Armenian News - NEWS-am presents the daily digest of related top news as of 06.04.22:

  • Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met today in Brussels for talks mediated by EU Council President Charles Michel.

In March, Armenia accused Azerbaijan of violating a cease-fire agreement when Azerbaijani troops captured the town of Farukh, a strategically important village in Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan rejected the accusation, saying the town was part of its internationally-recognized territory. Armenia’s security council has since accused Azerbaijan of “preparing the ground for fresh provocations and an offensive on Nagorno-Karabakh.”

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan first met with President of the European Council Charles Michel.

The Armenian PM presented the situation in Artsakh as a result of the recent actions of the Azerbaijani units, humanitarian issues and stressed the need for a targeted response from the international community.

A trilateral meeting between the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and the EC head was held afterward.

  • Armenia's political opposition has rallied to demand no territorial concessions to Azerbaijan ahead of the two leaders’ meeting in Brussels, the first face-to-face between the two leaders since December.

Thousands, in the largest demonstration since elections in July 2021, rallied in central Yerevan on Tuesday under a banner reading “Artsakh will not be part of Azerbaijan.”

The rally was organized by the two opposition blocs in parliament, “Armenia” and “I Have Honor,” who accused Pashinyan of putting Armenia’s own security at risk with his conciliatory moves toward Azerbaijan.

"None of us here want war, but we can't surrender to the butcher," Aram Vartevanyan, a senior member of the Armenia Alliance, told the crowd.

The rally also saw a rare public appearance by Serzh Sargsyan, the former president of Armenia.

Sargsyan told reporters he doubted a formal agreement would be reached in Brussels but that Pashinyan and Aliyev may come to a verbal agreement that would be “unacceptable” for Armenians.

Speakers at the rally demanded that Armenia must remain Nagorno-Karabakh’s security guarantor and that the country could not sign a treaty with Azerbaijan that would violate the rights of the Armenian population of Karabakh to self-determination.

In Karabakh itself, the territory’s parliament also issued a statement on the eve of the Brussels meeting calling for “Armenian unity.”

  • A meeting between Russian and Armenian FMs will be held in Moscow on Friday, Russian MFA spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing.

Ararat Mirzoyan's visit will be working.

According to Maria Zakharova, the FMs will thoroughly discuss bilateral cooperation in all spheres, integration alliances and other international organizations.

There will also be a detailed exchange of views on the implementation of the trilateral statements of the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia.

  • The chief prosecutor for the State Bar of California said Tuesday that the agency was taking a fresh look at attorney conduct in landmark Armenian Genocide reparations cases following an investigation that detailed corruption and misdirection of funds in one of the settlements.

The State Bar is reviewing these cases to determine whether there is any new information that would warrant further action, said the bar’s Chief Trial Counsel George Cardona, a former federal prosecutor appointed last year to lead investigations and prosecutions at the agency that regulates the legal profession in California.

The bar previously disciplined one attorney and attempted to discipline two others in connection with the genocide litigation.

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

The sides touched upon the issues on the agenda of the Armenian-US relations, highlighting the further development and strengthening of bilateral cooperation in various spheres. The PM thanked the American side for its support to Armenia in the direction of democratic reforms, noting that the further strengthening of democracy is the policy adopted by the Armenian Government.

Nikol Pashinyan and Antony Blinken referred to the processes taking place in the South Caucasus, the increasing tensions over Nagorno-Karabakh. Nikol Pashinyan presented the situation in Artsakh caused by the actions of the Azerbaijani units, the humanitarian issues and attached importance to the addressed reaction of the US.

  • Russian far-right politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky, known for provocative stunts has died after a long and serious illness, the speaker of parliament said on Wednesday.

Zhirinovsky, 75, was admitted to hospital earlier this year after contracting COVID-19, according to Russian media.

He was known for outrageous statements, including threats to launch nuclear weapons against various countries, seize Alaska from the United States, and expand Russia's frontiers to the point where its soldiers could wash their boots in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean.

According to Russian media reports, Zhirinovsky, who had been in declining health for some time, had been gravely ill for weeks after contracting Covid-19, despite claiming to have received eight vaccine doses.