Category: 2023

The official opening ceremony of the EU observation mission takes place in Armenia

Hovik Karapetian

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 21:17,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 20, ARMENPRESS. On February 20, the work of the European Union observation mission in Armenia started, the official opening ceremony was held, ARMENPRESS reports MP Arsen Torosyan wrote on his "Facebook" page.

"The operational headquarters of the mission will be located in the town of Yeghegnadzor, Vayots Dzor.

At the official opening ceremony, Stefano Tomat, the Civilian Operations Commander of the European External Action Service of the EU, Markus Ritter, Head of the European Union Mission in Armenia, Armen Grigiryan, secretary of the Security Council of Armenia, the deputy head of the EU delegation delivered speeches, emphasizing the importance of the mission in establishing peace in the region and helping our citizens living in border areas from the point of view of well-being and security," said Arsen Torosyan.

Maria Zakharova comments on the deployment of EU civilian observation mission in the border regions of Armenia

Lara Chatinian

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 21:25,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 20, ARMENPRESS. The official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Maria Zakharova referred to the start of the work of the EU civilian observation mission in the border regions of Armenia, answering the question of a journalist.

ARMENPRESS reports, the message posted on the official website of the Russian Foreign Ministry states that the journalist asked the following question. "On February 20, the European Union’s civilian observation mission in the border regions of Armenia begins its work. What can you say about this?"

"Emphasizing the exclusively civilian nature of the new mission, the representatives of the European Union are not honest. It is in the sidelines of the EU's Common Security and Defense Policy, so it needs to be treated accordingly. Alas, it is not the first time that we record the desire of the EU and the entire West to strengthen its positions in our ally Armenia by all means.

In those attempts, we see only a geopolitical context, which is far from the interests of real normalization of relations in Transcaucasia. Everything is being done to push Russia out of the region and weaken its historical role as the main guarantor of security. Publicly expressed negative assessments of Baku regarding this initiative are ignored," replied Zakharova.

According to Zakharova, the experience of the European Union's participation in the settlement of various regional conflicts is ambiguous. "Brussels can hardly boast of success in this field. For example, mediation efforts and the EU mission in the Serbian state of Kosovo. This should be taken into account when evaluating the EU decision on the new mission in Armenia," she noted.

Maria Zakharova assured that the package of agreements between the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia remains the main factor of stability and security in the region in the foreseeable future. "The shortest way to improve the situation in the region is through their comprehensive implementation, including the unblocking of transport communications, the demarcation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the establishment of relations between the publics, experts, religious circles, parliamentarians of the two countries, as well as the negotiations towards a peace treaty. The Russian Federation is ready to contribute to this in every possible way," emphasized the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Armenpress: A 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck the Turkey-Syria border region

Arpi Talalian

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 21:46,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 20, ARMENPRESS. A new earthquake occurred on the border between Turkey and Syria, ARMENPRESS reports, citing RIA Novosti, European seismologists reported that the magnitude of the earthquake was 6.3.

The underground tremors were registered at 21:04 Yerevan time, 9 km from the city of Antakya in Turkey and 75 km from Syrian Latakia. The epicenter of the earthquake was at a depth of 2 km. The tremors were also felt in Lebanon, Israel and Cyprus.

Asbarez: Pashinyan, Aliyev Spar During Munich Panel Discussion

Emil Lazarian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Latest, News, Top Stories

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at a panel discussion in Munich on Feb. 18


Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan sparred at a panel discussion during the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, hours after meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss the process of normalization of relations between the two countries.

The panel discussion also included Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and the Secretary General of the OSCE Helga Schmid and was moderated by Chairman of the Munich Security Conference Christoph Heusgen.

Aliyev peppered his remarks by advancing the false narratives of his country and reiterating his claims that “there is no such administrative unit as Nagorno Karabakh and that the word Nagorno Karabakh is no longer valid.” He also accused Armenia of destroying and desecrating mosques. The Azerbaijani leader also said that the November 9, 2020 agreement constituted a “capitulation” by Armenia.

In his response Pashinyan reminded Aliyev that the November 9, 2020 statement signed by Aliyev himself contains the words “Nagorno Karabakh” and cautioned the Azerbaijani leader against making highly dangerous statements that could be viewed as attempts to give religious context to the situation or deepen enmity. Pashinyan said the platform must be used to make things better.

“About Nagorno Karabakh. You know, President [Aliyev] mentioned the tilateral statement, which has provisions that include Nagorno Karabakh and we have signature of the president of Azerbaijan under this document,” Pashinyan said. “And we have the Lachin corridor that should be freely operable — and by the way according to that trilateral statement — outside of Azerbaijan’s control, and it carries the signature of president of Azerbaijan.”

To illustrate his point, Pashinyan recalled the recent incident when children traveling to Artsakh after the Lachin Corridor blockade on a convoy led by the International Committee of the Red Cross, masked Azerbaijani men stormed the vehicles and terrorized the passengers.

He said through Baku’s actions and accusations it could be concluded that Azerbaijan is advancing a policy of revenge. Pashinyan added that the mandate presented to them as leaders of their respective countries should be used to advance more tolerance and transparency.

“I am proud that our government was able to have free, democratic elections in our country that was acknowledged internationally as free, democratic and transparent and competitive event after the war. And as I said, from our point of view the solution is democracy, the solution is transparency, solution is dialogue, respect, for all countries in our region. And we are ready to work in that direction,” Pashinyan said.

Heusgen, the Munich Security Conference chair and the moderator asked Pashinyan to address the Lachin Corridor blockade.

“It already has been 70 days that the Lachin corridor is blocked and now unfortunately we have a humanitarian crisis in Nagorno Karabakh, and an anergy crisis as well because electricity supplies to Nagorno Karabakh have been cut off, and the gas supplies as well have been shut down,” said Pashinyan.

“We have counted and during last 70 days the gas supplies were cut off at least 10 times and it is a problem that should be addressed. And our position is that in the trilateral statement from November 9, 2020 we have very precise provisions connected with the Lachin corridor, and according to that statement it is the obligation of Azerbaijan and the Russian peacekeepers to keep the Lachin corridor operable,” explained Pashinyan.

“Now, unfortunately, we have totally different situation and I meant Lachin corridor as well saying that international attention should be kept on this situation, because we are afraid that continuation of this situation can cause irreversible humanitarian consequences for Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh,” Pashinyan said.

On 35th Anniversary of Liberation Movement, Artsakh Vows to Continue Fighting

Kajoyan Gevork
by Asbarez Staff

 

 

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

Hundreds of thousands of Armenians took to the streets of Stepanakert in 1988 calling for reunification with Armenia


Monday marked the 35th anniversary of the Artsakh Liberation Movement. It was on February 20, 1988 when a special session of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast Regional Council was convened in Stepanakert, passing a decision to appeal to the Kremlin to reunite Karabakh with Armenia. And thus began the movement for the self-determination of the people of Artsakh, who had taken to the streets to make that historic demand.

Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan, State Minister Ruben Vardanyan and Parliament Speaker Artur Tovmasyan visited the Stepanakert Memorial Complex on Monday and paid tribute to Artsakh’s fallen heroes, as a result of whose sacrifice the Liberation Movement brought the Armenian Nation a victory.

The Artsakh foreign ministry on Monday called the Artsakh Liberation Movement “a struggle that embodied the collective aspiration of the people to restore historical justice, preserve national identity and dignity, and fully realize their inalienable right to live freely and develop in their homeland. In response to the decades-long discriminatory policies of Azerbaijan, the people of Artsakh gathered all their will and rallied for the idea of the revival of Artsakh and reunification with Armenia.”

“Thirty-five years ago, on February 20, 1988, an extraordinary session of the Council of People’s Deputies of the NKAO was held, which decided to petition the Supreme Soviets of the Azerbaijan SSR and the Armenian SSR to transfer the autonomous region from Azerbaijan to Armenia. The issue of the transfer of Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia was raised in a democratic, parliamentary way, on the basis of the people’s will, in strict accordance with the Soviet legislation in force at that time and the generally recognized norms of international law,” said the Foreign Ministry statement.

“The decision of the session, which confirmed the right of the people of Artsakh to decide their own destiny, marked the current stage of the Karabakh Movement and predetermined the prospects for the socio-political development of Nagorno-Karabakh. It, in fact, became the forerunner of the Declaration of Independence the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, adopted on 2 September 1991, under the new historical and political realities created by the collapse of the Soviet Union, and marked the beginning of the path to the state independence of Artsakh,” explained the foreign ministry.

“This act of a nationwide _expression_ of will by the people of Artsakh was rightly regarded as a reliable guarantee against the policy of discrimination of the ethnic Armenian population pursued by Azerbaijan for decades, which ultimately should have led to its complete destruction,” the statement added.

“Subsequent events confirmed the legitimacy and rightness of the historical choice of the people of Artsakh. Just a week after the session of the regional Council, the Azerbaijani authorities organized brutal pogroms and murders of Armenians in Sumgait and other cities of Azerbaijan, and with the collapse of the Soviet Union, they unleashed a full-scale war against Artsakh. The criminal policy of official Baku, aimed at the destruction of the people of Artsakh, has not changed even decades later. This is evidenced by the military aggressions of 2016 and 2020, the ongoing state terrorism against the people of Artsakh, as well as the transport and energy blockade of the Republic that has been going on for the third month already,” the statement said.

“Despite the incredible difficulties and trials, the people of Artsakh continue the struggle for their free and independent existence in the historical homeland, thereby realizing the right of peoples to self-determination, enshrined in international law, including the UN Charter. The past 35 years have clearly demonstrated that the most important prerequisite for solving national problems is national unity, the consolidation of the moral and spiritual forces of Armenia, Artsakh and the Diaspora, which makes it possible to confront the most serious challenges of the time,” the Artsakh foreign ministry said.

“Through many years of struggle for national dignity and the right to freely decide their own fate in their historical homeland, as well as the creation of a democratic and viable state, the people of Artsakh have proven that they deserve recognition of their independence by the international community,” the statement said.

Harutyunyan, Vardanyan, the Artsakh Parliament and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan also marked the 35th anniversary of the Artsakh Liberation Movement in separate statements.

Asbarez: Moscow Accuses EU of Attempting to ‘Squeeze Russia out of the Region’

Vardan Badalian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

EU vehicles travel to the Armenia border on the first day of a civilian mission on Feb. 20


Moscow had the strongest reaction to date to the European Union’s Armenia mission that launched on Monday, with the country’s foreign ministry accusing the EU of attempting to “squeeze Russia out of the region,” the Tass news agency reported.

“Regrettably, this is not the first time we see that the European Union is sparing no efforts to win a foothold in our allied Armenia,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Monday in a written response to a reporter’s question. “We see solely political motives, which are far from the interests of real normalization of relations in the South Caucasus.”

Zakharova said that Russia “is sparing no effort to squeeze Russia out of the region and weaken its historical role as a key security guarantor. Baku’s openly voiced negative views about this initiative are being ignored.”

According to Zakharova, “the European Union’s record of settling regional conflicts is quite dubious.”

“I don’t think Brussels can boast any achievements in this field. It is enough to remember the European Union’s mediatory efforts and its mission in Kosovo,” she added.

Zakharova stressed that a key factor for stability and security in the region in the foreseeable future is the package of agreements between the Russian, Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders.

“The shortest way to improve the situation in the region lies via the comprehensive implementation of these agreements, including the unblocking of transport communication, the delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, establishment of ties between peoples, experts, religious circles, parliamentarians of the two countries, and through peace treaty talks. Russia is ready to continue to promote this,” Zakharova said.

Russia on Friday accused the West of derailing the process to normalize relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, when Zakharova reacted to a recent State Department statement, which accused Russia of disrupting the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group in the mediation of a settlement for the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.

“If anyone has derailed the Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement efforts then it’s they themselves, the Western countries, led by the United States,” Zakharova said at a news conference on Friday.

“The OSCE Minsk Group format was sent into the ash heap of history after the American and French co-chairs stopped cooperating with their Russian counterpart in February of 2022 under a made-up pretext,” Zakharova said, adding that no explanation has been issued since.

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 02/20/2023

Lara Antonian 
                                        Monday, 


Armenia Posts Double-Digit Growth


Armenia -- Workers at a newly opened textile factory in Yerevan, Novemer 1, 2019.


Armenia’s economy grew by 12.6 percent last year on the back of soaring trade 
with and cash flows from Russia, according government data released on Monday.

The Armenian government’s Statistical Committee registered the sharpest gains in 
trade and other services that generated more than half of the country’ GDP worth 
almost 8.5 trillion drams ($21 billion). The services sector excluding trade 
alone expanded by over 28 percent, according to it.

By comparison, Armenian industrial output grew by about 8 percent while 
agricultural production was flat in 2022.

Armenia was initially expected to be hit hard by the barrage of sanctions 
imposed by the United States, the European Union and other Western powers on 
Russia, the South Caucasus nation’s leading trading partner, following the 
Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Russian-Armenian trade fell in March but recovered strongly in the following 
months as the Russian economy proved more resilient than expected. It almost 
doubled to $4.4 billion in January-November 2022, accounting for more than 
one-third of Armenia’s overall foreign trade.

Armenian exports to Russia nearly tripled to just over $2 billion in the 
eleven-month period. They most probably included goods manufactured in third 
countries and re-exported from Armenia to Russia as a consequence of the Western 
sanctions.

According to the Armenian Central Bank, individual remittances from Russia to 
Armenia quadrupled to almost $3.2 billion in January-November 2022. Much of that 
money is thought to have been deposited in local banks by tens of thousands of 
Russians who relocated to the South Caucasus country after the outbreak of the 
war in Ukraine.

Visiting Yerevan in October, Russian Minister of Economic Development Maxim 
Reshetnikov described Armenia as “one of the beneficiaries of the resetting of 
Russia’s economy and flows of goods and services” resulting from the sanctions. 
His then Armenian counterpart, Tigran Khachatrian, acknowledged Russian money’s 
“significant positive impact on our current economic activity.”

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and his Russian counterpart Mikhail Mishustin 
praised the surge in bilateral trade when they met in Kazakhstan early this 
month. Mishustin suggested that Armenia can take even greater advantage of an 
exodus of Western companies from Russia.



EU Starts New Monitoring Mission To Armenia-Azerbaijan Border

        • Nane Sahakian

Belgium - European Union flags flutter outside the EU Commission headquarters in 
Brussels, September 28, 2022.


The European Union announced on Monday the launch of a new and more long-term 
monitoring mission to Armenia’s volatile border with Azerbaijan which is 
strongly opposed by Russia.

It said that the 100 or so monitors sent by various EU member states will strive 
to “contribute to stability in the border areas of Armenia, build confidence and 
human security in conflict affected areas, and ensure an environment conducive 
to the normalization efforts between Armenia and Azerbaijan.”

“The total -- exclusively civilian -- staff of the EUMA [EU Mission in Armenia] 
will be approximately 100, including around 50 unarmed observers,” the EU added 
in a statement.

It did not specify whether the other members of the two-year mission will carry 
weapons. Recent news reports said that the EU monitors will include officers of 
the German police and the French gendarmerie.

The EU already deployed 40 civilian monitors to Armenian border areas in late 
October on a two-month mission agreed during an Armenian-Azerbaijani summit in 
in Prague. The agreement followed the September border clashes between Armenian 
and Azerbaijani forces which left more than 300 soldiers dead.

Armenia - EU monitors visit Gegharkunik region, October 18, 2022.

The Armenian government asked for another monitoring mission in late December, 
saying that it would lower the risk of fresh armed incidents on the 
Armenian-Azerbaijani border. The EU formally granted the request on January 23, 
drawing criticism from Russia as well as Azerbaijan.

The Russian Foreign Ministry claimed that EU monitors “can only bring 
geopolitical confrontation to the region” and accused the EU of seeking to “push 
back Russia's mediation efforts at any cost.”

Earlier in January, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov rebuked Armenia for 
refusing a similar mission offered by the Collective Security Treaty 
Organization (CSTO) during a November summit in Yerevan.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian declined the offer on the grounds that 
other members of the Russian-led military alliance refused to condemn 
Azerbaijan’s offensive military operations along the border.

Pashinian gave another reason for the rebuff on February 8. He claimed that 
unlike the EU, the CSTO does not recognize Armenia’s current borders.

Armen Baghdasarian, an Armenian political commentator, said Yerevan should take 
the Russian criticism very seriously.

Armenian - Russian border guards stationed in Syunik province are inspected by 
Russian Ambassador Sergei Kopyrkin, May 24, 2022.

“Russia will want to show that the EU mission is not effective and that security 
mechanisms proposed by the EU don’t work,” he told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service. 
“The shortest way of showing that is [to provoke] new clashes on the 
Armenian-Azerbaijani border which the EU observers cannot influence in any way.”

Baghdasarian suggested at the same time that the EU monitors could prevent 
another large-scale Azerbaijani attack on Armenia in the coming months. But he 
was skeptical about their longer-term impact, arguing that the EU has not given 
Yerevan any security guarantees.

Pashinian indicated on February 8 that the European observers will also be 
monitoring Russian troops stationed in his country. He said Azerbaijan has told 
Western powers that its “aggressive actions” are a response to increased Russian 
military presence there.

“Our Western partners started rebuking us that ‘you are planning aggressive 
actions because there is a buildup of Russian and Armenian troops planning to 
attack Azerbaijan and the poor Azerbaijanis have to seize [Armenian] border 
heights to counter that threat.’ We said, ‘OK, come and monitor on the ground 
and see if that is true,’” Pashinian added in remarks denounced by his domestic 
political opponents.



Karabakh Leader Rejects Aliyev’s Condition For Talks

        • Ruzanna Stepanian
        • Karlen Aslanian

Nagorno-Karabakh - Ruben Vardanyan, the Karabakh premier, addresses a rally in 
Stepanakert, December 25, 2022.


Nagorno-Karabakh’s leadership has rejected Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s 
condition for direct negotiations between Baku and the authorities in 
Stepanakert.

Speaking during the Munich Security Conference at the weekend, Aliyev said he 
will agree to such talks only if Ruben Vardanyan, the Karabakh premier, resigns 
and leaves “our territory.” Vardanyan is a “criminal oligarch” who was 
“smuggled” to Karabakh from Russia, he told a panel discussion with the prime 
ministers of Armenia and Georgia.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian did not react to Aliyev’s condition during the 
discussion.

A spokeswoman for Arayik Harutiunian, the Karabakh president, said Vardanyan’s 
current role is “Artsakh’s internal affair” and “can in no way be a topic of 
discussion for the government of Azerbaijan.”

Lusine Avanesian told the Artsakhpress news agency that Aliyev himself is 
suspected “for good reason” of corruption and war crimes. Avanesian said his 
comments about Vardanyan are an attempt to legitimize Azerbaijan’s blockade of 
the sole road connecting Karabakh to Armenia.

Vardanyan, 54, is a prominent Armenian billionaire who made his fortune in 
Russia in the 1990s and 2000s. He was appointed as Karabakh’s state minister in 
November two months after renouncing his Russian citizenship.

Baku condemned Vardanyan’s appointment, with Aliyev claiming that the former 
investment banker was sent to Karabakh by Russia. Russian Foreign Minister 
Sergei Lavrov insisted in December that Moscow “has nothing to do” with 
Vardanyan.

In recent weeks, there have been signs of a rift between Harutiunian and 
Vardanyan related to the blockade. A Karabakh opposition activist, Tigran 
Petrosian, claimed on Monday that Harutiunian has decided to sack Vardanyan. 
Neither leader commented on the claim.

Aliyev and Pashinian attended the panel discussion in Munich right after their 
trilateral meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The Azerbaijani 
leader said they agreed that Baku will continue to negotiate with Yerevan on a 
bilateral peace treaty while starting “contacts with Karabakh’s Armenian 
population.”

“Also, it has been agreed with our international partners that there will be 
negotiations on the rights and security of Karabakh’s Armenian minority,” said 
Aliyev. He did not elaborate.

Yerevan has repeatedly called for an “international mechanism” for such 
negotiations. Baku has opposed that until now.


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.

PMs of Armenia and Iraq agree to organize Armenian-Iraqi intergovernmental commission meeting in the near future

Arbi Tashjian

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 18:35, 17 February 2023

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 17, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Iraq Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.

The interlocutors attached importance the development of Armenian-Iraqi relations in various directions, including political and economic. In that regard, the parties emphasized the need to deepen trade and economic ties between the two countries, expand and strengthen cooperation of businessmen.

An agreement was reached to organize a meeting of the Armenian-Iraqi intergovernmental commission in the near future, during which further steps and joint programs will be outlined.

The sides also highlighted mutually beneficial cooperation on international platforms.

PM Pashinyan meets with Europol Executive Director in Munich

Emil Lazarian

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 18:46, 17 February 2023

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 17, ARMENPRESS. In the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a meeting with Catherine De Bolle, Executive Director of Europol, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.

Issues related to the further development of cooperation in the fight against crime were discussed.

The Prime Minister referred to the reforms and programs implemented in Armenia’s police system, expressing hope that cooperation will also develop in this direction.

Catherine De Bolle assessed the cooperation with Armenian law enforcement bodies as effective and emphasized Europol's readiness to continue close cooperation with Armenian partners.