Author: Garo Vardanian

 16:27, 3 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 3, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and his wife Anna Hakobyan were hosted by the President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife Elke Büdenbender at the presidential residence in Berlin.

PM Pashinyan and Anna Hakobyan signed the guestbook and then PM Pashinyan had a meeting with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, while Anna Hakobyan had a meeting with Elke Büdenbender, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a press release.

PM Pashinyan and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s meeting then proceeded in an enlarged format.

Nikol Pashinyan and Frank-Walter Steinmeier discussed a number of issues related to the Armenian-German cooperation.  The development of partnership in the political and economic sectors was discussed. In this context, the active partnership between the governments of the two countries was highlighted.

President Steinmeier expressed readiness to contribute to the strengthening of bilateral ties and underscored the importance of the reforms aimed at developing democracy in Armenia.

PM Pashinyan presented details on the institutional reforms process and said that democracy is of strategic significance for the Armenian government.

The ongoing processes in the South Caucasus region, the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno Karabakh resulting from the illegal blockade of Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan and other issues of mutual interest were also discussed.

Anna Hakobyan and Elke Büdenbender attached importance to the active involvement of first ladies in various directions.

The Spouse of the President of Germany attached importance to the development of the dual education sector and the programs implemented in this direction, presenting details on the steps taken in Germany. The Spouse of the Prime Minister of Armenia said that the My Step Foundation is also implementing projects in the dual education area. The important role of women in establishing and strengthening peace was underscored. In this context Mrs. Hakobyan invited Mrs. Büdenbender to attend the Women’s Role in Promoting Democracy, Peace and Security international summit which will take place in Yerevan this year.

 19:48, 17 February 2023

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 17, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and President of Iraqi Kurdistan Nechirvan Barzani met in the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Offic eof the Prime Minister. 

The interlocutors emphasized the continuous development of trade and economic cooperation and noted that the volume of bilateral trade turnover is growing year by year. In that context, the expansion and deepening of business ties was emphasized.

The sides also exchanged thoughts on other topics of regional importance.

 21:49,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan responded to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s usual narratives and fake claims, such as ‘there is no such administrative unit as Nagorno Karabakh, the word Nagorno Karabakh is no longer valid’, as well as about “destroyed and desecrated mosques”, and that the 9 November 2020 trilateral statement constitutes a “capitulation” during the Munich Security Conference panel discussion. 

The Armenian Prime Minister reminded Aliyev that the 9 November 2020 statement signed by Aliyev himself contains the wording ‘Nagorno Karabakh’ and cautioned the Azerbaijani leader against making highly dangerous statements that could be viewed as attempts to give religious context to the situation or deepen enmity. Pashinyan said the platform must be used to make things better.

“About Nagorno Karabakh, you know, President [Aliyev] mentioned trilateral statement, on that trilateral statement we have provision, and we have Nagorno Karabakh on trilateral statement and we have signature of the president of Azerbaijan under this document. And we have Lachin corridor that should be freely operable – and by the way according to that trilateral statement – out of control of Azerbaijan, and it is according to the signature of president of Azerbaijan. And recently you know, some Armenian children from Nagorno Karabakh tried to travel by bus through Lachin corridor and they were stopped, and some masked Azerbaijani persons intruded into the bus and children there were screaming and that was the last attempt of the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh to freely commute through Lachin corridor. President Aliyev mentioned ‘destroyed mosques’. You know, I would like to say that in 2017 in Azerbaijan several mosques were destroyed for building new roads. And president Aliyev mentioned that I don’t know how many thousands of mosques were destroyed, and by the way in the Soviet times in Azerbaijan approximately 1,560 mosques were destroyed, it was usual thing for Soviet Union. In Soviet Armenia, churches were destroyed, mosques were destroyed, and you know the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh shouldn’t pay the debts from Soviet times. And it is very important, it is a very dangerous narrative because I am afraid sometime there is an impression that Azerbaijan wants to give some religious context to this whole situation. It is very dangerous there is no any religious context in the conflict, and by the way in our country we have Muslim minority, in our country we have an acting mosque, and that is the reality. And you know the wording of Azerbaijan, what is concerning? Using the wording of such kind of almost offensive wording, ‘capitulation’ et cetera, you know from a side there could be an impression that now Azerbaijan wants to show – and that is maybe reality – that Azerbaijan adopted a revenge policy, and maybe that is the policy of Azerbaijan? But as it was mentioned we have very complicated history, I just said, yes maybe it is a historical meeting, but for what purpose we want to use this? For inflaming intolerance, hate, aggressive rhetoric in our region? Or in opposite, we want to use this platform for making things better, we think that this platform ought to be used for constructive purposes. Of course, we can now tell many stories of enmity. But what is the meaning of our leadership? To deepen that enmity? Or to use our capacities our authorities our mandates? I am proud that I have been able, that our government was able even after the devastating war to have free, democratic elections in our country that was worldwide acknowledged as free, democratic and transparent and competitive. And as I said, from our point of view the solution is democracy, the solution is transparency, solution is dialogue, respect, for all countries in our region. And we are ready to work in that direction,” PM Pashinyan said in response to Aliyev at a panel discussion alongside the Azerbaijani President, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and the Secretary General of the OSCE Helga Schmid at the Munich Security Conference, moderated by Chairman of the Munich Security Conference Christoph Heusgen.

Members of Congress Frank Pallone, Gus Bilirakis, Jackie Speier, David Valadao and Adam Schiff sent a letter to Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan marking the 31st anniversary of Artsakh’s Independence Day.

“We are pushing the United States government to take every available diplomatic action possible to penalize the Azerbaijani and Turkish regimes for their attacks in 2020 and their deadly actions that continue to this day. We are strongly urging the Biden Administration to commit meaningful aid to the displaced families from Artsakh currently in Armenia and to those who bravely remain in your country after these deadly attacks. This conflict demonstrates the dire need for international actors to pressure President Aliyev into halting his blatant human rights violations and return in good faith to negotiations. In addition, we recognize the importance of having the people of Artsakh directly participate in negotiations regarding the country’s territorial integrity, its international status, and its ability to secure a durable and lasting peace,” said the members of Congress.

“We remain committed to advocating for official engagement between the United States government and your administration, and we look forward to working with you to build on Artsakh’s transformation. Again, please accept our sincerest congratulations on this important occasion and we offer our full support to your country,” the lawmakers said in the letter.

While congratulating Harutyunyan and people of Artsakh on Independence Day, they said that the Armenian Congressional Caucus “offers our support and stands with your people as you face the ongoing challenges and threats posed by Azerbaijan with incredible resilience.”

Rep. Schiff issued a separate statement marking Artsakh’s independence anniversary. Below is the text of the statement.

Artsakh’s Independence Day is a time to celebrate the unbreakable spirit of the people of Artsakh, who 31 years ago declared their independence from the Soviet Union. However, as the atrocities of the past two years have proven, independence is just the beginning of the struggle for liberation – and the fight to protect Artsakh from Turkey and Azerbaijan continue to demand our full attention and support.
 
While Artsakh’s path has never been an easy one, the war waged by Azerbaijan over the past two years against Artsakh’s people, its cultural sites, and its sovereignty have tested the nation in unimaginable ways. Armenian soldiers continue to be killed, dozens are being illegally detained as prisoners of war, and thousands of innocent civilians live in fear of the next attack or invasion. The United States must take immediate action to hold the Aliyev regime accountable and condemn Azerbaijan’s unprovoked aggression.
 
Today, we urgently renew our calls for the State Department to use its diplomatic power to reduce tensions and show America’s unwavering support for Artsakh’s sovereignty. In Congress, I will continue to push for the immediate release of Armenian prisoners of war, robust humanitarian and economic aid for Artsakh, and a full prohibition on U.S. security assistance to Azerbaijan. These actions are critical to helping Artsakh enjoy peace and self-determination.
 
I will always stand with Armenia and the people of Artsakh, and look forward to the day when Artsakh can finally enjoy the international recognition it has been deprived of for too long.

 18:54, 1 September 2022

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. On 1 September 2022, the EU-Armenia Civil Society Platform established on the basis of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) held its inaugural meeting in Yerevan, the Platform told Armenpress.

The members of the Platform discussed the progress of implementation of CEPA, the position and role of civil society in the process, and the Rules of Procedures of the Platform.

At the end of the meeting the members of the Platform adopted a Statement, which stressed that with regard to the implementation of the EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement the CSP members:

1. Recognize the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement as an important milestone for enhancing the comprehensive political and economic partnership between EU and Armenia, based on common values and the desire to further strengthen the links and co-operation established in the past;

2. Welcome the full application of the Agreement as of 1 March 2021, and note with satisfaction the ratification of the Agreement by all parliaments of the EU Member States;

3. Acknowledge the efforts undertaken by the Republic of Armenia in adopting the Roadmaps for the implementation of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement; however, express serious concern about the slow pace in implementing the commitments undertaken by the Armenian side under the CEPA, and urge it to implement these commitments swiftly and efficiently with a view to achieving tangible results for the people of Armenia;

4. Emphasize that a broad and deep reform process is a precondition for Armenia’s closer relations and cooperation with the EU; in this regard, urge the Armenian authorities to step up their reform efforts to restore the trust of the people of Armenia and of the EU in the capacity of the Armenian authorities to implement profound reform;

5. Stress that respect for the democratic principles, the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms as enshrined in the relevant international human rights instruments constitute an essential element of the Agreement and undertake to keep the efforts of the Armenian Government in this area in particular focus of the Platform’s attention throughout its existence;

6. Acknowledge the progress made by Armenia in the protection of the Armenian citizens’ right to free and fair elections, still recognise that elections are only one pillar of democracy, and call on the Armenian Government to step up its efforts in achieving full-fledged democracy in Armenia, including through fostering and maintaining dialogue with civil society, employing effective mechanisms for meaningful public participation and ensuring integrity, accountability and transparency of elected and appointed bodies.

7. Stress that the most pressing reforms pertain to the judiciary and public administration, preventing and fighting systemic corruption, ensuring transparency, accountability, resilience and good governance in the management of public finances, improving the competitiveness of Armenian goods, and promoting active labor policies for productive and decent work for all;

8. Highlight, that for the promotion of the fair and decent employment, as well as for fair, just and inclusive economic growth it is imperative to ensure the full and functional implementation of the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work of 1998 1 and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the ratification and full implementation of the ILO International Labour Standards and international agreements defined by the Article 274 of the CEPA, and occupational health and safety. This shall include the improvement and strengthening of the social dialogue, including the collective bargaining between employers (and the government as employer) and the trade unions, effective cooperation and consultation between social partners during the initiation, development and implementation of the public policies, as well as the establishment of mechanisms to prevent and combat the violation of the rights of the workers’ representatives by the employers and state actors. Further steps to ratify and to improve the effective implementation of ILO priority conventions, for example by making labour inspection system functional;

9. Express a serious concern that the timeline for the approximation and implementation of the Directives regarding the Safety and Health at workplace has not yet been decided by the Partnership Council and calls on both Parties to the Agreement to set the mentioned timeline as soon as possible;

10. Recall that freedom of media is one of the fundamental human rights, furthermore, note that under conditions of hostile propaganda aimed towards discrediting the EU and European values, it is important to support media development to equip it adequately as regards its technical level, and its independence and informative performance;

11. Underline the need for the EU to step up its mediation efforts towards reaching a comprehensive and peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabagh conflict that will respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Armenia, the right of the Armenians of Nagorno Karabagh to self-determination and to living in their homeland without any threat to their lives, health and property, thereby bringing lasting peace and stability to the South Caucasus region as an important condition for the effective reform implementation and development of bilateral cooperation between Armenia and the EU;

12. Call on both Parties to the Agreement to create appropriate mechanisms which would render the benefits of the Agreement available to the people living in the territory of Nagorno Karabagh; commit to engage with the CSOs across the administrative boundary lines;

13. Stress that social and civil dialogue are important prerequisites for the effectiveness of reforms and welcome the Armenian Government’s commitment to involve and consult the CSP in the intended reform process; in order for the Platform to be able to bring a meaningful contribution towards it, invite the Government and the EU to identify solutions to ensure the necessary financial and logistical support for the sustainability of this Platform;

14. Recall that the Platform shall be informed of the decisions and recommendations of the EU- Armenia Partnership Council, and look forward to regular contacts with representatives from the Parliamentary Partnership Committee and the Partnership Committee.

Note:

EU Armenia Civil Society Platform is a body established under Article 366 of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement signed in Brussels on 24 November 2017. It enables civil society organisations on both sides to contribute to the implementation of CEPA by advice to decision-makers, monitoring of the implementation of reforms undertaken by the Government and raising awareness of interested parties of the CEPA and its implementation.