Author: Vorskanian Yeghisabet

Turkish press: After half-century, Turkey’s Manuçehr Mosque to call for prayer

Vorskanian Yeghisabet
 KARS ARTS 
JUN 02, 2021 11:22 AM GMT+3
The 11th-century Ebul Manuçehr Mosque stands above a canyon, in Kars, Turkey, June 24, 2020. (AA Photo)

The adhan, the call to prayer for Muslims, carries significant importance in Islam and it is the most distinguishing feature of mosques. The Ebul Manuçehr Mosque, located in the ancient city of Ani in northeastern Turkey’s Kars province, had to stand without adhan for 64 years, but now with the historical mosque’s restoration planned, the call for prayer has started to echoe from its minaret once again.

Part of the ancient Ani Ruins, a UNESCO World Heritage site near the Arpaçay district of Kars, the 11th-century Ebul Manuçehr Mosque took nearly 15 years to complete, following the order of the Seljuk Empire’s sultan Malik-Shah I.

The mosque, which was used as a depot under Russian occupation in the 19th century, is planned to be restored and opened to worship by August under the coordination of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and several other ministries, agencies and organizations including the Serhat Development Agency (SERKA).

The 11th-century Ebul Manuçehr Mosque stands above a canyon, in Kars, Turkey, May 31, 2021. (AA Photo)

Ibrahim Taşdemir, secretary general of SERKA, said that work on the mosque is already underway. “Allah willing, we will have the opening for worship at this mosque, the first mosque constructed by Turks in Anatolia, in August, on the 957th anniversary of Ani’s conquest,” he told Anadolu Agency (AA).

Taşdemir said that in the first stage, the mosque will open for worship after its 64-year hiatus. Installations include doors and windows, a minbar, a pulpit where the imam stands to deliver sermons and a mihrab, a semicircular niche in the wall that indicates the direction that Muslims should face when praying.

A comprehensive restoration of the mosque will then be carried out with support from 26 development agencies. The non-original walls built during the Russian occupation will be removed as part of the restoration.

“Just as it was the first mosque of Anatolia, labor from every inch of Anatolia will be here,” Taşdemir said when he noted how many agencies from different corners of Turkey would be supporting the project.

Taşdemir also emphasized that archaeological excavations at the Ani Ruins, which they also support, are ongoing.

He noted that the Ani Ruins carry significant importance in world history with the region hosting 23 civilizations throughout its 5,000-year lifespan.

The ruins, located on the Turkey-Armenia border, flourished in the 10th and 11th centuries when it was the capital of the medieval Armenian kingdom of the Bagratides.

The ancient city also contains Islamic architecture from the 11th and 12th centuries and it was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List on July 15, 2016.

In the 85-hectare area of the Ani Ruins, there are many important architectural works such as the Amenaprgic and Abugamir Pahlavuni churches, as well as the Ebul Manuçehr Mosque.

Russia’s proposal on resolution of situation on Armenian-Azerbaijani border acceptable for Armenia – Acting Vice PM

Vorskanian Yeghisabet
Aysor, Armenia

Russia’s proposal on resolution of the situation on Armenian-Azerbaijani border is acceptable for Armenia, Acting Vice Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan stated.

“On May 19 the Armenian side presented its position to the Russian colleagues in a written form. Nevertheless, the issue on clarification of the border posts on Armenian-Azerbaijani border may be discussed only after Azerbaijani military sub-divisions leave the territory of the Republic of Armenia,” Grigoryan told Armenpress.

He stressed that in this context the Armenian side emphasized the importance of the return of captured Armenian servicemen.

“Armenia also confirms its proposal on mirror-way withdrawal of the forces, their return to places of permanent dislocation and then clarification of border posts,” he noted.

Earlier Azeri PM Ali Asadov stated that Baku supports Moscow proposal on creation of trilateral commission on demarcation and delimitation of the Azerbaijani-Armenian border.

Caucasian Knot | Azerbaijani militaries’ invasion deprived Kut villagers of their pastures

Vorskanian Yeghisabet
The Caucasian Knot, EU
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The pastures of the village of Kut in the Gegarkunik Region of Armenia have come under the control of Azerbaijani troops; and in the absence of land for cattle breeding, villagers will have to leave their houses, a local resident has stated.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that the Armenian-Azerbaijani border conflict escalated in mid-May. On May 13, Yerevan stated that Azerbaijani militaries entered the territory of the Syunik and Gegarkunik Regions of Armenia. In their turn, Azerbaijani authorities claim that the border guards only changed their deployment, staying within the Lachin and Kelbadjar Districts of Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijani units are busy with engineering works in the territory of Armenia, a resident of the border village of Kut, Gegarkunik Region, told the “Caucasian Knot”. According to his story, the rural pastures came under Azerbaijan’s control. “Where do we graze our cattle now? It is unsafe in the pastures. This is a serious problem for livestock breeding. If there is no grass, there will be no livestock. We’ll lose our incomes and we’ll have to think about where to move in search of work,” said the villager.

What is happening in the border territories cannot be called a border demarcation or delimitation, Robert Nazaryan, a military expert, told the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

“Azerbaijan acts based on the principle ‘once we won the war, we must take the maximum possible’,” the military expert has stated.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on at 10:42 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

See earlier reports:

EU supports Pashinyan’s idea of observers on Azerbaijani border, Azerbaijan accuses Armenia of wounding a soldier, Militaries blown up by mine in Azerbaijan.

Author: Tigran Petrosyan; Source: CK correspondent

Source:
© Caucasian Knot



Liberty Square in Nicosia lights up in “Armenian colors” on Republic Day

Vorskanian Yeghisabet
Public Radio of Armenia

The Liberty Square in Nicosia, Cyprus, lit up in colors of the Armenian flag as Armenians worldwide celebrated the 103rd anniversary of establishment of the First Republic on May 28.

Images depicting the Armenian flag, the coat of arms, as well as excerpts from Armenian history were projected on the buildings on Nicosia’s main square.

The initiative came from the Armenian National Committee of Cyprus.

The Eleftheria square (Liberty Square) is the main square in central Nicosia. The square is usually the focus of various profile activities in the capital. Examples include advertising promotions, political rallies and meetings.

Vanetsyan calls for an urgent gathering outside the Government building

Vorskanian Yeghisabet
Panorama, Armenia
May 20 2021

The former Chief of Armenia’s National Security Service, the Leader of “Homeland” party Artur Vanetsyan has called for an urgent gathering outside the government building in Yerevan. 

“Join us outside the government building today at 19.00,” Vanetsyan wrote on his Facebook page.  The call came after reports that the Armenian authorities are negotiating a new “controversial document” with Azerbaijan and Russia, and caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is going to sign it.

Border issues multiplying between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Vorskanian Yeghisabet
EurasiaNet.org
Joshua Kucera

Quickly after a Russia-brokered ceasefire agreement was announced last November to end the fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan, some Russian media printed the text. One of the provisions was that Armenia would, by November 20, “return to the Azerbaijani side the territory held by the Armenian side in the Gazakh region of the Azerbaijani republic.”

But when the Kremlin posted its official version of the agreement a few hours later, any reference to the Gazakh region was missing. There was no explanation of the discrepancy, and for the most part the question of Gazakh was forgotten amid the myriad other disputes that have emerged since the signing of the ceasefire.

Now, though, it’s back. Azerbaijani semi-official sources have been increasingly calling attention to their claim on the small, Armenian-controlled slivers of territory in the region, and an Armenian opposition gadfly (with a good track record of accuracy) made the explosive claim this week that the Armenian government was preparing to give them back to Azerbaijan.

More than a thousand people gathered in the central square of Stepanakert – a massive demonstration given the city’s size – on May 20 to protest, with signs like “Giving up land is treason.”

So is Armenia going to give up more territory?

At issue are several small bits of land along the northernmost part of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. In Soviet times they were inhabited by ethnic Azerbaijanis and were administered by the Azerbaijan SSR. But as tension between the two sides escalated in the late 1980s, and ethnic violence broke out between Armenians and Azerbaijanis throughout both republics, Armenian militias managed to expel the Azerbaijani residents of these border areas and since then Armenia has exercised de facto control over them.

The area is strategically sensitive, as the main road leading from Tbilisi to Yerevan passes through it. (Google Maps, in fact, refuses to navigate you through there, as it sees the route as crossing into Azerbaijani territory.)

These tricky areas along the northern part of the border include three enclaves of Azerbaijani territory that were completely encircled by the Armenian SSR, along with some other villages that Armenians took control of that had been contiguous with the Armenian SSR. These are not the only difficult border vestiges remaining unresolved. There is another Armenia-controlled Azerbaijani enclave, Karki, near Nakhchivan (it also is located on a strategic road, from Yerevan to the south of the country; Armenians call it Tigranashen). There also is one Armenian enclave now de facto controlled by Azerbaijan, Artsvashen.

As evidenced by the mention in the early version of the ceasefire agreement, Azerbaijan still harbors hopes of regaining control of the territories. It’s not clear why the reference to the Gazakh territories was removed before the agreement was finalized, but the other substantive change was more favorable to Baku: It specified that the Lachin corridor connecting Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh would be controlled by Russian peacekeepers rather than by Armenia.

Even after the enclaves were removed from the agreement, they remained a talking point in Baku. “Seven villages in Gazakh and one village in Nakhchivan are not mentioned in the document,” one military analyst, Adalat Verdiyev, told local media in December. “However, those territories will be returned soon. This is inevitable.”

And following the border crisis that began last week, when Azerbaijani forces advanced several kilometers into territory along the southern part of the two countries’ border, the question of the Gazakh villages jumped back into the public discussion. It has mainly been deployed by Baku as a what-about argument to counter Armenians’ complaint that the Azerbaijani soldiers have crossed into their territory.

The question became a lot more urgent when Mikayel Minasyan, a critic of the current Armenian government (he is the son-in-law of former President Serzh Sargsyan) this week said that Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was ready to sign an agreement with Azerbaijan that would include handing over “six villages.” (Minasyan didn’t specify which ones, but everyone interpreted it as a reference to Gazakh). He also leaked a heavily redacted draft of the deal. Pashinyan confirmed that there was an agreement in the works, but didn’t comment directly on the question of the villages. His economy minister, though, denied that the villages would be handed over.

Minasyan has consistently come out with sensitive information that is later confirmed to be true. But giving up territory a month before elections would be political suicide for Pashinyan, so it’s hard to guess what is really going on. (Minasyan did claim, though, that Pashinyan was trying to word the agreement on the handover such that it would be “unnoticeable” ahead of the vote.)

What is clearer is that the question of the villages is becoming yet another condition that Baku is putting forth (and sometimes creating out of nothing) in the complicated bargain into which it’s trying to force Yerevan. In exchange for what Armenia wants – above all, the return of the Armenian soldiers and civilians still being held in Azerbaijani detention, but now also the withdrawal of the troops Azerbaijan deployed into the southern border area – Azerbaijan has demanded that the Armenians give them maps of land mines laid during the war, a withdrawal of Armenian military forces from Nagorno-Karabakh, and a sped-up timetable for opening new transport routes to the Nakhchivan exclave through Armenian territory.

The new border crisis also has drawn attention to the fact that, technically, there is no official border between the two countries. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the not-always-clearly-drawn border between the two SSRs was never formally delineated and demarcated.

Formal demarcation discussions between Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia reportedly began on November 26, but little is known about their progress since then. They seem not to have gotten too far, since the events of the last week have given rise to public disputes over whether Russia is even involved.

Pashinyan said that the Azerbaijani incursion showed the need for Russian involvement in the process. “Azeri propaganda has recently been trying to promote the idea that border adjustment should take place in a bilateral format. It is impossible for the simple reason that Armenia and Azerbaijan, in fact, have no relations with each other,” he said on May 17. “Border adjustment should take place in a tripartite format, on which several agreements have been reached so far.”

The same day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the situation in southern Armenia was the result of “the absence of a border, which needs to be delimited and demarcated.” He added that Russia was offering “cartographic materials and consulting services” to the two sides. But later that day, his deputy Andrei Rudenko said that Russia would offer its help only if both sides wanted it.

Two days later, Lavrov expanded on Russia’s involvement, saying that Russia had helped create “a joint Armenian-Azerbaijani commission for delimiting and demarcating the border, in which Russia can take part as a consultant, a mediator if you like.” Then, the document that Minasyan leaked specified the creation of a trilateral border commission, including Russia. According to the draft, the commission is supposed to have its first meeting on June 30.

It’s not hard to predict a rocky road for the process. Baku has been pushing every advantage it can against a weakened Yerevan, and the Armenian authorities will be under intense public pressure to not agree to anything that even looks like a capitulation. The lake that is the center of the current border dispute and these various enclaves in Gazakh and elsewhere are sure to be only some of the points of contention. The commission has its work cut out for it.

 

Joshua Kucera is the Turkey/Caucasus editor at Eurasianet, and author of The Bug Pit.

Azerbaijan authorities must not be allowed to muddle us with fake peace process, Armenia’s Ombudsman says

Vorskanian Yeghisabet
Public Radio of Armenia
Azerbaijan authorities must not be allowed to muddle us with fake peace process, Armenia’s Ombudsman says – Public Radio of Armenia

Peace is the highest value for us but we must not allow Azerbaijani authorities to muddle us with fake peace process, Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan said in a statement.

The statement reads:

1) The highest authorities of Azerbaijani not only did not stop, but also deepened the policy of Armenophobia and fascist enmity towards the entire population of Armenia, and the entire Armenian people. This is about genocidal policy.

He emphasized that the delimitation by itself, without creation of a security zone will not ensure the rights of citizens of Armenia and especially border residents and will cause new violations and tensions, as long as these conditions exist.

2) Based on the same principle, the President of Azerbaijan constantly speaks in the language of threats about our country and the entire population. He is proud to have a generation grown up with feelings of hatred and animosity.

3) The Azerbaijani authorities deliberately continue to cause mental suffering to the families of the Armenian captives and missing persons, and violate the rights of the captives by not publishing the real numbers and not returning them to their homeland.

4) The real danger of recurrence of Azerbaijani atrocities during the war against Armenian civilians and servicemen has not been eliminated, while no one has been held responsible for what occurred.

5) The Azerbaijani armed servicemen are present illegally in the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia in the Gegharkunik and Syunik regions disturbing the peace of mind of the Armenian society.

6) In the vicinity of the villages of the Gegharkunik and Syunik regions, the Azerbaijani armed servicemen continue to grossly violate the rights of the border residents of Armenia (threatening Armenian citizens (including shepherds) by displaying their weapons to them, people are deprived of access to their lands, pastures, periodic shootings near the border villages of Armenia, etc.).

7) Gross violations of rights and provocations are recorded on the roads of between the communities of the Syunik region (pelting an Armenian civilian car with stones on the road from Goris to Kapan, dragging the shepherd of Aravus and punching him in the eye, blocking the road from Kapan to Chakaten village with an Azerbaijani car, refusing the return of the animals of the border residents of Armenia which have crossed over to lands under Azerbaijani control, and other incidents.) The placement of Azerbaijani armed servicemen, flags and signs on those roads continuously violate the rights of the Armenians citizens (psychological tensions, and intention to terrorize, restriction of the free movement of people, etc.).

Special note: In general, the demarcation process of borders is of fundamental importance for any country. It is also a guarantee for the protection of human rights.

However, the delimitation process may last for years, if not decades, and as long as the conditions listed by me do not exist, the urgency of real guaranteeing of the rights of the border residents of Armenia, and the Armenian citizens, requires the creation of a security zone around the Gegharkunik and Syunik regions, along all the sections of the border with Azerbaijan.

Therefore, the delimitation can be implemented only after the creation of the security zone, or at least, in parallel to its creation.

To restore the disrupted normal life of the Armenian citizens, and above all, that of the border residents, Azerbaijani armed servicemen, flags, and signs should be removed from the vicinity of the villages, and from the roads between the communities of Armenia.

Otherwise, the delimitation process in itself, will be accompanied by new violations of the rights of the citizens of the Armenia, and especially the border residents, and the increase of the tensions in the society.

This will not secure peace in the region!

Azerbaijan continues violating international humanitarian law, Armenia’s acting FM tells CoE

Vorskanian Yeghisabet
Public Radio of Armenia

By refusing to hand over the remaining prisoners of war Azerbaijan continues violating international human rights law and international humanitarian law, Armenia’s acting Foreign Minister Ara Aivazian said, addressing the 131st Session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

He reminded that last year Azerbaijan waged a bloody war against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh). The war was accompanied with massive violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. 

“These transgressions are well documented not only in Armenian sources, but also internationally: by organizations such as Amnesty, the Human Rights Watch and Freedom House. Our own European Court of Human Rights indicated interim measures to Azerbaijan with relation to hundreds of persons confirmed to be captured by that country, requesting information about them, but not receiving any. The Court went to the length of publicly notifying the Committee of Ministers that Azerbaijan is not cooperating. Last PACE plenary expressed its grave concern as well. By refusing to hand over the remaining prisoners of war Azerbaijan continues violating international human rights law and international humanitarian law to this very day,” the acting minister said.

“We see an important role for the Council of Europe in addressing the devastating humanitarian consequences of the war in Nagorno-Karabakh including displacement, destruction of cultural and religious sites and continued captivity of hundreds of prisoners of war and civilians.  We believe that our Committee should bolster its efforts in this respect, also by providing its full support to the Court, Parliamentary Assembly, Commissioner for Human Rights and other relevant bodies. So far, the response of the Committee to Azerbaijan’s obvious violations of its statutory and conventional obligations has not been adequate,” Aivazian added.

He emphasized that lack of strong response to massive and grave human rights violations in Nagorno-Karabakh further emboldened Azerbaijan to project the same policy towards Republic of Armenia by making attempts to seize borderline territories and deprive the local population of their livelihood. 

“The Council of Europe was established with the aim of achieving greater unity among its Member States. And the Council has been successful in bringing almost the entirety of Europe under one roof and in devising legal standards guiding many aspects of the cooperation between its Member States. Yet, there is a great divide between some of our Member States. And while the perpetrators of atrocious crimes are allowed to be on equal footing with those who still believe in the values of democracy and human rights, this divide is only going to widen. Unless we reinvigorate our efforts in ensuring democratic security throughout Europe, and particularly for those living in areas of conflicts and confrontations, our overarching goal of greater unity in Europe would remain illusory,” Ara Aivazian concluded.

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 05/20/2021

Vorskanian Yeghisabet 
                                        Thursday, 
Kocharian Ally Faces New Charges
        • Marine Khachatrian
Armenian - Armen Gevorgian, a former senior aide to ex-President Robert 
Kocharian, speaks to journalists in a court building in Yerevan, January 29, 
2019.
Armen Gevorgian, a former senior government official allied to ex-President 
Robert Kocharian, accused the Armenian authorities of political persecution on 
Thursday after being charged with money laundering.
The Special Investigative Service (SIS) formally indicted Gevorgian on Tuesday 
one day after it was announced that he will manage the parliamentary election 
campaign of a newly established opposition alliance led by Kocharian.
The SIS claimed that Gevorgian abused his powers to “legalize” about 5 billion 
drams ($9,600) in “revenues obtained in a criminal way” when he held various 
government positions from 2004-2018. It said that he also pressured local 
government officials to let individuals linked to him buy communal land at 
knockdown prices.
Gevorgian rejected the accusations as politically motivated after visiting the 
SIS headquarters in Yerevan. He said they are aimed at hampering his political 
activities in the run-up to the snap parliamentary elections slated for June 20.
“I refused to cooperate with the SIS,” he told reporters. “Life has shown that 
this agency only executes political orders and fabricates politically motivated 
cases. I have not familiarized and will not familiarize myself with the 
accusations. I don’t care about that pile of papers.”
One of Gevorgian’s lawyers, Erik Aleksanian, also dismissed the accusations, 
saying that the investigators have not specified any criminal activity that led 
to the alleged money laundering. He suggested that they would have indicted his 
client earlier had they had any incriminating evidence.
The SIS opened the criminal case one year ago.
Gevorgian is already standing trial, together with Kocharian, on bribery charges 
strongly denied by both men.
Gevorgian, 47, was a senior aide to Kocharian during the former president’s 
decade-long rule. He worked as chief of the presidential staff from 2006-2008 
and became Armenia’s deputy prime minister after Kocharian handed over power to 
Serzh Sarkisian in April 2008.
European Parliament Again Slams Turkey’s Role In Karabakh War
Belgium - A plenary session of the European Parliament in Brussels, April 26, 
2021.
The European Parliament has again condemned Turkey for supporting Azerbaijan 
during last year’s war in Nagorno-Karabakh with “provocative rhetoric” and 
jihadist fighters recruited in Syria.
In a resolution adopted on Wednesday, the European Union’s legislative body also 
renewed its calls for Turkey to recognize the 1915 Armenian genocide in the 
Ottoman Empire. It said Ankara must also end “anti-Armenian propaganda and hate 
speech” and protect Turkey’s Armenian cultural heritage.
The extensive resolution is highly critical of the Turkish government’s human 
rights record and foreign policy, saying that they have brought the EU’s 
relations with Turkey to a “historical low point.” It says that the EU should 
formally suspend accession talks with Ankara unless the latter reverses a 
“continuous and growing distancing from EU values and standards.”
The European Parliament said that instead of backing international peace efforts 
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s administration chose to “unconditionally 
sustain and support the military actions of Azerbaijan in the recent conflict in 
Nagorno-Karabakh by resorting to provocative rhetoric.”
It condemned the “transfer of foreign fighters from Syria and elsewhere to 
Nagorno-Karabakh, as confirmed by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries.” 
Ankara should avoid actions and statements that could “further exacerbate 
tensions in the south Caucasus region,” it said.
EU lawmakers already deplored Turkey’s “destabilizing role” in the Karabakh 
conflict and called for an end to Turkish military aid to Azerbaijan in two 
other resolutions passed in January.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry denounced the latest resolution as “biased” later 
on Wednesday. In particular, it criticized the European Parliament for 
supporting “the one-sided and inconsistent Armenian narratives regarding the 
1915 events.”
Pashinian Confirms Draft Border Deal With Azerbaijan (UPDATED)
        • Naira Nalbandian
Armenia - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian speaks during a cabinet meeting in 
Yerevan, .
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on Thursday admitted that Armenia and Azerbaijan 
are close to signing a Russian-brokered agreement on the demarcation of their 
border but denied a prominent critic’s claims that it will be heavily tilted in 
favor of Baku.
Mikael Minasian, a former Armenian ambassador to the Vatican, publicized on 
Wednesday what he described as a copy of the first page of a draft joint 
statement by Pashinian and the presidents of Azerbaijan and Russia.
The opening paragraph of the hitherto unknown document calls for the creation of 
an Armenian-Azerbaijani commission on border delimitation and demarcation. The 
rest of the page posted by Minasian on Facebook is blacked out.
Minasian claimed that if implemented the agreement and a “secret” protocol 
attached to it will have “disastrous consequences” for Armenia. In particular, 
he said, it could lead to a handover of major chunks of Armenian territory to 
Azerbaijan.
Minasian also said Pashinian has made the signing of the deal conditional on the 
withdrawal of Azerbaijani forces from Armenian border areas occupied by them 
last week.
Pashinian essentially confirmed the existence of such a document when he spoke 
at a weekly cabinet meeting in Yerevan.
“The solutions, preliminary agreements that have been reached with our 
international partners correspond to Armenia’s national interests by 100 percent 
… And yes, if Azerbaijan implements those understandings on the conditions that 
we’ve discussed, I will sign that paper,” he said.
Without mentioning Minasian by name Pashinian accused critics of distorting the 
essence of the draft deal. This is why the publicized segment of the leaked 
document was mostly blacked out, he said, branding his detractors “agents of 
Azerbaijan’s information warfare.”
Minasian, who is also a son-in-law of former President Serzh Sarkisian, 
responded by challenging Pashinian to make all provisions of the deal public.
The prime minister said he will not do that because the document in question is 
just a “working paper” that may still be amended.
Armenia - Former Armenian Ambassador to the Vatican Mikael Minasian.
Still, the draft statement was leaked to the Armlur.am news website and fully 
published by it later in the day. It says that the commission on the 
delimitation and demarcation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani frontier shall be 
formed by May 31 and hold its first meeting by June 30. It makes no references 
to any Armenian territorial concessions.
Pashinian confirmed the veracity of the document when he spoke at an emergency 
session of the Armenian parliament on Thursday evening. “I want to assure you 
that there is and there can be no secret appendices to it,” he told lawmakers.
Pashinian confirmed that Yerevan will agree to the creation of the demarcation 
commission only if Baku withdraws its forces from the Armenian side of the 
border. “Our position remains that Azerbaijani troops must leave Armenian 
territory without preconditions,” he said.
The parliament debate was initiated by the two opposition parties represented in 
the outgoing National Assembly. Their leaders described Pashinian’s confirmation 
of the proposed border deal as a worrying development for Armenia’s national 
security.
“Once again a document has been drafted behind the Armenian people’s back, and 
neither the parliament deputies nor, I think, most government members know 
anything about its content,” Edmon Marukian, the leader of the Bright Armenia 
Party, told reporters before the debate.
Andranik Kocharian, the pro-government chairman of the parliament committee on 
defense and security, acknowledged that he was not aware of the existence of the 
drat Armenian-Azerbaijani-Russian statement up until Pashinian’s announcement.
Armenia - Human rights ombudsman Arman Tatoyan talks to Armenian soldiers 
deployed in Syunik province, May 14, 2021. (Photo by the Armenian Human Rights 
Defender's Office)
Armenia’s human rights ombudsman, Arman Tatoyan, also voiced serious concern 
over the revelation. He said the government must shed more light on the document 
“partially published on the Internet yesterday and confirmed at today’s 
government session.”
Russia proposed the creation of the commission on the delimitation and 
demarcation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani frontier earlier this week. The proposal 
came amid a continuing military standoff at several sections of the border where 
the Azerbaijani forces reportedly advanced several kilometres into Armenian 
territory on May 12-13.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that Moscow is ready to 
participate in the commission’s activities as a “consultant or mediator.” 
Armenian officials said Azerbaijani troop withdrawal is a necessary condition 
for the creation of such a body.
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.

Pashinyan, Lukashenko discuss Armenia-Azerbaijan border situation

Vorskanian Yeghisabet

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YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. Armenia’s caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held a telephone conversation with President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, which is a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Pashinyan’s Office told Armenpress.

Pashinyan presented the recent developments on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. He stated that the Azerbaijani side, by violating all norms of international law, has illegally crossed the border and entered into Armenia’s sovereign territory. Pashinyan drew the attention of the Belarusian President on the necessity of properly discussing the issue within the CSTO and combining the positions of the CSTO states over the incident.

President Lukashenko expressed his concerns over the situation and his readiness for making efforts aimed at peacefully solving the situation.

According to the Belarusian Presidential Office, Lukashenko and Pashinyan have also discussed the domestic situation in Belarus and Armenia, exchanged views on the current agenda, the existing challenges and threats.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan