cease-fire violations by azeris

[Yervant1]

We'll see if it's true or not!

Russia Today

Dec 28 2020

Russia will intervene on Yerevan’s side if Azerbaijani troops move across border, Armenian PM Pashinyan insists

28 Dec, 2020 14:26

By Jonny Tickle

Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that Moscow will intervene if foreign forces encroach on his country’s territory. Russian peacekeepers are currently deployed on the Azeri-Armenian contact line.

Speaking to state-funded TV on Sunday, Pashinyan expressed his confidence in Russia's willingness to get involved in case of such an incursion.

In particular, Pashinyan was speaking about Syunik Province, in the country's southernmost region, which sits on the border with Azerbaijan. As a consequence of the autumn war between Baku and Yerevan, many villages in the province are now a stone's throw from Azerbaijani military positions and border posts. In some situations, such as the village of Shurnukh, the new border passes right through.

“As a result of actions [on the border], the war in Syunik was stopped,” Pashinyan said. “Now we are positioned so that, in the event of an encroachment against Syunik, not only Armenian armed forces will intervene, but Russian too.”

Pashinyan’s comments came on the same day as another alleged breach of the Azeri-Armenian ceasefire, with Baku saying that “an illegal armed group of six Armenians” had attacked Azerbaijani forces, with one fatality. Yerevan has denied the reports.

Also on Sunday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed that President Vladimir Putin's friendly relations with both Baku and Yerevan were vital in achieving a truce between the two Caucasian nations.

On September 27, the up-to-then frozen Nagorno-Karabakh conflict suddenly erupted once again. The dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia is decades old, with both countries believing they have legitimate claims to the territory. The region is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but is primarily populated by ethnic Armenians. Baku considered the enclave to be illegally occupied by Yerevan.

Six weeks after the start of the fighting, on November 9, the leaders of Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan adopted a trilateral agreement on the cessation of fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh. As well as drawing up a new map, the parties also agreed on the deployment of Russian peacekeepers. At the time the truce was signed, Azerbaijan was at a clear advantage.

https://www.rt.com/russia/510924-yerevan-side-border-conflict/?fbclid=IwAR2uDVnqg3W0Rvy7zJ0drOQRAYVUyhedwNYmLV8nXbcglGGp4H4K9Vdac9o

 

[Yervant1]

The so called free world is still silent, doing nothing to state the obvious human rights abuses that is happening. I guess we're the wrong people, had it been you know who? It would have been different reaction from them. Who cares it's only Armenians!

Panorama, Armenia

Dec 30 2020

Defense Army does not rule out brutal murder of Armenians held in Azerbaijani captivity

The Defense Army of the Artsakh Republic commented Wednesday on the footage circulated in Azerbaijani social media, showing bodies of six Armenian servicemen, killed as claimed by the Azerbaijani side near Hakaku village of the occupied Hadrut region of Artsakh.

The Defense Army reiterated its statement made on December 28 that no unit and serviceman of the Artsakh Army participated in a military action, no emergency incident was recorded and not a single shot was fired from the Armenian side on December 27, the day before and after. It added that the ceasefire regime has been strictly observed across the entire length of the contact line.

"Moreover, it is obvious, that Azerbaijan speaks of fighting occured deep inside the territories under its control and a village which is quite far from the frontline, where Defense Army servicemen could reach only through crossing the frontline and moving in the enemy's rear. Considering the presence of Azerbaijani armed forces in the place, as well as the factor of Russian peacekeepers that was absolutely not possible," the statement said.

The Artsakh Army also pointed to the 'coincidence' that Azerbaijan violated the previously reached agreement and didn't allow on Tuesday the search and rescue units to enter the territories where alleged fighting had taken place.

"This is stated despite the fact, that the agreement for the rescue units to conduct search operations in those territories was reached on December 27 - on the day when according to Azerbaijani claims the fighting took place," the statement said, adding: "When confronting these facts, we come to an assumption that the actions and statements of the Azerbaijani side aim to hush up another war crime and the actual refusal to allow the rescue unit to enter the area served that purpose."

It added that active works are underway to identify the people shown in the video. "The Defense Army does not exclude that we are dealing with a brutal murder of people who had been taken hostage in Azerbaijan earlier. We strictly condemn the actions of the Azerbaijani side which go against the logic of the November 9 trilateral statement. The Artsakh Republic will be consistent in revealing the war crimes committed by Azerbaijan," the statement concluded.

https://www.panorama.am/en/news/2020/12/30/Defense-Army-Azerbaijani-captivity/2429616

 

[Yervant1]

Hitler's quote "After all who remembers the Armenians" holds true today, because nobody remembers or care for the truth. Hypocritical world. They only raise an issue if it effects their interests. I'm losing my faith in the free world because it's not free or democratic.

[MosJan]

all world is good for is to send flowers, words of sorry... condolences. *** the world

[Yervant1]

Weekly Blitz

Jan 3 2021

Armenian churches under attack by Azerbaijanians and Turkey

Published on January 4, 2021

Uzay Bulut

While many historic churches across Turkey are systematically used for sacrilegious purposes, churches in the Azerbaijani occupied-Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh in the South Caucuses) are bombed. Their statues, bell towers and other symbols are destroyed, bulldozed or vandalized by Azerbaijani forces.

Churches and other elements of Armenian cultural heritage in the parts of Artsakh that are now occupied by Azerbaijan have been attacked by Muslim Azeris. The Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi, also known as Holy Savior Cathedral, for instance, was severely damaged from two air raids conducted by the Azerbaijani military on October 8. Videos of the destruction reveal extensive external and internal ruin. This includes broken pews, scattered rubble and a partially collapsed ceiling, reported the Armenian Weekly.

From September 27 to November 10, Azerbaijan targeted Armenians in the Armenian Republic of Artsakh throughout its invasion campaign of the region with the support of Turkey and Al-Qaeda-affiliated fighters imported from Syria.

Through a deal brokered by Russia and imposed on Armenia on November 9, parts of Artsakh were granted to Azerbaijan. War crimes committed by the Azerbaijani government during that period – such as indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas, beheadings of civilians and prisoners of war, and the destruction of Armenian graves – are widely documented.

For instance, some of the crimes committed against churches by Azeri forces from November 12 to 19 included:

One of the angel statues at Ghazanchetsots was destroyed and Ghazanchetsots was desecrated with graffiti. Garegin Njdeh statue and the cross on Mekhavan’s St. Zoravor Astvatsatsin church were also destroyed by Azerbaijani soldiers. The Statue of Vazgen Sargsyan was vandalized. Another statue in Artsakh was bulldozed and bell towers of Kanach Zham bell was destroyed.

Yet the international community has remained deaf and blind in the face of these blatant crimes and Azerbaijan remains a proud perpetrator. On December 23, the Armenian media reported:

All previous attempts to involve UNESCO in preservation of cultural heritage within the context of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict have been thwarted by Azerbaijan, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Anna Naghdalyan said.

The comments come after the UNESCO Secretariat publicly announced that only Azerbaijan has not responded on sending an expert mission of UNESCO to the Nagorno-Karabakh and the adjacent areas, in fact, clearly highlighting Azerbaijan’s destructive approach.

“Let me remind that upon the request of the Armenian side regarding the barbaric destruction of the cross-stones (khachkars) in Old Jugha, UNESCO expressed readiness to visit the region, but it was rejected by Azerbaijan,” the Spokesperson added.

Meanwhile, violations against historic churches across Turkey are ongoing. The Surp Yerrortutyun Church in the Aksehir district of the province of Konya in Turkey has been converted into a “cultural center,” the weekly Armenian newspaper Agos reported on December 28. The church is known as one of the once largest Armenian churches in Anatolia.

The former church will be used as the “The Art House of Humor Masters of the World.” The official date of the opening has not yet been announced.

The Aksehir district no longer has an Armenian Christian population because of the 1914-23 Christian genocide by Ottoman Turkey, in which around 1,5 million Armenians perished. Around 1 million Greeks and Assyrians also lost their lives during the same genocide.

According to professor Raymond Kevorkian’s book Armenians in the Ottoman Empire Before 1915, an approximately 4, 950 Armenians lived in Akşehir, Konya before the genocide. In addition to the Surp Yerortutyun Church (built in 1859) there were also four Armenian educational institutions in the district. Among these schools, the Surp Istepannos School was famous in all provinces for its “superior education quality.”

Despite being a small and oppressed community today, Armenians are among the most ancient peoples of Asia Minor. What is now Turkey was colonized by the Turkic peoples originally from Central Asia during the eleventh century after the Seljuk Turks arrived in Asia Minor and vanquished the Greek-speaking Byzantine Empire at the Battle of Manzikert. Historian Raymond Ibrahim refers to the invasion of Manzikert as “the first genocide of Christian Armenians at the hands of Muslim Turks.”

Yet despite severe persecution and the second class “dhimmi” status, the presence of Armenians and other Christian peoples remained in the region during the Seljuk and later the Ottoman rule.

This situation dramatically changed when Armenians were targeted in massacres by Ottoman Turks and Kurds between 1894–96 and during the genocide of 1914-23. During these attacks, Armenian cultural heritage was also systematically violated. Author Raffi Bedrosyan writes in his 2011 article “Searching for Lost Armenian Churches and Schools in Turkey”:

Considering that every Armenian community invariably strove to build a school beside its church, how many Armenian schools were there in Turkey before 1915, and how many are there now? How many Armenian churches and schools are left standing now in Turkey is the easier part of the issue: There are only 34 churches and 18 schools left in Turkey today, mostly in Istanbul, with about less than 3,000 students in these schools. The challenging and frustrating issue is how many were there in the past.

Recent research pegs the number of Armenian churches in Turkey before 1915 at around 2,300. The number of schools before 1915 is estimated at nearly 700, with 82,000 students. These numbers are only for churches and schools under the jurisdiction of the Istanbul Armenian Patriarchate and the Apostolic Church, and therefore do not include the numerous churches and schools belonging to the Protestant and Catholic Armenian parishes. The American colleges and missionary schools, mostly attended by Armenian youth, are also excluded from these numbers. The number of Armenian students attending Turkish schools or small schools at homes in the villages are unknown and not included. Finally, these numbers do not include the churches and schools in Kars and Ardahan provinces, which were not part of Turkey until 1920, and were part of Russia since 1878.

As researchers are striving to determine the exact number of lost or stolen Armenian schools and churches in their ancient lands in Turkey, Armenian lives and their churches are currently being targeted and destroyed in Artsakh.

Turkey and Azerbaijan, two historic perpetrators of crimes against Christians, are once again brutalizing Armenians in the indigenous Armenian lands before the eyes of the entire world.

What are the Christians in the West and the global human rights community doing today to stop these crimes and demand security and basic human rights for the Armenian people?

Uzay Bulut is a Turkish journalist and political analyst formerly based in Ankara.

https://www.weeklyblitz.net/oped/armenian-churches-under-attack-by-azerbaijanians-and-turkey/

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

Italy's Osio Sopra comune recognizes Artsakh's independence

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16:03, 1 January, 2021

YEREVAN, JANUARY 1, ARMENPRESS. Italy's Osio Sopra comune has recognized Artsakh's independence, ARMENPESS reports the Embassy of Armenia in Italy informed.

Osio Sopra is a comune (municipality) of 5,116 inhabitants in the province of Bergamo, Lombardy, Italy.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1039469.html?fbclid=IwAR327Nyui2D6n7wWIIXnFPuiMUzZnsXjH2-hykXprxRK_5jRGgLhnAu7K1w

[Yervant1]

Reuters
Jan. 4, 2021

Russia now probing case of helicopter downed by Azerbaijan as murder -Interfax

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian military investigators are now treating the
Nov. 9 downing of a helicopter over Armenia as “wilful murder”, a more
serious charge than the previous “death through negligence”, Interfax
news agency reported on Monday, citing a source.

A Russian Mi-24 helicopter was shot down over Armenia near the border
with a region belonging to Azerbaijan, killing two crew members and
injuring another, just few hours before a Moscow-brokered peace deal
over Nagorno-Karabakh was reached.

Heavy fighting between Azerbaijan, which has the political backing of
Turkey, and ethnic Armenian forces over the mountainous region had
been raging for six weeks at the time of the incident.

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry said Azeri forces shot down the
helicopter by accident, expressing apologies to Moscow and a readiness
to pay compensation.


Interfax said on Monday, citing the source, that a case had initially
been opened into a potential infringement of flying regulations that
had resulted in deaths through negligence.

The reported switch to a murder charge, which could lead to a sentence
of life imprisonment for those held responsible, may complicate
relations between Moscow and Azerbaijan.

The conflict has tested Moscow’s influence in the South Caucasus, a
swath of the former Soviet Union it views as vital to defending its
own southern flank.

Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Hugh Lawson

https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.reuters.com/article/us-armenia-azerbaijan-russia-helicopter/russia-now-probing-case-of-helicopter-downed-by-azerbaijan-as-murder-interfax-idUSKBN2991JN__;!!LIr3w8kk_Xxm!4NYQtidUntGnMIJYOdv8rlorgEeMOOkN_cgxJrIN-67RHAXitu75pfB881Os2w$

[Yervant1]

Business has no moral or human rights issues, just profits!

Michael West Media, Australia

Jan 4 2021

Not Just Careless: Australian weapons part turns up on Armenian battlefield

by Michelle Fahy | Jan 5, 2021 | Government

Image by Alex Anstey

How did an Australian-made transponder, a key part of drone technology, end up in the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan where human rights abuses are prolific? Michelle Fahy investigates the murky trail of the drone bit and the cagey response of the Defence establishment from DFAT to DoD to Minister Marise Payne.

An Australian-made transponder has been found in a downed Azerbaijani military drone in the most recent eruption of Azerbaijan’s long-running war with Armenia over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The transponder was manufactured by Queensland company Microair Avionics. Microair has refused to disclose the identity of the buyer despite knowing this information via the unique serial code. Furthermore, after Michael West Media began making enquiries, Microair deleted from its website a list of its military industry “partners” for unmanned aerial systems (UASs).

Attacks by both sides of the conflict are likely to have violated the laws of war, with reports in international media and by Human Rights Watch describing civilians targeted by indiscriminate bombing. With its well-publicised use of armed drones, however, Azerbaijan dominated the air war.

The UN arms trade treaty requires Australia to ensure it does not authorise the export of weapons, or components of weapons, to countries where they are likely to be used to commit serious human right violations. The treaty also “encourages” the reassessment of an earlier authorisation if new information becomes available.

Transponders transmit the position and altitude of aircraft and assist in identifying them on air traffic control radar. In drones, transponders provide collision avoidance and situational awareness capabilities, helping the drone maintain a safe distance from other drones or aircraft.

On 1 October, a photo was posted on Twitter (below) indicating two drones present at a single attack – one drone taking footage as another one flew below it. In this situation, a transponder would help ensure the drones did not collide.

https://www.michaelwest.com.au/australian-weapons-part-on-armenian-battlefield/

 

[Yervant1]

The Portugal News

Jan 8 2021

Defending the IndefensibleBy Gwynne Dyer, in Opinion · 08-01-2021 The recent war between Armenia and Azerbaijan made sense, in an old-fashioned way.

The dispute was about territory – borders that were drawn almost a century ago by a Russian dictator, Joseph Stalin – and Azerbaijan had lost the last war and a lot of land.

So the Azerbaijanis spent a lot of money (they have oil), bought some key weapons (cheap Turkish-built drones), and took most of the land back. Human cost: around 5,000 dead on both sides, and a great many refugees. But at least it was about something real.

Now the United Kingdom is keen to buy some of those Turkish TB-2 drones, because they’re dead cheap ($1-2 million per copy), and they are very good at killing tanks. Armenia lost 224 tanks; Azerbaijan lost 36. But whose tanks is Britain planning to kill? Russia’s?

It’s 2,500 km.from London to Moscow, and most of the countries in between are part of the same NATO alliance that the UK belongs to. NATO countries have six times the population of Russia and ten times the GDP – and by the way, there are no territorial disputes between NATO countries and Russia. What are they all playing at?

You can see the same irrationality in the current weapons-grade squabble between the US Congress and the White House over next year’s defence budget. It is $740 billion, or $2,235 for each American man, woman or child.

That is more than the defence budgets of the next ten biggest-spending countries combined, although there is no evidence that the US government fears a simultaneous attack by Russia, China, India, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Japan and South Korea.

Indeed, none of those national capitals is less than 5,000 km. away from the United States, and most of the distance in every case is open ocean. Only Mexico and Canada are physically able invade the United States, and either could be stopped with a few harsh words, or at worst by the highway patrol.

But what about nuclear weapons? We haven’t time to get into the arcane philosophy of nuclear deterrence, and fighting a nuclear war would actually be national suicide, so let’s just ignore the whole US nuclear establishment. The nuclear stuff in the US defence budget costs $98 billion, so how do you justify the other $642 billion?

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell explained that the disputed defence appropriations bill “will cement our advantage on the seas, on land, in the air, in cyberspace and in space,” but you have to ask: an advantage that enables the United States to do what?

Stay in Afghanistananother year? The US couldn’t win there in nineteen years, but just one more year will do the trick? Deter China from militarising some reefs in the South China Sea? Well, not so much deter the Chinese (for the airstrips are going ahead on those reefs – China is also playing the ‘Great Game’), as harass and annoy them about it.

You can see why Armenia and Azerbaijan spend money preparing for war, but for the great powers it’s just silly. They have no disputes worth going to war for, and conquering any of them has been out of the question since the advent of nuclear weapons 75 years ago. Why are they still doing it?

There is the ‘military-industrial complex’ in every developed country, of course: millions of jobs and billions in profits. But that still depends on a perception of threat, even if the threat isn’t really there. What really makes this nonsense plausible is a very ancient mindset.

In the 1960s an Americananthropologist, Napoleon Chagnon, went to the Brazilian Amazon to study the Yanomamo, some 25,000 ‘horticulturalists’ (slash-and-burn agriculture plus hunting) living in many villages of around a hundred people each. Each village was absolutely independent, completely responsible for its own survival – and always potentially at war with every other village.

There was enough land and food for them all, and nothing to be gained by grabbing more territory. In fact, they left huge buffer zones between the villages to discourage raiding.

They invited other villagesto feasts, intermarried, traded with one another, made complicated alliances, all in order to shrink the risk of the chronic, devastating wars that could annihilate whole villages. And still the wars happened.

So the only safety lay in being heavily armed and implacably ready to take revenge, even though there was really nothing at stake that was worth fighting about. Deterrence, in other words.

It’s exactly the same for today’s great powers, even though the ministers for war and secretaries of state for defence no longer wear feathers in their hair and bones in their noses. Except on State occasions, of course.

https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/2021-01-08/defending-the-indefensible/57585?fbclid=IwAR1cmz8uS7spqQ6_AbRLWVQlcUrm9qO7XuTeaT6LndtcQmmtquC5OCfGfoI

[Yervant1]

JAM News

Jan 8 2021

Armenia: protests over alleged Pashinyan-Aliev meeting, rumored territory surrender

• JAMnews, Yerevan

For several days now, Armenia has been caught up in persistent discussions of a proposed meeting of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Ilham Aliyev that is to take place in Moscow.

Telegram channels have even announced the date of the meeting – January 11, all despite the fact both of the sides are yet to confirm their attendance.

Armenian media is also covering the meeting extensively, reporting on how preparation for the PM’s visit to Moscow is in full motion and reporting on the specific documents that Pashinyan is to sign.

According to various reports, the documents that have allegedly already been sent to the Armenian Ministry of Justice include the following clauses:

• a corridor will be opened through Armenia, connecting Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan,
• some territories of Armenia will be transferred to Azerbaijan,
• Armenian troops will be withdrawn from Nagorno-Karabakh.

A picket near the Ministry of Justice demanding the authorities refute information ‘about the signing of another humiliating agreement with Azerbaijan’ was held earlier today.

Amidst the ongoing unrest, Nikol Pashinyan posted on his Facebook page about the priorities of Armenia and the order of implementation of the points of the trilateral agreement on the ceasefire in Karabakh signed with Azerbaijan on the night of November 10, 2020. His post was regarded by many as a response to the spreading rumours about the surrender of the territories and a corridor through Armenia to Nakhichevan.

• The biggest headlines in Armenia in 2020
• Everything known about Armenian PoWs in Azerbaijan

What the prime minister said

Nikol Pashinyan stated that the top priority for Yerevan is the full implementation of the 8th clause of the agreement – on the exchange of prisoners, hostages and detainees, as well as the bodies of the deceased. Only after that is fully set into motion would the Armenian authorities be ready to consider resuming the transport and economic communications in the region.

According to PM Pashinyan this would involve cargo transportation from Armenia to Russia and the Islamic Republic of Iran via the territory of Azerbaijan, and transport communications from Azerbaijan to Nakhichevan via the territory of Armenia.

“I, once again draw attention to the fact that the November 10 statement does not mention ‘corridor’, neither in relation to ‘Meghri’ nor to any other territory of Armenia.”

“The choice of communication routes from Armenia to Russia and from Azerbaijan to Nakhichevan is a separate topic for negotiations, the effectiveness of which will depend heavily on the exchange of prisoners, hostages, other held persons, the bodies of the deceased, as well as the increasing of the scale and effectiveness of the search for those reported as missing”, wrote the Armenian PM.

Unrest at the Ministry of Justice

Former Deputy Minister of Justice and the head of human rights organization, Legal Way, Ruben Melikyan made an urgent appeal to organise a picket outside of the Ministry of Justice building.

He commented on Nikol Pashinyan’s post, specifically on the part of it that mentions the trilateral agreement on Karabakh which does not contain words ‘Meghri’ or ‘corridor’ going through the territory of Armenia. According to Melikyan, the same document does not say anything about the Armenian village of Shurnukh, but “the enemy had reached it too.”

The human rights activist was referring to approximately 12 houses in Shurnukh village of the Syunik region of Armenia that were transferred to Azerbaijan on January 5 in the process of redrawing the borders between the countries.

Melikyan called on the authorities to officially refute the information that on January 11^th “it is planned to sign another humiliating agreement with Azerbaijan.”

As a result, Minister of Justice, Rustam Badasyan came out to the protesters and assured them that there were no “secret agreements” made with Azerbaijan:

“I reaffirm that the Ministry of Justice holds no agreements with Azerbaijan, and any speculations about it are completely false.”

Badasyan urged the public not to trust the telegram channels, as in recent years, disinformation has often been spread to cause panic among the residents of the country.

https://jam-news.net/meeting-pashinyan-aliyev-in-moscow-surrender-of-territories-withdrawal-of-troops-from-nk/

[Yervant1]

The Blunt Post

Jan 10 2021

Armenia’s Human Rights Defender Reports Bluntly

About The Country’s Security Concerns

Azerbaijan & Turkey Continue To Threaten Artsakh And Armenia

By Vic Gerami

Arman Tatoyan, the Human Rights Defender of Armenia visited and carried out surveys in the Syunik region of the Republic of Armenia, town of Kapan, as well as other towns and villages recently.

Some Background

From September 27 to November 10, the Armenian Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) in the South Caucasus was exposed to a genocidal assault at the hands of Azerbaijan and Turkey. The entire world watched while the aggressors committed many crimes and indiscriminately shelled the indigenous lands of Armenians.

Turkey also sent Azerbaijan mercenaries from Syria with known affiliations to Islamic radical groups. This was confirmed by a recent United Nations report, as well as by the testimonies of many Syrian mercenaries and reports by international media outlets.

Together with Azerbaijani military forces, they perpetrated war crimes against Armenians. They murdered civilians, injured journalists and targeted homes, forests, hospitals, churches and cultural centers, among other non-military targets. They used white phosphorus and cluster munitions in violation of international law. At least 90,000 Armenians were forced to abandon their ancestral lands in Artsakh as a result.

The war finally halted after 45 days because of the Russia-brokered agreement imposed on Armenia.

Arman Tatoyan’s Statement

Our visits continued today in the town of Kapan, Syunik region of the Republic of Armenia, Agarak, Yeghvard, Chakaten and other villages.

Surveys were carried out in the areas of the runways of the administrative building of Kapan airport, in the immediate vicinity of which are the Azerbaijani locations. Studies show that there are dangers not only for the Kapan airport, but also for the interstate movement from Kapan to Yerevan (M2) and several residential areas in the city of Kapan.

During a visit to Kapan Airport in the above-mentioned villages, the on-the-spot Google and several other versions of online maps showed different results, including in some cases the road from Kapan to Chakaten village, as well as the road from Kapan Airport to Kapan Airport. The sections in which the Azerbaijani forces are deployed, appeared to be representing to be within the exclusive territory of the Republic of Armenia (RA).

Today’s visits of the Human Rights Defender to the city and villages of Kapan show that as a result of the approaches and methods used thus far, and especially the mechanical use of Global Positioning System (GPS) or Google maps, there are serious threats to the right to life and security of border residents, for their physical security, for their mental health and immunity, and for other rights of vital importance guaranteed by the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, some of which have already been grossly violated. The security of the RA state borders is endangered.

By mechanical application of these principles, various sections of the road from Kapan to Chakaten and other villages have come under Azerbaijani control, which has put the movement of civilians in real danger. At the same time, it must be considered that this road is absolutely necessary for the security of the villages of Chakaten, Shikahogh, Srashen, Nerkin Hand, Tsav, and for the vital rights of the inhabitants in the region.

In addition, for example, in Chakaten, Agarak and Yeghvard, people have simply been deprived of the opportunity to support themselves, and of the use of the agricultural lands owned by them, and of their rights (for example, for private or economic purposes as a garden, arable land, or pasture). Moreover, these infringements also refer to such lands, for which the certificates confirming the state registration of such rights, including property rights, were issued either by Soviet Armenia, or by the competent bodies of different periods of the Independent Republic of Armenia (Cadastre Committee, etc.).

All the while, international rules of delimitation directly require that when determining the state borders of a country, priority should be given to the rights of border residents, their real estate and/or other property. It is of critical necessity to ascertain in advance the persons who will be deprived of their rights, to their apartments, lands, private business interests and objectives, and other property due to the border demarcation process. It must be borne in mind that they have a just right to compensation.

One of the priority tasks of the state in the process of determining the borders is to solve the issues of ensuring the safe use of forests and forest resources, as well as water resources necessary for the vital needs of the border residents.

Therefore, the current approaches, and especially with respect to matters of resolving the issues of Armenia’s borders through GPS [Global Positioning] system or Google (private) applications which endanger the inviolability of Armenia’s state borders and security, and to ensure the rights of people living in our country and especially those of our border residents, such a frame of reference which has been utilized thus far, is absolutely unacceptable.

Today’s meetings of the Human Rights Defender with the residents of the border villages, the discussions and studies with the community bodies confirm that the Azerbaijani military regularly appears on different sections of the roads connecting the mentioned populated regions of the Republic of Armenia and does so in a provocative manner to intimidate the residents of these communities.

The various research of the Human Rights Defender’s staff show that in Kapan, Agarak, Yeghvard and other settlements which have been transformed to border areas, the residents do not have credible information pertaining to the determination of the borders and their respective rights. This creates uncertainty, and it creates an atmosphere of alarm and anxiety among civilians.

During today’s visit, important meetings were held with the Mayor of Kapan, Yeghvard, Agarak, and heads of several other rural communities, community bodies, and the residents of these communities, as well as the staff of the RA Armed Forces and the NSS border troops.

During today’s visits, the Human Rights Defender’s Office also obtained the relevant facts necessary for the protection of human rights in specific situations, in connection with which separate summaries will be made and the necessary measures will be taken.

https://thebluntpost.com/arman-tatoyan-armenias-human-rights-defender-reports-bluntly-about-the-countrys-security-concerns/

[Yervant1]

Persecution: International Christian Concern

Jan 10 2021

Azerbaijan Rewriting Narrative of Nagorno-Karabakh

01/10/2021 Nagorno-Karabakh (International Christian Concern) – Azerbaijani state media appear to have increased their production of English-language articles dedicated to how their country will “revive” Nagorno-Karabakh (Armenian: Artsakh). The President established a Karabakh Revival Fund for the so-called benefit of “liberated” territory. Different articles in Azeri press describe various kinds of infrastructure developments intended to bring “big profits” to Azerbaijan.

When reading Azeri press, it is important to recognize that their international press freedom index ranking is quite low and stands at 168. Press freedom and religious freedom are entangled within the context of analyzing the challenges facing Nagorno-Karabakh following the Turkish-backed Azeri invasion of the territory. Azerbaijan is attempting to rewrite the narrative not only of the area’s Christian history, but also why and how their government is behaving, the end result of which is the massive displacement of Armenian Christians whom cannot return to areas under Turkish-Azeri control. English-language articles of Azeri-Turkish press are meant for a foreign audience and do not necessarily reflect what is being published in the local language.

https://www.persecution.org/2021/01/10/azerbaijan-rewriting-narrative-nagorno-karabakh/

[Yervant1]

EurasiaNet.org

Jan 11 2021

Leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan hold first post-war meeting

Together with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Nikol Pashinyan and Ilham Aliyev signed an agreement to create new transportation infrastructure aimed at “unblocking” the region’s many closed borders.

Joshua Kucera Jan 11, 2021

The leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia have met in Moscow in their first summit since last year’s war in the Caucasus, and agreed to create new, joint transportation infrastructure.

Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and the three men met for about four hours. Following the talks they made a joint press appearance and released a four-point agreement to create a list of projects to begin working jointly on “unblocking” the region’s borders.

What specific projects might be under consideration were not yet clear. The November 10 ceasefire agreement that ended the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, signed under Russian brokerage, stipulated that a new corridor would be opened through southern Armenia to connect Azerbaijan’s mainland with its exclave of Nakhchivan. Ahead of the meeting, Pashinyan’s spokesperson Mane Gevorgyan said that other projects were under discussion as well, including those aimed at letting Armenia transit through Nakhchivan to Iran and to use the existing railroad through Nakhchivan that, in Soviet times, used to connect Yerevan with southern Armenia.

Under the tripartite agreement signed January 11, the three countries will form a working group led by the deputy prime ministers of each country, and expert groups under that. They will be working on a quick schedule: the working group will meet by January 30 and within a month after that the expert groups will come up with a list of projects. By March 1, they will present the projects to the three countries’ leaderships for approval.

“I’m sure that the implementation of agreement will benefit both the Armenian and Azerbaijani people, the region as a whole, and Russia,” Putin said following the signing of the statement.

The new projects could dramatically reshape the region, as Armenia’s borders with both Azerbaijan and Turkey have been entirely closed since the first war between the two sides in the 1990s. That has meant that Armenia has open borders only to its north, Georgia, and south, Iran. Azerbaijan’s isolation has not been as extreme but it faces inconveniences in connecting Nakhchivan with the rest of the country.

The meeting was the first for the two foes since the war last year. Putin greeted each of his Caucasus counterparts with a handshake and a bro hug, but Aliyev and Pashinyan merely nodded at each other and said “zdravstvuite.”

Following the talks, Putin stood between the two of them as they made statements in turn. Aliyev took an optimistic approach, saying that the conflict was over, the November 10 agreement was “being implemented successfully” and that the transportation agreement would offer a bright future.

Pashinyan took a darker tone, saying that the conflict remained unresolved and taking issue with Aliyev’s (and Putin’s) satisfaction with the implementation of the November 10 deal. “Unfortunately, we did not solve the issue of prisoners of war today, and it is the most sensitive and painful issue. We agreed to continue the work in that direction,” he said. He did offer praise for the new transportation deal: “The economic innovations can lead to more reliable security guarantees, and we are ready to work constructively in that direction.”

Aliyev and Pashinyan entered the meeting from very different domestic circumstances. Aliyev is riding high after the decisive military victory, which saw Azerbaijan regain control of a significant amount of the territory in and around Nagorno-Karabakh that it had lost to Armenians during the first war between the two sides in the 1990s.

Pashinyan, meanwhile, is fighting for his political life, and ahead of the meeting his many opponents sought to take advantage. Many claimed (with no basis) that he would be meeting with Aliyev to arrange new territorial concessions, and he will no doubt be forced to consider his domestic weakness as he negotiates with his two counterparts.

On the morning that Pashinyan flew to Moscow, protesters attempted to block the road to the airport to prevent him from being able to leave, though they didn’t succeed.

Vazgen Manukyan, whom a coalition of opposition parties have put forward as a candidate to replace Pashinyan, announced that the prime minister “does not represent Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh” and that “any decision that runs contrary to the interests of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh will be recognized as illegitimate and will be canceled” following Pashinyan’s departure.

Aliyev likely had a much freer hand in the negotiations, but was facing expectations that he would do something to limit what Baku has seen as a sympathy toward Armenians on the part of the Russian peacekeeping contingent that is enforcing the ceasefire agreement. “Sanctions should be stipulated for a peacekeeping mission if it goes beyond its mandate,” government-friendly political analyst Qabil Huseynli told the website JAMNews ahead of the meeting.

Joshua Kucera is the Turkey/Caucasus editor at Eurasianet, and author of The Bug Pit.

https://eurasianet.org/leaders-of-armenia-and-azerbaijan-hold-first-post-war-meeting?fbclid=IwAR1y5bmcxbjtVbohNhvbnrdh_Wuyg_iN4fw9ch7K9qJMc4uj8Vl5gn5ncxQ

[Yervant1]

The Christian Post

Jan 12 2021

Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict is genocide, not another fight: human rights head

By Jackson Elliott, Christian Post Reporter

A man prays in Ghazanchetsots Cathedral, Shusha, partly destroyed by shelling, in October 2020. | Christian Solidarity International

There’s a genocide of Armenian Christians, according to the head of a human rights group, but it’s largely going unnoticed because of conflicts between world powers.

Although people often perceive the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan as another forgotten and meaningless conflict in a distant part of the world, it’s actually a genocide of Christians that springs from over a 100 years of history, Christian Solidarity International President John Eibner told The Christian Post. Disinformation campaigns by the government of Azerbaijan have covered up the truth.

Armenia and Azerbaijan are in conflict over a small area of land called Nagorno-Karabakh. The area is claimed by a small, independent Armenian republic.

“From an Armenian perspective, this area is their historic homeland. There are many different ways to describe it. Armenians will say this is part of Armenia, but it is not formally a part of the state of Armenia,” said Eibner.

Internationally, Nagorno-Karabakh is recognized as Azerbaijani land, but it’s mostly populated by Armenians and self-governed. After six weeks of war, Russia brokered a peace deal last year that left Armenia in control of most of the land and Azerbaijan in control of the rest. The conflict killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands.

In 1915, the Muslim Ottoman Empire killed over 1.5 million Armenians. Turkey still refuses to admit today that the event was a genocide. Most Armenians are Christians, and Armenia was the first nation to establish Christianity as a state religion. Azerbaijan was once a province of the Ottoman Empire, and human rights groups have called out ongoing discrimination against Armenians and “state-supported policy of Armenophobia.”

“People don’t understand Azerbaijanis are Turks. They speak a dialect of Turkish,” said Eibner. “Whenever there is a weakening in the protection that Armenians have and confusion in the international system, there’s another attempt to drive Armenians out of their lands.”

The last major attack on the Armenians happened in the 1990s, he said. Because Russia is the major Christian power in the region, Armenia usually works with Russia for protection from its Islamic neighbors. Eibner believes American leaders often don’t pay attention to threats to Armenia because Russia and the United States rival each other.

The United States works with Azerbaijan to oppose Iran. Because Azerbaijan borders Iran, American leaders give it money in exchange for a presence in the country, said Eibner.

Support from America, Israel and NATO to oppose Iran makes local leaders feel they have free rein. Often, American leaders do a better job of advocating for persecuted Christians in countries where they are strategically useful, he contended.

“Why does Azerbaijan feel empowered to make another move? It has done so because it has become oil rich. It has done so because it’s a member of NATO. It has done so because it has received sophisticated drones from Israel. It feels it has the cover to do so,” he said.

To cover up its genocidal attacks on Armenians, Azerbaijan has publicized stories of Armenian war crimes while minimizing its own, said Eibner. Atrocities happen in every war, but evidence suggests that Azerbaijan’s atrocities are far worse than the atrocities on the Armenian side. Azerbaijani communities have not suffered the way Armenian ones have.

“Information warfare is a part of any war. One has to understand not to take anything one hears from either side at face value,” he said. “Who lost? Where are the Armenians now who lived in areas now controlled by Azerbaijan? Why aren’t they living in their own homes today?”

In Turkey and in Islamic warfare, victors in war have a long tradition of treating the losers as less than human, said Eibner.

Christians who want to help Armenians should write their leaders in Congress, connect with local Armenian organizations and ask their pastors to speak about these issues in church, Eibner said.

“This is a tragedy at many different levels. People are homeless, people are killed, but it’s very much connected with the disappearance of Christians,” he said. “Washington has cared much more about Chinese Christians that Christians in Nagorno-Karabakh. If the trend continues, there simply won’t be viable Christian communities in the Middle East.”

https://www.christianpost.com/news/armenia-azerbaijan-conflict-is-genocide-not-another-fight-csi.html?fbclid=IwAR3Gnxfk1ed7C7bTNeWV7fofix1X4ESFkVzVKZwSLnPiUsQ8sh6ZgEzMuCw

[Yervant1]

Calvert Journal

Jan 12 2021

Azerbaijani postal stamps accused of spreading anti-Armenian propaganda

New Azerbaijani postal stamps commemorating the country’s fight against Covid-19 and the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War have sparked online outrage amid accusations of anti-Armenian sentiment.

The illustration accompanying the stamps shows a disinfection specialist standing over a map of Azerbaijan and fumigating the area of Nagorno-Karabakh — leading many to claim that ethnic Armenians in the area were being depicted as a virus in need of “eradicating”.

Nagorno-Karabakh, known to Armenians as Artsakh, is a breakaway region claimed by both Armenia and Azerbaijan. Fighting in the area most recently broke out in September, until a Russia-brokered deal put an end to the conflict. The agreement determined that Armenia must withdraw from several territories within Nagorno-Karabakh, which are now under Azerbaijani control. The conflict left thousands dead and tens of thousands more, mostly Armenians, displaced.

According to the officials, the new stamps “are dedicated to the two most significant events of 2020 — the coronavirus pandemic and main heroes of the Patriotic War” and will “promote their sacrifice among local and foreign philatelists”. The stamps themselves show collages displaying photographs of doctors side-by-side with soldiers and demining specialists. But their release was followed by a furious backlash, with many taking to Twitter to voice their concern.

These commemorative stamps were released by #Azerbaijan. Weird iconography seems to show someone de-fumigating / chemically cleaning Karabakh… https://t.co/3qCrl2ferZ pic.twitter.com/7qy7eGlJuJ

— Jake Hanrahan (@Jake_Hanrahan) January 11, 2021

Azerbaijan issued postage stamps dedicated to the two most significant events of 2020 for the country - Karabakh war and Covid-19. The stamp, evidently, compares the virus to people of NK. Instead of finding ways for coexistence, Az authorities keep on dehumanizing Armenians. pic.twitter.com/2fri3f4aQy

— Aren Melikyan (@ArenMelikyan) January 11, 2021

The Azerbaijani state has released anti-Armenian statements and propaganda in several occasions following the outbreak of war in September 2020. In an address to the nation on 4 October, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that Azerbaijani soldiers were “driving Armenians away [from Nagorno-Karabakh] like dogs”. Cartoons depicting “the other side” as animals have been released by both sides, including Armenian production company Kildim and Azerbaijani satirical website Kirpi.

https://www.calvertjournal.com/articles/show/12442/azerbaijan-stamps-nagorno-karabakh-war-anti-armenian-propaganda

[Yervant1]

Panorama, Armenia

Jan 12 2021

Video captures Azeris vandalizing Armenian monument in Artsakh

A video showing another case of Azerbaijani vandalism in Artsakh is circulating on social media. Armenian MFA Spokeswoman Anna Naghdalyan posted the footage on Twitter, informing the incident had taken place in Arakel village of Artsakh's Hadrut region, currently occupied by Azerbaijan. The video shows Azeri military destroying an Armenian cross-stone.

To remind, the UNESCO Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict adopted on December 14 a declaration on ensuring cultural property protection in and around Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) and setting-up an independent technical mission. Later, the UNESCO Secretariat publicly announced that only Azerbaijan has not responded on request to send an expert mission of UNESCO to the Nagorno-Karabakh and the adjacent areas, in fact, clearly highlighting Azerbaijan’s destructive approach.

Another video published in social media demonstrating intentional destruction of #Armenia'n monuments by #Azerbaijan'i armed forces: Arakel village of #Hadrut region of the Republic of #Artsakh (currently occupied by Azerbaijan). pic.twitter.com/txRHP3XHdX

— Anna A. Naghdalyan (@naghdalyan) January 12, 2021

https://twitter.com/naghdalyan/status/1348922661318103040

https://www.panorama.am/en/news/2021/01/12/Azeris-vandalizing-Armenian-monument/2434092

[Yervant1]

Public Radio of Armenia

Jan 13 2021

31 years after Baku pogrom Azerbaijan continues the policy of ethnic cleansing of Armenians in Artsakh

To date, Azerbaijan continues the policy of ethnic cleansing and annihilating Armenians in Artsakh, the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on the 31rd anniversary of the Baku pogroms.

“Thirty-one years ago, the international community witnessed another crime against the Armenian population of Azerbaijan: the Armenian population which was an essential part of then Baku’s multicultural identity was subjected to the massacres and mass deportation carried out with particular cruelty. Hundreds were murdered, maimed, many went missing, tens of thousands became refugees. The anti-Armenian massacres in Baku of January, 1990, completed the ethnic cleansing of the Armenian population of Azerbaijan,” the Foreign Ministry said.

It stressed that the anti-Armenian policy of the authorities of Azerbaijan targeted not only the Armenian population living and prospering in Baku for centuries, but also the Armenian historical-cultural heritage of the city.

“So far, the masterminds and perpetrators of the anti-Armenian massacres in Baku have not been held accountable, and they continue to be glorified as heroes,” the statement reads.

“Moreover, to date, Azerbaijan continues the very policy of ethnic cleansing and annihilating Armenians in Artsakh. A vivid evidence of that is the wiping out of the entire Armenian population from the territories that fell under the Azerbaijani control, which was carried out through massive war crimes and ethnic cleansing,” the Foreign Ministry said.

“Today by paying tribute to the innocent victims of the anti-Armenian massacres in Baku, we once again emphasize the joint commitment of the Republic of Armenia, Artsakh and the Armenians all over the world to ensure the right of all Armenians to free, secure and dignified life in their homeland,” it concluded.

https://en.armradio.am/2021/01/13/31-years-after-baku-pogrom-azerbaijan-continues-the-policy-of-ethnic-cleansing-of-armenians-in-artsakh/

[Yervant1]

Panorama, Armenia

Jan 13 2021

Expert: Baku dictator ‘concerned’ over possible revenge of Armenians

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is "concerned" over possible revenge of Armenians, according to expert on Iranian studies Vardan Voskanyan.

“No matter how hard the dictator of Baku tried to hide, there was an undeniable concern about a possible Armenian revenge in his official speech for the second time,” he wrote on Facebook.

“During a bilateral meeting with President Putin in Moscow yesterday, he, in particular, again addressed the issue, trying to get confirmation of Russian support, noting, "I believe that the Armenian side will not make any attempts to review the November 9 statement for both peoples to find the will and wisdom to think about the future and reconciliation.”

“Obviously a person who is confident in something does not have to address the same problem twice a month with different wording and at meetings of various levels.

“Notably, in his New Year message, the Baku dictator spoke more openly. “If someone in Armenia has revanchist moods today, they are making a big mistake,” he said,” Voskanyan noted.

https://www.panorama.am/en/news/2021/01/13/Vardan-Voskanyan/2434419

[Yervant1]

EurasiaNet.org

Jan 14 2021

Two months after war, dozens of Armenian POWs remain in Azerbaijani captivity

The issue became hotter following the January 11 summit in Moscow between the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia, when the Armenian side walked away having failed to secure the prisoners’ return.

Ani Mejlumyan Jan 14, 2021

More than two months after the fighting stopped, Azerbaijan still holds unknown dozens of Armenian prisoners of war – and the numbers are growing. Their unclear fate has become one of the most sensitive and politically controversial questions in post-war Armenia.

The number of prisoners of war that Azerbaijan continues to hold is being kept secret by both sides, and estimates vary. Human rights defenders have appealed to the European Court of Human Rights about roughly 200 prisoners. So far, 54 Armenians, both civilians and soldiers, have returned from Azerbaijani custody as part of exchanges between the two sides.

But additional Armenian soldiers were captured following skirmishes in mid-December, after the ceasefire. Azerbaijan says there were 62 captured in the fighting and that it doesn’t consider them to be POWs but members of a “sabotage group” which it intends to try in Azerbaijan on criminal charges.

Among the prisoners: a recent Lebanese-Armenian emigrant to Shusha in Nagorno-Karabakh, Maral Najaryan, who went missing in the final days of the war. Najaryan’s sister, Ani Najaryan, told the Armenian service of RFE/RL that she was a civilian who had moved to Karabakh after the massive explosion in Beirut. Azerbaijani media have portrayed her Lebanese origins as evidence that she was a “mercenary” fighting for the Armenian side.

The Russia-brokered November 10 ceasefire statement calls on the two sides to return prisoners of war and other detainees, and Armenian officials have accused Azerbaijan of effectively keeping the prisoners as hostages.

“All of this is being done to cause mental suffering to the families of the captives and to the Armenian society in general, to play with the emotions of the Armenian people, and to keep the atmosphere tense,” wrote Arman Tatoyan, Armenia’s human rights ombudsman, in a January 11 Facebook post.

The issue got even hotter following the recent meeting in Moscow between the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia. The three sides agreed on a new transportation deal but Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was forced to admit that “Unfortunately, we did not solve the issue of prisoners of war today, and it is the most sensitive and painful issue.”

Pashinyan’s many political opponents said the failure to do anything about the POWs was a failure of negotiating, and that Azerbaijan got what it wanted – the transport deal – and Armenia didn’t.

“The Armenian side wanted one thing from the meeting – an agreement on the speedy return of the prisoners of war, but that didn’t happen,” said Edmon Marukyan, the leader of the opposition Bright Armenia party, who is challenging Pashinyan’s leadership, the day after the Moscow meeting.

“Today, [Pashinyan] signed a deal that benefits Turkey and Azerbaijan and not Armenia. The most crucial issue for Armenia is bringing the POWs home and he failed to solve it,” said Gevorg Kostanyan, a member of the opposition Republican Party and a former Armenian representative at the ECHR, told the news website 168.am. “Nobody is negotiating with Pashinyan – they are presenting him a document and he is signing it.”

Pashinyan’s allies defended his negotiating, saying that the issue will be resolved quickly. “The president of Russia has in principle supported the Armenian position,” said Ruben Rubinyan, a member of parliament from Pashinyan’s My Step faction, in an interview with RFE/RL. “That specific issue [the return of POWs] in the ceasefire agreement must be implemented. The solution has been identified, it needs to be carried out as soon as possible.”

Armenia also reportedly holds some Azerbaijani soldiers. Azerbaijani media, citing Armenian Telegram channels, have said that there are three Azerbaijani prisoners remaining in Armenian custody. And Ismayil Akhundov, of Azerbaijan’s State Commission on Captives, Missing Persons, and Hostages, said at a January 5 press conference that Armenia holds two Azerbaijani civilians. Fourteen other prisoners were returned in a December 14 exchange.

With additional reporting from Ulkar Natiqqizi

Ani Mejlumyan is a reporter based in Yerevan.

https://eurasianet.org/two-months-after-war-dozens-of-armenian-pows-remain-in-azerbaijani-captivity?fbclid=IwAR08d3BE-KNTazviS-iWSj4iw8Bw-eYw5m6cHBJybqyRYghy8z4ciL0v690

[Yervant1]

Public Radio of Armenia

Jan 14 2021

Status of Artsakh remains a key principle of Karabakh conflict settlement – Armenian FM

The status of Artsakh has been and remains the key principles of Karabakh conflict settlement, Armenian Foreign Minister Ara Aivazian told reporters today.

The comments come in the wake of a statement of Russian Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Igor Popov, who said Russia had never suggested handing over the seven regions to Azerbaijan, ignoring the issue of status.

“As you know Armenia once gave its consent to the Kazan document, as it contained a full package of basic principles for the settlement of the conflict. Even after Azerbaijan rejected the document, the talks continued on the basis of the fundamental principles. Even during the war, Azerbaijan agreed to continue negotiations on the fundamental principles. I unequivocally agree with Mr. Popov that the status of Artsakh was the most important principle of the conflict settlement, and remains so,” the Foreign Minister said.

He added that “the statement of November 9 is not a document on settlement of the conflict.”

“It’s a a document on ceasefire, on ending the war, which addresses some of the fundamental principles. However, the conflict cannot be considered settled unless all fundamental principles have been addressed. Namely, the issues of status and self-determination,” Minister Aivazian stated.

He referred to the most recent statement of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, which stresses the need for a comprehensive settlement based on fundamental principles.

https://en.armradio.am/2021/01/14/status-of-artsakh-remains-a-key-principles-of-karabakh-conflict-settlement-armenian-fm/

[Yervant1]

Public Radio of Armenia

Jan 14 2021

Key issues of Karabakh conflict remain unsolved – Carey Cavanaugh

Key issues of Karabakh conflict remain unsolved, OSCE Minsk Group’s former American Co-Chair Carey Cavanaugh says.

He referred to the positive and negative aspects of the trilateral meeting in Moscow between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Russian president Vladimir Putin and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

“Positive aspect of trilateral meeting: Putin is committed to working on Karabakh. Troubling aspect: Aliyev acting like conflict’s resolved; it’s not, key issues remain. Comprehensive settlement needed to establish foundation for lasting peace & prosperity,” Carey Cavanaugh tweeted.



Positive aspect of trilateral meeting: Putin is committed to working on #Karabakh. Troubling aspect: Aliyev acting like conflict's resolved; it's not, key issues remain. Comprehensive settlement needed to establish foundation for lasting peace & prosperity https://t.co/y9ljgr0Y3a

— Carey Cavanaugh (@carey_cavanaugh) January 14, 2021

https://en.armradio.am/2021/01/14/key-issues-of-karabakh-conflict-remain-unsolved-carey-cavanaugh/

[Yervant1]

Public Radio of Armenia

Jan 14 2021

Iranian athlete hands over his gold medal to family of Armenian soldier killed in Artsakh

Iranian champion in Kyokushin karate Ahmad Bagheripoor, the gold medal winner of the 12th open championship in Armenia in 2017, has decided to hand over his gold medal to the family of Arthur Sukiasyan, an Armenian athlete who died during the 2020 Artsakh war, the Armenian Embassy in Iran reports.

Arthur Sukiasyan and Ahmad Bagheripoor were friends and participated in many tournaments together.

On January 13, the Iranian athlete handed his gold medal to Gor Shahverdyan, third secretary of the Embassy of Armenia in Iran to be presented to Sukiasyan family in Armenia.

https://en.armradio.am/2021/01/14/iranian-athlete-hands-over-his-gold-medal-to-family-of-armenian-soldier-killed-in-artsakh/

[Yervant1]

Church Militant

Jan 14 2021

Slowing Armenian Strangulation by Azerbaijan

News: Commentary

by Trey Blanton • ChurchMilitant.com • January 14, 2021

While Muslims in Azerbaijan consolidate their stranglehold on conquered Armenian territory, humanitarian aid to the area is being used to slow the process.

The president of Muslim-majority Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met in Moscow Monday — their first face-to-face since the end of hostilities between their peoples on Nov. 9.

Church Militant has reported on the nearly seven-week conflict, which was sparked in September when Azerbaijan invaded the Republic of Artsakh — an Armenian enclave known to Azerbaijanis as Nagorno-Karabakh. The conflict ended in a tenable peace deal brokered by Russia.

'Restoring' or 'Reversing' Heritage?

The irony has not been lost on Armenians. It was under Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin that Armenia's historical lands in Artsakh were first gifted to Azerbaijan. Now, in the post-Soviet period, the international community rejects the right of the enclave's Armenian population to self-determination.

With military conflict halted for the moment, President Aliyev of Azerbaijan has vowed multiple times to "restore" Azerbaijan's heritage in Artsakh, which has historically been populated almost exclusively (90%) by Armenians.

“Aliyev's 'restoration' may include ... the destruction of Christian buildings or their conversion to secular or Muslim use.Tweet

Aliyev's "restoration" may include the construction of airports and railroads in the conquered territory and, as many Armenians fear, the destruction of Christian buildings or their conversion to secular or Muslim use.

History: Rife With Conquest, Occupation

Aliyev's actions follow historically validated methods of conquest. The most famous example in the West: the Norman Conquest of Britain, in which William the Conqueror invaded England and consolidated his rule after the Battle of Hastings and his coronation in London. He did so by giving land to those loyal to him and securing their possessions with motte-and-bailey castles across the land.

Even more historical examples come from the Turks themselves and their Muslim-Arab predecessors. Raymond Ibrahim's book, Sword and Scimitar, describes the 14-century pattern. For example, the Seljuk Turks invaded Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) and won a resounding victory at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071. Though the Turks failed to conquer Constantinople in the 11th century, they took over most of the region and established the Sultanate of Rum.

In war, the players that don't win it all take what they gain and build it up as their own. Reversals occurred back-and-forth due to the involvement of the Crusaders, the Mamelukes and the Mongols until finally, the Turks won it all in 1453 when Constantinople fell.

Armenians today are all too familiar with the concept that history never stops. They remember the plight of their grandparents during the Armenian Genocide of 1915, when 1.5 million Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians and others — all Christians — were slaughtered or driven out into arid regions of neighboring countries.

Economic, Educational Help

Humanitarian organization Christians in Need Foundation (CINF) is looking past the turmoil caused by the Wuhan virus and the attack by Azerbaijan to continue its work strengthening education and cultivating trade skills in the capital of Artsakh, Stepanakert.

CINF recognizes the need for the Armenian diaspora to support their homeland and has worked ambitiously to counter the growing power of Armenia's Turkic neighbors by focusing on improving the local economy.

CINF began in 2014 with an attempt to bring eight Syrian Christians into the United States for educational purposes; their visas were denied by the Obama administration.

“Armenians' survival may depend on the skill of the people of Artsakh to live while cut off from foreign support.

Undeterred, CINF decided to go instead to the students of the Near and Middle East, beginning with Artsakh. Classes have been successful in teaching English and Italian to Armenian students in Artsakh in preparation to learn courses in the Practica Project. The Project promotes local business growth in various trades including hospitality, tailoring, cosmetology, ham and wine-making.

The onset of COVID-19 has moved preliminary courses online and increased construction costs by $250,000 for what will become its vocational school. More financial help is needed.

The project has already seen $30,000 worth of donated equipment for use by Italian artisans who will travel to Artsakh to give the students hands-on experience in a simulated restaurant, carpentry shop and hair salon.

Preserving Ancient Christian Communities

CINF Executive Director Stephanie Havens shared with Church Militant why she is passionate about the organization's work:

CINF works through education to preserve ancient Christian communities such that they can independently sustain their communities and defend their traditions. Throughout the Middle and Near East, Christian communities with ancient roots are threatened, both physically by their neighbors and ideologically by progressivism.

Likewise, the ancient Christian communities throughout the Middle and Near East preserve many of the first traditions of Christianity. In many ways, they are our strongest link back to the origins of the Faith. We do what we do not only to protect these Christian communities, but also for the rest of the Western world. It is our hope that these ancient Christian communities will stand as models of the Christian faith, encouraging throughout the West, especially among the youth, a return to these traditions and values.

As Azerbaijan and its puppet master in Turkey greedily eye the remaining Armenian territory, Western nations are ignoring the jihadi expansion. The world ignored Hitler's increasing aggression until it was too late. A week prior to Hitler's invasion of Poland he famously said, "Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?"

CINF knows Armenians' survival may depend on the skill of the people of Artsakh to live while cut off from foreign support.

For Havens and the rest at CINF, careful planning with Artsakh's minister of education will help ensure students and teachers are safe in September from the ever-morphing threats of viruses and terrorists alike.

https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/rebounding-from-conflict

[Yervant1]

If those were Albanian, why are they destroying it?

Aysor, Armenia

Jan 15 2021

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

https://www.aysor.am/en/news/2021/01/15/cultural-heritage/1791811

 

[Yervant1]

Public Radio of Armenia

Jan 16 2021

Mobilization of foreign terrorist fighters in conflicts a new alarming trend, Armenia’s envoy to UN says

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

https://en.armradio.am/2021/01/16/mobilization-of-foreign-terrorist-fighters-in-conflicts-a-new-alarming-trend-armenias-envoy-to-un-says/