Hungarian president hails ‘historic’ restoration of ties with Armenia, hopes for intensification of relations

Ekmekjian Janet

 17:25, 6 February 2024

BUDAPEST, FEBRUARY 6, ARMENPRESS. Hungarian President Katalin Novák expressed hope Tuesday at a joint press conference with her Armenian counterpart Vahagn Khachaturyan in Budapest that the two countries will be able to intensify their relations and achieve a tanbigle result of cooperation.

“The last time an Armenian president visited [Hungary] was in 2009, while this is the first presidential visit after the change of the political system,” the Hungarian president said. “I hope that we will be able to change this trend and intensify our relations and have more official visits between our countries. There is readiness on our side and I hope that on your side as well.”

Novák described the restoration of Armenia-Hungary relations as ‘historic’.

“We need to understand the content of our diplomatic relations in order to be able to resolve all misunderstandings of the past,” the Hungarian president said, citing two recently signed memoranda as a testament to the willingness of the two countries to cooperate.

Diplomatic relations between Armenia and Hungary were severed in 2012 by then-President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan after Hungary extradited Ramil Safarov, the convicted murderer of an Armenian officer, to Azerbaijan. Armenian military officer Lt. Gurgen Margaryan was murdered by Azerbaijani military officer Ramil Safarov during a February 2004 training course organized by NATO in Hungary.

Gurgen Margaryan was asleep in his room when Safarov attacked him with an axe.

During the trial in Hungary, Safarov admitted in court to having killed Margaryan because of his hatred towards Armenia and Armenians. He was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Hungarian court. However, in 2012 Hungary extradited him to Azerbaijan upon Baku’s request. He was released upon arrival, glorified on the state-level and pardoned by President Aliyev. On the same day, then-President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan severed diplomatic relations with Hungary.

10 years later, in 2022, Armenia and Hungary to restore diplomatic relations.



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Hungary plans to open consulate in Yerevan

Emil Karabekian

 17:37, 6 February 2024

BUDAPEST, FEBRUARY 6, ARMENPRESS. Hungary plans to open a consulate in Yerevan, Hungarian President Katalin Novák said at a joint press conference with Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan in Budapest.

“We plan to open a consulate in Yerevan. This will certainly help to pave the way and will also support the visa liberalization process for Armenia,” the Hungarian President said.

Hungarian President observes positive dynamics in Armenian-Hungarian trade relations

Vorskanian Yeghisabet

 17:55, 6 February 2024

BUDAPEST, FEBRUARY 6, ARMENPRESS. Hungarian President Katalin Novák, at a joint press conference with her Armenian counterpart Vahagn Khachaturyan in Budapest, underscored the positive dynamics in Armenian-Hungarian trade relations.
"We are pleased to see Hungarian companies, such as the airline 'WizzAir,' operating in Armenia.

We have observed a positive dynamics in our trade relations. Since 2022, there has been a significant increase in the export of Hungarian goods to Armenia. 

During 2003-2022, trade and economic turnover increased from 2.6 million dollars to 29 million dollars," Novák said.




Same old, same old in Azerbaijan’s snap presidential election

Karakhanian Suren
eurasianet
Feb 7 2024
Feb 7, 2024

Azerbaijan's presidential election on February 7 is on track to yield an entirely predictable result – incumbent Ilham Aliyev's resounding victory over a set of fake challengers. 

According to exit poll results carried by state TV, Aliyev, who has led the country since 2003, had the support of 92.4 percent of voters.

Also predictable was the widespread evidence of fraud at dozens of polling stations under the same old methods. 

One such method is carousel voting – the same voters being allowed to vote at multiple polling stations. Footage today captured the same people appearing and voting at different polling places in the capital Baku. 

Another method, ballot stuffing, was captured by CCTV. In two pieces of footage, members of precinct electoral commissions are seen stuffing multiple ballots into the ballot boxes. 

Cameras installed at polling stations are meant to allow the public to observe the election on the website of the Central Election Commission (CEC). But they were installed only at about 1,000 of the total 6,300 polling stations across the country. 

Journalists on the ground also reported problems with access to the internet in and around the polling places. 

According to the CEC, nearly 71 percent voter turnout was observed as of 5 pm, which is more than 4.5 million people. It's an improbable figure given that the winner was a foregone conclusion, public engagement was low, and the campaign was arguably the boringest in the country's history. 

What was new in this election is the fact that for the first time ever, Azerbaijan held elections in its newly retaken territories in Karabakh. Some of those areas were regained as a result of the war against Armenia in 2020 and have been partially settled by Azerbaijanis expelled from there in the 1990s (and their descendants). And some were retaken last September as the Azerbaijani military seized the remainder of the region, leading the entire Armenian population to flee. This area includes the abandoned town of Khankandi, where President Aliyev and his family cast their votes. For over three decades the town, known to Armenians as Stepanakert, was the de facto capital of the now-defunct Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. 

In an interview with local TV stations in January, Aliyev said the takeover of Karabakh was one of his reasons for calling a snap election back in December. 

"This political campaign is also historic because it is happening, for the first time in the history of national statehood, after the liberation of Karabakh from occupation," the prominent news agency Report.az said in an editorial. "This is a very important step in terms of statehood. By conducting an important political campaign in the territories freed from occupation, the president once again demonstrated that the Constitution of Azerbaijan has been restored in the region. This is also a message to those who want to provoke Azerbaijan recently. The president also proved that the safety of the residents relocated to the region is ensured."

As of around 9:30 pm local time, the CEC has yet to announce its preliminary results.

Aliyev has already received congratulations from fellow authoritarian rulers Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus and Viktor Orban of Hungary. 

If the exit poll result holds, Aliyev will win re-election by his biggest landslide yet. Up to now, his best result has been 89 percent in 2008.

Azerbaijan president secures fifth term as expected after Karabakh win

Emil Lazarian
First Post
India – Feb 8 2024

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has clinched his fifth consecutive term in elections, official results showed on Wednesday, an outcome widely anticipated following his significant triumph over Armenian separatists last year.

The tallies indicate that Aliyev secured a staggering 92 per cent of the vote, with nearly all polling stations reporting their results.

The election took place amidst a crackdown on independent media and in the absence of any substantial opposition.

“The Azerbaijani people have elected Ilham Aliyev as the country’s president,” AFP quoted Central Election Commission chief Mazahir Panahov as saying at a press conference.

“Turnout was 67.7 per cent,” he added.

Aliyev received praise domestically when his forces regained control of the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region from Armenian separatists in September, who had held sway over it for decades.

However, the primary opposition factions in the oil-rich country abstained from participating in the election. Ali Kerimli, a leader of the Popular Front party, denounced the electoral process as a mere “facade of democracy.”

“There are no conditions in the country for the conduct of free and fair elections,” Kerimli told AFP.

The six other candidates who were running were little-known and had praised Aliyev as a great statesman and commander-in-chief since he announced the election in December, a year ahead of schedule.

Singing patriotic songs, several thousand Aliyev supporters gathered on Wednesday evening in the streets of central Baku to celebrate his re-election.

Some demonstrators held signs that read “Karabakh’s liberator” and “We are proud of you!”

The president and first lady Mehriban Aliyeva went to Karabakh on Wednesday to cast their ballots in the region’s main city of Khankendi.

For the first time in Azerbaijan’s post-Soviet history, 26 polling stations opened in Karabakh.

The enclave has been largely deserted after its entire ethnic-Armenian population — more than 100,000 people – fled to Armenia after Baku’s takeover.

‘Escalating crackdown’ 

Last month, Aliyev called the Karabakh victory “an epochal event unparallelled in Azerbaijan’s history”.

“The election will mark the beginning of a new era,” he said, with the country holding the presidential vote on all its territory for the first time.

Supporters have praised Aliyev for turning a country once thought of as a Soviet backwater into a flourishing energy supplier to Europe.

But critics say he has crushed opposition groups and suffocated independent media.

Aliyev’s win was a foregone conclusion, said independent analyst Ghia Nodia of the Caucasus Center for Strategic Studies.

There was “no suspense whatsoever in these elections without the slightest sign of competitiveness”.

In recent months, Azerbaijani authorities have intensified pressure on independent media outlets, arresting several critical journalists who had exposed high-level graft.

“All fundamental rights are being violated in the country, opposition parties can’t function normally, freedom of assembly is restricted, media are under government pressure, and political dissent is being suppressed,” said Kerimli of the Popular Front.

On Tuesday, Amnesty International said: “The escalating crackdown by Azerbaijani authorities ahead of the elections is not just an attack on individual rights, it’s a widespread, coordinated assault on civil society and the rule of law.”

Dynastic rule 

Aliyev, 62, was first elected president in 2003 after the death of his father, Heydar Aliyev, a former KGB officer who had ruled Azerbaijan since 1993.

He was re-elected in 2008, 2013 and in 2018, with 86 percent of the votes.

All the elections were denounced by opposition parties as rigged.

In 2009, Aliyev amended the country’s constitution so he could run for an unlimited number of presidential terms, a move criticised by rights advocates who said he could become president for life.

In 2016, Azerbaijan adopted controversial constitutional amendments that extended the president’s term in office to seven years from five.

He then appointed his wife as first vice president.

Around six million voters were registered for the election, which was being monitored by observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

https://www.firstpost.com/world/azerbaijan-president-secures-fifth-term-as-expected-after-karabakh-win-13702902.html

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DCCI urges Armenia to take skilled HR from Bangladesh

Emil Lazarian
Feb 8 2024

Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) President Ashraf Ahmed has urged Armenia to take skilled IT and infra manpower from Bangladesh.

"A large number of Bangladeshi skilled workforce especially of the IT and infrastructure sectors have been working in the Middle East and Southeast Asia successfully," he said while meeting with a four-member delegation from Enterprise Armenia led by Armenian Deputy Minister of the Economy Narek Teryan at DCCI in the city, said a press release.

During the meeting, Ashraf Ahmed said that Armenia can also explore our skilled manpower of these sectors from Bangladesh. "Bangladesh in recent past has been doing very well in the IT sector and our IT professionals can be a potential resource for Armenia as well. In comparison with Armenia, in terms of population, Bangladesh possesses a large consumer base for any product," he added. Narek Teryan said that for their future large infrastructure projects they may need a large number of manpower for infrastructure sector. He also appreciated the recent progress of Bangladesh's IT sector and expressed their interest to recruiting skilled IT professional from Bangladesh.

Narek also said that establishing joint Chambers would foster bilateral trade and investment more.

He informed that Armenia has already FTAs with CIS countries, Vietnam, Singapore and Serbia and CEPA with EU. Bangladesh can reap the benefit out of it, Narek added.

Later, he termed High-tech & IT, smart agriculture, food processing, tourism, textile, pharmaceuticals and shoes as the most potential sectors for Bangladeshi investors in Armenia. DCCI Senior Vice President Malik Talha Ismail Bari and Vice President Md. JunaedIbna Ali were present during the meeting.

Armenian PM: launch of strategic dialogue with Georgia “of great importance”

Manouk Vasilian
AGENDA, Georgia
Feb 8 2024

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Wednesday said he attached “great importance” to launching a “strategic dialogue” with Georgia, adding the European Union was “actually our region” since Georgia had received the bloc’s membership candidate status in December.

Pashinyan said “many important realities” had changed in the South Caucasus region, and with Georgia’s EU status one of them. 

“It turns out that our two neighbouring countries [Turkey and Georgia] have candidate status for membership of the European Union”, he said.

Regarding the declaration on strategic cooperation and dialogue signed with Georgia, I can say that, in fact, all the aspects are carefully planned. This demonstrates the mutual determination of both countries' governments to advance this entire agenda”, the Armenian PM concluded. 

The outgoing Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili announced the signing of a memorandum on strategic partnership with Armenia in late January, following his meeting with Pashinyan.

Turkish Press: President Ilham Aliyev reelected after winning 92% votes in Azerbaijan’s election

Talar Tumanian
Yeni Safak

Turkey – Feb 8 2024

President Ilham Aliyev reelected after winning 92% votes in Azerbaijan's election

Landslide victory for Aliyev in election which saw recently liberated Karabakh region vote for first time

Incumbent Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is leading with 92.1% votes, according to the country's Central Election Commission (CEC).

The figure was announced by election commissioner Mazakhir Panakhov after counting 93% of votes from Wednesday's presidential election.

Zahid Oruj, an independent candidate, trailed with 2.19%, followed by Great Creation Party leader Fazil Mustafa with 2% of the vote.

Other candidates scored less than 2% of the vote.

The main feature of the 2024 Azerbaijani presidential election was that for the first time in the history of Azerbaijan they were held throughout the entire territory of the country, including the liberated Karabakh region.

The turnout there has become one of the highest in the country. Two hours after the start of the elections, about 30% of votes were cast in the region, the election commission said.

Foreign and local observers monitored the election, along with a large number of journalists.

Turkish Press: Russia urges Armenia to return to constructive dialogue in CSTO military bloc

Emil Lazarian
Yeni Safak
Turkey – Feb 8 2024

Russia urges Armenia to return to constructive dialogue in CSTO military bloc

Moscow encourages Yerevan to abandon emotional public criticism, start talks to eliminate controversies

Russia urged Armenia to stop publicly criticizing the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and start talks to eliminate existing controversies, Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Pankin said Thursday.

Pankin told Russian news agency, RIA, that all CSTO members are interested in improving the group and increasing its efficiency and in this regard, Armenia's return to "full-fledged work" would contribute to achieving those goals.

"Unfortunately, our Armenian allies have really distanced themselves from it so far. We urge our colleagues in Yerevan, instead of public emotional attacks and criticism of the Organization, to start discussing urgent issues at the political and expert levels," he said.

Pankin emphasized that the continuation of a mutually respectful, constructive dialogue within the CSTO meets the fundamental interests of Armenia for security and serves to maintain peace and stability in the Eurasian space, including the South Caucasus region.

Armenia criticized the Russia-led military bloc for not preventing Azerbaijan from liberating its internationally recognized territories that were under Armenian occupation for more than 30 years.

Azerbaijan liberated most of the region during a 44-day war in the fall of 2020. Last September, the Azerbaijani army initiated an anti-terrorism operation in Karabakh and liberated the rest of its territories, ending 30 years of Armenian occupation.

Greek parliament ratifies EU-Armenia aviation space agreement

Chakhmakhchian Vatche
Feb 8 2024


The Greek parliament plenary ratified on Wednesday the European Union-Armenia Common Aviation Area Agreement by a large majority, with only the Communist Party of Greece voting against it.

Voting for the bill tabled by the Infrastructure & Transport Ministry were the ruling New Democracy, main opposition SYRIZA, PASOK, Greek Solution, Spartiates, Nea Aristera, and Niki. Voting against it was the Communist Party of Greece, while Plefsi Eleftherias voted ‘present’.

The agreement aims for the gradual opening of the market for direct flights for all EU and Armenian airlines between the two, providing a regulatory framework and setting out standards for a wide range of aviation issues with which Armenian law will be gradually aligned.