Category: 2021

• Turkey is setting new preconditions for normalizing relations with Armenia, says Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan.
• Former President Serzh Sargsyan faces graft charges by a newly set up anti-corruption court.
• Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is to hold his first press conference in over a year.

Credits: Ruptly

• Suren Papikyan appointed as new Armenian defense minister.
• The ruling party was defeated in local elections in the southern city of Kapan.
• Over 1 million Armenian doses of the covid vaccine have been administered in Armenia.

A view from the Turkic Council summit in Istanbul, Turkey, Nov. 12, 2021. (IHA Photo)

The people of Azerbaijan expressed support for the decisions made during the eighth summit of the Turkic Council held in Istanbul under the chair of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday.

The Turkic Council creating a stronger institutional structure by adopting the name “Organization of Turkic States,” the “Turkic World 2040 Vision” being accepted, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev being presented with a medal of honor on the occasion of the Karabakh victory were all moves welcomed in Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijani politicians and intellectuals believe the Turkic world will continue to become stronger and that the integration between countries will be consolidated until it reaches “Turkic world citizenship.”

Azerbaijani politician Sabir Rüstemhanlı described the summit as “the beginning of a new era in the history of the Turkic world.”

Rüstemhanlı stated that Turkic states made this progress step by step after the collapse of the Soviet Union and emphasized that the Organization of Turkic States took on a strong institutional structure with Uzbekistan as a full member and Turkmenistan as an observing member.

He underlined that the Organization of Turkic States gives hope for closer cooperation in the future with the participation of brotherly countries, saying: “Now, the way for the establishment of unity between the Turkic states has been paved. We can call it the Turan Union. A cooperative military, economic and culturally unified structure can be established in the future. The outlines of all these were drawn at the summit.”

Rüstemhanlı said that the medal of honor presented to Aliyev “shows that the victory of Karabakh was appreciated not only in Azerbaijan but also in other Turkic states.”

Stating that cooperation and integration between Turkic states will accelerate, he said: “Now, a common alphabet, common language issues are discussed. The Turkic world is a geography with rich literature and history. It is the heart of Eurasia. It is a region that has a serious influence on world culture. The unity of the Turkic states is of great importance for the rich wealth of the region to remain with the countries of the region. Strong and effective Turkic unity is no longer a dream. This was confirmed at the summit.”

The head of the Turkish-Islamic Studies Center, Telman Nusretoğlu, also stated that the reality of the increasingly globalized world and the Silk Road, which has been revived with the increasing political and economic attractiveness of Asia, offers new opportunities for the closer integration of the Turkic states.

Nusretoğlu emphasized that unity between the states has become necessary for the Turkic world, which has established the oldest and longest-lasting empires in Eurasia, to overcome regional and global risks and threats.

Reiterating the words of Aliyev, “Turkic states are natural allies,” Nusretoğlu noted that important steps were taken toward the formation of strategic alliances of natural allies, and their future plans were announced to the world at the Istanbul summit.

Nusretoğlu also said Aliyev being awarded the medal of honor for the Karabakh victory is a clear indication of the Turkic states’ respect for Azerbaijan, and said: “This victory of the brotherhood of Turkey and Azerbaijan has had a very positive impact on the unity of the Turkic world. Following the suggestion of the president of Uzbekistan, accelerating the efforts for the establishment of the Turkic Investment Fund and changing the name of the organization parallel to the opening of the headquarters in a historical building contain important messages. The Turkic states will support joint education programs, free movement of capital and joint investments in the Turkic world. Of course, one day we will also start talking about ‘Turkic world citizenship,’ where a passport and visa-free regime is applied. We still have a long way to go.”

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday called on Turkic Council members to act together in tackling global issues, including terrorism, climate change, xenophobia and Islamophobia.

The 8th Summit of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (Turkic Council) was held on an island southeast of Istanbul. The meeting held under the theme “Green Technologies and Smart Cities in the Digital Age.”

During the meeting, the organization’s name was changed to the Organization of Turkic States.

Speaking after the Turkish president, Aliyev said that Erdoğan showed Baku that it is not alone in the world and that Ankara will always stand by it, referring to last year’s Karabakh conflict in which Turkey threw its support behind Azerbaijan, whose Nagorno-Karabakh region had remained under illegal Armenian occupation for nearly three decades before finally being liberated last November.

During a 44-day conflict last year, which ended in a truce on Nov. 10, 2020, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages in Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenia’s illegal occupation. On Nov. 10, the two countries signed a Russia-brokered deal to end fighting and work toward a comprehensive solution.

Erdoğan has frequently called for a six-nation platform comprising of Turkey, Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia for permanent peace, stability and cooperation in the region, saying it would be a win-win initiative for all regional actors in the Caucasus. Turkey believes that permanent peace is possible through mutual security-based cooperation among the states and people of the South Caucasus region.

The Turkic Council was formed in 2009 to promote cooperation among Turkish-speaking states. It consists of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Uzbekistan as member countries and Hungary as an observer state.

Tatul Anoushian, a senior member of the Armenian Patriarchate in Turkey, passed away at the age of 55 on Sunday evening due to a previous disease. Anoushian was serving both as general secretary and president of the Spiritual Council of the Armenian Patriarchate in Turkey. He had been recently hospitalized for an unspecified disease, a stomach illness, according to the Agos newspaper.

In a telephone call to Anoushian’s family and Armenian Patriarch Sahak Maşalyan, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan extended his condolences to the family and the Armenian community. Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu released a message of condolence on Twitter over Anoushian’s death, expressing “great sadness.” “I convey my condolences and wish patience to his family, relatives and the Armenian Community,” he added.

Istanbul-born Anoushian, an English literature graduate, worked in the tourism business until 1992 when he devoted himself to church duties. He rose to the rank of subdeacon at a church in Istanbul’s Kınalıada island, shortly before rising to the rank of deacon at Samatya Surp Kevork Church. After stints at a clergy school in Lebanon as a lecturer and doctoral student, Anoushian returned to Turkey and worked at several Armenian churches in Istanbul. He was elected to the Spiritual Council in 2010. He was later chosen as head of the assembly but resigned from the post amid a row within the Armenian community over the successor of late Patriarch Mesrob II. He was elected again to head the assembly in 2019.

A funeral ceremony for Anoushian is scheduled for Thursday, according to the Agos newspaper.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Önal discussed regional developments, including the state of affairs in Afghanistan, with his Russian counterpart Andrey Rudenko in Istanbul on Monday.

“In political consultations held in Istanbul today between the delegations headed by Deputy Minister Ambassador Sedat Önal and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Ambassador Andrey Rudenko, the South Caucasus, Central Asia, Afghanistan and other regional topics were discussed,” the Foreign Ministry wrote on Twitter.

Turkey and Russia jointly run a monitoring center in Nagorno-Karabakh, the South Caucasus, in the wake of last year’s conflict there between Azerbaijan and Armenia, in which the latter liberated some 300 territories after nearly 30 years of Armenian occupation.

Russia and Turkey have historically had complex relations, balancing regional rivalries with finding common ground on economic and strategic interests.

In recent years, the two powers have clashed in particular in Syria, where Moscow and Ankara support opposing camps in the civil war.

In Syria last year they sponsored a cease-fire deal in the northwestern Idlib region, home to the last major opposition groups in northwest Syria.

An Azerbaijani civilian was killed after a mine exploded in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, recently liberated from Armenian occupation, a statement said Monday.

The mine was planted in Aghdam by Armenian troops during their nearly three-decade occupation.

According to a statement by Azerbaijan’s Prosecutor General’s office, the civilian in Aghdam’s village of Tagibeyli stepped on the mine while doing agricultural work.

Landmines are a grave violation of essential norms and principles of international humanitarian law, including the 1949 Geneva Conventions.

As many as 33 Azerbaijani citizens, including seven soldiers and 26 civilians, have been killed and 139 injured since November 2020 – the end of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict – due to mines laid by Armenia during the occupation.

Land mines kill and injure around 20,000 people in 75 countries across the world, according to the United Nations.

The Turkish military has also provided help to Azerbaijan and sent a squad of Special Mine Detection and Clearance Team (OMAT) members to clear areas of Nagorno-Karabakh of mines following its liberation from Armenian occupation.

Turkey also established a joint observation center with Russia to monitor the cease-fire following the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The center, which both countries agreed to set up in November, officially opened in the Aghdam region of Azerbaijan. Both Turkey and Russia will send up to 60 personnel each to run the center.

Relations between the former Soviet republics of Azerbaijan and Armenia have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

Baku liberated several strategic cities, towns and nearly 300 of its settlements and villages from the Armenian occupation during the recent fighting.

Before this, about 20% of Azerbaijan’s territory had been under illegal Armenian occupation for nearly three decades.

The ex-Soviet rivals signed a Moscow-brokered peace deal on Nov. 9, ending weeks of heavy fighting, and documenting that Armenia will surrender several territories to Baku.

Apart from clearing the mines, Azerbaijan also kicked off efforts to come up with plans and projects for the region while also determining the damage and its costs. The Azerbaijani government plans to carry the issue to the international courts once it is able to assess the overall damage in the region caused by the Armenian forces.

MOSCOW 

Armenia’s prime minister on Monday sacked his defense minister in the wake of border issues with neighboring Azerbaijan.

Nikol Pashinyan said that he dismissed Arshak Karapetyan and appointed Deputy Prime Minister Suren Papikyan to the defense minister post, according to a government statement.

Pashinyan also discussed developments on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border and recent “border violations.”

Last Wednesday, Azerbaijan said a provocation by Armenian soldiers along the border province of Lachin had been prevented.

Armenian soldiers tried to block the road between Azerbaijani army positions to start a conflict, said the statement, but they were surrounded by Azerbaijani soldiers, who forced their retreat.

Relations between the former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Upper Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

New clashes erupted on Sept. 27, 2020, with the Armenian army attacking civilians and Azerbaijani forces and violating humanitarian cease-fire agreements.

The fighting ended with a Russia-brokered agreement on Nov. 10, 2020.

During the 44-day conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and 300 settlements and villages that had been occupied by Armenia for almost 30 years.

Senator Anthony Portantino (right) and Armenia’s Diaspora Commissioner Zareh Sinanyan place the seal of the State of California on the wall

YEREVAN—Senator Anthony J. Portantino facilitated the California Trade Desk Seal Placement during a reception on Monday in Armenia’s capital. Senator Portantino formally introduced representatives from GO-Biz directly to business leaders at Impact Hub, which was followed by the California State Seal being officially mounted at Impact Hub.

“It was a great day to be in Yerevan and to have participated in moving forward with the new California Trade and Services Desk at Impact Hub,” stated Senator Portantino. “I am proud to have helped launch this innovative partnership and historic trade opportunity. I am incredibly grateful to Governor Newsom, Diaspora High Commissioner Sinanyan, Lieutenant Governor Kounalakis, and GO-Biz Director Dee Myers for their leadership and commitment to this important endeavor. It was an honor to introduce officials from GO-Biz to Armenian trade and business leaders. Economic cooperation between California and Armenia is vital and the trade desk will help improve current economic activity and generate more in the coming years.”

Senator Portantino leads the live virtual ceremony from Impact Hub Armenia in Yerevan

Senator Portantino was joined by Armenia’s Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan, High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs Zareh Sinanyan, Evan Reade from Office of California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, Emily Desai and Jonathan Zeigler from Office of California Governor Gavin Newsom, Sara Anjargolian of Impact Hub and Raffi Kassarjian, CEO of the Union of Advanced Technology Enterprises.

“We are very excited to be hosting the California Trade and Services Desk at Impact Hub,” stated Sara Anjargolian, Co-Founder and Board Member of Impact Hub Yerevan. “There is so much in common between Armenia and California and with this opportunity we create even more positive outcomes for both economies.”

“We are proud to partner with the Impact Hub in Yerevan to host the California Trade Desk in Armenia,” stated Emily Desai, Deputy Director for International Affairs and Trade at the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz). “The Impact Hub’s mission to support and scale social innovation reflects California priorities of building an inclusive, sustainable economy for all. We look forward to our collaboration and building two-way trade and investment.”

Senator Anthony Portantino and Commissioner Zareh Sinanyan (center) with Impact Hub Armenia representatives

In 2019, Senator Portantino was on hand when Governor Newsom and Armenia’s Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the Armenian Mission to the United Nations in New York City, formally establishing the first California Trade and Service Desk in Armenia. Prior to the signing of the agreement, he had introduced legislation to establish a California Trade Office in Armenia and joined the Governor for the historic signing of the MOU in the New York City.

The California Trade and Services Desk was established to strengthen the economic partnership between Armenian and California, support efforts for mutual economic benefit, and encourage trade and investment by California and Armenia businesses. Yerevan is the first California International Trade and Services Desk to be established by the Newsom administration. California is home to the largest Armenian American community in the United States.

In addition to representing a large and vibrant Armenian American community, Senator Portantino is the Chair of the Senate Select Committee on California, Armenia, Artsakh, and Mutual Trade, Art, and Cultural Exchange.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan inspect a Russian Su-57 fighter jet at an air show outside Moscow, 2019 (Reuters photo)

Moscow is ready to help NATO-member Turkey develop its newest fighter jet, a leading Russian defense official revealed on Sunday, reported the Russia Today—RT—news channel.

Ankara had previously indicated it was open to cooperating on the matter with friendly countries.

“Russia has repeatedly expressed readiness to assist Turkey [in the development of a fifth-generation fighter jet], but right now this project is in the negotiation phase,” the head of Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC), Dmitry Shugayev, told RIA Novosti.

Ismail Demir, the chairman of the Presidency of Defense Industries, a Turkish government agency, told the media in September that Ankara was looking to cooperate with friendly states on the design of such an aircraft.

The US expelled Turkey from its F-35 program in 2019, canceling the delivery of jets promised to Ankara after it rejected America’s demand to scrap the deal to purchase S-400 mobile air defense missile systems from Russia.

Turkey has maintained that it will choose arms sales partners regardless of outside pressure and in spite of its membership of the US-led NATO military bloc. 

In 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin showed the fifth-generation multi-purpose Su-57 stealth fighter to his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was touring an air show near Moscow.

The Kapan-Chakaten highway

Human Rights Defender Calls Move ‘Unconstitutional’

Armenia’s National Security administration deemed another road, where new Azerbaijani customs checkpoints began operating Sunday as “not part of the territory of Armenia,” adding to wide-spread speculation that the Pashinyan administration is ceding territory to Azerbaijan outside of the parameters of negotiations over the so-called “unblocking of communications,” currently underway.

Armenia’s Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan called the security council’s statement unconstitutional, saying that it ignores the safety and inviolability of the lives of Armenia citizens in the area.

After setting up customs checkpoints in the main section of the Goris-Kapan highway on Thursday, and blocking Armenians from using the road, Azerbaijan announced that it would set up more checkpoints, this time on the Kapan-Chakaten road, cutting off traffic to Armenians in a significant section of Armenia’s Syunik Province.

In its announcement on Monday, Armenia’s National Security Council continued the government’s cavalier attitude toward the increasing tensions on the road that also is the main highway connecting Iran with Armenia, downplaying its significance, especially the impact that it will have for local residents who regularly use the road for commerce and to travel to their jobs.

Last week, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Armenia’s National Security chief Armen Grigoryan casually urged residents to use alternative routes, which were recently constructed as a result of the standoff on the Goris-Kapan Highway.

“As for the sections of the Goris-Kapan and Kapan-Chakaten roads, that have come under the control of Azerbaijan, we want to emphasize that they are not in the territory of Armenia according to the Soviet-era documents that direct have legal significance for the borders of Armenia and Azerbaijan,” said the National Security Council in its announcement Monday.

“The government of Armenia has taken measures to create a new network of alternative roads in the Syunik Province, construction of which will be completed soon. We want to note that no settlement of Armenia has been deprived of vital roads,” emphasized the statement.

The declarations about the road were contained in the same National Security Council statement, which addressed the attempted invasion of Armenia by Azerbaijan on Sunday.

Tatoyan took note of the security council’s announcement about Soviet-ear borders and alternate routes and argued that such announcements make it permissible for Azerbaijan to infringe on Armenia’s rights.

“In its statement, the Security Council’s mentions the creation of a network of alternative roads and thus, making it permissible for Azerbaijan to assert its control over roads,” explained Tatoyan.

Arguing that by establishing checkpoints, Azerbaijan is aiming to isolate the local population by depriving them of their right to free movement, and cited specific articles of Armenia’s Constitution to illustrate how the government must, first and foremost, protect the rights of its citizens and guarantee their security.

Tatoyan also said that the construction of alternative roads does not mean that it eliminates the real threats from the current Azerbaijani armed and masked soldiers on Goris-Kapan and Kapan-Chakaten roads to Armenia’s population and especially to the life and safety of residents in neighboring communities.

When Azerbaijan announced its customs checkpoints last week, Pashinyan said that negotiations with Azerbaijan over the checkpoints would mean agreeing to the so-called “Zangezur Corridor,” which Yerevan has said that it opposes. However, Grigoryan, in an interview late last week with Armenia’s National Television channel said that a road connecting to Nakhichevan is under discussion by a task-force dealing with the so-called opening of communications and transport links between Armenia and Azerbaijan.