In a September 16 call with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaffirmed the “importance of a durable and dignified peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.
Day: September 16, 2024
French and Armenian foreign ministers
“Armenia wants peace, France wants peace, and the international community wants peace. With Azerbaijan hosting COP-29 soon, it is its duty to demonstrate a sincere desire for peace before the conference,” said French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné during his visit to Yerevan.
He emphasized the need for rapid progress towards a peace agreement, believing that this could transform the South Caucasus into a zone of peace and cooperation, ultimately leading to development and prosperity for the region’s countries.
This is Séjourné’s first visit to Armenia since assuming the role of Foreign Minister. In Yerevan, he met with the prime minister, held talks with the Armenian Foreign Minister, and engaged in discussions with the French delegation. The official agenda included bilateral relations, Armenia’s partnership with the EU, and regional stability and security.
A joint press conference with the French and Armenian foreign ministers was also held. JAMnews highlights the key topics discussed by the ministers.
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France advocates for rapid signing of peace agreement
Commenting on the Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization process, Stéphane Séjourné stated:
“France advocates for the swift signing of a peace agreement that will establish a fair and stable peace, respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of both countries. This is the essence of the Almaty document signed in 1991,” he said. According to Armenian authorities, this document underpins the future agreement, signifying mutual recognition of borders as they were at the dissolution of the USSR.”
Séjourné emphasized the critical importance of achieving peace based on respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity. He noted that these principles are “being violated by the Russian Federation in Ukraine.
He also welcomed the initiation of the border delimitation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The document signed in August, outlining the joint work of delimitation commissions, was described as a “step in the right direction.”
Additionally, Séjourné expressed support for the “Crossroads of Peace” project, an Armenian government initiative aimed at unblocking regional communications:
“Armenia can play a key role in connecting Asia and Europe, provided that the sovereignty of all countries through which these communications pass is respected,” he concluded.
“Armenia must be able to defend its territory and people”
Séjourné addressed the Armenia-France cooperation in various sectors, including defense and security. He emphasized that “cooperation in this area between friendly countries is natural.”
He also announced the creation of a new position at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The official in this role will oversee Armenia-France cooperation programs and arrived in Yerevan with Séjourné as part of the French delegation.
“We will continue to support the strengthening of strategic Infrastructure”
Séjourné highlighted the areas of cooperation between Paris and Armenian partners, including transport, communications, and territorial management:
“Very soon, a technical expert will be sent to Armenia’s Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure to support its work. We will continue to support the strengthening of Armenia’s strategic infrastructure, particularly in water resource management.“
Prior to this, Séjourné, along with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, visited the city of Vedi, where a reservoir is being built with funds from the French Development Agency and co-financing from the Armenian government. Séjourné told Armenian journalists that this project aims to “organize better irrigation and improve agricultural conditions in the area.”
“Armenia continues its democratic path despite Russian threats”
“Despite threats from Russia and the evident hostility demonstrated by the Russian Federation, which is trying to suppress it in every way, Armenia continues its path toward democracy and freedom,” emphasized the French diplomat.
He assured that France’s support for the Armenian people and government would continue, as his country stands by all nations fighting for democratic values. For this reason, he added, Paris supports Ukraine as well.
The minister noted that representatives of all political factions in France agree on supporting Armenia:
“There are very few issues on which all political directions in France converge, and Armenia is one of those issues.”
“EU Observer Mission must continue”
EU border patrols should continue, as they “ensure transparency and reduce risks,” according to Stéphane Séjourné. He assured that France will support this and other important decisions for Armenia on European platforms.
“France has done everything to develop and deepen relations between the EU and Armenia. An example of this is the liberalization of the visa regime. The EU and Armenia have officially begun dialogue on this issue. It is an important step forward in bringing our peoples closer together,” he said.
“Armenia values France’s support highly”
Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized that the Armenian authorities highly value Paris’s support on various fronts, including efforts to establish peace in the region.
“I want to express our gratitude and underline that this support is significant and important,” said the Armenian minister.
He reiterated Yerevan’s commitment to a peaceful agenda and assured that Armenia is ready to sign a peace agreement with Azerbaijan as soon as possible.
Mirzoyan highlighted the “strong partnership” and “special relationship” between Armenia and France:
“All this is based on a powerful driving force, which is the strong friendship between our two peoples and the governments of our countries.”
He specifically noted France’s role in deepening Armenia’s partnership with the EU, citing recent decisions by the EU Council on international matters, such as the start of dialogue on visa liberalization with Armenia and financial support from the European Peace Fund. According to him, these decisions and the deployment of the EU observer mission on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border were made possible thanks to France’s support.
The Armenian foreign minister added that cooperation with Paris is progressing in all areas, from politics to economics and culture. He also touched on the construction of a reservoir in Vedi:
“It will be commissioned soon. This is a very concrete example of the partnership between Armenia and France. But this is just one program on our extensive agenda. I hope we will soon see similar new developments,” he concluded.
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Michael_Novakhov shared this story . |
CNN
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Ryan Wesley Routh put his enmity toward Donald Trump – the man he once supported but then dismissed as an “idiot,” a “buffoon” and a “fool” – at the center of a rambling and fanciful worldview that also fixated on Ukraine, Taiwan, North Korea, and what he called the “end of humanity.”
The 58-year-old, who was detained Sunday in connection with an apparent assassination attempt on the former president, protested in Kyiv after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and committed his ideas to paper in a self-published 291-page book.
Authorities suspect Routh, who owns a small construction company in Hawaii, was planning to attack the former President as he played a round of golf on Sunday, with US Secret Service agents firing at a man with a rifle in the bushes near the golf club. He was later apprehended after being stopped on a nearby highway.
Routh appeared in federal court Monday and was charged with two counts, possession of a firearm while a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Kristy Militello, the federal public defender assigned to Routh’s case, declined to comment after the hearing.
For years, he criticized not only Trump but himself, describing Trump as “my choice” in the 2016 presidential election but later writing that he is “man enough to say that I misjudged and made a terrible mistake.”
Here’s what we know about Routh so far.
Routh’s thoughts and fixations on global politics appeared idealistic to some who came across him, but his writings show how he became increasingly militant about the geopolitical forces he railed against.
His business pursuits, by contrast, appear relatively unremarkable. On Routh’s LinkedIn page, he said he started a company in 2018 called Camp Box Honolulu in Hawaii, which builds storage units and tiny houses. A story in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser said he donated a structure for homeless people.
During his court appearance on Monday, Routh said he was making $3,000 a month before his arrest, had “zero funds” in savings and had no assets beyond two trucks in Hawaii.
Routh also has ties to North Carolina, where public records show he registered as an “unaffiliated” voter without a party in 2012. He voted in that state’s Democratic primary in March of this year, according to public records.
Records from the state dating back decades also show Routh has had previous scrapes with the law – including being arrested in 2002 after he was pulled over by police and allegedly put his hand on a firearm, and then drove off and barricaded himself in a business premises.
He has also been involved in several court cases since the 1990s, with authorities repeatedly accusing him of failing to pay his taxes on time. Separately, judges have ordered him to pay tens of thousands of dollars to plaintiffs in various civil suits.
Routh became animated when writing about Trump, and he frequently weighed in on US and global current events on social media.
In June 2020, Routh appeared to say that he had voted for Trump in 2016, but that he had since withdrawn his support of the former president.
“I and the world hoped that president Trump would be different and better than the candidate, but we all were greatly disappointment and it seems you are getting worse and devolving,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “I will be glad when you gone.”
Routh also mentioned Trump in his book, which appears on Amazon without a publisher listed, and is titled “Ukraine’s Unwinnable War: The Fatal Flaw of Democracy, World Abandonment and the Global Citizen-Taiwan, Afghanistan, North Korea and the end of Humanity.”
In that publication, he described the former US president’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018 as a “tremendous blunder” that drove Tehran closer to Moscow, which it then supplied with drones that have caused devastation across Ukraine.
He even commented on the first assassination attempt on Trump, when the former president was wounded by a gunshot during a rally in Pennsylvania in July. Routh encouraged President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to visit those wounded in the incident, saying: “Trump will never do anything.”
Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s 2022 invasion also became central to Routh’s philosophy; he expressed support for Ukraine in dozens of X posts that year, saying he was willing to die in the fight and that “we need to burn the Kremlin to the ground.”
He also visited Ukraine in 2022, according to video and photos geolocated by CNN and interviews he gave to international media during his time there. In a flurry of Facebook posts last year, he tried to enlist Afghan conscripts to fight in the war, presenting himself as an off-the-books liaison for the Ukrainian government.
A representative from Ukraine’s foreign legion confirmed with CNN that Routh had contacted them several times but said he was never part of the military unit in which overseas volunteers fight.
Oleksandr Shaguri, an officer of the Foreigners Coordination Department of the Land Forces Command, told CNN over the phone that “the best way to describe his messages is – delusional ideas.”
“He was offering us large numbers of recruits from different countries but it was obvious to us his offers were not realistic. We didn’t even answer, there was nothing to answer to. He was never part of the Legion and didn’t cooperate with us in any way.”
Newsweek Romania journalist Remus Cernea first met Routh in Kyiv’s Independence Square in June 2022, where the American was rallying people to join the foreign legion or to help Ukraine through various humanitarian aid organizations.
“For me, it’s a surprise because I viewed him as an idealistic innocent genuine person, without any murderous instinct,” Cernea told CNN following news of Routh’s detention in the United States.
According to Cernea, Routh described Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine as a “black and white… good versus evil” conflict.
In an interview with AFP news agency from Kyiv in April 2022, Routh said: “Putin is a terrorist, and he needs to be ended, so we need everybody from around the globe to stop what they’re doing and come here now and support the Ukrainians to end this war.”
He also weighed in on the political situations in Afghanistan, Taiwan and North Korea in his book. Routh has repeatedly voiced support for Taiwan and previously called for international intervention to protect the island against potential Chinese encroachment.
Routh’s eldest son, Oran, told CNN via text that Routh was “a loving and caring father, and honest hardworking man.”
“I don’t know what’s happened in Florida, and I hope things have just been blown out of proportion, because from the little I’ve heard it doesn’t sound like the man I know to do anything crazy, much less violent,” Oran wrote.
But other people have shared testimonies of tense interactions with Routh.
Hawaiian business owner Saili Levi told CNN he had paid Routh $3,800 up front to build a trailer for his business. But when Levi came to Routh’s shop to review his work, it was shoddy, he said.
Levi said when he asked Routh to improve the work via email, Routh ranted at him.
“He just kind of started ranting about, you know, ‘You think because you have money, you’re better than me?’” Levi said, adding that Routh also mentioned having gone to Ukraine to fight against Russia.
“I kind of decided maybe I should just let it go for the sake of my family,” Levi recalled.
Curt Devine, Isabelle Chapman and Daniel Medina contributed to this report.
On September 16, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against four Georgian citizens: head of the Special Forces department at the Ministry of Internal Affairs Zviad Kharazishvili (known as “Khareba”), his deputy Mileri Lagazaouri, and pro-Russian Alt-Info movement leaders Koka Morgoshia and Zura Makharaidze.
Additionally, the State Department imposed visa restrictions on over 60 members of the Georgian government and parliament, including their families.
It is said that the list also includes business leaders involved in corruption, as well as those spreading disinformation and violence.
The sanctions were imposed for brutal crackdowns on peaceful protestors and political opponents, against those responsible for or complicit in, or have directly or indirectly engaged in violently suppressing the exercise of the freedom of peaceful assembly of Georgians engaged in the democratic process and peaceful expression.
All four individuals are being designated pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13818, which builds upon and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act and targets perpetrators of serious human rights abuse around the world.
As a result of today’s action, all property and interests in property of the designated persons described above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC.
In addition, any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, individually or in the aggregate, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked.
OFAC’s regulations generally prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of designated or otherwise blocked persons. U.S. persons may face civil or criminal penalties for violations of E.O. 13818.
Non-U.S. persons are also prohibited from causing or conspiring to cause U.S. persons to wittingly or unwittingly violate U.S. sanctions, as well as engaging in conduct that evades U.S. sanctions.
In addition, financial institutions and other persons that engage in certain transactions or activities with the sanctioned entities and individuals may expose themselves to sanctions or be subject to an enforcement action.
The prohibitions include the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any designated person, or the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person.
“Today’s action underscores our concern about the consequences of anti-democratic actions in Georgia and efforts by key individuals to use violence and intimidation to achieve their aims,” said Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley T. Smith.
“The United States remains committed to holding accountable those who seek to undermine the rights of the Georgian people.”
On May 23, 2024, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a new visa restriction policy targeting individuals responsible for enacting the “foreign agents” law. He also revealed that the U.S. is conducting a comprehensive review of all aspects of its cooperation with Georgia.
Shortly thereafter, visa restrictions were imposed on more than 30 members of the Georgian government and parliament, who were deemed responsible for violence and intimidation against civil society and threats to the freedom of peaceful assembly.
On July 5, the U.S. Department of Defense announced that the Noble Partner military exercises, scheduled for July 25 to August 6 in Georgia, have been postponed indefinitely. The statement indicated that the decision was made following the U.S. initiation of a review of bilateral relations with Georgia.
On July 31, it was also reported that American lawmakers had written to Blinken, calling for financial sanctions against Bidzina Ivanishvili.
