Author: Yeghisabet Arthur

Turkey FM again insists on precondition for normalizing relations with Armenia

Yeghisabet Arthur
News.am, Armenia
Dec 26 2018
Turkey FM again insists on precondition for normalizing relations with Armenia Turkey FM again insists on precondition for normalizing relations with Armenia

15:39, 26.12.2018
                  

The new Armenian authorities state that they are ready for talks with Turkey without preconditions; but our precondition is clear, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said.

During his press conference, a reporter asked whether or not Turkey’s relations with Armenia will be normalized, Haber Türk reported.

“Would we [Turkey] make a move without taking Azerbaijan’s [respective] sensitivity into account?” Çavuşoğlu added in his response. “Simultaneous steps should be taken to normalize relations and resolve issues with both Azerbaijan and Turkey. The Karabakh issue, the issue of occupied lands needs to be resolved.”

Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had announced that Armenia was ready to establish relations with Turkey without preconditions.

Armenian deputy foreign minister to be appointed as ambassador to Vatican – newspaper

Yeghisabet Arthur
ARKA, Armenia
Dec 20 2018

YEREVAN, December 20. /ARKA/. Karen Nazaryan, Armenian deputy foreign minister, will be appointed as ambassador to Vatican, Zhamanak reported Thursday referring to a source close to the foreign ministry.  

Until recently, Armenia was represented in Vatican by Mikael Minasyan, son-in-law of Serzh Sargsyan, a former Armenian president. 

According to the source, Ashot Hovakimyan, another deputy foreign minister, will be appointed as ambassador as well. -0—

Foreign Minister’s statement on Karabakh conflict resonates in Armenia

Yeghisabet Arthur
JAM News
Dec 20 2018
JamNews
Naira Martikian

What did the foreign ministers agree on?

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan recently made a statement in which he said that Armenia and Azerbaijan reached an understanding in the Karabakh negotiation process. This has become the topic of wide-spread discussion in Armenia, with pundits and social media users wondering what the minister had in mind.

Elmar Mammadyarov, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, said at a meeting with the Acting Foreign Minister of Armenia, Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, which was held in Milan on 5 December, that an understanding on the settlement of the Karabakh conflict had been reached:

“I think that at the last meeting in Milan with my Armenian counterpart, we reached an understanding for the first time in a long time.”

Elmar Mammadyarov also stated that the next meeting would take place in January 2019.

“Most of the time we are devoted to finding ways to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. This will be the main task next year. The main goal is to achieve tangible results.”

Armenian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anna Naghdalyan said a joint statement had been made by the heads of the foreign ministries of Armenia and Azerbaijan and the heads of the delegations of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries.

The most important aspects of the statement include:

  • All parties involved in the negotiations agree to continue to work in order to ensure long-term peace.
  • The co-chair countries welcomed the fact that after the talks of the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in September at the CIS summit in Dushanbe, the number of ceasefire violations and reports of victims has decreased.
  • The co-chairs called on the parties to take concrete measures in order to prepare the population of their countries for peace.
  • The co-chair countries are hoping for the resumption in the near future of an intensive dialogue on a high-level settlement between the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia.
  • The next meeting of the foreign ministers will be held in early 2019 under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs in order to prepare the ground for future summit talks.

Some social media users suggested that Yerevan and Baku had reached an agreement on the Karabakh settlement issue itself.

One Armenian Facebook user wrote:

“We cannot possibly give away any of our territories. Not a centimetre.”

Another added:

“Perhaps Azerbaijan will recognize the independence of Karabakh and in return demand that the areas around Karabakh be given away. What will our answer be? I am sure that Pashinyan has nothing to hide from his people.”

The chairman of the Yerevan Press Club, Boris Navasardyan, says that the aim of Mammadyarov’s statement was to put pressure on the Armenian side:

“I don’t think that Azerbaijan can expect drastic changes in the Karabakh issue from the Armenian authorities because our position is clear: we will talk about the problem when Azerbaijan is ready for it, but they are not ready yet. The only sharp change in this matter would be the resumption of military conflict. But there are no prerequisites for the solution nor are there mutual concessions.”

JAMnews’ political analyst in Baku, Shahin Rzayev, says that in Azerbaijan, Mammadyarov’s statement would not have garnered attention had it not been for the resonance it had in the Armenian media:

“This was just another meeting, another statement – there have been more than 100 of them in the last 25 years. Where is the news? The news is that, perhaps for the first time, the Azerbaijani side threw something of a curve ball by reporting first on the achieved results, even if these results are only ‘mutual understanding’. The Azerbaijani media learned the details of the talks from the press secretary of the Armenian Foreign Ministry, and our foreign ministry reacted to the already published news at best the next day.

“However, our minister was the first to announce the information. This is of course very commendable, but it remains unknown what happened there. I do not think that in such a short time something serious could have happened. Societies in Azerbaijan and Armenia are not ready to make any compromises or decisions. So, let’s not exaggerate the meaning of Mammadyarov’s words.”

NSS: Over 20 people convicted since 1993 for carrying out activities in Armenia by Azerbaijan directive

Yeghisabet Arthur
News.am, Armenia
Dec 15 2018
NSS: Over 20 people convicted since 1993 for carrying out activities in Armenia by Azerbaijan directive NSS: Over 20 people convicted since 1993 for carrying out activities in Armenia by Azerbaijan directive

17:44, 15.12.2018
                  

YEREVAN. – More than two dozen people, who have been recruited by the Azerbaijani special services and carried out activities in Armenia by their directive, have been convicted in Armenia, ever since 1993, National Security Service Major Tigran Davitavyan said during a seminar for the media, Armenpress reported.

“These people have worked for Azerbaijan, collected information relating to military and technico-scientific domains, and planned sabotage and murder attempts,” Davitavyan said.

Head of the NSS Scientific-Educational Center, Armen Kinaktsyan, for his part, added that they work with the assumption that these “recruits” are much more in number, and they continue seeking them.

“[But] some of these recruits inform, in timely fashion, about their communication, collaboration with the Azerbaijani side and are relieved of accountability,” Kinaktsyan added.

Menendez Pledges to Work with Envoy to Armenia on Securing ‘An Honest Acknowledgement of Genocide’

Yeghisabet Arthur
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5 hours ago

Senator Menendez on the Armenian Genocide

Commits to Continued Dialogue with U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan on Reducing Aliyev Threats

WASHINGTON—Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Democrat Robert Menendez (D-NJ) committed to continue working with U.S. Ambassador to Armenia-designate Lynne Tracy and U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan-designate Earle Litzenberger on a range of concerns raised during their confirmation hearings, including honest U.S. affirmation of the Armenian Genocide and countering Azerbaijani threats to peace, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

In statements during the Committee’s December 13th business meeting, which approved both nominees and set the stage for full Senate votes, Sen. Menendez noted his support for both candidates, but also shared his clear expectations.

“Throughout my time in the Senate, I have advocated for an honest accounting of the Armenian genocide. I believe we have a moral imperative to recognize the atrocities that were committed against the Armenian people,” stated Sen. Menendez. He went on to note, “I support this nomination, but expect to work closely with Ms. Tracy on how she will encourage an honest acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide, support Armenia’s ongoing efforts to ensure accountable, citizen-responsive governance, and support efforts to reach a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.”

During Ms. Tracy’s December 4th confirmation hearing, Sen. Menendez offered a rapid-fire series of questions regarding the Armenian Genocide, and commenting on by Ms. Tracy’s reticence to properly reference crime, stated: “This is the problem with nominees who come before us, and it’s not you particularly. In fact, we have a historical reality: 1.5 million people were massacred. That’s Genocide. And yet, we send an Ambassador to a country and have them go to a memorial of a holocaust of the Armenian people and they won’t be able to call it genocide. It’s pretty ironic. If we are not able to acknowledge the past, we are destined to relive it.”

During the December 13th Committee vote, Senator Menendez also commended Armenia on its recent parliamentary elections. “Armenia and the Caucasus region will continue to be vital to regional and global security,” stated Senator Menendez. “According to the OSCE, Armenia’s elections over the weekend met international standards. I look forward to supporting the government’s efforts to build strong democratic institutions, a vibrant Armenian economy, and oppose any efforts to violate Armenia’s sovereignty.”

Sen. Menendez on Azerbaijan

With regard to the U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan nominee, Sen. Menendez stated, “I support Mr. Litzenberger’s nomination and expect to have close and continuing dialogue with him on how he will urge the Azeris to step back from any threatening behavior that could disrupt the line of contact in Nagorno-Karabakh, support respect for human rights, and support efforts to reach a peaceful settlement of the N-K [Nagorno Karabakh/Artsakh] conflict.”

During the October 4th confirmation hearing, Senator Menendez grilled Mr. Litzenberger about President Aliyev’s “bellicose rhetoric and sporadic outbursts of violence,” securing from the nominee a commitment that he would urge the Azerbaijani government to step back from any threatening behavior that disrupts the line of contact.

Following the hearing, both Senator Menendez and Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) submitted written questions to Mr. Litzenberger. At Senator Menendez’ urging, the Committee consideration of his nomination for two weeks, to allow for additional inquiries regarding controversial statements by National Security Advisor John Bolton calling for arms sales to Azerbaijan and Armenia.

“We want to thank Senator Menendez for his robust exercise of the Senate’s ‘advise and consent’ responsibilities regarding both nominees, and also for his commitment moving forward to serious and sustained Congressional oversight of Ambassador-designate Tracy’s effort to end U.S. complicity in Turkey’s denial of the Armenian Genocide, and Ambassador-designate Litzenberger’s willingness to forcefully confront Azerbaijan’s threats to regional peace,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.

The Senate is expected to confirm Ms. Tracy and Mr. Litzenberger as early as next week. A delay of the Senate vote to 2019 would mean starting the nomination process from square one, leaving the ambassadorial posts to the two countries vacant.

A1+: Joint Statement by Heads of Delegation of OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair Countries, Armenia, and Azerbaijan

Yeghisabet Arthur
  • 20:34 | December 6,2018 | Official
  • Armenian:

On the occasion of the OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting in Milan, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries (the Russian Federation, the United States of America, and France) and the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov and Acting Foreign Minister of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan agreed to continue working towards a just and lasting peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The Co-Chair countries welcomed the significant decrease in ceasefire violations and reported casualties following the conversation of the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan on the margins of the Commonwealth of Independent States’ summit in Dushanbe in September.  They appealed to the sides to continue implementing the understandings reached there and to take concrete measures to prepare their populations for peace.  The Co-Chair countries expressed hope that an intensive results-oriented high-level dialogue between the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia to promote a just and lasting settlement of the conflict can resume in the near future.

The Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan and the Acting Foreign Minister of Armenia reaffirmed their commitment to work intensively to promote a peaceful resolution of the conflict and to further reduce tensions.  They agreed to meet again in early 2019 under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs for this purpose and in order to facilitate high-level talks.  They recognized the strong engagement and good-faith mediation efforts rendered by the Co-Chair countries, as well as the activities of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office.

Armenian government approves conscription and demobilization dates

Yeghisabet Arthur
ARKA, Armenia
Nov 29 2018

YEREVAN, November 29. /ARKA/. The government of Armenia approved a draft decision today for announcing the winter conscription and demobilization of servicemen.

The acting Minister of Defense David Tonoyan said the decision determines the procedure for conscription and demobilization of privates, the organization of compulsory alternative military service, the bodies which are responsible for the conscription and the framework of their activities.

He said under the decision, the conscription is to run from December 2018 to January 2019. The conscription applies to Armenian citizens who turn 18 years old until December 31, 2018 inclusive, as well as to those whose draft deferment ends by the end of December. The manning process of the armed forces will start on January 7, he said.

Tonoyan also called on his subordinates to take a responsible approach to the conscription saying it should not be affected by the upcoming snap parliamentary elections.-0-

Karabakh President’s visit to Moscow not a violation of Russian law – MFA

Yeghisabet Arthur
Public Radio of Armenia
Nov 30 2018
Karabakh President’s visit to Moscow not a violation of Russian law – MFA

2018-11-30 15:05:47 

                           

The visit of the Nagorno Karabakh’s President to Moscow does not contradict the Russian legislation, Spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova says.

Speaking at a briefing today, Zakharova said Russia sees it as a private visit.

According to her, as a private visit, it does not contradict the Russian law, the international agreements and Russia’s mediating mission in the Karabakh conflict settlement process.

“Any claims against the Russian side voiced by Azerbaijan are groundless,” Zakharova declared.

Artsakh Presidnet Bako Sahakyan visited Moscow earlier this week, where he met with a group of Russian entrepreneurs and philanthropists of Armenian descent to discuss issues on the implementation of various programs in Artsakh.

David Shahnazaryan: Sasun Mikaelyan’s statement on Artsakh is part of Nikol Pashinyan’s political program

Yeghisabet Arthur
Arminfo, Armenia
Nov 27 2018
David Shahnazaryan: Sasun Mikaelyan’s statement on Artsakh is part of Nikol Pashinyan’s political program

Yerevan November 26

Naira Badalian. The current government in Armenia poses a greater threat to Artsakh than Azerbaijan with all its armed forces. This opinion was expressed on November 27 at a press conference by the former head of the Ministry of National Security of Armenia, the former member of the governing board of the opposition party “Armenian National Movement”, and now the MP candidate from the former member ruling Republican Party (RPA) David Shahnazaryan.

According to Shahnazaryan, the statement of Sasun Mikaelyan, a member of the electoral ”My Step” bloc, that the victory of the people in the revolution is more important than the Artsakh liberation war, is part of the political program of the Acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan according to the formula “Power in return for Artsakh”. Thus, according to him, through the mouth of Sasun Mikaelyan, what was the political goal of the current government was expressed. “I will not stop repeating that the so-called revolution has become an absolute evil for two Armenian states,” he stressed.

Nevertheless, according to the former head of the Armenian National Security Ministry, Nikol Pashinyan’s yesterday’s harsh statement is connected not so much with the reaction to the statement of a member of the pre-election bloc headed by him, but with the fact that there were many more people present at the launch event of the RPA campaign, than on “My step” bloc recently organized march. Referring to the criminal case on the events of March 1, 2008, David Shahnazaryan said that the case is used exclusively in the promotion of the current regime, which is deprived of state thinking. “The investigation of the case failed, despite the statement of Prime Minister Pashinyan of August 17 that it was fully disclosed,” said the MP candidate from the Republican Party, stressing that the society is gradually coming out of a state of stupor and soon it will become obvious to everyone.

To note, Sasun Mikaelyan, a member of the parliament of Armenia, a member of the ”My Step” bloc led by Nikol Pashinyan, said yesterday that the victory of the people in the revolution is more important than the Artsakh war of liberation. This statement caused a negative reaction in Stepanakert, Secretary of the NKR National Security Council, the hero of Artsakh, Vitaly Balasanyan urged to recover. “It is surprising and even angered that these days, during the election campaign to the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, this is speculated and understated in some party interests. I would like to remind Sasun Mikayelyan, who went through the horrors of the Artsakh war, that the revolution that took place In the recent period, the RA cannot be considered a more serious victory than the Artsakh liberation war, and even more so than the creation of a second Armenian Republic. Such statements at least cast doubt on the participation of such persons in the state It’s regrettable that such statements are being made in the presence of the Supreme Commander of Armenia. Come on in, guys! ” A statement was made by the NKR Ministry of Defense spokesman Senor Asratyan, who noted that the statement of a person is ambiguously perceived when there is nothing to say to him, but the desire to speak is great. And Arshavir Gharamyan, adviser to the President of Artsakh, called to erase the name of Sasun Mikayelyan from among the heroes of the Artsakh war. The statements voiced from Stepanakert angered Nikol Pashinyan, who expressed bewilderment with such a reaction to Mikaelyan’s statement. “I am even more surprised by the fact that those who have witnessed how they rob the army over the years are reacting to this formulation,” said Pashinyan. “Do not dare to be inspired, sit in your seats, and wait for what we are doing to become a reality, and do not force us to talk about these topics more openly. Do not hope for forgiveness, you are responsible for your every robbery,” Pashinyan threatened.

Armenpress: Nikol Pashinyan plans to organize rallies also after election

Yeghisabet Arthur

Nikol Pashinyan plans to organize rallies also after election

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11:05,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 24, ARMENPRESS. Acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan will organize rallies from time to time also after the December 9 early parliamentary elections, ARMENPRESS reports Pashinyan told the reporters about this during the city-wide rally on November 24.

“Last time we organized a rally during the elections of Yerevan City Council. From time to time you will see us rallying also after the elections”, Pashinyan said.

According to the acting PM, they will try to be in all the administrative districts of Armenia during the rally.