From Syunik Road to the Turkish Diplomatic Forum: This Week In Fake News

By Hovhannes Nazaretyan

This is part of the weekly series by #CivilNetCheck – an initiative that will look at the week’s fake news and dubious claims – circulating in Armenia (and about Armenia).

Armenian Citizens Don’t Use Azerbaijani-Controlled Road in Syunik

On January 11, Zhoghovurd newspaper wrote that Iranian truck drivers continue to use the main Goris-Kapan highway in Armenia’s southern Syunik region. Azerbaijanis had approached the highway in the aftermath of the 2020 Karabakh War and some of its sections came under effective Azerbaijani control in the fall of 2021. In September 2021, Azerbaijan levied custom duty on Iranians who continued to use the road and in November, Azerbaijan put up checkpoints on its section of the road, effectively ending the use of the road by Armenians. The road is an essential highway in Armenia’s Syunik region, connecting many villages and two of the main towns - Goris and Kapan. Azerbaijan’s control of the road created major disturbances not only for the residents of Syunik who now had no way out of certain areas, but also for regional truck drivers who pass through the road from Iran to Georgia and other places.

The newspaper further implied that despite the restrictions and the intimidation, Armenian citizens continued to use the road. This Zhoghovurd piece was widely republished by other Armenian outlets. #CivilNetCheck has found that Armenian citizens in fact do not use the Azerbaijani-controlled section of the Goris-Kapan road. This was confirmed by both Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS) and CivilNet’s team in Goris, who were told by Armenian border guards serving there that no Armenian cars are allowed to cross the checkpoint.

Furthermore, only a minority of Iranian truck drivers continue to drive on the Azeraijani-controlled section of the road. By November 2021, the alternative Goris-Kapan highway was largely repaved by the government and ready for use. Virtually all Armenians and most Iranians drive on the new, alternative road, passing through the village of Tatev.

Pashinyan’s Participation in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum Not Yet Confirmed

On January 27, Armenian and Turkish outlets wrote that Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has announced that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will participate in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey in March.

However, Çavuşoğlu was misquoted. #CivilNetCheck discovered that in fact Çavuşoğlu had quoted Pashinyan as saying that Armenia “may” participate in the forum. Pashinyan, had indeed, made that statement in his latest press conference.

Number of Government Cars to Increase in 2022, Despite Deputy Prime Minister Claim That They won’t

On January 28, Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan rejected journalists’ claim that in 2022 the number of cars serving government officials will increase. His claim is false. According to data on government vehicles obtained by CivilNet from the Finance Ministry, the number is expected to increase by 10, from 923 in 2021 to 933 in 2022.

PACE Resolution Not “Pro-Pashinyan”; It Also Calls for Return of Armenian POWs

On January 27, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a resolution entitled “The functioning of democratic institutions in Armenia”. PACE is the deliberative body and the driving force of the Council of Europe, to which parliamentarians are appointed by the national parliaments of the Assembly's 47 member states.

Along with Turkish and Azerbaijani delegates, Hayk Mamijanyan, a parliament deputy from the opposition I Have Honor party, voted against the resolution prompting controversy in Armenia. He argued that the resolution was “pro-Nikol”. However, the resolution not only praises reforms and democratic development under Nikol Pashinyan, but contains key “pro-Armenian” points. These include the demand for the return of all Armenian prisoners of war (POWs), calls for a “just and lasting resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group”, and the “importance of cultural and religious heritage and the urgent need to establish mechanisms required for its protection and restoration.”

On the other hand, Ruben Rubinyan, vice-speaker of the parliament, presented only the positive aspects of the resolution in a Facebook post, while skipping critical observations and recommendations for the government. Infocom.am noted that the resolution mentions that the June 2021 election was carried out in a “highly polarised environment” and deplores that “women were side-lined throughout the campaign.” The PACE resolution also calls on the Armenian authorities to further the reform of the judiciary, the electoral framework, strengthening the independence of the Human Rights Defender, among other things.

The post From Syunik Road to the Turkish Diplomatic Forum: This Week In Fake News appeared first on CIVILNET.

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Major Armenian highway reopened after Azerbaijani blockade

By Mark Dovich

A major highway running through Armenia’s southernmost region, Syunik, has been reopened to traffic after successful negotiations ended a two-day blockade by Azerbaijani troops, Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS) has confirmed to CivilNet. It was the first time since last year’s war in and around Karabakh that Azerbaijani border guards near Syunik have acted so forcefully. Russian border guards stationed in the region reportedly mediated the negotiations.

Azerbaijan’s State Border Service stated Wednesday that two Armenian soldiers had stabbed an Azerbaijani border guard near the Armenian border village of Davit Bek and cited the stabbing to justify its closure of the highway.

Armenia’s Defense Ministry has denied that the stabbing took place and called it an “absolute falsification.” Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan reiterated Friday that news of the stabbing was “false” and called on Baku to provide Yerevan with any evidence of the incident it may have.

The highway is of crucial importance for Armenia’s security and economy because it provides an overland connection to Iran, a key strategic partner. Connecting Syunik with the rest of Armenia, the road is also a lifeline for residents of some of Armenia’s most remote communities. A 21-kilometer section of the road, built in Soviet times, runs along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border and crosses it several times due to the region’s difficult mountainous geography.

Armenia’s NSS first reported on the blockade Thursday, saying that Azerbaijani forces cut off traffic on the Karmrakar-Shurnukh section of the Goris-Kapan highway late Wednesday evening.

CivilNet’s Gevorg Tosunyan is on the scene in Syunik and has been speaking with Iranian truck drivers, several dozen of whom have been left stranded along the road due to the blockade. The truckers said that an alternative route that runs through the Armenian village of Tatev is dangerously narrow and complained that they have run out of food and money, Tosunyan reported.

Armenia and Iran share millennia-old historical and cultural ties, and Tehran is a major trading partner for Yerevan. According to World Bank data, Armenia exported nearly $84 million worth of goods to Iran and imported over $300 million in goods from the Islamic Republic in 2019.

Arman Tatoyan, Armenia’s human rights ombudsman, wrote on his official Facebook page that day that “50 or more” members of Azerbaijan’s armed forces were blocking the road near the Armenian village of Davit Bek and called it “a crime” and “a pre-planned and openly hostile act.” Tatoyan later that day added that the Goris-Vorotan section of the highway had been blockaded as well.

Before the blockade, Armenian guards patrolled one side of the road, with Azerbaijani forces stationed on the other side. Russian border guards oversee the highway’s daily operations.

Under a Russia-brokered ceasefire signed last year after 44 days of fierce fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan in and around Karabakh, the road will remain under the supervision of Russian peacekeepers while Armenia works on building an alternative route called the North-South Corridor.

The blockade comes amid seething tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan, more than eight months after the ceasefire came into effect. The border in particular remains tense, with periodic shoot-outs and skirmishes between the two sides.

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#newsfeed #reportsinenglish #azerbaijaniforces #goriskapanroad #iraniantrucks #majorhighwaykapan #roadclosure #russianborderguards #shurnukh #syunik