Articles by Onnik James Krikorian

Nagorno Karabakh, dissolution and new challenges ahead

05/10/2023 -  Onnik James Krikorian

Last week, over 100,000 ethnic Armenians from the breakaway region of Nagorno Karabakh flooded into Armenia while the de facto authorities dissolved the entity, effective at the beginning of next year. Meanwhile, the displaced face the challenges of integration into Armenia and, for some, a possible return to Azerbaijan

Karabakh: following ceasefire, Armenia and Azerbaijan prepare for talks

27/09/2023 -  Onnik James Krikorian

Following the 20 September ceasefire agreement between Baku and the de facto authorities of the former Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO), now Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev are expected to meet for talks that will also involve France, Germany, and the European Council

Karabakh agrees to integration talks with Azerbaijan

20/09/2023 -  Onnik James Krikorian

Following a landmine incident on its territory, and with multiple negotiating tracks under increasing risk of collapse, Azerbaijan appears to have wrestled back control of its breakaway Karabakh region

De facto Karabakh President resigns, replacement appointed

12/09/2023 -  Onnik James Krikorian

The resignation of Arayik Harutyunyan and the change of leadership in Nagorno Karabakh open a new phase of uncertainty in the region and for the future of relations between Karabakh and Azerbaijan

Yerevan Prepares for Municipal Elections Amidst Karabakh Policy Debate

29/08/2023 -  Onnik James Krikorian

The municipal elections will be held in Yerevan on 17 September, an important challenge because a third of Armenia's population lives in the capital, and then because it will be a test for the Pashinyan government, at a time when the Armenian political debate is dominated by the Karabakh issue

Armenia and Azerbaijan at Odds Again on Key Highway After EU-Facilitated Talks

01/08/2023 -  Onnik James Krikorian Tbilisi

Despite recent diplomatic meetings Azerbaijan and Armenia are once again in a stalemate over the Lachin corridor, a 5km highway linking Armenia to Nagorno Karabakh. The blockade of this corridor by Azerbaijan is putting the inhabitants of Nagorno Karabakh in difficulty

Progress and Challenges: Armenian and Azerbaijani Leaders Meet in EU-facilitated Talks in Brussels

19/07/2023 -  Onnik James Krikorian

Another meeting took place on saturday 15 july among Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, facilitated by European Council President Charles Michel

Meeting between Armenia and Azerbaijan: little progress for Nagorno Karabakh

05/07/2023 -  Onnik James Krikorian

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Armenia and Azerbaijan made further progress towards a peace deal in the three-day US-hosted talks in late June, yet tensions persist in the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh

Armenia and Azerbaijan, new talks in Moscow, Chişinău, and Ankara

06/06/2023 -  Onnik James Krikorian

A tight series of talks and meetings attended by Nikol Pashinyan, prime minister of Armenia and Ilham Aliyev, president of Azerbaijan, took place in various locations, from Moscow to Chişinău and even in Ankara. The goal was to seek the normalisation of relations between Yerevan and Baku

Armenia-Azerbaijan, possible progress registered at Brussels meeting

17/05/2023 -  Onnik James Krikorian Tbilisi

On Sunday, 14 May, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev met in Brussels for renewed talks hosted by European Council President Charles Michel. Still many unresolved points but some small progress appears

U.S. Hosts Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers for Possible Roadmap to Peace Treaty

09/05/2023 -  Onnik James Krikorian

From 1 to 4 May, the United States hosted a meeting of talks between the Armenian Foreign Minister and his Azerbaijani counterpart. Few details of the meeting: there was some progress but points of disagreement remain on some key issues

Armenia-Azerbaijan, tensions rise as Baku establishes border control on Lachin Corridor

26/04/2023 -  Onnik James Krikorian

On April 23, Azerbaijan announced the creation of a checkpoint on the Lachin corridor, a move immediately criticized by the de facto authorities of Nagorno Karabakh and those of Armenia. The United States and France have also expressed concerns

Azerbaijan and Karabakh Armenians talks at risk after gunfight

10/03/2023 -  Onnik James Krikorian

Recent gunfight casts doubt on prospects for talks between Azerbaijan and Karabakh Armenians

EUMA started observing Armenia's border with Azerbaijan

28/02/2023 -  Onnik James Krikorian

On 20 February the European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA) started observing the country’s fragile border with neighbouring Azerbaijan. EUMA is a tool to create a more conducive environment for negotiations between Yerevan and Baku

Armenia-Azerbaijan, a difficult dialogue

23/02/2023 -  Onnik James Krikorian

Hopes and tension at Munich Security Conference as Armenian and Azerbaijan leaders meet to discuss a peace treaty. The initial optimism for the historic meeting soon gave way to unresolved tensions between Pashinyan and Aliyev

European Union Establishes Longer-Term Monitoring Mission in Armenia

25/01/2023 -  Onnik James Krikorian

The European Union gave the green light on 23 January to the long-term mission in Armenia (EUMA). It is a monitoring mission on the border with Azerbaijan, it will employ about a hundred people and will be temporarily led by Stefano Tomat, senior official with the EU External Action Service

EU Monitoring Capacity deploys on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border

08/11/2022 -  Onnik James Krikorian

The European Monitoring Capacity (EUMCAP) is the short-term EU mission deployed on the borders between Armenia and Azerbaijan with the aim of reducing tensions between the two states and strengthening their mutual trust

Sochi: the summit of uncertainty

09/12/2021 -  Onnik James Krikorian Tbilisi

A trilateral meeting between the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia was held in Sochi on 26 November. Few details emerged from the meeting. For some it was a non-event, for others a step forward in diplomacy

Armenia and Azerbaijan: the waltz of (missed) meetings

25/11/2021 -  Onnik James Krikorian

A trilateral meeting between Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia should take place tomorrow, November 26, in the Russian tourist resort of Sochi. At the center of the diplomatic initiative the possible agreements between the two warring countries. However, the information is still scarce

One Year After the 2020 Karabakh War

11/11/2021 -  Onnik James Krikorian Tbilisi

Though the future remains unpredictable, last year’s war between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh changed the geographical and geopolitical landscape in the South Caucasus after three decades of bitterness, conflict, and division. Now, some analysts hope, there is an opportunity to turn a new page in Armenia-Azerbaijan relations