Armenian News - NEWS.am presents the daily digest of top news as of 15.03.22:

  • An adviser to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that even in the worst-case scenario the war with Russia may end by mid-April.

Zelenskyy also noted Kyiv has already been given to understand that NATO's "open door" policy does not apply to Ukraine.

He once again urged closing the sky over the territory of Ukraine, but also noted that the probability of a positive decision is low.

While military analysts say unanimously that the Ukrainian military’s resistance and combat-readiness caught Moscow by surprise, the Russian defense management center said that strategically important Melitopol and Kherson cities are under full control of the Russian Armed Forces.

But the fighting is going on all along Ukraine’s big cities.

A strike on a housing block in Kyiv has killed at least two people, the Ukrainian emergency service has said as several areas of the capital came under attack.

The bodies of two people were recovered, 27 people were rescued.

Meanwhile, PMs of the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovenia will travel to Kyiv on Tuesday to meet Zelenskyy.

The purpose of the visit is to confirm the unequivocal support of the entire European Union for the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.

Earlier on Monday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu discussed the latest developments in Ukraine during phone talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Monday, a Turkish Foreign Ministry source told RIA Novosti.

Iranian FM Hossein Amir Abdollahian, in turn, said on Tuesday that his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba asked during a phone conversation to convey a message to Russian FM Sergey Lavrov that Ukraine favors a political settlement of the conflict.

Meanwhile, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has gained attention after calling out Russian president Vladimir Putin for a fight.

"I hereby challenge Vladimir Putin to single combat. Stakes are Ukraine," he tweeted.

The post got over 35,000 retweets at the time of publishing, and 230,000 likes.

  • European Union ambassadors have approved a new package of sanctions against Russia, which will come into force after publication in the Official Journal of the EU, the French presidency of the EU Council tweeted on Monday.

The Committee of Permanent Representatives of EU countries in coordination with international partners has agreed on a fourth package of sanctions, which targets individuals and entities involved in the aggression against Ukraine, as well as several sectors of the Russian economy.

  • Turkey has sent a new batch of the Bayraktar TB2 combat UAVs, ammunition, military equipment, body armor, and helmets to Ukraine, MK reported.

Earlier, Selcuk Bayraktar, technical director of the Turkish military defense giant Baykar Makina, had informed that the MIUS combat UAV was already being manufactured and was named Kizilelma (Red Apple).

  • Armenian FM Ararat Mirzoyan reflected on the 5 principles Azerbaijan put forward for a ‘peace’ treaty to be pursued by Armenia and Azerbaijan.

These principles identified by Azerbaijan particularly include mutual recognition of each other's sovereignty, delimitation and demarcation of borders and opening of transport and communications. Thus, Azerbaijan's listed demands essentially imply a veiled rejection of Nagorno-Karabakh's independence.

Meanwhile, Ararat Mirzoyan noted that the Azerbaijani proposals dated February 21 were passed to the Armenian side only on March 10.

Speaking about the Armenian stance towards the proposals, the FM noted that ‘every negotiation on a peace treaty must be held without preconditions.’

According to him, however, the provisions mentioned in the proposal do not fully reflect the whole agenda of the existing problems.

“It is vital for the Armenian side that the rights and freedoms of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh are clearly guaranteed, and the status of Nagorno-Karabakh is finally clarified. For us, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is not a territorial issue, but a matter of rights,” the FM said.

Ararat Mirzoyan also recalled that the MFA had applied to the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship to organize talks on a peace treaty on the basis of the UN Charter, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Helsinki Final Act.

  • The governor of the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA), Martin Galstyan said that the Central Bank revises its economic growth forecast for Armenia

“Our forecast for GDP growth has been reduced from the previous 5.3 percent to 1.6 percent, which is mainly due to the development of the industry,” he said.

According to him, at the beginning of the year, the CBA had predicted that the country’s industry should grow by 1.6 percent in 2022, but with new developments, there are some problems in mining and manufacturing.

At its meeting Tuesday, the Board of the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) decided  to raise the refinancing rate by 1.25 percentage point to 9.25 percent.

The Lombard repo facility rate is at 10.75 percent. And the Deposit facility rate is at 7.75 percent.

Martin Galstyan also noted that the share of transfers from Russia decreased to 40% in Armenia, while no serious capital outflow is expected.

The share of transfers in Armenia's GDP decreased from 15% to 7-8%, he also added.

The Central Bank also shared the current exchange rates in Armenia.

Thus, the exchange rate of US dollar today, made AMD 507.94, having decreased by over AMD 7 as of Tuesday, while the euro rate has reached AMD 507.94 down by AMD 7.03.

  • Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone talk with the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The Prime Minister thanked the American side for its consistent support to Armenia in the democratic reforms.

The parties noted the need for stability and peace in the South Caucasus.

The two also exchanged views on the delimitation and demarcation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the chances for unblocking communications in the region, as well as the ongoing dialogue between Armenia and Turkey.

The sides also referred to the processes taking place in the international arena, including the situation in Ukraine.

  • Nagorno-Karabakh residents have no natural gas supplies for the eighth day in a row

Since a natural gas pipeline in the territory currently controlled by Azerbaijan was damaged on March 8, talks are being held with the Azerbaijanis, but the latter are hindering the repair work.

Specialists are not even able to visit the territory to find out what caused the accident.

The matter of restoring the natural gas supply in Artsakh is under negotiation, Lusine Avanesyan, spokeswoman for the Artsakh President, told NEWS.am.

Avanesyan informed that the Artsakh residents currently provide heating for themselves with the use of electricity and wood—the latter mainly refers to villages.

  • As of today, the use of tobacco products and their substitutes in all public catering establishments is prohibited in Armenia.

An anti-smoking law was passed by the Armenian parliament in February 2020. It bans smoking while driving cars or buses and imposes a ban on tobacco advertising. The ban on smoking in cafes, restaurants and other public catering facilities entered into force in March 2022.