19:54,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 13, ARMENPRESS.  In the process of delimitation between Armenia and Azerbaijan no new border has to be created, but the borders confirmed by the Alma-Ata declaration and later reaffirmed by the parties should be reproduced on the ground, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said at the end of  the fifth meeting of the EU-Armenia Partnership Council during the  joint press conference with the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell.

"I reiterated Armenia’s commitment to agreements reflected in statements adopted in quadrilateral meetings in Prague in October 2022 and in Granada last autumn as well as the agreements, announced by the President of the European Council Charles Michel following the trilateral meetings with leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Brussels on May 14 and July 15, 2023.

We remain convinced that Armenia and Azerbaijan should reaffirm that they recognize each other's territorial integrity based on the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration and the most recent maps elaborated by competent and authorized bodies of the Soviet Union should become the basis for the delimitation of the borders between the two countries. This means that in the process of delimitation between Armenia and Azerbaijan no new border has to be created, but the borders confirmed by the Alma-Ata declaration and later reaffirmed by the parties should be reproduced on the ground," said the Foreign Minister.

 20:01,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received the delegation led by Sir John Whittingdale, a member of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

The Prime Minister welcomed the UK parliamentarians' visit to Armenia and referred to the Azerbaijani-initiated escalation on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, the Prime Minister's Office said in a readout.

"Mr. Whittingdale, I welcome you and your delegation to our country. Unfortunately, your visit coincided with a new escalation on the border with Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan initiated a new provocation, as a result of which four Armenian soldiers were killed. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated action, we continuously see a series of Azerbaijani provocations. According to our assessment, this is Azerbaijan's policy aimed at disrupting the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan by all possible means. This is also evidenced by the aggressive rhetoric of the official representatives of Azerbaijan, spiced with explicit territorial claims against Armenia.

Obviously, the strategy of the Azerbaijani government is aimed at deepening enmity in our region, which is a very disturbing fact.

But despite all these facts, our government is devoted to the peace process, because our belief is that the peace process has no alternative. Of course, we should do everything to achieve concrete results in the peace process, and we are doing it. But unfortunately, it is not possible to do this without the political will of the other side. And today's incident that claimed the lives of four soldiers testifies not only to the lack of political will for peace, but also to Azerbaijan's intentions to deepen the enmity and military escalation.

This is evidenced by the events that took place yesterday and today. The Azerbaijani press published information yesterday evening, according to which, in the area of today's incident, an Armenian border guard opened fire in the direction of the Azerbaijani positions. Immediately after that, the Military Police of Armenia announced that an investigation was initiated on the basis of this information, because there is a very strict order from the Ministry of Defense of Armenia not to provoke any escalation, not to give in to provocations.

And that was a very clear message from Armenia, and the press release of the Military Police clearly stated that if that fact is proven, it would mean a violation of the order, resulting in legal consequences. But despite that, early this morning, Azerbaijan started a local but large-scale attack with the use of drones, and as I mentioned, unfortunately four servicemen were killed.

The issue is not even in the incident about which the Azerbaijani media talked last night, because we have a very long and complicated border and if someone is looking for an excuse to escalate, to abort the peace process, they will always find it, even if it is in the form of media publications. Unfortunately, we continuously see this practice from the Azerbaijani side," Prime Minister Pashinyan said.

Referring to the relations between Armenia and the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister noted with satisfaction that there has been a new dynamic in bilateral relations in recent years. Nikol Pashinyan expressed hope that this dynamic will not only continue, but will rise to a new level of relations.

Sir John Whittingdale expressed his condolences and support to the families of those killed as a result of Azerbaijan's military operation and to the Armenian people. At the same time, he expressed concern about the military operations and emphasized the need to implement steps aimed at strengthening peace and stability.

The interlocutors discussed a number of issues related to the Armenia-United Kingdom multilateral cooperation, strengthening of inter-parliamentary ties.

Reference was made to the democratic reforms implemented in Armenia, the steps taken by the Armenian government to fight corruption, and the issues related to the processes taking place in the Caucasus.

The UK parliamentarians also referred to the capabilities of the Armenian government in meeting the humanitarian needs of more than 100,000 forcibly displaced people from Nagorno Karabakh. Support from the international community was also highlighted.

 09:00,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 14, ARMENPRESS. President Vahagn Khachaturyan’s official visit to Hungary on February 5-7 was highly important for the local Armenian community, Hungarian lawmaker, national minority advocate at the Hungarian parliament Nikogosz Akopjan told Armenpress.

Nikogosz Akopjan represents the Armenian community in the Hungarian parliament.

“The President’s visit was highly important for the Armenian community of Hungary because there were no diplomatic relations for a long time. We hope that the visit will intensify the relations in culture, science and trade,” he said. “…finally the Armenians living in Hungary understood that the ice was broken after 12 years. We hope that the visit is the beginning of the development of our friendly ties.”

Asked on his opinion regarding the direction of developing the relations, Akopjan said, “It’s no secret that Hungary has very good relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan. We must be able to delicately recover the lost balance. It is very important for us,” the lawmaker said, adding that the community must be actively engaged. 

Hungary was long ready to restore the ties with Armenia, according to Akopjan.

“Very often the Hungarian side would ask the Armenian community to act as a bridge for restoring the relations,” Akopjan said.

In an earlier interview with Armenpress, Deputy Foreign Minister Paruyr Hovhannisyan also attached importance to Khachaturyan’s visit, noting that Hungary’s stance is highly important in terms of strengthening Armenia-EU ties since Budapest will assume the EU presidency in July 2024.

 09:54,

SOFIA, FEBRUARY 14, ARMENPRESS. The reigning European weightlifting champion (67kg) Gor Sahakyan will take the stage on February 14 at the 2024 European Weightlifting Championships in Sofia.

Sahakyan won gold at the 2023 European Weightlifting Championships in Yerevan.

So far, the Armenian team’s medal count stands at 1 after Aleksandra Grigoryan won gold at the women’s championships in the 55kg category.

 10:15,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 14, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan is leading a delegation to Bulgaria on an official visit on February 14-17.

The Speaker of Parliament will have meetings with President Rumen Radev, Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov, Speaker of Parliament Rosen Zhelyazkov and Members of Parliament included in the Bulgaria-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group.

 10:25,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 14, ARMENPRESS. The United States has expressed ‘concern’ over what it described as ‘military-to-military clashes’ on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border on February 13, when Azeri troops shot and killed 4 Armenian soldiers in Syunik Province. Another soldier was wounded in the shooting. 

‘We are concerned by the reports of deadly military-to-military clashes which resulted in several casualties,’ State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a press briefing. ‘We offer our heartfelt condolences to the families of those killed and injured. The use of force undermines negotiations. The only way to a sustainable peace is at the negotiating table. Any ceasefire violations should be investigated and properly addressed. As the Secretary continually emphasizes, the United States is committed to Armenia-Azerbaijan peace negotiations.’

Miller did not reveal whether U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is planning to meet with the Armenian and Azeri leaders during the upcoming Munich Security Conference (MSC) 2024.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry condemned the February 13 Azeri military provocation and said that Baku is constantly trying to derail the peace process.

 10:35,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 14, ARMENPRESS. Major General Artak Budaghyan of the Armenian Armed Forces has been appointed as Commander of the Armenian-Russian United Group of Forces.

The decree on his appointment was signed by President Khachaturyan at the advice of Prime Minister Pashinyan.

 10:37,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 14, ARMENPRESS. First Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Lieutenant General Kamo Kochunts has been relieved of duties.  

President Khachaturyan signed the Lt Gen’s dismissal decree at the advice of Prime Minister Pashinyan.

 10:40,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 14, ARMENPRESS. President Vahagn Khachaturyan has appointed Colonel Artur Yeroyan as Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia.

Yeroyan was previously the Head of the Vazgen Sargsyan Military University.

The appointment was signed at the advice of Prime Minister Pashinyan.

 12:37,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 14, ARMENPRESS. Armenia and the EU released a joint statement after the Armenia-EU Partnership Council met for the fifth time in Brussels on .

The meeting confirmed the mutual interest and commitment of Armenia and the EU to strengthen and deepen their relations based on common values. To this end, they agreed to launch work on a new Armenia-EU Partnership Agenda, establishing more ambitious joint priorities for cooperation across all dimensions, reads the statement.

“The EU announced an additional €5.5 million in humanitarian aid to support the displaced Karabakh Armenians. This funding comes in addition to the €12,2 million to address urgent humanitarian needs, as well as the recent adoption of €15 million budget support for socio-economic needs.

“The Partnership Council reviewed the implementation of the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA). The EU welcomed Armenia’s commitment to CEPA implementation, appreciated the progress achieved and encouraged Armenia to pursue its reform agenda. The new Armenia-EU Partnership Agenda will aim to unlock the full potential of the CEPA. 

“The Partnership Council reiterated the shared commitment of Armenia and the EU  to human rights, the rule of law and democratic principles. The Partnership Council welcomed the accomplishments to date on the implementation of justice reform and the fight against corruption, the creation of a Ministry of Interior and the reform of the police service in Armenia, with EU support. The parties also acknowledged remaining challenges in the fight against discrimination, hate speech and disinformation, and Armenia committed to work towards further progress in these areas. The EU commended Armenia on recently becoming the 124th state party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and encouraged Armenia to consider relevant capacity-building opportunities.

“The Partnership Council acknowledged Armenia’s willingness to start a visa liberalisation dialogue with the EU, and the EU’s preparedness to continue to undertake further efforts to explore options to do so, further to the November 2023 Foreign Affairs Council. The EU welcomed the implementation of the Visa Facilitation agreement and of the Readmission agreements by Armenia and encouraged Armenia to sustain and further up its efforts. 

“The EU expressed its commitment to stand by Armenia to strengthen its resilience in different sectors, notably trade, energy and connectivity. The Partnership Council noted that while CEPA did not provide for preferential tariffs for trade in goods, it contained important potential for increasing bilateral trade flows. The parties committed to unlocking this potential through joint efforts. The parties committed to further cooperation to prevent sanctions circumvention while the EU commended Armenia’s efforts in this regard.

“The EU underlined the importance of applying administratively the Common Aviation Area Agreement, which has the potential to create new and more direct air transport connections and generate economic benefits to both sides. The parties discussed ways to advance the energy transition of their economies to become more resilient and competitive. The EU reiterated its support to Armenia’s participation in the Black Sea electricity cable project. The parties will continue to work together to enhance Armenia’s energy production from renewable sources, including through investments under the Economic and Investment Plan, as well as to ensure nuclear safety. 

“The parties also reaffirmed the importance of combating climate change, and in this context welcomed Armenia’s adoption of a Long-Term Low Emissions Development Strategy, and encouraged Armenia to further scale up its ambitions to reach climate neutrality.

“The Partnership Council discussed the progress made in reforms of the education, research, health, social protection and civil protection sectors. The parties acknowledged the positive evolution of Armenia-EU cooperation on research & innovation, and discussed how to use the unexploited potential on digital connectivity.

“The Partnership Council underlined the importance of the Eastern Partnership framework as a regional cooperation platform. The Partnership Council noted that the Economic and Investment Plan (EIP) has successfully mobilised over €550 million worth of investments in Armenia. It supported amongst others regional connectivity, access to finance for SMEs, green buses and energy efficient public buildings, and the socio-economic development of Syunik, which also benefits from a dedicated Team Europe Initiative. The Partnership Council expressed a commitment to continue fostering sustainable development in Armenia by leveraging public and private investments and welcomed the recently launched Armenia-EU Investment Coordination Platform.

“The EU side also expressed its strong condemnation of Russia’s illegal aggression against Ukraine and the negative effects this unjustified war has for the wider Eastern Partnership region, Europe as a whole and globally.

“Armenia informed the EU about the humanitarian and human rights impact of Azerbaijan’s use of force in Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023 and the subsequent displacement. The EU reiterated its rejection of the use or the threat of use of force, also in the context of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations and supports a peaceful conflict resolution.

“The parties further stressed the absolute necessity of establishing durable peace and stability in the South Caucasus. The EU reiterated its commitment to support the normalisation of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan based on the principles of mutual recognition of territorial integrity and inviolability of internationally recognized borders based on the 1991 Almaty Declaration. The EU welcomed the policy direction of the Government of Armenia aimed at working towards peace and normalisation in the region, including the opening of regional transport links under the countries’ sovereignty and national jurisdiction, as well as according to the principles of equality and reciprocity, which also underpin Armenia’s “Crossroads of Peace” project. Armenia welcomed the ongoing strengthening of the EU Mission in Armenia. The parties confirmed the need to fully, immediately and effectively implement all the International Court of Justice orders in the case on the Application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Armenia v. Azerbaijan).

“Ahead of the Partnership Council, the EU issued the Partnership Implementation Report on Armenia-EU relations since the previous Partnership Council in May 2022. The report underlined that Armenia continued implementing an ambitious reform agenda with strong EU support including financial assistance. It concludes that Armenia-EU relations have never been stronger.

“The Partnership Council was chaired by the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Mr Josep Borrell. The Armenian delegation was led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, Mr Ararat Mirzoyan. The European Commission’s Director-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, Mr Gert Jan Koopman, also participated in the meeting.”