Weekly update
13 November
Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian discussed the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict within the activity of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries during their meeting in Paris, reports armenpress.am. Summing up the results of the meeting with his French counterpart, the Russian FM told reporters that several days ago the meeting of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs with the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan was held in Paris. He informed that all have expressed their support to the statement signed between the Russian, Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders on November 9, 2020, relating to the ceasefire in Nagorno Karabakh. As for the details of his meeting with Jean-Yves Le Drian, Lavrov said: “The progress of the activity of the Russian peacekeeping forces in solving a number of humanitarian issues was emphasized. Several directions, where a lot needs to be done, were highlighted. In this sense the activity of the Co-Chairs in the future will be concentrated on the solution of humanitarian problems, to create conditions so that Armenian and Azerbaijani communities establish an atmosphere of trust in the region, solve the daily issues with a spirit of constructive compromises”.
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1068110.html
12 November
In line with panorama.am Secretary of Armenia’s Security Council Armen Grigoryan said there was an agreement with Azerbaijan to use the Goris-Kapan highway section until the construction of the bypass road was completed.“There was an agreement with Azerbaijan for Armenia to use the Goris-Kapan road section until the bypass road was ready,” he said in an interview to the Public TV Company host Petros Ghazaryan on Thursday. Earlier on Wednesday, Grigoryan said that Azerbaijan would set up customs checkpoints along the Goris-Kapan road section from midnight. According to the security chief, Armenian citizens used this road until yesterday."Starting from the midnight of November 11, we can also use it. However, we have an alternative road, which is renovated and fully passable," he said.Referring to the opposition claims that the news on Azeri checkpoints came immediately after the Armenian authorities announced that the bypass road was ready, he said. "There was a preliminary agreement with Azerbaijan."
https://www.panorama.am/en/news/2021/11/12/Security-Council/2597453
11 November
The Armenian National Committee (ANC) of the United Kingdom plans to advance the Armenian Genocide recognition bill at the House of Commons after it passed at first reading without objections, and also focus on advancing it in the House of Lords, the UK parliament’s second chamber. Avvording to armenpress.am “We will do everything to increase the number of our endorsers and to advance this issue into the agenda of the House of Lords as well,” Armenian National Committee of UK Director Anette Moskofian told ARMENPRESS in an interview. “We are now in the initial phase, and what matters is to eventually influence government policy.” Moskofian described the House of Commons passage of the bill as “a very important step”, since this is the first time that this issue is being advanced to such a high level in the UK. She underscored the united work which the Armenian community did to achieve this. “In this work we aren’t looking at the genocide simply from historical perspective. It’s being emphasized that not recognizing the genocide paves the way for renewed threats for the Armenian people, like we saw during the 2020 Artsakh war,” Anette Moskofian said. The House of Commons will hold the second reading of the bill in March 2022.
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1067885.html
10 November
At a rally in Yerevan, supporters of Robert Kocharyan, the second president of Armenia, accused the authorities of failures in all spheres of politics and economy. The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on November 10, 2020, the trilateral agreement signed by Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia on the cessation of hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh came into force. On the same day, residents of Yerevan, dissatisfied with the signing of the peace agreement with Azerbaijan, broke into the building of the Armenian government and demanded the resignation of Nikol Pashinyan. On November 9, in Yerevan, the "National Democratic Pole" (NDP) Movement organized a rally-march. The participants marched along streets of Yerevan with an appeal to take part in the rally in Freedom Square. The rally-march was dedicated to the first anniversary of signing the trilateral agreement on Karabakh and began with a minute of silence in memory of those who perished in the 44-day-long Karabakh war. A year has passed since the end of the war, but the Armenian party continues losing not only people's lives, but also territories, the organizers of the rally have claimed, stating that their short-term goal is to overthrow the power of Nikol Pashinyan and prevent the signing of a new anti-Armenian document; after which an interim government should be formed. At another rally held in Yerevan on November 8 by the ARF "Dashnaktsutyun", oppositionists criticized the current authorities, accusing them of the defeat in Nagorno-Karabakh and a failed domestic policy in Armenia.
https://www.eng.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/57272/
9 November
The U.S. Department of State spokesperson Ned Price issued a statement on the first anniversary of the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh ceasefire agreement. According to armenpress.am “This week, the United States and the international community recognize the one-year anniversary of the ceasefire declaration that ended 44 days of intense fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces in the South Caucasus,” Price said in the statement titled “Recognizing the One-Year Anniversary of the Ceasefire Declaration Between Armenia and Azerbaijan.” “We extend our deepest condolences to the families of those killed and injured during the hostilities last year. We call for the return of all remaining detainees, a full accounting of missing persons, the voluntary return of displaced persons to their homes, comprehensive humanitarian de-mining of conflict-affected areas, and access by international humanitarian organizations to those in need. We also call for an investigation into alleged human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law. The United States remains committed to promoting a secure, stable, prosperous, and peaceful future for the South Caucasus region.
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1067663.html
8 November
Armenian Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan released the following statement regarding Azerbaijani shooting near Shushi that killed one worker and wounded three. In accordance with hetq.am the wounding of 3 civilians and the killing of one 22-year-old by shootings of the Azerbaijani servicemen today are irrefutable evidence that they should not be positioned near civilian communities neither in Armenia nor in Artsakh. We have repeatedly warned about this. It should be acknowledged that the mere presence of Azerbaijani servicemen in the immediate vicinity of civilian communities is a violation of the right of people; residents of the communities are living under constant threat to their lives. My colleague in Artsakh, Human Rights Ombudsman Mr. Gegham Stepanyan, confirmed this today, On November 8, 2021, the Azerbaijani armed forces shot at civilians repairing water supply pipes near the intersection in the vicinity of the entrance of Shushi. As a result, the traffic on the Shushi sector of the road of Berdzor has been disrupted. This information has also been confirmed by the NSS of Artsakh. These shootings are the criminal acts of Azerbaijani servicemen, which not only have unlawfully deprived people of their right to life, but also aim at terrorizing the civilian population.
https://hetq.am/en/article/137589
7 November
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan had a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. In line with armradio.am a wide range of issues related to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict was discussed. The interlocutors also referred to the implementation of the commitments undertaken by the parties under the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020. In this context, Ararat Mirzoyan stressed the need for the unconditional repatriation of Armenian prisoners of war and other detainees held in Azerbaijan, as well as the maintenance of the ceasefire regime. The Armenian Foreign Minister strongly condemned the continuous provocations of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, which saw one civilian killed and three wounded near Shushi today. Ararat Mirzoyan stressed that the anti-Armenian rhetoric voiced by the Azerbaijani leadership and the continuous violations of the ceasefire regime are a serious threat to regional stability and security.
https://en.armradio.am/2021/11/08/azerbaijans-provocations-a-threat-to-regional-security-armenian-russian-fms-talk-on-phone/
6 November
According to hetq.am 98 people have been treated for intestinal disorders after eating at two Tashir Pizza outlets in Yerevan. Armenia’s Ministry of Health reports that the 98 complained of fever, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and general weakness. Tashir Pizza has since shut down its twenty stores in the Armenian capital. The fast-food chain is part of the Tashir Group owned by Russian-Armenian businessman Samvel Karapetyan. Tashir Pizza, in a Facebook post, says measures are underway to identify the problem and that “the health and safety of our customers is a priority for us.”
https://hetq.am/en/article/137522
Sources: armenpress.am, panorama.am, kavkaz-uzel.eu, hetq.am, armradio.am