Nagorno Karabakh -=- ARTSAKH

[Yervant1]

Hey Mr. Macron, anything for Artsakh? I guess not. ):

Armenpress.am

France to double munitions supplies to Ukraine - defense minister

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15:19, 28 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 28, ARMENPRESS. France will double this month its supplies of 155 mm artillery rounds to Ukraine to about 2,000 shells a month, its Defense Minister said on Tuesday.

French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu added that Paris was also planning to boost a fund that enables Kyiv to buy French weaponry.

Ukraine has identified the supply of 155 mm shells as a critical need in the ongoing conflict with Russia. Both sides are reportedly firing thousands of artillery rounds every day.

"We are doubling the delivery of 155 mm shells to bring it to 2000 a month from the end of March," Sebastien Lecornu said in an interview published on Tuesday with Le Figaro newspaper.

The Ukrainian military will soon receive the Samp/T anti aircraft systems, Lecornu added.

European Union countries on March 20 agreed a 2 billion euro plan to send 1 million artillery rounds to Ukraine over the next year.

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1107381.html?fbclid=IwAR1QYtugTGNYmelyKKH1rcPLlwgw_nABW08tfzoCXUTqzw_0cWwJUZP1_3g

 

[Yervant1]

How about showing some muscles and making sure the fake sultan doesn't dare to attack Armenia, instead of hoping! Words are not enough.

 

Armenpress.am

If Azerbaijan doesn’t attack Armenia this spring, EU mission to be deemed success – Markus Ritter

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11:52, 29 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 29, ARMENPRESS. The head of the European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA), Markus Ritter, has said that Armenia not getting attacked this spring by Azerbaijan would be considered a success of the EU mission.

"Many Armenians believe there'll be a spring offensive by Azerbaijan. If this doesn't happen, our mission is already a success," Ritter told Deutsche Welle.

Many Armenians are glad about the EU presence, Ritter says.

The EU mission head added that observers are not permitted access to Azerbaijani territory. Ritter and his colleagues are therefore unable to detect, for instance, troop movements in preparation of another attack.

"We cannot interfere, we only have binoculars and cameras at our disposal,” Ritter said.

Spokesperson of Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Aykhan Hajizade criticized Ritter’s statement.

In a statement, Hajizade accused the EU mission leader of making statements based on “false and misleading” allegations by Armenia.

He added that the mission shouldn’t be "misused" to undermine the normalization process between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1107453.html?fbclid=IwAR2WaS5kWf0TexcKBTCVyzCvc3bAq1yUMk2T_ObeNtyo_OyPK6hckl9nJQQ

 

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Armenpress.am

France’s Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region to attempt humanitarian convoy passage into blockaded Nagorno Karabakh

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12:10, 31 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 31, ARMENPRESS. The President of the Regional Council of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Laurent Wauquiez has called for practical steps for not allowing Azerbaijan’s violations of international law in Armenia, Artsakh and the Lachin Corridor to be overlooked.

The head of the French region is now visiting Armenia.

On March 31 he met with Nagorno Karabakh’s Foreign Minister Sergey Ghazaryan in Yerevan.

Speaking at a joint press conference, Wauquiez described himself as a longtime friend of Armenia and Artsakh and said that he’s shocked by the current situation.

“In 2019, we met with representatives of Artsakh and signed a cooperation agreement between my region and Artsakh. We’d adopted a political position in my region to confirm Artsakh’s right to independence, which led to serious pressures by Pan-Turkist terrorist organizations against me and my family. Why am I here today? Because I am well aware that the entire international attention is on Ukraine and there is a serious danger for Armenia and Artsakh to be forgotten in all of this. I am here to say that we are not forgetting you, you are not alone, and we shouldn’t allow the violations of international law in Armenia, Artsakh and Lachin Corridor to go unnoticed in silence,” Wauquiez said.

The President of the Regional Council of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes visited the entrance of the blockaded Lachin Corridor in Syunik to show to his countrymen the violations of international law, that 120,000 people on the other side are deprived of basic human rights.

“I was with the Governor of Syunik the moment he was notified that an advance had taken place the day before where we were located at that time [Tegh village]. I have witnessed and can testify about the violation of international law. I have also seen the Azerbaijani flags hoisted on the heights located in Armenian lands. And I had the chance to speak with displaced persons of Artsakh, whose words were deeply touching. As a politician, it is my duty to take action and be able to help you,” he said.

Wauquiez said that they want to organize a humanitarian convoy jointly with the organizations representing the Armenian community of France and try to deliver humanitarian aid to Artsakh.

“The convoy will be organized with our region’s support and will bear our region’s flag. It will approach the Lachin Corridor and we will demand passage to Artsakh. Either the convoy will pass and we will have a ray of hope, or the convoy will be barred and it will give us the opportunity to present this issue before international and European organizations, that once again the international law is being violated, and that actions must be taken,” Wauquiez added.

[see video]

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1107638.html?fbclid=IwAR06J2aIRSDvgu1DwRqwwwkzs4_8CExkE4ZAzltbhWemVq8a_Cfk9ZESoY4

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Armenpress.am

Whoever attacks Syunik will be attacking Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, says Laurent Wauquiez

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12:30, 31 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 31, ARMENPRESS. Artsakh’s (Nagorno Karabakh) fate is closely linked with Syunik’s fate, while Syunik is the key to Armenia’s integrity, the President of the Regional Council of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Laurent Wauquiez said on March 31 in Yerevan.

“That’s why we decided to have a cooperation agreement between our region and Syunik province. The agreement was signed in a very meaningful place, in the Tatev Monastery. Cooperation will relate to healthcare, agriculture and education. I’ve said that whoever attacks Syunik will be attacking my region,” Wauquiez said, repeating his statement made at the signing ceremony earlier.

He called on France and the international community to pay attention to Armenia and Artsakh amid the threats from Azerbaijan.

“This isn’t a dispute between two countries where borders aren’t clarified and it could last forever, this is a total disregard for human rights that are protected under all international conventions, this is a desire to destroy a nation, its culture and history, its memory. This is certainly Armenia’s struggle, Artsakh’s struggle, but this is also a bigger struggle, this is a struggle for all the values that we bear. This is a struggle for civilization and democracy. Protecting you means protecting all these values,” the French politician added.

He called for stronger reaction by the international community and international sanctions against Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

“It was decided not to buy Russian gas any more after the occupation of some parts of Ukraine, but is the Azerbaijani gas more acceptable? Why weren’t there any consequences for what happened, why are there no sanctions against the Aliyev regime? I share these questions with you and I am equally angered,” he said.

Wauquiez said that together with his 40-member delegation he visited Syunik province. “All members of my delegation can now say, I have been there, I have seen what’s happening, I know what’s happening. The Azerbaijani troops came and captured the parts from the sovereign territory of Armenia where we went just one day earlier.”

 

 

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Armenpress.am

French Embassy in Armenia welcomes signing of cooperation memorandum between Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and Syunik

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20:42, 31 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 31, ARMENPRESS. The Embassy of France in Armenia welcomes the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and Syunik Province, which took place in Tatev monastery, ARMENPRESS reports, the French Embassy in Armenia said on its "Twitter" page.

"The French Embassy welcomes the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and the Syunik region in the Tatev monastery, aimed specifically at economic development, agriculture, professional education, healthcare and Francophone areas," the message states.

A cooperation agreement was signed between Syunik Province of Armenia and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France in the monastery complex of Tatev. The agreement envisages the development of bilateral cooperation based on the principles of friendship, justice and mutual interests.

The priorities spheres for cooperation are: access to medical care, economic development, particularly in agriculture, professional education, mainly for young people, promotion of tourism, promotion of Francophonie.

A steering committee will be created for the proper development of projects in accordance with the goals of the cooperation. The parties will create an action plan that will become part of the signed agreement.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1107703.html?fbclid=IwAR38FbD16nbpc_tMYq0AiRtfifdRpk2mu7xCR2t5l55vGFce0ZGzphBUOb0

[Yervant1]

April 31 2023

The War the U.S. Media Ignores

BY NICK AKGULIAN

MAR. 31, 2023

Imagine spending more than three months of this winter with empty grocery store shelves, lack of medicines at the local pharmacy, and a shortage of every other daily basic good needed. Imagine living with no heat for much of the day and night in frigid temperatures, no fuel in the car to travel to a doctor's appointment or to a place of employment, no internet to perform work and school tasks, or to communicate with loved ones. For one-hundred days and counting, this has been the reality for the 120,000 people living within the borders of a beautiful mountainous territory called Nagorno Karabagh, an historically Armenian populated enclave which lies within the borders of present-day Azerbaijan, adjacent to the country of Armenia.

I had the good fortune to live and work alongside the people of Nagorno Karabagh for several months late last year while engaged in a health care project. They are a hardworking, generous, religious people, many living a traditional mountain village life on a land they have been tied to for centuries. They are a people who have endured two wars since the breakup of the Soviet Union, the last in 2020, when the country of Azerbaijan supported by Turkey and other regional powers, unleashed a 44-day attack on the area that took the lives of over 5000 of their men and women. Each day during our village clinic sessions, stories were told of loved ones lost or badly wounded, displacement from homes or towns, loss of livelihood, and much more. Because Azerbaijan now occupies all the land surrounding Nagorno Karabagh, many of the clinics were conducted within view of Azerbaijan military posts, a source of constant anxiety for the population given the periodic attacks on the villages. Rather than being angry, bitter or desiring revenge, the refrain I heard repeatedly from the people was, “we simply want to live in peace.”

Instead, on Dec. 12, 2022, Azerbaijan began a complete blockade of the only road connecting Nagorno Karabagh to the country of Armenia and the outside world, placing a stranglehold on an entire population in attempt to remove them from their ancestral homeland. During this time, Azerbaijan has also repeatedly disrupted the gas and electricity supply to the area, as well as internet service. As a result, hospitals and clinics cannot supply needed services. Schools have closed. Food is being rationed. Businesses are shuttered. Organizations such as Genocide Watch and the Lemkin Institute have issued repeated warnings of genocide. Our own State Department, along with the European Union, United Nations, the World Council of Churches, the Vatican, Human Rights Watch and many others, have called for an end to the blockade, yet the humanitarian crisis continues.

While the horrific events in Ukraine are rightly covered vigorously by the press and are a regular focus for our politicians, the above story, also taking place in the former Soviet Union, has largely remained out of the media. It also has not triggered actions by our elected officials similar to those taken against Putin and Russia for its gross human rights violations. To make matters worse, the hard-earned tax dollars of every Wisconsin and US worker is flowing into the hands of the Azerbaijan leadership responsible for this attempt at ethnic cleansing. While our country defends democracy and human rights in Ukraine against a brutal dictator, we are in effect doing the opposite in Nagorno Karabagh by using our dollars to support and reward a dictator who inflicts suffering on a people governed by democratic principles.

Our politicians, the media, and the global community can and must do better. We as citizens can do our part by contacting local and national media to request they report on this story, in hopes that shining a light on the blockade will assist in ending it. Likewise, we must relentlessly contact our politicians—including the White House, State Department, Senators Baldwin and Johnson, the Congressional Representative of your district—until they speak up forcefully against Azerbaijan for its conduct, and back those words with all necessary actions to end the blockade and secure a lasting future for these people in their homeland. Our demands should include an immediate end to the handing over of dollars we work so hard for, to a government intent on committing genocide.

Through these actions, we can do our part to end the blockade, bring peace to the people of Nagorno Karabagh, and avoid adding another tragic chapter to human history.

Nick Akgulian, MD, is a long-time family physician in the Racine area who has spent several years abroad on health care projects in Belize, Armenia and most recently Nagorno Karabagh.

https://shepherdexpress.com/news/issue-of-the-month/the-war-the-u-s-media-ignores/

[Yervant1]

Asbarez.com

French Official Meets with Artsakh Foreign Minister

by Asbarez Staff

April 1, 2023

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

Laurent Wauquiez (left) meets with Artsakh Foreign Minister Sergey Ghazaryan in Yerevan on Mar. 31

 

Signs Cooperation Agreement with Syunik

Artsakh Foreign Minister Sergey Ghazaryan met on Friday with a delegation of officials from France’s Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Regional Council headed by its president Laurent Wauquiez.

The meeting took place at Artsakh’s Permanent Representation in Armenia since Ghazaryan has been stranded in Armenia due to the ongoing Azerbaijani blockade of Artsakh.

According to the Artsakh Foreign Ministry, the parties discussed the situation in Artsakh, the future courses of action, and humanitarian programs.

Wauquiez expressed confidence that the collaboration between Artsakh and the French region he heads will only deepen and strengthen.

Wauquiez also met with a group of people from Artsakh who were forcibly displaced from their homes as a result of the 44-day war in 2020 and settled in Armenia, listened to their problems, and discussed a number of matters of legal importance.

Their meeting was preceded by a two-day visit of the French delegation to Armenia’s Syunik Province, where they visited the entrance to the Lachin Corridor, which has been blockaded by Azerbaijan since December 12.

Laurent Wauquiez at the signing of a cooperation agreement at the Tatev Monastery in Syuink

In his remarks, Wauquiez called for strong pressure from France to ensure the opening of the corridor.

“We have come to remind the world about the 150,000 people living in Artsakh. They are cut off from the world, they don’t have sufficient food and medical supplies, this is simply disastrous,” Wauquiez said at the Lachin Corridor entrance.

“This is happening in silence, overlooked…Today the world is focused on Ukraine, which is understandable, but we cannot forget Artsakh, because if there is one conflict it does not mean there is not another. Both are equally important for us,” Wauquiez added.

“It is very important that the international community reacts to this, and that France exerts maximum pressure in order for the road to be opened at least for humanitarian aid, as a first step. It is important for me to be at the entrance of the corridor, to show that France is standing by Armenia and Artsakh,” said Wauquiez.

While in Syunik, Wauquiez signed a cooperation agreement between the province and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France during a ceremony at Tatev Monastery.

The agreement envisions the development of bilateral cooperation “based on the principles of friendship, justice and mutual interests.”

The priorities of the agreement include ensuring access to medical care, economic development, particularly in agriculture, professional education of youth, promotion of tourism and the promotion of Francophonie.

A steering committee will be created for the proper development of projects based on the goals of the cooperation. The parties will create an action plan that will become part of the signed agreement.

“The French Embassy welcomes the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and the Syunik region in the Tatev monastery, aimed specifically at economic development, agriculture, professional education, healthcare and Francophone areas,” said a Twitter post Saturday by France’s Embassy in Armenia.

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry was angered by Wauquiez’s meeting with the Artsakh Foreign Minister, calling the delegation’s visit a “provocation.” Official Baku was also infuriated by the French official’s suggestion that as a result of the agreement, humanitarian assistance can flow to Artsakh via the Lachin Corridor.

https://asbarez.com/french-official-meets-with-artsakh-foreign-minister/?fbclid=IwAR0pYtmPUc1giX0Avbp5ut5cIRANHZL4nRPgCPFaJB7WX1caNyVxQ8tIUus

[Yervant1]

April 2 2023

Armenian Christians Held Hostage by Azerbaijan for 100+ Days

04/02/2023 Jeff King recently had the privilege of sitting down with a panel of experts to discuss the ongoing conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The centuries-old tensions simmering between these nations continue to escalate, leaving Armenia’s Christians increasingly vulnerable.

Most recently, in Artsakh, the region’s Christians have been cut off from aid from the outside world for over 100 days. This situation has driven many families from their homes as they struggle to make ends meet.

We hope that you are blessed by this conversation on a situation that is rarely covered on mainstream media. Will you join us today in praying for all those affected by this ongoing conflict?

Groong note: Watch the interview at the link below
https://theparadise.ng/armenian-christians-held-hostage-by-azerbaijan-for-100-days/

[Yervant1]

April 3 2023

A young activist in Armenia on Azerbaijan and resolution

• Sona Martirosyan

Dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Gyumri resident 26-year-old Gevorg Ghukasyan is a student at Shirak State University in Armenia and chairman of its student council. He studies psychology, and his favorite subject is clinical psychology.

Gevorg is an activist who has not lost faith in the potential of young people, including in the context of overcoming the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict.

We communicate on the Zoom. Gevorg is from Gyumri, I am from Yerevan. He says the topic of peace in the region is very painful and delicate for him.

Gevorg Ghukasyan, Restart Gyumri

“My generation will live with the consequences”

“In such long conflicts, the path to reconciliation cannot be traveled by only one of the two sides. And if the peace process fails, then our generation will have to live with the consequences of this, both in Armenia and in Azerbaijan.”

And in order to achieve peace, first of all you need to start talking to each other.

“Even if we are not ready for dialogue today, we still need to try. Because refusing dialogue would mean refusing our future. A peaceful, democratic, secure and free future for Armenia and Azerbaijan,” Gevorg says with conviction.

“We feel a hatred whose origin is unclear”

Gevorg became an activist 11 years ago during protests in Mashtots Park in the center of Yerevan when group of young people managed to force the mayor’s office to abandon its intention of building trading stalls there.

Then, in 2015, it was the turn of the Electric Yerevan movement. After peaceful demonstrations and protests, young people managed to force the authorities to cancel the decision to increase electricity tariffs.

Later, Gevorg created the Restart Gyumri initiative center. Its participants plan reforms in the educational, youth, civil and other spheres.

“My approaches to peace and dialogue between our societies were the same before the 44-day war in 2020,” he says. “Only then the probability was higher.”

Shortly before the war, Gevorg’s first book was published — a collection of prose poems called “Inhale-Exhale”. The presentation had to be canceled as the war had begun.

The book talks about the problems of youth throughout the region.

“We were left on the ruins of the Soviet Union, surrounded by dictatorships, experiencing a hatred whose origin is unclear,” Gevorg says. “In my book, I also talked about solidarity with young Azerbaijani activists and dissidents who were forced to leave their country due to political persecution. Some of them are talking about peace with the Armenians.”

What caused the Armenia-Azerbaijan border war of September 13-14? Six versions

Six versions of what caused the latest violence at the border.

On the blockade of the Lachin corridor

Since December 12, 2022, a group of Azerbaijanis who have declared themselves eco-activists, with the support of official Baku and with the inaction of Russian peacekeepers, has been blocking the only road connecting the Armenian-populated part of Karabakh with Armenia.

The protesters demand access of Azerbaijani specialists to gold and copper mines on the territory of the unrecognized NKR. Azerbaijani authorities say there is no blockade, as thousands of humanitarian aid trucks and Red Cross ambulances have driven down the Lachin road in both directions since the protest began.

In this situation, Gevorg says, it is especially important to talk a lot about peace and inspire everyone who fights for it. On Facebook, he expressed support for Azerbaijani student Farid Imanov, who said that students at Baku State University were promised “benefits” for participating in the action in the Lachin corridor.

“This is exactly what we can do for the world: we should not be afraid to speak up. I myself am fearless and honest in this matter, and I am not alone,” he says.

Sharing classroom with your ‘enemy’: how Armenians and Azeris study together in Tbilisi

Karabakh conflict isolated Armenian and Azerbaijani societies but there is a chance for both peoples to meet and communicate – by studing journallism at the Georgian GİPA university

“Conflict resolution is possible only in a democracy”

“Calls for peace from both sides are almost not heard because of military conflict. People are often criticized or persecuted for their views. But nothing can justify war.

We can and must start a new dialogue on the possibility of reconciliation. Young people from both sides should take the initiative and responsibility for this. For 30 years we have been literally killed, and we are killing. And this mutual senseless slaughter, this misfortune will continue until a generation comes that will talk instead of kill.”

https://jam-news.net/dialogue-between-armenia-and-azerbaijan/

[Yervant1]

Asbarez.com

UN Human Rights Experts Call on Azerbaijan to Open Lachin Corridor

by Asbarez Staff

April 4, 2023

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Main, Latest, News, Top Stories

The Lachin Corridor has been blockaded by Azerbaijan since Dec. 12, 2022

 

Several United Nations human rights experts issued a statement calling the Azerbaijani government “to take urgent action to ensure the freedom and security of movement through the Lachine Corridor,” which has been blockaded since December 12.

The UN human rights experts emphasized that the Lachin Corridor is the only transport link that connects Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia and the outside world “and is of a great humanitarian importance. The blockade has disrupted the delivery of food, medicine, fuel and other essential goods to around 120,000 people living in Nagorno-Karabakh.”

“The humanitarian situation aggravated due to periodic interruptions of gas supply, which undermined the functioning of medical institutions. Educational institutions have also been unable to operate and had stopped their activities,” said the experts.

They expressed serious concern that the prolonged blockade of the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to the outside world can lead to dire humanitarian consequences on the population and violate their rights.

The communication was dispatched by the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food; the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities; the Special Rapporteur on the right to education; the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health; and the Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons.

The five UN experts, known as special procedures mandate holders, are independent human rights experts with mandates to report and advise on human rights from a thematic or country-specific perspective.

According to the UN Human Rights website, the experts’ mandate allows them to intervene directly with governments on allegations of violations of human rights that come within their mandates by means of letters which include urgent appeals and other communications. The intervention can relate to a human rights violation that has already occurred, is ongoing, or which has a high risk of occurring. The process involves sending a letter to the concerned State identifying the facts of the allegation, applicable international human rights norms and standards, the concerns and questions of the mandate-holder(s), and a request for follow-up action.

https://asbarez.com/un-human-rights-experts-call-on-azerbaijan-to-open-lachin-corridor/?fbclid=IwAR2OZmOCmjGXFWb51796pK2kIIbmCCq5OapsP0dhxOq6_MLs5isnBjm6yJU

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Armenpress.am

Nagorno Karabakh says outbound travel possible only for highly essential cases

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13:22, 5 April 2023

STEPANAKERT, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS. The State Minister of Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) Gurgen Nersisyan has denied reports claiming that Russian peacekeepers are evacuating the population of Artsakh and transferring large numbers of people to Armenia.

Furthermore, Nersisyan said that from now on travel from Artsakh to Armenia will be possible only for highly essential cases.

“From now on, traveling from Artsakh to Armenia will be possible only in highly essential cases and exclusively through applying in advance to the Center for Cooperation with the Russian Peacekeeping Contingent and with their permission.

Since Azerbaijan’s blockade of the only road linking Artsakh with Armenia, the Armenians of Artsakh were deprived for a long time of the possibility to travel to Armenia from Artsakh.

Given the constant issues people face in their lives, such as death of a relative in Armenia, funeral, severe illness of a family member in Armenia in case of separated families, surgery and others, and the growth of tension, the Russian peacekeepers recently began transporting in a certain intervals the citizens who are facing such issues.

In order to keep the abovementioned process under control and protect our citizens from possible Azerbaijani provocations in the blockaded part of the road, from now on it will be possible to travel from Artsakh to Armenia only in highly essential cases, naturally through the Russian peacekeepers, exclusively by applying in advance to the Center for Cooperation with the Russian peacekeeping contingent and with their permission. Regarding people with health issues requiring medical attention, their transfer to Armenia will be organized through the Artsakh representation of the International Committee of the Red Cross, with recommendation of the healthcare ministry of Artsakh.

At the same time, we inform that the reports claiming that the Russian peacekeepers are evacuating or transporting en masse the Artsakhians to Armenia are untrue, these reports are yet another manifestation of the Azerbaijani information attacks,” Nersisyan said.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1108006.html?fbclid=IwAR22rUmIEIQAVZL29U2Zrs4GTOqtzQ2RQ3mc-YP1usJ8P_yBfVUIFk0j8FA

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Asbarez.com

Israeli Activist Yaron Weiss Dedicates Journey Across Galilee to People of Artsakh

by Contributor

April 5, 2023

in Armenia, Artsakh, Latest, News, Top Stories

Yaron Weiss standing next to an Artsakh flag which he plans to carry with him throughout his five-day journey

 

Israeli activist and author Yaron Weiss, who has traveled extensively in the Caucasus, is starting a five-day journey across the Galilee dedicated to the people of Artsakh.

“The landscape of the Galilee, the region where I live always reminds me the landscape of Artsakh. The size of the area is also the same,” Weiss said in a Facebook post as he announced the journey.

“I remember those days when I crossed Artsakh by hiking on the ‘Janapar Trail’ – The first national trails network in the Caucasus. Unfortunately these days most of the ‘Janapar Trail’ is under hostile occupation,” he said.

“In recent months, the people of Artsakh are in difficult situation under siege. In addition tens of thousands of refugees cannot return to their homes. One of the main reasons of the worst situation is also due to the use of Israeli-made weapons that changed the balance of forces in the conflict,” Weiss added.

“To sympathize with the people of Artsakh and to raise awareness in Israel and the entire world about their difficult situation, I decided to go on a journey of crossing the Galilee from the western side in the Mediterranean Sea to the eastern side in the Jordan Valley on shores of the Sea of Galilee,” he said.

Weiss plans to hike for several days, holding the Artsakh flag in order to remind the many people that he’s going to meet along the way that “this journey is dedicated to those heroes who live in their ancient homeland despite all the difficulties. The homeland that is very similar to the Galilee.”

“I would greatly appreciate if you follow the journey on social media and share. You are more than welcome to join me on the Trail,” Weiss concluded.

https://asbarez.com/israeli-activist-yaron-weiss-dedicates-journey-across-galilee-to-people-of-artsakh/?fbclid=IwAR36Q-yaHcGlJy-eb39GAnuVmQ8qBRJcLCkDMBl8geOUSyu8TV_Qhpn7kv4

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Asbarez.com

Women of Artsakh March to Blockaded Road Near Shushi

by Asbarez Staff

April 7, 2023

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

Women of Artsakh protest against Azerbaijan's genocidal policy on Apr. 7

 

April 7 marks Mother’s Day in Armenia and Artsakh so hundreds of women joined a peaceful demonstration in Stepanakert organized by the Artsakh Mothers Club and marched toward the blockaded section of the road leading to Shushi.

“We wake up every day fearing whether we are going to become widows or lose a child,” Maria Abrahamyan, one of the women protesters told Armenpress on Friday.

The demonstration called for respecting the right to self-determination and fundamental rights of the Armenians of Artsakh, opening of the only road linking Artsakh with Armenia – which has been blocked for 117 days – and preventing Azerbaijan’s genocidal policy.

Participants of the demonstration first visited the Stepanakert Military Pantheon-Memorial, where they honored the fallen troops.

“The lack of gas, the power outages and food shortages that our children have been facing for a long time now aren’t as concerning as this uncertainty and Azerbaijan’s policy, which is getting worse day by day,” Abrahamyan added. “We, the women of Artsakh, will not remain silent, we will struggle. We owe it to our sons. We will not allow the depopulation of Armenians from our historic land. Unfortunately this is the only way to raise our voice to the world.”

“We will not surrender, our will is unbreakable,” said Abrahamyan.

“The people of Artsakh made their decision in 1988, by severing ties with the Azerbaijani aggressor, and there is no turning back. As long as we are standing here, as long as we are speaking Armenian and have our own national religion and symbols, Artsakh will not be part of Azerbaijan,” she said, adding that while women in other countries around the world are concerned about career and personal welfare, in a parallel reality women in Artsakh are concerned about their very existence.

Kristine Balayan, another participant of the demonstration, said the world must hear the voice of Artsakh. “We have the right to life and the world must hear us.”

“Our children have the right to freedom of movement, but aggressor Aliyev has closed the road of life and tries to decide who can pass. The world must stand by our side, the international community must extend a helping hand to one another because life is a boomerang, if this happens to someone else then no one will stand by them again,” Balayan added.

https://asbarez.com/women-of-artsakh-march-to-blockaded-road-near-shushi/?fbclid=IwAR1SMitH8pF_c2eOTbPoS3pcJgAqM8MfyPZVhVwUA6blHoTtzr9htX0kHGs

[Yervant1]

April 25 2023

Resolution to recognise independent Nagorno-Karabakh introduced to US Congress

A resolution to recognise the independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh region has been introduced in the United States' Congress, in commemoration of the Armenian genocide amid rising tensions between Yerevan and Baku.

According to the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), Democratic Congressman, Adam Schiff, yesterday introduced a resolution in the US Congress to recognise the independence and self-determination of the Nagorno-Karabakh, which Azerbaijan captured at the end of 2020 from Armenian forces and militias which had occupied it for around three decades.

The resolution stated that Artsakh – the Armenian name for Nagorno-Karabakh – is "consistent with the right to self-determination enshrined in various United Nations instruments and the people of Artsakh's 1991 vote and decision to declare their independence from Azerbaijan."

Condemning the alleged "unprovoked attacks by the Azerbaijani forces on Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh", the resolution calls on Baku "to immediately cease its blockade and aggressions against Armenia and Artsakh without conditions."

It also calls for the US to cease all foreign and military assistance to Azerbaijan in accordance with the Freedom Support Act's Section 907, in order "to make clear to the Government of Azerbaijan that further attacks on Armenia and Artsakh will result in sanctions and other measures", and urged for Washington's firm support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Armenia "against Azerbaijan's military aggression and blatant violations of international laws and norms".

READ: 'Yet another attempt to distort history': Turkiye slams US remarks on 1915 events

Schiff stated, during the introduction of the resolution, that "The United States must recognise the right of self-determination of the people of Artsakh, the need for remedial secession, and stop sending support to Azerbaijan. Anything less will only further embolden [Azerbaijani President Ilham] Aliyev in his attempt to annihilate the Armenian people".

Schiff's resolution was backed by two other Democrat congressmen – Congressional Armenian Caucus founding co-Chair, Frank Pallone, and Josh Gottheimer – and was introduced on the occasion of the international day of commemoration of the Armenian Genocide.

It comes amid rising tensions between Yerevan and Baku in recent months, with Azeri civilians who identified as environmental activists starting to blockade the Lachin Corridor – the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia – and closing it off to all, except Russian peacekeeping forces and Red Cross convoys.

Despite Azerbaijan denying that it had fully blockaded the road, insisting that some convoys and aid were allowed through, Azerbaijani forces set up a new checkpoint on Sunday near the Armenian border at the beginning of the Lachin Corridor.

Yerevan and Moscow have labelled the checkpoint a violation of the November 2020 peace agreement, but Baku has claimed the move is aimed at ending Armenian arms supplies to what it calls a separatist administration. The US, meanwhile, has expressed that it is deeply concerned by the move and has called for free and open movement along the corridor.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230425-resolution-to-recognise-independent-nagorno-karabakh-introduced-to-us-congress/

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

The import of humanitarian goods from Armenia to Artsakh has been restored to a certain extent

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20:01, 25 April 2023

YEREVAN, APRIL 25, ARMENPRESS. As a result of the efforts of the government of the Republic of Artsakh and the peacekeeping forces of the Russian Federation, on April 25, it was possible to somewhat restore the import of humanitarian goods from the Republic of Armenia, which was disrupted by the installation of an illegal Azerbaijani checkpoint on the Artsakh-Armenia border in recent days, ARMENPRESS reports, the information headquarters of Artsakh informed on its "Facebook" page.

"The main part of the cargo imported through the peacekeepers consisted of basic necessities, food included in the coupon system, which will be delivered to stores from tomorrow, and citizens will be able to shop.

We ask for the forgiveness and understanding of our compatriots for not delivering even the amount of food provided by coupons within the specified period, which is due to the serious obstacles caused by the Azerbaijani side to the transportation of even humanitarian goods," the message says.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1109593.html?fbclid=IwAR0hnZI7mlIoUcawB5OOuu_vhLlaGhpZaNwRtkYRDWTC8KJSh5clpRcI2XY

[Yervant1]

Asbarez.com

ATP, AMAA, Tufenkian Foundation Provide Seed Potatoes to Artsakh Residents

by Contributor

April 28, 2023

in Armenia, Artsakh, Latest, News, Top Stories

Residents in Martuni receive seed potatoes from joint collaboration between the AAMA, ATP, and Tufenkian Foundation

 

In a move to bolster Artsakh’s food security, 90 tons of seed potatoes were delivered to the residents of Artsakh’s Martuni Region through a collaboration between the Armenia Tree Project, Armenian Missionary Association of America, and the Tufenkian Foundation. The humanitarian aid initiative comes at a critical time as Artsakh has suffered critical shortages of food, medicine, and other essentials due to Azerbaijan’s more than 120-day blockade.

The 90 tons of seed potatoes arrived in Stepanakert through local assistance and were then transported to villages in Martuni by trucks provided by Martuni’s Regional Administration. They were distributed to villagers with less than four acres of land. Due to the current shortage of fuel, many villagers had to transport their allotment to their farms by pack animal and planted the seed potatoes by hand.

“We continue to stand by our commitment to Artsakh and its people, particularly in these difficult times. With the uncertainty of outside access due to the blockade, helping Artsakh to become self-sufficient has become a top priority,” said Tufenkian’s Operations Director Greg Bedian. “We are pleased to be partnering with ATP and AMAA in this endeavor and are grateful for major benefactors like the Armen and Gloria Hampar Family Foundation without whose support this initiative would not have been possible.”

The seed potatoes will provide much needed aid given the closure of the Lachin corridor. Residents of Artsakh have been closed off from the outer world since December 12, 2022, and have lacked basic survival necessities, including food. With the addition of ongoing harassment from Azerbaijani forces, the safest and most immediate way for Artsakh residents to survive is to plant seeds in their backyards and greenhouses. Despite difficulties, it is anticipated that the initiative will help yield over 700 tons of potatoes during the fall harvest, helping to ensure sufficient reserves for the winter.

Founder of ATP Carolyn Mugar expressed pride in the joint efforts by multiple organizations. “In this unprecedented emergency it is important that we all work together to support our brothers and sisters in Artsakh,” she said.

This initiative was developed in collaboration with Artsakh’s Agriculture Ministry and Martuni’s Regional Administration. ATP, AMAA, and Tufenkian Foundation hope to continue providing food security assistance to residents in Artsakh.

“Our commitment to Artsakh is unwavering and we shall continue serving the people in Artsakh and empowering Artsakhtsis to secure self-dependence and excellence in development and education,” said AMAA Executive Director Zaven Khanjian. “As such, AMAA will contribute to this effort from its Empower an Artsakh Family Fund to help farmers develop their lands and produce products vital to their living and survival.”

All three organizations have had a long history of working in Artsakh and have re-doubled their efforts since the 44-Day War.

https://asbarez.com/atp-amaa-and-tufenkian-foundation-provide-seed-potatoes-to-artsakh-residents/?fbclid=IwAR0WSVKnTkQkfSnDakjp6XF4s6TDNxq_4U8jYllDPpBTRactu5vwnbrdREM

[Yervant1]

April 29 2023

Armenia and Azerbaijan to hold peace settlement talks in Washington on Sunday

Reuters

Armenia-Azerbaijan border dispute

MOSCOW, April 29 (Reuters) - Armenia and Azerbaijan will hold a new round of talks in Washington on Sunday to try to normalise relations, Yerevan said on Saturday, after weeks of rising tensions over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Armed forces from the two Caucasus neighbours have frequently exchanged fire amid disputes over the mountain enclave, which is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but populated mainly by ethnic Armenians.

Azerbaijan set up a new checkpoint last Sunday on the Lachin corridor, a road to Karabakh that passes through Azeri territory, in a move that Armenia that called a gross violation of a 2020 ceasefire.

"From April 30 Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan will be in Washington DC on a working visit. The next round of discussions on the agreement on normalisation of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan is scheduled," the spokesperson, Ani Badalyan, said on her official Facebook page.

There was no immediate confirmation of the meeting by Azerbaijan.

Later on Saturday, the Armenian defence ministry said one of its soldiers had been injured by shot fired by Azeri forces near the village of Tegh in Armenia's southern Syunik province, Tass news agency said.

Tegh is the last village on the Lachin Corridor in Armenia before it enters Azeri territory.

Russian peacekeepers were deployed in 2020 to end a war, the second that Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought over the enclave since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.

Despite years of attempted mediation between them, Armenia and Azerbaijan have yet to reach a peace agreement that would settle outstanding issues such as the demarcation of borders and return of prisoners.

Reporting by Reuters Editing by Alexandra Hudson

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/armenia-azerbaijan-hold-peace-settlement-talks-washington-sunday-2023-04-29/

[Yervant1]

The West is always calling, asking and demanding but never forcing!

April 29 2023

France calls on Azerbaijan to reopen humanitarian corridor with Armenia

France's foreign minister on Friday urged Azerbaijan to restore "unhindered movement" through the Lachin corridor, the only land link between Armenia and the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh enclave.

Azerbaijan established a checkpoint at the entry of the corridor last weekend, a move that Armenia denounced as a breach of the latest ceasefire between the two arch-foes.

France's top diplomat Catherine Colonna said during a news conference in Yerevan that Armenia's territorial integrity must be respected.

Her Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan said for his part that free movement "should be restored".

Colonna arrived in Armenia after first visiting Baku, where she was hosted by Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev.

"The purpose of the visit is to reaffirm France's support for the Armenian government and people," Colonna said.

'Difficult path'

She said it was important for Armenia and Azerbaijan to resume negotiations to secure a resolution to their decades-long standoff.

"We encourage you to resolutely take this path," Colonna said, adding this was "the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace".

She acknowledged this was a "difficult path".

Colonna also said Paris was ready to back Armenia in the process, "alongside the European Union and the United States, in coordination with the OSCE and the United Nations".

France has a large Armenian minority, and President Emmanuel Macron has sought to retain Paris's influence over resolving the Karabakh conflict.

On Thursday, Azerbaijan rebuked Paris for failing to use its influence to help calm tensions in the South Caucasus.

On Friday, Azerbaijan reiterated that it had set up a checkpoint on "Azerbaijan's territory."

"We continue to be in close contact with the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Russian peacekeeping contingent to best facilitate humanitarian access," Deputy Foreign Minister Elnur Mammadov was quoted as saying in a statement sent to AFP on Friday.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought two wars over the mountainous enclave of Karabakh that left tens of thousands dead.

Moscow brokered a ceasefire after the latest bout of fighting in 2020 and posted peacekeepers along the Lachin corridor.

With Moscow bogged down in Ukraine and unwilling to strain ties with Azerbaijan's key ally Turkey, the United States and European Union have sought to steer a thaw in ties.

Asked whether he wanted negotiations hosted by Europe and Washington or Russia, Mirzoyan said there was "no difference between the platforms".

He was due to travel to Washington for a trilateral meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

(AFP)

https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20230428-france-calls-on-azerbaijan-to-reopen-humanitarian-corridor-with-armenia

 

 

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

MP Taguhi Tovmasyan presents aggravation of security situation to MEP Marina Kaljurand

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12:36, 1 May 2023

YEREVAN, MAY 1, ARMENPRESS. The Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights and Public Affairs, MP Taguhi Tovmasyan has held a meeting Member of the European Parliament Marina Kaljurand.

In a statement posted on social media, Tovmasyan described the meeting as “a warm and friendly conversation.”

“I presented the threats that continue to plague Armenia striving for peace. I mentioned that the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia is shrinking since 2020 the Artsakh war, however, the international community only makes statements of concern, with which we do not help our homeland and the citizens.

I emphasized that Artsakh has been completely blockaded for 138 days, and despite the decision of the UN International Court of Justice regarding the Lachin Corridor, the road remains closed.

Ms. Marina Kaljurand condemned the actions of Azerbaijan, which endanger the peace process. She and her colleagues issued a Statement regarding the Lachin Corridor, calling on Baku to commit to the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and to respect international obligations and norms (http://bitly.ws/DKgA).

I spoke about the aggravation of the security situation in Armenia and its consequences, mentioning, among other things, the shootings by Azerbaijanis in the direction of Sotk, as a result of which 800 employees of Sotk [mine] were forced to be idle for more than one week.

We touched on all the most important topics, on which our team of the Standing Committee on Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia regularly prepares reports and sends them to all International partners,” Tovmasyan said in the statement.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1109956.html?fbclid=IwAR2URGnib3fhqIY4qB7HlgP_uiENCHDJ3Jzshhvd_ypA1RL0fbD9ctlqSe4

[MosJan]

[MosJan]

[MosJan]

[MosJan]

[Yervant1]

May 1 2023

Nagorno-Karabakh residents ‘tricked’ into passing Azerbaijani checkpoint

1 May 2023

ByAni Avetisyan

An Azerbaijani border guard inspects a vehicle at the checkpoint on the Hakiri Bridge. Image via ITV.

The authorities in Stepanakert have accused the Russian peacekeepers of tricking residents of Nagorno-Karabakh into passing through the Azerbaijani checkpoint on the Lachin corridor, falsely promising that they would not have to undergo checks by Azerbaijani border troops.

The accusation comes after footage appeared to show Armenian vehicles passing through the checkpoint, with Azerbaijani border control officers inspecting their vehicles and documents.

‘As can be seen from the presented footage, people’s border crossing is organised in a neat and polite manner’, Azerbaijan’s ITV reported from the scene.

‘Thus, the claims of the Armenian officials regarding the “ethnic cleansing” of the Karabakh Armenians and the “blocking” of the Lachin road are nothing more than false propaganda’, the pro-government media went on.

Residents of Nagorno-Karabakh have largely been blocked from entering or exiting the region since mid-December, when Azerbaijani-government-supported ‘eco-activists’ blocked the Lachin Corridor near Shusha (Shushi).

The Azerbaijani government and the protesters themselves insisted they were independent and demonstrating against environmental damage in Nagorno-Karabakh. Photo: Trend.

Despite the 2020 ceasefire agreement stipulating that the corridor be controlled by the Russian peacekeeping force, on 23 April, Azerbaijani border troops moved in to set up a checkpoint on the corridor at the Armenian border.

Soon after, the eco-activists announced they were ending their action. However, on 29 April, the authorities in Stepanakert said the protesters had been replaced by Azerbaijani police near Shusha as well.

Mounting criticism of Russia

Shortly after the video of the inspection appeared online, Nagorno-Karabakh officials dismissed it as a ‘cheap show’.

‘The people are from villages near the checkpoint under double blockade and were travelling with the support of peacekeepers, with guarantees of not being bothered’, Artak Beglaryan, an adviser to the State Minister, wrote on Twitter late on Sunday.

Beglaryan referred to the villages of Mets Shen, Hin Shen, Lisagor, and Yeghtsahogh in the Shusha region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The villages were cut off from the rest of Nagorno-Karabakh after the blockade near Shusha began, and are now separated from Armenia by the new customs checkpoint.

[Read on OC Media: The villages of the Lachin Corridor face ‘double blockade’]

Nagorno-Karabakh’s State Minister Gurgen Nersisyan also issued a statement on Sunday, stating that residents stuck in Goris ‘turned to Russian peacekeepers’, who assured them in advance that ‘there will be no control interference by Azerbaijanis’.

Nersisyan said the residents of Nagorno-Karabakh were waiting for the Lachin Corridor to again be ‘controlled exclusively by Russian peacekeepers’.

Yerevan has also criticised Azerbaijani control over the corridor, calling on Russia to ‘finally fulfil its obligation’ under the 2020 ceasefire agreement and to lift the blockade of the Lachin Corridor. Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzyan stated last week that Armenia would not take part in the negotiations over the status of the Lachin Corridor, placing responsibility on Russia.

Moscow has remained mild in their criticism of the checkpoint and the blockade of the Lachin Corridor since 12 December.

Russia’s failure to regain control of the corridor has led to growing criticism in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.

The authorities in Stepanakert have avoided directly criticising Russia.

But an apparent shift on 30 April, the Nagorno-Karabakh Foreign Ministry mentioned the support and participation of Soviet forces in the 1991 Operation Ring, which saw the forcible displacement of Armenian residents of several villages in and around Nagorno-Karabakh.

The authorities in Stepanakert declined to issue a statement on the anniversary of the start of the operation last year, and their statement in 2021 mentioned only the Azerbaijani authorities as responsible. A statement by the Armenian Parliament in 2021 also did not mention Russia, triggering criticism from some in Armenia, and accusations of ‘falsifying’ history.

 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.

https://oc-media.org/nagorno-karabakh-residents-tricked-into-passing-azerbaijani-checkpoint/

[MosJan]