Category: 2023

Yerevan will not hold talks on new regulations for the Lachin Corridor

Janet Ekmekjian
May 1 2023
By bne IntelliNews May 1, 2023

Yerevan will not participate in negotiations on new regulations for the Lachin Corridor following Azerbaijan's long-term blockade of the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia. 

On April 28, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said during a joint news conference with French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna that "Armenia has never been and will not be engaged in talks on new regulations in the Lachin corridor".

Mirzoyan is set to hold direct talks this week in Washington with his Azerbaijani counterpart on normalising the two neighbours' relations.

Mirzoyan emphasised that the corridor's status was established in the Moscow-brokered ceasefire agreement that ended the six-week Armenian-Azerbaijani war over Nagorno-Karabakh in November 2020. The agreement placed Russian peacekeepers in charge of ensuring security for Nagorno-Karabakh and free movement for its people along a five-kilometre-wide strip of land known as the Lachin Corridor, which connects the mostly Armenian-populated region with Armenia.

Azerbaijan changed the facts on the ground on April 23 by installing a checkpoint at the entrance to the corridor, citing Armenia's alleged continued military supplies to Nagorno-Karabakh. This  tightened the existing blockade of the region, which Azerbaijani so-called protesters effectively imposed in December.

On April 28, following Azerbaijan's establishment of the checkpoint, the self-proclaimed eco-activists stopped their own protests that had blocked the road. "Given the partial fulfillment of our demands, as well as the calls of the state representatives, we decided to temporarily stop the protest action," one of the protestors said. 

The checkpoint was described as illegal by authorities in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, and Russia denounced Azerbaijan's unilateral actions in the Lachin Corridor. Western powers, including the United States and France, expressed concerns that Azerbaijan's move could escalate tensions and undermine efforts by Yerevan and Baku to reach peace in the region.

The French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs emphasised France's full support for talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan in cooperation with the European Union, the United States, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the UN.

The International Court of Justice recently ordered Azerbaijan to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles, and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. However, Azerbaijan denies blockading the Armenian-populated region. It promises to ensure the necessary conditions for a transparent and orderly passage of Armenian residents living in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan in both directions, in cooperation with Russian peacekeepers.

Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh insist that only the Russian presence in the corridor is acceptable under the terms of the Moscow-brokered ceasefire agreement.

Armenian officials stressed the importance of unblocking the Lachin Corridor, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has  called for a broader international presence in Nagorno-Karabakh and the Lachin Corridor, urging an urgent international fact-finding mission to the area.

Despite calling for foreign intervention, Pashinyan this year on several occasions mentioned that Karabakh should negotiate with Azerbaijan. However, Nagorno-Karabakh authorities have not accepted Baku's invitation to discuss political matters. 

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace envisages a grim future and mass migrations for Karabakh Armenians as Armenia appears prepared to relinquish Karabakh. "Yerevan agrees that the Karabakh Armenians have to make their own deals: this is a concession to Baku that also allows Yerevan to avoid responsibility," reads the Carnegie article. 

https://www.intellinews.com/yerevan-will-not-hold-talks-on-new-regulations-for-the-lachin-corridor-277382/?source=armenia

Armenia and the Kremlin’s playbook: Myths about national minorities in Ukraine and Azerbaijan

Emil Lazarian
May 1 2023

Taras Kuzio

Russia and Armenia have both promoted a discourse about threatened national minorities without any proof to back up their exaggerated claims.

Russia and Armenia are the only two of the 15 former Soviet republics with irredentist claims to their neighbours. Their exaggerated claims about alleged threats to national minorities merely camouflage these irredentist claims.

Since the early 1990s, long before Vladimir Putin became Russia’s president, Moscow claimed it had a right to ‘protect’ ethnic Russians and Russian speakers in the former USSR. This has been a constant element in Russian security policy through to the present day.

Russia intervened to allegedly ‘protect’ Russian speakers in Moldova’s Transnistria region and in Ukraine’s Donbas in 2014. In 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine with the goal of ending a mythical ‘genocide’ against Russian speakers.

Another strategy used by Russia has been the distribution of Russian passports in frozen conflicts which it has purposefully manufactured or in regions it is occupying. Russia invaded Georgia in 2008 to defend Russian passport holders in South Ossetia and Abkhazia and then recognised their fake ‘declarations of independence’. The Kremlin has distributed Russian passports in Crimea, the Donbas and in occupied southern Ukraine.

It should not be surprising Armenia has copied Russia’s policies to allegedly ‘protect’ national minorities; after all, Armenia is a member of all Russian-led Eurasian integration projects. Armenia uses similar exaggerated threats to the Armenian minority in Karabakh as Russia has used in Ukraine, Moldova and elsewhere in Eurasia. In all these cases the alleged threats to Russian speakers and Armenians have nothing to do with reality.

In Ukraine no opinion poll has ever shown large numbers of Russians and Russian speakers who feel discriminated against by Kyiv’s policies. Volodymyr Zelensky is after all the third Ukrainian president who is a Russian speaker. Four out of six Ukrainian presidents were from Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine, including Zelensky.

Russia’s invasion of Crimea had nothing to do with ‘protecting’ Russian speakers as they were never under any repression and had their own autonomous republic since 1990. In the Donbas there was also no discrimination against Russian speakers as the region was run by the pro-Russian Party of Regions. Only three per cent of Ukrainians believed Russia’s claim that its so-called ‘special military operation’ was launched to end the ‘genocide’ of Russian speakers.

Armenia won the First Karabakh War which lasted from 1988-1994. Although both sides committed atrocities, the bulk of the crimes were committed by Armenia, the militarily victorious side. Armenia ethnically cleansed one million Azerbaijanis from Armenia and the seven provinces of Azerbaijan that it occupied. In 1992, 600 civilians were murdered in Khojaly and another 4,000 civilians and prisoners of war went missing and are presumed to be murdered.

Looting on an industrial scale took place throughout the seven Azerbaijani occupied provinces. Gold teeth and wedding rings were stolen from skeletons dug up in cemeteries. Cultural institutions, such as museums and libraries, mosques, and official buildings were purposefully destroyed. The seven provinces look like Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the US dropped nuclear bombs on them in 1945.

In the Second Karabakh War there were few war crimes committed by either side. Nevertheless, the few that did happen were by Armenia which fired large missiles at civilian targets. Human Rights Watch, ‘documented 11 incidents in which Armenian forces used ballistic missiles, unguided artillery rockets, and large-calibre artillery projectiles that hit populated areas in apparent indiscriminate attacks. In at least four other cases, munitions struck civilians or civilian objects in areas where there were no apparent military targets’.

Despite the many examples of Armenian war crimes committed in the first and second Karabakh wars, Armenian discourse continues to claim the status of victimhood and accuse Azerbaijan of planning ‘genocide’.

This discourse is taken straight out of the Kremlin’s playbook.

Robert Kocharyan, a discredited Armenian opposition leader, and member of the ‘Karabakh clan’, claimed that if a peace treaty is signed with Azerbaijan it would lead to ‘the end of Karabakh’. Armenia’s prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, always one for making outlandish statements, said that Azerbaijan’s goal in closing the Lachin Corridor was to surround Karabakh and ‘subject them to genocide and expatriation, under the pretext of Armenia not fulfilling its obligations’.

The reality is that Russians and Russian speakers had nothing to worry about in Ukraine and Armenians have nothing to be concerned about living in Azerbaijan. Russians and Russian speakers in Ukraine led an autonomous republic in Crimea, were part of Ukraine’s ruling elites, and transmitted and published Russian-language electronic and print media. Practically all Ukrainian oligarchs, who were primarily from the Donbas, Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Odesa, were Russian speakers.

Armenians in Karabakh have schools and media in their own language which would remain after a peace treaty was signed that recognised Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan. These and other minority rights for a very small Armenian population of 25,000 (Azerbaijani estimate) to 100,000 (Armenian claim) could be guaranteed by both the Azerbaijani government and backed up by international organisations, such as the EU and OSCE.

Being a citizen of a country is always a two-way process. In return for the state providing services to citizens and guarantees for the personal security of minorities, citizens should refrain from supporting separatism. Russia has hundreds of thousands of troops fighting its war in Ukraine while Armenia has 10,000 illegal forces in Karabakh. In both Ukraine and Azerbaijan, Russian and Armenian security forces need to be withdrawn before a meaningful peace treaty can be signed.

Peaceful coexistence between Armenia and Azerbaijan and Turkey would be especially beneficial to Armenia. A peace treaty would reduce the Armenian economy’s reliance upon Russia, increase its trade with Europe, and spur Armenia’s integration into regional energy projects.

Ukraine never planned to conduct ‘genocide’ against its Russian and Russian speaking populations. Azerbaijan has no intention to commit ‘genocide’ against the small Armenian minority remaining in Karabakh.

Armenians should not be concerned about the plight of their brethren in Karabakh. It is time for Armenian politicians to no longer play by the Kremlin’s playbook, put past wars and crimes in the past and move on in the interests of both countries.

https://emerging-europe.com/voices/armenia-and-the-kremlins-playbook-myths-about-national-minorities-in-ukraine-and-azerbaijan%EF%BF%BC/

Turkey closes airspace to Armenian airline FlyOne ‘without warning’: media

Antranik Varosian
May 1 2023



Turkey on Saturday closed its airspace to low-cost Armenian airline FlyOne Armenia without warning, the domestic Armenpress news agency cited the carrier's board chairman as saying.

"For reasons incomprehensible to us and without any visible grounds, Turkish aviation authorities cancelled the permission previously granted to the FlyOne Armenia airline to operate flights to Europe through Turkish airspace," said Aram Ananyan, FlyOne's chairman.

"Turkish aviation authorities implemented the cancellation without prior notification, putting our airline and our passengers in an uncomfortable situation".

FlyOne Armenia, a subsidiary of Moldovan airline FlyOne, began operations in December 2021. In February 2023, Ananyan told Armenpress that the carrier had five Airbus aircraft and offered flights to 14 destinations in eight European and Middle Eastern nations.

Ankara has not had diplomatic or commercial ties with Armenia since the 1990s.

The two nations are at odds primarily over the 1.5 million people Armenia says were killed in 1915 by the Ottoman Empire, the predecessor to modern Turkey. The Armenian genocide[a] was the systematic destruction of the Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I.

https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/05/01/turkey-closes-airspace-to-armenian-airline-flyone-without-warning-media/

US urges reopening road between Armenia and disputed enclave

Samvel Nahapetian
Germany – May 1 2023

Azerbaijan and Armenia have been in a deadlock for decades, fighting two wars over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave that have killed thousands of people.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan over the weekend, expressing American support for the peace process and calling for the reopening of a vital road to a disputed territory.

For decades, the two neighbors have been in a deadlock, fighting two wars over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave. Tens of thousands of people have died in this conflict.

Blinken spoke with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev and emphasized the importance of reopening the Lachin corridor, the only land link between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.

A US State Department statement said that Blinken asserted to Aliyev US's concern that "Azerbaijan's establishment of a checkpoint on the Lachin corridor undermines efforts to establish confidence in the peace process," stressing the importance of reopening the corridor to "commercial and private vehicles as soon as possible."

Blinken also spoke with Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, reiterating the importance of Armenia-Azerbaijan peace discussions and promising continued US support.

Armenia had objected to Azerbaijan's establishing a checkpoint at the corridor's entry, calling it a violation of the 2020 cease-fire.

In 2020, Moscow brokered a cease-fire and posted peacekeepers along the Lachin corridor, but the US and the EU have sought to facilitate a thaw in ties since Russia is preoccupied with Ukraine and does not want to upset Turkey, Azerbaijan's main ally.

Are US-Brokered Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Talks Dead on Arrival?

Emil Lazarian
The American Enterprise Institute
May 1 2023

By Michael Rubin

AEIdeas

May 01, 2023

The 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War upended the decades-long Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process. The hot take at the time was that Russia and Turkey were the victors. Both the United States and France, co-chairs with Russia in the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group, were caught off guard. Russian President Vladimir Putin, however, had initiated the ceasefire and crafted it to insert 2,000 Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh. Turkey also inserted troops as monitors in Azerbaijan.

Russian peacekeepers have shown themselves to be impotent as Azerbaijan flagrantly violates the ceasefire. While there are many parallel diplomatic processes—Russia’s, the OSCE’s, and the United States’—regional diplomats say that increasingly only Washington’s matters. Perhaps diplomacy is back.

How the White House and State Department craft diplomacy, however, is important. While the Biden administration seeks to promote a wide-ranging peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, by conflating three different conflicts into one, they may condemn themselves to failure.

There are actually three different conflicts: Turkey-Armenia, Armenia-Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijan-Artsakh (the self-declared ethnic Armenian republic in Nagorno-Karabakh).

Turkey has blockaded Armenia since its re-independence in 1991, based not on any land dispute but rather on Turkey’s ethnic hatred toward Armenia. Ending this blockade should be an American interest, as it forces Armenia to use Iran as its economic outlook. Just last week, Turkey closed its airspace to Armenian passenger flights. The Turkey-Armenia diplomatic process should also address ending Turkey’s denial of the Armenian genocide. After all, if Germany’s official policy were to deny the Holocaust, no one in Washington would consider it an indispensable ally.

Armenia’s dispute with Azerbaijan should also be easily resolved. The two countries might appoint a third party—perhaps from a neutral Scandinavian country—to demarcate their borders. If Baku is sincere, it would drop its reference to fraudulent or extremist maps that show Armenia does not exist. Armenia, after all, could point to many maps from the pre-Soviet period that show a greater Armenia and no Azerbaijan. The 1975 Soviet General Staff map of the South Caucasus appears the most accurate map and can be the basis for peace. Azerbaijan, too, would have to end its blockade.

The Azerbaijan-Artsakh dispute will be the most difficult to resolve. Throughout the dispute, Armenia refrained from recognizing Artsakh’s independence so as not to undermine diplomacy. For Azerbaijan to negotiate with Armenia directly belies Azerbaijan’s insistence Armenia should have no role. Precedent is also against Armenia negotiating the fate of Artsakh. After all, Serbia and the United States did not insist Albania negotiate on behalf of Kosovo against the backdrop of that country’s fight for freedom against Serbia.

While Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev says the Nagorno-Karabakh is Azerbaijan’s based on Joseph Stalin’s gerrymandering, the region’s Armenian population has reason to be worried based on Azerbaijan’s war crimes, bulldozing of cultural heritage and, most recently, efforts to starve the Armenian population. Residents are right to be concerned that if they visit Armenia, Aliyev simply would not allow them back, a slow motion ethnic cleansing. Residents are also concerned that Aliyev’s serial violation of the 2020 ceasefire and the failure of Washington to hold him to account will only encourage future violations.

President Joe Biden’s team deserves credit for turning its attention to a long-neglected region, but not all diplomacy is the same. How Biden’s team frames the issue matters. It will be far easier to achieve lasting peace if the White House recognizes that what they assume to be one conflict is actually three. Two of these conflicts will be easy to resolve if leaders have good faith. If Turkey and Azerbaijan show they do not, then diplomacy is premature absent a push through sanctions and other coercive measures to make both Ankara and Baku offers they cannot refuse.

India, Iran, and Armenia: Trilateral Cooperation and Geopolitics of Trade Routes

Yeghisabet Vorskanian
May 7 2023
ADITI BHADURI


Recently, on 20 April, the first trilateral political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the Republic of India were held. The meeting took place in the Armenian capital of Yerevan. The delegations were headed by Mnatsakan Safaryan, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia, Seyed Rasoul Mousavi, the Assistant of the Foreign Minister of Iran, Head of the Regional General Department of South Asia and J P Singh, the Joint Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs of India.

“During the meeting, the sides particularly discussed economic issues and regional communication channels and outlined the prospects of deepening cultural and people-to-people contacts as well as trilateral cooperation in various fields. The sides agreed to continue consultations in a trilateral format,” a statement by the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Economic issues and regional communication channels are key to this trilateral cooperation, which has been in the making for a while and is inevitable. The meeting also came soon after tensions erupted between Iran and Azerbaijan, Armenia’s arch-enemy when the latter arrested some men on charges of espionage for Iran.

India has been, in recent years, deepening its ties with Armenia, with which it already had ancient, civilizational ties. More recently, it has been supplying weapons to Armenia, as the latter found itself embroiled in military conflict with Azerbaijan over the contested territory of Nagorny-Karabakh, while Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey increased cooperation, including in the military sphere with Pakistan.

However, India’s cooperation with Iran and Armenia, both of whom share a common border, are important for its connectivity ambitions too, and much of the trilateral cooperation will undoubtedly be focused on that.

Since its victory over Armenia in the 2020 Karabakh war, Azerbaijan has been making, albeit indirectly, irredentist claims on lands that it believed historically belonged to it. Some of these are in Northern Iran, also known as Southern Azerbaijan. The war also resulted in some bordering areas of friendly Armenia now becoming part of Iran’s border with Azerbaijan. A year later, Baku conducted military drills on its territory together with Turkey and Pakistan. Iran is also wary of Israeli presence on Azerbaijan’s territory, though for India Israel is a close friend.

However, Azerbaijan’s pro-Pakistan position on Kashmir complements Turkey’s belligerence on Kashmir. For instance, last year on 27 October an event hosted by Pakistan’s embassy in Baku to commemorate “Kashmir Black Day”, was attended by members of Azerbaijan’s parliament as well as officials from its Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Both India and Iran are wary of Baku’s newfound belligerence.

However, more importantly, it is the politics of the international trade routes that have been a major driving force behind the trilateral alliance. A common threat for all three would be the Zangezur Corridor which Azerbaijan has been insisting on since the time it won the Second Karabakh war.

But what is the Zangezur Corridor?

The Zangezur Corridor is a land corridor that Azerbaijan envisages would connect it to the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhichevan in western Armenia and onward to Turkey without Armenian border control over it. It cuts through Armenia’s southernmost province of Syuni which borders Iran’s Azeri province in the north. Armenians explain they are not against any land corridor as connectivity is critical for countries like it. However, since it runs through Armenian territory, it should be subject to Armenian control.

For both Azerbaijan and Turkey, this land corridor without Armenian control would open up routes to Central Asia, fan pan-Turkism, and would give Azerbaijan control over the borders with Iran which it can then cut off at will, cutting Iran completely off from northern route, rendering the 7,200-km long International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC)  - a multimodal trade route which connects India to the Russian Federation through Iran – useless, or put it at the will of Azerbaijan-Turkey combine.

In 2021 in a joint press conference together with Turkish President Reccep Tayyip Erdogan Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said that "Both Turkey and Azerbaijan will take necessary steps for the realization of the Zangezur Corridor” which would "unite the entire Turkic world."

Most Armenians as well as Iran see the corridor as a joint Azerbaijan-Turkey project.

This is also why Iran is against the corridor. Since the 2020 Karabakh war, while Iran cheered for Azerbaijan, it has also been warning against any changes to Armenia’s international borders – effectively any change in Iran’s borders with Armenia, which gives it land access to Russia, the Black Sea and beyond through the territory of a friendly country. In a recent article the former Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Kamal Kharazi, now Director of Iran’s Strategic Council of Foreign Relations, made a stark warning against the Zangezur Corridor, in the model that Azerbaijan envisages, which Iran sees as a NATO-created Turan (pan-Turkic) corridor.

Reporting on the 20 April meeting the Iranian media also referred to trade routes and underscored Iran’s antipathy to the Zangezur Corridor.

For India, this is also bad tidings. In case Azerbaijan gets its way with the corridor, Indian access would be subject to its will, and it can cut off access anytime. It is a scenario all parties would like to preempt.

This is why perhaps both Iran and India have, for a while, been mulling having the International North South Transit Corridor run through Armenia and not through Azerbaijan, as earlier envisaged. In 2021, India invited Armenia too, along with its traditional partners, to the virtual meeting to mark Chabahar Day, even as it pitched for connecting the Chabahar port to Iran’s Bandar Abbas port which connects to the INSTC.

Soon after, the Indian Ambassador to Iran, Gaddam Dharmendra announced that India was planning to connect the Chabahar port, which India is investing in, on Iran’s eastern coast and the Indian Ocean with Eurasia and Helsinki through the INSTC which would run through the territory of Armenia.

Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization, Alireza Peymanpak, announced not long after: “Two alternative Iran-Eurasia transit routes will replace Azerbaijan’s route. First opens in a month via Armenia after [the] end of repair work, and the second via sea by purchasing and renting vessels.”

For all three countries, therefore, trilateral cooperation is imperative to keep communication and trade routes open. This would mean, first and foremost, to ensure Armenia’s territorial integrity. Azerbaijan, strategic thinkers converge, is acting not only in its own interest but largely also fulfilling the Turkish agenda. Turkey’s military inroads into South Asia are already substantial. With Azerbaijan is closely allied with both Pakistan and China, trilateral Indian, Iranian, and Armenian cooperation is inevitable. 

(Aditi Bhaduri is a journalist and political analyst. She tweets @aditijan. This is an opinion piece. The views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for them.)


Moscow’s playbook in Karabakh

Emil Lazarian
 eureporter 
May 7 2023
KARABAKH

Situated at the crossroads between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Russian Federation, the Caucasus region is heavily influenced by these two regional superpowers – writes James Wilson.

The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosted talks between the Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers last week, intending to broker a lasting peace treaty between these two clashing countries. Many attempts to put the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict to rest have been made over the years, but this is the first time that US officials have taken an active part in the negotiations. It should come as no surprise that Blinken's decision to take a much more active part in the talks comes as a result of the increasing influence of other regional powers on the parties involved. This foreign influence also happens to have a distinct anti-Azerbaijani bias, as both Moscow and Tehran hold much against Baku. 

A focal point in the dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia is the Armenian-populated separatist exclave in the UN recognised territory of Azerbaijan, in the region of Karabakh. Since the 2020 war fought by Azerbaijan against Armenia over the Karabakh enclave, Russian peacekeepers have been deployed to the area to keep the peace and ensure the passage of goods from Armenia to the Karabakh Armenians and vice versa. But, the Russian forces on the ground soon found themselves pursuing different objectives than the ones stated in their official deployment.

Considering Russia’s previous, and still ongoing, conflicts regarding puppet territories in many different parts of the former Soviet Union, such as Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Donbass, Moscow is continuing according to the same playbook. Karabakh provides a fitting target for such an operation. Moscow already has a significant military presence in the region, under the guise of peacekeeping (and military bases in close proximity), and the population is vastly different from that of land owners.

According to The Wall Street Journal, «Putin is using the Armenians of Karabakh as pawns. Like the South Ossetians and Abkhazians in Georgia or the Russian communities in Ukraine, Karabakh offers him a pseudo-humanitarian justification for Russian imperialism». The separatist region in Karabakh, the so-called «Republic of Artsakh», is a mineral-rich region, which isn’t recognised by any political entity in the UN, including Armenia. However, it is a member of a group of unrecognised states that calls itself the «Community for Democracy and Rights of Nations» – an organisation whose only other members are puppet states created by Russia: South Ossetia, Abkhazia and Transnistria.

Unsurprisingly, all these territories recognise each other and have a joint vested interest in being inducted into the Eurasian Union through their close ties to Russia. It is safe to assume that “Artsakh” will be no different, and will seek to ingratiate itself with Russia, the country which currently has the only deployed military force in the territories of this Armenian-populated enclave.

Armenia itself is a close ally of both Russia and Iran, despite the large diaspora living in Western countries, especially in the US and in France. A recent report by The Guardian shows that Iranian drones of many types made their way into Russia using boats and Iranian state-owned airlines. An article by EU Reporter corroborates this, adding that Armenia plays an integral part in these deliveries, allowing Iranian cargo planes to land in its airports before proceeding to deliver weapons to the Russian forces in Ukraine. According to the Berlin-based «German Centre for the South Caucasus» Armenia is used by Russia as a proxy for imports to and exports from Russia. 

At the same time Armenia tries to present itself as the «bastion of democracy in the Caucasus», calling through its English-language outlets to the West and international organisations to take practical steps to help them to fight against dictatorial Azerbaijan.  

But Armenia still remains a «textbook case of Eastern type autocracy, thinly covered with a veneer of modern values and civilisation», as the Romanian Newsweek edition puts it, bringing numerous proofs of alarming examples of oppression and tyranny.    

So while Yerevan tries to chum up to the West, yet its actions show where Yerevan’s allegiance truly lies. Whether current negotiations with Azerbaijan lead to any results, one should remain doubtful about their serious implementation because of the precedent Armenia has set for itself – siding with Russia and Iran on many issues. 

Here is one more recent example. Iranian officials have, more than once, declared how important their relations with Armenia are, claiming its territorial integrity and security are as crucial to Iran as Iran’s own. In late April flyers and leaflets appeared on residential and administrative buildings in Yerevan, including its central Republic Square, with a very clear message – images depicting the burning of Ukrainian, Israeli and Azerbaijani flags and the message in Armenian and Persian language “we have a common enemy”.

On 23rd April, during a torchlight procession in Yerevan marking the 108th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, an Azerbaijani flag was burned alongside the Turkish flag. A few days prior, on 14th April, Aram Nikolyan, an employee of the public TV of Armenia, snatched the Azerbaijani flag at the opening ceremony of the European Weightlifting Championship in Yerevan and burned it. Such evidence of the attitude in Armenia towards Azerbaijan and how the government doesn’t lift a finger to curb these open hostilities, raises doubts about the sincerity of negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Whilst I was writing this article, I have come to learn that the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan plans to visit Moscow next week. Apparently he needs to report something to the Kremlin…  

Travel: Armenia, a timeless land of great beauty

Emil Lazarian
Kuwait – May 6 2023
TRAVEL

By Nourah Khan
Exclusive to The Times Kuwait

Armenia is one of the most beautiful countries in the Caucasus, characterized by its charming natural landscapes, distinctive tourist sites, and a history that spans eons. The moment you step into the country, you are engulfed by the friendliness of locals, which adds to the beauty of a trip to this enchanting country.

Armenia is not a very large country, and within a week you could be able to traverse the major tourist attractions in this place. The most appropriate time to visit Armenia and enjoy its beautiful atmosphere and moderate temperatures are from April to June.

Whatever type of tourism you prefer, you will find what you need in Armenia. So if you are looking for a new destination for family tourism, or you want to spend your honeymoon in a magical place to create unforgettable memories, or perhaps you prefer nature hikes, exotic sports, heritage tourism, or just partying and other fun activities, you can do all of this and more in one country, Armenia.

In Armenia you can find different natural landscapes and a country that is steeped in culture and heritage with a history that extends back more than 3,500 years. Many cultural and historical monuments dot the country, and befittingly enough the country is often referred to as an ‘Open Museum’.

But this does not mean that travelers who are seeking relaxation and enjoying nature will not find any such venues in the country; quite the opposite. Armenia is a country with outstanding natural beauty, which gives visitors all the ingredients for relaxation and unwinding.

As for prices, it is one of the countries that will not cost you much to travel and stay. The cost of living as a tourist is reasonable and appropriate, and of course cheaper than most places in Europe. So I think it is suitable for people who are on a limited budget.

A visit to any city or town in Armenia makes you feel quite comfortable, because you will notice that a large number of Armenians were born in Gulf countries and know a lot about our cultures, customs and character. On knowing that I am from Kuwait, I was warmly welcomed into homes of total strangers and plied with food and drink. And, speaking about food, Armenian food is quite similar to what we have here in Kuwait and the Gulf.

The most important thing I particularly noticed about Armenia is the high level of security that prevails across the country. I used to go out for walks alone in the streets at night without encountering any untoward incident.

Some of the amazing places I visited in Armenia include:
Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, is a city of contradictions where modern lifestyle trappings compete for space with the old. While few traces of the city’s storied ancient history are visible today, much of the extant architecture is dominated by stolid Soviet-era buildings interspersed by numerous beautiful gardens, parks and other greenery. The city was once called the Pink City based on the color of the stones that were used in building architectural artifacts and houses.

Another place to visit is the town of Dilijan, which teems with health resorts, and is also one of the places with an amazing natural beauty. Every corner and space appears embellished with green trees, colorful gardens and fountains. Located on the banks of the Aghstev River, Dilijan lies to the northeast of the capital Yerevan and enjoys a mild climate throughout the year.

The town’s many health resorts and natural beauty, as well as entertainment places with exciting activities, attract a lot of tourists year round. And, while in Dilijan do not miss visiting the town’s other major attractions, including the Old Town, Dilijan Museum, the famous healing mineral water fountains and the World War II Memorial.

And, no matter what, do not miss tasting Armenian cuisine, as it is considered the source kitchen for much of today’s Middle-Eastern cuisines, with their slant towards poultry, meat and fish. Famous local dishes vary in taste between European and Eastern preferences, and there are also dishes that appeal to our Gulf tastes and flavors, especially ones such as the Armenian grilled fish.

Among the other beautiful cities that must be on your tourist schedule is the city of Jermuk. The city of Jermuk in Armenia is one of the most famous places for medical tourism, as it is characterized by its mineral waters and mild climate throughout the year. The city contains more than 40 thermal springs that people go to for treatment for various diseases and you also get to see the second largest waterfall in Armenia, with the Jermuk Waterfall cascading down from a height of over 70 meters.

Another interesting place that should be visited in Armenia is Lake Sevan, also known as the ‘Jewel of the Caucasus’. It is one of the highest freshwater lakes in the world, located at an altitude of 1,900 meters above sea level. As a result of its height, the weather in Lake Sevan is moderate to cold even in the summer days, which makes it an important attraction for tourists, especially tourists coming from hot countries such as the Arab Gulf states. You can also enjoy camping or doing some water sports when you visit Lake Sevan in the summer, at very reasonable prices.

There is something else you should not miss when visiting Armenia, Mount Ararat mentioned in the Bible and associated with Noah’s Ark. Although it is located on Turkish soil, Mount Ararat is one of the most majestic mountains in the world, which can be seen from the Armenian lands. Although it lies outside the borders of modern Armenia, the mountain is a national symbol of Armenia and has been considered a sacred place by Armenians for ages.

In Armenia, you will not have any difficulty in interacting with others, because English is the most common language after the Russian language, especially in the capital, Yerevan. But moving to the countryside, Russian is the most popular foreign language, and rarely you can come across Armenians who speak French, especially in shops, restaurants and hotels.

For my transportation throughout Armenia, I relied on a tour company and a tour guide. Modes of transportation in Armenia are of high quality, given the number of tourists who come to the country most of the year, with domestic transportation divided between the metro, buses, mini-buses and taxis.

I also recommend that you travel with a knowledgeable tour guide so that they can explain the stories, histories and traditions behind statues, buildings, and other attractions in the country.

I believe that the opening of direct flights between the two countries could be mutually beneficial. More visitors from Kuwait could travel easily to Armenia, and more Armenian fresh products could arrive in this country, not to mention the significant Armenian community in Kuwait who would also benefit from such direct flights.

Noura Khan, a travel influencer and content creator, is a Kuwaiti national, holds a degree in law from Kuwait University and has worked as a journalist prior to taking up a position in the government. In 2018 she started blogging on travel and visited more than 57 countries since. She has more than 54k followers on her blog post @nourajtraveller is well appreciated for content and travel information. Noura writes exclusively for The Times Kuwait on her travel visits.

https://timeskuwait.com/news/armenia-a-timeless-land-of-great-beauty/ 

Opposition MP: Armenian leadership seeks Artsakh’s autonomy, Azerbaijan rejects

Sonya Jalatian
NEWS.am
Armenia – May 6 2023

MP Tigran Abrahamyan of the opposition Pativ Unem bloc has reacted to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's latest “remarkable” statement on Artsakh claiming Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev “is not ready to grant broad autonomy to Karabakh.”

"Pashinyan, in fact, fleshed out his statement made a year ago that he had to lower the bar on Artsakh,” Abrahamyan wrote on Facebook on Saturday.

“The latter admitted that his statement did not refer to Artsakh's right to self-determination or independence, but its AUTONOMY within Azerbaijan.

“In fact, these men [the Armenian authorities] seek Artsakh’s autonomy, but Azerbaijan doesn’t agree to it: that's what negotiations are all about,” Abrahamyan stated.

Tehran commemorates Armenian Genocide victims

Jane Topchian
NEWS.am
Armenia – May 6 2023
22:36, 06.05.2023

On April 28, an event dedicated to the 108th anniversary of the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide was held in the Masis hall of the Raffi Armenian Sport and Cultural Complex in Tehran.

The event was attended by representatives of National Authorities, the RA Embassy in Iran, the Armenian Cultural and Public Forum and representatives of the board of St. Mary Charity Center, the Church Council, various Armenian associations and a large number of people. This was reported by the Armenian embassy in Iran.

The event was filled with poetry readings, songs, dances, and beautiful musical performances by various choirs, dance and music groups.

At the end of the event, Sergey Grigoryan, Counselor of the RA Embassy in Iran, made a speech.

https://news.am/eng/news/758678.html