Nagorno Karabakh -=- ARTSAKH

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Armenpress.am

Proposals of the "environmentalists" of Azerbaijan have been absolutely unacceptable for Artsakh. President Harutyunyan

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19:56, 23 December 2022

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. During the press conference held on December 23, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergey Lavrov, very accurately noted that the Karabakh problem was left as a legacy of the Soviet Union, ARMENPRESS reports Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan announced in a post on his Facebook page. "As for the visit of Azerbaijani "environmentalists" to mines, the reality is that this year, on December 3, after blocking the only road connecting Artsakh to Armenia for the first time, the Azerbaijani side, through Russian peacekeepers, forwarded written proposals to Artsakh authorities, which had little to do with environmental issues and were completely unacceptable to Artsakh. Despite this, the Artsakh side showed a constructive approach, conveying to the Azerbaijani side through peacekeepers the conditions under which they would be ready to allow Azerbaijani environmentalists to visit the mine," said the Artsakh president. He added that the Azerbaijani side did not comply with the conditions of the Artsakh side and their response was to block the road for a long time, not only creating serious humanitarian problems for the 120 thousand people of Artsakh, but also grossly violating the 2020 points of the trilateral declaration of November 9. "We hope that during today's meeting of the foreign ministers of the Russian Federation and Azerbaijan, the issue of the importance of maintaining the points of the trilateral declaration was also discussed," emphasized the Artsakh president. Nevertheless, despite the violations of the Azerbaijani side, the Artsakh authorities still declare today that they are constructively disposed and are ready to engage as a negotiating party in the discussions of any issue related to Artsakh.

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1100435.html?fbclid=IwAR3IzJ218-0XEzJ1YN9f3scgIaBBA2hTFd-vOgEOlZLlb6d_LAsD0symtrk

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​PRESS OFFICE

Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)

630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016

Contact: Chris Zakian

Tel: (212) 686-0710; Fax: (212) 779-3558

E-mail: chrisz@armeniandiocese.org

Website: www.armenianchurch.us

 

December 23, 2022

__________________

 

 

 

HEADLINE:

 

 

 

 

International Ecumenical Groups Stand in Support of Artsakh

 

As the blockade of Artsakh continues, two major ecumenical groups have issued statements strongly supporting Artsakh and Armenia in this time of crisis.

 

Thanks to the efforts of Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, Diocesan Legate and Ecumenical Director of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, two major ecumenical organizations have decried the cruelties inflicted against Artsakh and Armenia.

 

“By its actions in obstructing the humanitarian Lachin corridor, and by temporarily cutting gas supplies to the region just at the onset of winter, Azerbaijan is deliberately creating a humanitarian emergency for the 120,000 ethnic Armenian residents of Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh, seeking to force Armenia into accepting a settlement on Azerbaijan’s terms, and trying to terrorize ethnic Armenians into abandoning their ancient homeland,” wrote the World Council of Churches in a letter to the European Union. “In these circumstances, Armenian fears of renewed genocide against them cannot be discounted.”

 

A communiqué from the U.S.-based National Council of Churches said: “We stand with the Armenian Church, and add our voices to those of the World Council of Churches, Pope Francis, and the Conference of European Churches. We call on the United States and its international allies to immediately pressure Azerbaijan to lift its unjust blockade and to allow food, medical supplies, and other essential resources to flow unimpeded.”

 

Below, read the full texts of the letters from the World Council of Churches and the National Council of Churches. And please feel free to share these statements with others in the surrounding community.

 

* * *

 

* Letter of the World Council of Churches

 

TO:

H.E. Josep Borrell Fontelles

High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

European Union

 

FROM:

The World Council of Churches

Geneva and Brussels

 

19 December 2022

 

Your Excellency,

 

The World Council of Churches and the Conference of European Churches denounces the blockade by Azerbaijan of Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh, as a violation of the tripartite agreement that ended the six-week war of 2020, of international humanitarian and human rights law, and of the most fundamental moral principles. By its actions in obstructing the humanitarian Lachin corridor, and by temporarily cutting gas supplies to the region just at the onset of winter, Azerbaijan is deliberately creating a humanitarian emergency for the 120,000 ethnic Armenian residents of Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh, seeking to force Armenia into accepting a settlement on Azerbaijan’s terms, and trying to terrorize ethnic Armenians into abandoning their ancient homeland.

 

This follows a clear pattern of behaviour by Azerbaijan that contradicts any claims of goodwill and humanitarian responsibility on its part. Increasing Azerbaijani attacks on sovereign Armenian territory prompted the UN Security Council to call an emergency meeting on 15 September 2022. Growing evidence of gross violations of human rights against Armenians by Azerbaijan’s military and security forces compelled Human Rights Watch to accuse Baku of war crimes. Accountability for such crimes and violations has not been pursued. Moreover, Armenian religious and cultural heritage in the region remain largely unmonitored, unprotected and at risk.

 

In these circumstances, Armenian fears of renewed genocide against them cannot be discounted, and the already week-long blockade of Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh is a context in which those fears are greatly and understandably exacerbated.

 

We therefore write to urge you to pursue all possible diplomatic initiatives to ensure that Azerbaijan re-opens the Lachin corridor and provides appropriate guarantees that it will remain open. Further, we appeal to you to do all in your power to secure extension of the mandate of the existing EU monitoring mission at the Armenia-Azerbaijan border to include the Lachin corridor, in order to provide independent civilian monitoring of the situation along the corridor.

 

We look forward to your response, and to your swift action to address these urgent humanitarian and human rights concerns.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca

Acting General Secretary

World Council of Churches

 

Dr Jørgen Skov Sørensen

General Secretary

Conference of European Churches

 

 

* Communiqué of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA

 

FROM:

The National Council of Churches

 

RE:

NCC Condemns Blockade by Azerbaijan

 

December 21, 2022

 

Deuteronomy 10:17-18: For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who is not partial and takes no bribe, who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing.

 

The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA strongly condemns the actions by Azerbaijan that have cut off civilians in need in Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh. In a season where we celebrate the birth of Jesus in a cold stable, it is particularly horrific that civilians are being cut off in the middle of winter.

 

We stand with the Armenian Church and add our voices to those of the World Council of Churches, Pope Francis, and the Conference of European Churches. We call on the United States and its international allies to immediately pressure Azerbaijan to lift its unjust blockade and to allow food, medical supplies, and other essential resources to flow unimpeded.

 

—12/22/22

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Armenpress.am

“We Must Save 120,000 Armenians of Artsakh” – Over 200 top French celebrities, scholars sign call-to-action

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12:14, 24 December 2022

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 24, ARMENPRESS. More than 200 French scholars, writers, actors and other cultural figures and celebrities signed a joint article-call expressing solidarity with the Armenians of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh), and drawing attention to the existing risk of an ethnic cleansing by Azerbaijan in Nagorno Karabakh and the ongoing blockade of the Lachin Corridor.

The article is titled We Must Save the 120,000 Armenians of Artsakh and was published in the Le Figaro newspaper.

The signatories include actors Jean Reno, Pierre Richard, Carole Bouquet, Virginie Ledoyen, filmmakers Costa-Gavras and Claude Lelouch, writers Sylvain Tesson and Pascal Bruckner and many other renowned individuals.

Azerbaijan is keeping the Lachin Corridor blocked since December 12. The corridor is Artsakh’s only connection with Armenia and the rest of the world.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1100463.html?fbclid=IwAR2m7JvKY9rsoDhfiW6cgJRcphivLNR_qUsYiNPhlxmixNYbimR3vMjQjbI

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Armenpress.am

Artsakh protesters march towards Russian peacekeeping checkpoint to demand dispersal of Azeris blocking corridor

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15:55, 24 December 2022

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 24, ARMENPRESS. Citizens in Artsakh are holding a protest in Stepanakert’s Renaissance Square demanding the immediate opening of Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Artsakh with Armenia and the rest of the world.

Artsakh of Tomorrow party president Tigran Petrosyan, one of the initiators of the protest, said that the demonstrators will march to the Stepanakert Memorial to honor the fallen troops of the Artsakh wars and then to the checkpoint of the Russian peacekeeping contingent on the Stepanakert-Shushi road to demand them to disperse the Azerbaijanis blocking the corridor.

“Why with them, because we have the trilateral statement signed on November 9, where clear obligations are put on the parties, and today it is clearly seen that the two sides aren’t implementing or are unable to implement their obligations. Azerbaijan is violating clause 6 of the statement, while Russia has the obligation to guarantee the security of the Lachin Corridor, which it doesn’t or is unable to do,” Petrosyan said.

Earlier on December 23, another group of citizens were on their way from Stepanakert to Shushi to confront the Azeris posing as environmentalists who are blocking the road and present counter-arguments to their fake claims, however the Russian peacekeepers barred them from moving forward.

Van Novikov

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1100480.html?fbclid=IwAR2pDDQtuHlJWkHCF6fOPaAJWj33Z6XsjXWiDfb0cnzQZUkFc4eHpqY8cJ4

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Armenpress.am

Russian peacekeepers say Lachin Corridor could be opened on December 26

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21:50, 24 December 2022

STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 24, ARMENPRESS. Hundreds of citizens of Artsakh gathered at the Russian peacekeeping contingent’s checkpoint on the Stepanakert-Shushi road and demanded the peacekeepers to ensure the normal functioning of the Lachin Corridor in accordance with the 9 November trilateral statement.

Politician Tigran Petrosyan, one of the organizers of the rally, told ARMENPRESS that a representative of the Russian peacekeeping contingent has said that the Lachin Corridor could be opened on December 26.

“They also said that after Azerbaijanis open the road there can be no talk about installing any [new]checkpoint,” Petrosyan added.

Later in the evening Petrosyan posted a statement on social media, clarifying that the representative of the Russian peacekeeping contingent told him that a meeting of the top leadership will take place on December 26, the issue will get a final solution and the road should be opened.

Petrosyan was presumably referring to the planned informal CIS summit in Saint Petersburg on December 26-27.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1100486.html?fbclid=IwAR36jglRSGWtzl0yw1kbkcfzp8rcCK7_DCIrkJ8tqboX7yaXitG503I67UA

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Dec 26 2022

Nagorno-Karabakh rallies amid blockade

26 December 2022

ByMarut VanyanandAni Avetisyan

Protest in Stepanakert on 25 December. Photo: Marut Vanyan/OC Media.

Tens of thousands of people gathered in Stepanakert on Sunday to demand that the road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to the outside world be reopened. The Lachin Corridor has been blocked by Azerbaijani ‘eco-activists’ since 12 December.

The protest came amidst news of mounting food and medical shortages, and promises from Russian peacekeepers that the situation would be resolved on 26 December. At the time of publication, the road remains closed.

In his speech at the rally, the State Minister of Nagorno-Karabakh, Ruben Vardanyan, said there were three ways out of the current blockade.

‘Firstly, we submit [to Azerbaijan], sooner or later, and slowly become integrated into Azerbaijan. Secondly, we leave [Nagorno-Karabakh]. Thirdly, we fight. I made my decision on 2 September: I am here, and I am fighting’, said Vardanyan, a Russian-Armenian billionaire who revoked his Russian citizenship and moved to Stepanakert in September.

[Read more on OC Media: Billionaire Ruben Vardanyan to serve as Nagorno-Karabakh’s State Minister]

Sunday’s rally was called by the authorities in Stepanakert to protest the blockade of the region, which has now been cut off from the outside world for over two weeks.

Photo: Marut Vanyan/OC Media.Protest in Stepanakert on 25 December 2022. Photo: Marut Vanyan/OC Media.

The road, known by local residents as ‘the road of life’, was closed by Azerbaijanis claiming to be eco-activists on 12 December. They claimed to be protesting alleged environmental issues and exploitation of natural resources in Nagorno-Karabakh, though their demands have since expanded to include the integration of the region into Azerbaijan.

A small group of protesters also held a rally on Sunday in the Armenian capital in support of Nagorno-Karabakh’s demands to open the Lachin corridor. A number of similar rallies have been held in Yerevan since the beginning of the blockade.

Promises from peacekeepers

On 23 and 24 December, groups of protesters marched from Stepanakert to the Russian peacekeepers' checkpoint near the blockade, the second time in an attempt to negotiate with the Azerbaijani protesters blocking the road.

Protesters marching towards the blockade on 24 December. Photo: Marut Vanyan/OC Media.

On reaching the checkpoint outside Shusha (Shushi) on 24 December, the group of over a thousand protesters was blocked by Russian peacekeepers with armoured vehicles and soldiers.

‘[A representative of the peacekeepers] says that they can't get rid of the Azerbaijanis, they don't allow us to use force and we have to put up with them. “We didn't close your road”,’ Tigran Petrosyan, the organiser of the marches, told the crowd.

‘I said 99% of the people of Karabakh believed and trusted you [the Russian peacekeeping mission] when you first came but there is a lot of disappointment now. Soon the trust in you will be completely lost. We have the impression that we are being used as coins.’

‘The officer said that there will be a meeting on 26 December and this issue will finally be resolved. He categorically ruled out that an Azerbaijani checkpoint would be put there. I told them that if the road is not opened on the 26th, we will close the road to your military base located in Ivanyan-Khojalu airfield.’

According to the November 2020 ceasefire agreement that brought an end to the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, the Russian peacekeeping mission in Nagorno-Karabakh is responsible for securing the Lachin Corridor.

One of the marchers, Ruzanna Hayrapetyan, told OC Media that she was taking part because ‘the road of life’ had been closed for more than ten days.

‘I'm going to fight for justice. I am not a politician, I am not a decision-maker, I just want the road to be opened, this problem must be solved somehow.’

‘My children are stuck in Yerevan, they can't come back home,’ Nazeli Isunts, who also took part in the march, told OC Media. ‘Whatever is up to me, I try to do it. We want to understand why the Russians are not fulfilling their responsibilities.’

Patients in critical condition

Since the entrance to the Lachin Corridor was first blocked on 12 December, growing shortages of food and medicine have led to fears of a humanitarian crisis. Shops have long run out of vegetables, and other products are in increasingly short supply.

Street vendors in Stepanakert. Photo: Marut Vanyan/OC Media.

The local health authorities reported that a patient died on 19 December because they could not be taken to Yerevan for treatment; more than a dozen patients remain in critical condition in Stepanakert. After the involvement of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) last week, six patients needing urgent medical assistance have been transferred to Armenia.

The ICRC also reported that they had delivered 10 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Nagorno-Karabakh on Sunday. According to officials in Stepanakert, imports from Armenia prior to the road’s closure stood at 400 tonnes daily.

Although videos purportedly showing Russian military trucks passing through the blocked area of the corridor have been shared online since the corridor’s closure, the Office of the Human Rights Defender of Nagorno-Karabakh told OC Media that they have not received any information suggesting that any Russian aid had reached the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh.

‘The medicine is running out, the food is running out, and I have a child. Where do I apply for food aid? Should I ask Ruben Vardanyan for it? Whom can I ask?’ said Hersik Saghyan, who took part in the 24 December march.

‘I don't know who blocked the road. I know that according to the agreement the peacekeepers have no right to allow anyone to do this, neither ecologists nor others’, added Saghyan. ‘Ask the Russians why they are violating the agreement,’.

The road’s closure also left over a thousand Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians stranded away from home.

The Azerbaijani government has maintained the position that the blockade was not caused by Azerbaijani protesters, blaming Russian peacekeepers for the corridor’s closure.

Since the road was first blocked, a number of Western countries and the European Union have called on Azerbaijan to reopen the corridor and ‘restore free movement’.

Armenia last week requested a United Nations Security Council meeting to discuss the blockade and has requested interim measures against Azerbaijan from the European Court of Human rights, which demanded that Azerbaijan open the corridor for the transfer of those needing medical assistance and housing.

 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-rallies-amid-blockade/

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Armenpress.am

The road connecting Artsakh to Armenia and the outside world remains closed

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17:42, 26 December 2022

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. The road connecting Artsakh to Armenia and the outside world, the Lachin Corridor, remains closed, Hunan Tadevosyan, head of the information and public relations department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh, told "Armenpress". "As of now, the road is closed," Tadevosyan said. Earlier, Telegram channels spread information that allegedly the corridor of Lachin was opened.

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1100572.html?fbclid=IwAR0LX9H3PkqLdJnuBtO6-DPeWFgqt-9Oe2PoMbq5Z5xtgZYEEJZaAXxcPcQ

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[MosJan]

[MosJan]

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Forbes

Dec 29 2022

With The Lachin Corridor Blockage, Nagorno-Karabakh Close To A Humanitarian Catastrophe

Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab

On December 27, 2022, UNICEF issued a statement warning about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, the result of the virtual closure of the Lachin Corridor, a road that links Armenia and the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. As UNICEF warns, children are being affected by the blockage and “the longer the situation persists, the more children will experience the lack of basic food items, while access to many of the essential services they need for their survival, healthy growth and wellbeing will become more challenging. Many children have also been deprived of parental care as they have been separated from their parents or legal guardians.” As Administrator Samantha Power, United States Agency for International Development, raised, “the Lachin Corridor must be re-opened immediately - the closure has the potential to cause a significant humanitarian crisis. This corridor is an essential route for the flow of much needed food and medical supplies that must be allowed to flow freely.”

As Human Rights Watch reported, “the sole road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia has been blocked since December 12, 2022, disrupting access to essential goods and services for tens of thousands of ethnic Armenians living there.” Furthermore, the blockage does not only prevent the delivery of essential items. It prevents Nagorno-Karabakh residents from moving freely from and to the region. Thousands of people are stranded and unable to reach their homes, including children who were on a school trip to Yerevan.

The Lachin Corridor has been blocked by Azerbaijani protesters since December 12, 2022, protesting about the issue of alleged illegal mining of natural resources in Nagorno-Karabakh. The protest, blocking the Lachin Corridor, halts the normal movement of people and goods in or out of the enclave, including food, fuel, and medical supplies, resulting in shortages of the products in the enclave.

The issue has gained the attention of the U.N. Security Council. During a meeting of the U.N. Security Council on December 20, 2022, Miroslav Jenča, Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and Americas, Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, told the U.N. Security Council that “the current escalation of tension and incidents threatens to derail fragile progress and unleash a dangerous resumption of violence.” According to his statement, “tensions on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and around areas under control of Russian Federation peacekeeping forces have not abated.” The potential human toll of resumed conflict could be considerable. “It would not only impact people of Armenia and Azerbaijan, but the wider South Caucasus region and beyond. The parties [must] redouble efforts for a negotiated peaceful settlement before it is too late.” During the meeting, the representative of Armenia said that the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is close to turning into a humanitarian catastrophe.

Ambassador Robert A. Wood, Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations, told the U.N. Security Council that “impediment to use the Lachin Corridor sets back the peace process and undermines the international confidence in it.” Mher Margaryan, Permanent Representative of Armenia to the United Nations, told the U.N. Security Council that “the ongoing blockade is not just one isolated case, but another demonstration of systematic violence used by the Azerbaijani authorities to subject the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to ethnic cleansing.” He added that “Azerbaijan is still disregarding the International Court of Justice Order on the Provisional Measures issued under the Convention on Elimination of Racial Discrimination against Azerbaijan in December 2021, in relation to the humanitarian obligations vis-à-vis the Armenian prisoners of war.”

As the situation deteriorates, it cannot be stressed more that the commitments of the ceasefire of November 9, 2020, must be implemented and continue to be safeguarded. This includes ensuring the safe movement of persons, vehicles and goods along the Lachin Corridor. Furthermore, humanitarian organizations and United Nations agencies, especially the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees must be granted immediate, free and unhindered access to the affected populations to provide them with the needed assistance.

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website or some of my other work here.

Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab

https://www.forbes.com/sites/ewelinaochab/2022/12/29/with-the-lachin-corridor-blockage-nagorno-karabakh-close-to-a-humanitarian-catastrophe/?sh=30f8c1e06c90

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Dec 29 2022

Nagorno-Karabakh: Christmas Under Blockade

A group of Azeri environmental activists keep the only road that connects the Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh with the rest of the world blocked. The humanitarian situation worsens day by day for more than 120 thousand people deprived of the most basic.

Anush Ghavalyan/Yerevan, Armenia

"Vegetables and fruits, dairy products, sugar, salt... We lack almost everything!" For Narine Grigoryan, a laboratory technician in Stepanakert, the consequences of weeks under the blockade are evident in the empty shelves of supermarkets. "It is almost impossible to find anything and local production cannot meet the needs of the population," the Armenian explained by phone.

The situation in the enclave deteriorates with each passing day since December 12. It was then that a group of Azeri environmental activists blocked the Lachin Corridor, the only road between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh (also called "Artsakh'' by the Armenians). The Lachin Corridor is the veritable "umbilical cord" for a majority-Armenian enclave totally surrounded by Azerbaijan. The latter gave its explicit consent that the corridor is under the control of Russian peacekeepers by the 20202 Ceasefire.

Under normal conditions, 400 tons of food and other basic products enter Nagorno-Karabakh daily. After tough negotiations, the International Red Cross was able to send ten tons of humanitarian cargo from Armenia on December 25: medicines, hospital food, baby food. According to the NK Ministry of Health, this covered the demand for ten days.

While Baku insists that the blockade responds to an initiative of its civil society, investigations such as that of Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty reveal a link between the so-called Azeri "eco-activists" and the Government of Azerbaijan.

But there is more. International organizations such as Human Rights Watch have denounced that the region has once again been deprived of gas for days. The supply depends exclusively on the will of Azerbaijan, since part of the infrastructure passes through the territories that came under the control of Baku after the war in 2020.

"Once again, the current situation shows the importance of guaranteeing free and unhindered access for humanitarian assistance and international human rights missions to all areas and people, including those residing in Nagorno-Karabakh," stressed the commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe in its declaration of December 20. However, the region still lacks the presence of both international organizations and UN agencies.

The situation in the Lachin Corridor and the restoration of free movement were also on the agenda of the emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on December 20, where the immediate and unconditional reopening of the corridor was explicitly called for.

"As long as the blockade continues, all these calls and statements by human rights organizations and countries must be followed by real action on the ground," Gegham Stepanyan, Ombudsman of Nagorno-Karabakh, told GARA from Yerevan. He is one of 1,100 people still unable to return home due to road closures.

Stepanyan speaks of "staged environmental actions that are part of Azerbaijan's state policy and that seeks ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh." The officer recalls the cases of peaceful civilian killings, infrastructure disruptions, gas cuts, harassment of agricultural activity, and psychological pressure from Azerbaijan since the 2020 ceasefire.

“We have not seen any constructive dialogue so far. On the contrary, we only suffer from hatred towards Armenians at the state level," laments Stepanyan, who rules out any possibility that the enclave will one day pass under Azerbaijani jurisdiction.

Arayik Harutyunyan, the President of Nagorno-Karabakh, is also wary of Azerbaijan's ecological claims. "On December 3, after blocking the only highway connecting Artsakh with Armenia for the first time, the Azerbaijani side, through the Russian peacekeepers, transmitted written proposals to the Artsakh authorities that had little to do with environmental issues and were completely unacceptable," the Nagorno-Karabakh leader said.

One of them could be the future of Ruben Vardanyan, the current State Minister of Nagorno- Karabakh. On December 23, at a press conference of Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on December 23, the Azerbaijani asked Vardanyan to leave the region "as soon as possible".

Russian-Armenian businessman and philanthropist, Ruben Vardanyan renounced his Russian citizenship and moved to Nagorno-Karabakh in early September. A month later, Vardanyan was appointed State Minister of the self-governed republic.

"I will not go anywhere, I will not give in to Azerbaijan's demands," Vardanyan announced during the nationwide demonstration in Stepanakert on December 25. Tens of thousands of people then gathered to raise their voices about the blockade and human rights violations.

Whether due to environmental or political demands, the humanitarian situation on the ground is deteriorating day by day.

On December 24, a group of Armenian civil activists marched to the closed section of the road where the Russian peacekeeping checkpoint is located. In a live video posted online, Tigran Petrosyan, the leader of an opposition political party, called on the Russian side to honor its commitments under the November 9 Trilateral Declaration and ensure the safety of the Lachin Corridor.

The Russians then replied that the road would open on December 26. It was not like that, and on the 27th the protest resumed. Hundreds of people marched towards the region's airport, where the contingent is permanently deployed, demanding a meeting with the commander of the peacekeeping forces.

“The situation on the ground is serious. We need to resist and not make concessions, as Baku will continue with new demands," Petrosyan said from the airport. The plan is to stay there until there is a response from Moscow.

Anush Ghavalyan is a freelance journalist based in Stepanakert.

https://greekcitytimes.com/2022/12/30/nagorno-karabakh-christmas/

[Yervant1]

News.am

Armenia - Dec 29 2022

Ruben Vardanyan: Termination of the Kashen mine is not a concession

22:01, 29.12.2022

Stopping the operation of Kashen mine is not a concession, Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan said in an interview with Channel 5, answering a question whether Artsakh's stopping the operation of Kashen mine and conducting an international expertise is not a concession on its part.

"This is not a concession, it shows our readiness, we say that we are sure that we have a mine operating in accordance with the best environmental standards, secondly, if necessary, we can stop the operation, thirdly, we should understand that the road is closed and all businessmen face problems. We say we want to bring this issue to a platform where world-class specialists, not the so-called Azerbaijani environmentalists, can study and give their opinion, because this is also very important. We say we are ready for a check at the level of the UN, at the level of experts of world-class companies. If there should be any audit, let it be done at this level, but not by some people appointed by Azerbaijan who can't solve the problems in their own country," he said.

The so-called environmentalists of Azerbaijan have kept the Berdzor corridor closed for 18 days already, leaving the Republic of Artsakh in a complete blockade.

120 thousand citizens, including 30 thousand children, living in Artsakh are on the brink of a humanitarian crisis.

https://news.am/eng/news/737670.html

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270 Artsakh kids stranded in Goris due to the blockade. They were visiting Armenia to watch Junior Eurovision with their teachers.

 

As the New Year approaches, we would like to take this opportunity to say,

 

Thank you to the Diasporan community for supporting our work to amplify the voices of victims of war and conflict in Artsakh and Armenia. We couldn't have done it without you.

 

Thank you to Artsakh for holding strong in the face of calamity. Without you, Artsakh will not exist. We are humbled by your strength and courage and we want you to know, we are fighting with you.

 

Thank you to Armenia for finding its voice by applying to the UN Security Council, the International Court of Justice, the European Court of Human Rights and now, by passing legislation to seek jurisdiction with the International Criminal Court.

 

Nation Building is a long and arduous road. It can only be achieved if we stand together for democracy, freedom, self-determination and independence of our people.

 

 

2023 will have its own challenges, but the Center for Truth and Justice will remain vigilant.

 

We will continue to train the next generation of lawyers in Armenia and Artsakh.

 

We will continue to collect evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

 

We will seek every avenue to hold accountable all those responsible for atrocities.

 

We remain committed to seeking justice for the Armenian nation.

 

 

May 2023 be the year

 

For the return of our POWs,

 

For a safe and peaceful Artsakh, and

 

For the recognition of Artsakh’s right to self-determination and independence.

 

 

Happy New Year from all of us at the Center for Truth and Justice.

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Armenpress.am

Day 23 of Azerbaijani blockade of Nagorno Karabakh: 120 thousand people face humanitarian disaster

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18:08, 3 January 2023

YEREVAN, JANUARY 3, ARMENPRESS. It is already the 23rd day that the only road connecting Artsakh to the world, the Lachin Corridor, remains closed. Azerbaijan has closed the corridor since December 12, citing false environmental reasons.

As a result of Azerbaijan's illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor, 120 thousand people of Artsakh, including 30 thousand children, 20 thousand elderly people and about 9 thousand people with disabilities, are facing humanitarian crisis for 23 days.

Due to the closure of the road, 1100 people, including 270 children, were unable to return from Armenia to Artsakh.

People's rights to free movement, adequate standard of living, receiving medical care, education and other rights are violated.

The shops, pharmacies, markets in Artsakh are almost empty. The Government of Artsakh adopted a decision to limit the provision of public food services from December 29. In Artsakh, stores receive supplies from reserve resources only by the Government's decision.

Scheduled surgeries are still suspended in medical institutions. According to data of December 30, 12 children were in the neonatal and intensive care units in the "Arevik" medical unit. At the "Republican Medical Center", 12 patients were in the intensive care unit, 5 of them were in critical condition.

On December 19, one citizen died in Artsakh, because due to the closure of the road, it was impossible to transport him to Armenia to ensure proper treatment.

Through the mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross, a humanitarian cargo was once sent to Artsakh: mainly medicine, baby food and medical supplies. Through the mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross, 10 patients, including a 4-month-old baby, were transferred from Artsakh to different medical centers in Armenia.

The falseness of the environmental arguments brought by Azerbaijan is evidenced by the fact that although the Artsakh authorities announced to stop the operation of the mines of "Base Metals" company and to invite an international ecological expert group to study the company's activities, the road remains closed.

Back on December 13, Artak Beglaryan, adviser to the Minister of State of Artsakh, and Davit Babayan, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, announced that the people blocking the Lachin Corridor are not environmental activists, as they present themselves, but they are people working in Azerbaijan's special services and army. From the very first days of closing the corridor, videos and photos have been circulated, proving that supporters of the Turkish extremist "Grey Wolves" organization are among the people who have blocked the road.

A day after closing the road of life of Artsakh, Azerbaijan also stopped the gas supply to Nagorno Karabakh. It was restored only three days later, leaving civilians already deprived of the right to movement and other rights in adverse winter weather conditions.

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1100977.html?fbclid=IwAR3gbvN7vS59hXeFDhVafe49WuaxrjDb0HmyBDerfbfYPqlbldHNZCsZaFo

[MosJan]

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Jerusalem Post

Jan 4 2023

Armenia warns of humanitarian crisis as central road in Nagorno-Karabakh blocked for 24 days

By TZVI JOFFRE

Azerbaijan clams environmental activists have blocked the roads, while Armenia claims Azerbaijani security forces are behind the blockade Armenian officials have warned of a humanitarian crisis in the Nagorno-Karabakh region as Azerbaijanis have blocked the Lachin corridor, the main road in the area, for 24 days as of Wednesday.

While Armenian officials have accused Azerbaijani officials of blockading the corridor, Azerbaijan claims that the people blocking the road are "ecologists and activists" protesting against the mining of mineral deposits in the area. The de-facto Artsakh Republic has said that it has halted mining work in the area and had been operating according to international standards.

Groceries, stores and pharmacies in the area are largely empty, Armenpress reported on Wednesday, with photos reportedly from the region showing bare shelves in many shops. Since December 29, the de-facto Artsakh Republic has imposed restrictions on restaurants and eateries due to the shortage of food.

With the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross, a number of patients have been transferred for medical treatment in Armenia.

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Azerbaijani officials have rejected Armenia's claims of a blockade, claiming that supply vehicles belonging to Russian peacekeepers and vehicles belonging to the Red Cross are moving unhindered along the road.

David Babayan, the foreign minister of the de-facto republic, called for sanctions to be issued against Azerbaijan in light of the blockade.

“This is nothing but a challenge to the civilized world because an entire nation is starving to death. Elsewhere around the world children are dancing and asking Santa Claus for presents. Our children don’t even have bread to eat, they are starving,” said Babayan, according to Armenpress.

The Armenian foreign ministry called on Russia to make "clear efforts" to end the blockade, accusing Azerbaijan of "ethnic cleansing."

"Hundreds of families remain separated, being on different sides of the Azerbaijani blockade. 120,000 people have found themselves in a de facto status of a captive," said the Foreign Ministry in a statement. "The claims of the Azerbaijani side that the Lachin Corridor is actually open are completely groundless, which is evidenced at least by the fact that only the vehicles of the International Committee of the Red Cross are allowed to transport a limited number of patients to the Republic of Armenia in the event of a life-threatening illness."

Azerbaijani president reiterates commitment to open corridor through Armenian territory

In a New Year's address published on Sunday, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stressed that Azerbaijan would establish the Zangezur Corridor, which would link Azerbaijan to a region controlled by Azerbaijan called Nakhchivan. The two regions are split by Armenian territory which connects Armenia to Iran.

 

Aliyev added that Azerbaijan has "gained a foothold in many strategically advantageous positions" after a number of military operations it conducted against Armenia in the past year.

 

In December, the United Nations Security Council held a discussion about the situation in the Lachin Corridor, warning that the blockade threatens to "derail fragile progress and unleash a dangerous resumption of violence."

 

https://m.jpost.com/international/article-726596/amp

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Armenpress.am

Nagorno Karabakh asks Putin, Biden and Macron to take action and open either Lachin Corridor or Stepanakert airport

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13:28, 5 January 2023

YEREVAN, JANUARY 5, ARMENPRESS. Members of Parliament of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh), led by the Speaker of Parliament Arthur Tovmasyan, appealed to the leaders of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairing countries - Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron to take concrete actions in the direction of either opening the Lachin Corridor or launching the Stepanakert airport.

“The only road connecting Artsakh with Armenia and the outside world continues to be closed for already 25 days. The Artsakh issue was the only conflict where all OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairing countries had almost the same position. By and large, the people of Artsakh, who are facing an unprecedented humanitarian disaster, are in need of not only targeted statements, but I believe that there is the need to take practical and visible steps in this direction. Seriously-ill patients don’t have access to necessary medication and health services, Artsakh is deprived of essential supplies such as baby food and other goods. We are calling upon the civilized world, particularly the Minsk Group Co-Chairing countries, to take concrete actions in the direction of either opening the corridor or launching an air bridge – launching the Stepanakert airport, which would allow to somewhat avoid the alarming humanitarian crisis in Artsakh during the winter,” the Artsakh Speaker of Parliament said in a letter.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1101101.html?fbclid=IwAR1_PshkQcFB2LCfLJFy_13rLEfhhGwXyOGko3k9PvAd5zhyvboU_PQ3uMw

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1945

Jan 5 2023

The State Department Can Prevent A Slaughter. Why Won’t It?

By

Michael Rubin

Azerbaijan’s blockade of Armenian-controlled Nagorno-Karabakh is now entering its fourth week. Grocery store and pharmacy shelves in the capital Stepanakert now lie bare.

Azerbaijani diplomats initially denied any blockade. Baku’s narrative boils down to the claim that the entirety of Nagorno-Karabakh is Azerbaijani, therefore Armenian residents must either depart or depend on Azerbaijani largesse. Armenians argue both that they have the right to self-determination in Nagorno-Karabakh, and that Azerbaijan’s eliminationist rhetoric makes any dependence upon Baku’s goodwill suicidal. Navigating this dispute was the basis of the decades-long Minsk Group process that collapsed in the last months of the Trump administration. Regardless of perspective, the fact that Azerbaijan uses starvation as collective punishment to advance its interests is undeniable.

Historical Failures

History will not be kind to the Biden administration if it allows the situation to continue.

Certainly, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has agency and bears ultimate responsibility. However, U.S. President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken cannot deny accountability.

After all, even after Azerbaijan launched its military attack on Armenian communities in Nagorno-Karabakh, Blinken greenlighted continued military aid to Azerbaijan in defiance of Congress and U.S. law.

Biden states “diplomacy is back” as a mantra, but when he signals there is no consequence for defying him, diplomacy loses any meaning.

Neither Biden nor Blinken appear to care much about diplomacy in the region. In his first briefing of the year, State Department spokesman Ned Price shirked responsibility. “It is not for us to prescribe what a comprehensive solution to this conflict looks like,” he stated. “That is the hard work that the parties themselves will have to do.”

Nor is both-siderism an excuse. In September 2022, Cornell University released a study using satellite imagery that showed “near-total erasure of Armenian heritage sites” in the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan. In a Senate hearing two months later, Amb. Philip Reeker, the State Department’s senior advisor for Caucasus negotiations, acknowledged under questioning that he had seen numerous videos of Azerbaijani forces summarily executing Armenian prisoners.

Neither Reeker nor Karen Donfried, assistant secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, could explain why, in Senator Bob Menendez’s words, the United States “has done nothing to verify the videos and the evidence of cluster munitions, of white phosphorus, which are illegal.”

Such a performance harkens back to the failure of both Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his senior aides’ inability to explain why they did not bomb the rail lines to Auschwitz, even when they knew about the atrocities conducted there. Apologists might say that against the backdrop of World War II, other targets took precedence. In the Caucasus now, however, no such argument could hold, given the power differential between the United States on one hand, and Azerbaijan and Turkey on the other. Blinken has many tools at his disposal. Ending the waiver of Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act is only the first among them.

Time to Shine a Light

The moral deficiency of current Biden policy extends to Samantha Power. The USAID administrator based her career on her castigation, in her Pulitzer Prize-winning book A Problem from Hell, of U.S. unwillingness to prevent genocide. She dealt extensively with the legacy of Raphael Lemkin – a Polish lawyer who coined the term genocide, and the founding father of the Genocide Convention – and fully embraced his work. She details at length how among Lemkin’s greatest influences was the early 20th century Armenian Genocide. To sit aside, remain silent, and refuse to assist the Armenian population when it faces starvation, will permanently stain her legacy and stunt her ambition to one day herself become secretary of State.

U.S. officials may sidestep responsibility by arguing that Nagorno-Karabakh is far away and that Washington has no ability to help. This is false. Not only does the United States have financial leverage over Azerbaijan, but the United States could also provide immediate relief by providing meals and other supplies from the Incirlik Air Base near Adana, Turkey.

Think tank warriors on Pennsylvania Avenue may deny that any blockade exists, but why should the State Department not send diplomats to Lachin to observe for themselves? Genocide thrives in the dark. It does not proceed so smoothly when a light is shined upon it. Biden and Blinken must stop extinguishing the like.

Now a 1945 Contributing Editor, Dr. Michael Rubin is a Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). Dr. Rubin is the author, coauthor, and coeditor of several books exploring diplomacy, Iranian history, Arab culture, Kurdish studies, and Shi’ite politics, including “Seven Pillars: What Really Causes Instability in the Middle East?” (AEI Press, 2019); “Kurdistan Rising” (AEI Press, 2016); “Dancing with the Devil: The Perils of Engaging Rogue Regimes” (Encounter Books, 2014); and “Eternal Iran: Continuity and Chaos” (Palgrave, 2005).

https://www.19fortyfive.com/2023/01/the-state-department-can-prevent-a-slaughter-why-wont-it/

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Armenpress.am

Nagorno Karabakh’s former leaders join President, government officials for Christmas mass at Stepanakert cathedral

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13:27, 6 January 2023

YEREVAN, JANUARY 6, ARMENPRESS. President of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) Arayik Harutyunyan and the former presidents of Nagorno Karabakh Arkadi Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan, joined by government officials and lawmakers, attended a Christmas mass at the Holy Mother of God Cathedral in Stepanakert, the presidency said in a statement.

The Divine Liturgy was served by Primate of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan dedicated to the Holy Nativity and Theophany of Jesus Christ.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1101155.html?fbclid=IwAR2Llg5C3VghBIqmF-wxLYcFTPPc9YNU9WWD153lrUTcbYhJ7Qzn0fBuJPY

[Yervant1]

NEWS.am

Armenia - Jan 6 2023

Karabakh ombudsman calls on countries that recognized the Armenian Genocide to recognize Karabakh independence

18:12, 06.01.2023

The countries, which recognized the Armenian Genocide, declared in their resolutions: "Never again!", recognize Nagorno-Karabakh's independence, the Ombudsman of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Gegham Stepanyan made a similar call in his microblog on Twitter.

He also urged to apply sanctions against Azerbaijan and take responsibility for protecting the lives and rights of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, thus proving his adherence to his earlier statement "Never again!"

https://news.am/eng/news/738404.html

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

‘Josep Borrell must act now!’ – MEP Peter van Dalen on Azeri blockade of Nagorno Karabakh

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13:56, 7 January 2023

YEREVAN, JANUARY 7, ARMENPRESS. Member of the European Parliament and European People’s Party member Peter van Dalen has called on EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy chief Josep Borrell to act over the brutal results of the Azeri blockade of Nagorno Karabakh.

“The brutal results of the Azeri-blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh; empty shops and desperate people. Why is the EU so silent?! I do not understand! [High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy] Josep Borrell must act now!” the MEP tweeted, sharing a BBC article on the shortages of essential goods in Nagorno Karabakh resulting from the blockade.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1101198.html?fbclid=IwAR00nkqFg0lv4mMqO6JKAc5D8P3bI-L4qO2Bv6Rprjgy2KOL1ATXxg78kVw

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Armenpress.am

“More than 120,000 people are under Azeri siege” – Turkish historian expresses support to Artsakh

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17:57, 7 January 2023

YEREVAN, JANUARY 7, ARMENPRESS. Turkish historian Taner Akçam expressed concern over the blockade of Lachin Corridor and the resulting humanitarian crisis.

“Today is Christmas Day for Armenians. I wish all Armenian friends Merry Christmas.

May this holiday bring us all happiness, peace, and good days.

I want to add that our hearts and feelings are with the Armenians in Karabakh (Artsakh) on their very difficult days.

More than 120,000 people are under Azeri siege in uncertain conditions about their future. And the world, unfortunately, is turning a blind eye to what is happening right in front of us,” Akcam said on Facebook.

Azerbaijan is keeping the Lachin Corridor blocked since December 12, 2022. The corridor is Artsakh’s only connection with Armenia and the rest of the world. The closure has led to shortages of food, medicine and other essential products.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1101211.html?fbclid=IwAR0rDdjHNRLFYg18eJOiO8Lm_6bbMptozV31gJ02R2cE3om2gvSQHvbEsnY

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Armenpress.am

We don’t need pity or empathy, we need visible and practical steps – Artsakh Speaker of Parliament

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12:37, 9 January 2023

YEREVAN, JANUARY 9, ARMENPRESS. The parliament of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) has appealed to all humanitarian organizations, the Co-Chairing countries of the OSCE Minsk Group, the entire civilzed world, however the voice of the people of Artsakh isn’t being heard, the Speaker of Parliament of Artsakh Arthur Tovmasyan said in a statement.

“Today is the 29^th day of the blockade of Artsakh. 270 school children who’ve been stranded in Armenia as a result of the blockade will go to schools in Goris and Yerevan starting today. The basic rights of these children are grossly violated. New Year is a holiday filled with family wonder. Unfortunately, no wonder happened for these children of Artsakh.

Do the small Artsakh and these children separated from their families really pose a danger to neighboring Azerbaijan or Turkey?

The Parliament of the Republic of Artsakh has appealed to all humanitarian organizations, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairing countries, the civilized world through its statements, but to this day our voice hasn’t been heard. The topic of Artsakh and the people of Artsakh is being talked about a lot in international platforms. But we don’t need pity or empathy, we need visible and practical steps. We are a people of hope and faith. Let’s hope that our prayers to God will open the door to salvation,” the Speaker said in the statement.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1101244.html?fbclid=IwAR0IvVLvKPKvykOYbPt2TtrT5bT266o5TH5qDmBP4tSCTr0jYya36ZaBgII