Month: September 2020

Azerbaijani Press: President Aliyev Expresses Concern Over Greek-Armenian Military Cooperation

Arsine Chaltikian
Caspian News, Azerbaijan
Sept 7 2020

By Mushvig Mehdiyev September 6, 2020

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    Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev has voiced concerns over military cooperation between Greece, Cyprus and Armenia during a meeting with the newly appointed Greek ambassador to Azerbaijan, September 2, 2020, Baku, Azerbaijan / President.Az

    Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev has voiced concerns over military cooperation between Greece, Cyprus and Armenia, as the latter poses an existential threat to Azerbaijan due to its occupation policy and aggressive behavior.  

    "Armenia is a country which occupies our territories, committed the act of genocide in Khojaly, made a million of Azerbaijanis homeless, destroyed our historical, cultural and religious monuments, committed the policy of ethnic cleansing on the occupied territories, is violating the international law and is not complying with the UN Security Council resolutions and other organizations," President Aliyev said Wednesday during a meeting with the newly appointed Greek ambassador to Azerbaijan, Nikolaos Piperigos, according to President.Az.

    President Aliyev went on to add that "military cooperation with Armenia is something which we are concerned of, because it possesses the existential threat to Azerbaijan because using these weapons they kill our military servicemen, they kill civilians." He also cited a Russian arms shipment to Armenia in July as an example of Baku's concerns.

    "The active clashes stopped on July 16, and starting from July 17 until yesterday – yesterday was the last flight – there have been numerous cargo flights from Russia to Armenia through the Caspian littoral states’ airspace," he said, adding that trilateral cooperation between Greece, Cyprus and Armenia is a cause for concern.

    Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a short but bloody war from July 12-16. Armenia's shelling of Azerbaijani positions in the Tovuz district on the border inflamed already strained tensions. Armenian troops targeted civilian areas killing a 75-year-old Azerbaijani resident. In total, Azerbaijan lost 12 servicemen, including one general, in the fighting.

    Azerbaijan uncovered regular flights from Russia to Armenia, both during and after the war. On August 12, President Aliyev voiced his concerns over such arm deliveries during a phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. In an bid to downplay the significance of the flights, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu visited Baku and noted that the planes were carrying construction materials and Russian personnel serving at the 102nd military base in Armenia. The explanation, however, was met with skepticism from Hikmat Hajiyev, a senior aide to President Aliyev, who has asked Moscow to clarify its intentions behind the arms shipments.

    While Russia is Armenia's strongest military ally, Yerevan has been trying to diversify its defense cooperation. On February 28, defense ministers of Armenia, Greece and Cyprus signed a trilateral action plan in the Greek capital city of Athens. Under the plan, the three countries would participate in joint training activities and hold regular meetings on military-political issues.

    Additionally, Armenia signed a bilateral cooperation agreement with Greece, paving the way for 20 joint events between the two countries.

    The first trilateral meeting of foreign ministers from Armenia, Greece and Cyprus was held in Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus, in June 2019. The countries agreed to establish economic, cultural and political ties for mutually beneficial cooperation amidst strained relations with Turkey. All three countries consider Turkey as a common enemy given Greek-Turkish tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean including the Cyprus conflict and strained relationship between Armenia and Turkey.

    In a meeting with the new Greek ambassador to Baku, President Aliyev highlighted Azerbaijan's official position in light of the recent tensions between Greece and Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean.

    "Turkey is not only friend and partner, it is our brotherly country. And we support and will support Turkey in all the cases without any hesitation," President Aliyev said. "We support them in all the issues, including in the issue of their exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean."

    ‘No Russian Arms Shipment Transferred to Armenia via Iran’

    Tatoyan Vazgen
    Iran Front Page
    Sept 8 2020
    By IFP Editorial Staff
    –

    September 7, 2020

    The Islamic Republic of Iran’s Embassy in the Republic of Azerbaijan has dismissed media reports about the transfer of Russian weapons to Armenia through an Iranian border crossing.

    In a statement released on Monday, the Iranian Embassy in Baku slammed as “baseless and false” the media reports claiming that Iran has allowed for the shipment of Russian military equipment to Armenia through Norduz border crossing situated northwest of the country.

    Denouncing such false news as acts of sabotage by the hostile forces and those opposed to close relations between Iran and Azerbaijan, the embassy said such measures are aimed at harming the growing cooperation and friendly relations between Tehran and Baku.

    Baku had earlier voiced concern about reports of large arms shipments from Russia to Armenia during and after the fighting.

    Last month, Azeri President Ilham Aliyev complained to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin about Moscow’s arms sales to Armenia amid the outbreak of fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia.


    Has Azerbaijan Become a Liability to Israel?

    Emil Lazarian
    World Geostrategic Insight
    Sept 7 2020
    07/09/2020 Conflicts International Affairs
    By David Davidian
    On August 27, 2020, the Turkish Defense Minister, Hulusi Akar declared: “Turkey is also a party to the [Nagorno-Karabakh] conflict, standing with a brotherly state and defending its rights.”
    While Turkey has periodically made similar statements supporting Azerbaijan in its Stalin-age claim over the Armenian-inhabited region of Nagorno-Karabakh, this latest direct statement is significant for several reasons. Akar’s declaration came with heightened regional tensions created after a July 12 incident when a lowly Azerbaijani military jeep approached an Armenian border military post, and a border conflict ensued.
    Akar’s statement comes on the heels of a significant military display of Turkish support for Azerbaijan by sponsoring war games along Armenia’s borders with Azerbaijan. Given the plummeting value of the Turkish lira and stagnant economy, Turkey is searching for a way out. Turkey has engaged in bellicose rhetoric against Greece, Egypt, Cyprus, and Israel as it aggressively endeavors to tap Eastern Mediterranean gas deposits.
    Turkey has plans to extract gas from the shores of Libya. Currently, Turkey and its puppet state of Northern Cyprus are engaged in naval war games. From Libya to the Caspian, Baku has reiterated its unwavering support for Turkish expansionist and aggressive actions. It is unclear when, or in what form tensions may escalate in the Southern Caucasus or the Mediterranean. Turkey’s statement only exacerbates tensions.
    Azerbaijan supplies over forty percent of Israel’s crude supply (not that Israel can’t purchase crude from other sources during this pandemic-generated oil glut). Western investment in hydrocarbon production and transport across Azerbaijan in total is probably well north of $100B with $75B alone from BP. An expanded conflict would destroy these transport pipelines. Suppose Turkey engages in a Go-like game of securing control of these pipelines? What was known as the “Contract of the Century” would be under Turkish control to throttle and blackmail as it does Syrian refugees into Europe.
    Azerbaijan serves specific western interests as a compliant country bordering Iran. While partially anecdotal and otherwise understood, Azerbaijan has served as a base for operations and intelligence gathering in Iran. If tensions rise in the Southern Caucasus due to Turkish adventurism, Iran cannot stay idle. Millions of Iranized ethnic Azerbaijanis live in Iran’s northwestern border provinces.
    Elements in Iran have threatened Azerbaijan if it moves beyond the rhetoric of uniting “Northern” and “Southern” Azerbaijan. Such a union would be in the interest of Turkey’s expansionist designs, while a bloodbath for others.
    On August 29, “Hikmet Hajiyev, a senior adviser to Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, said Russia has been “intensively arming Armenia” right after the July conflict, with Russian Il-76 strategic airlifters flying towards Armenia after July 17.”
    This claim has gone viral on the internet. Even if true, without context Hajiyev’s claim is tantamount to disinformation since Azerbaijan has received, at a minimum, Turkish Bayraktar killer drones since July 17. The amount of Turkish arms left for Azerbaijan in the wake of their war games has not yet been disclosed. Hajiyev’s declaration has implications beyond classic post-Soviet lack of judgment.
    The west is sensitive to Russian influence outside its borders. If Hajiyev intended to blow the whistle louder, unforeseen implications might follow. Hajiyev’s claim may be the result of Azerbaijani President Aliyev having fired his experienced Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov as July hostilities widened, accusing him of pandering to Armenians. His replacement has little or no foreign policy experience.
    It is uncertain why Azerbaijan has reacted the way it has in the wake of the latest border flareup. However, the term Azerbaijani military incompetence seems fitting since Azerbaijan lost a Major General, a Colonel, two Majors, scores of soldiers, a $30M Israeli-built Hermes 900 UAV, a foreign minister, and the EU censured Azerbaijan after Aliyev jailed scores of his opposition.
    Turkey reacted psychologically and militarily to reinforce Aliyev. The stakes appear to be rising as Armenia is increasingly touting its strategic relations with Russia. Israel has sold Azerbaijan well over $5B in high tech military hardware over the past decade. This relationship may have contributed to the current increase in tension, leaving the false impression that any high tech military will always be superior. Sun Tzu would disagree.
    Israel will, in all likelihood, emerge unscathed in an escalated conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. However, encouragement given Azerbaijan allowed Aliyev to proclaim, Azerbaijan-Israeli relations are “like an iceberg, nine-tenths … below the surface”. This relationship mirrors Israel’s ties with Turkey before the “Mavi Marmara” incident.
    The return on Israel’s twenty-five diplomatic investment with Ankara was reduced to Turkey being a useful minion in Syria, Lebanon, and by inference, Iran. Two weeks ago, in the Jerusalem Post, Seth Frantzman, noted, “Turkey has also become a “challenge” for the first time. This appears to be the growing consensus in military and intelligence circles.” The same may happen with Azerbaijan in conjunction with Turkey.
    The former mayor of Baku, who served between 2001 and 2018, Hajibala Abutalybov, in a 2005 meeting with a municipal delegation from Bavaria, Germany, stated, “Our goal is the complete elimination of Armenians. You, Nazis, already eliminated the Jews in the 1930s and 40s, right? You should be able to understand us.”
    Israel is not in good company.
    Author: David Davidian  (Lecturer at the American University of Armenia. He has spent over a decade in technical intelligence analysis at major high technology firms.Yerevan, Armenia). 
    (The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of World Geostrategic Insights). 

    https://wgi.world/has-azerbaijan-become-a-liability-to-israel/?fbclid=IwAR3J1EMdtoo7TILzQYdFirrPejLANWG4kdOiaO__9-QMfryR0oQ7J19XVtk









     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    Countering the totalisation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict

    Sonya Jalatian
    International Politics and Society
    Sept 7 2020
    By Laurence Broers | 07.09.2020

    The escalation that began on 12 July claimed the lives of 18 people, including one civilian, making it the most serious since the ‘four-day war’ of April 2016. Although dying way after 5 days, the escalation featured new trends, or the strengthening of pre-existing ones, destabilising the fragile status quo holding the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace.  

    Most obviously the violence occurred on the de jure international Armenia-Azerbaijan border, some 200 kilometres away from the heart of contested territory in Nagorny Karabakh itself. Secondly, although not new, Turkey’s support of Azerbaijan was more explicit, intensive and bullish than in April 2016, with a number of meetings between defence officials of the two states taking place in the immediate aftermath. And beyond the South Caucasus, diasporic and migrant communities of Armenians and Azerbaijanis across the world mobilised, and in many cases engaged in scuffles, brawls and the vandalism of property.  

    In short, July’s clashes furnished evidence of the totalisation of conflict, whereby any issue or space, including those far from Nagorny Karabakh itself, can become arenas for new Armenian-Azerbaijani violence.

    July’s violence drew a line under a two-and-a-half-year period associated with the rhetoric of ‘preparing populations for peace’. That phrase came out of a January 2019 meeting between foreign ministers Elmar Mammadyarov (now retired) and Zohrab Mnatsakanyan. Moreover, until July an exceptional calm reigned along the frontlines, potentially enabling a public debate reaching beyond security.

    Yet despite a range of proposals put forward by civil society, ‘preparing populations for peace’ remained an empty container devoid of substance. After a single exchange visit by journalists across the divide in November 2019, Armenia and Azerbaijan invested instead into a new season of symbolic offensives.

    Armenian and Azerbaijani positions on the core political issues at stake – the status of Nagorny Karabakh, displacement, access and security – have been widely divergent for years. After July’s clashes, meaningful dialogue on the Basic Principles, or on fashioning a viable alternative, appears further away than ever. 

    July’s clashes were essentially the result of unregulated interactions in a side-theatre unrelated to Nagorny Karabakh, where neither side had strategic gains to make, nor vital interests to protect through military action.

    Renewed Armenian-Azerbaijani crisis coincides, moreover, with a wider crisis in multilateral diplomacy. Just as the shooting had died down, on 18 July the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) entered a crisis after member-states failed to agree on extending the mandates of several key leadership posts – including the Secretary General.

    While this may not directly affect the Minsk Group, the body mandated to mediate between Armenia and Azerbaijan, it is symptomatic of the decline of the liberal peace and of multilateral diplomacy. Multilateralism’s loss is the gain of entrepreneurs of more authoritarian models of conflict management visible, for example, in Libya and the Middle East today.

    Even if they have often expressed frustration with the Minsk Group, that fact remains that Yerevan and Baku have more influence over its consensual decision-making processes than they might over authoritarian models of conflict management practiced in proximate theatres by neighbouring powers. Totalising the conflict risks a loss of control over its dynamics. What, then, can be done?

    It is critical to counter the totalisation of the conflict by breaking down the Armenian-Azerbaijani rivalry into more manageable pieces, with some being less contested than others. Both Armenia and Azerbaijan could benefit by introducing measures to regulate those parts of their interactions that do not involve their red lines.    

    July’s clashes were essentially the result of unregulated interactions in a side-theatre unrelated to Nagorny Karabakh, where neither side had strategic gains to make, nor vital interests to protect through military action. On the contrary, the concentration of civilian populations on either side of the border, in addition to transport and energy infrastructure clustered nearby, attach prohibitive risks for both parties to major escalations in this area. Both would gain through implementing localised measures to counter misperceptions and facilitate communication. 

    A timely report by the International Crisis Group has highlighted several such areas, precisely in the region where July’s escalation took place: cooperation on enabling agriculture, restoring water infrastructure and clearing landmines. Practical initiatives in this area, moreover, have a precedent in pioneering work by the organisation Saferworld in 2010-12 to support a civilian ceasefire monitoring mechanism.

    It is consequently crucial to reinstate informal Armenian-Azerbaijani dialogue, as a normal and unremarkable feature of relations between all of the parties to the conflict.

    Azerbaijan may be reluctant to introduce ceasefire monitoring infrastructure along the Line of Contact around Nagorny Karabakh, which Baku sees as embedding an unacceptable status quo.  But in the area of the undisputed (if still not demarcated) international border, ceasefire support infrastructure could regulate risk and make relations more predictable in a side-theatre where stability would bring benefits to both sides.

    Beyond a pragmatic approach to localised and mutually beneficial problem-solving, international best practice in peacebuilding acknowledges the need for dialogue on wider social and identity issues. These issues are not generally discussed within the framework of OSCE mediation, yet as the burgeoning Armenian-Azerbaijani memory wars and the rippling of violent polarisation across Armenian and Azerbaijani communities worldwide in July shows, they play at least as significant a role in the impasse as disagreement on core conflict drivers. Discourses of nationalism, attitudes towards justice, the past and memory politics, the impacts of militarisation and dehumanisation, and the impacts of political patriarchy are all relevant for the transformation of conflict.

    Picking up the pieces in the aftermath of violence is always difficult. In the current stage of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations it is especially challenging, as research in 2019 found that informal dialogue between the parties was at its lowest level since the conflict began in 1988. Under these conditions, public reactions to frontline events, as demonstrations in Baku following the violence in July showed, are all the more difficult to control and channel in the direction of peaceful change.

    It is consequently crucial to reinstate informal Armenian-Azerbaijani dialogue, as a normal and unremarkable feature of relations between all of the parties to the conflict. Securitised societies locked within echo-chambers become arenas in which leaders can fall victim to discursive entrapment. As they confront a new impasse of their own making, leaders across the divide should look to civil society actors as ‘critical friends’ and partners, not threats, in the quest to transform their relations.


    Azerbaijani press: Film on Azerbaijani-Turkish fraternity, Armenian provocation, shot in Turkey

    Babken Chilingarian
    7 September 2020 14:51 (UTC+04:00)
    565

    By Trend

    A film was shot in Turkey, dedicated to the Azerbaijani-Turkish fraternity and the Armenian provocation in the direction of Azerbaijan’s Tovuz district, committed in July of 2020, Trend reports.

    The film contains the comments of Assistant to Azerbaijan’s President, Head of the Foreign Affairs Policy Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmat Hajiyev, other officials and of members of the public.

    The film also tells about large-scale projects jointly implemented by Turkey and Azerbaijan, cooperation between the two fraternal countries, the history of the Azerbaijani-Turkish brotherhood, and etc.

    [see video]

    Azerbaijani press: President Aliyev: Destruction of Azerbaijan’s religious monuments crime against Islamic world [UPDATE]

    Aram Torosian
    7 September 2020 18:00 (UTC+04:00)
    669

    By Akbar Mammadov

    President Ilham Aliyev has said that destruction and desecration of Azerbaijan’s religious monuments by Armenia in occupied Nagorno-Karabakh and in the adjacent regions is a crime against the entire Muslim world.

    Aliyev made the remarks while accepting the credentials of the newly-appointed Iranian ambassador Seyed Abbas Mousavi on September 7.

    “Our historical and religious monuments have been destroyed by Armenia. Our religious monuments have been desecrated. Our mosques in the occupied territories have been destroyed by the Armenians. They even keep animals in some of the mosques. There are extensive video and photo evidence of these ugly deeds. It can be found on the Internet. This is a crime not only against us but also against the entire Muslim world,” the president said.

    Aliyev reminded that around 20 per cent of Azerbaijani lands remain under Armenian occupation and Azerbaijani citizens have been forced from their homes.

    Speaking about the Islamic solidarity, Aliyev said that Azerbaijan is always ready to make additional effort to unite the Islamic world and resolve the problems between some countries.

    The president noted that Azerbaijan and Iran are actively involved in trilateral cooperation formats in foreign policy. He reminded that the Azerbaijan-Iran-Turkey and Azerbaijan-Iran-Russia trilateral cooperation format that has existed for several years has been very effective.

    “The relations between neighbouring countries and the development of these relations are a guarantor of stability and peace in the region. The fact that the legal status of the Caspian Sea has finally been resolved shows the intention of all the Caspian littoral states, our policy and the friendship among these countries.”

    Furthermore, Aliyev touched upon the bilateral relations with Iran, saying: “We have had more than 10 meetings with President Rouhani over the past few years. A number of issues discussed and decisions made during these meetings have brought our countries closer together. Many documents covering almost all areas have been signed.”

    The president noted that Azerbaijan and Iran always support each other's position in international organizations such as the UN, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).

    “About two months ago, following yet another act of military aggression on the part of Armenia against Azerbaijan, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation adopted resolutions supporting the position and just cause of Azerbaijan and condemning the actions of Armenia,” Aliyev said while commenting on Armenia’s cross-border provocation in Tovuz district that killed 12 Azerbaijani servicemen and a civilian.

    He pointed out that Iran as an active member of these two organizations has once again shown its support for Azerbaijan by joining this position.

    “As for our bilateral relations, I want to say again that our relations are developing fast and have reached a high level. I had a telephone conversation with President Rouhani at the end of July. Many important issues were discussed and we agreed that relevant members of our governments should hold meetings via videoconferencing during this pandemic. In fact, many of these meetings have already been held. This is very important because we do not want to waste time. After all, the pandemic has interfered in our work, of course.”

    Touching upon the important joint transport and energy projects, Aliyev said that hopefully, they will become even larger in the coming years.

    “As you know, the North-South transport corridor can connect not only our countries but also entire Eurasia. Both Iran and Azerbaijan are making great efforts to launch and further develop this corridor.”

    He noted that there are good results in all other areas – investment, power engineering and others.

    “In particular, our relations in the military-technical sphere have a long history. New agreements have been reached. I am confident that our cooperation in this area will continue to develop successfully,” Aliyev said.

    Azerbaijani press: Armenia turning Caucasus into second Middle East

    Arpi Talalian
    ARMENIA7 September 2020 17:43 (UTC+04:00)

    BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept.7

    By Azer Ahmadbayli – Trend:

    After the collapse of the USSR, maintaining influence in the post-Soviet space has always been considered one of the main priorities of the Russian Federation.

    The plans to destroy Russia as the largest and richest (in terms of natural resources) state in the world, according to Moscow, have not disappeared, and the post-Soviet republics are a kind of the last geographic (geopolitical) frontier protecting Russia from a potentially hostile space (NATO). Therefore, stability in the former Soviet republics bordering on Russia is an important condition for ensuring the security of Russia itself, and one of the tasks of its foreign policy.

    Recently, new circumstances have emerged that may pose a potential threat to stability of not only the South Caucasus, but also Russia. Planes flying from Beirut with Lebanese Armenians on board arrived in Yerevan. According to the regional media outlets, their settlement in Nagorno Karabakh has begun.

    Judging by the way the plotters of the Armenian far-fetched moves are accustomed to act, at the initial stage everything looks rather harmless – as a purely humanitarian action and care for compatriots.

    However, coupled with plans to build roads and infrastructure, as well as residential settlements directly in the occupied territories (especially, Gubadli, Zangilan and Kalbajar districts of Azerbaijan), satellite images of which were recently provided by Azercosmos, it becomes obvious that the settlement of Armenians there is a deliberately planned powerful irritant factor for Azerbaijan.

    Why is all this being done?

    The background is not immediately apparent. The main goal is not only the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, which the Armenians finally decided not to return, but Russia. Such conclusion can be explained.

    In Lebanon, which, by the way, is often called the Middle Eastern Switzerland, an Armenian community of about 160,000 people has lived (and does not live in poverty) in a warm Mediterranean climate for more than a century. The Armenian deputies of the Lebanese parliament and the Armenian ministers of the Lebanese government are some kind of indicator of the Armenian community’s authority in this Arab country.

    The terrible explosion in Lebanon’s capital Beirut, according to the Armenian media outlets, left 13 Armenians killed and 300 wounded. But, this doesn’t look like a reason to promptly leave one’s habitual place. Nobody, except for the Armenians, began to leave Lebanon, especially since the aid was being provided, and the EU, on behalf of France and Germany, guaranteed the provision of significant financial support to the Lebanese government.

    While the rate of migration of the population from Armenia itself remains consistently high, the resettlement of the Lebanese Armenians looks more than strange. It’s very difficult to believe in the sincerity of even the poorest sober-minded Lebanese Armenian, who decided to snap and move to a completely devastated foreign territory, where bullets are flying, and which he will sooner or later lose.

    The change in climate, lifestyle, field of activity (Lebanese Armenians are mostly not farmers) hardly counts as the search for a better life, as it was during the development of America.

    What is it then?

    Yes, changing the demographic balance in Nagorno Karabakh or the arrival there under the guise of migrants of Armenian militants from Lebanon (and other Middle Eastern countries) to conduct hostilities, as many analysts write, are also the goal of the Armenians, but these are tactical goals.

    The resettlement of Lebanese (and before that Syrian) Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh means the emergence of an alien Middle Eastern element in the South Caucasus and the transfer of Middle Eastern ties, including terrorist ones, to the post-Soviet space.

    Armenia has been tasked to turn the Caucasus into a second Middle East. The strategic goal is the destabilization and collapse of Russia.

    The absence of an immediate response from the international community to the settlement of the occupied Azerbaijani territories, which is a direct violation of international laws, gives one more reason to assume that this is not a spontaneous process, and that there is a powerful force behind it, which gave the command not to take serious actions against Armenia.

    The calculation is unmistakable: Azerbaijan will not silently observe the illegal settlement of its historically and legally recognized territories, and sooner or later will sharp reaction to the actions of Armenia, using its right to liberate the occupied territories. This will be the beginning of a series of tragic events and, as a result, complete destabilization of the situation in the South Caucasus. Further, it’s quite likely that the fire of the war will also affect the Russian North Caucasus.

    A big war on the borders of Russia or already on its border territories is what the West needs. At the same time, the goal will be achieved to put Russia and Turkey on opposite sides of the barricades, since their cooperation is the Achilles' heel of the West.

    Russia is a large and strong country, and large and strong countries do not immediately feel the potential danger, relying on inertia on a sense of self-confidence. But sometimes it happens that even a huge bear, having received a small wound, eventually dies from blood poisoning.

    The conflict in Nagorno Karabakh was the first destructive impetus to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

    Now a similar scenario may be realized once again. Armenia is fulfilling a new order of overseas patrons – to kindle the fire of a big war in the Caucasus region.

    One can ask: what is the benefit of this for Armenia?

    The Armenians are sure, or rather, they were convinced that after the collapse of Russia, they will be helped to change again the borders in the region and finally become "Great Armenia".

    Armenian Parliament holds extraordinary session

    Janet Ekmekjian

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     11:00, 4 September, 2020

    YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 4, ARMENPRESS. The extraordinary session has kicked off in the Armenian Parliament.

    The MPs will debate the package of making amendments and changes to a number of laws which will allow not to extend the current coronavirus-related state of emergency in Armenia.

    Video Player

    If the current legislative amendments are adopted before September 11, the state of emergency will not be extended. Measures proposed by bills will be put into operation after lifting the state of emergency.

    According to the bill, quarantine may be imposed in case of danger of spread of infectious diseases to Armenia’s territory, outbreaks, epidemic, as well as in case of state of emergencies caused by all of these.

    The state of emergency differs from the new regime with the restriction volumes of rights and intensity of the applying set of tools.

    Reporting by Norayr Shoghikyan; Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

    Artsakh confirms three new cases of coronavirus in past 24 hours

    Arpi Talalian

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     11:37, 4 September, 2020

    YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 4, ARMENPRESS. 3 new cases of the novel coronavirus have been confirmed in the Republic of Artsakh in the past 24 hours, the ministry of healthcare said.

    The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Artsakh has reached 302, with 270 recoveries.

    The number of active cases stands at 30.

    55 citizens are currently quarantined.

    No death case has been registered.

    Two death cases have been registered, when the patients had a coronavirus but died from other disease. 

    Reporting by Norayr Shoghikyan; Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

    COVID-19: Armenian government plans to declare quarantine after end of state of emergency

    Hovsep Chakrian

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     11:45, 4 September, 2020

    YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 4, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian government plans to declare quarantine after the end of the current coronavirus-related state of emergency, Deputy justice minister Rafik Grigoryan said during today’s extraordinary session in the parliament, introducing the legislative package which enables not to extend the state of emergency.

    “The goal of initiating this legislative package is to provide such set of tools which will allow to fight the pandemic without the state of emergency legal regime. If the legislative package is adopted and enters into force before September 11, the government, yes, plans to declare quarantine and continue the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic as it is not over yet”, the deputy justice minister said.

    Reporting by Norayr Shoghikyan; Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan