auto-update week 33

middle-east/am.json

@@ -1213,6 +1213,17 @@
       "text": "since November 2020, Russia has deployed about 2,000 peacekeeping troops to the area in and around Nagorno-Karabakh as part of a cease-fire agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan; fighting erupted between the two countries over the Nagorno-Karabakh region in September of 2020; Nagorno-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan but has been under control of ethnic Armenian forces (the \"Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army\") backed by Armenia since a separatist war there ended in 1994; six weeks of fighting resulted in about 6,500 deaths and ended after Armenia ceded swaths of Nagorno-Karabakh territory; tensions remained high into 2023, and both sides have accused the other of provocations since the fighting ended; Armenia has accused Azerbaijani forces of a series of border intrusions and of seizing pockets of territory <br><br>Armenia has been a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) since 1994 and contributes troops to CSTO's rapid reaction force (2023)"
     }
   },
+  "Space": {
+    "Space agency/agencies": {
+      "text": "no government agency; Armenia Space Agency (ArmCosmos; established 2013) is a private agency that operates on behalf of the Armenian Government to develop the country&rsquo;s commercial space industry and facilitate international engagement on space, particularly satellites for Armenia (2023)"
+    },
+    "Space program overview": {
+      "Space programs overview": {
+        "text": "seeks foreign providers for satellite communications, remote sensing (RS), and navigational services; otherwise relies on Russia for satellite needs; seeks to use RS satellite data for border control, emergency prevention and management, environmental protection/climate change monitoring, geology, road construction, urban planning, and other purposes; cooperates with a variety of foreign space agencies and industries, including those of China, the European Space Agency (and individual ESA member states such as Germany and Spain), India, Russia, and the US; has a state-owned company involved in satellite development and production (2023)"
+      },
+      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in Appendix S"
+    }
+  },
   "Transnational Issues": {
     "Disputes - international": {
       "text": "<p>local border forces struggle to control the illegal transit of goods and people across the porous, undemarcated Armenian, Azerbaijani, and Georgian borders<br><br><em>Armenia-Azerbaijan:</em> The dispute over the break-away Nagorno-Karabakh region and the Armenian military occupation of surrounding lands in Azerbaijan remains the primary focus of regional instability. Residents have evacuated the former Soviet-era small ethnic enclaves in Armenia and Azerbaijan.<br><br><em>Armenia-Georgia:</em> Georgians restrict Armenian access into Samtse-Javakheti ethnic Armenian areas. Armenia has made no claims to the region.<br><br><em>Armenia-Iran:</em> None identified<br><br><em>Armenia-Turkey:</em> In 2009, Swiss mediators facilitated an accord reestablishing diplomatic ties between Armenia and Turkey, but neither side has ratified the agreement and the rapprochement effort has faltered, in part due to resistance from Azerbaijan. The border has been closed since 1993, and no diplomatic relations established after Armenian independence. In 2022, Turkey and Armenia have agreed to move forward with efforts to normalize relations.<br>Turkish authorities have complained that blasting from quarries in Armenia might be damaging the ruins of Ani, an ancient city on the high ridge overlooking the Arpaçay valley on the opposite shore. </p>"