Category: 2021

The president of Azerbaijan told FRANCE 24 that the first meeting between the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia last week in New York was a “good indicator” that dialogue could be restarted and a peaceful solution sought.

Aliyev added that if the OCSE Minsk Group of mediators (France, the US and Russia) set up a meeting with Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan, he would have no objections.

He claimed the conflict between the two countries had been “resolved once and for all and there should be no return to the previous situation.” Aliyev also denied that he had any additional territorial claims on Armenia. 

Aliyev rejected Human Rights Watch reports that his country was holding and torturing Armenian prisoners of war, saying they had all been freed.

Armenian Human Rights Defender’s proposal to create a demilitarized zone between Armenia and Azerbaijan has been included in the resolution adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on Monday.

The Ombudsman’s concept is being actively disseminated among the international community, and was presented to the PACE Special Rapporteur along with the relevant facts during the latter’s visit to Armenia.

 In the resolution the Assembly therefore calls on both sides to negotiate on a process of delimitation and demarcation of the border and examine the possibility of creating a demilitarized zone with the presence of a peacekeeping or military monitoring force.

“Over the past year, my various meetings and discussions with the representatives of various international organizations had the aim of proving that the only effective way to prevent the criminal acts of the Azerbaijani servicemen is to establish a (demilitarized) security zone. The deployment of armed Azerbaijani servicemen, including the placement of signs and flags in the immediate vicinity of Armenian villages and on the roads between the communities has no legal grounds, they should be removed and a (demilitarized) security zone should be created,” Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan says.

According to him, the delimitation and demarcation of the border with Azerbaijan, without the creation of a security zone will not only fail to ensure the rights of the citizens of Armenia, specifically those of the border residents, but will also cause further violations of rights and lead to tensions.

Armenians in Greece rallied in front of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Athens on Monday, the Armenian National Committee of Greece reports.

One year after the war waged by Azerbaijan against the Republic of Artsakh, the young Armenians in Athens and Thessaloniki raised their voices against the violent action of Azerbaijan.

A year since the violent war, which left thousands killed and wounded, Azerbaijan fails to return Armenian prisoners of war and civilian hostages.

The Embassy officials tried to lower the Armenian flag, hitting the protesters with sticks and throwing water cannons, ANC Greece said.

Armen Khachatryan’s documentary “Unfinished Memories” (co-production between Hayk Documentary Film Studio and Margins Media Production Company) has been left out of the “Eurasia DOC 2021” Documentary Film Festival.

The film was scheduled to screen on October 1 at Belarus cinema in Minsk.

The film telling the story of brave women serving in the Armenian army was partially shot in Artsakh. On September 25, the team got notified that the film was removed from the program due to threats from the Azerbaijanis. The management of the festival stated that can’t do anything in the situation.

Lucas Zelarayán will join the Armenian national team. After the successful negotiations between the President of the Football Federation of Armenia and national team head coach and the player,  Zelarayán, 29, is to join the national team in October for the upcoming matches against Iceland and Romania.

“I have made a very important decision for me – to play for Armenian national team. It wasn’t a decision made in one day, it was a well-thought step. I have spoken to the FFA president Armen Melikbekyan and the national team head coach Joaquin Caparros during the last year. They presented the program of the federation to me,” Zelarayán told the FFA official website.

“I knew about my Armenian roots, but I haven’t had close relations with Armenian community in Argentina. That’s why I needed time to make this important decision. After discussing everything with my family in September I made a decision to join the Armenian national team. Now I am excited about it. I am aware of the big goals this team wants to achieve and I am ready to do my best to make this happen. I am happy to join the Armenian national team during this important period and I hope to have new achievement with the national team,” he added.

Lucas Zelarayán was born in Cordoba in 1992

He started his career in Belgrano, playing there from 2012 to 2015. From 2016 to 2020 he played for UNAL Tigres. He joined his current team – Columbus Crew – in January, 2020.