2023 October 9

Daily news wrap-up

Interview with Nagorno-Karabakh opposition leader Samvel Babayan \\\ Azerbaijani army firing at civilian houses: Video \\\ Azeri gas hits the brakes \\\ Banning Russian TV channels in Armenia, psychic powers: Interview \\\ Lake Sevan research \\\ And more...
by ar_david_hh

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video shows Azerbaijani soldiers firing at civilian houses in Nagorno-Karabakh after the military aggression that depopulated the entire region

The incident, videotaped by Azerbaijani soldiers themselves, took place in the village of Charektar located in northwestern Nagorno-Karabakh.

The soldiers are seen entering the village through the main road. They fire toward multiple civilian houses they encounter along the way.

18 civilians, including 6 children, were killed by the Azerbaijani army across Nagorno-Karabakh during the invasion.

[video,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_Xf87xIJIg?t=4) [article](https://a1plus.am/hy/article/462955)

Azerbaijan is an unreliable partner, Europe should stop buying its natural gas: head of European Parliament Roberta Metsola

[article,](https://arka.am/en/news/politics/head_of_european_parliament_calls_baku_an_unreliable_partner_saying_europe_should_stop_buying_its_na/)

Azerbaijan's plan to double gas exports to EU at risk as talks stall: Bloomberg

>Azerbaijan may not be able to deliver on ambitions to double natural gas exports to Europe by 2027, having failed to secure long-term sales deals it needs before investing billions of dollars to boost production, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.

AZ-EU talks began after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But the EU's energy crisis has since eased and they aren't as desperate anymore.

>time may have run out for Azerbaijan to lock in the long-term contracts it needs to underpin investments in infrastructure.

Unlike pipeline transfers, liquified natural gas (LNG) does not require decades-long contracts and its infrastructure is flexible. The EU will buy LNG from the U.S. and Qatar.

>the market is expected to see a buildup of an oversupply in global LNG markets from 2027 and onwards

Romania said it will not sign a long-term contract. Germany has not yet held any serious talks with Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijani gas industry official says they might not be able to meet the target of supplying the additional 10 bcm to Europa by 2027.

>Azerbaijan’s recent seizure of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which led about 100,000 Armenians to flee to Armenia amid fears of ethnic cleansing, could weigh on any decisions European buyers make.

An American analyst believes Azerbaijan "has shot itself in the foot" with the invasion, and that Azeri gas will remain in Azerbaijan unless Turkey wants to buy more.

[article,](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-10-06/azeri-plan-to-double-gas-exports-to-eu-at-risk-as-talks-stall)

interview with Nagorno-Karabakh opposition leader Samvel Babayan

Read Babayan's [September 26](https://www.reddit.com/r/armenia/comments/16t0inm/samvel_babayan_azerbaijan_had_agreed_to_autonomy/) interview for context. He revealed details from the not-so-secret negotiations he was holding with Azerbaijan with the permission of President Arayik, against the wishes of the former regime that would later oust Arayik. Babayan was the first high-profile Nagorno-Karabakh official who crossed into Armenia without getting arrested. He said the Azerbaijan agents weren't thoroughly checking the passports during the mass exodus. The opposition parties in Armenia accused Babayan of complicating the departure of other Nagorno-Karabakh officials, citing more thorough identification procedures at the checkpoint a day after Babayan's crossing.

REPORTER: [Brings up Babayan's safe passage through the checkpoint]

BABAYAN: You can end the conspiracy theories by requesting Azerbaijan to share the video footage from the checkpoint to see how exactly I crossed it. I drove there, greeted the Azeri agents, got scanned, and entered Armenia. My impression is that the agents did not recognize me and weren't expecting me to be there. Over 20 generals crossed the same way as I did.

REPORTER: There are no Armenians left in Nagorno-Karabakh, yet we don't see Azeris [civilians] in Nagorno-Karabakh, either. They have invaded everything, so what are they waiting for?

BABAYAN: Azerbaijan will refrain from making any moves for 2 months to "allow the Nagorno-Karabakh population to return", according to them. The question is, if Armenians return, will they be forced to "reintegrate", or will we receive some kind of autonomous status? The latter was my proposal. There were negotiations. The documents have been handed over to authorities as part of a general investigation. You will eventually see them.

But we should focus on the situation today. We must continue these negotiations with Azerbaijan to allow Armenians to have an autonomous republic within the NKAO borders. Without this, it would be pointless to try to return. People will regret it if they return without a status.

It is true that Azerbaijan has assigned a commandant to oversee the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. Their goal is to convince a few thousand Armenians to return so they'll avoid being accused of ethnic cleansing. Today there are no more than 33 Armenians left.

There are also efforts in Armenia to return some refugees to Nagorno-Karabakh. I don't know who these people are, whether they are Russian agents or someone else, but they are attempting to convince some of the refugees to return by promising that Russian peacekeepers will remain in the region for many years and "it will be safe".

REPORTER: One must be a kamikaze to agree to return under these conditions.

BABAYAN: You can always find people who are easily convinced, who are perhaps elderly and get tired easily and want to return to old life. I advise them to be careful.

REPORTER: Azerbaijan could have easily repopulated the invaded areas by bussing in thousands of people. Why haven't they done so yet?

BABAYAN: There is international pressure to create conditions to allow Armenians to return. Aliyev's adviser has revealed that Azerbaijan will refrain from any actions in Nagorno-Karabakh over the next 2 months because they want Armenians to return. Azerbaijan will try to use these 2 months to strengthen its diplomatic positions.

REPORTER: What is your vision for returning the refugees to their homes?

BABAYAN: The same thing that I was negotiating with Azerbaijan. We were in the midst of negotiations [when the invasion took place]. The Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army has been dissolved so that issue is no longer on the table. We should continue to negotiate around the other issues.

REPORTER: Will the Nagorno-Karabakh population trust you?

BABAYAN: The real question is, will the negotiation lead to the return of the population? People want someone to successfully negotiate for their safe return. We are holding talks with various circles from Nagorno-Karabakh regarding our negotiations with Azerbaijan so that no one will claim it's an obscure process, but I will not ask for anyone's "permission" to hold these negotiations. I can do so as the #2 political party of Nagorno-Karabakh.

REPORTER: It's not clear anymore who the leader of Nagorno-Karabakh is after Shahramanyan's decree to dissolve the state.

BABAYAN: He did not have the legal right to sign that document. He can't annul a referendum by a stroke of a pen.

REPORTER: How were President Shahramanyan and the 22 MPs who voted for him able to safely leave Nagorno-Karabakh, after the arrest of others? Did he sign the decree in exchange for saving his own skin?

BABAYAN: The decree was the ransom payment. I'm cooperating with investigators in Armenia by sharing my knowledge. The other leaders should be invited to testify. Shahramanyan signed a ceasefire agreement that claimed the army of the Republic of Armenia was in Nagorno-Karabakh, which isn't true. Armenian authorities must investigate this.

The regime in Nagorno-Karabakh has long over-relied on "phone calls from Moscow" to solve the problems. This is why we've lost our country. I've been warning my fellow Karabakhis since 2016 that they will become refugees soon because of the actions of the thieves in charge.

REPORTER: There are reports that the 3 ex-presidents of Nagorno-Karabakh were arrested by Azerbaijan in the military base belonging to Russian peacekeepers in Ivanyan. They hoped until the end to reach Armenia safely. Why did they end up getting arrested?

BABAYAN: According to the information I have, they weren't arrested at the Russian military base in Ivanyan. One of them was arrested in Stepanakert's wine factory [ehh?], and the others on the road. Yes, they had received promises [by Russian peacekeepers] about being safely evacuated. But they should have known better that it wouldn't work. The wife of Volkov [the head of Russian peacekeepers] was searched by Azeris every time the Russian helicopter would land in Nagorno-Karabakh. The ex-leaders should have realized that [Russians couldn't help them reach Armenia]. Why would Russia take a risk if you are disposable for them, you are one of their many agents.

REPORTER: Armenia sent tens of millions of dollars to support Nagorno-Karabakh residents under the blockade. The private sector was destroyed but the public workers continued to receive salaries with the help of Armenia's subsidies. People had money but didn't have a place where they could spend it. A lot of money was sent to Nagorno-Karabakh over the past few years. Where did it all go?

BABAYAN: Nagorno-Karabakh (pop. 120,000) had a public sector with a whopping 25,000 employees. Plus the army and territorial defense forces. I have long accused Pashinyan of enabling the regime in Stepanakert by showering them with cash. He gave drugs to an addict. The greedy regime in Stepanakert ended up causing the situation we are in today. You and I should not speculate where the money went to. Let the authorities investigate. But yes, the schemes worked until the last day.

I've been in touch with mayors of villages and towns. I have advised Pashinyan on how to handle the refugee influx, how to help people integrate, to prevent them from becoming diasporans. We made that mistake with the Armenians who escaped Sumgayit and Baku. Can't do that again.

[video,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2Dad81UqqM?t=13)

interview with analyst Karen Sargsyan || Banning Russian TV channels || Russia-Armenia relations || Geopolitics

REPORTER: [Ruling party members] recently mentioned the possibility of prohibiting the broadcasting of Russian state media in Armenia [for spreading propaganda against Armenia's sovereignty]. As it turns out, Armenian households have access to more Russian television channels than Armenian, in our own broadcasting multiplex. Moreover, Russian channels are the only foreign ones. We have fewer Armenian channels, zero English-language channels, and a large number of Russian channels. What is the effect on Armenia and our society?

KAREN: That's because we have a cowardly government that allows this to continue. Moreover, the H1 public network never invites Ukrainian officials for an interview, but there is no shortage of Russian officials. The network is run by a pro-Russian sect.

One of the members of the sect is the director of No. 36 school, who recently summoned the teachers and told them "We must collectively go lick Russian boots because we wouldn't exist without them." That's a copy of Margarita Simonyan's social media posts. This is a clinical case that warrants a medical examination.

Authorities say they can't shut down Russian channels because they can't touch the commercial sector. That's just an excuse, there are easy ways to restrict the channels: Require Armenian ISPs to pay ֏700M per week per subscriber for broadcasting a Russian channel.

But that wouldn't be enough. They must summon the heads of every government office and give them 3 hours to block internet access to IP addresses belonging to Russian tech giants like mail ru, Yandex, Rambler, and Vkontakte. Block them all. There are criminal idiots in the government who email top-secret documents to each other through mail ru.

They met Zelenskty 1.5 years late, they ratified the Rome Statute 9 months late, so are they going to delay the banning of Russian channels by another year now? Why?

No more than 20% of our population uses the free-to-air public multiplex to watch Russian channels. Everyone else has internet [cable]. That 20%, most of whom are low-income residents in rural areas, don't watch Russian-language channels that much. So the main problem that spreads Russian propaganda isn't the free-to-air, it's the cable. When you buy a package with 100+ channels it comes with Russian channels by default. You have 14 channels that broadcast Russian soap operas, lots of Russian cartoon networks with Russian ads, etc.. This is the domain that pushes the Kremlin propaganda. Thankfully, the authorities have found the courage to at least bring this issue to the surface.

REPORTER: Why are the Russian channels dangerous?

KAREN: When the first wave of Russian relocants moved to Armenia after the launch of the Ukraine war, some of them subscribed to cable channels and told me that there is more Kremlin propaganda in Armenia than in Russia. They were shocked. This is also a bad look in front of Europe. To describe the current state of our media, it's like a father feeding bread to his kid while both of them sit in a pile of shit in a barn.

REPORTER: Russian channels have become anti-Armenian.

KAREN: Their Telegram, too. Ideally, we'd have more Armenian-language content so they would push the Russian channels out, but in the short term, banning is the only option.

Why do we even have a school named after [Russian poet] Pushkin? Shut it down and transfer Pushkin's statue straight to a landfill. What has Pushkin done for Armenia? The same about Chekhov. We have an Armenian-Russian Slavonic University. Remove "Russian". Make it a general university associated with Slavic countries. Invite Poles and Slovaks to co-manage it.

I graduated from a school that was later named after [Soviet physisit] Sakharov after his death. It was very well funded by the Soviet regime back in my days. It was considered as one of the best in Armenia. The Soviet regime always made sure to properly fund Russian schools in Armenia. This was a known thing. They even built an underground passage near the Chekhov school. How many Armenian schools can you name on Baghramyan Avenue [prestigious area]? Russian schools were considered elite. Bolsheviks were taking their kids to Russian schools.

REPORTER: About the quality of teachers and schools today...

KAREN: Awful. Sadly, we must rebuild our educational system from the ground up. Three mandatory languages: Armenian, English, and French. It must be based on a Western model: Swiss, Finnish, or British.

I'm sure someone will lecture me on how great the Soviet schools were for math and physics. The reality is that the students and their parents of these elite phys-math schools could not have been smart because they believed in nonsense. The population of the USSR was hooked on Anatoly Kashpirovsky's psychic bullshit. People would place a bucket of water in front of their TV and tune in to Kashpirovsky's psychic session so the water would receive "energy". A person who is supposedly good at physics would never do or believe anything like this. The so-called "good at physics" was on surface-level only, or did not exist at all. You are not good at physics if you place a bottle of water in front of the TV and expect some monkey from Moscow's Ostankino Tower to remotely send energy to it. You are just an ordinary moron. Have you ever seen a homeless person on the streets who graduated from Harvard? You haven't, because in a normal society, you never fall below a certain level if you graduate from, let's say, a college or a university. There is a minimum threshold. But in ex-USSR republics, you can find many hobos with good diplomas.

REPORTER: About the AM-AZ border delimitation and trade routes.

KAREN: Azerbaijan and Russia don't want Turkey to lift the blockade on Armenia. We shouldn't give Azerbaijan any routes to Nakhijevan until the AM-AZ border delimitation is over. Or, we could give them a route via Ijevan, whichever brings the most benefits to us.

The Armenian government wants to use 1975 Soviet maps to demarcate the AM-AZ borders. The problem is that these maps were created with the use of highly inaccurate geolocation technologies. If you take that map and stand on a location mentioned on that map, your GPS could show that you're 400 meters off. These maps were created with the use of Baltika-42 or Kronshtadt-42 systems that are inaccurate on high altitudes. It was calibrated for use at a Baltic Sea level, or the Gulf of Finland. It's highly inaccurate.

There is no shortage of degenerates in our military who want to use that. Even Russia has given up on that tech and they don't trust their own maps drawn with that technology. Arshak Karapetyan, the idiot who served as the defense minister for 6 months before being fired by Pashinyan, who is now releasing pro-Russian videos from Moscow, is the one who convinced Pashinyan to use the inaccurate 1975 maps. Have they actually *seen* the 1975 maps? Why not maps from earlier years?

REPORTER: Today, everyone and their uncle are discussing these maps, the 29,800 km^2, and the enclaves. Are the enclaves in or out? This is what the population is focused on today.

KAREN: People should focus on washing their hands before leaving the toilet instead of enclaves. People aren't paying attention to their children's grades and do not help them with homework because parents themselves have forgotten 4th-grade math. That's what they should do, not discuss enclaves. Can people even tell the difference between an enclave and an exclave? Why do they care?

REPORTER: Why is everyone focused on enclaves?

KAREN: Because the degenerates called "opposition parties", and several degenerate government members, want to divert the attention from real issues that impact the population, such as the economy, currency exchange, education, etc. These are the things that have an actual impact on the ordinary Armenians, not the "enclaves".

Armenia will not have peace for as long as Russia exists in its current form. The first thing an Armenian must do in the morning is to read two prayers: one for Zelensky and one for Ukraine to win the war *as soon as possible*. Pashinyan can speak about an era of peace and sign 10 peace agreements every day, but none of it will be worth anything as long as Aliyev has the backing of Putin.

[video,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Orsc-HuAAyI)

Armenia's foreign minister "cancels" negotiations with Azerbaijan under a Russian-led platform, a week after Azerbaijan rejected the Western platform

FM Ararat Mirzoyan will not attend the CIS session on October 12 where he was expected to meet Russia's Lavrov and Azerbaijan's Bayramov. Armenia will instead send a deputy FM to attend the CIS session.

[article,](https://factor.am/698545.html)

Armenia skips Russian-led CSTO military exercises in Kyrgyzstan

The MOD has not specified the reason (as of writing this).

[article,](https://factor.am/697931.html)

Armenia's economy in the first 8 months of 2023

Processing industry +0.8%

Mining -5.1% (copper concentrate production -16.5%)

Domestic trade +23% (wholesale +32%, retail +7%)

Construction +17%

Services +15%

Information and communication services +52%

Transport services +31%

Catering and hotel services +22%

Scientific and technical services +9%

• [article,](https://arka.am/en/news/economy/armenia_s_industrial_output_in_first_8_months_of_2023_amounts_to_over_1_6_trillion_drams/)
• [article,](https://arka.am/en/news/economy/armenia_s_production_of_copper_concentrate_slashes_by_16_5_in_january_august_2023/)
• [article,](https://arka.am/en/news/business/armenia_s_construction_sector_up_17_3_in_january_august_2023_nsc/)
• [article,](https://arka.am/en/news/business/armenia_s_domestic_trade_up_23_1_in_first_8_months_of_2023/)
• [article,](https://arka.am/en/news/economy/armenia_s_services_sector_grows_by_almost_15_in_january_august_2023_to_about_2_trillion_drams/)

Armenia's grain harvest grows amid double-digit drop in fellow EAEU states

>Armenia so far is the only member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) that has reported a growth in the grain harvest

Armenia +21%

Belarus -21%

Russia -12%

Kyrgyzstan -40%

Kazakhstan ?

[article,](https://arka.am/en/news/economy/armenia_is_the_only_eeu_member_to_show_grain_harvest_growth_/)

net inflow of private transfers into Armenian banks

2014: $836 million

2015: $549 million

2016: $429 million

2017: $492 million

2018: $396 million

2019: $298 million

2020: $364 million

2021: $576 million

2022: $1,421 million

2023: $1,234 million

[article,](https://factor.am/698584.html)

Armenian and German scientists have been busy collecting data from Lake Sevan over the past few years

Armenian scientists make regular visits to Germany to study European methods. The AM-DE joint research group has collected data from Sevan over the past 3 years. They have concluded the project. The collected data has allowed them to create various models.

Lake Sevan has lost a significant portion of its "cold" layer due to the gradual decrease in water levels throughout the decades. One of the models allows scientists to predict what would happen if the water levels were to rise again, and how long it would take to restore the cold protective layer.

The plankton population was one of the targets of the research. Planktons respond quickly to changes in the quality of water and "food" ecosystem. They are a great metric.

Hydro-ecology stations were installed in the lake to continuously monitor the water quality.

German scientists provided modern instruments for studying problems in various layers of the lake. The project was co-funded by the German government.

[video,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEL6OiaLoaQ)

Yerevan municipal elections: voting results by each district

The map shows how each district voted on the election day. The ruling QP and opposition Republic parties are counted together due to friendly ties. The three other opposition parties are counted as one. Here is how the districts voted:

Ajapnyak: ruling

Davtashen: ruling

Arabkir: opposition

Zeytun: ruling

Avan: opposition

Nor-Nork: opposition

Nork-Marash: ruling

Kentron: opposition

Malatia: ruling

Shengavit: ruling

Erebuni: ruling

Nubarashen: ruling

The opposition won in 4 of the 12 districts, largely in line with the 2021 general elections. Nor-Nork was a toss-up in 2021. This time it went to the opposition.

Overall, the opposition was ahead by just 324 votes out of 203,788 [update: this is the number of votes given to the top 5 parties that made it]

[article,](https://www.civilnet.am/news/753673/երևանի-ավագանու-ընտրություններում-ձայների-բաշխումը՝-ըստ-վարչական-շրջանների/)

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Link to original report and comments: https://www.reddit.com/r/armenia/comments/1745mdo/interview_with_nagornokarabakh_opposition_leader/