Author: Arsine Chaltikian

Artsakh has been under a blockade since Dec. 12, 2022

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan sidestepped the issue of self-determination for Artsakh, clearly demonstrating that his government is advocating for security for the people of Artsakh and distancing itself from a long-held principle that guided talks on Artsakh for decades.

“We have said and continue to say that the issue of the Nagorno-Karabakh people’s rights and security is extremely important to us,” Pashinyan said at a news conference on Tuesday. “That is one of our main objectives.”

“It’s up to the people and the government of Nagorno-Karabakh to decide the framework of the Nagorno-Karabakh people’s rights and security,” Pashinyan added.

“Our understanding is the following: it would be better for the people of Nagorno Karabakh to be the ones pursuing that issue, the primary mandate holder, the way it actually is. There are both objective and subjective reasons for this position. We believe that this conversation must take place between Baku and Stepanakert,” Pashinyan said.

He was presumably responding to a demand put forth by Artsakh lawmakers who called on Yerevan to firmly state that it was not abandoning Artsakh’s right to self-determination.

Earlier this month, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz elevated the need for Artsakh’s self-determination to be highlight in future talks during a joint press conference with Pashinyan in Berlin. The Armenian leader, however, chose to distance himself from such a statement even during an international visit.

At the same time, Pashinyan on Tuesday warned that Azerbaijan would militarily escalate matters on the borders of Armenia and Artsakh.

“My conclusion comes from Azerbaijan’s growing aggressive rhetoric, and of course we have other information as well,” Pashinyan said, adding that since Armenia has not undertake aggressive actions, it has decided to invite observers from the European Union.

“I think the international community must record that indeed there is a high danger of new escalation, and I believe that in this regard taking into account that the Lachin Corridor is closed and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Nagorno Karabakh, as well as Azerbaijan’s explicit preparation for ethnic cleansing, our position remains that it would be very relevant to send an international fact-finding mission to the Lachin Corridor and Nagorno Karabakh,” Pashinyan added.

He accused Azerbaijan of continuously altering the course of discussions, citing Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s supposed agreement to hold discussions with Artsakh representative and later changing the tenor of the talks to be about Baku’s proposed “integration of Artsakh into Azerbaijan.”

He accused Azerbaijan of continued breach of agreements and said that Baku is also “rigging” the draft peace treaty with Armenia with “boost traps” in order to continue “its aggressive policy against Armenia even after the possible signing of the agreement.”

Pashinyan said there are no meetings planned with Aliyev, saying there have to be guarantees that agreements emerging from such talks are implemented.

CSTO Secretary-General Imangali Tasmagambetov (center) visits Jermuk on Mar. 16

The Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization Imangali Tasmagambetov arrived in Armenia on Thursday for a two-day visit.

He visited Jermuk on Thursday to assess the impact of Azerbaijan’s aggression against Armenia in September, the city’s Mayor Vahagn Arsenyan said.

The CSTO Secretary general was briefed on the damage caused to the city’s and the region’s economy, as well as the many social and psychological problems caused by the aggression.

It was noted that at the time of the military operations, there were many tourists in the spas of Jermuk, and that not only military positions, but also civil infrastructures were targeted by the Azerbaijani aggression.

In a Facebook post, Arsenyan expressed gratitude to the CSTO leader “for keeping the military operations against the peaceful city and their consequences in the spotlight, as well as for his compassionate attitude.”

Tasmagambetov also met with Armenia’s Defense Minister Suren Papikyan. A discussion about a number of international and regional security issues, including the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the military-political situation around Armenia was held, according to Armenia’s defense ministry.

Speaking about the border situation, Papikyan presented the long-standing problems regarding the implementation of CSTO collective defense mechanisms and the Defense Ministry’s expectations.

Relations between Armenia and the Russia-led security bloc have been tense, since Yerevan believes that it was snubbed by the organization when it was asked for assistance during Azerbaijan’s invasion of Armenia in September.

Compounding the tensions was the refusal by CSTO member-states to properly condemn Azerbaijan and hold it accountable for violating Armenia’s sovereignty.

During a press briefing on Thursday, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in response to a reporter’s question that on September 13 and October 28, 2022, extraordinary sessions of the CSTO Collective Security Council were held, following which the Secretary General of the organization at the time, Stanislav Zas, and a mission led by Chief of the CSTO Joint Staff Colonel-General Anatoly Sidorov visited Armenia.

Zakharova said that a plan to deploy a CSTO observation mission in Armenia was prepared, and 
“the development of the relevant decision was practically completed at the meeting of the organization’s statutory bodies held in Yerevan.”

“At the same time, due to certain demands by our Armenian partners, which were problematic for other CSTO members, it was not possible to take this decision,” said Zakharova.