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21 մարտ, 2019 09:47 Peace Might be Possible Between Armenia and Azerbaijan The article was originally published on washingtonpostcom 
Oneshot peace deals tend to dissolve A regional approach may help
By Anna Ohanyan
After decades of ethnic conflict, the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan are preparing to meet to try to resolve their longterm clash over the disputed enclave of NagornoKarabakh Observers have many reasons to be skeptical that yet another oneoff meeting will lead to a thaw at long last
However, something significant has changed since the last such push A year ago, Armenian protesters brought down a prime minister, leading to free elections last December Some evidence suggests that democratic societies are more likely to seek peace with their neighbors — and are most likely to achieve it if civil society groups are allowed to reach out and form contacts across borders before the formal negotiations
Here’s what you need to know about what has happened, and what comes next
1 A brief history of the NagornoKarabakh conflict
Between 21 March, 2019 01:17 Aliyev Rejects Karabakh’s Role in Peace Talks During a press conference on March 19, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan again said that Nagorno-Karabakh should be its own, independent party in the negotiations process to find a peaceful solution to the conflict. Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev in turn rejected the proposal.
20 March, 2019 02:16 Pashinyan Expresses Willingness to Exchange Azerbaijani Captive Armenia is willing to exchange captives who got lost and crossed the border, said Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, referring to the possibility of exchanging Armenian and Azerbaijani citizens currently held in both countries.

At a press conference on March 19, a journalist asked Pashinyan whether it would be possible, as a mutual confidence building measure, to discuss the exchange of all citizens held in Armenia and Azerbaijan, under the principle "everyone for everyone" at the upcoming meeting between Pashinyan and Aliyev. 20 March, 2019 01:58 Russia Criminalizes Fake News and Insulting the State Russian President Vladimir Putin signed two controversial bills that make it a crime to “disrespect” the state and spread “fake news” online, Russian media reported on March 18.

The bills, which amend existing information laws, were presented in January and overwhelmingly passed both chambers of Russian parliament in less than two months. Some lawmakers have criticized the legislation for its vague language and potential to limit free speech. 19 March, 2019 17:54 Kazakhstan's leader resigns after almost 30 years in power Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev announced on March 19 that he is resigning, thereby bringing a close to his almost three decade-long rule over the Central Asian nation.

Nazarbayev made the shock announcement in a televised statement to the nation. He also said that the speaker of the Senate, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, will take over as head of state until presidential elections take place.

“Tokayev is the very person that we can trust to rule Kazakhstan,” he said. 19 March, 2019 02:01 Azerbaijani Citizen Crosses Border into Armenia On March 16, an Azerbaijani citizen crossed the border on the northeastern side of Armenia and was captured by Armenian soldiers.

Azerbaijani border service reported that the captured citizen, Elvin Hibragimov, is mentally ill. 19 March, 2019 01:29 Berd Town Will Soon Have Its Eco Center A new Eco Center will be opening in Berd town in July 2019. Anahit Badalian, the Executive Director of the Berd Women’s Resource Center, introduced the new project at Impact Hub Yerevan.

“In 2016, we decided to create jobs for women living in Berd so that they are able to develop new skills, use their talent in crochet, handmade products, eco farming and eco gardening,” said Badalian. 18 March, 2019 12:18 Soros, Open Society Foundations and Activities in Armenia In recent weeks, George Soros, an American businessman and philanthropist of Hungarian descent, and his Open Society Foundations (OSF) (https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/), have been at the center of public discussions and debates in Armenia.
15 March, 2019 23:08 Armenia Welcomes Global IT Leaders Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan hosted a delegation from Index Ventures international venture capital firm on March 14.

Based in both San Francisco and London, Index Ventures invests in technology-enabled companies that focus on e-commerce, fintech, mobility, gaming, infrastructure, artificial intelligence and security. 15 մարտ, 2019 10:49 Russian MFA Urges its Armenians Citizens to Think Twice Before Travelling to Azerbaijan The Russian Foreign Ministry has issued a warning to Russians of Armenian descent who are planning to visit Azerbaijan. 14 March, 2019 22:35 Amid Protests, City Dismantles Cafes Near Opera House Employees and owners of cafes surrounding Yerevan’s Opera House are protesting the city’s decision to limit commercial activity in the area to make room for a new Opera House Green Zone. At least one policeman and one protester was injured on the evening of March 14.

Yerevan Mayor, Hayk Marutyan, announced last month that nearly two acres of new green space would replace the several cafes surrounding the Opera House in the city’s center. 12 March, 2019 23:53 Pashinyan and Karabakh President Co-Chair Security Councils Meeting The Security Councils of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh held a joint session in Stepanakert on March 12. The meeting was co-chaired by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and Nagorno-Karabakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan.

The meeting’s agenda included a joint assessment of the current situation in the Karabakh peace process as well as an outline of coordinated efforts. Both Pashinyan and Sahakyan made speeches before discussing the agenda items.

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