Nagorno Karabakh -=- ARTSAKH

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Armenpress.com

Human Rights and Artsakh War 2020 discussed in European Parliament

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16:28, 8 September 2022

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. On Wednesday 7 September 2022, MEP Peter van Dalen (EPP Group, The Netherlands) hosted a conference with the title “Human Rights & the Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh War 2020” in the European Parliament (EP).

The conference was co-organized by the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD).

The keynote speakers were the Human rights defender of the Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh Republic – Gegham Stepanyan and the legal representative of the Armenian prisoners of war (POWs) before ECHR – Siranush Sahakyan.

The conference was widely attended by Members of the European Parliament (MEP) from different political groups, EP advisers, politicians, diplomats, and representatives of civil society.

MEP Peter van Dalen reiterated his commitment to the cause:

“I stand with the Armenian people. The life of the Armenian inhabitants of Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh, and their cultural heritage is under threat. We should not accept a status quo but ensure the Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh have a future in their historic region.”

In his opening remarks, the EAFJD President Kaspar Karampetian welcomed the participants and thanked MEP van Dalen for hosting the conference:

“The second Artsakh war in 2020 launched by Azerbaijan was another attempt to carry out an ethnic cleansing of the native Armenian population of Artsakh/Nagorno Karabakh. The native Armenian people’s right to live freely and independently in their homeland is a fundamental human right. The European Parliament condemned the state-level policy of Armenophobia by Azerbaijan by an urgent resolution, which is another acknowledgement that the native Armenian people cannot live under Azerbaijani rule”, – added the EAFJD President.

The keynote speakers addressed the gross violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law by Azerbaijan during the Nagorno Karabakh/Artsakh war in 2020 and in its aftermath.

The Human rights defender of Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh, Gegham Stepanyan underlined:

“Azerbaijan’s policy of ethnic cleansing, threats, use of force, psychological attacks are aimed aimed at disrupting normal life and cause uncertainty about the future among the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh. This uncertainty is aggravated especially due to the fact that the status of Nagorno-Karabakh is not clearly addressed in current negotiations, including through the mediation by the European Union.”

After giving an overview from the legal perspective, including the relevant judgements of international courts against Azerbaijan, Siranush Sahakyan, the legal representative of the Armenian POWs before ECHR elaborated:

“Anti-Armenian xenophobia has become a defining feature of Azerbaijan, which manifests itself in forms of hate speech, maltreatment of prisoners of Armenian descent, glorification of ethnic violence against Armenians, ethnic cleansing, denial of history.’’

The interventions were followed by a question-and-answer session with the participants of the event, including Azerbaijanis.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1091995.html?fbclid=IwAR0AfvqfnA-wlNQTUdEVSq8Lc1zfeSwKnYuVV7NH34eQfQTMfg3BMVmkxJ4

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Sept 9 2022

‘Trying to Wipe Out Our Christian Brothers and Sisters’: Urgent Warnings About the Nagorno-Karabakh Region Persecution

 

By Billy Hallowell

Editor

Many Americans are likely unfamiliar with Nagorno-Karabakh, a small, landlocked region between Armenia and Azerbaijan, two countries that were once part of the Soviet Union.

But here’s why this region matters: Tensions in the area — mainly inhabited by Armenian Christians — have reached a fever pitch, with Armenians warning the conflict could endanger their Christian history.

Listen to the latest episode of CBN’s Quick Start podcast

 

There’s much to unpack, though the location of Nagorno-Karabakh is one of the root causes of its troubles, with two nations vying for control – and with other actors delving into the chaotic mix.

“It’s kind of on this land bridge between Iran, Turkey, and Russia,” Joel Veldkamp, head of international communications at persecution watchdog Christian Solidarity International (CSI), recently told CBN’s Faithwire. “[it’s] a very complicated part of the world.”

Adding to the intricacies is the fact Nagorno-Karabakh is “part of the historical homeland of the Armenian Christian people,” who were collectively the first nation to convert to Christianity in 301 A.D.

Russia’s Role

Much of the consternation surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh involves decisions made by the former Soviet Union, with Russia still playing a role today.

“It was part of the Soviet Union [and] the Russians put it inside the borders of this other country called Azerbaijan, pretty much designing problems to come down the line,” Veldkamp said. “They were always discriminated against and marginalized within the borders of Azerbaijan.”

Watch Veldkamp discuss the dire issues in Nagorno-Karabakh: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bsjl4NpCSAs

The Soviets first established the region in the 1920s, according to The Washington Post.

Decades later, in 1988, the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, who are 95% ethnically Armenian, reportedly decided to become part of Armenia, considering they shared a common language and religion.

“In 1988, the Nagorno-Karabakh legislature passed a resolution to join Armenia despite the region’s legal location within Azerbaijan’s borders,” the Council on Foreign Relations wrote. “As the Soviet Union was dissolving in 1991, the autonomous region officially declared independence.”

This attempt at leaving the Soviet nation of Azerbaijan for Armenia, then another Soviet country, sparked decades of conflict and anger. According to Veldkamp, Azerbaijan has been “trying to wipe these people out essentially,” with deadly clashes leading to monumental losses.

The Turkey Connection

While some characterize the fighting as a land dispute, others note it goes much deeper. This was a sentiment shared previously in a 2020 CBN News interview with Armenian composer Daniel Decker.

“It was started by the Azeris who are not only trying to take territory that has been historically Armenian for thousands of years, but they don’t want to stop with the taking of territory,” Decker said. “They want to wipe out the Armenian people.”

He continued, “They are backed openly by the Turkish government, who on one hand says there was never a genocide and on the other say now we are coming to finish what we started.”

Decker is, of course, referring to the Armenian Genocide, which unfolded during World War I and led to Turkey killing 1.5 million Armenians. Turkey, which has historically denied this genocide occurred, has been accused of helping Azerbaijan in the current conflict, adding extra layers to the chaos.

“It is absolutely not inflammatory language when I say that this is Turkey’s policy to continue the Armenian Genocide,” Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said in 2020. “Let us look at what Turkey is implementing in the Mediterranean, in Libya, in Syria, Iraq. To me, there is no doubt that this is a policy of continuing the Armenian Genocide and a policy of reinstating the Turkish empire.”

Breaking Down More of the History

The more serious roots in the Nagorno-Karabakh stalemate took form from the late 1980s through 1994, with war breaking out between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the land.

Azerbaijan essentially lost, and Nagorno-Karabakh became a de facto independent state. For years, the situation persisted along those same lines, with occasional issues flaring and without real resolution.

But then the crisis more deeply devolved in 2020.

“In 2020, Azerbaijan attacked again, and this time they won the war,” Veldkamp said. “It was a ferocious war. Seven thousand people were killed in just 44 days, and some 35,000 Christians were driven out of their homes, and the Armenian Christians of Karrabach lost a lot of their land.”

Land loss reportedly came as a result of the Russian-brokered ceasefire.

That conflict has left the people of Nagorno-Karabakh in a precarious place, with the military of Azerbaijan essentially surrounding them and peacekeepers barely keeping pandemonium at bay.

“[The] only thing defending them is this small group of Russian peacekeepers,” Veldkamp said. “This is not a good time to have Russia be your only protection.”

Russia’s role in the conflict comes as Vladimir Putin continues a brutal assault on Ukraine. That conflict is making Russia’s role in the Nagorno-Karabakh drama much more complicated. Plus, it has been widely seen as ineffective at stemming the problem.

Alex Fults and Paul Stronski of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace wrote in April that Russia’s ceasefire hasn’t given “full stability” or “security” to the region.

The Religious Roots

While the government of Azerbaijan is secular and not officially Islamic, the nation’s populace is predominately Muslim. Regardless, Veldkamp said Azerbaijan wants to see the predominately Christian people of Nagorno-Karabakh “destroyed.”

“People are trying to wipe out our Christian brothers and sisters,” he said. “We want to be there for them. We want to support them.”

International Christian Concern sounded the alarm on the same issue in a March 2022 statement, warning that “aggression and cultural erasure of the Christian nation continues today.” In June, the organization noted the U.S. Department of State’s “2021 Report on International Religious Freedom” expressed concerns over the “destruction of Armenian religious sites by Azerbaijan.”

Breaking Down More of the History

The more serious roots in the Nagorno-Karabakh stalemate took form from the late 1980s through 1994, with war breaking out between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the land.

Azerbaijan essentially lost, and Nagorno-Karabakh became a de facto independent state. For years, the situation persisted along those same lines, with occasional issues flaring and without real resolution.

But then the crisis more deeply devolved in 2020.

“In 2020, Azerbaijan attacked again, and this time they won the war,” Veldkamp said. “It was a ferocious war. Seven thousand people were killed in just 44 days, and some 35,000 Christians were driven out of their homes, and the Armenian Christians of Karrabach lost a lot of their land.”

Land loss reportedly came as a result of the Russian-brokered ceasefire.

That conflict has left the people of Nagorno-Karabakh in a precarious place, with the military of Azerbaijan essentially surrounding them and peacekeepers barely keeping pandemonium at bay.

“[The] only thing defending them is this small group of Russian peacekeepers,” Veldkamp said. “This is not a good time to have Russia be your only protection.”

Russia’s role in the conflict comes as Vladimir Putin continues a brutal assault on Ukraine. That conflict is making Russia’s role in the Nagorno-Karabakh drama much more complicated. Plus, it has been widely seen as ineffective at stemming the problem.

Alex Fults and Paul Stronski of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace wrote in April that Russia’s ceasefire hasn’t given “full stability” or “security” to the region.

The Religious Roots

While the government of Azerbaijan is secular and not officially Islamic, the nation’s populace is predominately Muslim. Regardless, Veldkamp said Azerbaijan wants to see the predominately Christian people of Nagorno-Karabakh “destroyed.”

“People are trying to wipe out our Christian brothers and sisters,” he said. “We want to be there for them. We want to support them.”

International Christian Concern sounded the alarm on the same issue in a March 2022 statement, warning that “aggression and cultural erasure of the Christian nation continues today.” In June, the organization noted the U.S. Department of State’s “2021 Report on International Religious Freedom” expressed concerns over the “destruction of Armenian religious sites by Azerbaijan.”

https://www.faithwire.com/2022/09/09/trying-to-wipe-out-our-christian-brothers-and-sisters-urgent-warnings-about-the-nagorno-karabakh-region-persecution/

[Yervant1]

Public Radio of Armenia

Oct 7 2022

Artsakh lawmakers call on international community to recognize the independence of the Republic

October 7, 2022, 16:21

1 minute read

The factions represented in the National Assembly of Artsakh have adopted a statement, calling on UN member states to recognize the independence of the Republic.

“Taking into account the recognition of the independence of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic by the Russian Federation and the subsequent unification of the above-mentioned territories, as well as the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia region with the Russian Federation on September 30, 2022, the factions of the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh state that in 1991 the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh legally implemented its right to self-determination in accordance with the norms of international law, the principles of democracy and the legislation of the USSR in force at that time,” the statement reads.

“The international community had recognized Azerbaijan as an independent state within the borders determined by the internal legislation of the USSR. According to that legislation, at the time Azerbaijan gained independence, Nagorno-Karabakh had nothing to do with the given country, otherwise it would not have been included in the United Nations, so the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan has nothing to do with the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh,” the factions said.

“Accepting the principle of equality and self-determination of peoples enshrined in the first article of the United Nations Charter and the judgment of the International Court of Justice of July 22, 2010, according to which international law does not prohibit the declaration of independence as was the case in Kosovo, the factions of the National Assembly of Armenia call on the co-chair countries of the OSCE Minsk Group – the Russian Federation, the United States of America, France and other 190 UN member states to recognize the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, thereby eliminating the most serious existential threats its population faces,” the lawmakers said.

 

https://en.armradio.am/2022/10/07/national-assembly-calls-on-un-member-states-to-recognize-the-independence-of-artsakh-republic/

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Modern Tokyo Times, Japan

Oct 11 2022

Artsakh: Armenian Christians need protecting

October 11, 2022

Lee Jay

Artsakh: Armenian Christians need protecting

Kanako Mita, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker

The Armenians suffered horrendous pogroms in the 1890s at the hands of the Turks. Other Christian minorities – Assyrians and Pontic Greeks – would also be butchered in this period of history by the Turks and various Muslim ethnic allies. By 1915, the Armenian Genocide began in earnest – along with the mass slaughter of other Christian ethnic groups at the hands of the Turks and other Muslim ethnic groups.

Jimmy Carter (president of America from 1977-1981) said, “It is generally not known in the world that, in the years preceding 1916, there was a concerted effort made to eliminate all the Armenian people, probably one of the greatest tragedies that ever befell any group. And there weren’t any Nuremberg trials.”

Baroness Caroline Cox, the House of Lords (United Kingdom), said, “If nations are allowed to commit genocide with impunity, to hide their guilt in a camouflage of lies and denials, there is a real danger that other brutal regimes will be encouraged to attempt genocides. Unless we speak today of the Armenian genocide and unless the Government recognizes this historical fact, we shall leave this century of unprecedented genocides with this blot on our consciences.”

Fast forward to 2022, and the Armenian Christians of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) face the endless threat of pogroms and ethnic cleansing. At the same time, the destruction of ancient Armenian Christian churches, graveyards, and Armenian architecture under areas of Azerbaijan control – since the disaster of the conflict of 2020 – is all too familiar given recent history.

Armenia also faces the threat of further incursions by the armed of Azerbaijan. The energy resources of Azerbaijan entail the ongoing modernization of the armed forces of this nation – especially concerning sophisticated weapons from Israel and Turkey related to drone warfare and other important areas.

Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh reside in fear because Azerbaijan is supported by NATO Turkey -while the European Union (EU) is over-focused on the energy angle of Azerbaijan. Hence, despite Armenians dominating the Artsakh region concerning demographics – along with ancient Armenian Christian churches and architecture highlighting the indigenous reality of this part of the Caucasus region – Azerbaijan is intent on erasing Armenian culture just like the Turks of 1915.

During the conflict in 2020, President Emmanuel Macron of France lambasted NATO Turkey for sending Islamists from Syria to kill Christian Armenians. Macron uttered, “We now have information which indicates that Syrian fighters from jihadist groups have (transited) through Gaziantep (southeastern Turkey) to reach the Nagorno-Karabakh theatre of operations.”

http://moderntokyotimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/armenia-azerbaijan-conflict2-jpg.jpg

Recent brutality by the armed forces of Azerbaijan includes the following: the mutilation of the body of a female Armenian soldier – and another video shows captured Armenian soldiers being killed in Ishkhanasar. In the massacre in Ishkhanasar, video footage shows a hail of bullets killing Armenian soldiers after the armed forces of Azerbaijan illegally entered Armenia.

Unless Armenia capitulates to Azerbaijan and NATO Turkey, more military aggression is likely. The leader of Azerbaijan is emboldened by the indifference of the EU, strong ties with NATO Turkey, and increasing ties with Israel in the area of military arms and geopolitics.

The Russian Federation once played an important role in the Nagorno-Karabakh crisis. However, Azerbaijan and Turkey note the preoccupation of the Russian Federation concerning Ukraine. Therefore, the energy weakness of the EU and the preoccupation of the Russian Federation bodes ill for Artsakh and the territorial integrity of Armenia.

The Foreign Ministry of Armenia recently said, “Numerous videos regularly publicized by Azerbaijani users on social media demonstrate the war crimes against and the extrajudicial killings of Armenian prisoners of war, torture of Armenian servicemen, including women, and desecration of corpses committed by the Azerbaijani armed forces.”

The Guardian reports, “During the six-week 2020 war, Azerbaijan reclaimed broad swaths of Nagorno-Karabakh. The autumn conflict killed more than 6,600 people and ended with a Russia-brokered peace deal.”

Military weapons to Azerbaijan from Israel and Turkey have altered the military dynamics in Nagorno-Karabakh – to the detriment of Armenians. The leader of Turkey equally knows that the Russian Federation is preoccupied with Ukraine – while despite America’s call to solve the crisis, the Biden administration waived restrictions put on American assistance to Azerbaijan. Therefore, Armenia faces a dire situation unless nations including France up their support to the embattled Armenians.

Chair Adam Schiff (D-CA), the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, is worried about the approach of the Biden administration toward Azerbaijan. He said, “Under no circumstances should the United States be providing military support to such a regime – it not only runs counter to our nation’s core democratic values – but could empower the Aliyev regime to continue or escalate its provocative actions against Armenians. President Biden should not have waived Section 907.”

http://moderntokyotimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/armenians-karabakh-Yeritzmankantz-Monastery.jpg

Cornell Chronicle (Cornell University) reports on the findings of the Caucasus Heritage Watch (CHW). It says, “According to CHW’s report on Nakhchivan, of the 110 medieval and early modern Armenian monasteries, churches and cemeteries that CHW identified from archival sources, 108 were destroyed between 1997 and 2011 in what the authors describe as “a systematic, state-sponsored program of cultural erasure.”

Cornell Chronicle continues, “…that the same policy of cultural erasure now threatens Armenian monuments in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. CHW has recently discovered the destruction of an historic church in Karabakh, one of hundreds of Armenian monuments in territories ceded to Azerbaijan under the terms of a 2020 ceasefire to a war between Azerbaijan and Armenia.”

The fate of Armenian Christians was devastating between the late stages of the nineteenth century and when the genocide began in 1915. Over one hundred years later and the embattled Armenian Christians face the same forces of evil that seek to erase the Armenians from their ancient lands.

https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2022/09/report-shows-near-total-erasure-armenian-heritage-sites

http://moderntokyotimes.com/artsakh-armenian-christians-need-protecting/

[MosJan]

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Armenpress.am

Any attempt that would consider Artsakh’s future as part of Azerbaijan is a “red line”, says Stepanakert

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10:39, 14 October 2022

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 14, ARMENPRESS. An official delegation of Artsakh led by Speaker of Parliament Artur Tovmasyan had a meeting with the Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan on October 13 in Yerevan.

The Artsakh parliament’s press service said that “issues related to the Karabakh-Azerbaijani conflict, the latest regional developments and internal Armenian ties were discussed.”

The delegation presented the official position of Artsakh, emphasizing that any attempt that would consider Artsakh’s future as part of Azerbaijan is a “red line” for Artsakh.

It was emphasized that Artsakh remains committed to the resumption of the negotiations process in the OSCE Minsk Group format, with participation of Artsakh’s government.

 

 

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Armenpress.am

There are explanations that no one is planning to recognize Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan – FM Babayan

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13:08, 14 October 2022

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 14, ARMENPRESS. Artsakh doesn’t oppose the relations of Armenia and Azerbaijan to be improved, but considers it unacceptable to recognize Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan, Foreign Minister of Artsakh Davit Babayan told reporters. He said that recognizing Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan would lead to a war, bloodshed, genocide or exodus of Armenians from Artsakh.

Speaking about the October 6 statement released after the EU-mediated meeting between Armenian PM Pashinyan and Azeri President Aliyev, which noted that both Armenia and Azerbaijan confirm that they recognize each other’s territorial integrity, Babayan said: “We don’t oppose the improvement of relations of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Who can oppose the improvement of those relations? But, we must understand that recognizing Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan is unacceptable for Artsakh and I believe for all Armenians.”

Babayan is part of an official Artsakh delegation visiting Armenia.

Asked whether or not they received clarifications around this issue during the visit, he said: “During the two meetings, of course there were explanations that no one is planning to abandon Artsakh or recognize it as part of Azerbaijan. Now we must engage in a very flexible policy.” The delegation had meetings with the Secretary of the Security Council and the Speaker of Parliament.

The delegation will meet with PM Pashinyan and Foreign Minister Mirzoyan on October 15.

A meeting with President Vahagn Khachaturyan is expected before that.

“We will meet with representatives of the top leadership who are dealing with, or are engaged in the negotiations, have direct participation in all processes with the fate of Artsakh, the Armenian people,” Babayan said.

He said the discussions were very sincere.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1094871.html?fbclid=IwAR0TgdO709PKBrjkRcFw21hxqu7IqLE7DUIHlBreOoDR6OkvXeB6SEIrPbg

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Armenpress.am

Azeri control over Nagorno Karabakh people can’t be allowed – Swiss legislator Stefan Müller- Altermatt

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15:01, 14 October 2022

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 14, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian population living in Nagorno Karabakh must have the right to self-determination, Swiss Member of Parliament, Co-Chair of the Switzerland-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group Stefan Müller-Altermatt said at a press conference in the Armenian parliament.

He emphasized that the right to self-determination is a very important point in terms of human rights.

“We clearly see that there is an issue of people’s existence, and it is under threat. The political solution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict has simply been left out of the international community’s attention. A political solution must be found, and not resort to the help of weapons which will lead to new genocide. But Azerbaijan is clearly rejecting this, and we are struggling against this. There’s been an atmosphere of ethnic intolerance against Armenians for many years. And we can’t allow Azerbaijani control over the people of Nagorno Karabakh. This is not possible. And this must be clear for all parties,” Stefan Müller-Altermatt said.

 

 

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News.am, Armenia

Oct 15 2022

Geneva regional council adopts resolution calling for recognizing Artsakh Armenians’ right to self-determination

15:35, 15.10.2022

The Grand Council of the Swiss Canton and Republic of Geneva adopted a resolution Friday, which is calling on the Swiss Federal Assembly (parliament) to condemn Azerbaijan’s latest military aggression against Armenia and take measures so that the actions of Azerbaijan are not funded from the revenues received from the sale of Azerbaijani raw materials in Switzerland.

The resolution also calls for recognizing the right of Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) to self-determination, and doing everything possible for the returning of Armenian prisoners of war, Armenpress reported.

The resolution, entitled “For the Survival of Armenia,” has been initiated jointly by a number of members of the Social Democratic Party and the Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland.

https://news.am/eng/news/725246.html

[Yervant1]

Oct 16 2022

What can Armenians of NK expect in Azerbaijan? Azerbaijani scholar's forecast

• Armine Martirosyan
  

• Yerevan
  

Can NK be part of Azerbaijan?

Armenia and Azerbaijan still cannot reach an agreement on the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh, despite the intensification of the negotiation process, now with the participation of Western mediators. There is no progress even on the question of what format the discussion of the conflict can take place in. After the 2020 Karabakh war, Baku announced that the conflict was over and does not intend to discuss its “internal problems” with anyone.

In response to the last proposal to create an international mechanism for the Baku-Stepanakert dialogue the President of Azerbaijan said: “The Armenians of Karabakh are our citizens. Communication with them is our internal affair, which we are not going to discuss with a third country.” According to Ilham Aliyev, the Armenians of Karabakh should integrate with Azerbaijani society or look for another place of residence. This caused protest in Nagorno-Karabakh and a negative reaction from Armenian society.

Details of the current situation, the reaction to Azerbaijan’s position in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the opinion of an Azerbaijani scholar.

• What did Yerevan and Baku agree on? Details from the Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia
  
• “We do not need any mediation” – Ilham Aliyev


• “Painful concessions await Armenia, no matter who moderates negotiations.” Opinion


• “Karabakh may not be mentioned in the peace agreement with Azerbaijan” – Pashinyan

Armenia changes its approach

Azerbaijan’s tough stance has led Armenia to change its approach. While just a few months ago the Armenian government linked the peace treaty under discussion with Azerbaijan with the final decision on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, now these issues are separate. It is said that “Armenia has no resources for a comprehensive solution to the Karabakh conflict”, and now it is necessary “to rely on the tools of the international community and relate to it the existential problems of the Artsakh people”.

The Secretary of the Armenian Security Council Armen Grigoryan also spoke of an international mechanism for dialogue between Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan “on the issue of security and rights of Armenians in Karabakh” after the Washington meeting on September 27. He said that the issue was discussed with Azerbaijani presidential adviser Hikmet Hajiyev at a meeting with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and National Security Adviser to the US President Jack Sullivan.

The Azerbaijani negotiator’s answer immediately followed: Hikmet Hajiyev ruled out the possibility of creating international mechanisms for dialogue with NK:

“There can be no talk of that. The issue of ensuring the security and rights of the Armenians of Karabakh is an internal affair of Azerbaijan, and Baku will not discuss issues related to the sovereign rights of the country with any third party.”

Protest in Nagorno-Karabakh

The position of the Azerbaijani authorities elicited protest in Nagorno-Karabakh itself. People took to the streets with the slogan “Artsakh is not Azerbaijan.” The protesters announced that they did not see their future as part of the “totalitarian state of Azerbaijan” and “under the rule of the dictator Aliyev.”

Rally in Stepanakert with a poster “We are not Azerbaijan citizens” (CivilNet)

The parliament of the unrecognized NKR, in turn, called “any attempt to consider the future of Artsakh within Azerbaijan as a red line.” The deputies declared their “commitment to the resumption of the negotiation process in the format of the OSCE Minsk Group with the participation of Stepanakert.”

The local expert community mostly agrees that it is necessary to raise the issue of Karabakh’s security with international structures.

Analyst David Karabekyan says that they should apply, in particular, to the International Criminal Court. He considers the position of Azerbaijan the result of failed diplomacy by Armenia, and the notion that “the world is ignoring us” erroneous:

“It was we who ignored international structures; it seemed to us that whoever is strong has more right, we relied on Russia. Now we have begun to realize the role of international structures. Now we see that the international conjuncture is changing. Processes are globalized. If the issue is correctly raised at the international level, our rights cannot be ignored.

Armenia should stop thinking situationally and waiting for some directives. We need to consolidate to develop a plan of action in a changing situation and depending on one or another outcome of the war in Ukraine.”

• “If Armenia does not make a choice, the choice will be made for it.” Opinion
  
• “Azerbaijan intends to occupy other territories of Armenia” – Pashinyan from UN rostrum


• “Not a single millimeter of Armenian territory is up for debate” – Pashinyan

Comment

Tatevik Hayrapetyan, Azerbaijani scholar

The failure of the current authorities

“The Armenian authorities declare the loss of resources to ensure the security and rights of the people of Artsakh a result of the 2020 war, forgetting that a year ago they established themselves in power with a program to fight for the right of NK Armenians to self-determination. I am talking about the early parliamentary elections of 2021. Moreover, their program spoke not only of the struggle for the self-determination of the Artsakh people, but also about the de-occupation of Hadrut and Shusha, which came under the control of Azerbaijan after the war.

And now, a year later, the authorities declare that there are no resources to fulfill their own program. What has changed in a year?

With the same success, the authorities can declare their helplessness in the issue of ensuring the security of Armenia. A month ago, during a large-scale attack on Armenia, Azerbaijan occupied new Armenian territory, killing hundreds of Armenian soldiers and civilians. Claiming that Armenia has no resources is the easiest way to avoid responsibility. If you cannot solve the problem, you must leave so that people with the necessary knowledge, skills, will and experience may take over.”

How a resort town became a battlefield: personal story from the last war on the Armenian border

“Jermuk is not a military town, Jermuk is a hospitable, quiet place where people greet even strangers on the street”

Peace cannot be achieved by concessions

“The peace treaty and the Artsakh issue are closely interconnected, although the Armenian authorities deny this.

Judging pragmatically, we can observe the following pattern: every time Armenia made concessions, Azerbaijan took aggressive action.

For example, after Pashinyan’s statement about lowering the bar on the status of Artsakh, the Azerbaijanis attacked the Lachin corridor and changed its route ahead of time, creating many problems for Armenia. Then the Armenian authorities refused to raise the issue of Artsakh at all, and Azerbaijan attacked Armenia in September. This means that Azerbaijan will not be satisfied with concessions, its appetite having been whetted.”

Armenian PM: NK status is not a goal, but means to ensure security of Armenians

Pashinyan’s address in parliament on the implementation of the government’s program for 2021 consisted of an analysis of the country’s domestic and foreign policy and possible further steps

Need new initiatives

“The problem can be solved only with the use of military, foreign policy, international legal instruments.

International law is a resource for temporarily containing Azerbaijan, and with a smart approach, time can be stretched. But long-term containment of Azerbaijani aggression is possible only by military force.

Today Artsakh is under threat in the short term, and Armenia in the long term. These processes are closely related to each other, so the idea “we will surrender NK to save Armenia” is false. With each concession we become weaker and weaker, then we lose even more.

Artsakh in current conditions must independently formulate a new discourse. New initiatives are needed that will show Azerbaijan that no one in NK or Armenia is going to put up with its plans.

In international courts a decision takes time, usually years. Before that, Armenia and Artsakh must strengthen the army. We need to change the psychology of people who think that concessions will lead to peace.

The people must understand: either we are defending our country, homeland, the right to life, honor, or we are under the threat of extinction.”

• Geopolitical project: How Armenia lost the war and wound up between world powers
  
• “There are elements of crisis in Armenian-Russian relations”: opinion


• “No one is ready to lighten Russia’s burden”: on the Russian peacekeeper mandate in Nagorno-Karabakh

Psychology of Ramil Safarov

“Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh are waiting for a new genocide, ethnic cleansing, if Aliyev’s plans are realized. Interim decisions of the International Court of Justice clearly state that the political leadership of Azerbaijan promotes racism against Armenians. This is also stated in many reports from international organizations.

The war in 2020 with all of Baku’s war crimes and its subsequent actions indicate that a generation has grown up in Azerbaijan with the psychology of Ramil Safarov.

That is why the people of Artsakh consider it impossible to be part of Azerbaijan in any status. Such a decision would be tantamount to the physical destruction of the Armenians.

Azerbaijan proved this in 1988 in Sumgayit, in 1990 in Baku, then in Maragha. If the Armenians had not taken up arms and defended themselves, Stepanakert would also have been under the threat of destruction.

Peace cannot be achieved while the propaganda machine of Azerbaijan is actively spreading racism, hatred and xenophobia against Armenians.”

A story of the village of Shurnukh — a place divided by the Karabakh war

As a result of the adjustment of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, part of Shurnukh came under the control of Azerbaijan

We need not statements, but sanctions

“Lately everyone has been discussing Macron’s statement. It reflects the confrontation between Russia and the West. Our task is not to oppose these interests, but to try to find common ground for solving our own problems. We cannot be a zone of confrontation between Russia and the West.

In an interview with France 2, the French President blamed Azerbaijan for starting hostilities during the 2020 war in Karabakh and the September war on the Armenian border. According to Macron, Russia “has taken advantage of this conflict that has been going on for decades, it intervened in this conflict, clearly played on the side of Azerbaijan with the complicity of Turkey and returned there to weaken Armenia.” He added that France “will never abandon” the Armenian people, “our values and principles cannot be bought either by [Azerbaijani] gas or oil.”

The real steps that the West (US, EU) could take in our situation are sanctions, even if specifically against the Aliyev family, since their businesses are abroad. They could contain the President of Azerbaijan.

I don’t think France can now recognize Nagorno-Karabakh, but sanctions against Aliyev would help us a lot.”

https://jam-news.net/what-can-armenians-of-nk-expect-in-azerbaijan-azerbaijani-scholars-forecast/

[Yervant1]

Oct 31 2022

Armenia and Azerbaijan agree to avoid 'force' after Putin hosts talks

By Euronews with AP, AFP

Armenian and Azeri leaders agreed "not to use force" to settle their disputes, following peace talks hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Putin’s talks with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev were held at the Russian leader’s Black Sea residence in Sochi on Monday.

The negotiations were aimed at brokering a settlement after violent clashes between the ex-Soviet neighbours.

They also reflect an attempt by the Kremlin to shore up its influence in the region.

Baku and Yerevan "agreed not to use force", as well as to "settle all disputes solely on the basis of recognition of mutual sovereignty and territorial integration", they said in a joint statement.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a decades-old conflict over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The enclave is part of Azerbaijan but had been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces since a separatist war ended in 1994. During a six-week war in 2020, Azerbaijan reclaimed parts of Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent territories.

More than 6,500 people died in the fighting, which ended with a Russian-brokered peace agreement. Moscow deployed around 2,000 troops to the region to serve as peacekeepers.

Fresh clashes then broke out at the border in September, with at least 286 people from both sides killed in two days.

"This conflict has been going on for a decade, so we still need to end it," Putin said on Monday.

After the meeting, the Russian President said the pair had not removed ongoing points of disagreement, reading from a prepared statement.

He called the talks “very useful” without detailing what was and what wasn’t achieved, saying only that the pair agreed to continue contact to seek solutions.

Before the meeting, the Kremlin said the leaders would discuss the implementation of the 2020 peace deal and “further steps to enhance stability and security in the Caucasus."

"Issues related to the restoration and development of trade and economic and transport links will also be discussed," Moscow added.

The Russian-brokered talks come as Western leaders have taken a more active stance in mediating the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

European Council President Charles Michel and French President Emmanuel Macron organised talks between Pashinian and Aliyev in Brussels in August.

Pashinyan said on Monday that he would press for Azerbaijan to withdraw its troops from the Russian peacekeeping zone in Nagorno-Karabakh, and seek freedom for Armenian prisoners of war. Aliyev meanwhile has vowed to repopulate Nagorno-Karabakh with Azerbaijanis.

Russian news agencies also reported that the leaders would discuss extending the mandate of Moscow's peacekeeping soldiers.

https://www.euronews.com/2022/10/31/vladimir-putin-hosts-leaders-of-armenia-and-azerbaijan-for-talks-in-sochi

[Yervant1]

ArmenianWeekly.com

Massive crowd turns out to rally for Artsakh

October 31, 2022 Siranuysh Sargsyan News 0

Rally for Artsakh, October 30, 2022 (Photo: Meline Harutyunyan)

STEPANAKERT—“Artsakh has never been and will never be a part of independent Azerbaijan. This very idea should be the basis for the settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict. Any attempt to forcibly annex Artsakh to Azerbaijan would be a gross violation of international law and an official license to commit another genocide against the Armenian people; therefore any document of such a content is unacceptable for the Republic of Artsakh.”

Thus read part of the statement that was unanimously adopted by all parliamentary factions during an extraordinary session of the National Assembly of the Artsakh Republic. The statement was read by MP Areg Avagyan, whose son fell victim during the 2020 44-day war.

Rally for Artsakh, October 30, 2022 (Photo: Meline Harutyunyan)

The statement also says: “No authority in the Republic of Armenia has the right to refuse the mission to ensure the security of the people of Artsakh or to accept any document questioning the existence of the sovereign Republic of Artsakh. We urge the authorities of the Republic of Armenia to defend the common interests of the two Armenian Republics at international platforms, based on the existing fundamental documents, in particular, the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Armenia and the historic decision of the Supreme Council of July 8, 1992.”

In his speech, Speaker of the Parliament Artur Tovmasyan addressed Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ebrahim Raisi, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the Armenian people, noting that “this small world does not pose a threat, but it is endangered… For the right of the people of Artsakh to live and survive fully, so that the people of Artsakh can live and work in their homeland, you must recognize the right of self-determination of Artsakh.”

Rally for Artsakh, October 30, 2022 (Photo: Meline Harutyunyan)

Artur Mosian, head of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) faction, stated in his speech, “No one knows the value of peace better than the Armenian people. In order to build sustainable peace, we must give up the illusion of peace. It is necessary to get rid of weak, incompetent, artificially instilled complexes and people. We will achieve success only with the pan-Armenian potential fighting relentlessly for our rights with the Artsakh-Armenia-Diaspora trinity.”

“Every document that includes Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan should be torn up and thrown away, no matter who presented it, because it carries the risk of a new genocide or the depopulation of Artsakh in the 21st century,” he added.

The session was broadcast live and watched by more than 40-thousand Artsakh citizens gathered in Stepanakert’s Renaissance Square. Following the conclusion of the session, parliamentarians joined the crowd.

President of the Republic of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan and former presidents Arkady Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan also took part in the rally.

On October 29, on the eve of the rally and the tripartite meeting being held in Sochi on October 31, President Harutyunyan posted a message on his Facebook page stating that “the proposals and principles that deny the right to self-determination of the people of Artsakh disrupt the prospects of a fair settlement of the conflict and question the existence of Artsakh. And it stems not only from the interests of the Republic of Artsakh, but also from the interests of all Armenians, because the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh form one homeland and have an inseparable set of values and interests.”

Primate of the Artsakh Diocese Bishop Vertanes Abrahamyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs David Babayan, People’s Artist Kajik Harutyunyan, student Hrach Saian and rector of Mesrop Mashtots University Donara Gabrielyan gave speeches. In her remarks, Gabrielyan recalled the words of world-famous Soviet academician and Nobel laureate Andrei Sakharov: “If for Azerbaijanis, Karabakh is a matter of principle, then for Armenians it is a matter of life and death.” He spoke these words after the Armenian pogroms in Sumgait. “We have won the war imposed on us, and over the years we have built a legal and democratic state. Today, they are trying to merge our democratic state with totalitarian Azerbaijan, which we will not allow,” she continued.

The Weekly spoke with some of the citizens participating in the rally, the largest since 1988, to understand what brought them to Renaissance Square and what their expectations are. Many of the participants made comparisons with the atmosphere and mood of the 1988 rally.

Lavrent Ghalayan, People’s Artist of the Artsakh Republic and creator of the Artsakh Coat of Arms, hopes that this rally is another step toward eliminating the clutches of Azerbaijan, who through its oil, in every possible way is trying to subject not only Artsakh but the entire Armenian people to deprivation. He believes that the atmosphere of 1988 existed in the square on Sunday. He said that maybe people are a little broken and disappointed, but the citizens of Artsakh have lived through more difficult times. For the artist, the land of Artsakh is a gift from God; Artsakh was Armenian and it always will be.

During the rally, he was accompanied by Hrayr Ulubabyan, a public speaker who was at the forefront of the Artsakh liberation struggle. His father is novelist and historian Bagrat Ulubabyan, who named the monument “We are our mountains.” He has been persecuted by Azerbaijan for his national thinking and struggle since the 1960s. He also believes that Artsakh cannot be a part of Azerbaijan under any circumstances, but Armenia and Artsakh must fight together with our culture. “Now it is an ideological and civilizational war, and our struggle must be fixed by our culture; with our culture we must serve as an example to the world,” said Ulubabyan.

Hrayr Ulubabyan and Lavrent Ghavalyan (Photo: Siranuysh Sargsyan)

Tiruhi is a student. Sunday was a very important day for her and her contemporaries. “Today the question of our existence and future is decided. We are living a fateful moment, and my counterparts and I must not be silent. We must protect our rights; we must make our voice heard by the world.”

Tiruhi participates in October 30, 2022 rally for Artsakh (Photo: Siranuysh Sargsyan)

Mrs. Melsida is from Taghavard village. After 44 days of war, half of the village came under the control of Azerbaijan, including her family’s house. Now, she and her husband are forcibly displaced and live in Stepanakert with their three sons and grandsons. Even with a broken leg, she did not hesitate to participate in the rally. She and her husband have faith and expectations from both Armenia and Russia, who, according to her, could stand as a guarantee for Artsakh’s struggle.

Mr. and Mrs. Melsida from Taghavard village (Photo: Siranuysh Sargsyan)

Sose Balasanyan is a European judo champion who fought against the enemy with a weapon in her hand during the 44-day war. She came to Renaissance Square because “today’s military trench is here.” “Nations with genocidal intentions cannot take over a creative nation that has given the world heroes and scientists. We have fed the world with humanity. As a citizen of Artsakh, I consider it my sacred duty to be here today with my people, because Artsakh has always been and will be Armenian,” said Balasanyan.

Sose Balasanyan (Photo: Siranuysh Sargsyan)

• Bio
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Siranuysh Sargsyan

Siranush Sargsyan is a historian and political scientist. She's earned her degrees from Artsakh State University and the Public Administration Academy of the Republic of Armenia. Her master thesis focused on the issues surrounding the development of the party system in Nagorno-Karabakh. She's taught history in a village in Martuni and has served as the chief specialist of the Republic of Artsakh National Assembly in the Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Youth and Sports. Siranush takes great interest in conflict resolution, gender equality and education.

 

https://armenianweekly.com/2022/10/31/massive-crowd-turns-out-to-rally-for-artsakh/?fbclid=IwAR3fjk3yfiTStm7oNxsBKoCARaN5I8sq8_aKgXp5LI6AE14i6Tu-zkWZaVI

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NEWS.am

Armenia - Nov 2 2022

Russia analyst describes Karabakh Armenians’ fate if Western version of peace treaty is signed

16:23, 02.11.2022

A Russian analyst described the fate of the Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians in the event of the signing of the Western version of the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty.

"If we look at the Western proposals, they imply one clear thing regarding the status of Nagorno-Karabakh: the jurisdiction of Azerbaijan and the de facto dissolution of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic," political scientist Fyodor Voytolovsky told to a press conference Wednesday.

In his view, Russia, on the other hand, deals with the issue of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh with great understanding and flexibility, realizing that the transfer of Karabakh to the jurisdiction of Azerbaijan will mean the actual mass emigration of Armenian residents from there and the disappearance of this unrecognized republic which has been fighting for existence for many decades.

"This, of course, will affect the internal situation of Armenia and the development of the country and the region as a whole.

There is a quick solution—but definitely with the transfer of Nagorno-Karabakh to the jurisdiction of Azerbaijan. This is a way that Russia does not support. The other way is more complicated, which requires delicate work, but which is supported by the Russian side. It is to take into account the survival security requirements of all parties. Priority attention to the interests of the residents and the security of Nagorno-Karabakh. This position is closer to both Russia and Armenia, which requires meaningful, gradual advancement," Voytolovsky stressed.

https://news.am/eng/news/728250.html

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Armenpress.am

Ambassador-at-Large Marukyan reveals what narrative Azerbaijan pushes forward regarding Artsakh people’s future

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14:30, 3 November 2022

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 3, ARMENPRESS. Ambassador-at-Large of Armenia Edmon Marukyan says that Azerbaijan is pushing forward a narrative that Armenians living in Nagorno Karabakh for centuries should either stay on Azerbaijan’s terms or leave for a third country.

“Azerbaijan is pushing forward a narrative that Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh for centuries should either stay on AZ terms or leave for a third country, claiming that this isn't an ethnic cleansing. I'm curious whether the authors of this thesis believe in what they say?”, Edmon Marukyan tweeted.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1096383.html?fbclid=IwAR3q1lVCsOfwAcTn6qST497qmjnbp8GhEoe5Z6Bm2lVuq2dYwBOKFOxmqhY

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Armenpress.am

Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh have army only because of danger of being subjected to genocide – PM

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12:29, 10 November 2022

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 10, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan says the President of Azerbaijan himself is breaching the agreements reached during different meetings.

“The Azerbaijani President himself breaches the agreement on comprehensive addressing of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict which was reached in Brussels in December 2021. The Azerbaijani President himself breaches the option of delaying the issue of the status of Nagorno Karabakh indefinitely, the agreement over which was reached in November 2020 at the mediation of the President of the Russian Federation. The Azerbaijani President himself breaches the statement adopted in Sochi on November 26, 2021 and the agreement reached, according to which the demarcation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan must be carried out in conditions of ensuring border security and must rule out any escalation. The Azerbaijani President himself breached the agreement reached in Brussels in December 2021, according to which troops must have been withdrawn in mirrored fashion in the most dangerous parts”, the PM said.

He said that with such actions Azerbaijan continues its aggressive genocidal policy.

He noted that Azerbaijan’s President accuses Armenia of having army in Nagorno Karabakh within the framework of the preparations for the genocide of Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh. “Firstly, I want to state that the Republic of Armenia does not have an army in Nagorno Karabakh, and it was Azerbaijan that rejected the proposal to send an observer mission to Nagorno Karabakh to clarify this issue, which I made in Prague on October 6. There is no army of Armenia in Nagorno Karabakh, there is a Defense Army of Nagorno Karabakh, which, perhaps, is a serious obstacle for conducting the genocidal policy. My perception is that the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh have army only because of the danger of being subjected to genocide”, Nikol Pashinyan said.

He informed that he has presented the proposal of the authorities of Nagorno Karabakh over this topic during the trilateral meeting in Sochi on October 31: to create a demilitarized zone around Nagorno Karabakh with international guarantees as a result of which Nagorno Karabakh may not need to have a Defense Army of such a scale. Pashinyan said this proposal remains in force.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1096889.html?fbclid=IwAR03bMWy0hc-TGGdGArScI8g69rYfkm2V8kIPtsWHTjkFIdiTe_pYhD9xgQ

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Armenpress.am

If NK issue is resolved, why are the Azerbaijani troops shooting at Nagorno Karabakh? Pashinyan

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21:04, 11 November 2022

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 11, ARMENPRESS. Armenia is not against the resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh issue, but the people living there should first of all see, feel and accept that solution, ARMENPRESS reports Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in an interview with "Public TV".

"As much as I am familiar with the statements of the president of Azerbaijan, he says that the Nagorno-Karabakh issue was resolved with the statements of Sochi and Prague. I want to draw attention to the fact that the president of Azerbaijan regularly made the same statement before the Prague and Sochi meetings," said Pashinyan, emphasizing the importance of understanding the difference between Aliyev's statements before and after Prague and Sochi.

The Prime Minister reaffirmed that the Armenian side has always said and continues to say that the Nagorno-Karabakh problem was never a territorial problem, it’s another thing that Armenia's foreign policy and diplomacy failed to fully present this context to the international community. The rights and security of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh must be addressed.

"If the Karabakh issue is resolved, then why don’t the Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians feel it? If the Nagorno-Karabakh issue is resolved, why did the Azerbaijani troops set up positions around Nagorno-Karabakh and why are they shooting at Nagorno-Karabakh? This is a very important question, the substantive answer to which should receive both Armenia, and the international community. We are not against the Nagorno-Karabakh issue being resolved. We say that the solution should be seen, felt and accepted by the people living there. Why are they constantly under threat?" Pashinyan emphasized.

Referring to the statements of the Azerbaijani side that the Armenians do not have or will not have any problems, Pashinyan suggested to go and see if the people of Hadrut have any problems now, are they living in their houses or no?

"What is the Azerbaijani vision for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue? that all Armenians living in Karabakh should suffer the same fate as the Armenians of Hadrut? In that case, my statement that all of this gives the impression of preparation for genocide should be considered justified," said Pashinyan.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1097069.html?fbclid=IwAR1_SyZ0Goy3oEBCpfBHaENDuH7m47L9Yg40er0LO-vryEv5EBOTPwUUaLE

[Yervant1]

Newsweek

Nov 10 2022

OPINION

Artsakh Can't Afford to Wait for the International Community to Sound the Alarm of Genocide | Opinion

LYNN ZOVIGHIAN , CO-FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR, THE ZOVIGHIAN PARTNERSHIP (ZP)

My first investigation into genocide began with a review of fatwas published by Da'esh, also known as ISIS, against the Yazidi people, an ancient religious community. Their published postulations created a paper trail of very traceable decentralized data. Many of these data points were videos released by militants on social media showing women being sexually enslaved and corpses of men and the elderly in mass graves. Documenting the lived experiences of Yazidi survivors made the case of community elimination unequivocal. The intentionality and deep evidence of genocide reeked.

I have been examining videos released on social media platforms by Azerbaijani soldiers showing the killings and dismemberments of soldiers and civilians in Artsakh (also known as Nagorno-Karabakh) and Armenia. The footage includes cheers and laughs to desecrate and destroy prisoners of war. Syrian mercenaries recruited into the Azerbaijani military have confirmed they would receive $30,000 for every limb they severed and $40,000 for every Armenian they killed.

Young girl protesting in Stepanakert to demand the recognition of Armenian rights.PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHNY KONDAKJIAN/THE ZOVIGHIAN PARTNERSHIP

Persistent retweeting by Azeri bots on Twitter spread the pleasures of killing with barbarism and animalistic savagery and the joys of booty from a war—the "44-day war," that had a known start but still no clear end. Today, Nov. 10, 2022, marks two years since that war supposedly ceased under terms that are still not disclosed to the citizens of Artsakh, Armenia, and the world.

In parallel is an interesting repertoire of official statements and videos by the Azerbaijani government and the Turkish government that are timed to reinforce messages in a special partnership they call "one nation, two states." Since the summer of 2020, there has been a notable rise in the number of speeches and declarations by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan clarifying and powering a strategy for Turkish expansionism. In July 2020, a clipping of his speech calling for the completion of a centuries-old mission in the Caucasus surfaced on social media. Two months later, the war between Azerbaijan and Armenia began. This very elaborate public relations and communications strategy is further compounded by joint videos between both governments.

In June 2021, a clipping from AzTV, a state-controlled channel in Azerbaijan, featured Erdogan and first lady Emine Erdogan with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev joking about the Armenian prisoners captured during the 44-day war. Connecting decentralized data together, there is a traceable digital trail of coordinated propaganda normalizing the completion of a genocide that failed over 100 years ago against the Armenians, Assyrians, Yazidis, and Greeks.

Immense efforts by scholars, lawyers, and advocacy organizations around the world continue to compile, verify, and analyze a plethora of videos, statements, press releases, and bots. Once again, the testimonies of the lived experiences of survivors, both soldiers and civilians in Artsakh and Armenia, are centerpiece to documenting and activating legitimate claims to transitional justice as per international law. The patterns and convergence of data present a decentralized policy of complicity and deflected accountability, with an execution that is increasingly clearly centralized under a vision from the very top. The intentionality and striking evidence of genocide reeks once again.

The genocides against the Yazidis and Armenians are deeply interconnected. During my visit to Ziarat Yazidi Temple just outside Yerevan in August 2022, I was deeply moved by the many statues documenting genocide and standing tall on the sacred grounds showing a collective and inseparable history and identity. My visit ended in the community hall bearing a memorial wall in honor of the fallen Yazidi Armenian soldiers who fought for Artsakh in 2020.

Back in June 2015, I presented my analysis to Yazidi community institution, Yazda, demonstrating a case of genocide with ample evidence of the intent to kill the Yazidi people in part and/or whole using multiple strategies, which under international law constitute conditions of genocide. The intent to eliminate the Yazidi people was authenticated by detailed survivor testimonies of women who had managed to escape Da'esh territory. Advocacy efforts resulted in a wave of recognitions of genocide by the United Nations and the international community. Many friends around the world adopted the Yazidi cause as their own and claimed allegiance to "never again." Eight years in, the world has yet to fundamentally address, resolve, and end the many starting conditions that enabled genocide in Sinjar, Iraq.

Communities and advocates know when a collective experience is genocide even before international law confirms it. The methodology of the law continues to put genocide on the defensive. It is almost solely on survivors and communities to document, demonstrate, and supply proof of calculated means driven by cataloged hatred, usually after the fact. Survivors are forced to become storytellers by sacrificing their well-being to cycles of trauma and re-traumatization. Forensic methods and science are now bringing significant agility to making the case, but on the basis that evidence is not tampered with or destroyed.

A memorial service for fallen Armenian soldiers held at Yerablur Military Memorial Cemetery on April 24, 2021.

Da'esh thrived in showcasing its evil and purposefully left much of the destruction of Sinjar and devastation of communities for all to witness and document. The perpetrators of an emerging genocide today in Artsakh and against the Armenian nation are a lot smarter and strategic. History continues to make clear that perpetrators of genocide always have the upper hand due to resources, time, and impunity. The international community has a deeply moral responsibility toward "never again"—one it has never been able to exercise. We are no less ready or capable of preventing genocide today. We have a lot to learn, but neither Artsakh, Armenia, the Yazidis, nor any other community facing genocide—the Tigrayans, the Uyghurs, the list is too long—deserve to be told to wait until further notice.

Lynn Zovighian is the co-founder and managing director of The Zovighian Partnership (ZP). A philanthropist, she also manages the ZP Public Office that has served on advocacy missions for Armenia and against genocide since 2015.

The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.

https://www.newsweek.com/artsakh-cant-afford-wait-international-community-sound-alarm-genocide-opinion-1758453

[MosJan]

[MosJan]

[MosJan]

[MosJan]

 

 

Lebanon: in one of must strongest Armenian Diaspora azeris have erected a memorial to it's "fighters". please tell me what we are doing about it ?

[Yervant1]

The area is populated with Turkmens, some even have Turkish citizenship. We all know how little Lebanon is divided into sectarian areas, like each one is a different country!

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

Artsakh says ready for negotiations with Azerbaijan but topics,international format must be decided in advance

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16:53, 19 November 2022

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. Artsakh authorities are ready for negotiations with Azerbaijan authorities, but the topics and international format are focal to be decided in advance, the Artak Beglaryan, Advisor to the State Minister of Artsakh said in a statement.

“Artsakh authorities are ready for negotiations with Azerbaijan authorities, but the topics & international format are focal to be decided in advance. The Artsakh rep will be assigned only by our authorities. We've contacts with each other but only on humanitarian mutual needs,” Beglaryan tweeted.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1097705.html?fbclid=IwAR2C5qIe2WBujSrPLom2S8hL-y92hIa7_7iKC_AR-MqOxElB8Z7pTqu1Hpo

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Armenpress.am

Lemkin Institute expresses support to Artsakh’s right to self-determination in order to avoid genocide

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11:31, 25 November 2022

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 25, ARMENPRESS. The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention voiced its solidarity with and support for the people of the Republic of Artsakh in a statement released on November 24.

“The Lemkin Institute voices its solidarity with and support for the people of the Republic of Artsakh, who turned out in Stepanakert on October 30th in historic numbers to rally for the self-determination of the territory”, the statement titled “Self-Determination of Armenians in Artsakh (South Caucasus): There is No Peace or Prosperity through Genocide”, said.

The Institute reminds that the right to self-determination is one of the most important fundamentals of the international legal system along with the equal sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, stating that “the people of Artsakh deserve to have their calls for self-determination heard and taken seriously by the international community”.

The statement also briefly presents the history of the change in status of Artsakh, the two Artsakh Wars and the resulting situation.

The Institute also says that the international community should not ignore “the consequences of the Armenian genocide in the region, which completely eradicated the Armenian presence in Western Armenia”, as well as “the ongoing and unchecked genocidal hostility of Azeri nationalists towards Armenians”.

“What the Western world, and particularly NATO, fails to understand is that “giving up” Artsakh would mean condoning genocide against Armenians: the forced displacement and persecution of Armenians, widespread atrocity crimes, destruction of cultural heritage, and one of the largest humanitarian crises in the Caucasus region in the past decades, involving a huge influx of refugees to Armenia proper. Importantly, given the current red flags for genocide in Turkey and Azerbaijan, as well as what we know about the genocidal process in general, it is inconceivable that “giving up” Artsakh will put an end to conflict in the region, much less lead to “peace” and “prosperity””, the statement says.

The Lemkin Institute calls for the creation of an independent international commission to study the issues involved in Artsakh, with the aim of establishing a just outcome and a stable peace.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1098130.html?fbclid=IwAR2xuNz1orwqALewDfjfr96j8VdgS7REmuv3vIqV91EwLBCqbSkRx6qyVW8