the special importance of the Syrian-Armenian community as a stable bridge of friendship between the two countries and peoples.

Referring to the Syrian crisis, Hakob Arshakyan noted that from the very first day of the crisis, Armenia had been in favor of solving the problem through dialogue within the framework of preserving the sovereignty, peace and security of Syria.

During the meeting, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament also discussed the situation in the South Caucasus region and presented the idea of the "Crossroads of Peace" proposed by Armenia. He emphasized the significance of the road map for peace in the region,'' reads the statement.

As informs the press service of the National Assembly, the President of the Syrian Arab Republic  highly appreciated the friendly relations between Armenia and Syria and emphasized the role of the Armenian community in the development of cultural, economic and other spheres of Syria.

“Syria considers Armenians part of its state, society and value system. The problems of Armenia are not alien to us, and we support Armenia in overcoming problems and challenges,” said Bashar al-Assad.

Bashar al-Assad highlighted the importance of inter-parliamentary cooperation, which has consistently been at a high level and plays a key role in the development of cooperation between the two states.

 21:57,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. The second high-level Armenia-EU Political and Security Dialogue took place on Wednesday in Brussels. The parties have issued a joint press release, the foreign ministry said.

''Building upon the inaugural meeting of the dialogue held in Yerevan this January, the meeting confirmed mutual interest of Armenia and the EU to further enhance political dialogue and cooperation in the areas of foreign, security and defence policy. The EU reiterated its unequivocal support to the sovereignty, territorial integrity (29.800 km2) and inviolability of borders of Armenia and welcomed Armenia’s readiness for closer cooperation with the European Union.

During the meeting, the parties touched upon the present challenges to the European security architecture. In this regard, the unacceptability of the use, or the threat of use of force, was strongly highlighted. 

The parties stressed the absolute necessity of establishing durable peace and stability in the South Caucasus. In this regard the EU expressed support to the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan based on the principles of mutual recognition of territorial integrity and inviolability of borders based on the 1991 Almaty Declaration, border delimitation based on relevant USSR General Staff maps that have been provided to the sides, and the unblocking of regional communications based on respect for the sovereignty and jurisdiction of either country, on the basis of reciprocity and equality. Armenia confirmed its willingness to attend leaders’ meeting in Brussels facilitated by President of the European Council Charles Michel. The EU welcomed Armenia’s “Crossroads of Peace” project concept, as an _expression_ of commitment of the Government of Armenia to the establishment of peace and cooperation in the region and beyond.

Armenia highly appreciated the fast deployment of the EU civilian CSDP mission (EU Mission in Armenia – EUMA) along the internationally recognised border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the support rendered by the EU Member States to it. The Armenian side also welcomed the EU’s readiness to involve third countries in the Mission. The parties discussed the possibility of extension of the Mission, as well as non-lethal support to Armenia through the European Peace Facility. The support to Armenia's participation in regional projects such as the Black Sea Underwater Electricity and Internet Cables was reaffirmed. 

The parties also touched upon the issues of mass displacement of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh, reaffirming previously stated positions that the rights and security of the Karabakh Armenians including right to return should be ensured. 

With regard to the Armenia-Türkiye full normalisation process, both parties expressed hope that agreements reached so far, in particular the opening of land border for the third country citizens and diplomatic passports holders, will be implemented in the earliest possible timeframe. 

The participants of the Dialogue also discussed the state of relations with countries in the region, wider geopolitical developments, as well as issues relating to hybrid threats and other security challenges.

The next Armenia-EU Political and Security Dialogue will take place in Yerevan in 2024.

The high-level Political and Security Dialogue was co-chaired by the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Armenia Vahan Kostanyan and Deputy Secretary General/Political Director of the European External Action Service Enrique Mora,'' reads the statement.