Armenian News - NEWS.am presents the daily digest of Armenia-related top news as of 09.02.22:

According to the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, invitations to the forum, which will be held in southern Turkey on March 11-13, were sent to Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Armenian parliament vice-speaker, special envoy Ruben Rubinyan. He said it was the Armenian side that preferred Vienna as the venue for the second round of talks.  "We consulted with our special representative and, as there had been a failure in Geneva in the past, we chose Vienna," Cavusoglu said.

By the way, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu discussed the process of normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations.

According to the State Department, the interlocutors discussed the normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations and additional steps the US could take to support these efforts

According to the Georgian authorities, the country had registered the name “Matsoni” as its geographical indication. Armenian producers had to export “matsun” to Russia via Georgia under the name “Armenian mountain yogurt.”

The Armenia’s Economy Ministry said that as in the case of cognac and champagne in France, the name "matsoni" is registered in Georgia as a geographical indication.

By the way, back in 2011, Armenia’s Ministry of Economy & intellectual property authorities filed an objection against the registration of the name ‘Matsoni’ with the relevant authorities of the European Union and Georgia, arguing that this name can be confused with matsun produced in Armenia. However, the objection was not taken into account, said Gayane Antonyan, press secretary of Armenia’s Economy Ministry.

According to him, allies are always closer than everyone else. CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas said the same: "If Armenia officially applies for CSTO assistance, it will be provided". Zas added that if there is no such confidence, the organization simply will not exist.

The CSTO chief also noted that there are hotbeds of tension on Armenia-Azerbaijan border. He added that the parties have a major task: the delimitation and demarcation of their border.

Zas also added that there is a certain cautious optimism in this regard.

During a two-hour interview with Russian journalist Vladimir Soloviev, Lukashenko said the union state initiated by Moscow and Minsk will include most of the former Soviet republics - Ukraine, Armenia, Kazakhstan and other Central Asian states – in the next fifteen years.

"Armenia can't escape it. You think anyone needs them? They have already seen it," Lukashenko said, adding that Nikol Pashinyan has already witnessed this fact. Meanwhile, the Armenian MFA did not specify the message conveyed to the ambassador.

On Tuesday, Armenian MFA has already commented on President Lukashenko's resonant statements, noting that "the unique geopolitical analyses of the Belarusian President are aimed, first and foremost, at serving his own domestic political agenda, and they have nothing to do with Armenia and its foreign policy."

The jihadist organization used the materials to build armed UAVs. ISIS is known for its UAV program and has used UAVs in Iraq and Syria for general intelligence gathering, as spotters for mortar attacks, and for filming propaganda videos.

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog discussed the possibility of a personal meeting.

During the phone conversation, Herzog wished Erdogan and his wife a speedy recovery from COVID-19.

During the conversation, the two leaders discussed the possibility of an early meeting, the Times of Israel reported, citing a statement from Herzog's office.

Erdogan and Herzog are scheduled to meet in Turkey. Last week, Erdogan said the visit would take place in mid-March. The Israeli side has not confirmed dates for the meeting.

Belfast, Coda, Don't Look Up, Drive My Car, Dune, King Richard, Licorice Pizza, Nightmare Alley, The Power of the Dog and West Side Story will be competing for the top prize for Best Picture.

Will Smith, Andrew Garfield, Denzel Washington, Benedict Cumberbatch and Javier Bardem are up for Best Actor.

Jessica Chastain, Olivia Colman, Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman and Kristen Stewart are nominated for Best Actress. Kenneth Branagh ("Belfast"), Ryusuke Hamaguchi ("Drive My Car"), Paul Thomas Anderson ("Licorice Pizza"), Steven Spielberg ("West Side Story") and Jane Campion ("Dog Power") will compete for Best Director.

  • As the Beijing Winter Olympics continue, Norway top of medal table after medals for Birk Ruud and Joergen Graabak. Ruud claimed gold in men's freestyle skiing big air final.  Meanwhile, Slovakia's Vlhova wins alpine skiing gold in women's slalom run. Snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis wins USA's first gold at 2022 Games. Gold for Germany's Vinzenz Geiger in Nordic combined. And Republic of Korea's Hwang Daeheon wins short track skating gold.

Meanwhile, a figure skater from the Russian team who won the team figure skating title at the 24th Winter Olympics in Beijing is suspected of doping, insidethegames.biz reported.

The doping test was done before the games.

The results of the team tournament may be reviewed, the Russian team may be disqualified.

The billionaire also promises to speak about his regular conversations with public health leaders, including top U.S. infectious disease specialist Anthony Fauci and World Health Organization CEO. In addition, Gates will talk about what it's like to be the subject of conspiracy theories.

As per the specialist, the respective positive test results in the country were 38.5 percent during the last 14 days, whereas they were 10.5 percent in the previous 14 days.

Moreover, the cases of COVID-19 continue to increase in Armenia’s children aged 0 to 18.

The increased cases are reported in all provinces of Armenia, but they are even higher in the capital Yerevan.