Thursday,
Yerevan Announces Plans For Armenian, Azerbaijani Border Commissions To Meet At
Frontier Soon
The national flags of Armenia and Azerbaijan
The Armenian and Azerbaijani border delimitation and demarcation commissions
plan to meet at the state frontier between the two countries on November 30
after reaching a preliminary agreement on that, Armenia’s Foreign Ministry said
on Thursday.
The announcement came after Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry called on November 21
for direct negotiations with Armenia in a “mutually acceptable” venue, including
at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
Responding to that call, the Armenian side reaffirmed Yerevan’s readiness to
“re-engage in negotiations” with Baku to establish peace between the two South
Caucasus nations and mentioned a possible meeting at the state frontier of
Armenian and Azerbaijani members of commissions involved in border delimitation
and demarcation processes, something that it said Yerevan had already proposed
earlier.
The Armenian ministry stopped short, however, of mentioning the possibility of
direct Armenian-Azerbaijani talks at the highest level.
The commissions headed by the deputy prime ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan,
Mher Grigorian and Shahin Mustafayev, already have the experience of negotiating
at the border. The first such meeting took place in May 2022 followed by another
in July of this year.
An ally of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian in the Armenian parliament
told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service on Wednesday that Yerevan was still “inclined” to
hold negotiations with Baku at the level of the two countries’ leaders through
the mediation of the European Union, in particular, of President of the European
Council Charles Michel.
Sargis Khandanian, who represents the pro-government Civil Contract faction and
heads the Armenian National Assembly’s Foreign Relations Commission, explained
that such negotiations would be based on the main principles for
Armenian-Azerbaijani normalization, including mutual recognition of territorial
integrity and borders based on a 1991 declaration signed by a dozen former
Soviet republics, including Armenia and Azerbaijan, after the collapse of the
USSR, and the sovereign jurisdictions of the states over transportation links
passing through their territories, that he said were agreed upon by the parties
in July when the latest round of EU-mediated talks was held between Pashinian
and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
“Based on this logic, it is necessary to ensure the continuity of those
negotiations and continue meetings at the level of the countries’ leaders
through the mediation of the European Union, in particular, European Council
President Charles Michel,” Khandanian said.
Aliyev appears to have avoided Western platforms for negotiations with Armenia
after Azerbaijani forces recaptured the whole of Nagorno-Karabakh in a one-day
military operation in September, causing more than 100,000 people, virtually the
entire local Armenian population, to flee to Armenia.
Yerevan Says Rights Of Armenians Displaced From Nagorno-Karabakh ‘On Agenda’ Of
Talks With Baku
• Ruzanna Stepanian
Armenians fleeing from Nagorno-Karabakh after Azerbaijan’s military operation
were placed in temporary shelters in Armenia
The issue of the rights of the people who were forcibly displaced from
Nagorno-Karabakh is on the agenda of negotiations with Azerbaijan, Armenia’s
deputy foreign minister said on Thursday.
Deputy Foreign Minister Mnatsakan Safarian
“There was an official assessment of what happened, that is, that ethnic
cleansing was carried out as a result of Azerbaijan’s military operation against
Nagorno-Karabakh, and work is being done in this direction with international
partners. The issue is on the agenda and, naturally, it will be addressed in one
way or another during the negotiations,” Mnatsakan Safarian told RFE/RL’s
Armenian Service.
Armenia’s Foreign Ministry announced earlier on Thursday a preliminary
arrangement about holding a meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijan commissions
dealing with issues of border delimitation and demarcation at an undisclosed
location of the state frontier between the two countries on November 30. The
Azerbaijani side confirmed this arrangement later during the day.
The announcement came after Azerbaijan offered to hold direct talks with Armenia
in a “mutually acceptable” venue, including along the Armenian-Azerbaijani
border.
Armenia said it agreed to a meeting of border commissions, but stopped short of
mentioning the possibility of direct Armenian-Azerbaijani talks at the highest
level.
Asked whether Armenia was against talks without mediators, the deputy foreign
minister said: “There are issues where the presence of mediators is mandatory
and plays a very important role. For example, issues related to the rights of
the population forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh. The existence of
international mechanisms is important here. There are also other issues where
guarantees are important.”
The International Court of Justice issued a preliminary order last week obliging
Azerbaijan to ensure the safety of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians who fled their
homes and crossed into Armenia following Azerbaijan’s lightning offensive on
September 19, but now wish to return to the region that Baku has established
full control of as a result of that one-day military operation.
Pashinian Says No Mass Migration Of Armenians Displaced From Karabakh Observed
Armenians displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh receive first aid as they cross into
Armenia. Kornidzor, September 26, 2023.
No mass outmigration of Armenians displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh is observed in
Armenia, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said during his cabinet’s weekly session
on Thursday.
Pashinian said that “there was a rather disturbing number” of Karabakh Armenians
leaving Armenia in the first days of their exodus from Nagorno-Karabakh in late
September.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian
“We assumed then that in most cases people were just going abroad at the
invitation of their relatives and that they would later return,” said the
premier, stressing that the situation in this regard “has stabilized” now.
Pashinian described it as a major indicator that decisions made by his
government in relation to Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians are “having a certain
effect.”
More than 100,000 Armenians, which is virtually the entire population of
Nagorno-Karabakh, fled their homes and crossed into Armenia following
Azerbaijan’s one-day military offensive in September.
The Armenian government responded by providing the displaced people with both
financial assistance and housing relief. Those of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians who
did not have a place to stay in Armenia were provided with temporary shelters in
community housing. The government further allocated pecuniary aid to the
displaced people to help them pay for rent and utilities.
Still, Pashinian said then that of those Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians who crossed
into Armenia more than 3,000 left the country.
Talking about the positive effects of his government’s decisions, Pashinian at
the same time stressed that his words should not be interpreted “as if we have
completely solved the problems of these people.”
“At some point our policies towards our brothers and sisters who were forcibly
displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh and citizens of the Republic of Armenia will
become identical,” Pashinian said.
In his remarks today Pashinian also said that Armenia has set a new record in
terms of registered jobs – 730,000 in a country of some 3 million people.
“Around 183,000 new jobs have been created in Armenia since May 2018. And our
economic dynamics show that jobs will continue to be created as a result of the
full involvement of our brothers and sisters forcibly displaced from
Nagorno-Karabakh in the labor market,” he said.
CSTO Leaders Meet In Belarus For Summit Skipped By Armenia
• Tatevik Lazarian
Leaders of CSTO member states meet in Minsk, Belarus, on for a
summit not attended by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.
Leaders from five former Soviet countries that are members of the Collective
Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) met in the Belarusian capital of Minsk on
Thursday for a summit that has been skipped by their formal ally, Armenia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and
Tajikistan attended the events hosted by Belarus’s Alyaksandr Lukashenka, with
Armenia’s flag also flying at the Minsk airport and at the venue of the
gathering, the Independence Palace, even though neither Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinian, nor other Armenian officials have participated in the workings of the
summit that was preceded by meetings of defense and foreign ministers and
security council secretaries of member states on Wednesday.
Lukashenka said Armenia’s absence from the summit was discussed by the other
leaders during their meeting held behind closed doors.
“We will not hide the fact that we also discussed the situation in the Caucasus
and certain dissatisfaction of one of the CSTO members. We have come to a joint
conclusion that there have always been problems, there are and there will be
problems. But if we are to solve these problems, we should do it at the
negotiation table and not through unreasonable demarches,” the Belarusian leader
said, implying Pashinian’s refusal to attend the summit.
In an apparent jibe at the Armenian leader Lukashenka said that “only
fly-by-night politicians” can create a situation of conflict “by making a gift
to those who are not interested in strengthening the security of the CSTO member
states.”
“This is irresponsible and short-sighted,” he said, as quoted by local media.
At the same time, the Belarusian leader expressed a hope to see “Armenian
friends” at upcoming economic events in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Armenia drew criticism from Russia earlier this month after Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinian announced his decision not to attend the CSTO summit.
Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for Russia’s Foreign Ministry, chided Armenia
for what she described as veiled efforts by Yerevan to change its foreign-policy
vector in favor of the West. She said Yerevan’s decision not to attend CSTO
meetings was not in the “long-term interests of the Armenian people.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also lamented Armenia’s decision, but said that
Moscow expects Armenia to continue its work within the framework of the CSTO.
CSTO Secretary-General Imangali Tasmagambetov said earlier this week that
official Yerevan had asked to remove the issue of providing military assistance
to Armenia from the summit agenda.
Armenia had appealed to the CSTO for military assistance in September 2022
following two-day deadly border clashes with Azerbaijan that Yerevan said
stemmed from Baku’s aggression against sovereign Armenian territory.
The Russia-led bloc stopped short of calling Azerbaijan the aggressor and
effectively refused to back Armenia militarily, while agreeing to consider only
sending an observation mission to the South Caucasus country.
At the CSTO summit held in Yerevan last November Armenia declined such a
mission, saying that before it could be carried out the CSTO needed to give a
clear political assessment of what Yerevan had described as Azerbaijan’s
aggression and occupation of sovereign Armenian territory.
Explaining his decision to skip the Minsk summit, the Armenian prime minister
told the parliament in Yerevan earlier this month that the “fundamental problem”
with the CSTO was that this organization had refused “to de-jure fixate its area
of responsibility in Armenia.”
Earlier, the Armenian leader and other Armenian officials had said that the
Russia-led defense alliance’s failure to respond to the security challenges
facing Armenia meant that “it is the CSTO that is quitting Armenia and not
Armenia that is quitting the CSTO.”
Talking to reporters in Yerevan on Thursday, Armenia’s Deputy Foreign Minister
Mnatsakan Safarian said, however, that Armenia was not considering the
possibility of quitting Russia-led alliances, including the CSTO and the
Eurasian Economic Union, at the moment.
He also said that Armenia had no intention to raise the issue of the withdrawal
of Russia’s military base from Armenia.
“There are no such topics on our agenda at the moment,” Safarian said.
Armenia Signals No Intention To Quit Russia-Led Alliances
Armenia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mnatsakan Safarian (file photo)
Armenia is not considering the possibility of quitting Russia-led alliances,
including the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the Eurasian
Economic Union (EEU), a senior official in Yerevan said on Thursday.
Deputy Foreign Minister Mnatsakan Safarian also told reporters that Armenia has
no intention to raise the issue of the withdrawal of Russia’s military base from
Gyumri either.
“At the moment, there are no such topics on our agenda,” the deputy minister
said.
Armenia drew criticism from Russia earlier this month after Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinian refused to attend the CSTO’s summit hosted in Minsk, Belarus, on
November 23. Other Armenian officials have also declined to participate in
events held by the Russia-led defense alliance that also includes Belarus,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.
Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for Russia’s Foreign Ministry, chided Armenia
for what she described as veiled efforts by Yerevan to change its foreign-policy
vector in favor of the West. She said Yerevan’s decision not to attend CSTO
meetings was not in the “long-term interests of the Armenian people.”
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, also lamented
Armenia’s decision not to attend the CSTO summit, but said that the Kremlin
expects that “Armenia will continue its work within the framework of this
organization.”
CSTO Secretary-General Imangali Tasmagambetov said earlier this week that
official Yerevan had asked to remove the issue of providing military assistance
to Armenia from the summit agenda.
Armenia had appealed to the CSTO for military assistance in September 2022
following two-day deadly border clashes with Azerbaijan that Yerevan said
stemmed from Baku’s aggression against sovereign Armenian territory.
The Russia-led bloc stopped short of calling Azerbaijan the aggressor and
effectively refused to back Armenia militarily, while agreeing to consider
sending an observation mission to the South Caucasus country.
At the CSTO summit held in Yerevan in November 2022 Armenia declined such a
mission, saying that before it could be carried out it needed to give a clear
political assessment of what Yerevan had described as Azerbaijan’s aggression
and occupation of sovereign Armenian territory.
Explaining his decision to skip the Minsk summit, the Armenian prime minister
told the parliament in Yerevan earlier this month that the “fundamental problem”
with the CSTO was that this organization had refused “to de-jure fixate its area
of responsibility in Armenia.”
Earlier, the Armenian leader and other Armenian officials had said that the
Russia-led defense alliance’s failure to respond to the security challenges
facing Armenia meant that “it is the CSTO that is quitting Armenia and not
Armenia that is quitting the CSTO.”
Speaking in parliament on November 15, however, the Armenian leader refused to
be drawn into the discussion of whether Armenia planned to formally quit the
CSTO, nor would he speak about any security alternatives to membership in this
organization.
“We are not planning to announce a change in our policy in strategic terms as
long as we haven’t made a decision to quit the CSTO,” Pashinian said.
Armenian Mining Giant Denies Being Under Western Sanctions
A view of ore-processing facilities of the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine in
Kajaran, Armenia (file photo)
Armenia’s largest mining enterprise has denied being under Western sanctions or
having any of its shareholders who are weeks after the United States put a
number of enterprises owned by a Russian businessman linked to it on its
sanctions list.
In a statement released on November 23 the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine
(ZCMC) insisted that the businessman in question is no longer its majority
shareholder and that no international sanctions were currently applicable to the
company.
Sanctions targeting Russian businessmen over Russia’s war in Ukraine that
Washington announced in early November also included those imposed on several
businesses of Gleb Trotsenko, a purported close associate of Russian President
Vladimir Putin. AEON Corporation owned by the Trotsenko family was also
mentioned in the sanctions list.
Both Trotsenko and AEON Corporation have links with Armenia. According to
Armenia’s State Register, Trotsenko is the largest shareholder in the ZCMC,
holding a 40-percent stake in the company, which is based in the country’s
southern Syunik province.
It was due to Trotsenko’s acquiring the largest stake in the ZCMC and donating
part of it to Armenia that the Armenian government also became a shareholder of
the company in 2021, currently holding a more than 20-percent stake in it.
The ZCMC explained, however, that Trotsenko, who formerly did hold a beneficial
ownership position in the company, no longer retained such status “due to the
alienation of all his indirect shares in the Company on October 27, 2023.”
“Currently, there is no relationship between Mr. Trotsenko and the Company,” the
ZCMC said.
In its press release the ZCMC provided a link to the official website of the
State Register of Legal Entities of Armenia’s Ministry of Justice, according to
which Trotsenko’s name is absent from the list of the company’s shareholders.
The biggest shareholder listed there is Svetlana Ershova, a Russian citizen with
a participation size of nearly 48 percent. Ershova is known to have had business
links with the company owned by Gleb Trotsenko’s father Roman Trotsenko.
“The ZCMC remains steadfast in its commitment to transparent corporate
governance, and periodic publication of ultimate beneficial owners’ declarations
according to the Armenian legislation underscores the Company’s continuous
efforts to uphold the highest standards of business conduct,” it said.
The ZCMC was Armenia’s number one tax payer in 2022 and remains one this year.
According to the data released by Armenia’s State Revenue Committee, the company
contributed 52,4 billion drams (nearly $130 million) to the state budget during
the first nine months of 2023.
Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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