Weekly update
29 May
The Foreign Service of the EU has welcomed the offer to place observers on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, urging the parties to start talks on the border delimitation. The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Nikol Pashinyan had suggested that Armenia and Azerbaijan should simultaneously withdraw their troops from the border and allow international observers to be deployed there. On May 13, Yerevan stated that Azerbaijani militaries entered the territory of the Syunik and Gegarkunik Regions of Armenia. All the troops should withdraw to the positions they held before May 12, 2021, and the parties to the conflict should start negotiations on the border delimitation and demarcation, says the document posted on the EU's Foreign Service (EFS) website. The EFS has also announced the need to release all the prisoners of war (POWs) and detainees. "We welcome all the efforts aimed at reducing tensions, including offers for a possible international observer mission," the statement reads.
https://www.eng.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/55676/
28 May
Caretaker Defense Minister of Armenia Vagharshak Harutyunyan met in Moscow with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoygu on May 28. According to armenpress.am the Armenian Minister presented to his Russian colleague details about the infiltration of Azerbaijani servicemen into the Armenian territory and the actions taken by the Armenian Armed Forces. Vagharshak Harutyunyan emphasized that the Azerbaijani provocations carried out under false pretext of ‘’border clarifications’’ are extremely inadmissible and the Azerbaijani units must immediately withdraw from the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia. The sides observed the possible options for solving the situation and reached an agreement on steps necessary for that.
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1053766.html?fbclid=IwAR22GGQ18OnOdzZTGmbG7TtoTayPIUlTjRgK8q-NHhSJAWUf6bwd8wjkf-A
27 May
Six Armenian soldiers were captured by Azerbaijani forces early on Thursday in a continuing military standoff on Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan. The Armenian Defense Ministry said the soldiers were “surrounded and taken prisoner” while fortifying their border post in Armenia’s eastern Gegharkunik province. The incident came two days after another Armenian soldier serving in Gegharkunik was killed by Azerbaijani forces in what was the first shootout reported during the border standoff. Azerbaijani forces reportedly advanced several kilometers into Gegharkunik and another Armenian border region, Syunik, two weeks ago. Moscow has also tried to ease the ongoing standoff by calling on Armenia and Azerbaijan to set up a commission on border demarcation and offering to facilitate its work. Pashinian on Wednesday publicly made the creation of such a body conditional on the Azerbaijani troops’ withdrawal from the Armenian border areas and the release of more than 100 Armenian prisoners remaining in Azerbaijani captivity.
https://www.azatutyun.am/a/31276309.html
26 May
As Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Wednesday was criticizing the Collective Security Treaty Organization, to which Armenia officially appealed for help after Azerbaijani forces breached Armenia’s border, the Russia-led security body announced that it had “taken note” of Armenia’s appeal. According to asbarez.com, speaking at the National Assembly on Wednesday, Pashinyan also criticized the CSTO for not siding with Armenia publicly on the matter and said Yerevan is not satisfied with the “pace” of the CSTO’s response. Citing a security agreement between Russia and Armenia, Pashinyan also appealed to Russia for help in the Azerbaijani border breach issue on May 14. He has also demanded the release of all Armenian political prisoners and captives being held in Baku.This comes as a May 31 deadline looms for the creation of a committee to delineate and demarcate the border of Armenia and Azerbaijan as set forth by a plan proposed by Russia, the details of which were leaked last week forcing Pashinyan to confirm that he had agreed to signing yet another secret agreement that could jeopardize Armenia’s sovereignty.
http://asbarez.com/202776/pashinyan-criticizes-csto-which-says-it-has-taken-note-of-armenias-appeal/?fbclid=IwAR1_H5xEzNnjFwh1LCSSgkMnB6J3S8lawk6m7iOCH3JfcP5VdtnL9V7JqYQ
25 May
An Armenian soldier was killed on May 25 in a border shootout with Azerbaijani forces, the Armenian Defense Ministry said, amid tensions after last year's war over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. In line with rferl.org, "One serviceman has been killed as a result of a shoot-out that followed the opening of fire by Azerbaijani troops" at a border position in eastern Armenia, the ministry said in a statement. Under the cease-fire, a chunk of Nagorno-Karabakh and all seven districts around it were placed under Azerbaijani administration after almost 30 years of control by ethnic Armenian forces. Earlier this month, Armenia accused Azerbaijan's military of crossing the southern border in an "infiltration" to "lay siege" to a lake that is shared by the two countries, with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian saying that up to 600 Azerbaijani troops remained on Armenian territory.
https://www.rferl.org/a/armenia-azerbaijan-shootout-soldier-killed/31273112.html
24 May
Dozens of U.S. House members joined Rep. David G. Valadao (R-CA) and fellow Congressional Armenian Caucus leaders in a bipartisan call upon the Biden Administration to stop all U.S. military assistance that contributes directly or indirectly to Azerbaijan’s military operations, activities, or capabilities, reported the Armenian National Committee of America, reported asbarez.com. The May 24 Congressional letter also requests an urgent review of the deeply flawed U.S. waiver authority for Section 907 restrictions on U.S. aid to the corrupt Aliyev regime. The Congressional letter was delivered amid Azerbaijan’s dramatic escalation of tensions in the South Caucasus, with reports of 1000 Azerbaijani soldiers having invaded Armenia’s Gegharkunik and Syunik provinces. In the wake of ANCA and alarm bells regarding President Aliyev’s latest anti-Armenian aggression, the U.S. State Department issued a statement calling on Azerbaijan to “pull back all forces immediately and cease further provocation.” President Aliyev also continues to illegally imprison and torture over 200 Armenian prisoners of war, with 19 reportedly having been murdered.
https://asbarez.com/202693/members-of-congress-demand-biden-zero-out-military-aid-to-azerbaijan/
23 May
The latest phone survey about the coming Armenian parliamentary election was released by Marketing Professional Group (MPG) on May 22, 2021. According to evnreport.com, MPG is the Armenian affiliate of Gallup International Association. For clarity, Gallup Inc., based in the U.S., is no longer a member of Gallup International Association. Both entities were founded by American pollster George Gallup.The poll asked 800 Armenian residents a series of questions between May 18 and May 21, 2021, related to the ongoing border crisis and the country’s general political situation. The results confirm a trend, observed from comparing monthly poll results since February,that momentum is shifting away from Pashinyan’s Civil Contract Party, with Robert Kocharyan, who leads the Armenia Alliance with the Armenian Revolutionary Federation and Resurgent Armenia Party, as the main beneficiary. An election primer providing background on the different parties and alliances will be published on EVN Report in the coming days. Analyzing the preliminary figures does provide some insights. First of all, it suggests that only three contenders will pass the electoral threshold; in order to gain any seats in parliament, a political party must receive at least 5% of the votes cast.
https://www.evnreport.com/magazine-issues/latest-poll-numbers-imply-a-false-majority-election-outcome
22 May
The European Parliament has demanded the “immediate and unconditional” release of all Armenian prisoners held by Azerbaijan more than six months after a Russian-brokered ceasefire stopped the war in Nagorno-Karabakh. According to azatutyun.am, in a resolution overwhelmingly passed on Thursday, the European Union’s legislative body also expressed serious concern over “credible reports” that they have been tortured and held in “degrading conditions.” It said at least two Armenian civilians have died in Azerbaijani captivity as a result. The Russian peacekeepers stationed in Karabakh have arranged several prisoner swaps in recent months. No Azerbaijani prisoners are known to be held in Armenia or Karabakh at present. A total of 73 Armenian prisoners of war (POWs) and civilians have been freed to date. More than 100 others are believed to remain in Azerbaijani captivity. The EU called for the release of the remaining Armenian prisoners in a statement released in late April. It also said Baku must also provide the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) with information about their whereabouts and detention and health conditions. The European Parliament resolution notes that the Azerbaijani authorities have failed to comply with relevant “interim measures” issued by the Strasbourg-based court with regard to at least 112 Armenians. It urges them to “cooperate fully with the ECHR on the issue of Armenian prisoners.”
https://www.azatutyun.am/a/31266834.html
Sources: Caucasian Knot, www.armenpress.am, www.azatutyun.am, www.asbarez.com, www.rferl.org, www.evnreport.com