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☆ Azerbaijan's president says France will be to blame if new conflict starts with Armenia
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev speaks during a news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany March 14, 2023. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Azerbaijan's president scolded the European Union and warned that France's decision to send military aid to Armenia could trigger a new conflict in the South Caucasus after a lightening Azerbaijani military operation last month. Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev last week pulled out of an EU-brokered meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at which Brussels said it was standing by Armenia. President Ilham Aliyev said "that due to the well-known position of France, Azerbaijan did not participate in the meeting in Granada," the Azerbaijani presidential office said. She declined to elaborate on what sort of military aid was envisaged for Armenia under future supply contracts.

Persons: Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Olaf Scholz, Annegret, Ilham Aliyev, Nikol, Aliyev, Charles Michel, Catherine Colonna, Emmanuel Macron, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, European Union, Armenian, European Council, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Azerbaijan, Berlin, Germany, European, Armenia, South Caucasus, EU, Brussels, France, Granada, Yerevan, Baku, Nagorno, Karabakh

☆ Any new Armenia conflict would be France's fault, Azerbaijan's president says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] French Foreign and European Affairs Minister Catherine Colonna and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan attend a meeting in Yerevan, Armenia October 3, 2023. Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev last week pulled out of an EU-brokered meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at which Brussels said it was standing by Armenia. President Ilham Aliyev said "that due to the well-known position of France, Azerbaijan did not participate in the meeting in Granada," the Azerbaijani presidential office said. She declined to elaborate on what sort of military aid was envisaged for Armenia under future supply contracts. The Azerbaijani president visited Georgia on Sunday and thanked Tbilisi for offering to mediate for a peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Persons: Catherine Colonna, Nikol Pashinyan, Hayk, Aliyev, Ilham Aliyev, Nikol, Charles Michel, Emmanuel Macron, Tigran Balayan, Guy Faulconbridge 私 Organizations: European Affairs, Armenian, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, European Union, European Council, Reuters Locations: Yerevan, Armenia, Photolure, Azerbaijan, Georgia, MOSCOW, European, South Caucasus, EU, Brussels, France, Granada, Baku, Nagorno, Karabakh, Tbilisi

☆ Russia is using bags of cash and diamonds to avoid sanctions and fund its weapons program, expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russia is using illicit cash channels to fund covert activities, analysts say. Kremlin is exploiting gaps in sanctions laws, but also using older methods like cash and diamonds. AdvertisementAdvertisementRussia is using covert financial networks to fund its purchases of banned weapons technology, getting round Western sanctions in the process, analysts told Insider. That money, he said, is then placed in accounts in countries such as Turkey and the UAE, where western sanctions are not closely enforced. Under Western sanctions, banks must investigate suspicious transactions to make sure they're not being used to circumvent sanctions.

Persons: —, Pavlo Verkhniatskyi, Verkhniatskyi, Banks, David Lewis, Russia Verkhniatskyi, FATF Organizations: Service, International, University of Exeter, Force Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Turkey, UAE, Kazakhstan, Armenia, North Korea, Iran, Myanmar

GRANADA, Spain (AP) — Almost 50 European leaders used a summit in the southern Spanish city of Granada on Thursday to stress that they stand by Ukraine at a time when Western resolve appears somewhat weakened. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that beside maintaining such unity, more military aid to get through the winter was essential. And especially now that questions about continued support are growing in the United States too. “I am very confident of support for Ukraine from the United States. What the United States is working on is the timing," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy, Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden, Biden, ” Zelenskyy, Robert Fico, Hungary’s, Pedro Sánchez, “, Ursula von der Leyen, Josep Borrell, doesn’t, Putin, Borrell, Putin's, ”, Ilham Aliyev, Nikol Pashinyan, Vjosa Osmani, Aleksandar Vucic, Osmani, wantssanctions, Raf Casert, Aritz Parra, Ciarán Giles, Joseph Wilson, Semini Organizations: Political, U.S, Congress, White, Republicans, European Union, Kyiv, Armenian, Yerevan, Kosovo, Serbian, Belgrade, Serbia Locations: GRANADA, Spain, Spanish, Granada, Ukraine, United States, Europe, Kyiv, Slovakia, Russia, U.S, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Nagorno, Karabakh, Serbia, “, Kosovo, Brussels, Madrid, Barcelona, Tirana, Albania

☆ 'Loyalty alone is not enough': Kremlin reveals the qualities Russia's Vladimir Putin values the most
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a Security Council meeting via a video link in Saint Petersburg on October 10, 2022. "But for Vladimir Putin, loyalty alone is not enough. Russia's president Vladimir Putin (R) and his spokesman Dmitry Peskov (L) attend the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council meeting at the Congress Hall in Bishkek on December 9, 2022. Contributor | Getty ImagesDuring Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine, as it calls its invasion, questions have been raised about the strategy and competency of Russia's military leadership. FILE - Businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, left, shows Russian President Vladimir Putin, around his factory which produces school meals, outside St. Petersburg, Russia on Monday, Sept. 20, 2010.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Gavriil Grigorov, Putin, Andrei Kondrashov, it's, Dmitry Peskov, Vyacheslav Oseledko, —, Sergey Lavrov, Sergei Shoigu, Sergei Lavrov, Nikolay Patrushev, Mikhail Mishustin, Sergei Sobyanin, There's, Vladimir Solovyov, Nikolai Patrushev, Dmitry Medvedev, Medvedev, Sergei Medvedev, Dmitry, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Alexander Ermochenko, Sergey Shoigu, Shoigu, Prigozhin, Wagner, Kirill Shamiev, Prigozhin Prigozhin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexei Druzhinin Organizations: Afp, Getty, CNBC, Economic, Kremlin, Security, Moscow, SVR, Russian Security Council, Ukraine, West ., Kyiv, Russian, Luhansk People's, Reuters, Wagner Group, European Council, Foreign Relations Locations: Saint Petersburg, Bishkek, Russian, Yerevan, Armenia, Russia, Ukraine, Kyiv, Luhansk, Luhansk People's Republic, Crimea, Moscow, Belarus, Prigozhin, St . Petersburg

☆ A second war could easily erupt in Europe — while everyone's distracted by Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Violence erupted in northern Kosovo in September, and Belgrade responded with a military build-up on its border with its neighbor. Given the current political and security context, analysts say an outbreak of violence in northern Kosovo "should raise alarm bells." Open hostilityLong-simmering animosity between Serbia and Kosovo has broken into open hostility in northern Kosovo in recent months. Northern Kosovo, which borders Serbia, has an ethnic Serb majority whereas the country as a whole is around 93% ethnic Albanian. Mojsilovic stated that number of troops on the Kosovo border had been reduced to 4,500 from 8,350.

Persons: Milan Radoicic, Majda Ruge, Stringer, Milos Vucevic, Staff Milan Mojsilovic, Mojsilovic, Aleksandar Vučić, Vučić, Ian Bremmer, Bremmer, Ruge, Aleksandar Vucic, Krusha, Armend Nimani, Slobodan Milošević, Serbian, Albin Kurti, Andrius, Tursa, Serbia's Slobodan Milosevic Organizations: Kosovo Police, Kosovo Serb, Milan, Anadolu Agency, Getty, European Council, Foreign Relations, Albanian, Kosovo, Afp, NATO, Serbian, Staff, Financial Times, EU, Eurasia Group, Yugoslavia, Yugoslav, Yugoslav Ministry of Defense, Federal, Nato, Kosovo Albanians Locations: Banjska, Jarinje, Serbia, Zvecan, Kosovo, Ukraine, Europe, Belgrade, destabilising Kosovo, Northern Kosovo, Serbian, Serbs, Yugoslavia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Nagorno, Karabakh, Russia, Mitrovica, North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Balkans, Kosovo Albanian, Krusha, Madhe, Albanian, Yugoslav, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Central, Eastern Europe, Stagovo

GRANADA, Spain, Oct 5 (Reuters) - European leaders are expected to assure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of long-term support on Thursday after U.S. President Joe Biden voiced fears that Republican infighting in Congress could hurt American policy on continuing aid to Kyiv. Zelenskiy is expected to attend a summit in the Spanish city of Granada of the European Political Community - a forum to foster cooperation among more than 40 countries established last year following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In Slovakia, former prime minister Robert Fico's party came first in a general election at the weekend after pledging to halt military aid to Ukraine. In Poland, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said last month his country was no longer arming Ukraine and was focusing on rebuilding its own weapon stocks. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is expected to attend the summit and European officials said they were keen to find ways to help his government cope with the immediate humanitarian crisis and provide political and economic support.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Joe Biden, Zelenskiy, Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, Rishi Sunak, Democrat Biden, Biden, Robert Fico's, Mateusz Morawiecki, Scholz, Ilham Aliyev, Macron, Charles Michel, Nikol Pashinyan, Andrew Gray, Andreas Rinke, Grant McCool Organizations: Political, British, U.S, Republican, Democrat, Senate, European Union, NATO, Kyiv, European, EU, Baku, Thomson Locations: GRANADA, Spain, Kyiv, Zelenskiy, Spanish, Granada, Ukraine, Europe, U.S, Slovakia, Poland, BALKANS, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Serbia, Kosovo, Nagorno, Karabakh, Berlin

Not only in the EU but in all of Europe," Zelenskiy said on his arrival, warning of Russian "disinformation attacks". "It does worry me," Biden said on Wednesday, though he added that a majority of U.S. lawmakers continued to support funding Ukraine. In Slovakia, former prime minister Robert Fico's party came first in a parliamentary election on pledges of halting military aid to Ukraine, while Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has said Warsaw was no longer arming Ukraine. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday he was "very confident" that U.S. support for Ukraine would continue. Many EU leaders have condemned the Azerbaijani operation, which triggered an exodus of more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians.

Persons: Zelenskiy, Spain Zelenskiy, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Joe Biden, U.N, Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, Rishi Sunak, Democrat Biden, Biden, Ursula von der Leyen, Robert Fico's, Mateusz Morawiecki, Pedro Sanchez, Ilham Aliyev, Belen Carreno, Andreas Rinke, Anna Pruchnicka, Gareth Jones Organizations: Political, EU, British, U.S, Republican, Democrat, European Commission, Kyiv, Polish, European Union, NATO, Spanish, Thomson Locations: Spain, Europe, Balkans, Caucasus, Granada, GRANADA, Kyiv, Spanish, Ukraine, Norway, Albania, Russia, Poland, Brussels, U.S, Slovakia, Warsaw, EU, East, Africa, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Serbia, Kosovo, Nagorno, Karabakh, Baku, Berlin

☆ As Azerbaijan claims final victory in Nagorno Karabakh, arms trade with Israel comes under scrutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Max Saltman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

Israeli ‘realpolitik’Young ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh in the town of Goris during evacuations to Armenia on October 1. Hayk Baghdasaryan/Photolure/AP Ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh drive to Goris on September 28. Vahan Stepanyan/PAN Photo/AP Volunteers distribute food to ethnic Armenians arriving in Goris from Nagorno-Karabakh on September 28. Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images Ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh line up to receive humanitarian aid at a temporary camp in Goris on September 26. Wezeman, the researcher at SIPRI, said Israel could come under pressure from its Western allies to reconsider arms sales to Azerbaijan.

Persons: CNN —, Marut Vanyan, “ I’m, ”, “, Vanyan, Leonid Nersisyan, Rishon Le, Jack Guez, …, Pieter Wezeman, ” Wezeman, Emmanuel Dunand, Efraim Inbar, ” Inbar, Israel ’, Inbar, LORA, ” Hikmet Ajiyev, Ilham Aliyev, realpolitik, Diego Herrera Carcedo, Sergey Astsetryan, Aziz Karimov, Hayk, Vahan Stepanyan, Vasily Krestyaninov, Alain Jocard, Anatoly Matlsev, David Harapetyan, Irakli Gedenidze, Reuters Greta, Anthony Pizzoferrato, Samantha Power, Power, Astrig Agopian, Novlet, David Ghahramanyan, Israel Organizations: CNN, Azerbaijan, Applied Policy Research Institute, Israel Aerospace Industries, IAI, Autonomous Robotics, Getty, Haaretz, Artsakh Defense Army –, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense, Israeli Ministry of Defense, Ovda Airport, Israel, Jerusalem Institute for Strategy, “, APRI, Artsakh Defense Army, Reuters, AP, Erebuni, PAN, AP Volunteers, Karabakh, Technologies, US Agency for International Development, Volunteers, Vehicles, Red Cross, People, Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Stepanakert, Karabakh’s, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Rishon, Tel Aviv, AFP, Israel’s, Artsakh, Israel, Stockholm, Baku, Lachin, Iran, Iranian, Jerusalem, Ottoman, Turkey, Ottoman Empire, APRI Armenia, Syunik, Nakhchivan, Republic of Armenia, Goris, Yerevan, Kornidzor, Russia, United States

☆ Four Karabakh leaders held in Azerbaijan, three more reach Armenia - agencies
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

However, three other former leaders of Karabakh have arrived safely in Armenia, the Armenian state news agency Armenpress quoted one of the three as saying. Almost all the 120,000 or so inhabitants of Karabakh have since fled to Armenia, fearing for their safety. However, former state minister Artur Arutyunyan, ex-interior minister Karen Sarkisyan and the former head of Karabakh's security service, Ararat Melkunyan, all entered Armenia on Tuesday, Artur Arutyunyan said, according to Armenpress. Karabakh is viewed internationally as part of Azerbaijan but had been run as a breakaway ethnic Armenian statelet since the 1990s following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Kevin Liffey; Editing by Alison Williams and Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Aziz Karimov, Armenpress, Ruben Vardanyan, Levon Mnatsakanyan, Arkady Gukasyan, Bako, Araik, David Ishkhanyan, Artur Arutyunyan, Karen Sarkisyan, Kevin Liffey, Alison Williams, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Azerbaijan's State Security Service, Press Agency, Soviet Union, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Stepanakert, Azerbaijan, Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan's, Baku, Armenia, Ararat Melkunyan, Armenpress, Soviet

☆ Three Former Nagorno-Karabakh Leaders Arrive in Armenia - News Agency
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - Three ex-leaders of Azerbaijan's formerly ethnic Armenian-controlled region of Nagorno-Karabakh arrived safely in Armenia on Tuesday, the Armenian state news agency Armenpress quoted one of them as saying. Almost all the 120,000 or so inhabitants have since fled to Armenia, fearing for their safety. But Azerbaijan has arrested Ruben Vardanyan, a former head of Karabakh's government, and Levon Mnatsakanyan, former commander of Nagorno-Karabakh's separatist army, at border checkpoints. Former state minister Artur Arutyunyan, ex-interior minister Karen Sarkisyan and the former head of the security service, Ararat Melkunyan, all entered Armenia on Tuesday, Arutyunyan said, according to Armenpress. (Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Kevin Liffey; Editing by Alison Williams)

Persons: Armenpress, Ruben Vardanyan, Levon Mnatsakanyan, Artur Arutyunyan, Karen Sarkisyan, Arutyunyan, Kevin Liffey, Alison Williams Organizations: Reuters, Karabakh Locations: Azerbaijan's, Nagorno, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Ararat Melkunyan

☆ Armenia to accept International Court's remit, vexing Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The entrance of the International Criminal Court (ICC) is seen in The Hague March 3, 2011. A spokeswoman for the Yerevan parliament said 60 deputies had voted to ratify the Rome Statute of the ICC and 22 had voted against. "We would not want the president to have to refuse visits to Armenia for some reason," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday. Armenia says it had discussed its ICC plans with Russia, after Moscow warned in March of "serious consequences". Yerevan has said its move addresses what it says are war crimes committed by Azerbaijan in a long-running conflict with Armenia, although ICC jurisdiction will not be retroactive.

Persons: Jerry Lampen, Putin, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Nikol Pashinyan, Peskov, Pashinyan, Aysor.am, Vahan Kerobyan, Kevin Liffey, Guy Faulconbridge, Gareth Jones Organizations: Criminal Court, REUTERS, Armenia, Armenia Bilateral, ICC, Kremlin, Collective Security, Organisation, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Hague, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine Russia, The Hague, vexing Russia, Moscow, Yerevan, Rome, Ukraine, Nagorno, Karabakh, Russia, Russian

☆ Pope Says Nagorno-Karabakh Experiencing a Humanitarian Crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday called for talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia to restore peace in Nagorno-Karabakh, adding that the region was experiencing a humanitarian crisis. "I have been following the dramatic situation of the displaced people in Nagorno-Karabakh in recent days and I renew my call for dialogue between Azerbaijan and Armenia, hoping that talks between the parties... will foster a lasting agreement that will put an end to the humanitarian crisis," the pope said during his Sunday prayer. More than 100,000 refugees have arrived in Armenia since Azerbaijan's military operation to retake control of Nagorno-Karabakh, the United Nations said on Saturday. The pope also said he was praying for the victims of the explosion at a fuel depot near the city of Stepanakert in Nagorno-Karabakh. (Reporting by Francesca Landini and Oriana Boselli; writing by Francesca Landini; Editing by Hugh Lawson)

Persons: Pope Francis, Francesca Landini, Oriana Boselli, Hugh Lawson Organizations: VATICAN CITY, United Nations Locations: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Nagorno, Karabakh, Stepanakert

☆ UN mission arrives in Nagorno-Karabakh as ethnic Armenian exodus continues
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh region ride in a truck upon their arrival at the border village of Kornidzor, Armenia, September 27, 2023. REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 1 (Reuters) - A United Nations mission arrived in Nagorno-Karabakh on Sunday, Azerbaijani media reported, as a mass exodus of ethnic Armenians from the region continued following a lightning Azerbaijani military offensive last month. The mission, led by a senior U.N. aid official, is the global body's first access to the region in about 30 years. Armenia has asked the World Court to order Azerbaijan to withdraw all its troops from civilian establishments in Nagorno-Karabakh and give the United Nations access. The World Health Organisation on Sunday said well over 100,000 ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh had travelled to neighbouring Armenia.

Persons: Irakli, Hans Henri P Kluge, Alexander Marrow, Hugh Lawson Organizations: REUTERS, United Nations, Court, International Court of Justice, World Health, Sunday, WHO, Office, Thomson Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Kornidzor, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Europe

☆ India is a growing defense powerhouse, and now it's looking to cash in on it
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

But it has been investing heavily in its domestic arms industry with the goal of equipping its own forces and increasing its arms sales around the world. Recent arms sales and exercises illustrate how India seeks to turn that domestic arms production into foreign sales and perhaps even take some of that market away from its biggest supplier. The leaders discussed "defense platforms" and "equipment-related linkages" and deepening cooperation between their militaries and defense industries. (Egypt and India collaborated on development of the Helwan HA-300 light supersonic interceptor in the 1960s, but that project was ultimately canceled.) After all, Indian defense exports in recent years were negligible compared to heavyweights like the US and France, and New Delhi remains heavily reliant on imports.

Persons: —, JEWEL SAMAD, Swathi, Modi, Abdel Fattah al, Egypt's, Abdel Fattah el, Sisi, Narendra Modi, MANJUNATH KIRAN, Paul Iddon Organizations: Service, Getty, Armenia —, Armenia, Indian Press, Anadolu Agency, Indian, Indian Air Force, Tejas, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Locations: India, New Delhi, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Armenia, East, Egypt, France, Cairo, Brahmos, Bangalore, China

By 6pm local time on Friday, nearly 98,000 people had left Nagorno-Karabakh for Armenia, according to Armenian state media, citing the prime minister’s spokesperson Nazeli Baghdasaryan. Azerbaijan should “refrain from taking punitive actions against the current or former political representatives or military personnel of Nagorno-Karabakh,” the Armenian authorities said. Mnatsakanyan, who reportedly served as defense minister from 2015 to 2018, was arrested Friday and taken to the Azebaijani capital of Baku, according to state media. Manukyan, who reportedly served as the former deputy commander of Nagorno-Karbakh’s armed forces, was detained Wednesday, Azerbaijani state media reported. A video published by Azerbaijan’s State Security Service showing Manukyan in Azerbaijani detention could not be independently verified by CNN.

Persons: Nazeli Baghdasaryan, Stéphane Dujarric, ”, David Ghahramanyan, “, Loven, Davit Manukyan, Mnatsakanyan, Ruben Vardanyan, David Babayan, Samvel Shahramanyan, ” Babayan Organizations: CNN, United Nations, UN, Vehicles, International Court of Justice, Azerbaijan’s State Security Service, Karabakh, Azerbaijani State Security Service, State Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Russia, Armenia, “ Republic, Artsakh’s, Baku, “ Republic of Artsakh

CNN —An Azerbaijani soldier was killed by a sniper near the border with Armenia on Saturday, according to Azerbaijan’s defense ministry. The ministry said in a press release that the Armenian army opened fire on the Azerbaijani army at noon on Saturday using sniper rifles. Azerbaijan’s defense ministry went on to say that one of its army servicemen became a “Shehid” (Martyr) as a result of sniper fire and expressed its “deepest condolences” to his relatives. The Azerbaijan Army Units took retaliatory measures, according to the press release. Armenia’s defense ministry denied Azerbaijan’s claim, saying in a Facebook post on Saturday it “does not correspond to reality.”

Persons: verity, “, ” Organizations: CNN, Azerbaijan Army, Azerbaijan Army Units Locations: Azerbaijani, Armenia

☆ Armenia seeks EU aid for refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh, Italy says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

People gather near an aid center for refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh region in the border village of Kornidzor, Armenia, September 29, 2023. REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze Acquire Licensing RightsROME, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Armenia has asked the European Union for assistance to help it deal with refugees arriving from Nagorno-Karabakh since Azerbaijan took back control of the region last week, the office of Italy's prime minister said on Saturday. More than 100,000 refugees have arrived in Armenia since Azerbaijan launched a military operation to retake control of Nagorno-Karabakh, the head of the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) said late on Friday. Armenia has asked the EU for temporary shelters and medical supplies, the Italian prime minister's office said in a statement, adding that Rome working to promote stabilisation in the region. Reporting by Angelo Amante Writing by Gianluca Semeraro Editing by Helen PopperOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Irakli, Angelo Amante, Gianluca Semeraro, Helen Popper Our Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, European Union, UNHCR, EU, Thomson Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Kornidzor, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Republic of Artsakh, Soviet Union

☆ More than 100,000 refugees arrive in Armenia as exodus swells
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh region sit in a bus upon their arrival in the border village of Kornidzor, Armenia, September 29, 2023. "Many are hungry, exhausted and need immediate assistance," Filippo Grandi, head of the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR, said on social media late on Friday. Italy said Armenia had asked the European Union for temporary shelters and medical supplies to help it deal with the refugees. "This exodus is already unbearable physically because we have already spent 16 hours on this road... Reporting by Emma Farge, Angelo Amante and Nailia Bagirova; Writing by Giles Elgood; Editing by Christina FincherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Irakli, Filippo Grandi, Siranush Sargsyan, Sargsyan, Emma Farge, Angelo Amante, Giles Elgood, Christina Fincher Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, UNHCR, European Union, Armenia, Thomson Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Kornidzor, Armenia, Italy, Azerbaijan, Republic of Artsakh, Soviet Union, Artsakh, Kalbajar

[1/4] Residents in vehicles attempt to leave the city of Stepanakert following a military operation conducted by Azerbaijani armed forces in Nagorno-Karabakh, a region inhabited by ethnic Armenians, September 24, 2023. Whatever the history and the lack of independent reports on events inside the isolated territory, several international legal experts believe the mass flight fits the legal definition of a war crime. For Azerbaijan, however, retaking control of Nagorno-Karabakh helps to redress the traumas of 1988-94. "It would almost assuredly result in the forced displacement of Armenians from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and the widespread commission of genocidal atrocities, reflecting those committed in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War of 2020 and subsequent hostilities," it said. "If the Armenians of Artsakh were to be displaced ... it would result in the genocidal destruction of a people, as the Artsakh Armenians would lose their distinct identity."

Persons: Vladimir, Hikmet Hajiyev, Ilham Aliyev, Priya Pillai, Melanie O'Brien, Pillai, O'Brien, Luis Moreno Ocampo, it's, Thomas de Waal, Anthony Deutsch, Stephanie van den Berg, Andrew Grey, David Lewis, Kevin Liffey Organizations: HAGUE, University of Minnesota, International Association of, Big, International Criminal Court, ICC, Lemkin Institute for Genocide, Thomson Locations: Stepanakert, Nagorno, Karabakh, Russian, Azerbaijan, Republic of Artsakh, Soviet Union, Armenia, Yerevan, Brussels, Baku, Peace, Artsakh, Nairobi

☆ Armenia: Cast Adrift in a Tough Neighborhood
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Andrew Higgins | More About Andrew Higgins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

On the day Azerbaijan’s military sliced through the defenses of an ethnic Armenian redoubt last week, American soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division had just finished a training mission in nearby Armenia, a longtime ally of Russia that has been trying to reduce its near-total dependence on Moscow for its security. The Americans unfurled a banner made up of the flags of the United States and Armenia, posed for photographs — and then left the country. At the same time, nearly 2,000 Russian “peacekeepers” were dealing with the mayhem unleashed by their earlier failure to keep the peace in the contested area, Nagorno-Karabakh, recognized internationally as being part of Azerbaijan. The timing of the U.S. soldiers’ rapid exit at the end of their training work — carried out under the intimidating name Eagle Partner but involving only 85 soldiers — had been scheduled for months.

Persons: — Organizations: 101st Airborne Division Locations: Armenia, Russia, Moscow, United States, Russian, Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan

Armenian officials said that 84,770 people had left Nagorno-Karabakh by Friday morning out of a total population of around 120,000. In the 1990s, the Azerbaijani population was itself expelled from Nagorno-Karabakh and hundreds of thousands of people were displaced within Azerbaijan. Some of those who fled the regional capital, Stepanakert, said they had no hope for the future. After six years of separatist fighting ended in 1994 following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Nagorno-Karabakh came under the control of ethnic Armenian forces, backed by Armenia. In December, Azerbaijan blockaded the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia, accusing the Armenian government or using it for illicit weapons shipments to the region’s separatist forces.

Persons: Anahit Avanesyan, Nikol Pashinyan, ”, ” Laurence Broers, ” Broers, Samvel Shakhramanyan, “, Ani Abaghyan, Narine Karamyan, Ghazaryan, Ruben Vardanyan, David Babayan, ___ Emma Burrows Organizations: Armenian Health, Armenian, Ministry, Analysts, Associated Press, “, Emergency Service Locations: YEREVAN, Armenia, Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Caucasus, London, Baku, Stepanakert, Soviet Union, Armenian, Goris, Aghdam, Russia

☆ The crowds of Armenians fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh are so big you can see them from space
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

At least 70,000 ethnic Armenians have fled the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh this week. Now, the line of cars bringing Armenian refugees to Armenia is so long that it's visible from space. AdvertisementAdvertisementTens of thousands of refugees have fled the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh in the last week, leaving a traffic jam between Azerbaijan and Armenia so long that it's visible from space. Armenians leaving the territory told the Daily Beast that the peacekeepers mostly stood idly by. Like sheep, they counted us," Flora, an Armenian escaping the territory, told the Daily Beast,"'How many of you are there?'

Persons: — Organizations: Azerbaijan, Service, New York Times, Times, Associated Press, Daily Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Stepanakert, Soviet Union, Russia, Azerbaijan's, Turkey, Ukraine, Flora

☆ UN refugee agency readying for up to 120,000 refugees in Armenia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Kavita Belani, UNHCR representative in Armenia, told a U.N. press briefing by video link that huge crowds of tired and frightened people were gathering at registration centres. "And when they come in, they're full of anxiety, they're scared, they're frightened and they want answers." It's very hard to predict how many will come at this juncture," she added in response to a question about refugee numbers. People gather near an aid center for refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh region in the border village of Kornidzor, Armenia, September 29, 2023. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies representative Hicham Diab said there was a massive need for mental health support for refugees.

Persons: Kavita Belani, they've, Irakli, Regina De Dominicis, Hicham Diab, Carlos Morazzani, Emma Farge, Miranda Murray, Peter Graff Organizations: UNHCR, REUTERS, UNICEF, International Federation of Red, Red Crescent Societies, International Committee, Thomson Locations: GENEVA, Armenia, Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Kornidzor

[1/3] Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev arrives for a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in Moscow, Russia May 25, 2023. "The stars aligned for certain reasons and President Aliyev saw the alignment," said Suleymanov, who previously worked in Aliyev's office. "President Aliyev is completing something that his father could not do because he ran out of time," said one of the sources, who requested anonymity because they were not authorised to give comments to the media. Aliyev's father, then President Heydar Aliyev, was forced to agree to a ceasefire that cemented Armenia's victory. "President Aliyev has delivered the testament of his father," said Suleymanov, the ambassador to Britain.

Persons: Ilham Aliyev, Ilya Pitalev, Aliyev, Elin Suleymanov, Suleymanov, Hikmet Hajiyev, Hajiyev, Nikol Pashinyan, Pashinyan, Aliyev's, Heydar Aliyev, Ilham, Heydar, Vladimir Putin, Putin, David Babayan, Babayan, Andrew Osborn, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: Economic Council, Sputnik, REUTERS, Reuters, Reuters Graphics, Kremlin, Russia, Karabakh, Baku, Armenian, European Commission, Armenia, West, Moscow, Karabakh Armenian, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Kremlin, Azerbaijan, Karabakh, Armenia, West, Britain, Baku, Caucasus, Iran, Turkey, Ukraine, Russian, Washington, Soviet, Stepanakert

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