Latest news with #Armenian-populated
The Hindu
22-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Turkey-Azerbaijan boycott: Understanding India's relations with these nations
Following Turkiye and Azerbaijan's support for Pakistan after India's military confrontation in the wake of the Pahalgam massacre, many online travel platforms reported a sharp spike in cancellations of tour bookings to these countries. Many Indian tour operators withdrew offers and promotional packages for trips to Turkiye and Azerbaijan. On social media, calls to 'boycott' both countries gained traction. Institutions such as IIT Bombay, IIT Roorkee, and Jawaharlal Nehru University suspended MoUs with some Turkish universities. Data show that the relationship between Pakistan and Turkiye has been strengthened by arms trade. The two countries have also shown reciprocal support during past geopolitical standoffs. For instance, Turkiye has backed Pakistan on the Kashmir issue, while Pakistan has supported Turkiye in disputes related to Cyprus. Similarly, in 2020, it was with Turkish backing that Azerbaijan captured much of the Armenian-populated enclave from Armenia. Though Azerbaijan regained full control of the region in 2023, Turkiye denied any direct involvement in that year's operation. Data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) shows that Turkiye has been exporting arms to Pakistan since the 1990s. Chart 1 shows Turkiye's arms exports to Pakistan between 1995 and 2023 by category and volume. A significant share of this trade comprised artillery — defined as naval, fixed, self-propelled guns, howitzers, and multiple rocket launchers. Pakistan also received armoured vehicles from Turkiye, including tanks, armoured cars, and personnel carriers. Chart 2 shows India's weapons exports to Armenia over the years India has supplied weapons to Armenia. Most of these exports comprise surface-to-air missile systems and a few multiple rocket launchers. In contrast, SIPRI data shows no official arms transactions between India and Azerbaijan, or India and Turkiye. Chart 3 shows the country-wise share of India's imports crude oil over the past six years (in %) Last week, some Indian trader associations passed resolutions to boycott all forms of trade and commercial engagement with Turkiye and Azerbaijan. However, data suggests that even if this escalates into an official trade ban, India stands to lose little. Crude oil is the primary import from both countries, but their combined share in India's total crude imports has remained below 1% over the past six years. In contrast, Azerbaijan could face a greater impact, as India was its third largest destination for crude oil as of 2023. Another major import from Turkiye is machinery and mechanical appliances, including nuclear reactors, boilers, and related parts. Chart 4 shows the country-wise share of India's imports of these products over the past six years. (in %) But even in this category, Turkiye accounts for only about 1% of India's total imports India remains far more dependent on countries such as China and Germany for such equipment. While calls to boycott Turkiye and Azerbaijan have led to 'mass cancellations' of travel bookings from India, data shows that Indian tourists formed less than 1% of all tourists to Turkiye in 2024. That said, the number of Indian visitors to Turkiye has been rising steadily in recent years. Chart 5 shows the number of tourists from India who went to Turkiye from 2008 to 2023 In 2023, Indians made up less than 6% of all tourists in Azerbaijan, but this share rose to around 10% in 2024. The boycott calls, therefore, come at a time when Indian travel to both these countries was on the rise. Chart 6 shows the number of tourists from India who went to Azerbaijan from 2008 to 2023. The number of Indian students pursuing higher education in Turkey and Azerbaijan has also increased in recent years. In 2017, the number of Indian students in these countries was less than 100. As of January 2024, it increased by at least seven times (777). Also read: J&K's economy and tourism in peril after Pahalgam massacre
Al Arabiya
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Azerbaijan insists Armenia must meet its demands before peace treaty can be signed
Azerbaijan on Wednesday insisted that arch-foe Armenia must meet Baku's 'legitimate demands' before the Caucasus neighbors can sign a peace treaty, the text of which they agreed upon last month. The two ex-Soviet republics announced on March 14 they had wrapped up talks aimed at resolving their decades-long conflict, with both sides agreeing on the text of a possible treaty. A deal to normalize ties would be a major breakthrough in a region where Russia, the European Union, the United States and Turkey all jostle for influence. Baku and Yerevan fought two wars for control of Azerbaijan's Armenian-populated region of Karabakh, at the end of the Soviet Union and again in 2020, before Azerbaijan seized the entire area in a 24-hour offensive in September 2023. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said Wednesday that Baku 'is not putting forward any additional conditions' for signing the treaty. 'Our demands are well known to Armenia, they are not new. We have been voicing them for a long time, but have yet to receive any serious response from Armenia,' he told a news conference alongside visiting German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. 'The OSCE Minsk Group must be dissolved,' he said, referring to the now defunct group of international mediators – France, Russia and the United States – set up in 1991 under the aegis of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to encourage a negotiated resolution to the conflict. He also reiterated Baku's longstanding demand to remove from Armenia's constitution a reference to its declaration of independence, which asserts territorial claims over Karabakh. Any such amendments to Armenia's constitution would require a referendum. 'Once these two conditions are met, there will be no obstacles to signing the peace treaty,' Aliyev said. 'The ball is in Armenia's court. If Armenia truly wants to sign the peace agreement, it must accept these two legitimate demands of Azerbaijan.' Yerevan has said it is ready to sign the peace treaty without delay and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced a referendum to amend the constitution for 2027. Pashinyan has recognized Baku's sovereignty over Karabakh after three decades of Armenian separatist rule, a move seen as a crucial first step towards a normalization of relations. Armenia also last year returned to Azerbaijan four border villages it had seized decades earlier.
Al Arabiya
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Armenia urges Azerbaijan to sign peace deal after talks conclude
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Thursday called on Azerbaijan to begin consultations on signing a peace treaty, a text of which the arch-foe Caucasus neighbors agreed upon last week. Baku and Yerevan fought two wars for control of Azerbaijan's Armenian-populated region of Karabakh, at the end of the Soviet Union and again in 2020, before Azerbaijan seized the entire area in a 24-hour offensive in September 2023. Both countries have repeatedly said a comprehensive peace deal to end their long-standing conflict is within reach, but previous talks had failed to reach consensus on a draft agreement. On Friday, the two countries said they had wrapped up talks on resolving the conflict, with both sides agreeing on the text of a possible treaty. 'The draft of Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement has been agreed upon and awaits signing,' Pashinyan said Thursday in an English post on Telegram. 'I propose Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to begin joint consultations on the signing of the agreed draft peace agreement.' The deal to normalize ties would be a major breakthrough in a region where Russia, the European Union, the United States and Turkey all jostle for influence. Baku has made clear its expectations that Armenia remove from its constitution a reference to its 1991 declaration of independence, which asserts territorial claims over Karabakh. Any constitutional amendment would require a national referendum that could further delay the treaty's finalization. Pashinyan has recognized Baku's sovereignty over Karabakh after three decades of Armenian separatist rule, a move seen as a crucial first step towards a normalization of relations. Armenia also last year returned to Azerbaijan four border villages it had seized decades earlier. Nearly all ethnic Armenians -- more than 100,000 people -- fled Karabakh after its takeover by Baku. Washington, Brussels and European leaders such as France's President Emmanuel Macron have welcomed the breakthrough. They have all tried to play a mediating role at various times in the conflict.
Jordan Times
15-03-2025
- Politics
- Jordan Times
UN chief 'encouraged' by Armenia-Azerbaijan agreement on peace deal
UNITED NATIONS, United States — UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is encouraged by news that long-time foes Armenia and Azerbaijan are ready to sign a peace treaty, his spokesman said Friday. "The Secretary-General welcomes the announcements by Armenia and Azerbaijan on the conclusion of negotiations on the draft peace agreement," Stephane Dujarric said a day after the Caucasus neighbors who fought two wars over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave announced they had reached an accord. A day after arch-foes Armenia and Azerbaijan announced they were ready to sign a long-awaited peace treaty, scepticism ran high Friday among Yerevan residents, while cautious optimism prevailed in Baku. The two Caucasus neighbours fought two wars for control of Azerbaijan's Armenian-populated region of Karabakh -- at the end of the Soviet Union and again in 2020 -- before Azerbaijan seized the entire area in a 24-hour offensive in September 2023. After years of stalled negotiations, both sides announced on Thursday that they had agreed on the text of a comprehensive peace deal and were prepared to sign it. This would be a major breakthrough in a region where Russia, the European Union, the United States and Turkey all jostle for influence. But in the capitals of Azerbaijan and Armenia, public reaction remained divided, underscoring lingering tensions between the two ex-Soviet republics. 'Armenia's surrender' Standing in the shade of a tree in Yerevan's central Republic Square, where the spring was in full bloom, Arman Sedrakyan, a 38-year-old construction worker, said: "This document is worthless because Azerbaijan will not stop making new demands on Armenia." "This treaty won't stop Azerbaijan if it decides to attack again, should global and regional conditions allow it," he told AFP. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has recognised Baku's sovereignty over Karabakh after three decades of Armenian separatist rule, a move seen as a crucial first step towards a normalisation of relations. But he has faced a domestic backlash for making territorial concessions, including the return of four border villages to Azerbaijan last year. Anush Minasyan, 42, who sells fruit on the street in a Yerevan suburb, shared Sedrakyan's scepticism. "This agreement won't be signed quickly," she said. "We heard yesterday that Azerbaijan is demanding that Armenia amend its Constitution, while Pashinyan said a constitutional referendum will take place next year." Baku has made clear its expectations that Armenia remove from its constitution a reference to its 1991 declaration of independence, which asserts territorial claims over Karabakh. Any constitutional amendment would require a national referendum that could further delay the treaty's finalisation. Some Armenians outright rejected the treaty, viewing it as an act of capitulation. "This is not a peace treaty but a document of Armenia's surrender, drafted under threat of war," said 62-year-old Nikolay Manukyan. "Pashinyan is rushing to sign any document just to boost his falling ratings ahead of (parliamentary) elections" scheduled for next year, he alleged. 'Crucial for the future' On a bustling pedestrian avenue in Baku's historic district lined with baroque and Stalin-era buildings, many supported the agreement, while some remained wary of Armenia's commitment to peace. "I support peace and believe that normal relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia are crucial for the future," said 35-year-old translator Ferdowsi Alizadeh. "It's encouraging that negotiations on the peace agreement text have been completed." But Nizami Aliyev, a 74-year-old retired maths teacher, struck a more cautious note. "We welcome our government's peace efforts," he said. "We want peace, we need peace, but history forces us to be sceptical." "Even if a peace agreement is signed, it will remain (just) on paper: Armenians cannot be trusted." Schoolteacher Irada Akhmedova, 26, said she welcomed the prospect of the peace treaty, adding that it was hard to believe that the conflict, "which began even before I was born, is coming to an end". "I sincerely hope that Azerbaijan and Armenia will no longer be enemy states, and that innocent people will no longer have to die," she said. While Washington, Brussels and European leaders such as France's President Emmanuel Macron have welcomed the breakthrough, critics argue that the road to genuine reconciliation remains uncertain. The lingering distrust on both sides suggests that, even if a peace deal is signed, achieving lasting stability in the South Caucasus will require much more than diplomatic agreements.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Armenia and Azerbaijan agree peace treaty, ending decades-long conflict
Armenia and Azerbaijan struck a peace deal Friday to resolve their decades-long conflict over the Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan that began with the fall of the Soviet Union, according to both countries' foreign ministries. European leaders welcomed the announcement, with European Council chief Antonio Costa hailing the finalization of the treaty text as a 'decisive step towards the full normalisation of relations.' 'The EU stands ready to support all further steps toward lasting peace and security in the South Caucasus,' he wrote. Some issues appear to be outstanding, however: Baku said Yerevan must renounce all territorial claims to Azerbaijan, which would require a revision of its constitution via referendum.
