Latest news with #Mirzoyan
OC Media
04-07-2025
- Business
- OC Media
Armenia expresses desire to join Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
Sign in or or Become a member to unlock the audio version of this article Join the voices Aliyev wants to silence. For over eight years, OC Media has worked with fearless journalists from Azerbaijan — some of whom now face decades behind bars — to bring you the stories the regime is afraid will get out. Help us fuel Aliyev's fears — become an OC Media member today Become a member The spokesperson of the Armenian Foreign Ministry, Ani Badalyan, has stated that Armenia has expressed desire to become a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). The announcement comes a week after Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan made his first official visit to China, where he met with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi. In a post on Facebook on Thursday, Badalyan stated that Armenia shares the 'founding principles of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, namely territorial integrity, non-use of force, and inviolability of borders', which is why Armenia wished to join. Attached to the post was a photo of Mirzoyan and Wang reviewing some documentation. The SCO is a political, economic, and security organisation made up of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan, Iran, and Belarus. Several other countries are engaged as observers or dialogue partners. Also on Thursday, Armenia's Foreign Ministry published excerpts from an interview Mirzoyan gave to the South China Morning Post within the framework of his official visit to Beijing. Responding to a question about the prospects for the development of a strategic partnership between Armenia and China, Mirzoyan stated: 'Not only is there no impediment and any obstacle on the way of deepening our relations, but also there is openness and readiness to deepen these relations without any limitations'. Armenia is the only South Caucasus country yet to establish such a partnership with China — Georgia signed a strategic partnership agreement with China in 2023, while Azerbaijan signed a similar document in 2024. Advertisement During the interview, Mirzoyan also noted that the political dialogue between Yerevan and Beijing was 'intense and active', while adding that Armenia sought to push for stronger bonds with China in culture and people-to-people exchange, in addition to trade and infrastructure. Mirzoyan also touched upon the Armenia–Azerbaijan and Armenia–Turkey normalisation processes, noting that this could create a path towards connecting Armenia's Crossroads of Peace initiative with China's One Belt, One Road. 'Imagine, Armenian 'Crossroads of Peace' wouldn't have that huge impact without the 'Belt and Road' project of China; and vice versa, probably the 'Belt and Road' wouldn't run that smoothly if bypassing Armenia', Mirzoyan said. Mirzoyan's visit to China took place 24–27 June at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Canada News.Net
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Canada News.Net
Armenia, Canada discuss regional peace, cooperation
- Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand discussed bilateral cooperation and regional developments during a phone call. The ministers exchanged views on regional issues. Mirzoyan provided an update on recent developments in the normalization process between Armenia and Azerbaijan. He emphasized the importance of establishing interstate relations and signing a peace agreement to ensure lasting peace in the South Caucasus. In this context, Mirzoyan also addressed the issue of unblocking regional communications within the framework of the "Crossroads of Peace" initiative. They also discussed Armenia's humanitarian assistance in evacuating citizens of third countries, including Canadians, through Armenian territory following recent developments in Iran. *On March 13, Armenia's Foreign Ministry announced it had accepted Azerbaijan's proposals on two previously disputed articles, and the peace agreement is ready to be signed. Armenia expressed readiness to start consultations on the date and venue of the signing. Meanwhile, Baku set new preconditions, stating it is too early to talk about the meeting timeline. The peace agreement draft includes 17 points, with 15 already agreed upon. One unresolved issue concerns mutual renunciation of international claims, and the other relates to not deploying third-country representatives on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border.*
Canada Standard
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Canada Standard
Armenia, Canada discuss regional peace, cooperation
02 Jul 2025, 09:07 GMT+10 - Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand discussed bilateral cooperation and regional developments during a phone call. The ministers exchanged views on regional issues. Mirzoyan provided an update on recent developments in the normalization process between Armenia and Azerbaijan. He emphasized the importance of establishing interstate relations and signing a peace agreement to ensure lasting peace in the South Caucasus. In this context, Mirzoyan also addressed the issue of unblocking regional communications within the framework of the "Crossroads of Peace" initiative. They also discussed Armenia's humanitarian assistance in evacuating citizens of third countries, including Canadians, through Armenian territory following recent developments in Iran. *On March 13, Armenia's Foreign Ministry announced it had accepted Azerbaijan's proposals on two previously disputed articles, and the peace agreement is ready to be signed. Armenia expressed readiness to start consultations on the date and venue of the signing. Meanwhile, Baku set new preconditions, stating it is too early to talk about the meeting timeline. The peace agreement draft includes 17 points, with 15 already agreed upon. One unresolved issue concerns mutual renunciation of international claims, and the other relates to not deploying third-country representatives on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border.* Source:
OC Media
01-07-2025
- Politics
- OC Media
Visiting Yerevan, Kallas says the EU and Armenia have never been as close as now
Sign in or or Become a member to unlock the audio version of this article Join the voices Aliyev wants to silence. For over eight years, OC Media has worked with fearless journalists from Azerbaijan — some of whom now face decades behind bars — to bring you the stories the regime is afraid will get out. Help us fuel Aliyev's fears — become an OC Media member today Become a member Armenia and the EU have concluded negotiations on an 'ambitious' new partnership agenda and agreed to launch security and defence consultations. The new agreements came as part of EU chief diplomat Kaja Kallas' visit to Armenia, where she met with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan on Monday. In a press briefing with Kallas, Mirzoyan announced that the new partnership agenda 'will supplement and deepen the Armenia–EU bilateral agenda by introducing new areas of cooperation'. 'At the same time, it will promote the effective implementation of the Armenia–EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement', he said, adding that relations with the EU 'have never been as comprehensive and close as they are now'. Mirzoyan said the launch of security and defence consultations with the EU was a 'critical step towards aligning our cooperation framework with contemporary challenges and intensifying joint efforts to address them'. He said collaboration with the EU includes efforts to combat 'hybrid threats and disinformation'. 'In this context, of course, within today's discussions we emphasised the importance of the work carried out by the EU Monitoring Mission in Armenia and examined the provision of assistance to Armenia through the European Peace Facility', he said. He also announced that they signed an agreement allowing Armenia to participate in EU Crisis Management Missions, which 'reflects Armenia's aspiration and intent to contribute constructively to promotion of global security, stability, and peace worldwide'. Advertisement 'Thus, we can surely state today that Armenia–EU relations have never been as comprehensive and close as they are now', said Mirzoyan, briefly touching on the Armenian Parliament's adoption of a law supporting Armenia's prospective EU membership, saying he had an 'opportunity with my colleagues to discuss the possible further realistic steps for implementing this law'. 'We have also discussed the issues related to the successful progress of the visa liberalisation dialogue, which in our opinion is the best opportunity for the citizens of Armenia to get close to the EU and we expect tangible steps in this direction in parallel with the implementation of the necessary reforms by Armenia', he added. In Pashinyan's meeting with Kallas, the two discussed general relations, with Pashinyan thanking the EU 'for its continuous support to Armenia'. According to a readout of the meeting published by Pashinyan's office, Kallas said the EU was ready to 'further deepen the partnership in all directions', highlighting the trilateral agreement signed between Yerevan, Brussels, and Washington in April 2024 as a milestone in strengthening cooperation between Armenia and the West. Kallas also noted that Armenia and the European Union have never been closer to each other than they are now. She emphasised that democratic values in Armenia 'must be protected, especially in the face of hybrid threats, disinformation, and attempts to interfere in the country's internal affairs'. Armenia has previously accused Russia of waging a 'hybrid war' against it, with Armenian Parliamentary Speaker Alen Simonyan stating in May that the war would 'become even more active in 2026', when Armenia will hold its parliamentary election. Most recently, on Monday, Mirzoyan criticised his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, for commenting on the Armenian government's ongoing row with the Armenian Church, urging him 'to refrain from interfering in Armenia's domestic affairs and internal politics'.
OC Media
30-06-2025
- Politics
- OC Media
Armenia urges Russia not to interfere in its internal affairs
Sign in or or Become a member to unlock the audio version of this article Join the voices Aliyev wants to silence. For over eight years, OC Media has worked with fearless journalists from Azerbaijan — some of whom now face decades behind bars — to bring you the stories the regime is afraid will get out. Help us fuel Aliyev's fears — become an OC Media member today Become a member On Monday, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan responded to a statement from his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, urging him 'to refrain from interfering in Armenia's domestic affairs and internal politics'. Lavrov's assessments regarding the developments around the Armenian Church were offered on Monday in a briefing following a Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) Foreign Ministers' Council meeting. Armenia sat out the meeting, having refused to attend other CSTO events for months, as well as pulling out from hosting a CSTO drill. In February 2024, Armenia announced that its participation in the CSTO was 'basically frozen'. According to RIA, Lavrov called the dispute between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the Armenian Apostolic Church Armenia's internal affair, adding that 'attacks on the canonical thousand-year-old Armenian Apostolic Church are a matter of grave concern'. 'The Church has always been one of the key pillars of Armenian society, and we would very much not like this Church to be subjected to unjustified attacks without any serious grounds', Lavrov said. Within a week, Armenian authorities arrested two high-ranking and influential clergy for either plotting or calling for a coup in Armenia. In his response, Mirzoyan, according to Armenpress, dismissed Lavrov's statements, claiming that 'there is no fight by the authorities against the church in Armenia'. Advertisement 'Perhaps Mr. Lavrov was referring to certain clergymen interfering in Armenian politics, or even to their alleged attempts — per our law enforcement — to go beyond the law, potentially participating in coup attempts', Mirzoyan said. Mirzoyan also urged Russian MPs and media outlets to refrain from meddling in Armenia's internal matters. 'They should respect Armenian sovereignty and cease interference', Mirzoyan said. This marks the second instance in June that Armenia has criticised Russian officials and Russian media for interfering in Armenia's internal affairs. Previously, following the raids at Russian–Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan's house, Kremlin propagandist Vladimir Solovyov called the Armenian government 'corrupt, vile, worthless', and accused it of betraying 'the history of Armenia'. Mirzoyan appeared to allude to Solovyov's remarks in a statement after Karapetyan's arrest, saying 'there were unacceptable calls, distorted assessments, and insults — including personal ones' being directed at the Armenian authorities. The Armenian Foreign Ministry also communicated their position to their Russian counterpart. However on Friday, Kremlin propagandist Margarita Simonyan, who is an ethnic Armenian and has been declared persona non grata in Armenia, claimed in a post on X that since his return from Turkey, Pashinyan, whom she referred to as 'Effendi Pashinyan', 'has unleashed a campaign of smears, searches and threats against the Armenian Apostolic Church and its head Catholicos Karekin II'. Pashinyan visited Turkey on 20 June at the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, where the two held a meeting. 'To Armenians living in their homeland: what are you waiting for? For your sons to be beheaded, and your daughters to be enslaved into harems — again?', she concluded. Prior to the two Russian statements, on Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry told the Russian state-run media outlet TASS, that 'Moscow is closely monitoring the developments in Armenia, including around the Armenian Apostolic Church and its spiritual centre in Echmiadzin'. The ministry claimed that they 'do not have the habit of interfering in the internal affairs of other states', and added that they were 'genuinely interested' in ensuring that Armenia 'maintains stability, upholds the rule of law, and sustainable development takes place'. 'To do this, it is necessary to put into practice the commitment to democratic values, respect for the feelings of believers, and the principles of religious freedom declared by the Armenian leadership', the statement concluded. Separately, unlike Russia, France appeared to support Armenian authorities in light of the disclosure of what they called 'terrorist attacks and a coup d'état' reportedly plotted by the Holy Struggle movement. On Sunday, Pashinyan had a telephone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron. According to the Pashinyan's office readout, they discussed bilateral, regional and international issues. In a social media post following the call, Macron noted that he had 'expressed France's solidarity in the face of attempts to destabilise Armenian democracy', an apparent reference to the alleged coup attempts.
