Year: 2024

The first of its kind among CIS and Central Asian countries, Kazakhstan conducted a historic referendum, encouraging citizens to directly vote on the construction of a nuclear power plant (NPP). Domestically and internationally, the early voter turnout exceeded 50%, highlighting the importance of the election results, which will significantly influence the nation’s energy future, Kazinform…

French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday, October 5, urged a halt to arms deliveries to Israel, which has been criticized over the conduct of its retaliatory operation in Gaza, Le Monde reports.   “I think that today, the priority is that we return to a political solution, that we stop delivering weapons to fight in…

Syria has applied to join BRICS, said the country’s ambassador to Russia, Bashar Jaafari.   “We are very interested in joining BRICS. We have sent written requests to join the organization,” he told TASS on the sidelines of the conference called North Caucasus: New Geostrategic Opportunities.   BRICS has gone through two waves of expansion…

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of cooperation with NATO, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia made a post on the official X microblog. “Together, we strive to achieve and advance regional security through enhanced dialogue and collaboration. Looking forward to building stronger partnership and enhancing our defense capabilities,” the statement on X…

The Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan Zakir Hasanov met with the Minister of Defense of Turkey Yaşar Güler within the framework of the TEKNOFEST 2024 aviation, space exploration and technology festival held in Adana, Turkey.   At the meeting, ideas were exchanged on cooperation in the military, military-technical, military-educational spheres and other issues of mutual interest.  …

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened to use nuclear weapons to destroy South Korea if attacked, state media reported Friday, after South Korea’s president warned that if the North used nuclear weapons it would “face the end of its regime,” CNN reports.   The fiery rhetoric isn’t new, but comes at a time of…

Iran’s foreign minister warned Israel on Friday that if it carries out an attack on Iran, Tehran will retaliate in a harsh way, AP reports.   Abbas Araghchi was in Beirut for meetings with Lebanese officials. His visit came three days after Iran launched at least 180 missiles into Israel, the latest in a series…

U.S. President Joe Biden said, that he does not support strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites in response to its missile attack against Israel, Reuters reports.   “We’ll be discussing with the Israelis what they’re going to do, but all seven of us (G7 nations) agree that they have a right to respond but they should…

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan congratulated his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock on German Unity Day.   “Sending best wishes to my dear colleague Annalena Baerbock on the occasion of German Unity Day! Being united around shared principles also in our partnerships can give a better chance to foster stronger ties and more peaceful environment for…

Reuters. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen agreed to move forward with a reset in relations at pace on Wednesday (October 2) as they eye further co-operation on areas such as security and economic challenges.   Starmer, whose Labour Party won an election in July, has said his…

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan congratulated Mark Rutte on his appointment as NATO chief.    “My sincere congratulations to Mark Rutte on appointment to position of SATO Secretary General. Looking forward to our close cooperation towards further enhancing partnership between Armenia and NATO, based on common values and shared vision to ensure more secure and…

Police in Denmark and Sweden are investigating after hand grenades were thrown near the Israeli embassy in Copenhagen and shots were fired at the Israeli embassy in Stockholm on Tuesday night and the early hours of Wednesday morning, The Guardian reports.   Three Swedish men were arrested in the Danish capital on Wednesday on suspicion…

Yemen’s armed Houthi group claimed on Wednesday that it had launched a fresh missile attack against Israel, Xinhua reports.   “In support to the Palestinian and Lebanese resistances, our forces carried out a military operation targeting military sites deep inside Israel with three cruise missiles,” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a statement aired…

In Strasbourg the PACE Session goes on. The MPs, who are on the waiting list, but have no opportunity to give a speech due to time constraints, can send their speeches for publication. The member of the RA NA delegation to PACE Sona Ghazaryan also took such an opportunity. In her speech the MP noted:…

Israel warned Iran that it will respond to any attack and direct strikes on Iranian nuclear or oil facilities, the Wall Street Journal reports.   Israel’s permanent representative at the UN called Iran a ‘terrorist state’ that showed its ‘true face’ by attacking Israel. According to him, the Israeli response to the attack will be…

Reuters. Shigeru Ishiba was formally voted in by parliament as Japan’s prime minister on Tuesday (October 1) following his victory in one of the closest ever leadership races for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).   The new cabinet members under Ishiba, who succeeds Fumio Kishida, are due to be unveiled later in the day,…

Final agenda for the autumn session of PACE, which will run until October 4, was approved. It includes a debate on the topic: “Deterioration of the human rights situation, rule of law, and democracy in Azerbaijan,” Azerbaijani media report. The debate will take place on Tuesday, October 1, during the afternoon session from 16:00 to…

Before departing for Armenia, Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref announced that he will propose Iran’s membership in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) during his visit to Yerevan.   Aref emphasized that Iran’s fundamental strategy is to deepen cooperation with neighboring and regional countries.

Reuters. Israel’s widely expected ground invasion of Lebanon appeared to be getting underway early on Tuesday (October 1) as its military said troops had begun “limited” raids against Hezbollah targets in the border area.   The military said in a statement that it had begun “limited, localized, and targeted ground raids based on precise intelligence”…

Russian President Vladimir Putin has awarded the Order of Friendship to the former ambassador of Armenia to Russia, Vagharshak Harutyunyan, for his services in strengthening of the ties between the two countries. This is stated in the respective decree posted on the official portal of legal information of  Russia.   “Vagharshak Varnazi Harutyunyan, a citizen…

Sergey Lavrov’s statement is positively evaluated by our government. The fact that Russia will welcome and support reconciliation is a good thing, Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze said, answering the media’s question about the statement of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, according to which Moscow says it is ready to help Georgia “in the process of…

The IRGC’s deputy commander for operations, Brigadier General Abbas Nilforushan, was killed in an Israeli strike on Lebanese territory.   According to IRIB, Brigadier General Abbas Nilforushan was killed during the Israeli attack on Beirut along with the leader of the Lebanese movement “Hezbollah” Seyed Hassan Nasrallah.   Earlier, it became known about the death…

Lebanon’s Hezbollah group confirmed on Saturday that its leader and one of its founders, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut the previous day, abc NEWS reports.   A statement Saturday said Nasrallah “has joined his fellow martyrs.” Hezbollah vowed to “continue the holy war against the enemy and in support of…

Armen Grigoryan, the Secretary of Security Council of Armenia during his working visit to Brussels, met with the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations of the European Union, Gert Jan Koopman. This was reported by Armenia’s Security Council.   At the meeting, the parties discussed the dynamically developing Armenia-EU bilateral relations and indicated the directions…

The Middle East is on the cusp of a major war, which “some people want very much,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, TASS reports.   “The Middle East is again teetering the brink of a major war, which some people seem to want very, very much,” he at a UN Security Council meeting on…

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Friday night summoned the Supreme National Council to an emergency meeting at his home after learning that Israel had targeted his closest ally, Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, in an airstrike in Lebanon, according to three Iranian officials with knowledge of the meeting, The New York Times reports.  …

The West seeks to make transporting goods to the westernmost Kaliningrad Region from other Russian regions as troublesome as possible in order to isolate the exclave, Russian Presidential Aide, Chairman of the Maritime Board Nikolay Patrushev said at a meeting in the Kaliningrad Region, TASS reports.   “In order to isolate the Kaliningrad Region and…

Within the framework of the UN General Assembly 79, the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Germany and Turkey, Annalena Baerbock and Hakan Fidan, was held, during which the Armenian-Azerbaijani relations were discussed.   “Turkey is an important mediator for peace in our neighborhood. Turkey can contribute to a historic peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan….

US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken held a trilateral meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov today in New York during the UN General Assembly High-Level Week, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement after the trilateral meeting in NYC. “Secretary Blinken commended both ministers on…

Russian President Vladimir Putin has spoken about the changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine at a Security Council meeting.   “We reserve the right to use nuclear weapons in the event of aggression against Russia and Belarus, as part of the Union State, including if the adversary, using conventional weapons, creates a critical threat to our…