Weekly update
10 July
Russia said that the current border standoff between Armenia and Azerbaijani is not linked to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement process. According to asbarez.com, “The current border situation between the two countries is rather a result of the absence of a legal formulation of the border,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said at a press briefing on Friday. “Undoubtedly, the overall situation exacerbates the lack of mutual trust between the sides,” added Zakharova.. “We have repeatedly said that we view the quick launch of demarcation efforts between Armenia and Azerbaijan as a sustainable and long-term solution to the conflict, with its further delimitation,” Zakharova said. “We are prepared to provide the necessary consulting support, in addition to the current discussions with foreign and defense ministers, as well as border officials.” The statement comes a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenia’s Acting prime minister Nikol Pashinyan met in Moscow and discussed regional issues.
https://asbarez.com/russia-says-current-border-standoff-not-linked-to-karabakh-conflict/?fbclid=IwAR0jjWKzEtF1v4GdMO9dSiB2iecTA6-opB1OQRMmzzOg9ysalI6DlwRDg5M
9 July
Armenian and Russian experts do not rule out that the deployment of Russian border guards in the disputable sections of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border will stabilize the current situation caused by the Azerbaijani aggression on the border, however, they note that the problem will be solved only when the sides reach an agreement over demarcation and delimitation issues. Moreover, most of them are convinced that Russia can play a decisive role in this process, reports armenpress.am. Russian military expert Alexander Khramchikhin says it’s difficult to say what progress will be achieved over the border matters, the return of Armenian prisoners of war from Azerbaijan after the recent meeting between caretaker Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The expert, however, is sure that the problem will not be solved without demarcation and delimitation. He told Armenpress that Azerbaijan is using the opportunity that the borders between the territories, which have come under its control after the recent war and Armenia are not clarified, and is trying to advance in the border with all possible means.
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1057780.html?fbclid=IwAR2rr14ppr715M1fjwUBiQ1f-LdNtssr1GjqXWO8m5o8p71dl5XtuXTK3fQ
8 July
First Deputy Chair of the Russian Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Vladimir Dzhabarov highlighted the fact that Armenian caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan paid his first visit to Moscow after the victory in the June 20 snap parliamentary elections. In line with armenpress.am, he called Pashinyan’s this step as a “good sign”. During an online Moscow-Yerevan discussion, Mr. Dzhabarov stated that Pashinyan and Russian President Vladimir Putin have discussed working issues, the situation in the region, Karabakh, the Russian peacekeeping mission, etc. According to him, sooner or later Armenia and Azerbaijan must normalize their relations and start restoring their countries after the shocks, and the presence of the Russian peacekeepers is a guarantee for avoiding possible bloodsheds in the future. Vladimir Dzhabarov said the deployment of the Russian border guards on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border will be carried out by the consent of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1057716.html?fbclid=IwAR3exuwvjGtMEuqIBzdFNPQgQRoXe1sTlYLGnJuc4SmR_flxDqJGb3-EOo0
7 July
Political analyst, editor-in-chief of the Russian Regnum news agency, Modest Kolerov, has commented on the recent telephone conversation of CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas and Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan about the current situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. According to armenpress.am, the Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia is right that the incursion of the Azerbaijani armed forces into Armenia’s territory is not a border incident, but an attack, an aggression against Armenia. “Of course, it’s an attack, an aggression, undoubtedly. But the reason of this attack is that the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan is not clarified yet. It is drawn in someone’s brain, on a piece of paper, however, neither demarcation nor delimitation have been carried out. There is no regular border. The Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia is right – it’s an attack, an aggression against Armenia”, Modest Kolerov told Armenpress. The political analyst says if Armenia officially applies to the CSTO requesting to defend itself from aggression, it must show its border, border guards, borderline and border points. “But that regular border doesn’t exist now”, he added.
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1057545.html?fbclid=IwAR35cVDX61LQJkX96r6jDE37xGyfCYCVO8IwKyrT9Zy5rXReacLL8ZQ216U
6 July
An Armenian soldier and two Azerbaijani soldiers were wounded as a result of a shootout at the border in the Gegarkunik District, the spokesperson for the Armenian General Headquarters reported. According to kavkaz-uzel.eu, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Azerbaijan denied the information about the incident. At a press conference, Colonel Samvel Asatryan, the chief of the Information Department of the General Staff of the General Headquarters of the Armed Forces of Armenia, has reported that the incident took place near the village of Verin Shorzha in the Gegarkunik District of Armenia. “The shootout was provoked by the armed forces of Azerbaijan,” Samvel Asatryan emphasized.
https://www.eng.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/56045/
5 July
Armenian Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan disagreed with some assessments CSTO Secretary-General Stanislav Zas made in his July 3 statement during the phone call between the two officials Monday the Security Council office said. In line with tass.com, "The Security Council expressed his certainty that the current situation cannot be called an incident because the Azerbaijani servicemen have been staying on the sovereign territory of Armenia for a long time. Considering that the Azerbaijani actions are an obvious attempt of occupation, Armen Grigoryan underscored that the CSTO Secretary-General must exercise restraint in definitions in order to avoid jeopardizing the settlement efforts," the statement says. Grigoryan underscored that the CSTO Secretariat should organize a visit to the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in order to examine the situation on the ground, the Security Council said.
https://tass.com/world/1310747
4 July
The Armenian and Russian defense ministers, Harutyunyan and Shoigu, met on 28 May to discuss the possible deployment of Russian border guards on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. This was reported by the Yerevan Dicastery, according to which the deployment should take place in the provinces of Gegharkunik and Syunik, reports theowp.org. Harutyunyan noted that Armenia is acting in accordance with and is willing to respect the appeals of its partners to peacefully resolve the border issue. This while adding that Yerevan’s position on the conflict has not changed: Azerbaijani Armed Forces “must leave the Armenian sovereign territories without any preconditions.” Meanwhile, Armenia has reconfirmed Nikol Pashinyan as its prime minister, as he won 53.9% of the votes in the early legislative elections on 20 June. According to official data from the National Electoral Commission, his Civil Contract Party clearly surpassed Alliance Armenia, the movement of former President Robert Kocharyan, stuck at 21%. Allegations of fraud notwithstanding, Pashinyan called the early elections. This was an attempt to end the political crisis generated by recent conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh and November peace agreement, which caused months of protests nationwide.
https://theowp.org/an-old-prime-minister-for-a-new-country-an-uphill-battle-for-post-conflict-armenia/?nowprocket=1
3 July
The Tech week Artsakh 2021 conference has kicked off in Stepanakert, the Artsakh government reported. According to news.am State Minister of the Artsakh Republic Artak Beglaryan made a welcoming speech on June 3 at the opening of the conference. He thanked the organizers for accepting his offer and holding this major technological event in Artsakh.
The conference is attended by about 1,500 people, more than 400 of whom came from Armenia, including representatives of recognized IT companies, the Artsakh government said in a statement. “By organizing this large-scale technological event in Artsakh, in addition to the main goals pursued by such conferences, we set ourselves a number of other goals. In particular, we strove to change the post-war mood in Artsakh, to show that life goes on, and we must make efforts to solve existing problems and the long-term development of the Motherland. The next goal is to change the post-war mood in the Republic of Armenia by facilitating visits to Artsakh and practical efforts to support the wounded Artsakh. The third goal, of course, is the development of the IT sector in Artsakh, the creation of favorable conditions for the implementation of relevant educational and business programs. I am very glad that we managed to organize this conference. I thank all the organizers and participants,” Artak Beglaryan said. See also https://hetq.am/en/article/133099
https://news.am/eng/news/652103.html
Sources: www.asbarez.com, www.armenpress.am, www.kavkaz-uzel.eu, theowp.org, www.news.am.