Statue of a Dictator (Aliyev Clan)

[Yervant1]

Commonspace

July 24 2024

 

 

Opinion: What drives Azerbaijani obsession with the Armenian Constitution?

24 JULY 2024

 

Benyamin Poghosyan

Since the end of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020, Armenia and Azerbaijan have been engaged in negotiations to sign a peace agreement. The process seems like a roller coaster of extreme ups and downs, reflecting the volatile and unpredictable nature of the discussions. Several times, the sides have seemed close to reaching a deal only for an unexpected circumstance to arise, causing a significant reversal during the peace talks. In late 2022, after intensive negotiations in Washington and Prague, Azerbaijan refused to appear in Brussels and instead launched a blockade of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Azerbaijan did the same at the end of 2023, when despite mounting hopes for an imminent agreement President Aliyev refused to attend the European Political Community (EPC) summit in October 2023 in Granada and the trilateral Armenia–Azerbaijan–European Union summit in Brussels.

The joint Armenia–Azerbaijan statement on December 7, 2023, which facilitated Azerbaijan’s hosting of the global climate summit, COP29, in Baku in November 2024, opened a new chapter in this ongoing saga. Since early 2024, discussions have been focused on building momentum toward signing an agreement before COP29. In April 2024, Armenia’s agreement to commence the delimitation and demarcation process from the Tavush region and to withdraw its troops from certain border areas seemed to foster hope that, this time, the roller coaster of negotiations might finally come to a stop, with a document being signed either before or during COP29.

However, in recent months, President Aliyev has highlighted what he describes as insurmountable obstacles to signing an agreement with Armenia—primarily, the Armenian constitution. Aliyev points to the preamble, which references the August 1990 Declaration of Independence, which itself mentions the December 1989 joint decision by the Soviet Armenia Supreme Council and Nagorno-Karabakh National Council regarding the unification of Nagorno-Karabakh with Soviet Armenia. He advances the narrative that the Armenian constitution contains territorial claims against Azerbaijan, arguing that a peace agreement cannot be finalized without constitutional amendments.

Since the beginning of 2024, President Aliyev has repeatedly emphasized the necessity of amending the Armenian constitution as a precondition for a peace agreement. He mentioned this during his meeting with the Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Martin Chungong, in Baku on February 1, 2024. President Aliyev reiterated these demands in early June 2024 during his meeting with parliamentarians from Turkic-speaking states, declaring that a peace agreement with Armenia is impossible without constitutional changes. He continued to advance this rhetoric in his speech at the Global Media Forum in Azerbaijan on July 20, 2024.

It is noteworthy that Prime Minister Pashinyan advocated amending the Armenian constitution even before his rise to power during the 2018 Velvet Revolution. He established a special commission on this issue following the revolution in December 2019. Despite the interruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh War, and the June 2021 snap parliamentary elections, Pashinyan formed a new constitutional amendment council and specialized commission. In December 2023, the council and commission submitted their proposal for constitutional amendments to the government. However, until 2024, there had been no discussions in Armenia regarding the removal of the reference to the Declaration of Independence or the necessity of drafting a new constitution entirely, as opposed to making incremental amendments.

Prime Minister Pashinyan addressed the need for a new constitution on January 19, 2024. During his interview with Public Radio on February 1, 2024, he raised the issue of reference to the Declaration of Independence in the constitution, emphasizing that the Armenian state must regulate its relations with the declaration. He argued that if Armenian state policy is based upon the declaration, Armenia will never achieve peace and will instead face imminent war. On May 24, 2024, Prime Minister Pashinyan issued a decision mandating that the Constitutional Amendment Council approve the draft of the new constitution by December 30, 2026.

In light of these events, it is imperative to acknowledge that Armenia’s constitutional provisions should not be used as an obstacle to peace. This expectation of constitutional changes could be perceived as a pretext to derail the peace process. Efforts to pursue peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan must not be held hostage by demands designed to be unattainable or irrelevant.

Regardless of domestic political discourse in Armenia concerning the necessity of making amendments or drafting a new constitution, Azerbaijan’s arguments on this issue are unconvincing. Some in Baku argue that without legal changes, future Armenian governments may attempt to reverse the losses incurred in 2020–2023. However, it is clear that if a future Armenian government has the intent and capability to act against Azerbaijan, it is unlikely to abandon its plans solely because of constitutional or legal changes made by the Pashinyan administration a decade or more earlier.

Others argue that the Armenian parliament or constitutional court will not ratify the peace agreement, as it may contravene the constitution. However, this argument also lacks merit. If this happens, Azerbaijan stands to lose nothing; in fact, it would present Azerbaijan with a prime opportunity to demonstrate how Armenia derailed the process after the agreement was signed, therefore painting Yerevan as a “malign actor.”

Thus, Azerbaijan’s insistence on legal changes in Armenia as a mandatory precondition for the agreement is nothing less than a deliberate attempt to undermine momentum in negotiations leading up to COP29 and prevent the signing of any agreement. Azerbaijan aims to perpetuate the post-September 2023 “no war, no peace” situation in Armenia–Azerbaijan relations, keeping the door open for new military escalations. These actions not only obstruct the possibility of Armenia–Azerbaijan normalization but also hinder Armenia–Turkey normalization, thereby directly impeding the United States’ and EU’s efforts to bring stability to the South Caucasus.

source: 

Source: Benyamin Poghosyan is a Senior Fellow on foreign policy at APRI Armenia and the founder and Chairman of the Centre for Political and Economic Strategic Studies in Yerevan.

photo: Armenian Constitution (archive picture)

The views expressed in opinion pieces and commentaries do not necessarily reflect the position of commonspace.eu or its partners

 

https://www.commonspace.eu/node/12783 

[Yervant1]

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Daily Sabah, Turkey
July 25 2024

Armenia's 'provocative actions' may trigger war: Azerbaijan

BY ANADOLU AGENCY

 ISTANBUL JUL 25, 2024 - 5:25 PM GMT+3


Azerbaijan warned that Armenia's "provocative" joint military exercises indicate that Yerevan is planning another war with Baku.

"The military exercises conducted by the United States in Armenia, the provision of lethal weapons to Armenia by France, and the initial phase of military aid in amount of to ten million euros provided to Armenia by the European Union under the European Peace Facility encourage the occupying state - Armenia to carry out such provocations and indicate its preparation for another war against Azerbaijan,” said an Azerbaijani Defense Ministry statement.


The statement came soon after the ministry reported to have downed an Armenian quadcopter carrying out reconnaissance flights over the Azerbaijani military positions in the country’s northwestern Tovuz region earlier in the day.

Earlier this week, the ministry also said that its units in the country’s western Kalbajar region were fired upon by Armenian forces.


Indicating that such "provocative actions” are not the first and have become systematic on the part of Armenia, the statement warned Yerevan and its "supporters” to refrain from creating a new conflict zone in the South Caucasus region.

"If these provocative actions against our country are not stopped, the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan will take necessary response measures using all means at their disposal for the purposes of self-defense,” it added.

Relations between Baku and Yerevan have remained tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

Most of the territory was liberated by Azerbaijan during a 44-day war in the fall of 2020, which ended after a Russian-brokered peace agreement that opened the door to normalization and talks on border demarcation.

Last September, Azerbaijan established full sovereignty in Karabakh following an "anti-terrorist operation" in September last year, after which separatist forces in the region surrendered.
 

https://www.dailysabah.com/politics/diplomacy/armenias-provocative-actions-may-trigger-war-azerbaijan

[Yervant1]

Fake sultan has no interest in peace!

 

 

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RFERL.org

 

Azerbaijan Threatens Military Action Against Armenia Over Border 'Provocations'

July 25, 2024

• By RFE/RL's Armenian Service

 

Ani Badalian, spokeswoman for the Armenian Foreign Ministry, insisted that Yerevan remains committed to its “peace agenda” and “will not deviate from this strategy.”

 

YEREVAN -- Azerbaijan threatened on July 25 to take large-scale military action against Armenia in response to what it called Armenian “provocations” along the border between the two countries.

The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry claimed that the Armenian military recently used “heavy weaponry” and a reconnaissance drone in the area. The ministry also called on Armenia and its sponsors to “refrain from creating a new hotbed of war” in the South Caucasus.

“If such provocative actions do not stop, appropriate steps will be taken using all means in the arsenal of the armed forces of Azerbaijan for the purpose of self-defense,” it added in a statement.

The ministry also denounced Western powers for stepping up military cooperation with Armenia, citing joint military exercises conducted by the United States in Armenia this month, an arms deal with France, and the European Union’s allocation of 10 million euros ($10.9 million) in military aid to Yerevan.

It claimed these actions can inspire Armenia “to resort to new provocations and prepare for another war against Azerbaijan.”

The Armenian Foreign Ministry rejected the claims. Spokeswoman Ani Badalian insisted that Yerevan remains committed to its “peace agenda” and “will not deviate from this strategy.”

She pointed to Baku ignoring a recent Armenian proposal to conduct joint investigations of cease-fire violations alleged by either side.

Badalian said Armenia’s arms acquisitions from France and other nations are solely aimed at the “defense of its internationally recognized territory.”

The Armenian Foreign Ministry claimed on June 19 that Azerbaijan may be planning to unleash a “new aggression” against Armenia after hosting the COP29 summit in November. It pointed to Baku’s angry reaction to a different French-Armenian arms deal signed in Paris.

The latest Azerbaijani threats came two weeks after the foreign ministers of the two nations met in Washington for talks hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. They reported no progress toward the signing of an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty.

The neighboring countries have been negotiating a peace treaty since Azerbaijan retook control of the Nagorno-Karabakh region in September 2023, following a lightning offensive.

A traditional ally and partner of Russia, Armenia recently has turned toward improving its ties with the West and putting on ice its relations with Moscow, which Yerevan has blamed for failing to support it in its conflict with Azerbaijan.

 

 

https://www.rferl.org/a/armenia-azerbaijan-border-threat-military-action/33050994.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawEQIopleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHVqipczVeQ15aZx6C38UMWxrWjeiK_gKn1fMvqzScrpARZbWaBMsdEJ5Lw_aem_-dEjuzgyq4J4j9Y1FIfwYA

 

 

[Yervant1]

Fake sultan is exposed, he thinks he won the war! Turkey admits of it's involvement in the war. 

 

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MEHR News Agency, Iran

July 29 2024

 

 

Azerbaijan reacts negatively to Erdogan’s remarks on Karabakh

TEHRAN, Jul. 29 (MNA) – Following the remarks of Turkish President Erdogan on Turkey's involvement in liberating lands of Republic of Azerbaijan in recent Nagorno-Karabakh war, a military source in Baku denied the remarks without pointing to Erdogan.

The remarks on the participation of the military force of any country in the battle to restore the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Azerbaijan have no basis, the source added.

Earlier, Erdogan threatened the Israeli regime with the military intervention, saying that, "As we entered Karabakh and also Libya, we may do the same to them. There is nothing we cannot do. We just have to be strong."

MNA

https://en.mehrnews.com/news/218581/Azerbaijan-reacts-negatively-to-Erdogan-s-remarks-on-Karabakh

 

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Armenpress.am

 

After Erdogan’s ‘just like we entered Karabakh’ speech, Baku claims no Turkish troops were involved

Read the article in: العربيةFrançaisՀայերենРусский

 

YEREVAN, JULY 29, ARMENPRESS. The Azeri Defense Ministry has claimed that Turkish troops were not involved in their attack against Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020 and that Ankara’s support to Baku was simply “political.”

The statement was issued after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to invade Israel to help Palestinians in Gaza, saying “just like we entered Karabakh, just like we entered Libya, we might do similar to them.”

In the statement, the Azeri Defense Ministry again claimed that Turkiye and Pakistan provided only what it described as “political support” to Baku during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.

 

 

 

Published by Armenpress, original at https://armenpress.am/en/article/1196630?fbclid=IwY2xjawEVAjNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHR9M7-LxKZ_tFl1wyqje5mAzw_LsamdDHcS2EqB6s3FeZ8D6LPcoKHH3ZQ_aem_1vZviM2l8dU454YKA2IkMw

[MosJan]

 

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

 

Azeri propaganda infiltrated Vatican publication, warns Geghard Foundation

Read the article in: فارسیFrançaisՀայերենРусский简体中文

 

YEREVAN, JULY 31, ARMENPRESS. Vatican's official newspaper, "L'Osservatore Romano," recently published an article titled "A Khudavang, Ganjasar e Khatiravang Monasteri tra le nuvole" (meaning "Dadivank, Gandzasar, and Khatiravank Monasteries in the Clouds"), where the exceptional Armenian monuments, Dadivank, Gandzasar, and Khatravank, are falsely presented as Caucasian Albanian heritage, the Geghard Foundation has warned.

The author of the article, Rossella Fabiani, wrote about her visits to Azerbaijan and noted that she visited "Garabagh" (emphasis in the original article) and got acquainted with the famous monasteries of what she falsely described as “Albanian heritage.”

“It is important to emphasize that the article is devoid of scientific basis and relies purely on subjective viewpoints and personal observations. Moreover, the article's title involves Azerbaijani-modified names for Armenian monuments, indicating an infiltration of Azerbaijani state propaganda into the official Vatican publication.

“The Geghard Foundation has consistently addressed the issue of the 'Albanization' of Armenian cultural heritage by Azerbaijan. It is alarming that the mechanism of forcibly appropriating Armenian heritage is now extending its reach to new international platforms. This is, of course, due to Azerbaijan's oil money and its huge investments in the activities of international structures and organizations.

“On the one hand, Azerbaijan is creating an image of a 'multi-cultural and democratic' state, while on the other hand, it is 'internationalizing' the mechanisms of forced appropriation of Armenian cultural heritage and falsifications of history.

“A few months ago, a photo exhibition dedicated to the so-called 'Albanian heritage' was organized in Poland, where the Azerbaijani embassy was actively involved. These are dangerous precedents for the distortion of the identity of Armenian heritage, the falsification of historical facts, and the spread of these theses through international platforms.

“The Geghard Foundation strongly denounces the Aliyev regime's systematic efforts to appropriate Armenian cultural heritage. We urge leading international scientific organizations, institutions, and media not to promote Azerbaijan's state-sponsored campaign of anti-Armenian propaganda,” the foundation said in a press release.

 

 

 

Published by Armenpress, original at https://armenpress.am/en/article/1196789?fbclid=IwY2xjawEXiZ9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHTdIcEe1BlmKDwRi6cR_FwaWxqKy-RW3F6DR7cV5an590dmHyCgclq1Ixg_aem_FQDiJCfkPN4efiuX0Um4zw

[Yervant1]

Aug 2 2024

 

 

Erdogan continues to anger Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh war

 

 

Levent Kenez/Stockholm

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan drew Baku’s ire with his statements about Turkey’s role in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War, which concluded with Azerbaijan’s victory. Erdogan continues to leverage Turkey’s contribution for domestic political purposes.

During a party meeting in his hometown of Rize on Saturday, Erdogan, referring to Israel, said, “Just as we entered Karabakh, just as we entered Libya, we should do the same with Israel. There is nothing stopping us. We just need to be strong to take this step.” 

In response to Erdogan’s remarks, an official from the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense spoke to local media, saying, “There is no basis for claims regarding the involvement of any country’s military personnel in the battles for Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.”

“President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly expressed his gratitude to the leadership of Turkey and Pakistan for their political support. The Azerbaijani Armed Forces suffered around 3,000 casualties during the war and 204 in a single anti-terror operation,” the official added. 

 

While Baku conveyed its message to Turkey through the media, the following day it formally expressed its concerns through diplomatic channels. On July 29 Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Ankara, Rashad Mammadov, met with Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Mehmet Kemal Bozay to address the issue.

However, it seems that Baku’s concerns have not yet been addressed in Erdogan’s statements. On Tuesday, while criticizing Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) during a meeting with his party’s provincial chairmen in Ankara, Erdogan said, “In our struggle to liberate Karabakh after 30 years of occupation, we received the harshest criticism from the CHP leadership. It was the CHP members who raised the Armenians’ baseless claims.”

 

Azerbaijani Ambassador Mammadov then paid a visit to Deputy Foreign Minister Berris Ekinci on Wednesday. The specific agenda of their meeting remains uncertain, leaving open the possibility that it could be related to Turkey’s purported role in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The ambassador’s two visits to the ministry within a three-day period have attracted attention. In an official statement it was revealed that they exchanged views on cooperation in the fields of energy and transport connectivity as well as collaboration on multilateral platforms, including the OSCE.

Turkey’s support for Azerbaijan during the conflict is widely recognized, including logistical and intelligence assistance and the use of Turkish-made drones by the Azerbaijani military. Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar Makina, led by Haluk Bayraktar, was notably honored by Azerbaijani President Aliyev, who awarded the Garabagh Order to Bayraktar on June 15, 2021 for his role in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War. President Aliyev had previously awarded the same honor to Erdogan’s son-in-law Selçuk Bayraktar, co-owner of Baykar Makina, on April 1, 2021, praising the Bayraktar TB2 drones for their effectiveness in the conflict.

 

Additionally, on June 15, 2021,  Erdogan and  Aliyev met in Shusha, a city emblematic of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, to sign the “Shusha Declaration.” This agreement, celebrated on Azerbaijan’s national day, underscores the deepening military cooperation between the two countries and Turkey’s support for Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. A key provision of the declaration is the commitment to mutual military assistance in the event of an attack or threat from a third state, highlighting the strategic alliance between Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Nordic Monitor previously reported that in 2018 leading Turkish defense contractor Aselsan signed an agreement with its Azerbaijani counterpart for the joint production of communications facilities. Similarly, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) signed a cooperation protocol with the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (AMEA) in September 2018 to combine efforts in the fields of defense and aviation. The same year, the Turkish Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKE) received a defense cooperation offer from Azerbaijan’s Ministry of the Defense Industry, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported. Moreover, Turkey’s Roketsan and Azerbaijani military-scientific enterprise Iglim have been working on developing a long-range missile system since 2009. 

Erdogan, known for his strong statements against Israeli military operations in Gaza, has faced criticism from opposition figures regarding the business dealings of his close associates with Israel. In response to the public outcry, Turkey imposed restrictions on the export of certain products to Israel in April 2024. However, the Erdogan government has been criticized by pro-Palestinian groups for allowing SOCAR (State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic) to transport Azerbaijani oil via pipelines to Turkey’s southern port of Ceyhan and subsequently ship it to Israel.

 

On June 1, a group staged a protest outside SOCAR’s office in Istanbul. The protesters were briefly detained and later released.

https://nordicmonitor.com/2024/08/erdogan-continues-to-anger-azerbaijan-over-nagorno-karabakh-war/

[Yervant1]

RFERL.org

 

Georgia Plans To Extradite Detained Azerbaijani Journalist

August 04, 2024

• By RFE/RL's Georgian Service

 

The Georgian authorities are planning to extradite Afgan Sadiqov, an Azerbaijani journalist who was detained in Tbilisi on August 3. Sadiqov, who runs the news outlet Azel.TV, has said he and his family were not allowed to leave Georgia last month. Georgia's Interior Ministry said Sadiqov was wanted in Azerbaijan for "extortion" and issuing "threats." Sadiqov has been arrested in Baku several times since 2016 and served more than a year in prison for his reporting. In 2020, after Sadiqov was sentenced to seven years in prison, the Committee To Protect Journalists demanded his release and called the charges against him "fabricated." To read the original story by RFE/RL’s Georgian Service, click here.

 

 

https://www.rferl.org/a/georgia-extradite-sadiqov-azerbaijan/33065038.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawEdJMFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHQn11YoT3W8WqSvY4aMsaJXg-KjzYdl7t8YUzASMER24lwAvNZCkXe3X2g_aem_rktUxj0EgEm9AqE7HJ2xyA

[Yervant1]

Azatutyun.am

 

Baku Slams EU Envoy For Remarks On Karabakh Armenians

Օգոստոս 06, 2024

 

The building of the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan in Baku (file photo)

 

Azerbaijan has reacted angrily to comments made by a European Union diplomat who drew a distinct line between the issue of ethnic Armenians returning to Nagorno-Karabakh and the question of Azerbaijanis who left Armenia at the start of the conflict decades ago.

In an August 4 interview with JAMnews, a news website focused on the South Caucasus, the EU’s outgoing Special Representative for the South Caucasus and crisis in Georgia Toivo Klaar implied that the question of Azerbaijanis returning to Armenia should be considered separately from the issue of Armenians returning to Nagorno-Karabakh, but along with that of Armenians returning to other parts of Azerbaijan.

“Sometimes other issues are brought up in this context, such as the question of so-called “Western Azerbaijan.” For me, these are completely distinct questions that cannot be mixed,” Klaar said in reference to claims in Baku that much of the territory of modern-day Armenia historically used to be part of Azerbaijan.

“The first is the facilitation of the return of the Karabakh Armenians to their ancestral homes, which is an obligation that Azerbaijan has. The second is the question of Armenians who used to live in other parts of Azerbaijan, including in Baku, or of Azerbaijanis who used to live in Armenia,” added Klaar, who completes his mission in the South Caucasus in September to take up the position of EU ambassador to Uzbekistan.

The EU diplomat said that Armenians and Azerbaijanis should also be able to visit the places where they or their families once lived or even to return there, if they so wish, and that this should likewise be a consequence of normalization.

“But that is a wholly different issue from the specific question of the Karabakh Armenians,” Klaar stressed.

Reacting to Klaar’s remarks, Vasif Aliyev, a deputy spokesman for Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry, described them as biased, calling it a “blow to the reputation of the organization, which the EU diplomat primarily represents.”

“It is Armenia’s obligation to create appropriate conditions for the safe and dignified return of Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia to their native lands, and the international community should demand the fulfillment of this obligation,” he said in a statement published by Azerbaijani media.

Aliyev also said that “the Azerbaijani side respects the intention of returning to Azerbaijan only for those Armenians who respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of our country.”

“The fact that he [Toivo Klaar] makes such biased statements, which are not within his authority, on the eve of his departure from office, is another blow to the reputation of the organization, which he primarily represents,” the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry representative concluded.

More than 100,000 ethnic Armenians fled Nagorno-Karabakh last fall amid a military offensive by Azerbaijan that regained full control of the region, which had remained de facto independent for nearly three decades after breaking away from Baku’s rule during the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Only a handful of Armenians decided to stay and live under Azerbaijani administration.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has publicly acknowledged the right of ethnic Armenians to return to Nagorno-Karabakh, stating, however, that to do so, Armenians will need to apply for Azerbaijani citizenship and be prepared to live under Baku’s rule as loyal citizens.

Representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians who currently stay in Armenia have called for international security guarantees before they can return home, something that Baku appears to reject, insisting that Azerbaijan’s legislation adequately protects the rights of ethnic minorities within its territory.

At the same time, Azerbaijan has linked the issue of Karabakh Armenians to the return of hundreds of thousands of ethnic Azeris to parts of Armenia from where, as Baku claims, they were “forcibly displaced” during the 20^th century, notably in the late 1980s when another wave of ethnic tensions arose between Armenians and Azerbaijanis.

Hundreds of thousands of ethnic Armenians fled from other parts of Azerbaijan at that time as the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh was in its early stages. Armenia insists that the rights of these Armenians should also be considered in the current normalization process.

 

 

https://www.azatutyun.am/a/33067230.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawEfpQVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHSW134EAFTslHbTHB2KxVnWqYz5zLp3LavwslCo3wwzEfwKSuVWQ1IzHAg_aem_piN9o8POv_trkVV7jQDOTg

[Yervant1]

eurasianet

Aug 7 2024

 

 

Azerbaijan: State-controlled media predicts both Armenia and EU will get burned by warming bilateral ties

An element of bitterness fuels media criticisms.

Aug 7, 2024

 

For much of 2024, President Ilham Aliyev has been airing grievances about the European Union’s supposedly hypocritical treatment of Azerbaijan and the rest of the Global South. Now, state-controlled media outlets in Azerbaijan have taken to warning about the EU’s efforts to tighten relations with Baku’s arch-rival, Armenia.

Since the July 23 announcement that the EU will launch negotiations to grant Armenians visa-free travel privileges, prominent Azerbaijani media outlets have published a stream of commentaries contending that embarking on the road to EU accession for Armenia will end in disappointment for both sides.

Immediately after the announcement, the official Azertag news agency published an editorial, headlined “The EU won’t manage to solve its big problems with little Armenia,” arguing that giving Armenians visa-free travel privileges will only exacerbate the union’s immigration challenges. The commentary noted that large numbers of Armenians, lacking opportunities at home, head abroad to find work. Most presently head to Russia, but that would quickly change, if the EU offers visa-free entry, according to the Azertag piece. “This would be the opening of a new door for the escape of the population in a country that is heading towards emptying,” the editorial claimed.

Another commentary published by Report.az on August 5 hammered away at the migration theme, alleging that it would exacerbate migration woes in the EU while proving a demographic disaster for the Armenian state. “In the full sense of the word, there will be no Armenians in Armenia, because throughout history, representatives of this ethnic group … have scattered” around the world, the commentary stated, adding that EU visa-free privileges will “certainly only speed up that process."

Report.az also contended that the extension of EU military assistance under the European Peace Facility will end up embroiling Yerevan in renewed, and potentially more destructive warfare, cautioning that Armenia could become another Ukraine, where the West is backing Kyiv’s war effort against Russia. A report broadcast by Azerbaijan’s public television went so far as to suggest that the EU aid sent to Armenia would be used specifically to lay the groundwork for renewed conflict. 

Armenia’s desire to escape from Russia’s geopolitical stranglehold is the prime motivator for Yerevan’s recent turn to the West. Many Armenians now resent Russia for failing to uphold security guarantees during the Second Karabakh War, which resulted in Azerbaijan’s reconquest of the territory.

While Armenians may feel forsaken by Russia, Aliyev and many of his countrymen appear to feel embittered by rejection on the part of the EU. For years, Aliyev sought to cultivate a favorable image for his government and his country in European eyes. Philanthropic giving in the cultural sphere, for example, succeeded to a certain extent in boosting Azerbaijan’s profile as a Europeanizing state, underscored by a 2016 visit to Baku by Pope Francis.

But following Azerbaijan’s successful campaign to regain Karabakh, EU-Azerbaijani relations have gone into a tailspin, driven in part by a perception in Baku of EU favoritism toward Armenia in peace negotiations. In recent months, Aliyev has castigated the Council of Europe and other European institutions, while harboring particular animus for France.

In the Azerbaijani media blitz against the burgeoning relationship between the EU and Armenia there can be found notes of bitterness about perceived EU prejudice. Many in Baku believe Armenia’s Christian cultural identity is a major factor in fostering Brussels’ supposed preference for Yerevan in the South Caucasus. 

“It is out of racial, religious discrimination and Christian bigotry that the European Union shows such loyalty to Armenia at a time when it tightens the visa regime for the people of African and Islamic countries, whose resources it exploits,” the Azertag editorial quoted Yalçın Hajizadeh, the deputy chair of the pro-Aliyev Motherland Party, as saying.

https://eurasianet.org/azerbaijan-state-controlled-media-predicts-both-armenia-and-eu-will-get-burned-by-warming-bilateral

[Yervant1]

Daily Sabah, Turkey

Aug 8 2024

 

Azerbaijan, Armenia remove contentious point from peace draft

by Anadolu Agency

 

Azerbaijan and Armenia have decided to remove a divisive clause on transportation links from a peace draft to expedite the process, according to a top Azerbaijani official.

Elchin Amirbayov, Baku's special envoy for special assignments, told Prague-based Radio Free Europe that the decision to remove the paragraph from the draft deal was made to accelerate the signing of a peace agreement.

 

 

 

According to the news website, Amirbayov added that once the peace deal is signed, the two sides could continue talks to find an acceptable formula for a link between Azerbaijan and its autonomous exclave, Nakhchivan.

Armenia's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Ani Badalyan, also confirmed the decision, saying the two sides agreed with mutual consent.

 

 

 

Badalyan went on to say that the opening of such links remains an important part of Armenia's vision and agenda for peace and economic development.

The issue of opening transport links in the region, including the Zangezur corridor, a land route connecting Azerbaijan to the Nakhchivan exclave, has been a contentious issue between Baku and Yerevan in the ongoing peace talks.

Baku argues that Azerbaijani citizens and cargo traveling to Nakhchivan via Armenia should not be subject to any controls, while Yerevan's position is that passages on that route should be in accordance with its own laws.

Azerbaijan and Armenia have been working to sign a peace treaty since last September, when Baku recaptured the mountainous enclave of Karabakh in a one-day offensive.

The sides fought two wars – in the 1990s and 2020 – over the control of Karabakh, which had been occupied by Armenians but was traditionally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.

https://www.dailysabah.com/politics/azerbaijan-armenia-remove-contentious-point-from-peace-draft/news

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

 

Azeri falsification campaign targets Armenia’s Zorats Karer

Read the article in: FrançaisՀայերենРусский

 

YEREVAN, AUGUST 10, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan continues to promote the false concept of "Western Azerbaijan" through state channels, this time targeting both Azerbaijani and foreign youth living abroad, the Geghard Scientific Foundation has warned.

"On August 6, as part of the "Fifth Summer Camp for Diaspora Youth" in Berdzor, which brought together around 115 young people from 60 countries, a meeting was held between the leadership of the "Western Azerbaijan Community" organization and the camp participants.

"This was another event organized by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the State Committee on Work with Diaspora of the Republic of Azerbaijan. During the meeting, members of the 'Western Azerbaijan Community' organization spoke about Azerbaijan's overt claims towards the territory of the Republic of Armenia and the false thesis of 'Western Azerbaijan'. The event featured a documentary film 'A Close Look at Western Azerbaijan' and a slideshow of photographs where historical and architectural monuments and natural landscapes of the Republic of Armenia were falsely presented as 'ancient Azerbaijani'.

"Among other monuments, the "Zorats Karer settlement" historical-cultural reserve located in the Sisian region is also falsely presented as a "monument located in the territory of ancient Azerbaijan."

"Azerbaijani state propaganda is not limited to the usurpation of Armenian heritage; it also includes the cultural heritage of the Iranian province of Azerbaijan.

"Azerbaijan's policy of falsifying and appropriating the identity of the region's heritage is aimed at legitimizing Azerbaijan's claims to the Republic of Armenia and the region in general.

"Azerbaijan's appropriation and distortion of Armenian cultural heritage and expansionist policy pose a threat to the Armenian people and the Republic of Armenia. The Azerbaijani authorities specifically target the younger generation, indoctrinating them with anti-Armenian, distorted perceptions about the region's history and culture. They organize events designed to "brainwash" the youth.

"The organization of such events and the involvement of young people in them demonstrate that the Azerbaijani state is committed to ensuring the generational continuity of its anti-Armenian policy," the organization said in a statement. 

 

 

 

Published by Armenpress, original at https://armenpress.am/en/article/1197456?fbclid=IwY2xjawElJHNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHZzSfrStQICAAcvZoZ4sv-x-zlAdSEYNsGOhgVO3AGFhk5vdDdm_npEFGA_aem_grawOQTruW2LtMQAhqKwVg

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

 

Israel effectively admitted having military presence in Azerbaijan, expert weighs in

Read the article in: FrançaisՀայերենРусский

 

YEREVAN, AUGUST 12, ARMENPRESS. Israel effectively confirmed its military presence in Azerbaijan and Georgia after issuing a directive ordering its personnel in the two South Caucasian countries to leave immediately amid threats of an Iranian strike, an expert on Israel has said.

“The information published in the Israeli state media can be viewed as a confession on Israel’s involvement in both Azerbaijan and Georgia,” Arman Khachatryan told Armenpress.

“If Israel is admitting that it has forces, it means that both Iran and Armenia must make this a topic of discussion,” he added.

In terms of consequences, the expert said it would depend on how both Armenia and Iran would attempt to make this statement a political weapon or scandal.

Israel ordered its military personnel stationed in Azerbaijan and Georgia to return immediately in light of threats of a possible Iranian strike, TASS news agency reported citing Kan state radio.

The directive issued by the Israeli military mandates its troops who are currently present in either of the two countries to return home without delay. 

Iran has vowed to retaliate for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in late July, which was carried out by Israel, according to Iran. But Israel has not claimed or denied responsibility for the killing.

 

 

 

Published by Armenpress, original at https://armenpress.am/en/article/1197528?fbclid=IwY2xjawEnf7RleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHS2u9rvjnU_itqWJ7wuGPEApCqI9K5AL1fCLALJXlpkGtOBmmiAxNrhbXg_aem_WsvCabF056eBTofM0aZc4w

[Yervant1]

Aug 14 2024

 

Another manifestation of Azerbaijani cynicism: Yerevan's "anthem" was presented

The ambitions of the Aliyev regime towards the territory of the Republic of Armenia are continuously growing. Besides declaring the territory of an internationally recognized independent state as Azerbaijan's historical lands, Baku has expanded its propaganda efforts into the cultural sphere, particularly in the field of musicology.

Recently, the national anthem of the so called "Turkish Republic of Irevan" was presented, the content of which is about "liberating Yerevan from foreign hands and returning it."

The author of the anthem is Azerbaijani people's artist, composer Javanshir Guliyev, who, as he himself notes, is Ilham Aliyev's favorite and supported him in the recent presidential elections. Guliyev had received the order to write the "anthem" back in 2021. Here, it is evident the aspiration of the "great historian" Aliyev to conquer heights in the field of musicology.

It should also be noted that the building of the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, where the "composition" was played, was designed by Armenian architect Nikolai Bayev, and the building once belonged to the Mayilyan brothers.

The "Geghard" Scientific-Analytical Foundation condemns Azerbaijan's policy towards the Republic of Armenia and considers the dissemination of an Azerbaijani or Turkish anthem about the capital of an internationally recognized state unacceptable. Official Baku is "brainwashing" the Azerbaijani society and continues to popularize aggressive, anti-Armenian sentiments.

https://geghard-saf.am/en/314/Another-manifestation-of-Azerbaijani-cynicism:-Yerevan's-

 

[Yervant1]

RFERL.org

 

Azerbaijan's Elections: In An Unfair Race, Opposition Considers Whether To Even Run

August 14, 2024 07:02 GMT

• By Joshua Kucera

 

In a February presidential election, Azerbaijan's authoritarian leader, Ilham Aliyev, won his fifth consecutive term in office.

 

Vafa Nagi is running for parliament as an independent opposition candidate in Azerbaijan's parliamentary elections next month. And she doesn't have any illusions.

"I have no chance to win," she said.

The ruling New Azerbaijan Party, headed by President Ilham Aliyev, along with a constellation of other loyal parties, currently have total control of Azerbaijan's parliament. And in a country where Aliyev maintains an iron grip on the country and elections are routinely falsified, that is unlikely to change after the September 1 vote.

So why run?

In her travels around the area to gather the required 450 signatures to get on the ballot, she has had the chance to talk to many voters, Nagi, a feminist activist and former journalist, told RFE/RL. "You can see that people need someone to tell their problems to, people need someone to care about them," she said.

In regions like her home district of Neftcala, in southeastern Azerbaijan, "people have been completely forgotten by officials," Nagi, said. There are few jobs and infrastructure is crumbling to the extent that salt water from the Caspian Sea has seeped into the municipal water supply, problems to which she says the authorities are indifferent. Campaigning offers "the chance to meet the people, to hear their voice," she said.

Azerbaijani opposition candidate Vafa Nagi

Not everyone agrees that one-to-one communication makes campaigning worth it, and the question of whether to participate in the elections has divided Azerbaijan's opposition.

Boycott

The largest opposition party, the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (AXCP), is boycotting, arguing that taking part in the vote gives it a veneer of legitimacy.

"We know that we won't come to power through a boycott," the party's leader, Ali Karimli, told Meydan TV, an independent online news platform, on July 20. "But the question for us now is not how we will come to power, but whether we take part in the government's charade of a fraudulent election, or do we keep our conscience clean?"

Karimli has argued that the party's boycott helps to delegitimize the elections. "The fact that the principled opposition...didn't fit into the configuration that Aliyev created is driving the arrogant regime crazy," he wrote in a July 21 Facebook post.

On August 9, the day the parliamentary election campaign officially kicked off, Karimli reported that the authorities had opened a criminal case against him, which he said was politically motivated.

This will be the seventh straight election that the AXCP is sitting out, including the presidential election earlier this year, where Aliyev won his fifth consecutive term in office.

Another of the largest opposition parties, Musavat, boycotted the presidential vote but is reversing course and taking part in the September parliamentary elections.

The Azerbaijani authorities have opened a criminal case against opposition leader Ali Karimli.

"I don't think our participation will lead to democratic elections," Musavat's leader, Isa Qambar, told Voice of America's Azerbaijani Service. "But there are at least minimal possibilities," he said. In the process of gathering signatures to get on the ballot, the party's candidates have met with thousands of voters and talked to them about important issues in the country, he said.

"This is a certain window of opportunity in a situation where practically all freedoms are restricted, and political activity is extremely difficult," Qambar said. "We are trying to make the most of it."

Accelerated Elections

Azerbaijan has long been one of the most unfree countries in the post-Soviet space, according to international rankings. But lately the country has become even more restrictive. A new media law passed in 2022 and a law on political parties adopted the following year further tightened the space for political discussion. That was followed by a wave of arrests of independent journalists and opposition figures.

In the last parliamentary elections, more than 65,000 local observers took part. But the work of election-monitoring groups has become progressively more difficult. Groups are under increasing financial pressure, and have to register with the Central Election Commission, which restricts who can take part, says Mammad Mammadzadeh, coordinator of the Election Observation Alliance, an Azerbaijani watchdog. "Only pro-government nongovernmental organizations can register," he told RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service.

Azerbaijan traditionally holds parliamentary elections in November, but at the end of June, President Aliyev announced that this year they would be moved up by two months. Ruling party deputies had argued that the schedule should be changed because Baku is hosting the COP29 global climate conference in November, and the elections could interfere.

But the accelerated schedule also serves the government's agenda of dampening public interest in the elections, says Zohrab Ismayil, the head of the Baku-based Open Azerbaijan think tank. After the campaign officially kicked off on August 9, this year's politicking is taking place in the hottest month of the year, which is "not suitable" for serious activity, he says.

Several nominally independent but pro-government candidates have recently and inexplicably withdrawn their candidacies, drawing speculation that the government forced them to step down. "The government's clear interest," Ismayil said, is that "activism should be limited."

And so the opposition boycott only plays into the government's hands, according to Ismayil. "No political discussion, no political involvement," he said. "Of course, the opportunities for the opposition are very [few], but the boycotting is not increasing these opportunities, only decreasing them."

Still, in the interest of appearing to be pluralistic, the government may "allow" a certain number of real opposition candidates, Ismayil says, to win and enter parliament.

Nagi, the independent candidate in Neftcala, doubts she will be one of them.

Her opponent is the wife of the current officeholder, who has served in parliament for nearly 30 years, and the couple has close ties to the government. Given that she is ignored by Azerbaijan's tightly controlled media, Nagi said that she plans to go door-to-door talking to voters. She will also focus on social media, especially TikTok, which she said is widely used in Neftcala.

Nagi did manage to get elected in 2019 to a municipal council in her home region of Neftcala. But in those elections, there was a single polling place, and she personally stood by the ballot box for 11 hours, live streaming on social media, to make sure it wasn't stuffed.

In her district for the parliamentary race, though, there are 49 polling places. "We would need hundreds of observers," she said.

In the end, her tenure in the city council did not last long: after she pushed the council to be more transparent about its finances, she was the subject of a smear campaign that included posting photos around town of her in a swimsuit. Shortly thereafter, she was expelled from the council on what she says were political grounds.

Now, with a run for a higher office, she says she hopes to call attention to the lack of free elections in Azerbaijan, and to hold on to whatever space for political _expression_ that Azerbaijanis still have. It can always get worse, she said: "We are trying so our country doesn't turn into Turkmenistan."

• 

  Joshua Kucera

  Joshua Kucera is a journalist living in Tbilisi. He also contributes to Eurasianet, The Economist, and other publications.

 

 

https://www.rferl.org/a/azerbaijan-september-elections-opposition/33077338.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawEqL4dleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHbUimfaKOoWT1_U5vUiBIvkyHEWyvE8xRRW4DZQYBovZol3_uj6aI_XqCw_aem_JbfldCkKBdFMMowTC9EC_w

[Yervant1]

These reports and concerns are not worth the paper it's written on, if it doesn't come with enforcements and consequences!

 

 

Quote

 

Armenpress.am

 

UN voices deep concern over detention and prosecution of human rights defenders and journalists in Azerbaijan

Read the article in: العربيةFrançaisՀայերենРусский

 

YEREVAN, AUGUST 15, ARMENPRESS. The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, today expressed serious concern over the ongoing detention and prosecution of six human rights defenders and journalists in Azerbaijan, the UN has stated in a press release.

“In recent months, I have witnessed an alarming wave of arrests and criminal cases against human rights defenders and journalists in Azerbaijan,” Lawlor said, noting that she has raised two such cases with the Government that are part of that worrying trend.

“Anti-corruption investigations, independent election monitoring, and international human rights advocacy are all legitimate human rights work,” Lawlor said, adding that retaliation for that work and for exercising freedom of _expression_ is a clear violation of international human rights law.

The Special Rapporteur expressed alarm over the alleged seizure of electronic devices and documents from the Abzas Media office and the homes of the journalists and human rights defenders who were arrested, potentially compromising their sources in anti-corruption investigations.

 Lawlor said authorities had limited their access to lawyers and in some cases even to their families.

“Azerbaijan’s failure to restore justice in the Mammadli case for over six years exposes the lack of effective remedy within the country and raises concerns that violations of the rights of human rights defenders may be recurring” she said, noting that she doesn’t wish to interfere with the judicial process, but she urges the Government to ensure that the investigation fully complies with its human rights obligations.

“All human rights defenders and journalists in Azerbaijan must be able to work freely and in a safe environment without intimidation and harassment, she said.

 

 

 

Published by Armenpress, original at https://armenpress.am/en/article/1197761?fbclid=IwY2xjawEreUlleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHVS7ZMbNcQ5Y0QSgjtawAXAt4ePYof0nf4-c3JGiEUfqhAyPceKT2fiHsw_aem_DkybAAzgmk2kxZOC6WPQag

 

 

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

 

Armenian Defence Ministry rebuts Azerbaijani misinformation

Read the article in: فارسیFrançaisՀայերենРусский

 

YEREVAN, AUGUST 15, ARMENPRESS.The statement issued by the Ministry of Defence of Azerbaijan, alleging that on August 15th at approximately 6:10 p.m., units of the Armenian Armed Forces opened fire towards Azerbaijani combat positions located in the southwestern part of the border, does not correspond to reality, the Armenian Defence Ministry has said in a statement.

"Of note: The Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia has proposed to the Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan, through diplomatic channels, the establishment of a bilateral mechanism for investigating cases of ceasefire violations," reads the statement.

 

 

 

Published by Armenpress, original at https://armenpress.am/en/article/1197768?fbclid=IwY2xjawEre_VleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHXJ10gh60X0eXDiK1t9D-xXeEmvYoHKbNCrZ7ll3-R8dSkDqSOQKJpFp8g_aem_ZZ8WHSgcl4Lh5mkyiIlrIw

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

 

Azerbaijan again falsely accuses Armenia of border shooting in renewed fake news campaign

Read the article in: العربيةEspañolفارسیՀայերենქართულიРусский简体中文

 

YEREVAN, AUGUST 19, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani authorities have again falsely accused the Armenian military of border shooting in an ongoing disinformation campaign, the Armenian defense ministry has warned.

“The statement issued by the Ministry of Defence of Azerbaijan, alleging that on August 18th, at approximately 7:30 p.m., units of the Armenian Armed Forces opened fire towards Azerbaijani combat positions in the southwestern part of the border, does not correspond to reality,” the Armenian defense ministry said in a statement.

“It should be noted that the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia has proposed the establishment of a joint Armenia-Azerbaijan mechanism for investigating ceasefire violations and/or related cases,” it added.

Azerbaijan has been regularly falsely accusing the Armenian military of cross-border shootings in a renewed fake news campaign.  

 

 

 

Published by Armenpress, original at https://armenpress.am/en/article/1197900?fbclid=IwY2xjawEwuiVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHRqilzcqUQ-aLSW6_9OTeusu66GR899nucMRzWWMCaT3mAaZI-NvwTMPog_aem_EEjRWwJxt0g7MgqprdJlOg

[Yervant1]

Voice of America

Aug 20 2024

 

Day after Putin visit, Azerbaijan applies to join Russia, China in BRICS alliance

Associated Press

 

Baku, Azerbaijan — 

Azerbaijan formally applied Tuesday to join the BRICS bloc of developing economies, a day after Russian leader Vladimir Putin's visit to the oil-rich South Caucasus country to shore up regional ties and secure Moscow's under-pressure trade routes.

The announcement from the foreign ministry in Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, comes as the BRICS alliance has seen a major expansion. For over a decade, the bloc included just five nations: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates joined in January, and Saudi Arabia has said it's considering doing so as well.

The club already includes some of the world's biggest oil producers, and accounts for well over a quarter of the world's GDP. Its members Russia and Iran have had their relations with the West stretched to breaking point over Moscow's war on Ukraine and Iran's regional policies.

Business ties were high on the agenda during the meeting between Putin and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Monday, with Aliyev announcing that $120 million had been earmarked to boost cargo transport between the two countries.

Putin increasingly depends on countries such as Azerbaijan to access global markets because of sanctions imposed on Moscow over its actions in Ukraine, according to political scientist Zardusht Alizade.

For Azerbaijan, retaining Moscow's good-will is important for national security over tensions with neighboring Armenia, said Alizade.

Russia has been Armenia's longtime sponsor and ally since the fall of the Soviet Union. But relations between them became increasingly strained since Sept. 2023, when Azerbaijan's military took control of the Karabakh region, ending three decades of ethnic Armenian separatist rule.

Armenia accused Russian peacekeepers deployed to the region of failing to stop Azerbaijan's onslaught. Moscow, which has a military base in Armenia, argued that its troops didn't have a mandate to intervene.

 

https://www.voanews.com/a/day-after-putin-visit-azerbaijan-applies-to-join-russia-china-in-brics-alliance/7749946.html

[Yervant1]

RFERL.org

 

Azerbaijani Political Analyst Samadov Detained In Baku

August 22, 2024

• By RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service

 

Bahruz Samadov, a doctoral student at the Charles University in Prague, has been critical of Baku's military offensives in 2020 and 2024.

 

Azerbaijani political analyst Bahruz Samadov, who is known for his criticism of the country's authorities, was arrested in Baku on August 21. Samadov's grandmother, Zibeyda Osmanova, told RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service that after her grandson's arrest police searched their apartment and informed her Samadov was suspected of illegal drugs-related activities. Later, a lawyer called and told her her grandson "is being accused of treason." Samadov, a doctoral student at the Charles University in Prague, has been critical of Baku's military offensives in 2020 and 2024 that ended with Azerbaijan regaining control over the then mostly ethnic Armenian-populated breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service, click here.

 

 

https://www.rferl.org/a/bahruz-samadov-baku-detainment-karabakh/33088318.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawE01XNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHTu37vRwFBDiIHDT8GjDg0J-_cUO05MBr_8OSIbfT2gG_2P894RrXA068w_aem_p0_7vvhJ2CzFu0NX1XL-tw

[MosJan]

 

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

 

Azerbaijan blacklisting PACE members ‘can only backfire’, says President Theodoros Rousopoulos

Read the article in: العربيةEspañolفارسیFrançaisՀայերենРусский简体中文

 

YEREVAN, AUGUST 27, ARMENPRESS. PACE President Theodoros Rousopoulos has reacted to the announcement by the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan that certain members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will be considered as personae non gratae in the country.

“This is a more than regrettable signal which only renders the current position of Azerbaijan in the Council of Europe more difficult. Member states have undertaken to respect the standards of democracy: blacklisting those who have voted according to their conscience can only backfire," the PACE President has said. 

Earlier this year, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe resolved not to ratify the credentials of the Azerbaijani delegation, which were challenged on the opening day of the session, concluding that the country has “not fulfilled major commitments” stemming from its joining the Council of Europe 20 years ago. Azerbaijan responded by declaring PACE members who voted in favor of not ratifying the credentials as personae non gratae. 

 

 

 

Published by Armenpress, original at https://armenpress.am/en/article/1198392?fbclid=IwY2xjawE7n_NleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHY45rhnhD4qkbjap0ezlUhlAY-4OWDrZ3J5I7cTy6dqkCvlD4j7W4F-AFw_aem_9AWV8-GdeoaEO46KMikREg

[Yervant1]

Daily Sabah, Turkey

Sept 1 2024

 

Armenia proposes renewed peace treaty to Azerbaijan

 

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says they offered a new peace treaty to Azerbaijan that includes 13 of the 17 agreed-upon articles of a broader peace deal.

Pashinyan said on Saturday Yerevan offered Baku to sign a peace treaty that included the agreed-upon articles and left the remaining issues for future negotiations.

 

 

 

"We have reached consensus on the majority of the articles and suggest signing a peace treaty based on these agreed points," Armenian news outlet Armenpress reported quoted Pashinyan as saying.

Relations between Baku and Yerevan have remained tense since 1991, when the Armenian military illegally occupied Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

 

 

 

Most of the territory was liberated by Azerbaijan during a 44-day war in the fall of 2020, which ended after a Russian-brokered peace agreement that opened the door to normalization and talks on border demarcation.

Last September, Azerbaijan established full sovereignty in Karabakh following an anti-terrorist operation in September last year, after which separatist forces in the region surrendered.

Pashinyan also proposed a border meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to help advance the peace process. He acknowledged that, while trilateral talks with Russia are not out of the question, Armenia prefers to focus on bilateral negotiations with Azerbaijan at the moment. He emphasized Armenia's commitment to the cease-fire agreement with Azerbaijan, but expressed concern over inconsistent statements by "some partners" in Russia, which he believes have hampered regional connectivity efforts.

He reiterated Armenia's willingness to establish a link between Nakhchivan and Azerbaijan, while insisting that territorial integrity and sovereignty are non-negotiable. Regarding Armenia's participation in the upcoming 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Azerbaijan, Pashinyan said the decision would depend on the evolving situation.

https://www.dailysabah.com/politics/armenia-proposes-renewed-peace-treaty-to-azerbaijan/news

[Yervant1]

OC MEDIA

Sept 2 2024

 

 

Azerbaijan calls for ‘restrictions’ on Armenian army and withdrawal of EU Mission

 2 September 2024

ByArshaluys Barseghyan

 

Azerbaijan has demanded the withdrawal of the EU Monitoring Mission in Armenia and for ‘restrictions’ to be placed on the Armenian armed forces.

On Saturday, Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev told Politico that a new agreement on their joint border commission ‘should be seen as sufficient for the withdrawal of the EU contingent’, adding that progress had been made in talks with Armenia.

The statement came a day after the two sides announced they had agreed details of how the border delimitation commission would work to determine the remainder of their shared border. The agreement still needs to be ratified. Both sides had previously agreed to reach this stage in the process by 1 July.

The EU deployed a civilian observer mission to the Armenian side of the border with Azerbaijan in February 2023 at Armenia’s request, and after several incursions by Azerbaijani forces that led to swathes of Armenian territory being occupied. Both Russia and Azerbaijan have criticised the mission since its deployment. 

In February Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry accused the mission of becoming ‘an agent of “binoculars diplomacy” facilitating the visits of different European officials and unofficial delegations to the border areas’. They added that such visits ‘without exception, are used for disseminating anti-Azerbaijani hate and replicating unfounded Azerbaijan-phobia’.

The following day, Hajiyev also demanded that ‘restrictions’ be imposed on the Armenian armed forces similar to those imposed on Iraq after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait.

Hajiyev called Armenia an ‘invader’ and ‘aggressor’ state, claiming that it has been among only a few such states since World War II.

 

On Monday, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov also criticised Armenia, stating that its military budget had ‘increased by almost 50%’, which he said was an ‘impediment to peace and stability in the region.’

‘The wrong policy of Armenia in this field and the inflammatory support provided by some countries to Armenia remain a threat in the region. Armenia should seriously reconsider the steps it is taking if it is sincerely interested in the peace process,’ he said.

Hajiyev’s statements were condemned in Armenia, with Seyran Ohanyan, a member of the opposition Armenia Alliance and former Defence Minister accusing Azerbaijan of being a ‘criminal, aggressor state’.

‘Azerbaijan itself, being a criminal, aggressor state, wants to wrap the necks of the Armenian people with various sanctions applied against an aggressor state. All those sanctions must be implemented against Azerbaijan,’ he said.

Hajiyev’s statements came in response to statements made by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Saturday, in which he denounced Azerbaijani criticism of Armenia’s acquisition of foreign weaponry. Pashinyan pointed out that Azerbaijan was also purchasing weapons from other countries, including EU member states.

‘There is the following trend in Azerbaijan, they say that extra-regional countries are arming Armenia, referring to France. But it is obvious, and public, that Azerbaijan, for example, is buying weapons from Italy. It’s a country next to France, why can Azerbaijan acquire weapons from Italy, and Armenia can’t acquire weapons from France?’ asked Pashinyan.

‘They say the EU, the West are arming Armenia. But Azerbaijan is acquiring weapons from Slovakia, Serbia, Bulgaria. At least three EU member countries have military-technical cooperation with Azerbaijan’, he added.

Pashinyan also reiterated his offer to develop bilateral arms control mechanisms, and stressed that it was the right of every country to have a ‘strong and combat ready army’.

He also cited experts as suggesting that Azerbaijan's claims that Armenia’s constitution contained territorial claims against Azerbaijan was meant as a distraction to territorial claims against Armenia in the Azerbaijani constitution.

https://oc-media.org/azerbaijan-calls-for-restrictions-on-armenian-army-and-withdrawal-of-eu-mission/