Russian peacekeepers deal with Parukh incident, clarifications needed – FM Lavrov

Save

Share1

 17:16, 8 April, 2022

YEREVAN, APRIL 8, ARMENPRESS. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov commented on the March 24 incursion of the Azerbaijani armed forces into Parukh village of the Republic of Artsakh, stating that the Russian peacekeepers are examining all the circumstances of the incident.

During today’s joint press conference with Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan in Moscow, the Russian FM said he has discussed this issue during the meeting with Mirzoyan.

“The circumstances there are not completely clear. I do not want to go ahead now, let me not make a final judgment. We are convinced that our Armenian friends fully trust the Russian peacekeeping contingent. The calls for holding accountable, launching an internal investigation do not reflect the real attitude of the Armenian people and the leadership of Armenia and the big role that the Russian peacekeeping contingent plays for ensuring stability in the region. Yes, small incidents are taking place, and our servicemen are dealing with this particular incident. There are things there that need clarification”, he said.

In his turn Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said Armenia continues to believe that the Russian peacekeeping contingent will manage to restore the status-quo in Nagorno Karabakh, and that Azerbaijan will return to its initial positions.

“As I have already said, the peacekeeping contingent has been deployed in Nagorno Karabakh for ensuring the status-quo of 2020 November 9 and protecting the security of the population of Nagorno Karabakh. We continue to believe that the status-quo will be restored, and the Russian peacekeepers will continue fulfilling their important function and mission”, the Armenian FM said.

‘Triarchy’ in Karabakh? Conflicting reports from Armenian, Russian, Azerbaijani state agencies


March 28 2022


  • JAMnews
  • Baku-Yerevan

In the eastern part of Karabakh, where Russian peacekeepers are temporarily stationed, a rather strange and unprecedented situation has developed since the end of the second Karabakh war. Three departments have reported troop dispositions at the Dashbashi/Karaglukh height and the nearby village of Farrukh/Parukh, however, all reports are completely inconsistent with each other.


  • Armenia claims Azerbaijani forces captured strategic point in Karabakh
  • “We must investigate actions of Russian peacekeepers”: PM Pashinyan’s appeal to Putin
  • “Anti-Russian front in Caucasus?” – Moscow and Baku exchange accusations amid escalation in Karabakh

On the evening of Sunday, March 27, the Russian Ministry of Defense published another newsletter of the peacekeeping contingent in Karabakh. It stated that the peacekeepers managed to achieve withdrawal of the Azerbaijani armed forces from the village of Furukh (as the village of Farrukh/Parukh is called in the bulletin) through negotiations. It was also noted that the Azerbaijani army and the Armenian armed forces suffered losses – two wounded on each side.

The Russian defense department did not report anything about the situation at the Dashbashi/Karaglukh height.

Almost immediately after the publication of the newsletter of the Russian Defense Ministry, the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan issued a response in which it accused Moscow of lying. According to information from Baku, the Azerbaijani troops did not retreat anywhere from the positions occupied on March 24. The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan once again called on the Russian Ministry of Defense to be legible in naming villages in the territory under Azerbaijan’s control.

In turn, the Russian Ministry of Defense accused the Armenian Foreign Ministry of providing incorrect information in its statement.

This morning, the information center in Khankendi/Stepanakert provided its own version of events. According to the authorities of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, the village of Farrukh/Paruh is under the control of peacekeepers. As for the Dashbashi/Karaglukh height, one part is controlled by Azerbaijanis and the other by Armenians.

The village of Farrukh/Paruh in the east of Karabakh, where Russian peacekeeping forces are temporarily stationed

A Russian Defense Ministry fact sheet dated March 27 states:

“Two violations of the ceasefire regime were recorded by the armed forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Askeran region. As a result of the skirmish, two people from each side were injured. The command of the Russian peacekeeping contingent, in cooperation with representatives of the parties to the conflict, stabilized the situation.

Based on the results of the negotiations, the Azerbaijani side carried out the withdrawal of its units from the area of the FURUKH settlement.

“The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan regrets that the points reflected in the statement of the Russian Ministry of Defense dated March 27, 2022 do not correspond to reality”, the press service of the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said.

“The positions of the Azerbaijani army in the village of Farrukh, which is part of the sovereign territory of our country, and in the mountainous regions adjacent to it, have not changed. Information about the withdrawal of Azerbaijani army units from these positions does not correspond to reality. Our army is in full control of the operational situation.

The statement of the Russian Defense Ministry about the alleged violation of the ceasefire by Azerbaijan is also untrue, and there are no reports of casualties among Azerbaijani servicemen. We would like to remind once again that there is no administrative-territorial unit called “Nagorno-Karabakh” in the territory of Azerbaijan.

The use of the _expression_ “Nagorno-Karabakh” in the statements of the Russian Defense Ministry on March 26 and 27 is a disrespect for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, recognized and accepted by the international community, including the Russian Federation.

I would like to remind the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation that in the first paragraph of the declaration on allied cooperation, signed by the presidents of the two countries on February 22, 2022, it is noted that “the Russian Federation and the Republic of Azerbaijan define their relations as allied cooperation based on mutual respect for independence, state sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of the state borders of the two countries, as well as the principles of non-interference in internal affairs, they are based on the commitment to the principles of peaceful settlement of disputes and non-violence or threat of force.

In addition, according to paragraph 18 of the declaration, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Azerbaijan are joining forces in the fight against the threats of international terrorism, extremism and separatism and their neutralization.

In its statement, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation also demonstrates disrespect for the declaration signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Ministry of Defense reiterates that there is no village called “Furukh” in the Khojaly region of Azerbaijan. The name of the mentioned village is Farrukh. We hope that in the following statements the name of the village will be indicated correctly”,2 the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia issued a statement in which, first of all, it expressed satisfaction with the fact that “the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs gave a clear assessment of the recent escalation of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, stating that it is a consequence of the redeployment of Azerbaijani troops”.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry quotes a statement by the Russian Defense Ministry, which says that the Azerbaijani side has withdrawn its units from the settlement of Parukh in Nagorno-Karabakh and states:

“The invasion of Azerbaijani units into Nagorno-Karabakh in the zone of responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping contingent continues. We expect that the peacekeeping forces of the Russian Federation in Nagorno-Karabakh will take concrete measures to stop the invasion of Azerbaijani units in the zone of responsibility of the peacekeepers and the withdrawal of the Azerbaijani armed forces. We consider it important that a proper investigation of the actions of the peacekeeping contingent be carried out during the entire period of the invasion of the Azerbaijani units and that answers be given to a number of questions”.

Maps are attached to the text of the application. The area of responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping contingent, indicated on the map, was taken from the website of the Russian Ministry of Defense. It is also explained that on the map representing the situation of March 24, there are no Azerbaijani bases in the zone of responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh.

On the map showing the situation as of the morning of March 28, it is clear that the Azerbaijani positions are in the zone of responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The information headquarters of the unrecognized NKR issued a message stating that as of 12:00 on March 28, the situation along the entire line of contact is relatively stable, no significant violations of the ceasefire regime have been recorded.

As for the village of Parukh, according to the headquarters, it is under the control of the Russian peacekeeping forces. Moreover, the report says that “thanks to the efforts of the Artsakh Armed Forces, the Armenian side managed to stop the advance of the Azerbaijani forces and maintain control over the main part of Mount Karaglukh”:

“Azerbaijani troops continue to remain in fortified positions only in the part of Karaglukh. Work continues with the command of the Russian peacekeeping forces on the return of the Azerbaijani side to their original positions”.

Member of the Azerbaijani parliament Rasim Musabekov commented on the differences between the reports of the Russian and Azerbaijani defense ministries.

“Two recent incidents have escalated the situation and led to an exchange of harsh statements by the Defense Ministry and the Foreign Ministries of the Russian Federation and Azerbaijan. The Russian military, citing the negative reaction of local Armenians and contrary to their obligations, refused to escort the Azerbaijani convoy to pass through the Aghdara (formerly Mardakert) region in the direction of Kelbajar.

As a result, Baku decided to build a new road along the northern shore of the Sarsang reservoir, which, in turn, caused a nervous reaction among the Armenians.

On top of that, a direct conflict occurred in the area of the village of Farrukh and the mountain of the same name, on which Armenian illegal formations began to build fortifications. All warnings about the inadmissibility of these actions, which were transmitted both through the RMK and through the loudspeakers, were ignored. Moreover, shots were fired at Azerbaijani positions from unfinished fortifications.

Taking into account the fact that Mount Farrukh positionally dominates the city of Aghdam, which is being restored and where civilians should soon return, a decision was made and implemented to neutralize this threat in advance. No matter how “terrible” of statements foreign Armenian lobbyists make, Azerbaijan has the right to ensure security on its territory and will not tolerate arbitrariness of illegal Armenian military formations”.

Musabekov also assessed the likelihood of “punishment” of official Baku by the Kremlin for such “obstinacy”.

It should be noted that some Russian bloggers expressed the opinion that Russia could strike at strategic facilities in Azerbaijan.

“If someone in Moscow has ideas about “punishing” Azerbaijan and the desire to escalate the conflict in order to use it as an excuse to strike at our strategic pipeline infrastructure, then this is a bad idea.

It is known that on a far-fetched pretext – allegedly an accident at remote shipping points – the export of Kazakh oil from Novorossiysk was stopped. If some “hotheads” believe that by creating difficulties for the export of Azerbaijani oil and gas, Western countries can be forced to refuse or soften the embargo on the purchase of Russian energy resources, then they are greatly mistaken.

I believe that Baku, Tbilisi and Ankara will take measures in advance to strengthen the security of the pipeline infrastructure. In the context of a confrontation with NATO over the invasion of Ukraine, it is useful for sober-minded Russian politicians and the military to recall Talleyrand’s wise saying that “good diplomacy should not multiply the number of enemies”. Indeed, in the event of Moscow’s threatening actions, neither Azerbaijan nor Turkey will remain neutral”, the parliamentarian noted.

Political observer Hakob Badalyan believes that the Armenian side hinted to the Russia that the peacekeepers in NK had made a criminal deal. This, according to the expert, in particular, is stated in the report on the telephone conversation that took place on March 26:

“In the report on the Pashinyan-Putin telephone conversation, Yerevan uses strictly diplomatic language, to the extent that the Prime Minister of Armenia informed the President of Russia about the need to investigate the actions of Russian peacekeepers. In other words, it was a hint that the peacekeepers made a criminal deal with Baku. Could they have done it without the Kremlin’s approval? This is, of course, a rhetorical question”.

The head of the Stepanakert Press Club, Gegham Baghdarasaryan, wrote on his Facebook page:

“I think that until the official Stepanakert gives a principled political assessment of the situation, it will not be possible to change this destructive process. A fundamental assessment that calls spade a spade. It’s time to stop qualifying Azerbaijani aggression as an attempt to discredit the peacekeeping mission, it’s ridiculous laugh and destroys the remaining respect for us.

Until there is an honest and principled assessment, the demand of the Artsakh Foreign Ministry will not be fulfilled, namely, “a strict assessment by the international community of the anti-Armenian aggressive policy of Azerbaijan”. This same international community expects from us a strict and comprehensive assessment of the current situation, on the basis of which we must express our position.

Of course, self-organization of the Artsakh society and public actions aimed at this are very important in this regard, but I think that they should be filled with new content. Not only by appeals addressed to the international community, but also by the formation of a new political agenda, a new political thought in Artsakh itself, efforts under pressure from society to modernize and make [state] institutions more efficient.

It seems that this public initiative should in principle be beneficial to the government, which is concerned about the fate of the country. However, the authorities of Artsakh go the other way, trying to restrain this initiative. And the existing political institutions of Artsakh are not able to form a new political agenda. This is a dead end”.

COVID-19: 14 new cases, no death in Armenia in past 24 hours

Save

Share

 11:18, 30 March, 2022

YEREVAN, MARCH 30, ARMENPRESS. 14 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Armenia in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 422,498, the ministry of health said.

1998 tests were conducted on March 29.

The recoveries rose by 26 in a day, bringing the total number to 409,879.

No death case has been registered. The death toll stands at 8611.

As of March 30, the number of active cases is 2332.

Ambassador says Armenia looking forward to Egyptian president’s visit

Panorama
Armenia – April 1 2022

Armenia’s new Ambassador to Egypt Hrachya Poladian handed over his credentials to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

During a brief conversation, Poladian conveyed Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan’s warm greetings and best wishes to Fattah el-Sisi, the Armenian Foreign Ministry reported.

He said Armenia was looking forward to the Egyptian president’s official visit to the country.

In turn, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi noted that he would take the opportunity to visit Armenia. Also, he praised the traditional Armenian-Egyptian friendly relations and wished good luck to the Armenian ambassador in his diplomatic mission.

Artsakh president: Our goal is to withdraw Azerbaijani troops to their initial positions

Panorama
Armenia – April 1 2022

A regular sitting of the Security Council chaired by President of the Artsakh Republic Arayik Harutyunyan was held in an expanded format on Friday, the presidential office reported.

In his opening remarks, the president first and foremost noted that the frequent holding of Security Council sittings recently is conditioned by the military-political situation in the republic, especially by the developments in the eastern part of Artsakh. Touching upon the carried out actions and future plans, Harutyunyan expressed his appreciation to the Defense Army, other power structures and the volunteers, who managed to fulfill the set tasks in a short period of time, suspending the enemy's advance.

"We understand that their goal was to capture the whole of Karaglukh. We should state that the main height of Karaglukh, the highest point, is under our control, but as of today some important hills are under the control of the Azerbaijani troops. Our goal is to withdraw the Azerbaijanis to their initial positions. Our demand and request to the peacekeeping troops was that the status quo stemming from the trilateral statement should be restored. We will never change this claim," Harutyunyan said.

He expressed confidence that the purpose of the provocation fomented by Azerbaijan was first of all aimed at discretization of the role of the Russian peacekeeping forces.

"We consider that the Russian peacekeeping forces continue to carry out their mission, notwithstanding that episode," Harutyunyan said.

However, the Artsakh leader stressed that vigilance should be maintained at a high level until it is clear that Azerbaijan will not resort to such provocations again.

"For that very reason, we will take radical and decisive steps in terms of our self-defense in the future," Harutyunyan said.

Minister of Defense Kamo Vardanyan delivered a report on the current operative-tactical situation on the line of contact.

During the discussion of the issues on the agenda, Harutyunyan gave a number of instructions to the responsible officials of the relevant structures.

Armenia applies to ECHR and UN Court, requesting an interim measure against Azerbaijan

Public Radio of Armenia

Armenia’s Representative on International Legal Matters has submitted ha lodged a request with the European Court of Human Rights for urgent interim measures under Rule 39 of its Rules of Court against Azerbaijan in connection with the recent violations committed against the people of Artsakh.

In particular, concrete evidence has been presented that since February, the Azerbaijani forces stationed near the village of Khramort in the Askeran region have been regularly threatening the peaceful population of Artsakh, demanding to leave their homes and the area.

The request for interim measure presents the cases of indiscriminate shooting from the Azerbaijani side at the civilian population and infrastructure of Artsakh, including schools, as a result of which the main pipeline supplying natural gas to Artsakh was damaged. The entire population of Artsakh was deprived of natural gas supply. In these cramped weather conditions, the entire population of Artsakh, including hospitals and schools, has to survive without natural gas.

Such encroachments are a direct threat not only to the village of Khramort, but to the entire population of Artsakh.

Based on these facts, combining them with the case law of the European Court, the RA representative on international legal issues stated that the actions of Azerbaijan directly endanger the fundamental rights of the people of Artsakh protected by the Convention and pose a threat of irreversible loss. The European Court has been asked to take urgent interim measures against Azerbaijan, to oblige to stop the threats, to fire, to restore the supply of natural gas.

On March 25, the Representative on International Legal Matters also appealed to the International Court of Justice, drawing attention to the above-mentioned violations committed by Azerbaijan.

Russia: Azerbaijan stormed thearea of our troops in Nagorno-Karabakh

Russia: Azerbaijan stormed the area of our troops in Nagorno-Karabakh

On Saturday, Russia accused Azerbaijan of violating the postwar ceasefire signed with Armenia in the Nagorno-Karabakh region in 2020 by bringing troops to thearea controlled by the forces of pace Russian.

“Between 24 and 15 March, Azerbaijani Armed Forces violated the tripartite agreement between the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia by joining thearea under the responsibility of the battalion of pace Russian in Nagorno-Karabakh, “said the Russian defense ministry in a statement.

The ministry said Azerbaijani forces have set up an observation point and carried out “four Bayraktar drone strikes” near Farroukh municipality.

He added that “the Russian command of the maintenance battalion of the pace is taking steps to address the situation … and an appeal has been sent to the Azerbaijani side to withdraw their forces. “

Moscow has deployed nearly 2,000 forces of pace in the region after the ceasefire, reaffirming its security role and influence in a turbulent region once part of the former Soviet Union, where Turkey’s influence is also growing thanks to its close alliance with Azerbaijan.

Moscow’s announcement today came after separatist region authorities announced Friday that Azerbaijani forces had killed two Armenian separatist fighters in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, accusing Baku of violating the ceasefire.

In 2020, Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a war in the disputed region that killed over 6,500 people.

Under a Russian-brokered ceasefire, Yerevan ceded areas of territory to Azerbaijan and Russia deployed military forces. pace in the mountainous region.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry announced that Azerbaijani forces have entered the village of Baruch, which is under the control of the forces of pace Russians, on Thursday, considering that this step constitutes a “flagrant violation of the ceasefire agreement”.

For its part, the defense ministry of the Nagorno-Karabakh separatist authorities announced that “enemy forces killed two IDF soldiers after opening fire with combat weapons and drones”.

And the separatist ministry continued: “The situation in the region is still tense”, expressing the hope that “the forces of pace Russians can find a solution to this problem “.

For its part, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry accused Armenia of “deceiving the international community” about the situation in Karabakh.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry indicated that “Armenia is spreading disinformation”, explaining that Azerbaijani forces were carrying out actions aimed at “clarifying” their positions on the ground.

On Thursday, Armenia warned of a “humanitarian catastrophe” in Karabakh, after gas supplies to the region were cut off following maintenance operations.

Yerevan accused Azerbaijan of deliberately cutting off gas supplies to ethnic Armenians in the region.

But the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry rejected this accusation and considered it “unfounded”, pointing out that adverse weather conditions led to the interruption of supplies.

The Nagorno-Karabakh region separated from Azerbaijan following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the conflict in the region resulted in the deaths of around 30,000 people.

Armenpress: Mirzoyan reaffirms Armenia’s position on the "Shushi Declaration"

Mirzoyan reaffirms Armenia's position on the "Shushi Declaration"

Save

Share

 18:46,

YEREVAN, MARCH 23, ARMENPRESS. Armenia's position on the declaration signed by the presidents of Turkey and Azerbaijan in Shushi has not changed, Armenia's position is expressed in the statement made by the Foreign Ministry in June last year, ARMENPRESS reports the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan said during the question-answer session with the members of the Government in the National Assembly, answering the question of MP from "Armenia" faction Aram Vardevanyan.

The MP stressed that the "Shushi Declaration" contains anti-Armenian provisions that encroach on the territorial integrity of Armenia, then reminded that it was ratified by the parliaments of Azerbaijan and Turkey, after which it was also signed by the pesident of Turkey. The MP inquired whether any action or response was given at the level of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after the June 2021 announcement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In response, Mirzoyan emphasized. "The position of the Republic of Armenia in connection with the Shushi Declaration has not changed at all."

Vardevanyan noted that the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave an assessment when the declaration was at the level of a pure declaration, and asked if after its ratification any new position has been expressed.

Mirzoyan admitted that there is a serious logic in what the MP said. "We need to understand what the statement of more condemnation and sharper assessment will add, and in whose favor is this game, if this can be called a game," the minister said.

Putin tells Scholz that Kyiv is stalling peace talks with Moscow

Save

Share

 14:54,

YEREVAN, MARCH 18, ARMENPRESS. Russian President Vladimir Putin told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during a phone call on Friday that Kyiv was attempting to stall peace talks with Russia but that Moscow was still keen to continue negotiations, Reuters reported citing a press release from the Kremlin.

"It was noted that the Kyiv regime is attempting in every possible way to delay the negotiation process, putting forward more and more unrealistic proposals," Reuters quoted a readout issued by the Kremlin.

"Nonetheless the Russian side is ready to continue searching for a solution in line with its well-known principled approaches."

Vahagn Khachaturyan: I must be president of all Armenian citizens and ‘much more’

panorama.am
Armenia – March 2 2022


Armenia’s Minister of High-Tech Industry Vahagn Khachaturyan, who has been nominated for president by the parliamentary majority, assures that he will be the “president for all Armenian citizens” if elected.

"I'm sure you don't want me to be just your president, I don't want that either. According to the Constitution, I am obliged to be the president of all citizens and much more," Khachaturyan told the parliamentary debates on his candidacy on Wednesday.

In his words, the presidential institution is supposed to deal with national problems and he is ready to do it. Khachaturyan believes that the ruling Civil Contract faction nominated him, among other things, with that view in mind.

“In the current difficult social and economic conditions it is important for society that the presidential institution play a unifying role,” the candidate said.

"But the institution cannot solve problems alone, without cooperation with the parliament, government and civil society,” he added.

The National Assembly started debates on the election of the country’s new president on Wednesday morning, boycotted by the opposition.

Khachaturyan needs 81 votes to be elected president in the first round. but the ruling Civil Contract faction holds 71 seats in the parliament. In the second round, however, 65 votes in favor are enough to elect a new president.

Armen Sarkissian stepped down as Armenian president on January 23.