No major clashes in Karabakh at the moment. Armenian deputy defense minister

The recent events in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), the trend of steady tension being maintained are a cause for concern. Deputy Defense Minister Arman Sargsyan told this to reporters Monday in the National Assembly of Armenia. To the remark that a proposal was made by Artsakh to increase the number of Russian peacekeepers there, he said: "If in response to that there were any proposal from Russia to increase the number, to conduct an investigation, everything is provided at the level of information. Information is perhaps disseminating faster than we can talk about it here."

As for the Armenian foreign ministry statement which spoke about conducting an investigation and finding out how the Azerbaijanis invaded the area of Artsakh overseen by the Russian peacekeeping forces, the deputy minister said: "We are talking about sensitive topics...the relevant bodies should talk about it." Asked whether he confirms that it happened through Russian mediation, Arman Sargsyan responded: "I respond in a way that security be ensured. An investigation will be carried out, you will be informed about it. When the Russian peacekeepers do, you will be informed about it."

According to him, the overall situation remains the same in Parukh village of Artsakh. "At the moment, there are no major clashes in Artsakh. But the wave of escalation may increase at any moment because our peace is fragile. Due to the events happening in the world right now, it is not ruled out that any state will attempt to destabilize the situation," the Armenian deputy defense minister stressed.

The Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Armenia informed that the statement spread by the Ministry of Defence of Azerbaijan that on the evening of April 3 the units of the RA Armed Forces shelled the Azerbaijani positions located in the north-eastern border of the Republic of Armenia does not correspond to reality.

Deputy Minister of Defense of Armenia Arman Sargsyan assures that the reforms in the Armed Forces have already started and are in process.

During a session of the parliamentary standing committee on defense and security affairs, one of the lawmakers from the opposition “Armenia” faction said that there has regularly been a promise in the committee to present a concept of armed forces reforms. “So far, no legislative package, that would amend the concept of that reforms, has been presented during the sessions of the defense committee”, the MP said. In response the deputy defense minister said that they had a discussion in the Parliament about the changes to be made in laws. “Moreover, proposals were submitted to the defense ministry also by the “Armenia” faction. The other parliamentary factions have also presented. The reforms have started”, the deputy defense minister said, adding that if they are not visible for some political forces, it is a matter of a political assessment. “But these reforms have launched. They are now in process both in legislative and other terms”, he noted.

Delegation of the Armenia-UK Parliamentary Friendship Group met with Armenian PM and FM

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received the delegation led by Tim Loughton, the head of the Great Britain -Armenia Friendship Group of the UK Parliament.

Tim Loughton expressed confidence that the cooperation at the parliamentary level will continue to further strengthen, and they will make every effort to contribute to the deepening of bilateral political and economic ties. He stressed the importance of the democratic reforms in our country and expressed confidence that their effective implementation will contribute to the further progress of Armenia. The situation in the South Caucasus, in particular, around Nagorno Karabakh was touched upon.

Prime Minister Pashinyan presented his observations on the processes taking place around Nagorno Karabakh, stressed the importance of an adequate response of the international community to the un-constructive actions carried out by Azerbaijan. The Prime Minister touched upon the humanitarian issues arising from the Azerbaijani actions in Artsakh, the steps taken to destroy the Armenian cultural heritage in the territories that have passed under the control of the Azerbaijani armed forces, the opportunities for demarcation and delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, unblocking of the regional infrastructure, as well as the Armenian-Turkish dialogue.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia informs that the Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan received the delegation of the Armenia-Great Britain Parliamentary Friendship Group of the House of Commons, headed by the head of the group Tim Loughton. During the meeting, the interlocutors discussed further deepening and strengthening of relations between Armenia and the United Kingdom, highlighting the role of parliamentary diplomacy in this regard.

The sides discussed the situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone and in the Armenia-Azerbaijan bordering area. Minister Mirzoyan presented in detail the incursion of the Azerbaijani armed forces into the village of Parukh in Nagorno-Karabakh, the actions of targeting the civilian population and infrastructure and creating a humanitarian crisis in Artsakh, as well as issues related to the protection of Armenian cultural and religious heritage in the territories fallen under the Azerbaijani control. Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized the efforts of British Parliamentarians towards condemning the human rights violations committed by Azerbaijani armed forces during the 44-day war and the aggressive actions of Azerbaijan in the bordering area of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as their humanitarian consequences, and supporting the rights of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The negotiations on a comprehensive peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan was touched upon. The Foreign Minister of Armenia stressed the need to launch negotiations within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship, aimed at a comprehensive final settlement, including the clarification of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh.

At the request of the guests, Minister Mirzoyan also referred to the process of normalization of Armenia-Turkey relations.

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