new promising era New Promising Era "President" & VP Nikol Pashinian

[MosJan]

[Yervant1]

Feb 21 2023

The EU's new role in mediating between Armenia and Azerbaijan

The EU has sent civilian observers to Armenia. For the mission to succeed it needs a flexible mandate, diplomatic support and resources

Olesya Vartanyan

The first unarmed civilian observers of a ground-breaking European Union mission have just arrived in Armenia to keep tabs on worsening tensions with Azerbaijan. They will patrol the border to ensure Brussels knows of any flareups immediately, giving it a better chance of intervening fast enough to keep the peace. The mission must tread carefully in an area that also hosts Russian military and border guards. To help it succeed, the EU must provide the mission full funding and as much freedom of manoeuvre as possible.

In theory, this deployment should significantly shorten the time it takes the EU or member states to react if any new fighting flares up at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. The neighbours fought their last war in 2020 over Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian-populated region that declared independence from Azerbaijan, and since then their long state border has seen several clashes, each bloodier than the last. Yerevan lost ground in 2020 and has been unable to restock its weapons, as its traditional supplier and security partner, Russia, has stockpiled armaments for its own war in Ukraine. In contrast, Baku is growing militarily stronger and more confident, bolstered by revenues from its oil and gas and supported by its strategic ally, Turkey.

The risk of new hostilities is real. In last September’s latest escalation, Azerbaijan’s soldiers took over important mountain positions deep inside Armenia. One front line area in the south of Armenia now poses a particular threat. If there is a new flareup, troops there could advance and cut Armenia in two, with severe humanitarian consequences for over 200,000 people living in the southern border areas who could find themselves isolated. Azerbaijani soldiers could also control the only passable road to Nagorno-Karabakh, the so-called Lachin corridor, which Baku-backed activists have already blocked for over two months with catastrophic humanitarian implications as local residents lost access to food and medical supplies. Baku could make a push to take more territory and put Armenia’s leaders under enormous pressure to make concessions in peace talks which plod along despite the hostile atmosphere, but this is unlikely to promote a stable and longer-term settlement in the region.

Difficult conditions

Armenia’s decision to invite EU observers shows it no longer considers it can rely solely on its decades-long strategic ally, Russia. Since Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago, Azerbaijan – sensing Moscow was distracted - has initiated three major attacks, each of which has strengthened its hand militarily. Neither Russian peacekeepers present in Nagorno-Karabakh, nor Russian soldiers and guards along Armenia’s borders elsewhere, did anything to curb these advances. This is why Armenia declined an autumn offer by the Russian-dominated military alliance, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), to deploy more troops on its border with Azerbaijan, and instead, invited the European mission.

By sending its observers, the EU is strengthening a mediatory role, which only began a year ago, between Armenia and Azerbaijan over their core problem of Nagorno-Karabakh. Both countries have been part of the European Union’s Eastern Partnership since 2009, but until very recently Moscow was the chief outside party in the region. It had close bilateral ties with both Caucasian countries and championed the CSTO in Europe’s Minsk Group that it co-chaired with France and the United States since the mid-1990s. Now, Russia can no longer set the agenda alone but will have to consider Brussels’ role in its diplomatic engagements with Baku and Yerevan.

Formally the Russian forces are subordinated into Armenian structures, which should help cooperation with the EU observers at least at a technical level.

Brussels still needs to work out many operational details for the two-year mission — its first full-fledged and long-term civilian presence to a country in a formal security alliance with Russia. EU member states have to announce how many people they will each send, and whether the total strength will be around 100 observers, as is being discussed. Much is at stake, and the mission could fail if it is poorly funded or undermanned, or confined by too narrow a mandate.

It must also try to improve cooperation with Azerbaijan. Armenia is offering the observers unrestricted access, but to report accurately on security incidents, they need the same from Azerbaijan. Baku remains unconvinced and would prefer not to let EU observers cross onto its territory. If this stance remains, the EU will have to find other ways to ensure its observers stay safe near dangerous areas where gunfire is common.

Working with Russia

The observers must pay heed to the other important party in the region — Russia, which has military and border guards along Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan. The war in Ukraine makes it harder, but all the more important, for the EU to find a way to cooperate with them. Mutual contacts on the ground could provide a useful information exchange, avoid tensions and prevent misunderstandings. Formally the Russian forces are subordinated into Armenian structures, which should help cooperation with the EU observers at least at a technical level.

The EU should give its mission the tools to facilitate dialogue between Armenian and Azerbaijani military and border guards posted along the border if that might help prevent or damp down violence. This has been tried successfully elsewhere, for example with the EU civilian mission in Georgia. Helping Tbilisi, its breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and Russian security personnel based in these regions to talk to each other. It aided the setup of a ‘hotline’ connecting officials responsible for security along the lines of separation in conflict zones, and arranged face-to-face meetings between them. Similar efforts could be useful at the Armenia-Azerbaijan border.

With Russia focused on Ukraine, the EU has been taking over its role in mediating between Armenia and Azerbaijan. But these diplomatic efforts will come to naught if the two countries keep falling back into ever deadlier armed confrontations. By deploying the mission to Armenia, Brussels has shown it has the political willto take on a new and crucial role in steering them away from conflict. But now it must give its observers the flexible mandate, diplomatic support and resources they will need to succeed.

 

Olesya Vartanyan

Tbilisi

Olesya Vartanyan is the Senior South Caucasus Analyst at the conflict prevention non-governmental organisation International Crisis Group. She focuses on the conflict regions of Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh and South Ossetia.

https://www.ips-journal.eu/topics/democracy-and-society/the-eus-new-role-in-mediating-between-armenia-and-azerbaijan-6521/

[MosJan]

[MosJan]

winter is ending EU can talk like that

[MosJan]

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

We are happy to see the truth prevail. Armenian FM welcomes the decision of the Hague Court

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21:13, 22 February 2023

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 22, ARMENPRESS. Armenia welcomes the International Court of Justice's decision on Armenia's request to indicate a provisional measure to unblock the Lachin Corridor, ARMENPRESS reports the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan wrote in his Twitter microblog.

“We welcome CIJ’s ruling today that Azerbaijan must take all measures to end its blockade and ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor.

We are also pleased to see truth prevail as the Court rejected in full Azerbaijan's counter request”, Mirzoyan wrote.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1104802.html?fbclid=IwAR37Is9dgseed2mhvitRfTLc3cH5X-7q93eRV_dnWOaF6sx4Ly0Cfcz_OzE

[Yervant1]

Feb 22 2023

Azerbaijan steps back on demands for “Zangezur Corridor” Baku appears to be retreating from the grand vision of a corridor connecting the Turkic world for the sake of a more local strategic goal: cementing control over Karabakh.Joshua Kucera Feb 22, 2023

Azerbaijan has offered a new proposal to Armenia in the ongoing peace negotiations between the two countries: to allow Armenian checks of Azerbaijani traffic along what Baku calls the “Zangezur Corridor,” in exchange for the establishment of Azerbaijani checkpoints on the road connecting Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh.

The move would effectively give up on the larger geopolitical vision of the Zangezur Corridor: a seamless transportation route connecting Azerbaijan to Turkey and beyond. At its most fanciful, it was envisaged as a road to "unite the entire Turkic world.” Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev has even repeatedly threatened to use force if Armenia doesn’t allow the corridor to be built.

Now, though, Aliyev says that Baku would accept Armenian checkpoints on the road when it enters and leaves Armenian territory. “It would be good if Armenia and Azerbaijan established checkpoints on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border bilaterally,” he told reporters on February 18. “Checkpoints should be established at both ends of the Zangezur corridor and the border between the Lachin district [of Azerbaijan] and Armenia.”

Aliyev said that he made that proposal formally to the Armenian side on the same day, when he met with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and United States Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. “We will wait for a response from Armenia,” he said.

In a sense, the proposal is not strictly new. Azerbaijan has long argued that the statuses of the two roads should be equal: either checkpoints on both or on neither.

"Today, there are no customs [posts] in the Lachin corridor,” the road connecting Armenia to Karabakh, Aliyev said in December 2021. “Therefore, there should be no customs [posts] in the Zangezur corridor. If Armenia would insist on using customs facilities to control cargo and people, then we will insist on the same in the Lachin corridor. This is logical."

But the accent has always been on the no-checkpoint version. Just a month ago, an Azerbaijani official told Eurasianet that Azerbaijan’s demand was not only no Armenian checkpoints, but no Armenian security officers at all in a 2.5-kilometer buffer zone on the road as it passed through Armenian territory.

The would-be Zangezur Corridor would connect the mainland of Azerbaijan with its exclave of Nakhchivan through Armenian territory. It was borne out of the ceasefire agreement that ended the 2020 war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the ninth point of which stipulated that Armenia would “guarantee the security of transport connections” to Nakhchivan “in order to arrange unobstructed movement of persons, vehicles and cargo in both directions.” Russian border guards would be responsible for “overseeing” the route.

The most disputed word in that provision was “unobstructed.” Armenians argued that passport and customs controls as the route entered and left Armenian territory did not amount to obstruction; Azerbaijanis argued that it did.

“How will this unobstructed movement be ensured? Will Armenians just sit and watch us? Let them watch. But the movement should be unobstructed. If there is a checkpoint there, it won’t be unobstructed,” said Farid Shafiyev, the head of a state-run think tank, in a November 2021 interview with RFE/RL.

“What Azerbaijan wants is no checkpoints, not to have to stop at the border,” Anar Valiyev, the dean of ADA University, told analyst Tom de Waal the same month. “We are in a situation where we have leverage, we have time and we can dictate terms.”

Armenians, for their part, consistently offered to open a road connecting mainland Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan, but that it couldn’t be an “extraterritorial corridor” over which it had no control.

As negotiations over a comprehensive peace agreement between the two sides have dragged on, with the nature of the Zangezur Corridor apparently the biggest sticking point, Azerbaijan launched a blockade of the Lachin Corridor. That blockade has continued now for more than two months; Azerbaijan claims that Armenians had been using the road to smuggle weapons in and valuable resources out of Nagorno-Karabakh, and that they need some sort of checkpoint to make sure that doesn’t happen.

Meanwhile, Baku was proposing a variant of the Zangezur Corridor in which checks could be carried out by Russian, but not Armenian, security officers. (While Aliyev wasn’t entirely explicit on who would operate the checkpoints on the Armenian side of the border under his proposal, a senior Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry official confirmed to Eurasianet, on condition of anonymity, that it would be Armenians.)

It is not clear whether Aliyev’s “new” proposal was inspired by changing circumstances or was the strategy all along – that is, the maximalist vision of the Zangezur Corridor was always a bargaining chip to gain control over Karabakh. In any event, the new Azerbaijani proposal amounts to a retreat from that public grand geopolitical strategy for the sake of a more local strategic aim: cementing its control over Karabakh.

And it could pave the way for Armenia to sign a comprehensive agreement more quickly. While allowing Azerbaijan customs and passport control is unacceptable to the Armenian population of Karabakh, that will not be a dealbreaker. Armenia and the American and European mediators who have been working on a peace agreement have been increasingly focusing on arranging some kind of direct relationship between the Karabakh Armenians and the Azerbaijani government, without involvement from Yerevan. Disputes over the Zangezur Corridor appear to have been the biggest impediment for Armenia, and now they may have been resolved.

The new proposal appears to have caught the Armenian side flat-footed. There has been little official response, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to requests for comment.

The head of the ruling party faction in the Armenian parliament was asked about the proposal in an interview with RFE/RL, and repeated the talking points that Armenia would never accept an extraterritorial corridor. When the interviewer persisted, pointing out that the question was no longer about an extraterritorial corridor, the MP, Hayk Konjoryan, replied: “At the moment I don’t think the question deserves discussion.”

On February 22, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan addressed the proposal, saying that Yerevan rejected the proposal of setting up the checkpoint on the Lachin Corridor. On the Zangezur Corridor proposal, he said only that it was "not new."

Azerbaijani commentary, meanwhile, has tended to crow over Aliyev’s outmaneuvering of Armenia and its repeated objections to the notion of a “corridor,” while sidestepping the fact that that was precisely what Baku had been publicly demanding for so long.

An analysis on Caliber.az, a site associated with Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry, suggested that perhaps it was Russia who might want an extraterritorial corridor. (Russia has pushed the idea of the transportation routes being opened, all the more now that its options are constrained as a result of Ukraine war sanctions, but Moscow also has consistently opposed the idea of extraterritoriality.)

“Is the idea of an extraterritorial Zangezur Corridor no longer on Azerbaijan’s agenda? It’s possible that extraterritoriality is just as important to us as before, but Azerbaijan has decided to avoid involvement in this toxic-for-us issue,” Caliber wrote. “If Russia needs an extraterritorial corridor, then it should resolve that issue with the Armenians directly, but not at Azerbaijan’s expense.”

This post has been edited to add comments from Armenia's foreign minister.

Joshua Kucera, a senior correspondent, is Eurasianet's former Turkey/Caucasus editor and has written for the site since 2007.

https://eurasianet.org/azerbaijan-steps-back-on-demands-for-zangezur-corridor

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

World Court’s ruling exposed, recorded Azerbaijan’s conduct of misleading the international community - PM

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11:33, 23 February 2023

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. The International Court of Justice ruling recorded Azerbaijan’s conduct of attempting to mislead the international community. The court recorded Azerbaijan’s responsibility for closing the Lachin corridor and emphasized that the decision is binding for Azerbaijan, PM Nikol Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting, commenting on the world court’s judgment in the Armenia v. Azerbaijan case.

“Yesterday the court published its decisions, satisfying Armenia’s request and rejecting Azerbaijan’s request. With the binding decision the court obliged Azerbaijan to take all steps at its disposal to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. The court emphasized that the ruling is binding for Azerbaijan,” Pashinyan said, describing the judgment as extremely important.

Pashinyan commented on the political impact and significance of the ruling, noting that it exposed Azerbaijan’s conduct of trying to mislead the international community by falsely claiming that there is no blockade.

“Azerbaijan was claiming in all international bodies that the Lachin corridor isn’t closed. It’s another matter as to what extent the representatives of the international community believed Azerbaijan. But this recorded Azerbaijan’s conduct of misleading the international community. And this was recorded by the highest court of the world,” the PM said.

The Armenian PM highlighted that the court recorded the Azerbaijani state’s responsibility for the closure of the Lachin corridor, essentially dismissing the “eco-activist” narrative.

The court also reiterated Armenia’s stance that under the 9 November 2020 statement the Lachin corridor should not be under Azerbaijani control and that Azerbaijan has an obligation to guarantee safe passage of persons, vehicles and goods in both directions.

“Essentially ,the court recorded that this is Azerbaijan’s international obligation. The other important circumstance is that the court clearly recorded the existence of the Nagorno Karabakh entity in accordance with the 9 November 2020 trilateral statement, and therefore also the statement itself and its provisions, including an international legal significance was given related to the existence of NK and line of contact,” the PM said.

At the same time, the court confirmed that there is a humanitarian crisis in Nagorno Karabakh due to the blockade.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1104833.html?fbclid=IwAR2z0Y_Q2Ozgp806BIk1QGkSGasAzN8XU104TZy93UBYfgxK0PYCH6ZloTY

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

Armenia could again take Azerbaijan to world court over gas and power supply cut-offs in NK

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11:37, 23 February 2023

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that Armenia will again file a request to the International Court of Justice against Azerbaijan over the gas and electricity supply interruptions in Artsakh when sufficient evidence is collected.

The United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice - ordered Azerbaijan on Wednesday to “take all steps at its disposal” to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. The Lachin Corridor is blocked by Azerbaijan since 12 December 2022.

However, the court ruled that Armenia has not presented sufficient evidence that Azerbaijan is behind the gas and power supply interruptions.

“Of course, the reason for this situation is that the valve of the gas supply pipeline of Nagorno Karabakh is in a location inaccessible for Armenia. The same can be said about the point of interruption of the electric energy. And here, Armenia simply couldn’t present undeniable evidence. But this also means that the moment when we’ll be able to collect direct evidence we will appeal to the court over this issue again. And there will be high likelihood that the court will satisfy this request as well,” PM Pashinyan said, noting that at this moment the gas supply in Nagorno Karabakh is being carried out normally.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1104834.html?fbclid=IwAR1AH6cy7DII-pWlunInmjj90ucurHaqwkO1I-YydkqFO4TjeIchqNA5hzw

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

Azerbaijan’s groundless accusations on “mine laying” against Armenia fell apart with ruling of UN court – PM Pashinyan

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13:08, 23 February 2023

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that Azerbaijan’s groundless accusations on laying mines made in all international platforms against Armenia fell apart after the UN court (the International Court of Justice) rejected Azerbaijan’s request for provisional measures against Armenia.

“The International Court of Justice unequivocally rejected Azerbaijan’s request for provisional measures against Armenia, with which Azerbaijan was accusing Armenia in some mine laying. Thus, we can note that the groundless accusations against Armenia on mine laying that were being voiced for several months in all international platforms by Azerbaijan have collapsed, and this is extremely important. Regarding Azerbaijan’s obligation to open the Lachin corridor, defined by the court, I have to stress that Azerbaijan must undertake visible efforts and measures for opening the Lachin corridor. The first and most primitive step, for example, can be a call or request to open the Lachin corridor made by the highest circle of government addressed to the so-called eco-activists. In any case, the absence of concrete actions by Azerbaijan on opening the Lachin corridor can and must lead to concrete international consequences,” PM Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1104851.html?fbclid=IwAR0r7R0XCsP5HYhe8wcZGTu_tRa43RnkjyhS__AF6UbVdqnda7Z7jE_sMmc

[MosJan]

is lachin open today ??? no

[Yervant1]

is lachin open today ??? no

Don't know, probably not! Let's see what will the fake sultan do. I hope karma gets him!

[Yervant1]

ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN, NAGORNO KARABAKH, CAUCASUS

International court orders Azerbaijan to "ensure movement" on blockaded road Armenians declared victory in the case, but Azerbaijan already denies that it is blockading the road to Karabakh and it's not clear how the ruling will be enforced.Joshua Kucera Feb 23, 2023

The International Court of Justice in The Hague. (photo: ICJ)

An international court has ordered Azerbaijan to “ensure unimpeded movement” on the highway connecting Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh, which has been virtually closed for more than two months as a result of government-backed protests blocking the road.

But the ruling appears to have little immediate prospect of lifting the blockade, as Azerbaijan argues that it is not in fact blocking the road and so is not obliged to do anything it isn’t already doing.

The International Court of Justice, the top court of the United Nations, ruled on February 23 that “Azerbaijan shall … take all measures at its disposal to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.”

Armenia had asked the court in January to impose provisional measures against Azerbaijan for the blockade. Following the decision, Yerevan declared victory. “n accordance with the Court’s orders, Azerbaijan's blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh and other actions must now come to an immediate end,” Armenia’s foreign ministry said in a statement following the ruling. “Armenia will closely monitor the situation and inform the Court of any violations as Armenia’s case against Azerbaijan proceeds.”

Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry sidestepped the main thrust of the ruling – that the court demanded it ensure free movement on the road – but pointed out that the court “took note” of Baku’s argument that it “has and undertakes to continue to take all steps within its power and at its disposal to guarantee safe movement along the Lachin Road.”

The ruling “will have little effect on the situation on the ground until peace [is] reached [between] the two countries as every [document] interpreted differently by the parties,” tweeted Farid Shafiyev, the head of the Azerbaijan state-run think tank Center for Analysis of International Relations.

Indeed, international law has traditionally had little effect on the ground throughout the history of this conflict.

In December 2021, in another provisional ruling in the same case, the ICJ demanded that Azerbaijan act to protect Armenian cultural sites on its territory. Months later, though, researchers used satellite imagery to detect the destruction of an Armenian church in what they called a “serious violation” of the ICJ ruling.

If Azerbaijan also disregards this ICJ ruling, the UN Security Council can take up the issue. Armenian officials have already called on the body to do so.

But enforcement of UNSC resolutions requires political will by some state willing to undertake the effort.

In 1993, the UN Security Council issued four resolutions demanding that Armenian forces withdraw from Azerbaijani territory surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh. Those remained unimplemented until 2020, when Azerbaijan took them back by force in the Second Karabakh War.

The current blockade was launched on December 12, when a group of activists backed by the government set up a protest on the road near Shusha. Since then the only traffic that has been able to pass has been vehicles of the Russian peacekeeping contingent and occasional transfers of ill people accompanied by the International Committee of the Red Cross. It has resulted in widespread shortages of goods in the territory, and ordinary people stuck on either side of the roadblock have been stranded.

Azerbaijan has denied that it is blockading the road. Officials have offered a variety of explanations for the situation, including that it is the Russian peacekeepers who are blocking traffic or that the Armenian residents of Karabakh simply refuse to travel on the road.

At the same time, however, Azerbaijan has begun to advance formal demands that it exert oversight on the road. It recently offered a proposal to Armenia, in the ongoing negotiations over a comprehensive resolution to the conflict, to set up checkpoints on the Lachin Corridor. In exchange, it would allow Armenia to operate its own checkpoints on the proposed route that Baku calls the “Zangezur Corridor.”

In its ruling, the court declined an Armenian request to force Azerbaijan to “cease its orchestration and support of the alleged ‘protests’ blocking uninterrupted free movement along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.” The court argued that the measure was “not warranted,” without offering further explanation.

The court also declined an Armenian request to direct Azerbaijan to restore regular natural gas supply to the territory, which has been repeatedly interrupted during the blockade. The court said it did not have evidence that Azerbaijan was disrupting the supply.

It also rejected Azerbaijan’s request that the court demand new measures related to allegations that Armenia has continued to plant land mines on Azerbaijani territory.

Joshua Kucera, a senior correspondent, is Eurasianet's former Turkey/Caucasus editor and has written for the site since 2007.

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[Yervant1]

Feb 23 2023

Armenian expert on the decision of the Hague court

• JAMnews

• Yerevan

International Court of Justice decision

“Azerbaijan’s second failure in the Hague court,” Ara Ghazaryan said of the second decision of the International Court of Justice on the application of interim measures against Azerbaijan. An expert in the field of international law, he believes that the court’s decision cannot be called a victory, but is rather “a soft instrument that dictates the situation in the political arena” as a whole.

On February 22, the court ordered Azerbaijan to ensure unimpeded traffic along the Lachin corridor, the only road linking Nagorno-Karabakh with the outside world. Armenia also demanded Azerbaijan restore uninterrupted supply of natural gas to NK. However, this requirement was not satisfied.

Also, by a unanimous decision of the judges, Azerbaijan’s claim against Armenia was rejected, in which it was required to oblige Armenia to “stop mining and transporting mines through the Lachin corridor.”

According to Ghazaryan, the rejection of Azerbaijan’s claim is even more important than the partial satisfaction of Armenia’s claim.

• Karabakh movement: “From the desire for freedom to its loss”

• “Moving mountains” – What did Pashinyan, Aliyev and Garibashvili discussed in Munich

• Pashinyan-Aliyev-Blinken meeting in Munich

“Ensure free movement along the Lachin corridor.” Armenia’s demand partially satisfied

“According to its obligations under the convention, Azerbaijan is obliged to take all measures in its power to ensure the uninterrupted movement of people, vehicles and goods along the Lachin corridor in both directions,” the court concluded.

The decision states that since December 12, 2022, the connection between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia along the Lachin corridor has been disrupted and the import of vital goods hindered, as a result of which there is a shortage of food, medicines and other items “to save lives” in NK.

“Damage can be considered irreparable when the persons concerned find themselves in life-threatening and health-threatening circumstances,” the Hague court noted, emphasizing the urgency of taking action to change the situation.

On December 28, 2022, Armenia filed a petition with the court demanding to oblige Azerbaijan

• to open the Lachin corridor,
• restore uninterrupted supply of natural gas.

The International Court of Justice rejected the second claim, maintaining that there were not enough arguments to prove that Azerbaijan was to blame for the interruptions in gas supply.

On December 7, 2021, the court made another decision at the request of Armenia to apply interim measures against Azerbaijan. With this decision, the court ordered Baku

• refrain from violence and infliction of bodily harm on all those held captive in connection with the 2020 conflict, ensure their equality before the law and safety,
• prevent discrimination against Armenians, including by officials and state institutions,
• take measures to prevent and punish manifestations of vandalism in relation to objects of the Armenian cultural heritage.

All petitions were submitted to the Hague Court within the framework of the suit Armenia against Azerbaijan in connection with violations of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. A similar lawsuit against Armenia was filed by Azerbaijan.

"The last hope of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh": hearings in the Hague

Hearings in the Hague on Nagorno-Karabakh – Armenia continues to demand interim measures related to Azerbaijan’s actions

“No evidence presented.” Azerbaijan’s demand rejected

Azerbaijan’s demand to oblige Armenia to “stop mining and transporting mines through the Lachin corridor” stated that the Armenian side violated the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination by planting mines.

“Azerbaijan has not presented evidence to the court that would indicate that the alleged behavior of Armenia regarding mines is aimed at infringing on the rights of people of Azerbaijani origin,” the Hague court said in a decision.

Official Baku has already reacted to this decision, stating that it is “unreasonable”, and Azerbaijan will continue to demand that Armenia be held accountable for “serious violations of human rights.”

"Azerbaijan has occupied the territory of Armenia" – European Parliament report

Political scientist Suren Surenyants on a new MEP report regarding Azerbaijan’s policies

Reaction from Yerevan

The Armenian authorities welcomed the decisions of the International Court of Justice.

The Prime Minister of Armenia stressed that the decision of the Hague court is binding and “the absence of specific actions on the part of Azerbaijan to open the Lachin corridor can and should lead to specific international consequences.”

Referring to the political aspect, Nikol Pashinyan stated that with its decision the court has recognized Azerbaijan’s deception of the international community. Pashinyan said that “for a long time, Baku has been insisting on all international platforms that the Lachin corridor is not closed,” and the court’s rejection of Azerbaijan’s petitio means that “groundless accusations against Armenia about mines have collapsed” at the international level.

“The court clearly recorded the presence of the unit Nagorno-Karabakh according to the tripartite statement of November 9, 2020. In accordance with this decision, the trilateral statement and its provisions also received international legal significance, as well as the fact of the existence of Nagorno-Karabakh and the line of contact,” Pashinyan stated.

The reaction of the Armenian Foreign Ministry emphasizes that by its decision the court

• “fixed the imminent threat of irreparable damage to the rights of Armenians,
• refuted false accusations that Armenia planted mines in Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas,
• ordered to end the blockade of NK by Azerbaijan.

The Foreign Ministry called on international partners to “take active steps to ensure that Azerbaijan immediately implements the court’s decision.”

Arayik Harutyunyan, president of the unrecognized republic, assessed it as an “important achievement” and vowed that, together with Armenia, NK would continue to use all international legal mechanisms to protect people’s rights.

“This decision is another indisputable international legal basis that the people of Artsakh, subjected to racial discrimination and hatred, simply cannot live as part of Azerbaijan,” Harutyunyan wrote on Facebook.

“ECHR does not consider Baku’s arguments credible” – Armenian lawyer

The European Court rejected the Azerbaijan’s demand that interim measures be taken against Armenia, and upheld its decision on Armenia’s own application

Comment

Lawyer Ara Ghazaryan, who specializes in international law, said the court’s decision was predictable because there was “obvious evidence” of the blockade. Armenia provided irrefutable evidence that the Azerbaijanis are not only impeding the movement of people and goods, but also the duties of Russian peacekeepers.

Ghazaryan called the court’s decision “a historical fact that will be a heavy burden on Azerbaijan as long as this trial continues.”

As for the obligation to comply with the court decision, Ghazaryan warns that “Azerbaijan will be forced to spend more resources on maneuvers, invent new legends, new reasons for not opening the road.” The Hague court has already recognized that Azerbaijan has closed the road, and with its next steps Armenia must show that “the blockade is an instrument of war that Azerbaijan uses against the civilian population.”

Ghazaryan believes that if legal processes continue in this spirit, Azerbaijan can be recognized as an aggressor state.

Regarding the rejection of Armenia’s second claim, the restoration of gas supply, Ghazaryan believes that “the court approached it with reservations”, since only assumptions were presented:

“The court was careful so as not to be accused of prejudging a future verdict or of partiality.”

According to Ghazaryan, the rejection of Azerbaijan’s demands to apply interim measures against Armenia was extremely important. Accusing Armenia of placing mines prohibited by humanitarian law in peaceful settlements, Baku sought to “create the impression and legal grounds that Armenia had committed war crimes.”

Ghazaryan explains that in this way Azerbaijan is trying to “prepare the grounds for justifying its further offensive actions.”

Ghazaryan recalls that in December 2021 Azerbaijan made the same arguments and then also received a refusal. Azerbaijani lawyers claimed “new facts have appeared.” But the motion was rejected unanimously, meaning an “apparently unfounded act” was presented.

“Such judicial decisions destroy the stereotype that Azerbaijan achieves great success by spending great resources, and there is a conspiracy against Armenia. The court decision proved that consistent work bears fruit,” Ghazaryan said.

According to the lawyer, Azerbaijan’s mirroring strategy cannot work inasmuch as it is the offensive, and not the defensive party.

https://jam-news.net/international-court-of-justice-decision/

[MosJan]

[MosJan]

[Yervant1]

Feb 24 2023

Armenia Wins Diplomatic Victory at ICJ

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ordered Azerbaijan to end the blockade of the Lachin corridor, a vital highway linking the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave with Armenia in the South Caucasus. The blockade, which has been in place since mid-December, has caused a humanitarian crisis for the 120,000 mostly Armenian inhabitants of the enclave, who are deprived of food and medical supplies. The ICJ ruling is a small diplomatic victory for Armenia, as it recognizes the blockade, warns of its consequences, and highlights Azerbaijan’s anti-Armenian racial politics.

The two former Soviet republics, Armenia and Azerbaijan, have been in conflict since the early 1990s, when they clashed over control of Nagorno Karabakh, a mountainous territory populated mainly by Armenians. This first conflict caused 30,000 deaths and resulted in an Armenian victory, but Azerbaijan took revenge by launching a second war in the fall of 2020. This offensive allowed Baku to take control of numerous territories, including Shusha, a strategic city located 15 kilometers from the separatist capital. In November, a ceasefire was signed under the aegis of Russia, ending six weeks of fighting that had left nearly 6,500 dead.

The fragile peace negotiations between the two countries have since been fruitless, and the effects of the blockade are being felt harshly due to the growing number of deficiencies. There is a lack of medicines, food, fruits, vegetables and powdered milk for children, as well as hygiene products. Russian peacekeeping troops have started to provide some humanitarian aid, but it is not enough to cover the needs of all the inhabitants or to ward off the specter of a humanitarian crisis.

The ICJ ruling is an important step, but it is too early to tell whether it will directly support a swift lifting of the blockade. Turkey, an ally of Azerbaijan, could potentially play a role in the conflict, but it is still too early to tell. Russia, the traditional mediator in the conflict, is also at risk of losing its footing in the South Caucasus if it cannot play the role of policeman. The risk for the Armenians is to be caught between the geopolitical conflicts of the West and Russia. Ultimately, the ICJ ruling is a small victory, but it is a step in the right direction in the hopes of finding a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

https://www.alaskacommons.com/armenia-wins-diplomatic-victory-at-icj/

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

By blocking Lachin Corridor Azerbaijan inflicted greater harm on itself than on Armenia and Artsakh, says Speaker

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12:24, 28 February 2023

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 28, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan says that by blockading the Lachin Corridor Azerbaijan actually inflicted greater harm on itself politically than on Armenia and Artsakh and now Baku is in a deadlock.

Commenting on the world court ruling, the Speaker said that Armenia will maximally make use of this decision in all international organizations.

“We are achieving rather big success internationally and we will continue to work in this direction. I think that the closure of the Lachin corridor inflicted greater harm on Azerbaijan than on Armenia and Artsakh politically. Yes, we suffered, indeed, we are taking it hard, yes, our compatriots are blocked, we have problems. But by my evaluation, politically Azerbaijan has appeared in a deadlock,” Speaker Simonyan said when asked by ARMENPRESS to comment.

Asked whether or not lifting the blockade, fulfilling the world court’s order, could be a precondition in the negotiations, the Speaker reiterated that Armenia does not negotiate over Lachin corridor because a negotiated and signed agreement on the Lachin corridor already exists, i.e., the 9 November 2020 trilateral statement.

The United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice - ordered Azerbaijan on February 22 to “take all steps at its disposal” to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.

The Lachin Corridor is blocked by Azerbaijan since 12 December 2022.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1105195.html?fbclid=IwAR2QL8y4UqUgqk_iyn0iNkMTgmP-wArY1WiQFTiY8wEiYrgb5qKb3t6zM3o

[Yervant1]

Feb 28 2023

US Border Protection Officials Visit Armenia's Borders With Georgia, Azerbaijan - Embassy

Sumaira FH

Representatives of US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have visited the Georgian-Armenian and Azerbaijani-Armenian borders and observed operations at Zvartnots International Airport in Yerevan, the US Embassy in Armenia said on Tuesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th February, 2023) Representatives of US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have visited the Georgian-Armenian and Azerbaijani-Armenian borders and observed operations at Zvartnots International Airport in Yerevan, the US Embassy in Armenia said on Tuesday.

The CBP representatives paid an official visit to Armenia last week to discuss the issues of border security cooperation between the US and Armenia.

"During their visit to Armenia, the CBP officials met with Rustam Badasyan, Chairperson of the (Armenian) State Revenue Committee, and other officials, observed operations at Zvartnots International Airport and the Bagratashen crossings at the Armenian-Georgian border, and visited the Armenia-Azerbaijan border near (the Armenian border village of) Yeraskh," the embassy wrote on social media.

The US diplomatic mission specified that the CBP sought to implement a number of agreements facilitating legal trade and travel, as well as realize joint steps serving that purpose.

https://www.urdupoint.com/en/world/us-border-protection-officials-visit-armenia-1651220.html

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

Armenia’s “demand” both in and out of negotiations is Azeri pull-out from sovereign territories, says legislator

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14:18, 1 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 1, ARMENPRESS. Armenia has “principled positions” in the peace treaty negotiations with Azerbaijan and Yerevan’s “demand” both within and outside of these talks is for Azerbaijan to pull back its troops from the sovereign territory of Armenia, a senior MP has said.

“Armenia has its principled positions. By and large, these principled positions fit into the protection of Armenia’s sovereignty and independence, and in context of non-interference by any party in Armenia’s domestic affairs,” MP Sargis Khandanyan, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs said at a press briefing.

He refused to disclose the terms on which Armenia and Azerbaijan disagree.

“Nevertheless, Armenia remains committed to continuing the negotiations. And we do hope that the moment will soon come and we will have the opportunity to sign a peace treaty with Azerbaijan,” the legislator said.

Asked whether or not there is a precondition that Azerbaijan must pull back its troops from sovereign territory of Armenia, Khandanyan said: “Not only is that precondition within the framework of the peace talks, but in general it is Armenia’s demand that Azerbaijan pulls back its troops from occupied parts of Armenia.”

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1105310.html?fbclid=IwAR1CUwhnYaF6VUtO8Mp8oyjR42eDl6FG8_1Bs_GPPi5of0kucmk5b6-8ucs

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

Armenian and Swedish FMs discuss issues of international and regional significance

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19:43, 3 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 3, ARMENPRESS. On March 3, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, who is in New Delhi, had a meeting with Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström within the framework of the "Raisina Dialogue" conference.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister Mirzoyan referred to the achievements in democratic reforms in Armenia and in that context emphasized the importance of continuous support of Armenia’s partners.

The parties exchanged ideas on the Armenia-EU partnership agenda. In the context of establishing stability in the region, the role of the EU's long-term civilian monitoring mission in Armenia was emphasized by both sides, the decision on the deployment of which was made in the EU Council during Sweden's presidency.

The foreign ministers also discussed issues of international and regional importance. Minister Mirzoyan presented to his colleague the latest developments in the process of normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Reference was made to the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh resulted by Azerbaijan's illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor. In this context, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia emphasized the imperative to take steps towards the implementation of the decision of the International Court of Justice on the indication of provisional measures to Azerbaijan on February 22.

The interlocutors also touched on issues related to cooperation between Armenia and Sweden, emphasizing the importance of high-level mutual visits and developing cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1105557.html?fbclid=IwAR3cwl1FGEkKUSSKCAibGtfjpoMgSJ0bCdb11oDy3J6VQReFH1kqT2Eg7rI

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

Parliament Majority Leader holds meeting with Russian ambassador to discuss deadly Azerbaijani ambush in NK

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14:12, 6 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 6, ARMENPRESS. Parliament Majority Leader (Civil Contract faction) Hayk Konjoryan held a meeting on Monday with the Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergei Kopyrkin.

“Together with my colleagues MPs Babken Tunyan and Mikayel Tumasyan, I held a meeting today in parliament with the Ambassador of Russia to Armenia Sergei Kopyrkin,” MP Konjoryan said on social media. “I drew the ambassador’s attention to the sabotage ambush committed by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces on March 5 in Nagorno Karabakh which resulted in three Nagorno Karabakh police officers getting killed and one getting injured. I stated that the Lachin Corridor remains illegally blockaded by Azerbaijan for already 85 days, which constitutes a gross violation of the trilateral statement, and I called for an immediate opening of the Lachin Corridor.”

Issues related to economic cooperation between Armenia and Russia were also discussed. Cooperation in the inter-parliamentary format was highlighted.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1105681.html?fbclid=IwAR1oOEex2UK0Y9foobCEZL3iPCYEiELsvHfDzGIhIINZsKQlRz-ltVDCzEE

[Yervant1]

March 6 2023

Yerevan Slams Baku's Actions During Recent Shooting In Nagorno-Karabakh As 'Terrorism'

Faizan Hashmi

The Armenian Foreign Ministry slammed actions of the Azerbaijani armed forces as "terrorism" on Sunday, after three Armenian police officers were killed in a deadly armed clash in the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th March, 2023) The Armenian Foreign Ministry slammed actions of the Azerbaijani armed forces as "terrorism" on Sunday, after three Armenian police officers were killed in a deadly armed clash in the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Earlier in the day, Yerevan and Baku reported a shootout between the security forces of the two countries in Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan said that the shooting had left casualties on both sides, while Armenia called the incident a staged provocation, adding that Baku spread fake information about Yerevan's alleged transfer of personnel and weapons to the conflict region.

"The official version of events put forward by Azerbaijan is absurd: they have not presented and cannot present any fact and justification supporting that version ... The actions of the Azerbaijani forces cannot be described as anything other than terrorism," the Armenian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Yerevan also urged the global community and international organizations interested in the establishment of real peace in the region "to strongly condemn the use of force and the threat of force by Azerbaijan, as well as another manifestation of provoking large-scale hostilities," and called for "active steps to prevent further violations of Azerbaijan's own international obligations.

"

The South Caucasus is considered one of the most conflict-ridden regions of the globe, primarily due to the long-standing conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region (also known as the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh).

The most serious escalation of a protracted standoff in years took place in Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2022. The hostilities then ended with a Moscow-brokered trilateral declaration signed in November 2020. Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to completely cease fire and exchange prisoners.

However, the situation in the region has still remained tense, with occasional clashes happening between the two countries. In particular, in September 2022, a new wave of hostilities between Yerevan and Baku broke out in an area unrelated to Nagorno-Karabakh, marking the most dangerous situation in the region since 2020.

https://www.urdupoint.com/en/world/yerevan-slams-bakus-actions-during-recent-sh-1653803.html

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

PM Pashinyan draws the attention of US Co-Chair of OSCE MG to sabotage attack of Azerbaijan in NK

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19:55, 7 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 7, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received the Senior Advisօr for the Caucasus negotiations, US Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Louis Bono, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister drew attention of the American Co-chair to the sabotage attack carried out by Azerbaijani armed forces in Nagorno Karabakh on March 5. Nikol Pashinyan added that Azerbaijan announces about the readiness for dialogue with the NK representatives on the one hand, and on the other hand, carries out terrorist acts, as a result of which three police officers of the Passport and Visa Department of the Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Nagorno Karabakh were killed three days ago.

The interlocutors touched upon the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh resulted by the blockade of the Lachin corridor. Prime Minister Pashinyan stressed the need for Azerbaijan to immediately fulfill the ruling of the International Court of Justice on unblocking the corridor.

Issues related to the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the Nagorno Karabakh issue were also discussed.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1105822.html?fbclid=IwAR06qjzePBkBTXBzU1MyDWxFj0Yl22Mu1XYMCG6XQ6gy0vnBMGmPVdzuoq8

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

Baku's attempts to manipulate the religious factor are unacceptable. Mirzoyan to the Secretary General of Arab League

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21:01, 7 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 7, ARMENPRESS. On March 7, the Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan met with the Secretary General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit on March 7.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the MFA Armenia, the interlocutors stressed that the relations between the Armenian and Arab peoples are based on centuries-old friendship and mutual respect, noting the role of Armenian communities in Arab countries.

Both sides noted with satisfaction that the Armenian presence in the countries of the Arab world is the best example of the coexistence of Christian and Muslim peoples. In this regard, Minister Mirzoyan considered unacceptable the attempts of Azerbaijan to artificially manipulate the religious factor, to disrupt the traditional grounds of Armenia's cooperation with the Arab world.

Periodic interaction and political dialogue with the Arab League and its member states were highlighted.

During the meeting, a number of issues related to regional and international security and stability were touched upon.

The Armenian FM presented to his interlocutor the regional situation resulted by Azerbaijan's aggressive actions in Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia, as well as details of the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno Karabakh as a result of the blocking of the Lachin corridor since December, 2022.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1105826.html?fbclid=IwAR1RRfVfzRlZS_Ia9YekE_nPv_RXKPtXyUp6LReXQgscakQZ7gFr1MVow5I