Author: Kalashian Nyrie

The press conference of members of the “Peace Bridge” initiative, who recently visited Azerbaijan, was held in Yerevan. The members of the Armenian delegation spoke about the humanitarian discussions, the state of communications and the prospects of changing public sentiments in the conditions of the complex peace process.

The fourth round of mutual visits has already taken place within the framework of the “Bridge of Peace” civil society initiative. The 20-person delegation representing Armenia visited Azerbaijan, crossing the demarcated part of the border. According to Areg Kochinyan, the head of the Armenian delegation, the preservation and expansion of such a format after almost four decades of conflict is a significant achievement in itself. He emphasized that the initiative does not aim to rewrite or forget history, but is aimed at forming new narratives and opportunities for the coexistence of societies. Kochinyan noted that there are no guarantees of the success of the peace process, but refusing to work in this direction guarantees that there will never be peace.

Naira Sultanyan, a member of the delegation, drew attention to the humanitarian block of the negotiations. The Armenian side has repeatedly raised the issues of the return of prisoners, detained persons and missing persons, declaring that the unresolved humanitarian aspects contradict the logic of peaceful settlement. The Azerbaijani side, for its part, expressed concern regarding the problem of mined areas, because of which hundreds of people suffered, and also raised the issue of missing persons from the war of the 1990s. According to Sultanyan, such contacts allow to listen to the nuances of the other party’s perception of problems and to work towards strengthening trust so that humanitarian issues are depoliticized.

One of the important aspects of the visit was the study of transport infrastructure. Political scientist Samvel Meliksetyan shared his observations on the state of logistics routes. He emphasized the sharp contrast between modern four-lane highways and high-speed trains in Azerbaijan and outdated communications in Armenia. According to him, the 300 km journey along the Azerbaijani-Georgian highway required less time than the 170 km through the territory of Armenia. Meliksetyan noted that long-term isolation and the status of a “closed country” had a negative impact on Armenia’s transit competitiveness. He also added that the issue of transport connection with Nakhichevan remains key for Azerbaijan, and the delay in the process of unblocking communications contains risks.

Delegate Boris Navasardyan summarized the results related to public sentiments. He noted that Azerbaijani colleagues in their society record a gradual increase in the proportion of people who positively perceive the process of normalization of relations with Armenia. It is expected that after the parliamentary elections in Armenia, the civil dialogue format can be expanded, turning into a cluster work, where field specialists (environmentalists, businessmen, economists) of the two countries will start direct contacts for the purpose of implementing joint projects.

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The Mother See of St. Etchmiadzin strongly condemns the inclusion of objectionable provisions regarding the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church in the pre-election program of the “Civil Agreement” party.

In the pre-election program of the party, fixing the forced agenda of reforming the Church, revising the charter, removing the Catholicos of All Armenians and holding new Catholicos elections is a clear violation of the constitutional order, the right of self-government of the Church, as well as international fundamental principles of freedom of conscience and religion.

With pre-election promises to continue the obviously illegal actions against the Church, once again the entire anti-Church essence and purpose of the ideology of the ruling political power is demonstrated.

The adopted illegal way of working is harmful to the nation and absolutely unacceptable. It contradicts the interests of our people around the world, threatens the foundations of the national value system and undermines spiritual security.

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On the initiative of the “Mendia Resources” company and the Union of Geologists of Armenia, the Professional Day of the Geologist was celebrated in Armenia under the title “Son of the Mountains”.

Heads of state departments, representatives of embassies, scientists, officials of partner organizations and specialists in the field participated in the event.

The main goal was to identify the problems in the sector and discuss ways to solve them through effective dialogue between the public and private sectors. Such cooperation, as mentioned, will contribute to making mutually beneficial and sustainable decisions.

Several memorandums of cooperation were signed during the event. In particular, between the Union of Geologists of Armenia and the Environmental Protection and Subsoil Inspection Body, between the Union of Geologists of Armenia and “Mendia Resources” LLC, as well as between “Mendia Resources” and the Canadian company “Hayasa Metals”.

At the end of the celebration, RA Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Asatur Vardanyan awarded geologists with many years of experience and significant contribution in the field.

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