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

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Azatutyun.am

 

Former Pashinian Ally Calls For Reviving 2020 Truce Accord With Baku

Փետրվար 19, 2025

• Ruzanna Stepanian

 

Armenia - Bright Armenia Party leader Edmon Marukian, July 23, 2024.

 

Armenia must seek to revive the Russian-brokered agreement that stopped the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh if it is to prevent another Azerbaijani military aggression, a former political ally of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian insisted on Wednesday.

Edmon Marukian, who leads the opposition Bright Armenia Party, said that Azerbaijan is planning to invade Armenia to open a land corridor to its Nakhichevan exclave.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev implicitly threatened such military action last month. He again accused Yerevan of not complying with Paragraph 9 of the 2020 ceasefire agreement that commits it to opening transport links between Nakhichevan and the rest of Azerbaijan through Armenia’s strategic Syunik province.

The clause also stipulates that Russian border guards will “control” the movement of people, vehicles and goods through Syunik. The Armenian government, which is increasingly at loggerheads with Moscow, says this does not mean that they can have any “physical presence” along the would-be transit routes.

The government has offered to put in place “simplified procedures” for people and cargo transported to and from Nakhichevan. Earlier this month, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry brushed aside relevant Armenian proposals made last October. Pashinian claimed, meanwhile, that Baku may be preparing the ground to attack Armenia.

In an interview with RFE/RL’s Armenian Service, Marukian said that the only way to prevent such an attack is to “return to the November 9 [2020] platform” established by the truce accord. He said Yerevan should link the opening of a Russian-controlled corridor for Nakhichevan to Baku’s compliance with the other provisions of the accord and the Karabakh Armenian’s right to return to Karabakh. He seemed to suggest that Moscow is in a position to pressure Aliyev to agree to their repatriation and self-rule.

Members of Pashinian’s political team made last week ambiguous statements about his current terms for opening the transport links for Nakhichevan, fueling opposition claims that Yerevan may have agreed to an extraterritorial corridor demanded by Baku. Two senior pro-government lawmakers pointedly declined to say whether Pashinian’s proposals sent to Baku stipulate that Azerbaijani travelers and cargo will be checked by Armenian border and customs officers.

Marukian claimed that Pashinian is now considering opening such a corridor “in return for nothing.”

“If they don’t return to the November 9 platform, that corridor will become a reality,” he said.

Like other opposition leaders, Marukian blamed Pashinian for Armenia’s defeat in the 2020 war and demanded his resignation in the wake of it. But he accepted the premier’s offer to become ambassador-at-large after his party fared poorly in the 2021 snap elections. He resigned a year ago, saying that Pashinian’s strategy of resolving the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict has been a complete failure and will not bring peace.

 

 

https://www.azatutyun.am/a/33320774.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawIjTcFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHSfbekrH3uTaHdKk-WbDn5sM8R9b5TvdQrALLZdHnjUP47l9UVNUoZUORw_aem_ssyGWzTsOhRLwQbi8Zxw5A

[Yervant1]

 

MediaMax, Armenia
Feb 21 2025

Armen Darbinian: Armenia and Russia need to take a sober look at history, the present and the future
 

At the end of January, we reported  about the publication of the analytical report by the Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO) of the Russian Academy of Sciences “Armenia’s foreign policy at a crossroads: the crisis of multi-vector approach”.

 

The full report is available at this link.

 

At Mediamax’s request, former Prime Minister of Armenia, Professor Armen Darbinyan provided comments on the IMEMO report.

 

It was a clear choice of the Russian vector

 

Describing Armenia’s policy before the turn in 2020 as “multi-vector” is possible only with the propagandistic goal of consolidating this thesis in the Russian public consciousness. In the Armenian public consciousness, it was not, is not and will not be as such, even if you put enough intellectual effort into it. The Armenian community (both inside and outside Armenia) is absolutely convinced of the pro-Russian vector of the foreign policy before the second Karabakh war, given the unlimited access of Russian state monopolies to resources, a monopoly position in the Armenian infrastructure, identical votes in the UN, verification and obtaining permission for any foreign policy actions, mandatory personnel approvals for positions in the Foreign and Defense ministries. It was a clear choice of one vector - the Russian one. Some pro-Western “antics” did not count at all: both in the West and in Russia, everyone understood perfectly well that they were not serious.

 

An ally or a mediator?

 

The fact that Russia did not want to become a party to the conflict but wanted to remain only a mediator made reasonable and unbiased analysts in Armenia that Russia suspect that Russia did not want to resolve the conflict; it was in Russia’s interests to remain an eternal mediator, offering either a carrot or a stick to the parties of the conflict (by the way, three parties, not two - Karabakh has always been a separate party, closest to Russia). For the overwhelming majority of Armenians, Russia was perceived not as a mediator, but as an ally that guaranteed the right of the Armenians of Karabakh to live on their own land, as well as, of course, the inviolability of the ancestral Armenian borders.

 

The thesis does not stand up to criticism

 

In the space of scientific analytics, the narrative that “Armenia itself did not become a direct participant in the conflict” is incorrect. It was only an unsuccessful attempt by official Armenia to distance itself from the military conflict in order to avoid being accused of occupation actions. This thesis does not stand up to criticism even from a formal point of view: since 1999, the OSCE Minsk Group and all three co-chairs of the Group have negotiated only with Armenia, not with Karabakh, Armenian conscripts served in Karabakh, Armenia was officially the guarantor of the security of the NKR.

 

Subtle hint that remains unnoticed

 

The narrative about the “cultural and historical heritage” of Armenians and Armenia, the “cultural and civilizational” commonality with Russia, the “centuries-old positive experience of relations with Russia” runs like a red line throughout the report. There is a subtle hint here, and it is a pity that Russia prefers not to notice it: the cultural and historical heritage of Armenians includes a huge layer of the so-called Western Armenia, which lacks such commonality with Russia.

 

The USSR used this subtlety very well: the Armenian Diaspora in the West was mainly a conductor and a very effective lobbyist for the interests of the Soviet Union. Unfortunately, Russia has lost this asset by now. Furthermore, two centuries of a joint journey do not constitute “many” centuries: “many” centuries means more than two centuries at least. We need to get rid of propaganda terminology, and take a sober and honest look at history, the present, and the future. It is also important to understand that Armenia is not “re-evaluating” its own cultural and historical heritage, but simply attempts to move away from ideological cliches and objectively examine historical facts in their variety. And in the context of Armenian-Russian relations, unfortunately, they are not only “positive”. It is enough to recall the tandem of Lenin and Ataturk, as well as many other things.

 

Real multi-vector approach

 

And, of course, I cannot agree with the conclusion of the report about two scenarios - either the death of statehood, or the Russian vector. Meanwhile, the third scenario is indicated in the very title of the report - it is the MULTI-VECTOR approach. Real, not imaginary and not sham as it used to be prior to 2020. At the same time, the task of Armenian analysts and politicians is to show and prove Russia’s BENEFIT from the Armenian multi-vector approach (it exists, it is considerable, in some instances even irreplaceable), and the task of Russian analysts and politicians is to take a broader look at Armenia and the Armenian factor in world politics and not perceive it as an appendix.

https://mediamax.am/en/news/foreignpolicy/57028/

[Yervant1]

Azatutyun.am

 

Azeri Corridor Through Armenia ‘Part Of Peace Deal Sought By Baku’

Փետրվար 21, 2025

 

 

One of the two sticking points in Armenian-Azerbaijani talks on a bilateral peace treaty relates to Azerbaijan’s demands for a land corridor to its Nakhichevan exclave passing through Armenia, a senior official in Baku claimed on Friday.

“At the moment, 15 out of 17 points of the peace agreement have been agreed upon,” Ziyafet Askerov, a deputy speaker of the Azerbaijani parliament was quoted by the Trend news agency as saying. “One of the two points that have not been agreed upon concerns the opening of the Zangezur corridor. The second point concerns territorial claims enshrined in Armenia’s constitution.”

Askerov’s Armenian opposite number, Ruben Rubinian, denied his claim. “This is absolutely not true,” Rubinian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.

Askerov seemed to contradict Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s remarks made in December. Aliyev said the two remaining articles of the draft treaty put forward by Baku would require the two sides to drop international lawsuits filed against each other and ban the presence of third-party monitors or troops on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian essentially confirmed this afterwards, a fact emphasized by Rubinian.

Also, a senior aide to Aliyev said last summer that Baku and Yerevan have agreed to exclude the issue of transport links for Nakhichevan from the text of the peace deal and to address it separately.

The Azerbaijani side wants people and cargo transported to and from Nakhichevan through Armenia’s Syunik province to be exempt from Armenian border checks. Yerevan has rejected these demands, at least until recently. But it has also offered to put in place “simplified procedures” for such transit.

Members of Pashinian’s political team made last week ambiguous statements about his current terms for opening the transport links for Nakhichevan, fueling Armenian opposition claims that Yerevan may have agreed to the extraterritorial corridor demanded by Baku. Opposition leaders say Pashinian has also accepted Aliyev’s demand to change the Armenian constitution.

Aliyev has also set other conditions for signing the peace deal sought by Pashinian.

 

 

https://www.azatutyun.am/a/33323427.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawImXyRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHa9sVt_NsDwy9cG5P5WatUrBFkQwlD1DEEOTwJWBSx8KUrjVU4BIDT3F-Q_aem_RUUSmVzeY3YNvEw-TzM9Rw

[Yervant1]

Asbarez.com

 

Opposition Lawmaker Calls on EU to Impose Sanctions on Azerbaijan

by Asbarez Staff

 

 February 25, 2025

 

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

 

The EU-Armenia Parliamentary Committee meets in Yerevan on Feb. 25

 

An opposition lawmaker on Tuesday called on the European Union to impose sanctions on Azerbaijan.

Levon Kocharyan, a member of the opposition Hayastan alliance, who was speaking at the EU-Armenia Parliamentary Committee meeting currently underway in Yerevan, cited Azerbaijan’s ongoing violations of international law for his appeal to the EU.

“The forced displacement of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh is a serious violation of international law. We call on the EU to make efforts in order for the displaced persons to be able to safely return under international protection, and we call for support to achieve the release of all Armenian prisoners held in Baku,” Kocharyan said.

Opposition lawmaker Levon Kocharyan in parliament on Feb. 25

He also praised the European Parliament for calling out Azerbaijan for its aggression and ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh.

“The statements about the right to return of the displaced persons, the release of detainees and prisoners, protection of Armenian cultural heritage are highly important steps for accountability and justice. These measures are important not only for addressing the injustice of the past, but also ensuring long-term regional stability. This must remain a priority for both the EU and the international community,” Kocharyan explained.

A discussion was also held during the joint forum about the sham trials currently underway in Baku of Artsakh leaders, who were taken captive soon after Azerbaijan launched an attack on Artsakh in September 2023, forcing the displacement of the local Armenian population.

Speaking at the parliamentary forum, Armenia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Paruyr Hovhannisyan said that the fact that Armenians are still being held captive in Azerbaijan is “shameful.”

“Our prisoners are still there, which is a shameful process for Baku. We ask all our partners to be involved in the efforts that we are making for peace,” Hovhannisyan said.

Speaking about the Turkey-Armenia normalization process, Hovhannisyan said that Armenia has taken many steps in this process.

Official Ankara continues to push the signing of a peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan that favors Baku as a precondition for normalizing relations with Armenia.

A member of the European Parliament, Nils Ušakovs, from Latvia, on Tuesday urged Turkey to separate the opening of the border with Armenia from the Yerevan-Baku normalization process.

“We call on Ankara to separate border issues from the Armenia-Azerbaijan relations agenda,” Ušakovs said during the EU-Armenia Parliamentary Council meeting.

Ušakovs emphasized that the EU is interested in the Armenian government’s 
“Crossroads of Peace” initiative, describing the implementation of the project as highly important for the entire region.

He highlighted that Armenia must be able to freely choose a European future, which implies also economic diversification, which is yet another reason to focus on opening of connection routes.

 

 

https://asbarez.com/opposition-lawmaker-calls-on-eu-to-impose-sanctions-on-azerbaijan/?fbclid=IwY2xjawIrfztleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHRNWzvhoYUDITctSAuBVtQ1hUgfVHVxRXD_JqVg-QSKeghRo3q-xNzFLmw_aem_abEBstHFxA8oIPCEI-v6bw

[Yervant1]

Azatutyun.am

 

Armenia Sees New Deal With EU

Փետրվար 25, 2025

• Artak Khulian

 

Armenia- The EU-Armenia Parliamentary Partnership Committee meets in Yerevan, February 25, 2025.

 

The European Union and Armenia are close to finalizing a new agreement to deepen their relations, a senior Armenian diplomat said on Tuesday.

Deputy Foreign Minister Paruyr Hovannisian said talks on the agreement are nearing conclusion. But he did not reveal its key details.

“This is a paper which would amend the existing legal framework and deepen our relations,” he told Armenian and EU lawmakers holding in Yerevan a regular session of their joint Parliamentary Partnership Committee.

The main element of that framework is the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) signed by Brussels and Yerevan in 2017. The two sides announced plans to negotiate a more ambitious “partnership agenda” a year ago amid Armenia’s deepening rift with Russia. EU officials made clear at the time that it will not offer the South Caucasus nation the prospect of an eventual membership in the 27-nation bloc.

Earlier this month, the Armenian parliament approved a government-backed bill calling for the “start of a process of Armenia's accession to the European Union.” Hovannisian reiterated that the bill criticized by Moscow does not constitute an EU membership bid.

There was no word on such a bid in the official readout of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s meeting with European members of the parliamentary panel held on Monday. Pashinian’s press office also said nothing about it in a statement on his talks with European Council President Antonio Costa held in Munich on February 14.

It thus remains unclear whether Pashinian’s administration is now planning follow up the bill in question which Armenian opposition leaders say could have severe consequences for the domestic economy heavily dependent on Russia’s vast market, cheap energy resources and capital inflows.

According to Armenian government data, the EU accounted for only 7.5 percent of Armenia’s foreign trade in January-November 2024, compared with Russia’s 41 percent share.

“I want to stress that that the EU-Armenia relations have never been stronger and closer,” Vassilis Maragos, head of the EU Delegation in Yerevan, told the committee meeting. They are “grounded in shared democratic values,” he said.

 

 

https://www.azatutyun.am/a/33327660.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawIriQhleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHcevB4qss1XbkZ-QcDl_GWeiWLaB1M_k5-doadnbly0ZkrmieQ799-L56g_aem_ay9o111Rc1R9jDpKyB8V-A

[Yervant1]

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Azatutyun.am

 

Armenian Official Complains About Azeri Statements On Peace Deal

Փետրվար 25, 2025

• Shoghik Galstian

 

Armenia - Arman Yeghoyan, head of a parliament committee on European integration, speaks at a parliamentary hearing, Yerevan, June 21, 2024.

 

A senior Armenian lawmaker complained on Tuesday that Azerbaijan is making it harder for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s administration to enact a new Armenian constitution by continuing to publicly demand such a change.

Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Elnur Mammadov reiterated on Monday that an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace deal is conditional on a change of Armenia’s constitution which Baku says lays claim to Nagorno-Karabakh.

“We are waiting for Armenia to overcome the main obstacle in the settlement process by legally abandoning territorial claims to Azerbaijan through constitutional changes,” he told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Arman Yeghoyan, the chairman of the Armenian parliament committee on European integration affiliated with Pashinian’s Civil Contract party, criticized Mammadov’s remarks.

“I regard that statement as an obstacle to the constitutional reforms in Armenia,” said Yeghoyan. “With such statements, Azerbaijan’s representatives, being well aware of the reaction they will generate in Armenia, want to scuttle the constitutional reforms in Armenia.”

Baku specifically wants Yerevan to remove a constitutional preamble that mentions Armenia’s 1990 declaration of independence, which in turn cites a 1989 unification act adopted by the legislative bodies of Soviet Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast. The only legal way to do that is to adopt a new constitution.

Kristine Vartanian, a parliament deputy from the opposition Hayastan alliance, insisted on Tuesday that the Azerbaijani demands are the reason why Pashinian wants to change the Armenian constitution in the first place.

“Azerbaijan wants not only a deal with Nikol Pashinian and Civil Contract but a deal with all Armenians that would be formalized by a referendum,” she said.

Pashinian and his political team deny planning the constitutional referendum at the behest of Baku. But the prime minister did say in February 2024 that peace with Azerbaijan will be impossible as long as the 1990 declaration is referenced in the current constitution.

Pashinian again made a case for a new constitution in an hour-long video address to the nation aired last week. His justice minister, Srbuhi Galian, said the next day that a government panel headed by her will “do everything” to draft it before the country’s next general elections expected in June 2026. Galian did not rule out that the preamble will be excluded from the draft.

 

 

https://www.azatutyun.am/a/33327931.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawIriTJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHYQ0jv3zNx-67IIt2sIFxU7HrHEpEeBNmmo25meR-bqRsGon-DVqbfGUZQ_aem_6ycLVOGb2qaNAbZtH4fvVg

[Yervant1]

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Washington Examiner

Feb 26 2025

 

 

Has Trump greenlit aggression on Armenia?

 

ByMichael Rubin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During their campaign, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance both cultivated the Armenian community and promised to right the wrongs inflicted on Armenians during the Biden administration.

Writing on Truth Social on Oct. 23, 2024, Trump pledged, “I will protect persecuted Christians, I will work to stop the violence and ethnic cleansing, and we will restore PEACE between Armenia and Azerbaijan.”

 

Later that day, Vance echoed this commitment. “The United States should fight against the persecution of Christians all over the world.” Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio also sided with Armenia against external aggression.

The betrayal looming for Armenians may surpass that of the previous administration, which swore that the U.S. would not tolerate ethnic cleansing only to culminate with U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Mark Libby symbolically celebrating it by participating in an Azerbaijan-sponsored propaganda tour of towns cleansed of their Armenians.

The problem is Russia. Beyond the Baltic States, no country other than Ukraine has pivoted further to the West than Armenia. In the 1990s, as Armenia first sought to detach itself from Russian diplomatic domination, a Russian-backed terrorist attack decapitated the government, killing the reform-minded Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan, National Assembly Speaker Karen Demirchyan, two deputy speakers, a minister, and three members of Parliament.

 

In 2018, Armenians again pivoted away from Russia as protests against Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan’s third term culminated in a popular revolution. One reason Russia betrayed Armenia in the face of Azerbaijani aggression against both Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia proper was the Kremlin’s cynical belief that Armenians would reject the post-2018 order and pivot back to Moscow. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan lost internal support, but Armenians continued to reject the status quo ante. Subsequent assassination and coup plots likewise backfired. Whenever Russia clumsily sought to interfere, the backlash drove a wedge further into Russia-Armenia ties.

Pashinyan, meanwhile, antagonized Russian President Vladimir Putin further, embarrassing him at summits and tilting even further toward Washington.

With Putin poised to seize the initiative and perhaps even win the Ukraine war, Russian power is resurgent. The problem for Armenia is that Putin, as a former KGB agent, has a mindset antagonistic to democracy and holds a grudge. Should Russia consolidate diplomatic, if not territorial, control over Ukraine, the outcome to which the Trump and Vance policies would lead, then pro-Western, democratic Armenia will be in the crosshairs.

Perhaps the spark will be a false flag — the assassination of a Russian diplomat or businessman in Yerevan, for example — or perhaps Putin will dispense with any excuse to make the lesson stark. Either way, Armenians should expect the noose to tighten. Russia will cut off fuel deliveries, freezing Armenians and grinding industry to a halt. Armenian exports into Russia-dominated Georgia will end next. Then, as far as Putin is concerned, it will just be a waiting game until Armenians flee their country or accept Russian domination.

 

TRUMP’S COMMENTS ABOUT ‘ETHNIC CLEANSING’ LEAVE ARMENIANS ‘CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC’

Perhaps France will help Armenians for a time, but Putin calculates this will be too little too late. If the U.S. is not willing to help the far more strategically significant Ukraine, under what logic would it risk Russian antagonism to help Armenia?

What happens to Ukraine will not end in Ukraine. Trump, Vance, Gabbard, and others said all the right things during the campaign, but the time is now for them to explain whether they were treating Armenian Americans for fools or if they have some unknown or undefined strategy to prevent Armenia from becoming Putin’s idea of Ukraine 2.0.

Michael Rubin is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. He is the director of analysis at the Middle East Forum and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/beltway-confidential/3328056/has-trump-greenlighted-aggression-armenia/ 

[Yervant1]

Feb 28 2025

 

 

COMMENT: Armenia, the last man standing

By Richard Giragosian in Yerevan February 28, 2025

 

 

After recent meetings with American and European officials, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan remains committed to steering his country closer to the West.  But in a neighbourhood of authoritarian strongmen, the Armenian leader is increasingly isolated and exposed as the sole democratic statesman left standing in the region.  And with expectations of a resurgent Russia, an adamant Azerbaijan and a troubled Turkey, Armenia’s Westward pivot is likely to face mounting challenges and meagre choices.

Pashinyan has only accelerated his desire to steer Armenia much closer to the West.  Pursuing a policy to simultaneously distance the country from Russia, Pashinyan’s accelerated “pivot to the West” strategy also gained fresh momentum in February, with three key visits, to Washington, Paris and Munich.   

This three-pronged Westward drive opened with a four-day visit to Washington in early February, with the Armenian leader meeting with the US Vice President JD Vance in the White House, conferring with several members of Congress and addressing Washington-based think-tanks. The Washington visit was followed days later by a visit to Paris to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron, a strong supporter of Armenia.  

This second leg of Pashinyan’s strategy also revealed the Armenian emphasis on deepening ties with Europe on two levels: institutional linkage with the EU itself, while also focusing on relations with individual EU member states.

The Armenian leader’s third visit this month, to the Munich Security Conference, also highlighted Armenia’s reassertion of a bolder and more independent foreign policy, especially after years of submission and subordination to Russia.  This was evident in Pashinyan’s courting of several EU leaders in Munich, which was only bolstered by a fresh pro-EU display back home in Armenia.

Armenian parliament’s EU aspirations

Beyond the prime minister’s February meetings in the West, domestic developments in Armenia only strengthened this pivot to the West. After a public campaign last year by pro-Western and pro-government groups advocating EU membership, the Armenian parliament adopted a bill in January heralding the “start of a process of Armenia’s accession to the European Union”.

Although the move by parliament espousing Armenia’s EU aspirations was not a surprise given the dramatic shift in public opinion in the country, the Armenian government is both more cautious and more realistic.

Despite the Armenian government’s pursuit of a more assertive strategy to “diversify” its security and foreign policy away from any reliance on Russia, there is still a pronounced degree of prudence and caution, driven by a more realistic assessment of Armenia’s options. The necessity for this Armenian caution in a more prudent policy stems from three factors. 

Recognising Russia’s economic leverage

The first consideration that tends to temper Armenian aspirations is rooted less in security or foreign policy, but rather, in the significance of Armenia’s economic dependence on Russia. In this context, for much of 2024, it was Russia that accounted for over 41% of Armenian foreign trade. And compared to the 7.5% share of trade with the EU for the same period, Armenian trade remains dominated by Russia, which was firmly the leading trading partner, with the bilateral Armenian-Russian trade volume surpassing $3bn in 2023. Beyond the trade statistics, for the average Armenian consumer, it is the subsidised price of Armenian imports of Russian natural gas that exerts the greatest leverage of economic dependence on Russia. 

This economic aspect of Russian leverage has only been matched by Armenian membership in the Russian-dominated Eurasian Economic Union (EaEU), which serves as an inherent impediment to Armenia’s economic and trade potential with the EU. In fact, Armenia’s membership in that Eurasian trade bloc actually precludes any Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) with the EU and legally prevents Armenian EU membership. 

For all these reasons, the Pashinyan government feels appropriately cautious and carefully navigates its resistance of the gravitational pull from the Russian economic orbit.

Mounting challenges and meagre choices

The second factor limiting Armenia’s room to manoeuvre centres on its relations with Russia, Azerbaijan and Turkey. Its geographic isolation in the South Caucasus, a region that has long served as an arena for confrontation for much larger powers, has left Armenia cut off from the West. Moreover, the simmering instability along Armenia’s borders has now become multiplied and magnified.

In this immediate neighbourhood, Armenia continues to be challenged by an unwelcoming and unrewarding geography. To the east, Armenia borders a recalcitrant Azerbaijan eager to sustain conflict with Armenia and still refusing to prioritise diplomacy over force of arms.  Looking westward, Turkey remains a neighbour reluctant to “normalise” relations with Armenia and whose military and diplomatic support for Azerbaijan has only impeded post-war stability.  

Such an east-west axis of instability is further exacerbated by developments to the North and South.  Armenia’s southern neighbour, Iran, is a particularly daunting partner, whose own isolation and destabilising interests have imposed severe limits on potential trade and cooperation. And to the north, recent developments in Georgia have greatly worried Armenia. Pursuing a pronounced policy of accommodating Russia while defying its own population, the Georgian leadership has contributed to an abrupt geopolitical recalculation.  

This Georgian shift to an embrace of Russia and disdain for the West removes an important buffer for Armenia, which has no border with Russia. After several years of literally hiding behind Georgia, benefitting from the dividends from Georgian aspirations to join both the EU and the Nato alliance, Armenia is now becoming much more exposed in its pivot to the West. 

Last man standing

Against that backdrop of the difficult geography of its immediate neighbourhood, Armenia faces an even more serious from a third trend, driven by a broader global realignment that started in Washington. This trend, marked by a sudden reversal of US foreign policy, poses an immediate danger for Armenia, as Washington is moving swiftly to embrace Moscow and encourage authoritarian power. This is now increasingly evident in the Trump Administration’s aggressive turn against Ukraine. The danger for Armenia stems from its vulnerability as the sole remaining democracy in the South Caucasus.

And for Pashinyan, as a possible “sole survivor”, he is quickly becoming cursed as the “last man standing” in a region bereft of partners and beset by the proximity of authoritarian powers led by a resurgent Russia. 

Richard Giragosian is the director of the Regional Studies Center (RSC), an independent think-tank in Armenia.

https://www.bne.eu/comment-armenia-the-last-man-standing-369674/?source=armenia

[Yervant1]

ARKA, Armenia

Feb 28 2025

 

 

Greece ready to support reforms in Armenian Armed Forces

28.02.2025, 10:33

Greek National Defense Minister Nikolaos Dendias expressed readiness to support the reforms in the Armenian Armed Forces at a meeting with Armenian First Deputy Defense Minister, Chief of General Staff Edvard Asryan.

YEREVAN, February 28. /ARKA/. Greek National Defense Minister Nikolaos Dendias expressed readiness to support the reforms in the Armenian Armed Forces at a meeting with Armenian First Deputy Defense Minister, Chief of General Staff Edvard Asryan.
The press service of the Armenian Defense Ministry reports that during the meeting issues related to Armenia-Greece cooperation in the defense field, as well as regional security issues were discussed.

 

https://arka.am/en/news/politics/greece-ready-to-support-reforms-in-armenian-armed-forces/

[MosJan]

 

[MosJan]

understand human rights, I understand that some people will take freedom of speech to another level  basically abusing it, I also understand that whenever kids wives mothers are mixed in his "freedom of speech" basically Faull language some will get offended might get to stay in USA, but now his  location is  known, he will pay this way or the other..  people who he has offended  has  long rich 

[Yervant1]

Volcano Discovery

March 8 2025

 

 

 

Moderate magnitude 4.7 earthquake 17 km northwest of Vanadzor, Armenia

 

An earthquake of magnitude 4.7 occurred only 12 minutes ago 17 km northwest of Vanadzor, Armenia, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) reported.

The quake hit at a very shallow depth of 7. km beneath the epicenter near Vanadzor, Lori, Armenia, in the morning on Saturday, March 8th, 2025, at 9:27 am local time. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.

Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake was probably felt by many people in the area of the epicenter. It should not have caused significant damage, other than objects falling from shelves, broken windows, etc.

 

In Arevashogh (pop. 2,400) located 10 km from the epicenter, Stepanavan (pop. 23,800) 10 km away, Spitak (pop. 15,100) 13 km away, and Vanadzor (pop. 101,100) 17 km away, the quake should have been felt as light shaking.

Weak shaking might have been felt in Gyumri (pop. 148,400) located 46 km from the epicenter, Abovyan (pop. 35,700) 75 km away, and Yerevan (pop. 1,093,500) 83 km away.

Other towns or cities near the epicenter where the quake might have been felt as very weak shaking include Vagharshapat (pop. 46,200) located 84 km from the epicenter, Ejmiatsin (pop. 49,500) 84 km away, and Tbilisi (pop. 1,049,500) 95 km away.

VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you're in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app. This will help us provide more first-hand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this quake.

 

Earthquake data:

Date & time: Mar 8, 2025 09:27 am (GMT +4) local time (8 Mar 2025 05:27 GMT)
Magnitude: 4.7
Depth: 7.00 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude: 40.92°N / 44.36°E  (Lori, Armenia)
Primary data source: EMSC

 

 

https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/it/sismi/news/266600/Moderate-magnitude-47-earthquake-17-km-northwest-of-Vanadzor-Armenia.html

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

 

Politics20:06, 11 March 2025

Armenia and Azerbaijan very close to finalization of the draft of peace agreement - FM Mirzoyan

Read the article in: العربيةՀայերենРусский

Armenia and Azerbaijan are very close to finalization of the draft of peace agreement, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan told WION.

“As for the normalization process between Armenia and Azerbaijan, there I should say that we are very close, I mean Armenia and Azerbaijan, are very close to finalization of the draft of peace agreement between the two countries. And if we succeed to, well, first of all finalize the drafting and then sign the peace treaty, that would be one of the strongest pillars of the peace and stability in South Caucasus. And this comes also to complement some other tricks and negotiations and agreements that we already have with Azerbaijan. For instance, we just, several months ago, succeeded to sign and then ratify the regulation of the works of border commissions working on the delimitation of the border between two states,” said Mirzoyan.

Mirzoyan recalled that Armenia had proposed to Azerbaijan to create joint mutual arms control and verification mechanism.

“So all these tools can help us to establish lasting, long-lasting peace in our region. All the countries that can also have a positive role by welcoming the constructive steps of the two parties, two countries. On the other hand, of course, I should also note that the agreements we have already accomplished with Azerbaijan, they have been accomplished through bilateral direct negotiations. And hopefully we will get there soon,'' said the Foreign Minister.

 

 

 

Published by Armenpress, original at https://armenpress.am/en/article/1214110?fbclid=IwY2xjawI9jNBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHZT0illwPRc6nriz6N8WF3Usu_usbL_e3gx8qYMd2fnMhEu3xynPcAO-6w_aem_twFYO-A9m4XJrO_GwQd11A

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

 

Politics15:51, 12 March 2025

Armenia replies to latest Azeri proposal on peace treaty

Read the article in: EspañolՀայերենქართულიРусский

Armenia has expressed its stance regarding the 12th proposal made by Azerbaijan regarding the draft peace treaty, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan has said.

“We have already expressed our approach regarding Azerbaijan’s 12th proposal on the peace treaty, and soon we will have an opportunity to discuss this approach and overall all issues pertaining to the signing or finalization of that agreement with the Azerbaijan side,” FM Mirzoyan said at a joint press conference with his Dutch counterpart Caspar Veldkamp in Yerevan.

Mirzoyan said that among other issues, Armenia and Azerbaijan are discussing issues such as ruling out the presence of third party forces along their international border, as well as abandoning international lawsuits against each other.

“If the peace treaty is finalized, signed and takes effect, then these points, as well as all other points, are subject to mandatory implementation,” Mirzoyan said.

 

 

 

Published by Armenpress, original at https://armenpress.am/en/article/1214196?fbclid=IwY2xjawI-uM9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHQxXvQSsnzSyhjSw9LHJ2_Eq_BJcT4SbdLmuxS3VYpVdA3HhI8d6eCIJww_aem_Xn8_1O550XXFYYfmBZAt8w

[Yervant1]

Azatutyun.am

 

Latest Azeri Proposals On Peace Deal Accepted By Yerevan (UPDATED)

Մարտ 13, 2025

• Astghik Bedevian
• Ruzanna Stepanian
• Shoghik Galstian

 

Turkey - Flags of Armenia and Azerbaijan are displayed during a meeting of their foreign ministers in Istanbul, October18, 2024.

 

Armenia confirmed on Thursday that it has accepted Azerbaijan’s proposals regarding their remaining differences over a bilateral peace treaty discussed by the two sides.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov made the announcement earlier in the day, saying that Armenia must now press ahead with changing its constitution.

“The process of negotiations on the text of the peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia has already been completed,” Bayramov told journalists, according to Azerbaijani news agencies.

“The work on the text has been completed,” he said. “At the next stage, territorial claims against Azerbaijan should be removed from the constitution of Armenia. In addition, the Minsk Group and its remnants should be abolished.”

In an ensuing statement, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said it has notified Baku about Yerevan’s acceptance of “Azerbaijan's proposals on the two outstanding articles of the draft treaty.” It did not disclose them.

The ministry received those proposals on February 25. Baku was understood to reaffirm its demands for the two South Caucasus countries to withdraw international lawsuits filed against each other and ban the presence of third-party monitors or troops on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

The Armenian government has previously voiced reservations about both demands. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian indicated later on Thursday that it has at least softened those objections.

“When it became obvious that we are not and will not be able to have ideal formulations in this regard we … came to the conclusion that the current content can be considered a compromise option that can be acceptable,” he told journalists.

Pashinian refused to say which concessions, if any, the Azerbaijani side has made for its part.

“Thus, the Peace Treaty is ready for signing,” read the Armenian Foreign Ministry statement. “The Republic of Armenia is ready to begin consultations with the Republic of Azerbaijan on the dates and venue of signing the Treaty.”

President Ilham Aliyev and other Azerbaijani leaders have repeatedly set multiple preconditions for the signing of the peace deal. The most important of them is a change of Armenia’s current constitution which Baku says contains territorial claims to Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry made clear on Thursday that such a change remains “the main condition for signing the negotiated text.”

“We are ready to continue the dialogue on this and other issues related to the normalization of relations between the two countries,” it said in a statement.

While rejecting this demand in public, Pashinian has pledged to try to enact a new Armenian constitution through a referendum. But this is unlikely to happen before June 2026.

Pashinian stated on Wednesday that the new constitution sought by him “may have a regional significance as well.” Armenian opposition leaders portrayed the statement as further proof that it is designed to satisfy Aliyev.

“I consider this a direct admission that the change of Armenia’s constitution is being carried out at the behest of an external party,” said Kristine Vartanian, parliament deputy from the opposition Hayastan alliance. “The external actors making such a demand are Turkey and Azerbaijan.”

Azerbaijan also wants Armenia to open an extraterritorial land corridor to its Nakhichevan exclave. Earlier this month, Pashinian complained about its refusal to accept his proposals regarding transport links for Nakhichevan and again suggested that Baku may be preparing the ground to attack Armenia.

 

 

https://www.azatutyun.am/a/33346747.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawJAM2FleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHdBLYzxvRYF8qwrNMZeGVce6EErR5HHq_JA6TvsXB0vK6e8aTBpqT9mTtw_aem_SLpT_OHZ3OtvrqimxqN2zw

[Yervant1]

U.S. Department of State

March 14 2025

 

 

Time for Peace Between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Press Statement

Marco Rubio, Secretary of State

March 14, 2025

The United States commends Armenia and Azerbaijan for concluding negotiations on a historic peace treaty.  This is an opportunity for both countries to turn the page on a decades old conflict in line with President Trump’s vision for a more peaceful world.  Now is the time to commit to peace, sign and ratify the treaty, and usher in a new era of prosperity for the people.

https://www.state.gov/time-for-peace-between-armenia-and-azerbaijan/le of the South Caucasus.

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

 

Politics17:16, 14 March 2025

Armenia does not accept Azerbaijan’s preconditions after agreement of peace treaty text

Read the article in: FrançaisՀայերենРусский

Armenia does not accept the preconditions set by Azerbaijan before signing the agreed text of the peace agreement between the two countries, is ready to sign the agreement, and has proposed holding consultations on a specific time and place, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan has said.

Addressing the preconditions voiced by Azerbaijan following the announcement by both sides on the completion of negotiations, Mirzoyan stated: "These preconditions have been raised before as well. We have never accepted their legitimacy or considered them part of the agenda. We have never negotiated on them. There was an exchange of views—they stated their demand, and we stated ours, but we do not accept their demand." He noted that setting such preconditions is not a positive development.

"We remain hopeful and ready to proceed with signing. Yesterday, we also proposed starting consultations on a specific time and place. Unfortunately, parallel preconditions are being introduced. We need to work and find a solution," the minister said.

At present, there is no agreement on any meeting in the near future.

"We are always ready to meet and continue discussions," Mirzoyan added.

 

 

 

Published by Armenpress, original at https://armenpress.am/en/article/1214463?fbclid=IwY2xjawJBhIZleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHd7T8o98lkHRULBUjEIDgxxsP7Em2ek0JDjUG-yRKzSvH2WEGAOXeC1OQw_aem_B-vVgQUh_L8nPPO__uyHMg

[Yervant1]

Azatutyun.am

 

U.S., EU Call For Quick Signing Of Armenian-Azeri Peace Deal

Մարտ 14, 2025

 

Canada- U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the foreign ministers of Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Britain, Japan and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas pose for a family photo in Quebec, March 13, 2025.

 

The United States and the European Union on Friday urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to swiftly sign a bilateral peace treaty finalized by them after years of negotiation.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised the two South Caucasus nations the day after they announced that they have bridged their remaining differences on the text of the draft treaty.

“This is an opportunity for both countries to turn the page on a decades-old conflict in line with President Trump’s vision for a more peaceful world,” Rubio said in a statement. “Now is the time to commit to peace, sign and ratify the treaty, and usher in a new era of prosperity for the people of the South Caucasus.”

Antonio Costa, the president of the EU’s decision-making Council, also hailed the “decisive step towards the full normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the opening of the region.”

“I now encourage you to move forward with a swift signature of the peace agreement,” Costa wrote on X, appealing to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

In a separate statement, the EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, praised Armenia for “paving the way for the finalization of the text.” Germany’s outgoing Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock was more specific in this regard, saying that the breakthrough was made possible by Yerevan’s “courageous concessions” to Baku.

The Armenian government acknowledged on Thursday that it accepted Azerbaijani proposals regarding two of the 17 articles of the draft treaty that had not yet been agreed upon. It did not say what concessions, if any, the Azerbaijani side made for its part.

Even after the announced agreement, Baku continued to make the signing of the treaty conditional on a change of Armenia’s constitution. It has also set other conditions for ending the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. Neither the U.S. nor the EU has publicly commented on the Azerbaijani demands so far.

 

 

https://www.azatutyun.am/a/33348183.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawJBjt1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHQXDMdxBk76ZokF7Z_G8HsHriBltGml9Nix-PLneqxIgbuIMyvQpbLPqNQ_aem_vQlJi0aGw7FE4No17piYKw

[MosJan]

things are changing 

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[MosJan]

playing a Nelson Mandela 

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