Author: Liana Toganian

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 21, ARMENPRESS. At the initiative of  the Armenian Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan,  the delegation headed by the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili arrived in Armenia on a working visit.

As the Armenian Parliament's press service reports, the meeting between the speakers of  the parliaments  of the two countries  in Dilijan began with a private conversation, followed by an extended meeting.

Welcoming the Georgian counterpart, Alen Simonyan congratulated friendly Georgia on receiving the European Union membership candidate status and noted that it was an important event for the entire region.

The Armenian Speaker of Parliament emphasized that the deepening of relations with Georgia is of strategic importance for Armenia and expressed hope that in the near future it would be possible to establish a strategic partnership between the two countries.

Referring to the effective cooperation in the economic sphere, Alen Simonyan highlighted the fact that the trade turnover and economic ties between Armenia and Georgia continue rising.

In this context, the head of parliament touched upon the problems arising at the Upper Lars checkpoint for various reasons and lauded the efforts of the Georgian side aimed at transit facilitation.

The Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, in turn, assured that quite positive processes have taken place in this direction recently.

During the meeting, Alen Simonyan referred to regional security and challenges, reaffirming that Armenia remains committed to the agenda of establishing peace and stability in the region.

Referring to the "Crossroads of Peace" presented by Armenia, Armenian Speaker of Parliament offered Georgia to join the project.

"The high level of relations between Armenia and Georgia is one of the important factors in ensuring security in the South Caucasus. We highly appreciate Georgia's interest and efforts in establishing peace and stability in the region. The Peaceful Neighborhood Initiative of the Georgian government is aimed at this very goal," stated the Speaker of the Parliament.

Alen Simonyan underscored the continuous development of the Armenian-Georgian high-level political dialogue.

In the context of bilateral relations, Armenian Speaker of Parliament congratulated the parties on the occasion of the opening of the Honorary Consul of Armenia in Georgia's city of Rustavi.Expressing his gratitude for the invitation, Shalva Papuashvili emphasized with satisfaction the effectiveness of the bilateral parliamentary cooperation format.

Referring to regional issues, the Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia emphasized their support for the signing of a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which could be a guarantee of long-term stability and development in the region.

During the meeting, ideas were exchanged regarding the immediate return of Armenian captives held in Azerbaijan.

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 21, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan on December 21 received Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization Imangali Tasmagambetov.

As the foreign ministry said, during the meeting the parties discussed issues related to the CSTO activities.

The Secretary General of the CSTO  briefed the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia on the results of the session of the CSTO Collective Security Council held in Minsk on November 2023 and the joint session of the CSTO Council of Foreign Ministers, the Council of Defense Ministers and the Committee of Secretaries of the Security Council.

According to the source, during the meeting, Ararat Mirzoyan and Imangali Tasmagambetov  exchanged views on the situation in the region, as well as projects aimed at the development of transport and economic interconnectivity, including the "Crossroads of Peace" concept developed by the Armenian government.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan being interviewed by Armenian Public TV's Petros Ghazaryan on Dec. 19

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that there is no international document that states that the Karabakh conflict has been resolved, adding that the discussion of a document for the resolution of the conflict does not mean that it has been resolved.

Pashinyan made the statements in response to questions posed to him during an interview with Armenian Public Television, presumably in response to separate claims by both Russian and Azerbaijani authorities who have insisted that the conflict has been resolved.

Since the 2020 War, President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan has claimed on numerous occasions that the Karabakh conflict has been resolved after Azerbaijan’s so-called victory in the war. Following Azerbaijan’s attack on Artsakh in September of this year, and the forced mass exodus of Artsakh Armenians, Aliyev has said that the conflict has “once and for all” been resolved.

Meanwhile, Russian authorities, including President Vladimir Putin, have said that by recognizing Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity—that includes Artsakh—Pashinyan himself has rendered the Karabakh conflict resolution issue moot.

“There has never been any document on table that has stipulated a resolution to the Karabakh conflict in the event of its signing,” Pashinyan said during an interview on Armenia’s Public Television.

“All documents, beginning from the [OSCE Minks Group-proposed] ‘Madrid Principles,’ have stipulated that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has not been resolved,” added Pashinyan.

The prime minister said that there was only one document, the signing of which could have been deemed a resolution to the conflict. He said that was the 1999 document that would have exchanged Meghri for Artsakh—“Meghri is ceded to Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh is united with Armenia.”

Pashinyan said that these documents were specifically worded such so that “the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can remain a dangling sword over Armenia, and maybe even over Azerbaijan.”

Pashinyan explained that he and his government were calling for the “lowering of the benchmark” for the Artsakh negotiations, “because we wanted our ideas about self-determination to become aligned with the international community’s notions about self-determination.”

He said that the notion of self-determination was introduced during a summit in Lisbon in 1996.

Pashinyan also addressed a statement made by Putin, who publicly stated that Armenia had recognized Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan and not Moscow.

“In November and December of 2020, the president of Russia announced that Nagorno-Karabakh is part of Azerbaijani. Those announcements were public,” Pashinyan said.

“Based on my understanding, that statement contradicted the November 9, 2020 agreement,” Pashinyan added.

He recalled that, after Putin’s announcement, Azerbaijan invaded Armenia’s territory, prompting Yerevan to appeal to the Collective Security Treaty Organization and Russia. Pashinyan added that at the time Yerevan also emphasized that there was “zero reaction” from Russia on that and Azerbaijan’s attack on Parukh in Artsakh’s Askeran Region, where, he said, Russian peacekeepers did not react.

Pashinyan said that it is important that talks on a peace treaty with Azerbaijan are based on principles discussed and agreed to in Brussels by both sides.

However, he faulted Azerbaijan for “artificially delaying” discussions, pointing out that Baku has backed out of four scheduled meetings in the past two months.

“Our negotiation package was delayed because Azerbaijan refused to attend four consecutive scheduled meetings. Even now, however, I believe that the negotiations should continue on the specific points of the peace treaty,” Pashinyan added.

Meeting with the Council of Europe President Charles Michel on Monday, Armenia’s new ambassador to the EU, Tigran Balayan, claimed that Azerbaijan cancelled the October summits as part of its “continuous attempts to derail the peace process.” Balayan also reportedly urged the EU to help ensure “Baku’s return to the negotiation table.”

James O’Brien, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia, visited Baku earlier this month in a bid to convince the Azerbaijani leadership to reschedule the cancelled meeting of the foreign ministers. The conflicting sides have not yet announced any agreement to that effect.

Armenian community leaders and businesswomen were among those honored by Senator Anthony J. Portantino who hosted the annual 25th State Senate District Women in Business Legislative Update & Awards Luncheon at the Castaway in Burbank on December 6.

“It is my privilege to recognize the accomplished women of the great 25th Senate District,” commented Senator Portantino. “I was proud to honor our deserving honorees for their successful service to our communities.”

Of the 41 total honorees, five were Armenians, whose accomplishments in business, law, education and community leadership were recognized by Senator Portantino.

They were: Anahid Oshagan, Yvette Vartanian Davis, Lilit Odabashian, Lusine Simonyan, Seda Khojayan and Aida Dimejian.

“These honorees inspire others, stimulate our workforce, and lead some of the most impressive non-profits, healthcare organizations, and businesses across with 25th Senate District,” Portantino said ahead of the luncheon.