Day: December 7, 2024
Armenia’s response to Azerbaijan’s demands
The President of Azerbaijan recently accused Armenia of portraying the “Western Azerbaijan Community” as a threat to its territorial integrity. Ilham Aliyev stated that the community’s goal is the “dignified return of those expelled from Western Azerbaijan to their historical lands in conditions of peace and security,” referring to Armenia’s sovereign territory as “Western Azerbaijan.”
The narrative of “Western Azerbaijan” has circulated for some time, with Baku now hosting its second conference on the topic. During the event, Azerbaijan formally called on Armenia to initiate talks with the “Western Azerbaijan Community” and take “practical steps to restore the fundamental rights of Western Azerbaijanis.”
Armenia’s Foreign Ministry has yet to respond. Members of the ruling “Civil Contract” party declined to comment on whether this represents a new demand or a precondition for a peace treaty, citing the confidentiality of the negotiation process.
Political analyst Areg Kochinyan views recent statements from Baku as a “serious escalation of rhetoric, appearing as a new demand.” However, he believes it is premature to assert that Azerbaijan will bring this issue to the negotiation table. Should it happen, Kochinyan suggests Yerevan could respond with a counter-demand.
“This counter-demand would not focus on the right of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians to return to their homes but rather on restoring the rights of Armenians from Baku, Sumgait, and other Azerbaijani settlements [referring to those forced to leave Azerbaijan in the early 1990s]. Additionally, the issue of Karabakh Armenians would remain unresolved. In short, if such a question arises, Armenia has far stronger and more serious arguments than those Azerbaijan can raise,” the analyst stated.
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“Negotiations not in deadlock”
Armenian journalists asked deputies of the ruling faction whether Aliyev’s statements indicate that the negotiations have reached a deadlock or if the issue of Azerbaijani returns has been added to the agenda.
In response, “Civil Contract” faction secretary Artur Hovhannisyan stated that various comments had been made by Azerbaijan in the past, but these should not give the impression that negotiations have stalled:
“Naturally, there are difficulties in the negotiations. There are problematic points that require complex and lengthy discussions. However, we do not say that the negotiations are at a deadlock. We are continuing the talks.”
“15 out of 17 articles agreed”
Armenia’s Foreign Minister announced at the OSCE Council of Ministers meeting that there has been progress in working with Azerbaijan on a peace treaty:
“We have agreed on the preamble and 15 out of 17 articles of the draft agreement. With sufficient political will, it can be finalized and signed quickly.”
According to Ararat Mirzoyan, Yerevan continues its “constructive engagement in negotiations aimed at fully resolving relations with Baku.” He emphasized that Armenia will persist in its efforts to achieve this goal:
“There is no alternative to peace. In this context, the Armenian government’s proposed ‘Crossroads of Peace’ project has great potential to build trust, strengthen the atmosphere of confidence, and foster cooperation between regional countries.”
Expert commentary
Yerevan and Baku have never been closer to signing a peace treaty, says Areg Kochinyan, head of the Centre for Security Policy Studies. He believes the treaty could be finalized and signed within 24 hours:
“If there is enough political will in Yerevan and Baku, as well as from the new head of the White House, to continue devoting at least the same level of political attention and energy to the region and the Armenia-Azerbaijan issue, then the treaty can be agreed upon very quickly.”
Kochinyan did not specify which two provisions remain unresolved but suggested that the Armenian Constitution is no longer a stumbling block for signing the treaty:
“The decision of the Constitutional Court of Armenia changed a lot. It simply disarmed Azerbaijan on the issue of changing Armenia’s Constitution. For those dealing with this topic internationally, it is clear that this is not a serious demand.”
The analyst expects the next round of negotiations to take place in December, which will reveal whether “Azerbaijan continues to raise constitutional claims.”
He proposed holding the next meeting on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, specifically in the already delimited Tavush-Gazakh section.
Kochinyan also addressed the narrative of “Western Azerbaijan” and Aliyev’s recent statements. He noted that this issue is “brewing at an official level” in Baku, with a parliamentary group, a TV channel, and conferences already dedicated to the topic.
He emphasized that Yerevan must respond to the “Western Azerbaijan” rhetoric not emotionally but with a calculated strategy. According to him, there are two options: issue a counter-demand or refrain from reacting altogether:
“If we believe our main goal is to sign a peace treaty, then we should not respond. But if we believe the treaty is impossible under these conditions and we need to create balance on this ‘chessboard,’ it won’t work by force alone. Instead, we should employ legal methods, turn to international courts, involve partners, and so on, before returning to negotiations.”
Armenia’s response to Azerbaijan’s demands
We have received a proposal from a Chinese company for a 100-megawatt project in the Boyukshor area, which is currently being examined, Azernews reports, citing Javid Abdullayev, Director of the State Agency for Renewable Energy Sources under the Ministry of Energy, as he said in an interview with local media outlets .
The local watchdog, the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association, said that the actions of the police in recent days have taken on the characteristics of police terror. The watchdog’s statement said that “during the night of 6-7 December, the Ministry of Internal Affairs continued to use violent methods: physical violence, threats and insults against peaceful protesters, violent illegal detentions, interference in journalistic activities, as well as the use of groups of individuals against protesters”.
The GYLA highlights several episodes of illegal police action on December 6 and 7. It said that on December 6, police officers “again illegally searched people at the Freedom Square metro station. The police claimed that they were conducting a cursory check. The media footage clearly shows the police officers violating the law and clearly going beyond the scope of a cursory check”. Noting that a cursory check should be based on legally defined grounds, the GYLA says the illegal action was aimed at intimidating protesters and creating obstacles for them to reach the place of peaceful assembly.
The GYLA notes that despite the fact that the demonstration on December 6-7 was peaceful, the MIA launched a “full-scale crackdown on the demonstration without any reason (from 00:33). The special forces occupied the area in front of the parliament (from 00:40). At the same time, the police forces unjustifiably and violently arrested the demonstrators”.
The monitoring group notes the simultaneous deployment of special forces in Republic Square and the unjustified arrests of people leaving the demonstration and heading towards Rustaveli metro station.
According to GYLA, the CSO hotline received information about 51 detentions during the night.
The GYLA stresses the “illegal and disproportionate” use of active special means, such as tear gas, water cannons and pepper spray.
The watchdog refers to another episode that resonated in Georgian society, when after the dispersal and closure of the police presence around the Opera House, at 02:45, after the police forces had occupied other exits from the area around the Opera House, protesters moved towards the right embankment of the Mtkvari River, where they were confronted by unknown persons armed with firearms.
GYLA says that the faces of the attackers are clearly visible in the footage, so they can be easily identified, noting however that the recent developments, as well as the use of such criminal practices in April-May 2024, indicate that “state institutions are acting in alliance with physical groups.”
The tense episode, broadcast live by Formula TV, showed the verbal and physical altercation between the demonstrators and several people, with at least one of them holding a gun, which was briefly visible. The individuals with whom the demonstrators are arguing have been identified as criminal boss Davit Mikadze, with alleged links to former US sanctioned Prosecutor General Otar Parstkhaladze, and his alleged bodyguards.
GYLA says that the so-called “Titushky [government-paid thugs] raid” of protesters had begun in Georgia during the rallies against the “Russian law”, when unknown persons ambushed participants of the rallies, organizers and their family members near their homes or on the street, and severely beat them, with no response from law enforcement agencies.
GYLA notes, that on December 6, a journalist from “Publika”, Mindia Gabadze, was also attacked by such a group of titushky.
GYLA says that systematic and violent repression against the citizens should be assessed as a crime against humanity, which can serve as a basis for an appeal to the International Criminal Court.
On Friday, 6 December 2024, beginning around 1pm Baku local time, our newsroom lost contact with a number of individuals, some of whom who collaborate with Meydan TV.
While trying to reestablish contact, we learned that these individuals are currently being held at the Baku City Police Department. They are the following:
Khayala Agayeva / Xəyalə Ağayeva
Aytaj Ahmadova (Tapdig) / Aytac Əhmədova (Tapdıq)
Aynur Ganbarova (Elgunesh) / Aynur Qənbərova (Elgünəş)
Ramin Jabrayilzade (Deko) (independent journalist) / Ramin Cəbrayılzadə
Natig Javadli / Natiq Cavadlı
Aysel Umudova
The homes of some of the journalists named above were searched, and personal equipment and some of their belongings were seized.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ramin Jabrailzade (Deko) was detained based on information received regarding the illegal import of foreign currency into the country. In addition, several individuals were detained as part of the investigation. Ramin Deko works as an independent journalist and reporter.
We as the management of Meydan TV, firmly state that the detention and interrogation of our journalists is illegal, and we refute all accusations.
Since the day we started our activities over a decade ago, our brave journalists have been arrested, and they and their families have been subjected to persecution. Journalists who cooperate with us have been illegally banned from leaving the country, and have been surveilled by Pegasus spyware, among other forms of pressure.
Our website has been officially banned within the country’s borders since 2017, and Oor social media channels have repeatedly been subjected to cyberattacks.
Despite these attempts to silence us, we at Meydan TV have continued our work as journalists, publicized the events taking place in the country and the problems of ordinary citizens, and have done this all free of censorship.
Our goal has always been to be an independent and alternative media organization in Azerbaijan, informing our audience daily. The pressures and accusations against us since our establishment are groundless, and these novel attacks will neither silence us nor stop our work.
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