Armenia Politics News Digest for Saturday, February 15, 2020
This is the Daily Digest of political news for Armenia for Saturday, February 15, 2020. The notable stories are (we hope you enjoy them):
There was no country named Azerbaijan when Tigran the Great was negotiating with Pompeius, Pashinyan tells Aliyev
In the times of Tigran the Great (95-55 BC) there were only two nations in the region – Armenians and Georgians, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at a panel discussion on Nagorno Karabakh held on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
The remarks came in response to Azerbaijani President Ilhal Aliyev’s claims that Azerbaijanis constituted 70% of Yerevan’s population at the turn of the 19th century.
“When Armenian King Tigran the Great was negotiating with Rоman general Pompeius, there was no country named Azerbaijan,” he stated.
Speaking
about the Karabakh conflict settlement, PM Pashinyan said the negotiations
should take place within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship.
“We
are working very intensively and we are ready to put serious efforts to bring
real difference and reach a real solution,” Pashinyan said.
HNikol Pashinyan then referred to the minor revolutions he has made in the negotiation process.
“My perception is that it’s impossible to resolve this long-lasting conflict with one or two steps. We need micro-revolutions, transform them into mini-revolutions and then reach real breakthrough in negotiations,” the Armenian Prime Minister stated.
“One of the micro-revolutions was that in September 2018 I announced that any solution should be acceptable to the peoples of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh. This was a micro-revolution, because I was the first Armenian leader to say the solution should be acceptable to the Azerbaijani people, as well,” Pashinyan stated.
The
second micro-revolution, he said, was his call to social media users to stop
threatening and insulting each other, and try to use the new technologies to
understand each other better.
The Prime Minister then called out President Aliyev of Azerbaijan for the refusal talk to the people of Nagorno Karabakh.
He reminded that Nagorno Karabakh was recognized a party to the conflict and party to the negotiations by the OSCE. This happened twice on March 24, 1992 and during the OSCE summit in Budapest in 1994.
The Prime Minister also referred to the two ceasefire agreements signed between Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Pashinyan, Aliyev participate in panel discussion on Nagorno Karabakh
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev participate in a panel discussion dedicated to Nagorno Karabakh on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
Armenian FM, OSCE Chairman-in-Office discuss Karabakh peace process
On February 14, on the margins of the Munich Security Conference, Foreign Minister of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan met with Thomas Greminger, the OSCE Secretary General.
The Foreign Minister of Armenia noted that Armenia attaches great importance to strengthening and expanding effective partnership established with the OSCE executive structures through new targeted programs and initiatives. In this regard, the sides discussed collaboration in the framework of the OSCE Cooperation with Armenia program and ways to enhance its efficiency.
Foreign Minister of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and Secretary General of the OSCE Thomas Greminger touched upon the process of the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the recent meetings held within its framework
Minister Mnatsakanyan underscored the importance of direct engagement of Artsakh authorities in the peace process, especially on the issues related to the security and status of Artsakh.
The interlocutors highlighted the importance of consistent steps aimed at strengthening the environment conducive to peace and preparing the peoples for peace, as well as the importance of OSCE’s role within that framework.
Armenian PM attends opening of Munich Security Conference
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan attended the opening ceremony of the Munich Security Conference.
President of the Security Conference Wolfgang Ischinger and President of Germany Frank -Walter Steinmeier delivered welcoming speeches.
The Munich Security Conference brings together presidents, heads of government and foreign ministers from over 40 countries.
Among the participants are Armenian President Armen Sarkissian, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, Russian Minister for Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Djavad Zarif, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger and others.
Armenia, Azerbaijan leaders to participate in a discussion on Nagorno Karabakh in Munich
On the sidelines of the
Munich Security Conference, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will participate in a discussion on Nagorno
Karabakh.
The discussion will take place on February 15. The conversation titled “An update on Nagorno Karabakh” will kick off at 20:30 Yerevan time and will continue until 21:15.
Celeste A. Wallander, President
and Chief Executive Officer of the US Russia Foundation, will moderate the
discussion.
Netherlands completely ratifies Armenia-EU agreement
February 14, 2020 – 16:38 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net – On 12 February, the Netherlands notified the General Secretariat of the European Council and the Council of the EU about the completion of its internal procedures necessary for the ratification of the Armenia–EU agreement, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anna Naghdalyan said in a Facebook post on Friday, February 14.
The Dutch House of Representatives and Senate had ratified the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement in mid-December of 2019.
The deal will broaden and deepen the EU’s relationship with Armenia and provide for closer cooperation in economic, trade and political areas in addition to enhanced sectoral policies.
The CEPA has now been ratified by most of the 27 EU member states.
Armenia’s President to present his theory of quantum politics at Munich Security Conference
President Armen Sarkissian
will deliver a keynote address to the Munich Security Conference.
Presenting his theory of quantum
politics, President Sarkissian will speak about the rapid developments in the
world, the global risks, the new quantum technologies and systems, the quantum
behavior of politics.
For the last five decades,
the Munich Security Conference has been the world’s leading platform for
discussion of international security policy.
Every year in February, it
brings together heads of state and government, politicians, public figures,
diplomats, reputable analysts and experts from around the world to discuss
security issues, current and future challenges.
The Netherlands completes ratification of Armenia-EU Agreement
On 12 February 2020, the Netherlands notified the General Secretariat of the European Council and the Council of the EU about the completion of its internal procedures necessary for the ratification of the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement.
Twenty-one EU member states – Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Poland, Luxembourg, Denmark, Malta, Romania, United Kingdom, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Germany, Ireland, Croatia, Sweden, Slovenia and the Netherlands – have now informed the European Council and the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union of the completion of the internal procedures necessary for the ratification of the Agreement.
Belgium and France have also completed domestic procedures necessary for the ratification of the Agreement, but are yet to inform the EU Secretariat.
Unilateral actions will not help solve the Karabakh issue, Armenian PM says
Unilateral actions cannot help solve the Karabakh issue, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at the Friedrich Ebert Foundation.
“Even if we assume any Armenian authority can take unilateral action, it will not solve the problem, but will rather deepen it. Azerbaijan likes to talk about territories, but it is important to understand that we are talking about security,” the Prime Minister said.
“The buffer zone Azerbaijan is talking about has been created, because peaceful settlements are being bombarded by Azerbaijan, forcing civilians, children to live in basements for years,” he stated.
The Prime Minister noted that
Azerbaijan is a country where a man is being glorified for killing an Armenian.
“In 2004, NATO invites officers
from Armenia and Azerbaijan to Budapest under a peacekeeping program. In
Budapest, they attend joint seminars, and an Azerbaijani officer kills a
sleeping Armenian officer. The Budapest court sentences him to life in prison.
Some time later the Hungarian government decided to extradite the officer to
Azerbaijan. Upon arrival, the President of Azerbaijan signs a decree on the
release of the officer, who gets his entire salary paid, is given a flat, a
military rank, and receives the encouragement of the mass media,” Pashinyan
reminded.
“And when it comes to territory, we perceive
it as security. And first of all, not the Republic of Armenia, but the Republic
of Karabakh is not ready to compromise its own security, just as no country is
ready to compromise its security. That is to say, the solution to this situation
can only be linked to security guarantees that are not there. And they haven’t
been. And their absence has created the current situation,” he added.
Referring to his statement “Karabakh
is Armenia, full stop,” the Prime Minister said it has a very clear and
specific explanation.
“We have said that Azerbaijan’s attack on Karabakh will be seen as an attack on the Republic of Armenia. The Republic of Armenia is the guarantor of the security of Karabakh. And this says everything,” he explained.
PM Pashinyan made it clear
that “we have not seen any constructive step by Azerbaijan in the negotiation
process over the past one and a half year.”
“On the other hand, I would
like to appreciate the fact with Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev we have managed
to reach an unprecedented low level of tension since our first meeting in September
2018.
“And I hope that, as a result
of constructive discussions, we will not only be able to maintain this
relatively stable and calm situation, but also move forward with de jure
settlement,” the Prime Minister concluded.
Recognition of past atrocities vital for preventing identity-based crimes, Armenia’s UN Ambassador says
Armenia has been taking
consistent measures to consolidate international efforts aimed at prevention of
the crime of genocide, Armenia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Mher
Margaryan said at the UN Security Council Open Debate on “Peacebuilding and
sustaining peace: transitional justice in conflict and post‐conflict situations.”
“Regrettably, we still continue witnessing hate crimes and atrocities against ethnic and religious groups, state-led policy of hatred, racial and ethnic profiling, glorification and justification of past crimes and dehumanization of victims,” he said.
“The genocidal acts perpetrated against Christians, Yazidis and other communities by terrorist organizations committed in Syria and Iraq are stark reminders that denial of the crime and dehumanization of victims do not merely belong to history,” Armenia’s Permanent representative stated.
Mher Margaryan noted that the Armenian nation
has gone through the horrors of genocide in the beginning of the 20th century
and still continues to face the challenges of denial and justification of the
past crimes.
Hence, he said, Armenia has
been taking consistent measures to consolidate international efforts aimed at
prevention of the crime of genocide.
“Justification of the Armenian genocide at the
highest level by means of denigrating and insulting the dignity of the victims,
qualifying it as “the most reasonable act” and manufacturing alternative
historical narratives profoundly hampers the efforts to ensure the realization
of the right to truth and non- recurrence,” Amb. Margaryan stated.
“Armenia is committed to supporting the efforts of the United Nations to promote transitional justice as an important element of the UN prevention agenda. Over the years we have initiated a number of Resolutions related to the prevention of genocide. Upon Armenia’s initiative the General Assembly designated 9 December as the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime,” he reminded.
“Recognition and condemnation of the past atrocities is vital for preventing identity-based crimes, protecting the universality of human rights and achieving genuine reconciliation and sustainable peace,” he concluded.
Today on Twitter
These are several tweets about Armenia. Get in touch with us via Twitter if you want to be included in this Twitter list. We retweet occasionally.
No, not finished yet… Greco-Roman #wrestlers
Karen #Aslanyan (67 kg) & Karapet #Chalyan (77 kg) ensured the presence of the Armenian flag
on pedestal by taking the #bronze medals
during #EuropeanChampionship. Congrats to our heroes! #wretslerome
.@MFAofArmenia statement on adoption of #Syria’s People’s Council’s Resolution on recognition & condemnation of #ArmenianGenocide perpetrated by #OttomanEmpire: This Res is solid contribution to restoration of historical justice & prevention of #genocide’s https://www.mfa.am/en/interviews-articles-and-comments/2020/02/13/syria_statement_genocide/10079
PR of #ArmeniaChair of #CSW64 addressed @UN_Women ExecutiveBoard, stressing that wider political & economic participation of #women & better social protection mechanisms that would enable women & girls to realize their full potential are among the central priorities of @armgov
The #Armenian opposition voiced concerns the bill would have a negative economic impact:
https://jam-news.net/armenia-passes-strict-anti-smoking-laws-in-public-places/
Delegation led by Deputy Defense Minister of #Armenia #GabrielBalayan attends @NATO #DefMin in #RSM format. Continued contribution of Armenia and other partners to peace and stability in #Afghanistan highly appreciated by #NATO Allies.
32 years ago, these days, the #Karabakhmovement began. With mass demonstration the people of #Artsakh demanded from the Soviet Union the withdrawal of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) from the #Azerbaijan SSR and its reunion with the Soviet #Armenia.
#selfdetermination
A productive meeting w/ #President of #Armenia, H.E. Armen Sarkissian today. We discussed our mutual cooperation as #constitutional institutions; projects of the Human Rights Defender (@OmbudsArmenia ); #humanrights issues; #reforms of the #Constitution & #judicial-#legal system.
I looked at composition of Nagorno Karabakh Republic’s first elected parliament (1991-95). Some things stood out: of 81 seats, 6 were set aside for NKR’s Azerbaijani minority (3 in Shushi, 1 in Khojali, 1 in Karadagli & 1 in Umudlu); they remained vacant. https://twitter.com/ArmenianStudies/status/1227282593516621824
President Sarkissian to participate in #Munich #Security #Conference
https://artsakhpress.am/eng/news/121180/president-sarkissian-to-participate-in-munich-security-conference.html
On March 31 #Artsakh people votes in General Elections, testament 2 #EarnedSovereignty Democratic ideals & statehood.
Thus,@mfankr launches accreditation& invites journalists 2 aid Dem processes by following events on the ground
#Karabakh #ArtsakhVotes2020
http://www.nkr.am/en/media-accreditation
Politics Digests
Armenians, Artsakh, Karabakh
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