Latest news with #Armenian-populated
Civil.ge
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Civil.ge
Georgia-Linked Activist Vahagn Chakhalyan Detained in Armenia
Vahagn Chakhalyan, a leader of Armenia's opposition Will, or Kamq, initiative and a former activist in Georgia's predominantly ethnic Armenian-populated Samtskhe-Javakheti region, has been detained in Armenia, local authorities said July 4. Armenia's Investigative Committee said Chakhalyan, along with other leaders and members of the opposition Sacred Struggle movement, was arrested on terrorism and coup-plotting charges. Georgia's jailed ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili said on Facebook that Chakhalyan was an agent of Russian military intelligence and slammed the Georgian Dream government for its 2013 decision to release him from prison under an amnesty. 'Chakhalyan was not doing Armenian work, neither in Georgia nor in Armenia. He was a GRU-recruited agent based in Akhalkalaki. Georgian Dream also served Russian interests by releasing him from prison,' Saakashvili wrote . In Georgia, Chakhalyan was active in the early 2000s in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region, where ethnic Armenians form the majority. He was part of groups that organized protests in 2005 against the withdrawal of a Russian military base from the town of Akhalkalaki and called for autonomy for the Javakheti region. In 2008, Chakhalyan was arrested on charges of illegal weapons possession. Additional charges followed, related to weapons possession, hooliganism, and acts against public order, connected to 2005 and 2006 incidents, when protesters stormed a court chamber and a local branch of Tbilisi State University in Akhalkalaki. Chakhalyan and his supporters called the charges politically motivated. He was released in 2013 under a broad amnesty by the newly elected Georgian Dream government, a move that drew criticism from Saakashvili and his United National Movement party. Saakashvili called Chakhalyan 'an enemy of the Georgian state' and accused then-Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili of releasing him 'to please' Russia. That same year, Chakhalyan and Saakashvili had a heated public exchange during Saakashvili's visit to Akhalkalaki. Saakashvili accused Chakhalyan of separatism and ties to Russian intelligence, while Chakhalyan criticized his imprisonment and raised concerns about the rights of the local Armenian community. Also Read: This post is also available in: ქართული
India Today
01-07-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Armenian PM offers to drop his pants in front of head of church amid coup buzz
Armenia is seeing a political confrontation unheard of, with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan reportedly offering to "expose himself" before the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church to prove his Christian faith by dropping his trousers and showing that he is uncircumcised. The PM's retort came amid accusations of a coup plot involving powerful senior clergy is the latest clash between Pashinyan and the Armenian Apostolic Church, which has long opposed the Armenian PM's policies, particularly his peace negotiations with Azerbaijan following Armenia's military defeats in 2020 and 2023. Senior clerics have repeatedly called for Pashniyan's resignation, calling him a traitor for conceding territory to Azerbaijan after Armenia's defeat in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war and the 2023 collapse of Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh war erupted due to ethnic Armenians in Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh region demanding independence with Armenia's support. Significant territories in the region were conceded to Azerbaijan, which was militarily aided by Turkey. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan's 2023 military offensive forced the surrender of Nagorno-Karabakh's Armenian forces, triggering the total depopulation of the region as over 1,00,000 ethnic Armenians fled their ancestral church viewed these defeats as humiliating and the conceding of territories in 2020 as a historic conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has religious undertones too, and many see it as a Christians versus Muslims the developments come just a year before parliamentary elections in Armenia in June 2026, when Pashniyan is under extreme political pressure over his peace deal with Azerbaijan, which is quite unpopular among hardliners, and the Church's influence could sway public pants-dropping remark, made during a heated parliamentary session, came as authorities arrested Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan last week. Galstanyan has been a vocal critic of Pashinyan. His shocking response came after a spokesperson for the church said,"I believe that our Apostolic Holy Church must immediately cleanse itself of those false 'believers' who are traitors to the nation, have dishonoured the memory of their ancestors, broken the vow of baptism, and replaced the seal of the Holy Cross with the sign of circumcision".Responding to this, PM Pashinyan said, "I am ready to accept Ktrich Nersisyan and his spokesman and prove otherwise".News Agency Reuters reported that Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan was also detained last week. Both Galstanyan and Karapetyan were accused of orchestrating a violent attempt to overthrow the Armenian government of Prime Minister Church denounced the detentions as politically motivated, while Pashinyan's government insisted it had thwarted a "large and sinister plan" by a "criminal-oligarchic clergy" to seize power in Investigative Committee claims that Galstanyan and 15 others had recruited 1,000 people, including ex-soldiers and police personnel, to block roads, incite violence, and paralyse the government. Authorities allege they stockpiled weapons and planned to form assault groups for mass who led major anti-government protests in 2023, was ordered to two months of pre-trial detention on charges of terrorism and overthrowing the government. His lawyers dismissed the case as "political persecution".Meanwhile, Karapetyan, a billionaire and a major church benefactor, was detained after vowing to intervene in the government's "campaign against the church". PM Pashinyan's spokesperson accused the billionaire of following a "classic manual from the north", a veiled reference to Russia. Hours later, Pashinyan announced plans to nationalise Karapetyan's Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA).Notably, the Armenian Church enjoys strong ties to Russia, and Pashinyan has increasingly accused Moscow of backing his opponents, including former presidents Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan, who were implicated in the alleged coup warn the standoff risks further destabilisation, especially if Russia intensifies its spilled into the streets when security forces attempted to detain Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan, triggering scuffles outside Armenia's holiest cathedral. The Church condemned the confrontation as a "day of national shame".Meanwhile, Russia has stepped in to defend Karapetyan, with its foreign ministry vowing to protect the rights of the "Russian national". Billboards supporting the oligarch appeared in Moscow, signalling Kremlin-aligned opposition to now, Pashinyan appears defiant, but his "challenge to the Catholicos" shows just how personal and volatile this conflict has become.- EndsTrending Reel
The Hindu
22-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Turkey-Azerbaijan boycott: Understanding India's relations with these nations
Following Turkiye and Azerbaijan's support for Pakistan after India's military confrontation in the wake of the Pahalgam massacre, many online travel platforms reported a sharp spike in cancellations of tour bookings to these countries. Many Indian tour operators withdrew offers and promotional packages for trips to Turkiye and Azerbaijan. On social media, calls to 'boycott' both countries gained traction. Institutions such as IIT Bombay, IIT Roorkee, and Jawaharlal Nehru University suspended MoUs with some Turkish universities. Data show that the relationship between Pakistan and Turkiye has been strengthened by arms trade. The two countries have also shown reciprocal support during past geopolitical standoffs. For instance, Turkiye has backed Pakistan on the Kashmir issue, while Pakistan has supported Turkiye in disputes related to Cyprus. Similarly, in 2020, it was with Turkish backing that Azerbaijan captured much of the Armenian-populated enclave from Armenia. Though Azerbaijan regained full control of the region in 2023, Turkiye denied any direct involvement in that year's operation. Data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) shows that Turkiye has been exporting arms to Pakistan since the 1990s. Chart 1 shows Turkiye's arms exports to Pakistan between 1995 and 2023 by category and volume. A significant share of this trade comprised artillery — defined as naval, fixed, self-propelled guns, howitzers, and multiple rocket launchers. Pakistan also received armoured vehicles from Turkiye, including tanks, armoured cars, and personnel carriers. Chart 2 shows India's weapons exports to Armenia over the years India has supplied weapons to Armenia. Most of these exports comprise surface-to-air missile systems and a few multiple rocket launchers. In contrast, SIPRI data shows no official arms transactions between India and Azerbaijan, or India and Turkiye. Chart 3 shows the country-wise share of India's imports crude oil over the past six years (in %) Last week, some Indian trader associations passed resolutions to boycott all forms of trade and commercial engagement with Turkiye and Azerbaijan. However, data suggests that even if this escalates into an official trade ban, India stands to lose little. Crude oil is the primary import from both countries, but their combined share in India's total crude imports has remained below 1% over the past six years. In contrast, Azerbaijan could face a greater impact, as India was its third largest destination for crude oil as of 2023. Another major import from Turkiye is machinery and mechanical appliances, including nuclear reactors, boilers, and related parts. Chart 4 shows the country-wise share of India's imports of these products over the past six years. (in %) But even in this category, Turkiye accounts for only about 1% of India's total imports India remains far more dependent on countries such as China and Germany for such equipment. While calls to boycott Turkiye and Azerbaijan have led to 'mass cancellations' of travel bookings from India, data shows that Indian tourists formed less than 1% of all tourists to Turkiye in 2024. That said, the number of Indian visitors to Turkiye has been rising steadily in recent years. Chart 5 shows the number of tourists from India who went to Turkiye from 2008 to 2023 In 2023, Indians made up less than 6% of all tourists in Azerbaijan, but this share rose to around 10% in 2024. The boycott calls, therefore, come at a time when Indian travel to both these countries was on the rise. Chart 6 shows the number of tourists from India who went to Azerbaijan from 2008 to 2023. The number of Indian students pursuing higher education in Turkey and Azerbaijan has also increased in recent years. In 2017, the number of Indian students in these countries was less than 100. As of January 2024, it increased by at least seven times (777). Also read: J&K's economy and tourism in peril after Pahalgam massacre
Al Arabiya
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Azerbaijan insists Armenia must meet its demands before peace treaty can be signed
Azerbaijan on Wednesday insisted that arch-foe Armenia must meet Baku's 'legitimate demands' before the Caucasus neighbors can sign a peace treaty, the text of which they agreed upon last month. The two ex-Soviet republics announced on March 14 they had wrapped up talks aimed at resolving their decades-long conflict, with both sides agreeing on the text of a possible treaty. A deal to normalize ties would be a major breakthrough in a region where Russia, the European Union, the United States and Turkey all jostle for influence. Baku and Yerevan fought two wars for control of Azerbaijan's Armenian-populated region of Karabakh, at the end of the Soviet Union and again in 2020, before Azerbaijan seized the entire area in a 24-hour offensive in September 2023. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said Wednesday that Baku 'is not putting forward any additional conditions' for signing the treaty. 'Our demands are well known to Armenia, they are not new. We have been voicing them for a long time, but have yet to receive any serious response from Armenia,' he told a news conference alongside visiting German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. 'The OSCE Minsk Group must be dissolved,' he said, referring to the now defunct group of international mediators – France, Russia and the United States – set up in 1991 under the aegis of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to encourage a negotiated resolution to the conflict. He also reiterated Baku's longstanding demand to remove from Armenia's constitution a reference to its declaration of independence, which asserts territorial claims over Karabakh. Any such amendments to Armenia's constitution would require a referendum. 'Once these two conditions are met, there will be no obstacles to signing the peace treaty,' Aliyev said. 'The ball is in Armenia's court. If Armenia truly wants to sign the peace agreement, it must accept these two legitimate demands of Azerbaijan.' Yerevan has said it is ready to sign the peace treaty without delay and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced a referendum to amend the constitution for 2027. Pashinyan has recognized Baku's sovereignty over Karabakh after three decades of Armenian separatist rule, a move seen as a crucial first step towards a normalization of relations. Armenia also last year returned to Azerbaijan four border villages it had seized decades earlier.
Al Arabiya
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Armenia urges Azerbaijan to sign peace deal after talks conclude
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Thursday called on Azerbaijan to begin consultations on signing a peace treaty, a text of which the arch-foe Caucasus neighbors agreed upon last week. Baku and Yerevan fought two wars for control of Azerbaijan's Armenian-populated region of Karabakh, at the end of the Soviet Union and again in 2020, before Azerbaijan seized the entire area in a 24-hour offensive in September 2023. Both countries have repeatedly said a comprehensive peace deal to end their long-standing conflict is within reach, but previous talks had failed to reach consensus on a draft agreement. On Friday, the two countries said they had wrapped up talks on resolving the conflict, with both sides agreeing on the text of a possible treaty. 'The draft of Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement has been agreed upon and awaits signing,' Pashinyan said Thursday in an English post on Telegram. 'I propose Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to begin joint consultations on the signing of the agreed draft peace agreement.' The deal to normalize ties would be a major breakthrough in a region where Russia, the European Union, the United States and Turkey all jostle for influence. Baku has made clear its expectations that Armenia remove from its constitution a reference to its 1991 declaration of independence, which asserts territorial claims over Karabakh. Any constitutional amendment would require a national referendum that could further delay the treaty's finalization. Pashinyan has recognized Baku's sovereignty over Karabakh after three decades of Armenian separatist rule, a move seen as a crucial first step towards a normalization of relations. Armenia also last year returned to Azerbaijan four border villages it had seized decades earlier. Nearly all ethnic Armenians -- more than 100,000 people -- fled Karabakh after its takeover by Baku. Washington, Brussels and European leaders such as France's President Emmanuel Macron have welcomed the breakthrough. They have all tried to play a mediating role at various times in the conflict.
