Official: Armenia will soon return missing plane from IranMarch 16, 2021 - 15:25 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The deputy director of the National Security Service, Tigran Harutyunyan, has said that concrete arrangements have been reached to ensure the return of a missing Armenian plane from Iran, Aysor.am reports. The Boeing 737-300 leased by private carrier Fly Armenia Airways reportedly went missing on February 20 in circumstances that have yet to be fully explained. The air company said the plane underwent repairs in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, and was due to fly to Ukraine for further maintenance, but ended up in Tehran "due to technical problems." Harutyunyan said on Tuesday, March 16 that a criminal case into the "aircraft hijacking" incident has now been launched. According to him, the Armenian authorities are working to return the plane, citing some "technical issues" as a reason behind the delay. The story about the aircraft finding its way to Iran raised some eyebrows, given the international sanctions against Iran. The Foreign Ministry said, however, that the Armenian side has not received a note of protest from the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan. Top stories The number of state universities will be reduced from 23 to 8 by 2030, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan has said. From September 21 to November 11, a total of 2,820 Russians registered at a place of residence in Armenia, the police has said. The situation on the contact line between Karabakh and Azerbaijan was relatively stable overnight, the Defense Army says. Defense Minister Suren Papikyan has visited the southern Armenian province of Syunik, the Defense Ministry reported on March 18. Partner news | Turkey extends military presence in Azerbaijan The Turkish parliament has adopted a bill submitted by Recep Tayyip Erdogan to extend the mandate of Turkish troops. Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills Armenian, Saudi Foreign Minister meet in Riyadh The two commended the positive dynamics of the development of political dialogue between Armenia and Saudi Arabia Pashinyan: Azerbaijan’s proximity shouldn’t worry border residents At the same time, he said that he “does not guarantee [the security of villagers] one hundred percent”. |