Author: Ara Felekian

Washington’s Renewed Caucasus Focus: Vance’s Visit and U.S. Strategic Interes

Ara Felekian
Caucasus Watch, Germany
Mar 28 2026
28 Mar 2026 | Insights, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia

In February 2026, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance undertook a diplomatic tour of Armenia and Azerbaijan that the governments in Yerevan and Baku characterized as the most consequential U.S. engagement in the South Caucasus since the Washington-hosted Armenia-Azerbaijan peace summit of August 2025. The trip signaled that Washington’s diplomatic, economic, and security focus is intensifying at a strategic level in a region long dominated by Russian influence.

This visit, historic in both symbolism and substance, reflects a multidimensional U.S. agenda: anchoring the consolidation of peace, expanding economic and technological ties, and reconfiguring regional alignments amidst evolving global competition.

Vance’s visit marked the first such trip by a sitting U.S. vice president to Armenia and only the second to Azerbaijan in modern history. Concrete commitments regarding energy, connectivity, technology, and defense cooperation were achieved, signaling an emerging long-term U.S. policy of sustained engagement within the South Caucasus.

At the core of U.S. policy is a drive to institutionalize the fragile Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process. Vance’s engagement underscored that Washington views a sustainable peace between Yerevan and Baku as foundational to regional stability. The Biden and subsequent Trump administrations have framed this objective not simply in humanitarian or moral terms, but as essential to unlocking the broader socio-economic potential across the Eastern Europe–West Asia arc.

The U.S. role has shifted from pure mediation to constructing peace infrastructure through diplomatic backing, economic incentives, and active support for confidence-building measures. Washington’s articulation of its role as a guarantor of peace is intended to firmly anchor Armenia and Azerbaijan within cooperative frameworks that mitigate the risk of renewed conflict. This carries resonance beyond bilateral relations—it shapes how regional powers, including Russia, Turkey, and Iran, perceive the balance of influence.

A central focus of Vance’s visit was the promotion of the so-called “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP), a proposed transit corridor linking mainland Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave via Armenian territory. The corridor initiative, backed by U.S. firms holding exclusive development rights for decades, is more than just a transport project—it is a geopolitical instrument designed to integrate the Caucasus into broader trade and logistics networks extending from Central Asia to Europe.

For Washington, connectivity projects like TRIPP serve multiple strategic ends. First is the economic leverage, which involves embedding U.S. companies in key infrastructure to foster enduring economic ties and govern long-term commercial stakes. The second aspect is geostrategic positioning, which involves establishing alternative east-west transit routes to reduce dependency on Russia-dominated corridors. This aligns with U.S. objectives of diversifying supply lines and integrating transit networks under Western norms.

To this end, in Baku, Vance signed a Charter on Strategic Partnership that formalized cooperation across the connectivity, energy, digital infrastructure, and security fields, signaling a deepening and more institutionalized framework for U.S.-Azerbaijan engagement.

Energy remains a central pillar of U.S. strategic interest in the “Near Abroad,” and the South Caucasus is key to diversifying global supply routes. The region is situated upon oil and gas fields essential to Europe’s and Asia’s energy security calculations and offers potential transit routes that bypass Russia and Iran. The U.S. has historically supported energy diversification in Europe and Asia to reduce reliance on adversarial states. Vance’s visit underscored the significance of enhancing energy and digital connectivity corridors. By reinforcing Azerbaijan’s role as a transit hub while simultaneously promoting Armenian infrastructure development, Washington is effectively shaping the energy landscape in ways that serve Western market access and supply diversification goals.

Beyond physical infrastructure, the U.S. also signaled a commitment to technological cooperation. The Armenian leg of Vance’s trip included the advancement of cooperation on civilian nuclear energy and digital technology—notably small modular reactors and advanced AI infrastructure—with the aim of integrating Armenia into advanced technological value chains.

Finally, Vance’s visit expanded the security dimension of U.S. engagement. While not reaching the level of NATO guarantees or U.S. military bases, the commitments included defense technology transfers—such as reconnaissance systems—and formal dialogues on security cooperation. For Armenia, this was particularly notable as it represented a diversification away from its historical reliance on Russian military support.

For Azerbaijan, expanded security ties with the United States underscore Baku’s own strategic calculus: balancing its relationships with Turkey, Russia, and the West. This recalibration reflects the broader trend of states hedging across multiple great powers to optimize security and economic outcomes.

Vance’s mission reveals a calculated U.S. strategy to position the South Caucasus as a space of competitive but managed great-power engagement, with Washington asserting a structural role that goes beyond ad hoc diplomacy. This posture intersects with broader geopolitical dynamics. The visit also marks a watershed in U.S. engagement with Armenia and Azerbaijan, as it reveals a comprehensive U.S. strategy to embed itself in the South Caucasus at multiple levels. This engagement reflects Washington’s deepening interest in shaping the region’s geopolitical architecture in ways that align with broader U.S. objectives: anchoring peace, diversifying energy and economic linkages, counterbalancing adversarial influence, and advancing shared prosperity and stability.

Emil Avdaliani is a professor of international relations at the European University in Tbilisi, Georgia, and a scholar of Silk Roads. He can be reached on Twitter/X at @emilavdaliani.

https://caucasuswatch.de/en/insights/washingtons-renewed-caucasus-focus-vances-visit-and-us-strategic-interests-in-armenia-and-azerbaijan.html

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“Nicole found herself in a trap of her own making. He and his entourage fled.” To:

Ara Felekian

March: 27, 2026

Metaxe Hakobyan, deputy of Artsakh NA “Justice” faction In recent days, he has been having even more intense meetings with our compatriots who were forcibly displaced from Artsakh, who, according to him, after being targeted by Pashinyan and his teammates, feel another deep insult and a feeling of betrayal.

“These authorities are doing everything, for reasons unknown to us, so that the people of Artsakh are filled with hatred towards themselves. Unfortunately, these manifestations exist. During our conversations, we state that, for better or worse, they cannot be in power forever, we must fight back, we must maintain our dignity, but never stoop to their level and not give in to their provocations, and in any case, any manifestation of hatred is unacceptable for all parties.

There is also depression, great disappointment, brokenness to such an extent that there are fewer and fewer people thinking for the better.” 168TV “Review” he said during the program, stressing that “the authorities are trying to eliminate the people of Artsakh from the field in every way”.

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According to him, the authorities know very well that the people of Artsakh will not elect them. “The people of Artsakh can never support these authorities, and on the contrary, the people of Artsakh will be involved in all those national forces that try to remove these authorities. In other words, this aid will be exclusively for the national forces. Therefore, they will first try to show in our society that in any way the Artsakh citizen is not in the interests of Armenia with his behavior and the Artsakh citizen has no intention of helping them to build that peace. And they should present in every possible way that the people of Artsakh have a revenge against Armenia, which is not true.”

Referring to the well-known metro incident, he mentioned that Pashinyan found himself in a trap of his own making.

“He thought it was a good situation, he found a person from Artsakh, whom he could tell as if it was in reality, but he was wrong, because in front of him was the woman whose father had deliberately sacrificed his life, and her three children had grown up without a father, but they had not lost the dignity that came from the father’s genes as a result of the mother’s education. I have been saying a lot in recent days that what happened in the subway, Armine’s position, the response, can be considered as a collective response of the people of Artsakh to Nikol.

Today, the people of Artsakh found themselves in this situation because Nikol ran away, his entourage ran away, the people of Artsakh were left alone against several states.”

Details in the 168TV video




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Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan slams EU’s ‘double standards’ from jail

Ara Felekian
Panorama, Armenia
Mar 26 2026

Jailed Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan issued a statement accusing the EU of “double standards” following Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s remarks at the European Parliament earlier in March. The full text of his statement is provided below.

“On March 11, 2026, at the European Parliament, the man serving as Prime Minister of Armenia stood before you and spoke. This is the same man who has, in my view, broken the constitutional order, turned against his own people, and led our country into loss, displacement, the suffering of our brothers in Baku prisons and deep national trauma.

In that speech, he chose to speak about me and about the Armenian Church. Once again, he repeated familiar distortions and falsehoods.

I will not address him. There is nothing left to clarify.

I address you, Members of the European Parliament.

You stood and applauded lies and falsehood.

Over time, your actions have revealed a clear pattern of double standards. When it serves your geopolitical interests, you ignore injustice and overlook truth, while continuing to speak loudly about human rights, dignity, and democracy.

What we witnessed was extraordinary. It is rare for a national leader to stand on an international stage and complain, or rather – gossip about his own people and critics. We have seen the opposite: that role is usually assumed by opponents of those in power or by those subjected to political persecution, seeking to draw attention to the injustices and abuses in their countries.

You too, became partakers in this distortion.

Many of you represent nations with deep historical experience. Nations that have faced occupation, division, and injustice. It is difficult to imagine you applauding those who enabled such chapters in your own history.

Instead, history shows you honored those who stood for truth and freedom. Figures like Archbishop Makarios, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Pope John Paul II.

I do not compare myself to them. But my struggle has been and remains for truth, justice, freedom, and reconciliation—defending the rights of my dispossessed people against lies, hatred, violence, and the surrender of the homeland; for a sovereign and independent state, against dependence and external pressure and dictates.

Why This Movement Began

Our movement began in March 2024.

The Prime Minister stood before residents of border villages, blackmailed and terrorized them by telling that if they resisted his decisions, they would be responsible for war within days. He shifted the burden of national security onto ordinary citizens and used fear as a tool.

In fact, three years earlier, he promised those same people that no land would ever be surrendered.

He made that promise during an election campaign. Incidentally, nothing about delimitation and demarcation was included in the ruling party’s electoral program. Just three years later, the vote-seeker was intimidating his own electorate. Today, those promises have been replaced with pressure and threats.

What Was Our Position

The issue of delimitation and demarcation has two layers: legal and moral.

Legal: Delimitation and demarcation should be carried out strictly in accordance with both domestic and international law and principles, and not under the threat of force.

Moral: A country’s leader cannot lie, deceive, threaten, or terrorize his own people; the process of delimitation and demarcation should be based on the principle of justice.

Therefore:

a) Delimitation and demarcation must be carried out within a holistic peace package. If it is meant to establish peace, then it should be only one component of a broader peace process or document—with respect for all legal standards, the establishment of justice, mutual concessions, Azerbaijan’s withdrawal from the territories it has occupied from Armenia, the right of return of the people of Artsakh, the release of Armenian prisoners and hostages, and the involvement of mediators and guarantors.

b) The process should begin not in Tavush, from the “disputed” territories of the 1990s, but from the territories of Armenia occupied by Azerbaijan in 2021–2024.

c) Delimitation and demarcation cannot be carried out unilaterally. It was promised that 900 hectares belonging to the village of Berkaber, currently under Azerbaijani control, would be returned to Armenia. This has not happened and will not happen.

d) Delimitation and demarcation concern the entire people and the state, as well as interstate relations—not merely the responsibility of two or three villages. Therefore, placing the entire burden on those communities is itself a crime.

So is demanding all this disinformation, or is it a clear human and civic demand?

Let me add that the same individual who in 2022 insisted that Armenia’s “internationally recognized borders” (which, I note, do not exist as such) were 29,800 square kilometers, suddenly decided in 2023 that they were 29,743 square kilometers. In other words, within one year, Armenia’s “internationally recognized borders” changed. On what basis? According to what principle, document, or map? Can such an approach inspire confidence in the fairness of delimitation and demarcation?

What Was The Government’s Response

First, an information attack through their so called “governmental factory of fakes,” their own media outlets—spreading insults, defamation, hate speech, and threats—accompanied by brutal police repression and unlawful detentions.

On June 12, 2024, in the center of Yerevan, peaceful demonstrators were bombarded with prohibited Zarya-3 explosives, sparing neither women nor children. Hundreds of people sustained injuries of varying severity, were beaten and subjected to violence, persecution, and threats of losing their jobs—practices that continue to this day.

And all this has taken place with your silent consent, because you were convinced—both in writing and verbally—that this was a “Russian project.” And you, being “fair people”, silently accepted this, even though, with or without persuasion, you would likely have convinced yourselves—because that is what your geopolitical position and interests require, not truth or justice.

What Was Your Response

Yes, you remained silent—and continue to remain silent—when there was war in Artsakh, when the people were fighting for their right to live freely. Are you not the ones who claim to uphold such values? Or does this people not have the right to have rights?

You remained silent when the people of Artsakh were subjected to ethnic cleansing from their homeland, when their leaders ended up in the prisons of Baku—subjected to inhuman treatment under distorted justice by a regime you consider economically beneficial.

You remain silent about the natural right of the people of Artsakh to return to their homeland, about the destruction of Armenian cultural heritage—yet you applaud the co-author of all this.

You may have heard: “Woe to you, hypocrites… blind guides, who strain out a gnat but swallow a camel” (Matthew 23:23–24).

Next Was Detention

Since June 25, 2025, I and 17 of my supporters, after nearly a year of surveillance, persecution, pressure, and harassment, have been under detention on clearly fabricated charges and falsified so-called “evidence.”

In an unprecedented manner reminiscent of Soviet repression, the Armenian Church—its Catholicos, senior clergy, national benefactors, and all those who have disagreed with the whims of your so-called democracy—have been persecuted. This includes members of parliament, businessmen, political figures, bloggers, youth, women, and others, many of whom are detained or restricted through various fabricated criminal cases.

And all this, once again, with your silent consent.

For nearly nine months now, what is called a “trial” has continued as a theater. Throughout these nine months, it has been accompanied by violations of the presumption of innocence by officials at various levels. Public Television has become an instrument of hate and defamation; the Prosecutor General and the head of the Investigative Committee openly spread falsehoods; the Anti-Corruption Committee refuses to initiate proceedings on reports of forgery. In other words, the entire legal and law enforcement system operates solely on the instruction and coercion of one individual—and that individual is your favorite, whom you will eventually sacrifice and discard when he becomes an outdated and useless tool.

And yes, all this is with your silent consent.

Final Word

Nevertheless, I am ready to remain in prison and endure all of this for as long as it takes for the liberation of my country—Armenia. I have no doubt that sooner or later my country will free itself from these chains, humiliations, and degradations, restore its life and its integrity—and at that time, you will silently applaud, but this time you will applaud your shame.

And indeed, our VICTORY HAS NO ALTERNATIVE.

May God bless and long live a free and just Armenia and Artsakh.”

Prisoner of conscience

Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan

March 22, 2026

Passion Sunday


https://www.panorama.am/en/news/2026/03/26/Bagrat-Galstanyan/3155097

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RFE/RL – Pashinian Ally Elected Constitutional Court Judge

Ara Felekian
  • Karlen Aslanian
March 25, 2026
Vladimir Vardanian (file photo)

A longtime ally of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has been elected as a judge of Armenia’s Constitutional Court, prompting criticism from opposition lawmakers and civil society groups over concerns about potential political bias.

Vladimir Vardanian, who until recently was a member of Pashinian’s ruling Civil Contract party, was appointed to the position on Wednesday following a parliamentary vote that passed 67 to 0 by secret ballot. Vardanian had resigned from the party days before his nomination by the president and also stepped down as a member of parliament.

Opposition factions did not declare any specific position ahead of the vote but raised concerns during a parliamentary debate on Tuesday, questioning Vardanian’s political impartiality.

Lawmakers from the Hayastan and Pativ Unem factions reminded that Civil Contract, including Vardanian, had previously campaigned for the removal of former Constitutional Court Chairman Hrair Tovmasian, using the argument that his prior affiliation with the country’s former ruling Republican Party of Armenia undermined his political impartiality.

Responding to the criticism, Vardanian, a professional lawyer and former Constitutional Court employee, rejected comparisons with Tovmasian. “The main problem with Hrair Tovmasian was not his transfer from the parliament to the Constitutional Court, but rather the fact that, being the author and advocate of the amended Constitution… he still chose to be elected in accordance with the constitutional regulations days before these regulations would expire,” he said.

Taguhi Tovmasian of the Pativ Unem faction said Vardanian had failed to provide assurances that he would avoid political bias, noting that the Constitutional Court would likely review cases directly involving the ruling party.

Another opposition lawmaker, Armenuhi Kyureghian of the Hayastan faction, cited Vardanian’s previous statements describing Azerbaijan’s actions in Nagorno-Karabakh as “a crime against humanity” and his calls for Baku’s accountability. She questioned whether he would maintain that stance given the government’s current peace agenda with Azerbaijan.

“If this issue is raised during international discussions in the field of constitutional justice, I will express the same position,” Vardanian replied, adding that he has never retracted his statements made in the past.

Meanwhile, a number of civil society organizations issued a statement criticizing Vardanian’s nomination and election as a Constitutional Court judge, stating that “the decision jeopardizes public trust in the independence and impartiality of the court.”

They argued that even Vardanian’s resignation from parliament and termination of his membership in the Civil Contract party after more than seven years of “active political and party engagement” “cannot reasonably guarantee a complete severance of political ties and ideological affiliation.”

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Armenia monitors security risks amid war in Iran

Ara Felekian

Military14:18, 20 March 2026
Read the article in: العربيةEspañolفارسیՀայերենქართულიRussian中文

Armenian Minister of Defense Suren Papikyan said Friday that authorities are constantly assessing all security risks for the country.

He was asked at a press briefing whether possible risks amid the war in Iran have been evaluated. Papikyan said the process is conducted jointly with various government agencies.

“In the Republic of Armenia, there are agencies such as the Security Council, the Foreign Intelligence Service, and the National Security Service. The Ministry of Defense is in its place, and all risks are being assessed,” Papikyan said.

He dismissed criticism suggesting that the ruling Civil Contract party ignored the fallout of the war by conducting a party campaign trip on the first day of the war in Iran. On the contrary, he said the trip was meant to reassure the public. 

“Those activities were aimed at sending the appropriate message to the public. The campaign’s goal was to show society that there is peace in the Republic of Armenia,” Papikyan, a senior Civil Contract official, said in response to reporters’ questions about what message the authorities were conveying when they held a party campaign trip on the day the war in Iran began.

Published by Armenpress, original at 
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Armenia and EU have never been closer – Commissioner Kos

Ara Felekian

Armenia20:38, 19 March 2026
Read the article in: العربيةفارسیFrançaisՀայերենRussian中文

EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos has stated that, amid the crisis in the Middle East, relations with the Republic of Armenia and efforts to achieve peace in the South Caucasus have become even more important.

Kos said this in a post on X, referring to her meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on March 19.

“Armenia and the EU have never been closer.At a time of crisis in the Middle East, our relationship and the work towards peace in the South Caucasus have become even more important for trade and energy links to Asia,” reads the post.

Kos also stated that during the meeting with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, they discussed ways to better connect the region, promote prosperity, and ensure lasting peace.

Read the article in: العربيةفارسیFrançaisՀայերենRussian中文

Published by Armenpress, original at 
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EU to deploy Hybrid Rapid Response Team to Armenia, reaffirms Kallas

Ara Felekian

Politics10:03, 17 March 2026
Read the article in: العربيةEspañolFarsiHayerenРусскийTürkçe中文

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas has reaffirmed that the EU will send a Hybrid Rapid Response Team to Armenia to help counter threats ahead of the country’s June 7 elections. 

“Following the request from Armenia, the EU will deploy a Hybrid Rapid Response Team to help counter the threats ahead of the country’s elections. Supporting democratic resilience in our neighbourhood remains essential. We will not leave Armenia to face foreign interference alone. Democracies under pressure can count on Europe,” Kallas said at a press conference after the Foreign Affairs Council meeting. 

In December 2025, Kallas said that Armenia had requested the EU’s assistance in combating ‘malign influence’ ahead of the 2026 general elections.

Published by Armenpress, original at 
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Armenian Justice Minister Announces Draft Constitution Finalized

Ara Felekian
Caucasus Watch, Germany
Mar 17 2026
17 Mar 2026 | News, Politics, Armenia

On March 16, Srbuhi Galyan, the Minister of Justice of Armenia, announced at the first meeting of the Public Council under the Minister of Justice that the text of the new draft Constitution is already prepared and will be discussed with the ruling Civil Contract party and its parliamentary faction.

Galyan stated that the Council for Constitutional Reforms has been working intensively, holding weekly meetings, and confirmed that the draft text has been finalized as previously promised. However, she noted that there is no decision yet regarding its publication, as it will first be reviewed by the party’s board and parliamentary faction. “After that, a decision will be made on its publication,” she stated.

She explained that the draft is based on previously developed conceptual provisions and emphasized that its approach centers on the individual, the citizen, and the people, without altering the current system of governance. “We believe that parliamentarism is the best _expression_ of the principles of democracy,” Galyan emphasized.

At the same time, she noted that significant changes have been introduced to further decentralize power and strengthen checks and balances. In particular, the National Assembly would be granted additional mechanisms to oversee the prime minister’s activities.

Addressing judicial reforms, Galyan stated that the draft provides for the introduction of a jury system. It also includes provisions for a two-stage appeals process, the possibility of written case reviews, and the option to appeal Supreme Court decisions, which is not currently available.


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Azerbaijan’s goal is to recover the historical and material evidence of the Armenian presence

Ara Felekian

In 2026 On March 11, the user xanabat muhavizə registered on the TikTok social network published another video from the Khnapat village of the Askerani region of the Republic of Artsakh, temporarily occupied by Azerbaijan. This was written by Artsakh cultural heritage ombudsman, vice president of “Azkayin” historical and cultural NGO Hovik Avanesov.


“It is clear from the video that under the pretext of “construction works” the 12th century khachkar under the fir tree in the village was destroyed.


This fact is another evidence of the systematic policy by which Azerbaijan is consistently eliminating the Armenian cultural heritage of Artsakh. It is even more worrying that the Azerbaijani state propaganda machine is trying to present the monuments of Artsakh from the same period as “alhvanic” heritage on the one hand, and on the other hand, these same monuments are being deliberately destroyed. This controversial but well-aimed policy shows that the “attribution” and physical destruction of historical heritage are carried out in parallel, in a coordinated manner at the state level.


It is also noteworthy that not only the propaganda structures are involved in that process, but also the armed forces of Azerbaijan and other power units, which makes the destruction of cultural heritage a part of state policy. Dozens of such cases were recorded both in Artsakh and Nakhichevan, where the systematic removal of Armenian monuments was carried out in previous decades.


In 2026 On February 2, the “Geghard” scientific-analytical foundation alerted that the Church of the Virgin Mary of Vaghuhas village of Martakert region was targeted by Azerbaijani vandalism. According to the published information, the Azerbaijanis broke at least one of the khachkars installed in the church yard and tore out the icons of the church.


It is important to emphasize that the cultural values ​​located in the territory of Artsakh are not only Armenian, but also a heritage of universal significance. Their destruction is aimed not only at the falsification of history, but also at the elimination of complete cultural memory.


At the same time, it becomes obvious that the Turkish-Azerbaijani tandem’s way of destroying and usurping the Armenian cultural heritage is not limited only to Artsakh or Nakhichevan. A similar methodology is also used in various regions of the Middle East, where the policies implemented towards historical and religious monuments resemble the same handwriting. This proves that Turkey and Azerbaijan act not only as states that carry out cultural genocide, but also as exporters of this political methodology.


In this context, it is important to emphasize that such actions cannot be considered only as internal cultural policy of individual states. They relate to international legal norms and obligations related to the protection of universal cultural heritage, which are binding on all states. Therefore, the targeted destruction of historical and cultural values, particularly Armenian khachkars, goes beyond the scope of regional conflicts and enters the sphere of protection of international law and world cultural heritage.


Targeting khachkars is prohibited by international laws and is considered a serious crime against all humanity, because “The art of Armenian khachkars. The symbolism and craftsmanship of khachkars” since 2010 has been included by UNESCO since 2003. accepted in the “List of Intangible Cultural Heritage” and is considered universal value. This means that khachkar art has an exceptional comprehensive universal value and additional international protection.


Khachkar culture also has additional protection during and after the war. In particular, according to the 1954 Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in Armed Conflicts. additional to the convention, 1999 According to the principles of the second protocol adopted, the entire Khachkar culture has enhanced protection, and any harm done to it is, according to Article 15 point a of the protocol, a “serious violation” that can be prosecuted as a war crime in international courts. This is documented by the 10th article of the mentioned protocol on the enhanced protection of cultural values, according to which the cultural heritage of the greatest importance for humanity should be under enhanced protection, and UNESCO, in fact, since 2010, has considered the entire Khachkar culture as such. According to Article 12 of the protocol, in the occupied territories, the state party to the protocol, namely Azerbaijan, must ensure the inviolability of cultural values ​​under enhanced protection, refraining from making such values ​​the object of attack or reprisals.


Many such facts show that the actions of the Azerbaijani authorities can be considered as a manifestation of one of the biggest cultural genocides of the 21st century, the purpose of which is to eliminate the historical and material evidence of the Armenian presence in the region,” he wrote.

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Residential building damaged in Tehran’s Armenian neighborhood during U.S.-Is

Ara Felekian

Iran15:33, 11 March 2026
Read the article in: ArmenianRussian:

A residential building in Tehran’s Armenian neighborhood of Majidieh has been damaged in the ongoing U.S.-Israeli airstrikes targeting Iran, the Iranian Embassy in Yerevan said in a statement.

No casualties were reported in the strike.

The embassy released a video showing the damaged building.

“According to the latest information, fortunately, there are no casualties among the residents, although some residents have been trapped under the rubble,” the Iranian Embassy said.

The embassy added that Majidieh is one of Tehran’s old Armenian neighborhoods. It is known for its vibrant life and developed infrastructure, in the creation and development of which Iranian Armenians have played a significant role.

Read the article in: ArmenianRussian:

Published by Armenpress, original at 
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