cease-fire violations by azeris

[Yervant1]

[Yervant1]

[Yervant1]

[Yervant1]

Artsrun Hovhannisyan thinks tomorrow battle for Shushi will be over – DEVELOPING

Save

Share5

20:12, 8 November, 2020

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. Defense Minister of Armenia Artsrun Hovhannisyan thinks that the battle for Shushi city of Artsakh that has been going on for the last days, can be over tomorrow, ARMENPRESS reports representative of MoD Armenia Artsrun Hovhannisyan said on Public TV.

''Clashes take place inside and nearby Shushi. Our troops carried out stubborn and skillful fights. I can say that the separate battle for Shushi that went on during the last 3-4 days, will be over tomorrow. I don't want to give an early prediction but I think tomorrow the battle for Shushi will be over’', Hovhannisyan said.

[Yervant1]

[Yervant1]

[Yervant1]

[Yervant1]

France 24

Nov 8 2020

Azerbaijan says key Karabakh town captured, Armenia says it didn't happen

Issued on: 08/11/2020 - 18:09

A crater following recent shelling in the town of Shusha, in the course of a military conflict over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, October 29, 2020. © Vahram Baghdasaryan/Photolur, REUTERS

Azerbaijan said Sunday its forces had captured the key town of Shusha from Armenian separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh, but Armenia insisted that fighting for the strategically vital area was ongoing.

The capture of Shusha would be a major victory for Azerbaijan six weeks after new fighting erupted over Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian enclave that broke away from Azerbaijan's control in the 1990s.

The fortress town sits on cliffs around 15 kilometres (nine miles) from Nagorno-Karabakh's largest city Stepanakert and on the main road through the region to the territory of Armenia, which backs the separatists.

Both sides have reported fierce clashes around the town in recent days, after Azerbaijani forces swept across the southern flank of Nagorno-Karabakh and pushed through its mountain passes.

In a televised address to the nation on Sunday, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev announced that the town had been captured.

"With great pride and joy, I inform you that the town of Shusha has been liberated," said Aliyev, dressed in military fatigues and standing in front of an Azerbaijani flag.

"Our liberation march continues. We will go to the end, until the complete liberation of the occupied territories," Aliyev said.

Celebrations in Baku

Flag-waving Azerbaijanis celebrated in the capital Baku after Aliyev's announcement, with cars honking their horns as residents crowded along city streets despite coronavirus restrictions.

"I did not leave the house for a week, but today I came out to say that Shusha has been liberated. We are happy, congratulations to all my people," 32-year-old Baku resident Shargiya Dadashova said.

Armenian officials said the battle was far from over.

"The fighting continues in Shushi, wait and believe in our army," Armenian defence ministry official Artsrun Hovhannisyan said, using the Armenian name for the town.

Armenian defence ministry spokeswoman Shushan Stepanyan said there was "the most ferocious combat" for the town, while the Armenian government said taking Shusha was an "unattainable pipe dream for Azerbaijan".

"Despite heavy destruction, the fortress city withstands the blows of the adversary," it said.

In the streets of the Armenian capital Yerevan, residents said they did not believe the town had been taken.

"To know who controls Shushi we will listen to the commanders of our army, not Aliyev," 50-year-old Arman said on the city's central Abovyan Street.

"In any case I can assure you that the war will not be finished if the Azerbaijanis take Shushi."

Shusha had been a majority Azerbaijani city before the 1990s conflict and has been a rallying cry for authorities in Baku promising to retake Nagorno-Karabakh.

New clashes broke out in late September between Azerbaijan and the Armenia-backed separatists over control of Karabakh, which declared its independence nearly 30 years ago.

That declaration has not been recognised internationally, even by Armenia, and it remains a part of Azerbaijan under international law.

The recent flare-up has been the worst in decades, with more than 1,000 people confirmed dead including dozens of civilians, although the death toll is believed to be much higher.

Diplomatic efforts

Fighting has continued despite several attempts by Russia, France and the United States to help reach a ceasefire.

The three countries make up the "Minsk Group" of mediators that helped broker a truce between the ex-Soviet rivals in 1994 but have failed to find a lasting solution to the long-simmering conflict.

Diplomatic efforts appeared to intensify as the fighting raged around Shusha, with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday speaking by phone to Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Turkey is a key ally of Azerbaijan and on Sunday Erdogan congratulated Baku after its claim of retaking Shusha, saying it was "a sign that the liberation of the rest of the occupied territories is near".

Turkish involvement would be key in any agreement to halt the fighting and there were reports Sunday of a plan to agree a ceasefire and deploy Russian and Turkish peacekeepers to Nagorno-Karabakh.

Ankara has been a fierce supporter of Azerbaijan, a fellow Muslim and Turkic country, while Moscow has a defence pact with Armenia and a military base on its territory.

Aliyev met Sunday with the Turkish foreign and defence ministers in Baku.

Dmitry Trenin, a political analyst and head of the Moscow Carnegie Center, said the conflict had reached a "decisive point".

"Russia and Turkey are finalising the modalities of (a) ceasefire, Armenian withdrawal, corridors and peacekeepers," he wrote on Twitter. "New regional order is being sealed."

(AFP)

https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20201108-azerbaijan-says-key-karabakh-town-captured-armenia-says-it-didn-t-happen?fbclid=IwAR3MJzDJ_sBijBJZ2JdU6fSKByLvvkGnT2DxEKpsKu4-EyTgpFaOInx8Vws

[Yervant1]

Public Radio of Armenia

Nov 8 2020

The overall situation can be considered positive, battles for Shushi continue – Armenia MoD

Last night and today fighting continued in different directions on the front. The fighting was quite intense, official representative of Armenia’s Ministry of Defense Artsrun Hovhannisyan told a daily briefing today.

“In the north, the Azerbaijani troops, mainly with the support of small tactical groups, tried to attack our positions with artillery fire, but were repulsed, suffering losses,” Hovhannisyan said.

After some success in the direction of Martuni early in the morning, our army managed to stop the enemy, he said.

“In the city of Shushi, in the surrounding areas, under the fences, on the roads leading to Shushi, fierce battles took place throughout the day. Fighting is still going on, although the intensity has significantly weakened,” Artsrun Hovhannisyan added.

According to him, the Azerbaijani armed forces tried several times to break into Berdzor, probably trying to help their units fighting in Shushi. However, suffering significant losses, they were thrown back and fled.

“At the moment the battles are going on, the overall situation can be considered quite positive. Our troops manage to prevent the enemy forces from advancing in any direction, but the battles are in progress. The battle for Shushi continues,” Hovhannisyan stated.

“let’ wait for the end of the battle. I’m confident our troops will finish it with glory, and we will win. Let’s trust our troops and wait,” he added.

 

https://en.armradio.am/2020/11/08/the-overall-situation-can-be-considered-positive-battles-for-shushi-continue-armenia-mod/

[Yervant1]

Public Radio of Armenia

Nov 8 2020

Video of “capturing” the Shushi Fortress is fake

Photos and videos spread in the Azerbaijani media today were presented as evidence of “capturing of Shushi.”

The Armenian Information Checking Center reports that the fortress seen in the videos and the photos has nothing to do with the medieval fortress of Shushi.

In the video, a group of men fasten the flags of Azerbaijan and Turkey at the head of the fortress.

However, the men seen in the video are neither in military clothes, nor armed, they are in civilian clothes.

There is no destruction in the city that rises from a height in the next few seconds. The question arises, where did those hot battles take place?

Finally, just by comparing the fortresses seen in Shushi and in the video, we will see that they are different.

https://en.armradio.am/2020/11/08/video-of-capturing-the-shushi-fortress-is-fake/

[Yervant1]

Public Radio of Armenia

Nov 8 2020

Azerbaijani forces retreating in Martuni direction – War Gonzo

Azerbaijani Armed Forces are retreating in the Martuni direction, War Gonzo informs.

Sources of the War Gonzo project on the southeastern front also report that the Artsakh Defense Army managed to shoot down An Azerbaijani aircraft near Martuni.

https://en.armradio.am/2020/11/08/azerbaijani-forces-retreating-in-martuni-direction-war-gonzo/

[Yervant1]

CIVILNET.AM:

November 8, 2020 13:02:

The leader of the "Bright Armenia" party Edmon Marukyan informs that Baroness Caroline Cox, a member of the House of Lords of Great Britain, has arrived in Armenia on a mission.

"Our meeting with Baroness Caroline Cox, a great friend of Armenia and Artsakh, a member of the British House of Lords, who arrived in Armenia at this crucial moment, has just ended.
"The Baroness has a powerful mission with her delegation, which she must carry out these days in Armenia and Artsakh," Marukyan wrote.

https://www.civilnet.am/news/2020/11/08/%D4%B2%D5%A1%D6%80%D5%B8%D5%B6%D5%B8%D6%82%D5%B0 % D5% AB-% D5% 94% D5% A5% D6% 80% D5% B8% D5% AC% D5% A1% D5% B5% D5% B6-% D5% 94% D5% B8% D6% 84 % D5% BD% D5% A8-% D5% AF% D5% A1% D6% 80% D6% 87% D5% B8% D6% 80-% D5% A1% D5% BC% D5% A1% D6% 84 % D5% A5% D5% AC% D5% B8% D6% 82% D5% A9% D5% B5% D5% A1% D5% B4% D5% A2-% D5% 80% D5% A1% D5% B5% D5% A1% D5% BD% D5% BF% D5% A1% D5% B6% D5% B8% D6% 82% D5% B4-% D5% A7% E2% 80% A4-% D4% B7% D5% A4% D5% B4% D5% B8% D5% B6-% D5% 84% D5% A1% D6% 80% D5% B8% D6% 82% D6% 84% D5% B5% D5% A1% D5% B6 / 406769:

[Yervant1]

CIVILNET.AM:

November 8, 2020 9:50 p.m.

The spokesperson of the Minister of Defense Shushan Stepanyan reported that two enemy ATS were damaged today.

"Defense Army air defense units hit two enemy ATS in the north-western part of Stepanakert at around 19:30.

Tension remains on the front line. It is an artillery shelling. An enemy column was observed in the south-eastern direction, in the direction of which sniper fire was fired, destroying a large number of manpower and equipment.

"The military units of the Defense Army are confidently fulfilling their combat missions, the enemy's combat potential continues to be eroded," Stepanyan said in a Facebook post.

Earlier today, it was reported that the Artsakh Defense Army had hit another Bayraktar ATS.

https://www.civilnet.am/news/2020/11/08/%D5%80%D5%A1%D5%AF%D5%A1%D5%BC%D5%A1%D5%AF%D5%B8 % D6% 80% D5% A4% D5% AB-% D6% 87% D5% BD-% D5% A5% D6% 80% D5% AF% D5% B8% D6% 82-% D4% B1% D4% B9% D5% 8D-% D5% A7-% D5% AD% D5% B8% D6% 81% D5% BE% D5% A5% D5% AC% E2% 80% A4-% D5% 87% D5% B8 % D6% 82% D5% B7% D5% A1% D5% B6-% D5% 8D% D5% BF% D5% A5% D6% 83% D5% A1% D5% B6% D5% B5% D5% A1% D5% B6 / 406818:

[Yervant1]

CIVILNET.AM

7 November, 2020 20:09

Dr. Aroussiak Gabrielian

“We are our mountains” is the name of a 1967 monument situated atop a hill outside Stepanakert, shaped from the earth-toned volcanic rock unique to the surrounding region, called tuff, and depicting two heads, neck deep in the earth, peering over the terrain. It is meant to symbolize the deep roots of the Armenian people within this territory, their embeddedness within a landscape. Our connection to this land, to its soil, and these mountains, however, runs much deeper than symbolism.

Seen through the maps of the world’s earliest geographers (Herodotus 5th c. BCE, Dicaearchus 4th c. BCE, Eratosthenes 3rd c. BCE, Strabo 1st c. BCE, Pliny the Elder 1st c. CE, Ptolemy 2nd c. CE), and extending to surveys from the Middle Ages, the Late Medieval period, and to more recent cartography, Armenians have belonged to a fairly consistent geography throughout millennia whose contours and borders have been drawn and redrawn by a countless array of imperialistically-inclined outside powers. These systematic attempts to uproot our population from lands to which we are indigenous has caused deep, collective trauma and a lasting sentiment of longing (կարոտ – karot), common to all of us no matter where we’ve eventually landed.

We are our mountains. Our very identity has been shaped by and derived from a longstanding and lived relationship with a very particular landscape. My displaced and dispossessed ancestors – who I can only trace back to my great-grandparents as they were orphaned from systematic practices of erasure – named their children after landscapes to which they once belonged. My great-grandmother Garan, after the (գարի – gari) – barley field where her mother hid her while fleeing the Ottoman army of exterminators of the Armenian, Greek and Assyrian people in 1915; her son Arnos, after Mount Arnos in present day Turkey; my mother Karine after the town of Karin from which my great-grandfather Samson was expunged.

These are the lands that my people have tended, shaped and cared for for millennia; on which they have built structures of shelter and worship; from which they have eaten and to which they have returned the bodies of their loved ones after they’ve died. For them, it is more than just a territory. It is their identity.

It is also part of their physiology. Through generations of toil, love, and celebration on this land, Armenians have integrated the very substance of the earth into their bodies. The rich diversity of microbiota in the soil inscribes itself into our intestinal register – as the majority of DNA in our bodies belongs to these microbial entities that have taken up residence in our interiors. That microbiome regulates our immune system, produces essential vitamins, and is crucial to human development. The soil of this land constructs us.

The soil is also an active, living archive bearing witness to the physical labor of my people – their bodies, bones, sweat and tears have been deposited in the soil and sedimented in the landscape – as have the layers of violence that both this land and its people have endured. The soil of this land constructs us and we have constructed it – we are stratified in its profiles.

The imperialist ideology that has resulted in the fragmented bounds of our current geography is also the same system of power (along with advanced capitalism) that is now rendering the world mute as the entangled, autocratic Azeri-Turkish regimes, who have much to gain in territory and capital from this invasion, drop banned chemical munition of white phosphorus onto the mountains from above, obliterating the land and its multi-millennial material record. Armenians have the basic human right to live out their relational responsibilities to this land and this territory – a multidimensional relationship that is both ontological and intrinsic. Those who remain silent, do so out of fear of confronting their own colonial legacies.

How long will you stay silent, world?

This piece is part of the Voices on Karabakh collection where a select group of scholars, intellectuals, and artists contribute observations on the war in and for Karabakh. It's an attempt to make sense of this time and this region.

https://www.civilnet.am/news/2020/11/07/Fear-of-Confronting-Colonial-Legacies/406676

[Yervant1]

CIVILNET.AM:

November 8, 2020 12:46 p.m.

"Turkey is one of the creators of the Syrian crisis. It was Turkey that created the refugee crisis. "These refugees are a big playing card for Turkey to influence Europe today." This opinion was expressed by President Armen Sargsyan in an interview with "Ukraine 24" TV channel.

"Unfortunately, the history of Karabakh is not the only one where Turkey has created instability. In fact, it is doing everything to destroy all possible status quos. Turkey is creating hotbeds of instability around it. You see, first they were in Egypt, then they were in Libya with the others, and then in Iraq. They talk about the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, but they themselves invaded Iraq. No one there paid attention to the territorial integrity of Iraq. Then the same thing happened in the case of Syria: Turkey did not take into account the issue of Syria's territorial integrity, so it took the opportunity to enter there. And today in Azerbaijan they are fighting for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. In any case, this is very strange.

Turkey is creating instability in the Eastern Mediterranean, in opposition to Greece and Cyprus. That is, it creates instability everywhere. Turkey's ambition to become a major regional player is for everyone to recognize its potential. In the case of Azerbaijan, it has several motives. First of all, Turkey wants to show its younger brother, Azerbaijan, that you can not solve the problem on your own, I will solve it for you. Of course, any such service has its price. And the price is that Turkey has a huge influence on Azerbaijan today, it will most likely stay there. In that case, the energy carriers, the oil and gas pipelines that pass through the Caspian Sea, Central Asia to Europe, will be under its control, that is, Europe will in a sense become a hostage.

And the third is the refugees. There are 4 million refugees in Turkey, mostly from Syria. Turkey is one of the creators of the Syrian crisis. It was Turkey that created the refugee crisis. These refugees are a big playing card for Turkey to influence Europe today. Four million refugees are on the border with Europe, and in fact Europe pays a lot of money to keep them in Turkey. He paid 6 billion euros, և with this money, those refugees should have lived very well, but in reality it is not so. In addition to all this, the terrorists that Turkey brought to Azerbaijan.

Yes, Turkey has its game, every time the parties agree on a ceasefire, a party appears and says no. "Obviously, it is not the Armenian side," said Armen Sargsyan.

Answering the question about the discussions with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels, the RA President said that he could not publish the content of the discussions, considered it strange that NATO weapons are used in the war against Artsakh.

"I was Armenia's first ambassador to NATO. I do not understand how it is possible for a NATO member state to be able to use NATO weapons. The weapon used by Turkey in Turkey or given to Azerbaijan belongs to NATO. Although the same Bayraktar ATS are Turkish, their engine is Austrian, the aviation system is from Canada, the projectile management system is from Great Britain. It is a NATO weapon. Those weapons, the officers who have been trained in NATO, the tactics of war are from NATO, all this is used against Nagorno Karabakh. Where is Nagorno Karabakh? Where is NATO? I can say that I am satisfied with our negotiations, because the questions were very specific, I received answers that I more or less knew. But that conversation had to take place. "Pressure on NATO must continue," said Armen Sargsyan.

https://www.civilnet.am/news/2020/11/08/%D4%B9%D5%B8%D6%82%D6%80%D6%84%D5%AB%D5%A1%D5%B5 % D5% AB-% D5% B0% D5% A1% D5% B4% D5% A1% D6% 80-% D6% 83% D5% A1% D5% AD% D5% BD% D5% BF% D5% A1 % D5% AF% D5% A1% D5% B6% D5% B6% D5% A5% D6% 80% D5% AB-% D5% B3% D5% A3% D5% B6% D5% A1% D5% AA% D5% A1% D5% B4% D5% A8-% D4% B5% D5% BE% D6% 80% D5% B8% D5% BA% D5% A1% D5% B5% D5% AB-% D5% BE% D6% 80% D5% A1-% D5% A1% D5% A6% D5% A4% D5% A5% D6% 81% D5% B8% D6% 82% D5% A9% D5% B5% D5% B8% D6 % 82% D5% B6-% D5% B8% D6% 82% D5% B6% D5% A5% D5% B6% D5% A1% D5% AC% D5% B8% D6% 82-% D5% B4% D5 % A5% D5% AE-% D5% AD% D5% A1% D5% B2% D5% A1% D6% 84% D5% A1% D6% 80% D5% BF-% D5% A7% E2% 80% A4 -% D4% B1% D6% 80% D5% B4% D5% A5% D5% B6-% D5% 8D% D5% A1% D6% 80% D5% A3% D5% BD% D5% B5% D5% A1 % D5% B6 / 406764:

[Yervant1]

CIVILNET.AM:

November 8, 2020 20:32

It will be clear tomorrow under whose control Shushi is. Such an opinion was expressed by the representative of the Ministry of Defense Artsrun Hovhannisyan during the interview given to the Public TV.

"Military operations are taking place in and around the city, our troops are waging a heroic struggle to defend Shushi, in some positions where mercenaries have appeared, to neutralize them and take full control of them," he said, stressing that all day long They are stubborn battles and it is impossible to say exactly who is on the initiative. The Azerbaijani armed forces, together with terrorist groups, penetrated the city with a large number of forces, but the Armenian armed forces regrouped and retaliated.

According to Hovhannisyan, the outcome of the battle that lasted 3-4 days in Shushi will be clear tomorrow. "I suppose it will end tomorrow," Hovhannisyan said. Speaking about the statement of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Ali that Shushi is under the control of Azerbaijan, he called on the public not to rely on those statements, "one should not make very spiritual or very depressing moods." At the same time, Hovhannisyan reminds that in 1992 there was a situation when Shushi was not under the control of the Armenian armed forces, nor Martakert, but if there is a determination to fight to the end, a separate city does not mean anything. "Ali is often in a hurry or presents a dream come true. If the army exists as a unit, it exists, it can attack, the important thing is to protect the army. "Certainly the situation is very good here," he said, assuring. that the enemy did not manage to completely control the city and the roads leading to Shushi. Some of those roads are controlled by the Armenian armed forces, some by the enemy.

In the north of Artsakh, in the direction of Mataghis, there were attacks, in the morning in the direction of Martuni, the Azeris occupied the Armenian position, but then were pushed back.

"It seems that today they acted more persistently," the representative of the Ministry of Defense described the course of hostilities.

https://www.civilnet.am/news/2020/11/08/%D5%87%D5%B8%D6%82%D5%B7%D5%AB%D5%AB-%D5%B3%D5% A1% D5% AF% D5% A1% D5% BF% D5% A1% D5% B4% D5% A1% D6% 80% D5% BF% D5% AB-% D5% A5% D5% AC% D6% 84 % D5% A8-% D5% BA% D5% A1% D6% 80% D5% A6-% D5% AF% D5% A4% D5% A1% D5% BC% D5% B6% D5% A1-% D5% BE% D5% A1% D5% B2% D5% A8-% D4% B1% D6% 80% D5% AE% D6% 80% D5% B8% D6% 82% D5% B6-% D5% 80% D5% B8% D5% BE% D5% B0% D5% A1% D5% B6% D5% B6% D5% AB% D5% BD% D5% B5% D5% A1% D5% B6 / 406809

[Yervant1]

CIVILNET.AM

8 November, 2020 22:55

“Knowing the tactical situation, and understanding the capacity vested by Aliyev to conquer Shushi and understanding our capacity, I hope that the battle for Shushi will end tomorrow,” said Armenia’s Defense Ministry representative Artsrun Hovhannisyan during a press briefing on Sunday.

The battle for Shushi has been going on for the last four days. Having made significant gains with drones in the flat southern plains, but unable to make visible advances through the mountains, Azerbaijan is making an effort to secure a symbolic victory in Shushi.

“I am not going to comment on the announcement made by Azerbaijani political-military leadership regarding Shushi,” Hovhannisyan said, referring to a tweet made by Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev claiming to have liberated Shushi.

Aliyev’s tweet read: “I am fortunate to have fulfilled a father’s will. We liberated Shushi! This is a great victory! Today may the soul of National Leader and our martyrs be praised! I felicitate you, Azerbaijan!”

Armenia’s Ministry of Defense says fighting has been going on inside the city, around the city, and on the road to the city.

Heavy fighting also took place southwest of Shushi, in the direction of Berdzor. Armenia’s Defense Ministry said Azerbaijani forces attempted to move forward and support their troops fighting near Shushi, but they were thrown back and they retreated.

Sitting on a mountaintop, Shushi is Nagorno-Karabakh’s second biggest city, and is located on the main road that connects Karabakh to Armenia. That road has been closed on and off as fighting continues nearby. Armenia's Ministry of Defense says that tactical-squad groups, including subversive groups, elite subdivisions, and mercenaries approach the Shushi road with light, high-speed armored vehicles.

If the road closes permanently, an irreversible humanitarian crisis would emerge in Karabakh.

https://www.civilnet.am/news/2020/11/08/%E2%80%9CBattle-for-Shushi-could-end-tomorrow%E2%80%9D-Armenia%E2%80%99s-Defense-Ministry-Says/406830

[Yervant1]

CIVILNET.AM

9 November, 2020 05:54

By Avedis Hadjian

Diana Muir Appelbaum published the article “Turkey, Past and Future: Islamic Supremacy Alive and Well in Ankara” in 2013. I read this in August 2020 and said to a group of friends that the president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was pursuing an expansion of the borders of his country.

In a wide narrative arc, Appelbaum explained everything from the treatment of the dhimmis to the invasion of Cyprus. In her piece, one could find prescient hints of what was going to happen to Hagia Sophia, which Erdoğan converted into a mosque last June. One is left with the feeling that the analysis serves as a predictor of Turkish policy, I warned. In the time-honored tradition of past and present dictators and autocrats, Erdoğan means what he says, I cautioned.

Three months ago, I ventured so far as to say, he is after a land grab, gambling on a massive redrawing of maps. That causes me a lot of concern; but history also teaches that those gambles often backfire.

This was the key passage in Appelbaum’s 2013 essay: “Since its foundation in 1923, Turkey has repeatedly enacted in policy, military conquest, and law the supersessionist conviction that as Muslims and Turks, the citizens of the republic were endowed with special rights to expand their territory by any means available, forcibly assimilate conquered peoples, eliminate non-Muslim populations, and erase pre-Muslim history.”

Based on these premises, we may draw the following observations:

• The Turkish regime does not disguise the racism inherent in its imperialist project because it does not have to. This historical moment is propitious for Erdoğan’s neo-Ottoman plans: democracies and the values upon which they are founded have become mere formalities devoid of any substance. Major democracies and international organizations, including the UN and the EU, reacted with the utmost indifference to the abundance of proof that Turkey shipped terrorists its army had trained in Syria to fight against Armenians in Artsakh, supporting Azerbaijan. NATO recently congratulated Turkey, its member with the second largest army, for its efforts in fighting terrorism.
• Azerbaijan is Turkey’s proxy in these plans. It has now become a de facto Turkish colony: its war effort is conducted by the Turkish government.
• This war is not about Artsakh, a 1,700 square-mile mountainous enclave. The war is part of a larger imperial design, the ultimate goal of which is, not in the very long term, the disappearance of Armenia itself.
• The Armenian Genocide was foundational for Turkey. Not only does Turkey not recognize it, but Erdoğan has begun to boast about it. Extermination is a legitimate policy tool for Turkey, something it has attempted with Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians and, more recently, Kurds.
• Armenia, with a population of barely 3 million, has lost more than 1,000 young soldiers in a month. That is the equivalent of 100,000 in a country with a population of 300 million, like the U.S. That, and the wanton destruction, is aimed at making Armenia unviable as an independent state. A much weakened Armenia could hardly withstand successive wars like this one.
• Armenia is on its own, as the passivity of the international community – including Russia – attests.
• Humans are inherently loath to entertain the possibility of catastrophe, for hope is what drives life. Yet time and again, history shows that catastrophes happen both in our private life as well as on a larger scale: Constantinople did fall in 1453; the 1915 Genocide did happen, as did two world wars and the Holocaust. At the moment, the only thing standing in the way of a second Armenian Genocide are the armies of Armenia and Artsakh. Armenia is on its own.

This piece is part of the Voices on Karabakh collection where a select group of scholars, intellectuals, and artists contribute observations on the war in and for Karabakh. It's an attempt to make sense of this time and this region.

https://www.civilnet.am/news/2020/11/09/Building-a-Neo-Ottoman-Empire/406843

[Yervant1]

CIVILNET.AM:

November 9, 2020 09:32:

At night, in relative settlements, except for Stepanakert, relative calm was maintained, the Artsakh Defense Army reports.

"After midnight, the enemy fired several long-range rockets in the direction of Stepanakert, damaging the civilian infrastructure. There are no victims in the capital. The night was relatively calm in other settlements of Artsakh, "the statement reads.

https://www.civilnet.am/news/2020/11/09/%D4%B3%D5%AB%D5%B7%D5%A5%D6%80%D5%A8-%D5%8D%D5% BF% D5% A5% D6% 83% D5% A1% D5% B6% D5% A1% D5% AF% D5% A5% D6% 80% D5% BF% D5% AB% D6% 81-% D5% A2 % D5% A1% D6% 81% D5% AB-% D5% BA% D5% A1% D5% B0% D5% BA% D5% A1% D5% B6% D5% BE% D5% A5% D5% AC- % D5% A7-% D5% B0% D5% A1% D6% 80% D5% A1% D5% A2% D5% A5% D6% 80% D5% A1% D5% AF% D5% A1% D5% B6- % D5% B0% D5% A1% D5% B6% D5% A3% D5% AB% D5% BD% D5% BF% D5% A8% E2% 80% A4-% D5% 8A% D4% B2 / 406847

[Yervant1]

CIVILNET.AM:

November 9, 2020 10:16 AM:

Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan wrote on his Facebook page that in the early morning he visited the battle positions defending Stepanakert, talked on the spot with the soldiers of the Defense Army and the World War II veterans, who have been pushing back the enemy bandits attacking the capital from Shushi for more than a day.

"During the tour I met with General Mnatsakanyan. "The large-scale and invaluable service he is rendering to Hairenik these days will be presented after the war," Harutyunyan said.

https://www.civilnet.am/news/2020/11/09/%D5%8E%D5%A1%D5%B2-%D5%A1%D5%BC%D5%A1%D5%BE%D5% B8% D5% BF% D5% B5% D5% A1% D5% B6-% D5% A1% D5% B5% D6% 81% D5% A5% D5% AC% D5% A5% D5% AC-% D5% A5% D5% B4-% D5% 8D% D5% BF% D5% A5% D6% 83% D5% A1% D5% B6% D5% A1% D5% AF% D5% A5% D6% 80% D5% BF % D5% A8-% D5% BA% D5% A1% D5% B7% D5% BF% D5% BA% D5% A1% D5% B6% D5% B8% D5% B2-% D5% B4% D5% A1 % D6% 80% D5% BF% D5% A1% D5% AF% D5% A1% D5% B6-% D5% A4% D5% AB% D6% 80% D6% 84% D5% A5% D6% 80- % 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 / 406857

[Yervant1]

CIVILNET.AM:

November 9, 2020 10:25:

Intense battles were fought in the Shushi-Karin area against the discovered enemy groups, as a result of which the latter, losing a large number of forces, retreated, and its troops occupied more favorable areas. The Defense Army stated this, adding that on the night of November 8-9, the Defense Army units fought defensive battles in the south-eastern, south-south-western directions of the front line.

"During this period, 1 tank belonging to the enemy forces, 4 units of vehicles and 8 drones were destroyed in different directions of the front line. As a result of the operations in the south-western part, the army units confiscated 1 enemy tank and artillery. Throughout the hostilities, the enemy continued to deliver air and missile strikes on the peaceful settlements of the Artsakh Republic. In the morning, the attempts of the enemy forces to attack in all the main directions of the front line resumed.

"The operative-tactical situation is under the control of the Defense Army units," the statement reads.

https://www.civilnet.am/news/2020/11/09/%D5%87%D5%B8%D6%82%D5%B7%D5%AB-%D5%94%D5%A1%D6% 80% D5% AB% D5% B6-% D5% BF% D5% A1% D5% AF-% D5% B0% D5% A1% D5% BF% D5% BE% D5% A1% D5% AE% D5% B8% D6% 82% D5% B4-% D5% B0% D5% A1% D5% AF% D5% A1% D5% BC% D5% A1% D5% AF% D5% B8% D6% 80% D5% A4 % D5% A8-% D5% B6% D5% A1% D5% B0% D5% A1% D5% B6% D5% BB% D5% A5% D5% AC-% D5% A7-% D5% 8A% D4% B2 / 406858:

[Yervant1]

CIVILNET.AM:

November 9, 2020 10:49 AM:

Fighting continues near Shushi. Artsrun Hovhannisyan wrote about this on his Facebook page. He also noted.

"The units of the Defense Army successfully fulfill their tasks, depriving the enemy of initiative. This is the real state of affairs. Other than that, just reject the unfounded opinions. ”

https://www.civilnet.am/news/2020/11/09/%D5%8A%D4%B2-%D5%BD%D5%BF%D5%B8%D6%80%D5%A1%D5% A2% D5% A1% D5% AA% D5% A1% D5% B6% D5% B8% D6% 82% D5% B4% D5% B6% D5% A5% D6% 80% D5% A8-% D5% B0 % D5% A1% D5% AF% D5% A1% D5% BC% D5% A1% D5% AF% D5% B8% D6% 80% D5% A4% D5% AB% D5% B6-% D5% A6% D6% 80% D5% AF% D5% B8% D6% 82% D5% B4-% D5% A5% D5% B6-% D5% B6% D5% A1% D5% AD% D5% A1% D5% B1% D5% A5% D5% BC% D5% B6% D5% B8% D5% B2% D5% A1% D5% AF% D5% A1% D5% B6% D5% B8% D6% 82% D5% A9% D5% B5% D5% B8% D6% 82% D5% B6% D5% AB% D6% 81-% D4% B1% D6% 80% D5% AE% D6% 80% D5% B8% D6% 82% D5% B6 -% D5% 80% D5% B8% D5% BE% D5% B0% D5% A1% D5% B6% D5% B6% D5% AB% D5% BD% D5% B5% D5% A1% D5% B6 / 406871:

[Yervant1]

CIVILNET.AM

9 November, 2020 11:39

During the night of November 8-9, the Defense Army of Nagorno-Karabakh fought defensive battles in the southeastern, southern and southwestern sections of the front line. Pitched battles against discovered adversary groups took place in the Shushi - Karin Tak section, due to which the adversary suffered essential losses and retreated. The Artsakh Defense Army Forces took over more strategically favourable positions, the official press release reads.

Throughout that time, in various sections of the front line, one tank, four vehicles and eight UAVs were destroyed. During the operations in the southwestern section, Artsakh Defense Army military units captured one adversary tank and artillery battery. All the while, the adversary continued to launch air and missile strikes on the peaceful localities of the Artsakh Republic. In the morning, the adversary resumed offensive operations in all main sections of the front line.

The tactical situation is under the control of the Defense Army, says the release of the

Artsakh Defense Army.

Earlier in the morning of November 9, Artsakh’s President Arayik Harutyunyan posted photos on his Facebook page saying that he had visited the fighting positions defending Stepanakert. “I talked with the soldiers of the Defense Army and militia, who have been fighting off enemy gangs attacking the capital Stepanakert from Shushi for more than a day.”

The night of November 8-9 was relatively calm in the civilian localities of Artsakh, except the capital Stepanakert. After midnight, Azerbaijani Armed Forces launched several cluster rockets at Stepanakert, damaging civilian infrastructure. No casualties were reported by the State Emergency Service of the Republic of Artsakh.

https://www.civilnet.am/news/2020/11/09/Azerbaijani-Armed-Forces-Retreat-in-the-Shushi-Karin-Tak-Sector-Karabakh-Army-Reports/406890

[Yervant1]

CIVILNET.AM:

November 9, 2020 16:14:

Shushi is a stage of war, we can say a battlefield. Adviser to the Artsakh President Davit Babayan stated this. He also noted. "The reality must be assessed soberly. To assess soberly means not to panic, not to be cut off from reality, not to get drunk on illusions with some information, we should not be seduced by misinformation, nor should we panic, we should evaluate sober reality. ” According to Babayan, Stepanakert has been bombed since the morning.

Earlier, Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan had stated that the Defense Army fighters and militants had been pushing back the enemy bandits attacking the capital from Shushi for more than a day.

Earlier, the Defense Army reported that intensive battles were fought in the Shushi-Karin area against the enemy groups, as a result of which the latter, losing a large number of forces, retreated, and its troops occupied more favorable areas.

According to the representative of the Ministry of Defense Artsrun Hovhannisyan, the attempts of the enemy to attack failed in the direction of Martuni, in the direction of Martakert, on Taghavard and in other places.

https://www.civilnet.am/news/2020/11/09/%D5%87%D5%B8%D6%82%D5%B7%D5%AB%D5%B6-%D5%BA%D5% A1% D5% BF% D5% A5% D6% 80% D5% A1% D5% A6% D5% B4% D5% AB-% D5% A9% D5% A1% D5% BF% D5% A5% D6% 80 % D5% A1% D5% A2% D5% A5% D5% B4-% D5% A7-% D4% B4% D5% A1% D5% BE% D5% AB% D5% A9-% D4% B2% D5% A1% D5% A2% D5% A1% D5% B5% D5% A1% D5% B6 / 406918

[Yervant1]