Category: 2022

 11:44, 31 March, 2022

YEREVAN, MARCH 31, ARMENPRESS. In its public and diplomatic responses Armenia has recorded that there is the Nagorno Karabakh issue and the issue of the rights of Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh must be addressed in the context of the Armenia-Azerbaijan comprehensive settlement, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting today.

“Azerbaijan’s position is that there is no Nagorno Karabakh conflict, it is already solved. However, this position of Azerbaijan is not giving an answer to an important question: how in this case the issue of the rights of Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh has been solved? The answer of this question doesn’t exist, and this is the reason that the international community is constantly talking about the necessity for the comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, which we see in different international platforms. Understanding that the Nagorno Karabakh issue exists and will be further expressed in the international agenda, Azerbaijan is trying not to solve this issue, but to close it, and this operation started from Parukh village in Askeran region which has an obvious tendency to continue. In fact, Azerbaijan is trying to displace all Armenians from Nagorno Karabakh, thus, for considering the issue closed”, the PM said.

He said if the Armenian side is wrong, then let Azerbaijan show concrete interest to the discussions relating to the rights and security guarantees of Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh.

“A matter that is pushed forward not only by Armenia, but also the entire international community.

Whereas official Baku is moving on an opposite direction, claiming that there is no Nagorno Karabakh. This is also the reason that the official circles of Azerbaijan quite aggressively react to the cases when the international community is using the name Nagorno Karabakh. However, the use of this name is definitely and undoubtedly legitimate”, he said, stating that the November 9 trilateral statement clearly mentions the terms Nagorno Karabakh, the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. “This statement has also been signed by the President of Azerbaijan”, he noted.

Pashinyan said Azerbaijan has adopted and is implementing a policy of “Nagorno Karabakh without Armenians”. It is also explained by arbitrary interpretations of the November 9 trilateral statement.

“Such are, for example, Azerbaijan’s constant claims that the November 9 trilateral statement recorded an obligation to withdraw Armenian units from Nagorno Karabakh. This is more than an arbitrary interpretation because the November 9 statement clearly states where the Armenian units should leave and where they should stay. I want to note that the statements made by the Azerbaijani President earlier show that this provision put forward by Azerbaijan is imaginary. During our trilateral meeting on November 26, 2021, mediated by the Russian President, the President of Azerbaijan has publicly announced that all provisions of the 2020 November 9 trilateral statement are implemented in practice, except the point relating to the unblocking of communications. I want to state that it’s obvious that the provision on returning prisoners of war, hostages and other persons held is also not implemented completely yet. The works on this issue continue”, Nikol Pashinyan said.

 11:48, 31 March, 2022

YEREVAN, MARCH 31, ARMENPRESS. Armenia expects that the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno Karabakh will take concrete steps to withdraw the Azerbaijani troops from the area of responsibility of the peacekeepers and to restore the status quo recorded in the 2020 November 9 trilateral statement, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting.

Pashinyan added that the crisis in Parukh was caused as a result of violations of the agreements.

He said that with the purpose of de-escalating the situation in the region, an agreement had been reached to reciprocally withdraw a number of positions from the Parukh-Khramort section and the Russian peacekeeping contingent had to guarantee this agreement. Several Armenian positions were withdrawn, Russian peacekeepers were deployed into the area, however the Azerbaijanis invaded into the Russian peacekeepers’ area of responsibility right before the eyes of the peacekeepers.

“We regret to record this, and the fact that despite clear statements made by the Russian Defense Ministry, the USA, France and the UN, the Azerbaijani military invasion into the area of responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno Karabakh still continues as of today. We expect that the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno Karabakh will take concrete steps to withdraw the Azerbaijani troops from the area of responsibility of the peacekeepers and to restore the status quo recorded in the 2020 November 9 trilateral statement.

We also expect that the actions or possible inactions of the Russian peacekeepers during and after the invasion will be subject of a proper investigation. Let’s not forget that before these events the Azerbaijani military was firing mortars for 10 consecutive days at the village of Khramort. In some villages of Nagorno Karabakh the Azerbaijani troops were opening small arms fire and still continue firing at residential homes and farming tractors, with farmers inside. Such cases happened in Nor Shen, Amaras and Taghavard villages, while on October 9 of 2021 a farmer was shot dead by Azerbaijani sniper fire at the presence of Russian peacekeepers in Martakert while working in the agricultural fields,” Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan warned that the obvious goal of such actions by Azerbaijan is to complete ethnic cleansing of the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh.

 11:51, 31 March, 2022

YEREVAN, MARCH 31, ARMENPRESS. Member of Italian Chamber of Deputies Alvise Maniero commented on the current humanitarian problems in Artsakh caused by the actions of Azerbaijan.

In a statement on social media, the Italian lawmaker said the people of Artsakh have been left without heating for days because of the disruption of the gas supply by Azerbaijan.

“We condemn the systematic violations of human rights, the military aggression and the destruction of the cultural heritage of Armenians living in Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh).

While international attention is focused on the conflict in Ukraine, the hostility has been resumed in Artsakh. And while in Italy and Europe we are concerned about the gas supplies, Azerbaijanis blew up the pipeline supplying gas to Artsakh, leaving the local people in cold, without hot water and without a chance of cooking a hot meal, under -8 temperature. Let’s not forget about the many ongoing conflicts”, he said.

 11:51, 31 March, 2022

YEREVAN, MARCH 31, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan is distorting clause 9 of the 2020 November 9 trilateral statement which is about the restoration of all transport and economic connections in the region and the opening of the road linking Azerbaijan’s western regions with Nakhijevan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting.

“You know that Armenia presented comprehensive proposals on this matter. Without going into details, the essence of our proposal is the following: rebuild the Yeraskh-Julfa-Ordubad-Meghri-Horadiz railway, reopen or build a road, which will also link Azerbaijan’s western regions with Nakhijevan, by conducting border, customs and other control at border checkpoints,” Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan noted that Azerbaijan is both accepting and not accepting this proposal, manifested when Baku says they agree to any legal regime for the launch of that road but the same regime must be applied in the Lachin corridor and they cite the November 9 state as a substantiation for this.

“This narrative is unfounded for two reasons: First of all, the November 9 statement doesn’t mention anything about any territory of the Republic of Armenia and any corridor relating to it, but it does contain the Lachin corridor term. The Lachin corridor is not, or isn’t simply a road, it is rather a territory of 5 kilometers width. According to the trilateral statement that entire territory is under the Russian peacekeeping control. Clause 9 of the trilateral statement simply doesn’t contain anything about any other country’s control on any territory of Armenia. And then, parallels between Nagorno Karabakh and Nakhijevan are strange for several reasons. First of all, Nakhijevan has land connection with Azerbaijan through Iran and Turkey. And it has air connection through the airspaces of Iran, Turkey and Armenia.

Nagorno Karabakh only has land connection with Armenia, only through the Lachin corridor, and making the Lachin corridor a territory in any way controlled by Azerbaijan would mean one thing – the exodus of Armenians from Nagorno Karabakh,” Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan said the comparisons of the Lachin corridor with the road in question through Armenian territory is unacceptable, and that the November 9 statement doesn’t envisage any corridor through the territory of Armenia and that Armenia has not accepted and will not accept any corridor logic.

 12:01, 31 March, 2022

YEREVAN, MARCH 31, ARMENPRESS. Within its proposals Armenia is ready to open with Azerbaijan the road and railway, but considers it necessary to sign an agreement of de jure significance with Azerbaijan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting today.

“Why? Because we see a very concrete risk when Armenia builds both the road and the railway, and Azerbaijan refuses to open the border. And it will turn out that neither Armenia, nor Azerbaijan and third countries will be able to use the infrastructure that required several hundred million dollars of investment, and Armenia will just lose several hundred million dollars. What we are proposing today. We propose to record de jure the agreements reached in Brussels on December 14, 2021, relating to the re-launch of the railway, to agree over the parameters of the railway and start the construction. Or do this with a package, including also the road, and we are ready to do this from the moment when Azerbaijan gives a positive response to our proposals”, the PM said.

He informed that they have also conveyed these proposals to a number of international partners, for whom these proposals are logical, acceptable and address the interests of all countries in the region.

 12:06, 31 March, 2022

YEREVAN, MARCH 31, ARMENPRESS. Armenia is proposing concrete and reasonable solutions for demarcation and delimitation, opening of regional connections and ruling out military escalation in Nagorno Karabakh, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting.

Pashinyan reiterated that there are no grounds or substantiations for Azerbaijan to accuse Armenia in rejecting or breaching any agreement.

“I once again express the readiness of the Republic of Armenia to sign a peace treaty with Azerbaijan. Armenia is ready to immediately launch peace talks. My meeting with the President of the European Council Charles Michel and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev is scheduled for April 6 in Brussels. And I hope to discuss and agree at that meeting with the President of Azerbaijan all issues relating to the launch of peace talks,” Pashinyan said.

 12:11, 31 March, 2022

YEREVAN, MARCH 31, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan tries to keep the tension on the border and the opportunity of resuming the military operations also during the demarcation process, to present territorial claims against Armenia and resort to military provocations if those demands are not met – this is an unacceptable approach, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said during the Cabinet meeting.

He said Azerbaijan is using the Armenia-Azerbaijan border demarcation and delimitation issue for forming a speech justifying escalation.

“Based on the results of the trilateral meeting held in Sochi on November 26, 2021, the President of Russia, the Azerbaijani President and the Prime Minister of Armenia adopted a statement which says that they agreed: “to take actions to raise the level of stability and security on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and push forward the process to the creation of a bilateral commission dealing with the delimitation and then the demarcation of the state border between Armenia and Azerbaijan”.

I don’t think that this statement could be misinterpreted, and it’s obvious that the creation of the commission on demarcation and delimitation issues must be preceded by steps aimed at raising the level of stability and security on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border”, the Armenian PM said.

Pashinyan said Azerbaijan hasn’t made any proposal over these steps, whereas Armenia made a proposal over withdrawal of troops in mirrored fashion from the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and giving the protection of that border to a limited number of border troops, as well as conducting an international monitoring of the border.

“Azerbaijan hasn’t given an official response to this proposal yet, according to the information received by the third countries, our proposal is not acceptable for Azerbaijan”, Pashinyan said. He added that Armenia has been and will be maximally flexible on this matter and has also proposed several formulas for withdrawal.

“Azerbaijan either does not accept or does not respond to these proposals. What does it mean? In fact it means that Azerbaijan is trying to keep the tension in the border and the opportunity of resuming military operations also during the demarcation process, in order to present territorial claims against Armenia and if these demands are not met, to resort to military provocations. This is an unacceptable approach”, the Armenian PM added.

He said it is necessary to launch an international monitoring mechanism of border situation.

“We proposed several such options also to Azerbaijan, and any of these options, that Azerbaijan accepts, will be acceptable for us”, he said.

Armenian President receives Chargé d’Affaires of Embassy of Iraq

 12:21, 31 March, 2022

YEREVAN, MARCH 31, ARMENPRESS. President of the Republic Vahagn Khachaturyan received Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in Armenia Suhailan M. Khaleel Al-Joubouri, the Presidential Office reports.

Chargé d’Affaires Suhailan M. Khaleel Al-Joubouri congratulated Vahagn Khachaturyan on assuming office and wished him fruitful work.

President Khachaturyan attached importance to developing economic relations with Iraq and activating interaction in various fields.

They highly appreciated the role of the Armenian community in Iraq in the development and expansion of relations between the two countries.

 12:24, 31 March, 2022

YEREVAN, MARCH 31, ARMENPRESS. In addition to invading the area of responsibility of the Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno Karabakh, the Azerbaijani troops continue to terrorize the population of several villages in Nagorno Karabakh on a daily basis by using loudspeakers to make threats, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting.

“This too is happening before the eyes of the peacekeepers. [The Azerbaijani side] is telling the villagers through loudspeakers to abandon their homes or else they will be taken out by force,” Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan said that the Azerbaijani troops are even playing the Islamic Adhan on the loundspeakers at nights in the direction of the villages, whose population is Armenian Apostolic Christian.

“We certainly have great respect for the Islamic religion and civilization, but Azerbaijan’s actions against the people is violence against the freedom of conscience and religion, a means of inciting religious hatred, and after all it is offending the religious emotions of our compatriots,” Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan also addressed the Azerbaijani policy of eradicating anything Armenian from Nagorno Karabakh.

Pashinyan mentioned the infamous February 23 statement by Azerbaijan’s Minister of Culture, who set up a task force to deal with the removal of Armenian traces from spiritual monuments, which the Azeri minister falsely described as “Caucasian Albanian”. Pashinyan described this statement as Azerbaijan’s public and official launch of destruction and distortion of Armenian cultural heritage.

“And the statement of the Azerbaijani minister of culture isn’t a coincidence. On March 16, 2021, during a visit to Hadrut, the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, speaking about the Surp Astvatsatsin Armenian Church of Tsakuri, said: ‘Just like the Armenians desecrated our mosques, they desecretated the Caucasian-Albanian temples. But we will restore. All these writings are fake, these are made afterwards’”. These actions of Azerbaijan are an overt challenge to the UN’s International Court of Justice 2021 December 7 decision on provisional measures, which clearly obliges Azerbaijan to “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.”

PM Pashinyan emphasized that all these situations must receive a proper international probe and assessment.

“We expect from the international community a targeted assessment to Azerbaijan’s actions in Nagorno Karabakh because the Armenian population in Nagorno Karabakh is being terrorized every day, literally every single day, including the gas supply cut-off terror, and its goal is to displace them from their homes and their homeland,” Pashinyan said.

 12:26, 31 March, 2022

YEREVAN, MARCH 31, ARMENPRESS. From 23 April 2022 Transavia will start operating flights on the route Paris (Orly) -Yerevan- Paris (Orly), Armenia International Airports CJSC said in a statement.

The frequency of flights will be twice a week, every Wednesday and Saturday.

“For the availability of air tickets, their acquisition and other details, please visit the webpage of the airline at or contact the local travel agency”, the statement says.