Author: Antonian Lara

Turkish Press: Azerbaijan calls on Armenia to return to negotiations

Antonian Lara
Turkey – April 27
 BAKU APR 27, 2023 

Azerbaijan expects Armenia to return to the negotiation table for a lasting settlement of the Karabakh conflict, Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said Thursday.

Speaking at a news conference with his French counterpart Catherine Colonna in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku, Bayramov said he is ready for further dialogue on normalization with Armenia.

The top diplomat added that he informed his French counterpart about Baku’s “clear position” in the post-conflict period.

According to Bayramov, the situation on the Lachin corridor, where Azerbaijan has established a checkpoint, was also discussed during the meeting.

“I informed my colleague about the illegal use of the Lachin road, including for the purpose of illegal visits to the territories of our country by citizens of third countries, as well as the plundering of Azerbaijan’s natural resources,” he said.

Bayramov said the Lachin road was used to transport mines to Karabakh, adding that 294 people have been killed in mines explosions since 2020, when the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict ended with the signing of the trilateral agreement between Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia.

“Against the background of Yerevan ignoring Baku’s appeals, Azerbaijan eventually decided to install a checkpoint on the Lachin road to ensure transparency of its use. The Lachin road is open and will continue to be so,” he said.

Bayramov also drew attention to Paris’ “biased” and “pro-Armenian” position on the matter, recalling that France has never appealed to Armenia on any issues regarding normalization.

Prior to their news conference, Bayramov and Colonna held one-on-one and expanded talks in Baku with their delegations.

“In the extensive meeting, the issues on the current agenda of cooperation between Azerbaijan and France, the current state of relations, including the events in the region, were discussed,” read a statement by the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

Aside from the subject of normalization with Armenia and the current situation surrounding the Lachin road, Bayramov focused on bolstering bilateral ties, according to the statement.

It further said Bayramov underlined the opportunities in continuing effective cooperation between the two countries, stressing that mutual contacts and political dialogue are important for discussing the current state of bilateral relations, as well as evaluating prospects and possibilities to eliminate misunderstandings.

It also said Colonna pointed out the importance of continuing close contacts and political consultations in developing bilateral ties, although their “approaches on a number of issues do not coincide.”

“Despite the fact that it will take a long time to find a solution to the issues of peace and confidence building in the region, Minister Catherine Colonna emphasized the importance of commitment to the negotiation process and said that France is ready to support efforts to establish peace in the region,” it added.

https://www.dailysabah.com/politics/diplomacy/azerbaijan-calls-on-armenia-to-return-to-negotiations


Azerbaijan says it established border control point at starting point of Lachin-Khankendi road

Antonian Lara

Azerbaijan on Sunday announced that it established a border control point at the starting point of the Lachin-Khankendi road, Anadolu reports.

Over the past two and half years since the signing of the January 2021 Trilateral Statement among Azerbaijan, Russia, and Armenia, the Azerbaijani side has consistently called attention to large-scale abuse of the Lachin road by Armenia.

“This includes the rotation of personnel of Armenian armed forces that continue to be illegally stationed in the territory of Azerbaijan, the transfer of weapons and ammunition, entrance of terrorists, as well as illicit trafficking of natural resources and cultural property,” a statement by the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry read.

The statement said the road has been used for the transportation of landmines, which has resulted in “grave consequences,” most recently in a mine explosion that injured three Azerbaijani servicemen.

“Moreover, on April 22, surveillance cameras of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan recorded the entrance into the territory of Azerbaijan of two military-purpose container houses and a convoy of military vehicles of Armenia, contrary to the Trilateral Statement, and the norms and principles of international law,” the statement further said.

The placement of military-purpose container houses and the construction of military infrastructure by Armenia at the beginning of the Lachin-Khankendi road were observed, it added.

“In light of these threats and provocations, the establishment of a border control mechanism at the starting point of the Lachin road will serve to transparency over the movement along the road, the rule of law, and thus, ensure the security and safety of the movement,” the statement said.

Proper conditions will be ensured for “the transparent and regulated passage of Armenian residents living in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan from this checkpoint to Armenia and Azerbaijan in both directions,” the statement noted, adding that the said control mechanism shall be implemented in interaction with Russian peacekeeping forces.

“The Azerbaijani side declares its readiness to cooperate with a view to ensuring safe and transparent control regime at the border with Armenia,” it concluded.

Relations between the two former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

In the fall of 2020, in 44 days of clashes, Azerbaijan liberated several cities, villages and settlements from Armenian occupation. The Russian-brokered peace agreement is celebrated as a triumph in Azerbaijan.

Stampede in Yemeni capital leaves 78 dead and dozens injured

Antonian Lara

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 09:57,

YEREVAN, APRIL 20, ARMENPRESS. At least 78 people have been killed in a crush at a school in the Yemeni capital Sanaa during a distribution of charity for Ramadan, BBC reported citing local officials.

TV footage shows a crowd of people unable to move and many in distress in the Bab-al-Yemen area of the city.

Hundreds of people reportedly crowded into the school late on Wednesday to receive donations amounting to about $9 (£7; €8) per person.

Houthi rebels have run the city since they drove out the government in 2015.

Two local businessmen who arranged the event have been arrested and an investigation is under way, the interior ministry said.

A spokesman for the ministry blamed the crush on the “random distribution” of funds without co-ordination with local officials.

Many people were also injured with 13 in a critical situation, a health official in Sanaa said.

“Women and children were among the dead,” a Houthi security official told AFP news agency on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to journalists.

The Associated Press news agency quotes two eyewitnesses who said Houthi fighters had fired into the air in an attempt at crowd control, apparently striking an electrical wire which resulted in an explosion. This caused panic that led to the crush, they added.

The Houthis have reportedly agreed to pay US$2,000 (£1,600) to each family who lost a relative, while the injured would get around $400 (£322).

The event happened during the final days of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which is marked by a period of fasting.

Mohamed Ali al-Houthi, head of the Houthi supreme evolutionary committee, blamed Wednesday’s crush on the country’s humanitarian crisis.

“We hold the countries of aggression responsible for what happened and for the bitter reality that the Yemeni people live in because of the aggression and blockade,” he said on Twitter.

At least 29 people killed in Beijing hospital fire

Antonian Lara

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 09:57,

YEREVAN, APRIL 19, ARMENPRESS. At least twenty-nine people were killed after a fire broke out in the east wing of the inpatient department of a hospital in China’s capital Beijing.

Firefighters received a report of a fire at an inpatient department building of Beijing Changfeng Hospital at 12:57 p.m., according to Xinhua news agency.

The fire was extinguished at 1:33 p.m., with 71 patients evacuated.

By 6 p.m., 21 people had been confirmed dead.

A few hours later the death toll was said to be at least 29, the Guardian reported citing a Chinese government official.

CCTV state media reports that the cause of the fire is under investigation.

A local government spokesperson said that 26 of those who died were hospital patients.

​Aliyev: “Armenia must officially state that Karabakh is Azerbaijan”

Antonian Lara

Aliyev: “Armenia must officially state that Karabakh is Azerbaijan”

Yerevan /Mediamax/. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated today that “Armenia must confirm the absence of territorial claims to Baku and state that Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan.”

“Armenia, which once said that “Karabakh is Armenia and that’s it”, today must repeat our words: “Karabakh is Azerbaijan and an exclamation mark”. When you say “A”, you need to say “B”. Armenia, which has declared its readiness for a peace treaty on the basis of the Alma Ata Declaration, must now officially declare that Karabakh is Azerbaijan,” Aliyev said in an interview with AzTV.

New Ombudsperson meets staff

Antonian Lara

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 11:57,

YEREVAN, APRIL 14, ARMENPRESS. The newly elected Human Rights Defender of Armenia Anahit Manasyan held a meeting with the staffers of the Human Rights Defender’s Office on April 14. Manasyan’s predecessor Kristinne Grigoryan also attended the meeting.

In her remarks, Manasyan said that assuming office is a great honor for her and that she’s happy that Grigoryan is also attending the meeting.

“An institutional approach towards the structure is highly important both for me, for Ms. Grigoryan and all our colleagues. Thus, it is important for us to show, also symbolically, the need for preserving the constantly improving traditions that developed since the formation of this institution,” Manasyan said.

Grigoryan congratulated Manasyan on being elected as Human Rights Defender.

“I wish you all the best. I will always care for this institution. I will be happy and proud of your successes,” Grigoryan said.

Turkish Press: 3 Azerbaijani soldiers killed in attack by Armenian forces in East Zangezur

Antonian Lara
Anadolu Agency, Turkey
Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL

Three Azerbaijani soldiers were killed on Tuesday during an attack by Armenian forces in the Lachin district of the East Zangezur region.

“On April 11, at around 4.20 p.m. (1220GMT), units of the Armenian armed forces fired at the opposite positions of the Azerbaijani Army in the direction of Lachin district from their positions located in the direction of the Digh settlement of the Gorus region, using various caliber weapons,” said a statement by the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

The statement said the Armenian side continued to fire at Azerbaijani positions in the region using mortars and large-caliber weapons and that retaliatory measures taken by Azerbaijani forces resulted in “a significant number of losses” on the opposite side.

“Currently, there is relative calm in the mentioned direction, operational conditions are under the full control of our units,” the statement further noted, adding that three servicemen were killed while preventing the Armenian side’s “provocation.”

In an earlier statement, the Defense Ministry urged the public to “exercise caution and refer only to official information.”

Separately, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said in a statement that such “provocations,” in the backdrop of calls from the international community for negotiations on a peace agreement, show Armenia is “not interested in the peace process” and that these are accompanied by “politically provocative actions and statements.”

“Armenia’s provocations against Azerbaijan, violating the norms and principles of international law, not only violate the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, but also seriously threaten regional peace and security,” the statement said, adding that Azerbaijan will continue to take “all necessary measures.”

It also called for Armenia’s actions to be “rejected and condemned by the international community in a serious manner.”

Relations between the two former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

In the fall of 2020, in 44 days of clashes, Azerbaijan liberated several cities, villages and settlements from Armenian occupation. The Russian-brokered peace agreement is celebrated as a triumph in Azerbaijan.

Armenpress: Armenian Ambassador presents the security environment around Armenia to the Speaker of the Syrian Parliament

Antonian Lara

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 21:04, 6 April 2023

YEREVAN, APRIL 6, ARMENPRESS. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Armenia to Syria Tigran Gevorgyan met with Hammouda Sabbagh, Chairman of the People’s Assembly (Parliament) of the Syrian Arab Republic on April 6, ARMENPRESS was informed from the embassy’s Facebook page.

During the meeting, the interlocutors discussed issues related to the development and expansion of relations between the parliaments of Armenia and Syria. The parties also exchanged ideas on developing the cooperation of the Armenian and Syrian parliamentarians in various inter-parliamentary platforms.

During the meeting, Ambassador Gevorgyan presented to the Speaker of the Parliament the security environment formed around Armenia, as well as the humanitarian crisis in Artsakh resulted by the illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan. The sides exchanged thoughts on Syria-Turkey relations and their latest developments.

Hammouda Sabbagh expressed readiness to send an invitation to the delegation of the National Assembly of Armenia to visit Syria as soon as possible. The chairperson of the Syria-Armenia friendship group, Lucy Iskenian, and the counselor of the embassy of Armenia, Vardan Adamyan, took part in the meeting.

Finland to join NATO Tuesday, Stoltenberg says

Antonian Lara

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 17:10, 3 April 2023

YEREVAN, APRIL 3, ARMENPRESS. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday Finland will become the 31st member of the military alliance on Tuesday, prompting a warning from Russia that it would bolster its defenses near their joint border if NATO deploys any troops in its new member, AP reports.

“This is a historic week,” Stoltenberg told reporters on the eve of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels. “From tomorrow, Finland will be a full member of the alliance.” He said that he hopes Sweden will be able to join NATO in coming months.

Stoltenberg said that Turkey, the last country to have ratified Finland’s membership, will hand its official texts to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday. Stoltenberg said he would then invite Finland to do the same.

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said that Moscow would respond to Finland becoming NATO’s member by bolstering its defenses if needed.

Karabakh Armenians again refuse negotiation in Baku

Antonian Lara
  • JAMnews
  • Baku

Karabakh Armenians refusal to negotiate

The Azerbaijani authorities offered the Armenian community of Karabakh to meet in Baku to continue negotiations, the second invitation after the first meeting in Khojaly on March 1, but the Armenians refused to go to Baku. “After each refusal of the Armenians to meet with the leadership of Azerbaijan, their opportunities will decrease,” political scientist Farhad Mammadov believes.

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Immediately after a long vacation in connection with the Novruz holiday on Monday, March 27, the presidential administration of Azerbaijan publicly invited representatives of the Armenian community of Karabakh to Baku to continue negotiations.

The first official contacts between Baku and Khankendi (Stepanakert) after the second Karabakh war took place on March 1 in Khojaly, at the headquarters of the Russian peacekeeping contingent temporarily stationed in Karabakh.

On March 1st, a meeting took place between representatives of official Baku and Karabakh Armenians in Khojaly

On the part of official Baku, deputy of parliament Ramin Mammadov was appointed the head of the delegation for negotiations with the Karabakh Armenians.

Almost two weeks after the first talks in Khojaly, on March 13, official Baku issued the first invitation to the capital of Azerbaijan to hold the second round of talks. The Armenian side refused.

The day before, the Karabakh Armenians made it clear that they would not agree to holding talks in Baku this time either.

Official contacts of Baku and Khankendi – According to Ramin Mammadov, mainly humanitarian issues were discussed

The armed forces of Azerbaijan, having taken a height near which three dirt roads converge, and along which it is possible to bypass the Lachin road and drive to Armenia, established control over these routes, political observer Oktay Gasimov says:

“This was done in order to put an end to the supply of weapons, ammunition, mines, and other military equipment by Armenia to illegal Armenian armed groups stationed in the Karabakh economic region of Azerbaijan, as well as the transportation and rotation of personnel of the Armenian Armed Forces.”

The Azerbaijani army has taken control of dirt roads north of the Lachin corridor, where Russian peacekeepers are temporarily stationed

He stressed that Azerbaijan may soon take “other steps in different directions”:

“One of these steps is Baku’s call to hold a meeting in Baku and discuss the reintegration of Karabakh into Azerbaijan. This is a clear message for Azerbaijan, the essence of which boils down to the fact that one should not even think about revenge. At the same time, Azerbaijan invites the Armenians of Karabakh to dialogue and reintegrate with Azerbaijan.

The choice is for the Armenians to make. But it is premature to think that they have drawn any conclusions from what is happening. Quite recently, the separatists held a meeting of the so-called “Security Council”, following which it is clear that they will not agree to voluntary reintegration.”

Political scientist Farhad Mammadov expressed confidence that “after each refusal of the Armenians to meet with the leadership of Azerbaijan, their opportunities will decrease.”

“You need to understand that between the first and second proposals, Azerbaijan carried out an operation in Karabakh and took control of all alternative roads that lead to the Lachin corridor. That is, new realities have formed that limit Armenia’s ability to supply weapons to Karabakh. And already in the new situation, a new proposal was made to meet.”

Mammadov believes that this is being done by the leadership of Azerbaijan in order to demonstrate to all external forces and mediators that Baku is constructive: “but every refusal, in theory and logic, should lead to even greater changes in the situation.”

“Each time after refusal to meet in Baku or in another part of Azerbaijan, an operation will be carried out to change the conditions and situation, and further paralyze the actions of Armenia in Karabakh and a group of people who have usurped power in the Armenian-speaking part of the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan,” he added.

Regarding the statement of the head of the European mission in Armenia, Markus Ritter, that the European mission is holding Azerbaijan back, Mammadov said:

“If the Europeans justify their presence in Armenia by containing Azerbaijan, they will be disappointed. Azerbaijan has no intentions to seize the territory of Armenia. Proof of this is Azerbaijan’s proposal to mutually recognize each other’s territorial integrity. The second element is the intention to establish a checkpoint on the Lachin and Zangezur roads. These two points indicate that Azerbaijan has no intentions to attack the territory of Armenia. So let Mr. Ritter first think and then speak,” he added.

Hikmet Hajiyev interview with Report news agency on relations between Baku and Karabakh Armenians

“As for the EU mission itself, if there is a threat to Azerbaijan from the territory of Armenia, the EU mission is not an obstacle in order to deliver a preventative strike, as happened in September last year,” Mammadov said.

And about the possible signing of a peace agreement in Washington, he maintains that the place where the peace agreement is signed is of no fundamental importance for Azerbaijan:

“The main thing is that this agreement meets the national interests of Azerbaijan. The place of signing the peace agreement will rather depend on the Armenian side, where it will be comfortable for it to do it, in the presence of whom. Because this country suffers from cognitive dissonance. On the one hand it is a member of the CSTO and the EU, but on the other gravitates toward the US and the EU. Where it will be more comfortable for them to sign a peace agreement is of no fundamental importance to us. The main thing is the result,” he concluded.

https://jam-news.net/karabakh-armenians-refusal-to-negotiate/