EU issues statement on Armenian POWs in Baku, human skull found in Armenia village, 29.04.21 digest

EU issues statement on Armenian POWs in Baku, human skull found in Armenia village, 29.04.21 digest

Armenian News - NEWS.am presents the daily digest of Armenia-related top news as of 29.04.21:

EU

The European Union [(EU)] has issued a statement on the Armenian POWs.

The EU welcomes the consolidation of the ceasefire on the ground, and some positive results achieved on issues such as the repatriation of human remains and the provision of humanitarian assistance to populations severely affected by the conflict.

The EU reiterates that renewed efforts are necessary to build confidence between both countries and make progress towards sustainable peace. This includes refraining from hostile and offensive rhetoric, finalizing, as soon as possible, the return of all remaining prisoners of war and detained persons, regardless of the circumstances of their arrest, and cooperating also on other important issues such as demining.

KOCHARYAN

Ex-President Robert Kocharyan said Armenia can bring back Artsakh’s Shushi, Hadrut through negotiations.

"We have sufficient grounds to try to resolve the issue of Shushi and Hadrut through legal, negotiated means. Here we have grounds to push this issue forward," Kocharyan noted.

HARUTYUNYAN

Artsakh [Nagorno-Karabakh] president Arayik Harutyunyan's statement on the last war has provoked heated discussions on social media platforms.

According to him, Armenia political forces had considered ending the war in early October treachery.

He presented the course of the recent 44-day war, noting that its consequences were clear to him already in early October, but the political forces in Armenia had not reached common grounds in this regard. "No political consensus or a single view is formed—opposition, pro-government, government—, and it seems they had considered stopping the war that day a treachery," he said.

PESKOV

Washington's recognition of the Armenian genocide has no compassion for the Armenian people, Russian president's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov noted.

"I think that to a greater extent this is the recognition of the genocide by Washington, most likely, this is an integral part of their favorite carrot-and-stick policy," he added.

According to him, Joe Biden's recognition of genocide 'is not a desire to sympathize with the Armenian people, and not a desire to deeply understand the history of the Ottoman Empire, the history of Armenia.'

CATHOLICOS

Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II on Thursday left for the US on a patriarchal visit.

The aftermath of the second Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) war and the respective challenges will be considered.

PASHINYAN

The acting Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, will pay a working visit to Kazan, Russia on Thursday and Friday to attend a regular meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council.

Also, he will visit the Innopolis innovative city and technopark of Kazan.

COVID-19

As of Thursday morning, 656 new cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in Armenia, and the total number of these cases has reached 215,528.

Also, 16 more deaths from COVID-19 were registered, making the respective total 4,087 cases.

The number of people who have recovered over the past one day is 882, the total respective number so far is 197,171.

HUMAN SKULL

Human remains were found in the vicinity of the village of Kaputan, Kotayk province.

According to Shamshyan.com, a skull and decomposed body were found. Other details were not disclosed.