Category: 2023

Belgium calls on Azerbaijan to publicly recognize Armenia’s territorial integrity

Emil Karabekian

 15:38,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 22, ARMENPRESS. Belgium’s Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib has called on the Azerbaijani government to publicly recognize Armenia’s territorial integrity.

“Our stance is the same both in Yerevan and Baku,” Hadja Lahbib said at a press conference in Yerevan when asked what message she will convey to the Azeri authorities during her upcoming Baku trip.

“What matters most for us is to overcome this deadlock, in order for the humanitarian situation to improve and the living conditions for the Armenian population in Nagorno-Karabakh to improve. This is part of the ceasefire agreement, and we call on Armenia and Azerbaijan to return to negotiations, be it in Washington or anywhere else. We’ve welcomed the Armenian Prime Minister’s statement on publicly recognizing Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and we call on the Azerbaijani authorities to do the same,” she said.

“There’s no lack of highest-level negotiations, there’s a lack of implementing them on the ground actually. That’s why during our one-on-one meeting we emphasized the need for the presence of experts, commissions, who will be able to end the animosity, will give the chance for real reconciliation and trust between the two peoples so that the two peoples living on both sides of the border get the opportunity to live in peace. As an active member of the EU, and also the next EU Council president, we will strengthen and intensify our participation in all these processes, including through our embassy which we will have in Yerevan,” the Belgian FM added.

Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 22-08-23

Yeghisabet Vorskanian

 17:21,

YEREVAN, 22 AUGUST, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 22 August, USD exchange rate down by 0.09 drams to 385.79 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.52 drams to 420.01 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate stood at 4.10 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 0.77 drams to 492.42 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 53.23 drams to 23440.63 drams. Silver price up by 1.05 drams to 283.79 drams.

Armenian Foreign Minister responds to media reports claiming US obstructed UNSC resolution on NK

Garik Boshkezenian

 16:45,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 22, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan has responded to the media reports which claimed that the United States obstructed the adoption of a resolution during the UN Security Council emergency meeting on the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh.

“I have to note that the UN Security Council emergency meeting, which was convened at the request of Armenia, was open, and not only the Armenian people but the whole world had the opportunity to hear the positions of participating countries, including the United States. In conditions when the world sees the Azerbaijani policy of ethnic cleansing against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, I don’t think the United States would anyhow want to or plans to be part or contribute to a policy of ethnic cleansing. It would be difficult to imagine. I think and I hope that the US very well realizes the extent and alarming pace of the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, and also realizes that a possible resolution in the UNSC would come to resolve this situation and return the parties to the negotiations agenda,” Mirzoyan said when asked to comment on the unconfirmed media reports claiming that the US has obstructed the passage of a resolution.

Speaker of Parliament meets Belgian FM, calls for active discussions on possible sanctions against Azerbaijan

Parkev Tvankchian

 18:05,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 22, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan held a meeting on August 22 with Belgium’s Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib.

During the meeting Simonyan said that the active cooperation between the Armenian and Belgian parliaments is a key instrument for the further development of relations between the two countries. Belgium’s decision on opening a resident embassy in Yerevan is a sign of strong partnership, he said.

The parties commended the bilateral and multilateral poles of the effective and constructive dialogue between Armenia and Belgium, underscoring in particular the Armenia-EU partnership circle.

The critical situation in Nagorno-Karabakh resulting from the Lachin Corridor crisis was in the focus of the meeting. The parties concurred that the corridor must be immediately reopened. Simonyan said that he expects from his Belgian colleagues effective steps in the issue of the security of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh. He attached importance to the need for involving international mechanisms in the Baku-Stepanakert dialogue and active discussions on possible sanctions against Azerbaijan.

Belgian Foreign Minister visits Soldier’s Home Rehabilitation Center in Armenia

Alex Jidarian

 20:05,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 22, ARMENPRESS. Belgium’s Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib visited on August 22 the Soldier’s Home Rehabilitation Center where wounded Armenian servicemembers are being treated.

The Belgian foreign minister became acquainted with the conditions of the center and talked to the servicemembers who are undergoing treatment.

In 2021, the Belgian government provided assistance to the Soldier’s Home which significantly contributed to the opening of a microsurgery department.

“The future belongs to Armenia more than Azerbaijan” – Armenian analyst

Bedik Zaminian
JAM NEWS
Aug 21 2023


  • JAMnews
  • Richard Kirakosyan on the Armenia-Azerbaijan issue

“The future belongs to Armenia more than Azerbaijan, but it will take several years to achieve real results,” political scientist and head of the Center for Regional Studies Richard Kirakosyan, commenting on the reforms in the defense sector of Armenia, said.

In his opinion, Armenia is too weak and lags behind the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, so it should invest more in quality, not quantity, that is, “in professionalism and modernization.” The political scientist welcomes the government’s decision to purchase weapons from India and not rely on “poor quality weapons from unreliable sources such as Russia.”

On the air of Radio Azatutyun (Freedom), Kirakosyan also talked about the settlement of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, the possible signing of a peace treaty, the blockade of the Lachin corridor, the position of the United States, Europe and Russia.

  • “A curious proposal on Karabakh”: a document attributed to Lavrov
  • Man dies of starvation in unrecognized NKR, blockade continues
  • “It is impossible to abandon the idea of opening the Lachin corridor by force.” Opinions from Yerevan

Kirakosyan commented on the results of the UN Security Council meeting, which was convened at the request of Armenia “in connection with the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of the blockade of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan.” The political scientist considers it important, but insufficient, that Baku had to respond to Yerevan’s diplomatic initiative.

Invites the government of Armenia to think about other steps, in particular

  • “refuse to negotiate until Azerbaijan ends the blockade of the Lachin corridor,
  • consider the possibility of air communication with Nagorno-Karabakh without a real risk of military aggression.”

Explaining the essence of the speech at the meeting of the UN Security Council of the representative of Russia, who promoted the position of Baku, Kirakosyan said:

“Russia’s position now is to save face. She supports the idea of the Aghdam corridor [we are talking about Azerbaijan’s offer to the Armenians of NK to use the route through its territory through Aghdam instead of the Lachin corridor linking the unrecognized republic with Armenia], in fact, admitting her own humiliation, because she was unable to fulfill her obligations under the terms of the ceasefire agreement”.

Opinions of members of the Security Council on the blockade of the Lachin corridor, assessment of the results of the discussion by the Prime Minister of Armenia, analysts’ comments on the likelihood of adopting a resolution

The analyst regards the blocking of the Lachin corridor, as a result of which 120,000 people are trying to survive in the conditions of a humanitarian catastrophe, as a war against civilians:

“If you look into the current situation, then we are dealing with a medieval siege, a blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh in the style of the Game of Thrones series. The cause of hunger and loss of life is not a drought, not a natural disaster, but a catastrophe created by man.”

According to him, what is happening is not new, but “another Azerbaijani escalation, the target of which is not the military but the civilian population.”

Speaking about the possible signing of a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Richard Kirakosyan stressed:

“Judging by the internal political events in Azerbaijan, the current authorities need to constantly have a conflict and an enemy. I am much more interested and worried not about the peace process or the peace agreement, but about what will happen the next day. It will not be enough for Azerbaijan that it will receive after the signing of the peace treaty.”

Former Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian believes that the prime minister made a mistake by recognizing the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, and this is the reason for the “blockade of the Lachin corridor”

“It was a mistake to allow Turkey to put forward preconditions in the process of normalizing relations with Armenia,” Kirakosyan said. Turkey’s precondition, he said, is not to do anything, not to take steps to normalize relations with Armenia until a peace treaty is signed between Armenia and Azerbaijan. At the same time, he believes that Turkey is very unhappy with its own weakness in relation to the now dominant Azerbaijan:

“It should be remembered that Azerbaijan is now the number one foreign direct investor in Turkey. He gained weight and influence during the economic crisis.”

Richard Kirakosyan believes that after the elections held in Turkey, “Armenia has become more important for Turkey”:

“Because Russia has actually excluded Turkey from all projects for the restoration of trade and transport. Normalizing relations with Armenia is the only way for Turkey to restore its regional role in the economy and trade.”

He believes that Turkey should not be perceived as “as strong as it was before”, now it is much more vulnerable, and this is proved by the events around Cyprus.

Regarding Turkey’s military support to Azerbaijan, he emphasizes that now it is much less than the help from Israel.

In the Armenian village of Margara, bordering Turkey, they are “cautiously optimistic” about a possible reopening of the border

The expert believes that unrest is possible in Azerbaijan, given the “precedent of a military coup in the 90s, as well as the presence of a minister of defense with dangerous ambitions, who receives the support of Turkey.”

According to him, changes in Azerbaijan are “guaranteed, but most of them will be negative” for the Armenian side:

“The question now is not whether there will be an “explosion” inside Azerbaijan, but when and how it will happen. I think Azerbaijan’s looming instability is being taken into account and has become a cause for concern in Washington, Brussels and Moscow.”

Victory in the 2020 Karabakh war, according to Kirakosyan, is “defective to a dangerous degree for the Azerbaijani authorities, and Aliyev is walking a tightrope of nationalism and is between competing elements inside Baku, supported by Russia and Turkey.” He thinks the tipping point is obvious:

“We have seen in recent weeks that even supporters of the Aliyev government have been arrested. That is, the Aliyev regime is now going against its own people, even in the conditions of confidence brought by victory.”

Former ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo published his opinion on the situation in the unrecognized NKR under the heading “Armenian Genocide in 2023”

“The states are postponing the suspension of Section 907, which was traditionally done in June. This means that the allocation of military assistance to Azerbaijan is being postponed.”

Amendment 907 to the Freedom Support Act was passed by the US Congress in 1992. It limits the provision of military assistance to Azerbaijan until Baku takes steps to lift the blockade from Armenia and NK and gives up the possibility of using force. However, the addition, adopted by Congress in 2002 to the 907th amendment, allows the suspension of the act by the President of the United States.

According to Kirakosyan, there are three reasons for this:

  • “The United States does not have much leverage on Azerbaijan, Article 907 is a rare exception,
  • after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan is now much less important to the Pentagon, has much less strategic importance,
  • the disappointment of the Americans, which is connected not only with the blockade of the Lachin corridor, but also with the latest round of Washington talks between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan.”

At the same time, he does not think that this is important for Azerbaijan.

As for Armenian-American relations, Kirakosyan notes that there have been changes in US policy. In his opinion, the States are trying to strengthen the “strategic importance of a more democratic Armenia.”

He emphasizes that the point is not to help establish democracy in Armenia, but to protect its achievements.

“But it would be a mistake on the part of Armenia to overestimate the importance of the United States. It is the European observers [on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan], the European presence is probably more effective now.”


Turkish Press: What makes the Lachin Corridor the focal point of conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia?

Andranik Taslakhchian
TRT World, Turkey
Aug 21 2023

The Corridor, a critical “humanitarian” link between Armenia and the enclave of Karabakh within Azerbaijan, is the focal point of the recent escalation of tension between the neighbours, since the December 2022.

Recent allegations by France and the European Union that Azerbaijan has blockaded Karabakh, which lies within Azerbaijan, has put the spotlight on the Lachin Corridor.

The corridor, a mountainous road that passes through Azerbaijan, connecting the enclave of Karabakh with Azerbaijan’s neighbour Armenia, was designated a “humanitarian corridor” by the United Nations (UN) since December 2022, when Russia brokered an armistice to end the second Karabakh War.

In the 2020 war that lasted 44 days, Azerbaijan liberated the Lachin region, along with eight other contiguous regions including Karabakh, from 28 years of occupation by Armenia.

Recent escalations, though, have led to accusations by Armenia and the West, which the Azerbaijani authorities claim are baseless.

Illegal mining by Armenia

On December 12, 2022, tensions escalated between Azerbaijan and Armenia after Azerbaijani environmentalists and volunteers organised a protest regarding the Lachin road, chanting against the illegal exploitation of natural mineral resources by Armenia in the Karabakh region, and using the Corridor to transport these to Armenia.

The only access to these mineral resources — especially the Kyzylbulag gold mine and Demirli copper-molybdenum mine — is possible via the Lachin road, which the protesters demanded requires constant monitoring.

A day before the protests began, Azerbaijan sent a diplomatic note to Russia, expressing its concerns over the illegal exploitation of mineral deposits in the region.

Armenia claims the road has been closed down due to these protests, and describes the effect on Karabakh as a "humanitarian crisis."

Azerbaijan dismisses these claims, saying vehicles carrying humanitarian aid belonging to the Red Cross and the Russian peacekeeping contingent continue to pass through the Corridor, as they have been doing since the implementation of the Tripartite Declaration signed between Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia after the 2020 war.

Checkpoint to monitor illegal weapons supply

But that is not all. According to a statement of Azerbaijan’s mission to NATO, more than 2,700 landmines of Armenian origin were detected in the region at the time, and had been transported by Armenia through the corridor.

Azerbaijan also says that Armenia is illegally supplying weapons and manpower to Armenian separatists using the corridor. It says these military supplies are meant for the purpose of constructing military infrastructure and arming Armenian separatists in Karabakh.

Taking note of these security threats, Azerbaijan on April 23 established a checkpoint on the corridor, to eliminate the passage of separatists and weapons, and to monitor all transfers through the corridor, barring humanitarian aid and civilians.

The move was supported by Türkiye on the grounds that it is Azerbaijan’s sovereign right, and important for its territorial integrity. Under the deal brokered by Russia, once the checkpoint was built, Azerbaijan guaranteed the use of the corridor by Armenian civilians living in Karabakh, while regulating the passage of vehicles and cargo.

Temporary suspension of movement

That ended on July 11, when Azerbaijan temporarily suspended all movement on the corridor, after a consignment of mobile phones smuggled from Armenia to Karabakh in Red Cross vehicles was caught.

Azerbaijan declared that it would henceforth also monitor humanitarian aid agencies to prevent the transfer of unauthorised goods using the latter’s vehicles. It led to the current round of tensions, with France joining Armenia in claiming there is a humanitarian crisis in Karabakh as a result of the “blockade” of the Lachin Corridor.

The Azerbaijani foreign ministry has rejected the allegation that the corridor had been “blockaded”.

“It is absurd to portray as a ‘blockade’, the Azerbaijani activity on the Lachin border checkpoint, which has been established in accordance with our obligation to guarantee the safety of citizens, vehicles and cargo on the Lachin road, as well as to prevent the misuse of the Lachin road by Armenia for military and illegal economic purposes,” the ministry said.

Azerbaijani and Turkish authorities have both expressed the need for Armenia and Azerbaijan to conclude the ongoing peace talks between them as soon as possible, saying the south Caucasus region — which is rich in natural resources — is strategically important to the former and any violation of the region threatens its sovereignty.

Hence, Azerbaijan insists that the monitoring of flows and transport through the Zangezur and Lachin corridors is important for its territorial integrity.

What makes the Lachin Corridor the focal point of conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia? (trtworld.com)

Azerbaijan blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh road sparks ‘humanitarian catastrophe’

Tania Jagharian
The Global Herald
Aug 21 2023

At a recent UN Security Council meeting, several countries have called for the Lachin Corridor to be reopened – and urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to normalize their relations after decades of armed conflict.

The Lachin Corridor is Armenia’s only connection to enclave Nagorno-Karabakh, and carries essential aid to the region. The Corridor has been blocked by Azerbaijan for eight months now. Observers are calling the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh a humanitarian catastrophe. Reportedly 120,000 people are in urgent need of food, medicine and other supplies.

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India Shows Caucasus Diplomacy Isn’t Just For Russia And Turkey Anymore By Michael Rubin

Alex Nanijanian
1945
Aug 21 2023

After the fall of the Soviet Union, the Caucasus became a playground for Russian, Turkish, and Iranian intrigue. Russia sought to regain the influence it enjoyed when Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia were Soviet republics. Turkey embraced Azerbaijan as an extension of itself under the mantra of “one nation, two states.” Iranian nationalists considered influence over the entire region as a birthright, since they had controlled it centuries earlier. Decisions about war or peace in the region often originated less in Yerevan, Baku, or Tbilisi, and more in Moscow, Ankara, and Tehran.

Over the past five years, each Caucasian country has flipped its geopolitical orientation, and now India senses opportunity. As it solidifies ties with Yerevan, New Delhi is set to become a new diplomatic heavyweight in the region.

Consider how much the Caucasus region has changed. In the wake of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev, a former local KGB chief and Moscow-based politburo member, embraced the West. At that time, just 18 months before Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s rise, the United States and Europe saw Turkey as an ally and accepted at face value that Azerbaijan would be secular and Western-oriented. Under Aliyev’s son Ilham, however, Azerbaijan is erratic. Baku is willing to work fist-in-glove with Islamist terrorists and to pivot closer to Russia, for whom it is now a money-laundering lifeline.

Iran’s regional role is similar. For Armenia, Iran is less an ally of choice than one of necessity, a lifeline through which to export goods impossible to ship elsewhere because of Turkish and Azerbaijani blockades. For Azerbaijan, the opposite is true. Behind its recent antagonistic rhetoric toward Tehran, Azerbaijan helps Iran evade sanctions for the right price. 

Perhaps no country has changed as much as Armenia. Armenians are frustrated with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, but they show no desire to return to the Russia-dominated status quo that prevailed before the large-scale protests of 2018. Georgia and Armenia have traded places. Georgia is backsliding into Russia’s orbit while Armenia breaks away.

The 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War confirmed this reorientation. Armenians turned on Russia for the failure of its peacekeepers to enforce the ceasefire. Armenians will never forgive the fact that, as Azerbaijan starves 120,000 Christians in Nagorno-Karabakh, Russian forces stand less than 50 meters from an illegal Azerbaijani checkpoint that blocks relief supplies. America, meanwhile, confuses statements with substance and disqualifies itself with bothsiderism against the backdrop of genocide.

Enter India, the world’s most populous country. Whereas India once focused its diplomatic efforts regionally or into the Non-Aligned Movement, today it is a diplomatic heavyweight farther afield.  

In 2019, Pashinyan met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Both promised greater ties, and they meant it. Pashinyan declared Armenia would side unequivocally with India on the Kashmir question. Law is on India’s side, but diplomatically Pakistan has no one to blame but itself. Out of religious animus and a desire to ingratiate itself to Turkey and Azerbaijan, Pakistan refuses even to recognize Armenia’s existence. India, meanwhile, accepts the nuances and complexities of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem.

As Armenia untangles its legacy military ties to Russia, India fills the gap. In March 2020, Yerevan signed a $40 million deal with India for four SWATHI radars to track incoming artillery, mortars, and rockets and pinpoint their launch sites. In June 2022, India agreed to sell Armenia drones. The U.S. should celebrate such purchases as Armenia bypasses Iran. 

Negotiations meanwhile continue for Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launchers, Nag anti-tank missiles, and anti-tank guided missiles. Armenian Defense Minister Suren Papikyan also visited his Indian counterpart Shri Rajnath Singh on the sidelines of India’s DefExpo 2022. 

The relationship is symbiotic, and extends beyond the military realm. Armenia provides India with a commercial hub from which India can ship goods through Georgia west to Europe or into Russia, and then eastward into Central Asia. Access to that region had been interrupted by the Taliban’s conquest of Afghanistan. Both countries have become IT powerhouses, and Armenia’s investment in its pharmaceutical sector increasingly interests India’s investors. 

A common lamentation among democrats in the region is why the United States is effectively absent. Washington makes excuses, and remains absent when it counts. India’s presence now provides a new option for the region, one that Washington should encourage. A choice between Russia, Turkey, and Iran is akin to choosing between a heart attack, stroke, or cancer. India provides an antidote to dictatorship, rentierism, and extremism. The Caucasus are in flux. India could be the ally its democrats need.

Now a 19FortyFive Contributing Editor, Dr. Michael Rubin is a Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). Dr. Rubin is the author, coauthor, and coeditor of several books exploring diplomacy, Iranian history, Arab culture, Kurdish studies, and Shi’ite politics, including “Seven Pillars: What Really Causes Instability in the Middle East?” (AEI Press, 2019); “Kurdistan Rising” (AEI Press, 2016); “Dancing with the Devil: The Perils of Engaging Rogue Regimes” (Encounter Books, 2014); and “Eternal Iran: Continuity and Chaos” (Palgrave, 2005).

https://www.19fortyfive.com/2023/08/india-shows-caucasus-diplomacy-isnt-just-for-russia-and-turkey-anymore/