Iran welcomes Armenia’s Crossroads of Peace project

Meline Chalian

 16:59,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. Iran welcomes the Crossroads of Peace project developed by the Armenian government, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said at a joint press conference with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan in Yerevan on Wednesday.

“Iran supports the establishment of sustainable peace in the South Caucasus and the launch of the North-South transit route. Iran also welcomes the project announced by the Prime Minister of Armenia, which has been presented as the Crossroads of Peace. We are ready to be consistent in the development of the North-South transit route,” the Iranian FM said.

He added that peace and stability in the South Caucasus must be established without the interference of external forces. According to Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, only the regional guarantors will be able to guarantee peace and security.

Recently we have received new proposals from Baku, says Foreign Minister Mirzoyan

Arpi Talalian

 18:29,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian  government is making every effort to bring the peace process to its logical conclusion, but there is hardly a state that is able to sign a peace treaty unilaterally. So in addition to the constructive approach taken by the Armenian side, there is a need for a corresponding constructive approach from the Azerbaijani side. Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan expressed such an opinion during Wednesday’s joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart.
"We have repeatedly emphasized the Republic of Armenia's commitment to engaging in conscientious and constructive negotiations with Azerbaijan. The ultimate goal of these negotiations is the settlement of relations and the establishment of peace. We have consistently reaffirmed our dedication to the peace process and the establishment of lasting peace in our region.
We have had negotiations with Azerbaijan in several directions and several phases; we are working on a concrete draft of the peace treaty. Recently, we have received new proposals from the Azerbaijani side, which we will thoroughly study and respond appropriately, submitting our own proposals," said Mirzoyan.
“There is a real possibility to achieve peace; there is a window to bring the process to a logical end.  We do have a chance for peace despite the many obstacles and difficulties we have faced. Despite even the forced displacement of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh, the hate speech from Azerbaijan, the aggressive rhetoric, we really see that opportunity,’’ said the Armenian Foreign Minister, noting that the government of the Republic of Armenia is doing its utmost to ensure that the process leading to peace reaches its logical conclusion.

Mirzoyan expressed hope that Azerbaijan would show such constructiveness. He added that positive signals are visible, such as the agreements reached due to the recent contacts, leading to the release prisoners of war and detainees. In turn, Armenia supported 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 (UNFCCC).

"On the other hand, we observe negative signals, given the aggressive statements and calls from Azerbaijan, and the avoidance of high-level meetings. Although there are proposals, the meetings have not taken place recently. We hope that in the near future, we will have the opportunity to sign a long-term peace agreement," concluded Mirzoyan.

Inclusion of maps under discussion for providing predictability in demarcation process, says Mirzoyan

Alex Jidarian

 19:04,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. The three principles put forward by Armenia regarding the peace process are in line with the norms of international law and even they are principles popularized as a result of the discussion with the participation of the President of Azerbaijan.

Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan expressed such an opinion during Wednesday’s joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart.

"The three principles pertain to the sovereignty of countries, mutual recognition of territorial integrity and inviolability of borders. When talking about transport and communication infrastructures, we once again address the jurisdiction within the context of these three principles. They are principles accepted by the international community and their legitimacy is recognized worldwide.

 President of the European Council Charles Michel has also announced about this after the regular meeting," said FM Mirzoyan.

According to Mirzoyan, one should be guided by public announcements and established agreements. The Foreign Minister said that there is a real possibility of reaching lasting peace, but it depends on a number of factors, including Azerbaijan's constructive approach.

Regarding the maps to be used in the demarcation and delimitation process, the Armenian Foreign Minister emphasized the importance for the Armenian side that the process is highly predictable, and its principles and foundations are documented in the peace treaty. At this stage, the inclusion of maps is being discussed as a manifestation of fixing the principle of demarcation, providing predictability for demarcation.

Iran's Minister of Foreign Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, in turn, noted that Armenia is committed to achieving peace and is taking concrete steps in that direction.

"The day before yesterday, I had a telephone conversation with Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and noted that official Baku also welcomes the possibility of achieving stable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan. We are optimistic; positive sentiments can help solve the existing problems without external interventions, through the '3+3' format," said the Iranian Foreign Minister.

Iranian, Russian foreign ministers discuss South Caucasus

Emil Lazarian

 11:07,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov have discussed the situation in the South Caucasus in a phone call.

In a readout, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said that the two FMs discussed “the latest developments in the South Caucasus, the current state of cooperation and bilateral relations, as well as certain issues of the regional and international agenda.”

Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian “welcomed the negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia around a sustainable peace treaty and underscored the Islamic Republic of Iran’s support to peace and stability in the region.”

Biden, Qatar’s Emir discuss Gaza hostages

Liana Toganian

 11:11,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. U.S. President Joe Biden and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani have discussed the need to release hostages held in Gaza and efforts to boost humanitarian aid, the White House has said.

“The two leaders discussed the urgent effort to secure the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas, including American citizens,” the White House said in a readout.

It added that the leaders also discussed the ongoing efforts to "facilitate increased and sustained flows of life-saving access to humanitarian aid into Gaza."

Qatar and Egypt were mediators between Israel and Hamas in the late November truce.

Total number of deaths in Gaza Strip surpasses 21,000

Emil Lazarian

 20:25,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS.  According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the death toll in the Gaza Strip as a result of Israeli strikes has exceeded 21,000, and more than 55,000 people have been injured, reports TASS.

"The number of dead as a result of Israeli aggression since October 7 has increased to 21,110, with 55,243 wounded," Health Ministry Spokesman Ashraf Al-Qudra said in a statement published on the public health agency's official Telegram channel.

According to him, during just the past 24 hours alone, "Israeli occupation forces committed 16 massacres of entire families," leaving 195 victims, reports Tass.

Armenian authorities carry out ‘intensive work’ to preserve cultural heritage of Nagorno- Karabakh

Eduard Nalbandian

 13:57,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Armenia is carrying out “intensive work” around the preservation of the cultural heritage of Nagorno-Karabakh, Minister Zhanna Andreasyan has said.

“We have an entire action plan with our partners at the Foreign Ministry on how we are going to deal with the issue of preserving the cultural heritage that has been left in Nagorno-Karabakh,” the Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport said at a press conference.

The ministry has compiled a database of the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of Nagorno-Karabakh.

“We are also recording the cases of vandalism and transferring it to all possible international partners. Also, we are launching electronic databases and websites to make it clear and visible,” Andreasyan added.

Armenia, Azerbaijan have political will to achieve peace treaty – Kremlin

Tania Jagharian

 15:52,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. Russia sees political will in Armenia and Azerbaijan to achieve a peace treaty and supports the process, TASS reported citing Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.

“What matters is that we see the presence of political will both in Yerevan and Baku. We support this. We think that the signing of such a treaty would be beneficial for stability and peace both in the two countries, as well as the entire region,” he said.

Peskov said that the contacts between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the sidelines of the informal CIS summit in Saint Petersburg were “brief conversations” and not negotiations.

“They did not hold negotiations yesterday, however this kind of events, such as the informal summit of the CIS, are always a good opportunity for brief conversations,” Peskov said.

The Armenian Prime Minister’s Office said on December 26 that PM Pashinyan and President Aliyev discussed “issues related to the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agenda” on the sidelines of the CIS summit.




Armenpress: It is important that communication continues at all levels: Khandanyan reflects on the Pashinyan-Aliyev meeting

Garnik Tadevosian

 19:59,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. Chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Relations, Sargis Khandanyan in response to Armenpress question about how he would assess the informal contact between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in St. Petersburg and how close Armenia and Azerbaijan are to signing a peace treaty, answered that Armenia’s goal and strategy is to sign a peace treaty with Azerbaijan as soon as possible, emphasizing the need for the document to reflect the principles  outlined by the Armenian side.

"Our goal and strategy are to sign the peace agreement as soon as possible. However, the agreement should reflect the fundamental issues that Armenia has consistently raised. It should be a document that will truly  bring peace to the region and to Armenia,’’ said Khandanyan.

"As for yesterday's meeting, I am not familiar with the details of the informal conversation. However, it is important that contacts continue at all levels. If negotiations do not take place, it means that the process is not moving forward. Armenia aims for the process to proceed as quickly and smoothly as possible," emphasized the Committee Chair.

According to Khandanyan, the recognition of the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia, agreement on the principles of border delimitation, and acknowledgment by Azerbaijan of the fundamental principles of opening communications and economic channels remain as priorities for the Armenian side.

Recently, official Yerevan has received Baku's proposals regarding the peace treaty. When asked whether there is an indication that the principles outlined by the Armenian side are acceptable to Azerbaijan, Khandanyan answered: “It is difficult to talk about these indications at the document level, given that the government is negotiating on this issue and access is limited. However, it is very important that the principles that Armenia outlines are accepted by Azerbaijan, including publicly, which will allow us to move forward.”