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The Sunday Guardian April 13 2025 Name the horror: Time to recognise for what it was, Armenian genocide ByVandit Singh April 13, 2025 Aligned with the Central Powers during the First World War, the Ottoman Empire was faltering, grappling with territorial losses and internal strife. Dubbed as the Sick Man of Europe, it faced economic strain and relentless military pressures, particularly on its eastern front against Russia. This, coupled with the nationalist zeal of the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), which sought to preserve the crumbling Empire, fuelled paranoia and aggressive policies, setting the stage for a catastrophe. Starting in April 1915, the course of the coming months saw an estimated 1.5 million Armenians perish in a meticulously orchestrated effort involving mass executions, brutal death marches through the Syrian desert, and deliberate starvation. The figure shoots even higher if we also consider the Hamidian massacres (1894-96), named after the Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II, which saw him unleash a wave of violence against Christian Armenians, slaughtering up to 300,000 in a brutal prelude to the genocide that followed. Fuelled by suspicions of an Armenian collusion with the Russians, and the underlying religious and cultural differences between the ruling Muslim Turks and the Christian Armenians, this annihilation targeted an entire community—men, women, and children—razing their cultural and religious heritage. What began in April 1915 as the arrest and eventual slaughter of Armenian intellectuals in Constantinople, metastasized into the horrors of rampant deportations, mass drownings, acts of rape and torture, state-sponsored Islamization and confiscation of properties as a deliberate act of erasure. These events came to be known as the Armenian Genocide of 1915-17 and was regarded by Pope Francis as “the first genocide of the 20th century”. With the ultimate defeat and dissolution of the Ottoman Empire after the First World War coming as a sigh of relief for the surviving Armenian community, the ensuing revenge exacted by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) in form of targeted political assassinations, as part of the Operation Nemesis, further highlighted the Armenian cause on the global stage. SoghomonTehlirian’s assassination of Talaat Pasha, the former Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire and widely regarded as the primary architect of the genocide, was “the watershed moment” in this collective effort. The Ottoman Empire’s larger ethnic cleansing of its non-Muslim subjects carried out during the First World War and its aftermath, which also included the Assyrian and Greek genocides, ultimately paved way for the eventual formation of an ethno-national Turkish state in form of the Republic of Türkiye. A century and a decade later, the genocide’s legacy endures, marked by recognition from 34 countries, and a persistent denial by Türkiye, the successor state to the Ottoman Empire, underscoring its place as a pivotal, contested episode in human history. As the global community stands to acknowledge and commemorate the 110th anniversary of this tragic episode in human history, deliberation by India’s foremost policymakers for an official recognition of these events as a “genocide” would reflect our solemn stand against the ideologies which have also inflicted life-long wounds on our own cultural soul. Such a move would further push not only our bilateral ties with Armenia but also cement us as a stern advocate of historical justice within the democratic world. India and Armenia share historical ties spanning over two millennia, with the latter standing as one of the few countries to have publicly endorsed India’s position on the Kashmir conflict. Numbering over 11 million today, the Armenian community is spread across the world, with a large majority of Armenians residing outside Armenia. Amidst the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the modern-day Republic of Armenia stands in a precarious position, one which calls for desperate action to rescue it from not only its geographical shackles of being a landlocked state, but also its much inferior economic इस शब्द का अर्थ जानिये and military strength, vis-à-vis the Turkic alliance of Türkiye and Azerbaijan. To this day, Türkiye denies any allegation of a genocide, and instead terms the episode as “Events of 1915”, significantly undermining the brutality and magnitude of the atrocities, while downplaying any involvement of the Ottoman government. Its closest allies in form of Azerbaijan and Pakistan remain as the only other countries to explicitly deny any genocide. Far from some European states which went as far as to pay reparations for the sins of their forefathers, the Turkish policy of an emphatic rejection of any deliberate wrongdoing has further aggravated the phenomenon of “genocide denial” across the world, even in cases where the overwhelming evidence suggests otherwise. For the innocent Armenians massacred by the Ottomans, “genocide” isn’t a mere label, but a clarion call to affirm their annihilation as a deliberate act of evil and a recognition that strips away the veil of denial. As the scars of this horror still linger, the Armenian genocide stands as a solemn call for the international community to confront and acknowledge the uncomfortable chapters of history. Such recognition paves the way for reconciliation between estranged communities, fostering new pathways for cooperation and serving as a resolute safeguard against any potential recurrence of such human extremes. https://sundayguardianlive.com/featured/name-the-horror-time-to-recognise-for-what-it-was-armenian-genocide#

Armenpress.am Politics13:34, 12 April 2025 Mirzoyan and Bayramov hold bilateral meeting in Antalya Read the article in: فارسیՀայերենРусский The bilateral meeting between Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has commenced in Antalya, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Ani Badalyan, told Armenpress. Earlier, it was reported that Ararat Mirzoyan is participating in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum. As part of his working visit, several bilateral meetings are scheduled, including Mirzoyan’s participation in a panel discussion titled "Challenges and Opportunities for Regional Cooperation in the South Caucasus", along with the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Georgia. Published by Armenpress, original at https://armenpress.am/en/article/1216971?fbclid=IwY2xjawJnw9FleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHq49jRFYjWnz1GW0xf2iHZeVkxHgDbtSAFw80nfXwO-fLYlIBjDxgk_JPC-k_aem_r_mWpNHKJFG7m0n0ijA5Jw

April 12 2025 Holy Echmiadzin To Take Action Over Anti-Armenian Event In Vatican April 12, 2025 By PanARMENIAN The Inter-Church Relations Department of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin has expressed deep concern regarding an event held in Rome by Azerbaijani entities, which it says carried a clear anti-Armenian agenda. According to the statement, Holy Etchmiadzin will take appropriate steps through interchurch channels in response to this incident. The event, titled “Christianity in Azerbaijan: History and Modern Times,” took place on April 10 at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Vatican City. It was organized by the Azerbaijani Embassy in collaboration with Azerbaijani organizations and attended by representatives from various countries. During the event, Azerbaijani propaganda again attempted to deny the Armenian origins of the historical and cultural heritage of Armenia and Artsakh, distorting historical facts with the aim of eventual appropriation. The Armenian church noted that this event occurred at a time when the international community has yet to properly address Azerbaijan’s acts of genocide, the violation of the fundamental rights of forcibly displaced Armenians from Artsakh, the illegal detention and mistreatment of Armenian prisoners of war in Azerbaijani prisons, and the ongoing erasure of Armenian religious and cultural heritage in Artsakh. “It is regrettable that such an unscientific and politically motivated event was allowed to take place within a prominent Catholic educational institution,” the statement read. No Armenian scholarly institutions had been informed of the event, and though dozens of experts from various countries participated, no Armenian representatives were present. https://www.eurasiareview.com/12042025-holy-echmiadzin-to-take-action-over-anti-armenian-event-in-vatican/

Azatutyun.am Aliyev Warns Of ‘New Military Confrontation’ With Armenia Ապրիլ 09, 2025 Azerbaijan - Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev speaks at an international forum in Baku, April9, 2025. Armenia will risk another war with Azerbaijan unless it enacts a new constitution demanded by Baku, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on Wednesday. “Until a peace treaty is signed and Armenia completely renounces all territorial claims against Azerbaijan, which are still present in its constitution, and demonstrates sincerity in its behavior towards normalizing relations with Azerbaijan, the risk of a new military confrontation will always persist,” he told an international forum in Baku. Aliyev has repeatedly made the signing of the treaty conditional on a change of the current Armenian constitution. He has specifically demanded the removal of a reference to Armenia’s 1990 declaration of independence contained in the constitution’s preamble. The declaration in turn cites a 1989 unification act adopted by the legislative bodies of Soviet Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenian leaders maintain that the reference does not amount to territorial claims to Azerbaijan. They have also argued that the draft Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty commits the two states to recognizing each other’s territorial integrity and stipulates that they cannot refer to their domestic legislation to justify their possible failure to implement it. While rejecting Aliyev’s precondition in public, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has pledged to try to enact a new constitution through a referendum. But this is unlikely to happen before June 2026. Yerevan already made a number of concessions last month to remove the remaining disagreements on the text of the draft treaty. Pashinian’s domestic political opponents say that Baku will not sign the deal before clinching further Armenian concessions not only on the constitution but also other key issues such as a land corridor to Azerbaijan’s Nakhichevan exclave. Aliyev renewed in January this year his threats to open such a corridor by force. Azerbaijan began accusing Armenia of violating the ceasefire regime along the border between the two countries on a daily basis just a few days after the two sides finalized the peace treaty a month ago. Armenian opposition figures and pundits have suggested that the accusations denied by Yerevan are aimed at preparing the ground for a military attack on Armenia or forcing Pashinian to make the concessions. Residents of two Armenian border villages have reported nightly cross-border gunfire from Azerbaijani army positions for over two weeks. According to them, Azerbaijani troops mainly fire into the air. https://www.azatutyun.am/a/33378466.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawJkAXFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHuWCwEj9Z2aVj5S5Rcwtay6eClO4APxW1ev_pP14psrzhb2wgJ2NuzqRSfRS_aem_IvX3EqM42EmvOWcL65HwcQ

Armenpress.am Azerbaijan19:40, 9 April 2025 EU mission increases number of night patrols along Armenian-Azerbaijani border Read the article in: FrançaisՀայերենРусский The EU monitoring mission in Armenia (EUMA) has increased the number of night patrols along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border since March, aimed at improving nighttime security and reducing possible tension. “Starting from March, EUMA has increased the number of night patrols along the Armenian side of Armenia-Azerbaijan to enhance nighttime security and safety and relieve possible tensions. Our monitors remain committed around the clock, ensuring a continuous presence day and night,’’ EUMA said on X. Published by Armenpress, original at https://armenpress.am/en/article/1216720?fbclid=IwY2xjawJj9x1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHsAJfG4qPtXhog81eNv5mDtZBIh9z75Nl-1IlPrBY-0NZStlNBePBW7vrPFF_aem_4M6EK8tmKFHaXn2Sq6hsew

Armenpress.am Iran18:13, 9 April 2025 Armenia, Iran to conduct joint military exercise Read the article in: العربيةفارسیFrançaisՀայերենქართულიРусский From April 9 to 10, special forces units of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia and the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will conduct joint military exercise, the Armenian Defense Ministry has said in a statement. The unit of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia will conduct its portion of the exercise on the territory of Armenia, while the unit of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will conduct its portion on the territory of Iran. The exercise involves operations to neutralize attacks by simulated terrorist groups on border checkpoints located along the Armenia–Iran state border. Published by Armenpress, original at https://armenpress.am/en/article/1216711?fbclid=IwY2xjawJj9pFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHqLyKNj5xFfN9Ycxqg_XcIVAvl5RuA36MjMQhpHkogRdmf8PJKoZ3LWG-fiK_aem_PM8ZfPI38LCIaa3raXIHaw

April 8 2025 Turkish mayor faces backlash over derogatory social media post targeting Armenians Controversial Turkish mayor Tanju Özcan is facing backlash after posting a social media message using derogatory language towards Armenians, the Agos news website reported. Özcan, the mayor of Bolu and a member of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), in a post on X targeted Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies. “If only your Armenian father had acted two seconds earlier, so you were never born, Öcalan. I hope this is your last birthday. Traitorous man,” he said. Since the 1980s the PKK has been leading an insurgency that has claimed the lives of some 40,000 people in Turkey. The post, viewed more than 7 million times by Friday, drew criticism for what rights groups described as hate speech and ethnic discrimination. Özcan did not clarify why he invoked Armenian identity in the message. However, critics say the language reinforced harmful ethnic stereotypes and incited division by associating one of Turkey’s most notorious terrorist leaders with the Armenian community. The spiritual leader of Turkey’s Armenian community, Patriarch Sahak Maşalyan, issued a written statement condemning the mayor’s language, calling it hate speech that undermines social harmony. “The Armenian community, which has lived in these lands for centuries, is an integral and inseparable part of this country,” the statement read. “Remarks targeting Armenian identity not only insult a people, but also threaten our shared history and will to coexist.” Maşalyan said such rhetoric “has never served brotherhood, unity or social peace — not in the past, not today, and not in the future.” He urged public officials to adopt more responsible language and warned that legitimizing hate speech damages all of society, not just minorities. Özcan has previously attracted controversy for remarks targeting ethnic minorities and immigrants. In recent years he made headlines for proposing measures in Bolu aimed at restricting services for refugees and has faced criticism for statements about Kurds, Syrians and Afghans. The CHP has not issued a formal statement regarding the tweet. While Turkish law prohibits incitement to hatred and enmity under Article 216 of the penal code, legal experts note that enforcement is inconsistent and often influenced by political context. Rights organizations and minority advocates have warned of a rise in discriminatory language and xenophobia in Turkish political discourse, particularly on social media platforms where elected officials face little accountability for inflammatory rhetoric. https://stockholmcf.org/turkish-mayor-faces-backlash-over-derogatory-social-media-post-targeting-armenians/

Azatutyun.am Gyumri Set To Have Opposition Mayor Ապրիլ 04, 2025 Armenia - A view of the building of the municipal administration of Gyumri, November 8, 2024. The leader of a political group that finished third in the March 30 municipal election in Gyumri has reluctantly agreed to enable another opposition candidate and his bitter rival to become the new mayor of Armenia’s second largest city. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s Civil Contract party won most votes (36.8 percent) but fell well short of an absolute majority in the city council empowered to appoint the mayor. Official vote results show that it will hold only 14 seats in the 33-member council. The 19 other seats will be controlled by four opposition groups. Vartan Ghukasian, a former Gyumri mayor who ran in the election on the Armenian Communist Party (HKK) ticket, staked a claim to that post of mayor after the HKK came in second with almost 20.7 percent of the vote. He quickly won the backing of two other opposition groups led by TV producer Ruben Mkhitarian and businessman Karen Simonian. They polled 7.9 percent and 6.2 percent respectively. The fourth opposition contender, the Our City bloc of Gyumri-based opposition lawmaker Martun Grigorian, got almost 16 percent. Grigorian and Ghukasian as well as their extended families have long been at loggerheads with each other. Grigorian was therefore reluctant to the provide the decisive support to the ex-mayor despite facing strong pressure from Yerevan-based opposition leaders and public figures critical of the government. Armenia - Our City bloc leader Martun Grigorian speaks at an election campaign rally in Gyumri, March 25, 2025. In what he called his “most difficult” ever political decision, Grigorian announced on Friday that members of the new city council affiliated with Our City will give Ghukasian the votes needed for his election as mayor. “I apologize to all my voters, relatives, friends, and supporters, but I also say with confidence that I am subordinating my personal issues and approaches to the interests and security of my country, state and statehood, Gyumri and the people of Gyumri and I am taking this step at the demand of the people,” he said in a statement. He stressed that his top priority now is to oust Pashinian’s party from the municipal administration. Grigorian made clear that he believes Ghukasian is “the most vulnerable” of the opposition mayoral candidates because of criminal cases pending against him. He warned that the controversial ex-mayor could be arrested soon, just like another opposition figure who won most votes in Vanadzor, the country’s third largest city, in a 2021 local election. The lawmaker said that it would therefore make more sense to designate one of the two other opposition candidates, Mkhitarian or Simonian, as Gyumri mayor. He chided them for rushing to back Ghukasian. Armenia - Opposition mayoral candidate Vartan Ghukasian casts a ballot at a polling station in Gyumri, March 30, 2025. Mkhitarian, who boasts a large nationwide following on social media, was quick to welcome Grigorian’s announcement. “The coveted victories lie ahead,” he wrote, hinting at regime change in Yerevan. There was no immediate reaction from Ghukasian, who ran the city from 1999 to 2012. He said during the election campaign that he is not afraid of being arrested. Nazeli Baghdasarian, Pashinian’s Gyumri-born spokeswoman who actively participated in the ruling party’s election campaign, predicted Grigorian’s decision earlier this week. She claimed that the local opposition forces got their votes as a result of “misleading the people and abusing their trust.” The opposition has charged, for its part, that Civil Contract and its mayoral candidate, Sarik Minasian, heavily abused their government levers before and during the election. The Armenian government appointed Minasian as acting mayor late last year following criminal charges brought against the unofficial leader of a local bloc that ran Gyumri. The charges led to the resignation of the city’s previous, elected mayor, Vardges Samsonian. https://www.azatutyun.am/a/33373686.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawJdUWdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHl-tCm-rHakpGtCFOwyrdRZ6IqjLzE686LyMWgvkHLtmnrWAJ7Z9oDIig2B5_aem_IMsu8ywkLvtHntoFxVj6aw

Interfax April 4 2025 Armenia's president signs law about country's intention to join EU YEREVAN. April 4 (Interfax) - Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan on Friday signed into law a bill of his country's intention to join the European Union, his press service said. The bill passed its second and final readings in the parliament on March 26. Sixty-four deputies voted for the bill on starting Armenia's EU membership process, and seven voted against it. Only MPs from the ruling Civil Contract party voted for the bill. MPs from the opposition I Have Honor Alliance formed around ex-president Serzh Sargsyan voted against the bill, and MPs from the opposition Armenia Alliance formed around ex-president Robert Kocharyan abstained. The bill was approved by the government on January 9. The decision to join the EU must be made in a nationwide referendum, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said. Armenia is comfortable in the Eurasian Economic Community but the government sees a substantial portion of the population wanting their country to join the EU, he said. https://interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/110788/

Armenpress.am Economy19:44, 4 April 2025 Opening Armenia's borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan would be a game-changer – EU chief von der Leyen Read the article in: ՀայերենРусский简体中文 After three decades of closure, the opening of the borders of Armenia with Türkiye and Azerbaijan is going to be a game changer. And it will bring Europe and Central Asia closer together like never before. According to the official website of the European Commission, President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said during the plenary session of the inaugural EU–Central Asia Summit. “Central Asia is the very definition of a global gateway, the beating heart of Eurasia. This is why our Global Gateway investment agenda focuses so much on this region. Last year, we pledged EUR 10 billion to the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor. This will cut the overland journey between Europe and Central Asia by around a half. That is down to just 15 days. The corridor will also unlock untapped potential for business between our regions. And it will boost links and trade within your five Central Asian nations. Today I am pleased to announce that a new Investors Forum will take place in Uzbekistan in 2025. This will secure private funding for the Corridor and allow us to assess progress. In an increasingly fragmented world, the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor will boost connections between your five countries and Europe. But infrastructure is not everything. Smooth border crossing within Central Asian and South Caucasus countries is also essential to reach the Black Sea. After three decades of closure, the opening of the borders of Armenia with Türkiye and Azerbaijan is going to be a game changer. And it will bring Europe and Central Asia closer together like never before,” she said. Published by Armenpress, original at https://armenpress.am/en/article/1216348?fbclid=IwY2xjawJc6KdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHlKg5NgMHk-h98y6e-WJVWWC5cmrsnYf-PbFbmHp6C09QTD8LA_G_jSNBQtJ_aem_C65vbvdbzDha0Njijij5Qw

Azatutyun.am Aliyev Again Rules Out Unconditional Peace Deal With Armenia Ապրիլ 02, 2025 Ruzanna Stepanian Azerbaijan - Presidents Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and Frank-Walter Steinmeier make statements to the press after talks in Baku, April 2, 2025. Dismissing repeated appeals from Yerevan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Wednesday reiterated his main preconditions for signing a peace deal with Armenia finalized last month. Aliyev continued to insist on the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group and a change of Armenia’s constitution which Baku says contains territorial claims to Azerbaijan. He specifically demanded the removal of a reference to Armenia’s 1990 declaration of independence contained in the constitution’s preamble. The declaration in turn cites a 1989 unification act adopted by the legislative bodies of Soviet Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast. “After these two conditions are met, there will be no obstacles to signing the peace treaty,” Aliyev said after talks in Baku with Germany’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. “As they say, the ball is in Armenia's court. If Armenia really wants to sign the peace treaty, it must accept these two legitimate conditions of Azerbaijan.” Armenian leaders maintain that the reference does not amount to territorial claims to Azerbaijan, citing a corresponding conclusion drawn by Armenia’s Constitutional Court last September. They have also argued that the draft Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty commits the two states to recognizing each other’s territorial integrity and stipulates that they cannot refer to their domestic legislation to justify their possible failure to implement it. While rejecting Aliyev’s precondition in public, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has pledged to try to enact a new Armenian constitution through a referendum. But this is unlikely to happen before June 2026. Yerevan already made a number of concessions last month to remove the remaining disagreements on the text of the draft treaty. It has since repeatedly appealed to Baku to sign the treaty. The international community has also called for the quick signing of the peace deal. Steinmeier added his voice to those calls when he visited Yerevan on Monday. The German president made similar comments at a joint news conference with Aliyev. Pashinian’s domestic political opponents say that Baku will not sign the deal before clinching further Armenian concessions not only on the constitution but also other key issues such as a land corridor to Azerbaijan’s Nakhichevan exclave. They say that Pashinian’s appeasement policy has only emboldened Aliyev to make more demands on Armenia. https://www.azatutyun.am/a/33368783.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawJbEX9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHfcCxVIvd3hcAG4ZSAGVaCqs7CGURXPeLUDIfiyynd_BkatL7jzN7tPcqQ_aem_mRO1MyMYSNby1CUQq33Zwg

Asbarez.com Probe into Azerbaijan’s Genocide of Artsakh Armenians Ongoing, Investigative Committee Insists by Asbarez Staff April 2, 2025 in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories A caravan of cars carrying Artsakh Armenians is forcibly leaving their ancestral homeland in Sept. 2023 The probe into the case of genocide committed by Azerbaijan against the Armenian population of Artsakh continues, the Investigative Committee of Armenia said in response to a written request from Sputnik Armenia. The respective criminal proceedings were initiated at the Investigative Committee of Armenia on September 20, 2023, after the Azerbaijani aggression. The criminal proceedings were conducted in connection with information publicized in the mass media about the complete or partial physical destruction of the peaceful Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh, held under the blockade, on the grounds of their national, ethnic, racial, or religious affiliation, causing serious harm to their health, and creating conditions of life aimed at this. Criminal proceedings were initiated at the Investigative Committee of Armenia under Section 1 of Article 133 of the Criminal Code of Armenia: genocide. In particular, this concerns Azerbaijan’s closure of the Lachin corridor, the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh, the resulting impossibility of humanitarian and passenger transportation, the cessation of natural gas and electricity supplies, as well as the latest aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan on September 19, 2024 which has the goal of Armenian ethnic cleansing and genocide. https://asbarez.com/probe-into-azerbaijans-genocide-of-artsakh-armenians-ongoing-investigative-committee-insists/?fbclid=IwY2xjawJbDsNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHaGJm-m0AXwWFLFDdhl_hm98YX4Fz17MwlcJpVkECPY8_Oc42ZxCMO2i4A_aem_5p6e_moXnI2UO3g_jtmb1A

Asbarez.com ‘The Ball is in Armenia’s Court,’ Aliyev Says, Insisting on Preconditions for Peace Treaty by Asbarez Staff April 2, 2025 in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories Presidents of Germany and Azerbaijan, Frank-Walter Steinmeier (l) and Ilham Aliyev hold a joint press conference in Baku on Apr. 2 “The ball is in Armenia’s court,” President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan declared on Wednesday, while insisting that a peace treaty with Yerevan will not be signed and reiterating his preconditions. Aliyev insisted, during a press conference with his German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who is visiting Baku, that the OSCE Minsk Group must be dissolved and Armenia must amend its constitution before a peace deal can be signed with Armenia. Ilham Aliyev recalled that the text of the peace agreement with Armenia has been fully agreed upon and that Azerbaijan does not put forward any additional conditions, according to the Azertac state news agency. “Our conditions are known to Armenia, they are not new. We have been putting forward these conditions for a long time. However, we have not received any serious response from Armenia to date. What does this consist of? First, the OSCE Minsk Group must be dissolved,” Aliyev said. The Azerbaijani leader added that Armenia’s Constitution contains territorial claims from Azerbaijan. “This is considered an open territorial claim against us. Therefore, the removal of this clause from the Armenian constitution is our legitimate demand,” Aliyev insisted, noting that there will be no obstacles to the deal’s signing once these two conditions are met. “As they say, the ball is in Armenia’s court. If Armenia really wants to sign the peace treaty, it must accept these two legitimate conditions of Azerbaijan,” Aliyev emphasized. Steinmeier, who visited Yerevan ahead of this trip to Baku, said that an agreement between Baku and Yerevan on the specific language of the peace treaty, which was announced last month, was a critical juncture in stabilizing the Caucasus region. He said that the sides should not “waste time” and should sign the document as soon as possible. https://asbarez.com/the-ball-is-in-armenias-court-aliyev-says-insisting-on-preconditions-for-peace-treaty/?fbclid=IwY2xjawJbDpJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHUq110BlAkS9ewyH92Jg3UO3XJ4z3sPnwDAx3zn3KifWD_nZlgHt_6YMbg_aem_r7pmrq-78O8TTsUUYABikg

eurasianet April 2 2025 Armenia: Pressure increasing on Pashinyan Prime minister confronting adversity all around. You could not blame Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan if he is feeling these days like the walls are closing in on him from all sides. Domestically, there are signs that citizens are souring on his policies, judging by recent municipal election results. And on the diplomatic front, concerns are rising about the country’s territorial integrity amid a steady, thumping bass rhythm of war-like rhetoric sounded over the past few weeks by Azerbaijan. Two Armenian municipalities held local council elections March 30, providing the first electoral gauge on Pashinyan’s performance since he unveiled his “Real Armenia” program to remake society, as well as on the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace process. The results did not bode well for the prime minister. In Parakar, a suburb of the capital Yerevan, Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party experienced a drubbing at the hands of an opposition coalition, outvoted by an almost two-to-one margin. In Gyumri, Armenia’s second-largest city, Civil Contract gained 36 percent of the vote, the largest share of any single party on the ballot, but it may be shut out of power, as an array of opposition parties are set to join forces to form a majority in the city council. The results indicate that Pashinyan has a daunting task in front of him to secure popular approval for the Real Armenia program and an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty. Pashinyan’s Real Armenia agenda seeks to overhaul Armenia’s economic order by promoting individual initiative and entrepreneurship. It also calls on Armenians to adopt a new geopolitical outlook that draws a line on the past and focuses on the future. The ideals embodied by the program should be enshrined in a new constitution, to be adopted by a nationwide referendum, Pashinyan has stated. He wants to develop a draft before Armenia holds its next parliamentary election in 2026. Based on the initial ballot-box indicators, Real Armenia seems in real trouble of going down to defeat in a popular plebiscite, and Pashinyan’s reelection chances appear touch-and-go. Pashinyan also is finding that he has little room to maneuver as he tries to get Azerbaijan to sign a peace pact, the text of which has been finalized. Baku has set several preconditions for signing, including a demand that the Armenian constitution be amended so that Azerbaijan’s sovereignty over the Nagorno Karabakh territory is unequivocally recognized. The recent local election results suggest that an attempt at this time by Pashinyan to push the kind of amendment demanded by Baku would be political seppuku. Azerbaijan, meanwhile, is acting like there is no peace treaty ready for signing. Instead, Azerbaijani officials seem itching to renew hostilities. For the past two weeks, Baku has leveled near-daily accusations against Yerevan that Armenian forces are initiating armed provocations in border areas. Armenian government officials have vigorously denied all accusations, and even offered visual evidence of what they contend is Azerbaijani firing on Armenian villages near the border. Top Azerbaijani government officials and state-aligned media outlets are already on the rhetorical offensive. In a March 27 speech made in the village of Agdam, which was occupied for almost three decades by Armenian forces, President Ilham Aliyev repeatedly described Armenia as a “hated enemy,” referring to Armenian forces as “marauders” and “thieves” who engaged in “unprecedented barbarity.” Perhaps more ominously, the Azerbaijani press is full of hints that Baku does not consider the existing border between the two states to be fixed. Various media commentaries of late have featured the phrase “contingent border” [şərti sərhəd]. The meaning of the phrase suggests that the frontier is not real, even if it is accepted by all sides. The repeated use of the phrase in the press, especially in light of Aliyev’s recent claims that portions of Armenian territory in Syunik Province are historically Azerbaijani lands, raises fears that Azerbaijan may resort to force to take back what Baku portrays as “West Zangezur.” Regional analysts are growing worried that the window of opportunity for lasting peace in the South Caucasus is closing. “If those advocating for peace in the South Caucasus want to act, the time is now. The key pieces are in place. If Baku and Yerevan wait too long, they may squander one of the best opportunities for a settlement they have ever had—a misstep that would have grave consequences for the entire region,” wrote Olesya Vartanyan, a Caucasus expert with Brussels-based Crisis Group, in a recent commentary published by Carnegie Politika. https://eurasianet.org/armenia-pressure-increasing-on-pashinyan

OC Media April 2 2025 Armenia brings charges of official negligence against two former high-ranking military officials by Arshaluys Barseghyan New charges have been brought against two former high-ranking military officials, Movses Hakobyan, Deputy Defence Minister, and Armen Harutyunyan, former Head of the Missile Troops and Artillery Department of the Armed Forces. They are accused of official negligence connected to the supply of ‘unusable’ military equipment from Russia worth ֏4.3 billion ($11 million) nine years ago. In addition, the Prosecutor General’s Office is demanding to confiscate ֏4.5 billion ($12 million) from the two generals. The office announced on Tuesday evening that the case has been sent to the court. They also provided the details of the case to Public TV, according to which the agreement was signed on 21 July 2016 between the Armenian Defence Ministry and the Russian Rosoboronexport company for the purchase of 15 Aistenok electronically-scanning radar systems. The latter is 'the sole state-owned intermediary in Russia for exporting and importing the entire range of military and dual-use products, [...] in the field of military-technical cooperation with foreign countries’. From the Armenian side, the agreement was signed by Hakobyan, who was the Head of the Material and Technical Support Department of the Armenian Armed Forces at the time, as well as the Deputy Defence Minister. According to public prosecutor Karen Karapetyan, Hakobyan ‘did not designate a responsible unit’ that would receive the radar systems. In addition to that, the signed contract did not include testing the purchased equipment under ‘practical, combat fire conditions’ to determine its condition. The radar systems were supplied to the relevant military units in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh in 2017, and failed to ‘fulfill the tasks set before them in practical conditions’, Karapetyan told Public TV. Following their delivery, specialists were invited from Russia in 2018 ‘to eliminate the shortcomings’. However, Karapetyan said the work reportedly was carried out ‘incompletely’. Harutyunyan, serving as the Head of the Missile Troops and Artillery Department, ‘did not check whether they were repaired or not, and whether they were suitable for use or not’, Karapetyan said. During the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020, according to the prosecutors, the radar system proved to be ‘not suitable for use and it was decided to remove them from use’. Both Hakobyan and Harutyunyan claim their innocence. A ban on leaving the country was imposed on both, while the court also set Hakobyan’s bail at ֏10 million ($26,000). https://oc-media.org/armenia-brings-charges-of-official-negligence-against-two-former-high-ranking-military-officials/