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☆ Azerbaijan launches military action in Karabakh to disarm Armenians
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Azerbaijan launched "anti-terrorist activities" in the Nagorno-Karabakh region to restore constitutional order and drive out what it called Armenian military formations there, a move that could foreshadow a new war in the region. Loud shelling was audible from unverified social media footage filmed in Stepanakert, the capital of Karabakh, called Khankendi by Azerbaijan, on Tuesday. Internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan, Karabakh has an overwhelmingly ethnic Armenian population and broke from Baku's control in the early 1990s after a war. Armenia had said that Baku's actions, which is said had caused a humanitarian catastrophe, something Azerbaijan denied, were illegal. Armenia's foreign ministry had said on Monday that Azerbaijan's diplomatic stance looked like it was preparing the ground for some kind of military action.

Persons: Ruben Vardanyan Organizations: Russian, Nagorno, Reuters, Baku Locations: Karabakh, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Nagorno, Stepanakert, Khankendi, Republic of Azerbaijan, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Nagorno Karabakh, Baku, Turkish, Russian

☆ Azerbaijani forces strike Armenian-controlled Karabakh, raising risk of new Caucasus war
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Karabakh, a mountainous area in the volatile wider South Caucasus region, is internationally recognised as Azerbaijani territory. Karabakh has been at the centre of two wars - the latest in 2020 - since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union. The European Union, France and Germany also condemned Azerbaijan's military action, calling on it to return to talks on the future of Karabakh with Armenia. Loud and repeated shelling was audible from social media footage filmed on Tuesday in Stepanakert, the capital of Karabakh, called Khankendi by Azerbaijan. Karabakh separatist authorities said 25 people had been killed, including two civilians, and 138 injured due to Baku's military action.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Hikmet Hajiyev, Ilham Aliyev, Nikol Pashinyan, Hajiyev, Nikol, Baku's, Dmitry Peskov, Blinken, Ruben Vardanyan, Vardanyan, Andrew Osborn, Mark Heinrich, Daniel Wallis Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Soviet Union . U.S, European, Reuters, Armenian, . Security Council, Russian, Kremlin, TASS, Security, Thomson Locations: Khankendi, Azerbaijan, Nagorno, Karabakh, Artsakh, Baku, Armenia, BAKU, Caucasus, Soviet, European Union, France, Germany, Stepanakert, Yerevan, Russia, South Caucasus, Ukraine, Turkey, Republic of Azerbaijan, Moscow, United States

☆ Explainer: What is happening between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Armenia and Azerbaijan have already fought two wars over Karabakh in the three decades since the Soviet Union they were both members of collapsed. Nagorno-Karabakh, known as Artsakh by Armenians, is a mountainous region at the southern end of the Karabakh mountain range, within Azerbaijan. Under the Soviet Union, Nagorno-Karabakh became an autonomous region within the republic of Azerbaijan. FIRST KARABAKH WARAs the Soviet Union crumbled, the First Karabakh War (1988-1994) erupted between Armenians and their Azeri neighbours. Despite that, tensions have risen sharply this month, with Armenia and Azerbaijan accusing each other of building up troops.

Persons: Stringer, Nikol Pashinyan, Cross, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Christ, FIRST, Karabakh, REUTERS, European Union, United, International Committee, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Azerbaijan, Nagorno, Karabakh, Armenia, Soviet Union, KARABAKH, Artsakh, Stepanakert, Turkey, Israel, Russia, United States, Baku, Aghdam, Ukraine, Moscow, South Caucasus

☆ Nagorno-Karabakh: Azerbaijan launches operation against Armenian forces in disputed region
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Tim Lister Gianluca Mezzofiore Christian Edwards Anna Chernova Nick Paton Walsh | Tim Lister | Gianluca Mezzofiore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Azerbaijan’s defense ministry said Tuesday it had begun an “anti-terrorist” campaign in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, as Armenian media and local authorities reported heavy bombardment of the regional capital of Stepanakert. At least five people were killed, including a child, and 80 people were injured, amid artillery, missile and drone strikes by the Azerbaijan military, according to Armenian state news. But Armenia’s foreign ministry rejected claims that the Armenian army was in Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia’s defense ministry wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, to deny Azerbaijan’s claims that Armenian forces had opened fire on Azeri combat outposts. People run as gunfire and explosions are heard in Stepanakert, in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, in this screengrab obtained from a handout video.

Persons: CNN —, ”, “, Armenpress, Nikol Pashinyan, Karabakh –, Pashinyan, ” Pashinyan, Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell, ” Pashinyan’s, Antony Blinken, Emmanuel Macron, Maria Zakharova, Dmitry Peskov, haven’t Organizations: CNN, Azerbaijan Army, Armenian Security Council, Foreign Ministry, Union’s, Foreign Affairs, French Foreign Ministry, UN Security, Russian Foreign Ministry, UN Security Council Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Stepanakert, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Russian, Moscow, Republic of Azerbaijan, Artsakh, Russia

☆ Video of a cheap drone destroying an exposed T-72 hints Russian crews are still working out how to hide their tanks from a growing threat, former US general says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A video surfaced online showing a seemingly exposed Russian T-72 tank struck by an FPV drone. One former US Army general told Insider it may speak to larger issues within the Russian military. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe lack of such efforts and the certainly fatal results may reflect deeper, underlying issues for the Russian military. Russian and Ukrainian FPV drones are pummeling tanks while other drones drop bombs on soldiers. "This has never been a strong suit in the Russian Army, but they've lost so many of their experienced soldiers by now that the problem is even worse," he added.

Persons: James Stavridis, Mark Hertling, Ben Hodges, Hodges, could've, DIMITAR DILKOFF, they've, That's Organizations: US Army, Service, Ukraine, Moscow, US Navy, NATO, US, Getty, Russian Army Locations: Wall, Silicon, Russian, Ukraine, Europe, US Army Europe, Southern Russia, Caucasus, China, Iran, Pakistan, Myanmar, Soviet Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, AFP, Ukrainian, Russia

☆ Azerbaijan Begins a Military Operation in Nagorno-Karabakh
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Ivan Nechepurenko | More About Ivan Nechepurenko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Azerbaijan said on Tuesday that it had launched a new military operation against an Armenian enclave inside its territory, raising fears of an expanding armed conflict in a fragile region in which the interests of Russia, Turkey and Western countries are increasingly colliding. The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said in a statement that its forces had launched “local anti-terrorist” operations in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, aiming to “disarm and secure the withdrawal of Armenia’s armed formations” from its territory. They posted a video of from a hospital of ambulances rushing wounded people in. As Azerbaijan’s military pressure mounted, the breakaway authorities issued a statement, asking Azerbaijan’s leaders in Baku, the capital, to cease hostilities and begin talks. The Azerbaijani presidential administration responded by calling on the breakaway government to give up arms and dissolve itself by raising a white flag.

Persons: —, Azerbaijan’s Organizations: Azerbaijani Defense Ministry Locations: Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Nagorno, Karabakh, Baku

☆ Armenia Discusses Its International Criminal Court Plans With Russia - TASS
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) - Armenia discussed with Russia its plans to come under the International Criminal Court's jurisdiction, Russian media said on Sunday, a move strongly opposed by Moscow after the court issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin. Relations between the traditional allies have frayed badly since Putin launched an invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in February 2022. Yerevan has said it was moving to come under the court's jurisdiction, prompting Moscow to warn of "serious consequences" if it did. The warrant obliges the court's 123 member states to detain and transfer Putin if he sets foot on their territory. The ambassador at large of Armenia's Foreign Ministry, Edmon Marukyan, said Yereven has sent "proposals" on the issue to Moscow, the TASS news agency reported.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Edmon Marukyan, Yereven, Marukyan, Nikol Pashinyan, Lidia Kelly, William Mallard Organizations: Reuters, Kremlin, Armenia's Foreign Ministry, TASS Locations: Armenia, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Yerevan, The Hague, Azerbaijan, Nagorno, Karabakh, Rome, Russian, Republic of Armenia, Baku, Melbourne

☆ Armenia discusses its International Criminal Court plans with Russia - TASS
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Sept 17 (Reuters) - Armenia discussed with Russia its plans to come under the International Criminal Court's jurisdiction, Russian media said on Sunday, a move strongly opposed by Moscow after the court issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin. Relations between the traditional allies have frayed badly since Putin launched an invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in February 2022. Yerevan has said it was moving to come under the court's jurisdiction, prompting Moscow to warn of "serious consequences" if it did. The warrant obliges the court's 123 member states to detain and transfer Putin if he sets foot on their territory. The ambassador at large of Armenia's Foreign Ministry, Edmon Marukyan, said Yereven has sent "proposals" on the issue to Moscow, the TASS news agency reported.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Edmon Marukyan, Yereven, Marukyan, Nikol Pashinyan, Lidia Kelly, William Mallard Organizations: Kremlin, Armenia's Foreign Ministry, TASS, Thomson Locations: Armenia, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Yerevan, The Hague, Azerbaijan, Nagorno, Karabakh, Rome, Russian, Republic of Armenia, Baku, Melbourne

☆ Is one of Russia’s oldest allies slipping from the Kremlin’s orbit?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

“Armenia’s security architecture 99.999% was linked to Russia,” he told Italian newspaper La Repubblica earlier this month. Analysts said the effectiveness of Russia's peacekeeping presence, which began after the war in 2020, has diminished over time. “Russia failed to deliver on its promises to secure the Lachin corridor… Russia failed to deliver weapons that Armenia purchased from Russia, Russia failed to curtail Azerbaijan’s expansionist and aggressive behavior against Armenia,” said Ter-Matevosyan. But in trying to shore up its security vis-a-vis Azerbaijan, Armenia has inadvertently delivered a stinging snub to Russia. “We have to remember that Russia has a huge destructive potential in the region,” said Ter-Matevosyan, referring to Russia’s sizable military base north of Yerevan.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Nikol Pashinyan, ”, Pashinyan, Armenia’s, Tofik Babayev, Azerbaijain, Vahram, Matevosyan, Karen Minasyan, Ter, Marie Dumoulin, Azerbaijan’s, ” Dumoulin, “, Putin, Ilham Aliyev –, He’s, Aliyev, Dumoulin, Dmitry Peskov, ’ ”, Anna Ohanyan, Ohanyan, –, Will Organizations: CNN, La Repubblica, Russian Federation, Getty, American University of Armenia, Collective Security, Organization, European Council, Foreign Relations, ICC, Politico, NATO, Stonehill College, Kremlin Locations: Armenia, Soviet, Ukraine, Rome, Russia, Azerbaijan, Italian, Russian, Nagorno, Karabakh, AFP, Turkey, Yerevan, “ Armenia, Moscow, “ Russia, Baku, Pashinyan, Massachusetts, “, Belarus, Repubblica, Western

☆ The global treasures in the running for UNESCO’s World Heritage status
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Tamara Hardingham-Gill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

This year, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee is reviewing nominations from both 2022 and 2023, with participants from across the world attending the session in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to examine almost 50 contenders. According to UNESCO, sites must be of “outstanding universal value” to be included on the World Heritage List. So far, the World Heritage Committee has inscribed approximately 1,157 sites in 167 different countries onto the World Heritage List. Seo Heun Kang/UNESCO World Heritage Nomination OfficeOnly those countries that sign the convention creating the World Heritage Committee and list are permitted to nominate sites. Gordion, the capital city of ancient Phrygia in Ankara, Turkey, is also nominated for a place on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Persons: John E, Seo Heun Kang, Bale, Gordion, Mustafa Ciftci, Midas, Morten Rasmussen, Sarah Langrand, Dominique Marck, Bani Ma’arid, Bani Ma'arid, Hamad Al Qahtani, Koh Ker, Mount Pelée, Canada Bale, Francesca Street Organizations: CNN, UNESCO, United Nations Educational, Cultural Organization, UNESCO World Heritage, Heritage, World, Anadolu Agency, Danish Agency for Culture, Fine Arts Department, de Nîmes, National Center for Wildlife, Architectural Museum, Kazan Federal University, Khinalig, Tunisia ESMA Museum, Clandestine Center of Detention, Wooden Posts, Greece Historic Center of Guimarães Locations: Gaya, Denmark, Thai, Ohio, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Hancock, United States, Goryeong, South Korea, Addis Ababa, Phrygia, Turkey, Ankara, B.C.E, Madagascar, Si Thep, Thailand, Si, Nîmes, France, Gorokhovets, Russia, Vladimir Oblast, Erfurt, Germany, Cambodia, Khmer, Courland, Latvia, Kaunas, Lithuania, Ab’aj, Guatemala, India, Karakum, Tajikistan, Menorca, Spain, Ethiopia, Iran, Klondike, Canada, Czech, Odzala, Kokoua, Congo, Mount, Northern Martinique, Benin Ha Long, Ba Archipelago, Vietnam, Forests, Azerbaijan, Jericho, Palestinian Territories, Kazan, Tunisia, Argentina, Belgium, Suriname Royal, Netherlands, Anatolia, Bisesero, Rwanda, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Masouleh, Turan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Northern Apennines, Italy, Tajikistan Highlands, Mongolian, Mongolia, Greece, Portugal

☆ Kremlin says Karabakh tensions rising, Armenia warns of 'critical' humanitarian situation
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Artem Mikryukov/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Sept 14 (Reuters) - The Kremlin expressed concern on Thursday that tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh were increasing, as Armenia's prime minister described the situation in the blockaded territory as "critical". Armenia has in recent weeks repeatedly accused Azerbaijan of massing forces around Karabakh, which Baku has effectively blockaded since December 2022, causing acute hunger. Armenian state news agency Armenpress on Thursday quoted Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan as saying the humanitarian situation inside Karabakh was desperate. He said a Russian aid truck which Karabakh authorities allowed to enter the region from Azerbaijan on Tuesday had not alleviated the crisis. Armenpress also quoted Pashinyan as saying that Azerbaijan was continuing to mass troops along the frontlines with Karabakh and Armenia, a charge that Baku has repeatedly denied.

Persons: Artem Mikryukov, Dmitry Peskov, Antony Blinken, Matthew Miller, Armenpress, Nikol Pashinyan, Felix Light, David Ljunggren, Gareth Jones, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Department, Karabakh, Thomson Locations: Taghavard, Nagorno, Karabakh, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Baku, Russia, Yerevan, South Caucasus, Moscow, Russian, Tbilisi, Ottawa

☆ To Understand Clean Energy Challenges, We Went to Uzbekistan
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Max Bearak | More About Max Bearak | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

At the center of it allClean energy investments by Masdar could help Uzbekistan, a vast, landlocked country in Central Asia where the population and its energy needs are growing rapidly, rely less on the fossil fuels that make up nearly all of its energy arsenal today. Its government relies entirely on foreign funding to build up its energy infrastructure, however, and will take what it can get. He said he hoped to get countries to agree on a tripling of global renewable energy capacity at the climate talks. Emirati funding of both renewable and fossil energy is playing out elsewhere, too. In Azerbaijan, a recent Adnoc investment in an offshore oil field overshadowed Masdar’s expansion in renewable energy.

Persons: Jaber Organizations: Oil Change Locations: Uzbekistan, Central Asia, Masdar, Al, Azerbaijan, Germany, Japan

☆ Russia Voices Annoyance With Both Armenia and Azerbaijan
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) - Russia has protested to Azerbaijan over comments it made about weekend regional elections in areas of Ukraine claimed by Moscow, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday. She also accused Armenia of making "unacceptable and harmful" statements that were damaging to the prospects for a peace settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the breakaway territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. Tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan have risen in the past week, with each side accusing the other of building up troop concentrations near their borders. Armenia has accused Russia, which has maintained a peacekeeping force in the region since the last war in 2020, of failing to protect it against what it calls Azerbaijani aggression. The territory is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but is mostly populated by ethnic Armenians who broke away from Baku in a war in the 1990s.

Persons: Maria Zakharova, Zakharova, Filipp Lebedev, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones Organizations: Reuters, Foreign, Russia Locations: Russia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Moscow, Armenia, Nagorno, Karabakh, Soviet Union, Baku

☆ Opinion: A mountaintop enclave facing genocide. And a plan to stop it
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Opinion Lara Setrakian | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Local Armenian authorities have vied for independence from Azerbaijan for decades, leading to an ongoing political and military conflict. Since December, the Lachin Corridor, the main road into the mountaintop enclave, has been blocked by Azeri protesters and government forces, who stopped the normal flow of goods. Multiple monitoring groups say there is widespread food scarcity on the ground, with child and adult malnutrition setting in. Last Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, voicing US concern over what he called “the deteriorating humanitarian situation” facing Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians. The fastest path would be for Azerbaijan to restore movement along the Lachin Corridor, letting in aid from the ICRC.

Persons: Lara Setrakian, Luis Moreno Ocampo’s, Tom Lantos, Lara Setrakian Heidi Gutman Nagorno, Ocampo, ”, Antony Blinken, Ilham Aliyev, Blinken, Aliyev, Cross, Mary Asatryan, “, —, KAren Minasyan, shouldn’t Organizations: Applied Policy Research Institute, Twitter, CNN, Criminal Court, Rights, Soviet Union . Local, International Committee, Reuters, Court, Justice, ICRC, Stepanakert Medical, Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Institute for War, Karabakh, Facebook Locations: Yerevan, Armenia, Nagorno, Karabakh, Republic of Artsakh, Azerbaijan, Soviet, Russian, Mary Asatryan Azerbaijan, Baku, Aghdam, EU, Soviet Union, Nakhichevan, Syria, Sarajevo, Darfur, Russia, Turkey, Israel

☆ Arnautovic double helps Austria to 3-1 win away to sorry Sweden
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Philip O'Connor | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

STOCKHOLM, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Austria striker Marko Arnautovic notched two second-half goals as his side comfortably beat Sweden 3-1 in their Group F qualifier at the Friends Arena on Tuesday, dealing a serious blow to the hosts' hopes of qualifying for Euro 2024. Belgium, who thrashed Estonia 5-0 in Brussels, top the group on 13 points after five games, ahead of Austria on goal difference. The Swedes are third on six points with Azerbaijan fourth on one point along with bottom side Estonia. Austria made it two three minutes later when a clearance by Sweden defender Isak Hien only went as far as Marcel Sabitzer and he played a first-time ball to Arnautovic, who swivelled and calmly fired home. Sweden coach Janne Andersson made a flurry of late changes and substitute Emil Holm pulled a late goal back but Austria easily held on and moved a step closer to qualification.

Persons: Marko Arnautovic, Michael Gregoritsch, Stefan Posch's, Isak Hien, Marcel Sabitzer, swivelled, Philipp Mwene, Arnautovic, Janne Andersson, Emil Holm, Philip O'Connor, Ken Ferris Organizations: Sweden, Friends, Estonia, Azerbaijan, Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, Austria, Belgium, Brussels, Estonia, Sweden

☆ NATO's 2 least-friendly members have a history of aerial showdowns, and they're both about to get new stealth jets
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Greece and Turkey both plan to roll out new stealth jets by the end of the decade. Greece is acquiring F-35s from the US, while Turkey is building the domestically designed TF Kaan. The TF KAAN at its presentation ceremony in Ankara on May 1. AdvertisementAdvertisementBohl said several factors could hinder timely production of the TF Kaan, including fiscal considerations, national spending priorities, and Ankara's foreign partnerships. Stealth jets over the AegeanAn F-16 with Greece's Zeus solo display team at an airshow in Pireus in November 2016.

Persons: Dhruv Gopinath, Pratt, Whitney, Ryan Bohl, RANE, Yavuz Ozden, Bohl, George Tzogopoulos, Tzogopoulos, Greece's, George Panagakis, Cuneyt Organizations: NATO, Service, US Air Force, Souda Air Base, Tech, Turkish Aerospace Industries, GE, East, TF, Hellenic Air Force, Turkish, BAE Systems, Stealth, Pacific Press, Getty, NATO Air Policing, Anadolu Agency, Ankara Locations: Greece, Turkey, Wall, Silicon, Dhruv Gopinath Athens, Ankara, North Africa, Turkish, Crete, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Pireus, Athens, Malbork, Poland

☆ Podcast: Morocco’s wait for aid
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Moroccans are left sleeping out in the open as aid struggles to reach those hit by the deadliest quake in decades. US President Joe Biden woos Vietnam – and catalogues China’s economic woes. Plus, Armenia angers Russia by holding military drills with the United States as tensions rise over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit megaphone.fm/adchoices to opt out of targeted advertising.

Persons: Joe Biden woos, Biden Organizations: Apple, Google, Reuters, Joe Biden woos Vietnam, Thomson, Boeing Locations: Armenia, Russia, United States, Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Vietnam, Morocco

☆ Explainer-What Is Happening Between Armenia and Azerbaijan Over Nagorno-Karabakh?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

(Reuters) - Tensions are running high again between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, which has been the cause of two wars between them in the past three decades. Under the Soviet Union, Nagorno-Karabakh became an autonomous region within the Soviet republic of Azerbaijan. FIRST KARABAKH WARAs the Soviet Union crumbled, what is known as the First Karabakh War (1988-1994) erupted between Armenians and their Azerbaijani neighbours. Russia, a treaty ally of Armenia but which also has good relations with Azerbaijan, stepped in to negotiate a ceasefire. The most sensitive issue is the status of the 120,000 ethnic Armenians in Karabakh, whose rights and security Armenia says must be guaranteed.

Persons: Nikol Pashinyan Organizations: Reuters, Christ, FIRST, Karabakh, European Union, Armenian Locations: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Nagorno, Karabakh, KARABAKH, Artsakh, Caucasus, Soviet Union, Soviet, Turkey, Israel, Russia, United States, Baku, Ukraine

☆ Armenia-U.S. military exercise kicks off near Yerevan - U.S. spokesperson
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Sept 11 (Reuters) - Armenia and the United States began a joint military training exercise on Monday, a U.S. army spokesperson said, at a time of high tension in Armenian relations with neighbouring Azerbaijan. The 10-day "Eagle Partner" exercise involves 85 U.S. and 175 Armenian soldiers and is designed to prepare the Armenians to take part in international peacekeeping missions. It is taking place at two training grounds near the capital Yerevan. Though small in scale, the drill has irked Russia, which has a military base in Armenia and regards itself as the prime security guarantor in the region. Armenia and neighbouring Azerbaijan have fought two wars in the three decades since the collapse of the Soviet Union, and each side has accused the other within the past week of building up troops near the border.

Organizations: United States, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Armenia, U.S, Azerbaijan, Yerevan, Russia, Soviet Union

REUTERS/Artem Mikryukov/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTBILISI, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Hikmet Hajiev, a foreign policy advisor to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, on Saturday denied that Baku had reached a deal with the breakaway province of Nagorno-Karabakh to simultaneously reopen roads to Azerbaijan and Armenia. Hajiev said that Azerbaijan would maintain "border and customs" control on the Lachin corridor, which links Karabakh to Armenia. He said that the road to Azerbaijan would open for aid shipments for the first time since 1988, a key demand of Baku's. In December 2022, Azerbaijani civilians began blockading the last road linking Karabakh to Armenia, causing acute shortages of food, fuel and medicine. Armenian state news agency Armenpress reported on Saturday that Karabakh officials had bowed to Baku's demands to reopen the long-closed road to Azerbaijan in return for lifting the blockade on the Lachin corridor.

Persons: Artem Mikryukov, Ilham Aliyev, Hajiev, Armenpress, Felix Light, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Saturday, Karabakh, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Taghavard, Nagorno, Karabakh, Rights TBILISI, Baku, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Baku's, Soviet Union, Tbilisi, Nailia

☆ Ukraine's Bayraktar TB2 drones appear to be back in combat — and with devastating effect, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

"That TB-2s again are firing missiles at Russian troops is a strong indicator that Russian air defenses in the south are in trouble," wrote David Axe in Forbes. Indeed, the TB2 Bayraktar sorties revival came a week after a prized advanced S-400 Triumf was spectacularly destroyed in Crimea. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe rise and fall of the Bayraktar TB2A collage of four screenshots from what Ukrainian forces say was the viewfinder of Bayraktar TB2 drones targeting Russian-controlled assets in March 2022. Russia worked fast to improve its air and electronic defenses at the start of the war following Ukraine's early successes, becoming adept at jamming and destroying many of Ukraine's drones. AdvertisementAdvertisementIt adds that there are 257 Bayraktar drones in operation, serving Turkey, Qatar, Ukraine, and Azerbaijan.

Persons: David Axe, Samuel Bendett, Bendett Organizations: Service, Ukraine's Navy, Russian KS, Ukrainian Navy, American Patriot, Ukraine Armed Forces, Facebook, Navy, Center for Naval Locations: Wall, Silicon, Russian, Turkish, Ural, Kherson, Ukraine, Forbes, Crimea, Moscow, Russia, Libya, Nagorno, Karabakh, Turkey, Qatar, Azerbaijan

☆ Azerbaijan says Armenian forces fired on its troops
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Summary Azerbaijan reports exchange of fire, no word of casualtiesArmenian PM calls Blinken, Macron, Scholz and RaisiAzerbaijan condemns vote in Karabakh, calls it puppet regimeSept 9 (Reuters) - Azerbaijan's defence ministry said on Saturday that Armenian forces had fired on its troops overnight, and that Azerbaijan army units took "retaliatory measures". It said Armenian units opened small arms fire on Azerbaijani soldiers in Sadarak in the north of Nakhchivan, an exclave of Azerbaijan that borders Armenia, Turkey and Iran. Reuters could not independently verify the reported incident, which came against the background of rising tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan in recent days. The government said Pashinyan told Blinken and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi that tensions were rising on the border and Azerbaijan was concentrating troops around the Armenian-populated enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. In a statement, Azerbaijan's foreign ministry called the ethnic Armenian leadership of Karabakh a "puppet separatist regime" and said the vote was illegal.

Persons: Blinken, Macron, Scholz, Nikol Pashinyan, Antony Blinken, Pashinyan, Ebrahim Raisi, Ilham Aliyev, Armenpress, Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, Nailia Bagirova, Mark Trevelyan, Felix, Peter Graff Organizations: Raisi, Armenian, U.S, Karabakh, Thomson Locations: Azerbaijan, Raisi Azerbaijan, Karabakh, Sadarak, Nakhchivan, Armenia, Turkey, Iran, France, Germany, Nagorno, Baku, State, Soviet Union, Republic of Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan said on Saturday that Armenian forces had fired on its troops overnight, and that Azerbaijan army units took "retaliatory measures". Azerbaijan's foreign ministry called the ethnic Armenian leadership of Karabakh a "puppet separatist regime" and said the vote was illegal. Both Ukraine and Baku's traditional ally Turkey condemned the election, and expressed support for Azerbaijan's claim to Karabakh. In the capitals of both Armenia and Azerbaijan, residents told Reuters they feared a new war between the two countries. In Armenia's capital Yerevan, a local resident who gave his name as Hayk accused Azerbaijan of wanting to start another war.

Persons: Artem Mikryukov, Baku, Armenia's, Armenpress, Ilham Aliyev, Nikol Pashinyan, Antony Blinken, Yuri Kim, Pashinyan, Samvel Shahramanyan, Shahramanyan, Mansura Lahicova, Mark Trevelyan, Felix, Felix Light, Ros Russell, Peter Graff Organizations: REUTERS, International Committee, Reuters, Karabakh, U.S, U.S . State Department, Thomson Locations: Taghavard, Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Armenia TBILISI, Baku, Armenia, Askeran, Russian, Soviet Union, Yerevan, France, Germany, Iran, Georgia, U.S, Turkey, Russia, Moscow, Reuters Baku, Ukraine, Armenia's, Tbilisi

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Lawmakers in Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway Armenian-populated region of Azerbaijan, voted to elect a new separatist president on Saturday in a move that was strongly condemned by the Azerbaijani authorities. Samvel Shakhramanyan's election as the new president of Nagorno-Karabakh follows the resignation of Arayik Harutyunyan, who stepped down on Sept. 1 as president of the region — which the Armenians call Artsakh. Nagorno-Karabakh is a region within Azerbaijan that came under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by the Armenian military after a six-year separatist war that ended in 1994. Armenian forces also took control of substantial territory around the region. Political Cartoons View All 1148 ImagesAzerbaijan regained control of the surrounding territory in a six-week war with Armenia in 2020.

Persons: Samvel, Arayik Harutyunyan, Nikol Pashinyan, Vladimir Putin, ” Organizations: —, Azerbaijan's, Ministry, Azerbaijan, Russian, Security, Organization, United States, Criminal Court, Russian Foreign Ministry Locations: YEREVAN, Armenia, Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Artsakh, Russia, Stepanakert, Moscow, Yerevan, Russian, Soviet, Ukraine

☆ Russia Issues 'Harsh' Protest to Armenia Over Range of 'Unfriendly' Actions
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) - Russia on Friday summoned the Armenian ambassador for a "harsh" protest about a list of what it termed "unfriendly steps", the latest sign of strain between Moscow and the small ex-Soviet republic in a region Russia considers its back yard. He said Moscow, distracted by its war with Ukraine, had been unable to deliver and was winding down its role in the South Caucasus. Armenia and Azerbaijan accused each other on Thursday of moving troops close to their joint border as tensions over the future of the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave rose. The ICC issued an arrest warrant in March for Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of war crimes in Ukraine. The Kremlin has dismissed the idea that Russia's actions in Ukraine could be war crimes and noted that Russia does not recognise the court.

Persons: Vagharshak Harutyunyan, Alen Simonyan, Maria Zakharova, Nikol Pashinyan, Ilham Aliyev, Vladimir Putin, Kevin Liffey, William Maclean, Mark Heinrich Organizations: Reuters, Russian Foreign Ministry, International Criminal, Armenian National Assembly, Collective Security, Organization, Red, ICC Locations: Russia, Moscow, Soviet, United States, Ukraine, Armenia, Russian, Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, South Caucasus, Caucasus, Georgia

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