Category: 2022

ArmInfo.The trilateral statement of November 9, 2020, does not stipulate Armenians leaving Berdzor, writes military expert Karen Vrtanesyan. 

He recalls Point 6 of the statement, which reads: "The Republic of  Armenia shall return the Kelbajar region to the Republic of  Azerbaijan by November 15, 2020, and the Lachin region by December 1,  2020. The Lachin corridor (5 km wide), which will provide for  communication between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia and at the same  time will not affect the city of Shushi, shall remain under the  control of the peacekeeping troops of the Russian Federation. The  Parties have agreed that a plan for the construction of a new route  along the Lachin corridor shall be determined within the next three  years, providing communication between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia,  with the subsequent redeployment of Russian peacekeeping troops to  protect this route."

"The question here is only distancing the road from Shushi. It is a  question of a road bypassing Shushi rather than of vacation of  Berdzor or evacuation of Berdzor residents," Mr Vstanesyan wrote. 

Tigran Abrahamyan, a member of the opposition parliamentary faction,  points out that he has for a week been studying the motives behind  Azerbaijan's latest aggression. 

"That was a well-thought-out operation in political, military and  regional terms. Armenia's authorities urgently satisfied Azerbaijan's  political demands at this stage, and Azerbaijani troops are being  redeployed/moving toward Artsakh, tightening the ring round it and  increasing pressure. 

"In the current politico-military situation, Armenia's government is  incapable of any actions, even in case of a miraculous wish," Mr  Abrahamyan wrote. 

"Under the difficult conditions, it is only a change of power that  can open up opportunities. Otherwise, Azerbaijan is laying the legal  groundwork for its advance as far as Yerevan and it will proceed as  long as the situation permits," he writes. 

Azerbaijan has presented an ultimatum demanding resettlement of the  Berdzor, Sus and Aghavno residents until August 25, planning to close  the highway running along the Lachin corridor, while an alternative  highway has not yet been constructed. So Artsakh is facing complete  isolation. Azerbaijan's ultimatum is in conflict with Point 6 of the  trilateral statement Azerbaijan itself is referring to. The  international community is silent about that.  Earlier, Artsakh  Minister of Territorial Administration Hayk Khanumyan discussed  evacuation of the Aghavno, Sus and Berdzor residents with the  Kashatagh residents and local authorities. However, the local  residents will not leave. 

Berdzor Mayor Narek Aslanyan reported that the Aghavno, Sus and  Berdzor residents will receive housing certificates – AMD 8mln in  case of moving to Yerevan and AMD 10mln in case of moving to other  Armenian regions. Those wishing to purchase housing in Artsakh will  receive AMD 12mln. 

Under the circumstances, 56 residents of Aghavno applied to the OSCE  Minsk Group co-chairs for immediate and active interference and  mediation by France and the United States for the village to be  relocated in the new corridor zone (just 1,200 meters of the area) to  avert a humanitarian disaster, which could deprive them of their way  of life, homeland and even lives. 

"We are also demanding that the Armenian and Artsakh authorities take  immediate measures to make Aghavno part of the new, Kornidzor  corridor," the residents' message reads. 

ArmInfo. The Armenian leadership needs to significantly intensify existing contacts with Iran, bearing in mind the fact that the Baku regime is constantly trying to get  closer to the latter, primarily because of Aliyev's desire to  neutralize the challenges and threats emanating from Iran. Vardan  Voskanyan, Head of the Chair of Iranian Studies at YSU Faculty of  Oriental Studies expressed a similar opinion to ArmInfo.

"Against such a background, Armenia's inactivity cannot be justified  by anything, including the current crisis of state institutions in  our country. The reasons for the crisis are understandable, but it is  also clear that these reasons will sooner or later go away along with  the authorities that initiated them. In this light, it is very  important that its successors realize the need to restore and  strengthen the country," he said.

In this vein, returning to the policy of Azerbaijan, the Iranian  specialist noted the obviousness of its preparation for war, rather  than peace. According to his estimates, even today Aliyev is using  any opportunity for a war, the final goal of which is the  de-Armenization and absorption of Artsakh and the ripping off  territorial pieces from Armenia. And thjis implies the immediate  restoration of Armenia's security system. Meanwhile, it is precisely  the military-political relations with Iran that are part of it. A  clear confirmation of this is Tehran's repeated confirmations of the  territorial integrity of Armenia.  According to Voskanyan, all  programs, actions and steps of Armenia should be based on the state  of war in which the country is. From the fact that there is no end to  the pressures and creeping aggression of the neighboring dictatorial  state and will not be seen, at least until a worthy rebuff from the  Armenian side. It is necessary to start forging at least now, if this  has not been done a long time ago.

"We understand that Russia still occupies a dominant position in the  South Caucasus. Accordingly, the need to deepen Armenia's relations  with Iran dictates to our leadership to put aside the provincial  nimbleness and to form a trilateral platform for cooperation between  Armenia, Iran and the Russian Federation.  In other words, it is  Armenia that, in turn, can become a place for the deepening of  relations between the Russian Federation and Iran, taking into  account and trying to compare and harmonize the interests of Tehran  and Moscow, rather than trying to play on their contradictions," the Iranologist summed up.  

ArmInfo. The strengthening of control on the section of the Meghri-Agarak (M2) highway, along the state border of the Republic of Armenia and the Islamic Republic of  Iran, is associated with an increase in attempts to illegally import  hard drugs and psychotropic substances (hashish, methamphetamine,  heroin) from Iran to the Republic of Armenia.

This was stated at the request of ArmInfo by the press service of the Border Guards of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSS) in the Republic of Armenia,  referring to the reasons for strengthening control on the  Meghri-Agarak section of the highway, along the border with Iran. 

It should be noted that earlier, a number of Armenian media,  referring to  head of the enlarged Meghri community, Bagrat  Zakaryan, in order to cross the road from Meghri to Agarak, it is necessary to pass through checkpoints. He clarified that Russian  peacekeepers have formed about 5 modular checkpoints in Meghri,  where Russian border troops carry out border service. They were  established 8-9 months ago.  

The head of community specified that one of the checkpoints was  established on the Meghri-Agarak road, on the banks of the Araks, the  other one on the road leading to Agarak, another checkpoint was also  established on the road leading to Shvanidzor, two more checkpoints  were established on intercommunal roads leading to villages.  In this  regard, the Border Guards of the Russian FSS in RA reminded that they  carry out their activities to protect the state border of Armenia  with the Republic of Turkey and the Islamic Republic of Iran on the  basis of the interstate agreement "On the status of the border troops  of the Russian Federation deployed on the territory of the Republic  of Armenia, and the conditions for their functioning signed between  the two countries in 1992.  "Recently, a tense operational situation  has developed on the Armenian-Iranian section of the state border,  caused by an increase in attempts to illegally transfer heavy  narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances (hashish, methamphetamine,  heroin) from Iran to Armenia.  In addition, cases of violation of the  state border by representatives of extremist and terrorist  organizations are recorded. Thus, in 2021, the Russian Border Guards  arrested two militants in the territory of the border guard  detachment of Meghri – armed with weapons, grenades and a large  amount of ammunition, which came illegally from Iran.  

In order to ensure the security of the Republic of Armenia, in  accordance with the RA law "On the State Border", in agreement with  the Government, the National Security Service and other competent  bodies of Armenia, since the beginning of this year, a number of  equipped posts on duty of border guards have been established to  carry out selective (and in case of search and prosecution of  violators of the border – all without to carry out selective   verification actions related to persons and vehicles in order to  identify(and in the case of the search and prosecution of border  violators, all persons, without exception), prevent and suppress the  facts of smuggling, organization of illegal migration and other  offenses.  We ask citizens moving in the border zone to treat with  understanding the legitimate requirements of law enforcement  agencies," the Border Guards said. 

ArmInfo. As a result of the defeatist policy of the authorities, the losses of the Armenian side are only growing. An expert in Azerbaijani studies Tatevik  Hayrapetyan expressed a similar opinion to ArmInfo.

"Armenia's concessions only facilitate the diplomatic and military  victory of Azerbaijan. And today, through military actions, Baku is  trying to force Yerevan to conclude a peace treaty and thereby close  the issue of Artsakh once and for all. After that, the presence of  Russian peacekeepers in Artsakh will depend solely on Baku," she  stressed.  However, according to the expert, even having achieved  goals in Artsakh, Aliyev will continue to exert military pressure on  Armenia in order to achieve now goals in the Syunik direction. In the  opinion of Hayrapetyan, having achieved control over the Lachin  corridor, Azerbaijan will seek a similar corridor through Syunik. In  which Baku is fully supported by Ankara.

The same control over Berdzor and other Armenian-populated villages  of the corridor, Baku, according to its own statements, is trying to  achieve through anti-terrorist actions. However, in return, Yerevan  negotiates with Baku again and again, returning from there with the  worst results. And according to the expert, the responsibility for  all these failures lies precisely with the ruling team in Armenia.

"Meanwhile, the only way to curb Azerbaijani appetites is only  Armenia's readiness for war, for a large- scale armed confrontation  with Azerbaijan. And if Nikol Pashinyan hopes to appease Azerbaijan's  appetites in some other way, apparently driven by him alone, then he  is cruelly mistaken. There is only one way – to be constantly ready  for the possibility of a new Azerbaijani aggression. However, instead  of strengthening the army and increasing the military potential, in  the last two years, the leadership of Armenia continues to waste our  rather limited time. As a result, already today, Baku seeks to clear  the last scores with Artsakh, and then move on to Syunik,"  Hayrapetyan summarized. 

ArmInfo. The Armenian Embassy in Greece categorically refutes the information published in the Greek media that spyware installed on the phone of one of the leading  opposition parties in the country, leader of the socialists Nikos  Androulakis, was including at the request of the Armenian Special  Service.

"The information spread in the media is a shameless lie. Armenia has  never asked any government to tap anyone's phones,"  Armenian  Ambassador to Greece Tigran Mkrtchyan said, referring to the  publications that Armenia is involved in wiretapping of the telephone  conversations of chairman of the Greek PASOK party, Nikos  Androulakis.

"The Prime Minister of Greece also touched on this topic today. The  Republic of Armenia could not take such a step either from a legal or  moral point of view. That is, the claim itself is illiteracy. It is  clear that some forces are very concerned about the level of  Armenian-Greek relations and their further deepening," Mkrtchyan  wrote on his Facebook page.

Earlier, the Greek media disseminated information that the Greek  National Intelligence Service (EYP) tapped the phone of MEP Nikos  Androulakis for three months, until he was elected leader of the  Movement for Change party – PASOK (old name – KINAL). According to  the Ta Nea daily newspaper, the surveillance was carried out at the  request of two foreign intelligence agencies: Armenia and Ukraine,  using the Predator software.  Then, Androulakis filed a complaint  with the Supreme Court in connection with an attempt to spy on his  phone in 2021 using the Predator software. On August 5, 2022, EYP  chief Panagiotis Kontoleon resigned.  

"I would never have thought that the Greek government would be spying  against me. It is our democratic duty to protect the rights and  freedoms of the citizens of Greece. Today is the moment of truth for  those people who, driven by arrogance and a sense of impunity, seem  incapable of doing so," said the leader of the Greek opposition.  

A few hours after Androulakis's statement, the country's government  confirmed that spyware had indeed been installed on the socialist  leader's phone by the country's security services, without citing  Armenian or Ukrainian traces of the scandal.  Today, Greek Prime  Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, referring to this topic during his  televised address, said that he did not intend to resign because of  the scandal with wiretapping of the opposition politician Nikos  Androulakis. Mitsotakis said that, nevertheless, he intends to  propose a number of changes in the work of the special services.

ArmInfo. In an interview with the National Public Broadcasting Company of Ukrain, Armenian Ambassador to Kyiv Vladimir Karapetyan raised the issue of Armenian  prisoners of war held in Azerbaijan.

Vladimir Karapetyan noted that Azerbaijan claims that 38 Armenian  servicemen are in captivity, while the Armenian side believes that  there are another 26 servicemen also in captivity.  Vladimir  Karapetyan noted that Azerbaijan claims that there are 38 Armenian  servicemen in captivity, while the Armenian side is convinced that  the number of servicemen in captivity is 26 more than indicated.

The ambassador stressed that there was an agreement at the highest  level that the exchange of prisoners should be based on the  principle: "all for all." The Armenian side handed over all the  prisoners, even criminals convicted under completely different  articles, including murder.  According to the ambassador, the  Armenian side has relevant documentary evidence, video recordings, as  well as testimonies of prisoners who have already returned to  Armenia.  Karapetyan added that the Azerbaijani side released part of  the Armenian servicamen in exchange for maps of minefields.  "The  leadership of Armenia, as a manifestation of goodwill, handed over  maps of minefields that we had at our disposal since the 1990s, since  the first Karabakh war," the ambassador explained, "Armenpress"  reports.  The diplomat emphasized that the handed over maps  significantly reduced the number of people who died due to landmines.  

"Despite the fact that Azerbaijan publicly and repeatedly complained  about some inaccuracy of these maps, however, after their transfer,  the number of explosions significantly decreased, there were only one  or two accidents. Our maps are quite accurate, but the elapsed time  must also be taken into account," he concluded.  

It is worth noting that the exact number of prisoners of war and  civilians held in Azerbaijani captivity after the large-scale  military aggression of Azerbaijan against Artsakh in the fall of 2020  is still not known.  According to experts, there are several hundred  of them. Baku confirms that there are 38 prisoners of war.  Armenian  prisoners of war and civilians are subjected to inhuman treatment and  torture in captivity. Many of them have been sentenced to long-term  prison terms in fabricated criminal cases.