Wednesday, Armenia Insists On Azerbaijani Troops Withdrawal • Marine Khachatrian Acting Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinian Armenia insists that the withdrawal of Azerbaijan’s troops from sovereign Armenian territory must be on top of the agenda of negotiations between the two South Caucasus nations. Armenia’s acting Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinian told reporters in Yerevan on Wednesday that Azerbaijan continues to create tensions at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. “Sooner or later, one day the delimitation and demarcation of our borders with all neighbors must take place, but, so to speak, grossly violating our borders and being located inside our borders, even trying to blackmail us into some action is not an efficient way, it cannot give any result. Such an approach and method of blackmail cannot be acceptable to the authorities of the Republic of Armenia and the people of the Republic of Armenia,” Avinian said. The Armenian official said that Yerevan also finds its necessary to hold negotiations. “But the first issue to be discussed is the withdrawal of Azerbaijani troops from the territory of the Republic of Armenia,” he added. Avinian stressed that everything must be done to resolve the issue diplomatically. Avinian’s remarks came as a reaction to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s statement that Armenia, which suffered a military defeat in last year’s war in Nagorno-Karabakh, is reluctant to get down to work on a peace treaty that Baku hopes will put an end to what it views as Armenian territorial claims to Azerbaijan. “We are ready to start such work. But there is no official reaction from Armenia. Through unofficial channels we have been receiving information that Armenia is not ready for it. I think it will be a big mistake for them,” Aliyev said on Wednesday, as quoted by Azerbaijani media. The Azerbaijani leader’s remarks came amid a fresh incident at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in which Armenia said one of its servicemen was killed in a skirmish near Azerbaijan’s western exclave of Nakhichevan. Baku said one of its soldiers was wounded in a shootout with Armenian forces. The two sides have blamed each other for the escalation at the border that has already been tense since May when Armenia accused Azerbaijan of advancing its troops several kilometers deep into its sovereign territory at several sections, a claim denied by Baku. Eight months after Armenia and Azerbaijan ended a six-week war over Nagorno-Karabakh. The conflict, which claimed over 6,000 lives, ended in November 2020 with a Moscow-brokered cease-fire that saw Armenia ceding swaths of territory that ethnic Armenians had controlled for decades. In his remarks during today’s meeting with families of Azerbaijani soldiers killed and maimed during the armed conflict, Aliyev again insisted that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has been resolved and that there is no issue of the disputed region’s status anymore. “The two sides must recognize each other’s territorial integrity, recognize the borders and get down to the work on border delimitation,” said Aliyev, stressing that international organizations hail the idea of delimitation and demarcation of the Soviet-era administrative border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Stressing that Azerbaijan speaks from the position of the victor in last year’s war, Aliyev warned: “If Armenia does not want this, it’s up to it. But Armenia should think carefully, because otherwise it will be too late.” Reacting to this statement, Avinian said that the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh’s status is among priorities for Yerevan. “As long as the issue of the status of Artsakh [the Armenian name for Nagorno-Karabakh] is not finally resolved and the talks within the OSCE Minsk Group are not resumed, I think it will be difficult to talk about other solutions and other approaches. We attach great importance to the negotiation process, as well as to certain positive changes that exist in the negotiation process on unblocking [transport links], but all final solutions, peace agreements, treaties, border delimitation and demarcation contain certain snags, and the first most important issue is the status of Artsakh and the people of Artsakh,” Armenia’s acting deputy prime minister said. Aliyev Warns Armenia Amid Fresh Border Tensions Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev gestures as he speaks during an address to the nation in Baku, October 26, 2020 President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan has warned Armenia to get down to negotiations on a peace treaty “not to make another mistake” amid what appears to be a new escalation at the border between the two South Caucasus nations that warred last fall. Armenia and Azerbaijan waged a 44-day war over Nagorno-Karabakh which claimed over 6,000 lives and ended in November 2020 with a Moscow-brokered cease-fire that saw Armenia ceding swaths of territory that ethnic Armenians had controlled for decades. In the following months the Azerbaijani leader has sought a more comprehensive deal with Armenia that Baku hopes will put an end to what it views as Armenian territorial claims to Azerbaijan. “We are ready to start such work. But there is no official reaction from Armenia. Through unofficial channels we have been receiving information that Armenia is not ready for it. I think it will be a big mistake for them,” Aliyev said on Wednesday, as quoted by Azerbaijani media. The Azerbaijani leader’s remarks came amid a fresh incident at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in which Armenia said one of its servicemen was killed in a skirmish near Azerbaijan’s western exclave of Nakhichevan. Baku said one of its soldiers was wounded in a shootout with Armenian forces. The two sides have blamed each other for the escalation at the border that has already been tense since May when Armenia accused Azerbaijan of advancing its troops several kilometers deep into its sovereign territory at several sections, a claim denied by Baku. In his remarks during today’s meeting with families of Azerbaijani soldiers killed and maimed during the armed conflict, Aliyev again insisted that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has been resolved and that there is no issue of the disputed region’s status anymore. “The two sides must recognize each other’s territorial integrity, recognize the borders and get down to the work on border delimitation,” said Aliyev, stressing that international organizations hail the idea of delimitation and demarcation of the Soviet-era administrative border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Stressing that Azerbaijan speaks from the position of the victor in last year’s war, Aliyev warned: “If Armenia does not want this, it’s up to it. But Armenia should think carefully, because otherwise it will be too late.” In a phone call with United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken late on Tuesday Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, in particular, stressed that “the [Nagorno-Karabakh] conflict is not resolved” and that “it calls for a comprehensive settlement, which can only be achieved in the Minsk Group co-chairing format.” The terms of the November 10, 2020 ceasefire deal signed by Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia also envisage the opening of regional roads and other transport links. In particular, under the document that brought Russian peacekeepers to Nagorno-Karabakh and provided for the Armenian-populated region’s link with Armenia, Yerevan is to allow Baku to have a transport link with its exclave of Nakhichevan. Baku insists that this link should have the status of a corridor. But Armenian Prime Minister Pashinian has repeatedly denied that the future transport link between Azerbaijan and its western exclave will have such a status. In his remarks today Aliyev again referred to Armenia’s Syunik province, which is called Zangezur in Azerbaijan, as to historical Azerbaijani territory. “We will return there and we are returning there. Nobody can stop us. We will definitely return there because there is no other way. After the opening of all transport links we will, of course, return there, and the Azerbaijani population will return to the lands of their ancestors. A tripartite statement of November 10 says that all refugees must return to their homeland. Our native land is Zangezur, our native land is Goycha (Sevan) and Irevan (Yerevan),” the Azerbaijani president said. This is not the first time Aliyev raises the issue of “historical Azerbaijani territories” in Armenia. Official Yerevan has condemned such rhetoric before, saying that it amounts to territorial claims. Armenian Constitutional Court Ends Hearings On Election Appeals Armenia’s Constitutional Court hears the appeals of four opposition groups disputing the outcome of the June 20 snap parliamentary elections Judges of Armenia’s Constitutional Court have retired to the deliberations room for rulings on appeals by several opposition groups challenging the results of the June 20 snap parliamentary elections that gave victory to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s party. The court received separate appeals from the opposition alliances led by former Presidents Robert Kocharian and Serzh Sarkisian and two smaller groups that failed to win any seats in the Armenian parliament earlier this month. They claimed violations and irregularities during the elections that they believe seriously affected the outcome of the vote in which the Pashinian-led Civil Contract party won about 54 percent of the vote. The Hayastan (Armenia) alliance of Kocharian and the Pativ Unem (I Have Honor) alliance associated with Sarkisian came in second and third, with 21 and 5 percent of the vote. Despite failing to overcome the 7-percent threshold set for alliances, Pativ Unem, as the third finisher, was allowed to enter parliament under Armenia’s current legislation. Pashinian and his political allies maintain that the vote was free and fair. They point to its largely positive assessment by European election observers. The opposition forces appealed to the Constitutional Court after the Central Election Commission (CEC) refused to annul the vote results, saying that they have not substantiated their allegations of widespread fraud. During several days of public hearings that began on July 9 the Constitutional Court heard arguments of the opposition groups, the CEC, which is involved in the case as the main respondent, and the Prosecutor’s Office, the Police and the Television and Radio Commission involved as co-respondents in the case. Civil Contract is also involved in the case as a third party upon its own request. During the hearings the opposition, in particular, referred to instances of irregularities in signed voter lists as well as alleged violations in the military vote, which were discarded by the respondent. Central Electoral Commission Chairman Tigran Mukuchian disagreed that issues raised by the opposition groups could impact the overall outcome of the elections. A lawyer for Hayastan also listed Pashinian’s “hate speech” and “calls for violence” among violations which the alliance claims seriously affected the election outcome. The bloc’s representatives argued, in particular, that Pashinian brandished a hammer during campaign rallies held across the country. A representative of the Prosecutor’s Office, however, disagreed that Pashinian’s campaign rhetoric amounted to intimidation of his political opponents, saying that the prime minister used the hammer only as a metaphor for a “dictatorship of the law” promised by him on the campaign trail. After the court heard the final speeches of the parties on Wednesday, its chairman Arman Dilanian announced the end of the hearings. “I announce the end of the hearings. The court retires to the deliberations room to make a decision in the case. I declare the sitting closed. Thank you, goodbye,” he said. Dilanian said that the date and time of the publication of the court decision will be announced in advance. Under law, the Constitutional Court is to issue its ruling on an election appeal within 15 days after it was lodged and accepted. The four opposition groups submitted their appeals on July 2. Armenian Soldier Killed In Latest Shoot-Out Along Azerbaijani Border An Armenian soldier (archive footage) At least one Armenian soldier has been killed and one Azerbaijani soldier wounded in the latest border shoot-out that Yerevan and Baku have blamed on each other. Armenia’s Ministry of Defense said the incident happened at the Yeraskh section of the Armenian border with Azerbaijan’s exclave of Nakhijevan on Wednesday morning. It accused Azerbaijan’s armed forces of attempting to advance their military posts closer to Armenian positions by conducting fortification work with the use of engineering machinery. “After the Armenian army undertook measures to force Azerbaijani servicemen to stop that work, the Azerbaijani military opened targeted fire on the Armenian positions. As a result of the shoot-out, one Armenian serviceman was fatally wounded. Azerbaijan also suffered casualties,” the Armenian Defense Ministry said in a statement. “Armenia’s Defense Ministry strongly condemns another provocation of the Azerbaijani side and warns that such provocations will face fierce counteraction. All responsibility for further escalation of the situation lies with the military-political leadership of Azerbaijan,” it added. Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry, for its part, accused the Armenian armed forces of firing at the military positions of the Azerbaijani army in the territory of Nakhichevan, as a result of which one Azerbaijani serviceman was wounded. The Azerbaijani side said that the situation in the mentioned direction was stabilized after Azerbaijani forces returned fire. The foreign ministries of Armenia and Azerbaijan also issued statements, exchanging blame for the incident. Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in particular, accused Azerbaijan of “trying to create new sources of tensions and undermining regional peace and security.” Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for its part, condemned “attempts of the Armenian side to disturb fragile peace in the region by means of regular shootings at Azerbaijani positions.” This is the second border incident in which an Armenian serviceman gets killed since Armenia accused Azerbaijan of advancing several kilometers into its sovereign territory at several border sections in May. On May 25, Armenia claimed its soldier was killed in the country’s Gegharkunik district in a skirmish that Azerbaijan denied. The tense situation comes eight months after the two South Caucasus neighbors ended a six-week war over Nagorno-Karabakh. The conflict, which claimed more than 6,000 lives, ended in November 2020 with a Moscow-brokered cease-fire that saw Armenia ceding swaths of territory that ethnic Armenians had controlled for decades. Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh’s ethnic Armenian forces accused each other of firing shots in the vicinity of Shushi (Susa) late on Tuesday. No casualties were reported by either side. Pashinian, Blinken Discuss Reforms, Karabakh In Phone Call Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken Ongoing democratic reforms and the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh were addressed during a telephone conversation between Armenia’s acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken that reportedly took place late on Tuesday. Pashinian’s press office said that in the phone call that was held at the initiative of the American side, Blinken congratulated the Armenian leader on his Civil Contract party’s victory in the June 20 snap parliamentary elections, “appreciating the consistent steps taken by the Armenian government in recent years to build on the country’s democratic achievements.” “In this context, Antony Blinken hailed Nikol Pashinian’s efforts to handle the electoral tensions peacefully and build civilized relations with the opposition. Highlighting the Armenian government’s reform agenda, which specifically seeks to curb corruption and improve the judiciary, Antony Blinken assured that the United States will provide continued support in this direction. He noted that the partnership between the two countries is based on democratic values,” the readout of the call released by Pashinian’s press office said. Pashinian for his turn reportedly thanked the U.S. secretary of state for his assessment of Armenia’s democratic achievements and appreciated the American side’s continued support to his government’s efforts aimed at strengthening democratic institutions and rule of law in Armenia, including the launching of a police patrol service in Yerevan that he hoped will soon be introduced nationwide. Armenia’s acting premier also hailed the efforts made by acting U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip Reeker to ensure the repatriation of Armenian prisoners of war from Azerbaijan a month ago. “The repatriation of POWs and the withdrawal of Azerbaijani troops from Armenia’s sovereign territory were described as key issues in the context of achieving regional stability,” the press release said. The report also said that the U.S. secretary of state gave assurances that the United States will continue its efforts to ensure the return of all prisoners of war. “With reference to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Antony Blinken prioritized the need for resuming the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs’ activities, emphasizing that a clear-cut agenda has to be developed for the peace process that would help find a lasting and comprehensive resolution of the conflict. “In this context, Nikol Pashinian underscored that the conflict is not resolved and calls for a comprehensive settlement, which can only be achieved in the Minsk Group co-chairing format. The U.S. side agreed with the acting prime minister’s view that the status quo cannot be stable and the Minsk Group Co-Chairs need a clear agenda conducive to successful negotiations,” the report concluded. In a separate development Pashinian has sent a congratulatory message to French President Emmanuel Macron on the occasion of the National Day of France marked on July 14. In his message the Armenian leader said that Yerevan appreciates “the unbiased position of friendly France and its assistance” provided to Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. “Armenia highly values you country’s strong commitment, as a Minsk Group co-chair, to brokering a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. We appreciate France’s efforts to return Armenian prisoners of war from Azerbaijan and safeguard the Armenian cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh. I look forward to hosting you in Armenia in the near future as part of a state visit,” Pashinian wrote to Macron, according to his press office. Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL Copyright (c) 2021 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc. 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.