2023 October 5

Daily news wrap-up

Putin throws Nagorno-Karabakh's pro-Russian leaders under the bus; confirms Shushi agreement in 2020 \\\ Why was Davit Babayan surrendered to Azerbaijan? \\\ Oopsie corridor \\\ European Parliament wants sanctions on Azerbaijani leaders \\\ Court rulings
by ar_david_hh

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Nagorno-Karabakh presidential adviser and ex-FM Davit Babayan was "sacrificed" to prevent the arrest of other officials

TATUL HAKOBYAN, journalist: I spoke with several Nagorno-Karabakh state officials who safely entered Armenia to understand the circumstances surrounding Davit Babayan's handover to Azerbaijani authorities in Shushi.

On September 28, Davit Babayan wrote that Azerbaijan was demanding his surrender, otherwise, there would be consequences for other individuals and Nagorno-Karabakh. He agreed to surrender.

We also know that President Shahramanyan, after signing the decree to dissolve Nagorno-Karabakh, departed from Stepanakert to [Azeri-controlled] Shushi to meet Ali Nakhiyev, the head of Azerbaijani state security agency. In that meeting, they discussed the safe transfer of Nagorno-Karabakh's former leaders to Armenia [they weren't arrested at the time].

In order to agree to discuss it, Azerbaijan first demanded the handover of Davit Babayan. This is what Davit Babayan was referring to when he said his refusal would lead to consequences for many people. He was referring to other leaders.

President Shahramanyan's office vehicle drove Davit Babayan to Shushi, handed him over, and returned to Stepanakert.

Shahramanyan and dozens of other Nagorno-Karabakh officials have been able to enter Armenia.

[article,](https://www.aniarc.am/2023/10/05/davit-babayan-shushi-28-september-2023/)

Vladimir Putin about the arrest of Ruben Vardanyan and other Nagorno-Karabakh leaders by Azerbaijan

REPORTER: Azerbaijan has arrested several members of the Nagorno-Karabakh administration, including Ruben Vardanyan, who is well-known here in Russia. Can we...

PUTIN: Vardanyan had renounced his Russian citizenship.

REPORTER: Can we urge the Azerbaijani government to show clemency?

PUTIN: We always have, and continue to do so. I spoke with Aliyev. We have also spoken in the past about Nagorno-Karabakh. Aliyev has always reassured me that he would ensure the rights and security of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians there. But there are no more Armenians left there. They all left. You know that everyone has left. There are no Armenians left there. Maybe a thousand. That's it. There is no one left there.

As for the arrest of ex-leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh, I won't go into details but as far as I can tell, they aren't even welcome in Yerevan. I hope the Azerbaijani government will, after all, make a humanitarian gesture now that the territorial issues have been resolved. //

[video,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1RqsaAhxG4?t=9)

Vladimir Putin about the Nagorno-Karabakh negotiations and the 2020 war

PUTIN: After the fall of the USSR, ethnic clashes began between Armenians and Azeris. It started in Azerbaijan's Sumgayit and spread to Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenia, and not Nagorno-Karabakh, ended up controlling 20% of Azerbaijan's territories: Nagorno-Karabakh and the 7 surrounding regions. It continued for several decades.

Over the past 15 years, we offered Armenians to make a compromise by returning 5 of the surrounding regions to Azerbaijan. This would maintain a land connection between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia.

But our friends from Nagorno-Karabakh repeatedly rejected the proposal, saying it would make them too vulnerable. We explained to them that Azerbaijan was growing stronger with the help of oil and gas, and that they should go for a compromise solution while there is still a chance.

We even offered them to pass a UN Security Council resolution and ensure the safety of the Lachin corridor and the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh. But they rejected the offer. They said they preferred to "fight", which led to the 2020 war. *[Armenians agreed to return the 5 regions but Azerbaijan rejected the idea and every time demanded more and more. Putin does not mention this.]*

During the 2020 war, I offered Armenia a ceasefire that would have stopped the Azerbaijani army. We already had an agreement with Azerbaijan, but Armenia rejected it. *[Pashinyan later revealed that Russia wanted to establish a corridor through Armenia's Syunik province and place it under the control of Russian peacekeepers, not to be confused with Russian border agents. Pashinyan said he was firmly against the ceasefire-for-corridor offer. This was around October 19.]*

Armenia said they'd rather continue to fight. In the end, we reached an agreement with Azerbaijan that they would stop after capturing Shushi. //

[video,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GcIKWjXCjU?t=49)

Putin about Pashinyan

MARGARITA SIMONYAN: Every normal Armenian understands that Pashinyan was brought to power to surrender Nagorno-Karabakh.

PUTIN: I disagree. He had no intentions of surrendering Nagorno-Karabakh. He even announced that Karabakh was part of Armenia. He was the first-ever Armenian leader to do so. Of course his position changed later. In my view he sincerely wanted to maintain the situation under control, there was no attempt to intentionally surrender anything.

[video,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S04UZexO1uI)

here is what Russia claims it has confiscated from the Nagorno-Karabakh army so far

58 million pieces of ammunition, grenades, etc.

7,000 rifles and anti-tank weapons

1 drone

105 field artillery guns, multiple rocket launchers, and mortars

121 air defense weapons

121 automobiles

84 armored vehicles (likely includes tanks)

To be updated.

[article,](https://factor.am/697577.html)

U.S. State Department about the "secret" meeting in Istanbul and the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh

QUESTION: Tell us about the secret meeting in Istanbul *[Context: US-EU-RU met to discuss the lifting of the blockade on Nagorno-Karabakh]*.

STATE DEPT: It wasn't really a "secret" meeting. We engage with stakeholders and interlocutors in the region quite regularly. We met in Istanbul to discuss urgent humanitarian issues around Nagorno-Karabakh.

QUESTION: Was it a meeting of Minsk Group co-chairs?

STATE DEPT: It was – it took place at the working level.

QUESTION: Who initiated that?

STATE DEPT: Can't go into specifics.

QUESTION: This is the first high-level meeting between U.S. and Russian officials since the war in Ukraine.

STATE DEPT: Again, it was a meeting that took place at the working level with a specific topic on the issue of humanitarian needs in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. That was the scope and the context of this meeting. Do not overinterpret this to mean anything else.

QUESTION: I wonder how frustrated are you that two days after that meeting, the dominos started falling? *[Azerbaijan attacked Nagorno-Karabakh]*

STATE DEPT: We’re concerned by the situation after the recent hostilities, and it has resulted in over 100,000 ethnic Armenians fleeing the Nagorno-Karabakh region into Armenia, and we’re closely monitoring the situation on the ground.

[official,](https://www.state.gov/briefings/department-press-briefing-october-4-2023/)

European Parliament condemns Azerbaijan's violent seizure of Nagorno-Karabakh and calls for sanctions against Aliyev regime

The European Parliament adopted a resolution (Yes - 491, No - 9) strongly condemning the September 19 invasion of Nagorno-Karabakh. The MEPs called it a "gross violation of international law and human rights".

MEPs said the situation amounts to ethnic cleansing after 101,000 people were "forced to flee" their homeland.

Parliament calls on the EU to adopt targeted sanctions against the government officials in Azerbaijan.

Parliament also calls on the EU to reduce its dependency on Azeri gas imports and to stop it completely in the event of another attack.

Parliament also condemns Hungary for blocking an earlier statement by EU Member States.

[article,](https://arka.am/en/news/politics/european_parliament_condemns_azerbaijan_s_violent_seizure_of_nagorno_karabakh_and_calls_for_sanction/) [article,](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/RC-9-2023-0393_EN.pdf)

Azerbaijan cannot have territorial claims to Armenia: EU

CHARLES MICHEL: I spoke two days ago with President Aliyev, and I clearly told him that he cannot have territorial claims to Armenia. This must be said loudly and it must be guaranteed that there is mutual recognition of the territorial integrity of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

[article,](https://arka.am/en/news/politics/european_council_president_tells_aliyev_that_he_cannot_have_territorial_claims_to_armenia/)

Azerbaijan says its refusal to take part in the Granada meeting doesn't mean they are rejecting the Brussels platform as a whole

Azerbaijan said it will join the future AM-EU-AZ meetings.

Today's meeting in Granada took place without Azerbaijan. AM-EU-FR-GR discussed the events in the South Caucasus. The participants released a statement in support of Armenia's territorial integrity and sovereignty.

There was also a meeting between Zelensky and Pashinyan. Zelenskty wrote, "During our first-ever meeting, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and I focused on the security situation in the South Caucasus. Ukraine is interested in the region’s stability and friendly relations with its nations. We also discussed our bilateral cooperation and interregional economic projects."

[article,](https://factor.am/697401.html) [article,](https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/270789) [article,](https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1709910162134180078)

Azerbaijan to Armenia: you misunderstood, we don't want THAT type of "corridor"

ELCHIN AMIRBEKOV (Aliyev office): Armenians likely misunderstood us. We have no claim on these territories [of trade route]. We recognize it as the sovereign territory of Armenia.

Another question is how the Armenians will ensure the security of this corridor. According to the Nov. 9 Statement, Russian border agents were supposed to ensure the safety of [Azeri] traffic [passing through Armenia]. However, it appears Armenians are reviewing that commitment because they no longer wish to grant that role to Russian border agents. //

... "corridor" context

During the 2020 war, there was an attempt to convince Armenia to surrender the control of a narrow strip of land in southern Armenia to Russian peacekeepers, according to PM Pashinyan. It would be used as a corridor by Azerbaijan and Turkey, controlled by Russia. Armenia rejected the idea.

Under the 2020 ceasefire agreement, Armenia agreed to allow Russian border agents (who are already present in many parts of Armenia) to monitor the trade flow and safety. The plan was to install customs checkpoints and have them work jointly with Armenian agents.

However, Azerbaijan demanded only Russian border agents to be present on the trade route. Armenia said that would be the same as losing control over the land, and called it an attack on its sovereignty. Armenia said its agents must be present and have control over the trade route. Azerbaijan launched a military aggression and invaded parts of Armenia. Armenia did not change its position.

To meet the terms under the Nov. 9 ceasefire agreement, Armenia agrees (according to NatSec Armen Grigoryan) for Russian border agents to use cameras and other modern tech to jointly monitor the trade route alongside their Armenian counterparts who would be on the ground. On the other side, Azerbaijan has broken almost every commitment under the Nov. 9 agreement.

[article,](https://www.azatutyun.am/a/32623314.html) [article,](https://www.aniarc.am/2023/10/05/azerbaijan-recognize-zangezur-part-of-armenia-amirbekov/) [other]

European Court of Human Rights rules in favor of Armenia in lawsuits brought by Azerbaijanis

⚖️ Gurbanov v. Armenia: The plaintiff's relative was a soldier who infiltrated into Armenian positions and killed 3 unsuspecting unarmed soldiers before being shot. Armenia returned his body to Azerbaijan. Armenia did not violate any laws in the process, did not unreasonably delay the return of the body, and there was no discrimination.

⚖️ Guliyev and Asgarov v. Armenia: The plaintiffs' relatives were Azeri saboteurs who infiltrated and murdered an Armenian teenager (civilian). They were caught by the Armenian army. Armenia did not deprive them of the ability to contact their families, said the Court. They were treated like other prisoners.

⚖️ Ghazaryan v. Azerbaijan: Azerbaijan arrested the plaintiff in 2018 and released in 2020. The Court has found that he was illegally tortured in Azerbaijan. His rights to liberty and personal integrity were also violated.

⚖️ Aliyev v. Armenia, Allahverdiyev v. Armenia, Hakobyan v. Azerbaijan, Ohanyan v. Azerbaijan: The plaintiffs claimed the defendant countries violated their property rights during the 2016 April war. The Court said it lacks jurisdiction over the alleged violations.

[article,](https://factor.am/697408.html) [video,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boYZEntPQ84)

update: Russia authorizes the entry of Armenian cognac

Earlier we learned that dozens of Armenian trucks were stuck in the checkpoint. An Armenian official said politics wasn't in play, and that it was likely caused by legitimate issues relating to counterfeit bottles. The trucks were allowed to proceed today after Russian agents took samples for inspection. Trucks moving other types of goods have not reported entry problems.

[article,](https://arka.am/en/news/business/several_dozens_of_trucks_with_armenia_cognac_passed_through_upper_lars_checkpoint_into_russia_minist/)

dram vs dollar: wide swings

The dram sharply strengthened against the dollar and reached 415 on Thursday, after the sharp drop to 450 on Wednesday.

[article,](https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/270786)

teachers will work fewer hours while getting paid the same

GOVERNMENT: Our teachers are overworked. One full shift in classrooms equals 22 hours a week. In addition, they are expected to do other types of activities. We have submitted amendments to reduce the work hours by 2 while maintaining the salary. It's essentially a pay increase. //

[article,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LREfir70N1Q) [article,](https://arka.am/en/news/society/armenian_government_cuts_work_hours_of_school_teachers/)

Armenia to receive €11 million from EU to meet a CEPA commitment on phase-two of justice reforms

The Government has approved the agreement.

>The funding will be used to achieve international standards in the spheres of judicial proceedings and fighting corruption

>bringing criminal proceedings in line with European standards, including gender issues

[article,](https://arka.am/en/news/politics/armenian_government_green_lights_signing_9_mln_euros_agreement_with_eu_to_carry_on_judicial_reforms/)

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Link to original report and comments: https://www.reddit.com/r/armenia/comments/170thoj/putin_throws_nagornokarabakhs_prorussian_leaders/