Armenian News - NEWS.am presents the latest developments in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh as of 26.11.2020:
As part of the investigation of the criminal case opened on the fact that Azerbaijan unleashed an aggressive war against Artsakh and Armenia on September 27, 2020, investigative steps were taken to study photos and videos posted on the Internet, social networks, and the media. Based on the results of the study, evidence was obtained that the military personnel of Azerbaijan committed gross violations of the norms of international humanitarian law.
The data are being checked, appropriate procedural actions have been carried out to generalize the crimes committed, provide the grounds for a criminal-legal assessment, identify the perpetrators of the crime, and bring them to criminal liability.
The General Prosecutor's Office of Armenia is taking measures to submit to the international prosecutorial structures-partners the facts of atrocities against the Armenian prisoners of war and civilians in the Republic of Azerbaijan.
The Charektar and Aknaberd villages of the Shahumyan region of Artsakh will remain under the control of Armenian troops, head of Charektar village Kamo Chakanyan told NEWS.am.
According to him, residents of the villages found out about this decision at the last minute, and many of them have mainly taken their items and burned their homes.
Meanwhile, on November 21, the government published a decision on the transfer of the occupied or transferred Armenian cities and villages to Azerbaijan.
Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan gave an interview to Russia's TASS.
According to him, the current presence of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh will not be limited to a five-year term.
"True, five years may be enough to create guarantees of security and stability in the region. But the Karabakh conflict is a prolonged one," he said.
The PM also gave an assessment of the internal political situation in the country after the signing of a joint statement by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia.
“The fact is that the calls made by the opposition do not receive support from the Armenian society. This needs to be stated,” he said.
“Now the primary task of the government and all political forces of Armenia should be the restoration of complete stability and security of Armenia. I mean not only internal security but also an external one,” he added.
“I have published a roadmap for a six-month period, and over the next six months, we must work to stabilize the situation.”
“I am also not very happy, we are all unhappy with the situation that we have. But we need to understand what alternatives we have" he noted adding that "now we are faced with many questions about the return of the citizens of Artsakh - Nagorno-Karabakh to their homes (...) We need to stabilize the socio-economic situation in Armenia.”
Human rights activist Ishkhanyan has been apprehended and released from the Central Department of Yerevan Police.
Ishkhanyan told reporters that he had been apprehended "on suspicion of beating," whereas it was the opposite.
The human rights activist said this incident was a provocation against him by the authorities.
Meanwhile, a group of citizens has begun protest actions in the courtyards of the residence of deputies from the ruling My Step bloc, chanting 'traitors'.
The opposition is accusing the MPs of involvement in the betrayal of the surrender of Artsakh.
ARF Dashnaktsutyun office has issued a statement noting that over two dozen organizations and structures, in particular, the ARF bodies operating in different countries, subsidiary and partner structures made statements and messages and sharply condemn the statement signed by the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
The aforementioned organizations consider the PM and his team responsible for the current situation, anti-national and anti-state provisions stipulated by the signed document, internal national disunity, and violence used against the opposition.
Thus, 15 organizations and structures of the diaspora have demanded the resignation of the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his team.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke about guarantors of peace in the Artsakh region.
"We have made a great contribution to the elimination of injustice that has continued in Karabakh for 30 years," he noted adding that he had phone talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"We discussed the steps that will be taken to resolve the issue in Karabakh. Turkey, Russia, and Azerbaijan will be the guarantors of peace in the region," Erdogan added, addressing the Turkish parliament.
Varazdat Karapetyan, a member of the majority My Step faction in the National Assembly of Armenia has submitted a petition to give up his parliamentary seat.
"As of December 4, I am assuming the duties of Armenia's trade representative in China. Now, more than ever, Armenia needs new connections, markets, opportunities, new investments," he said.
By the decisions of Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Naira Margaryan has been relieved of the post of Deputy Minister of Economy, and Rafik Grigoryan has been dismissed from the position of First Deputy Minister of Justice.
Meanwhile, by Pashinyan's decision, former Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Arayik Harutyunyan has been appointed Chief Adviser to the Prime Minister of Armenia.
Harutyunyan held the aforesaid ministerial post since 2018, but he was dismissed on Monday.
