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US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken stressed that the signing of the document is a significant milestone in the relations between Armenia and the US:
“We’re establishing our U.S.-Armenia Strategic Partnership Commission. This commission gives us a framework to expand our bilateral cooperation in a number of key areas: economic matters, security and defense, democracy, justice, inclusion, and people-to-people exchanges. Each of these is a shared interest that forms the bedrock of our relationship and our partnership.”
“Our relations, based on shared values and mutual interests, have witnessed remarkable growth in recent years. They have matured to a point where upgrading them to a Strategic Partnership is not only fitting but essential for navigating the complex geopolitical landscape(..)We are eager to continue working with the new United States administration to fulfill the ambitious goals outlined in our Strategic Partnership Charter,” Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan stated.
Center for Truth & Justice Demands Azerbaijan Allow International Observers for Sham Trials of Armenian Prisoners
The Center for Truth and Justice (CFTJ) has requested the government of Azerbaijan allow a team of distinguished international lawyers to travel to Baku to attend and monitor the upcoming trials of Armenian prisoners, set to begin on January 17, 2025.
“These prisoners have been illegally held in pretrial detention with fabricated accusations, without access to legitimate legal representation. They have little to no contact with family members. International trial monitors are necessary to hold the Azerbaijani judicial system accountable for what is expected to be closed and secret trials,” said Gor Mnatsakanyan, President of the Center for Truth and Justice.
Azerbaijan’s Ethnic Cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh and Genocidal Policy
Christian Solidarity International Condemns Baku Trials: Armenian Officials Represent a Freely Elected Government Upholding Self-Determination
“Unlike their captors, the officials on trial in Baku served in a freely elected government, chosen by Armenians exercising their right to self-determination in their homeland,” said Joel Veldkamp, Christian Solidarity International’s Director for Public Advocacy.
“Azerbaijan’s show trials and the raft of trumped-up and fabricated charges against these men are intended to legitimate the ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh after the fact.” “It is long past time for the United States, the European Union, and other allies of Azerbaijan to insist that these men be released and returned to their families,” he concluded.
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Driven by Fear from Nagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenians Struggle to Cling to their Identity
By Marut Vanyan
Following the mass displacement in 2023, Nagorno- Karabakh Armenians have struggled to preserve their identity, dialect, and culture.
Photo of the Week
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan pose for photos after signing a Strategic Partnership Commission Charter in Washington D.C. on January 14.
Photo Courtesy of Chuck Kennedy, U.S. Department of State.
Security
Security Armenia Floats EU Referendum Amid Split with Russia
By Gabriel Gavin
MEP Miriam Lexmann Welcomes Armenian Government’s Approval of Bill on EU Accession Process
Armenia Warns of Escalation Risk after Azerbaijani Aliyev Calls it ‘Fascist’
Armenia’s Peacekeeping Missions Abroad: A New Chapter With the EU
By Hovhannes Nazaretyan
When the EU approved €10 million for Armenia in July under the EPF for a fully-fledged deployable tent camp for a battalion-sized unit, it emphasized the aim of enhancing the “interoperability of Armenia’s Armed Forces in preparation for possible future participation in international military missions and operations, including those deployed by the EU.”
EU Seeks to Maintain Border Monitoring Presence in Armenia for Two More Years
Economy
U.S.-Armenian Steel Plant to Launch Mass Production Soon
A U.S.-Armenian steel plant in Ararat will begin mass production in February-March, Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan has said.
The steelworks, a U.S.-Armenian joint investment project, was originally planned to be opened in Yeraskh but was subsequently moved to the village of Ararat after Azerbaijani cross-border gunfire. Two foreign workers were wounded in the shooting.
Opinion
Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Deal: A Golden Opportunity for Trump
By Garo Paylan
The two countries are eager to resolve their differences, and doing so would further American interests. President-elect Trump’s promise to resolve the war in Ukraine is likely to prove easier said than done. But there is an opportunity for peace that demands far less effort yet offers significant rewards: ending the decades-long enmity between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
International Arbitration and Armenia: Arbitrating Animosity
By Davit Khachatryan
On March 27, 2023, Azerbaijan notified the Bern Convention Secretariat, claiming that negotiations would have failed and that it had submitted the dispute to arbitration. However, without clear evidence of genuine negotiation efforts, the tribunal might rule it lacks jurisdiction, making this a key issue early in the case.
Armenia Formalizes Closer Ties with the West
By Ani Avetisyan
It is now the law of the land to seek EU integration.
Azerbaijan’s International Image-Making Strategies and Challenges
By Hratch Tchilingirian
The Azerbaijani state has embarked on a concerted effort to enhance its international image following the Second Karabakh War in 2020 and especially since the subsequent ethnic cleansing of Armenians orchestrated by President Ilham Aliyev’s regime. Baku is spending hundreds of millions in funding and enormous resources to showcase itself as a modern, dynamic, and influential state, which is reflected in President Aliyev’s “Azerbaijan 2030: National Priorities for Socio-Economic Development” .
