Weekly update
23 October
"We used to loudly declare that the state firmly stands behind the soldier, however, the condition of our servicemen standing on the border today remains concerning," lawmaker from Artsakh parliament's "Justice" faction Davit Galstyan said on Saturday at a press conference. In his words, some of the troops on combat duty spend the night in tents which is a disgrace, since thanks to their service people in Armenia and Artsakh have a peaceful life. According to panorama.am "This attitude toward our servicemen on the border is unacceptable and at present all means should be directed to the frontline," said Galstyan. "We have voiced on numerous occasions that our citizens may not build own life only through the benefits from social programs. If we lack a strongly protected border, the migration from Artsakh may periodically occur," stressed the Artsakh lawmaker. He added that social assistance programs should be in the form of investments in Artsakh, otherwise they would further promote migration.
https://www.panorama.am/en/news/2021/10/23/migration-Artsakh-Davit-Galstyan/2586666
22 October
The “3+3+ format contains risks for Armenia. This is what deputy of the opposition “With Honor” faction of the National Assembly of Armenia Tigran Abrahamyan told reporters today. In line with news.am Abrahamyan said there is a fear that Turkey and Azerbaijan will do everything possible to change the format of the Chairmanship of the OSCE Minsk Group and put the Artsakh issue in the “3+3” format. “As a member state of the OSCE Minsk Group, Turkey has always tried to obtain the status of Co-Chair, which Armenia was against. Ankara is trying to expand its presence in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in this way now. Armenia’s mishaps continue even after the statement signed on November 9, 2020. Armenia will face new threats. In these conditions, Armenia doesn’t have a government that would be capable of taking adequate actions. This government can’t lead a pro-Armenian policy and isn’t showing the appropriate will, including with respect to the issues related to borders, Artsakh, etc.,” he emphasized. The “3+3” format implies the participation of Armenia, Russia, Iran, Georgia, Turkey and Azerbaijan.
https://news.am/eng/news/668763.html
21 October
Senior government officials from Armenia and Azerbaijan began on Wednesday a new round of Russian-mediated negotiations on restoring economic links between their countries. They met for the latest two-day session of a trilateral working group set up by the Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian governments in January. The Russian-Armenian-Azerbaijani working group co-headed by deputy prime ministers of the three states did not announce any agreements in a statement on its latest meeting in Moscow issued late on Wednesday. It said the three parties agreed to meet again soon. The trilateral group has been discussing practical modalities of opening the Armenian-Azerbaijani border for commercial traffic in line with the Russian-brokered ceasefire that stopped the Karabakh war last November. In line with azatutyun.am Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly claimed that the deal envisages a permanent land “corridor” that will connect the Nakhichevan exclave to the rest of Azerbaijan via Armenia’s Syunik province also bordering Iran. He has threatened to forcibly open such a corridor if the Armenian side continues to oppose its creation. Armenian leaders have denounced Aliyev’s threats as territorial claims, saying that the truce accord only calls for transport links between the two South Caucasus states. “I repeat that the issue of providing corridors is not discussed,” Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigorian told journalists before flying to Moscow on Tuesday. Aliyev claimed, meanwhile, that Azerbaijan is succeeding in securing the “Zangezur corridor.”
https://www.azatutyun.am/a/31523182.html
20 October
The Promise Armenian Institute announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Armenian Film Foundation to collaborate on a range of projects that will support Armenian film and photography at the University of California, Los Angeles. In line with asbarez.com on November 18, the Promise Armenian Institute will host “Aftermath: the Armenian Earthquake of 1988,” the first online exhibit of the Armenian Image Archive, which will celebrate the work of Asadour Guzelian. Guzelian is a photographer based in the United Kingdom who went to Armenia shortly after the earthquake in 1988. This Zoom event will feature some of his photographs, which were featured in mainstream newspapers at the time. The webinar, which is the inaugural event of this new collaboration, is co-sponsored by the UCLA Richard Hovannisian Endowed Chair in Modern Armenian History, the UCLA Library, the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research, and the Ararat-Eskijian Museum. The Armenian Image Archive is the first of the new collaborations between PAI and AFF. This new archive has three goals — preservation, research and exhibition of Armenian photographers and photography related to Armenian subject-matter. The AIA will identify photography collections around the world, from the mid-19th century up to contemporary collections. It will provide both a repository and an ongoing platform for discourse and study about Armenian photographers.
https://asbarez.com/ucla-promise-armenian-institute-armenian-film-foundation-partner-to-support-film-and-photography-projects/
19 October
Azerbaijan set free and repatriated five more Armenian prisoners of war late on Tuesday, reported azatutyun.am. The soldiers were flown from Baku to Yerevan by a Russian military transport plane. They were immediately taken to a military hospital in the Armenian capital for a medical checkup. Dozens of other Armenian soldiers remain in Azerbaijani captivity. Most of them were taken prisoner in Nagorno-Karabakh shortly after last year’s Armenian-Azerbaijani war. Many of these POWs were given lengthy prison sentences earlier this year in trials condemned by the Armenian government. Armenia regularly demands their unconditional release, saying that they are held in breach of a Russian-brokered agreement that stopped the six-week war. Azerbaijan says the agreement does not cover them because they were captured after the ceasefire took effect in November. Baku freed this summer 30 Armenian POWs in exchange for maps of Armenian minefields in districts around Karabakh that were retaken by Azerbaijani forces during and after the war. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev claimed early this month that those maps are not accurate and said Yerevan should provide more detailed information. Shortly afterwards Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian signaled his readiness to give Baku more such maps to secure the release of more Armenian prisoners.
https://www.azatutyun.am/a/31519616.html
18 October
The voter turnout on October 17 elections to the local self-government bodies in 9 urban and rural communities in Armenia was 33.23% (55,410 voters), according to the preliminary data, released by the Central Elections Commission. In line with arka.am voting in three small communities with the number of voters less than 4 thousand - Fioletovo in Lori region, Ferik in Armavir region and Shamiram in Aragatsotn region - was held according to the majoritarian system, and in the rest - according to the proportional system (by party lists). Based on the elections results, Councils of Elders will be formed in each community, which will then elect community leaders. According to the Central Election Commission, the pro-government Civil Contract party won elections in three out of six communities where the polls were held under the proportional system. In the town of Goris the elections were won by the pro-opposition Arush Arushanyan bloc – 6,269 votes. The Civil Contract was second with 3,568 votes. In the second largest town of Gyumri the election was won by the Balasanyan bloc – 9,637 vote, the Civil Contract was second with 7,785 votes. In Tatev community the Civil Contract won with 1,280 votes. Second was Shant bloc with 949 votes. In the village Tegh Civil Contract won 1,501 votes, the Country for Life - 806 votes. In Dilijan the Civil Contract won 4, 591 votes, the Country for Live - 1,927 votes and the Citizen's Decision Party - 605 votes. In Meghri the Hanrapetutyun (Republic) Party won – 2,133 votes. Citizen's Decision – 1,637 votes. The other two rounds of elections to local self-government bodies will be held on November 14 and December 5.
http://arka.am/en/news/politics/voter_turnout_in_october_17_elections_to_local_self_government_bodies_was_33_percent/
17 October
An alliance led by incumbent mayor Arush Arushanyan won the municipal election in Goris yesterday. The alliance will appoint the mayor of the southern Armenian town. According to hetq.am the bloc garnered 6,269 votes or 60.28%. The main rival of the Arush Arushanyan alliance, the Civil Contract party, came in second with 34.3%. The Armenian National Congress received 2.7%. 20,696 people had the right to vote in Goris and voter turnout was pegged at 50.25%. Local police yesterday conducted a search in the alliance’s election headquarters, closing the entrance. Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan described the police’s action as illegal. Goris residents told Hetq that on the eve of the election the number of police officers had increased in the town. Some residents believed that this was done to pressure voters not to support Arushanyan. Arusahnyan was arrested in July on charges of offering bribes to two people to vote in favor of opposition Armenia bloc in the June 20 snap parliamentary elections. Last night, Arushanyan's lawyer Erik Aleksanyan announced on his Facebook page that he had gone to Yerevan’s Central Penitentiary to personally inform and congratulate Arush Arushanyan on the news of his victory. Aleksanyan wrote that Arushanyan was certain of his victory because he was sure that the people of Goris were by his side. "This is the beginning of our victory,” Aleksanyan wrote, conveying Arushanyan's remarks.
https://hetq.am/en/article/136806
16 October
Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani gave a harsh response to Azeri president Ilham Aliyev’s latest statement accusing Armenia and Iran in colluding in drug trafficking. “Ignoring the neighborhood principles and making false statements cannot be a sign of a tact. Accusation against a country that the world recognizes as a hero in the fight against drugs has no effect other than invalidating the speaker's words. Beware of the devil's costly traps,” Shamkhani tweeted. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had also denied Aliyev’s accusations and noted the cooperation between Armenia and Iran in fighting drug trafficking. The Iranian foreign ministry had also denied Aliyev’s accusations, vowing “an appropriate response to Baku’s groundless statements”.
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1065741.html?fbclid=IwAR0hLBahxPZ-8YIPwLFdWES36FMbHJUjegGXuGNV82Ze-LvOu6upXgTDOKA
Sources: panorama.am, news.am, azatutyun.am, asbarez.com, arka.am, hetq.am, armenpress.am