JULY 25 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – Armenia and the US plan to hold their first joint military exercise by 2013, local media quoted Armenia’s defence ministry as saying, bolstering the two countries’ links. This year Armenia has signed a deal with Russia to extend a lease on a military base in and bolstered economic ties with Iran.
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(News report from Issue No. 50, published on July 27 2011)
JULY 6 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – Russia formalised a deal with Armenia to extend a lease on perhaps its most important military base in the South Caucasus until 2044, Russian media reported. Thousands of Russian soldiers, aircraft and missiles will remain in the base at Gyumri, about 100km north of Yerevan. In the deal, Russia will supply military equipment to Armenia.
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(News report from Issue No. 47, published on July 6 2011)
JUNE 24 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – Despite promising signs before the summit in Kazan, central Russia, the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan failed to agree on a peace deal over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. A 1994 ceasefire has maintained a shaky peace over Nagorno- Karabakh although soldiers from both sides die in shootouts every month.
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(News report from Issue No. 46, published on June 28 2011)
JUNE 16 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – In an interview with the BBC’s Russian service, Armenian PM Tigran Sargsyan said he wanted to restore links with Turkey without any pre-conditions. Mr Sargsyan’s comments could be an important trigger to re-start negotiations on establishing ties between the countries. Talks have stalled since a 2009 deal.
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(News report from Issue No. 45, published on June 21 2011)
JUNE 13 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan said they made progress towards a settlement on Nagorno-Karabakh at a meeting hosted by Russia, media reported. The rare positive statement from both sides comes just weeks before a major international conference on the disputed region.
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(News report from Issue No. 44, published on June 14 2011)
JUNE 4 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – Azerbaijan’s defence ministry once again warned it would one day send soldiers back into the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh to wrestle control from Armenia. It said Armenia has obstructed talks to resolve the dispute. Armenia refutes this. Armenia and Azerbaijan are due to meet in a few weeks to discuss the issue.
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(News report from Issue No. 43, published on June 6 2011)
JUNE 6 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad postponed a trip to Yerevan, media reported without giving a reason. Iran-Armenia ties have strengthened in the last year. Public Radio of Armenia quoted Iranian foreign minister Ali Akbar Salehi saying that Iran-Armenia trade increased by 38% in 2010.
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(News report from Issue No. 43, published on June 6 2011)
MAY 27 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – In a move aimed at appeasing anti-government protests, Armenian authorities released journalist Nikol Pahinian and parliamentarian Sasun Mikaelyan from jail. Mr Pahinian and Mr Mikaelian were prominent opposition figures jailed for allegedly provoking clashes after elections in 2008.
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(News report from Issue No. 42, published on May 30 2011)
MAY 28 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will visit Yerevan on June 6 to discuss Iran-Armenia relations, said Iran’s Press TV. The report said it would be Mr Ahmadinejad’s first trip to Armenia since 2007.
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(News report from Issue No. 42, published on May 30 2011)
MAY 21 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – For years Europe has coveted Azerbaijan’s gas but until May 14 Azerbaijani pop music had been far less appreciated. Overnight that changed.
In Dusseldorf, Germany, in front of a TV audience estimated at 100m, pop duo Ell and Nikki won the Eurovision Song Contest for Azerbaijan and threw a glaring spotlight over the country.
Thousands poured out onto the streets of Baku to celebrate the unexpected win and President Ilham Aliyev was quick to praise the victory.
But winning was the easy bit. Now Azerbaijan has to put on a show worthy of the famously kitsch and super-glitzy competition which started in 1956 and has become one of the world’s most successful television franchises. Azerbaijan is the fourth former Soviet state and the second predominantly Muslim country, after Turkey in 2003, to win the contest.
Hosting the contest allows the venue city to bask in the limelight and showcase its attractions but it also lets others peer in. When Moscow hosted the contest in 2009, the gay rights lobby grabbed its moment and dominated the headlines.
This year anti-government demonstrations have already put Azerbaijan’s leadership under increasing pressure. It has contained the anti-government movement by arresting potential leaders, raiding opposition headquarters and banning demonstrations.
Now, with human rights groups already questioning their commitment to freedom of speech, Azerbaijan’s leaders will face a year of scrutiny until the Eurovision Song Contest next May.
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(News report from Issue No. 41, published on May 24 2011)