cease-fire violations by azeris

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Armenpress.am

‘Armenian side makes every effort to ensure that no harm is done to friendly Iran’, Pashinyan says

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17:05, 21 October, 2020

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 21, ARMENPRESS. In an interview to the Iranian IRNA news agency, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan commented on the question that mortars from the Nagorno Karabakh conflict zone have hit Iran several times and many UAVs have entered the Iranian skies during this time.

“I am sorry, if any was the fault of the Armenian side. I do not have accurate information on all such instances, but I assure you that we will make every effort to ensure that no harm is done to friendly Iran and things like that do not happen again. The Armenian side will do its utmost to prevent any recurrence of similar incidents, and I can assure you that we will be more vigilant on this issue”, the PM added.

Editing by Aneta Harutyunyan

 

 

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[Yervant1]

For God's sake enough of repeating yourself, what are you going to do about it.

 

Armenpress.am

Every country should stay out for de-escalating NK conflict – U.S. Secretary of State

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20:20, 21 October, 2020

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 21, ARMENPRESS. The U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo emphasizes that for the de-escalation of Nagorno Karabakh conflict it’s necessary that every country stays out of the conflict, provides no weapons and no support to any party, ARMENPRESS reports Pompeo said in a briefing.

‘’It is a complicated situation on the ground, it’s a complicated diplomatic situation. Our view, like the view of nearly every European country, is that the right path to cease the conflict is to tell them to de-escalate, and every country should stay out, provide no weapons or support’’, Pompeo said.

He said that he will talk with the Armenian and Azerbaijani FMs about that on Friday.

[see video]

 

 

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Armenpress.am

By promising to send its army, Turkey trying to encourage Azerbaijan to continue fighting – expert

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23:35, 21 October, 2020

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 21, ARMENPRESS. Commenting on the announcement of the vice president of Turkey Fuat Oktay, saying that they are ready to send their troops to Azerbaijan if Baku applies, Director of Institute of Oriental Studies of Armenian National Academy of Sciences Ruben Safrastyan says it’s a method of encouraging Azerbaijan to continue fighting, Safrastyan told ARMENPRESS.

‘’In fact, Azerbaijan is using its last reserves, the army of which is receiving serious blows, particularly during the last days. Virtually, by that Turkey tries to encourage Azerbaijan to continue fighting. I am confident that if there was not the Turkish factor, Azerbaijan would embrace ceasefire long ago and would start negotiations. I had predicted long ago that Turkey is ready to send troops to Azerbaijan, because if Turkey does not want to see Azerbaijan totally crushed, it has to send its troops. Turkey has involvement right now, but sending troops is the last thing Turkey can do to be involved in the war’’, Safrastyan said.

According to him, one can ask what will be the reaction of Russia and Turkey’s NATO allies to such a development.

‘’Russia can take tougher measures, using all its opportunities. I think this possible development will deserve the very negative attitude of its NATO allies. If Turkey sees that Azerbaijan is losing, no other option will remain for Turkey. Will they allow Azerbaijan to lose? I think we should take this announcement serious’’, the turkologist said.

According to Ruben Safrastyan, Turkey can stand back from the idea of sending troops to Azerbaijan only in case of very powerful pressures from Russia, the USA and its NATO allies.

Azerbaijan unleashed full-fledged war against Artsakh on September 27. It’s directly supported by Turkey, which has sent thousands of Syrian and Libyan terrorists to the conflict zone to fight against Armenians. Turkey also has F-16 fighter jets in Azerbaijan, which Turkey and Azerbaijan denied for a long time, but later Azerbaijani president Aliyev admitted it, saying that they are on the ground and do not participate in any military operation.

The Armenian side has provided proofs that a Turkish F-16 fighter jet downed an Armenian SU-25 jet in the Armenian air space on September 29.

 

 

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Azeri media blackout unable to contain growing military casualties as KIAs reach 10,000

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16:58, 22 October, 2020

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 22, ARMENPRESS. According to unofficial sources up to 10,000 Azerbaijani troops have been killed and many more were wounded in action in the ongoing Azeri attack on Artsakh since September 27.

The Armenian Defense Ministry released a video on how the Azerbaijani citizens are trying to find any information about their casualties online, in conditions of a media blackout imposed by Baku.

“Although Azerbaijan has imposed a state-level restriction on information about their losses, the number of military casualties is so high that attempting to contain this information is becoming impossible. Various platforms are being opened online where Azerbaijani individuals are trying to find any information about the fatalities and publish them. Unofficial sources say that the Azerbaijani army could have up to 10,000 victims so far, while the number of wounded troops is far greater,” the Defense Ministry’s video said.

In one of these platforms, military pilots comprise a rather large number (several dozen) in the list of Azeri casualties, which confirms the Artsakh’s claims on shooting down a large number of Azeri warplanes and gunships.

“Photos of killed special operations force troopers comprises a huge number, which is also substantiated because during offensive operations the Azerbaijani army command is deploying these very units on the frontline with the simple reason that most probably it doesn’t trust the capabilities of the ordinary infantry. Commanders also comprise a great number in the lists, given the fact that as result of the Artsakh Defense Army’s countermeasures entire Azeri units were eliminated, and the presence of large number of commanders in the list of casualties was more than expected,” the defense ministry said.

According to the Defense Ministry, the existence of such platforms online once again shows the growing discontent among the Azerbaijani public regarding their military losses and Baku’s attempt to conceal it.

The photos of the Azeri servicemen who died includes photos of the very servicemen who were filming videos and sharing them online from territories which they were describing as “captured”.

The Armenian Defense Ministry again noted that the Azeri leadership is displaying total disregard for their own troops and isn’t attempting to retrieve the bodies of their killed soldiers from the battlefield – “which is the best method to conceal the great number of losses, as well as the presence of Turkish troops and Syrian terrorists among them.”

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

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NK conflict has one solution – international recognition of Artsakh: former UN independent expert

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16:24, 22 October, 2020

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 22, ARMENPRESS. Former UN Independent Expert Alfred de Zayas is confident that the Nagorno Karabakh conflict has only one solution – the international recognition of the independence of Artsakh.

“The tragedy of Nagorno Karabakh has only one solution: the international recognition of the independence of Artsakh – same as the international recognition of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Kosovo”, Alfred de Zayas said on Twitter.

Editing by Aneta Harutyunyan

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Viasat Inc. vows to suspend drone tech supply to Turkey amid Bayraktar bombings of Artsakh civilians

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14:50, 22 October, 2020

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 22, ARMENPRESS. Viasat, Inc. has vowed that it is halting the supplies of its technologies to Turkey which is using them in manufacturing the Bayraktar combat drones that are used extensively by the Azeri armed forces and jihadist mercenaries from terror groups in the attacks on civilians in Artsakh.

Armenian-Americans were holding a protest outside the American company’s headquarters in California and were granted audience with Ken Peterman, President, Government Systems at Viasat Inc.

After the meeting with Peterman, one of the demonstrators, Kristine Halajian, said that the Viasat Inc. executive was unaware that their product is being used by terrorists. Halajian said that Peterman has announced that Viasat Inc. is suspending supplies to Turkey and that it will demand explanations from the federal government of the United States.

“They will no longer get our product, and I am very thankful for these peaceful protests so that the terrorism stops,” the Viasat Inc. representative told the demonstrator.

Viasat Inc. is expected to issue an official statement over its suspension of supplies to Turkey soon.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

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Azerbaijani military shells Iranian civilian homes at border towns

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13:51, 22 October, 2020

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 22, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani military has opened fire at civilian homes in border towns of Iran, Azariha channel reported posting videos showing the destroyed buildings.

“Houses in Iran’s border settlements are destroyed due to Baku’s actions, due to the deployment of their forces at the border with Iran. Instead of deploying their positions to the north-south, the Baku forces are deployed in the east-west,” the Iranian channel said, noting that in addition the Azeri forces are also sending military drones into Iranian airspace, and have deployed “takfir” terrorists at the Iranian border.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

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Catalonia Parliament adopts resolution condemning Azerbaijani targeting of civilian population

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14:20, 22 October, 2020

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 22, ARMENPRESS. The Parliament of Catalonia adopted a statement on October 21, calling for stop to the military operations in Nagorno Karabakh, condemning the attacks by the Azerbaijani armed forces on the civilian population and supporting the constructive talks between the sides aimed at the peaceful settlement of the conflict which should be based on the expression of will of the majority of the people of Nagorno Karabakh, the Armenian Embassy in Spain said.

On September 27 Azerbaijan, with the support of Turkey, launched a massive attack against the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh), by using all its ammunition, targeting also the civilian infrastructures both in Artsakh and Armenia. There are confirmed reports that there are mercenaries in the Azerbaijani army brought from Syria by Turkey for fighting against the Armenian side.

On October 10 an agreement has been reached in Moscow between the Russian, Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers on cessation of hostilities in the NK conflict zone for humanitarian purposes. However, minutes after the agreement entered into force Azerbaijan again launched attacks against Artsakh and till now continues violating the humanitarian truce.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

[Yervant1]

Zatulin not ruling out Russian landing operation in Armenia

October 22, 2020 - 14:53 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots Konstantin Zatulin has said that one of the ways that Russia might react to the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh could be a landing operation in Armenia.

According to the lawmaker, peace in the region was breached by Azerbaijan and Turkey, so they should be reminded "which country remains the leader in the post-Soviet space." At the same time, he admitted he was not sure how exactly Moscow should act, but he named the landing operation among the possible options, RIA Novosti reports.

"In the form of demonstratively strengthening the military potential of Armenia. In the form of appealing to the CSTO because of the need to take measures to protect the Armenian – not Nagorno-Karabakh – but the Armenian territory through a landing operation. By breaking the air blockade," Zatuling said, adding that any such measure is a forced decision.

“We are talking about the spread of militants across the Caucasus, which could harm Russia, Georgia and everyone else. There is a threat to large masses of the Armenian population, amid the historic memory of Genocide perpetrated in the area. We must take action."

Russian Senator Alexey Pushkov said, meanwhile, that if Turkey sends troops to Azerbaijan, the Karabakh conflict will only intensify, and a peaceful scenario will be ruled out.

Pushkov's comments came after Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said on Wednesday, October 21 that Ankara will not hesitate to send soldiers and provide military support for Azerbaijan if such a request is made by Baku.

Azerbaijan, with help from Turkey and Syrian and Libyan mercenaries deployed by Ankara, started a war against Karabakh (Artsakh) in the morning of September 27. The Armenian side has reported deaths and injuries both among the civilian population and the military. Foreign and local journalists too have been injured in Azeri shelling of towns and villages.

[Yervant1]

[Yervant1]

CIVILNET.AM:

October 22, 2020 13:29:

President of the Artsakh Republic Arayik Harutyunyan writes on his Facebook page ․

"Dear compatriots!

Every time I return from the front line with new and updated strength. The fighting spirit and mood of our boys only inspires great confidence in victory. The close cooperation of the professional military, conscripts, the world army and the ability to act correctly side by side are expressed every day with new feats.

And today it is very possible that their enthusiasm and determination become contagious to those behind them. "We can all realize the collective desire to fight effectively against the enemy, to achieve victory, thanks to our unconditional faith in our forces and joint efforts," Harutyunyan wrote.

https://www.civilnet.am/news/2020/10/22/%D4%B1%D5%B4%D5%A5%D5%B6-%D5%A1%D5%B6%D5%A3%D5% A1% D5% B4-% D5% A1% D5% BC% D5% A1% D5% BB% D5% B6% D5% A1% D5% A3% D5% AE% D5% AB% D6% 81-% D5% BE% D5% A5% D6% 80% D5% A1% D5% A4% D5% A1% D5% BC% D5% B6% D5% B8% D6% 82% D5% B4-% D5% A5% D5% B4 -% D5% B6% D5% B8% D6% 80-% D5% B8% D6% 82-% D5% A9% D5% A1% D6% 80% D5% B4% D5% A1% D6% 81% D5% BE% D5% A1% D5% AE-% D5% B8% D6% 82% D5% AA% D5% A5% D6% 80% D5% B8% D5% BE% E2% 80% A4-% D4% B1% D6% 80% D5% A1% D5% B5% D5% AB% D5% AF-% D5% 80% D5% A1% D6% 80% D5% B8% D6% 82% D5% A9% D5% B5% D5 % B8% D6% 82% D5% B6% D5% B5% D5% A1% D5% B6 / 403423

[Yervant1]

CIVILNET.AM

22 հոկտեմբեր, 2020 13:20

State Duma deputy Vitaly Milonov accused Turkey and ISIS1 of aggression in Nagorno-Karabakh. Milonov recently visited Nagorno-Karabakh and is sure that the Turkish armed forces, as well as ISIS fighters trained in Syria, are illegally participating in the hostilities on the side of Azerbaijan, riafan.ru writes .

When asked by the FAN news agency whether he admits the possibility of the fall of this republic, Milonov replied: “If we talk about the balance of forces, Karabakh, with the support of volunteers from Armenia, is opposing the most powerful military state in the region - Turkey. To think differently is to indulge in illusions.
It is clear that the Azerbaijani propagandists will tell you that Azerbaijan "takes back its lands", but in fact the Azerbaijanis are not fighting there. Turkey is at war there. The main strike forces are Turkey and ISIS fighters. "

He also added: “That is, for the first time in many years after the end of the anti-terrorist operation on the territory of the Chechen Republic, the elimination of Khattab and his associates, we again see ISIS militants in the post-Soviet space. Only already more trained, more experienced, trained in camps in Syria with Turkish, American and other instructors, I don't know who trained them there. These militants are an absolutely combat-ready army that is being deployed from Syria on Turkish planes to the territory controlled by Baku. It is the ISIS militants who are fighting in Karabakh on the side of Azerbaijan.

Therefore, the situation is very alarming: the poor residents of Karabakh are now faced with the fact that the huge military-technical power of Turkey and international and terrorist organizations has fallen on them. The defenders of Karabakh are being shot from combat Turkish drones, Turkish and Israeli weapons are being used there. Although I find it strange that Israel, a country that remembers the Holocaust, is in fact participating in a new genocide. "

According to Milonov, in order to change the situation, first it is necessary to clear the sky - to provide a no-fly zone over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.

“If this is done, the war will end immediately. Without Turkish drones, the Azerbaijani army will immediately lose any offensive initiative, the war will drown, and it will be possible to start a diplomatic, not a military solution to the conflict, ”the MP said.

https://www.civilnet.am/news/2020/10/22/%D0%9C%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2-%D0% 91% D0% B5% D0% B7-% D1% 82% D1% 83% D1% 80% D0% B5% D1% 86% D0% BA% D0% B8% D1% 85-% D0% B1% D0% B5% D1% 81% D0% BF% D0% B8% D0% BB% D0% BE% D1% 82% D0% BD% D0% B8% D0% BA% D0% BE% D0% B2-% D0% B0 % D0% B7% D0% B5% D1% 80% D0% B1% D0% B0% D0% B9% D0% B4% D0% B6% D0% B0% D0% BD% D1% 81% D0% BA% D0 % B0% D1% 8F-% D0% B0% D1% 80% D0% BC% D0% B8% D1% 8F-% D0% BD% D0% B5% D0% BC% D0% B5% D0% B4% D0 % BB% D0% B5% D0% BD% D0% BD% D0% BE-% D1% 83% D1% 82% D1% 80% D0% B0% D1% 82% D0% B8% D1% 82-% D0 % BB% D1% 8E% D0% B1% D1% 83% D1% 8E-% D0% BD% D0% B0% D1% 81% D1% 82% D1% 83% D0% BF% D0% B0% D1% 82% D0% B5% D0% BB% D1% 8C% D0% BD% D1% 83% D1% 8E-% D0% B8% D0% BD% D0% B8% D1% 86% D0% B8% D0% B0 % D1% 82% D0% B8% D0% B2% D1% 83-% D0% B2% D0% BE% D0% B9% D0% BD% D0% B0-% D0% B7% D0% B0% D1% 85 % D0% BB% D0% B5% D0% B1% D0% BD% D0% B5% D1% 82% D1% 81% D1% 8F / 403416

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CIVILNET.AM:

October 22, 2020 12:56 p.m.

The State Duma considers Russia's intervention in Nagorno Karabakh possible through a landing operation.

The first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots, MP Konstantin Zatulin, told the Russian National News Service that he was not sure how Moscow would act in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. This was reported by "Ria Novosti" news channel.

Zatulin noted that Azerbaijan and Turkey are the instigators of the escalation in the region, they need to be reminded who dominates the post-Soviet space.

Zatulin also referred to the possible ways of Russia's intervention.

"In the form of demonstrative strengthening of Armenia's military potential. "In the form of applying to the CSTO to defend the territories of Armenia and not Karabakh through airborne operations, in the form of air blockade," he said.

According to the MP, such use of force will be mandatory, as due to the aggravation of the situation the militants are spreading through the Caucasus, from which both Russia and Georgia suffer. He stressed that there is a threat to the Armenian population, which remembers the genocide in that region.

Konstantin Zatulin agrees with Nikol Pashinyan's words that the conflict has no diplomatic solution due to Azerbaijan's actions.

Lusine Vardanyan

https://www.civilnet.am/news/2020/10/22/%D5%8A%D5%A5%D5%BF%D5%A4%D5%B8%D6%82%D5%B4%D5%A1 % D5% B5% D5% B8% D6% 82% D5% B4-% D5% B0% D5% B6% D5% A1% D6% 80% D5% A1% D5% BE% D5% B8% D6% 80- % D5% A5% D5% B6-% D5% B0% D5% A1% D5% B4% D5% A1% D6% 80% D5% B8% D6% 82% D5% B4-% D5% 82% D5% A1 % D6% 80% D5% A1% D5% A2% D5% A1% D5% B2% D5% B8% D6% 82% D5% B4-% D5% 8C% D5% B8% D6% 82% D5% BD% D5% A1% D5% BD% D5% BF% D5% A1% D5% B6% D5% AB-% D5% A4% D5% A5% D5% BD% D5% A1% D5% B6% D5% BF% D5 % A1% D5% B5% D5% AB% D5% B6-% D5% A3% D5% B8% D6% 80% D5% AE% D5% B8% D5% B2% D5% B8% D6% 82% D5% A9% D5% B5% D5% B8% D6% 82% D5% B6% D5% A8 / 403411

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Azerbaijani war prisoner says Azerbaijani military officials make no independent decisions

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19:15, 22 October, 2020

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 22, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijani war prisoner Emin Beşkalin Zahir oglu receiving medical treatment in one of the hospitals of Artsakh provided details of how military specialists from Turkey control the Azerbaijani aggression against Artsakh. ARMENPRESS reports photographer Davit Ghahramanyan released a footage, where the Azerbaijani war prisoner tells that 3 officers had come with them for holding training, who had said that they are from Turkey.

‘’It was obvious from the style they talked and the military uniform. The trainings were mainly conducted according to the program prepared by them, which lasted 10-15 days. They are still in our command centers and without their instructions our commanders make no independent decisions’’, the Azerbaijani war prisoner told.

He also added that his health condition is normal, the doctors are treating the wound and putting on a new bandage.

 

Video Player

[Yervant1]

Tehran Times, Iran

Oct 22 2020

Armenia PM says welcomes any Iranian initiative to end Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

TEHRAN - Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has welcomed any Iranian initiative to help end the ongoing war between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The prime minister’s remarks came nearly two weeks after Iran announced that it has prepared an initiative to help resolve the conflict over the disputed region.

In an exclusive interview with Iran Daily, Pashinyan said Iran, as an important country in the region, can play a key role in stopping the conflict between Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan.

“This role can now be concentrated on ending military operations,” said Pashinyan, adding that Armenia “welcomes any constructive step by Iran to bring peace and tranquility to the region”.

He also expressed regret over the rockets and mortar shells that have landed inside Iran’s territory over the past weeks, saying they were not fired by Armenia.

“I can give assurances that the Armenian side is doing its utmost so that no harm is inflicted on its friendly country Iran,” the prime minister said.

However, Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Iran, Bunyad Huseynov, accused Armenia of firing on the Iranian borders. He said he fully understands Iran’s concerns about the projectiles that have landed inside Iran.

“The target of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan is located on the right and front side. The mortars that hit the Islamic Republic of Iran came from the left side or from behind the armed forces of Azerbaijan. It was the Armenians who did that,” Huseynov pointed out in an interview with Iran Daily.

Prime Minister Pashinyan accused Turkey of “transferring terrorist mercenaries” from Syria to Nagorno-Karabakh to fight for Azerbaijan. “This has been internationally proven,” he said.

According to the Armenian prime minister, there are “many documents” that indicate militants from Syria are being deployed to the conflict zone to fight for Azerbaijan.

Pashinyan said these militants pose a “grave threat to the region,” calling on regional countries “to deal with this issue more seriously.”

He also accused Turkey of “trying to constantly to prevent a cease-fire,” saying that Turkey’s push to expand its influence in Nagorno-Karabakh will have a direct impact on all countries.

“Turkey has extensive goals… Turkey seeks to secure its presence in the South Caucasus region to revive an empire through which Turkey wants to expand its influence to the east, north, south, and southeast of Nagorno-Karabakh,” Pashinyan asserted.

He also stated that Azerbaijan is “extensively using Israeli drones” in its military operations in Nagorno-Karabakh, which “proves the foreign powers' intervention” in the region through various ways.

PA/PA

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/453838/Armenia-PM-says-welcomes-any-Iranian-initiative-to-end-Nagorno-Karabakh

[Yervant1]

Public Radio of Armenia

Oct 22 2020

Putin: Karabakh conflict started with brutal crimes against Armenian people

Karabakh conflict started with brutal crimes against Armenian people, Russian President Vladimir Putin told in “Valday” Discussion Club.

“This conflict started not as an interstate conflict or a struggle for territories, but as an ethnic confrontation. “Unfortunately, this is a fact when cruel crimes were committed against the Armenian people in Sumgait and then in Nagorno Karabakh”, the Russian president.

No one is more interested in the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, than the Russian Federation, Putin noticed.

“This is a special situation for us. The group was formed in 1992, co-chaired by Russia, France and the United States. We have the responsibility to organize the negotiation process. I am 100% sure that all the participants in the process sincerely strive for the situation to be resolved”, he added.

Putin also noted that their approaches to the situation in Nagorno Karabakh do not coincide with Turkey. The Russian President stressed that if the 30-year-old talks on Nagorno Karabakh have not been successful, it does not mean that they should start firing.

Russia’s positions on the Karabakh conflict don’t coincide with those of Turkey, Putin said.

https://en.armradio.am/2020/10/22/putin-karabakh-conflict-started-with-brutal-crimes-against-armenian-people/?fbclid=IwAR0O2Xx9UoWbL2X9qKXZtOMunMVy0vLT7026tpArEK8fJ_j1Ug9d89B_kUU

[Yervant1]

What an oxymoron, have sympathy and then help someone to kill you!

Asia Times

Oct 14 2020

Israel to maintain Azeri edge in Karabakh war

Jerusalem may be sympathetic to Armenia but it will continue to provide weaponry to rival Azerbaijan

By SHAIEL BEN-EPHRAIMOCTOBER 14, 2020

Israel, despite sympathy for the Armenian people at a civic level, is committed to maintaining pivotal support for its ally Azerbaijan in the war for Nagorno Karabakh.

“Azerbaijan would not be able to continue its operation at this intensity without our support,” a senior source in the Israeli Ministry of Defense told Asia Times on condition of anonymity. The ministry is responsible for all official Israeli arms sales.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Israel provided nearly two-thirds (61%) of all arms imports to Baku over the past year, which have had a significant influence on how the current hostilities are being fought.

One of the most significant systems Israel has provided the Azeris is the IAI Harop. This is a loitering munition, referred to in popular parlance as a “suicide drone”, as it self-destructs upon hitting the target. It is a sophisticated weapon, easily able to overcome any systems possessed by the Armenians and allowed the Azerbaijani military to hit targets at will.

Israel has also provided its M095 DPICM cluster munitions to Baku. Amnesty International on October 5 accused the Azerbaijani government of dropping the weapons on civilians areas in Nagorno Karabakh. Cluster munitions were declared illegal by the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which came into effect in 2008.

None of the relevant parties – Armenia, Azerbaijan and Israel – are signatories to the convention. Officials in Israel do not deny their strategic relationship with Baku.

“The State of Israel has longstanding relations with Azerbaijan,” President Reuven Rivlin said. However, he insisted that “the cooperation between the two countries is not aimed against any side.”

The latter statement is certainly not true. while Israel may not specifically want this war to continue, the military technology it provides has been pivotal.

Moreover, the intensification of hostilities has not slowed Israeli arms sales to Baku. On the contrary, reports have flagged a significant airlift of arms and supplies from Israel to Azerbaijan over the two-and-a-half week conflict.

The senior Defense Ministry source confirmed the continuous airlifts, probably the most extensive aerial resupply Israel has executed.

The Azerbaijani government meanwhile has made its support for Israel very public.

Azerbaijani Ambassador to the United States Elin Suleymanov sought to depict Armenia as a common threat during a recent webinar with the Jewish Institute for National Security Studies of America.

“Armenians don’t have precision weapons. If you see the way they shoot, it’s either 1940s Soviet military, or 1960s Middle Eastern terrorists,” Suleymanov said. “They just shoot in the direction of civilians hoping that there will be a response, pretty much the same tactic that is used against Israel.”

The publicity is designed to foster greater US support for the cause. The Trump administration, a dogged enemy of Tehran itself, has been in lockstep with Israel in its anti-Iran policies. Baku has jumped on the bandwagon.

Israeli support for Azerbaijan has meanwhile had a detrimental effect on its relations with Yerevan.

The Armenian and Nagorno Karabakh flags sway in the wind in the old city of Jerusalem’s Armenian quarter on October 7, 2020, as a display of support with the conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Photo: Menahem Kahana/AFP

Armenia recalls ambassador

The Armenian government had only just overcome the Israeli refusal to recognize the Armenian Genocide and its long-standing military support for Azerbaijan when it opened an embassy in Israel in September.

Weeks later, angered over the extensive use of Israeli arms against Armenian targets in Karabakh, Armenia recalled its ambassador.

Why is Israel so invested in Azerbaijan, that it is willing to damage relations with Armenia?

Israel has never taken an official position on the dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh. The mountainous territory is located within Azerbaijan’s UN-recognized borders, but Armenians, the historic majority, seized autonomy during the breakup of the Soviet Union and it has functioned as an Armenia-backed republic for nearly three decades.

Israel has long had an emotional connection with the Armenian people, forged through common suffering. The Armenian quarter in Jerusalem is home to one of the oldest Armenian communities on earth.

The two nations also have well-developed trade relations, which are of particular importance for Yerevan. Armenia receives 4.8% of its imports from Israel, while Israel receives 7.1% of its exports.

The strongest ties that bind Armenia with the Jewish state relate to the Armenian Genocide. These atrocities took place in the 1915-1923 period when roughly 1.5 million ethnic Armenians were systematically slaughtered by the Ottoman Empire.

During World War II, Nazi Germany would commit genocide against the Jewish people, killing approximately 6 million Jews. For both nations, these traumatic events are considered a defining part of the national identity.

Most Jews identify with the harrowing events of the Armenian genocide. But the Israeli government has avoided doing so for geopolitical reasons. In the past, it rejected this step to safeguard the geopolitical partnership it once shared with Turkey, which continues to deny the atrocities it committed.

Israel has a much firmer strategic relationship with Azerbaijan. Despite being a Muslim majority nation, the Azeris were quick to recognize Israel after independence. They have since looked to the Jewish state for military and logistical support.

The main goal of Israeli policy in recent years has been the need to isolate and contain Iranian regional influence. Azerbaijan borders Iran and, according to leaks, has permitted Israel to use its airfields to strike nuclear targets in the Islamic Republic.

In addition, Israeli intelligence has reportedly utilized Azerbaijani infrastructure to create listening posts and gather critical Iranian security information. These actions place Baku at great risk of Iranian retaliation. On Tuesday, Iran said its forces had shot down an Israeli-made drone that veered from the fighting in Karabakh on its territory.

Israel sells the Azerbaijanis arms both to reward it for the risks it takes on its behalf and to help defend the country against Iran.

Not all Israelis are happy with this policy, however.

Relatives with the coffin of soldier Abraham Sargyan, who was killed in the fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the breakaway region of Nagorno Karabakh. Photo: Karen Minasayan/AFP

Fuel to the flame

A recent petition considered by the Supreme Court in Jerusalem reflects this. Zionist activist Elie Joseph charged that Azerbaijan was committing war crimes in Armenia using Israeli arms, and said he wished his country would cease all arms sales to Baku. Some of the more disturbing images to emerge from the Karabakh battlefield have been aerial videos showing the drone killings of groups of Armenian soldiers from the air.

The court did not debate the petition, however, determining there was not enough corroborating evidence to support the charges that Azerbaijani actions amounted to war crimes.

Joseph is an eccentric Zionist activist, who has gone on several hunger strikes to support causes as varied as the release of Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard to the cessation of violence in the evacuation of settlements in the occupied territories, and Russian assistance to Iran. Therefore, no one was surprised when he announced a hunger strike on this issue as well.

Although an extreme case, his support for Armenia most likely reflects the vague opinion of most Israelis. According to a poll conducted in 2015, a larger portion of Israelis is aware of the Armenian genocide (88%), which is one of the highest in the world. In a poll conducted in 2007, an absolute majority of 82.5% agreed with the idea that Jewish people, who carry the historical memory of the Holocaust, have no right to deny the tragedies of other nations.

For these reasons, many notable Israelis have supported recognition of the genocide, despite the geopolitical repercussions. President Rivlin was a notable supporter of recognition in the past when he held a seat in Knesset. So are many other notable politicians in the ruling Likud party and elsewhere.

On August 1, 2016, the Knesset Committee on Education, Culture, and Sports recognized the Armenian Genocide. However, the Netanyahu government stopped a bill from going through to a vote.

The left-wing liberal Meretz party is now a notable supporter of Armenian causes. It has always supported recognition of the Genocide and now opposes arms sales to Azerbaijan. The head of the party, Nitzan Horowitz, wrote to Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Saturday, that “providing weapons at this time adds fuel to the flame… we must prevent the eventuality that this bleeding war will be exacerbated through Israeli arms.”

Yet between the ongoing demonstrations against Netanyahu and the massive closure of the entire economy for the second time since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, most Israeli citizens do not have a strong opinion on a region they likely could not identify on the map. Moreover, Azerbaijan has a good reputation as an Israeli ally in policy-informed circles.

All this means that despite sympathy for Armenia in Israel, it will continue to conduct its policy in the Caucasus firmly along realpolitik lines. The Israeli attitude has always been, that as a nation encircled by enemies, it will take its friends where it can get them. As long as Azerbaijan is useful to Israel in its struggle against Iran, it will continue to support Baku materially.

https://asiatimes.com/2020/10/israel-to-maintain-azeri-edge-in-karabakh-war/?fbclid=IwAR0Wnba6AYggJkNDO4C9aii1uXfKkqZfTr7gl_VCMIb_6JuymOB4P7bSo0s

 

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Sydney Morning Herald, Australia

Oct 22 2020

'Take up arms': Armenia gives up on diplomacy

By Avet Demourian

October 22, 2020 — 4.00pm

Yerevan, Armenia: Armenia's Prime Minister says Azerbaijan's aggressive stance in the 25-day fight over Nagorno-Karabakh leaves no room for diplomacy, and is urging citizens to sign up as military volunteers to protect their country.

In a live video address on Facebook, Nikol Pashinian said all Armenians must “take up arms and defend the Motherland” and urged local mayors to organise volunteer units. He charged that Azerbaijan's uncompromising posture has shattered hopes for a political settlement.

“There is no way now to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh issue through diplomacy,” Pashinian said. “In this situation, we may consider all hopes, proposals and ideas about the need to find a diplomatic settlement effectively terminated.”

On Friday, Armenia and Azerbaijan's foreign ministers are due to meet the US Secretary of State in Washington. On Wednesday they held separate talks with Russia's foreign minister.

Nagorno-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan but has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces since a war there ended in 1994. The current fighting that started on September 27 marks the biggest escalation in the conflict since the war's end.

Two Russia-brokered ceasefires frayed immediately after entering force, and the warring parties have continued to trade blows with heavy artillery, rockets and drones.

According to Nagorno-Karabakh officials, 834 of their troops and more than 30 civilians have been killed. Azerbaijan hasn’t disclosed its military losses, but says 63 civilians have died and 292 have been wounded.

Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev said to end hostilities Armenian forces must withdraw from the disputed region. He has insisted that Azerbaijan has the right to reclaim its territory by force after nearly three decades of international mediation yielded no progress.

Aliyev's foreign policy adviser, Hikmat Hajiyev, charged that Pashinian’s statement reflected the lack of Armenia’s interest in a diplomatic settlement and showed disrespect to efforts taken by international mediators.

Russia, the US and France co-chair the so-called Minsk Group, set up by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe in the 1990s to mediate the conflict.

Pashinian charged in the video address that Azerbaijan's stance effectively amounted to the demand that the Nagorno-Karabakh region surrenders.

“There is no Armenia without Nagorno-Karabakh,” Pashinian said. “Defending Nagorno-Karabakh means defending the Armenian people’s rights.”

The Armenian leader accused Azerbaijan's ally Turkey of fuelling the latest escalation of hostilities and blocking any attempt at a ceasefire.

“Ankara has conducted the policy of the restoration of an empire and sought to expand its influence,” he said. “Turkey is trying to prevent a truce because it has ambitious goals in the region.”

NATO's member Turkey has strongly defended its ally's right to reclaim its lands by force, and jockeyed for a higher-profile diplomatic role in the conflict. Strike drones and long-range rocket systems supplied by Turkey in previous years have given the Azerbaijani military an edge on the battlefield.

Armenian President Armen Sarkissian also took aim at Turkey during a visit to Brussels on Wednesday, accusing the neighbouring country of deploying militants from Syria to the conflict area.

The Turkish government has previously denied that allegation, but a Syrian war monitor and Syria-based opposition activists have confirmed that Turkey sent hundreds of Syrian opposition fighters to fight in Nagorno-Karabakh.

On Wednesday, Turkish Vice-President Fuat Okaty said his country would not hesitate to send soldiers and provide military support for Azerbaijan if such a request was made by Baku, Reuters reported.

Sarkissian said that if Ankara starts to play a more positive role, “I do believe that we will reach a ceasefire there, and hopefully after that, we can go back to the negotiations."

Appearing alongside Sarkissian, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the military alliance was "deeply concerned by ongoing violations of the ceasefire, which have caused tragic loss of life."

Russia, which has a military base in Armenia and a security pact obliging Moscow to protect its ally, has walked a thin line, trying to also maintain good ties with Azerbaijan and avoid a spat with Turkey.

After two failed attempts to broker a truce, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov hosted his counterparts from Armenia and Azerbaijan for another round of separate talks on Wednesday. The Russian Foreign Ministry said the talks focused on “urgent issues related to the previously reached cease-fire agreements.”

AP

https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/take-up-arms-armenia-gives-up-on-diplomacy-20201022-p567ir.html?fbclid=IwAR0CFLkN5MY4GEvoc8w9OiR-6rvb5N0BVDFcwi7JDq1M78mAIKPFrnXeGAM

[Yervant1]

Fox 11

Oct 22 2020

On the frontlines: British journalist, filmmaker documents war in Artsakh

By Araksya Karapetyan

Ghessen plans to make a documentary and was given a limited pass, and once that pass expired he had to leave. His wish is to be embedded in Artsakh for a month at least.

He wants to spend more time on the frontline with the soldiers to tell their stories and says he now needs funding to make that documentary.

Ghessen has also been documenting stories on his Instagram.

“Currently on the frontline-- as you see here, the trenches again are very much like when I was in Ukraine. The positions of the guys here. The drones are watching them. You can hear the shelling coming in”.

Ghessen is a former UK Marine who served in Afghanistan and Iraq. Now he’s a documentarian, a war correspondent and a storyteller.

“In Stepanakert, there’s a siren. If the anti-aircraft picks up a missile or a drone, the siren would go off. So in theory, you could go out and about during the day, and if you hear a siren you go in.”

He’s seen war before, but he says this war is different.

“This is his first conventional war. Syria and Iraq were unconventional wars. Dynamics are different. You’re fighting country against country,” Ghessen stated.

“It’s not like me when I was in the military going to Afghanistan. We all volunteered to fight in another land. The people here are fighting for what they believe is their homeland, their own soil that their fathers and forefathers have lived and bled over. So it is very personal this war.”

What is also different is how this war is being fought.

“Azerbaijan using Turkish and Israeli drones is a game-changer. It is a massive game-changer. A psychological warfare used by the drone is the sense that all they need to do is fly the drone over once, twice, drop a few bombs, and the sound of the drone in the area just scares people. People just run for cover. So they are controlling and dominating people by a sound because they know it relates to dropping a bomb,” he described.

“One of the drones they have is a Kamikaze drone, it’s a drone that is actually a rocket. So it’ll fly around, look for its target, and once it’s located its target for a user miles away, it’ll nose dive like a Japanese Kamikaze.”

He says the drones being used have definitely changed warfare.

RELATED: Continuing coverage of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan

“I remember I was in the shower earlier, and heard a weird noise, I was like, a drone, in the city now, in Yerevan? And even me just being there, for eight days plays on your mind, so the civilians, so definitely, the drone has changed warfare.”

His stories on Instagram are getting a lot of attention. He’s showing his followers what it’s like on the frontlines. And he’s showing the human side of this story.

“It is quite emotional to see a grown man cry by putting their son in the ground, and watching this Armenian man kissing his son for the last time before the lid of the casket goes on and they put him into the ground. It was really moving.”

Ghessen says most of the women and children have fled Stepanakert, the capital of Artsakh. Those who have stayed behind are too sick or physically unable to travel.

"In the whole city, those were the only children I actually saw my whole time there. And the only reason they stayed behind is because their father is on the frontline and the mother is looking after her mother who is quite ill, she stayed to tend to her mother and her kids were there. It is heartbreaking to see these kids. You see one of the boys-- the kids are attractive kids-- they’ve got angelic faces and such. And it’s just, they’re just surrounded by war," Ghessen said.

Armenia is the first nation in the world to adopt Christianity as their religion. During the war a church and cultural center in Shushi were hit.

“The church in Shushi has been hit twice. I think it was about two weeks ago. It was struck on the side by a missile. And a lot of churchgoers and journalists went in, after two hours after it was hit, it was hit again in the same place. So me, knowing a bit about military stuff, that wasn’t a random attack. It was put in a plane or a rocket and hits the same hole, chances are it’s a planned-- targeted in my opinion.”

“Morale was high, especially among soldiers. Of course there’s people, the older generation that’s fed up, they’re tired, they’re scared, and they’re worried. They don’t know what’s going on, but the soldiers here are up for it.”

Locals tell him they are pinning their hope of salvation on Russia, because they say the rest of the world, including the United States, is being indifferent.

“That’s the thing with Azerbaijan and Turkey creating this war at the moment, the timing was perfect -- the world’s attention is elsewhere. You're consumed by COVID and U.S. elections. So if America, the most powerful country in the world, with the influence around the world is busy because there is an election coming up and COVID, they’re going to turn a blind eye. The media is not interested in what’s going on in a faraway land, in a place called Armenia and Azerbaijan where the majority of the people haven't heard of these countries or couldn’t even point it out on a map.”

Ghessen went on to say, “Turkey’s foreign policy has been getting more aggressive recently, with their intrusion into Syria, their funding and arming of Islamic State, also Free Syrian groups, their movement into Libya and now their movement into this region here. Very much people saying since the 2016 coup in Turkey, Erdogan is becoming more dominant with his foreign policy.”

His first documentary was about Kurdistan. He says he learned a lot.

Why didn’t he go to Baku, the Capital of Azerbaijan for this war? He says he didn’t have access to Baku and because of his history with Kurds it was safer for him to come to Armenia’s side.

“I don’t want to say this to be disrespectful to the Armenians, but they seem to be the underdog here. As one of the commanders was telling me Azerbaijan has loads of allies and we’re fighting alone here. Why are Armenians so alone in this battle, and what are they doing about it,” Ghessen exclaimed.

More photos at the link: https://www.foxla.com/news/on-the-frontlines-british-journalist-filmmaker-documents-war-in-artsakh.amp?fbclid=IwAR3m1g9vT6_pKB_ujYHh4Yz4904dTbkD14o946kw9ovFEKvrg5nFslUe9KM

[Yervant1]

Israel are you reading this?

 

Jewish News Syndicate

Oct 21 2020

JAMES SINKINSON

Time to crack down on Erdoğan’s Turkey, now more an opponent than an ally

Turkey’s president must be shown that he has more to lose than gain from his behavior.

(October 21, 2020 / FLAME) The Republic of Turkey used to be known as a bridge between East and West, a shining example of a Muslim-majority liberal democracy. It is a member of NATO, was considered a candidate for European Union membership and is an important partner because of its geostrategic location.

However, since the election of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as prime minister in 2003, Turkey has abandoned its secular democratic underpinnings and is now seen less as a solution in the region than as one of its most threatening problems, along with Iran.

The United States, the European Union and the West, in general, have been extremely patient with Erdoğan’s Turkey, despite the purging of its judiciary, media and military, long considered reliable barriers against creeping Islamism.

Nevertheless, Turkey’s recent actions demonstrate that it is no longer a friend or ally but is pursuing what a former senior member of Erdoğan’s inner circle called “neo-Ottomanism”—a return to its imperial and regional ambitions. These moves are sufficiently contrary to U.S. and Western security interests that it’s time to call Turkey to account.

Turkey’s political closeness to Russia is a major worry for NATO. Its decision to take delivery of next-generation Russian S-400 missile-defense systems is considered a slap in the face of NATO, especially when Western systems were on offer. Many warned against the purchase, saying the systems could gravely compromise NATO defenses by giving Russian technicians access to vital information on the latest American and European fighter aircraft.

Moreover, Turkey has pursued what Cyprus, an E.U. member, called “illegal expansionist plans” in the Eastern Mediterranean by continually attempting to drill for gas in waters where Cyprus has exclusive economic rights. On many occasions, these exploration vessels were accompanied by warships. Experts have called these activities “acts of piracy” and contrary to international law.

Having long illegally occupied the northern part of Cyprus and violently oppressed its own Kurdish population, Turkey has become increasingly involved in the Syrian civil war in recent years. It has long provided military and diplomatic support for Al-Qaeda affiliate the Nusra Front, which has caused untold atrocities and is considered a terrorist organization by many across the world. While ostensibly claiming it was conducting operations against Islamic State, the Turkish military has repeatedly entered and shelled parts of Syria controlled by Kurds, who fought against Syria’s Bashar Assad alongside Western forces. One U.S. senator on the Senate Armed Services Committee said last year that the Turkish offensive against Kurds in northern Syria is “on the cusp of genocide.”

Erdoğan has increasingly become open about his relations with terrorist organizations. He recently and publicly met with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri, both of whom have a $5 million bounty on their heads after being designated as terrorists by the United States.

“President Erdoğan’s continued outreach to this terrorist organization only serves to isolate Turkey from the international community, harms the interests of the Palestinian people, and undercuts global efforts to prevent terrorist attacks launched from Gaza,” the U.S. State Department said in a statement. This comes on the heels of reports that some of the 12 senior Hamas members who are located in Turkey have received Turkish citizenship.

In July, Erdoğan formally converted Istanbul’s iconic sixth-century Orthodox Christian cathedral Hagia Sophia into a mosque and declared the UNESCO world heritage site open to Muslim worship, hours after the Turkish high court annulled a 1934 decision that had turned it into a museum. This despite repeated calls from international officials and Christian leaders not to take this controversial and explosive step.

One of the most glaring examples of Turkey’s turn away from the West and its interests is in its rapidly deteriorating relationship with Israel, which used to be considered an axle of stability and security in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Over the years, Erdoğan and his supporters have engaged in anti-Semitic incitement, directly supported the IHH, a terrorist organization responsible for the violent flotillas to Gaza, and has attacked Israel in international forums. He has been branded an anti-Semite not infrequently by Israeli officials and organizations like the Simon Wiesenthal Center. Erdoğan recently claimed that Jerusalem “is our city” and said that the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque is a first step into “liberating” the al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Judaism’s holiest site.

These are just some of many examples of Turkey’s turn away from the West, and its place as a pillar of stability and security in the region. Some, like former U.S. President Barack Obama, believed Erdoğan was a loyal partner, regarding him as “a man of principle, and also a man of action.” However, even Obama was disillusioned with him by the end of his tenure.

However, few have attempted to exert pressure on Turkey to change direction. They have been worried that by pushing too hard, they will completely lose and alienate it. They are also worried about Turkey’s threat to allow for more Middle Eastern refugees to use it as a transit nation to gain access illegally to the European Union. This is a hollow threat because it has barely acted on this issue up until now, and if anything continues to allow access in the other direction, allowing terrorist sympathizers from Europe to use it as an access point to join with terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq.

Nevertheless, in recent years, Erdoğan’s Turkey has completely recalibrated its position vis-à-vis the West and even its former partners in the region.

Thus, it is incumbent on the United States, members of NATO and other interested nations to exert pressure economically, geostrategically and diplomatically, to convince Erdoğan that he has more to lose than gain from his behavior. They must show that they will not be bowed by threats from Turkey and its role in conflicts, such as in Libya, to gain leverage.

Turkey is vulnerable because of its dire economic situation. The European Union buys more than half of Turkey’s exports and owns more than two-thirds of its foreign direct investment. Late last year, President Trump signed an executive order sanctioning Turkish officials, hiking tariffs on Turkish steel up to 50 percent and “immediately” halting trade negotiations with the country. It now dangles the possibility of a free trade deal with Turkey.

Turkey’s allies, Russia, China and Iran, simply cannot compete with this reality, and Erdoğan knows it. That is why the European Union and the United States must condition their assistance, trade and alliance on Turkey’s changing its behavior. It has largely only seen the carrot—if it continues its misdeeds, Erdoğan must also feel the stick.

James Sinkinson is president of Facts and Logic About the Middle East (FLAME), which publishes educational messages to correct lies and misperceptions about Israel and its relationship to the United States.

https://www.jns.org/opinion/time-to-crack-down-on-erdogans-turkey-now-more-an-opponent-than-an-ally/?fbclid=IwAR02Zt82zUwYvpVIjLh9__aPzJJBVRF9wtYKBpYAKEEFfjPLBmL4x1lW7_M

 

 

[Yervant1]

EVN Report

Oct 22 2020

The Mixed Messaging of Ilham Aliyev



By Joe Nerssessian

“I want to say again that we must not take revenge on civilians. We are taking revenge on the battlefield.”

An encouraging wartime quote perhaps, yet, when you learn the source, one that cannot be taken at face value.

Ilham Aliyev included the message during a speech last week in which he simultaneously labelled Armenians “fascists” who will be forced from Artsakh “like dogs”.

And then in his latest speech to the nation on October 20 he said: “We will continue to expel these liars. They see who is who now. They see that we were teaching them a lesson they will never forget.”

The Armenophobic comments from Azerbaijani’s President are nothing new. He has long drummed up support among his population by promoting anti-Armenian thought and using dehumanizing language.

In 2012 he opted for “barbarians and vandals” while “rats” has been another preferred term.

The contradictions of the language he uses to speak to his people and those he uses when addressing the international community are stark. A man who considers Armenians vermin in one speech turns around and tells France 24: “We don’t have a problem with Armenian people” and invites them to live in Nagorno-Karabakh under his rule.

Under international law speech inciting hatred towards specific ethnic groups, especially when spoken by individuals holding office, is prohibited by a number of international instruments.

According to Article 7 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights “(a)ll are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination ... and against any incitement to such discrimination.”

And yet, under Aliyev, Armenophobia is crucial to Azerbaijani national identity, argues Dr Nerses Kopolyan: “Armenophobia is not simply an exercise in cultural, racial, and political chauvinism; it is also a necessary precondition of Azeri nationalism.”

How can an Armenian be expected to live in a country with an Azerbaijani leader who has conducted a near two-decade campaign to delegitimize their very existence? A leader who tells international press that “jobs will be created” for Armenians in an Azeri-run Artsakh, but honors and pardons a man who brutally murdered an Armenian soldier on a UN peacekeeping mission in Hungary.

The contradictory messaging is clear to Armenians, of course. Time and time again, he, and his colleagues in government, have used dehumanizing and Armenophobic language. But for neutral observers, who perhaps don’t feel the need to keep such a close eye on the speeches of the President of Azerbaijan, it may not be. Therefore we have compiled a list of Aliyev’s contradictory – and consistently brutal comments, including interviews with the international press and translated speeches made to his own country.

Addressing his nation on October 17, Aliyev said: “I also appealed to the Armenian people, and I am appealing to them again: Do not let your children go! What are they doing in our lands? Live in your own country. We have nothing to do with you. Go and live in your own country, do whatever you want but leave our lands.”

Yet in an interview with France 24, two weeks earlier, he said: “We don’t have a problem with Armenian people. And those who live in Nagorno-Karabakh area, we consider our citizens. And we invite them to live together with us.”

But in a speech to his own cabinet in April 2015, he was reported on his government’s official website as telling Armenians: “If you do not want to die, then get out of Azerbaijani lands. […] We must and we do wage a more active struggle with Armenia. We have isolated it from all international and regional projects.”

A 2012 speech also railed against Armenians, in which an excerpt later posted on his official Twitter account read: “Armenia is a country of no value. It is actually a colony, an outpost run from abroad… Evidence of this is the mass exodus of people from Armenia to other countries.”

On October 13 he told Haberturk TV channel that “The Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh should not worry. After we free them from the regime of this criminal junta, they will live in better, more reliable and secure conditions, and their well-being will increase, because currently in the area, poverty runs rampant”.

Just four days later, those Armenians he supposedly promised jobs to were “wild beasts” while on October 20 he vowed the “ugly and savage enemy” would be removed from Artsakh, adding: “We have shown them the place they deserve. We will drive them out of our lands! We will drive them out!”

He added: “They have neither conscience nor morality. They don’t even have the brain.”

On October 17 he said: “The remains of the city of Fuzuli are a manifestation of Armenian fascism and a witness to Armenian fascism. For 30 years, it was in the hands of wild beasts, in the hands of predators, in the hands of jackals. All the buildings have been demolished, our religious sites have been demolished, everything has been looted, the roofs of the houses, the windows, the belongings – everything. It was as if a wild tribe had taken over the city.”

He added: “If they do not leave our lands of their own free will, we will chase them away like dogs and we are doing that.”

Similar rhetoric came in August 2014 when discussing the city of Agdam. In a post on Twitter he said: “The Armenian barbarians and vandals have razed the city of Agdam to the ground.”

An October 9 speech from this year compared Armenians to vermin with Aliyev saying: “If we didn't put the aggressor in his place, he wouldn't be running to Moscow right now. He wouldn't give any territory now. We made them do it. They are sitting like rats, where is your anger, where is your pride, where is your heroism now?”

Note: While we have provided links to the source of President Ilham Aliyev’s speeches and interviews referenced, websites with the .az domain are currently inaccessible in Armenia without a VPN. If you click on a link and it doesn’t work, this will be why.

https://www.evnreport.com/politics/the-mixed-messaging-of-ilham-aliyev?fbclid=IwAR1ldgpbnNO0bV3QLTz99EotxTKftk_rraXeLgjCfOwrXdjyBtw8DMiBgdg

[Yervant1]

Bloomberg

Oct 22 2020

Israel Must Choose Better in Nagorno-Karabakh

Benjamin Netanyahu’s current policy of realpolitik risks putting the Jewish state on the wrong side of history.

By Zev Chafets

October 22, 2020, 10:00 AM GMT+3

Last Saturday, two rival ethnic groups staged a bloody brawl on the road between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Israel has had its share of political violence lately, but this was not a clash between Jews and Palestinian Arabs, or supporters and opponents of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It was a fight between Israeli Armenians and Azeris over Nagarno-Karabakh, a territory that Armenia and Azerbaijan are at war over.

Most people here have never heard of Nagarno-Karabakh and have no interest in who wins control of the long-disputed territory in the South Caucasus that sits within Azerbaijan but is Armenian populated and controlled. But a front of that distant war has now been opened here. It may -- and should -- force Israel to do make some difficult strategic and moral choices. And it could open some interesting opportunities.

For almost 30 years, Israel and Azerbaijan have been partners of convenience. Azerbaijan, a Shiite Muslim dictatorship, sells oil to the Jewish State, and buys advanced weapons. Armenia claims that these arms are being used by the Azeris to attack civilian targets in Nagarno-Karabakh.

Israel admits that this could be happening but says it can’t be held responsible for how the Azeris use the weapons they purchase. But it has an obligation under international law to halt further arms sales. This weak response reflects the fact that Israel gets more than oil from Azerbaijan. The country shares a border with Iran, Israel’s arch enemy. At the very least, that makes Baku an important source for intelligence gathering. There are also reports that it is a potential launching pad for the Israeli air force. That makes Azerbaijan a rare and valuable asset, one that Israel is not going to abandon.

Armenia has no such realpolitik value to Israel. But it has a powerful moral case that Israel cannot afford to ignore. Jews and Armenians are similar peoples. Both have reclaimed their sovereignty after centuries of diaspora and persecution. Both have restored their national independence. Armenia, like Israel two generations ago, is a nascent, struggling democracy.

The greatest similarity is, of course, the fact that Jews and Armenians were both victims of 20th century genocide. But instead of bringing them together, the mutual experience has become a point of contention. For decades, Israel has refused to officially recognize the Armenian genocide. Jerusalem is not willing to go beyond the euphemistic “mass killing” to describe Turkey’s systematic murder of more than 1.5 million Armenians in 1915.

Israel’s dissembling stems from its historic fear of offending Turkey, which adamantly denies it committed genocide. Going along with this fiction is a moral stain for Israel -- and an act of hostility towards Armenia.

Israel knows the power of victimization and has made the Holocaust a centerpiece of its diplomacy since 1948. The benefits are obvious. It has won Israel financial reparations from Germany and other European perpetrators, given Israel a freedom of action denied to other small countries and has been a moral trump card against Holocaust deniers like Iran and the Palestinians.

Israeli reticence to accord similar status to Armenia has led to chilly relations since the two countries recognized one another in 1991. But lately that seemed to be changing. Turkey is now blatantly antagonistic toward Israel. There is no reason for Jerusalem to continue to placate it.

In January, Armenian President Armen Sarkissian paid a historic visit to Israel. Nine months later, Armenia opened its first embassy in Tel Aviv. But the timing was terrible. Within two weeks, fighting in Nagarno--Karabakh erupted and the ambassador was recalled.

Arayik Harutyunyan, the de facto Armenian leader of Nagarno-Karabakh, put his own holocaust card on the table. He charged Israel with facilitating the Azeri murder of innocent civilians. “Of course [israel] knows and continues to supply these weapons anyway,” he told a press conference. “And the Israeli authorities, which themselves survived genocide, are also responsible for this genocide.”

What is taking place in Nagarno-Karabakh is not a genocide. Israel is not the only supplier of weapons to Azerbaijan. That list includes Russian and Turkey. Still, the accusation stung. If the Israeli government protested, it was in an inaudible whisper.

It is unrealistic to imagine that Israel will be shamed into harming its relations with Azerbaijan. But it can, and should, make weapons sales conditional on a promise from the regime in Baku that these weapons won’t be used against civilians. It's not exactly in Israel's interest either to have its weapons fall into the hands of Syrian and Libyan fighters being sent by Turkey to support the Azeri effort.

And Israel should turn this into an opportunity to officially and publicly recognize the Armenian genocide of 1915 and apologize for taking so long. If that antagonizes Turkey, which is now openly hostile toward both Armenia and Israel, so much the better. It would not take much pressure from Washington to encourage this course of action.

Israel and Armenia are natural allies. They understand one another’s predicament as small democracies in a sea of Islamic dictatorships. Israel might even play a role in facilitating a peace settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Even if that’s not possible, Israel can help Armenia leverage its own moral capital in the service of its national interests; and perhaps join together to combat genocide in other parts of the world.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-10-22/israel-must-choose-better-in-nagorno-karabakh?fbclid=IwAR12790pFXoDdtnWxDYC3gc_cTvQWGYaBK2PI5Uv5iSq6KnFgYhigwoeZXs

[Yervant1]

Where is the money? Who cares about innocent civilians, specially Armenian ones. It's disgusting! Israel shame on you!

Ha'aretz, Israel

Oct 22 2020

Is Israel’s Forbidden Cluster Bombs Affair Making Another Round in Armenia and Azerbaijan

Amnesty International claims that a cluster bomb made in Israel, apparently fired by Azerbaijan, has been found on the battlefields of Nagorno-Karabakh. In Israel, everyone is keeping mum

Yossi Melman

A few days after the start of the fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh, Amnesty International claimed that an Israeli-made cluster bomb had been found near the city of Stepanakert, the capital of the contested region. According to the claim, the bomb fell in a residential area after apparently being fired by Azerbaijani forces.

“The use of cluster bombs in any circumstances is banned under international humanitarian law, so their use to attack civilian areas is particularly dangerous and will only lead to further deaths and injuries,” said Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s acting chief for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

“Cluster bombs are inherently indiscriminate weapons, and their deployment in residential areas is absolutely appalling and unacceptable. As fighting continues to escalate, civilians must be protected, not deliberately targeted or recklessly endangered.”

My questions to the Defense Ministry, the Israel Defense Forces and the Foreign Ministry on whether – and if so, when – Israel supplied cluster bombs to Azerbaijan received a “no comment” across the board. Meanwhile, this week it was reported that Azerbaijan and Armenia had agreed on a cease-fire for the second time, after the one declared a week earlier collapsed quickly.

A cluster bomb is a kind of container holding a bundle of small bombs. The mother bomb explodes at a certain height and, over a wide area, scatters the smaller bombs, which explode a short time later. The munitions can be launched from cannons of various sizes, with diameters up to 155 mm, from launchers, helicopters and planes.

These bombs were first used during World War I but became infamous during the Vietnam War, when U.S. and South Vietnamese forces fired them from planes and cannons along with napalm and other chemical substances such as Agent Orange, against the Vietcong and North Vietnamese Army. There were many civilian victims.

After the Vietnam War, demands to impose restrictions on cluster bombs increased, but the efforts were fruitless. In 1999, U.S. and NATO forces used them during the war in Yugoslavia.

Israeli use

Israel used cluster bombs in the 1973 Yom Kippur War and in its 1978 invasion of Lebanon up to the Litani River and during the first Lebanon war in 1982. But it was especially criticized for its widespread use of the bombs during the 2006 Second Lebanon War, against the orders of then-IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz. This led to a condemnation by then-UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, and to tension in the United States, because the firing apparently violated the restrictions on using cluster bombs when the weapon was supplied in 1976.

Cluster bombs were discussed during the Winograd Committee’s investigation into the Second Lebanon War, but large sections of the deliberations and conclusions were censored so as not to embarrass Washington. In the sections approved for publication, the committee harshly criticized the use of cluster bombs in civilian areas.

It turned out that Halutz’s orders weren’t clear, so the Artillery Corps used the bombs against his intentions. A major general was appointed to investigate.

After the war there was once again a global effort to draw up an international convention against the use of cluster munitions. This came on top of the October 1980 UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, which discussed cluster bombs.

In December 2008, the Convention on Cluster Munitions was signed in Oslo. It prohibits the use, development, manufacture, storage and transfer of cluster bombs, which it defines as “a conventional ammunition that is designed to disperse or release explosive submunitions” from a container. Over 100 countries signed the accord, which went into effect in 2010. Next month, this convention’s Second Review Conference will be held in Geneva.

Israel refused to sign, though it expressed an awareness of the international concerns regarding this weapon, as it put it. Nearly two years before the convention went into effect, Israeli used cluster bombs in the 2008-09 Gaza war.

All diplomatic efforts to convince Israel to join the Convention on Cluster Munitions, at least as an observer, failed. Israel refuses to sign the accord, as well the convention prohibiting the use of land mines. That didn’t prevent Israel, with typical hypocrisy, from joining the 2018 UN condemnation of Syria for using cluster bombs.

Customers in the Caucasus

The two key players in Israel’s manufacture of cluster bombs were Israel Military Industries, which provided them to the IDF’s Armored Corps and Artillery Corps, and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, which provided them to the air force.

In the past Israel, often sold cluster munitions to other countries. According to various reports, these include the United States, Germany, India, Romania, Switzerland, Turkey, Britain, Austria, Denmark, Norway, Chile, Colombia and Venezuela.

But according to foreign reports, the largest market abroad for IMI cluster bombs was Azerbaijan, along with various cannons and rocket launchers, some of which weren’t even purchased by the IDF. Most if not all of these sales were made before the international convention went into effect. There have also been reports that Israel sold dual-purpose munitions components, which can also be used in cluster bombs, in a way that let Israel bypass the convention.

Amid the international pressure, especially the legal pressure, the air force decided in 2018 to consider destroying its inventory of cluster bombs. It invited bids for this purpose; the intention was to dismantle so-called CBU cluster bombs, the most common, at a base in the south.

Although two years have passed since the decision, the work has apparently yet to begin. Otherwise, there’s no explanation for the IDF and air force’s refusal to reply to simple questions: Which company won the bidding? Has it begun the work? And if so, how many bombs have been destroyed so far?

Elbit Systems, which acquired Israel Military Industries about two years ago, said: “In the wake of the acquisition of IMI in November 2018, Elbit has discontinued IMI activities related to cluster munitions.”

The owner of IMI until then was the Defense Ministry, which refused to discuss cluster bombs, including any link with Azerbaijan.

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems said: “As a rule, we do not discuss the details of transactions with customers due to contractual obligations. Regarding the issue at hand, Rafael does not deal with the subject and therefore does not sell systems of that kind.”

The Defense Ministry, as we have often seen, including in Israel’s submarine corruption affair, is run like a state within a state. Or to be more precise, it’s run as if it owned the state.

True to its aggressive habits, it’s loath to give explanations and refuses to answer questions it doesn’t like. It seems to have something to hide, especially when it comes to its overly intimate relationship with Azerbaijan.

On Wednesday, activist Eli Joseph, who takes part in efforts to ban weapons sales by Israel to dictatorial regimes, is expected to petition the High Court of Justice, demanding that Baku and Jerusalem’s military connections be revealed. Also, Joseph and his colleagues in the Jewish Heart organization will demonstrate in front of the Knesset against arms exports to Azerbaijan, under the slogan “No to war crimes, no to the murder of innocents.”

In that connection, Jewish Heart mentioned the Syrian jihadis who have been hired as mercenaries by Turkey are sent to the battlefields in Nagorno-Karabakh.

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/armenia-azerbaijan-israel-cluster-bombs-lebanon-1.9249524

 

[Yervant1]

Civil Georgia

Oct 22 2020

Russian MP Says Moscow May Send Airborne Troops to Armenia Via Georgian Airspace

22/10/2020 - 13:59

Konstantin Zatulin, a long-serving Russian Duma member from Putin’s United Russia ruling party, told Russian media outlet NSN that Russia may send airborne troops to aid Armenia through the Georgian airspace.

Senior Russian lawmaker noted that “we have to make it abundantly clear to Georgia that if need be, it should calmly accept that the necessary [Russian] forces and means will be sent to Armenia through its airspace.”

“We have been compelled to take this decision, as we are seeing the spread of mercenaries in the Caucasus, from which Russia, Georgia and everyone else will suffer,” Zatulian underscored.

Senior Russian lawmaker’s statement comes as Baku and Yerevan are for 26 days now engaging in the deadliest fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh since the end of the original Karabakh war in 1994.

Yerevan, which is part of Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), may request Russia’s military assistance if the territory and sovereignty of Armenia is threatened, but the military bloc’s commitment to Armenia does not cover fighting on the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The National Security Council (NSC) of Georgia said earlier on October 3 amid renewed Armenia-Azerbaijani clashes over Nagorno-Karabakh, that “since the inception of escalation, [Tbilisi] temporarily suspended the issuance of permits for transiting military cargo through its territory in the direction of both countries, be it by air or land.”

https://civil.ge/archives/376766

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

New South Wales Legislative Assembly officially recognizes independence of Artsakh

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09:21, 22 October, 2020

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 22, ARMENPRESS. The largest parliamentary chamber in the largest state of Australia, the New South Wales Legislative Assembly has officially recognized the independence of the Republic of Artsakh, the Armenian National Committee of Australia reports.

The motion, which also condemned the current attacks by Azerbaijan and Turkey against the indigenous Armenians of Artsakh, passed 61 votes to 2 votes.

On September 27 Azerbaijan, with the support of Turkey, launched a massive attack against the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh), by using all its ammunition, targeting also the civilian infrastructures both in Artsakh and Armenia. There are confirmed reports that there are mercenaries in the Azerbaijani army brought from Syria by Turkey for fighting against the Armenian side.

On October 10 an agreement has been reached in Moscow between the Russian, Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers on cessation of hostilities in the NK conflict zone for humanitarian purposes. However, minutes after the agreement entered into force Azerbaijan again launched attacks against Artsakh and till now continues violating the humanitarian truce.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1032369.html?fbclid=IwAR3tL_VMG356AorFLMjBsfY96vWeImHGwYU9Ro1sJn99VSP74rnwbTMiR2U