21:52,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 22, ARMENPRESS. Markus Ritter, Head of Mission of the European Union Mission in Armenia hosted the Austrian ambassador to Armenia, Thomas Mühlmann, during his patrol on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the EU Mission in Armenia said in a post on X.
“Regardless of the weather conditions, the Mission continues its patrolling activities on the ground,” reads the post.
Senator Anthony Portantino with representatives of the Friends of ANCA-WR and supporters at a fundraiser reception held in support of run for Congress
Friends of ANCA Western Region held a fundraiser reception on January 21 in support of Senator Anthony Portantino’s bid to continue his journey of public service at the U.S. Congress. The event was hosted by Mr. & Mrs. Levon and Silva Kirakosian and attended by friends of ANCA-WR, ANCA-WR board members, and representatives of the Armenian American community in California.
In February of 2023, ANCA-WR announced its endorsement of Senator Portantino’s campaign to succeed Rep. Adam Schiff of the 30th Congressional District of California, which is home to the largest Armenian-American population in the United States.
“The ANCA Western Region enthusiastically supports Senator Anthony Portantino’s campaign for Congress. We have full confidence that Senator Portantino will maintain and enhance his impressive record of supporting Armenia, Artsakh, and our broader community when he steps into his role in Washington DC,” said Nora Hovsepian Esq., Chair of the ANCA Western Region.
Senator Anthony Portantino addressing attendees at the fundraiser reception
Senator Portantino has been a formidable force in championing the causes of the Armenian community, demonstrating an unwavering commitment that resonates deeply with his constituents. During his visit to Artsakh as the first elected official from the United States since the end of the 44-day war, Senator Portantino observed the impact of Azerbaijan’s acts of aggression and also engaged with local leaders and heroes, solidifying his resolve to advocate for the recognition of Artsakh and to support the rights and dignity of its people.
Building on Senator Portantino’s record of achievements and recognition, Portantino has been honored twice with the “Legislator of the Year” award by the ANCA-WR at its Annual Awards Gala Banquets. The first recognition came in 2011, during his tenure as a State Assemblymember for California’s 44th Assembly District, and the second in 2017, a year after he was elected to his current role as State Senator for California’s 25th Senatorial District.
In 2018, Senator Portantino and other state and local leaders visited Armenia as part of an ANCA-WR-led delegation focused on deepening economic ties between California and Armenia. In his still-standing tenure as the Senate Appropriations Committee Chair, Senator Portantino secured a $10 million allocation for the Armenian American Museum in Governor Newsom’s budget, and during his time as Chair of the Senate Budget Subcommittee on Education (2018-2019), he successfully earmarked $500,000 for Armenian Genocide education in California’s State Budget.
Executive Chairman of the Armenian American Museum Berdj Karapetian addressing attendees at the event
In 2021, he led the charge with Senate Bill 457, co-introduced with Senator Scott Wilk, to halt California’s funding to the Turkish Government, a move aimed at protesting Turkey’s denial of the Armenian Genocide. This legislation led to California’s largest state-employee pension funds, CalPERS and CalSTRS, ceasing investments in Turkish government-backed securities. Furthermore, in April of 2023, Senator Portantino co-authored Senate Resolution 28, which seeks to annually reaffirm California’s recognition of the 1915 Armenian Genocide.
More recently, Senator Portantino and 21 other California legislators penned a letter to President Biden, addressing and condemning Azerbaijan’s blockade of Artsakh, and following Azerbaijan’s full-scale assault and ethnic cleansing of Artsakh in September of 2023, the Senator called upon the United States to “hold Azerbaijan accountable and immediately cut military aid.”
Senator Portantino with representatives of the Armenian American community
“On behalf of the friends of the ANCA Western Region, we were delighted to host this fundraiser for Senator Portantino’s Congressional campaign. Having worked closely with the Senator for numerous years, we are certain that he will continue to champion the Armenian cause and advocate for the interests of the Armenian American community once his bid for congress is successful,” said Levon Kirakosian, Esq., who hosted the fundraiser at his home in California.
Senator Portantino’s leadership has also been instrumental in his founding of the Senate Select Committee on California, Armenia, and Artsakh Mutual Trade, Art, and Cultural Exchange. This committee, the first of its kind, aims to enhance business opportunities, cultural awareness, and education between California, Armenia, and Artsakh, promising a brighter future for mutual economic and cultural prosperity.
“We are in the home stretch of the campaign and I was very grateful to Silva and Levon Kirakosian for hosting my campaign along with friends of the ANCA WR. Winning campaigns are about collaboration and grassroots support. The ANCA is the largest Armenian American grassroots organization in the US and I’m honored to be the preferred candidate of ANCA Western Region. Ballots will shortly be available and we are charging toward a positive outcome. I appreciate Western Regions’ strong, early and continued support,” said Senator Anthony Portantino at the fundraiser hosted at the home of Mr. & Mrs. Levon and Silva Kirakosian.
The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region is the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, ANCA WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on Monday challenged Azerbaijan’s credentials to the body on which called “substantive grounds.”
In making the challenge, Frank Schwabe (Germany) cited political prisoners in the country, the violent displacement of people from Nagorno-Karabakh, the fact that Assembly rapporteurs were unable to visit Azerbaijan at least three times during 2023, and the lack of an invitation to the Assembly to observe the country’s February 7 presidential election in Azerbaijan, a press statement from PACE said.
At least 30 other members from five delegations supported Schwabe’s motion.
“The challenge was immediately referred to the Assembly’s Monitoring Committee for report and to its Rules Committee for opinion, and will be debated by the Assembly on the evening of Wednesday January 24,” the statement added.
It is noted that under the PACE rules, the body must vote for one of three options: to ratify the credentials, not to ratify them, or to ratify them “together with depriving or suspending the exercise of some of the rights of participation or representation of members of the delegation concerned in the activities of the Assembly and its bodies.
“The members of Azerbaijan’s delegation may sit provisionally with the same rights as other Assembly members until the Assembly has reached a decision, but shall not vote in any proceedings relating to the examination of their credentials,” the statement explained.
EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell speaks to reporters on Jan. 22
The European Union expressed serious concern over Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s latest territorial claims from Armenia when he doubled down on his scheme to have a land “corridor” through Armenia to Nakhichevan.
“The latest territorial claims by President Aliyev are very concerning, and any violation of Armenia’s territorial integrity would be unacceptable and will have severe consequences for our relations with Azerbaijan,” the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Monday after a meeting of EU foreign ministers, which discussed the Armenia and Azerbaijan normalization process.
The EU foreign ministers reportedly called for ongoing peace talks between Yerevan and Baku, which have stalled because Azerbaijan has canceled previous-scheduled talks mediated by Brussels.
“We agreed that Azerbaijan needs to return to substantive peace and normalization talks with Armenia,” Borrell added.
Citing the November 9, 2020 agreement, Aliyev, earlier this month, renewed his claims for a so-called “corridor” through Armenia, saying that without such a route he would not open Azerbaijan’s borders with Armenia.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov last week said that the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan never discussed a corridor, adding that it is not part of the November 9, 2020 agreement.
When making his “corridor” remarks, Aliyev also renewed his demand for Armenia’s withdrawal from “eight Azerbaijani villages,” which he claims Armenia is occupying.
WASHINGTON–Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) leaders rallied congressional support to reverse Azerbaijan’s genocide of Artsakh Armenians and defend Armenia’s security during policy-level consultations this week on Capitol Hill.
House Foreign Affairs Committee member Mike Lawler (R-NY) with ANCA Board member Ani Tchaghlasian, ANC Artsakh’s Gev Iskajyan and ANCA’s Tereza Yerimyan and Alex Galitsky during a Capitol Hill meeting focusing on Artsakh justice and Armenia security
ANCA National Board members Aida Dimejian, Dzovinar Hamakorzian and Ani Tchaghlasian were joined by ANC Artsakh Executive Director Gev Iskajyan and ANCA staff members Tereza Yerimyan and Alex Galitsky in meetings with congressional leaders throughout the week, with additional district meetings scheduled during upcoming weeks. This first Capitol Hill fly-in of 2024 was timed as Congress begins writing the Fiscal Year 2025 Foreign Aid Bill and Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The ANCA is calling for support for Artsakh genocide survivors, enforcing Section 907 restrictions on U.S. security assistance to Azerbaijan and exploring additional Azerbaijan sanctions opportunities through White House and congressional action.
ANC Artsakh’s Gev Iskajyan shares the harrowing realities of Azerbaijan’s blockade and genocide of Artsakh’s population with Congressional Armenian Caucus founding co-chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ)
In each of the meetings, ANC Artsakh’s Gev Iskajyan shared the harrowing realities of Azerbaijan’s genocidal ethnic cleansing of the over 120,000 Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) indigenous Armenians, forced from their homes in September 2023 following a brutal 10-month blockade and September 19 attack that devastated the civilian population. Throughout the Artsakh blockade and its aftermath, Iskajyan served as a trusted Capitol Hill news source, participating in dozens of briefings with congressional leaders, arranged by national, regional and local ANCA advocates.
Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) with ANCA National Board members Ani Tchaghlasian and Dzovinar Hamakorzian, ANC Artsakh’s Gev Iskajyan and ANCA’s Alex Galitsky
The ANCA praised Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) and Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) for their leadership on the unanimous passage of S.3000, blocking U.S. security aid to Azerbaijan, and called for immediate U.S. House consideration of its companion measures. ANCA leaders also hailed Sen. Robert Menendez’s (D-NJ) efforts to press the State Department on a flawed U.S. policy of Azerbaijani appeasement, which aided and abetted President Aliyev’s genocidal actions against Artsakh.
ANCA National Board member Dzovinar Hamakorzian and ANCA’s Tereza Yerimyan discuss Azerbaijan’s ongoing threats against Armenia following their genocidal ethnic cleansing of Artsakh’s Armenian population with S.3000 champion Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI)
In meetings with Congressional Armenian Caucus co-chairs Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Adam Schiff (D-CA), and House Foreign Affairs Committee member Mike Lawler (R-NY), ANCA leaders discussed Azerbaijan’s ongoing occupation of the Republic of Armenia’s territory and threats of renewed attacks against Armenia. Congressional Armenian Caucus leaders Pallone, Schiff, Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and David Valadao (R-CA) issued a statement this week condemning January 10 remarks by President Aliyev laying claim to sovereign Armenian territory and urging U.S. and international action. “It is past time we hold his regime accountable for the belligerent rhetoric and actions it has taken against Armenians in the South Caucasus. The United States and our regional partners should use every diplomatic tool, including sanctions, to help guarantee the territorial integrity of Armenia and push back against Aliyev’s blatant threats against it. We call on the State Department and our international partners to take immediate action to halt any further Azeri aggression and ensure Armenia’s safety and security,” stated the Armenian Caucus co-chairs.
ANCA National Board member Aida Dimejian and ANC Artsakh’s Gev Iskajyan share community concerns about failed Biden administration policies on Artsakh and urge stronger congressional action, during a meeting with Congressional Armenian Caucus co-chair Adam Schiff (D-CA)
ANCA National Board members thanked retiring Armenian-Assyrian Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D-CA) for her decades of leadership to end Turkey’s gag-rule on proper U.S. affirmation of the Armenian Genocide and for spearheading current efforts to secure congressional funding for Armenian Genocide education. Since Turkey and Azerbaijan’s 2020 war against Armenia and Artsakh and the September 2023 Artsakh genocide, Rep. Eshoo has repeatedly led initiatives calling on the Biden administration to demand accountability from the Aliyev regime.
ANCA leaders thank Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) for being the voice of Armenian Genocide recognition during her decades of service in Congress and for her ongoing work to secure justice for victims of the Artsakh genocide
During their meetings, ANCA National Board members called for expanded U.S. aid to assist Artsakh refugees with emergency food, as well as longer-term housing and job placement needs. The delegation also explored the role of the U.S. and international community in enforcing Artsakh Armenian property rights and ensuring the population’s safe return to their ancestral homes, under clear, long-term security guarantees. ANCA leaders called for U.S. action to secure Azerbaijan’s immediate release of Republic of Artsakh leaders and over 80 Armenian prisoners of war illegally imprisoned by Azerbaijan in the aftermath of the 2020 war and 2023 Artsakh genocide.
Individual artists, ranging from musicians to graphic designers, from painters to fashion designers, and beyond, will boost their creative careers through the Artbox Entrepreneur program and receive up to a total grant of €60,000 to activate their entrepreneurial plans.
Creative Armenia is excited to present the 24 individual artists who entered the Artbox Entrepreneur program and started their career acceleration journeys towards becoming creative entrepreneurs. Artbox Entrepreneur provides artists an unparalleled opportunity to jumpstart their creative careers, elevate their personal branding and maximize their revenue.
From mid-January to the end of February 2024, these 24 artists will participate in a six-week program, during which they will receive weekly workshops, targeted assignments and guidance from top-notch mentors in business and entrepreneurship and renowned cultural leaders from Armenia, France, Malta and Switzerland. Artbox Entrepreneur will guide artists to enhance their self-branding, promotion and sales, boost their careers and more. As the program concludes, up to 24 artists will be selected to receive up to a total grant of €60,000 to execute their entrepreneurial plans, developed during Artbox.
“Artbox Entrepreneur has its unique place in the development of creative industries in Armenia, its focal point being the development of personalized business models for individual artists and advancement of entrepreneurial skills. We can already measure how the program has impacted our previous cohort of artists, resulting in a drastic raise in their creative production, profitability and market success,” said Anush Ter-Khachatryan, director of programs at Creative Armenia. “We are happy to welcome a new wave of 24 artists who will begin their career acceleration and make the creative industries ever more powerful.”
The 24 individual artists selected for Artbox Entrepreneur are:
Inspired by innovative models in business and tech, Artbox is a reinvention of the incubator and accelerator models for the art world – a dynamic entrepreneurial system that supports individuals, projects and institutions across disciplines with potential for success. Through a set of signature cutting-edge programs, Artbox develops commercial viability, audience growth and investable creative products.
Creative Armenia is a global arts foundation for the Armenian people that discovers, develops and champions innovative talent across the arts. Artbox has been developed by Creative Armenia, funded by the European Union in Armenia and launched in partnership with AGBU Armenia in the framework of the KATAPULT Creative Accelerator Program.
YEREVAN—The Cafesjian Center for the Arts (CCA) has announced the launch of a new educational program: “Seeking the House of the Deaf.”
The program is based on the exhibition, Sahak Poghosyan: Quinta del Sordo, on display at CCA until April 28, 2024.
Sahak Poghosyan: Quinta del Sordo is a monumental project displayed at Eagle and Sasuntsi Davit Garden galleries of the Cafesjian Center for the Arts. It interweaves historical, conceptual, visual and artistic narratives․ The main goal of the educational program is to reveal these narratives.
In the first part of the program, participants will become acquainted with the exhibition. Then, the program will continue in the Creative Hall, where a presentation on Poghosyan’s Quinta del Sordo exhibition will be shown, drawing a connection between the works of old masters and contemporary works of art.
Summarizing the educational program, participants will engage in a discussion exploring the significance of artistic themes in the contemporary world.
The Cafesjian Center for the Arts continuously encourages participants to explore and express their passion for art.
This program is designed for participants ages 16 and up and is free with prior registration.
For further information and registration, please call +374 10 54-19-32/34.
The Cafesjian Center for the Arts is dedicated to bringing the best of contemporary art to Armenia and presenting the best of Armenian culture to the world. Having celebrated its grand opening in November 2009, CCA continues to exhibit unique works of modern art, offers a wide variety of exhibitions and a diverse program of lectures, films, concerts and numerous educational initiatives for children and adults. Annual visitation of the Cafesjian Center for the Arts exceeds 1,000,000 people. The Cafesjian Center for the Arts is an institutional member of the International Council of Museums (ICOM).
YEREVAN—The American University of Armenia (AUA) has initiated groundbreaking efforts for the construction of the new Science and Engineering building and is now embracing a revised plan: the additional construction of the new Humanities and Social Sciences building and Arts building, along with an atrium that will connect all three buildings. The initial capital undertaking was expanded pursuant to magnanimous contributions by the Avedisian and Akian families earmarked for this ambitious endeavor.
Expansion of the university’s physical space will enable AUA to appropriately respond to the growing demand for the excellent education it delivers and prevent the university from turning away highly-qualified students due to space restrictions. Possessing the qualifications for admission to competitive universities in other countries, many of these students who are turned away then leave Armenia to study abroad. With the University’s student population projected to significantly increase in the next five years, AUA is arduously involved in updating its curricula and preparing to introduce new degree programs in science, engineering, humanities, social sciences and the arts.
In August 2023, AUA announced a $20 million gift from Pamela Wood Avedisian in honor of her late husband, Edward Avedisian, and his steadfast support for over 20 years as an AUA trustee, philanthropist and visionary. As part of this tremendous contribution, the new Edward and Pamela Avedisian Building will be dedicated to the humanities and social sciences, with the Paruyr Sevak Building to the arts program. “Edward was truly excited to see AUA grow and evolve over the past three decades and wanted us to contribute to that development. We both understood the need for expansion to further broaden the university’s offerings and fields of excellence,” said Pamela.
Following this news, Zaven P. and his late wife Sonia Akian also announced their significant contribution of $9 million to name the new science and engineering building the Akian Family Building. Zaven expressed, “I had felt for a long time that AUA’s College of Science & Engineering needed physical expansion to facilitate the addition of new degree programs in other critical disciplines and state-of-the-art laboratories. I couldn’t ignore the financial need to make this a reality; I wanted to ensure that the college would be transformed into a fully-fledged quality STEM educational center in our homeland for generations to come.”
Connecting all three new buildings and providing separate entrances will be an atrium called the Founders’ Atrium, which will also be used for various cultural, academic and other collaborative events. An important component will also be underground parking.
Aligned with the academic disciplines to be housed in these buildings, the revised construction strategy reinforces the functionality of the two buildings to better meet the university’s growing enrollment numbers in the associated programs.
The new buildings will include state-of-the-art classrooms, offices, science and engineering laboratories, conference rooms, auditoriums, art studios, music rooms and other functional spaces. Donors will also have the chance to leave their mark in the new buildings through various naming opportunities. A select group of steadfast supporters have already committed to naming facilities in the new buildings. In addition to the Akian and Avedisian families, these benefactors include Sarkis and Ruth Bedevian; Jack Munushian Charitable Trust, Gary R. Phillips and Zourab Bassmadjian, co-trustees; Paul and Kate Agbabian; Albert and Terry Bezjian; and Hagop and Iroula Manuelian.
AUA initially launched its efforts for expansion through the Build a Better Future with AUA capital campaign solely for building a new science and engineering building. Now, with the revised construction strategy that includes the addition of two new buildings, along with the understanding that AUA plays a critical role in Armenia’s need to accelerate progress and innovation in science, technology and engineering as they relate to humanities, social sciences and the arts, the institution has set a goal of $50 million to successfully complete this ambitious undertaking. With over $30 million of the targeted amount raised from major and other donor funds, AUA continues to promote fundraising efforts to complete the capital campaign.
Initial planning for the new buildings’ construction is currently underway. The AUA Building Committee, chaired by President Emeritus Dr. Armen Der Kiureghian, has identified, interviewed and shortlisted architectural firms and selected Moore Ruble Yudell Architects & Planners for the project. Longtime friend and supporter of the university, Ronald Altoon, FAIA, LEED AP, president and CEO of Altoon Strategic consulting firm and former president of the American Institute of Architects, agreed to advise and provide guidance to the committee. At the same time, the university is appealing to the community, once again, to help raise the funds necessary to proceed with the planned expansion and to extend their support to ensure the sustained provision of the quality of education AUA aims to deliver in Armenia.
For more information, visit https://babf.aua.am.
Monday,
Pashinian Ready For More ‘Guarantees’ To Azerbaijan
• Robert Zargarian
• Naira Bulghadarian
Russia - Azeri President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinian are seen during a visit to the Catherine Palace in St. Petersburg,
December 26, 2023.
Armenia is ready to formally pledge not to have any territorial claims to
Azerbaijan in the future, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said over the weekend.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev demanded such guarantees in early December,
saying that an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty would not be enough to preclude
another war between the two countries. Aliyev did not elaborate on the
safeguards against Armenian “revanchism” that would satisfy him.
Pashinian was understood to express readiness to meet this demand if Baku
recognizes Armenia’s territorial integrity through that treaty “without any
reservations.”
“We expect from Azerbaijan guarantees that Azerbaijan does not want to leave
grounds, between the lines, for future territorial claims to Armenia,” Pashinian
told senior members of his party in southeastern Vayots Dzor province. “We want
such guarantees. But I must also say we are ready to give [Azerbaijan] such
guarantees.”
“This should be a mutual action. It cannot be unilateral for us or for them,” he
said.
Pashinian made the remarks one day after declaring that Armenia must adopt a new
constitution reflecting the “new geopolitical environment” in the region. That
was widely construed as a further indication that he wants to get rid of a
preamble to the current Armenian constitution enacted in 1995.
The preamble makes reference to a 1990 declaration of independence adopted by
the republic’s first post-Communist parliament. The declaration in turn refers
to a 1989 unification act adopted by the legislative bodies of Soviet Armenia
and the then Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast. It also calls for international
recognition of the 1915 genocide of Armenians “in Ottoman Turkey and Western
Armenia.”
Five lawmakers representing the main opposition Hayastan alliance issued a joint
statement on Friday night condemning Pashinian’s plans for the new constitution.
“Pashinian is trying to launch a new attack on one of the pillars of the Third
Republic of Armenia, preparing the ground for meeting another of the nonstop
Turkish-Azerbaijani demands,” they charged.
Armenia - Opposition deputy Kristine Vartanian speaks during the government's
question-and-answer session in parliament, April 13, 2022.
“What regional changes have left Armenia needing a change of its constitution?”
one of those lawmakers, Kristine Vartanian, said. “The biggest change is the
establishment of Azerbaijani control over Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).
[Pashinian] is openly telling us that our constitution must also reflect this
reality.”
Pashinian recognized Azerbaijani sovereignty over Karabakh months before Baku
recaptured the region as a result of the September military offensive that
forced its population to flee to Armenia. The Armenian opposition says the
recognition paved the way for the assault.
Vartanian and other signatories of the statement were recently allowed by the
Armenian Foreign Ministry to read Azerbaijani proposals regarding the peace
treaty currently discussed by the two sides. They said afterwards that Baku is
seeking the kind of agreement that would leave the door open to future
territorial claims to Armenia.
Some Armenian officials have made the same claims. Foreign Minister Ararat
Mirzoyan spoke on January 10 of “some regression” in the Azerbaijani position on
the treaty.
Earlier this month, Aliyev renewed his demands for Armenia to open an
extraterritorial corridor to Azerbaijan’s Nakhichevan exclave. He also demanded
Armenian withdrawal from “eight Azerbaijani villages” and again dismissed
Yerevan’s insistence on using the most recent Soviet maps to delimit the
Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
Pashinian on January 13 said Aliyev’s demands amount to territorial claims to
Armenia and accused Baku of undermining prospects for the signing of the peace
accord. Still, a few days later, he expressed hope that Azerbaijan is committed
to making peace with Armenia. He went on to make the latest overtures to Baku.
EU Cocerned About Azeri ‘Territorial Claims’ To Armenia
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, right, speaks with Belgium's
Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib during a meeting of EU foreign ministers in
Brussels, .
The European Union on Monday expressed serious concern at what its foreign
policy chief described as territorial claims to Armenia made by Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev.
“We agreed that Azerbaijan needs to return to substantive peace and
normalization talks with Armenia,” Josep Borrell said after chairing a meeting
of the foreign ministers of EU member states that discussed the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict among other issues.
“The latest territorial claims by President Aliyev are very concerning, and any
violation of Armenia’s territorial integrity would be unacceptable and will have
severe consequences for our relations with Azerbaijan,” he told a news briefing
in Brussels.
Earlier this month, Aliyev renewed his demands for Armenia to open an
extraterritorial corridor to Azerbaijan’s Nakhichevan exclave. He also demanded
Armenian withdrawal from “eight Azerbaijani villages” and again dismissed
Yerevan’s insistence on using the most recent Soviet maps to delimit the
Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
Borrell issued the same warning to Baku in November as the EU decided to deploy
more observers to Armenia’s volatile border with Azerbaijan. The 27-nation bloc
launched the monitoring mission in February 2023 with the stated aim of
preventing or reducing ceasefire violations there.
Aliyev twice cancelled talks with Pashinian which the EU planned to host in
October. Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov similarly withdrew from a
meeting with his Armenian counterpart scheduled for November 20 in Washington.
Baku accused the Western powers of pro-Armenian bias. It now wants to negotiate
with Yerevan without third-party mediation.
Government Moves To Allow Minority Rule In Armenia
• Ruzanna Stepanian
Armenia - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian chairs a weekly cabinet meeting in
Yerevan, February 9, 2023.
Armenia’s prime minister and their cabinet should no longer necessarily enjoy
the backing of the parliamentary majority, according to constitutional reform
proposed by the country’s Minsitry of Justice.
The current Armenian constitution requires the government to have a “stable
majority” in the National Assembly, meaning that the prime minister has to be
backed by most parliament deputies. It envisages a second round of voting in
cases where up to three parties or blocs fail to form a majority government as a
result of a general election.
A reform “concept” submitted by the Ministry of Justice to Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinian’s office earlier this month would the abolish this requirement and
make it much easier for a political force winning the plurarity of votes to come
to power. It claims that “stability can cause political and economic stagnation.”
The document obtained by RFE/RL’s Armenian Service on Monday proposes two ways
of forming a minority government. One option is for the largely ceremonial
president of the republic is to appoint the leader of the political force that
won most votes but fell short of a parliamentarity majority as prime minister.
Alternatively, the parliament itself would pick the premier through a plurality
voting system. A similar system is already in place in Yerevan. It enabled
Pashinian’s Civil Contract party to install its top candidate as mayor following
municipal elections held in September.
In what is widely considered a serious setback, Civil Contract fell well short
of an absolute majority in the city council empowered to appoint the mayor. The
ruling party capitalized on opposition contenders’ failure to quickly agree on a
common mayoral candidate.
Armenian opposition groups refrained from commenting on this proposed
arrangement, saying that they have not yet seen the Ministry of Justice
document. At least some opposition figures are bound to say that Pashinian is
simply trying to make sure that he can cling to power despite a serious decline
in his popularity.
Pashinian said Armenia must have a new constitution when met with senior
Ministry of Justice officials late last week. Commenting on the wisdom of such a
change, he made no mention of domestic politics and cited instead the need to
ensure country’s “external security” in the “new geopolitical environment” in
the region.
Pashinian has repeatedly called for constitutional changes and made conflicting
statements about them during his nearly six-year rule. Two years ago, he set up
a new body tasked with coordinating the constitutional reform process. The body
now headed by Justice Minister Grigor Minasian has still not drafted any
constitutional amendments. It is not clear whether it approves of the document
put forward by Minasian’s ministry.
Russian-Armenian Arms Supply Issues ‘Mostly Settled’
• Shoghik Galstian
Russia - Military vehicles move toward Red Square to attend a Victory Day
military parade in Moscow, May 9, 2023.
The Armenian Defense Ministry signaled on Monday significant progress in the
implementation of multimillion-dollar defense contracts signed by Armenia and
Russia after the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh.
In a short statement to RFE/RL’s Armenian Service, the ministry said that
“contentious issues” with Russian arms manufacturers have been “mostly settled.”
Some of those issues remain unresolved, though, it added without giving any
details.
The statement did not explicitly refer to the contracts for the delivery of
Russian weapons worth $400 million, according to Armenian officials. The latter
repeatedly complained last year that the Armenian military has still not
received any of those weapons.
Two senior Armenian lawmakers revealed earlier this month that Russia has
shipped the first batch of that military hardware. But they did not specify the
types of weaponry commissioned and/or received by Yerevan.
Russia’s ambassador to Armenia, Sergei Kopyrkin, acknowledged late last month
“issues” in the implementation of Russian-Armenian arms deals. He implied that
Russian defense companies have not fulfilled their contractual obligations on
time because of having to manufacture more weapons for the Russian military
embroiled in the continuing war with Ukraine.
Russia has long been Armenia’s principal supplier of weapons and ammunition. The
South Caucasus nation has acquired them at domestic Russian prices, set below
international market-based levels, and even for free.
With no end in sight to the war in Ukraine and tensions between Moscow and
Yerevan continuing to grow, the Armenian government is increasingly looking for
other arms suppliers. Since September 2022 it has reportedly signed a number of
defense contracts with India worth at least $400 million. In October 2023, it
also signed two arms deals with France.
Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2024 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
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Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has called Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's latest remarks about border delimitation/demarcation and transit links "totally unacceptable" and a "blow" to the peace process.
"I promise a financial reward to anyone who finds the term 'Zangezur corridor' in the November 9 agreement," Pashinyan told a group of MPs on January 13.
It was an ironic reference to the Azerbaijani side's contention, reiterated recently by Aliyev, that the provision on opening transit links in the Russian-brokered peace accord that ended the 2020 Second Karabakh War stipulates a seamless corridor through Armenia connecting mainland Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan exclave, without Armenian border or customs checks.
That idea is referred to in Azerbaijan as the "Zangezur corridor" and Baku has pushed for it with varying degrees of intensity since the 2020 ceasefire. Early last year it seemed to back down on the demand in the context of the peace talks.
In early October, shortly after Azerbaijan's lightning offensive to seize the whole of Nagorno-Karabakh, the corridor project seemed to be off the table after ground was broken on an alternate route through Iran. (Tehran, like Armenia, is vociferously opposed to the Zangezur corridor idea.)
The issue, which has long inspired Armenian fears of an Azerbaijani invasion, is now back on the agenda, as Aliyev said in a January 10 interview that if the corridor was not opened, "Armenia will remain in an eternal deadlock. … If the route I mentioned is not opened, we will not open our border with Armenia anywhere else. So they will do themselves more harm than good."
In October last year, the Armenian prime minister introduced an initiative called "Crossroads of Peace" aimed at regional cooperation. That proposal includes linkages between mainland Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan with Armenian border and customs checks. Azerbaijan has dismissed it out of hand as "PR." (According to the 9 November 2020 agreement that ended the Second Karabakh War, the route linking mainland Azerbaijan Nakhchivan is to be monitored by Russian border troops.)
Exclaves and villages
Elsewhere in his January 10 interview, Aliyev demanded the return of enclaves and border villages that have been under Armenian control since the First Karabakh War three decades ago.
Pashinyan seemed to back the idea of an exchange of enclaves, with a "mutually agreed map" as part of the process, but said that if Azerbaijan demanded the return of eight villages, Armenia would "raise the issue of 32."
That was a reference to several bits of former Soviet Armenian territory that have similarly been controlled by Azerbaijan since the first war, as well as to the territory inside Armenia, estimated to total about 215 square kilometers, that Azerbaijani troops have occupied following several incursions between May 2021 and September 2022.
Armenia and several Western states have demanded the withdrawal of Azerbaijani troops from Armenian lands. But Baku has refused, citing the lack of demarcation of the borders as justification.
And Aliyev said explicitly he had no intention of withdrawing them in his January 10 remarks. "We are not taking a step back because that border must be defined. However, our location, which is currently disputed by Armenia, does not include any settlement."
The delimitation and demarcation of state borders between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as the opening of transport links, remain the most contested issues between the two countries following Azerbaijan's takeover of Karabakh in September. The border commission working on the delimitation and demarcation issues held its latest meeting late last year and the next one, according to Aliyev, is to be held this month, with the question of the border villages in the Gazakh region of Azerbaijan being on the agenda.
Although the principles of a peace deal were said to be agreed upon in November, the sides seem to have dismissed each other's draft proposals for the peace agreement.
Additionally, the sides disagree on who should mediate the talks. Yerevan opposes Moscow's mediation, while Baku has turned down EU or US-initiated talks in recent months.
In December, the two countries managed to issue a joint statement and agree on a prisoner exchange, but they do not have a clear plan to continue the bilateral talks.
By Ani Avetisyan via Eurasianet.org