20:21,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 10, ARMENPRESS. Within the framework of the Paris Peace Conference, the Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held a meeting with the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Ahmad Khan, the PM’s Office said.
During the meeting, the interlocutors discussed issues related to international justice and law, as well as other topics of mutual interest.
Highlights Plight of Artsakh Armenians in Opening Prayer of U.S. House of Representatives
WASHINGTON – His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, on Thursday called for American leadership in aiding Artsakh’s 100,000 Armenian Christian refugees, during discussions with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), and a dozen other members of Congress, reported the Armenian National Committee of America.
“We warmly welcome His Holiness Aram I’s constructive consultations with Congressional leaders – among them Speaker Johnson and former Speaker Pelosi,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “A global ambassador for Armenian aspirations and inter-faith understanding, His Holiness represents a powerful voice for justice in Washington and in capitals around the world.”
Aram meets with U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, Rep. Adam Schiff, and US House Chaplain Rev. Dr. Margaret Grun Kibben, prior to offering today’s opening prayer Aram I speaking with former Speaker Nancy Pelosi as Rep. Anna Eshoo and His Eminence Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian look on
The Armenian pontiff was on Capitol Hill at the invitation of Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and served as Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives.
After a meeting in the Capitol with Speaker Johnson, Rep. Schiff, and U.S. House Chaplain Rev. Dr. Margaret Grun Kibben, His Holiness Aram I offered the opening prayer at today’s U.S. House of Representatives session. In his prayer, he noted, “Help us, God of Mercy, remember in our prayers more than one hundred thousand Armenian refugees who were recently forced to leave Nagorno Karabakh, their centuries old homeland…” The prayer was televised on CSPAN.
In remarks on the U.S. House floor, Rep. Schiff welcomed His Holiness Aram I to Congress, noting that “his unwavering commitment to the values of faith, community, and compassion embodies the spirit of our vibrant Armenian community.” Rep. Schiff went on to stress that His Holiness Aram I’s “support for humanitarian issues, advocacy for human rights, engagement in several educational and cultural initiatives, and promotion of interfaith understanding have left an indelible mark making the world a better place for all.”
Following the prayer, His Holiness Aram I met with Speaker Pelosi, House Democratic Whip Representative Katherine Clark (D-MA), and Representatives Jim Costa (D-CA), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Young Kim (R-CA), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Dina Titus (D-NV), at a reception hosted by the ANCA. His Holiness also met separately with Rep. Jerry Carl (R-AL). The Armenian pontiff praised members of the Congressional Armenian Staff Association in attendance, for their efforts to educate elected officials on Armenian American concerns.
Aram I led Armenian clergy and lay leaders from the Prelacies of Eastern US, Western US, and Canada in meetings on Capitol Hill Aram I with Members of Congress, Armenian clergy and lay leaders from the Prelacies of Eastern US, Western US, and Canada, and ANCA advocates. Aram I led Armenian clergy in singing a moving rendition of The Lord’s Prayer in Armenian at the Capitol Prayer Room, adjacent to the rotunda.
Prior to leaving the Capitol, His Holiness Aram I led fellow clergy in a moving rendition of The Lord’s Prayer, sung in Armenian in the Congressional Prayer Room near the rotunda in the United States Capitol.
During his visit to the U.S. Capitol, Catholicos Aram I was accompanied by His Eminence Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian, Prelate of the Eastern U.S. Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America; His Eminence Archbishop Papken Tcharian, Prelate of the Canadian Prelacy; His Grace Bishop Torkom Donoyan, Prelate of the Western U.S. Prelacy; Very Rev. Fr. Sahag Yemishian, Vicar General of the Eastern U.S. Prelacy; Very Rev. Fr. Hovagim Panjarjian, head of the Catholicosate Media Department; Very Rev. Fr. Sarkis Aprahamian, head of the Middle East and Christian-Islam dialogue section of the Ecumenical Department of the Catholicosate; Mr. Stepan Der Bedrosian, co-chair of the Central Executive Council of the Catholicosate; Leaders of the Executive Councils of the Eastern U.S. Prelacy, Western U.S. Prelacy, and Canadian Prelacy; as well ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian and members of the ANCA Washington DC Staff.
His Holiness Aram I arrived in Washington, DC earlier this week, the first stop in his visit to the Eastern Prelacy, continuing his mission to revitalize Diasporan life through the various fields of activity of the Cilician Catholicosate prelacies.
Prime Minister Nikpl Pashinyan meets with President Emmanuel Macron of France on Nov. 9 in Paris
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Thursday met with President Emmanuel Macron of France in Paris.
The talks, which Pashinyan later called “excellent,” centered around issues related to normalization of Armenia and Azerbaijan relations.
Reference was made to the humanitarian issues arising from the more than 100,000 forcibly displaced Artsakh residents who fled to Armenia after Azerbaijan launched a large-scale attack in September as part of its ethnic cleansing campaign. The need for the international community to assist in resolving existing challenges was highlighted.
Macron and Pashinyan emphasized the importance of the principles declared during a meeting in Granada, Spain last month, which include European leaders’ “unwavering support” for Armenia’s territorial integrity and called for “regional connectivity links based on full respect of countries’ sovereignty and jurisdiction, as well as on the principles of equality and reciprocity.”
Last month, Pashinyan with Macron, Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Sholz and the European Council President Charles Michel in Granada, where they issued a joint declaration after President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan declined to participate in what were billed as peace negotiations between Yerevan and Baku.
“Excellent talks with French President Emmanuel Macron. We discussed issues related to the strengthening of the Armenia-France exceptional, friendly relations and bilateral agenda, cooperation with the EU, as well as the situation in the South Caucasus,” Pashinyan said in a post on X.
Macron and Pashinyan also discussed strengthening relation between their countries.
Last week, France and Armenia signed a military cooperation agreement, the first such accord with a Western nation, that envision delivery of French defensive weapons to Armenia.
Pashinyan is in France to attend the annual Paris Peace Forum. He and his wife, Anna Hakopyan, attended an opening reception at the Elysee Palace hosted by Macron.
Friday,
Pashinian Meets International Court Prosecutor Wanted By Russia
France - Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian meets International Criminal
Court prosecutor Karim Khan, Paris, .
Risking more tensions with Russia, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian met on Friday
with the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) who issued
an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin in March.
Pashinian’s press office said he discussed with the British prosecutor, Karim
Khan, “issues relating to international justice and law as well as other topics
of mutual interest.” The meeting took place on the sidelines of the annual Paris
Peace Forum held in the French capital.
Khan ordered Putin’s arrest over war crimes allegedly committed by Russia in
Ukraine. Moscow strongly condemned the move before adding Khan to the Russian
Interior Ministry’s wanted list in May. It vehemently denies any war crimes
committed during the invasion of Ukraine and accuses the ICC of executing orders
issued by Western governments.
One week after the order for Putin’s arrest, Armenia’s Constitutional Court gave
the green light for parliamentary ratification of the ICC’s founding treaty also
known as the Rome Statute. Despite stern warnings issued by the Russian
leadership in the following months, the National Assembly controlled by
Pashinian’s party ratified the treaty on October 3.
The move added to unprecedented tensions between the two states. Russian
officials said it will cause serious damage to Russian-Armenian relations. They
dismissed Yerevan’s assurances that the ratification does not commit it to
arresting Putin and handing him over to the ICC in the event of his visit to
Armenia.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry said last week that it has proposed to Moscow a
bilateral agreement that “can dispel the concerns of the Russian Federation.”
Russian lawmakers brushed aside the proposal.
The Pashinian government’s stated rationale for accepting the ICC’s jurisdiction
is to bring Azerbaijan to justice for its “war crimes” and to prevent more
Azerbaijani attacks on Armenia.
Armenian opposition politicians counter that Azerbaijan is not a party to the
Rome Statute and would therefore ignore any pro-Armenian ruling by The Hague
tribunal. They say the real purpose of ratifying the treaty is to drive another
wedge between Russia and Armenia and score points in the West.
Aliyev-Pashinian Meeting ‘Possible In December’
• Heghine Buniatian
• Karlen Aslanian
Belgium - EU Council President Charles Michel meets the leaders of Armenia and
Azerbaijan in Brussels, July 15, 2023.
The European Union may succeed in organizing next month a potentially decisive
meeting of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev, a senior EU official said on Friday.
Aliyev and Pashinian were scheduled to meet on the fringes of the EU’s October 5
summit in Granada, Spain. Pashinian hoped that they will sign there a document
laying out the main parameters of an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty.
However, Aliyev withdrew from the talks at the last minute. He also appears to
have cancelled another meeting which EU Council President Charles Michel planned
to host in Brussels later in October.
The EU official, who did not want to be identified, told RFE/RL’s Armenian
Service that Michel and other EU representatives are now holding separate
discussions with Yerevan and Baku in an effort to reschedule the trilateral
meeting for December. Although no agreement has been reached so far, the summit
may take place next month, said the official.
Pashinian said, meanwhile, that he has not yet received “an invitation to the
next meeting from Charles Michel.” Speaking during the annual Paris Peace Forum
in the French capital, he said the peace accord can be signed “in the coming
months” if Azerbaijan commits to mutual recognition of each other’s Soviet-era
borders and a corresponding mechanism for delimiting the Armenian-Azerbaijani
frontier.
Pashinian questioned Baku’s willingness to do that, saying that Azerbaijani
officials, academics and government-controlled media are increasingly promoting
“the concept of so-called Western Azerbaijan” encompassing much of modern-day
Armenia. That is a “concept for preparing a new war against Armenia,” he claimed.
The EU official said in this regard that Aliyev repeatedly recognized Armenia’s
territorial integrity during EU-mediated talks with Pashinian. The Azerbaijani
leader has not done so publicly, however.
The Brussels-based official also revealed that Aliyev pledged not to resort to a
military solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict just days before the
Azerbaijani army attacked Karabakh and forced its practically entire population
to flee to Armenia.
Former Defense Chief Decries His ‘Political Persecution’
• Ruzanna Stepanian
Armenia -- Armenian Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan at a news conference in
Yerevan, April 9, 2019.
Davit Tonoyan, a jailed former Armenian defense minister facing corruption
charges, has described the case against him as politically motivated, saying
that the final decision to arrest him was made at a meeting chaired by Prime
Minister Nikol Pashinian.
Tonoyan was arrested more than two years ago in a criminal investigation into
supplies of allegedly outdated rockets to Armenia’s armed forces. The National
Security Service charged him, two generals and an arms dealer with fraud and
embezzlement that cost the state almost 2.3 billion drams ($5.7 million).
All four suspects, among them former army chief of staff Artak Davtian, have
denied the accusations during the trial that began in January 2022. The judge
presiding over the trial has repeatedly refused to release Tonoyan from custody
pending a verdict in the case.
“Political consent to arrest me was given during a meeting with the prime
minister of Armenia, all participants of which are known to me and the public,”
Tonoyan told the 168 Zham newspaper in an interview published this week. “Two of
them are no longer in office, and rest assured that sooner or later everyone
involved in making the above decision will answer for it.”
Tonoyan did not name any of those participants. Nor did he explicitly accuse
Pashinian of personally ordering his imprisonment despite describing himself as
a victim of “political persecution.”
Armenia - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan and
army chief Artak Davtian (R) attend an event in 2019.
Pashinian’s office has not commented on his latest claims so far. The premier’s
press secretary, Nazeli Baghdasarian, did not answer phone calls from RFE/RL’s
Armenian Service on Friday.
Lawmakers representing Pashinian’s Civil Contract party were also reluctant to
comment, saying that they are unaware of the ex-minister’s latest statements.
“I’m not aware of that meeting and don’t know where Tonoyan heard about it,”
said Andranik Kocharian, the chairman of the parliament committee on defense and
security.
Pashinian appointed Tonoyan as defense minister right after coming to power in
2018. He sacked the latter in the wake of the disastrous 2020 war with
Azerbaijan. Shortly before the start of his marathon trial, Tonoyan claimed that
he is being made a scapegoat for Armenia’s defeat in the six-week war.
In August this year, Tonoyan agreed to testify before an ad hoc parliamentary
commission tasked with examining the causes of the defeat. The two opposition
blocs represented in the National Assembly have been boycotting the work of the
commission. They say that it was set up last year to whitewash Pashinian’s
wartime incompetence and disastrous decision making.
Tonoyan called for an end to the opposition boycott when he appeared before the
commission made up of only pro-government lawmakers. Some opposition figures
scoffed at the appeal, saying that the ex-minister is desperate to get the
authorities to set him free.
Russia Again Offers To Host Armenian-Azeri Talks
Russia - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (C) meets his Azeri (R) and
Armenian counterparts in Moscow, July 25, 2023.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov still stands ready to host fresh peace
talks between his Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts, one of his deputies
said on Friday.
“We have repeatedly confirmed our readiness to provide a Moscow platform for
further dialogue at the level of the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan
on the issues of normalizing bilateral relations and signing a peace treaty,”
Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin told reporters.
“This readiness of ours is unchanged. When we agree on the dates of such an
event, we will announce it in a timely manner,” he said, according to Russian
news agencies.
Moscow first made such an offer last month as it sought to sideline the West and
regain the initiative in the Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiation process. A Russian
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman suggested recently that the talks between the
Russian, Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers could pave the way for
another summit of the leaders of the three nations. Russian President Vladimir
Putin expressed readiness on October 13 to host such a summit.
Armenia now seems to prefer Western mediation of the peace talks amid its
unprecedented tensions with Russia. They deepened further after Moscow’s failure
to prevent, stop or even condemn Azerbaijan’s September 19-20 military offensive
in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Lavrov held talks with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov but not
Armenia’s Ararat Mirzoyan on the sidelines of a multilateral ministerial meeting
in Tehran on October 23. Lavrov and Bayramov also twice spoke by phone in the
following days. No such phone conversations were reported between the top
Russian and Armenian diplomats.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
were scheduled to meet on the fringes of the European Union’s October 5 summit
in Granada, Spain. Pashinian hoped that they will sign there a document laying
out the main parameters of the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty.
However, Aliyev withdrew from the talks at the last minute. He also appears to
have cancelled another meeting which EU Council President Charles Michel planned
to host in Brussels later in October.
Visiting the Belgian capital on Friday, the secretary of Armenia’s Security
Council, Armen Grigorian, expressed hope that the EU-mediated talks will take
place “in the near future.” Yerevan, he said, is ready to “come to Brussels,
reach the final point and sign the peace treaty.”
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.
President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan meets with his Iranian counterpart, Ibrahim Raisi, in Tashkent, Uzebakistan on Nov. 10
President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan complained to Iran’s President Ibrahim Raisi that for that past three years Armenia has refused to guarantee a road through its sovereign territory to Nakhichevan, referencing his scheme to carve a “corridor” through Armenia.
“During the last three years, after the second Karabakh war, Armenia has refused and continues to refuse to abide by its obligations and ensure passage to Nakhchivan through the major part of Azerbaijan,” Aliyev said, the Trend news agency reported.
“It is their [Armenia’s] choice and I think they made a huge mistake,” Aliyev said during a meeting with Raisi in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The Azerbaijani leader emphasized that Iran has announced the construction of bridges over the Arax River, which he said “has great potential.”
Last month Azerbaijani officials said that a “corridor” through Armenia had “lost its appeal,” announcing that Baku has opted to create a link to Nakhichevan through Iran.
Despite this announcement, however, Azerbaijani officials, as well as Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, continue to press Armenia to move forward with the project, which Yerevan unequivocally has rejected.
Yerevan has called the so-called “Zangezur Corridor” scheme a territorial claim by Azerbaijan.
Iran has also voiced its opposition to any effort that would alter the existing borders in the region and, in the past, has rebuked Ankara and Baku for advancing the “corridor” scheme.
“We carried out an anti-terror operation in September, which put an end to separatism in Azerbaijan. It paved the way for more active development of Azerbaijan and creates a favorable environment for the entire region,” Aliyev told Raisi.
“I am happy that as a result of the joint work of the representatives of Iran and Azerbaijan, an agreement for the construction of a railway and a highway along the southern bank of the Arax River was achieved,” Aliyev said, expressing confidence that this project “will be implemented in a short time and will become another direction of the North-South transport corridor.” .
“In other words, as a result, we will have two routes, one through Astara, one through Aghbend, and both routes will serve to strengthen the fraternal relations between Iran and Azerbaijan, and will be accessible to our neighbors and partners from other countries,” the Azerbaijani leader added.
Aliyev and Raisi also discussed the regional alliance project know as the “3+3” format, which envisions an alliance between Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Russia and Turkey that would bolster economic relations and allow for settling of conflicts without Western interference.
A summit of foreign ministers of the “3+3” countries was held in Tehran last month. Georgia has announced that it would not take part in the scheme, because of its decades-long enmity with Russia. Armenia, on the other hand, has decided to engage in talks to advance this formula.
Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry on Friday accused Armenia of “endangering” the peace process between the two countries and criticized Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan of spreading “fake rhetoric and accusations” against Baku in international forums.
Speaking at UNESCO summit on Thursday, Mirzoyan accused Azerbaijan of blockading Artsakh for ten months as part of its state sponsored ethnic cleansing.
“It is unacceptable that Armenia, which committed mass murders and crimes against humanity during almost 30 years of military aggression against Azerbaijan, continues to hypocritically accuse Azerbaijan of ‘ethnic cleansing’ of Armenians who voluntarily went to Armenia,” Aikhan Hajizade, the spokesperson for Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry, said in a statement.
As delivered by Deputy Chief of Mission Katherine Brucker
to the Permanent Council, Vienna
November 9, 2023
The United States supports the Armenian government’s efforts to help displaced persons who fled their homes following Azerbaijan’s September 19th military operation. We are working closely with Prime Minister Pashinyan’s government and humanitarian organizations to identify and provide bilateral assistance.
We note the October 16 to 23 visit to Armenia and Azerbaijan, including to Nagorno-Karabakh, by the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights. We urge Azerbaijan to allow unhindered access for international observers, NGOs, and journalists to Nagorno-Karabakh and conflict-affected areas, in part to help establish a clear channel of communication through which the displaced can receive information and ask questions about potential returns, for those who may wish to do so, either permanently or temporarily. Such observers should also be allowed to conduct independent and impartial assessments of allegations of human rights abuses and destruction and damage to religious and cultural sites.
The only acceptable path forward to a dignified and durable peace in the South Caucasus is through dialogue.
Acknowledgment of both Armenia’s and Azerbaijan’s territory by size, commitment to border delimitation based on the 1991 Almaty Declaration and underlying maps, and guarantees that regional communication links will reciprocally respect sovereignty, territorial integrity, and jurisdiction will further the path to peace.
Outstanding political, economic, humanitarian, and security issues between Azerbaijan and Armenia remain a focus for the United States and we continue to encourage both parties at the highest levels to remain engaged in dialogue.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Friday told a panel discussion at the Paris Peace Forum Georgia was “one of the fastest-growing economies in the world” along with Armenia.
In comments at the discussion around security challenges and stability in the South Caucasus region, Garibashvili said the country’s economic performance had “tripled” while the gross domestic product in United States dollars had “doubled”.
We are one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, along with Armenia. This is not accidental. We create good policies, good governance, provide rapid economic growth for our people, which brings employment opportunities, stability, predictability for business [and] foreign direct investment was a record last year”, Garibashvili said.
He also highlighted “impressive” reforms implemented over the past 10 years, along with signings of the Association Agreement with the European Union and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement with the bloc in 2014.
The PM told the panel 2022 had been a “historic” year for Georgia as the country received a European perspective from the European Council, while also noting “another historic decision” made by the European Commission this week with its recommendation to the Council to grant the country the EU membership candidate status.
This is a historic achievement. The population of Georgia [and] the ruling party, made a concrete decision that we should get closer to Europe and become full members of the European Union, and we are moving in this direction consistently, step by step”, he said.
Garibashvili was involved in the discussion with his Armenian counterpart Nikol Pashinyan.
The Author: A specialist in geopolitics and parallel diplomacy, Eric GOZLAN is a government advisor and directs the International Council for Diplomacy and Dialogue (www.icdd.info) Eric Gozlan is called as an expert at the French National Assembly and the Senate on subjects dealing with parallel diplomacy and secularism. In June 2019, he contributed to the United Nations Special Rapporteur’s report on anti-Semitism. In September 2018, he received the Peace Prize from Prince Laurent of Belgium for his fight for secularism in Europe. He took part in two numerous conferences on peace in Korea, Russia, the United States, Bahrain, Belgium, England, Italy, Romania… His latest book: Extremism and radicalism: lines of thought to get out of it.
Creating economic ties to ensure peace is a fundamental principle of geopolitical relations. The best example is Western Europe, which has been at peace since 1945 thanks to political agreements but mainly economic ones among the states that make up the European Union.
The establishment of common economic interests is a credible path to ensure the stability of the South Caucasus, in addition to compelling each party to recognize the territorial integrity of their neighbor.
When reading certain statements from the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia, it becomes clear that they share a common goal: to end the long-standing war in the South Caucasus.
After Armenia recognized Karabakh as a part of Azerbaijan and lost control over Karabakh during September military operations. This territorial loss removes the only permanent obstacle to any normalization of its relations with Azerbaijan. Both countries share a common goal: to bring the South Caucasus, one of the world’s least infrastructure-endowed regions, out of isolation and increase its connectivity to Asia and Europe.
Until now, the border between Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey has been closed, and for Azerbaijan, the export of hydrocarbons to Europe depends on the transit possibilities through Georgia.
Peace through Economics
Economic peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan could bring numerous benefits:
Economic Growth: Stability fosters an environment conducive to economic growth. Both countries could benefit from increased foreign investments and expansion of their economic sectors.
Trade: The end of hostilities would facilitate cross-border trade, creating opportunities for export and import, stimulating both economies by expanding their respective markets.
Economic Cooperation: The South Caucasus is strategically important for energy. Economic peace could foster cooperation in the energy sector, facilitating the construction and use of pipelines and energy infrastructure.
Tourism: Peace eliminates security-related obstacles, fostering tourism growth. Both countries could benefit from the rise in tourism, attracting international visitors and boosting local economies.
Job Creation: A stable and growing economy creates job opportunities. Peace would promote job creation in various sectors, contributing to reducing unemployment and improving living conditions.
Economic Infrastructure: Economic cooperation could lead to the development of cross-border infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, and railway connections, facilitating cross-border trade and strengthening ties between the two countries.
Financial Stability: Economic peace would contribute to financial stability, enhancing investor confidence and promoting the development of the financial sector.
Zangezur Corridor, Development Opportunity
If both parties agree to open the Zangezur Corridor, it will serve as a means to connect these two countries to Turkey, Russia, Central Asia, and Europe. It is important to note that both NATO and Russia support the opening of this corridor.
The Zangezur Corridor would facilitate commercial exchanges between the countries in the region in a short period through an expansion of transport networks. This opening would also increase international transportation in the “north-south” international corridor, also known as the “middle” corridor.
Following the opening of the Zangezur Corridor, the region’s appeal to investors would only grow stronger.
Countries Hindering Peace
Russia can be an obstacle to peace. It is well-established that Moscow deliberately maintained the “frozen conflict” in Nagorno-Karabakh and perpetuated instability in the region to preserve its influence and undermine Western interests in Eurasia.
Iran has been trying for years to strengthen its religious influence over Azerbaijan’s citizens. The government in Baku remains firm against this Islamist propagation. For the Mullahs, the rapprochement between Baku and Jerusalem is a crime, and they will do everything to ensure that the opening of the Zangezur corridor will not succeed.
Economic peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia and the opening of the Zangezur Corridor could create an environment conducive to mutual prosperity, fostering economic growth, trade, and cooperation in various sectors.
he Nagorno-Karabakh conflict seems to have come to an end. Faced with Armenia’s weakness and isolation, Azerbaijan has seized Nagorno-Karabakh in a lightning mission that has led to the mass exodus of more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians from the territory to Armenia, in what many already claim is another ethnic cleansing in the post-Soviet space.
However, tensions are far from leaving the South #Caucasus. Russia, Turkey and Iran have strong interests in the region. Moreover, the attacks suffered by Israel at the hands of Hamas may lead the Jewish state to try to harm Iran in the region.
What interests are at stake in the South Caucasus? How has Azerbaijan finally gained power over Nagorno-Karabakh? Will this be the definitive end of the conflict between #Armenia and #Azerbaijan?