Month: December 2020

During the recent Artsakh war, hundreds of families from Artsakh took refuge in Armenia. Along with other organizations, the Armenian Missionary Association of America took care of these families in its multiple facilities.

On November 15, eight employees and ministers from AMAA Armenia and the Evangelical Church of Armenia left for Stepanakert to restore and prepare the AMAA’s war-torn office and the sanctuary of the Evangelical Church of Armenia. For the first time since September 27, a Worship Service was held in the Church.

Today, AMAA’s kindergartens are fully operational in Stepanakert, Askeran and Martakert. The “Shogh” Day Center in Askeran has also opened its doors to serve the children of Artsakh.

Gayane Yeghiazaryan, Social Worker of “Shogh” Day Center, and Sarik Gasparyan, Camp Director of Bedrosian Camp in Shushi, took care of 30 elderly people who found refuge at these centers, feeding them and taking care of all their basic needs until October 29, when they were evacuated.

These are difficult times for our people of Armenia and Artsakh. We mourn the loss of Shushi, Hadrut, Karvajar and other regions of Artsakh. But we also realize that we must move forward and do everything possible to support the restoration of our beloved Artsakh.

Founded in 1981, the Armenian Missionary Association of America serves the religious, educational and social needs of Armenian communities in 24 countries around the world including Armenia and Artsakh. For additional information, you may visit www.amaa.org.

On the initiative of the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD) a delegation of the Belgian French-speaking Friendship circle with Artsakh visited the republics of Armenia and Artsakh from December 2 to 6.

The delegation was comprised of the member of the Brussels Parliament Emmanuel De Bock, major of Jette commune Hervé Doyen, journalist and former Senator Josy Dubié, former President of the Brussels Parliament Julie de Groote, former Senator and the coordinator of the Friendship group André du Bus.

The main purpose of the visit was conveying the friendship and solidarity of the members of the friendship circle to the people of Artsakh devastated after the war imposed on them by Azerbaijan, supported by Erdogan’s Turkey and his mercenaries. The participants of the delegation were deeply saddened to witness the painful and destructive consequences of the Azerbaijani-Turkish aggression against the indigenous Armenian population of Artsakh.

The delegation was accompanied by the EAFJD Executive director Heghine Evinyan, EAFJD President Kaspar Karampetian and the representative of CDCA Belgium Peter Petrossian.

Upon the arrival in Artsakh on 3 December, the members of the delegation held meetings with political representatives of Nagorno Karabakh, in particular with the Deputy-minister of Foreign Affairs Felix Khachatryan, the Minister of Urban Construction Aram Sargsyan, members of the National Assembly from the Friendship group with Belgium, as well as with the municipal representatives of the town of Martuni, which had been particularly affected by the war.

During the meetings, the members of the delegation reiterated their commitment to the right to self-determination of the people of Artsakh as the only means to reach a peaceful and lasting resolution to the conflict and properly guarantee the physical security of the people of Artsakh and their right to live a dignified life. The delegation also suggested its assistance in the reconstruction of a heavily affected school in Artsakh.

Members of the delegation were impressed to see how the people of Artsakh were carrying out the clean-up of the streets and the reconstruction of the sites damaged by the bombardment as well as the refurbishment of the affected schools.

“We are impressed by two things. First, the tragedy the refugee and displaced families are going through, some are still without news from their father, husband or son, for them the future remains dark and uncertain. Then the extraordinary resilience demonstrated by the population of Artsakh who has already started the reconstruction works without any complaint and in all dignity,” the coordinator of the Friendship group André du Bus said.

The delegation also met with the Human Rights Defender of Artsakh Artak Beglaryan, who presented evidence and the details of violations of the international humanitarian law and war crimes committed by the Azerbaijani side, that include the use of prohibited arms against the civilian population of Artsakh and on civil infrastructures, namely churches, schools, hospitals, kindergartens and residential houses.

During the meeting with the representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross the questions related to the humanitarian aid, return of the refugees and issues of the return of the prisoners of war and the remnants of the Armenian servicemen that remain on the territories now controlled by Azerbaijan, which is deliberately delaying their return were discussed.

The delegation also visited and observed the damage caused to the maternity ward in Stepanakert, targeted by Azerbaijan as well as the destruction of residential areas in the towns of Martuni and Stepanakert. The participants also had an emotional exchange with refugees that returned from Armenia and internally displaced people from the regions of Hadrut and Shushi.

“After the visit of the member of the Belgian Federal Parliament Georges Dallemagne during the war and the Parliament’s voting on the resolution condemning the Azeri-Turkish aggression and calling for immediate retreat of the Azerbaijani forces from Artsakh, this visit of the Friendship circle is another powerful gesture from our Belgian friends in support of the indigenous Armenian population of Artsakh. We hope to materialize this solidarity with aid on the ground aimed at improving even a little the post-war life of the people of Artsakh,” said EAFJD President Kaspar Karampetian.

YEREVAN (Azatutyun.am)—President Armen Sarkissian has criticized a pan-Armenian charity for donating to Armenia’s government most of $170 million raised by it for Nagorno-Karabakh during the recent war.

Sarkissian said the unusual move undermined donors’ trust in the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund. He urged the government to release a detailed report on how it has used the economic and humanitarian aid to Karabakh.

Hayastan launched an international fundraising campaign immediately after the outbreak of the war on September 27. Hundreds of thousands of Armenians from around the world responded to its appeal for urgent aid to Karabakh and its population severely affected by the fighting. They donated roughly $170 million to Hayastan within weeks.

It emerged afterwards that the charity headquartered in Yerevan redirected more than $100 million of those proceeds to the government. The Armenian Finance Ministry said on November 24 that the hefty donation will finance the government’s “infrastructure, social and healthcare expenditures” necessitated by the six-week war.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Sarkissian’s office revealed that he objected to the financial contribution approved by most members of Hayastan’s board of trustees headed by the Armenian president. It said he believes the decision left the fund’s donors suspecting that “their trust has been abused.”

According to the statement, Sarkissian has sent a letter to the board members arguing for “urgent steps” that should be taken before the donors’ “trust in the Government and the Fund has been finally lost.”

“Consequently, according to the President, the Government must submit a clear, detailed, and transparent report on the expenditures made with the transferred sums of the Fund, and this must be done in the most public way,” the presidential office said.

Sarkissian also called for an “urgent international audit” of the Hayastan Fund. He said that in case of “negative” findings” of the audit the government should redefine the hefty donation as a “loan” and pledge to eventually reimburse the fund.

“The return of the funds, transferred by the Government to the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund, can significantly change the situation and become a guarantee of restoring the confidence in the Fund,” added the statement.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s office and the Hayastan management did not immediately react to Sarkissian’s concerns and proposals.

Later in November, Hayastan Fund raised in the United States and France $26 million in fresh funds for Nagorno-Karabakh. It attracted the bulk of the donations pledges during an annual telethon broadcast from Los Angeles.

Hayastan Fund has implemented $370 million worth of various infrastructure projects in Karabakh and Armenia since being set up in 1992. Its board of trustees mostly comprises Armenia’s political leaders and prominent Diaspora philanthropists.

The Socialist International Committee for the CIS, the Caucasus and the Black Sea held an online meeting on Saturday with the participation of member parties from countries across the region. Included in the agenda of the meeting was discussion about the Artsakh war and Azerbaijan’s aggression toward Armenians.

On the theme of peace and conflict resolution, significant attention was given to the recent conflict in the South Caucasus, and the meeting listened to the perspectives of participants from both Armenia and Azerbaijan on this subject.

Shaghig Maroukhian, a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Supreme Council of Armenia described the actions of Azerbaijan as a large scale aggression planned and coordinated with military and political support from Turkey. She called the attacks a blatant violation of the 1994 ceasefire agreement.

She accused the government of Azerbaijan of recruiting terrorist mercenaries from Syria and Libya, and of immediately violating two ceasefires agreed during October. The ARF called into question the November 10 ceasefire agreement and supported protests against the Armenian prime minister and the installation of an interim government.

ARF representative and SI Vice-President Mario Nalpatian considered that a just peace had not been reached, but outlined his party’s commitment to the values and principles of the SI and readiness to work toward fulfilling those goals in the South Caucasus.

Araz Alizadeh, co-chair of the committee and leader of the Social Democratic Party of Azerbaijan described the conflict as a “patriotic war which all Azeri political parties had supported, resulting in Armenian forces leaving territory they had occupied for the first time since 1993.”

Responding to reports of Turkish involvement in the war, he denied the presence of Turkish armed forces in Azerbaijan. His position was that Azerbaijan had not at any point attacked the territory of Armenia. He also claimed that his party did not want war.

In remarks on the resolution of conflicts, SI Vice-President Alexander Romanovich of the Just Russia party highlighted the personal role of the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia in reaching a ceasefire agreement. He regretted the number of on-going conflicts in the CIS, referring to the situations in Moldova and Ukraine, and expressed his belief that conflicts could only be solved through negotiations with international support from the United Nations.

The SI meeting also discussed the global COVID-19 pandemic and the response in the regions covered by the committee, as well as tensions in Belarus, Transnistria and Kazakhstan.

In concluding remarks, SI secretary general Luis Ayala underlined that the SI had made the resolution of conflicts a part of its identity everywhere and would continue to bring together its member parties in search of common ground, compromise and cooperation. Democracy continued to be a major challenge in the region, he said.

He considered that as a political family the SI is truly involved in this region and is getting results. He paid tribute to social democrats across the region who were working for democracy and progress, improving the situation with hard work and perseverance, and expressed his pride that members of this political family were at the forefront of these efforts.

Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ara Aivazyan said that it was imperative for Turkey to withdraw its troops, as well as the mercenaries it has deployed out of Karabakh.

“Turkey, as the main instigator and supporter of the Azerbaijani aggression against the people of Artsakh today as well continues advancing a destructive policy for the region,” said Ayvazyan during a joint press conference Monday in Moscow with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

“This obliges the international community to take all possible steps to force Turkey to refrain from any activities which could further escalate tensions. Turkey should withdraw the staff of its armed forces and the armed terrorist groups from the Nagorno Karabakh conflict zone and the South Caucasus in general,” added Aivazyan.

Armenia’s foreign minister, who is on his first visit to Moscow since assuming the post last month added that there are no significant signs of Turkey making any effort to withdraw the foreign armed terrorists.

“Quite the contrary, there are confirmed reports that Azerbaijan is planning to expand the geography of spreading armed terrorists and mercenaries and populate the occupied regions of Artsakh with them,” Aivazyan warned.

Aivazyan and Lavorv both emphasized the need for the quick exchange of prisoners of war and return of the remains of soldiers from the Artsakh war, which is one of the provisions of the November 9 declaration that ended the military actions in Karabakh. 

“The exchange of captives is a very important issue,” Lavrov said during his meeting Aivazyan. “We will try to mediate through our peacekeepers to complete the process as soon as possible. We know that this a very difficult matter for the families and relatives of those who are held captive, as well as the issue of the exchange of the remains of the victims, which should also be resolved.”

Aivazyan said that exchange of captives is more crucial given evidence coming to light of the inhumane treatment of Armenian prisoners by Azerbaijani soldiers.

“Certainly, the issue of the search for the servicemen missing in action, the exchange of captives and the remains of victims is a very sensitive issue and requires speedy solution,” said Aivazyan, emphasizing the barbaric acts being committed against Armenians by Azerbaijan.

The Armenian foreign minister also highlighted the need to preserve Armenian religious and cultural sites, which have already been destroyed or vandalized by Azerbaijani forces after territories were surrendered to Baku.

During the joint press conference, Lavrov discuss the establishment of the humanitarian response center.

“This is President Putin’s initiative. We have proposed to make this center an international one, with the participation of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Now the practical issues of this initiative are under discussion. Numerous Russian ministries and agencies will participate in its realization,” Lavrov said.

The Russian foreign ministers set forth preconditions for transforming the South Caucasus from what he called a conflict zone to a region of stability and prosperity.

“I would like to highlight the importance of the joint statement signed by the Prime Minister of Armenia, the President of Russia and the Azerbaijani President which stopped the war, ensured agreements which enable the refugees to return to their homes, unblock all economic and transportation routes. We can turn the South Caucasus from a region of conflicts into a region of stability and prosperity for all nations in the region. We will assist with all means in this process,” Lavrov said.

The process of restoring the economy, infrastructure, health systems and life support would contribute to the establishment of good-neighborly relations between Armenians and Azerbaijanis both in the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and in the interstate plan, he added.

“This would contribute to the formation of an atmosphere of trust and cooperation in the region for the benefit of all the people living there and the countries located there. We are convinced that representatives of various nationalities, religions should live in peace and security wherever they are. And the South Caucasus deserves just such an approach,” Lavrov said.