Armenian News - NEWS.am presents the digest of top news of protests in Yerevan as of 24.05.22:

  • Armenian Deputy PM Mher Grigoryan met his Azerbaijani counterpart Shahin Mustafayev today, on the interstate border of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The meeting took place as part of the implementation of the agreements reached between the two countries in Brussels, on joint work of the two national commissions on border delimitation and security.

The two prime ministers discussed organizational and procedural issues of joint activities.  An agreement was reached to hold the second such meeting in Moscow, and the third one in Brussels.

  • Following the Brussels meeting with Ilham Aliyev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan today had a phone talk with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Blinken highly appreciated the efforts of the Armenian government to establish peace and stability in the region, as well as the process of democratic reforms in Armenia. The sides exchanged views on the settlement of the Karabakh conflict, the opening of regional communications, and issues of regional security.

Pashinyan shared his impressions of the trilateral meeting held in Brussels on May 22, noting that he generally assesses it positively, however, he said, unfortunately, after the meeting, comments were made that had nothing to do with the content of the discussions.

Most probably Pashinyan was referring to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s recent comment.

In his phone talk with Turkish President Erdogan the Azerbaijani leader stated that in Brussels, during the talks with the Armenian prime minister and the president of the European Council, the parties came to an agreement on opening the so-called Zangezur corridor, including the construction of both rail and road. Yerevan has denied the existence of any such agreement.

  • Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, also welcomed the third trilateral meeting organized by the President of the EU Council President Charles Michel with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Brussels.

He expressed hope to see practical steps supporting the dynamics towards sustainable peace.

  • On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Armenian-Iranian diplomatic relations, the Ambassador of Iran to Armenia Abbas Badakhshan Zohouri gave an interview to NEWS.am.

During the interview, Zohouri referred to President Ilham Aliyev’s claims to open the salled Zangezur corridor through the Armenian province of Syunik bordering iran.

The envoy once again noted that the need to respect internationally recognized borders is the clear position of Iran, which has been affirmed by all officials at various levels. 

“Of course, we welcome the implementation of the agreements reached between the neighboring countries within the framework of respect for the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the countries, we believe this is useful for increasing stability in the region, and for the well-being of the people of the region,” he noted.

  • Armenian opposition and their supporters stormed today the building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs demanding that minister  Ararat Mirzoyan should resign since they believe he serves the interests of Prime Minister nikol Pashinyan rather than those of the Republic of Armenia.

They surrounded the building first, and after clashes with the police, sticking the Nagorno Karabakh flags on the windows, some opposition members of parliament were allowed to enter the ministry and meet with two deputy ministers.

  • Western countries are engaged in blackmail and intrigues against the CSTO member states, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stated.

Western countries, he said, are trying to undermine allied relations between the CSTO states and are exerting pressure on Russia’s allies. “Undisguised threats, blackmail, intrigues are used”, Shoigu said during a meeting of the CSTO Council of Defense Ministers.

According to him, in this situation, even greater unity is required from the CSTO members and Russia will provide the allies with the necessary assistance in neutralizing threats and defending sovereignty.

  • Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu also referred to the Russian  military operation in Ukraine. He once again noted that Russia does not target civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.

He said a regime of silence is often declared to allow the residents to leave the surrounded settlements, which slows down the speed of the offensive. “But this is being done deliberately in order to avoid civilian casualties,” Shoigu added.

  • The Board of the Warsaw Stock Exchange, Poland, conditionally approved the acquisition of a 65.03% stake in the Armenian Stock Exchange. The Central Bank of Armenia will maintain 25.02% of shares, and the remaining 9.95% are the AMX’s (Armenian Security Exchange) own shares. The Warsaw Stock Exchange will thus become the majority shareholder of AMX.