Category: 2022

MOSCOW

Russian President Vladimir Putin had a phone conversation with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.

Putin and Pashinyan discussed the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) peace-keeping mission in Kazakhstan and the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement, a Kremlin statement said.

"Taking into account Armenia's chairmanship in the Collective Security Treaty Organization, an exchange of views was held on the progress of the CSTO peacekeeping operation in Kazakhstan. Effective coordinated actions of the peacekeeping contingent contributing to the normalization of the situation in the republic were noted.

"The current situation around Nagorno-Karabakh and some issues of implementation of the agreements recorded in the statements of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia, dated Nov. 9, 2020, Jan. 11, and Nov. 26, 2021, were discussed," it said.

On Jan. 2, protests broke out in Kazakhstan over a rise in liquefied petroleum gas prices (LPG) in the city of Zhanaozen in Mangystau, which later turned into clashes with the police, with the most violent developments in Kazakhstan's former capital Almaty.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev requested help from the CSTO allies and in a short period, peacekeepers from Russia, Belarus, Armenia, and Tajikistan arrived in the country and backed the Kazakh law enforcement in restoring order.

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.

Their most recent clashes were in September 2020, during which Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages that were occupied by Armenia for nearly three decades.

A Russia-brokered deal brought an end to 44 days of intense conflict in November 2020.

Armenia's Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan holds a press conference on Jan. 12

Warns of Growing Threat from Azerbaijan

Armenia’s Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan on Wednesday called a press conference to offer a rebuke to Armenia’s authorities saying their policies ignore the human rights of border residents, while Azerbaijan continues to advance its anti-Armenian policy of hatred.

Tatoyan warned that if Armenian officials do not have guarantees for the protection the its citizens’ rights, then the country may face larger problems as the post-war realities are forcing the authorities to make political decision at the expense of its citizens.

Using Azerbaijan’s latest provocation on Tuesday as example, Tatoyan said that the situation created in Armenia’s border regions as a result of Azerbaijan’s incursion into Armenia’s sovereign territory last May directly impacts the daily lives of those living the impacted communities.

He pointed out that such deprivation of rights was part of Azerbaijan’s ongoing anti-Armenian policy, which has developed and grown throughout decades.

Since the end of the war and more specifically after Azerbaijan’s breach of Armenia’s sovereign borders, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his government have made statements that highlight their intentions for “peace in the region,” but are not pragmatic given the realities on the ground. While politically the government emerges as pursuing the lofty goal of peace, practically there are far more complicated challenges that have emerged not only as a result of the November 9, 2020 agreement, but other concessions that the Pashinyan administration has made that have come to the fore more recently. This, coupled with the complex process of delimitation and demarcation of borders have created a climate where citizens’ rights are being sidestepped in favor of a positive spin from the government.

One such instance is Yerevan’s proposal that both Armenian and Azerbaijani troops withdraw from the border, or the line-of-contact, and until a settlement of borders, international forces monitor the situation.

Tatoyan called the continued advancement of this approach flat out “wrong” because it ignores fundamental human rights of citizens currently residing in the border areas.

Tatoyan, whose office has conducted numerous fact-finding missions in the region, said that the only guarantee for a semblance of human rights protection is the withdrawal of all Azerbaijani forces from the sovereign territory of Armenia.

“I want to emphasize that the main guarantee is the removal of Azerbaijani servicemen, which we must substantiate with human rights protection mechanisms,” said Tatoyan, who called out Armenia’s foreign ministry for continuing to advance the lopsided approach of calling for an all troop withdrawal approach. He said that Yerevan’s posturing was solely political and devoid of consideration for people’s rights.

He explained that some of the areas that are currently overrun by Azerbaijani forces directly encroaches on people’s property and prevents them from performing the most menial every-day functions.

“In many places, the entire line of contact passes through houses of our citizens, through the lands belonging to our citizens, people are unable to cultivate their lands, to engage in agriculture because the Azerbaijani armed forces are physically present on their lands,” Tatoyan pointed out.

“We have legal documents that prove property rights, so this approach does not take into account human rights,” said Tatoyan. “Well, let’s say we withdrew, then in what condition are the residents left in that scenario when there is no civilian settlement on the Azerbaijani side? Will the withdrawal of those troops restore the normal life of the people? How will it restore the people who have lost their lands and are unable to use them?”

Tatoyan argued that his proposal of Azerbaijani troop withdrawal, which has received wide acceptance by international organizations, including the OSCE, envision the creation of a demilitarized zone—a neutral zone—in the region, which will allow the residents of those areas to “breathe, to be able to live and to be safe.”

Meanwhile, Tatoyan proposed that after Azerbaijani forces leave, the matter can be decided through the process of delimitation and demarcation of the borders, which he said possibly will last 10 to 20 year.

“Why should our residents in Syunik and Gegharkunik have to suffer and be deprived for so long? Our people are not to blame, they are suffering every day,” Tatoyan said.

He said the military and political officials of Armenia should stop considering the issues related to border security and the protection of the rights of our citizens only from a military and political point of view.

The Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev on Wednesday vowed that his government will continue to thwart the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to address the Karabakh conflict, while the organizations chairman in office, using its traditional false parity, called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to refrain from the use of force.

The latest statement from the OSCE Chairman in Office was in response to Azerbaijan’s attack on Armenian positions in the Gegharkunik Province on Tuesday, as a result of which three Armenian soldiers were killed.

In remarks on Tuesday, Aliyev blamed Armenia for Tuesday’s border flare up and again threatened war against Armenia, vowing that Azerbaijan will “eliminate” any perceived threat immediately. He also claimed that six to eight Armenian soldiers were killed, countering Armenia’s official number, which was revised Wednesday to three soldiers who lost their lives in combat on Tuesday.

“This is not the first attempt of provocation by the Armenian side. Unfortunately, all the retaliatory steps taken by us in the past have not been a lesson for Armenia yet, and yesterday’s case was no exception,” said Aliyev with another overt threat of war against Armenia.

“Azerbaijan is closely monitoring the military build-up in Armenia, either by itself or through its allies,” said Aliyev, in a not so veiled reference to Russia.

“I have openly said that even if we see the slightest threat to our security, that danger will be eliminated immediately. Regardless of where it is, how deep it is located in the territory of Armenia. Everyone should understand that—first and foremost the leadership of Armenia,” said Aliyev.

The Azerbaijani leader vowed that Baku will continue to buy modern weapons to increase the army’s combat readiness. As a means of improving the army, Aliyev emphasized the need to create special units, which he claimed “did their best” during the 2020 44-day war in Karabakh.

Referring to the Karabakh issue, Aliyev insisted that Baku would continue to “thwart attempts by the OSCE Minsk Group to deal with it.”

“I do not know what the Minsk Group is doing. They are preparing for jubilee celebrations,” said the Aliyev, reminding that the mission was formed in 1992, thus marking its 30th anniversary.

“But all jokes aside, I think they [the Minsk Group] should formulate their own agenda,” Aliyev said. “I can say what they should not do: They should not deal with the Karabakh issue, because it has been resolved. We have solved it instead of them. “

Since the end of the 2020 war, Aliyev, on several occasions, has stated that the Karabakh conflict has been resolved through the war, calling on all parties involved to “look ahead.”

Yet the OSCE on Wednesday continued to maintain its insistence to call on both Armenia and Azerbaijan to refrain from the use of force, urging the two countries to “engage in meaningful dialogue to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.”

“We are closely monitoring the situation in the South Caucasus. We call on Armenia and Azerbaijan to refrain from the use of force and engage in a meaningful dialogue to settle the dispute around Nagorno Karabakh. Poland as OSCE Chair is committed to working with partners to renew and strengthen our efforts aimed at establishing lasting peace and promoting sustainable development in the region. We will support the effort of the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group in this regard,” the organization’s statement said.

Poland’s Foreign Minister, Zbigniew Rau, on behalf of the OSCE’s chairmanship, expressed “deep concern” about the violent attacks against Armenia on Tuesday.

He reiterated the statement of the OSCE Chairman-in-office.