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Daily News Summary

Daily News Summary [25.02.2022]

Daily News Summary [25.02.2022]

Armenian Defense Minister met with his Russian counterpart  On February 25, Armenian Defense Minister Suren Papikyan met with Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu, as part of his working visit to the Russian Federation. During the meeting, the sides exchanged views on international and regional security issues. A number of issues related to the Armenian-Russian military cooperation in bilateral and multilateral formats were discussed. The sides highly appreciated the dynamics of the Armenian-Russian allied cooperation and political dialogue, the role and efforts of the Russian Federation aimed at stabilizing the military-political situation in the region, as well as the effectiveness of the Russian peacekeeping mission in Artsakh.   Pashinyan met with the President of Kazakhstan the Heads of Government of the EEU countries  Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who is on a working visit in Nur Sultan, met with President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. "I would like to emphasize that I am glad that the crisis management mechanisms of the Collective Security Treaty Organization have finally worked. You know that this was the priority of the presidency of the Republic of Armenia. We have always believed that the CSTO rapid crisis response mechanisms should work properly. Unfortunately, Armenia was in a situation when we thought that the mechanism should work, but, unfortunately, that did not happen. After that, we became the CSTO chairing country and announced that this is one of our priorities. I am very glad that we were able to launch that mechanism when it was necessary. I would like to thank you once again for your warm words and hospitality," Pashinyan said. During the meeting the interlocutors discussed various issues on the agenda of the Armenian-Kazakh relations, touched upon a number of topics related to the integration processes. Nikol Pashinyan also held a meeting with the Heads of Government of the EEU member states and the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In his speech, Prime Minister Pashinyan, in particular, noted that the President of Kazakhstan was right in noting that today's sitting coincides with the drastic aggravation of the geopolitical situation. "It is obvious that we are in a sensitive period, in sensitive geopolitical tectonic processes, and in this context, of course, the Eurasian Economic Union is an important format to develop the economies of our countries," Pashinyan said. Armenian Prime Minister stressed that there is a potential for expansion of the Eurasian economic region. "There are observer states with which we cooperate quite effectively. There is also some interest from other countries to strengthen ties with the Eurasian Economic Union. I think this is a generally positive process, and I hope that the Eurasian Economic Union, we all will succeed in implementing a policy that in the current situation will strengthen the EEU as an economic platform, will continue to give impetus to the development of the economies of our countries," PM Pashinyan said.   Other News Minister Mirzoyan presented the security challenges created around Armenia to the Special Envoy of Canada to the European Union  The Secretary of the Security Council and the Ambassador of Kazakhstan touched upon economic and political issues of mutual interest We must be ready for any possible scenario in order to resist and protect our people. Andranik Kocharyan 
23:16 - 25 February, 2022
Daily News Summary [24.02.2022]

Daily News Summary [24.02.2022]

Co-Chair of EU-Armenia Parliamentary Partnership Committee stressed importance of return of Armenian POWs A press conference was held today by the Co-Chairs of the EU-Armenia Parliamentary Partnership Committee Arman Eghoyan and Marina Kaljurand. In her speech, Kaljurand stressed that she sees Armenia's reforms and achievements on the path of democracy. In this regard, according to her, Armenia is one of the leaders in the region. Kaljurand informed that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was discussed at the committee meeting. "I said that war is never a solution, regardless of what Azerbaijan says unilaterally. The solution should be the result of negotiations under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs. We also stressed the importance of the return of POWs and other detainees from Baku. We will continue repeating this until the last Armenian citizen returns to Armenia," Kaljurand said. On the Second Meeting of Armenia-EU Parliamentary Partnership Committee (PPC), Hakob Arshakyan, acting NA president, gave a speech talking about the situation after 44-day war. "The events of the previous year have created new reality in our region and outside it. The grave consequences of the 44-day war of September 2020 unleashed by Azerbaijan and Turkey against Nagorno Karabakh have become irreversible for us. Today, we face security challenges. The peace of the region is endangered and the stability is fragile. The penetration of the Azerbaijani armed forces to the sovereign territory of Armenia is a more dangerous development. The situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border is tense from May 12, 2021. The encroachments against the Republic of Armenia resulted in human losses and seriously endangered the regional security. Armenia strictly condemns the military actions by Azerbaijan, which damages the regional peace and security. In this respect I would like to express my gratitude to the members of the European Parliament for showing position of principle after 44-day war. I would like to especially touch upon the resolution adopted by the overwhelming majority of the votes in the European Parliament on the return of Armenian prisoners of war, and with this the European Parliament demands the urgent and unreserved release of all arrested Armenians captives, the military and the civilians during the conflict and after it," Arshakyan said.   Aliyev has announced the possibility of creating a trilateral format of Azerbaijan-Russia-Turkey cooperation Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has announced the possibility of creating a trilateral format of Azerbaijan-Russia-Turkey cooperation.  "What was signed yesterday (February 22 - ed.), in fact, if positioned from our point of view, is a historic achievement (signing of the declaration on allied cooperation with Russia - ed.), because Azerbaijan has allied relations with two powerful countries, two neighbors. This is, in fact, an achievement. And it's no secret that a trilateral format of cooperation is already being formed," Aliyev said at a meeting with the heads of leading Russian media. Aliyev noted that the format of trilateral cooperation has not yet been formulated, meetings at the level of foreign ministers and presidents have not yet been held, but it’s in the process of being formed.   Special Representatives of Armenia and Turkey met in Vienna Special Representatives for the normalization process between Armenia and Turkey, respectively, the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia Ruben Rubinyan and Ambassador Serdar Kılıç held a meeting today (February 24) in Vienna, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia reports.The Special Representatives confirmed that the ultimate goal of the negotiations is to achieve full normalization between Armenia and Turkey, as agreed during their first meeting in Moscow. They exchanged views on possible concrete steps that can be mutually undertaken to that end and reiterated their agreement to continue the process without preconditions.   Other News By the decree of the President of Armenia, Artak Davtyan was dismissed from the post of Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces The situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border is relatively stable. RA MoD Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan participated in the regular sitting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council in Nur Sultan
00:08 - 25 February, 2022
Daily News Summary [23.02.2022]

Daily News Summary [23.02.2022]

The situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border is relatively stable The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia reports that the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan has spread another disinformation, claiming that today the units of the Armenian Armed Forces opened fire on the combat positions of Azerbaijan on the eastern section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. The situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border is relatively stable and is under full control of the RA Armed Forces.  Later, Artsakh Defense Army reported that the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan has spread an information that units of the Defense Army opened fire on Azerbaijani positions located in the south-eastern direction of Artsakh at around 10:05 on February 23. In fact, the Azerbaijani side violated the ceasefire regime in that section of the border, as a result of which the Armenian side didn’t suffer losses. The relevant information was provided to the command of the Russian peacekeeping contingent upon the violation of the ceasefire regime. The Artsakh Defense Army didn’t violate the ceasefire regime in this or any other direction.    Recognition of DPR, LPR not on agenda, says Armenian Foreign Ministry  The issue of recognizing the Donetsk People’s Republic and Lugansk People’s Republic is not on the agenda of Armenia, the Armenian foreign ministry spokesperson Vahan Hunanyan said in response to a query from ARMENPRESS. "Naturally we want the existing problems between the two friendly states to be resolved through diplomatic dialogue and negotiations based on norms and principles of international law and the UN Charter. And we hope that necessary steps will be taken to reduce tension and resolve the situation peacefully," Hunanyan said. The charge d'affaires of Ukraine in Armenia Denis Avtonomov thinks that Russia's recognition of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk republics "costs nothing."  "Their recognition has no value, they can recognize anything," the diplomat said. He recalled that Ukraine has been at war with Russia for about eight years. Speaking about the situation on the line of contact, he noted that it's still difficult: "The shots continue. Almost every day we have losses." Avtonomov expressed satisfaction with Armenia's position in connection with the recognition of Donetsk and Luhansk: "We are very grateful and very positively assess Armenia's position."    RA MFA explained Armenia's position on  regarding the signing of the declaration on allied cooperation between Russia and Azerbaijan Acting Speaker of Parliament Hakob Arshakyan says Armenia will properly study the text of the partnership treaty signed between Russia and Azerbaijan and that Yerevan will give a response, however he noted that it is every sovereign nation’s right to conduct foreign policy the way they want it. Arshakyan made the comments during a press briefing when asked about the February 22 Allied Partnership Declaration signed between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. "There’s no response yet. The text will be properly studied, and then, I think there’ll be a swift response," Arshakyan said. "Of course, by maintaining our strategic interests, but we must also take into account that all countries have the right to conduct their own foreign policy," he added. Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Vahan Hunanyan answered the question, what is Armenia's position regarding the signing of the declaration on allied cooperation between Russia and Azerbaijan.  "The interstate allied cooperation between RA and RF is self-sufficient and is in no way conditioned by relations with third countries, if they don’t develop relations to the detriment of the Armenian-Russian alliance. This is evidenced by both the history and the concluded documents. Yerevan and Moscow at different levels, including at the high and highest, consistently take steps to expand relations both in bilateral and multilateral formats in the interests of the development of our countries in guaranteed security conditions. We hope that the declaration (between Russia and Azerbaijan-ed.) will provide an additional opportunity to advance the implementation of the provisions of the three trilateral statements adopted by the heads of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan, which can contribute to a lasting and comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict under the mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs," Hunanyan said.   Other News Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey is ready to take further steps in improving relations with Armenia and establishing a regional cooperation platform in the Caucasus  Arman Tatoyan, the Human Rights Defender of Armenia, whose term of office is expiring, is not going to join any political force Erdogan and Aliyev discussed relations with Armenia and the Russian-Ukrainian crisis Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will pay a working visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan on February 24-25.
23:52 - 23 February, 2022
Daily News Summary [22.02.2022]

Daily News Summary [22.02.2022]

Artsakh President, FM and Speaker of NA welcome recognition of independence of Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics On February 22, President of the Republic of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan sent a message on the occasion of the recognition of the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics. "I welcome the decision of President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin to recognize the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics. The right of nations to self-determination and building one's own state is inalienable for every people and is a fundamental principle of the international law. The Republic of Artsakh has been fighting for its freedom, security and state-building for decades, and has been exposed to many trials and genocidal actions. Thus, we hope that the Republic of Artsakh, which has relevant indisputable historical, political, legal and moral bases, has earned the international recognition of its sovereign state," the message reads. The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, the Republic of Artsakh, lauds the recognition of the independence of the "Donetsk People's Republic" and the "Luhansk People's Republic" by the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin. Artsakh Foreign Minister David Babayan told this to Armenian News-NEWS.am. "We [i.e., Artsakh] believe that the process of self-determination of peoples, creation of new states is inevitable, especially in the conditions of the existence of existential threats of this or that people. The Artsakh Republic is a country that has been fighting for its secure future for more than a hundred years already. We understand the importance of achieving independence and the legal and geopolitical wording of its path. There is no opposite way for the peoples who have stood on the path to achieve independence and built democratic states, passing the former ‘metropolises’ on many issues, and they definitely must be recognized. The Artsakh Republic also has all the grounds for the recognition of its independent statehood. These are historical, legal, ethical, and ethical-academic bases. Moreover, we have proved in practice that we have built a democratic state which is much ahead of Azerbaijan in its democratic development. Therefore, we believe that we should also be recognized by the international community," Babayan said. The Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh Artur Tovmasyan welcomes the decision of Russian President Vladimir Putin to recognize the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics. "We believe that such recognition will become the basis for ensuring guarantees of protection and security of residents of the DPR and LPR from external threats and strengthening international peace and regional stability. We Congratulate the people of Donbas on the political and legal recognition of the self-determination of the two republics," the congratulatory message reads. The exercise of the right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination is inevitable, Member of Parliament of Armenia from the opposition "I Have Honor" faction Hayk Mamijanyan said at the joint meeting of the committees of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly in Yerevan. "Creativity is always welcome. Azerbaijan has its brand of creativity, Azerbaijan’s brand of solving the problem is to ignore its existence. According to Azerbaijan, there is no Nagorno Karabakh conflict, there are no prisoners of war, no banned weapons were used during the war, there is no elimination of cultural heritage and it doesn’t continue, there haven’t been terrorists in Artsakh, there haven’t been armed forces and there are no such forces in the sovereign territory of Armenia. This is a very interesting brand of solving the problem – to ignore the problems," he said.   The Nagorno Karabakh conflict is not over, as much as Azerbaijani lawmakers are trying to convince themselves and others the opposite. Armenian MP Armenia hosted a session of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly attended by members of the Eastern Partnership countries Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Ukraine. The Nagorno Karabakh conflict is not over, as much as Azerbaijani lawmakers are trying to convince themselves and others the opposite, Armenian MP Arman Yeghoyan said during the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly meeting in Yerevan in response to the Azerbaijani delegate’s speech claiming that the Nagorno Karabakh conflict is over. "I can’t recall how many times the Azerbaijani colleagues repeated trying to convince themselves that the conflict is over. The conflict can’t be over simply by saying its over. The conflict can be over when the reasons of the conflict are eliminated. The reasons which led to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict aren’t over. I’d say they even got more acute because in Azerbaijan the hatred towards Armenians, Armenian culture and everything relating to Armenians is getting deeper and deeper," Yeghoyan said. As proof, Yeghoyan cited the Azerbaijani government’s efforts to erase Armenian records from churches and falsely present them as Albanian monuments. Is there an issue on the agenda, a resolution or any decision on the Armenian detainees within the framework of the 'Euronest' PA? In a briefing with journalists, head of the Armenian Parliament’s delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly Maria Karapetyan said in response to this question that the deputies had raised that issue. "The 'Euronest' Parliamentary Assembly doesn’t suppose such a format, but, of course, the lawmakers raised that issue during the debate on the topic of the security in the South Caucasus. In general, the sessions of these committees conduct a preliminary debate of drafts similar to our parliament. The resolutions of the political, energy, security and social committees are still in the form of drafts, they are currently being debated, but I would like to note that they do not have a context of conflict," she said. The issue of "Security in the South Caucasus" was included in the agenda of the sitting of the 'Euronest' political commission. The head of Armenian Parliament’s delegation to the 'Euronest' Parliamentary Assembly Maria Karapetyan stated this at a briefing with journalists. "The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was also discussed this morning. Experts joined us online. The Armenian expert was in the room, an expert from Azerbaijan joined online, after which the Armenian deputies, almost the entire delegation, and the Azerbaijani deputies exchanged views. Our European partners also expressed their positions. I consider the position of Mrs. Marina Kaljurand very important here. She is the representative of the European Parliament in the South Caucasus. Today she reaffirmed that war is not a means of resolving the conflict, and that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has yet to receive its full, comprehensive, negotiated, peaceful solution," Karapetyan said. The European Union should give an unequivocal and targeted assessment to Azerbaijan and Turkey, Member of Parliament of Armenia from the opposition "Armenia" faction Anna Grigoryan said in her remarks at the joint meeting of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly’s Committees in Yerevan. "The security challenges continue to be maintained in our region, whereas Azerbaijan thinks that the conflict could be solved by war. About 2 years ago Azerbaijan decided that it can solve the Nagorno Karabakh conflict with the use of force, which itself is a violation of the fundamental principles guaranteed by the UN and the Helsinki Final Act. The war led to disasters, but didn’t solve the conflict, the conflict still exists. Hostility, the spread of Armenophobia and the conflict distorted the prospect of peace agreement in the region," she said. She addressed a question on how one can go to a political dialogue with Azerbaijan when the Armenian prisoners of war and captured civilians are still held in Azerbaijan, by facing an inhuman treatment daily, when Azerbaijan committed violence, bloodshed and destructs the Armenian cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh. "How can we talk about security when the threat of using force, the propaganda of cynicism, militaristic rhetoric and xenophobia continue from Azerbaijan every day? Moreover, right now the Azerbaijani armed forces continue their occupation in Armenia’s sovereign territory, in Syunik. Due to this policy of Azerbaijan, it becomes difficult to think about a security environment in our region," the Armenian lawmaker said.   Putin and Aliyev sign a declaration on allied cooperation The President of Azerbaijan arrived in Russia on February 21 on an official visit. The Kremlin said that the leaders of the two countries plan to sign a declaration on allied cooperation, discuss issues of economic and political cooperation and the implementation of agreements on Nagorno-Karabakh between Yerevan, Baku and Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that unblocking transport communications in the South Caucasus is beneficial to all countries of the region. "Despite all the problems that we still have, I think that we can be satisfied with the level we have reached. We will discuss this in detail today. But in any case, there are certain agreements, not only in connection with ensuring the safety of local residents, but also those related to the development of trade and economic ties and enabling transport communication," Putin said. According to him, unblocking transport communications comes from the interests of all countries in the region. "I know that there are still some disputes, things to work on. But we are going to do everything in our power to ensure that the process moves forward using peaceful means and to attain satisfaction for all parties involved. By the way, I know that both the Russian Federation and your other neighbors are interested in dealing with these issues, including those regarding transport. Not only Azerbaijan and Armenia are interested in this, Russia and your other neighbors are interested as well," Putin said. The negotiations of Putin and Aliyev lasted for about 4 hours. They discussed the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh and Ukraine. After the talks, the Presidents of the two countries signed a declaration on allied cooperation.  The declaration was published on the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan. According to the first point of the declaration, Russia and Azerbaijan build their relations on the inviolability of borders, mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity. According to one of the points, Russia and Azerbaijan can discuss the possibility of providing military assistance to each other. "Russia and Azerbaijan will continue to assist efforts to implement the provisions of the statements from November 9/10, 2020, January 11, 2021 and November 26, 2021, which served as the basis for strengthening stability and security in the region, unblocking all economic and transport ties." At a joint press conference with the President of Russia Vladimir Putin, Ilham Aliyev said that he expects from the Armenian side the withdrawal of troops from the territory of Karabakh, as well as the opening of communications between the main territory of Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan. "We expect the Armenian side to fully implement all the points of the agreement signed on November 9, 2020, which relate to the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the territory of Karabakh, as well as the opening of all communications between the main territory of Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan, which is one of the legal obligations of the Armenian side," Ilham Aliyev said.   Other News RA MFA condemns the criminal prosecutions initiated in Azerbaijan against Robert Kocharyan, Serzh Sargsyan and Arayik Harutyunyan Acting President Alen Simonyan, Acting NA President Hakob Arshakyan attended the Security Council meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan
23:59 - 22 February, 2022
Daily News Summary [21.02.2022]

Daily News Summary [21.02.2022]

Azerbaijan put on wanted list Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan Baku has put on the wanted list the Second and Third Presidents of Armenia Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan, the Head of the Special Investigations Department of the Military Prosecutor’s Office Emil Tagiyev informs. According to Tagiyev they are accused of organizing rallies of Armenian workers in Nagorno-Karabakh since February 1988 with the aim of inciting national enmity, hatred between the Azerbaijani and Armenian peoples, proclaiming the "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic" on September 2, 1991."    Co-Chairs of Euronest Parliamentary Assembly met with Armenian PM and FM Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received the delegation led by Andrius Kubilius, Member of the European Parliament and Vice-President of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly. During the meeting, the sides exchanged views on regional and international security and stability issues. Prime Minister Pashinyan presented Armenia's positions on the regional developments, the unblocking of communication routes, the demarcation and delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the dialogue between Armenia and Turkey. On February 21, the Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan received the Co-Chairs of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly Andrius Kubilius and Maka Botchorishvili. The head of the delegation of the National Assembly of Armenia to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly Maria Karapetyan also attended the meeting, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia reports. Touching upon the urgent humanitarian issues, Minister Mirzoyan stressed the need for repatriation of the Armenian prisoners of war and civilian hostages illegally held in Azerbaijan. The Foreign Minister stressed the inadmissibility of Azerbaijan's continuous violation of the norms of international law and the decision of the UN International Court of Justice on provisional measures. The need for a full resumption of negotiation for a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict under the mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship was also stressed. During the meeting, the process of normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey was also touched upon.   Secretary of the Security Council received the Ambassadors of Sweden and Finland  On February 21, the Secretary of the Security Council, Armen Grigoryan, met with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Sweden Patrick Svensson, the Security Council of the Republic of Armenia reports.At the request of the Ambassador, the Secretary of the Security Council presented Armenia's position on the long-term political settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the Armenian-Turkish relations. In this context, both sides stressed the importance of a long-term political settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs framework. The Secretary of the Security Council also presented the efforts made by the Government of the Republic of Armenia in the direction of structural and substantive reforms of the Armed Forces. On February 21, the Secretary of the Security Council, Armen Grigoryan, met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Finland to Armenia Kirsti Narinen, the Security Council of the Republic of Armenia reports.At the request of the Ambassador, the Secretary of the Security Council presented Armenia's position on the demarcation and delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, unblocking of regional transport infrastructure, and the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In this context, A. Grigorian stressed that the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing is the only framework for resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.Ambassador Kristi Narinen praised the implementation of democratic reforms in Armenia and expressed her country's readiness for further continuous cooperation with Armenia.   Other News The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry "strongly condemns" the statement of the Armenian Foreign Ministry in connection with the Artsakh Revival Day Ceasefire regime in the territory near the villages of Shosh and Taghavard was violated by Azerbaijani MoD. Artsakh Defense Army Artsakh can never be part of Azerbaijan. Ishkhan Saghatelyan meets with his Australian counterparts in distance format Putin invited Nikol Pashinyan to pay an official visit to Moscow
23:14 - 21 February, 2022
Daily News Summar [19.02.2022-20.02.2022]

Daily News Summar [19.02.2022-20.02.2022]

FM Ararat Mirzoyan held several meetings in Munich On February 18, Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan held a meeting with Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office of Germany Tobias Lindner in Munich, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia informs.The sides exchanged views on a number of urgent issues of regional and international agenda. Minister Mirzoyan presented the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and on the border of Armenia and Azerbaijan.The need for comprehensive and lasting settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict under the mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship was emphasized.The sides stressed the immediate repatriation of the Armenian prisoners of war and other detainees. The Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan held a meeting with the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud in Munich. The interlocutors exchanged views on the perspectives of establishing relations and cooperation between Armenia and Saudi Arabia, expressing their readiness to undertake works for the formation of bilateral and multilateral agendas between the two countries. Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan held a meeting with Foreign Minister of Iran Hossein Amir Abdollahian in Munich. Ararat Mirzoyan and Hossein Amir Abdollahian touched upon a wide range of issues on regional and international security and stability. Minister Mirzoyan presented to his counterpart the situation resulting from the Azerbaijani aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh and its people, as well as from the infiltration of the Azerbaijani armed forces into the sovereign territory of Armenia. He highly appreciated Iran's position on Armenia's territorial integrity and border inviolability. The need for a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict under the mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship was also stressed. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan met with Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly. The Foreign Ministers expressed satisfaction with the effective cooperation based on mutual respect and common values - democracy, rule of law, protection of human rights. Minister Joly confirmed Canada's support for the agenda of democratic reforms in Armenia. The sides expressed readiness to take practical steps to strengthen the positive dynamics of Armenian-Canadian relations.   RA MoD calls on Azerbaijani MoD to refrain from spreading false information about the situation on the border The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan continues to periodically spread misinformation about the opening of fire by the Armenian Armed Forces on the combat positions of Azerbaijani units on a particular section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia informs. In particular, late in the evening of February 18, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry issued a statement claiming that on the same day, units of the Armenian Armed Forces opened fire on Azerbaijani combat positions located on the northeastern section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. We call on the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan to refrain from spreading false information about the situation on the border, which doesn’t contribute in any way to the establishment of stability on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.    Other News Our steps are aimed not only at solving the socio-economic problems of the Armenians of Artsakh, but also at protecting the rights of the Armenians of Artsakh, the international documentation of those rights. Nikol Pashinyan  
00:46 - 21 February, 2022
Daily News Summary [18.02.2022]

Daily News Summary [18.02.2022]

NA of Artsakh calls on OSCE MG to take immediate steps to resume negotiation process  The National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh has issued a statement on the occasion of the Artsakh Revival Day. "The events that took place in February 1988 in Artsakh (the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region) radically changed the further chronicle of not only the Armenian people living here, but also other nations of the former Soviet Union. Tens of thousands of people, using the liberal and democratic ideas proclaimed in the USSR, through peaceful rallies in Stepanakert and other settlements of the region, were trying to restore historical justice - the unrealized dream of several generations about the reunification of the Armenian region with Armenia. Over the past 34 years, we have passed a long way of formation and development, victories and failures, and during this time the idea has strengthened that the future of the Armenian Artsakh is guaranteed only in the perspective of a free and independent life. Expressing the collective will and opinion of the people of Artsakh, the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh Reaffirms its loyalty to the historic decision taken in February 20, 1988 and the determination to defend its right to live freely in its native land, Draws the attention of interested international structures and, first of all, the parliaments of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries to the fact that the Armenian people of Artsakh have been fighting for centuries to preserve their identity, they have created material and cultural values that are now under threat as a result of Azerbaijan's occupation of some territories of the Republic of Artsakh, Call on the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to take immediate steps to resume the negotiation process on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in accordance with the mandate received from the OSCE. Lasting peace and stability in the region can be achieved only by respecting the fundamental rights and freedoms of the people of the Republic of Artsakh. For this purpose the Armenians of Artsakh began their liberation struggle in 1988 and are ready to continue it with determination to achieve the ultimate goal," the statement reads.   Human Rights Defenders of Armenia and Artsakh issued a statement on criminal prosecution of Azerbaijani authorities against President of Artsakh "The statement of the Azerbaijani authorities related to the criminal prosecution of the President of the Republic of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan is a step aimed at concealing their own war crimes, misleading the international community and intimidating the peaceful population of Artsakh. The Azerbaijani authorities have always pursued a policy of isolating Artsakh from the outside world, concealing human rights violations and war crimes against peace by falsifying facts. In doing so, they continue to grossly violate the absolute international requirements of human rights and humanitarian law. After the 44-day war, this policy of the Azerbaijani authorities has intensified and took new forms. They do not allow people to rebuild their lives after the war, they constantly try to create an atmosphere of despair for the civilian population through daily criminal encroachments on the security of people, life and other vital rights and other terrorist acts. The purpose of the persecution announced by the Azerbaijani authorities against the President of the Republic of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan is nothing but to intimidate every person living in Artsakh, to cause panic among the civilian population. Even the wording of the Azerbaijani law enforcement agencies clearly testifies to this goal. This, in turn, means that the persecution is politically motivated; is based on blatant manipulation of facts. We confidently inform the international community that the Azerbaijani authorities will continue to falsify the facts, misleading with new methods, such as hiding their criminal acts against the civilian population behind calls for peace, until they are held liable for their genocidal policies; subjected to targeted response and punished for their criminal acts," the statement reads.   Other News Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan will leave for Munich to participate in the workings of 58th Munich Security Conference
00:06 - 19 February, 2022
Daily News Summary [17.02.2022]

Daily News Summary [17.02.2022]

The opportunities to unblock transport and economic ties in the region are visible. Deputy PM The opportunities to unblock transport and economic ties in the region, particularly the opening of railways, are visible, Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan said in a briefing with journalists, commenting on the Prime Minister's today’s speech about the Yeraskh-Julfa-Ordubad-Meghri-Horadiz railway. According to the Deputy Prime Minister, there are no new agreements at the moment, but in any case, the agreements on the issue will formulated in a written form in accordance with the legal requirements. "There are common symmetrical perceptions that the potential for unblocking, in particular the opening of the railway, are visible", said Mher Grigoryan. To the question whether there are concrete agreements at the moment, the Deputy Prime Minister answered that at the moment there have been official statements on all the agreements. Mher Grigoryan referred to the agreement between the Prime Minister of Armenia and the Azerbaijani side reached in Sochi on November 26, 2021 mediated by the President of Russia and reaffirmed during the December 14, 2021 meeting mediated by the President of the European Council on the restoration of the railway. The works of the trilateral working group on unblocking all economic and transport ties of the region chaired by the Deputy Prime Ministers of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia will continue on that platform, Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan told reporters, answering the question whether trilateral working group meetings are planned in the near future. "At the moment I will not say anything about specific dates, but presumably, yes, the work will continue on that platform," said the Deputy Prime Minister. Mher Grigoryan also gave a positive answer to the question on cooperation with Russian Railways.   Kocharyan talks about the settlement of relations with Turkey and staying in CSTO During today's press conference, the second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan said that he had revealed some of the problems of the 44-day war of 2020․ "Firstly, the absence of a border with Russia showed the possible limits of Russia's intervention and support. There is still no answer as to why Georgia's airspace was closed for military cargo transportation. Did our authorities knew beforehand that this territory could be closed or did they not, and was it a surprise for them? There is still no answer as to why Iran's air territory was also closed during the first two weeks of the war, and these two factors had a significant impact on the results of the war, this is also a fact." The next issue, according to the Second President, is the problem of airspace․ "Can we have a full-fledged air blockade in the future, or is it just some episode that we are able to fix? I'm talking about the airspace of Georgia," Kocharyan said, noting that during his presidency there were no such problems and he didn't imagine that it was possible to achieve such relations with Georgia. "Turkey will stop considering us as an obstacle to its programs only in one case, if it has a total influence on our political processes, on our politics. This assumes that Turkey will have a dominant position in our economy, and Turkey should have a big influence on our political elite. When is it possible? When the Russian presence here will begin to cease and begin to be replaced by Turkish influence, and it’s possible if Armenia abandons Karabakh. Comparing all the processes that I see today, Armenia is following this path," Robert Kocharyan said. The Second President of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, rules out that the Collective Security Treaty Organization will intervene in case of an attack on Armenia, but considers it necessary to stay in the organization. Kocharyan, assessing the situation of Armenia in the context of the CSTO, noted that Armenia has a serious threat of attack from two countries -Turkey and Azerbaijan, but these two countries have warmer relations with other CSTO member countries, except Russia, and more extensive relations in all spheres, and the Turkic-speaking countries are even part of another organization with Turkey and Azerbaijan. "Therefore, it would be naive to think that the CSTO could react in any way to an attack on us. It's just out of the question. And it's not that the CSTO is a dead structure, and it doesn't work. It works well where everyone's interests coincide. And worked in the case of Kazakhstan. This is a fact, and we just have to reckon with this fact. Do we need to stay in the CSTO or not? Of course, we need to stay. Firstly, there is no structure that will replace the CSTO, and secondly, there are many agreements within this organization, our cooperation with Russia in the military sphere is regulated to some extent. We need to stay, cooperate, but from the point of view of security not to have hopes," Kocharyan said.   Residents of Martakert blocked the road to Karvachar A column of Azerbaijani military equipment was forced to return, since the residents of Artsakh blocked the road near the village of Mazavuz in the Martakert region leading to Karvachar. Metakse Hakobyan, an MP from Artsakh, said that the people of Artsakh expressed their protest in this way in connection with the latest cases of violation of the ceasefire by the Azerbaijanis. The villagers are outraged, because on February 15, an Armenian serviceman Khachatur Khachatryan was wounded by an Azerbaijani shot at a position near the village of Mazavuz. "The villagers demanded not to shoot at the Armenian positions and not to target the civilian population. The pastures where our villagers carry out work are very close to the contact line, a few meters away. Azerbaijanis attack and don't allow them to do their agricultural work," Metakse Hakobyan said.   Other News EP adopted a resolution "on the implementation of the common foreign and security policy - annual report 2021", in which it calls on the OSCE Minsk Group to immediately return to its mediating role  During the meeting with UN Acting Resident Coordinator in Armenia, FM stressed the need for the unhindered involvement of the relevant international organizations in NK Suren Papikyan presented to the Ambassador of the Netherlands the situation on the border after the cessation of hostilities in Artsakh
00:14 - 18 February, 2022
Daily News Summary [16.02.2022]

Daily News Summary [16.02.2022]

US Ambassador to Azerbaijan talks about normalization  of the Armenian-Turkish relations  Normalization of relations between Ankara and Yerevan can play a positive role in normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Lee Litzenberger, U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan said. Normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia will open up new logistics and transport opportunities in the region. It can also play a role in the settlement of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Settlement and stability in this region will benefit all the countries of the region," Litzenberger said. According to him, the United States stands for unblocking communications in the region and establishing stability. At the same time, the Ambassador pointed out certain problems between Baku and Yerevan: "There are a number of issues that still need to be resolved: the problem of minefields, the return of IDPs, demarcation and delimitation of the border," he said.   Minister of Justice considers Azerbaijan's intentions to arrest the President of Artsakh baseless The Minister of Justice Karen Andreasyan says the initiation of criminal proceedings by Azeri law enforcement agencies against the President of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan is void of any international legal base. "Definitely, any reasonable person understands that this criminal case can’t have any international legal foundations. The people of Artsakh organized self-defense during the war that was launched by Azerbaijan. Launching legal prosecution for self-defense is unreasonable," Andreasyan said. The Azeri general prosecution earlier said that they intend to arrest President Harutyunyan “as soon as possible for what they described as the “missile attack on Gyanja” during the war. During the 2020 war, on October 4, the Artsakh president Arayik Harutyunyan ordered missile strikes on military facilities in Ganja in response to the Azeri indiscriminate use of prohibited cluster munitions during the bombardment of civilian areas, including the heavy bombardment of Stepanakert City. On October 4, the Defense Army delivered several missile strikes with the purpose of neutralizing military facilities deployed in the city of Ganja. Then, President Harutyunyan ordered the military to stop firing to avoid possible civilian casualties.   Other News  Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov discussed the process of normalization of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations Experts from the UNDP Office presented several recommendations regarding the procedure of formation of the Specialized Commission for Constitutional Reforms, Minister of Justice Karen Andreasyan said There is no word about the diplomatic scandal between Minsk and Yerevan after the statements of the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, Foreign Minister of Belarus Vladimir Makei said Ararat Mirzoyan discussed the process of settling relations between Armenia and Turkey with Ruben Rubinyan  
23:53 - 16 February, 2022
Daily News Summary [15.02.2022]

Daily News Summary [15.02.2022]

Azernaijani MoD spreads another disinformation On February 15, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry once again spread disinformation, claiming that on February 14 and 15, units of the Armenian Armed Forces opened fire on Azerbaijani combat positions located on the northeastern and eastern sections of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia reports. The situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border is relatively stable and is under full control of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia.    A serviceman was wounded as a result of Azerbaijani shooting Today, at around 16:15 on the eastern border of Artsakh, Azerbaijani servicemen violated the ceasefire, as a result of which a soldier Khachatur Khachatryan received a gunshot wound, Artsakh Defense Army reports.  At the moment, the situation on this section of the contact line is stable.    Bill on occupied territories of Artsakh to be an important document The bill on the Occupied Territories of Artsakh, which has been recently put into circulation in the Parliament, is going to be an important document and is a very significant step in terms of settling the Artsakh issue and clarifying the approaches on determining the international status of Artsakh, Foreign Minister of Artsakh Davit Babayan told Armenpress, highlighting the importance of the draft law from political, historical and moral perspectives. “It, of course, is going to be a very important document. And this is our vision, it’s important both from political, historical and moral perspectives. It’s an important step in general, and this process itself is very important. Therefore, these discussions will take place in the National Assembly of Artsakh, and we are preparing that active discussions are going to happen. Of course, that will be a comprehensive law involving different aspects”, the Artsakh FM said. According to him, the law is highly likely to be adopted, and this view is shared also by all parliamentary factions and political forces of Artsakh. All factions represented in the parliament of Artsakh put into circulation a draft law on the Occupied Territories of Artsakh, according to which there will be a ban on those foreign companies which will want to carry out activity in the territories of Artsakh occupied by Azerbaijan, without the permission of the Artsakh government.   Other News In many issues, yes, we are in opposition to the authorities, but there are issues in which we don’t see the point of opposing. Marukyan The process of normalizing the relations with Armenia will be touched upon at the February 16 meeting of the government of Turkey The second meeting in the "3+3" regional format will be held in Iran Alen Simonyan and US Ambassador exchanged views on implementing joint projects within the framework of the 30th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Armenia and the USA
00:55 - 16 February, 2022
Daily News Summary [12.02.2022-13.02.2022]

Daily News Summary [12.02.2022-13.02.2022]

Artsakh's Foreign Minister talks about Turkish-Azerbaijani aggression and UK's position on Karabakh issue During his recent visit in Brussels, Foreign Minister of Artsakh Davit Babayan discussed various issues with the European partners, stressing that Azerbaijan’s aggression and cultural genocide against Artsakh and Armenia is directed against the entire civilized world. Babayan told reporters in Yerevan that his meetings in Brussels were important, but their results will be clear within the course of time. "Of course, there are healthy forces in Europe which are concerned by the situation caused by the Turkish-Azerbaijani-terrorist criminal unity. We have stated there that the aggression of 2020 was not only directed against Artsakh and Armenia, but also the entire civilized world. Time is the only problem: we were just the first ones, others will be the next ones. But the time will show when this happens. But if the civilized world closes eyes on all these actions, the cultural genocide that is happening in the occupied territories of Artsakh, if there is an indifferent attitude to such policy of Azerbaijan, that time will come earlier," he said. The similar clear position of almost all influential international players, including the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chair countries, that the Nagorno-Karabakh issue hasn't been solved and it should be resolved under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, will definitely contribute to the intensification of the negotiation process in this format. This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh David Babayan, referring to the statement of the British Ambassador to Armenia John Gallagher on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. "The more people talk about it and the more influential countries declare it, the better, of course. And it is good that not only the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries, but also other countries are talking about this. Great Britain, as we know, has been involved in Caucasian politics for a long time, and if they think so about the status and future of Artsakh, then this is normal. The more such opinions there are, the better," Minister of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh David Babayan commented.   The construction of the railway will begin if the agreements are secured by a document The construction of the railway will begin if the agreements are secured by a document, Artashes Tumanyan, the head of the working group of the Armenia-Azerbaijan railway restoration program, said in an interview with Azatutyun. By the decision of the Prime Minister, a working group has been created that will be engaged or is already engaged in the restoration of well-known sections of the railway in Armenia: the Yeraskh section of more than 1 km long and the Meghri section of 45 km long. The working group has started working. We will hold the third meeting on Monday. In about two weeks, perhaps in 10 days, a professional group will be sent to two parts of the railway, especially the Meghri section in this sense is problematic, to conduct a detailed study on the spot․ There are high-class agreements, a trilateral meeting of the heads of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan was held in Sochi, during that meeting these approaches were announced, and later the Deputy Prime Ministers of the three countries gathered in Moscow, there was an optimistic statement. Later, at the initiative of Charles Michel, a meeting was held in Brussels, and it was announced there that issues related to unblocking were discussed, and the railway program is the program around which there is maximum mutual understanding. But it is acceptable for the Armenian side to start such a large-scale work if they are fixed in some kind of documentary format.   Other News The United States calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to receive the Co-Chairs in the region Azerbaijani armed servicemen violate the rights of border residents of Armenia on a daily basis. Human Rights Defender 
22:18 - 13 February, 2022
Daily News Summary [11.02.2022]

Daily News Summary [11.02.2022]

The Azerbaijani side fired in the direction of residential houses  On February 11, at around 05:50 am, shots were fired in the direction of the residential houses from the Azerbaijani positions located in the vicinity of Karmir Shuka and Taghavard communities of Martuni Region of the Republic of Artsakh, Gegham Stepanyan, the Human Rights Defender of Artsakh informs. Given the distance between the residential houses and the positions, and the fact that the residential part of the village is directly viewed by the Azerbaijani positions, it is undeniable that the Azerbaijani side targeted the houses of civilians, as a result of which the houses were damaged.  During the shootings aimed to intimidate the civilians, the window of the house of the resident of Karmir Shuka was smashed and the bullet penetrated into the living room where there were the three minor children and the wife of the landlord woken from the sounds of the shootings.  Azerbaijan will continue its criminal attempts against the people of Artsakh until the international community unanimously condemns Azerbaijan’s blatant illegalities against humanity.   The Artsakh Foreign Minister held discussions on the settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict On February 7-10, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Artsakh David Babayan was on a working visit to the Kingdom of Belgium, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh reports. Within the framework of the visit, the Minister met with members of the Artsakh Friendship Group in the European Parliament representing all the political forces of the European Parliament. Meetings were also held with representatives of European structures, Belgian political and public circles, as well as the Armenian community in Belgium and the Armenian Apostolic Church. Issues related to the situation in the region, possible developments, prospects for the settlement of the Azerbaijan-Karabagh conflict, the development process of Artsakh, and various manifestations of anti-Armenian policy by Azerbaijan were discussed during the meetings. David Babayan stressed that the large-scale war unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh with the participation of Turkey and international terrorist groups was a challenge to the entire civilized world, which is fraught with unpredictable consequences, including for European and other countries. The Minister highly appreciated the role of the peacekeeping mission of the Russian Federation in the region as a key component of maintaining peace and stability.   Other News The Secretary of the Security Council discussed the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border with CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas over the phone The situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border is relatively stable and is under full control of the RA Armed Forces US Ambassador to Armenia Lynne Tracy met with the MPs of “Hayastan” faction to discuss a number of issues, to hear their concerns about recent judicial and political developments
00:18 - 12 February, 2022
Daily News Summary [10.02.2022]

Daily News Summary [10.02.2022]

Secretary of Security Council talks about joining the Union State, security in the region, delimitation and demarcation of the border and Russian peacekeepers Touching upon the statement of the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko about Armenia, the Secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan said that Armenia's agenda doesn't include the issue of joining the Union State.  "Armenia has responded: the MPs have responded, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has responded, the ambassador was invited, this was also mentioned in the NA yesterday. I think there was a comprehensive response, and I hope that from now on the Belarusian side will avoid any assessment regarding Armenia, since these assessments in no way come from the existing relations between Armenia and Belarus," Armen Grigoryan said. The authorities of Armenia are regularly assessing the current security environment around the country and are taking actions over it, Secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan said, when asked to comment on why Armenia is not officially responding to the ratification of the “Shushi Declaration” by the Turkish and Azerbaijani parliaments. "We are regularly assessing the security environment around us and are taking actions connected with it. Some of these steps could be publicly, and some not, but each process that is taking place in the region is in our spotlight, and if necessary, we are responding in different ways," he said. Armen Grigoryan also touched upon the issue of delimitation and demarcation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.  Armenia has never put forward preconditions on the issue of delimitation and demarcation, the Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan told journalists in the government, commenting on the statement of Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov that Azerbaijan is ready for delimitation and demarcation of the border, but allegedly Armenia puts forward new preconditions. "Armenia simply demanded that all the agreements that were marked last year on November 26 in Sochi be implemented. The statement notes to take steps to improve security, and then begin the process of delimitation and demarcation. In addition, there is one important circumstance. when the Armed Forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan are very close to each other, any political process can affect this environment, and there will be aggravations," he said. The Secretary of the Security Council noted that there can not even be a perception of any preconditions. Talking about the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, Grigoryan said, that the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement must take place within the format of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship. "We must find a peaceful resolution. Any process that could disrupt the peaceful settlement is concerning for us, and we believe that the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairing countries have all levers and possibilities to prevent any steps taken militarily," he said. Grigoryan said as long as the Nagorno Karabakh conflict isn’t resolved the Russian peacekeepers must be deployed there in order for there to be a chance for finding a long-term solution. "As long as there is no solution, the activities of the peacekeepers there is a necessity. The Republic of Armenia will continue to work, in order for the peacekeepers to be deployed there and stay there for as long as we find a solution to the issue," Grigoryan said.   Turkey hasn't taken any steps without consulting Azerbaijan Azerbaijan supports this process. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu stated this on TRT Haber, speaking about the process of normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations. "We haven't taken any steps without consulting Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan also prefers that we be in direct contact with Armenia," he said.  Çavuşoğlu noted that Azerbaijan's victory in the Karabakh war has put an end to this problem in the South Caucasus. "Now there should be peace and cooperation. We need to work for the development of the region by implementing important programs in the region. For that all countries must have the same understanding. Everyone should be involved in this process. No one should be excluded, including Armenia." According to the Turkish Foreign Minister, there is a lesson and opportunities after the Karabakh victory․ "Right after the victory, we gave positive signals. Pashinyan gave important messages after winning the elections. Our president gave positive answers to that. We appointed special envoys that met in Moscow. Then they will meet in Vienna on February 24." Çavuşoğlu also stressed that Azerbaijan also wants a lasting peace with Armenia.   Other News During the search operations in Martuni region remains of a serviceman were found and evacuated US Congressman called on Baku to be held accountable for destruction of Armenian cultural values You should only be from "Civil Contract" to notice positive signals coming from Turkey, Hayk Mamijanyan about Armenian-Turkish relations The situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border is relatively stable. RA MoD
23:54 - 10 February, 2022
Daily News Summary [09.02.2022]

Daily News Summary [09.02.2022]

Parliament-Government Q&A session in the National Assembly  Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan answered the questions of MPs at the National Assembly today. Nikol Pashinyan once again presented what mirror withdrawal is. In order to stabilize the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the Armenian side proposed a mirror withdrawal of troops, Pashinyan said, answering the questions of Vahagn Aleksanyan, member of the ‘Civil Contract’ faction, about what 'mirror withdrawal' means. "We have made a proposal, and our idea is that the armed forces must mirror withdraw. This means that they must be withdrawn at an equal distance from the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, after which the border guard must be handed over to a limited number of border guards, and as a result, international monitoring must take place in order to implement the agreements reached," Pashinyan said. Is there a state border between Armenia and Azerbaijan? According to Pashinyan, the answer to this question is definitely positive, as there was a border yet in the Soviet times, which was delimited. "With the 1991 agreement on the establishment of the Commonwealth of Independent States, which was ratified by the parliaments of both Armenia and Azerbaijan, those borders were recognized. Therefore, we think that these agreements should be implemented by this logic," Pashinyan said. Nikol Pashinyan stressed that the Armenian side is ready to listen to other proposals as well. When asked to inform whether agreements about solving the issue of captives and missing persons were reached during the recent remote meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders at the mediation of the French President Emmanuel Macron and President of the European Council Charles Michel, the Armenian PM said that one of the issues that was discussed at that meeting related to the solution of the humanitarian problems. He reminded that after that meeting 8 Armenian captives returned to Armenia. Pashinyan praised the efforts of Emmanuel Macron and Charles Michel in this process. "We also talked about the fates of persons missing after the first war and the 44-day war. Azerbaijan constantly says that they have nearly 4000 missing persons after the first Karabakh war. I want to state that the Armenian side also has missing persons, 777 according to official data. An attempt is made to present that the Armenian side has not taken concrete actions also in this matter. I want to inform that over the past year bodies of 108 persons missing after the first war have been handed to the Azerbaijani side. We are going to transfer 2 more bodies in coming days”, the Armenian PM said, adding that Armenia hasn’t published that it has returned so many bodies because it believes that it’s a humanitarian issue. Nikol Pashinyan presented data on the victims and missing persons during the 44-day war. "According to today's adjusted data, we have 3812 victims, including 3736 servicemen, 76 civilians," Pashinyan said. Armenia's Prime Minister also informed that the whereabouts of 217 people remain unknown, 196 of them are servicemen, 21 are civilians. Pashinyan also touched upon the signing of a peace treaty with Azerbaijan. “The signing of a peace treaty with Azerbaijan, the normalization of relations with Turkey, the recording with the relevant document were the goals of our government, all governments, because the goal of the Karabakh peace process was to sign a peace treaty, and it is recorded in all documents,” he said. “Are we interested in signing a peace agreement with Azerbaijan? Yes. Are we ready to negotiate a peace treaty? Yes. In what format should the negotiation take place? We have emphasized our ideas about that several times, therefore the goal of the negotiations of Armenia and the Government and all previous governments was to sign a peace agreement,” said Nikol Pashinyan. "There is a state border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as there was a border between the countries in Soviet times, which was delimited, and by the 1991 agreement on the establishment of the CIS, ratified by the parliaments of  both Armenia and Azerbaijan, those borders were recognized. We think that these agreements should be implemented in this logic. Moreover, we are ready to listen to other proposals, other ideas," Pashinyan said.  Ararat Mirzoyan touched upon the statements of the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, answering the question of Vagharshak Hakobyan, an MP from the "Civil Contract" faction. "I'm sure that you're aware of the comments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on this issue. I would like to note once again: it's not the first time that Alexander Grigoryevich's [Lukashenko] geopolitical analyses and comments have received the attention of various international partners, become the subject of discussion in different countries, including in our country, and we are convicted that his assesstments were aimed at serving the domestic political agenda of the President of Belarus, and we can be sure that it has nothing to do with the foreign policy of the Republic of Armenia." Mirzoyan also confirmed the information according to which the Ambassador of Belarus to Armenia was invited to the Foreign Ministry․  "Our beliefs were conveyed to the ambassador that our statements about each other should be based on mutual respect, taking into account each other's interests, taking into account each other's sovereignty and other fields on the basis of which there is cooperation between our countries. I would also add that, nevertheless, we are ready to continue to assist Belarus on various international platforms if possible in the case of relevant official applications," Mirzoyan said. Mirzoyan also touched upon the possible participation of Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in the diplomatic forum to be held in Antalya in March, he noted that the issue of the Prime Minister's participation has not been discussed and is not being discussed. "An invitation has been sent in my name and Ruben Rubinyan’s name, there is really no decision, the decision will largely depend on the results of the Vienna meeting to be held on February 24," said Ararat Mirzoyan.   Other News The spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova stressed the importance of the return of all detainees and noted that Russia is doing everything in this direction. Russian Foreign Minister and Chairman-in-Office will discuss the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. There is no border as such, there is a line of contact. CSTO Secretary General on the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.  
23:37 - 09 February, 2022
Daily News Summary [08.02.2022]

Daily News Summary [08.02.2022]

RA MFA and Armenian MPs react to Lukashenko's statements about Armenia The President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, in an interview with Vladimir Solovyov, expressed an opinion that other post-Soviet republics, including Armenia, can join the Union State (between Belarus and Russia)․ "Armenia has nowhere to go. Do you think someone needs them? They saw it." The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia reacted to the statement of the President of Belarus about Armenia. "We are convinced that the geopolitical analysis of the President of Belarus pursues the goal of serving, first of all, its own internal political agenda and has nothing to do with Armenia and its foreign policy," RA MFA spokesperson told journalists. Rustam Bakoyan, an MP from the "Civil Contract" faction addressed the statements of the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko about Armenia. "And who needs Lukashenko? His people asked him this rhetorical question. The processes that took place in that country were a clear assessment of the period of his tenure, what condition he held the country in and what happened," Bakoyan said. Armenians and Belarusians are brotherly nations, and no statement can affect the friendship of these peoples, Acting Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Hakob Arshakyan told reporters at a briefing, commenting on the recent statement of President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko. “We have heard such statements for many times. I want to emphasize that the Armenian and Belarusian peoples are brotherly nations, we have very close friendly ties. No statement can affect the friendship of these peoples. I see no reason to comment here. There have been many comments at different times,” Arshakyan said. Vagharshak Hakobyan, member of NA "Civil Contract" faction, addressed the statements of Alexander Lukashenko, the President of Belarus: "Yesterday, Mr Lukashenko, the President of Belarus, made unacceptable and inappropriate statements for the head of a state, in particular, saying things like "who needs Armenia" and so on, in an interview with Solovyov. I want to note that those assessments are, in fact, reprehensible. The head of our partner country has no right to express such thoughts in relation to its partner country, and I want to remind who needed Armenia during the recent events in Kazakhstan, and I'm sure that Mr Lukashenko is well aware of who needed and who needs the Republic of Armenia," Hakobyan said.   RA MFA and MFA of Artsakh condemned the statement made by the Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan "We strongly condemn the decision of the Azerbaijani authorities to establish a special commission tasked with, according to subsequent statements by officials, destroying the traces of the Armenian identity of cultural and religious monuments located in the territories of Artsakh occupied by Azerbaijan. This serves as another convincing evidence of the fact that the Armenian cultural heritage that has come under the control of the Azerbaijani authorities is in real danger of being completely destroyed or torn off from their historical roots. We have repeatedly stated that the falsification of history and the cultural genocide by Azerbaijan are an integral part of the broader anti-Armenian policy systematically pursued by Baku for several decades. If at the initial stage of the Azerbaijani-Karabagh conflict, manipulations with history and culture served as a justification for the deportation of the Armenian population from the former Azerbaijan SSR, now they are aimed at legitimizing the results of the illegal use of military force by Azerbaijan against Artsakh. We once again call on the world community and specialized international organizations to urgently take all necessary measures to make Azerbaijan comply with its international obligations to preserve and respect the cultural heritage of the Armenian people and to fully implement the order of the International Court of Justice on provisional measures," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh issued a statement. "We strongly condemn the statement made by the Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan Anar Karimov (February 3) on the establishment of a working group for the destruction and alteration  of the identity of the Armenian religious and historical-cultural monuments fallen under the control of Azerbaijan. This action of the Azerbaijani Government is a blatant defiance to the decision on application of provisional measures issued by the UN International Court of Justice on December 7, 2021, which clearly obliges Azerbaijan to; “Take all necessary measures to prevent and punish acts of vandalism and desecration affecting Armenian cultural heritage, including but not limited to churches and other places of worship, monuments, landmarks, cemeteries and artifacts," RA MFA spokesperson addressed the statement of the Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan.   Other News Putin and Macron discussed the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh
00:24 - 09 February, 2022
Daily News Summary [03.02.2022]

Daily News Summary [03.02.2022]

Yerevan has no legal, political, moral right to put forward preconditions. Azerbaijani FM Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said that two weeks ago, Armenia made new proposals on the delimitation of the border with Azerbaijan. According to him, the Armenian side has put forward some conditions for the start of the work of the commission on the demarcation and delimitation of the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia. "Azerbaijan has stated that we can start this process, but without any conditions. There is no need for "creative" approaches in the issue of delimitation. International borders must be recognized. Armenia, which has occupied Azerbaijani lands for 30 years, has no legal, political or moral right to impose any condition on the issue of delimitation of borders," Bayramov said. Baku reacted negatively to Armenia's proposals on demarcation and delimitation of the border. There were various proposals, to which there was a negative reaction, RA Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan told journalists. "This is a consistent process, and there were proposals that were unacceptable to Armenia. We have repeatedly stated that we are interested in the delimitation of the border with Azerbaijan," Mirzoyan said. Vahan Hunanyan, the spokesperson of RA MFA, commented on the statements of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov saying that the Prime Minister of Armenia, the President of Russia and the President of Azerbaijan signed a statement in Sochi on November 26, 2021, which is public and available on the Internet. The statement clearly states that the leaders of the three countries agreed to take steps to increase the level of stability and security on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and to lead the process towards the formation of a bilateral commission on delimitation and demarcation.  "The statement signed by the leaders of the three countries shows that the activities of the demarcation and delimitation commission should be preceded by steps to increase the level of security on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. Armenia, being really interested in the full implementation of the agreements, formulated its ideas about their implementation. The Azerbaijani side didn’t give any meaningful responses, but rejected them without offering options instead. If you call it a "condition", a "precondition", then voicing estimates for them has no logical relation to the above process," Hunanyan said.   Chances are high for Yeraskh-Julfa-Ordubad-Meghri-Horadiz railway to be operated At today's government session, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that we very close to recording the first practical results of the trilateral working group on opening communications in the region. "Yesterday's visit [ed. - of Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk and CEO of Russian Railways Oleg Belozyorov] was dedicated to the operation of the Yeraskh-Julfa-Ordubad-Meghri-Horadiz railway. We have already reached an agreement on this topic, that railway should operate on the territory of Armenia, within the framework of the legislation of Armenia, and in Azerbaijan - within the framework of the legislation of Azerbaijan," Pashinyan said. RA MFA spokesperson commented on the statements of Azerbaijani FM that Armenia has failed the activities of the trilateral working group.  "If we are referring to the trilateral working group on the opening of regional communications, by a curious coincidence, at a government session held today, Prime Minister Pashinyan stated that Armenia is at the stage of practical steps to restore the Yeraskh-Julfa-Ordubad-Meghri-Horadiz railway and Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan held discussions on this topic with his Russian counterpart, Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk, and the CEO of Russian Railways Oleg Belozyorov on February 2 in Yerevan. Prime Minister Pashinyan, assessing the situation, said that recording of the first results of the work of the trilateral working group looks very close. In this context, the statements of the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister are at least strange and we hope it doesn't mean rejection of the agreements reached in Brussels," Vahan Hunanyan said.   Other News The next meeting of the special representatives of Armenia and Turkey in the Armenia-Turkey normalization process will take place on February 24 in Vienna.  Presidential elections will be held in March, Nikol Pashinyan said this at the beginning of the government session. PM Pashinyan and Austrian FM touched upon the NK conflict, emphasizing the need to resume the negotiation process.
23:53 - 03 February, 2022