Russian, Kazakh presidents discuss situation in ArmeniaMay 5, 2018 - 11:08 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Russian president Vladimir Putin and his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev spoke on the phone on Friday, May 4, to discuss the situation in Armenia, the Kremlin press service said in a statement. The presidents discussed the prospects for bilateral cooperation, as well as issues of regional and international agenda, including the situation in Armenia "Preparations for the meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in Sochi on May 14, 2018, were discussed. A campaign against the Armenian authorities was in full swing across Yerevan and the rest of the republic on Wednesday, after the parliament failed to elect opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan as the country's new prime minister on Tuesday. The founder and head of Civil Contract party and lawmaker from the Yelk bloc, Pashinyan leads the street campaign against the ruling authorities, which has seen thousands of Armenians taking to the streets in massive protests in the past several weeks. Former prime minister Serzh Sargsyan was forced to resign on April 23, and Pashinyan is now seeking the appointment as prime minister by the National Assembly of what he calls “the people’s candidate”, - i.e. himself - the formation of an interim government and snap parliamentary elections. Pashinyan has promised to rid Armenia of corruption and poverty. Demonstrations have been halted since Thursday after the ruling Republican party of Armenia pledged to support Pashinyan’s candidacy. Related links: Top stories Six total incidents have burned 19 old-growth trees. Friday night 8 trees were torched along the beautiful main entrance. The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. Hikmet Hajiyev has said that there is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. Partner news | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. Freedom House concerned by mounting reports of police violence in Armenia Freedom House urged Armenian authorities to investigate this pattern of excessive force and inhumane treatment. CSTO recognizes Armenia’s sovereign right to withdraw Tasmagambetov has said that if Armenia decides to leave the organization, “it will be the sovereign right of Armenia.” |