7 minutes of Armenia coverage by Transcaucasian Telegraph.
video from the newly delimited borders in Tavush shows the border fence, a new wall under construction, and lightly armed border guards
There are direct contacts between Armenian and Azerbaijani border guards, who are positioned not far apart from each other.
2:34: The video shows the newly asphalted alternative road to access Kirants.
2:39: Shows the new (main) road for Kirants under construction. The construction will end next month.
3:33: Engineering activities in Armenian military positions located on a hill. The armed forces are located behind border guards.
Armenia’s Sotk gold mine will resume operations this year after suspending activities amid post-2021 invasion and attacks by Azerbaijan
The gold mine stopped operating after the Azerbaijani army began to open fire on Armenian mine employees in 2021. This year they will move the mining activities underground and resume the extractions.
As for Teghut, another mine affected by Azerbaijan’s invasion of Armenia in 2022, it has operated almost fully since mid-2023 but the operator has a problem with selling the product at the moment.
Azerbaijan’s president Aliyev visited the ethnically cleansed towns of Stepanakert and Shushi in Nagorno-Karabakh
In Shushi, he hosted the foreign minister of Turkey, because the president of Turkey preferred to watch football games over meeting his brother Aliyev at the capital of Big Turan. Representatives of Turkic states will visit the depopulated Shushi tomorrow.
In Stepanakert, Aliyev visited the main square. Azerbaijan is wiping out Armenian traces from this area and has destroyed several buildings since the ethnic cleansing in September 2023. Other Armenian buildings, such as Vallex Garden and ArtsakhBank, have been converted into Azerbaijani hotels.
Azerbaijan could follow the steps of Belarus and join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization led by Russia and China, according to Azeri MP
The MP Rasim Musabekov doesn’t see any obstacles for Azerbaijan, especially after this week’s signing of a strategic cooperation agreement between China and Azerbaijan.
statements by the bipartisan group of U.S. Congress members who visited Armenia
The delegation led by Senator Roger Wicker is in Armenia. Wicker is a senior member of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe. He is also a senior member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services.
On Friday they met Armenian parliamentarians led by Speaker Alen Simonyan.
SIMONIAN: This was a very productive meeting. We discussed several areas of AM-US cooperation. I presented the situation in the region and the AM-AZ relations, and the US involvement in it. We also spoke about the AM-TR relations. I presented information about our POWs in Baku. I must say that AM-US relations are at a very high level and mutual visits are frequent and play an important role in our relations. //
• Senator Roger Wicker said Russia and Iran are aggressive towards the "free world" and are unhappy with free and democratic Armenia.
• Wicker welcomed Armenia’s pro-peace stance and the attempts to open regional communications. "We highly appreciate the sincere efforts that are being made by Armenia in the direction of reaching an agreement and achieving lasting peace."
• Wicker urged Azerbaijan to carefully weigh the outcome of being an ally of Putin’s Russia, and not to fall under Russian dominance. "Beware of what unification with Putin’s Russia can lead to. I want to advise our friends in Azerbaijan to try to understand the price and value of freedom. And we have seen it many times, and I want to convey this warning to all those who are in Azerbaijan. Beware that the great Russian bear does not once again try to dominate, to occupy a dominant position over the republic of the former Soviet Union."
• Senator Ben Cardin, the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said they are here with the message that the U.S. is a friend of Armenia.
• Cardin thanked Armenia for choosing the path of democracy and enacting reforms, and called Armenia the "leader in democracy in this difficult region".
• Cardin thanked Armenia for the work done by Ambassador Makunts in the U.S., and for strengthening the AM-US friendship.
• Cardin said they understand the difficulties in the AM-AZ peace process and that Russia is not a friend of Armenia.
• Representative Joe Wilson, the chair of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki), called Armenia an important regional partner and acknowledged Armenia’s steps to distance itself from Putin’s Russia and pivot to the West.
• Wilson praised Armenia’s independent foreign policy and the resistance to Russia’s attempt to form a new USSR.
• Wilson said by strengthening the defense cooperation with Armenia, the U.S. can ensure Armenia’s resilience towards foreign pressures. "This will be beneficial for global security as well."
• Wilson said the delegation is here because they see and understand the progress Armenia has made as a democratic state.
• Wilson urged Azerbaijan and Turkey to conclude the peace process with Armenia as soon as possible, as it would be "beneficial for everyone."
• Wilson said the US is ready to support Armenia’s economy to strengthen its democracy and develop a prosperous society.
• The US wants to provide a platform for AM-AZ peace talks, will try to help repatriate the POWs, and will help Armenia defend its territorial integrity, said the members of the delegation.
• Cardin said the opening of borders and communications for trade would bring major benefits to Armenia and its population.
Iran’s ambassador to Armenia about the second round of presidential elections:
• Iranians in Armenia can vote in the embassy in Yerevan, the Blue Mosque in Yerevan, or in a mobile voting booth.
• Candidate Masoud Pezeshkian’s ethnic Azerbaijani origins won’t be a threat to Armenia if he is elected. Iran’s foreign policy doesn’t depend on such factors.
• Iran was, is, and will be Armenia’s friend. Do not trust the "big satan" America.
… Iran’s ambassador about the North-South trade routes
Russia, Azerbaijan, and Iran have been working on a North-South route via railway and highway and are reportedly close to finishing it, while Armenia’s North-South highway fell behind for decades and only now the government has begun to build a modern fast highway. What’s the likelihood of Armenia becoming a part of the international North-South?
AMBASSADOR: The North-South through Azerbaijan and Armenia do not substitute each other, they supplement each other. The North-South passing through Armenia is a serious alternative and is a shorter path to the Black Sea. It cuts the travel time to Georgia and the Black Sea by 2 days.
The Agarak-Kajaran construction has begun and it’s an important program that must be implemented. The Armenian government has allocated serious budget resources to accomplish that, and we value that.
The second phase of the construction will be announced soon, for the construction of Kajaran tunnel.
This will be followed by the construction of the next section, the Kajaran-Sisian section, to complete this part of the North-South and ease the travel for cargo trucks. //
Context: India wants to export goods to Europe, and Armenia wants to be part of that route, which passes through Iran’s Chabahar port. Armenia also wants to increase trade with Arab states and must use Iran’s territory for transit because Turkey maintains the blockade on Armenia.
US-Armenian diasporans want to open a new economics research center in Yerevan
Tatevik Sekhposyan, an Associate Professor at Texas A&M University, and seven other economists want to raise the level of economics education in Armenia and make the country more attractive for local and foreign professionals.
Sekhposyan attended the Armenian Cultural and Scientific Society (ASOF) meeting in Dilijan last year. The latest meeting was held last week. The foundation of the Armenian Center for Economic Research is one of the projects of this partnership.
For the last two years, we have been brainstorming with Armenians studying economics at different universities about how to contribute to the development of economics in Armenia, to bring economics as a science to the international level in Armenia
• Vladimir Asriyan. Professor at Barcelona School of Economics. Specializes in macroeconomics and finance, financial crises and policies to overcome them.
• Alexander Gevorgyan. Professor at New York’s St. John’s University. Specializes in the economic development of post-Soviet countries like Armenia.
modern gym opens for faculty and students at Yerevan State University: VIDEO
U.S. postpones "Noble Partner" joint military exercises with Georgia
The United States has initiated a comprehensive review of the United States – Georgia bilateral relationship. As part of that review, the United States will indefinitely postpone this iteration of exercise NOBLE PARTNER in Georgia
The United States will continue to partner with the Georgian Defense Forces as we look to continue strengthening Georgia’s ability to safeguard its sovereignty and maintain its territorial integrity.
Georgia expressed regret over the decision.
survey among Russian residents by Russia’s Levada Center
• 54% read news about the Ukraine war frequently. 46% little or not at all.
Male, older, and TV consumers are more likely to follow news about Ukraine.
• 77% support the Russian army’s actions in Ukraine. 17% oppose it.
Younger residents are less likely to support it, but most of them do.
TV consumers are far more likely to support it.
• 37% want the war to continue. 58% want peace talks.
Young, female, and rural residents are far more likely to want peace talks.
The majority in Moscow want war.
• Who is responsible for the death and destruction in Ukraine? 65% United States and NATO, 11% Ukraine, 6% Russia.
Older residents and TV consumers are significantly more likely to blame the West.
• 34% said the use of nukes by Russia could be justified. 52% disagreed.
Residents under 24 are significantly less likely to say nukes are justified.
photos from Constitution Day celebrations in Yerevan on Friday
https://old.reddit.com/r/armenia/comments/1dw784c/sotk_gold_mine_to_resume_underground_delimited/
Posted by ar_david_hh
1 Comment
Have Azerbaijan withdrawn from the territory north of the Berkaber reservoir or not? The fact there hasn’t been any news about this is now a deep cause for concern. What happened to delimitation based on maps and Alma Ata?