Author: Albert Nalbandian

The history of internationally brokered negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh has not been a happy one. So far, the most that has been achieved are ceasefires after military victories by one side or the other: Armenian victory in the war of 1992-94, Azerbaijani victory in the war of 2020.

However, a radical change of stance by the government of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan now appears to offer a new opportunity for peace — but only if the rights and physical security of the Karabakh Armenians can be guaranteed. This presents a challenge and an opportunity for the United States, the European Union, and the United Nations.

Pashinyan, who came to power following the 2018 “Velvet Revolution,” effected a major shift in Armenia’s position on a final settlement by offering to recognize the territorial boundaries of Azerbaijan, including Nagorno-Karabakh  — something his predecessors had always sought to avoid.

While speaking to reporters on May 22 in Yerevan, Armenia’s capital, Pashinyan noted that he is seeking an “international mechanism” for dialogue between Baku and the Karabakh Armenians to ensure the latter’s rights and security if and when an agreement is signed.

Recent weeks have indeed seen a flurry of separate high-level talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan, brokered by the United States, the European Union, and Russia — none of which has yet produced the much-sought-after comprehensive peace deal. The ultimate success of any agreement is also a domestic issue for the United States and France, given the large and politically powerful Armenian diasporas in both countries.

Tens of thousands of indigenous Armenians remain in Nagorno-Karabakh, despite the second war over the disputed region when Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey, conquered some territory in the enclave itself, as well as the surrounding regions that Armenian forces had captured during the first war. This was then consummated in a Russian-brokered ceasefire in November 2020 which guaranteed further territorial gains for Azerbaijan in and around the enclave. Since then, the remainder of Armenian-controlled Nagorno-Karabakh has been protected, albeit inadequately, by Russian peacekeepers under the oft-violated ceasefire. 

Getting to a final peace accord on Pashinyan’s terms won’t be easy. Since last December, Azerbaijan, first through state–backed “eco-activists” and more recently with the construction of a checkpoint, has been effectively blockading the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia and the outside world. This action, widely condemned (including by the International Court of Justice), has resulted in an already-threatened population suffering severe shortages of energy, medicine, and food. The International Committee of the Red Cross, which was still able to enter Nagorno-Karabakh before Azerbaijan installed the checkpoint, is now reporting difficulties in entering the enclave and delivering essential aid, although medical evacuations appear to be resuming. 

Washington should now consider how it can facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Karabakh Armenians, whether via an airlift or other means.

It is crucial that the United States and the EU — having already chosen to reinvigorate the diplomatic process between the two nations — press for an agreement that will secure the appropriate protection of the indigenous population through internationally-backed dialogue between Karabakh Armenians’ leaders and Azerbaijani authorities. If the re-incorporation of Nagorno-Karabakh into Azerbaijan were to lead to the ethnic cleansing of its Armenian population, Armenians both in the Republic of Armenia itself and in the diaspora would never accept the result. Armenia would most likely do what Azerbaijan did between 1994 and 2020 — re-arm in order to resume the war at some favorable moment in the future.

The consequences (not least for the U.S.) of an agreement that fails to at least include guarantees that Pashinyan is seeking for the Karabakh Armenians will almost certainly result in further bloodshed that could eventually draw in other regional powers, including Iran, Turkey, Israel, and, of course, Russia, which is not keen to see its presence in the South Caucasus diminished.

Already, and despite the obvious current reality of Azerbaijani military superiority and Russia’s apparent inability to strictly enforce the 2020 ceasefire terms, Pashinyan is taking a colossal political risk by his shift in Armenian policy. Given that previous governments in Yerevan pursued a policy akin to strategic ambiguity – never officially recognizing the de facto state in Nagorno-Karabakh that Armenians call the Republic of Artsakh, while also acting as its main patron and guarantor – Pashinyan’s new proposal has come as a most unwelcome surprise to his population.

According to a recent poll by the International Republican Institute, almost seven in ten Armenians disapprove of their government’s policy towards Nagorno-Karabakh. In another poll taken last November, virtually no one supported the incorporation of Nagorno-Karabakh into Azerbaijan. For its part, the de facto government in Nagorno-Karabakh has voiced its strong opposition to Pashinyan’s policy.

It will be the responsibility of Pashinyan and his government to explain to Armenians why the current reality is not in their country’s favor and how to reconcile this situation with their previous policy declarations. But Washington, along with the EU and the UN, should test the viability of Pashinyan’s initiative by pressing Azerbaijan for the guarantees he seeks regarding the rights and security of Karabakh Armenians so as to push forward the overall negotiations and the anticipated agreement’s approval by Armenia’s state structures if and when one is reached.

According to Benyamin Poghosyan, Chairman of the Center for Political and Economic Strategic Studies and Senior Research Fellow at APRI, a Yerevan-based think tank, the only way to achieve stability is by convincing Azerbaijan to accept an “international presence” in Nagorno-Karabakh. Indeed, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former Secretary General of NATO from 2009 to 2014, during a recent visit to Armenia stated that “we will need to have a kind of an international mechanism to monitor, control and guarantee those rights and security for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.”

While Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev insists that Karabakh Armenians will be given the same rights as all Azerbaijani citizens – not the most enticing assurance given his regime’s notoriously repressive human rights record – he has opposed an international presence on the grounds that any discussion regarding Nagorno-Karabakh constitutes interference in Baku’s internal affairs. Aliyev’s recent comments on the subject epitomize his maximalist position.

However, the U.S. possesses diplomatic and economic leverage – such as the ability to revoke the Section 907 waiver, suspend Department of Defense military sales and support to Azerbaijan, and impose visa bans  – over Aliyev and his cronies that could be utilized as a stick behind closed doors to encourage Baku’s cooperation.

Given the increased attention to the conflict by the EU, which recently sent a two-year civilian monitoring mission to the Armenian side of the border with Azerbaijan, Brussels has an opportunity to assume more responsibility in the region, with U.S. backing. Given the increase in tensions between Moscow and the West, Russia is highly likely to oppose any Western-dominated peacekeeping operation. Thus, the Biden administration should consider advocating for the deployment of a long-term UN peacekeeping force recruited of neutral states to act as guarantors of a final peace accord and the rights and security of Karabakh Armenians.

A neutral UN presence is necessitated by Russia’s position. Having inserted its peacekeeping forces into Nagorno-Karabakh with a five-year mandate, as stipulated by the ceasefire agreement, Russia’s leadership accuses the West of pushing for an agreement between the two parties designed to remove Russia’s presence and influence from the South Caucasus while it is distracted by its war in Ukraine. In subsequent deliberations, the West should make clear that this is not its intention given that facilitating a final settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan is challenging enough as it is.

JAMES BARTON

Armenia’s Ucom is renewing its collaboration with Ericsson Nikola Tesla as it seeks to upgrade its infrastructure across the market.

Ralph Yirikian, Director General of Ucom, described the extension of the longstanding partnership as “a new era of strategic development”, with a statement from the operator noting that the partnership “introduces a new model of green responsibility with less adverse carbon footprint in addition to the lowest energy consumption” to ensure “greater efficiency, readiness, and agility to meet the future demands of the network.”

“Based on our mutual cooperation and the latest software solutions, Ucom’s network will be even more efficient in the future and will bring greater benefits to their customers,’ added Gordana Kovacevic, President of Ericsson Nikola Tesla.

https://developingtelecoms.com/telecom-technology/wireless-networks/14991-ucom-modernising-armenian-network-with-ericsson-nikola-tesla.html

For Immediate Release

Sunday, May 7, 2023

Media Contact: Vic Gerami

310.880.8563

[email protected]

Six Leading Elected Officials were Panelists

on High Profile Town Hall to Address 

Rising Anti-Armenian Racism in LA County

Truth And Accountability League’s (TAAL) Town Hall,

‘Stand TAAL to Hate,’ was a partnership with the

LA County Commission on Human Relations’ LA vs. Hate,

with Onni Group as Presenting Sponsor

Los Angeles — Leading LA County elected officials, dignitaries, civic leaders, and community members gathered on Thursday, May 4, for the Truth And Accountability League (TAAL) anti-racism Town Hall at the Glendale Central Library. 

TAAL’s town hall, ‘Stand Taal to Hate,’ partnered with the LA County Commission on Human Relations’ LA vs. Hate. Moderated by TAAL’s founder & Chair, Vic Gerami, the event addressed the rise in anti-Armenian hate crimes in LA County, including the anti-Armenian flyers posted in Glendale in March and similar ones in Beverly Hills a month earlier, calling for the massacre of Armenians, and general hate incidents against different groups. 

The panel included Glendale Mayor Daniel Brotman, Glendale Police Chief Manuel Cid, Chief of Staff Joseph F. Iniguez from the LA County District Attorney’s Office, State Commissioner Sam Kbushyan, West Hollywood Mayor Sepi Shyne, and the Executive Director, L.A. County Commission on Human Relations Robin S. Toma, Esq.

The Town Hall was also live-streamed on TAAL’s website, with ONNI Group as the Presenting Sponsor. The panel discussed creating awareness, educating the public, and finding solutions to the rising anti-Armenian racism, Armenophobia, and hate incidents against various minorities in Los Angeles. 

‘The recent anti-Armenian flyers posted around LA County, home to hundreds of thousands of Armenian-Americans, remind us that we must be vigilant about racism, hate acts, and propaganda. It’s unfathomable that on the heels of the Armenian Genocide anniversary, Armenians are terrorized by flyers around schools and churches that call for the extermination of Armenians,’ said Vic Gerami, founder of TAAL.  

He added, ‘But we mustn’t allow the hate of a few to create division, pin us against each other, and get us stuck in the problem. The Truth And Accountability League is focused on the solution. We want to bring together, not only members of the Armenian community, but everyone to create awareness, educate, and find answers. Our panel of leaders and experts will discuss ways to handle malice that aims to victimize, dehumanize, and diminish us. Hate acts affect everyone, regardless of ethnic background, race, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity. TAAL’s Town Hall is a forum to empower everyone.’ 

Gerami worked closely with the LA County Commission on Human Relations, its LA vs. Hate program, and executive director Robin S. Toma to produce this first-of-its-kind Town Hall. 

‘The Armenian American community is such an essential part of our LA County community, but the amount of discrimination and negative stereotyping they’ve experienced is too often understated because it is underreported,’ said Robin S. Toma, Executive Director of the LA County Commission on Human Relations. ‘I look forward to sharing the data we collect on acts of hate in our county, and most importantly, what we are doing with LA vs. Hate to increase reporting and eradicate hate in all our cities and neighborhoods.’ 

‘Stand TAAL to Hate’ is a Town Hall to benefit every group that has experienced racism, been subject to hate crimes, and defamation, along with LA’s Armenian community, which has been a target of such acts more frequently in recent years. With its nearly 40% Armenian community, Glendale is the perfect crossroad for such an event.

Glendale Mayor Daniel Brotman said, ‘I am proud to be the Mayor of Glendale, a city rich with diversity, including one of the largest Armenian diaspora communities in the world. The Jewel City has zero tolerance for racism, hate acts, and defamation. I strongly condemn the recent anti-Armenian flyers and work with Glendale Police and community leaders to find the perpetrator.’

He continued, ‘I’m honored to be a panelist for the Truth And Accountability League’s Town Hall. I applaud Vic Gerami and his team for launching a community outreach campaign to create awareness, educate, and empower not only the residents of Glendale but all of LA County.’

We’ve also witnessed the former president of the LA City Council, Nury Martinez, make a racist statement about a colleague that was caught on tape. The prevalence of the problem led the Burbank Board of Education to revise its anti-racism statement and update the board policy to stand in solidarity with Armenians. 

‘I look forward to participating in the Truth and Accountability League Town Hall in May. Coming together to discuss hate, accountability, and transparency is a powerful act of solidarity and progress. This will be a great opportunity to educate our community on the efforts law enforcement is making to address these challenges, as well as to learn, share, and work together towards a more equitable future,’ said Manuel Cid, Chief of Police, Glendale Police Department.

The audience had a chance to submit questions in writing before the start of the town hall. Gerami read a few of the questions and allowed the panelists to answer them.

‘As district attorney of Los Angeles County, home to more than 200,000 Armenians, I’m immensely proud to represent the largest Armenian population in the United States and the greatest number outside of Armenia itself,’ District Attorney George Gascón said. “Our Armenian community makes tremendous academic, artistic, altruistic, and many other contributions to our region.’ 

He continued, ‘These hate-filled flyers that incite violence are abhorrent and must be condemned. My office takes hate crimes very seriously, filing 86 percent of the hate crime cases referred to us, far above the statewide average of 54 percent. I commend TAAL for becoming an antidote for the poison that is racism and holding this important Town Hall to promote equality and protect human rights.’

CA State Commissioner Sam Kbushyan, an Armenian-American, believes in tackling the problem head-on. He’s been a long-time community organizer and Mayor Karen Bass’ Transition Team member.

‘It’s been shocking to see anti-Armenian flyers advocating Genocide against Armenians in Glendale and across LA County. We must all condemn this bigotry in the strongest terms. While our families and loved ones in Armenia and Artsakh are under assault by Azerbaijan, LA County’s Armenian community is being terrorized by hate, defamation, and propaganda,’ said State Commissioner Sam Kbushyan.

He added, ‘Vic Gerami and his team at the Truth And Accountability League have taken a proactive step in organizing a Town Hall in Glendale to create a safe place for the community to address this ongoing matter. I look forward to being on the panel and serving the greater LA community.’

West Hollywood Mayor Sepi Shyne, who has an impressive track record for supporting the Armenian community, including sponsoring Gerami’s TAAL resolution for West Hollywood to formally recognize the Republic of Artsakh in 2021 and condemning Azerbaijan’s blockade of Artsakh and ethnic cleansing of 120,000 Armenians said, ‘I am honored to participate in the Truth And Accountability League’s Town Hall and be a part of a panel with distinguished LA County leaders. As a person of color, a woman, and a lesbian, I know racism all too well. I’ve seen the damage caused by hate crimes, defamation, and dehumanization of different communities. So, it’s important for me to speak up, create awareness, and show solidarity while there’s been an increase in anti-Armenian hate acts in Los Angeles,’ said West Hollywood Mayor Sepi Shyne.

She continued, ‘I commend Vic Gerami and TAAL’s work in proactively standing up against hate and educating the public about hate acts and what they can do about it. I steadfastly stand in solidarity with the Armenian-American community during these difficult times.’

Vancouver-based urban development company Onni Group with multiple projects in Los Angeles and a long track record of benevolence was the Presenting Sponsor of the town hall. 

‘At the Onni Group, we are committed to helping communities thrive where we conduct business. We take pride in supporting local events and organizations that contribute to our communities in the greater Los Angeles Area, including Glendale,’ said Duncan Wlodarczak, Chief of Staff, Onni Group.

He continued, ‘I applaud the Truth And Accountability League and Vic Gerami for gathering city leaders to discuss an important topic that affects everyone. Our company is thrilled to participate in the event and give back to the community.’

Click here to watch the town hall’s video, and click here for photos from the event. For additional information, visit TAAL’s website, TruthAndAccountabilityLeague.org. Please click here for the panelists’ photos.

About TAAL

TAAL is a 501©3 non-profit advocacy organization founded in 2020 due to a significant increase in anti-Armenian racism, defamation, hate crimes, and Armenophobia. We monitor and confront bias, disinformation, propaganda, and slander of the Armenian people and culture at the media level, including social media, academics, intelligentsia, and public policy.

Our Mission

To protect human rights, promote equality, combat racism where it appears and exists, stop the defamation and threats of violence against people of Armenian ethnicity, educate the community about racism, bias, and discrimination, achieve worldwide recognition of the Armenian Genocide, and end the crime of Genocide for all people across the world.

About the LA County Commission on Human Relations

The Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations is dedicated to promoting positive human relations in our richly diverse, multicultural county. The Commission works to develop programs that proactively address racism, homophobia, religious prejudice, linguistic bias, anti-immigrant sentiment, and other divisive attitudes that can lead to intercultural tension, hate crimes, and related violence. Partnering with law enforcement, schools, cities, community-based organizations, youth, academics, policy makers, businesses, and other leaders, the Commission brings key players together to resolve immediate intercultural conflicts and to work toward the longer term aim of eradicating bias and prejudice.

LA County’s Human Relations Commission has a legacy that dates back more than 75 years to shortly after the so-called “Zoot Suit Riots” displayed serious, long-standing human relations concerns. This incident, during which large numbers of mostly White young men in the military clashed with local young men of color for three days in the streets of LA, served as a wake-up call to county residents. In January, 1944, the County Board of Supervisors established a Committee for Interracial Progress. Two years later it was renamed the Committee for Human Relations. Following national recognition for its effective work to improve intergroup relations, the Committee became an official agency of County government in 1958 and was renamed the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations. The Commission is among the oldest and largest of its kind in the US.

Each County Supervisor appoints three Commissioners who serve multi-year terms. The 15-member Commission meets each month. A staff of professional and support personnel in the County’s Department of Workforce Development, Aging, and Community Services executes the Commission’s programmatic work. The Commission’s signature projects include the annual Hate Crime Report and the annual John Anson Ford Human Relations Awards which recognize exemplary practices and exceptional leadership in human relations work.

About Onni Group

For over half a century, Onni has been building communities for people to live, work, and play. Our success reflects our commitment to our employees and partners, and our dedication to quality construction, innovation, sustainability, and customer satisfaction. Our expertise expands across North American cities such as Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Phoenix, Toronto, and Vancouver.

We’ve constructed over 15,000 new homes, own and manage more than 11,200 rental apartments, built more than 18.4 million square feet of office, retail, and industrial space, and have an additional 28 million square feet of space in different phases of development. Employing thousands of people across North America, Onni is one of the continent’s largest and most established developers of real estate.

It’s our more than 50-year track record of delivering award-winning, high-quality developments that makes Onni a trusted brand. At Onni, we understand that our business is dependent upon our customers and the communities we serve. It is why we believe so strongly in planning for the future and giving back to those communities through long-lasting relationships that span over generations.

We believe the culmination of our passion for building world-class urban communities, quality design, innovation and sustainability, yields exceptional communities and experiences where our customers live, work, and play. It’s our commitment to living well. It’s a celebration of community, today and for the future.

About Vic Gerami

Vic Gerami is an award-winning journalist and the editor + publisher of The Blunt Post. Gerami is also the host and co-producer of the national headline news + politics program, THE BLUNT POST with VIC on KPFK 90.7 FM (Pacifica Network). 

Most recently, Gerami wrote, directed, and produce the journalistic documentary feature film, ‘Motherland,’ about Azerbaijan’s, Turkey’s unprovoked genocidal attack on Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) in 2020 and the massacre of 5,000+ people, and the two nations’ ongoing campaign of hate, violence, and disinformation against the indigenous Armenians. Here is a sneak peek at the film’s 5-minute sizzle.

Today reaching national and international audiences, Gerami first built a foundation of knowledge and skills by learning the media industry during his years at Frontiers Magazine, followed by positions at LA Weekly and Voice Media Group. 

Gerami’s radio program, TBPV, covers national, regional, and local headline news, politics, and current events, and Gerami offers analysis and commentary. He also interviews a high-profile member of Congress or other high-profile public figures on each show. His recent guests include Congressman Adam Schiff, Senator Bob Menendez, Congresswoman Jackie Speier, Governor Howard Dean, Congresswoman Katie Porter, Congressman Brad Sherman, Congressman Mike Levin, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Congresswoman Judy Chu, LA District Attorney George Gascon, among many others. You can listen to all the interviews here. 

Gerami is also a contributor to some of the most prominent publications in the nation, including Windy City Times, Bay Area Reporter, Armenian Mirror-Spectator, The Advocate, The Immigrant Magazine, GoWeHo, Destination Luxury, OUT Traveler, The Fight, and among others.

The Wall Street Journal featured Gerami as a “leading gay activist” in its landmark 2008 coverage of opposition to Proposition 8, the ballot measure that for years denied same-sex couples in California the freedom to marry. In addition to his years of volunteer work as a leading advocate for marriage equality, Gerami served as a Planning Committee member for the historic Resist March in 2017. 

In 2015, Gerami was referenced in the landmark Supreme Court civil rights case, Obergefell v. Hodges, in which the Court held in a 5–4 decision that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due Process and the Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

MONTEBELLO, Calif. – The United Armenian Council of Los Angeles for the Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide organized a public gathering at the Armenian Genocide Martyrs Monument in Montebello on Saturday, April 22.

marks the 108th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, where 1.5 million Armenians were killed by the Ottoman Empire.

The monument at Bicknell Park was opened in 1968.

Montebello is home to the oldest Armenian community in Southern California.

Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian spoke at the event and warned that the campaign to erase Armenians off the map continues today.

“With the clear echos of the Armenian Genocide still resonating as areas are joyfully celebrating the murder and the mayhem they are committing, the torture they are committing, against civilians, today…” said Krekorian.

Krekorian was referring to the ongoing attacks and blockade in Artsakh since December 2022 by neighboring Azerbaijan.

U.S. Congresswoman Judy Chu, Congressman Adam Schiff, Congresswoman Linda Sanchez, California State Senators Bob Archuleta and Anthony Portantino were present and spoke—along with former Assembly member Adrin Nazarian, CA State Assemblymember Miguel Santiago, SEIU Local 721 President David Green.

SUGGESTED:

• Armenian History Month: Learn about the music of the ancient Kanun
• Students speak at Armenian Genocide commemoration event
• Armenian International Medical Fund gives the gift of hearing

Former city of Los Angeles attorney Mike Feuer, who is a candidate for Congressional District 30—LAUSD Board Member Scott Schmerelson—Glendale Unified School Board member Nayiri Nahabedian— former Sierra Madre Council Member John Harabedian, who is candidate for State Senate District 25— Maria Ponce, staff assistant to Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis were in attendance.

The keynote speech was given by distinguished international attorney Karnig Kerkonian who traveled from Chicago to participate.

Good Day LA anchor Araksya Karapetyan served as the Mistress of Ceremonies.

LAUSD schools are closed on April 24.