Weekly update
18 December
The third President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan spoke in detail of the Third Artsakh war and some of its circumstances and consequences during remarks at the 17th congress of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA). He stressed that in 2020 the Armenian people faced a catastrophe that was unleashed by Azerbaijan with full support of Turkey behind its back. According to panorama.am "I have always been in favor of compromise option for the peaceful resolution of the Artsakh issue – within a framework of red lines well perceived by us and the international community," Sargsyan stated, adding: "That red line, drawn with the blood and dignity of the Armenian people, is the right to self-determination of the people of Artsakh. I have engaged in continuous negotiations for ten years on the basis of one supreme principle, which is – what are we going to get, not what we are yielding. In all the negotiation documents we have consistently developed the detailed mechanisms, processes and essential international guarantees for the implementation of the right of people of Artsakh for self-determination. I left such a package where all vital interests of our people had been fully protected, where Artsakh’s Armenianness in the future was guaranteed and it was acceptable for the international community as a whole and the co-chair states of the OSCE Minsk Group in particular. We had a strong voice in the diplomatic front and our positions were solid not only because of negotiation skills, or deep understanding of the nuances of Artsakh issue, or well-oiled work with the great powers, but also because of our glorious army, which had been victorious in the first war, and which was undergoing continuous modernization, working on its mistakes and due to its patriotic spirit was ready to force the adversary back to the negotiation table each time after a good slap on its face in the frontline."
https://www.panorama.am/en/news/2021/12/18/Artsakh-self-determination-Serzh-Sargsya/2616087
17 December
Prosperous Armenia party’s candidate Eduard Babayan has been elected as Mayor of Abovyan town of Kotayk province. According to armenpress.am the local elections in Abovyan were held on December 5. Prosperous Armenia party received 46,28% of the votes, Civil Contract party – 36,65%, Republic party – 11,93% and Armenian Revolutionary Federation – 5,12%.Prosperous Armenia party will have 13 members of the Council, Civil Contract party – 10, Republic – 3, ARF – 1. During the first session of the Council, 2 candidates were nominated for the Mayor – Eduard Babayan from the Prosperous Armenia party and Pavel Tsugunyan from the Civil Contract party. 14 members of the Council voted in favor of Babayan, 12 voted in favor of Tsugunyan.
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1071051.html?fbclid=IwAR02mxlQ7tY6VJjx3UU6KVRaY9r78vNTlA5Hntv1OqzvKufQ31qR0dNIkT4
16 December
Turkey’s economy is in a precarious position, with the lira declining more and more everyday, reaching a record low, and intensifying instability and crisis in the neighboring country. According to greekcitytimes.com nevertheless, the specific situation was chosen by Ankara in order to “proceed with the normalization of relations with Armenia,” as Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu stated in his speech to Parliament on the 2022 budget. Çavuşoğlu said “we will soon appoint joint special representatives for the normalization steps with Armenia. We will also start charter flights between Yerevan and Istanbul in the coming days.” In a geopolitical quicksand, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is attempting to “open” an approach to Armenia by appointing a special envoy to Yerevan. The Head of the Centre for Mediterranean, Middle East and Islamic Studies said “The Turkish President sees it as an opportunity to become a regional ruler, who will determine peace in this region, relations between the states, etc.” “Erdoğan will not interfere with Georgia or other issues of the Caucasus (Ossetia, etc.)” as they are a “red line for the Russians,” he added. The professor explained that since Armenia is “in a difficult position, obviously it will also talk to Turkey. But the talks between the two sides are not expected to lead anywhere.” “Armenian distrust of Turkey is so great, especially after the role it played in the last war with Azerbaijan, that it is impossible for anything to really happen,” he concluded.
https://greekcitytimes.com/2021/12/18/restart-turkey-armenia-relations/
15 December
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev claims that Baku has succeeded in convincing Yerevan about ‘the inevitability of the opening of the road [to Nakhchivan through Armenia]’. “In the past, Armenia was against the opening of the highway, but we succeeded in convincing them [the Armenians] that it is inevitable, and they agree. So, there is consent. We are currently considering the legal regime for those corridors, particularly the legal regime of the Zangezur corridor which passes through Azerbaijan to Armenia and then to Nakhchivan. We still have some unresolved issues,” Ailyev said in an interview with El Pais newspaper, adding that ‘the two countries acknowledge the fact that the opening of the corridor needs to take place’. According to news.am the airspace is already active. Currently, the planes of Azerbaijani Airlines flying from Baku to Nakhchivan have already started flying through the airspace of Armenia,” Aliyev declared.
https://news.am/eng/news/677702.html
14 December
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, during a meeting in Brussels today with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, reiterated his claim that the so-called Zangezur Corridor linking Nakhijevan with the rest of Azerbaijan via Armenia’s Syunik Province is one of the conditions of the November 9, 2020 trilateral statement signed by Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia that ended the 2020 Artsakh war, Hetq.am reports. Aliyev, according to the press release, also said that since there are no checkpoints along the Lachin Corridor linking Armenia and Artsakh, none should exist along the Zangezur Corridor. "If Armenia wants to control cargo and people, we will open a customs checkpoint on the Lachin corridor," Aliyev is quoted as saying. "It is an obligation for Armenia to provide all the necessary conditions (for the implementation of the agreements," Aliyev said according to a Report.az press release. Aliyev, according to the press release, also said that since there are no checkpoints along the Lachin Corridor linking Armenia and Artsakh, none should exist along the Zangezur Corridor. "If Armenia wants to control cargo and people, we will open a customs checkpoint on the Lachin corridor," Aliyev is quoted as saying. The Azerbaijani news outlet quotes Aliyev as saying that an agreement has been reached on the construction of a railway linking Azerbaijan with Nakhijevan via Armenia and that a highway will be built as well. “The exact route of the highway has not been decided yet. This issue is for further discussion. We will definitely discuss it tonight during the trilateral meeting with Mr. Charles Michel," Aliyev is quoted as saying. (Here Aliyev refers to the scheduled meeting with Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan and EU Council President Charles Michel.)
https://hetq.am/en/article/139010
13 December
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will meet in Brussels on Tuesday for talks hosted by European Council President Charles Michel, a senior European Union official said on Monday, azatutyun.am reports. The official told RFE/RL that Michel, who heads the EU’s top decision-making body, will hold separate talks with Aliyev and Pashinian before attending a trilateral meeting with them. “I wouldn’t Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will meet in Brussels on Tuesday for talks hosted by European Council President Charles Michel, a senior European Union official said on Monday. like to preempt what would be the outcome tomorrow evening. There is still a lot of work going on at the moment,” said the official. Aliyev and Pashinian are scheduled to meet on the sidelines of the EU’s Eastern Partnership summit with several ex-Soviet states that will be held in Brussels on Wednesday. The two leaders most recently met on November 26 in Sochi in the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin. They reported major progress towards opening transport links between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Putin said a Russian-Armenian-Azerbaijani working group dealing with transport issues will formalize in the coming days relevant “decisions which we agreed today.” However, the group co-headed by deputy prime ministers of the three states announced no agreements after holding a meeting in Moscow on December 1.
https://www.azatutyun.am/a/31607229.html
12 December
Senior diplomats from Russia, Turkey, Iran, Armenia and Azerbaijan have held the inaugural session of a multilateral platform supposedly aimed at promoting peace and economic cooperation in the South Caucasus. In line with azatutyun.am the idea of the so-called “3+3” peace platform involving the three South Caucasus states and the neighboring powers was floated by Ankara shortly after last year’s war in Nagorno-Karabakh. It was backed in one way or another by all but one of those countries. Georgia said it will not join the cooperation framework because of its long-running conflict with Russia. Deputy foreign ministers of the five other nations met in Moscow on Friday in what the Russian Foreign Ministry described as the launch of the “Consultative Regional Platform 3+3.” A ministry statement said they agreed to concentrate on confidence-building measures, regional economic cooperation and transport links as well as “common threats and challenges.” The Turkish Foreign Ministry said the talks involved a “constructive exchange of views” on “practical issues of common interest to all participants.” The five sides agreed to “give priority to trade, economy, transport, culture and humanitarian issues, it said in a statement. “Representatives of the five participating countries agreed to adopt a flexible working format and expressed their hope that Georgia too will join the consultations in the future,” added the statement.
https://www.azatutyun.am/a/31606792.html
11 December
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan pledged to consolidate democracy in Armenia on Friday as he addressed a virtual global summit organized by U.S. President Joe Biden. According to masispost.com Pashinyan was among the leaders of more than 100 countries invited to the two-day “Summit for Democracy” which is designed to promote democratic governance around the world in the face of rising authoritarianism. PM Pashinyan concluded his remarks by stating “In our bid to consolidate our democracy, we are facing multiple challenges. The biggest challenge for us comes in the form of military threats to our security. Fighting for democracy at home is yet another challenge. That challenge is compounded when threats arise from beyond our borders. If we are to restore the appeal of democracy throughout the world, we need to join forces to face these challenges together. Armenia is committed to contributing to the global mission of strengthening democracy, and we hope that we are not alone.”
https://massispost.com/2021/12/we-are-committed-to-the-consolidation-of-democracy-in-armenia-pashinyan-addressing-u-s-summit-for-democracy/
Sources: panorama.am, armenpress.am, greekcitytimes.com, news.am, hetq.am, azatutyun.am, masispost.com