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Margarita Khachatryan, Chair of the “Zinvor” (Soldier) Coordinating Council NGO was also there. According to her, from January of this year to this day, they have applied several times to the Government, but have not received any response.
They expressed hope that at the Government’s meeting today will decide on providing families of all dead military personnel with AMD 30 million, she noted.
Margarita Khachatryan later declared an indefinite hunger strike.
After Thursday’s Cabinet session of the government of Armenia, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan walked out of the building and met with a group of fallen soldiers’ relatives who were protesting outside the government building.
The PM asked the demonstrators to allow the government to resolve this matter over time.
“I, as Prime Minister, am ashamed that we are discussing such matter here because this matter should have been resolved long ago,” Pashinyan noted, in particular. “I apologize that this matter isn’t resolved [yet]. But we [the incumbent Armenian government] have resolved nine years' matter within a year.”
According to him, the payment of benefits along the lines of the 1,000 Drams foundation shall cover back to the 1990s.
“But for that, workplaces need to be registered,” he added. “And people have responded. We have over 65,000 new registered workplaces this year. Payments of the 1,000-dram foundations are also increasing.”
The relatives of deceased servicemen said they were discontent with the meeting with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, but decided to stop the protest.
“I can’t say the Prime Minister’s statement satisfied us. We won’t give up that easily. The Prime Minister said government officials will call us when the Prime Minister returns from his foreign visit, but we’re not sure. We’ll give the Prime Minister five days. If we don’t receive a call, we’ll continue the sit-in and hunger strike,” said Khachatryan.
· Armenian Government decided on Thursday to open an Embassy in Ethiopia (seat: Addis Ababa).
The issue was presented by Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, who noted that diplomatic relations were established between Armenia and Ethiopia in 1993.
The government also decided to open an embassy in Israel.
Asked whether Israel, in turn, plans to open an embassy in Armenia, Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan said as follows: “It’s on the agenda of our dialogue.”
· PM decided to appoint National Security Service Deputy Director Eduard Martirosyan as a temporary acting National Security Service director. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced this at Thursday’s Cabinet meeting of the Armenian government.
He added that First Deputy Chief of Police Arman Sargsyan has been appointed Acting Chief of Police.
Earlier, Chief of Police Valeriy Osipyan and National Security Service Director Artur Vanetsyan have submitted their resignations and Valeriy Osipyan was appointed a chief advisor to the PM.
· The proposal of the Azerbaijani side to exchange prisoners is not only absurd but is a direct violation of the morality and norms of international humanitarian law, said Deputy Head of the Artsakh President’s Office, David Babayan, commenting on the State Commission of Azerbaijan.
“The appeal to international organizations, as follows from the statement, was sent on September 11. Thus, the Azerbaijani side subconsciously gives out its terrorist aspirations - cynically on the day when the whole world celebrates the anniversary of the terrifying terrorist act to demand the return of terrorists,” David Babayan told Armenian News - NEWS.am.
According to him, the Azerbaijani authorities are preparing the ground for even more disgusting actions, and it is possible that to achieve the return of terrorists, they can go on abducting Armenian hostages, including abroad. Countering such trends, David Babayan noted, requires even greater coordination of state structures, organizations and partner countries.
By the way, while offering the exchange, Baku “forgot” about the third prisoner, the citizen of Artsakh Arsen Baghdasaryan.
· At its Cabinet meeting on Thursday, the government of Armenia decided to conduct education and training sessions and exercises, from September 24 to October 5.
The matter was presented by Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan. He noted that these events will be strategic military exercises.
“A very large-scale event is being prepared,” Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said, in his turn. “In those days our citizens will see, observe that processes are taking place. And we hope that those people who have an obligation prescribed by law will also be involved.