Talks are expected to focus on bilateral ties and relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia; the two countries are weighing a peace deal after Azerbaijan took control of the Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh last September (RFE/RL)
Azerbaijan Proposes Interim Peace Deal With Armenia
A senior Azerbaijani official offered the proposal while a broader peace treaty remains held up over a provision in Armenia’s constitution; the broader treaty would end the conflict over the former breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, but Azerbaijan has called for Armenia to amend its constitution to remove an indirect reference to Karabakh independence (Reuters)
Advisor to Azerbaijan’s President Says Armenia, France Arms Deal Will Harm Normalizaion Efforts
The top Azerbaijan advisor told the media that France’s pledge to supply new arms to Armenia would harm Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization efforts; Armenia said it has “the sovereign right” to maintain well-equipped armed forces (Reuters)
France to Sell Howitzers to Armenia
France has signed a contract to sell CAESAR self-propelled howitzers to Armenia; it is unclear how many systems Armenia will receive (Reuters)
Armenia to Leave Russian-Led Military Alliance
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced today that Armenia will leave the Collective Security Treaty Organization, a Russian-led military alliance of post-Soviet states (Novaya Gazeta Europe)
Mass Protests Against PM Pashinyan Sweep Across Armenia
Thousands gathered outside Armenia’s parliament in Yerevan to protest Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and call for his resignation; public anger was sparked by a decision last month to give four border villages to Azerbaijan (Al Jazeera)
Azerbaijan President: Resettlement of Nagorno-Karabakh Capital Will Start in September
Baku will begin efforts to resettle the region’s capital in September, President Ilham Aliyev said; Azerbaijan carried out a military campaign last fall in what was previously an ethnic Armenian enclave (Reuters)
Azerbaijani Authorities Take Control of Four Villages on Armenian Border
The swap was part of a deal between the two countries that followed Azerbaijan’s takeover last year of the Nagorno-Karabakh region (Reuters)
Russia Closes Military Base in Azerbaijan
The base had previously housed nearly two thousand peacekeeping forces; the Russian withdrawal follows Azerbaijan’s recapture of an Armenian enclave in the country last year (Reuters)
U.S. Congressman Accepts Bribes from Azerbaijan
U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar (D-TX) was indicted on accusation of taking payments from Azerbaijan and pushing policies favorable toward the country at the federal level, according to charges unsealed Friday; Cuellar denied any wrongdoing (NYT)
Armenia, Azerbaijan Agree on Border Demarcation
The first boundary marker will place four Armenian villages within Azerbaijan’s territory (AP)
According to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, border delimitation, which follows Soviet-era map boundaries, puts the countries closer to the peace deal (Le Monde)
However, Azerbaijan demanded the International Court of Justice (ICJ) proceed with its ethnic cleansing case against Armenia, as both countries actively try to pursue competing cases against each other at the World Court (Reuters)
Armenia Urges ICJ to Pursue Investigation Into Ethnic Cleansing Case Against Azerbaijan
An Armenian representative told the World Court that “Azerbaijan has completed the ethnic cleansing” of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, a former Armenian enclave, and that it still engages in “systematically erasing all traces of ethnic Armenians’ presence;” the statement comes after Azerbaijan argued the day before that Armenia’s case falls outside the court’s jurisdiction (Reuters)
Azerbaijan Demands ICJ Drop Armenia’s Ethnic Cleansing Case
Armenia filed the case in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2021, accusing Azerbaijan of racism and breaching the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) (Reuters)
Armenia: Threat of War Disputed Villages Are Not Returned to Azerbaijan
Ongoing talks to redraw boundaries between the countries following Baku’s incursion last year into the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh enclave have been mired in tensions. Armenia has held control of these villages since the early 1990s (Reuters)
Armenia, Azerbaijan Attend Peace Talks in Berlin
German officials have stepped up mediation efforts in recent months following Azerbaijan’s military campaign in the Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh last year; Germany’s foreign minister will host Armenian and Azerbaijani officials for a two-day peace discussion beginning today (Bloomberg)
Four Armenian Soldiers Killed in Flare-up With Azerbaijan
Today’s deaths were the first fatalities between the two countries in months, Armenia’s defense ministry said; Azerbaijan’s border service accused Armenian forces of destroying a border post ahead of the latest clashes, which Armenia denied (RFE/RL)
Azerbaijan Holds Snap Election
President Ilham Aliyev moved up the vote originally scheduled for 2025 shortly after Azerbaijan launched a military campaign last year to retake the ethnic Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh; Aliyev has ruled for more than twenty years and is expected to win another seven-year term (AP)
The two main opposition parties are not on today’s ballot (Reuters)
Azerbaijan Expels Two French Diplomats
Azerbaijan cited “activities incompatible with their diplomatic status;” France has increased its support for neighboring Armenia as Armenian-Azeri tensions have escalated in recent months (RFE/RFL)
Azerbaijan: No Major Obstacles to Peace With Armenia
A senior Azeri government official also contended that disputes over the countries’ shared border could be decided separately; in September, Azeri troops recaptured the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh from ethnic Armenian separatists (Reuters)
Armenia, Azerbaijan Agree to Move Toward Normalizing Relations
The countries said in a joint statement that they hope to sign a peace treaty by the end of the year (BBC)
As part of the rapprochement, Armenia announced its support for Azerbaijan’s candidacy to host next year’s UN climate summit (Reuters)
Armenia and Azerbaijan Resume Talks Over Shared Border
The announcement comes weeks after Azerbaijan refused to participate over objections to U.S. and European mediation, alleging their bias toward Armenia (AFP)
World Court: Azerbaijan Must Allow Ethnic Armenians to Return to Nagorno-Karabakh
The International Court of Justice (ICJ), also known as the World Court, ordered Azerbaijan to protect ethnic Armenians who remain in the region as well (Reuters)
Azerbaijan Rejects U.S. Mediation With Armenia
Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry said it would not attend a meeting planned with Armenia for November 20 in Washington, accusing the United States of a one-sided approach to mediating conflict between the two countries; the meeting was meant to work toward peace after Azerbaijan’s recapture of the ethnic Armenian–controlled enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in September (Reuters)
Armenia PM Says Nearing a Peace Deal with Azerbaijan
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that his government could sign a peace agreement with Azerbaijan in the coming months and unveiled a plan to reopen roads and railways that have been long blocked; the two governments have experienced hostile relations for three decades (Politico)
Armenian PM Sees No Benefit to Continued Russian Military Presence in Armenia
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Armenia needs to diversify its security relationships in the wake of Azerbaijan’s seizure of Nagorno-Karabakh, adding that he thinks there is no longer an advantage to keeping Russian military bases in Armenia (Reuters)