The California
Courier Online, September 14, 2023
1- Revisionist
European Rabbis
Deny the
Armenian Genocide
By Harut
Sassounian
Publisher,
The California
Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
2- Azerbaijan
Reneges on Deal to Unblock Lachin Corridor
3- Samvel
Sharamanyan Elected President of Artsakh
4- Rep.
McClintock Meets with Fresno
Armenians
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1- Revisionist
European Rabbis
Deny the
Armenian Genocide
By Harut
Sassounian
Publisher,
The California
Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
The Rabbinical Center of Europe sent a letter on Sept. 6
signed by 50 conservative Rabbis to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and
President Vahagn Khachaturyan, telling them that Armenian officials have no
right to use the term ‘genocide’ to describe Azerbaijan’s blockade of the
Lachin Corridor since December 2022, causing the starvation of 120,000 Artsakh
Armenians.
The Rabbis wrongly claimed that the term genocide should
only be used to describe the Jewish Holocaust. These Rabbis’ ignorance is only
exceeded by their arrogance. Not only do they not know the true meaning of the
term ‘genocide,’ they are also harming their own cause by claiming that since
the Holocaust is ‘unique,’ no other human tragedy is comparable to it, thus
precluding anyone else from being sympathetic to Holocaust victims. It is in
the Jewish interest to describe the Holocaust as a universal calamity with which
other people can identify. Even though all genocides have similarities, there
are obvious differences in timing, scale and location. However, the
similarities between genocides far exceed their differences. No one should have
a monopoly on claims of human suffering.
These Rabbis do not seem to know that according to the UN
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, besides
outright mass murder, genocide also includes “deliberately inflicting on the
group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in
whole or in part.” This is exactly what Azerbaijan is doing—causing the
starvation of 120,000 Artsakh Armenians by depriving them of food, medicines
and other basic necessities.
The denialist Rabbis claimed that the terms ‘ghetto,’
‘genocide,’ and ‘holocaust’ are “inappropriate to be part of the jargon used in
any kind of political disagreement.” The starvation of Artsakh Armenians cannot
be described as a ‘political disagreement,’ but genocide, according to the UN
and Luis Moreno Ocampo, former Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.
Continuing the series of errors and misjudgments the Rabbis
made in their pro-Azerbaijan propaganda letter, they demanded that Armenia’s
leaders “explicitly and unequivocally clarify that the Armenian people
recognizes and honors the terrible human suffering undergone by the Jewish
people” and stop “minimizing and belittling the extent of the Jewish people’s
suffering to further any political interest through incessantly using phrases
associated with the holocaust suffered by the Jewish people.”
Rather than lecturing Armenia’s leaders about the
Holocaust, the Rabbis should have addressed their letter to Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu who has denied the Armenian Genocide and has pressured the
Knesset to reject a resolution recognizing it. Israel should have been the first
country to recognize the Armenian Genocide, not the last.
Furthermore, these Rabbis should have had the moral courage
to issue a letter condemning the government of Israel
for providing lethal weapons with which Azerbaijan in 2020 killed thousands
of Armenian soldiers.
Instead of supporting the genocide denialists in Ankara and
Baku, these Rabbis should have known that some of the most prominent backers of
the recognition of the Armenian Genocide are Jews: Dr. Israel Charny (Director
of Institute of Holocaust and Genocide in Jerusalem), Prof. Yair Auron
(historian, author of several books on the Armenian Genocide), Raphael Lemkin
(who coined the term genocide), Amb. Henry Morgenthau, Elie Wiesel (Nobel
Laureate and Holocaust survivor), Yossi Beilin (Israel’s
Minister of Justice), and Yossi Sarid (Israel’s Minister of Education).
After Pres. Joe Biden recognized the Armenian Genocide on
April 24, 2021, both the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) and the AJC (American
Jewish Committee) supported Biden’s recognition. The United
States Holocaust Memorial Museum
in Washington, D.C., also issued a statement on April 27,
2021, welcoming Pres. Biden’s determination that genocide was committed against
the Armenian people. Furthermore, the World Jewish Congress also acknowledged
the Armenian Genocide.
In addition, 126 Holocaust scholars issued a joint statement
on March 7, 2000, “affirming the incontestable fact of the Armenian Genocide.”
Among them were professors Yehuda Bauer, Stephen Feinstein, Irving Horowitz,
and Steven Katz.
These Rabbis did not condemn former Deputy Prime Minister of
Azerbaijan and former Baku
Mayor Hajibala Abutalybov, who stated during a 2005 meeting with a municipal
delegation in Bavaria, Germany: “Our
goal is the complete elimination of Armenians. You, Nazis, already eliminated
the Jews in the 1930s and 40s, right? You should be able to understand us.”
This was reported in the ‘Realny Azerbaijan’ publication on February
17, 2006.
Since these Rabbis feel that they are entitled to the
exclusive use of the term genocide, have they ever sent a single letter of
complaint to their dear brother Aliyev for his repeated references to the fake
‘Khojalu Genocide?’ Isn’t this a shameful example of double-standard?
The Rabbis should have remembered Hitler’s infamous words
uttered on August 22, 1939: “Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation
of the Armenians?” Noticing that the world ignored the Armenian Genocide,
Hitler was emboldened to commit the Holocaust.
Yaron Weiss of Jerusalem,
a grandson of Holocaust survivors, wrote: “I condemn the cynical
self-appropriation of the memory of the Holocaust victims by that group of
Rabbis.” Yaron also reminded the Rabbis that “Azerbaijan refuses to condemn and
apologize for the acts of mass murder committed during the Holocaust by the
soldiers of the Azeri Legion.”
These Rabbis themselves have belittled the Holocaust by
writing it with a lower-case h, instead of capital H.
I urge these Rabbis to apologize for their revisionist and
insulting letter, a smear-campaign instigated by Azerbaijan, as a result of which,
they have lost their sense of decency and morality. Should their letter
embolden Azerbaijan to
commit more atrocities against Armenia
and Artsakh, these Rabbis will be considered partners in the Azeri crimes.
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2- Azerbaijan Reneges on Deal to
Unblock Lachin Corridor
(This article reflects information available until Monday,
September 11, which is the publication deadline for The California Courier.)
From Thursday, September 7 until Sunday, September 10, it
appeared that Azerbaijan was
going to unblock the Lachin Corridor—the only road link between Armenia and
Artsakh—that it has illegally blockaded since December 2022. Amid conflicting
reports of a Russian-brokered aid delivery via Aghdam to Askeran—which in turn
would induce the Azerbaijani government to open the Lachin Corridor—the
Azerbaijan government reneged on any reported reopening of Lachin.
According to Hikmet Hajiyev, foreign policy adviser to
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, in a tweet posted on Saturday, September 9:
“In response to many inquires from international journalists, including
Reuters, Politico and BBC, we would like to make the following clear: Tomorrow,
Russia-initiated food cargo by Russian Red Cross will go along Agdam-Askeran
road towards Khankandi in coordination with Azerbaijani Red Crescent. It is a
separate deal and shouldn’t be confused with the suggestion on simultaneous
opening of Agdam-Khankandi and Lachin-Khankandi roads for ICRC delivery. Thus,
on September 1st, Azerbaijan
expressed its consent as a good will gesture to ensure simultaneous opening of
Agdam-Khankandi and Lachin-Khankandi roads. But the illegal regime refused.
However, in the Lachin checkpoint, Azerbaijan’s customs and border
control regime must be observed. Sham and fabricated elections or I would
rather call selection is serious setback and counter productive. Illegal puppet
regime must be dissolved and disarmed. It is the only way to ensure lasting
peace where Armenian and Azerbaijani residents of Karabakh can live and
coexist.”
Khankandi is the Azeri name for Artsakh’s capital city of Stepanakert.
Hajiyev’s September 9 statement directly contradicted
previously reported information regarding the lifting of the blockade.
Hajiyev was referring to a September 1 conversation that
took place between Azerbaijan’s
president Ilham Aliyev and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in which Azerbaijan had
apparently agreed to open the Lachin Corridor in just such a simultaneous
agreement.
On September 7, Hajiyev told Reuters the Lachin Corridor and
the Aghdam road could be opened in line with those high-level talks.
Artsakh authorities on Saturday, September 9 said they would
accept humanitarian shipments from the Russian Red Cross via an alternative
road from Askeran.
“At the same time, an agreement has been reached to restore
humanitarian shipments by the Russian peacekeepers and the International
Committee of the Red Cross along Lachin Corridor,” said the announcement by the
Artsakh InfoCenter.
That same day, the news outlets mentioned by Hajiyev—Reuters
and Politico—along with The Guardian all reported that the Lachin Corridor
would be unblocked.
“Nagorno-Karabakh routes reopen in Lachin corridor deal, say
Azeri and Armenian sides” read the headline on The Guardian; “Azerbaijan
pledges to reopen Lachin Corridor to Nagorno-Karabagh” announced Politico; “Key
Azerbaijan-Karabakh corridor to reopen to Russia aid” heralded Reuters.
However, Azeri television on Sunday, September 10 showed
pictures of the Russian truck idling on a roadside in the city of Barda in Azerbaijan—leading
Reuters to report “Doubt over deal opening road” in Lachin.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said in a
statement it was conducting talks with both sides about opening both routes for
aid, and denied that it was holding up the Russian Red Cross shipment.
Armenia’s
relations with Russia have
sharply deteriorated in recent weeks, with Yerevan
accusing Moscow
of failing to restore transport links to the territory. Moscow has peacekeepers in Karabakh and has
acted as the guarantor of an agreement that ended the 2020 war, which called
for the Lachin Corridor to remain open. Yerevan
says the Russian troops did nothing to prevent the Azeris from imposing their
blockade.
Speaking at the G20 summit in India
over the weekend, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Armenian
suggestions that Russia had
“given away” Karabakh to Azerbaijan
were incorrect.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who spoke to
Pashinyan on Saturday, September 9, said in a statement on Sunday, September 10
that Washington
was “deeply concerned about the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation.”
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3- Samvel Sharamanyan Elected
President of Artsakh
(Combined Sources)—The Artsakh Parliament has elected Samvel
Shahramanyan as the President of Artsakh with a vote of 22 for, 1 against.
All parties in the Artsakh Parliament, except for United
Motherland, nominated Artsakh State Minister Samvel Shahramanyan for the
position of President of the Artsakh
Republic. An application
by the United Motherland parliamentary faction to nominate Samvel Babayan, the
faction’s leader, was rejected on the grounds that Babayan had not permanently
lived in Nagorno-Karabakh for the past ten years, a requirement for
presidential candidates. Speaking to RFE/RL last week, Samvel Babayan stated
that his parliamentary faction would not participate in the vote, instead
holding a protest against the ‘predetermined’ election in Stepanakert.
Due to Artsakh being under martial law and recent amendments
made to the Artsakh constitution, the Artsakh Parliament was tasked with
electing a new president following Arayik Harutyunyan’s resignation on
September 1, 2023.
Shahramanyan was appointed to the position of State Minister
a day before Arayik Harutyunyan’s resignation from the post of president.
Previously Shahramanyan served as the Secretary of the Security Council.
An inauguration ceremony took place on Sunday, September 10.
“The status of Nagorno-Karabakh must be determined, and we
must have direct connection with Armenia through the Lachin
Corridor. While other routes could be opened, but they cannot replace the
corridor,” Shahramanyan said. “Negotiations must take place, the format [of
talks] can be both multilateral and bilateral, with guarantees from a third
party. Stepanakert must be a engaged in the negotiations.”
He called for the strengthening of Artsakh’s statehood,
domestic stability, exercising the right to self-determination of the people of
Artsakh, improving the socio-economic situation and establishing law and order.
Baku
on Friday, September 8 condemned the vote, calling it “extremely provocative.”
Hikmet Hajiyev, foreign policy adviser to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
said the “sham elections” are a “serious setback and counterproductive” for
resolving the blockade of the Lachin corridor.
The European Union was quick to announce that it does not
recognize the presidential elections in Artsakh, a statement from the bloc’s
diplomatic service said on Saturday, September 9.
“In view of the so-called ‘presidential elections’ in
Khankendi/Stepanakert on 9 September 2023, the European Union reiterates that
it does not recognize the constitutional and legal framework within which they
have been held,” Nabila Massrali, the spokesperson for foreign affairs and
security policy, said in a statement.”At the same time, the EU believes
that it is important for the Karabakh Armenians to consolidate around de facto
leadership that is able and willing to engage in result-oriented discussions
with Baku. The EU is committed to supporting this process.”
Samvel Shahramanyan, 44, is believed to be close friends
with Bako Sahakyan, the third president of Nagorno-Karabakh. In 2018, during
his presidency, Sahakyan appointed Shahramanyan as director of the National
Security Service.
Shortly after Harutyunyan was elected president in 2020,
Shahramanyan was appointed head of the newly-created Ministry of Military
Patriotism, Youth, Sports, and Tourism. In January 2023, Shahramanyan was
appointed secretary of Nagorno-Karabakh’s Security Council, and was amongst
those participating in meetings between representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan,
and Russian peacekeepers on March 1.
A number of MPs have stated their belief that Shahramanyan
can bring together opposing groups in society, and could potentially bring about
a ‘breakthrough’ in the ongoing blockade, having previously engaged in
discussion with Azerbaijan. Nagorno-Karabakh has been under blockade by Azerbaijan
since December 2022, creating a catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
Turkey
condemned the election as a step aimed at undermining the ongoing “peace
negotiations” between Armenia
and Azerbaijan,
said the statement released by the Turkish Foreign Ministry. In the text of the
statement, the Republic of Artsakh is presented as “part of Azerbaijan.”
“Holding elections in territories controlled by illegitimate
Armenian forces in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan is an attempt to
unilaterally legitimize the situation in the region, which is contrary to
international law,” the statement reads.
Turkey
also called on the UN and international organizations not to recognize the
presidential elections in the Republic
of Artsakh.
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4- Rep.
McClintock Meets with Fresno
Armenians
By Sevag
Tateosian
United States Congressman Tom McClintock (5th-CA) met with
leaders from Fresno’s
Armenian-American community. The
Congressman requested the meeting to listen to issues important to Fresno’s long-standing
Armenian community. Attendees from
various organizations, including churches and civic organizations shared their
deep concern for Armenia and
Artsakh amid Azerbaijan’s
war and blockade of the Lachin Corridor.
“We were very pleased that Congressman McClintock listened
to our concerns,” said Sevak Khatchadourian, whose venue was used to host the
meeting. “It’s an extremely difficult
time for us as Armenian Americans, knowing that the innocent people of Artsakh
are being starved to death.”
Congressman McClintock listened attentively to the crowd and
committed to raising the issue of a possible second genocide occurring. Congressman said the blockade of the Lachin
Corridor was reprehensible.
The group of approximately 30 people included Randy Baloian,
a longtime community activist who after the meeting said, “Fresno Armenians
appreciate Congressman McClintock’s visit and his effort to understand better
the crisis facing the republics of Armenia and Artsakh. We’re confident that he will continue in the
tradition of Central Valley lawmakers to
support American Armenian interests.”
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