Armenia has been struck by political unrest since the peace deal to end the war in Nagorno-Karabakh was agreed on between Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia.

According to the deal, Armenia will hand control of several territories to Azerbaijan but the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh is undefined. Russian peacekeepers have already entered Nagorno Karabakh to oversee the deal.

Read all of our coverage of the war including our Voices for Peace series.

Latest stories: 

• Armenia and Azerbaijan agree on peace deal over Nagorno-Karabakh
• Common Ground: Anti-War Statement
• Opinion | ‘We did not speak, we only whispered’
• Evidence mounts of war crimes in Nagorno-Karabakh
• Aliyev and Pashinyan mark ‘red lines’ in interviews with RIA Novosti
• Azerbaijani peace activists called for questioning
• Opinion | On the importance of losing
• Opinion | How I learned not to hate
• Opinion | We are a generation of war
• Opinion | To stand for peace, in spite of everything
• Analysis | A dangerous turn in a 30-year conflict
• Under fire in Stepanakert

 For ease of reading, we choose not to use qualifiers such as ‘de facto’, ‘unrecognised’, or ‘partially recognised’ when discussing institutions or political positions within Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and South Ossetia. This does not imply a position on their status.

French senate to discuss recognising Nagorno-Karabakh

On 25 November the French Senate is to discuss a resolution ‘on the need to recognise Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent state’.

The motion was submitted on Wednesday by the leaders in the Senate of five opposition groups, including the Republicans, the Centrist Union, the Socialist Party, the Communist Party, and the Ecologist group. Between them, the groups hold 294 of 348 seats in the senate.

It has not been supported by La République En Marche, the party of President Emanuel Macron.

A similar motion was submitted to the National Assembly ‘aiming to act for the recognition of the Republic of Artsakh’. The lower house of parliament, which is controlled by  En Marche, has not scheduled a debate on the resolution.

Azerbaijani activists arrested in July released

Twelve of the 15 activists of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) arrested in Baku in July, that participated in a mass pro-war rally in July have been released from prison into house arrest. Among them are members of the party's Presidium Fuad Gahramanli and Mammad Ibrahim.

Two members of the Muslim Union Movement, Kamil Mahmudov and Tural Valiyev, were also released into house arrest. 

A total of 37 people were charged in relation to the protest, 14 people, including PFPA activists Ramid Nagiyev, Gunduz Mirzayev and Elnur Jabbarov, and former Deputy Interior Minister of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic Siyavush Mustafayev remain imprisoned.

Turkvision Song Contest 2021 to take place in Shusha 

The Turkvision Song Contest, a singing competition based on the Eurovision competition format and featuring Turkic-speaking countries and regions, will be held next year in Shusha (Shushi) Azerbaijani news outlet Trend reports. 

The last Turkvision Song Contest was held in 2013.

Armenia’s National Security Service has identified 70+ participants of break-in to parliament and government building

Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS) has announced that they have identified ‘more than 70’ individuals who participated in the mass break-in and looting of the parliament and government building. 

Ten people have been arrested in connection with the break-in so far, five temporarily detained, and punitive measures that did not require detention have been instituted against 25 people. 

A criminal case has also been opened against several individuals who are accused of severely beating Parliament Speaker Ararat Mirzoyan during the riot that took place in the early hours of 10 November. Mirzoyan still remains in hospital. 

Nikol Pashinyan presents government road map for coming months

Stating that he holds himself to be the first person accountable ‘for the present state’ in Armenia, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has presented a roadmap of government activity until June 2021. Until then at least, it appears, he is unwilling to resign. 

The road map presented by Pashinyan is translated and reproduced here in full:

‘1. The resumption of the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process in the format of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs with an emphasis on the status of Artsakh and the priority of the return of Artsakh people to their places of residence.’

‘2. Ensure the return of the Artsakh people to their homes. Completely restore normal life in Artsakh. Restore the damaged houses, apartments and infrastructure in the territories controlled by the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic authorities.’

‘3. Provision of social guarantees to the families of the dead servicemen and citizens.’

‘4. Restoration of residential and public buildings and infrastructure damaged during the war on the territory of the Republic of Armenia.’

‘5. Provision of social guarantees, prosthetics and professional training of military personnel with disabilities.’

‘6. Immediate return of captured soldiers and civilians. Providing social guarantees for their families. A rapid clarification of the fate of the missing. Providing social guarantees for their families.’

‘7. Formation of a system of psychological rehabilitation of people who participated in the war, and society as a whole.’

‘8. Approval of the Armed Forces Reform Program and the beginning of reforms.’

‘9. Overcoming the coronavirus and eliminating its consequences.’

‘10. Restoration of the business environment.’

‘11. Activation of programs to solve demographic problems.'

‘12. Adoption of a new law on amendments to the Electoral Code and parties.’

‘13. Introduction of the institution of specialized judges as the first step in the creation of an anti-corruption court. Launch of the law on confiscation of illegal property.’

‘14. Conducting regular thematic consultations with representatives of the political and civil society of Armenia.’

‘15. Conducting regular consultations with Armenian organisations and representatives of the diaspora. Involvement of top officials in this work.’

Nikol Pashinyan concluded the post by stating that the ‘most important goal’ of the roadmap and its implementation is to ‘ensure the democratic stability of Armenia’.