Author: Garnik Tadevosian

                                        Monday, January 3, 2022
Jailed Former Defense Minister Warns Of ‘Surprise’ Revelations
        • Sargis Harutyunyan
Davit Tonoyan, a former defense minister arrested three months ago, pledged to 
shed more light on the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh on Monday as he continued to 
strongly deny corruption charges leveled against him.
Tonoyan warned that he must not be made a scapegoat for Armenia’s defeat in the 
six-week war.
“A visible desire to find the scapegoat is hovering, so to speak, in the 
political scene, but I think that there will be surprises in this regard,” he 
said in written comments to the press circulated by his lawyers. “One thing is 
clear: we are witnessing a fanatical desire to discredit me and the defense 
system.”
Tonoyan, two generals and an arms dealer were arrested by the National Security 
Service (NSS) in September in a criminal investigation into supplies of 
allegedly outdated rockets to Armenia’s armed forces. The NSS charged them with 
fraud and embezzlement that cost the state almost 2.3 billion drams ($4.7 
million). All four suspects deny any wrongdoing.
The NSS said in September that a private intermediary delivered the rockets to 
Armenia in 2011 and that the Defense Ministry refused to buy them after 
discovering that they are unusable.
Seyran Ohanian, Armenia’s defense minister from 2008 to 2016, confirmed 
afterwards that 70 percent of them were not accepted by the military during his 
tenure. The rebuff forced the supplier to store the rockets at a Defense 
Ministry arms depot, he said.
Tonoyan insisted on Monday that the ammunition did not go past its expiration 
and was successfully used during the Karabakh war. He complained that the NSS 
cancelled a planned test-firing of those rockets during the probe described by 
him as “not objective.”
Armenia -- Armenian army Sukhoi Su-25 ground attack aircrafts fire during a 
military exercise, September 11, 2015
One of Tonoyan’s lawyers, Sergey Hovannisian, also slammed the NSS investigators 
for not carrying out the forensic tests. He said they would have proved that the 
rockets are usable and the investigators would have had “no choice but to close 
the criminal case.”
The NSS declined to comment on that.
In an October 11 statement, Tonoyan’s legal team noted that he possesses “a 
great deal of information” about defense issues but is not publicizing it to 
disprove the accusations because he places Armenia’s national security above his 
personal interests.
Asked whether he thus sent a warning to Armenia’s political leadership, the 
former minister said: “Up until now I have maintained restraint in terms of 
getting involved in political processes … There will still be occasions to 
present to the public my clarifications about the 44-day war through an 
investigative commission to be formed [by the Armenian parliament,] provided 
that it works objectively and impartially.”
“As I said in my November 20 statement, I am ready to bear my share of 
responsibility. But only for what I did, and not for what I did not do.”
Armenia -- Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian speaks at a meeting with Defense 
Minister Davit Tonoyan (L) and top Armenian army generals, Yerevan, July 18, 
2020.
Tonoyan stopped short of openly accusing Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian of 
ordering the criminal proceedings against him. He blamed instead other, unnamed 
officials for what he considers baseless charges.
Pashinian appointed Tonoyan as defense minister just days after coming to power 
in May 2018. The latter was sacked in November 2020 less than two weeks after a 
Russian-brokered agreement stopped the devastating war.
Some senior pro-Pashinian parliamentarians blamed Tonoyan for Armenia’s defeat 
in the six-week war. The prime minister faced angry opposition demonstrations at 
the time.
Iran Backs Armenian Control Over Transit Roads
Iran - Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi addresses parliament. Tehran, October 30, 
2021.
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi on Monday appeared to back Armenia’s position in 
ongoing negotiations with Azerbaijan on transport links between the two South 
Caucasus countries.
He discussed the matter with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian in a phone call 
initiated by the latter, according to the Iranian presidential office.
“One of the key policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran is to support the 
territorial integrity and sovereignty of countries. In this regard, Tehran 
supports the sovereignty of Armenia over all territories and roads passing 
through that country,” the office quoted Raisi as telling Pashinian.
Armenia and Azerbaijan are to reopen their border to commercial and passenger 
traffic under the terms of a Russian-brokered ceasefire that stopped their 
six-week war for Nagorno-Karabakh in November 2020. The deal specifically 
commits Yerevan to opening rail and road links between Azerbaijan and its 
Nakhichevan exclave.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly claimed that it envisages an 
exterritorial land corridor that would pass through Armenia’s Syunik province 
bordering Iran. He said on December 14 that people and cargo using that 
“Zangezur corridor” must be exempt from Armenian border controls.
Pashinian rejected the demand voiced just hours before his talks with Aliyev 
held in Brussels. He and other Armenian leaders have since continued to maintain 
that Armenia must have full control over all roads and railways passing through 
its territory.
Syunik connects the rest of Armenia to Iran through mountainous roads used not 
only for Armenian-Iranian trade but also cargo shipments to and from other parts 
of the world. Armenia lost control over one of those roads after a controversial 
troop withdrawal ordered by Pashinian following the Karabakh war.
In September this year, Azerbaijan set up checkpoints there to tax Iranian 
vehicles. The move triggered unprecedented tensions between Tehran and Baku.
Some Iranian officials accused Aliyev of seeking to effectively strip the 
Islamic Republic of a common border with Armenia. Iranian Foreign Minister 
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian likewise warned in October that any “changes in the 
region’s map” are unacceptable to his country.
Iranian trucks stuck on the main road leading to Armenia, October 7, 2021.
Raisi spoke with Pashinian five days after his government decided to open an 
Iranian consulate in Syunik’s administrative center, Kapan.
Armenian pundits and politicians welcomed the decision. Vartan Voskanian, one of 
the country’s leading Iran experts, said it shows “just how important Syunik is 
to official Tehran in the context of Armenian-Iranian relations.”
Raisi on Monday hailed “progress” made in Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations 
mostly mediated by Russia. “We hope that other issues between the two countries 
will be resolved peacefully within the framework of international principles and 
law,” he said.
A statement issued by Raisi’s office said Pashinian briefed the Iranian 
president on the talks with Baku.
It also cited both leaders as stressing the need to deepen commercial ties 
between Armenia and Iran. An Armenian-Iranian intergovernmental commission on 
economic cooperation should take “big steps” in that direction, Raisi said, 
according to the statement.
A much shorter readout of the phone call released by the Armenian government 
said Pashinian and Raisi discussed bilateral ties and “processes taking place in 
the region.” It made no explicit mention of the Armenian-Azerbaijani transport 
issues.
Russia Upbeat On Armenian-Azeri Transport Links
RUSSIA - Russia's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrei Rudenko at a meeting 
between the foreign ministers of Russia and Belarus June18, 2021.
Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan are putting the finishing touches on a 
comprehensive agreement to restore transport links between the two South 
Caucasus states, according to a senior Russian diplomat.
The leaders of the three countries reported decisive progress towards opening 
the Armenian-Azerbaijani border to passenger and cargo traffic after talks held 
in the Russian city of Sochi on November 26. Russian President Vladimir Putin 
said a Russian-Armenian-Azerbaijani task force will formalize their 
understandings in the coming days.
However, the trilateral task force announced no agreements after meeting in 
Moscow on December 1.
On December 6, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev renewed his threats to 
forcibly open a land “corridor” connecting Azerbaijan to its Nakhichevan exclave 
via Armenia. He said afterwards that people and cargo passing through that 
“Zangezur corridor” must be exempt from Armenian border controls. Armenian Prime 
Minister Nikol Pashinian rejected the demand.
Aliyev and Pashinian met in Brussels on December 14 and December 15. They 
reportedly reached an agreement on rail links between their countries but failed 
to iron out their differences on the Nakhichevan road link sought by Baku.
Pashinian said later in December that he hopes for a “real compromise solution 
to this issue.” But he did not comment on parameters of that compromise.
Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko was asked about the possibility 
of such a deal in a weekend interview with the TASS news agency. He cited in 
that regard “important” preparations for the cross-border transport connections 
made by the Russian-Armenian-Azerbaijani task force.
“A single ‘package’ is being ‘polished’ [for that purpose] at the moment,” he 
said. “This approach will ensure the sustainability of decisions made.”
Rudenko added that Moscow is aiming for a quick “completion of the elaboration 
of the parameters of joint infrastructure initiatives.” He did not give further 
details.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed the matter with his Azerbaijani 
counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov in a December 30 phone call. The Russian Foreign 
Ministry said they “agreed to work towards the speedy and full implementation of 
the decisions” made by Putin, Aliyev and Pashinian.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2022 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
 

                                        Monday, 
Turkish-Armenian Talks Due To Start In Moscow
        • Tatevik Sargsian
Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu attends a news conference with his Lebanese 
counterpart in Beirut
Special envoys named by Armenia and Turkey will likely hold their first meeting 
in Moscow, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday.
The envoys were appointed earlier this month after the governments of the two 
neighboring states said they will try to normalize bilateral relations.
Ankara will be represented in the upcoming talks by Serdar Kilic, an experienced 
diplomat who served as Turkey’s ambassador to the United States from 2014-2021. 
Kilic’s 31-year-old Armenian counterpart, Ruben Rubinian, is a deputy speaker of 
the Armenian parliament.
“It seems to us that the first meeting of the negotiators will take place in 
Moscow,” Cavusoglu told a news conference in Ankara. “The Armenian side has 
expressed such a desire.”
“We want the two sides to have direct contacts before the meeting. The envoys 
were appointed for a direct dialogue,” he said, adding that they should work out 
a “roadmap” to a Turkish-Armenian rapprochement.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Vahan Hunanian, said in this regard 
that the two sides are discussing the possibility of holding the first round of 
Turkish-Armenian talks in Moscow. No date has been set for the talks yet, 
Hunanian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.
Russia as well as the United States have welcomed the announcement of 
Turkish-Armenian normalization talks. Yerevan asked Moscow last month to assist 
in that dialogue.
Ankara has for decades refused to establish diplomatic relations with Yerevan 
and kept the Turkish-Armenian border closed out of solidarity with Azerbaijan. 
It provided decisive military support to Baku during last year’s 
Armenian-Azerbaijani war over Nagorno-Karabakh.
In recent months Turkish leaders have made statements making the normalization 
of Turkish-Armenian relations conditional on Armenia agreeing to open a land 
corridor that would connect Azerbaijan to its Nakhichevan exclave. They have 
also cited Baku’s demands for a formal Armenian recognition of Azerbaijani 
sovereignty over Karabakh.
Cavusoglu reiterated on Monday that Ankara will continue to coordinate its 
Armenian policy with Baku.
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan complained last month that the Turks 
are setting “new preconditions” for establishing diplomatic relations and 
opening the border with Armenia. His spokesman insisted afterwards that Yerevan 
continues to stand for “normalizing relations with Turkey without preconditions.”
Kocharian Remains Cautious About Anti-Government Protests
        • Artak Khulian
Armenia -- Former President Robert Kocharian gives a press conference in 
Yerevan, .
Former President Robert Kocharian said on Monday that it is still too early to 
try to topple Armenia’s government with streets protests that were promised by 
his opposition alliance this fall.
Speaking at a yearend news conference in Yerevan, Kocharian also denounced the 
government’s “utter failures” in all key policy areas and the Nagorno-Karabakh 
conflict in particular. He joined in the chorus of condemnation aimed at Prime 
Minister Nikol Pashinian’s latest statements on the conflict.
“It is clear that if the prime minister says that since 2016 there has not been 
even a theoretical chance of Karabakh obtaining a status outside Azerbaijan then 
this is the position of Armenia,” he said. “This means that Armenia has washed 
its hands of Karabakh.”
Kocharian’s Hayastan alliance and other opposition groups blame Pashinian for 
Armenia’s defeat in last year’s war with Azerbaijan that left at least 3,800 
Armenian soldiers dead. The prime minister again charged late last week that the 
six-week war was the result of peace talks mishandled by former Armenian leaders.
Kocharian pledged to bring down Pashinian’s government “through barricades or 
elections” when Hayastan launched last month what it called a “nationwide 
resistance” campaign with a rally in Yerevan. The bloc, which has emerged as the 
country’s leading opposition force, has staged no further protests since then.
Armenia - Supporters of former President Robert Kocharian and his opposition 
alliance attend an election campaign rally in Yerevan, June 18, 2021.
The ex-president said on Monday that despite what he sees as a sharp drop in 
Pashinian’s approval ratings Armenians are still not willing to attend 
anti-government demonstrations in very large numbers.
“According to our estimates, that drop in the approval rating has not yet 
translated into a mass readiness for an active struggle in the streets,” he told 
reporters. “We believe that these people [led by Pashinian] will not give up 
power willingly. It will take mass street protests to oust them. Not [protests 
attended] by five, six or ten thousand people but mass protests.”
“We don’t see that conditions are ripe for that today,” Kocharian went on. “And 
this disappoints some of our supporters, who are ready for that struggle. They 
are ready to fight, stage sit-ins, do everything. But we cannot lead those 
people to such upheavals unprepared.”
“We are preparing for those mass protests. We are on that path,” he said, 
hinting that the launch of a protest movement is a matter of months.
Kocharian admitted that some Armenians have also lost faith in the opposition 
since the June parliamentary elections won by the ruling Civil Contract party. 
“We just think -- and we hope -- that our approval ratings can recover,” he 
said, adding that Pashinian’s falling popularity is irreversible.
Pashinian’s party won the snap elections with almost 54 percent of the vote, 
according to their official results. Hayastan came in a distant second with 21 
percent.
Karabakh Leadership Rejects Pashinian’s ‘Pro-Azeri’ Statements
Nagorno-Karabakh - The main government buildings in Stepanakert, September 7, 
2019.
Nagorno-Karabakh’s ethnic Armenian leadership has openly criticized Prime 
Minister Nikol Pashinian for making statements which his political opponents say 
play into Azerbaijan’s hands.
In televised remarks aired late on Friday, Pashinian again blamed Armenia’s 
former leaders for last year’s war over Karabakh won by Azerbaijan. He said it 
was the result of their mishandling of protracted peace talks with Baku.
He reiterated his criticism of peace plans drawn up by the U.S., Russian and 
French mediators since 2016. He claimed that they envisaged the eventual 
restoration of Azerbaijani control over Karabakh.
Pashinian further declared that “Artsakh (Karabakh) could not have ended up 
being completely Armenian.” “It was obvious during those negotiations that 
Artsakh is going to have both Armenian and Azerbaijani populations,” he said.
Opposition politicians in Armenia were quick to denounce the remarks. They 
claimed that Pashinian is not only trying to dodge responsibility for the 
disastrous war but also preparing the ground for Karabakh’s return under 
Azerbaijani rule.
Ara Harutiunian, the Karabakh president, also took issue with the remarks in 
rare public criticism of Pashinian.
“The people and the authorities of Artsakh will never accept any status [of 
autonomy] within Azerbaijan,” Harutiunian wrote on Facebook on Sunday. “There 
can be no return to the past in terms of not only status but also demography.”
Armenia - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian meets with Karabakh President Arayik 
Harutiunian in Yerevan, November 3, 2021.
He stressed that only the authorities in Stepanakert can speak for the 
territory’s predominantly Armenian population.
The Karabakh parliament expressed outrage at Pashinian’s statements in a 
statement unanimously adopted on Monday. It accused the Armenian premier of 
“distorting the essence” of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict and calling into 
question the very “existence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.”
The statement also insisted that peace proposals made by the U.S., Russian and 
French co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group in recent years upheld the Karabakh 
Armenians’ right to self-determination.
Pashinian rejected the unprecedented criticism in two lengthy Facebook posts.
Pashinian began criticizing the mediators’ peace plans shortly after the 
six-week war stopped by Russia in November 2020. In a January 2021 article, he 
claimed that their most recent version amounted to a proposed “surrender of 
lands” to Azerbaijan “in return for nothing.” The then Russian co-chair of the 
Minsk Group, Igor Popov, bluntly denied that.
NAGORNO KARABAKH -- Teenagers sit near the 'We are our Montains' monument in 
Stepanakert, January 15, 2021
Pashinian and his political allies made more such claims in the following 
months. In particular, parliament speaker Alen Simonian last month described as 
pro-Azerbaijani a peace accord that was drafted by the mediators and reportedly 
promoted by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in 2016.
A Russian Foreign Ministry official hit back at Simonian early this month. The 
official argued that the proposed deal stipulated that Karabakh’s 
internationally recognized status would be determined through a future 
referendum and envisaged firm security guarantees for its population.
“Once again compare those proposals of the co-chairs with the current situation 
and draw conclusions,” the official added, alluding to sweeping Armenian 
territorial losses suffered as a result of the war.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2021 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.