21:33,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. On November 16, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Vahe Gevorgyan received Pia Kauma, the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.

Welcoming the President of the OSCE PA, Vahe Gevorgyan noted that it is the first time in history that Armenia has the honor of hosting one of the OSCE PA sessions, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

''The interlocutors exchanged views on the existing conflicts in the South Caucasus and the OSCE region as well as the challenges emanating from them. In this context, Deputy Minister Vahe Gevorgyan briefed on the ethnic cleansing policy pursued by Azerbaijan against the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as the approaches of the Armenian side in terms of peace and regional interconnectivity.

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs highlighted the important role of parliamentary diplomacy and its contribution in addressing regional security challenges,'' reads the statement.

 09:38,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Armenian weightlifter Gor Sahakyan has won gold at the IWF World Junior Championships in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Sahakyan was named champion in the men’s 67kg category with a total result of 305kg (140kg snatch and 165kg clean and jerk).

Sahakyan’s win is Armenia’s second gold at the IWF World Junior Championships 2023 after Alexandra Grigoryan was named champion in the women’s 55kg category.

 10:11,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his wife Anna Hakobyan attended Friday evening the premiere of a film dedicated to the STARMUS VI festival which was held in Yerevan in 2022.

The screening took place in Moscow Cinema in downtown Yerevan and was attended by other government officials and lawmakers, including Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Hakob Arshakyan and Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister’s Office Arayik Harutyunyan.

The film is produced by STARMUS co-founders Garik Israelyan and Brian May, as well as filmmaker Todd Douglas Miller.

Israelyan also attended the premiere.

The film will be screened worldwide.

 11:26,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Pia Kauma and OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Secretary General Roberto Montella, together with Armenia’s Human Rights Defender Anahit Manasyan, have visited a temporary shelter for forcibly displaced persons of Nagorno-Karabakh in Abovyan city, Kotayk Province.

The Kotayk governor and Abovyan mayor accompanied the officials during the trip. The officials inspected the shelter, spoke to the forcibly displaced persons and examined the issues concerning their living conditions, needs assessment and provision of essentials.

The protection of the rights of vulnerable groups, including children, elderly and persons with disabilities was under the spotlight. 

The forcibly displaced persons presented to the visiting officials their sufferings during the Azeri military attack, as well as the preceding blockade of Lachin Corridor, the mass human rights violations, the dangers in terms of life and security in NK and their issues after the forced displacement resulting from the Azeri attack. 

The Ombudsperson’s Office said that Manasyan is regularly visiting the forcibly displaced persons.

 11:42,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian government has released a video detailing the Crossroads of Peace project, a monumental undertaking designed to establish connections between the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea and the Mediterranean Sea via a consolidated, regional railway network and via the North-South and East-West roads.

"Open borders, unlocked infrastructures, active economic, political and cultural ties. These are the conditions necessary to establish long-term peace in our region. The Crossroads of Peace project is about creating new infrastructures or improving the scope and quality of the existing ones. Armenia is ready to establish five checkpoints on the Armenia-Azerbaijan borders for road infrastructures including in Kayan, Sotk, near Karahunj, near Angeghakot , and Yeraskh.

Also, to establish two checkpoints on the Armenia-Turkiye border in Akhurik and Margara for road infrastructures.

Armenia is prepared to ensure communications between Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkiye, by restoring four railway sections in the territory of the Republic of Armenia. Armenia is ready to restore the Nrnadzor-Agarak railway section and to establish checkpoints near the borders, to restore the railway section from Yeraskh to the border of Nakhchivan and to establish a checkpoint in Yeraskh, to restore the depleted parts of the railway from Gyumri to the border of Turkiye and to establish a checkpoint in Akhurik. Also, Armenia is prepared to restore the depleted parts of railway from Hrazdan to Kayan and to establish a checkpoint in Kayan. This will create new links between all the countries of the region. The principles of the Crossroads of Peace are: all infrastructures including roads, railways, airways, pipelines, cables and power lines operate under the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the countries through which they pass; each country, through its state institutions, in its territory ensures border control, customs control and security of the infrastructures, including the passage through its territory of vehicles, cargo and people; All infrastructures can be used for both international and domestic transportation; countries use all the infrastructures on the basis of reciprocity and equality, and in accordance with these principles border and customs controls can be facilitated through mutual consent and agreement. As missing sections of railways and roads are restored and infrastructures unlocked, it will become possible to establish a seamless connection between the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea and the Mediterranean Sea via a consolidated, regional railway network and via the North-South and East-West roads. The Government of the Republic of Armenia reaffirms its commitment to contribute its share to the region’s peace and stability, and to make practical measures to build the Crossroads of Peace," the government said in the video.

 12:57,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan has congratulated Xavier Bettel on his appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Luxembourg.

“Congratulations to Xavier Bettel on assuming the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Luxembourg. I look forward to continuing exemplary partnership with friendly Luxembourg, reinforced by Armenia's permanent diplomatic presence in Luxembourg,” Mirzoyan said in a post on X.

 12:44,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. U.S. Republican presidential candidates Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley joined with Vivek Ramaswamy in condemning Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh’s 120,000 indigenous Armenians at The FAMiLY Leader Thanksgiving candidate forum in Iowa, a high-profile program co-sponsored by the 120,000 Reasons Coalition, Oragark (ARF official publication) newspaper reported.

Their statements were made during a table-side talk led by The FAMiLY Leader President and CEO Bob Vander Plaats. Noting that Armenia is the first Christian nation and citing Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleansing of 120,000 Armenian Christians, Vander Plaats asked the three candidates, “how would you ensure that this bastion of ancient Christianity is safeguarded?”

In his response, Gov. DeSantis noted, “I think the United States should be standing for the Christians in Armenia. I think that is a noble cause.” 

Amb. Nikki Haley underscored in her response, “What happened in Azerbaijan is a travesty… we should be calling out Azerbaijan.”

Vivek Ramaswamy, offered the most detailed response, stating that “120,000 Armenians, the oldest Christian nation of the world, displaced. And, the even dirtier secret at the heart of that – we’re [the US government] is paying for it.” Ramaswamy criticized the Biden Administration for waiving Section 907 restrictions, arming and abetting Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleansing of Armenians.

Ramaswamy has been outspoken in spotlighting Azerbaijan’s forced displacement of Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenians on the campaign trail, discussing the matter with Tucker Carlson and Piers Morgan, and attending a 120,000 Reasons protest organized by the ANCA Eastern Region and AYF Eastern Region on the eve of the GOP presidential candidates debate in Miami, Florida. He recently attended an Armenian reception at Armenian Estates, in Genoa Township, OH, hosted by Tigran and Viola Safaryan and Steve and Erna Atikian. Longtime ANC-Ohio leader David Krikorian introduced Ramaswamy at the event, which was attended by Armenian Americans from across the Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland areas.

Vander Plaats and The FAMiLY Leader are part of the 120,000 Reasons coalition, which has been working on the ground in Iowa and across the US to exert pressure on the White House, Congress, and the 2024 Presidential candidates to break the silence on the Azeri ethnic cleansing campaign targeting Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh and to support the sovereignty and security of Armenia.

 14:00,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Russia, Azerbaijan and Türkiye are not participating in the OSCE PA Autumn Meeting held in Yerevan.

Armenian MP Sargis Khandanyan, the Head of the Armenian Delegation to the OSCE PA, told reporters that the three countries have not revealed the reason for their decision to not attend the event.

Invitations to attend the event are sent by the organization’s international secretariat. All OSCE member states, as well as the 11 partner states were invited.

Khandanyan said that Russia informed the OSCE PA President that it won’t participate a day before the event. 

“Regarding the Azerbaijani delegation, for several times, in various formats, they had raised an issue related to their security in Armenia. The National Assembly of Armenia informed the OSCE PA President that the National Assembly is ready to guarantee the security of the delegates, but as you can see, the Azerbaijani delegates did not come,” Khandanyan told reporters.

Last year, however, when Armenia hosted the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly meeting, Azerbaijan’s delegates did participate.

“There are security protocols and we are ready to implement it, but they didn’t come,” the MP said.

There’s been no explanation from Türkiye regarding its non-participation.

 15:43,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. The OSCE PA Autumn Meeting in Yerevan will feature discussions on Armenia-Azerbaijan peace talks and the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Pia Kauma has said.

Kauma told reporters in Yerevan that the situation in Israel and Gaza, as well as the Russia-Ukraine conflict will also be discussed.

 16:52,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan warned OSCE PA delegates on Saturday that countries ought to plan the future to prevent future crises and clashes.

Speaking at the OSCE PA Autumn Meeting in Yerevan, PM Pashinyan said that the world will never be the same again after the crises in Afghanistan, Ukraine, Gaza and the ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh.

“It is obvious that after the crises in Afghanistan, Ukraine, Gaza, and the ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh, the world will never be the same again, no one doubts this no more. But no one knows what the world of tomorrow will look like,” Pashinyan warned.

The Armenian PM said that it is extremely important to plan the future, otherwise crises and clashes could spread.

Speaking about the Armenian-Azeri peace process, the PM said there are both good news and bad news.

He said that the good news is that the main principles for peace are agreed upon, citing the May 14 and July 15 statements by President of the European Council Charles Michel.

The three principles are:  reciprocal recognition of territorial integrity and sovereignty, based on the understanding that Armenia’s territory covers 29.800 km2 and Azerbaijan’s 86.600 km2; commitment to the 1991 Almaty Declaration as a political framework for the delimitation of border; unblocking of regional connections under the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the countries through which they pass. There is also an understanding that both countries do not have territorial claims against each other and are ready to assume obligations not to do so in the future. “And this is the reason why we propose Azerbaijan to reciprocally pull back troops from the administrative borders of the USSR, and to address the exclave/enclave issues. The exclave of Artsvashen, a part of sovereign Armenian territory, has been under Azeri occupation for over 30 years,” Pashinyan said.

“The good news is that the main principles for peace with Azerbaijan are agreed upon. This has happened as a result of my meetings in Brussels with the Azerbaijani President under the mediation of the President of the European Council Charles Michel. These agreements are recorded in the May 14 and July 15 statements by Charles Michel following the trilateral meetings,” the Prime Minister said.

Armenia has presented its Crossroads of Peace project to ensure its share of the agreements.

Pashinyan warned however that the bad news is that Armenia and Azerbaijan still talk with different diplomatic languages and very often do not understand each other.

“Of course there are also objective reasons for this, such as the long lasting conflict, with certain historical context, thousands of victims, and it is very difficult to look into the eyes of their families, tens of prisoners, and there are no answers to the questions of their families, the prevailing atmosphere of hate for decades and the doubts that malicious intentions are concealed behind constructive statements. Moreover, in some sense what I’ve just said relates to both Armenia and Azerbaijan. But Azerbaijan, for example, hasn’t once publicly mentioned the abovementioned three principles, hasn’t reaffirmed commitment to these principles, which deepens the atmosphere of distrust,” Pashinyan said.

He also warned about the “extremely suspicious” Azeri state narrative of misrepresenting Armenia as ‘Western Azerbaijan.’

“They are teaching this concept in schools and universities, and in the media. This seems to us as preparations for a new war, new aggression against Armenia, and it is one of the main obstacles for progress in the peace process,” Pashinyan said.

The Armenian PM said that Azerbaijan’s refusal to release Armenian prisoners is incomprehensible, despite Yerevan’s proposal to resolve the matter under the ‘all for all’ principle.

Pashinyan said that Armenia is committed to the peace agenda and the peace process.