11:09,
YEREVAN, APRIL 20, ARMENPRESS. 15 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed over the last 24 hours, bringing the cumulative total number of confirmed cases to 422,799, the Armenian Ministry of Healthcare said.
No new deaths were recorded and the death toll remained 8,622.
18 people recovered (total recoveries: 410,503).
2,466 tests were administered (total tests: 3,023,341).
The number of active cases stood at 1,992.
15:14,
YEREVAN, APRIL 21, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan held a meeting with a delegation led by Jordanian lawmaker Khaldoun Hina, the Head of the Jordan-Armenia Friendship Group at the Senate of Jordan.
Simonyan attached importance to multi-polar partnership between the two countries and expressed hope that the visit of the Jordanian delegation will contribute to the implementation of joint projects.
The sides stated the necessity for developing cooperation between Armenia and Jordan, emphasizing the activity of the parliamentary friendship groups.
Speaking about Armenia’s readiness to establish lasting peace in the region, Simonyan briefed the Jordanian delegation on the situation that was caused after the 2020 war which the Azerbaijani-Turkish tandem unleashed against Artsakh.
The Jordanian legislators underscored the necessity for solving the Karabakh conflict diplomatically, through peaceful path.
Prospects of partnership between the parliaments were also discussed.
14:18, 6 April, 2022
YEREVAN, APRIL 6, ARMENPRESS. Member of the Russian State Duma, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) Vladimir Zhirinovsky passed away, Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said.
Zhirinovsky was 75 years old.
Armenia continues to believe that Russian peacekeepers will be able to restore the status quo, to restore the situation as it was on 23 March, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said.
His remarks came at a joint press conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, responding to a question about the incursion of Azerbaijani forces into the Karabakh village of Parukh.
“As I said, the peacekeeping contingent was deployed around Nagorno-Karabakh in order to ensure the status quo on the situation of 9 November, 2020 and to ensure the safety of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh. I repeat, we continue to believe that the status quo will be restored, and the Russian peacekeeping contingent will continue to perform its most important function, the most important mission to ensure the security of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh,” Mirzoyan said.
Documentary film series, screening Sunday, April 24
“Survive, Remember, Thrive: Armenian Traditions in Western New York” is a documentary video series celebrating local expressions of Armenian culture and heritage. The series is produced by the folk arts program at the Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University and the Buffalo Documentary Project.
A short film and five short videos will debut to the public on Sunday, April 24, from 2-4 p.m. at the Russell J. Salvatore Dining Commons on the Niagara University campus. Remarks about the project and a Q&A will take place following the screening. Light refreshments will be provided. Registration is required for this event. Visit armenianwnyfilmseries.eventbrite.com to make a reservation.
CAM stated, “The project preserves the traditions, memories and stories of the local Armenian community through a short film and video series highlighting local churches, oral history and family narratives, food traditions, family-owned businesses, artistic crafts, music and more. Documentation of local festivals and participants continues through the end of 2022, culminating with a final full release of an 11-episode series in spring 2023.”
The museum continued, “In the early and mid-20th century, Niagara Falls, New York, and the Niagara Region in Canada became home to many resettled genocide survivors. The Armenian genocide of 1915 resulted in a massive displacement of Armenian survivors and the formation of a significant diaspora refugee community throughout the world, including one that formed in Western New York. While families settled throughout the Buffalo-Niagara metropolitan area, the East Falls Street neighborhood in the City of Niagara Falls became the major hub for the local Armenian community in the 20th century.”
The Chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation for relations with the South Caucasus, MEP Marina Kaljurand, has urged the immediate withdrawal of Azerbaijani troops back behind the line of contact in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).
Kaljurand on Thursday held a videoconference meeting with Co-Chair of the EU-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Cooperation Committee Javanshir Feyziyev, she said in a statement on Friday.
“I shared my concern about Azerbaijan’s unprovoked military intrusion into Nagorno-Karabakh last week, violating the ceasefire agreement of 9 November 2020. I urged the immediate withdrawal of forces back behind the line of contact, in line with calls from all three Minsk Group Co-Chair countries,” the MEP said.
“I also recalled the European Parliament resolution of 10 March 2022 on the destruction of cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh and stressed the need for Azerbaijan to urgently allow the planned UNESCO independent technical mission to access the region and perform its work unhindered,” she added.
Whenever a country is sanctioned, there is always the question of the effectiveness of the sanctions. In the present case of Russia, one loophole of some significance is the EurAsian Economic Union (EAEU), of which Russia is a member. Being a member means that there are no barriers to Russia’s imports from other EAEU members. The other members of EAEU are Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.
Among those countries, Armenia is the only one that has an important trade agreement with any Western institution. In particular, its Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with European Union entered into force just over a year ago. Because the CEPA diminishes trade barriers for services as well as commercial goods, as well as simplifying the process of obtaining licenses, Armenia is the best placed member of the EAEU countries to help Russia break sanctions.
Mainly as a result of CEPA, Armenia’s foreign trade with the EU countries grew by almost a quarter in 2021 over 2020 to $1.6 billion, representing just under one-fifth of Armenia’s total 2021 trade turnover. As such, this creates favorable conditions for Armenia to become a bridge to Europe for the countries such as Iran and Russia that are under international sanctions. Armenia’s long-term and heavy economic, as well as military, dependence on Russia gives first-glance credibility that it would do this for Russia.
What other, more direct evidence is there, that Armenia might play such a role? First, there is history. A decade ago, Iran was already exploring the possibilities of using Armenian banks to circumvent sanctions against itself. Bilateral cooperation at the time was close enough for Yerevan to send Tehran arms later used to kill American troops in Iraq.
Bilateral relations have only grown more intimate since then. Yerevan has for several years advocated that the EAEU cooperate more closely with Iran. Indeed, government officials and the expert community in Armenia—the only EAEU member that borders on Iran—have repeatedly offered Armenia as a “bridge” between EAEU and Iran.
There is a legal and practical precedent that illustrates the means for realizing such a “bridge” role. In 2018 Iran signed an interim Free Trade Agreement with the EAEU, as a result of which Armenia and Iran have deepened economic relations. According to this preferential trade agreement, Iran and the EAEU agreed to conditions of a plan for duty-free trade in essential goods.
Just a few weeks ago on March 3, 2022, a high-level Iranian delegation visited Armenia, specifically for the purpose of deepening further the trade relations with Armenia by using it to facilitate access to the EAEU. The delegation notably included Iran’s Minister of Industries, Mining, and Trade, Reza Fatemi Amin. In Armenia, he met with the country’s Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan, Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan, and Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Gnel Sanosyan, among others.
The two sides agreed to launch new projects for the joint production of pharmaceutical products and household appliances. According to the agreement such jointly produced goods, manufactured in Armenia, will be exported to third countries. Russia, of course, is one such a third country and, like Armenia, an EAEU member. The goods would therefore not be subject to customs or border checks. Such projects as these new Armenian-Iranian joint enterprises represent a precedent—a “demonstration project”—for a system of breaking sanctions on Russia in other economic sectors as well.
The two sides likewise agreed on infrastructure projects in Armenia, such as road-construction by Iranian companies, and also reached preliminary agreements on a number of other issues. Not long before the Tehran delegation’s visit to Yerevan, the Russian media had circulated speculations about possible Iranian membership in EAEU.
What has this to do with Russia? Since sanctions were imposed on Russia, Armenia has become the destination of choice for Russians who are seeking to relocate their businesses, particularly in the information-technology (IT) sector. The Pashinyan government is easing all registration, bureaucratic and residential issues connected with the relocation of Russian businesses to Armenia. They are making every effort actively to lure their owners to Armenia. They have even published a guide for Russian businesses covering everything from physical relocation to crypto-currency transfers to apartment rentals to importing domestic pets.
Thus, for example, the Russian businessman and oligarch of Armenian origin, Ruben Vardanyan, who is on the sanctions list, has moved to Armenia. His business interests are in various start-ups and IT platforms. Vardanyan explained, in a March 12 public forum how the new situation creates new opportunities for Armenia and how Armenia can now become a “window” for many Russian businesses.
In the past, due to its favorable geographic location, Armenia has assisted Iran’s money-laundering operations and facilitated its access to international financial system. It is now well-placed to do the same for Russia, and is openly doing so, and is not hiding the fact. Armenia has become not just a “bridge” to Iran but also a “window” for Russia, helping both pariahs to circumvent sanctions. This behavior by Armenia began a decade ago with Iran and is now greatly expanding not only to Iran’s benefit but moreover, and perhaps even more deeply, to Russia’s.
Robert M. Cutler is a Fellow of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.
The views expressed in this article belong to the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect those of Geopoliticalmonitor.com
20:09,
YEREVAN, MARCH 28, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan received US Ambassador to Armenia Lynne Tracy.
As ARMENPRESS was inmformed from the press service of the MFA Armenia, the meeting focused on the situation over the incursion of Azerbaijani armed forces into the village of Parukh in Nagorno Karabakh, as well as the ongoing provocations against the civilian population of Artsakh and the deliberate disruption of the normal operation of vital infrastructure.
Appreciating the assessment of the aggressive actions of Azerbaijan by the United States, Minister Mirzoyan stressed the need to take active steps to de-escalate the situation, highlighted the need for the international community to consistently address the problem.
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14:13, 24 March, 2022
STEPANAKERT, MARCH 24, ARMENPRESS. Women in Artsakh held a peaceful rally in Stepanakert to make their voices heard by the international community, drawing attention to the humanitarian crisis which occurred after Azerbaijan deliberately cut off gas supply.
“….All international organizations should take clear actions pursuant to humanitarian principles, instead of making calls,” said of the women.
The demonstrators said that right now there is a humanitarian disaster in Artsakh and the whole world knows that Azerbaijan is the perpetrator.
They warned that Azerbaijan could exploit the situation and aggravate it even more.
The women said that the residents of Artsakh, the citizens of Artsakh are equally entitled to all the rights that citizens of other countries have.
“But the most painful thing is that there is no single organization, structure that could force the aggressor to stop its atrocities,” one of the demonstrators said, asking the international organizations to deal with the issue of the security of Artsakh’s population.
“None of us wants to leave their home. Let Azerbaijan understand this, the people of Artsakh lived here and will continue living here.”
The authorities of Artsakh said that the main pipeline supplying gas from Armenia to Artsakh was damaged on March 7 and the supply stopped.
The Artsakh authorities had said the area where the damage occurred was in Azerbaijani-controlled territory. It was reported that the Azerbaijani military deliberately damaged the pipeline.
The Azerbaijani authorities obstructed repair works for days. Only on March 16 the authorities in Artsakh announced that the Azerbaijani side itself began the repair work. However, days later, the gas supply was cut again. Authorities they have reasons to believe that during the repairs the Azeri authorities installed a valve on the pipeline in order to shut it down whenever they want.
Meanwhile, the population of Artsakh is without gas and heating amid freezing temperatures and snowfalls. The Artsakh foreign ministry described Azerbaijan’s actions as humanitarian terrorism.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry the current situation emphasizes the urgency of clear response of the international community towards preventing the humanitarian crisis.
On March 22 the Human Rights Defender of Armenia Kristinne Grigoryan and the Human Rights Defender of Artsakh Gegham Stepanyan issued a joint statement, calling on international human rights organizations to pressure Azerbaijan and eliminate its gross and continuous human rights violations against the Armenians of Artsakh.
On March 23, the FM of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan they utilized all diplomatic efforts to resolve the situation.
On March 23, the European Union expressed its concerns.
On March 24, Freedom House urged Azerbaijan to prevent humanitarian crisis and restore gas supplies to Artsakh.
Speaking on the gas supply cut-off, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the March 24 Cabinet meeting that Azerbaijan seeks to finish ethnic cleansing in Artsakh.