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BORDER TENSIONS AMID STALLED TALKS: ARMENIAN SIDE CALLS FOR NKR'S FULL PARTICIPATION IN NEGOTIATION PROCESS
KARABAKH | 27.06.14 | 11:33
http://armenianow.com/karabakh/55619/armenia_karabakh_azerbaijan_conflict_zone_tensions
Photo: www.nkrmil.am
By Gohar Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow reporter
Stepanakert airport: Video with small airplane's flight appears
on internet
The Inter-Parliamentary Commission of the National Assemblies of
the Republic of Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) on
Thursday urged the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs to take the necessary
steps to ensure the full participation of the NKR in all stages of
the negotiation process.
According to political analyst Tigran Abrahamyan, the passivity
observed in the negotiation process recently is conditioned by
the apparent toughening of the position of Azerbaijan. He says the
recent tensions along the line of contact in Karabakh and at the
Armenian-Azerbaijani border is the result of this toughening, towards
which, according to the analyst, the international community and, first
of all, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, remain "strangely indifferent".
"The joint statement is primarily aimed at drawing the international
community's attention to the dangerous situation in the negotiation
process, as the observed indifference can lead to undesirable
consequences," Abrahamyan tells ArmeniaNow, adding that he does
not think, however, that this statement will result in significant
changes and that the negotiators will finally decide how to behave
in this situation.
Although top officials in Azerbaijan continue to declare that they
do not want to harm the civilian population of Armenia, shooting at
the border continues unabated and it is also Armenian villagers who
suffer from this shooting.
A few days ago, on the occasion of the anniversary of the establishment
of Azerbaijani Armed Forces the country's Defense Minister Zakir
Hasanov told the state news agency AzerTAG that Baku has "every
opportunity to hit any object and settlement on the territory of
Armenia." "However, for the current situation the peaceful Armenian
population is not to blame and it constrains us," he said.
On Thursday, just like during the whole passing week, Azeri troops
fired at Armenian borderline villages in Tavush not only during night
hours, but also during the day when villagers are engaged in farming
activities and become soft targets for Azeri troops, including snipers.
According to political analyst Abrahamyan, tensions observed in the
frontlines follow a certain pattern and periodicity and are mostly
conditioned by certain events.
"The current tense situation is also connected with the vague situation
in the negotiation process. No matter how hard the mediators try to
arrange a meeting at the presidential level, it is because of the
unconstructive approaches of the Azerbaijani side that these efforts
fail," the analyst says.
In addition to the border tensions and repeated ceasefire violations,
there is also a continued standoff in the information domain. It
particularly intensified after a video appeared on the internet
showing a two-seater airplane with NKR symbols on it taking off,
flying around and landing again at the Stepanakert airport. Since
the reconstruction of the facility several years ago officials in
Azerbaijan have repeatedly threatened to shoot down any aircraft
taking off or landing in Karabakh, which Azerbaijan still considers
to be its territory.
Ani Margaryan, who monitors Azerbaijan's anti-Armenian propaganda,
says that during four days the video with the Karabakh airplane was
viewed more than 32,000 times, and that also includes viewers in
Azerbaijan, where they took it as a sign that "Armenians already
re-operate the airport".
"Meanwhile, on several occasions corresponding bodies in Karabakh as
well as head of the Civil Aviation Department of the Government of
Artsakh Dmitry Adbashyan stressed that helicopters and small aircraft
have many times used the airport before and will continue to do so,
but passenger transportation is not being carried out yet despite
the airport's being technically ready for that," Margaryan tells
ArmeniaNow, adding that Azeri media mostly presented the flight by
the two-seater plane as the first flight from the Stepanakert airport,
without mentioning the fact that other flights have also taken place
before. That's how, she says, they tried to avoid giving explanations
as to why despite threats from Azerbaijan the airport in Stepanakert
is being used by Armenians.
From: Baghdasarian
KARABAKH | 27.06.14 | 11:33
http://armenianow.com/karabakh/55619/armenia_karabakh_azerbaijan_conflict_zone_tensions
Photo: www.nkrmil.am
By Gohar Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow reporter
Stepanakert airport: Video with small airplane's flight appears
on internet
The Inter-Parliamentary Commission of the National Assemblies of
the Republic of Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) on
Thursday urged the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs to take the necessary
steps to ensure the full participation of the NKR in all stages of
the negotiation process.
According to political analyst Tigran Abrahamyan, the passivity
observed in the negotiation process recently is conditioned by
the apparent toughening of the position of Azerbaijan. He says the
recent tensions along the line of contact in Karabakh and at the
Armenian-Azerbaijani border is the result of this toughening, towards
which, according to the analyst, the international community and, first
of all, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, remain "strangely indifferent".
"The joint statement is primarily aimed at drawing the international
community's attention to the dangerous situation in the negotiation
process, as the observed indifference can lead to undesirable
consequences," Abrahamyan tells ArmeniaNow, adding that he does
not think, however, that this statement will result in significant
changes and that the negotiators will finally decide how to behave
in this situation.
Although top officials in Azerbaijan continue to declare that they
do not want to harm the civilian population of Armenia, shooting at
the border continues unabated and it is also Armenian villagers who
suffer from this shooting.
A few days ago, on the occasion of the anniversary of the establishment
of Azerbaijani Armed Forces the country's Defense Minister Zakir
Hasanov told the state news agency AzerTAG that Baku has "every
opportunity to hit any object and settlement on the territory of
Armenia." "However, for the current situation the peaceful Armenian
population is not to blame and it constrains us," he said.
On Thursday, just like during the whole passing week, Azeri troops
fired at Armenian borderline villages in Tavush not only during night
hours, but also during the day when villagers are engaged in farming
activities and become soft targets for Azeri troops, including snipers.
According to political analyst Abrahamyan, tensions observed in the
frontlines follow a certain pattern and periodicity and are mostly
conditioned by certain events.
"The current tense situation is also connected with the vague situation
in the negotiation process. No matter how hard the mediators try to
arrange a meeting at the presidential level, it is because of the
unconstructive approaches of the Azerbaijani side that these efforts
fail," the analyst says.
In addition to the border tensions and repeated ceasefire violations,
there is also a continued standoff in the information domain. It
particularly intensified after a video appeared on the internet
showing a two-seater airplane with NKR symbols on it taking off,
flying around and landing again at the Stepanakert airport. Since
the reconstruction of the facility several years ago officials in
Azerbaijan have repeatedly threatened to shoot down any aircraft
taking off or landing in Karabakh, which Azerbaijan still considers
to be its territory.
Ani Margaryan, who monitors Azerbaijan's anti-Armenian propaganda,
says that during four days the video with the Karabakh airplane was
viewed more than 32,000 times, and that also includes viewers in
Azerbaijan, where they took it as a sign that "Armenians already
re-operate the airport".
"Meanwhile, on several occasions corresponding bodies in Karabakh as
well as head of the Civil Aviation Department of the Government of
Artsakh Dmitry Adbashyan stressed that helicopters and small aircraft
have many times used the airport before and will continue to do so,
but passenger transportation is not being carried out yet despite
the airport's being technically ready for that," Margaryan tells
ArmeniaNow, adding that Azeri media mostly presented the flight by
the two-seater plane as the first flight from the Stepanakert airport,
without mentioning the fact that other flights have also taken place
before. That's how, she says, they tried to avoid giving explanations
as to why despite threats from Azerbaijan the airport in Stepanakert
is being used by Armenians.
From: Baghdasarian