- The European Union said it will double the number of “operational hubs” for monitors deployed to the Armenian side of the border with Azerbaijan.
- Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan spoke with U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Dereck Hogan in advance of a planned meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart.
- Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan, who co-chairs a working group on restoring regional transit links, met with Toivo Klaar, the EU’s special representative to the South Caucasus.
- Armenia’s State Revenue Committee said officers intercepted 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine destined for Australia at Yerevan’s Zvartnots International Airport.
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BREAKING: Aliyev reportedly pulls out of Granada summit
By Mark Dovich Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has reportedly pulled out of talks planned Thursday with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the leaders of France, Germany, and the European Union. APA, a pro-government Azerbaijani news agency, reported Wednesday, citing unnamed sources, that Baku decided to snub the talks after Paris and Berlin rejected an Azerbaijani proposal to give Turkey a spot at the negotiating table. Azerbaijan also decided to boycott the talks after France said Tuesday it will begin selling weapons to Armenia, according to APA. Read more: France to arm Armenia, foreign ministers confirm Aliyev and Pashinyan had […]
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Armenia votes to join International Criminal Court
By Mark Dovich Armenia’s single-chamber parliament on Tuesday voted 60-22 to join the International Criminal Court, ignoring repeated and unusually strong warnings from Russia about the consequences of joining the Hague tribunal. The vote to ratify the Rome Statute went down along party lines, with all 60 ‘yes’ votes coming from members of the ruling Civil Contract, and all 22 ‘no’ votes coming from the opposition Armenia and I Have Honor blocs. Reacting to the news, the Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said, “We still believe that this is an incorrect decision…We will have additional questions for Armenia’s current leadership.” Meanwhile, […]
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France to arm Armenia, foreign ministers confirm
By Mark Dovich France plans to sell weapons to Armenia, the two countries’ foreign ministers confirmed Tuesday. “France has given its consent to the conclusion of future contracts with Armenia that will allow for the delivery of military equipment to Armenia so that it can ensure its defense,” France’s Catherine Colonna said at a press conference in Yerevan alongside Armenia’s Ararat Mirzoyan. The exact type of arms that will be supplied was not immediately clear, nor was the timeline for the deliveries. Mirzoyan declined to answer reporters’ questions to that effect, saying only, “We are talking about supporting Armenia’s defense […]
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War Crimes in Karabakh: Will Aliyev See His Day in
Hon. Gassia Apkarian of the Center for Truth and Justice joins CivilNet to discuss the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh and efforts to achieve justice through legal means. Hon. Apkarian provides a sobering assessment of the “second genocide” committed against the Armenian people of Karabakh, as well as the continued risks facing the refugees. She outlines the obligations of international law to prevent ethnic cleansing and investigate allegations of war crimes. She also shares her vision for long-term solutions respecting self-determination and basic human rights for Armenians in their ancestral lands. For those with information regarding war crimes in Karabakh, […]
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UN arrives in Karabakh — but what’s the point?
By Mark Dovich Amid reports that nearly all of Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenians have fled, a United Nations needs assessment mission reached the region on Sunday, marking the first time in about three decades the organization has had access to the region. The mission is meant to “assess the situation on the ground and identify the humanitarian needs for both people remaining and people that are on the move,” a UN spokesperson told reporters last week. But with Nagorno-Karabakh largely emptied of its Armenian population after more than 100,000 people fled from the region to Armenia in just the past week, the […]
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AND IN OTHER NEWS: World Reacts to Ethnic Cleansing in
In just a week’s time, Nagorno-Karabakh has gone from a wounded but still proud and vibrant land of over 100,000 residents, to one bloodied, broken, and almost completely devoid of its people. On social media, most can only watch in helpless horror the scenes of its population making the arduous journey to Armenia along a hopelessly clogged roadway, a massive explosion which killed or grievously wounding hundreds of those trying to flee, the ever-rising counter of the number of refugees crossing into Armenia, leaders such as Ruben Vardanyan being led in handcuffs by Azerbaijani police, and clips of bewildered people […]
