16:12, 7 June, 2021
YEREVAN, JUNE 7, ARMENPRESS. Caretaker Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan will be on a vacation from June 7 to 18, e-gov.am reports.
Caretaker deputy prime minister Tigran Avinyan will replace Pashinyan while he will be on a vacation for campaigning ahead of the snap parliamentary elections.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
Azerbaijani Vice President Hikmet Hajiyev on Saturday said Baku welcomes the National Movement Party's (MHP) initiative to build a school in the key Azerbaijani city of Shusha, which was liberated during clashes between Baku and Yerevan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region in November.
Hajiyev said that the construction of the school, which will be named after Uzeyir Hajibeyov, the composer of the Azerbaijani national anthem and a Shusha local, will start as soon as possible.
“It was suggested that work negotiations be conducted at the expert level to adapt the architectural project of the arts school to the unique architectural style of Shusha,” Hajiyev stated.
“A philanthropist initiative not being accepted is not even open to discussion that,” he said, indicating that a misunderstanding had occurred.
MHP Chairperson Devlet Bahçeli Saturday tweeted: “The Azerbaijani administration did not deem our project suitable. Of course, this is their most natural right, we have no other option than to respect it.”
Bahçeli had announced on Jan. 16 with a post on social media that the party would like to construct a school comprised of nine classrooms if President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan gives the go-ahead.
The Azerbaijani armed forces liberated Shusha in November after 28 years of Armenian occupation. Shusha, known as the pearl of Nagorno-Karabakh, was occupied by Armenia on May 8, 1992.
The town has a significant military value since it is located at strategic heights about 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of the region’s de facto capital Khankendi (Stepanakert) and lies on the road linking the city with Armenian territory.
Besides its strategic significance, the town is viewed as a symbol of Azerbaijani history and culture due to its numerous historical sites which are currently being restored. Many prominent Azerbaijani musicians and scholars were born in the city.
The writer is head of the Baku-based think-tank Center of Analysis of International Relations.
BAKU
Diplomatic arm-wrestling still continues between the sides after a 44-day war that ended with the decisive victory of Azerbaijan in the South Caucasus. After Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev’s statement that “we are ready to talk about the terms of the final peace agreement,” the parties, having mostly completed the first two stages, are discussing the terms of the third stage of post-conflict reconciliation. But in the post-war period, while clashes on the Azerbaijan-Armenia border still persist, diplomatic negotiations between the parties continue.
First stage: Ending the Armenian occupation
The November 10 declaration, which ended the 44-day war, is in fact not just a ceasefire declaration but an important document regarding the solution of the problem. Through this document, the liberation of more than 300 settlements by the Azerbaijani army was accepted by Armenia and, according to Articles 2 and 6 of the declaration, the decision was also made for Armenia’s withdrawal from the remaining three occupied regions (Agdam, Kalbajar, Lachin) occupied by Armenia. Article 4 stipulates the withdrawal of Armenian armed units from the regions that are under the control of Russian peacekeepers as well. Article 5 of the tripartite declaration established a monitoring center, operated jointly by Turkey and Russia, to monitor the fulfillment of the ceasefire in Azerbaijan’s Karabakh region. In accordance with Article 8, the parties exchanged the bodies of the slain soldiers and returned the hostages. Azerbaijan returned the bodies of over 1,600 Armenian soldiers and repatriated 70 prisoners of war. In accordance with Article 6, the Lachin corridor will be handed over to Azerbaijan and a new corridor will be constructed within the next three years.
According to Article 7 of the declaration, it was decided that the return of IDPs should be carried out under UN supervision. This matter, according to President Ilham Aliyev, will be handled in due time. One of the most pressing issues in completing the first stage is Armenia's refusal to deliver mine maps; and, while there was speculation during Sergey Lavrov’s recent visit to Azerbaijan that Armenia would provide these maps, this issue has yet to be resolved.
Another issue remaining from the first phase is the evaluation of the status of Armenian soldiers who entered Azerbaijani territory after the Nov.10 declaration and were designated as terrorists, in accordance with international law, because they violated the declaration by entering Azerbaijani territory and killing soldiers and civilians. The Armenian side claims that these soldiers are POWs who should be returned as per the November 10 declaration.
Overall, it appears that the first phase is progressing as planned. Although some Armenian politicians and soldiers made revisionist remarks immediately after the war they are now starting to come to terms with the reality.
Second stage: The opening of transportation links
The second stage started to be implemented as a continuation of the first stage. According to Article 9 of the tripartite declaration, communication and transportation routes between the parties should be opened. As a result, on January 11, the parties signed a new declaration, and a committee comprised of the deputy prime ministers of Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russia was formed. According to the latest information, the commission has held a total of eight meetings so far.
Experts, lawmakers, and the commission itself are debating the establishment of three transportation linkages. The first is the Zengezur Corridor, which runs between Azerbaijan’s main territory and its exclave of Nakhchivan. The second is between Armenia and Russia and passes through Azerbaijan, while the third involves the formation of a regional transportation network with the participation of Turkey, Iran, and Georgia.
According to President Ilham Aliyev, the establishment of this transportation link will improve the region's chances of peace and aid in the prevention of new hostilities. However, this issue has sparked heated debate in Armenia ahead of the election. Experts believe this issue is being politicized by opposition figures ahead of the snap election. Nevertheless, despite the objections of the opposition in Armenia, the process on this issue continues. In his speech to the parliament, Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan reminded his opponents of the principle of reciprocity in diplomacy, stating that “If we don’t give them a transportation link, they will do the same.” Azerbaijan, for its part, has begun infrastructure work in preparation for the construction of these roadways. This situation will also have positive implications for the creation and normalization of Turkish–Armenian relations.
Third stage: Delimitation and demarcation of the borders
The third stage is the signing of an agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia on the delimitation and demarcation of their borders. The border between Azerbaijan and Armenia has been under Armenian occupation for the last 30 years. After the liberation of Azerbaijan’s territories, more than 500 km of borderline have emerged between the two countries; that is why delimitation and demarcation are needed in these new borders. This issue came to the fore prominently on May 12 after the tension in the Karagol region, located between the Lachin region of Azerbaijan and the Sisyan region of Armenia. This tension arose after the visit to the region of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. According to local media, during Lavrov’s visit, a draft agreement was prepared between the parties to determine the borders. According to the draft agreement, which was published in local media, the borders between the parties will be determined according to Soviet-era military maps from 1975/6. Meanwhile, Armenia will withdraw its military forces from eight Azerbaijani villages, which are mostly enclaves still under Armenian occupation.
Speaking in parliament on the matter, Nikol Pashinyan stated that the most essential task for the Armenian people is to usher in a new era of peaceful development for their future. It also appears that Pashinyan has no choice but to find mutual solutions to the problems with Azerbaijan because attempts to internationalize the issue have not yielded any results.
Different types of reactions have been observed from the Armenian side in relation to this issue. Armenia has built a deep “security” platform as a result of its prolonged occupation of Azerbaijani territories. Unfortunately, due to the false comfort of occupation, Armenia illegally annexed many Azerbaijani villages and settled in them its own citizens. Now, the Azerbaijani army is directly confronted by such “Armenian” villages, and identifying borders using maps alone is proving difficult.
The fact that this situation coincides with the pre-election period in Armenia complicates matters even more. Pashinyan, who was blamed for losing the Second Karabakh War, is being further called out by his opponents for making more concessions.
Not only the opposition but also some government officials known for their radical rhetoric have criticized Pashinyan. According to local media, former Foreign Minister Ara Ayvazyan has refused to sign the agreement on border delimitation and demarcation. President Armen Sarkisyan stated that Armenian military forces must take harsh preventative measures against Azerbaijan during the demarcation and delimitation process. But the fact is that Armenia has no option but to find a solution to its problems with Azerbaijan and Turkey.
Obstacles to the final peace treaty
President Ilham Aliyev has stated that he has made proposals to Armenia on the terms of the final peace agreement, but Armenia has yet to respond. He has also emphasized that Azerbaijan is ready to talk about the conditions of that final peace agreement with Armenia. Azerbaijan’s condition for the ultimate peace deal is clear: The two countries must mutually recognize each other’s territorial integrity.
According to George Vanyan, an Armenian expert, the Armenian community is not yet ready for a final peace agreement. This is, in fact, a product of the radical and nationalistic sentiment fueled in the country by the rulers of Armenia over the past 30 years. As former Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrosyan stated: “No lessons have still been learned in Armenia and the diaspora … This suggests that the Armenian people are bracing themselves for more losses and sorrows.” Petrosyan is implying that the reconciliation process does not sit well with Armenia’s radicals and revanchists. That is why they are attempting to derail the peace process by inciting provocations. The international community must be wary of such provocations.
* Opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Anadolu Agency.
President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s statement on Turkey’s willingness to support any trilateral format, including the Georgia-Azerbaijan-Armenia format must be viewed along with the first part of the statement in which Erdogan says he will actively support the Turkey-Georgia-Azerbaijan format that was established a long time ago.
This is what Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies at the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, Turkologist Ruben Safrastyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am. According to him, the aim of this format is to weaken Russia’s role in the South Caucasus and augment Turkey’s influence. “In the beginning, the Turkey-Georgia-Azerbaijan format implied economic cooperation, and then it moved to the political level, and recently we have been seeing the move to the military level. Erdogan’s statement on willingness to support the Georgia-Azerbaijan-Armenia format also fits within the logic of weakening Russia’s role in the region. This goes to show that Ankara has far-reaching geopolitical goals, including the removal of Russia from the region so that Turkey will become the major force regulating integration processes of Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia in the South Caucasus,” he added.
According to Safrastyan, as far as the second phase is concerned, the Georgia-Azerbaijan-Armenia format is actually unfeasible, taking into consideration Baku’s hostile policy towards Yerevan which is backed by Turkey.
Recently, Erdogan declared that Turkey supports any trilateral cooperation, be it Georgia-Azerbaijan-Armenia or Georgia-Azerbaijan-Turkey.
15:29,
YEREVAN, MAY 28, ARMENPRESS. The return of Armenian captives from Azerbaijan is a matter of time, it is one of the factors with which Azerbaijan wants to have an impact on the upcoming snap parliamentary elections of Armenia, Caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at the meeting with the members of the Civil Contract party in Kanaker-Zeytun administrative district.
“The issue of captives is our most painful matter. It is a matter of time. We are making daily efforts for the return of captives, without any exaggeration. Of course, every day for them and their family members is a very serious threat and trial. And my conviction is that it is a matter of time and I am mostly sure that this process will intensify after the elections because the factor of captives and other factors are being used for having an impact on the outcomes of the elections in Armenia. And this is also the reason why they are not returning [the captives]. I don’t say that this is the only reason, but is one of the reasons”, he said.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
BAKU, May 20. /TASS/. Baku appreciates Moscow’s role in resolving the situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ali Asadov said at a meeting with his Russian counterpart Mikhail Mishustin on Thursday.
"Azerbaijan’s government appreciates the role that Russia played in the 44-day war. We remain committed to the obligations that are enshrined in a statement that the presidents of Azerbaijan and Russia and the prime minister of Armenia signed on November 9," Asadov pointed out.
He also said that the three countries’ deputy prime ministers maintained close contact to ensure the implementation of the statement’s provision on enhancing economic and transport ties in the region. "Azerbaijan remains fully committed to its obligations under the November 9 and January 11 statements," the prime minister added.
On November 9, 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on a complete ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh. According to the document, Azerbaijan and Armenia maintained the positions that they had held and Russian peacekeepers were deployed to the region. In addition, several districts were handed back over to Azerbaijan. On January 11, 2021, a joint statement was signed following a Moscow meeting between Putin, Aliyev and Pashinyan, which creates a trilateral working group aimed at boosting economic and transport ties in the region.
"We have been stating for six months that each day Nikol Pashinyan remains in power is extremely dangerous for Armenia and we have been proving this," member of ARF-Dashnaktsutyun Bureau Gegham Manukyan told reporters at the Republic Square. Manukyan stressed that the person who lost the war and was knelt down before Aliyev is unable to run decent negotiations and promote the interests of Armenia, Artak and the Armenian people. "Regretfully, today's news came as an additional evidence to this," said the ARDF member.
"Me and many of my friends know well that every day is important and should be used to remove the current authorities even before the elections. We had no such opportunity which means that June 20 is the last day for them," stressed Manukyan.
He also assured that June 20, when the snap parliamentary elections are scheduled to take place, will be the last day of the current government and Pashinyan along his political team will have no opportunity to form a cabinet.
2. “Rethinking the Economic Model of Armenia”, by Vahan Zanoyan
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 20
Trend:
It's extremely strange that the Foreign Ministry of India, a country which over the past 30 years hasn't called for the withdrawal of the Armenian Armed Forces from the previously occupied territories of Azerbaijan, is now talking about the ‘withdrawal of Azerbaijani forces’, Spokesperson for Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Leyla Abdullayeva said.
Abdullayeva made the remark commenting on the words of the official representative of the Indian ministry in connection with the latest events on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, Trend reports.
She stressed that the main reason for the disagreements on border issues between Armenia and Azerbaijan is the illegal occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia until November 2020.
"So, it’s Armenia that violates the internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is only restoring its internationally recognized borders, continues to strengthen the system of border protection within its territorial integrity, and this process is carried out on the basis of maps held by each of the parties and defining the border line between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” the spokesperson noted.
“In recent months, there have been disagreements between the parties on border issues, and all of them were resolved through negotiations between the parties to the trilateral agreement (between Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia),” she further said. “Besides, it’s clear that the last statement of the Indian Foreign Ministry talking about the ‘withdrawal of troops’ was made without a comprehensive study of various aspects of the issue."
"I’d like to remind that Azerbaijan has always called and calls for sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of the internationally recognized borders of states. We believe that mutual respect and strict adherence to these principles is the only way to resolve any dispute and establish good-neighborly relations in the full sense of the word,” the spokesperson added. “As the current chair of the Non-Aligned Movement, Azerbaijan has identified the promotion of the Bandung principles as one of the priorities of its chairmanship. These principles contribute to the development of justice and equality in international relations and ensure the observance of the norms and principles of international law.”
Any attempts to damage unity within the framework of the Non-Aligned Movement are unacceptable," Abdullayeva noted.
Talking about how one can be confident in Armenia's commitment to the principles of international law in the future, Abdullayeva said that unfortunately, xenophobia and intolerance stemming from it are severely gaining foothold in Armenia.
“It’s of particular concern that this tendency is directed not only against Azerbaijan, but also any people or group that has an opinion different from the views of the Armenian side," Abdullayeva noted.
She emphasized that the Nazis' accomplices are idolized and international terrorists are glorified in Armenia.
According to her, an inexplicable act of vandalism was recently committed against the monument of Mahatma Gandhi in Armenia, the world famous supporter of peace.
"Such extremism displays are dangerous and must be immediately eliminated. It’s necessary to induce Armenia to abandon such dangerous ideas as ‘national superiority’ and ‘territorial expansion’. Only after that Armenia will be able to benefit from good-neighborly relations and regional cooperation,” the spokesperson said, adding that Azerbaijan, for its part, remains committed to peace, security, regional development and cooperation based on sovereignty, territorial integrity and internationally recognized borders.