Author: Emma Nadirian

Armenia would have bought more defensive armaments if not for logistical issues, says FM

Emma Nadirian

 12:30, 3 November 2023

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 3, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan has rejected the opposition’s accusations of failure to acquire armaments for the military.

Opposition MP Kristine Vardanyan from the Hayastan faction, during a parliamentary committee hearing on the 2024 state budget, accused the incumbent administration of inability to acquire weaponry for the armed forces.

In response, FM Mirzoyan said that the Pashinyan Administration has been able to buy armaments from incomparably more countries than the previous authorities. At the same time, Mirzoyan said that the current government would have acquired a lot more weaponry if not for the logistical problems.

“We are able to acquire weapons from incomparably more countries than your political party could have ever dreamt of,” Mirzoyan told the lawmaker. “But there are also logistical issues, we would have been able to acquire a lot more.” Mirzoyan stressed that Armenia is acquiring defensive weapons and it has no hostile intentions.

“Buying defensive armaments is the sovereign right of any country. We would have brought a lot more if not for the logistical issues. It’s no secret that such logistical issues exist,” Mirzoyan said.

Construction of Gyumri Dry Port and Industrial Estate could start in 2024

Emma Nadirian

 15:40,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 31, ARMENPRESS. The Dry Port and Industrial Estate project in Gyumri could get approved this year and enter the construction phase in 2024, the Minister of Economy of Armenia Vahan Kerobyan has said.

He said that MTBS, a Dutch company, is currently carrying out a feasibility study of the project and the preliminary report shows sufficient demand to build the industrial estate.

The final report is expected by yearend. Then, the Public Investments Committee must hold another hearing to determine whether or not to continue the project.

Kerobyan said he finds it likely for the committee to greenlight the project.

The Dry Port and Industrial Estate project will likely be carried out by a public-private partnership model.

“We must try to involve a leading operator that will be able to perform a high-level management both in the industrial park and the logistics section,” Kerobyan added during a press briefing when asked by Armenpress on the project. 

“I think that in 2024 we will definitely pass the phases of preparing and implementing the tender. I think we can also hope that some construction works will commence in 2024,” he said.

Kerobyan said he has presented the project in various countries such as the UK, China, UAE and in different business forums. There is interest for the project from both the Gulf states and Southeast Asia.

Armenia on verge of signing peace deal with Azerbaijan, PM says

Emma Nadirian
POLITICO
Oct 26 2023

The truce would come after weeks of warnings the two countries could be on the brink of a new conflict.

BY GABRIEL GAVIN

Armenia could agree terms on a comprehensive peace agreement with neighboring Azerbaijan, ending a bitter regional rivalry after three decades of hostilities, the South Caucasus country’s prime minister said Thursday.

Speaking at a conference in Georgia, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that his government could sign “an agreement on peace and the establishment of relationships” with its neighbor “in the coming months.”

At the same time, he unveiled a “Crossroads of Peace” project designed to reopen road and railway links that have been blocked for decades amid the simmering conflict with Azerbaijan and its close ally, Turkey.

The announcement comes just weeks after Azerbaijan launched a lightning offensive to take control of the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which has been fought over by the two sides since the fall of the USSR. An estimated 100,000 ethnic Armenians living in the mountainous territory were forced to flee their homes as their unrecognized breakaway state collapsed after 30 years of de facto autonomy.

On Tuesday, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said the decisive military action means there are now “real chances for the conclusion of a peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia within a short period of time.”

At the same time, Azerbaijan’s foreign policy chief told POLITICO that his country had no plans to use force to seize territory across the internationally recognized border, despite claims a new conflict over transport routes could be imminent.

Previous efforts to mediate between the two former Soviet republics by the U.S., the EU and Russia have failed to prevent violence in the past, with discussion on issues like transport connectivity and border demarcation ending in deadlock.

“For long years, the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict has been the major stumbling block for the regional integration and the utilization of all the potential of the South Caucasus,” said Vasif Huseynov, head of department at Azerbaijan’s AIR Center think tank. “It has immensely increased the costs of the regional projects, both connectivity and energy pipelines. This is one of the reasons why it is in the interest of Baku to put an end to this conflict.”

However expectations are more muted in Yerevan, according to Tigran Grigoryan, head of Armenia’s Regional Center for Democracy and Security.

“There is too much importance put on the peace treaty,” he said. “It’s obvious for me the treaty isn’t the end of any process and even if something is signed, Azerbaijan will continue pursuing a maximalist approach and will keep pressuring Armenia to get everything it wants out of that process.”

Last month, Pashinyan told POLITICO that Russian peacekeepers had failed in Nagorno-Karabakh, and that it was time to resolve issues with his country’s neighbors directly, rather than depending on Moscow for support. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, he reiterated the need to “diversify our relationships in the security sphere” and hinted that he no longer sees a purpose for Russia’s military bases on Armenian soil.

RFE/RL Armenian Service – 10/26/2023

Emma Nadirian 
                                        Thursday, 


Moscow Slams ‘Anti-Russian Campaign’ In Armenia


Russia - Russian Foreign Ministry building is seen behind a billboard showing a 
tactical insignia of Russian troops in Ukraine and reading "Victory is being 
Forged in Fire," Moscow, October 13, 2022.


One day after Russia’s ambassador in Yerevan was handed a rare protest note, the 
Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the Armenian charge d’affaires on Wednesday to 
condemn what it called anti-Russian propaganda spread by Armenia’s 
government-controlled media.

The spokeswoman for the ministry, Maria Zakharova, revealed the move during a 
news briefing in Moscow on Thursday. She said ministry officials protested to 
the Armenian diplomat against the “unbridled anti-Russian campaign” conducted by 
Armenian Public Television and other media outlets controlled by the government.

“His attention was drawn to the most odious reports directed at the Russian 
leadership, Russian diplomats and peacekeepers who risk and sacrifice their 
lives, including for the security of the people of Armenia,” added Zakharova.

In the last few years, Armenian Public Television has regularly interviewed and 
invited politicians and commentators critical of Moscow to its political talk 
shows. Their appearances in prime-time programs of the TV channel run by Prime 
Minister Nikol Pashinian’s loyalists have become even more frequent lately amid 
a further deterioration of Russian-Armenian relations.

For its part, Russia’s leading state broadcaster, Channel One, derided and 
lambasted Pashinian during an hour-long program on Monday. It featured 
pro-Kremlin panelists who denounced Pashinian’s track record and portrayed him 
as a Western puppet tasked with ending Armenia’s close relationship with Russia.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador on Tuesday to 
protest against “offensive and absolutely unacceptable statements” made during 
the program.

The unprecedented show, titled “Nikol Pashinian: a harbinger of trouble,” 
highlighted the mounting tensions between Moscow and Yerevan. It fueled more 
calls for the Armenian government to ban the retransmission of Channel One and 
another state-controlled Russian channel.

High-Technology Minister Robert Khachatrian again did not rule out such a ban 
when he spoke in the Armenian parliament on Thursday. He said the Russian 
broadcasters have repeatedly violated a 2020 Russian-Armenian agreement that 
allowed them to retain their slots in the national digital package accessible to 
TV viewers across Armenia.

“I can’t tell you at this point what decisions and steps have been taken, but 
discussions are underway,” Khachatrian said, answering a question from a 
pro-government lawmaker.




Former Official Cleared Of Murder During 2008 Unrest In Yerevan

        • Naira Bulghadarian

Armenia - Gegham Petrosian, a former deputy commander of interior troops.


After a more than four-year investigation, Armenian law-enforcement authorities 
have dropped murder charges against a former senior police official prosecuted 
over the 2008 post-election unrest in Yerevan.

It followed a disputed presidential election in which former President Levon 
Ter-Petrosian was the main opposition candidate. Scores of his supporters 
clashed with riot police on March 1-2, 2008 during an opposition rally in 
central Yerevan led by Nikol Pashinian, then a newspaper editor. Eight 
protesters and two police servicemen died in the violence that led outgoing 
President Robert Kocharian to declare a state of emergency and order Armenian 
army units into the capital.

Dozens of people, including Pashinian, were arrested and jailed in an ensuing 
crackdown on the Ter-Petrosian-led opposition accused of plotting to overthrow 
the government. Investigators completely changed the official version of events 
after Pashinian swept to power in 2018.

Kocharian and about a dozen former officials were indicted in connection with 
the crackdown. Some of them, including the ex-president, were acquitted by 
courts while others fled Armenia.

The suspects also included Gegham Petrosian, who was a deputy commander of 
Armenian interior troops during the 2008 clashes. A law-enforcement agency now 
called the Anti-Corruption Committee (ACC) arrested him in June 2019 on charges 
of killing one of the opposition demonstrators.

Petrosian, who denied the accusations, was set free two months later pending 
investigation. The ACC chief, Sasun Khachatrian, insisted at the time that 
investigators have sufficient evidence to prosecute him.

However, a prosecutor overseeing the protracted investigation cited a lack of 
such evidence when he decided to clear the former officer of wrongdoing earlier 
this month. The Office of the Prosecutor-General on Thursday declined to 
elaborate on the decision. Khachatrian’s agency also did not comment on it.

Petrosian is the first and only person indicted in connection with the ten 
deaths. Pashinian has repeatedly pledged to have those responsible for them 
identified and brought to justice.

His critics have denounced relevant criminal proceedings launched during 
Pashinian’s rule as politically motivated. Some of them have also accused the 
premier of inciting the 2008 clashes.

Pashinian played a major role in Ter-Petrosian’s 2007-2008 opposition movement. 
He fell out with the ex-president after being released from jail in 2011.




Azerbaijan ‘Not Interested’ In Corridor Through Armenia


Azerbaijan - Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev welcomes Turkish President 
Tayyip Erdogan upon his arrival at Nakhichevan airport, September 25, 2023.


A senior Azerbaijani official has said that Baku is no longer in interested in a 
special corridor that would connect Azerbaijan to its Nakhichevan exclave 
through Armenia’s strategic Syunik province.

Since the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has 
repeatedly demanded such a corridor and implicitly threatened to order his 
troops to open it forcibly. Armenia has rejected his demands while expressing 
readiness for conventional transport links between the two South Caucasus states.

Last month’s Azerbaijani military offensive in Karabakh raised more fears in 
Yerevan that Baku will also attack Armenia to open the exterritorial “Zangezur 
corridor.” A senior Armenian diplomat claimed on October 8 that an Azerbaijani 
attack on Syunik may be “a matter of weeks.”

Aliyev’s top foreign policy aide, Hikmet Hajiyev, denied this in an interview 
with Politico published late on Wednesday. He said that the corridor “has lost 
its attractiveness for us” and that Baku is now planning to “do this with Iran 
instead.”

“Our agenda was only about building transport linkages and connectivity through 
the framework of bilateral engagement,” said Hajiyev. “If this is the case, yes, 
but if not then OK. It’s still on the table but it will require from the 
Armenian side to show they’re really interested in that.”

Earlier this month, Azerbaijani and Iranian officials broke ground on a new road 
that will link Nakhichevan to mainland Azerbaijan via Iranian territory adjacent 
to Syunik. Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk, who has mediated 
numerous Armenian-Azerbaijani talks on transport links, was reported to say on 
Thursday that Baku and Tehran have also agreed to build a similar rail link 
bypassing Armenia.

Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mehrzad Bazrpash attends a 
session of the Iranian parliament.

Syunik is the sole Armenian province bordering Iran. The latter has repeatedly 
warned against attempts to strip it of the common border and transport links 
with Armenia. The Islamic Republic views that as a serious threat to its 
national security.

“We have repeatedly said that we disagree with the [idea of the] ‘Zangezur 
corridor’ and we have made this clear during meetings with various Azerbaijani 
officials,” Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mehrzad Bazrpash said 
during a visit to Yerevan on Monday.

Bazrpash spoke as two Iranian companies were formally contracted by the Armenian 
government to rebuild a 32-kilometer section of Syunik’s main highway leading to 
the Iranian border. The contracts worth $215 million underscored Tehran’s 
interest in Armenia’s continued full control over Syunik.

GEORGIA - The prime ministers of Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Montenegro 
attend an international forum in Tbilisi, .

Meanwhile, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian travelled to Tbilisi to 
Thursday to attend and address an international conference on reviving the 
ancient Silk Road. In his speech, Pashinian reaffirmed his government’s 
commitment to opening the Armenian-Azerbaijani border to commerce and individual 
travel.

Pashinian reaffirmed the official Armenian line that all regional countries must 
exercise full control over roads and railways passing through their territory. 
This means, he said, that travellers and cargo cannot be exempt from national 
border controls. Baku is understood to have sought such exemptions for the 
“Zangezur corridor.”

Aliyev has repeatedly described Syunik and other parts of Armenia as “historical 
Azerbaijani lands.” He said last week that ethnic Azerbaijanis who used to live 
there in Soviet times will eventually return “not in tanks but in cars.”




Russia Cautious On Fresh Criticism From Pashinian



Russia - Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends Russia-Armenia talks on the 
sidelines of the Eurasian Economic Union Forum in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, May 
25, 2023.


Russia reacted cautiously on Thursday to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s fresh 
claims that it has failed to protect Nagorno-Karabakh’s population against 
ethnic cleansing and honor its security commitments to Armenia.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal published on Wednesday, Pashinian 
again blamed Russian peacekeepers for the mass exodus from Karabakh that 
followed Azerbaijan’s September 19-20 military offensive. He said that they were 
“unable or unwilling to ensure the security of the Karabakh Armenians.”

Pashinian also reiterated that contrary to its mission and statutes, the 
Russian-led Collective Security Organization (CSTO) did not intervene to defend 
its member state Armenia against Azerbaijani aggression in 2021 and 2022.

“We also have a bilateral security treaty with Russia and actions spelled out by 
that treaty did not happen either, which also raised very serious questions 
among the Armenian government and public,” he said.

This is why Yerevan is now striving to “diversify” its foreign and security 
policies, added Pashinian.

Commenting on his remarks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “We need to 
understand exactly what Mr. Pashinyan was talking about. In conversations with 
our Armenian friends, we expect to receive all the information on this matter.”

“And, of course, it is not good for Russia and Armenia to communicate through 
newspapers, especially the Wall Street Journal,” Peskov told reporters. 
“Therefore, we are continuing the conversation, dialogue with our Armenian 
friends, and we will keep doing so. We have a very extensive agenda.”

Moscow reacted far more strongly to another newspaper interview which Pashinian 
gave in early September. He told Italy’s La Repubblica daily that he wants to 
“diversify our security policy” because Armenia’s long-standing heavy reliance 
on Russia has proved a “strategic mistake.” The rift between Moscow and Yerevan 
has deepened further since then, raising more questions about their 
long-standing military, political and economic alliance.

The Armenian premier appeared to tone down his criticism of Moscow in his latest 
interview. He said that Armenia has started a “dialogue” with Russia and other 
CSTO allies to “try to understand the reason for this situation.” And he again 
made clear that his government is not considering demanding the withdrawal of 
Russian troops from Armenia even if it sees no “advantages” in their presence.



Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2023 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

Azerbaijani president visits Karabakh’s abandoned main town

Emma Nadirian
eurasianet
Oct 16 2023
Oct 16, 2023

Azerbaijan's president traveled to the former de facto capital of the now-defunct Nagorno-Karabakh Republic on October 15. 

Baku established full control over the region in a lightning military operation on September 19-20 that triggered the exodus of the entire 100,000-some Armenian population. 

Ilham Aliyev's visit was full of aggressively triumphant symbolism, captured in a 4-minute video released by APA TV. 

Clad in military fatigues, Aliyev toured the building that formerly housed the de facto Armenian government in the town known to Armenians as Stepanakert and Azerbaijanis as Khankandi. 

As he entered the building, he stepped on a Nagorno-Karabakh flag that had been placed on the floor. 

At one point, he opened a window and laughed as he wafted out the air he seemed to suggest had been contaminated by the breath of the previous inhabitants. 

At another he gestured at an atlas turned to a map showing a conception of a historical Armenian state that encompassed much of the South Caucasus, eastern Anatolia, and northern Iran. 

"This is their disease, so-called Great Armenia. It's what made them wretched," Aliyev remarked. 

Outside, Aliyev raised the Azerbaijani flag in front of the building, which had already had the Azerbaijani state seal installed on its facade. 

He delivered a triumphant speech in which he noted that his visit coincided with the 20th anniversary of his first inauguration as president, an office that he effectively inherited from his father, Heydar Aliyev. 

"Twenty years ago, when I began discharging my duties as President, I set myself the top priority task of raising the Azerbaijani flag in all our territories, all our lands, cities, and villages that were occupied at the time," he recalled. "Every day, every hour, we moved towards this sacred goal. Every day, we were bringing this cherished moment closer and repeatedly saying that each of us should try to bring this day closer with our hard work."

Armenian forces defeated Azerbaijan in the first Karabakh War in the early 1990s, gaining control over the Armenian-populated former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast of Soviet Azerbaijan, as well as seven surrounding Azerbaijani districts. That control lasted until the Second Karabakh War in the fall of 2020, when Azerbaijan took back most of the territory it lost. It left only a rump Armenian de facto statelet that was surrounded by Azerbaijani territory and under Azerbaijani blockade for the nine months prior to the September offensive. 

He accused international mediators – which were chiefly Russia, France and the U.S. – of being uninterested in achieving a real resolution of the conflict during three decades of talks that Aliyev called "meaningless and fruitless." 

"Unfortunately, the mediators dealing with this issue wanted to freeze the conflict, to perpetuate it. They wanted this wound to fester. The people and the state of Azerbaijan could never come to terms with this situation. I have often said that we will never accept this situation; we will never allow a second Armenian state to be created on our land."

After the offensive and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic's surrender, Azerbaijani officials had two meetings with representatives of Karabakh Armenians, where they reportedly discussed the reintegration of the population to Azerbaijan. 

Now, with practically the entire population having fled, it's not clear what reintegration could mean. A UN mission deployed to Khankandi/Stepanakert on October 1 reported that as few as 50 Armenians likely remain in the region. As of October 4, Azerbaijani authorities reported that 98 Armenians had applied to receive Azerbaijani citizenship. 

Aliyev did not mention any prospect of reintegration or return of Armenians back to Karabakh in his speech. 

But he did gloat over Azerbaijan's arrest on terrorism and separatism charges of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic's last three de facto presidents and several other former officials.

"The three clowns who used to sit here and call themselves 'president' await their deserved punishment today. I wonder if the man who used to sit in one of these buildings and call himself a 'prime minister' will ever dare to threaten us again. His tea is being served in the detention facility as we speak," he said. 

"A separatist who called himself a "foreign minister" once sarcastically said that Azerbaijan should open an embassy in our country if it wanted to raise its flag in Khankendi. Now, his tea is also served there in the detention facility. Our flag is flying high here. This should be a lesson to them."

Caucasus analyst Thomas de Waal criticized Aliyev's address in a post on X.

"It's an angry speech, dwelling on past grievances, with nothing about the future or reconciliation. No olive branches," he wrote. "The message is very much 'Karabakh without Armenians.'"

De Waal continued: "It bodes ill for what comes next with the Republic of Armenia. No sign here of what Westerners are urging: that Aliyev should start to treat Armenia and Pashinyan as a partner, rather than a defeated adversary. Instead it suggests that Aliyev still believes he derives legitimacy from the public by mobilizing anti-Armenian sentiment. So strong indications that he will keep on threatening Armenia itself."


Pope urges respect of Armenian monasteries, cultural sites

Emma Nadirian
Aleteia
Oct 15 2023

Pope Francis is drawing attention to another issue in the former Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, which in mid-September was taken over by Azerbaijan. Now some 100,000 of the 120,000 ethnic Armenians who lived there have fled the area.

After praying the midday Angelus this October 15, Pope Francis noted:

My concern for the crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh has not waned. In addition to the humanitarian situation of the displaced people – which is serious – I would also like to make a special appeal for the protection of the monasteries and places of worship in the region.

I hope that, starting with the Authorities and all the inhabitants, they can be respected and protected as part of the local culture, expressions of faith and a sign of a fraternity that makes it possible to live together despite differences.

ANTONI LALLICAN | Hans Lucas via AFP

The Caucasus Heritage Watch released a special report already months before the take-over noting the situation of these cultural sites: “with 6 confirmed destroyed, 7 confirmed damaged, and 17 threatened just since the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War began in September 2020.”

Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity, around 300 AD, before the Edict of Milan. According to tradition, the region was evangelized by the Apostles Bartholomew and Thaddeus.

https://aleteia.org/2023/10/15/pope-urges-respect-of-armenian-monasteries-cultural-sites/

Ilham Aliyev: "Does Armenia want peace? I think not."

Emma Nadirian
Oct 11 2023
  • JAMnews
  • Baku

Aliyev on September 19-20 military actions

The President of Azerbaijan listed the reasons for the military actions of the Azerbaijani army in Karabakh on September 19-20. According to him, groups of Armenian armed formations are still hiding in the territory. “Does Armenia want peace? I think not… Armenian Prime Minister flies 6 hours to Granada, participates there in an incomprehensible meeting where Azerbaijan without Azerbaijan is discussed, and he cannot fly 2-3 hours to Bishkek, he has important things to do.”

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On October 11, Aliyev received participants of the 53rd session of the Council of Heads of Security Bodies and Special Services of CIS member states.

“A question may arise: what happened three weeks ago? So, despite the fact that the declaration [Trilateral Statement of November 10, 2020 – JAMnews] was signed, Armenia did not fulfill its points, namely, one of the most important points said that all Armenian armed forces should be withdrawn from the territory of Karabakh. This was not done, and it was not done demonstratively.

Moreover, in the two years from 2020 to the beginning of 2023, when Azerbaijan did not control the border in the Lachin region, huge amounts of ammunition were brought there, which amounted to millions, and which was revealed quite recently. Mines were brought in, the territory was additionally mined. All this led to the fact that Azerbaijanis continued to die on their land. Since the end of the second Karabakh war, we have 315 dead and severely maimed military and civilians, and unfortunately, the number is growing every week.

Repeated calls to Armenia to put an end to territorial claims against Azerbaijan have received a very strange reaction, which I would also like to inform you about. A year ago, last October, at the meeting with international partners of the leaderships of Armenia and Azerbaijan a statement was adopted, in which both countries recognized each other’s territorial integrity and commitment to the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration, which confirmed the territorial integrity of all our countries. We considered this an important step on the part of Armenia, which would finally give up its territorial claims to Azerbaijan. But, unfortunately, our hopes were not realized. Recognizing the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan in words and on paper, the Armenian leadership in fact did everything in the opposite direction. Azerbaijan’s repeated appeals to stop provocative actions, unfortunately, were not taken seriously. The situation became even more acute when on September 2 of this year the Armenian Prime Minister sent a letter of congratulations on the anniversary of the establishment of the so-called “Nagorno-Karabakh Republic”. This was a crossing of a red line, which Azerbaijan, naturally, could not tolerate. It was a clear claim on our territory. On September 9, the so-called authorities of the so-called Nagorno-Karabakh held elections, chose a new leader, which was a complete disregard for the existing realities and left Azerbaijan no choice but to conduct an anti-terrorist operation, which was held on September 19, and fully restore our sovereignty”.

The President of Azerbaijan also said that there are still groups of armed Armenian formations in Karabakh:

“As a result of the operation, which lasted less than a day, the Armenian army in Karabakh was completely disarmed, a contingent of many thousands, and there were from 10 to 15 thousand of them, was disarmed, and full control over the territory was established.

At the same time, we have publicly published a plan for the reintegration of the Armenian population of Karabakh, which is also available on the Internet. And an appeal was made to the Armenian population to stay in their homes, because our operation was very targeted. Civilian infrastructure, civilian objects and civilians were not harmed and, as I said, the whole operation lasted less than 24 hours. It was enough for the illegal armed formations of Armenia to be completely demoralized and, in fact, to surrender.

Today, the process of cleansing the territory of these gangs is underway. According to our data, there are still certain groups hiding in this territory. After September 20, there were armed provocations in Karabakh. The territory is quite large, mountainous, forested, so we will need time to completely clear the territory.”

All detainees have been charged with terrorism, serious crimes against peace and humanity

Aliyev touched upon the issue of accusations against the Azerbaijani side after the military actions of September 19-20 in some international political circles and world press:

“The recent statement of the French President that Azerbaijan has problems with international law can only cause laughter. Since Azerbaijan did not violate international law. We fought on our territory, we suppressed separatism, we observed all humanitarian norms, all Geneva Convention rules.

But international law has been violated for 30 years by France’s protégé and today’s main ally – Armenia, occupying the territory of another state. And as the saying goes, one should cast out the beam from one’s own eye before the mote in the eye of one’s brother.

One and a half million Algerians were exterminated by the French regime just because they were Algerians and were Muslims. That is genocide. Not to mention France’s bloody crimes in Africa, in other parts of Africa and around the world. And the fact that today France still retains its colonies is incomprehensible. Azerbaijan, as the Chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement, has repeatedly, and I personally have raised this issue at the summits of the Non-Aligned Movement.

And this country which has a bloody colonial past, which even today some African countries, no matter how hard they try, cannot get rid of, accuses us of violating international law. This is absurd.”

JAMnews talked to Armenian and Azerbaijani experts, interviewed people in Baku and Yerevan, Karabakh Armenians told their stories and how they plan to live their lives in the future

“I would also like to inform you that on October 12, a day later, at the suggestion of the Russian side, a meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia was to be held in Bishkek.

We took this proposal positively, and our Foreign Minister was ready to meet with his Russian and Armenian counterparts. Unfortunately, the Armenian side refused this meeting.

Now the question arises: does Armenia want peace? I think not, because if it wanted peace, it would not have refused this opportunity. The Armenian Prime Minister flies 6 hours to Granada, participates in an incomprehensible meeting there, where Azerbaijan without Azerbaijan is discussed, and he can’t fly 2-3 hours to Bishkek, he has important things to do. This is what we all have to say openly. Everyone sees it, but we should say it and proceed from it.

…As for normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, we are ready to go for it. We are ready to continue working on the peace treaty. In case the mediation of the Russian Federation is rejected by the Armenian side, I think the alternative is direct negotiations between the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia. Any other platforms will be analyzed by us taking into account the attitude of those countries that offer their services to the truth – not to Azerbaijan, but to the truth and international law.”

https://jam-news.net/ilham-aliyev-does-armenia-want-peace-i-think-not/

Armenian ruling party hangs on to Yerevan mayor’s seat

Emma Nadirian
eurasianet
Oct 12 2023

Armenia's ruling Civil Contract party managed to score another victory on October 10 as the newly elected Yerevan city council chose Tirgan Avinyan to be the capital's mayor. 

Avinyan, a former deputy mayor and a close ally of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, won by a margin of 32-5, with 28 members not voting. 

The Mother Armenia alliance, led by Andranik Tevanyan and backed by Armenia's parliamentary opposition, and the National Progress party, led by former mayor and second-place mayoral candidate Hayk Marutyan, boycotted the vote. 

In the city council election held on September 17, the ruling Civil Contract party came in first but won only 32.5 percent of votes, amid a meager 30 percent turnout. Seats are distributed based on proportional representation, i.e. voters choose a party, which presents a list of candidates, the number-one spot on the list being the mayoral candidate.

The result initially bred hopes that the three opposition groups that won seats – National Progress, and Public Voice parties and the Mother Armenia alliance – could put together a coalition and pick Marutyan to lead the city once again.

Such an alliance almost came together but failed as two of the council members-elect of Public Voice, a party led by fugitive media personality Vardan Ghukasyan, were facing criminal charges and could not participate in the session. The remaining members of Public Voice then decided to take part in the mayoral vote, breaking ranks with the other opposition parties, which boycotted in the hopes of thwarting the vote and triggering another council election. 

The Republic party, which also won seats on the council, meanwhile, has long been supportive of Civil Contract. It signed a memorandum of cooperation with the ruling party and supported Avinyan. The party is led by Aram Sargsyan, the brother of late former Defence Minister Vazgen Sargsyan.

The Yerevan municipal election was seen as a test for Prime Minister Pashinyan and his party, whose popularity has declined precipitously since winning the June 2021 snap parliamentary election (which in turn was called because of Armenia's defeat in the Second Karabakh War seven months earlier). 

The prime minister said after the council vote that Avinyan's election as mayor was "a win for democracy" and the "revolution" that brought Pashinyan and his party to power in 2018.

Hayk Marutyan, the leading opposition candidate and erstwhile ally of the ruling party, said that Civic Contract should not be allowed to govern with a minority of seats. Marutyan accused the Republic and Public Voice parties of supporting Avinyan directly and indirectly.  For now, he is keeping his seat on the council. 

The country's two most prominent opposition groups, the former ruling Republican Party and Armenian Revolutionary Federation (which form the Armenia alliance in parliament), did not contest the election.

Some in Armenia had hoped that the election would see the emergence of a third force in the country and break the binary that has characterized Armenian politics for the past few years of the unpopular Civil Contract vs. the discredited Republicans and their allies.  

But there was widespread voter apathy and preoccupation with the security situation amid Azerbaijan's military buildup along the border and around Nagorno-Karabakh. Indeed, just two days after the election, Baku launched its lightning offensive that resulted in the region being emptied of its Armenian population. 

Election watchdog European Platform for Democratic Elections concluded that the poll was "free and fair, with no major systemic violations" despite low turnout and "the misuse of administrative resources by the ruling party."

https://eurasianet.org/armenian-ruling-party-hangs-on-to-yerevan-mayors-seat

Russia increases customs control for Armenian brandy, 60 trucks await greenlight at checkpoint

Emma Nadirian

 09:42, 3 October 2023

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 3, ARMENPRESS. Some 60 trucks exporting brandy from Armenia to Russia are put on hold at the Upper Lars checkpoint in Georgia amid a heightened customs control explained by Russia as a move to prevent possible counterfeit alcohol from entering the country, the commercial attaché at the Armenian embassy in Russia Vahan Hakobyan told ARMENPRESS.

“The supervision against brandy started a lot earlier in Russia. The Russian customs service began carrying out customs control for imported Armenian brandy in March-April. They explain this by saying that they had discovered violations, such as fake brandy and others. They increased the inspection a few days ago. Previously the inspection was carried out against come specific importers, whereas now all brandy coming from Armenia is subjected to customs control,” Hakobyan said, adding that the Russian customs service uses two types of methods – checking the paperwork or inspecting the goods. In the event of the goods being sent to inspection, the vehicles have to stay at the checkpoint until the completion of the procedure which could take somewhere from a week to a month. This is the reason of the traffic congestion at the Upper Lars.

Some 60 vehicles are now waiting for the completion of the inspection to have permission to proceed. But this doesn’t negatively affect movement of other vehicles there, and other goods enter Russia normally. “This doesn’t affect the total volume,” he said.

“Whether the supervision has been increased due to more violations being recorded or whether there’s some political subtext to this, I can’t say, because I don’t have such information,” the commercial attaché said when asked whether he sees any tendencies of artificially causing obstacles.

Other goods pass the checkpoint normally.

On an average, some 200 Armenian trucks enter Russia every day.

Azerbaijan Arrests Artsakh Military Leaders

Emma Nadirian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

Former Deputy Commander of Artsakh Army Major General Davit Manukyan was arrested on Sep. 29


Azerbaijan is continuing its policy of apprehending Artsakh leaders and on Friday arrested two Artsakh military leaders, remanding both to so-called “pre-trial” detention.

The former First Deputy Commander of the Artsakh Defense Army Major General Davit Manukyan was arrested and remanded.

According to a statement released by the Azerbaijani State Security Service, Manukyan “is charged with terrorism, illegal possession and transportation of weapons and ammunition, forming armed groups and illegal border crossing.”

Former Commander of the Artsakh Army Lieutenant general Levon Mnatsakanyan was also arrested

Former commander of the Artsakh Defense Army Lieutenant general Levon Mnatsakanyan has been arrested by Azerbaijani authorities at the illegal checkpoint in Lachin Corridor, according to the Russian state news agency TASS, which cited an unnamed source close to the general.  

These latest arrests follow the detention of Artsakh’s former state minister Ruben Vardanyan, who similarly was apprehended on Wednesday on the Lachin Corridor and was sentenced to a four-month pre-trial prison term.

Former Artsakh Foreign Minister David Babayan said he would turn himself in to Azerbaijani authorities

Veteran Artsakh leader and an adviser to Artsakh president, David Babayan posted an ominous message on social media on Thursday, saying that he was traveling to Shushi to turn himself into Azerbaijani authorities.

“You all know that I am included in the black list of Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani side demanded my arrival in Baku for an appropriate investigation. I decided to head from Stepanakert to Shushi today,” Babayan, who served as Artsakh’s Foreign Minister, said in a social media post Thursday.

“This decision will naturally cause great pain, anxiety and stress, primarily to my loved ones, but I am sure they will understand,” he added.

“My failure to appear, or worse, my escape, will cause serious harm to our long-suffering nation, to many people, and I, as an honest, hard working person, a patriot and Christian, cannot allow this,” explained Babayan.

Since his post, Babayan’s whereabouts are unknown.

Babayan’s colleague and former Artsakh state minister Artak Beglaryan told Azatutyun.am that he attempted to make telephone contact with the former foreign minister, but was unable to reach him. “I assume he has been arrested,” Beglaryan added.

Reuters reported, citing an unnamed diplomatic source, that Azerbaijan has drawn up a list some 200 prominent Artsakh leaders who will be subject to arrest and prosecution.

The Artsakh authorities attempted to convince Azerbaijan to allow Artsakh current and former leaders to leave.

An Artsakh official, who did not want be identified, told Azatutyun.a that Artsakh President Samvel Shahramanyan is personally negotiating with the Azerbaijani side on the issue. He said Shahramanyan’s three predecessors — Arayik Harutyunyan, Bako Sahakian and Arkady Ghukasian — as well as Artsakh’s foreign minister, Davit Babayan, are among those who risk being arrested if they flee to Armenia through the Lachin corridor.

It is not clear whether the issue was on the agenda of a second meeting of Azerbaijani and Karabakh representatives held in the Azerbaijani town of Yevlakh later on Friday.