Armenia’s acting Prime Nikol Pashinyan on Thursday received a delegation, led by US National Security Adviser John Bolton.

“It is very important to have high-level contacts with the US,” Pashinyan noted in his welcoming remarks. “And our government underscores active Armenian-American dialogue and close cooperation.

In turn, John Bolton noted that the United States supports the efforts of the new Armenian government.

The US National Security Adviser noted that they underscore the development and deepening of Armenian-American relations during this historic period for Armenia.

The Armenian acting PM and the US National Security Adviser exchanged views also on the process to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict; in this connection, they highlighted the need for taking consistent steps aimed at a pacific settlement of this issue.

 

In any case, American weapons are better than the Russian ones, US National Security Adviser John Bolton on Thursday noted at a press conference in Yerevan.

Commenting on the query with respect to the possibility of arms sales to Azerbaijan, Bolton said Armenia was purchasing weapons from Russia, 80 percent of Azerbaijani armament was also Russian, and this fact does not contribute to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict because this is an additional pressure lever for Russia on the conflicting parties, and therefore this situation does not lead to peace.

John Bolton also commented on Armenia’s plans to send a humanitarian mission to Syria.

Bolton said the US also conducts a humanitarian mission. But in his words, the important thing is that this mission does not affect the policy on relations with “regimes,” or terrorists.

The US National Security Adviser added that at his meeting with the Armenian leadership, the latter had assured him that the mission will not be military-oriented.

 

His Holiness Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II met in Vatican with Rome Pope Francis.

The sides discussed issues related to Christian communities in the Middle East, and Churches’ rights in Jerusalem.

The two highlighted the importance to strengthen cooperation in addressing the establishment of peace and solidarity in the world as well as talked about the recent political developments in Armenia and the steps to be taken to overcome the challenges facing the country.

 

The sister-in-law of Armenia’s former Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan,  Luiza Kh. was found dead Thursday under a bridge in capital city Yerevan.

Razmik Abrahamyan, Director of the Republican Institute of Reproductive Health, Perinatology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, told the aforementioned to Armenian News-NEWS.am.

“Luiza was one of our obstetrician-gynecologists,” he added.

And Sona Truzyan, Adviser to Chairman of the Investigative Committee, told us that according to preliminary reports, this was a suicide.

“The identity of the victim is known,” she added. “A 45-year-old woman; a physician by profession.”

 

At Thursday’s Cabinet meeting of the Government of Armenia, it was decided to propose to the speaker of the National Assembly (NA) to convene a special parliamentary session; the latter shall take place on October 31.

The acting Minister of Justice, Artak Zeynalyan, presented this matter at the Cabinet meeting.

The draft law will be discussed with a round-the-clock mode.

Before that, however, this bill will be debated on at the meeting of the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs and Protection of Human Rights.