18:34,
YEREVAN, MARCH 13, ARMENPRESS. Yuri Babakhanyan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to the Republic of India, was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal (residence: New Delhi) on the basis of dual accreditation.
ARMENPRESS reports, President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan signed the appointment decree on March 13.
09:37, 9 March 2023
YEREVAN, MARCH 9, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan met with Jordan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on March 8 in Cairo, Egypt.
The discussion revolved around the Armenia-Jordan bilateral agenda and prospects of developing the mutually beneficial cooperation in various areas, the foreign ministry said in a read-out.
FM Mirzoyan and FM Safadi discussed issues related to expanding political dialogue, highlighting high-level mutual visits and active partnership in international platforms.
Regional and international security issues were also discussed.
FM Mirzoyan presented Armenia’s efforts aimed at the settlement of relations with Azerbaijan and establishing peace and stability in the region. FM Mirzoyan and FM Safadi stressed the necessity for resolving conflicts exclusively through negotiations and dialogue.
In context of the security situation in South Caucasus and the existing challenges, the Armenian FM described Azerbaijan’s manipulations of the religious factor as well as its groundless attempts to disrupt the traditional warm relations between Armenia, the Armenian people and the Arab world to be “inadmissible”.
Speaking about the blockade of Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan, FM Mirzoyan emphasized the imperative of resolving the humanitarian situation in Nagorno Karabakh resulting from the blockade and reopening the corridor in compliance with the terms of the 9 November 2020 statement.
HAVERHILL, Mass.—Braving the falling snow and below-freezing temperatures, more than 80 friends and supporters of the Lowell ARF and Armenian National Committee (ANC) gathered on Saturday, February 25, to enjoy an informative program, delicious dinner and warm Armenian hospitality on the occasion of the 128th anniversary of the Lowell ARF’s founding.
Held at the Ermonian Hall of the Armenian Apostolic Church at Hye Pointe, the anniversary celebration of North America’s oldest ARF branch featured an inspiring talk by the church’s pastor, an informative presentation titled “Unseen Armenia” and an update of activities by the ANC of the Merrimack Valley (ANC-MV).
The night’s program began with an invocation by Rev. Father Stepan Baljian of St. Gregory Armenian Church in North Andover, followed by the singing of the US and Armenian national anthems by attendees and a reading of the ARF’s anthem, Mshag Panvor, in translation, by Master of Ceremonies and ANC-MV co-chair Ara Jeknavorian.
Carol Minasian and Stepan Dulgarian
“The Lowell gomideh, now in its 128th year, spans some six generations of members devoted to serving the Armenian people and Armenian Cause,” said Lowell ARF chairperson Stepan Dulgarian in his opening remarks, adding that the organization’s effectiveness is, in large part, dependent on the support it receives from the Armenian community.
Having led the Merrimack Valley ANC delegation to Washington, DC for Advocacy Days in February, Dulgarian stressed the importance of political activism as a critical way of protecting Armenian rights worldwide.
ARF Central Committee chair Ani Tchaghlasian welcomed supporters and congratulated the Lowell ARF and ANC for their consistently effective work year in and year out.
She highlighted the difficulties that the Armenian nation is once again facing, including the threat of genocide against the Armenians of Artsakh.
Tchaghlasian pointed out that the ARF is present and working wherever and whenever Armenian rights and interests are in danger—on the front lines of battle, literally, but also figuratively—from the halls of Congress in the US to the European Parliament and elsewhere—applying all resources at its disposal.
As an indication of the ARF’s important role, she noted that one need only go to any social media platform to see that the main target of Azerbaijanis and Turks is not the present regime in Armenia, but the ARF worldwide and its efforts to defend Armenian rights.
She called on those gathered to continue supporting the ARF and ANC in that sacred task of ensuring that Armenia and the Armenian nation have a bright future.
The featured speaker of the anniversary event was Rev. Father Vart Gyozalyan, pastor of the Armenian Apostolic Church at Hye Pointe.
In his talk titled “Current Life and Conditions in Armenia,” Father Vart underscored the resilience and perseverance of the Armenian people, who, despite centuries of hardship, continue with fierce determination and optimism to pursue the ideals of freedom and self-determination.
“For the Armenian people, the trauma of centuries of oppression, culminating with the horrific genocide of 1915-1923, only emboldened our people to have a steadfast commitment to sustaining a vibrant Armenian community life and cultural identity both in our Armenian homelands of Armenia and Artsakh and in the Diaspora,” reflected Father Vart.
Rev. Gyozalyan, originally from Armenia and appointed to his US parish by the Catholicos of All Armenians in Etchmiadzin, spoke from both personal experience and knowledge acquired through his studies at the Gevorkyan seminary in Armenia as well as US institutions of higher learning.
Titled “Unseen Armenia: A Brief Glimpse of People, Places, Projects,” a presentation by longtime ANC activist Joe Dagdigian painted a picture of an Armenia that most visitors do not see—from small villages and their inhabitants to scenic sites that tour companies do not visit, and to cultural and religious monuments that local villagers revere but outsiders are unaware of.
Dagdigian also listed and outlined a number of projects in which Armenian citizens are taking the initiative to solve personal and societal problems.
The presentation concluded with a number of notable sites in Artsakh, some of which remain under Armenian control, others recently lost to Azerbaijan.
Flo Bahtiarian and Sylvia Mahlebjian
During an update on recent initiatives of the local ANC chapter. Jeknavorian spoke about the ANC-MV’s participation during the ANCA-ER’s Advocacy Days in Washington, DC. The ANC delegation met with US Representative Lori Trahan and the office staff of Rep. Seth Moulton and US Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren to sound the alarm bells of a genocide against the Armenians of Artsakh, as well as to encourage the lawmakers to introduce measures to sanction Azerbaijan for its illegal blockade and aggression against Artsakh and the Republic of Armenia.
Jeknavorian also highlighted ongoing ANC-MV programs: in-class seminars about the Armenian Genocide at local high schools; Armenian flag raisings and proclamations issued in remembrance of the Armenian Genocide in some 25 cities and towns in the Merrimack Valley.
Throughout the evening, attendees enjoyed delicious appetizers and a homemade meal prepared by the Lowell Armenian Relief Society (ARS) “Lousintak” Chapter.
ARF supporters and friends enjoyed each other’s company and the warm Armenian atmosphere created under the roof of a hospitable Armenian church.
Steve and Angele Dulgarian and Nancy Vartabedian
Thursday, March 9, 2023
Russia Criticizes ‘Bellicose Rhetoric’ On Karabakh
RUSSIA - Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova speaks during a
news briefing in Moscow, Jamiary 20, 2022.
Russia criticized “bellicose” statements on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on
Thursday two days after Azerbaijan threatened to take “resolute” actions against
Karabakh Armenian forces.
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry threatened to “disarm and neutralize” them as
it accused Armenia of continuing to send military personnel and weapons to
Karabakh. It also alleged that Russian peacekeepers escorted on Tuesday a convoy
of Armenian and Karabakh military trucks along a dirt road close to a section of
the Lachin corridor blocked by Azerbaijani protesters since December.
The authorities in Yerevan and Stepanakert were quick to reject the allegations.
Moscow has still not reacted to them.
“Bellicose rhetoric from any side is counterproductive,” Maria Zakharova, the
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, told a news briefing in Moscow. “It does
not help advance the peace agenda.”
“We proceed from the fact that Baku and Yerevan must strictly comply with all
the provisions of the tripartite [Russian-Armenian-Azerbaijani] agreements at
the highest level, including on ensuring security in Nagorno-Karabakh and using
the Lachin corridor,” added Zakharova.
The 2020 ceasefire agreement brokered Moscow placed the corridor under the
control of Russian peacekeepers and committed Baku to guaranteeing free passage
through it.
The Armenian side regards the three-month Azerbaijani blockade of the sole road
connecting Karabakh to Armenia as a gross violation of that agreement. It
maintains that Baku’s desire to set up an Azerbaijani checkpoint there also runs
counter to the truce accord.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov similarly indicated Moscow’s opposition
to the checkpoint when he visited Baku last week.
Zakharova on Thursday also said: “We also believe that de-escalation of the
current situation would be facilitated by official Yerevan’s active
participation in the search for mutually acceptable solutions.”
She appeared to allude to Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan’s reluctance
to hold a trilateral meeting with Lavrov and his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun
Bayramov.
The three ministers were scheduled to meet in Moscow in late December. Mirzoyan
cancelled the talks at the last minute in protest against the Azerbaijani
blockade of the Lachin corridor.
Lavrov said in Baku that he still stands ready to host the talks. He noted that
Yerevan “has not yet given its final consent.”
Armenia Hit By Measles Outbreak
• Robert Zargarian
U.S. - A vial of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is pictured at
the International Community Health Services clinic in Seattle, March 20, 2019.
Health authorities are scrambling to contain the first major outbreak of measles
in Armenia in almost eight years.
The total number of measles cases recorded by them has doubled to 43 in the past
week. Most of the persons infected with the highly contagious virus are
children, according to the Ministry of Health. Seventeen patients have been
hospitalized so far.
“We have not yet gone beyond the bounds of a local outbreak,” Health Minister
Anahit Avanesian told reporters on Thursday. “But we will have a clearer picture
of the trend at the end of the week.”
Vaccination is the most effective way of preventing the spread of the acute
respiratory disease. Armenian children have long received two doses of a measles
vaccine: the first at 12 months of age and a second between 4 and 6 years old.
The South Caucasus country’s vaccination rate is estimated at 95 percent, which
should be enough to prevent a nationwide epidemic.
In recent days, the Ministry of Health has repeatedly urged unvaccinated
Armenians to get inoculated against measles.
In a joint report released last November, the World Health Organization (WHO)
and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) warned of “an imminent threat of
measles spreading to different regions around the world” because of a “steady
decline in vaccination coverage and weakened surveillance of the disease” caused
by the coronavirus pandemic.
The WHO already recorded last year an increase in large measles outbreaks around
the world.
Pashinian Backs Dialogue Between Baku, Stepanakert
Armenia - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian speaks at a cabinet meeting in Yerevan,
January 12, 2023.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on Thursday called for more contacts between
Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh while accusing Baku of planning new attacks on
the Armenian-populated region.
Pashinian again described Sunday’s armed incident near Stepanakert, which left
three Karabakh Armenian police officers and two Azerbaijani soldiers dead, as an
Azerbaijani “terrorist act.” He said that that it was aimed at torpedoing
dialogue between Azerbaijani and Karabakh officials and preparing the ground for
a “new military provocation.”
Pashinian stressed that despite the deadly violence Karabakh’s leadership issued
on Wednesday an “extremely important” statement expressing readiness for further
talks with Baku.
“I think it is necessary to create reliable international mechanisms for
uninterrupted and institutional conversations between Baku and Stepanakert,” he
added during a weekly session of his cabinet.
He did not elaborate on those mechanisms sought by Yerevan.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry likewise charged on Wednesday that Azerbaijan is
gearing up for “new aggression” with false claims about shipments of Armenian
military personnel and weapons to Karabakh.
Earlier this week, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry claimed that Russian
peacekeepers escorted a convoy of Armenian and Karabakh military trucks along a
dirt road running parallel to a section of the Lachin corridor blocked by
Azerbaijani protesters since December. The Armenian side dismissed the claim as
“disinformation.”
On Thursday, the Defense Ministry in Baku accused Armenian forces of firing
overnight at Azerbaijani troops deployed along Azerbaijan’s border with Armenia
and in Karabakh. Armenia’s Defense Ministry and the Karabakh Armenian army
strongly denied violating the ceasefire.
A senior European Union diplomat said later in the day that he is “greatly
concerned about the recent deadly clash and renewed reports of shootings.”
“No justification for violence; all issues need to be addressed through
negotiations only,” tweeted Toivo Klaar, the EU’s special representative to the
South Caucasus.
Klaar visited Yerevan and Baku late last month to discuss the possibility of
another meeting between Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev which
EU chief Charles Michel offered to host in Brussels.
Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2023 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
20:40, 1 March 2023
YEREVAN, MARCH 1, ARMENPRESS. The world community should prepare for a new pandemic that may occur due to bird flu transmitted from person to person, ARMENPRESS reports, World Health Organization (WHO) epidemiologist Richard Peabody announced in an interview with El Pais newspaper.
“There is concern that bird flu will acquire the ability to spread from person to person, and sustainably, and may cause a new pandemic. We must be ready for it. The scientific community is studying the genetic sequence of these viruses in order to track them, as well as to develop vaccines that will be available in case of need,” he said.
According to an epidemiologist, the new outbreak of bird flu, which has killed millions of wild and domestic birds worldwide, began two to three years ago due to a special strain of the A(H5N1) virus.
“We want to say that you should be vigilant. It is important that people do not pick up dead or dying birds or other animals, and that that poultry factory workers are well protected,” Peabody noted.
According to WHO data, 873 cases of human infection with bird flu were recorded in the world in 2003-2023, which resulted in 458 deaths.
14:06, 1 March 2023
YEREVAN, MARCH 1, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan extended condolences to the families of the victims of the deadly train crash in Greece.
“Deeply saddened by news of horrific train collision in Greece that claimed dozens of lives,” FM Mirzoyan said in a tweet addressed to his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias. “Our heartfelt condolences to families & friends of victims & we wish a speedy recovery to injured. Armenia stands by brotherly Greece & its people in this tragic moment.”
At least 36 people have died and dozens more injured after two trains collided in northern Greece.
17:27,
YEREVAN, 28 FEBUARY, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 28 February, USD exchange rate up by 0.28 drams to 389.34 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 2.28 drams to 413.40 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate stood at 5.18 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 5.35 drams to 471.37 drams.
The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.
Gold price up by 112.69 drams to 22765.08 drams. Silver price down by 4.32 drams to 259.49 drams. Platinum price stood at 16414.1 drams.
HATAY, Türkiye
The historic Church of the Virgin Mary, located in Türkiye’s southernmost Hatay province, suffered extensive new damage in Monday’s two earthquakes, two weeks after major quakes jolted the region, a local official told Anadolu.
The damage to the outer walls of the church from the twin quakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Feb. 6 was exacerbated by Monday’s quakes, both of which were centered in Hatay, unlike the quakes two weeks ago. The Orthodox church, used by local Turkish citizens of Armenian origin, is reportedly some 700 years old.
Local authorities closed the church for worship after the Feb. 6 earthquakes, Berc Kartun, headman of the town of Vakifli, told Anadolu.
“The church was almost completely destroyed in the latest earthquake. It is now unusable. Its outer walls have fallen. There’s a lot of damage inside. Worship isn’t allowed in the church at the moment. It is impossible to enter the building,” said Kartun.
At least six people were killed and 294 others wounded when two smaller earthquakes, magnitudes 6.4 and 5.8, jolted Türkiye’s southernmost Hatay province on Monday evening, the country’s disaster agency said.
The Hatay-centered quakes came just two weeks after the magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes centered in Kahramanmaras.
The powerful twin quakes struck 10 other provinces on Feb. 6 – Hatay, Gaziantep, Malatya, Sanliurfa, Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye, and Elazig.
More than 13 million people have been affected by the disaster, with the death toll now above 41,000, according to the latest official figures.
*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz
The US Secretary of State hopes for a solution…
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s hope that his meeting with Pashinyan and Aliyev – “a historic opportunity to ensure lasting peace after more than 30 years of conflict” – would become a reality, it would seem, and instilled some cautious optimism in the progress of the negotiation process of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
This is especially the case since after the meeting he noted “significant the progress made by both sides over the past few months on the way to a peace agreement.” However, he did not disclose what this “progress” is.
In addition, following the meeting, Ilham Aliyev said that “there is progress in Armenia’s position, but it is not sufficient.” It must be assumed that Azerbaijan intends to continue the pressure, including through the blockade of the Lachin corridor.
Long-term experience shows that the President of Azerbaijan almost never complied with the agreements – there is a lot of evidence for this: the 4-day war of 2016, Azerbaijan’s attack on Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020, as well as a large-scale attack on Armenia in September 2022. (Not counting the violation of the sovereign territory of Armenia in 2021 on the Sotk-Khoznavar line).
In addition, a map from the Azerbaijani military unit has recently appeared, according to which Azerbaijan plans to seize the Armenian regions of Syunik, Vayots Dzor, Tavush, half of Gegharkunik region and part of Ararat.
The blockade of the Lachin corridor…
During a panel discussion on security issues in the South Caucasus, Ilham Aliyev claimed that Azerbaijan is not blocking the Lachin humanitarian corridor. However, if Aliyev is telling the truth, then why does the European Parliament adopt a resolution demanding that Baku unblock it?
It will be said in place that dozens of Western countries are making similar demands, let’s take the same Secretary of State Blinken, who at a meeting with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan stated the need for free and open commercial and private transit through the Lachin corridor.
“The President of Azerbaijan noted the statement of 2020, in which it is written that the Lachin corridor should operate under the control of Russia. Several children tried to drive along the Lachin corridor. They were stopped by masked Azerbaijani citizens, their bus was invaded, the children were scared, and this was the last time civilians tried to use the road,” Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan recalled.
The Lachin corridor has remained blocked for more than 70 days, putting Nagorno-Karabakh in a humanitarian and energy crisis. The supply of electricity and gas is intermittent. During these days, the gas supply (via the Armenia-Nagorno-Karabakh gas pipeline) has been turned off at least 10 times, and the power grid cannot withstand loads, since the air temperature is below 0, and people are forced to heat their homes with electric stoves.
Moreover, it turned out that by resuming the activities of the gas pipeline, Azerbaijan, to put it politely, “borrows” gas intended for Nagorno-Karabakh.
The blockade itself means the conduct of military operations. Continuing the war, Baku is trying to get concessions from Yerevan on the regime of the road that will connect Azerbaijan with the exclave of Nakhichevan.
This theory is supported by the statements of Ilham Aliyev himself, who, at the end of the Pashinyan-Blinken-Aliyev meeting, said that it was necessary to establish a checkpoint.
“If we talk about the delimitation of the border, checkpoints should be installed both at both ends of the Zangezur corridor and on the border between Lachin and Armenia.”
However, in the trilateral statement of the leaders of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan dated November 9, 2020, there is not a word about anything like this.
But it is noted: “The Lachin corridor (5 km wide), which will provide a link between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia and will not affect the city of Shusha, remains under the control of the peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation.”
In this regard, a more prosaic question arises: what are the Azerbaijani military and pseudo-ecologists doing there for more than 70 days?
Moreover, today the International Court of Justice took interim measures against Azerbaijan, obliging it to provide all the means at its disposal to ensure the transportation of people and goods in two directions along the Lachin corridor.
At the same time, the same court rejected Azerbaijan’s claims against Armenia.
Nagorno-Karabakh exists…
Another incident is that for more than 3 years, Ilham Aliyev has been trying to convince the world that “there is no Karabakh,””there is no Karabakh problem.”
At various venues, the President of Azerbaijan pushes the thesis that he started the 2020 war against Nagorno-Karabakh “in compliance with UN Security Council resolutions”!
However, four UN Security Council resolutions demanded that Azerbaijan cease hostilities, but Azerbaijan itself continued the war. In addition, it is not entirely clear how the UN Security Council resolutions relate to periodic attacks on the sovereign territories of Armenia after 2020 and the blockade of the Lachin corridor.
And what about the statement of November 9, 2020? It mentions “Nagorno-Karabakh” as many as four times?!
It is noteworthy that the moderator of the panel discussion in Azerbaijan was accused of bias: “Aliyev said that there is no such thing as “Nagorno-Karabakh” and asked to respect the sovereignty and laws of Azerbaijan.
Pashinyan replied that Aliyev himself signed a document on November 9/10, which refers to “Nagorno-Karabakh”. The moderator did not give the floor to Aliyev, but moved on to questions from the audience, and soon the broadcast was completely interrupted.”
And the OSCE Minsk Group exists, no matter how Ilham Aliyev denies it and no matter how sad it may sound for those who want to bury it.
“The OSCE Minsk Group has not been dissolved yet, it exists, it does not work together, that is, the three Co-Chairs do not work together, but for us, as co-chairs of the Minsk Group, our mission always exists, which means to continue working on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue,” said Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Armenia Anne Louillot.
Ilham Aliyev and his arithmetic…
Another strange statement by the President of Azerbaijan concerned the religious aspect, or rather the mosques in Nagorno-Karabakh.
“Armenians destroyed 67 mosques in Artsakh,” Aliyev said in Munich.
But in November 2015, at the opening of the XII session of the ISESCO General Conference, he claimed that “Armenians destroyed 10 mosques.”
Advisor to the State Minister of Artsakh Artak Beglaryan notes that the official documents of the Soviet-Azerbaijani government indicated that only 17 mosques were located in the territories under the control of Artsakh.
“We deliberately did not destroy a single mosque, even the Shusha Mosque was restored and, like the churches, preserved as much as we could,” he said.
But mosques, churches, synagogues were destroyed by thousands during the Soviet era. Including Azerbaijan and including when Ilham Aliyev’s father, Heydar Aliyev, was the head of the Azerbaijan SSR.
Another thing is that Aliyev Jr. is trying to give the Azerbaijani-Artsakh conflict a religious character and turn Muslim countries against the Armenian people. However, he did not particularly succeed in this, because his arguments are not supported by accurate factual evidence.
Democracy is like a nightmare
In conclusion, it should be noted that in addition to all this, the segment of Nikol Pashinyan’s speech about democracy was a heavy blow for Ilham Aliyev. As soon as the Armenian Prime Minister started talking about democratic and open elections, Azerbaijan’s state TV interrupted the broadcast from Munich, turning on a political talk show.
I wonder what Aliyev was more afraid of – that Azerbaijanis would find out that there are democratic elections in the world, or that the Armenian leader was calmly talking about this topic?
In this context, the phrase with which the host of the Azerbaijani talk show began his program is even more remarkable: “There was nothing new on the panel this year.”
By Editor-in-Chief “Respublica Armenia” newspaper Ararat Petrosyan.
By some accounts it was a historic occasion. On 18 February, during the annual Munich Security Conference in Germany, the Armenian, Azerbaijani, and Georgian leaders shared the same stage for the first time since the former Soviet Union collapsed. The panel, “Moving Mountains: How to ensure security in the South Caucasus,” also included OSCE Secretary General Helga Scmid.
On the eve of the discussion, however, the name of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was noticeably absent. While some tweeted their abhorrence at this omission, others instead sighed in relief given that the last time he shared a stage with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the same event in 2020, the discussion quickly descended into bickering and mutual accusation.
“Never do this again,” tweeted International Crisis Group (ICG) Senior Analyst Olesya Vartanyan at the time.
But do it again they did, albeit in an extended format and even if Pashinyan’s presence came as a last minute surprise to everyone.
“His name was not mentioned in the initial proposal given to me,” Aliyev told reporters. “He probably decided to attend last night. I think this is a good development because, finally, some cooperation among the three South Caucasus countries can be started.”
The Azerbaijani President also told media that the idea of establishing a regional format in Tbilisi could be discussed, echoing similar comments from EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia, Toivo Klaar, 10 days earlier.
“It is very important that the three countries of the South Caucasus work together and contribute to peace,” Klaar said in an interview with the Georgian Public Broadcaster. “And here the role of Georgia as a bridge between Armenia and Azerbaijan is very important.”
Despite trepidation at how the panel would turn out, there were also even more positive signs.
Just hours before the panel discussion, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had facilitated a trilateral meeting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders on the sidelines of the conference. Accompanying them were Armenian Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, his counterpart Jeyhun Baramov, and Azerbaijani Presidential Advisor Hikmet Hajiyev.
In essence, the three main officials involved in the Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiation processes were present in one room. Accompanying the U.S. Secretary of State were also Assistant Secretary of State Karen Donfried and the newly appointed Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations, Louis L. Bono.
“We believe that Armenia and Azerbaijan have a genuinely historic opportunity to secure enduring peace after more than 30 years of conflict,” Blinken told media in an address before the meeting continued behind closed doors.
This too was arguably a historic occasion. It was the first time that the Biden Administration had managed to gather the Armenian and Azerbaijan leaders together. Last year, Blinken had only convened a meeting of the two foreign ministers while U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan had brought together Armen Grigoryan and Hikmet Hajiyev in Washington D.C..
Aliyev described the talks as constructive and also confirmed that Baku had received Yerevan’s latest comments and suggestions on the text of a possible bilateral peace treaty, but it was clear that differences remain.
“At first glance, there is progress in Armenia’s position, but it is not sufficient,” Aliyev said. He also announced that during the meeting he had proposed Yerevan set up border checks on a still yet-to-be-opened route connecting Azerbaijan via Armenia to its exclave of Nakhichevan. In turn, Baku would introduce its own checkpoints on the Lachin Corridor connecting Armenia to Karabakh through Azerbaijan.
Referred to in Azerbaijani circles as the “Zangezur Corridor,” disagreement over how the Nakhichevan route would operate has been a major sticking point in the negotiation process for at least a year. It is also one of the possible reasons for the current impasse on the Lachin Corridor where self-proclaimed Azerbaijani ‘eco-activists’ have restricted traffic in what can be considered a partial blockade.
For over two months, vehicles from the Russian peacekeeping forces and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) can travel on the Lachin Corridor or transport humanitarian assistance to the ethnic Armenian population of Karabakh. This was naturally brought up in the meeting with Blinken.
“Nikol Pashinyan stressed the fact of the illegal blockade of Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan and the resulting humanitarian, environmental and energy crisis in Nagorno Karabakh,” an official Armenian statement read, though also ending on a positive note. “The continuity of the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan was highlighted.”
But despite what appeared to be further commitment to that process, the mood deteriorated in the panel discussion that followed soon after even if opening remarks from Aliyev were encouraging.
“We had our own war two years ago, which lasted 44 days,” he stated. “We know what tragedy war brings to people. Azerbaijan and Armenia must demonstrate how important peace is. We are currently working on a peace agreement. And this can be a good example of how making peace can end the grief and tragedies of conflicts.”
But rather than build on that to explore the possibilities of regional peace, stability, and security, questions from the moderator, Munich Security Conference chair Christoph Heusgen, saw the mood between Aliyev and Pashinyan quickly deteriorate, leaving the Georgian Prime Minister, Irakli Garibashvili, uncomfortably sandwiched in-between. Lachin, of course, was the issue.
“The continuation of the crisis may cause irreversible humanitarian consequences for the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh,” Pashinyan charged, referring to the long-running standoff. In response, Aliyev demanded that the term “Nagorno Karabakh” no longer be used in international circles.
Pashinyan countered that the term was in the November 2020 ceasefire statement and also that the Lachin Corridor was had not been put under Azerbaijan’s control.
But in a bewildering turn, Pashinyan then referred to Baku’s claims that dozens of mosques had been destroyed by Armenian forces during the nearly three decades it effectively controlled seven adjacent regions to the former Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO). Those territories were returned to Baku after the 2020 war, but Aliyev had not raised the issue of mosques during the panel.
“It seems that Azerbaijan is trying to give this whole situation a religious context. But there is no religious context to this conflict. There is a Muslim minority in Armenia, and we have a functioning mosque,” claimed Pashinyan, presumably referring to the tiny remnants of what remains of Armenia’s Muslim Kurdish community and the Blue Mosque in central Yerevan.
Nonetheless, Pashinyan attempted to end on a more constructive note.
“We have a very complicated history,” he said. “And this is also a historical meeting, but for what purpose do we want to use it? To stir up intolerance, hatred, aggressive rhetoric? Or, on the contrary, use this platform to improve the situation?”
Aliyev too, in a response to a question from the audience, also reiterated Baku’s commitment to the Brussel Process of peace talks with Yerevan as facilitated by European Council President Charles Michel. However, he nonetheless had also earlier justified the devastating 2020 war that saw over 6,000 people killed.
“Peace negotiations sometimes take too long. Ours lasted 28 years. This suited Armenia and its supporters, who wanted to continue the occupation of our lands,” he said, also referring to the November 2020 ceasefire statement that ended the war the same year as ‘an act of capitulation,’ angering Armenians watching.
Despite technical problems with the livestream, what could have proven a constructive and historic opportunity for the three leaders in the South Caucasus to discuss regional cooperation and security, the panel instead laid bear the divisions and disparate positions that have afflicted the region for over thirty years.
Nonetheless, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken remained positive about his own meeting with the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders. “Pleased to hear that the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process is on track and negotiations between the two sides are continuing,” he tweeted the next day, almost as if the more contentious panel discussion had never taken place.
In a press briefing on 22 February, U.S. State Department Spokesperson Ned Price also sounded upbeat and told reporters that the Armenian and Azerbaijani “parties come together in Brussels in the coming days in the talks hosted by President Michel of the EU. […] there has been significant progress that we’ve taken note of. We are going to do everything we can to see that progress continue”.