Weekly update 

20 June

Armenian News-NEWS.am’s correspondent talked to Turkologist Andranik Ispiryan about the election of Turkish diplomat Volkan Bozkir to the position of President of the 75th United Nations General Assembly. According to the Turkologist, what is troubling for Armenia is not only the fact that a Turkish figure is elected President of the United Nations General Assembly, but also the fact that he is a member of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party, which has a strictly negative attitude towards Armenia. For more read NEWS.am.

The USA continues its efforts for the global fight against the COVID-199. Armenia is among over hundred countries that has received assistance from the USA. ARMENPRESS reports ‘’The Voice of America’’ informs the USA provided Armenia with 2.7 million USD.

19 June

Citing the continuing coronavirus crisis, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian announced on Friday he will not travel to Moscow next week to attend a Russian military parade that will mark the 75th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany, informed RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). Russian President Putin invited him to the Red Square parade slated for June 24 when they spoke by phone on June 1. Pashinian accepted the invitation. In a letter to Putin publicized by his office, the Armenian leader said he looked forward to taking part in Russia’s World War Two Victory Day celebrations. “But as it turned out afterwards, the existing epidemiological situation does not allow me to carry out this visit,” he wrote. “Based on that, I decided to refrain from travelling to Moscow. This was discussed in detail and agreed upon by our staffs.” Pashinian added that he still hopes to meet with Putin soon.

18 June

On June 17 Raffi K. Hovannisian, Armenia's first minister of foreign affairs and co-founder of the Heritage Party, took part by videoconference in the 7th European People's Party Eastern Partnership Leaders' Meeting, said A1plus referring to the Heritage Press Service. Chaired by EPP president Donald Tusk, the assembly comprised leaders of sister parties from the European Union as well as European partner countries. During the meeting Raffi Hovannisian, representing Heritage, took the floor to discuss the strengthening of cooperation in the security and good-governance dimensions between the EU and its partners to the east; Armenia's current political situation; and the geopolitical challenges for the region. Against this background, Hovannisian called for a more prudent, objective, and rights-based European approach to the Mountainous Karabagh (Artsakh) conflict and underscored the need to forge a peaceful and equitable solution based on Artsakh's self-determination, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and international recognition.

17 June

The next online-meeting on the Karabakh settlement is planned before the end of July, said Russian Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Maria Zakharova, informed NEWS.am. The CSTO co-chairs are in constant contact with the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia, she noted. According to her, they held a joint video conference last month to discuss the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

16 June

87 lawmakers from the ruling My Step fraction approved on Tuesday the motion to arrest the leader of the second largest faction in parliament Gagik Tsarukyan, said PANORAMA. The motion was sought by the Prosecutor General Artur Davtyan. As the Chairman of the NA Calculating Commission announced, the petition was approved by 87 in favor votes with no abstentions. Earlier today, the parliamentary majority voted to strip Tsarukyan from immunity from prosecution. Two opposition fractions Prosperous Armenia Party and Bright Armenia parliamentary factions didn’t take part in the voting, describing the process as politically motivated.

15 June 

Doctors of Yerevan’s St. Gregory the Illuminator hospital are already actively cooperating with the French doctors who arrived in Armenia to help fighting the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Spokesperson of the medical center Tsovinar Khachatryan told Armenpress that the Armenian and French doctors conducted a joint visit to get acquainted with the treatment process of coronavirus infected patients. The French doctors spent the whole day in hospitals. They held discussions with the local specialists on the treatment process of patients who are in serious and critical condition. A group of French doctors arrived in Armenia via a special flight to help the healthcare system to battle the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the Office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs of Armenia said today.

14 June

Leader of the Prosperous Armenia Party Gagik Tsarukyan was released after almost nine hours of interrogation at the National Security Service. During a short briefing with reporters Tsarukyan reiterated that the actions against him were politically motivated. He also noted that the documents, including the ones related to vote-buying that went viral on social media today, are fabricated. The National Security Service issued three statements shortly. The NSS said the leadership and members of the Prosperous Armenia Party had been engaged in vote-buying during the 2017 parliamentary election campaign. For more information read Public Radio of Armenia. 

Sources: https://en.armradio.am/, https://armenpress.am, https://news.am/eng/, https://www.panorama.am/en/, https://www.azatutyun.am/en,  https://a1plus.am/en.