Day: October 12, 2023
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says that the Armenian government had no plan to deal with the exodus of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) and its response was organized within a few days.
“Our international partners have expressed surprise that 100,000 forcibly displaced persons can enter the country in three days and the government is able to meet at least their short-term and mid-term needs,” Pashinyan told a cabinet meeting on Thursday.
“We did not have a plan beforehand, because the depopulation of Nagorno-Karabakh was never part of our plans or political desires, even within the logic of crisis management. There was no such issue on our agenda. The response was practically organized in a matter of hours and days,” he added.
According to Pashinyan, the authorities intend to do everything so that the displaced people, who for some reasons will not be able to return to their homes, will live and work in Armenia.
Also, he says that nearly 2,500 forcibly displaced people from Nagorno-Karabakh have left Armenia.
“I hope that they went abroad to spend some time with their relatives and to cope with this shock and will return in the future,” Pashinyan added.
Տեքստում սխալ կամ վրիպակ նկատելու դեպքում, ուղարկեք խմբագրին հաղորդագրություն` նշելով տվյալ սխալը, այնուհետև սեղմելով Ctrl-Enter:
Uzbekistan has signed a two-year contract with Russia’s Gazprom to buy 2.8 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually, starting from October 1, 2023. The deal was announced by the Uzbek energy ministry and aimed at securing the country’s gas supply during the cold season.
The gas will be delivered through the Central Asia-Center pipeline, which connects Central Asia to Russia via Kazakhstan. The pipeline was originally built to export gas from the region to Russia but has been reversed in recent years to allow imports as well.
The gas price was not disclosed, but Uzbek Energy Ministry spokesman Sherzod Asadov said it was based on a commercial basis and reflected the market situation. He added that the deal was mutually beneficial and would enhance the energy security and cooperation in the region.
Uzbekistan is one of the largest gas producers in Central Asia, but it also faces domestic shortages due to high demand and aging infrastructure. The country has been diversifying its gas export markets, including China and Pakistan, but it also relies on imports from neighboring countries such as Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan.