Category: 2021

BAKU, Azerbaijan

This year, Azerbaijan focused on reconstruction of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, liberated last year after nearly three decades of Armenian occupation, as well as on diplomatic efforts.

The early days of 2021 witnessed Azerbaijani officials stepping up its diplomacy to consolidate the country's position following its victory in the conflict with Armenian forces.

On Jan. 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met in Moscow and signed a trilateral declaration to revitalize the Karabakh region's economy and transportation infrastructure, both of which had been severely harmed by the Armenian occupation.

A working group of the three countries' deputy prime ministers was formed to discuss the opening of the Zangezur land corridor connecting Azerbaijan with its autonomous exclave of Nakhchivan, as well as allowing Armenia railway access to Russia and Iran via Azerbaijan.

However, in the face of stiff opposition in Armenia, Pashinyan later backtracked and declared that the government would not allow Azerbaijan to build a transportation corridor through the country.

Owing to Azerbaijan's persistent diplomatic efforts, Putin, Aliyev, and Pashinyan met again on Nov. 26 and agreed to remove all obstacles before reopening the railway and land routes.

Turkish-Russian Joint Monitoring Center

Another result of the trilateral declaration was the establishment of a joint monitoring center between Turkish and Russian forces that began operations on Jan. 30 in the province of Agdam to observe compliance with the cease-fire.

Baku and Yerevan were embroiled in a 44-day conflict on Karabakh – a region that lies within Azerbaijan but was under occupation of Armenia – last year, which ended with a Russia-brokered cease-fire on Nov. 10, 2020.

During the faceoff that started in September 2020, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and 300 settlements and villages that were occupied by Armenia for nearly three decades. The peace agreement is celebrated as a triumph in Azerbaijan.

The leaders of the three countries later agreed to develop economic ties and infrastructure for the benefit of the entire Caucasus region.

Karabakh reconstruction

After the conflict ended, Azerbaijan launched a massive reconstruction initiative in the liberated Karabakh region.

The Fuzuli International Airport, which started to be constructed on Jan. 14, 2021, was inaugurated on Oct. 26 with the participation of the presidents of Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Further, nearly the entire liberated region of Karabakh was provided electricity and internet access.

Relations with Turkey

Turkey-Azerbaijan relations were officially updated to the level of strategic partnership through Shusha Declaration signed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his counterpart Ilham Aliyev on June 15.

Furthermore, the two country's nationals were allowed to travel to each other's countries without passports, using only smart identification cards instead.

Relations with Iran

Unauthorized movements of Iranian trucks into Armenian-populated areas of Karabakh without official Azerbaijani permission strained Azerbaijan-Iran relations during the conflict.

When the Iranian side refused to back down in the face of growing protests from Baku, border guards and customs officers established checkpoints and imposed duties on incoming Iranian goods.

Tehran responded by claiming that Israel had sent intelligence and military officers to Azerbaijan to survey Iran and initiated military exercises along the border.

Tensions were later de-escalated as a result of Azerbaijan's successful diplomatic efforts.

Aliyev met with his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi on the sidelines of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) summit in Turkmenistan and discussed outstanding issues.

On Nov. 6, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian announced that Tehran and Baku had resolved their differences.

BAKU, Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan handed over five Armenian soldiers to Yerevan, citing "principles of humanism," a state authority announced on Wednesday.

The extradition of the Armenian detainees was carried out through Hungary's mediation, said Azerbaijan's State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons.

The statement underlined that the extradited soldiers were detained on Nov. 16 while attempting a provocation in the Kalbajar border region.

Azerbaijan extradited 21 Armenian soldiers in the past two months.

Relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Upper Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

Clashes erupted in September last year, and during the six-week war, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages.

The 44-day conflict ended in November 2020 in a Russia-brokered deal that saw Armenia cede swathes of territory it had occupied for nearly three decades.

In January, the leaders of the three countries agreed to develop economic ties and infrastructure for the benefit of the entire Caucasus region.

*Writing by Jeyhun Aliyev from Ankara

ANKARA

Turkey on Wednesday denounced Greece’s illegal pushback policy and the EU’s negligence regarding the situation.

Omer Celik, the spokesperson for the Justice and Development (AK) Party, said Greece’s illegal pushback of migrants is the main reason behind the recent rise in migrant deaths in the Aegean Sea. He accused the European countries of ignoring it.

“Greece’s persistent pushback policy, which is facilitated by the EU’s Frontex (border and coast guard agency) led to migrants to change their route to more dangerous and longer Italian route,” he told reporters following the party’s executive board meeting in the capital Ankara.

Turkey and human rights groups have repeatedly condemned Greece’s illegal practice of pushing back asylum seekers, saying it violates humanitarian values and international law by endangering the lives of vulnerable migrants, including women and children.

Russia-Ukraine tension

Regarding the ongoing tension between Russia and Ukraine, Celik said Turkey attaches great importance to peace and stability in the Black Sea.

“We hope that a ground, which would preserve the territorial integrity of Ukraine and clear concerns of both NATO and Russia, will be established,” he said.

Russia has recently amassed tens of thousands of troops near Ukraine’s border. The move has prompted concerns among NATO allies that Russia could be planning another military offensive against its ex-Soviet neighbor.

The US and its European allies are accusing Russia of trying to destabilize the country by providing military support to the separatist forces in Ukraine’s eastern regions.

Turkey-Armenia normalization

Also addressing the normalization of ties between Turkey and Armenia, Celik said Turkey’s special envoy Serdar Kilic will soon meet with his Armenian counterpart to discuss the process.

If things went well with the normalization of the relations, which Azerbaijan has consented to and supported, Turkey and Armenia would resume charter flights as one of the steps of the process, he said.

“We hope that Armenia would give up with expansionist policies and act as a part of the mechanism that would contribute to stability in the southern Caucasus,” Celik remarked.

On Dec. 15, Turkey appointed Kilic, a former ambassador to the US, as its special envoy to discuss steps for normalization with Armenia. Three days later, Armenia also appointed its special representative for dialogue with Turkey, National Assembly Deputy Speaker Ruben Rubinyan.

Delayed Libyan presidential election

On the latest developments in Libya, including the postponement of the presidential polls previously scheduled to be held on Dec. 24, Celik reiterated that Turkey supports just, free and legitimate elections which would take the country out of instability.

“Turkey expects whoever emerges victorious from the elections to represent the whole country,” he added.

On Monday, the Libyan parliament proposed postponing the country’s presidential elections by six months.

Libyan rival parties have been in disagreement over the voting timetable for the presidential and parliamentary elections to be held simultaneously or one after the other.

Libyans hope that the upcoming elections will contribute to ending an armed conflict that has plagued the oil-rich country for years.

Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his wife, Landra, visited the St. Garabed Church of Las Vegas in 2013 where they were met by Adroushan Armenian

Harry Reid, longtime Nevada Senator, former Senate Majority Leader and a close friend of Armenia and the Armenian community passed away on Tuesday. He was 82.

Reid, whose Senate tenure spanned three decades, was a steadfast advocate for justice for the Armenian people.

Throughout his career, Senator Reid championed efforts in the U.S. Senate to recognize the Armenian Genocide – even in the face of seemingly insurmountable opposition – and questioned the State Department on its response to Azerbaijan’s destruction of Armenian cultural heritage in Nakhichevan, as well as Baku’s obstruction of the OSCE Minsk Process.

For his service to the Armenian community, the Armenian National Committee of America honored Senator Reid with its prestigious “Freedom Award” in 2012.

In his acceptance speech, Reid described the resilience and endurance of the Armenian community as a “testament and honor to those who were lost in the genocide” and urged that “we must always be vigilant to atrocities like the Armenian Genocide from occurring ever again, in any part of the world.”