12:39, 17 December, 2021
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. The Human Rights and Public Affairs Committee of the Armenian Parliament approved the candidacy of First Deputy Minister of Justice Kristinne Grigoryan’s as the next Human Rights Defender of Armenia.
She still needs to pass a confirmation vote at a plenary session of parliament to be elected to the position.
Grigoryan was nominated by the ruling Civil Contract party.
The foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Turkey, Jeyhun Bayramov and Mevlut Cavusoglu, discussed on Sunday the implementation of the "3+3" regional cooperation platform (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia – Russia, Turkey, Iran), TASS reported.
Their talk took place in the Pakistani capital Islamabad—and within the framework of 17th Session of the Emergency Meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
"The parties [in Moscow] discussed the results of the first meeting of the ‘3+3’ cooperation format, whose initiators are the leaders of Azerbaijan and Turkey. There is an interest in developing this mechanism of cooperation," the respective statement reads.
Also, the ministers discussed the current situation in the South Caucasus, the implementation of the trilateral agreements on Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), and the normalization of relations between the countries of the region in the post-conflict period.
The first session of the ‘3+3” regional consultative platform was convened—at the level of the deputy FMs of Armenia, Russia, Iran, Turkey, and Azerbaijan—on December 10 in Moscow.
The next meeting of the "3+3" regional consultative platform on the South Caucasus is expected to take place in Turkey. The statement came from Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Sunday in Islamabad, Pakistan, following the 17th Session of the Emergency Meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, TASS reported.
"[Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan] Mr. Jeyhun Bayramov and I discussed the meeting between [President of Azerbaijan Ilham] Aliyev and [Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol] Pashinyan in Brussels, the meeting of the ‘3+2’ platform in Moscow, which was held at the level of deputy foreign ministers. Georgia did not attend it, but we hope that it will attend the next meeting, which, as we expect, will be held in Turkey," the latter's FM said.
Cavusoglu's speech was broadcast on his official Twitter account.
Armenian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Vahan Hunanyan has responded to media requests to comment on the recent statement by Turkish FM Mevlut Cavusoglu about steps to normalise relations with Armenia.
"As in the past, Armenia has always been ready to start a process of normalizing relations with Turkey without any preconditions which is reflected in the Government programme. In this respect, we assess positively the statement of the Turkish FM about appointing envoys as part of normalization of relations and confirm that the Armenian side will appoint its representative for a dialogue," the Spokesperson said.
11:29, 7 December, 2021
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS. The opposition Hayastan faction wants to convene an emergency session of parliament over an amended version of their bill on delimitation and demarcation issues which was voted down by the ruling party.
“Given the voting we are announcing that we are initiating the introduction of an amended version of the bill today, which will be put into circulation and we are informing that on December 14, at 12:00 we will recommend with signatures of at least one-fourth of lawmakers to convene an extraordinary session with this same agenda,” Hayastan faction secretary Artsvik Minasyan said.
The bill demands the government to refrain from any kind of negotiations, written or oral agreements which would violate the requirements of the Constitution and the “collective will of the Armenian people expressed in the Declaration of Independence, and to not anyhow separate the delimitation and demarcation issue between Armenia and Azerbaijan from the Artsakh people’s guaranteed exercise of the right to self-determination on their historical lands”. The bill also calls on the international community to condemn the ongoing crimes committed by Azerbaijan and Turkey and to take measures to hold them accountable.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh David Babayan participated in the conference of the ARF-Dashnaktsutyun Hay Dat Committees and Offices, which took place in the Grand Hall of the National Assembly of Artsakh, and delivered a speech.
In his speech, the Foreign Minister touched upon the main directions of the foreign policy of the Republic of Artsakh, regional developments, and the Azerbaijani-Karabagh conflict settlement process.
Among the foreign policy priorities David Babayan pointed out the international recognition of the Republic, de-occupation of the territories of the Republic of Artsakh, comprehensive and just settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabagh conflict, as well as the development and expansion of relations with different countries and their entities.
The Minister stressed that any status within Azerbaijan is unacceptable for the people and authorities of Artsakh, which would mean annihilation of Artsakh and the Armenian statehood.
For the effective solution of those problems, the Foreign Minister noted the importance of the status of Artsakh as a geopolitical actor, the Pan-Armenian unity, and perception of Artsakh as a supreme national value in Armenia and in the Diaspora.
David Babayan highly appreciated the works carried out by the Hay Dat Offices and their contribution to the development and strengthening of Artsakh. The Minister expressed gratitude to the ARF Hay Dat for its patriotic activities and expressed hope that the structure would continue its work with the same zeal and dedication and that the Artsakh-centrism would remain among the pillars of its activity.
During the conference, the Foreign Minister also answered the questions of the participants related to the challenges in the foreign policy sphere and the works carried out to overcome them.
20:34, 1 December, 2021
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Justice of Armenia Karen Andreasyan received the representatives of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance organization on December 1.
As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Ministry of Justice of Armenia, during the meeting, the parties discussed the implementation of the Constitutional reforms and the representation of the organization in the reform process.
Representatives of the International IDEA welcomed the efforts of the Ministry of Justice in the process of constitutional reform, emphasizing that the reforms are important, they must be acceptable for the people.
The Minister thanked the representatives of "International IDEA" for their support in the process of constitutional reform.
The representatives of the organization praised the work carried out by the ministry and expressed readiness to support the reforms in the field of justice․
The Minister of Justice and the representatives of "International IDEA" agreed to implement the Constitutional reforms with joint efforts.
Armenia is not only ready, but is also interested in the unblocking of communications in the region since this is an opportunity for unblocking for Armenia. This is what Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan stated during today’s online press conference.
“The next issue is the issue of routes, which contains quite a lot of subtleties. If this takes place within the scope of sovereignty, and Armenia says it is ready to ensure a road between Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan, excuse me, but Armenia decides the road through which communication will be ensured. Azerbaijan won’t be the one deciding how to enter and how to exit. However, Armenia is interested in the restoration of railway and automobile communications,” he said.
According to Pashinyan, in this case, this is about the Turkey-Azerbaijan communication, not Nakhchivan. “Basically, this is a large international road. This is a new international road, and the passage through Armenia needs to be in Armenia’s interest. I don’t understand certain analyses on why Armenia needs to refuse to give a road. Today, all countries are fighting to make sure roads, railways, natural gas pipelines and oil pipelines pass through their territories so that cargo is transferred through those territories as soon as possible. Armenia says it is interested in the opening of a railway, and not only the Nakhchivan-Meghri-Horadiz railway, but also the Kars-Gyumri railway from which Armenia will also benefit since it will have railway communication with Europe, Russia and Iran,” the premier emphasized.
A number of Armenian soldiers have been killed and captured in a flare-up of violence on the border with Azerbaijan, Armenian officials say.
Armenia said some of its troops had been killed and two combat positions had been lost, while Azerbaijan said two of its soldiers were injured.
Later on Tuesday, both side reportedly agreed to a Russian-brokered ceasefire.
More than 6,000 lives were lost in last year's war over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Azerbaijani forces, backed by Turkey, managed to recapture large swathes of the region of what is internationally regarded as part of Azerbaijan.
On Tuesday, Armenia asked Russia, a key security ally with long-standing ties to the former Soviet republic, to help defend its territorial sovereignty against Azerbaijan.
Both the Armenian and the Russian defence ministries later said that the Russian-backed truce was agreed.
Azerbaijan has not publicly commented on the issue.
Earlier, Armenia blamed Azerbaijani troops for the latest outbreak of fighting and said 12 soldiers had been captured.
It did not immediately confirm details of casualties – but the head of parliament's foreign relations committee, Eduard Aghajanyan, said as many as 15 soldiers may have died.
Azerbaijan's defence ministry accused Armenia of "large-scale provocations against Azerbaijan in the Kalbajar and Lachin regions of the state border"
It said Armenia "launched a sudden military operation" to "take more advantageous positions" – but that the attack had failed.
But according to Armenia's foreign ministry, Azerbaijani forces attacked the eastern border as part of a policy that began in May aimed at infiltrating two Armenian areas – Syunik in the south-east and Gegharkunik in the east.
By Konul Khalilova, Editor, BBC Azerbaijani
A year after they fought a 44-day war, these latest tensions are threatening the peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The single biggest issue is that Azerbaijan wants to have a corridor running through to its exclave Nakhichevan – and ultimately to its ally Turkey. This so-called Zangazur corridor would have to pass through Armenian territory, but Armenia will not accept having a road on its land under Azerbaijan's control.
Politically it is important for Azerbaijan's leader, Ilham Aliyev, who pledged earlier this year that he would "force" Armenia to concessions regarding the corridor.
Neither country appears committed to the peace deal and both are increasing their military budgets. However for the moment at least, diplomatic contacts between them have not broken down.
Responding to Tuesday's border clashes, European Council President Charles Michel urged the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to negotiate a "full ceasefire".
Mr Michel said he called for an "urgent de-escalation" in discussions with President Aliyev and Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
A Russian-brokered peace deal was reached in November 2020. Some 2,000 Russian peacekeepers were deployed to patrol the area in and around Nagorno-Karabakh.
During the dying years of the USSR, Armenia was drawn into a bloody conflict with Azerbaijan over the mainly ethnic-Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Armenia is majority Christian while Azerbaijan is majority Muslim. Turkey has close ties to Azerbaijan, while Russia is allied with Armenia.
MoD of Armenia
Armenia said Tuesday it is appealing for Russia’s military aid in the worst fighting with its arch-foe Azerbaijan since the end of last year's war over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Armenian security council said Yerevan was invoking a 1997 Russian-Armenian mutual defense treaty to repel what it said was an attack by Azerbaijani forces that ended in Armenian deaths and territorial losses. Baku itself accused Yerevan of a “large-scale provocation” at the border earlier Tuesday.
“We appeal to Russia to protect Armenia’s territorial integrity within the 1997 agreement,” Armenian security council chief Armen Grigoryan said, as quoted by Armenia’s News.am news agency.
“We expect that Russia will provide assistance and we will have the opportunity to restore the territorial integrity of Armenia,” Grigoryan added.
Armenian Ambassador to Moscow Vardan Toganyan told the Russian state-run TASS news agency that discussions between Armenia and Russia on the situation were underway through diplomatic and military channels.
Tensions on the border have flared on and off since Armenia and Azerbaijan reached a Russian-brokered truce last November, ending a six-week armed conflict for control of Nagorno-Karabakh that claimed more than 6,500 lives.
Under the ceasefire, Armenia ceded swaths of territories it had controlled for decades.
Nearly 2,000 Russian peacekeepers were deployed to Nagorno-Karabakh for a renewable five-year mandate under the deal.
According to News.am, Grigoryan said Russia’s assistance could come in the form of either renewed negotiations or “military assistance.”
“If it’s possible to resolve this situation through negotiations, then resolve it through negotiations, and if that’s not possible, then provide Armenia with enough military assistance so that Armenia can resolve the current situation,” he was quoted as saying.
Ethnic Armenian separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh broke away from Azerbaijan as the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, and the ensuing conflict claimed around 30,000 lives.
Both countries traded accusations of opening fire at their border near Karabakh on Sunday.
Moscow has not yet publicly responded to the request.
AFP contributed reporting.