Category: 2023

Turkish Press: US can contribute to peace process in South Caucasus by ‘considering new realities’: Azerbaijan

Aram Torosian
Yeni Safak, Turkey
Dec 7 2023

US can contribute to peace process in South Caucasus by 'considering new realities': Azerbaijan

'Historic opportunities' arose for peace after end of 2020 2nd Karabakh war, Azerbaijan's President Aliyev tells visiting US special envoy

The US can contribute to the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia by taking the South Caucasus region's "new realities" into consideration, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev told a senior official from Washington on Wednesday.

During a meeting in the capital Baku, Aliyev told James O'Brien, US special envoy for European and Eurasian Affairs, that "historic opportunities had arisen for the establishment of peace" after the end of the second Karabakh war of fall 2020, according to a statement by his office.

"Emphasizing that Azerbaijan supported the regional peace agenda, President Ilham Aliyev said that after the end of the conflict and full restoration of Azerbaijan's sovereignty, historic opportunities had arisen for the establishment of peace, noting that the United States could contribute to the process by considering the new realities," said the statement.

Aliyev noted during the meeting that Armenia did not fulfill its obligations after the end of the 44-day war, while also sending weapons and military personnel to the territories of Azerbaijan.

The statement also quoted Aliyev as saying that Azerbaijan "carried out anti-terror measures in its sovereign territories, put an end to aggressive separatism, and demonstrated exemplary compliance with the requirements of humanitarian law during the operation."

"The President pointed out that no harm had been done to civilians and infrastructure," the statement further quoted Aliyev as saying.

It said Aliyev and O'Brien discussed various aspects of bilateral relations and exchanged ideas on regional issues, during which the Azerbaijani president conveyed prospects for developing bilateral cooperation in the fields of energy, transport, and logistics.

O'Brien, for his part, emphasized Washington's role in bringing Azerbaijan's energy resources to world markets and said his country supports the peace agenda in the region, including the normalization of Baku-Yerevan ties and negotiations on a peace treaty, the statement said.

The statement also quoted O'Brien as saying that the US supports the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, as well as the continuation of discussions on opening communication lines between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, also called the Middle or East-West Corridor, is a network of railways and roads that start in Türkiye and covers Georgia, Azerbaijan, the Caspian Sea, and Central Asia, and reaches China, making it an important effort to revive the ancient Silk Road.

"During the meeting, the sides described the resumption of reciprocal visits as a positive step for advancing bilateral relations. The sides also exchanged views on regional issues of mutual interest," it concluded.

Azerbaijan liberated most of the Karabakh region from Armenian occupation during 44 days of clashes in the fall of 2020, which ended with a Russian-brokered peace agreement, opening the door to normalization.

The Azerbaijani army initiated an anti-terrorism operation in Karabakh this September to establish constitutional order, after which illegal separatist forces in the region surrendered.

https://www.yenisafak.com/en/news/us-can-contribute-to-peace-process-in-south-caucasus-by-considering-new-realities-azerbaijan-3674497

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EU and Armenia hold second Joint Research and Innovation Committee meeting under Horizon Europe

Hovsep Chakrian
Dec 7 2023

The second meeting of the EU-Armenia Joint Research and Innovation (R&I) Committee under the agreement associating Armenia to the Horizon Europe programme took place in Yerevan on 5 December.

The parties discussed the achieved results and the way forward to broaden R&I cooperation in order to achieve tangible progress within the Horizon Europe programme. 

The Armenian side highlighted several national R&D policy reforms undertaken since the first meeting, in particular the significant increase in public funding for research and development (R&D), as well as the reorganisation of the Committee on Science into the National Committee on Higher Education and Science to ensure synergy between research and higher education.

The Armenian side also reported on the progress made in relation to the three European Research Area (ERA) Policy Agenda actions (research assessment, infrastructures and careers), and confirmed the country’s commitment to place ERA priorities in the national research strategy. 

The EU invited Armenia to actively participate in the opportunities in specific areas of Horizon Europe, such as the Widening actions, the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions, upcoming European Research Council and European Innovation Council calls, and activities in collaboration with the Joint Research Centre.

According to the EU Delegation to Armenia, since the signing of the Association Agreement on 11 February 2022, Armenia received a total EU contribution for research and innovation of €3.3 million, which includes 11 grants signed and 13 participations from Armenia.

Find out more

Press release

https://euneighbourseast.eu/news/latest-news/eu-and-armenia-hold-second-joint-research-and-innovation-committee-meeting-under-horizon-europe/

Germany: The City Council of Cologne succumbs to the pressure of Turkish Muslim migrants, removes the Memorial of the Armenian Genocide

Emil Karabekian
OpIndia
Dec 7 2023

This monument was first erected in 2018 to mark the centenary year of the Armenian genocide.

The city council of Cologne city in Germany has decided to remove the monument to the Armenian genocide in the city. The city council will now hold a meeting on 7th December 2023 to ponder a thought upon erecting a new memorial to “commemorate the victims of oppression, racism, violence and human rights violations”. 

The city council succumbed to the pressure of 60,000 Turkish Muslim migrants living in the city of a million people. Turkish Muslims deny the genocide of Armenian Christians by Turkey which took place from 1915 to 1918. The conflict still goes on. Notably, there are only 6,000 Armenians in Cologne.

This monument was first erected in 2018 to mark the centenary year of the Armenian genocide. It was initially installed on the left bank of the Hohenzollern Bridge, opposite the equestrian statue of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Unfortunately, it was dismantled in May 2022 and hasn’t yet found a permanent location. It faced vehement opposition from Turkish Muslims right from the inauguration.

The city had previously opted to dismantle the statue, citing reasons such as the planned construction of a cycle path or concerns about potential “social upheaval.” It was removed and restored multiple times before the final decision of the city council came after a recent demonstration by Turkish Muslims in Germany at the end of October 2023.

The steel sculpture stands at a height of approximately 1.80 meters. At the pinnacle of the three-sided pyramid, there is a bronze pomegranate featuring a notch, serving as a poignant symbol for the Armenian genocide. The inscription, titled “This Pain Affects Us All,” is eloquently expressed in Armenian, German, Turkish, and English.

Erected in April 2018 by the Cologne initiative “Remembering Genocide,” the monument commemorated the Armenian Genocide during World War I (1915-1918). It aimed to raise awareness about the genocide and acknowledge the responsibility of the Ottoman Empire. It also included information about the systematic displacement, deportation, and murder of over a million Armenian women, men, and children. The monument served as a powerful symbol of remembrance and a call for the prevention of future genocides.

Cologne’s mayor Reker justified the decision to remove this memorial by saying that the city needs to consider the “diverse interests of our pluralistic urban society”. The Turkish Muslims in Cologne staged protests against this memorial in October.

The political influence exerted by Turkish Muslims in Germany to achieve its objectives is not a new thing. An instance of this was observed in 2005 when, following the intervention of Turkish diplomats, Brandenburg removed the subject of the Armenian genocide from its curriculum. In 2011, the University of Stuttgart, citing Turkish “protests from Berlin,” declined to permit a lecture on the genocide, asserting a decision to “remain neutral.”

In 2014, protests emerged against a play by Edgar Hilsenrath titled “Das Märchen vom letzten Gedanken,” which addresses the Armenian genocide. In response, the theatre in Constance removed the event poster, and before each performance, a statement from the Turkish consul was read out. The premiere had to be conducted under police protection due to the heightened tensions.

The Armenian Genocide, a series of systemic killings of the minority population of Christians during the Ottoman Muslim rule in the region of Armenia, is one of the most horrific state-sponsored genocidal events of the 20th century.

Usually, the Armenian Genocide refers to a series of massacres of the Armenian Christian population carried out by officials of the Ottoman Empire from 1915 onwards. The genocide began in 1915 and lasted until 1923, killing an estimated 1.5 million Armenian Christians, among other minority Christian groups.

Even years before 1915, a tragic event in Adana in April 1909 displays how the Ottoman Empire was prejudiced against the Christians under their rule and how an entire population was branded the enemy of the state, and subjected to tragic, horrific murder on an enormous scale. Details of the Armenian genocide can be read here.

Germany: Cologne gives in to Muslims, monument to the Armenian genocide is finally being removed

Garo Vardanian
Jihad Watch
Dec 5 2023

DEC 5, 2023 1:00 PM BY ROBERT SPENCER

They don’t want to offend their new overlords.

“Cologne gives in to Islamists: monument to the Armenian genocide is finally being removed,” translated from “Köln knickt vor Islamisten ein: Denkmal für Genozid an Armeniern kommt endgültig weg,” by Jerome Wnuk, Apollo News, December 2, 2023 (thanks to Medforth):

urkish extremists rejoice: the Cologne monument to the Armenian genocide, which Turkey does not recognise, has been repeatedly erected and dismantled over the years. Sometimes the city had the statue removed on the grounds that a cycle path was to be built and sometimes for fear of “social upheaval”. After a march by Turkish nationalists, including supporters of the far-right Grey Wolves and DITIB associations, at the end of October, the city finally decided that the memorial should be removed.

The memorial was erected in Cologne in 2018 to commemorate the victims of the Armenian genocide between 1915 and 1918. At that time, between 300,000 and more than 1.5 million people were murdered in massacres and death marches under the responsibility of the Young Turk government of the Ottoman Empire, which was formed by the Committee for Unity and Progress. For international historians, the genocide is indisputable, but Turkey does not recognise the crime.
Since its inauguration next to the Kaiser Wilhelm equestrian statue, the memorial of the “Remember Genocide” initiative has repeatedly caused disputes with Turkish nationalists, who have successfully put pressure on the city. Following protests, the memorial was repeatedly removed by the city and rebuilt by activists from the initiative – although the city’s reasons for not granting the memorial permission and removing it often varied from time to time. Sometimes it was said that a cycle path was to be built and sometimes they were a little more frank – speaking of fear of “social upheaval”.

For example, Cologne’s mayor Reker recently justified herself with the “diverse interests of our pluralistic urban society”, which had to be taken into account. However, this did not stop the “Remember Genocide” initiative from putting the sculpture back up in the city centre on April 24 this year, Remembrance Day. The city then issued a special use permit until May 24. However, this was not sufficient for the campaign and they filed a legal complaint.

In addition to denying the genocide against the Armenians, the participants in the demonstration did not distance themselves from the atrocities committed by Hamas in Israel and even denied them. The chairman of the youth organisation “Fatherland Party” spoke to public broadcaster WDR about the right of Palestinians to defend themselves, explicitly including Hamas terror.

Just weeks later, the city council decided to finally abolish the “This pain affects us all” memorial at the end of 2023. Instead, a new memorial is to be erected to “commemorate the victims of oppression, racism, violence and human rights violations”. At its meeting on December 7, the city council will decide on the funding for a dialogue process in which a new memorial is to be developed. This process is expected to take two years and cost up to 350,000 euros, according to the Kölner Stadtanzeiger.

For the Turkish right-wing extremists, who have been fighting against the memorial for years, the Cologne city government’s caving in is a complete success. On Facebook, nationalists euphorically wrote: “The defamation monument will now be removed. We congratulate the Cologne city council on their decision in favour of justice!”

This is not the first time that political pressure from Turkish nationalists or diplomats in Germany has led to success: in 2005, Brandenburg removed the topic of the Armenian genocide from the curriculum due to the intervention of Turkish diplomats. In 2011, the University of Stuttgart refused to allow a lecture on the genocide due to Turkish “protests from Berlin” – the university stated that it wanted to “remain neutral”.

In 2014, due to protests against a play by Edgar Hilsenrath, “Das Märchen vom letzten Gedanken”, which deals with the genocide, the event poster at the theatre in Constance was taken down and a statement from the Turkish consul was read out before each performance. The premiere had to take place under police protection.

https://www.jihadwatch.org/2023/12/germany-cologne-gives-in-to-muslims-monument-to-the-armenian-genocide-is-finally-being-removed

"You can’t invade Armenia’s territory". Response of the Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia to Aliyev

Toneyan Mark
Dec 7 2023
  • JAMnews
  • Yerevan

Armenia’s response to Aliyev’s statement

“You cannot kill an Armenian soldier, invade Armenian territory and then say you are afraid of revanchism,” Armenian Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan said.

A day ago Ilham Aliyev said, “Azerbaijan needs guarantees that there will be no attempts of revanchism in Armenia.” Responding to the Azerbaijani President’s statement, Simonyan said that Aliyev “should look for these guarantees in himself and his policy, a lot depends on the Azerbaijani side”.

The Speaker of the National Assembly believes that it is also impossible to refuse meetings, discussions on the peace agreement and at the same time worry “about revanchism”. And if there are such fears, Simonyan suggests Azerbaijan “establish normal relations with its immediate neighbors, which it cannot change”.

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According to the Speaker, the peace agreement can be signed as soon as possible if Azerbaijan does not delay the process.

“If the Azerbaijani side does not change anything, does not present a new proposal, then of course the agreement can be concluded within a few days.”

He believes that peace can be achieved if the Azerbaijani president starts taking “positive steps, changes his rhetoric and participates in the meetings that are organized on various platforms.”

He says that what matters for Armenia is not what negotiating platform the agreement will be signed on, but that this platform be effective.

Regarding Azerbaijan’s refusal to participate in negotiations on Western platforms, he expressed the following opinion:

“The matter is the consequences of the ethnic cleansing carried out by Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh. The approaches and methods that international partners saw put Azerbaijan in a rather difficult situation. This is a fact.”

According to political scientist Gurgen Simonyan, Armenia should insist that Azerbaijan “appear at the negotiations on impartial platforms of Europe and the United States”

Simonyan also touched upon Aliyev’s statement that if Armenia wants to include the issues of the rights of Karabakh Armenians in the draft peace agreement, it should also include the issue of the return of Azerbaijanis who left Armenia:

“Azerbaijan is trying to put on the agenda issues that artificially, perhaps, will make it difficult to conclude a peace agreement. This is a negative trend. The parties know very well what they are negotiating about.”

The Speaker assures that the Armenian side truly seeks peace, not just to sign a paper, and it is not a pretense.

The head of the parliament says that manifestation of hatred towards Armenians has become a “brand” in Azerbaijan. Meanwhile, he does not notice such attitude towards Azerbaijanis in Armenia.

“Moreover, oppositionists and journalists accuse Armenian officials of being too loyal to Azerbaijan. Time will pass, and I do not rule out that Armenians will go to live in Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijanis will come to live in Armenia and trade with each other. We are going toward peace, there is no other way,” he said.

For Simonyan, the statements “that this is an unsolvable problem because we had conflicts” are unacceptable. He cites the example of France and England, which “waged war for 116 years” but managed to overcome the conflict.

As an example, the Speaker recalled the sending of humanitarian aid from Armenia to Ukraine, due to which “there was a lot of noise” in Russia. Although Azerbaijan sent aid to Kiev more than once, “we did not hear a single word from the ‘fair’ Russian Foreign Ministry,” Simonyan said.

He went on to list violations by the Azerbaijani side of points of the November 2020 statement, including the return of prisoners. He also recalled that the Azerbaijani military killed Russian peacekeepers:

“Unfortunately, Russia reacts very sharply in the case of Armenia, while in the case of Azerbaijan it either cannot or pretends not to have noticed in order to save face, the good face in a bad game.”

In Simonyan’s opinion, Moscow is trying to keep control of the situation in the region for itself, not realizing that it lost it long ago. He considers the military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023 the most vivid example of this. He says that the Azerbaijani side itself launched the operation, but Moscow’s appeals were addressed to Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“Russia as a partner and guarantor of the November 9, 2020 document did not fulfill its functions. What were the peacekeepers doing, escorting Armenians leaving Artsakh? Was that their function? The peacekeepers did nothing in Nagorno-Karabakh. And there were casualties among them 2-3 hours after the end of hostilities.”

Armenia still has not received weapons worth hundreds of millions of dollars paid to Russia. According to the parliament speaker, there is a chance to solve the problem of undelivered weapons in the atmosphere of partnership:

“And the Russian side has a chance to show that it remains faithful to its proclaimed principles and signed documents. If the commitments are not fulfilled, which is a fact, Armenia should unequivocally defend its interests”.

https://jam-news.net/armenias-response-to-aliyevs-statement/

Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement: Opinion from Yerevan

Meline Chalian
Dec 7 2023
  • Armine Martirosyan
  • Yerevan

Signing of the peace treaty

The Armenian Foreign Ministry accuses Azerbaijan of trying to “delay the peace process and drive it to a deadlock” by staging provocations on the border and rejecting Western mediators’ proposals to continue negotiations. Yerevan has handed Baku its sixth peace treaty proposal. Azerbaijan has yet to respond. Instead, it has offered to hold bilateral talks — without the participation of mediators. Both sides declare their readiness to sign a peace treaty, but the process is not moving forward.

Armenia’s expert community believes that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is indeed ready to sign a peace agreement, but the process is being delayed by Azerbaijan because of its agreements with Russia.

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“Azerbaijan fulfills its obligations to Russia. Signing a peace treaty not on Russian platforms contradicts the commitments Aliyev made after the Karabakh war in 2020. Turkey then helped Azerbaijan successfully wage war, while Russia did everything to prevent Armenia from resisting effectively, sabotaging many processes in the army through its agency and through its influence.

At the same time, Moscow and Baku agreed that Azerbaijan gets Artsakh and Russia gets Azerbaijan as a member of the CSTO military bloc and the EAEU economic union.

In parallel, Moscow planned to change the power in Armenia following its defeat in the 2020 war, appoint its protégé, and annex Armenia to Russia as a province or absolute vassal.

But this project failed. Alexander Dugin and Vladimir Zhirinovsky repeatedly reminded Ilham Aliyev of his duty to Moscow. That they had done their job – betrayed their ally and sold it to Azerbaijan, now it is Baku’s turn, and Baku must pay.

Alexander Dugin – Russian public figure who promotes the idea of creating a Eurasian superpower by integrating the Russian Federation with former Soviet republics into a new union.

Vladimir Zhirinovsky – Chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia until his death in 2022.

But Aliyev refused, saying that he had not yet received everything promised, referring to the so-called ‘Zangezur corridor’ [a road through southern Armenia to Nakhichevan not controlled by the Armenian side].”

“Because of this, Russia started to pressure Armenia to get this corridor. Since it failed to get what it wanted, it no longer hopes that Azerbaijan will join the CSTO or the EAEU. Now Moscow is demanding that it stay in Nagorno-Karabakh, where the mandate of the peacekeeping force expires in a year.

A peace treaty signed on Western platforms under Western guarantees and mediation means a solution to Armenian-Azerbaijani, as well as Armenian-Turkish contradictions. Then no one, including Armenia, will need Russia in this region.

I am convinced that Vladimir Putin and Recep Erdogan during their meeting on September 4 in Sochi, along with the aggression against Artsakh and ethnic cleansing of Armenians, reached additional agreements to ensure that the peace treaty is at least not concluded on Western platforms.”

“Look at the discussions that were organized in September in the U.S. Senate, look at what James O’Brien, Assistant Secretary of State of the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs of the U.S. State Department, said on the Artsakh issue.

James O’Brien talked about replacing Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh: “There are currently Russian troops there, this is their first term, according to the 2020 ceasefire statement. If there is an alternative for these countries [Armenia and Azerbaijan], the presence of Russian peacekeepers will no longer be needed. They have failed their task as peacekeepers. We need the Russian peacekeepers to leave after their five-year term expires [in 2025]. The United States is ready to offer an alternative to Russian peacekeepers. The United States and the European Union want Armenia’s rapprochement with its transatlantic allies and are working out a strategy to ensure it.

In addition, Azerbaijan was clearly told at the Senate hearings that there are still a few weeks left to sign the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty. On the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh, it was said that the US is investigating the latest aggression against Armenians to understand what happened there, whether it was ethnic cleansing or not. They are cooperating with Human Rights Watch as part of that investigation. This is necessary so that their statements do not appear unsubstantiated.

The rights and security of the NK Armenians are part of the peace treaty itself, and this was made clear by the statement of the leaders of Armenia, France, Germany and the EU President at the end of the quadrilateral meeting in Granada.

The statement clearly spoke of the safe return of Karabakh Armenians to their homeland, ensuring their rights and security, something Azerbaijan wants to avoid.

But if Baku continues its unconstructive policy, I am sure that the Kosovization of Artsakh will be inevitable.”

“To advance these goals, actors have different roles. Armenia has its own role. It does not raise the issue of Artsakh. Mediators have their own. And that is why we need Western mediators, while Azerbaijan does not. Baku prefers to solve issues on the Russian platform, where the Nagorno-Karabakh issue is not mentioned, or prefers a bilateral format without mediators.

But I exclude the possibility of signing a peace treaty on the Russian platform.

Armenia has a consistent policy on the issue of the Russian military bloc of the CSTO, refusing to participate in the activities of the organization. It should pursue the same policy in other formats.

It would be a mistake on the part of Nikol Pashinyan to go to any event and meet with Ilham Aliyev in the Russian backyard. This will be a very bad message to the West.“

https://jam-news.net/signing-of-the-armenia-azerbaijan-peace-treaty/








For the first time: a joint statement by Armenia and Azerbaijan "to achieve long-awaited peace in the region"

Ani Tigranian
Dec 7 2023

Armenia-Azerbaijan joint statement

In a historic first, a joint statement from the Office of the Prime Minister of Armenia and the Administration of the President of Azerbaijan declares:

“Baku and Yerevan share the view that this is a historic opportunity to achieve long-awaited peace in the region.”

Both countries affirm their commitment to normalize relations and establish a peace treaty based on respect for the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The agreement includes tangible steps to strengthen trust between the two nations.

Specifically, the document outlines that Azerbaijan releases 32 Armenian servicemen, and Armenia reciprocates by releasing 2 Azerbaijani servicemen.

Official records indicate that Azerbaijan currently detains 55 Armenian prisoners. Armenian human rights activists assert that Baku may be holding an additional 80 Armenians.

The Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan share the view that there is a historical chance to achieve a long-awaited peace in the region. Two countries reconfirm their intention to normalize relations and to reach the peace treaty on the basis of respect for the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Following the talks between the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia and the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan, an agreement has been reached on taking tangible steps towards building confidence between two countries.

Driven by the values of humanism and as a gesture of goodwill, the Republic of Azerbaijan releases 32 Armenian military servicemen.

In its turn, driven by the values of humanism and as a gesture of goodwill, the Republic of Armenia releases 2 Azerbaijani military servicemen.

As a sign of good gesture, the Republic of Armenia supports the bid of the Republic of Azerbaijan to host the 29th Session of the Conference of Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, by withdrawing its own candidacy.

The Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan do hope that the other countries within the Eastern European Group will also support Azerbaijan’s bid to host.

As a sign of good gesture, the Republic of Azerbaijan supports the Armenian candidature for Eastern European Group COP Bureau membership.

The Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan will continue their discussions regarding the implementation of more confidence building measures, effective in the near future and call on the international community to support their efforts that will contribute to building mutual trust between two countries and will positively impact the entire South Caucasus region.

https://jam-news.net/armenia-azerbaijan-joint-statement/

Armenian Wine, Dinner, and a Movie in Damariscotta Dec. 21

Jack Hunanian
Dec 7 2023

December 7, 2023 at 1:16 pm

On Thursday, Dec. 21, Damariscotta’s historic Lincoln Theater is pleased to be part of a very special event – a celebration of Armenian wines with a very local connection.

Through special, one-night-only dinner services and wine pairings at two local restaurants and a special event film screening at the Lincoln Theater, community members have the opportunity to taste the wine and learn the story of the people behind it – a father and daughter, at the crossroads of Armenia and Iran, who must overcome war, religion, and geopolitics to establish their wines on the global stage and reclaim a 6,000 year old tradition of winemaking.

From the team that made the Somm documentaries, “Cup of Salvation” is a sweeping film that follows a father and daughter as they set out to revive the ancient grapes of their homeland in Armenia and the forbidden vineyards of Iran.

Aimee Keushguerian, Damariscotta native and daughter of local resident and Damariscotta Select Board member Andrea Keushguerian, works alongside her father Vahe, breathing life into the post-Soviet infrastructure of their country, harvesting grapes during war and marketing their wine globally, from the battle-scarred Caucus Mountains to the deeply hidden clandestine vineyards of the Iranian countryside.

In partnership with SoPo Wine Co., the wines will be available for purchase at the theater prior to the film. Immediately following the screening, Aimee Keushguerian will take the stage as a special guest for a talkback and Q&A session with the audience.

Rounding out this special event into the perfect night out are two local restaurants, each offering special dinner services in partnership with the film screening. Experience the wines before learning the story.

The Damariscotta River Grill and Bred in the Bone, both located on Main Street directly across from Lincoln Theater, will each serve a unique fourcourse meal, beginning at both locations at 5 p.m. Each course will be paired with featured wines from the Armenian winery. Dinner reservations are required.

Tickets for the “Cup of Salvation” film screening are available online through the Lincoln Theater’s website at lincolntheater.net. Tickets are $12 for adults and $9 for Lincoln Theater members.

Reservations and more information on each dinner service are available by contacting each restaurant directly. Inquiries to the Damariscotta River Grill can be made through damariscottarivergrill.com or by calling 563-2992. Inquiries to Bred and the Bone can be made through bitbmaine.com or by calling 563-6124.

This special event is made possible with the support of SoPo Wine Co., Salt Bay Trading Co., and gifts from generous community members.

https://lcnme.com/arts/armenian-wine-dinner-and-a-movie-in-damariscotta-dec-21/

Armenia, Azerbaijan Agree To Take Steps Towards Normalisation

Vardan Badalian
BARRON'S
Dec 7 2023
  • FROM AFP NEWS
By Mariam HARUTYUNYAN

Arch-foes Armenia and Azerbaijan said Thursday they would exchange prisoners of war and work towards normalising their relations, in a joint statement hailed by the EU as a "breakthrough".

The Caucasus neighbours have been locked in a decades-long conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which Azerbaijan reclaimed after a lightning offensive against Armenian separatists in September.

Both countries have said a peace agreement could be signed by the end of the year, but peace talks — mediated separately by the European Union, the United States and Russia — have seen little progress.

On Thursday, the two sides agreed in a joint statement to seize "a historical chance to achieve a long-awaited peace in the region".

"The two countries reconfirm their intention to normalize relations and to reach the peace treaty on the basis of respect for the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity," the statement said.

Baku will free 32 Armenian prisoners of war, while Yerevan will release two Azerbaijani servicemen, according to the statement.

The two countries also said they "will continue their discussions regarding the implementation of more confidence building measures, effective in the near future and call on the international community to support their efforts".

The agreements were reached during talks between the office of Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the administration of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

Armenia's foreign ministry said Yerevan had "responded positively to the offer of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to organise the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Washington".

EU Council President Charles Michel praised the statement Thursday in a post on social media, calling it a "key step".

"Delighted to welcome a major breakthrough in Armenia-Azerbaijan relations as they issue a joint statement," he said.

Aliyev and Pashinyan have met on several occasions for normalisation talks mediated by the European Union.

But the process has stalled over the last two months as two rounds of negotiations failed to take place.

Azerbaijan refused to participate in talks with Armenia that were planned in the United States on November 20, over what it said was Washington's "biased" position.

In October, Aliyev declined to attend a round of negotiations with Pashinyan in Spain, that time accusing France of bias.

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had been scheduled to join Michel as mediators at those talks.

So far, there has been no visible progress in EU efforts to organise a fresh round of negotiations.

The traditional regional power broker Russia — bogged down in its Ukraine war — has seen its influence wane in the Caucasus.

Aliyev sent troops to Karabakh on September 19, and after just one day of fighting, Armenian separatist forces that had controlled the disputed region for three decades laid down arms and agreed to reintegrate with Baku.

Over the following days, almost the entire Armenian population of the mountainous enclave — more than 100,000 people — fled Karabakh for Armenia, sparking a refugee crisis.

Azerbaijan's victory marked the end of the territorial dispute, which saw Azerbaijan and Armenia fight two wars — in 2020 and the 1990s — that have claimed tens of thousands of lives from both sides.

Armenia backs Azerbaijan to host COP29 climate conference

Suren Karakhanian
Reuters
Dec 7 2023
By Nailia Bagirova

December 7, 20238:39 PM GMT+2Updated 2 hours ago

BAKU, Dec 7 (Reuters) – Armenia agreed on Thursday not to block Azerbaijan's candidacy to host next year's COP29 U.N. climate conference as part of a series of mutual goodwill gestures intended to promote reconciliation between the estranged South Caucasus neighbours.

The move could not only resolve a problem hanging over the COP28 forum under way in Dubai but also point to greater trust between Yerevan and Baku after Azerbaijan in September seized the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region from the ethnic Armenians who had controlled it.

A joint statement from both administrations said Azerbaijan would release 32 captured Armenian service members and Armenia would free two Azerbaijani soldiers.

“The two countries reconfirm their intention to normalise relations and to reach a peace treaty on the basis of respect for the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity," it said.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been at odds for more than three decades over Nagorno-Karabakh, which had freed itself from Baku's control in a bloody ethnic conflict that accompanied the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, surviving with financial, military and diplomatic support from Yerevan.

When Azerbaijani forces mounted their lightning offensive, which prompted almost all Karabakh's population of around 120,000 to flee to Armenia, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan resisted domestic pressure to intervene.

He had already verbally recognised the territory as part of Azerbaijan, in line with international practice, even as repeated attempts at peace talks, often with international support, led nowhere and border skirmishes erupted regularly.

Faced in September with a militarily stronger opponent and with a seemingly indifferent ally in Russia, he said his country needed peace more than anything to secure its sovereignty and prosperity.

"The Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan share the view that there is a historic chance to achieve a long-awaited peace in the region," the joint statement said. "An agreement has been reached on taking tangible steps towards building confidence between two countries."

The neighbours said discussions would continue on implementing more confidence-building measures.

Azerbaijan, which had on Wednesday received U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James O'Brien, said it was prepared to accept an offer by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to host talks between the countries' foreign ministers in Washington.

Reporting by Nailia Bagirova; Writing by Kevin Liffey; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Lisa Shumaker

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/armenia-backs-azerbaijan-host-cop29-climate-conference-2023-12-07/