Author: Kevo Kalantarian

                                        Thursday, 


Pashinian Reports ‘New Proposals’ On Peace Deal With Azerbaijan

        • Nane Sahakian

Belgium - EU Council President Charles Michel meets the leaders of Armenia and 
Azerbaijan in Brussels, July 15, 2023.


Armenia has presented Azerbaijan with new proposals regarding a bilateral peace 
treaty discussed by the two countries, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said on 
Thursday. He did not disclose them.

The treaty has been the main focus of Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations held 
over the past year. Despite reportedly making major progress, the two sides 
still disagree on a number of key issues. Those include mechanisms for 
delimiting the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and providing security guarantees for 
Nagorno-Karabakh’s ethnic Armenian population.

In May, Pashinian pledged to recognize Azerbaijani sovereignty over Karabakh 
through the treaty. He complained on August 3 that Baku is seeking to sign the 
kind of peace deal that would not preclude Azerbaijani territorial claims to 
Armenia.

The far-reaching concession offered by Pashinian was followed by the tightening 
of Azerbaijan’s blockade of Karabakh which aggravated severe shortages of food, 
medicine, fuel and other essential items there. In recent days, Baku has allowed 
groups of civilian residents of Karabakh to leave the region through an 
Azerbaijani checkpoint set up in the Lachin corridor.

“We have received reliable information that plans are being made to open the 
Lachin Corridor in one direction: that is, to allow exit from Nagorno-Karabakh 
and not to allow entry,” Pashinian said on Thursday at the start of a weekly 
cabinet meeting in Yerevan.

Pashinian claimed that the Azerbaijani government’s “main aim” is to drive the 
Karabakh Armenians out of the region “whether by famine, military operation or 
other means.” He also accused Baku of “torpedoing” direct talks with Karabakh’s 
representatives encouraged by Western powers.

“At the same time, I want to emphasize Armenia’s commitment to the peace 
agenda,” Pashinian went on. “I must inform you that we have passed on to the 
Azerbaijani side our new proposals on a peace treaty between Armenia and 
Azerbaijan.”

The Armenian premier shed no light on those proposals. In recent months, the 
United States and the European Union have stepped up their efforts to broker the 
peace treaty. The Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers held two rounds of 
intensive U.S.-mediated negotiations outside Washington in May and June. 
Meanwhile, the EU’s top official, Charles Michel, hosted a series of 
Armenian-Azerbaijani summits in Brussels.

By contrast, Russia warned early this month against attempts to “artificially” 
speed up the signing of the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace accord, pointing to 
lingering differences between Baku and Yerevan.




Armenia Again Touts Soaring Trade With Russia

        • Anush Mkrtchian

Armenia - Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and his Russian counterpart 
Mikhail Mishustin meet in Tsaghkadzor, .


Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian hailed on Thursday a continuing sharp increase in 
Armenia’s trade with Russia which results in large measure from Western economic 
sanctions against Moscow.

Meeting with his visiting Russian counterpart Mikhail Mishustin, Pashinian said 
it shows that Russian-Armenian relations remain “very strong” despite 
“problematic issues” causing friction between the two nations.

Russian-Armenian trade doubled last year and in the first half of this year as 
the South Caucasus country took advantage of the barrage of sanctions imposed on 
its main trading partner following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This, 
coupled with other cash inflows from Russia, is the main reason why the Armenian 
economy grew by over 12 percent in 2022.

“It must be said that our commercial exchange reached $5 billion in 2022 and 
this growth is continuing. This year we have already passed the $3 billion mark 
and hope that this year we will surpass last year’s volume,” Pashinian told 
Mishustin in his opening remarks.

“We have a very strong and durable relationship,” he added during talks held in 
the Armenian resort town of Tsaghkadzor on the sidelines of a meeting of the 
prime ministers of Eurasian Economic Union member states.

“Despite the difficult foreign economic situation, Russia’s trade and economic 
ties with Armenia are growing stronger … and this makes us happy,” Mishustin 
said for his part.

In line with Russia’s broader efforts to reduce its dependence on the U.S. 
dollar, Mishustin called for greater use of the Russian and Armenian currencies 
in bilateral trade. He also proposed that Moscow and Yerevan “accelerate work” 
on joint investment projects in Armenia.

The soaring trade is primarily driven by Armenian exports to Russia that tripled 
in 2022 and January-June 2023. Goods manufactured in third countries and 
re-exported by Armenian firms are thought to have accounted for most of that 
gain. They include consumer electronics as well as other hi-tech goods and 
components which Western powers say could be used by the Russian defense 
industry.

The Armenian government has faced in recent months strong pressure from the 
United States and the European Union to curb the re-export of these items. It 
announced in late May that Armenian exporters will now need government 
permission to deliver microchips, transformers, video cameras, antennas and 
other electronic equipment to Russia. Pashinian said at the time that despite 
its “strategic” relations with Russia, Armenia “cannot afford to be placed under 
Western sanctions.”

Washington has so far blacklisted only on one functioning Armenian company for 
allegedly helping Russia evade the sanctions.




Ruling Party Candidate Confident Of Yerevan Election Win

        • Karlen Aslanian
        • Robert Zargarian

Armenia - The ruling Civil Contract parrty's mayoral candidate, Tigran Avinian, 
campaigns in Yerevan's Erebuni district, .


The ruling Civil Contract party expects to score a landslide victory in the 
upcoming municipal elections in Yerevan, its mayoral candidate, Tigran Avinian, 
said on Thursday.

Avinian predicted that the party headed by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian will 
win more than 50 percent of the vote and retain control of the city council 
empowered to appoint the Armenian capital’s mayor.

“We are confident that we will manage to garner the majority [of votes,]” he 
told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.

“We have delivered on what we promised [in 2018,] and we are proposing a new, 
more ambitious five-year plan,” he said.

Civil Contract fell short of the outright majority in Yerevan during Armenia’s 
last general elections held in June 2021. Official vote results showed it doing 
much better in other, especially rural parts of the country. But the party 
should benefit this time around from the decision by the two main opposition 
alliances to boycott the local polls slated for September 17.

Armenia - Andranik Tevanian, an opposition mayoral candidate, addresses a 
campaign rally in Yerevan, .

Andranik Tevanian, a lawmaker representing one of those alliances, Hayastan, 
disagreed with the boycott and set up his own electoral bloc to join the mayoral 
race. Tevanian insisted that his victory would pave the way for Pashinian’s 
removal from power as he and his allies campaigned in Yerevan’s northern Arabkir 
district on Thursday.

“Our participation in the municipal elections in Yerevan is an opportunity to 
effect regime change at the national level,” he told local residents. “Regime 
change is the key precondition for ensuring the security of Armenia and 
Nagorno-Karabakh.”

Another opposition contender, the Aprelu Yerkir party, has also described the 
mayoral race as an opportunity to precipitate Pashinian’s ouster.

Avinian indicated that unlike in the last Yerevan elections held five years ago, 
Pashinian will not actively participate in the ruling party’s election campaign 
because of “much tougher” challenges facing his government.

Avinian also denied illegally using his administrative resources to gain unfair 
advantage over his rivals and facilitate his victory. A coalition of civic 
groups that will monitor the September 17 vote again accused him and Civil 
Contract of foul play in an extensive report released this week.




Belgian FM ‘Snubbed By Aliyev’


Armenia - Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib attends a joint news conference 
with her Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan, Yerevan, August 22, 2023.


Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has reportedly refused to meet Belgium’s 
visiting Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib after she urged Azerbaijan to lift its 
blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh and recognize Armenia’s borders.

Lahbib proceeded to Baku on Thursday two days after holding talks with Armenian 
leaders in Yerevan. She was expected to meet Aliyev during the trip.

The Azerbaijani government-linked news agency APA cited an unnamed government 
source as saying that the meeting will not take place because Lahbib made in 
Yerevan “pro-Armenian statements that are far from reality.”

Speaking at a joint news conference with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat 
Mirzoyan, Lahbib called on Baku to reciprocate Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s 
recent recognition of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. She also expressed 
serious concern over the worsening humanitarian situation in Karabakh, warning 
of a risk of famine in the Armenian-populated region.

“It is incumbent on Azerbaijan to ensure the security of Karabakh’s population 
and free traffic through the Lachin corridor,” said the top Belgian diplomat.

The Azerbaijani leadership has repeatedly dismissed similar appeals from the 
European Union, the United States and Russia. It denies blocking Karabakh’s sole 
land link with Armenia and says the international community should instead 
facilitate the region’s “reintegration” into Azerbaijan.



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.

 

                                        Friday, 


U.S. Envoy Emphasizes Support For Armenia’s Sovereignty, Security On Trip To 
Border Region


U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Kristina Kvien (R) traveled to Armenia’s Vayots Dzor 
province “to observe the security situation on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border.”


United States Ambassador to Armenia Kristina Kvien has emphasized Washington’s 
support for the sovereignty and security of Armenia on a trip to the South 
Caucasus country’s region bordering on Azerbaijan.

The U.S. embassy in Yerevan said in a Facebook post on Friday that Kvien 
traveled to Vayots Dzor “to meet with local officials and observe the security 
situation on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border.”

“The Ambassador met with the Governor of Vayots Dzor, the EU Monitoring Mission, 
and local military representatives, joined by Armenian Ambassador to the U.S. 
Lilit Makunts. Ambassador Kvien emphasized U.S. support for Armenia’s 
sovereignty and security, as well as lasting peace in the South Caucasus,” it 
said.

While in Vayots Dzor Ambassador Kvien also traveled to Jermuk “to learn about 
the challenges and opportunities facing the city.” The embassy said that in 
Jermuk the U.S. ambassador met with the town’s mayor and hosted a roundtable 
with business owners “to discuss the local economy and tourism sector.”

“Ambassador Kvien was impressed with the beautiful natural landscape and outdoor 
activities that make Jermuk a popular tourist destination,” the report said.

Jermuk, an Armenian resort town close to the border with Azerbaijan, was shelled 
by Azerbaijani troops during last September’s deadly fighting. The escalation 
during which Azerbaijani forces advanced their positions closer towards Jermuk 
also affected the town’s businesses largely dependent on local and international 
tourism.

Ambassador Kvien, joined by the mayor of Jermuk, also reportedly visited a major 
mining project – Lydian’s Amulsar – to view their operations.

“The Amulsar project represents one of the biggest U.S. investments in Armenia 
and we are proud that it is deploying western mining standards. The United 
States supports Armenia’s economic development and opportunities for U.S. 
companies and investors to do business in a range of sectors,” the U.S. 
embassy’s said on Facebook.




Armenia Vows Continued Efforts To Unblock Lachin Corridor


The building of the Armenian Foreign Ministry in Yerevan


Armenia will continue to work on various platforms to unblock the Lachin 
Corridor and resolve the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, its Foreign 
Ministry said on Friday in a statement regarding the UN Security Council’s 
urgent meeting on the matter held at Yerevan’s request earlier this week.

Armenia and ethnic Armenian authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh accuse Azerbaijan of 
violating the terms of the Moscow-brokered 2020 ceasefire agreement by closing 
the Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia, 
which has led to severe shortages of food, medicines, fuel and other basic 
products in the predominantly Armenian-populated region.

They also charge that Azerbaijan’s actions amount to a policy of ethnic 
cleansings and urge the international community to prevent a “genocide” by 
putting pressure on Baku to restore free movement of people, vehicles and goods 
along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.

Baku denies blockading Nagorno-Karabakh or carrying out any policy of ethnic 
cleansings in relation to the region’s Armenian population.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, highly appreciating 
the principled and fair positions of the UN Security Council members that remain 
faithful to their mandate to advance international security and peace, will 
continue to work on various platforms, including in the UN Security Council, 
taking consistent steps to unblock the Lachin corridor and resolve the 
humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh,” the Armenian Foreign Ministry said.

The statement said that the August 16 urgent meeting of the UN Security Council 
“once again showed that, despite the false propaganda of Azerbaijan, the 
international partners are clearly aware of the fact of the dire humanitarian 
situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and realize the importance of addressing it.”

The UN Security Council discusses the humanitarian situation in Nagorno 
Karabakh, New York, August 16, 2023.

“During this second discussion in the format of the UN Security Council, the 
assessments and targeted appeals addressed to Azerbaijan, in essence, 
complemented the clear positions expressed so far by various governments, 
international structures, and human rights organizations,” the Armenian ministry 
said.

“Noteworthy were the statements of the members of the UN Security Council and 
the EU representative reiterating that Azerbaijan is obliged to lift the illegal 
blockade of the Lachin corridor in accordance with the Trilateral statement of 
November 9, 2020, and the legally binding Orders of the UN International Court 
of Justice of February 22 and July 6. It was unequivocally emphasized that the 
ongoing eight-month-long severe humanitarian situation created for the 
population of Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of the blockade should be resolved,” 
it added.

The statement said that “it is evident that Azerbaijan continues to distort the 
appeals of the international community, to look for false pretexts, not 
corresponding to reality, to avoid fulfilling its obligations and, by prolonging 
the humanitarian crisis, including through starvation, to subject the indigenous 
people of Nagorno-Karabakh to ethnic cleansing.”

“Moreover, Azerbaijan tries to manipulate any ‘balanced’ approach of 
international actors, interpreting it as an explicit permission to continue its 
adopted policy.

“We emphasize the urgency of using all available international tools to 
eliminate the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh and restore unimpeded 
movement in both directions through the Lachin corridor and ensure unhindered 
access of international humanitarian organizations to Nagorno-Karabakh,” the 
Armenian Foreign Ministry said.

Summarizing the discussions in New York, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian 
said on Thursday that the very fact of the closure of the Lachin Corridor was 
highlighted at the UN Security Council, which he called the highest 
international instance.

Officials in Baku, meanwhile, claimed that the outcome of the meeting was more 
in favor of Azerbaijan as many representatives mentioned the possibility of 
Karabakh Armenians’ using alternative routes of supply.

Azerbaijan, in particular, suggests that a road via Agdam, an 
Azerbaijani-controlled town situated to the east of Nagorno-Karabakh, be used 
for supplies to the Armenian-populated region.

Authorities in Stepanakert reject this option, insisting that it is designed to 
legitimize the Azerbaijani blockade and cut Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenia.




Azerbaijan Accused Of Disrupting Internet Access In Nagorno-Karabakh


An Azerbaijani checkpoint at the entrance to the Lachin corridor from Armenia 
(file photo).


Ethnic Armenian authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh said internet access in the 
region was disrupted late on Thursday after Azerbaijan cut off a fiber-optic 
cable in the Lachin corridor.

Artak Beglarian, an advisor to Nagorno-Karabakh’s de facto premier, said on 
Friday that the incident happened at 5:55 p.m. on August 17 and that Karabakh 
specialists tried to approach the area together with Russian peacekeepers to 
restore the cable but were not allowed to proceed by Azerbaijani forces.

He said negotiations between the peacekeepers and the Azerbaijani side to allow 
Karabakh specialists to access the site and repair the cable continued on Friday 
morning.

Azerbaijani authorities did not comment on the reported incident immediately.

“I don’t find it to be a coincidence that this new crime took place after the UN 
Security Council meeting and literally five minutes before the start of an 
online press conference on the subject of the genocide in Nagorno-Karabakh,” 
Beglarian said.

He said that because of the disruption Nagorno-Karabakh-based participants of 
the press conference could join the two other speakers only with a 45-minute 
delay and had to use an unstable connection line.

“Despite the Azerbaijani efforts, the press conference did take place and 130 
people from 27 countries participated in the event,” Beglarian said.

The official said that only a very limited volume of internet was accessible in 
Nagorno-Karabakh through an unstable radio connection as of Friday morning, 
adding that it was “continuously under Azerbaijani jamming” too.

Nagorno-Karabakh has lived in conditions of an effective blockade imposed by 
Azerbaijan since last December when traffic along the Lachin Corridor, the only 
road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia, was blocked by a group of 
Azerbaijani protesters calling themselves environmental activists.

In April, claiming that Armenians were using the Lachin corridor for 
transporting military cargoes, Azerbaijan set up a checkpoint at its entrance 
from Armenia despite protests from Stepanakert and Yerevan that called the 
roadblock illegal, citing a Moscow-brokered 2020 ceasefire agreement under which 
the vital road should remain under the control of Russian peacekeepers deployed 
in the region.

Citing “various types of contraband”, Baku further tightened the effective 
blockade in the middle of June by banning all humanitarian supplies through the 
corridor. Shortages of food, medicines, fuel and other basic products in the 
region became particularly severe after that.

Amid rationing of food in the region authorities in Stepanakert reported the 
first death from hunger among Karabakh residents earlier this week.

The United Nations Security Council met in New York at Armenia’s request on 
August 16 to discuss the current humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia charge that Azerbaijan’s blockade amounts to a 
policy of ethnic cleansings and expect a resolution from the UN Security Council 
to unblock the Lachin corridor.

Baku denies blockading Nagorno-Karabakh or carrying out any policy of ethnic 
cleansings in relation to the region’s Armenian population. It offers supplies 
to Karabakh Armenians through an alternative route, but Stepanakert rejects the 
offer.




Shots Fired From Azerbaijani Territory At Armenian Airport Hours After PM’s Visit


The runway of the airport near the Armenian town of Kapan is in close proximity 
to the border with Azerbaijan (file photo).


Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS) said on Friday that an unidentified 
person fired shots overnight from the territory of Azerbaijan at an Armenian 
airport in the southeastern town of Kapan stretching along the border with that 
country.

The NSS said the incident in which windows and the roof of the “Syunik” airport 
were damaged occurred at 04:24 a.m., less than 24 hours after Armenian Prime 
Minister Nikol Pashinian visited the facility, arriving from Yerevan on board a 
small passenger aircraft that is due to start regular flights to the Armenian 
town next week.

According to the report, the unknown person who approached the territory of the 
airport and fired three shots then left.

“We call on the authorities of Azerbaijan to conduct a proper investigation of 
the incident and to take measures to exclude the repetition of such incidents,” 
the NSS said in a statement.

“The Border Guard troops of the Republic of Armenia NSS are ready for a joint 
investigation and/or a transfer of relevant videos to the Azerbaijani side,” it 
added.

Azerbaijan did not comment on the incident immediately.

The Kapan airport is expected to host the first demonstration passenger flight 
by a commuter aircraft from Yerevan on August 19, which is marked annually as 
the town’s day.

Regular commercial flights between the Armenian capital and the town in 
Armenia’s strategic Syunik province bordering on Iran and sandwiched between 
Azerbaijan and its western exclave of Nakhichevan are expected to start next 
week.

On his trip to Kapan on Thursday afternoon the Armenian prime minister was 
accompanied by Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Gnel 
Sanosian.

Syunik Governor Robert Ghukasian, Kapan Mayor Gevorg Parsian and other officials 
reportedly welcomed the prime minister at Kapan’s recently renovated airport.

A video posted by the Prime Minister’s Office showed Pashinian touring the 
airport and inspecting its conditions.

The first test flight from Yerevan to Kapan was operated in late April to become 
the first such flight since the 1990s, barring one private flight made in 2017.

The Civil Aviation Committee said then that an Armenia-registered L-410 
passenger plane (made in the Czech Republic) designed for 19 passengers 
successfully landed at Kapan’s Syunik Airport after a 48-minute flight from 
Yerevan’s International Zvartnots Airport. It described that flight as a “truly 
historic” event.

Despite concerns raised in Armenia by the incident at the Kapan airport, the 
Civil Aviation Committee said that the Yerevan-Kapan-Yerevan flight will take 
place on Saturday as scheduled. It said that Azerbaijan had been notified about 
the planned flight in accordance with regulations concerning flights operated 
near borders between two states.

Kapan is situated some 190 kilometers to the southeast of capital Yerevan not 
far from the border with Azerbaijan. The runway of its airport stretches along 
the border and at one point is situated less than a hundred meters from it.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh for 
decades. Tensions along their restive border have persisted despite a 
Russia-brokered ceasefire that stopped a deadly six-week Armenian-Azerbaijani 
war in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020.




Karabakh Official Says Opening Of ‘Alternative Road’ Will Legitimize Blockade

        • Artak Khulian
        • Anush Mkrtchian

Sergey Ghazarian


De facto ethnic Armenian authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh believe that agreeing 
to the opening of an “alternative road” from Azerbaijan would legitimize the 
current blockade of the Lachin Corridor and cut the region from Armenia.

During a video-conference discussion on Thursday Nagorno-Karabakh’s Foreign 
Minister Sergey Ghazarian, in particular, explained why Stepanakert rejects 
humanitarian aid through the Agdam road.

“Azerbaijan clearly wants that connection between Armenia and the Republic of 
Artsakh [Nagorno-Karabakh – ed.] be cut by blocking the Lachin Corridor. And 
secondly, no international aid should degrade human dignity, therefore, if 
Azerbaijan created such a difficult situation itself, deliberately dooming more 
than 120,000 of our compatriots to starvation, this is simply unacceptable, 
these false attempts to present themselves with humanitarian approaches are 
unacceptable,” Ghazarian said.

The Karabakh official emphasized that this was not only the position of the 
Karabakh authorities, but also of the region’s ordinary residents.

Speaking about the results of the emergency meeting of the United Nations 
Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh that was held 
at Armenia’s request on August 16, Ghazarian stressed that it was only the 
beginning of the process.

Summarizing the discussions in New York, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian 
said on Thursday that the very fact of the closure of the Lachin Corridor was 
highlighted at the UN Security Council, which he called the highest 
international instance.

Officials in Baku, meanwhile, claimed that the outcome of the meeting was more 
in favor of Azerbaijan as many representatives mentioned the possibility of 
Karabakh Armenians’ using alternative routes of supply.

Commenting on this, Ghazarian said: “We are concerned that a number of countries 
have attempted to establish some kind of equality between the Lachin Corridor 
and other roads, transport links, which is unacceptable and does not correspond 
to the parameters of the Lachin Corridor established by the November 9, 2020 
document.”

Ghazarian, however, expressed a hope that the emergency meeting of the UN 
Security Council was “only the beginning” and that “this process will continue.”

Stepanakert and Yerevan accuse Azerbaijan of violating the terms of the 
Moscow-brokered 2020 ceasefire agreement by closing the Lachin Corridor, the 
only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia, which has led to severe 
shortages of food, medicines and fuel in the predominantly Armenian-populated 
region.

They also charge that Azerbaijan’s actions amount to a policy of ethnic 
cleansings and expect a resolution from the UN Security Council to unblock the 
Lachin Corridor.

Baku denies blockading Nagorno-Karabakh or carrying out any policy of ethnic 
cleansings in relation to the region’s Armenian population.



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.