Category: 2023

 11:22, 6 July 2023

YEREVAN, JULY 6, ARMENPRESS. The public narrative in Azerbaijan is full of Armenophobia, the Human Rights Defender of Armenia Anahit Manasyan warned Thursday.

She cited a recent report by her office quoting and describing the speeches by the Azeri government officials, including the president, lawmakers and others.

Given the status of those who make the anti-Armenian statements it is obvious that Armenophobia is state-sponsored in Azerbaijan, Manasyan said, adding that in this condition it is impossible to find solutions guaranteeing human rights.

Manasyan made the remarks at the July 6 Armenia-Nagorno Karabakh telebridge press conference.

She said that the Ombudsperson’s reports are regularly provided to international partners.

The Armenian Ombudsperson’s office is conducting daily monitoring of the Azerbaijani press regarding the policy of Armenophobia in Azerbaijan.

The reports also include human rights violation committed as a result of the illegal Azeri military deployment inside Armenian territory. The aim of the Azeri policy of Armenophobia is to commit ethnic cleansing in a specific region and specific settlements.

 11:46, 6 July 2023

YEREVAN, JULY 6, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan targets any international organization or country that issues an objective assessment to the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno Karabakh and the Azerbaijani actions, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan warned on July 6. He said these actions are part of Azerbaijan’s policy of ethnic cleansing against Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh.

“In his regard, Azerbaijan has been carrying out a large-scale smear campaign against France for many months, because targeted assessments and warnings are raised in both official and public platforms there regarding the illegal actions taken by Azerbaijan against the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh. The goal of this smear campaign is to prevent possible targeted assessments regarding the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno Karabakh by other countries. For its part, Armenia, expressing gratitude to France, must take all measures so that more and more countries and international organizations issue targeted assessments regarding the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Nagorno Karabakh,” Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting.

Armenia must react to the entire situation through continuous diplomatic work, he added.

“As difficult as it gets morally, politically or emotionally, we must never lose self-control,” Pashinyan said.

 11:28, 6 July 2023

YEREVAN, JULY 6, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan warned on Thursday that the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno Karabakh resulting from the illegal blockade of Lachin Corridor is getting worse day by day.

“As you know, Nagorno Karabakh is deprived of supplies of all kinds of products since the June 15 provocation that happened near Hakari Bridge. Even the Russian peacekeepers deployed in Nagorno Karabakh don’t have the possibility to carry out supplies because the Lachin Corridor is completely blockaded. Natural gas and electricity supply into Nagorno Karabakh have also been cut off by Azerbaijan for months. At the same time, we see a growing escalation in the Azerbaijani rhetoric and propaganda, especially in the direction of Nagorno Karabakh,” Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting on July 6.

Furthermore, Azerbaijan continues to make false accusations against Armenia. Azerbaijan continues to demand Armenia to withdraw what it described as units of the Armed Forces of Armenia, whereas Armenia doesn’t maintain any military presence in Nagorno Karabakh.

“In particular, Azerbaijan continues to demand the withdrawal of the army units of Armenia from Nagorno Karabakh, but Armenia doesn’t have a single soldier in Nagorno Karabakh. I say again, there is no military of Armenia in Nagorno Karabakh. Nagorno Karabakh has its own Nagorno Karabakh Defense Army, and anyone can find the reasons of its existence in the official propaganda and actions of Azerbaijan, whose overt essence is to subject the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh to ethnic cleansing and genocide. We are basically witnessing the implementation of this policy today in Nagorno Karabakh,” Pashinyan added.

 12:21, 6 July 2023

YEREVAN, JULY 6, ARMENPRESS. Armenia has never assumed any obligation to provide an extraterritorial corridor and will never accept any such interpretation, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on July 6.

“Azerbaijan continues to accuse Armenia of not fulfilling obligations on ensuring transport connection through its territory with some ambiguous interpretations. I have to repeat that Armenia has never, neither verbally nor in writing, assumed any corridor obligation and will not accept any such interpretation. By reading the 9 November 2020 agreement anyone can see that Armenia hasn’t assumed any corridor obligation,” Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan said that Armenia is ready for the unblocking of regional connections under the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the countries.

“For a long time the Armenian government has put into circulation a draft decision envisaging the opening of three border checkpoints on the Armenian side of the Armenia- Azerbaijan border. This decision is not being adopted because of Azerbaijan’s destructive approach, which hasn’t even initiated such a process and doesn’t want to provide a road for Armenia. The logic is that Azerbaijan should also make the same decision, so that these checkpoints get installed on both Armenia’s side and Azerbaijan’s side, in order for the regional and transport infrastructures to be unblocked. Azerbaijan is not doing this and Azerbaijan is behaving this way because it hasn’t abandoned its 30-year policy of subjecting the Republic of Armenia to blockade,” Pashinyan said.

 12:34, 6 July 2023

YEREVAN, JULY 6, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan didn’t make a single adequate step in response to Armenia providing the maps of minefields, and continues to illegally hold Armenian prisoners of war and uses them as a political bargaining factor, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on July 6.

He said that Azerbaijan is making groundless accusations against Armenia regarding laying mines.

“First of all, the International Court of Justice debunked the accusations targeting Armenia over laying mines in its February 22 ruling, and besides, as a sign of sincerity and determination in normalizing relations, Armenia gave Azerbaijan in the past years the maps of all minefields in the territories under Azerbaijani control, which is today being used in large-scale de-mining works. But in response Azerbaijan did not make a single adequate step, it still continues to hold Armenian prisoners of war and uses them as a factor for political bargaining,” Pashinyan said.

 12:26, 6 July 2023

YEREVAN, JULY 6, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Thursday that Armenia and Azerbaijan made some progress in the latest foreign ministerial talks in Washington D.C. but noted that this progress wasn’t tangible.

There is no alternative to implementing the peace agenda as difficult as the situation could get morally, politically, emotionally or in terms of security, Pashinyan said.

“The exercising of the rights and security of the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh must be addressed as part of international mechanisms of Baku-Stepanakert dialogue, while a peace treaty must be signed between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The progress recorded in the latest Armenia-Azerbaijan negotiations in Washington wasn’t tangible, but there is some progress. I have a planned meeting soon with the Azerbaijani president in Brussels, under the mediation of the President of the European Council. Unfortunately the text of the peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan isn’t ready for signing yet. I hope to materialize the recorded positive [progress] in Washington. All issues must be resolved diplomatically,” Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting.

 12:46, 6 July 2023

STEPANAKERT, JULY 6, ARMENPRESS. Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) is most interested in dialogue with Azerbaijan, but this should meet some standards, the Nagorno Karabakh Foreign Minister Sergey Ghazaryan told reporters on July 6.

Negotiations conducted under pressure cannot be considered neither negotiations nor dialogue, he said.

There can be no dialogue as long as the Lachin Corridor is blocked, Ghazaryan added.

“We’ve been receiving various offers on organizing such meetings from representatives of various countries, and international organizations. But there are some elements that should be taken into account. Such meetings took place on February 24 and March 1 with mediation of Russian peacekeepers in their deployment base. Technical issues were discussed during that meetings, but the Azerbaijani side entirely distorted the meaning of the meetings, misrepresenting it as the launch of talks on reintegration,” Ghazaryan said, noting that this was followed by the March 5 ambush when Azeri troops shot dead three police officers in Nagorno Karabakh.

“We firmly believe that negotiations conducted under pressure cannot be called dialogue or negotiations. As long as the road is closed there won’t be dialogue in such conditions. The other side must also show that it is ready for dialogue, but if they block the road, how should we understand that the Azerbaijani side is ready for dialogue? Regular discussions are taking place on a new dialogue. The Artsakh side has numerously conveyed to the Azerbaijan side offers to meet through the Russian peacekeepers, but the offers were turned down by the Azeri side itself,” Ghazaryan said.

The Lachin Corridor must be completely unblocked and essential goods must be supplied in order to see a change in Azerbaijan’s approaches, he said.

 13:08, 6 July 2023

YEREVAN, JULY 6, ARMENPRESS. Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) authorities expect Russian peacekeepers to make all efforts as part of their obligations under the 9 November 2020 agreement to lift the blockade of the Lachin Corridor, Nagorno Karabakh Foreign Minister Sergey Ghazaryan said on July 6.

“The situation in Artsakh is getting more difficult day after day, therefore, the Russian peacekeepers, being there, must make all efforts within their jurisdiction, moreover when the most important goal of the Azerbaijani provocations is to discredit the peacekeeping mission,” Ghazaryan said.

Now there’s no big prospect of having another peacekeeping mission in Artsakh, and such a scenario can’t happen swiftly because it implies a serious process, especially in conditions of the existing crisis in international relations.

 12:59, 6 July 2023

YEREVAN, JULY 6, ARMENPRESS. Disbanding the Defense Army of Nagorno Karabakh would be unrealistic given the aggressive actions and rhetoric by Azerbaijan, the Nagorno Karabakh Foreign Minister Sergey Ghazaryan said.

Those who are familiar with the Nagorno Karabakh conflict know that the Defense Army is the most important factor ensuring the security of the population of Nagorno Karabakh, he said.

“Seeing the growing aggressive actions, provocation and aggressive rhetoric by Azerbaijan, discussing the issue of disbanding the Defense Army or the state system – which Azerbaijan demands as a precondition – would definitely be unrealistic,” Ghazaryan said.

Speaking about a letter sent recently by the Nagorno Karabakh President Arayik Harutyunyan to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ghazaryan said that such letters are regularly sent to various leaders.