Moscow, Yerevan ‘preparing document’ to guarantee foreign servicemen’s absence in Armenia

December 17, 2018 By administrator

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the Moscow authorities are elaborating a joint document in collaboration with Yerevan to rule out foreign servicemen’s presence on the territory of Armenia.

In an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda, the Russian official said they are determined to avert possible risks through ensuring transparency.

“We are close to completing the preparation of the document that will guarantee foreign servicemen’s absence there [in Armenia] to make everything transparent in terms of [averting] risks and hazards,” he said.

Meantime Lavrov emphasized that Russia has considerably fewer diplomats compared to the United States.

Russia-Ukraine skirmishes: Storm warning on the Black Sea

November 30, 2018 By administrator

Russian and Ukrainian naval forces have clashed in the Black Sea. Though the region lies on NATO’s weak southeastern flank, the alliance is unlikely to intervene in an area where Russian and Western interests collide.

The Black Sea is not exactly know for its turbulent waters, nor for being a geopolitical flash point. This, however, changed quite dramatically in 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine — though the peninsula had originally been gifted to Ukraine by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev in 1954. In the meantime, it has developed into a key area of Russian interests on the NATO’s southeasternmost flank.

Russia is now heavily militarizing Crimea and the Black Sea. Some 28,000 Russian soldiers are stationed on the peninsula. Russia has practically doubled its military budget over the past ten years. And Ukraine’s tiny naval fleet, based along the coast of the Sea of Azov, is under Russian President Vladimir Putin’s thumb. Already back in 2008, the Berlin-based German Institute for International and Security Affairs warned that Russia was systematically increasing its military presence in the Black Sea region.

Russia’s new submarines and frigates, equipped with long-range Kalibr cruise missiles, pose a serious threat to nearby NATO states, and especially to Bulgaria and Romania.

Black Sea: Falling under Russian dominance?

In Cold War times, Bulgaria — then a staunch ally of the Soviet Union — and Romania were members of the Warsaw Pact military alliance. Today, however, a new geopolitical situation presents itself, as both Bulgaria and Romania have switched sides and joined NATO. Their Black Sea coasts, meanwhile, are NATO’s long-ignored weak spot.

Romania has long warned not to allow Russia to militarily dominate the Black Sea. As such, Bucharest has emphatically urged the deployment of NATO forces in the region, including that of a multinational naval fleet.

Sofia, in turn, rejected calls to deploy NATO forces in the region — after all, Bulgaria still maintains close cultural ties to Russia. This makes Bulgaria NATO’s weakest link. Which is compounded by the fact that Sofia relies on Soviet-era military equipment. And Russia knows the various weaknesses of the Soviet air defense systems very well. Yet Donald’s Trump’s insistence that NATO states increase their military spending has not fallen on deaf ears. Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov announced in summer 2018 that the country would invest some $2 billion (€2.28) to modernize its armed forces.

Turkstream

Turkey and Russia pursue shared economic interests with regard to the Black Sea, much to the irritation of NATO and the EU. Last week, Putin and Erdogan agreed that the Turkstream gas pipeline will become operational in late 2019; it will direct gas straight through the Black Sea, bypassing Ukraine. Which means Ukraine will lose out on a sizable chunk of gas transit fees. This, too, is another indication that Russia’s economic stranglehold over Ukraine is only increasing.

However, the new pipeline could befit Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary and Slovakia, as gas would be channeled from Turkey onward towards central Europe as of 2020, though talks are still ongoing. But this fact, too, does not bode well for the security of NATO’s southeastern flank.

168 Zham: Turkey and Russia in deal over Karabakh?

November 24, 2018 By administrator

The statements by Ibrahim Kalin, the spokesperson of Turkish President Recept Tayyip Erdogan, give clear signals that Turkey and Russia collaborated very actively in the past to coerce Armenia into concessions, according to an Ankara-based political analyst.

In recent comments to the paper, Cengiz Aktar referred to the processes initiated back in 2008 (“football diplomacy”), and the subsequent Zurich Protocols which he said implied progress over Karabakh. “Russia was very active in that period if you remember – although it was not a Russian initiative. Yet the statement makes clear that there were other developments running parallel with the Armenia-Turkey processes,” he said, commenting upon Kalin’s speech delivered at Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University

According to Paul Stronski, a senior fellow specializing in Russia and Eurasia Affairs at Carnegie Endowment, a Russian-Turkish transaction over Karabakh is absolutely likely albeit not in line with OSCE Minsk Group format”. He said that he even predicts a successful outcome in the region in case of an undermined influence by the West (US and OSCE Minsk Group) and challenges to the Armenian-Russian relations.

Stronski he also highlighted possible changes in the US-Armenia relations, hinting also their future impact on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement talks. He cited particularly US National Security Advisor John Bolton’s recent statement – expressing hope that there will be chances for a real settlement after the parliamentary elections in Armenia.

BBC: Russia could support Armenia more actively to pressure Azerbaijan

September 25, 2018 By administrator

Russian President Vladimir Putin is traveling to Azerbaijan on Wednesday, September 25 “with a prosaic purpose”: to remind that Moscow is still the leading player in the region, whose opinion should be considered, visiting scholar at the University of Oxford Leila Alieva says in an article published on the BBC’s Russian service.

According to the expert,Russia has economic levers to pressure Azerbaijan, and, “of course, the issue of Nagorno Karabakh is on the table too.”

“Russia could start to support Armenia more actively both to strengthen pressure on Azerbaijan and to establish closer relations with the new Armenian authorities,” the article says.

“Of course, this is a double-edged sword: so far, Russia has acted as a sort of arbiter in the Karabakh conflict. To lose this status is a blow to [Moscow’s] prestige, not to mention the fact that another conflict in the Caucasus is absolutely unnecessary for Russia.”

It was reported earlier Putin would pay an official visit to Armenia too. The exact date of the trip has yet to be determined.

Russia drops arrest warrant for ex-defense minister of Armenia: media

September 7, 2018 By administrator

Russia has cancelled the CIS interstate arrest warrant for former Armenian Defense Minister Mikayel Harutyunyan wanted in Armenia as part of a criminal case into the March 2008 events in capital Yerevan, Interfax reports, citing its sources.

“After studying the materials of the case against Harutyunyan charged over March 1, 2008 events, a decision has been made to drop the arrest warrant in the Russian territory,” the source said.

The source added that nothing threatens Harutyunyan in the Russian territory, but he still may be detained and handed over to Armenia if travelling to any CIS member state.

It also clarified that Moscow received the arrest and extradition request for Harutyunyan a while ago not from the Armenia Prosecutor General’s Office, but through international manhunt channels, with the arrest warrant featuring the ex-official’s Moscow residence address.

Armenia’s Special Investigative Service has pressed charges against Mikayel Harutyunyan for overthrowing the country’s constitutional order during the March 1-2, 2008 post-election crackdown in Yerevan, which left 10 people, including two police officers dead.

Trump claims Germany ‘totally controlled’ by Russia, airs list of grievances

July 11, 2018 By administrator

By S.A. Miller – The Washington Times – Updated: 8:10 a.m. on Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Opening the NATO summit in Brussels with a bang Wednesday, President Trump blasted Germany for a pipeline project that he said made Germany “totally controlled by Russia.”

“I think it’s very sad when Germany makes a massive oil and gas deal with Russia where we’re supposed to be guarding against Russia,” Mr. Trump said at a breakfast with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

Mr. Trump said Germany was “captive to Russia” and urged NATO to look into the issue.

“The former chancellor of Germany is head of the pipeline company that’s supplying the gas,” Mr. Trump said. “You tell me, is that appropriate? I’ve been complaining about this from the time I got here.”

The president was calling out the planned Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia to Germany’s northeastern Baltic coast, which would bypass Eastern European nations and double the amount of gas that Russia can pipe directly to Germany.

The pipeline already has opponents among some NATO nations.

“Very bad thing for NATO,” Mr. Trump said. “I think we have to talk to Germany about it.”

Mr. Trump’s charges flipped the narrative about Russia, which previously centered on his praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Mr. Trump’s summit next with with Mr. Putin in Helsinki, Finland, has been criticized for giving Moscow and NATO equal billing.

Mr. Trump also criticized Germany for failing to spend the agreed upon 2 percent of GDP on NATO defense.

Armenian trucks stuck at Lars checkpoint: Ministry negotiates with Georgian and Russian partners

July 3, 2018 By administrator

Armenia’s ministry of transport, communication and information technologies is holding talks with the Russian and Georgian partners in connection with the accumulation of Armenian trucks at the Lars border checkpoint, the ministry spokesperson Anahit Arakelyan told Armenpress.

She said the problem is linked with the system installed at the Georgian checkpoint which supposes ticket booking. “Talks are underway to simplify the procedure”, she said.

According to some media reports nearly 1500 Armenian trucks loaded with agricultural products were stuck in traffic jam at the Lars checkpoint.

One of the drivers of the truck released a video on internet stating that most of the drivers are at the checkpoint for already 7 days.

Russia and the UK are Running out of Beer because of the World Cup

June 23, 2018 By administrator

A World Cup-fueled boon for beer sales is not faring well for thirsty drinkers in Russia and the U.K.

First, celebrations of Sweden’s victory over South Korea sucked Nizhny Novgorod, Russia dry. Now, Moscow bars and restuarants are running low on beer supply, too.

“We just didn’t think they would only want beer,” a waiter in central Moscow told ESPN. “There are really a lot of people in Moscow…and they are all drinking,” he said. “It’s hot, and it’s football.”

In the U.K., another problem hangs in the air: CO2 is running low, meaning beer isn’t getting its bubbles, nor its gas boost to leave draft lines. Beer producers are starting to stall production, the BBC reports.

Brigid Simmonds, head of the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), is attempting to rectify the situation by pushing CO2 producers to get back online. (CO2 producers often ramp up production in the winter, and slow in the summer.)

“You could have foreseen this. We’ve got the World Cup, which is as exciting in Germany as it is here,” Simmonds told the BBC. “Quite why they didn’t anticipate this, I don’t know.”

Turns out, all we had to do to get the world drinking more beer was televise a global sporting event. Speaking of which, we know we encouraged your World Cup beer drinking with our World Cup drinking game. If you’re in Russia or the U.K., it may be time to switch to canned cocktails.

Bulgaria torn between Russia and the West

May 31, 2018 By administrator

Bulgaria is dependent on Russian gas, but it is also a member of NATO and the European Union. Straddling the gap between Moscow and Brussels has put the country in a foreign policy quagmire.

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev’s and Prime Minister Boyko Borissov’s recent visits to Russia have fueled speculation that Sofia may be turning its back on the West and aligning with Moscow. Bulgaria, which is a European Union member state, is dependent on Russian gas, and there has even been talk of reviving Bulgaria’s Belene nuclear power plant project using Russian technology. Economic ties aside, Bulgaria and Russia also have much in common historically, linguistically and culturally. This longstanding relationship has made Bulgaria reluctant to freeze out Moscow since joining NATO and the EU.

Parts of Bulgaria’s political establishment insist the country could act as a mediator between Russia and the West, or at least capitalize on its good ties with Moscow. It’s in this context that the name of Bulgaria’s World War II-era leader, Czar Boris III, often comes up. In 1942, he allegedly told Nazi Germany’s foreign minister, Joachim von Ribbentrop, that “[Bulgaria] will always be on Germany’s side and never against Russia.”

A flawed historic example

Yet perpetually citing this problematic ― and historically unverified ― quote belies the true nature of the EU. The bloc is not, as the quote may be used to imply, a product of great power politics, thrust onto others by Germany, France, the United States or Russia. Indeed, Bulgaria is not being forced to ally with one side or another, unlike in World War II, when Boris III found himself weighing up whether German or Russian troops presented the greater threat to his country.

The EU is about voluntarily engaging in European integration. No country was ever forced to join the bloc, and some member states are even reluctant to enlarge it. Countries are also free to leave, as Brexit demonstrates.

Bulgaria is not somehow under pressure to distance itself from Russia. If, however, you have made the sovereign decision to join the EU and partner with its 27 member states, then you must also accept its policies. If there is an agreed EU approach towards Russia, then it must be followed. But this is not, as some may claim, an instance where policy is somehow being “dictated by others.”

The EU-Russia relationship

Present-day apologists for Boris III’s quote would probably argue that it is proving prescient, as Germany and Russia are seemingly growing closer. Indeed, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel both traveled to Russia in May for talks with President Vladimir Putin. But given the EU’s resolute stance on key issues like the Ukraine conflict, Syria, Iran and the poisoning of ex-spy Sergei Skripal, it is in fact is doubtful that Germany and Russia are truly strengthening their ties. Recent talks with Russia have only gone forward in order to save the Iran nuclear deal and discuss economic matters.

None of this signals a strategic reorientation of the EU towards Russia, as is often claimed in Bulgaria. NATO and the US remain the guarantors of EU security and that is not set to change anytime soon, because despite the rocky relations between Washington and Brussels of late, both sides benefit from this strategic alliance.

Bulgarian politicians must honor the responsibilities that come with being a NATO and EU member, instead of trying to capitalize on the strained EU-Russia relationship. Membership in those Western organizations continues to pay off, which is why Bulgaria should not play diplomatic Russian roulette.

Daniel Smilov is a Bulgarian political and legal researcher at the Centre for Liberal Strategies in Sofia.

Pashinyan Mobbed By Armenian Supporters In Russia

May 14, 2018 By administrator

Russia – Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian is greeted by supporters outside an Armenian church in Sochi, 13 May 2018.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian pledged to strive for a “great repatriation” of Armenians living abroad as hundreds of them greeted him at the start of his first visit to Russia late on Sunday.

Pashinian was mobbed by ethnic Armenian supporters after arriving in the Russian city of Sochi to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and attend a summit of five former Soviet republics. Many of them shook hands and took selfies with the 42-year-old premier in and outside a local Armenian church where he prayed and lit candles.

Pashinian thanked many members of Russia’s large Armenian community for supporting his protest movement when he addressed the jubilant crowd chanting “Nikol!” in the church courtyard.

He also said: “I want to thank brotherly Russia for having created such conditions for the Armenian people. But I also want to say that our aim is a great repatriation. Our aim is to concentrate a considerable portion of the human, financial, economic, spiritual and scientific potential of the [Diaspora] Armenians in Armenia and to ensure its security and sustainable development.”

“I am calling on Russian and Armenian businessmen from Russia to come to Armenia and invest and create jobs there because it’s now a new Armenia where every investment will be protected and no investment will be at risk,” he said in an impromptu speech.

“I am happy to see your happy eyes and proud of seeing your proud eyes,” added Pashinian. “I am serving each of your and let nobody doubt that our struggle will earn Armenia, the Armenian people and Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) new victories every day, every week and every year.”

Pashinian has repeatedly pledged to speed up economic growth in Armenia by breaking up de facto monopolies, separating business from politics and improving the broader investment climate. His newly formed cabinet is due to present a comprehensive policy program to the parliament by the end of this month.

Hundreds of thousands of Armenians have left their country since the 1990s in search of employment abroad and Russia in particular.