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On December 28th, more than a month after the end of the fighting in the southern Caucasus region of Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia and Azerbaijan exchanged prisoners of war.
This is not the first time such an exchange happens.
Under Russian mediation, two Azerbaijanis and four Armenians have returned to their homeland, said the commander of the Russian peacekeeping forces on site, Rustam Muradov, the Interfax news agency reported on Monday.
A video shows how Sputnik reporters met in Yerevan the Armenian prisoners brought from Azerbaijan with the personal mediation of the commander of the Russian peacekeepers, Lieutenant General Rustam Muradov.
By mid-December, the two warring states had already exchanged more than 50 prisoners.
The Russian peacekeepers are continuing their efforts, educating citizens in Nagorno-Karabakh on security and safety, clearing out mines and more.
On December 27th, as a result of the work of the engineer-sapper group in the central region of the city of Stepanakert, 13.3 hectares of territory were cleared, during the inspection, they were found and transported to the landfill for the destruction of 1,149 explosive objects.
Furthermore, on December 28th, as a result of the work of the engineering group, 13.6 hectares of territory, 5 km of roads, 35 buildings were cleared, more than a thousand explosive objects were found.
Meanwhile, Artsakh rescuers were not allowed to search for missing persons in Hadrut.
The search and rescue teams of the State Emergency Service of Artsakh were not allowed to leave for Hadrut.
Head of the Public Relations Department of the State Emergency Service Hunan Tadevosyan told “Armenpress” about this.
“According to the plan, three groups were sent to search and rescue operations in the direction of Gadrut. In the morning there was no contact with the groups, but they were contacted some time ago, it became clear that they were not allowed to move from the vicinity of the Shekher village. Now they are returning,” Hunan Tadevosyan said.
On December 27, Azerbaijani media reported on the resumption of hostilities between the Armenian-Azerbaijani military near the village of Tog in Hadrut.
There are also reports of casualties on both sides. The village of Tog is under the full control of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan. The Artsakh Defense Army stated that not a single unit of the Defense Army, not a single serviceman took part in any operations, no emergency was registered, not a single shot was fired from the Armenian side.
In Armenia, protests against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan continue and the opposition rejected his proposal for “special elections”.
In an interview on December 27th, he said that the ate of the government should be determined by the people, and one of the ways of displaying the people’s expression of will is parliamentary elections.
“I am proposing a mechanism whereby everyone’s voice will be heard, and the correlation of these voices will be quantifiable and measurable. And, essentially, this is a mechanism of forming public solidarity. After all, what is the dispute about? The dispute is the following – who should decide the government’s fate. My presumption, and the presumption outlined by the Constitution, is that the people should determine the fate of the government,” Pashinyan said.
Asked whether or not changes will be implemented until early elections – Electoral Code, Constitution, stable majority, percentages – the PM said this should also become subject of discussion.
He said the parliament majority could solve these issues within the ruling faction.
“But we want discussions to take place over these topics, and we want to hear out all viewpoints. We want to have substantial discussions about everything. For all this time, I haven’t avoided answering any question neither from reporters nor anyone else. People claim I am a traitor, they are chanting and accusing me of treason, and I am telling them all right, I am ready to face this accusation. Let the people decide whether or not I am a traitor. Am I avoiding any accusation? Electoral Code? Very well, I have my perception on how it should be, let others also say their perceptions. First of all the parliamentary forces, but of course the other forces should also voice their perceptions,” Pashinyan said.
The opposition publicly rejected Pashinyan’s proposal for special elections.
Opposition leader (17 parties), candidate for Prime Minister Vazgen Manukyan said that elections in the country are possible only after a new government is formed as a result of Pashinyan’s departure.
According to him, the actions of disobedience will continue until Pashinyan resigns.
Earlier, Pashinyan invited the opposition to consultations to discuss the holding of early elections.
Recall that the opposition has set a goal to meet 2021 without Prime Minister Pashinyan. There are only a few days left until 2021.
Azerbaijan, on its part, continues releasing videos of its “liberated territories.”
There’s also a video of the Azerbaijani prisoners of war returning to Baku.
Azerbaijan also released a list of 2,883 names, photos and military ranks of those that died in the Nagorno-Karabakh war.
The list can be found here: [pdf]
MORE ON THE TOPIC:
THE REAL KARABAKH WAR
How Russians blackmailed, betrayed, defrauded and STOLE from their allies the Armenians:
In January 2013, Gazprom became the 100% owner of Armenia’s gas facilities. The “gas contract” signed by Presidents Putin and Sargsyan assumed that gas would be supplied to Armenia at domestic Russian prices. In practice, it turned out like this: “Gazprom” actually sold gas at domestic Russian prices to its 100% subsidiary. But “on the border” of Armenia gas suddenly grew in price – and the “daughter” Russian state-owned company Inter RAO UES sold this gas to Armenian consumers about TWICE AS EXPENSIVELY through Electric Networks of Armenia which is its 100% owned subsidiary.
Armenia was negotiating with Europe on the Association Agreement. In July 2013, they were crowned with success; it was expected that the parties would sign an agreement in the fall. Then, in July, it became known that Russia had raised the price of gas for Armenia: from $ 180 per thousand cubic meters to $270. Russia had blackmailed Armenia against signing the European Association Agreement. Consequently, the Armenians were forced to drop the agreement with the EU.
But when Armenia asked to join the Eurasian Union with Russia, Russians refused saying that they did not recognize Karabakh. Russia said this in May 2014, that is, two months after Russia’s annexation of Crimea. Even though Armenia, was one of the very few countries that welcomed the referendum in Crimea.
Prior to this outrage, until the Armenian Metsamor power plant was reopened, Russia was selling electricity to Armenia on credit terms which were 1.5 times more expensive than the more favorable financing terms available from Europe.
In 2001, Russia forgave four billion dollars of Ethiopia’s debt.
In 2000 – nine billion to Vietnam.
In total, from 2000 to 2005, Russia wrote off about 30 billion to Tanzania, Iraq, Laos, Benin, Guinea-Bissau and other close friends.
Then right before the second Karabakh war started, Russia sold more sophisticated arms than Russia’s ally Armenia ever had, to Armenia’s enemy, Azerbaijan.
Russians themselves had documented in Baku and Soumgait between 1988 and 1990 the fact that Azeris had tortured and killed their citizens of Armenian ethnicity as a matter of state policy, in pogroms organized by the Azeri government, during which the Azeri authorities had manufactured and distributed sharp-edged iron bars to Azeri civilians to enable them to stab and hack Armenian civilians to death.
After the second Karabakh war started, the Russians REFUSED to employ purely defensive Electronic Warfare assets which the Armenians did not possess. As a result, Turkish and Israeli drones murdered thousands of defenseless Armenians. The Russians watched their allies the Armenians get slaughtered without lifting a finger: https://jam-news.net/russia-armenia-allies-eurasian-union-economy-karabakh/?fbclid=IwAR1iVv5YADCF3GSDp_LNXCaDlFxgPuIIhcR4latVW-IB6Wsr5d1-fzWei9U
Irrelevan’t and untrue whichever way it goes,no future in fascism,nor lgbt fake narratives,more to the point,the truth shall prevail no matter what 30 yrs of nwo tyranny is now null and void,the lands retuned to the original owners,russia warned the nocando soros fools,in the end truth prevails reason over everything,mixing garbage with insolence sure ain’t the way forward regardless of fake narratives,truth is the saviour here not you fascists!
Conversely each and every hard working tax paying man agrees,better off developments than putting up with insolent bludgers whom refute to put in a noral days effort (period)
Still don’t get it do you,fk no,let me iriterate,sink it though your retarded head,insolence, truth be known,what matters is this exchange is humane so you must protest,you cia loser!
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/7397838a39adcb2028e218ed681e0397745bcaedcfd59d75434d12ebea342b0e.jpg
gypsy tears
armany crying as usual
Every leader that turns to the West looking for help ends up getting shafted, Pashinyan is no exception.
Actually the swine disciples of the homosexual Sid Loder tried that tactic with me Jesus Christ for 70 years – 67 years after they murdered mother and replaced her with a safe set of Catholic / Jewish hands, of course it came to no avail.
Happy new year everyone, Azeries not included.