The protests in Erevan continue

1 Armenia

On Friday morning the opposition activists, who demand a resignation of the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, paralyzed the metro traffic in the city of Yerevan. Later, the metro spokesman Tatev Hachatryan, reported on Facebook that the metro resumed its normal operation.

2 Nagorno-Karabakh

The Russian Defense Ministry reported that a civilian car collided with a ’Ural’ cross-country vehicle of the Russian peacekeepers. The incident took place on 10th December, at the entrance to the city of Stepanakert. The civilian car violated the road rules, and went to the oncoming lane at the entrance to the city. None of the Russian servicemen were injured as a result of the road accident. At the moment, the event is being investigated. Earlier, the State Service for the Emergency Situations of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic reported on Facebook about a road accident on the 4th km of the Stepanakert-Askean highway. The department noted that the driver and a passenger of the civilian car died on the spot. Their identities are being established.

3 The EU — Turkey

The EU leaders decided to expand sanctions against Turkey due to the Ankara’s illegal activities in the Mediterranean Sea. This was stated in a statement from the participants of the EU summit in Brussels. The head of the EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, was instructed to present other options for extra sanctions against Ankara for the summit in March of 2021. The document underlined that «Unfortunately, Turkey continues their one-sided and provocative actions. Turkey has intensified its rhetoric against the EU, the EU countries, and the European leaders». The EU also confirmed the «strategic interest in the development of the mutually beneficial relations with Turkey». It was noted that the ’positive agenda’ for Ankara is still in force.

4 Azerbaijan — Turkey

The press service of the Azerbaijani president reported that on Thursday, the representatives of Azerbaijan and Turkey signed 5 documents on an expansion of the cooperation in various matters. The documents were signed during the visit of the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the city of Baku. The Azerbaijani Foreign Minister, Jeyhun Bayramov, and the Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, signed a protocol on amendments to the inter-governmental agreement on the abolition of the visa regime between the two countries. They also signed documents on the development of a cooperation between transport companies. Baku and Ankara agreed on a strategic partnership in the mass media. The Turkish President went to Azerbaijan on a 2-day visit. He attended a military parade in Baku on Thursday. The parade was dedicated to the end of hostilities in Karabakh.

5 Turkey

The Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, supported the idea of Baku to make a platform for the regional security, which includes Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iran, Georgia, and Armenia. Erdogan said so during an interview with the reporters on board of his airplane, during his return flight from Azerbaijan. «Putin is positive about this idea. In a telephone conversation he asked what is my opinion on this idea» — the Haberturk TV quoted Erdogan. He added that if Yerevan joins this platform, «a new stage can be opened in the relations between Turkey and Armenia». On 10th of December the Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev stated, after the talks with the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, that Baku and Ankara should form a new multi-lateral cooperation platform in the region, after the end of the hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh.

6 The USA — Syria

The US Special Envoy for Syria, Joel Rayburn, stated during a video seminar, hosted by the Jamestown Foundation, that the Russian actions in Syria make it difficult to fight the terrorism in that country. He noted the civilians, civilian infrastructure, and the armed opposition groups in Idlib are being bombed and shelled, but not the terrorists. Joel Rayburn provided no evidence to support his claim. He mentioned recent consultations in Israel. According to him — Iran is trying to create a «platform for the projection of power» in Syria, which is the main concern of Israel in the Syrian conflict. «We support the Israeli right for the self-defense» — the US special envoy concluded. Constantine Reztsov, specially for ANNA NEWS.