Month: April 2016

President Serzh Sargsyan, who is in Germany on official visit, met today with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, OSCE Chairman-in-Office Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Noting that his visit to Germany is taking place in the period when Azerbaijan has seriously challenged security of Nagorno Karabakh as well as of Armenia, the President of Armenia spoke in detail about the existing tense situation, which resulted from the violation by Azerbaijan of the ceasefire and unprecedented escalation of the situation, and the latest developments.

“The very fact that at this difficult moment I am here is more than just a testimony to the importance which Armenia attaches to the bilateral relations as well as to Germany’s role as the country presiding in the OSCE,” said the President of Armenia. He underscored that since the OSCE Co-Chairs are entrusted with the resolution of the NK problem, expectations from the OSCE are great. The President said that steps aimed at the establishment of peace are anticipated, and after the re-establishment of the ceasefire regime of 1994 it will be necessary to implement mechanisms which are aimed at the strict adherence to its terms.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany reiterated his appeal to the parties of the conflict regarding the situation and underscored once again that the NK conflict has no military solution; the parties must manifest political will and return to the negotiations conducted in the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs. Minister Steinmeier stressed the importance of the implementation in the area of the conflict of the confidence building measures as well as the resumption of the monitoring in the Line of Contact by the Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman—in-Office.

At the meeting, the parties stressed also the importance of the establishment of the mechanisms for the investigation of the ceasefire violations. With this regard, President Sargsyan viewed as important the extension of the mandate of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman—in-Office and amplification of the capacities of his Office.

The President of Armenia and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany discussed the dynamically developing agenda of the interstate bilateral relations, and preset opportunities for developing cooperation in a number of areas.

The military actions of the past days showed that Azerbaijan is unable to solve the Karabakh conflict in  military way, President of the Public Council of Armenia, first Prime Minister Vazgen Manukyan told a press conference in Stepanakert today.

He denounced the “symmetric” statement of the international community, their calls to both sides. “The Western countries are well aware who’s the aggressor. the United States and Russia can see from through satellites who’s shooting,” he said.

Vazgen Manukyan presented three ways out of the situation. First, he said, the parties should return to their initial positions.

Second, the OSCE should conduct monotony of the line of contact, including through satellites and stop pretending it’s unaware of who’s shooting.

Third, the international community must recognize the independence of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, with future talks continuing on territories and refugees.

Why did Azerbaijan decided to incite clashes at this point? Vazgen Manukyan says it’s connected with the drop in oil prices, the problems inside the country, and this was an option for Aliyev to divert the attention of the public from domestic issues.

Is there a mechanism to neutralize the Turkish factor in the Nagorno Karabakh issue? Vazgen Manukyan said he sees no way to do that. “Even Europe has become a captive of Turkey. Ankara thinks it has been given a “carte blanche” because of the issue of migrants and is allowed to do anything in the region and beyond.”

Manukyan said the issue is not only about Armenia, Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh. “It’s a regional problem, where NATO’s interests collide with that of its rivals. Escalation will be an evil for the whole world. Let’s not forget that countries such Iraq, Syria and Afganistan are not far away,” he said.

Thirty- two Armenian soldiers have been killed, 121 wounded during the four days of military calshes along the Nagorno Karabakh line of contact, Colonel Victor Arustamyan, Head of the operative department of the NKR Defense Army, told a press conference today. He said that another 25 servicemen are missing.

He informed that the ceasefire violations continued all along the line of contact even after the parties agreed to cease all hostilities at midnight Tuesday. Col. Arustamyan said the rival used mortars in the northern direction of the frontline. He added that an Azerbaijani tank hit an ambulance in the northern direction.

This morning separate groups tried to attack and conquer military positions in the north, but failed to succeed.

Colonel Arustamyan gave clarifications about an Armenian military position left under Azerbaijani control. According to him, it’s of no strategic significance, as the area of its peak is 5 meters, and the height is 20 meters as compared to the overall landscape.

As for the reports that Azerbaijan is bringing its reserve troops to the frontline and preparing for a new attack, Victor Arustamyan said “the reserves are stationed not far from the frontline and it’s hard to assess the plans of a new attack.”

The agreement on ceasefire was reached yesterday between the Defense Ministries of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Spokesman for the NKR President David Babayan told a press conference in Stepanakert today.

He added, however, that the current agreement on cessation of hostilities is very much like the negotiation process. “We have a distorted format of negotiations because of Azerbaijan’s non-constructive stance. Although Nagorno Karabakh is not a full-fledged party to the talks, we are a participant of it,” Babayan said.

“Minsk Group Co-Chairs periodically visit Stepanakert and hold discussions with the local authorities,” he said.

“Thus, the agreement on ceasefire was formally reached between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Karabakh is a party to it, as it is the implemented of the ceasefire,” Babayan concluded.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan had a phone conversation with his Iranian counterpart Hasan Rouhani at the initiative of the Iranian side.

The Presidents discussed the situation at the line of contact between the armed forces of Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh.

President Sargsyan briefed his Iranian counterpart on the military attack of Azerbaijan and the adequate response of the NKR Defense Army.

The Armenian President made a special reference to the violence against civilians, comparing it to the actions of the well-known terrorist organizations.

President Rouhani stressed that against the background of attacks of terrorist organizations and current challenges, the outbreak of new tension in the region is in no one’s interest. He said it’s necessary to make every effort to resume the process of peaceful negotiations.

President Rouhani said there is no military solution to the Karabakh issue.

The Presidents of Armenia and Iran also discussed issues on bilateral agenda and agreed on the necessity of deepening the friendly relations and the mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries.

The Persian-language agency has published information, claiming that the Islamic State has created a special training ground at the Iraqi-Syrian border for Azeri citizens.

The training ground called Camp Abu Isa is located on ISIS-held vilayet of Aljazeera. ARAN quotes information disseminated by the Islamic State as saying that Azerbaijanis are being trained to use different weapons, and are taught the ideas of Wahhabism. The instruction is in the Azerbaijani language with a Turkish intonation.

ARAN agency reports that the terrorists have graduated from schools sponsored by the governments of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Azerbaijan.

“The information was first published by ARAN agency on September 21, 2015,” expert of Turkish studies Vazgen Petrosyan said in comments to .

“They published photos and facts proving that volunteers from Azerbaijan train with the Islamic State and all of them have graduated from schools financed by the Azerbaijani Government,” he said.

According to the expert, the Azerbaijani government created the schools to fight Shiites, and moist of the graduates have joined the Islamic State.

Petrosyan said these trainees are fighting along the Nagorno Karabakh line of contact today.

Spokesman for the NKR President that Azerbaijan has hired mercenary terrorists to fight against Armenians.

Georgian President Georgy Margvelashvili urged the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to exert maximum efforts to achieve a peaceful settlement of the tensions in Nagorno-Karabakh. He made the statement at an international people’s diplomacy forum held within the framework of the NATO Week in Georgia, TASS reports.

“We very much hope that the leaders of Armenian and Azerbaijan will exert maximum efforts for settling the tense situation by both peaceful and diplomatic means with the active participation in the international community for the conflict’s peaceful resolution,” he said.

Georgia’s Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze has spoken on the phone with his Armenian counterpart Edward Nalbandyan about the current fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops in Nagorno-Karabakh, Georgia.ge reports.

Last night the Georgian official instigated the phone conversation following a similar talk with Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.

“The Georgian Foreign Minister expressed his extreme concern over the recent escalation of the situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone along the Line of Contact, which resulted in casualties, inter alia, among the peaceful population,” Georgia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Janelidze said cessation of hostilities and ensuring peace on the ground was of “vital importance”.

He underlined continued fighting would aggravate the current situation and have a negative impact on regional stability.

During the conversation, the Georgian official put particular emphasis on the need to use all possible formats to deescalate the situation through the involvement of the international community.

As of 12:00 all military actions were ceased along the Nagorno Karabakh line of contact. NKR President’s Spokesperson David Babayan confirmed the news to .

He added that the situation at the frontline is currently calm.

“The military actions of the past days have not changed the military balance in the region,” Babayan said.

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs will visit Yerevan on April 9, Spokesman for the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Tigran Balayan said in a Twitter post.

“They will be received by President Serzh Sargsyan and will meet with Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian.

The Co-Chairs also plan a visit to Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh, TASS quotes French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault as saying.