Azerbaijan continues to demand changes to Armenia’s Constitution Armenian Weekly
Day: December 11, 2024
At the 31st meeting of the OSCE Foreign Ministers Council in Malta, there was no meeting between the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia, Jeyhun Bayramov and Ararat Mirzoyan respectively. The reason given was the persistent desire of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to act as a mediator.
Baku accuses the Biden administration of pursuing an unjust and biased policy toward Azerbaijan. Reports indicate that this policy has particularly intensified since Azerbaijan liberated its territories from occupation and carried out an anti-terrorist operation in Karabakh.
Some local experts believe this policy continues, despite only a few days remaining until the end of the year. The Biden administration has “rolled up its sleeves” and is trying to sign a document as quickly as possible before the inauguration of the newly elected president, Donald Trump.
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So, how smart a move would it be for Azerbaijan to reject Washington’s mediation initiative?
Natik Jafarli, chairman of the “Republican Alternative” (ReAl) party, noted in an interview with Pressklub.az that the involvement of the current U.S. administration, which has only 40-45 days left in office, and its mediation efforts to gain some final dividends, will not bring significant benefits to Azerbaijan:
“There were talks between Trump and Ilham Aliyev, between Trump and Pashinyan. Of course, Republicans will want to secure peace dividends. So, such a rejection is logical and expected. I even think that one of the first steps of the Trump administration will likely be to influence the signing of a peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Because it will be a very good presentation for Trump.”
Jafarli believes that Trump’s electoral platform is based on building peace:
“A peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia could be the first step. Because this is the most ready peace agreement in the current conditions. The absence of Blinken at the talks is more than understandable. First and foremost, it would provoke dissatisfaction among Republicans. If there is any agreement with Republicans, bilateral meetings may take place under U.S. mediation after Trump’s inauguration.”
According to political analyst, lawyer, and public figure Fuad Agaev, major countries, including the U.S., want to maintain their influence in the South Caucasus. U.S. foreign policy does not depend on which party is in power:
“Washington has expressed its intention to participate in negotiations over the South Caucasus, which is a significant region, particularly in terms of logistics. But they also have other goals that are not directly related to a peace agreement. Otherwise, this rush would be hard to explain. I should also note that after Trump takes office, it is unlikely the U.S. will pay as much attention to the South Caucasus as it does now. One of the reasons for Blinken’s hurry may be events in Georgia. Despite all this, Azerbaijan and Armenia prefer bilateral talks.”
#Erdogan and #Fidan about #Armenia. #Aliyev’s nine demands. #Russia’s position in #SouthCaucasus. #AlphaNewsroom #LIVE 12/11/24 https://t.co/cjvIQ77sj1
— Alphanews Armenian Network (@AlphaNewsAM) December 11, 2024
Anthony Blinken: “She returned knowing that she might be arrested on arrival.”
The U.S. Department of State awarded Sevinj Vagifgizi, the editor-in-chief of AbzasMedia, with the “Champions of Combating Corruption” award.
Sevinj is known for her work on corruption investigations, and she is currently imprisoned.
In his speech, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken highlighted Sevinj’s devotion over the past decade in exposing government abuses.
“She is also the one awardee who is not with us this afternoon. In November 2023, Sevinj flew home from an overseas country amid a crackdown on Azerbaijani independent media. She returned knowing that she might be arrested on arrival. She was. Now, more than a year later, she remains in detention. Prior to her arrest Sevinj wrote and I quote, ‘I don’t feel fear anymore. I know what they can do. It does not stop me. It is more important to be useful to the people. People need us’”
-Antony Blinken
Blinken also expressed gratitude to the ten anti-corruption champions for their courage. He said it was an honor to partner with them in this fight. The Department of State created the “Champions of Combating Corruption” award in 2021 to recognize individuals who have made significant progress in fighting corruption and to show the U.S. government’s solidarity with them.
This year’s award recipients include journalists, human rights defenders, judges, and even government officials who have facilitated major institutional changes. Other awardees include Jorge Mora Cortes from Colombia, Matrika Daxal from Nepal, Altin Dumani from Albania, Srbukhy Galyan from Armenia, Carl Irani from Lebanon, Marr Nyang from Gambia, Javier Enrique Caraballo Salazar from Panama, Didar Smagulov from Kazakhstan, and Jimmy Spyre Ssentongo from Uganda. Blinken emphasized that each recipient made a difficult decision to help their own citizens and all the people around the world, and their dedication, along with those of others, we are in a better place now.
AbzasMedia, the organization behind Sevinj’s work, has also faced significant challenges. Six of its employees, including the general manager Ulvi Hasanlı, assistant Muhammad Kekalov, editor Sevinj Vagifgiz, reporters Nargiz Absalamova and Elnara Gasimova, and investigative journalist Hafız Babali, have been arrested. These individuals are facing charges of smuggling, with some detained since November 2023.
On May 31, 2024, journalist and economist Farid Mehralizade from the “Azadlig” radio station was arrested, and a search was conducted at his home. He was accused under Article 206.3.2 of the Penal Code, which concerns smuggling by a group of individuals who had previously made secret agreements. The Khatai District Court decided to detain him for security reasons. On the same day, AbzasMedia issued a statement declaring that Mehralizade had no connection to the media organization.
Following this, each of the detainees in the AbzasMedia case was faced with additional serious charges related to financial matters. Since November 2023, nearly 20 journalists and social activists have been arrested in Azerbaijan on smuggling charges. None of these individuals have been charged based on their professional activities or political affiliations.
According to local human rights organizations, there are currently around 300 political prisoners in Azerbaijani prisons. Authorities typically assert that no one has been detained solely for political reasons related to their professional activities. However, both local and international human rights organizations believe these arrests are politically motivated, and they are calling for the release of the detainees and the withdrawal of the charges against them.
The post Sevinj Vagifgizi honored as anti-corruption champion appeared first on MEYDAN.TV.
Railroad from Russia to Georgia
Ingushetia is in discussions about the construction of the Caucasus transit railway, which would connect Russia’s North Caucasus region with Georgia. Entrepreneurs see new opportunities, but how justified is such optimism in the current geopolitical climate?
On December 6, the head of Ingushetia, Mahmud-Ali Kalimatov, discussed the prospects of building the railway with Yuri Balashov, chairman of the Russian-Georgian Business Council. They explained the need for alternative transit corridors, the development of tourism ties, and the opening of new air routes.
The parties also discussed “aspects of humanitarian cooperation with neighboring countries, especially Georgia, whose interests are represented by the Business Council.”
The Russian-Georgian Business Council, established in February 2023 under the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, aims to coordinate the efforts of Russian entrepreneurs to enter the Georgian market. This includes establishing direct links with partners and suppliers, promoting investment cooperation projects, and identifying new promising areas for collaboration.
According to Kalimatov, “a year ago, a number of issues related to cooperation with Georgia were identified,” some of which have already been resolved.
“We are actively developing cultural ties – Georgian artists came to us to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Ingush statehood,” he provided as an example.
For his part, Yuri Balashov said that plans include a youth forum, which will also feature representatives from Georgia.
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Earlier, Balashov discussed integration processes with Georgia in Vladikavkaz at the 10th International Economic Forum “Southern Gates of Russia 2024.”
“For a long time, we did not pay enough attention to developing relations with Georgia. Today, it is time to revive these relations. We are talking about economic and socio-cultural ties. The work is quite extensive. As a result, direct air communication has already been established, a visa-free regime is in place, and now it’s time to move forward.
We need to open new transit corridors, develop cooperation with border regions, create joint tourist routes, and implement professional socio-cultural projects, for example, in the fields of medicine and youth policy,” Balashov said at the forum.
Currently, the only land route connecting Russia with the South Caucasus is the so-called Military-Georgian Road (a historic name dating back to the 19th century). It runs through the Darial Gorge via the Russian checkpoint “Verkhny Lars” and the Georgian checkpoint “Dariali.”
According to Balashov, this road cannot handle more traffic, and therefore, new routes need to be developed, such as the Caucasus Transit Railway “and not only.”
The railway is expected to start in Ingushetia, partially pass through North Ossetia, and have a checkpoint in Dagestan.
In North Ossetia itself, experts are skeptical of these initiatives.
They point out that, in fact, there are no official diplomatic relations between Russia and Georgia, as they were severed in 2008.
A few years ago, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov proposed building a direct route from the mountainous areas of Chechnya to regions with compact Chechen populations in Georgia, but this idea failed to gain support in the Kremlin and was rejected by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
One Ossetian official, speaking anonymously, expressed the view that in the current unstable situation, it is unlikely that such labor-intensive infrastructure projects, which would require significant financial investment, will be realized.
The Georgian side’s position on this matter is still unknown. However, given that Tbilisi accuses Moscow of occupying 20 percent of its territories, with pro-Western (effectively anti-Russian) protests currently taking place in Georgia and the sitting government being accused of working for the Kremlin, it is unlikely that this idea will be well received by Georgian society.
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