Following the 2014 midterm election, all Members of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues who sought reelection to their house seat won reelection, reported the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly). The overwhelming success rate of pro-Armenia candidates in the U.S. House of Representatives is the highest ever recorded.

Dr.  Eleni Theocharous, Member of the European Parliament and Head of the EU-Armenian Friendship Group has made a statement wherein she condemns the latest downing of Armenian unarmed helicopter by Azeri forces.

Dozens of civic activists have gathered outside the building of the Constitutional Court of Armenia since early morning today, on 14 November, protesting against the country's accession to the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU).

 As Azerbaijani armed forces keep intensively shelling at the area where the helicopter they shot down Wednesday fell, it is so far impossible for the Armenian party to approach the wreckage. Armenia's Defense Ministry Spokesperson Artsrun Hovhannissyan wrote in a Facebook post that both the Armenian party and the ICRC are working on the problem. Hovhannissyan writes the situation on the Line of Contact of the NKR and Azerbaijani armed forces was relatively calm overnight.

"The United States warmly welcomes the three Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group, together with CiO Personal Representative Ambassador Kasprzyk, to the Permanent Council today. We reiterate our strong support for the work of the Co-Chairs and the Chairmanship's Personal Representative, and appreciate their continued engagement with the sides," says

Head of Armenian National Congress Faction in the Parliament Levon Zurabyan and Parliamentarian Samvel Farmanyan, who is a member of the ruling Republican Party, had a dispute that degenerated into a quarrel in the parliament, Thursday.  Speaking to a Yerevan-based newspaper "Hraparak", Samvel Farmanyan disclosed some details of the incident. 

"The customer base of ArmenTel CJSC has grown by 8.5% over year. The company has not seen such growth for a long time and this dynamics is due to the provision of much-in-demand services", Andrey Pyatakhin, Managing Director of Beeline Armenia said on Thursday when commenting on ArmInfo's question about the clientele growth and the prospects for further rise in MNP (Mobile Number Portability) subscribers.  

"All clients are important to us no matter what service of our company they are interested in", said Pyatakhin. 

Pyatakhin said that since the launch of MNP (April 2014) over 6300 customers have joined the Beeline network. Over the period of operation of MNP, nearly 500 subscribers have switched to another operator but then returned to Beeline again. Over the 7 months of the service operation, Beeline has retained leadership in MNP subscribers who joined Beeline. The positive dynamics in MNP customer base is also maintained, he added. 

When asked by ArmInfo which of the three operators in Armenia is in the lead in customer inflow via MNP, Pyatakhin replied, "I respect our competitors, so, I will refrain from comments". 

To note, according to VimpelCom's consolidated financial and operating highlights, in Jan-Sept 2014 the total operating revenue of VimpelCom amounted to $15.2 bln, capital expenditures - $3.1 bln. In Q3 2014, the total operating revenue amounted to $4.9 bln, with capital expenditures totaling $978 mln. The EBITBA margin rose to 42.9%. As of late Q3 2014, VimpelCom had over 223 mln subscribers, with 26% of them falling on Russia, 17% - Pakistan, 14% - Bangladesh, 12% - Ukraine, 10% - Italy, 0.3% - Armenia. At the yearend of 2013, the total operating revenue exceeded $22.5 bln, capital expenditures - $4.3 bln, and EBITDA margin - 36.6%. At the yearend of 2013, VimpelCom had 220 mln subscribers, with about 26% of them falling on Russia, over 17% - Pakistan, 13% - Bangladesh, over 10% - Italy, about 12% - Ukraine, 0.3% - Canada, 0.3% - Armenia. 

In Jan-Sept 2014 the total operating revenue of Beeline Armenia amounted to $106 mln, capital expenditures - $8 mln. In mobile services, the company's operating revenue made up $47 mln, and in the fixed services - $59 mln. In Q3 2014, Beeline Armenia's operating revenue made up $39 mln, capital expenditures - $5 mln, and the EBITDA margin made up 37.7%. In mobile services, the company's operating revenue in Q3 2014 totaled $18 mln, and in fixed services - $21 mln. At the yearend of 2013, the total operating revenue of Beeline Armenia amounted to $145 mln, with capital expenditures being $11 mln and the EBITDA margin - 39.4%. In mobile services, the company's operating revenue totaled $64 mln, and in the fixed 
services - $81 mln. At the yearend of 2013, Beeline Armenia had 694 thsd subscribers, whose number rose to 751 thsd in Q3 2014. 

To note, ArmenTel CJSC (Beeline brand) is a member of VimpelCom Group. VimpelCom is one of the world's largest integrated telecommunications services operators providing voice and data services through a range of traditional and broadband mobile and fixed technologies in Russia, Italy, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Armenia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Algeria, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Burundi, Zimbabwe, Central African Republic and Canada. VimpelCom provides services under the "Beeline", "Kyivstar", "Wind", "Infostrada" "Mobilink", "Leo", "banglalink", "Telecel", and "Djezzy" brands.

Ardshininvestbank has been renamed back to Ardshinbank.

The press service of the Central Bank of Armenia reports that the CB approved the renaming on Thursday.

Ardshininvestbank was established in 2002 and has 55 branches (the second biggest branch network in Armenia's banking system). The majority shareholder of the bank is the Center for Business Investments (97.23%). Ardshininvestbank is one of the leaders of Armenia's banking system. It is in top 3 in capital, assets, loans and obligations. Almost 20% of its loans are given to SMEs.

As of Oct 2014 the bank's capital made up 47.1bln AMD (2nd rank), assets made up 273.1bln AMD (4th rank), loans made up 183bln AMD (3rd rank), obligations made up 226bln AMD (3rd rank). The profit made up 4.1bln AMD (3rd rank).

6000th Beeline subscriber that switched to the company's network via MNP service received Samsung Galaxy Alpha smartphone from Beeline, ArmenTel CEO Andrey Pyatakhin told journalists after the award ceremony on Thursday.  

The award ceremony was held at Beeline administrative building.

"Thank you and all customers who became Beeline subscribers via MNP service. I would like to especially note that the majority of subscribers using the MNP service opted for our services and presently Beeline is a leader in this index. Addressing to each of our subscribers I would like to say that we won't violate your trust to Beeline's simple and convenient services and we will spare no effort to exceed all your expectations, including even the bravest ones", Pyatakhin said.

Since the launch of Mobile Number Portability (MNP) service in Armenia over 6300 subscribers have ported their numbers to Beeline network. Over this time, around 500 Beeline subscribers ported their numbers to other networks but came back to Beeline again.

"Over the seven months of the availability of MNP service Beeline preserves its leading positions in the number of subscribers who have ported their numbers to Beeline network. The positive momentum of the enrollment of subscriber base through MNP service is also maintained", the company's press release reports.

 Before the beginning of a regular session, Armenian parliament observed a minute of silence in tribute to the memory of the crew of the Armenian helicopter shot down by Azerbaijani armed forces. 

The NKR State Commission for POWs, Captives and Missing has appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for assistance in finding the location of the downed helicopter's crewmembers and returning them. After the Armenian MI-24 was downed by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces while making a training flight near the Line of

 Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Nikolay Bordyuzha has expressed his serious concern over the Wednesday incident on the Line of Contact between the NKR and Azerbaijan armed forces.

 The helicopter downed by Azerbaijani armed forces did not implement any military operations, press-secretary of the NKR president, David Babayan, told Arminfo correspondent. 

 Azerbaijan is escalating the conflict deliberately, Azhdar Kurtov, chief editor of the RISS (Russian Institute of Strategic Studies) magazine "National Strategy Issues," told ArmInfo when commenting on the downing of an Armenian unarmed helicopter by Azerbaijan's armed forces. 

The military parade in Yerevan, in which Russian troops will take part, is not planned, press-secretary of Armenia's Defense Ministry, Artsrun Hovhannisyan, told Arminfo correspondent. 

The American co-chair of the OSCE MG, James Warlick, has commented on yesterday's incident on downing of the NKR Defense Army's helicopter by Azerbaijan.

Iranian government is confident that there is no military solution to the Karabakh problem. The remark came from Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in Baku, Interfax reported.

Rouhani announced during his state visit to Baku that Tehran does not like the quo status in the frozen conflict.

"The conflict can be settled by political means only and Iran would like to see peace, fairness, stability, and friendship in the region", Rouhani said during the joint press conference with Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev.

The Iranian president said his country is ready to take any steps towards peaceful resolution of the conflict, including the ones that could be taken in the format of international organizations

 Washington has expressed concern about the downing by Azerbaijani forces of a military helicopter from Nagorno-Karabakh. Department of State 
Spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters that the incident was "yet another reminder" of the need to reduce tensions and respect a ceasefire in the region.

Psaki also added that there could be "no military solution to the conflict."

To recall, a helicopter MI-24 of the NKR Armed Forces with three officers on board was shot down Wednesday at about 1:45 PM local time while making a training flight in the air space of the eastern part of the Line of Contact between the armed forces of Karabakh and Azerbaijan. The Azeri serviceman that shot down the helicopter has been awarded a medal. The area is still being bombarded by the Azerbaijani forces.

"Azerbaijan's unprecedented provocation on its border with Nagorno-Karabakh has escalated the situation," Spokesman of Armenia's Defense Ministry Artsrun Hovhannisyan said in a Facebook post. "The Azeris' allegations that the Armenian helicopters attacked their ositions and they just counteracted are senseless as the examination of the debris will show that the helicopters were not armed. The Azeris were still firing when the helicopter fell so we were not able to approach the pilots," Hovhannisyan said. He noted that the consequences of this incident will be very painful for Azerbaijan and 
will weigh upon the conscience of its military- political leadership.

"The shooting down of an Armenian helicopter in Nagorno-Karabakh bears risk of escalation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier said. The Foreign Ministry of Armenia, OSCE MG, NATO and other international organizations have made similar statements.

According to the NKR Defense Army, the enemy keeps shelling intensively at the area where the Armenian helicopter was shot down yesterday, on 12 November, says Spokesperson Defense Minister of Armenia Artsrun Hovhannissyan. "It is still impossible to approach the helicopter wreckage. The enemy has fired throughout the night," Hovhannissyan says. "Azerbaijan has disseminated a video wherein one can see how the helicopter was shot 
down. The video proves that Baku's allegations suggesting that the helicopter attacked their positions are not true. The helicopter was making a training flight and did not breach the Line of Contact."  

To recall, a helicopter MI-24 of the NKR Armed Forces with three officers on board was shot down Wednesday at about 1:45 PM local time while making a training flight in the air space of the eastern part of the Line of Contact between the armed forces of Karabakh and Azerbaijan. The Azeri serviceman that shot down the helicopter has been awarded a medal. The area is still being bombarded by the Azerbaijani forces.

"Azerbaijan's unprecedented provocation on its border with Nagorno-Karabakh has escalated the situation," Spokesman of Armenia's Defense Ministry Artsrun Hovhannisyan said in a Facebook post. "The Azeris' allegations that the Armenian helicopters attacked their positions and they just counteracted are senseless as the examination of the debris will show that the helicopters were not armed. The Azeris were still firing when the helicopter fell so we were not able to approach the pilots," Hovhannisyan said. He noted that the consequences of this incident will be very painful for Azerbaijan and will weigh upon the conscience of its military- political leadership.  

"The shooting down of an Armenian helicopter in Nagorno-Karabakh bears risk of escalation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier said. The Foreign Ministry of Armenia, OSCE MG, NATO and other international organizations have made similar statements. The fate of the crew is not known yet.

ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian has issued a statement wherein he calls on the Armenian community in the United States to call and email their Senators and Representative and urge them to take immediate action to condemn Azerbaijan's shooting down of this unarmed helicopter.

The statement reads: "On Wednesday, November 12, 2014, at approximately 1:45 pm (Yerevan time), the Azerbaijani military shot down an unarmed helicopter on a military training exercise over Nagorno Karabakh, killing all three people on board. Azerbaijani leaders, within hours of this fatal assault - unprecedented since the 1994 cease-fire - instead of calling for calm or regretting the loss of life, reportedly awarded a military medal to the unit commander who shot down this unarmed aircraft. This attack is the latest in Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's reckless escalation of incitement and aggression, a pattern of violence that has taken far too many lives, on both sides, and that threatens to drive this region into renewed war. 

U.S. policymakers need to give up on the long-ago discredited idea that there is moral parity between the parties. The facts are clear, 
and they should guide U.S. policy:

-- Artsakh is a democracy offering its hand in peace.

-- Azerbaijan is a dictatorship marching toward war.

-- America stands on the side of democracy and peace.

Call and Email your Senators and Representative NOW and urge them to take immediate action to condemn Azerbaijan's shooting down of this 
unarmed helicopter."

To recall, a helicopter MI-24 of the NKR Armed Forces with three officers on board was shot down Wednesday at about 1:45 PM local time while making a training flight in the air space of the eastern part of the Line of Contact between the armed forces of Karabakh and Azerbaijan. The Azeri serviceman that shot down the helicopter has been awarded a medal. The area is still being bombarded by the Azerbaijani forces.

"Azerbaijan's unprecedented provocation on its border with Nagorno-Karabakh has escalated the situation," Spokesman of Armenia's Defense Ministry Artsrun Hovhannisyan said in a Facebook post. "The Azeris' allegations that the Armenian helicopters attacked their positions and they just counteracted are senseless as the examination of the debris will show that the helicopters were not armed. The Azeris were still firing when the helicopter fell so we were not able to approach the pilots," Hovhannisyan said. He noted that the consequences of this incident will be very painful for Azerbaijan and will weigh upon the conscience of its military- political leadership.  

"The shooting down of an Armenian helicopter in Nagorno-Karabakh bears risk of escalation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier said. The Foreign Ministry of Armenia, OSCE MG, NATO and other international organizations have made similar statements. The fate of the crew is not known yet.