Author: Emil Lazarian

Catholicos Aram I assesses earthquake damage in Aleppo on Feb. 16

His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia paid a one-day visit to Aleppo to assess the damage caused by the massive February 6 earthquake.

The Catholicos was met by Aleppo Prelate, Executive Council members, community leaders and parishioners at the entrance of the St. Mary’s Church.

In his pontifical address during a Divine Liturgy, Aram I expressed his solidarity with the people and appealed to the community to remain strong in their faith and cling to the church and to its affiliated structures.

Following the Divine Liturgy, the Catholicos met with parishioners at the atrium of the church, where he conveyed his speech and gave them his blessings.

Aram I also toured various neighborhoods affected by the earthquake, assessed the damages, and prayed for the repose of the souls of the victims. He then met with the representatives of the community organizations and institutions, and became acquainted with their concerns and challenges, and the work they have accomplished thus far.

At the conclusion of his visit, the Catholicos met with the governor of Aleppo and conveyed his condolences and readiness to assist in the aftermath of the earthquake.

A military post along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Russia on Friday accused the West of derailing the process to normalize relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan and hailed an “allied cooperation” agreement signed with Baku last year as a historic document that will help stabilize the region.

Presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan, Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev, signed an agreement last year ahead of the Russian-Ukraine war. The document serves as a blueprint for the advancement of relations between the two countries and includes military components.

On the first anniversary of the signing of the document, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova on Friday hailed it as a historic agreement saying that its provisions of the will not only stabilize the region, but also international relations.

Reacting to a recent State Department statement, which accused Russia of disrupting the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group in the mediation of a settlement for the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, Zakharova accused the West and the United States of derailing those efforts.

“If anyone has derailed the Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement efforts then it’s they themselves, the Western countries, led by the United States. The OSCE Minsk Group format was sent into the ash heap of history after the American and French co-chairs stopped cooperating with their Russian counterpart in February of 2022 under a made-up pretext,” Zakharova said, adding that no explanation has been issued since.

“Taking this into consideration, we are focused on providing support to Yerevan and Baku as part of trilateral formats, based on the respective agreements on the highest level, which we have talked about on many occasions,” the foreign ministry spokesperson said.

Zakharova said the Russian Foreign Ministry does not see that U.S. mediation in the Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement can include “real steps or have any added value.”

Zakharova reiterated Russia’s readiness to organize a meeting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers.

Zakharova added that Russia continues to support the process of signing a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan. She said that in this context the Russian special envoy Igor Khovaev recently conducted “useful” visits to Yerevan and Baku.

“Both the Armenian and Azerbaijani parties have confirmed their interest on our country’s mediation in this matter,” Zakharova said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s visit to Azerbaijan is currently being planned, the spokesperson added.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken mediates a meeting between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Munich on Feb. 18

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, along with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on Saturday on the margins of the Munich Security Conference.

During the meeting the process of finalizing a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan was discussed, according to a press statement from Pashinyan’s office. The unblocking of transport routes in the region, as well as the delimitation and demarcation of borders were also discussed, based on agreements in reached in Prague last year.

When Pashinyan and Aliyev met in the Czech capital in October they pledged to continue the border opening process and announced that they will respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. That meeting was held weeks after Azerbaijan invaded Armenia on September 13.

Pashinyan reportedly discussed Azerbaijan’s illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor and the humanitarian, environmental and energy crisis that has resulted from the closure of the road on December 12.

The sides have emphasized the importance to continue the so-called peace process.

“I want to thank President Aliyev, Prime Minister Pashinyan for being here today.  We believe that Armenia and Azerbaijan have a genuinely historic opportunity to secure an enduring peace after more than 30 years of conflict.  The parties themselves have renewed their focus on a peace process, including through direct conversation as well as with the EU and ourselves.  The United States is committed to doing anything we can to support these efforts, whether it’s directly with our friends, whether it’s in a trilateral format such as this, or with other international partners,” Blinken said in a statement prior to the meeting.
 
Meanwhile, Aliyev and his chief adviser Hikmet Hajiyev were met with Azerbaijani protesters outside of the Bayerischer Hof hotel, where the Munich Conference is taking place.

Azerbaijani refugees living in Germany staged the protest demanding that Aliyev be punished for his oppressive policies against his own people.

Calling Aliyev a “dictator,” the protesters called on the Azerbaijani president to not sacrifice democracy for the sake of oil and gas profits, calling for the release of political prisoners in the county.