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#2521 Yervant1

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Posted 15 January 2021 - 09:15 AM

Public Radio of Armenia
Jan 14 2021
 
 
Key issues of Karabakh conflict remain unsolved – Carey Cavanaugh
 
 
Key issues of Karabakh conflict remain unsolved, OSCE Minsk Group’s former American Co-Chair Carey Cavanaugh says.
 
He referred to the positive and negative aspects of the trilateral meeting in Moscow between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Russian president Vladimir Putin and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
 
“Positive aspect of trilateral meeting: Putin is committed to working on Karabakh. Troubling aspect: Aliyev acting like conflict’s resolved; it’s not, key issues remain. Comprehensive settlement needed to establish foundation for lasting peace & prosperity,” Carey Cavanaugh tweeted.
 
Positive aspect of trilateral meeting: Putin is committed to working on #Karabakh. Troubling aspect: Aliyev acting like conflict's resolved; it's not, key issues remain. Comprehensive settlement needed to establish foundation for lasting peace & prosperity https://t.co/y9ljgr0Y3a
— Carey Cavanaugh (@carey_cavanaugh) January 14, 2021
 


#2522 Yervant1

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Posted 15 January 2021 - 09:18 AM

Public Radio of Armenia
Jan 14 2021
 
Iranian athlete hands over his gold medal to family of Armenian soldier killed in Artsakh
 
 
Iranian champion in Kyokushin karate Ahmad Bagheripoor, the gold medal winner of the 12th open championship in Armenia in 2017, has decided to hand over his gold medal to the family of Arthur Sukiasyan, an Armenian athlete who died during the 2020 Artsakh war, the Armenian Embassy in Iran reports.
 
Arthur Sukiasyan and Ahmad Bagheripoor were friends and participated in many tournaments together.
 
On January 13, the Iranian athlete handed his gold medal to Gor Shahverdyan, third secretary of the Embassy of Armenia in Iran to be presented to Sukiasyan family in Armenia.
 


#2523 Yervant1

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Posted 15 January 2021 - 09:23 AM

Church Militant
Jan 14 2021
 
 
Slowing Armenian Strangulation by Azerbaijan
News: Commentary
 
by Trey Blanton •  ChurchMilitant.com •  January 14, 2021
 
pngCNqeVN1y4J.png
 
While Muslims in Azerbaijan consolidate their stranglehold on conquered Armenian territory, humanitarian aid to the area is being used to slow the process.
 
The president of Muslim-majority Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met in Moscow Monday — their first face-to-face since the end of hostilities between their peoples on Nov. 9.
 
Church Militant has reported on the nearly seven-week conflict, which was sparked in September when Azerbaijan invaded the Republic of Artsakh — an Armenian enclave known to Azerbaijanis as Nagorno-Karabakh. The conflict ended in a tenable peace deal brokered by Russia.
 
'Restoring' or 'Reversing' Heritage?
 
The irony has not been lost on Armenians. It was under Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin that Armenia's historical lands in Artsakh were first gifted to Azerbaijan. Now, in the post-Soviet period, the international community rejects the right of the enclave's Armenian population to self-determination.
 
With military conflict halted for the moment, President Aliyev of Azerbaijan has vowed multiple times to "restore" Azerbaijan's heritage in Artsakh, which has historically been populated almost exclusively (90%) by Armenians.
 
 “Aliyev's 'restoration' may include ... the destruction of Christian buildings or their conversion to secular or Muslim use.Tweet
 
Aliyev's "restoration" may include the construction of airports and railroads in the conquered territory and, as many Armenians fear, the destruction of Christian buildings or their conversion to secular or Muslim use.
 
History: Rife With Conquest, Occupation
 
Aliyev's actions follow historically validated methods of conquest. The most famous example in the West: the Norman Conquest of Britain, in which William the Conqueror invaded England and consolidated his rule after the Battle of Hastings and his coronation in London. He did so by giving land to those loyal to him and securing their possessions with motte-and-bailey castles across the land.
 
Even more historical examples come from the Turks themselves and their Muslim-Arab predecessors. Raymond Ibrahim's book, Sword and Scimitar, describes the 14-century pattern. For example, the Seljuk Turks invaded Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) and won a resounding victory at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071. Though the Turks failed to conquer Constantinople in the 11th century, they took over most of the region and established the Sultanate of Rum.
 
In war, the players that don't win it all take what they gain and build it up as their own. Reversals occurred back-and-forth due to the involvement of the Crusaders, the Mamelukes and the Mongols until finally, the Turks won it all in 1453 when Constantinople fell.
 
Armenians today are all too familiar with the concept that history never stops. They remember the plight of their grandparents during the Armenian Genocide of 1915, when 1.5 million Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians and others — all Christians — were slaughtered or driven out into arid regions of neighboring countries.
 
Economic, Educational Help
 
Humanitarian organization Christians in Need Foundation (CINF) is looking past the turmoil caused by the Wuhan virus and the attack by Azerbaijan to continue its work strengthening education and cultivating trade skills in the capital of Artsakh, Stepanakert.
 
CINF recognizes the need for the Armenian diaspora to support their homeland and has worked ambitiously to counter the growing power of Armenia's Turkic neighbors by focusing on improving the local economy.
 
CINF began in 2014 with an attempt to bring eight Syrian Christians into the United States for educational purposes; their visas were denied by the Obama administration.
 
“Armenians' survival may depend on the skill of the people of Artsakh to live while cut off from foreign support.
 
Undeterred, CINF decided to go instead to the students of the Near and Middle East, beginning with Artsakh. Classes have been successful in teaching English and Italian to Armenian students in Artsakh in preparation to learn courses in the Practica Project. The Project promotes local business growth in various trades including hospitality, tailoring, cosmetology, ham and wine-making.
 
The onset of COVID-19 has moved preliminary courses online and increased construction costs by $250,000 for what will become its vocational school. More financial help is needed.
 
The project has already seen $30,000 worth of donated equipment for use by Italian artisans who will travel to Artsakh to give the students hands-on experience in a simulated restaurant, carpentry shop and hair salon.
 
Preserving Ancient Christian Communities
 
CINF Executive Director Stephanie Havens shared with Church Militant why she is passionate about the organization's work:
 
 
CINF works through education to preserve ancient Christian communities such that they can independently sustain their communities and defend their traditions. Throughout the Middle and Near East, Christian communities with ancient roots are threatened, both physically by their neighbors and ideologically by progressivism.
 
Likewise, the ancient Christian communities throughout the Middle and Near East preserve many of the first traditions of Christianity. In many ways, they are our strongest link back to the origins of the Faith. We do what we do not only to protect these Christian communities, but also for the rest of the Western world. It is our hope that these ancient Christian communities will stand as models of the Christian faith, encouraging throughout the West, especially among the youth, a return to these traditions and values.
 
As Azerbaijan and its puppet master in Turkey greedily eye the remaining Armenian territory, Western nations are ignoring the jihadi expansion. The world ignored Hitler's increasing aggression until it was too late. A week prior to Hitler's invasion of Poland he famously said, "Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?"
 
CINF knows Armenians' survival may depend on the skill of the people of Artsakh to live while cut off from foreign support.
 
For Havens and the rest at CINF, careful planning with Artsakh's minister of education will help ensure students and teachers are safe in September from the ever-morphing threats of viruses and terrorists alike.
  


#2524 Yervant1

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Posted 16 January 2021 - 09:48 AM

If those were Albanian, why are they destroying it?

Aysor, Armenia

Jan 15 2021
 
Distortion of the identity of the Armenian heritage is attempt of cultural looting, gross violation of relevant international legal instruments - MFA spokespersonThe statements of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev made on January 13 during the meeting with Salim bin Mohammed Al-Malik, Director-General of ISESCO, once again demonstrate that the Armenian cultural heritage in the territories under the Azerbaijani control is seriously endangered, and the state of Azerbaijan cannot be the guarantor of the proper protection of cultural and religious heritage, Armenia's MFA spokesperson Anna Naghdalyan said in a statement.

"The distortion of the identity of the Armenian heritage is an attempt of cultural looting, which is also a gross violation of the relevant international legal instruments.

Thousands of Armenian religious and secular monuments were created centuries before Azerbaijan was established and have no relation to the Azerbaijani identity. The attempts to alienate these monuments from the Armenian people have no historical, religious or moral grounds.

It is noteworthy that in order to justify the destruction of the Armenian cross stones (khachkars) in Nakhijevan Azerbaijan also put forward the “thesis of Albanisation", and this demonstrates the perilousness of the practice of destroying and distorting the identity of the Armenian monuments.

The fake thesis of presenting the  Christian heritage of Armenians or other peoples of the region as Caucasian Albanian has no serious circulation outside of Azerbaijan and is not perceived by the international academic community.

Notably, President Aliyev made this statement in the presence of the Director General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization thus trying to introduce a religious dimension to the issues of protection of cultural heritage. By undermining the efforts of the international community aimed at preserving Artsakh’s cultural heritage, Azerbaijan continues to hinder the access of the international specialized organizations, primarily UNESCO, to the region by accusing the latter of being biased. Meanwhile in fact, Azerbaijan is the one to speculate irresponsibly on the religious factor while Armenia has always pursued the policy of inter-religious dialogue and cooperation between civilizations, considering cultural heritage as a universal and common value.

The preservation of many Armenian historical-cultural and religious monuments that fell under Azerbaijani control must be an important part of the peace process, taking into account the numerous facts of systematic destruction of the Armenian cultural and religious heritage in the past. In this context, the Azerbaijani leadership and state propaganda machine must immediately put an end to the deplorable approach of misappropriation, distortion of the identity of Armenian churches, and at least demonstrate due respect towards cultural and religious monuments.

The misappropriation and distortion of the cultural values of the Armenian people, the violation of the rights of the Armenian people do not contribute to regional peace. In this regard the proper protection of religious sites, both from the physical and spiritual perspectives, can create preconditions for peace in the region," she said.

 

 



#2525 Yervant1

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Posted 17 January 2021 - 09:41 AM

Public Radio of Armenia
Jan 16 2021
 
Mobilization of foreign terrorist fighters in conflicts a new alarming trend, Armenia’s envoy to UN says
 
 
 
Mobilization of foreign terrorist fighters in conflicts a new alarming trend, Armenia’s envoy to UN says – Public Radio of Armenia

Armenia remains firmly committed to the global fight against terrorism and is actively engaged in international and regional activities aimed at the implementation of the counter-terrorism conventions and their additional protocols, as well as the relevant resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council, Armenia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Mher Margaryan said at the UN Security Council VTC Meeting on “20th Anniversary of Resolution 1373 (2001) and the Establishment of the Counter-Terrorism Committee: Trends, challenges and opportunities.”

He stressed that mobilization of foreign terrorist fighters in conflicts represents a new alarming trend.

“Our region is not immune to the scourge of terrorism and its radical ideology and violent practices. Amidst the outbreak of an unprecedented global pandemic, on 27 September 2020 Azerbaijan, with the direct support of Turkey, employed thousands of foreign terrorists fighters in a large-scale military aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh),” Armrnia’s envoy to the UN said.

“The offensive led to massive loss of human life, displacement of tens of thousands of civilians, destruction and desecration of religious and cultural heritage and other gross violations of international human rights law and humanitarian law. The ISIL-style torture, inhuman treatment and executions of prisoners of war and civilian hostages by the Azerbaijani forces was widely disseminated and glorified in the media outlets and social networks,” he added.

Mr. Margaryan noted that “he recruitment of foreign terrorist fighters by Turkey from the Middle East and their transfer to Azerbaijan and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone is a well-established and documented fact, acknowledged by law enforcement agencies of several countries and extensively reported by independent observers.

“The UN Working Group on the use of mercenaries of the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner in its Statement of 11 November 2020 has referred to “widespread reports that the Government of Azerbaijan, with Turkey’s assistance, relied on Syrian fighters to shore-up and sustain its military operations in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone, including on the frontline. The fighters appeared to be motivated primarily by private gain, given the dire economic situation in the Syrian Arab Republic. In case of death, their relatives were reportedly promised financial compensation and Turkish nationality,” the Ambassador stated.

“It is even more disturbing that the Syrian fighters deployed to Azerbaijan are allegedly affiliated with armed groups and individuals that, in some cases, have been accused of war crimes and serious human rights abuses during the conflict in Syria, thus seemingly perpetuating a cycle of impunity and risking further abuses of international law,” Mher Margaryan stated. 

 

https://en.armradio....voy-to-un-says/



#2526 Yervant1

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Posted 17 January 2021 - 09:42 AM

Panorama, Armenia
Jan 16 2021
 
 

Anna Naghdalyan: The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is still far from being resolved,

Armenian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anna Naghdalyan on Friday reacted to the statement made by the representative of the Foreign Ministry of Russia who stated that the Russian side has always supported the implementation of the humanitarian contacts between the Armenian and Azerbaijani societies. Asked whether there are prerequisites for such programs, Naghdalyan said: "We highly commend Russia's efforts aimed at establishing peace and stability in the region. The Armenian side has always supported the humanitarian contacts between the societies of the region, which should be based on mutual respect and tolerance and be aimed at creating mutual trust. Certainly, relevant prerequisites should be established for such programs." 

The Armenian diplomat, however, noted that the statements of the leadership of Azerbaijan in recent days demonstrate that Azerbaijan is not yet ready for that. Furthermore, creating obstacles for the repatriation of the Armenian prisoners of war, issuing a stamp glorifying the ethnic cleansing of Armenians, as well as the consistent threats being voiced by President Aliyev attest to the fact that Azerbaijan is challenging the trust-building efforts of international mediators. 

"The provocative statements made by the President of Azerbaijan in Shushi, as well as the attempts to present the Holy Savior Ghazanchetsots Church, which had been targeted during the war, as a “war prize and symbol of victory” are particularly deplorable," Naghdalyan noted, adding: "These realities prove that the conflict is still far from being resolved, and the peace process is necessary to establish lasting peace in the region." 

https://www.panorama...arabakh/2436345



#2527 Yervant1

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Posted 18 January 2021 - 09:14 AM

Asia Times

How Russia is Building Its Leverage in the Caucasus
By M.K. Bhadrakumar
Jan. 17, 2021

A meeting of the leaderships of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan in the
Kremlin on January 11, exactly two months after the ceasefire in the
44-day Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, can be seen as a robust push by
Moscow to consolidate its diplomatic achievement.

The ceasefire has gained traction and this is the opportune moment for
Russia to flesh out other aspects that were agreed by the three
countries on November 10 in Moscow.

A statement issued after Monday’s meeting underscored an agreement to
establish a tripartite Working Group of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan
at the deputy-prime-minister level, assisted by sub-groups of experts,
on the following lines:

“The Working Group, by March 1, 2021, will submit for approval at the
highest level by the Parties a list and a schedule for the
implementation of measures involving the restoration and construction
of new transport infrastructure facilities necessary for the
organization, implementation and security of international traffic
carried out through the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of
Armenia, as well as transportations carried out by the Republic of
Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia, which require crossing the
territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of
Armenia.”


From subsequent remarks by the president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev,
his country would have a rail link with Nakhchivan, the Azerbaijani
exclave that borders Turkey and Iran, for the first time in more than
three decades, and landlocked Armenia would get rail links with Russia
and Iran.

From available details, the focus is on a road corridor from mainland
Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan through the 42-kilometer strip that the
Armenian district of Zengezur forms between them. For years, Azeri
mainlanders have been forced to travel to Nakhchivan via Iran and to
Turkey via Georgia.

Armenia, on the other hand, would stand to gain from an all-weather
land route to Russia via Azerbaijan.

The revival of the old rail networks dating back to the late 19th
century – the 1878 Treaty of San Stefano – and the 1921 Treaty of Kars
between Russia and Turkey is also being mentioned.

In principle, a reopening of the 877km Kars-Baku rail link running
through Nakhchivan and Armenia and connecting Russia’s North Caucasus
is possible, which could also be extended southward to the Iranian
city of Tabriz. Turkey fancies all this as a “a strategic corridor”
that would give it direct access to the gas and oil-rich Caspian basin
and Central Asia – and further beyond to China.

Evidently, Russia calculates that “any economic and infrastructure
agreements take on a political nature. If it is about transport
corridors, it means security and some sort of cooperation between the
Armenian and Azerbaijani ethnic groups,” Andrei Kortunov,
director-general of the Russian Council on International Affairs, put
it.

Kortunov estimated that although Monday’s agreements did not address
the core issue, namely, Nagorno-Karabakh’s status as such, which is
“hanging in the air,” the sides are moving in the right direction.

To quote the influential Moscow-based think-tanker, “Even the limited
agreements that have been reached make it possible to say that the
meeting [on Monday] was successful. Transport was taken as a neutral,
technical aspect of relations. With the first step made, the second
and thirds steps are to follow. So the opening of transport
communications should be followed by issues of the exchange of
prisoners, return of refugees, and co-living of two ethnic groups.”

But things are not going to be velvet-smooth. According to Kortunov,
Turkey’s absence from (non-participation in) the Moscow dialogue is
quite demonstrative. He explains tactfully, “It means that Turkey is
an important neighbor that cannot be absolutely excluded from what is
currently going on in the South Caucasus, but the Russian leadership
has once again demonstrated that the key role in this settlement and
post-settlement steps will be played by Moscow.”

For the present, there is a plausible explanation for keeping Turkey
out and looking in, while Moscow assembles the peace blocks. Turkey is
not liking it but is being pragmatic. But if Ankara succeeds in
establishing diplomatic relations with Yerevan, the calculus changes
overnight.

Equally, there are two other critical variables – the political future
of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and, second, Aliyev’s
dalliance with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Again, Iran cannot be liking its exclusion either. The fact of the
matter is that in the disjointed regional tapestry of the past three
decades, Armenia and Azerbaijan have had no choice but to use Iranian
territory for transit, and Tehran is reluctant to give up that
geopolitical trump card.

Above all, while as of now, the Western powers remain passive, the
attitude of the incoming US administration of Joe Biden remains the X
factor.

Last month, the US Congress legislated that “not later than 90 days
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of National
Intelligence shall submit to the congressional intelligence committees
a written assessment regarding tensions between the governments of
Armenia and Azerbaijan, including with respect to the status of the
Nagorno Karabakh region.”

Congress has specifically directed the DNI to provide assessment on
the following lines:

An identification of the strategic interests of the United States
and its partners in the Armenia-Azerbaijan region;
A description of all significant uses of force in and around the
Nagorno-Karabakh region and the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan
during calendar year 2020, including a description of each significant
use of force and an assessment of who initiated the use of such force;
An assessment of the effect of US military assistance to
Azerbaijan and Armenia on the regional balance of power and the
likelihood of further use of military force; and,
An assessment of the likelihood of any further uses of force or
potentially destabilizing activities in the region in the near to
medium term.

Clearly, Washington is gearing up for a geopolitical struggle in the
Caucasus. Moscow probably senses this. And that would explain the
haste with which it is pushing infrastructure development in the South
Caucasus to create equities, while the Biden administration is still
in its infancy.

Russia is pursuing a trajectory to strengthen its position while
keeping the eventuality of having to engage with the Western powers at
some point within the framework of the Minsk Group.

President Vladimir Putin touches base with his French counterpart
Emmanuel Macron every now and then, the two countries being co-chairs
(along with the US) of the Minsk Group. Conceivably, Russia may be
open to working with the West on Nagorno-Karabakh but safeguarding its
legitimate interests. The big question is whether in the present
security environment, that is a realistic expectation.

Meanwhile, US analysts have lately been highlighting China’s growing
involvement in the South Caucasus. In the World Bank’s estimation,
since 2005, Chinese trade turnover with Armenia, Azerbaijan and
Georgia increased by around 2,070%, 380% and 1,885% respectively.

Chinese investments are also increasing, given the Belt and Road
Initiative’s seamless potential to generate business. With the recent
completion of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad, China’s footprint will
rise further, and such economic presence will eventually translate as
political influence.

The geographical location of the South Caucasus countries makes them
viable transit routes for Chinese and European goods. One Chinese
scholar even described Azerbaijan recently as a “pivotal country” in
the BRI’s China-Central Asia-West Asia Economic Corridor. China is
developing a trade route via Kazakhstan that crosses the Caspian from
the Kazakh port of Aktau to Baku, which it visualizes as a BRI hub.

For the US, on the other hand, the Caucasus is vital turf for lighting
fires on Russia’s periphery, for navigating the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization’s expansion eastward, for establishing itself in the
oil-rich Caspian, for controlling one of China’s main trade arteries
to the European market, and for curbing Iran’s influence in the
region.

What should worry Washington most is that there is sufficient
convergence between Russia and China to keep the Caucasus out of the
US geopolitical orbit, especially as NATO is consolidating in the
Black Sea region.

*

M K Bhadrakumar is a former Indian diplomat.


https://urldefense.c...SdavVK5OW5dbcQ$
 



#2528 Yervant1

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Posted 18 January 2021 - 09:18 AM

Public Radio of Armenia
Jan 17 2021
 
 
New report reveals organized hate speech and animosity towards Armenians in Azerbaijan
 
New report reveals organized hate speech and animosity towards Armenians in Azerbaijan – Public Radio of Armenia

The Human Rights Defenders of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh have published a joint ad hoc public report on Organized Hate Speech and Animosity towards Ethnic Armenians in Azerbaijan.

“President of Azerbaijan and other authorities speak of the entire Armenian people and population of Armenia with open threats of ethnic cleansing and genocide,” Armenia’s Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan says.

“They openly insult the dignity of the Armenian people, incite hostility, they do it to humiliate the personal dignity of every Armenian in the world, every person living in Armenia,” teh Ombudman says.

The monitoring of the staff of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia confirms that this is a policy of deep state hatred and enmity towards Armenians. It is institutional in nature and is based on ethnicity and, in some cases, religious affiliation.

 

pngibPVmZ8EgJ.png

New report reveals organized hate speech and animosity towards Armenians in Azerbaijan – Public Radio of Armenia

The Ombudsman draws attention to the fact that the Presidents of Turkey and Azerbaijan often compare the war of September-November 2020 with the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire and the massacres of Armenians in Baku. In particulate, he reminds of the praise for the organizers and perpetrators of those atrocities, including members of the Caucasus Islamic Army, in the speeches of December 10 (during the military parade in Baku).

Another issue the Human Rights Defender points to is that during this war, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces use the same words and expressions as the President of Azerbaijan when torturing Armenian soldiers and civilians, beheading them alive, mutilating the bodies of the victims and committing other atrocities.

Moreover, he says, the expressions of the President of Azerbaijan and other public figures became slogans inspiring atrocities against Armenians in this war (for example, “Azerbaijani soldiers chase them like dogs”, “Armenia is a worthless country … it is an artificial state created on the ancient lands of Azerbaijan,” “Azerbaijan is coming to end Armenian weddings,” etc.).

“In other words, the real causes of these war crimes are obvious. Moreover, the Azerbaijani military are proud of the atrocities, well aware that they will only be encouraged and praised for it in their own country,” ARman Tatoyan says. 



#2529 Yervant1

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Posted 19 January 2021 - 08:49 AM

Reuters
Jan 18 2021



Russia says all Azeri captives returned under Karabakh deal

By Reuters Staff

 

MOSCOW/YEREVAN (Reuters) - Armenia has returned all Azeri prisoners who were captured during last year’s conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, but the process with Armenian prisoners has been held up, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday.

The six-week conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh was brought to a halt in November by a Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement under which Azeri and ethnic Armenian forces were expected to exchange all captives.

Armenia has said that many of its prisoners of war remain in Azerbaijan, a problem it has raised with the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk group.

Lavrov said that Armenia did not immediately present a full list of captives it sought, which slowed down the process. Azerbaijan has received all the people it sought, he added.

He said Russian peacekeepers deployed to the region were in contact with Armenian and Azeri forces to establish the location of those named by Armenia.

Reporting by Tom Balmforth and Nvard Hovhannisyan; Editing by Steve Orlofsky



https://www.reuters....OgMrh6neTX3yXP0



#2530 Yervant1

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Posted 19 January 2021 - 08:56 AM

Jerusalem Post
Jan 18 2021
 
 
click
Russia: Armenia freed all Azeri prisoners from Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
By REUTERS  
JANUARY 18, 2021 20:03
 
click
Armenia has returned all Azeri prisoners who were captured during last year's conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, but the process with Armenian prisoners has been held up, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday.

 
The six-week conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh was brought to a halt in November by a Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement under which Azeri and ethnic Armenian forces were expected to exchange all captives.
 
Armenia has said that many of its prisoners of war remain in Azerbaijan, a problem it has raised with the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk group.
 
 
Lavrov said that Armenia did not immediately present a full list of captives it sought, which slowed down the process. Azerbaijan has received all the people it sought, he added.
He said Russian peacekeepers deployed to the region were in contact with Armenian and Azeri forces to establish the location of those named by Armenia. 
 


#2531 Yervant1

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Posted 19 January 2021 - 09:03 AM

Aysor, Armenia
Jan 18 2021
 
 

Armenia faces serious environmental dangers after Azerbaijan used internationally prohibited weapons against Armenia and Artsakh - minister
 

Armenia’s Environment Minister Romanos Petrosyan addressed another letter to a number of international organizations drawing their attention on the grave consequences as a result of 44-day war unleased by Azerbaijan with the support of Turkey and foreign mercenary-terrorists.

The minister stressed that during the war the Azerbaijani armed forces used internationally prohibited weapons against the people of Artsakh – cluster weapons, weapons containing white phosphorus or termite materials. Petrosyan stressed that it caused irreparable damage to the environment – starting from forest fires and ending with the poisoning of air, soil, water and flora and fauna.

The minister stressed that Azerbaijan used it not only in Artsakh but Armenia too. Petrosyan noted that currently Armenia is facing serious environmental dangers.

He urged the international community to get widely engaged and assist in thorough assessment of damage to Armenia’s environment and mitigate the created critical situation.

 


#2532 Yervant1

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Posted 19 January 2021 - 09:05 AM

JAM News
Jan 18 2021
 
 
Why are Azerbaijan and Turkey holding joint military exercises on the Armenian border?
 
 
 

A group of Azerbaijani servicemen arrived in the Turkish province of Kars to conduct joint military exercises with the Turkish army. It will be the largest military exercise of recent times not only for the Azerbaijani, but also for the Turkish armed forces.

Kars province borders on Armenia, with whom Azerbaijan recently concluded a ceasefire in the second Karabakh war.

From February 1 to 12, tank units, cannon batteries, snipers, special forces command, commandos and military helicopters will take part in the winter joint military exercises of the two countries.

According to the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Tofig Zulfugarov, the winter military exercises in Kars are planned and are aimed at preparing the armies to conduct hostilities in severe weather conditions.

139801988_1326161094449590_1020821338001Azerbaijani servicemen are being met in Kars. Turkish Defense Ministry photo

“It is snowing in Kars province now, there are mountains, and weather conditions are not quite usual for the servicemen of Azerbaijan and Turkey. Perhaps this is the reason for the choice of the terrain for the next joint military exercises,” he said in an interview with JAMnews.

Commenting on panic amongst the Armenian public, Zulfugarov added:

“After the agreement on the results of the second Karabakh war [the trilateral agreement of November 10, 2020, signed by the Presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan, as well as the Prime Minister of Armenia – JAMnews], any gestures of the Azerbaijani army near the Armenian border are panicking the public of the neighboring country.”

According to the Turkish Ministry of National Defense, Azerbaijani servicemen have already arrived in Kars.

 
Why are Azerbaijan and Turkey holding joint military exercises on the Armenian border?

The main goal of the winter military exercises is the coordination of actions of the armies of the two countries in conditions close to combat. Also in Kars will be used the latest weapons that have recently entered the arsenal of the armies of Turkey and Azerbaijan, according to the official information of the Turkish defense ministry.

Joint military exercises of the armies of Turkey and Azerbaijan are held regularly. The last such exercises were held in July-August 2020 in Azerbaijan.



#2533 Yervant1

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Posted 19 January 2021 - 09:07 AM

PanArmenian, Armenia
Jan 18 2021
 
Video emerges of Azeri troops beating another Armenian POW
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January 18, 2021 - 13:08 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Fresh footage has emerged showing Azerbaijani troops beating an older Armenian serviceman, during or after the six-week war in Nagorno-Karabakh.

It is unclear when the incident happened and the current whereabouts of the man, or whether he was among the several dozen prisoners of war who returned to Armenia in mid-December.

Hundreds of videos of Azeri troops cutting the throats and ears of Armenians have been spreading online since the final days of the war in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Azerbaijanis regularly subject the Armenian POWs and captives to physical abuse and humiliation. The videos depict Azerbaijani captors variously slapping, kicking, and prodding Armenian POWs, and compelling them, under obvious duress and with the apparent intent to humiliate, to kiss the Azerbaijani flag. In most of the videos, the captors’ faces are visible, suggesting that they do not fear being held accountable.

The first batch of 44 Armenian POWs returned from Azerbaijan in mid-December, although Armenian officials said many more people were being held in Baku. Dozens of others, both servicemen and civilians, have been captured after the completion of military hostilities. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has said in one of his speeches that the newly detained persons are not prisoners of war but “terrorists”. Human rights lawyer Siranush Sahakyan has said, meanwhile, that at least 120 Armenian prisoners of war are being held in Azerbaijan. Sahakyan represents the rights of some of the Karabakh POWs before the European Court of Human Rights. The lawyer said there is enough evidence proving the capture of said persons, which the Armenian side will submit to international agencies and courts.

 
 
 


#2534 Yervant1

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Posted 20 January 2021 - 09:06 AM

Public Radio of Armenia
Jan 19 2021
 
 
A 1887 gift from the Armenian city of Baku to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem
A 1887 gift from the Armenian city of Baku to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem – Public Radio of Armenia

According to the status quo adopted in the Holy Land, the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem celebrates Christmas in Bethlehem, according to the old (Julian) calendar, on January 18 – 19.

On that day, solemn liturgies are being served in the Nativity Cave.

A Christmas icon is being placed on the tabernacle on the occasion of the holiday, the inscription of which has probably attracted the attention of few because of being dim. 

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Chancellor at Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem Fr Koryoun Hovnan Baghdasaryan has shared the photos of the icon.

According to the inscription, the icon was sent from the Armenian city of Baku to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem as a gift on November 5, 1887.

In the second half of the 19th century Baku was largely considered an Armenian city.

The number of Armenians in Baku gradually decreased after the establishment of the Azerbaijani state. The city was finally evicted of Armenians in 1990 after state-level pogroms against Armenians.

 
 


#2535 Yervant1

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Posted 20 January 2021 - 09:12 AM

Panorama, Armenia
Jan 19 2021
 
 
 
Protesters block Azerbaijani convoy on Martakert roadway in Artsakh

The residents of Artsakh's Martakert town have blocked in a protest an Azerbaijani convoy heading towards Qarvachar region escorted by Russian peacekeepers. Facebook user Armen Ishkhanyan has posted a video from the scene. One of the locals presented the demands of the protesters to the representative of the peacekeepers. He first thanked the peacekeepers for their mission and presented their demands, informing about the peaceful nature of the initiative. 

He recalled the provision of the November 9 trilateral statement, calling for unblocking all communications in the region. He informed the provision is not being implemented since the roadway from Martakert to Vardenis is closed for the Armenian population, while the Azerbaijani vehicles can freely pass through the road to Qarvachar region. The protesters handed over a petition signed by the locals, asking for a solution to the matter. They noted that if Armenians are not permitted to use the roadway to go to Vardenis, they would prevent Azeris from using the road to travel to Qarvachar and will periodically stage protests and close the road. 

The representative of the Russian peacekeepers informed that their mission is to ensure the peace in Artsakh and the unimpeded operation of communications routes. The representative of the Russian contingent promised to pass the petition to relevant bodies and raise the voice of Martakert residents. They also informed that the Azerbaijani convoy was transferring construction workers and civilians. 

https://www.panorama...roadway/2437703



#2536 Yervant1

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Posted 20 January 2021 - 09:16 AM

News.am, Armenia
Jan 19 2021
 
 
Armenian Oriental studies expert: There is still a big threat of war in the region  
 

There is still a big threat of war in the region, and Armenia needs to get ready for that war. This is what Head of the Department of Iranian Studies at Yerevan State University Vardan Voskanyan told reporters today.

According to him, this is linked to the fact that the participants of the Nagorno-Karabakh war aren’t satisfied with the outcomes, and this first and foremost concerns Turkey, which failed to have its presence as a peacekeeper, and now it is trying to ensure its military presence in Ganja.

“Besides that, from the military perspective, Russia strengthened its positions in Azerbaijan (if we take into consideration the fact that Baku considers Nagorno-Karabakh its own). Amid this, Ankara and Baku are planning to hold military exercises in Kars, which is not far from the Russian 102nd Military Base in Armenia. Israel, which de facto participated in the war as well, didn’t get what it wanted,” the analyst stated.

 
 


#2537 Yervant1

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Posted 20 January 2021 - 09:17 AM

News.am, Armenia
Jan 19 2021
 
 
 
Azerbaijanis murder 44-year-old Armenian captive and bury him in Karabakh's Hadrut  
 

The 44-year-old man from Hadrut Province of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) who was found dead yesterday in the territories of Artsakh that are now under the control of Azerbaijan was the son of Sasha Karakhanyan, who is from Hadrut and had returned about a month ago after being in captivity.

Vrezh Karakhanyan, Sasha Karakhanyan’s grandson, told Armenian News-NEWS.am that the body of his uncle Arsen Karakhanyan was found by people who were conducting a search in Hadrut. Azerbaijanis had murdered Arsen and buried him in one of the villages of Hadrut.

Arsen’s family definitely found out that he was a captive on January 6 when the Azerbaijanis disseminated a video of him on social networks.

Resident of Hadrut Sasha Karakhanyan was captured from his home in October and returned to the homeland along with 44 persons about a month ago. The family didn’t have any news from Arsen and assumed that he was a captive, after which they saw the video on the Internet and became convinced that he had been captured.

https://news.am/eng/news/624334.html



#2538 Yervant1

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Posted 21 January 2021 - 08:24 AM

Panorama, Armenia
Jan 20 2021
 
 
 
Polish politician offered 50,000$ to cancel publication of a brochure on Azerbaijani war crimes in Karabakh

 

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Polish politician Tomasz Lech Buczek says that Azerbaijan has offered 50,000$ for canceling the publication of brochure on Azerbaijani war crimes against Armenians in the recent war in Nagorno-Karabakh. 

Buczek has shared the screenshot of a message received from an Azerbaijani social media user, reading: ""The Azerbaijani government will give you $50,000, if you don't publish the publication about Azerbaijani crimes. If interested, please post a photo of Baku on January 25th on Facebook." 

"President Aliyev probably heard about my publication?" My response to Baku is: "Release the Armenian prisoners of war," Buczek wrote in an accompanying message to the screenshot. 

To note, Buczek  earlier organized a fund-raising campaign for publishing the brochure. He said that the brochure would be the world's first printed publication on Azerbaijan's war crimes against the Armenian population in Karabakh in 2020. 

The publication specifically details the tortures and inhuman treatment of Armenian war prisoners held in Azerbaijan. 

President Alijev probably? heard? about my publication. I received a proposal for not publishing Azerbaijani war crimes...

Posted by Tomasz Lech Buczek on Tuesday, January 19, 2021
 
 


#2539 Yervant1

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Posted 21 January 2021 - 08:29 AM

Stop the dreaming, the international community will not help us, never did and never will. We should stop putting our hopes on others!

Aysor, Armenia

Jan 20 2021
 
 
Armenia’s FM – Shushi is Armenian cultural center
 
 

Shushi is Armenia’s cultural center, Armenia’s foreign minister Ara Aivazian stated today at the NA.

“Irrespective of who says what we do not agree with the allegations that Shushi may become Turkic cultural center. We are sure the international community will assist us in this issue,” Aivazian stated.

It has been reported earlier that during the phone conversation with Azerbaijan’s president Ilham Aliyev secretary general of the Turkic Council Bagdad Amreyev stated that in 2022 Shushi will be declared cultural capital of Turkic world.

https://www.aysor.am...-shushi/1793404

 

 



#2540 Yervant1

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Posted 22 January 2021 - 09:11 AM

Public Radio of Armenia
Jan 21 2021
 
 
Armenian FM’s letter to UN chief on Azerbaijani war crimes circulated as official UN document
 

The letter of Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ara Aivazian regarding Azerbaijan’s violations of international humanitarian law in the aftermath of the large-scale military offensive against Artsakh is circulated as document of UN General Assembly and Security Council, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Anna Naghdalyan informs.

In a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Gutterres, the Foreign Minister comprehensively presented the situation over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict following the large-scale military aggression launched by Azerbaijan on September 27, 2020.

The Minister noted that amid the unprecedented global health crisis, the violation of the decades-long ceasefire in the region has led to numerous casualties, large-scale ethnic cleansing of the indigenous people of Artsakh, deliberate destruction, desecration and vandalism of the Armenian religious and cultural monuments.

In the letter, the Foreign Minister of Armenia touched upon the cases of violations of the November 9 trilateral statement’s provisions by Azerbaijan, noting that more than a month after the ceasefire was established, Azerbaijan carried out military operations in Hin Tagher and Khtsaberd villages in Hadrut region of Artsakh. It was noted that during the military attack, the Azerbaijani armed forces captured 64 Armenian servicemen, violating Azerbaijan’s commitments to maintain the ceasefire established by the trilateral statement.

The Foreign Minister emphasized the incomplete implementation of the Article 8 of the trilateral statement, which mandates the “exchange of prisoners of war, hostages, and other detained persons and bodies of the dead.” He stressed that Azerbaijan, in fact, refuses to implement its commitment which is a blatant violation of international humanitarian law.

Minister Aivazian drew the attention of the UN Secretary General to the reluctance of Azerbaijan regarding the cooperation with international organizations in cultural heritage protection. “Lasting and sustainable peace in the region could be achieved only through the comprehensive resolution of the conflict that will include the status of Nagorno-Karabakh based on the realization of the right of self-determination of the people of Artsakh”,- concluded the Foreign Minister of Armenia.

 






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