Category: 2023

Armenian PM calls implementation of Iran-EAEU free trade agreement priority

Emil Lazarian
 TASS 
Russia – May 25 2023
Nikol Pashinyan pointed out that he considered it important to form a collective system of providing food security inside the EAEU

MOSCOW, May 25. /TASS/. The implementation of the agreement on free trade between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) is a priority for Armenia, the republic’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Thursday.

"Considering the high dynamics of development of cooperation with Iran, the commencement of the free trade agreement and the following implementation are a priority for us in the context of real extension of trade cooperation with third countries," he said at a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council. "Further work on such prior and promising negotiating directions as India and Egypt, as well as the development of a comprehensive dialogue on the economic agenda and the deepening of trade and economic cooperation with the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia will speed up the process of integration of the Union into global economy," Pashinyan said.

Armenian PM added that he considers it important to form a collective system of providing food security inside the EAEU. "The necessity of forming a collective system of providing food security has risen sharply by now. I consider the necessity to consolidate EAEU countries’ efforts in this direction obvious," he noted.

Aliyev thanks Putin for efforts to normalize Baku-Yerevan relations

Vatche Chakhmakhchian
 TASS 
Russia – May 25 2023
Vladimir Putin is holding two separate meetings on Thursday with Aliyev and Pashinyan

MOSCOW, May 25. /TASS/. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev thanked his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for Moscow's efforts to normalize relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

"I would like to express my gratitude to the Russian side for its efforts to normalize relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. We highly appreciate these efforts," Aliyev said on Thursday at the opening of talks with Putin in Moscow.

Aliyev pointed out that the Russian president's participation in Thursday's planned trilateral meeting with the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Moscow shows that Russia attaches great importance to ensuring that Baku and Yerevan come to a peace agreement.

Putin is holding two separate meetings on Thursday with Aliyev and Pashinyan. The leaders will then hold trilateral talks, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier told reporters.

Pashinyan tells Putin situation in Nagorno-Karabakh remains tense

Emil Lazarian
 TASS 
Russia – May 25 2023
The Armenian prime minister added that "it’s hard to supply food to Nagorno-Karabakh," and Russian peacekeepers are helping to deal with the issue

MOSCOW, May 25. /TASS/. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday and told him that the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and the Lachin corridor remains tense due to actions by Azerbaijan.

"Regionally, of course, we have a rather tense situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and the Lachin corridor. Contrary to the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020, Azerbaijan illegally blocked the Lachin corridor, which put Nagorno-Karabakh in a humanitarian crisis. The supply of natural gas and electricity to Nagorno-Karabakh is blocked, which has exacerbated the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh," he said.

The Armenian prime minister added that "it’s hard to supply food to Nagorno-Karabakh," and Russian peacekeepers are helping to deal with the issue.

"Unfortunately, the blocking of the Lachin corridor took place in the presence of Russian peacekeepers," he said.

Peace treaty to be smooth sailing after Yerevan recognized Baku’s integrity — Aliyev

Meline Chalian
 TASS 
Russia – May 25 2023
According to Ilham Aliyev, the lack of such recognition was the main factor keeping the sides from reaching an agreement

MOSCOW, May 25. /TASS/. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev believes that following Armenia's recognition of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, the issue of negotiating a peace treaty will be that much easier.

"I think that after the recent statements of the Armenian leadership on the recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan, as well as the recognition of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan with the use of specific figures for the territory of the Azerbaijan Republic, the issue of agreeing on other items of the peace treaty will be much easier," he said at the opening of talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Thursday.

According to Aliyev, the lack of such recognition was the main factor keeping the sides from reaching an agreement.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at the Council of Europe summit in Reykjavik on May 17 that Armenia recognizes Azerbaijan's sovereignty within its borders of 86,600 square kilometers, which includes Nagorno-Karabakh, adding that the settlement should be reached via dialogue. The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the highland region of Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory that had been part of Azerbaijan before the breakup of the Soviet Union, but which was primarily populated by ethnic Armenians, broke out in February 1988 after the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its withdrawal from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. Renewed clashes erupted on September 27, 2020, with intense battles raging in the disputed region. On November 9, 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on a complete ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh. According to the document, Azerbaijan and Armenia maintained the positions that they had held, while a number of districts were handed over to Baku and Russian peacekeepers were deployed along the line of contact and the Lachin Corridor. Later, the three countries’ leaders adopted several more joint statements on the situation in the region. Last year, Azerbaijan and Armenia began peace treaty talks.

Putin-Pashinyan meeting kicks off in Kremlin

Emma Jilavian
 TASS 
Russia – May 25 2023
Earlier in the day, Putin held a separate meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who was attending the EAEU summit as a guest for the first time

MOSCOW, May 25. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin is meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in the Grand Kremlin Palace after the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council.

One of the topics of discussion is expected to be the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement. Pashinyan said on Monday that Armenia recognizes the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, including Nagorno-Karabakh, but on condition that the safety of the Armenian population is guaranteed.

Earlier in the day, Putin held a separate meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who was attending the EAEU summit as a guest for the first time.

Russia’s position on Lachin corridor hasn’t changed — Putin

Manouk Vasilian
 TASS 
Russia – May 25 2023
The Russian president was responding to Pashinyan’s remarks that the situation in the area of the Lachin corridor remained tense

MOSCOW, May 25. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said Russia’s position about the Lachin corridor hasn’t changed.

"You know our position about our trilateral statement regarding the Lachin corridor. We have never changed our position in this regard. Never," the president said at a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Thursday.

Putin was responding to Pashinyan’s remarks that the situation in the area of the Lachin corridor remained tense.

Armenian MP briefs Swedish envoy on pro-government colleagues’ rude behavior

Lara Antonian
Panorama
Armenia – May 25 2023

Armenian independent MP Taguhi Tovmasyan, chairwoman of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs, has met with Swedish Ambassador to Armenia Patrik Svensson.

"Referring to the statements made in Brussels as a result of Armenia-Azerbaijani negotiations hosted by Mr. Charles Michel, I introduced my colleague to the Decision of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Armenia on July 8, 1992, which reads "to consider any international or domestic document in which the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh will be mentioned as a part of Azerbaijan, unacceptable for the Republic of Armenia." In this context, I alarmed that even if Nikol Pashinyan signs a document on incorporating Artsakh into Azerbaijan, a serious problem of legitimacy will appear," the deputy said in a statement after the meeting on Thursday.

"I informed Mr. Svensson that Nikol Pashinyan speaks on behalf of the whole Armenian people while already more than 300000 signatures have been collected within the framework of my initiative, named “No to the Ethnic Cleansing of Artsakh”.

"I also introduced my colleague to all of the concerns that as a result of the tripartite negotiations in fact Nikol Pashinyan recognizes the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan including Artsakh as a part of Soviet Azerbaijan in case that Azerbaijan doesn’t consider itself as the successor of Soviet Azerbaijan.

"Referring to the actions by Azerbaijan to escalate the situation in Sotk, in which nearly 800 employees couldn’t go to work, but Nikol Pashinyan discussed completely other issues in the National Assembly, I introduced my colleague that it was already unacceptable to tolerantly deal with the words voiced from the rostrum of the session hall of the National Assembly on recognizing Artsakh as a part of Azerbaijan.

"I added that in that situation I decided to make a political action as a protest, that was not to leave the rostrum which is acceptable in democratic countries. But the security servicemen removed me from the session hall using a violent force during the break time. I also introduced the Ambassador to the details of the extraordinary session of our Committee, including the use of such expressions by the MP, Secretary of the ruling Civil Contract faction Artur Hovhannisyan to the address of the candidate for the position of Ombudsman proposed by the opposition factions as “I will cut your tongue”, “I will cut your ears”.

"I also alarmed about the blasphemy by Hovik Aghazaryan, another MP from the ruling Civil Contract faction to a woman, and told that the mentioned MPs with such behavior have remained unpunished in case that Nikol Pashinyan considers Armenia as “a bastion of democracy”.           

"In his speech the Ambassador thanked for introducing him to the mentioned alarms, and assured that he had taken those messages into consideration, and will convey them to their partners at UNDP so they can incorporate relevant activities in Sweden-funded project implemented in the parliament. Mr. Svensson also expressed his concerns over such incidents in general and underlined the importance of developing and adhering to a code of conduct at the parliament," reads the statement.


Arizona legislature calls for international recognition of Artsakh

Emil Lazarian
Panorama
Armenia – May 25 2023

The Arizona State Legislature has affirmed the Republic of Artsakh’s (Nagorno Karabakh) right to self-determination in a proclamation issued by Arizona State House Speaker Ben Toma, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

“We welcome the proclamation from the Speaker of Arizona’s State Assembly recognizing Artsakh’s right to self-determination – an important step towards justice for the Armenians of Artsakh,” remarked ANCA National Board Member Zanku Armenian. “Amid Azerbaijan’s blockade of Artsakh, this demonstration of solidarity is a crucial part of our community’s ongoing efforts to raise awareness of this unfolding humanitarian catastrophe and ensure Azerbaijan is held accountable for its unabated aggression against the Armenian people. This proclamation is a testament to the tireless advocacy of Arizona’s Armenian-American community, and the ANCA looks forward to continuing to work alongside local activists in the state to ensure our community’s voice is heard at every level of government.”

Arizona Armenian community leaders Artur Artenyan and Vartan Arabyan, working in conjunction with the ANCA, spearheaded the legislative effort. The proclamation cites Artsakh as “the indigenous homeland of the Armenian people, and has been a center of Armenian cultural, political and religious life for several millennia.”

It goes on to document Soviet Azerbaijan’s decades of Artsakh oppression and post-independence aggression, “culminating in an assault on Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020 that saw Azerbaijan perpetrate war crimes against the region’s Armenian population, and resulted in Azerbaijan seizing control of 70% of Karabakh’s territory.”

The proclamation salutes the Artsakh Armenians “efforts to exercise the right to self-determination and live free from violence and repression, and by recognizing the government of Artsakh, the international community can help put to rest this century-old conflict.”

Arizona House Speaker Toma then affirms support for the “Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh’s right to self-determination, and its continuing efforts to develop as a free and independent nation, in order to guarantee its citizens those rights inherent in a free and independent society; and be it further, I encourage the United States government to strengthen and solidify our country’s economic and cultural relationship with the Artsakh Republic and its citizens and continue to promote the humanitarian and economic rehabilitation of the region.”

Armenpress: The Deputy Prime Ministers of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan will meet in a week. Putin

Edgar Tavakalian

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 00:14,

YEREVAN, MAY 25, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, President of Russia Vladimir Putin and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev agreed at the trilateral meeting held in Moscow that the deputy prime ministers of the countries will meet in a week, ARMENPRESS reports, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the meeting.

"I hope this will be a good start for the practical solutions to some of the issues we're talking about. We managed to achieve a lot in this format. In the fall of 2020, the hostilities stopped, and then work began on unblocking economic and transport communication, border delimitation," Putin said.

According to Putin, despite some difficulties, the situation is developing in the direction of normalization. One of those directions is the work in the direction of transport communication.

“The three of us discussed it in detail. There are still unsettled issues, but in my opinion, they are purely technical in nature," said Putin.

He said that they also discussed the issue of terminology, noting that, of course, there should be an accurate understanding of reality behind those terms.

"But in the opinion of the three of us, these are surmountable obstacles. By and large they don't exist, they are purely technical issues. That's why we have now agreed that the Deputy Prime Ministers of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan will meet in the near future, after a week," said Putin.

According to the Russian President, it is a good agreement that inspires hope that the unresolved issues will be resolved.

Armenia-Azerbaijan talks continue to be priority for U.S. – State Department spox

Emil Lazarian

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 10:24,

YEREVAN, MAY 26, ARMENPRESS. The negotiations process between Armenia and Azerbaijan continues to be a priority for the United States, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a press briefing when asked on the May 25 talks between the two countries in Russia.

“We’re not in the room, as you noted, but this continues to be a priority for us,” Miller told a reporter when asked whether Washington was following the developments in the talks held without its participation. “As you know, the Secretary welcomed the two sides here in Washington several weeks ago. We understand that talks continued after that in Brussels, and we support the talks continuing. As we’ve said, we believe that an agreement is in reach, and we continue to press the two parties to work together to reach an agreement on the issues that remain outstanding,” he added.

Miller said that Secretary of State Antony Blinken “will continue to stay engaged.”