Aghasi Mkrtchyan, a serviceman in the Defense Army of the Republic of Artsakh was mortally wounded Wednesday at around 8:10pm.

The soldier died at the protection area of a military unit, and under still undetermined circumstances, the Artsakh Ministry of Defense informed.

An investigation is underway to find out the details of this incident.

Armenia’s Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov on Wednesday met in New York, by the mediation of and participation by OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs as well as Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk.

The meeting kicked off in an expanded format, and, subsequently, the two FMs had tête-à-tête. The interlocutors exchanged views on the avenues for settling this conflict, and aimed at the establishment of stable peace in the region, Armenian foreign office said.

The parties agreed to continue the discourse, including along the lines of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs’ forthcoming visit to the region.

Mnatsakanyan held a number of meetings within the framework of the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly, including the meeting with Russia’s Sergey Lavrov.

The judge, the National Security Service (NSS) director, and the Special Investigation Service (SIS) head have been questioned over the wiretapped telephonic conversation.

They were questioned along the lines of the criminal case which the Investigative Committee of Armenia is investigating, and which has been filed on charges of exceeding official powers.

Azerbaijan has not moved the units participating in the recent military drills from the frontline to the initial positions, spokesperson for the Artsakh president Davit Babayan said. 

Davit Babayan added that Azerbaijan continues doing so for many years.

“The situation is the same, the units participating in the military exercises were not moved to the initial positions. We see this and take a note,” he said.

The government of Armenia has approved the 2019 State Budget draft.

The Finance Minister Atom Janjughazyan noted that the outlook for Armenia’s economic growth in 2018 was revised, and therefore now it is expected to be 6.5 percent—instead of the previous 4.5 percent.

As per the minister, Armenia’s national debt will total 50.4 percent, both in 2018 and 2019.

The bill will be submitted to the National Assembly on October 1.

TUMO’s first international center, TUMO Paris, opened its doors in front of students yesterday.

Half of the 1,500 students of TUMO Paris will start their studies this year, while the other half will start from January 2019.

“We got to know Armenia as a country with traditions in science, technologies and education. With the help of Tumo we provide the youth of Paris with all the tools necessary for shaping the future world”, noted Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo.