Author: Arbi Tashjian

COVID-19: Armenia reports 1184 new cases, 1762 recoveries in one day

Arbi Tashjian

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 11:12, 4 December, 2020

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 4, ARMENPRESS. 1184 new cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) have been confirmed in Armenia in the past one day, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 139,692, the ministry of healthcare said today.

1762 more patients have recovered in one day. The total number of recoveries has reached 114,990.

3398 tests were conducted in the past one day.

23 more patients have died, raising the death toll to 2277.

The number of active cases is 21,842.

The number of patients who had a coronavirus but died from other disease has reached 583 (5 new such cases).

Reporting by Lilit Demuryan; Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Perspectives | How China gains from Armenia-Azerbaijan war

Arbi Tashjian
EurasiaNet.org
Dec 2 2020
Nima Khorrami Dec 2, 2020 
           
  Xi Jinping meets Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during a January 2016 visit to Tehran. (khamenei.ir)

A commentary

The Russian-brokered ceasefire that stopped fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan last month included a provision allowing Azerbaijan to use a road through Armenian territory to access its Nakhchivan exclave.

Nakhchivan shares a border with Turkey. The road, then, should boost trade between close partners Turkey and Azerbaijan, while reducing the role Iran plays in regional transportation networks.

Yet it is China and its ambitious Belt and Road Initiative that may ultimately emerge as an unlikely winner in the six-week Nagorno-Karabakh war.

For the better part of a decade, Beijing has been building transport routes to Europe that bypass Russia. One of these overland routes crosses the Caspian Sea from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan and onward to Georgia, Turkey and ultimately Europe.

The corridor between Nakhchivan and Azerbaijan would offer Beijing a second route to Europe in the South Caucasus: the one via Georgia plus this one across southern Armenia and Nakhchivan (the purple dotted line on the map below).

No doubt, Moscow scored with the ceasefire. Russia won itself the right to insert troops in yet another part of the South Caucasus. Some 2,000 will serve as peacekeepers in a rump Nagorno-Karabakh – de jure Azerbaijani territory inhabited by ethnic Armenians. In addition, Russian border troops will guarantee the safety of transit across southern Armenia. From Beijing’s perspective, this is all the better to protect its own shipments.

China has never shown interest in contesting Russia’s security role in the former Soviet Union. For Beijing, better than tangling with Moscow over military matters would be to see the South Caucasus begin to resemble Central Asia: a region with traditional ties to Russia, yes, yet wide open to Chinese business. Beijing benefits another way, as well, in the volatile Caucasus. Because China focuses on trade and investment, no one expects the People’s Liberation Army to get dragged in when there’s trouble.

While the ceasefire has come at the expense of some Russian soft power – Azerbaijanis unhappy to see Russian troops on their territory – Beijing has room to maneuver.

This is particularly true in Azerbaijan, which wishes to cement its place as a key node on the Belt and Road. Baku also sees itself as a hub on the trans-Eurasian telecommunications corridor which would connect internet exchange points in Frankfurt and Mumbai, while complementing China’s Digital Silk Road initiative. To this end, AzerTelecom and China Telecom signed a memorandum of cooperation in 2019.

It is the neighbor to the south that stands to lose the most. The proposed Nakhchivan corridor is bad news for Iran. Until now, a shipment from Baku to the isolated exclave had to traverse northern Iran. Under the new deal, Tehran will lose transit fees.

That will leave Iran even more eager to sign the strategic pact it has been quietly negotiating with China for the past five years. The draft agreement is said to include $400 billion for Iran’s transport, energy, telecoms and security sectors over 25 years. After another round of discussions were held in Beijing in early October, former parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani, a confidant of the supreme leader, was tasked with closing the deal.

Thus China could emerge as one of the main beneficiaries of the ceasefire – gaining a new route for the BRI plus leverage over Iran during crucial negotiations.

 

Nima Khorrami is a research associate at the Arctic Institute.

CivilNet: Governor of Syunik Resigns

Arbi Tashjian
CIVILNET.AM

22:41

Syunik Governor Hunan Poghosyan has resigned, the news was confirmed by the governor’s advisor Armine Avagyan.

Syunik is Armenia’s southernmost province, bordering Azerbaijan’s Nakhichevan to the west and Azerbaijan proper to the east. Before the second Karabakh War that lasted from September 27 to November 9, 2020, the territory east of Syunik was under Armenian control. Per the “end of war” statement signed by Armenia’s prime minister and Russian and Azerbaijani presidents, that area has been turned over to Azerbaijan. In addition, the statement says a road linking the two territories of Azerbaijan will pass through Syunik.

The demarcation of new borders between Armenia and Azerbaijan is raising security and economic concerns for the residents this southern province.

Earlier today, the mayor of the city of Kapan, which is the regional center of Syunik Province, stated that the new Armenia-Azerbaijan border will pass near the Kapan Airport, similar to the borderline between USSR Armenia and USSR Azerbaijan. However, the mayor confirms that the airport remains inside Armenia’s territory.

Ruling bloc summons new economy minister for “closed meeting”

Arbi Tashjian

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 14:40, 1 December, 2020

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. The ruling My Step bloc of the Armenian parliament held a closed meeting with Vahan Kerobyan, the new economy minister of Armenia who took office on November 26.

Details from the meeting weren’t immediately clear.

My Step bloc leader Lilit Makunts refused to elaborate.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Sarkissian travels to Moscow on “private visit”

Arbi Tashjian

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 11:36,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. President Sarkissian has departed to Moscow on a “private visit”, his office said in a news release on Saturday.

The Armenian president will have a meeting with “a number of representatives of Russia’s Armenian community and community organizations, during which we will address, among others, the latest developments around Artsakh and the situation in Armenia.”

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Russia thinking over establishing railway for transporting goods to Artsakh

Arbi Tashjian

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 20:32,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. In the sidelines of the program of supporting the population of Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) affected by the war, the operative group of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, together with the representatives of Stepankert administrative district, distributed construction materials to the population. ARMENPRESS reports, citing the press release of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Artsakh, reconstruction of residential buildings continues.

At the moment the Russian side is also discussing the issue of establishing a railway for making transportation of goods more effective.

‘’It will allow to save time for the transportation of goods. As a result, the restoration of the damaged infrastructures will continue at a faster pace’’, reads the press release.

Government favors gradual lifting of martial law restrictions

Arbi Tashjian

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 13:17,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. The government is not in favor of a complete abolishment of the martial law, the Deputy Healthcare Minister Anahit Avanesyan told lawmakers.

She said that the martial law was imposed not only by the military situation, but a complex of economic, healthcare and other regulations, and that it should be lifted only gradually.

Meanwhile, the opposition Bright Armenia Party has introduced a motion in parliament requesting to lift the martial law. The Defense and Security Affairs Committee has disapproved the motion.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

MP Marukyan applies to CoE Committee for Prevention of Torture over Armenian captives in Azerbaijan

Arbi Tashjian

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 15:08,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 25, ARMENPRESS. Head of the Bright Armenia faction of the Armenian Parliament Edmon Marukyan has applied to the President and two Vice-Presidents of the Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture, urging to pay an urgent visit to Azerbaijan to observe and prevent the possible inhuman treatment cases against the captured Armenian servicemen and civilians.

“In order to save the lives of Armenian servicemen and civilians captured by Azerbaijan, as well as to make their future exchange possible I have applied today to the President and two Vice-Presidents of the CoE Committee for the Prevention of Torture, urging to organize an urgent visit to Azerbaijan to examine and prevent possible inhuman treatment cases against the Armenian prisoners of war”, Marukyan said.

He reminded that the CoE Committee for the Prevention of Torture is the only body having a free access to any closed structure in Azerbaijan.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Parliament session – LIVE

Arbi Tashjian

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 10:00,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Parliament is holding its regular session.

The lawmakers will debate a number of bills and legislative packages.

Q&A session with the Cabinet members is expected.

The MPs will continue the debate of the 2021 state budget draft.

[see video]
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Poll: 81.5% of respondents in Armenia positively react to deployment of Russian peacekeepers in NK

Arbi Tashjian

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 14:07,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. 81.5% of the respondents of a survey conducted in Armenia positively react to the deployment of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno Karabakh, Aram Navasardyan, Director of MPG LLC, a full member of the GALLUP International Association in Armenia, told reporters at a press conference today.

“37.8% said they have a completely positive attitude, 43.7% – rather positive. We have 81-82% figure, with positive reaction to the deployment of the Russian peacekeepers”, he said.

The survey has been conducted on November 13.

On November 9 Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a statement on a full ceasefire and cessation of all military actions in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict zone since 01:00 Yerevan Time on November 10. Russian peacekeepers are being deployed to Nagorno Karabakh.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan