Category: 2022

ArmInfo.Armenia’s recognizing or even showing any signs of approving the independence of Donetsk or Luhansk will prove a major blow to the Armenian positions in the Artsakh peace process, Hovsep Khurshudyan, Head of the Free Citizen  NGO, told ArmInfo.  

“In the context of Armenian Premier Nikol Pashinyan’s forthcoming  visit to Moscow at Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invitation I  see such a threat as well. Moreover, that meeting is pregnant with  other threats to us as well. The ongoing situation in Ukraine clear  demonstrates Putin’s unpredictable actions. I think he will pursue a  policy of forcing as many state leaders as possible into sharing the  responsibility for his own actions,” he said. 

The prospects of expansion of the Russia-Belarus allied state to the  other post-Soviet states poses a threat to their independence. And  the Belarusian president’s recent statements are not a mere  coincidence. Amid the Ukraine developments, Moscow will first of all  take steps toward its satellite states. And it is extremely important  under the circumstances that Armenia should not be among the states  hailing Russia’s latest actions.     

According to Mr Khurshudyan, the Russian elite’s actions cause that  state to embark on an extremely dangerous path, which is pregnant  with the most negative consequences. In this context, he points out  that the USSR, a rather powerful state with serious resources, lost  the cold war with the West and disintegrated. 

However, starting from his meeting in Munich, Russian President  Vladimir Putin changed Russia’s status as the West’s partner to that  of rival. And his latest actions in Ukraine have been proving this  status, while he has forgot that Russia is not the USSR and half of  the world is not communist. Russia is an isolated state with even  some of the post-Soviet states being hostile to it, Mr Khurshudyan  said. 

“The West has until recently avoided a strong reaction to Russia’s  revisionism. However, I think the West will respond by measures  against the Russian authorities. The collective West will not  tolerate it for long, especially amid the discontent in Russia’s  society. Thus, the West must have made a decision on Putin. And they  will spare no effort to put it into practice by undermining Russia’s  power pyramid to have Putin replaced with a more predictable  political figure,” he said. 

ArmInfo. Turkey’s Special Representative for the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations Serdar Kilic visited the Patriarchate of Constantinople of the  Armenian Apostolic Church before meeting with the Armenian side in  Vienna.

According to the AAC Patriarchate of Constantinople, on February 22,  at a meeting with  Patriarch Sahak Archbishop Mashalyan, Serdar Kilic  expressed satisfaction with the first meeting with Armenian Special  Representative Ruben Rubinyan and expressed hope that the solid steps  taken by both sides in the process of normalizing relations will pave  the way for positive developments between the two countries

In turn, Mashalyan expressed satisfaction with the visit of Kilic and  wished him success in the work to normalize bilateral relations.

It should be noted that today, on February 24, the second meeting of  the Special Representatives of Armenia and Turkey on the  normalization of relations took place in Vienna.  

It should be reminded that on January 14, the first meeting of the  Special Representatives for the normalization process between Armenia  and Turkey, Vice Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of  Armenia Ruben Rubinyan and Ambassador Serdar Kilictook place in  Moscow. “During the first meeting, held in a positive and  constructive atmosphere, the special representatives exchanged  preliminary views on the normalization process through dialogue  between Armenia and Turkey. The parties agreed to continue  negotiations without preconditions with a view to full  normalization,” the foreign ministries of the two countries said in a  statement on results of the meeting.  The start of the normalization  process was announced on December 13 by Turkish Foreign Minister  Mevlut Cavusoglu. At the same time, he stressed that Ankara will act  in coordination with Azerbaijan regarding steps to normalize  relations with Armenia.

ArmInfo. Serious personnel changes continue in the General Staff of Armenia.

Thus, following the dismissal of Chief of the General Staff of the  Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia Artak Davtyan, by the decrees  of acting President of the Republic of Armenia Alen Simonyan, the  following people lost their posts:

Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the RA Armed Forces – Head of  the Combat Training Department Andranik Makaryan, Head of the  Artillery Department of the Missile Troops of the Armed Forces of the  Republic of Armenia Armen Harutyunyan,  Head of the Moral Support  Department of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia Artur  Poghosyan, Head of the State Department of Engineering Troops of the  RA Armed Forces Armen Arushanyan. 

ArmInfo.A trilateral format of Russia-Azerbaijan-Turkey cooperation may be formed in the near future. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated this at a meeting  with heads of Russian media at the TASS Chief Editors’ Club  yesterday, TASS reports.

 “And, probably, it’s no secret to anyone  that a de facto, the trilateral format of cooperation is already  being formed. It has not been formalized yet, there have not yet been  meetings of foreign ministers and presidents, but it is being formed.  It is being formed on the basis of common interests, pragmatism and  similarity,” he said.

Aliyev pointed out the common features of the value systems of  government systems to which all three countries are committed. In  this regard, he noted with satisfaction the trusting relationship  between Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President  Vladimir Putin. “Both of them speak publicly about this. I think the  day will come soon, when we will formalize these relations. <...> For  our part, we have always worked to bring the interests of the two  countries closer together,” the president stressed.  Aliyev stated,  that the Declaration on Allied Cooperation between Russia and  Azerbaijan signed on Tuesday a historic achievement. “Because  Azerbaijan has allied relations with two great countries, with two  neighbors, with  a member of NATO and the head of the CSTO. I think  no other country can boast of this, This is actually achievement,” he  said.  

The declaration on allied interaction between Russia and Azerbaijan  was signed by the presidents of the two countries on Tuesday  following the talks in the Kremlin.