The Armenian embassy in Russia has condemned what it described as an act of vandalism against a memorial in the southern Russian city of Armavir honoring a historical figure hailed by many Armenians as a national hero.
Armenia’s jailed former President Robert Kocharian heaped praise on Russia for its emerging role in global politics and leveled harsh criticism at what he described as the pro-Western government in Yerevan in an article published on the website of Sputnik-Armenia on November 8.
Describing the current levels of taxes as “heavy” for citizens and the tax legislation as “bad and encouraging tax evasion”, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on Thursday suggested at least two options to tackle the issue.
A change of the status quo in the protracted Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is acceptable to Armenia, “but only if there is a comprehensive solution to the problem.” This was stated by President Serzh Sarkisian in his address to the Armenian parliament today.
Ambassador James Warlick, the United States co-chair of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Minsk Group, believes that all elements of a future comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict “need to be on the table and under discussion.”
Armenia’s recently appointed Prime Minister Karen Karapetian believes it was the right decision for the country to join a Russian-led trade bloc despite what critics see as the absence of immediate economic gains from the move.
Greco-Roman wrestler Artur Aleksanian won in the 98-kg final at the Summer Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil, on August 16 to bring the first Olympic gold medal to Armenia in 20 years.
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu discussed military cooperation with Azerbaijan as well as issues pertaining to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement during his visit to Baku on August 14-15, according to Russian and Azerbaijani media.
Relations with neighboring Iran have vital importance for Armenia, President Serzh Sarkisian said as he received a high-ranking official of the Islamic Republic in Yerevan on Thursday.
Human rights activists and some ordinary citizens in Armenia are questioning the priority of a Russian-jurisdiction trial of a soldier accused of murdering the seven members of an Armenian family in Gyumri.
A leader of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), which once was a major political support base for ex-president Robert Kocharian, would not be drawn into whether the party sought the former leader’s inclusion in its slate the upcoming parliamentary elections as he answered media questions on Thursday.
With Armenian politicians mostly remaining dismissive of the idea of any big changes coming in the former Soviet republic after the announced political reshuffle in Russia, local analysts and media have speculated about potentially wider implications of the back-to-Putin mode in the Kremlin.
Coinciding with the year’s apricot ripening time in Armenia, an annual international film festival named after the country’s most famous fruit is again enabling local critics and movie buffs to keep abreast of the latest offerings of world cinema.
On October 10, 2009, Armenia and Turkey signed two protocols aiming at normalizing relations. But a year on, the future of the protocols remains unclear, as no parliamentary ratification of the documents has taken place in either country.
Armenia’s main opposition has again called on all “democratic forces” to join its continuing push for a leadership change in the country, indicating that last month’s elections to Yerevan’s municipal council swept by the ruling party brought forth no need for changing its further action mode.
