On August 18, Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan held a phone conversation with Foreign Minister of Cyprus Ioannis Kasoulidis, ARMENPRESS was informed from MFA Armenia. During the phone conversation, Ioannis Kasoulidis expressed his condolences regarding the human casualties caused by the explosion in the Surmalu trade ...

The National Security Service of Armenia put into circulation a bill on creating crossing points in some sections of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. The bill on amending the N703 government decision of 2011 is posted online at e-draft.am. The substantiation attached to the bill mentions that the adoption of the bill stems from ...

The Chairman of the Investigative Committee Argishti Kyaramyan says the evidence they have now in the investigation into the Surmalu explosion speak more about a negligence-related crime. PM Nikol Pashinyan asked Kyaramyan at the Cabinet meeting whether the investigators considered foul play, such as terrorism or other criminal ...

During the search-and-rescue operations that started after emergency responders arrived at the Surmalu market 10 survivors were pulled out from the rubble within two hours after the fire had spread. Rescuers recovered 16 bodies. “935 rescuers were involved in the work, 350 of whom were deployed on the same day. 60 units of equip...

The search-and-rescue operations in the Surmalu trade center resumed Thursday morning, the Minister of Emergency Situations Armen Pambukhchyan told reporters. “The [search-and-rescue operations] resumed at 08:30. Right now the search-and-rescue operation is carried out in the presumed epicenter. According to preliminary informat...

France expresses its solidarity with Armenia on the first day of national mourning declared after the explosion in Yerevan's "Surmalu" shopping center on August 14, ARMENPRESS reports, the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France said in a statement. "We offer our condolences to the families of the victims, and we wish t...

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin had a telephone conversation with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, ARMENPRESS was informed from the website of the Russian Government. "The Heads of Governments discussed the key issues of Russian-Armenian cooperation in the trade and economic sphere and the ...

President of the European Council Charles Michel extended condolences to the families of the victims of the Yerevan explosion. “Today I join all Armenians in their mourning for the lives lost in the tragic explosion at Sumalu market in Yerevan. My sincere condolences to the families that lost their loved ones. I wish speedy reco...

Those questioned include victims and owners of shops in the venue. However, the owner of the trade center itself hasn’t been questioned so far. “There is no defendant in the case [yet],” Tadevosyan said. The criminal case is opened on Violation of Fire Safety Rules Causing Deaths and Violating of Safety Rules for Storing, Trans...

Oxana at the blast site assisting in the search-and-rescue efforts for more than 48 hours @fire International Disaster Response Germany has more than 400 members and provides support during disasters anywhere around the world. The search-and-rescue Belgian Malinois dogs Shakti and Sheeva were trained in the organization. “Our...