Author: Alex Nanijanian

 10:15,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 27, ARMENPRESS. President Emmanuel Macron of France said “nothing should be ruled out” after he was asked about the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine, The New York Times reports.

Mr. Macron, speaking on Feb. 26, after a meeting of European leaders in Paris to bolster support for Ukraine, stressed that the talks had not resulted in any consensus on putting troops on the ground “in an official, approved and endorsed way.” But he insisted that “anything is possible if it is useful to reach our goal,” which he said was to ensure that “Russia cannot win this war.”

His statements were a stark departure from the usual caution that Western leaders — including Mr. Macron himself — have exercised. They have repeatedly said that they want to avoid escalating the conflict and previously ruled out sending any ground troops to Ukraine.

Ahead of the conference, Prime Minister Robert Fico of Slovakia warned that some Western countries were considering sending soldiers to Ukraine, adding that he opposed the idea.

Mr. Macron did not explicitly say which countries supported or rejected such an option.

“I won’t dispel the ambiguity of tonight’s debates by naming names,” he said. “I’m saying that it was mentioned among the options.”

The gathering of nearly 30 heads of state and top officials drew officials mostly from European countries, including Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain.

The conflict in Ukraine has been ongoing for two years. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said on Feb. 25 that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed during the two years of war, acknowledging for the first time a concrete figure for Ukraine’s toll in the war. But, according to The New York Times, his tally is far lower than U.S. estimates, which put the death toll about 70,000.

 10:33,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Defense Suren Papikyan has held a meeting with his French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu who has arrived in Armenia on an official visit.

The welcoming ceremony with participation of the guard of honor and the military orchestra was held at the Ministry of Defense headquarters. The anthems of the two nations were played.

Politico earlier reported that French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s delegation during his upcoming Armenia trip will include defense companies MBDA, Nexter, Safran, Thales and Arquus.

 12:02,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 20, ARMENPRESS. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic intends to maintain the independent policy on rejection of anti-Russian sanctions despite the colossal Western pressure, he said in an exclusive interview with TASS Director General Andrey Kondrashov.

"When the conflict in Ukraine started, I said that I don’t know how the events would unfold. And then we made a decision to condemn the conflict at the state level, just like everyone else, but we said that it is our position not to impose sanctions [against Russia]. I said it back then, because we know from our own experience what it feels like when sanctions are being imposed against us. We have a friendly nation, and it would have been unfair to do so to the Russian people," Vucic pointed out.

"But I have told the Serbs that I cannot guarantee that, because I don’t know what all this pressure will be like in the future. I was unwilling to play a hero for a day or two and then change my decision. But the fact that I say 'I don’t know,' and when I say 'I don’t know' - my word costs more than someone else’s firm promise," the head of state noted.

"Two years have passed [since the beginning of the special military operation.] Serbia is the only European country that has not imposed any sanctions. You have many friends in all European countries, and all of them have imposed sanctions against Russia. Some would say that it is the central authority that has imposed them and that they are against them; some would say that they have imposed sanctions against you but they help you in other matters. The small Serbia is the only country that has not imposed any sanctions," Vucic underscored, adding that "sanctions against Russia are the main topic" at every international event attended by him.

"We do not beat our breast or anything, but, as you can see, my answer will be the same in the future, that we will try to defend our position for as long as possible. We have been able to do that for two years already. I don’t know if we will keep doing that, but I hope for it," the head of state concluded.

After the beginning of the special military operation, Vucic said in his address to the nation that Serbia supports the territorial integrity of Ukraine, but will not impose sanctions against Russia. He announced that the republic temporarily suspended all military and police exercise with foreign partners. Vucic noted that Serbia considers Russia and Ukraine brotherly nations and regrets the events in Eastern Europe. He also announced that Belgrade is ready to provide humanitarian aid to Kiev.

 13:46,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has blamed the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh for failing to protect the Armenians there.

“Article 9 of the 9 November 2020 trilateral statement doesn’t contain anything on any corridor through Armenia, it’s impossible to find it,” Pashinyan said at a meeting with Armenian community members in Munich, speaking about the Azeri narrative on the so-called Zangezur corridor and the 2020 ceasefire agreement. “There is nothing about some other country controlling any territory of Armenia. It is about the regional connections. You are aware that we developed and proposed the Crossroads of Peace project in order to fully present our stance. That’s our vision.”

Speaking about dangers, the Armenian PM said that the narrative used by Azeri leader Ilham Aliyev is a signal on present dangers.

“How should we withstand these dangers? First of all this should be managed in our international relations. What’s one of the reasons behind creating the Crossroads of Peace project? Azerbaijan was trying to create an impression as if we don’t want to provide a road to anyone. What’s being talked about, as if Russia is supposed to control something in our territory, there’s no such thing in article 9, not to mention all the remaining articles of the trilateral statement which were basically torn and thrown away by Azerbaijan and Russia. Referring to article 9 is no longer relevant because both Russia and Azerbaijan have completely violated their obligations under the remaining articles, no Armenians are left in Nagorno-Karabakh today. And this is also the responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping contingent deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh, the goal of which was supposed to be the protection of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh,” PM Pashinyan said.

 16:58,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. Today, the European Commission is allocating an additional €5.5 million in humanitarian aid to support the Armenians displaced from the Nagorno-Karabakh region, the EU Delegation to Armenia said in a press release.  

“Many of the people who fled to Armenia during the last year's mass exodus took little to no belongings with them, leaving them dependent on emergency aid.

“€1.5 million of this funding is assigned for disaster preparedness to enhance the resilience of vulnerable communities to potential crises. The remaining €4 million of humanitarian funding is mainly focusing on providing the displaced Karabakh Armenians with regular cash transfers and vouchers to help them cover their basic needs.

“Through its humanitarian partners, the EU aims to support people in need with access to food, shelter healthcare, mental health services, and protection.

“Underlining EU's humanitarian support to Karabakh Armenians, Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, said: “This is the first winter for thousands of Karabakh Armenians who fled to Armenia last Autumn. In these challenging times, it is our humanitarian duty to provide protection and assistance to the people most in need. With this new €5.5 million funding, we will aim to further strengthen the existing EU humanitarian response to the displaced people in Armenia, by providing them with access to basic services.”

“This funding comes in addition to the €12.2 million already announced by the European Commission in response to the mass exodus of Karabakh Armenians in September 2023,” reads the press release.