Daily News Summary

Daily News Summary [31.03.2023]

Armen Grigoryan presented the security environment created around Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh to his Lithuanian colleagues On March 30 and 31, Secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan, who is in the Republic of Lithuania on a working visit, had working meetings with Kęstutis Budrys, adviser to the President of Lithuania, Kęstutis Lančinskas, adviser to the Lithuanian Prime Minister on national security and prevention of corruption, as well as with the Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Jovita Neliupšienė, and Mantas Adomėnas. During the meetings, the parties highly appreciated the friendly relations of the Republics of Armenia and Lithuania and emphasized the importance of high-level meetings to strengthen them. The Secretary of the Security Council thanked the Lithuanian authorities for supporting the presence of the EU mission in Armenia. Two ceasefire violations recorded in Martuni region of Nagorno-Karabakh - Russia’s Defense Ministry In the March 31 summary, the Russian peacekeeping troops, presenting the situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh control zone, noted: “The Russian peacekeeping troops continue to carry out tasks in the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. At 30 observation posts, Russian peacekeepers monitor the situation and the maintenance of the ceasefire regime around the clock. Two cases of violation of the ceasefire regime were registered in the Martuni region, there were no casualties or injuries. The command of the Russian peacekeeping troops is conducting an investigation with the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides regarding the facts. A convoy with humanitarian cargo was escorted along the Goris-Stepanakert route.” The President of Artsakh held an extended extraordinary session of the Security Council An extraordinary extended session of the Security Council of the Republic of Artsakh took place today March 31 under the chairmanship of the President of the Republic of Artsakh, Arayik Harutyunyan. This was reported by the Office of the President of the Republic of Artsakh. Issues related to the protection of Artsakh, the security oaf the population, and ensuring the livelihood of the people were discussed in the conditions of the tightening of the blockade of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the continuous provocations. Reports were made by State Minister Gurgen Nersisyan and Defense Minister, Lieutenant General Kamo Vardanyan. Other News Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry claims the Armenia-Iran brotherhood is a threat to the entire region. Azerbaijan confirms participation in Yerevan EWF European Weightlifting Championships 2023.

22:48 - 31 March, 2023

Daily News Summary [30.09.2023]

Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Malta On March 30 in Malta, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan met with Ian Borg, the Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Malta. The Мinisters noted that the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Malta is marked by the first bilateral official high-level visit of the Foreign Minister of Armenia to Malta. Ararat Mirzoyan and Ian Borg expressed readiness to develop and deepen bilateral relations, and to make joint efforts to use the potential in various fields to the maximum extent. The sides touched upon the activation of trade and economic cooperation and business ties, prospects for cooperation in the fields of information technology, tourism, and other areas of mutual interest. The Ministers exchanged views on various issues on the Armenia-EU partnership agenda, as well as active cooperation on multilateral platforms. There were readings of maps, at 5 points the Azerbaijani side was located 100-300 meters before the border - RA NSS According to the agreements reached in August 2022, from April 1, 2023, the Lachin Corridor connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia should end at the Kornidzor Bridge. From April 1, the route connecting the territory of the Republic of Armenia to the Lachin Corridor will pass through the Kornidzor-Tegh route, only through the territory of the Republic of Armenia. This is reported by the RA NSS. After August 2022, a part of the road connecting the Lachin Corridor to Armenia again crossed the territory of Azerbaijan after the Kornidzor Bridge. That part of the road along its entire length and its adjacent territory was controlled by the Russian peacekeeping forces. According to the agreements reached yesterday between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the border guards of the two countries were to be deployed on both sides of the border along the aforementioned section in the last days of March. Map readings have appeared during deployment. In some places, the Azerbaijani side, without waiting for pre-arranged adjustments, started to position itself and carried out engineering works. The issue of opening a border checkpoint on the Lachin-Stepanakert road was not discussed - Zakharova The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, stated during the briefing that the issue of opening a border checkpoint between Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan on the Lachin-Stepanakert road was not discussed. This topic is a subject of discussion during high-level meetings - Zakharova on the decision of Armenia regarding the Rome Statute Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova commented on the decision of the Constitutional Court of Armenia regarding the Rome Statute. "Moscow is discussing the issue of possible ratification of the International Criminal Court's rules in high-level contacts with Yerevan. I do not consider it necessary to publish the details of those contacts. We assume that this issue will be settled in an allied and mutually acceptable manner," Zakharova noted. It should be reminded that according to the decision of the Supreme Court, the Rome Statute corresponds to the RA Constitution. The issue was discussed in a written procedure. The decision is final and takes effect from the moment of publication. Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense reports that the heights and roads between the villages of Jaghazur and Zabukh have been taken under control The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan announced that due to the fact that the new Lachin road was put into operation, several dominant heights, main and auxiliary roads, as well as large areas along the border were taken under the control of the Azerbaijani armed forces. India can become part of Iran's project: Yerevan and Delhi preparing an agreement Armenia and India are negotiating the signing of a bilateral agreement on international road transport. Yerevan also considers the connection of New Delhi to the "Persian Gulf-Black Sea" international transport corridor as possible. This was reported to Sputnik Armenia by the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure. Earlier it became known that Armenia has proposed to India to provide a trade corridor that would pass through Iran, Armenia, Georgia, and the Black Sea in order to deliver goods to Russia and Europe faster. "Currently, the negotiations with India have intensified in the direction of signing a bilateral agreement on cooperation with RA in the field of transport and international automobile transportation," the answer of the ministry states.

21:00 - 30 March, 2023

Daily News Summary [29.03.2023]

Despite challenges, Armenia consistently continues to implement democratic reform agenda – Prime Minister Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan made a speech at the second online Summit for Democracy held at the initiative of US President Joe Biden in an online format. "Despite the global and regional challenges Armenia consistently continues to implement democratic reform agenda. As a result that our country improved its position in various global rankings. The Freedom House has ranked Armenia as a “free” country in its annual report on Net Freedom. Armenia has also recorded unprecedented progress in the 2022 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters without Borders improving its position by 12 points. Last year Armenia improved its position by 7 points in the democracy index published by Economist Intelligence Unit. The Government of Armenia continues tackling climate change for building a low-emission energy sector and a vibrant green economy. We have made progress in the international energy ranking, "Energy Trilemma Index 2021", taking 53rd place among 127 countries," Pashinyan mentioned. Iran's Foreign Minister believes that the "3+3" format can settle tensions in the region Tehran is of the opinion that the tension in the Caucasus region can be settled in the "3+3" format, which implies the participation of three South Caucasus countries (Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia), as well as three close neighbors of that region (Russia, Iran, and Turkey). Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian made such a statement at the press conference held after the talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow. "Of course, we should settle the issues in this region with the "3+3" mechanism, as well as with the existing mechanisms, without resorting to force," TASS quoted him as saying. Abdollahian also emphasized the importance of moving towards sustainable peace and inclusive security in order to develop the economic opportunities of the Caucasus region and also noted the inadmissibility of foreign interference in this situation. "We believe that it is necessary to move towards peace and stability. foreign intervention in this region, as well as efforts to change the geopolitical situation of the region, are factors that complicate the situation even more," the diplomat noted. During his visit to Germany, the Speaker of the National Assembly raised the need for sanctions against Azerbaijan The delegation led by the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Alen Simonyan met with the President of the Landtag of the Federal Republic of Germany Saxony, Matthias Rössler. As informed by the RA National Assembly, the necessity of deepening inter-parliamentary cooperation and allocation of opportunities for parliamentary diplomacy was emphasized at the meeting. Concrete proposals were made in this direction, in particular, the exchange of experience between the commissions dealing with financial and budgetary issues of the National Assembly of Armenia and the Landtag of Saxony. The German colleague noted that due to various positions, he had the opportunity to study facts related to the history and culture of Armenia. He emphasized that he is ready to exchange the accumulated experience in issues related to democracy, adding that they are ready to get acquainted with the instructive experience of Armenia in the fields of educational and cultural, and academic education. The issue of Armenian prisoners of war held in Azerbaijan was raised in the CE Committee of Ministers On March 29, a regular meeting of the Council of Ministers of the CE was held, during which an exchange of ideas took place with Alan Mitchell, President of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT). Ambassador Arman Khachatryan, permanent representative of Armenia in the Council of Europe, referred to the problem of Armenian prisoners of war and other persons who are illegally in prisons in Baku. It is considered reprehensible that, in gross violation of the principles of international humanitarian law and its internationally assumed obligations, Azerbaijan refuses to release all Armenian prisoners of war without preconditions. Currently, the Azerbaijani side admits that only 33 Armenian prisoners of war are kept in Azerbaijan. The permanent representative of Armenia noted that on the basis of fabricated accusations, the Azerbaijani authorities organized staged trials against Armenian prisoners of war. Armenia continues to be in a state of high economic activeness - Nikol Pashinyan Today, chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, a consultation was held in the Government on economic growth trends and development plans in Armenia. In relation to the topic, the Prime Minister particularly said, "According to the data published by the Statistical Committee yesterday, Armenia continues to be in a state of high economic activeness. We have set a task to ensure the economic growth of at least 7 percent also in 2923. I propose to discuss some nuances related to the indicator of economic activity and to summarize our upcoming actions in the sense of guaranteeing our objectives regarding the economic activity." The officials in charge referred to the data published by the Statistical Committee on the main macroeconomic indicators for January-February 2023. Accordingly, a 10.9 percent increase in economic activity was recorded. The volume of construction increased by 13.2 percent, services by 23.5 percent, domestic trade by 18 percent, and foreign trade by 77.7 percent. The index of consumer inflation decreased, making 8.1 percent. It was noted that the inflow of capital and labor to Armenia continues. Other News On March 30, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan will pay a working visit to the Republic of Malta.

22:17 - 29 March, 2023

Daily News Summary [28.03.2023]

It is political short-sightedness to think that joining the International Criminal Court can ever be used for the protection of Armenia's interests - Republican Party of Armenia The Executive Body of the Republican Party of Armenia issued a statement. "On March 24, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Armenia adopted a decision based on the government's application, according to which the obligations stipulated in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court correspond to the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia. This decision of the Armenian authorities in the current geopolitical situation is extreme political blindness and is fraught with unpredictable consequences. It is no secret that the International Criminal Court is an extremely politicized body and it is no coincidence that even powerful powers such as the United States, China, and Russia, which are permanent members of the UN Security Council, have not signed or ratified that statute and have no such intention in the future. It is obvious political myopia to think that joining that court can ever be used for the protection of Armenia's interests. At the same time, it is also necessary to record that the Constitutional Court of Armenia, as a result of unconstitutional amendments to the Constitution in 2020, has an illegal composition, has completely exceeded its powers, and made an obviously illegal decision. According to the Constitution and the Constitutional Law on the Constitutional Court, the Constitutional Court was not authorized to examine the case of the constitutionality of the obligations stipulated in the Statute of the International Criminal Court, in the event that the Constitutional Court already made a negative decision on the same issue in 2004. Since the decisions of the Constitutional Court are final and not subject to revision, the revision of the issue of membership of the International Criminal Court was legally possible only after making a corresponding change in the Constitution." Amnesty International's report on the human rights situation in Armenia The international human rights organization Amnesty International has published the report "State of human rights in the world 2022-2023", which presents the results of studies on 156 countries. "No progress was reported in investigating war crimes and other crimes under international law during the 2020 Armenia-Azerbaijan armed conflict and its immediate aftermath. Law enforcement officers used excessive force during anti-government protests. Freedom of expression was restricted as hundreds faced criminal prosecution for allegedly insulting officials. Amendments to the Mining Code made it easier to bypass public opposition and environmental concerns. Laws to combat discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity remained inadequate. The security situation along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border remained tense with frequent skirmishes. Azerbaijani shelling inside Armenia proper, with strikes in the Syunik, Gegharkunik, and Vayots Dzor provinces, resulted in over 200 deaths including two civilians. In October, Azerbaijan and Armenia agreed on the short-term deployment of an EU monitoring mission along their border. The Security Council Secretary presented security threats to Armenia to his colleagues in Tallinn The Secretary of the Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan had meetings in the Republic of Estonia with Liis Lipre-Järma, Advisor on Foreign Policy of the Vigilante of Estonia, Kilike Silaste-Eling, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs, as well as the former Chairman (now a member) of the Committee on Foreign Relations, Marko Mihkelson. During the meetings, the parties emphasized the holding of high-level meetings aimed at strengthening bilateral relations, as well as the presence of the EU mission in Armenia. The Secretary of the Security Council presented the security threats of Armenia to his colleagues, in particular, the possible escalation by Azerbaijan towards Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. Other News Mher Grigoryan and the Spanish ambassador discussed issues related to the unblocking of economic and transport links.

00:09 - 29 March, 2023

Daily News Summary [27.02.2023]

President Vahagn Khachaturyan received the President of the Constitutional Court Arman Dilanyan The President of the Republic Vahagn Khachaturyan received the Chairman of the Constitutional Court Arman Dilanyan. This was reported by the RA President's Office. Welcoming the guest, the president noted that he values the close cooperation of the Constitutional Court and the Presidential Institute, whose main goal is to guarantee the Constitution and constitutionality in the country. "I think the most important function of the Constitutional Court and the Presidency is to be able to monitor how well the Constitution works and is preserved in the Republic of Armenia. I would like to continue our conversation on this topic so that in the future we can decide where we have shortcomings, where we can make it more efficient, and most importantly, do it together. I would also like to know your opinion in that regard," said Vahagn Khachaturyan. Expressing his gratitude for the reception, Arman Dilanyan emphasized that the primary duty of the president is to follow the protection of the Constitution. Political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and Czechia On March 27 political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia and the Czech Republic took place in Yerevan. The Armenian delegation was headed by Paruyr Hovhannisyan, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Czech delegation was headed by Jaroslav Kurfürst, Director General for European Affairs of the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During the consultations, the interlocutors discussed a wide range of issues related to the Armenian-Czech bilateral agenda. The parties commended the high level of the existing political dialogue and the necessity to maintain it. Touching upon the perspectives of economic cooperation, the sides expressed their willingness to undertake steps towards expanding the business ties. Cooperation in the cultural, educational, and scientific fields was also discussed. Azerbaijani combat positions fired at civilians working in the pomegranate garden - agricultural work was stopped On March 27, at 11:30, Alyosha Zakaryan, the chief specialist of the Martakert region of the Artsakh Republic's State Inspections Management Committee, reported to the regional police department that yesterday, March 26, the enemy fired irregular shots in their direction in the administrative area of Martakert city. This was reported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Artsakh. The police officers found out that on the same day around 11:30 a.m. while doing agricultural work in the pomegranate orchard belonging to the State Inspections Management Committee in the administrative area of Martakert city, Azerbaijani combat positions fired irregular shots from rifle weapons at the workers. There were no casualties. Agricultural work has been stopped. The police passed the information on to the Russian peacekeeping troops. Earlier today, around 09:00, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces unit tried to advance toward one of the heights adjacent to the Stepanakert-Lisagor unpaved road. This was reported by the press service of the Artsakh Ministry of Defense. Thanks to the preventive actions of the soldiers of the Armed Forces on combat duty in the mentioned area, the advance attempt of the Azerbaijani unit was stopped. The incident was reported to the command of the peacekeeping troops of the Russian Federation. The staff of the President of Azerbaijan invited the people of Artsakh to Baku again The staff of the President of Azerbaijan issued a statement according to which the Azerbaijani side invited the Armenians of Artsakh to Baku for discussion. Trend agency writes about this. "The staff of the President of Azerbaijan once again invites the representatives of the Armenian community of Karabakh to Baku for the first meeting in the week of April to discuss the issues of reintegration, as well as the implementation of infrastructure projects in Karabakh," the statement said.

20:09 - 27 March, 2023

Daily News Summary [25-26.03.2023]

Azerbaijan should stop blaming Armenia for its reprehensible actions: Armenia's Permanent Representative wrote a letter to the UN Secretary-General On March 24, as an official document of the UN Security Council and the General Assembly, the letter of the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Armenia Mher Margaryan addressed to the UN Secretary-General regarding the report circulated by Azerbaijan containing accusations against Armenia regarding the involvement of children in the armed conflict was published. This was reported by the Permanent Representation of Armenia at the United Nations. It refutes the disinformation spread by Azerbaijan at the United Nations that underage children are allegedly being recruited into the armed forces of Armenia, emphasizing that the spread of fake information at the United Nations has become a characteristic of Azerbaijan. There is no Western proposal, Baku rejected the Russian version - Foreign Minister 4 Azerbaijani and so far 3 Armenian documents. According to the Armenian Foreign Minister, the number of documents exchanged between Yerevan and Baku regarding the peace treaty is this much. Armenia has not yet formulated its response to the latest Azerbaijani proposals. Answering the question of Agnesa Khamoyan, deputy of the opposition "Hayastan" faction, Ararat Mirzoyan informed that it was not yet possible to reach an agreement on the key issues of the peace agreement. "On many issues, I would say not ideal, but we managed to find mutually acceptable formulations. Moreover, I did not even measure how many were offered by Azerbaijan and how many by Armenian. There were discussions, there were exchanges of ideas, and some compromise texts were formulated. Unfortunately, this does not apply to issues that are not core, core, or of primary importance. All the issues of the first importance are still under discussion, and I would not hesitate to say that, in the main part, the positions of the parties are still quite far from each other. Peace treaty negotiations are bilateral." Former NATO Secretary General warns of serious risk of imminent ethnic cleansing in Nagorno Karabakh Former NATO secretary-general (2009-14) and former prime minister of Denmark Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the founder of Rasmussen Global international political consultancy firm, has warned that in clear violation of the 2020 trilateral statement, Azerbaijan is fueling a humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh and once again threatening neighboring Armenia with military aggression. In an article for Project Syndicate, Rasmussen warned that a new Azerbaijani offensive against Armenia in the coming months cannot be ruled out. Nikol Pashinyan had a telephone conversation with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a telephone conversation with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel. This was reported by the RA Prime Minister's Office. The interlocutors referred to the ongoing crisis situation as a result of the illegal blocking of the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan. Thoughts were exchanged on the issues of the Armenian-Azerbaijan relations settlement process, the peace treaty, and the restarting of regional channels. The Prime Minister expressed concern over Azerbaijan's recently increasing aggressive rhetoric and provocative actions, which hinder efforts towards stability and peace. The President of the European Council reaffirmed the readiness of the EU to promote dialogue and peace in the region. After the telephone conversation with the RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, also had a telephone conversation with the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev. According to the message of the Azerbaijani side, Michel said that the European Union will continue its efforts to ensure stable peace and security in the region. He referred to the problems related to the Lachin road and expressed his concern regarding the incidents that took place on the state border of Armenia and Azerbaijan in recent days. During the conversation, Aliyev emphasized that they support the Brussels process. He continued to insist that Armenia's claims about the closure of the corridor are "completely false", and repeated his statements about the process of transferring weapons and personnel. "The President of Azerbaijan drew attention to the dangerous and escalating official statements of the RA leadership. He noted that on March 20, 2023, in the direction of the Armenia-Azerbaijan state border, where the European Union mission is located, during another provocation by Armenia, a soldier of the state border service of Azerbaijan was injured, and on March 5, two soldiers were injured in the Nagorno Karabakh region," the press release of the office of the President of Azerbaijan reported. Aliyev also emphasized that all this is "a result of the dangerous policy implemented by Armenia". The Azerbaijani side violated the line of contact in the Shushi-Lisagor section and secured some positional advancement The armed forces of Azerbaijan, once again violating the obligations assumed by the tripartite declaration of November 9, 2020, violated the line of contact in the Shushi-Lisagor sector established by the same document and ensured a certain positional advancement in the territory of the Republic of Artsakh. This is reported by Artsakh Information Center. The authorities of the Republic of Artsakh immediately informed the command of the Russian peacekeeping forces about another gross violation of the provisions of the tripartite declaration, taking into account the mission and functions assumed by them in this document. The authorities expect the peacekeeping troops to take practical steps in order to eliminate the consequences of this violation and prevent new violations. The false claim of the Azerbaijani side about the use of the Stepanakert-Ghaibalishen-Lisagor mountain road for the purpose of transporting ammunition is just a pretext for their next aggressive and destructive actions. On March 5, they attacked and killed three policemen on duty and injured another one with the same claim. The authorities of Artsakh have stated several times that under the conditions of the blockade that started on December 12, 2022, this road is used for the organization of civil and urgent communication between the four communities of Stepanakert and Shushi region, which is carried out by high vehicles, taking into account the very difficult and dangerous terrain of the area. And the existence and normal activity of the Defense Army does not pose any threat to anyone, as it is intended exclusively for self-defense, considering the real and immediate dangers and threats against the physical existence and security of the people of Artsakh. Later, the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan reported that the units of the Azerbaijani army have taken "necessary local control measures" to "prevent the use of the dirt roads north of the Lachin Corridor for illegal activities, the escalation of the situation with the transfer of arms and ammunition by Armenia." In the message, the country's Ministry of Defense claims again that "the transfer of personnel, ammunition, mines, as well as other military equipment" from Armenia to Artsakh, has intensified in recent days. "Armenian illegal armed organizations are building new roads along several routes, expanding old routes. For this purpose, military, engineering, and special equipment are used, and contract servicemen and local residents are used as labor force," the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan says. The country's Foreign Ministry also declares that "the latest provocations of the Armenian side show that in order to prevent illegal activities in the sovereign territories of Azerbaijan, it is necessary to create a border checkpoint and a control point at the last point of the Lachin road." Later the same day, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation informed in the bulletin about the peacekeepers that the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan have taken a height, and had moved to equip the positionThe Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation states in the bulletin about the activities of the peacekeepers in Artsakh that on March 25, the units of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, in violation of the statement of November 9, 2020, crossed the contact line of the Shushi region, occupied a hill (2.9 km northeast of the Saribaba hill) and entered the position of engineering equipment. "A demand has been submitted to the Azerbaijani side about the need to fulfill the provisions of the tripartite agreements of the heads of state, to stop the engineering works and to take measures to withdraw the units of the armed forces from their previously occupied positions." It is noted that one more violation of the ceasefire regime was recorded in the Martuni region. There are no casualties. After the positional advancement of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, the Russian peacekeepers positioned themselves on the height and control it. Azerbaijani combat positions fired at the citizens of Artsakh The police of the Artsakh Ministry of Internal Affairs reports that on March 26, a report was received at the Karmi Shuka Department of the Martuni Regional Police Department that at around 10:10 a.m. residents of the village of Sos, Razmik Harutyunyan and Yervand Balayan, entered the precinct called "Khzazen Tak" of the administrative area of the village. while performing pruning and cleaning works in the vineyard, irregular shots were fired at them from the enemy's positions. On the same day, at around 11:05, residents of Taghavard village, Vova Khachatryan, and Ruben Alaverdyan, while doing agricultural work in the wheat field of the "Shekheri yeres" area located in the administrative territory of the same village, were shot by Azerbaijani soldiers. Irregular shots were fired at the citizens of Artsakh from the adjacent Azerbaijani combat positions with various rifle weapons. Fortunately, no one was hurt. However, once again the agricultural works were stopped. The message was forwarded to the Russian peacekeeping troops.

22:30 - 26 March, 2023

Daily News Summary [24.03.2023]

As a result of the September aggression, Azerbaijan occupied around 150 square kilometers of the sovereign territory of Armenia - Mirzoyan In 2022, issues related to the establishment of peace and stability in the region, the regulation of relations with neighboring countries through peaceful negotiations, and the formation of a security environment around Armenia continued to be essential for Armenia’s politics. Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan said this today at the session of the NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations. “Negotiations with Azerbaijan continued in all directions: regulation of relations and a corresponding agreement, border delimitation, and border security process, unblocking of all transport and economic communication links in the region. During 2022, a number of meetings took place in the mentioned directions with the participation of Armenia’s Prime Minister in trilateral and quadrilateral formats,” Mirzoyan stated. Non-implementation of such decisions by Baku leads to threats to international security and peace - Kirakosyan on the decision of The Hague Court At the session of the NA Foreign Relations Committee, Armenia’s representative for international legal matters Yeghishe Kirakosyan referred to the ruling of the International Court of Justice regarding Azerbaijan. It should be reminded that Azerbaijan does not comply with the court's decision, according to which the country must use all the means at its disposal to ensure the unhindered movement of people, vehicles, and cargo through the Lachin Corridor in both directions. “Unfortunately, Azerbaijan ignores the decision. It is not news, decisions are constantly ignored by Azerbaijan. This decision is clear. Our efforts should also be aimed at raising the issue in the UN Security Council because it is the body that has the authority to monitor the execution of court rulings,” Kirakosyan said. Other News 69 U.S. Representatives from 18 states seek termination of U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan. Strengthening relations with China “extremely important” for Armenia - FM. Performance reports 2022 of the Offices of the Deputy Prime Ministers presented to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister met with representatives of extra-parliamentary political forces.

22:46 - 24 March, 2023

Daily News Summary [23.02.2023]

Azerbaijan is developing the situation to a new escalation - Pashinyan At the beginning of the government session, the RA Prime Minister referred to the March 18 speech of the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, in which he stated that if Yerevan does not recognize the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, Baku will not recognize the territorial integrity of Armenia either. "He openly and literally said that 'Armenia must accept Azerbaijan's conditions and agree to carry out delimitation on Azerbaijan's terms, otherwise there will be no peace agreement.' It is difficult to call this anything other than an act of aggression against RA and a gross violation of the agreements reached the highest level because the statement adopted as a result of the quadrilateral meeting on October 6, 2022 states: "Armenia and Azerbaijan confirmed their commitment to the UN Charter and the 1991 Almaty Declaration, through which both sides recognize each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty," Pashinyan said. According to him, after these statements, which are a direct record of the fact that the borders of the Soviet republics have turned into state borders, Azerbaijan continuously talks about delimitation based on some historical maps, which is absolutely unacceptable. Pashinyan emphasized that Azerbaijan's unpunished violations of internationally agreed agreements encourage them to resort to new provocations, recalling the incident that happened yesterday in Yeraskh (a soldier was killed by enemy fire) and expressing condolences to his parents and relatives. Later today, Pashinyan wrote on his Twitter that a peace treaty will be signed between Armenia and Azerbaijan. “There will be a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and it will be based on the joint official statements adopted at the highest level. There won’t be а new escalation! The international community must strongly support this narrative,” he stated. Azerbaijani MFA responded to Pashinyan's statements "The aggressive rhetoric of the Armenian leadership, which threatens the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan and ignores its international obligations, shows that Yerevan is not interested in peace in the region." This is stated in the comment of Aykhan Hajizadeh, the head of the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, in response to the speech of RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on March 23. "We condemn and reject completely groundless accusations directed at Azerbaijan by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who persistently repeats the statement of the Armenian Foreign Ministry on March 18," he emphasized. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan also advises Pashinyan to learn from history and guide Armenia, which has occupied Azerbaijani territories for 30 years, carrying out ethnic cleansing against hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis, and not to hinder the peace agenda that Azerbaijan is advancing from 2020, as well as to stop encroachment against the territorial integrity and interference in Azerbaijan's internal affairs. The PACE Commission urged Azerbaijan to immediately comply with the decisions of the international courts regarding the unblocking of the Lachin Strait The Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights today expressed great concern about the humanitarian crisis unfolding due to the ongoing obstruction of the Lachin Corridor. It adopted the following statement: "The Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Parliament Assembly of the Council of Europe isgreatly concerned by the humanitarian crisis unfolding due to the ongoing obstruction of the Lachin Corridor.This corridor is the lifeline between those living in Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, and the Committee fullysupports the public statement made by the Parliamentary Assembly co-rapporteurs for the monitoring ofArmenia on 24 February 2023, calling for “immediate action” and “the immediate cessation of the unlawfuland illegitimate obstruction of the Lachin corridor”. Decisive and urgent measures of the UN Security Council are necessary - Artsakh MFA referred to the targeting of its population The Foreign Ministry of Artsakh issued a comment regarding the targeting of the civilian population of Artsakh by the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan, considering it necessary to take decisive and urgent measures by the UN Security Council against the background of the genocidal policy conducted by Azerbaijan at the state level. This was reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh. "On March 22, the armed forces of Azerbaijan, once again violating the ceasefire regime, opened fire at the civilians carrying out agricultural work in the administrative area of Chartar town of Martuni region of the Republic of Artsakh. This is the third case of targeting civilians by Azerbaijan within a week. It should be reminded that on March 15, Azerbaijani combat positions opened fire with rifle weapons on the villagers working in the vineyards near the Amaras Valley of Martuni region, and on March 19, on a citizen doing agricultural work with a tractor in the administrative area of Taghavard village. The ambassador of Azerbaijan was summoned to the Dutch MFA on the issue of non-implementation of the decision on Lachin The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands invited the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and informed him about the need to implement the decision of the International Court of Justice and open the Lachin Corridor, the Federation of Dutch Armenian Organizations (FAON) informs. The 13 parliamentary factions of the Netherlands sent written questions to the country's foreign minister Wopke Hoekstra regarding the decision of the International Court of Justice on blocking the Lachin Corridor. Wopke Hoekstra in his reply letter agreed with the opinion of the parliamentarians that Azerbaijan does not comply with the court's decision. It was also noted that Hoekstra has repeatedly raised his concerns regarding the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh due to the blocking of the Lachin Corridor, including in bilateral negotiations with the Azerbaijani authorities, as well as during the recent meeting between the Prime Minister of the Netherlands and the President of Azerbaijan. The Russian peacekeeping contingent recorded one violation of the ceasefire regime in the Shushi region - Russian Ministry of Defense The Russian peacekeeping force recorded one violation of the ceasefire regime in the Shushi region during the previous day, according to the official bulletin of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. There are no casualties. The fact is being investigated by the forces of the Russian peacekeeping force.

23:54 - 23 March, 2023

Daily News Summary [23.03.2023]

The PACE Commission adopted a statement regarding the illegal blocking of the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan The PACE Legal Affairs and Human Rights Committee adopted a statement regarding the illegal blocking of the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan. This was announced by Vladimir Vardanyan, a member of the Armenian delegation to the PACE. Vardanyan promised to present new details soon. There is a risk for aggression against both Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh – FM Mirzoyan Armenian FM Ararat Mirzoyan sees a danger of new aggression by Azerbaijan against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, despite the negotiations, ARMENPRESS reports, Mirzoyan announced during the parliament-Cabinet Q&A session, referring to the question of possible escalation. "Of course there is. There is always a danger of aggression, regardless of the negotiations, regardless of the constructive approach shown by the Republic of Armenia in those negotiations. And these days, when we are witnessing such sharp rhetoric and threats, we must state that there is indeed a danger of new aggression, both against the Republic of Armenia and NK, and in the case of NK, also in the form of ethnic cleansing and manifestations of genocidal policy”, Mirzoyan said. Mirzoyan also welcomed the statement adopted by the PACE Commission regarding Azerbaijan's illegal blocking of the Lachin Corridor. However, he also reminded of the relevant decision by the UN International Court of Justice that Azerbaijan should ensure uninterrupted movement through the Lachin Corridor as provided for by the trilateral declaration of November 9. "Naturally, that topic was discussed. Last year on December 23, such a trilateral meeting was planned between me, the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Russia, the meeting was supposed to take place in Moscow, but the Armenian side did not participate, we postponed our participation in that meeting because the Lachin Corridor was illegally closed by Azerbaijan. In Nagorno-Karabakh, there was a very acute need for food, medicine, and other basic necessities. It is clear that the negotiations are going on remotely at the moment because we are exchanging our proposals and our ideas regarding the peace treaty, but it can be assumed that at some point the physical meetings and discussions should also be resumed. Yes, that topic was discussed in Moscow, and there is a possibility of such a meeting in the near future," Mirzoyan said. A soldier was killed by an enemy shot in a combat position located in the Yeraskh sector - Ministry of Defense On March 22, at around 4:20 p.m., in a combat position located in the Yeraskh sector, a soldier of the N military unit of the Ministry of Defense, Arshak Sargsyan, was fatally wounded by an enemy shot. Other News Russian and Turkish Foreign Ministers discussed issues related to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

00:16 - 23 March, 2023

Daily News Summary [21.03.2023]

Azerbaijan conducts a consistent policy of suppressing the right to self-determination of the Nagorno-Karabakh people through force - Artsakh MFA Artsakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement about the right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination, claiming the universal recognition of the Artsakh people's inalienable right to self-determination is the most effective way in which the international community can guarantee the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Artsakh. "We believe that, at this stage, the development of additional legally binding obligations to resolve the conflict by peaceful means, the consolidation of the principles of non-use or threat of force and equal rights and self-determination of peoples as the basis for negotiations, as well as the restoration of the international mechanism for direct negotiations between Artsakh and Azerbaijan meet the requirements international law and the universal commitment to the protection of human rights around the world. We recall that according to international law and international practice, the denial and forceful suppression of the right to self-determination, accompanied by massive human rights violations, as well as the rejection of negotiations as a means of resolving conflict, are sufficient grounds for recognizing the right of a people to establish an independent state," the statement of the Artsakh MFA reads. The USA will continue its efforts toward normalizing relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia and signing a peace treaty - Blinken On March 21, the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken had a telephone conversation with the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev. During the telephone conversation, the blocking of the only road connecting Artsakh to Armenia, the Lachin Corridor (since December 12, 2022) was discussed. As the Azerbaijani media reports, Secretary of State Blinken once again emphasized that the USA will continue its efforts towards normalizing relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia and signing a peace treaty. The Prime Minister received the delegation of the Germany-South Caucasus Friendship Group Today, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received the members of the Germany-South Caucasus Friendship Group of the German Bundestag, led by the vice-president of the group Tabea Rößner. The Prime Minister noted that Armenia attaches importance to the partnership with Germany, and the visit of the Bundestag delegation to Armenia shortly after his visit to Germany on March 2-3 proves that the relations between the two countries are developing dynamically. Referring to his visit to Germany, Nikol Pashinyan assessed it as effective and noted that he returned from Berlin with warm impressions. According to Tabea Rößner, the visit of the parliamentarians of the Bundestag to Armenia is a manifestation of the continuation of the effective dialogue, within the framework of which they have already had meetings with their parliamentary partners and representatives of the government. The interlocutors emphasized the role of inter-parliamentary ties in the development of Armenia-Germany cooperation and discussed issues on the bilateral agenda. Artsakh Human Rights Defender issued a report on 100 days of the Lachin Corridor blockade Artsakh Human Rights Defender issued a report on 100 days of the Lachin Corridor blockade, presenting the violations of the rights of Artsakh residents. "Since December 12, 2022, at around 10:30 am, a group of Azerbaijanis in civilian clothes, presenting themselves as alleged “environmental activists” blocked the only road, Goris – Stepanakert Highway, which passes through the Lachin (Berdzor) corridor connecting Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) with Armenia and the outside world. The so-called “eco-protest” with the documented participation of the Azerbaijani state-sponsored special services agents has proved to be fully orchestrated by the Azerbaijani government. As a result, the ongoing blockade has physically obstructed the sole road of life of Artsakh for 100 days already, leaving its entire population, 120,000 people, including 30,000 children, in a state of total isolation, facing massive violations of individual and collective human rights, as well as multifaceted existential and security threats," the report reads. ICRC representatives visited the Armenian prisoners of war held in Baku At the beginning of March, the ICRC representatives visited the Armenian prisoners of war held in Baku. It should be reminded that so far Baku has confirmed the capture of 33 people.

00:12 - 22 March, 2023

Daily News Summary [20.03.2023]

The meeting of Armenian and Russian Foreign Ministers took place in Moscow The private meeting of the Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Russian FM Sergey Lavrov took place today. Before the private meeting, Lavrov made a statement. "We have no doubt that the tripartite statements of the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia remain the key to the implementation of all decisions in the interest of ensuring the stabilization of the situation in the region, both in the economic and military-political spheres and in terms of international law." After the meeting, they had a joint press conference. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the resolution of the situation around the Lachin Corridor and generally Nagorno Karabakh is a priority. “We have no doubts that the key to implementing all our decisions still remains within the trilateral statements between the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia, for the benefit of stabilizing the situation military-politically, economically, and from the perspective of international law,” Lavrov stated. He added that Russia will continue to support by all means Armenia and Azerbaijan in the issues of unblocking the transport connections in the region, delimitation of the border, and agreeing on the parameters of the peace treaty. The Armenian Foreign Minister reminded about the ongoing blockade of the Lachin Corridor since December 12, 2022, and said that Azerbaijan is violating every clause of the trilateral statement and is not complying with the ICJ ruling on opening the Lachin Corridor. FM Mirzoyan said that the situation shows the need for ensuring mechanisms guaranteeing the security of the people of Nagorno Karabakh and international participation. “Armenia expects Russia’s support in sending an international fact-finding mission to Nagorno Karabakh. International participation is needed for genocide prevention, an international fact-finding mission must also be sent to the part of Lachin Corridor and Nagorno Karabakh. We hope that there’ll be cooperation with the Russian side in this matter,” Mirzoyan said. Armenian Foreign Minister also referred to Armenia's possible withdrawal from the CSTO, claiming that Armenia has never abandoned the CSTO mission. "Moreover, the draft decision is on the table. The work in that direction goes on," he said. Mirzoyan mentioned that the CSTO does not recognize a clear sphere of responsibility, and this is problematic. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that he is happy that Armenia did not refuse to deploy the CSTO mission. Nikol Pashinyan had a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a telephone conversation with Anthony Blinken, Secretary of State of the United States of America. The interlocutors discussed issues related to the humanitarian crisis caused by Azerbaijan's illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor. Nikol Pashinyan and Anthony Blinken exchanged thoughts on the perspectives of the regulation of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations and the opening of communication channels in the region. The US Secretary of State reiterated his call for the immediate reopening of the Lachin Corridor and emphasized that the US is ready to continue supporting the above-mentioned processes. During the telephone conversation, Prime Minister Pashinyan expressed his concern regarding the recently increasing aggressive rhetoric by Azerbaijan. Armenia seeks to take Azerbaijan’s non-compliance with the ICJ ruling to UN Security Council Armenia is “working” in the direction of raising the issue of Azerbaijan’s non-compliance with the world court order on unblocking the Lachin Corridor at the UN Security Council, the Representative of Armenia on International Legal Matters Yeghishe Kirakosyan announced today. The United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice (ICJ) - ordered Azerbaijan on February 22 to “take all steps at its disposal” to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles, and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. The Lachin Corridor has been blocked by Azerbaijan since 12 December 2022. Kirakosyan was asked to comment on the matter by Hayastan faction Secretary Artsvik Minasyan at the parliamentary committee on state-legal affairs hearings. Minasyan asked Kiraskoyan whether or not it’s possible for the UN Security Council to consider applying the sanctions under chapter 7 of the UN Charter. Kirakosyan reiterated that the ICJ ruling is binding and Azerbaijan must comply with it. Other News Our country has promoted the values of Francophonie with honor and great enthusiasm - Minister of Foreign Affairs.

23:07 - 20 March, 2023

Daily News Summary [18-19.03.2023]

Aliyev threats Armenia to recognize Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan to live in peace: RA Foreign Ministry claims Azerbaijan is doing everything to make peace in the region impossible President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has stated that if Yerevan does not recognize the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, Baku will not recognize the territorial integrity of Armenia either. "Armenia and the hypocritical countries behind it should know the consequences. They should know that no dirty plan will be implemented on us. We have power, we have friends, we have a strong position in the world and we have a strong will. We demonstrated this during the war and in the post-war period," Aliyev said in Talish, addressing the Azerbaijani people. "In order for Armenia to live peacefully in the territory of 29 thousand square kilometers, there is one condition - to accept our conditions, officially recognize Karabakh as Azerbaijani territory, sign a peace treaty, and carry out delimitation works according to our conditions. Only then can they live comfortably in 29,000 square meters. km in the area," Aliyev stated. Later, RA Foreign Ministry issued a statement regarding Aliyev's speech. "Azerbaijan not only keeps the sovereign territories of Armenia under occupation but also introduced the so-called "Western Azerbaijan" speech and declares practically the entire territory of Armenia as Azerbaijani land. This means the expression of open ambitions for practically the entire sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia. Azerbaijan also threatens Armenia if it does not accept these ambitions. Azerbaijan announces that it is going to discuss the issue of "integration of the Armenians of Karabakh", and the statements made in Talish, the illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor, and the terrorist attack on March 5 prove that Azerbaijan intends to solve the issue of at least the assimilation of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, and official Baku. The international community should not ignore RA's warnings about the preparations to subject the Armenians to genocide." According to RA Foreign Ministry, Azerbaijan is doing everything to make peace in the region impossible. Azerbaijanis opened fire at a resident of Herher village On March 19, around 1:50 p.m., the Azerbaijani Armen Forced opened fire in the direction of a 34-year-old resident of Herher village S. Hambardzumyan, which was doing agricultural work with a "Belarus" tractor in the area called "Knyoghants kal" in the administrative area of Taghavard village. Agricultural work has been stopped. There are no casualties. The message about the incident was passed on to the Russian peacekeepers, the police of the Artsakh Ministry of Internal Affairs reports. The Lavrov-Mirzoyan meeting is scheduled for tomorrow The Russian Foreign Ministry has issued a message ahead of the upcoming visit of Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan to Moscow and his talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, stating that the ministers plan to comprehensively discuss the current state of Russian-Armenian cooperation and further steps in its development. They will also discuss in detail the regional agenda at the highest level between Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan on November 9, 2020, January 11, 2021, and November 26, 2022, in the prism of fulfilling the agreements of October 31. Prospects for strengthening cooperation in general integration associations - CIS, EAEU, and CSTO - will be considered, as well as the coordination of actions in various international universal platforms, first of all, in the United Nations. Other News The Armenian freestyle wrestling team won another silver and bronze medal at the European Championship.

21:35 - 19 March, 2023

Daily News Summary [17.03.2023]

The Russian peacekeeping contingent recorded a violation of the ceasefire regime in Martuni and Shushi regions During the previous day, the Russian peacekeeping troops recorded two violations of the ceasefire regime in Martuni and Shushi regions, there were no casualties. This is stated in the official bulletin of the Ministry of Defense of Russia. "According to these facts, the command of the Russian peacekeeping force is conducting a joint investigation with the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides," the report said. The IMF will continue supporting the economic progress of our country - Nikol Pashinyan and Iva Petrova discussed issues of the cooperation agenda Today RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received the head of the Armenian mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Iva Petrova and her delegation. Expressing his satisfaction with the IMF-Armenia partnership, the Prime Minister emphasized the IMF's support for the Government's reform agenda. Nikol Pashinyan emphasized that last year RA recorded high indicators of economic growth and state budget revenue growth. The Prime Minister of Armenia emphasized that the Government is determined to continue the reforms in various directions and emphasizes consistent work with international partner structures along the way. Artsakh MFA highlighted the proposals of CE resolutions to impose sanctions on Baku officials The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh welcomed the adoption of resolutions by the European Parliament on EU-Armenia and EU-Azerbaijan relations, expressing its belief that the resolutions of the European Parliament, including the recommendations on imposing sanctions on Azerbaijani officials, will be an important contribution to the common efforts aimed at ending the blockade and ethnic reconciliation in Artsakh, to stop Azerbaijan's criminal plans to carry out purges and genocide. Artsakh MFA statement reads: "We welcome the appeals addressed to the authorities of Azerbaijan in the resolutions adopted by the European Parliament on March 15, 2023, in accordance with the Trilateral Declaration of November 9, 2020, to ensure the freedom and safety of movement through the Lachin Corridor, as well as to fulfill the 2023 order of the UN International Court of Justice. their obligations defined by the decision of February 22. In this regard, we express our support to the call of the European Parliament to the Council of the EU to apply specific sanctions against the state officials of Azerbaijan, if the decision of the International Court of Justice of February 22, 2023, is not immediately implemented. According to the Deputy Foreign Minister, during Ararat Mirzoyan's visit to Moscow, the issue of the location of the EU mission in Armenia will be discussed Answering MP Agnessa Khamoyan's question about Russia's response to the EU mission in RA at the regular session of the RA NA Standing Committee on European Integration, RA Deputy Foreign Minister Paruyr Hovhannisyan said that indeed, the deployment of the mission has raised some questions. "In that direction, we continue to explain what is the reason, what is the purpose of the mission. For example, Iran, which is very sensitive to the issue of creating such missions in the region, there was a rather positive response. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran stated that they do not see any problem regarding the mission. It shows that the perception is different in the case of explanatory works. Yes, we should continue working with our partners in that regard and present more information." Yerevan Mayor resigned Yerevan Mayor Hrachya Sargsyan resigned. He announced this during an extraordinary meeting in the municipality. Hrachya Sargsyan mentioned that he will continue to be with the political team. Other News Representatives of the Ombudsman of Azerbaijan visited the citizens of Armenia held in the prisons of Azerbaijan. Putin and Aliyev discussed the stabilization of the situation in the South Caucasus.

00:08 - 18 March, 2023

Daily News Summary [16.03.2023]

Russian MFA on Armenia's possible withdrawal from the CSTO On March 16, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, addressed the journalist's questions about the possibility of Armenia leaving the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). Zakharova noted that on September 13 and October 28, 2022, extraordinary sessions of the CSTO Collective Security Council were held, the then Secretary General of the organization Stanislav Zas and the mission led by Chief of the CSTO Joint Staff Colonel-General Anatoly Sidorov visited Armenia. The Russian diplomat reminded that a plan to deploy a CSTO observation mission in Armenia was prepared, and the development of the relevant decision was practically completed at the meeting of the organization's statutory bodies held in Yerevan. "At the same time, due to certain demands of Armenian partners, which were problematic for other CSTO members, it was not possible to take this decision," said Zakharova. At the beginning of January, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that Armenia refused to host the "Indestructible Brotherhood-2023" military exercises of the collective rapid reaction forces of the CSTO in its territory. And on March 10, it became known that Armenia, according to the relevant procedure, applied to the CSTO to give up its quota of the CSTO Deputy Secretary General. Ararat Mirzoyan and Sergey Lavrov will meet in Moscow On March 20, the meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan and Sergey Lavrov will take place in Moscow. During the negotiations, the ministers will discuss steps aimed at further development of bilateral cooperation, and strengthening of cooperation within the framework of the CIS, EAEU, and CSTO. The main topics of discussion will be regional issues, including the settlement of the situation in the Lachin Corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh in general, as well as the implementation of tripartite agreements between Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. We expect that the upcoming meeting will help improve the quality of the dialogue with Yerevan, as well as work towards strengthening security and stability in the South Caucasus. CSTO Secretary General visits Armenia On March 16, RA Defense Minister Suren Papikyan received the delegation led by CSTO General Secretary Imangali Tasmagambetov, who arrived in Armenia on a working visit. This is reported by the RA Ministry of Defense. Opinions were exchanged on a number of international and regional security issues, including the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the military-political situation around Armenia. In particular, speaking about the border situation, Suren Papikyan presented the long-standing problems and the expectations of the RA Ministry of Defense regarding the implementation of CSTO collective defense mechanisms. CSTO General Secretary was on a working visit to Jermuk. He visited the places that suffered as a result of the military operations unleashed by Azerbaijan in September 2022. Nikol Pashinyan instructed RA Foreign Minister to start official negotiations with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan considers the fact that the international mechanism defined by point 7 of the tripartite statement of November 9, 2020, has not been activated yet. During the government session, he reminded that in point 7 it is stated that internally displaced persons and refugees return to the NK territory and adjacent regions under the supervision of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. "This means that international mechanisms for the return of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh Hadrut, Shushi, Martuni and Martakert regions, Shahumyan, Getashen, Lachin and adjacent and other regions of Nagorno-Karabakh should be launched," said the Prime Minister. Pashinyan noted that he instructed the Foreign Minister to start official negotiations on this topic with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. "Representatives of ethnically cleansed Armenians from Baku, Shirvan, Sumgait, Kirovabad, Khanlar, Shamkhor, Nakhichevan and other regions of Azerbaijan are also appealing to state bodies, complaining that we do not raise the issue of their rights to return to their homes accompanied by international peacekeeping forces. The problem is that point 7 of the statement of November 9 refers only to refugees and internally displaced persons of Nagorno-Karabakh and the regions immediately adjacent to it, but this, of course, does not prevent those ethnically cleaned Armenians from Baku, Shirvan, Sumgait, Kirovabad, Khanlar, Shamkhor, Nakhichevan and other regions of Azerbaijan to organize themselves, return and defer their rights in international courts," Pashinyan sais. According to The Economist, Armenia is Russia's second closest ally The Economist published an article titled "Putin’s pals", in which it presented a list of Russia’s allies. Among the 12 countries included, Belarus is the first place, and Armenia is the second. It is noted that the rating was made on the basis of 11 factors. The countries with the highest scores are mostly related to Russia in the fields of politics, history, and geography (Belarus, Armenia, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan). Referring to the CSTO, the magazine notes that some CSTO members try to stay away from the war. “Armenia has opted out of this year's CSTO exercises and now appears to be trying to insure itself when it comes to political patronage by inviting an EU mission to monitor the border with Azerbaijan." Other News The Russian delegation of the Armenian-Russian inter-parliamentary commission arrived in Yerevan. Armenia deserves our full support - EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement.

20:27 - 16 March, 2023

Daily News Summary [15.03.2023]

Azerbaijan opened fire in the direction of 3 citizens doing agricultural work in Artsakh: No casualties On March 15, around 11:00 a.m., the duty unit of the Martuni regional police department received a report that while 3 citizens were doing pruning work in the vineyards near the area called "Khazin Tak" in the Amaras valley, irregular shots were fired from the adjacent Azerbaijani military positions. As a result of the shooting, agricultural work was stopped. There are no casualties. Frequent ceasefire violations along the line of contact between Armenia and Azerbaijan remain a cause for concern - Toivo Klaar Following the deadly incident 10 days ago, recent reports of frequent ceasefire violations along the line of contact and the international border remain a cause for concern, says Toivo Klaar, European Union Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia. “The EU strongly urges restraint in order to prevent any further escalation. Violence and coercive measures cannot be an option when working toward dialogue and the normalization of relations. As repeated on several occasions, the EU also reiterates its call for the full restoration of freedom and security of movement through the Lachin corridor, and for gas and electricity supplies as well as telecommunications services to Karabakh to continue uninterrupted,” Klaar stated. Azerbaijan challenges efforts to establish peace with its rhetoric and provocations - Mirzoyan On March 15, RA Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan received Fabio Vaz Pitaluga, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Brazil to the Republic of Armenia. The interlocutors exchanged ideas on the expanding political dialogue between Armenia and Brazil and a wide range of issues on the Armenian-Brazilian bilateral agenda. Prospects of cooperation in areas of mutual interest, including trade, high technologies, and agriculture, were discussed. During the meeting, the issues of effective cooperation established between the two countries on multilateral platforms, as well as the strengthening of inter-parliamentary relations, were also discussed. Issues related to regional security and stability were also discussed at the meeting. Minister Mirzoyan presented the RA vision in the process of regulating relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. It was emphasized that the Azerbaijani side challenges efforts to establish peace and stability in the region with its rhetoric and continuous provocations. Azerbaijan aims to create conditions for unhindered ethnic cleansing, excluding the intervention of the international community - Artsakh MFA The claims of the Azerbaijani side that the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict has been resolved and is no longer on the international agenda do not correspond to reality. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh issued a statement about this in response to the comments of Hikmet Hajiyev, assistant to the president of Azerbaijan, head of the foreign policy department of the president's office, about the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict, the negotiation process and a number of other issues. "The fact that the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict is not resolved and needs a comprehensive settlement has been repeatedly stated by individual states, including the co-chairing countries of the OSCE Minsk Group, as well as representatives of a number of international organizations. We are sure that the comprehensive settlement of the conflict can be achieved only through negotiations and on the basis of the norms and principles of international law. Rejecting the international mechanism of dialogue with the official Stepanakert, Azerbaijan is trying to avoid the implementation of possible agreements. The involvement of the international community in the dialogue between Artsakh and Azerbaijan is the only way to guarantee a comprehensive solution to the conflict. The Artsakh side categorically rejects Azerbaijan's attempts to distort the essence of the conflict and present it as an internal problem," the statement of the Artsakh Foreign Ministry reads. Comprehensive peace treaty must include guarantees of rights and security of NK Armenians – European Parliament report The European Parliament adopted the resolution on EU-Armenia relations. 534 MEPs voted in favor, 10 voted against, and 66 abstained. Amendments to the report were proposed, particularly to condemn the continuing blockade of the Lachin Corridor which deteriorates the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno Karabakh, and to condemn the "March 5 incident" between Azerbaijan and the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh which led to deaths and jeopardized the peace process. The verbal amendments were also adopted. The report noted that “over more than three decades, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well as the recent incursion by Azerbaijan into Armenian sovereign territory, have resulted in tens of thousands of casualties, immense destruction, and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people. Azerbaijani military actions follow worrying statements by Azerbaijani authorities referring to the territory of the Republic of Armenia as Azerbaijani ancestral land and threatening to use force; whereas, since December 2022, civilian traffic between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh on the Lachin corridor has been blocked, which has had a negative impact on the deliveries of food and other essential supplies and services to the region,” the report reads. Other News Azerbaijan spreads another disinformation. The statue of Charles Aznavour to be placed in Yerevan.

23:04 - 15 March, 2023

Daily News Summary [14.02.2023]

The press conference of RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan On March 14, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held a press conference in the Government, which was attended by representatives of more than 4 dozen mass media. During his press conference, RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan gave details of what was discussed during the telephone conversation with the Russian President yesterday, March 13. "Our conversation with the president of the Russian Federation yesterday was mainly devoted to the danger of escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh, I simply conveyed my information, and impressions, and also emphasized that I think there are problems in the area of responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping forces in Nagorno-Karabakh," he said. Nikol Pashinyan also mentioned that, in his opinion, something very unexpected happened in Nagorno-Karabakh, in front of the headquarters of the Russian peacekeeping force. l Pashinyan answered the question that if there's an escalation in the direction of Artsakh, the Republic of Armenia will ensure the security of Artsakh and whether the Republic of Armenia continues to be the guarantor of the security of Artsakh. "Why did I sign the statement of November 9? Perceiving that in that kind of situation RA cannot be the full guarantor of the security of Nagorno Karabakh, therefore, it was necessary to create a system that would guarantee the security of Nagorno Karabakh. According to the tripartite declaration and according to the decision of the Federal Council of the Russian Federation, which allows the President of the Russian Federation to send troops to Nagorno-Karabakh, all this has been recorded that the guarantor of the security of Nagorno-Karabakh is the Russian Federation. Not because Armenia is refusing to do it, but, unfortunately, because of the defeat in the 44-day war, cannot fully fulfill that function. Therefore, by its own commitment, the guarantor of the security of Nagorno-Karabakh is the Russian Federation." Pashinyan claimed there is no crisis in Armenia’s relations with Russia. He described the relations between Yerevan and Moscow to be very frank. “Our relations with Russia are very frank, I don’t see a crisis,” Pashinyan said at a press conference. “We speak, discuss, and we record that there are problems, a part of which are objective. These problems aren’t subjective to have a crisis impact on the relations. Our relations are in a normal state, which doesn’t mean that there are no mutual concerns,” the Prime Minister said. The Prime Minister of Armenia also spoke about the possibility of a meeting with the leader of Azerbaijan, claiming that a meeting of the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in any format is not planned in the near future. "I have never avoided a meeting, but on the other hand, the experience of our meetings shows that there should be guarantees about the fulfillment of agreements and commitments," he said. The head of the government noticed that in the previous meetings with the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the President of the European Council Charles Michel in Brussels, the parties reached various agreements, but their implementation became impossible because of the actions of the Azerbaijani side. Pashinyan also referred to the possible peace treaty with Azerbaijan, saying that Azerbaijan is rigging the draft peace treaty with traps in order to continue its aggressive policy against Armenia even after the possible signing of the agreement, PM Nikol Pashinyan warned on Tuesday. “What’s Azerbaijan doing? Azerbaijan says "I’ve won the war, so what negotiations, what proposals? I’ve won, I am sending a paper, I’ve sent my five principles, sign it, and if you don’t sign it, in 2023 I will launch a major attack". Pashinyan said that Azerbaijan is using threats in the negotiations process, as it did before the 44-Day War. “Before the war, Azerbaijan’s negotiation position was the following – "give me what I want to gain through war, or else I will take it through war". And that was a very difficult choice,” Pashinyan added. German Chancellor Scholz referred to the Lachin Corridor Germany is ready to provide its support in the direction of finding a long-term and feasible solution to the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh for the benefit of the local residents, TASS informed, referring to the statement made by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during a joint press conference with Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev. "Our joint goal should be finding a long-term and feasible solution to this conflict for the benefit of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh," he said, adding that the peaceful settlement of the conflict should be based on preserving the territorial integrity of Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Russian peacekeeping contingent recorded a violation of the ceasefire regime in the Martuni region - Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation The Russian peacekeeping forces recorded a violation of the ceasefire regime in the Martuni region during the previous day. There are no casualties. "Regarding this fact, the command of the Russian peacekeeping troops is conducting a joint investigation with the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides," it is said on the website of the Russian Ministry of Defense. It is noted that Russian peacekeepers are monitoring the situation around the clock and monitoring the maintenance of the ceasefire regime in thirty observation posts. Former NATO Secretary General claims blocking Lachin Corridor is illegal "The last time I visited Armenia was in 2012 as the Secretary General of NATO. Many things have happened since then. I met with the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister, and the Defense Minister yesterday, and commended the government to solidify democracy in Armenia", Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former Secretary General of NATO, Founder, and Chairman of "Rasmussen Global" international political consulting organization, said this at a press briefing in Jermuk city, Vayots Dzor, Armenia. According to him, he arrived on the invitation of Armenia to help the Armenian government to strengthen ties with the West and the EU. Other News The President of Armenia and the Ambassador of Finland referred to the importance of opening the Lachin Corridor Artsakh denies the transfer of soldiers and weapons from Armenia accompanied by peacekeeping troops Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan to visit Russia Azerbaijan spreads another disinformation Former Secretary-General of NATO Anders Fogh Rasmussen visits the entrance of the blocked Lachin Corridor.

21:33 - 14 March, 2023