The Region in Brief

Armenia

Armenian authorities have detained an Azerbaijani man who crossed the border into Armenia’s Syunik province. After his arrest, Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry reported that two of its soldiers got lost along the border of Nakhichevan due to low visibility from fog and went missing. The two Azerbaijanis were spotted in Bnunis village on the night of April 9 and arrested in Ashostavan village early the next morning. Both villages are located about 20 kilometers from the nearest Azerbaijani military posts along the Nakhichevan border. A video circulating on social media reportedly shows one of the men speaking with locals. “For three days I have been sleeping in the grass. I have been sleeping on the ground. For three days I have not eaten or drunk water,” the man says.

Armenian police arrested a man wanted by the Russian government on charges of deserting the army. Yuri T. (age 23) was detained on April 7. Over 60,000 Russians have settled in Armenia following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russian anti-war activist Evgenia Baltatarova told reporters that Yuri T. has been released while his case continues. “Russians wanted by the homeland are not safe in countries with easy access,” including former Soviet states and countries with extradition treaties with Russia, Baltatarova told reporters. She said these countries face a dilemma since they have adopted a neutral stance toward the war but have treaty obligations to extradite people wanted by the authorities.

Azerbaijan

Four employees of Iran’s embassy in Azerbaijan have left the country after being declared “persona non grata.” Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry announced their expulsion on April 7. It expressed “strong dissatisfaction” to Iran’s ambassador to Azerbaijan “due to the recent provocative actions demonstrated by his country in relation to Azerbaijan.” The same week, Azerbaijani police detained hundreds of Shia people in a mass arrest. Azerbaijani authorities accused them of plotting a coup on behalf of Iran to establish a theocracy. Relations between Iran and Azerbaijan have been deteriorating, in part due to Azerbaijan’s decision to open an embassy in Israel in March. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasir Kanani condemned the “anti-Iran position” forged by Azerbaijan and Israel through their “strategic partnership.”

Turkey

A quadrilateral meeting with the foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia, Iran and Syria is scheduled to take place in Moscow next month. Turkey’s Foreign Mevlut Cavusoglu announced the plans during a broadcast interview this week, adding that it may lead to a high-profile summit with the countries’ leaders. Turkey, a NATO member, has been backing opposition forces against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during its 12-year civil war. Russia has been encouraging reconciliation between Turkey and Syria.

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Lillian Avedian

Lillian Avedian is the assistant editor of the Armenian Weekly. She reports on international women's rights, South Caucasus politics, and diasporic identity. Her writing has also been published in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Democracy in Exile, and Girls on Key Press. She holds master's degrees in journalism and Near Eastern studies from New York University.