cease-fire violations by azeris

[Yervant1]

Azeri aggression should be stopped: Peter Balakian

17:03, 26 May 2016
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Azeri aggression should be stopped, American –Armenian writer,
Pulitzer Prize winner Peter Balakian told reporters in Yerevan today.

“The more people are informed about the history of Artsakh, the better
the world will perceive the Armenian historic presence there. I hope
this will contribute to finding a right diplomatic solution to the
Karabakh issue,” the writer said.

By a presidential decree, Peter Balakian has been awarded RA
Presidential Prize for Year 2015 for the significant contribution to
the process of recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

Author Peter Balakian won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry for Ozone
Journal. Balakian’s Ozone Journal (poems) was published by the
University of Chicago Press.

“In the book I’ve tried to present the world it its diversity and
explain all that’s happening in the reality surrounding us through an
Armenian experience,” Balakian said about the book.

Balakian’s Ozone Journal (poems) was published by the University of
Chicago Press. The long poem in Balakian’s new book is a sequel to his
acclaimed “A-Train/Ziggurat/Elegy” (2010). While excavating the
remains of Armenian Genocide survivors in the Syrian desert with a TV
crew, the persona navigates his own memory of New York City in a
decade (the 1980’s) of crisis—as AIDS and climate change make a
context for his personal struggles and his pursuit of meaning in the
face of loss and catastrophe. Whether his poems explore Native
American villages of New Mexico, the slums of Nairobi, or the
Armenian-Turkish borderland, Balakian’s poems continue to engage the
harshness and beauty of contemporary life in a language that is
layered, sensual, elliptical, and defined by wired phrases and
shifting tempos. Ozone Journal creates inventive lyrical insight in a
global age of danger and uncertainty.

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[Yervant1]

Azerbaijan tries to cover up its attempts of poisoning NKR people

May 27, 2016 13:29

The NKR President’s Spokesman Davit Babayan says Azerbaijan tries to
cover up its facts of poisoning.

STEPANAKERT, MAY 27, ARTSAKHPRESS-ARMENPRESS: “Azerbaijan has
repeatedly used chemical toxic substances against the NKR people. It
happened in the Soviet times when Heydar Aliyev came to power. They
were poisoning the water supplies of the city of Stepanakert,”Babayan
said referring to the Azerbaijani President’s statement which says
Armenia applied chemical weapons.

He also recalled how Azerbaijanis put creoulin dangerous substance in
the water supplies of Stepanakert as a result of which one third of
the NKR people were deprived from water, domestic animals died within
a few hours, and many people went to hospital. “They did the same
thing in Shushi and other places. They say waste of Armenian nuclear
power plant are buried in Karvachar, but, of course, it is not true,
but we understand with such means they want to create basis for them
to be able to poison our rivers as well,” Babayan said.

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__artsakhpress.am_eng_news_45344_azerbaijan-2Dtries-2Dto-2Dcover-2Dup-2Dits-2Dattempts-2Dof-2Dpoisoning-2Dnkr-2Dpeople.html&d=DQIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=fj24gzWN16vhF6gWpB1MIq7_dq1giyBYeBr2xmLY9dU&s=Glokqk40PQQ-vU56uj9zrJgyQXJasFRbwmKyVrfCPuk&e=

[Yervant1]

Has Armenia Accepted the Stage-by-Stage Settlement?

Naira Hayrumyan, Political Commentator
Comments - 27 May 2016, 22:36

During his speech in the Armenian parliament on May 26 the minister of
foreign affairs Edward Nalbandyan announced that Azerbaijan did not
join the concluding statement during the meeting of presidents in
Vienna on May 16. In other words, Azerbaijan disagrees to
investigation mechanisms, installation of equipment in Karabakh and
enlargement of the office of the OSCE CiO personal representative.

10 days have passed since the Vienna meeting, and only now has
Nalbandyan announced about this. Experts say that Nalbandyan’s
“honesty” may be due to Azerbaijan’s refusal to sign the statement, as
well as earlier achieved silent agreements.

In particular, this is about the so-called stage-by-stage settlement
which supposes withdrawal of Armenian forces from some territories in
the first stage and certain steps towards recognition of the right of
Karabakh to self-determination by Azerbaijan in the second stage.

Armenia rejected this plan for years but recently Nalbandyan has
announced that Armenia wishes “stage by stage implementation of the
settlement package”.

Has Armenia already started the implementation of the first stage?
Have the Armenian forces withdrawn from the 800 hectares of
territories which, as Serzh Sargsyan said, the Armenian side does not
want to recover after losing them in the April war.

Armenia has taken the first step, and Serzh Sargsyan, despite the
difficulty of that step, went to Vienna for the agreement on the
“second” step. It is possible that the Armenian leadership has made
sure that if Armenia agrees to the first stage, Azerbaijan will make
some statements for the recognition of the right to self-determination
of Karabakh.

However, Azerbaijan does not seem likely to take the second step, and
now Edward Nalbandyan has to confess that Baku has received 800
hectares without giving anything in return for that.

Is the preliminary agreement limited to 800 hectares or has the
Armenian side “spoilt” the well-designed planned and did not allow to
“round off” the number in the direction of Artsakh. Does Azerbaijan
demand all the territories to go on to the “next stage”?

Obviously, Azerbaijan has not signed the statement of Vienna because
it is dissatisfied with the status quo in April and the “first stage”.
Azerbaijan demands more but why hasn’t Armenia signed the statement?
Does this have to do with the diplomatic format or isn’t the status
quo good enough for Armenia?

Andrzej Kasprzyk, the OSCE CiO’s personal representative is in
Armenia. He has had meetings with the ministers of defense and foreign
affairs. In addition, judging by the official messages, Seiran Ohanyan
supported the introduction of mechanisms for the OSCE monitoring, and
Edward Nalbandyan supported the enlargement of Kasprzyk’s office.

Does the Armenian MFA wish to introduce settlement mechanisms in
Karabakh? If yes, does MFA intend to call OSCE unilaterally to install
mechanisms in the Armenian side? Or has the Russian MFA assigned
Edward Nalbandyan to torpedo the introduction of mechanisms?

- See more at:
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.lragir.am_index_eng_0_comments_view_35830-23sthash.AlJx0h9c.dpuf&d=DQIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=_a1_46gJfX2lDEC4xJbo3Glb1yAHfoImt7uZWCKLfd8&s=AROnmL8Wc-cIRRQHMiQ8l9lkBpmdnUUH4iinQPSmnE0&e=

[Yervant1]

Kyaram Sloyan's family applies to ECHR to declare Azerbaijan's actions
as military crime

by Nana Martirosyan

Saturday, May 28, 16:46

The family of Kyaram Sloyan, the Armenian soldier decapitated by the
Azerbaijani servicemen during the April war, has applied to the
European Court of Human Rights to declare the Azerbaijani army's
actions as a military crime, says Boris Murazi, President of Sinjar
Yezidi National Union.

He says that the members of Sloyan's family, Armenian Human Rights
Defender, Sinjar Yezidi National Union, and other organizations have
filed the claim to the ECHR, demanding that the Court should declare
the atrocities against the Armenian soldier as a military crime.
Murazi notes that the claim contains all the necessary proofs,
including the photos of decapitated Sloyan posted by the Azerbaijani
internet users, as well as the video footage showing that the
Azerbaijani servicemen demonstrate the Armenian soldier's head in one
of the villages.

To note, numerous cases of violation of civilians' rights were
registered in the course of Azerbaijani aggression on April 1-4. In
addition, the Azerbaijani servicemen monstrously killed and cut the
ears of three Armenian civilians Valera Khalapyan, Razmella Khalapyan
and Marusya Khalapyan. The Azeri servicemen also decapitated
19-year-old Armenian serviceman Kyaram Sloyan and posted his photos on
the internet. On the first day of the aggression, the Azerbaijani
servicemen killed 12-year-old Vaghinak Grigoryan and wounded two more
children. The Armenian side has already announced its intention to
apply to international courts over these facts. Armenian Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandian has recently said that some claims have
already been filed, and some are still being prepared. He says the
international structures are informed of these crimes committed by
Azerbaijan.

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.arminfo.am_index.cfm-3Fobjectid-3DDDC720A0-2D24C9-2D11E6-2DA7200EB7C0D21663&d=DQIBaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=wxMF4aHZBJzi9CJonyl1rd79soP-YF_GXyyg6jsjJ1s&s=ZxaGd3vx2Qh6eZmAJO-R2GCPTKiCfbRu7vYv8vUoLXk&e=

[Yervant1]

Deceased serviceman Aram Arushanyan told his wife not to fear the adversary

http://www.groong.com/news/attachments/msg575452/pngbOovENIdNT.png

SOCIETY 18:28 28/05/2016 ARMENIA


“[Aramayis] was always saying that he would give his life to the motherland. And so he did,” Lieutenant Colonel Aram Arushanyan’s wife, Mrs Ellada Dadanyan told the journalists.

The Lieutenant Colonel, 44, who was also awarded with the second-class Order of Combat Cross, died on the night of April 25-26 on the Line of Contact between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan leaving behind his wife and four children.

He’s been in service since the 1990s. He was an artilleryman.
According to Arushanyan’s wife, his mind was always with the soldiers.

“It was the night of April 23. The adversary was shelling Martakert. I called him to tell I was scared with the children in my arms. I asked him what to do. He told me not to be scared, to go into the house and wait for him. I’m waiting,” she added.

Lilit Avagyan, the mother of Aramayis Mikayelyan, 20 is looking for her son everywhere, she sees him in every soldier.

She’s still searching for him. Aramayis Mikayelyan died on April 4 in Jabrayil district during the military operations unleashed by Azerbaijan.

Along with others Lilit Avagyan was there to receive the posthumous award of her son.

“All my feelings are intertwined. I’m confused, hurt and in deep distress, in the meantime I’m proud to have raised such a man. That’s my only consolation. I’ve raised a hero,” she said.

Aramayis Mikayelyan was a sculptor. So his mother wants to organize an exhibition dedicated to the 20th anniversary of her son. “I’ll do everything to keep his memory alive”.

To remind, today, on the occasion of the Republic Day President Serzh Sargsyan handed to the family members of the servicemen who died in year 2016 in combat and non-combat conditions, volunteers, members of the home guard and reservists the highest state decorations which have been awarded posthumously to the modern day heroes who fell valiantly while executing their patriotic duties.

http://www.panorama.am/en/news/2016/05/28/Aram-Arushanyan/1587406

[Yervant1]

Kyaram Sloyan posthumously awarded a Battle Cross

17:23, 28.05.2016

http://www.groong.com/news/attachments/msg575451/png3LsafFSYUx.png http://www.groong.com/news/attachments/msg575451/png37cgC7HLRJ.png http://www.groong.com/news/attachments/msg575451/pngVbgYYjuINP.png


YEREVAN. – President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan on Saturday posthumously awarded soldier of the Defense Army of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Kyaram Sloyan with the first degree "Battle Cross".

Kyalash Sloyan, the father of the hero, told reporters that he is proud “to raise a hero for 18 years’.

A military training classroom in his native village will be named after Kyaram Sloyan.

Kyalash Sloyan told that he had been in the place where his son had been serving in Karabakh.

“I went there, where they killed my son. His cap was there. The servicemen laid flowers. I found his clothes, his plate and spoon there and I brought it home,” he said, adding that his son’s belongings will be left in the classroom which will open in memory of the brave soldier.

http://news.am/eng/news/329501.html

[Yervant1]

Gegham Mkrtchyan killed during April hostilities did not know his wife was pregnant

00:28, 29.05.2016

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The 30-year-old Gegham Mkrtchyan from Martakert killed during the four-day war had not known that he was about to have his first kid.

"We got married six months ago. After his death, I felt bad and was taken to the hospital, I found out that I was expecting my first child,” soldier's wife, Anush Hyusnunts told Armenian News-NEWS.am. She was at the Armenian presidential residence to receive her husband’s medal for courage on Saturday.

Gegham and Anush got acquainted during the service.

The last time Anush saw her husband on the afternoon of April 1.

She said that she was on duty when he came to her. After he called and said that he had to go to the frontline. The last time she talked to him on April 3. He encouraged her and said that everything will be fine. She learned about her husband's death on April 4. She was told that he was injured, but he was actually killed.

Anush decided that if she had a son, he will carry his father’s name.

Gegham Mkrtchyan was killed in Talysh on April 3.

http://news.am/eng/news/329502.html

[Yervant1]

Russia likely to leave region, Russian political scientist says

POLITICS 16:55 09/06/2016 REGION

Reflecting on the April war, as well as the settlement of Nagorno
Karabakh conflict, Russian political scientist, Alexander Krylov told
panorama.am that the escalation of the situation on the Line of
Contact between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan was completely
predictable.

“Indeed, it was predictable. For many years now, I’ve been saying that
the main problem here is Azerbaijan’s policy of applying pressure on
Armenia on all fronts. This also concerns the Line of Contact, which
is the military component of this policy. The outcome is the passive
war accompanied by frequent escalations,” Krylov said.

According to the political scientist, gradually this escalations
become more extensive in their nature.
“Now it’s just another period of relative calm. When it’s over we’ll
witness a new escalation again,” he noted.

Alexander Krylov believes that in this respect there can be no doubt
that the escalation was unleashed by the Azerbaijani side.

“The Armenian side simply didn’t need that, as it plays on ‘keeping
the score’ trying to fix Karabakh status through negotiations. Of
course, the initiator wasn’t Armenia, that’s absolute nonsense,”
Krylov said.

Concerning the Vienna meeting between presidents of Armenia and
Azerbaijan, the political scientist noted that the most important
achievement was that the meeting took place.
“It is useless to speak about any noticeable progress without
installation of monitoring system on the Line of Contact, showing
which side is responsible for unleashing the military operations,”
Krylov said adding that the implementation of the system is in
Armenia’s interests.

According to him, to achieve all this, Armenia needs to intensify its
foreign policy.

Concerning Moscow’s policy in the current situation, Krylov noted that
parallel to the efforts to maintain stability, Kremlin doesn’t rule
out the possibility of leaving the region at some stage.

According to the political scientist, this is a new thing in Moscow’s
regional policy.

Speaking about the statement of commander of the Azerbaijani missile
troops and artillery, major-general Zahid Huseynov concerning
Azerbaijan working on acquiring 500km range ballistic missile system
and hitting Yerevan in case of necessity, Krylov noted that the
statement is more propagandistic in nature.

“Perhaps Azerbaijan has really tried to acquire such missiles, yet
selling them is prohibited by international agreement. On the other
hand, it would be a disaster for Russia, if such systems were used
against Yerevan. I believe that’s just impossible. We have a joint
agreement. Besides, Armenia is a CSTO member. First of all those
missiles will be destroyed by the anti-aircraft defense systems,
immediately followed by applying military sanctions against Baku,”
Alexander Krylov said.

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[Yervant1]

Armenian Embassy in Russia: Polad Bülbüloğlu is busy with distorting documents

19:13, 11.06.2016

The Armenian Embassy in Russia has issued a statement in connection
with the announcement of the Azerbaijani Ambassador to Russia, Polad
Bülbüloğlu, and the recently frequent statements in which the
Ambassador recalls the well-known UN resolutions and threatens to
restart the war.

“There is no doubt in that the initiator of this aggression was
Azerbaijan. In all the recent statements - in the form of interviews
and announcements - the Azerbaijani Ambassador is doing his best to
consign to oblivion his own words uttered a few hours after the launch
of the large-scale military actions in the Karabakh conflict zone,
which witnessed that exactly Azerbaijan initiated the military
adventure. His ensuing claims are designed for the ignorant part of
his compatriots.

We once again recall that the references to the Azerbaijani
interpretations of the known UN Security Council resolutions and the
selective commentaries on separate provisions of the key principles of
the international legal settlement of the conflict in the framework of
the OSCE Minsk Group is the conscious distortion of the existing
documents.

In this connection, we propose to the Azerbaijani Ambassador to study
the detailed analysis of the patriarch of the Karabakh conflict
settlement negotiation process, Ambassador Vladimir Kazimirov,
published Friday.

Such statements and commentaries of the Azerbaijani colleagues, which
distort facts and reality, do not contribute to the current efforts of
the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs towards the peaceful settlement of the
conflict, which Azerbaijan allegedly strives for.

As to the subsequent mention on the possible military solution of the
problem, we would like to note that after Azerbaijan asked Russia to
be a ceasefire mediator in the Karabakh conflict zone in 1994, enough
time has passed to make sure of the impossibility of the military
option.

Even if someone fostered such hopes, they crumbled in the beginning of
April. Thus, it is illogical to come up with such rhetoric in Russia,
especially when the latter once again shows an initiative to continue
the talks on the peaceful settlement of the conflict.”

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[Yervant1]

15-year-old Armenia boy invents drone-neutralizing device (PHOTOS)

16:50, 14.06.2016

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YEREVAN. – Although the course work of 15-year-old Armenian school student Spartak Aghababyan was initially making a Tesla pillar, the four-day war, which Azerbaijan had unleashed against Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) in early April, changed the youngster’s plan.

Instead, Spartak prepared a device in couple of months, and which can be used for military purposes.

“Disturbances can be caused in mobile phone connection with this device; the test succeeded to some extent,” he said. “Then I noticed that the touch screen system of the phone starts operating from the affect of the device. Then I accidentally saw that it also affects the operations of TVs and radio, and causes noise in some radio waves.”

The young boy, however, is not completely satisfied with this result, and he plans to cause system failure—with this device—in drones.

In Spartak’s words, the model he has made is an initial version, and the final one will be more powerful and intense.

Even though there are many similar devices in the world, Spartak maintained that the device he is working on can be connected to a touch screen, radio and TV, for the first time ever.

Prime Minister of Armenia Hovik Abrahamyan had recently visited the school which Spartak Aghababyan attends, and he had gotten familiarized with this device.

http://news.am/eng/news/331994.html

[Yervant1]

Armenia analyst: Minsk Group is lying that it has no mandate to
determine aggressor

16:12, 14.06.2016

YEREVAN. – The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE) Minsk Group co-chairs have lied in saying that they have no
mandate to determine which side was the aggressor in the four-day war
in April.

Founder and Director of the Armenian Institute of International and
Security Affairs, political analyst Styopa Safaryan, stated the
abovementioned at a press conference on Tuesday.

“They [i.e. the co-chairs] represent the OSCE,” said Safaryan. “The
OSCE has mechanisms, and the OSCE allows those representing this
organization to make use of this mechanism.”

In the analyst’s words, the OSCE has clearly-stipulated mechanisms for
fact-finding missions, and mechanisms for peaceful settlement of
disputes.

“Why was all this not used in what happened with Artsakh [i.e.
Nagorno-Karabakh]?,” asked Styopa Safaryan.

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__news.am_eng_news_332192.html&d=DQIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=VaymSQxywnE1onHwhpHcC3YuPT6lXDhbMyWHOW5Sp3w&s=k2mWE1acO1AYqz0IrvzMMrAH179Ac6qDPvfGMuupvC4&e=

[Yervant1]

Karabakh villagers forming battalion to defend their rural community

13:01, 18.06.2016

YEREVAN. – The residents of Talish village, in the Martakert Region of
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR/Artsakh), are forming the “Talish”
Battalion to defend the border area of their rural community.

“Talish” Fund Founding Director Mikayel Apresyan, who is also
commander of the village fighting squad, stated the aforesaid at a
press conference on Saturday.

He noted that an agreement has been reached with the relative agencies
on forming this battalion.

“I urge all Talish residents to consolidate, join the ‘Talish’
Battalion, [and] engage in defending our village,” said Apresyan. “We
have left behind a [military] foothold to the enemy. If it were not
for truce, I’m sure we would have taken it back. But as long as this
position is in the hands of the enemy, it’s dangerous to return to the
village.”

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__news.am_eng_news_332881.html&d=DQIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=xNFPER4fkCEh7oLZvx0ehsv69eMP9I0SjNwRXZEtT18&s=8R1UnfTVXEQGVAZWq3ybNylJMNh23pNCWLtCCFMB168&e=

[Yervant1]

Don't know how truthful is this!

Anadolu Agency, Turkey

June 22 2016


Deal 'in principle' agreed over occupied Karabakh

Senior Azarbaijani advisor says agreement includes Armenian troops
leaving occupied areas


BAKU, Azerbaijan

A phased settlement to the conflict in occupied Karabakh has been
agreed, a senior advisor to the Azerbaijani president said Wednesday.

Novruz Mammadov said an agreement-in-principle was reached in St.
Petersburg, Russia, following talks involving Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Serzh Sargsyan,
president of Armenia.

“The progressive settlement is, first, the evacuation of Armenian
forces from five occupied provinces, then the evacuation from other
two provinces [and] the determination of the corridor between
Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia,” he said at a news conference
broadcasted on Azerbaijani TV.

“The sides have reached an agreement-in-principle.”

Karabakh broke away from Azerbaijan in 1991 with Armenian military
support and a peace process has yet to be implemented.

Since the end of war in 1994, Armenia and Azerbaijan have held talks
under the supervision of the Organization for Security and
Co-operation in Europe’s Minsk Group.

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__aa.com.tr_en_todays-2Dheadlines_deal-2Din-2Dprinciple-2Dagreed-2Dover-2Doccupied-2Dkarabakh_596013&d=DQIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=f-XJQ-AXy83JPwzSpth6kaTEGor0LJgA8EWDnkS5NLc&s=ru1ym2a7uK-1bOzLBp_BV4X1l94jpYCoeiEYaxcHWgc&e=

 

[MosJan]

i hope it isn't

[MosJan]

Russia Refutes Azeri Claims on St. Petersburg Talks

MOSCOW (RFE/RL)—Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday rejected a senior Azerbaijani official’s claim as “unscrupulous” that Monday’s Armenian-Azerbaijani summit in Saint Petersburg resulted in an agreement on Nagorno-Karabakh favorable to Baku.

Novruz Mammadov, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s chief foreign policy aide, said on Wednesday that Aliyev and his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarkisian agreed “in principle” on a phased solution to the Karabakh conflict.

Mammadov told Azerbaijani television that the peaceful settlement will involve a gradual liberation of seven districts around Karabakh that were fully or partly occupied by Karabakh Armenian forces in 1992-1994. “Karabakh’s status will be determined after that,” he added vaguely.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian was quick to brush aside Mammadov’s remarks. He said that “no agreement on the conflict’s resolution was reached at the Saint Petersburg summit” hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday.

The Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, denied the Azerbaijani claims in equally categorical terms. “This is an attempt by the Azerbaijani side to interpret the understandings reached [in Saint Petersburg] in a peculiar fashion,” she told reporters in Moscow.

Zakharova pointed to a trilateral statement that was issued by Putin, Aliyev and Sarkisian after their talks. It said the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders reached an “understanding” on unspecified issues hampering a Karabakh settlement. They also reaffirmed their declared support for confidence-building measures meant to strengthen the ceasefire regime in the conflict zone, according to the statement.

“I would ask you — and I think this is a collective request — to be guided by that statement, rather than those very unscrupulous claims involving attempts to interpret the results of the meeting,” Zakharova told reporters in Moscow.

“There is a concrete statement that was made [in Saint Petersburg] and it is an official document,” she said. “One should proceed from it, rather than frivolous or perverse interpretations made by anybody.”

[Yervant1]

PACE President refuses to comment on brutalities by Azerbaijani armed forces

18:47, 01.07.2016

PACE President Pedro Agramunt, known for his pro-Azerbaijani position,
refused to answer the question about brutalities committed by
Azerbaijani armed forces against civilians in the Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic in early April.

Learning that the Armenian News-NEWS.am correspondent was representing
Armenia, Argamunt stopped smiling and rushed to say that he would make
a statement for press in the near future.

Meanwhile, six criminal cases were initiated into the Azerbaijanis’
killing of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR/Artsakh) Defense Army
servicemen and torturing of their bodies during the hostilities in
early April.

Three separate criminal cases were instituted into the beheading of
Kyaram Sloyan, Hrant Gharibyan, and Hayk Torosyan.

In addition, criminal cases are launched into the murder of Rafik
Hakobyan, Aghasi Asatryan, Andranik Zohrabyan, and Robert Abajyan

Another criminal case was opened into the torturing of the bodies of
fifteen NKR Defense Army servicemen.

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[MosJan]

[Yervant1]

Kazan document dangerous – opinions

15:49 • 01.07.16

The Kazan document contains threats, ethnographer Hranush Kharatyan,
environmentalist Karine Danielyan and Armenia’s first Ombudsperson
Larisa Alaverdyan told reporters on Friday.

They announced their intention to draft a three-part document. They
intend to apply to Armenia’s authorities and, later, to the
international community, particularly to the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and to the people for discussing
their demands.

They recalled a proposal for a phased settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: handover of five regions, followed by
handover of two regions to Azerbaijan and evacuation of Armenians from
Lachin, with subsequent determination of Nagorno-Karabakh’s status.

“It was circulated for the purpose of convincing the people this is
the right way. It is no coincidence that the German FM stated that the
status quo could not continue because it threatened escalation. This
is nothing, but a warning of a possible escalation. And it is being
done with both Armenia’s authorities and the international community
involved,” she said.

Elaborating on the document, Ms Kharatyan said that it is utterly unacceptable.

“It is a dangerous document which contains a potential for resumed
hostilities. After an agreement on the document has been reached, any
status for Nagorno-Karabakh and freedom of its population can be
considered out of the question,” Ms Kharatyan said.

In this context, she stressed the first point of the document that
envisages handover of territories and Azerbaijan’s right to
re-establish control over all the neighboring territories currently
under the Armenian side’s control.

One of the points envisages evacuation of the Armenian population from
Kelbajar, rather than from Lachin, and handover of the region to
Azerbaijan.

“That is, it will open a door to militarization of all the
territories, with immediate threats to Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia.
It is clear that Azerbaijan’s control over five regions will not
prevent Azerbaijan from launching new attacks,” Ms Kharatyan said.

No clear security guarantees are available either, with the OSCE Minsk
Group’s responsibility pointed out, while it continues claiming it is
not mandated.

As regards Nagorno-Karabakh’s interim status, the relevant part does
not envisage Nagorno-Karabakh’s right to have an army and other
militarized structures.

Elaborating on the refugee-related points, Ms Kharatyan noted that the
problem of Armenian refugees has never been discussed nor has the
Armenian side ever made a relevant proposal.

In her turn, Karine Danielyan said that Azerbaijan did not sign the
document because it believes it can “have it all.”

“We reject supplements to the Madrid principles or any other
negotiated documents because they are a stalemate. We consider the
Kazan process dangerous for all he regional peoples. We are calling to
rejecting vague and ambiguous theses, which distort the essence of the
Nagorno-Karabakh problem,” Ms Alaverdan said.

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[Yervant1]

Azerbaijan must change its ideological status quo – David Babayan

19:15 • 30.06.16

David Babayan, Spokesman for the President of the Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic (NKR), believes that a comprehensive settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict requires Azerbaijan changing its ideological
status quo.

In an interview with Tert.am, Mr Babayan commented on Azerbaijan FM
Elmar Mammadyarov’s statement that it is time for changing the status
quo in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“Azerbaijan must get rid of the stereotypes that Artsakh
[Nagorno-Karabakh] cannot be an independent state and must return to
its status of 1921. If Azerbaijan changes its stereotype about the
status quo, it will be the first step in revision of the geopolitical
and politico-military status quo. However, it is too early to speak of
changing the status quo. If they change their ideological status quo,
it can only be commended,” Mr Babayan said.

He points out the priority of investigative mechanisms.

“We must focus on it, and it is too early to discuss other issues
before that,” he said.

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[Yervant1]

Thomas de Waal on Karabakh: “I am not optimistic about the chances of
a successful negotiated settlement”

Marine Martirosyan

17:47, July 2, 2016

Thomas de Waal, a senior associate with Carnegie Europe specializing
in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus region, responds to questions posed
by Hetq.

Mr. de Waal, there is an opinion in Armenia that after the latest
escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh the political situation has changed in
the region. Do you agree? If so, what kind of changes have taken
place in the Southern Caucasus?

I believe that the South Caucasus has entered a dangerous period, in
which the chances of war have increased significantly. The Line of
Contact is extremely militarized and the mechanisms that were created
in the 1990s to forge a peace are not strong enough.

Presidents Sargsyan and Aliev met with Vladimir Putin in Saint
Petersburg. The only thing that was announced after the meetingwas
that the number of international observers would be increased. There
was no word about the creation of the mechanisms for the monitoring of
the ceasefire regime violations that are noted by Yerevan. Do you
think the meeting was effective taking this into account?

The meeting in St. Petersburg was a disappointment in that little
progress was made from the meeting of the co-chairs in Vienna on May
16. There was no mention of two significant measures promised in
Vienna: a commitment to “resuming negotiations on a comprehensive
settlement” and the creation of an “investigation mechanism” for
violations of the ceasefire.

This raises concerns that the security vacuum created by the fighting
in April could be filled more violence in the summer.

Do you believe this conflict can be solved by negotiations? How far
are the sides from the framework document?

I am not optimistic about the chances of a successful negotiated
settlement. However, I see no alternative. Even if there is a
resumption of fighting, with all the terrible human suffering that
will bring, there will still be a need for a political settlement of
the conflict when the guns fall silent again.

The framework document is the basis for this political settlement but
there seems to be little belief that it can deliver a success.

This is a major reason why there is now talk of a “phased plan” in
which the most difficult issue—that of the status of Nagorny
Karabakh—can be postponed.

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[Yervant1]

Azerbaijan Attempted Reconnaissance-in-Force in Akna Direction

Lragir.am
Country - 08 July 2016, 12:09

In the night of July 7, at 3:20 am, the enemy attempted a
reconnaissance-in-force in the eastern direction (Akna) of the line of
contact between the Karabakh-Azerbaijani line of contact. The attempt
failed in the result of the preemptive actions of the front units of
the Defense Army.

Aside from the attack the enemy violated the ceasefire, using firearms
of different calibers.

The front units of the defense army maintain control at the line of
contact and continue their military duty confidently, the press office
of the NKR MoD informed.

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[Yervant1]

Serzh Sargsyan: Even the whole world cannot convince the people of
Karabakh (video)

16:23 | July 12,2016 | Politics

Serzh Sargsyan gave an interview to Arab TV station Al Mayadeen, where
he touched upon the issues of the Armenian Genocide recognition and
the NK.

Serzh Sargsyan particularly noted:
“For thousands of years Armenians lived in the Nagorno Karabakh and
Karabakh has never been a part of Azerbaijan. When Russia sovietized,
and soviet ideas spread in our region, Armenia was an independent
state as well as Azerbaijan. According to the decision of the Caucasus
Bureau of the Communist Party Karabakh was annexed to Azerbaijan,
having nothing in common with Azerbaijan. The same happened with
Nakhijevan. Today no Armenian remained in Nakhijevan, the Armenian
historical-cultural heritage has almost wholly been destroyed.”

Even if at present the whole world, all the main forces unite and try
to convince the people of Karabakh that they must live in the
composition of Azerbaijan, believe, it will not be possible, those
people will not agree.”

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[Yervant1]

“Success” in peace talks means handing over territories – political analyst

0:41 - 13/July/2016

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated in Baku that there is a
ground to think that the success is closer than ever. In his turn,
Azerbaijani foreign minister stated that talks are being conducted
over certain issues.

Political analyst Levon Shirinyan, speaking to Nyut.am stated that if
there are no controversies in the words of the two ministers, for
Armenia it is not a progress but regress. “It means that it is being
spoken about handing over the territories. Our adversary demands lands
which neither belong them nor Russia. It is nothing else but support
to pan-Turkism ideology which is even more danger than fascism,” he
said.

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[Yervant1]

Komandos: Our response is not painful for Azerbaijan

19:29 | July 13,2016 | Politics

Major-General Arkady Ter-Tadevosyan, a Karabakh war veteran known as
Komandos, says Armenia’s response to Azerbaijani actions is always
inadequate.

“We always wait for Azerbaijan to attack and our response is never
painful for Azerbaijan, just on the contrary, it is only beneficial to
them. Our response should be more painful and we should try to be
initiators of attacks,” Arkady Ter-Tadevosyan said on July 13.

Komandos says we have a major drawback: we unite in the most difficult
situations but then… “We’d be mistaken to think that we can find a
common language with Azerbaijan, I do not believe that they
[Azerbaijanis] would do anything for us or for their people,” he said.

Referring to criticism of the Armenian Armed Forces and army
commanders, the Karabakh war veteran said, “We cannot remain so far
away from the army as to criticize our army and commanders relying on
someone else’s words.”

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[Yervant1]

Arman Navasardyan: Shoemakers should make shoes, diplomats should be
engaged in diplomacy and thieves should be in jail

In an interview with ArmInfo, Head of Global Politics and
International Relations Department of the Russian-Armenian (Slavonic)
University, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Arman
Navasardyan speaks of the problems of Armenian foreign policy. He
comments on the current level of the Armenian-Russian relations, and
specifies the possible solutions to the Armenian statehood problems.

by David Stepanyan

Wednesday, July 13, 21:20

In Armenia they generally speak of the military consequences of the
April war – 800 ha of lost territories and nearly a hundred deaths,
but they do not speak of the changes in the status quo of 1994 and the
post-April diplomatic activities around Karabakh. Do you think those
responsible for the foreign policy of Armenia have drawn the relevant
conclusions?

Amid the lack of background information, I refrain from public
conclusions and statements. Today we are simply unaware what is really
going on around Karabakh. At the same time, it is not clear why the
Azerbaijani army was able to advance in April and why our army was
short of arms and ammunition. We are well aware of the fact that other
links of public administration - particularly, diplomacy, which is
fairly criticized here - fail to work effectively. But the fact that
our victorious and flawless army has proved to be far from being
flawless became an unpleasant surprise for many people. April 2016 saw
what Joseph S. Nye, Jr. - American expert who developed a number of
directions in neo-liberalism - wrote in his theses long ago. In
particular, along with hard power and even soft power, smart power has
also become quite relevant today. And the saying "All brawn and no
brains" is no longer relevant. Today one can have a big power but fail
to be victorious.

Can this theory be applicable to the Karabakh conflict parties?

Anyway, we perfectly realize that small countries like Armenia cannot
have reserves capable of finally defeating the neighboring country.
Here the vital need arises to manipulate smart power," he says.

Do you think the April war was just a cast of the die?

I cannot say so. At the same time, I do not even want to think that
someone, for instance, Russia might have deliberately instigated the
conflicting parties to escalate the conflict and suffer senseless
losses. It is totally wrong to speak of Russia's anti-Armenian
collusion with Turkey and Azerbaijan. Either I have no idea of the
politics or there is no collusion, because such a collusion would run
counter to the interests of Russia itself. In addition, Moscow has
numerous problems and it is not going to lose Armenia as its last
strategic ally amid the situation in Ukraine and Syria, where Russia's
affairs are far from being good. In this light, Moscow has made a
decision on reconciliation with Erdogan, because life is not a bed of
roses.

But I do not think you will deny that it is the indistinct Russian
stand on the April events – the equal mark Moscow put between the
aggressor and the victim of aggression - that had a negative effect on
the public opinion about Russia.

This is a slightly different matter. However, when talking to my
Russian colleagues, I always point out that Moscow makes numerous
mistakes in its foreign and domestic policy. The April statements of
Dmitry Rogozin and Dmitry Medvedev are direct evidence of it. Many in
Moscow do not simply want to understand that such statements against
Armenia and Armenian people run counter to the interests of Russia,
first of all. The Russia-Armenia relations are now characterized as
relations between a vassal and a sovereign and any insignificant
problem related to Armenia is instantly exaggerated in Moscow. At the
same time, Moscow speaks an absolutely different language with Tbilisi
simply because Georgians behave in a totally different manner.

So, can we say that the vertical relations with Moscow are our own
authorities' fault?

These two problems are certainly closely connected and complementary.
There are also the problems of Armenian oligarchy and the problems of
Armenian corruption in the power. The inclination to regularly put
one's hand in the state's pocket while holding a high position causes
difficulties in negotiations with the Russian colleagues. At the same
time, I should point out that the situation in Russia is not better.
Whenever I am told that the reason of such a situation in Armenia is
that 'we have no money', I always say 'we have no brains'.

Earlier you mentioned that the Armenian Foreign Ministry should work
with at least a dozen countries which are potentially ready to
recognize the NKR’s independence after Armenia itself recognizes it.
Does the Foreign Ministry fail to do it for specific external reasons
or it is because of the passive Armenian diplomacy?

I think it is the second reason. A mistake of a diplomat costs lives,
so, a diplomat should make no mistakes.

How many lives did the latest mistakes of the Armenian Foreign Ministry cost?

At least a hundred lives of our guys, who were killed in early April.

What can you say about the potential of our foreign policy?

We should completely revise our diplomacy. Armenian diplomacy should
be in tune with the times. XXI century is a century of diplomatic
revolution, revolution in methods and methodology.

What diplomacy should we have in XXI century?

We should strengthen national security and statehood. A system
approach is needed. It is impossible to improve the activities of the
Foreign Ministry without removing the flaws in the public
administration. After all, diplomacy is the continuation of domestic
policy. Therefore, our problems are first of all inside the system.

What are the theoretical ways out?

I will only say that everyone should do his/her job: a shoemaker
should make shoes, a diplomat should be engaged in diplomacy and a
thief should be in jail.

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