Month: April 2016

The search for bodies of those killed during clashes along the Nagorno Karabakh line of contact continues with the support of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Field Assistants of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office have also arrived at the scene.

The parties agreed a “period of silence” yesterday to recover the bodies of the dead.

After de-mining works, the ICRC and OSCE representatives approached the buffer zone.

No bodies of Armenians soldiers were found in the buffer zone, the search works continue.

Pope Francis will visit Armenia June 24-26 at the invitation of President Serzh Sargsyan and His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, President’s Press Office reports.

Russian Prime Minister said that “Turkish factor” in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict may be present, reports.

The “Turkish factor” in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict may be present, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Saturday.

“There is a host of forces that are closely looking into the consequences of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict for the situation in the Middle East and on Russia… All conflicts at a given time may in one way or another be a factor in political decisions. So I do not rule out that there are factors that are influencing the conflict from abroad. You mentioned the Turkish factor. The Turkish factor probably exists, at least because Turkey has expressed its position,” Medvedev said.

“In any case, at the moment… the truce has been declared, and it is maintained. If there are shootings, they are of a single character,” Medvedev said.

It is better to keep the conflict, than to to try to quickly resolve it at the cost of human lives, Dmitry Medvedev said.

“It’s better to maintain the situation as it is, than to shed blood,” Medvedev said.

Hundreds of people gathered at Dam square, Amsterdam to stand against Azeri aggression, to let theworld know that Nagorno Garabakh is a free country.

The rally was ortganized by ARF Garegin Njdeh Union of the Nederland.

The protesters shouted slogans like “Azerbaijan, shame on you” and “Karabakh is free.” One speaker called the Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev “a new Hitler”.

 

On Friday, 8th April, over 250 members of the Armenian-Australian community made the four-hour bus trip from Sydney to Canberra, to protest against the attacks on Nagorno Karabakh at the Azerbaijani Embassy.

A small group of 30-40 Azerbaijani and Turkish Australians were also present to counter protest.

The Armenian protesters made their voices heard, chanting “Karabakh Is Ours”, “Shame on Aliyev”, “Get Your Hands Off Our Lands”, and more. The protesters held up dozens of banners, prepared by members of the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF Australia) in preceding days, as well as Artsakh and Armenian flags.

Vache Kahramanian of the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC Australia) led the speakers, which also included AGBU Executive Director, Sarkis Manoukian, ANC Australia Executive Administrator Arin Markarian and AYF Australia chapter chairs, Aram Tufenkjian and Michael Kolokossian. The clergy present, from the Armenian Apostolic Church and Armenian Catholic Church began proceedings with a group prayer.

Kahramanian said: “Are we living in a world that protects borders drawn up by the Stalins of the world? Is it Stalin who should decide if the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh are Independent today? Or is it the people who live in Nagorno Karabakh?”

“Azerbaijan argues that it is Stalin who should decide. Would you, Azerbaijan, also agree to Hitler’s dreamed up European borders? After all, he to was a Dictator who had ideas about who should own what land?”

“We say NO TO STALIN. NO TO ALIYEV. NO TO DICTATORS.”

“We argue WITH the people of Nagorno Karabakh! Over 90% of them voted for Independence. They have the right to self-determination according to the Helsinki Act. They have as much right to Independence as Azerbaijan. If not more, considering pre-Dictator Stalin, Artsakh was Armenian.
Artsakh is Armenian. Nagorno Karabakh is Armenian.”

AYF Australia prepared and read out a letter to Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Australia, which was not accepted.

Tufenkjian read the letter, which in part said: “The attacks your government and military initiated on April 1-2 were unprovoked, and a threat to the sovereignty of the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh, who practiced their right to self-determination nearly 25 years ago.”

“The helicopter shellings, tank fire and drone explosions – all well-documented in this modern age of communications – are evidence of your attempt to destroy Armenian civilians; their homes, churches, businesses and schools.”

“Further evidence of these attempts by Azerbaijan is the brutal murder by shelling of our fellow Armenian youth from Martuni. Why did 12-year-old Vaghinak Grigoryan have to die while on his way to school? Why did his 3 classmates, one of them his brother, have to be wounded?”

“We cannot forgive this.”

“We also cannot forgive the war crimes that have also been documented during the previous week by your government. Three of our elderly in Talish were butchered in their homes. Their ears cut off.”

“This is not something Australians take too kindly to. This is not something we forgive.”

ABC TV covered the protest, as well as ABC Radio, 2UE Radio and 2GB Radio.

In an interview on national radio, Haig Kayserian of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation said: “It never ceases to amaze me how some so carelessly misrepresent history. If we call Australia – born in 1788 – a ‘young’ nation, then Azerbaijan – born in 1918 – is barely a ‘toddler’ nation.”

“Armenia is one of the world’s oldest civilisations, and Armenians have inhabited Nagorno Karabakh for thousands of years.”

“Therefore the so-called ‘territorial claims’ of Azerbaijan can be likened to a child seeking the estate of their unrelated neighbour’s great great great great great grandparents, as Armenians have inhabited Nagorno-Karabakh for thousands of years.”

“Why do they feel they deserve that estate? Because a brutal Communist dictator from the dark pages of world history, Joseph Stalin, decided to give it to them when establishing the Soviet Union.”

“Australia and the nations of the world need to ask themselves? Do they want to continue protecting the dreamed up borders of Stalin? Or do they want to recognise the right to self-determination of the native Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh?”

The Protest was organised by the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Armenian Catholic Church, the Armenian Evangelical Church, the Social Democrat Hunchakian Party, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, the Armenian Liberal Democratic Party, the Armenian General Benevolent Union, Hamazakaine, the Armenian Relief Society, Homenetmen, Tekeyan, Dkhrouni, the Armenian National Committee of Australia, Nor Serount, and the Armenian Youth Federation of Australia.

Hundreds gathered in front of the Armenian Foreign Ministry today as the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs were holding a meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian.

The protesters rallied against the inaction of the international community, and particularly institutions and states involved in the mediating efforts for their “criminal silence” or inadequate reaction to the military actions unleashed by Azerbaijan against the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.

The protesters demanded recognition of Artsakh, its involvement in the negotiations as a full-fledged party.

Although the protest coincides with the visit of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs to Yerevan, the event was targeted at Russia, the United States, France, Israel, CSTO, EEU, PACE, Council of Europe, OSCE institutions and other countries.

 

Russia will continue its arms sales to both Azerbaijan and Armenia despite the latest flare-up of the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview broadcast on Saturday.

Medvedev, who travelled to both Armenia and Azerbaijan this week, said Russia had no intention to halt its arms sales to any side of the conflict.

“If we imagine for a minute that Russia has given up this role (of arms seller), we well understand that this place will not stay vacant,” Medvedev told the weekly “Vesti on Saturday” programme on Russian state TV.

“They will buy weapons in other countries, and the degree of their deadliness won’t change in any way,” he said. “But at the same time, this could … destroy the existing balance of forces (in the region).”

Moscow believes the possible involvement of other major arms exporters to the region “will most likely complicate the situation further”.

“I believe weapons may and should be bought not only to be used one day, but to be a deterrent factor,” Medvedev said. “This aspect must be considered by both sides of the conflict.”

The NKR Defense Army has published photos of the uniforms, communications equipment and ammunition supplies the Azerbaijani forces left on the battlefield.

System of A Down’s Serj Tankian calls for donations to the families of deceased soldiers in Armenia and Artsakh.

“As you can see families of deceased soldiers in Armenia and Artsakh are economically disadvantaged to carry on. It is for this reason that I have decided to donate to this amazing non-profit organization called the Paros Foundation, who donate 100% of the proceeds directly to the affected families. I encourage those who want to contribute to do so to them,” Tankian said in a Facebook post.

“And to all the Azeri trolls paid handsomely by Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Offense who have been frequenting my page, I want you to know that I really love my ban and delete buttons smile emoticon,” Serj Tankian added.

The Paros Foundation has launched a Hero Support Fund to raise funds and provide them to the families of our deceased heroes. The goal is to provide a minimum of $1,000 to every hero’s family.

“100% of donation will be used to support this project without any administrative costs. Funds will be distributed as quickly as possible to the grieving families of these heroes,” Paros says.

President Serzh Sargsyan received today the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs Igor Popov (Russia), James Warlick (USA) and Pierre Andrieu (France) and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk.

The interlocutors discussed the situation established as a result of the aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan along the Nagorno Karabakh line of contact.

The parties attached importance to the maintenance of the ceasefire regime, soonest implementation of confidence-building measures and resumption of peace talks.