NEWS.am digest: What will happen in Artsakh after ‘lowering’ bar on its status?

Armenian News - NEWS.am presents the daily digest of top news as of 22.04.22:

OSCE

On April 8, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, after negotiations with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan, confirmed a fact that everyone knew about but never mentioned – the OSCE Minsk Group was no longer able to continue its mediation in the settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

Lavrov explained this by the fact that the other two co-chairs – the United States and France – did not want to work in the same format with Russia amid the war in Ukraine, he even accused them of “Russophobia”.

This of course provoked heated discussions in a society.

Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan, for example, said that assessments on dissolution of OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing are not grounded as Russian, American, and French co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group had visited Armenia recently.

“We clearly see that all the co-chairing countries remain committed to their mandate for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict—despite the fact that the events unrolling in Ukraine have created difficulties for the joint activities of the co-chairs,” the PM said.

However, Russian MFA spokesperson Maria Zakharova said she has not received any signals from the American and French co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group to resume work in one way or another.

And Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev, in turn, noted that ‘the Minsk Group was actually paralyzed in 2019.’

“I have said that the OSCE Minsk Group will mark its 30th anniversary in 2022, and then retire. But after the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war, they do not even have the opportunity to mark the anniversary," Aliyev added.

‘LOWERING BAR’ ON KARABAKH

After Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that the international community is telling the Armenian side to lower its "benchmark on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh a little and ensure greater international consolidation around Armenia and Artsakh,” the social media discussions are at the high.

And today Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia, Armen Grigoryan said that the proposal to lower the bar on the status of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) was not voiced by one person.

“At the moment I cannot say specific names… It was not a proposal from one person; many partners have talked to us about this,” he said.

PROTESTS IN YEREVAN

The families of the soldiers killed in the 44-day Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) war in the fall of 2020 have decided to hold a sit-in at Freedom Square in downtown Yerevan, they are trying to put up a tent there, but the police are not allowing it.

They are joining the two young participants of the 44-day war who are on hunger strike at Freedom Square.

On April 17, the leader of the opposition parliamentary faction “I have the honor” Artur Vanetsyan began a sit-in strike in the “Freedom” square in Yerevan. Another opposition force of the National Assembly, the “Armenia” faction did not join this initiative, but announced that it had developed “its own program” to overthrow the current authorities.

Artur Vanetsyan, the leader of the “I Have the Honor” opposition faction and the leader of the “Motherland” party, announced that he was starting a sit-in during a live broadcast on his Facebook page. He stated that he “is not going to go home” because “a critical moment has come” when neither articles, nor posts on social media or speeches achieve anything.

ARMENIANS IN FORBES

Three Russian Armenians are in Forbes World's Billionaires List 2022.

Accordingly, Sergey Galitsky (Harutyunyan), the founder of the retail chain "Magnet," is ranked 32nd, with a fortune of $3.2 billion.

Private investor Andrey Andreev (Ohanjanyants) is 42nd, with a wealth of $2 billion.

And Samvel Karapetyan, the chairman of Tashir Group of companies, is ranked 82nd, with a worth of $1.1 billion.

SITUATION IN MARIUPOL

Russia’s defense ministry says it is “ready at any moment” to allow a ceasefire and a humanitarian corridor for civilians at Mariupol’s Azovstal steel plant if Ukrainians soldiers were to raise white flags.

However, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk says no humanitarian corridors will be open across Ukraine on Friday “due to the danger on the routes”.