Category: 2018

Lt. General Levon Mnatsakanyan, the defense minister and commander of the military of Artsakh held a press conference on January 24 in the country’s Army Information Center. The press conference was dedicated to the year results of the military for 2017.

During the beginning the Lt. General delivered opening remarks, presenting the provocative actions of Azerbaijan in the reporting perios, namely the February 24-25 infiltration attempts, which was prevented and pushed back– inflicting five losses of special forces operatives of Azerbaijan.

The Azeri military evacuated three more wounded soldiers from the area.

Afterwards the Lt. General addressed the Azerbaijani military exercises, its latest engineering works in the front line and acquisition of military equipment.

Presenting the 2017 works within the Defense Army, he mentioned that not a single action of Azerbaijan remained unnoticed and the army has taken adequate steps.

From the implemented works of the previous year, Levon Mnatsakanyan pointed out the creation of safer service conditions for on-duty servicemen, increasing the training level of combat duty servicemen, works for increasing military discipline, improvement of the artillery and anti air defense systems, introduction of modern technologies, equipment of new positions, improvement of the road network and others.

Summing up the year, the commander said the defense army was successful in maintaining peace and security of the people of Artsakh, and reassured that the Defense Army is able to prevent any encroachment of Azerbaijan and carry out its duty honorably.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan, captain of the Armenian national football team and midfielder of London’s Arsenal has answered some blitz questions in an interview soon after being transferred from Manchester United.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said Armenia’s relations with Iran with the history of 2 thousand years are vital for our country.

“Our political dialogue is stable, the mutual visits are quite regular”, the President said in an interview to the French L’Express weekly.

“I would like to remind that Tehran has always supported the neutral and balanced approach towards the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, although Azerbaijan tries to use a common religious factor. The relations with Iran are of positive nature which once again highlights the fact that Armenia respects its neighbors and their culture”, President Sargsyan said.

Asked whether Armenia is concerned over the Iran nuclear program, the President said the July 2015 agreement on Iran’s nuclear program, according to Armenia, is of exceptional constructive nature. “I am happy that France supports this deal which has been clearly stated by President Macron”, Serzh Sargsyan said.

Armenia will soon, until spring, declare the Armenian-Turkish protocols, which were signed in Switzerland, as null and void, President Sargsyan said at PACE in response to a question from Turkey’s representative Yildirimn Tughrul Turkesh.

“We don’t understand the demand of the Turkish side on making any step. In 2008, after my election I initiated the publicizing of the Armenian-Turkish talks, and as a result meetings took place between me and the President of Turkey. The negotiations continued intensively, and we, with the participation of foreign ministers of the permanent members of the UN Security Council signed two documents in Switzerland on establishing relations between Armenia and Turkey.

It is clearly stipulated in these documents, which are result of the talks itself, that these relations must be established without pre-conditions. But unfortunately, after signing the protocols the Turkish side is always trying to push forward preconditions, and these attempts are continuing until now”, he said.

He emphasized that such an example hasn’t been seen in international practice – all conditions are negotiated until the signing of a document.

“Elementary morality requires after signing the document to implement the requirements of this document. We, after 9 years, now again hear about the necessity to take some steps from the Turkish side. Does establishing ties between countries have to be accompanies with some gestures, some concessions? The document very clearly stipulates – establish relations, then address all problems between the two countries. But the Turkish side is advancing preconditions. We can’t accept any precondition ever”, the President said.

He stressed, that yes, Turkey is a powerful state, Turkey has great potential and Armenia’s potential cannot be compared with Turkey’s, however this doesn’t mean that Turkey must speak with Armenia from the position of power and push forward preconditions.

“If so, there are countries much more powerful than Turkey in terms of population and economy, and these countries should speak with Turkey from the position of power or the language of preconditions. I think that Turkish authorities and the Turkish people will never adopt such an attitude. And in this way we ourselves don’t accept such approaches/

It will simply be very painful regardless of the fact that these protocols will soon, until spring, be declared null and void by Armenia, since they are meaningless, I think it will be correct for Turkey to refuse its biased stances and the definite policy of supporting Azerbaijan in order to maintain the fragile stability in the region”, he said.

He reminded that in 2016 Turkey was the only country of the world to support the military operations launched by Azerbaijan. “What steps can we take in these conditions. It will be an insult for our people – to take unilateral concessions for establishing relations”, he said.

Arpine Hovhannisyan, head of the Armenian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, has been elected as vice-president of the European People’s Party political group.

The election took place during the EPP political group session.

Arpine Hovhannisyan, who also serves as Vice-Speaker of the Armenian Parliament, is among the top three most voted for candidates from an overall 20.

President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan urged an aggressively disposed Azerbaijani MP to calm down, relax and not to distort facts at PACE winter session.

During an A&Q session at PACE Azerbaijani MP Samad Seyidov distorted the ideas of President Serzh Sargsyan announced at the PACE, saying that Serzh Sargsyan has announced himself leader of Artsakh war.

In respond to the Azerbaijani MP, Serzh Sargsyan said, “First, I would ask you to calm down a bit, relax and not to distort my words. I have not declared from this platform that I have been the leader of the war. I have not had that honor. I have contributed to the fair struggle of the people of Nagorno Karabakh.

Referring to the Azerbaijani delegate’s question why he did not speak about the Khojaly events in his speech, Serzh Sargsyan answered, “The answer to the question why I did not touch upon the Khojaly events, which you call a genocide, is very clear – because immediately after that tragic event President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ayaz Mutalibov presented very detailed and informed facts and indicated who were the organizers of that massacre. And I feel very pity for that. Genocide is not a good thing, being subjected to genocide is a torment and I think there is a tendency in Azerbaijan to have anything Armenians have. This is inadmissible. Why do you need to call something a genocide that has never happened, at least not by Armenians”.

Responding to the Azerbaijani MP’s statement on violating international obligations by Armenia, President Sargsyan stressed that there is no decision made by any international institution that has been denied by Armenia. “You tried to recall the UNSC resolutions. I would advise you that when you delve into a topic, you should really do that and study thoroughly”, President Sargsyan said. He added that in 1993 the UNSC adopted 4 resolutions on ceasing military operations in Nagorno Karabakh. “And after each resolution Azerbaijan clearly announced that it will not stop the operations, tried to launch attacks, but, as it often happens, suffered losses. In those resolutions the only commitment of Armenia was to use its influence and reputation to stop military operations. We, thank to the then authorities of Armenia, implemented our obligations. And the first responsible for the military operations, Azerbaijan, that should have stopped the military operations, did not do so. As you know, a ceasefire agreement was signed in 1994, but already due to other factors, not the resolutions of the UNSC. But unfortunately, the provisions enshrined in that agreement are not implemented. It’s clearly mentioned in that agreement that military operations must be stopped and it’s necessary to launch a large-scale negotiation process to find political solutions. As it can be noted in your words, you demand maximum, you want the impossible in that negotiation process. Unfortunately, xenophobia in Azerbaijan has developed to a degree that you already openly announce that you want Karabakh without Armenians. It’s impossible. It will never happen. The nature of the struggle of the people of Nagorno Karabakh is very simple – it’s a struggle for freedom and self-determination and such a struggle cannot end in a failure. I am convinced of that”, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan concluded.