Author: Lena Karagyozian

Turkish Press: Türkiye, Armenia to open land border for visiting third country citizens

Lena Karagyozian
Turkey – July 1 2022

Turkish and Armenian officials have agreed to open the land border for third country citizens visiting both countries as soon as possible, the Turkish Foreign Ministry has said.

Envoys for the normalisation process between Ankara and Yerevan “agreed to enable the crossing of the land border between Türkiye and Armenia by third country citizens visiting Türkiye and Armenia respectively at the earliest date possible..,” the ministry said in a statement on Friday.

It was also decided to “initiate the necessary process to that end“.

The statement came after Turkish Ambassador Serdar Kilic and Armenian National Assembly Deputy Speaker Ruben Rubinyan, special representatives for the normalisation process, held their fourth meeting in Vienna, Austria’s capital.

“They also agreed on commencing direct air cargo trade between Türkiye and Armenia at the earliest possible date and decided to initiate the necessary process to that effect,” the statement said.

The Turkish and Armenian officials also “discussed other possible concrete steps that can be undertaken towards achieving the ultimate goal of full normalisation between their respective countries”, it added.

“Finally, they reemphasised their agreement to continue the normalisation process without preconditions,” the statement said.

READ MORE: Türkiye, Armenia reaffirm goal of 'achieving full normalisation' of ties

Normalisation talks

The first round of normalisation talks was held in Moscow on January 14, where both parties agreed to continue negotiations without any preconditions, according to a statement released after the meeting.

Turkish and Armenian envoys met for the second time in Vienna on February 24, and the third meeting was held on May 3 in the Austrian capital.

Also, a historic bilateral meeting took place between the foreign ministers of Türkiye and Armenia on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum on March 12.

As part of the efforts, Türkiye and Armenia have also resumed commercial flights as of February 2 after a two-year hiatus.

The two countries have been divided on a range of issues, including Armenia’s occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and 1915 events during the Ottoman Empire era. The border between the two neighbouring countries has been closed since 1993.

We are interested in the situation being favorable for people living in Nagorno-Karabakh: President of Federal Council of Austria

Lena Karagyozian
ARMINFO
Armenia –


Naira Badalian

ArmInfo. The delegation headed by RA NA Speaker Alen Simonyan, who is in Austria on an official visit, was received by Christine Schwarz-Fuchs, President of the Federal  Council of the Republic of Austria.

According to the press service of the legislative body of Armenia, in  a conversation with his coumterpart, the NA speaker noted that in  recent years, positive dynamics in the development of bilateral  relations has been observed on the political platform between Armenia  and Austria. There were active mutual visits, meetings at the level  of presidents, prime ministers, foreign ministers. He added that it  is necessary to establish cooperation between the Armenian parliament  and the upper house of the Austrian parliament, since parliamentary  diplomacy plays a significant role in the bilateral Armenian-Austrian  agenda both at the federal and decentralized levels.

Alen Simonyan reaffirmed Armenia's commitment, together with its  European partners, to expand and deepen the process of institutional  reforms aimed at further strengthening democracy, human rights and  the rule of law. In this sense, according to the President of the  National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, the entry into force of  the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement is a  turning point that will open up new prospects for deepening  Armenia-EU cooperation.

During the conversation, issues related to the liberalization of the  Armenia-EU visa regime, the opening of the Austrian embassy in  Armenia, the opening of Austrian visa services in Yerevan were  discussed.

Touching upon the 44-day war and the many problems caused by it, Alen  Simonyan once again welcomed the efforts of Austria aimed at  strengthening peace and stability in the region, creating an  atmosphere of mutual trust, and developing regional cooperation.

The parties also touched upon the importance of the centuries-old  Armenian community in Austria, which is a reliable bridge between the  two countries. Christine Schwartz-Fuchs proudly noted the great  contribution of Armenians to the cultural, economic and political  life of their country.

At the end of the meeting, the President of the Federation Council of  the Republic of Austria noted the importance of the visit of the head  of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, noting that it  will provide new opportunities for expanding inter-parliamentary  cooperation between Armenia and Austria.  "We are interested in a  favorable situation for people living in Nagorno-Karabakh. In this  sense, you can consider Austria as a reliable partner>, said  Christine Schwarz-Fuchs, President of the Federal Council of the  Republic of Austria.

Human Rights Defender criticizes int’l community for its inadequate…response to facts of torture and ill-treatment of Armenian servicemen during 44-day war

Lena Karagyozian
ARMINFO
Armenia –


Marianna Mkrtchyan

ArmInfo. Armenian Human Rights Defender Kristine Grigoryan criticized the international community's for its disproportionate and inadequate response to the facts of  torture and ill-treatment of Armenian servicemen and civilians during  and after the 44-day war in Nagorno- Karabakh in the fall of 2020.

Thus, the Office of the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of  Armenia reports, in part, "On June 22, Human Rights Defender of the  Republic of Armenia, Ms. Kristinne Grigoryan made a video statement  during the interactive dialogue with Special Rapporteur on summary  executions held within the framework of the 50th regular session of  the UN Human Rights Council (June 13 – July 8 ).

During the dialogue, in her statement the Defender highly appreciated  the work of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or  arbitrary executions stressing the need for further strengthening the  mandate and allocating more resources.

The Defender reflected on the response to torture, extrajudicial and  summary executions of Armenian civilian captives and PoW during and  after the 2020 hostilities in Nagorno Karabakh, which has been  inadequate and insufficient to say the least creating preconditions  for extrajudicial and arbitrary executions in other ongoing  conflicts.

Summing-up the Speech, as a guarantee of effective implementation of  the mandate the Defender stressed the imperative of visiting the  regions and territories more by Special Rapporteur emphasizing the  need for better understanding on the ground.

Highlighting the role of national human rights institutions as a  valuable partner to the Special Rapporteur, Defender Grigoryan  expressed her willingness for partnership."  

Armenia is not only Russia’s partner, it is a strategic ally, Putin tells Khachaturyan

Lena Karagyozian
Public Radio of Armenia
Armenia –



, 11:31

 1 minute read

Ona working visit to Saint Petersburg, President Vhagn Khachaturyan met with the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin.

“Armenia is not only our partner, it is our strategic ally, we appreciate that,” President Putin said.

“We understand everything that is happening in and around Armenia. We are determined to develop our partnership. We are interested in the establishment of a stable situation in the region that guarantees development,” he continued.

“I hope that our meeting today will also contribute to that,” he said.

President Khachaturyan noted, in turn: “I was in St. Petersburg a long time ago. I visited a lot during the years of the Soviet Union, it was from the 1980s to 1992. This is an opportunity to see how the city has changed, and as a former mayor, I can assess that the city really looks very nice. Even then, I remember those times: there was no such purity, beauty.”

“As for the St. Petersburg conference, I am attending it for the first time, but as an economist I have always followed and highly appreciated it, because there are very interesting discussions in terms of economics. Thank you for the invitation,” President Khachaturyan said.

“The Armenian people appreciate your efforts aimed at the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. I can say that your efforts to end the war are appreciated not only by me personally, but also by the people of Armenia. It was very important that the war was stopped. It is very important for us that the agreements reached are observed,” he continued.

The Armenian president emphasized the historical friendship, and voiced hope that the fraternal relations will continue in the future.

A wide range of issues on the Armenian-Russian agenda was touched upon during the meeting.

Missing Armenian soldier’s mother gives birth to baby girl

Lena Karagyozian
Panorama
Armenia –

SOCIETY 16:05 14/06/2022 ARMENIA

The mother of Armenian soldier Ashot Sargsyan, who went missing during the 2020 war in Artsakh, has given birth to a baby girl.

Yerevan's Shengavit Medical Center posted photos of the baby on its Facebook page on Monday, writing: "The baby in the photo is Arevik, who has become a new ray of hope for the family.”

The father of the family passed away a few months before the birth of the baby girl. She has a 20-year-old sister.

The 42-year-old woman's pregnancy proceeded very smoothly and the baby is in perfect health.

Arevik and her mother are already home.

Armenia PM to Al Jazeera: 9 November 2020 statement does not address Karabakh issue

Lena Karagyozian
NEWS.am
Armenia –
10:26, 14.06.2022

Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, who is in Qatar, gave an interview to Al Jazeera Monday, during which he touched upon the processes taking place in the South Caucasus, the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) conflict, Armenian-Turkish relations, and several other topics. Below is the text of an excerpt from this interview.

Let me start with the agreement you signed with Azerbaijan, because of which you were subjected to strong pressures, so that the demonstrators even arrived at your house. How do you evaluate this agreement now?

I think you mean the trilateral statement signed [on November 9, 2020] by me, the President of Russia and the President of Azerbaijan. With that statement, the ceasefire came into force, all military actions ended, I think at that time it was a step aimed at ending the violence in Nagorno-Karabakh. I should mention that this statement does not address the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, but it is necessary to address the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, we hope that in the near future we will be able to address the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.

Interrupting the talk about Nagorno-Karabakh, I want to note that this particular issue assumes that there is a border demarcation commission between the two countries that will look into this matter. What is hindering its work so far?

In fact, we have communication with Azerbaijan in several dimensions, You are right, we have recently formed a delimitation commission between Armenia and Azerbaijan, it is very important to continue that work. Only one meeting has taken place, but we already have an agreement that the second meeting will take place in the Russian capital Moscow, and the third meeting in Brussels. We hope that with the support of our international partners, and of course, due to direct work, we will be able to carry out the delimitation of our borders.

What if this committee came to a decision that the entire territory of Nagorno-Karabakh will belong to Azerbaijan, what would be your position then?

In fact, the Delimitation Commission has nothing to do with the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, because, as I said, we have different dimensions of communication with Azerbaijan, one of which is demarcation. It’s also very important to mention the issue of border security, which is also under the mandate of this commission, because we must maintain stability and security along the entire border.

The second dimension is the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. There is another dimension, which is about the opening of regional, transport and economic communications. But, of course, the most urgent issue between Armenia and Azerbaijan and for the regional peace is the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Interrupting the talks about peace with Azerbaijan, and this is exactly what angers the opposition. Russia, which is the sponsor of this agreement or the statement as it was called, is considered to be involved in a conspiracy against Armenia, and rather stands by Azerbaijan.

You know that Russia is Armenia's strategic partner and ally, but Russia is also a very close country for Azerbaijan. And in this context, we see the role of Russia as the guarantor of a trilateral statement, which, as I mentioned, was signed between the three parties.

Alen Simonyan meets with Mayor of Strasbourg Jeanne Barseghian

Lena Karagyozian

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 18:19, 9 June 2022

YEREVAN, JUNE 9, ARMENPRESS. President of the National Assembly of Armenia Alen Simonyan, who is in Strasbourg on a working visit, met with the Mayor of Strasbourg Jeanne Barseghian on June 9, ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the parliament of Armenia.

Thanking the Mayor of Strasbourg for the warm reception, Alen Simonyan noted that he is glad to see our compatriot in such post.

The sides discussed details about Pan-Armenian and community issues.

At the meeting the Mayor’s cooperation with the elected female officials of Armenia and in that context the need of exchange of best practice were highlighted.

Newspaper: International organizations were alarmed by Armenia ex-President Kocharyan’s possible victory

Lena Karagyozian
News.am
Armenia –
Newspaper: International organizations were alarmed by Armenia ex-President Kocharyan's possible victory
09:50, 10.06.2022

YEREVAN. – Hraparak daily of Armenia writes: One of the older coworkers of the MFA system told noteworthy details in connection with the 2021 snap parliamentary elections.

He was in contact with international organizations and foreign ministries of European countries due to his work, and says that during that time there was a lot of attention toward Armenia. They were interested—around the clock—in the outcome of the elections, asked for information from them, did studies, and did not hide their concern in connection with the rise of the opposition, especially with [second President] Robert Kocharyan's [election] campaign.

Our interlocutor says that he will never forget the joy that the European partners experienced after the publicizing of the results of June 21. They openly congratulated each other; the impression was that it seemed they were the ones who achieved victory, not [PM] Nikol Pashinyan.

Assistant Secretary Donfried’s Travel to Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia

Lena Karagyozian


MEDIA NOTE

OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON

JUNE 10, 2022


Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Dr. Karen Donfried will travel to Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia June 14 to 19 to emphasize the U.S. commitment to peace, democracy, and prosperity in the South Caucasus region. Marking the 30th anniversaries of diplomatic relations with all three countries, Assistant Secretary Donfried will emphasize U.S. support for their sovereignty and independence, underscoring the right of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia to chart their own paths. She also will highlight the readiness of the United States to help build a lasting peace in the South Caucasus, including by supporting the development of political, economic, and people-to-people connections across the entire region.

Dr. Donfried will visit Baku, Azerbaijan, on June 15 and 16, where she will meet with President Ilham Aliyev, other government officials, and civil society members. The Assistant Secretary will underscore U.S. support for the diplomatic efforts between Azerbaijan and Armenia toward a lasting peace, thank Azerbaijan for humanitarian support to Ukraine, and highlight the partnership in promoting European energy security, combatting transnational threats, supporting fundamental freedoms, and advancing bilateral trade and investment.

On June 17, Assistant Secretary Donfried will visit Tbilisi, Georgia, where she will give remarks at the Tbilisi Women’s International Conference organized by President Salome Zourabichvili. Dr. Donfried will also meet with Prime Minister Garibashvili and other government officials, opposition representatives, and civil society representatives in Tbilisi to discuss the Kremlin’s unprovoked war against Ukraine, and steadfast U.S. support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. The Assistant Secretary will also discuss how the United States can further support Georgia in advancing democratic development and rule of law, diversifying Georgia’s economy, and building a prosperous future.

Assistant Secretary Donfried will then travel to Yerevan, Armenia, on June 18, where she will meet Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and other government officials. The Assistant Secretary will express U.S. support for the diplomatic efforts between Armenia and Azerbaijan towards a lasting peace. She will underscore our strong partnership, based on shared values, and our mutual commitment to Armenia’s democratic development.