Month: April 2016

The Kardashians are praying for Armenia as the country engages in a new conflict with neighboring country Azerbaijan.

The Kardashians are part-Armenian through their late father, Robert Kardashian, who was born to Armenian-American parents.

The family has played up its ties to the country on and off over the years, most notably with Khloe and Kim Kardashian’s trip there nearly a year ago. Now both Khloe and Kourtney have taken to Twitter to ask for prayers.

Pray for Armenia ?????

— Khloé (@khloekardashian)

The sisters tweeted around the same time on Monday, “Pray for Armenia.” Kourtney’s tweet was accompanied by a prayer hands emoji and the Armenian flag icon. Khloe also used the flag, as well as three emoji faces signifying distress.

Pray for Armenia. ????

— Kourtney Kardashian (@kourtneykardash)

US Vice-President Joe Biden on Monday said he held talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and urged them to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“As I told Presidents Aliyev and Sargsyan, comprehensive settlement in Nagorno-Karabakh is critical for their stability, security, prosperity,” he wrote on Twitter.

As I told Presidents Aliyev & Sargsyan, comprehensive settlement in is critical for their stability, security, prosperity.

— Vice President Biden (@VP)

Armenian First Deputy Defense Minister David Tonoyan received today the Military Attachés of the Foreign Ministries accredited to Armenia.

David Tonoyan briefed them on the situation on the line of contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan, and presented the actions of the NKR Defense Army aimed at ceasing the large-scale military actions launched by the rival. Issues related to the possible reasons of Azerbaijani aggression and the expectations were discussed.

The Deputy DM noted that “the Armenian side is ready for any development and will provide all kind of support, including direct military assistance, to Nagorno Karabakh.”

Azerbaijani Defense Ministry’s statement on “unilateral ceasefire” is misinformation, the NKR Defense Ministry says.

The Azerbaijani side launched large-scale military actions against Nagorno Karabakh on April 1 and 2, using all possible types of military equipment in its arsenal, the Ministry said in a statement.

According to the report, the Azerbaijani side shelled the Armenian settlements, namely the city of Martakert, from MM-21 volley fire rocket installations and 152 mm cannons after issuing the statement.

“The above-mentioned facts, as well as the use of the terms “counterattacking actions” and “reinforcement of the liberated territories” demonstrate the false nature of the document, which aims to create an imitation of ceasefire.”

“The Nagorno Karabakh Defense Army is ready to meet to discuss the proposal to enact a ceasefire within the context of restoring the original positions of the sides,” the statement reads.

Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan talked by phone with his Armenian and Azeri counterparts on Sunday, calling on the two sides to show restraint and settle disputes on  Nagorno-Karabakh via peaceful negotiations, Tasnim news agency reports.

On April 3, Igor Nazaruk, Ambassador of Belarus in Yerevan, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia.

During the meeting Deputy Foreign Minister Sharavsh Kocharyan expressed to the Ambassador the deep bewilderment of the Armenian side regarding some provisions reflected in the statement of the MFA of the Republic of Belarus on the developments around Nagorno-Karabakh, released on April 2, 2016.

It has been stated to Igor Nazaruk that such statement is incompatible to the spirit of the Armenia-Belarus relations and contradicts the commitments of the sides taken within the framework of the CSTO and other international structures, undermines the negotiation process while encouraging the use of force in the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement process.

Vice-President of the Armenian National Assembly Edward Sharmazanov chaired working consultations at the National Assembly, featuring representatives of all factions and members of Armenian delegations to international organizations, Parliament’s Press Service informs.

According to the source, the ways of raising the effectiveness of cooperation with the foreign partners and provision of exact information about the situation at the frontline.

The participants of the consultations decided to call on the international community to chide Azerbaijan unless it’s too late, considering that Aliyev’s dictatorial regime can undertake inhumane actions.

 

 

 

Instead of chiding aggressor Azerbaijan, the German Foreign Minister is issuing blurred statements, President of the Union of Armenian Academicians of Germany Azat Ordukhanyan said, speaking to . He said the German press is also working unprofessionally.

“No German media outlets work on the ground. They all report about the situation referring to German agencies, present copied texts. Although the reports are not anti-Armenian, they blame ‘both sides,’ which is unfair and non-professional,” he said.

“The German Armenians are in a fighting spirit. If things continue this way, we’ll not leave the Azerbaijani and Turkish Embassies and Consulates calm. We’ll give a worthy response, at least on a local level. They should be held accountable for the life of every Armenian young man lost,” Ordukhanyan said.

He said Turkish President Erdona’s statement should also be criticized. “Turks must be aware that if they intend to stand by Azerbaijan, the 10-million Armenian Diaspora is ready to support brothers in Armenia and Artsakh.”

 

 

 

The aggravation of the situation in Karabakh conflict zone was quite predictable, Russian political scientist Sergey Markedonov told .

“What’s happening today could be expected. The increased number of incidents in Nagorno Karabakh and the aggravation of the situation have been taking place over the past few years, but the clashes of the past two days were the worst ever since the conclusion of the ceasefire agreement,” Markedonov said.

According to the political scientist, there are several reasons behind Azerbaijan’s decision to escalate the situation at this point. “First, Baku was trying to ‘test’ the military solution of the issue, after which they will resume the peace talks. The second option is more pessimistic – the negotiation process has failed and the military logic is starting to work,” he said.

Markedonov is confident that there are opportunities for a diplomatic solution, but the Co-Chairs should stop inaction as soon as possible.

He political scientist believes that Russia could take up a more decisive role in the conflict settlement and is confident that unlike Donbas or South Ossetia, the United States will not mind.

According to Segey Markedonov, the de-escalation of the Karabakh conflict  can be very dangerous for Russia, as well. He considers Russia should protect the interests of its strategic ally in the conflict, but Azerbaijan is an important partner for Moscow, and the latter will hardly opt for breaking ties with Baku.

The further development of events is hard to predict, the political scientist says. He does not link the current escalation to the Russian-Turkish relations, but does not rule out that the tension  creates some background.

On April 1^st, the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC Australia) and the Assyrian Universal Alliance (AUA) sent a joint letter to Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Julie Bishop.

The joint letter addresses the issues and concerns of both the Armenian and Assyrian communities in regards to the decision made by Turkey to take ownership of more than 6000 properties in the Sur district of the Diyarbakir region, including Saint Giragos Church, which is the largest Armenian Church in the Middle East, as well as the Virgin Mary Ancient Assyrian Church.

This expropriation comes after a violent crackdown on the Kurdish minority in the region, further contributing to the questionable human rights record that Turkey has with respect to the treatment of its minority groups.

The letter makes references to the reports covering this ruling. It also references statements made by Garo Paylan, an Armenian member of the Turkish Parliament and member of the Kurdish Peoples’ Party (HDP), the Co-chair of the HDP, Figen Yüksekdag, as well as the Diyarbakir Bar Association.

The letter stressed that this “immediate expropriation” violates the right of property, and explicitly contradicts the Turkish Constitution’s Expropriation Law, and the European Convention on Human Rights.

The letter stated that there could be no justifiable “security” grounds to expropriate churches and other religious sites or property. Even more so because of Turkey’s atrocious record of destroying and desecrating both Armenian, Assyrian and Greek religious and cultural heritage, especially during and after the Genocide of Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks in 1915.

It was stressed that this was a renewed attack by President Recep Erdogan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on the Christian Communities of Turkey whose heritage and existence is increasingly under threat.

ANC Australia and the AUA jointly call upon the Australian Government urgently to:

1. add its voice to our Communities’ concerns;
2. convey its objection to the expropriation of these Churches (and all other religious sites and property) to the representatives of the Republic of Turkey; and
3. request the immediate return of all Churches and other religious sites and properties back to their rightful owners.

ANC Australia Executive Administrator, Arin Markarian said: “It is important that in times like these we stand united with our minority partners and ensure that religious and cultural centres for people to gather in are not under Turkish state control.”

“That is why the Armenians and Assyrians strongly condemn these expropriation actions taken by Turkey, and urge the Australian government to condemn this decision as well.”