Author: Alex Jidarian

Demographics Armenia: more divorces, lower birth rate

Alex Jidarian
April 7 2023
  • JAMnews
  • Yerevan

Fertility decline in Armenia

According to the latest data published by the statistical committee, in 2022 the birth rate in Armenia decreased even more, d divorces re up.

“And 85% of the divorced do not have children,” Doctor of Medical Sciences Armen Muradyan notes.

He considers last year’s demographics alarming and urgent mesures to improve the situation re needed.

In recent years Armenia has seen many signs of depopulation, with more deaths than births. Experts have been warning of a demographic crisis since 2019. The situation became even more complicated in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic and the consequences of the Karabakh war.

  • Demographic situation in Armenia
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  • Armenian diaspora doctors propose changes to healthcare system in Armenia

According to the statistics committee, 19,195 boys and 17,158 girls were born in 2022. A total of 36,353 children were born, which is 270 less than the previous year.

More boys were born (by 138), and fewer girls (by 408).

Compared to 2021 the number of divorces increased by 91, or 2.1%, with a total of 4,525 divorces.

Most divorces in 2022 were recorded in the capital. However, compared to the previous year, the largest increase in divorce rates was observed in the Syunik region, by about 44%. Divorces increased by 38% in the Vayots Dzor region, by 10% in Yerevan.

Fewer people were getting married. The number of registered unions decreased by 370 (by 2.2%), bringing the total number for 2022 to 16,795.

Previously this service was available only to soldiers, fallen soldiers’ families, and those living in border settlements; now even unmarried and divorced women may benefit.

According to the rector of the Yerevan State Medical University Armen Muradyan, over the past decade the number of marriages in Armenia has decreased by 13%, while the number of divorces has increased by 40%.

Muradyan said that in 1992 the average age of women who gave birth to their first child was 22 years old, and now it is 28 years old.

“These figures are alarming, since the improvement of demographic indicators is a matter of national security for Armenia,” he stressed.

He says that if this trend continues and the average age of first birth reaches 35 years, then “serious investments in health care” will be required. He explains that the rate of natural conception at this age is only 15%.

“The World Health Organization considers the 15% infertility rate alarming. In Armenia, this figure is higher – 16.8%,” Muradyan.

According to the doctor, it is very important for Armenia that at least three children be born in each family only “for simple reproduction.”

Press Release: Groundbreaking New Akian BioScience Lab Slated to Open at AUA Led by Dr. Narine Sarvazyan

Alex Jidarian
YEREVAN, Armenia — The American University of Armenia (AUA) is proud to announce the launch of the future Akian BioScience Laboratory, to be established through a generous gift to the University by major benefactors Zaven and Sonia Akian. The Akian BioScience Lab will be a modern science laboratory equipped with the necessary research equipment and resources to expand the University’s endeavors within the field at AUA. With the upcoming construction of the new AUA Science & Engineering building, funded through the Build a Better Future with AUA capital campaign, the Lab will be the first of many other endeavors to lead technological and scientific advancement in a rapidly evolving landscape taking hold in Armenia.

In their role as supporters of the sciences with the founding support of the Akian College of Science and Engineering (CSE), the Akian family have also contributed to the 200 ChangeMakers of AUA campaign, with their children Lori, Lena, and Haig investing in the effort to nurture a culture of research and innovation among AUA students and faculty. This new initiative of creating the Akian BioScience Lab will further bolster their commitment to fostering advanced research in the field. 

Speaking of what has inspired them to fund the inception of this groundbreaking new lab, Zaven Akian says, “I have always been interested in expanding CSE’s programs beyond computer science, data science, and engineering. Indeed, the field of bioscience was a target to introduce in CSE’s list of prospective disciplines, especially following the devastating pandemic the world experienced starting in 2020.”

The Akian BioScience Lab will serve as an experimental platform for both research and educational activities and will be led by Dr. Narine Sarvazyan, who was recently appointed to the position of the William Frazer Endowed Professorship, established with funds donated to the University by the late visionary philanthropist and AUA benefactor Edward Avedisian. 

With her husband, Arthur Petrosian, Dr. Sarvazyan is among the 100 Pillars of AUA, through which she continues to support AUA students and is committed to investing in their future through education. “I feel a great responsibility to utilize my expertise and knowledge to teach and inspire many talented AUA students, making it possible for them to develop their own careers in bioscience without having to leave the country,” she says. In her outstanding research career, she has focused on the basic mechanisms of cardiac arrhythmias, cardiotoxicity of cancer drugs and environmental contaminants, stem cell therapies and new imaging modalities to visualize ablation lesions and other pathophysiological tissue states. Her extensive experience in the field will be instrumental in leading the new Akian BioScience Lab at AUA.


Dr. Sarvazyan will play a major role in the Lab, developing and teaching several hands-on life science courses with the ultimate goal of training a new cadre of young scientists to lead research in the field in Armenia. “In the United States, over 60% of all scientific research occurs in university labs. These labs play a crucial role in fostering innovation, providing hands-on learning opportunities, facilitating collaboration, and elevating the standing of universities. I hope that creating a similar environment at the AUA Akian BioScience Lab will contribute to bringing a research-oriented culture to Armenia’s higher education ecosystem. The ultimate goal is to facilitate interdisciplinary collaborations among different AUA programs, as well as to engage AUA faculty and students in collaborative research with other academic and educational entities in both Armenia and abroad,” Dr. Sarvazyan remarks.  

AUA students will be exposed to a “wet-lab” environment where they will be enabled to apply their theoretical knowledge to conduct hands-on experiments, which will in turn help them to innovate and develop advanced practical skills advantageous to their future career endeavors. Dr. Sarvazyan adds that “studies conducted at the lab will eventually lead to the development of new life sciences technologies in Armenia. This will help to form local spinoffs and startups in a variety of disciplines, including agriculture, medicine, environmental protection, and other related fields.”

In addition, the Akian BioScience Lab will provide grounds and open doors for partnering with local industry and collaborating with foreign institutions. “Most importantly, the research activities of this lab will be conducted in compliance with Western principles of ethical research, including the proper treatment of animals and human subjects, as well as observation of safety standards,” Dr. Sarvazyan confirms. 

“Sonia and I were delighted to support Professor Sarvazyan’s mission with the Akian BioScience Laboratory, which is essential to her research. We are looking forward to her leadership and the impact she and her associates will have in Armenia in this exciting field, eventually establishing a Ph.D. program in biosciences and bioinformatics. We believe that one day in the near future, Armenia will be at the forefront of research and discovery,  even production of medications, vaccines or other genetically modified products for human consumption,” Akian adds. 

In her research experience over the course of three decades, Dr. Sarvazyan’s laboratory, currently at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, has been continuously supported by funding from the United States National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the National American Heart Association, and other major funding agencies. Speaking of funding, Dr. Sarvazyan states, “The Akians’ gift will be a wonderful start for creating such a lab, and more donor and grant support will be sought to finance the procurement of additional equipment required for the lab.” 

The Akian BioScience Lab will provide AUA students with various opportunities to learn and experiment, playing a crucial role in their intellectual and academic development. The launch of the Lab will be a significant step forward in the advancement of research at the University, further improving its institutional visibility and reputation.

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, affiliated with the University of California, and accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission in the United States. AUA provides local and international students with Western-style education through top-quality undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs, promotes research and innovation, encourages civic engagement and community service, and fosters democratic values. 


—

Bella Karapetyan | Communications Manager

Bella Karapetyan|: Communication manager

+374 60 612 514,  

bkarapetyan@


__________________________________________

American University of Armenia

Republic of Armenia, 0019, Yerevan, Marshal Baghramyan Ave. 40:00

40 Baghramyan Avenue, Yerevan 0019, Republic of Armenia


Sonia & Zaven Akian at the Akian College of Science and Engineering ribbon-cutting ceremony, 2017.jpg
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Armenian speaker spits but the West says “it’s raining”

Alex Jidarian

Armenia – April 4 2023

Ara Tadevosyan

Recently, along with several other media executives, I have been invited to an off-the-record meeting with the newly appointed U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Kristina Kvien.

The ambassador, a very pleasant lady, wanted to know our opinion about the situation of freedom of speech and human rights in Armenia. The majority of us voiced certain concerns, which I hope the ambassador will take into consideration.

I wanted to ask Mrs. Kvien a question, but I could not do that due to the lack of time. What I wanted to ask is the following:

“How is it that in the times of the previous leaders of Armenia, any major or minor violation of human rights or freedom of speech immediately followed condemning statements from the U.S. Embassy (as well as the European Union Delegation), while in recent years we do not hear such statements at all? We do not see them even when the acting prime minister appears at the pre-election campaign gatherings with a hammer and explicit manifestations of hate speech.”

A few days ago in the center of Yerevan, Alen Simonyan, the speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia, spat in the face of a citizen who called him a “traitor”. This person had no chance to defend himself, because his hands were tightly held by Simonyan’s bodyguards. Simonyan proudly confirmed what happened.

Neither the U.S. Embassy nor the European Union Commission reacted in any way to this ugly act of the head of the legislative body of Armenia, believed to be a parliamentary democracy.

Perhaps, here it is appropriate to quote an excerpt from the comment of the first president of Armenia, Levon Ter-Petrosyan on the incident:

“There has never been a leader of a more or less democratic state in the world who was not labeled a traitor by his political opponents. It may seem surprising if, for example, I recall that at one time even such prominent U.S. presidents such as Roosevelt were declared traitors by their political opponents for ceding Eastern European countries to the Soviet Union, Truman, for not preventing the communistization of China, and Clinton for weakening his country’s military power due to courtship with Russia.”

At the meeting with the U.S. ambassador, I expressed my deep concern about the polarization in our political life, society and media. The ambassador agreed that polarization is indeed a problem. But by keeping silent even in such ghastly cases, the U.S. Embassy only contributes to the deepening of that polarization, the final stop of which will be a situation where everyone in Armenia will hate everyone.

Ara Tadevosyan is the Director of Mediamax.

Trilateral statements by Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan remain key to stabilization — Lavrov

Alex Jidarian
 TASS 
Russia – March 20 2023
Sergey Lavrov pointed to the “ongoing intensive political dialogue” between the leaders of the two countries, including that within the framework of peacekeeping activities within the EAEU, the CSTO, and the CIS

MOSCOW, March 20. /TASS/. Trilateral statements by the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan undoubtedly remain the key to stabilizing the situation in the region in various areas, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said while opening talks with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in Moscow on Monday.

“We have no doubts that the tripartite statements by the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia remain the key to the implementation of all decisions in the interests of stabilization [in the region] in the economic sphere, in the military-political sphere, and in international law,” Lavrov pointed out.

He stressed that “one of the priority tasks” was to resolve the dispute over the Lachin road and Karabakh in general. Russia will be ready, as the relevant tripartite statements say, “to render all possible assistance in unblocking transport links, delimiting the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and harmonizing the parameters of a future peace treaty”.

Lavrov pointed to the “ongoing intensive political dialogue” between the leaders of the two countries, including that within the framework of peacekeeping activities within the EAEU, the CSTO, and the CIS.

“In May this year, a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council will be held in Moscow. At the moment, we are Armenia’s leading trading partner and a key investor into its economy,” Lavrov said.

He stressed that last year’s results were quite impressive. Bilateral trade almost doubled, reaching almost $5 billion.

“We are still calculating it in dollars, but this is temporary. All this helped your country ensure a record growth in its gross domestic product of more than 3.5%,” Lavrov said. “Our companies are also leaders in terms of contributions to Armenia’s budget and in creating jobs. The intergovernmental commission at the level of deputy prime ministers is very active.”

Moscow is interested both in strengthening the common educational space with Yerevan and in promoting humanitarian ties and relations between regions, Lavrov said. He also noted that among the important topics of today’s talks with his Armenian counterpart would be cooperation within the CIS, the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and other organizations.

Armenian Foreign Minister Sees Possibility For Trilateral Talks With Russia, Azerbaijan

Alex Jidarian

 Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir)  Published | 11:31 PM

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said on Wednesday that he saw a possibility for holding a trilateral meeting with his Russian and Azerbaijani colleagues in the near future

YEREVAN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik – 22nd March, 2023) Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said on Wednesday that he saw a possibility for holding a trilateral meeting with his Russian and Azerbaijani colleagues in the near future.

On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a meeting with Mirzoyan that Moscow would soon begin negotiating the terms of a trilateral meeting between Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan at the level of foreign ministers.

“Such a (trilateral) meeting was to take place on December 23 in Moscow. But we postponed our participation and the meeting itself, as the Lachin corridor was illegally blocked and an acute shortage of food, medicine and essential goods began in Nagorno-Karabakh … But face-to-face meetings and discussions should resume at some stage. This topic was discussed (during the talks) in Moscow, and there is a possibility of such a meeting in the near future,” Mirzoyan said, speaking in parliament.

He noted that negotiations with Azerbaijan were taking place remotely now, as the parties were exchanging their proposals and views on the peace treaty.

Mirzoyan called his meeting with Lavrov quite constructive and sincere, adding that issues of bilateral relations and regional problems had also been discussed.

Besides, the minister said that Yerevan was waiting for the unblocking of the Lachin corridor linking Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia. He added that, according to the tripartite statement by the leaders of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan dated November 9, 2020, the corridor was controlled by the Russian peacekeepers, and Azerbaijan had pledged to guarantee unhindered movement through it.

Since December 2022, the Lachin Corridor � a road which runs through Azerbaijani territory and serves as the only link between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh � has been blocked by a group of people from Azerbaijan described by Baku as environmental activists protesting alleged illegal Armenian mining in the area.

The United Nations’ main judicial body ruled in February that Azerbaijan must ensure unimpeded movement along the Lachin Corridor. Armenia, in turn, argued in the court filing that the activists were acting on Baku’s command and demanded that it “cease its orchestration and support” of the blockade.

Azerbaijan tentatively confirmed participation in European Weightlifting C’ships in Yerevan

Alex Jidarian
Panorama
Armenia –

Azerbaijan has confirmed its participation in the upcoming European Weightlifting Championships 2023 in Yerevan, Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Karen Giloyan has said, citing preliminary data.

“At this point, Azerbaijan has confirmed its participation, but this isn’t final yet,” the ministry quoted him as saying on Friday. “At the end of March. the federations of the countries that have submitted a bid have to make a money transfer to the European Federation. Thus, the Azerbaijani team’s participation will be finally confirmed when they complete all envisaged steps.”

The European Weightlifting Championships 2023 are scheduled for April 15-23.

https://www.panorama.am/en/news/2023/03/17/Azerbaijan-European-Weightlifting-Championships/2808338

Economist: Armenia has considerable decline according to Global Innovation Index

Alex Jidarian
News.am
Armenia – March 9 2023
16:50, 09.03.2023

According to the Global Innovation Index, Armenia has a considerable decline, economist Tigran Jrbashyan wrote this on Facebook.

In particular, he noted: “According to the Global Innovation Index published by the World Intellectual Property Organization in 2022, which is considered one of the most reliable and accepted sources for measuring the innovation of economies, Armenia is in the 80th position (see https://www.wipo.int /global_innovation_index/en/2022/).

For comparison, I should note that in 2020, Armenia was in the 61st position; and within two years it dropped its position by 19 positions, which is one of the biggest declines in the Global Innovation Index (see https://www.wipo.int/global_innovation_index /en/2020/)

It is noteworthy that the rating is calculated according to different indicators (innovation pillars), among which, for example, in 2 years, Armenia lost 17 positions in the market sophistication indicator, 15—in business sophistication, 26—in the knowledge & technology outputs indicator, and 17—in the creative outputs indicator.

Such a situation is due also to the lack of collected data and their outdatedness. Thus, according to WIPO, 11 indicators, which are collected when compiling the rating, are missing for Armenia. Among these data, for example, the number of researchers is 1 million per capita, the venture capital received in the GDP, the PISA scores in reading, mathematics and science, etc. (see https://www.wipo.int/…/pub…/en/wipo_pub_2000_2022/am. pdf).

However, the 7 indicators that are considered outdated for Armenia are more interesting. This means that there is generally no problem with receiving the data, but it has not been updated.

Those indicators are:

-Business policy and culture (source: Global Entrepreneurship Monitor),

-Availability of financial resources for startups and company scaling (source: Global Entrepreneurship Monitor),

– Percentage of venture capital transactions in purchasing power equivalent in the GDP (source: Refinitiv),

– The share of knowledge-building work (source: International Labor Organization),

– Share of research funding by private companies in the GDP (source: UNESCO Institute of Statistics),

– Share of research funding by foreign organizations in the GDP (source: UNESCO Institute of Statistics),

– Participation of women with higher education in the labor market (source: International Labor Organization).

I am sure that at least if these indicators are updated, Armenia will considerably improve its ranking in the next edition of the Global Innovation Index.”

They find a mysterious grave in Armenia of a couple who died 3000 years ago

Alex Jidarian
Feb 2 2023

A team of Polish-Armenian archaeologists in Armenia discovered the tomb of a man and a woman, probably two, who were buried together more than 3,000 years ago with gold and coral necklaces.

The two skeletons were found in underground chambers built of large stones, on a wooden burial bed, in the Metsamor necropolis, one of the most famous archaeological sites in Armenia, about 40 kilometers west of the capital Yerevan.

“The death of these people is a mystery to us, we do not know the cause, but everything indicates that they died at the same time, because there are no traces of the retraction of the monument”, he declared. announcement Krzysztof Jakubiak, professor at the Faculty of Archeology at the University of Warsaw and co-director of the research with Armenian Professor Ashot Piliposiano.

According to Jakubiak, it is unique that the tomb is not despoiled and very decorated.

In good condition, both skeletons had slightly contracted legs. According to the first estimate, the couple was between 30 and 40 years old.

Excavations at Metsamor Joanna Pawlik

Archaeologists of this joint project of the Center for Mediterranean Archeology of the University of Warsaw and the Department of Antiquities and the National Heritage Protection of Armenia recently dated the Bronze Age to 1300-1200 BC when the great Pharaoh Ramses II reigned in Egypt.

Inside the tomb they found more than 100 gold beads and necklaces that “probably made three necklaces,” says Jakubiak. Some of the pendants look a bit like Celtic crosses. Carnelian necklaces were also just.

The burial also contained twelve intact ceramic vessels and a single clay vessel that was not produced locally. Tortors determined that it was taken from the border of Syria and Mesopotamia.

Of the hundreds of monuments that researchers have examined in the huge 100-hectare Naumachia Metsamor, only a few similar to this one have not been looted.

The inhabitants of Metsamor of the second millennium did not leave behind a half-written text “but it was a great settlement,” according to a Polish professor. Also, fortifications made of huge stones have survived to this day, surrounding the so-called ‘citadel’. At the end of the second millennium BC there was no habitation in the region that could compare with its dignity and size.

Castle Metsamor Simon Zdziebłowski

Its height from the 4th to the 2nd millennium BC, it covered more than 10 hectares and was surrounded by cyclopean walls. At the beginning of the Iron Age, from 11 BC to the 9th century, Metsamor grew to almost 100 hectares. The middle part was surrounded by seven chapels, fortified with temples. At that time it was one of the most important cultural and political centers in the Araks Valley. The place was continuously inhabited until the 17th century.

From the 8th century, a. C. Metsamor belonged to the kingdom of Urartu, the biblical kingdom of Ararat, conquered by King Argish I. During his reign, the borders of Transcaucasia were extended to the present-day area of Yerevan.

As a protected archaeological resource, Metsamor has been excavated since 1965. The last research seasons took place in September and October. 2022. Polish archaeologists have been excavating at Metsamor since 2013 under an agreement with the Institute of Archeology of the Armenian Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Culture of Armenia (PAP).

https://worldnationnews.com/they-find-a-mysterious-grave-in-armenia-of-a-couple-who-died-3000-years-ago/

"Integration with Azerbaijan is out of the question." Opinion on contacts between Baku and NK Armenians

Alex Jidarian
March 2 2023
  • JAMnews
  • Yerevan

Opinion on Baku-Stepanakert contacts

Representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan met again at the headquarters of the Russian peacekeeping contingent. It is reported from NK that on March 1, issues relating to “not the political status of Artsakh, but exclusively of a humanitarian nature” were discussed. This was the second meeting of representatives of Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh recently, the previous having taken place on February 24.

It is reported from Baku that during the last meeting the parties also held “preliminary discussions on the reintegration of the Armenian residents of the Karabakh region into the Republic of Azerbaijan.” In response, the president of the unrecognized NKR, Arayik Harutyunyan, stated that “any integration process with Azerbaijan is excluded.”

  • “Azerbaijan is at a dead end” – Speaker of the Armenian Parliament on the blockade of NK
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  • “Vardanyan was not fired at Aliyev’s request”: opinion from Yerevan

The press secretary of the President of the unrecognized republic, Lusine Avanesyan, said that during the meeting they discussed the restoration of

  • unhindered passage of vehicles along the Lachin corridor, blocked by Azerbaijanis since December 12,
  • high-voltage power line, through which electricity is supplied to NK from Armenia,
  • supply of natural gas.

The participants of the meeting also discussed the operation of the Kashenskoye mine, which Azerbaijan demands be monitored by their state representatives, and is the casus belli of the protest on the Lachin road.

“Discussions of this kind in order to resolve urgent issues, especially the unblocking of the Lachin corridor, cannot replace full peace negotiations necessary to achieve a comprehensive resolution of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict,” the Foreign Ministry of the unrecognized NKR said in a statement.

NK denies information published by Azeri media after the meeting, including:

  • on the discussion of the “reintegration of the Armenians of the Karabakh region into Azerbaijan”,
  • on holding subsequent meetings of representatives of Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh “in Ganja and Aghdam without the participation of Russian peacekeeping forces.”

Judging by a photograph published by the Azerbaijani side, Secretary of the Security Council Samvel Shahramanyan participated in the negotiations on March 1 on behalf of NK. It was reported from Baku that Azerbaijan was represented at the meeting in Khojalu by the deputy of parliament responsible for contacts with Armenian residents living in Karabakh, Ramin Mammadov.

“Contacts between representatives of Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh are determined not only by the situation in the Lachin corridor, but also by activity by international parties.

We see that although such meetings were discussed as taking place under Western auspices, now they are taking place with the mediation of Russia, with the Russian peacekeepers.

One gets the impression that Russia is trying to intercept this idea, thus influence the situation, strengthen its positions, and deprive the West of the opportunity to take the initiative.

Obviously it is a proxy struggle between powers. All issues are links in the same chain, and the Caucasus as such is not and cannot be considered on a separate plane.

The Hague International Court of Justice decision has decided to oblige Azerbaijan to enact interim measures to unblock the Lachin corridor

“By announcing that the next meetings will be held without the participation of Russian peacekeepers, Baku, in fact, is trying to show the West that it does not agree to a separate agreement with Russia and is not ditching the West. Azerbaijan is trying to say that this is not the case when it preferred Russian mediation.

In reality, contacts without any mediation are excluded. The mediators themselves consider this a critical area of of competition or struggle among themselves.

Even with a strong desire, Baku is unlikely to be able to push anyone or everyone out of the negotiation process and communicate directly with Stepanakert.

However, it is possible that the West will consider such a possibility and will not mind if Baku tries to exclude Russia with its position. It’s no secret that Western players have such a desire. Weakening Russia’s position is one of their key geopolitical goals.”

“Stepanakert-Baku contacts are important from the point of view of solving current problems. But it is very important that they do not become a political trap for Stepanakert. A situation may arise when major players think: “The environment for contacts has already been established, so any issues can be resolved.” This will distort the situation and remove the problem of self-determination from the agenda. It is clear that the main problem for Artsakh is to strengthen the recognition of the right to self-determination at the international level. Stepanakert should keep this issue on the agenda, including in the center of international attention.

If you succumb to manipulation, then it will end up in the area that Baku is trying to promote, namely: “They are our citizens in NK, this is our problem, I communicate with them, none may interfere.” This could become a trap. And Stepanakert must skillfully maneuver along this thin line.”

Armenian eyewitnesses of the beginning of the movment discuss how it started and what they remember

“I am inclined to consider Yerevan’s statements about the need for a Baku-Stepanakert dialogue within the framework of current tactical needs, based on the realities that have arisen. Not only after the 44-day war of 2020, but also based on the reality dictated by the Ukrainian war at that moment.

In my opinion, from the point of view of practical politics, Yerevan continues to work on the Artsakh issue. Yerevan regularly emphasizes the need for an international mechanism in these contacts. That is, it is very important that these contacts take place under the auspices of international structures, so that they do not turn into an internal problem and do not change the essence of the Artsakh issue.

Of course, it is still very difficult to imagine what these mechanisms could be, especially today, when we see that the existing international structures do not work, be it the co-chairmanship of the Minsk Group or others.

So at the level of rhetoric, the task is to keep the issue on the agenda and provide a certain mood and atmosphere around the issue, which is what they are trying to do.

And from the point of view of long-term development, it is still very difficult to imagine any stable prospect. It all depends on what perspective the broader geopolitical confrontation will shape. We see that at this level there is only an increase in tension so far. Naturally this, in turn, exacerbates the uncertainty of the international situation. It remains only to set certain standards and try to keep them in the spotlight of international partners.”

Trilateral negotiations took place in Munich with no clear result or change in position.

“The manageability of the situation could be an important factor for the EU in terms of European security. But when we say the European Union, do we mean one body that has a single policy?

I am not inclined to consider individual statements by officials as some kind of landmark political impulse.

From this point of view, it was much more important for me how the US reacts. The first reaction of the representative of the State Department was that they would not comment on these contacts for the time being. It was a much more “significant reaction” than [EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus] Toivo Klaar’s statements about the situation.

US State Department spokesman Ned Price declined to comment on the March 1 meeting between representatives of Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh, saying: “If we have something to say about this, we will let you know.” EU Special Representative Toivo Klaar welcomed the talks, calling the news about the contacts “encouraging”.

“It’s good that the discussions concern both urgent problems and a wider range of issues,” he on Twitter.

https://jam-news.net/opinion-on-baku-stepanakert-contacts/

A sudden boom in sales from China, Armenia or Turkey to Russia sets alarm bells ringing in the West

Alex Jidarian
March 2 2023
The heavy sanctions that Russia has imposed on the West have promised to have a brutal effect on the economy. Although it is true that these sanctions have the potential to damage (a lot) the European economy (very dependent on Russian energy), first of all. potential to devastate Russia’s economy. But more than a year later, Russia continues to stay and make bad prospects sad. Everything indicates that the sanctions, because now, the flows of goods and services exchanges will not only change, but Russia will continue its oil exports or imports of many intermediate goods (oil production machinery and manufacturing goods) and technology. . How is it possible that the all-powerful West has failed to isolate Russia? The answer seems more and more obvious: Russia has a long list of federal states those of the messengers.

But in this case oil and burnsTrade flows show that Russia will rent its petroleum products through third countries, which with its large refining capacity will buy Russian crude at a discount (about $60 a barrel) and then send it back to Europe. The process is relatively simple, legal, and therefore meets the parameters of the sanctions.

Russia sells its oil in large quantities to refineries in China and India to turn crude into diesel and other derivatives that ultimately end up in Europe. These are partly Russian exports. On the import side (what Russia needs to buy to continue producing), the process is similar but with other players.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has published a report in which it tries to break trade, after the increase in exports from the European Union to countries that are considered allies of Russia. This economy could can act as a messenger (making a profit) and keeping Russian industry alive by supporting it with good means that it cannot buy directly from the European Union.

Disaggregated data allows EBRD experts to identify products or groups of products partially or fully subject to EU sanctions. They focus on exports to Russia, as do many of Russia’s neighbors. The main interests are trade flows to Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. These three countries are part of a free trade agreement with Russia, the Eurasian Economic Union.

“Trade through several regions of Russia’s neighbors can be bypassed to circumvent economic sanctions, but to a certain extent,” according to a recently published EBRD working paper titled “Eurasian bypass: Trade to Russia via the Caucasus and Central Asia.”

On the other hand, the document shows a sharp reduction in exports from the EU, Britain and the US to Russia after the introduction of economic sanctions in March 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. At the same time, exports to Armenia, Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic (all members) show an increase. Eurasian Economic Union or UEE). The study also documents the sharp exchange between these states and Russia. The UEE is an economic union born in 2015, which is made up of Russia, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan and plans to open its doors to other countries such as Uzbekistan or North Korea.

The data until the end of 2022 speaks for itself. Armenia’s exports to Russia will increase by 77% to 2021, according to Russia, they have the rocks (this would explain the strength of the Armenian currency). However, official Armenian statistics show an even more drastic increase. Russian-Armenian trade grew by nearly 100% to $4.4 billion in one year. This figure represents more than a third of Armenia’s total foreign trade. Everything indicates that this sudden increase in Russian sales includes goods made in third countries and exported from Armenia to Russia again because of Western economic sanctions against Moscow.

“The war caused significant changes in regional trade patterns. Direct exports from Western democracies to Russia were threatened,” explain the experts who published this document. The EU, US and UK are trying to stop Russia from buying media goods and the capital of Moscow necessary to preserve its energy. However, Russia has managed to establish, for the modern production of oil, gas or metals, which are very capital industries (machinery), which suggests that the country should be managed. Vladimir Putin he was finding a way to acquire the good means so necessary to continue production.

“We see at the same time the emergence of the middle class: the growth of Western exports in the countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus with the growth of exports from these countries to Russia,” say these EBRD economists.

“This broken trade, however, is only a fraction of what was previously exported directly to Russia. This situation gave an opportunity to other suppliers, such as Turkey and China, which substantially increased its sales in Russia“Explained Beata Javorcik, chief financial officer at the EBRD and one of the authors of the new article. China was initially cautious after the start of the Ukrainian invasion, but later began to export and buy large amounts of resources from Russia.

Evidence suggests that trade-offs between neighboring economies can be used to circumvent economic sanctions, up to certain limits. former Soviet republicsThere are not the largest economies that can support all the trade that Russia needs. But “such trade has also been shown to be a tool for evading tariffs or taxes. This mediated trade is complemented by increased exports from China and Turkey to Russia,” say the report’s authors.

Furthermore, a document published by the EBRD argues that trade flows consistent with trade diversification into Russia are more pronounced for product groups in which goods are at least partially subject to sanctions and for goods similar to those sanctioned.

Why does Russia choose these regions to complement its satellite imports? In the case of Armenia or Kazakhstan, it should be noted that these two economies are part of the Eurasian Economic Union, so that “goods exported by these economies could potentially be sent to Russia with minimal controls (like sailors, enter. Even exports to Georgia (which is the only land bridge between Armenia and Russia provides, as the Armenia-Azerbaijan border remains closed), and other selected economies that share a land border with Russia and the rest of the world.

The samples of trade in the EBRD budget are based on official export data, but they do not include any illegal activity such as sanctioned or unauthorized adztification of goods, note the authors.