Category: 2020

Latvia supports OSCE MG’s efforts to restore ceasefire regime

Boshkezenian Garik

Latvia supports OSCE MG’s efforts to restore ceasefire regime

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 20:21,

YEREVAN, JULY 15, ARMENPRESS. The Foreign Ministry of Latvia is concerned over the escalation of situation between the armed forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Tavush Province and reciprocal shootings, ARMENPRESS was informed from the official website of Latvia’s foreign ministry.

”Those incidents create serious challenges for peace and stability that claimed lives from both sides. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls on the sides to immediately stop military operations and restore the ceasefire regime. Armenia and Azerbaijan should avoid from future operations or announcements that can lead to future escalation of the conflict.

The position of Latvia on Nagorno Karabakh is known. Latvia supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of each country as defined in the Helsinki Final Act Charter of Paris. Latvia thinks Nagorno Karabakh conflict can be solved only through peaceful ways in the sidelines of the OSCE Minsk Group based on the principles of the international law.

The Foreign Ministry fully supports the OSCE Minsk Group and its 3 Co-chairs in their efforts to restore the ceasefire regime. The Foreign Ministry expects that the two sides will refrain from use of force and will work in the direction of a peaceful settlement”, reads the statement.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan

Turkey cannot be involved in any process linked with NK conflict settlement – MFA Armenia

Mary Lazarian

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 19:34,

YEREVAN, JULY 15, ARMENPRESS. Turkey’s provocative and biased stance seriously undermines the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and proves that Turkey cannot be involved in any international processes related to the conflict, ARMENPRESS reports reads the statement issued by the Foreign Ministry of Armenia in relation with the recent announcements from Turkey.

‘’On July 12, following the attack by the Azerbaijani armed forces in the direction of the Tavush region of the Republic of Armenia, the leadership of Turkey, including the President, the Foreign Minister and the Minister of Defense issued a number of official statements.

These statements not only contain commitment of unconditional support to Azerbaijan, but also exhibit clear regional ambitions towards the South Caucasus, which the President of Turkey, along with other officials, attempt to substantiate by referring to Turkey’s  “historic mission” in the region.

Invoking its historical mission and ethnic or religious affiliations, Turkey has already destabilized the situation in a number of neighboring regions: the Middle East, Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa causing immeasurable sufferings to the peoples of those regions.

It is noteworthy that in 21st century, Turkey builds its policy in our region on the traditions of kinship, justification of the Armenian Genocide and the impunity of that crime.

Turkey’s provocative and biased stance seriously undermines the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and proves that Turkey can not be involved in any international processes related to the conflict and first and foremost within the OSCE framework.

With its approaches, Turkey is a security threat for Armenia and the region, and broad regional and international cooperation is needed to counter it”, reads the statement.

IRI: New Armenia Poll Shows Strong Support for Government’s Response to COVID-19

Karapet Navasardian
Home > New Armenia Poll Shows Strong Support for Government’s Response to COVID-19
JULY 14, 2020

Yerevan, Armenia— A new nationwide poll of Armenia by the International Republican Institute’s (IRI) Center for Insights in Survey Research shows strong support for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his government’s management of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Despite the ongoing challenge posed by the health crisis, the Armenian public’s approval of the prime minister remains extremely high,” said IRI Regional Director for Eurasia Stephen Nix. “It is vital that the government continues to pursue policies that maintain the confidence of the public, and that it builds upon this goodwill by continuing its reform agenda.”

According to the survey, 84 percent of Armenians have either a “very” (72 percent) or “somewhat” (12 percent) favorable opinion of the prime minister. Furthermore, a majority support the government’s management of COVID-19, with 48 percent “very” and 23 percent “somewhat” satisfied with the response. When asked how state institutions have handled the pandemic, respondents expressed improved opinions of the police (65 percent), the Ministry of Health (64 percent) and the Prime Minister’s office (58 percent).

Despite these positive responses, 90 percent of citizens are either “very” (71 percent) or “somewhat” (19 percent) concerned about the economic fallout of COVID-19. “While the government has experienced high approval ratings since the onset of COVID-19, it must address these acute economic concerns in order to effectively respond to citizen needs,” Nix added.

The poll also indicates that nearly 50 percent of Armenians encounter misleading or false information regarding COVID-19 in the media “daily” or “almost daily.” While 61 percent of citizens remain either “very” (32 percent) or “somewhat” (29 percent) satisfied with the media, Armenians with higher education and those who live in Yerevan were less likely to be “very” satisfied with the media. In contrast, a majority consider government officials and health professionals to be the most trustworthy sources of information on the virus.  

Methodology

The survey was conducted on behalf of IRI’s Center for Insights in Survey Research by Breavis (represented by IPSC LLC) between June 18 and June 25, 2020. Data was collected through phone interviews with 1,517 Armenian residents aged 18 or older. The response rate was 60 percent and the margin of error does not exceed plus or minus 2.5 points for the full sample. The data is weighted for region, age, gender and urbanicity level. This survey was made possible by the generous support of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).


Border situation is calm, just few shootings from Azerbaijan – MoD

Kajoyan Gevork

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 20:52,

YEREVAN, JULY 15, ARMENPRESS. The situation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border remains calm, spokesperson of the Defense Ministry of Armenia Shushan Stepanyan informs.

‘’A few shootings from the Azerbaijani side have been recorded’’, ARMENPRESS reports Stepanyan as saying.

The Azerbaijani armed forces launched an attack on an Armenian military base located in Tavush province on July 12, using artillery, mortars and UAVs. In addition, the Azerbaijani side also shelled the town of Chinari and Aygepar in the province with mortars, damaging civilian homes. On July 14 the Azerbaijani armed forces continued targeting the civilian infrastructures of the Armenian town of Berd, using an attacking drone. 4 servicemen have died from the Armenian side.

Azerbaijan has reported 11 deaths, including a Major-General and a Colonel, as well as several UAVs. The last UAV downed by Armenia is Israeli-made Elbit Hermes 900.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan

CivilNet: CivilNet Reports from the Armenian-Azerbaijani Borderline

Frangulian Shushan
CIVILNET.AM

21:01

On July 12,  deadly clashes started at the border, in the Tavush region, between Armenia and Azerbaijan. 

In the border villages of Armenia, the sound of gunshots and mortar shelling became a daily occurrence for four days. 

CivilNet’s Tatul Hakobyan, Apo Boghigian and Aren Grigorian travelled to Tavush to gauge the situation in the border villages.

RFE/RL – Fighting Resumes On Armenian-Azerbaijani Border After Brief Lull

Emil Lazarian
07:04 GMT
  • By RFE/RL

    WATCH: What’s Behind The Deadly Clashes Between Armenia And Azerbaijan?

Fighting on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan reportedly resumed early on July 16 after a brief de-escalation in fighting, with the two sides accusing each other of attacking their frontline positions and shelling villages.

The Armenian military claimed to have thwarted a predawn Azerbaijani raid on one of its border posts in the northeastern Tavush district.

“After a fierce gunbattle, the enemy was repelled, suffering casualties,” Defense Ministry spokeswoman Shushan Stepanian said, adding that Azerbaijani forces then began shelling two Armenian border villages with mortars and howitzers.

“Gunfire is continuing at the moment,” Stepanian wrote on Facebook in the morning. “Units of the Armenian Armed Forces are neutralizing Azerbaijani provocations.”

Stepanian reported shortly afterward that Armenian Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan had phoned Andrzej Kasprzyk, the head of an OSCE mission monitoring the cease-fire in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone, to brief him on the latest escalation.

She said Tonoyan told Kasprzyk that the Azerbaijani side suffered “many casualties.”

The official added that no Armenian soldiers were killed at the volatile border section as of 9 a.m. local time.

SEE ALSO: Explainer: Armenian-Azerbaijani Violence A Deadly Reminder Of Stalled Peace Efforts

Speaking to RFE/RL’s Armenian Service at around the same time, Tavush Governor Hayk Chobanian said that not only the local villages but also the town of Berd came under Azerbaijani artillery fire.

None of their residents was hurt as a result, he said, adding that the shelling caused damage to civilian homes and infrastructure.

“Residents are hiding in basements and shelters,” said Chobanian. “Their life is not at risk.”

“There is no need for evacuation.… I hope that [this situation] won’t last long,” added the governor.

Meanwhile, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry accused Armenian forces of attacking its frontline troops and shelling Azerbaijani villages in the Tovuz district bordering Tavush. It gave no details.

The renewed fighting in the area broke out after a one-day pause that followed three days of deadly clashes between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces that left at least 15 soldiers dead and prompted serious concern from the international community.

With reporting by RFE/RL’s Armenian and Azerbaijani services and AFP

CivilNet: The Situation on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Border: What Did CivilNet See?

Jagharian Tania
CIVILNET.AM

14:52

CivilNet’s Emilio Cricchio spoke to Tatul Hakobyan on the situation regarding the 2020 skirmishes between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Hakobyan and CivilNet’s team traveled to the northeastern region of Tavush to gauge the situation in the villages by the border. Hakobyan spoke of the difference between the Tavush border and the Karabakh line of contact, as well as the military situation, difference with the 2016 April War and also the reactions of villagers living in this part of Armenia. 

Asbarez: ‘Death to Armenians’: Thousands Rally in Baku Demanding War with Armenia

Ara Felekian
July 14,  2020

Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Baku on Tuesday demanding war with Armenia

“Death to Armenians” and “Order Us to Go to War” were some of the slogans being chanted on Tuesday night in Baku’s main Azadliq (Liberty) Square where thousands of protesters were demanding an all out war with Armenia, after 11 Azerbaijani soldiers, among a them a high-ranking general, were killed during three days of fighting after Azerbaijani forces attempted to breach the border with Armenia at Tavush Province on Sunday.

Observers are describing the Wednesday rally as one of the largest in Azerbaijan. The Turan news agency estimated the crowd to number at 50,000 who are angry at the losses suffered by Azerbaijani forces at the border and were calling for the government to declare war.

Before the protest was dispersed by police, a number of demonstrators briefly occupied the parliament building.

The lasted well into the early hours of Wednesday morning. Demonstrators chanted a number of pro-war slogans, including: “End the quarantine, start the war,” “order us to go to war,” “Hey soldier, get up and cross that border” and the tried and true Azerbaijani slogan: “Death to Armenians.”

In addition to chanting pro-war slogans, the protesters also called for the resignation of Najmaddin Sadigov the long-serving Armed Forces Chief of Staff and Deputy Defense Minister.

“Death or Armenians,” chanted the Azerbaijani protesters in Baku’s Azadliq Square

The demonstration comes as reports were confirmed that Azerbaijani units had surrounded their own villages on the border and were using civilians as human shields in their advance toward the Armenian border.

According to Azerbaijani media, a smaller gathering of several thousand people rallied in nearby Sumgait, where the body Major-General Polad Gashimov, the high-ranking Azerbaijani official killed on Monday, was due to arrive. Gashimov is reportedly the highest ranking member of Azerbaijan’s armed forced to be killed in combat since Azerbaijan broke away from the USSR.

Of course, Sumgait is the Azerbaijani city where thousands of Armenians were brutally massacred in 1988 after hundreds of thousands of Armenians in Stepanekert rose up to call for Artsakh’s reunification with Armenia–expressing their right to self-determination–sparking the Artsakh Liberation Movement.

Government officials arrived at the rally to try and calm the crowd, seemingly to no avail. At one point, protestors apparently overturned a police vehicle.

In the early hours of Wednesday, riot police moved in and began to disperse the crowds with batons and water cannons, making numerous arrests. Tear gas was also reportedly used. Reportedly, some 100 people were arrested.

Asbarez: Aliyev Trashes His Own Foreign Minister

Karakhanian Suren
July 14,  2020

President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan (right) with his long-time foreign minister, Elmar Mammadyarov, whose job seems to be in jeopardy

After the Azerbaijani forces suffered grave losses when they brazenly attempted to breach the border with Armenia beginning Sunday, President Ilham Aliyev trashed his own foreign minister Elmar Mammadyarov during a cabinet meeting Wednesday.

Reports of tensions between Aliyev and the foreign ministry have been circulating for weeks, with Turan news agency reporting last week that Azerbaijan’s National Security Service raided the foreign ministry and arrested top officials on charges of embezzlement as part of a larger “corruption” investigation.

Turan reported Wednesday that Aliyev was at a loss when Mammadyarov did not show up to a cabinet meeting.

“I could not find him, he was not at his office,” Aliyev told his cabinet on Wednesday, and openly expressed his dissatisfaction with Mammadyarov’s performance, accusing him of being irresponsible.

According to Turan, Aliyev then asked Prime Minister Ali Asadov to brief the cabinet on a conversation he had with the foreign minister.

Asadov said that Mamedyarov was at home at 3 p.m. “I asked him why are you at home? You have to be in the office and follow the instructions of the president,” the prime minister said adding that Mammadyarov told him he was working from home.

Aliyev, according to Turan, was also angry with the fact that Mamedyarov had allegedly discussed cooperating with Armenia on to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

“What kind of cooperation can we talk about with Armenia?” Aliyev told his cabinet, according to Turan.