Author: Markos Nalchajian

 11:31, 27 July 2023

 17:48, 27 July 2023

YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. The position of the Armenian side regarding the need to address the rights and security issues of the people of Nagorno Karabakh in the context of achieving long-term peace in the region has not changed, ARMENPRESS reports, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan stated in response to the journalists' question whether Yerevan continues to insist that there be an international mechanism for the Baku-Stepanakert dialogue, or was the Russian Foreign Minister talking about the meeting without it.

"We have repeatedly emphasized that these issues should be addressed through the Baku-Stepanakert dialogue, and the effectiveness of this dialogue can only be guaranteed through international involvement and an effective mechanism," the Foreign Minister emphasized.

Ararat Mirzoyan responded to the observation that after the tripartite negotiations between the Foreign Ministers of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan in Moscow, it is understood from the words of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that the topic of the rights of the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh was linked to the topic of the protection of the rights of national minorities in Armenia.

"The issue of addressing the rights and security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh has always been the cornerstone of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and during the negotiations with Azerbaijan on July 25 in Moscow and in other capitals before that, the Armenian side raised and continues to raise the issue of rights and security guarantees of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.

In fact, it is also recorded in the tripartite declaration of November 9, 2020, where the concepts of Nagorno-Karabakh, Nagorno-Karabakh territory, and contact line with Nagorno-Karabakh are specifically mentioned. The seventh point of the same tripartite declaration also stipulates the return of refugees to the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and neighboring regions, which has not been implemented by Azerbaijan so far. We are talking here about Hadrut, Shushi, Martakert, Askeran, Shahumyan, Getashen regions.

Of course, the Armenian side also records the rights of Armenians who were forcibly displaced from various settlements of Azerbaijan in 1988-1991, particularly from Baku, Kirovabad, Sumgait and other places, before that also from the Autonomous Republic of Nakhichevan, and the issues raised by them."

According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, the problem of ensuring the rights and security of the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh, the indigenous people of the region, is a completely different issue that cannot be related with anything else. It cannot in any way be related to other citizens, including the rights of "citizens living in the Republic of Armenia" (in the words of the Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation), stipulated by international obligations and fully provided by the Republic of Armenia.

"Accordingly, during the last tripartite meeting in Moscow, there was no discussion beyond this logic, and even more so, there was no agreement," Ararat Mirzoyan concluded.

Yerevan /Mediamax/. The U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Kristina Kvien said that "the United States does not presuppose the outcome of negotiations on the future of Nagorno-Karabakh.”

She said this clarifying her position to Armenpress, regarding many interpretations following her interview with the Public Television of Armenia.

“Direct dialogue is the key to resolving issues and reaching a durable and dignified peace.  The United States does not presuppose the outcome of negotiations on the future of Nagorno-Karabakh.  The United States supports an agreement that is durable, sustainable, and lays the foundations for peace.  The question of the rights and security of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh is central to the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.  Ultimately ensuring that this population can feel secure in their homes and have their rights protected is the only way to guarantee a lasting settlement to a conflict that has lasted too long and cost too many lives,” Kristina Kvien’s response, disseminated by the U.S. Embassy, reads.

– Mediamax.am

 15:21, 5 July 2023

YEREVAN, JULY 5, ARMENPRESS. The 6th International Medical Congress of Armenia, which was planned to take place in Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh), will instead be held in Yerevan on July 6-8 because of the blockade, the Healthcare Ministry of Nagorno Karabakh said in a statement.

Healthcare representatives from Nagorno Karabakh have participated in the congress before and will do so again this year, but remotely.

The event brings together leading healthcare professionals for discussions and exchange of experience. 

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 medicine. 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 evacuation of patients.

 16:23, 4 July 2023

YEREVAN, JULY 4, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held a farewell meeting with outgoing Iranian Ambassador Abbas Badakhshan Zohouri on Tuesday.

During the meeting Prime Minister Pashinyan thanked the ambassador for his “effective activities” and contribution to the “consistent development of the Armenian-Iranian relations”, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a readout.

Pashinyan said that Ambassador Zohouri’s term coincided with a difficult period of time for Armenia, but nevertheless the partnership between Armenia and Iran continued to steadily develop in various areas.

In particular, Pashinyan underscored the consistent increase of bilateral trade, the participation of Iranian companies in the construction of the Meghri border checkpoint and the Armenia-Georgia Friendship Bridge, the opening of the Iranian consulate in Kapan, the increase of inbound Iranian tourists, close cooperation in road construction, infrastructures and energy, and bilateral high-level contacts.

Ambassador Abbas Badakhshan Zohouri thanked the Armenian Prime Minister and the government for active cooperation and expressed confidence that the Armenian-Iranian cooperation will continue to develop and become stronger.

 13:19,

YEREVAN, JUNE 27, ARMENPRESS. ANIF has already participated in several successful financing activities even though it’s only been four years since it was established, ANIF Member of the Board of Directors Isidoro Lucciola told ARMENPRESS.

Mr. Lucciola joined the Board of Directors of Armenian National Interests Fund (ANIF) as an Independent Member in 2019, the same year ANIF was launched.

ANIF’s mission is to support and empower Armenia’s economic development potential by to consolidating and effectively managing the ownership of Armenian state-owned enterprises, promoting export growth and investments in Armenia by providing co-financing in large-scale projects at their initial stage of development.

Lucciola, a pre-eminent Italian banker and entrepreneur, told ARMENPRESS in an interview that there is still a lot that needs to be done but if ANIF and Armenia continue to follow this path, a lot of other great opportunities for new successful stories will open up in many more different sectors.

– Mr. Lucciola, please tell us, what is the connection between you and Armenia and, in this context, how did your cooperation with Armenian National Interests Fund begin? How did you become a member of the ANIF Board of Directors?

 

I have always been charmed by this part of the world and especially by Armenia. Its history, its culture and its people continue to be an incredible source of inspiration for me, when it comes to the cohesion and resilience of the Armenian community. During the course of my life, I have had the fortunate chance to know several Armenians around the world and to observe how smart, thoughtful and strong they are. Not to forget also the multiple historical and cultural connections between Armenia and my country, Italy. This is why I accepted without hesitations the proposal David Papazian made me in 2019. Joining the Board of Directors of the Armenian National Interests Fund has turned out to be an amazing opportunity to learn even more about Armenia and to do something really meaningful for this country. I suppose that my experience, both in managing an Italian development government-owned entity and in arranging investments of several international Sovereign Wealth Funds, has been a choice criterion to receive the invitation to join ANIF.

 

– How important is the role of sovereign wealth funds in the modern world for the economies of countries? Is it attracting of the investments, economic empowerment or something else?

 

Nowadays sovereign wealth funds play a fundamental role in modern economies. ANIF credibility and seriousness is evident when we look at all the amazing people Mr. Papazian has chosen to be part of this project. In this sense, the whole staff has clear in mind the goal of a sovereign wealth fund: to strategically develop and shape its own country’s economy while increasing the population’s well-being. To do this, some of the possible strategies include helping the country prioritize development clusters and shape the investment agenda, being an intermediate between the government and the investors and having a financial stake on the table. Following these steps is really helpful also in the case of potential foreign investors that still know little about Armenia.

 

– Mr. Lucciola, what investment opportunities do you think Armenia has? What kind of attractiveness and offer does it have from an investment perspective?

 

I really believe that investing in Armenia is a great opportunity in a plethora of sectors because, apart from everything else, your human capital is what makes you so much valuable. Starting from this powerful asset and considering the improvements in the political risk and in the economy, more visibility on the international investment environment could be the boost the country needs. In this sense, I strongly reckon that, project after project, Armenia will be recognized as a place to be.

 

– Within this context, what is the role and importance of ANIF in Armenia?

 

As I already said, one of the essential premises to secure ANIF’s role in Armenia is to showcase the country as a safe, promising and successful place to invest. Even though I may be taking sides, I strongly believe that several of ANIF’s projects can and will serve this purpose. On top of that, I must refer again to the incredible and highly skilled team who is helping ANIF paving the way for successful investments while always being a partner for foreign investors who seek professional expertise, support and the comfort of having the state’s stake in a joint venture.

 

– ANIF has been engaged in activities for some time and has already managed to implement successful projects. How would you rate ANIF's activities?

 

Even though we are talking about a quite brief period of time, ANIF has already participated in several successful financing activities. Just to mention one of them, Armenia is going to have its first industrial size solar plant developed thanks to the joint venture between ANIF and Masdar signed in 2020. Another fortunate project is Fly Arna, the national airline born in 2021 thanks to an agreement with Air Arabia furnishing the aircrafts. In these and in many more other activities, ANIF’s contributions has been enhanced by some of the smaller scale local businesses financing the projects who have brought international names to the country. Obviously, there is still a lot that needs to be done but I think that, if ANIF and Armenia continue to follow this path, a lot of other great opportunities for new successful stories will open up in many more different sectors (e.g. medicine and entertainment).

 

– The International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds (IFSWF) has awarded Armenian National Interests Fund the status of an associate member. What kind of opportunities will this give Armenia?

 

In answering this question, I must underline that Sovereign Wealth Funds, with direct assets under management exceeding 12.4 trillion US dollars, can now be considered the most influential institutional investors in global financial markets and their activism is growing. They have the main mission of developing the economy of their country and generating wealth for future generations. Being appointed associate member of IFSWF, a growing international influential institution, give not only visibility to ANIF and Armenia but also the opportunity to share best practices and create further connections for co-investments. However, the associate membership represents both a success and an obligation for ANIF to do even more to gain the full membership, continuing on the path taken by ANIF of sustainable and “impact” investments as the ones we mentioned before.

 

– There is also a sustainability event organized by the IFSWF ANIF attended last month in Italy and you were also present. Is sustainability important for the agendas of the sovereign funds?

 

It is, indeed. Just consider the IFSWF’s event topic: “The Sustainability Footprint of Sovereign Wealth Funds”. Sustainability is a real goal for the Sovereign Wealth Funds. They are the most active players in supporting initiatives to combat climate change globally, by reducing emissions and developing renewable energies and innovative technologies, and to improve the social impact through the adoption of increasingly selective investment criteria in terms of sustainability. The activity of sovereign institutional investors with a long-term vision, not innately attracted by the glitter fashion of greenwashing, it is leading them to be more effective than governments in terms of effective adoption of policy for the virtuous management of all ESG areas. ANIF is promoting sustainable investment and it is also committed to push and help the businesses it invests in to comply with the ESG best practice. I also believe that there is still a lot to be done in this sense, but I am also confident that ANIF could be an incredible useful tool to bring the international ESG standards into the country. The global supply chain scrutiny is becoming stricter and stricter on ESG topics and Armenian business partners need to catch up quickly in being compliant with the relevant criteria. For this reason, it is evident that ANIF’s responsibility in promoting and supporting the endorsement of sustainability for a better Armenia is huge but also possibly leading to an enormous success.

 16:30,

YEREVAN, JUNE 27, ARMENPRESS. If Armenia had recognized the independence of Nagorno Karabakh amidst the 2020 war it would have been impossible to stop the fighting, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on June 27.

Pashinyan was asked to respond to Republican Party (HHK) Vice President Armen Ashotyan, who had said that Armenia should have recognized Nagorno Karabakh during the war, arguing that the move would have been a diplomatic blow to Azerbaijan.

“And why didn’t they recognize the independence during the 4-day war of 2016?” Pashinyan said at the parliament select committee on the 2020 war.

The Armenian PM said they didn’t recognize the independence of Nagorno Karabakh because by doing so it would have been impossible to stop the war, even on 9 November.

“[We didn’t recognize] for a very simple reason, because it would have been impossible to stop the war even on 9 November,” he said.