Author: Hagop Kamalian

Chairman of the “Strong Armenia” party, Samvel Karapetyan, is preparing to transfer the management of his business to his children. His speech was shown on the big screen during the “Strong Armenia” party rally in Freedom Square.

“Strong Armenia” party is going to the June 7 elections with the aim of winning. Together we are the force that will bring change. That force cannot be stopped. We must definitely win the elections. We are all ready to sacrifice everything for the sake of Armenia, while Nikol Pashinyan is ready to sacrifice everything for the sake of his seat. We will replace the fake hearts of CP with our Armenian, real hearts, and our heart is the Armenian Apostolic Church, Mount Ararat,” Karapetyan announced.

He mentioned that they need a big victory in the elections so that they can quickly implement the large-scale programs and changes that the Armenian people have long deserved.

“The power is in your hands, you start the change, and I will make it a reality. I am handing over the management of the largest Armenian business company I have built to my children, and I will serve my country and change the lives of Armenian citizens to a better future,” said Karapetyan.

He also presented what kind of foreign policy their political force will conduct.

“We will be strong in Moscow, we will restore damaged relations. We will be strong in Washington, London, as well as in Beijing. The regime has destroyed relations with the diaspora. Our political power can restore both the relationship and the confidence of the diaspora in the motherland,” said Karapetyan.

After the rally held in Liberty Square, the participants started marching through the central streets of Yerevan.

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Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev on his Telegram channel writes:

“Of course, no Trump and America will leave NATO. It makes no sense, and the Congress will not allow it. Trump rhetoric it is pure epitaph. Although symbolic actions, such as the reduction of American troops or refusal to supply something, are possible. That is not what is remarkable here.

It is obvious that there are strong contradictions within the Alliance, which were exacerbated by the Iranian campaign. And European political leaders, especially in Brussels, have seriously considered creating a full-fledged military component within the EU. And this changes the image of the world.

Until now, our rhetoric regarding joining the European Union has been restrained and calm towards all neighbors, even the border Ukraine. If you want, become a member. But now everything has to change. now the EU is no longer an economic union. It can quickly turn into a full-fledged military alliance extremely hostile to Russia, which is in some ways worse than NATO. It will be a disgusting collection of bigoted European parasites. And their task will be to earn political capital and, of course, money by inflaming anti-Russian hysteria.

What am I doing this for? That’s why. it’s time to give up the tolerant attitude towards our neighbors joining the military-economic European Union. Including: “404 country”.

This was already done by our President in a cautious way recently, hinting to a certain friend Vovaevich that membership in EAEU and membership in the European Union are incompatible…” wrote the former President of Russia.

Let’s remind that the other day during the meeting between Putin and Pashinyan in Moscow, the President of the Russian Federation had said“Russia is calm about the relations between Armenia and the EU, but Yerevan will not be able to be a member of two customs unions at the same time.”

Published by 168.am

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Differences between Turkey and Azerbaijan on the issue of Iran are changing the regional arrangements

US and Israeli aggression against Iran to the landscape The differences and contradictions between Ankara and Baku are becoming more and more obvious to international observers. It’s coming «the moment of truth», whose preparation has been going on for a long time.

Since the early 1990s, the two Turkic-speaking countries have declared a close alliance, but relations between the two countries have periodically deteriorated. For example, in 1995, Azerbaijan accused some Turkish citizens, allegedly linked to Turkish forces, of supporting a failed coup against then-President Heydar Aliyev.

In 2008, tensions resurfaced «football diplomacy» in the background, which was aimed at the regulation of Armenian-Turkish relations, in the conditions of the status quo, which did not satisfy Baku in Nagorno-Karabakh. The contacts came up again when Erdogan emphasized Turkey’s role in Azerbaijan’s victory in the 2020 “44-Day War” in several speeches. In Baku, they quite categorically rejected the Turkish hypothesis about Ankara’s decisive role in the war. However, from the beginning of March 2026, the conflict developing from below is qualitatively more serious.

The Turkish side, in contrast to the Azerbaijani side, is doing everything to end the conflict as soon as possible. Thus, according to the Bloomberg agency, Ankara is putting pressure on the Arab monarchies of the Persian Gulf so that they publicly and officially refuse to participate in aggression against Iran. of course The tensions between Ankara and Baku reflect a deeper mismatch in the views of Turkish allies on regional threats and processes, especially with regard to Israel and Iran.։ Some Baku experts they thinkCurrent trends may weaken the close ties between Azerbaijan and Turkey, creating an opportunity for Russia to strengthen its influence in the South Caucasus.

To remind, after the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei on March 4, 2026, Aliyev visited the Iranian embassy in Baku to express his condolences. For a number of reasons, he seems to have sought to avoid participating in the conflict. But literally the next day, Iran allegedly carried out a drone attack on the capital of Azerbaijan’s Nakhichevan autonomy, injuring several people. In response, Aliyev made a speech in which he sharply accused Iran, which caused a strong negative reaction in the Turkish mass media. Deputies of the Milli Mejlis loyal to Aliyev accused media outlets linked to Erdogan’s entourage of organizing a media campaign against Aliyev’s administration.

Turkish media criticism has ranged from emphasizing Baku’s close ties with Israel to pointing to the entrenched authoritarian nature of the government in Azerbaijan, an issue long ignored by Turkish authorities. Iranian reaction has been mixed, partly due to the extreme situation, including the deaths of many of the country’s leaders, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in bombings and terrorist attacks. Officials, including Iran’s president, have denied any involvement in the incident, while some pro-government commentators have called the strike targeted at its northern neighbor. Iran’s warning.

In turn, both the government in Baku and opposition figures used the drone attack to rekindle irredentist rhetoric against Iran’s northern territories. An analysis of sources closely intertwined with the structures of the IRGC, as well as the materials of a number of authoritative news agencies, indicates that Iran officially denies its participation in a number of drone attacks, including on the facilities of the UAE and Bahrain. Moreover, the technical identity of drones of different origin creates ideal conditions for all kinds of manipulations. Because the US ATSs, which are actively involved in the aggression imposed on Iran, are visually almost indistinguishable from the Iranian “Martyrs”, which is purposefully used in information warfare.

It is important to note that both Israel and Turkey supported Azerbaijan in the last Karabakh war։ Although the Turkish participation was more direct and decisive. Erdogan stood by Aliyev’s side in the victory parade, and Turkish military advisers played a key role in Azerbaijan’s success. Baku’s deep and multifaceted ties to the Netanyahu government, largely hidden from public and pundit eyes, remain almost decisive in determining all of Baku’s international policies.

Bilateral contacts, which began in the early 1990s, are based on a long-standing strategic partnership, the key elements of which are such directions as energy, defense, and intelligence. Suffice it to say: Azerbaijan is one of Israel’s key energy suppliers, providing a significant portion of its oil imports, while the Jewish state plays a central role in modernizing the Azerbaijani military, particularly through drone technology and advanced weapons systems.

Azerbaijan’s geographical proximity to Iran also makes it strategically important for Israel in terms of intelligence and regional positioning. Along with major Western economic players such as BP, Israeli chains are among the most important international supporters of the Aliyev administration.

This support is particularly important given the authoritarian image and vulnerability of the Azerbaijani government on the world stage. The multilateral partnership that is being talked about explains why ties with Israel are not only tactical in nature, but form the structural basis of Azerbaijan’s foreign policy.

In the current situation, Turkish pro-government media outlets express dissatisfaction more often, expecting Baku to show the priority of relations with Turkey over relations with Israel. As a result, there is not only a short-term divergence, but also a deeper structural tension within the long-term balancing strategy. While Turkey provides regional security, Israel provides international influence and strategic maneuver. However, the current crisis proves that it is increasingly difficult for Baku to maintain that balance.

The deepening of disagreements between Ankara and Baku may affect the regional balances in the Caucasus. As the US seeks to reduce its involvement in the Ukraine conflict, Russia may gradually shift its focus to the region. Although the US remains an important global player, its direct role in the South Caucasus may be limited.

Previous crises, such as the 2008 war over South Ossetia and the 2020 Karabakh war, show that Washington has shown little desire to directly intervene in regional conflicts, preferring indirect influence through partners. In this context, the weakening of the role of Turkey is not necessarily compensated by the strengthening of the participation of the USA. Despite the White House’s growing interest in the region and the much-touted “Trump Road,” the relationship remains fragile and largely conditional. Although Washington is interested in strengthening its presence in Central Asia, its willingness to act decisively in the South Caucasus remains uncertain.

Until recently, Aliyev maintained relatively constructive relations with Russia and sometimes used them as a counterbalance to Turkey, for example through close personal ties with Putin. As before, Turkey was afraid of a possible rapprochement with Moscow, its Caspian ally։ However, the situation has changed significantly. Recently, Azerbaijan has adopted a much more critical position towards Russia, in the context of protracted military operations in Ukraine, which avoids the further escalation of the conflict with Baku. On March 27, Russia’s Putin took part in the opening ceremony of the Azerbaijani State Music-Drama Theater after its reconstruction in Derbent. In April, another meeting of the Russian-Azerbaijani intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation will take place in Baku. Ambassador of Azerbaijan in Moscow Rahman Mustafayev talks about the active process of normalization and intensive restoration of relations, positive dynamics in all spheres, which are meant to smooth out the complications and misunderstandings of recent times.

International relations develop in an unpredictable manner. We live in extremely turbulent times when strategic calculations are being reviewed and reorganized. In such an environment, even improbable scenarios deserve serious consideration. The current tension between Ankara and Baku, if it escalates, may therefore signal not just a temporary rift, but a deeper strategic shift that could change the balance of power in the South Caucasus.

YURI MAVASHEV

fondsk.ru

Translation by Zhanna Avetisyan

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Tigran Abrahamyan, the secretary of the NA “I have honor” faction, during the briefings of the parliamentary factions today, referred to the protest action of missing and dead servicemen in the 44-day war, stressing that people demand to publish the report of the commission investigating the circumstances of the 44-day war.

“I myself had the opportunity to talk on various occasions with the relatives of the boys who were missing or martyred in the war, but the essence of the issue related to the topic is much clearer. After the end of the war, when the emotional background was quite high, the authorities promised people to respond through a report and name the guilty and responsible, give clear assessments. Now the situation is that that report essentially has the status of an archived one,” said Tigran Abrahamyan.

According to the opposition deputy, when the decision to create an investigative commission was made, the position of the “I have honor” faction was clear: the persons holding political responsibility and positions during the war cannot conduct a fair and objective investigation through any commission.

“Now it is a situation that the investigative commission has worked, arrived and reached a controversial point. Let me say right away that I got acquainted with the report of the Investigative Commission, there is a lot to say, but the confidentiality regime does not allow me to speak. But in every case, there are government promises that the report should satisfy the demands of the beneficiaries, but it has not fulfilled its promise,” added Tigran Abrahamyan.

He also referred to the statements of the current RA authorities, particularly Nikol Pashinyan, that during the Azerbaijani aggression of September 2023, “Artsakh Armenians did not fight” but “ran away”.

“In this context, I want to ask one question, which may or may not be rhetorical. If the people of Artsakh did not fight under the conditions of the aggression carried out by Azerbaijan in 2023, how did it happen that after those war operations, the commander of the Defense Forces who “did not fight” continues his service in the Armed Forces? This means two things: either Nikol Pashinyan is lying, that is, he is once again trying to manipulate the field through disinformation, or all those situations are favorable for Nikol Pashinyan, when people who, according to his assessment, are “runaways” enter the service in the Armed Forces,” Tigran Abrahamyan emphasized.

Details in the video of 168.am

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