Yervant1 Posted January 10, 2023 Report Share Posted January 10, 2023 Armenpress.am Nagorno Karabakh to issue ration stamps SaveShare 13:50, 9 January 2023YEREVAN, JANUARY 9, ARMENPRESS. The government of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) is planning to issue ration stamps for food and other essential products amid the ongoing Azeri blockade. Azerbaijan is keeping the Lachin Corridor blocked since December 12, 2022. The corridor is the only road connection and supply route of Artsakh with Armenia and the rest of the world.The mechanisms for introducing the system have already been developed, the government said following a meeting chaired by State Minister Ruben Vardanyan, who heads the emergency headquarters of the government during the blockade. The ration stamps will initially be applied for several types of essential products. The system will be introduced within several days. After holding town hall meetings across Artsakh, the State Minister said that the meetings proved that “the hardships of the blockade did not break the people’s spirit”. He said the people have brought forward questions and issues. “Three types of issues were raised – local issues concerning the specific settlement, general issues requiring systemic solutions, and complaints. There are also urgent issues which must be solved as a priority,” Vardanyan said, adding that most questions concerned the ration stamp system.“The meeting also addressed the possibility of transporting severely-ill patients through the International Committee of the Red Cross - ICRC, as well as reuniting separated families with minors. Coordinated work with the ICRC was highlighted in these directions,” the government of Artsakh said in a readout. The situation in the food, medication, petroleum and diesel fuel markets, as well as ongoing work to ensure uninterrupted energy and water supply, and functioning of other infrastructures was discussed. https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1101253.html?fbclid=IwAR2fGnLhbSF-rYD2B7rmBNW5bJh3a12iTJhN4STB-ypR1mLG3iABNI7YhK8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yervant1 Posted January 10, 2023 Report Share Posted January 10, 2023 Armenpress.am 110 babies born in Artsakh during ongoing blockade SaveShare 16:16, 9 January 2023YEREVAN, JANUARY 9, ARMENPRESS. 1,623 babies including 15 twins were born in Artsakh in 2022, the Ministry of Healthcare of Artsakh said in a statement. Another 43 Artsakh babies were born in hospitals of Armenia during the year. 17 were born through IVF.In 2023, from January 1 to 8, 43 babies were born in Artsakh. “110 babies were born in Artsakh hospitals during the ongoing blockade,” the ministry added. https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1101266.html?fbclid=IwAR1yK5UygE6XAoRskRAiWpRQSgBOn32d36TlfV18dOETGWQEUNz6csg730o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yervant1 Posted January 11, 2023 Report Share Posted January 11, 2023 Armenpress.am Ambassador of Japan to Armenia calls for freedom and security of movement along Lachin Corridor SaveShare 15:23, 10 January 2023YEREVAN, JANUARY 10, ARMENPRESS. Ambassador of Japan to Armenia Masanori Fukushima is calling for de-escalation of tensions and freedom and security of movement along the Lachin Corridor. “I am concerned by the reports of the developments around the Lachin corridor. I urge the sides to de-escalate tensions and to ensure freedom and security of movement along the corridor, in line with the arrangements that the sides have agreed,” Ambassador Fukushima said in a statement released by the Embassy of Japan in Armenia.The Lachin Corridor is blocked by Azerbaijan since 12 December 2022. The corridor is the only travel and supply route for the 120,000 Armenians of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh). The blockade has caused a humanitarian crisis. Shortages of essential products such as food and medicine prompted Nagorno Karabakh authorities to introduce rationing. Hospitals are keeping planned surgeries on hold. 1,100 residents of Nagorno Karabakh, including 270 children who were in Armenia when the road was blocked are unable to return to their homes. https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1101353.html?fbclid=IwAR17b741idZxnyM0DQbEqVsm8du9IXjyVd40qc_EIrRP1ZQa0JfK0n0QvcI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yervant1 Posted January 11, 2023 Report Share Posted January 11, 2023 Armenpress.am Swiss lawmakers ask federal government to take UNSC action to organize humanitarian air bridge for Nagorno Karabakh SaveShare 11:22, 11 January 2023YEREVAN, JANUARY 11, ARMENPRESS. The Foreign Policy Committee of the Council of States (upper house of parliament) of Switzerland, expressing its concern by the humanitarian situation and the violations of international law, decided "to send a letter to the Federal Council informing it that it condemns the violations of international law resulting from the blockade of the Lachin corridor since December 12, 2022. The Federal Council is the executive body of the federal government of Switzerland.The committee asks it in particular to intervene with the Security Council of the United Nations (UN) in order to obtain the lifting of the blockade and the cessation of hostilities on the one hand, and to organize a humanitarian air bridge between Yerevan and Stepanakert on the other". https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1101411.html?fbclid=IwAR1cOU2gARQhhuer3tk9ujuX3kSpqflgWRf1CY8FWTgZdKzEncTNHE3JnM4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yervant1 Posted January 12, 2023 Report Share Posted January 12, 2023 Anybody listening? Armenpress.am Nagorno Karabakh asks international community to prevent impending new genocide planned by Azerbaijan SaveShare 15:38, 11 January 2023YEREVAN, JANUARY 11, ARMENPRESS. On January 11, President of the Artsakh Republic (Nagorno Karabakh) Arayik Harutyunyan chaired a meeting of the Security Council attended by representatives of all political forces represented in the National Assembly. The meeting addressed the consequences of the nearly month-long ongoing humanitarian crisis in Artsakh due to the blockade of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan, and high-level political statements made in recent days in that regard, the Artsakh Presidential Office said in a press release.The Artsakh Republic Security Coucil adopted the following statement at the session: “It has been almost a month since a group of so-called eco-activists, with the full and outspoken support of the Azerbaijani authorities, blocked the only road connecting Artsakh to Armenia. Thus, the Azerbaijani side has practically deprived the population of the Artsakh Republic of the only opportunity to communicate with the outer world, keeping the 120,000 population in a total blockade, with all the resulting humanitarian, healthcare and economic consequences. The thoughts expressed by the President of Azerbaijan during the press conference held on January 10 of the current year proved once again that all this is nothing but an obvious manifestation of the threat of using force by the Azerbaijani authorities in the process of Karabakh problem settlement, which is a continuation of the 44-day war unleashed by Azerbaijan against the people of the Artsakh Republic in 2020.Within the context of these realities, a number of statements and opinions expressed by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia during yesterday's press conference raised concern, since they do not correspond to the ideas of the national struggle, as well as the position of the people and authorities of the Artsakh Republic. We are aware of all the consequences that follow the political line we have embarked on, and reaffirm our position that the sovereignty of Artsakh and the right to live freely and independently in the historical homeland are absolute values. No coercion or threat can deter us from our decision to continue the struggle. In this regard, we appeal to the international community to assume responsibility for preventing the terrorist actions undertaken by Azerbaijan, the planned ethnic cleansing and the impending new genocide.The people of the Artsakh Republic and the authorities are confident that the Armenians in the Diaspora will continue to support the decision made by their brothers and sisters in Artsakh, and urge the Republic of Armenia authorities to be guided exclusively by the position of promoting and advocating the right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination in international institutions, using all the opportunities and all the tools of the internationally recognized state.” https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1101444.html?fbclid=IwAR1sDDocA_pKIZiMKoJDYSM5_xL2bNcN9BA-2Uaf7bwwaIJpGTQ9ea6B6DQ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yervant1 Posted January 12, 2023 Report Share Posted January 12, 2023 Armenpress.am We are struggling for our right to live on our land, and our people accept this approach – State Minister of Artsakh SaveShare 16:07, 11 January 2023YEREVAN, JANUARY 11, ARMENPRESS. State Minister and Head of the emergency response center of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) Ruben Vardanyan chaired a consultation with heads of government agencies on January 11. Speaking about the current situation resulting from the Azeri blockade of Artsakh, Vardanyan noted that Azerbaijan is now factually also obstructing energy supply from Armenia in winter conditions. “The situation is difficult, and I’d like to thank our society for withstanding all hardships. We have numerous problems with both food and medicine. In the past two days the electric-energy problem was added on top of this. Azerbaijan is not only obstructing us from bringing in food and medicine, but is also barring repair crews from accessing the site of the damage to restore energy supply,” Vardanyan said, highlighting the need to ration existing resources. He added that the private sector is also in a difficult situation because the blockade has led to an economic crisis and many people are losing their jobs. Vardanyan said the Azeri policy is clear – to achieve the depopulation of Artsakh through pressures.“But we are struggling for our right to live in our homeland, on our land. And I am very inspired that our people accept this approach. But this requires us, as leaders, to be honest and frank with our people, to understand the entire seriousness of the situation.” Vardanyan also introduced the new Cabinet ministers.“I want to congratulate the newly appointed ministers and thank them for assuming responsibility in such an extremely difficult situation,” the State Minister said.He said that the government is utilizing all instruments – diplomatic, legal, media, and continues to make every effort to open the road. At the same time, Vardanyan said that the government must be ready for any possible development.He highlighted the fact that the blockade is significantly changing the people’s way of life – forcing them into rationing and restrictions. Vardanyan said government officials should meet and directly talk with people and explain the situation. https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1101445.html?fbclid=IwAR3MzrEwel1Mnjc-oRC6v2cRtZwzQ-HWVSlhDKySs3wJT54BsLTxSARpWP0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yervant1 Posted January 12, 2023 Report Share Posted January 12, 2023 Armenpress.am Blockaded 120,000 people of Artsakh continue to hope that genocides cannot happen in 21st century: President Harutyunyan SaveShare 16:22, 11 January 2023YEREVAN, JANUARY 11, ARMENPRESS. 120,000 residents of Artsakh, living under the conditions of a month-long blockade and various incessant repressions, continue to hope that genocides cannot and should not happen in the 21st century, the President of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan said in a statement. “Dear compatriots,The people of the Artsakh Republic are the strongest supporters and advocates of peace and good-neighborly relations, but peace is simply impossible without respect and recognition of the rights of Artsakh Armenians. The price of peace on other terms are the lives of the people of Artsakh and genocide. 120,000 residents of Artsakh, living under the conditions of a month-long blockade and various incessant repressions, continue to hope that in the 21st century there cannot and should not be genocides. In today's world, people, their rights and freedoms are of greater importance than monetary values. We do not stop believing in the existence of a civilized and [committed] humanity,” he said. https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1101446.html?fbclid=IwAR2G-yB3dWP63Wt2nAHZ4frq2u39eSY4JmWw0l6eAB5LeuJIa_6je0uaB5k Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yervant1 Posted January 12, 2023 Report Share Posted January 12, 2023 iNews, UK Jan 11 2023 Genocide is ‘imminent’ say Armenians trapped inside the Azerbaijan blockade More than 120,000 ethnic Armenians in the landlocked Nagorno-Karabakh enclave are under siege as Azerbaijan has blocked the Lachin corridor, their only link to the outside world By Lauren Crosby Medlicott Nagorno-Karabakh, a small, landlocked region situated within Azerbaijan, is on the road to a humanitarian crisis, where thousands are left stranded with little food and medicine following a month-long blockade. The Lachin corridor, the only land route into the mountainous region, has been blocked by Azerbaijani protesters identifying themselves as environmentalists – who reportedly have no previous record of being involved in environmental activism – since 12 December, preventing food, medicine, gas and other vital goods from transiting through to Nagorno-Karabakh. Although the enclave lies inside Azerbaijan’s border, its inhabitants are primarily ethnic Armenians, who are fearful the blockade could be the start of an ethnic cleansing in the region. In Stepanakert, the largest city in Nagorno-Karabakh, there are queues everywhere. “People have to line up for all the basic stuff they used to buy on a daily basis – food, cash, and household chemicals,” Marina Simonyan, a human rights worker who lives in Stepanakert, told i. “The grocery stores, shops and markets are empty, many even had to close down, as there has been no import of fresh products from Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh for almost a month. “People have to slaughter their cattle to be able to both make a living and feed their families. They have to cook whatever they have left in their homes and whatever they find in the stores – mainly, canned food.” Hospitals are also under immense pressure, with many patients in critical condition unable to leave the enclave to get treatment in Armenia. “All the scheduled operations and numerous medical procedures have currently been put on hold,” said Ms Simonyan. Without vital medicines, pharmacies are struggling to provide essentials, especially those for newborns, she added. Thousands of people, including a group of children who had been on a school trip to Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, have been stranded in Armenia, unable to get back home to their families. Some children have even been parentless, only able to speak to their caregivers stranded outside of Nagorno-Karabakh via phone. “People – families – cannot be reunited,” Gulnara Shahinian, former UN special rapporteur on slavery, who lives in the Armenian capital, told i. As the blockade continues, inhabitants of Nagorno-Karabakh have lived in constant fear of the worst-case scenario: genocide. “Being ethnically cleansed and exiled from their ancestral land is the biggest fear of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians today,” said Ms Simonyan, recalling memories of the 1915 Armenian Genocide. Ms Shahinian agreed, saying genocide was “imminent” if the international community does not intervene. She joins several international, non-governmental organisations warning of possible genocide of the indigenous Armenian population following the Azerbaijan-imposed blockade on the Lachin corridor. As necessary supplies dwindle, Ms Shahinian is unsure of what the coming weeks and months will look like. “What will happen if this continues?” she asked. “Nobody knows. It’s very desperate.” Since the 1915 genocide, there have been several bloody conflicts over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, culminating in the fragile 2020 ceasefire agreement signed by Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia after the six-week second Nagorno-Karabakh war. According to Ms Shahinian, the terms of this ceasefire agreement, which includes the safe movement of persons, vehicles and goods along the Lachin corridor, has not been adhered to by Azerbaijan since it was signed. This most recent violation – closing the Lachin corridor – is one that has the potential to lead to a significant humanitarian crisis, derail fragile peacekeeping progress that has been made, and unleash a resumption of violence. The Azerbaijani government has insisted the road is open for humanitarian aid, emergency services and peacekeepers. “People in Nagorno-Karabakh want nothing but peace and security,” said Ms Simonyan. Humanitarian organisations are calling on parties to the UN’s Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, particularly the UK, US and Russia, to step up and fulfil their obligations to prevent another Armenian genocide. “I feel like we are preaching to the choir in total isolation from the world, as the international community seems to neither hear us, nor see us,” said Ms Simonyan. “It feels like our lives and our rights are neglected by the world, as the global media has hardly addressed the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Nagorno-Karabakh.” https://inews.co.uk/news/world/genocide-armenians-azerbaijan-blockade-2076869 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yervant1 Posted January 13, 2023 Report Share Posted January 13, 2023 Armenpress.am Blockade of Nagorno Karabakh is entire civilized world’s problem, not just the Armenian people’s – FM Ghazaryan SaveShare 14:00, 12 January 2023YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. The Azeri blockade of Artsakh is not only the Armenian people’s problem, but also the entire civilized and advanced world, the Foreign Minister of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) Sergey Ghazaryan said during the “Month-long Blockade” video bridge between Stepanakert and Yerevan. Speaking about the people who are unable to return to Artsakh due to the blockade, Ghazaryan said the Artsakh Permanent Representation and numerous other organizations have responded to their issues. The stranded citizens are mainly accommodated in Goris, as well as in Yerevan. He said active work is underway with the governmental working group.Addressing the international reaction, FM Ghazaryan noted the December 20 emergency meeting of the UN Security Council convened at the request of Armenia, where concrete targeted positions were voiced addressed to Azerbaijan to end the blockade. “Concrete targeted positions were voiced by France, USA, Ireland and other countries, and international organizations. Our main message is the following – the blockade of Artsakh is not only the Armenian people’s problem. This is the problem of the entire civilized and advanced world,” FM Ghazaryan said. The Lachin Corridor is blocked by Azerbaijan since 12 December 2022. The corridor is the only travel and supply route for the 120,000 Armenians of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh). The blockade has caused a humanitarian crisis. Shortages of essential products such as food and medicine prompted Nagorno Karabakh authorities to introduce rationing. Hospitals are keeping planned surgeries on hold. 1,100 residents of Nagorno Karabakh, including 270 children who were in Armenia when the road was blocked are unable to return to their homes. Furthermore, Azerbaijan has barred repair crews from accessing the area where the only high-voltage power line supplying Artsakh with electricity from Armenia was damaged on January 9. https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1101517.html?fbclid=IwAR20RNBt5CPlgPt8atKox8cxu3XwChRYWbVXZyzgKY95cYUd9XZk3i6Dn9o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yervant1 Posted January 13, 2023 Report Share Posted January 13, 2023 Armenpress.am Int’l community’s inaction is perceived by Azerbaijan as “tacit encouragement” for criminal actions, warns Artsakh SaveShare 14:08, 12 January 2023STEPANAKERT, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) warned the international community that its inaction is considered by Azerbaijan as “ tacit encouragement for their criminal actions” amid the ongoing blockade. “The month-long blockade of the Republic of Artsakh and its 120-thousand population by Azerbaijan has been the largest attack against the people of Artsakh since the end of the 44-day war in 2020,” the Foreign Ministry of Artsakh said in a statement. “On 12 December 2022, the Azerbaijani authorities, in gross violation of the provisions of the Trilateral Statement of 9 November 2020, blocked the Lachin Corridor, connecting Artsakh with Armenia and the outside world. As a result, with every passing day the shortage of basic necessities, medicines, food and fuel is becoming more acute. In order to strengthen the destructive effect of the blockade, Azerbaijan also cut off the gas supply to Artsakh, coming from Armenia through the territory occupied by Azerbaijan. Subsequently, gas supply was restored, but on 9 January 2023, the supply of electricity from Armenia was cut off due to an accident on the only high-voltage Goris-Stepanakert power line, which also passes through the territory occupied by Azerbaijan. Up to this day Azerbaijan deliberately impedes emergency and restoration work, which indicates the deliberate nature of its steps. Thus, the actions of Azerbaijan put Artsakh with its 120,000 population on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe.The blockade of Artsakh is a direct continuation of the military aggression against the Republic of Artsakh and its people, unleashed by Azerbaijan in 2020 with the direct involvement of Turkey and terrorist organizations from the Middle East. Having failed to expel the people of Artsakh from its homeland by military means, for more than two years after the establishment of the ceasefire, Azerbaijan has been making consistent attempts to achieve its criminal goals by less obvious, but no less inhuman methods.The series of steps undertaken by Azerbaijan and the official statements of its top leadership, revealing the real intentions of Baku, indicate that the blockade of the Republic of Artsakh is another tool of Azerbaijani policy aimed at the destruction of the people of Artsakh. By deliberately inflicting unbearable living conditions, Azerbaijan is pursuing the goal to destroy the integrity and totality of the people of Artsakh through their forced alienation from their historical homeland and refusal to exercise their collective rights. There is no doubt, that the actions of Azerbaijan are continuation of its genocidal policy.We call on the community of states acting both individually and within the framework of international organizations, in line with the universal commitment to protecting human rights and preventing the crimes of genocide, to take all necessary measures to immediately prevent the genocidal acts that Azerbaijan is systematically committing against the people of Artsakh in an atmosphere of absolute impunity.The international community has all the necessary toolkit and all the legal grounds to intervene in the situation in Artsakh, which is deteriorating every day. In the context of the impending catastrophe, inaction on the part of the international community is unacceptable, including for the reason that it is considered by the Azerbaijani authorities as tacit encouragement for their criminal actions.” https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1101520.html?fbclid=IwAR3rohhbWDZ7raqQyW3_Sl7ljBXf4S9aiUBs1EfVdR_PEH8SDkRtHyJrC4Y Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yervant1 Posted January 13, 2023 Report Share Posted January 13, 2023 Armenpress.am OSCE MG Co-chairs are obliged to put an end to Azerbaijan’s impunity – Artsakh’s Ombudsman SaveShare 21:17, 12 January 2023YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. According to the facts collected by the Ombudsman’s staff, on January 12, around 3:30 p.m., the Azerbaijani side deliberately cut the communication wires coming from the Republic of Armenia to Artsakh in the Shushi section (place of the blockage), disrupting the access to telecommunications and fixed Internet in the entire territory of Artsakh, ARMENPRESS reports, Human Rights Defender of Artsakh Gegham Stepanyan wrote on his Facebook page. “The Azerbaijani side deliberately paralyzes the work of vital infrastructures, taking advantage of the fact that they pass through the territories under Azerbaijani control. This is clearly evidenced by the disruptions of gas supply (March 2022, December 2022), the obstruction of repairs of high-voltage electric wires since January 9, and periodic disruptions of the Internet and mobile communication in the territory of Artsakh.In the conditions of the complete blockade of Artsakh, this method of infrastructural intimidation aims to subject the civilian population of Artsakh to additional suffering and create unbearable human conditions in Artsakh. Azerbaijan's behavior is an insult to the agenda of human rights, humanitarian values, and civilization. States and international structures, and first of all the co-chairing countries of the OSCE Minsk Group, the Russian Federation, the United States of America, and France, are obliged to put an end to Azerbaijani criminal permissiveness and impunity”, Stepanyan wrote. https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1101576.html?fbclid=IwAR0IkyQUDwtIPJUOzMeffJbv9NB-DDB2DwhyXSs6E56aA8uk7uu4yttoMs4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yervant1 Posted January 14, 2023 Report Share Posted January 14, 2023 Armenpress.am Senate Chairmen Menendez and Reed press Biden Administration to break Azerbaijan’s blockade; ship aid to Artsakh SaveShare 11:14, 13 January 2023YEREVAN, JANUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. Senators Bob Menendez and Jack Reed – the chairs of the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Armed Services committees, called on the Biden Administration to send emergency assistance to Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) and increase pressure on Azerbaijan to lift its month-long blockade of 120,000 Armenians living there. In a joint letter sent to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Chairman Menendez and Chairman Reed shared their “deep concern” about Azerbaijan’s blockade, stating, “The United States cannot stand aside while the Aliyev regime callously threatens the lives of Nagorno-Karabakh’s citizens, and must hold Azerbaijan to account for blocking a civilian population’s access to food and basic necessities.”Senators Menendez and Reed stressed, “While we welcome the recognition that Azerbaijan is responsible for the blockade that is causing the ongoing humanitarian crisis, the United States must also take action to resume the free flow of humanitarian and basic goods to this besieged population. We must support organizations working to provide relief, and work with our like-minded partners across Europe who have also expressed concern over Baku’s actions to pressure the Aliyev regime to stop this unacceptable blockade.” Below is the full text of the letter: “We write to express our deep concern with the month-long Azerbaijani blockade on Nagorno-Karabakh and the rapidly-worsening humanitarian crisis that has been created for the region’s ethnically Armenian population. Despite claims that the blockade has been formed by “eco-protestors”, it appears that the Aliyev regime in Azerbaijan bears ultimate responsibility. Furthermore, Russian forces entrusted with keeping the peace have clearly failed in their duties. This blockade is imposing devastation on an already vulnerable region, which is still reeling from the aftershocks of Azerbaijan’s 2020 attack on the population of Nagorno Karabakh. According to the Armenian government, Baku is denying 120,000 Nagorno Karabakh residents freedom of movement, effectively holding them hostage in an effort to advance its own objectives. The Armenian Ombudsperson has already reported the death of a Nagorno-Karabakh resident who was prevented from accessing medical care in Armenia. Many more lives are at risk due to an increasing shortage of food and medicine. Two weeks ago, local officials in Nagorno-Karabakh reported that the region’s supply of fruits, vegetables, grains, and sugar were about to run out, with shortages of eggs, oil, flour, and rice also causing alarm. Today the situation is certainly more dire. The United States cannot stand aside while the Aliyev regime callously threatens the lives of Nagorno-Karabakh’s citizens, and must hold Azerbaijan to account for blocking a civilian population’s access to food and basic necessities. We were pleased to see the Department of State Spokesperson recently “call on the Government of Azerbaijan to restore free movement” in Nagorno-Karabakh. While we welcome the recognition that Azerbaijan is responsible for the blockade that is causing the ongoing humanitarian crisis, the United States must also take action to resume the free flow of humanitarian and basic goods to this besieged population. We must support organizations working to provide relief, and work with our like-minded partners across Europe who have also expressed concern over Baku’s actions to pressure the Aliyev regime to stop this unacceptable blockade. Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to your prompt response and to working with you to help end the blockade in Nagorno-Karabakh.” https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1101594.html?fbclid=IwAR18bfhsgWtyIx82N23m_ssfYmriwex5baSDZF2sOZqPtBIiuzuCEWLtPxw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yervant1 Posted January 14, 2023 Report Share Posted January 14, 2023 They will keep talking and do nothing, until all of Artsakh empties of Armenians! They all talk of "Never Again" about past atrocities, but do nothing about new ones happening under their nose and look the other way, pretending of doing something. Armenpress.am Humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh will be discussed at January 18 plenary session of the European Parliament SaveShare 21:25, 13 January 2023YEREVAN, JANUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. An urgent debate-discussion entitled "Humanitarian consequences of the blockade in Nagorno-Karabakh" is included in the agenda of the January 18 plenary session of the European Parliament, ARMENPRESS was informed from the website of the European Parliament. In the planned debate with the executive bodies of the European Union, members of the European Parliament will make speeches and vote for adopting the urgent resolution on the issue. https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1101653.html?fbclid=IwAR2ew7Wz1YkZGH7aCPlvYLWOswvpS9swl0Jl_1eyjSCjacrK5ZocNxXNHzw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yervant1 Posted January 14, 2023 Report Share Posted January 14, 2023 How many more discussions do they need, before taking some steps for the opening of the corridor? How many more times do Armenians need in order to know that the rest of the world don't give a damn about us! Armenpress.am Armenian, German presidents discuss humanitarian crisis in Artsakh SaveShare 16:52, 13 January 2023YEREVAN, JANUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan held a telephone conversation with President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier. President Khachaturyan and the German President discussed regional matters and the issues related to the humanitarian crisis in Artsakh and exchanged ideas over the resolution of the issue, Khachaturyan’s office said in a read-out.President Khachaturyan presented Armenia’s steps aimed at establishing peace in the region and reaffirmed Armenia’s readiness to fulfill all obligations emanating from the trilateral statements, expecting the same from Azerbaijan. President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier expressed full support to the peace process and said that Germany is ready to make maximum efforts in the direction of resolving the situation and establishing peace. https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1101625.html?fbclid=IwAR3WIr04LU83Jk9IYWHtjrxQhkBQCL46XZpr0nR9gfpxD9w9s8IoFL9D-L8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yervant1 Posted January 14, 2023 Report Share Posted January 14, 2023 Los Angeles TimesJan 13 2023 OPINION Op-Ed: The cruel blockade against Armenians shows the world order has collapsedBY SALPI GHAZARIANJAN. 13, 2023 3:01 AM PT When two days before he invaded Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a declaration of military and diplomatic cooperation with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, it spawned a monstrous crisis that would rage alongside Russia’s war but receive much less international attention.The declaration reinforced the two countries’ connection. It precluded Azerbaijan’s siding with the West against Russia’s campaign while effectively giving Azerbaijan carte blanche to wreak violence against the region’s Armenians — both within the sovereign Republic of Armenia and in Karabakh (or Artsakh, its Armenian name), an Armenian region that Azerbaijan controls.And so Azerbaijan has wrought violence. In September, it attacked Armenia proper. Then in December, it decided to hold 120,000 Armenians in Karabakh hostage by blockading their only transport connection to the outside world. Prisoners of war have been shot. There are reports of prisoners and civilians being tortured and turned into social media fodder. Human life is devalued as dictators seek to eke out political resolutions to their liking.The blockade comes after 30 years in which the area known as the Lachin corridor has been open and functioning, despite bitter tensions. The first time I went to Karabakh was in March 1993. The roads were unsafe. Armenians were under attack from an Azerbaijani military not interested in honoring the region’s Armenians’ claim to self-determination — their right to decide for themselves who would govern them and how.The Soviet Union had collapsed, Yugoslavia was exploding and everywhere people were clamoring for more rights. It was all-out war. When I returned to Yerevan, Armenia’s capital, a few days later, it was full of stretchers, IV drips and acutely wounded soldiers being transported to Armenia’s hospitals.The fighting ended with a ceasefire formally codified by the three political entities: Armenians of the Autonomous Republic of Karabakh, and the leadership of the republics of Azerbaijan and Armenia. The Karabakh connection to Armenia was assured through a corridor of land that Armenians controlled, to offer a lifeline — a link to the outside world — while negotiators worked to reach agreement on Karabakh’s future political status. When I returned to Karabakh a year later, I traveled along that corridor, in an old Soviet truck carrying children’s school supplies that came from France.Since then, the corridor has been open. During the vicious 44-day war in 2020, it was open. Yes, during the fierce Azerbaijani onslaught intended to take complete control of Karabakh and its surrounding regions, which resulted in an estimated 7,000 deaths, the corridor was open. The new ceasefire document stipulated that the future of the corridor requires a negotiated resolution, and until that happens, Russian peacekeepers would ensure access and travelers’ safety.To close it now, as Azerbaijan has done since early December, means strangling the Armenian population to force a desired political outcome. Food, supplies and medical help can’t get in. Energy shortages persist. People cannot travel out. Families remain divided.Armenians are blockaded, and Russians are not keeping the peace.Instead, Russia has made clear to Armenians that their “Western ways” — democracy and an open, free society — are not only undesirable but punishable. Azerbaijan is pursuing control of the territory without its people, who want a continuation of the democracy they have experienced for nearly 30 years. Speaking of Armenians in Karabakh and Azerbaijan’s insistence that they live under its flag, President Aliyev cynically claimed that “just like all the other citizens of Azerbaijan, their rights and security will be provided.” It would be laughable if it weren’t so chilling. Azerbaijan’s dictator is unaccountable to his people, and his country has a track record of repressing its own citizens. It is only the pressure or sanctions of the international community that has a chance of changing Azerbaijan’s actions. The United States and the European Union, along with members of the U.N. Security Council, have called on Baku to restore traffic on the corridor and open the route to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe. They need to do more. The letter from Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and L.A. City Council President Paul Krekorian is a welcome move urging President Biden to take further steps to open air and land links immediately.Armenians are now standing as a bastion of freedom in a volatile neighborhood. They are paying for it with a winter blockade, completely isolated and defenseless.It is clear that the Russian war on Ukraine has upended all international rules. There seems to be no global order left. Sovereignty — which is always fragile — has lost its meaning.Will the new world order be designed by autocrats for whom ethnic cleansing in broad daylight is a political tool? What is allowed to happen to the Armenians of Karabakh will be an indication of what kind of world awaits us all. Salpi Ghazarian is director of special projects at the USC Dornsife Institute of Armenian Studies.https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-01-13/armenia-azerbaijan-blockade-russia-ukraine-war https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-01-13/armenia-azerbaijan-blockade-russia-ukraine-war Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yervant1 Posted January 14, 2023 Report Share Posted January 14, 2023 Public Radio of ArmeniaArmenia - Sept 1 2022 Ruben Vardanyan renounces Russian citizenship, moves to ArtsakhSeptember 1, 2022, 16:20 1 minute read Businessman and philanthropist Ruben Vardanyan has announced his decision to move to Artsakh and create the Artsakh Security and Development Front. He calls on Armenians from all over the world to join the struggle for Artsakh, as he considers it to be “the root of Armenianism.”In a video message Vardanyan said he has renounced Russian citizenship in order to come to Artsakh as an Armenian citizen, “because it’s the right thing to do.”In addition, Vardanyan appealed to Azerbaijan, urging them to stop “compressing the spring”: “We will not allow you to gradually force the Armenians out of here. It’s impossible,” he said.Ruben Vardanyan expressed gratitude to the Russian peacekeepers in Artsakh. “I think that the mandate of the peacekeepers should be clarified, and the terms of their stay should be extended until we can ensure the security of the people of Artsakh on our own,” he added.Vardanyan also drew the attention of the international community to the inadmissibility of ethnic cleansing.Ruben Vardanyan’s video message dated September 1 was recorded in Artsakh near the Tnjri tree, one of the oldest trees in the world, which is over 2,000 years old.Ruben Vardanyan and his family, together with a diverse group of partners around the world, have made more than $1.5 billion in commercial and philanthropic investments in key areas for human development – global education, healthcare, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), humanitarian issues, succession and philanthropy.The best known of the projects are the investment company Troika Dialog, SKOLKOVO Business School, Phoenix Advisors and PhilinPhilgood in Russia, United World College Dilijan, the Foundation for Armenian Science and Technology (FAST), the Wings of Tatev cable car in Armenia and the global Aurora Humanitarian Initiative. https://en.armradio.am/2022/09/01/ruben-vardanyan-renounces-russian-citizenship-moves-to-artsakh/ eurasianetJan 13 2023 Amid blockade, spotlight falls on Karabakh’s new, enigmatic leader Is Ruben Vardanyan the savior of a nation, a Russian agent, or a billionaire with delusions of grandeur who is now in over his head?Joshua Kucera Jan 13, 2023 In the crisis over Azerbaijan’s blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh, a new de facto leader of the territory’s de facto government has emerged.It is Ruben Vardanyan, the territory’s newly appointed state minister, who has been the face of Karabakh’s response. As the de facto authorities manage the fallout from the blockade, Vardanyan has been out front: issuing decrees, making daily addresses to the population, and acting as the point man for the international media covering the crisis.That he is in this role is a surprise.It was only in September 2022 that the Russian-Armenian billionaire businessman and philanthropist made the unexpected announcement that he was renouncing his Russian citizenship and moving to Karabakh. A month later he was offered a role in the leadership, as state minister, a position which was given expansive new authorities just as he assumed it.He quickly consolidated power. Shortly after he took office nearly all of the territory’s de facto cabinet ministers were dismissed; more recently the powerful national security adviser, Vitaliy Balasanyan, also was sacked. And as the blockade has shone a spotlight on Karabakh, the nominal head of the self-proclaimed state – Arayik Harutyunyan, the president – has receded into the background.Vardanyan’s rise has been controversial. From Baku, his quick rise to power smells of a Kremlin plot, and the hatred he has attracted in the pro-government Azerbaijani press is intense even by the standards of that medium. He is distrusted by many in Yerevan, too, for his ties to the former Armenian ruling regime and his opposition to the current government.And while he was initially welcomed in Karabakh itself as a potential savior, who might use his personal wealth and ties to powerful international figures to rescue the territory in a time of deep distress, those hopes have largely vanished. He has proven unable to reopen the road more than a month after Azerbaijan government-sponsored protesters launched a demonstration there, leading to a standoff that has effectively marooned Karabakh’s population and prevented them from getting any supplies from the outside world. Amid much speculation about why he came to Karabakh, he has framed the decision as one motivated by patriotism. In a Zoom interview from his office in Stepanakert, Vardanyan said that after two decades of involvement in philanthropy in Karabakh, what spurred him to enter politics was an episode in August: the return to Azerbaijani control of a handful of communities in the region of Lachin.While the handover of the villages was stipulated in the 2020 ceasefire agreement that ended the Second Karabakh War, many Armenians saw the speed with which it happened as a capitulation by the leadership in Yerevan and Stepanakert. Vardanyan was one of them.The handover took place “too early, without any reasons,” he said. “I saw the slow erosion of the independence of Artsakh.” (Artsakh is an alternative Armenian name for the territory.)“For me this was unacceptable, I saw people losing their faith, their belief that somebody would support them. So I said to myself, ‘OK, if I am a person with the knowledge and competence – if not now, when?’”Many in the region, however, continue to suspect ulterior motives. From Baku, his surprise appearance has been presented as part of a Russian scheme to scuttle the negotiations over a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan that had been making progress.“We are ready to talk about that with Armenians who live in Karabakh, not with those who have been sent from Moscow hiding in their pockets billions of stolen money from Russian people, like a person called Vardanyan who was transferred from Moscow there with a very clear agenda,” Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev said in November.Vardanyan has done little to dispel those suspicions, in particular with his consistent defense of the Russian peacekeeping force in Karabakh. The peacekeepers are supposed to be maintaining security on the road but they have proven unable or unwilling to manage the crisis, outmaneuvered by Baku and its band of ersatz protesters.Asked why Russia – which is singled out in the 2020 ceasefire agreement as the party responsible for protecting the road – is not doing anything to manage the crisis, Vardanyan parried back: “Why isn’t the UN doing more? Why aren’t France and the United States doing more? Why is the West not putting sanctions on Aliyev?”He also dodged a question about the widespread belief that Russia, with its hands tied in Ukraine, has been unable to devote the energy that would be required to resolve the crisis in the Caucasus. “I don’t want to speculate,” he said. A former adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, he declined to elaborate on his current ties to the Russian government. “I have a lot of friends in Moscow. I have a lot of friends in Britain, by the way,” he said."His role is a bit of an enigma. It's not clear who he represents,” one foreign diplomat said in an interview on condition of anonymity. “Baku thinks he is an agent of Moscow, whether that is true or not, we don't know.”The Russian agent theory, however, has lost some credibility as the blockade has dragged on. “If he were a Russian project then the road would be opened. The fact that the road hasn’t opened damages Vardanyan’s reputation and if he were Moscow’s project that wouldn’t be happening,” analyst Thomas de Waal told the Azerbaijani news agency Turan. “I think he went there with Russia’s agreement, but he has his own agenda.”What that agenda may be remains unclear. Like many very rich men, he appears to see himself in outsized terms, and his deep involvement in the Armenian world via his philanthropy has long bred speculation about potential political ambitions.His arrival in Karabakh in the fall was widely welcomed by locals. The future of the Karabakh Armenian population is deeply uncertain following the 2020 war, as Azerbaijan appears to be nearing its goal of regaining control over the territory. Vardanyan’s wealth and proximity to power seemed a potential lifeline for Karabakh; a common belief was that he would not have moved to Karabakh and taken on such a role had he thought the situation were hopeless.But in power, the reviews have been decidedly mixed.Some have given him credit for his skill in calling worldwide attention to the blockade, using his contacts garnered on the international philanthropic circuit.“I think it’s too early to talk about his actual performance on the ground, I mean his actual management and governance and so on, but in terms of public relations I’m quite impressed,” Tigran Grigoryan, an analyst and Karabakh native, said in an interview with Armenian news site Civilnet. “He’s using his personal contacts and his personal ties in the West and in the Russian liberal circles to raise awareness about the situation. [...] That’s a real asset that he has been using very effectively.”But as the crisis has dragged on, Vardanyan also has increasingly attracted criticism for his public messaging. While many Armenians have sought to present the blockade as a total strangulation of the territory, Vardanyan has instead repeatedly emphasized the exceptions: some humanitarian aid provided by the Russian peacekeepers or transport of seriously ill patients out of the territory with Red Cross escort.In the interview, he downplayed the severity of the situation. While Karabakh was now deprived of many food products, notably fruits and vegetables, he said people were also able to deal with long-term deprivation during the first Karabakh War in the 1990s. “We can stay a long time in these conditions,” he said.In Yerevan, Vardanyan’s rise also has been met by skepticism on other grounds. He has long been associated with the former ruling regime in Armenia which Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan ousted in the 2018 Velvet Revolution. At one notorious meeting in Moscow later that year, Vardanyan publicly criticized Pashinyan even as Putin and Pashinyan were trying to make the Armenia-Russia alliance work.Vardanyan’s quick ascension to power, without the benefit of any election, also damages the image that Karabakh tries to present of itself, as a democracy that should not be subsumed into the autocratic Azerbaijan.“The rise and the role of Vardanyan stands in direct contrast with the decades-long commitment to building democratic institutions in Karabakh,” analyst Richard Giragosian told Eurasianet. “Institutional democracy in Karabakh is in danger of being undermined by the power of Vardanyan over a democratically elected leadership.”And suspicions about Vardanyan’s agenda are fueled by the fact that he doesn’t have a natural political constituency in Armenia or Karabakh, Giragosian said. “Vardanyan has been out of Armenia since 1985, with no local power base and marginal political standing or status,” he said. “Despite his impressive philanthropy in Armenia, Vardanyan is still a product of Moscow, as the source of his wealth and as the center of his influence. And even his record as a Russian businessman is seriously tainted by his involvement in a criminal money laundering enterprise on behalf of Putin-affiliated interests and individuals.”As the crisis has dragged on, Vardanyan’s clashes with the leadership in Yerevan have become more open. Armenian officials appear to be washing their hands of Karabakh: At a January 11 press conference Pashinyan said that “it is not the government of Armenia that should decide the fate and relations of Nagorno-Karabakh. The people of Karabakh should decide for themselves and should have communication, including with the authorities of Azerbaijan.” The next day his ally, parliament speaker Alen Simonyan, said that Armenia was “not a party” to the blockade dispute.Vardanyan shot back. In a social media post he enumerated Armenia’s allies, pointedly mentioning “Armenians who in the last elections voted for parties declaring full support for Artsakh.” The messages from Yerevan made it clear, he said, that “the only choice now is to fight.” Joshua Kucera, a senior correspondent, is Eurasianet's former Turkey/Caucasus editor and has written for the site since 2007.https://eurasianet.org/amid-blockade-spotlight-falls-on-karabakhs-new-enigmatic-leader Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yervant1 Posted January 15, 2023 Report Share Posted January 15, 2023 Armenpress.am We will not leave our homeland, no matter how difficult the situation is. Minister of State of Artsakh SaveShare 13:32, 14 January 2023YEREVAN, JANUARY 14, ARMENPRESS. Artsakh’s State Minister Ruben Vardanyan stressed that after the blockade of the Lachin Corridor for more than a month, Azerbaijan is forcing Armenians to leave their ancient homeland, but the people of Artsakh will not leave their homeland, no matter how difficult it is, ARMENPRESS reports, Vardanyan wrote in his "Twitter" microblog. "We won't leave our homeland, no matter how difficult the situation is.Every day we make difficult but necessary choice to stay and protect our land.This is the only way we can prevent the process of losing Artsakh and guarantee the preservation of the Armenian world for future generations”, Vardanyan wrote.Since December 12, 2022 Azerbaiajn keeps the only highway connecting Artsakh to the world, the Lachin Corridor, closed, citing false environmental reasons. In addition, on January 9, an accident was recorded in the 33rd km of the only high-voltage line feeding Artsakh from Armenia. The accident occured in the Aghavno-Berdzor section. Azerbaijan does not allow restoration works to be carried out. In Artsakh, internet connection supply was also interrupted from January 12. the cable was damaged in the very part of the Lachin Corridor, where the Azerbaijani pseudo-environmentalists are stationed. And only on January 13, thanks to the negotiations conducted by the Russian peacekeeping troops stationed in Artsakh, the technical specialists of "Karabakh Telecom" Company were able to go to the place of the accident and carry out appropriate work on the spot to restore the damaged part of the cable. Internet connection has been restored in the entire territory of the Republic of Artsakh. https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1101673.html?fbclid=IwAR2oSn0NHvHNjqErpgYZSA3yonLaiF3wKrQsrXVKcGqsU6L9VNy2y2KdC5Q Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yervant1 Posted January 15, 2023 Report Share Posted January 15, 2023 Armenpress.am Free movement through Lachin should be restored. USAID Administrator SaveShare 11:44, 14 January 2023YEREVAN, JANUARY 14, ARMENPRESS. Samantha Power, the Administrator of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), referred to the problem of Azerbaijan blocking the Lachin Corridor, calling for the opening of the corridor, ARMENPRESS reports, Power addressed the topic in a post on the "Twitter" page. The Administrator of the US Agency for International Development noticed that transportation through the Lachin Corridor has been blocked for more than a month.“Transportation through the Lachin Corridor has been blocked for over a month. Each day commercial traffic and humanitarian assistance cannot flow freely to Nagorno-Karabakh, the potential for a humanitarian crisis increases. Free movement through the corridor must be restored”, she wrote. https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1101666.html?fbclid=IwAR2tCUO_zvTUto1g2IDXpEkjsiECQkVc1Sly5IhZio08XB84tHdDyk2vjv8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yervant1 Posted January 15, 2023 Report Share Posted January 15, 2023 Asbarez.com In Yerevan, French Parliament Speaker Urges Azerbaijan to End Artsakh Blockadeby Asbarez Staff January 14, 2023 in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Main, Latest, News, Top Stories French parliament speaker Yaël Braun-Pivet French parliament speaker, Yaël Braun-Pivet, who is visiting Armenia, expressed serious concern of Azerbaijan’s continuing blockade of Artsakh and called for the immediate reopening of the Lachin Corridor.“We are concerned because the blockade is creating a worsening humanitarian situation [in Nagorno-Karabakh,]” Braun-Pivet said after talks held with her Armenian counterpart Alen Simonyan on Friday.“It is very important that free traffic between Armenia and Karabakh and electricity and internet connections be restored,” she told a joint news conference. “We will do everything to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe.”Braun-Pivet also reaffirmed France’s support for Armenia’s territorial integrity, and said she is visiting Armenia because she believes France “must stand alongside brotherly countries whose territorial integrity is threatened and attacked.”French parliament speaker Yaël Braun-Pivet during her visit to the Dzidzernagapert Armenian Genocide Memorial“As you know, France has always been alongside Armenia to strengthen the country’s sovereignty and independence,” she added.The French National Assembly, which she leads, last month adopted a resolution reaffirming its earlier recognition of Artsakh’s self-determination and called on France’s government to impose sanctions on Azerbaijan for violating Armenia’s territorial integrity.Yet when she was asked whether France will pursue sanctions, she said that restoring dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan toward a peaceful resolution was a more important option.“Today we consider that the most important thing is the peaceful resolution and restoration of dialogue, all our efforts are directed to this. Today we believe that applying other measures is inappropriate as long as the path to possible peace and dialogue is not exhausted, as long as we haven’t tried everything in this regard. Our energy is 100 percent directed for this resolution,” Braun-Pivet said.The French parliament speaker, who is from the same party as her country’s president, Emmanuel Macron, said that “France does not recognize the independence of Nagorno Karabakh, and this is in line with international law, which we are adhering to,” when asked whether the current blockade of Artsakh should serve as an impetus for that recognition.She said that there were several options to achieve and advance normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, one of which, she pointed out, was the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair process.“The Minsk Group is one of the existing platforms for dialogue. Of course it’s not the only one, but it is a very important platform. And today it is very important that each member party to that platform agrees to return to that dialogue. And we, parliamentarians, call for a return to dialogue within the framework of the Minsk Group,” Braun-Pivet said.While there are efforts to replace the Minks Group process, Simonyan, Armenia’s parliament speaker, nevertheless welcomed France’s efforts in advancing this option.“We must state that the Minsk Group Co-Chairs, the United States and France, on several occasions, have said that they are ready and will go for continuous cooperation. Russia has also said that they are ready to discuss issues related to that format’s existence and fate,” Simonyan said.Earlier on Friday, Braun-Pivet visited the Dzidzernagapert Armenian Genocide Memorial and laid a wreath and paid her respects at the eternal flame. https://asbarez.com/in-yerevan-french-parliament-speaker-urges-azerbaijan-to-end-artsakh-blockade/?fbclid=IwAR0vVdV9T_WAuXhO0A-W3Ns3uwPw82LeEpemzmEg3ZW_DEHVG9sQeNAPAFs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yervant1 Posted January 17, 2023 Report Share Posted January 17, 2023 BREITBART Jan 13 2023 ‘Bad shape’: Azerbaijani blockade of Karabakh drags on AFP - A blockade by Azerbaijanis of the contested region of Nagorno-Karabakh has left supermarkets and pharmacies in the territory’s capital Stepanakert with bare shelves, further isolating the beleaguered majority-Armenian population. Residents of Stepanakert who spoke to AFP on Friday described daily power cuts, internet outages, and shortages of food, heat and medicine. “People are dying psychologically and morally,” says Erna Gasparian, who works in human resources. “We have no electricity and sometimes the gas is turned off. The children have no food or fruit.” About 120,000 people live in Nagorno-Karabakh, a region recognised by the international community as part of Azerbaijan that broke from Baku after the fall of the Soviet Union. Protesters claiming to be environmental activists opposed to illegal mining have occupied the Lachin corridor, a 32-kilometre (20 mile) mountain road linking Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia, since December 12. Yerevan sees the protest as an attempt by its neighbour Azerbaijan, which claims the enclave, to destabilise Nagorno-Karabakh. “It’s cold. We have young children, I have a one-month-old grandson and we are in very bad shape”, says Marina Ignatieva, who is unemployed. Mikhael Adjiian, a retired journalist, is more upbeat describing residents of the region as “holding on”, although he too is feeling the squeeze. “Not only is there no more public transport, but… the internet is cut off. We get power intermittently. Imagine how cold it is in the apartments,” he says, with temperatures in the high-altitude town dropping to -9 degrees Celsius at night. Hospital without heating At Arevik Children’s Hospital in Stepanakert, chief medical officer Karen Melkonian worries about the unfolding “humanitarian disaster” that has left the young patients deprived of warmth. “The hospital is heated by gas but the boiler does not work without electricity. To start it, you need it,” he tells AFP. To cope, Nagorno-Karabakh’s authorities have imposed intermittent power cuts which leave districts without electricity for several hours, and the hospital is not spared. While some places have generators, there are fuel shortages. “When it’s -8C during the day, the hospital cools down very quickly,” says Melkonian. “There are a very large number of children under the age of one in the hospital.” Armenia and Azerbaijan fought in the early 1990s for control of Nagorno-Karabakh, a conflict that left 30,000 dead and ended in an Armenian victory. Baku took its revenge in a second war fought in 2021, which claimed the lives of 6,500 people, retaking swathes of territory. Russian peacekeepers were deployed there after the 2021 conflict. But Armenia accused Russian soldiers of failing to prevent the throttling of the Lachin corridor because it says Moscow is distracted by its offensive in Ukraine. https://www.breitbart.com/news/bad-shape-azerbaijani-blockade-of-karabakh-drags-on/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yervant1 Posted January 18, 2023 Report Share Posted January 18, 2023 Armenpress.am Azerbaijan has to re-open the Lachin corridor without any preconditions – Czech senior lawmaker SaveShare 13:42, 17 January 2023YEREVAN, JANUARY 17, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan has to re-open the Lachin corridor, ensure freedom and security of movement without any preconditions, Czech Member of Parliament Marek Benda said in a statement reacting to the Azeri blockade of the Lachin Corridor. “Deeply concerned about the continuing blockade of Lachin corridor. The periodic violations and provocations of the ceasefire regime, now the deprivation of 120.000 people from the primary source of livelihood products risk severe humanitarian consequences.Azerbaijan has to re-open the corridor, ensure freedom and security of movement without any preconditions. The way forward is the continuation of negotiations on the political settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem, restoration of territorial integrity of Armenia after Azerbaijani aggression in September [2022], and the establishment of lasting peace and stability in the region,” Marek Benda, the Head of the Czech Republic-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group and head of the ruling faction in the Chamber of Deputies said in the statement. https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1101850.html?fbclid=IwAR0og4rQhG620KD1gZaK5zi8aekyqCbNwUM_pzjExgEKaZt_4X3BWyvM6S4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yervant1 Posted January 18, 2023 Report Share Posted January 18, 2023 Armenpress.am Estonian speaker of parliament explains post-war visit to occupied Shushi SaveShare 15:28, 17 January 2023YEREVAN, JANUARY 17, ARMENPRESS. During a visit to Estonia, President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan met with the President of the Riigikogu (parliament) Jüri Ratas, Khachaturyan's office said in a press release. During the meeting the Armenian President touched upon the developments and conflicts in the region, namely the dangers of the humanitarian crisis that resulted from the blockade of the Lachin Corridor.The Speaker of Parliament of Estonia described the threat of a humanitarian disaster as “inadmissible” and emphasized that the humanitarian Lachin Corridor and generally any humanitarian corridor cannot remain blocked and endanger the lives and health of thousands of people. Jüri Ratas also addressed his visit to occupied Shushi and said that the purpose of his visit was to get to know the situation on the ground. He said that Estonia is ready to contribute to the agenda of establishing peace in the South Caucasus within its capabilities. The meeting also addressed the realization of the potential and possibilities of cooperation between Armenia and Estonia in digitization, high technologies and introduction of border security systems.Khachaturyan and Ratas highlighted the partnership of the parliaments of the two countries and development of parliamentary diplomacy. https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1101864.html?fbclid=IwAR36W-qhNw4o-7PN-ihDE33BOyBDa7IsQdb_YscrCH5Yp8DBx4XQOj992kE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yervant1 Posted January 18, 2023 Report Share Posted January 18, 2023 Asking and calling is not enough, where is the stick? At least give them weapons for defense! Armenpress.am France calls for immediate and unconditional restoration of freedom of movement, security in Lachin Corridor SaveShare 16:23, 17 January 2023YEREVAN, JANUARY 17, ARMENPRESS. During the Special Meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council initiated by Armenia, France has reiterated its calls for immediately and unconditionally restoring the freedom of movement and security in Lachin Corridor and respecting the rights of the local population, the French Permanent Representation to the OSCE said. “France reaffirmed its commitment to support in searching for progress in talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan with the purpose of establishing sustainable peace in the region, and readiness to contribute to the implementation of this goal by cooperating with all partners and stakeholder parties,” the French Permanent Representation to the OSCE added in a statement on Twitter. https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1101869.html?fbclid=IwAR2GDD25CwwKqKgNclC6WlbsC974MuK4sMyOhFWLjQ_Kwx3bns7vttYvZXk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yervant1 Posted January 18, 2023 Report Share Posted January 18, 2023 Armenpress.am Efforts of intl. community to prevent ethnic cleansing in Artsakh are already overdue. President of Artsakh’s parliament SaveShare 20:14, 17 January 2023YEREVAN, JANUARY 17, ARMENPRESS. Artur Tovmasyan, the President of the National Assembly of Artsakh, issued a statement in which he stated that it is necessary to make a joint efforts to force the international community to give a correct assessment of Azerbaijan's policy of ethnic cleansing in Artsakh, and to take appropriate measures to prevent it, which are already overdue. As ARMENPRESS was informed from the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh, the statement reads as follows,"The unprecedented humanitarian crisis in Artsakh, besieged by Azerbaijan, is deepening. Today, Azerbaijan also closed the gas pipeline to Artsakh, as a result of which 120,000 people have been deprived of the opportunity of heating, among other vital problems, in these days of severe winter.For 30,000 children, the risk of malnutrition and frostbite increases. Welcoming and emphasizing today's official letter of President of the National Assembly of Armenia Alen Simonyan to the leaders of the parliaments of more than 30 states, I want to emphasize that in this matter all the political forces of the parliaments of the Republic of Armenia and Artsakh must put aside their political views and have the issue of Artsakh, which is in a catastrophic situation, at the top of all agendas, and draw the world's attention with a joint effort to the humanitarian disaster that is worsening day by day with unpredictable developments.This should be unacceptable to the civilized world.We must force the international community with joint efforts to make a correct assessment of Azerbaijan's policy of ethnic cleansing in Artsakh and to take appropriate measures to prevent it, which are already overdue." https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1101908.html?fbclid=IwAR05OHgRZCBTWyBISNwoDLel6MNJwa-DgGWVfEUxeC83qj98kh8k3xvaOT8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yervant1 Posted January 18, 2023 Report Share Posted January 18, 2023 PanoramaArmenia - Jan 16 2023 Political analyst says one of steps to save Artsakh is to get ready for new war Political analyst Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan believes one of the steps to save Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) is to prepare for new war with Azerbaijan.Speaking at a discussion on Monday, he claimed the political elite “is afraid” to hold an honest talk to the people on the conflict."There is especially a great lack of sincerity in the political arena. We try to give answers to questions that would please the people, our foreign and domestic partners, but the political elite is, in fact, afraid to tell the people what’s obvious. At least, we, the political analysts, should not shy away from telling the public that one of the steps to keep Artsakh Armenian is to prepare for a new war," he said.According to the political scientist, there is great concern among the people about new conflicts and war."But no one makes it clear that this war, first of all, is necessary for us as a people, a country and a state to recover what we have lost rather than to preserve what we have. Let them call us revanchists or whatever they want, but the fact remains that with the current resources Armenia and Artsakh are not viable and competitive in the region, failing to solve basic security problems," stated Melik-Shahnazaryan, the head of the Voskanapat Analytical center.He claims that Armenia needs to fight a war and win it to promote its interests and regain viability in the region."We have to tell the people that if we want to have an Armenian Artsakh, an Armenian Republic of Armenia, we ourselves must prepare for this war and commit to returning what has been lost," he noted, stressing the need to reject “piecemeal” solutions to the Artsakh issue.The political scientist pointed to the ongoing Azerbaijani blockade of the Lachin corridor linking Artsakh to Armenia and the outside world."I am sure the road will reopen in the near future this, but how and why is it going to happen? If it features defeatist and conciliatory elements, it is better for the road to remain closed. Any conciliatory element entails a defeat, while the consequences will be tragic. If the people of Artsakh see the road reopen as a result of their struggle and not through concessions, they will stay in Artsakh. Otherwise, it would lead to migration from Artsakh, the enemy will often resort to similar steps. We must take responsibility for our homeland, people and children. One of the biggest problems of the political situation is that no one is willing to take responsibility, there is a struggle to look good in the eyes of foreign sponsors, there is a struggle to score points against each other, but there is no struggle to prepare for the war I talked about," he said. https://www.panorama.am/en/news/2023/01/16/political-analyst-Artsakh/2781782 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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