Author: Adrine Hakobian

On July 17, the de facto president of Nagorno-Karabakh, Arayik Harutyunyan, announced he was joining a sit-in protest in Stepanakert’s central square demanding the end of the region’s 7-month blockade.

“If within one week with international mediation the situation in Artsakh does not return to a more or less stable course, after that we will resort to tougher actions, both in Artsakh and outside,” he said, using an alternative Armenian name for Nagorno-Karabakh.

After delivering the address from his office, Harutyunyan left the government building and headed toward the nearby camps set up in recent days. De facto Parliament Speaker Artur Tovmasyan also joined the sit-in after calling an emergency meeting with the leading parliament factions. 

“Sit-ins are one of the extreme ways of struggle, but not the most extreme one,” he said.

The sit-in started as thousands rallied in Stepanakert on July 14 to protest against the blockade, which has been in place to varying degrees since December 12 and has been total or near-total since June 15. 

The region has endured severe shortages of food and fuel, especially in the last month. On July 18, public transportation services were cut to a bare minimum – only 2.4 percent of the pre-blockade volume, the authorities reported.

The Stepanakert protest was a response to Azerbaijan’s move last week to ban Red Cross vehicles transporting critically ill patients and medication from using Lachin road connecting Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. Only Red Cross vehicles had been given access to the road since the June 15 intensification of the blockade. Before that date, Russian peacekeepers had been supplying the enclave with limited amounts of food, fuel, and medicine.

The chief addressees of the protest were the Republic of Armenia, who many Karabakhi Armenians feel is poised to abandon them for the sake of peace with Azerbaijan, and Russia, whose peacekeepers Karabakhis believe are failing to protect them in line with their mission.

The protesters set up tents both in central Stepanakert and at the local airport, where the Russian peacekeepers’ headquarters is located. Col-Gen Alexander Lentsov, the commander of the Russian peacekeeping mission in Karabakh, later received the local authorities and told them that he would regularly convey information on the situation in the region to Moscow. 

The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on July 15 in an apparent reply to the protest in Stepanakert. It called on Baku to unblock the Lachin road and lift the blockade. But it also asserted that Russia’s peacekeepers could no longer be held responsible for the fate of the Karabakh Armenians. 

The statement said that “by recognizing Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijani territory,” Yerevan had “cardinally changed the fundamental conditions” under which the Russian-brokered cease-fire that ended the 2020 Second Karabakh War was signed. 

(The statement misrepresents the actual situation in two ways: Armenia has not “recognized Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijani territory,” it has stated its willingness to do so. Plus, Armenia never recognized Nagorno-Karabakh as independent or claimed it as its own territory, and thus never officially claimed it was not part of Azerbaijan. Therefore there has been no “cardinal change” in its position.)

Shortly after the protest, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was granted permission to transfer 11 patients from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia and eight people back to Karabakh who had received treatment in Armenia. It is unclear what this means in terms of ICRC’s future ability to use the road.

EU negotiations

The Stepanakert rally was held a day before the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan met in Brussels for the latest round of talks toward a comprehensive peace treaty.

By far the biggest sticking point in those negotiations is the fate of the Armenian population of Karabakh. Armenia has said it is willing to recognize Azerbaijani sovereignty over the region in exchange for internationally-backed guarantees for the Armenian population’s rights and security. Baku, however, says the fate of the Karabakh Armenians is its own internal matter. 

On July 15, a meeting between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was convened by EU Council Charles Michel, who characterized it as “frank, honest, and substantive.”

The Armenian statement on the meeting said that topics discussed included the blockade of the Lachin corridor, Armenia-Azerbaijan border delimitation, unblocking regional infrastructure and transport links, and the rights and securities of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians. 

“An agreement was reached to intensify the work towards the solution of the issues discussed,” the report said.

According to the Azerbaijani presidential website, the meeting agenda also included the “withdrawal of Armenian army units from Azerbaijani territory.” This refers to Baku’s demand for the disarmament and disbanding of the Artsakh Self-Defence Army, which before the Second Karabakh War of 2020 was well integrated with the armed forces of the Republic of Armenia.

Charles Michel called the round of talks “one of the most comprehensive and vigorous,” though no breakthrough was made. One of his remarks raised particular ire in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, however.

“I emphasized the need to open the Lachin road. I also noted Azerbaijan’s willingness to provide humanitarian supplies via Aghdam. I see both options as important and encourage humanitarian deliveries from both sides to ensure the needs of the population are met,” he said during his closing speech.

For many Armenians, receiving humanitarian goods via the Azerbaijani city of Aghdam would amount to a legitimization of the blockade rather than a measure toward lifting it.

Tigran Grigoryan, a political analyst originally from Stepanakert, in a CivilNet column lamented that “Azerbaijan continues to dictate the agenda in the negotiations, imposing both its own vocabulary and its own ideas on all key issues.” 

“By putting the issue of delivering ‘humanitarian’ supplies from Aghdam to Nagorno-Karabakh on the same level as the issue of opening the Lachin corridor, Michel has actually legitimized Azerbaijan’s blackmail and created a new opportunity for Baku not to make concessions,” he said.

Some residents of Askeran, an Armenian town close to Aghdam, have reportedly vowed to install barriers on the Askeran-Aghdam road “in order to counter the so-called humanitarian aid predetermined by the Azerbaijani authorities.”

June 20 2023

HAVERHILL — The excitement is growing among members of Armenian Apostolic Church at Hye Pointe as they see construction forging ahead in their new sanctuary, which church leaders hope will be ready to open for services early next year.

Since completion of the Family Life Center in 2017, members of the church have been celebrating divine liturgy in the Ermonian Hall, which also serves as a function hall.

“We’ve been working on building a sanctuary and raising money since then, but because of COVID things were tabled as our priority was to care for our people and their health and safety so many events were canceled until 2022, as COVID was ending,” said the Rev. Fr. Vart Gyozalyan, pastor. “Since then our parish council decided to create a strategy for completion of a 200-seat sanctuary and last December we announced to our people that we were planning to sign and present a strategy for completion of a sanctuary.”

The church had dedicated its multi-use hall last year, naming it after the late Krikor Ermonian, whose estate provided the church with a gift of $1.5 million toward building its sanctuary.

Gyozalyan said initial exterior work on the sanctuary was completed in 2019 and interior work, part of Phase 1, includes a new HVAC system and installation of much of the electrical and lighting.

Phase 2, which begins in July, involves final electrical, dry wall, doors, ceilings, some trim work and the build-out of specific rooms, including an archive/artifact and quiet family room for infants, a bridal waiting room, a room for candles and prayer, a room for the priest, a choir dressing room and priest vestments room.

“As part of Phase 3 we are still raising funds for finish work such as painting and final trim, stained glass windows and flooring before obtaining an occupancy permit,” he said.

A symbolic signing of a covenant for construction took place on Saturday, June 10, and included a special visit by the Very Rev. Fr. Mesrop Parsamyan, primate of the Eastern diocese of the Armenian Church of America.

“As head of our diocese it was important to have his presence and for the meaning of having a sanctuary,” Gyozalyan said. “Being here physically and spiritually was important to support the completion of our sanctuary and he will return when we complete construction and will be here to consecrate our sanctuary — the final part of its completion.”

Gyozalyan noted that Parsamyan is traveling to Armenia in October to be consecrated and ordained as a Bishop, the next highest rank in the church.

“This covenant was an agreement between our church and the Godfathers of our church, each of whom represented a Saint,” Gyozalyan said about the signing ceremony. “Our church Godfathers take care of the church, are part of the services, help with church events and are involved in church life.”

Gyozalyan said his members never gave up on the idea of building a sanctuary and that some didn’t believe it would really happen while others said they had faith that it would.

Kim Dandurant, parish council chair, said there is tremendous excitement among church members that is evident during Father Vart’s prayer services.

“They cry, they pray, and they express a range of emotions about our sanctuary,” she said. “Completing this will allow us to spread our ministries even further than we’re currently able to do. And not just for Armenians, but for the community in general.

“It’s amazing to see people coming forward to donate their money, their time, and their talents,” Dandurant added. “This gives us new energy to continue our ministry with a complete sanctuary and continue our mission of educating our children and adults.”

To donate to the Armenian Apostolic Church at Hye Pointe and its efforts to complete its sanctuary visit online at hyepointearmenianchurch.org, call 978-372-9227 or email [email protected].

https://www.eagletribune.com/news/haverhill/armenian-apostolic-church-makes-progress-on-construction/article_9e1edc22-0554-11ee-9e69-c39fbf259fca.html

EnergyPortal.eu

June 20 2023

Armenia’s nuclear power industry has emerged as a key player in the energy market, contributing significantly to the country’s energy security and economic growth. The small landlocked nation in the South Caucasus region has a rich history of nuclear power generation, dating back to the Soviet era. Today, the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (ANPP), also known as the Metsamor plant, is the cornerstone of the country’s energy infrastructure, supplying about 40% of its electricity needs.

The Metsamor plant, located about 30 kilometers west of the capital city Yerevan, was commissioned in 1976 with two VVER-440 reactors. However, following the devastating Spitak earthquake in 1988, the plant was temporarily shut down due to safety concerns. After a thorough assessment and implementation of necessary safety upgrades, one of the reactors was restarted in 1995, and since then, it has been operating safely and efficiently.

Armenia’s reliance on nuclear power is driven by several factors, including the country’s limited domestic energy resources and the need to reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels. Nuclear power offers a reliable and affordable source of electricity, helping to meet the growing energy demands of the population and industries. Moreover, it plays a crucial role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting sustainable development.

The Armenian government has been actively working to strengthen the nuclear power industry, recognizing its strategic importance for the country’s energy security. In recent years, a series of measures have been implemented to enhance the safety and performance of the Metsamor plant. These include upgrading the reactor’s safety systems, improving the operational procedures, and investing in the training and development of the plant’s personnel.

International cooperation has been instrumental in supporting Armenia’s nuclear power industry. The country has been working closely with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and other international partners to ensure the highest standards of safety and security at the Metsamor plant. In addition, Armenia has been participating in various regional and global initiatives aimed at promoting the peaceful use of nuclear energy and fostering collaboration in the field of nuclear safety.

One of the key challenges facing Armenia’s nuclear power industry is the aging infrastructure of the Metsamor plant. The reactor currently in operation has exceeded its original design lifetime, and there have been growing concerns about its long-term safety and reliability. To address this issue, the Armenian government has been exploring various options, including the construction of a new nuclear power plant or the extension of the existing reactor’s lifetime.

In 2014, the government announced plans to build a new nuclear power plant with a capacity of up to 1,200 MW, which would replace the Metsamor plant and significantly boost the country’s energy capabilities. However, the project has faced several obstacles, including financial constraints and the lack of a strategic investor. As a result, the focus has shifted towards extending the lifetime of the existing reactor, which is expected to continue operating until at least 2026.

Despite the challenges, Armenia’s nuclear power industry remains a vital component of the country’s energy mix and a key player in the regional energy market. With the right investments and international support, Armenia has the potential to further develop its nuclear power capabilities and contribute to a more sustainable and secure energy future.

In conclusion, Armenia’s nuclear power industry plays a crucial role in ensuring the country’s energy security and economic growth. The Metsamor plant, which supplies about 40% of Armenia’s electricity needs, has been operating safely and efficiently for decades. The government’s commitment to strengthening the industry, coupled with international cooperation, has helped to enhance the safety and performance of the plant. However, addressing the challenges of aging infrastructure and securing investments for future projects will be essential for the long-term success of Armenia’s nuclear power industry.

https://www.energyportal.eu/news/armenias-nuclear-power-industry-a-key-player-in-the-energy-market/30672/

Blaming Moscow, the EU and Azerbaijan think that Russian backed separatists in Armenia are aching to start another war.

Azerbaijan and Armenia – located in the South Caucasus – fought a hot, smoldering war with one another between 1988-1994, and again in the fall of 2020 with a final cease fire declared that year. Those days are not mere bygones to some, as Armenia has yet to sign an official peace treaty.

The main problem now is with a region in Azerbaijan known as the Karabakh , patrolled by Russian peacekeepers, along with ethnic Armenians who live there and do not want to become Azerbaijani citizens. Karabakh is a mountainous area is in between the two countries, once part of the USSR.

Armenia took the Karabakh region over in a war in the 1990s from Azerbaijan but lost it in the last cease-fire. The two neighbors are still at loggerheads, and tensions are rising at a time when Azerbaijan has a memorandum of understanding with the EU in a lucrative gas deal signed in July 2022. The agreement with Azerbaijan will supposedly double imports of natural gas to at least 20 billion cubic meters annually by 2027. The EU is seeking alternative suppliers to Russia.

“Azerbaijan’s role as a reliable energy partner is important on the global landscape. By committing to increase natural gas supplies to 20 billion cubic meters by 2027, Azerbaijan is already significantly contributing to strengthening Europe’s energy security,” British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in his address to the participants of the Baku Energy Week conference, which ended in the capital city of Baku on June 6.

Before the war, in 2021, EU countries imported 155 billion cubic meters of Russian natural gas, or 45% of total gas imports, according to the European Council on Foreign Relations.

In the past 12 months, the EU’s energy partnership with Azerbaijan has become one of Europe’s topmost essential strategic relationships. Several EU member states are already importing and using Caspian gas from the Caspian Sea, where Azerbaijan is located. Deliveries began in 2020 using the Trans-Adriatic and Trans-Anatolian pipelines included in the Southern Gas Corridor. In increasing numbers, Azerbaijan gas has been heading to Italy, Croatia, Czech Republic, Portugal, Spain, Germany, Romania, Greece, Austria and Bulgaria.

Recently, European Council President Charles Michel held calls with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to discuss the situation in Karabakh. He stressed the EU’s readiness “to help advance peace and stability in the region.”

Could the border problems in the Karabakh, once part of the Soviet Union, upend the European gas deal?

“Major oil and natural gas export from Azerbaijan is not dependent on a peace accord between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” says Brenda Shaffer, a faculty member at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in California. She is an expert on Caspian energy and a non-resident fellow at The Atlantic Council.

“The results of the 2020 Armenia-Azerbaijan War impacted the security of the energy export corridor,” she says. “Armenia is now deterred from attempting to attack that corridor, as it did in the past.”

The EU sent a civilian mission to help police the Armenian side of Karabakh region. Azerbaijan was reportedly not happy with the EU presence there, according to a report by Politico EU.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev criticized outside interference in his country’s standoff with Armenian separatists. He said those providing support for the separatists were not helping matters.

“We are warning certain countries that stand behind Armenia from here…to stop these dirty deeds,” he said in his March 18 statement. “The mediators involved in the Karabakh conflict [try] not to solve the issue but to freeze it,” he said, adding that ethnic Armenians living in the Karabakh region, now Azerbaijan, were not getting any special guarantees beyond what an Azerbaijani citizen would get.

Russia has historically been both a meddler and peace mediator there since Soviet times.

The entire region was a Russian imperial province and later became one of the Soviet states in a patchwork creation of made-up borders in the 1920s. Joseph Stalin personally drew the boundaries of the three South Caucasus republics: Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, to leave large groups of minorities in each republic to deliberately exacerbate tensions, some historians say, to maintain a military presence there.

At present, some two thousand Russian troops are there today as peacekeepers.

Russia held talks between the two sides in May, but some in the Baku natural gas business are getting angry with Moscow now. Gazprom lost market share for natural gas in Europe because of sanctions. On balance, they have been doing okay in selling to new markets. However, Azerbaijanis are concerned that Russia could escalate in the South Caucasus by using Armenia separatists to thwart Europe’s interest in working with Azerbaijan – or, just to get back at Europe.

“This spring has been the deadliest along the border since the cease-fire in 2020,” Oleysa Vartanyan, a senior researcher at a Tbilisi, Georgia-based peace studies think tank The Crisis Group, told German news channel DW on May 25. She said at least four people have died in the shootings.

The one name that always comes up in this story is a famous Armenian financier named Ruben Vardanyan. He is close to Vladimir Putin and has been seen at fundraisers with George Clooney.

The Washington Times in January published an op-ed written by Janusz Bugajski, a Senior Fellow at the Jamestown Foundation and one of the leading Caucasus and former Soviet Union experts who enumerated a long list of allegations against him – from money laundering to helping provide logistical support for Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Because of the last part, Vardanyan is considered “a person subject to immediate detention and transfer to law enforcement agencies of Ukraine or NATO countries,” by Kiev, which included him in the Mirotvoretz (Peacemaker) database – this is a list of people deemed by Kiev as enemies of Ukraine.

A bill last year, H.R. 6422 called the Putin Accountability Act, led by Republican Congressman Jim Banks of Indiana, had Vardanyan targeted for sanctions. It is still in committee and has not been voted on yet.

The wealthy tycoon (and founder of one of Russia’s first investment banks – Troika Dialog) is seen as a leader in blocking a lasting peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

On May 28, Vardanyan said separatists should not sign onto any agreements with Azerbaijan on his Russian language Telegram channel. He brought up the awful specter of the Armenian genocide to win them over.

He wrote: (Azerbaijan president) “Aliyev has one strategy — the expulsion and genocide of the people of Artsakh.” Artsakh is what Armenians call the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. “The last line has been passed. You either stand up for Artsakh, or against the entire Armenian people.”

Vardanyan has been entwined in the separatist government for some time. On his Twitter page, Vardanyan writes about human rights issues related to Karabakh region and has been especially vocal about the alleged blockade of a road connecting the region to Armenia.

I reached out three times to his personal foundation and twice to his Twitter account to ask him to push back against these Azerbaijani claims that he has been stirring the pot to serve Russian interests. He has not responded to requests for comment.

As a Forbes-listed billionaire, he surely has the cash to play to his passions.

Shaffer said Russia is a huge player in the region and Vardanyan has Moscow’s blessing.

“The Russian peacekeepers had the de facto control of security. Moscow was allowing arms, Armenian soldiers, mines and more to flow to the Armenian community in Karabakh,” she said.

In September 2022, they dispatched Vardanyan to the areas controlled by Russian peacekeepers, she said.

“Vardanyan quickly established himself as de facto leader of the Armenian population there and began to undermine the peace talks. Given the Russian control over the territory and the ties of the Karabakh Armenians to Moscow…it is unthinkable that Vardanyan would have been offered the leadership post without Moscow’s urging,” Shaffer says.

Azerbaijan’s blockade, or checkpoints as they call them, have allegedly been designed to stop any threats of arms flow into Karabakh. Moreover, Armenia is one of Russia’s ways to get around sanctions. Armenia has been a source for banned products to get into Russia – namely computer electronics, such as microchips used for military weapons, The New York TimesNYT -0.1% reported in April.

Still, for Armenian separatists, the checkpoint is a blockade as it seals off the only road to Armenia. Some say the road is completely closed, and that there is no checkpoint except for maybe official government vehicles.

On June 21, separatists called for an international intervention, saying humanitarian aid could not get to the region because of the situation.

Another war between Armenia and Azerbaijan is unlikely to stop gas flows, but that depends on whether Europe picks sides. If they come out as anti-Azerbaijan, sanctions could undermine EU energy policy yet again. This is the worst-case scenario.

As it is, the U.S. is looking anti-Azerbaijan.

The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission in Washington held a hearing on June 21 spotlighting Azerbaijan’s checkpoints in the Karabakh. At least one member of the Commission, Hollywood, California Congressman Adam Schiff, called for sanctions in his written statement. He even referred to Karabakh by Vardanyan’s preferred term, “Artsakh”. Maybe Clooney got to him.

Would Washington again sanction a country important to European energy security? It’s done so before.

Politico EU says efforts by Brussels to calm tensions are falling short.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is under pressure to protect the rights of the ethnic Armenians in Karabakh, but Baku naturally wants the separatist government and military structures to be dissolved. They want the Armenians there to become full Azerbaijani citizens, Reuters reported.

Azerbaijan denies Vardanyan’s take that they are putting the Armenians through another genocide or that the road checkpoints are designed to make life miserable.

It looks like Vardanyan has “retired” from his post in the Karabakh and is now working to get his message out about his new human rights campaign on social media. He stepped down from the separatist government in February, Reuters reported, despite Vardanyan arguing he was not, nor that was he appointed to any role by Moscow..

Vardanyan may have stepped down to avoid the risk of individual sanctions. Some in the Azerbaijan government are pleased to see him go, even going so far as asking Brussels and Washington to add him to an Interpol list of wanted criminals.

Russia’s and Europe’s goals in the Caucasus are diametrically opposed. Armenia and Azerbaijan do not need another war. Peace in the Karabakh also secures Armenia’s economic development after decades of isolation and poverty. Millions of Armenians have left their homeland over the years, spreading out into Armenian communities in the U.S., Europe and Russia.

A calm Caucasus is imperative to ensure Europe’s energy security.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2023/06/25/eu-worries-russia-will-try-thwarting-lucrative-gas-deal-with-azerbaijan/?sh=17f5a02018cf

TEHRAN – A restoration project on a centuries-old Armenian cemetery in the ancient city of Masjed Soleiman, in southwestern Khuzestan province, has come to an end, an archeologist has said.

 The graveyard dates back to the period of oil exploration and belongs to the Armenians who inhabited the region during that era, Ziba Salehi explained on Sunday. 

The project involved repairing the cemetery walls and organizing the gravestones, she added. 

Masjed Soleiman was the site of the first oil well in Iran and the Middle East.

Khuzestan is home to three UNESCO World Heritage sites of Susa, Tchogha Zanbil, and Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System, yet it is a region of raw beauty that its visitors could spend weeks exploring. The province is also a cradle for handicrafts and arts whose crafters inherited from their preceding generations.

Lying at the head of the Persian Gulf and bordering Iraq on the west, Khuzestan was settled about 6000 BC by a people with affinities to the Sumerians, who came from the Zagros Mountains region. Urban centers appeared there contemporaneously with the first cities in Mesopotamia in the 4th millennium. Khuzestan, according to Encyclopedia Britannica, came to constitute the heart of the Elamite kingdom, with Susa as its capital. 

ABU/AM