Azerbaijanis fired yesterday and a few days before mainly from positions that have been on the sovereign territory of Armenia for more than a year, Ex-Ombudsman of Armenia Arman Tatoyan wrote on his Facebook.
Shots, officially confirmed yesterday, May 21, by Armenia, due to which the Armenian serviceman was wounded, were fired in the neighborhood of the village of Norabak.
No autonomy is acceptable for the people of Artsakh, Artsakh Ombudsman Gegham Stepanyan told reporters, answering a question about the possibility of signing an agreement between the heads of Armenia and Azerbaijan, according to which Nagorno-Karabakh can be granted the status of cultural autonomy.
Nikol Pashinyan and Ilham Aliyev are scheduled to meet in Brussels today.
“This is not an end in itself and not a whim. The people of Artsakh already know what autonomy is within Azerbaijan. He knows by clear demographic indicators, by the discriminatory policy pursued by the leadership of the AzUSSR. The number of the Azerbaijani population in the NPO was growing, the number of the Armenian population was declining. The Azerbaijani way of life, culture and so on were imposed on the people of Artsakh. We have repeatedly said that we will not be part of Azerbaijan. No matter who accepts, we will not be part of Azerbaijan,” he said.
Asked if the document nevertheless becomes a reality, the Ombudsman noted that the people of Artsakh will not accept it.
“The statements of the National Assembly, the daily statements of the Foreign Minister testify that the authorities and the people of Artsakh unanimously say: there are red lines that cannot be crossed, Artsakh will not be part of Azerbaijan. The fate of the people cannot be decided without taking into account their will. The person sitting in Brussels and Washington cannot decide how a resident of Stepanakert or Martuni should live. This is absurd,” he said.
Gegham Stepanyan noted that following the results of meetings in various formats, he also got the impression that under the guise of introducing international mechanisms for the protection of rights, involvement in Azerbaijan is being dragged through.
“Our clear answer was make no mistake, it’s impossible. We see a discriminatory policy, then there were 30 years of Azerbaijan’s policy of hatred towards Armenians. What rational person would think after that that Artsakh can live as part of Azerbaijan or that the rights of Artsakh people can be protected in Azerbaijan?”
Gegham Stepanyan recalled that 80 civilians were brutally killed by the Azerbaijanis.
“Azerbaijan systematically destroys Armenian cultural monuments in the occupied territories. What kind of autonomy can we talk about? concluded the Ombudsman.
ArmInfo.Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and President of the European Council Charles Michel are not planning to sign any document at their upcoming trilateral meeting in Brussels, the Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan said in response to a query from Armenpress news agency.
The Secretary of the RA Security Council also touched upon the criticism that the agenda of the meeting is classified. “That’s to say the least a strange criticism because the current agenda of our discussions with Azerbaijan is well known. These are: the points presented by us and by Azerbaijan for the normalization of relations or launch of peace talks, which are also disclosed and include the topic of the NK conflict settlement, issues of return of captives and revealing the fate of those missing, issues relating to opening of regional connections, delimitation and demarcation of borders, as well as issues relating to the launch of the work of the trilateral commission dealing with border security. This is the same agenda that was discussed during the previous meetings.”
Armen Grigoryan stated that there are no plans to sign any document in Brussels, because, for example in the issue of opening regional connections a working group co-chaired by deputy prime ministers is active and discussions on agreements reached on the highest level must continue in that format. “The same can be said on the other issues which are being discussed more in detail in working formats. Therefore, no document is planned to be signed in Brussels. Presumably there will be a press release on the results of the discussions,” he pointed out.
The citizen is the key guarantor of democracy in the Republic of Armenia, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at the Armenian Forum of Democracy.
He noted that Armenia is the right place for holding the forum.
“The citizen of the Republic of Armenia knows that he is a decision-maker, that he is the main, key subject as provided by the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia,” PM Pashinyan stated.
“The Republic of Armenia went through great shocks after the 44-day war in 2020, and it was the citizen of the Republic of Armenia who prevented the collapse of the statehood of the Republic of Armenia, the loss of sovereignty and independence,” he noted.
He pointed out two key questions – to what extent democracy is able to protect the country’s security and to what extent democracy is able to protect and preserve the sovereignty and independence of the country.
“The answer to the second question is unequivocal: democracy is the most important and key factor in preserving the sovereignty, guaranteeing and preserving the independence of the Republic of Armenia today. Our task is to prove that democracy is able to ensure the external and internal security of the country. In this regard, I would like to emphasize the importance of the peace agenda adopted by the Government of the Republic of Armenia, for which the citizen of the Republic of Armenia has given a mandate,” Nikol Pashinyan continued.
In general, he said, “it’s very important to formulate and discuss the peace agenda with the logic that, in the end, the key decisions in the country are made by the citizen in accordance with the rules of democracy, the Constitution and the legislation.”
“It is very important that we provide complete and relevant information to the citizen so that he or she is sufficiently informed in making his or her decisions,” the Prime Minister said.
13:51,
YEREVAN, MAY 21, ARMENPRESS. On May 20, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan of Armenia, who is in Turin to participate in the 132nd session of CoE Committee of Foreign Ministers, met with Foreign Minister of Ireland Simon Coveney, the Armenian foreign ministry said in a press release.
The interlocutors referred to the issues on the cooperation agenda between Armenia and Ireland at bilateral and multilateral levels.
Minister Mirzoyan stressed that Armenia welcomes the priorities of the forthcoming Irish Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, aimed at protecting human rights, fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law, and emphasized their importance, especially in the context of conflicts.
Referring to humanitarian consequences resulting from the Azerbaijani aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020, Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized the need for the involvement of the Council of Europe.
14:26,
YEREVAN, MAY 21, ARMENPRESS. The 2021 parliamentary election in Armenia gave answers to all the questions that are now being raised by the protesters in the country, the Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan told RIA Novosti.
When asked whether or not the Armenian government plans to hold snap elections, Grigoryan said: “The absolutely democratic, free and lawful parliamentary election that took place in June of 2021 in Armenia gave the answers to all the questions that are today being circulated by the minority protest movement.”
Representatives of 15 countries to participate in Eurasian Economic Forum in Bishkek
10:10,
YEREVAN, MAY 20, ARMENPRESS. Around 1700 people from 15 countries will participate in the first Eurasian Economic Forum in Kyrgyzstan’s capital of Bishkek, Vice Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan Arzibek Kojoshev said at a press conference, reports TASS.
“We expect that a total of about 1700 people will participate in the Eurasian Economic Forum”, he said, adding that as of this moment the representatives of ten countries of Latin America and South-East Asia have confirmed their participation. He informed that all members states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), Armenia, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, will be represented at the Forum.
The Eurasian Economic Forum will start on May 26.
The Forum program includes a plenary session involving the Heads of the EAEU States and the Chairman of the EEC Board, as well as six panel discussions:
12:18,
YEREVAN, MAY 20, ARMENPRESS. Human Rights Defender Kristinne Grigoryan held a meeting with the Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergey Kopirkin, the Human Rights Defender’s Office said in a press release.
The Russian Ambassador congratulated Grigoryan on assuming office and attached importance to effective cooperation between the embassy and the Human Rights Defender’s Office and emphasized their readiness to continue the cooperation.
Ambassador Kopirkin highlighted the important role of the Human Rights Defender in terms of the development of state institutions and properly reacting to the developments taking place in the country. He appreciated the Human Rights Defender’s efforts aimed at guaranteeing the freedom of assembly taking place during these days and respect and protection of human rights during the rallies.
Grigoryan addressed the urgency of repatriating the Armenian prisoners of war, including civilians, held in Azerbaijan and stressed the important and responsible role of Russia in this matter.
The Human Rights Defender presented the security issues, humanitarian and social issues identified during the regular meetings with the families of the POWs, families of those missing, as well as the residents of border towns.
Grigoryan expressed hope that Russia will continue its important efforts in the direction of repatriating the POWs.
The sides stressed the importance of close cooperation between Armenian and Russian Human Rights Defender institutions both bilaterally and multilaterally, including as part of the Eurasian Ombudsmen Alliance.
13:15,
YEREVAN, MAY 20, ARMENPRESS. Democracy today is the most important factor to guarantee and preserve the sovereignty and independence of Armenia, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in his remarks at the Armenian Forum For Democracy.
“I think that there are two very important questions which we need to answer. The first one is to what extent democracy is capable to protect and preserve the country’s security and to what extent democracy is capable to protect and preserve the country’s sovereignty and independence. I think that I already gave the answer to the second question and this question that today democracy is the most important and key factor for guaranteeing and preserving the sovereignty and independence of the Republic of Armenia. And our task is to prove that, yes, democracy is capable to ensure the country’s external security and internal security. In this respect I want to highlight the peace agenda which was adopted by the government of Armenia and for which the citizen of Armenia gave a mandate. In general, I think that the formulation of the peace agenda and its discussion is very important also in the logic that eventually, the citizen makes the important decisions in the country, as I said, in accordance with the democracy rules, the Constitution and the legislation. It’s very important that we give complete and proper information to the citizen so that he/she is informed enough while making decisions. Recently and quite often we touch upon issues relating to the peace agenda, the negotiation processes, the history. Some interpret this as a debate between the previous and present leaderships. But it has nothing to do with it. And our government, our political team considers it its duty to provide citizens with sufficient and proper information about what has happened with us so that the citizen is aware of the problems deelpy and makes the decisions he/she should make in the future. The citizen of Armenia made the decisions based on the analysis of this information”, the PM said.
Pashinyan said that for many years they fought for the establishment of democracy in Armenia and carried out their mission, however, “it is not over yet”.
“Now, in order to strengthen democracy, it’s very important that we unite around one more mission. As we have brought democracy to Armenia, so let’s bring peace to Armenia, because I think that one can exist without another with a great difficulty. And I can at least state with pride that there is a political leadership in Armenia who is united around this mission. I think that all democratic forces in Armenia should gather around this mission because one is a continuation of the other. This doesn’t mean that we should have the same opinion and vision on all issues, but I think that at this stage it is highly important that we sincerely, by looking at the eyes of each other, analyze the history of our country of the past 30 years and be able to do this in an atmosphere of sincerity and honesty. Democracy creates sufficient conditions for this. Therefore, the continuation of our mission of democracy is our mission of peace which is much heavier, much more difficult and requires much more strength and will. I believe and I am convinced that we will implement this mission as well because if there is no belief, there will also be no readiness to take and bear the responsibility”, the PM said.
Armenia has been witnessing growing anti-government protests in recent weeks against possible concessions over the Nagorno-Karabakh territory, disputed with neighbouring Azerbaijan. On May 18, protests briefly shut down metro services in the capital Yerevan, with social media posts showing agitators blocking the doors of metro carriages and preventing trains from moving. Reuters reported that protestors were demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and were chanting anti-government slogans.
These protests have been on for weeks, after Pashinyan said the international community wanted Armenia to scale down demands on its claims to the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Nagorno-Karabakh is a mountainous and heavily forested region that under international law is recognised as part of Azerbaijan. However, ethnic Armenians who constitute the vast majority of the population there reject Azeri rule. After Azerbaijan’s troops were pushed out of the region following a war in the 1990s, these ethnic Armenians have been in administrative control of Nagorno-Karabakh, with support from Armenia.
In September 2020, clashes broke out that rapidly escalated to become the deadliest since the 1990s. Yerevan said it was Azerbaijan that reopened the conflict by launching a major offensive, while Baku claimed it was forced to respond to provocations by the other side. In the past three decades, ceasefires brokered by Russia and the United States have failed to hold.
Latest developments
Armenia has been witnessing domestic unrest since April this year related to Pashniyan’s handling of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. “Parliamentary opposition groups, composed of two factions, declared their plan to oust their government or at least increase street pressure to prevent PM Nikol Pashinyan from providing further concessions to Azerbaijan and Turkey when it comes to the security and right of self-determination of Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh (called Artsakh) and the recognition of Armenian Genocide,” Yeghia Tashjian, Associate Fellow at the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut, told indianexpress.com.
As one of the preconditions to establish peace, Azerbaijan wants Armenia to officially recognise Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan. “This factor will eliminate the Armenian historical presence in the region, as Azerbaijan will impose racial and discriminatory policies against the indigenous Armenians of the region,” Tashjian said.
Supporting Azerbaijan’s claims is its ally Turkey, which is adding its own conditions to the proposal, one of which includes pushing Yerevan to cease international lobbying for official recognition of the Armenian Genocide, an issue that has been a long-standing conflict between Yerevan and Ankara. Armenia has said approximately 1.5 million people were killed in 1915 during a genocide by the Ottoman Empire. While Turkey accepts that many Armenians living in the empire were killed by Ottoman forces during the First World War, it has consistently rejected the number of victims and has denied that the killings were systematic or constitute genocide.
“The opposition perceives these preconditions as unacceptable and calls for dialogue and unconditional negotiations. Many government officials and ruling Party MPs voiced for “peace”, others also hinted at the possibility of handing Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan in exchange for “peace”. The opposition refuses these terms,” Tashjian explained.
Criticism against Pashinyan
In Armenia, Pashinyan’s handling of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict received criticism after he agreed to hand over Armenian control of several territories to Azerbaijan. Last month, Pashinyan told Armenian lawmakers that the international community has called on Armenia to scale down demands on Karabakh, which sparked a fresh round of criticism and anti-government protests.
Tashjian told indianexpress.com that Pashinyan increased the salaries of the country’s security forces, in an attempt to win their loyalty. The ongoing protests in Armenia have been marked by police brutality and the detaining of protestors, activists as well as Parliament members. “However, the momentum of the opposition has not decreased. The opposition is eager to continue the protests, and mobilise the people until the government is toppled,” Tashjian said.
Domestic unrest
The public anger at Pashinyan’s handling of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has the potential to intensify into a wider, larger movement and result in civil unrest across the country, Tashjian believes. While the largest protests have occurred in Yerevan, smaller protests have been marked in other parts of the country as well. The fresh round of clashes in 2020 prompted mass mobilisation across Armenia and the vast Armenian diaspora sprung into action. Armenians across the world began lobbying their governments for stronger support for Armenia in the conflict, and donations and other forms of assistance began pouring in to support the ethnic Armenian soldiers fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh.
In August last year, Pashinyan told lawmakers that a total of 3,773 Armenian servicemen were killed during the 44-day war with Azerbaijan. The anger against the government is also in part because many in Armenia lost their loved ones during the war, Tashjian explained. “The US and European Union are pressuring the Armenian government to downgrade the status of Nagorno-Karabakh and sign a one-sided humiliating “peace plan” with Azerbaijan to question the legitimacy of the presence of Russian peacekeepers stationed in the region,” Tashjian said.
Pashinyan’s stance on Nagorno-Karabakh
There has been a clear shift in Pashinyan’s views on Nagorno-Karabakh post May 2018, when he was elected leader of Armenia. Tashjian believes that much of Pashinyan’s rhetoric was aimed at winning nationalist support. “He torpedoed the negotiation process in April 2020 by arguing that “Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) is Armenia and full stop”.
Later, after the war, before the 2021 elections, he campaigned for a “just status for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh,” Tashjian explained. “And now under Western pressure he is lowering the status, arguing that Nagorno-Karabakh could be part of Azerbaijan if the rights of Armenians are guaranteed,” Tashjian added. The issue is the ambiguity with the term “rights” and what it would mean for Armenia and ethnic Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Prior to his election as leader, Pashinyan had created an image of himself as a civil disobedience leader. With this government crackdown on protests, there has been some criticism that he is stifling the same methods of protests that he once used.