Author: Emil Karabekian

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has called Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's latest remarks about border delimitation/demarcation and transit links "totally unacceptable" and a "blow" to the peace process. 

"I promise a financial reward to anyone who finds the term 'Zangezur corridor' in the November 9 agreement," Pashinyan told a group of MPs on January 13. 

It was an ironic reference to the Azerbaijani side's contention, reiterated recently by Aliyev, that the provision on opening transit links in the Russian-brokered peace accord that ended the 2020 Second Karabakh War stipulates a seamless corridor through Armenia connecting mainland Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan exclave, without Armenian border or customs checks. 

That idea is referred to in Azerbaijan as the "Zangezur corridor" and Baku has pushed for it with varying degrees of intensity since the 2020 ceasefire. Early last year it seemed to back down on the demand in the context of the peace talks. 

In early October, shortly after Azerbaijan's lightning offensive to seize the whole of Nagorno-Karabakh, the corridor project seemed to be off the table after ground was broken on an alternate route through Iran.  (Tehran, like Armenia, is vociferously opposed to the Zangezur corridor idea.)

The issue, which has long inspired Armenian fears of an Azerbaijani invasion, is now back on the agenda, as Aliyev said in a January 10 interview that if the corridor was not opened, "Armenia will remain in an eternal deadlock. … If the route I mentioned is not opened, we will not open our border with Armenia anywhere else. So they will do themselves more harm than good."

In October last year, the Armenian prime minister introduced an initiative called "Crossroads of Peace" aimed at regional cooperation. That proposal includes linkages between mainland Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan with Armenian border and customs checks. Azerbaijan has dismissed it out of hand as "PR." (According to the 9 November 2020 agreement that ended the Second Karabakh War, the route linking mainland Azerbaijan Nakhchivan is to be monitored by Russian border troops.)

Exclaves and villages

Elsewhere in his January 10 interview, Aliyev demanded the return of enclaves and border villages that have been under Armenian control since the First Karabakh War three decades ago. 

Pashinyan seemed to back the idea of an exchange of enclaves, with a "mutually agreed map" as part of the process, but said that if Azerbaijan demanded the return of eight villages, Armenia would "raise the issue of 32." 

That was a reference to several bits of former Soviet Armenian territory that have similarly been controlled by Azerbaijan since the first war, as well as to the territory inside Armenia, estimated to total about 215 square kilometers, that Azerbaijani troops have occupied following several incursions between May 2021 and September 2022. 

Armenia and several Western states have demanded the withdrawal of Azerbaijani troops from Armenian lands. But Baku has refused, citing the lack of demarcation of the borders as justification. 

And Aliyev said explicitly he had no intention of withdrawing them in his January 10 remarks. "We are not taking a step back because that border must be defined. However, our location, which is currently disputed by Armenia, does not include any settlement."

The delimitation and demarcation of state borders between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as the opening of transport links, remain the most contested issues between the two countries following Azerbaijan's takeover of Karabakh in September. The border commission working on the delimitation and demarcation issues held its latest meeting late last year and the next one, according to Aliyev, is to be held this month, with the question of the border villages in the Gazakh region of Azerbaijan being on the agenda.

Although the principles of a peace deal were said to be agreed upon in November, the sides seem to have dismissed each other's draft proposals for the peace agreement. 

Additionally, the sides disagree on who should mediate the talks. Yerevan opposes Moscow's mediation, while Baku has turned down EU or US-initiated talks in recent months. 

In December, the two countries managed to issue a joint statement and agree on a prisoner exchange, but they do not have a clear plan to continue the bilateral talks.

By Ani Avetisyan via Eurasianet.org

In a significant move, the Armenian government has confirmed an upsurge in the subsidies allocated to communities across the nation. The changes, which have been in effect from January 1, were announced by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan via his Facebook account. The government’s decision marks a pivotal push towards economic development in Armenian communities, including those with high income potential.

Interestingly, the capital city Yerevan and the popular resort town of Tsaghkadzor do not fall under the new subsidy increase. The prime minister pointed out that these two locations possess substantial potential for generating their own income. Despite the diminished subsidies, Pashinyan confirmed that these two locations would not be left unsupported. They are set to receive proportional assistance through specific programs aimed at fostering income growth.

This latest announcement from the prime minister reflects the government’s continued commitment to fostering economic development in Armenian communities. The increase in subsidies is a strategic move designed to bolster the economic strength of communities across the country. It recognizes the importance of supporting local economies and helping them to thrive, making it a significant step forward in Armenia’s economic growth trajectory.

The implications of this decision are far-reaching. By supporting communities with increased subsidies, the government is investing in the future of Armenia. It is a clear indication that the government is committed to ensuring that every community, irrespective of its income potential, is given the necessary support to grow and prosper. This move will undoubtedly have a positive impact on Armenia’s overall economic health and is a testament to the government’s dedication to its people and their prosperity.

https://bnnbreaking.com/breaking-news/economy/armenian-government-ups-the-ante-increased-subsidies-for-communities/

By Dr. Vasif Huseynov

Richard Hagopian’s family was one of thousands who escaped the Armenian Genocide in the early 1900s and forged a new path in the fertile San Joaquin Valley.

SJV Water donors and the James B. McClatchy Foundation provided funding for the Rooted in the Valley series.

— Jesse Vad, SJV Water

Watch the video at

https://gvwire.com/2024/01/03/rooted-in-the-valley-the-hagopians-escaped-the-armenian-genocide-and-thrived/

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ST PETERSBURG, 25 December (BelTA) – Given its basic economic principles he Eurasian Economic Union should not correlate with political ambitions, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in St. Petersburg on 25 December, BelTA has learned.

It is symbolic that Armenia will hold chairmanship in the EAEU in 2024 Nikol Pashinyan noted. Next year marks the 10th anniversary of the EAEU Treaty, which is based on the fundamental postulate that the EAEU is an economic association that should not have a political or even geopolitical agenda. This is how Armenia continues to perceive it and is developing economic cooperation "seeking to suppress all attempts to politicize the Eurasian integration."

"The EAEU and its economic principles should not correlate with political ambitions. Basic freedoms of trade and integration cannot and should not be restricted for political reasons. This will definitely corrode the fundamental principles of the union," Nikol Pashinyan stressed. In this regard, the Armenian prime minister welcomed the EAEU-Iran free trade agreement.

At the same time, he drew attention to the unresolved fundamental issues that have accumulated in the EAEU. According to him, there is a need to achieve fundamental decisions on the approaches, principles and mechanisms of the functioning of common energy markets in the EAEU. "In this context, we are ready to show a flexible approach to ensuring a balance of interests of the EAEU member states on the unresolved issues in order to harness the advantages and potential of the common energy markets in the EAEU," Nikol Pashinyan said. He also proposed to expand areas of cooperation in energy efficiency and renewable energy.

Another fundamentally important issue, according to the prime minister, is the use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence. This area is of particular relevance and opens up new opportunities for more rapid collection and effective analysis of economic data. Responsible use of artificial intelligence capabilities can serve as an impetus for the development of economic cooperation in the EAEU.

"If we manage to ensure transport, transit and administrative seamlessness through modern technologies, we will get a unique opportunity for the development of relations between the EAEU and interested third countries," Nikol Pashinyan said.