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☆ Russia to simplify inward investment for 'friendly' countries -prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin delivers a speech during a session of the Moscow Financial Forum in the city of Moscow, Russia, September 28, 2023. Sputnik/Alexander Astafyev/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 30 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said on Monday that Russia would create a simplified procedure for citizens and companies from "friendly" countries to invest there. Mishustin said entities from a list of 25 countries would be allowed to open bank accounts in Russia and make deposits via a simplified procedure. It said the procedure would apply to 25 "friendly" countries including China, India, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Kazakhstan and Belarus. Moscow defines "unfriendly" countries as those that have joined a barrage of Western-led economic sanctions in response to Russia's war in Ukraine.

Persons: Mikhail Mishustin, Alexander Astafyev, Mishustin, Felix Light, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Russian, Sputnik, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, China, India, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Ukraine

☆ Armenia's PM Pashinyan: We Hope for Peace With Azerbaijan Soon
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

TBILISI (Reuters) - Armenia hopes to conclude a peace agreement with Azerbaijan in the coming months and establish diplomatic relations with it, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Thursday. Speaking at a forum in the Georgian capital Tbilisi, Pashinyan said that Armenia also hopes to open its border with Turkey, a close ally to Azerbaijan, to citizens of third countries. His comments came amid efforts to cement peace in the volatile South Caucasus after Azerbaijan last month retook the contested region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is internationally regarded as Azeri territory but which had been ruled by breakaway ethnic Armenians since the 1990s. (Reporting by Felix Light; Editing by Gareth Jones)

Persons: Nikol Pashinyan, Pashinyan, Felix Light, Gareth Jones Organizations: Armenian Locations: TBILISI, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgian, Tbilisi, Turkey, Caucasus, Nagorno, Karabakh

☆ Armenia sees no advantage in keeping Russian military bases -PM to WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan arrives at the Palace of Charles V on the day of the European Political Community Summit in Granada, Spain October 5, 2023. REUTERS/Jon Nazca/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Armenia sees no advantage in continuing to host Russian military bases on its territory after Azerbaijan retook the contested region of Nagorno-Karabakh, the Armenian prime minister told the Wall Street Journal in an interview published on Wednesday. "These events have essentially brought us to a decision that we need to diversify our relationships in the security sphere, and we are trying to do that now," Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told the WSJ. Russia's military presence in Armenia includes garrisons in two locations and an airbase. Later on Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russian authorities were unaware of Pashinyan's comments.

Persons: Nikol Pashinyan, Charles V, Jon Nazca, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Felix Light, Maxim Rodionov, Gareth Jones, Leslie Adler Organizations: Armenia's, Political Community Summit, REUTERS, Rights, Wall Street, Thomson Locations: Granada, Spain, Armenia, Russian, Azerbaijan, Nagorno, Karabakh, Soviet Union, Moscow, Caucasus

☆ Russian court extends custody of US journalist in 'foreign agent' case
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, who holds Russian and U.S. citizenship, attends a court hearing after being detained on suspicion of failing to register as a "foreign agent," in Kazan, Russia October 20, 2023. Kurmasheva is a Prague-based journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), which is funded by the U.S. Congress and designated by Russia as a foreign agent, meaning it gets foreign funding for activity deemed to be political. "This appears to be another case of the Russian government harassing U.S. citizens," State Department spokesperson Matt Miller told reporters on Thursday. That contrasted with its reaction after Gershkovich's arrest, when Peskov told reporters, without providing evidence, that the reporter had been "caught red-handed" while trying to obtain military secrets. She was charged a week later with failure to register as a foreign agent, an offence that carries up to five years in prison.

Persons: Alsu Kurmasheva, Alexey Nasyrov, Kurmasheva, Edgar Matevosyan, Evan Gershkovich, Matt Miller, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Jeffrey Gedmin, Filipp Lebedev, Mark Trevelyan, Felix Light, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Radio Free, Radio Liberty, RFE, Russian, REUTERS, Rights, U.S . Congress, Reuters, Wall Street, Thomson Locations: Radio Free Europe, Kazan, Russia, American, Prague, Ukraine, Moscow, Washington

☆ Putin responds to Biden: Russia can't be 'put down' and U.S. should learn respect
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday rejected comments by U.S. President Joe Biden, saying in an interview in Beijing that Moscow's interests could not be suppressed, and that U.S. politicians should learn to respect others. In a brief interview aired on state television during a summit in the Chinese capital, Putin said: "This is not about me personally. Putin said that both Biden, with whom he has had an antagonistic relationship since the U.S. president took office in 2021, and the wider American political elite needed to learn to "respect" Russia. He said: "This applies not only to President Biden, but also to the U.S. political elites as a whole. You must learn to respect others, and then there will be no need to suppress anyone."

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden, Putin, he's, Biden, Felix Light, Kevin Liffey, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: CBS News, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Beijing, Europe, Russia

☆ Special Report: How Cubans were recruited to fight for Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Dave Sherwood | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +12 min

In La Federal, for example, all nine recruits identified by Reuters signed up to fight in the war. "We are deeply concerned by reports alleging young Cubans have been deceived and recruited to fight for Russia," the spokesperson said. In La Federal, word of the army work began to spread in June, according to the residents interviewed. The first line of the message states: "This is a contract with the Russian military by which you receive citizenship." He stressed that the people who signed up in La Federal knew they would be going to fight.

Persons: Dannys Castillo, Yamidely Cervantes, Enrique Gonzalez, Cervantes, husband Gonzalez, Gonzalez, Oleg Nikolenko, Vladimir Putin, Dayana, Cristian Hernandez, Viondi, Alina Gonzalez, Danilo, Roberto Sabori, Yasmani, MAMI, Mami, Luis Herlys Osorio, Nilda, Osorio, Havana didn't, Dave Sherwood, Alexandre Meneghini, Mario Fuentes, Carlos Carrillo, Matt Spetalnick, Tom Balmforth, Filipp Lebedev, Felix Light, Pravin Organizations: Reuters, La Federal, Federal, Russia, Kremlin, Cuban, U.S . State Department, Facebook, Dayana, Soviet, Pravin Char, Thomson Locations: Alamar, Havana, Cuba, La, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Russian, Tula, Crimea, Ukrainian, United States, Villa Maria, Cuban, U.S, America, Europe, Gonzalez, Varadero, Ryazan, Soviet, Angola, Africa, Washington

☆ More than half of Nagorno-Karabakh's ethnic Armenians have left
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] Refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh region ride in a truck upon their arrival at the border village of Kornidzor, Armenia, September 27, 2023. Azerbaijan says it is prepared to respect ethnic Armenian rights as it reabsorbs the region, but with a history burdened by folk memories of alleged genocide, ethnic cleansing, pogroms and at least two wars, the Armenians are fleeing in fear. In Soviet times, Nagorno-Karabakh enjoyed autonomy within the Soviet republic of Azerbaijan. But as the Soviet Union crumbled the First Karabakh War erupted. About 30,000 people were killed between 1988 and 1994 and more than a million people displaced, more than half of them Azeris.

Persons: Aliyev Aliyev, David, Ruben Vardanyan, Nikol Pashinyan, Samantha Power, Ilham Aliyev, Guy Faulconbridge, Kevin Liffey Organizations: REUTERS, USAID, Soviet, KARABAKH, Wednesday, Armenian, West, U.S . Agency for International Development, Thomson Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Kornidzor, Armenia, Yerevan, Azerbaijan, South Caucasus, Soviet Union, Soviet, Russia, United States, Turkey, Iran, Ukraine, Moscow, Baku, Lachin

☆ Armenians in Russia Return Home to Help Karabakh Refugees
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Felix LightKORNIDZOR, Armenia (Reuters) - When Azerbaijan overran the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, David Harapetyan drove 1,000 km (620 miles) from his home in the Russian city of Stavropol to this Armenian border village to help fleeing Karabakh Armenians. I came to help my people however I can," said Harapetyan, who was born in this southern corner of Armenia but holds only Russian citizenship. Armenia’s government said on Wednesday that more than 50,000 Karabakh refugees so far had crossed the border, out of a total estimated Karabakh Armenian population of 120,000. The sudden influx has strained resources in Goris, the border town where Armenian authorities have booked out hotels for refugees with nowhere to go. Harapetyan said he and a group of 10 Stavropol Armenians he had arrived with were helping new arrivals with accommodation.

Persons: Felix Light KORNIDZOR, David Harapetyan, Harapetyan, Karen Martirosyan’s KAMAZ, Karabakh’s, Gareth Jones, William Maclean Organizations: Stavropol Armenians Locations: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Nagorno, Karabakh, Russian, Stavropol, Russia, United States, France, Goris, Badara, Stepanakert

☆ Armenian priest fears for Karabakh's Christian heritage amid mass exodus
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Azerbaijan launched a lightning offensive last week to retake the whole region, prompting a mass Armenian exodus. More than 50,000 people had crossed the border into Armenia by early Wednesday afternoon, nearly half of Karabakh's estimated 120,000 ethnic Armenians. Prior to last week's offensive, the Karabakh Armenians had lived under an effective 10-month Azerbaijani blockade which had led to chronic shortages of food, fuel and medicines. ANCIENT CHRISTIAN LANDConflict in the region between Armenians and Azeris goes back more than a century. There are churches in Azerbaijan which the authorities say are Caucasian Albanian rather than Armenians, something Armenians strongly dispute.

Persons: David, Irakli, Priest, Father David, Gareth Jones, William Maclean Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Christianity, Thomson Locations: Goris, Nagorno, Karabakh, Kornidzor, Armenia, KORNIDZOR, Azerbaijan, Republic of Artsakh, Soviet Union, Baku, Shusha, Moscow, Russian, Armenia's, Albania, Albanian, Turkey, Iran, Ottoman Turks

☆ Azerbaijan arrests former top Karabakh minister as exodus tops 50,000
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Karabakh is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but populated mostly by ethnic Armenians who broke away in the 1990s in the first of two wars there since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Karabakh authorities said more than 50,000 had left so far, out of an estimated ethnic Armenian population of 120,000. Azerbaijan rejects Armenian accusations of ethnic cleansing, but images of tens of thousands of desperate people on the move have provoked widespread international alarm. Germany added its voice to U.S. calls for Azerbaijan to allow international observers into Karabakh. Karabakh authorities said they lost at least 200 people in Azerbaijan's offensive last week.

Persons: Ruben Vardanyan, Veronika Zonabend, Morris Tidball, Binz, Annalena Baerbock, Matthew Miller, Washington, Irakli, Ilham Aliyev, Zonabend, Miller, Vera Petrosyan, Daphne Psaledakis, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones, Philippa Fletcher, Alison Williams Organizations: Twitter, U.S . State Department, REUTERS, Reuters, Local, Russian, Russia, State, Washington, Thomson Locations: Azerbaijan Karabakh, Germany, GORIS, Armenia, Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Baku, Soviet Union, Kornidzor, Russia, Ukraine, Caucasus, Turkey, Iran, United States, Washington

☆ Tens of thousands of ethnic Armenians rush to flee Nagorno-Karabakh
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh region ride in the back of a truck as they arrive in the border village of Kornidzor, Armenia, September 26, 2023. The hairpin mountain road snaking out of Karabakh towards Armenia was choked with people. There were conflicting details about the toll of the blast but the ethnic Armenian authorities said at least 68 had been killed, 105 were missing and nearly 300 were injured. "The Secretary urged President Aliyev to commit to broad amnesty and allow an international observer mission into Nagorno-Karabakh," Miller said. "President Ilham Aliyev underlined that respective activities are underway to ensure the rights of Armenian residents living in the Karabakh region," it said.

Persons: Irakli, GORIS, Vera Petrosyan, Ilham Aliyev, Nikol Pashinyan, Antony Blinken, Azerbaijan's Aliyev, Matthew Miller, Aliyev, Miller, Blinken, Guy Faulconbridge, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: REUTERS, Soviet Union, Reuters, Armenian, West, Thomson Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Kornidzor, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Soviet South Caucasus, South Caucasus, Soviet, Askeran, Russia, United States, Turkey, Iran, Moscow

☆ Thirty-four years after fleeing Azerbaijan, a Karabakh Armenian is on the move again
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Hasmik Khachatryan/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsGORIS, Armenia, Sept 25 (Reuters) - For the second time in his life, Samvel Alaverdyan is fleeing Azerbaijan. Now he has escaped from Karabakh itself, where Azerbaijan mounted a lightning offensive last week to end three decades of de facto independence for the 120,000 ethnic Armenians who lived there. The 45-year-old ex-policeman, who said he had been working as a civilian on a Karabakh Armenian military base, is one of the first Armenians to escape the Karabakh capital of Stepanakert, which the Azeris call Khankendi. Samvel has previous military experience with Karabakh forces and his son Hayk was serving in the Karabakh Armenian army until last week. Russia will work on ensuring that the rights of ethnic Armenians in Karabakh are respected, Peskov added.

Persons: Hasmik, Samvel Alaverdyan, Alaverdyan, Monika, Hayk, Samvel, “, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Felix Light, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Karabakh, Nissan, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Stepanakert, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Baku, Armenian, Goris, Yerevan, Soviet, Sumgait, I'm, Charentsavan, Azerbaijani, Russia, Moscow, Azeri, Turkish

[1/5] A view shows a border-crossing point on the frontier between Armenia and Azerbaijan and a base of Russian peacekeepers deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh as seen from a road near the village of Kornidzor, Armenia, September 23, 2023. REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze Acquire Licensing RightsSummary Ethnic Armenians to leave Karabakh - leadership120,000 people could move into ArmeniaProcess of giving up weapons is underwayNEAR KORNIDZOR, Armenia, Sept 24 (Reuters) - The 120,000 ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh will leave for Armenia as they do not want to live as part of Azerbaijan and fear ethnic cleansing, the leadership of the breakaway region told Reuters on Sunday. Azerbaijan says it will guarantee their rights and integrate the region but the leadership of the Armenians in Karabakh told Reuters that they would leave. He said it was unclear when the Karabakh Armenians would move down the Lachin corridor which links the territory to Armenia, where Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has faced calls to resign for failing to save Karabakh. Azerbaijan, which is mainly Muslim, has said the Armenians, who are Christian, can leave if they want.

Persons: Irakli, David Babayan, Samvel Shahramanyan, Nikol Pashinyan, Babayan, Pashinyan, Felix Light, Guy Faulconbridge, Lidia Kelly, William Mallard, Peter Graff Organizations: REUTERS, Karabakh, Reuters, Sunday, Soviets, International Committee, Thomson Locations: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Nagorno, Karabakh, Kornidzor, KORNIDZOR, Soviet Union, Republic of Artsakh, Russians, Ottomans, South Caucasus, Russia, United States, Turkey, Iran, Moscow

☆ Fleeing bombs and death, Armenians recount fear and hunger
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Petya Grigoryan is one of the first ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh to make it to Armenia after a lightning 24-hour Azerbaijani military operation defeated the Karabakh Armenian forces. The ethnic Armenians of Karabakh, internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan, say they will not live as part of Azerbaijan and that almost all of the 120,000 Armenians there will leave for Armenia. Grigoryan, a 69-year-old driver, said his Kochoghot village in what the Armenians know as the Martakert district of Karabakh was pummelled by Azerbaijan armed forces. Grigoryan and thousands of other Armenians made their way to the airport near the Karabakh capital, known as Stepanakert by Armenians and Khankendi by Azerbaijan, where some Russian peacekeepers are based. Then the Azerbaijan military shelled the Shosh village where he was staying.

Persons: Irakli, Grigoryan, Ilham Aliyev, Guy Faulconbridge, David Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Karabakh, Russian, Thomson Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Goris, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Grigoryan, Martakert, pummelled, Khankendi, Leninakan

☆ Russia says Karabakh Armenian fighters start giving up arms
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"The armed formations of Karabakh have begun handing over weapons and military equipment under the control of Russian peacekeepers," said Russia, which has around 2,000 peacekeepers in Karabakh. Russia's defence ministry said so far six armoured vehicles, more than 800 guns, about 5,000 units of ammunition were handed over by the fighters. Armenians in Karabakh told Reuters that they were essentially besieged in the region, with little food, electricity or fuel - and called on big powers to help them. Azerbaijan envisages an amnesty for Karabakh Armenian fighters who give up their arms and has said the Armenians can leave the region for Armenia if they want. Thousands of Karabakh Armenians have massed at the airport seeking the protection of Russian peacekeepers there.

Persons: Irakli, Cross, Nikol Pashinyan, Antony Blinken, Karapetyan, Svetlana Alaverdyan, Guy Faulconbridge, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Karabakh, ICRC, Azerbaijan, International Committee, Reuters, Nagorno, United, Thomson Locations: Armenia, Karabakh, Tegh, Russia, KORNIDZOR, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Baku, United States, Nagorno, Kusapat, Arajadzor

☆ U.S. Senator Peters expresses concern about Nagorno-Karabakh situation
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEAR KORNIDZOR, Armenia, Sept 23 (Reuters) - A U.S. senator, leading a congressional delegation to the Armenia-Azerbaijan border on Saturday, said international observers were needed to monitor the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, adding that people were "very fearful" about what was happening there. Gary Peters, a U.S. senator leading a congressional delegation to the Armenia-Azerbaijan frontier to monitor the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, uses binoculars to look at a border-crossing point on a road near the village of Kornidzor, Armenia, September 23, 2023. REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze Acquire Licensing Rights"I am certainly very concerned about what’s happening in Nagorno-Karabakh right now, I think there needs to be some visibility," Gary Peters, a Democrat from Michigan, told reporters on the border. Russia said earlier that Armenian fighters in Karabakh had started to give up arms as some humanitarian aid reached the 120,000 Armenians living there after Azerbaijan defeated their forces. Reporting by Felix Light; Writing by Alexander Marrow Editing by Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Gary Peters, Irakli, Felix Light, Alexander Marrow, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Democrat, Azerbaijan, Thomson Locations: KORNIDZOR, Armenia, U.S, Azerbaijan, Nagorno, Karabakh, Kornidzor, Michigan, Russia

☆ Karabakh Armenians say ceasefire being implemented, aid is arriving
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Earlier, the Karabakh Armenians held another round of talks with Azerbaijani officials in the town of Shusha, three days after the ceasefire that followed a lightning 24-hour offensive in which Baku retook control of the mountainous region. Armenians say they fear they will be persecuted if they stay. "Today we were thrown out into the street - they made us vagabonds," Karapetyan told Armenia A1+, a partner of Reuters. Thousands of Karabakh Armenians have massed at the airport seeking the protection of Russian peacekeepers there. "They were shooting on the right, they were shooting on the left - we went out one after another, without taking clothes," she told Armenia A1+.

Persons: Cross, Elshad Hajiyev, Irakli, Gary Peters, We've, Peters, Nikol Pashinyan, Hikmet Hajiyev, Karapetyan, Svetlana Alaverdyan, Guy Faulconbridge, Alexander Marrow, Gareth Jones Organizations: ICRC, Karabakh, International Committee, Reuters, REUTERS, Rights, Democrat, Nagorno, Thomson Locations: Russia, Karabakh, KORNIDZOR, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Shusha, Baku, Artsakh, Moscow, Kornidzor, Michigan, Kusapat, Arajadzor

☆ Azerbaijan says Armenians of Karabakh arrive for meeting after ceasefire
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Armenian delegation from Karabakh arrived in the town of Yevlakh for talks, Azerbaijan's presidency said. Under the ceasefire agreement, as outlined by Azerbaijan, breakaway Armenian forces must disband and disarm, and the region will be integrated as part of Azerbaijan. Aliyev said that "war criminals" had tried to poison the brains of 120,000 Karabakh Armenians, who, he said, would now live in paradise and have their religious and cultural rights respected. But thousands of Armenians massed at the airport in Stepanakert, the capital of Karabakh known as Khankendi by Azeris. Known as Artsakh by Armenians, the territory is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan, which is mainly Muslim, but its inhabitants are predominantly ethnic Armenians, who are Christians.

Persons: Melkumyan, Stringer, Nikol Pashinyan, Azerbaijan's, Ramin Mammadov, Ilham Aliyev, Aliyev, Nailia Bagirova, Felix Light, Guy Faulconbridge, Andrew Osborn Organizations: National Assembly of, REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Yevlakh, Azerbaijan, Rights YEREVAN, Armenian Karabakh, Stepanakert, Russians, Ottomans, Artsakh

Karabakh Armenian authorities accused Azerbaijan of violating a ceasefire agreed on Wednesday after a lightning Azerbaijani offensive forced the separatists to agree to disarm. When asked about giving up weapons, Babayan said his people could not be left to die, so would security guarantees first. Talks took place on Thursday in the Azerbaijani city of Yevlakh between Azerbaijan and representatives of the Republic of Artsakh, as the Karabakh Armenians call themselves. He said the region's ethnic Armenians would enjoy full educational, cultural and religious rights. An aide to Aliyev said Baku had given Yerevan a new draft peace agreement, Russia's RIA news agency reported.

Persons: Pashinyan, GORIS, David Babayan, Samvel Shahramanyan, Babayan, Ilham Aliyev, Melkumyan, Stringer, Aliyev, Nikol Pashinyan, Khankendi, Gayane Sargsyan, Felix Light, Guy Faulconbridge, Nailia Bagirova, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: Azerbaijan reclaims, Protesters, Reuters, National Assembly of, REUTERS, Karabakh, Authorities, Thomson Locations: Azerbaijan, Karabakh, Armenia, Nagorno, Karabakh's, Azerbaijani, Yevlakh, Republic of Artsakh, Artsakh, Soviet Union, AZERBAIJAN, ARMENIA, Caucasus, Baku, Yerevan, Russia, Moscow, Stepanakert, Goris

☆ Armenians wait forlornly for relatives at border with Azerbaijan
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] People gather near the Armenian border guard post on the road leading from Armenia to Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh region, near the village of Kornidzor, Armenia September 21, 2023. Azerbaijan this week launched a lightning offensive to retake Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway region where ethnic Armenians had enjoyed de facto independence since a war in the early 1990s. The men at the hillside border checkpoint were waiting in the hope of greeting relatives escaping from Karabakh. In three hours spent at the checkpoint near the Armenian village of Kornidzor, Reuters reporters did not witness any reunions. They spent the time drinking coffee, arguing with Armenian border guards who refused to allow them to go any further, and voicing fears for the fate of their relatives.

Persons: Irakli, Armen Petrosyan, Petrosyan, Hayk, Oksana, Felix Light, Mark Trevelyan, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Armenia, Karabakh, Kornidzor, KORNIDZOR, Azerbaijan, Sisian, Ottoman, Goris

☆ Armenian protesters demand Pashinyan ouster after Karabakh surrender
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The protesters gathered on Republic Square in the heart of Yerevan. Many demanded the resignation of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who presided over defeat to Azerbaijan in a 2020 war, and now the final collapse of Karabakh's Armenian authorities. Some of those in Republic Square yelled "Artsakh! Others threw bottles and stones at the prime minister's office on Republic Square. Azerbaijan said that it wanted a "smooth reintegration process" for Karabakh's Armenians, and rejected Armenian accusations that it wanted to "ethnically cleanse" the region.

Persons: Nikol Pashinyan, we've, Pashinyan, Irakli, Reuters Graphics Samvel Sargsyan, Sargsyan, Khachatur Kobelyan, Guy Faulconbridge, Kevin Liffey, Alex Richardson Organizations: Karabakh, . Riot, Protesters, REUTERS, Reuters Graphics Samvel, Theatre, Cinema University, Thomson Locations: YEREVAN, Karabkh, Azerbaijan, Yerevan, Karabakh, Nagorno, Armenia, Artsakh, Karabakh's, USA, Russia, Ottoman

☆ Azerbaijan pounds Karabakh as Russia and US call for calm
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Ethnic Armenians in Karabakh said Azerbaijan had triggered a new war against the 120,000 people living in an area they consider their homeland. Armenians in Karabakh, known by Armenians as Artsakh, said fighting was continuing with varying intensity. As the Soviet Union crumbled, what is known as the First Karabakh War erupted (1988-1994) between Armenians and their Azeri neighbours. RUSSIAIn 2020, after decades of skirmishes, energy-rich Azerbaijan began a military operation which became the Second Karabakh War, swiftly breaking through Armenian defences. Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey, won a resounding victory in the 44-day war, taking back parts of Karabakh.

Persons: Nikol Pashinyan, Karabakh, Antony Blinken, Ilham Aliyev, Pashinyan, Aliyev, Blinken, Antonio Guterres, Baku's, Guy Faulconbridge, Lidia Kelly, Chris Reese, Lincoln, Gareth Jones Organizations: Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defence, Azerbaijan, Wednesday, Nagorno, Armenian, U.S, Washington, Residents, United Nations, European Union, TASS, Thomson Locations: Armenia, Nagorno, Karabakh, Russia, U.S, Azerbaijan, YEREVAN, United States, Baku, Yerevan, Turkey, Ukraine, Soviet Union, South Caucasus, Iran, Artsakh, Russian, France, Germany, RUSSIA, Moscow, Melbourne

☆ Factbox-Azerbaijan Launches 'Anti-Terrorist Operation' in Karabakh
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Felix LightTBILISI (Reuters) - Ethnic Armenian separatist authorities on Tuesday reported a major escalation of hostilities in Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh region, as Azerbaijan launched an offensive. It said it was attacking Armenian military units in response to what it called "terrorist provocations", and that it would provide "humanitarian corridors" for civilians. Azerbaijan's foreign ministry said peace in the breakaway region could only be achieved once Armenian troops left and the separatist local authority was dissolved. Its foreign ministry urged Russian peacekeeping troops to stop Azerbaijan's "full-scale aggression". "We are deeply concerned about the sharp escalation of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

Persons: Felix, Maria Zakharova, Felix Light Organizations: Felix Light TBILISI, Armenian, Foreign, Russian Locations: Azerbaijan's Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, AZERBAIJAN, Nagorno, Armenia, Russian, Russia, Moscow

☆ Georgia accuses ex-official of plotting from Ukraine to oust Tbilisi government
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Men wearing traditional clothes stand next to the Georgian flag during the Independence Day celebrations in Tbilisi, Georgia May 26, 2022. REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze Acquire Licensing RightsTBILISI, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Georgia on Monday accused a former deputy interior minister of plotting from Ukraine to overthrow the Tbilisi government, testing ties with Kyiv as Georgia deepens its relations with Russia. It did not provide evidence, and in Kyiv, foreign ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko said Tbilisi was "trying to demonise Ukraine" for domestic reasons. "The Ukrainian state did not interfere, does not interfere and does not plan to interfere in the internal affairs of Georgia," he wrote on Facebook. The Georgian State Security Service named a former bodyguard to Saakashvili as one of the alleged conspirators, along with the commander of a Georgian unit fighting in Ukraine.

Persons: Irakli, Giorgi Lortkipanidze, Oleg Nikolenko, Andriy Yusov, Russia's, Irakli Garibashvili, Mikheil Saakashvili, Saakashvili, Felix Light, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Georgian, REUTERS, Rights, The State Security Service, Western Georgian, Facebook, European Union, EU, Ukraine, NATO, Georgian State Security Service, Thomson Locations: Tbilisi , Georgia, Rights TBILISI, Georgia, Ukraine, Tbilisi, Kyiv, Russia, Ukrainian, Brussels, Europe, Moscow, Abkhazia, South Ossetia

☆ Russian general in Algeria in apparent return to work after Wagner mutiny, Kommersant reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

General Sergei Surovikin, commander of Russian forces in Ukraine, visits the Joint Headquarters of the Russian armed forces involved in military operations in Ukraine, in an unknown location in Russia, in this picture released December 17, 2022. Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Kremlin via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsSept 15 (Reuters) - Russian general Sergei Surovikin is in Algeria as part of a Defence Ministry delegation, in an apparent return to official duties after coming under suspicion in connection with a June mutiny by the Wagner mercenary force, Kommersant newspaper reported on Friday, citing a source close to the general. The newspaper published photographs of Surovikin wearing a khaki suit without military insignia that it said had been taken in Algeria, a major buyer of Russian weapons. He became popular among hardline critics of the Russian military establishment including Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was killed in a plane crash last month. Various media outlets reported that Surovikin had fallen out of favour with the Kremlin and that he was being investigated for possible complicity.

Persons: Sergei Surovikin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin’s, Surovikin, RIA, Viktor Afzalov, Felix Light, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS Acquire, Defence Ministry, Kommersant, New York Times, Kremlin, Commonwealth of Independent, Institute for, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Russia, Kremlin, Algeria, Moscow, Commonwealth of Independent States, Soviet

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