16:20, 8 June, 2021
YEREVAN, JUNE 8, ARMENPRESS. The rescuers of Artsakh have found 3 more bodies during the search operations in the battle zones on June 8, the State Emergency Service said.
“According to the preliminary data, they are participants of military operations and will be identified after forensic examination”, the Service said.
So far, a total of 1563 bodies have been found during the search operations.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
BAKU, May 31. /TASS/. Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry has said an Armenian drone was intercepted on the border between the two countries.
“On the Kelbajar section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border the Azerbaijani army spotted a Griffon-12 drone of the Armenian army and grounded it using special technical means,” the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said in a news release on Monday.
The situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in the area of the Gegharkunik and Syunik regions has remained strained since May 12. Both sides report provocations. On Thursday, Azerbaijan said it had taken prisoner six Armenian soldiers when they were trying to cross the border for committing an act of sabotage. The Armenian side confirmed the very instance of detention, but stressed that the men were conducting engineering works in a border zone of the Gegharkunik Region of Armenia.
An armed conflict erupted in the zone of the dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh in the autumn of 2020. On November 9, the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a statement that put an end to hostilities. Under the arrangement, the Azerbaijani and Armenian forces stopped at the positions they were holding at the moment. A number of districts were handed over to Baku’s control. Russian peacekeepers were deployed along the engagement line and the Lachin corridor.
TEHRAN, May 30 (MNA) – Republic of Azerbaijan supported the Russian Federation’s proposal for a solution to Azerbaijan’s border dispute with Armenia.
Azeri Prime Minister Ali Asadov said that “it had been impossible to delimit and demarcate the border with Armenia since the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan was occupied by the Armenian armed forces.”
Azerbaijan stays ready to find a solution to the border delimitation with Armenia in a constructive manner, so Baku backs Russia’s proposal to set up a trilateral commission on the delimitation and demarcation of the Azerbaijani-Armenian border, Azerbaijan’s Prime Minister Ali Asadov said at a meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of Government in Minsk, TASS news agency reported.
“It had been impossible to delimit and demarcate the border with Armenia since the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan was occupied by the Armenian armed forces,” he reiterated.
Now, after the end of fighting, Azerbaijan has begun installing its border infrastructure and is absolutely ready, and is going to resolve the border demarcation issue with Armenia in a constructive manner,” Azeri prime minister continued.
According to Asadov, “In this regard, Baku has supported Russia’s proposal to establish a trilateral commission on the delimitation and demarcation of the Azerbaijani-Armenian border.”.
MA/TASS
Friday,
EU Hails Armenian Proposal To Ease Tensions With Azerbaijan
BELGIUM - European Union flags flutter outside the EU Commission headquarters in
Brussels, May 5, 2021
The European Union on Friday expressed serious concern about mounting tensions
on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and backed the deployment of international
monitors there proposed by Armenia.
The EU called for an “immediate de-escalation” of the border dispute and the
release of all Armenian prisoners held by Azerbaijan.
“The European Union urges both sides to refrain from any further military
deployment and actions,” Peter Stano, an EU foreign policy spokesman, said in a
statement. “All forces should pull back to positions held before 12 May and both
sides should engage in negotiations on border delimitation and demarcation.”
“We welcome all efforts aimed at decreasing tensions, including proposals for a
possible international observation mission,” Stano said, adding that the EU is
ready to “provide expertise and help on border delimitation and demarcation.”
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian proposed on Thursday that Armenia and
Azerbaijan withdraw their troops from the disputed border areas and let Russia
and/or the United States and France, the two other countries co-chairing the
OSCE Minsk Group, deploy observers there. He said that should be followed by a
process of “ascertaining border points” supervised by the international
community.
Pashinian floated the idea hours after six Armenian soldiers deployed on the
border were captured by Azerbaijani troops. “If the situation is not resolved
this provocation could inevitably lead to a large-scale clash,” he warned.
Baku did not respond to the proposal as of Friday evening. It denies that its
troops crossed several sections of the frontier and advanced a few kilometers
into Armenian territory two weeks ago.
Russian, Armenian Defense Chiefs ‘Agree’ On Border Crisis
Russia - Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu meets with his Armenian
counterpart Vagharshak Harutiunian, Moscow, .
Defense Minister Vagharshak Harutiunian and his Russian counterpart Sergei
Shoigu agreed on how to deal with Armenia’s ongoing border dispute with
Azerbaijan when they met in Moscow on Friday, according to the Armenian Defense
Ministry.
A statement on the talks released by the ministry said Harutiunian briefed
Shoigu on “details of Azerbaijani army units’ intrusion into Armenia’s
territory” and measures taken by the Armenian military in response.
“The sides looked into possible ways of resolving the situation and reached
agreement on necessary steps,” it added without elaborating.
The Russian Defense Ministry did not report such understandings in its statement
on the meeting, which was also attended by other senior Russian and Armenian
military officials. It only publicized Shoigu’s opening remarks at the meeting.
The Russian defense minister said the two sides will discuss “all acute problems
that have arisen lately” in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone but did not
comment on them. He also praised Russia’s close military ties with Armenia and
said the two nations are “reinforcing our military cooperation.”
Shoigu also spoke of a “successful implementation” of Russian-Armenia defense
treaties and stressed the importance of Russian military presence in Armenia.
Harutiunian likewise said that Russian-Armenian military cooperation is
“developing very successfully.”
The two ministers twice spoke by phone earlier this month shortly after
Azerbaijani troops reportedly advanced several kilometers and crossed some
sections of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, triggering an Armenian military
buildup in those areas.
Armenia formally asked the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization
(CSTO) to help it restore its territorial integrity. It also requested separate
military aid from Russia.
So far Moscow has not publicly sided with Yerevan in the dispute, offering
instead to act as a mediator in a delimitation and demarcation of the border.
Pashinian, Ter-Petrosian Trade Barbs
• Anush Mkrtchian
Armenia - Former President Levon Ter-Petrosian (L) and Nikol Pashinian at an
opposition rally in Yerevan, May 31, 2011.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and former President Levon Ter-Petrosian have
traded accusations over their handling of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
In an interview with Armenian Public Television aired late on Thursday,
Ter-Petrosian again blamed Pashinian for the autumn war with Azerbaijan and its
outcome. He also accused the current authorities of failing to understand and
cope with post-war security challenges facing Armenia.
“I’m sure that Russia is frankly telling Pashinian what it is going to do in
this region and about the future of Armenia and Karabakh in general,” said the
76-year-old ex-president. “Pashinian’s problem is that he doesn’t understand
what the Russians are telling him.”
Pashinian hit back at his former political mentor when he met with members of
his Civil Contract party in Yerevan on Friday. In particular, he charged that
Ter-Petrosian stood for placing Karabakh back under Azerbaijani control when he
ruled Armenia from 1991-1998 and continues to favor the same policy.
“What he is saying is, ‘Karabakh is Azerbaijan. Period,’” claimed Pashinian.
Ter-Petrosian’s spokesman, Arman Musinian, laughed off the claim, saying that
the prime minister is accusing the ex-president of something which he himself
has effectively brought about.
“Pashinian has proved that he really has no clue about politics,” Musinian said
in a statement.
In his televised remarks, Ter-Petrosian again defended his strong support for a
compromise solution to the Karabakh which was proposed by the United States,
Russia and France during the final months of his rule. He insisted that it did
not call for the restoration of Azerbaijani control over the Armenian-populated
territory.
Ter-Petrosian was forced to resign in 1998 by more hardline members of his
administration, including Robert Kocharian and Serzh Sarkisian, who opposed that
peace plan. He said earlier this week that Kocharian and Sarkisian, who served
as Armenia’s presidents from 1998-2018, are also responsible for the Karabakh
war.
Pashinian played a major role in Ter-Petrosian’s 2008 opposition movement. He
subsequently fell out with the ex-president and set up his own party, which will
try to keep him in power during the parliamentary elections slated for June 20.
Ter-Petrosian’s Armenian National Congress party will also participate in the
snap elections.
U.S. Urges Armenia, Azerbaijan To De-Escalate Border Dispute
U.S. -- U.S. State Department Spokesman Ned Price speaks during a press briefing
at the State Department in Washington, February 8, 2021
The United States has called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to pull back their troops
from contested portions of their border, saying that a continuing military
standoff there must be resolved “urgently and peacefully.”
The U.S. State Department also called for the immediate release of all Armenian
prisoners held in Azerbaijan, including the six soldiers who were captured by
Azerbaijani forces on the border early on Thursday.
“The United States considers any movements along the non-demarcated areas of the
international border between Armenia and Azerbaijan to be provocative and
unnecessary,” the department spokesman, Ned Price, said a statement released on
Thursday evening.
“We reject the use of force to demarcate the border and call on both sides to
return to their previous positions and to cease military fortification of the
non-demarcated border and the emplacement of landmines,” he said.
Price said that Armenian and Azerbaijani troops should retreat to the positions
which they held as of May 11. He welcomed Armenia’s “statements of intent to
this effect.”
“These actions will de-escalate tensions and create space for a peaceful
negotiation process to demarcate the border on an urgent basis. The United
States is prepared to assist these efforts,” added the official.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian proposed earlier on Thursday that both
sides withdraw their troops from the disputed border areas and let Russia and/or
the United States and France, the two other countries co-chairing the OSCE Minsk
Group, deploy observers there. He said that should be followed by a process of
“ascertaining border points” supervised by the international community.
Pashinian told members of his Civil Contract party on Friday that one of the
co-chair countries has already “tentatively reacted” to his proposal. “I hope
that the two other co-chair countries will also react,” he said without naming
any of them.
There has been no public reaction to Pashinian’s initiative from France, Russia
and Azerbaijan so far.
The French, Russian and U.S. diplomats co-heading the OSCE Minsk Group echoed
Washington’s calls for a troop disengagement and the release of the Armenian
prisoners in a joint statement issued later on Friday.
“We call on both sides to take immediate steps, including the relocation of
troops, to de-escalate the situation and to begin negotiations to delimitate and
demarcate the border peacefully,” read the statement. “The Co-Chairs stand ready
to assist in facilitating this process.”
Moscow proposed last week the creation of an Armenian-Azerbaijani commission on
border demarcation in a bid to end the escalating border tensions.
The standoff began after Azerbaijani troops advanced several kilometers into
Armenia’s Gegharkunik and Syunik provinces on May 12-14. The Armenian military
responded by sending reinforcements to those areas.
The U.S. State Department urged Baku to “pull back all forces immediately and
cease further provocation” on May 14. Three days later U.S. National Security
Adviser Jake Sullivan discussed the issue with Pashinian and Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev in separate phone calls.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2021 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
By Vatican News staff writer
In his condolence message sent on Saturday, Pope Francis praised the pastoral witness and outreach of Patriarch Ghabroyan, who headed the Armenian Patriarchate of Cilicia based in Beirut, Lebanon.
The message in French came through Cardinal Mario Zenari, Apostolic Nuncio in Syria, his personal representative at the Patriarch’s funeral held in the Armenian Catholic Cathedral of St. Gregory the Illuminator-St. Elias in Beirut, where he read the Pope’s message.
The Pope praised the pastoral sensitivity of Patriarch Ghabroyan with his tireless outreach and care for serving the most destitute Armenian communities suffering from the war and poverty, especially in Syria and Lebanon.
The Pope also recalled their meetings together, especially in the summer of 2015 when he was elected Patriarch and asked the Pope for a special blessing in order to lead the Patariarchal Church despite his advanced age.
Pope Francis also recalled other meetings with Patriarch Ghabroyan in Rome, during his Apostolic Journey to Armenia in 2016, as well as in 2018 with the inuguration of the statue of Saint Gregory of Narek in the Vatican gardens.
The Pope recalled fondly all these occasions, which offered opportunities to express his closeness with the “beloved Armenian people who have suffered so much in the course of their history but who have always remained faithful to the profession of faith in Christ the Savior.”
He commended the Patriarch’s soul to the mercy of God and for the intercessory prayer of Mary, Mother of God, of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, and of Saint Gregory of Narek, together with all the Armenian martyrs and saints.
Archbishop Boutros Marayati of the Catholic Armenians of Aleppo presided over the funeral ceremony on Saturday. He took over following the death of the Patriarch in the role of Administrator of the Patriarchal Church of Cilicia of the Armenians.
Auxiliary Bishop Kevork Assadourian of Beirut of the Armenian Catholic Patriarchate delivered the homily at the funeral, where he spoke of the Patriarch’s long ministry in the service of the Church and the Armenian people, emphasizing in particular his dedication to the poor.
“First of all, the late patriarch was a lover of the poor, as evidenced by the assistance and closeness he wished to offer, away from the spotlight, in favor of poor families especially over these last two years when Lebanon is experiencing unsustainable economic and social conditions,” said Bishop Assadourian. “In recent days, even the illness that afflicted him, could not stop the pursuit of his work. Even on his hospital bed he continued to manage, organize and convene meetings trying to meet the needs of his Church and his people.”
Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches also sent a special message of condolence recalling the witness and dedication of the Patriarch Ghabroyan. The Apostolic Nuncio to Lebanon, Archbishop Joseph Spiteri, read Cardinal Sandri’s message of condolence.
Also participating in the funeral ceremony were the bishops and clergy of the Armenian Catholic Church, as well as representatives of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches of Lebanon, including Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites, Cardinal Béchara Boutros Raï, Patriarch of the Great House of Cilicia of the Armenians Aram I, and Patriarch of the Syrian Catholic Church His Beatitude Yousef Younan.
A representative of the President of the Lebanese Republic was onhand, as well as representatives of the political, diplomatic and civil society.
The burial ceremony will take place in the Patriarchal seat of the Convent of Our Mother of Bzommar, where the Patriarch will be buried in the cemetery reserved for Armenian Patriarchs.
13:39,
YEREVAN, MAY 27, ARMENPRESS. The gunfire heard in the Tavush province is from firing exercises of the Armenian military, the Armenian Ministry of Defense Head of Information and PR Department Gevorg Altunyan told ARMENPRESS when asked to comment on reports of a border shooting by Azeri forces.
“One of the units of the Armenian Armed Forces is carrying out firing exercises in Tavush. It seems like they’ve mistaken it with that. The reports on Azeri gunshots, shootouts are not confirmed here,” Altunyan said.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
14:28,
YEREVAN, MAY 25, ARMENPRESS. Armenia is expecting more active and addressed response from the international partners and the international community to the ongoing encroachments of Azerbaijan against its territorial integrity, President Armen Sarkissian said at the meeting with new Ambassador of Montenegro to Armenia Dragica Ponorac, the Presidential Office told Armenpress.
The Armenian President and the Ambassador of Montenegro exchanged views on the mutual cooperation prospects between the two countries, highlighted specifying the fields of common interest. In that respect they mentioned tourism and high technological as a priority directions for cooperation with a great potential.
President Sarkissian touched upon the post-war challenges facing Armenia, the humanitarian problems, in particular emphasized the need for quick return of Armenian prisoners of war and civilian captives from Azerbaijan.
He also touched upon the ongoing encroachments by Azerbaijan towards Armenia’s borders and territorial integrity.
In her turn the new Ambassador of Montenegro stated that she is happy to represent her country in Armenia, noting that the two countries have traditional friendly relations and she in her turn will make all efforts to further strengthen those ties and promote the Armenia-Montenegro agenda.
The Armenian President conveyed his greetings to President of Montenegro Milo Đukanović, whose planned official visit to Armenia has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, and expressed hope that the visit will take place as soon as possible.
The new Ambassador of Montenegro (residence in Kiev, Ukraine) presented her credentials to the Armenian President.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
“We have been stating for six months that each day Nikol Pashinyan remains in power is extremely dangerous for Armenia and we have been proving this,” member of ARF-Dashnaktsutyun Bureau Gegham Manukyan told reporters at the Republic Square. Manukyan stressed that the person who lost the war and was knelt down before Aliyev is unable to run decent negotiations and promote the interests of Armenia, Artak and the Armenian people. “Regretfully, today’s news came as an additional evidence to this,” said the ARDF member.
“Me and many of my friends know well that every day is important and should be used to remove the current authorities even before the elections. We had no such opportunity which means that June 20 is the last day for them,” stressed Manukyan.
He also assured that June 20, when the snap parliamentary elections are scheduled to take place, will be the last day of the current government and Pashinyan along his political team will have no opportunity to form a cabinet.