Category: 2022

ArmInfo.At a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, Armenia’s Premier Nikol Pashinyan spoke, among other things, of the damage of the gas main supplying gas to Artsakh.

“In recent days we have recorded escalation, particularly in Artsakh,  and the damage of the gas main is evidence thereof. At present,  however, I am abstaining from any further assessments, as we are  working with the Artsakh authorities and our international partners  to stabilize the situation. That is, we are not making assessments  now, but we are just recording the situation and focusing on solving  the problem,” the premier said. 

On March 8, the gas main supplying gas from Armenia to Artsakh was  damaged, and gas supply was stopped. Azerbaijan is putting obstacles  to the repair work being carried out by the ArtsakhGas company.  The  Artsakh population has not been supplied with gas for the third day.  The suspicion exists that Azerbaijani troops damaged the gas main on  purpose. 

ArmInfo.Armenian Premier Nikol Pashinyan’s visit to France is evidence of an urgent need for Armenia to search for alternatives in ensuring its security, the political  scientist Stepan Grigoryan said in an interview with ArmInfo.  

On march 9, the Armenian premier, who was on a working visit to  France, held a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. The two  discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh problem and other issues on the  bilateral agenda.  

“The Armenian premier’s visit to France and searching for alternative  ways of ensuring security is even more important in the context of  the Russian-Azerbaijani Declaration on Alliance recently signed in  Moscow. The logic is simple: should Azerbaijan launch an aggression  against Armenia or Artsakh, Moscow can officially refer to the  document and offer us to settle our problems with Azerbaijan by  ourselves,” he said.  

According to Mr Grigoryan, the Moscow declaration eliminates even the  theoretical possibility of Russian military aid to Armenia in case  Azerbaijan attacks, and such a scenario is likely. However, under the  circumstances, which are not at all favorable, Armenia is incapable  of effectively defending itself from an Azerbaijani aggression, with  Turkey’s active involvement.   

“I think this fact has to be admitted and we must stop being  self-deceivers. This last fact leaves Armenia with no alternative but  to, excuse my tautologizing, search for alternative ways of ensuring  its security. And one more war against Azerbaijan and Turkey is not  at all an alternative for Armenia. Rather, signing a security  agreement with France and the USA could be such an alternative. Such  a document would play a deterrent role should Baku and Ankaka plan an  aggression against Armenia or Artsakh.” 

ArmInfo.. The post-Soviet space is seeing two rival choices now – the first is isolation in company with Russia and the second is joining the civilized world in company with  Ukraine. And Armenia is sure to face this choice in the future, Arman  Babajanyan, Chairman of the For the Republic Party, said in an  interview with ArmInfo. 

“What is, in fact, going on is a fight between two leaders in the  post-Soviet space. Ukraine is being supported by the West, whereas  Russia is isolated. And I would like to stress that the predictions  of consequences of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict for Armenia – that  they will be restricted to a conflict with Azerbaijan – are, in fact,  inaccurate. The Ukraine developments are directly related to Armenia,  and their consequences are not only a growing Azerbaijani-Turkish  threat,” he said.

In this context, Mr Babajanyan points out a need for Yerevan to  maintain friendly relations with both Moscow and the West by  remaining neutral about Ukraine. Should Armenia prefer Russia or the  West, it may lose support in dealing with Turkey and Azerbaijan. In  this context, the politician points out a need for discussing any  scenarios.  

Mr Babajanyan notes the West does not demand that Armenia “decide on  its position on Ukraine,” while Armenia is not making any proposals.  According to him, Yerevan shares the responsibility for the absence  of an Armenian agenda in the West. In this context, he recalls the  proposals for Yerevan drawing up a clear security and defense  cooperation agenda the West made in the wake of the 44-day war.  “I  personally was convinced of the willingness displayed by the United  States and, of course, by France.  But I have never seen Yerevan’s  initiatives. And I cannot understand how it happened that we did not  even attempt to convert the friendly relations with France into a  contractual basis. Armenia has not a single document cementing  relations with the country that has repeatedly shown its friendly  attitude and willingness to support our country.  I am sure that no  threats from the North must ever prevent Armenian- French relations  from being cemented by means of a strategic partnership agreement,  with a defense component enshrined in it. The present geopolitical  situation and Armenia’s interests require it,” Mr Babajanyan said. 

ArmInfo.The Anti-Nazi Front of Armenia held a protest in front of the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan.  

Hayk Aivazyan, Chairman of the Anti-Nazi Front of Armenia, stated  that over 30 years the civilized world has had to witness the  despotism by the USA and its allies manifested by their forcing their  own values on and the “so-called American democracy” the entire  world. And the nations that opposed this pressure fell victim to  aggression. Among them are Yugoslavia, Iraq an Libya, with hundreds  of thousands of people, including children, falling victim to NATO  aggression. In this context, Mr Aivazyan noted that the so- called  American democracy is a present-day follow-up to Nazism. He said that  the color revolution in Ukraine brought to power those advocating  Nazism and reminded the participants of the Armenian people’s  contribution to thee fight against Nazism during the Great Patriotic  War.

“And even now I am sure Russia’s cause is just in Ukraine. Just  imagine the disaster should those in power in Ukraine could have  nuclear weapons,” he said. According to him, Russia’s military  operation aimed at “demilitarizing” and “denazifying” Ukraine is an  urgent necessity.    

The virologist and international expert in biological security Grigor  Grigoryan said that the protesters disagree with the West’s policy.     

“It is common knowledge that biological security is a component of  national security. After the USSR disintegration, the post-Soviet  countries had a rich heritage in this field, and the USA started  developing it from 1998. Laboratories were opened in such countries  as Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine. The Russian military  operation in Ukraine revealed actual activities of the laboratories,”  he said.  The danger of biological weapons is that identifying them  and proving their use is a difficult task.  

According to Mr Grigoryan, Armenia (where 12 laboratories are  operating – ed.) is facing a similar threat now. He stressed the  inadmissibility of activities that are in conflict with the  Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) in the post-Soviet states,  including Armenia an called for control over the US-operated  laboratories.