Page 51 - bne IntelliNews monthly magazine May 2024

bne May 2024 EuraEusraisaia I 51
Muhriddin said on April 12. "The price of confessions extracted in this way is well known to everyone."
Muhriddin added that Russian security authorities should respect the rights
of the Tajik suspects and stick to the principles and norms of international law in their investigations into the massacre. That was especially the
case in terms of the presumption of innocence, the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment of detainees.
Critics may find some irony in Tajikistan’s top diplomat lecturing Russia and the world on the human rights of detainees, considering the horrors of what the Tajik regime has long been accused of when it comes to imprisoned opponents.
Muhriddin also used the platform offered by the CIS meeting to condemn the explosion of xenophobia seen in Russia since the attack. The consequences of an “ill-conceived information campaign” were that a “negative perception is being
formed toward citizens of Tajikistan and Tajiks”, he added.
Of the 11 men in custody accused of roles in the Crocus City Hall atrocity, 10 are Tajik. The other man is reported to be a Kyrgyz-born Uzbek man who has Russian citizenship.
The attack was Russia’s worst terrorist attack in two decades. An Afghanistan-based affiliate of the Islamic State extremist group has claimed responsibility.
Armenia and Azerbaijan announce first border delimitation deal since the collapse of the USSR
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Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has praised the border delimitation agreement with Azerbaijan, saying that "for the first time, Armenia and Azerbaijan have resolved an issue around a negotiating table".
The delimitation deal came more than three years after the first meeting of the relevant commissions were launched fol- lowing Azerbaijan's victory in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020. Accord- ing to the agreement, the first phase of the delimitation will start in Armenia's Tavush and Azerbaijan's Gazakh regions, with Armenia unilaterally returning the territories it captured in the early 1990s. Azerbaijan, however, is not obliged
to return the Armenian territories it controls in the same area.
Despite his recent statement that
the agreement was reached through negotiations, Pashinyan earlier claimed that he agreed to unilateral concessions to stop a war in the region. Pashinyan's statements were followed by Azerbaijani state propaganda warning Armenia
of another escalation if it delays the return of the villages. Azerbaijan had demanded the villages’ return as a precondition for a peace deal.
Amidst Pashinyan's praise, however,
protests have erupted among residents of border communities in Tavush province of Armenia, expressing concerns over the implications of the delimitation and demarcation process. Tavush residents are concerned that the delimitation and demarcation process would result in the loss of access to farmlands and increased vulnerability to attacks.
In response, Pashinyan reassured the public that the government would take steps to mitigate risks. He stated, "We don't have a front line here, but will have
a border, and the border is a sign of peace". He also reaffirmed Armenia's commitment to safeguarding its sovereignty.
Pashinyan also confirmed the withdrawal of Russian border guards from Tavush post-delimitation. He stated: "The border guards of Armenia and Azerbaijan will be able to independently protect the
border by interacting with each other," highlighting a new phase of cooperation.
Armenia has also recently requested Russian soldiers withdraw from Yerevan airport, as he moves to reorientate
the country's foreign policy. The Armenian premier has also stressed
the vital importance of reaching a peace agreement with Azerbaijan, even if it means concessions as well as the abandoning of Nagorno-Karabakh, which Baku reconquered in December.
Internationally, the United States
and the European Union expressed support for the border delimitation process, viewing it as a positive step towards sustainable peace. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan hailed the agreement as
a historic milestone, celebrating the return of villages under Armenian control since the 1990s.
Mount Ararat and the Yerevan skyline / bne IntelliNews
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