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Author: Boris Nahapetian

Guarantee of physical security and right to life of Armenians of Artsakh impossible under jurisdiction of Azerbaijan–MFA

Boris Nahapetian

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 13:25,

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. On September 27, 2020, Azerbaijan, with the direct support and involvement of Turkey and with the participation of foreign terrorist fighters from the Middle East, unleashed a large-scale war against the Republic of Artsakh with the aim of depriving the people of Artsakh of the right to live free and secure in their homeland and master their own destiny, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“Today we bow and pay tribute to the memory of our heroes of all Artsakh wars, who fell for the cause of freedom and in protection of dignity and the right to life of their compatriots.

The 44-day war, launched on September 27, was accompanied by large-scale violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, war crimes and other mass atrocities by Azerbaijan. During the hostilities, the armed forces of Azerbaijan deliberately targeted civilian infrastructure and peaceful settlements, including the capital Stepanakert, with artillery and air strikes, including with prohibited weapons, which resulted in civilian casualties and destruction. The committed mass crimes were thoroughly documented and presented to international organizations and specialized international bodies. The works in this direction will continue in various international platforms.

The 44-day war was a pre-planned and prepared military aggression aimed at removing the Nagorno-Karabakh issue from international agenda through use of force and annihilation of the Armenian population. This is evidenced by the actions of Azerbaijan in the pre-war period, as well as the policy adopted by Azerbaijan following the war. The Armenophobic policy and the consistent threats of use of force pursued by the leadership of Azerbaijan for years, the rejection of proposals by the international mediators to resolve the conflict and strengthen the ceasefire, systematic and regular ceasefire violations, excessive accumulation of weaponry in violation of international obligations and periodic offensive military drills along the line of contact, refusal to join the UN Secretary-General’s call for a global ceasefire, as well as post-war statements denying the very existence of Nagorno-Karabakh, demonstrate that Azerbaijan has never been interested in a peaceful settlement of the conflict.

Azerbaijan has been consistently hindering the efforts of the international community, in particular the countries of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, to establish a humanitarian ceasefire, as a result of which the three ceasefires agreed at the Ministerial level on the initiative of Russia, France and the United States were not implemented. The Trilateral Statement on the ceasefire established on the initiative of the President of Russia on November 9, followed by the entry of Russian peacekeepers into Nagorno-Karabakh, halted the Azerbaijani aggression and created conditions for ensuring the comprehensive security of the population in Artsakh.

As a result of the Azerbaijani-Turkish aggression unleashed against Artsakh, the Armenians of Artsakh encountered numerous humanitarian issues: more than 90 thousand Armenians of Artsakh were forced to leave their permanent residences, the majority of whom have currently returned to Artsakh. More than 40,000 people were deprived of their homes and property, vital infrastructure was destroyed, including schools and hospitals. In this regard, the Republic of Armenia attaches great importance to the unimpeded access of international humanitarian organizations and other specialized bodies into Artsakh, which is of vital importance in the context of a comprehensive and effective solution to the humanitarian crisis resulting from the war.

After around a year Azerbaijan is still holding a number of Armenian prisoners of war and captured civilians as hostages violating its obligations undertaken by both the November 9 Trilateral Statement and international humanitarian law.

The Azerbaijani authorities not only continue their hostile policy towards the people of Artsakh, but also rename Armenian settlements in the territories fallen under their control, destroy and desecrate religious sanctuaries and cultural heritage. These actions and the complete ethnic cleansing of the Armenian population once again reveal the fact that the guarantee of physical security and the right to life of the Armenians of Artsakh is impossible under the jurisdiction of Azerbaijan.

The realities shaped on the basis of the use of force, mass violations of human rights, as well as the consistent actions of similar nature by Azerbaijan following the war, can not create a sustainable foundation for regional peace and security. The comprehensive and lasting settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict presume the determination of the status of Artsakh taking into account the realization of the inalienable right to self-determination, ensuring of the security of the people of Artsakh, safe and dignified return of the displaced population to their settlements throughout Nagorno-Karabakh, preservation of Armenian cultural and religious heritage in the territories fallen under the Azerbaijani control.

Only the agreements reached within the framework of the peace process can open a new page for peace, security and development in the region.

The Republic of Armenia stands for the full-fledged launch of the peace process of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the framework and mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship. At the same time, the urgent settlement of humanitarian issues, including the repatriation of all prisoners of war, captured civilians and addressing of the cases of enforced disappearances is of utmost importance.

Armenia will consistently stand for the restoration and protection of the rights of the people of Artsakh and make every effort to reach a just, comprehensive and lasting settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, guarantee the right of the Armenians of Artsakh to free and safe life with dignity in their homeland”, the ministry’s statement says.

PM Pashinyan instructs to ensure implementation of Covid-19 regulation, entering into force on October 1

Boris Nahapetian

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 19:28,

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. During the consultation chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the situation over the coronavirus pandemic in the country and the vaccination process were discussed, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.

Minister of Health Anahit Avanesyan presented the situation in the country as of : A total of 1,669,977 tests have been conducted, 255,648 cases have been confirmed, the number of active cases is 11,396, 237,855 have recovered, 5,200 have died, and 1197 deaths due to other causes have been recorded. 5823 tests were conducted yesterday, from which 939 new cases of coronavirus disease were confirmed, 592 patients recovered yesterday and 19 death cases were reported. Due to the opening of the school season, a continuous increase of cases is registered. The hospitals hardly manage to received new patients , there is an increase in the severe, extremely severe course of the disease, and the the intensive care units are overcrowded. There are currently 18 medical organizations treating Covid-infected patients. We have cases of hospitalization of 25 children and about 30 pregnant women, their health condition is under constant strict control. 169 citizens are in critical condition, 68 citizens breath through artificial respiration devices.

Referring to the vaccination process, the Minister of Health reported that as of today the number of vaccinations against Covid-19 is over  277,000, yesterday more than 9900 vaccinations were carried out. The readiness of the citizens shows positive dynamics. According to a study by the Ministry of Health, if in March of this year only 10% of people were ready tobe vaccinated, now about 50% are in favor of vaccination. In response to the Prime Minister’s question, the Minister assured that the number of vaccines in the country is at a sufficient level, the existing stocks are being replenished with a new batches parallel with the vaccination process.

Exchange of views on anti-epandemic measures preventing the spread of the coronavirus and for promoting the vaccination process took place. Particularly, reference was made to the decree approved by the Ministry of Justice enering into force on October 1, 2021, according to which economic operators must require their employees to have a vaccination certificate or a negative PCR test once every 14 days.

The Prime Minister instructed the relevant state bodies to ensure the implementation of the decree that enters into force on October 1. Nikol Pashinyan stressed the importance of this legislative regulation in the context of keeping the epidemic situation under control and ensuring sense of responsibility for public health, highlighting broad public awareness in this direction.

Empowering Smallholder farmers – A Case Study in Armenia, June 2021

Boris Nahapetian
Relief Web
Sept 20 2021
Source
  • WFP

    •  

 

Posted
20 Sep 2021

 

Originally published
16 Sep 2021

 

  • Download document(PDF | 2.49 MB)

In Berd, Tavush province, Armenia, WFP supports a community characterised by a sparse and aging population where women are the major contributor to agriculture while many men emigrate for work. A large percentage of pulses and beans, a commodity broadly consumed, are imported from Russia even though conditions for growing in the area are strong. In addition, due to lack of modern food handling systems, and therefore absence of food safety standards certification, farmers sell their products through informal channels for lower profit. The Berd Cooperative have achieved food safety standard certification that permits them access to the national market and to participate in official tenders. In 2021, WFP has been supporting the cooperative with the development of packaging that will allow the farmers to sell their product in national level supermarkets and beyond.

NA Speaker discussed the situation on Goris-Kapan road with Iranian Ambassador

Boris Nahapetian
Panorama, Armenia
Sept 16 2021

The Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan met on Thursday with Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) to Armenia Abbas Badakhshan Zohouri, the press service at the parliament reported. 

Welcoming the guest, Speaker Simonyan has underlined that the relations with Iran are of strategic importance for Armenia. He has noted that the centuries-old friendship and the two peoples’ peace loving attitude serve as a unique bridge between Armenia and Iran. The active political dialogue formed as a result of Armenia-Iran collaboration is considered to be as a firm basis and guarantee in all spheres for continuous development and strengthening of the inter-state cooperation. 

Alen Simonyan has underscored that our country seeks to maintain and to further strengthen the continuous growth for the dialogue of the political and economic fields and the trade cooperation. In this aspect, the Head of Parliament drew attention especially to the fact that during 2020, despite the spread of COVID-19 and its negative consequences, the Armenian-Iranian trade turnover had not undergone the most serious changes, and the export even had grown to some extent. 

According to the source, Simonyan highlighted the Armenian-Iranian interaction in the development of the regional strategic infrastructures, as well as in the regional military-political security issues. The works for the solution of the situation in the vicinity of Vorotan settlement of Goris-Kapan inter-state road were touched upon.

The sides also referred to the role of the inter-parliamentary cooperation in strengthening of bilateral mutually beneficial cooperation bases. In this context the activity of the parliamentary friendship groups was emphasized.

The degree of Armenia’s and Azerbaijan’s sovereignty sharply reduced with the Artsakh war, political scientist says

Boris Nahapetian
Panorama, Armenia
Sept 11 2021

“The degree of sovereignty of both Armenia and Azerbaijan has sharply reduced with the recent Artsakh war, which has in turn impacted the sovereignty of another neighboring state – Georgia, although that is not that visible at first look,” political scientist Stepan Danielyan wrote on his Facebook. 

Danielyan went further suggesting another war could potentially remove all formal attributes of sovereignty. “Azerbaijan is currently in euphoria and has not fully perceived the reality,” added the political scientist. 

He added that the more the level of sovereignty is diminished, the more are the efforts of the governments to mark independence days. 

Armenian, Artsakh FMs discuss NK conflict settlement

Boris Nahapetian

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 16:02, 7 September, 2021

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS. On September 7, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh David Babayan met in Yerevan with Foreign Minister of the Republic of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan, the Artsakh Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Issues related to the cooperation of the two Armenian states in the field of foreign policy, regional processes and the settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict were discussed.

The sides noted the importance of continuous expansion and intensification of cooperation, maintenance of a high level of cooperation between the Foreign Ministries of the two Armenian states, and organization of regular discussions on various issues.

Chief of Staff of the Foreign Ministry of Artsakh Semyon Afiyan and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Artsakh to the Republic of Armenia Sergey Ghazaryan participated in the meeting.

Azerbaijani press: Baku: Legal system for Russian peacekeeper mandate under discussion

Boris Nahapetian
6 September 2021 12:00 (UTC+04:00)
682

By Vafa Ismayilova

Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmat Hajiyv has said that “some discussions” on additional legal mechanisms for the mandate of Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh are still underway, Trend reported on September 5.

Hajiyev made the remarks in an interview with the BBC, the report added.

He noted that the activities and operations of Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh were carried out in line with the trilateral declaration signed by the Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian leaders on November 10.

The presidential aide added that the November 10 trilateral agreement established a “political and to some extent legal framework” for peacekeeping forces.

“As for additional agreements and additional legal mechanisms on the mandate of peacekeepers, the parties have had initial contacts and some discussions are still ongoing,” Hajiyev said.

He stressed that all territories in Karabakh are Azerbaijan’s sovereign lands.

“All of Karabakh is the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan, the international community recognizes Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, and in accordance with the November 10 statement, peacekeeping forces have been temporarily deployed in a certain part of Azerbaijan’s Karabakh region,” the presidential aide underlined.

In his words, the reconstruction is currently underway in all liberated territories. 

“The main task before us now is to carry out the building and reconstruction work in those areas. Over the past 30 to 40 years, there have been no reconstruction projects of this kind on this scale in the world”, he said.

About 2,000 Russian peacekeepers have been deployed for five years in Karabakh under the Moscow-brokered trilateral cease-fire deal signed in 2020. The signed agreement obliged Armenia to withdraw all its troops from the Azerbaijani lands that it had occupied since the early 1990s.

The deal also stipulated the return of Azerbaijan’s Kalbajar, Aghdam and Lachin regions. Before the signing of the peace deal, Azerbaijan liberated 300 villages, settlements, city centres, and historic Shusha city that had been under Armenian occupation for about 30 years.

On August 11, 2021, Azerbaijan urged the Russian peacekeepers to end the illegal deployment of Armenian troops on Azerbaijan’s territories under their temporary control.

Later on August 14, President Ilham Aliyev reiterated that Azerbaijan has recently identified that Armenian troops are being sent to Karabakh via the Lachin corridor that is controlled by the Russian peacekeepers and stressed that this contradicts the 10 November 2020 peace deal signed by Baku, Moscow and Yerevan.

Makun Bridge in Artsakh’s occupied Hadrut region destroyed

Boris Nahapetian
Public Radio of Armenia
Aug 31 2021


August 31, 2021, 23:37

 

Between April 8 and July 7, the Makun Bridge in Mets Tagher village in Artsakh’s occupied Hadrut region was destroyed in the course of river engineering and road construction, the Caucasus Heritage Watch ( CHW) reports.

The small structure is difficult to see in satellite imagery due to tree cover, but CHW’s sources have confirmed its location.

Built in 1890 of roughly hewn stones, the arched bridge spanned a small tributary of the Ishkhanaget River.

An Armenian construction inscription was once set in the bridge’s façade. “In memory of Ghazar Harutiun Bejaniants,” the incription read.

It fell prior to 2009 (when first published) and was moved to the village museum before the 2020 war. Its current location and condition are unknown.

Op-ed: What would life be like in Azerbaijan and the region without the Karabakh conflict

Boris Nahapetian

Sept 6 2021


    Iraj Isgandarov

When I was young and impressionable, I heard a woman on TV singing a sad song called “If there were no war”.  Even now, when my sensitivity has significantly dulled, this song still seems very sad to me. It is about how the life of a girl and her (apparently deceased) lover could have turned out if the Second World War had not happened.

What if the Karabakh war never happened? Neither the first nor the second. What would life be like now in Azerbaijan and throughout the South Caucasus?

Imagine that after the collapse of the USSR, Armenia and Azerbaijan took up their internal affairs, mutual grievances did not surface a century ago, Karabakh remained an autonomous region within Azerbaijan, the Armenians living there received Azerbaijani citizenship.

For clarity, I will sort my fantasies from serious to “philistine”.

So, if the Karabakh conflict had not happened, then:

1. It is unclear what political regime Azerbaijan would have now. After all, the political fate of the country after gaining independence was 90% shaped precisely under the influence of the Karabakh conflict. It was the Karabakh issue that became a trump card for those who wanted to come to power, and it also put an end to the career of several politicians.

It’s like in a fairy tale: there is a monster that needs to be killed, put to sleep, or agreed with – do something to make it stop burning the villages and the locals eat breakfast. The one who succeeds, receives the kingdom.

It is still unclear what would become the main national idea and the main object of official aspirations, which has always been the liberation of Karabakh. The only option that comes to mind is that Azerbaijan would strive to get into the EU and NATO, as Georgia is doing right now. Or maybe it would have done carried on without any overarching ideaal, like, for example, Kazakhstan.

2. It can be assumed that Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia and Turkey could create an alliance. Armenia benefits from direct land transport links with Turkey, Azerbaijan benefits from a short route to Nakhichevan, Turkey benefits from making money in the region. In short, everyone would have won in one way or another. And this alliance could oust Russia from the South Caucasus, which would have no leverage on Armenia and Azerbaijan. And Turkey’s influence on Azerbaijan, perhaps, would not be so great, as there would be no need for its protection and support.

3. 50,000 people would have survived. These figures are very, very approximate – it is almost impossible to calculate the exact number of losses on both sides during the entire period of the conflict. But let it be 50. Or even 40. This is more than the population of Liechtenstein or Monaco. Of course, not all of them would have survived to this day – they would have died of illness, in accidents, or simply of old age. But they would not have been shot or blown up by strangers with whom they never had any personal accounts. And by the way, a few thousand more people would not have killed anyone.

4. Another couple of million people (as well as their children and grandchildren who were not yet born at that time) would not have been cut off from their natural habitat, social and cultural roots, they would not have to start life from scratch in Baku and other cities. And this is not only about the fact that they would keep their homes and avoid psychological trauma (although this, of course, is very important). Let’s put it this way: the second generation of internally displaced persons, if they were born and raised in their traditional environment, would most likely be different people.

5. Azerbaijan would save a lot of money, which, for all these 30 years have been spent on armaments and on support for internally displaced persons. It does not mean that all this money would have been spent on something useful, but still, the economic picture would have probably been more positive. At a minimum, economic (and other) problems would not be justified by the fact that “we are living in a midst of war”.

6. Many people would be out of work. Including myself. Over these three decades, a whole army of “narrow specialists” – journalists, peacekeepers, experts – has been formed  and it activities are in one way or another connected with the Karabakh conflict. Some of them never did anything else at all. So, if there were no conflict, they (we) would have to master some other sphere.

7. Budget tourism would have one more additional direction. Now the very concept of “budget tourism” for Baku residents is limited to the formula “suitcase-station-Tbilisi”. Otherwise, there would have been an alternative option “suitcase-station-Yerevan”. One could go there for a weekend, go to the Sergei Paradzhanov Museum, take three hundred selfies in which our happy faces almost completely obscure the Church of St. Jakob, eat some dolma but of course, think that tasty as it is, “ours is still better” and grab a bottle or two of “Ararat” cognac on the way back home.

8. If you have a son, then surely there would be an Armenian kirva. Do you know what a kirva is? А man who holds the boy in his arms during the circumcision. Something like a godfather. I don’t know by what logic it was customary to invite an Armenian Christian to perform the Muslim rite. But this tradition existed, and the kirva was considered almost a relative.

The list is, of course, quite subjective and far from complete. Making a complete list is unrealistic. Because in general, everything would be completely different if there were no war.

Trajectories is a media project that tells stories of people whose lives have been impacted by conflicts in the South Caucasus. We work with authors and editors from across the South Caucasus and do not support any one side in any conflict. The publications on this page are solely the responsibility of the authors. In the majority of cases, toponyms are those used in the author’s society. The project is implemented by GoGroup Media and International Alert and is funded by the European Union