Category: 2018

Artsakh’s position over Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement unchanged – expert

Emil Lazarian
AYSOR, Armenia
Aug 25 2018
Read Aysor.am inTelegram

Aysor.am spoke with former chairman of Artsakh’s NA’s Foreign Relations Committee, expert Vahram Atanesyan about the domestic developments in Artsakh, situation over Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

-Mr Atanesyan what developments are currently taking place in Artsakh’s domestic life regarding the recent protest rallies?

– The situation in Artsakh is always under control and stable. I do not think that actions with participation of 20-30 people may be of serious political significance.

– Nevertheless, protest rallies, resignations occured. What do you link it with?

– I would not say that some resignations were agreed with public demand. These resignations might have taken place without these rallies.
May be there are some disagreements, dissatisfaction but none of them get a political manifestation.

-The domestic developments in Artsakh have direct influence on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, what is the situation in this regard?

The authorities have clear position over the negotiation process which has many times been stated by the President of the Artsakh’s Republic. Artsakh is for peaceful settlement of the conflict, there is no way back. Artsakh sees the resolution in the international recognition of its independence within the borders acceptable for the people of Artsakh.
  
The position of mediators over the issue is also clear, but the parties fail to come to agreement due to unconstructive position of Azerbaijan.
We may unanimously state that Azerbaijan has no aim to settle the issue peacefully. Only after Baku expresses readiness to discuss the issues Artsakh is interested in – the status of Nagorno-Karabakh and the territories – serious peace talks may take place.

Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers are expected to meet in September. This meeting will show whether the mediators will succeed in organizing the meeting of the leaders of the two countries or not.

After the leaders of the two countries meet and Ilham Aliyev starts negotiating with new Armenian authorities it will be possible to make conclusions over the further pace of the peace talks.

– Do you see the necessary will from the Azerbaijani side?

-Azerbaijan has always had one vision of the conflict settlement and that is the military one. Unfortunately they have this approach now as well. They did not pick a lesson from 2016 April war during which they strategically lost the war.

– Is Artsakh able to confront the existing challenges?

– Presidential and parliamentary elections are due in Artsakh in 2020. Currently the political forces are getting prepared for them. My impression is that the forces currently represented in the parliament will be the favorites at 2020 elections. There are new movements who are trying to turn into parties but there is no much time for that.

President Bako Sahakyan fully manages the situation, the political processes are quite controllable and there is no force majeure situation in Artsakh.

Armenia confirms interest in Indian weapons

Ani Kharatian
PanArmenian, Armenia
Aug 25 2018
– 16:10 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Defense Ministry spokesman Artsrun Hovhannisyan has confirmed Armenia’s interest in acquiring Indian weapons.

Indian media reported earlier that Armenia has expressed interest in obtaining the Pinaka rocket system developed by India’s Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), which is a laboratory under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

“A delegation of the Armenian Armed Forces has met industry representatives in India to learn more about many types of weapons,” Hovhannisyan said in a tweet on Saturday, August 24.

“Among them are weapons of particular interest.”

KM Rajan, the director of the Indian laboratory, said on Friday: “Armenia has shown an interest in the Pinaka rocket system and so we carried out extensive firing trials for their delegation last month at Pokhran in Rajasthan. The results were excellent. Since it is a government-to-government decision, we are yet to receive word about an official agreement of the procurement. Armenia is interested in both versions of the rocket.”

Angela Merkel in Azerbaijan calls for peace with Armenia

Hagop Kamalian
Deutsche Welle, Germany
Aug 25 2018


Angela Merkel has offered Germany’s help in forging a diplomatic solution to the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Baku is the chancellor’s last stop on a three-day visit to the South Caucasus.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Saturday that Berlin could help mediate between Azerbaijan and neighboring Armenia to resolve a long-running territorial dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Germany wants to help find peaceful solutions,” the chancellor told journalists in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, adding that the conflict was a major burden on the region.

Merkel called for stronger economic cooperation with Azerbaijan as she sat down for talks with the South Caucasian country’s president, Ilham Aliyev. The pair discussed the domestic human rights situation, the possibility of expanding energy markets to avoid dependency on Russian gas, and efforts to end the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Azerbaijan is Merkel’s final stop on a three-day tour that has already taken her to Georgia and Armenia.

Frozen conflict

Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous border region, officially belongs to Azerbaijan but was seized by local Armenian forces during a war in the early 1990s following the break-up of the Soviet Union.

For more than 20 years, the two countries have been locked in a bitter dispute, with occasional flares in violence along the border. Azerbaijan has repeatedly threatened to take the region back by force, while Armenia says it will crush any military intervention.

Read more: ‘No place like home’ for Nagorno-Karabakh’s displaced

Germany is a member of the Minsk group, which for years has been attempting to negotiate peace under the leadership of the US, Russia and France.

Merkel was expected to return to Berlin later Saturday.

“Germany will support Armenia” – German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s visit

Garo Vardanian
JAM News
Aug 25 2018
JAMnews, Yerevan JAMnews, Yerevan
Artur Xachatryan

Chancellor Merkel spoke about liberalizing the EU visa policy, the settlement of the Karabakh conflict and the reforms currently being implemented in the country

German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in Armenia on a two-day official visit. She was met by the country’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the Yerevan airport.

Info: Armenia and Germany established diplomatic relations in 1992. Since then, relations between Yerevan and Berlin have grown dynamically. The trade turnover between the countries amounted to USD 339 million in 2017. Germany is one of Armenia’s five top trade and economic partners.

Chancellor Merkel made her first trip off the tarmac to the Tsitsernakaberd memorial complex dedicated to the victims of the Armenian Genocide. She laid flowers at the fire and planted a tree in the alley of memory.

“In accordance with the letter and spirit of this resolution, I visited Tsitsernakaberd today. We are aware of what terrible events occurred in 1915. This fact should not be forgotten. This issue is not a legal problem for me,” Merkel said a few hours later to journalists.

Brussels: King shares holiday videos with the world from Armenia

Ani Tigranian
The Brussels Times
Aug 25 2018


King shares holiday videos with the world from Armenia 
           Saturday, 10:09

©Belga

The royal palace has released – according to tradition – a video of the King on holiday. In the video the king is seen kite-surfing in Armenia.
The choice of holiday destination is unusual for the royals, more often opting for traditional holiday destinations like France and Italy.

However according to a report in De Standaard, the family – King Philippe, Queen Mathilde and their four children – already spent some time on the French island Île d’Yeu before heading on to Armenia – an arrival which made headline news in the country.

According to protocol, the family arrived on two flights into the capital, Yerevan: the monarch and the heir to the throne – his daughter Elisabeth – may not travel on the same flight.

Armenia’s isolation is almost complete: its borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan are closed, leaving only a border with Russia, its former Soviet master. Only since last year has Brussels Airlines laid on one flight a week, rising to two in the summer months.

According to local reports, the royals have been impressed with the local cuisine and especially the country’s wine, spending five hours on a tasting tour of one of the largest producers Armas. The country’s speciality is the blending of wine made with local grapes unobtainable elsewhere, together with more common varieties imported from other countries.

King Philippe’s sporting tendencies often form part of the royal holiday picture package, and according to those who know, the latest video of him kite-surfing shows that, at the age of 58, his skills are only improving, compared to previous footage from an outing on the North Sea last year.

Alan Hope
The Brussels Times


Armenia said to be interested in acquiring Indian Pinaka rocket system

Emil Lazarian
PanArmenian, Armenia
Aug 25 2018
– 11:44 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenia has expressed interest in obtaining the Pinaka rocket system developed by India’s Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), which is a laboratory under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Times of India reports.

KM Rajan, the director of the laboratory, said on Friday, August 24: “Armenia has shown an interest in the Pinaka rocket system and so we carried out extensive firing trials for their delegation last month at Pokhran in Rajasthan. The results were excellent. Since it is a government-to-government decision, we are yet to receive word about an official agreement of the procurement. Armenia is interested in both versions of the rocket.”

Several foreign delegations, including Armenia, had visited the defence expo at Chennai this year. “Southeast Asian countries have also expressed an interest in the Pinaka system, but they are yet to officially approach the Indian government,” said a senior scientist of the ARDE.

The Pinaka is an indigenous unguided rocket system which has been undergoing elaborate tests for the last 20 years and is capable of neutralizing large areas with rapid salvos. The Indian army extensively used the systems during the Kargil war.

The laboratory is all set to carry out technical trials of the newly developed guided Pinaka missile, which has a range of up to 80km, at Pokhran and Balasore in Odisha next month.

“We will check the accuracy and range capabilities at the Pokhran and Balasore facilities. During these trials, our focus will be on achieving pinpoint targeting, which is an essential requirement. Thereafter, the army will carry out its own trials of the rocket before accepting the system,” said Rajan, adding that the DRDO plans to operationalize the new version by 2020.

Cher slams DirecTV for misrepresenting Armenian Genocide film

Parkev Tvankchian
PanArmenian, Armenia
Aug 25 2018
– 11:04 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – American pop singer Cher, who has Armenian roots, has slammed DirecTV for what seems to be a misrepresentation of the movie “The Promise”, which portrays a love triangle against the backdrop of the horrors of the Armenian Genocide.

“This has no meaning for most, but DirecTV, “The Promise is not about “Ottoman Empire Crumbling into chaos,” the “Believe” singer said on Twitter.

“It’s about the Armenian Genocide. Turks massacred two million innocent Armenians. Women and children were raped and driven into the desert to starve. Men were hung, or worked to death.”

Cher has been vocal in the process of the international recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide. She supported the film “The Promise” by “Hotel Rwanda” director Terry George both during filming and after the premiere.

Procurement Of Indian Rocket System On Armenia’s Radar

Emil Lazarian
Defence Aviation Post
Aug 25 2018


Armenia has expressed interest in procuring the Pinaka rocket system developed by the city-based Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), which is a laboratory under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

KM Rajan, the director of the laboratory, told TOI on Friday, “Armenia has shown an interest in the Pinaka rocket system and so we carried out extensive firing trials for their delegation last month at Pokhran in Rajasthan.

The results were excellent. Since it is a government-to-government decision, we are yet to receive word about an official agreement of the procurement. Armenia is interested in both the versions of the rocket.”

Several foreign delegations, including Armenia, had visited the defence expo at Chennai this year. “Southeast Asian countries have also expressed an interest in the Pinaka system, but they are yet to officially approach the Indian government,” said a senior scientist of the ARDE. Read More:

Germany will take responsibility for Nagorno-Karabakh conflict – Merkel

Emil Lazarian
AMN Al-Masdar News, Iran
Aug 25 2018
 
 
Germany will take responsibility for Nagorno-Karabakh conflict – Merkel
 
By
News Desk
 
 
BEIRUT, LEBANON (7:00 P.M.) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that Berlin is ready “to assume political responsibility” for a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, in comments at a joint press conference with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan on Friday.
 
“We are ready to take responsibility for resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. There is also the so-called OSCE Minsk Group, in which Germany is a member. We talked about how well it would be to resolve such conflicts, but of course they have to be solved in a climate where all sides are ready to do it,” Merkel clarified.
 
Pashinyan thanked the German leader for her “efforts” in this sphere. He added that for a peaceful resolution of the conflict “it’s very important to create an appropriate atmosphere in the region.”
 
Nagorno-Karabakh is a disputed territory which currently lies within the borders of Azerbaijan. The ethnic-Armenian majority state is currently governed by the Republic of Artsakh. Since the end of the Nagorno-Karabakh War in 1994, the OSCE Minsk Group have mediated peace talks between the Armenia and Azerbaijan.
 
During the press event, German Chancellor also addressed the massacre of 1,5 million Armenians in 1915. Merkel said that the atrocities committed against Armenians by the Ottoman Empire should not and would not be forgotten.
 
 

Yerevan counts on resumption of Armenia-Iran railway construction plan

Kajoyan Gevork
Vestnik Kavkaza, Armenia
Aug 25 2018
25 Aug in 17:06 Mamikon Babayan, exclusively for Vestnik Kavkaza

The Middle East is experiencing another round of escalation after the US withdrew from the nuclear agreement concluded between Iran and the six international mediators. Washington threatens Iran with new sanctions, and between Tehran and Tel Aviv is a real confrontation in Syria that could develop into a new Middle East war. In the wider Middle East, Yerevan is trying to maintain good-neighborly relations with its southern neighbor, since Iran remains for semi-blocked Armenia the only way out to the Persian Gulf.

The Armenian side assures that it will not participate in any anti-Iranian actions, counting on a rapid resumption of the Armenia-Iran railway construction plan. Tehran also realizes the Importance of trade, economic and diplomatic ties with Armenia, as evidenced by the Iranian official media appreciation of the new Armenian government. Due to the prestige of new Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Yerevan is focusing on attracting investments from the Armenian diaspora. The railway communication between Iran and Armenia is of great importance – the road will increase the transit potential of Armenia and will allow overcoming isolation. According to the plan, the total length of the track is about 330 kilometers, of which 60 kilometers will pass through the territory of Iran. The Islamic Republic is ready to build its own road section, and the rest of the track must be laid by Armenia. The cost of the project is about $ 3.2 billion.

Iran is ready to start investing in the Armenian economy. On August 19, the parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding on a joint production of agricultural machinery. Amid the sanctions pressure, Iran mobilizes all the connections available, trying to enter the Armenian market to export equipment to the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union.

Iran also seeks to implement a project of a free economic zone in Armenia to increase trade with the Eurasian Union. The implementation of the project can be hindered by the inconsistency of legislation. Nevertheless, if the free trade zone opens, it will be an unprecedented project in the entire post-Soviet space for two reasons. First, business in the FEZ can be exempted from VAT, income tax, and property tax. The second, Syunik region, where it is planned to create the zone, borders Iran, where the free economic zone Aras is already operating on the other side of the border. This opens up the wide opportunities for attracting Iranian investments in the economy. In the last two years, the trade turnover between Armenia and Iran clearly does not meet the capabilities of the two countries amounting to only $ 270 million.

Moscow does not oppose the rapprochement between Yerevan and Tehran, as Russian business is interested in the growth of the Armenian economy, which is still in a difficult situation. However, in recent years, the Western sanctions against Iran have been a deterrent to an increase in the Armenian-Iranian trade turnover, which can completely destroy the Armenian economy. First of all, this concerns the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline, as Armenia still depends on gas supplies from Iran.