Bedik Zaminian – Page 21 – Armenian Directory & News

Russian Foreign Ministry comments on MP Delyagin`s statements about Azerbaijan

March 30, 2022March 12, 2026 Bedik Zaminian

ARMINFO

Armenia,

Marianna Mkrtchyan

ArmInfo.The statements of the Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy Mikhail Delyagin about Azerbaijan and Karabakh do not correspond to the position of Moscow, they are unacceptable, said official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova.

“We consider any such statement unacceptable,” Zakharova said at a briefing, commenting on Delyagin’s statements, RIA Novosti reports. According to her, such statements “do not reflect the official position” of Moscow. Press Secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov noted earlier that this statement “in no way corresponds and cannot correspond to the official line of the Russian Federation.” It should be noted that yesterday, Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on Economic Policy Mikhail Delyagin, on the air of the 60 Minutes program on the Russia 24 channel, called for harsh and unequivocal punishment of Azerbaijan, or, as he called it, the “Turkish proxy”, for its actions in Nagorno- Karabakh and insubordination to Russian peacekeepers.

“It is necessary to restore normal statehood throughout Ukraine and preferably as part of the Russian Federation. Without this, denazification will be impossible. And as for the threats that exist now, the Polish army has quite obviously moved closer to the borders of Belarus. It is very likely that not as part of NATO, but in as part of Poland, they will try to attack our ally,” Delyagin says.

According to him, there is also a threat of attack from Baku, because the Azerbaijanis violated the truce in Artsakh. “Our [Russian Defense Ministry] said that they retreated after we warned them. But Baku officially stated that they did not leave the occupied territories anywhere. Therefore, this policy of aggression on the part of American satellites, in this case Turkey, or rather, Turkish proxies, as we call them, poses a real danger. This should be punished harshly and unambiguously. Why do we need the oil of the Azerbaijani industry? We do not need it, it is extremely vulnerable. If people do not understand words, they will probably have to understand deeds. If we don’t do this, we’ll cease to exist. The only question is this,” the MP said.

This statement of the Russian MP caused hysteria in Baku.

Ukraine war spurs Turkey-Armenia normalization

March 28, 2022March 12, 2026 Bedik Zaminian

eurasianet

March 24 2022

Armenia Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu meeting this month in Turkey. (photo: Turkish Foreign Ministry)

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has given fresh momentum to efforts by Turkey and Armenia to establish diplomatic relations, as the war is forcing countries in the region to recalibrate their foreign policy priorities.

Armenia Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan met his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu on the sidelines of an international conference in southern Turkey on March 12, the highest-level meeting between the two countries in a dozen years.

That was two months after the neighbors appointed special envoys to discuss normalizing a relationship embittered by Armenia’s conflict with Turkish ally Azerbaijan and the century-old genocide of Armenians in Turkey during the Ottoman era.

“We will continue to work for the normalization of our bilateral relations without preconditions,” Mirzoyan told reporters at the forum in Antalya. Cavusoglu said: “We are working for stability and peace in the South Caucasus, and we see support for our efforts from all sides. Azerbaijan is especially pleased with the steps we are taking.”

It was the first meeting between Turkey and Armenia’s top diplomats since the collapse of a 2009 U.S.-brokered peace process. It represents a remarkable shift from 2020, when Turkey strongly supported Azerbaijan in the war against Armenia, supplying arms and mercenary soldiers. The war ended in an Azerbaijani victory, in which it regained much of the territory in and around Nagorno-Karabakh that it had lost in the first war between the two sides in the 1990s.

In contrast to 2009, when it opposed normalization, Azerbaijan this time supports the rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia. Separately, Cavusoglu said Mirzoyan told him Armenia “wants to begin peace agreement negotiations with Azerbaijan.” He added: “Even just beginning talks will be an important step.”

Since the 2020 ceasefire, sporadic violence still afflicts Nagorno-Karabakh, predominantly home to ethnic Armenians but internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, as well as the border between Armenia and Azerbaijani. But both Baku and Yerevan have indicated progress in recent weeks on preparations for negotiations on demarcating their border.

Russia’s incursion into Ukraine in late February has given new urgency to peace efforts between Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan, analysts have said.

The Ukraine conflict has made “Russia more likely to flex its muscle in the post-Soviet space and gives Moscow less incentive to greenlight these processes” between Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan, Asli Aydintasbas, a fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said at a March 14 briefing.

“Though never declared, they are pushing back against Russian influence in the area, with the understanding that normalizing relations and economic ties will make each other stronger in the Caucasus,” she said.

Already, 2,000 Russian peacekeepers are in Nagorno-Karabakh, a further expansion of Russia’s military footprint in the South Caucasus. Russia has long kept a military base in Armenia, which has largely stood by its closest ally during the Ukraine conflict, even as other former Soviet republics like Moldova and Georgia have been rattled by the specter of a revanchist Russia.

Moscow’s lack of robust support for Yerevan during the war over Nagorno-Karabakh has revealed the risks of overdependence, and the Ukraine conflict has led some to worry that “the existential threat to Armenia is now from Russia,” said Richard Giragosian, director of the Regional Studies Center, a think tank in Yerevan. “In the event that Russia turns against normalization, [Armenia] wants to move even faster.”

Likewise, Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev worries about Russia playing the role of spoiler in the region, said exiled Azerbaijani rights activist Emin Milli, chairman of the Restart Initiative. “The situation in Ukraine has opened up a fear of Russia in Azerbaijan, giving it extra incentive to support [talks] between Armenia and Turkey.”

For its part, NATO member Turkey has walked a diplomatic tightwire between Ukraine and Russia, selling combat drones to Kyiv but refusing to sanction Moscow. It argues that its good ties with both countries puts it in an ideal position to facilitate a political resolution of the conflict.

“Russia has diminishing returns in letting this process go forward [especially] if Turkey were to pivot more to the West and NATO,” Aydintasbas said.

Despite the key role it played in the 2020 war, Turkey found itself sidelined by Russia in the South Caucasus after the end of the fighting. Improving ties with Armenia represents “a chance to regain a seat at the table in regional trade and transport,” Giragosian said.

Cavusoglu’s meeting with Mirzoyan is part of a broader diplomatic offensive by Turkey as it seeks to repair relationships across its neighborhood, including with European Union countries, Israel, Egypt, the UAE and Greece. An aggressive foreign policy in recent years had left Ankara isolated and sanctioned by the EU and the U.S. Congress, but a severe economic slowdown has spurred President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to reach out to former foes.

For now, the talks between Turkey and Armenia are focused on accrediting ambassadors for each other’s countries, rather than re-opening embassies, and opening just two crossing points at the border for trucks and passengers, Giragosian said. More painful matters, especially reconciliation over the genocide of up to 1.5 million Armenians during World War I, remain a distant prospect. Turkey denies the massacres amounted to a genocide.

“If your ultimate goal is to open the border, you can do that. There must be an understanding from Ankara and Yerevan that this is a window of opportunity and they must move faster than they may be prepared,” Aydintasbas said.

Ayla Jean Yackley is a journalist based in Istanbul.

Russia says Azerbaijan enters peacekeepers’ zone in Nagorno-Karabakh, Baku denies it

March 27, 2022March 12, 2026 Bedik Zaminian

Sat, , 7:46 PM·1 min read

BAKU (Reuters) -Russia’s defence ministry said on Saturday Azeri armed forces had entered a zone policed by Russian peacekeepers in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, in a violation of an agreement, but Azerbaijan challenged these claims.

Russia said it had called on Azerbaijan to pull out its troops, and was “applying efforts” to move forces to their initial positions. It also said Azerbaijan had carried out four drone strikes in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Azerbaijan’s defence ministry refuted Moscow’s version of events and described Russia’s statement as “one-sided”.

It said that “illegal” Armenian armed units attempted an act of sabotage, but had to retreat when “immediate measures” were applied. It reiterated Azerbaijan’s commitment to the “three-way statement” – a deal it signed with Armenia and Russia in November 2020 to end the military conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region after more than a month of bloodshed.

Azerbaijan emerged as the victor in that conflict, having recaptured territory it had lost in an earlier war between 1991 and 1994.

But many questions remain unresolved, including the legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh and the Armenians who live there.

Moscow deployed almost 2,000 peacekeepers to the region after the ceasefire, reaffirming its role as policeman and chief power broker in a volatile part of the former Soviet Union where Turkey also wields increasing influence thanks to its close alliance with Azerbaijan.

(Reporting by Reuters reporters, Nailia Bagirova, Editing by Christina Fincher)

https://news.yahoo.com/russia-says-azerbaijan-enters-russian-174619224.html

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https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/law-order/1978614-russia-says-azerbaijan-enters-peacekeepers-zone-in-nagorno-karabakh-baku-denies-it

Pashinyan discusses tense situation in Artsakh with Putin

March 27, 2022March 12, 2026 Bedik Zaminian

Panorama

Armenia –

Nikol Pashinyan on Friday held a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Armenian prime minister’s office reported.

The situation created after the invasion of Azerbaijani forces into the responsibility zone of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) was discussed, which Pashinyan assessed as tense.

He raised the need to investigate the actions of Russian peacekeepers in the given situation and stressed the need for returning the Azerbaijani armed forces to their initial positions with the efforts of the Russian peacekeepers.

The leaders of the two countries agreed to make efforts to resolve the crisis situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 03/26/2022

March 27, 2022March 12, 2026 Bedik Zaminian

                                        Saturday, 
Russia Tells Azerbaijan To Withdraw Troops From Karabakh Village
NAGORNO-KARABAKH -- A Russian peacekeeper patrols near a dog at a checkpoint 
outside Askeran, November 19, 2020
Russia has accused Azerbaijan of violating a Russian-brokered ceasefire that 
stopped the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh and called for the withdrawal of 
Azerbaijani forces from an area in eastern Karabakh occupied by them this week.
The Azerbaijani army on Thursday reportedly captured Parukh, a village in 
Karabakh’s Askeran district, before advancing towards strategic hills to the 
west of it controlled by Karabakh Armenian forces. Fighting in that area 
continued for the second consecutive day on Saturday despite the presence of 
Russian peacekeeping troops.
In a statement released on Saturday, the Russian Defense Ministry said that 
Azerbaijani army units “entered the zone of responsibility of the Russian 
peacekeeping contingent” in breach of the 2020 truce accord. It also confirmed 
that they used Turkish-made combat drones to strike Karabakh Armenian positions 
near Parukh.
“At present, the command of the Russian peacekeeping contingent is taking 
measures to resolve the situation and return the troops to their original 
position,” added the statement. “A call for the withdrawal of the troops was 
sent to the Azerbaijani side.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry said, meanwhile, that it is “extremely concerned” 
about the rising tensions in Karabakh. It urged the warring sides to “show 
restraint” and avoid ceasefire violations.
Earlier on Saturday, the Armenian Foreign Ministry urged Moscow to “issue a 
clear demand” for the Azerbaijani withdrawal. It said Yerevan also expects the 
Russian peacekeepers to take other “concrete, visible steps to resolve the 
situation.”
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Russian President Vladimir Putin 
discussed the situation in Karabakh in phone calls on Thursday and Friday.
The U.S. State Department on Friday expressed serious concern over the 
Azerbaijani troop movements, calling them “irresponsible and unnecessarily 
provocative.” Baku rejected the criticism.
Both conflicting sides reported fresh fighting near Parukh on Saturday. 
Karabakh’s Defense Army said its troops thwarted Azerbaijani attempts to gain 
more ground outside the village.
Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry claimed, for its part, that Armenian forces tried 
to launch a sabotage attack on one of its frontline positions but were pushed 
back. The Karabakh army denied that.
Fighting Continues In Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh - A view of the village of Khnapat in the Askeran district, 
March 11, 2022.
Fighting continued in Nagorno-Karabakh on Saturday, with military authorities in 
Stepanakert accusing Azerbaijani forces of trying to push deeper into Karabakh’s 
eastern Askeran district.
The Karabakh Armenian army said that its troops are “taking appropriate measures 
to stop the enemy’s advance.” It said it is also working with the Russian 
peacekeeping contingent stationed in the Armenian-populated territory to try to 
stop the hostilities.
The Karabakh state minister, Artak Beglarian, spoke later in the afternoon of an 
“unsuccessful” Azerbaijani attack on one of the Karabakh Armenian positions in 
the area.
Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry claimed, meanwhile, that Armenian forces tried to 
launch a sabotage attack on one of its frontline positions but were pushed back. 
Karabakh’s Defense Army was quick to dismiss the claim as a “complete lie” 
designed to cover up the Azerbaijani truce violations.
Tensions along the Karabakh “line of contact” rose dramatically on Thursday 
after Azerbaijani forces reportedly captured a village in Askeran and tried to 
advance to strategic hills to the west of it. Three Karabakh Armenian soldiers 
were killed and more than a dozen others were wounded in the area on Friday.
The U.S. State Department expressed serious concern over the Azerbaijani troop 
movements, calling them “irresponsible and unnecessarily provocative.” The 
French Foreign Ministry similarly urged Baku to withdraw its troops to the 
positions occupied by them before Thursday.
NAGORNO-KARABAKH -- An Armenian police officer patrols as the truck of Russian 
peacekeeping forces moves past him at their checkpoint outside Askeran, November 
20, 2020
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian 
discussed the situation in Karabakh in a phone call late on Friday. Kremlin 
spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the following morning that the two leaders also 
spoke by phone on Thursday. He did not comment on Russia’s possible responses to 
the escalation.
Armenian officials have said that they expect the 2,000 or so Russian 
peacekeepers to do more to ensure Baku’s compliance with the ceasefire regime 
and withdrawal from the village of Parukh.
According to Beglarian, the Russian peacekeepers are maintaining their presence 
in Parukh as well as the nearby village of Khramort. They have made 
“considerable efforts” to prevent further ceasefire violations, said the 
Karabakh official.
Earlier on Saturday, Karabakh’s leadership announced that it has appealed to 
Putin to deploy more Russian soldiers in Karabakh. It said that the existing 
peacekeeping contingent is too small to carry out its mission in the current 
circumstances.
The Russian peacekeepers were deployed in Karabakh under the terms of a 
Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement that stopped the Armenian-Azerbaijani war 
in November 2020.
Pashinian, Putin Agree ‘To Make Efforts’ To Resolve Crisis In Nagorno-Karabakh
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Russian President Vladimir Putin 
during their meeting in Sochi, Russia, on November 26, 2021.
The leaders of Armenia and Russia reportedly agreed “to make efforts to resolve 
the crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh” as they had a phone call late on Friday.
The conversation between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Russian President 
Vladimir Putin was held after reports of fresh fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh 
where at least three ethnic Armenian soldiers were killed and more than a dozen 
were wounded as Azerbaijani forces took control of a village and nearby heights 
supposed to be protected by Russian peacekeepers.
The Armenian prime minister’s press office said that during the phone call the 
two leaders discussed “the situation created after the invasion by Azerbaijani 
units into the zone of responsibility of the peacekeeping contingent of the 
Russian Federation in Nagorno-Karabakh.” It said that Pashinian assessed the 
situation as tense.
“Prime Minister Pashinian raised the need to investigate the actions of Russian 
peacekeepers in the given situation and stressed that it is necessary that 
Russian peacekeepers demand that Azerbaijani armed forces withdraw to their 
initial positions,” the transcript of the phone call released by the Armenian 
side said.
“The leaders of the two countries agreed to make efforts to resolve the crisis 
situation in Nagorno-Karabakh,” it added.
About 2,000 Russian peacekeepers were deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh as part of a 
Moscow-brokered ceasefire that put an end to a six-week war between Armenians 
and Azerbaijan in November 2020.
Meanwhile, France, which along with Russia and the United States co-chairs the 
OSCE Minsk Group that spearheads international mediation efforts on the 
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, has expressed its concern over the advancement of the 
Azerbaijani army in the region and called for its withdrawal to the positions 
determined by the 2020 truce.
“France regrets the armed incidents in the area of Parukh and Khramort, and 
calls on the Azerbaijani units to return to the positions they held on the day 
of the declaration of a ceasefire on November 9, 2020,” the French Foreign 
Ministry said in a statement released late on Friday.
During a U.S. State Department briefing on March 25, principal deputy 
spokesperson Jalina Porter said that “the United States is deeply concerned 
about Azerbaijan troop movements.”
“Troop movements and other escalatory measures are irresponsible and 
unnecessarily provocative,” she said, according to the transcript of the 
briefing published by the State Department’s official website.
Porter added that the United States, as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, 
“remains deeply committed to working with the sides to achieve a long-term 
political settlement of the conflict.”
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry has denied reports about fighting in 
Nagorno-Karabakh. According to Azerbaijani media, official Baku says that 
“specifications of positions and locations are taking place on the ground 
without any use of force.”
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2022 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

MP Abrahamyan: Failure to solve mounting problems may lead to exodus of Armenians from Artsakh

March 25, 2022March 12, 2026 Bedik Zaminian

panorama

Armenia –

Artsakh is facing a humanitarian crisis and a security catastrophe amid the disruption of gas supplies by Azerbaijan, MP Tigran Abrahamyan from Armenia’s opposition With Honor faction told a briefing on Thursday.

The MP said although talks on the resumption of gas delivery are underway with the mediation of Russian peacekeepers, “unfortunately, this stage of the negotiations does not guarantee that there will not be new crisis situations in Artsakh in the future.”

“Azerbaijan has increased its instruments of pressure on Artsakh, and no solution is in sight in the long run,” the lawmaker stressed.

Referring to the Armenian government’s programs to alleviate the situation, which Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan spoke about on Wednesday, but which have not yet been implemented, Abrahamyan said that in the post-war period Armenia implemented certain programs in parallel with the interstate loan provided to Artsakh.

“At the moment I don’t know about the measures stemming from this specific situation. The government website has a section on Artsakh, assistance programs are available, but as far as I understand it is not conditioned by the current situation in Artsakh. It has more to do with the problems that arose in Artsakh in the post-war period. I will try to get some clarifications on the matter in the near future,” he said.

Abrahamyan admits the current situation is not a simple one, stating, however, there are some issues that require urgent solutions.

“In the long run, we need to understand what we are actually doing, not only in case of gas supply disruptions, but also in case of other threats, which are already visible now, it’s clear what could happen,” he said.

“The government must develop comprehensive programs also taking into account the security component, because the failure to solve the mounting problems can lead to two major consequences: either a large-scale exodus of Armenians from Artsakh or a new war,” Abrahamyan stressed.

Asbarez: Azerbaijan Has Advanced to 4—Not 3—Positions inside Armenia, Says Tatoyan

March 20, 2022March 12, 2026 Bedik Zaminian

by Asbarez Staff

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

Artsakh slams celebration of Azerbaijan’s UN membership anniversary in Shushi

March 19, 2022March 12, 2026 Bedik Zaminian

Panorama.am

Armenia –

The Artsakh Foreign Ministry on Friday denounced the Azerbaijani celebration of the 30th anniversary of its accession to the UN in the occupied town of Shushi. The full text of its statement is provided below.

“Official Baku, in line with its style, continues to wage a destructive policy aimed at legitimizing the results of its aggression against Artsakh, trying to involve and exploit the international community and various structures in that process. The organization in Artsakh’s occupied town of Shoushi of a solemn ceremony dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Azerbaijan’s membership to the United Nations and the participation of representatives of the UN and its structures in this event is another manifestation of this policy.

The Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Artsakh strongly condemns the holding of such an event in Shoushi.

The participation of the UN representatives in the event organized in the town, which has been one of the main targets of Azerbaijan’s aggression and Armenophobia, contradicts the principles of activities, ideology and mission of this influential international organization, and will be undoubtedly used by Azerbaijan to legitimize its inhumane and aggressive policy. This is also a serious blow to the reputation of the UN, which will have a negative impact on the effectiveness of the organization’s activities.”

Asian Development Bank plans to continue projects in Armenia

March 17, 2022March 12, 2026 Bedik Zaminian

16:55,

YEREVAN, MARCH 16, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures Gnel Sanosyan received the delegation led by Arif Baharudin, the Executive Director of the Board of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Sanosyan attached importance to the opportunity to discuss the deepening of ongoing and future cooperation with the ADB. He underscored that numerous and multi-layered projects are being implemented through the ADB in Armenia.

Baharudin noted that Armenia’s economy is recovering in a rather good pace after the pandemic and that the ADB is willing to continue the implementation of projects in Armenia. Particularly, the ADB is inclined to continue the seismic safety improvement project in schools. The ADB is also interested in the southern section of the North-South project, and the cooperation in the energy sector is also highlighted.

Sanosyan’s deputy Kristine Ghalechyan thanked the ADB for their attention and consistency in the projects implemented in the road sector, and presented the projects that are being developed by the ministry.

Sanosyan and Ghalechyan highlighted the construction of the Sisian-Kajaran section of the North-South project and attached importance to the ADB’s involvement in this project. The opportunities for modernizing and implementing solid waste management programs in Armenia were also discussed.

Armenpress: President of Armenian parliament receives letter of thanks from the Speaker of the US House of Representatives

March 16, 2022March 12, 2026 Bedik Zaminian

President of Armenian parliament receives letter of thanks from the Speaker of the US House of Representatives

21:12,

YEREVAN, 15 MARCH, ARMENPRESS. The President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Alen Simonyan received a letter of thanks from the Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi. As ARMENPRESS was infomred from the press service of the parliament of Armenia, the letter runs as follows,

“Dear Alen Simonyan, It is wonderful that we are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Armenia and the United States. It was a special honor for me to welcome you and your delegation to the United States Capitol on January 19. Our meeting was important for discussing the efforts made in Armenia towards democracy”.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives also referred to the details of the meeting with Alen Simonyan, emphasizing that she highly appreciates their dialogue on security issues in the region and the world in general. Nancy Pelosi once again thanked for being awarded with the Order of Honor. In the concluding part of the letter, she stressed the need for the continuation of the dialogue.

The delegation led by the President of the National Assembly of Armenia Alen Simonyan paid a working visit to Washington in January 2022 at the invitation of the Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi.