Tuesday, May 2, 2023
Russia Sees No Alternative To Moscow-Brokered Deal In Armenia-Azerbaijan
Settlement
The Kremlin in Moscow, Russia (file photo)
Russia believes that an Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement can be reached only by
implementing the 2020 ceasefire agreement brokered by Moscow, a Kremlin
spokesman said on Tuesday.
Dmitry Peskov’s remarks came a day after the foreign ministers of Armenia and
Azerbaijan sat down in Washington for what United States officials expect to be
marathon talks to hammer out a deal to normalize relations between the two
countries at loggerheads over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Russia brokered a ceasefire agreement that stopped a deadly six-week war between
Armenia and Azerbaijan over the mostly ethnic Armenian-populated region in
November 2020.
The deal brought about 2,000 Russian peacekeepers to Nagorno-Karabakh to protect
some 120,000 ethnic Armenians living there and ensure their free movement along
a five-kilometer-wide strip of land that connects Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia
and is known as the Lachin Corridor.
Azerbaijan set up a checkpoint on the corridor on April 23, tightening the
effective blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh and drawing accusations from Yerevan and
Stepanakert that it violates the terms of the ceasefire agreement.
Authorities in both Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh urged Russian peacekeepers to
“live up to their commitments” under the ceasefire agreement and achieve the
removal of the Azerbaijani roadblock. Russia said it continued to negotiate with
Azerbaijani authorities regarding the matter, having described Baku’s
“unilateral actions” in the Lachin Corridor as unacceptable.
In his remarks Peskov, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said
that assistance in resolving the situation between Armenia and Azerbaijan could
be welcomed, “but only on the basis of trilateral agreements concluded together
with the Russian Federation.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov
“There is no alternative to these agreements,” he said, as quoted by Russian
media.
“The resolution of the existing problems between the two countries and possible
development of some joint actions and steps aimed at reducing tensions in the
region are primarily possible on the basis of the tripartite documents that were
signed together with Russia. So far, there has been no other legal framework
that would contributed to the settlement. Thus, so far these tripartite
documents have absolutely no alternative,” the Kremlin spokesman said.
Commenting on the meeting of Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, of Armenia, and
Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, of Azerbaijan, hosted by U.S. Secretary of
State Antony Blinken in Washington, Peskov said: “Of course, any assistance that
can promote a settlement on this basis [tripartite documents] is welcomed. But
we also know that there are various attempts that blur the basis for a
settlement, which in the future may not give a result. Let’s hope that in this
case we are talking about the first case.”
Officials in Washington believe that peace is possible to achieve between
Armenia and Azerbaijan and stress the importance of direct dialogue between the
two countries.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (C) hosting a meeting between Armenian
Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan (L) and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun
Bayramov in Washington. May 1, 2023.
An unnamed official in the U.S. Department of State said on Monday that
Mirzoyan-Bayramov talks could be held over the course of “a few days” and that
discussions were expected “throughout the week.”
Asked about Russia’s position on the U.S.-led dialogue, the diplomat in
Washington said. “We will be disappointed if they take it negatively.”
“The most important thing is that the parties communicate with each other
regardless of where,” the official said, adding that “a lasting, balanced and
dignified peace between the parties” is the goal.
Last week, official Yerevan confirmed that there is an agreement on holding
talks of the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan hosted by their Russian
counterpart in the time to come. Armenia’s Foreign Ministry did not, however,
indicate a specific date for such talks.
Arman Yeghoyan, a pro-government member of the Armenian parliament, reaffirmed
on Tuesday that a Mirzoyan-Bayramov meeting was also due in Moscow. He told
local media that the Washington meeting was in no conflict with the upcoming
meeting in Moscow.
New Census Shows Armenia Population Drops Below 3 Million
• Robert Zargarian
People in a park in Yerevan, Armenia, July 2022.
Armenia’s permanent population is just below 3 million people, according to
preliminary data of a census conducted by the authorities last October and
published this week.
The Statistical Committee says that the figure of 2,928,914 also includes those
people who usually live in the country, but have been absent from it for up to a
year.
It is by about 90,000 people less than Armenia’s permanent population was
according to a similar census conducted in 2011. The population that was
physically in Armenia at the time of the census in 2022 was by about 233,000
less than 12 years ago.
Last year’s census of the population was third to be conducted in Armenia since
the country gained independence in 1991. Originally it was due to be held in
2020, but had to postpone twice – first until 2021 and then until 2022 – because
of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Specialists in Armenia have not yet done any in-depth analysis of the results of
the latest census of the population, pending the final data to be presented by
the authorities. But some demographers already see a troubling pattern.
This is the first time in independent Armenia that the number of the country’s
permanent population, though slightly, but dropped below 3 million.
Candidate of historical sciences, ethno-geographer Artashes Boyajian, who was
involved in both previous census of the population in 2001 and 2011 as a
supervising enumerator, says that whereas until 2018 the population of Armenia
was decreasing due to outmigration, it is the declining birthrate that became a
problem afterwards.
“After 2018, in a number of provinces of the Republic of Armenia, in particular,
in Lori, for the first time a negative natural growth balance, that is when the
number of births is lower than the number of deaths, was registered. The same
was registered in the Shirak province in 2020 as well as in a number of other
provinces of the republic,” Boyajian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.
The current government of Armenia and its predecessors have set targets for the
population of Armenia. In 2020, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian unveiled the
nation’s strategy until 2050, talking about the goal of increasing the country’s
permanent population to at least 5 million people.
According to Boyajian, despite this lofty goal, the State has failed to
implement any serious demographic policy aimed at its realization.
“In the period under review some steps have been taken to promote population
growth, but it has no qualitative and quantitative effect,” the specialist said.
Declining birthrates are currently a pattern typical for most former Soviet
states given the demographic decline brought on by the collapse of the USSR in
1991 and ensuing social and economic hardships of the populations in newly
independent countries for years to come.
The United Nations projects that Armenia’s population by 2050 will fall to 2.6
million.
U.S. Upbeat On Peace Prospects Amid Armenia-Azerbaijan Talks
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (C) hosting a meeting between Armenian
Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan (L) and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun
Bayramov in Washington. May 1, 2023.
United States officials have struck an optimistic note about prospects of
reaching peace in the South Caucasus as top diplomatic representatives of
Armenia and Azerbaijan sat down on Monday for what are expected to be marathon
talks in Washington this week.
After welcoming Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Azerbaijani
Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov at the George P. Schultz National Foreign
Affairs Training Center in the U.S. capital on May 1, U.S. Secretary of State
Antony Blinken reiterated on Twitter that dialogue between Armenia and
Azerbaijan is “key to reaching a lasting peace in the South Caucasus region.”
Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesperson at the Department of State,
expounded on Washington’s vision for prospects of peace between Armenia and
Azerbaijan.
“We believe that peace is possible between these two countries, and we are glad
to be welcoming them,” Patel said during a press briefing on May 1 when asked
about the Mirzoyan-Bayramov talks.
“We think that direct dialogue through diplomacy is key here… This is something
that the Secretary has been deeply engaged on; he’s had the opportunity to
convene trilateral meetings as well as speak to the foreign ministers and
leaders of these two countries. And we will continue to be engaged on this
issue,” he added.
Patel would not be drawn into speculation about how long the Washington-hosted
peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan would last.
Earlier, a senior Department of State official privy to the negotiations told
RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that bilateral talks between the foreign ministers of
Armenia and Azerbaijan would be held over the course of “a few days.”
The official, who did not wish to be named, said: “We expect discussions
throughout the week. Our goal is to make sure that the ministers are able to sit
down and talk to each other.”
Department of State officials also confirmed that the situation around the
Lachin Corridor, the only road linking Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia that
Azerbaijan effectively closed on April 23 by setting up a checkpoint, was one of
the topics raised at the Washington meetings.
“We have not parsed our words about the need for the free flow of traffic and
people and commerce through the Lachin corridor. That continues to be the case
and it’s something that we will continue to raise directly with our Armenian
counterparts,” Patel said.
Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2023 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
Category: 2023
Armenpress: Permanent Representative of Armenia to the UN warns of Azerbaijan’s policy of systematic erasure of the Armenian traces
10:30, 3 May 2023
YEREVAN, MAY 3, ARMENPRESS. The Protection of Cultural Heritage in Armed Conflicts UN Security Council Arria-formula meeting took place on May 2, organized by the Permanent Missions of France and the United Arab Emirates.
UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay and representatives of several UN member states delivered remarks at the event.
Permanent Representative of Armenia to the UN Mher Margaryan also delivered remarks.
Margaryan warned that today, the millennia-old Christian Armenian sites in Nagorno-Karabakh are on the verge of total extermination.
Margaryan said that Armenia has consistently requested that a UNESCO fact-finding mission be deployed to Nagorno-Karabakh and the adjacent areas in order to help preserve the vast and unique cultural heritage of the region, yet, Azerbaijan continues to obstruct efforts of the international organizations for independent and impartial assessment of the facts on the ground, having opted, instead, for the policy of systematic erasure of the Armenian traces, putting into practice a pseudoscientific theory that denies the historical sites of their Armenian origin.
Below is the full transcript of Margaryan’s speech:
“I thank the Permanent Missions of France and the United Arab Emirates and the cosponsors for convening today’s meeting, as well as the distinguished briefers for their valuable remarks and welcome the participation of Director-General Azoulay. The UNESCO has an important mandate in protecting cultural heritage at risk, and I would like to acknowledge the critical role of the Orgaization in this regard.
Armed conflicts and military actions can have devastating impact on objects of cultural heritage, which are of irreplaceable value to the entire mankind as unique expressions of history, identity and cultural memory. As such, their integrity and preservation must be upheld at all times.
In our region, we have first-hand experience going through the devastating loss of cultural property. The Armenian heritage was under heavy attack during the war in Nagorno-Karabakh launched by Azerbaijan in 2020. The Holy Savior Ghazanchetsots Cathedral of Shushi, for example, was deliberately shelled, twice within a few hours, resulting in the partial destruction of the Church.
Today, the millennia-old Christian Armenian sites in Nagorno-Karabakh are on the verge of total extermination, targeted to promote the distorted narrative that the Armenian people are alien in the region. Armenia’s deep concern in relation to the fate of the cultural property in Nagorno-Karabakh is also based on the previous history of total and intentional eradication of the Armenian heritage by Azerbaijan. In Nakhijevan, for example, thousands of monuments, including 89 medieval churches and more than 5,000 cross-stones were annihilated, in an effort to remove traces of the Armenian civilizational presence.
Azerbaijan is yet to commit, in good faith, to the implementation of the Order on Provisional Measures issued by the International Court of Justice at the request of Armenia in December 2021, according to which Azerbaijan shall “take all necessary measures to prevent and punish acts of vandalism and desecration affecting Armenian cultural heritage, including but not limited to churches and other places of worship, monuments, landmarks, cemeteries and artefacts”.
Dear Colleagues,
Armenia has consistently requested that a UNESCO fact-finding mission be deployed to Nagorno-Karabakh and the adjacent areas in order to help preserve the vast and unique cultural heritage of the region, yet, Azerbaijan continues to obstruct efforts of the international organizations for independent and impartial assessment of the facts on the ground, having opted, instead, for the policy of systematic erasure of the Armenian traces, putting into practice a pseudoscientific theory that denies the historical sites of their Armenian origin. Only today, the chairman of what is called the State Committee for Work with religious Organizations of Azerbaijan went on record saying that the Medieval Armenian Dadivank monastery “belongs to Caucasian Albania” and “sooner or later it will be controlled by the Albanian-Udi religious community”.
Destruction of the Armenian cultural heritage continues to be extensively monitored and reported, including through the use of modern technologies. I would like to recall, in this regard, that on 28 April, last Friday, Armenia hosted a panel discussion at the UN, which looked into the role of new technologies in preventing genocidal acts, such as cultural heritage destruction. The event featured a research project at the Cornell University entitled “Caucasus Heritage Watch”, which relies on digital satellite technologies to monitor and document cultural heritage in the region, revealing large-scale damage and destruction in the territories under Azerbaijan’s control.
I would like to conclude my intervention by encouraging UNESCO to also utilize digital technologies to identify, monitor and act upon the facts of destruction of cultural heritage in any part of the world, and in our region in particular.
Thank you.”
PM Pashinyan sends congratulatory message to the Prime Minister of Poland
11:19, 3 May 2023
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan sent a congratulatory message to Mateusz Morawiecki, Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland, on the occasion of the national holiday. The message reads as follows,
"Your Excellency,
On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian people, I send my warmest congratulations to you and the friendly people of Poland on the occasion of the national holiday of the Republic of Poland, the Constitution Day.
I am confident that the mutually beneficial and continuously developing cooperation between the two peoples, based on centuries-old friendship, will continue to develop and expand both at the bilateral and multilateral levels, including within the framework of the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement.
Taking the opportunity, I reaffirm our readiness to bring the realization of the significant potential of cooperation between our countries to the maximum for the benefit and welfare of our peoples”.
Armenia, India set to ‘open new chapter’ in cooperation with healthcare agreements
10:45, 3 May 2023
YEREVAN, MAY 3, ARMENPRESS. Armenia and India are planning to sign two agreements in the healthcare sector which will “open a new chapter” in the cooperation between the two countries, the healthcare ministry said in a press release on May 3.
The agreements are being prepared as a result of Healthcare Minister Anahit Avanesyan’s visit to India.
Avanesyan discussed details on the agreements with the Ambassador of India Nilakshi Saha Sinha in Yerevan.
One of the agreements will be aimed at Armenia’s potential in pharmaceuticals, which can be attractive for India also in terms of accessing the EEU market.
The second agreement, which will be signed between the healthcare ministries of the two countries, will pertain to the public health and medical science sectors.
Avanesyan and the Indian ambassador also discussed possibilities for developing medical tourism, accessibility of services in the transplant area, as well as exchange of experience projects.
“Political dialogue is on a very high level between our countries. I hope your mission in Armenia will also contribute to utilizing this potential in concrete sectors,” Avanesyan said.
Senator Menendez asks Samantha Power why USAID isn’t airlifting humanitarian supplies to blockaded Armenians in NK
12:31, 3 May 2023
YEREVAN, MAY 3, ARMENPRESS. United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman, Senator Bob Menendez has criticized the USAID for its slow responses.
Addressing USAID Administrator Samantha Power at a Senate hearing, he said that the agency ‘moves slower than molasses’ and asked why it hasn’t airlifted humanitarian supplies to Armenians who are now blockaded in Nagorno Karabakh.
“Often times USAID moves slower than molasses. Case in point: The humanitarian crisis for Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh is only getting worse. Where are we? Why aren’t we airlifting humanitarian supplies to those Armenians facing Baku’s blockade? We need to respond to events quickly and we also need to address root causes,” Menendez said.
Senator Menendez asked Power to comment on how much assistance Armenia and Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh will receive from the $40,000,000 assistance program envisaged for Eurasia and Central Asia countries under the U.S. budget. He expressed concern that these funds won’t reach the vulnerable Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh.
Power was unable to give an answer, noting that she ‘doesn’t have that figure of the top of my head’. “We’ve conducted two assessment missions to the region to look at the needs specifically in Nagorno Karabakh,” she added. Menendez told Power to provide him a copy of the assessment. “I’d like to see the assessment. Particularly how you are going to be able to achieve delivering humanitarian assistance in the Lachin Corridor,” Menendez said.
After the hearings, Menendez tweeted: “As I did at Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s recent hearing on USAID's FY24 budget request, I will continue to call for relief for Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. I will continue to condemn Azerbaijan's Lachin Corridor checkpoint. I will continue to speak out. We cannot be silent.”
United States remains committed to promoting a peaceful future in the South Caucasus – State Department spox
11:24, 3 May 2023
YEREVAN, MAY 3, ARMENPRESS. The United States remains committed to promoting a peaceful future in the South Caucasus, State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel has said when asked on the ongoing trilateral foreign ministerial talks in Washington D.C. involving Armenia and Azerbaijan.
“We remain committed to this process and remain committed to promoting a peaceful future in the South Caucasus. We believe that direct dialogue is key to resolving the issues, but I’m just not going to get ahead of the meetings themselves,” Patel said, refusing to release updates on the meetings.
“But we obviously have had a number of officials from the U.S. side deeply engaged on this. Obviously, Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations Lou Bono has been deeply engaged in this not just through these meetings but through his continued engagement in the South Caucuses. You know that Secretary Blinken attended the plenary session yesterday morning and had the opportunity to host these ministers for a dinner Sunday night. And so it’s something that we will continue to be deeply engaged on,” he added.
Patel declined to comment whether or not Blinken has plans to hold another meeting with the foreign ministers.
Russia’s New Concept of Foreign Policy. What is important for Armenia to know?
Armenia – May 2 2023
by Sergei Melkonian
The new concept of Russian foreign policy was published on March 31, 2023. It is noticeable that the Russian Foreign Ministry prepared a draft of the updated concept back in early 2022. Perhaps the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine and its consequences made adjustments to the document. To understand the main changes in the new concept, it is important to compare it with the previous version, which was published in 2016. We can highlight the following important changes that are relevant to Armenia.
Hierarchy of regional priorities. Beginning with the very first concept, which was published in 1993, the key regional priority for Russia was the CIS. This continuity has been maintained throughout the five concepts. And the new concept is no exception. However, for the first time, this region is called the "near abroad." The concept of "post-Soviet space" has gone out of circulation. On the one hand, it might seem like a replacement for the wording. At the same time, the concept further describes the future process of integration on the Eurasian continent. Considering the CIS space outside the context of the "post-Soviet" region will positively influence the development of regional cooperation within the framework of other organizations.
Conflict Resolution. In the previous edition of 2016, approaches to conflict resolution in Transnistria and Nagorno-Karabakh were separately outlined. In the new version, both descriptions have disappeared. So, Russia does not publicly propose its approaches/vision for conflict resolution. The wording about the possibility of resolving the conflict within the framework of institutions with the participation of the West (in particular, the OSCE Minsk Group) is also removed. At the same time, it is emphasized the Russian intention to pay special attention to the resolution of conflicts, first of all, on the territories of the neighboring states. The increase of Russia's peacekeeping role within the UN, CSTO, and on the bilateral level (agreements with parties to the conflict) is a separate point. That is, the resumption of negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group is not a relevant option for Russia. In general, Yerevan can refer to the lack of formulation as a “window of opportunity”: Moscow does not yet have a position on the future of Nagorno-Karabakh. Therefore, we can formulate and propose our own agenda on the issue.
Domestic affairs of Russian allies. For the first time, the concept identifies Russia's focus on preventing the inspiration of “color revolutions” and other attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of Russia's allies and partners. This thesis goes in one context with the resolution of armed conflicts. It can be argued that Moscow, having successfully implemented this experience in Belarus and Kazakhstan, is ready to assist the current regimes in the post-Soviet space to maintain stability along Russian borders. Additionally, it is indicated that Russia intends to oppose the deployment or strengthening of the military infrastructure of unfriendly states and other threats to its security in the near abroad. Primarily, infrastructure is seen as a military presence. However, the EU observation mission or the discussed international mission for Nagorno-Karabakh could also be included within this definition.
Protection guarantees for Russian allies. For the first time, the new concept clearly indicates “ensuring guaranteed protection of Russia, its allies and partners under any military and political scenario in the world.” This “umbrella” includes both bilateral agreements and multilateral formats. As Armenia's experience has shown, Russia's red lines regarding this assistance are very unclear. Obviously, this issue needs specification, which can be initiated by Armenia: How are these guarantees expressed, and also, in what form will the assistance be provided when the military-political situation develops in one or another direction? An agreement between Yerevan and Moscow on at least these two issues would make relations between the two countries more predictable.
“Greater Eurasian Partnership”. For the first time, a Russian doctrinal document outlines the concept of the “Greater Eurasian Partnership.” It implies the linking of all integration projects on the continent: the EAEU, the SCO, ASEAN, and China's “One Belt, One Road” project. All these projects are initiated by regional actors and exclude Western presence. In this sense, Russia's position finds a practical dimension: the processes in the Eurasian content are the domestic affairs of the continent. In this case, Armenia has advantages over Azerbaijan. Both states have the status of "dialogue partner" of the SCO. Armenia's membership in the EAEU opens up new opportunities for it after the signing of FTAs between the EAEU and Iran, as well as if an agreement is reached with the UAE, India, Indonesia, and others. Moreover, the Iranian direction has an important place in Russia's foreign policy within the Islamic world (priority order: Iran, Syria, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt). Perhaps Armenia can initiate a trilateral cooperative Armenia-Russia-Iran format in both the economic and security spheres.
Turning from the regional to the global dimension of international relations, it is important to note that the keynote of the new concept is the natural process of forming a multipolar world order. The following is relevant for Armenia. As part of this process, Russia will intensify cooperation with its allies and partners and will suppress the attempts by unfriendly states to obstruct such cooperation. So, we can talk about Russia's intention to conduct a proactive policy in this regard. It is hard to say how exactly this will be expressed in the case of the Armenian-Russian relations. So far, Russia has expressed concern about the EU mission and the implementation of sanctions against Armenian milk products.
Continuing to explore the global dimension of international relations in the new Russian concept, it is also important for Yerevan to pay attention to the following. Firstly, the analysis of the new concept showed that only four countries are considered "sovereign and global centers of power": Russia, the US, China, and India. That is, the other states are either not independent in the implementation of their foreign and domestic policies or do not have global interests. For example, there is no such characteristic with regard to European states. Second, from Moscow's point of view, the United States and the European countries pose a security threat to Russia.
Second, from Moscow's point of view, the United States and the states of the European continent pose a security threat to Russia. That is, any policy of Washington or Brussels is seen by Moscow, at least on a declarative level, as obviously anti-Russian. However, the main “inspirer, organizer, and executor of the aggressive anti-Russian policy of the collective West” is the United States. In this sense, any rapprochement between Armenia and the West will be perceived by Moscow as an anti-Russian policy. However, in case of an active dialogue between Armenia and the EU, Russia's reaction may not be so crucial and harsh. The American direction of Armenian foreign policy will be perceived quite clearly. Realizing this may be important, including in the context of the Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiation process. "The Washington platform" is more toxic for Russia. Therefore, even though European mediation will be perceived by Moscow as competitive and undesirable, the agreements reached through the mediation of Brussels will be taken into account.
If the current leadership in Armenia plans to take Russia's position into account, at least in its long-term strategic planning, then both positive and negative directions can be identified. The first group includes Armenia's rapprochement with Iran and India. That is, the development of trade, economic and military-technical cooperation with the two aforementioned countries will not have a negative impact on relations between Yerevan and Moscow. On the contrary, the continuation of Western involvement attempts in the region is likely to take place at the cost of a worsening of the dialogue between Armenia and Russia. Meanwhile, so far Moscow has not put its partners before the "West" or "non-West" choice.
Sergei Melkonian, Ph.D., Research Fellow, APRI Armenia.
These views are his own.
Russia says ‘no alternative’ to Karabakh mediation after U.S. initiative
i24
Israel – May 2 2023
Washington is mediating negotiations between Baku and Yerevan this week, seeking to quell recent tensions over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh enclave
Russia on Tuesday responded to U.S.-hosted peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan this week, saying there was “no alternative” to a deal that Moscow signed with the two warring parties in 2020.
Initiatives to lower tensions in the region “are possible above all on the basis of the trilateral documents signed with Russia,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. “For the moment, there is no other legal basis that would help a resolution. There is no alternative to these trilateral documents.”
Washington is mediating negotiations between Baku and Yerevan this week, seeking to quell recent tensions over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh enclave. Armenia and Azerbaijan have gone to war twice over the territory in 1990 and 2020, leaving tens of thousands dead, and clashes regularly erupt.
Tensions spiked again last week over the checkpoint, which Armenia considers a violation of the ceasefire.
Moscow brokered a ceasefire between the two countries after the latest bout of fighting in 2020 and posted peacekeepers along the Lachin corridor. With Russia bogged down in Ukraine and unwilling to strain ties with Azerbaijan's key ally Turkey, the United States and European Union have sought to steer a thaw in ties.
Mosesian Center Benefit to Honor Armenian Dance Company & Longtime Supporter of the Arts
May 2 2023
The following announcement was provided by Mosesian Center for the Arts:
The Mosesian Center for the Arts will hold its annual fundraising benefit on Wednesday, May 24. Themed MOVING FORWARD, this year’s event will celebrate Mosesian Arts’ strides toward becoming a regional destination for the performing and visual arts.
Honorees of the evening’s Mosesian Awards are internationally acclaimed Sayat Nova Dance Company, moving culture forward throughout the world, and local arts hero Barbara Epstein, who as first president of the Board of Directors helped put the wheels in motion for an arts center at the Arsenal. The ensembles of Sayat Nova Dance Company will perform, along with cast members of Mosesian Arts’ upcoming Watertown Children’s Theatre production of Singin’ in the Rain Jr. Tickets include international hors d’oeuvres, cash bar, awards and entertainment on the main stage, and a selection of desserts. Guests will also be among the first to see the accompanying gallery exhibition, Flow: Art Inspired by Movement & Sound.
According to Executive Director Darren Farrington, the theme MOVING FORWARD represents a determination to emerge from the public health and social and economic challenges of the past three years. “The arts community spent the first couple of years of the pandemic waiting to return to operations as they were before March 2020. After being reopened for over a year now, however, we see changes in audiences, in artists, and in the world, and we know that we can never go back to ‘before.’ The only path from here is ‘moving forward.’” To support the arts center’s path forward, event proceeds will support exceptional programs in visual and performing arts education, including Watertown Children’s Theatre; free art exhibitions, artist talks, and opening receptions in newly expanded galleries; and diverse events on MCA’s stages and in the community, including opportunities and access to the arts for older adults “Aging Creatively,” and American Sign Language (ASL) Storytime programs free of charge to libraries throughout Greater Boston and MetroWest.
The Mosesian Awards to be given at the event recognize individuals and organizations that exemplify the overarching commitment to the arts and this community shown by Charles Mosesian, an early major donor to the arts center.
Sayat Nova Dance Company, receiving the Mosesian Award for the Arts, preserves and promotes the Armenian culture through the art of dance. The company seeks to foster an atmosphere of friendship among individuals sharing the pride and indomitable spirit of the Armenian people, while educating multicultural awareness within all ethnic communities worldwide. Founded in 1986, they began a journey of bringing talented individuals together from all ages and backgrounds to join in bringing Armenian folk dance to life. The group performs extensively throughout the United States and Canada, as well as in Armenia, with each dance symbolizing the livelihood, the aspirations, the legends, the celebration of life, and appreciation of beauty.
Barbara Epstein, receiving the Mosesian Community Award, has worked to elevate and celebrate the arts throughout her 37 years in Watertown. She has been a member of the Watertown Cultural Council, enrichment coordinator for the Watertown elementary and middle schools, and president of the founding board that dreamed and launched the Mosesian Center for the Arts. She and a small ad hoc group instigated the master planning process that led to the establishment of the Watertown Public Arts and Culture Committee. YardArt, conceived during the 2020 pandemic, was her most recent project to harness art to strengthen community and honor the creativity within all of us.
Individual tickets and sponsorship packages are available at www.mosesianarts.org. The reception begins at 5:30 PM on Wednesday, May 24. Awards and entertainment will begin at 7:15 PM.
The Mosesian Center for the Arts is located at 321 Arsenal Street in Watertown, Massachusetts on the Arsenal on the Charles Campus. The venue is easily accessible from I-95/128, Routes 9, 16, 20, and 90 (Mass Pike), and the MBTA. See the “Getting Here” page on the venue’s website for detailed directions from various points and for information on free parking.
https://www.watertownmanews.com/2023/05/02/mosesian-center-for-the-arts-benefit-honoring-armenian-dance-company-longtime-supporter-of-the-arts/
Tensions Mount Over Russia-Patrolled Land Corridor Linking Armenia, Azerbaijan
THE EPOCH TIMES
May 2 2023
Tensions between Baku and Yerevan have mounted in recent weeks over a Russia-patrolled land corridor linking Armenia to the next-door Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Although most of Nagorno-Karabakh’s roughly 120,000 inhabitants are ethnic Armenians, the region is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.
Yerevan accuses Azerbaijan of blocking its only land route to the region—the so-called Lachin Corridor—in breach of a 2020 ceasefire agreement between the two former Soviet republics.
Baku, for its part, has stated that its actions conform to international law and accuses Armenia of using the corridor to funnel arms into Nagorno-Karabakh—a claim Yerevan denies.
On May 1, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosted the foreign ministers of both countries in Washington in an effort to resolve the impasse.
The talks, which reportedly included one-on-one meetings followed by a three-way discussion, weren’t expected to produce any immediate breakthroughs.
According to one State Department official, the discussions were mainly intended to let the two sides “sit down and talk to each other.”
"It’s most important that the two of them are able to continue their negotiations,” the official said.
A settlement in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, on Nov. 10, 2020. (Francesco Brembati/Reuters)
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Armenia captured most of Nagorno-Karabakh—an area of roughly 2,730 square miles—from neighboring Azerbaijan.
Armenia remained in control of the region until late 2020, when it fought a second war with Azerbaijan that saw the latter retake almost all lost territory.
The six-week conflict ended with a Moscow-brokered ceasefire agreement, while Russian peacekeepers were deployed along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border and along parts of the Lachin Corridor.
On April 27, the Russian Foreign Ministry said efforts were underway “by Russia’s peacekeeping contingent … and on the political level” to “bring the process back to the path outlined in the trilateral agreements of Nov. 9, 2020.”
Despite the 2020 ceasefire agreement, clashes between the two warring sides continue to flare up intermittently.
On April 11, seven soldiers were killed—three Azerbaijanis and four Armenians—during an armed clash near the Lachin Corridor.
An Armenian soldier fires artillery during the ongoing fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, on Oct. 25, 2020. (Aris Messinis/AFP via Getty Images)
The dispute was exacerbated on April 23 when Azerbaijan erected a military checkpoint near the opening of the Lachin Corridor.
In justification for the move, Baku accused Armenia of using the land route to bring military personnel and equipment—including landmines—into the region, in violation of the 2020 ceasefire agreement.
“In light of these provocations, the establishment of a border-control mechanism at the starting point of the Lachin road will provide transparency over road traffic and ensure security,” the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
It went on to assert that the checkpoint, which operates in conjunction with the Russian peacekeeping contingent, wouldn’t impede civilian traffic.
But Yerevan said that the checkpoint violates the terms of the 2020 ceasefire agreement, which stipulates that the corridor must be kept open.
Armenian officials have also claimed that inhabitants of Nagorno-Karabakh are now facing food shortages because of the corridor’s alleged closure.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) shakes hands with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan before a meeting with leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region’s future at the Kremlin in Moscow on Jan. 11, 2021. (Mikhail Klimentyev/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)
Last week, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna visited both capitals in an effort to mediate the crisis.
At a joint press conference with Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov on April 27, Colonna sharply criticized what she described as the “unilateral measures” taken by Baku.
“Freedom of movement in the corridor is essential to reestablish trust,” she said.
Bayramov responded by saying that, since late 2020, Baku had repeatedly warned that Armenia was using the corridor to funnel arms into Nagorno-Karabakh.
“But I don’t remember France making any statement against Armenia,” he said.
One day earlier, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the issue.
According to a subsequent statement released by the Kremlin, the two leaders “discussed developments around Nagorno-Karabakh with a focus on resolving practical tasks to ensure stability and security in the region.”
“In the context of the current situation in the Lachin Corridor, they confirmed the importance of strict observance of the … fundamental agreements reached [in November 2020] by the leaders of Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan,” the statement reads.
Shortly after the phone call between Putin and Pashinyan, Moscow appointed Col. Gen. Alexander Lentsov, deputy commander of Russian ground forces, to lead its peacekeeping mission in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Armenia is a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, a six-nation military alliance led by Moscow.
Although Azerbaijan maintains good relations with Russia, it isn’t a member of the alliance.
Reuters contributed to this report.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/tensions-mount-over-russia-patrolled-land-corridor-linking-armenia-azerbaijan_5234100.html