Day: May 6, 2023

Official Baku has reacted to the latest statement by French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna against the sovereignty of Azerbaijan. "The fact that French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna mistakenly called the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan an "enclave" within Azerbaijan in the form of "Nagorno-Karabakh" is a disrespect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and the rights of Azerbaijanis who have undergone massive ethnic cleansing in this region," said spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan Aikhan Hajizadeh, commenting on the statements of Colonna against Azerbaijan in an interview with public radio "France Inter". In that interview Colonna referred to the Karabakh region as an "enclave" inside Armenian-populated Azerbaijan. She reiterated that the Lachin road was under "blockade" and demanded that it be opened. In turn, Hajizadeh reminded the French Minister that the Karabakh region is an internationally recognized sovereign territory and an integral part of Azerbaijan. At the same time, the claim of the French side that the Lachin border checkpoint, established by Azerbaijan on its sovereign territory and through which Armenian residents have already begun to pass in both directions, allegedly blocks the road, has no basis whatsoever. "Azerbaijan protects its borders and their crossing is carried out in accordance with the legislation of the country and the rules adopted at the international level. The French side must put an end to such provocative and inflammatory ideas that do not serve peace and stability," Hajizadeh further said.

Source: Turan News Agency

Experts are actively discussing the results of the meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian Foreign Ministers in Washington and forecasting the prospects of signing a framework document by the leaders of the two countries on June 1 in Kishinev. However, when making these assessments, one should not forget that besides the interests of Baku and Yerevan, there are also the interests of Russia and the West, represented by the United States and the European Union. The way the situation develops is dependent on these external players, not less, but maybe more. During April, the US stepped up its mediation efforts through shuttle visits to Baku and Yerevan, preparing a meeting in Washington, amid Moscow's tacit dissatisfaction. Nikol Pashinyan has not abandoned his desire to resolve the problem with the West, openly making it clear that Moscow is unable or unwilling to support Armenians. Moscow's poorly concealed irritation at these actions by official Yerevan coincided with the establishment of the Azerbaijani border post in Lachin, which Russian peacekeepers did not interfere with. But Yerevan seems to have ignored this warning as well. It seems that the Armenian authorities are maintaining their strategic course towards integration with the West, despite the risk of losing Karabakh altogether. There may be several reasons for this. One is that Karabakh has become a heavy stone for Armenia that it cannot lift, and it deprives the country of the prospect of becoming independent from Russia and from all external players. Evidence of this can be seen in the numerous statements by the Armenian leadership that Karabakh itself should negotiate with Baku and that Armenia recognizes the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. However, Pashinyan is inconsistent here. Thus, by saying that Yerevan has no territorial claims towards Baku and Azerbaijan should recognize Armenia's sovereignty on its territory of 29,800 square kilometres, he does not say that Armenia too should recognize the sovereignty of Azerbaijan on its 86,600 square kilometer territory. That is, Karabakh is Azerbaijan. If on this issue Pashinyan is being disingenuous in his desire to move away from Russia to the West, he is more unambiguous. In this issue, his opponent is not only Moscow, but also the Karabakh Armenians. The latter's refusal to get closer to Baku and regular accusations against Yerevan of betraying the interests of the Karabakh Armenians coincide with criticism of Armenia from Moscow. This is hardly a coincidence. Pashinyan's forthcoming visit to Moscow and meeting with Putin will be important. There is no doubt that Pashinyan will once again be asked to refuse contacting with his Western partners. There is no reason to think that the Armenian Prime Minister will agree, despite the prospect of another defeat in Karabakh or territorial losses on the border with Azerbaijan. While we should not assume that Pashinyan is a masochist, he demonstrates a determination to go all the way, no matter the sacrifice. May and June are expected to be hot in our region, literally and figuratively.

Source: Turan News Agency

The special representative of the European Union for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia Toivo Klaar welcomed the talks of the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia - Ceyhun Bayramov and Ararat Mirzoyan, held on May 1-4 in the United States. "Encouraging news from Washington. The European Union welcomes the four-day talks between the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia. The progress can only be achieved through dialogue. We continue to support Azerbaijan and Armenia, working with our partners in search of sustainable peace," Klaar wrote on Twitter. Note that special representative of the NATO Secretary General for the South Caucasus and Central Asia Javier Colomina also expressed support for the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. "I am pleased to hear that after 4 days of constructive interaction between the parties in Washington, tangible progress has been made towards a lasting peace agreement. Negotiations and dialogue are the only way to resolve the issue. NATO supports the normalization of relations between our two partners," Kolomina wrote on Twitter.

Source: Turan News Agency

A US F-16 fighter jet crashed during training on Saturday near a major US military base in South Korea, the US military has said, Trend reports citing CNN.

The jet, which was assigned to the 8th Fighter Wing, “crashed in an agricultural area near Osan Air Base at about 9:45 a.m.” local time, the US Air Force in South Korea said in a statement.

The pilot safely ejected and was transported to the nearest medical facility, the military said. No civilians were hurt in the incident, according to the military.

The local fire department was dispatched to extinguish fire, South Korea’s Governor of Gyeonggi Province Kim Dong-yeon wrote on Twitter.

The pilot was participating in a routine training flight, the military said, adding that the investigation into the incident is under way.

Osan Air Base is the US Air Force’s closest base to North Korea, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) from its border.

Source: Trend News Agency

The "Anatolian Eagle - 2023" International Flight-Tactical Exercises, held in Konya, Republic of Türkiye, continue, Trend reports with reference to Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defense.

On the next day of the exercises, according to the plan, the aircraft performed group flights from the base airfield and fulfilled various combat tasks in the daytime.

As part of the joint operation, the aviation groups accomplished the tasks on surmounting the imaginary enemy’s air defense.

During the exercises, the pilots also conducted aerial reconnaissance and determined the coordinates of other ground targets of the imaginary enemy.

The flight crews successfully fulfilled the assigned tasks.

After the exercises, the engineering and technical staff worked out the tasks on the maintenance of combat aircraft and getting aircraft ready for the next flight in a short time.

Source: Trend News Agency

Deposits at U.S. commercial banks fell toward the end of April to the lowest in nearly two years, data released on Friday by the Federal Reserve showed, while overall credit provided by banks moved up, led by a record level of outstanding loans and leases, Trend reports with reference to Reuters.

Deposits on a nonseasonally adjusted basis fell in the week ended April 26 to about $17.1 trillion, a drop of about $120 billion from the week earlier. That was the lowest level since June 2021, with deposits now having declined by more than $500 billion from the week before Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) collapsed in March.

After record deposit outflows immediately after the failure of SVB and smaller Signature Bank within days of each other, deposits had stabilized into early April. They picked up again in the latter half of April, a period that typically has large outflows from accounts as the annual tax filing season comes to a close.

On a seasonally adjusted basis, which takes that pattern into account, deposits have changed little since the end of March.

At large U.S. banks deposits fell to $10.54 trillion from $10.61 trillion a week earlier, on a nonseasonally adjusted basis. Deposits at small banks totaled $5.32 trillion, compared with $5.34 trillion.

Meanwhile, total banking system credit has yet to show the contraction many economists and policymakers anticipate to develop after the recent banking system turmoil and aggressive interest rate increases by the Federal Reserve over the past year. Regulators seized a third bank - First Republic - this week and JPMorgan Chase & Co, the largest U.S. bank, took over.

Total banking system credit rose for a second week to $17.37 trillion led by an increase in loans and leases to a record high $12.11 trillion, on a nonseasonally adjusted basis, from $12.07 trillion in the previous week. Nevertheless, loan growth has flattened out in recent months: the annual growth rate has cooled from a double-digit pace late last year to about 9% as April was ending, suggesting tighter conditions are beginning to temper bank credit.

Source: Trend News Agency