(MENAFN- AzerNews)
By Vugar Khalilov
South Caucasus Weekly Review: 22-28 Aug 22
This project of Azernews is designed to cover major
weekly developments in the South Caucasus nations
HIGHLIGHTS
Armenian, Russian leaders discuss Karabakh issue
Armenia not to compensate to businesses suffered in Yerevan
market blast
Armenian premier attends Eurasian Economic Union session in
Kyrgyzstan
Armenian opposition to organize fresh wave of protests on
Sep 2
Iran intends to raise exports to Armenia by up to $1
billion
Wildfires break out in Georgia's Borjomi
municipality
Georgian President: war in Ukraine significantly undermines
global security
Kazakh president arrives in Azerbaijan on official
visit
Azerbaijani army in full control of Lachin city, adjacent
settlements
Efforts to resurrect OSCE Minsk Group may exclude US from
Azerbaijan-Armenia normalization process - spokesperson
ARMENIA
Armenian, Russian leaders discuss Karabakh
issue
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Russian President
Vladimir Putin discussed the situation around Karabakh, Azernews
reports, citing the Armenian media.
During a phone call made on the initiative of the Armenian
leader on August 24, the parties emphasized the need for
implementation of the trilateral declarations of November 10, 2020,
January 11, and November 21, 2021, by Armenian, Russian, and
Azerbaijani leaders. The importance of the Russian peacekeeping
mission in maintaining regional stability was also stressed.
Certain relevant issues concerning the ongoing development of
the Armenia-Russia strategic partnership and the allied ties were
discussed.
Armenia not compensate businesses that suffered in
Yerevan market blast
Armenia's government will not compensate businesses that
suffered from the recent explosion at Yerevan's Surmalu market,
Economy Minister Vahan Kerobyan told reporters following a cabinet
meeting.
He said that the Surmalu merchants had not insured their
property.
“The government cannot take on itself a function and compensate
that cost which the insurance company should have compensated. If
the businessman did not consider that risk high, the government has
nothing to do there,” he said.
The Surmalu blast, which occurred on August 14, killed 16 and
injured 60 more others.
Armenian premier attends Eurasian Economic Union session
in Kyrgyzstan
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan arrived in Kyrgyzstan on
a working visit to attend a session of the Eurasian
Inter-governmental Council of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) in
the town of Cholpon-Ata, on August 25.
The prime ministers of the EAEU met in a narrow-format session
of the Eurasian Inter-governmental Council to discuss issues such
as domestic market strengthening, transportation infrastructure
development, customs tariff regulation, and digital agenda
cooperation among other topics.
The extended-format session of the Inter-governmental Council
took place on August 26.
“Despite the global economic transformations and remarkable
shocks in financial systems, a certain positive tendency is
observed in trade and economic relations due to the advantages of
the Eurasian integration.
In this context, I should mention that in the first half of
2022, Armenia's economy has ensured a significant increase in the
volume of mutual trade with EAEU countries. During that period,
mutual trade with EAEU countries increased by 52.5% compared to the
same period of 2021 and amounted to 1.7 billion USD, while
Armenia's exports with EAEU countries increased by 48.9% and
imports by 54.2%,” Pashinyan said during the meeting.
Armenia attaches great importance to forming a single gas market
in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and is ready for a
constructive dialogue, Pashinyan added.
“I want to note that the Republic of Armenia is attaching great
importance to the formation of a single gas market in the Eurasian
Economic Union and is ready for a constructive dialogue in order to
achieve consensus over unresolved issues. From the perspective of
forming a complete single market of goods and services, we
highlight the integration of transportation and infrastructure
sectors”, he said.
The EAEU member states signed 10 documents on the development of
cooperation based on the results of the session.
Armenian opposition to organize a fresh wave of protests
on Sep 2
The Resistance Movement will take to the streets on September 2
in Yerevan's French Square, according to the movement's
coordinator, opposition Hayastan fraction MP Ishkhan
Saghatelyan.
The rally will begin at 1930, he added.
Iran intends to raise exports to Armenia by up to $1
billion
Iran's Ambassador to Armenia Abbas Badakhshan Zohouri stated
that his country is willing to boost exports to Armenia by up to $1
billion, Azernews reports, per the Armenian media.
“As of now, the export volume from Iran to Armenia has reached
$560 million, and we plan to increase it up to $1 billion”, the
ambassador said.
Zohouri stressed that several important projects are on the
inter-state agenda of Iran and Armenia. Iran's exports to Armenia
have climbed by 37 percent compared to the same period of 2021, he
added.
During a meeting with the trade delegation of Zanjan province,
the ambassador referred to Armenia as a secure and reliable
communication bridge for building economic links with Eurasian
Economic Union (EAEU) and European Union countries (EU).
He stated that Armenia's preferential tariff for exporting
6,000-7,000 commodities to EAEU nations will allow Iranian firms to
participate in these markets.
GEORGIA
Wildfires break out in Georgia's Borjomi
municipality
Wildfires broke out in Georgia's Borjomi municipality on August
20, Azernews reports, citing the Georgian media.
Local and national emergency services have been dispatched to
combat the wildfires, with 300 firemen, 300 Special Tasks
Department staff, four border police helicopters, and surveillance
drones attempting to limit its spread, and an emergency
headquarters created near the settlement of Dgvari.
The main sources of fire in Borjomi valley have been eliminated,
the Interior Ministry reported on August 29, 2022.
The ministry added that at the moment, the majority of the fire
has been extinguished and work is being carried out on the active
centers.
“Fire localization and extinguishing works in Borjomi
Municipality by the units of the Interior Ministry were active
throughout the night. At the moment, most of the fire has been
extinguished and work is being carried out on the still-active
centers. Employees of various departments of the Interior Ministry,
the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Regional Development and
Infrastructure, as well as the relevant services of the Ministry of
Environment and Agriculture continue to participate in the process
of extinguishing the fire. In addition, border police helicopters
and a specialized firefighting plane of the Republic of Turkey
resumed their work in the morning,” the statement reads.
Georgian President: war in Ukraine significantly
undermines global security
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili said that war in Ukraine
significantly undermines global security, Azernews reports, citing
Georgian media.
She made the remarks during the second summit of the Crimea
Platform on August 24, which was created at the initiative of
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. In her online address,
Zurabishvili described Russia's attack as a major threat to
regional, as well as global security.
“It is evident that war in Ukraine and occupation of Crimea and
attacks today on Odesa significantly undermine Black Sea security
and hence global security as the world is facing an unprecedented
threat of food shortages, caused by halted grain exports. We are
once again reminded of an elementary principle – peace and security
cannot be divided, we are all in the same boat,” she stressed.
Meanwhile, Georgia joined the joint statement at the United
Nations by more than 50 nations commemorating the six-month
anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
With this statement, the members of the United Nations once
again condemned Russia's aggression against Ukraine and urged
Moscow to respect UN norms and Ukraine's territorial integrity.
AZERBAIJAN
Kazakh president arrives in Azerbaijan on official
visit
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev arrived in Baku on an
official visit on August 24, Azernews reports.
Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are marking the 30th anniversary of
diplomatic ties in 2022. For over a third of a century, both
states, regarded as locomotives of their regions, are making great
strides in political, economic, cultural, and humanitarian
spheres.
During the visit Tokayev and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham
Aliyev signed a number of documents. Each of them is worthy of
detailed analysis and examination. The Declaration on Strengthening
Strategic Relations and Deepening Allied Interaction between the
Republic of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Azerbaijan is the most
important of all signed documents.
Here is what Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said to this end
in his statement to the press.
“Many documents have been signed. Some of them were signed with
our participation, and more than 20 documents were signed between
relevant agencies today. This creates a broader legal framework for
our relationship. Of course, of these documents, I would like to
specifically mention the Declaration on the strengthening of
strategic relations and the deepening of allied relations between
Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, which we have just signed. The name of
this Declaration itself testifies to the importance of the
document. We are not only strategic partners but also allies. Of
course, this puts a special responsibility on us, and we are ready
for this responsibility. The declaration covers many aspects of our
cooperation and will certainly serve as a very solid basis for our
future interaction.'
Azerbaijani army in full control of Lachin city,
adjacent settlements
The Azerbaijani army has taken full control of Lachin city along
with the adjacent Zabukh and Sus villages, Azernews reports, citing
the Defense Ministry.
“Under the instruction of President of the Republic of
Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Mr.
Ilham Aliyev, the Azerbaijan Army has taken complete control of
Lachin city, as well as Zabukh and Sus settlements,” the ministry
stressed.
Currently, measures are being taken to deploy units of the
Azerbaijan army to new points of deployment and to carry out the
necessary technical work in the region, the ministry added.
Earlier, Lachin city was temporarily controlled by the Russian
peacekeepers to provide communication between Armenia and Karabakh
region. Under the November 10, 2020, trilateral statement, signed
by the Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian leaders, the city should
be handed over to Azerbaijan after the completion of a new road,
which would be an alternative to the Lachin corridor.
Following the completion of the new road bypassing Lachin,
Azerbaijan demanded that Armenia clear the unlawfully occupied city
and adjacent settlements by August 25.
Efforts to resurrect OSCE Minsk Group may exclude US
from Azerbaijan-Armenia normalization process -
spokesperson
The resurrection efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group may lead to the
alienation of the US from the Azerbaijan-Armenia normalization
process, Azernews reports, citing Foreign Ministry Spokesperson
Leyla Abdullayeva.
Abdullayeva made the remarks in response to US State Secretary
Antony Blinken's press statement on the appointment of Philip
Reeker to the post of Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations.
“Attempts to `resuscitate' the de-facto non-functioning Minsk
Group may result the USA to be estranged from the process of
normalization of the Azerbaijani-Armenian relations,” Abdullayeva
stressed.
The spokeswoman described the press statement as“surprising”
and“an approach far from the post-conflict reality in the
region”.
According to the diplomat, Azerbaijan's position on the Minsk
Group has been consistently and unequivocally stated at the highest
level.
“The Karabakh conflict has been resolved and Karabakh is an
integral part of Azerbaijan. The international community, including
our partners, should understand that connecting negotiation on the
normalization of the Azerbaijani-Armenian relations with the
Karabakh issue does not serve normalization at all,” Abdullayeva
emphasized.
“I have appointed Ambassador Philip Reeker as Senior Advisor for
Caucasus Negotiations and Minsk Group Co-Chair. Ambassador Reeker's
appointment reaffirms our commitment to peaceful resolution of
conflicts in the South Caucasus,” Blinken wrote on his Twitter
account.
---
Follow us on Twitter
@AzerNewsAz
MENAFN30082022000195011045ID1104779451