There are 348 beneficiary single mothers registered in Armenia who have children with disabilities under the age of 18.
On April 7, on the occasion of Motherhood and Beauty Day, by benefactor Mikayel Vardanyan, each single mother was provided 300 thousand AMD financial assistance. The total budget of the program amounted 104 million AMD.
Deputy Chairman of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) Armen Ashotyan has reflected on a statement issued by European Council President Charles Michel following the trilateral meeting with the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders, Nikol Pashinyan and Ilham Aliyev, in Brussels on Wednesday.
Ashotyan highlighted that the statement made no mention of the status of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) or its future and the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship.
“It does not condemn in any way the latest Azerbaijani encroachments. Instead, the foreign ministers are said to begin preparations for a peace treaty between the two countries. It was also agreed to set up a joint border commission by the end of April,” Ashotyan wrote on Facebook.
“The issue of Armenian prisoners of war is equated with the issue of missing persons (presumably from Azerbaijan in the first war). It expresses support to the “mirror withdrawal” of troops (we saw its dangerous consequences in Karaghlukh).
“Traces of blood are consistently erased from Aliyev, while Nikol is used as a washcloth in this matter. Nikol pleases everyone when it comes to the renunciation of Artsakh,” he said.
The Armenian government intends to purchase three Toyota RAV4 SUVs worth a total of 54 million drams (approx. $110,000) for the motorcade of National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan. The draft decision is put on the agenda of Thursday’s cabinet meeting, and the issue is not subject to discussion.
In substantiating the expense, the government says that the SUVs accompanying the official vehicle of the speaker “cannot ensure his safe travel due to their technical characteristics.”
In this regard, the parliament staff carried out a monitoring in the market and considered it expedient to buy three SUVs from Toyota Yerevan CJSC at a discount.
The government decided to allocate funds to buy Simonyan a high-class BMW worth nearly $185,000 last year.
There is “nothing positive” about the statement following the talks between Nikol Pashinyan and Ilham Aliyev hosted by European Council President Charles Michel in Brussels on Wednesday, according to MP Aram Vardevanyan from the opposition Hayastan bloc.
Moreover, he says the statement is “disturbing”, explaining that it makes no mention of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), Azerbaijan’s policy of ethnic cleaning against the Artsakh Armenians and the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship.
Speaking at a briefing in the parliament on Thursday, Vardevanyan also deplored the agreement to set up a joint border commission by the end of April to delimit the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan amid Azerbaijan’s continued military attacks and efforts to ethnically cleanse Artsakh.
“Don’t the current authorities remember that we again suffered casualties a few days ago? How is the border delimitation and demarcation process supposed to be carried out in the current situation?” he said.
Vardevanyan says efforts are being made to frighten Armenian society into thinking that the alternative to the “disgraceful” situation is war, adding it is not true.
“The likelihood of war does not mean that we have to humiliate ourselves all the way,” the oppositionist stressed.
ArmInfo.The solution to the problem of Artsakh in the current geopolitical realities seems to be in the implementation of the principle of international law – remedial secession – secession for the sake of salvation. Leader of the party Aram Sargsyan expressed a similar opinion to ArmInfo.
“I think that the time has come to take the initiative in the Artsakh issue. The leadership of Armenia, by all its actions and behavior, clearly demonstrated to the international community its own unwillingness to seize any territories through military force. This was a direct message to the international community, which, according to my information, was properly appreciated,” he said.
According to politican, Yerevan’s second step in this direction is the need for Armenia to recognize the independence of Kosovo. According to him, nothing prevents Armenia from taking this step today, there are simply no obstacles on this path. In this light, Sargsyan recalled that Kosovo was recognized by the international community precisely within the framework of the “secession for the sake of salvation” principle. Otherwise, the Kosovo Albanians would simply be forcibly deported. And by recognizing the independence of Kosovo today, Armenia, in his opinion, will clearly demonstrate the existence of clear parallels between the inhabitants of Kosovo and the inhabitants of Artsakh, as well as between their problems.
Sargsyan describes all the recent actions of the Aliyev regime against the people of Artsakh, in Parukh, Karaglukh, the explosion of the gas pipeline, etc., as manifestations of ethnic cleansing, with a clear intention to forcibly evict the people of Artsakh from their own homes.
In this light, he drew parallels with the once-Armenian Nakhichevan, whose population had been subjected to similar oppression for decades. As a result, Nakhijevan became part of Azerbaijan after not a single Armenian remained there.
In the opinion of the politician, one should not rely on the solution of the Artsakh problem and in ensuring the security of the people of Artsakh on Russian peacekeepers as well. According to his forecasts, the Russian military will not stay in Artsakh forever and will leave sooner or later, despite all the calls and entreaties of the pro-Russian parties in Armenia and Artsakh. After that, Artsakh will have no choice but to share the fate of Nakhijevan.
“That is why it is necessary to act here and now, within the framework of international law. And I do not think at all that the issue of the status of Artsakh was discussed in Brussels on April 6. Discussion of this issue is the prerogative of the OSCE Minsk Group, which US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made clear to Nikol Pashinyan and Aliyev on April 5 by phone,” Sargsyan summed up.
Following the talks between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and European Council President Charles Michel in Brussels on April 6, an agreement was reached to establish a bilateral commission on the delimitation of the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan by the end of April. The trilateral talks in Brussels were preceded by separate meetings between the head of the European Council and the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan. An agreement on the establishment of the commission was reached in Brussels in accordance with the statement adopted on November 26, 2021 in Sochi. The commission will also deal with issues of ensuring security and stability along the entire perimeter of the border. The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan instructed the foreign ministers to begin work on preparing peace talks.
ArmInfo.The Armenian side did not discuss in detail the situation in Parukh in Brussels, for the reason that the issue is in the field of responsibility of the Russian peacekeepers. This was stated by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on April 7 at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers, referring to the results of yesterday’s meeting with the Azerbaijani President in Brussels.
As the press service of the RA PM reports, before discussing the agenda, the Prime Minister summed up the results of the trilateral meeting between him, the President of the European Council and the President of Azerbaijan, which took place on April 6 in Brussels. In his speech, Nikol Pashinyan particularly said, “You are aware that under the mediation of the President of the European Council Charles Michel, the meeting between me and the President of Azerbaijan took place in Brussels yesterday until late night through. Based on the results of the meeting, decisions were made over two issues. First, the foreign ministers of the two countries have been instructed to begin preparations for the future peace treaty, to hold talks and establish contacts in this direction. What does this mean? This means that the principles and issues presented by Armenia and Azerbaijan on the peace treaty should be summed up and be addressed based on the results of the negotiations. In my speech at the previous Cabinet meeting, I raised our considerations in this regard. You are aware that in response to Azerbaijan’s proposals, we have emphasized that there is nothing unacceptable for us, but they do not generalize all the issues on the peace agenda, and the security guarantees of the people of Nagorno Karabakh, the protection of their rights and freedoms, as well as the clarification of the final status of Nagorno Karabakh are of fundamental importance for us. These issues are included in our response to the peace agenda and they should become subject of negotiations. Of course, as before, we consider the involvement of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs essential in this process, and we must continue to work in that direction. Naturally, there was a discussion about the deterioration of the security environment in Nagorno Karabakh, particularly the events in Parukh, but those discussions did not lead to a joint assessment of the situation. I must also say that I did not consider the further discussion of this particular topic appropriate in the Brussels platform, because, nevertheless, it is about the intrusion of Azerbaijani units into the responsibility zone of the Russian peacekeeping mission in Nagorno Karabakh, and we should discuss this issue with the participation of our partners of the Russian Federation, which we do and will continue to do. I have published our position on this issue. Accordingly, we expect that the peacekeepers of the Russian Federation in Nagorno Karabakh will take measures to ensure the withdrawal of Azerbaijani units from the zone of their responsibility. We also consider it important to conduct an investigation into the activities of the Russian peacekeeping forces, the adequacy of their actions, and possible inaction during the course of the developments, about which I spoke during my telephone conversations with the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. Returning to the Brussels meeting, let me inform you that the next decision that was made was about setting up a bilateral commission on delimitation of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border by the end of April. That commission will have a double mandate. The first is delimitation. Second, ensuring security and stability along the border. Discussions on this issue, you remember, including through the mediation of the Russian Federation, have been going on for about a year, and finally we came to such a compromise decision. You know that there are territories of the Republic of Armenia that are under the control of Azerbaijan, there are territories of Azerbaijan that are under the control of Armenia, these issues must be resolved through negotiations, of course, on the basis of de jure substantiated records and legally grounded facts.
The Russian Federation has expressed readiness to support the delimitation and demarcation work. The European Union is also ready to support, we must move in this direction. You know that our position is that there is a de jure border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and that is the border that existed in Soviet times. With this consideration, it’s necessary to start the delimitation works and try to reach solutions, taking parallel measures to ensure security and stability,” Pashinyan said.
ArmInfo.On April 7, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Armenia signed an agreement to support five new programs with five Armenian organizations, including regional ones.
According to the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Armenia, the programs for the protection of women’s rights, women’s empowerment and gender equality in Armenia are aimed at protecting the labor rights of women, the rights of Yezidi women, preventing violence against women, researching issues of generational change of values and gender equality.
“Women’s rights, gender equality and women’s leadership are very important values for the Netherlands, which we promote and fight for in our country and around the world. Today we are launching new programs and partnerships aimed at creating a better environment and equality for women “, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Armenia Nicholas Schermers said.
The new programs will be implemented by Alvan Tsaghik social-educational NGO, the author of the Safe YOU mobile application, created to protect women from violence, the Impact Institute of Innovations, the Yezidi Center for Human Rights NGO, the Parents for Equality organization. It is noted that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Republic of Armenia. The Netherlands and Armenia have been developing stable and effective, mutually beneficial cooperation for 30 years. –
Thursday, April 7, 2022
Armenia Sends Ambassador Back To Israel
April 07, 2022
Israel - Israeli President Isaac Herzog (right) meets with new Armenian
Ambassador Arman Hakobian, April 7, 2022.
Armenia has sent its ambassador back to Israel in an apparent effort to mend
bilateral relations that soured during the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Ambassador Arman Hakobian handed his credentials to Israeli President Isaac
Herzog on Thursday 18 months after his predecessor, Armen Smbatian, was recalled
by the Armenian government in protest against continuing Israeli arms supplies
to Azerbaijan.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry said at the time that the Jewish state did not
halt those deliveries even after Azerbaijan launched a full-scale offensive in
and around Karabakh on September 27, 2020.
Smbatian was recalled to Yerevan in October 1, 2020 just two weeks after
inaugurating the Armenian Embassy in Tel Aviv. The envoy was subsequently sacked
by the Armenian government after being indicted in a corruption investigation.
Hakobian was appointed as Armenia’s new ambassador to Israel in December 2021
one month after a phone call between Foreign Minister Mirzoyan and his Israeli
counterpart Yair Lapid. The two ministers discussed Armenian-Israeli relations
and “prospects for their promotion,” according to the Foreign Ministry in
Yerevan.
Reports from Israel said that during the Armenian-Azerbaijani war Azerbaijani
transport planes frequently carried out flights between Baku and Israeli
airfields. Observers suggested that they delivered more weapons to Azerbaijan.
According to the Armenian military, Azerbaijani forces heavily used Israeli-made
attack drones and multiple-launch rocket systems throughout the six-week
hostilities stopped by a Russian-brokered ceasefire in November 2020.
In an October 2020 report, Human Rights Watch said that the Azerbaijani army
used Israeli cluster munitions in the shelling of Karabakh’s civilian areas. The
U.S. watchdog said its researchers identified the remnants of these widely
banned weapons in the Karabakh capital Stepanakert and the town of Hadrut.
“Azerbaijan received these surface-to-surface rockets and launchers from Israel
in 2008–2009,” added the report.
Yerevan, Baku Still Disagree On Transport Links
April 07, 2022
• Sargis Harutyunyan
Armenia - A disused railway leading to Azerbaijan's Nakhichevan region.
Armenia and Azerbaijan continue to disagree on practical modalities of restoring
their transport links, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said on Thursday.
The issue was on the agenda of his latest talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev that was hosted by European Council President Charles Michel in Brussels
on Wednesday.
“One of the topics of discussion was the issue of opening regional communication
lines, on which we recorded some differences and agreed to continue working to
find solutions,” Pashinian told his minister during a weekly cabinet meeting in
Yerevan. He did not go into details.
Aliyev and Pashinian agreed to restore Armenian-Azerbaijani rail links during
their previous trilateral meeting with Michel held in December. But they failed
to patch up their differences on the status of a highway that would also connect
Azerbaijan to its Nakhichevan exclave via Armenia’s southeastern Syunik province.
Aliyev said at the time that people and cargo passing through that “Zangezur
corridor” must be exempt from Armenian border controls. Pashinian rejected the
demand.
“President Michel welcomed the steps towards the restoration of railway lines,
while encouraging Armenia and Azerbaijan to also find effective solutions for
the restoration of road links,” the European Union said in a statement on the
latest Armenian-Azerbaijani summit.
“The EU is ready to support the development of connectivity links, including in
line with its Economic and Investment Plan and by utilizing the proposed
economic advisory forum to identify common projects,” added the statement. It
did not elaborate on that forum.
The Armenian government set up in January a task force coordinating construction
of the 45-kilometer railway that will connect Nakhichevan to the rest of
Azerbaijan.
The government said afterwards that it needs to sign a legally binding agreement
with Baku before it can start building the railway estimated to cost about $200
million. Pashinian explained that Yerevan is seeking formal guarantees that it
will be able to use Azerbaijani territory for cargo shipments to Russia and Iran.
Armenian Opposition Alarmed By Pashinian’s Agreements With Aliyev
April 07, 2022
• Naira Nalbandian
Armenia - The opposition Hayastan and Pativ Unem alliances hold a rally in
Liberty Square, Yerevan, April 5, 2022.
Representatives of the opposition minority in Armenia’s parliament expressed
concern on Thursday over the outcome of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s latest
talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, saying that it may herald
far-reaching Armenian concessions to Baku.
Meeting in Brussels late on Wednesday, Aliyev and Pashinian agreed to start
preparing for an Armenian-Azerbaijani “peace treaty” and to set up a bilateral
commission tasked with demarcating the border between their countries.
European Council President Charles Michel described the four-hour talks hosted
by him as “productive,” saying that they yielded “concrete and tangible results.”
Lawmakers representing Armenia’s two main opposition alliances pointed out that
Michel made no mention of Nagorno-Karabakh, let alone an agreement on its status
or the Karabakh Armenians’ right to self-determination. They portrayed this as a
further sign that Pashinian is ready to help Azerbaijan regain control over the
disputed territory.
“Why are these authorities carrying on with that behavior? For the sake of
what?” said Aram Vartevanian of the Hayastan alliance.
Vartevanian stood by opposition allegations that Pashinian is preparing the
ground for further concessions to Baku by scaring Armenians with the prospect of
another war with Azerbaijan.
“War is not the only alternative to this disgraceful situation,” he said. “Just
because there is a possibility of war doesn’t mean that you must act meekly and
cowardly. That’s not how things work.”
Hayastan and the other opposition bloc, Pativ Unem, rallied thousands of
supporters in Yerevan on Tuesday to warn Pashinian against recognizing
Azerbaijani sovereignty over Karabakh.
Belgium - Charles Michel, Nikol Pashinian and Ilham Aliyev begin a trilateral
meeting in Brussels, April 6, 2022.
Pashinian confirmed on Thursday that he and Aliyev agreed to instruct their
foreign ministers to prepare for official negotiations on the peace treaty. He
reiterated that Baku’s proposals on the treaty, including mutual recognition of
each other’s territorial integrity, are acceptable to Yerevan but must be
complemented with other “issues of the peace agenda,” including Karabakh’s
future status and “security guarantees for the people of Karabakh.”
“These issues are included in our responses regarding the peace agenda and must
become a subject of negotiations,” he said during a weekly cabinet meeting in
Yerevan.
Pashinian also said the OSCE Minsk Group co-headed by the United States, Russia
and France should continue to mediate Armenian-Azerbaijani talks. “We need to
continue working in that direction,” he said.
Michel did not mention the Minsk Group either in his comments on the Brussels
talks and planned negotiations on the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace deal.
Meanwhile, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry described the Armenian-Azerbaijani
summit as an “important step for regional security.” It said Aliyev’s
understandings with Pashinian fully correspond to Azerbaijan’s interests.
Armenia, Azerbaijan Make Progress Towards Peace Deal
April 07, 2022
Belgium - European Council President Charles Michel, Armenian Prime Minister
Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev begin a trilateral
meeting in Brussels, April 6, 2022.
The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to start drafting a bilateral
“peace treaty” and set up a joint commission on demarcating the
Armenian-Azerbaijani border during fresh talks in Brussels hosted by European
Council President Charles Michel.
“We have decided all together to launch a concrete process, to prepare a
possible peace treaty and to address all necessary elements for such a treaty,”
Michel told reporters on Wednesday night after his trilateral meeting with
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
that lasted for more than four hours.
“I am confident that tonight we took an important step in the right direction,”
he said. “It doesn’t mean everything is solved. But it means that we made
progress.”
In a written statement issued shortly afterwards, Michel said Aliyev and
Pashinian pledged to “move rapidly” towards the comprehensive treaty meant to
resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. They will instruct their foreign
ministers to “work on the preparation” of such a deal, added the head of the
European Union’s main decision-making body.
The Armenian government’s press office confirmed these instructions in a
statement on the late-night talks.
Baku wants the peace deal to be based on five elements, including a mutual
recognition of each other’s territorial integrity. Pashinian has publicly stated
that they are acceptable to Yerevan in principle, fuelling Armenian opposition
claims that he is ready to recognize Azerbaijani sovereignty over Karabakh.
Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said last week that Yerevan will also raise the
issue of Karabakh’s status with the Azerbaijani side. The Armenian government
statement on the Brussels talks made no mention of the issue.
Michel said after the talks that the two sides now have a better understanding
of possible parameters of the deal. But he did not elaborate.
The top EU official also announced that Aliyev and Pashinian agreed to “convene
a Joint Border Commission by the end of April.” “The mandate of the Joint Border
Commission will be to delimit the bilateral border between Armenia and
Azerbaijan and ensure a stable security situation along and in the vicinity of
the borderline,” he said.
The Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders already agreed to set up such a commission
during their November 2021 talks in Sochi hosted by Russian President Vladimir
Putin. It was expected that Russian officials will actively participate in the
commission’s work.
It was not immediately clear whether Yerevan and Baku decided to exclude any
Russian involvement in the border demarcation.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2022 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
On April 6, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan held a meeting in Brussels, hosted by President of the European Council Charles Michel.
The meeting was held for a continuation of their discussions on the situation in the South Caucasus region and the development of EU relations with both countries. The leaders assessed the developments since their last meeting in Brussels in December 2021 and their videoconference, together with French President Macron, in February 2022.
During the meeting, it was agreed to instruct the foreign ministers of their respective countries to work on the preparation of a future peace treaty, which would address all necessary issues.
At the same time, it was also agreed to convene a Joint Border Commission by the end of April. The mandate of the Joint Border Commission will be to: delimit the bilateral border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and ensure a stable security situation along, and in the vicinity of, the borderline.
Richard Hoagland, the former co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group from the US, noted that clear leadership from President Ilham Aliyev is moving the region towards peace and a better future.
“Undoing decades of conflict is no easy matter – strong feelings continue to simmer on both sides. However, calm and clear leadership from both President Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan is setting the tone for the two nations to follow toward a safer and, ultimately, more prosperous future. Both sides have a long and difficult road ahead,” he said.
In turn, Former US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Robert Cekuta told Trend that the meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders is an important and hopeful step, especially coming so soon after their last meeting with European Council President Michel December 14. This uptick in western European efforts to help Azerbaijanis and Armenians move towards peace is quite encouraging.
“In terms of what was announced coming out of the meeting – the leaders taking stock of developments since their December meeting and also their February meeting with President Macron, their discussion of the recent tensions and unfortunate incidents, the need to abide by the provisions of the November 2020 ceasefire agreement, the importance of both sides working to resolve humanitarian issues, work on de-mining, instructing the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan to work on preparing a peace treaty, and convening a Joint Border Commission by the end of April — all of these are important, needed, positive steps,” Cekuta noted.
Again, he said, overcoming the more than three decades of conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan is not going to be easy.
“It is going to take time, determination, perseverance, and hard work to build the understanding and the level of trust necessary for peace. But it is good, very good to see President Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan undertaking this difficult work,” Cekuta added.
However, he said, it is also important for everyone to recognize this process is likely going to take time, and that there will probably be what seem like setbacks and disappointments.
“This is the nature of any negotiations. Again, this is welcome and I would say overdue development. At the end of the day, no outside party can impose a peace; an effective, lasting peace agreement needs to be developed and entered into force by Azerbaijan and Armenia,” he noted.
Cekuta pointed out that outside actors can help move that process forward and help develop the confidence and conditions essential for progress towards a peace agreement.
ANKARA
In a phone call, the presidents of Turkiye and Azerbaijan discussed the outcome of a recent meeting in Brussels between the Azerbaijani president, Armenian premier, and EU Council head.
Turkiye’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev spoke about the issues discussed at the three-way meeting, in which Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, along with European Council President Charles Michel, reached an agreement.
The two leaders also evaluated future steps to protect Azerbaijan’s interests and establish lasting peace in the region.
Last December, around a year after the Azerbaijan and Armenia ended a 44-day war over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, Michel met separately with both leaders and then hosted them together at a dinner in Brussels.
Relations between the two former Soviet countries 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.
New clashes erupted in September 2020, and the 44-day conflict saw Azerbaijan liberate several cities and over 300 settlements and villages that were occupied by Armenia for almost 30 years.
A tripartite agreement was brokered by Russia to bring an end to the war in November 2020.