Category: 2023

Feb 23 2023

By some accounts it was a historic occasion. On 18 February, during the annual Munich Security Conference in Germany, the Armenian, Azerbaijani, and Georgian leaders shared the same stage for the first time since the former Soviet Union collapsed. The panel, “Moving Mountains: How to ensure security in the South Caucasus,” also included OSCE Secretary General Helga Scmid.

On the eve of the discussion, however, the name of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was noticeably absent. While some tweeted their abhorrence at this omission, others instead sighed in relief given that the last time he shared a stage with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the same event in 2020, the discussion quickly descended into bickering and mutual accusation.

“Never do this again,” tweeted  International Crisis Group (ICG) Senior Analyst Olesya Vartanyan at the time.

But do it again they did, albeit in an extended format and even if Pashinyan’s presence came as a last minute surprise to everyone.

“His name was not mentioned in the initial proposal given to me,” Aliyev told reporters. "He probably decided to attend last night. I think this is a good development because, finally, some cooperation among the three South Caucasus countries can be started.”

The Azerbaijani President also told media that the idea of establishing a regional format in Tbilisi could be discussed, echoing similar comments from EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia, Toivo Klaar, 10 days earlier.

“It is very important that the three countries of the South Caucasus work together and contribute to peace,” Klaar said in an interview with the Georgian Public Broadcaster. “And here the role of Georgia as a bridge between Armenia and Azerbaijan is very important.”

Despite trepidation at how the panel would turn out, there were also even more positive signs.

Just hours before the panel discussion, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had facilitated a trilateral meeting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders on the sidelines of the conference. Accompanying them were Armenian Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, his counterpart Jeyhun Baramov, and Azerbaijani Presidential Advisor Hikmet Hajiyev.

In essence, the three main officials involved in the Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiation processes were present in one room. Accompanying the U.S. Secretary of State were also Assistant Secretary of State Karen Donfried and the newly appointed Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations, Louis L. Bono.

“We believe that Armenia and Azerbaijan have a genuinely historic opportunity to secure enduring peace after more than 30 years of conflict,” Blinken told media in an address before the meeting continued behind closed doors.

This too was arguably a historic occasion. It was the first time that the Biden Administration had managed to gather the Armenian and Azerbaijan leaders together. Last year, Blinken had only convened a meeting of the two foreign ministers while U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan had brought together Armen Grigoryan and Hikmet Hajiyev in Washington D.C..

Aliyev described the talks as constructive and also confirmed that Baku had received Yerevan’s latest comments and suggestions on the text of a possible bilateral peace treaty, but it was clear that differences remain.

“At first glance, there is progress in Armenia’s position, but it is not sufficient,” Aliyev said. He also announced that during the meeting he had proposed Yerevan set up border checks on a still yet-to-be-opened route connecting Azerbaijan via Armenia to its exclave of Nakhichevan. In turn, Baku would introduce its own checkpoints on the Lachin Corridor connecting Armenia to Karabakh through Azerbaijan.

Referred to in Azerbaijani circles as the “Zangezur Corridor,” disagreement over how the Nakhichevan route would operate has been a major sticking point in the negotiation process for at least a year. It is also one of the possible reasons for the current impasse on the Lachin Corridor where self-proclaimed Azerbaijani ‘eco-activists’ have restricted traffic in what can be considered a partial blockade.

For over two months, vehicles from the Russian peacekeeping forces and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) can travel on the Lachin Corridor or transport humanitarian assistance to the ethnic Armenian population of Karabakh. This was naturally brought up in the meeting with Blinken.

“Nikol Pashinyan stressed the fact of the illegal blockade of Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan and the resulting humanitarian, environmental and energy crisis in Nagorno Karabakh,” an official Armenian statement read, though also ending on a positive note. “The continuity of the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan was highlighted.”

But despite what appeared to be further commitment to that process, the mood deteriorated in the panel discussion that followed soon after even if opening remarks from Aliyev were encouraging.

“We had our own war two years ago, which lasted 44 days,” he stated. “We know what tragedy war brings to people. Azerbaijan and Armenia must demonstrate how important peace is. We are currently working on a peace agreement. And this can be a good example of how making peace can end the grief and tragedies of conflicts.”

But rather than build on that to explore the possibilities of regional peace, stability, and security, questions from the moderator, Munich Security Conference chair Christoph Heusgen, saw the mood between Aliyev and Pashinyan quickly deteriorate, leaving the Georgian Prime Minister, Irakli Garibashvili, uncomfortably sandwiched in-between. Lachin, of course, was the issue.

“The continuation of the crisis may cause irreversible humanitarian consequences for the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh,” Pashinyan charged, referring to the long-running standoff. In response, Aliyev demanded that the term “Nagorno Karabakh” no longer be used in international circles.

Pashinyan countered that the term was in the November 2020 ceasefire statement and also that the Lachin Corridor was had not been put under Azerbaijan’s control.

But in a bewildering turn, Pashinyan then referred to Baku’s claims that dozens of mosques had been destroyed by Armenian forces during the nearly three decades it effectively controlled seven adjacent regions to the former Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO). Those territories were returned to Baku after the 2020 war, but Aliyev had not raised the issue of mosques during the panel.

“It seems that Azerbaijan is trying to give this whole situation a religious context. But there is no religious context to this conflict. There is a Muslim minority in Armenia, and we have a functioning mosque,” claimed Pashinyan, presumably referring to the tiny remnants of what remains of Armenia’s Muslim Kurdish community and the Blue Mosque in central Yerevan.

Nonetheless, Pashinyan attempted to end on a more constructive note.

“We have a very complicated history,” he said. “And this is also a historical meeting, but for what purpose do we want to use it? To stir up intolerance, hatred, aggressive rhetoric? Or, on the contrary, use this platform to improve the situation?”

Aliyev too, in a response to a question from the audience, also reiterated Baku’s commitment to the Brussel Process of peace talks with Yerevan as facilitated by European Council President Charles Michel. However, he nonetheless had also earlier justified the devastating 2020 war that saw over 6,000 people killed.

“Peace negotiations sometimes take too long. Ours lasted 28 years. This suited Armenia and its supporters, who wanted to continue the occupation of our lands,” he said, also referring to the November 2020 ceasefire statement that ended the war the same year as ‘an act of capitulation,’ angering Armenians watching.

Despite technical problems with the livestream, what could have proven a constructive and historic opportunity for the three leaders in the South Caucasus to discuss regional cooperation and security, the panel instead laid bear the divisions and disparate positions that have afflicted the region for over thirty years.

Nonetheless, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken remained positive about his own meeting with the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders. “Pleased to hear that the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process is on track and negotiations between the two sides are continuing,” he tweeted  the next day, almost as if the more contentious panel discussion had never taken place.

In a press briefing on 22 February, U.S. State Department Spokesperson Ned Price also sounded upbeat and told reporters that the Armenian and Azerbaijani “parties come together in Brussels in the coming days in the talks hosted by President Michel of the EU. […] there has been significant progress that we’ve taken note of. We are going to do everything we can to see that progress continue”.

https://www.balcanicaucaso.org/eng/Areas/Armenia/Armenia-Azerbaijan-a-difficult-dialogue-223622

Feb 24 2023

“Armenia attaches great importance in the development of multifaceted cooperation with Iraqi Kurdistan and we are ready to continue to take practical steps and actions in this direction.” 

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Armenia’s Consul General Arshak Manoukian told Kurdistan 24 that Armenia attaches great importance in the development of multifaceted cooperation with Iraqi Kurdistan “and we are ready to continue to take practical steps and actions in this direction.”

Read More: Armenia opens consulate in the Kurdistan Region

The Armenian Consulate General was opened in Erbil two years on Feb. 24. “We are happy to acknowledge the rich agenda and solid activities that have been shaped during this short time,” Armenia’s Consul General Arshak Manoukian said.

Political

“Today we can note with satisfaction that during the last two years we had high-level bilateral reciprocal visits, which will contribute to further deepening our bilateral relations,” he added.

On Feb. 17, President Nechirvan Barzani met with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Munich, on the sidelines of the Munich Security conference.

During the meeting, they discussed the importance of Armenia’s trade relations with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region and also highlighted the situation of the Kurdish Diaspora in Armenia and the Armenian Diaspora in the Kurdistan Region.

“We also attach importance to promoting the collaboration between the Armenian and Kurdish Diasporas in the world,” Armenia’s Consul General Arshak Manoukian noted.

Armenia also has good relations with the Kurdistan parliament. In December last year,a delegation from Kurdistan Parliament’s Martyrs, Genocide and Political Prisoners Committee participated in the 4th Global Forum on Genocide in Armenia.

“We consider the parliamentarian cooperation as an effective format to expand bilateral relations,” Armenian Consul General Manoukian stated. “I would like to note with satisfaction that there are good prospects for promoting decentralized cooperation.”

Trade

In May 2022, the Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani met the Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan in Davos, Switzerland and discussed strengthening relations between the Kurdistan Region and Armenia, especially in the trade and investment sector. 

Read More: PM Barzani discusses trade and investment with Armenian President Khachaturyan

“We can note with satisfaction that the trade-economic relations between Armenia and the Kurdistan Region are flourishing,” the Armenian Consul added. “The trade turnover between Armenia and Iraq in 2022 reached 250 million dollars, a big part of which belongs to the Kurdistan Region.”

“Armenia considers Kurdistan Region an important partner to export its products to the Middle Eastern market,” he added. However, he said he does believe “there is still untapped potential in our trade-economic relations. “The Armenian-Kurdish business forums held in Armenia in May 2022 are productive steps to explore new ways for further deepening our trade-economic relations.”

Education

He also added they have “great untapped potential in the scientific education field. According to the statistical information, we have about 400 Kurdish students studying in private universities. We would like to encourage the youth of Iraqi Kurdistan to consider studying in Armenian public universities.”

“I am glad to note as well that the Diplomatic School of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia conducted two training programs during the last two years for the junior diplomats of various governmental agencies of the Kurdistan Region,” told Manoukian

He also announced that Armenia is ready to discuss the allocation of some scholarships for the students of the Kurdistan Region. “Since the opening of the Consulate General of Armenia in Erbil, we have expanded our academic activities,” he said.

“We also have good prospects of cooperation between universities and academic centers of Armenia and Kurdistan Region. We are ready to share with our friends the academic experience of Armenia, including genocide studies.”

Humanitarian cooperation

He also said Armenia is aware of the dire humanitarian situation of nearly one million IDPs (internally displaced persons) and refugees in the Kurdistan Region.

“In 2022, the Government of Armenia provided humanitarian assistance to the Yezidi IDPs and refugees in the Kurdistan Region,” he said.

“One of the potential fields of humanitarian cooperation is de-mining. I am glad to note that the governmental agencies of Armenia and Kurdistan Region paid reciprocal visits and signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in 2022.”

He also stressed that Armenia provided assistance to the Syrian people and cleared “affected regions from the mines and explosive materials.”

“I hope that the agreements will be fulfilled in the near future, which will help to make Kurdistan Region a more prosperous and secure place,” he said.

Nagorno Karabakh

Last Wednesday, the International Court of Justice issued a legally binding verdict against Azerbaijan, ordering it to take all necessary measures to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. Azerbaijan has continued to put a blockade on the corridor that is the only land access that connects Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia.

“As you may know, since December 2022, Azerbaijan in violation of trilateral declaration signed on November 9, unilaterally blocked the only lifeline that connects the people of Nagorno Karabakh to the entire world, threatening another ethnic cleansing of the Nagorno Karabakh people,” Manoukian said.

“Thirt-five years ago, in 1988, the peaceful liberation movement started in Nagorno Karabakh. The resolution, adopted by XX Session of the Nagorno Karabakh Council of People’s Deputies on February 20, 1988, was in essence a constitutional claim to replace Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh from Soviet Azerbaijan into Soviet Armenia,” Manoukian stated.

“Azerbaijani official reaction to this was rather prompt. A week later, in the Azerbaijani town of Sumgait – 20 km from the capital Baku– horrific pogroms of Armenians began.”

Arshak Manoukian added: “As The Nobel Peace Prize laureate Andrei Sakharov says: “If anyone could doubt it before Sumgait, then after this tragedy,  no one has a moral justification to insist on preserving the territorial ownership of Nagorno Karabakh to Azerbaijan”.

The Nagorno-Karabakh area declared independence in 1991, following the break-up of the Soviet Union.

Following the declaration, 30,000 people died in a conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over this territory, but both agreed on a ceasefire in 1994. But clashes have periodically broken out in areas near Nagorno-Karabakh and the Azerbaijani-Armenian border, including in 2020, which killed nearly 7,000 soldiers and the death of 170 civilians. Also in September, clashes erupted again.

“Despite the declarations of the international community (US, Russia, France, and other European countries and organizations) to end this inhuman act, Azerbaijan continues its policy of Armenophobia,” Manoukian stated.

“The continuing state-sponsored policy of anti-Armenianism in Azerbaijan and ethnocide against Armenian cultural heritage is yet another proof of the impossibility for a second forceful inclusion of an Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh into Azerbaijan,” he added.

Feb 23 2023

Azerbaijan “is attempting to force the population of Nagorno Karaback to leave” through intimidation and the continuing blockade of the Lachin Corridor since December 12th last, Armenian ambassador to Ireland and the UK Varuzhan Nersesyan has said.

Mr Nersesyan, who is on a two-day visit to Dublin this week, claims Azerbaijan was carrying out “a policy of ethnic cleansing in a hidden way”.

On December 12th Azerbaijani “self-proclaimed environmentalists” began protesting on the Lachin Corridor road over what they claim is the illegal exploitation of natural resources by Armenia in the Karabakh region, he said. Mr Nersesyan also claimed Azerbaijan has been turning off gas and electricity supplies to Nagorno-Karabakh and its 120,000 population.

“The ‘protests’ are nothing short of an orchestrated stunt designed to squeeze the region’s majority Armenian population into leaving altogether, also known as ethnic cleansing,” Mr Nersesyan said.

“The blockade clearly violates the trilateral statement of November 9th, 2020, which says the Lachin Corridor shall remain under the control of Russian peacekeepers while Azerbaijan guarantees the safe movement of citizens, vehicles, and cargo.”

Nagorno-Karabakh is about 3,170 sq km in size and home to an ethnic Armenian majority supported by the Armenian government as a self-declared republic, though it is widely internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan. The area was the subject of a war that killed tens of thousands in the 1990s and again two years ago. Negotiations have failed to produce a lasting settlement.

“Thousands of lives are in peril in Nagorno-Karabakh and the blockade of it must be lifted immediately. That’s the assessment of Amnesty International earlier this month,” said Mr Nersesyan. The population there was “on the brink of famine”, he said.

“Over 400 tonnes of goods, food and medical supplies were delivered through the Lachin Corridor on a daily basis before the blockade, which will soon be in place for three months,” he said, “while basics like fruit and vegetables have almost vanished”, and there are now “severe shortages of baby formula and medicines”.

[ ‘No-one helps us … we are on our own.’ Nagorno-Karabakh’s brutal war ]

Mr Nersesyan is in Ireland to brief the Irish people, the Government and relevant authorities about the situation but also “to deepen, enhance and develop” relationships between Ireland and Armenia, not least as a newly appointed ambassador.

Describing the Azerbaijanis behind the blockade as “self-proclaimed environmentalists”, he noted how it had been condemned at the UN last December where Ireland had called on the UN Security Council to do “everything it can to prevent another human-made catastrophe emerging on its watch” and said Azerbaijan should “immediately restore movement along the corridor”.

Unicef also said the corridor “must be reopened immediately” as “the longer the situation persists, the more children will experience the lack of basic food items”.

Last Friday vice-president of the European Commission Josep Borrell called on Azerbaijan “to take the measures that are within its jurisdiction to ensure freedom and security of movement along the corridor”. He said the EU “remains seriously concerned about the distress the ongoing restrictions to freedom of movement and to the supply of vital goods are causing for the local population”.

Mr Nersesyan recalled “the destruction and desecration of many churches” in Nagorno-Karabakh during the 2020 conflict with predominantly Muslim Azerbijan. Subsequently Armenia called on Unesco to visit the area “but Azerbijan won’t allow access”, he said.

Feb 24 2023

 

Source

• IOM

 

 

Posted

23 Feb 2023 

 

Originally published

9 Sep 2022 

 

Origin

View original

1.1. ABOUT IOM

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the UN’s leading agency on migration and the leading intergovernmental organization in the field of migration, working closely with its key stakeholders – migrants and Member States – to promote humane, safe, and orderly migration. It does so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants from an integral and holistic perspective, including links to development, in order to maximize the benefits and opportunities of migration and reduce its challenges. Established in 1951, IOM now has more than 170 Member States, offices in over 400 field locations and more than 14,000 staff – 90 percent of IOM’s staff being deployed in the field. In the South Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia region, IOM has 19 country offices. In Armenia, IOM has a main office and two sub-offices in Yerevan, and 18 staff.

As recognized in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, human mobility is indivisible from sustainable development. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – and the commitment to leave no one behind and to reach the furthest behind – will not be achieved without due consideration of migration. Additionally, the Global Compact for Migration is grounded in the 2030 Agenda and promotes the principles of having a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to address this intrinsic link. This Strategy will support the Member States to achieve this, ultimately leveraging the potential of migration through a whole-of-government approach to achieve sustainable development outcomes for all. It is a direct contribution to the Decade of Action to fast-track progress for reaching the Sustainable Development Goals. It brings greater coherence and development impact to IOM’s activities and allows for a joined-up approach to the way the Organization designs and delivers its operations, as called for in IOM’s Strategic Vision.

IOM’s Strategic Vision, presented to IOM Member States in 2019, spans the period of 2019 to 2023. The Vision articulates how IOM plans to meet its new and emerging responsibilities, including IOM’s mandated role as Network Coordinator. It sets out the ‘direction of travel’ for IOM, is forward looking and encourages ‘joined up thinking’. This Strategy is aligned with the Vision, its corresponding Regional Strategy for South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia and the IOM Strategic Results Framework, which are anchored in the overall framework of the 2030 Agenda and the Global Compact for Migration.

1.2. IOM IN ARMENIA

IOM Armenia, one of the first UN offices in Armenia, opened in 1993, when the Republic of Armenia (RA) became an IOM Member State. IOM activities in the country are designed and implemented in line with the key documents signed with the Government of Armenia (GoA), including the Cooperation Agreement on Privileges and Immunities in 1994 and the Memorandum of Understanding in 2001 and the overall UN-Armenia framework agreements.

An advocate of strong partnerships with key stakeholders in migration nationally and internationally, IOM Armenia enjoys an excellent reputation and the trust of the Government of Armenia and partners. Since 2021, IOM has assumed the role of the Coordinator and Secretariat of the UN Network on Migration in the Republic of Armenia.

For three decades, IOM Armenia has been a key contributor to the reforms of migration policies and management in Armenia through policy advice; generation of quality evidence; extensive capacity building; technical assistance; awareness raising, and importantly, assistance to various groups of migrants.

With well-established, reliable operations and programming in Armenia, and experienced and professional staff, IOM Armenia is a competitive, result-oriented organization, committed to results-based management and value for money principles for the projects and programmes it manages. It has a sound institutional setup, with policies on data protection, ethics, rights-based approach, gender-sensitivity, values, monitoring and learning systems in place.

IOM Armenia’s programming addresses a large scope of migration issues, in line with Armenia’s international, regional, and bilateral agreements, and in support of Armenia’s Government Program, relevant strategies, concepts and national action plans. IOM Armenia’s migration management and humanitarian programmes take a multi-faceted approach to migration, in line with the Government of Armenia priorities in labour migration and human development, migration and social cohesion, assisted voluntary return and reintegration, integrated border management and counter-trafficking, towards securing sustainable and human-centred solutions. IOM Armenia is well positioned to mobilize the resources of the IOM globally to ensure rapid response to emerging country needs, including emergency response and management of compound crisis situations in Armenia.

With excellent knowledge of migration and development in Armenia, expertise in data collection and analysis, including facilitated access to a variety of data sources on migration management, as well as strong technical capacity, IOM Armenia provides strategic direction, technical advice and support to the GoA in the areas of policy, regulatory and institutional frameworks of comprehensive, human rights-based and effective migration management, prevention of irregular migration, labour migration and pre-departure support, negotiations of bilateral labour agreements (BLAs), assisted voluntary return and reintegration, readmission management, humanitarian border management, counter-trafficking response, migration data and management information systems, as well as COVID-19 vulnerabilities related to migration. It serves as a knowledge hub in the sector for the government, development partners, civil society and private sector.

IOM Armenia has assisted the GoA in developing and reforming its migration governance system through providing assistance to stakeholders for enhancing the relevant policy and regulatory frameworks. Specifically, IOM Armenia assisted the Government of Armenia in its border management reform by supporting expansion of the Border Management Information System to all border crossing points of the Republic of Armenia, and improvement of the security standards in Zvartnots International Airport. IOM Armenia supported the reforms in migration management, including introduction of the system of electronic passports and biometric identification cards. Recently, it supported the GoA in developing the Conceptual Framework of Migration Management. IOM provided technical assistance to the Government of Armenia in elaboration of policy and legislative frameworks to regulate labour migration, including amendments to the Law on Foreigners, Administrative Offences Code, and Labour Code of the Republic of Armenia. As a result of IOM Armenia’s advocacy, Armenia became a signatory to the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families in 2013. IOM Armenia has consistently supported the Government of Armenia in its efforts to prevent and combat human trafficking by supporting the development of the National Plans of Action to Combat Human Trafficking; and lobbying for the ratification of the UN Convention on Transnational Organized Crime and its protocols; and criminalization of human trafficking.

IOM Armenia has made significant contributions to the development of the institutional framework for migration governance in Armenia by developing the Work Permit Issuance System in Armenia in line with the best international standards and practices; establishing the Migration Resource Centre, which provides free consultations to potential migrants and informs returnees about the existing reintegration programmes; and facilitating the connection of the central units at the Police Headquarters and Yerevan Zvartnots Airport to the Interpol I-24/7 telecommunication database system. IOM Armenia developed knowledge products and practical toolkits to raise awareness of migration issues, challenges and support mechanisms in the country, such as the counter trafficking course, currently included in the middle and high school, as well as a university curriculum; and a toolkit for processing readmission cases in Armenia. In collaboration with UNFPA Armenia, IOM supported the Government of Armenia and the Statistical Committee of the Republic of Armenia (Armstat) in development of the SDG National Reporting Platform.

IOM Armenia has played a key role in ensuring Armenia’s international presence and cooperation in migration. It supported the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to participate in the negotiations of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM), which Armenia subsequently voted in favour of in 2018, and has since submitted two Voluntary National Progress Reviews on Implementation of GCM in 2018 and 2021. To enable a safe environment for circular migration of Armenians, IOM facilitated negotiations for bilateral labour agreements between Armenia and destination countries. In 2011-2013 IOM facilitated policy seminars on migration between Armenia and the EU, furthering the dialogue between Armenia and the EU in the context of the EU-Armenia Mobility Partnership, Visa Facilitation and Readmission Agreements.

https://reliefweb.int/report/armenia/iom-armenia-mission-strategy-2022-2025