Category: 2023

Cyprus to collect humanitarian aid for Armenian refugees

Boris Nahapetian
Cyprus Mail
Oct 8 2023
By Nikolaos Prakas
Cyprus will begin collecting and send humanitarian aid to Armenia to deal with thousands of refugees flooding into the country from Nagorno-Karabakh, an announcement said on Sunday.

According to an announcement from the interior ministry and civil defence, Cyprus will be sending monetary aid for over 100,000 refugees flooding going to Armenia, after violence broke out between Azerbaijan and forces in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Money will be sent by the state and anyone wanting to contribute through the European mechanism for civil protection.

Those wishing to contribute can send money to the following account:

ACCOUNT NAME HUMANITARIAN SUPPORT – ARMENIA

ACCOUNT NUMBER 6001034

The IBAN number is:

PAPER FORMAT CY47 0010 0001 0000 0000 0600 1034

ELECTRONIC FORMAT CY47001000010000000006001034

SWIFT BIC CBCYCY2NXXX

Collections points will be set up at all Red Cross locations in Cyprus as well as in municipalities across the island. Donations will start from Monday October 9 and collections will be made until October 13.

People wishing to donate are requested to bring: Dry foods (cereals, biscuits, rusks, pasta, and powder baby formula), personal hygiene products, and nappies for babies and adults.

The announcement said that all other items will not be accepted, and people are requested to only bring the items listed above.

https://cyprus-mail.com/2023/10/08/cyprus-to-collect-humanitarian-aid-for-armenian-refugees/





Turkish Press: EU reaffirms bloc’s commitment to Armenian-Azerbaijani normalization process ahead of Brussels talks

Garnik Tadevosian
Anadolu Agency, Turkey
Oct 8 2023

EU reaffirms bloc’s commitment to Armenian-Azerbaijani normalization process ahead of Brussels talks

Charles Michel reiterates 'need for mutual respect of territorial integrity & sovereignty, and for advancing on border delimitation'

Handan Kazanci  |08.10.2023 – Update : 08.10.2023

ISTANBUL

European Council President Charles Michel expressed the bloc’s commitment Saturday to the Armenian-Azerbaijani normalization process ahead of a trilateral meeting in Brussels.

Michel “expressed EU’s commitment to Arm Az normalisation process” in a telephone call with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, he wrote on X.

He also “reiterated the need for mutual respect of territorial integrity & sovereignty, and for advancing on border delimitation” and stressed the “need to ensure Karabakh Armenians’ security & rights, also over the long term.”

On Thursday, the EU invited Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders for peace talks in Brussels by the end of October.

“We believe in diplomacy and political dialogue. This is why we invite Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for the meeting,” Michel said following a quadrilateral meeting with Pashinyan on the sidelines of the European Political Community meeting in Granda, Spain.

Aliyev did not attend the meeting in protest of France’s recent military and diplomatic moves in support of Armenia.

The long-awaited meeting between the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Germany, France and Michel was canceled following the latest diplomatic spat.

Hikmat Hajiyev, foreign policy advisor of the Azerbaijani president, said Baku had proposed the participation of Türkiye and Spain in a planning meeting, but that proposal was also rejected by France.

The meeting was scheduled to be held on the sidelines of the third summit of the European Political Community, which was an initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron to which leaders from more than 40 European countries were invited.

Azerbaijan regained full control over its territory of Karabakh last month after taking counter-terrorism actions, which resulted in the surrender of illegal armed groups, ending a decades-long conflict.

Authorities have repeatedly said that they will protect the rights and ensure the security of the Armenian residents in Karabakh, in accordance with Azerbaijan's law.


Sports: Hamilton Accies take Armenian striker on trial

Jirair Kafian
Daily Record, UK
Oct 8 2023

The League One side will welcome David Arshakyan to New Douglas Park this week

SPORT
By

Paul Thomson


Hamilton Accies will run the rule over Armenian striker David Arshakyan this week.

The 29-year-old, who has been capped once for the Armenian national team and also holds Russian citizenship, arrived in Scotland on Friday to start a week-long trial at New Douglas Park tomorrow.

Arshakyan is a free agent after being released by BKMA Yerevan in his homeland and will hope to do enough to impress Accies boss John Rankin to win a deal with the League One side.

The player has a wealth of experience across Europe, playing in Denmark, Russia and Lithuania. He also had a spell in the MLS, playing for Chicago Fire in 2016/17 where he made 17 appearances.

His most prolific spell came for Lithuanian outfit FC Trakai, where he scored 24 times in 52 outings.

In recent years, appearances have been few and far between at Yerevan and FC Van, so he will hope Hamilton can help him reignite his career.

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/local-sport/hamilton-accies-take-armenian-striker-31134362

Nagorno-Karabakh: a conflict with global implications

Adrine Hakobian
ASIA TIMES
Oct 8 2023

It increasingly seems frozen conflicts will increasingly become hot wars once again
By DNYANESH KAMAT

Azerbaijan’s swift military operation has probably concluded the prolonged Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, but brought with it rising concerns of a potential new inter-state conflict involving Armenia, Azerbaijan and possibly Turkey, Iran and Russia. While the regional implications have been made clear, the wider geopolitical implications must not be ignored.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has thrust the perennial debate of territorial sovereignty against self-determination into the global spotlight. Nagorno-Karabakh has always been internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan. However, the military means employed to reclaim it starkly contrasts with the diplomatic and multilateral approaches traditionally advocated for resolving territorial disputes.

In particular, the international community’s acquiescence to Azerbaijan’s capture of the territory raises questions about what its attitude is likely to be in situations where the same tensions between territorial integrity and self-determination rise. 

Today, few countries recognize Taiwan as China’s legitimate representative, with most recognizing the People’s Republic of China. Beijing considers Taiwan a renegade province, with President Xi Jinping instructing his armed forces to be ready by 2027 to annex the self-governing island.

The US has maintained strategic ambiguity on whether it would intervene militarily if such an eventuality were to come to pass. President Joe Biden’s statements on the issue, which have seemed to suggest that the US would intervene, have almost always been dialed back by his staffers.

U.S. calls for long-term, independent monitoring mission in Nagorno-Karabakh

Mike Maghakian

 11:08, 4 October 2023

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 4, ARMENPRESS. A longer-term, independent, international monitoring mission should be sent to Nagorno-Karabakh to provide transparency and reassurances that the rights and securities of ethnic Armenians will be protected, U.S. State Department principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel has said.

“The United States is going to continue to play a role in engaging with Azerbaijani and Armenian leadership at the highest levels to pursue a dignified and durable peace,” Patel said at a press briefing.  “And you’ve also seen us, over the course of this past week and beyond, reiterate our call for a longer-term, independent, international monitoring mission in Nagorno-Karabakh to provide transparency and reassurances that the rights and securities of ethnic Armenians will be protected, particularly for those who may wish to return, and for the protection of cultural heritage sites, which all of course is in line with Azerbaijan’s public statements and their international obligations as well,” he added.

The State Department spokesperson was also asked to comment on Armenia joining the Rome Statute of the ICC.

“Well, we respect Armenia’s sovereignty and independence, and we’ll leave it to Armenia’s Government to comment on its legislative processes, of course. We respect the right of every country to join the ICC and have been encouraged by many states, including Armenia, that have undertaken commitments to promote justice, accountability for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity,” Patel said.

Asked to comment on a UN team’s report claiming they did not see any damage to civilian infrastructure during a visit to NK, Patel said: “So we certainly appreciate those comments from the UN spokesperson. But that does not change the United States’ point of view on this. As I just said to Alex, we continue to believe, even in the light of the UN visit, that there is a strong desire and a need for a longer-term, independent international monitoring mission in Nagorno-Karabakh. We think that that will provide transparency; we think that it will provide the appropriate reassurances for the various rights and securities that we continue to be deeply concerned about.”

On October 3, a senior Armenian diplomat strongly criticized the UN team, saying that it was “discrediting the UN as an institution.”

Iran ready to send observers to Armenia-Azerbaijan border – Major General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri

Suren Karakhanian

 12:00, 4 October 2023

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 4, ARMENPRESS. Iran is ready to send observers to the borders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Mehr News Agency reported citing the Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri.

General Bagheri made the remarks in a meeting with Armen Grigoryan, the Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia.

General Bagheri said that Iran is ready to contribute to reducing tensions in the Caucasus region.

The developments in the South Caucasus affect the security of the region, Mehr News Agency quoted Bagheri as saying. General Bagheri stressed that the continuation of tension in the region is not in the interest of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and other countries in the region.

He also called for taking measures to resolve disputes and tensions in the region.

Expressing Iran's readiness to dispatch observers to the borders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, the Iranian military official emphasized that there should not be any aggressive goal or intention behind the improvement of the defense capabilities of any country.

"Peace and tranquility in the region are in the interest of all countries, and security in the region must be ensured by the countries of the region, and the presence of extra-regional forces is contrary to the peace of the region," he further underlined.

Grigoryan, for his part, briefed the Iranian military official on the latest developments in the Caucasus region.

EU could review Azerbaijan ties if NK crisis worsens – Reuters

Karapet Navasardian

 12:43, 4 October 2023

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 4, ARMENPRESS. The European Union could review ties, including financial aid, with Azerbaijan and sanction individuals if the situation worsens following Baku's military takeover of Nagorno-Karabakh, Reuters reported citing an EU diplomatic service paper.

According to Reuters, the paper said the EU could reconsider political engagement, financial assistance and sectoral cooperation, without being more specific. It does not mention Azerbaijan's energy sector.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and many leaders of the 27-nation bloc condemned the operation. But diplomats say there are disagreements among EU countries over whether to take firmer diplomatic or political action. The EU's search for a response is complicated by its moves to rely more on Azerbaijani oil and gas as it has moved away from Russian energy due to Moscow's war in Ukraine.

The paper, prepared by the European External Action Service and seen by Reuters, outlines further possible reaction but is cautious in tone.

It says that if the situation deteriorates, the EU could consider a review of its relations with Azerbaijan "on the basis of a gradual approach".

"In case serious human rights violations are committed, restrictive measures against individuals responsible for such violations could be envisaged," the paper said.

A diplomat from a country favouring a tougher stance toward Azerbaijan, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the document "reflects a balance of different positions of member states: We want more, but others do not want anything at all."

Diplomats say France, Germany and the Netherlands are among those pushing for strong signals of disapproval toward Baku while others such as Austria and Hungary are at the opposite end of the spectrum.

A second diplomat said the EU may not end up doing much more than condemning Azerbaijan's action and instead focus on supporting Armenia, economically and possibly with military aid.

The paper suggested the EU consider "political and economic actions to further support the democratically elected authorities of Armenia, including in the area of security and resilience, and the continuation of the democratic reforms".

100,625 forcibly displaced persons arrived to Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh

Diana Dabaghian

 12:24, 4 October 2023

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 4, ARMENPRESS. The number of forcibly displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh who’ve arrived to Armenia stood at 100,625 as of 12:00, October 4, the prime minister’s spokesperson Nazeli Baghdasaryan said at a press briefing. The number remained unchanged since October 3.

Over 95% of the forcibly displaced persons have completed the registration process. 29,000 of them are children.

345 forcibly displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh hospitalized in Armenia

Bedik Zaminian

 12:50, 4 October 2023

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 4, ARMENPRESS. 345 forcibly displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh are hospitalized in various towns in Armenia as of 12:00, October 4, the prime minister’s spokesperson Nazeli Baghdasaryan said at a press briefing citing data from the healthcare ministry.

“102 of them are in serious condition, while 37 others are in critical condition. 9 children are in intensive care,” she added.

The number of forcibly displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh who’ve arrived to Armenia stood at 100,625 as of 12:00, October 4.

Security Council Secretary, EU Ambassador discuss situation resulting from forced displacement of Armenians from NK

Garnik Zakarian

 12:52, 4 October 2023

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 4, ARMENPRESS. Secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan met on October 4 with Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Armenia, Ambassador Vassilis Maragos.

Grigoryan and Maragos “exchanged views on the current security situation around the Republic of Armenia and the situation resulting from the forced displacement of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh caused by the Azerbaijani military attack,” Grigoryan’s office said in a readout.

Secretary Grigoryan and Ambassador Maragos also discussed a number of issues on the Armenia-EU partnership agenda, emphasizing the opportunities of enhancing further cooperation.