Author: Frangulian Shushan

 20:17,

YEREVAN, JULY 29, ARMENPRESS. The arrest of the 68-year-old patient who was being evacuated by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) from Nagorno-Karabakh is a war crime, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

Below is the full statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia.  

“On July 29, 68-year-old Vagif Khachatryan, who, having serious health issues, was being transported from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia for medical treatment, accompanied by the International Committee of Red Cross, was abducted by the representatives of the border guard service of Azerbaijan at the illegal checkpoint installed on the Lachin corridor and taken in an unknown direction without any reliable explanation.

“It should be emphasized that the ICRC provides the parties with the lists of patients to be transported in advance and carries out their transportation only after the consent of the parties. The release of the statement full of false narratives and accusations by the Prosecutor General’s Office of Azerbaijan right after the abduction shows that this operation was thoroughly planned in advance. Moreover, the statement contains an open threat to apply the same approach to other residents of Nagorno-Karabakh as well.

“This mode of operation by Azerbaijan is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law: the arrest of a person under the protection of international humanitarian law and the ICRC is nothing short of a war crime. It also aimed at completely blocking the ICRC activities in Nagorno-Karabakh, while Azerbaijan continues the blockade of the Lachin corridor and hinders in general the access of other humanitarian organizations to Nagorno-Karabakh.

“It is noteworthy that this action of the Azerbaijani authorities is a direct implementation of the statement made by the country’s president on May 28 that “the installation of a checkpoint in the Lachin corridor would be a lesson for the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, … they should show up with bent necks”, and the continuous threats, about which the Armenian side has repeatedly signalled to international partners, calling on them to condemn these and other similar statements. This action of Azerbaijan directly demonstrates that the alarms, voiced by Armenia for already a long time, reflect the seriousness and urgency of the existing sinister risks of ethnic cleansing.

“Moreover, this pattern of behaviour time and again demonstrates the bankruptcy of the arguments of the Azerbaijani side with regard to the Armenian prisoners of war, civilian captives, as well as the servicemen abducted from the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia on May 26, who went through sham trials and are still illegally kept in Baku.

“This arbitrariness of Azerbaijan, carried out in parallel with the complete blockade of the Lachin corridor and refusal to address the issues of rights and security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, is aimed at terrorizing the Nagorno-Karabakh population and in case of absence of international engagement once again casts serious doubt on the possibility of not only ensuring the minimal rights of the Nagorno-Karabakh people, but also on the possibility of realizing the right to life.”

We consider the criminal act committed by Azerbaijan today and the ongoing blockade of the Lachin corridor unacceptable and reprehensible. We expect united and clear-cut steps by the international community, including using existing tools aimed at restoring unimpeded movement through the Lachin corridor, ensuring the activities of international humanitarian organizations in Nagorno-Karabakh as well as humanitarian access to Nagorno-Karabakh.

 18:43, 27 July 2023

YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. Member of the European Parliament Charlie Weimers calls on the EU to put pressure on Azerbaijan so that the latter allows humanitarian aid to enter Artsakh.

In a conversation with the Brussels-based correspondent of ARMENPRESS, Weimers referred to the statement of the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, and asked, “And what is “obstructing” the passability of the Lachin Corridor, Mr. Borrell? It is neither a stone nor some force of nature, but the authorities of Azerbaijan themselves prevent the passage of humanitarian aid. It is not about “any actor” or “two sides”, as we often heard in the past, but about Azerbaijan, which uses humanitarian access to meet its own goals”, said Charlie Weimers and conveyed that his thoughts are with the people of Artsakh.

 13:59,

YEREVAN, JULY 24, ARMENPRESS. Member of the European Parliament Martin Sonneborn (Germany – Die PARTEI )has said that Azerbaijan’s ‘total blockade’ of Nagorno Karabakh is ‘intolerable’ and that Baku is ‘terrorizing’ the civilian population as part of its agenda of ethnically cleansing Armenians from the region.

“Azerbaijan put the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia under total blockade. The situation is intolerable. We see videos of empty shelves in supermarkets and hear the news about the lack of fuel for ambulances. People are dying. Azerbaijan is terrorising the civilian population as a part of its agenda of ethnically cleansing Armenians from the region,” MEP Sonneborn told ARMENPRESS correspondent Lilit Gasparyan in Brussels.

He noted that Azerbaijan is disregarding the international community’s calls to open the road and is tightening the blockade.

 “Although the European Parliament, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and numerous governments called upon Azerbaijan to open the Lachin corridor, Azerbaijan keeps tightening the blockade and does not even allow the International Committee of the Red Cross to deliver humanitarian aid.  The United Nation’s highest judicial body, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), stated in a legally binding order that Azerbaijan must facilitate unimpeded transport of cargo and persons along the Lachin corridor. While the European Parliament requested sanctions for Azerbaijani government officials in case they do not comply with the court’s order, Council President Charles Michel recently welcomed an Azerbaijani proposal to provide humanitarian aid from their side. This is a disastrous signal since it rewards Azerbaijan once again for its non-compliance with international law. Compliance with the binding ICJ order must be a precondition for any EU-Azerbaijan cooperation. Since the European Union does not exercise pressure regarding the court’s order, it is complicit with Azerbaijan’s inhuman agenda,” the MEP added. 

Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno Karabakh with Armenia and the rest of the world, has been blocked by Azerbaijan since late 2022. The Azerbaijani blockade constitutes a gross violation of the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh ceasefire agreement, which established that the 5km-wide Lachin Corridor shall be under the control of Russian peacekeepers. Furthermore, on February 22, 2023 the United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – ordered Azerbaijan to “take all steps at its disposal” to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.  Azerbaijan has been ignoring the order ever since. Moreover, Azerbaijan then illegally installed a checkpoint on Lachin Corridor. The blockade has led to shortages of essential products such as food and medication. Azerbaijan has also cut off gas and power supply into Nagorno Karabakh, with officials warning that Baku seeks to commit ethnic cleansing against Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh. Hospitals have suspended normal operations and the Red Cross has been facilitating the medical evacuations of patients.

 09:52,

YEREVAN, JULY 24, ARMENPRESS. President Vahagn Khachaturyan arrived in Italy on a three-day visit on July 23, his office announced Monday.

President Khachaturyan will have a meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella and other government officials. He is also expected to participate in the ECAM Council – Global Leaders today: multilateralism for a better future event.

The Armenian President started his visit with a trip to the San Lazzaro degli Armeni island where he met with the Mekhitarists and other members of the Armenian community.  He commended the invaluable spiritual cultural heritage of the Armenians in Venice, particularly Mekhitarists, which belongs not only to Armenians and Italians, but has a global significance.

Khachaturyan has also visited the Armenian honorary consulate in Venice.

 17:00,

BRUSSELS, JULY 18, ARMENPRESS. The Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament has adopted a report on Turkey which also mentions the latter’s normalization process with Armenia.

The report supports the Armenia-Turkey normalization for reconciliation, regional stability and security. The report welcomes the progress achieved so far and commends the Armenian Prime Minister’s attendance of the Turkish President’s inauguration ceremony.

The report once again calls on Turkey to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide and preserve the Armenian cultural heritage in Turkey.

The MEPs urge the EU and Turkey to break the current deadlock and find “a parallel and realistic framework” for EU-Turkey relations.

Unless there is a drastic change of course by the Turkish government, Turkey’s EU accession process cannot resume under the current circumstances, the MEPs on the Foreign Affairs Committee said in the report adopted on Tuesday (by 47 votes in favour, no votes against and 10 abstentions).

Urging the Turkish government, the European Union and its member states to break the current deadlock and move towards a closer partnership, MEPs recommend starting a reflection process to find a parallel and realistic framework for EU-Turkey relations. They call on the Commission to explore possible formats for a mutually appealing framework.

In the report, MEPs confirm that Turkey remains a candidate for EU accession, a NATO ally and a key partner in security, trade and economic relations, and migration, stressing that Turkey is expected to respect democratic values, rule of law, human rights and abide by EU laws, principles and obligations.

The report urges Turkey to ratify Sweden’s NATO membership without any further delay, and underlines that the NATO accession process of one country can in no way be linked to the EU accession process of another. Each country’s progress on the path towards the EU remains based on its own merits, MEPs stress.
The report welcomes Turkey’s vote in favour of condemning Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine in the UN General Assembly and its commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country, regretting that Turkey does not support sanctions outside the UN framework. Turkey’s alignment rate with the EU’s Common foreign and security policy has slipped to an all-time low of 7 %, making it by far the lowest of all enlargement countries.

MEPs commend Turkey’s efforts to continue hosting the largest refugee population in the world of almost four million people. They welcome the continued provision of EU funding for refugees and host communities in Turkey, and express their strong commitment to sustain this in the future.

Expressing their heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims of the devastating earthquakes of 6 February 2023, MEPs state that the EU should continue to support the people of Turkey in meeting their humanitarian needs and reconstruction efforts. They underline that European solidarity could lead to a tangible improvement in relations between the EU and Turkey.

The rapporteur Nacho Sánchez Amor(S&D, Spain) said : “We have recently seen a renewed interest from the Turkish government in reviving the EU accession process. This will not happen as a result of geopolitical bargaining, but when Turkish authorities show real interest in stopping the continuous backsliding in fundamental freedoms and rule of law. If the Turkish government is sincere in this they should show it with concrete reforms and actions.”

Turkey’s EU accession talks have been in a deadlock since 2018 due to the deteriorating condition of Turkey’s rule of law and democracy. The report will be sent to the European Parliament plenary session for voting.

Lilit Gasparyan

 10:03,

YEREVAN, JULY 19, ARMENPRESS. North Korea has launched two short-range ballistic missiles, which landed in the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, CNN reported citing a statement from South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

The missiles were launched from North Korea’s Sunan area, JCS said, and were fired in the early morning on Wednesday local time. After flying about 550 kilometers each, the missiles landed in the sea, it added.

JCS condemned the launch, describing it as a “significant provocation” undermining peace around the Korean Peninsula, as well as for the entire international community.

The launches follow a period of heightened tensions on the peninsula.

On Tuesday, a nuclear-capable US Navy Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine made a port call in South Korea.

Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and a senior official in her own right, said in a statement Monday the deployment of a US ballistic missile submarine to the peninsula would damage already fractured lines of communication between the two sides, CNN reported.

 18:07,

YEREVAN, JULY 14, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Khachatryan received Christine Weigand, Representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to Armenia, ARMENPRESS was infomred from the Government of Armenia. 

Welcoming those present, Deputy Prime Minister Khachatryan highly appreciated the role of the Foundation in solving problems related to the protection of children’s rights in Armenia, improvement of their health, education and living conditions.

Referring to the need for continuous improvement of the educational environment, the Deputy Prime Minister presented the ongoing and planned works of construction and repair of preschools and schools, as well as the re-equipment of existing educational institutions, emphasizing the cooperation with the Foundation in the direction of continuous improvement of the quality of educational services. The interlocutors also exchanged thoughts on the current legislative initiatives related to children’s rights, emphasizing the importance of cooperation in their development.

Deputy Prime Minister Khachatryan informed the guests about the humanitarian crisis resulted by the ongoing blockade of Nagorno Karabakh by Azerbaijan, specifically referring to the severe consequences for the 30,000 children living there. In this context, the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized the importance of the organization’s more active involvement in Nagorno-Karabakh in order to protect the rights of all children in accordance with its mandate and mission and to provide special protection for children in the most vulnerable situations.

Christine Weigand highly appreciated the effective cooperation with the Armenian government aimed at strengthening children’s rights, expressing confidence in its continuation in accordance with the priorities of bilateral cooperation.