Author: Edgar Tavakalian

Azerbaijan never raises “corridor” issue at working level – Pashinyan

Edgar Tavakalian

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 21:32,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. It’s Armenia who will decide by which roads to ensure the connection between Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan, there is no corridor issue, ARMENPRESS reports Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said in an online press conference, referring to the remark that Azerbaijan interprets the “unobstructed traffic” formulation of the 9th point of the November 9 declaration as a sovereign corridor.

“If it meant sovereign corridor, it would be written sovereign corridor, particularly, given the fact that the word corridor is already used in that document for Lachin corridor and it’s written that the Lachin corridor is under the Russian supervision. It’s more logical to think that “unobstructed traffic” means not-corridor, exclusion of corridor”, Pashinyan said.

The implementation of the 9th point of the declaration was adopted by the January 11, 2021 statement. The trilateral working group set up on the basis of the January 11 statement with the participation of Azerbaijan stated that the reopened roads will operate within the framework of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the countries they pass through. “The use of the roads should be based on the parity principle. This means there are two issues. The first is the issue of sovereignty, which has already been announced by the Russian Federation. We have never heard the word corridor from Azerbaijan at working level. It has been recorded by the trilateral working group that it does not exist (corridor issue-edit.). Second, why should something that does not exist be acceptable for us, why should we discuss it at all”, the PM said.

The Prime Minister spoke about Azerbaijan's policy of blackmail. "They named it the “Zangezur corridor" and say that if Armenia does not provide a corridor, they will get it by war. Armenia must put this fact in front of the international community. And Armenia must show this as an openly aggressive policy of Azerbaijan, which must receive an adequate international assessment”.

At the same time, Pashinyan assured that Armenia is not only ready, but also interested in opening regional communications, noting that Armenia has been under blockade for 30 years, this is an opportunity to unblock. “The next issue is the issue of routes, which also contains quite a lot of nuances. And if that takes place in the sidelines of sovereignty, Armenia says that it’s ready to ensure communication between Nakhichevan and Azerbaijan and it’s Armenia who decides by which road to ensure that link, otherwise, we cannot speak about sovereignty. In other words, Azerbaijan wants to decide how to come in and go out. This is impossible”, PM Pashinyan said.

On the other hand, Armenia is interested in the restoration of railway and road communications. "Yes, Azerbaijan should get a road and a railway. In this case, we are not really talking about Nakhichevan, in this case we are talking about the Turkey-Azerbaijan connection, that is, we are talking about a great international road. I think that Armenia is also interested in that. When we look at Azerbaijan-Nakhichevan, it seems that it is the Azerbaijan-Nakhichevan connection, but it is actually about a new international road. And, naturally, Armenia should be interested in the new international road passing through its territory," he said.

Pashinyan noted that he does not understand why Armenia should refuse to provide a road, adding that today all countries in the world are struggling for that roads, railways, gas and oil pipelines pass through their territory, in general, cargo transportations through their territory as much as possible. According to Pashinyan, on the contrary, Armenia is interested in the opening of the Turkish railway, it wants Kars-Gyumri railroad to be opened, which can be used also by Armenia to get a railway link not only with Russia, but also with Europe and Iran. "Azerbaijan understands what this means. That is why it is constantly making efforts, including by creating a nervous atmosphere inside Armenia, so that it turns out that Armenia itself is against its unblocking. Do you understand where the absurdity has reached? And today Azerbaijan clearly uses some forces, I do not know where these moods rise from, that we should not provide a road," said the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister noted that on the other hand, Azerbaijan is developing a corridor logic, and stressed that there is no corridor logic, it simply does not exist.

Situation in Armenia’s Meghri community near border with Iran and Azerbaijan calm

Edgar Tavakalian
TASS, Russia
Nov 16 2021
Armenia’s defense ministry said earlier that hostilities between the Armenian and Azerbaijani armed forces are reported in Armenia’s Syunik province near the country’s eastern border

YEREVAN, November 16. /TASS/. The situation in Meghri, an urban community in Armenia’s Syunik province located near the border with Iran and Azerbaijan, is calm, with no shooting heard, Bagrat Zakaryan, the head of the Meghri community, told TASS on Tuesday.

"The situation in Meghri is normal. We have no problems, are working as usual. So shooting is heard," he said.

Armenia’s defense ministry said earlier that hostilities between the Armenian and Azerbaijani armed forces are reported in Armenia’s Syunik province near the country’s eastern border. According local mass media, fierce fighting is reported in the Sisian and Goris communities.

The situation in Nagorno-Karabak and the adjacent Syunik province in Armenia deteriorated dramatically earlier in November. The sides regularly report armed incidents, including those entailing human casualties. On November 13, Yerevan and Baku exchanged accusations of shelling each other’s army positions. On November 16, skirmishes broke out at the border between the two countries, with wounded reported on both sides. Armenia also reports human losses.

There is real potential in peace, not conflict in Nagorno Karabakh

Edgar Tavakalian
EU Reporter
Nov 18 2021
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 NOVEMBER 18, 2021

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 EU Reporter Correspondent

Former MEP Sajjad Karim (pictured) has called for renewed efforts, including by the EU, to finding a “lasting and sustainable” peace in the troubled South Caucasus Region.

His comments, at an event in Brussels, come after he recently visited the Nagorno-Karabakh region on a fact finding trip.

A short war last year between ethnic Armenian forces and the Azeri army over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave killed at least 6,500 people.

Thousands of land mines were left behind after the 44 day war that start on September 27 2020.  The conflict ended after Russia, which has a military base in Armenia, brokered a peace deal and deployed almost 2,000 peacekeepers to the region.

On Wednesday, a conference on the issue was held at Brussels press club, along with a photo expo featuring various scenes from the region, both past and present.

The conference heard that a major problem today, though, is the “huge” number of mines still present in the region which pose a daily threat the lives of local people. There are numerous other challenges facing the region before it can fully recover, it was said.

Karim, a former UK Tory MEP, told the event, held both online and physically, that there was “huge interest” in developments in the region.

He said, “This area has been and is a very dynamic and changing environment. I used to work on this issue in the European Parliament and still follow it closely.

“In order to study the situation on the ground, I took the chance to visit Azerbaijan   and Nagorno-Karabakh, including the  liberated areas. I saw a sharp contrast in the sense that it’s evident there had been neglect for many years and that towns and villages have been run into the ground. It was a great shame this has happened.

“Places of religious and historic interest have fallen into ruin and there is clear evidence of deliberate wrong doing.

“On a positive note I also witnessed a huge amount of capital structural development underway. I have never seen anything to compare with the extent of this. This presents a real opportunity for the entire South Caucasus   to come together and ensure that life opportunities for everyone in the region area greatly improved by this changing dynamic.

“This is a tremendous vision, particularly in today’s world with rising nationalism and populism. I hope this will rise out of an area that has suffered so much for decades because of religious and identity-based politics. I believe that we can now see a real force for good emerging.”

He said, “The aim for everyone should be to bring people together in the region to ensure that all sides are present at the table,playing their full part in finding a constructive future for this region.”

Former  Romanian MEP Ramona Manescu said, “I have never been there but what has happened in the region is quite tragic.”

The former foreign affairs minister added, “I have worked in the parliament to bring sides together to discuss their problems but through dialogue which is the only way to bring peace.  I hope the region that has known so much hate and war can be stabilised and finally see peace. If there was ethnic cleansing there should not be any more.  There are economic, human and environmental challenges which are so big that all sides have to get involved to get help and support. Azerbaijan needs support on this, for instance rebuilding the infrastructure. It cannot do it without international support.

Another speaker, Ramil Azizov, of ANAMA, said, “Much of this land has been under occupation for over 30 years and a lot of it has been completing destroyed.  Many people have been injured by the mines left by the former forces in the region. It is essential they are allowed to return to their homes safely.

Another keynote speaker at the event, “Post Conflict Challenges – South Caucasus Region”, was Fuad Huseynov, State Committee for Refugees and IDPs, or internally displaced persons.

He said,  “As a country, Azerbaijan hosts one of the highest number of refugees in the world and faces a huge arms of IDPs, people who have been displaced from their homes in NK.

“It is estimated that a total of 1m out of entire population of 7m are considered displaced: more than 10 percent of the population.”

He outlined efforts to help such people, saying, “Today, 115 new residential complexes have been erected for IDPs and 315,000 IDPs have been given housing. As a result, the poverty level for IDPs has dropped from 75  per cent to less than 10 per cent over the last 25 years which is substantial.”

Speaking online, he told the event, “This is a model for other countries who might be dealing with IDPs. The job now is the full restoration of liberated areas and return of IDPs to their homes in a safe and dignified manner.”

He said the area is said to be one of most mine polluted areas in the world  and that Armenia had refused to hand over land mine maps.

He added, “With the concerted efforts of the international community Azerbaijan will, I believe, be able to present a new model of post conflict zones in the coming years.”

He warned, though, “But at present the international community is turning a blind eye to what has happened in NK.”

The trilateral ceasefire agreement brokered last year by Russian President Vladimir Putin and co-signed by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev reflected the fact that Azerbaijan had inflicted a military defeat on Armenia and recaptured lands that it had lost more than a quarter of a century before.

Divisive issues keep the two countries a long way from political agreement, however. These issues range from the future status of the Armenians of Nagorny Karabakh to the continuing detention of Armenian soldiers in Azerbaijan, the demarcation of borders, and the sharing of maps of minefields relating to districts formerly under Armenian military control now restored to Azerbaijan.

Leyla Gasimova, an Azerbaijan national who hosted the 2 hour seminar, said, “I have spent several years in peacebuilding activities and in trying to find a solution to the NK dispute. But people must know that peace cannot be achieved while land is under occupation.”

She said, “Today, Azerbaijan has liberated its land but we still face many challenges to maintain stability and peace in the region and the liberated zones. For instance, displaced Azerbaijani people cannot currently return to their homes due to mine pollution.

“These challenges, including other serious environmental issues, remain and we cannot apply confidence building measures. The aim of this event is to find common solutions to these challenges and enhance cross border cooperation through the engagement of third parties.

“Confidence building is needed to restore trust, including providing land mine maps, to protect both civilians and the environment.”

Swedish artist and photographer Peter Johansson, who presented a photo exhibition at the press club on the region, explained the reasons that attracted him to the issue.

He said,  “I was very curious about Azerbaijan   and that is why me and my wife visited liberated areas around Nagorno Karabakh. We try to show the reconstruction work  of the area currently underway along as the potentially dangerous nature of this work. Unfortunately, many of the buildings are so badly damaged they cannot be restored and this is very sad and tragic.”

He added, “Despite all this, I felt positive that everyone wants to rebuild the towns and cities.

“I am glad to say that Sweden, my country, has supported humanitarian work in the conflict areas and finding a sustainable peace between the parties.”

Summing up, Karim said, the expo provided a real life account of the challenges – and opportunities – that face the region.

The former MEP concluded, “There is real potential in peace, not conflict. This is the time for the EU to engage to win the peace and move the region forward and this is something I want to encourage.”

Baku hands over body of Armenian soldier killed in Armenian-Azerbaijani border fighting

Edgar Tavakalian

Nov 18 2021


    JAMnews

The body of one Armenian soldier who died on November 16 during the fighting at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border was brought to Yerevan. In the afternoon it was reported that the former commander of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Karabakh, Rustam Muradov, would arrive in Armenia.

He always accompanied all Armenian prisoners who returned to their homeland from Baku, therefore, prisoners of war were expected to arrive. Then it became known that this time there were no prisoners on board, but it was not assumed that Azerbaijan only handed over one body.

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The fact that the plane from Baku was already flying to Yerevan was first reported by the pro-government Azerbaijani website Caliber. The publication said that the plane with the so-called “cargo-200” en route to Yerevan was accompanied by the Deputy Commander of the Southern Military District Rustam Muradov.

According to preliminary information, he was sent to the region to hold negotiations to develop “mechanisms for preventing armed incidents between the parties on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, outside the zone of responsibility of the Russian peacekeepers”.

The largest escalation since the end of the second Karabakh war in 2020 took place on November 16. The Armenian side reported one dead, 13 prisoners and 24 missing. The Azerbaijani side announced that seven servicemen were killed, 10 soldiers were wounded.

Azerbaijan marks anniversary of war victory

Edgar Tavakalian
EurasiaNet.org
Nov 8 2021
Ulkar Natiqqizi, Ani Mejlumyan Nov 8, 2021

Azerbaijan celebrated its first “Victory Day” holiday on the one-year anniversary of the capture of the city of Shusha, the pivotal battle that led to its defeat of Armenia in last year’s war.

The celebrations kicked off on November 7, the eve of the anniversary, when President Ilham Aliyev and his wife, vice president Mehriban Aliyeva, went to Shusha in Karabakh. They inaugurated what has been called the “victory road” through the region of Fuzuli to Shusha, since named the cultural capital of the country. In Shusha they toured various reconstruction projects and laid the foundations for new buildings including a central hospital and a mosque.

In Baku, the events were marked starting on the morning of November 8 with a march by thousands of soldiers and other Azerbaijanis from central Baku to the new Military Trophies Park, featuring Armenian military hardware captured during the war along with controversial depictions of Armenian soldiers.

Initially, Aliyev had designated November 10 to be marked as Victory Day, the day that Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a Russia-brokered ceasefire agreement that formally ended the fighting. But that is also the day that allied Turkey commemorates the death of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, and Azerbaijan later changed it to November 8, the day that Aliyev announced that Azerbaijani forces had captured Shusha.

Turkey was represented at the Victory Day celebrations by Defense Minister Hulusi Akar. Azerbaijan’s victory “was a beautiful response to those who turned a blind eye and remained silent to injustice and lawlessness,” Akar said in a speech ahead of a concert at Baku’s Heydar Aliyev Center.

Azerbaijan also enlisted several other foreign dignitaries who were in the country to take part in a conference, the VIII Baku Global Forum. The final event of the conference was a panel on the “Economic Assessment of the Value of Cultural Heritage,” which was held in Shusha on November 8.

Among the participants was former United States ambassador to Azerbaijan Robert Cekuta, who said “the international community needs to think about how it can help revive Shusha.”

Unexpected support also came from Iran, in spite of the tension that the two countries recently experienced. Foreign ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh told a Tehran press conference that Iran had always opposed the occupation of Azerbaijani territory.

“Therefore we congratulate this country on the occasion of the liberation of territories from occupation and we applaud the anniversary of this victory today,” he said. “The most important issue is to eliminate the misunderstandings that occurred in the press and public.”

In Armenia, the anniversary was the source of political backbiting, as opponents of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan took the occasion to blame him for the loss in the war. Participants of one demonstration marched to the Yerablur military cemetery in Yerevan holding signs that read “Nikol should be tried” and “We reject the November 9 agreement.” (The agreement was signed in the middle of the night, November 10 by Caucasus time and November 9 by Moscow time, and the agreement is known by both dates.)

Former president Robert Kocharyan, who now leads the largest opposition faction in parliament, was scheduled to give a speech on November 8, which a Kocharyan ally said would mark the “start of the pan-Armenian resistance.”

The anniversary also was an occasion for Armenians to look back and examine what went wrong. In a November 7 interview with public television, Pashinyan discussed an investigative commission that is to be set up to look not only at the conduct of last year’s war, but everything that happened since the first war between the two sides ended in 1994. “Unless we do a deep dive, we won’t know what happened,” he said.

He also described broad investigations into criminal cases being carried out in relation to the conduct of the war, though he didn’t specify what crimes had been committed. He said there are roughly 1,000 cases opened, with 40 people charged so far and 10 arrested. And he said the arrests were only the “tip of the iceberg.” 

Many sources had reported that Aliyev, Pashinyan, and Russian President Vladimir Putin would meet on the anniversary of the ceasefire signing to agree to two new deals: on demarcating the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan and on a plan to open up transportation through southern Armenia connecting Azerbaijan with its exclave, Nakhchivan. Those reports were barely mentioned in Azerbaijani official media but were the source of intense speculation in Armenia.

In his interview, Pashinyan denied that the meeting would take place on the anniversary of the ceasefire.

On November 8, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitriy Peskov said that a video conference between the three men was being planned, but a date had not been set yet. 

The anniversary also served as a reminder that despite the ceasefire, the conflict remains unresolved. The Armenia-backed de facto authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh reported that Azerbaijani soldiers fired on civilians working on a water pipeline, killing one of them. Azerbaijan did not comment on the incident.

 

Ani Mejlumyan is a reporter based in Yerevan.

Ulkar Natiqqizi is a reporter based in Baku.

Armenian, French FMs discuss Nagorno Karabakh conflict

Edgar Tavakalian

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 02:33,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 11, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan met on November 10 with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on the sidelines of his working visit in Paris, the Armenian MFA reports.

The ministers discussed the further deepening of the Armenian-French unique relations and reaffirmed their interest to further develop the mutually beneficial cooperation. The importance of expanding the economic ties between Armenia and France was emphasized.

The Armenian and French FMs discussed also a number of issues relating to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Ararat Mirzoyan said that the comprehensive and lasting settlement of the conflict is possible only through peaceful negotiations under the mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship.

The meeting also touched upon the current humanitarian problems caused by the 2020 Artsakh war. FM Mirzoyan emphasized the necessity of unconditional and quick return of Armenian prisoners of war and other persons held from Azerbaijan, as well as the importance of preserving the Armenian historical-cultural and religious heritage in the territories of Artsakh which have come under the Azerbaijani control.

Ararat Mirzoyan said Armenia and the Armenian people highly appreciate the French government’s and parliament’s position and steps during last year’s aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh and the subsequent period.

FM Mirzoyan also thanked the French side for the support provided for fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

‘Armenia’ Alliance: Azerbaijan is the one making decisions instead of Armenian PM, we will not put up with this

Edgar Tavakalian
News.am, Armenia
Nov 11 2021
'Armenia' Alliance: Azerbaijan is the one making decisions instead of Armenian PM, we will not put up with this
15:44, 11.11.2021

The opposition “Armenia” Alliance has issued a statement stating that there will be more concessions so long as the incumbent authorities are in power

“The authorities, which symbolize defeat, made another agreed concession — the Goris-Kapan motorway is fully under the control of Azerbaijan. The capitulator declared that we Armenians will always move freely via that motorway. He was deceiving the people once again, and now he is announcing an alternative road.

Such embarrassing concessions can be expected every day so long as the incumbent regime is in power. The person holding the office of Prime Minister doesn’t decide anything any longer. Azerbaijan is the one making decisions instead of him. The adversary is not only physically present in the sovereign territory of Armenia, but is also setting up customs and border control points in the territory. The incumbent authorities are impotent and won’t show resistance to Azerbaijan. However, we will not put up with this.

This shows that the agenda of the regime to open an era of peace in the region means the loss of sovereignty of Armenia. What happened is a direct threat to the security of our compatriots in Syunik Province in terms of defensibility of Armenia. This also contains serious and unmanageable economic risks.

Dear compatriots, the alternative to this devastating situation is not war (some people are trying to present it this way). The alternative is dignified peace and the formation of a new government that will protect national and state interests. We have laid the foundation for a pan-national resistance against the authorities’ destructive policy. The pressures and violent acts of power structures will not break us down. We will go until the end. Syunik Province will not be ceded, Artsakh will not emptied of Armenians, and Armenia will not be Turkified.

Armenia will be a sovereign state, and Armenians will live in a just and strong country again,” the statement reads.

PM Pashinyan chairs consultation on economic priorities

Edgar Tavakalian

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 19:40,

YEREVAN, 10 NOVEMBER, ARMENPRESS. Chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, a consultation took place at the Government. Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan, Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister Arayik Harutyunyan, President of the Central Bank Martin Galstyan, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly on Financial-Credit and Budgetary Affairs Gevorg Papoyan, the heads of the departments coordinating the economic sphere of the Government, Deputy Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly on Economic Affairs Babken Tunyan and others participated in the consultation.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the office of the Prime Minister, at the beginning of the consultation the Prime Minister said, “ We have defined in the Government’s Action Plan that after the confirmation of the Action Plan, in a 3-months period, we have to make decisions on the priorities of the economy, that is, the priority branches. And today our discussion is devoted to that.”

The directions with the potential to become the locomotive of the economy and main branches of development were discussed. An exchange of views took place, a number of proposals and observations were presented.

Asbarez: Artak Beglaryan Discusses Artsakh’s Current State of Affairs at Public Forum

Edgar Tavakalian
by Contributor

 

 November 4, 2021

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Community, Latest, News, Top Stories

Artsakh State Minister Artak Beglaryan (center) with his special advisor Davit Akopyan (right) and attorney Garo Ghazarian during a press conference on Oct. 25

Artak Beglaryan, the State Minister of the Republic of Artsakh, on October 25 held a press conference followed by a keynote address at a public forum organized by the Pan-Armenian Council of Western United States, at the Armenian Society of Los Angeles Center, located in Glendale.

At the press conference, Beglaryan fielded questions from members of the print and television media. He was joined during the conference and public forum by Davit Akopyan, Chief Advisor to Beglaryan.

Zaven Khanjian, Executive Director and CEO of the Armenian Missionary Association of America, which had invited Beglaryan to the United States as the keynote speaker of its annual meeting and banquet, provided introductory remarks welcoming the State Minister, and explained his vital role during Artsakh’s recent history, particularly during the 2020 war of aggression brought on by Azerbaijan, and its aftermath.

  • Artak Beglaryan with State Senator Anthony Portantino and Glendale City Councilmember Ardy Kassakhian
  • Artak Beglaryan with Glendale Police Chief Carl Povilaitis and the entire command staff of the Glendale Police Department

During the hour-long press conference, moderated by Garo Ghazarian, attorney and co-host of the “Frontlines-Artsakh” program, Minister Beglaryan addressed a broad range of inquiries ranging from the plight of Armenian refugees and prisoners of war to accountability for the funds raised in the diaspora for humanitarian assistance to the Artsakh people.

From 2018 to 2020, Beglaryan served as the Human Rights Ombudsman of Artsakh, before being appointed to his current post as State Minister of the Republic.

  • Artak Beglaryan with members of the press
  • The Pan-Armenian Council event organizing committee
  • Community members attend public forum

Immediately following the press conference, invited guests gathered for a private reception in honor of Minister Beglaryan.

Among those in attendance were Armenia’s Consul General to Los Angeles, Ambassador Dr. Armen Baibourtian, Glendale Police Chief Carl Povilaitis and the entire command staff of the Glendale Police Department, Lena Bozoyan, Chairwoman of the Pan-Armenian Council, and the leadership of the respective PAC members. The attendees toasted in honor of Minister Beglaryan, applauding his exemplary service to the Armenian people of Artsakh, and to the Armenian nation.

The program then continued in the grand hall of the Armenian Society Center where a capacity audience came to listen to Mr. Beglaryan’s remarks. Dr. Vahram Shemmassian, Director and Professor of the Armenian Studies Program at California State University, Northridge, opened the public forum by welcoming the audience and asking them to stand for the playing of the national anthems of the United States of America and the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh.

  • Dr. Vahan Shemmasian
  • Lena Bozoyan
  • Garo Ghazarian

This was followed by a moment of silence in honor of all those who lost their lives last year during the war. Bozoyan then provided an inspiring welcoming address where she emphasized that the struggle for the liberation of Artsakh continues through Beglaryan’s tireless service and his fellow Artsakh citizens toward achievement of the national aspirations of the Armenian people.

In a moving presentation, Ghazarian then introduced Beglaryan by reciting a beautifully penned letter by his daughter Ani, who three years ago, at 17, had described the profound impact Beglaryan had on her and others of her generation, motivating her to seek a career devoted to public service and human rights.

Beglaryan then made his presentation. During the hour-long address, he offered the attendees an outline of his well-developed five-point plan for the future of Artsakh. He emphasized his vision as follows: Security of Artsakh’s borders and its people, education, economic development, repatriation and engagement in the civic life of Artsakh.

He emphasized that if someone calls themselves an Armenian, they must become a part of Artsakh’s life by living there or by offering their particular expertise in service to Artsakh. It is through such full engagement in Artsakh that internationally recognized statehood for the Republic will be achieved.

Beglaryan elaborated on each of these five points covering a broad range of topics from the role of Russian peacekeepers to the legal status of Artsakh. At the conclusion of his formal remarks, Beglaryan responded to approximately twenty questions from audience members, moderated by Ghazarian.

Beglaryan lost his eyesight as a child in 1995, when a landmine he found in his family’s yard exploded. His father had died in battle during the first Artsakh War of Liberation just two years earlier. He then lost his mother at the age of 16 and, it was then that Minister Beglaryan found his life’s purpose and mission.

Beglaryan had studied in Yerevan, at a school for the visually impaired from 1995-2006. Coming home during summer breaks, he had attended the AMAA Camp in Stepanakert and credits his Christian education there as the bedrock of his commitment to public service. He graduated from Yerevan State University in 2010, subsequently studied business management in Thessaloniki, Greece as part of a student exchange program, and took part in international programs and research fellowships in the Czech Republic and Switzerland. He holds a Master’s Degree from the University College London in political science, security, and integration, and he has completed a public policy and administration program in the U.S., at Tufts University, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

“We are so grateful to our very distinguished guest, Minister Artak Beglaryan, who gave our community a frank and thorough analysis of the developments in Artsakh during the past year and his plans for Artsakh going forward. We look forward with great anticipation to continue our work and support of Minister Beglaryan and the Armenians of Artsakh,” said Bozoyan.

The event was followed by a reception.

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 10/27/2021

Edgar Tavakalian 
                                        Wednesday, October 27, 2021


Yerevan Still Vague On ‘Upcoming’ Armenian-Azeri Summit
October 27, 2021
        • Naira Nalbandian
        • Marine Khachatrian

Armenia - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian speaks during the Armenian government's 
question-and-answer session in parliament, Yerevan, October 27, 2021.


The Armenian government sent mixed signals on Wednesday in response to reports 
that the leaders of Armenia of Azerbaijan will meet in Moscow early next month 
to sign more Russian-brokered agreements.

Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan did not explicitly rule out the possibility of 
such a summit. But he denied that Yerevan is planning to make far-reaching 
concessions to Baku.

“First of all, I want to say that no meeting in that format is planned for the 
moment,” Mirzoyan told the Armenian parliament.

“Proposals for different meetings in different formats are being discussed. 
Presumably an agreed text might be released as a result of possible meetings,” 
he said during the government’s question-and-answer session in the National 
Assembly.

Some Russian and Armenian media outlets reported late last week that that 
Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to host fresh talks between Armenian 
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

Citing unnamed Armenian diplomatic sources, Aliqmedia.am claimed that Aliyev and 
Pashinian will sign two agreements envisaging the demarcation of the 
Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the opening of transport links between the two 
South Caucasus states. The publication said one of those documents will also 
commit Baku and Yerevan to recognizing each other’s territorial integrity.

“The signing of those two documents with such content is definitely not 
planned,” said Mirzoyan. He insisted that Pashinian’s administration will not 
sign any deals contradicting its public statements on the Nagorno-Karabakh 
conflict.

Pashinian was present at the session but did not comment on the matter. He 
answered instead other conflict-related questions asked by opposition lawmakers.

Some of those deputies again expressed concern over the media reports. Armen 
Rustamian of the opposition Hayastan alliance said he fears that Pashinian will 
commit to fateful concessions to Aliyev.

Earlier on Wednesday Hayastan and the opposition Pativ Unem bloc tried 
unsuccessfully to have the parliament adopt a statement saying that any 
agreement referring to Karabakh as Azerbaijani territory is unacceptable to 
Armenia and that Soviet-era maps alone can serve as a basis for 
Armenian-Azerbaijani border demarcation.

The parliament majority representing Pashinian’s Civil Contract party blocked 
the passage of the statement. The head of Civil Contract’s parliamentary group, 
Hayk Konjorian, said the majority objected to the document because of its 
“internal political” wording. Opposition lawmakers dismissed the explanation.



Vatican Opens Diplomatic Mission In Armenia
October 27, 2021

Armenia - Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Archbishop Edgar Pena 
Parra inaugurate the Vatican's Apostolic Nunciature in Yerevan, October 27, 2021.


The Vatican opened a diplomatic mission in Yerevan on Wednesday, underscoring 
what a senior representative of Pope Francis described as the Roman Catholic 
Church’s “good relations” with Armenia and its ancient church.
Archbishop Edgar Pena Parra, the Vatican’s substitute of the Secretariat of 
State, and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan inaugurated the Apostolic 
Nunciature at a ceremony attended by diplomats and senior clergymen.

“The inauguration of this building demonstrates the solid bilateral relations 
that already exist between the Republic of Armenia and the Holy See,” Parra said 
in a speech. “Just a few years ago, Armenia made the welcome decision to open an 
embassy to the Holy See and to appoint a residential ambassador. Today, the Holy 
See gladly reciprocates that gesture in the hope that our diplomatic ties will 
continue to deepen.”

“The good bilateral relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Holy See 
are due in no small part to our mutual appreciation for the positive role that 
religion plays in civil society,” he went on. “Armenians are a people of 
profound faith and this country will always have the distinction of being the 
first nation to have embraced the Christian faith.”


Armenia - Worshippers greet Pope Francis at the Echmiadzin cathedral of the 
Armenian Apostolic Church, June 24, 2016.

“As a source of strength and perseverance through good times and bad, the 
Christian faith helped form the rich spiritual and cultural heritage of Armenia 
that remains a source of pride today and will continue to inspire and enrich the 
lives of future generations of Armenians,” added the archbishop.

Mirzoyan, who held talks with Parra earlier in the day, spoke of the “beginning 
of a new stage of cooperation between Armenia and the Holy See.”

“Armenia's relations with the Vatican have always been marked by a high-level 
political dialogue based not only on Christian values but also on common 
historical and religious heritage and similar approaches to the challenges of 
the modern world,” he said at the ceremony.


Armenia - Pope Francis and Catholicos Garegin II visit the Echmiadzin cathedral 
of the Armenian Apostolic Church, June 24, 2016.

Pope Francis and Catholicos Garegin (Karekin) II, the supreme head of the 
Armenian Apostolic Church, met as recently as on October 6 during an 
international conference of religious leaders held in Rome.

Garegin discussed with him the aftermath of last year’s war in Nagorno-Karabakh. 
His office said he thanked the pontiff for his “support to the Armenian people 
and Armenia during the war.”

Francis saluted Armenia for making Christianity an “essential part of its 
identity” when he visited the South Caucasus nation in June 2016. He and Garegin 
held an ecumenical liturgy in Yerevan’s central square which attracted thousands 
of people. They praised the “growing closeness” between their churches in a 
joint declaration issued at the end of the papal trip.

The Catholic and Armenian churches had essentially ended their long-standing 
theological differences with a joint statement issued in 1996. In 2001, John 
Paul II became the first Pope to have ever visited Armenia.

Successive Armenian governments have similarly sought closer ties with the 
Vatican.



Lawmakers To Probe Pan-Armenian Charity
October 27, 2021
        • Marine Khachatrian

Armenia - Artsvik Minasian, a senior lawmaker from the opposition Hayastan bloc, 
at a news conference in Yerevan, October 25, 2021.


The National Assembly approved on Wednesday an opposition initiative to launch a 
parliamentary inquiry into the use of funds raised by a government-backed 
pan-Armenian charity for Nagorno-Karabakh during last year’s war with Azerbaijan.

The Hayastan All-Armenian Fund launched an international fundraising campaign 
immediately after the outbreak of the war on September 27, 2020. Hundreds of 
thousands of Armenians from around the world responded to its appeal for urgent 
aid to Karabakh, donating roughly $170 million within weeks.

The charity headquartered in Yerevan redirected more than $100 million of those 
proceeds to Armenia’s government. The Armenian Finance Ministry said the sum 
will finance the government’s “infrastructure, social and healthcare 
expenditures” necessitated by the six-week war.

President Armen Sarkissian and Armenian opposition leaders criticized the 
donation, saying that it undermined donors’ trust in Hayastan. Sarkissian said 
in December that the government should consider redefining the hefty 
contribution as a “loan” and eventually reimbursing the fund.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian defended the donation, saying that it was used 
for purposes defined by Hayastan’s statutes. He also suggested that lawmakers 
scrutinize the donation.

Earlier this month, the two opposition groups represented in the Armenian 
parliament demanded the creation of ad hoc commission tasked with doing that. 
The parliament’s pro-government majority gave the green light for such an 
inquiry.

The commission will be headed by Artsvik Minasian of the opposition Hayastan and 
comprise ten other deputies to be named by the parliamentary forces. Minasian 
promised an objective probe.

“Our main task is to determine whether there were abuses and illegalities, and 
if so, hold the guilty accountable, recover funds and, most importantly, restore 
the Armenian people’s trust in this instrument important for Armenia and 
Artsakh,” he said.

President Sarkissian, who heads Hayastan’s board of trustees, has also demanded 
an international audit of the fund’s activities. According to the fund’s 
executive director, Haykak Arshamian, the results of the audit will be presented 
to the board members next month.

Hayastan has implemented $400 million worth of various infrastructure projects 
in Karabakh and Armenia since its establishment in 1992.



Armenian President Makes ‘Historic’ Visit To Saudi Arabia
October 27, 2021

Saudi Arabia - Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman talks to Armenian 
President Armen Sarkissian during the Future Investment Initiative forum in 
Riyadh, October 26, 2021.


President Armen Sarkissian attended an international conference in Riyadh and 
spoke with Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, on 
Tuesday during what he called a historic visit to the kingdom that has no 
diplomatic relations with Armenia.

“In the absence of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Saudi Arabia since 
Armenia's independence, when no official from Armenia had ever visited that 
country, the President of Armenia took a historic step, visiting for the first 
time a country with a unique role and significance in the Arab and Islamic 
world,” Sarkissian’s press office said in a late-night statement.

It emphasized the fact that Sarkissian was greeted at Riyadh airport “at the 
highest state level” by Saudi Arabia’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs 
Adel al-Jubeir.

“According to the official protocol, the state flag of the Republic of Armenia 
was hoisted at the airport,” added the statement.


Saudi Arabia - Armenian President Armen Sarkissian is greeted by Saudi Arabia’s 
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir on his arrival in Riyadh, 
October 26, 2021.

Sarkissian sat next to Crown Prince Mohammed at the opening ceremony of the 
Future Investment Initiative forum held later in the day and also attended by 
other foreign leaders. The presidential press office reported on Wednesday that 
the two men talked to each other during the event.

“The President of Armenia and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia talked about the 
need to develop relations between the two countries and their future,” it said. 
“It was noted that the rich historical ties between the two peoples are a good 
basis for building future interstate relations.”

It was not clear whether the president, who has largely ceremonial powers, 
discussed with Crown Prince Mohammed or other Saudi officials the possibility of 
establishing diplomatic relations between the two states.


Saudi Arabia - Saudi and Armenian national flags fly at Riyad airport, October 
27, 2021.

Like Turkey and Pakistan, Saudi Arabia has for decades refused to establish such 
relations ties due to Christian Armenia’s conflict with Muslim Azerbaijan over 
Nagorno-Karabakh.

The unresolved conflict has not prevented Armenia from developing ties with 
other Gulf Arab monarchies, notably the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. Both 
nations have embassies in Yerevan. Also, successive Armenian governments have 
maintained close links with Iran, Saudi Arabia’s main regional rival.

The oil-rich kingdom’s relations with Turkey deteriorated significantly several 
years ago and remain strained. The Saudi crown prince held talks in Riyadh on 
Tuesday with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of Greece, another country at 
odds with Ankara.


Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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