Breakthrough in Karabakh-Basque relations
Panorama.am, September 17, 2014, https://www.panorama.am/en/
The Nagorno-Karabakh Foreign Minister, Karen Mirzoyan, together with European Friends of Armenia’s Director Eduardo Lorenzo Ochoa, completed a one-week mission to the Basque Country this week, EuFoA reports.The visit, scheduled between September 10 and September 16, included meetings with Basque high officials, including the President of the Basque Parliament, Ms. Bakartxo Tejeria Otermin and other leaders, both at provincial and local level.
General News on Armenia
UK Ambassador: Armenia has unique role as NATO partner country
News.am, September 17, 2014, https://news.am/eng/news/
Armenia, a member of CSTO, has its unique role of a NATO partner country, UK Ambassador Katherine Leach said. Armenia has contributed greatly to different missions of the Alliance, she said during “Influence of NATO summit on Armenia and South Caucasus” discussion on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Abrahamyan meets Baroness Cox
Times.am, September 18, 2014, https://www.times.am/?p=46617&
Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan received a delegation consisting of UK House of Lords member Baroness Caroline Cox and representatives of the Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust (HART). The Prime Minister praised the pro-Armenian activities of Caroline Cox, aimed at unbiased presentation of the Artsakh issue to the international community. “You have repeatedly voiced the national concerns of Armenians and the true story of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem on different platforms. I have no doubt that your thoughtfulness of the people of Artsakh will be remembered for centuries,” Hovik Abrahamyan noted.
Armenian ruling party dismisses opposition arguments against constitutional reform
Armenianow.com, September 18, 2014, https://www.armenianow.
The ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) has dismissed the arguments of the opposition forces that regard the real goal of the planned constitutional reform to be the “reproduction” of power.
Three major opposition parties, Prosperous Armenia, the Armenian National Congress and Heritage, announced a joint rally for October 10 that will also focus on their attitude towards the reform advocated by the RPA. Some of the concepts of the changes in Armenia’s Basic Law suggest that the country should switch from the current semi-presidential to a presidential form of government. In this view, the opposition, in particular, fears that the changes are a veiled attempt by the ruling elites to ensure their continued stay in power even after the second and last presidential term of President Serzh Sargsyan, the leader of the RPA, ends in 2018.
Armenian NGOs address international agency's on Karen Petrosyan case
News.am, September 17, 2014, https://news.am/eng/news/
Representatives of the Armenian NGOs have submitted letters to the international organizations in relation to the case of Karen Petrosyan, Armenian citizen who died in Azerbaijani captivity.
“On 15 September 2014 Ms. Larisa Alaverdyan, Mr. Avetik Ishkhanyan, Mr. Artur Sakunts, the representatives of human rights NGOs, have submitted a letter to the European Committee on Prevention of Torture (Council of Europe), to the Committee against Torture (UN), as well as to the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (UN) in respect of the fact that Karen Petorsyan (inhabitant of Chinar village, Tavush region, Republic of Armenia) mistakenly appeared on the territory of Azerbaijan and consequently has been tortured and subjected to the inhuman treatment by the military personnel of Azerbaijani Armed forces,” NGOs said in a statement.
General News on Karabakh
The European Parliament condemns Azerbaijan, calls for targeted sanctions
Armradio.am, September 18, 2014, https://www.armradio.am/en/
Today, on September 18th, 2014, the European Parliament with an overwhelming majority adopted a resolution condemning the persecution of human rights defenders in Azerbaijan, affirming its previous resolutions, and calling for targeted sanctions against Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev’s regime, and visa bans against some who are directly responsible for the oppression. Azerbaijan was harshly criticized by members of the European Parliament, who stresseed the absurd reality of Azerbaijan currently holidng the rotating Presidency of the Council of Europe’s Council of Ministers – an institution upholding values of Human Rights and Freedom – whereas, “in the last few years the general Human Rights climate in Azerbaijan has been deteriorating, with a major escalation of government repression, pressure and intimidation directed at NGOs, civil society activists, journalists and human rights defenders”.
Soldier dies in Karabakh from Azerbaijani bullet
Armenpress.am, September 18, 2014, https://armenpress.am/
Conscript Mher H. Hakobyan (born in 1990) received a lethal gunshot wound from the rival’s bullet in the military position located in the southern directionof the line of contact of the Karabakh-Azerbaijani opposing armies. The incident occurred on September 18 at around 09:15 o’clock. The Press Service of the Ministry of Defense of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic informed “Armenpress” that an investigation has been launched to reveal the details of the incident.The Ministry of Defense of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic shares the grief of the heavy loss and expresses its support to the family members, relatives and colleagues of Mher H. Hakobyan.
German deputy appears in Azerbaijan’s “blacklist” for visiting Stepanakert
Armenpress.am, September 18, 2014,https://armenpress.am/eng/
The deputy of the Christian Democratic Party and the member of the Bundestag’s Commission for Foreign Affairs Manfred Grund has appeared in the Azerbaijan’s “blacklist” for visiting Yerevan and Stepanakert days ago. The deputy was informed about it officially. In response to the statement of the Azerbaijani Embassy to Germany, Manfred Grund stated that he is a deputy, elected by people and has the right to go wherever he wants without informing anybody about it.
UN human rights team says barred from visiting Azeri jails
Panarmenian.am, September 18, 2014, https://www.panarmenian.net/
A United Nations human rights team looking into complaints of torture in Azerbaijan said on Wednesday, Sept 17, it had cut short its investigations because it had been stopped from visiting some government detention centers, according to Reuters.In a statement issued in Geneva, the five-person group said the action by the authorities in the former Soviet republic had come despite assurances that the team would have unrestricted access to all places where prisoners were held.
Genocide, Karabakh: Yerevan, Baku envoy nominees’ U.S. Senate hearings
Panarmenian.am, September 18, 2014,https://www.panarmenian.
Strengthening Azerbaijan’s rule of law, standing in solidarity with Armenians in marking the 2015 centennial, peacefully resolving Nagorno Karabakh conflict were among key issues highlighted during the Senate Foreign Relation Committee’s confirmation hearing Wednesday, Sept 17 for the U.S. Ambassador-designates to Azerbaijan, Robert Cekuta, and Armenia, Richard Mills, reported the Armenian National Committee of America.
Armenia-Turkey
U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Nominee places onus on Ankara to engage with Yerevan to acknowledge historical facts
Mediamax.am, September 18, 2014, https://www.mediamax.am/en/
On the eve of the Armenian Genocide Centennial U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Nominee Richard Mills placed onus on Turkey "to engage with Armenia to achieve a full, frank, and just acknowledgement of the facts so that both nations can begin to forge a relationship that is peaceful, productive, and prosperous”.
News from International Sources
Azerbaijan Pursues Drones, New Security Options
Eurasianet.org, September 18, 2014,https://www.eurasianet.
Heightened tensions with longtime foe Armenia overbreakaway Nagorno Karabakh and mediator Russia’sUkrainian adventure appear to be pushing Caspian-Sea energy power Azerbaijan ever more strongly toward a military strategy of self-reliance. The strategy comes via two approaches: first, a build-up in Azerbaijani-made military equipment, including drones co-produced with Israel; and, second, a new defense troika with longtime strategic partners Turkey, a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and neighboring Georgia, a NATO-member-hopeful.
Turkey announces new strategy to join EU
Neurope.eu, September 18, 2014, https://www.neurope.eu/article/
Turkey announced a reformed plan to gain membership into the EU, which includes an increase in the dialogue between the EU and Turkey and significant social, economic and political reforms.
Turkish minister for EU Affairs Volkan Bozkir announced today Turkey’s new strategy to gain entrance into the European Union, which is titled “Determination in the Political Reform Process, Continuity in Socio-Economic Transformation, Effectiveness in Communication.” Turkey officially began negotiating with EU for accession in 2005.
Azerbaijani ambassador says sanctions cannot ruin Moscow-Baku relations
Vestnikkavkaza.net, September 18, 2014 https://vestnikkavkaza.net/
Azerbaijani Ambassador to Russia Polad Bulbulogly said that Russia and Azerbaijan were strategic partners. He reminded that a delegation from Moscow arrived in Baku for a session of an inter-governmental commission to discuss development of relations in the context of the Sochi talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev. The ambassador expressed readiness to increase exports of fruit, vegetables and meat to Russia, ITAR-TASS reports. At the same time, the diplomat admitted that such close relations with Russia were a target for PR campaigns to ruin them. He is confident that no sanctions would affect the relations. In his words, the two countries have been together for over 200 years. Concerning Ukraine, he expressed support for its territorial integrity.
News from Azerbaijani Sources
Azerbaijani MP addresses European Parliament and co-chairman of Euronest Parliamentary Assembly
Apa.az, September 17, 2014 https://en.apa.az/xeber_
Chairman of Azerbaijani Delegation to the Euronest PA, member of the Azerbaijani Parliament Elkhan Suleymanov has addressed president and members of the European Parliament, co-chairmen of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly regarding certain information contained in the urgent draft motion for resolution tabled by German MP Alexander Graf Lambsdorff on behalf of the ALDE Group.
A number of politicians in the European Parliament and other European organizations have recently launched biased campaigns and severe attacks against Azerbaijan, one of EU's Eastern Partnership countries.
Novruz Mammadov: In the West a campaign against those who write objective articles on Azerbaijan is launched
Apa.az, September 18, 2014, https://en.apa.az/xeber_novruz_
Deputy Head of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration, Head of Foreign Relations Department Novruz Mammadov has commented on the articles about Azerbaijan published in The Washington Post newspaper.
“While unaware of Azerbaijan’s location, I wonder whom The Washington Post gets this “accurate information” from?”, Mammadov wrote it on his Twitter page.
“In the West a campaign against those who write objective articles on Azerbaijan is launched. Is this what democracy looks like?” he wrote.
Azerbaijani Armed Forces continue large-scale exercises
News.az, September 18, 2014, https://www.news.az/articles/
Azerbaijani Armed Forces continue the large-scale exercises.
The next phase of large-scale military exercises that began on September 13, were conducted according to the plan approved by President of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev, the Defense Ministry’s press service told APA. The formations and units of the Land Forces participating in the exercises fulfilled the tasks on organization and conduction of offensive operations under different conditions, as well as in mountainous areas, employment of tactical air landing, raid and front groups and comprehensive coverage of operations.
The exercises will last till September 20.
Azerbaijan, Hungary to expand cooperation
Azernews.az, September 18, 2014, https://www.azernews.az/
Azerbaijan and Hungary developed a package of draft intergovernmental agreements on bilateral cooperation. The news was announced by Hungarian ambassador to Azerbaijan Zsolt Csutora on September 17.
Intergovernmental agreement drafts in areas such as tourism, education, information technology, sport, youth policy, and air traffic are prepared and planned to be signed in the near future, he told Trend.
Csutora also stressed the successful development of relations between Azerbaijan and Hungary. The two countries established successful cooperation in the political sphere, and he believes that economic cooperation will also continue.