Friday,
Ruling Party MP Says Russia Offers Border Demarcation Process ‘From Zero’
• Astghik Bedevian
Left to right: members of the Civil Contract parliamentary faction Eduard
Aghajanian, Andranik Kocharian and Artur Hovhannisian during news briefings in
parliament,
Russia has offered Armenia to start the process of demarcation and delimitation
of its Soviet-era border with Azerbaijan “from zero,” a senior lawmaker
representing the ruling Civil Contract party said on Friday.
“And Armenia has given its consent to participate in the initial stage of this
work,” Andranik Kocharian, head of the parliamentary defense committee, added
during today’s news briefings.
Another Civil Contract lawmaker Eduard Aghajanian, who heads the parliamentary
foreign relations committee, said that Russia has already been informed about
Armenia’s position in writing.
Still during a cabinet meeting on Thursday Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said
that Russia’s Defense Ministry had presented proposals on “the preparatory stage
of border delimitation and demarcation” between Armenia and Azerbaijan. He said
that the proposals were acceptable to Yerevan.
Asked to elaborate about what proposals were made to Armenia, Aghajanian said:
“It is too early to talk about their content at the moment, we are talking about
beginning preparatory work. After reaching an agreement on certain technical
issues Armenia will be ready to form a commission to start the actual work.”
What appear to be fresh Russian proposals were revealed two days after the
latest clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan along their un-demarcated border.
Armenia admitted some territorial losses in what it claimed to be Azerbaijani
aggression against its sovereign territory.
Pashinian said in parliament on Wednesday that Azerbaijan has occupied a total
of 41 square kilometers of sovereign Armenian territory since starting border
incursions last May.
Ruling party lawmakers today did not rule out that a possible exchange of
territory between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the context of Azerbaijani enclaves
that existed during the Soviet times may come up during discussions as part of
the border delimitation and demarcation process.
“At this moment I have no idea what maps will be used during the process and
what logic will be applied. I think it is too early to speak about this issue
now,” the head of the parliamentary foreign relations committee said.
A representative of the opposition Hayastan faction, meanwhile, accused
Pashinian of trying to implement some agreements “reached behind the people’s
back under the guise of ensuring peace against the backdrop of border tensions.”
“By and large, the government is trying to use what happened – the losses, the
casualties – for a false peace formula,” Artsvik Minasian claimed.
Members of the opposition Pativ Unem parliamentary faction Tigran Abrahamian (L)
and Hayk Mamijanian during news briefings in parliament,
Hayk Mamijanian, secretary of the other opposition Pativ Unem faction, claimed
that “it turns out that Armenia enters the process of border demarcation under
the threat of use of force.”
Another Pativ Unem lawmaker Tigran Abrahamian suggested that “if Azerbaijan
continues its current behavior and the Armenian authorities continue to show
their undignified attitude, in a year or two Azerbaijan will not need to
delimitate and demarcate its borders with Armenia, because the problem they
[Azerbaijanis] are trying to solve through seeming negotiations, in fact, will
have been solved through the use of force.”
RFE/RL’s Armenian Service asked Civil Contract’s lawmakers to comment on what
stage Armenia’s application to Russia for military assistance is at the moment.
Aghajanian said that Armenia had applied to Russia to restore its territorial
integrity and the problem is expected to be solved as a result of the proposed
demarcation and delimitation process.
“Russia’s military intervention is not an end in itself. The most important
issue at the moment is to ensure the inviolability of the sovereign territory of
the Republic of Armenia, and border delimitation and demarcation is one of the
tools that will ensure that result,” the pro-government lawmaker explained.
Pashinian Addresses Azerbaijan’s ‘Military Provocations’ At EEU Gathering
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian (C) addressing a session of the Eurasian
Intergovernmental Council in Yerevan,
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian again accused Azerbaijan of ratcheting
up tensions in the region by means of military provocations as he addressed on
Friday a Yerevan gathering of heads of government of several former Soviet
nations making up the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU).
Addressing his counterparts from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan,
Pashinian said on the second and final day of the Eurasian Intergovernmental
Council’s workings in the Armenian capital that like last year’s event held
after the 44-day war in Nagorno-Karabakh today’s event is also taking place amid
a tense atmosphere in Armenia.
“I cannot but notice that just like a year ago, when we were hosting a regular
session of the [Eurasian] Intergovernmental Council, today Armenia is facing
serious challenges threatening its security,” the Armenian leader said.
“Our region has been plunged into a new phase of tensions, which, unfortunately,
led to more loss of life. The responsibility for this lies with Azerbaijan,
whose military provocations are aimed at violating the territorial integrity of
our country, aborting the agreements reached under the trilateral statements of
November 9, 2020 and January 11, 2021,” Pashinian added.
Simmering border tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan turned deadly on
November 16 as both sides accused each other of large-scale provocations and
aggression.
At least six Armenian and seven Azerbaijani soldiers were killed in the fighting
that was stopped due to a ceasefire mediated by Russia.
The new border escalation was followed by renewed international calls on Armenia
and Azerbaijan to engage in a process of delimitating and demarcating their
Soviet-era border.
Pashinian said on Thursday that a Russian proposal on the “preparatory stage” of
the border delimitation and demarcation process was acceptable to Yerevan.
Discussions at the Yerevan sessions of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council
focused on a wide range of issues related to cooperation in the post-Soviet
integrational space, including the 2020 situation in mutual trade, the
development of the agro-industrial complex, the harmonization of the positions
of the member states on the climate agenda, the EEU biosafety strategy, the
development of e-commerce, and others.
According to the Armenian prime minister’s office, documents were signed as a
result of the sessions.
It was also decided that the next sitting of the EEU Intergovernmental Council
will be held in January 2022 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Armenian Death Toll In Recent Border Clashes Rises To Six
An Armenian soldier near a military outpost along the border with Azerbaijan
(file photo)
At least six Armenian soldiers were killed in the November 16 clashes with
Azerbaijani forces along the border between the two countries, military
authorities in Yerevan said on Friday.
Shortly after a Russian-mediated ceasefire was reached on Tuesday, Armenia’s
Defense Ministry admitted one dead, saying that communication with 24 other
Armenian soldiers had been lost, while 13 soldiers had been taken prisoner by
Azerbaijan.
In a statement released today the ministry reported the names of five servicemen
killed in the clashes, including one officer, saying that the identity of
another soldier killed in the fighting could not be established yet.
“Intensive work with the mediation and participation of the Russian side is
underway to repatriate soldiers who were taken prisoner or went missing as a
result of the fighting,” the ministry said.
It added that the situation along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border as of November
19 morning remained “relatively stable and under the control of the Armenian
Armed Forces.”
Azerbaijan said that seven of its soldiers were killed and 10 others were
wounded in the Tuesday fighting that turned out to be the worst since a
Russian-ceasefire put an end to Armenian-Azerbaijani hostilities over
Nagorno-Karabakh last November in which nearly 7,000 people were killed.
The latest fighting was followed by renewed international calls on Armenia and
Azerbaijan to engage in a process of delimitating and demarcating their
Soviet-era border.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said on Thursday that a Russian proposal
on the “preparatory stage” of the border delimitation and demarcation process
was acceptable to Yerevan.
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.
Category: 2021
Armenpress: Military denies ordering high-ranking personnel to disengage
Military denies ordering high-ranking personnel to disengage
09:51,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Ministry of Defense is denying as fake news the newspaper report claiming that during the November 16 Azerbaijani attack the Armenian military had ordered officers above the rank of Major to disengage from the combat zone.
“A media outlet report claimed that “During the latest military operations in Syunik officers above the rank of Major were not allowed to man positions in active combat zones”. This report has nothing to do with reality. We once again strongly call to refrain from spreading fake news,” the Ministry of Defense said.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
‘Azerbaijan must acknowledge and respect Armenian sovereignty’ – US Congresswoman
10:10,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. US Congresswoman Katherine Clark urged Azerbaijan to respect Armenia’s sovereignty.
“I stand with the people of Armenia who have suffered another unprovoked attack. Azerbaijan must acknowledge and respect Armenian sovereignty. I condemn this latest act of aggression and urge the government to adhere to last year’s peace deal”, she said on Twitter.
On November 16, the Azerbaijani armed forces launched a major attack on Armenia from the eastern border. The Azerbaijani military deployed artillery, various caliber firearms and armored equipment in the attack. The fighting stopped through a Russian-mediated ceasefire later in the day.
Editing by Aneta Harutyunyan
Countries involved in Iran’s Persian Gulf-Black Sea transit corridor initiative close to approval of agreement- Embassy
10:26,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. The Persian Gulf-Black Sea international transportation corridor project, initiated by Iran, is gradually taking form. In case of implementation, this project could create a big transit road from India to the countries of Eastern Europe, by boosting the commercial ties of Asia and Europe and also raising Armenia’s economic, political share in the region.
The Embassy of Iran in Armenia told Armenpress that this agreement could be approved at the next meeting of the participating countries in Sofia.
The Persian Gulf-Black Sea transportation corridor is a major international program aimed at economically connecting the ports of the Persian Gulf and the Black Sea. Iran pushed forward the idea back in 2016. At that time Tehran announced that the project will include also all the three republics of the South Caucasus, and Armenia could be one of the transit roads leading to the Black Sea. However, after the recent meetings of the representatives of the participating states and the developments in the region it turned out that Azerbaijan is left out of the project. Meanwhile, Armenia is actively taking part in the project.
The Embassy said that currently Armenia, Georgia, Greece and Bulgaria are involved in this Iranian initiative. However, other countries as well, including India, can have a participation to the project, which would greatly expand the geography of this corridor.
Armenia can also greatly contribute to this project with the North-South highway that is under construction. And Iran highly appreciates these efforts of the Armenian government.
“Fortunately, the government in Armenia is also consistent with the construction of the North-South highway in the Armenian territory. This road would be a very important connecting chain in the Persian Gulf-Black Sea corridor and would significantly raise the attractiveness of the Armenian railway”, the Embassy said.
Since the launch of the initiative in 2016, five stages of expert talks of the working group formed that time have taken place in Tehran (2 times), Sofia, Tbilisi and the last one was held in Yerevan. The delegations of Iran, Armenia (offline) and Georgia, Bulgaria, Greece (online) participated in that meeting in Yerevan in April 2021.
“Azerbaijan was not in attendance”, the Iranian Embassy said.
The Embassy informed that during that meeting in Yerevan the sides demonstrated a will to finalize the text of the agreement and agreed upon the tasks over some sections of the draft text.
“The member states try to do so that the agreement is approved during the upcoming meeting in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia”, the Embassy said.
According to the Embassy, the launch of this project would contribute to increasing the trade exchange rates of Asia with Europe thanks to the economic efficiency and security of the corridor.
“Taking into account the starting and end points of this corridor, it should be noted that this is a multi-model corridor. Cargo from the Persian Gulf will enter Iran by sea. Iran has big ports in the south, some of which are at a development stage. By land, these cargos as well can be transported by the railway network or roads of the countries on the route, such as Iran, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan. In the next part, in other words, from the Black Sea ports to the final destination, the option of sea transportation could also be applied”, the Embassy said, adding that in addition to physical problems connected with the creation of necessary infrastructures, there are also legal issues, the payment issue, the necessary rules of procedures.
As for the possibility of India’s joining the corridor, the Embassy recalled the interest of Indian officials to this route during the official visit of the Indian Foreign Minister in Yerevan in October. Tehran believes that the facilitation of cargo transportation to the Black Se would be beneficial to all countries that have access to the Persian Gulf and the Black Sea.
“Iran and India have good cooperation in the field of transportation, and Indian companies are participating in the Chabahar Port development program and the construction of a new railway in Iran’s east. All countries are interested in having convenient and varied routes. The creation of respective infrastructures and the facilitation of transportations along the Person Gulf to the Black Sea would be attractive not only for the negotiating countries, but also for all those that have an access to the Person Gulf and the Black Sea, both for the other countries of the Persian Gulf and the countries of the Eastern Europe”, the Iranian Embassy said.
Reporting by Aram Sargsyan
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
Latest Azeri attack killed 6 Armenian troops – military issues death toll
10:35,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Ministry of Defense says that according to its updated information the latest Azerbaijani attack claimed the lives of 6 Armenian troops.
The fallen troops are Senior Lieutenant Taron Sahakyan (born 1990), Junior Sergeant Meruzhan Harutyunyan (born 1991), Private Gurgen Sargsyan (born 1990), Junior Sergeant Artur Martirosyan (born 1998) and Private Davit Amiryan (born 1980). The body of another killed soldier is still undergoing the identification process.
“With mediation and participation of the Russian side, intense works continue in the direction of returning those taking captive during the battles and finding the missing. As of 10:00, November 19 the situation in the Armenian-Azerbaijani border is relatively stable and under the control of the Armenian Armed Forces,” the Ministry of Defense said.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
Armenia reports 799 daily coronavirus cases
11:07,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. 799 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Armenia in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 332,713, the ministry of healthcare reports.
8148 COVID-19 tests were conducted on November 18.
1903 patients have recovered in one day. The total number of recoveries has reached 301,856.
The death toll has risen to 7212 (29 death cases have been registered in the past one day).
The number of active cases is 22,243.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
Expanded-format session of Eurasian Intergovernmental Council kicks off in Yerevan
11:15,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. The expanded-format session of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council kicked off in Yerevan.
[see video]
Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of Russia Mikhail Mishustin, Prime Minister of Belarus Roman Golovchenko, Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Askar Mamin, Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Akylbek Japarov and the Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission Mikhail Myasnikovich are participating in the meeting.
A wide range of issues related to the development of cooperation within the Eurasian Economic Union in the fields of agriculture, industry and healthcare are on the agenda.
The introduction of new regulations in markets of various sectors and customs regulations will also be addressed. The EEU 2022 budget will also be discussed.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
Mikhail Myasnikovich, Akilbek Japarov, Roman Golovchenko, Nikol Pashinyan, Askar Mamin, Mikhail Mishustin
Photos by Tatev Duryan
Region again involved in new phase of escalation, for which Azerbaijan is responsible – Pashinyan
11:39,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. Armenia faces serious challenges threatening its security, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in his speech delivered at the session of the Eurasian Inter-governmental Council in Yerevan.
“Dear colleagues, unfortunately, today’s session is being held in a tense situation for our country. I can’t not notice like it was a year before when we were taking part in the session of the Inter-governmental Council, today as well Armenia is facing serious challenges threatening its security. Our region was involved in a new escalation stage, which, unfortunately, led to human losses. Azerbaijan is responsible for this, the military provocation of which is directed to distorting our country’s territorial integrity and the agreements reached in the 2020 November 9 and 2021 January 11 trilateral statements”, the PM said.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
Export from Armenia to EAEU states grows 27.8% in nine months
12:03,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. In 2021 Armenia registered stable growth rates in trade volumes with the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in his remarks at the session of the Eurasian Inter-governmental Council in Yerevan.
“The figures speak for themselves: the trade turnover between Armenia and the EAEU states in 2021 January-September increased 12.8% compared to the same period of 2020. The export volumes from Armenia to the EAEU states increased 27.8% in the nine months of this year. I am happy to record that the growth is being registered with all partners of the EAEU, the export to Russia increased 27.4%, to Belarus – 19.2%, Kazakhstan – 89.5%, Kyrgyzstan – 48%”, the PM said.
According to Pashinyan, this not only shows the development of commercial cooperation within the EAEU, but also the presence of new opportunities which have launched during the global structural changes of the world economy.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
EAEU member states eliminated 80% of barriers, Kazakhstan’s PM says
12:41,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. The member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) have eliminated 80% of the barriers within the Union in five years, Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Askar Mamin said in his speech at the Eurasian Inter-governmental Council session in Yerevan.
“From 2016 till today, 80% of barriers ever existing in the domestic market within the EAEU has been eliminated. Major works have been done in a number of important sectors for the harmonization of trade conditions”, the Kazakh PM said.
He informed that the formation of concept of Eurasian good transportation system has already started.
“The works on constructing that infrastructure are already underway. The measures taken had a positive impact on the EAEU mutual trade, the volume of which comprised 52 billion USD in 9 months, increasing 32.5% compared to the same period of 2020 and 16.5% compared to pre-pandemic figure of 2019”, he said.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan