Author: Janet Ekmekjian

After a limited prisoner swap between Armenia and Azerbaijan, human rights groups urge the U.S. not to abandon the remaining Armenian hostages.

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND, /EINPresswire.com/ — A day after a limited prisoner exchange between Armenia and Azerbaijan took place, a coalition of human rights organizations is urging the United States not to abandon Azerbaijan’s remaining Armenian hostages.

In a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday, Christian Solidarity International (CSI), Genocide Watch, Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust, the Armenian National Committee of America, and others, pointed out that dozens more Armenians are still being held by Baku.

These include eight current and former members of the elected government of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) who were kidnapped during Azerbaijan’s attack on Nagorno Karabakh in September, during which the entire Armenian population of the region was expelled.

On December 13, Azerbaijan released 32 Armenian soldiers. In exchange, Armenia released two Azerbaijani soldiers who had been detained after infiltrating sovereign Armenian territory and killing an Armenian civilian.

Cruelly, Vicken Euljekian, a Lebanese-Armenian civilian who was kidnapped by Azerbaijani forces in Nagorno Karabakh in November 2020, was not released, although his name had been included in the list of prisoners to be released published in Azerbaijani media last week.

“We urge you to publicly call for the release of all Armenians being held hostage by Azerbaijan,” the organizations said to Blinken. “This call should be part of a larger program to hold Azerbaijan accountable for its aggression and ethnic cleansing, and ensure the safe return of the people of Nagorno Karabakh to their homeland.”

The letter points out that all of the 32 people released yesterday were soldiers who were brazenly kidnapped by Azerbaijan after Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to a ceasefire ending their war on November 9, 2020.

And it takes issue with the State Department’s assessment that Baku’s prisoner release is “an important confidence building measure.” Rewarding Azerbaijan for releasing people it has kidnapped, the letter warns, only encourages Azerbaijan to commit further violations of international law.

Baku is believed to be holding up to 100 Armenian hostages in addition to those released. These include – apart from the eight current and former government members – seven civilians who were kidnapped from Nagorno Karabakh during the 2020 war and during Azerbaijan’s nine-month blockade of the region.

The letter includes a list of 20 Armenians known to be held hostage by Baku.

Joel Veldkamp
Christian Solidarity International
+41 76 258 15 74
[email protected]
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https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/675291559/don-t-abandon-armenian-hostages-in-azerbaijan-csi-and-other-human-rights-groups-to-blinken

On December 7 evening, Armenia and Azerbaijan issued an unexpected joint statement, the first of its kind that did not bear the signature of any mediator working on the peace process between the two. 

According to the statement, Armenia and Azerbaijan "share the view that there is a historical chance to achieve a long-awaited peace in the region." 

"The two countries reconfirm their intention to normalize relations and to reach the peace treaty on the basis of respect for the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity," it read. 

"Following the talks between the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, an agreement has been reached on taking tangible steps towards building confidence between the two countries."

The statement announced an agreement on the exchange of 32 detained Armenian military servicemen for 2 Azerbaijani servicemen, "driven by the values of humanism and as a gesture of goodwill." 

All known prisoner exchanges in the past have taken place through the efforts of mediators.

The statement also announced Armenia's support for Azerbaijan's bid to host the 29th Session of the Conference of Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, by withdrawing its own candidacy. In return, Azerbaijan supports Armenia's candidacy for Eastern European Group COP Bureau membership. This also marks the first time the two countries have publicly backed each other's leadership in international bodies. 

Since the Second Karabakh War in 2020, Armenia-Azerbaijan peace talks have proceeded on two separate tracks, one mediated by Russia and the other by the EU and U.S.

The peace process had been at a near-standstill, particularly since Baku's full takeover in September of Nagorno-Karabakh, the territory that had been at the heart of the dispute between the two countries for more than 30 years. 

After that, it looked like there were no more barriers to reaching a peace treaty between the two countries, with the de facto Armenian government in Nagorno-Karabakh initiating its own dissolution and Armenia accepting the territory as part of Azerbaijan. However, the sides still retained their disagreements, with Azerbaijan continuously snubbing peace talks over its newfound discontent with mediation by Western countries. 

In November, the Armenian foreign ministry reported that it had sent its latest proposal for a peace agreement to the Azerbaijani side. 

On December 6, speaking at a forum in Baku, Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev confirmed its receipt and said his government would reply soon, but also complained of an alleged Armenian delay in communication. 

"[I]t's a document of maybe six-seven pages maximum with less than 20 articles. So for such a small document, Armenia needed 70 days to respond to us. And they responded only after the Azerbaijani foreign minister publicly disclosed that," he asserted. 

"Look, we're waiting for two months. Why don't you respond? So, this shows that the side which delays the process is not Azerbaijan, it is Armenia. Why did they delay? I don't know whether it was their own decision or they were advised by their new friends in some European capitals. I don't know, I can only suspect."

The deal was welcomed by the EU, the U.S. and Russia. 

It was regarded by observers as historic and promising. 

"Most importantly, it shows that Baku and Yerevan can deal, offering hope for further talks and, perhaps even eventually, a peace deal and normalization of relations between the two countries," Zaur Shiriyev, analyst with the International Crisis Group, wrote on X. 

Some analysts, both in Armenia and Azerbaijan, suspected that there was some behind-the-scenes mediation, particularly since the statement was released the day after U.S. Assistant State Secretary James O'Brien met Aliyev in Baku. 

Former Armenian diplomat Sossi Tatikyan speculated on X that there might have been "robust 3rd party mediation/shuttle diplomacy, but it preferred to stay backstage to save Aliyev's face." 

Baku-based political analyst Shahin Jafarli wrote on Facebook there is "no doubt that both this agreement and the decision to hold an early presidential election [in Azerbaijan] are related to the U.S. delegation's visit."

However, he still noted that the joint statement and agreed confidence-building measures are "historically significant and aimed at preparing real grounds for peace". 

• Risk Sharing Framework agreement signed today in Yerevan
• Framework to help HSBC expand local firms’ access to funding
• EBRD to co-finance individual sub-loans

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has signed a funded Risk Sharing Framework (RSF) agreement with HSBC Bank Armenia (HSBC Armenia) to facilitate Armenian firms’ access to finance.

Under the agreement – signed today in Yerevan by Francis Malige, the EBRD’s Managing Director for Financial Institutions, and Irina Seylanyan, the HSBC Armenia’s Chief Executive Officer – the EBRD will co-finance individual loans provided by HSBC Armenia to eligible borrowers.

The RSF is one of three core financing frameworks of the EBRD’s Small Business Initiative a programme dedicated to supporting and developing local private companies. The EBRD offers partner banks funded or unfunded risk participation mechanisms in foreign or local currency by co-financing and guaranteeing the partner bank’s loans to eligible companies.

“We are pleased to partner with HSBC Armenia to expand financing opportunities for growing companies. The EBRD’s risk-participation mechanism will enable HSBC Armenia to manage capital and risk concentration and facilitate credit growth for the benefit of the real economy,” said Francis Malige.

“This partnership marks a new chapter in our longstanding relationship with the EBRD. Through this collaboration, we look forward to enhancing our financing opportunities for local businesses,” said Irina Seylanyan.

HSBC Armenia is one of the EBRD’s key partner banks in Armenia, with cooperation particularly focused on supporting investments in sustainable energy. HSBC Armenia has distinguished itself as a leading provider of corporate and investment banking services in the country.

Bolstering firms’ competitiveness and supporting financial-sector intermediation through risk-sharing products are among the EBRD’s key priorities in Armenia. As one of the largest institutional investors there, the EBRD has invested more than €2 billion in 207 projects in the country, with the majority in the private sector.

https://www.ebrd.com/news/2023/ebrd-expands-cooperation-with-hsbc-in-armenia.html

The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Library:

On Tuesday, Dec. 12, the Armenian Museum of America and the Watertown Free Public Library will welcome author Victoria Waterman in conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Stephen Kurkjian. The writers will discuss Waterman’s novel Who She Left Behind during a free talk at the Watertown Free Public Library.

Waterman’s novel is historical fiction based on her own family’s history, spanning multiple generations from the final days of the Ottoman Empire to the Armenian neighborhoods in RI & MA in the 1990s.

All community members are invited to join Waterman and Kurkjian for the free talk at the Library, which begins at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 12. Light refreshments will be provided, books will be available for purchase. Registration is required. Visit bit.ly/watermantalk to register.

About the Armenian Museum of America
The Armenian Museum of America is the largest Armenian Museum in the Diaspora. It has grown into a major repository for all forms of Armenian material culture that illustrate the creative endeavors of the Armenian people over the centuries.

About the Watertown Free Public Library

The Watertown Free Public Library provides access to a wide variety of popular materials, resources, services, and programs that fulfill the informational, cultural, and recreational needs of Watertown and surrounding communities. Our Library works to create an environment that attracts and welcomes users of all ages and abilities.

https://www.watertownmanews.com/2023/11/20/author-victoria-atamian-waterman-pulitzer-prize-winning-journalist-stephen-kurkjian-speaking-at-armenian-museum/

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock will travel to Armenia on Friday, about a month and a half after the surrender of Armenian forces to Azerbaijan after a brief conflict over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

She is due to meet Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, a Foreign Office spokesman said.

On Saturday Baerbock plans to meet Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov in Baku.

Some 100,000 ethnic Armenians fled the region as a result of the conflict. Baerbock will visit a refugee centre in Armenia for refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh, the spokesman said.

Baerbock also plans to visit the civilian EU Mission in Armenia (EUMA), which monitors the security situation along the Armenian side of the border.

Armenian forces surrendered to Azerbaijan on September 19. The ex-Soviet republics in the South Caucasus have long been enemies, and the Nagorno-Karabakh region has been contested for decades.

"The goal is a negotiated, comprehensive peace settlement so that Armenians and Azerbaijanis can live in peace and safety within their state borders," the spokesman said.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/germanys-baerbock-to-travel-to-armenia-and-azerbaijan/ar-AA1jdXnt