Author: Ara Felekian

On May 12 the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia Arman Tatoyan met with Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjørn Jagland in Strasbourg.

Tatoyan presented to the Secretary General the gross human rights violations committed against the civilian population of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh as a result of Azerbaijani aggression initiated in the beginning of April.

During the meeting the Defender presented to Thorbjørn Jagland specific examples of atrocities committed by Azerbaijani armed forces. He also handed to the Secretary General the published Report of NKR Human Rights Defender which analyzes those cases of atrocities.

Tatoyan underlined the devastating consequences of Azerbaijani aggressive policy of disseminating hatred and violence towards people of Armenian ethnicity which endangers the Council of Europe human rights protection system. Moreover, the Defender noted that such policy is being encouraged at state level and is of an absolutely intolerant nature.

It was noted that human rights violations are unacceptable under any circumstances, human rights protection cannot be limited by politics or borders.

The parties emphasized the role of the Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) in implementing the European standards in the country. More specifically, the importance of the Ombudsman institute in executing the European Court of Human Rights judgments was emphasized. The parties also discussed  issues related to prevention of domestic violence, protection of the rights of people with disabilities, as well as other issues in the field of human rights protection.

Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan visited the frontline today to learn about the situation on the ground, the living conditions of the servicemen.

The Prime Minister talked to the soldiers and thanked them for carrying out the mission of protecting the Motherland with honor.

“The Armenian nation is proud of you, because your heroism, thanks to your conscious and responsible behavior it became possible to prevent the advancement of the rival and give a worthy response. Your steps are inspiring for every of us, as we are aware that the borders are secure thanks to you, and feat is invaluable,” PM Hovik Abrahamyan said.

The Azerbaijani side kept firing all along the line of contact with Karabakh forces last night, using artillery weapons, as well as 60 and 82 mm mortars and grenade launchers, the NKR Defense Ministry reports.

Two Armenian servicemen Gagik Movsisyan (born in 1997) and Vazgen Harutyunyan (born in 1968) were killed as a result of ceasefire violation by the Azerbaijani side.

The NKR Defense Ministry share the sorrow of the heavy loss and expresses its condolences to the families and friends of the killed soldiers.

“The actions of the rival will not go unpunished, and the Azerbaijani side will bear full responsibility for the consequences,” the Ministry said in a statement.

Armenia did  not apply to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) for help during the escalation of the conflict in Nagorno Karabakh, CSTO Secretary General Nikolay Bordyuzha told reporters today, RIA Novosti reports.

Bordyuzha added that he understood from contacts with the Armenian leadership that “Armenia had not used its potential to the full,” therefore, no requests followed.

Asked whether the CSTO would come to help only in case of assault against the internationally recognized borders of Armenia, the CSTO Secretary General gave a positive answer.

At the same time he noted that the situation in Nagorno Karabakh is of great importance for ensuring security in the area of CSTO responsibility.

“In case of recurrence of hostilities, we’ll witness an active and direct armed confrontation that will “explode” the whole Caucasus. Many countries will get involved in the conflict, and it will affect many peoples in the Caucasus. It’s very serious and ensuring peace in Karabakh is a must today, otherwise a very large-scale war will burst in the Caucasus. I’d not like to see that,” Boryuzha declared.

“The recent developments showed that the sooner Artsakh gets involved in the negotiations, the more effectively the ntalks will proceed,” Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan told reporters following the government sitting today.

Speaking about the Kazan document, the Deputy Foreign Minister said “it’s almost the same as the Madrid Principles with some positive changes for the Armenian side.”

As CSTO’s reaction to the four-day war in Artsakh, Kocharyan said “the CSTO Secretariat and Secretary General Nikolay Bordyuzha responded to the development, and added that “Armenia has not applied for advice from the CSTO Council and therefore has no expectations from it.” “Armenia should rely upon itself, at the same time attaching importance to relations with any country, particularly the allies,” Kocharyan said.

The Deputy Foreign Minister noted that being part of an organization does not yet mean enjoying full support. “Neither the international law, nor the international organizations are ideal,” he said.

Had the international law been ideal, there would not be a Karabakh issue, as self-determination is a core principles of it prominently embodied in Article I of the Charter of the United Nations.

To commemorate 101 years since the Armenian genocide, the Cyprus Committee on the Memory of the Armenian Genocide organizes a series of events to mark the dark anniversary, according to a press release on Tuesday, reports.

On Wednesday, April 20, a book in Greek and English that includes articles on the Armenian genocide in the Greek Cypriot press between 1914-1923 will be launched at the University of Nicosia’s UNESCO amphitheatre at 7pm.

On Saturday, April 23, at 5:30pm, the youth will walk from the capital’s Makarios Avenue to the Armenian Church on Armenias Street where they will be joined by community members for a remembrance event set for 7:30pm.

This will be under the auspices of House President Yiannakis Omirou who is the main speaker. The Armenian Archbishop and Mehdessian will also address the gathering.

The events aim to maintain remembrance for the 1.5 million Armenians who died at the hands of Turkey during the 1915 genocide, and to push for recognition of the genocide by Turkey.

One should not expect a breakthrough from the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, Republican MP Artak Davtyan says. According to political scientist Alexander Iskandaryan, the Minsk Group did all it could.

“The task of the OSCE Minsk Group at this point is to stop the bloodshed rather than resume the negotiation process,” Iskandaryan told reporters today.

As for the perspectives of Artsakh’s involvement in the negotiations, the political scientist said “it’s hardly possible in this difficult stage, when the main objective is to stop the conflict.”

According to Artak Davtyan, one should not expect a breakthrough, a ‘miraculous’ document from the Minsk Group.  He believes the mediators should now work to have the parties return to the negotiating table.

The NKR Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement on the escalation of tensions in the Karabakh conflict zone:

In the early hours of April 2, Azerbaijan initiated an unprecedented and explosive escalation of tension along the line of contact between the armed forces of Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh Republic with the use of heavy armor, artillery and combat aircraft. Azerbaijani armed forces shelled by artillery not only advanced positions of the NKR Defense Army, but also the civilian settlements that resulted in casualties, including among the civilian population.

Such an escalation of tension by Azerbaijan is fraught with unexpected consequences. In this situation, the NKR Defense Army is taking all necessary measures to force Azerbaijan to cease hostilities. Azerbaijan bears full responsibility for possible consequences, a country which once again has initiated irresponsible and senseless adventurism.

We urge the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-office publicly and strongly condemn Azerbaijan for the systematic escalation of the situation, violation of peace and stability in the region.

An Egyptian man accused of hijacking and forcing a plane to land in Cyprus on Tuesday using a fake suicide belt has appeared in court in Cyprus, the BBC reports.

The Larnaca court ordered an eight-day detention for Seif Eldin Mustafa.

Possible charges include air piracy, kidnapping and threatening behaviour.

He did not speak, but gave a victory sign as he was driven away by police. Cypriot authorities have described him as “psychologically unstable”, saying the incident was not terrorism-related.

EgyptAir flight MS181 was carrying 56 passengers from Alexandria to Cairo, along with six crew and a security official, when it was diverted to Cyprus.

During a stand-off lasting more than six hours, almost all passengers and crew were freed unharmed as authorities negotiated with Mr Mustafa.