Category: 2023

On the one hand, Armenia continued to take some steps, take actions, sign agreements related to the CSTO, on the other hand, yesterday at PM Pashinyan’s press conference, an opinion was voiced that the CSTO is leaving Armenia. Opposition MP Gegham Nazaryan stated this at Wednesday’s meeting of the Standing Committee on Defense and Security of the National Assembly of Armenia.

Then, he asked Defense Minister Suren Papikyan this question. “Does the Minister of Defense share this point of view. If not, why are we signing so many agreements? What is the CSTO’s alternative for Armenia today?”

In response, Papikyan said: “I don’t want to get into the discussion about what is the CSTO alternative because if you refer to the Prime Minister’s press conference, he said that Armenia is not leaving anywhere, if there are those leaving, they are leaving Armenia. But we are concerned about that, too. The Ministry of Defense and the Minister of Defense [of Armenia] are also carrying out the activities that we should be guided by according to our international obligations. That is, if we have a current work today, we are obligated to do it, and we do it properly. If documents have been signed, work has been carried out, naturally, within the framework of execution, the Minister of Defense is obligated to report, which I am doing.”

The risk of military escalation has never stopped, and Armenia has always announced it. Minister of Defense Suren Papikyan told about this to reporters at the National Assembly today.

“It gives us a reason to be vigilant and ready to protect the borders of our country,” he added.

To the question of how Armenia will face this military escalation, Papikyan answered: “It is the confrontation task of the armed forces; I don’t want to give details here. If necessary, we will turn to our partners, too. If necessary, we will petition. Let’s not talk about something that didn’t happen now. You ask, ‘Are you ready to face?’ We are ready to defend every inch of our country at any cost.”

Asked whether there is a military buildup on the borders of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and Armenia, the defense minister responded: “The [Artsakh] Defense Army always makes statements about the [military] buildup around Nagorno-Karabakh and the rest. Also, the Russian peacekeepers [in Artsakh] disseminate a daily bulletin about it. I would propose to close the matter with this.

As for the Armenia’s borders, there is currently no [military] buildup recorded; but this does not mean that we should stop or reduce our vigilance. As there is talk of being ready, let it not be seem that we are preparing for war. We are not deviating from our peace agenda, but that does not mean that our country’s borders or territorial integrity are negotiable.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Azerbaijan has threatened Armenia again.

Contrary to the promises and commitments made by Prime Minister Pashinyan on various international platforms, his anti-Azerbaijani propaganda—including rhetoric, disrupting the peace agreement treaty and the efforts of international mediators—does not promise a good future for Armenia. This was stated by the press secretary of Azerbaijani MFA, Aykhan Hajizade, commenting on Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan’s statements during his press conference on Tuesday, APA reported.

“The denial of the fact of forced displacement of Azerbaijanis from their lands on the territory of Armenia by the Prime Minister of Armenia proves that he intends to justify the periodic and targeted policy of [Azerbaijani] ethnic cleansing, which Armenia has been conducting for decades,” said the Azerbaijani official.

The Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) foreign ministry issued a comment on the recent statements made by the assistant to the president of Azerbaijan. The comment reads as follows:

In response to the statements made by Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan, Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the President’s Office Hikmet Hajiyev regarding the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict, the negotiation process and a number of other issues, we consider it necessary to state the following:

The statements of the Azerbaijani side that the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict has been resolved and is no longer on the international agenda do not correspond to reality. The fact that the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict has not been resolved and needs a comprehensive settlement has been repeatedly stated by representatives of both individual States, including the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries, and a number of international organisations.

The fact that the UN Security Council, which bears primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security, in December 2022 discussed the situation related to the blocking of the Lachin Corridor, refutes the claims of the Azerbaijani side that the conflict is no longer on the international agenda. The desire of official Baku to legitimise the results of the illegal use of force against the Republic of Artsakh and its people and present it as a solution to the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict is an attempt to return to the times when military force prevailed over international law.

We are convinced that a comprehensive settlement of the conflict can only be achieved through negotiations, on the basis of the norms and principles of international law. Rejecting the international mechanism of dialogue with official Stepanakert, Azerbaijan is trying to avoid the implementation of possible agreements. Engagement of the international community in the dialogue between Artsakh and Azerbaijan is the only way to guarantee a comprehensive settlement of the conflict.

We strongly reject Azerbaijan’s attempts to distort the essence of the conflict and present it as an internal issue. Against the backdrop of the 90-day blockade of Artsakh, it is obvious that in this way Azerbaijan seeks to create conditions for unhindered ethnic cleansing in Artsakh, excluding the intervention of the international community. This is why Azerbaijan is opposed to the involvement of the international community, including the sending of international missions to Artsakh, so that nothing and no one can prevent the implementation of their criminal plans to ethnically cleanse Artsakh.

At the same time, Azerbaijan continues to make false accusations claiming that Armenia has not fully withdrawn its armed forces and continues to supply arms and ammunition to Artsakh. Such statements do not correspond to reality and are intended to justify the blockade of Artsakh, which has been lasting for more than 90 days.

We emphasise that the Republic of Artsakh has a Defence Army made up of local residents, the presence of which does not contradict any provision of the Trilateral Statement of 9 November 2020, and remains the main guarantee of the security of the people of Artsakh. Azerbaijan’s campaign against the Artsakh Defence Army is due to the fact that Baku seeks to deprive the Artsakh Armenians of the possibility of self-defence and resistance to Azerbaijan’s criminal plans of ethnic cleansing.

Azerbaijan’s claims that the Lachin Corridor is open are false. It should be noted that during the hearings of the International Court of Justice, Azerbaijan had the opportunity to present all its arguments regarding the situation related to the blocking of the Lachin Corridor. However, after a detailed examination of the arguments presented by the parties, the International Court of Justice ordered Azerbaijan to ensure the unimpeded movement along the Lachin Corridor. We recall once again that the decisions of the International Court of Justice are legally binding.

While doing pruning work in the vineyards of the Martuni region of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), three people came under fire from the Azerbaijani military positions, Armenian News-NEWS.am has learned from the Artsakh Police.

“On March 15, at around 11 o’clock, a report was received at the duty unit of the Martuni regional police department that while doing pruning work in the vineyards near the area called ‘Under Khazaz” in the Amaras valley, 3 citizens came under irregular fire being fired by firearms from the adjacent Azerbaijani military positions. As a result of the shootings, agricultural work was stopped. The information about the incident was passed on to the Russian peacekeeping contingent [in Artsakh]. There are no victims,” the report says.

The Haifa city council’s decision to recognize the Armenian Genocide can be a serious test for Israeli-Turkish relations which were settled in 2022.

As it became known to Ynet, on Monday, the Turkish ambassador to Israel petitioned to the Israeli government, demanding to prevent the creation of a monument in Haifa dedicated to the victims of the Armenian Genocide carried out by the Ottoman Empire during the First World War. If Jerusalem refuses to fulfill this demand, the improvement of relations with Ankara may be stopped.

Turkish Ambassador Sakir Ozkan Torunlar’s letter was addressed to Israel’s Minister of Culture and Sports Miki Zohar, who refrained from replying to this letter, sent it to the Israeli foreign ministry, and the latter held consultations regarding this memorial.

An instruction was given to leave Torunlar’s letter unanswered. If the Turkish side insists on taking measures, they will explain to Ankara that it is about the decision of the local authorities, not the Israeli government or state structure.

The calculations that as a result of unblocking the communication channels in the region, Armenia’s GDP will grow by 30 percent is a forecast that takes into account many factors. Of course, no one predicted what kind of fragmentation would occur in the world, that different economic blocs would separate from each other, Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan said in an interview with Armenian News-NEWS.am

“We also have our plans: the construction of the North-South route, now the issue of building a fast transport route between Armenia and Europe is being discussed quite intensively. You also know that we are moving forward quickly in the Gyumri dry port project. All of this is to help us get those economic benefits from de-blockage of the region. Today I can say that if before we assumed it would be 30 percent, now we can expect even more. The world is fragmenting and we want to be a bridge among those fragments,” said the minister.

When asked if there is any research to claim such a thing, he answered: “We’re updating that research right now, the task force is working, we’ll have more recent research on our potential in the next few months.”

As for if only the Meghri railway is opened, what will it give to Armenia, especially considering that the country has to spend $200 million to repair that section, Kerobyan responded: “The Margara checkpoint [on Armenia’s border with Turkey] was opened first—albeit, temporary. There is already an agreement that in June the border will be opened for tourists, for third countries, there is an agreement to restore the Ani bridge.

Now we are in such a turbulent situation that various changes, exacerbations, reversals of some agreements are possible. But today, the first communication that we imagine should be opened is the tourist section of the Armenian-Turkish border.

With the opening of the road you mentioned, the direct road from Armenia to Iran will be opened near Yeraskh [village], which is also a very important road for us in terms of railway and motor vehicle transport. We do not think that the road to Meghri will be opened sooner than the road from Armenia to Iran via Nakhichevan. And if we compare those two with each other, then our economic benefits will be very big,” Kerobyan emphasized.

The European Parliament has published a report on EU-Armenia relations, where the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict and the Nagorno-Karabakh issue have been addressed, too.

It was noted that the ceasefire signed after the 44-day war in 2020 is not being observed; moreover, the ceasefire has been violated several times, leading to hundreds of casualties and the occupation of the sovereign territory of the country in the east and southeast of Armenia by Azerbaijani troops.

The report notes that the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh has greatly hindered the development and stability of the South Caucasus region and affects European stability more broadly.

The document reaffirms that, to be effective, the Armenia-Azerbaijan comprehensive peace treaty must include provisions that guarantee the integrity of Armenia’s sovereign territory, the rights and security of the Armenian population living in Nagorno-Karabakh and other conflict-affected regions, as well as the prompt and safe return of all refugees and internally displaced persons to their homes.

The document mentions as well the blocking of civilian traffic through the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan. The EU is seriously concerned about the blockade of the Lachin corridor, calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to ensure the freedom and security of movement through the corridor, as defined by the tripartite statement of November 9, 2020, and calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to resolve all concerns related to the operation of the Lachin corridor through dialogue and through consultation with all parties involved.

The report calls for international humanitarian organizations, especially the United Nations, to be granted access to Nagorno-Karabakh, and reminds that currently only the International Committee of the Red Cross is allowed to enter the region, which is not enough to accurately assess the conditions and needs of the local population.

The European Parliament condemns the torture of prisoners of war during the September fighting, the harassment and extrajudicial reprisals against civilians, including the elderly, in 2020 and early 2021.

The European Parliament condemns as well Turkey’s expansionist and destabilizing role in the South Caucasus, including by sending Syrian mercenaries to fight for Azerbaijan against Armenia in the second Nagorno-Karabakh war in 2020, and believes that in order to play a constructive role in the region, Turkey should reconsider its unconditional assistance to Azerbaijan, and take tangible steps towards the normalization of relations with Armenia.

Therefore, it strongly supports  the initiative taken by the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, to convene and mediate bilateral meetings of the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Brussels and encourages the work on the ground of the EU’s special representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia.

From the point of view of the import of Turkish agricultural products to Armenia, the border with Turkey is open; that is, Turkish goods come to Armenia without hindrance. Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan said this in an interview with Armenian News-NEWS.am, addressing the question of whether it is possible that in the event of the reopening of the Armenian-Turkish border, cheap Turkish agricultural products will be imported into Armenia, and therefore the local producers of Armenia will not be able to withstand that competition.

“Last year, the trade between Armenia and Turkey was more than $300 million, which is a record indicator. It was mainly import, and we mainly imported agricultural products. In 2019-2020, the trade with Turkey was about $200 million. Today there is no ban for these products. Yes, that product comes through Georgia, but still, those are tiny percentages. Today, the [Armenian] government implements many programs that are aimed at increasing agricultural productivity.

“Yes, in general, the productivity of Armenia’s economy in 2021 was about $7 per hour of GDP created by one person. It is about seven times less than the average indicator of the 37 countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development [(OECD)]. And productivity in agriculture lags far behind [in Armenia]. If, for example, our difference from developed countries in the IT sector is 3-4 times, then in some industries it is seven times, then in agriculture it is dozens of times. The main problem [in Armenia] is the severe fragmentation of the land and limited access to the water system. The solution of these two issues should be brought about by land enlargement and the development of the water system, which is in our plans,” said Kerobyan.