South Caucasus Weekly Review looks into major developments in Armenia, Georgia & Azerbaijan

By Azernews

Vugar Khalilov

South Caucasus Weekly Review: 4-10 Jul 22

Azernews has launched a new project designed to cover weekly major developments in the South Caucasian nations

HIGHLIGHTS

Armenia to introduce a draft concept for constitutional reforms by late 2022

Yerevan eyes boosting multifarious cooperation with Tehran, Madrid

Armenia, Turkey agree to open borders for third-country citizens, air cargo

Georgians hold a huge pro-EU rally, and call on the government to resign

EU continues to back the Azerbaijani-Armenia normalization process

Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkiye to hold a meeting in regional format soon

Baku hosts int'l conference on Caspian Sea level fluctuations?

Armenia

Armenia to introduce a draft concept for constitutional reforms by late 2022

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that the Ad Hoc Commission for Constitutional Reforms will introduce a draft concept of constitutional reforms by the end of 2022, Azernews reports, citing Armenian media.

Pashinyan made the remarks in his congratulatory message on the occasion of Armenia’s Constitution Day on July 5.

The prime minister also highlighted the importance of the current parliamentary system in his message.

“Armenia should continue to maintain the parliamentary system of governance because the events of 2021 proved that this system provides a more effective mechanism for crises management, involvement, and decisive participation of the people in the political debate,” Pashinyan stressed.

Yerevan eyes boosting multifarious cooperation with Tehran, Madrid

Armenia is keen to expand cooperation in trade, infrastructure, energy, industry, and other fields with Iran and Spain.

On July 7, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received a delegation led by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani.

The officials discussed the strengthening of current cooperation in trade, infrastructure, energy, industry, and other fields. The interlocutors emphasized that the strengthening of economic ties is fundamental for the development of Armenian-Iranian cooperation in various directions.

The parties also exchanged thoughts on ensuring regional stability and security. Ali Shamkhani emphasized that Iran considers any attempt to change the geopolitical situation in the region unacceptable and noted that his country also supports the process of unblocking infrastructure within the framework of preserving the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states.

In the same vein, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan discussed multifarious cooperation with his Spanish counterpart José Manuel Albares Bueno, as part of his working visit to Spain on July 5-7.

The ministers emphasized the implementation of ambitious programs in high and information technologies, renewable energy, tourism, creative education, and a number of other spheres.

Armenia, Turkey agree to open borders for third-country citizens, air cargo

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that Armenia and Turkiye had agreed to open the border to third-country citizens and to start direct air cargo commerce between the two nations.

Pashinyan made the remarks at the Cabinet meeting on July 7, adding that the agreement was reached at the latest meeting of the special representatives of the two nations.

“Now it’s very important that our agencies work with the respective agencies of Turkey because, in line with the political agreement, their implementation depends on this work, and my instruction is to work in a coordinated manner in order to implement the agreements reached as soon as possible”, the prime minister said.

On July 1, Special Representatives for the normalization process between Armenia and Turkey, Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Armenia Ruben Rubinyan, and Ambassador Serdar Kilic held their fourth meeting in Vienna.

Georgia

Georgians hold a huge pro-EU rally, call on the government to resign

On July 3, Georgians organized a large demonstration demanding the government’s resignation due to its failure to legally secure the country’s bid for membership in the European Union.

The nation was gripped by massive protests since EU leaders agreed in late June to postpone Tbilisi's bid for membership awaiting extensive political reforms.

Over 35,000 protesters gathered, obstructing traffic and carrying European flags in front of the Georgian parliament. Over the weekend, a number of opposition parties and pro-EU organizations urged people to put pressure on the ruling Georgian Dream party.

The party's founder, tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili, who has no formal political office but appears to dominate the government, has also come under attack.

"We demand that Ivanishvili relinquish executive power and transfer it, respecting the constitution, to a government of national unity," organizers said in a Facebook post.

A new government must "carry out the reforms demanded by the EU, which will automatically give us the status of a candidate for EU membership," the post added.

Just a few days after Russia's invasion on February 24, Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldova all submitted applications for EU candidacy status.

Azerbaijan

EU continues to back the Azerbaijani-Armenia normalization process

European Council President Charles Michel stressed that the organization would continue to support the Azerbaijani-Armenian normalization process.

Michel made the remarks during a phone call with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on July 4.

Pointing to the trilateral meetings held at the initiative and with the participation of European Council President Charles Michel, and the agreements reached within this framework, President Ilham Aliyev expressed hope that the negotiations towards the normalization of relations and the signing of a peace treaty, delimitation and demarcation of borders, and the opening of transport and communication lines between Armenia and Azerbaijan would yield real results.

Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkiye to hold a meeting in regional format soon - Iranian FM

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said that Tehran, Baku, and Ankara will soon hold a meeting in a regional format, Azernews reports.

Abdollahian made the remark during a joint press conference with his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov in Tehran on July 4, the report added.

"In the new era, regional formats existing between Iran and Azerbaijan or among Iran and other regional countries should be in the spotlight. Within one of the regional formats, a meeting of the foreign ministers of Iran, Azerbaijan, and Turkiye will soon be held in Tehran,” he said.

Abdollahian added that another meeting will be convened in the 3+3 format with the involvement of high-level specialists. The meeting will begin with high-level specialists from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Russia, Iran, and Turkey, and will then progress to foreign ministers from the aforementioned nations in Tehran or another Iranian city.

Baku hosts int'l conf on Caspian Sea level fluctuations

Baku hosted an international conference to discuss fluctuations in the level of the Caspian Sea.

The hybrid international conference on the topic "Caspian Sea level fluctuations, forecasting, and adaptation measures in the face of climate change" has been organized by the Azerbaijani Ecology and Natural Resources Ministry with the support of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

Experts from Caspian countries, representatives of international organizations, and foreign experts participated in the conference.

Azerbaijani Ecology and Natural Resources Minister Mukhtar Babayev addressed the conference participants in a video format.

In his video address, Azerbaijani Ecology and Natural Resources Minister Mukhtar Babayev spotlighted the current Caspian Sea problems, Azerbaijan's efforts to this effect, the importance of national and regional adaptation plans, and regional cooperation through the "Framework Convention on the Protection of the Environment of the Caspian Sea".

Azerbaijan's Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources has been implementing a variety of efforts to clean up the Caspian basin, Babayev stressed.

In his words, the ministry also works and conducts research on the problem of the Caspian Sea's decreasing water level.