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OSCE sends Needs Assessment Mission (NAM) to Armenia – With More Questions than Answers
Following the European Union’s announcement that it would send a 40-person civilian monitoring mission to the Armenian border with Azerbaijan for a maximum of two months, Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan later surprised many by announcing that Yerevan was also discussing the deployment of observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation and Europe (OSCE). This declaration was made on 18 October during a press conference held in Yerevan alongside his Norwegian counterpart, Anniken Huitfeldt.
EUMM Georgia to temporarily deploy on Armenia-Azerbaijan Border
The European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) in Georgia is to temporarily deploy 40 of its civilian observers to the Armenia-Azerbaijan border for a maximum period of two months. The decision came during the 6 October meeting between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, French President Emmanuel Macron, and European Council Charles Michel in Prague.
Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace in Sight or a Battle of the Peace Proposals?
Depending on who you ask, Armenia and Azerbaijan are either moving closer towards signing a long overdue peace deal or Yerevan is under duress from Baku to capitulate further following its defeat in 2020. Both can be true, of course, but the reality is that there is only a limited window of opportunity available to reach such a negotiated settlement. Following the recent fighting on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, it seems the international community understands that only too well.
Details of 27 September Armenia-Azerbaijan talks in Washington D.C. allegedly leaked
Earlier today, Armenian media reported that a pro-Russian Telegram channel had uploaded what it claims to be the text of what was agreed by Armenian Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan and Azerbaijani Presidential Advisor Hikmet Hajiyev on 27 September in Washington D.C. when they met with U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
Tensions in Karabakh and Talks in Brussels
On 3 August, 2022, following the death of an Azerbaijani conscript in clashes with local Armenian forces, Baku launched military operations in Karabakh on a scale not seen since the November 2020 ceasefire statement. Two Armenian soldiers were killed and 19 wounded in multiple Azerbaijani mortar and drone attacks while key strategic heights overlooking Karabakh were also captured. Days earlier, an Armenian soldier had been injured in the escalation that led up to the clashes.
Karabakh Armenians and Azerbaijan Talk Water
On 22 August, representatives of the Azerbaijan Reclamation and Water Management OJSC visited the Sarsang Reservoir located in the Aghdara/Mardakert region of that part of the former Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) now under the control of Russian peacekeepers. Constructed in 1976, the Sarsang Reservoir has a capacity of 560 million cubic meters and was used to irrigate 96,000 hectares of arable land in Barda, Terter, Agdam, Agjabedi, Yevlakh and Goranboy.
Armenia-Azerbaijan Confidence Building Measures – Recommendations
At the beginning of April, LINKS Europe published its long awaited recommendations for confidence building measures (CBMs), drawn up by a Joint Armenian-Azerbaijani Liaison Group after six months of consultations in Baku, Yerevan, and Kakheti (Georgia). In its preamble, the authors particularly noted the need to build trust between the parties as well as promote dialogue in support of what appears to be a new peace process. The report was financed by the European Union’s EU4Peace project.
Civilnet Interviews Arman Grigoryan on Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Nagorno Karabakh
On 25th July, the Yerevan-based online news site Civilnet uploaded an interview with Armenian Political Scientist and LeHigh University Professor Arman Grigoryan. Below is a summary of what Grigoryan said and a rough translation. The full interview in Russian is embedded at the bottom of this post.
Gerard Libaridian’s Latest on Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the Karabakh Conflict
Arguably one of the most independent and unique voices on the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan for decades, Gerard Jirair Libaridian has been particularly on point since the end of the 2020 Karabakh war. Not only was he among the few of us that foresaw a new conflict between the two breaking out in the days and weeks preceding hostilities, but Libaridian was particularly concerned about such an eventuality, though it has to be said that these fears had been growing with each passing year since 2011.