Author: Karakhanian Suren

Investing in health care to improve the demographic situation in Armenia

Karakhanian Suren
Aug 11 2023
  • JAMnews
  • Yerevan

Reproductive health program expands

Armenia will allocate another 500 million drams ($1.3 million) for the implementation of the reproductive health program. Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan explained “the need to raise additional funds by the extreme demand” for the program.

“The number of children born under the program was 31.6%, which is in line with the average for developed countries. In January-July 2023, 2,876 beneficiaries took advantage of the project,” she said.

The program to overcome infertility in Armenia started in 2019. Parents of military personnel who died during the 2020 Karabakh war can also use the expensive services of the latest reproductive technologies for free without age restrictions.

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According to the Minister of Health, in the first 7 months of 2023, 57 babies were born, of which 9 are in the families of fallen servicemen, and more than 300 women have become pregnant. Anahit Avanesyan said that the program can be used

  • all childless women under 36 who have been diagnosed with infertility for two years,
  • women aged 36-42 living in the border areas who have difficulties with the birth of a second child.

She said that it is planned to increase the coverage of the program by creating regional centers in the regions of Armenia, in the cities of Gyumri, Vanadzor and Goris.

Births are down, divorces are up, and experts are worried about what it means for Armenia’s future.

This is how the Prime Minister reacted to the message of the Minister of Health. Nikol Pashinyan believes that the program should be available to everyone who wants to have children. In this case the amount of work will increase, but, according to the prime minister, it is important for the country that more children be born:

“We have discussed this issue before, I did not record that we have set an age limit. If an adult wants to use the program, why do we say no, you have to be 36 years old?”

The Minister of Health replied that a professional discussion should be held on this issue, as there are “medical nuances”. Pashinyan stressed that this would be a politically correct decision, unless, of course, there are objections or “irresistible medical contraindications.”

The Prime Minister of Armenia said that in January-July, 540 more babies were born in the country than in the same months of last year. And according to the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, the first half of 2023 recorded the lowest death rate for the same period in the last 20 years.

“In addition, the highest level of natural population growth since 2015 was recorded, amounting to 4,467 people. That is, the ratio of deaths to births is positive,” Pashinyan said.

Previously this service was available only to soldiers, fallen soldiers’ families, and those living in border settlements; now even unmarried and divorced women may benefit.

As of July 11, 2023, about 1,500 couples have applied to participate in the infertility program.

The state budget for 2023 allocated 917.9 million drams ($2.3 million) for these services. The Ministry of Health reports that by June 30, the volume of work performed exceeded the budgeted figures by about 150 million drams ($390,000).

According to medical forecasts, by the end of the year, artificial insemination services will be provided to another 750 couples. It is reported that “the average cost of one in vitro fertilization is 1.42 million drams [almost $3,700].”

What do the mediators say at the talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia? Comparative analysis from Baku

Karakhanian Suren
  • JAMnews
  • Baku

Comparative analysis of intermediary statements

“Everything that we see on the pictures of the screens, the statements of politicians, the tweets of the ambassadors – this is all, of course, interesting, but the main thing is the negotiation tracks and the texts of the statements in Brussels and Moscow, where the leaders and foreign ministers of the countries participated,” political observer Farhad Mammadov says.

The expert analyzed points by point the statements made by the main mediators at the talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and President of the European Council Charles Michel.

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“So what do we have on topic:

⁃ The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan once again fully reaffirmed their respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the other country. Based on the fact that the territory of Armenia is 29,800 km2, and the territory of Azerbaijan is 86,600 km2.

⁃ The most sensitive of them was and remains the problem of guaranteeing the rights and security of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh in the context of ensuring the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan in full accordance with the 1991 Declaration signed by the leaders of the former Soviet republics in Alma-Ata. Its effectiveness has been confirmed today by both the Azerbaijani and Armenian leadership. In accordance with this, work on a peace treaty is being built.

Lavrov said following the talks that the regional agenda was discussed, “primarily related to the situation in and around Nagorno-Karabakh”

⁃ Both leaders reaffirmed their unconditional commitment to the 1991 Almaty Declaration as the political basis for border delimitation. I welcomed the meeting of the two border commissions.

⁃ We paid special attention to the issues of delimitation, which are closely related to the entire set of problems under discussion, and the issues of the early conclusion of a peace treaty between Baku and Yerevan.

Here the EU has the mark of 1991 and the emphasis on the bilateral format, while Russia has the context of a peace treaty. And there is no reference to the maps of 1975, which Armenia insisted on.

⁃ We have discussed the terms of future transport agreements that will respect the principles of sovereignty, jurisdiction and reciprocity. The construction of the railway connection must be undertaken immediately. The EU would be ready to make a financial contribution.

⁃ The closest result at this stage is the achievement of an agreement in a trilateral working group headed by three vice-premiers who are engaged in agreeing on specific issues of unblocking transport communications in the region. In this context, prospects for the implementation of promising projects in the transport sector will also open up.

The most interesting thing is that the EU “immediately” has funding, sovereignty, while Lavrov has an emphasis on the trilateral format, that is, the functionality of Russia on the territory of Armenia.

⁃ The current state of affairs is clearly unsustainable. I stressed the need to open the Lachin road. I also noted Azerbaijan’s readiness to deliver humanitarian aid through Aghdam. I consider both options important and encourage humanitarian deliveries from both sides to ensure that the needs of the population are met. I also welcomed the ICRC’s resumption of medical evacuations.

⁃ We outlined to our interlocutors the assessments of the Russian side, taking into account the reports made by the Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh, on the steps that it is highly desirable to take promptly, without delay in the interests of providing the population of Karabakh with food, medicine, basic necessities, ensuring uninterrupted electricity and gas supply. This is in the interests of ordinary people, Armenians, residents of the region.

The EU mentions both routes, separately opening the Lachin road specifically, Lavrov does not mention the Lachin road. Both do not have the resource provision imperative through Armenia.

The President of Azerbaijan commented on the situation between official Baku and the Armenian population of Karabakh

⁃ Local people need reassurance, first of all regarding their rights and security. In this context, I expressed the EU’s encouragement for a direct dialogue between Baku and representatives of the Armenians living in the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region. This dialogue should provide much-needed trust for all involved.

⁃ The most sensitive of them was and remains the problem of guaranteeing the rights and security of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh in the context of ensuring the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan in full accordance with the 1991 Declaration signed by the leaders of the former Soviet republics in Alma-Ata. Its effectiveness has been confirmed today by both the Azerbaijani and Armenian leadership. In accordance with this, work on a peace treaty is being built. The Armenian side understands the need to convince the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh to meet as soon as possible with Azerbaijani representatives to agree on the rights arising from the relevant legislation and from international obligations (in this case, Azerbaijan), including numerous conventions on ensuring the rights of national minorities.

⁃ The Azerbaijani side is ready to provide the same guarantees on a reciprocal basis with respect to persons living on its territory. Armenians are ready to do the same with respect to the application of all conventions to citizens residing in the Republic of Armenia.

Both statements do not (!) require the international format of the dialogue between Baku and the Armenians of Karabakh. Lavrov has detailed rights and security within the legal field of Azerbaijan.

⁃ We also discussed the issue of detainees. The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the gentleman’s understanding that the release of soldiers who inadvertently switch sides will be facilitated.

Sergei Lavrov did not comment on this.

Thus, the negotiation tracks, in principle, meet the expectations of Azerbaijan and create a favorable basis for progress. And the provocation with trucks is just the reaction of the Armenian leadership to the failure of their negotiating positions,” Mammadov concluded.

https://jam-news.net/what-do-the-mediators-say-at-the-talks-between-azerbaijan-and-armenia-comparative-analysis-from-baku/

Armenia, Azerbaijan Yet To Agree On Border Demarcation Map – Yerevan

Karakhanian Suren
UrduPoint

 Sumaira FH  Published | 06:56 PM

Yerevan and Baku failed to reach an agreement on a map to be used in the demarcation process at the fourth meeting of the commission on the delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the office of Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan said on Wednesday

YEREVAN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik – 19th July, 2023) Yerevan and Baku failed to reach an agreement on a map to be used in the demarcation process at the fourth meeting of the commission on the delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the office of Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan said on Wednesday.

The fourth meeting of the commission was held on July 12, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said. It was co-chaired by Grigoryan and his Azerbaijani counterpart, Shahin Mustafayev. The ministry noted that Grigoryan and Mustafayev, taking into account the agreements reached at the level of the heads of state, continued to discuss the issue of delimitation and addressed several organizational and procedural issues.

“There has not been any decision on any map. The Armenian Foreign Ministry has already published an official statement on the issues under discussion,” the deputy prime minister’s office was quoted as saying by Armenian news agency Pastinfo.

Grigoryan’s office added that the date and place of the next meeting were unknown.

In 2022, Yerevan and Baku, mediated by Russia, the United States and the European Union, began discussing a future peace treaty. In May 2023, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Yerevan was ready to recognize Azerbaijan’s 86,600-square-kilometer (33,430-square-mile) territorial integrity, which includes Nagorno-Karabakh. In late May, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that if Armenia does not change its position on the issue, Baku and Yerevan could sign a peace treaty in the near future.

https://www.urdupoint.com/en/world/armenia-azerbaijan-yet-to-agree-on-border-de-1725681.html

Turkish Consul General to L.A. Lobbies Elected Officials to Ignore Armenian-American Concerns

Karakhanian Suren
by Contributor

 

 

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Community, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

Turkish Consul General to Los Angeles, Sinan Kuzum, in June, disseminated a letter to California lawmakers in an attempt to highlight “positive developments in the Turkish and Armenian relationship,” referring to the ongoing negotiations between Armenia and Turkey, and the participation of Armenia’s Prime Minister in the inauguration of Turkey’s President.

In his inflammatory letter, Kuzum accused the Armenian Diaspora in Los Angeles of attempting to hamper the goodwill and spirit of peaceful negotiations between Armenia and Turkey, urging lawmakers to be mindful of the ongoing negotiations before they speak on matters concerning Armenian-Turkish relations.
 
The Turkish Consul General’s letter is just the latest example of the Turkish government’s efforts to silence the Armenian diaspora’s voice and effectiveness in advocating for a just US foreign policy in the region. Furthermore, the consul general’s letter is indicative of a larger problem that should be of grave concern to Americans and policymakers alike–a foreign principal actively engaged in efforts to bend local, state, and federal policymakers to the will of a foreign country, in direct conflict with their constituents’ interests and needs.
 
The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region responded to the Turkish Consul General’s letter, condemning their deception and distortion of facts. The Turkish government has a long history of denying the Armenian Genocide and, more recently, supplied Azerbaijan with weaponry and personnel during the 2020 Artsakh War. 
 
“The Turkish Consul General’s letter is a desperate attempt to deflect attention away from the Turkish government’s own obstructionism on the path to normalization of relations,” said ANCA – Western Region Board Chair Nora Hovsepian Esq.

“Whitewashing its history of genocide and human rights violations is nothing new for Turkey. We will continue to hold the Turkish government accountable until it fulfills its historical obligations to the Armenian people. The Armenian diaspora will not be silenced, and we will continue to fight for justice for the Armenian Genocide and the crimes Turkey has been actively committing against Armenia, Artsakh, and the Diaspora as a whole. We trust that our elected officials will continue to prioritize the concerns of their own Armenian-American constituents over the shameless lobbying of a foreign government trying to dismiss those legitimate concerns,” added Hovsepian. 

The Armenian National Committee of America Western Region is the largest and most influential Armenian-American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.


US Department Of State Believes Armenia, Azerbaijan Narrowed Differences On Peace Deal

Karakhanian Suren
URDUPOINT

 Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir)  Published | 07:18 PM

The US Department of State believes that a peace pact between Armenia and Azerbaijan is “within reach” after they narrowed the number of issues that remain to be resolved, Spokesperson Matthew Miller said

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik – 13th July, 2023) The US Department of State believes that a peace pact between Armenia and Azerbaijan is “within reach” after they narrowed the number of issues that remain to be resolved, Spokesperson Matthew Miller said.

Miller was asked Wednesday to clarify what his Department meant by saying that “the peace is within reach,” “agreement is within reach” following the June talks between the foreign ministers of the two rival nations in Arlington.

“We have meant when we say it’s within reach is that they have made significant progress on a number of issues. Even in the last meeting, they narrowed the number of issues that remain unresolved,” he told a news briefing.

“And so we think with a dwindling number of issues to resolve, the agreement’s within reach, but that involves � that of course would involve both parties being willing to compromise,” Miller added.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke separately with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan this week to express continued US support for the Armenia-Azerbaijan talks and stress the need to keep up the positive momentum toward a durable peace in the South Caucasus.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought two wars over Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian-majority region wedged in between the two countries where both have a military presence. The decades-long conflict reignited in fall 2020, marking the worst escalation since the 1990s. Hostilities ended in a Russia-brokered ceasefire and deployment of Russian peacekeepers to the region.

https://www.urdupoint.com/en/world/us-department-of-state-believes-armenia-azer-1722905.html

Armenian Airline Operates First Flight to IKIA

Karakhanian Suren
Financial Tribune, Iran

Fly Arna Airlines operated its first flight from Armenia to Imam Khomeini International Airport on July 11, according to Mohammad Reza Fardi, the acting deputy head of Imam Khomeini International Airport.

Fardi added that the airline will operate the flights twice a week.

Fly Arna is the third Armenian airline that operates flights from Armenia to IKIA, the news portal of the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development reported.

https://financialtribune.com/articles/domestic-economy/119153/armenian-airline-operates-first-flight-to-ikia

Armenpress: The criminal prosecution of kidnapped Armenian servicemen by Azerbaijan is a gross violation of international law. HRD

Karakhanian Suren

 17:48, 8 July 2023

YEREVAN, JULY 8, ARMENPRESS. Armenian human rights defender Anahit Manasyan issued a statement regarding the condemnation of two Armenian servicemen captured from the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia by the armed forces of Azerbaijan. “Armenpress” presents the statement of the human rights defender of RA.
“The court on grave crimes in Azerbaijan has convicted two Armenian servicemen who were ambushed and captured by the Azerbaijani armed forces in the sovereign territory of Armenia. They have been found guilty of allegedly violating various articles of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan and have been sentenced to 11 years and 6 months of imprisonment.
According to the information received from the parents and relatives of the two servicemen of the Armenian Armed Forces, Mr. Karen Ashot Ghazaryan (conscript) and Harutyun Yurik Hovakimyan (contract serviceman) were captured by the Azerbaijani armed forces on May 26, 2023, in the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia.
According to the information registered by the Human Rights Defender’s Office, they were transferring nutrition and water supplies to the combat positions of the Armenian Armed Forces and were captured by the Azerbaijani side in the middle of the combat positions located between the Chakaten and Shikahogh villages of the Republic of Armenia.
The Human Rights Defender, Ms. Anahit Manasyan, emphasizes that the information registered by the Human Rights Defender’s Office shows that the actions of the Azerbaijani authorities in capturing Armenian servicemen from the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia, then charging them with false charges and subjecting to an unfair trial constitute a gross violation of international law, international human rights law, and international humanitarian law. These actions are contrary to the Charter of the United Nations, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the requirements of international humanitarian law, including the Third Geneva Convention.
The Human Rights Defender specifically highlights that Armenian servicemen illegally kept in Azerbaijan should have the status of Prisoners of War, and their detention, criminal prosecution, and proceedings are gross violations of international humanitarian law.
These servicemen were taken captive in the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia during an incessant armed conflict. International humanitarian law is warranted in such situations, regardless of the reasons or intensity of the confrontation.
Moreover, the policy of Armenophobia propagated by the Azerbaijani authorities further confirms the unlawfulness of the criminal proceedings. It is evident that the fundamental rights of the Armenian prisoners of war are endangered in these circumstances.
The Human Rights Defender highlights that the Armenian captives still held in Azerbaijan are exposed to a constant risk of torture, degrading and inhuman treatment, as evidenced by the information registered by the Human Rights Defender’s Office.
The Office of the Human Rights Defender is currently summarizing and studying the above-mentioned information and will present it to relevant international organizations, other stakeholders, and competent state bodies”.

In Armenian-Azerbaijani Peace Talks, Disagreements Persist on Major Issues [Azeri Opinion]

Karakhanian Suren
July 7 2023

From June 27 to 29, the second round of the United States–mediated negotiations between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan was held in Washington (State.gov, June 29; see EDM, May 8). The statements from both sides following the talks and that of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted that the ministers agreed on more articles for the peace treaty and reached a mutual understanding on the draft agreement (State.gov, June 29; Mfa.gov.az; News.am, June 30). However, all three statements emphasized that Yerevan and Baku have yet to agree on “some key issues.”

According to statements from Armenian officials before and after the Washington-mediated meeting, a number of issues are particularly difficult to agree on for both sides (Armenpress, June 26; Armenpress, June 30). First, the Armenian side wants to use 1975 Soviet maps to delimit the border between the two countries. This contradicts the position of the Azerbaijani side, which wants to use “analyses and examination of legally binding documents, rather than any specially chosen map” for this process (Apa.az, June 5).

The second issue is the Armenian demand for an international mechanism to address the security and rights of the Armenian minority in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. For its part, Baku has made clear on a number of occasions that the issues related to the Armenian community in Karabakh are the internal matters of Azerbaijan and that it will not agree to any international mechanism to address these concerns. For the Azerbaijani government, such a mechanism may threaten to become a “Minsk Group 2.0,” in reference to the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe that failed to resolve the conflict between Yerevan and Baku for 30 years (see EDM, November 25, 2020; January 28, 2021; April 21, 2022).

According to Vice President of the Armenian National Assembly Ruben Rubinyan, the third issue on which the parties have yet to concur is the framework for guarantors of the peace agreement (Armenpress, June 26). Both sides understand the need for some mechanism to ensure compliance with the peace treaty, but they have yet to agree on the instrument’s modalities. The Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also notes the withdrawal of forces from the Armenian-Azerbaijani border as another matter of contention between Yerevan and Baku (Armenpress, June 30).

Thus, the US-mediated ministerial talks have failed to bring the two sides to a mutual agreement on these thorny issues. The talks have also been negatively affected by armed clashes between both countries along the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border as well as in the part of the Karabakh region that is under the temporary control of the Russian peacekeeping forces. Azerbaijani media reports that, on June 15, members of the Armenian Armed Forces opened fire on servicemen of the Azerbaijani State Border Service at the Lachin border checkpoint as they were raising the Azerbaijan flag at the entrance of the Hakari bridge (Aztv.az, June 15). An Azerbaijani serviceman was injured in the course of the attack. Yerevan claimed that the area where the flag was being raised was Armenian territory (Asbarez, June 15)—a claim that was disputed by the Russian side, which noted the importance of demarcating the borders to prevent these sorts of clashes (Armenpress, June 21).

Immediately after the incident, the Azerbaijani side closed the Lachin checkpoint as the country’s law enforcement agencies began to investigate (Trend.az, June 16). In its aftermath, Baku asked both the Russian peacekeepers and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to use the Aghdam-Khankandi road rather than the Lachin road to carry supplies to the Karabakh region while excluding the transfer of patients to Armenia who can be still carried via Lachin (Turan.az, June 24; Minval.az, June 28). As of June 30, the passage of Armenians via the Lachin Corridor has been restored through the ICRC’s mediation (Caliber.az, June 30).

The peace efforts were also disrupted by the armed clashes between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces in the Karabakh region on June 28, while the foreign ministers were still in talks in Washington. The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reported that it carried out a small-scale military operation against the Armenian-backed separatist forces who had earlier attacked and injured one Azerbaijani serviceman (Mod.gov.az, June 27). The clashes, which resulted in the death of four Armenian servicemen, were used by the Russian-backed separatist regime to try to convince the Armenian government to halt the negotiations in Washington (News.am, June 28). Although this call did not result in the cancellation of the talks, it did create an unfavorable environment for them.

Meanwhile, the former Russian-backed “state minister” of the separatist region, Ruben Vardanyan (see EDM, February 13), accused Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of supposedly being “the failed negotiator who has no experience in governing the country or in the field of international diplomacy” and the “only one person responsible for the current situation” in the Karabakh region (News.am, July 2). Vardanyan’s overt attack on Pashinyan came on the heels of earlier media reports about Moscow’s possible intentions to push for a change of government in Yerevan (JAM-news, June 30).

It is no secret that Russian discontent is growing with the expanded role of the US and the European Union in the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace process (see EDM, May 23). For Moscow, Baku’s increasingly more favorable moves (e.g., closing the Lachin checkpoint for the Russian peacekeepers in the aftermath of the June 15 incident) and Yerevan’s more concerning policies (e.g., the deployment of the EU monitoring mission to the Armenian-Azerbaijani border while delaying the deployment of forces from the Collective Security Treaty Organization) adds more fuel to Russian fears about the possibility of a peace treaty ultimately being signed in the near future due to Western mediation and influence (see EDM, May 23; June 8). Hence, the intensifying clashes along the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border, as well as in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, serve the interests of those who seek to reverse recent progress in the peace negotiations and prevent the conclusion of an effective treaty under the existing circumstances.

https://jamestown.org/program/in-armenian-azerbaijani-peace-talks-disagreements-persist-on-major-issues/

Armenpress: Azerbaijan is spreading large-scale anti-French propaganda. Nikol Pashinyan

Karakhanian Suren

 21:25, 6 July 2023

YEREVAN, JULY 6, ARMENPRESS. For months, Azerbaijan has been spreading large-scale counter-propaganda against France, which expresses its direct assessment of Azerbaijan’s illegal actions against the Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians, ARMENPRESS reports, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan wrote on Twitter.

“For months, Azerbaijan has been disseminating a large-scale counter-propaganda against France, which officially and publicly used to voice its targeted assessments and concerns over the illegal actions of Azerbaijan against the Armenian population of Nagorno Karabakh”, Pashinyan wrote.

Azeri smear campaign against France seeks to prevent other countries making assessments regarding Nagorno Karabakh – PM

Karakhanian Suren

 11:46, 6 July 2023

YEREVAN, JULY 6, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan targets any international organization or country that issues an objective assessment to the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno Karabakh and the Azerbaijani actions, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan warned on July 6. He said these actions are part of Azerbaijan’s policy of ethnic cleansing against Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh.

“In his regard, Azerbaijan has been carrying out a large-scale smear campaign against France for many months, because targeted assessments and warnings are raised in both official and public platforms there regarding the illegal actions taken by Azerbaijan against the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh. The goal of this smear campaign is to prevent possible targeted assessments regarding the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno Karabakh by other countries. For its part, Armenia, expressing gratitude to France, must take all measures so that more and more countries and international organizations issue targeted assessments regarding the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Nagorno Karabakh,” Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting.

Armenia must react to the entire situation through continuous diplomatic work, he added.

“As difficult as it gets morally, politically or emotionally, we must never lose self-control,” Pashinyan said.