20:28, 26 November, 2021
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. The meeting between Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and President of Russia Vladimir Putin has kicked off in Sochi.
ARMENPRESS reports before that Putin-Aliyev bilateral and Putin – Pashinyan – Aliyev trilateral meetings had taken place.
The ceasefire in the Caucasus will symbolize the start of a new chapter for development and integration in the region. This is what President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi said in his speech at the Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization in Ashgabat, IRNA reports.
“Taking into consideration the new conditions in the Caucasus, Iran believes the restoration of the traditional routes and ease of trade turnover and movement of passengers may contribute to the growth and development of the Economic Cooperation Organization in three decades. We also believe any change of the political geography in the region will not contribute to stability in the region, but it will prepare ground for tension in the future,” he stated.
“The cooperation between countries of the Caucasus will be hinged on mutual respect and maintenance of the territorial integrity of the countries, and the international rules will help ensure peace and stability,” the Iranian president emphasized.
According to him, stability in the Caucasus and the establishment of interregional cooperation such as the creation of the Persian Gulf-Black Sea international corridor will help accelerate the trade-economic exchange between member states of the Economic Cooperation Organization.
18:31,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 24, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexei Overchuk and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko. Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Mher Grigoryan also attended the meeting, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.
Issues related to the agenda of bilateral cooperation between Armenia and Russia, as well as the activities of the trilateral working group of the Deputy Prime Ministers of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan were discussed.
The sides touched upon the prospects of restoration of transport communications in the South Caucasus region, the further course of the work carried out within the framework of the January 11 statement of the Prime Minister of Armenia, the President of Russia and the President of Azerbaijan.
16:48, 16 November, 2021
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian military said it suffered casualties and lost two positions during the Azerbaijani attacks in the eastern border.
The Ministry of Defense said in a statement that as of 16:00 the situation in the eastern border remains “extremely tense”.
“As a result of the battles which started as a result of the Azerbaijani armed forces’ attack on Armenian positions there are killed and wounded [servicemen] on the Armenian side, and information on the casualties are still being checked, and the loss of two combat positions is also confirmed,” the Ministry of Defense said.
It added that the countermeasures of the Armenian military inflicted heavy personnel and materiel losses upon the Azerbaijani forces. The Ministry of Defense said the intense battles still continue.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
Azerbaijan and Armenia have agreed a ceasefire to end a large-scale Azerbaijani offensive against Armenian territory in the worst fighting between the two countries since the end of last year’s Karabakh war.
Armenia’s defence ministry announced that at 1pm local time on November 16, Azerbaijani forces launched a major assault on Armenian positions on the country’s eastern border. lost two military positions. Azerbaijan television subsequently showed Armenian prisoners being taunted by their Azerbaijani captors.
Baku reported that seven of its soldiers had died and 10 were wounded.
The fighting comes as Azerbaijan continues to push for a ‘Zangezur corridor’ that will provide it land access to the ethnic Azerbaijani Nakhchivan enclave inside Armenia. As part of its pressure, Azerbaijan has closed several Armenian roads that pass through its territory in recent weeks.
Russia had urged both sides to step back from confrontation. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan discussed the situation on the border by phone, the Kremlin said. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu also spoke by phone to the Armenian and Azeri defence ministers by phone, Interfax news agency said.
Armenia had asked Moscow to help defend it after the worst fighting since the 44-day war last year over the ethnic Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh enclave inside Azerbaijan that killed at least 6,500 people and in which Azerbaijan reconquered territory surrounding the enclave it had lost during the early 1990s.
"In accordance with an agreement mediated by the Russian side, fire ceased on the eastern section of the Armenian-Azeri border, and the situation is relatively stable," Armenia's defence ministry said, Reuters reported.
The Azeri defence ministry said it had retaliated to large-scale "provocations" after Armenian forces shelled Azeri army positions.
PanARMENIAN.Net - The construction of a 22 km pipeline taking water from the Patara River in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) to the capital of Stepanakert is underway, the President's office has revealed, according to CivilNet.
The project is set to be completed in July 2022. Also, a reservoir will be built on the river by 2025, given that the Artsakh Water Committee has already ordered documents to determine the design and estimated cost.
In the summer, a number of districts of Stepanakert were left without water due to the drought, that's why the construction of the pipeline connecting the Patara River to the water supply system of the capital has become urgent.
Artsakh also lost most of its energy capacity in the war unleashed by Azerbaijan in fall 2020. Now Karabakh is forced to import electricity, whereas prior to the war, the country was an energy exporter.
On November 18, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Armenia, Ambassador Armen Papikyan, addressed the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna in response to the report of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.
Ambassador Papikian reaffirmed Armenia’s support for the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs as the only international mandate for a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The resumption of the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process and visits to the region was emphasized.
Among other issues, the Ambassador noted that Azerbaijan continues to violate the ceasefire, and the frequency is increasing, hindering the international community’s efforts to establish lasting peace in the region. The Ambassador reminded about the crimes committed by Azerbaijan against the civilian population of Artsakh and Armenia.
Ambassador Papikyan noted that the passive acquiescence of the international community towards such an aggressive policy of Azerbaijan is one of the reasons of the attack on the sovereign territory of Armenia by the Azerbaijani armed forces on November 16, which led to human losses, missing and captives.
The Armenian envoy added that, unfortunately, such open _expression_ of the use of force and threat of force is becoming one of the main features of Azerbaijan’s policy, and the OSCE MG Co-Chairs, the OSCE and its member states should not have any doubt as to who the aggressor is and what is he main obstacle to peace in the region.
Director, China-Eurasia Council for Political and Strategic Research. 2020/21 AsiaGlobal Fellow, Asia Global Institute, HKU. Lecturer, Russian-Armenian University, Yerevan State University and the ISEC of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia
There was, in fact, a good opportunity to strengthen relations between Armenia and China as the two sides signed the Memorandum on Promotion of Cooperation in Building the Silk Road Economic Belt within the Framework of the Armenian Chinese Joint Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation on March 25, 2015 in Beijing. Armenia, however, could not find its place in China’s mega initiative, which has resulted in the Sino-Armenian relationship being in a state of stagnation starting from 2016 till now. The following questions should be raised: Which steps must Armenia implement to strengthen its relations with China? How can Armenia be involved in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)?
Actually, Armenia is the only country among its four neighbors which could not involve any vast Chinese investments in its economy. It is worth mentioning that Turkey and Iran got several billions in the framework of the BRI, while Azerbaijan and Georgia have received several hundred million of investments each. In Armenia, though, China has invested little. For the last four years, the Sino-Armenian relations have offered no roadmap for moving forward. The main argument of this hypothesis is an absence of real results on the ground.
Armenian decision-makers and politicians must take specific steps to involve Chinese business in Armenia and to find ways for being involved in BRI. If the Armenian side continues its passive policy case towards the rising superpower China, then the country’s decision-makers must bear in mind that they will lose possible investments, continuing to isolate Armenia. Turkey and Azerbaijan are actively involved in BRI, and they will do their best to use the opportunities which they are getting from this against Armenia. For instance, in 2019, the first China Railway Express freight train traveled from China to Europe using the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway and the tunnel under the Bosporus. The first train to carry goods from Turkey to China began operating on the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway in 2020. In proposing this railway, Turkey and Azerbaijan aimed to create an alternative infrastructure to isolate Armenia further, and the Turkish president Erdogan was lobbing for this railway in Beijing for several years, and he has the desired outcome now. Thus, Armenia must use its capabilities for building strong relations with China.
First, Armenia needs to calculate and understand what it wants to get from the Chinese side and what it can offer to Beijing.
For this, Armenia should establish a strong research group, which would unite representatives from different ministries, businessmen who work with Chinese companies and scholars who understand China, also involving the President of the Armenian Community of China in this work. This group must implement serious investigation of Chinese BRI and Chinese Go Global strategy, which aim to support Chinese business companies, governmental and non-governmental banks, and foundation to make investments in abroad.
In fact, non-understanding of China and BRI creates some problems, most of Armenian politicians and scholars think, that if Armenia has not well-developed roads and railroads, it means that it is not possible to involve any investments from China. Actually, BRI has several directions where Armenia can find its place. Let us discuss in which directions of BRI Armenia can bust cooperation with China.
Armenia lost the last war with Azerbaijan mostly because of its technological backwardness. Actually, after the collapse of the SU, it is extremely hard to remember how many innovations an independent Armenia produced, and without Research and Development it is very hard to imagine economic, technological development of any country. As Armenia is behind of the development of modern technologies maybe for 40-50, it is limiting its abilities for any serious result.
The following question arises: What to do if Armenia has no abilities for implementing modern research for developing its technological industry and for opening a way for innovations? In the modern world, technologies are being developed extremely fast, while it would not be realistic to think that Armenia can implement any “technological revolution” in this situation, which will be enough for catching up other regional states. There is a way out, however, as Armenia can join China’s Digital Silk Road, which aims to create connections with different countries for sharing and producing Chinese technologies. China has seen great successes in this field, which can stand good example for Armenia.
As I have proposed in my book China’s Belt and Road Initiative and Armenia, it is worth joining China’s Digital Silk Road and implementing joint research with China on developing 5G and other technologies. Now following the heavy defeat, this moment is much more crucial, and Armenia must understand that it does not have oil or gas, nor does it have direct access to sea. Additionally, it is in a very hard geographical place with two strong and allied adversaries. Thus, only Research and Development of technologies and digitalization can provide the opportunity to change the horrible economic situation and get some benefits from exporting technological products.
Joining the Chinese Digital Silk Road, Armenia will be able to get technological assistance from the second economy of the world, China. In the framework of its Digital Silk Road China is ready to share its experience in the field of 5G, Big Data, artificial intelligence, digitalization of economy, cybersecurity. Compared with the Western technologies, those offered by China are cheaper, but their quality is good. For instance, Armenia needs to be ready for other war, where robotic weapons will play a crucial role, so joining the Digital Silk Road will allow Armenia to get acquainted with Chinese military and non-military technologies, which could become another project for joint research and production. To foster the Sino-Armenian cooperation in technological sphere, I recommend establishing Armenian Chinese Technological University in Armenia, where for the first period the professors will be invited from Chinese universities that they bring with them their experience and knowledge. In this way, after 15–20-year Armenia will be able to shorten its backwardness in technological sphere and use Research and Development for implanting new innovations, which will bring progress to country, when it will prepare its high-level specialists.
The COVID-19 pandemic has badly hit Armenia, mainly because of mismanagement and complacent behavior of officials responsible in this field. As a result, the outbreak posed another great challenge for a country that had already been in a deep economic and political crisis. More than 4000 Armenians died because of it. In the framework of its Health Silk Road, Beijing provided medical help to Armenia—notably, it shipped 100,000 jabs of its Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine.
I recommend that Yerevan offers Beijing to settle the production of the Chinese vaccine, which has already been approved by the World Health Organization for emergency use and issues interim policy recommendations. After that, Armenia can supply it to the EAEU and the Middle East. It will also provide an opportunity to secure the necessary quantity of vaccines for Armenians while Armenian medical specialists will get an opportunity to work with Chinese specialists, who are remarkably successful in the fight against Covid-19, being able to share their knowledge and skills with their Armenian colleagues.
Because of the Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijan and Turkey closed their borders with Armenia in the 1990s. As a result, Armenia was ousted from every regional infrastructure program, and Armenian railroad mainly lost its value as an international connection line. Armenia failed to finish its North-South Road Corridor, which was aiming to connect the Iranian border with Georgia through Armenia. However, Armenia and Azerbaijan proclaimed after the November 9 announcement that they were going to unblock all roads and railways connecting both sides in the times of the SU. If it happens, it is possible that China will start to use Armenian railways as well in the framework of BRI’s mainland direction Silk Road Economic Belt’s China-Central Asia-Western Asia Economic Corridor (CCAWAEC). Armenian railways will be linked again with Azerbaijani, Iranian and Turkish railways and will get an opportunity to be used for the development of Armenia’s economy.
Actually, if Armenia and Azerbaijan finally find ways out from the long-lasted conflict and sign peace deal, Chinese investments in entire South Caucasus and in Armenia will also rise, as for investors there will not be a threat, that one day, because of the new war their money will be lost. In 2018 China’s lead Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, which is mainly investing in transportation infrastructures in BRI applicant countries, published its “Transport Sector Strategy: Sustainable and Integrated Transport for Trade and Economic Growth in Asia”.
The research of this plan shows that its main aims coincide with Armenian North-South Road Corridor Investment Program. My recommendation is that Armenia could at first try to stand a regional member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment bank and get sovereign-backed or non-sovereign-backed loans for its state-owned noncommercial organizations, private organizations, and international organizations that work in the territory of Armenia, and that they invest this money in Armenian North-South Transportation Corridor, which will significantly enhance Armenia’s capabilities to be involved in CCAWAEC.
China has also deployed soft power tools to strengthen its diplomacy in Armenia. The Confucius Institute is extremely popular among the youth because the Chinese language improves job opportunities in companies affiliated to China and it provides an opportunity to study in Chinese universities, as Beijing provides scholarships to Armenian students. In Armenia, China has also established Armenian-Chinese Friendship School, and there are Chinese language classes in many other Armenian schools, in Yerevan State University, Brusov State University. The Russian-Armenian University prepares sinologists as well.
Chinese social networks like WeChat and Tiktok are enjoying popularity in Armenia. For a long time, Armenian businessmen have been using the Chinese Alibaba website to network with their Chinese and foreign counterparts for doing business.
Yerevan needs to create concrete and real road map for developing its relations with Beijing. China is a young, eastern superpower of the World, which provides tremendous investments. It is already in the neighborhood of Armenia, but Armenian diplomacy still was not able to bring any Chinese serous investment to Armenia. Armenia is also a member of EAEU, which provides an opportunity to Yerevan to implement its policy towards Beijing in multilateral level as well, using the fact that Russia and China decided in 2015 to conjunct EAEU and China’s BRI and that the Agreement on Trade and Economic Cooperation between the Eurasian Economic Union and the People’s Republic of China was signed on May 17, 2018 in Astana.
According to this document, the Parties agreed to develop cooperation in agriculture, energy, transport, industrial cooperation, information and communication infrastructure, technology and innovation, finance, and environment. Thus, Armenia needs to investigate the opportunities that this agreement provides to boost the Sino-Armenian relations bilaterally as well as multilaterally.
Statistics provided by China’s General Administration of Customs shows that the volume of trade between the two economies totaled US $994 million in 2020, of which US $222 million was Armenia’s export to China and US $772 was its import from that country. Therefore, Armenia has a negative balance with its bilateral trade with China. The other worrying moment in this trade relations is also that, as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, China’s imports from Armenia are mostly minerals, while China that exports clothes, shoes, machinery, chemicals, equipment, construction materials and food to Armenia.
To conclude, Yerevan needs to find ways and negotiate with China so that the latter increases purchases of different goods already produced in Armenia, not only minerals.
https://russiancouncil.ru/en/analytics-and-comments/columns/eurasian-policy/armenia-and-china-s-belt-and-road-initiative-lost-opportunities-and-future-prospects-2-0/
There can be no talk of normalization of relations between Ankara and Yerevan without the restoration of full diplomatic relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Former Turkish Foreign Minister Hikmet Cetin told this to Haqqin.az of Azerbaijan.
Speaking about the role of the Armenian diaspora, Cetin noted that, "In time, the people of Armenia will come to understand all the harmfulness and destruction of its impact on the political course of Yerevan."
"Sitting in comfortable conditions in the West, the [Armenian] diaspora continues to sow enmity between Armenia and its neighbors," Cetin added, ignoring the fact that the Armenian diaspora comprises largely the descendants of the victims of the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by Turkey.
According to Cetin, "After the defeat suffered in the war with Azerbaijan, Armenia only returned to its borders recognized by the world community. So, there is no reason for new wars here at all. At the same time, it must be understood that any new war unleashed by Armenia will lead to huge losses for its people."
In the spirit of Turkish diplomacy, Cetin implied that normalization of relations with Turkey "will open the way for Armenia to the world", as now "all trade and economic relations between Armenia and the outside world pass solely through the territory of Russia, which in itself is not much of a positive factor for an independent state." Cetin even "generously" called on the Azerbaijani authorities to "build houses and roads in the Armenian-populated cities of Karabakh."
According to Hikmet Cetin, "At present there are all the necessary preconditions for establishing lasting peace in the South Caucasus region. It confirms the positive response of the presidents of Azerbaijan and Turkey to Armenia's desire, which was voiced in Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's last speech, to normalize relations with neighboring countries."
"Yes. It will take some time for these relations to normalize and meet the standards of good neighborliness," added Hikmet Cetin. "But it is inevitable, as it is the wish not only of Azerbaijan and Turkey, but also of Armenia, whose people, despite the defeat in the 44-day war, as a result supported not the revanchist leaders of the Dashnaktsutyun [Party], but Prime Minister Pashinyan."
Fireworks go off over Baku during a procession marking the first anniversary of the Karabakh victory, Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 8, 2021. (Photo by Getty Images)
One year ago, right after the Second Karabakh War, I wrote an article for Daily Sabah about the horrible humanitarian consequences of the war. Since then, I have visited the liberated lands of Azerbaijan four times, personally witnessing the brutal destruction of Azerbaijani lands by the 30-year Armenian occupation. Approximately 900,000 ethnic Azerbaijanis have lost their homes and property, which now are in ruins and vandalized. Many cities and villages have disappeared. They have been razed to the ground. I have read such horrors only in history books.
Yet, during my visits, I have also seen an unbelievable amount of construction equipment and machines. Nowhere in the world are the reconstruction efforts taking place with such rapid speed as in Karabakh. The Azerbaijani government is keen to turn the area into the most prosperous area in the world, with ecoparks, green zero net emission zones, industrial and technological centers, transportation hubs, agro farms and safe and secure areas for peaceful living and coexistence of all ethnic groups.
Yes, this vision is possible. As Azerbaijanis celebrate the first anniversary of the liberation of the formerly occupied lands, we also witnessed the inauguration of the first international, modern and sophisticated airport in the formerly ruined lands of Fuzuli. Two more airports are under construction. We also see many highways, tunnels, electric stations and smart villages being built. The government of Azerbaijan has pledged some $1.18 billion per year for these efforts, but more assistance is needed from foreign countries and international organizations, businesses and nonprofits.
One of the most promising characteristics of the Karabakh area is the development of East-West and North-South transport corridors passing through the liberated lands, then via the Zangezur region of Armenia, the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan and connecting to Turkey and further on to European markets. This transport and connectivity corridor will further link the railway systems of Russia, Central Asia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Armenia and Turkey and cement what is now proposed as a “3+3” format of regional cooperation between these countries. Turning the South Caucasus into a win-win scenario is a possible task, and one should say is an immediate obligation and responsibility of all stakeholders.
Development of the business climate in the liberated lands and the attraction of foreign investors will open jobs and opportunities for both Armenians and Azerbaijanis. Economic security and interdependence and the opening of borders and communication lines will lay a solid foundation for durable political peace and security. For that to happen, both Armenia and Azerbaijan must immediately start to work on peace agreement, with mutual recognition of territorial integrity and international borders. A trilateral commission on border demarcation and delimitation is sending all sides promising signals about the potential progress.
The return of the internally displaced people (IDP) of Azerbaijan is another important task, and while demining activities (there are more than 97,000 mines in Agdam region alone) and construction of new villages take time, we, at ADA University, have surveyed more than 2,000 randomly selected IDP families about their return plans. Most are eager to settle back in their native villages and restore the vibrant economic livelihood in ancient Karabakh. Some of the surveyed residents have shown us old keys to their homes, photos of their villages and other important household items, which symbolize their never-ending dream to go back to their native lands.
There is no doubt that Karabakh will become a touristic attraction for the whole world. Shusha, the cultural capital of Azerbaijan, with its deep historical and cultural heritage, will once again flourish and produce amazing composers and singers, like Bulbul and Uzeyir Hajibayli.
Regional powers, more specifically Russia and Turkey, are playing a very constructive role in securing the cease-fire, preventing further military provocations, investing in diplomatic negotiations as well as launching new business and reconstruction projects. Turkish-Armenian diplomatic normalization and the opening of their bilateral border are on the table as well, as progress is made on the Karabakh front. Turkey and Azerbaijan’s vision for inclusive regional peace and economic cooperation can finally lift Armenia from decadeslong marginalization and show optimism to the Armenian people about the future. This would prevent any radical and revanchist political parties from gaining support in Armenian society.
Both Armenians and Azerbaijanis can live in peace, as they did for many centuries. The tragic events of the 20th century should not block the opportunities for the future. The region is rich enough to benefit all ethnic and religious groups. There is no reason to fight for the land if this land will stay idle and ruined for another 30 years. Let’s work together to build a sustainable peace in the region. We have had enough suffering and humanitarian catastrophe. Time to focus on a bright and peaceful future.