Category: 2023

 10:55,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 24, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan sent a congratulatory message to Kaja Kallas, Prime Minister of the Republic of Estonia, on the occasion of the national holiday.

"Your Excellency,

I congratulate you on the national holiday of the Republic of Estonia, the Independence Day.

I would like to note with satisfaction the high level of friendly relations between Armenia and Estonia in the field of politics, as well as different economic spheres of mutual interest.

We highly appreciate the willingness of Estonia, one of Armenia's important partners in Europe, to support the democratic reforms and public administration improvement processes being implemented in Armenia.

We also attach importance to Estonia's support in the further development of the Armenia-EU partnership, as well as in the implementation of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement.

Taking this opportunity, I wish you new success, and peace and prosperity to the friendly people of Estonia,” the Armenian Prime Minister said in the letter by his office.

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1104928.html?fbclid=IwAR05nHnziw9SsVDmppC179HQ-8zBNU-FYjv7BTdeBIOi_sOYklKsrxUvUlk

 11:03,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 24, ARMENPRESS. The United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken underscored the need for free and open commercial and private transit through the Lachin corridor, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said at a press briefing.

“…we have made clear through our word and our deed that we are ready and able to help the parties – Armenia and Azerbaijan – advance progress on these very difficult questions in any way that we can. We have done so bilaterally, we have done so trilaterally with the parties, including when Secretary Blinken sat down with his Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts in Munich. We are and have been working with and through our partners. We’re very supportive of the EU process, and I should note that there is an offer from President Michel of the EU to host the parties in Brussels. It’s an opportunity, should they accept it, to sit down to continue the progress that we’ve seen in recent weeks.

When it comes to the Lachin corridor, the Secretary raised this in his engagement with the prime minister and with the president in Munich last weekend. He underscored the need for free and open commercial and private transit through the Lachin corridor. He also called on the parties to open other transportation routes. We think it in the first instance is incumbent on the parties themselves to resolve these impediments to the free flow of goods, including humanitarian assistance to the people who need it most in this corridor, and we’re going to focus our diplomacy on attempting to bring – to help bring that about,” Price said.

Asked when the Brussels meeting is expected to take place, Price said: “My understanding is that the invitation and the opportunity has been extended to the parties. Ultimately, it’s going to have to be up to the parties themselves – our Armenian partners, our Azerbaijani partners – to speak to their potential participation in any such meeting.”

The Lachin Corridor is blocked by Azerbaijan since 12 December 2022.

 11:09,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 24, ARMENPRESS. President of the European Council Charles Michel has extended an invitation to Armenia and Azerbaijan to hold talks in Brussels, the United States Department of State spokesperson Ned Price said at a press briefing.

Price had earlier announced the planned EU-mediated Armenia-Azerbaijan summit at the February 23 briefing.

“We’re very supportive of the EU process, and I should note that there is an offer from President Michel of the EU to host the parties in Brussels. It’s an opportunity, should they accept it, to sit down to continue the progress that we’ve seen in recent weeks,” Price said.

Asked when the Brussels meeting is expected to take place, Price said: “My understanding is that the invitation and the opportunity has been extended to the parties. Ultimately, it’s going to have to be up to the parties themselves – our Armenian partners, our Azerbaijani partners – to speak to their potential participation in any such meeting.”

 11:50,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 24, ARMENPRESS. Secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan held a meeting with EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia Toivo Klaar.

Grigoryan and Klaar discussed the course of implementation of the agreements reached within the framework of the Brussels format of the Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations, Grigoryan’s office said in a read-out.

Views were exchanged around issues concerning the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement.

 12:24,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 24, ARMENPRESS. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) welcomed the order by the International Court of Justice on the indication of a provisional measure to Azerbaijan.  

“We welcome the Order by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) dated 22 February on the indication of a provisional measure to Azerbaijan, obliging the latter to “take all measures at its disposal to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions”. This court order is a logical continuation of previous provisional measures indicated by the ICJ on 7 December 2021, and obliging Azerbaijan to “prevent the incitement and promotion of racial hatred and discrimination, including by its officials and public institutions, targeted at persons of Armenian national or ethnic origin”.

We deem it important that when considering the case, the ICJ noted that the blockade may constitute a violation by Azerbaijan of the rights of the people of Artsakh protected under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. The ICJ order allows to define the ongoing blockade of Artsakh as a manifestation of discriminatory actions deliberately carried out by the Azerbaijani authorities. Of particular importance is also the Court's conclusion that the ongoing blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan entails a real and imminent risk that irreparable harm will be caused to the rights of the people of Artsakh. Thus, while indicating a provisional measure to Azerbaijan, the International Court of Justice used the tools available within their competence to protect the people of Artsakh from racial discrimination by Azerbaijan. 

The Court's decision is an objective confirmation of the repeatedly voiced position of Artsakh that the blockade is just another episode of Azerbaijan's decades-long discriminatory policies aimed at expelling the people of Artsakh from their historical homeland. The criminal policy of Azerbaijan, carried out against the people of Artsakh and bearing a large-scale and systematic character, is defined by international law as a crime against humanity. The international community in general and the UN member states in particular have legal and political obligations to take effective steps to prevent such massive human rights violations, as well as restore the violated rights. 

In this context, we call on the international community to take effective measures to ensure the immediate and unconditional implementation by Azerbaijan of the order of the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. At the same time, we deem it necessary to systematically and thoroughly consider at the international level the issue of the legal protection of the people of Artsakh from the Azerbaijani policy of massive violations of their rights. We are convinced that in their approaches to resolving the conflict between Artsakh and Azerbaijan, the international community, as an effective remedy, should acknowledge the legitimacy of the Artsakh people's choice for independence. Any discussion of the possibility of recognizing Azerbaijani jurisdiction and control over Artsakh and its people is tantamount to encouraging Azerbaijan's policy of ethnic cleansing,” the Artsakh foreign ministry said in a statement.

The United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice – ordered Azerbaijan on Wednesday to “take all steps at its disposal” to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. The Lachin Corridor is blocked by Azerbaijan since 12 December 2022.

 13:16,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 24, ARMENPRESS. Artsakh is facing very serious changes as it did in 1988, when the movement began, ex-State Minister Ruben Vardanyan said at the Imperative of International Recognition of Artsakh seminar in Yerevan through video call from Stepanakert.

Vardanyan said that independence first of all comes from the desire of the people and not from international organizations.

“I’ve been in Artsakh for the past six months and I can say for sure that this is how the majority of Artsakhians think, they can’t picture themselves in any option other than being independent. At the same time, we have a problem, people lost their faith in themselves, faith for justice, leadership and the future. It is very difficult to struggle if you don’t have faith,” Vardanyan said.

Today, Artsakh is facing very serious changes as it did in 1988, when the movement began, Vardanyan said.

“We weren’t only discussing the issue of the independence of Artsakh, we were discussing our values, our principles, what we were ready for and what not. It so happened that we have an independent Armenia, a Diaspora, we have 120,000 Armenians living in Artsakh, who want to join Armenia, but at the same time we have an objective that in this situation the first step we must do is to bring the path of Artsakh’s independence and self-determination to its rightful completion,” Vardanyan said.

He said they will overcome the hardships only when this will be the priority for everyone, every day. “And having gone through these six months, having gained this experience, on one hand I am sure that we have substantial grounds that Artsakh will remain Armenian, Artsakh will remain independent and Artsakh will not be surrendered,” he said.