Today we live in a society, which cannot imagine life without expressing views on social media. Probably it does have certain advantages. Nevertheless, many participants of active discussions have already forgotten or do not even know about the developments, which unfolded in Armenia 5, 10 or 15 years ago.   

To fill the gap Mediamax presents 5/10/15 project, which introduces the developments in Armenia 5, 10 and 15 years ago.

•    15 YEARS AGO: JULY 12-18, 2006

“Allows to initiate healthy discussions”

Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian said in Yerevan on July 14 that “the revelation of details of the Nagorno Karabakh negotiation process was not a surprise for the Armenian side.”

The Armenian FM told reporters that “the revelation of some details allows to initiate healthy discussions in the society”. At the same time, he noted, the publication of the full negotiation proposal “contains a threat that one of the sides will deny its principles.”

Vartan Oskanian expressed the opinion that the time has not come for the Armenian authorities to start persuading the Armenian society to accept the endorsed principles “as Azerbaijan disagrees with some points of the document.”

Rescuer-2006

Rescuer-2006, U.S. European Command-sponsored exercise began in the Armenian Defense Ministry’s Military Aviation Institute on July 14.

The exercise was attended by over 300 officers from 11 countries: USA, Armenia, Albania, Austria, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Romania, Tajikistan and Ukraine.

Application to join the Republican Party of Armenia

On July 14, Armenian Defense Minister Serzh Sarkissian stated that he had already submitted an application for joining the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA).

On July 18, the leader of the opposition National Democratic Union (NDU), Vazgen Manukyan, said that Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian’s membership in RPA “will become a step towards the establishment of a one-party system in the republic.”

“Determine the strategy”

On July 17, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov called on Armenia “to determine its strategy for Karabakh conflict settlement.”

“I do not feel their strategy and cannot understand it”, Elmar Mamedyarov told “Interfax- Azerbaijan” agency.

“If their strategy is directed towards seizing part of Azerbaijani territories, it is not a strategy, it is simply a suicide,” the FM stressed.

The Azerbaijani FM urged the Armenian government to proceed from the strategy of developments for a longer perspective. “It is necessary to know where they see their country in some time, in 10-30 years, in several generations,” he said.

Statement of G8 leaders

On July 17, the leaders of G8 [Group of Eight] “highlighted the need for an early agreement on basic principles of a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.”

Vladimir Putin and George W.Bush at G8 summit in 2006

Photo: REUTERS

“During the Summit, the issue of the situation concerning Nagorno-Karabakh was raised. We reaffirmed that the G8 supports the mediation efforts by the Co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (France, Russia, United States) and stressed the need for an early agreement on basic principles of a peaceful settlement of the conflict be reached in 2006. We call on Azerbaijan and Armenia to show political will to reach an agreement and prepare their peoples for peace and not for war,” the document read.

•    10 YEARS AGO: JULY 12-18, 2011

ANC blames the PM

On July 14, the opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC) stated that Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsian should not only be dismissed but also prosecuted.

The statement contained a number of accusations against the PM. In particular, the ANC stated that “the Prime Minister caused damage to the country in the amount of USD 50mln due to speculations with the gold reserve” and that “during the time he headed the Armenian government, 200 thousand people emigrated from Armenia”. The opposition also claims that during the time that Tigran Sargsian held the post of the Prime Minister, the “small and medium business has almost disappeared”, the “Armenian rural economy has been destroyed” and “more than half of the currency reserve has been wasted to maintain national currency in an artificial way, which has led the local production to a verge of collapse”.

•    5 YEARS AGO: JULY 12-18, 2016

Closer to the “prospect of success”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in Baku on July 12 that the parties in the conflict and the mediators came closer “to the prospect of success”.

“For obvious reasons, we do not publicly discuss details of the ideas discussed during the meetings of the Presidents and Foreign Ministers. After the meeting in St. Petersburg, three Presidents agreed that they would take care of the appeared sprouts of hope not to miss the moment and agreed that the comments will have general nature, without details. This is an ethical norm for any negotiation process, and I hope that we will follow it. We have a reason to believe that this time we are much closer to the prospect of success than before”, said Sergey Lavrov.

For his part, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov stated:

“Negotiations are held in a topical and meaningful manner and we hope that in case of persistent discussions about the unresolved issues, we can be cautiously optimistic about the future”.

“Potential for progress”

On July 15, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said that “potential for progress” is possible in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement.

John Kerry and Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on July 15, 2016

Photo: REUTERS

“Just last month, President Putin met with the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia in St. Petersburg, and when I saw them in Warsaw, they were grateful for that and they talked further about ways we might try to go forward. It is clearly in everyone’s interest to avoid a new outbreak of fighting, and I am confident that with Russian, American, and French support, the potential for progress is there. Foreign Minister Lavrov and I will continue to consult on this issue, and we’ll remain in regular contact with both Presidents in order to try to encourage a peaceful and a permanent solution”, John Kerry said in Moscow following the talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.

Attack on Police regiment in Yerevan

Early in the morning on July 17, “Sasna Tsrer” group captured a Police regiment in Yerevan.

As a result of the attack, Colonel Artur Vanoyan was killed, Colonel Aram Hovhannisyan, Lieutenant Colonel Hrach Khosteghyan, Subaltern Gagik Mkrtchyan received other injuries.

 

Several senior Police officers who arrived on the scene were taken hostage.

“Sasna Tsrer” described its actions as an “armed rebellion”.

Ara Tadevosyan