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18:55,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 24, ARMENPRESS. By the decision of the Government of Armenia, Hambardzum Matevosyan has been relieved of the post of governor of Armavir Province, ARMENPRESS reports, website informs.
Matevosyan was appointed governor of Armavir in 2018.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Önal attends a meeting with the Russian delegation, Nov. 15, 2021. (Foreign Ministry via Twitter)
Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Önal discussed regional developments, including the state of affairs in Afghanistan, with his Russian counterpart Andrey Rudenko in Istanbul on Monday.
“In political consultations held in Istanbul today between the delegations headed by Deputy Minister Ambassador Sedat Önal and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Ambassador Andrey Rudenko, the South Caucasus, Central Asia, Afghanistan and other regional topics were discussed,” the Foreign Ministry wrote on Twitter.
Turkey and Russia jointly run a monitoring center in Nagorno-Karabakh, the South Caucasus, in the wake of last year’s conflict there between Azerbaijan and Armenia, in which the latter liberated some 300 territories after nearly 30 years of Armenian occupation.
Russia and Turkey have historically had complex relations, balancing regional rivalries with finding common ground on economic and strategic interests.
In recent years, the two powers have clashed in particular in Syria, where Moscow and Ankara support opposing camps in the civil war.
In Syria last year they sponsored a cease-fire deal in the northwestern Idlib region, home to the last major opposition groups in northwest Syria.
15:31, 16 November, 2021
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi discussed the situation around Nagorno Karabakh during a telephone conversation today, the Kremlin reports.
“Vladimir Putin informed about the measures taken by the Russian side aimed at the observation of the ceasefire regime, the unblocking of transportation ties and the establishment of peaceful life in the region”, the statement says.
The Russian and Iranian Presidents also discussed issues relating to the bilateral cooperation, including the implementation of large-scale joint investment projects and the fight against COVID-19.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
MOSCOW, November 17. /TASS/. The consent and readiness of all sides are needed for a trilateral contact of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijan’s leader Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Wednesday.
“Undoubtedly, at some stage such contacts will be necessary but in order to make them possible, the consent and readiness for it of the three sides are needed,” the Kremlin official said in response to a corresponding question.
On Tuesday, intensive clashes between the armed forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan broke out in the border districts of Armenia’s Syunik Province. Yerevan stated that the Azerbaijani military began advancing on Armenia’s territory. The state highway which connects the Armenian capital with the country’s southern regions and Iran was threatened. Baku pinned the blame on Yerevan accusing the Armenian armed forces of triggering a provocation. According to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry, Armenian servicemen attacked Azerbaijani positions.
Due to these events, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu held phone conversations with his counterparts in Armenia and Azerbaijan, Suren Papikyan and Zakir Hasanov. The press service of Russia’s Defense Ministry reported that afterwards the heads of Azerbaijan’s and Armenia’s military agencies undertook measures on stabilizing the situation on the border.
European Parliament
Members of the European Parliament slammed Azerbaijan for its attack on Armenia and condemned what they called “borderization” since Azerbaijan incursion into Armenia in May.
The chair of European Parliament’s Delegation for relations with the South Caucasus, Marina Kaljurand, the European Parliament’s Standing Rapporteur on Armenia, Andrey Kovatchev, and the European Parliament’s Standing Rapporteur on Azerbaijan, Željana Zovko released a joint statement following the Azerbaijani attack on Armenia on November 16.
Below is the text of the statement.
We are seriously concerned by yesterday’s heavy fighting, which followed the recent increase in tension on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The military operation launched by Azerbaijan in response to alleged provocations amounts to the worst violation to-date of last year’s November 9 ceasefire agreement, leaving an as yet unconfirmed number of killed, wounded and captured soldiers.
We urge the rapid de-escalation of the situation and welcome the engagement of European Council President and the reported Russian-mediated ceasefire. We reiterate that any possible disagreements about the border must be addressed through negotiations in a border delimitation and demarcation process, not through the use of force and unilateral actions.
We condemn any attempts at “borderisation”, as observed since the incursion of Azerbaijani troops into Armenian territory on May 13. We support and call for the opening of economic and transport connections as foreseen in the November 9 ceasefire agreement, which would be highly beneficial for the entire region.
This includes the connection between the western regions of Azerbaijan and the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic.
To succeed, the parties should follow the text of the agreement and avoid a too extensive interpretation.
Moreover, we are concerned by reports of hindered traffic on roads that connect Armenian towns and villages through Azerbaijani territory and believe that such behavior contradicts the spirit of this agreement and unduly hampers the lives of local citizens.
We also regret that despite numerous calls from the international community, including the European Parliament resolution of May 20, 2021, many Armenian detainees held in connection with the conflict have yet to be released, and we renew our appeal to the Azerbaijani authorities on this issue. We also reiterate our call to exchange all up-to-date maps of minefields to permit civilians to return to former conflict regions
Once again, we recall the EU’s commitment to support confidence-building measures and to address any issues at the negotiating table, in particular through the resumption of negotiations on a lasting conflict settlement and the future status of the Nagorno-Karabakh region in the process led by Minsk Group Co-Chairs.
MOSCOW, November 21. / TASS /. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan over the phone addressed the recent developments in Nagorno-Karabakh and the measures to stabilize it, the Kremlin press service stated.
“The talks regarding the situation in the region and the steps to stabilize it continued as part of the implementation of the trilateral agreements of November 9, 2020 and January 11, 2021. Pashinyan expressed gratitude for Russia’s active mediation efforts. The sides also agreed on further contacts,” the statement reads. As the Kremlin press service reported on Tuesday, during the previous negotiations, the Russian and Armenian leaders discussed the situation following several incidents on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
Intense clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia flared up on September 27, 2020, in Nagorno-Karabakh. On November 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on a complete ceasefire in the conflict zone, which facilitated a complete cessation of hostilities.
On November 16, violent clashes between the armed forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan broke out at their border. In this context, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu held phone talks with his counterparts in Armenia and Azerbaijan. The situation later returned to normal after Azerbaijan and Armenia sought to stabilize it, Russia’s Defense Ministry said.
18:15,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. The whole goal of the negotiation process within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs is to reach the point of concluding a peace treaty with Azerbaijan, ARMENPRESS reports the Armenian PM said at the National Assembly, during the parliament-Cabinet Q&A session, answering the question of MP Lena Nazaryan from “Civil Contract” Party that the Azerbaijani leadership offers Armenia to sign a peace treaty and what’s the respond of the Armenian side.
Pashinyan answered that Armenia has also offered and offers Azerbaijan to sign a peace treaty.
“This is not something new. In all the negotiation packages that existed before us, the goal of the negotiation process is to sign a peace treaty”, the PM said.
Nikol Pashinyan noted that it is strange for him when Azerbaijan says that they offer Armenia to sign a peace treaty, but there is no response from Armenia. According to the Prime Minister, not only there is a response from Armenia, but it has been said a dozen of times that it is not an Azerbaijani initiative.
“When we talk about the full restoration of the negotiation process, when we are involved in the negotiation process, our goal is to sign a peace treaty, which must be preceded by the agreement on the text of the peace treaty. It is a rather extensive process. We have never refused to do that work. On the contrary, we have always expressed readiness. We consider it our agenda,” Pashinyan concluded.
ANKARA
Azerbaijan on Tuesday strongly condemned the Armenian defense minister’s “unauthorized” visit to Azerbaijani territory, terming it a “military-political provocation.”
“Armenian Defense Minister Arshak Karapetyan illegally visited the territory of Azerbaijan, where Russian peacekeepers are temporarily deployed,” the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Karapetyan’s visit was “deliberately held” ahead of the anniversary of the trilateral agreement signed by Azerbaijan, Russia, and Armenia on Nov. 10 last year, the ministry said.
His “unauthorized entry … into the territory of Azerbaijan, holding meetings with illegal Armenian formations, and expressing views on their combat readiness is a military-political provocation,” it added.
“The political and military leadership of Armenia, grossly violating the provisions of the trilateral statement, attempts to destabilize the situation in the region and overshadow the activities of Russian peacekeepers,” read the statement.
“Instead of drawing conclusions from the complete defeat in the 44-day war in Karabakh, adapting to the new geopolitical situation in the region, and strengthening peace and security, the military leadership of Armenia tries bad military adventurism.”
The ministry said Karapetyan’s visit “once again demonstrates that Armenia continues to directly support irregular Armenian military units, aggressive separatism, and terrorist acts on the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan.”
It warned that Azerbaijan will take “necessary measures … to prevent aggressive separatism and terrorist acts” if Armenia fails to cease such actions.
Conflict between Azerbaijan, Armenia
Relations between the former Soviet republics of Azerbaijan and Armenia have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Upper Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.
New clashes erupted on Sept. 27 last year, with the Armenian army attacking civilians and Azerbaijani forces and violating several humanitarian cease-fire agreements.
During the 44-day military conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and some 300 settlements and villages that were occupied by Armenia for almost 30 years.
Prior to this, about 20% of Azerbaijan’s territory was under illegal occupation.
The two countries signed a Russian-brokered agreement on Nov. 10 to end the fighting and work toward a comprehensive resolution.
The cease-fire was seen as a victory for Azerbaijan and a defeat for Armenia, whose forces withdrew in line with the agreement.
On Jan. 11 this year, the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a pact to develop economic ties and infrastructure to benefit the entire region. The deal also included the establishment of a trilateral working group on Karabakh.
PanARMENIAN.Net – A controversy ensued between Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan and Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ali Asadov during an online meeting of the Council of CIS Heads of Government on Friday, November 12.
In the final minutes of the meeting, Asadaov asked for an opportunity to respond to Grigoryan’s speech, Sputnik Armenia reports.
Asadov repeated the traditional theses of Baku, calling the Armenian servicemen still being held in Azerbaijan “saboteurs”. Asadov also said “there is no Nagorno-Karabakh,” but only “the Karabakh economic region of Azerbaijan.”
Grigoryan then asked for the floor and noted that Armenia, unlike Azerbaijan, has fully complied with and is fulfilling the provisions of the trilateral statements of November 9, 2020 and January 11, 2021.
He called on Azerbaijan to abandon its aggressive rhetoric, reiterating that the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is possible exclusively by peaceful means.
11:49, 3 November, 2021
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 3, ARMENPRESS. It was a great pleasure to host Vincent Lehner, Head of Markets at Symbiotics, during his first post-Covid business trip. During this past year, Ameriabank and Symbiotics signed two subordinated loan agreements to channel financing into supporting Armenian businesses, primarily small and medium businesses:
“I think it’s a good moment to invest in Armenia. We see Armenia as a very good base for us, for the development of our business.
We invest in the future, in the future of the bank, in the future of the country, and in the future of our company – Symbiotics, as well. Ameria is a great partner. Our partnership really shows that we are aligned, we have the same objectives, we can deliver together what we want, to achieve and support the businesses.”
Learn more about Ameria-Symbiotics strategic partnership in Armenia