Author: Emil Lazarian

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS

Foreign nationals injured as US investment comes under fire in Armenia

June 17, 2023June 17, 2023 Emil Lazarian

ByAni Avetisyan

The construction site of the Yeraskh steel plant. Photo: GTB Steel via Hetq.

Two Indian citizens employed at a steel plant under construction with US investment in Armenia have been injured after the site came under fire.

Armenia’s Defence Ministry accused Azerbaijan of inventing a ceasefire violation on Wednesday afternoon as a pretext to open fire on the plant.

The plant is located in Yeraskh, south of Yerevan and near the border with the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan.

The injuries of the two wounded men are not life-threatening.

US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller reacted on Twitter, expressing ‘concerns that two civilian employees of a US-affiliated company in Armenia sustained injuries from gunfire from the direction of Azerbaijan’.

The plant is being constructed by GTB Steel, which according to Hetq is a joint venture between Armenian citizen Grigor Ter-Ghazaryan and Indian-American investor Bobby Kang.

Armenia had also accused Azerbaijan of targetting the factory on Tuesday, reporting that a civilian car and a building had been damaged as a result.

In a statement, the Armenian Foreign Ministry accused Azerbaijan of ‘hindering Armenia’s economic development and foreign investments’.

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry and Defence Ministry, however, denied the accusations.

‘Regarding the allegation that Azerbaijan aims to prevent the attraction of investments in Armenia by creating provocations, let us note that Armenia pursued a policy of self-isolation by making territorial claims against neighbouring countries and keeping the territories of Azerbaijan under occupation for nearly 30 years, thereby all excluded from international projects’, the Foreign Ministry said.

Members of the European Union Monitoring Mission in Armenia also visited the area following the news, with the EU special representative to the South Caucasus, Toivo Klaar, posting a mild statement saying that the ‘shooting in all areas needs to stop’.

Several foreign diplomats in Armenia also visited the area on Thursday at the initiative of the Armenian Foreign Ministry.

Deputy Armenian Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan posted a photo online with EU monitors at the site.

Baku has opposed the construction of the metallurgical plant. Earlier in June, Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Environment accused Armenia of violating international norms with the factory, which would damage Azerbaijan’s environment.

The tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan and in Nagorno-Karabakh have continued to ratchet in recent weeks, with both sides accusing each other of ceasefire violations almost daily.

On Thursday morning, Azerbaijan accused Armenia of firing towards Azerbaijani border guards at the checkpoint on the Lachin corridor, injuring one.

A criminal case was opened at the General Prosecutor’s Office in connection with the incident.

The Armenian National Security Service said that Azerbaijani soldiers had attempted to advance into Armenian territory and erect an Azerbaijani flag, which was ‘prevented’ as a result of the ‘measures’ taken by the Armenian side.

Shortly after, the authorities in Stepanakert stated that Azerbaijan had halted all traffic to and from Nagorno-Karabakh, including humanitarian cargo brought in by the Russian peacekeepers and the Red Cross.

Later on Thursday afternoon, Armenia accused Azerbaijan of using mortars in the same area, injuring a border guard. Baku accused Yerevan of breaking the ceasefire.

Additional reporting by Ismi Aghayev.

For ease of reading, we choose not to use qualifiers such as ‘de facto’, ‘unrecognised’, or ‘partially recognised’ when discussing institutions or political positions within Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and South Ossetia. This does not imply a position on their status.

US Forces Nagorno-Karabakh To Meet With Azerbaijan In 3rd State In Ultimatum Form – Source

June 17, 2023June 17, 2023 Emil Lazarian

Umer Jamshaid Published | 08:39 PM

Washington forces the representatives of the contested region of Nagorno-Karabakh to meet with the representatives of Azerbaijan in a third country in an ultimatum form, a diplomatic source in Washington told Sputnik on Thursday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik – 15th June, 2023) Washington forces the representatives of the contested region of Nagorno-Karabakh to meet with the representatives of Azerbaijan in a third country in an ultimatum form, a diplomatic source in Washington told Sputnik on Thursday.

"Washington is forcing the representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh in an ultimatum-like way to agree in the near future to a meeting with the Azerbaijani side in a third country with the participation of an American curator. The goal is to introduce the United States into the region," the source said.

If the Nagorno-Karabakh leadership refuses such contact, then it is threatened with an Azerbaijani counter-terrorist operation in the region, the source added.

https://www.urdupoint.com/en/world/us-forces-nagorno-karabakh-to-meet-with-azerb-1708809.html

US threatens Nagorno-Karabakh delegates, forces meeting with Baku

June 17, 2023June 17, 2023 Emil Lazarian

Al Mayadeen

ByAl Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
Today 10:17

Russia expresses concerns over US attempts to impose mediation in the dialogue between Stepanakert and Baku, including through threats of the use of force.

US officials are pressuring delegates from the Nagorno-Karabakh region to hold a meeting with Azerbaijani representatives in a neutral location. They have given them an ultimatum, stating that failure to comply will result in Azerbaijani forces carrying out a "counterterrorism operation" against them, a source in Washington told Sputnik.

On its part, Russia expressed concerns about US attempts to impose mediation in the dialogue between Stepanakert and Baku, including through threats of the use of force, the Russian Foreign Ministry told Sputnik on Thursday.

"We are concerned about the information that has appeared in the media that the US is trying to impose its mediation services now also in the dialogue between Baku and Stepanakert, including through threats to use force," the ministry said.

This information comes after Azerbaijan and Armenia both expressed their willingness to recognize others’ territorial integrity and made progress to normalize relations through Russian-hosted talks in late May.

At a meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's Permanent Council, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said Baku and Yerevan are "on the threshold of peace."

"The two countries [Azerbaijan and Armenia] for the first time after the restoration of their independence are on the threshold of peace, pledging to mutually respect sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of borders."

"Despite the suffering, deprivation, and destruction that the Azerbaijani people have undergone for many years, Azerbaijan is actively working to ensure a lasting peace with Armenia. There are opportunities and real prospects for establishing peace, strengthening stability, ensuring peaceful coexistence, advancing the peace agenda, investing in economic development and cooperation," Bayramov emphasized.

In the past year, the US' sphere of influence over regional politics has diminished, underlined by its absence from the Iranian-Saudi rapprochement which was mediated by China on March 10.

In the case of Baku and Yerevan, the US attempts to put its foot back into the region as Moscow headlined the peace talks between the two parties back in May.

Russia concerned by reports of US meddling in Nagorno-Karabakh dialogue — Foreign Ministry

June 17, 2023June 17, 2023 Emil Lazarian

TASS

Russia –

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, speaking at the Council of Europe summit in Reykjavik on May 17, said that Armenia would recognize Azerbaijan’s sovereignty within its borders on the 86,600 square km territory which includes Nagorno-Karabakh, adding that the settlement should proceed via dialogue

MOSCOW, June 15. /TASS/. Moscow is concerned over media reports that the US is trying to impose its services as a mediator in the dialogue between Baku and Stepanakert, the Russian Foreign Ministry told TASS on Thursday.

Earlier, the Komsomolskaya Pravda daily, citing sources, said that the US "as an ultimatum <…> is strong-arming representatives from Nagorno-Karabakh to consent to a meeting with the Azerbaijani side in a ‘third country’ under the supervision of American handlers in the near future."

"We are concerned by information in the media that the US is now trying to impose its services as a mediator in the Baku-Stepanakert dialogue as well, including by threatening the use of force," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory that had been part of Azerbaijan before the breakup of the Soviet Union, but primarily populated by ethnic Armenians, broke out in February 1988 after the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its withdrawal from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1992-1994, tensions boiled over and exploded into large-scale military action for control over the enclave and seven adjacent territories after Azerbaijan lost control of them. Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27, 2020, with intense battles raging in the disputed region. On November 9, 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Pashinyan signed a joint statement on a complete ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh and later approved a number of joint statements on the situation in the region. Last year, Azerbaijan and Armenia launched discussions on a peace treaty.

Christian Armenian sites in Nagorno-Karabakh on the verge of total extermination, envoy tells UN

June 17, 2023June 17, 2023 Emil Lazarian

Panorama

Armenia –

Armenia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Mher Margaryan, delivered remarks at the UN General Assembly plenary debate under the agenda item 14: "Culture of Peace" on 14 June. Hs full statement is provided below.

"Mr. President,

Promotion and cultivation of dialogue, tolerance and non-discrimination lie at the core of human rights and human dignity, indispensable for building peaceful and inclusive societies. At the current difficult time in the history of humanity, fostering a culture that values peace, understanding and cooperation is of crucial importance, as intolerance, exclusion and discrimination, in their various forms and manifestations continue to introduce new lines of division and generate conflict in many parts of the world.

Unchecked military build-ups and escalations, accompanied with the promulgation of hate speech at the highest political level continue to persist, including in our immediate neighborhood.

Armenia welcomed the launch of the UN Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech by the Secretary-General in 2019 and we encourage the UN Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect, as the UN Focal Point for the implementation of the strategy, to clearly identify the prevalent instances of hate speech, as it constitutes both trigger and an indicator of the risk of atrocity crimes. As demonstrated so many times before, intolerance, cultivation of hate speech against national, ethnic and religious groups, if not properly addressed, can lead to genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Mr. President,

In promoting the culture of peace and protecting cultural heritage, an important and unique role is bestowed upon the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Armed conflicts and military actions can have devastating impact on objects of cultural heritage, which are of irreplaceable value to the entire mankind as unique expressions of history, identity and cultural memory. Today, the millennia-old Christian Armenian sites in Nagorno-Karabakh are on the verge of total extermination. Armenia’s deep concern in relation to the fate of the cultural property in Nagorno-Karabakh is also based on the previous history of total and intentional eradication of the Armenian heritage in Nakhijevan by Azerbaijan.

The destruction of the Armenian cultural heritage has been extensively monitored and reported, including through the use of modern digital technologies. In particular, satellite technology has been increasingly used to monitor and document efforts that seek to destroy or modify cultural sites. Cultural genocide perpetrated on the grounds of ethnic hatred and intent to destroy the traces of historical and civilizational presence of a particular nation is no longer a hearsay but a high-resolution imagery, offering material, factual evidence before the eyes of the international community.

Mr. President,

Armenia has consistently requested that a UNESCO fact-finding mission be deployed to Nagorno-Karabakh and the adjacent areas in order to help to preserve the vast and unique cultural heritage of the region, yet, the efforts of the international organizations for independent and impartial assessment of the facts on the ground have been continuously obstructed.

Those who disregard instances of cultural heritage erasure in the face of irrefutable evidence for the mere sake of the so-called neutrality need to be reminded that, more often than not, state-sponsored policies of hate crimes and violence against cultural and religious monuments come to be followed by other forms of atrocities. The late UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold once said that, I quote: “Never. Never “for the sake of peace and quiet,” deny your own experience or convictions” (end of quote). Culture of peace can only thrive where the rights to truth, justice and guarantees for non-recurrence have been enabled, which makes it a moral imperative for the international community to stand up for the values and convictions that unite us, the people.

Armenia remains committed to a strong and effective multilateral system, with the respect for human rights and the rule of law at the heart of it. We are determined to continue working towards justice, tolerance and non-discrimination, in line with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and the values and goals of the Declaration and Programme of Action on the Culture of Peace.

Thank you."

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announces 50-mln-USD donation to China’s drug center

June 17, 2023June 17, 2023 Emil Lazarian

16:55,

YEREVAN, JUNE 16, ARMENPRESS. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced it would donate 50 million U.S. dollars to the Beijing-based Global Health Drug Discovery Institute (GHDDI) over five years.

The funds will support the development of drugs for infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis and malaria, that disproportionately affect people living in low and middle-income countries, thus working to improve global health, the foundation said.

A non-profit research organization in China, the GHDDI was jointly founded by the foundation, Tsinghua University and the Beijing municipal government in 2016, Xinhua reports.

The municipal government will provide financial support of the same scale, and Tsinghua University has pledged continued support for research platforms, achievement transformations and talent training.

Bill Gates with China’s President Xi Jinping on June 16 in Beijing.

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1113461.html?fbclid=IwAR0xSt8iqXkDm4_5_jnP_5kXd4xsuZl7EicGW1Bo6sCBTSuW0k3e9GKblYA

Ongoing blockade, growing threats of force damage prospect of starting genuine dialogue, says Nagorno Karabakh

June 17, 2023June 17, 2023 Emil Lazarian

15:52,

YEREVAN, JUNE 16, ARMENPRESS. The ongoing severe blockade of Artsakh, the growing threats of the use of force and ethnic cleansing, as well as holding of the 120,000 population of Artsakh in a hostage situation damage the prospect of starting a genuine dialogue to discuss ways of a political settlement of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict, the Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) foreign ministry said in a statement.

Below is the full statement issued by the Artsakh MFA.

“In connection with the stirring media reports on attempts to establish dialogue between Stepanakert and Baku published recently in a number of Russian media outlets with reference to unnamed diplomatic sources, we consider it necessary to state the following:

The Republic of Artsakh is the most interested party in finding a comprehensive solution to the conflict with Azerbaijan through dialogue and peaceful negotiations aimed at establishing lasting and just peace in the region.

After the end of the 44-day war, there have already been attempts of such contacts to resolve a number of pressing issues. In particular, several meetings were held between the representatives of Artsakh and Azerbaijan through the mediation of the Russian Peacekeeping Contingent, during which humanitarian, infrastructural and other technical issues aimed at ensuring conditions for the normal and peaceful life of the people were discussed. Before the blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan, thanks to the meetings held with the mediation of the Russian Peacekeeping Contingent, specific results were achieved on issues of identifying the fate of the missing and searching for the remains of the dead, ensuring the normal functioning of vital infrastructures, organising agricultural work and others. The last meeting in this format was held on 1 March 2023, during which issues related to ending the transport and energy blockade of Artsakh were discussed. However, the Azerbaijani side first refused to implement the agreements reached during the meeting, and then resorted to various provocations and aggressive actions, consistently rejecting all subsequent proposals of the Republic of Artsakh to continue the meetings in this format.

The authorities of the Republic of Artsakh have repeatedly stated that for the resumption of the peace process, it is necessary to restore the internationally recognised negotiation format, within which it would be possible to discuss all disputes and differences based on the principles of good faith, co-operation and equal rights of the parties. At the same time, this mechanism must be inclusive and representative, and have the potential and authority to ensure the implementation of the agreements reached and the commitments undertaken by the parties.

We are convinced that the role of international mediators should not be limited to providing good offices, but should be aimed at more active involvement in the process of finding fair, balanced and viable solutions to existing problems, creating favourable conditions to conduct dialogue with dignity, as well as ensuring Azerbaijan's compliance with the norms and principles of international law and the provisions of the UN Charter. In this context, we reiterate the importance of using the potential and experience of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship, as well as the effective co-operation of all major actors involved in the peaceful settlement of the conflict.

In this regard, we attach primary importance to the collective and individual efforts of the international community aimed at creating normal living conditions in Artsakh, ending its transport and energy blockade, removing the illegally installed Azerbaijani checkpoint and ensuring the unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions, in accordance with the Trilateral Statement of 9 November 2020 and the Order of the International Court of Justice of 22 February 2023.

It is obvious that the ongoing severe blockade of Artsakh, the growing threats of the use of force and ethnic cleansing, as well as holding of the 120,000 population of Artsakh in a hostage situation damage the prospect of starting a genuine dialogue to discuss ways of a political settlement of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict.”

Government will soon submit Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court to the National Assembly for ratification

June 17, 2023June 17, 2023 Emil Lazarian

18:37,

YEREVAN, JUNE 16, ARMENPRESS. The Government will soon submit the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court to the National Assembly for ratification, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.

The Constitutional Court recognized the obligations laid down in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, signed on July 17, 1998, as conforming to the Constitution.

In 2022, the Government appealed to the Constitutional Court on this issue. The government has again returned to the issue of ratifying the Rome Statute, because, according to the substantiation of the bill, they see an opportunity to call Azerbaijan to account.

Armenia should seek BRICS observer status, says analyst

June 17, 2023June 17, 2023 Emil Lazarian

11:34,

YEREVAN, JUNE 17, ARMENPRESS. Armenia should consider joining BRICS as an observer in the initial phase and get involved in regional mega projects, according to analyst Mher Sahakyan.

Speaking to ARMENPRESS, the analyst and expert on China said that although Armenia can’t be compared with BRICS countries in terms of its opportunities and size of the economy, it should nevertheless seek to gain an observer status in the organization in order to be present in multilateral relations, to be involved in the markets of the member states.

Four BRICS members have embassies in Armenia, and Russia – one of the main actors in BRICS – is Armenia’s main strategic ally, Sahakyan said.

The Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov had said that nearly 20 countries are seeking to get BRICS membership.

BRICS is an association of five regional economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. All five states are members of the G20. The BRICS were originally identified for the purpose of highlighting investment opportunities and had not been a formal intergovernmental organization.

“We are now in a multipolar world order where BRICS is carrying out its important work. This platform was created for discussing geopolitical and global economic issues and finding mutually beneficial solutions, because it has brought together countries that don’t agree with the approaches of the West and are trying to have their independent policy. It’s no coincidence that countries which already have certain influence in their region such as Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt want to join the organization,” Sahakyan said.

Nonetheless, some of the BRICS countries continue to closely cooperate with the U.S., for example India, which is both a BRICS member and a Quad group member, with the latter being mostly comprised of China rivals – the U.S., Japan and Australia. Recently India also rejected the NATO+ platform, refusing to take anti-Russia steps.

“Nevertheless, BRICS is not an alliance, the members seek to be independent actors. These are no longer the countries against which the U.S. can use the carrot and stick policy. Particularly China has powerful levers capable of imposing corresponding sanctions against the American side in response to sanctions imposed against it. After all, BRICS is an arena enabling developed countries to counter the U.S. by bypassing the ban on cooperating with Russia and China. Several African countries who don’t want to get cut off from such a circle are also displaying such conduct,” he said.

Armenian PM congratulates UK’s Rishi Sunak on national day

June 17, 2023June 17, 2023 Emil Lazarian

12:22,

YEREVAN, JUNE 17, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan sent a congratulatory message to Rishi Sunak, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, on the occasion of the British national day.

"Your Excellency, I warmly congratulate you and the friendly people of the United Kingdom on the national holiday of the country, the birthday of King Charles III,” Pashinyan said in a telegram. “Armenia attaches great importance to the further development and deepening of multi-layered cooperation with the United Kingdom, based on democratic values, practical interests and mutual respect. I am glad to record that positive dynamics have recently been observed in Armenian-British relations, and in this context I reaffirm the commitment of the Armenian side to contribute to the expansion of the bilateral agenda. I sincerely hope that the recently announced Armenia-Great Britain strategic dialogue will become an important and practical platform for expanding bilateral cooperation in promising directions. In the context of the implementation of the reform agenda adopted by the Armenian government, we highly appreciate the continued support of the United Kingdom and we fully hope that it will be of a lasting nature. I wish Your Excellency good health, and prosperity to the friendly people of the United Kingdom,” the Armenian PM said.