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Category: 2021
Turkish press: Armenia ready for talks with Turkey to repair relations: Pashinian
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian attends a meeting in Kazan, Russia, 29 April 2021. (EPA Photo)
Armenia said Wednesday that the country was prepared to hold discussions on repairing relations with Turkey.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said that recent comments from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan represented an “opportunity for a conversation on settling relations.”
“We stand ready for such a discussion,” he told a Cabinet meeting.
Erdoğan said last month that Ankara was willing to work toward normalizing ties with Armenia if Yerevan “declares its readiness to move in this direction.”
Armenia and Turkey never established diplomatic ties and their shared border has been closed since the 1990s.
Their relationship has deteriorated more recently over Turkey’s support for Azerbaijan, which fought a brief war with Armenia last year and liberated the Armenian occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region and adjacent areas.
The resulting six-week war between Armenia and Turkey’s ally Azerbaijan claimed some 6,500 lives. Russia brokered a cease-fire that saw Yerevan cede swathes of territory it had illegally occupied for decades.
Pashinian Wednesday stressed the importance of opening regional transport links, saying, “it is about transforming our region into a crossroad linking west and east and north and south.”
In 2009, Armenia and Turkey signed an agreement to normalize relations, which would have led to the opening up of their shared border.
Yerevan has never ratified the agreement, and in 2018, ditched the process.
Asbarez: Has Armenia Opened its Airspace to Azerbaijani Flights?
September 8, 2021
A screen capture from Flight Radar shows a flight from Azerbaijan to Nakhichevan flying over Armenia
For the first time in 30 years, a passenger flight originating in Azerbaijan and headed to Turkey flew over Armenia’s airspace, according to the Flight Radar website.
While Armenian officials have not commented on the matter, the pro-Azerbaijani Vestik Kavkaz website seized on the opportunity to declare that “Armenia has opened its airspace to Azerbaijani flights for the first time in 30 years.”
According to Flight Radar, a Turkish Airline Boeing 737 flight from Gyanja (Gandzag) to Nakhichevan on Saturday flew over Lake Sevan and thus the Gegharkunik Province, which is one of the areas where Azerbaijani forces have breached Armenia’s sovereign border and have advanced position inside Armenia.
Flight Radar said the Turkish Airlines the 35-minute flight left Gyandza at 9:57 local time and arrived in Nakhichevan at 10:32 p.m.
Asbarez: Pashinyan Wants Georgia to Embrace his ‘Regional Peace and Stability’ Agenda
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (right) with his Georgian counterpart Irakli Garibashvili in Tbilisi on Sept. 8
During his official visit to Georgia, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan advanced his government’s so-called “regional peace and stability” agenda, which, of course, was embraced by his Georgian counterpart Irakli Garibashvili.
Pashinyan and Garibashvili held a joint press conference in Tbilisi on Wednesday after talks aimed at strengthening relations between the two neighboring countries.
“Of course, the war in Karabakh has been a challenge for our region,” said Georgia’s Garribashvili. “But now, having gotten acquainted with Mr. Prime Minister’s [Pashinyan’s] new vision, I am confident that this challenge will transform into a new opportunity that will bring prosperity to Armenia and the Armenian people. I want to also say that we attach enormous importance to Armenia’s political and economic stability, as it is tied directly to the stability of our country and the region in general.”
“Consequently, I would encapsulate our common regional goal in three words: peace, stability, and prosperity, something that binds together all three countries of our region,” added the Georgian prime minister referring to Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.
“As you know, Georgia has always been an advocate of peaceful cooperation and coexistence in the South Caucasus,” said Garibashvili, who cited his recent mediation with Azerbaijan to secure the release of Armenian prisoners of war being held captive in Azerbaijan.
The Georgian leader was quick to point out that his mediation involved strong-arming Yerevan into surrender strategic maps in order to secure the release of the captives by Azerbaijan, which is bound by the provisions of the November 9 agreement to return all POWs and captives.
While voicing optimism and committing to further mediation on confidence building measures, Garibashvili said that regional peace and stability will bring greater opportunities for the development of the region.
“I want to also note that given the numerous conflicts raging in the course of the past three decades in the region, with some of them still unresolved, our common vision and effort must be dedicated to the region’s gradual transformation into a place of new opportunities, development, and peace. This must be our main vision, and we will continue working in this direction,” said Garibashvili.
Pashinyan, in his turn, thanked the Georgian prime minister for his mediation that resulted in the release of 15 POWs in June.
“Unfortunately, there are many unresolved issues, conflicts and threats in our region,” said Pashinyan. “But we are trying to help each other to focus on the opportunities that exist in tandem. I believe that by supporting each other to take advantage of existing opportunities is the very formula that should make risk management more feasible and accessible for us.”
Pashinyan also discussed the need to advance democratic principles and praised his Georgian counterpart’s government for his government’s efforts for “the opportunities created for the preservation and development of the identity of the Armenians of Georgia. This is a topic that unites us, makes our relations more effective, promising and strategic.” In the official readout of the press conference, there was no mention of Pashinyan addressing the repressive policies of official Tbilisi toward Armenians in Georgia, especially those living in Javakhk.
Later on Wednesday, Pashinyan advanced his government’s plan for establishing “regional peace and stability” during a meeting with Georgia’s president Salome Zourabichvili. Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan also discussed the issue when he met with his Georgian counterpart, David Zalkaliani.
Armenpress: Alen Simonyan thanks President of the Senate of the Netherlands for 17 resolutions condemning Baku’s behavior
Alen Simonyan thanks President of the Senate of the Netherlands for 17 resolutions condemning Baku’s behavior
21:19, 7 September, 2021
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS. President of the National Assembly of Armenia Alen Simonyan met with Anthonie Bruijn on September 7 in the sidelines of the 5th World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments taking place in Vienna. Alen Simonyan thanked the colleagues of the Dutch parliament for the 17 resolutions condemning the war unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh in the fall of 2020.
As ARMENPRESS was informed from the National Assembly, after the exchange of greetings, the President of the National Assembly of Armenia noted that he remembers with pleasure the visit of the parliamentary delegation of Armenia to the Netherlands at the invitation of Anthonie Bruijn in October 2019.
Alen Simonyan noted that despite the obstacles created by COVID-19, the friendly relations between Armenia and the Netherlands and their parliaments are developing quite harmoniously, and the countries are ready to implement a deeper and more targeted Armenian-Dutch cooperation. Simonyan noted that the opening of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Yerevan in September 2020 is a vivid proof of that. Alen Simonyan reaffirmed the readiness to deepen the Armenian-Dutch inter-parliamentary cooperation.
The President of the National Assembly of Armenia singled out 3 challenges, in which Armenia expects political support from its partners – establishment of peace in the region, solution of the problem of Armenian prisoners of war, taking into account that Azerbaijan has made it subject for political bargain and effective implementation of the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement.
Simonyan stressed that the unconstructive position of the Azerbaijani delegations in various parliamentary assemblies and the behavior of the delegates supporting them for personal interest remain a problematic issue for the Armenian side.
During the discussion, the President of the National Assembly considered inadmissible the trumped-up trials against Armenian prisoners of war and other detainees, which contradict international law. Alen Simonyan reaffirmed that Armenia is interested in a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.
The President of the Senate of the Netherlands noted that he has good memories of the visit of the Armenian parliamentary delegation. Highlighting the opening of the Dutch Embassy in Armenia, he said that it is encouraging and will greatly contribute to the development of bilateral relations. The President of the Senate emphasized that the resolutions adopted by the Dutch Parliament during the 44-day war received a wide response in the Armenian society.
According to him, the supremacy of human rights is extremely important in any situation, in this context also emphasizing the Armenia-EU cooperation. At the end of the meeting, Anthonie Bruijn reaffirmed his readiness to support the activities of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs in the region. The President of the National Assembly of Armenia invited his counterpart to pay an official visit to Armenia.
U.S. Ambassador to Armenia visits Spitak Medical Center
10:26, 8 September, 2021
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. On September 7, U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Lynne M. Tracy traveled to Lori to participate in a donation ceremony of a Digital Radiography and Fluoroscopy Machine to the Spitak Medical Center, the Embassy said in a statement.
The medical imaging device, worth $255,000, is one component of a medical equipment donation to the Ministry of Health valued at$770,000 to support the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in Armenia.
The U.S. European Command’s Humanitarian Assistance Program funded the donation.
“Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been working closely with the Government of Armenia to keep Armenians safe and healthy. The medical equipment provided by the U.S. European Command’s Humanitarian Assistance Program will improve the capacity of the Armenian healthcare system to diagnose and treat COVID-19 patients,” Ambassador Tracy said.
In addition to the donation ceremony, the Ambassador also held a meeting with Lori province governor Aram Khachatryan.
Arts expo in Moscow to honor Armenian Declaration of Independence anniversary
10:49, 8 September, 2021
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. An exhibition of paintings by Armenian artists will be opened in Moscow on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Armenian Declaration of Independence, the Armenian Embassy in Russia said.
The opening ceremony of the exhibition will take place on September 18 at the Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy center’s Armenia pavilion.
The exhibition will include the works of Vahagn Galstyan, Levon Abrahamyan, Andrey Shugarov, Suren Safaryan, Armine Tumanyan, Peto Poghosyan, Tigran Hakobyan, Arev Petrosyan, Aram Mashuryan, Tigran Asatryan, Armen Vahramyan, Artur Sharafyan, Ashot Tadevosyan, Karen Movsisyan, Lilit Soghomonyan, Ashot Khachatryan and Vardan Voskanyan.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
Armenian Defense Minister, Director General of South Caucasus Railway CJSC discuss cooperation prospects
Armenian Defense Minister, Director General of South Caucasus Railway CJSC discuss cooperation prospects
11:20, 8 September, 2021
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. Defense Minister of Armenia Arshak Karapetyan received on September 7 Director General of the South Caucasus Railway CJSC Alexei Melnikov, the defense ministry said.
At the meeting Alexei Melnikov presented the activity of the South Caucasus Railway in the field of cargo transportation, the situation of railway infrastructure and development prospects.
The Armenian defense minister highlighted the company’s strategic role in cargo transportation of both civil significance and for the needs of the Armed Forces.
The officials also discussed the company’s cooperation programs with the Armenian defense ministry, as well as a number of issues of bilateral interest.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
‘Establishment of railway communication with Russia and Iran highly important for us’, Armenian PM says
11:34, 8 September, 2021
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. During today’s Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan talked about the possibilities of deepening and normalizing the relations with bordering states.
Pashinyan stated that while he was recently introducing the government’s action plan to the Parliament, he has recorded that the deepening or normalization of the relations with bordering countries will be one of the key directions of the government’s foreign policy.
“And this has been recorded in the action plan which has been approved by the Parliament, and the implementation of this action plan has become a working agenda for us. As you know, after my reappointment as Prime Minister I have already managed to visit the Islamic Republic of Iran, and today I am departing for Georgia. The topic of development of regional communications plays a key role in the agenda of our discussions with both Iran and Georgia, and in this context I attach importance to the North-South project, which connects our border with Iran to our border with Georgia.
The establishment of a railway communication with Russia and Iran is highly important for us. In order to solve this issue we are discussing the re-opening of communications within the Armenia-Russia-Azerbaijan trilateral format. Here we are determined to make efforts to achieve concrete results, of course, understanding that in its turn Azerbaijan is expecting communication between its western regions and Nakhijevan. I would like to remind again that we are inclined to restore the peace process with Azerbaijan within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship”, the PM said.
He also highlighted the agenda of carrying out demarcation and delimitation with Azerbaijan. “And we continue working on creating necessary conditions for this. We hope to quickly end the process of returning our captives, hostages and other persons held [in Azerbaijan] to Armenia”, Pashinyan said.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
Former Chairman of Water Committee appointed Gegharkunik governor
11:48, 8 September, 2021
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. The government of Armenia adopted a decision today, appointing Karen Sargsyan as governor of Gegharkunik province.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan congratulated Mr. Sargsyan on appointment, wishing success.
Karen Sargsyan has previously served as the Chairman of the Water Committee.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan