Author: Christine Harutyunian

Armenian-Azerbaijani border delimitation on agenda of FM Lavrov, President Aliyev talks

Christine Harutyunian



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  • Baku

Aliyev and Lavrov discussed border delimitation

During the meeting of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the parties discussed the issue of unblocking transport communications between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The issue of border delimitation between the two countries was also discussed. “There are specific proposals”, Lavrov said.

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is visiting Baku. He arrived to Azerbaijan from Iran, where he held meetings with the leadership of the Islamic Republic.

As soon as he landed in the capital of Azerbaijan on Thursday evening, Lavrov met with President Ilham Aliyev.

Speaking at a meeting with the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev noted that his country’s position “is aimed at establishing long-term peace in the region.”

Ilham Aliyev received Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Baku, . Photo: AzərTAc

“I am sure that the efforts that we are making will also be positively received by the Armenian side, and the long-term confrontation will be put to an end. Our proposal to start work on a peace treaty has so far remained unanswered, but we still hope that this proposal will be positively received”, Aliyev said.

The Azerbaijani leader touched upon the work of the trilateral working group chaired by the vice-premiers of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia, calling it positive.

“We hope that there will also be practical steps in the implementation of the November 2020 declaration in the context of opening communications and ensuring unhindered access for Azerbaijani cargo and citizens to communicate with the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic, which is a legal obligation of the Armenian side. But, unfortunately, more than a year and a half after the end of the second Karabakh war, this paragraph of the declaration has not yet been fulfilled”, he said.

“The trilateral working group on unblocking communications, in our assessment, is making some progress. We are discussing the issues to be agreed upon with the Armenian side. And it seems to me that we have a common understanding of how to solve the problem of organizing car traffic in the most comfortable way, so as not to create any artificial obstacles. Russia will contribute to this work until results are achieved. I hope this will happen soon,” the Russian Foreign Minister said.

Lavrov also raised the issue of delimiting the borders between Azerbaijan and Armenia:

“In accordance with other agreements, we are also ready to provide advisory services to the work through two commissions that were created in Azerbaijan and Armenia for the delimitation and demarcation of borders. There are specific proposals in this regard.

The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry also announced his country’s readiness to assist in the process of negotiations on a peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

“You mentioned the normalization of relations, the peace treaty, the provisions of the future treaty that you conveyed. By the way, we heard the readiness of the Armenian side, Prime Minister Pashinyan, to negotiate on this topic. Here, too, we are ready to provide assistance with the consent of Azerbaijan and Armenia”, he added.

https://jam-news.net/armenian-azerbaijani-border-delimitation-on-agenda-of-fm-lavrov-president-aliyev-talks/

Azerbaijan and Russia sign agreement on security cooperation

Christine Harutyunian
NEWS.am
Armenia –
16:51, 24.06.2022

Azerbaijan and Russia on Friday signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of security, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

“This document concerns security in cyberspace,” Lavrov said Friday in Baku at a briefing after talks with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov.

In turn, the Azerbaijani foreign minister added that the sides signed about 250 documents and agreements for 30 years of cooperation.

Bayramov and Lavrov noted that they discussed economic cooperation, the Caspian Sea issues, the development of the North-South transport corridor and cooperation between the media structures of Azerbaijan and Russia during the talks.

‘My family’s history is represented here’ – Ardem Patapoutian visits Armenian Genocide Memorial

Christine Harutyunian

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 14:55, 16 June 2022

YEREVAN, JUNE 16, ARMENPRESS. Armenian-American scientist, Nobel Prize laureate and molecular biologist Ardem Patapoutian visited today the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan, the Genocide Museum-Institute said.

The guests were greeted by Edita Gzoyan, Deputy Director for Scientific Affairs at the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, who introduced the history of the creation of the Memorial. She also presented the history of the three cross-stones stationed in the territory of the Memorial, which are dedicated to the memory of Armenians killed during ethnic cleansing conducted against the Armenian population in the territory of Azerbaijan in the end of the past century.

Ardem Patapoutian laid a wreath at the Memorial, then the guests laid flowers at the Eternal Flame, by honoring the memory of the victims with a moment of silence.

The guests got acquainted with the permanent and temporary exhibitions in the Museum, and in the end Ardem Patapoutian left a note in the Honorary Guest Book: “My history and my family’s history is all represented here. My family is the victim of the atrocities that led my grandparents to Lebanon, and then my journey to US”, he said.

Edita Gzoyan thanked Mr. Patapoutian for the visit and handed over the recently published book titled “Aleppo Salvation House: 1 464 Testimonies of Armenian Genocide Survivors” to him.

In the end of the visit, Ardem Patapoutian planted a silver fir tree in Memory Park.

AW: Border demarcation has “nothing to do” with Artsakh, Pashinyan says

Christine Harutyunian
 Lillian Avedian News 1

Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan pictured during his interview with Al Jazeera (Photo RA Prime Minister’s Office, June 14, 2022)

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that the delimitation of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border will not resolve the Artsakh conflict in a June 13 interview.

“The commission for border delimitation has nothing to do with the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) issue,” Pashinyan said during an English-language interview with Al Jazeera during an official visit to Qatar, calling the settlement of the conflict the “most important and urgent issue between Armenia and Azerbaijan for peace in our region.”

He expressed his “hope that we will be able to establish diplomatic relations and open the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which is closed for 30 years.”

In addition to border delimitation and demarcation, Pashinyan identified the normalization of bilateral relations and the opening of regional transport and communication links as the “three tracks” between Armenia and Azerbaijan that are not connected to the Artsakh conflict. 

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been engaged in ongoing negotiations toward a peace treaty for the past six months. The peace agreement will include mutual recognition of each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, according to a set of principles proposed by Azerbaijan and accepted by Armenia. Armenia has also said that securing the rights and freedoms of the Armenian population of Artsakh is fundamental to a peace treaty. 

Yet Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly stated that the Artsakh conflict has been resolved. Following the first meeting of a bilateral commission to demarcate the Armenia-Azerbaijan border on May 24, Aliyev said that the border demarcation process will recognize Azerbaijan’s sovereignty over Artsakh. 

“It automatically puts an end to the territorial claims made against Azerbaijan by revanchist, fascist forces in Armenia, because if we define the borders, what kind of ‘Nagorno-Karabakh’ status can we talk about?” Aliyev told the press on May 27. “This is the territory of Azerbaijan, and the whole world accepts it. Therefore, the first meeting of the commissions on the delimitation of the Azerbaijani-Armenian border is of great importance.” 

Pashinyan and Aliyev agreed to create a trilateral commission to demarcate and delimit the Armenia-Azerbaijan border during a November 26 summit in Sochi hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, the commission was not launched until the spring, following a trilateral meeting with European Council President Charles Michel in Brussels on May 23. 

Armenian deputy prime minister Mher Grigoryan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Shahin Mustafayev were appointed the heads of the commission and held their first meeting on May 24 at an undisclosed location along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. The commission heads agreed to hold a second meeting in Moscow and a third meeting in Brussels. 

During the interview with Al Jazeera, Pashinyan also responded to Aliyev’s repeated call for the establishment of a corridor free of passport or customs controls connecting Azerbaijan to its exclave the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic. 

“The narrative of the wording of a so-called corridor is unacceptable for us. It is a red line for us,” Pashinyan said. “We have one corridor in our region, and this is the Lachin corridor connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia.”

The trilateral group working on opening transport and communication links held its first meeting in six months on June 3. Grigoryan, Mustafayev and Russian deputy prime minister Alexei Overchuk “discussed and coordinated positions on borders, customs and other types of control, as well as safe travel by residents, vehicles and cargo on automobiles and railroads.”

While commenting on the meeting one week later, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the control process governing the highway route connecting Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan will be “simplified.” 

“The railway route has been agreed upon. Now they are close to agreement on the highway route and the control process there to be established. It will be simplified but certainly based on the recognition of the sovereignty of Armenian territory. There can be no ambiguities here,” Lavrov said during a joint press conference following a meeting with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan in Yerevan.

Aliyev has repeatedly called for the creation of a Zangezur corridor. On the morning of a December 14 trilateral meeting in Brussels hosted by Michel, Aliyev said that the Zangezur corridor should operate similarly to the Lachin corridor connecting Armenia and Artsakh. Russian peacekeepers have been deployed along the Lachin corridor since the signature of the November 9, 2020 ceasefire declaration to guarantee secure passage between Armenia and Artsakh. 

While speaking with the press on May 27, Aliyev said that while “Armenia has always tried to prevent” the opening of the Zangezur corridor, the outcome of the trilateral meeting in Brussels endorsed its launch. 

The statement released after the meeting stated that the leaders had “agreed on the principles governing transit between western Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan, and between different parts of Armenia via Azerbaijan” regarding “border administration, security, land fees but also customs in the context of international transport” without identifying what those principles are. 

On May 31, Michel’s spokesperson released a statement clarifying the position of the European Council. 

“Connectivity was specifically discussed in Brussels on May 22 to advance opportunities for unblocking the region. In this context, both parties confirmed there were no extraterritorial claims with regard to future transport infrastructure. Speculation to the contrary is regrettable,” the statement reads. 

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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.


Armenian opposition leader reaffirms plans to expand protest movement

Christine Harutyunian
Panorama
Armenia –

The protest movement launched by Armenia’s opposition in early May has made significant achievements, opposition leader and deputy parliament speaker Ishkhan Saghatelyan said.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, he said before the start of the resistance movement there was a feeling that the people did not resist the authorities’ plans to make new concessions to Azerbaijan and were not interested in the issues concerning the security of Artsakh and Armenia.

“The situation changed. The Armenian people made it clear that the incumbent authorities have no mandate to lead the country to new concessions. They sent a clear message to the international community that the policy pursued by the current authorities is rejected by the people,” Saghatelyan said, adding the people have heeded their wake-up call.

He reiterated the need for a change of power in Armenia, saying the opposition has made every effort to that effect.

“However, the main problem remains unresolved. That’s why it is necessary to shift the tactics. We need to spread the movement throughout Armenia and Artsakh. The claims about the suspension of the movement or retreat are just idle talk. Two days ago, Two days ago, we unveiled plans not to take a break, but to expand the movement, which is underway,” Saghatelyan said.

He also defended the decision to dismantle the tents pitched in Yerevan’s central France Square.

“Our task is not to show our determination keeping the tents or to prove something to some circles, but to carry out the struggle effectively and achieve our ultimate goal. This has not been an easy decision, but we are responsible for the outcome of the movement,” he said.

Armenia enjoys ‘very close ties with Iran’: PM

Christine Harutyunian
TEHRAN TIMES
Iran –
– 22:1

TEHRAN – Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has hailed relations with Iran as friendly, expressing hope for further enhancement of ties with Iran in the realm of trade. 

In an interview with Al Jazeera, the Armenian prime minister touched on the relations with neighboring countries, including Iran. 

“We have four neighbors, and with two of them we have very good relations, I mean Georgia and Iran. Iran is a friendly country for us, and we consider Iran as a friendly country, which also has good relations with Azerbaijan too,” he said, according to ARMENPRESS.

He added, “It isn’t our intention not to have good relations with countries which have good relations with Azerbaijan. But now we have very close ties with Iran.”

He also expressed hope that through cooperation with Iran, Armenia will be able to enhance the bilateral trade with Qatar as well.

He said, “And we are working on developing the communications connecting Iran with Armenia, and now we are in the process of constructing a very strategic highway named North-South, connecting our Georgian border with our Iranian border.”

Pashinyan noted, “And we hope that as a result of that project, our economic relations with Iran will increase. By the way, the Eurasian Economic Union has free trade agreement with Iran which is very important for our bilateral relations as well.”

Iran enjoys strong relations with Armenia and during the last war in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, Iran sought to make peace between Yerevan and Baku. 

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Monday that the speaker of the Armenian Parliament is traveling to Tehran this week.

Earlier in June, Pashinyan spoke over the phone with Iranian President Ayatollah Seyed Ebrahim Raisi. 

In the call, Raisi described the ongoing consultations as a sign of the importance and depth of friendly relations between the two countries and said, “Iran considers Armenia a friendly country and attaches great importance to neighborly relations with Armenia.”

He described one of Iran’s main policies as supporting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all countries. “Preserving the geopolitics of the region, including international borders and respecting the national sovereignty of countries is emphasized by the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the president asserted.

Expressing Iran’s support for the development of bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the fields of energy and transportation, Raisi noted, “This cooperation will strengthen peace, stability and economic and trade prosperity in the region,” according to the official website of the Iranian presidency.

Raisi further stated that Iran supports the progress in the peace talks between Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, and said, “We hope that the remaining issues in this field are resolved peacefully and with respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the two countries, in accordance with the principles of international law and also paying attention to the rights and security of all the people of the Caucasus region.”

The president emphasized, “The Islamic Republic of Iran is deeply committed to the fact that the issues of the region must be resolved with the consensus and cooperation of all countries in the region and on the basis of common interests and mutual respect.”

Raisi pointed out, “The Zionist Regime is by no means a friend of the nations of the region and the oppression that this regime has inflicted on the Palestinian people is unprecedented in history. The activities of the Zionist regime must be faced with sensitivity and caution in order to prevent its influence in the region.”

In the telephone conversation, the Armenian prime minister reported on the implemented agreements and appreciated the principled positions of Iran in the developments in the region and insisted on maintaining the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all countries. He also described Iran’s role in the region as important and effective.

Expressing his country’s interest in developing economic, trade, political and cultural interactions and cooperation with Iran, the Prime Minister of Armenia said, “The continuous holding of a joint commission on economic cooperation between the two countries will definitely facilitate and accelerate the expanding process of relations between the two countries.”

Explaining the process of negotiations and consultations between Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, Pashinyan welcomed the holding of the 3+3 countries summit in Tehran as soon as possible.

Armenpress: Ambassador Mkrtchyan presents credentials to the President of Albania

Christine Harutyunian

Ambassador Mkrtchyan presents credentials to the President of Albania

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 21:01, 7 June 2022

YEREVAN, JUNE 7, ARMENPRESS. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Albania Tigran Mkrtchyan (residence in Athens) presented his credentials to the President of the Republic of Albania Ilir Meta on June 7.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Facebook page of the Armenian Embassy in Greece, during the meeting following the official ceremony the President of Albania congratulated and wished success to the Armenian Ambassador, expressing confidence that he will contribute to the development of bilateral relations.

Ambassador Tigran Mkrtchyan noted that the two countries have a great potential for cooperation in areas of mutual interest, expressing hope that in the near future the agenda of Armenian-Albanian cooperation will be further expanded, the foundations of a bilateral legal field will be laid.  At the same time, the Ambassador noted that the focus of his activities will be not only the deepening of political and economic relations, but also the application of the existing potential in the cultural, scientific and educational spheres. In this context, the Ambassador stressed that the activities of the Tumo Tirana Creative Technology Center in the Albanian capital have a unique role in the cooperation between the two countries in the field of science and technology, as well as in strengthening the ties between the youth and future generations of the two countries.

The interlocutors noted with satisfaction the mutual support in the multilateral dimension.

President Ilir Meta wished success to Ambassador Mkrtchyan in carrying out his diplomatic mission in Albania and expressed his support for that mission. The President of Albania also emphasized the role of the Armenian community in Albania in strengthening the friendly ties between the two countries.

Sports: Ukraine vs Armenia prediction, preview, team news and more | 2022-23 UEFA Nations League

Christine Harutyunian
June 9 2022
Soyoye Jedidiah

ANALYST

The 2022 UEFA Nations League will continue this weekend, and will see Ukraine face Armenia at the ŁKS Municipal Stadium on Saturday.

Ukraine shook off their World Cup qualifying disappointments on Wednesday to open their Nations League campaign with a win. They beat Ireland 1-0 at the Aviva Stadium with Viktor Tsygankov scoring the sole goal of the game via a free-kick a minute after his introduction.

The Blue and Yellows have picked up maximum points in the group and will now be looking to make it two wins from two when they play this weekend.

Like their hosts, Armenia also beat Ireland 1-0 in their opening game before losing 2-0 to Scotland last time out. The Lerrnakanner struggled to cope with their dominant opponents and were fortunate not to have lost by a larger margin.

Armenia now sit third in the group with three points from an obtainable six. They will be looking to shake off their latest result and get their continental campaign back on track.

There have been eight meetings between the two nations. Ukraine are undefeated in all eight matchups, winning five of those games and drawing the other two.

The two sides last faced off in a 2004 European Championship qualifying clash, which the Blue and Yellows won 4-3.

Ukraine Form Guide (All Competitions): W-L-W-D-W

Armenia Form Guide (All Competitions): L-W-L-W-L

Ukraine

Head coach Oleksandr Petrakov rested several players last time out after their World Cup qualifiers, including Manchester City’s Oleksandr Zinchenko and Atalanta’s Ruslan Malinovsyki. Both men, however, are expected to return to the starting XI this weekend.

Injured: None

Doubtful: None

Suspended: None

Armenia

Arman Hovhannisyan has recovered from an injury he picked up in the first game, meaning the Mountaineers have no injured or suspended players ahead of their weekend clash.

Injured: None

Doubtful: None

Ukraine Predicted XI (4-3-3): Andriy Lunin; Vitaliy Mykolenko, Illia Zabarnyi, Mykola Matvienko, Oleksandr Karavaev; Taras Stepanenko, Ruslan Malinovskyi, Oleksandr Zinchenko; Viktor Tsygankov, Andriy Yarmolenko, Roman Yaremchuk

Armenia Predicted XI (5-3-2): David Yurchenko; Hovhannes Hambardzumyan, Taron Voskanyan, Varazdat Haroyan, Kamo Hovhannisyan, Arman Hovhannisyan; Khoren Bayramyan, Artak Grigoryan, Eduard Spertsyan; Tigran Barseghyan, Sargis Adamyan

Ukraine have bounced back from their loss against Wales earlier this week and will be looking to keep the momentum going. They have lost just one of their last 15 games across all competitions and are in strong form ahead of Saturday’s game.

Armenia have lost two of their last four games and have now gone winless in 11 of their last 13 outings across all competitions. The Blue and Yellows are in much better form and should win this one.

Prediction: Ukraine 2-0 Armenia

https://www.sportskeeda.com/football/ukraine-vs-armenia-prediction-preview-team-news-2022-23-uefa-nations-league

Armenian minister describes 8.5% inflation as ‘fantastically good’

Christine Harutyunian
Armenia – June 1 2022
Armenian minister describes 8.5% inflation as ‘fantastically good’
01.06.2022 18:58

YEREVAN, June 1. /ARKA/. Armenia’s Economy Minister Vahan Kerobyan on Wednesday described the 12-month inflation of 8.5% in late April 2022 as a ‘fantastically good result’ against the backdrop of skyrocketing prices across the globe.

However, speaking to reporters, the minister agreed that the inflation in Armenia is visible to the naked eye.

According to the National Statistical Committee (NSC), the 12-month consumer inflation in April 2022 amounted to 8.4%. Kerobyan said earlier that the country’s economy would grow this year by 7 percent.

“The naked eye should see record high inflation not only in Armenia, but around the world. In the U.S., inflation has exceeded 8%, the highest over the last 50-60 years. The situation is similar in Europe. That is to say, this is not a purely Armenian phenomenon, but a global one. It is a fantastically good result to have 8.5% inflation in Armenia in such an environment,” said Kerobyan.

However, he said, this does not mean that the authorities in Armenia are happy with this result.

“The government’s work is aimed at ensuring that the additional economic result is distributed to people so that it is felt by everyone. It can’t be done in one step, and the government is very restrained and cautious in increasing its current spending,” he said.

The minister added that  the amount of current expenses in the budget increases sharply, for example, in a year they may grow by 300 billion drams ‘and all these sums are usually directed to solving social problems, first of all”, Kerobyan said.

According to NSC, Armenia’s economic activity index (EAI) in the first 4 months of 2022 registered a 9.4% year-on-year growth.

Armenian government’s growth projection for 2022 is 7%, and the inflation is set at 4% (± 1.5%). Earlier, the Central Bank revised its growth forecast for 2022 1.6% from an earlier projection of 5.3%. -0- 

Iranian envoy says new gas swap agreement likely with Armenia soon

Christine Harutyunian

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 12:30, 27 May 2022

YEREVAN, MAY 27, ARMENPRESS. Iranian Ambassador to Armenia  Abbas Badakhshan Zohouri says a new cooperation in gas swap is likely to start between Armenia and Iran soon.

“There are technical and specialized issues that relevant experts are studying and discussing. It wouldn’t be right for us to say something until it’s not completed. Let’s wait for the technical, specialized results, but whatever the result will be is going to be beneficial for both countries,” the ambassador told reporters.

He said that one of the important topics discussed during the 17th Armenian-Iranian Inter-Governmental Session were the energy agreements, including gas swap.

Earlier in May, Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji  for swapping Turkmenistan’s natural gas to Armenia.