Author: Christine Harutyunian

MP Rustam Bakoyan sent letters to international partners to ensure Vagif Khachatryan’s return to Armenia

Christine Harutyunian

 20:38, 8 November 2023

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan violated the right to a fair trial of Vagif Khachatryan, an Armenian by nationality, during the implementation of an obviously simulated and false trial.

The Deputy Chair of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs Rustam Bakoyan said on social media.

"I am a villager, not a terrorist"

Vagif Khachatryan of Armenian nationality uttered these words in the Azerbaijani court. The arrest of the latter was from the beginning a continuation of an obvious war crime, and the criminal legal processes carried out against him after all this are a vivid proof of gross violations of human rights in a totalitarian country like Azerbaijan.

Despite its membership in the Council of Europe and ratification of the European Convention on the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, Azerbaijan violated the right to a fair trial of Vagif Khachatryan, an Armenian by nationality, during the implementation of an obviously simulated and false trial.

Vagif Khachatryan denied his participation in the so-called "Meshal events" and apologized in Armenian, literally saying that he was not there. In other words, the person, in fact, did not accept the criminal charges brought against him, while the translator, deliberately and obviously acting in the domain of anti-Armenian practices within the framework of Azerbaijani state policy, conveyed to the audience that Khachatryan apologized to the Azerbaijani people for all the incidents committed by Armenians.

During the entire judicial process, Vagif Khachatryan's thoughts were distorted, as a result, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

I have sent urgent letters to my international colleagues to ensure the immediate return of Vagif Khachatryan to the Republic of Armenia within the framework of their powers.

I have requested that the political level officially acknowledge that the trial held against Vagif Khachatryan is entirely false and aims to conceal the criminal anti-Armenian activities of Azerbaijan and the implemented military tactics,'' Bakoyan said.




New Memoir by Asbarez Columnist Catherine Yesayan Explores Her Journey from Iran to America

Christine Harutyunian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 November 1, 2023

 

in Arts & Culture, Books, Latest, News, Top Stories


BY ALEEN ARSLANIAN

Catherine Yesayan, who has been writing Asbarez’s “Community Links” column for the past 12 years, celebrated the release of her first memoir, titled “A Woman, A Revolution, A Journey.” More than 50 friends, family and community members attended launch party on Sunday held at her residence in Glendale.

Yesayan opened the event by welcoming attendees and offering a brief description of “A Woman, A Revolution, A Journey,” which details key events throughout the author’s life in three parts. Part one, “Leaving Tehran and Arriving in California”; part two, “Growing Up in Tehran”; and part three, the “Third Act.” Yesayan then read a few excerpts from her memoir.

“The first part is about the revolution, how it happened, and a short history of Iran. The second part is about my upbringing in Iran. And the third part is the ‘third act’ of my life, when my kids moved out of the house and I had empty nest syndrome. It’s about my emotions,” Yesayan told Asbarez at the event.

Attendees at Catherine Yesayan’s book launch event held on Oct. 29

Guest speakers at the book launch party included Sylvia Carrie, a friend and colleague of Yesayan’s who participated in the editing process of the memoir, Asbarez Editor Ara Khachatourian, as well as award-winning Los Angeles-based journalist Saida Pagan.

“She [Yesayan] is not only a reasonable person—so easy to get along with—but she has great ideas. I think her book is wonderful. I became a big fan,” said Carrie during her remarks.

According to Yesayan, she felt inspired to write her memoir after her uncle, Henry A. Sarkissian, published his own in 1981, titled “Tales of 1,001 Iranian Days.”

Yesayan began working on her memoir around the same time she began writing her column in the Asbarez newspaper in 2011. The column, “Community Links,” is a space where Yesayan documents her extensive travels to Armenian communities around the world. Describing writing as her “passion,” the author said that she is elated to have finally published her first memoir.

“I began writing my memoir many, many years ago and put it aside,” Yesayan told Asbarez at the book launch event. “But when Mahsa [Amini, a Kurdish Iranian teenager] was killed for not wearing a hijab, it gave me a new impetus—I said, ‘I should finish writing it.'”

In December of 1978, Catherine Yesayan, her husband, and her young daughter flew from Tehran to London for the Christmas holiday. They woke up in their hotel room the next morning to hear a radio announcement of the eruption of the Islamic Revolution and realized they could never return home.

“A Woman, A Revolution, A Journey,” an independently published book, is available for purchase on Amazon.

AW: Azerbaijan’s new shopping list

Christine Harutyunian
 Dr. Benyamin Poghosyan Op-Eds 0

Since the launch of the first Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) war in the 1990s, the region’s status has been at the core of the conflict. This issue was the primary focus of negotiations and different settlement options put forward by the OSCE Minsk Group—package solution, phased approach, Common State, Key West, Kazan document, Lavrov plan—which all tried to find a mutually acceptable solution for the status of Artsakh. At the end of the day, Azerbaijan decided to solve this issue by military force. Azerbaijan probably came to this decision in the early 2000s, hoping it could get more by deploying military force than by any negotiated solutions. Azerbaijan was cautiously waiting for the geopolitical window of opportunity, which appeared in 2020 as a combination of the COVID-19 pandemic, elections in the U.S. and growing misperceptions of Armenia-Russia relations after the 2018 Velvet Revolution. 

The 2020 Artsakh War has significantly changed the balance of power in the region. It underscored Turkey’s growing role and influence and simultaneously resulted in the deployment of Russian peacekeepers to Artsakh. However, it did not solve the issue of status, as despite losing a significant part of its territory, the self-proclaimed Artsakh Republic continued its existence. Azerbaijan was clear that it would not tolerate the existence of the Artsakh Republic and would use force, if necessary, to finish with it. Baku was waiting for another window of opportunity, and it soon arrived, first in the form of the Russia-Ukraine war and then through Armenia’s recognition of Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan in October 2022, May and July 2023. In September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a new offensive against Artsakh and, within 10 days, forced the entire Armenian population to leave the area. The President of the Republic of Artsakh signed a decree on the dissolution of the republic by the end of 2023, albeit the legal aspects of that decree can be debated, and President Samvel Shahramanyan himself stated that no decree could dissolve the state established by the people.

In any case, Azerbaijan did not face any tangible consequences from anyone for forcefully displacing all Armenians from Artsakh. There were standard statements of concern from several capitals, promises to provide humanitarian aid to Armenian refugees from Artsakh and calls on Azerbaijan to ensure the rights of those Armenians who would wish to return to Artsakh, as was mentioned in the recent joint U.S.-EU statement. 

Some may believe that the destruction of the Republic of Artsakh and the forced displacement of Armenians from the region may pave the way for lasting peace and stability between Armenia and Azerbaijan. According to this logic, if the status of Artsakh was the primary obstacle to Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization, then nothing stands in the way of Armenia-Azerbaijan peace after all the Armenians were forced to leave Artsakh. 

However, the reality is much more complex. After the 2020 Artsakh War, Azerbaijan increased its demands from Armenia, adding three additional items. Item number one is the so-called enclaves, territories within Soviet Azerbaijan administrative borders, which were within Soviet Armenia. There is much confusion on the legal aspects of the appearance of those enclaves, as well as on numbers and area, and Soviet Armenia has its enclave within Soviet Azerbaijan. However, after the 2020 Artsakh War, Azerbaijan put this issue on the agenda, also using the recognition of Azerbaijani territorial integrity under the Alma-Ata declaration (86,600 square km) by Armenia. Now Azerbaijan speaks about eight occupied villages of Azerbaijan by Armenia with an overall 109 square kilometers of territory and uses the word “liberation” if Armenia fails to give back those territories via negotiations.  

Item two is the “Zangezur corridor,” which would connect Azerbaijan with its exclave Nakhichevan and Turkey via Armenia. The issue of restoration of communications was part of the November 10, 2020 trilateral statement, including the routes from western regions of Azerbaijan to Nakhichevan and the role of Russian border troops. The term “corridor” was not mentioned in article nine. However, Azerbaijan connected this issue with the functioning of the Berdzor (Lachin) Corridor, arguing that as Armenians did not see any Azerbaijani officials while traveling from Armenia to Artsakh via Berdzor, Azerbaijanis should not see any Armenian officials while traveling from Azerbaijan proper to Nakhichevan via Syunik. This argument lost relevance after April 2023, when Azerbaijan established a checkpoint along the Berdzor Corridor, and became absolute nonsense after the forced displacement of all Armenians from Artsakh. However, while verbally recognizing Armenian sovereignty over Syunik, Azerbaijan now insists that Armenia should provide special guarantees to ensure the safety of those Azerbaijanis who will travel from Azerbaijan to Nakhichevan via Armenia, without any talk about the safety of Armenians who may travel from Armenia to Iran via Nakhichevan. The concept of special guarantees is vague and can be further manipulated by Azerbaijan.

The so-called “Zangezur corridor” marked by the red arrow (Wikimedia Commons)

Item number three relates to the concept of “Western Azerbaijan.” This concept received prominence in Azerbaijan after the 2020 Artsakh War, as Azerbaijani authorities implied that part of Armenian territories are historical Azerbaijani lands, and Azerbaijanis were forcefully displaced from their homeland. According to this narrative, Azerbaijanis should come to Armenia, and Armenia should ensure their security, safety, educational and religious rights. Initially, many thought Azerbaijan created this concept to force Armenia to accept the loss of Artsakh, telling Armenians that if they continued to speak about Artsakh, Azeris would speak about Western Azerbaijan. However, even after the destruction of the Artsakh Republic, Azerbaijan has not dropped this concept. It means that the concept is part of the long-term Azerbaijani strategy to weaken Armenia to make it a de facto failed state.

Will Azerbaijan use military force to compel Armenia to accept its demands on these three issues? In the short-term perspective, the most likely area for military aggression against Armenia could be the issue of enclaves. Azerbaijan may tell the international community that it is not attacking Armenia or annexing Armenian territory; it is simply liberating its territories occupied by Armenia, with the defense that the Armenian government has accepted that the enclaves are part of Azerbaijan. 

It will be much more challenging for Azerbaijan to justify using military force to open the “Zangezur corridor” or compel Armenia to accept the “Western Azerbaijan” concept. However, Azerbaijan will continue to use these demands to pressure Armenia and postpone the signature of any agreement with Armenia. Azerbaijan will probably wait for another geopolitical window of opportunity to use force to reach its goals.    

  •  Bio
  •  Latest Posts
Dr. Benyamin Poghosyan is the founder and chairman of the Center for Political and Economic Strategic Studies and a senior research fellow at APRI – Armenia. He was the former vice president for research – head of the Institute for National Strategic Studies at the National Defense Research University in Armenia. In March 2009, he joined the Institute for National Strategic Studies as a research Fellow and was appointed as INSS Deputy Director for research in November 2010. Dr. Poghosyan has prepared and managed the elaboration of more than 100 policy papers which were presented to the political-military leadership of Armenia, including the president, the prime minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Dr. Poghosyan has participated in more than 50 international conferences and workshops on regional and international security dynamics. His research focuses on the geopolitics of the South Caucasus and the Middle East, US – Russian relations and their implications for the region, as well as the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative. He is the author of more than 200 academic papers and articles in different leading Armenian and international journals. In 2013, Dr. Poghosyan was a Distinguished Research Fellow at the US National Defense University College of International Security Affairs. He is a graduate from the US State Department Study of the US Institutes for Scholars 2012 Program on US National Security Policy Making. He holds a PhD in history and is a graduate from the 2006 Tavitian Program on International Relations at Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.


Joly announces more funding for Armenian refugees, stops short of threatening sanctions on Azerbaijan

Christine Harutyunian
CBC Canada
Oct 26 2023
Raffy Boudjikanian · CBC News

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly announced another $1 million in humanitarian funding Wednesday to help displaced ethnic Armenian refugees who recently fled a military operation launched by Azerbaijan — but she stopped well short of threatening to sanction Azeri government officials over the attack.

"I've said everything is on the table. That being said, we expect that Armenia's territorial integrity [will] be respected and for us, this is definitely something that we're watching," Joly told journalists during a visit to Armenia's capital Yerevan to open Canada's new embassy there. She was attending a press conference with her Armenian counterpart, Ararat Mirzoyan.

The $1 million has been earmarked for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, on top of $2.5 million Canada announced previously for refugee relief through the International Committee of the Red Cross.

More than 100,000 ethnic Armenians are believed to have fled Azerbaijan's shelling campaign in the long-disputed enclave of  Nagorno-Karabakh in September. Called an "anti terror" operation by Azerbaijan, the campaign also followed nine months of a blockade imposed by Baku that left the region short of food and medical supplies.

  • 'The world did nothing': Exhausted refugees flee Azerbaijan's crackdown on Nagorno-Karabakh
  • Canada's first ambassador to Armenia lands in Yerevan as Ottawa preaches peace in the Caucasus
  • Citing humanitarian crisis in Azerbaijan, Canadian Space Agency avoids international space congress

Nagono-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan. Before last month's events, it had a majority Armenian population and a de-facto ethnic Armenian government that was not recognized by any country in the world.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought two wars over Nagorno-Karabakh since the fall of the Soviet Union. 

"We continue to work on mitigating the unjustifiable impacts of this military action on civilians, who have already been affected by months of an illegal blockade, and to find a sustainable negotiated settlement to this conflict," Joly said Wednesday.

In a statement posted to its website, Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs called Joly's statements at her news conference an "indication of the overt bias of Canada against Azerbaijan."

"Regarding the non-exclusion of sanctions as a tool against Azerbaijan, we would like to note that it is erroneous to speak with Azerbaijan in the language of threat, and that it will not bear any results to either side," the statement warned.

Azerbaijan's statement also accused Armenia of hindering the peace process. "It was the party which violated [those] principles with every effort during more than 30 years," it said. 

Joly's visit comes as some experts warn of the risk of further conflict between the two Caucasus countries.

Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev has made repeated claims to a strip of land within Armenia's internationally recognized borders, the so-called Zangezur Corridor. Azerbaijan wants the corridor in order to connect its mainland to Nakhchivan, an Azeri enclave to Armenia's southwest.

Armenia says Azeri military forces have taken over roughly 50 square kilometres of Armenian territory after border skirmishes last year.

"I think the danger of this continuing or expanding is absolutely possible,"  said Kyle Matthews, the executive director of the Montreal Institute for Genocide Studies and Human Rights at Concordia University.

Matthews said Canada could lead the world in applying sanctions on Azerbaijan, instead of waiting to hear if allies like the United States and the European Union are willing to take part.

"This is the third time we've been hearing from the minister saying that everything's on the table," said Sevag Belian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee of Canada, a  Canadian-Armenian political advocacy group. He was visiting Yerevan for the embassy's inauguration.

"Certainly, that is a step forward," he said, citing Joly's claim that "everything is on the table." He said he hopes the Canadian government can identify different pressure points on Azerbaijan.

While Azeri and Armenian officials have met for talks on a few occasions since September, Azerbaijan skipped out on a meeting brokered by the European Union earlier in October.

At Wednesday's news conference, Mirzoyan told journalists that a meeting that was scheduled for later this month between Aliyev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and European Council President Charles Michel won't be happening either.

"Obviously it is Azerbaijan's president who didn't find the time," Mirzoyan said, adding his government is ready for further talks. "I do hope the reason really is a scheduling issue, and it will be possible to find time to schedule another meeting."

Earlier this week, Azerbaijan publicized video of military exercises with Turkey, a long-time regional ally in its conflict with Armenia. Azerbaijan's defence department said some of the exercises occurred in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenia, meanwhile, has concluded a deal with France to purchase air defence equipment, a move Baku officials have described as provocative.

"I think Azerbaijan will use whatever reason it has at its disposal to attack," Matthews said, adding Armenia has a right to buy defensive equipment under international law, especially given the hostility of its neighbours.

Armenia has depended on a security alliance with Russia for decades, but ties between the two countries have become frayed in recent years.

Armenia blamed Moscow for failing to intervene in a 2020 war with Azerbaijan, as well as the more recent blockade and military action, despite the presence of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh. 

The Russian state-run news agency TASS quoted an unnamed Moscow official last week warning Armenia against becoming another Ukraine.

On Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal published an interview with Pashinyan, who said Armenia no longer sees any advantage in continuing to host Russian military bases on its territory.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/azerbaijan-armenia-nagorno-karabakh-1.7007939

Film: Armenia’s Reanimania Festival Celebrates 15th Anniversary As The Region’s Industry Grows And Diversifies

Christine Harutyunian
Oct 24 2023

By JAMIE LANG

This year marks the 15th anniversary of Armenia’s Reanimania International Animation Film & Comics Art Festival of Yerevan. The region’s leading animation industry get-together, Reanimania, kicked off last night and runs through October 28.

The festival was launched in 2009 by Vrej Kassouny, who has served as its director ever since. In addition to screening major animated titles from around the world across several competition sections, the event also hosts Marani, an animation marketplace for regional and, increasingly, global artists and producers to meet and match up. Marani includes pitching sessions, one-on-one presentations, a group training workshop, and an open pitching session.

As director of the region’s flagship animation event, Kassouny is an authority on the state of Armenian animation. He says he’s recently noticed a grassroots phenomenon from young creators that is fueling significant growth in the sector. According to Kassouny:

Thanks to the new generation, Armenian animation has a unique signature. Momentum is growing, driven by the distinct perspectives of the younger generation, who think differently and are crazier, braver, and more creative. Animation production in Armenia has taken significant strides and evolved substantially. We now have numerous animation studios specializing in the production of animated short films. I am confident that in a few years, we will witness significant awards and notable achievements.

Supporting Kassouny’s claims, Armenia selected the animated feature Aurora’s Sunrise as its submission to the international feature Oscars race last year.

According to Kassouny, in the decade-and-a-half since he launched Reanimania, he has witnessed tremendous diversification across the sector, particularly in series and video game production. He told us:

A new field has emerged, with growing interest in tv series. Additionally, there are numerous studios dedicated to game development, with animation playing a crucial role in this realm… Passion and interest in the art of animation have surged, and the younger generation has become deeply immersed in this industry.

Reanimania has been a boon for the Armenian industry, but Kassouny says its impact and importance stretch far beyond the country’s borders:

This festival serves as a bridge connecting the East and West in the South Caucasus, establishing a network and a platform for regional professionals. In the realm of industry development, Marani plays a huge role. It represents an animation market that is still taking its first steps but has ambitious plans.

Highlights from this year’s program include a regionally focused Women in Animation panel and a discussion with former Disney vfx artist and executive Dave Bossert (The Lion King, Aladdin). Other key attending the event include Oscar-winning director Joan Gratz (Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase), They Shot the Piano Player animation director Carlos León Sancha, and The Peasants producer Sean Bobbitt.

  • The Siren, Sepideh Farsi
  • Chicken for Linda!, Sebastien Laudenbach and Chiara Malta
  • Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds, Benoit Chieux
  • They Shot the Piano Player, Javier Mariscal and Fernando Trueba
  • The Forest of Miss Tang, Denis Do
  • Slide, Bill Plympton
https://www.cartoonbrew.com/festivals/armenias-reanimania-festival-celebrates-15th-anniversary-as-the-regions-industry-grows-and-diversifies-234043.html

Armenpress: PM Pashinyan chairs Civil Contract Board meeting

Christine Harutyunian

 11:15,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 21, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the Chairman of the Board of the ruling Civil Contract Party, has chaired a meeting of the Board of Civil Contract.

The party members summed up the results of the Yerevan City Council elections and discussed issues related to the work of the Civil Contract faction in the City Council.

Other political issues were also discussed, the party said in a press release.

The ‘Forgotten’ Wars: As Israel-Gaza War Continues, A Look At Other Conflicts Raging Across The World

Christine Harutyunian
Oct 21 2023

By: ABP News Bureau

"This is not an era of war". The catchphrase by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Russian President Vlamidir Putin might have been in connection with the Russia-Ukraine war, but it also applies to the several other conflicts raging in several other parts of the world. The latest wars between Israel and Gaza, and Russia and Ukraine have captured the public glare in a way that other conflicts — like that in Yemen or Sudan — haven't.

While the surprise and unprecedented offensive by Palestinian militant group Hamas killed over 1,400 people in Israel, retaliatory fire by Tel Aviv has led to deaths of 2,329 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry. Meanwhile, the total number of soldiers killed or wounded since the Russia-Ukraine war that began 20 months ago is nearing 500,000, as per an NYT report.

While the death toll in both the wars has been staggering, here is a look at other conflicts across the world that have been equally deadly:

Intense fighting that erupted between the Sudanese armed forces and a paramilitary group — Rapid Support Forces (RSF) — on April 15 continues unabated as the war is in its sixth month. The conflict has left over 5,000 civilians dead, more than 12,000 injured, and over 5.7 million people displaced, according to Amnesty International.

Capital city Khartoum has been the worst affected in the power struggle between soldiers loyal to Sudanese army leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, paramilitary RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.

While the UN has called it the "world's worst, most complex and cruel" humanitarian crisis, the West and other global powers have paid scant attention to the crisis unfolding in Sudan. There have also been reports of sexual violence against women, targeted attacks on hospitals and churches, and extensive looting.

Even though there have been several ceasefires due to intervention by the US and Saudi Arabia, there have been no concrete agreements between the two warring sides. The war brings with it heavy security and economic ramifications for the region as Sudan, the third-largest country in Africa, is home to the mineral-rich Nile River basin and is located close to the Middle East.

Even though the eight-year-long war in Yemen between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and the Saudi-led coalition that supports Yemen's government has subsided to a large extent in 2023, thanks to the recent peace deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran, there still continues to be sporadic violence.

According to the United Nations, the conflict in Yemen has led to over 377,000 deaths, with most of them due to hunger and lack of healthcare. More than 11,000 children have been killed or wounded as a direct result of the fighting, BBC reported. Around 4.5 million people, one-seventh of the population, have been displaced.

The civil war in Yemen dates back to 2014 when the Yemen government led by Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi was facing its worst economic crisis. At this time, the Houthis, a group of Shiite rebels, took advantage of the situation and seized control of Yemen's capital Sana'a, demanding a new government. The next year, the Houthis took control of the presidential palace, forcing Hadi to flee.

Alarmed by the prospect of Iran-backed Houthis taking control of the whole of Yemen, Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations began air strikes to oust the rebels, triggering one of the deadliest and longest conflicts. The Saudi coalition got logistical and intelligence support from the US, UK and France.

The air strikes by Saudi Arabia and UAE have led to 19,000 civilian deaths, according to a report in Council on Foreign Relations. The Houthis have retaliated with a spate of drone attacks on Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Hopes of an end to the long-drawn conflict got a boost after Iran and Saudi Arabia reached a deal mediated by China to restore diplomatic relations. Since then, Houthis have held talks with Saudi Arabia to end the conflict but a recent drone attack by the Shiite group against forces of the Saudi-led coalition has put the pot boiling again.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia is one of the world's longest-running conflicts. Nagorno-Karabakh, which lies in the South Caucasus region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, has been at the centre of a bloody war between Azerbaijan and Armenia for 35 years.

The first war over Nagorno-Karabakh took place in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region began following the breakdown of the Soviet Union. In 1988, Nagorno-Karabakh's legislature passed a resolution declaring its resolve to join Armenia despite its official location within Azerbaijan. The first war between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the region saw around 30,000 deaths and hundreds of thousands of refugees.

Earlier this year, Azerbaijan launched a military incursion into the region that eventually saw it retaking Nagorno-Karabakh. The territory surrendered to Azerbaijan as forces in Karabakh agreed to be disarmed and disbanded. It prompted more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians living in the Nagorno-Karabakh to flee to Armenia.

A view of armored vehicles and other types of weapons that are captured during the Karabakh war in Baku, Azerbaijan (Getty)

While the war in Syria, which started as an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, has waned in the last few years, the northwestern Idlib region continues to see shelling and civilian casualties. Fighting has also erupted in northeastern Syria between Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Arab-led Deir-ez-Zor Military Council (DMC).

The 12-year war in Syria between rebel groups and Assad's forces, with the backing of Iran and Russia, has left half a million people dead and devastated cities.

The height of the conflict saw radical Islamist groups, including the Islamic State, seize large swathes of the country. However, the Islamic State fizzled out and lost almost all the territory following sustained counter offensives by pro-Syrian forces and US-led coalition of Western allies.

https://news.abplive.com/news/world/israel-gaza-hamas-palestine-war-ongoing-armed-conflicts-russia-ukraine-yemen-syria-sudan-nagorno-karabakh-1637234

Russia sends 6 tons of humanitarian goods to Armenia

Christine Harutyunian

 14:40,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 13, ARMENPRESS. A Russian humanitarian mission has delivered 6 tons of humanitarian aid to Armenia, the Russian Center of Science and Culture in Yerevan said in a press release.

Specialists from Russia will deliver the humanitarian goods to the forcibly displaced persons of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The humanitarian goods include personal hygiene products, household chemicals and food.

Asbarez: Lavrov Accuses West of Using Armenia to Gain Foothold in Caucasus

Christine Harutyunian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks at a press conference on the margins of the UN General Assembly on Sep. 23


Expresses Hope for Continuing Alliance with Armenia

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday accused NATO member-states of using Armenia to gain a foothold in the South Caucasus to advance their interests. He also expressed hope that Russia will continue its alliance with Armenia, posting to recent statements made by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Lavrov contended that NATO member-states are fomenting anti-Russian sentiments in Armenia “artificially and decisively.”

“We know about a number of NGOs that have been created in Armenia in recent years — and they were many before that as well. These organizations are not created to promote friendly relations between Armenia and the Russian Federation. Just the opposite,” Lavrov said during a press conference on the margins of the Commonwealth of Independent States summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

He added that the non-government organizations are “creating anti-Russian sentiments and advancing, through Armenia, the interests of the United States and the European Union and NATO countries, first of all, in this region. We see those attempts and they yielding some results,” Lavrov said.

Lavrov emphasized, however, that Russia is convinced that the overwhelming majority of the Armenian people are interested in the development of “traditional, fraternal ties with Russia.”

To that end, the top Russian diplomat said that Moscow hopes that allied relations with Armenia will continue.

“I would like to draw your attention to the fact that a day or two ago Nikol Pashinyan gave an interview, during which he clearly said that Armenia is not changing its orientations. Let’s hope that this position will prevail, despite the attempts [by the West] to take Yerevan in another direction,” Lavrov said.

However, a day after interview, Pashinyan revealed that he would not attend the Bishkek summit. Armenia’s Foreign Ministry also said that Ararat Mirzoyan, the foreign minister, would not attend. Armenia is represented by a deputy foreign minister.

Lavrov had expressed hope that he would host Mirzoyan and his Azerbaijani counterpart, Jeyhum Bayramov, for talks regarding the normalization of relations between Yerevan and Baku.

In recent weeks, both Yerevan and Moscow have stepped up their criticism of one another, with Pashinyan insisting that the Russian peacekeeping forces did not fulfill their mandate and allowed Azerbaijan’s large-scale attack on Artsakh that resulted in the displacement of more than 100,000 Artsakh residents from their homes.

Moscow, on the other hand, has contended that Pashinyan’s recognition of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity that cemented Baku’s sovereignty over Artsakh altered the course of events in the region and blamed the Armenian leader for the fall of Artsakh.

Armenian-Azeri summit expected in Brussels by the end of October

Christine Harutyunian

 12:08, 6 October 2023

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 6, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will meet in Brussels later this month, President of the European Council Charles Michel has said.

Michel told reporters in Granada that both leaders have accepted his invitation to meet in Brussels by the end of October, according to RIA Novosti.

The Armenian and Azeri leaders were supposed to hold EU-mediated peace talks in Granada on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit but Azerbaijan’s Aliyev cancelled his participation a day before the talks. The Armenian PM nevertheless visited Granada and met with EU leaders. A joint communiqué was adopted after the meeting. Afterwards, Michel said he wants to organize a meeting between the Armenian and Azeri leaders in Brussels.