The French Senate adopted the resolution in support of Armenia and against Azerbaijan

A little while ago, the Senate of the Republic of France adopted a resolution supporting Armenia and proposing sanctions against Azerbaijan. Among other provisions, the resolution of the French Senate

– demands to remove the armed forces of Azerbaijan from the sovereign territory of Armenia and to respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Armenia,
– calls for the release of all Armenian prisoners of war and their return to the homeland,
– suggests that the French government, in cooperation with European partners, plan diplomatic and economic measures in response to punish the aggression carried out by Azerbaijan, including applying sanctions that will target the assets of the Azerbaijani authorities, as well as plan to apply an embargo on the import of gas and oil from Azerbaijan,
– reaffirms the need to recognize the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh and suggests the government establish a humanitarian office in Nagorno-Karabakh.
– suggests the government consider the possibility of supporting the strengthening of the defense capabilities of Armenia.

The resolution was presented by senators Bruno Ratayo, Christian Cambon, Éliane Assassi, Patrick Kanner, Hervé Marseille, and Gilbert-Luc Devinaz.

Armenian Ambassador to France Hasmik Tolmajyan and Nagorno-Karabakh representative Hovhannes Gevorgyan were present at the resolution adoption session as guests of honor.

The newly appointed ambassador of Cyprus presented his credentials to the RA president

The newly appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus Kypros Yorgalis (residence: Moscow) presented his credentials to the President of the Republic Vahagn Khachaturian.

As informed by the RA President’s office, congratulating the ambassador, President Khachaturyan expressed hope that the diplomatic experience of Ambassador Yorgalis will contribute to the further rapprochement of Armenian-Cypriot relations and the development of multi-layered interaction.

The President specifically noted: “In fact, we have a lot to do with each other, because only through a united struggle we can overcome the Azerbaijani-Turkish plans, and most importantly we do not have differences as two countries, on the contrary, I think we should further develop and integrate with each other.”

Referring to the directions of possible cooperation, the President of the Republic emphasized that Armenia is ready for multi-layered interaction with Cyprus, and in this regard, it is advisable to have a diplomatic representation of Cyprus in Armenia.

During the conversation, the possibility of meeting Armenia-Greece-Cyprus in a tripartite format in Yerevan and the importance of such meetings were discussed on both sides.

Metsamor was declared the youth capital of Armenia in 2023

The results of the “2023 Youth Capital of the Republic of Armenia” competition have been summarized in the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports of the Republic of Armenia.

2 cities applied for the “Youth Capital of the Year” competition in 2023: Tsaghkadzor (Kotayk) and Metsamor (Armavir). During the final stage of the application evaluation process, by combining the results of expert evaluation and short message (SMS) voting, the organizing committee of the competition declared Metsamor as the youth capital of Armenia in 2023.
The competition has been held since 2014. The first youth capital of RA was Sisian, followed by Stepanavan (2015), Gyumri (2016), Charentsavan (2017), Ijevan (2018), and Vanadzor (2019), then Kapan (2021), and In 2022, Hrazdan (the competition was not held in 2020).

Rubinyan presented the EU envoys with details on the regulation of Armenia-Turkey relations

On November 15, the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia, Ruben Rubinyan, received the delegation of the European Union and EU member states’ Eastern Partnership special envoys.

The parties emphasized Armenia-EU cooperation, including within the framework of the Eastern Partnership. Issues related to the implementation of the RA-EU Comprehensive and Extended Partnership Agreement were discussed.

At the request of the guests, Ruben Rubinyan presented details on the process of regulating Armenia-Turkey relations. Issues related to the regional situation were discussed.

A private soldier was fatally wounded by a shot of a fellow soldier in a combat position

On November 15, Private Vahe Hovsepyan (born in 2002) received a fatal wound from a gunshot fired by a fellow soldier in the combat position of the N military unit of the RA Ministry of Defense.

Later, RA Investigative Committee initiated a criminal proceeding in accordance with Article 155, Part 1 of the RA Criminal Code, within the framework of which necessary and urgent investigative and other procedural actions are being taken to find out all the circumstances of the case of the murder of a fellow soldier by a serviceman, the Investigative Committee informs.

According to preliminary data, in 2022 on November 15, at around 03:20, in the combat position of the guard station of the N military unit of the RA Defense Force, a mandatory conscript soldier fired from an “AK-103” type assault rifle, as a result of which the senior officer of the position, private V. Hovsepyan, received a gunshot wound,  and on the way to the hospital, his biological death was recorded.

On the same day, the mandatory term private soldier was arrested. An investigation is underway.

RA Foreign Minister presented the position of the Armenian side regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh problem to the special envoys of the EU and EU member states

On November 15, RA Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan received the delegation of special envoys of the EU and EU member states on Eastern Partnership issues.

Ararat Mirzoyan presented the reforms implemented by the Armenian government in various fields, and the steps taken in the direction of promoting democracy, protecting human rights, and strengthening the rule of law.

Issues related to the Armenia-EU bilateral agenda and the implementation process of the RA-EU Comprehensive and Extended Partnership Agreement were discussed.

Noting that there is a high-level political dialogue based on common values ​​with the EU, Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized the development of multi-sectoral cooperation with the EU with continuous and active steps, including within the framework of the Eastern Partnership.

Nikol Pashinyan had a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken

On November 15, RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.  The interlocutors exchanged ideas on the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, in particular, on November 7 in Washington, D.C., and the tripartite meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, RA Prime Minister’s Office reports.

Secretary of State Blinken expressed the willingness to continue support in Armenia-Azerbaijan relations, as well as in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem.

The parties exchanged ideas on the activity and significance of the EU observation mission in Armenia.