Month: March 2023

A 10 Year Milestone

Emil Lazarian
March 1, 2023 Guest Contributor Diaspora 0

Dr. Razmik Panossian

February 2023 marked the 10th anniversary of my arrival at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation to head the Armenian Communities Department. It’s been an incredible decade at the helm of one of the most important funding entities in the Armenian world. It is also an opportunity to take a step back from my daily routine, to reflect on the past and to think about the future.

2023 coincides with the start of a new strategic plan for the entire Foundation. In May 2022, Professor António Feijó assumed the presidency of the Foundation and soon after embarked on a process of strategic redevelopment and planning. After months of consultations and preparation, in which the Armenian Department participated fully, the 2023-27 Strategic Plan was adopted by the Board of Trustees in December. “Sustainability” and “Equity” emerged as the two core principles around which Foundation activities will pivot.

It will be a year of transition for the Armenian Communities Department. We will wrap up the previous Five-Year Plan and embark on the new one. Our revised mission statement is “To strengthen Armenian language, culture and education in the Diaspora, and foster research and critical thinking in Armenia.” There is both continuity and change in this statement. We remain focused on language, culture and education, especially Western Armenian, while we bring in new elements that are crucial for Armenians currently: sound research for better policy development and critical thinking to better engage with national problems.

The programming of the department reflects the duality of the Armenian world: Diaspora and Armenia. While we fully appreciate the interconnections between the two parts of the nation, we do, nonetheless, remain diaspora-centric in our approach. This is not only based on demographic facts – two-thirds of Armenians live outside of Armenia – but reflects a deeper philosophical perspective that the Diaspora is an inherent part of the nation, and that it must be nourished and supported in its own right. It is not a mere appendix to Armenia or just a source of resources for state building; rather the Diaspora is in itself a unique identity to be cherished.

The new Five-Year Plan addresses two fundamental problems: the sustainability of Western Armenian language and culture in the Diaspora and the lack of good research on current issues, based on critical engagement, in Armenia. More specifically, our programming henceforth will be based on the following four pillars:

  1. Ensuring the vitality of Western Armenian, from language acquisition and teacher development programmes to IT-based initiatives that reinforce the language.
  2. Cultural creativity support, whereby the emphasis is both on Western Armenian and on the transformative role of the arts in society and in the lives of individuals.
  3. Research support and translations which augment critical thinking in the social sciences and provide factual basis for policy development, particularly in Armenia.
  4. University scholarships, with a particular focus on Armenian Studies and contemporary issues, as well as on Armenian undergraduate students in developing countries.

Sustainability and equity are woven into all four priority areas. Unlike our previous strategic plan, the 2023-27 plan is thematically driven without making hard geographic distinctions between countries, reflecting the interconnected nature of Armenian communities worldwide.

We will soon be communicating the details of our new strategic plan through our updated website, social media and a series of in-person events in the Diaspora and in Armenia. We are currently finalizing the lists of projects we have supported since 2014 and the scholarships we have given. These will be posted on our website, in line with our policy of transparency. A detailed report of our activities during the last 10 years will also be made available.

I have looked ahead so far. As I mentioned, the 10-year milestone is also an opportunity to reflect back. I am often asked what I consider to be our greatest achievements since I joined the Gulbenkian Foundation. This is a difficult question. Short of listing specific initiatives, I would mention three broad tendencies that I believe the Armenian Communities Department has led, or significantly contributed to.

First, we have put Western Armenian “on the map.” While many speak of the dangers facing the language, we have actually put considerable resources into its revitalization: pedagogic tools, teacher development, spell checkers, digitization of literature, school aid, publications, culture support, children’s programs (in person and online), adult language courses and so forth. All these, cumulatively, have reinforced the language and created a newfound excitement about it, particularly among younger people. Western Armenian is an “endangered” language; it is not a dead language. This generation has the means to reverse the process, and we are pleased to be one of the leaders of the revitalization movement.

Second, through our research and translation related grants, we have played a key role in “modernizing” Armenian studies to cover more contemporary subjects on the one hand, and on the other, brought new thinking and approaches to Armenia through the translation of important social science texts. Much more needs to be done in this domain, and hence our explicit focus on these two aspects during the next five years. The Armenian Diaspora Survey, current issues in Armenia, as well as research grants on Armenian-Turkish relations, are prime examples of the former, while our translations series is an example of the latter.

Third, I cannot fail to mention our university scholarship program, which has benefited thousands of students around the world. It certainly is something to be proud of. Many of the new talents currently in the field of Armenian Studies have been recipients of Gulbenkian scholarships at one point. We grant over a dozen Masters, PhD and postdoc scholarships every year just in the field of Armenian Studies (outside of Armenia), not to mention scores of other scholarships to researchers and Armenian students in other fields of study, including a conference and travel grants to young researchers in Armenia.

I believe the Armenian Communities Department has played a transformative role in the last 10 years in these three areas. Our four programming pillars for the next five years will certainly build on these trends, always keeping in mind the wider socio-political context in which we operate and the many challenges facing Armenians both in Diaspora and in Armenia. Flexibility (being agile in the face of crises) is the key to successful grant making, which we had to show during the pandemic and the 44-day war, switching to humanitarian aid or drastically altering projects while remaining focussed on core priority areas.

At a more “internal” level, last year we redeveloped our website to a fully bilingual site, in English and Western Armenian. Even the “cookies policy” is in Armenian! We augmented our human resources by hiring an assistant director, Shogher Margossian. And we launched our own departmental Facebook page to engage directly with social media. Please do follow us!

My biggest challenge during the upcoming months is going to be managing continuity and change simultaneously, as we start implementing the new Five-Year Plan. Change entails letting go of some long-standing partners. It is difficult to say “no” after years of fruitful collaboration. But new challenges have to be taken on, new projects developed and new partnerships established and nourished.

Likewise, with continuing initiatives, we must always ask the “impact question” and show our Board of Trustees, and indeed the broader public, that our initiatives are having real impact in the Armenian world. We acknowledge that showing impact is difficult, especially when it comes to language, culture and education. We would have to work on this, in collaboration with our colleagues at the Foundation who are in other grant-making units.

We are excited about the next five years. We will continue funding projects, develop new programs, learn from the challenges we have faced and plow ahead. I always give the example of my grandparents’ generation. They built their lives, their communities, their culture and their language in the Diaspora after the Genocide. Mr. Gulbenkian himself played a role in this rebuilding process in the 1920s and 1930s. We can do the same. That, in a nutshell, is our philosophy at the Armenian Communities Department of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.




Artsakh president announces Ruben Vardanyan’s replacement as state minister

David Nargizian
March 1, 2023 Lillian Avedian News 1

President Harutyunyan introduces the newly-appointed State Minister of the Artsakh Republic Gurgen Nersisyan

Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan has announced that Prosecutor General Gurgen Nersisyan will replace Ruben Vardanyan as State Minister.

Harutyunyan announced Vardanyan’s removal in a televised address on February 23.

“I am grateful to Mr. Vardanyan for the fact that, in both friendship and professional relations, he always tried to share responsibilities with me to the maximum extent and did not try to put [pressure] on me by citing constitutional norms,” Harutyunyan said. 

In the week following Vardanyan’s dismissal, official representatives from Artsakh and Azerbaijan held two meetings. The meetings, held on February 25 and March 1, were the first since the start of Azerbaijan’s blockade of Artsakh. 

On March 1, Lusine Avanesyan, spokesperson for the Artsakh president, said that the representatives discussed “humanitarian and infrastructural issues.” Specifically, they addressed the restoration of movement along the Lachin Corridor and electricity and gas supply from Armenia to Artsakh.   

The Azerbaijani side said that the representatives discussed the “reintegration of Armenian residents living in the Karabakh region into the Republic of Azerbaijan.” They said that the head of the committee investigating illegal mining in Artsakh attended the meeting. They did not mention the lifting of the blockade of Artsakh. 

President Harutyunyan ruled out “any integration process with Azerbaijan” during a cabinet meeting on March 1 announcing Nersisyan’s appointment. “However, this does not mean that we will avoid contacts to solve problems of an infrastructural and humanitarian nature,” he said. 

Ruben Vardanyan (Photo: NKR InfoCenter)

Azerbaijani authorities had been critical of Vardanyan’s appointment as State Minister, accusing him of having been exported from Russia to Artsakh to serve Russian interests. On February 18, just days before Vardanyan’s dismissal, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that Azerbaijan would refuse to negotiate with Artsakh officials as long as Vardanyan was in power.

Aliyev said that Azerbaijan was ready to “start practical communications with representatives of the Armenian community in Karabakh.” “But we can do it only when the Russian citizen-criminal oligarch, a person involved in money laundering in Europe, Vardanyan, is out of our territory,” Aliyev told reporters on February 18 on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. 

Harutyunyan denied that he dismissed Vardanyan to fulfill Aliyev’s request. “No one can feel more pained by this decision than I do,” Harutyunyan said. Harutyunyan did not give a clear reason for dismissing Vardanyan. He said that he and Vardanyan shared strategic differences on internal and external issues.

Vardanyan held the position of State Minister for just three months following his appointment by Harutyunyan in November 2022. The Russian Armenian billionaire renounced his Russian citizenship last September and moved to Artsakh. 

The powers of the state minister’s office expanded significantly during Vardanyan’s brief tenure. Vardanyan launched an operational headquarters to manage the state response to the blockade of Artsakh. 

Since his dismissal, Vardanyan has said that he will continue to live in Artsakh and pursue humanitarian initiatives. 

These leadership changes are taking place amid Azerbaijan’s ongoing blockade of Artsakh, which surpassed 80 days this week. A group of Azerbaijanis claiming to be eco-activists protesting illegal mining in Artsakh has closed the Lachin Corridor, the sole route connecting Artsakh and Armenia, since December 12. Artsakh is facing a humanitarian crisis, as imports of food and medicine from Armenia have come to a halt. Gas and electricity supplies from Armenia to Artsakh have also been periodically disrupted since the start of the blockade, which Artsakh authorities blame on Azerbaijan.

Hospitals in Artsakh have temporarily suspended treatments due to the blockade. At least 750 people are awaiting medical treatment. A number of illnesses have increased in Artsakh since the start of the blockade, including a 58-percent increase in heart disease, a 36-percent increase in strokes, and an 11-percent increase in childbirth complications, according to official data.

On February 22, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Azerbaijan must “take all measures at its disposal to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.” 

“The disruption on the Lachin Corridor has impeded the transfer of persons of Armenian national or ethnic origin hospitalized in Nagorno-Karabakh to medical facilities in Armenia for urgent medical care. The evidence also indicates that there have been hindrances to the importation into Nagorno-Karabakh of essential goods, causing shortages of food, medicine and other life-saving medical supplies,” the United Nations court said. 

Under the trilateral ceasefire agreement ending the 2020 Artsakh War, Azerbaijan “guarantees traffic safety along the Lachin Corridor of citizens, vehicles and goods in both directions.”

Azerbaijani authorities denied that the ICJ had ruled that the Lachin Corridor is closed. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said that the ICJ had not determined that the government of Azerbaijan is responsible for the closure of the corridor. 

While speaking with reporters in Munich, Aliyev also proposed the establishment of checkpoints along the Lachin Corridor. 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov ruled out the creation of checkpoints along the Lachin Corridor while speaking with reporters on February 28. He said that the corridor must operate in compliance with the trilateral ceasefire ending the 2020 Artsakh War, “which means the need to ensure free movement for exclusively civilian and humanitarian cargo and civilians.” 

However, Lavrov said it may be “possible to use technical means to remove the existing suspicions that the corridor is really used for its intended purpose.” 

In the weeks before closing the Lachin Corridor, Azerbaijani authorities accused Armenia of using the route to illegally transport mines. Last week, the ICJ rejected a request from Azerbaijan for provisional measures ordering Armenia to stop using the Lachin Corridor for this purpose.

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Lillian Avedian is a staff writer for the Armenian Weekly. Her writing has also been published in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Hetq and the Daily Californian. She is pursuing master’s degrees in journalism and Near Eastern Studies at New York University. A human rights journalist and feminist poet, Lillian's first poetry collection Journey to Tatev was released with Girls on Key Press in spring of 2021.


IALA returns with annual mentorship program for emerging Armenian writers

Maral Chavushian
March 1, 2023 International Armenian Literary Alliance Literary Corner, Announcements 0

The International Armenian Literary Alliance’s (IALA) third annual mentorship program will run from July 3 through August 31, 2023 with mentorships for writers of the novel, memoir, creative nonfiction, short story and poetry. Mentors will read and provide feedback on their mentee’s writing and speak virtually with their mentee throughout the program to discuss the writing life, the mentee’s work and how to navigate the publishing industry. At the end of the program, IALA will host an Emerging Writers Showcase to feature the mentees’ work.

Applications are now open through April 15, 2023. 

“I cannot wait to see the new crop of emerging writers who will submit their applications for the 2023 IALA’s Mentorship Program. Internationally, this is the only writer-specific mentorship program that pairs up Armenian mentees with Armenian mentors,” says IALA Mentorship Program director Shahé Mankerian. “Because of its uniqueness, we have met amazing emerging writers from across the globe.”

“Mentors are an invaluable resource to emerging writers, not only in giving feedback on work, but in providing encouragement and guidance in what’s otherwise an often solitary practice. Persistence is vital to a writer’s journey, and we pair our mentees with authors who believe in their power to create, inspiring them to persevere through inevitable periods of self-doubt,” says IALA founder and director Olivia Katrandjian. “We hope that bonds between our mentors and mentees will last beyond the length of the program, and transform into mutually supportive relationships that will only strengthen our writers and the Armenian literary community.”

In its two years of offering this first-of-its-kind mentorship program, IALA has matched 15 up-and-coming writers with authors. Mentors have included Aida Zilelian, Nancy Agabian, Armen Davoudian, Gregory Djanikian, Mashinka Firunts Hakopian, Arminé Iknadossian, Nancy Kricorian, Markar Melkonian, Lola Koundakjian, Aline Ohanesian and Alene Terzian-Zeitounian.

“I’ve never encountered another Armenian poet, so meeting Arthur for the first time was a mixture of experiencing both novelty and home. The connections and similarities between us were uncanny,” said Jen Siraganian (mentee, 2022) about her mentor Arthur Kayzakian. “I’m truly humbled by his warmth, enthusiasm, and focus, and thanks to him, my work shifted in huge and brave ways.”

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The International Armenian Literary Alliance is a nonprofit organization launched in 2021 that supports and celebrates writers by fostering the development and distribution of Armenian literature in the English language. A network of Armenian writers and their champions, IALA gives Armenian writers a voice in the literary world through creative, professional, and scholarly advocacy.


RFE/RL Armenian Report – 03/01/2023

Hovsep Chakrian 
                                        Wednesday, March 1, 2023


Armenian Parliament Approves Sharp Pay Rise For Prosecutors

        • Gayane Saribekian

Armenia - Prosecutors attend a meeting with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, 
Yerevan, July 1, 2022.


The National Assembly approved on Wednesday a government proposal to nearly 
double the salaries of Armenia’s prosecutors.

Prosecutor-General Anna Vardapetian, who previously worked as a legal adviser to 
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, will be the biggest beneficiary of the measure 
criticized by opposition lawmakers. Her monthly wage will rise to at least 2.5 
million drams ($6,400).

Other prosecutors will earn the average of 1.5 million drams per month. The 
average monthly wage in Armenia currently stands at about 236,000 ($605) drams, 
according to government data.

Presenting a relevant government bill to the parliament, Deputy Justice Minister 
Levon Balian said the sharp pay rise will discourage prosecutors from taking 
bribes or succumbing to other “external pressures.” Balian said it will also 
reward them for their “excessive workload.”

Opposition parliamentarians dismissed that explanation, saying that the Armenian 
government simply wants to buy senior law-enforcement officials’ loyalty. One of 
those lawmakers, Artsvik Minasian, noted that Vardapetian will be earning even 
more than the country’s president and prime minister.

Law-enforcement bodies have for years been accused by the Armenian opposition of 
executing government orders to prosecute Pashinian’s political opponents. They 
have denied that.

A random street poll of Yerevan residents conducted by RFE/RL’s Armenian Service 
found little support for the drastic increase in the prosecutors’ wages.

“They had better buy weapons with that money,” said one man.

“Our army is in dire straits now. So defense is definitely our top priority,” 
agreed another.

Another citizen echoed the opposition claims about political motives behind the 
measure.

“They are fighting to cling to power,” he said of the current authorities. 
“There is nothing else. When Nikol Pashinian came to power in 2018 he was saying 
that he stands with the poor. But what is the status of the poor now?”



Azeri, Karabakh Officials Meet Again

        • Ruzanna Stepanian

Nagorno-Karabakh - Azerbaijani protesters stand in front of Russian peacekeepers 
on a road outside Stepanakert, December 24, 2022.


Azerbaijani officials met with Nagorno-Karabakh’s representatives on Wednesday 
for the second time in less than a week to discuss Azerbaijan’s continuing 
blockade of the Lachin corridor.

The meeting took place at the headquarters of Russian peacekeeping forces 
stationed in Karabakh.

Karabakh’s official news agency Artsakhpress reported that its participants 
discussed the restoration of “unimpeded” traffic thorough the corridor and 
Armenia’s electricity and natural gas supplies to Karabakh disrupted by Baku. It 
said they also looked at the possibility of Azerbaijani environmental 
inspections of two copper mines located in the Armenian-populated region.

“Agreements were reached on further cooperation aimed at reducing tension and 
establishing peaceful life in the region,” it added without elaborating.

Azerbaijani government-backed protesters blocked the sole road connecting 
Karabakh to Armenia on December 12 following the Karabakh Armenians’ refusal to 
allow such inspections. The authorities in Stepanakert and Yerevan rejected 
those demands as a pretext for cutting off Karabakh from the outside world.

An Azerbaijani readout of Friday’s meeting cited by the APA news agency said the 
Azerbaijani negotiators included the head of a “monitoring group” investigating 
“illegal” mining operations in Karabakh. It said the meeting focused on the 
Karabakh Armenians’ “integration into Azerbaijan.” There was no word on the 
possible lifting of the blockade that has led to shortages of food, medicine and 
other essential items in Karabakh.

The Karabakh president, Arayik Harutiunian, reiterated, meanwhile, that 
Stepanakert will continue to resist the restoration of Azerbaijani control over 
Karabakh.

“But this doesn’t mean that we will avoid contacts [with Baku] for addressing 
humanitarian and infrastructure-related issues,” said Harutiunian.

The meeting mediated by the commander of the Russian peacekeepers came the day 
after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov wrapped up a visit to Baku. Lavrov 
indicated Russia’s opposition to Azerbaijani attempts to set up a checkpoint at 
the Lachin corridor. He said the Russian peacekeepers could use “technical 
means” to address Azerbaijani concerns.

Baku has accused Armenia of smuggling landmines to Karabakh through the corridor 
in breach of the 2020 ceasefire brokered by Moscow. The Armenian side has 
strongly denied the allegations.

A senior Karabakh lawmaker, Seyran Hayrapetian, told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service 
that Stepanakert is ready to discuss the idea of installing X-ray scanners at 
the corridor. But he said they must be operated and controlled only by the 
Russian peacekeepers.

The first meeting of Azerbaijani and Karabakh officials took place on February 
24 the day after Harutiunian announced the dismissal of his chief minister, 
Ruben Vardanyan, which was demanded by Baku throughout the blockade.



Armenian Police Criticized Over Surge In Drug Trafficking

        • Ruzanna Stepanian

Armenia - Interior Minister Vahe Ghazarian speaks in the parliament, Yerevan, 
March 1, 2023.


Pro-government lawmakers criticized the Armenian police for a sharp rise in drug 
trafficking in the country when they met with Interior Minister Vahe Ghazarian 
late on Tuesday.

The police reported a total of 743 trafficking cases last year, up from over 420 
cases in 2021. The increase is widely blamed on increasingly accessible 
synthetic drugs mainly sold through the internet and, in particular, social 
media platforms such as Telegram.

Armen Khachatrian, a senior lawmaker representing the ruling Civil Contract 
party, said the alarming statistics was the main focus of Ghazarian’s meeting 
Civil Contract deputies that lasted for about three hours.

“The statistics is concerning, and the [ruling party’s] parliamentary faction is 
not satisfied with the current methods of the fight [against drug trafficking,]” 
Khachatrian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service. “Therefore, a new program must be 
drawn up in order to reduce this problem to a minimum.”

“We cannot tolerate widespread drug trafficking in Armenia,” added the former 
police officer.

Khachatrian was particularly concerned about a “significant number” of young 
Armenians suffering from drug addiction.

The youth are the main target group of Telegram channels selling drugs. Links to 
those websites are now painted on residential buildings and other public areas 
across Yerevan.

A prosecutor interviewed by RFE/RL’s Armenian Service last month insisted that 
law-enforcement authorities are cracking down on the illegal online trade. In 
his words, over the last three years they have identified and charged over two 
dozen members of four criminal associations that old several million dollars’ 
worth of narcotics through social media.

Critics of the Armenian government link the growing drug trade with recent 
years’ increase in Armenia’s overall crime rate. They say that the country not 
accustomed to widespread drug abuse is not as safe as it was before the 2018 
“velvet revolution.”

The total number of various crimes registered by the Armenia police rose by over 
24 percent in 2022.

Khachatrian said he and other pro-government lawmakers also discussed with 
Ghazarian recent scandals involving the Patrol Service, a new Western-funded 
police force tasked with road policing and street patrol.

The chief of the service, Colonel Artur Umrshatian, was fired two weeks ago 
following an extraordinary traffic incident at Yerevan’s main square which 
sparked accusations of incompetence directed at its officers. Dozens of those 
officers have been subjected disciplinary action over the past year.

“The minister admitted that there have been cases of unprofessional behavior by 
patrol officers,” said Khachatrian.


Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2023 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

CivilNet: 2 dozen Armenian NGOs lambast government over gold mine deal

Emil Lazarian
CIVILNET.AM

01 Mar, 2023 10:03

  • Representatives from Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan and the Russian peacekeeping contingent met again to discuss the restoration of unimpeded travel along the Lachin corridor.
  • More than two dozen non-governmental organizations and public figures in Armenia issued a joint statement lambasting the Armenian government’s decision last week to resume operations at the long-stalled Amulsar gold mine.

Moscow ready for meeting of Russian, Azerbaijani, Armenian top diplomats — Lavrov

Nyrie Kalashian
 TASS 
Russia – Feb 28 2023
The Russian foreign minister specified that the Azerbaijani side expressed its readiness to hold a new meeting in such a format

BAKU, February 28. /TASS/. Russia has confirmed its readiness to host trilateral talks between Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia at the level of foreign ministers, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said following talks with his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov.

"We confirmed our readiness to provide an opportunity to continue such meetings," he said at a news conference on Tuesday.

The Russian top diplomat specified that the Azerbaijani side expressed its readiness to hold a new meeting in such a format. "The Armenian side said it had no objection either, but has not yet given its final consent," Lavrov added.

He recalled that Moscow had provided a venue for a trilateral meeting of foreign ministers several times, including in December 2022, but then "Armenian colleagues said they would not be able to participate in this event.".

Lachin corridor’s operation should conform to trilateral agreements, says Lavrov

Samvel Nahapetian
 TASS 
Russia – Feb 28 2023
According to the Russian top diplomat, it is possible to "remove suspicions" about the use of the corridor "by technical means"

BAKU, February 28. /TASS/. The Lachin corridor should operate in conformity with the trilateral statement of the Russian, Armenian, and Azerbaijani leaders dated November 9, 2020, which has no provisions on any checkpoints, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday after talks with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Jeyhun Bayramov.

"The regime of its (the Lachin corridor – TASS) operation should be fully in in line with the first trilateral statement dated November 9-10, 2020, which means that free movement for solely civilians and humanitarian cargoes and civilians must be ensures. This is what we want to achieve, first of all with the help of the Russian peacekeeping contingent. It doesn’t envisage the establishment of any checkpoints," he said.

According to the Russian top diplomat, it is possible to "remove suspicions" about the use of the corridor "by technical means." "We touched that upon today. Technical details are of secondary importance," he added.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on February 18 that at a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Munich, the Azerbaijani side suggested checkpoints be set up on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, including at the both ends of the Zangezur corridor and on the border between the Lachin corridor and Armenia. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said on February 22 that Yerevan objects against establishing Azerbaijani checkpoint in the Lachin corridor.

Azerbaijani top diplomat invites Armenia to return to negotiating table

Liana Toganian
 TASS 
Russia – Feb 28 2023
Jeyhun Bayramov stressed that it would be wrong to say that there had been no progress in the negotiations over the past six months

BAKU, February 28. /TASS/. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov slammed online diplomacy on the peace treaty with Armenia ineffective and urged Yerevan to return to the negotiating table.

"Now we don’t have this element of face-to-face meetings. But in order not to completely kill the process, the Azerbaijani side does not refuse to receive and send comments, that is what I meant by online diplomacy. That is, there is just forwarding of comments. Do we consider this the most productive method of communication in discussing the draft peace treaty? I don’t think so," the Azerbaijani top diplomat said on Tuesday at a press conference following talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.

Bayramov stressed that it would be wrong to say that there had been no progress in the negotiations over the past six months. "There is some progress. But if we were more result-oriented, if we faced fewer unpleasant surprises, we could have had a better result. And I think that the Armenian side will finally understand the inadequacy of such an approach to the current situation and return to the negotiating table. The Azerbaijani side is ready for that," he added.

The Azerbaijani top diplomat noted that "the sooner Armenia changes its position and returns to the negotiating table, the more useful it will be for the normalization process."

Disease incidence rises in Artsakh under blockade

Garnik Zakarian
Panorama
Armenia – Feb 28 2023

Disease incidence and health complications have increased in Artsakh this year amid Azerbaijan's ongoing blockade of the Lachin Corridor, the sole road connecting the Artsakh Republic to Armenia, as well as the constant stress caused by uncertainty and threats emanating from Azerbaijan’s criminal actions.

According to data released by the Artsakh Ministry of Health on Monday, they include ischemic heart disease (58%), ischemic stroke (cerebral ischemia) (36%), birth complications (11.6%) and a number of other diseases.

Among adults and especially children, an increase in neuro-psychological problems is recorded compared to last year, as evidenced by a rise in children's (46%) and adults’ (47%) visits to neurologists and psychologists.

Compared to the same period of 2022, the cases of surgical interventions due to intestinal obstruction, which may be caused by a lack of gluten in the diet, have increased by 25% in 2023.

Azerbaijan has blocked the Lachin Corridor since December 12.

Rep. Schiff commemorates 35th anniversary of Sumgait pogrom

Tambiyan Samvel
Panorama
Armenia – Feb 28 2023

U.S. Congressman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) on Tuesday released a statement commemorating the Sumgait pogrom. This year marks the 35th anniversary of the massacres of Armenians that took place on 27-29 February 1988.

Rep. Schiff’s full statement is provided below.

"I rise today to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the pogrom against the Armenian residents of the town of Sumgait, Azerbaijan. Beginning on February 27, 1988 and over the course of three days, Azerbaijani mobs assaulted and killed Armenians. The violence left dozens of Armenian civilians dead and hundreds injured, women and girls were raped, and some victims were burned alive after being tortured and beaten. Thousands were forced to flee their homes, leaving behind their belongings. Armenian homes and businesses were left to be looted and destroyed.

The pogroms came about as the result of years of hateful, racist anti-Armenian propaganda woven into the very fabric of Azerbaijani society by Azerbaijani leaders, who made little effort to punish those responsible, instead attempting to cover up the atrocities in Sumgait and denying the government’s role in instigating the killings. This unprovoked violence against Armenians was a precursor to subsequent attacks on ethnic Armenians, including the pogroms in Kirovabad, Baku, and the Maragha Massacre.

Time has not healed the wounds of those victimized in the pogroms or their families because three decades later, Azerbaijan’s aggression against the people of Armenia and Artsakh continues.

Beginning on September 27, 2020, and over 44 days, Azerbaijani forces once again targeted and murdered innocent Armenians in Artsakh and displaced tens of thousands more. Azerbaijan’s violence again escalated in September of 2022, when Azeri forces shelled homes in the villages of Karmir Shuka and Taghavard in Artsakh and launched an unprovoked assault on sovereign Armenian territory.

Today, Azerbaijan continues to terrorize the people of Artsakh by blocking the Lachin Corridor — the only road connecting Artsakh to Armenia. Since the blockade on December 12, 2022, the humanitarian crisis in Artsakh has grown more dire by the day, with widespread shortages of food, medicine and other necessities and rolling blackouts amid freezing temperatures. The effect has been devastating to the 120,000 individuals living in Artsakh, including children and the elderly.

These are the horrific consequences when aggression and hatred grow unchecked and when Aliyev’s hostility is met with deafening silence, emboldening him to continue, and expand, his unprovoked attacks on the Armenian people, knowing there will be no repercussions. This is why Azerbaijan considers it acceptable to annihilate Armenians in their historical homeland. We cannot allow violence and crimes against humanity to go unanswered.

The United States must immediately and permanently stop all U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan and impose sanctions. It must also direct U.S. humanitarian assistance to Artsakh, call for the safe and unconditional release of the remaining Armenian prisoners of war and captured civilians, hold Azerbaijan accountable for the destruction of religious and cultural sites, and support democracy in Armenia and a free, independent Artsakh.

On this tragic anniversary, as we pause to remember the innocent victims of the pogroms, we are also reminded that despite the trials the Armenian people have faced, it has not broken their faith, determination, and their will to survive in the face of constant threats from Azerbaijan. Today, let us recommit ourselves to doing everything we can to bring liberation to our Armenian brothers and sisters abroad, once and for all."