Armenian News - NEWS.am presents a daily digest of Armenia-related top news as of 14.08.2020:

  • As of Friday morning, 276 new cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in Armenia, and the total number of cases has reached 41,299 in the country.

Five people have died of COVID-19 in the past one day, and the overall respective death toll is 814 now.

The total number of people recovered so far is 34,164, and the number of people currently being treated is 6,082.

A total of 181,962 COVID-19 tests have been performed to date.

"I have health problems for some time, which during this time I have tried to resolve in parallel with my work. However, it became clear that they are now incompatible with parliamentary and active political activity," she noted.

Speaking about recent tensions on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border and Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Pashinyan noted that peace can't be achieved through the unilateral actions of Armenia.

"We will be able to have real peace if Azerbaijan will reciprocate Armenian's efforts," he said. 

"And I'm first Armenian leader ever saying that any solution of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict should be acceptable for the Azerbaijani people too. But unfortunately, Azerbaijani president didn't reciprocate to my proposal," the PM added.

The PM also spoke on the COVID-19 pandemic situation in Armenia.

Pashinyan did not agree that his government's actions in the fight against COVID-19 were a failure. According to him, it was too early to make assessments in this regard.

Speaking about opposition in Armenia, the PM said: "I'm very glad that now opposition in Armenia is acting much easier than before the revolution."

The PM also commented on Armenia's relation with Russia and the EU.

"Russia is a strategic partner of Armenia in terms of security," the PM said.

"We are a member of the Eurasian economic union, which is an economic union. And we have a comprehensive, enhanced partnership agreement with the European Union,” Pashinyan added when asked who Armenia prefers: Russia, or the EU and NATO.

Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Zaruhi Batoyan and Gegharkunik Province Governor Gnel Sanosyan were also present at this event.

Batoyan was presenting the capacity of this center to the PM.

But the ministry did not say which country’s citizens these arrestees—who bypassed the checkpoint and entered Georgia from Armenia—were.

A criminal case has been filed under the Georgian Criminal Code article on illegal crossing of the state border—and which sets four to five years of imprisonment.