Month: May 2021

Lavrov calls his meeting with Blinken constructive

Meline Chalian

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 11:09,

YEREVAN, MAY 20, ARMENPRESS. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called the talks with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken constructive, reports TASS.

“The conversation seemed to me constructive. There is an understanding of the need to overcome the unhealthy situation that developed between Moscow and Washington in previous years”, the Russian Foreign Minister said following talks with his American counterpart.

Moscow confirmed its readiness to hold the dialogue on strategic stability with the US and to discuss all aspects and factors influencing it, Washington did not reject such a concept, Russian Foreign Minister noted.

“Today we confirmed our proposal to start a dialogue, considering all aspects, all factors affecting strategic stability: nuclear, non-nuclear, offensive, defensive. I have not seen a rejection of such a concept, but experts still have to work on it”, he said.

If Azerbaijan implements preliminary agreements, "100%" pro-Armenian document will be signed, says Pashinyan

David Nargizian

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 11:35,

YEREVAN, MAY 20, ARMENPRESS. The preliminary agreements that have been reached are “100 percent” in line with Armenia’s interests, caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting commenting on reports that a new document is going to be signed.

“The solutions that as of this moment are reached with our international partners, the preliminary agreements are 100 percent in line with Armenia’s interests, not 99,9 percent, but 100 percent. And yes, if Azerbaijan implements these agreements and in the conditions we’ve discussed, yes, I am going to sign that document, because it is 100% in line with the national interests of Armenia. I am simply not going to publish the document now because it’s inappropriate, it is a working document, negotiations are ongoing, there are proposals and so on,” he said.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

500-600 Azeri troops still illegally located on Armenian territory

Emil Lazarian

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 11:45,

YEREVAN, MAY 20, ARMENPRESS. The operational situation in the areas of the border which was breached by Azerbaijani troops remains unchanged and the situation is still tense, Armenian caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting.

He said that approximately 500-600 Azerbaijani troops are still located on Armenian sovereign territory in different parts.

“The rationale of our military’s actions is the following: to restrict the Azerbaijani side’s potential of taking actions through tactical actions. In terms of politics our objective is the following: first, to not allow the situation to get out of control, that is to do the utmost to rule out any scenario of a combat or war clash, and second, to achieve the withdrawal of the Azerbaijani troops from Armenia’s territory,” he said.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Pashinyan says positions of int’l partners and Armenia are the same: Azerbaijani forces must leave Armenian territory

Vicken Chmshkian

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 11:53,

YEREVAN, MAY 20, ARMENPRESS. Major diplomatic work has been carried out and is being carried out after the recent incursion of the Azerbaijani armed forces into Armenia’s territory, Caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said during the Cabinet meeting today, presenting the activities aimed at condemning the Azerbaijani actions and withdrawing its troops from the Armenian territory.

“One of the key evidence of this is also the fact that today the foreign minister is not attending the Cabinet session because our colleagues of foreign ministry are engaged in this work at this moment. I would like to state that I consider the diplomatic work of this moment effective. And not only the foreign ministry, but also the defense ministry, the deputy prime ministers work on this direction”, he said, calling this work successful because, according to him, the positions of international partners and Armenia are the same in fact, that is the Azerbaijani armed forces must leave Armenia’s territory.

Recently, on May 12, the Azerbaijani armed forces have illegally crossed into Armenia’s territory, in particular the Sev Lake in Syunik province. Thanks to the actions of the Armenian side, some of the Azerbaijani forces have returned back to their initial positions, but some Azeri troops still remain in some border sections of Armenia’s Syunik and Gegharkunik provinces. Negotiations over the withdrawal of the Azerbaijani forces are taking place.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Pashinyan presents reasons of applying to CSTO

Ani Basmajian

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 12:17,

YEREVAN, MAY 20, ARMENPRESS. Caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addressed the question on why Armenia applied to the CSTO without having engaged in armed resistance against the Azerbaijani incursion.

“All those who’ve at least read a few paragraphs from the CSTO treaties will know that the CSTO is for the very reason for crisis situations to be overcome without firing,” he said at the Cabinet meeting. “It isn’t an organization within the framework of which one should fire and then invite others to fire. It’s an organization whose mechanisms should be applied to not allow escalation, to resolve the escalation diplomatically. This is the very essence of the CSTO. If shooting starts within the framework of the CSTO, with high probability it could transform into a big regional war, if not a bigger large-scale war in the event of certain scenarios,” he said. From this perspective, he said, it is highly important to understand the Azeri side’s goal. “One of the options was to instigate war, and we must focus on the fact that at least in the Syunik section this action was being carried out in the narrowest part of the Syunik province and of Armenian territory, approximately 26 kilometers wide. If the situation was to go out of control, uncontrollable situations could unfold there, which subsequently could create very big problems. We’ve decided that we must solve the issue through our international security mechanisms, I think this is right, and as of this moment it justifies itself, although we still can’t say that we’ve reached our goal this way. Considering the domestic processes in Armenia, we can’t rule out that the purpose of this action could be to influence the domestic processes and the results of the election, and maybe even to provide political assistance to the network of propaganda and agents operating in Armenia,” Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan also addressed the question on how the Azeri troops were able to cross the border.

“First I want to say that after the war our border became several kilometers longer. And in the parts where we are dealing there are difficult terrain mountainous sections, covered with snow in most times of the year and where any engineering works are impossible. The border’s current condition in this part from the Armenian side is the same from the Azerbaijani side.”

He added another issue: “We must combine today’s situation with the content of the November 9 statement, because, yes, with our assessments the movement of the Azerbaijani troops is in direct contradiction with the November 9 trilateral statement. And here we must also express certain positions and implement diplomatic work to record this.”

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

While Putin Urges Diplomacy Azerbaijan Ignores Negotiations

Bedik Zaminian



The Armenian and Azerbaijani border posts near Syunik

Moscow offers to facilitate Armenia-Azerbaijan border demarcation

President Vladimir Putin of Russia urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to resolve the current border standoff exclusively through diplomatic efforts, while Azerbaijan failed to attend talks scheduled for Wednesday to negotiate a resolution.

After negotiations stalled over the weekend to address Azerbaijan’s breach of Armenia’s sovereign border, new round of talks were scheduled to resume Wednesday, but were halted due to Azerbaijan’s absence.

In announcing Azerbaijan’s absence, Armenia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that Armeni still hopes for a negotiated solution to the dispute. It again warned that if this does not happen “within a reasonable timeframe” Yerevan will reserve the right to remove the Azerbaijani troops from Armenian territory by force.

Putin telephoned Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and Armenia’s Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan urging the two leaders to resolve the current standoff exclusively through diplomacy, while, once again, stressing “the need to solve issues aimed at ensuring security and stability in the region in line with the November 9, 2020 and January 11, 2021 statements.”

Pashinyan told Putin that “Azerbaijani forces, against all international norms, have violated the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia.”

Putin told Aliyev that Russia is ready to facilitate the border demarcation process, a sentiment echoed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who on Wednesday said that Moscow has proposed that the two sides set up a commission on the delimitation and demarcation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and expressed readiness to participate in its activities as a “consultant or mediator.”

“The Russian side will continue its mediation efforts and consultative support aimed at achieving an agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the launch of a process of delimitation and demarcation of their state border,” the Kremlin said in a readout of Putin-Aliyev call.

In confirming the Russian proposal, the head of Armenia’s National Security Council Armen Grigoryan said that Azerbaijan needed to withdraw its troops from Armenia’s sovereign territory before any demarcation talks.

“The Armenian side has stressed the need for the withdrawal of Azerbaijani forces from Armenia’s sovereign territory before the launch of such work,” Grigoryan told Armenpress. “Only after that would conditions be created for such discussions.”

Speaking ahead of a CSTO foreign ministers’ council in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Lavrov downplayed the seriousness of the border standoff, saying that he didn’t sees the need to “whip up emotions on this issue.”

Asbarez: ANCA Chairman Challenges Dismissive State Dept. Response to Bipartisan Congressional Priorities

Lena Karagyozian



ANCA Chairman Raffi Hamparian

Calls on Legislators to Roll Back Section 907 Waiver; Cut off all U.S. Military aid to Azerbaijan

WASHINGTON—Armenian National Committee of America Chairman Raffi Hamparian – in individual letters sent to more than one hundred U.S. Representatives – voiced the Armenian American community’s deep disappointment over a severely flawed State Department response to Members of Congress that failed to address or even mention six substantive policy priorities raised by Members of Congress regarding Armenia and Artsakh.

In February, over 100 U.S. House members joined the Congressional Armenian Caucus leadership in sharing key policy priorities with the Biden Administration on issues related to Armenia, Artsakh, and the Armenian Genocide. The State Department’s response, dated May 6, 2021, failed to mention six key issues raised by these legislators:

  1. No mention of the over 200 Armenian POWs still held by Azerbaijan
  2. No mention of Turkey and Azerbaijan as the aggressors in the attacks against Armenia and Artsakh in Fall 2020
  3. No clear commitment to robust U.S. aid to Armenia and Artsakh
  4. No reference to the Biden Administration waiver of Section 907 restrictions on U.S. aid to Azerbaijan
  5. No reference to Turkey’s use of U.S. technology in the Bayraktar drones used against Armenia and Artsakh
  6. No mention of the Turkey funded mercenaries deployed against Armenia and Artsakh

The ANCA letter underscores that: “The United States should be putting the brakes on Baku’s belligerence, not emboldening Azerbaijan’s aggression. Providing U.S. military aid to the oil-rich Aliyev regime – directly threatening Armenians upon their indigenous homeland – runs counter to President Biden’s campaign statements and his recent recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Recognition of a genocide comes with serious responsibilities, among them is not arming countries openly seeking to complete this very crime.”

In terms of Congressional action, Hamparian encouraged the 100 signatories to: “call upon the State Department to revisit [the] letter and provide an actual response to your policy priorities. Parallel to this outreach, I urge you to roll back Section 907 waiver authority and to enact, via statute, a prohibition on any and all U.S. military or security aid to Azerbaijan.”

Text of ANCA Chairman Raffi Hamparian’s Letter to Congressional Leaders

U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Representative:

Thank you for co-authoring a letter to the Department of State and Pentagon, dated February 19, 2021, along with over 100 members of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, outlining constructive policy priorities regarding Armenia, Artsakh, and the Caucus region. Your leadership is deeply appreciated.

Unfortunately, as recently as this week, Azerbaijan launched an alarming new attack against Armenia, sending forces nearly two miles into sovereign Armenian territory.

I am, deeply troubled by the State Department’s dismissive May 6, 2021 response to your letter, which ignores six of your clearly articulated policy priorities:

1. Prisoners of War: The bipartisan Armenian Caucus letter stressed that Azerbaijan has refused to free Armenian prisoners of war and apprehended civilians.

The State Department entirely ignores Congressional concern for the release of Armenian prisoners of war, failing, in this letter, to even cite their existence, despite sustained Congressional pressure.

2. Azerbaijani and Turkish Aggression:  The bipartisan Armenian Caucus letter identified Azerbaijani and Turkish forces as having initiated the September 27, 2020 attack that killed an estimated 5,000 people and forced more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians to flee from Artsakh.

The State Department fails to identify Baku and Ankara as aggressors, choosing instead to speak generically of “last year’s fighting.”

3. U.S. Humanitarian Aid:  The bipartisan Armenian Caucus letter called for “significant U.S. commitments” of urgently needed humanitarian aid for the people of Artsakh, to help them reconstruct their communities and rebuild their lives. (A subsequent Armenian Caucus letter called for at least $100 million in U.S. aid.)

The State Department dismisses Congressional calls for a significant U.S. commitment, citing just $5 million in humanitarian aid it has sent to support affected populations of both Armenians and Azerbaijanis.

4. Section 907:  The bipartisan Armenian Caucus letter supported ending the waiver of Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act, sanctioning Turkish and Azerbaijani leaders, and ceasing military aid to Azerbaijan through the Section 333 Building Partner Capacity program.

The State Department neglects to mention that the White House officially waived Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act, and fails to respond to Congressional concerns about withholding U.S. aid to Baku.

5. Turkish Drones and Prohibited Munitions: The bipartisan Armenian Caucus letter cited Azerbaijan’s use of Turkish Bayraktar drones utilizing American components and technology, and also Baku’s illegal use of cluster and white phosphorus munitions.

The State Department disregards Congressional concern over Azerbaijan’s illegal use of cluster and white phosphorus munitions, and fails to address Baku’s deployment of Turkish Bayraktar drones utilizing American components and technology.

6. Foreign Mercenaries:  The bipartisan Armenian Caucus letter cited Azerbaijan’s deployment of Turkish-backed foreign mercenaries, many with ties to internationally recognized terrorist groups.

The State Department refuses to address Congressional concerns about the foreign mercenaries recruited by Turkey to fight alongside Azerbaijani forces.

The United States should be putting the brakes on Baku’s belligerence, not emboldening Azerbaijan’s aggression. Providing U.S. military aid to the oil-rich Aliyev regime – directly threatening Armenians upon their indigenous homeland – runs counter to President Biden’s campaign statements and his recent recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Recognition of a genocide comes with serious responsibilities, among them is not arming countries openly seeking to complete this very crime.

I encourage you to call upon the State Department to revisit your letter and provide an actual response to your policy priorities. Parallel to this outreach, I urge you to roll back Section 907 waiver authority and to enact, via statute, a prohibition on any and all U.S. military or security aid to Azerbaijan.

Thank you for your consideration of my views. I look forward to hearing from you about your engagement with the Department of State. Please do not hesitate to contact me directly at (202) 775-1918 with any questions you may have on this important matter.

Sincerely,
Raffi Hamparian
ANCA Chairman

cc:   U.S. Senator Robert Menendez, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
U.S. Senator Jack Reed, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services
U.S. Representative Gregory Meeks, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee
U.S. Representative Adam Smith, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee

Armenpress: Armenian statistics committee issues Q1 inbound international tourism data

Emil Lazarian

Armenian statistics committee issues Q1 inbound international tourism data

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 09:00,

YEREVAN, MAY 19, ARMENPRESS. 86,524 tourists visited Armenia in the first three months of 2021, according to official statistics. The number of inbound tourists dropped 71,9% compared to 2020’s same period, the data of the Statistical Committee shows.

Breaking down the 2021 Q1 figures, statistics shows that most (30,213) tourists were Russian nationals. 26,633 of the international tourists were Armenian citizens, mostly expats.

Third most visitations came from Iran, with 9394 Iranian tourists traveling to Armenia in the first three months of 2021.  

In the reporting period 8911 Georgian, 2094 American, 2018 Ukrainian, 1185 French, 731 Belarusian, 578 German citizens visited Armenia. Other nationalities of foreign travelers to Armenia are Belgium, UAE, Lebanon, Italy and Spain. Despite the coronavirus pandemic-related drop in tourism, inbound tourism from certain countries recorded some growth, for example – in 2020 Q1 only 6 tourists from Iceland visited Armenia, while in 2021’s same period this number stood at 46.

Outbound figures stood as follows: in January-March of 2021 a total of 44,574 Armenian tourists departed, compared to the 2020’s 274,435.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Session of CSTO Council of Foreign Ministers kicks off in Dushanbe: Armenia-Azerbaijan border crisis also on agenda

Emil Lazarian

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 11:09,

DUSHANBE, MAY 19, ARMENPRESS. The session of the CSTO Council of Foreign Ministers kicked off today in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

The session is taking place in a narrow format, Armenian foreign ministry spokeswoman Anna Naghdalyan reported on social media.

According to the session agenda, the CSTO Foreign Ministers will also discuss the current situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

The CSTO Council of Foreign Ministers is holding the first offline session since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Russian, Armenian, Belarusian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz and Tajik foreign ministers will discuss the international situation and its development prospects, as well as its possible impact on the security of the CSTO member states. They will also discuss the Israeli-Palestinian crisis and the recent border tension between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Amid reinforcements and severed supply lines, only reasonable solution for Azeri troops is to pull back – Defense Min.

Alex Nanijanian

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 11:10,

YEREVAN, MAY 19, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian military says the situation at the border with Azerbaijan remains unchanged.

“The situation created after the May 12 and 13 provocations committed by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces in some border sections of the provinces of Syunik and Gegharkunik did not undergo any significant changes as of the morning of May 19. In all directions where the provocations took place, the terrain, the Azerbaijani troops and their potential supply lines remain under the complete control of the Armenian forces. Moreover, in the last two days additional units of the Armenian military were deployed in the area, completely depriving the Azerbaijani troops even from theoretically taking any action, leaving their withdrawal to their original positions as their only reasonable solution to the situation. Nevertheless, negotiations over a peaceful resolution of the issue are still ongoing. The Armenian Ministry of Defense is hopeful that these talks will give desirable result and the situation will be resolved peacefully. At the same time, as announced before, in the event of absence of a solution in reasonable timeframes the Armenian Armed Forces reserve the right to solve the issue by another option, including by force,” the Armenian Defense Ministry said.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan