Daily News Summary

Daily News Summary [21.05.2022]

Armenian FM met with FMs of North Macedonia, Serbia and Ireland On May 20, within the framework of the 132nd session of CoE Committee of Foreign Ministers, Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan held a meeting with Foreign Minister of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani․ Minister Mirzoyan especially emphasized the active cooperation within the OSCE, expressing hope that within the framework of the forthcoming chairmanship in the OSCE, Northern Macedonia will make a significant contribution to the establishment of regional security and peace. In this context, the Foreign Minister of Armenia presented the position of the Armenian side on the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, emphasizing the mediating role of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship in achieving a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the issue. During the meeting, the humanitarian issues resulting from the 44-day war were also touched upon. Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan held a meeting with Foreign Minister of Serbia Nikola Selaković. Ararat Mirzoyan presented Armenia's position on the establishment of regional peace and stability and the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. They also touched upon humanitarian issues, in particular, the need for repatriation of Armenian prisoners of war and other detainees, and protection of Armenian cultural and religious heritage in the territories fallen under the control of Azerbaijan. Foreign Minister of Armenia presented to his counterpart the details of the normalization process between Armenia and Turkey. Ararat Mirzoyan met with Foreign Minister of Ireland Simon Coveney. Minister Mirzoyan stressed that Armenia welcomes the priorities of the forthcoming Irish Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, aimed at protecting human rights, fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law, and emphasized their importance, especially in the context of conflicts. Referring to humanitarian consequences resulting from the Azerbaijani aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020, Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized the need for the involvement of the Council of Europe. Azerbaijani side opened fire on the eastern section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. one serviceman is wounded. RA MoD Today, at around 14:05, Azerbaijani units opened fire on the positions of the Armenian Armed Forces located on the eastern section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, as a result of which a serviceman Gor Gyulsaryan received a slight gunshot wound, the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia reports. The fire of the Azerbaijani side was silenced by the retaliatory actions. Earlier today the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia reported that the message spread by the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan that on the evening of May 20, units of the RA Armed Forces fired at Azerbaijani combat positions located in the eastern direction of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border is disinformation, the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia reports. The situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border is relatively stable and is under the full control of the units of the RA Armed Forces. Other News Armenia should propose to divide the agenda of negotiations into two stages. Saghatelyan Signing of documents not planned at upcoming EU-mediated Pashinyan-Aliyev meeting |armenpress.am| United States welcomes dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan - State Department |armenpress.am|

00:18 - 22 May, 2022

Daily News Summary [20.05.2022]

President of Lithuania arrives in Yerevan President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda vowed during his meeting with Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan to provide every support for the preservation of the Armenian cultural legacy that has gone under Azerbaijani control. The presidents held a joint press conference after their meeting in Yerevan. President Vahagn Khachaturyan said that the high-level visits between the two countries show the strong ties coming from the depth of centuries and the continuation of relations based on similar value system, as well as the determination to expand bilateral cooperation. The presidents had a comprehensive discussion on the current state and prospects of the Armenian-Lithuanian relations, as well as a broad circle of agenda issues relating to bilateral friendly relations. “The readiness to deepen inter-state relations was reiterated from both sides. Special attention was paid to the possibilities of increasing trade volumes and deepening bilateral economic cooperation. In this context we discussed prospects of partnership in industry, IT, renewable energy, agriculture and other areas,” President Khachaturyan said. Khachaturyan said they also discussed Armenia’s efforts aimed at establishing lasting peace in the region. “The efforts of Lithuania and Armenia are identical in this matter. The need for preserving the Armenian cultural monuments in Artsakh and under the Azeri control was specially emphasized. President Nausėda vowed to provide every support for the preservation of the Armenian Christian cultural legacy,” the Armenian President said. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received the President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda, who is in Armenia on an official visit, and the delegation led by him. During the meeting the sides exchanged views on regional situation and developments. Nikol Pashinyan thanked for that readiness and praised the efforts of the EU, President of the European Council Charles Michel, which, together with the efforts of other international partners, contribute to the creation of an atmosphere of dialogue. The sides stressed the need for a comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs. Issues related to the preservation of the Armenian religious and cultural heritage in Artsakh and the involvement of UNESCO in that process were also touched upon. The sides emphasized the role of democracy in serving security challenges, protecting human rights, the rule of law, the success in sectoral reforms, and ensuring economic growth. The President of Lithuania noted that his country has some experience and is ready to share with Armenia, to exchange information. Prime Minister Pashinyan welcomed the proposal, noting that Armenia attaches importance to the study of the experience of countries with successful development. The RA NA President Alen Simonyan received the delegation led by the President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda being in Armenia on an official visit. In the private talk followed the solemn reception the RA NA President and the President of Lithuania discussed the perspectives of the joint agenda of cooperation. Problems of regional security were touched upon. The President of Lithuania noted that the only way of the conflict solution are the peaceful negotiations and expressed hope that lasting peace in the region will be established soon. Armenian FM takes part in 132nd Ministerial Session of the Council of Europe, holds meetings with FMs of Czech Republic, Norway and Spain On May 20, the 132nd Ministerial Session of the Council of Europe was held in Turin, Italy, where Ararat Mirzoyan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, participated and delivered remarks. In his speech, Minister Mirzoyan, particularly, noted: "It’s been a year and a half since those horrible times, and Azerbaijan claims that the Nagorno- Karabakh issue is solved and they are ready for peace. I would sound naive but if it’s true why we still struggle for the rights of prisoners of war and detainees and their immediate release and repatriation. Why do we still struggle for cultural rights of people and policy-driven demolition of Armenian cultural heritage under Azerbaijani control? Why we struggle to make Azerbaijan understand that Nagorno Karabakh is not only a piece of territory, it is people, whose dignity should be respected." Mirzoyan noted that the Government of Armenia is committed to the efforts to bring peace and prosperity to the region and has reiterated on numerous occasions its readiness to immediately start genuine and constructive negotiations on normalization of relations with Azerbaijan. Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan met with Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky. Minister Mirzoyan presented to his counterpart Armenia's position on the processes aimed at establishing regional peace and stability. The mediating role of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship in promoting the peace process of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was emphasized. Touching upon the consequences of the 44-day war, specially the resulting humanitarian issues, Foriegn Minister of Armenia particularly stressed the need for repatriation of Armenian prisoners of war and others detained. Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan held a meeting with the Foreign Minister of Norway Anniken Huitfeldt. Minister Mirzoyan presented the urgent humanitarian issues resulting from the 44-day war, in particular, the need for repatriation of Armenian prisoners of war and civilians held in Azerbaijan. He stressed the need for the international community to undertake adequate steps to fully address the humanitarian issues the people of Nagorno-Karabakh encounter. During the meeting, the Foreign Minister of Armenia also briefed his counterpart on the latest developments related to the Armenia-Turkey settlement process. FM Mirzoyan met with Foreign Minister of Spain José Manuel Albares. The sides touched upon regional and international issues. Minister Mirzoyan presented Armenia's position on the establishment of regional peace and stability and the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In the context of the humanitarian issues resulting from the 44-day war, the immediate repatriation of Armenian prisoners of war and civilians held in Azerbaijan, as well as the preservation of Armenian religious and cultural heritage in the territories fallen under Azerbaijani control were emphasized. Azerbaijani PM says there is no progress in unblocking economic and transport ties, Turkish FM calls on Armenia to respond positively to Baku's peacekeeping initiatives Despite the ongoing meetings within the framework of the trilateral working group (at the level of the Deputy Prime Ministers of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia - ed.), there is no progress in unblocking economic and transport ties between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ali Asadov said. Prime Minister also said that Azerbaijan has clarified the structure of the delegation for the preparation of the peace treaty, as well as the national commission for the delimitation and demarcation of borders with Armenia. The Prime Minister of Azerbaijan expressed concern that "Armenia doesn't comply with the 4th paragraph of the declaration of November 9, 2020, according to which the Armenian armed forces should be withdrawn from the territory of Azerbaijan (meaning the occupied territories of Artsakh - ed.)." Ali Asadov added that "official Baku expects serious progress on both issues in the near future and considers it important to take the necessary measures in this direction." Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said that Yerevan should respond positively to Baku's peacekeeping initiatives. "Now we encourage Armenia to respond to these kind intentions and we see that the Armenian authorities are under pressure from radicals inside the country, and from the outside - from the Diaspora." According to Çavuşoğlu, the Turkish side not only told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the Armenian side should be encouraged in this direction, but also its other interlocutors. "During our meeting yesterday (the meeting of Çavuşoğlu and Blinken - ed.), we once again reminded that Turkey and Azerbaijan want peace and showed our goodwill for stability in the region." Çavuşoğlu recalled that the Azerbaijani side offered Armenia to sign a peace agreement. According to him, Azerbaijan, in turn, supports negotiations on the settlement of relations between Turkey and Armenia. Other News ‘It was the citizen of Armenia who prevented collapse of statehood, loss of sovereignty and independence’ – PM |armenpress.am| As we brought democracy to Armenia, so let’s bring peace: PM calls for unity |armenpress.am| United States gained good partner in person of Armenian government, says Ambassador Tracy |armenpress.am|

00:42 - 21 May, 2022

Daily News Summary [19.05.2022]

"PM relies solely on people’s will": Armenia denies reports claiming Pashinyan asked CSTO assistance over protests armenpress.am: The Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan denied a report that claimed that during the latest Moscow visit the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan asked fellow CSTO leaders to provide support regarding the ongoing anti-government protests in Yerevan. When asked on the matter at a press briefing, Grigoryan said: “The downpour of fake news on the prime minister has increased recently also on the international level, and naturally this report is also fake. I would like to say for the record that in all domestic affairs Prime Minister Pashinyan always relied on the will of the Armenian people. Even after the serious crisis that happened after November 9 he relied solely on the people’s will and saw the resolution of the crisis within the framework of domestic institutional capacities,” Grigoryan said. Regarding the civil disobedience actions carried out by the opposition, Grigoryan noted that the organizers of the demonstrations are exercising their right to protest for more than a month, and that the police are supervising it as part of maintaining law and order. “It is obvious that the protests organized by the opposition did not receive public support. Naturally we see the resolution of the protests exclusively by internal political institutional means,” he said. The security and the protection of rights of the people of Artsakh is a priority for Armenia, and Armenia is heading for the negotiations with this agenda, the Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan said. “Security and protection of rights are priority, meaning our compatriots living in Artsakh must have security and protection of rights. And the status of Artsakh will stem from this. And we are headed to negotiations with this agenda,” Grigoryan said. PM Pashinyan received the members of the Italy-Armenia Friendship Group Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received representatives of the Italy-Armenia Friendship Group: members of the Chamber of Deputies Giulio Centemero, Andrea Casu, Alvise Maniero, member of the Senate Alberto Airola. The Prime Minister stressed the importance of the Armenian-Italian friendly relations, warmly recalling his visit to Italy, during which Italy reaffirmed its support for democracy in Armenia. Nikol Pashinyan praised the activities of the friendship groups, the inter-parliamentary cooperation, which complement the efforts of the governments of the two countries. The Prime Minister expressed gratitude for the adoption of a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide by the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Parliament in April, 2019. The head of the Italy-Armenia friendship group Giulio Centemero noted that Italians also warmly recall PM Pashinyan’s visit and the events held within its framework. Emphasizing the role of parliamentary diplomacy and introducing the members of the delegation, he noted that it includes both ruling and opposition MPs, which shows the appreciation of the entire Italian people to the Armenian people. Giulio Centemero shared the results of the meetings in our country, spoke about the achievements of Armenia in the technological sphere, "Tumo" Center for Creative Technologies, noted that Italy is interested in the Armenian model of IT development. The Prime Minister noted that IT is one of the dynamically developing spheres in Armenia, in general, education is one of the strategic directions of Armenia’s development, due to which the government has initiated profound reforms in the sphere of education and science. Nikol Pashinyan presented details about the reform, offering to exchange experience and information. The issues of ensuring peace in the region and the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict were touched upon during the meeting. The sides exchanged views on the post-war situation, the return of Armenian prisoners of war held in Azerbaijan, and the preservation of the Armenian cultural and religious heritage in Artsakh. The Prime Minister highlighted the adoption of the resolution in March 2022 on the need to return Armenian prisoners of war by the Italian parliament and the statements made by Italian parliamentarians during the war unleashed by Azerbaijan in 2020. Nikol Pashinyan stressed that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict should be settled on the basis of the principles proposed by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, and Armenia is the supporter of the regional peace agenda, which, however, cannot be unilateral. The Prime Minister of Armenia attached importance to the support of European partners, including Italy, in this process, condemnation of provocations by them. The Prime Minister also referred to the Armenia-Turkey dialogue process. The MPs of the Italy-Armenia Friendship Group expressed their support for Armenia, the Armenian people, in overcoming difficult challenges and strengthening democracy. They noted that they will resolutely continue their activities not only in the direction of closer Italy-Armenia ties, but also in the direction of closer EU-Armenia ties, and will stand with the friendly Armenian people. Armenian side has not cancelled or rejected any meeting. MFA Spokesperson commented on the statements of President of Azerbaijan Vahan Hunanyan, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, commented on the statements of the President of Azerbaijan on the work of the Demarcation and Border Security Commission. "The Armenian side remains committed to the implementation of the agreements. Accordingly, the Armenian side has not cancelled or rejected any meeting. Within the framework of the agreements reached between the leaders of the two countries in Sochi and Brussels, the Armenian side continues to be ready to launch the work of the commissions." Other News Blinken and Çavuşoğlu discussed the process of normalization of relations with Armenia U.S. recognizes role of population of Nagorno-Karabakh in deciding its future–Ambassador Tracy’s interview to ARMENPRESS |armenpress.am| Armenian Armed Forces didn't fire at Azerbaijani positions. RA MoD

00:12 - 20 May, 2022

Daily News Summary [18.05.2022]

United States committed to continue helping Armenian people build future based on shared democratic values – Ambassador The United States highly values its partnership with Armenia, which is based on shared democratic values, and continues to see a positive future for the U.S.-Armenia relationship, U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Lynne Tracy said in an exclusive interview to ARMENPRESS on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and the United States. During the interview the Ambassador talked about her diplomatic mission in Armenia, the past and present experience, her impressions on the country, the agenda of the Armenian-American relations, as well as regional and international developments. She also touched upon the general dynamics of the Armenia-U.S. relations over the past 30 years, their development prospects, sharing important information about the current development of the bilateral ties. Ambassador Tracy said “the U.S. Embassy is committed to supporting Armenia’s democratic and economic reform agenda and partnering with Armenia to achieve its goals”. “We are committed to continue helping the Armenian people build a future based on shared democratic values, a path they chose in 2018 and to which they recommitted themselves during the 2021 parliamentary election”, Ambassador Lynne Tracy said. Russia hopes that Armenia and Azerbaijan will start delimitation process in near future: Zakharova Russia hopes that in the near future it will be possible to start the practical work of delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova stated this at today's briefing, answering the question of ‘Lurer’. “We are consistently in favor of the establishment of a bilateral commission on the delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and its further demarcation with the consultative support of Russia. At the same time, steps must be taken to increase border stability and security. This issue was discussed during the trilateral meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan in Dushanbe. “The partners informed that they are close to the end of the formation of national delegations,” Zakharova said, adding that “Russia has already formed its expert team and hopes that in the near future it will be possible to start practical delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.” According to Zakharova, the early start of the work of the delimitation commission is necessary for the prevention of any kind of border incidents. “Within this framework, it would be possible to establish confidence-building mechanisms, including the establishment of contact groups to ensure a stable atmosphere in the border areas,” Zakharova said. Other News Azerbaijan is ready to conclude a peace treaty with Armenia. Aliyev at the meeting with the President of Lithuania PM Pashinyan chairs Security Council meeting Hakob Arshakyan receives delegation led by First Vice President of the Senate of the Czech Republic Jiří Růžička

23:51 - 18 May, 2022

Daily News Summary [17.05.2022]

Alen Simonyan reticent about Karabakh’s status azatutyun.am: Parliament speaker Alen Simonian on Tuesday pointedly declined to say whether Armenia will champion Nagorno-Karabakh’s right to self-determination in negotiations on a peace treaty with Azerbaijan. Responding to Azerbaijani proposals to negotiate such a treaty, the Armenian government has said that the question of Karabakh’s status must also be on the agenda of the talks. But it has not publicly clarified its position on the status or a mechanism for determining it. Simonian, who is a key political ally of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, was similarly reticent about the issue when he spoke to RFE/RL’s Armenian Service. Asked whether Pashinian’s administration could recognize Karabakh as a part of Azerbaijan, he said: “As head of the legislative branch, I cannot be involved in the negotiating process or somehow predetermine it. The foreign minister, the head of the government will answer this question.” Simonian also would not be drawn on the reason for Yerevan’s failure to mention the Karabakh Armenians’ right to self-determination it its written proposals on the peace talks communicated to Baku. “The Armenian proposal is a proposal regarding the status, but that proposal regarding the status is a subject of discussions,” he said vaguely. Speaking in the Armenian parliament on April 13, Pashinian said that the international community is pressing Armenia to “lower a bit the bar on the question of Nagorno-Karabakh’s status” and recognize Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. He signaled Yerevan’s intention to make such concessions to Baku, drawing strong criticism from his political opponents and Karabakh’s leadership. The authorities in Stepanakert made clear that the Karabakh Armenians will never agree to live under Azerbaijani rule. Armenian opposition leaders charged, for their part, that Pashinian has agreed to Azerbaijani control over the disputed territory. The opposition went on to launch daily street protests in Yerevan aimed at forcing Pashinian to step down. “You must quit in order for Artsakh (Karabakh) to remain Armenian,” Ishkhan Saghatelian, one of the protest leaders, appealed to the prime minister as thousands of opposition supporters again marched through Yerevan on Tuesday. Pashinian and his political allies have rejected the opposition demands. Simonian said the ruling political team won a popular mandate to govern Armenia for the next five years in parliamentary elections held last June. He also rejected the opposition criticism of the government’s Karabakh policy. “What does the opposition propose? Nothing,” said the speaker. Joint extraordinary session of CSTO PA standing commissions held in online format On May 17, the RA NA Vice President Hakob Arshakyan took part in the joint extraordinary session of the CSTO PA Standing Committees on Political Affairs and International Cooperation, on Defence and Security and on Socioeconomic and Legal Affairs via videoconferencing. The members of the RA NA delegation to the CSTO PA Andranik Kocharyan, Gevorg Papoyan, Aleksey Sandikov and Shirak Torosyan also took part in the session. Welcoming the participants, Hakob Arshakyan expressed conviction that during the session effective work will be done. The NA Vice President touched upon the CSTO Jubilee Summit held in Moscow, which was dedicated to the 30th anniversary of signing of the Collective Security Treaty and the 20th anniversary of the Collective Security Treaty Organization. As Hakob Arshakyan has assessed, during the Summit the heads of the countries discussed in detail the problems of the organization, referred to the achievements and omissions, as well as outlined the further steps. “I think that we’ll remain faithful to the same benchmark, and the existing agreements will increase our joint efforts of filling in with concrete content the real contribution of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly in strengthening and expanding the multi-lateral cooperation of our countries in the Organization,” the Deputy Speaker of Parliament underscored. During the session the joint steps against the international terrorism, the perspectives of the PA activities in 2021-2025 and other agenda items. During the discussion of the item of the application of Parliament of the Arab Republic of Syria to the Parliamentary Assembly and giving an observer’s status to this state in the CSTO PA, the RA NA Vice President Hakob Arshakyan reaffirmed the position of the Armenian side connected with that, noting that the RA National Assembly has no objections in that issue. Other News Meeting of Deputy Prime Ministers of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan to take place this month |1lurer.am| Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan will leave for Brussels

00:48 - 18 May, 2022

Daily News Summary [14.05.2022]

This movement is exceptional in the last 30 years of Armenia's history and, in fact, is the second Karabakh movement. Saghatelyan At a press conference, Ishkhan Saghatelyan presented what successes the opposition movement has achieved during this period։ "I want to clearly record some important achievements that we have recorded։ The movement has suspended the process of lowering the bar by the Armenian side in the issue of Artsakh: this is already a fact. Secondly, the movement has created a real political crisis, including for our international partners, at least at the moment, the question of Nikol Pashinyan's legitimacy becomes obvious. Thirdly, the movement proved that the Armenian people will not accept the concessions imposed on them, and Nikol Pashinyan has no mandate for new concessions. And fourthly, the movement made it obvious that there is a demand formed in society for the removal of these authorities." According to Saghatelyan, this movement over the past 30 years in the independent history of Armenia is unique in its scope, size, popularity and, in fact, is the second Karabakh movement. When asked what kind of Armenia a citizen will have after the opposition comes to power and what the opposition as a whole will bring, Ishkhan Saghatelyan replied: "This government promised love, solidarity, but brought hatred and division, promised investment, but there is no investment, people live worse - this is an obvious fact. They promised security, well-being, and promised that no decisions would be made on the issue of Artsakh without the people: here, too, they completely failed. They promised democracy, freedom of speech, but you see what is happening in Armenia." According to Saghatelyan, people were deceived in all directions and spheres. Saghatelyan noted that all the promises that were made to society and were not fulfilled in 2018, the opposition will fulfill all those promises. Ishkhan Saghatelyan touched upon Edmon Marukyan's publication of 6 points of the peace treaty with Azerbaijan․ "Can Nikol Pashinyan and Edmon Marukyan state that "Artsakh can never be part of Azerbaijan, and they don’t see a solution this way": why don't they say this sentence? The policy of the authorities is very clear: Artsakh will remain part of Azerbaijan with broad guarantees of security and human rights, after which they will talk about the status." Prime Minister Pashinyan received the Chairman of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received the Chairman of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation Alexei Kudrin. The Prime Minister noted that this year marks the 30th anniversary of Armenian-Russian diplomatic relations, which is marked by active high-level bilateral reciprocal visits. According to Nikol Pashinyan, they promote close cooperation, strengthening of ties and exchange experience between the governments and other bodies. The Prime Minister added that the aim of the government is to make the activity of the public administration system more effective, highlighting the experience of Russia in that context, as well as the cooperation between the Audit Chamber of the Republic of Armenia and the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation. Alexei Kudrin noted that they had fruitful discussions with their Armenian counterparts, which are important for applying new approaches to the activities. The Chairman of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation attached importance to the expansion of cooperation and refered to the activities and results of the structure headed by him. The interlocutors also exchanged views on other issues on the agenda of Armenian-Russian relations. Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan also received Chairman of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation Alexei Kudrin, during which the discussions on the development of cooperation continued. Other News We appeal to the people to exercise their fundamental rights peacefully and call on the police to refrain from using disproportionate force. Freedom House Armenian MoD denies the report of the Azerbaijani MoD that units of RA Armed Forces fired at Azerbaijani combat positions

00:01 - 15 May, 2022

Daily News Summary [12.05.2022]

Foreign Ministers of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan met in Dushanbe On May 12, the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan took place in Dushanbe. The sides exchanged views on unblocking regional communications and economic ties, the formation of a commission on delimitation and border security and an agreement on normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Ararat Mirzoyan confirmed the position of the Armenian side regarding security, guaranteeing the rights of the Armenians of Artsakh within the framework of a comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well as the status of Nagorno-Karabakh. The Armenian Foreign Minister also stressed the importance of resolving humanitarian problems created as a result of the 44-day war as soon as possible, including the need for the immediate repatriation of Armenian POWs. Prior to the trilateral meeting, Ararat Mirzoyan held a bilateral meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The interlocutors commended the results and the agreements reached between the leaders of the two countries following the official visit of the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan to Russia on April 19-20. The sides referred to the process of implementation of the commitments undertaken by the Trilateral Statements of November 9, 2020, January 11, 2021 and November 26, 2021. Issues related to the formation of the commission on demarcation and border security between Armenia and Azerbaijan were discussed. The need for unblocking the economic and transport communications in the region was stressed. Minister Mirzoyan presented Armenia's position on the steps undertaken to establish regional peace and stability and the settlement process with Azerbaijan. Ararat Mirzoyan and Sergey Lavrov exchanged views on the forthcoming trilateral meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan. The interlocutors also discussed issues related to the further strengthening of allied relations and strategic cooperation between the two countries in bilateral and multilateral dimensions. The meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani commissions on delimitation and border security will take place on May 16-17 in Moscow, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said at the meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. "I want to inform that we have discussed the issue of commissions on delimitation and border security with our Azerbaijani colleagues. I believe there is an aggreement with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksey Overchuk for discussions on communications to take place in Moscow on May 16 and 17, there is an agreement that a bilateral meeting on the issue of delimitation and border security will be organized there on the same days," Mirzoyan said. We are interested in having a positive outcome on the issue of opening regional communications. Pashinyan to Russian Deputy PM Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexei Overchuk and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko. Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Mher Grigoryan also took part in the meeting. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan welcomed the guests, noting, “I am glad to see you, I would like to mention once again that we appreciate the already done work within the framework of the trilateral working group on opening regional communications, automobile and railway communications. You know how important this topic is for us, because when we come up with concrete solutions, it will change the situation in the region not only economically, but also politically, psychologically and in terms of security. You know how interested we are in having a concrete and positive outcome over that issue. We continue to work intensively. During my official visit to Moscow, this was one of the key topics discussed with Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. And I am very glad that in this regard we managed to record our common approaches, our common positions. As for further work over this issue, this issue also has a technical side, which, I think, is not so difficult. But in order for us to have concrete and effective solutions, we need to solve all the legal issues, the procedural issues, which will not only help us to reach concrete solutions quickly, but also those solutions will become more substantiated, stronger, so to speak. And the mechanism will work effectively in the long run. I am sure we are all ready for that work. I would like to thank you once again for the work done. I hope, I am sure, that this work will be effective in the future too, we just need to come up with concrete solutions as soon as possible." In his turn, Alexei Overchuk thanked the Prime Minister for the warm reception, noting, “Indeed, quite recently we met with you in Moscow, where you were on an official visit, visiting Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod. There were a series of meetings with Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Vladimirovich, Valentina Matviyenko. As a result of the meetings, our relevant ministries received tasks and we are working on them. And I would like to mention one very important point that you drew attention to during your visit, which is that all coronavirus restrictions should be completely removed. Now the operative headquarters has made such a decision: from May 16 all restrictions will be removed, it will be possible to travel by roads, by planes. In other words, all these obstacles, which really postponed the contacts between our countries, are being removed today. In addition, we also made decisions with you on a number of trade issues that are very important in the context of today's topic. We are ready to continue the cooperation in the same spirit and to develop it in the future. Today, of course, we would like to talk about the work of the trilateral working group. We fully share your assessments on the establishment of transport communications between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Indeed, when that happens, it will completely change the entire transport configuration of the region. And really new opportunities will open up for the Armenian economy to develop, to receive additional stimulus, and due to that the role of Armenia will significantly increase. In relation to this, we, of course, make every effort with Mher Grigoryan and Shahin Mustafayev to resolve these issues. And as you rightly pointed out, of course, solutions to legal-procedural issues are very important.” Issues related to the agenda of bilateral cooperation between Armenia and Russia, as well as the activities of the trilateral working group of the Deputy Prime Ministers of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan were discussed. The sides touched upon the prospects of restoration of transport communications in the South Caucasus region, the further course of the work carried out within the framework of the January 11 statement of the Prime Minister of Armenia, the President of Russia and the President of Azerbaijan. Other News Azerbaijani MoD continues to spread disinformation about the situation on the border. RA MoD There should be no privileged before the law in Artsakh. President of Artsakh chaired a Security Council Sitting Russian President Putin to visit Armenia in the second half of the year

00:19 - 13 May, 2022

Daily News Summary [11.05.2022]

Azerbaijan continues its policy of aggression against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. Pashinyan Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan arrived in the Kingdom of the Netherlands on May 10 on a 2-day official visit. During a lecture at the Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that Azerbaijan continues its policy of aggression against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. “Unfortunately Azerbaijan continues its very aggressive policy against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. You know that there is a Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno Karabakh. And the main objective of the Azerbaijani diplomacy in the recent months was the following: They go the EU and the US and say ‘look, Armenia is a pro-Russian country’, in some cases they say ‘with a proxy Russian government’, and then they go to Russia and tell them look ‘Armenia is a pro-Western country, look how they are building ties with the West’. Sometimes they say that the government in Armenia was brought to power by the West through a color revolution, which is acting against Russia’”, Pashinyan said. Pashinyan said that by doing so Azerbaijan seeks to develop an understanding of its aggressive policy against Armenia in both the West and in Russia. He said that they can’t say that there are no arguments to substantiate this position. “The objective reality is that there are arguments to substantiate this position because Armenia is a strategic ally of Russia, it is a CSTO member and an EEU member, and has very warm and close relations with Russia. On the other hand, the relations of Armenia with the EU and EU member states are gradually deepening because the EU is Armenia’s main partner in the democratic reforms area,” Pashinyan said. Pashinyan also said that Azerbaijan is trying to make the issue of the return of Armenian captives a subject of trade. “Unfortunately, despite the 2020 November 9 statement and calls of numerous international organizations, our citizens who were captured during the 44-day war have not been returned, which cannot be understood. This is a practice of using people for political purposes and making them a subject of trade, which is condemnable”, the PM said. Pashinyan said that when the topic of captives was touched upon, Azerbaijan tried to make it a subject of trade for exchanging them with the maps of minefields that the Armenian side had. “And when we saw that an attempt is made to exchange people with maps, we made a political decision that doing trade is out of the logic of our values. Azerbaijan was claiming that every day people are being killed on the minefields left during the war, it was releasing numbers, and I personally made a political decision that this trade must not take place, and we handed over all our maps to Azerbaijan, with the hope that the humanitarian step will be followed by a humanitarian step. After that Azerbaijan started announcing that those maps are not so correct. We said it’s not that we kept the good maps and gave the bad ones to you, that’s what we have. And they tried to make this a subject of speculation as well, but they didn’t notice one thing that after the exchange of the maps, the information on the killing of citizens from mine explosion has disappeared from their newsfeed”, the PM said. Referring to the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Pashinyan said: A meeting of our representatives on demarcation and delimitation is planned in the near future. The foreign ministers will also have a meeting." Nikol Pashinyan met with the the Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte, the President of the Senate of the Netherlands Jan Anthonie Bruijn. Whether the status is a goal or a means – the realities from the point of view of criminal intentions of Azerbaijan do not change. Human Rights Defender of Artsakh In the discourse on the status of Artsakh, it may sometimes be misunderstood that the implementation of international mechanisms for security and human rights protection can serve as a basis for forcibly attaching Artsakh to Azerbaijan again. Such delusions of the international community must be completely eliminated, by presenting not only the numerous war crimes committed by Azerbaijan during the 2020 war, manifestations of Armenophobia having no bounds, but also the discriminatory and destructive situation for the Armenians of Artsakh in a certain historical period, during the 70-year subjugation to the Azerbaijani SSR, Gegham Stepanyan, the Human Rights Defender of Artsakh, wrote on Facebook. "The facts of the recent past recorded in the statistical bulletins of the soviet times, clearly and unequivocally show the obvious manifestations of discrimination. Furthermore, special attention must be paid to the fact that such a discriminatory policy was pursued by the Soviet Azerbaijani leadership during the period of Soviet internationalism and declared principles of brotherhood which proves that no mechanism can stop Azerbaijan from its invariable goal - to evict Armenians from Artsakh and directly appropriate the territory of Artsakh. • Official maps published during the Soviet years show that the borders and territories of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast formed in a small part of historic Artsakh have been constantly changed during the 70 years as part of Soviet Azerbaijan, as a result of which the NKAO Armenians lost their land connection with Armenia. Besides, settlements inhabited by Azerbaijanis were artificially formed near the Armenian communities which were soon removed from the subordination of the Oblast and placed under the subordination of the neighboring Azerbaijani regions. Moreover, those Azeri communities used to be established in strategically important areas – near the roads, on or nearby of fertile arable lands, with positions surrounding the Armenian villages and towns from several sides. • A policy of changing the demographic composition of the population of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast in favor of the Azerbaijanis has always been realized, especially since the 1960s. This fact was also recorded in an interview with the Azerbaijani media by the leader of the Soviet Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev in which he claimed that he pursued a policy aimed at removing Armenians from the Nagorno-Karabakh and resettling the region with Azerbaijanis. As a result, the Armenian population of the region which had high rates of natural growth did not grow, instead, the number of Azerbaijanis grew. With the opening of the Stepanakert Pedagogical Institute, thousands of Azerbaijanis had been brought to Stepanakert from the NKAO adjacent regions who had one task – to stay in Stepanakert after graduation. • An economic discriminatory policy was pursued toward the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast. High production plans were set for the NKAO’s collective farms that did not correspond to the potential. In fact, the NKAO produced a lot but received incomparably less funding from the Baku authorities. This is the case when the neighboring Azerbaijani regions which did not have such productivity, had a higher standard of living. The Oblast had become a row material anchor for the Azerbaijani SSR. A number of institutions and industrial enterprises were artificially and unjustifiably placed under the subordination of the regions not part of the NKAO at a distance of 40-100 km (for example, for a while Stepanakert bakery was under the subordination of Akna (Aghdam), the Construction Department of the Oblast was subordinated to Mingechavur (120 km away), the Stepanakert cement-concrete factory was subordinated to the Barda Region, 60 km away, and so on). Whenever the intelligentsia of the NKAO and Armenian SSR spoke for the restoration of the historical justice and about returning the Region to the Armenian SSR, the leadership of Soviet Azerbaijan would make false projects to improve living standards in the Oblast which were not implemented but were aimed at throwing dust into Moscow’s eyes and misleading them from the raised dissatisfaction. • Despite the fact that the Armenian Apostolic Church has been active in preserving spiritual customs among the Armenians since the 1950s, the Artsakh Diocese reopened only in 1989. The Armenian churches of Artsakh were turned into barns and warehouses. While the Muslim traditions were preserved and freely realized in different Azerbaijani communities, Armenian spiritual-cultural traditions were suppressed and eliminated in Artsakh. • For about 70 years the Armenian population of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast was deprived of the opportunity to hear its native language on TV and to partake in its own culture. the Region did not have a separate television, the Armenian TV channel was not broadcast in the NKAO, and only Azerbaijani television was broadcast, airing Armenian news twice a week for half an hour about Azerbaijan and Azerbaijanis. These are the facts that are recorded in the bulletins and press of that period. In a letter to the central authorities in Moscow in the 1960s, the intelligentsia of Artsakh expressed the following idea: “Our condition is even worse now than during the Turkish-Musavat and British conquest in 1918-1920. Everything happens under the guise of friendship and brotherhood.” There are also other manifestations of discrimination and separation of the NKAO Armenians from the Armenians living in the motherland about which the eyewitnesses and the people who lived at that time testify: • You can hardly find houses and buildings made of Armenian pink tuff in Stepanakert, as it was banned only because it reminded the NKAO Armenians of Armenia. There had been long disputes over the construction of the monument “We and Our Monuments” (Tatik-Papik) with tuff because Baku was against the installation of the monument, especially made of tuff. • The streets of Stepanakert were named after the Azerbaijani names incomprehensible and unknown to the Armenians. There were a few streets named after prominent Armenian figures who were mainly famous in Soviet times. • They deliberately created obstacles for specialists with higher education from Yerevan so that they leave the NKAO having no job. • There was a shortage of many products in Stepanakert, while everything could be found in the markets of Akna (Aghdam), 40 km away from Stepanakert. During different events, the people of Stepanakert used to go to Akna to trade. Whether the status is a goal or a means – the realities from the point of view of human rights and the criminal intentions of Azerbaijan do not change." Other News Systematic corruption eradicated in Armenia – PM |armenpress.am| Blinken discusses with Aliyev repatriation of Armenian POWs |armenpress.am| PM Pashinyan meets with President of the Senate of the Netherlands Jan Anthonie Bruijn and the Speaker of the House of Representatives Vera Bergkamp

00:17 - 12 May, 2022

Daily News Summary [10.05.2022]

Azerbaijani FM spoke about the protests in Armenia, the demarcation commission, connecting 5+6 points "Back in February, the Azerbaijani side presented Armenia with 5 fundamental principles of the peace treaty. Armenia stated these principles are unacceptable for them," Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said, APA reports. According to him, later reports of 6 proposals from Armenia were received. "If you look at the document, it cannot be called proposals. At the time of submission, that document was in the form of the Armenian side's reaction to Azerbaijan's proposals. I can list some of these 6 points, and you can tell if you can call it a proposal." Bayramov noted that one of the paragraphs emphasizes that the Azerbaijani side presented to Armenia the proposals of February 21 in early March. "Azerbaijan noted from the very first day that the main proposals were submitted through intermediaries. You need to ask the intermediaries about this. If Azerbaijan noted February 21, then it presented on that day. The next point is that Armenia has no territorial requirements for Azerbaijan. Back in 1992, both countries, being members of the CIS, recognized each other's territorial integrity. And this is to some extent a repetition of the fundamental principle of Azerbaijan." The Azerbaijani Foreign Minister also recalled one of the agreements reached after the April 6 meeting in Brussels with the participation of the Prime Minister of Armenia, the President of Azerbaijan and the Chairman of the EU Council, according to which a demarcation commission will be established. He noted that the first meeting was planned to be held before the end of April. "I can note that before the meeting, two telephone conversations took place between me and the Armenian Foreign Minister. During those phone talks, Azerbaijan presented its proposals on the structure of the commission. Azerbaijan's proposal was that the commission should be organized in a different format, that is, the person who will lead the commission should be at the level of the deputy Prime Minister. Even during the first telephone conversation, the Armenian Foreign Minister took it with understanding, saying that more time was needed to discuss this proposal in Armenia. Then the Armenian side stated that this proposal was acceptable to them. There is an agreement between the parties on the structure of the commission. The Azerbaijani side was already ready to hold this meeting in April. After the Armenian side completes its procedures, the meeting can take place," the Azerbaijani minister added. He also touched upon the protests in Armenia, noting that the organizers of the protests are quite well-known personalities in the Armenian society. According to him, "the people holding protests in Armenia made false promises to the Armenian people, lived in illusions for almost 30 years." "This is an integral part of the struggle for power, they want to raise the topic of Karabakh again. Of course, we are following these processes, there is not a word about broad public support, at best there are not even five or six thousand people," Bayramov said. The Armenian Foreign Ministry has not yet commented on rumors about approval of the structure of the commission on the delimitation and demarcation of the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Vahan Hunanyan, the spokesperson of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, said referring to the official message of April 25, in which it was noted that in a telephone conversation the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed on the structure of the commission on delimitation and border security. The issue of 7 villages of the Ghazakh district and Kyarki should be resolved in the context of demarcation. Deputy FM of Azerbaijan Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov stated that "the return of seven villages (meaning 7 enclaves in the Tavush region) and Kyarki (Tigranashen) should be carried out in accordance with the requirements of the border demarcation process with Armenia." According to him, the issue of the return of these territories to Azerbaijan should be resolved as a result of ongoing negotiations. "Armenia can never claim that these territories are not the territory of Azerbaijan. These territories are the territory of Azerbaijan. Since the return of these territories to Azerbaijan requires a demarcation process, the issue will be considered in this context. The return of these territories to Azerbaijan will be discussed and will find its solution," Khalafov said. Armenia’s Ambassador at-large Edmon Marukyan said that there is no legal ground that at any time any de-jure Azerbaijani enclave has existed in the territory of Armenia. Commenting on the statement of the Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Khalafov that on April 6 in Brussels the Republic of Armenia agreed to launch peace treaty negotiations with Azerbaijan based on the 5-points presented by Azerbaijan, Marukyan said: "We’ve numerously addressed this topic. Back in March 21, 2022 the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia said that there is nothing unacceptable for us in the proposals handed over to us by Azerbaijan on March 10. It is another matter that these proposals do not address all issues of the Armenia-Azerbaijan comprehensive peace agenda. We supplemented the agenda with our response handed over to the OSCE MG Co-Chairmanship and therefore we are ready for the launch of the peace talks based on this." "During the trilateral meeting in Brussels on April 6 the Republic of Armenia also [directly] handed over to the Azerbaijani side the 6-point document which includes, among others, the issues of the security and the protection of the rights of the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh and the final status of Nagorno Karabakh. The Armenian side offered to start negotiations based on the two agendas in the direction of a peace treaty. The Azerbaijani side agreed to this approach, after which an agreement was reached to initiate negotiations on a peace treaty," Marukyan said. Edmon Marukyan also referred to Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister's statement on what he called the return of “7 villages of the Ghazakh district and Kyarki” to Azerbaijan. "We’ve numerously said that the delimitation and demarcation processes should take place based on facts and documents of de-jure significance. At this moment we don’t possess any legal substantiation that any de-jure Azerbaijani enclave has ever existed in the territory of Armenia. On the contrary, there are legal grounds on the village of Artsvashen belonging to Armenia. The same applies to a number of territories belonging to Armenia, including in the Sotk-Khoznavar section where the infamous unlawful Azerbaijani military invasion took place last year in May. These issues must certainly be discussed and resolved in the delimitation and demarcation process" Other News EU supports sustainable solution between Armenia and Azerbaijan and follows the situation in Armenia. Ambassador |armenpress.am| United States Department of State urges authorities to exercise restraint and encourages those protesting to refrain from violence NA Vice President Ruben Rubinyan receives a number of Ambassadors

00:12 - 11 May, 2022

Daily News Summary [06.05.2022]

A deliberate crime by an Azerbaijani truck against an Artsakh civilian car On May 5, at around 13:00 pm, on the 24th km of the Martakert-Drmbon Road, a truck traveling as part of the Azerbaijani convoy, came out to the opposite side of the road and collided with a Renault Logan taxi service car of Artsakh registration, as a result of which the car rolled 12 meters into the gorge on the right side of the road, Gegham Stepanyan, the Human Rights Defender of Artsakh, wrote on Facebook. "There were 2 passengers in the car beside the driver. As a result of the preliminary examination, the passengers did not receive any bodily injuries. Material damage was caused to the taxi service company. Based on the facts collected by the Human Rights Defender’s Staff, at the moment we can state: • The Azerbaijani truck, seeing the possible collision could have stopped driving to avoid the crash, after which the taxi rolled into the gorge. • After the collision, seeing that the taxi had rolled into the gorge, the Azerbaijani truck did not stop and kept driving. • According to the taxi driver and the passengers, the taxi driver tried to avoid the collision but had no chance. The law enforcement bodies of the Republic of Artsakh are conducting an investigation, but the above-mentioned circumstances prove the obvious intention to cause collision and damage." A deliberate crime by an Azerbaijani truck against an Artsakh civilian car driving on a road of Martakert region, Artak Beglaryan wrote on Twitter. "The victims of this crime were employees of TUMO center in their mission of collecting more rural children for better education. As a result of the incident by Azerbaijani truck the employees of TUMO Center got minor injuries, but continued their path, organized the scheduled presentation and then returned to Stepanakert and applied for medical check." Armenia has no territorial claims to Azerbaijan: Armenia is concerned that the security and rights of Armenians living in NK are not protected. Armen Grigoryan Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan touched upon 6-point proposals of the Armenian side, noting that according to the five points proposed by Azerbaijan, the issues of protecting the rights and security of Nagorno-Karabakh and our compatriots living there have not been touched upon. "Our main answer was about this. We proposed to combine the package of proposals of Azerbaijan and Armenia and start peace talks. As I noted yesterday, both the international community and Baku have the understanding that our two packages should be combined and peace talks should begin." Answering a question whether there is the element of Artsakh's self-determination in Armenia's proposals, Grigoryan said: "As I have already noted, the proposals mention the issue of security and rights, and also from the point of view of self-determination there is also the issue of status, we should give an opportunity to resolve these issues, but we also note that it is security and rights that will determine status, and in this regard we expect more intensive discussions to understand how institutional rights will be protected and security will be ensured." "We have always said that the Nagorno-Karabakh problem is not a territorial problem, but a problem of protection and security of the Armenians living there. Armenia recognized the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan back in 1992. And we have repeatedly said that Armenia has no territorial claims against Azerbaijan, Armenia has concerns that the security and rights of Armenians living in the Nagorno-Karabakh are not protected, the process that has been going on for the last 30 years is aimed at obtaining these guarantees. It is difficult to give a complete answer to the question now, but first we need to see these guarantees. We need clear guarantees." Other News Ararat Mirzoyan presented to Bob Menendez Armenia's position on peaceful settlement of NK conflict. Importance of US mediation efforts for the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh was underscored during Mirzoyan-McConnell meeting

00:16 - 07 May, 2022

Daily News Summary [05.04.2022]

5+6 points need to be connected and negotiated in order to find a long-term solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. Armen Grigoryan In an interview with journalists after the government session on May 5, Secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan said that one of the issues on the agenda of the peace treaty is the recognition of each other's sovereignty. "Of course, we note that back in 1992 Armenia and Azerbaijan recognized each other's sovereign territories and sovereignty within the CIS, however there were other developments in the future, but Armenia and Azerbaijan continue to recognize each other's territorial integrity." Touching upon the fact that the Azerbaijani side continues to declare that some territories of Armenia are Azerbaijani, Armen Grigoryan said that such statements don't contribute to the formation of the peace agenda and work in a calm atmosphere. "We hope that there will be as few such statements as possible," he said. According to Grigoryan, Armenia proposed to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh problem with its six points so that a comprehensive peace treaty could be signed. "At the moment, our approach is that these 2 packages (5-point proposals of Azerbaijan and 6-point proposals of Armenia - ed.) should be connected and negotiations on a peace treaty should begin in order to also find a long-term solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. The priority is to find a solution to the issues of security, protection and rights of our compatriots living in Artsakh, according to which the status of Nagorno-Karabakh should be formed," Armen Grigoryan said. Secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan said that there’ve been no discussions between Armenia and Azerbaijan on enclaves. Grigoryan said that the opposition’s claims that there is a danger of possible “transfer of enclaves to Azerbaijan” are unfounded and fake. “No issue of enclaves was raised so far. We can say that there are enclaves from both sides, and their territories are nearly equal, both sides are silent on this matter and it hasn’t been discussed. Our hope and a possible option for solution is that Armenia leaves the enclave to Azerbaijan, while the Azerbaijani enclaves that are in Armenian territory remain to Armenia. Of course, there is a question on how these were created, and we continue studying this, but the general long-term option is this,” Grigoryan said. Grigoryan also said that discussions around the bilateral commission on border delimitation between Armenia and Azerbaijan are still ongoing. “Discussions around this continue. Of course we hoped that it would be possible to find solutions and move forward by the end of April. But I can say that now intensive discussions continue and there is hope that a the meeting could take place soon. The discussions are around the approaches regarding the working group, and there are questions on other matters as well and we haven’t found the final answers to them so far. As soon as we find the answers, there will be a public statement and a meeting will take place,” Grigoryan said. Referring to the meeting with the Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan Hikmet Hajiyev and a possible meeting between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan Grigoryan said. "I've noted that there are questions, only after answering which we will begin to discuss a possible meeting of the heads of state. We are still continuing discussions, when the discussions reach some stage and a possible meeting is scheduled, there will be a public statement about it," Armen Grigoryan said. Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan held a discussion at “Atlantic Council” think tank On May 4, Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan, who is in the United States on a working visit, participated as a keynote speaker in a roundtable discussion held at the prestigious US think tank - Atlantic Council. The Foreign Minister of Armenia touched upon the main agenda and emphases of the working visit to the USA, the Armenia-US Strategic Dialogue, the documents signed during the visit and the prospects of the development of the Armenian-American relations. Reference was made to the process of reforms aimed at democratic development, protection of human rights, strengthening the rule of law and the fight against corruption. Ararat Mirzoyan presented the situation around the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Armenia's position on the negotiations on a comprehensive peace agreement with Azerbaijan, and the role of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship in these processes. The humanitarian issues resulting from the 44-day war and need to be urgently addressed were presented. During the meeting reference was also made to the process of normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey. Other News Events in Armenia are an internal matter of the country: Peskov, referring to the opposition rallies in Armenia Artur Hovhannisyan: “The Purpose of the Opposition is not to save Artsakh, their purpose is the transition of a power” Alen Simonyan receives Human Rights Defender

00:59 - 06 May, 2022

Daily News Summary [04.05.2022]

Reforms implemented by the Armenian authorities are aimed at increasing transparency and accountability of state bodies. FM Mirzoyan On May 3, within the framework of his working visit to the United States, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan held a meeting with Derek Mitchell, the President of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) in Washington. The interlocutors commended the effectiveness of the joint programs implemented within the framework of the cooperation established since 1994. Ararat Mirzoyan highlighted the importance of reopening the office of the National Democratic Institute in Armenia after the 2018 Velvet Revolution. The Minister reiterated Armenia's commitment to the promotion of democracy, strengthening the rule of law, and the fight against corruption, emphasizing that the reforms implemented by the Armenian authorities are aimed at increasing the transparency and accountability of the state bodies. The sides exchanged views on the programs implemented by the National Democratic Institute in Armenia, aimed at increasing the political participation of women and youth, as well as the institutional development of political parties. Protestors held a rally in front of the Foreign Ministry building These days, many patriotic, pro-Armenian diplomats, realizing what is happening in our homeland, have rendered their assistance to the national movement, Artur Vanetsyan said in front of the Foreign Ministry building. "Let's welcome these diplomats who serve the Republic of Armenia. We will release our diplomats and they will continue to serve Armenia, Artsakh and the Armenian people," Vanetsyan said. The participants of the protest invited the staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the rally, which will be held today on France Square. Later the opposition rally kicked off in France Square. During his speech, Ishkhan Saghatelyan said that some MPs of the "Armenia" and "I have Honor" factions went to the National Assembly to present their demand, and they will march to the National Assembly. "We will not seize any building, we will not go to any provocations, because there is no power in these buildings: the power is on streets. Our compatriots are joining us, and we are moving forward with clear, broad steps. You all know Nikol. He will try to go on provocations, try to use the police, the Armed Forces against the people, hoping that the movement will break down," Saghatelyan said. Other News 2022 U.S.-Armenia Strategic Dialogue Joint Statement

00:13 - 05 May, 2022

Daily News Summary [03.05.2022]

237 protestors detained from Yerevan and regions. Police Early in the morning in different parts of Yerevan, representatives of the opposition and supporting citizens blocked roads, held peaceful actions of disobedience. As of 18:00, 237 people were detained, RA Police reports. Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, MP of the "Armenia" (Hayastan) faction Ishkhan Saghatelyan told at the rally in France Square that after Nikol Pashinyan's removal, a government of national accord will be formed. This government will be temporary, it will not be the government of any party, any individual. "They constantly say what will happen if Nikol leaves? What government will be formed? After Nikol's removal, a government of national accord will be formed. This government will be temporary, it will not be the government of any party, any individual." According to Saghatelyan, "there will be no former, present, black, white people in this government -there will be people who will lead this country out of this situation." "They say if there is a change of power in Armenia, Aliyev will become angry and start a war. They are trying to scare you with Aliyev. There will be a war if Nikol stays in power, because he has promises to Aliyev," Saghatelyan said. At the end of the rally Ishkhan Saghatelyan presented the opposition's plans․ Ararat Mirzoyan briefed Anthony Blinken the actions of Azerbaijan aimed at creating a humanitarian crisis in Artsakh On May 2, Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan, who is in the United States on a working visit, held a meeting with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. Ararat Mirzoyan highly appreciated the US principled position on the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, emohasized the importance of the statement of the US President Joe Biden on the anniversary of the Genocide this year, which reaffirms the commitment of US to humanitarian and human rights principles. The sides also touched upon the issues of international and regional security and stability. The Armenian side presented the situation in the South Caucasus region and Armenia's position on the processes aimed at establishing regional peace and stability. The interlocutors exchanged ideas on starting negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan on a comprehensive peace agreement. The Foreign Minister of Armenia stressed the importance of the US mediating efforts aimed at the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as a co-chairing country of the OSCE Minsk Group. Ararat Mirzoyan briefed Anthony Blinken the actions of Azerbaijan aimed at creating a humanitarian crisis in Artsakh and subjecting Nagorno-Karabakh to full ethnic cleansing. In the context of the humanitarian issues resulting from the 44-day war unleashed by Azerbaijan against Nagorno-Karabakh, the need for repatriation of the Armenian prisoners of war and other hostages, and preserving the Armenian cultural and religious heritage in the territories fallen under control of Azerbaijan. During the meeting, reference was made to the implementation of the agreements on the establishment of the Commission on Border Demarcation and Security. Minister Mirzoyan also briefed the interlocutor on the developments in the process of normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey, stressing the readiness of the Armenian side to establish diplomatic relations with Turkey and open the border. Secretary Blinken noted that the United States fully supports the normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey and signifies Armenia's constructive efforts in that process. At the end of the meeting, Ararat Mirzoyan and Anthony Blinken signed a memorandum of mutual understanding on “Cooperation in the field of civil nuclear energy” between Armenia and the United States. Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan also held a meeting with US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland.Ararat Mirzoyan and Victoria Nuland exchanged views on the issues of regional security and stability. The implementation process of the agreements reached between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Sochi and Brussels was discussed. They also touched upon the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as the process of launching negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan on a comprehensive peace agreement. In this context, the Foreign Minister of Armenia stressed the importance of resuming the work of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship. The humanitarian issues resulting from the 44-day war were discussed, particularly, the immediate release and repatriation of Armenian prisoners of war, and the preservation of the Armenian cultural and religious heritage in the territories fallen under the Azerbaijani control. The Foreign Minister of Armenia presented the recent developments on the Armenia-Turkey normalization process. Other News Special Representatives reaffirmed the declared goal of achieving full normalization between Armenia and Turkey Armenian side didn't open fire on Azerbaijani positions. RA MoD Meeting of the Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia with the delegation led by the Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan

00:24 - 04 May, 2022

Daily News Summary [02.05.2022]

Armenian FM is on a working visit to the United States On May Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan left for the United States on a working visit. Mirzoyan held a meeting with the Director of USAID Samantha Power. The interlocutors commended the consistent development of the Armenian-US relations based on common democratic values. Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized USAID's support in the reform initiatives of the Government of Armenia in a number of spheres, particularly in the fight against corruption, judiciary and patrol police. Reference was also made to the innovative, sustainable development programs implemented by USAID in Armenia within the framework of Armenia-US cooperation aimed at promoting democratic development, economic growth, and strengthening energy security, as well as implementing reforms in the social spheres in the country. The sides also discussed the perspectives of expanding the cooperation and implementing new joint programs. During the meeting, Minister Mirzoyan presented to the interlocutor the humanitarian issues resulting from the 44-day war. In this context, the need for the repatriation of Armenian prisoners of war and civilians held by Azerbaijan was especially emphasized. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan held a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Vahan Hunanyan, RA Foreign Ministry spokesperson, reports. Çavuşoğlu on the demonstration of the "gray wolves" sign to the Armenian community in Uruguay Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu touched upon the demonstration of the sign of the radical nationalist organization "gray wolves" to representatives of the Armenian community of Uruguay on the eve of April 24. According to Turkish media, Çavuşoğlu noted that Ankara has no problems with Uruguay. He said they were supposed to lay a wreath at the monument, but the Uruguayan authorities urged not to do so. "The Uruguayan authorities said that they would be grateful if, in case of a possible protest, we cancel the wreath-laying stage, we canceled it. During the opening of our building, they assured our ambassador that this group will not be allowed to approach. It was wrong to bring that group there, even though they promised. The demonstrators behaved badly. After that ugly attitude, we gave the necessary answer," Turkish FM said. At the meeting of the Special Representatives of Armenia and Turkey, various steps to be taken in the near future will be discussed, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said, Hurriyet reports. He hinted that an agreement has been reached on the delimitation of the border between Armenia and Turkey. In addition, Çavuşoğlu recalled the agreements on the establishment of a joint commission on the delimitation of borders between Armenia and Azerbaijan. "An agreement was reached on the issue of re-demarcation of the borders. How will that be done? Will a joint commission be created? It was decided to establish such a commission with Azerbaijan," Çavuşoğlu said. Opposition closes various streets in Yerevan Since this morning, the opposition has been blocking various streets in Yerevan. Ishkhan Saghatelyan told reporters that there are cases of violence, including against MPs. Saghatelyan said that the protests will continue throughout the day. "At 18:00 we will gather at the France Square." As of 14:00, 244 people were detained, RA Police reports. Other News RA MoD denies information spread by Azerbaijani MoD that Armenian units opened fire on Azerbaijani positions There is no discussion or agreement on the redemarcation of the Armenian-Turkish border. RA MFA spox ICRC representatives visited conscript Eduard Martirosov kept in Azerbaijan |1lurer.am|

00:48 - 03 May, 2022

Daily News Summary [28.04.2022]

The meeting of the trilateral working group on Nagorno-Karabakh will be held in the near future. Zakharova Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson of Russian Foreign Ministry, said that the meeting of the trilateral working group on Nagorno-Karabakh co-chaired by the Deputy Prime Ministers of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan will be held in the near future, TASS reports. Zakharova noted that Russia considers high-level trilateral agreements as a basis for the development of the settlement process of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations and continues to actively work with Yerevan and Baku in all areas, including the unblocking of economic and transport ties, the beginning of the demarcation process of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, and the negotiation on a peace treaty. She said that fundamental differences remain between Baku and Yerevan over the status of Karabakh. We see our role in bringing the parties closer together. Maria Zakharova said that Russia has now focused its efforts on the formats that ensure real results in the Nagorno Karabakh issue. Zakharova said she is referring to the high-level trilateral agreements between Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan. "Principled disagreements are maintained between Baku and Yerevan over the status of Karabakh. We see our role in rapprochement of the sides," she said. Zakharova said that by providing support to Armenia and Azerbaijan in preparations for the peace treaty, Russia is guided with proposals on fundamental principles of establishing inter-state relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. “These were prepared in Baku and received a constructive reaction from Yerevan. We think that these are good grounds for harmonizing the positions,” Zakharova said. Aliyev received US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State. US Ambassador to Armenia also took part in the meeting President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received delegation led by US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State overseeing policy for Southern Europe and the Caucasus Erika Olson. The delegation includes US State Department's Senior Adviser on Caucasus Negotiations Andrew Schofer, the US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Earle Litzenberger, US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan and US Ambassador to Armenia Lynne Tracy. During the conversation, an exchange of views on regional issues took place, issues of the settlement of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, negotiations on the preparation of a peace treaty, and the opening of communications were discussed. Aliyev said that the Azerbaijani delegation is ready to start negotiations in connection with the peace treaty. The regional meeting of the heads of American missions was held at the US Embassy in Baku, US Embassy in Azerbaijan reports. It's noted that the regional conference was attended by US Ambassadors to Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia Litzenberger, Degnan and Tracy, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Erika Olson, Senior Adviser to the State Department for Negotiations in the Caucasus Andrew Schofer. Next meeting of the Special Representatives of Armenia and Turkey in the Armenia-Turkey normalization process will take place on May 3. MFA spox Vahan Hunanyan, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, informs that the next meeting of the Special Representatives of Armenia and Turkey in the Armenia-Turkey normalization process will take place on May 3 in Vienna. The first meeting of the special representatives of the Armenia-Turkey settlement process - Deputy Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Ruben Rubinyan and Ambassador Serdar Kılıç took place on January 14 in Moscow. The second meeting took place in Vienna on February 24. Other News At the call of the parents of fallen soldiers, I stop the hunger strike and join their struggle. the father of fallen serviceman I'm sure that other republics of the former Soviet Union will also join the Union State. Lukashenko Kristinne Grigoryan presented the details of her private meetings with the relatives of the captives and missing persons

00:10 - 29 April, 2022

Daily News Summary [27.04.2022]

The protest of parents of fallen and missing servicemen continues: participants are going to set up tents in front of Prosecutor General's Office The protest of relatives of fallen and missing servicemen continues in front of the Prosecutor General's Office. They gathered to find out what legal course Nikol Pashinyan's speech will take. At the meeting with the participants of the protest, the adviser to the Prosecutor General Gor Abrahamyan noted that the petition for the involvement of Pashinyan as an accused was sent to the Anti-Corruption Committee. A quarrel began between the participants of the protest. MP Gegham Nazaryan urged the participants to restrain their emotions: "If someone thinks that screaming and hitting will solve our problem, they are deeply mistaken." One of the parents participating in the protest of relatives of fallen and missing servicemen, said that they are going to set up tents in front of the Prosecutor General's Office. Aliyev expressed readiness to cooperate with Armenia and Georgia in a trilateral format The President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said that Azerbaijan is ready to cooperate with Armenia and Georgia in a trilateral format for the development of the South Caucasus, TASS reports. "Noting that both countries have a common view on the development of the South Caucasus, President Ilham Aliyev stressed that Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia have good opportunities for cooperation in a trilateral format, especially at the post-conflict stage. The President said that "the Azerbaijani side is ready for that," the press service of the President of Azerbaijan reports. Aliyev also said that he hopes that "Armenia will also understand that this is the only way to establish stability and security in the region." Earlier Interfax.az reported that Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said that Baku is ready to start the process of delimitation of the border with Armenia. At today's briefing, Bayramov noted that at the meeting with his Georgian counterpart, he discussed regional processes, including the signing of a peace treaty with Armenia. "Baku is ready to start border delimitation with Armenia. During the telephone conversation with the Armenian colleague, the issue of the start of the work of the commission (joint commission on delimitation) was discussed," Bayramov said. The Minister stressed that the priority direction is "the opening of transport communications in the region," and "the settlement of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia will serve the interests of all countries of the South Caucasus." It could be possible to reach peace in the region only through the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Alen Simonyan On April 27, the RA NA President Alen Simonyan received the representatives of the delegation carried out the OSCE/ODIHR Observation Mission. Speaking about the aim of the visit, during the 2021 snap elections the Head of the OSCE/ODIHR Observation Eoghan Murphy has noted that they are in Armenia for presenting the final report prepared by the OSCE/ODIHR. At the meeting they talked about the importance of the parliamentary diplomacy in Armenia, also discussing the ways of power-opposition partnership and interaction in the parliaments of the democratic countries. The RA NA President touched upon the legislative amendments on the period followed the June 20, 2021 elections and the issues relating to the current state of democracy in Armenia. Referring to the security problems of the region, the RA NA President highly appreciated the role of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly as an important platform for strengthening the trust in the OSCE region, drawing the attention of the OSCE representative to the aggressive announcements by the representatives of Azerbaijan in the OSCE PA. He documented that it could be possible to reach peace in the region only through the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, which should include the specification of the Artsakh status on the basis of the execution of the right to its self-determination by the people of Artsakh. The sides also spoke about the international standards of the electoral systems, in this context observing the achievements recorded by the nationwide elections in Armenia. Other News Robert Khachatryan appointed Minister of High-Tech Industry France welcomes latest direct phone talk between Armenian, Azerbaijani FMs |armenpress.am| US trying to push back on any unilateral actions particularly by Azerbaijan that would only inflame situation - Blinken |armenpress.am|

00:32 - 28 April, 2022