Day: January 15, 2025

By Harut Sassounian

TheCaliforniaCourier.com

There seems to be no end to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s concessions to Azerbaijan’s demands. The only end will be the end of Armenia.

Last week, when Pres. Ilham Aliyev once again issued threats against Armenia, Pashinyan responded with further concessions. It feels like Aliyev is ruling Armenia from Baku.

Aliyev gave a lengthy press conference to the Azeri media on January 7, 2025, during which he made arrogant statements about Armenia using an extremely demeaning tone. Here are excerpts from his remarks:

— Armenia returned the four villages in the Tavoush region to Azerbaijan “as a result of a monologue rather than a dialogue.” Armenia returned these villages “under coercion.”

— “Armenia cannot compete with us in the arms race.”

— “The independent Armenian state is, in fact, a fascist state…. Therefore, fascism must be eradicated. Either the Armenian leadership will destroy it, or we will.”

— “Armenia must immediately cease arming itself. France and other countries that supply weapons to Armenia must terminate and cancel these contracts. The weapons that have already been delivered to Armenia must be returned.”

— “The dissolution of the Minsk Group and the amendment of the constitution; without these, a peace treaty is impossible.”

— “The Zangezur corridor must and will be opened.”

–“During his [Pres. Trump’s] first term, there was no issue in U.S.-Azerbaijan relations. On the contrary, the relations were very positive, and we were able to make progress in many areas. The main mistake of the Biden administration regarding Azerbaijan was that they sacrificed U.S.-Azerbaijan relations for U.S.-Armenia relations.”

— “Considering that the current territory of Armenia essentially includes the historical lands that were predominantly inhabited by Azerbaijanis, today we assert that 300,000 Western Azerbaijanis should return to those regions. However, the total number of those who have been displaced from that region, and who are now living in various parts of Azerbaijan, along with their descendants, is several times greater than 300,000.”

After members of the Armenian media complained about Pashinyan’s eerie silence about Aliyev’s threatening comments, he finally agreed to answer a few questions from Armenpress on January 8:

Pashinyan said that by making aggressive statements about Armenia, Aliyev expected a similar aggressive response from Armenia “to form the basis for a new escalation in the region. We will not take that path and we will remain committed to the strategy of peace.” Pashinyan keeps begging for peace and ignoring Aliyev’s multiple rejections. Aliyev prefers a piece of Armenia rather than a piece of paper which he will ignore even if he signs it. In this short interview, Pashinyan repeated the word peace 11 times.

When asked for his reply to Aliyev’s accusation that Armenia is “a fascist state,” Pashinyan sheepishly agreed that there is such a perception about Armenia in Azerbaijan, just as there is a similar perception about Azerbaijan in Armenia.

Regarding Aliyev’s persistent demands for an Azeri corridor through Armenia, Pashinyan once again failed to demand that, as stated in the 2020 agreement, Azerbaijan allow a reciprocal access for Armenia through Azerbaijan.

In responding to a question about Aliyev referring to the Republic of Armenia as “Western Azerbaijan,” Pashinyan simply said: Aliyev “has said nothing new about this topic for me to have a new reaction.”

Regarding Aliyev’s complaints about Armenia acquiring arms, Pashinyan stated: “no one can dispute the right of the Republic of Armenia to have a defensible army.” He then added: “we do not have an objective of militarily returning more than 200 square kilometers of occupied territories of the Republic of Armenia….”

In response to Azeri accusations of Armenia violating the ceasefire, Pashinyan repeated his proposal “to create a joint mechanism to jointly investigate each report about ceasefire violations, and draw joint conclusions.”

On January 9, Pashinyan posted on his Facebook page a lengthy statement comprised of 17 points, complying with Aliyev’s demands for concessions.

He described “Western Azerbaijan” as consisting of several towns located in the Western part of Azerbaijan, including parts of Artsakh. He falsely named cities in the Republic of Armenia as being “Western Armenia,” adding facetiously, “there is no Western Armenia beyond this and cannot be.”

He then detailed the components of “establishing lasting stability and peace in the region”:

— “Mutually abandon escalatory narratives.”

— “Continue the delimitation process.”

— “Sign a peace treaty which is 90% ready.”

— “Implement the ‘Crossroads of Peace’ project.”

— “Introduce a joint mechanism for investigating ceasefire violations.”

— “Fully resolve the issue of detained persons.”

— “Work in full intensity to locate and resolve the issue of determining the fate of those considered missing.”

— “Withdraw the claims against each other, including, but not limited to, claims in international courts.”

— “Work on the complete and effective implementation of the provisions of the peace treaty.”

— “Form a mechanism for negotiating around mutual arms control, quota allocation, and implementing restrictions on the use of armaments.”

— “Discuss in full the issues pertaining to refugees from the two countries by forming a joint professional, expert commission after the establishment of peace.”

— “Dissolve the OSCE Minsk Group.”

Some of these points are a rehash of Pashinyan’s previous proposals which Aliyev has not accepted. However, several are against Armenia’s interests, particularly: the withdrawal of mutual lawsuits in international courts and dissolving the OSCE Minsk Group. Both of these demands were dictated by Aliyev.

Jan 15 (Reuters) – Donald Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, and her husband Jared Kushner enjoyed largely unfettered access to Trump in his first term and were influential on a vast portfolio including Middle Eastern peace negotiations and COVID-19 vaccine development.

In the second Trump administration starting on Jan. 20, however, they say they will not take official roles, and will instead be some 1,000 miles (1,600 km) away from Washington D.C. in their Miami home.

Kushner, originally a real estate scion, now runs a private equity firm fueled by investments from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Ivanka Trump, meanwhile, has eschewed politics and has said she wants to focus on her three children.

However, Kushner remains involved behind the scenes, advising on Trump’s Middle Eastern strategy, helping select appointees and guiding certain cabinet members through the transition, according to one source familiar with his work.

Kushner is “very, very close” to Trump’s incoming chief-of-staff, Susie Wiles, and speaks to her regularly, the source said. Kushner is also involved with some hiring – for example working with incoming Attorney General Pam Bondi to help find a new Federal Bureau of Prisons director, the source added.

And Kushner, who helped broker a series of normalization agreements between Israel and Arab nations, has been advising Steve Witkoff, a longtime Trump friend and donor, on his new job as special envoy to the Middle East.

“He’s been focusing on getting Steve up to speed on the file and helping Steve with strategy,” the source added.

A representative for Witkoff did not respond to a request for comment.

With the Trump administration expected to pursue the goal of normalizing relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia under an expansion of the 2020 Abraham Accords, Kushner is likely to play an important role behind the scenes on the Middle East.

“As a former ambassador, I can tell you that if I were doing anything in the Middle East, the first person I would go to would be Jared,” said Ed McMullen, a prominent Trump fundraiser and his former ambassador to Switzerland.

Ethics experts, Democrats and even some Republicans have expressed concern that the Middle Eastern investments – which include $2 billion from Saudi Arabia – in Kushner’s firm present conflicts of interest since he worked on regional issues in the White House, a view Kushner says is wrong and politically motivated.

Reuters reported in October that Kushner had discussed U.S.-Saudi diplomatic negotiations involving Israel with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman multiple times since leaving the Trump White House.

Following the Reuters story, Democratic lawmakers asked the U.S. attorney general to appoint a special counsel to investigate whether Kushner was functioning as an unregistered foreign agent for Saudi Arabia.

Kushner, who says there is no conflict of interest with his investments, dismissed the letter as “silly political stunts.”

Thanks in part to his firm Affinity Partners, Forbes estimates Kushner is close to becoming a billionaire.

Spokespeople for Kushner and Ivanka Trump, as well as the Trump transition team, did not respond to requests for comment.

LESS FAMILY, MORE TRUSTED AIDES

Trump does not appear to need his family for advice as much as in the past because of trusted aides like Wiles, who helped to run the most disciplined of his election campaigns to date.

“Trump has a much more professional operation around him,” said David Kochel, a Republican strategist.

Kushner and Ivanka Trump were involved in a large remit of issues during Trump’s 2017-2021 administration, with Kushner’s portfolio including brokering a new North American trade agreement with tougher rules on labor and automotive content, and helping North America land the 2026 soccer World Cup. Ivanka also successfully advocated for an expansion of the child tax credit and paid parental leave for federal workers.

Kushner is due to remain focused on business, with Affinity Partners recently raising an additional $1.5 billion from the Qatar Investment Authority and Abu Dhabi investor Lunate, he said in late December.

“I made very clear to them,” Kushner added, “that in the event that Trump was elected, that they should not expect anything from me for that,” Kushner said on the Invest Like the Best podcast.

On a recent episode of The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Podcast, Ivanka Trump said she had eschewed another White House stint to prioritize time with her three children. She said she was looking forward to supporting Trump as a daughter rather than an adviser this time around.

Ivanka Trump’s Instagram features photos of luxury vacations, glamorous nights out in Miami, and her playing polo and surfing.

Trump’s sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump are also not expected to join him in official White House roles. Don Jr., his eldest son, has joined conservative venture capital fund 1789 Capital, while Eric Trump runs the Trump Organization, Donald Trump’s family business.

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Reporting by Alexandra Ulmer, editing by Ross Colvin and Deepa Babington

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia on Wednesday launched a major ballistic and cruise missile attack on regions across Ukraine, targeting energy production and compelling authorities to shut down the power grid in some areas despite freezing winter weather, officials said.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that it launched a strike on “critically important facilities of gas and energy infrastructure that ensure the functioning of Ukraine’s military industrial complex.” It didn’t give the target locations or other details.

The barrage came a day after the Russian Defense Ministry vowed a response to what it said was an attack on Russian soil using multiple Western-supplied missiles.

Kyiv hasn’t confirmed that attack, though it said Tuesday that it hit an oil refinery and a fuel storage depot, a chemical plant producing ammunition and two anti-aircraft missile systems, in a missile and drone attack that reached around 1,100 kilometers (almost 700 miles) into Russia.

Long-range attacks have been a feature of the nearly three-year war, where on the front line snaking about 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) from northeast to southern Ukraine, the armies have been engaged in a war of attrition. Russia has been advancing on the battlefield over the past year, though its progress has been slow and costly.

Russia attacked Ukraine with 43 missiles and 74 drones overnight, the Ukrainian Air Force said. A total of 30 missiles and 47 drones were shot down, and 27 drones failed to reach their target, it said.

The Russian missiles sought out targets from the Lviv region in western Ukraine near Poland to Kharkiv in northeast Ukraine bordering Russia. The state energy company Ukrenergo reported emergency power outages in six regions. It often shuts down production during attacks as a precaution.

“The enemy continues to terrorize Ukrainians,” Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko wrote on Facebook.

Electricity supplies resumed to households in some areas by the middle of the day, but Ukrenergo urged customers to avoid using power-hungry electrical appliances.

Russia has repeatedly tried to cripple Ukraine’s power grid, denying the country heat, electricity and running water in an effort to break the Ukrainian spirit. The attacks have also sought to disrupt Ukraine’s defense manufacturing industry.

Last September, the U.N. refugee agency reported that Ukraine had lost more than an estimated 60% of its energy generation capacity.

Ukrainian authorities try to rebuild their power generation after the attack, though the barrages have eroded production. Western partners have been helping Ukraine rebuild.

“It is the middle of the winter, and Russia’s goal remains unchanged: our energy infrastructure,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram.

He urged Western partners to accelerate the delivery to Ukraine of promised air defense weapons, emphasizing that “promises have been made but not yet fully realized.”

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Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine