Volga, Caucasus & Central Asia.

[TsarSamuil]

Another breakaway republic wants to unite with Russia.

RT.com
30 Mar, 2022 17:32

South Ossetia, a partially recognized republic in the Caucasus region, will soon be taking legal steps in an attempt to join the Russian Federation, its president, Anatoly Bibilov, has announced.

Most of the world officially regards the territory as part of Georgia, although Tbilisi hasn't held control since the Soviet collapse in 1991.

“I believe that unification with Russia is our strategic goal. Our path, the aspirations of our people. And we will move along this path. We will take appropriate legal steps in the near future. The Republic of South Ossetia will be part of its historical homeland – Russia,” Bibilov said.

Located in the South Caucasus, South Ossetia fought a brutal war with Georgia, in the early 1990s, and was recognized by Russia as an independent republic following the 2008 military conflict between Russia and Georgia, prompted by Tbilisi's forces shelling the region, where Russian peacekeepers were stationed.

Then-President, and current Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev recently said that Russia’s decision to use military strength and political will in that conflict helped save the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. However, Moscow has so far not reacted to South Ossetia’s latest aspirations.

Abkhazia, the other breakaway region of Georgia that Moscow recognized as independent in 2008, said it did not intend to follow South Ossetia’s example.

“The Constitution of Abkhazia clearly defines us as an independent country,” said Valery Kvarchya, the speaker of the parliament in Sukhumi. “Russia is our strategic partner, close and brotherly country, but our republic has no plans to join the Russian Federation.”

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Moscow comments on Caucasian republic’s intention to join Russia.

RT.com
31 Mar, 2022 14:40

Moscow respects the will of the people of South Ossetia, but has not taken any legal action after the Caucasian republic’s authorities announced the intention to hold a referendum on joining Russia, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

“I can't express any position. We have not taken any legal or other action in regard [of South Ossetia’s wish to hold a referendum]. In this case, we are talking about the Ossetian people expressing their opinion. And we respect it,” Peskov told journalists on Thursday.

Earlier, the president of South Ossetia, Anatoly Bibilov, declared that the republic aspires to merge with the Russian Federation and is ready to hold a referendum on the matter.

Located in the South Caucasus, South Ossetia fought a brutal war with Georgia in the 1990s. Although Tbilisi has held no control over the breakaway republic since 1991, most nations still consider the territory to be a part of Georgia.

Russia officially recognized South Ossetia as a sovereign state in 2008, following a military conflict with Georgia, prompted by Tbilisi shelling the region and killing Russian peacekeepers.

[TsarSamuil]

Azerbaijan planning ‘large-scale’ attack, Armenia claims.

RT.com
31 Mar, 2022 17:40

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has accused Azerbaijan of trying to create a pretext for launching “a large-scale attack on Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.”

The latter is a disputed region, most of which has been under Yerevan's de-facto control since the collapse of the USSR in 1991. In the fall of 2020, Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a relatively short, but bloody, war over the territory. It ended with Baku making gains and Russia brokering a peace agreement, which saw Moscow send peacekeepers to the area.

Pashinyan cited Baku’s claims that Yerevan had not responded to its five-point peace settlement proposal, sent via the Minsk Group - established in 1992, by the OSCE – on March 10. According to the Armenian prime minister, his government responded on March 14.

Speaking on Thursday at a government meeting, Pashinyan said that Baku “first dumps theses on a diplomatic or public platform,” and “ascribes some promises to Armenia,” claiming later that Yerevan is not complying with the agreements.

Pashinyan believes that “Baku is trying to legitimize a large-scale attack on Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.” There is considerable concern in Yerevan that the Azeris might take advantage of the current situation where Russia is embroiled in the Ukraine conflict.

Nevertheless, the prime minister expressed hope that, despite rising tensions in bilateral relations, his upcoming meeting in Brussels with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and European Council President Charles Michel on April 6 will bear fruit.

“I once again express Armenia’s readiness to sign a peace agreement with Azerbaijan. Armenia is ready for the immediate start of peace negotiations,” Pashinyan said.

On Thursday, Azerbaijan’s leader also expressed support for a peace agreement as soon as possible.

The last few weeks have seen a significant escalation in tensions around Nagorno-Karabakh – a region populated with ethnic Armenians, but internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan – with the international community expressing concern over the developments.

Armenia has accused Azerbaijan of seizing two villages, Khramort and Parukh – which the Azerbaijanis call Farukh – located on the armistice line which was established in 2020 between Azerbaijan and the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR). Armenian media claims that the ensuing firefight, which allegedly involved Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 combat drones, resulted in more than a dozen wounded and three killed on its side, as well as an unspecified number of Azerbaijani casualties.

Baku denied the accusations, saying its troops were simply “continuing the process of clarifying their locations and positions without the use of force.”

However, on March 26, Russian peacekeepers, who are currently patrolling the NKR, reported that the Azerbaijani military had violated the ceasefire, launching airstrikes against forces of the breakaway region. Baku then accused Russia of taking a “one-sided” view of the events. Blaming Armenia for the escalation, Azerbaijan claimed that it was responding to a “covert attack” by the “illegal Armenian forces.”

[TsarSamuil]

Scores of protesters detained in Armenia.

RT.com
2 May, 2022 15:44

More than 200 protesters have been detained on Monday in the Armenian capital of Yerevan during mass protests sparked by recent remarks by the country’s prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, about the longstanding Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The weekend saw thousands of opposition supporters gather in central Yerevan as part of a campaign to oust Pashinyan. As a reason for discontent, they cite the prime minister’s recent statements which they believe show a willingness to compromise on the Karabakh issue, up to even giving the disputed territory away to Azerbaijan. Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a bloody war over control of Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020, which has seen periodic flare-ups ever since, the most recent being this past March.

“As of 14:00, 244 citizens who did not comply with the lawful demands of the police were taken to different police stations,” a police spokesperson told the Tass news agency.

On Monday morning, according to local media, the groups of activists participating in what was called a “civil disobedience” campaign started blocking dozens of streets in the center of Yerevan, prompting the police to use force to restore order.

The protesters condemned the actions of law enforcement and stressed that they would continue their campaign.

“We have many cases of violence, including against parliament deputies. But you know, all this is secondary. Everything is alright. People have risen up and the objectives set by us are being methodically achieved,” one of the opposition leaders, Parliament Vice President Ishkhan Saghatelyan, is quoted as saying.

On Sunday, during the thousands-strong rally, Saghatelyan told journalists that “any political status of Karabakh within Azerbaijan is unacceptable” and that “Pashinyan has betrayed people's trust and must go.”

Another rally is expected to take place on Monday evening.

The unrest has come in response to a recent speech by the prime minister to Parliament in which he said: “Today the international community tells us again ‘lower your benchmark on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh a little and ensure greater international consolidation around Armenia and Artsakh’.”

Otherwise, according to the prime minister, the international community will ask Armenia not to rely on it as it will be unable to help.

Following the widespread criticism, the prime minister’s political allies accused the opposition of using the remarks as a pretext for political games, insisting that Pashinyan does not plan to give away Nagorno-Karabakh.

In early April, following a meeting between Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Brussels, Armenia said that it had reached an agreement with Baku to set up a commission on border delimitation. It added also that the sides had agreed to start preparations for definitive peace talks.

Yerevan and Baku fought a 44-day-long war in 2020, during which Azerbaijan captured parts of Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory controlled by Armenians since the early 1990s. A Moscow-brokered ceasefire saw Russian peacekeepers deployed to the region.

The situation on the ground has remained tense, however, with both sides accusing each other of provoking hostilities.