PreferredArmenian News - NEWS.am presents the daily digest of top news as of 28.03.22:
- The Russian defense ministry said in a statement on Sunday that Azerbaijan has withdrawn its army units from Parukh village area of Nagorno-Karabakh [Artsakh], which Azerbaijan invaded Thursday violating the line of contact.
This came after talks held between Russian peacekeepers and Azerbaijan troops for several days.
The Ministry of Defense (MOD) of Azerbaijan, in turn, has accused the MOD of Russia of "lying."
When the Russian MOD had announced the withdrawal of Azerbaijani forces from the Parukh village area of Artsakh, Baku said that its forces had not withdrawn from the area.
The Armenian MFA, on Monday, shared a map noting that the incursion of Azerbaijani units into Nagorno-Karabakh in the area of responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping contingent is ongoing.
The Artsakh info center noted that Azerbaijani troops continue to remain in fortified positions of strategically important height of Karaglukh, which experts believe to be Azerbaijani goal.
Even earlier, the Russian defense ministry also accused Azerbaijani troops of using Turkish-made UAVs to strike Karabakh troops, while the foreign ministry in Moscow expressed “extreme concern” over the ongoing tensions in the region.
- The international community continues to accuse the situation created in Artsakh.
OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries - Russia, United States and France - have delivered a clear assessment of the last escalation of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh).
They acknowledged that it is a consequence of the movement of Azerbaijani troops
They call for these acts to cease immediately, units to withdraw to their starting positions & respect the ceasefire agreement of November 9, 2020.
Meanwhile, European Parliament member (MEP) Loucas Fourlas noted that Azerbaijanis continue undisturbed to liquidate Armenians.
Russia's Kremlin, in turn, noted that In Nagorno-Karabakh, it is now important to ensure that all parties continue to fulfill the terms of the agreements reached, and that amid growing tensions in the region, the possibility of sending an additional contingent of peacekeepers should be addressed to the Russian defense ministry.
- Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, used a video interview with independent Russian media outlets to signal his willingness to discuss having Ukraine adopt a “neutral status”, and also make compromises about the status of the eastern Donbas region, in order to secure a peace agreement with Russia.
But he said he was not willing to discuss Ukrainian demilitarization, and that Ukrainians would need to vote in a referendum to approve their country adopting a neutral status.
The Kremlin has said peace talks between Russia and Ukraine may get under way in Turkey on Tuesday, adding that it is important the discussions are held face-to-face despite scant progress in negotiations so far.
Russia’s foreign affairs minister, Sergei Lavrov, however, has ruled out any direct meetings between Vladimir Putin and Zelenskiy, saying it would be counterproductive at this point.
Meanwhile, the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol is on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe and must be evacuated, its mayor has warned. Vadym Boichenko said about 160,000 civilians were trapped in the city without power.
However, Ukraine has no plans to open humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians from besieged cities on Monday because of intelligence reports warning of possible Russian “provocations” along the routes, the deputy prime minister, Iryna Vereshchuk, said.
By the way, the Ukrainian military claimed in its latest operational report that Russia had withdrawn troops that were surrounding Kyiv after significant losses
- During the Oscars 2022 award ceremony, Chris Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head, which did not appear to go over well with her husband Will Smith, CNN reported.
While presenting the award for best documentary, Rock joked, "Jada I love you, 'G.I. Jane 2,' can't wait to see it."
The camera cut to Pinkett Smith, who rolled her eyes as she sat next to Smith.
"That was a nice one," Rock said, appearing to respond to the joke not going over well.
Pinkett Smith has been open about her struggle with alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that leads to hair loss.
According to CNN reporter Stephanie Elam, who is in the audience, she could hear Rock getting hit. Smith said twice during the incident, according to Elam, "Keep my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth!"
For viewers at home, censors muted the verbal part of the exchange between Rock and Smith.
Meanwhile, “CODA” has won the 2022 Oscar for Best Picture, ABC News reported.
The film, which is on Apple TV+, is the first streaming movie to win the award.
“Thank you to the Academy for letting our ‘CODA’ make history tonight,” producer Philippe Rousselet said.
