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

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

Pashinyan outlines Azerbaijan’s goal in March 5 terror attack in Nagorno Karabakh

Save

Share

11:46, 9 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 9, ARMENPRESS. By launching the terror attack in Nagorno Karabakh on March 5 Azerbaijan sought to derail the negotiations, make fabricated accusations on shipments of arms from Armenia to Nagorno Karabakh and create new fake narratives and information flows in order to divert attention from its non-compliance with the International Court of Justice ruling, PM Nikol Pashinyan said on Thursday.

Speaking at the Cabinet meeting, PM Pashinyan said the situation has escalated in Nagorno Karabakh in conditions of the blockade of Lachin Corridor.

He said that on March 5, an Azerbaijani military unit ambushed a police vehicle of Nagorno Karabakh which was en route from Nagorno Karabakh’s Stepanakert to Nagorno Karabakh’s Hin Shen and Mets Shen, killing three police officers and wounding one.

Pashinyan extended condolences to the families of the officers and the entire police force of Nagorno Karabakh, and noted that all three fallen officers were born in Nagorno Karabakh.

“This fact is especially important on the background of the Azerbaijani President’s remarks made during the Munich Security Conference on February 18, 2023, where he accepted that there is an international agreement whereby they must discuss with the representatives of the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh their rights and security. However, the Azerbaijani President said that they were going to have these discussions with the people who were born and have lived in Nagorno Karabakh. On March 1, the first meeting between the representatives of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan took place in the headquarters of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno Karabakh, and only four days later Azerbaijan launched the abovementioned provocation, which is difficult to be described anything other than terrorism. This act of terrorism left three citizens who were born in Nagorno Karabakh and had 1, 2 and 3 children there dead,” Pashinyan said.

The PM outlined Azerbaijan’s goals in the March 5 attack.

“First goal was to derail future negotiations with representatives of Nagorno Karabakh and create the necessary background for a new military provocation. In this regard I have to stress that the Foreign Ministry of Nagorno Karabakh released a statement yesterday expressing readiness to continue dialogue with Azerbaijan. This is an extremely important statement. I think it is necessary to create reliable international mechanisms in order for an uninterrupted and institutional Baku-Stepanakert conversation to take place, and this could become an effective guarantee for the implementation of the abovementioned international obligation. The next goal of the March 5 provocation was to create fake evidence falsely accusing Armenia in shipping arms to Nagorno Karabakh. This topic is important for Azerbaijan especially after the February 22 ruling by the International Court of Justice, when the court unequivocally rejected Azerbaijan’s request whereby Azerbaijan was accusing Armenia in planting landmines. The groundless accusations on planting landmines made against Armenia in several international platforms collapsed with this rejection. And now Azerbaijan attempted to misrepresent the March 5 incident as a proof on arms shipments from Armenia to Nagorno Karabakh, which failed for two reasons. First of all, the police vehicle was not en route to Stepanakert, but on the contrary it was en route from Stepanakert, and secondly the Azerbaijani ambush and the course of travel of the police vehicle was caught on Nagorno Karabakh police surveillance cameras, which made it obvious that the police car did not contain anything else other than documents and sidearms. Azerbaijan’s next goal was the following. To develop new narratives and information flows with the bloody terrorism to conceal an important fact, that Azerbaijan is explicitly not fulfilling the ruling of the highest court in the world, the International Court of Justice, on opening the Lachin Corridor,” Pashinyan said.

The United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice (ICJ) - 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.

“Azerbaijan is not abiding by this ruling for already 15 days, and this is exclusively Azerbaijan’s responsibility. And furthermore Azerbaijan is resorting to new provocations to further escalate the situation in Nagorno Karabakh,” the Armenian PM added.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1105891.html?fbclid=IwAR2dX2vB2lKrxBfkRzYxrAHSXHkc6xT7RXeM10efmAUoB75iSkEHinuRbCI

[MosJan]

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

Azerbaijan spreads fake news falsely accusing Armenia and Artsakh of opening gunfire

Save

Share

14:07, 9 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 9, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense is again spreading fake news falsely accusing the Armenian military of opening gunfire at Azerbaijani positions.

In a statement, the Armenian Ministry of Defense said that the statement released by the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense claiming that Armenian Armed Forces opened fire overnight March 8-9 at Azerbaijani positions deployed in the eastern section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani borderline is false.

The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense also made fake accusations against the Artsakh Defense Army, falsely accusing them of opening fire. In a statement, the Artsakh military denied this accusation. “The statement released by the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan claiming that Defense Army units opened fire between 8 March 21:30 and 9 March 04:15 in the direction of Azerbaijani positions deployed in the occupied territories of the Shushi, Martuni, Askeran and Berdzor regions of the Republic of Artsakh is yet another disinformation,” the statement released by the Ministry of Defense of Artsakh reads.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1105908.html?fbclid=IwAR2qnR2WJJJY_eRo_XGHhg60EYf0_7i0YITCOtqUWlkfumUEdOzXDOocJPY

[MosJan]

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

146th IPU Assembly: Armenian delegate criticizes CSTO for inaction amid Azeri occupation

Save

Share

14:07, 11 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 11, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Member of Parliament Hasmik Hakobyan (Civil Contract faction) criticized the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) for its inaction over the occupation of sovereign territories of Armenia – a CSTO member – by Azerbaijan.

Hakobyan delivered remarks at the meeting of parliamentary delegations of CSTO member states during the 146th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Bahrain.

“In May and November 2021, as well as in September last year, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale military aggression against the Republic of Armenia which resulted in over 150 square kilometers of sovereign territories of Armenia being occupied. In this situation the military and political support from CSTO partners was important for Armenia. And we regret that our organization, the CSTO, still doesn’t have a clear political assessment that an attack has taken place on the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia, and that Azerbaijan has occupied territories of a CSTO member country,” Hakobyan said in her speech.

Speaking about the humanitarian crisis and security-related issues in Nagorno Karabakh, Hakobyan underscored that Azerbaijan is not complying with the International Court of Justice February 22 ruling to open the Lachin corridor – the only road linking Nagorno Karabakh to the outside world.

“For three months, along with the blockade of Lachin corridor and creation of a humanitarian disaster, Azerbaijan continues to terrorize the indigenous Armenian population of Nagorno Karabakh. The Azerbaijani military is regularly violating the ceasefire. Recently they opened fire on a peaceful civilian who was farming. And on March 5, as a result of a sabotage ambush committed by the Azerbaijani armed forces, three police officers of the Nagorno Karabakh police were killed and one was injured,” the legislator said.

Hakobyan called on the parliamentarians to condemn Azerbaijan’s use of force, as well as provocative manifestations of a large-scale military attack.

The United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice (ICJ) - 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/1106098.html?fbclid=IwAR3Suas6S2xpH1_AK5_YMCcEUOGKoPtvkaCkwKZxUAJ-HNmYbWoWUt-og2A

[Yervant1]

March 10 2023

Armenia to leave the CSTO Russian military bloc? Opinion from Yerevan

• JAMnews
  

• Yerevan

Armenia-CSTO relations

In the CSTO military bloc, which allows members to assume leadership posts under a quota system, Armenia has abandoned its own quota for the post of Deputy Secretary General. This was confirmed by Foreign Ministry spokesman Vahan Hunanyan, who did not comment on the reasons for this decision by Yerevan.

This is the second controversial decision by Armenia concerning the bloc operating under the leadership of Russia this year. On January 10, the Prime Minister of Armenia announced that the country was refusing to conduct CSTO military exercises on its territory.

Political commentator Hakob Badalyan believes it is important to understand whether this decision is “the result of existing or new grievances.” He believes it is possible that in this way Armenia is making it clear that it does not want to take sides in the Russian-Ukrainian war.

• Volodin’s statement: what is behind it? Comment
  
• “Phantom pain from the loss of the province”: Armenian political scientists on Lavrov’s interview


• “Armenia is leaving the club of failed states” – Armenian political scientist

“These are not superficial problems”

In the context of a collapsing world order, security systems are changing significantly, Badalyan believes, and the CSTO was not a “strong, ideological alliance based on common interests.”

“Most of the states that are members of this bloc have no desire to take sides in the Russian-Ukrainian war. Here internal problems and aggravations also arise, which are expressed in different ways, including in the context of Armenia-CSTO relations,” he told JAMnews.

In addition to being involved in the ongoing war in Ukraine, Armenia has another rhetorical question for the CSTO — how ready are the members of the organization to take practical responsibility for Armenia, which of course means “against Azerbaijan”?

The members of the CSTO are Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The majority of Armenian society is disappointed that both Russia and the entire bloc operating under its auspices did not provide military assistance to the country, despite numerous appeals.

The country’s authorities have more than once openly expressed their claims that the CSTO is not ready to defend “the sovereign territory of Armenia from occupation by the armed forces of Azerbaijan”, to which the President of Belarus said that the members of the CSTO “have very strong ties with the Muslim state of Azerbaijan.” Ilham Aliyev himself said that in this organization “Azerbaijan has more friends than Armenia.”

Badalyan does not believe that Armenia will have to “pay dearly” for the decision to abandon the post of the Deputy Secretary General, despite the “touchiness of Moscow.” In his opinion, it should be understood whether this issue is of great importance for other CSTO member countries or whether it has “little weight compared to deep issues.”

Badalyan believes that Armenia must find out “what prospects of security architecture we are creating for ourselves.”

"CSTO fiasco": military bloc decided not to assist Armenia

About the meeting with the participation of Putin in Yerevan and the protest taking place in parallel with the CSTO summit

“It’s impossible to get away completely”

Badalyan recalls that a few weeks ago, Alexander Lukashenko, at a meeting with the CSTO Secretary General, said that the members of the organization should develop a common position on the issue of Ukraine, as they would not be able to “sit quietly” and endlessly evade a decision.

In his view, Russia considers Belarus a “resource of possible war scenarios.” And Lukashenko, who has no desire to get involved in a war, is trying to achieve “collective resistance” through the CSTO countries, to form a “field for maneuver”:

“Perhaps, in this situation, Yerevan is simply trying not to be represented in such discussions, even at the level of deputy secretary general, in order to avoid direct or indirect responsibility. Of course, it will not be possible to completely move away from all this, because we are a member of the CSTO. And if the issue reaches the organization, it will affect us one way or another.”

"The Russian security model exhausted itself long ago." Opinion from Yerevan

According to political scientist Surenyants, Russia and the CSTO are unscrupulous partners, but failing a major upset, Armenia will not leave the Russian military bloc.

“Withdrawal from the CSTO – an extreme scenario”

According to Badalyan, despite all the discontent, Armenia declares that it is not going to leave the CSTO.

In his opinion, the possibility of such an extreme measure as Armenia’s withdrawal from the CSTO or, what amounts to the same, a break in relations with Russia, is doubtful:

“If we are not able to withstand the challenges and risks in the status of a member of the CSTO, then by refusing this status, we are unlikely to get the opportunity to solve any significant problem.”

Badalyan considers allegations that Armenia will receive military support from the West if it leaves the CSTO a “delusion or deliberately manipulative assessment”:

“In the issue of our security, the West has set a very clear bar of responsibility — to regulate relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey. Due to the existing risk factors, no one will take responsibility on our behalf. It will not provide the protection.”

Nor does he count on the active participation of the CSTO in ensuring the security of Armenia. He says that these illusions have long been dispelled.

"It's time to stop Armenian-Russian military cooperation." Opinion

A day before the CSTO summit in Yerevan, the political scientist presented his view on Armenian-Russian relations, the expediency of membership in the CSTO, Armenia’s to reform the army and establish new military partnerships.

“The current situation is beneficial to everyone”

According to Badalyan, in the current situation Armenia and Russia manage to resolve some issues, some being postponed. He says that this is not about behind-the-scenes agreements, but about “tacit consensus”:

“Yerevan expresses its dissatisfaction and is pleased with it. Russia does not interfere, does not use the CSTO as a tool, and it has no problems with Azerbaijan. Other CSTO member states are also satisfied, who, again, do not get involved in the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, because it is not in their interests.”

Behind the scenes, according to Badalyan, lies the crisis of the world order that existed before and the collapse of security systems, which is also observed in the CSTO — a bloc that has never been an integral, stable security system.

https://jam-news.net/armenia-csto-relations/

[MosJan]

[Yervant1]

Asbarez.com

Artsakh Criticizes EU Envoy for ‘Ignoring’ Events in Karabakh

by Asbarez Staff

March 13, 2023

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

Toivo Klaar, the EU’s special representative to the South Caucasus

 

Artsakh’s foreign ministry criticized the European Union’s special representative to the Caucasus, Toivo Klaar for “ignoring the general context of the events taking place” in Nagorno-Karabakh, referring to his tone deaf remarks after the ambush by Azerbaijani forces on an Artsakh police vehicle, as a result of which three officers were killed on March 5.

During a visit to Baku and immediately after, Klaar made statements both on social media and during an interview with an Azerbaijani raising concerns about the EU’s stated neutrality in the current situation.

In the interview, Klaar seemed to give legitimacy to Baku’s official positions not only on the Lachin Corridor blockade, but also the so-called “Zangezur Corridor” scheme being advance as a way to carve out a connection through Armenia to Nakhichevan. The EU envoy voiced support to Baku’s insistence of having checkpoints along the Lachin Corridor and interpreted the November 9, 2020 agreement in a way that legitimizes Azerbaijan’s claims the road through Armenia.

“In speaking about the alleged legitimacy of Azerbaijan’s approaches to the Lachin Corridor, the EU Special Representative clearly ignores the general context of the events taking place. And the context is that Azerbaijan has been illegally blocking the Lachin Corridor for almost three months, in violation of not only their obligations under the Trilateral Statement of November 9, 2020, but also the fundamental rights of the people of Artsakh,” the foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

“Under the pretext of the need for control over the Lachin Corridor, on March 5, the Azerbaijani armed forces resorted to a terrorist attack, killing three Artsakh police officers and seriously wounding another,” the Artsakh foreign ministry pointed out.

“It should be emphasized that all of Azerbaijan’s arguments regarding the blocking of the Lachin Corridor, including the claim that the corridor was allegedly used for military purposes, after a thorough consideration have been rejected by the UN International Court of Justice, which ordered Azerbaijan to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. We recall that the decisions of the International Court of Justice are legally binding, which was also confirmed by senior representatives of the EU,” explained the Artsakh foreign ministry.

“Such statements supporting the illegal claims of Azerbaijan are perceived by the authorities of this country as an indulgence of their [baku’s] criminal policy of ethnic cleansing of Artsakh, which is based on the denial of the Artsakh people’s inalienable rights to life, self-determination, freedom and peaceful development. Azerbaijan is seeking to create conditions where nothing would prevent Baku from establishing control over the entire territory of Artsakh by force and completing their criminal plans to ethnically cleanse Artsakh,” said the Artsakh foreign ministry.

“If the EU Special Representative is indeed concerned about actions that escalate tensions in the region, then we strongly recommend that he pay attention to Azerbaijan’s continued military provocations, aggressive and belligerent rhetoric, as well as deployment of new military bases and other military infrastructure in the occupied territories of Artsakh,” emphasized the statement.

https://asbarez.com/artsakh-criticizes-eu-envoy-for-ignoring-events-in-karabakh/?fbclid=IwAR1eu5ZopzJofOl26Cu1Ae1BXcGZHFf049GtMPIxEtVn21PXCbCRmSjaXLM

[MosJan]

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

Pashinyan describes NK people’s rights and security as “key goal”

Save

Share

12:35, 14 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan responded to the parliamentary factions of Nagorno Karabakh that demanded in a statement Yerevan “not to question” Nagorno Karabakh’s right to self-determination.

“We’ve said and continue saying that the issue of the rights and security of the people of Nagorno Karabakh is extremely important to us, this is one of our key goals. Our understanding is the following, it would be better for the people of Nagorno Karabakh to be the ones pursuing that issue, the primary mandate holder, the way it actually is. There are both objective and subjective reasons for this position. We believe that this conversation must take place between Baku and Stepanakert,” Pashinyan said.

PM Pashinyan added that the processes lead to a conclusion that it won’t be possible to advance in this issue without international mechanisms and guarantees.

“In Munich, the President of Azerbaijan himself said that there’s an agreement, an international agreement, that the rights and guarantees of the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh must be discussed. He said this himself, and then meetings took place in the headquarters of the [Russian] peacekeeping forces in Nagorno Karabakh. After these meetings, suddenly it turned out that Azerbaijan is offering to discuss integration. We saw how their lexicon changed in just a month, and it’s not about the lexicon, it’s about the content, it’s about the agreement and Azerbaijan’s continual breaching of these agreements.”

Pashinyan added that it is up to the people and authorities of Nagorno Karabakh to determine the circle of their rights and security.

Speaking about Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s assistant Hikmet Hajiyev’s statement that creating an international mechanism for discussing the rights and security of Nagorno Karabakh people is unacceptable for Azerbaijan, the Armenian PM said that this is yet another agreement which now Azerbaijan is rejecting.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1106248.html?fbclid=IwAR3r3-7zLsGCYKK-Ys3w18bMG8dRTibGVz3kfJOOa4ThzEcA8ChcxNylCn4

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

Pashinyan warns of high likelihood of new attack by Azerbaijan

Save

Share

12:35, 14 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan warned on Tuesday of high likelihood of an escalation by Azerbaijan along the border with Armenia and in Nagorno Karabakh.

“My conclusion comes from Azerbaijan’s growing aggressive rhetoric, and of course we have other information as well,” PM Pashinyan said at a press conference.

He said that Armenia is not the one that initiates aggressive actions or escalations therefore it decided to invite EU observers.

PM Pashinyan revealed that the preliminary agreement in October 2022 in Prague was that the EU observers would be deployed from both sides on the border or line of contact, from Armenia and from Azerbaijan. Furthermore, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev gave consent to this at the presence of the French President and the President of the European Council, however he rejected the idea later.

“I think the international community must record that indeed there is a high danger of new escalation, and I believe that in this regard taking into account that Lachin Corridor is closed and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Nagorno Karabakh, as well as Azerbaijan’s explicit preparations for ethnic cleansing, our position remains that it would be very relevant to send an international fact-finding mission to Lachin Corridor and Nagorno Karabakh,” the Armenian PM said.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1106249.html?fbclid=IwAR2Q_tLVYyq4ep5Jr_bGm8PyrKPbNT4TKzkKIPseTHdZXnT3aB5axkArdi4

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

Armenian PM expresses concern to Putin over danger of escalation in Nagorno Karabakh

Save

Share

12:59, 14 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan revealed details about his March 13 phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Pashinyan said the call mostly revolved around the danger of escalation in Nagorno Karabakh. “I conveyed my information, my impression, I also underscored that I think that there are problems in the area of responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping forces in Nagorno Karabakh. The most important issue for me in this context is that a very surprising thing happened in Nagorno Karabakh, when the residents of Nagorno Karabakh protested outside the Russian peacekeeping contingent’s headquarters. And this happened after the killings of the police officers. I want to underscore that this also took place in the area of responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping forces in Nagorno Karabakh. This is a concern, and I found it necessary to convey these concerns to the Russian President,” Pashinyan said.

Asked whether or not Putin said anything in response, Pashinyan said, “Of course he said something.” Pashinyan said it would be inappropriate to reveal what Putin said. “If our Russian partners find it necessary they will publish what the president of Russia said.”

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1106256.html?fbclid=IwAR1UNj5cBKrHLNjfLsaKFgOA9S8d6QoCabwXusEYWJDONuDai0che0gO_S0

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

Armenia is not leaving CSTO, the organization itself is leaving us – Pashinyan

Save

Share

13:17, 14 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. Armenia is not leaving the CSTO, the organization itself is leaving Armenia, PM Nikol Pashinyan said when asked to comment on Armenia renouncing its quota of Deputy Secretary-General of the CSTO.

Pashinyan said that the CSTO Secretary General told him in 2022 that there are concerns within the organization that Armenia could leave it. Pashinyan said he found the comments to be inappropriate and conveyed the concerns in Armenia that the CSTO itself could withdraw from Armenia.

“My assessment is that the CSTO, willingly or unwillingly, is leaving the Republic of Armenia. And this worries us. We’ve not concealed anything that’s happened. We’d be happy to assume the position of the CSTO Deputy Secretary-General if we wouldn’t be sending the wrong message to our people by doing so, if it would mean ensuring an additional factor for the security of Armenia. If not, we don’t see sense in doing such step, at least from the logic of being honest with our people,” Pashinyan said.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that Armenia has been working with the CSTO very consistently for a long time and continues doing so. He said that Armenia conveyed its principles to the organization. “It’s about whether or not the CSTO functions at least in the territory of Armenia, whether or not it exists. We are willing to face this question,” Pashinyan said.

He mentioned the fake news claiming that the Armenian government applied to the CSTO under a wrong article in 2022 amid the Azeri attacks so that the organization won’t be able to send help. “We applied to the CSTO under all possible articles,” Pashinyan said. “Our assessment isn’t that we are leaving the CSTO, our assessment is that the CSTO is leaving us, which is worrying,” Pashinyan said.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1106260.html?fbclid=IwAR1-OVJNSBxUsfVerqt-Q0tnO24F9VDnT_nlyT-nTUuVS7IXHvv69k2gTBI

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

Soviet-era archival documents show Azeris left Armenia of their own accord, got compensations – PM on 'return' narrative

Save

Share

14:17, 14 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan commented on Azerbaijan’s policy on “returning” the so-called Azerbaijani refugees to Armenia. Pashinyan said that Azerbaijan has launched a new phase of aggressive policy.

“This is yet another proof that Azerbaijan has territorial aspirations for the sovereign territories of Armenia,” Pashinyan said at a press conference. “Actually, to be honest, this is precisely why the negotiations process on Nagorno Karabakh entered a deadlock, because it was obvious that Azerbaijan doesn’t have any intention to abandon its aggressive actions under any circumstance. And this constitutes an illegal and explicit encroachment against the sovereign territory of Armenia, which contradicts the agreements and statements made in Prague and Sochi. This means that Azerbaijan has launched a new phase of aggressive policy.”

Pashinyan noted that very often the forcibly displaced people of Hadrut are protesting outside the government headquarters in Yerevan. “And they are very right to do so, because, for example, one of the terms of the trilateral statement is about the return of internally displaced persons and refugees to Nagorno Karabakh and adjacent regions under the auspices of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. So far no one has offered the people of Hadrut to return to their homes, and this is a gross violation of the trilateral statement by Azerbaijan. We’ve always raised this issue and will continue doing so. The same goes for the Armenians who were forcibly displaced from Shushi. Furthermore, representatives of Nakhijevan – now depopulated from Armenians – are raising questions before the government of Armenia, saying that the government is impeding them from protecting their rights. I know about the major campaign of destroying the Armenian cultural heritage that took place in Nakhijevan. Nakhijevan was consistently depopulated from Armenians starting in the 19th century, not a single Armenian was left there until the Soviet times. You know about the deportations of Armenians in Baku, Sumgait, Kirovabad, Shahumyan, Getashen, and the Armenian government, we, have never obstructed them from pursuing their rights, because this is about hundreds of thousands of people. Neither have we encouraged them to do so, perhaps that was our mistake, but we haven’t obstructed them either,” Pashinyan said.

PM Pashinyan said there’ve been no cases of forced displacements of Azerbaijanis from Armenia. “We have documents preserved in our archives showing that the Soviet Armenian authorities paid major compensations to the Azerbaijanis, which means that basically they themselves decided to leave, also due to the general geopolitical situation, but there’ve been no massacres of Azerbaijanis in Armenia. Whereas in Baku and Sumgait there were massacres of Armenians, you know about Shahumyan region. I was recently visiting a village in Armenia and it turned out that 100 percent of the population there are refugees from Azerbaijan who were forcibly displaced, and they brought what they could at that moment with them,” Pashinyan said, adding that the Armenians who’ve lived for thousands of years in Nakhijevan, Shahumyan, Hadrut, Shushi, Kirovabad, Shamkhor, Baku and Sumgait, as well as other regions, have the right to protect their rights, including to demand compensation.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1106266.html?fbclid=IwAR2hVnWoWFpRyUpqxd8QiRRl4pcCblBxmfuhW2j1wFKu855ClCVn706_kZM

[MosJan]

[Yervant1]

March 15 2023

Ex-NATO head visits Armenia, calling for Western military aid It was unclear on whose behalf the former secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, was visiting, and what it portended for Armenia’s geopolitical orientation.Joshua Kucera Mar 15, 2023

At a time of deep geopolitical tumult in Armenia, the former secretary general of NATO visited the country and proposed providing Armenians with Western weaponry and security guarantees.

But the former official, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, was visiting as a private consultant, making it unclear whose interests and point of view he was representing.

On the two-day visit Rasmussen met with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, as well as the minister of defense and chair of the national security council. He also posed for a photo at the Lachin Corridor, the road connecting Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh that has been blocked by Azerbaijan for more than three months as Baku tries to strong-arm Armenia into signing a comprehensive peace agreement.

“The EU must push Azerbaijan to lift the blockade,” he wrote in a tweet. “If not, we risk a humanitarian catastrophe.”

While in Yerevan he also met with journalists and laid out a vision for the resolution of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, the Armenian-populated territory in Azerbaijan that has been the core of the decades-long conflict between the two sides.

He envisaged Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan but with a “special status” protected by an armed international peacekeeping mission with a “robust mandate,” according to an account of the meeting by news website CivilNet. The territory would also be surrounded by a demilitarized zone. Ideally, he said, the peacekeeping mission would be mandated by the United Nations with Russian consent and with American participation.

“With all respect for the European Union, when it comes to hard security, there’s only one power on Earth we can trust, and that is the United States,” he said.

He also proposed the European Union providing military aid to Armenia to buy Western weapons.

“The European Union has a special fund called the European Peace Facility, which primarily until now has been used for Ukraine for many good reasons. But we could also consider helping Armenia within the framework of that fund. That could be [to] help to purchase Western armament, weapons, and military equipment,” he said.

Much of Rasmussen’s vision for the resolution of Karabakh’s status has echoed Yerevan’s; Armen Grigoryan, the chair of the national security council, just days earlier proposed a special status with an international peacekeeping mandate and demilitarized zone.

The element of European and American military support, though, was relatively novel, and came amid a deepening crisis between Armenia and its traditional security partner, Russia.

Just days before Rasmussen’s visit, Armenia announced that it was further reducing its participation in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Russia-led political-military alliance. That took place against the backdrop of a broader Armenian disillusionment with Russia’s inability or unwillingness to push back against Azerbaijani incursions in Armenia or the blockade in Karabakh.

Meanwhile, the European Union has been taking a larger role, most notably by deploying a civilian monitoring mission to Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan.

Where all of this is leading is unclear, as is Rasmussen’s role in it.

He came in his capacity as the head of Rasmussen Global, a consulting firm that has lately been closely working with Ukraine on a plan for Western security guarantees there. He said he came on the invitation of the Armenian government, but did not elaborate.

The firm’s communications director did not respond to queries from Eurasianet about how his involvement in Armenia came about, who is paying him, and if he is playing any role in the formal EU or any other mediation of the conflict.

In his discussion with the journalists, Rasmussen said he saw no reason that CSTO membership would have to be an obstacle for the Western-led vision he laid out. “Obviously it’s at least a challenge communicating this to a Western audience, that Armenia is still a member of CSTO, but we have seen cooperation between Armenia and NATO, for instance, in the past,” he said. “So CSTO membership is not an obstacle in itself. It can go in parallel.”

Rasmussen’s interlocutors in Yerevan made little comment on his proposals for Western military partnership. Pashinyan’s office said merely that the two “exchanged ideas on regional developments and security challenges.”

At a press conference later, Pashinyan did not touch on Rasmussen’s visit or relations with the West, but reiterated his criticism of the CSTO.

“My assessment is that the CSTO, willingly or unwillingly, is leaving the Republic of Armenia,” he said. And this worries us.” Still, he insisted that he “didn’t see a crisis” in relations with Russia in spite of “some mutual concerns.”

Note: This piece has been updated to credit Civilnet for its account of the meeting between Rasmussen and journalists.

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

https://eurasianet.org/ex-nato-head-visits-armenia-calling-for-western-military-aid

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

Fourth round of peace treaty talks underway between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Save

Share

12:38, 16 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 16, ARMENPRESS. Armenia has received new proposals from Azerbaijan around the peace treaty, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Thursday.

“I’d like to inform you that we have received new proposals from Azerbaijan around the peace treaty. Thus, we are entering the 4th round of the talks on the draft treaty. We will discuss and present our observations soon. We remain committed and will not deviate from the peace agenda,” the PM said at the Cabinet meeting.

At the same time, PM Pashinyan warned the international community that despite the terms of the 9 November 2020 statement Azerbaijan still hasn’t released Armenian POWs and is still occupying sovereign territories of Armenia which it took as a result of aggressions in 1994, 2021 and 2022.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1106440.html?fbclid=IwAR0GaHZucHsiwlPU2GlISI1gnLYspGmWY448WQzKMQ6ucsNKPoFWbHvRHbE

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

‘Armenia deserves our full support’, EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement

Save

Share

14:01, 16 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 16, ARMENPRESS. Armenia “deserves” the EU’s full support, the EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Oliver Várhelyi said during the March 15 European Parliament plenary debates on the resolution concerning the EU-Armenia relations.

He delivered a speech on behalf of High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrell.

Várhelyi said that Armenia is looking toward the European Union as a fundamental partner and that given steady progress on reforms in democracy, fundamental freedoms, rule of law and the fight against corruption Armenia deserves the EU’s full support.

Below is the official transcript of Várhelyi’s speech.

“Let me thank the Rapporteur, Mr [Andrej] Kovatchev, and all Members who have contributed to the report on EU-Armenia relations that we are discussing today. Your report provides a good overview of the challenges the country faces.

Armenia is a country that has suffered a double crisis – the 2020 war and the Covid pandemic.

Moreover, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Armenia finds itself in a difficult position, having to rely for its security on a country that is carrying out an unprovoked aggression against its neighbour.

In this context, Armenia is looking toward the European Union as a fundamental partner. Given steady progress on reforms in democracy, fundamental freedoms, rule of law and the fight against corruption, Armenia deserves our full support.

Our Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement is the blueprint for Armenia’s domestic reforms agenda. It has now been fully in force for over two years.

The Economic and Investment Plan has the potential to mobilise over €2.6 billion in public and private investments, and it is already delivering in Armenia through developing green connectivity, energy efficiency and as well as supporting SMEs and supporting socio-economic development.

Of course, as your report rightly points out, much still needs to be done, when it comes to the functioning of the justice sector, fight against discrimination, gender equality, but also the protection of vulnerable groups, and to tackle foreign disinformation. We have an in-depth regular dialogue with Armenian authorities on all these issues.

The report calls to further enhance EU-Armenia economic and trade relations. The EU-Armenia but also Armenia-Russia trade flows have increased several folds since the EU imposed additional sanctions on Russia. While we welcome our more intensive exchanges with Armenia, due to its geographic location, it is also one of the partner countries we intend to cooperate more closely with the aim to prevent the circumvention of sanctions.

The European Union is also actively involved in facilitating dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan. We remain committed to continue acting as an honest broker to help achieve the common goal of a secure, prosperous and peaceful South Caucasus, for the benefit of all its people.

The President of the European Council [Charles Michel], supported by the European External Action Service (EEAS) and our Special Representative [Toivo Klaar], is personally invested in this. We also have regular contacts with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of both countries on this.

The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan should use the historic opportunity to solve this conflict for good and return to the substantial dialogue, as many important questions need still to be solved urgently.

One such urgent issue is the obstruction of movement in the Lachin corridor. Since the beginning of December, the European Union has mobilised all diplomatic efforts to solve this situation. The ongoing restrictions to freedom of movement and to the supply of vital goods are causing serious distress for the local population. As the deadly incident of 5 March showed, the situation in this area is flammable.

Finally, I would like to mention the full-fledged civilian CSDP mission [EU Mission in Armenia] that the EU has established in Armenia since January. Among others, the mission observes and reports on the security situation on the ground. This is yet another concrete and essential element in the European Union’s efforts to support the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan.”

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1106452.html?fbclid=IwAR1t6ym6uXFvHKgE_emK_ixxJiAiYh0HlYZbo_57_2eAnVeUrH7EukqABXY

[Yervant1]

Asbarez.com

CSTO Secretary General Visits Armenia

by Asbarez Staff

March 16, 2023

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

CSTO Secretary-General Imangali Tasmagambetov (center) visits Jermuk on Mar. 16

 

The Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization Imangali Tasmagambetov arrived in Armenia on Thursday for a two-day visit.

He visited Jermuk on Thursday to assess the impact of Azerbaijan’s aggression against Armenia in September, the city’s Mayor Vahagn Arsenyan said.

The CSTO Secretary general was briefed on the damage caused to the city’s and the region’s economy, as well as the many social and psychological problems caused by the aggression.

It was noted that at the time of the military operations, there were many tourists in the spas of Jermuk, and that not only military positions, but also civil infrastructures were targeted by the Azerbaijani aggression.

In a Facebook post, Arsenyan expressed gratitude to the CSTO leader “for keeping the military operations against the peaceful city and their consequences in the spotlight, as well as for his compassionate attitude.”

Tasmagambetov also met with Armenia’s Defense Minister Suren Papikyan. A discussion about a number of international and regional security issues, including the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the military-political situation around Armenia was held, according to Armenia’s defense ministry.

Speaking about the border situation, Papikyan presented the long-standing problems regarding the implementation of CSTO collective defense mechanisms and the Defense Ministry’s expectations.

Relations between Armenia and the Russia-led security bloc have been tense, since Yerevan believes that it was snubbed by the organization when it was asked for assistance during Azerbaijan’s invasion of Armenia in September.

Compounding the tensions was the refusal by CSTO member-states to properly condemn Azerbaijan and hold it accountable for violating Armenia’s sovereignty.

During a press briefing on Thursday, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in response to a reporter’s question that on September 13 and October 28, 2022, extraordinary sessions of the CSTO Collective Security Council were held, following which the Secretary General of the organization at the time, Stanislav Zas, and a mission led by Chief of the CSTO Joint Staff Colonel-General Anatoly Sidorov visited Armenia.

Zakharova said that a plan to deploy a CSTO observation mission in Armenia was prepared, and 
“the development of the relevant decision was practically completed at the meeting of the organization’s statutory bodies held in Yerevan.”

“At the same time, due to certain demands by our Armenian partners, which were problematic for other CSTO members, it was not possible to take this decision,” said Zakharova.

https://asbarez.com/csto-secretary-general-visits-armenia/?fbclid=IwAR2PPgVC7hYw1zJfu6eaBndOToHdlqEMELdsUcyREviJ3A-YYPmo-lKzk04

[MosJan]

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

Azerbaijan is doing everything to make peace in the region impossible. MFA Armenia

Save

Share

21:18, 18 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 18, ARMENPRESS. The Foreign Ministry of Armenia responded to the statements made by Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev on March 18.

ARMENPRESS reports, the statement of the MFA Armenia reads as follows,

“There will be no peace treaty” - this is a quote from the speech of the president of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on March 18, 2023.

Aliyev made this statement in the Talish village of Nagorno-Karabakh, which was depopulated as a result of the 44-day war.

In Talish, as well as in other regions depopulated as a result of the 44-day war, Azerbaijan is openly implementing resettlement programs in an attempt to eliminate the Armenian trace from the territories of Nagorno-Karabakh that have passed under its control. At the beginning of the 90s, Shahumyan region, Getashen sub-region, and other settlements with a large Armenian population also suffered a similar fate.

The above-mentioned actions of Azerbaijan are in direct contradiction to point 7 of the trilateral declaration of November 9, 2020, according to which internally displaced persons and refugees return to the Nagorno-Karabakh territory and adjacent regions under the supervision of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

With the policy of illegal resettlement and the practice of terrorizing the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, official Baku is doing everything to make the fulfillment of the above-mentioned provision of the trilateral declaration impossible.

Azerbaijan is doing everything to make peace in the region impossible. The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan adopted statements on October 6, 2022 in Prague and on October 31 in Sochi, according to which Armenia and Azerbaijan recognize each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty based on the UN Charter and the Alma-Ata Declaration of 1991, and the delimitation process between the two countries should take place exclusively on this basis. Despite this, on March 18, the president of Azerbaijan again announced that the border delimitation should take place under the conditions set by Azerbaijan and has been continuously talking about some kind of historical maps for a long time.

Azerbaijan not only keeps under occupation the sovereign territories of the Republic of Armenia illegally seized on May 12 and November 17, 2021, and September 2022, but also introduced the so-called "Western Azerbaijan" discourse and declares practically the entire territory of the Republic of Armenia an Azerbaijani territory.

This is an open _expression_ of aspirations towards practically the entire sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia. Azerbaijan also threatens Armenia if the latter does not submit to these aspirations.

Azerbaijan continues the gross violations of the trilateral and quadrilateral declarations adopted in various formats, and in practice there is not a single provision of these declarations that Azerbaijan has not violated, starting with the illegal closure of the Lachin Corridor, and continuing to keep Armenian prisoners, hostages, and other detained persons in illegal detention until today, and ending with obstructing the opening of regional communications with groundless “corridor” talk.

Moreover, the president of Azerbaijan has violated the commitment he made on February 18, 2023, which is about discussing the issue of the rights and guarantees with the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Just a few weeks after that announcement, Azerbaijan announced that it is planning to discuss the issue of "integration of the Armenians of Karabakh", while the statements made in Talish, the illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor, the terrorist attack on March 5 prove that Azerbaijan intends to resolve the issue of the assimilation of the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh at minimum, and Armenia's alarms about official Baku's preparations to subject the Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians to genocide should not be ignored by the international community.

In the discourse of the latest period, Azerbaijan found a new accusation against the Republic of Armenia, accusing it of being mono-ethnic and trying to create the impression that, unlike Armenia, Azerbaijan is a multi-ethnic country. According to the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, 4 national minorities have a mandate in the highest legislative power of the country, while there is nothing like that in Azerbaijan, which considers itself multinational.

The assessment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia is unequivocal. With its aggressive rhetoric and actions, Azerbaijan sees preparations to subject the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh to genocide and launch a renewed aggression against Armenia.

In the existing situation, it is necessary to launch the international mechanisms for the prevention of genocides, send an international fact-finding mission to the Lachin Corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as to directly condemn Azerbaijan's aggressive actions and policies. At the same time, the Republic of Armenia expresses its commitment to the peace agenda on the basis of the trilateral statements of November 9, 2020, January 11, 2021, October 31, 2022 and the quadrilateral statement of October 6, 2022".

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1106679.html?fbclid=IwAR3m4YoZgrVMu8osNTKH82cCNOhdYrPU1i2G9LakUPTFN3hw2UziLNA8kW4

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

Armenia seeks to take Azerbaijan’s non-compliance with ICJ ruling to UN Security Council

Save

Share

11:03, 20 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 20, ARMENPRESS. Armenia is “working” in the direction of raising the issue of Azerbaijan’s non-compliance with the world court order on unblocking the Lachin Corridor at the UN Security Council, the Representative of Armenia on International Legal Matters Yeghishe Kirakosyan told lawmakers Monday.

The United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice (ICJ) - 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 has been blocked by Azerbaijan since 12 December 2022.

Kirakosyan was asked to comment on the matter by Hayastan faction Secretary Artsvik Minasyan at the parliamentary committee on state-legal affairs hearings. Minasyan asked Kiraskoyan whether or not it’s possible for the UN Security Council to consider applying the sanctions under chapter 7 of the UN Charter.

Kirakosyan reiterated that the ICJ ruling is binding and Azerbaijan must comply with it.

“Unfortunately we are facing the reality that Azerbaijan is simply ignoring the ruling, furthermore not only is it ignoring it but it is trying to distort the content of the ruling on the highest official level up to the lowest official level. This was recently seen in the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister’s letter addressed to the UN Secretary General, to which our minister’s letter has been submitted as a response,” he said.

Kirakosyan said that article 94 of the UN Charter provides for a certain narrow description pertaining to the rulings. But attempts in the past to bring rulings on provisional measures before the UN Security Council have failed. The cases related to a permanent member, who exercised its right to veto and the issue didn’t make it to final debates.

“But in our case I think we should work in that direction. I know that our colleagues at the foreign ministry are working in that direction. It is highly important for the matter to enter the agenda at the UN Security Council. And we must maximally utilize all diplomatic channels to ensure a favorable discussion of the issue,” Kirakosyan said.

Taking the issue to the UNSC has two perspectives, he added. First is the formal point of view, there’s article 94 of the charter which gives such an authority to the Security Council. The second logic is chapter 7 of the UN Charter – its mandate for ensuring international peace and security.

“The idea is that the non-fulfillment of this ruling creates risks for international peace and security. So we have the chance to raise this issue at the Security Council at least under two logics. It is obvious that the non-compliance with the court’s decision, that is the continuation of the blockade, creates very serious risks for international security.”

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1106704.html?fbclid=IwAR39i7RFBjpPEPJgQ6_Bxf6JmwZrCYs0h-ec_qmqmBJTdUig90H-1oWe_-0

[Yervant1]

March 20 2023

Armenia Calls For Involving Int'l Mission In Nagorno-Karabakh Settlement -Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan

Muhammad Irfan Published March 20, 2023 | 07:16 PM

Armenia considers it necessary to engage an international fact-finding mission in the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement and hopes that Russia will assist, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said on Monday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th March, 2023) Armenia considers it necessary to engage an international fact-finding mission in the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement and hopes that Russia will assist, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said on Monday.

"Without any diminishing of the role of our Russian partners in the process of establishing a ceasefire in 2020, as well as the role of the Russian peacekeeping contingent ... the current situation demonstrates the need for mechanisms to guarantee the rights and security of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh and international involvement in them. It is necessary to involve international mechanisms for the prevention of genocide, to send an international fact-finding mission to the Lachin corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh. We hope for cooperation with the Russian side on this issue," Mirzoyan said at a joint press conference after a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow.

Lavrov, in turn, expressed appreciation for Armenia's resolve on deployment of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) mission to the Armenian-Azerbaijani border amid rising tensions over the blocked Lachin corridor.

"I would like to express satisfaction with what Ararat Samveli (Mirzoyan) just said, specifically that Armenia has not refused to sign the decision on the CSTO mission deployment," the top Russian diplomat said.

Since December 12, 2022, the Lachin corridor, which runs through the Lachin district of Azerbaijan to link Armenia with the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave, has been blocked by a group of people from Azerbaijan described by Baku as environmental activists protesting alleged Armenian illegal mining in the area.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has repeatedly said that the corridor's blockade violates the ceasefire declaration brokered by Russia between Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2020. The document delegated control of the Lachin corridor to Russian peacekeepers deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh. In late December 2022, Pashinyan alleged that the peacekeepers did not fulfill their obligations, a claim that was dismissed by Moscow.

https://www.urdupoint.com/en/world/armenia-calls-for-involving-intl-mission-in-1662496.html

[MosJan]

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

Azerbaijan's actions in Talish are proof of genocidal policy – PM

Save

Share

11:24, 23 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 23, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan marked the 100th day of its blockade of Lachin Corridor by cutting off the gas supply to Nagorno Karabakh, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting.

“This happened after the Azerbaijani leader’s speech – which can’t be described anything else than aggressive - in the village of Talish in Nagorno Karabakh, which has been subjected to ethnic cleansing. What happened in Talish village is a substantial, fundamental proof of Azerbaijan’s policy of ethnic cleansing and genocide. In this village – de-populated from Armenians as a result of the 44-Day War, Azerbaijan is demolishing the homes belonging to Armenians by their right to property and is instead building homes intended for Azerbaijanis. What we’ve been alarming about for so long is now reality,” Pashinyan said.

The PM said that by destroying the Armenians’ property in Talish, removing Armenian inscriptions from ancient Armenian monuments, Azerbaijan is showing its model of integration or guarantee of rights and security of Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh.

“These actions are illegal and are explicitly contradicting clause 7 of the 9 November 2020 trilateral statement, which says that internally displaced persons and refugees shall return to the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent areas under the supervision of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. This means that March 18th had to be marked by the Armenian population’s return to Talish, instead of the act of vandalism of destroying their homes,” Pashinyan said.

The Armenian PM noted that these actions by the Azeri leadership were followed by the statement released by the Armenian IDPs of Nagorno Karabakh and adjacent regions.

“As one of the addressees of this statement, I want to clearly underscore that I find their demand to be justified, and the Government of the Republic of Armenia must take all political and diplomatic measures to protect the rights of the authors and beneficiaries of the statement,” Pashinyan said.

Representatives of the forcibly displaced Armenian population of Nagorno Karabakh released a statement on March 20 calling on the UNHCR, PM Pashinyan, Russia’s Putin and Azerbaijan’s Aliyev to organize their return.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1106994.html?fbclid=IwAR3N5kLwSyXaagCwnNycDkxBf0KXeAisr3n8drOk0swTQwdJid7II_ac9QI