Author: Kalashian Nyrie

Review of the Year: Azerbaijan takes the upper hand in Nagorno-Karabakh Access to the commentsCOMMENTS

Kalashian Nyrie
EuroNews
Dec 23 2020
 
 
Review of the Year: Azerbaijan takes the upper hand in Nagorno-Karabakh
 
By Manuela Scarpellini
 
Armed conflict erupted in the Caucasus in September 2020. It would last 44 days, leave more than 5000 people dead and redefine the map of the Caucasus.
 
It was over the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh: internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan, but controlled by ethnic Armenians since a separatist war in 1994.
 
Conflicting explanations of the outbreak
 
What provoked the latest conflict was a matter of dispute: there’d been clashes over recent years but not on this scale.
 
Two weeks into the fighting – the leaders of each side gave Euronews their side of the story.
 
“We regret that civilians are being killed,” said Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev. “And of course, we were not the source of this attack. They attacked our cities and villages and we had to respond. But our response is primarily is on their military positions”.
 
“We have not attacked anyone,” said Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. “Our actions and the actions of Karabakh are only for self-defence. We have not and do not have the purpose to kill anyone. Our only purpose is to protect the Armenian people from another genocide. It is a self-defence purpose.”
 
It was Azerbaijan who got the upper hand in the fighting – and Russia, traditionally close to the Armenians – who stepped in to stop the contest. In November Vladimir Putin brokered a ceasefire agreement, signed by both sides, in separate ceremonies.
 
“We proceed from the premise that the agreements reached will create the necessary conditions for a long-term and full-scale settlement of the crisis around Nagorno-Karabakh on a just basis and in the interests of the Armenian and Azerbaijani peoples,” he said.
 
Russian peacekeepers and Russian and Turkish observers were sent in to oversee the ceasefire, the construction of highways and the free movement of people. Territorially, the deal consolidated Azerbaijani gains: a part of Nagorno-Karabakh itself and three territories around it, taken back from Armenian control.
 
Pashinyan faces calls to resign
 
Azeris celebrated what they saw as a victory, but in the Armenian parliament, frustrations exploded.
 
Opposition anger was directed towards Nikol Pashinyan, who was labelled as a traitor and called on to resign.
 
According to the Armenian government, some 90,000 ethnic Armenians have been displaced by the conflict. In areas which have been handed over to Azerbaijan, they burnt their homes to the ground before leaving, to ensure they wouldn’t fall into Azeri hands.
 
The peace agreement has “frozen” the status quo but has certainly not resolved what is one of the world’s oldest conflicts.
 
The deal ratified the growing Russian and Turkish influence in the region. France, which has a large Armenian community and had a major role in previous negotiations, was sidelined.
 
 
 

Armenian Defense Minister visits brigade of peacekeeping forces of the Ministry of Defense

Kalashian Nyrie

Save

Share

 18:41,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. Defense Minister of Armenia Vagharshak Harutyunyan visited the brigade of peacekeeping forces of the Ministry of Defense on December 22.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Defense Ministry of Armenia, the Commander of the Brigade, Major-General Artak Tonoyan presented to the Defense Minister the organizationsal and structural paticularities of the brigade and the functions of the humanitarian peacekeeping missions carried out within the framework of the international cooperation.

Highly assessing the mission of the peacekeepig brigade, Vagharshak Harutyunyan gave concrete tasks to the command staff of the brigade, outlined the upcoming work priorities.

During the visit the Minister of Defense toured in the territory of the military unit, got acquainted with the conditions of the military unit’s barracks, weapons and classrooms.

Artsakh military “loses contact” with entire personnel of several positions in two villages

Kalashian Nyrie

Save

Share

 10:30, 16 December, 2020

STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. The Ministry of Defense of Artsakh announced in a statement that in the evening of December 15, in unknown circumstances, it lost contact with the military personnel of several combat positions of the Defense Army deployed in the direction of the Hin Tagher and Khtsaberd villages of Hadrut.

“Search operations continued during the entire night and today morning. With the mediation of the Russian peacekeeping contingent, active steps are carried out to determine the likelihood of the Armenian servicemen’s capture for launching necessary actions in the event of confirmation,” the Artsakh Ministry of Defense said. It said they would provide regular updates on the search operations.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Armenian FM meets with President of French Senate Gérard Larcher

Kalashian Nyrie

Save

Share

 21:01, 9 December, 2020

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Ara Ayvazian met with President of French Senate Gérard Larcher on December 9 during his working visit to France. The meeting was also attended by the First Vice President of the Senate, the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations, Defense and the Armed Forces, as well as the leaders of a number of political factions of the Senate.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the MFA Armenia, the interlocutors expressed satisfaction for the intensive political dialogue between Armenia and France based on rich historical-cultural ties and the sincere friendship between the two peoples.

Minister Ayvazian expressed gratitude for the adoption of the resolution about the recognition of the Republic of Artsakh by the Senate on November 25, emphasizing that it’s an important signal to the international community and reflects France’s unwavering commitment to universal civilizational values of human rights.

Referring to the symbolism of the resolution, the Minister emphasized its importance in the process of the recognition of the right to self-determination of the people of Artsakh and fair solution of Artsakh issue.

The Minister noted that Turkey, by actively supporting Azerbaijan’s militant aggression against Artsakh, bears responsibility for Azerbaijan’s policy of exterminating the Armenian people in its historical homeland.

Minister Ayvazyan drew the attention of his French colleagues to the disrespectful treatment, destruction and desecration of Armenian historical, cultural and religious monuments under the control of Azerbaijan.

In this context, the parties stressed the importance of the preservation of cultural heritage in the conflict zones and the active involvement of specialized international organizations in this matter.

The sides discussed the humanitarian challenges created by the Turkish-Azerbaijani aggression against the people of Artsakh and the steps aimed at addressing them.

An active exchange of views on a number of urgent regional issues also took place.

Putin, Merkel discuss situation in Karabakh

Kalashian Nyrie
Panorama, Armenia
Dec 7 2020

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday held a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Kremlin said.

The leaders discussed in detail the Nagorno-Karabakh developments. Vladimir Putin told Angela Merkel about Russia’s mediation efforts with a view towards a cessation of hostilities and the activities of the Russian peacekeepers deployed along the contact line and the Lachin corridor at the requests of Baku and Yerevan. It was emphasised that the consistent implementation of the agreements recorded in the November 9 statement by the presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan and the prime minister of Armenia facilitated the general stabilisation of the situation in the region.

The two leaders underscored the importance of resolving the urgent problems of the population that was affected by the armed clashes. In this context, they noted the need to involve specialised international structures in the work conducted by the Russia-established Humanitarian Response Centre.

Both leaders expressed their willingness to further cooperate within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group.

Armenian authorities insist on ‘de-occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh’ and the ‘right of its inhabitants to self-determination’

Kalashian Nyrie
JAM News
Dec 4 2020
Armenian authorities insist on ‘de-occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh’ and the ‘right of its inhabitants to self-determination’

    JAMnews, Yerevan

At the 27th meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council, Armenian Foreign Minister Ara Ayvazyan stated that the tripartite statement of November 9, signed by the heads of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia, is not the final political settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

According to Ayvazyan, Azerbaijan and Turkey consider “the situation resulting from the use of force, aggression and war, large-scale violations of international law, war crimes and ethnic cleansing” as a solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Meanwhile, Armenia condemns the use of force against the right of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to self-determination and insists that “the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh cannot be under the jurisdiction of Azerbaijan.”

As a substantiation of this thought, the minister spoke about the ethnic cleansing of local residents during the war from the territories of Nagorno-Karabakh seized by Azerbaijan, torture and murder of those who remained alive as a result of hostilities.

The Armenian Foreign Minister presented the assessment of the Armenian side of the situation that arose during the hostilities in Karabakh from September 27 to November 9 and after their end.

Below – how Armenia sees the further settlement of the conflict, and other main messages from the minister’s speech.

188 deputies voted “for” the resolution and only three – “against”. On November 25, a similar resolution was adopted by the Upper House of the French Senate. However, the country’s Foreign Ministry has already stated that it does not recognize Karabakh

  • Azerbaijan, with the direct participation of Turkey and foreign terrorist and jihadist fighters, unleashed a large-scale war during the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused even more dire consequences for the residents of NK and Armenia
  • During the 44 days of the war, Azerbaijan and Turkey neglected their international commitments and violated their OSCE commitments, despite numerous calls from the Minsk Group co-chair countries
  • Azerbaijan’s aggression was accompanied by numerous war crimes, including deliberate shelling of civilians and infrastructure, executions, inhuman or degrading treatment of prisoners of war and civilian captives, beheading, mutilation of the dead and other documented crimes with the aim of ethnic cleansing of the Armenian population
  • The actions of Azerbaijan and its allies set a dangerous precedent for resolving conflict situations in the OSCE area of responsibility
  • Azerbaijan’s aggression was provoked and supported politically and militarily by the Turkish leadership in its quest for the expansion of power in the South Caucasus and beyond.
  • Azerbaijan and its allies unleashed a war against NK, falsely claiming the legal right to use force, which is a violation of international law
  • Comprehensive conflict resolution and sustainable peace in the region includes:

1) the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, based on the realization of the right to self-determination, the security of its people
2) de-occupation of NK territories by Azerbaijan
3)safe and dignified return of the displaced population of NK to their homes
4) preservation of Armenian cultural and religious heritage in the territories falling under the control of Azerbaijan

  • An immediate and unconditional exchange of prisoners of war and hostages is required on the principle of “all for all”, the return of the bodies of the dead
  • Only a negotiated political settlement that respects the rights of all can bring peace and reconciliation to the South Caucasus region
  • Turkey must abandon its destabilizing policies and refrain from any action that could increase tensions
  • Settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict should be achieved through negotiations co-chaired by the OSCE Minsk Group
  • All foreign mercenaries brought into the zone of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by Turkey and Azerbaijan must be completely withdrawn from the region.

French National Assembly adopts resolution on urgent need to recognize Nagorno Karabakh

Kalashian Nyrie

Save

Share

 19:45, 3 December, 2020

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 4, ARMENRESS. The National Assembly of France adopted a resolution today on the urgent need to recognize Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh). 188 MPs voted in favor of the resolution and 3 MPs against it.

ARMENPRESS reports the resolution also records the facts that Azerbaijan thwarted the peace process by launching a military campaign and deployed terrorist groups in Nagorno Karabakh with the support of Turkey.

Last week the French Senate had adopted a similar resolution, urging the Government to recognize the independence of Artsakh Republic.

Ameriabank raises Tier 2 Capital from Symbiotics SA

Kalashian Nyrie

Save

Share

 16:04, 1 December, 2020

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS.  Ameriabank has entered into long-term subordinated loan agreement with Symbiotics SA for USD 15 million, with possible increase up to USD 25 million. The funds qualify as Bank Tier 2 capital instrument under Basel III framework and are aimed at strengthening the overall capital position of the Bank.

Ameriabank CEO Artak Hanesyan commented: “We highly appreciate the relationship with our partners at Symbiotics SA and are delighted to continue it with a long-term subordinated loan facility  now. The new funds will help us to not only sustain loan book growth but also provide much needed support to the Armenian businesses in these challenging times. The Facility arrives just in time, when the regulator encouraged the banks to attract capital by means of Tier 2 instruments, and we plan to raise more Tier 2 Capital still this year. This is also an important milestone en route to our IPO and I thank again our partners for their continuous support and trust in Ameriabank”. 

“Together with our anchor investor in this deal, C-Quadrat, we are glad to support our long-standing partner Ameriabank with Tier II capital alongside the global pandemic and look forward to jointly ensuring uninterrupted access to finance for the local micro – small and medium sized enterprises in this economically challenging period”, noted Sofia Tulupova, Symbiotics Co- regional Manager for ECA and MENAP. 

“For more than ten years, Vision Microfinance has enabled people in developing countries to make decisive improvements in their living conditions. This has become possible due to the successful cooperation with Symbiotics and the reliable network of local financial institutions that has been carefully built within these years. Ameriabank is one of the highest rated partner institutions in our investee network and we are glad that with this facility we managed to deliver a timely support to the bank that will further serve its goal of financing MSME clients of the bank in urban and rural areas of Armenia.”, noted Günther Kastner, the founder, Managing Partner and CIO of C-QUADRAT Impact Asset Management GmbH.

 

About Symbiotics SA

Symbiotics is the leading market access platform for impact investing, dedicated to financing micro- small and medium enterprises and low- and middle-income households in emerging and frontier markets. Since 2005, Symbiotics has structured and originated some 4,000 deals for over 450 companies in almost 90 emerging and frontier markets representing more than USD 5.5 billion. These investments have been purchased by more than 25 fund mandates and more than 50 third party specialized fund managers, forming a growing ecosystem and marketplace for such transactions.

symbioticsgroup.com

 

About DUAL Return Fund/C-Quadrat

The Dual Return Fund – Vision Microfinance contributes to sustainable development worldwide by working towards majority of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Over 1.77bn USD distributed in the form of 1123 loans to 303 different Microfinance Institutions in 67 countries, reaching out to an estimated more than 2,5 million micro entrepreneurs including their families.

www.visionmicrofinance.com

C-Quadrat Impact Asset Management, Austria, investment manager of the Dual Return Fund, is a leading independent asset management company in the German speaking region specializing in asset allocation, analysis and management of absolute return, sustainable investments and microfinance fund products.

www.cq-am.com

 

Ameriabank CJSC

Ameriabank is a dynamically developing bank and one of the major and most stable financial institutions in Armenia with clearly formulated digital agenda. The first investment bank in Armenia, Ameriabank is a universal bank offering innovative corporate, investment and retail banking services in a comprehensive package of banking solutions.

For further information, please visit .

France to promote protection of heritage sites in Nagorno-Karabakh

Kalashian Nyrie
Business World
Nov 28 2020

28November, 2020

by ANI

Paris [France], November 28 (ANI/Sputnik): French President Emmanuel Macron has reaffirmed its commitment to promote the protection of the heritage sites in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, the secretary of state at the French Foreign Ministry, said at a press conference on Saturday.

On Friday, Lemoyne arrived in Armenia to deliver humanitarian aid sent to the population of Nagorno-Karabakh by the Aznavour Foundation, Electriciens sans frontiers charity, the United Nations Children’s Fund and the Red Cross. During his visit, Lemoyne held meetings with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Foreign Minister Ara Aivazian.

“French President Emmanuel Macron has held numerous conversations with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and the representatives of co-chair countries of the OSCE [Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe] Minsk Group reaffirming his commitments. These commitments relate to various aspects, including the protection of the monuments of cultural and religious significance, a part of which, as we know, is located on the territory of Azerbaijan,” Lemoyne said.

According to the secretary, France has started to cooperate with the respective organizations on the issue.

Lemoyne said that “France has examined the November 9 agreement and, of course, stated that it lacked some terms,” adding that this political issue should be discussed within the OSCE Minsk Group format.

On November 9, the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan adopted a joint statement on the cessation of hostilities in unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh. The agreement on Nagorno-Karabakh resulted in the loss of some territories controlled by the Armenian-majority self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh and the deployment of 1,960 Russian peacekeepers to the region.

After the hostilities had ceased, Armenian refugees started to return to Nagorno-Karabakh, with Russian peacekeepers ensuring their safety. Russian engineer units have started to clear roads, reconstruct electricity, water and heating communications of social facilities and households in the region.

On November 21, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia expected UNESCO to take more efforts to protect the heritage sites in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh to promote peace in the region.

The Minsk Group was established in 1992 by Russia, France and the United States to promote a peaceful resolution to the deep-rooted Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. (ANI/Sputnik)

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article above are those of the authors’ and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of this publishing house. Unless otherwise noted, the author is writing in his/her personal capacity. They are not intended and should not be thought to represent official ideas, attitudes, or policies of any agency or institution.



Issue of NK status should be put on basis of negotiations with new intensity, new importance – PM

Kalashian Nyrie

Save

Share

 11:16,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. For the Armenian side the issue of the status of Nagorno Karabakh should be put on the basis of the negotiation process with new intensity and significance, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said during an online press conference today, asked what is his own point in the negotiations.

“We should analyze and form the agenda which we have today over the current situation, and we should serve that agenda, mainly focusing on the issue of the status of Nagorno Karabakh. The most important is that the people of Nagorno Karabakh should live in Nagorno Karabakh, and the issue of the status of Nagorno Karabakh for us should be put on the basis of the negotiation process with new intensity and new importance”, the PM said, adding also the humanitarian, communication, transport and other issues.

Reporting by Anna Grigoryan; Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan