12:18,
YEREVAN, AUGUST 12, ARMENPRESS. The Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) military has denied Azerbaijan’s accusations of opening fire and has warned that Baku is again generating fake news.
“The statement released by the Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan claiming that Defense Army units opened fire around 07:43, on August 12, at Azerbaijani positions deployed in the occupied territories of the Askeran region is yet another disinformation,” the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Ministry said in a statement.
14:00, 9 August 2023
YEREVAN, AUGUST 9, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Defense of Armenia Suren Papikyan has met with the newly appointed Ambassador of France Olivier Decottignies, and the newly appointed Defense Attaché, Lieutenant Colonel Arnaud Helly.
The Minister of Defense congratulated Ambassador Decottignies and Lieutenant Colonel Arnaud Helly on the occasion of commencing the mission in Armenia and wished fruitful cooperation, the Ministry of Defense said in a readout on Wednesday.
During the meeting, the sides emphasized the importance of the establishment of the Defense Attaché office at the French Embassy in Yerevan, which was implemented within the framework of the agreement reached in September 2022 between Defense Ministers Suren Papikyan and Sébastien Lecornu.
A range of topics on the current status of the Armenian-French defense cooperation and development prospects, as well as regional security, were discussed.
17:05, 31 July 2023
YEREVAN, JULY 31, ARMENPRESS. Fitch Ratings has upgraded Armenia's Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) to 'BB-' from 'B+'. The Outlook is Stable.
In a press release, Fitch Ratings said that Armenia has had a strong rebound from successive shocks in recent years since its downgrade in 2020, and Fitch expects this dynamism to continue in light of an extraordinary inflow of migrants. Since the start of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, an estimated 50,000-65,000 immigrants (equivalent to 2.2% of Armenia's pre-conflict population) from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus have settled in the country. This supported strong growth of 12.6% in 2022, and Fitch expects the economy to grow by 7.2% in 2023, 5.9% in 2024 and 4.5% in 2025.
According to the report, consumption will remain solid while the outlook for goods-and-services exports is also positive despite a strong appreciation of the Armenian dram, mainly due to a resurgence in tourism and re-exports to Russia. If current economic trends continue, Armenia's already favourable medium-term potential growth (estimated at 4.5%) could receive a further boost from expansion of the labour force and improvements in productivity. Fitch expects income per capita (at market exchange rates) to nearly double from 2021 levels by 2025.
Armenia's 'BB-' ratings are supported by a robust macroeconomic and fiscal policy framework, and credible commitment to structural reforms, and favourable per capita GDP. These factors are balanced against a high share of foreign-currency-denominated public debt, and relatively high (albeit reducing) financial dollarisation. Governance scores are slightly below the 'BB' median, and capture heightened geopolitical risks emanating from tensions with Azerbaijan.
Armenia benefits from strong support and technical assistance from a range of multilateral and bilateral creditors. As of May 2023, an estimated 78% of external public debt was owed to official lenders, offering favourable financing conditions. Armenia is also the beneficiary of a 36-month USD172 million stand-by arrangement with the IMF, although authorities are currently treating this as precautionary.
The Armenian banking sector has favourable profitability (return on equity of 18%), asset quality (non-performing loan ratio of 2.6%) and capitalisation (Tier 1 capital ratio of 18.7% as of May). Deposit dollarisation levels have been stable, at 52.3% as of May 2023, while loan dollarisation declined slightly to 34.8% as of May.
Armenia has an ESG Relevance Score (RS) of '5' & '5[+]' respectively for both Political Stability and Rights and for the Rule of Law, Institutional and Regulatory Quality and Control of Corruption.
15:22, 2 August 2023
YEREVAN, AUGUST 2, ARMENPRESS. The kidnapping of Nagorno-Karabakh resident Vagif Khachatryan by Azerbaijan constitutes extraordinary rendition in terms of international law and a due process is therefore ruled out, attorney Siranush Sahakyan has said.
Speaking to reporters on August 2, Sahakyan, who represents the interests of Armenian Prisoners of War at the ECHR, did not rule out the Azerbaijan actually deceived and used the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for kidnapping Vagif Khachatryan.
“International law provides for extraordinary rendition, extradition and transfers. If Azerbaijan deemed Vagif Khachatryan to be a criminal, it could have brought that criminal into territorial jurisdiction by way or international criminal law cooperation, through cooperation with the authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia, Russia, and why not Interpol,” Sahakyan said, adding that Azerbaijan’s official explanation for arresting Khachatryan is untrustworthy because the Armenian Ombudsman has already debunked allegations that the man was internationally wanted.
Sahakyan pointed out that Azerbaijan did not provide any information to the Red Cross and brought Khachatryan into Azerbaijani jurisdiction through deception, where he was arbitrarily arrested.
“There are two possible scenarios. Upon seeing Vagif Khachatryan in the alleged list of international fugitives Azerbaijan had to at least notify the ICRC, and inform them that there is a fugitive who could be placed under arrest after appearing in Azerbaijani jurisdiction. By doing so Azerbaijan would have protected the Red Cross’ international humanitarian mandate, and the Red Cross would have notified Vagif’s family about this,” Sahakyan said, adding that fair processes can’t be expected.
The second scenario is that Azerbaijan did not provide the info to the ICRC and used the organization through deception.
However, the ICRC could have prevented the incident on the ground if it were to react very strongly and escalate the issue up to the highest circles.
The ICRC was supposed to request other organizations to support them and help prevent the obstacles.
The ICRC could be afraid of Azerbaijan’s response, Sahakyan said.
The Armenian Relief Society, a member of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), along with its entities in 27 different countries dispersed on all four continents of the globe, strongly condemns the ongoing blockade of Artsakh imposed by the government of Azerbaijan since December 12, 2022, which is blocking all humanitarian aid and essential utility supplies from entering the region and reaching the people of Artsakh.
While the world complicitly watches and more than hundreds of human rights organizations remain dead silent, the Azerbaijani government, through its blockade, continues its oppression and inhumane acts perpetrated against the more than hundred thousand residents of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) by cutting off basic utilities to all residents, depriving pregnant women of essential healthcare and access to prenatal care, subjecting children to malnutrition and lack of medicine, assuring that the ailing elderly population is unable to attain medical care, and ensuring that the hospitals are unable to treat patients as they face depletion of much-needed medical supplies.
As of June 15, 2023, the Azerbaijani government has totally blocked all humanitarian aid to Artsakh, including basic food supplies and medicine. This has resulted in preventable illnesses turning into life-threatening conditions, leaving the most vulnerable population of women, children and the elderly of Artsakh in desperate and dire need of assistance—who are bearing the brunt of this devastating conflict where their very existence is threatened.
It is with profound concern that we witness the unbearable conditions the native Artsakh people have been subjected to by the blockade enacted by the Azerbaijani government. In the 21st century, like any civilized world, the children of Artsakh have the right to thrive and enjoy their childhood without worrying about survival and being robbed of their innocence.
We express our deep frustration and disappointment with the collective failure of the international community to condemn and effectively address the blockade in Artsakh. The prolonged inaction and silence in the face of this crisis are unacceptable, and we urgently call upon all nations and international organizations to rally together and act decisively by urging the oppressor to adhere to basic humanitarian principles and lift the blockade of Artsakh.
We appeal to the civilized world and nations to unite their voices and exercise their moral duty in safeguarding innocent lives. We stand united in our commitment to stopping any acts of genocide or crimes against humanity committed under our watch.
In conclusion, we reiterate our call for immediate action to address the humanitarian crisis in Artsakh. The time for inaction has passed, and the time for compassion, solidarity and decisive action is now. Together, let us fulfill our responsibility to protect human rights, preserve lives and work towards a lasting peace in the region.
Armenian Relief Society, Inc.
July 28, 2023
Humanitarian crisis in the blockaded enclave reaches a tipping point, raising questions over West’s lack of action
There seems to be no end in sight for Azerbaijan’s blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh, now in its seventh month.
The Lachin corridor, the only road that links the contested region to Armenia, has been blocked for more than 200 days, sparking a humanitarian emergency as food, energy and medical care becomes increasingly scarce.
The tens of thousands of ethnic Armenians living in the region are thus faced with a stark choice: either acquire Azerbaijani citizenship or leave the small enclave that has been at the heart of conflict between the neighbouring states for 35 years. Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognised as Azerbaijani territory, yet its Armenian population claims independence.
In mid-July, in the latest round of Western-mediated peace talks that have run for more than a year, Armenia and Azerbaijan showed some readiness to recognise each other’s territorial integrity. But differing views on Karabakh’s future persist. Azerbaijan continues to resist calls to lift the Lachin corridor blockade and accuses Armenians in Karabakh of escalating activity against Azerbaijan. Armenia says it will recognise Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan only if there are international mechanisms to protect the enclave’s ethnic Armenian population, which Azerbaijan rejects.
Unsurprisingly, for the European Union (EU), which mediated the latest talks, and regional power broker Russia, which has offered to host “a trilateral meeting” in Moscow very soon, their own interests – namely the conflict in Ukraine – take priority in the Karabakh confrontation.
Nagorno-Karabakh has been blockaded since 12 December 2022, when protesters claiming to be ‘eco-activists’ took to the streets. They alleged that illegal gold mining in Karabakh was causing environmental harm. Observers suggested the blockade was backed by Azerbaijan, which was denied by authorities in Baku, the capital.
The ‘eco-activists’ ended their protest in April, when Azerbaijani border guards established a checkpoint at the entrance to the Lachin corridor, justified with claims that Armenia was using the road to send troops, weapons and ammunition to Karabakh. Armenia denied this, while Azerbaijan released videos of military-looking trucks being escorted by Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh. What the vehicles contained and whether or not Armenian soldiers were in them remains uncertain. Either way, the checkpoint’s installation violated the Russia-backed Trilateral Agreement that ended Azerbaijan’s six-week full-scale offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh in November 2020. The agreement guaranteed unimpeded traffic through the Lachin corridor.
On 15 June, the flow of goods and humanitarian aid along the Lachin corridor came to a complete halt following a shootout at the checkpoint. Authorities in Yerevan, the Armenian capital, said Azerbaijani border guards had attempted to plant their national flag in an area claimed by Armenia, while Russian peacekeepers looked on. Armenia opened fire and the exchange left one border guard wounded on each side.
Ever since, Azerbaijani border patrol units have blocked Russian peacekeepers and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) from delivering humanitarian aid to the region, accusing the latter of “smuggling” goods. The ICRC is currently allowed to transport patients requiring urgent medical care to Armenia, but Azerbaijani medical personnel examine them at the border. The organisation says this practice is exacerbating Karabakh’s already dire situation.
As a result, Nagorno-Karabakh continues to experience severe shortages of food, baby food, fuel, medicine, hygiene and personal care items. The enclave previously relied on imports from Armenia, even for fresh fruit and vegetables, and the interrupted gas and electricity supply, which passes through Azerbaijan, is hindering local efforts to meet demands. Local media regularly shows empty supermarket shelves and long queues outside bakeries, with people waiting hours for just a couple of loaves of bread.
With rising unemployment and soaring prices of essential goods, the de facto authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh have introduced food stamps. Adding to the hardships faced by Karabakh’s people are dwindling fuel supplies, which mean uncertain goods deliveries, reduced private car usage and decreased public transport schedule. There has been a rise in miscarriages and premature births due to stress, poor nutrition and lack of essential medicines, according to Amnesty International, which cited doctors in Karabakh.
In one tragic episode in early July, two young children – Leo and Gita Narimanyan, aged three and six respectively – lost their lives while searching for their mother, who had left them unattended while she went to collect the family’s food allowance. The children, who had sought shelter in an unlocked car, ended up suffocating in what the Karabakh police suggested was vehicular heatstroke. (Another law-enforcement body has cautioned that this is just one of the theories being investigated.)
Azerbaijan denies imposing a blockade, using its state media to release videos that supposedly show Karabakh residents passing through passport control at a checkpoint. In January, Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev offered Karabakh Armenians a stark choice: accept Azerbaijani citizenship and the promise of security and equal rights, or leave altogether. “The road is not closed,” Aliyev said, “it is open.”
But Karabakh Armenians profoundly distrust Azerbaijan’s promises of security. They accuse the Azerbaijani military of repeatedly violating the ceasefire and shooting dead soldiers and civilians. War crimes reportedly committed against Armenian civilians and captured soldiers, as well as gross human rights violations in Azerbaijan, further erode trust. Indeed, Karabakh and the Armenian authorities have accused Baku of carrying out a programme of ethnic cleansing.
Azerbaijan is yet to present any plans to better integrate the Karabakh Armenian population and has done nothing to de-escalate hostility. In May, Aliyev demanded the de facto authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh surrender and promised them amnesty, but he threatened force if they did not comply.
International human rights organisations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have strongly condemned the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh. Resolutions have been passed by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the European Parliament and the International Court of Justice. All have called on Azerbaijan to restore unhindered movement along the Lachin corridor, but these calls remain unheeded.
Baku’s intention may be to make life in Nagorno-Karabakh unbearable, forcing inhabitants to leave. This strategy would effectively achieve a ‘bloodless’ ethnic cleansing and sidestep the need to address Karabakh Armenians’ social and economic integration issues.
On 21 July, Aliyev appeared to take responsibility for armed escalations against Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia over the past three years. In referring to these incidents as “messages” to Armenia, Azerbaijan’s president basically admitted that Baku was using military pressure as its main negotiating tactic over Nagorno-Karabakh. Aliyev also declared that international law is ineffective as Armenian troops remain in Nagorno-Karabakh and force was the only guarantee of peace as signatures on agreements have little authority.
Even so, the Armenian leadership has generally adopted a more peaceable tone. On 25 July, prime minister Nikol Pashinyan said he was ready to sign a peace treaty with Azerbaijan, based on mutual recognition of territorial integrity. This, he said, was in line with the agreement reached during the talks held in Brussels this month, which were mediated by European Council president Charles Michel.
The Karabakh blockade continues but so do the peace talks, with each round accompanied by claims of progress. In reality, meaningful developments remain scarce.
Russia, the EU and the United States are the main mediators in these negotiations. The Kremlin has long played a significant role in the Karabakh conflict, leveraging it to bolster its regional influence. The 2022 tripartite agrement led to the deployment of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh, with the Lachin corridor also falling under their purview. But they have yet to take steps to restore traffic through the corridor.
Russia is presumably content with the current situation, participating in negotiations only to prevent the West from becoming the sole mediator. Moscow views Nagorno-Karabakh as a way to exert pressure on both Azerbaijan and Armenia. But Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine means the Kremlin lacks the resources to maintain its declining influence in the South Caucasus. It appears unwilling to disrupt relations with Azerbaijan, a key transit route to Russia for goods that sanctions would otherwise make hard to get. Armenia is also used by Russia to bypass sanctions.
So far, the most productive negotiations have occurred in the West. The EU supports Pashinyan’s proposal to include a clause in any peace treaty that would guarantee the rights and security of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh and provide an international mechanism to ensure those rights. Baku says the rights of Karabakh Armenians are an internal matter for Azerbaijan.
Baku’s intention seems twofold: to persuade the international community there is no blockade and create another humanitarian pressure mechanism to increase Karabakh’s reliance on Azerbaijan
Still, Brussels, preoccupied with the Ukraine war, views the Karabakh peace talks as a platform to counter the Kremlin’s influence. Signing a peace treaty could lead to Russia’s withdrawal from Karabakh, and potentially disrupt its relations with Armenia.
Indeed, there are questions about whether the EU can make Azerbaijan reopen the Lachin Corridor – or even wants to.
On 26 July, the day the EU again called on Azerbaijan to open the road, Azerbaijani military personnel refused an Armenian humanitarian convoy access to Nagorno-Karabakh, while officials in Baku claimed Brussels had approved the movement of humanitarian cargo to Nagorno-Karabakh from Azerbaijan. Previously, Michel of the European Council revealed that there had been joint discussions – although no approval – on sending humanitarian aid via the Azerbaijani town of Agdam, close to Karabakh.
Baku’s intention seems twofold: to persuade the international community there is no blockade and create another humanitarian pressure mechanism to increase Karabakh’s reliance on Azerbaijan.
Despite the escalating crisis and human rights violations, the lack of real Western pressure on Azerbaijan may also indicate the EU’s alignment with Baku’s conditions on the future of Nagorno-Karabakh. Perhaps the gas deal between Brussels and Aliyev plays a role. Concluded in the summer of 2022, it will increase the amount of fuel Azerbaijan supplies to the EU. The deal was done without any conditions set by Azerbaijan and observers say the proceeds of Baku’s energy sales to the EU may be going towards acquiring more weapons, sponsoring the blockade, armed escalations and human rights violations by the Aliyev regime.
This begs the question: with Karabakh, could the West be repeating the same mistake it made with Vladimir Putin in the 2010s, whereby the Kremlin profited from resource sales, prepared for war and disregarded all treaties before finally attacking Ukraine?
In a recent speech, Aliyev seemingly spoke the truth: international law operates selectively and signatures on treaties hold no value. Consider this statement in light of the EU’s behaviour. It says it is committed to human rights values but merely expresses bland concern about violations in Nagorno-Karabakh, calling on “both sides” to move towards a ceasefire.
15:59,
YEREVAN, JULY 24, ARMENPRESS. Secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan has held a meeting with the new Ambassador of Poland to Armenia Piotr Skwieciński.
During the meeting Grigoryan congratulated Skwieciński on his appointment and expressed certainty that the ambassador will bring his contribution to the further expansion of the Armenian-Polish relations, Grigoryan’s office said in a readout.
Secretary Grigoryan presented the grave humanitarian situation in Nagorno Karabakh resulting from the total blockade of Lachin Corridor. Grigoryan and Ambassador Skwieciński also discussed a number of issues pertaining to the Armenian-Polish bilateral relations.
Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno Karabakh with Armenia and the rest of the world, has been blocked by Azerbaijan since late 2022. The Azerbaijani blockade constitutes a gross violation of the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh ceasefire agreement, which established that the 5km-wide Lachin Corridor shall be under the control of Russian peacekeepers. Furthermore, on February 22, 2023 the United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – ordered Azerbaijan to “take all steps at its disposal” to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. Azerbaijan has been ignoring the order ever since. Moreover, Azerbaijan then illegally installed a checkpoint on Lachin Corridor. The blockade has led to shortages of essential products such as food and medication. Azerbaijan has also cut off gas and power supply into Nagorno Karabakh, with officials warning that Baku seeks to commit ethnic cleansing against Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh. Hospitals have suspended normal operations and the Red Cross has been facilitating the medical evacuations of patients.
16:43,
YEREVAN, JULY 24, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan will visit Russia on July 25, the foreign ministry announced Monday.
In Moscow, FM Mirzoyan is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and a trilateral meeting with the latter and the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov.
The agenda of the meeting includes issues of regional security, normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan and humanitarian issues, the foreign ministry said.
17:00,
BRUSSELS, JULY 18, ARMENPRESS. The Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament has adopted a report on Turkey which also mentions the latter’s normalization process with Armenia.
The report supports the Armenia-Turkey normalization for reconciliation, regional stability and security. The report welcomes the progress achieved so far and commends the Armenian Prime Minister’s attendance of the Turkish President’s inauguration ceremony.
The report once again calls on Turkey to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide and preserve the Armenian cultural heritage in Turkey.
The MEPs urge the EU and Turkey to break the current deadlock and find “a parallel and realistic framework” for EU-Turkey relations.
Unless there is a drastic change of course by the Turkish government, Turkey’s EU accession process cannot resume under the current circumstances, the MEPs on the Foreign Affairs Committee said in the report adopted on Tuesday (by 47 votes in favour, no votes against and 10 abstentions).
Urging the Turkish government, the European Union and its member states to break the current deadlock and move towards a closer partnership, MEPs recommend starting a reflection process to find a parallel and realistic framework for EU-Turkey relations. They call on the Commission to explore possible formats for a mutually appealing framework.
In the report, MEPs confirm that Turkey remains a candidate for EU accession, a NATO ally and a key partner in security, trade and economic relations, and migration, stressing that Turkey is expected to respect democratic values, rule of law, human rights and abide by EU laws, principles and obligations.
The report urges Turkey to ratify Sweden’s NATO membership without any further delay, and underlines that the NATO accession process of one country can in no way be linked to the EU accession process of another. Each country’s progress on the path towards the EU remains based on its own merits, MEPs stress.
The report welcomes Turkey’s vote in favour of condemning Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine in the UN General Assembly and its commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country, regretting that Turkey does not support sanctions outside the UN framework. Turkey’s alignment rate with the EU’s Common foreign and security policy has slipped to an all-time low of 7 %, making it by far the lowest of all enlargement countries.
MEPs commend Turkey’s efforts to continue hosting the largest refugee population in the world of almost four million people. They welcome the continued provision of EU funding for refugees and host communities in Turkey, and express their strong commitment to sustain this in the future.
Expressing their heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims of the devastating earthquakes of 6 February 2023, MEPs state that the EU should continue to support the people of Turkey in meeting their humanitarian needs and reconstruction efforts. They underline that European solidarity could lead to a tangible improvement in relations between the EU and Turkey.
The rapporteur Nacho Sánchez Amor(S&D, Spain) said : “We have recently seen a renewed interest from the Turkish government in reviving the EU accession process. This will not happen as a result of geopolitical bargaining, but when Turkish authorities show real interest in stopping the continuous backsliding in fundamental freedoms and rule of law. If the Turkish government is sincere in this they should show it with concrete reforms and actions.”
Turkey’s EU accession talks have been in a deadlock since 2018 due to the deteriorating condition of Turkey’s rule of law and democracy. The report will be sent to the European Parliament plenary session for voting.
Lilit Gasparyan
European Parliament
The European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee on Tuesday called on Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide. This was reflected in the group’s report on Turkey, which will be presented to the entire European Parliament for approval.
The committee’s call for Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide was made “in order to pave the way for real reconciliation between the Turkish and Armenian peoples,” the report said.
The report also appealed to Turkey to completely fulfill its obligations to protect the Armenian cultural heritage.
The report noted that the committee supports the normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey based on the interests of reconciliation, regional stability and security.
“The committee calls for the speedy implementation of the arrangements of the special representatives of Armenia and Turkey, such as the reopening of the airspace and the border between the two countries, and welcomes the progress made so far, noting with satisfaction the attendance of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to the inauguration ceremony of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan,” the report added.