Astghik Sargsian’s interview with Toyvo Klaar, EU special envoy to South Caucasus.

US Secretary of State Blinken issued a statement regarding the Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations.   “This week I hosted Azerbaijan Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Armenia Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan for bilateral peace negotiations at the George P. Schultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center.  After an intensive and constructive series of bilateral and trilateral discussions, the parties…

Commander of the Russian peacekeeping forces in Nagorno-Karabakh Colonel-General Alexander Lentsov has met with Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov.   Lentsov and Hasanov discussed the situation in the deployment site of the Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh. 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will participate in the bilateral peace negotiation closing session with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, US Department of State informs. The meeting will be held at the George Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev expressed hope that as a result of the negotiations between the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Washington, it will be possible to make progress in the process of regulating relations between Baku and Yerevan. According to him, any attempt to include Nagorno-Karabakh in the text of the peace…

United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman, Senator Bob Menendez has criticized the USAID for its slow responses.   Addressing USAID Administrator Samantha Power at a Senate hearing, he said that the agency ‘moves slower than molasses’ and asked why it hasn’t airlifted humanitarian supplies to Armenians who are now blockaded in Nagorno-Karabakh.   “Often…

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi landed in Damascus on Wednesday (May 3) for talks with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad, Syrian state media reported, in the first visit by an Iranian head of state since war broke out in Syria in 2011, Reuters reports.   With military and economic support from both Iran and Russia, Assad…

The deputy defence ministers of Russia, Ukraine and Turkey will meet in Istanbul on Friday to discuss a deal that allows the exports of Ukrainian grains on the Black Sea, Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said on Wednesday (May 3), Reuters reports.   “During the meeting, some issues starting with the grain initiative will be…

Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili met Israeli President Isaac Herzog within his official visit to the State of Israel, 1tv.ge reports.   The meeting addressed Georgia-Israel bilateral cooperation-related issues. The parties expressed readiness to continue friendly relations and deepen cooperation in bilateral and multilateral formats.   Israeli President reiterated Israel’s unwavering support for Georgia’s territorial…

Vedant Patel, Principal Deputy Spokesperson at US Department of State referred to the meeting between State Secretary Antony Blinken, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov.    Senior officials told reporters that discussions have already been successful. “Can you please help us unpack that little bit? Was there anything that happened…

Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan – Head of the Department of Foreign Policy Affairs of the Presidential Administration, Hikmet Hajiyev will meet with the Assistant Secretary General of NATO, the mission of Azerbaijan in NATO said.    He will hold a bilateral meeting with NATO Assistant Secretary General David Cuttler and allied countries in…

Police in Istanbul cracked down on May Day demonstrators, preventing union members, activists, and students from gathering in Taksim Square and arresting dozens.   International Workers’ Day in Turkey was marked once again by clashes between police and various groups attempting to gather and march in Istanbul’s Taksim Square. Bollards were placed throughout the streets…

The civil activists’ protest rally “I am coming” ended at the First Republic Square with several demands voiced by Zaza Papuashvili, Georgian Public Broadcaster reports.    Below are their demands:   “1. We ask the government to enforce the law equally for everyone, regardless of political, sexual, or other orientation! We do not recognize anyone’s…

Turkish President Recep Erdogan said on local television on Sunday that he is feeling well and has resumed his pre-election campaign after suffering a worsening of health last week. He also expressed his confidence regarding his victory in the May 14 presidential elections. This confidence was inspired by the rally held in Ankara on Sunday,…

President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) said that the value of the trade between Iran and Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) member states will hit $10 billion after a new agreement is signed between the two sides, Tasnim reports.   Speaking in a joint meeting with the EAEU’s Minister in Charge of…

Leader of the People’s Republic Party Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, a key opponent of Turkey’s incumbent leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan ahead of the presidential election, said in an interview with the Financial Times on Friday that he would revive his country’s EU membership negotiations if he wins, Financial Times reports.    Kılıçdaroğlu told the FT that he…

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his primary rival in the presidential election, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, leader of the opposition Republican People’s Party, plan to hold rallies in Istanbul on the same day but in different districts. The Haberler news portal reports on Friday.  According to the news portal, the rallies will be held in the…

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan canceled his election appearances for a third day Friday after falling ill with what officials described as an intestinal infection, AP reports.   Erdogan, who has ruled Turkey for two decades as prime minister and then president, is seeking a third presidential term in Turkey’s May 14 elections. He had…

A protocol was signed between the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan and the Turkish company ‘Baykar’ on establishing a joint production of unmanned aerial vehicles in Azerbaijan.   The document was signed by the general director of ‘Baykar’ Haluk Bayraktar and the deputy minister of defense of Azerbaijan Agil Gurbanov.

Russian President Vladimir Putin participated virtually in the ceremony delivering the first nuclear fuel batch to the first power generation unit at the Akkuyu nuclear power plant (NPP) in Turkey.   Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan also took part in the ceremony remotely. Once fuel arrives at the plant, the Akkuyu NPP will officially become…

An agreement has been reached regarding a meeting in Moscow between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian foreign ministry, announced this at Thursday’s ministry press briefing.   “An agreement has been reached about such a meeting. The specific day will be announced later,” Zakharova stated. 

President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will attend Akkuyu nuclear power plant’s inauguration ceremony via live videoconference, Turkey’s Communications Director Fahrettin Altun announced on April 26, Turkish media reports.    “We categorically reject such baseless claims regarding President @RTErdogan’s health. The President will attend tomorrow’s nuclear power plant opening via videoconference,” Altun, said on Twitter….

The overseas voting process for Turkey’s presidential and parliamentary elections begins on April 27, BIANET reports. The elections will take place on May 14 in Turkey.   Voting in 73 countries and 156 locations abroad will end on May 9. The voting process at customs gates for those registered in the overseas election registry will…

The co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for the monitoring of Azerbaijan, Ian Liddell-Granger (United Kingdom, EC/DA) and Lise Christoffersen (Norway, SOC), and the co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of Armenia, Kimmo Kiljunen (Finland, SOC) and Boriana Åberg (Sweden, EPP/CD), have made the following statement: “We renew our call for the…

The High Representative of EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, criticized the installation of the Azerbaijani checkpoint in the Lachin Corridor. “Azerbaijan establishing unilaterally a checkpoint along Lachin corridor runs counter to EU calls for reducing tensions and solving issues by dialogue. EU continues to engage in promoting peace and stability in South…

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he cancelled his scheduled campaign rallies on Wednesday (April 26) due to health reasons, ahead of the landmark May 14 elections, Reuters reports. “Today, I will rest at home with the advice of my doctors,” Erdogan wrote on his Twitter account. Late on Tuesday (April 25), Erdogan cut short a…

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu held talks with his visiting counterparts from Iran, Syria and Turkey, Mohammad-Reza Ashtiani, Ali Mahmoud Abbas and Hulusi Akar, to discuss measures to strengthen security and combat terrorism in Syria, the Russian defense ministry said on Tuesday.   “On April 25, four-party talks between the Russian, Iranian, Syrian, and Turkish…

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Founding Chairman of Rasmussen Global and former NATO Secretary General referred to the latest developments in Lachin Corridor.   “Worrying escalation by Azerbaijan. If Baku continues to flout its international commitments and binding court orders from the International Court of Justice, there must be political and economic consequences”, Rasmussen twitted. 

Within the scope of his visit to Brussels, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili met with Charles Michel, President of the European Council, Georgian Government Press office reports.   The process of Georgia’s accession to the EU was the key topic discussed at the meeting. Irakli Garibashvili briefed the President of the European Council about Georgia’s…

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna will visit Armenia this week, the French Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday.   Colonna will be traveling to Azerbaijan and Armenia on April 26-28.   The visit “will reiterate France’s commitment to support the negotiations between the two countries for a fair and lasting peace based on principles of international law…