Author: Lilit Nahapetian

Former French Prime Minister meets Artsakh residents in Goris who are unable to return home due to blockade

Lilit Nahapetian

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 17:13, 21 February 2023

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 21, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held a meeting with the delegation led by the former French Prime Minister, Mayor of the French city of Le Havre Édouard Philippe.

During the meeting the Armenian Prime Minister attached importance to the consistent development of the Armenian-French relations and highlighted Édouard Philippe’s efforts in strengthening the ties. PM Pashinyan highly appreciated the former French Prime Minister’s visit to Armenia.

Édouard Philippe said that he visited Syunik province, where he evaluated the situation on the ground in Goris and met with the Armenians of Artsakh who are unable to return home to Nagorno Karabakh because of the closure of the Lachin corridor. In this context, the continuous attention and consistent steps by the international community in the direction of unblocking the Lachin corridor with the purpose of overcoming the humanitarian, environmental and energy crisis in Nagorno Karabakh was highlighted.

Views were exchanged around processes taking place in the region.

FM Fayssal Mikdad thanks Armenia for noble stance of solidarity with Syrian people at difficult circumstances

Lilit Nahapetian

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 14:25,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. Syrian Foreign Minister Fayssal Mikdad thanked Armenia at his meeting with Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in Damascus for the noble stance of solidarity with the Syrian people at these difficult circumstances.

FM Ararat Mirzoyan is visiting Syria to supervise the delivery of the third batch of humanitarian aid after the earthquake and express solidarity.

“During his reception, Dr. Mikdad welcomed the Armenian minister noting that his visit comes at right time, and it is an _expression_ of historical and firm relations between two countries which continuously are developing to serve the interests of the two peoples. Dr. Mikdad expressed Syria’s thanks to Armenia for its noble stance of solidarity with the Syrian people at these difficult circumstances, SANA news agency reports.

Photos by Hayk Manukyan




PM Pashinyan, Toivo Klaar exchange ideas on the process of normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Lilit Nahapetian

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 19:54,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 24, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received Toivo Klaar, EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister highly valued the cooperation between Armenia and the European Union and noted with satisfaction the fact of the institutional reforms being implemented in our country with the support of the EU. At the same time, Nikol Pashinyan emphasized the importance of the activities of the EU civilian mission in Armenia, which will contribute to stability and peace in the region.

The interlocutors referred to the consequences of the humanitarian, environmental and energy crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh resulted by Azerbaijan’s illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor. Prime Minister Pashinyan emphasized the importance of the resolution adopted by the European Parliament regarding the unblocking of the Lachin Corridor.

The interlocutors exchanged ideas on the process of normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“Lake Sevan and the city of Jermuk are in danger due to mining”: Armenian environmentalists

Lilit Nahapetian
Feb 22 2023
  • JAMnews
  • Yerevan

Amulsar mine in Armenia

“The Amulsar gold mine will be put into use,” Armenian Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan said on February 22. A few hours later, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Armenian government, the Eurasian Development Bank, and Lydian Armenia. By obtaining the right to operate the mine, the company will transfer 12.5% of its shares to the Armenian government.

Ecologists and residents of the territories closest to the mine have been fighting against the exploitation of the deposit for several years. In 2018, the investigative committee of Armenia opened a case on suspicion of causing harm to the environment. The government ordered an international expert team from the Lebanese company ELARD (Earth link & Advanced Resources Development).

After a year of research, the company published a conclusion that the development of the Amulsar field does not contain “unmanaged risks” for the environment. But it turned out that the ELARD experts had relied on studies previously conducted by local structures.

Ecologist Silva Adamyan said that the risks had not been fully calculated. According to her, it is obvious that if the mine is put into operation, the city of Jermuk and Lake Sevan, located next to the mine, “will be lost to Armenia as resort areas.”

  • Residents and eco-activists protest against mine development in north Armenia
  • Armenia becoming more investor friendly – US State Department
  • ‘Black Gold’ of Armenia: How can copper boost the Armenian economy?

The license to operate the Amulsar gold mine belongs to the American-British company Lydian Armenia. At a meeting of the parliamentary commission on economic issues, Minister Vahan Kerobyan recalled that the government has “long-standing obligations” toward this mine.

“Today we are signing a $250 million package that will allow us to reopen the mine,” the minister said.

Since Armenia receives 12.5% of the company’s shares, Vahan Kerobyan was asked if the government buys these shares. The Economy Minister said no.

After a year-long break, the fight between activists, ecologist and the company Lydian Armenia for the gold-mine hills has started once again. There can be no compromise. The government has taken to waiting them out.

The Amulsar gold deposit is located on the border of the Vayots Dzor and Syunik regions of Armenia, regions considered a resort area.

The mine operation project is one of the largest investment projects in Armenia. Lydian Armenia planned to open it from 2018, but environmentalists and residents of nearby settlements held protests and closed the roads leading to the mine.

The Amulsar mine is located in the valley of the Arpa and Vorotan rivers. Environmentalists have raised concerns that gold mining will pollute their waters. This, in turn, will affect the ecosystem of Lake Sevan, the largest freshwater lake in Armenia, with which they communicate. Irreparable damage will be done to the mineral springs of Jermuk. Cyanide is used to separate the precious metal from the ore.

To study the situation, the Armenian government provided $400,000 to the ELARD company, but did not receive a qualified answer. Meanwhile, Lydian said that all risks have been calculated and the danger to the environment minimized. The last protests took place in August 2020. After the Karabakh war, the issue of the mine fell out of discussion.

Pashinyan said that he has taken into consideration the opinions of protesters against the exploitation of the mine and economists who are worried about the country’s international image

In 2022, 10% of state budget revenues were provided by the mining industry. The head of the Union of Miners and Metallurgists of Armenia, Vardan Jganyan, told reporters:

“In 2022, about 2 trillion drams [$5 billion] in revenues, unprecedented in the history of Armenia, were received. About 10% of this amount was provided by the mining industry, about 200 billion drams [$500 million].”

According to Jganyan, such revenues are not expected in 2023 due to a number of reasons, including export duties set on metal concentrates and the exchange rate of the dram:

“But in the coming years, when productivity increases, we expect that there will be the same high tax revenues.”

According to the head of the Union of Miners and Metallurgists of Armenia, the main product in the country is copper concentrate, which also contains gold and ferromolybdenum. According to him, China has always been the main market for copper concentrate, and the European market for ferromolybdenum, a small part was exported to Russia.

On February 22, in Parliament, deputies asked the Minister of Economy questions about the decline in the mining industry index. He confirmed the decline in income. Vahan Kerobyan stated that the country “is striving to change the structure of the economy so that mining does not become the dominant industry, but the goal is not to reduce income at all.”

“The decrease was due to the shutdown of the second large mine, Teghout. The owner and partners were subject to sanctions. The company was unable to carry out its activities. We are working with them to find solutions to reopen the mine,” he said.

The consulting company admits that its data is not sufficient to draw a conclusion about the safety of operating the mine

JAMnews spoke to environmentalist Silva Adamyan as she and a group of other environmentalists gathered outside the government building. She said that the decision came as a surprise, and environmentalists learned about it only after the Minister of Economy ad hmade a statement:

“For many years we all fought, each environmental group, to the best of its ability. We had a serious expert group that fought against the exploitation of the mine and transmitted data about it to the government. Today, as you can see, nothing has been taken into account; the document has been signed.”

SAdamyan says that “the decision was made by the prime minister of the country, he is the head of the country,” which is why they gathered in front of the government building. According to Adamyan, environmentalists will publish a joint statement on this in the near future.

“We will lose Jermuk as a resort. Jermuk is one of those places where the extraction of any minerals is clearly unacceptable. When they say, you know, we have very advanced technologies, we will minimally pollute the environment, it is clear to us that this will not happen.”

From 2016 to June 2021, Silva Adamyan and three other experts conducted risk studies at the Amulsar mine.

She believes that there are risks associated with deep groundwater which “have not been fully calculated.” This may have a harmful effect on Lake Sevan.

“We talked about the fact that deep water research was of insufficient quality. We were told that they would conduct tests again, bring new documents. But nothing was done. We are worried that there will be problems with Lake Sevan, but there is no clear information to find out how serious the damage will be.”

Adamyan hopes that it is still possible to change the situation. In her opinion, protests can play a role even after the signing of the document.

https://jam-news.net/amulsar-mine-in-armenia/

Time for Armenia to Abandon the Sinking Russian Ship

Lilit Nahapetian
Sept 30 2022
OPINION – 
By Taras Kuzio

Armenia needs to urgently rethink its foreign policy or the country will end up on the wrong side of history. Dependent on Russia both defensively and economically, Yerevan must understand the world is facing for a second time since 1991 the disintegration of the Russian Empire and Moscow’s loss of control over Eurasia.

For three decades, Russia has demanded the West recognize the former Soviet world as its exclusive sphere of influence. The Kremlin manufactured frozen conflicts in Azerbaijan, Moldova, and Georgia and installed its own so-called “peacekeepers,” blocking UN involvement. NATO, EU, Turkey, and China were all viewed as hostile competitors for influence in the region.

The West now has an opportunity to expand its influence into the power vacuum that is emerging in Eurasia. Russia is now viewed regionally as a declining great power mortally wounded by military failures in Ukraine. Nowhere is this more evident than in Russia pulling its troops out of its bases throughout Eurasia and Syria.

Last week, on the side lines of the UN General Assembly in New York, the GUAM group of countries – Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Moldova – signed a protocol that enables the establishment of a free trade area, another sign of Russia’s loosening grip over Eurasia. The recent Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting revealed Central Asia as China’s sphere of influence, as countries almost exclusively align behind Beijing’s diplomatic positions, with Russia as junior partner. Then on Monday, the leadership in Kazakhstan – where Russia intervened earlier this year to help put down a protest movement – explicitly stated it will not recognise Moscow’s pseudo referendums to annex of parts of Eastern Ukraine.

In Eurasia, only Armenia and Belarus remain firmly within Russia’s sphere of influence. But for how long.

Self-declared Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has nowhere else to go. Since the 2020 fraudulent presidential elections, his fate is tied to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russia materially backed his brutal crackdown against protests over massive election fraud. Russia’s likely militarily defeat by Ukraine will lead to regime change in Belarus and Lukashenko’s replacement by democratic opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.

Armenia has greater room for maneuver. Its leader Nikol Pashinyan came to power four years ago on the back of a bona fide popular uprising. He will not lose power if Putin is removed following Russia’s military defeat. Nevertheless, Yerevan has little time left to adjust its foreign policy to the reality of the sinking Russian ship.

Armenia can send a signal it understands the writing on the wall in three ways. The first would be to announce its intention to withdraw from the Russian-led security alliance, the CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organisation), declaring it has proven unable to provide security assistance to Armenia. In a recent breakout of hostilities with neighbor Azerbaijan, Russia rejected Armenia’s calls for assistance.

Second, it should withdraw from the Eurasian Economic Union and advise the EU it is interested in signing an Association Agreement, obtaining an DCFTA (Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement) and securing a visa free regime – three compacts Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova have all achieved. Nearly a decade ago, Russia pressured Armenia and Ukraine to drop their planned Association Agreements with the EU and instead join the Eurasian Economic Union. This was a strategic mistake undertaken by the pro-Russian regime that ruled Armenia before the 2018 democratic revolution that brought Pashinyan to power.

Third, it should declare a readiness to join the GUAM free trade zone, a step that would economically integrate the entire Southern Caucasus.

There would be three benefits to readjusting Armenia’s foreign policy from its traditional pro-Russian uni-directional to multi-vectorism. The first would be a boon to Armenia’s economy and trade, benefiting from access to the EU, the biggest customs zone in the world with which the Eurasian Economic Union cannot compete. Armenia could look at how Ukraine successfully re-oriented its economy from Russia to the EU after the 2014 crisis, boosting its trade and investment.

Second, ending pro-Russian unilateralism would encourage the peace process between Armenia and its neighbours. Moscow has no interest in seeing a settlement to the three-decade frozen dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan. A deal would remove the need for Russian peacekeepers in the region and diminish its projection of power. Shifting foreign policy would reinvigorate the parallel EU peace process and lead to a resolution.

The third would be the modernization of Armenia’s armed forces by greater interaction with NATO and Europe. Armenia’s reliance on outdated Soviet Russian military training and armaments have not served it well.

Three decades since the disintegration of the USSR, the Russian empire is again losing its control over Eurasia. The Kremlin must compete with the EU, Turkey, and China. Unlike Belarusian dictator Lukashenka, Armenia’s democratically elected leaders are not irrevocably tied to Moscow. Now is the time for Armenia’s leaders to abandon the Russian ship and reorient its foreign policy.

 

Taras Kuzio, Taras Kuzio is a Research Fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, Adjunct Professor in the Department of Political Science, National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy, and author of Russian Nationalism and the Russian-Ukrainian War.

The views expressed in this article belong to the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect those of Geopoliticalmonitor.com


6 killed, 20 injured in Russia school shooting

Lilit Nahapetian

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 12:45,

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. 6 people were killed, 20 others were injured after a gunman opened fire at a school in Russia’s city of Izhevsk, authorities said.

Governor of Udmurtia Alexander Brechalov said in a video statement that the still unidentified gunman shot himself, The Washington Post reported.

The Governor also said that there are children among the victims.

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 9/13/2022

Lilit Nahapetian 
                                        Tuesday, 
Armenia Appeals To Russia For Military Aid
Armenia - Russian soldiers march at Yerevan's Victory Park during an official 
ceremony to mark the 77th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany, 9 
May, 2022.
Armenia appealed to Russia for urgent military intervention on Tuesday in 
response to what it called Azerbaijani aggression against its sovereign 
territory.
During an emergency meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, Armenia’s 
Security Council decided to ask Moscow to invoke and “put into action” relevant 
articles of a Russian-Armenian treaty on mutual defense.
It also requested assistance from the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty 
Organization as well as the UN Security Council.
The appeal followed Pashinian’s phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin 
during which they discussed heavy fighting that broke out at various sections of 
the Armenian-Azerbaijani border shortly after midnight. Russian Foreign Minister 
Sergei Lavrov and his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan also spoke by phone.
The Armenian military accused Azerbaijani forces of shelling its border 
positions and trying to advance towards Armenian territory “in some directions.” 
Baku claimed, for its part, that its troops are thwarting cross-border sabotage 
attacks by Armenian army units. Yerevan strongly denied that claim.
Russia has a military base in Armenia. Some of its troops were redeployed closer 
to the Armenian-Azerbaijani border following the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Kremlin did not immediately issue a statement on Putin’s latest conversation 
with Pashinian.
Putin and Pashinian met last week on the sidelines of an economic forum held in 
the Russian city of Vladivostok. Speaking at the forum, the Armenian premier 
warned that Azerbaijan could provoke another escalation in the Nagorno-Karabakh 
conflict zone soon.
U.S. Urges Halt To Fighting Between Armenia, Azerbaijan
UKRAINE – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to media before departure 
at the railway station in Kyiv, September 8, 2022.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for an immediate end to heavy 
fighting that broke out on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border early on Tuesday.
“The United States is deeply concerned about reports of attacks along the 
Armenia-Azerbaijan border, including reported strikes against settlements and 
civilian infrastructure inside Armenia,” Blinken said in a statement.
“As we have long made clear, there can be no military solution to the conflict,” 
he said. “We urge an end to any military hostilities immediately.”
The statement followed Blinken’s phone call with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol 
Pashinian. According to the official Armenian readout of the call, the top U.S. 
diplomat expressed Washington’s readiness to help “stabilize the situation.”
Pashinian was reported to inform Blinken about his administration’s decision to 
appeal to Russia, the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization and 
the UN Security Council for help. He also said Yerevan expects “adequate” 
international reaction to what it sees as Azerbaijani aggression against Armenia.
The hostilities were also discussed by Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan 
and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Karen Donfried in a separate call.
The fighting coincided with the ongoing visit to the South Caucasus by Philip 
Reeker, the recently appointed U.S. co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group. Reeker 
held talks with Pashinian and Mirzoyan late last week. He is due in Baku later 
this week.
Russia Reports Another Armenian-Azeri Truce
Armenia - Armenian soldiers take up positions on the border with Azerbaijan, 
August 2, 2022.
Russia claimed on Tuesday to have brokered another Armenian-Azerbaijan ceasefire 
agreement to stop heavy fighting that raged on the border between the two South 
Caucasus states overnight and in the morning.
“We expect that the agreement, reached as a result of Russian mediation, on a 
ceasefire from 9 a.m. Moscow time (10 a.m. Armenian time) on September 13 of 
this year will be carried out in full,” read a statement released by the Russian 
Foreign Ministry.
Armenia and Azerbaijan did not immediately confirm the announcement.
A senior Russian lawmaker, Grigory Karasin, said that the situation on the 
Armenian-Azerbaijani is now “relatively calm.” He said President Vladimir Putin 
personally intervened to halt the hostilities after a phone conversation with 
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.
Speaking in the Armenian parliament at 11:30 a.m. local time, Pashinian said 
that while the “intensity” of the hostilities has decreased Azerbaijani troops 
are continuing to attack Armenian army positions at “one or two sections” of the 
frontier.
The Armenian Defense Ministry reported early in the afternoon a “considerable 
decrease in the intensity of shelling.” Still, it said Azerbaijani forces are 
making more attempts to seize or advance towards its border posts in Gegharkunik 
and another province, Syunik.
“Armenian army units are continuing to accomplish their combat tasks in full,” 
the ministry added in a statement.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Suren Papikian spoke with his Russian counterpart 
Sergei Shoigu in the morning. According to the Armenian Defense Ministry, the 
two men agreed to take “necessary steps to stabilize the situation.”
Shortly after Pashinian’s phone call with Putin, Armenia formally appealed to 
Russia and the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) for 
urgent help in the face of what it described as a large-scale Azerbaijani attack 
on Armenian territory.
Moscow did not publicly side with Armenia, its main regional ally. The Russian 
Foreign Ministry statement said “problems between Armenia and Azerbaijan must be 
resolved only by political-diplomatic means.”
Pashinian revealed that at least 49 Armenian soldiers were killed in the 
fighting that broke out at several sections of the border shortly after 
midnight. The Azerbaijani side did not release any casualty numbers as of 
Tuesday afternoon.
Armenia - A house in the border village of Sotk destroyed by Azerbaijani 
shelling, .
Azerbaijani forces reportedly shelled not only Armenian border posts but also 
Armenian villages close to the border. At least three civilian residents of 
those communities were wounded and many others evacuated as a result, according 
to authorities in Yerevan.
The conflicting sides continued to blame each other for what was the worst 
fighting in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone since the 2020 
Armenian-Azerbaijani war. Yerevan shrugged off Baku’s claims that it retaliated 
against Armenian special forces that launched cross-border sabotage attacks.
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry also claimed that Yerevan is trying to delay 
the signing of an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty which Baku says must uphold 
its sovereignty over Karabakh.
Pashinian likewise linked the escalation to discussions on the treaty. He said 
Baku is trying to force Yerevan to accept the Azerbaijani terms of such a deal. 
They are highly unfavorable for the Armenian side and would not even guarantee 
Armenia’s territorial integrity, he said.
The issue dominated Pashinian’s August 31 talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham 
Aliyev in Brussels.
Iran Repeats Warnings Over Border With Armenia
Armenia/Iran - The Arax river separating Armenia and Iran.
Iran again warned against attempts to strip it of direct access to Armenia when 
it reacted to heavy fighting on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian telephoned Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to 
brief him on the hostilities that broke out along several sections of the 
frontier shortly after midnight. One of those sections is close to Iranian 
territory bordering Armenia’s southeastern Syunik province.
Raisi expressed serious concern over the escalation, saying that “the region 
cannot tolerate another war.”
“The historical borders of Iran and Armenia are considered the bedrock of 
prosperity, convergence and security of the region,” he was quoted by his office 
as telling Pashinian.
In this regard, the Iranian Foreign Ministry emphasized the importance of 
respecting the territorial integrity of both Armenia and Azerbaijan. Any change 
to the border between the two South Caucasus states is unacceptable to Tehran, 
said a ministry spokesman.
Syunik is the sole Armenian province bordering Iran. Baku has been pressing 
Yerevan to open an exterritorial corridor connecting Azerbaijan to its 
Nakhichevan exclave through the province. The Armenian government rejects these 
demands while expressing readiness to restore Armenian-Azerbaijani transport 
links.
Iranian leaders are also strongly opposed to the land corridor, fearing a loss 
of the common border with Armenia.
“The Islamic Republic will not tolerate policies or plans that lead to the 
closing of the Iran-Armenia border,” Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali 
Khamenei, warned in July.
According to the Armenian government’s press office Raisi recalled Khamenei’s 
warning during the phone call with Pashinian. The Iranian president also said 
that Armenia’s national security is important to Iran, added the office.
Fighting Continues On Armenia-Azerbaijan Border
Armenia - Defense Ministry spokesman Davit Torosian at a news briefing in 
Yerevan, .
Fighting reportedly continued along Armenia’s long border with Azerbaijan on 
Tuesday evening despite a ceasefire agreement announced by Russia in the morning.
The Armenian Defense Ministry said that there has only been a significant 
decrease in the “intensity of shelling” at various sections of the heavily 
militarized border which began on the night from Monday to Tuesday.
“Using special forces, the enemy has been trying to secure positional advances, 
notably towards [the villages of] Nerkin Hand, Verin Shorzha, Artanish and 
Sotk,” said the ministry spokesman, Davit Torosian.
Nerkin Hand is located in Armenia’s southeastern Syunik province while the three 
other communities are part of Gegharkunik province. Both regions border western 
Azerbaijan.
Gegharkunik Governor Karen Sargsian confirmed that there has been no letup in 
“intensive combat” in his region.
“In the morning gunfire stopped for about 40 minutes but then resumed and is 
still going on,” Sargsian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.
He said that the provincial administration helped to evacuate some local 
residents, mostly children and women, and took others to bomb shelters.
In this image taken from a YouTube footage released by Armenian Defense Ministry 
on Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022, shows Azerbaijanian servicemen crossing the 
Armenian-Azerbaijani border and approaching the Armenian positions.
The Defense Ministry accused the Azerbaijani army of deliberately targeting 
civilian areas. At least one of the Gegharkunik villages, Sotk, was seriously 
damaged by shelling.
The ceasefire deal announced by the Russian Foreign Ministry was supposed to 
take effect at 10 a.m. local time. It was not officially confirmed by Armenia or 
Azerbaijan.
The conflicting sides continued to blame each other for the bloodiest 
hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone since the 2020 
Armenian-Azerbaijani war. In particular, Yerevan says that Baku is thereby 
trying to force the Armenian side to make unilateral concessions in peace talks.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia is doing its best to help stop 
the fighting which left at least 49 Armenian soldiers dead.
The United States and the European Union similarly called for an immediate end 
to the violence. Senior U.S. and EU officials held a series of phone calls with 
Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan.
Belgium - EU Council President Charles Michel meets with Armenia's and 
Azerbaijan's leaders in Brussels, August 31, 2022.
“There is no alternative to peace and stability - and there is no alternative to 
diplomacy to ensure that,” tweeted European Council President Charles Michel.
Michel announced that the EU’s special envoy to the South Caucasus, Toivo Klaar, 
will travel to Baku and Yerevan to “work on preventing further escalation.”
Michel has hosted four face-to-face meetings between Pashinian and Azerbaijani 
President Ilham Aliyev over the past year. They most recently met in Brussels on 
August 31. Michel said right after that summit that Aliyev and Pashinian agreed 
to intensify negotiations on an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty.
Also urging “strict respect for the ceasefire” was French President Emmanuel 
Macron. He spoke with Pashinian by phone overnight. A statement released by the 
presidential Elysee Palace also cited Macron as calling for “respect for the 
territorial integrity of Armenia.”
“France will take the matter to the United Nations Security Council, of which it 
currently holds the presidency,” added the statement.
Putin, Pashinian Talk Amid Fighting On Armenian-Azeri Border
Russia - Russian Preisdent Vladimir Putin greets Prime Minoster Nikol Pashinian 
during a forum in Vladivostok, September 7, 2022
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian telephoned the presidents of Russia and France 
early on Tuesday shortly after the start of what Armenia described as 
large-scale shelling of its territory by Azerbaijani forces.
An Armenian government statement said Pashinian presented to Russian President 
Vladimir Putin details of Azerbaijan’s “aggressive and provocative” actions that 
began shortly after midnight.
“Nikol Pashinian found the Azerbaijani side’s actions unacceptable and stressed 
the importance of adequate reaction from the international community,” said the 
statement. “The interlocutors agreed to be in operational contact.”
Putin and Pashinian met last week on the sidelines of an economic forum held in 
the Russian city of Vladivostok. Speaking at the forum, the Armenian premier 
warned that Azerbaijan could provoke another escalation in the Nagorno-Karabakh 
conflict zone soon.
The two leaders held four phone calls last month. They spoke twice in the space 
of a week in early August amid an upsurge of violence in Karabakh.
The government’s press office released a similar readout of Pashinian’s call 
with French President Emmanuel Macron.
“President Macron found a further deepening of the tensions unacceptable and 
stressed the need to deescalate the situation,” it said.
Heavy Fighting Reported On Armenia-Azerbaijan Border (UPDATED)
ARMENIA -- An Armenian flag flies at an Armenian army post on the border with 
Azerbaijan, June 18, 2021
The Armenian military said early on Tuesday that Azerbaijani forces are using 
artillery, combat drones and automatic weapons to strike its positions along 
various sections of Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan.
The Defense Ministry in Yerevan said that the “intensive” shelling began shortly 
after midnight.
“The exchange of intensive gunfire is continuing,” the ministry spokesman, Aram 
Torosian, said an hour later.
In another update, Torosian said that the fighting continued unabated as of 4 
a.m. local time. “The Armenian armed forces are giving [the enemy] an adequate 
response and fully accomplishing combat tasks set for them,” he said.
Torosian added that they suffered casualties but did not give any numbers. He 
also said that “in some directions” Azerbaijani troops are trying to advance 
towards Armenian territory.
Residents of several Armenian border communities told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service 
that they are hearing powerful explosions and gunfire. The mayor of, Verin 
Shorzha, a border village in eastern Gegharkunik province spoke of “intensive 
gunfire” coming from Azerbaijani army positions across the local section of the 
long border.
According to a former local government official, several shells landed in 
another Gegharkunik community, Sotk, forcing some parents to evacuate their 
children to safer locations.
Another, serving Gegharkunik official was quoted by news.am as saying that some 
residents of the nearby village of Norabak are fleeing their homes.
The fighting also affected communities in Armenia’s southeastern Syunik 
province. In the local village of Karashen, an Azerbaijani shell hit a wedding 
hall, eyewitnesses said, adding that nobody was hurt as a result.
Meanwhile, Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry accused the Armenian side of launching 
a “large-scale provocation” along three border districts in western Azerbaijan.
In a statement, the ministry claimed that Armenian commando units crossed those 
border sections to try to put landmines near Azerbaijani army posts there. The 
Azerbaijani side, it said, hit Armenian military infrastructure and took other 
“urgent measures” in response to those raids.
Torosian, the Armenian Defense Ministry spokesman, flatly denied those claims, 
insisting that the fighting was initiated by “Azerbaijan’s military-political 
leadership.” He said that the Azerbaijani military laid the “information 
groundwork” for it in recent days.
Baku has alleged Armenian truce violations along the frontier on a daily basis 
following the August 31 meeting of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and 
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian held in Brussels.
Yerevan dismissed those claims as “disinformation.” Some Armenian commentators 
suggested that Baku may be preparing the ground for another escalation in the 
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone.
Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2022 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

Prosecutor-General recommends reinstating capital punishment for high treason

Lilit Nahapetian

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 14:35, 1 September 2022

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. Prosecutor-General of Armenia Artur Davtyan is recommending creating the constitutional-legal basis, constitutional amendments, that would allow capital punishment for high treason.

Davtyan said in a statement that the investigations into the multiple cases of state treason committed during the 2020 war, recruitment of Armenian citizens by enemy intelligence agencies are creating the need to strengthen the criminal-legal fight against this type of crime and requiring stronger punishment.

“The kind of disgusting manifestations of state treason which are being recorded in which case the urgent issues of ensuring social justice and security are causing the need to apply the strongest punishment against perpetrators of such actions, up to the use of death penalty,” Davtyan said.

Armenia doesn’t have a direct international-legal obligation on defining a total ban of death penalty.

Although the constitution bans death penalty, the ban can be overcome through constitutional changes.

At the same time, the constitution also defines that during state of emergency or martial law it is possible to deviate in human rights area within the framework of international obligations.

Davtyan has applied to the Minister of Justice Karen Andreasyan, who is the Chairman of the Constitutional Reforms Council.

Human rights activist: The death penalty is incompatible with the principles of any legal state

Lilit Nahapetian
ARMINFO
Armenia – Sept 2 2022
David Stepanyan

ArmInfo.The Prosecutor General’s Office of Armenia is deeply mistaken when it refers to the absence of direct legal international obligations of the country on  the issue of absolute prohibition of the death penalty.

The Republic undertook a similar obligation by signing and ratifying Protocol 13  of the European Convention on Human Rights. A similar opinion was  expressed to ArmInfo by human rights activist Artur Sakunts,  commenting on the Attorney General’s proposal to impose the death  penalty for high treason.

Yesterday, on September 1, Prosecutor General of Armenia Artur  Davtyan addressed Chairman of the Council of Constitutional Reforms,  Minister of Justice of Armenia Karen Andreasyan with a proposal to  create constitutional and legal grounds for the application of the  death penalty for high treason.

Meanwhile, according to the human rights activist, even the absence  of such international obligations does not mean that the death  penalty can be applied in Armenia as a punishment. “Such an approach,  such thinking itself, is incompatible with the principles of any  legal state. High treason can be punished in other ways, in the end,  life imprisonment. Delegating the right to take a person’s life by  society to the state is fundamentally unacceptable,” he emphasized.

The Prosecutor General’s initiative has already met opposition from  Human Rights Defender of Armenia, member of the Council for  Constitutional Reforms Kristinne Grigoryan. The latter emphasized the  inappropriateness of the very discussion of such a proposal, in view  of the violation of constitutional and democratic values, the  protection of the right to life and human rights in general.  

In this light, the human rights activist had doubts about the degree  of familiarization of the RA Prosecutor General with the 13th  protocol of the European Convention, which clearly and unambiguously  fixes the inviolability of the human right to life and abolishes the  death penalty as a punishment.

“I do not think that such a decision can be made in our country,  because it will obviously be a big step back in the development of  democracy. The right to human life is inalienable, and many  justifications have been presented in favor of this thesis. Armenia  cannot and will not be executed, regardless of the type of crime  committed,” Sakunts summed up. 

Newspaper: There are attempts to create anti-Russian sentiments in Artsakh

Lilit Nahapetian
NEWS.am
Armenia – Sept 1 2022
09:40, 01.09.2022

YEREVAN. – Past daily of the Republic of Armenia (RA) writes: In recent times, we have been witnessing how the Artsakh [(Nagorno-Karabakh)] authorities oppose, at certain intervals, the concessionary actions and various initiatives of the RA authorities.

There was a similar situation also recently—related to the Berdzor [(Lachin)] corridor issue. (…) the authorities of Armenia “washed [their] hands” of this issue once and for all and directed all vectors in the direction of the Russian peacekeepers [in Artsakh].

Moreover, according to Past newspaper’s information, the RA authorities are creating centers of fight against the local authorities in Artsakh, which carry out actions at various frequency. According to our source, [Armenia PM Nikol] Pashinyan’s teammates are attempting to also create anti-Russian sentiments in Artsakh. It is noteworthy that the anti-Russianness being circulated in Artsakh is spreading widely, especially on platforms with Western funding.