Category: 2021

The possible unblocking of communications in the region is not related to the delimitation and demarcation of borders between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan said in an interview with TASS.

“We follow the Sochi statement of the leaders of the three countries, according to which we agreed to take steps to increase the level of stability and security on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and to lead the case towards the creation of a bilateral commission on the delimitation of the state border between Armenia and Azerbaijan with its subsequent demarcation with the advisory assistance of the Russian Federation. The issue is in no way interconnected with the possible opening of transport communications in the region,” he said.

The Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia also added that within the framework of the trilateral working group co-chaired by the Deputy Prime Ministers of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan on unblocking transport communications, an expert subgroup has been created, which is working on the issues of ensuring transportation in the event of opening the borders. “There has been no discussion of the final regulation of these issues,” he said.

According to the Deputy Prime Minister, Azerbaijan’s statement on the alleged “Zangezur Corridor” in the border Sinyuk region of Armenia was unexpected for the Armenian authorities, but Yerevan hopes that the work of the Deputy Prime Ministers of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia to unblock regional communications will continue within the framework of the fundamental principles that have already been agreed.

“The last statement of official Baku was unexpected for us. It was assumed that in the coming days we will continue the work [of the working group]. I hope that the situation will return to a constructive track, and we will continue to work within the framework of the fundamental principles that have already been agreed upon,” he said. he.

According to Grigoryan, “all the meetings of the working group have so far been held in the format of a constructive dialogue.” “We hoped that the work would continue within the framework of the basic principles that were fixed in the statements of the leaders of the three countries, and had already been agreed upon during the discussions at the platform of the working group of the deputy prime ministers,” he added.

As the Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia noted, within the framework of the working group, the parties “had a mutual understanding on the issues of restoring and unblocking the railway infrastructure.” “There was also an understanding that the sovereignty of the roads will be retained by those countries through whose territory they will pass, and these roads, in turn, will be under the jurisdiction of the country through which they pass. There were some nuances on other issues,” he stressed. he.

The last meeting of the trilateral working group of the vice-premiers of Armenia, Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation was held on December 1 in Moscow.

On Monday, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, speaking during a visit to the Quba region, demanded from Armenia to name a specific date for the opening of the “Zangezur Corridor”. Yerevan has repeatedly stated that the trilateral statements of the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia on the cessation of hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh and the opening of regional communications do not imply the provision of any corridors to Baku through the territory of Armenia.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that Aliyev’s statements contradict the agreements reached in trilateral format.

On Tuesday, the International Court of Justice, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, delivered its Orders on the Request for the indication of provisional measures made by the Republic of Armenia in the case concerning Application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination submitted by Armenia and Azerbaijan.

In its application for indication of urgent measures, Armenia provided evidence of Azerbaijan’s continuing policy of racially motivated killings and torture of Armenian prisoners of war and other detainees, as well as racial hatred towards Armenians and the destruction of Armenian cultural heritage.

The court found that within the framework of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, there is an immediate danger of irreversible damage to the rights of ethnic Armenians and obliged Azerbaijan to do the following:

• Protect from violence and bodily harm all persons captured in relation to the 2020 Conflict who remain in detention, and ensure their security and equality before the law;
• Take all necessary measures to prevent the incitement and promotion of racial hatred and discrimination, including by its officials and public institutions, targeted at persons of Armenian national or ethnic origin;
• Take all necessary measures to prevent and punish acts of vandalism and desecration affecting Armenian cultural heritage, including but not limited to churches and other places of worship, monuments, landmarks, cemeteries and artefacts.

The Foreign Ministry notes that during the oral hearing of the lawsuit filed by Armenia on the application of urgent measures, the Court referred to the official statement of the representative of Azerbaijan that the mannequins depicting Armenian soldiers were removed from the so-called “Trophy Park.”

The Ministry calls attention to the fact that the Court, in its decision, obliged Azerbaijan to take all necessary measures to prevent discrimination and incitement, “including by its officials and public institutions.”

“The Armenophobic rhetoric consistently espoused by the highest leadership of Azerbaijan, the inhumane treatment of Armenians under Azerbaijan’s control or jurisdiction, and the destruction and desecration of the Armenian cultural and religious heritage are insurmountable obstacles to the de-escalation of the situation and peaceful development of the region,” the Ministry stated.

It noted that the Court rulings on the indication of provisional measures recognize these realities and create legally binding obligations under international law to address them.

The Foreign Ministry said Armenia will pursue the implementation of the UN Court’s decisions by Azerbaijan and will inform the Court of any violations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

“The Court decision once again reaffirms the legitimacy of the Armenian side’s alarms during this period regarding prisoners of war and other detainees, endangered Armenian historical and cultural heritage in the territories of Artsakh under Azerbaijani control, and anti-Armenian rhetoric voiced by Azerbaijan,” the Foreign Ministry stated.

It calls the attention of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and other international partners to the decision of the UN International Court of Justice and urges them to continue their efforts to comprehensively address the identified issues.

President Armen Sarkissian has left for the State of Qatar for a working visit, the President’s Press Office reports.

Within the framework of the visit, President Sarkissian is scheduled to meet with the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

The meeting will focus on strengthening ties and developing relations between the two countries, including in the context of regional events.

At the Doha International Airport, the President of Armenia was welcomed by the Minister of State of Qatar Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Quwari and other officials.

Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr.’s (NJ-06) amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed the U.S. House of Representatives. The amendment would help advance human rights around the world by requiring the Department of Defense to review existing requirements for conducting human rights training of foreign national security forces participating in security cooperation programs like the Section 333 Building Partner Capacity Program. It also calls for a review to the current Department of Defense (DOD) data collection practices and procedures for accessing, monitoring, and evaluating human rights training programs. The amendment will ensure compliance with U.S. law that prohibits use of funds for assistance to foreign security forces that have committed gross human rights violations.

The NDAA also includes language from an amendment led by Congressman Adam Schiff (CA-28) that Congressman Pallone co-sponsored and calls for the immediate release of the prisoners of war, including civilians, who Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev continues to hold hostage as bargaining chips. This language further requires a report from DOD on the deadly 44-day war initiated by Azerbaijani and Turkish forces in the fall of 2020. The report will include an assessment of U.S. weapons systems or technology used in the conflict, a description of the involvement of foreign actors – which were heavily used by Azerbaijan – and any violations of the November 9, 2020 statement that ended most of the fighting.

“The United States has long stood as a beacon for the rights of every person, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, or nationality. We must continue to lead by example and ensure that American tax dollars do not contradict our values at home or abroad,” Pallone said. “My amendment sends a clear signal that the United States takes seriously its democratic norms and commitment to peace by ensuring oversight of our security assistance. 

“Azerbaijan continues to threaten Armenia’s safety and sovereignty, which makes these amendments especially urgent. The United States should not be aiding and abetting reckless, autocratic states with appalling human rights records for any reason. Because of our efforts, the Department of Defense is now required to undergo a thorough investigation that will bring attention to the gross human rights abuses committed by Azerbaijan during last year’s war and focus on their deadly actions in Armenian territory that are still taking place to this day. Data from this report will help us to finally bring an end to U.S. funding for the murderous Aliyev regime and instead urge strong support of fellow democracies like Armenia,” Pallone concluded.

The amendment is an important step in creating oversight for the Defense Department’s Section 333 Building Partner Capacity Program that has sent enormous sums of money to human rights abusing regimes and dictators, including that of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, which has numerous documented human rights violations. The Department has spent nearly $4 billion over the last four years on the program. Even though the State Department has singled out Azerbaijani border units for committing human rights violations, those forces received over $100 million in security assistance in fiscal years 2018 and 2019 through the program.

On December 8, units of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces opened fire from different caliber firearms in the direction of the rear support vehicle (water truck) of a military unit of the Armenian Ministry of Defense located in the eastern direction of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the Ministry of Defense reported.

No casualties were reported.

The Armenian Defense Ministry earlier refuted reports claiming that the Armenian forces had opened fire in the direction of Azerbaijani positions.