Month: June 2022

ArmInfo.Artsakh can never be part of Azerbaijan, and the official Stepanakert has repeatedly spoken about this. This was announced on June 20 at the presentation  of the book “The Karabakh conflict and the foreign policy of the  Republic of Artsakh” by NKR Foreign Minister David Babayan.

According to him, both the Armenian people and official Yerevan are  also well aware of this. “We will stand to the last and never allow  our red lines to be crossed,” he said.

Touching upon the issue of the future status of Artsakh, Babayan  pointed to its complexity. “The Karabakh conflict is one of the most  difficult in the world, it can probably be equated to the  Palestinian-Israeli one in terms of difficulty. We cannot expect a  quick settlement. It will not be possible to reach a settlement in a  short time, so you need to be realistic and understand that the final  settlement is a task of the distant future,” Babayan said, calling in  this vein to protect and defend Nagorno-Karabakh.

According to him, there are all possibilities for this.   “Consequently, if there is no comprehensive settlement, Artsakh will  continue to maintain its status as a de facto independent and  sovereign state, and then we’ll see,” the head of the foreign  ministry said.

To clarify whether this issue is being discussed now, Babayan  admitted that the issue of status is not being discussed now. The  head of the NKR Foreign Ministry noted that of course, they want a  speedy settlement of the conflict, but at the same time, the red line  for them is that they will have nothing to do with Azerbaijan in this  issue in any way or depend on it.

Speaking about the negotiation process, the head of the NKR Foreign  Ministry noted that one should remember that “we face a state in  which hatred towards Armenians is being planted.”

At the same time, he expressed his conviction that the Armenians need  to learn a lot from the enemy, who has a very organized approach to  many issues. “You know, it is not so easy to take such bold steps. We  have lost about 80% of our state. Remember the massacre of 1915. And  what, did the Turks and Azerbaijanis repent of something? Do you  expect Azerbaijan to change overnight?  Especially when they see how  certain circles are scourging Russia,” he said.

Referring to the statements of the Prime Minister of the Republic of  Armenia Nikol Pashinyan from the rostrum of the Parliament regarding  Artsakh, where the security of the population of Artsakh was  indicated as a key factor, and not its status, Babayan noted that he  has no idea what any leader of Armenia can think, and even more so  take steps to make Artsakh a part of Azerbaijan.

“I don’t want to believe in this. As for rights and freedoms, we have  no future as part of Azerbaijan. I will give you a good example. The  poor fellows kept in the Auschwitz concentration camp , also had  “rights and freedoms” – they had the right to sleep – one hour, and  the right to walk, were free in their barracks – to roll over from  side to side in their beds. These are also “rights and freedoms”. But  the future in Azerbaijan, is even worse than this,” he said,  emphasizing that they will continue to preserve their de facto  independence.

At the same time, speaking about a comprehensive settlement, Babayan  stated that the peace treaty should be signed by Artsakh, Azerbaijan  and Armenia, and if something does not suit Baku in this format, then  everything will remain as it is now de facto, and de jure it’s all a  matter of time.

“But, de facto, we do not see ourselves as part of Azerbaijan, what  should we negotiate with them about.  They closed this page for  themselves, and we closed it,” the NKR Foreign Minister said, adding  that the Armenian authorities have not officially stated that Artsakh  should become part of Azerbaijan, and this is not acceptable.

According to him, even if the world says that Artsakh should do this,  they will not take this step, they cannot be forced to do so.

“Then it’s better to die with dignity in the struggle than to become  a slave who is constantly raped,” said the head of the Foreign  Ministry.

Regarding the lowering of the bar, Babayan noted that what kind of  bars are in question, only red lines remained. “We have only one red  line left – the status, what levels can we talk about. If we lower  the bar, then Azerbaijan is moving forward step by step. We do not  see ourselves as part of Azerbaijan. This is a fact,” he said, adding  that Artsakh society is united in this issue.

At the same time, he urged not to blame anyone for what happened to  the Armenian people throughout its history. According to the head of  the NKR Foreign Ministry, “Armenians themselves are to blame for all  their troubles.”

ArmInfo. The fate of Artsakh is under threat. Head of the NKR Foreign Ministry David Babayan stated on June 20 at the presentation of the book “The Karabakh conflict and  the foreign policy of the Republic of Artsakh”, referring to the  invasion of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces into the zone of  responsibility of Russian peacekeepers in Parukh.

” Do you love Artsakh? What is Artsakh for you? If you love it, you  must understand what needs to be done that we don’t do any harm. If  we lose Artsakh, there will be no Armenia. Forget it,” he said,  adding that today people walk carelessly around Yerevan, as if  nothing is happening, however, everything can change in a moment, and  on September 26, 2020, people in Stepanakert were also carelessly  going about their daily business.

“You are now saying that the Russian peacekeepers have not fulfilled  their obligations, but do we have the right to reproach, especially  the country on which our security and future depend? This does not  mean at all that nothing depends on us, “But I repeat, Armenians and  Jews can afford to use the Diaspora for the benefit of their country  while maintaining good relations with all countries,” said the NKR  Foreign Minister.

At the same time, he stated that the Armenians have an enemy in the  person of Azerbaijan, where armenophobia is being planted at the  state level. According to him, the Russian peacekeepers also knew  that. “The incident in Parukh is not only a blow to Artsakh, but also  to Russian peacekeepers. And instead of understanding this, we are  also trying to blame. And who benefits from this? Enemy! How can an  Armenian do it in such a way as to hit the same nail like the enemy,”  Babayan was indignant.  At the same time, he stressed that if the  Armenians have good relations with friendly, fraternal Russia, this  does not mean at all that it is necessary to have enmity with other  countries. In this vein, the diplomat once again stressed that the  two Armenian states are obliged to have good relations with all  states where there is a Diaspora.  “The incident in Parukh is a  terrorist act, an attack on Russian peacekeepers and Artsakh. And  this will not go unanswered, and it does not matter when. In general,  terrorism will not go unanswered,” the NKR Foreign Minister said.

Concerning the future fate of the Russian peacekeeping mission,  Babayan expressed his conviction that they would continue their  activities. “And here the question is not Azerbaijan’s desire. If the  issue is not resolved, what will they do? Do peacekeepers pose a  threat to Azerbaijan? Russia bears historical and moral  responsibility for the fate of the region. I think that the mission  will be extended,” Babayan concluded.  

It should be noted that on March 24 the Azerbaijani Armed Forces,  having violated the line of contact, invaded the village of Parukh in  the Askeran region of Artsakh and tried to capture the strategic  height of Karaglukh. These territories are in the zone of  responsibility of Russian peacekeepers. The co-chairing countries of  the OSCE Minsk Group called on Azerbaijan to restore the contact line  of March 23.  However, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces continue to be at  the Karaglukh height, as a result of which more than 400 people  cannot return to their homes.  On June 9, Russian Foreign Minister  Sergei Lavrov, commenting on the situation around the Karabakh  village of Parukh, where the Azerbaijani Armed Forces invaded on  March 24, noted that the Russian military keep this issue as one of  its priorities, which Armenian partners are well aware of.

“There are already certain results in terms of de-escalation of the  situation on the ground. And we have an understanding that within the  framework of substantive work on delimitation that is already  beginning, these issues will be considered and will certainly be  resolved,” the Russian minister said. 

ArmInfo.The EU has its geopolitical agenda, Foreign Minister of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) David Babayan stated at the presentation of the book  entitled “Karabakh conflict and foreign policy of Republic of  Artsakh” as he commented on today’s statement by Toivo Klaar, EU  Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in  Georgia, who welcomed Azerbaijani President lham Aliyev’s statement  at the Global Baku Forum.

“We should not take offence at anyone. We should admit the facts. Let  them say their own things, and we are going to say our own. We must  adhere to our principles and wee can speak of that. Thee point is  that we must adhere to our principles. As soon as we show  faint-heartedness, make a mistake, it will be the end,” Mr Babayan  said. 

“I think the ties some democratic states have with Azerbaijan clearly  show a global moral and psychological crisis. And the argument that  democracies do not war against each other and that democracy cannot  be ‘placed at the disposal’ of authoritarian states – but we can see  an entirely different picture. so we should bee realists and remain  vigilant, s much depends on a small state,” Mr Babayan. 

In this context, he recalled the statement by President of the  European Council Charles Michel. And the harsh response by Artsakh  made Toivo Klaar issue a statement, claiming that Mr Michel’s  statement was misinterpreted. 

“Much depends on us. Of importance is our own conduct and policy. We  should not underestimate our potential much less lose heart,” he  said. 

As to a possibility of his book being translated into English and put  on Charles Michel’s table, Mr Babayan said that both the President of  the European Council and others must on regular occasions hear  messages from Artsakh before the book is translated. 

“And you must know that Charles Michel’s statements are not a law for  us, as it is struggle for existence.  We are not insulting him, we  have not such a right. But we are saying to him in a civilized  manner: well and good, it is your opinion, but we do not share it. If  anyone thinks we have no alternative, such people are profoundly  mistaken. There is always an alternative as geopolitics itself offers  such alternatives. And vacuum is never formed in important regions,”  Mr Babayan. 

In a statement by the head of the  European Council following a  meeting with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan on June 22, on the  issue of transport communications, it  is noted that the leaders  agreed on the need to start unblocking  transport communications.  “They agreed on the principles governing  transit between western  Azerbaijan and Nakhijevan and between  different parts of Armenia  through Azerbaijan, as well as  international transport through the  communication infrastructure of  both countries. In particular, they  agreed on the principles of  border management, security, land fees,  as well as customs rules in  the context of international  transportation. In the coming days, the  vice-premiers will continue  this work,” Michel said.  At the same  time, Charles Michel’s  statement does not say a word about the status  and future of  Nagorno- Karabakh. Moreover, in his statement, the head  of the  European Council, instead of the generally recognized term   Nagorno-Karabakh, used the Azerbaijani term “Karabakh” and the   wording “Armenian ethnic population of Karabakh.” In addition, his   statement does not mention any trilateral agreements at the level of   the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia, or other generally   accepted principles of settlement.    

ArmInfo.The loss of Artsakh will result in unpredictable and radical changes in the geopolitical landscape of the South Caucasus, Foreign Minister of the Nagorno-  Karabakh Republic (NKR) David Babayan stated at the presentation of  the book entitled “Karabakh conflict and foreign policy of Republic  of Artsakh.” 

According to him, whether Artsakh exists or does not exist, and  whether it is part or nor part of Azerbaijan really matters. 

“Loss of Artsakh will result in unpredictable radical changes in the  geopolitical landscape of the region, which will form an entirely  different global situation. I am not exaggerating. Even small points  are crucial for the region’s future, including in the global  respect,” Mr Babayan said. 

In this context, he suggests imagining that Artsakh is no more. In  this case, one of the policies that will be dominating in the  Transcaucasus is Pan-Turkism, which will cause further processes,  such as expansion of Pan-Turkism into Central Asia, Northern Caucasia  and Near East, as far as China. 

“That would create a radically different situation. And the most  important thing is that we realize geopolitics has its own rules. We  have entered an era of barefaced geopolitics, with norms and ideology  being of secondary importance. But it does not mean we should not  know our past and future. At present many of us do not know what  Artsakh and Karabakh is. Who is to blame – the superpowers or the  Turks?  So we ourselves must understand our strong and weak points,”  Mr Babayan said. 

He recalled the four resolutions by the U.N. Security Council  Azerbaijan is appealing to and interpreting in its own way. 

“But all the four resolutions by the U.N. Security Council recognize  Artsakh as an entity. If Azerbaijan claims they contain points on  territorial integrity, the same documents recognize Nagorno-Karabakh  as an entity. It is written there in black and white that the local  Armenian forces are independents of either Armenia or Azerbaijan. And  we must speak of that,” Mr Babayan said. 

ArmInfo. The Armenia Startup Ecosystem is a regional Leader in innovation, ranked at number 60 globally, and shows a positive momentum 5 spots since 2021.  Armenia  also ranks at number 16 for startups in Eastern Europe.

There are 1 cities ranked in the top 1,000 in Armenia and the top  ranked city in Armenia is Yerevan at 244 globally. Yerevan is  followed by undefined at undefined and undefined at undefined.

Armenia is an ideal place to locate for Social & Leisure, Software  and Data and Marketing & Sales startups. As the most popular  industries in the country, there is a sample of 14 Social & Leisure  startups in Armenia, 7 Software and Data startups in Armenia and 5  Marketing & Sales startups in Armenia, on the StartupBlink Map.

Among the post-Soviet states, Armenia is followed by Belarus (70th),  and Kyrgyzstan (100th), but is behind Russia (29th against 17th last  year), Ukraine (50th).

Georgia ranked 73rd, Moldova, 88th, Azerbaijan, 85th, Turkey, 46th. 

Among the top leaders are the United States, Great Britain, Canada,  Sweden.