20:54, 5 November, 2020
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 5, ARMENPRESS. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas held a telephone conversation, during which they changed views on Nagorno Karabakh conflict, ARMENPRESS reports the Foreign Ministry of Russia informed.
It’s mentioned that the sides emphasized the necessity of implementation of the agreements reached between the Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani FMs on October 10.
21:08,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 29, ARMENPRESS. Air raid siren is activated in Stepanakert. The correspondent of ARMENPRESS reports from Stepanakert that numerous explosions are heard.
21:31 – Air raid siren in Stepanakert is deactivated.
23:44,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 29, ARMENPRESS. Following the address of the President of Artsakh to the nation, many people are hurrying to Artsakh with small and large detachments, Vahram Poghosyan, spokesperson of the President of Artsakh, wrote on his Facebook page.
”The address of the President of Artsakh to the nation from Shushi city has had a great resonance. We receive numerous calls from our compatriots of different regions of Armenia and Yerevan.
The threat facing the Armenian citadel-city has not only sincerely worried them, but many of them are already hurrying to Artsakh with small and large detachments to save Shushi from the clutches of the enemy. It’s only the personal contribution of each of us that can save Shushi and make the desired breakthrough in the military operations.
We are waiting for you”, Poghosyan wrote.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to reach a diplomatic solution to the conflict between the two nations, as both sides continued to battle despite a US-brokered cease-fire.
The truce, which took effect Monday, collapsed as forces clashed along the front line in Nagorno-Karabakh and each country accused the other of violations.
Two other cease-fires agreed upon this month also quickly broke down.
Pompeo, traveling in India, spoke to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian separately Tuesday and pressed them to “abide by their commitments to cease hostilities and pursue a diplomatic solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” the State Department said, adding that “there is no military solution to this conflict.”
The United Nations also condemned the escalating territorial dispute.
“We continue to express our concern and frankly our frustration at the reports of continued fighting,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. “Three times the parties agreed to a humanitarian cease-fire. It is critical that they actually live up to what they committed themselves to do. What we need immediately is a cease-fire to ensure that humanitarian aid gets through.”
The fighting threatens to ensnare Turkey, an ally of Azerbaijan, and Russia, which supports Armenia.
Complicating matters even further is that the conflict is taking place near pipelines that carry oil and gas from Azerbaijan to international markets.
The Armenian-controlled Nagorno-Karabakh defense ministry said it counted 1,009 deaths among its forces since the fighting broke out on Sept. 27.
Azerbaijan has not announced its casualties, but Russia estimated the death toll at as many as 5,000.
Nagorno-Karabakh, bordering northern Iran, is recognized as part of Azerbaijan but is under the control of ethnic Armenians.
With Post wires
https://nypost.com/2020/10/28/pompeo-urges-diplomatic-solution-to-fighting-in-armenia-azerbaijan/amp/?fbclid=IwAR0lr7fiv7nR1M_8LnSRODBWpWtEpv1Zw76IGd5LZl6EXQE-HUl5QtfTvvE
02:15,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 26, ARMENPRESS. President of the USA Donald Trump congratulated Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and president of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of reaching a ceasefire, noting that the leaders of both countries agreed to adhere to the agreement, ARMENPRES reports Trump wrote in his Twitter micro blog.
‘’Congratulations to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who just agreed to adhere to a cease fire effective at midnight (08:00 local time, edit.). Many lives will be saved. Proud of my team – Secretary of State Pompeo, Deputy Secretary Steve Biegun and the White House National Security Council for getting the deal done!’’, Trump wrote.
Brokered by the USA, Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to a ceasefire effective from October 26, 08:00. This is the 3rd ceasefire agreement between the countries. Azerbaijan violated the October 10 and October17 agreements mediated by Russia and France respectively.
11:54,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 23, ARMENPRESS. Hate speech and threats to Armenians in Turkey have intensified amid the ongoing Turkey-backed Azerbaijani aggression on Armenia and Artsakh.
Ethnic Armenian MP of the Turkish parliament Garo Paylan, in an interview to Duvar, stated that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has created an “ordinary hate atmosphere” in the country.
The news agency noticed that Garo Paylan is also under target in Turkey for supporting the ceasefire, calling for peace.
Paylan said various identities, citizens of various faiths and beliefs live in Turkey. “However, the current administration, unfortunately, continues running its policy having nationalist, racist and religious direction”, Paylan said.
At the time when the Turkish government stands by Azerbaijan in the war around Nagorno Karabakh, Armenians in Turkey have appeared under the target of hate speech and threats. “In such situation when Turkey is standing by Azerbaijan and when hate speech is applied on Armenians, we feel the pigeon’s anxiety as once said our beloved Hrant Dink. Unfortunately, we feel the deepest anxiety of the pigeon these days”, Garo Paylan said.
He said peaceful civilians suffer during the war, adding that he sees the solution of the issue on the peace table.
On September 27 Azerbaijan, with the support of Turkey, launched a massive attack against the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh), by using all its ammunition, targeting also the civilian infrastructures both in Artsakh and Armenia. There are confirmed reports that there are mercenaries in the Azerbaijani army brought from Syria by Turkey for fighting against the Armenian side.
On October 10 an agreement has been reached in Moscow between the Russian, Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers on cessation of hostilities in the NK conflict zone for humanitarian purposes. However, minutes after the agreement entered into force Azerbaijan again launched attacks against Artsakh and till now continues violating the humanitarian truce.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
16:25,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 23, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Zohrab Mnatsakanyan had a meeting on October 22 with Philip Reeker, the US Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs.
Mnatsakanyan mentioned that his visit is taking place during a difficult time for Armenia and the region. He said that Azerbaijan has unleashed a large-scale war against Artsakh, which is accompanied with deliberate targeting of the Artsakh peaceful population and civil infrastructure – constituting war crimes with their volume and essence – aimed at the extermination of the indigenous people of Artsakh.
Mnatsakanyan noted the fact that Turkey is directly involved in the Azeri aggression, manifested with both direct military participation and the transfer of foreign militant terrorists from the Middle East to Azerbaijan, and that it is a serious threat for regional security and peace.
Both sides emphasized the necessity for immediately bringing to life the agreements on cessation of hostilities. In this context the Armenian FM highlighted the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairing countries’ unity in this issue.
Mnatsakanyan reiterated Armenia’s commitment to the October 10 and 17 agreements and the establishment of a stable ceasefire observed with verification mechanisms.
Mnatsakanyan is scheduled to meet Secretary of State Mike Pompeo later in the day.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
16:20,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 23, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani presidency has officially confirmed the death of Shukyur Hamidov, a Colonel of the Azerbaijani military who was killed in action in the attacks on Artsakh. His death was reported by the Azeri media on October 22, which said that the colonel, who held the title of National Hero of Azerbaijan, was killed in the Kashatagh region. The Azeri President Ilham Aliyev called the colonel’s family to convey condolences, his office said in a news release.
Hamidov was bestowed with the National Hero title for his participation in the attacks on Artsakh in April 2016, when he served as the commander of the 706th brigade of the 2nd Army Corps of the Azeri Armed Forces.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
23:35,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 21, ARMENPRESS. Commenting on the announcement of the vice president of Turkey Fuat Oktay, saying that they are ready to send their troops to Azerbaijan if Baku applies, Director of Institute of Oriental Studies of Armenian National Academy of Sciences Ruben Safrastyan says it’s a method of encouraging Azerbaijan to continue fighting, Safrastyan told ARMENPRESS.
‘’In fact, Azerbaijan is using its last reserves, the army of which is receiving serious blows, particularly during the last days. Virtually, by that Turkey tries to encourage Azerbaijan to continue fighting. I am confident that if there was not the Turkish factor, Azerbaijan would embrace ceasefire long ago and would start negotiations. I had predicted long ago that Turkey is ready to send troops to Azerbaijan, because if Turkey does not want to see Azerbaijan totally crushed, it has to send its troops. Turkey has involvement right now, but sending troops is the last thing Turkey can do to be involved in the war’’, Safrastyan said.
According to him, one can ask what will be the reaction of Russia and Turkey’s NATO allies to such a development.
‘’Russia can take tougher measures, using all its opportunities. I think this possible development will deserve the very negative attitude of its NATO allies. If Turkey sees that Azerbaijan is losing, no other option will remain for Turkey. Will they allow Azerbaijan to lose? I think we should take this announcement serious’’, the turkologist said.
According to Ruben Safrastyan, Turkey can stand back from the idea of sending troops to Azerbaijan only in case of very powerful pressures from Russia, the USA and its NATO allies.
Azerbaijan unleashed full-fledged war against Artsakh on September 27. It’s directly supported by Turkey, which has sent thousands of Syrian and Libyan terrorists to the conflict zone to fight against Armenians. Turkey also has F-16 fighter jets in Azerbaijan, which Turkey and Azerbaijan denied for a long time, but later Azerbaijani president Aliyev admitted it, saying that they are on the ground and do not participate in any military operation.
The Armenian side has provided proofs that a Turkish F-16 fighter jet downed an Armenian SU-25 jet in the Armenian air space on September 29.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, a deep-rooted crisis in the South Caucasus following the collapse of the Soviet Union, continues to be a threat to international security. Although every international organization recognizes Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan and every major power in the region respects the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, the conflict has remained unresolved.
The formal peace talks under the mediation of the Minsk Group – which was set up in 1992 by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) – have been continuing for about 27 years without any tangible results. Recently, the clashes between the parties have entered an active phase.
Yerevan’s aggressive rhetoric and policies in the occupied lands such as illegal settlements and its aim to change the capital of the so-called Nagorno-Karabakh Republic to Shusha deepened Baku’s disappointment about the solution to the conflict. The frustration about a peaceful solution has changed the perception both for Azerbaijani policymakers and society, and the Armenian aggression has been responded to adequately and resulted in harsh clashes on the front line.
Undoubtedly, one of the most powerful actors in the region is Russia, and its stance is intriguing. Looking at the statements by Russian officials and their moves, it is clear that Moscow tries to preserve its neutrality on the recent clashes. There are various reasons for it.
On the one hand, Russia has always tried to keep the status quo in the region in line with its national interests. The status quo favors neither a permanent peace nor a large-scale war. By doing so, Russia continues to be an influential actor not only in Armenia, but it also has control mechanisms in Azerbaijan.
However, it is apparent that Russia chooses not to explicitly interfere in the recent clashes and does not make any effort to cease the ongoing clashes between Armenian separatists and Azerbaijani Armed Forces. However, Russia’s motivation for maintaining a neutral stance is not limited to one factor; there are a number of reasons behind it.
Yerevan’s populism
Firstly, the new anti-Russian government that has come to power in Armenia after the revolution is perceived as a threat to Russian national interests in the country. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s populist stance and his statements in the occupied regions irritated not only Azerbaijani people and government but the Kremlin as well. Pashinian’s steps to violate the status quo, challenging Azerbaijan and denouncing Russians and Russian-backed former officials, are being observed with concern in Moscow.
Additionally, the Pashinian government pursued a policy to fire pro-Russian bureaucrats from the state bodies and replace them with Western-educated ones. The new circumstances in Armenia reduced the Russian role in the decision-making process and in society. Thus, the first reason behind Russia’s desire to refrain from direct involvement in the clashes is to teach the Armenian government a lesson.
The recent statements by Kremlin officials, especially by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, aimed to build closer ties to Azerbaijan, as it is obvious that Russia’s stance toward the 1990s war caused Azerbaijani society to choose a completely different path.
Russia intends to maintain neutral rhetoric in order to remain on good terms with the Azerbaijani diaspora in Russia and to ensure a positive image of the country in Baku.
Furthermore, Ankara’s direct support to Baku is also another reason behind Russia’s careful stance, as it does not want to harm the highly strategic Turkey-Russia economic bilateral relations. In addition to this, as it is understood from Lavrov’s statements, Kremlin does not have any objection to the liberation of Azerbaijani five regions under the Armenian occupation.
However, they are eager to place Russian peacemakers around the Nagorno-Karabakh region which would enable them to have direct control on both sides, but this idea has been rejected by Baku.
As Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev repeatedly stated, Baku wants Turkey to be at the negotiation table as a balancing power. It is totally relevant, considering Turkey’s geopolitical position as it has borders with the South Caucasus and conflicting sides. It seems that Turkey’s presence on the field played a significant role in Moscow’s neutral stance.
The Kremlin has long been seeking multilateral world order by promoting regional powers and creating barriers to entry for powers outside of the region. In this context, the Moscow-Ankara-Tehran presence is preferred by the Kremlin, instead of Western powers. The Eurasian worldview and escape from trans-Atlantic powers are reflected in the Russian strategic documents and forms the basis of Russia’s strategic thinking.
Negotiation process
Although Russia, as a co-chairman of Minsk Group responsible for mediating a solution to the conflict, called the sides to implement a cease-fire and invited them to formally return to the negotiation table, the move has not been powerful enough to prompt the sides to engage in further talks. Even some provocative claims by Armenian sources about Syrian fighters against Armenians do not cause Russians to become more involved in the conflict.
It seems that the Kremlin is reluctant to take part in the recent clashes, at least for now. As the clashes are in internationally recognized Azerbaijani lands, and Baku has the right to liberate its lands by any means within the legal framework, Russia does not have a responsibility to protect the separatist forces as a Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member and an ally of Armenia. This position has been expressed by Russian officials, clearly.
In conclusion, being one of the most influential actors in the South Caucasus region and a historical ally of Armenia, Russia is not willing to be perceived as a part of the conflict. The Kremlin might get involved in the conflict if there is a serious threat to the security of the Armenian Republic but not when it comes to Karabakh.
*Faculty member at International Relations Department of Nakhchivan State University