Author: Karagyozian Lena

Azerbaijani side fails to show up at planned negotiations – Armenian military

Karagyozian Lena

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 14:21,

YEREVAN, MAY 19, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani side did not show up to the negotiations that were planned to resume today over the resolution of the border situation which was created after Azeri troops breached the Armenian border on May 12, the Armenian Defense Ministry said.

The negotiations were scheduled for 14:00, May 19, and the Azerbaijani side failed to appear.

“Despite the earlier agreement, the Azerbaijani side did not come to the negotiations,” the defense ministry said.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Post-Soviet security bloc to discuss situation on Armenian-Azerbaijani border within days

Karagyozian Lena
TASS, Russia
After the end of hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone last autumn, seven districts adjacent to Nagorno-Karabakh came over to Baku’s control

MOSCOW, May 14. /TASS/. The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) will organize consultations on the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border within days, CSTO spokesman Vladimir Zainetdinov told TASS on Friday.

“The Armenian side has informed the CSTO secretariat about its inquiry sent to the CSTO Collective Security Council Chairman and Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rakhmon. The issue of organizing consultations is being addressed now. Consultations are expected to be held within days,” he said.

According to Zainetdinov, CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas had telephone talks on this matter with Armenian acting Foreign Minister Ara Ayvazyan and Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Mukhriddin.

Armenia’s defense ministry said on Wednesday that Azerbaijani armed forces had tried to carry out “certain works” in a border area in the Syunik Province in a bid to “adjust the border.” Following retaliatory measures, the Azerbaijani side stopped its activities and agreed to hold talks to settle the situation. Later in the same day, Pashinyan called a meeting of the country’s Security Council where he described the situation as an infringement of Armenia’s territory. He said Azerbaijani troops had crossed Armenia’s state border and moved 3.5 kilometers deep into its territory.

In a separate development, Armenia’s parliament has passed a statement on the “crisis situation in border districts” amid the incident with Azerbaijan.

The extraordinary meeting of the Nationals Assembly was broadcast live by local news portals on Friday.

“The statement on the crisis situation in border districts, especially Syunik, Gegharkunik, and Vyots Dzor Provinces, the existing problems, ways to resolve them, border protection and security problems was passed by 86 votes, with no votes against and no one abstaining,” deputy speaker Alen Simonyan said.

The statement says that Armenia has the right to take proportionate steps following Azerbaijan’s provocation against Armenia’s sovereign territory. It emphasizes that Baku’s aggressive actions violate fundamental human rights committed to paper in the United Nations founding documents.

After the end of hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone last autumn, seven districts adjacent to Nagorno-Karabakh came over to Baku’s control and the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan was moved closer to the Syunik Province. Territorial disputes between the sides arise from time to time.

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the highland region of Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory that had been part of Azerbaijan before the Soviet Union break-up, but primarily populated by ethnic Armenians, broke out in February 1988 after the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its withdrawal from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic.

Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27, 2020, with intense battles raging in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

On November 9, 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on a complete ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh starting from November 10. Under the document, the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides stopped at the positions that they had held and Russian peacekeepers were deployed along the engagement line in Nagorno-Karabakh and along the Lachinsky corridor that connects Armenia with the enclave. Apart from that, several districts came over to Baku’s control.

Armenia defense ministry denies media reports on battles in Ishkhanasar, Syunik province

Karagyozian Lena

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 13:14,

YEREVAN, MAY 12, ARMENPRESS. On May 12 early in the morning the Azerbaijani armed forces, citing “border clarifications”, have tried to carry out some works in one of the border sections of Armenia’s Syunik province, the defense ministry of Armenia told Armenpress.

Following the actions taken by the Armenian units, the Azerbaijani servicemen have stopped that works.

At this moment negotiations are underway for solving the situation.

“The media reports according to which battles are underway in the direction of Ishkhanasar have nothing to do with the reality. In case of such developments the defense ministry would be the first to make a statement. We call for refraining from spreading unverified, especially panic-spreading information”, the Armenian defense ministry said in a statement.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

No direct danger posed to Armenian quarter, patriarchate amid Jerusalem clashes

Karagyozian Lena

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 13:23,

JERUSALEM, MAY 12, ARMENPRESS. Amid the clashes in Jerusalem, the situation in the city’s Armenian quarter and the patriarchate is normal, with no direct dangers, according to the Chancellor of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem Koryun Baghdasaryan.

“The incidents are far from the Armenian quarter,” Baghdasaryan told ARMENPRESS.

He said the church ceremonies are proceeding as scheduled and nothing has been cancelled. 

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Armenian MP expresses gratitude to Latvia for recognition of Genocide

Karagyozian Lena

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 10:41, 7 May, 2021

YEREVAN, MAY 7, ARMENPRESS. Head of the Armenia-Latvia parliamentary friendship group Anush Beghloyan thanked the Parliament of Latvia for the recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide.

“As head of the Armenia-Latvia friendship group, I want to express my special gratitude to my colleague, head of the Latvia-Armenia friendship group Maria Golubeva who has also provided great support to the adoption of this resolution. We bow before and thank all political forces and members of the Latvian parliament who have voted in favor of the solution of this very important issue for the Armenian people in Latvia”, she said.

The Armenian MP stated that this process has taken place since 2018 and is a result of efforts of many politicians, friends of the Armenian people, political parties and the Armenian Embassy in Latvia.

On May 6 Latvia has officially recognized and condemned the Armenian Genocide in a resolution adopted by its parliament (Saeima).

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Armenia’s caretaker FM raises POW issue during meeting with Russian counterpart in Yerevan

Karagyozian Lena

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 11:49, 6 May, 2021

YEREVAN, MAY 6, ARMENPRESS. During an extended-format meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Yerevan, Armenia’s caretaker foreign minister Ara Aivazian has raised the issue of ensuring the return of all prisoners of war and hostage-taken civilians from Azerbaijan, the Armenian MFA told Armenpress.

Armenpress presents Mr. Aivazian’s remarks at the meeting:

“Dear Mr. Lavrov,

Dear friends,

I am happy to welcome you in Yerevan. Your visit is a good occasion to continue discussing broad range of issues relating to the Armenian-Russian inter-state dialogue. I hope we will discuss more relevant issues of the bilateral agenda, which are of strategic direction.

The allied nature of mutual partnership between Armenia and Russia predicts the framework of matters which we address jointly for the benefit of further strengthening of the friendship between our peoples and the development of our countries under the conditions of security, peace and stability.

The active political dialogue and the broad foreign political coordination, the large-scale legal framework, which regulates the partnership of our countries in all areas, including in the defense field, create all the necessary conditions for the success of joint efforts. We are interested in promoting the bilateral relations through the comprehensive activity of mechanisms such as the inter-governmental commission for economic cooperation, the inter-parliamentary committee and the military-technical cooperation commission.

During your visit we started the discussions on the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and will continue those discussions during the day. In this context the creation of conditions for the resumption of the peace process under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, in the person of Russia, France and the US, which have a mediation mandate, is important.

The most important issue is to ensure the return of all prisoners of war and hostage-taken civilians by Azerbaijan. And this issue must be solved as quickly as possible, which is evidenced by numerous facts of continuous mass violations of international humanitarian law. The creation of elementary conditions for the return of displaced persons to their settlements, the provision of humanitarian aid to the population and the restoration of Artsakh’s economy are also an urgent matter. The preservation of the historical and cultural heritage which has come under the Azerbaijani control is also a very relevant issue. I am sure today we will exchange views on our future actions, including the unblocking of transportation communications as envisaged by the January 11 statement.

We will also touch upon the latest regional developments, also in the context of pushing forward the interests and countering the common threats.

We will also discuss the cooperation in the format of multilateral and integration unions. Being a key sector for inter-state cooperation, it also includes additional opportunities and advantages for the development of the Armenian-Russian relations. As you see, the topics for discussions are quite broad and substantial. Therefore, I once again welcome you in Yerevan”.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Lavrov chides statements contradicting Karabakh agreements as not being alternatives

Karagyozian Lena
TASS, Russia
May 6 2021
Any issues, which might run counter to the agreements of the three leaders cannot be perceived as an alternative to what had been agreed on, the Russian top diplomat said

YEREVAN, May 6. /TASS/. Any statements running counter to the agreements between the Russian, Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders on unblocking economic ties in Nagorno-Karabakh cannot be viewed as an alternative to the current agreement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday commenting on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s remark on creating the Zangezur corridor.

“As for trilateral cooperation at the level of deputy prime ministers, this mechanism was created based on the decision of the Russian and Azerbaijani presidents and the Armenian prime minister following their January 11 meeting in Moscow. This mechanism provides for agreements that can be entirely voluntary, mutually beneficial and in no way imply anything other than diplomatic consent and solutions that would allow economic relations to be completely unblocked. Any issues, which might run counter to the agreements of the three leaders cannot be perceived as an alternative to what had been agreed on,” Lavrov told a news conference after talks with Armenia’s top diplomat Ara Ayvazyan.

The Zangezur corridor is set to link Azerbaijan’s mainland with Nakhichevan through Zangezur (Armenia’s Syunik Province). On April 20, Aliyev said in an interview with Azerbaijan’s state television that Baku would achieve the creation of the corridor regardless of Armenia’s wish and in the event of its resistance it would be ready to iron out the issue by force. The Armenian Foreign Ministry condemned the statement, noting that it dealt a serious blow to regional peace and stability. Moscow called on the sides to refrain from revanchist and militarist rhetoric, which “could again put the region on the verge of war.”.

Azeris destroy an Armenian cemetery in Taghavard community of Artsakh

Karagyozian Lena
Panorama, Armenia
May 4 2021

Azerbaijani bandits have recently desecrated the cemetery in the community of Taghavard (the upper part of Taghavard) in the Martuni region of Artsakh, which  passed under the control of Azerbaijan after the recent Artsakh war, Artsakh press news agency reports. 

The head of Taghavard community Oleg Harutyunyan has told the news agency that the Russian peacekeepers have been informed about this fact and in the coming days will visit to see personally what happened.

Turkish press: Azerbaijan ready to host trilateral summit with Turkey, Israel

Karagyozian Lena
 ANKARA DIPLOMACY 
APR 26, 2021 12:31 PM GMT+3
Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev speaking at the Turkic Council in the capital Baku, Azerbaijan, April 10, 2021. (AA Photo)

Baku is ready to host a trilateral summit with Ankara and Tel Aviv, Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev said Sunday.

“Turkey is a sister country of Azerbaijan and Israel is our strategic partner. We want our friends to be friends with each other. If the sides agree to such an initiative, then Azerbaijan will always welcome them,” Hajiyev told Israel Hayom, underlining that Israel and Turkey share similar interests.

“We believe that cooperation between them also serves these interests. Azerbaijan does everything it can to improve this relationship.”

Azerbaijan, which recently liberated its territories from Armenian occupation in Nagorno-Karabakh, used drones and other defense systems from Turkey and Israel that helped it gain superiority.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said last December that Turkey hopes for better relations with Israel.

He added that the “main problem right now is about individuals at the top” and that Israel’s “Palestine policy is our red line. It is impossible for us to accept Israel’s Palestine policies. Their merciless acts there are unacceptable.”

Relations between Turkey and Israel drastically deteriorated in 2010 following an Israeli naval raid on a Turkish aid ship, the Mavi Marmara, en route to deliver humanitarian aid to the blockaded Gaza Strip. The raid killed 10 activists.

The event caused an unprecedented crisis in the decadeslong peaceful Turkish-Israeli relations. Both countries even recalled their diplomatic envoys following the massacre.

In 2013, thanks to Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu’s apology to Turkey and the payment of $20 million (about TL 38 million at the time) in compensation to the Mavi Marmara victims, Turkish-Israeli relations entered a period of normalization.

Turkish officials, however, continue to criticize Israel’s policies targeting Palestinians, including illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem and the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Known for its unbreakable solidarity with the Palestinians, Turkey has been voicing support for the Palestinian cause on the international stage for decades. Turkish authorities emphasize that the only way to achieve lasting peace and stability in the Middle East is through a fair and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue within the framework of international law and United Nations resolutions.

Israel occupied east Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War. In 1980, in a move never recognized by the international community, Israel annexed the entire city, claiming it as the self-proclaimed Jewish state’s “eternal and undivided” capital. Last year, the U.N. called the Israeli occupation in Palestine “the longest occupation” in the world.