Tuesday, France ‘Ready’ To Help Armenia, Azerbaijan Reach Peace • Karine Simonian French Ambassador to Armenia Anne Louyot. . As one of the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, France is ready to respond to the request of the Armenian government and do everything possible to achieve a lasting peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the country’s envoy in Yerevan said on Tuesday. On March 14, official Yerevan said that it had turned to the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs with a request to organize negotiations with Azerbaijan on a peace treaty “on the basis of the UN Charter, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Helsinki Final Act.” Armenia’s request for French, U.S. and Russian mediation comes amid unprecedented tensions between the West and Moscow over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The OSCE Minsk Group, which has an international mandate to broker a negotiated settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, has not yet provided an official response to Armenia’s request. In an interview with RFE/RL’s Armenian Service today, French Ambassador to Armenia Anne Anne Louyot reaffirmed the statement of French President Emmanuel Macron made during the March 9 Armenian-French Cooperation Forum in Paris, in which he expressed his readiness “to assist the parties in finding mutually acceptable conditions and achieving peace.” “French President Emmanuel Macron stressed that the war in Ukraine should not make us forget about the previous conflict that took place between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and we must definitely try to resolve this issue,” the ambassador said. When asked about how she feels about Azerbaijan’s statements that the Karabakh conflict has been resolved by Baku as a result of the 2020 war and that there is nothing left for the OSCE Minsk Group to do, Louyot said: “I would like you again to pay attention to the answer of President Macron, who said that the problem does exist and that this problem needs to be addressed.” The French ambassador said that she does not know when the visit of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs to the region is planned and whether it is planned at all. The mediating troika have not been able to visit Nagorno-Karabakh since the six-week war in 2020 that ended in a Russian-brokered ceasefire. Armenian Central Bank Again Hikes Key Interest Rate A statue symbolizing the national currency, the dram, outside the Armenian Central Bank building in Yerevan. The Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) raised its benchmark interest rate on Tuesday, citing uncertainty and risks for the country’s economy related to crippling Western sanctions imposed against Russia over the war in Ukraine. The CBA’s governing board set the refinancing rate at 9.25 percent – up by 1.25 percentage points. The CBA expects that Armenia may experience a significant slowdown in its economic growth as one of the impacts of the sanctions imposed against Russia. “This will happen mostly at the expense of a decline in the industry. Total demand will be affected by declining remittances and a weakening external demand. Positive contribution is expected from the tourism sector. Increased geopolitical risks in the region and a high degree of uncertainty have led to increased volatility in Armenia’s financial markets. Existing uncertainties are also reflected in inflation and inflation expectations,” the CBA said. “In the current situation, the Board considers it expedient to increase the refinancing rate by a relatively large step,” it added. The CBA expects that as a result of such policy measures, 12-month inflation will gradually decrease, reaching the target of 4 percent. This is the second time the CBA raises its key interest rate. On February 1, it raised it by 0.25 percentage points to 8 percent. Speaking at a press conference in Yerevan today, CBA governor Martin Galstian said that the CBA has revised its economic growth forecast for Armenia for 2022 from 5.3 percent down to 1.6 percent. Yerevan Denies Azerbaijan’s Taking Control Of More Armenian Territory • Susan Badalian Armenia -- Azeri soldiers near the Armenian village of Nerkin Khndzoresk, Syunik (file photo) Military authorities in Yerevan denied on Tuesday that Baku has taken control of more sovereign Armenian territory in the southeast of the country despite reports by locals about advancements of the Azerbaijani army in recent days. Khachatur Baghdasarian, mayor of the village of Nerkin Hand in Armenia’s Syunik province, told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service today that Azerbaijani servicemen set up five tents within the administrative territory of the community more than a week ago. “They moved some 800-900 meters down into our administrative territory. They set up five tents and are now digging trenches,” the local leader said. Baghdasarian said that Russian servicemen deployed in the area had been informed about the movement of the Azerbaijani military, but no reaction from them has followed yet. Deputy Defense Minister Arman Sargsian said today that Azerbaijani servicemen did not enter Armenia’s sovereign territory. “They didn’t enter our sovereign territory. The situation now is stable, but still we can’t say that there is no problem,” he said. The press service of the Defense Ministry also dismissed allegations about the advancement of the Azerbaijani military. In particular, it said that Azerbaijani servicemen had simply returned to positions that they previously controlled, but recently had to leave temporarily due to winter conditions. “There can be no question of any [Azeri] advancement. In this and all other sections of the border the Armenian Armed Forces are fully fulfilling their tasks, including monitoring any movement of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces and keeping the situation under control,” the Defense Ministry said. Residents of Nerkin Hand, however, rejected that version of events. They told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that Azerbaijan never controlled those positions before. The situation along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border escalated after the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh in which Azerbaijan defeated the region’s ethnic Armenian forces and regained control of territories adjacent to the Soviet-era Armenian-Azerbaijani border. Last May, Armenia accused Azerbaijan of moving its troops across the border and taking control of more than 40 square kilometers of its sovereign territory in the Syunik and Gegharkunik provinces. Baku denied any violation of the border with Armenia, maintaining that its troops had been stationed within the Soviet-era borders of Azerbaijan. Both Armenia and Azerbaijan acknowledge the need for conducting the delimitation and demarcation of their border, but Yerevan insists that before that a “mirrored withdrawal” of both Armenian and Azerbaijani troops should take place and an international monitoring mechanism should be introduced. Armenia Insists On Peace Talks With Azerbaijan ‘Without Preconditions’ Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan speaking in parliament, Yerevan, March 2, 2022. Any negotiations over a peace treaty with Azerbaijan must be held without preconditions, Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan insisted on Tuesday. In an interview with Armenia’s state-run Armenpress news agency Mirzoyan was asked to comment on the publication by Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry of five fundamental principles that Baku insists should underlie a future peace treaty with Yerevan. These, in particular, include mutual recognition of each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual reaffirmation of the absence of territorial claims to each other and a legally binding obligation not to make such claims in the future, abstaining from threatening each other’s security, delimitation and demarcation of the border with the establishment of diplomatic relations and unblocking of transport links. Mirzoyan today implied that despite the existence of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Armenia has had no territorial claims against Azerbaijan “Signing the Agreement on the Establishment of Cooperation of Independent States on December 8, 1991, the two countries, in fact, already recognized each other’s territorial integrity and accepted that they have no territorial claims against each other,” he said. Mirzoyan noted that the provisions mentioned in Azerbaijan’s proposal “do not fully reflect the whole agenda of the existing problems.” “It is vital for the Armenian side that the rights and freedoms of the Armenians of Artsakh [Nagorno-Karabakh – ed.] are clearly guaranteed, and the status of Nagorno-Karabakh is finally clarified. For us, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is not a territorial issue, but a matter of rights,” the top Armenian diplomat underscored. As for the process of delimitation and demarcation of the border between the two countries, as well as the unblocking of transport links in the region, Mirzoyan said: “We believe that the agreements reached within the Trilateral Statements of November 9, 2020, January 11, 2021, and November 26, 2021, should be fully implemented, and we are consistent in this regard.” “As you know, we have even made comprehensive proposals for the implementation of these agreements, such as the proposal to launch a delimitation process through the mirrored withdrawal of troops and the introduction of an international monitoring mechanism, which, however, was rejected by the Azerbaijani side,” he added. Asked about what format Armenia sees for the possible negotiations on a peace treaty with Azerbaijan, Mirzoyan referred to the earlier statement by the country’s Foreign Ministry that said that it “had applied to the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship to organize negotiations on a peace treaty on the basis of the UN Charter, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Helsinki Final Act.” Later on Tuesday the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry reacted to Mirzoyan’s statements, stressing that Baku’s position on normalization with Armenia is “clear and consistent.” “Given the importance of normalizing relations between the two countries after the conflict and establishing peace in the region, Azerbaijan has put forward its proposals and is ready to move in this direction. If Armenia takes this issue seriously, then it should submit its specific proposals and thereby demonstrate its readiness to start substantive and result-oriented negotiations,” the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said in its comment. Armenian PM Discusses Karabakh, Ukraine With Western Leaders Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinain (file photo) The press office of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian late on Monday reported about phone calls of the Armenian leader with United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. According to the official transcripts of the calls released by Pashinian’s press office, the main focus of the discussions was the escalation of tensions around Nagorno-Karabakh. But the ongoing war in Ukraine was also reportedly addressed during the conversations. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken The transcript of Pashinian’s phone call with Blinken, in particular, said that “the parties stressed the need for stability and peace in the region, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, which will contribute to the establishment of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.” It added that Pashinian and Blinken also “exchanged views on the delimitation and demarcation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the chances for unblocking communications in the region, as well as the ongoing dialogue between Armenia and Turkey.” “The sides also referred to the processes taking place in the international arena, including the situation in Ukraine,” the statement said. On the phone call with Trudeau, Pashinian’s press office said that the prime ministers of Armenia and Canada “highlighted the importance of a comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs aimed at ensuring stability and peace in the region.” “The interlocutors exchanged views on the processes taking place in the South Caucasus, including the opportunities of delimitation and demarcation of the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as the Armenian-Turkish dialogue. The situation in Ukraine was touched upon,” it said. Pashinian’s phone calls with the Western leaders come amid an escalation of tensions in and around Nagorno-Karabakh, but also amid statements issued in Yerevan, Baku as well as Ankara, raising prospects of normalization and peace in the South Caucasus region, including possible peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan and Turkish-Armenian rapprochement. Blinken, Pashinian Discuss Karabakh In Phone Call Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian had a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian discussed escalating tensions around Nagorno-Karabakh and other regional issues in a telephone conversation with United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday. “The parties stressed the need for stability and peace in the region, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, which will contribute to the establishment of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” a statement issued by the Armenian prime minister’s press office said. It added that Pashinian and Blinken also “exchanged views on the delimitation and demarcation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the chances for unblocking communications in the region, as well as the ongoing dialogue between Armenia and Turkey.” “The sides also referred to the processes taking place in the international arena, including the situation in Ukraine,” the statement said. During their telephone conversation Pashinian and Blinken also reportedly addressed issues on the U.S.-Armenian agenda. “[They] attached importance to ensuring the continuity of the strategic dialogue in order to develop and strengthen bilateral cooperation in various spheres. The [Armenian] prime minister thanked the American side for its consistent support to Armenia in the democratic reforms, stressed that the further strengthening of democracy is the absolute priority of the Armenian Government, and that our country will resolutely continue to move in that direction,” the statement reads. Ban On Smoking In Cafes And Restaurants Introduced In Armenia • Marine Khachatrian Customers in an outdoor cafe in Yerevan (file photo) Armenians smoking in cafes and restaurants will risk paying a hefty fine after a new law banning smoking in all indoor and outdoor public places has been enforced in their country. The law that came into effect on March 15 is part of the government’s public health strategy that also included a blanket ban on any form of tobacco advertising enforced earlier this year. Authorities in Armenia believe that fines ranging from 50,000 drams (about $100) for citizens to 200,000 drams (about $400) for business owners will deter visitors of bars, cafes and restaurants from smoking there and thus protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke. “The enforcement of this law will help us lead a healthier lifestyle and will help our young generations not to have bad habits that affect their health,” Armenian Health Minister Anahit Avanesian said. Armenia is a nation of heavy smokers. According to official data, more than 52 percent of Armenian men are regular smokers. In general, more than 28 percent of Armenians aged 18-69 smoke. Medics blame this for a high incidence of lung cancer among them. It is believed that up to 5,500 people die in Armenia every year from diseases caused by smoking. According to a United Nations report, annually Armenian authorities allocate funding amounting to over 4 percent of the country’s GDP for treating diseases caused by smoking. The smoking rate among women in Armenia is much lower than among men, but healthcare specialists believe that women in Armenia have been heavily exposed to secondhand smoke because of the absence of restrictions on smoking in public spaces, including cafes and restaurants. The ban on smoking in public places has elicited mixed reactions among Armenians. One restaurant manager in Yerevan said that while he was in favor of the measure that reduces the serious health hazard, he also feared that his restaurant would inevitably lose quite a few customers visiting particularly for hookah smoking. “Our restaurant has been open from early morning, but as you can see the area that was originally designed for hookah smoking has been empty. We are definitely going to see a decline in the number of visitors,” Suren Abgarian said. Some residents approached by RFE/RL’s Armenian Service in Yerevan streets hailed the measure as progress in Armenia’s public health sphere, others spoke in favor of designating special areas for smokers in outdoor cafes. Still others spoke skeptically about the ability of the authorities to properly enforce the law. Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL Copyright (c) 2022 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc. 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.