Author: Arpi Talalian

Keep up the struggle for Nagorno Karabakh, Baroness Cox urges Armenians

Arpi Talalian
June 20 2023
Joel Veldkamp

Warns Armenian Christian population faces the increasing possibility of ethnic and religious cleansing

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND, June 20, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ — Baroness Caroline Cox, a member of the UK House of Lords and long-standing friend of Armenia, has sent a video message to the Armenian people urging them to stand firm in support of their homeland despite the political powers arrayed against them.

Lady Cox is the founder president of Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust (HART), a strategic partner of Christian Solidarity International (CSI).

Cox says she is “deeply saddened” by reports that the Republic of Armenia is being pressured by international powers to accept Azerbaijan’s sovereignty over Nagorno Karabakh, or Artsakh.

“In return for a so-called peace treaty and trade agreement, the people of Artsakh – who have already endured so much suffering – would be expected to surrender their international right of self-determination. Over 120,000 indigenous Armenians would become citizens of an anti-Armenian authoritarian state, with an appalling track record of human rights violations.”

Since 2020, Azeri military forces have advanced into the sovereign territories of the Republic of Armenia, Cox says, and there are frequent reports of new military incursions.

With the blockade of the Lachin corridor in December 2022, a humanitarian catastrophe is being played out within Nagorno Karabakh, she says, and its indigenous Armenian Christian population faces the increasing possibility of ethnic and religious cleansing from their historic lands.

“…We must face the disturbing possibility that the Armenian Genocide never ended. There are those who want to complete it, and those who are unable – or unwilling – to stop it. It is quite possible that what is done to Artsakh will also, in time, be done to the Republic of Armenia,” Cox warns.

“If the treaty now being negotiated between Azerbaijan and Armenia results in the surrender of Artsakh – then lasting peace cannot be guaranteed.”

Referencing her first visit to Armenia over 30 years ago, she says that the struggle for Nagorno Karabakh became the catalyst for independence of the Republic of Armenia. “To this day, it remains an important symbol of hope and unity among all Armenians, across every part of the nation and diaspora.”

“At this critical moment in your great nation’s history, it is my hope and prayer that all Armenians – across every part of the nation and diaspora – will continue to uphold the struggle for Artsakh as a symbol of unity.”

“My dear friends, thank you for holding a frontline of faith and freedom for the rest of the world.”


Baroness Caroline Cox and John Eibner, International President of CSI, are the authors of Ethnic Cleansing in Progress: War in Nagorno Karabakh. This report on the last attempt by Azerbaijan to drive the Armenian Christians of Nagorno Karabakh out of their ancient homeland as the Soviet Union collapsed is based on historical research and on-the-spot fact-finding between 1990 and 1994.

At the end of May, CSI launched a special campaign, The Cost of Silence, to highlight the growing threat of genocide facing Nagorno Karabakh’s Christian population.

Joel Veldkamp
Christian Solidarity International
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A message to the people of Armenia by Baroness Caroline Cox (with Armenian subtitles)

Watch the video at  https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/640487155/keep-up-the-struggle-for-nagorno-karabakh-baroness-cox-urges-armenians

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Russian Migration Proves to be a Major Boon to the Armenian Economy

Arpi Talalian

By Samantha Barnes, International Banker

 

According to figures announced in late March by its National Statistical Committee (NSC), Armenia’s economy grew by a stellar 10.9 percent during January and February compared with the same two-month period in 2022. February alone experienced a 6.5-percent expansion from January’s levels and 11.3-percent growth from 12 months earlier. And with this buoyant performance having already followed 2022’s bumper year of more than 11-percent growth, one may be inclined to conclude that the Armenian economy is proving to be an unmitigated success story. But with tensions with neighbouring Azerbaijan still decidedly heightened and no end in sight to the war in Ukraine, the outlook is still highly uncertain.

Much of Armenia’s economic success can be attributed to its proximity to Russia. Indeed, the diminutive former Soviet state located in the Caucasus region, bordering Turkey, experienced an economic boom as it took in hundreds of thousands of affluent Russian migrants escaping military conscription in their home country in both late February 2022 as the war commenced and September following Russia’s massive military-mobilisation drive. Indeed, Armenia ended up being among the chief recipients of Russian migrants, with data from the Migration Service of Armenia recording 372,086 Russian citizens arriving during the first half of 2022. A September survey of 2,000 Russian migrants by Eurasia-focused research and security organisation PONARS (Program on New Approaches to Research and Security) disclosed that of the initial wave of Russian migrants, 24.9 percent fled to Turkey, 23.4 percent to Georgia, and 15.1 percent ended up in Armenia.

As the International Monetary Fund (IMF) noted, these waves of Russian migrants invariably boosted domestic consumption in the recipient nations, with the Armenian economy among the most significant beneficiaries given the large influx relative to the local population of just 2.8 million people. “Guided by sound macroeconomic policies amid significant global and regional challenges, Armenia is on course to achieve growth of about 11 percent in 2022, in part driven by large inflows of external income, capital, and labor into the country,” the IMF stated in November, also citing fiscal overperformance and appreciation of the Armenian currency, the dram, as key factors in lowering Armenia’s public debt from 60.3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2021 to an expected 51 percent last year.

Inflation has been a concern as a result of this surprise injection into Armenia’s economy, however. OBC(Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso) Transeuropa, a think tank co-funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European Union (EU) that is focused on Southeast Europe, Turkey and the Caucasus, noted in an October article that real-estate prices had sharply risen since the first wave of Russian migrants arrived shortly after the outbreak of war, with prices per square metre of apartment space in capital city Yerevan climbing over the previous year’s by an average of 109,000 drams (about €273). “Each human flow contributes to price fluctuations,” Armenian economist Samson Grigoryan noted, as quoted by OBC. “It also has its positive side—it contributes to the development of the regions—because Yerevan cannot accommodate everyone, so others will also go to other regions of the country.”

Armenia’s engagement with Russia is also the subject of growing consternation from Western countries intent on punishing Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, with US and European officials suggesting that it is being supported by former Soviet satellite states to bypass the economic sanctions levied against Moscow. A recent article from The Telegraph noted that the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) member nations are operating as transit points through which materials and technologies for weapons production are passing.

“The most absurd is Armenia, whose 13 percent economic expansion in only 12 months makes it a candidate for [the] third-fastest growing economy in the world,” the article contended, noting that exports from Germany to Armenia in 2022 increased from €178 million to €505 million. “That’s from just one EU country. Exports from Armenia to the EU in the same twelve months doubled from 753 million euros to 1.3 billion euros. With a population of barely three million and a GDP per capita of less than a tenth of the average Briton, these are impossible numbers. But they are real.”

The New York Times also reported on April 18 the findings of a document from the US Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), which stated that Armenia imported 515 percent more chips and processors from the United States and 212 percent more from the European Union last year compared to 2021. But the document also noted that Armenia then exported 97 percent of those same products to Russia. And by mid-March, Armenia’s minister of the economy, Vahan Kerobyan, reportedly confirmed to Russian daily news outlet Vedomosti that the two countries had completely stopped mutual calculations in US dollars and euros, given the pronounced volatility the ruble has experienced against these currencies over the last year or so. Instead, the dram became the preferred currency for expanded Russian-Armenian trade during this period.

In its defence, Armenia insists that such moves are due to the two countries operating within the same customs and economic zone, which thus facilitates the free movement of goods between them. “We are talking with our American and European partners, explaining what the basis of trade of which products are and whether we will not violate the EAEU agreement,” Kerobyan recently explained to reporters. “In fact, we are able to explain that the actions taken by Armenian companies are not aimed at putting Armenia under secondary sanctions, but stem from the economic and labor interests of our country,” he added, insisting that Armenia is trying to maintain the provisions of the EAEU free-trade agreement that is in place between member nations of the Eurasian Economic Union and maximise opportunities for companies whilst ensuring that domestic companies do not fall foul of secondary sanctions.

Armenia may also point to Russia’s lack of material support in the ongoing conflict with neighbouring Azerbaijan as further evidence in its defence against accusations of improper collusion. Tensions have remained elevated over the pro-Armenia breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh since December, after Azerbaijan implemented a blockade on the road connecting Armenia to the disputed territory, which subsequently experienced significant shortages of essential goods. And despite a Russian-brokered ceasefire being agreed upon in 2020 following an outbreak of hostilities between the two parties, as well as the recent introduction of an EU monitoring mission to stabilise the region, unrest is likely to continue breaking out periodically—especially given Azerbaijan’s increasing importance as a natural-gas supplier to the EU—that could prove a significant downside risk to Armenia’s longer-term economic prospects.

Nonetheless, Armenia’s growth outlook remains positive on the whole, with the Central Bank of Armenia and Fitch Ratings both predicting recently that the economy will expand this year, albeit more modestly than in 2022, by 5.8 percent and 6.1 percent, respectively. Fitch also sees a further slowdown in 2024 to 4.7 percent. “Growth will be driven by personal consumption, relatively stable exports (notably to Russia as Armenia replaces import sources that have become disrupted by sanctions) and an expected increase in public investment,” the ratings agency stated on February 10.

The IMF similarly sees economic growth decelerating in 2023 to 4 to 5 percent due to “weaker external demand and tighter global financial conditions”, whilst also expecting CPI (Consumer Price Index) inflation to converge gradually to the central bank’s 4-percent target over the medium term with the support of tight monetary policy and the waning impact of external shocks. “The current account deficit, which has widened with the rapid growth of the economy, is expected to gradually narrow to around 5 percent of GDP. The risks to the outlook are mainly external,” the IMF added in its November outlook.

Beyond the raw numbers, moreover, it is also worth highlighting the efforts Armenia is making to improve the quality of its relatively modest economy, particularly regarding sustainability. On March 21, for example, the CirculUP! project was launched in the country, led by Impact Hub Network, which is a global network of locally run impact innovation incubators, accelerators, coworking spaces and non-profit organisations, along with Armenia’s own social-innovation incubator Impact Hub Yerevan and the Environment and Health NGO (ENVI&Health) that is funded by the European Union in Armenia. The project seeks to trigger a systemic shift within Armenia towards a circular economy, with the official press release noting that financial support of €525,000 will be provided to start-ups, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and community service organisations (CSOs) working towards circularity in Armenia over the next three years.


RFE/RL Armenian Report – 06/23/2023

Arpi Talalian 
                                        Friday, 
EU Alarmed By Tighter Azeri Blockade Of Karabakh
Armenia - EU parliamentarians and monitors visit a section of the Armenian-Azeri 
border adjacent to Lachin corridor, June 21, 2023.
The European Union expressed serious concern on Friday over the tightening of 
Azerbaijan’s seven-month blockade of the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh 
to Armenia.
Baku stopped on June 15 the movement through the Lachin corridor of humanitarian 
convoys organized by the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Karabakh and the 
International Committee of the Red Cross. The move followed a shootout near an 
Azerbaijani checkpoint controversially set up in late April by a bridge over the 
Hakari river, the starting point of the Lachin corridor.
Armenia said its border guards opened fire to stop Azerbaijani servicemen 
manning the checkpoint from placing an Azerbaijani flag on adjacent Armenian 
territory. Azerbaijan insisted, however, that they did not cross into Armenia.
“The near total blockage of the Lachin corridor, in place since 15 June is very 
worrying,” Nabila Massrali, the EU’s foreign policy spokeswoman, said in a 
statement. “It directly threatens the livelihoods of the local population and 
raises serious fears of a potential humanitarian crisis.”
The EU was also alarmed by heightened tensions along the Armenian-Azerbaijani 
border and the Karabakh “line of contact.”
“Following the series of recent high-level meetings, the EU continues to be 
engaged at the highest political level to help defuse these tensions and find 
mutually acceptable solutions,” added Massrali.
Her statement came two days after a group of European Parliament members and the 
head of the EU Delegation in Yerevan, Andrea Wiktorin, joined EU monitors for a 
patrol near the Hakari bridge. Nathalie Loiseau, who led the visiting 
parliamentary delegation, demanded afterwards an immediate end to the “illegal” 
blockade.
The Azerbaijani side showed on Friday no signs of planning to lift it. A video 
released by Karabakh’s leadership showed that Azerbaijani security personnel 
placed concrete road blocks on the bridge, making renewed traffic through the 
corridor even more difficult.
Baku Rules Out Extra Security Guarantees For Karabakh
        • Heghine Buniatian
        • Artak Khulian
Azerbaijani border guards set up a checkpoint in the Lachin corridor, April 26, 
2023.
Azerbaijan has made clear that it will not agree to any special arrangements for 
guaranteeing the rights and security of Nagorno-Karabakh’s ethnic Armenian 
population.
In an interview with Reuters news agency published on Friday, Azerbaijani 
Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov also indicated that Armenia should make more 
concessions in addition to recognizing Azerbaijani sovereignty over Karabakh.
“The most fundamental is the following: this is an internal, sovereign issue,” 
he said. “The Azerbaijan constitution and a number of international conventions 
to which Azerbaijan is party provide all the necessary conditions in order to 
guarantee the rights of this population."
Yerevan has been pressing for an “international mechanism” of dialogue between 
Baku and the Karabakh Armenians during ongoing talks on an Armenian-Azerbaijani 
peace treaty. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on Thursday again called for the 
launch of such a mechanism while continuing to accuse Baku of “ethnic cleansing” 
in Karabakh.
Pashinian pledged to recognize Karabakh as a part of Azerbaijani after a recent 
meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev held in Brussels. That was 
condemned by Karabakh’s leadership and the Armenian opposition. They say the 
restoration of Azerbaijani rule would only force the Karabakh Armenians to flee 
the territory.
Bayramov, who is due to hold another round of negotiations with his Armenian 
counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan in Washington next week, noted with satisfaction 
that Pashinian is the first Armenian leader to have made such a statement. But, 
he said, Armenia should also take “some practical steps” to build on progress in 
the peace talks and make peace with Azerbaijan. He did not specify those steps.
Russia - Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov attends talks with 
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Armenia's Foreign Minister Ararat 
Mirzoyan in Moscow, May 19, 2023.
Despite that progress, tensions along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and “the 
line of contact” around Karabakh have steadily increased over the last few 
weeks, with the sides accusing each other of violating the ceasefire on a 
virtually daily basis.
Karabakh’s army said that Azerbaijani forces fired at its frontline positions 
throughout Thursday, wounding one of its soldiers. It also accused them of 
targeting the tractor of a Karabakh farmer who cultivated agricultural land 
outside the town of Chartar.
The Karabakh police said separately that Azerbaijani troops opened fire at a 
civilian house in another village and damaged its roof on Thursday.
The Azerbaijani military regularly claims to shoot at tractors to stop Karabakh 
Armenian forces from fortifying their positions. The authorities in Stepanakert 
dismiss this as a smokescreen for justifying systematic Azerbaijani gunfire at 
Karabakh farmers.
Following a June 15 shooting incident in the Lachin corridor, Azerbaijan 
completely halted relief supplies to Karabakh through the sole road connecting 
the disputed region to Armenia. Karabakh had received limited amounts of food, 
fuel and medicine from Russian peacekeepers and the International Committee of 
the Red Cross since Baku blocked commercial traffic through the corridor last 
December.
Armenia’s Top Investigator Accused Of Torturing Suspect
        • Ruzanna Stepanian
Armenia - Argisthi Kyaramian, head of Armenia's Investigative Committee, meets 
with the U.S. ambassador in Yerevan, .
A former political activist has accused the head of Armenia’s Investigative 
Committee, Argishti Kyaramian, of torturing and threatening to kill him 
following his arrest last week.
The man, Tigran Arakelian, was detained on June 17 on charges of blackmailing 
state officials to extort money from them. The Investigative Committee has not 
yet named those officials.
In a video message posted on social media late on Thursday, Arakelian claimed 
that senior law-enforcement officials, including Kyaramian, beat him up in the 
office of the head of the committee’s Yerevan division.
“I was subjected to beating, verbal abuse and threats to my family,” said the 
suspect, who is currently under house arrest. “They told me that ‘you’re not 
going to see your wife and children anymore, a car will run over you, your home 
will be set on fire at night, something will happen to your loved ones because 
we are going to eliminate you together with your family.’ That was said by none 
other than Argishti Kyaramian.
“Argishti Kyaramian met me twice that day and during both meetings I was 
tortured, tortured by an electric shock gun. They poured water on me and started 
burning various parts of my body with the electric shock gun.”
Arakelian did not say what his interrogators wanted him to say or do. He said he 
will reveal that later on.
Armenia - Former political activist Tigran Arakelian.
The Investigative Committee flatly denied the allegations on Friday. “We do not 
comment on baseless statements made out of thin air,” said a spokesman for the 
law-enforcement agency.
Armenia’s Office of the Prosecutor-General pledged, meanwhile, to look into the 
latest allegations of torture facing the country’s law-enforcement authorities. 
Human rights activists say that ill-treatment of criminal suspects remains 
widespread despite sweeping law-enforcement reforms promised by Prime Minister 
Nikol Pashinian’s government.
Arakelian was already arrested in 2015 and subsequently convicted of 
blackmailing two Armenian parliamentarians. He had already spent two years in 
prison for his role in a 2011 violent clash between several police officers and 
opposition activists.
Arakelian used to be a well-known member of former President Levon 
Ter-Petrosian’s Armenian National Congress (HAK). Incidentally, Pashinian was 
also actively involved in Ter-Petrosian’s opposition movement until falling out 
with the ex-president in 2012.
Kyaramian, 32, is now widely regarded as one of the prime minister’s trusted 
lieutenants, having held five high-level positions in the Armenian security 
apparatus and government since Pashinian came to power in 2018. He previously 
worked as a police officer and prosecutor.
PACE Also Urges Lifting Of Karabakh’s Blockade
France - A session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the 46-nation Council of 
Europe, Strasbourg, January 24, 2023.
The Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) has called on Azerbaijan 
to reopen the sole road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh Armenia and unblock 
electricity and gas supplies to the Armenian-populated region.
In a resolution adopted late on Thursday, the PACE deplored the December 2022 
“interruption of the free and safe passage through the Lachin corridor and the 
subsequent deliberate cutting of electricity and gas supplies to the region.”
It said Baku should “urgently” comply with a ruling handed down by the 
International Court of Justice (ICJ) in February. The UN court ordered the 
Azerbaijani government to “take all measures at its disposal to ensure unimpeded 
movement of persons, vehicles, and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both 
directions.”
“The Assembly stresses that the current situation is not sustainable and may 
well lead to the Armenian population being forced to leave their homes and 
communities if there is no resolution to the conflict,” reads the PACE 
resolution adopted by 48 votes to 16.
“In this context, it urgently calls for addressing the issues of the rights and 
security of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh through dialogue between 
Baku and Khakendi/Stepanakert and a neutral international involvement in any 
peace implementation mechanism to be put in place,” it says.
Such a mechanism is strongly supported by Armenia but opposed by Azerbaijan. 
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said last month that the Karabakh Armenians 
“will either live under Azerbaijani rule or leave” their homeland.
The PACE resolution does not mention Baku’s decision to completely block the 
movement of special humanitarian convoys through the Lachin corridor which 
followed a shooting incident there on June 15. The move aggravated the shortages 
of food, medicine and other essential items in Karabakh.
Paul Gavan, an Irish lawmaker who drafted the resolution, acknowledged and 
criticized the tightening of the blockade during a PACE debate that preceded the 
adoption of the text. Gavan cited information received from European Union’s 
monitoring mission deployed along Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan.
The EU as well as the United States and Russia have repeatedly called for an end 
to the Azerbaijani blockade. Baku has ignored these appeals.
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.

AW: Azerbaijan closes Berdzor Corridor to humanitarian aid

Arpi Talalian
 Lillian Avedian News 0

Azerbaijan military checkpoint (Gegham Stepanyan, Twitter)

Artsakh officials are warning that supplies of basic goods are dwindling after Azerbaijan closed the Berdzor (Lachin) Corridor to humanitarian shipments on June 15. 

“The situation is turning disastrous day by day, and it is incomprehensible why the world tolerates this,” Artsakh State Minister Gurgen Nersisyan said on June 20.

Since Azerbaijan placed Artsakh under blockade in December 2022, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Russian peacekeeping forces have delivered humanitarian cargo, including food and medicine, from Armenia to Artsakh. However, the ICRC and Russian peacekeepers have been prevented from traveling along the Berdzor Corridor, the sole route connecting Artsakh with Armenia and the rest of the world, by Azerbaijani border guards since June 15. The ICRC has also been barred from transporting Artsakh residents in need of medical assistance to hospitals or medical centers in Armenia. 

“These actions once again substantiate our fear that Azerbaijan is conducting a policy of ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh,” Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a cabinet meeting on June 15. 

Azerbaijani protesters posing as environmental activists launched a blockade of the Berdzor Corridor on December 12, 2022. They ended the protest after Azerbaijani forces set up a military checkpoint at the entrance to the corridor from Armenia on April 23. Movement along the corridor is now completely controlled by Azerbaijani border guards. The checkpoint violates the trilateral ceasefire agreement ending the 2020 Artsakh War, according to which Russian peacekeepers were deployed to the corridor and Azerbaijan “guarantees traffic safety along the Lachin Corridor of citizens, vehicles and goods in both directions.” 

Agriculture Minister Georgi Hayriyan said the region is already facing a shortage of sugar and cooking oil, yet has sufficient reserves of flour and other basic necessities. 

“Although we have been under blockade since December 12, 2022, during that time, with very few resources, we have been able to somewhat improve our food security level. Because of this, we now have a greater degree of resilience. There is no need to panic,” Hayriyan said during a June 21 cabinet meeting. 

Nersisyan announced that local authorities have switched to austerity mode to preserve the remaining supply of food, medicine and fuel. He said that Artsakh residents who received a government-issued coupon to procure fuel will no longer be able to do so. 

“Our farms can mitigate problems to a certain extent and provide some self-sufficiency,” Nersisyan said during a Facebook livestream on June 16.

Artsakh State Minister Gurgen Nersisyan convenes a government meeting (NKR InfoCenter)

Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has called on Azerbaijan to reopen the Berdzor Corridor.

“We call on Baku to take steps to completely unblock the corridor for humanitarian purposes and not to hold Karabakh’s population hostage to political disagreements with Yerevan,” Zakharova said during a June 21 press briefing. 

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry said that it was taking “relevant measures…in order to investigate the reasons for this provocation, as well as to ensure the security of the border checkpoint and the passage through it after the attack.” It said it was unacceptable to call these measures a “blockade.” 

Azerbaijani guards closed the Berdzor Corridor to travel after a border skirmish between Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers on the morning of June 15. A group of soldiers from Azerbaijan’s border service attempted to cross the Hakari bridge at the entrance to the Berdzor Corridor in order to erect an Azerbaijani flag on Armenian territory, reported Armenian authorities. Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry said the soldiers did not cross the border into Armenia. One Armenian soldier and one Azerbaijani soldier were wounded. 

A video circulating on social media appears to show Russian peacekeepers escorting the Azerbaijani guards across the bridge. The Azerbaijani soldiers were forced to retreat when the Armenian side opened fire.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that Russian Ambassador Sergei Kopyrkin visited the Foreign Ministry in Yerevan on Friday to discuss the incident. The Armenian Foreign Ministry said it conveyed Armenia’s “strong discontent” with the Russian peacekeepers’ actions and urged Russia to “take all necessary steps to ascertain the circumstances of the incident and correct the situation.”

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said that the Armenian side was trying to prevent free movement along the Berdzor Corridor. “These military provocations by Armenia will be resolutely prevented, and its attempts to prevent the reintegration of the Armenian residents of Azerbaijan into our society will fail,” the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said in a statement. 

Movement between Armenia and Artsakh appears to have increased since the installation of the border checkpoint in April. More and more Artsakh residents have crossed the Berdzor Corridor through the border post, largely with the accompaniment of Russian peacekeepers. Azerbaijani media regularly circulates videos of Armenians crossing the border checkpoint, in order to prove to the outside world that movement along the corridor is unrestricted. These videos show Artsakh residents interacting with Azerbaijani border guards, who inspect their identification documents before allowing them to pass. 

Artsakh Ombudsman Gegham Stepanyan says these “propaganda videos” serve to “mislead the international community.”

“The presence of the checkpoint, the passport control and the inspection of cargo by Azerbaijan already present themselves as obstacles to the unhindered movement, posing a real threat not only to people’s security, but also bears significant risks of applying other arbitrary preventive measures at any time,” Stepanyan said.

The NKR InfoCenter, the official news source of Artsakh, said that “any movement through the corridor cannot be interpreted as an act legitimizing the illegal control of Azerbaijan and accepting the non-existent Azerbaijani jurisdiction over these territories.”

It added that “severely limited humanitarian movement cannot be considered the end of the blockade of Artsakh” in a June 2 statement. 

However, even prior to the closure of the corridor on June 15, movement along the border was not entirely restored. Stepanyan said that his office has documented at least three cases in which Artsakh residents were prevented from returning home after traveling to Armenia for medical treatment. 

“It is noteworthy that the Azerbaijani side allowed them to leave Artsakh at the time, while now arbitrarily and illegally bans their entry,” Stepanyan said in a June 13 statement.

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Lillian Avedian is a staff writer for the Armenian Weekly. Her writing has also been published in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Hetq and the Daily Californian. She is pursuing master’s degrees in journalism and Near Eastern Studies at New York University. A human rights journalist and feminist poet, Lillian’s first poetry collection Journey to Tatev was released with Girls on Key Press in spring of 2021.


U.S. Congress Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission to hold hearing on Safeguarding the People of Nagorno Karabakh

Arpi Talalian

 10:12,

YEREVAN, JUNE 16, ARMENPRESS. The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the U.S. Congress will hold a hearing on June 21 on Safeguarding the People of Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Please join the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission for a hearing on safeguarding the people of Nagorno-Karabakh as risks of renewed violence in and around the enclave increase,” the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission said in a statement. “Two and a half years after a bloody six-week war pushed Armenian forces out of Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions of Azerbaijan, tensions are again escalating. A blockade of the Lachin corridor to Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijani-backed activists has entered its 7th month, and on April 23 Azerbaijan opened a military checkpoint on the corridor that is widely viewed as inconsistent with the provisions of the 2020 ceasefire agreement that ended the last war. A number of international efforts are underway to mitigate the risk of a new full-blown war, including by officials at the U.S. State Department. One major issue is what is required to adequately protect the rights and safety of ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, where Azerbaijan seeks to assert control. This hearing will examine the measures required to adequately safeguard, during this period of blockade and negotiation, a vulnerable ethnic population, and offer recommendations for U.S. policy,” the commission added, noting that the hearing will be open to Members of Congress, congressional staff, the interested public, and the media.

Armenian exports, re-exports to Russia grow 187%

Arpi Talalian

 10:27,

YEREVAN, JUNE 12, ARMENPRESS. Exports from Armenia to Russia grew 187% in 2022, with most of the figure comprising re-exports, Finance Minister of Armenia Vahe Hovhannisyan said Monday.

“In 2022 we had a 187% growth in exports compared to 2021 towards Russia. Re-exports make up most of it. The exports of Armenian-made products contributed by 47 percentage points,” Hovhannisyan told lawmakers at the Financial-Credit and Budgetary Affairs Committee during debates on approving the 2022 state budget report.

Tourism grew 90,2%.

A growth in financial transfers in 2022 also contributed to dram valuation, he added.

“As a result, a 12,6% economic growth was recorded, although we had predicted 11%, while the target in 2022 was 7% in line with the government program. As a result, the nominal GDP comprises around 8,5 trillion drams, which is 1,5 trillion more compared to the 2021 factual figure,” the minister said.

Monthly non-oil export from Iran to Armenia up 144% yr/yr

Arpi Talalian
 TEHRAN TIMES 
Iran – June 9 2023
  1. Economy
June 9, 2023 – 13:51

TEHRAN- The value of Iran’s non-oil export to Armenia increased by 144 percent in the first month of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-April 20), as compared to the first month of the past year, the spokesman of Trade Development Committee of the Iranian House of Industry, Mining, and Trade announced.

Ruhollah Latifi said that Iran exported non-oil commodities worth $32 million to Armenia in the first month of this year.

As previously reported, the value of Iran’s non-oil export to Armenia rose by 62.5 percent in the past Iranian calendar year 1401 (ended on March 20), from the preceding year.

Iran exported commodities worth $478 million to Armenia in 1401, while the figure was $294 million in 1400.

Liquefied natural gas, iron and steel rods, bitumen, light oils and related products, unalloyed iron and steel products, bituminous mineral oils, floor coverings, liquid cream, linear alkylbenzene, and rebar were Iran’s major products exported to Armenia in the past year.

Iranian Labor and Social Welfare Minister Solat Mortazavi has said Tehran and Yerevan are determined to use all their capacities to expand economic ties.

Mortazavi made the remarks in a meeting with his Armenian counterpart Narek Makratchian in Yerevan in late February.

Referring to the targeting of three billion dollars of annual trade between Iran and Armenia, Mortazavi said the development of all-out ties with Armenia is one of the priorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The minister stated that the main approach of the Iranian government is to advance economic diplomacy with neighboring countries, especially in the Caucasus region, adding: “Iran and Armenia’s interactions in the economic, commercial, and investment fields are going to be diversified.”

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to put all its facilities and capacities in the service of establishing peace and stability in the Caucasus region,” he said.

Makratchian for his part referred to the long-standing and friendly relations between the two countries and noted that the joint cooperation between the ministries of labor of Iran and Armenia in the field of social welfare, employment, well-being, and the development of technical and vocational training complexes will expand with the formation of joint specialized working groups.

“The Ministry of Labor of the Republic of Armenia is fully prepared to develop economic and social cooperation with the Ministry of Labor of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he stressed.

Mortazavi, who visited Yerevan on top of a high-ranking delegation, also met with Gnel Sanosyan, Armenia’s minister of territorial administration and infrastructures.

During this meeting, the minister expressed Iran’s readiness to cooperate with Armenia in all areas.

Iran and Armenia always enjoy very good friendly relations based on mutual respect and good neighborliness, he underlined.

The official emphasized the significance of Armenia for the Iranian foreign policy, saying that Armenia’s role in the development of foreign relations and access to the Eurasian Union market is of prime importance for Iran.

He further mentioned some of the areas for mutual cooperation, saying that various projects in the fields of construction, road, tunnel digging, dam construction, urban development, energy infrastructure as well as technical and engineering services are among spheres of cooperation between Tehran and Yerevan.

The Armenian minister, for his part, said that the Armenian government pays special attention to the development of cooperation with the Islamic Republic in its five-year plan.

Iran and Armenia signed an MOU at the end of the two countries’ 17th meeting of the Joint Economic Committee in Yerevan last May.

The MOU, which covers cooperation in areas of transit, transportation, facilitation of exchange of goods, energy, development of environmental cooperation in Aras area and removal of pollution from border rivers, as well as medical tourism, was signed by Iranian Energy Minister Ali-Akbar Mehrabian and Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan, who are the chairmen of the two countries’ Joint Economic Committee.

In that meeting, which was attended by a large number of deputy ministers, senior officials, ambassadors, and members of parliament of the two countries, the main issues that play a key role in the development of relations between the two countries were discussed.

According to the officials, the purpose of holding the 17th meeting of the Iran-Armenia Joint Economic Committee was the real and tangible development of relations between the two countries.

Among the issues raised at the meeting were transit, transportation, facilitation of trade, and broader cooperation in the field of energy.

MA

Asbarez: Azerbaijani Forces Open Fire on Vehicle Transporting Armenian Soldiers

Arpi Talalian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 June 9, 2023

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

Bullet marks on an Armenian military vehicle attacked by Azerbaijani forces on June 9


Azerbaijani forces on Friday opened fire on a vehicle transporting Armenian soldiers in Armenia’s Gegharkunik Province, the defense ministry reported.

At 6:30 p.m. local time on Friday, Azerbaijani forces opened fire on the vehicle, which was traveling near the Kakhakn village. There were no casualties the defense ministry said.

Throughout this week, Armenian military officials accused Azerbaijani forces of violating the ceasefire and continuing to attack Armenian positions in Gegharkunik and Syunik provinces.

A scheduled meeting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers, Ararat Mirzoyan and Jeyhum Bayramov, in Washington was canceled at Baku’s request. The meeting, which was scheduled to take place on Monday, was to be hosted by Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Last week, Azerbaijani forces breached Armenia’s sovereign territory and abducted two soldiers who were on a food delivery mission to one of the Armenian military units in the Syunik Province. Azerbaijani authorities promptly charged the two soldiers with terrorism and other trumped up charges.

Azerbaijani forces also violated the northern and eastern sections of the line-of-contact in Artsakh, that country’s defense ministry said on Friday.

In addition to the blockade of the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan since December 12, its forces have been targeting civilians in various regions of Artsakh, with farmers bearing the brunt of those attacks as they attempt to carry out their day’s work.

I urge Azerbaijan to respect the decision of the international court, immediately open the Lachin corridor. Michael Roth

Arpi Talalian

 18:45, 7 June 2023

YEREVAN, JUNE 7, ARMENPRESS. The Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the German Bundestag Michael Roth urges Azerbaijan to respect the decision of the International Court of Justice and immediately open the Lachin Corridor, ARMENPRESS reports, Roth told the journalists in Yerevan.

“I urge all responsible political figures in Azerbaijan to respect the decision of the international court and immediately open the Lachin Corridor,” Roth said.

He said that during his visit to Armenia, he met displaced women from Karabakh, stressing that Germany considers the separation of family members for a long time as a gross violation of human rights.

“Ethnic cleansing should never be allowed to take place in Nagorno-Karabakh,” he emphasized.

Turkey’s Erdogan sworn in for 3rd term as president

Arpi Talalian

 

 16:52, 3 June 2023

YEREVAN, JUNE 3, ARMENPRESS. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took the oath of office for a new five-year presidential term on Saturday, Turkey’s Anadolu state news agency reported.

[see video]

On June 2, the Armenian Government said that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will be among dignitaries attending the Turkish presidential inauguration ceremony.

Erdogan won 52.2% support in a May 28 runoff vote.

“I, as president, swear upon my honor and integrity before the great Turkish nation and history to safeguard the existence and independence of the state,” Reuters quoted Erdogan as saying during a ceremony at the parliament in Ankara.