Month: February 2021

Asbarez: AUA Raises $1.5 Million for Veterans’ Education Campaign

Emma Nadirian

February 5,  2021



AUA students who fell in battle during the recent Artsakh war

The American University of Armenia has successfully reached its goal for “Honoring Those Who Served: Investing in our Veterans’ Education” endowed scholarship campaign, raising over 1.5 million dollars for AUA veteran students. Thanks to the remarkable response from the AUA community of supporters, veterans will have access to the top-quality education AUA offers. The campaign positions AUA to welcome back with open arms all the heroes who defended their homeland further enhancing the institution’s vibrant culture that celebrates and supports veterans.

“The immeasurable strength and sustained giving spirit of the AUA network of supporters was, once again, exemplified in reaching the goal set for the ‘Honoring Those Who Served: Investing in our Veterans’ Education‘ campaign. Donations, small and large, poured in within a short period of time as an _expression_ of heartfelt and sincere gratitude to our veterans,” remarks AUA’s Vice President of Development, Gaiane Khachatrian. “The lessons learned from the unprecedented recent challenges imposed by the global pandemic and the war in Artsakh have inspired new perspectives on education and reaffirmed the role AUA must play in cultivating strong leaders who are equipped with the potential to design systemic solutions, propose pioneering development strategies and contribute to advancing our nation.”

The endowment fund established through the “Honoring Those Who Served: Investing in our Veterans’ Education” campaign signals and further strengthens the commitment of the University to this end. Specifically earmarked for veterans, the Fund will ensure success for veteran students and create pathways for their professional growth and opportunities for career advancement.

The Fund also has established named scholarships in honor of those six AUA students who fell in battle: Shavarsh Muradyan, Davit Uzunyan, Erik Hajikyan, Aziz Aghajanyan, Areg Gevorgyan, and Hakob Hakobyan. The memory of these heroes of the recent Artsakh war will live on forever at AUA through the scholarships awarded every year to other soldiers studying at AUA.

“Funding this endowed scholarship creates enduring tuition support and opportunities for our enrolled veteran students. The recent war has emphasized that education has a crucial role to play, universities serving as great institutions and making substantial impact on society. This dedicated scholarship has the potential for veterans to gain a transformational experience at AUA and ensure their success,” remarks AUA President Karin Markides. “The ‘Honoring Those Who Served: Investing in our Veterans’ Education’ campaign is just one of the pragmatic and constructive measures the University has taken to provide our veteran students with the right level of support for making a successful transition to student life. Shavarsh, Davit, Erik, Aziz, Areg, Hakob and every soldier who tragically lost their lives defending Armenia’s borders have made us more resolute in our commitment to our servicemen.”

Though the “Honoring Those Who Served: Investing in Our Veterans’ Education” campaign has attained its goal, it continues to stay open for new donations. You may make a secure donation online. To learn more about the impact of the campaign and other initiatives at AUA in support of veteran students, please visit our website.

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, affiliated with the University of California and accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission in the United States. AUA provides local and international students with Western-style education through top-quality undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs, promotes research and innovation, encourages civic engagement and community service, and fosters democratic values.

Zartsants 2.0: Western Armenian Language Immersion, Online

Andranik Taslakhchian

February 5,  2021



Zartsants 2.0

Can a language immersion program for children and young adults take place exclusively online? This was the question the Armenian Communities Department of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation had to grapple with when Zarmanazan 2020 had to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. After some hesitation, it answered, “Yes, we must try!” It thus entered some uncharted territory to make it happen.

The physical gathering of an educational summer “camp” that inspired children and young adults (between the ages of 10 and 24) to learn and create in Western Armenian had to be adapted to the digital domain. Special care had to be taken to transport online the sense of familiarity, creativity, and constant engagement, while keeping the language at the heart of the program. The new initiative was called “Zartsants 2.0,” taking the “zar” from Zarmanazan and “tsants” from the Armenian word ցանց, meaning network or web. The “2.0” symbolised both the difficult year of 2020 and the fact that Zartsants was building on Zarmanazan.

Intensive online brainstorming meetings between the facilitators and the organizers started in March 2020, once it became clear that the physical gathering was not going to take place. There were many challenges that needed to be overcome: finding the right balance between screen time and off-screen time, designing participative activities online, ensuring ongoing engagement over a period of several weeks, mixing workshop groups virtually, time zones differences, and, needless to say, making sure that Western Armenian would “naturally” flourish in the environment being created. It was important from the start to get feedback from the participants to ensure their commitment to the new format and to obtain parental approval.

It was essential to design a user-friendly personalized online platform specifically for Zartsants 2.0. Participants could update through the platform their profiles, gather multimedia information regarding the various workshops, register for activities and consult their personalised timetables. All participants had to take part in at least three workshops per day, although most of the time they wanted to take part in more. The workshops were held via Zoom with an average duration of 40 minutes. Depending on the content, they were either for a specific age group or were mixed-aged to allow for cross-age interaction and learning. While the workshops were for participants only, a blog was created to inform and involve parents.

All workshops were exclusively created for Zartsants 2.0 and changed every week. Activities included, among others, cooking, music and singing, movement _expression_, yoga, origami, crafts, drawing and painting, photography, science experiments, writing and reading in Western Armenian (including literature and philosophy), theatre with small objects, film making, an in-house newspaper (“Zarmanadoon”) and radio show (“Zarmanatsayn”). There was even a workshop, with five regular participants, on mathematical vocabulary in Armenian.

The day in Zartsants 2.0 would start with a daily surprise, a “Good Morning” video created by selected participants, and it would end with an exciting interactive live stream show on YouTube that included games, in-house concerts and stories of daily experiences at the virtual “camp.”

Since the online platform functioned completely in Armenian, a range of digital Armenian vocabulary was made available. Everyday participants learned “the word of the day” adding to the searchable online dictionary with words such as “download” (ներբեռնել), “link” (յղում) and “to charge” (լիցքաւորել). The dictionary grew to 100 words. In addition, 600 related terms were translated to make the Zartsants interface fully Armenian. In short, Zartsants created a space in which the Armenian language was fully integrated into the digital sphere.

Zartsants 2.0 had 50 participants. Of these, 33 were in the 10 to 17 age group, and 17 were in the 18 to 24 age group. The program was animated by 22 facilitators and supported by a very small team of technical experts. Participants “came” from the following countries: Argentina, Armenia, Belgium, Canada, France, Greece, Lebanon, Portugal, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In a period of four weeks, 1,200 images and 250 videos were produced, 96 workshops were held via 670 zoom gatherings for a total of 64,000 minutes. 300 pages were designed on the online platform and 25 blog posts were written for the parents, 70 of whom used the platform on a daily basis (in addition to all the participants and facilitators).

Zartsants 2.0 motivated youth and parents to speak Western Armenian daily. Many families around the world came together to enjoy the live stream events, read the blog, or watch the “Good Morning” videos. Despite the lack of a physical gathering, a strong feeling of familiarity and empathy was created through vast distances and multiple time zones.

“Zartsants 2.0 relied on creativity, fun and motivation as propellers of the Armenian language,” said Razmik Panossian, the Director of the Armenian Communities Department. “It gave us a whole new perspective and experience regarding engaging online activities for language learning, day in and day out. We will certainly look at its success and explore the possibilities of supporting similar initiatives in the future,” he concluded.

Zartsants 2.0 took place completely online from July 12 to August 7. Its participation was limited to those who had already registered for Zarmanazan 2020. Zartsants 2.0 was organized by L’association Mille et un Mondes (France), with the support of and in close collaboration with the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.

For more information and to view the Zartsants 2.0 video visit the website.

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 02/05/2021

Antranik Varosian 
                                                Friday, 

Armenia To Build New Hospitals With World Bank Loans


Armenia - A newly built hospital in Vanadzor, November 10, 2018.

The World Bank has approved $7.4 million in fresh loans designed to help the 
Armenian government build and equip two new provincial hospitals.

In a statement issued late on Thursday, the bank said they will serve as 
“additional financing” for a healthcare project launched in Armenia in 2013. It 
had lent the country’s former government $35 million at the time.

The statement said the expanded project will close “financial gaps” for the 
construction of the hospitals that will be located in Gegharkunik and Vayots 
Dzor provinces.

It quoted the head of the World Bank office in Yerevan, Sylvie Bossoutrot, as 
saying that more than 137,000 local residents will gain access to “quality 
medical care” as a result of the project. The bank has already financed the 
construction of 18 regional medical centers in Armenia, said Bossoutrot.

The statement added that the extra funding will also increase the country’s 
capacity to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

“Due to limitations in hospital capacity during the pandemic for clinical 
management of COVID-19 cases in Vayots Dzor region, cases requiring intensive 
care were transferred to hospitals in surrounding regions, introducing delays in 
accessing services and increasing the risk of mortality,” it said.



Armenia Slides In Global Democracy Ranking

        • Artak Khulian

ARMENIA -- Police detain demonstrators during a rally demanding the resignation 
of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian over his handling of the conflict with 
Azerbaijan, December 8, 2020.

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), a London-based think-tank, has downgraded 
Armenia’s position in its annual survey of the state of democracy around the 
world.

Armenia fell from 86th to 89th place in the EIU’s latest Democracy Index after 
rising substantially in the global ranking during the previous two years.

The EIU rates 167 countries and territories on five indicators, including civil 
liberties and electoral process and pluralism, and divides them into four 
categories: “full” and “flawed” democracies, “hybrid regimes” and “authoritarian 
regimes.”

Armenia remains in the “hybrid regime” category of nations with an aggregate 
democracy “score” of 5.35 out of 10. The EIU gave it 5.54 points in the 
Democracy Index 2019 released a year ago.

“Armenia’s score declined significantly in 2020, after the country had bucked 
the regional trend and registered significant improvement in 2018-19,” reads 
latest EIU report.

“As a result of the armed conflict with Azerbaijan over the breakaway region of 
Nagorny Karabakh, the Armenian government imposed martial law which 
significantly limited citizens’ freedoms, including freedom of expression. 
Martial law continued even after the fighting was ended via a ceasefire and was 
used as a pretext to disperse anti-government protests and detain opposition 
leaders,” it says.

Daniel Ioannisian of the Yerevan-based Union of Informed Citizens played down 
Armenia’s drop in the democracy ranking. He argued that the country still did 
much better than in EIU surveys conducted before the 2018 “Velvet Revolution” 
that brought Nikol Pashinian to power.

“Although we have regressed, it is not that terrible and not comparable to the 
pre-revolution years,” he told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service on Friday.

Ioannisian noted that Pashinian’s government restricted civil liberties not only 
during the recent war but also after imposing a state of emergency in March to 
contain the coronavirus pandemic.

“For example, the freedom of speech in Armenia was restricted at the start of 
emergency rule, from March 13 to April 16, which was quite controversial. It’s 
good that this restriction was quickly lifted,” he said.

Armenian opposition groups have accused the government exploiting the state of 
emergency and ensuing martial law to crack down on dissent.

They have also denounced it for enacting in June 2020 constitutional amendments 
that significantly changed the composition of the country’s Constitutional 
Court. The court was locked in a yearlong standoff with Pashinian.



Pashinian Hails Lifting Of Russian Travel Ban

        • Satenik Kaghzvantsian

Kazakhstan -- Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian (R) greets his Russian 
counterpart Mikhail Mishustin at a Eurasian Economic Union meeting in Almaty, 
February 5, 2021.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian again welcomed on Friday the Russian government’s 
decision to lift a coronavirus-related entry ban for Armenians, saying that it 
will reduce their economic hardship.

Moscow banned the entry of visitors from many foreign countries last spring as 
part of its efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic. It subsequently allowed 
citizens of some countries, including all other members of the Russian-led 
Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) except Armenia, to visit Russia.

The ban directly affected tens of thousands of Armenian migrant workers earning 
a living in Russia on a seasonal or permanent basis. Many of them had to return 
to Armenia following lockdown restrictions imposed across Russia last March.

After repeated appeals from the Armenian government Moscow last week allowed 
Armenian citizens testing negative for COVID-19 to enter Russia by air from 
February 1 to March 1. They have to use a special mobile phone application 
certifying negative results of their coronavirus tests taken shortly before 
their departure from Armenia.

Pashinian “noted with satisfaction” the lifting of the ban when he spoke at a 
meeting of the prime ministers of Russia and other EEU member states held in 
Kazakhstan. He said that the move is of “fairly great social and economic 
significance” for Armenia.

Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigorian said on Thursday that 1,423 Armenian 
citizens flew to Moscow and other Russian cities from Yerevan on February 1-3. 
More than 1,260 others returned to Armenia from Russia in the three-day period, 
Grigorian told Pashinian during a cabinet meeting in Yerevan.

Flights to Russia from Armenia’s second international airport located in Gyumri 
resumed on Thursday evening. Gyumri and the surrounding Shirak province have for 
decades suffered from high unemployment and poverty, forcing a large part of the 
region’s population to work in Russia.

“I’m going [to Russia] for work. I was stuck here for a year because of the 
pandemic,” one local resident, Onik Poghosian, said as he prepared to board a 
Gyumri-Moscow flight on Friday.

“My family will stay here and I will come back again,” Poghosian told RFE/RL’s 
Armenian Service.

Armenuhi Ghasaboghlian was at the Gyumri airport to see off her son and his 
family that had emigrated to Russia in the 1990s but returned to Armenia 
following the 2018 “Velvet Revolution.” She said the family decided to again 
leave the country.

“Our living conditions were such that we realized that we can’t sufficiently 
provide for the children,” explained the woman. “We weren’t scared of the 
coronavirus or the war [in Nagorno-Karabakh.]”


Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2021 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

Rep. Sherman demands answers from U.S. Ambassador to Baku for congratulatory statements on Azerbaijani aggression

Kevo Kalantarian
Public Radio of Armenia
Feb 4 2021

Senior House Foreign Affairs Committee member Brad Sherman (D-CA) demanded answers from U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Lee Litzenberger following reports that the U.S. envoy congratulated the Aliyev regime for “restoring its territorial integrity” and pledging U.S. funds to rebuild on occupied Artsakh lands, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

Rep. Sherman’s concerns followed news accounts in Azerbaijani press describing Ambassador Litzenberger’s January 27th meeting with Azerbaijan’s Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov.

In a strongly worded letter to Ambassador Litzenberger, Rep. Sherman asked the U.S. envoy to explain:

— Is it the policy of the United States to commend Baku on its successes as a result of the
recent war, which was initiated by Azeri aggression?

— Is it the policy of the United States to encourage investments in Azerbaijan meant to marginalize Artsakh?

Rep. Sherman noted that Amb. Litzenberger’s reported remarks, which have not been refuted by the U.S. Embassy in Baku, run counter to statements by Secretary of State Antony Blinken made during his confirmation process.  In response to inquiries by Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Ed Markey (D-MA), Secretary Blinken noted: “In light of the recent outbreak of hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Biden-Harris administration will review our security assistance to Azerbaijan. If the circumstances warrant, the Biden-Harris administration will be prepared to suspend waivers of requirements under section 907 of the Freedom Support Act. If confirmed, I look forward to working with Congress and the Secretary of Defense to determine the appropriate level of assistance to meet the security needs of Armenia and the region.”

Commenting to Asbarez News last week regarding Amb. Litzenberger’s reported remarks, ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian stated, “We are troubled by unconfirmed reports that our Ambassador in Baku is celebrating Azerbaijani aggression and – even worse – enlisting Americans in the commercial exploitation of indigenous Armenian lands.  In light of published accounts characterizing his comments in this regard, Amb. Litzenberger should set the record straight – explaining whether he is in fact pushing U.S. investments in areas of Artsakh seized by Azerbaijan,” added Hamparian.

The full text of Rep. Sherman’s letter to Amb. Litzenberger is provided below.

Dear Ambassador Litzenberger,

As you are aware, Azerbaijani and Turkish forces initiated an unprovoked attack against Armenia on September 27, 2020, leading to six weeks of devastating fighting that killed an estimated 5,000 people and forced more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians to flee from the Karabakh region. As a result of the intense fighting, a Russia-backed ceasefire was agreed to, which has resulted in an untenable situation for Artsakh’s long-term security and stability.

According to a press statement issued by Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Economy on January 27th, in a meeting with Azerbaijan’s Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov, you congratulated Azerbaijan for “restoring its territorial integrity” and expressed the United States’ readiness to take part in rebuilding lands that recently came under Baku’s control as a result of the war.

The United States is an active member of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group process. U.S. engagement in the OSCE process is necessary to find a permanent settlement to the Artsakh conflict that protects the security of Artsakh and helps to ensure another war does not break out. I appreciate the statement Secretary Blinken gave during his confirmation hearing to this end.

Ambassador Litzenberger, your remarks to Azerbaijan’s Economy Minister are extremely concerning, and are all together out of step with Secretary Blinken’s statements to date. Thus, I would appreciate responses to the following questions:

— Is it the policy of the United States to commend Baku on its successes as a result of the
recent war, which was initiated by Azeri aggression?

— Is it the policy of the United States to encourage investments in Azerbaijan meant to marginalize Artsakh?

Jalal Harutyunyan to head the Military Control Service of Armenia’s Ministry of Defense

Ani Kharatian
Public Radio of Armenia
Feb 4 2021

Lieutenant-General Jalal Harutyunyan has been appointed Head of the Military Control Service of Armenia’s Ministry of Defense.

A relevant order has been signed by Defense Minister Vagharshak Harutyunyan.

Jalal Harutyunyan previously served as Artsakh’s Defense Minister. He was dismissed from the post after sustaining an injury during the 44-day Artsakh War.

Armenian ombudsman: Azerbaijani military grossly violates Meghri residents’ right to water

Tambiyan Samvel
Panorama, Armenia
Feb 4 2021

The internationally guaranteed right to water for the residents of Meghri community of Armenia’s Syunik Province is continuously seriously violated by the deliberate actions of the Azerbaijani forces, Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) Arman Tatoyan said in a statement late on Wednesday.

“The Human Rights Defender of Armenia has received alarming and disturbing reports from the residents of Meghri community that about 5 years ago the Azerbaijani armed forces changed the riverbed fed by the Zvaraget tributary of the Meghri River to Nakhichevan (Ordubad region). As a result, in Meghri-Agarak towns of Syunik Province, as well as in Nrnadzor, Shvanidzor, Alvank villages, serious problems arise concerning the access to drinking and irrigation water. The majority of the population of Meghri community is in these settlements,” the defender said, adding he was reported about the problem during a visit to the community in January 2021.

“The issue is that the drinking and irrigation water of the settlements of Meghri community has always been provided at the expense and provisions of the Meghri River. Zvaraget or Ayrijur tributary starts about 3,500 meters above the sea level. It rises from the South-Eastern slopes of the Zangezur Mountains and then joins the Meghri main river. Due to the snowmelt, Zvaraget has been flooded since August of each year, due to which the full supply of drinking and irrigation water has always been ensured for the mentioned settlements of Meghri community. Without it, the Meghri River provides water only from the beginning of each year from June to July, and then the Meghri becomes very scarce, and in the part of Meghri city, the river is generally dry. Thus, by way of this, serious damage has already been done to the environment of Meghri community.

“Residents and the head of the Meghri community informed the Human Rights Defender that every month the Azerbaijani military creates brakes with special engineering equipment and thus changes the course of the tributary to Nakhichevan. In other words, as a result of these deliberate actions of the Azerbaijani armed forces, serious problems have arisen every year beginning in August for the residents of Meghri, Agarak, Nrnadzor, Shvanidzor, and Alvank villages due to the unavailability of drinking and irrigation water.

“At the same time, all of this is done with the threat of a real dangerous risk to human life, as the section of the Zvaraget tributary of the Meghri River is under the direct target of the Azerbaijani military and is controlled by them.

“These actions of the Azerbaijani military and, in other words, by those in positions of power, are grossly violating the right to water, which is vital for the residents of the Meghri community of Armenia and is guaranteed absolutely by international norms.

“The right to water is guaranteed internationally. This right includes the human right to have sufficient water for both continuous drinking and domestic use (irrigation, hygiene, etc.). At the same time, there must be not only a safe access to water, but also a full access to water. This right has a unique value and is at the heart of other human rights to life, health, dignity and privacy.

“This right is so fundamental that the United Nations has declared the right to water and sanitation a global Sustainable Development Goal, taking into account the fundamental principles of water, irreplaceable importance for human development, and organization of life’s necessities. The UN Secretary-General described this right as a goal of the Millennium Development Goal.

“The described actions of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces grossly violate the Convention on the Transboundary Watercourses, the Use and Protection of International Lakes as adopted in Helsinki on March 17, 1992, and other international instruments.

“The Human Rights Defender's Office of Armenia is currently summarizing the internationally absolutely and unequivocally guaranteed rights of the people of Armenia to drinking and irrigation water and the infringement upon these rights by the Azerbaijani armed forces,” the statement read. 

Rep. Sherman demands answers for U.S. ambassador to Baku congratulatory statements on Azerbaijani aggression against Artsakh

Emil Lazarian
Panorama, Armenia
Feb 4 2021

Senior House Foreign Affairs Committee member Brad Sherman (D-CA) demanded answers from U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Lee Litzenberger following reports that the U.S. envoy congratulated the Aliyev regime for “restoring its territorial integrity” and pledging U.S. funds to rebuild on occupied Artsakh lands, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

Rep. Sherman’s concerns followed news accounts in Azerbaijani press describing Ambassador Litzenberger’s January 27th meeting with Azerbaijan’s Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov.

In a strongly worded letter to Ambassador Litzenberger, Rep. Sherman asked the U.S. envoy to explain:

— Is it the policy of the United States to commend Baku on its successes as a result of the
recent war, which was initiated by Azeri aggression?

— Is it the policy of the United States to encourage investments in Azerbaijan meant to marginalize Artsakh?

Rep. Sherman noted that Amb. Litzenberger’s reported remarks, which have not been refuted by the U.S. Embassy in Baku, run counter to statements by Secretary of State Antony Blinken made during his confirmation process. In response to inquiries by Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Ed Markey (D-MA), Secretary Blinken noted: “In light of the recent outbreak of hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Biden-Harris administration will review our security assistance to Azerbaijan. If the circumstances warrant, the Biden-Harris administration will be prepared to suspend waivers of requirements under section 907 of the Freedom Support Act. If confirmed, I look forward to working with Congress and the Secretary of Defense to determine the appropriate level of assistance to meet the security needs of Armenia and the region.”

Commenting to Asbarez News last week regarding Amb. Litzenberger’s reported remarks, ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian stated, “We are troubled by unconfirmed reports that our Ambassador in Baku is celebrating Azerbaijani aggression and – even worse – enlisting Americans in the commercial exploitation of indigenous Armenian lands. In light of published accounts characterizing his comments in this regard, Amb. Litzenberger should set the record straight – explaining whether he is in fact pushing U.S. investments in areas of Artsakh seized by Azerbaijan,” added Hamparian.

The full text of Rep. Sherman’s letter to Amb. Litzenberger is provided below.

February 3, 2021

H.E. Ambassador Lee Litzenberger
U.S. Embassy Baku
111 Azadlig Ave
AZ1007 Baku, Azerbaijan

RE: Remarks, Meeting with Azerbaijan’s Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov

Dear Ambassador Litzenberger,

As you are aware, Azerbaijani and Turkish forces initiated an unprovoked attack against Armenia on September 27, 2020, leading to six weeks of devastating fighting that killed an estimated 5,000 people and forced more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians to flee from the Karabakh region. As a result of the intense fighting, a Russia-backed ceasefire was agreed to, which has resulted in an untenable situation for Artsakh’s long-term security and stability.

According to a press statement issued by Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Economy on January 27th, in a meeting with Azerbaijan’s Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov, you congratulated Azerbaijan for “restoring its territorial integrity” and expressed the United States’ readiness to take part in rebuilding lands that recently came under Baku’s control as a result of the war.

The United States is an active member of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group process. U.S. engagement in the OSCE process is necessary to find a permanent settlement to the Artsakh conflict that protects the security of Artsakh and helps to ensure another war does not break out. I appreciate the statement Secretary Blinken gave during his confirmation hearing to this end.

Ambassador Litzenberger, your remarks to Azerbaijan’s Economy Minister are extremely concerning, and are all together out of step with Secretary Blinken’s statements to date. Thus, I would appreciate responses to the following questions:

— Is it the policy of the United States to commend Baku on its successes as a result of the
recent war, which was initiated by Azeri aggression?

— Is it the policy of the United States to encourage investments in Azerbaijan meant to marginalize Artsakh?

I look forward to your prompt response.

Sincerely,

Brad Sherman
Member of Congress

Mikayel Minasyan: We must realize that ‘gang of Turkish-Azerbaijani agents’ is in power in Armenia

Tania Jagharian
Panorama, Armenia
Feb 4 2021

Armenia’s former Ambassador to the Holy See Mikayel Minasyan took to Telegram on Thursday to strongly condemn the recent remarks of MP Anush Beghloyan from Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s My Step bloc about Artsakh.

The lawmaker came under fire for her statement that “it is not important who started the war or whose historical land Artsakh is” during a meeting via video conference on 2 February.

“The walking madam did not say anything new. It follows Nikol's political line, which he started 2,5 years ago, creating from the image of the enemy an educated and constructive partner and presenting the generals who built the state and army as criminals and thieves,” he wrote.

Minasyan also referred to an interview of Deputy Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly Lena Nazaryan, where she calls for living in peace instead of “regaining what has been lost”.

“We have reached the point where the usurer holding the post of minister of social affairs feels free to mock the people of Artsakh who have been left homeless, stating that “there are no social or humanitarian issues in post-war Artsakh.” The problems of the Nikol and his team are resolved while they are in power. This is what allows them to constantly ignore the public opinion,” the ex-ambassador said.

“Few people know that according to the verbal agreement between Aliyev and Pashinyan, the office of the Artsakh representation in Russia is being closed. This is a continuation of the same policy of pacifying the enemy, giving it all the elements of our victory and unquestioningly fulfilling all his demands.

“We must realize that the power in Armenia is held by a gang of Turkish-Azerbaijani agents, who trample on state and national interests every single minute. And it is up to us how long we will allow them to live comfortably,” he said. 

Turkish press: Azerbaijan: Armenia falls short to respond to claims

Yeghisabet Arthur
Seda Sevencan   |04.02.2021

ANKARA

Azerbaijan's government said that Armenia is falling short in responding to alleged breaches of the European Convention of Human Rights, Azerbaijan's state-run news agency Azertac said.

Azerbaijan filed an inter-state application under Article 33 of the European Convention on Human Rights against Armenia in mid-January.

The Armenian government on Monday responded to the allegations.

Azerbaijan alleges that violations occurred during Armenia’s occupation of its territory from 1991 until Dec.1, 2020.

The claims are that during the occupation, Armenia inflicted significant and extensive human and material damage toward Azerbaijan and its people.

Chingiz Asgarov, the deputy chairman of the Supreme Court, said: "Azerbaijan remains committed to securing justice for the people of Azerbaijan affected by the long-lasting and illegal occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh. After years of avoiding scrutiny, Armenia’s actions will be placed under the spotlight."

Asgarov added: "These are serious allegations and Azerbaijan is committed to ensuring it follows the rule of law throughout the process."

Relations between the former Soviet republics had been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, internationally recognized as an Azerbaijani territory, and seven adjacent regions.

When new clashes erupted in September 2020, the Armenian army launched attacks on civilians and Azerbaijani forces and violated several humanitarian cease-fire agreements.

During the 44-day conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages from the nearly three-decade-long occupation.

In November, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a Russian-brokered peace deal to end fighting.

On Saturday, Turkish and Russian troops started to monitor the truce in Upper Karabakh. It came after the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding following the truce to set up a joint center on Azerbaijani territories liberated from Armenia’s occupation to monitor the cease-fire.