2022 March 26

Daily news wrap-up

News - Mar/26/2022: Artsakh will build a new gas pipeline alongside the new Lachin road __ Russia, France, United States urge Azerbaijan to withdraw troops __ Artsakh wants more peacekeepers __ Public transport revamp in provinces __ Քամփ Արմեն-ը կգործի __ Reforms in Yerevan State University
by ar_david_hh

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Your 7-minute Saturday digest in 1674 words.

Artsakh-Azerbaijan border

On Saturday morning the MOD reported that the positions did not change at night. Azeri soldiers had earlier violated the Nov. 9 ceasefire agreement, ignored peacekeepers, invaded village Parukh, and attempted to capture the nearby hights but were unable to take it fully. Both sides have troops on the hills.

Azeri soldiers resumed the fire at 11:00 a.m. and made an unsuccessful attempt to advance. Artsakh army later denied Azerbaijan's claim about carrying out a "subversive operation" against Azeri troops.

Artsakh Ombudsman: The situation is calm in neighboring Khramort. Russian peacekeepers are active in Parukh and Khramort. They made significant efforts to establish a ceasefire in the area under their responsibility. //

Martial law was declared in Artsakh.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1078963.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1078978.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1078983.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1078985.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1079015.html https://factor.am/492128.html https://factor.am/492140.html

Artsakh residents called for the official recognition of the Artsakh Republic

Stepanakert residents held a rally to condemn Azerbaijan's efforts to commit ethnic cleansing. "Recognize Artsakh", "Artsakh is my home", read the signs.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1078990.html

U.S. condemned the troop movements

US State Department Spokesperson: We are closely monitoring the situation along the LoC. We are deeply concerned about Azerbaijani troop movements. Troop movements and other escalatory measures are irresponsible and unnecessarily provocative. //

Azerbaijan responded, accusing the U.S. of being ineffective at solving the conflict for 30 years, and claimed that the attack on village Parukh is an "internal matter".

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1078964.html https://www.state.gov/briefings/department-press-briefing-march-25-2022/#post-328238-AZERBAIJANARMENIA https://factor.am/492187.html

France also wants the troops to pull back

French Foreign Ministry: We express regret over the incidents and the troop advance in Parukh and Khramort regions. France calls on the forces, which, as reported, have advanced, to pull back to their initial positions in accordance with the Nov. 9 ceasefire statement. //

France also demanded gas supply to Artsakh be restored. Azerbaijan blew up the gas pipeline and shut down the flow about a month ago.

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1078965.html https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/les-ministres/jean-yves-le-drian/biographie/

Armenia's ambassador to U.S. discussed the escalation with OSCE U.S. Co-chair

Makunts and Schofer also discussed the disruption of gas supply. The ambassador then held a remote meeting with Congressmen Adam Schiff and Frank Pallone and stressed the need for a clear response from the international community.

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1078967.html https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1078975.html

Chairman of the Foreign Relations sent a letter to OSCE leadership

QP Aghajanyan: Azerbaijan tells the world that it wants to establish peace in South Caucasus, but in reality continues the psychological, humanitarian and military terror against the people of Nagorno Karabakh, with an aim to achieve a complete exodus of Armenians from Artsakh. A swift reaction is necessary. We reaffirm Armenia's readiness to re-launch the peace talks within the OSCE framework.

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1078993.html

Armenia's Defense Ministry hosted military attachés of several states

They were informed about the situation on the Artsakh-Azerbaijan border.

https://factor.am/492243.html

Armenia urged Russian peacekeepers to demand Azerbaijan to pull back troops

Armenia's Foreign Ministry: [Details Azerbaijan's attack on the gas pipeline and provocations leading up to the Thursday attack.] The international community is obliged to undertake effective and targeted steps to prevent the attempts of destabilizing the situation in the region.

It is important to investigate the peacekeepers' actions during the invasion of the area that's under their responsibility, as well as the peacekeeping contingent to issue a clear demand to Azerbaijani forces to return to their starting positions.

We also expect the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh to undertake concrete, visible steps to resolve the situation and prevent new casualties and hostilities. //

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1079001.html https://www.mfa.am/en/interviews-articles-and-comments/2022/03/26/Statement_2603/11372

Artsakh also urged peacekeepers and the international community to take a clear stance

Artsakh MFA: We are confident that Russia's peacekeeping efforts, the clear-cut and adequate stance of the international community supported by political measures, will deprive Azerbaijan of the opportunity to qualify systematic gross violations of the rights of residents of Artsakh as an "internal matter".

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1079012.html

Russian peacekeepers urge Azeri troops to withdraw to starting positions

Russian MOD: Azeri troops violated the Nov. 9 tripartite statement between AM-RU-AZ, entered the peacekeepers' zone and set up a position. They used Bayraktar drones to conduct 4 strikes at Nagorno-Karabakh armed units in the Parukh area. Measures are being taken to resolve the situation and return Azeri troops to their starting positions. //

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1079014.html

Russian Foreign Ministry also publicly accused Azerbaijan of violating the Nov. 9 agreement

Russian MFA: We are deeply concerned about the rise of tensions in Nagorno-Karabakh. The incursion into the peacekeeping zone and the ceasefire violation, recorded by the MOD, contradict the Nov. 9 provisions. We are taking measures to deescalate the situation. Parties should exercise restraint and ensure the implementation of the Nov. 9 agreements. //

Azerbaijan responded, claiming they haven't violated the Nov. 9 agreement, and that Russia's statement "contradicts" the alliance signed between Russia and Azerbaijan last month. Azerbaijan also urged Russia to remove Artsakh troops from Artsakh, and not to use the term "Nagorno-Karabakh" [one of the things they've been demanding since 2020].

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1079016.html https://factor.am/492278.html

Artsakh gov't asks Russia to ramp up the presence of peacekeeping forces

The President and Security Council wrote a letter to Vladimir Putin, in which they praised peacekeepers' efforts to resolve numerous problems after the war. A number of proposals were made:

1) Take measures so that Azerbaijan's leadership adheres to the Nov. 9 agreement. Security conditions are necessary for civilians.

2) The number of active peacekeeping personnel and equipment is insufficient. Artsakh will provide the necessary accommodation conditions to the new personnel. Construction works are already underway.

3) Azeris should pull back to initial positions.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1078981.html

Artsakh will have a new gas pipeline and power line alongside the new road

The existing Armenia-Stepanakert road travels through the Azeri-occupied Shushi, so there is a need to build a new road, as explained [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/armenia/comments/si7lts/dragon_reaper_antiuav_artsakhs_new_reservoir_tumo/). The corridor will see a change.

The new road will take a detour in two locations. The beginning section, where it exits Armenia, will travel south of the current road. The last section, where it reaches Stepanakert, will be north of the current road.

Artsakh Infrastructure Minister Khanumyan announced that a new gas pipeline and an electric line will be built next to the new road.

More electricity will be generated from hydros and solar farms in Artsakh. Some solar projects are part of this year's budget. Right now the main issue is the grid's capacity because lack of gas has sharply increased electricity consumption, leading to outages.

This year Artsakh will install an "electric shepherd" on the borders to prevent the herd from crossing the border or entering minefields.

https://www.civilnet.am/news/655244/արցախում-նոր-ճանապարհի-կառուցմանը-զուգահեռ-կացնկացվի-նոր-գազատար․-հայկ-խանումյան/

VIDEO: Armenian Army soldiers doing winter training

Infiltrate, extract, leave.

https://youtu.be/INBB8mIxezc

VIDEO: 2020 war veterans are sharing their experience with conscripts

https://youtu.be/PugYDsm77Sg

Pashinyan held a (monthly) meeting with non-parliamentary political parties

Various topics were discussed, opinions were shared.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1079000.html

public transport networks in provinces are being supplemented with new microbuses

Officials visited the transport parking station in Kotayk to meet the new microbuses. A tender was organized. Gago's Multi Transport LLC won the contract to deliver 150 units. Kotayk will have a revamped transport network in May.

Similar tenders are organized for Ararat and Armavir provinces. It's part of the efforts to form a wider integrated transport network to improve the quality of life in rural Armenia.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1079003.html

Տասնամյակների «գերությունից» հետո «Քամփ Արմեն»-ը կգործի՝ Թուրքիայում դառնալով միակ հայկական զարգացման կենտրոն ճամբարը

Many Armenian Genocide survivors in modern day eastern Turkey had to adopt the Kurdish culture. There were efforts by Turkish-Armenians in the 1960s to find them and provide Armenian language and culture classes. A youth camp was founded.

The camp was forced to shut down after the 1980s coup in Turkey. Founder Hrant Gyuzelyan was accused of training "terrorists", and was exiled from Turkey after spending 8 months in jail.

Hrant Dink briefly took over the camp, but the persecution continued. In early 2015 it was reported that the camp building was "sold" and would be demolished. Many Armenian, Turkish, and Kurdish activists [protested](https://armenianweekly.com/2015/05/19/camp-armen/) for half a year. Later that year, the Turkish court ruled in favor of the camp and returned the lands to them, despite pressure from nationalist groups.

The camp is officially back. They want to turn it into a TUMO-like project.

Continue to story and interview: https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/233487

Yerevan State University is undergoing major reforms: Rector Hovhannisyan

Reporter: What's the plan?

Rector: Reforms in multiple areas:

Education. For example, we're offering scientific journalism in cooperation with the IT sector.

Science. The state has increased science funding by 82%, which is important for its development. It has greatly contributed to the increase in researcher salaries. Our university has won 92 scientific grants; only the National Academy of Sciences has won more. We also provided internal grants to invite foreign partners to conduct studies.

For the second year in a row, we provided a number of incentives to our top-10 professors.

We're making all our tools available on the E-learning and E-request platforms. This will simplify the document exchange.

Infrastructure. New projects will change YSU's "image" and bring a completely new environment.

Reporter: How many students do you have, and what can you tell us about dropouts?

Rector: 15,000, including the Ijevan branch. 500 dropped out last year due to poor academic performance. Students who don't want to learn have no place in YSU. They influence the progress and rules of conduct of other students. We're working on solutions.

We are moving towards international accreditation, to internationalize our programs. At the moment we cooperate with Arizona and San Jose universities.

Reporter: Students often complain that the master's program is pointless because it's the same as the bachelor's, so they don't continue the education.

Rector: We're reviewing the entire education bloc. There are many complaints about the education bloc overburdening the student. We want to lighten the load by focusing more on independent work and assignments.

Students will be able to bring their credits from other universities.

Full: https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/233733

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Link to original report and comments: https://www.reddit.com/r/armenia/comments/tpbbz8/news_mar262022_artsakh_will_build_a_new_gas/