Author: Slow Shetekauri

The Standing Committee on Economic Affairs of the National Assembly of Armenia on Friday gave a positive conclusion to the ratification of the agreement on cooperation and mutual assistance in customs matters with India. “We [Armenia] are the first to ratify this agreement; the government of India has not yet ratified [it],” said Ashot Muradyan, Deputy Chairman of the State Revenue Committee of Armenia, as he presented the respective initiative. According to him, this agreement was signed on June 23 in Brussels. It provides for the provision of mutual administrative assistance in matters related to customs, as well as the…

Brussels (3/12) Governments may be doing great while the people suffer. Bombing of the Nordstream 2 pipeline, carrying cheap Russian natural gas to industry and consumers in Europe, is exerting a cascading effect on companies and employment, eventually to be reflected in rising places and sharpening inflation. Russia is steadily experiencing price increases for a variety of goods and services, Russian media report. Is there obviously not a link to the sanctions placed on Russia and the seizure of Russian funds and savings abroad? Punishment for Russia’s “Special Military Operation” to purportedly protect Russian-speaking citizens in eastern Ukraine from state…

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held calls with the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders yesterday to discuss stalled peace talks between the Caucasus rivals. Washington, Brussels and Moscow have all been engaged in diplomatic efforts to normalize relations between the two countries, but a broad peace deal has remained elusive. Azerbaijan refused to participate in talks that were planned in the U.S. earlier this month over what it called Washington’s “biased” position. In a phone call with Azerbaijani President İlham Aliyev yesterday, Blinken highlighted the United States’ “enduring relations with Azerbaijan,” but also “noted recent points of concern in the relationship,” his spokesman Matthew Miller…

Yerevan has addressed the European Union with a proposal to deepen cooperation in various directions and expand cooperation even in the security sphere. The Secretary of the Armenian Security Council spoke about it during the conference “Armenia-Europe: Armenia’s Strategic Future” in Brussels. Armen Grigoryan did not give any other details. In response to the journalists’ qualifying questions, he only said that “Armenia is considering all instruments with the help of which it is possible to ensure the country’s security”. Speaking at the conference, the Secretary of the Security Council touched upon not only Armenia’s cooperation with the EU and proximity to Europe, loyalty…

On October 21, Ukraine stated that Russian military units have started using ‘complex’ aerial tactics to strike targets in the southern region of Ukraine. During an on-air statement, Natalia Humeniuk, the spokesperson for Ukraine’s Southern Operational Command, said that the primary focus of Russian forces has transitioned to aerial operations.  She explained that Russian military units are utilizing an array of weaponry, including surface-to-surface missiles, anti-aircraft missiles, and precision-guided aerial munitions to target areas both along the front lines and in more distant locations. “They are activating tactical aviation, using ground-based missile systems, and launching missiles with anti-aircraft missiles. In particular, a…

Armenia was the first kingdom to adopt Christianity as its state religion. Its two-thousand-year-old religious, spiritual and architectural heritage bears witness to the importance of keeping the Christian presence alive and rooted in the Caucasus. Armenia was the first kingdom to adopt Christianity as its state religion. Its two-thousand-year-old religious, spiritual, and architectural heritage bears witness to the importance of keeping the Christian presence alive and rooted in the Caucasus. “The churches and monasteries of Nagorno-Karabakh must be respected and protected”, Pope Francis said after the Angelus on Sunday, 15 October, expressing his concern for the humanitarian situation of displaced…

Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned a small group of lawmakers last week that his department is tracking the possibility that Azerbaijan could soon invade Armenia, according to two people familiar with the conversation. The call indicates the depth of concern in the administration about Azerbaijan’s operations against a breakaway region in the west of the country and the possibility of the conflict spreading. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has previously called on Armenia to open a “corridor” along its southern border, linking mainland Azerbaijan to an exclave that borders Turkey and Iran. Aliyev has threatened to solve the issue “by force.”…

As few as 50 to 1,000 ethnic Armenians are reported to be left in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan after the exodus of recent days saw more than 100,000 flee, the first UN mission to the region in 30 years reported on Monday. In a statement issued following Sunday’s mission led by the UN’s Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan, together with other senior agency officials, they heard and saw for themselves that in the city of Khankendi at least, there were no signs of damage to public buildings. “The mission was struck by the sudden manner in which the local population left their homes…

Dublin, London (9/10 – 25) The pool stage of the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France reached its final day on Sunday. The eight quarter-final contenders who will compete on 14 and 15 October are now confirmed. Host France are the Pool A winner, followed by three-time champion New Zealand. Italy finished third in Pool A, neatly qualifying them for the 2027 Rugby World Cup. From Pool B, current World Number One Ireland are flexing their muscles with a perfect record: four wins out of four matches makes them Group Winner. Defending champion South Africa finished second, with Scotland managing…

Pay raises of $11,000 for state law enforcement officers during the last two years still haven’t solved recruitment and retention challenges for a Georgia State Patrol forced into a bidding war. “Agencies are competing over an ever-decreasing pool of candidates,” Lt. Col. William “Billy” Hitchens III, deputy commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety, told a state House “working group.” Despite the raises, Georgia is 36th in the nation in trooper salaries and 50th in number of troopers per capita, Hitchens said. House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington, formed the House Working Group on Public Safety earlier this year to…