Year: 2024

Senator, Chair of Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ben Cardin issued a statement on the situation of democracy in Azerbaijan.   “Azerbaijan’s assault on journalists, illegal detention of opposition and alleged use of transnational repression are anti-democratic tactics. Baku must release political prisoners and halt harassment to be part of the international community, ahead of COP29”,…

The United States is prepared to let Turkey back into its F-35 fighter jet program as long as the issue of its acquisition of the Russian S-400 missile defense system is resolved, Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland has told CNN Turk.    “We were in the process of negotiating the Patriot sale, and…

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan responded to the proposal of Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to sign a non-aggression pact between Yerevan and Baku, if it turns out that the signing of the peace treaty will take longer than expected.   Azerbaijani MFA spokesman Aykhan Hajizada described the proposal as unacceptable. He noted…

On January 29, the meeting of Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan and Kamal Kharrazi, Foreign Policy Advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader and Head of Iran Strategic Council on Foreign Relations took place.   The interlocutors discussed various issues of the agenda of the Armenian-Iranian multisectoral cooperation, noting the high level of political…

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Monday announced his exit from the position of the head of the Government, agenda.ge reports.    In his comments, Garibashvil said he was leaving after having “submitted to the public an extensive report on my three years of work” at the end of 2023.   “I started working as…

The appellate court of the Azerbaijani capital of Baku has denied the appeal which was submitted in relation to the decision by a court of first instance to extend the period of pretrial detention of Ruben Vardanyan, former Minister of State of Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijani media informed.   Earlier, a court of first instance in Baku…

Aykhan Hajizada, head of the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, responded to the statements of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, Hanke Bruins Slot.   Earlier, the latter mentioned at the session of the foreign relations committee of the Dutch Parliament that Azerbaijan’s latest statements regarding Armenia are…

Moscow continues to be the venue for peace talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Russia Polad Bulbuloglu told TASS in an interview.   “We are grateful to Russia at present for intermediary efforts to normalize relations between Baku and Yerevan, and Moscow continues to be the platform for peace talks,” the Ambassador…

The Biden administration has announced its approved a $US23 billion deal to sell F-16 warplanes to Turkey, after Ankara ratified Sweden’s Nato membership, the state department said.   The state department will now notify Congress of the agreement, as well as of a separate $8.6bn sale of 40 F-35s to Greece, The Guardian reports. Turkey…

The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, in the weekly briefing, answering the question whether Moscow is ready to become a partner in the transfer of mine maps by Armenia to Azerbaijan, noted that Russia is ready to continue efforts that will promote peace and stability in the South Caucasus. “Moscow remains…

Gaza’s Health Ministry said Israeli fire struck a crowd of people waiting for humanitarian aid at a roundabout in Gaza City on Thursday, killing at least 20 and wounding 150. The Israeli military says it was looking into the reports, AP reports.   Meanwhile, the death toll from a strike the day before on a…

Azerbaijan has extended the pre-trial detention of the individuals who held leadership positions in Nagorno Karabakh and are currently held illegally in Baku.   According to Azerbaijani media,  the jail term of the ex-Presidents Arkadi Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan and Arayik Harutyunyan, the  former Foreign Minister David Babayan, the  National Assembly Speaker Davit Ishkhanyan, as well…

An Azerbaijani court extended the pre-trial detention of Ruben Vardanyan, the former State Minister of Nagorno-Karabakh, for another four months.   Aurora Humanitarian Initiative co-founder and former State Minister of Nagorno-Karabakh Ruben Vardanyan was arrested by Azerbaijani authorities on September 27, 2023 while en-route to Armenia together with tens of thousands of others amid the…

Iran and Turkey have issued a joint statement emphasizing the need to enhance the volume of trade between the two countries as well as pledging to work together to realize peace and stability in the region, IRNA news agency reports.   The joint statement, issued at the end of Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi’s visit to…

On January 24, the delegation of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) made a statement at a meeting of the structure:    “In the face of current unbearable atmosphere of racism, Azerbaijanophobia and Islamophobia in the PACE, the delegation of Azerbaijan decides to cease its engagement with…

The armed wing of Palestinian militant group Hamas on Tuesday claimed responsibility for a rocket attack that killed 21 Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip, Reuters reports.   Israel earlier blamed unidentified Palestinian militants for the rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) attack on Monday, which was the deadliest day to date for the Israeli military in its…

At the plenary session on Tuesday, the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) recommended not to approve the credentials of the Azerbaijani delegation. The decision was made by a majority vote after intense debate.   The Monitoring Committee considered that the powers of the Azerbaijani delegation should not be…

Sona Ghazaryan, member of Armenian Parliamentary delegation at PACE, addressed a question to Nikos Christodoulides, President of the Republic of Cyprus during the winter session of PACE on January 23, 2024.    “Your Excellency, it’s an honour to welcome you to this Assembly. Recently the Government of Armenia came up with the initiative of the…

EU Official Martti Lutsar joined EU Mission in Armenia (EUMA) for a patrol. “On patrol in Jermuk with EU External Action GEO Desk Officer Martti Lutsar despite challenging winter conditions. The EUMA patrol observed the security situation along the Armenian side of the border with Azerbaijan”, EUMA said in a post on X.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian spoke in favor of a prompt ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and expressed their concerns over the tense situation in the Red Sea during the meeting on the UN sidelines, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.    “The sides had a substantial exchange of opinion…

The credentials of Azerbaijan’s delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) have been challenged on substantive grounds on the opening day of the 2024 winter plenary session.   Making the challenge, Frank Schwabe (Germany, SOC) cited political prisoners in the country, the violent displacement of people from Nagorno-Karabakh, the fact that…

Poland’s new Prime Minister Donald Tusk arrived in neighbouring Ukraine on Monday (January 22) to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, aiming to strengthen relations after months of political friction between the two wartime allies, Reuters reports.   Tusk’s government is exploring how to make more ammunition and military equipment as part of a new aid package…

Russia has no idea how former US President Donald Trump’s election pledges regarding a prompt settlement of the conflict over Ukraine can be translated into life, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has told the media, TASS reports.   “No, we do not have an understanding of how this can be implemented. There have been no…

Today is the 17th anniversary of the assassination of Hrant Dink, the founder and editor-in-chief of  Istanbul-based ‘Agos’ weekly.    Dink was a journalist in a country where free-thinking journalists are persecuted. And as a peace fighter, he was persecuted by nationalists.   Dink was one of Turkey’s prominent intellectuals, known for his fearless speeches and…

The so-called Zangezur corridor has never been discussed within the framework of the trilateral agreements between Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.   “The Zangezur Corridor has never been discussed as part of the agreements that were made by President Putin, President Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan on November 9…

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin and Armenian Ambassador to Moscow Vagharshak Harutyunyan discussed how to normalize the situation between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the Russian diplomat emphasized the urgency of resuming trilateral work to find the solution as soon as possible.   “During the conversation, they discussed in detail the situation in the Armenian-Azerbaijani…

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in a telephone conversation with his Pakistani counterpart Jalil Abbas Jilani has described Pakistan’s security as Iran’s security.   During the telephone conversation on Wednesday, Amirabdollahian and Jilani exchanged views on the latest situation of mutual ties between the two countries, IRNA reports.   Expressing satisfaction with the friendly ties…

French Senator Valérie Boyer gave a speech in the French Senate. She spoke about the Armenian Genocide that took place in the Ottoman Empire and reminded that inside the walls of the Senate and in the press she repeatedly called to help Armenia and prevent another military aggression of Azerbaijan against Nagorno-Karabakh, but they were…

In his speech, French Senator Jean-Pierre Rochet criticized the giving great significance to Azerbaijani gas.   “The fact that we need Azerbaijani gas does not mean that we should turn a blind eye to Azerbaijan’s aggression against Armenians.   Armenia lives under the constant threat of Azerbaijan. The resolution will ensure the security of Armenia…

EU Ambassador to Azerbaijan Peter Michalko expressed his disappointment regarding the human rights situation in Azerbaijan. “I was appalled by the reports of denigrating treatment of some of the journalists recently arrested in Azerbaijan, particularly young women, handcuffed in courtroom, put in glass cages or not allowed basic human needs. Everybody has the right to…