Author: Emil Lazarian

Can you imagine that women in Armenia play an important role in science? We are Hasmik and Shoghik, young scientists from Armenia and we believe that women are the engines of science in our country. We study and work in an environment where women are involved in scientific initiatives on an equal footing with men, holding senior positions. Democracy increases gender equality in various fields, making Armenia one of the few countries where the involvement of women in science is significant. In this article, we speak about our professional path as young biologists, and how EU-funded programmes have contributed to our professional development.

Shoghik

I am from the cultural capital of Armenia, Gyumri. Although I am inspired by art and music, I chose to follow the path of science. Now I am a 4th-year student at Yerevan State University, in the faculty of Biology. My every experiment is something new that I create, as artists do. As a biologist, my current fields of interest are bioinformatics, genomics, entomology and ecology of species. In my third year of studies, I had the opportunity to participate in an Erasmus+ credit mobility exchange programme at Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw. In the process of learning new methods in entomology and genetics, and doing fieldwork, I found what I really wanted to do in science after returning home to Armenia. The cooperation with European scientists had an enormous impact on my path as a professional, and more importantly, even after the programme, this cooperation continues. Currently, I am working on my diploma studies, which are mainly focused on the investigation of invasive ladybird species, what impact they have on the ecosystem and how the dynamics will change. At the same time, I am working in bioinformatics, and I am proud to have the opportunity to work in a field that is in the developing stage in my country.

Hasmik

I was born in Yerevan. My love for science began at a young age when I watched various programmes on TV about scientists and their unique research. As I grew up, my interests expanded to various professional fields, ranging from urbanism to political science, but my dream of doing science and contributing to this field was unchanged. I believe that science is also a part of art since the planning and implementation of experiments are very creative processes. Studying the diversity of life and organisms makes me enthusiastic about the world, and studying the environment and identifying its problems reveals the role of balance in the world. Currently, I am in the process of creating maps, and analysing the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem change due to climate change. The identification and investigation of scientific methods of environmental protection and study have allowed me to use resources and products more consciously in daily life and activities to propagate these ideas among family and friends.

I am studying in the 4th year of my bachelor’s degree, and in the summer semester of the 3rd year, I participated in the Erasmus+ credit mobility, I was a student at the Humboldt University of Berlin, where I studied global climate change and its impact on ecosystems and biodiversity. After returning to Armenia, I continued to work in the same direction, but this time paying attention to the change and loss of local flora and fauna. Currently, I am engaged in the study of endemic endangered species, mapping their habitats and the dynamics of their ranges.

The EU and the EU-funded programmes in which we participated had an important role in the development of our professional path. The main driving force was the Erasmus+ mobility programme, which played a crucial role in narrowing our professional orientation. The programmes and grants implemented with the support of the EU are an incentive for the development of science in Armenia and, in particular, for the active involvement of women in STEM, since regular international conferences create active ties between local and foreign partners. The involvement of various EU structures in local scientific processes provides an opportunity for young women scientists, like us, to actively develop in their field and already have small achievements. 

For centuries it was thought that science was a field only for men, but now we feel confident in an environment where women are involved in scientific processes and where there are no stereotypes that science is not for women. The best examples of that are our women scientific heads, who are an enormous inspiration for us.

The European Union has officially launched a monitoring mission in Armenia to ensure stability in areas bordering Azerbaijan. It has a staff of 100, with 50 unarmed observers on the ground.

Armenia's strategic ally Russia, whose relations with the West are at a nadir due to its invasion of Ukraine, resents what it calls a “clear geopolitical move.”

The objectives of the mission are “to contribute to stability in the border areas of Armenia, build confidence and human security in conflict-affected areas, and ensure an environment conducive to the normalization efforts between Armenia and Azerbaijan supported by the EU.”

EU monitoring was first proposed after the escalation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in mid-September, which led to more than 300 deaths on both sides.

A previous, limited, iteration of the EU mission consisted of 40 monitors and operated for a term of two months, from October 20 to December 19, 2022.

The longer-term mission was announced on January 23. It drew an angry reaction from Russia, which went so far as to allude to a possible confrontation between the unarmed EU observers in Armenia and Russia’s peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The EU mission’s operational headquarters will be in Yeghegnadzor, in south-eastern Armenia, near the resort town of Jermuk, which was attacked by Azerbaijani drones and missiles during the escalation in September.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan expressed hope that the mission would help strengthen peace and stability at a February 21 meeting with Civilian Operations Commander Stefano Tomat and Head of Mission Markus Ritter.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell welcomed the news in a tweet on the same day. “We launched the EU Mission in Armenia #EUMA, which is now operational and conducted its first patrol today. #EUMA will contribute to human security, build confidence on the ground and support EU efforts in the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” Borrell wrote.

Despite EU and Armenian assurances that the mission is not directed “against” anyone, the news of the official launch drew further angry reaction from Moscow. “This is not the first time we have seen the European Union and the West as a whole seeking to gain a foothold in our ally Armenia by whatever means. We see in these attempts an exclusively geopolitical background, far from the interests of a real normalization of relations in the Transcaucasus,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a briefing on February 20.

Later, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin told EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus Toivo Klaar by phone that Moscow views the mission as a bid to “squeeze Russia out of the region and weaken its historical role as the main guarantor of security.”

Another of Russia’s objections is that it “ignores” Baku’s negative position towards the mission’s deployment.

Arsen Kharatyan, a former advisor to Prime Minister Pashinyan, said the mission was a great opportunity for Armenia. “Official Yerevan must make every effort to ensure the successful work of the mission. This is a serious opportunity to improve the security situation in our country, it would be unforgivable to miss it,” Kharatyan wrote on his Facebook page.

 by Peoples Dispatch

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in a judgment on Wednesday, February 22, asked Azerbaijan to guarantee free passage of goods and people through the Lachin Corridor linking Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.    

Disposing of complaints filed by Armenia against Azerbaijan and vice-versa earlier this year, the court in a 13-2 majority verdict asked Azerbaijan to “take all measures at its disposal to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions,” AP reported.  

In December, hundreds of Azerbaijani protesters began camping at the Lachin Corridor to oppose what they claimed was illegal mining of gold and other mineral resources in Nagorno Karabakh by Armenia. The protesters claimed that Armenian mining was harming the region’s environment.  

The court agreed with the Armenian claim that the road blockade hampered the movement of people, particularly medical patients, from Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia, as well as the movement of goods including medicines and food supplies. 

However, the court rejected Armenia’s plea that Azerbaijan end its support to all the protests in the region and resume supplies of natural gas to Nagorno Karabakh, claiming there was insufficient proof that Azerbaijan was involved in these activities. 

Armenia had raised the issue and accused Azerbaijan of supporting the blockade. However, Azerbaijan has denied any links with the protesters. It has also refuted the Armenian claim that the protesters are causing a complete blockade of supplies of essential commodities to Nagorno Karabakh.  

After the ICJ verdict on Wednesday, Azerbaijan issued a statement claiming that it has always undertaken steps to guarantee safe movement along the Lachin Corridor, AP reported.   

Nagorno Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan. However, ethnic Armenians, who constitute the majority population in the region, had declared themselves a part of Armenia in 1988, when both Armenia and Azerbaijan were parts of the Soviet Union (USSR), and drove out most of the Azeri population during the war in 1994.   

Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought two wars (1994 and 2020) over the territory since the dissolution of the USSR. In the last war, more than 6,500 people were killed, but Azerbaijan made significant territorial gains. A ceasefire was achieved following mediation by Russia, which also deployed a peace keeping force in the region. 

https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/02/23/icj-asks-azerbaijan-to-guarantee-free-movement-between-armenia-and-nagorno-karabakh/