Monday,
Most Karabakh Residents Displaced By Fighting
• Marine Khachatrian
NAGORNO-KARABAKH -- A medical worker talks to a sick woman in a bomb shelter in
Stepanakert, October 22, 2020
Nearly 60 percent of Nagorno-Karabakh’s population has been forced to flee homes
since the start of the war with Azerbaijan one month ago, an official in
Stepanakert said on Monday.
Artak Beglarian, Karabakh’s human rights ombudsman, said an estimated 90,000
ethnic Armenian civilians have been relocated to other parts of Karabakh or have
taken refuge in Armenia due to Azerbaijan’s shelling of their towns and
villages. They are enduring serious hardship despite food and other relief aid
delivered to them by the Armenian and Karabakh governments as well as private
charities, Beglarian told reporters.
The shelling has targeted Stepanakert and most other Karabakh communities,
causing extensive damage to local homes and public infrastructure. Most of
Stepanakert’s remaining residents now live in basements and other bomb shelters.
The vast majority of the displaced people are women, children and elderly
persons. Those who have fled to Armenia are typically staying with their
relatives or in temporary shelters made available by the government.
Among them are Nanar Karapetian and her two young sons. They lived in the town
of Shushi until the outbreak of the war on September 27.
Like many other Karabakh men, Karapetian’s husband is a military officer who is
now fighting against Azerbaijani forces on the battlefield. “My brothers,
cousins, husband’s brothers are also on the frontline,” the young woman told
RFE/RL’s Armenian service in Yerevan.
“All I want is peace so we can return to our homes,” she added.
“I miss my town, I miss my dad, and I want us to go back home soon,” said
Karapetian’s 7-year-old son, Manvel.
According to Beglarian’s office, the fighting has left nearly 40 Karabakh
civilians dead so far. One of them lived in a village near Stepanakert that was
reportedly shelled on Monday despite an Armenian-Azerbaijani ceasefire agreement
brokered by the United States.
The hostilities have also affected many residents of Azerbaijani cities and
villages north and east of Karabakh. The Azerbaijani authorities have reported
more than 60 deaths among them.
Armenia Expects U.S. Reaction To Another Collapse Of Karabakh Ceasefire
ARMENIA -- Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian gives an interview to TASS
Russian news agency, in Yerevan, October 19, 2020
Armenia urged the United States on Monday to react strongly to what it called
Azerbaijan’s failure to respect yet another agreement to stop the war in
Nagorno-Karabakh which was brokered by Washington.
“It’s now clear that once again it has not proved possible to implement a
ceasefire [agreement,]” Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said in a video address
to the nation aired in the evening. “I cannot say at this point what the
reaction of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries [the U.S., Russia and
France] and their presidents will be. But you must know that the Armenian side
has done everything to adhere to the ceasefire.”
“I hope that official representatives of the U.S. will answer these questions.
Have they clarified as a result of whose actions the ceasefire has been
violated? If so, what consequences will there be for the party that has violated
it?” he said.
Pashinian charged that Azerbaijan is continuing its offensive military
operations in the conflict zone because it wants to force Armenia and Karabakh
to capitulate. The Armenian side has been “maximally flexible” in negotiations
mediated by the U.S., Russia and France and prepared to agree to a “painful”
compromise-based solution to the Karabakh conflict, he said, adding that it now
has no choice but to continue fighting against the “Azerbaijani aggression.”
The conflicting parties began accusing each other of ceasefire violations
shortly after the U.S.-brokered agreement went into force at 8 a.m. local time.
The Armenian Defense Ministry said early in the afternoon that Azerbaijani
forces have launched an assault on frontline positions of Karabakh’s
Armenian-backed army in southeastern Karabakh. It reported heavy fighting there
in the following hours.
“Starting from 5 p.m. the intensity of fire along the border of Artsakh
(Karabakh) has sharply increased,” a ministry spokeswoman, Shushan Stepanian,
wrote on Facebook. She said the Azerbaijani army is using heavy artillery and
tanks against Karabakh positions and civilian areas.
Speaking in the morning, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said he has ordered
his troops to show “restraint” despite what he described as Armenian
“provocations” on the frontlines.
Aliyev also hit out at the U.S., Russian and French mediators, saying that they
are now trying to “save Armenia.” “If they want a ceasefire then let them tell
Armenia to leave our lands,” he said in televised remarks. “If that doesn’t
happen we will go till the end.”
Russia Hails U.S. Mediation On Karabakh
• Aza Babayan
RUSSIA -- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends Russian President Vladimir
Putin's annual life-broadcasted news conference with Russian and foreign media
at the World Trade Center in Moscow, Russia, 19 December 2019
Russia welcomed on Monday U.S. efforts to stop hostilities in and around
Nagorno-Karabakh which have resulted in yet another Armenian-Azerbaijani
ceasefire agreement.
Commenting on the U.S.-brokered agreement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said:
“The process of the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh crisis, which is in an
acute phase, must not and cannot be a scene of any rivalry or competition
[between world powers.]”
“Certainly, Russia, as a co-chair of the [OSCE Minsk] group, is ready to welcome
any steps that will help to stop the war,” Peskov told journalists.
The latest truce agreement was announced late on Sunday after talks held by the
Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers in Washington with top U.S.
administration officials and the American, Russian and French diplomats
co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group.
Speaking ahead of the Washington talks, Russian President Vladimir Putting Putin
expressed hope that the United States will contribute to Russian efforts to get
the conflicting parties to respect a ceasefire agreement that was brokered by
Moscow on October 10.
A similar “humanitarian” truce agreement brokered by France on October 17 has
also not been observed.
Peskov said that Moscow is continuing to closely monitor the situation in the
Karabakh conflict zone. “We still believe that there can only be a peaceful
solution to this problem,” said Putin’s spokesman.
Fighting Reported In Karabakh Conflict Zone After Another Truce Accord
NAGORNO-KARABAKH -- Members of the Karabakh Ministry of Emergency Situations
search for unexploded cluster bombs on the outskirts of Stepanakert, October 20,
2020
Armenia and Azerbaijan accused each of violating a U.S.-brokered ceasefire
agreement following its entry into force on Monday morning.
The Armenian Defense Ministry said Azerbaijani forces shelled frontline
positions of Karabakh’s Armenian-backed army in northeastern and southeastern
Karabakh.
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said, for its part, that its troops came under
Armenian artillery fire at several sections of the “line of contact” around
Karabakh.” It claimed that Armenian forces also shelled Azerbaijani residential
areas northeast of Karabakh.
“The Azerbaijani side is demonstrating restraint,” a senior aide to Azerbaijan's
President Ilham Aliyev told the RIA Novosti news agency.
The Karabakh Armenian army strongly denied violating the truce, saying that Baku
is “preparing ground for further provocations” with claims to the contrary.
“The Armenian side continues to strictly adhere to the ceasefire regime,”
Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian wrote on Facebook about two hours after
the truce agreement took effect at 8 a.m. local time.
“Despite some provocations, the ceasefire is largely holding,” Pashinian wrote
at midday.
Two hours later, the Karabakh Defense Army said that Azerbaijani troops have
launched an attack on its frontline positions in southeastern Karabakh. It said
its forces are now trying to repel the attack.
The truce agreement was announced late on Sunday following a series of talks
held by the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers in Washington with top
U.S. officials and American, Russian and French diplomats co-heading the OSCE
Minsk Group.
In a late-night tweet, U.S. President Donald Trump congratulated Pashinian and
Aliyev on the deal.
Russia and France already brokered similar Armenian-Azerbaijani ceasefire
agreements on October 10 and October 17 respectively. They did not stop
hostilities in and around Karabakh, with the warring sides accusing each other
of not respecting it.
Armenia, Azerbaijan Again Agree To Ceasefire
NAGORNO-KARABAKH -- A fragment of an artillery shell at the fighting positions
of ethnic Armenian soldiers on the front line during a military conflict against
Azerbaijan's armed forces, October 20, 2020.
Armenia and Azerbaijan reached late on Sunday another agreement to halt
hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone after holding talks in
Washington mediated by the United States.
“The humanitarian ceasefire will take effect at 08:00 a.m. local time (12:00
a.m. EDT) on ,” the U.S., Armenian and Azerbaijani governments
said in a joint statement.
“The United States facilitated intensive negotiations among the [Armenian and
Azerbaijani] Foreign Ministers and the Minsk Group Co-Chairs to move Armenia and
Azerbaijan closer to a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,”
added the statement.
The U.S., Russian and French co-chairs said separately that they and U.S. Deputy
Secretary of State Stephen E. Biegun held a joint meeting with the two ministers
in Washington on Saturday. They said they discussed “possible parameters for
monitoring the ceasefire and initiating discussion of core substantive elements
of a comprehensive solution” to the Karabakh conflict.
“The Co-Chairs and Foreign Ministers agreed to meet again in Geneva on October
29 to discuss, reach agreement on, and begin implementation, in accordance with
a timeline to be agreed upon, of all steps necessary to achieve a peaceful
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in accordance with the basic
principles accepted by the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia,” read a statement
released by the mediators.
On Friday Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanian and his Azerbaijani
counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov also separate talks with U.S. Secretary of State
Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien.
"Under the president’s direction, we have spent the entire weekend trying to
broker peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Armenia has accepted a ceasefire.
Azerbaijan has not yet,” O’Brien told CBS earlier on Sunday.
“We are pushing them [Azerbaijan] to do so,” he said.
U.S. President Donald Trump also commented on the Karabakh war as he spoke at an
election campaign rally in New Hampshire. “Armenia, they are incredible people,
they are fighting like hell and … we’re going to get something done,” he said.
“We’ll get that sorted out … I call that an easy one,” Trumped added, referring
to the fighting. He did not elaborate.
Russia and France already brokered similar Armenian-Azerbaijani ceasefire
agreements on October 10 and October 17 respectively. The agreements did not
stop hostilities in and around Karabakh, with the warring sides accusing each
other of not respecting it.
Speaking before the announcement of the fresh truce accord on Sunday,
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said the mediating powers should put pressure
on Armenia if they want to stop the war.
“We have one condition: if the countries that have supported Armenia and created
for almost 30 years conditions for its occupation of our lands want a ceasefire
they must put pressure on Armenia,” Aliyev said, according to TASS. “The
Armenian prime minister must state that his country will leave the occupied
territories. We haven’t heard such a statement.”
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2020 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
Author: David Nargizian
Nikol Pashinyan expects India to recognize independence of Nagorno Karabakh
22:42,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 25, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan gave an interview to Indian WION TV, answering the question what he expects from India and the international community in general for preventing Azerbaijani and Turkish aggression against Artsakh.
”I expect from New Delhi what I expect from other representatives of the international community – record that Turkey has organized the transportation of terrorists and mercenaries to Azerbaijan and that this war should not have started without Turkey’s intervention, record that the terrorists groups of Azerbaijan and Turkey started the attack , record that the Armenian people in Nagorno Karabakh are under existential threat, under genocidal risk, and assess the principle of ‘’remedial secession” acceptable for this case and recognize the independence of Nagorno Karabakh”, ARMENPRESS reports PM Pashinyan as saying.
To the question how long the war can continue and if the Armenian side is preparing for a long-lasting war, Nikol Pashinyan said that the people of Nagorno Karabakh should struggle for ensuring its security until the end. ”But I hope our diplomatic efforts will stop the war as soon as possible”, Pashinyan said.
Armenian Foreign Minister to travel to Washington amid fierce fighting with Azerbaijan
The Hill, DC
Oct 17 2020
The U.S. should halt military assistance to Azerbaijan and put more pressure on Turkey to stop its interference in the conflict with Armenia over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia’s ambassador to the U.S. said in an interview with The Hill.
Varuzhan Nersesyan, Yerevan’s representative in Washington, was speaking ahead of a summit expected to take place this month with Armenia’s Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
The meeting, while occurring amid the annual strategic dialogue between the U.S. and Armenia, is taking on new urgency over efforts to secure a ceasefire and calm weeks of fierce fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan that has killed dozens of civilians, injured hundreds more and displaced tens of thousands.
Nersesyan said preparations are being made for the foreign minister’s visit ahead of an official announcement expected by Armenia’s Foreign Ministry and the State Department.
“We’re working on the preparation of the foreign minister’s visit to Washington,” Nersesyan said.
The outbreak of fighting last month, the fiercest in decades with heavy military firepower on both sides, has drawn renewed international attention to the more than 30-year stalemate of negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the breakaway territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, which falls within sovereign Azerbaijan but is controlled by ethnic-Armenians.
Armenians view the territory, which they call Artsakh, as part of their historic homeland while Azerbaijan says the area is under an illegal military occupation.
The arrival of Armenia’s foreign minister in the U.S. could signal a greater push by the Trump administration to engage itself in mediation and peace efforts following the quick unraveling of an attempted ceasefire negotiated by Russia on Oct. 10.
The international community has largely regarded the U.S. as absent from efforts to calm tensions between both sides, with little public comment from President Trump on the weeks-long fighting.
Yet the U.S. – along with France and Russia – is a co-chair of the Minsk group, which is tasked with mediating a political settlement to the status of Nagorno-Karabakh and has urged both sides to abide by the ceasefire earlier mediated by Moscow as the group works to reach a negotiated political settlement.
The ambassador said he would welcome Trump taking a more active role as a mediator in the Southern Caucasus in implementing a ceasefire and called for the U.S. to exercise more pressure on Turkey, which has put its support behind Azerbaijan, to stay out of the conflict.
“Secretary Pompeo made a comment which we appreciate, where he says that Turkey reinforces Azerbaijan in this war,” said Nersesyan, referring to remarks by the secretary saying Ankara is “increasing the risk” of the fighting by providing firepower and resources to Baku.
“However at this stage, what is needed is a robust action, not only statements but concrete steps,” he added. “First of all, put pressure over Turkey to immediately stop its aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh.”
Bipartisan lawmakers in the House and Senate Democrats have condemned Azerbaijan and Turkey as instigating the outbreak of fighting that began on Sept. 27, and have called on the administration to halt military assistance to Baku and Ankara.
Yet the international community has withheld from assigning blame to either side and has reiterated calls for a de-escalation of tensions and a return to the negotiating table.
This includes support for a Russian-mediated humanitarian ceasefire that fell apart “as its ink was drying,” the International Crisis Group wrote in a statement about the ongoing fighting.
“Both sides have since struck towns and villages, with enormous damage to lives and livelihoods,” the group said.
At least 34 civilians have been killed in Nagorno-Karabakh, Reuters reported, citing the territory’s ombudsman, along with 633 casualties of the Artsakh Defense Forces. Azerbaijan, which doesn’t disclose its military deaths, has said at least 42 Azeri civilians were killed as a result of the fighting.
Accusations of atrocities on both sides have driven Armenia and Azerbaijan farther away from the negotiating table. Armenia views Azerbaijan’s aggression as an existential threat to a nation and a people who have suffered genocide and massacres perpetrated by Baku’s close ally Turkey.
Yet Azerbaijan has reiterated its calls for Armenia’s full military withdrawal and says it has the backing of a handful of United Nations Security Council Resolutions from the 1990s, passed at the height of the conflict.
And the country’s President Ilham Aliyev has promised to take full control of the territory and claims to have “liberated from the occupiers” about 40 settlements, Reuters reported on Wednesday.
Nersesyan warned that Turkey’s involvement in the conflict could trigger a wider regional global confrontation. Russia, while maintaining relations with both Armenia and Azerbaijan, has a mutual defense pact with Yerevan. The conflict has added another layer of tension between Moscow and Ankara, which are on opposite sides of wars in Syria and Libya.
“What we are hoping and we are expecting is that the [U.S.] administration takes steps to stop Turkey,” Nersesyan said. “Otherwise this conflict can spiral out into a much larger and regional global confrontation. And that is not an exaggeration.”
Azerbaijan has taken issue with Russia’s alliance with Armenia and denounced Moscow’s military sales to Yerevan.
Azerbaijan denies that Turkey is militarily involved in the conflict and asserts that it only provides diplomatic and political support, Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to the U.S., Elin Suleymanov, told The Hill.
Noting an expected visit by the Armenian Foreign Minister, Suleymanov welcomed the role of the U.S. as a negotiator, but emphasized that the Trump administration “should maintain its neutrality and impartiality … to be an honest broker.”
“Azerbaijan welcomes every opportunity for substantive peace talks based on the basic principles and U.N. Security Council Resolutions,” he said. “If there is such an opportunity in Washington, D.C., of course that is a very welcome move. I don’t have an official confirmation yet from Azerbaijan as well, but I believe that such an initiative will be welcome.”
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/521521-armenian-foreign-minister-to-travel-to-washington-amid-fierce-fighting-with?amp&fbclid=IwAR0BSiVNkuP3PEtOrTislI5_C1QKJBbWyiJ3OPZBv8gzdKvGpKgFcmRZKak
ICRC Again Urges Enforcement of Ceasefire
October 13, 2020
ICRC said it will not begin its mission until the ceasefire is fully observed
The International Committee of the Red Cross, which is tasked to mediate the exchange of bodies and captives under the humanitarian ceasefire agreement reached Saturday aimed at halting the fighting in Artsakh, said earlier this week that it would not be able to conduct its mission until the ceasefire agreement is honored.
On Tuesday, the ICRC Eurasia Regional Director, Martin Schüepp, issued a statement, calling for the enforcement of the ceasefire, saying the organization estimates that hundreds of thousands of people have been affected by the fighting, which has entered its third week.
Below is the complete text of Schüepp’s statement.
Today, we are more than two weeks into a period of intense violence as the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict escalates. We estimate there are hundreds of thousands of people affected across the region.
Civilians are dying or suffering life-changing injuries. Homes, businesses and once-busy streets are being reduced to rubble. The elderly and babies are among those forced to spend hours in unheated basements or to leave their homes for safety.
On top of this, healthcare facilities, health workers and ambulance services are straining to cope or even suffering reported direct attacks in places. There is upheaval, loss and fear in communities on both sides of the line of contact.
It is our deep hope that the humanitarian ceasefire agreement will be abided by and will translate into meaningful relief for these people.
As such, the International Committee of the Red Cross remains ready to facilitate the handover of bodies of those killed in action and the release of detainees. The sides must agree on a format between themselves. We are in continuous discussions with them, passing proposals back and forth. Operational and logistical arrangements must be in place and the safety of our teams guaranteed, for the operation to begin.
We are not involved in the political negotiations. Our role is strictly humanitarian, as a neutral intermediary. We have long-standing experience of this in conflicts worldwide. In terms of our response, we are working in the region to alleviate the suffering of those caught up in this. We are distributing emergency cash assistance and hygiene kits to hundreds of families, providing emergency medical kits to hospitals and forensic support to authorities, and doing field assessments where we can.
And we are working closely with the Armenian Red Cross and the Azerbaijani Red Crescent as they respond to this emergency. We project that at least tens of thousands of people across the region will need support over the next few months.
To this end we have issued an emergency appeal of an additional 9.2 million Swiss Francs and have already started to receive generous donations from governments, for which we are very grateful.
I will leave you with the experience of one mother who spoke to us – she described how as a child she sheltered in basements and spent nights in the forest to escape the fighting.
Almost 30 years later, she is once again forced to do the same thing, this time with her little daughter – barely 2 years old – and her elderly parents, who had once protected her all those years ago. There are many more like her and for all their sakes we must be there to support and facilitate meaningful humanitarian action where we can.
‘I’m Jewish and Armenian. Israeli Weapons Are Killing My People’
Ha’aretz, Israel
Oct 13 2020
Opinion
Amid the Nagorno-Karabakh war, an Armenian Jewish friend came over to my home in Yerevan. She is anguished. ‘Armenians are David,’ she says, and asks: Why is Israel arming a genocidal Goliath?
“I’m not Jewish or Armenian. I’m Jewish and Armenian,” Rachel said.
It’s a heavy weight to carry, with the scars of history on both sides. But these days, in the midst of the war over Nagorno-Karabakh, being Jewish-Armenian is especially tough.
I don’t normally write about Jewish affairs; it’s outside of my coverage area and expertise. But when a Jewish friend came over my home in Yerevan, asking me to write up her voice, I had to say yes. She was in anguish. For all that’s been said about the commercial and military dimensions of this fight, she wanted to add the moral and personal ones.
European Court Rules in Favor of Armenia’s Request for Interim Measures on Attacks
September 29, 2020
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday ruled in favor of an application by the Armenian government, which filed a request from the court seeking application of interim measures against Azerbaijan, Armenia’s Representative before the European Court of Human Rights Yeghishe Kirakosyan reported.
“The ECHR calls upon both Azerbaijan and Armenia to refrain from taking any measures, in particular military actions, which might entail breaches of the Convention on the rights of the civilian population,” said Tuesday ruling.
“The Court calls upon both Azerbaijan and Armenia to comply with their engagements under the Convention, notably in respect of Article 2 (right to life) and Article 3 (prohibition of torture and inhuman treatment) of the Convention and to report urgently on undertaken measures
“ECHR has asked both Contracting Parties (Armenia and Azerbaijan) to inform the ECHR, as soon as possible, of measures taken to comply with their conventional obligations,” said the court in its ruling,” explained the ruling.
In its application to ECHR on Monday, Armenia requesting that the court direct Azerbaijan:
to cease the military attacks towards the civilian settlements along the entire line of contact of the armed forces of Armenia and Artsakh;
to stop indiscriminate attacks;
to stop targeting civilian population, civilian objects and settlements.
These interim measures are requested under Rule 39 of the Rules of Court, which authorizes the imposition of such interim or emergency measures where there is an imminent risk of irreparable harm.
Paris hosts tribute to French-Armenian politician Patrick Devedjian
Public Radio of Armenia
Sept 26 2020
Six months after French Armenian politician Patrick Devedjian’s death, the Hauts-de-Seine department, of which he was president, paid him a strong tribute on Friday. Many political figures were in attendance to pay tribute to Devedjian’s memory during this long day of remembrance, Le Figaro reports.
Many of them met at 10:30 am in the cathedral of Nanterre. Attending the mass were former President Nicolas Sarkozy, former Prime Ministers François Fillon and Jean-Pierre Raffarin and others.
Patrick Devedjian’s wife and two of the four sons spoke during the mass, celebrated according to the Armenian rite in the presence of an Armenian choir, with a reading of the same gospel as that which had been chosen for Jacques Chirac (gospel of Jesus Christ according to Matthew).
<img src=””https://en.armradio.am/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Patrick-Devedjian-tribute.jpg.pagespeed.ce.KvXObQ4hAN.jpg” alt=”” class=”wp-image-120097″ srcset=”https://en.armradio.am/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Patrick-Devedjian-tribute.jpg.pagespeed.ce.KvXObQ4hAN.jpg 1024w, 300w, 768w” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px”/>
The main event was held at Seine Musicale, which now bears his name. The place was one of the great projects of Patrick Devedjian. The site was built under a partnership contract signed in July 2013 between the General Council and the Tempo Île Seguin group. President Devedjian laid the foundation stone there on July 5, 2014.
The event was attended by Georges Siffredi, successor of Patrick Devedjian at the head of the department, many elected officials from Ile-de-France and Hauts-de-Seine. The mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo was forced to cancel her participation because of the news of stabbing attacks in the 11th arrondissement.
The chairman of the Hauts-de-Seine departmental council and former minister Patrick Devedjian died from the consequences of the coronavirus on March 29.
Saudi Arabia’s King and Crown Prince congratulate Armenian President on Independence Day
Saudi Arabia’s King and Crown Prince congratulate Armenian President on Independence Day
16:30,
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. On the occasion of the 29th anniversary of Armenia’s Independence, President Armen Sarkissian received congratulatory letters from Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince, defense minister Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Presidential Office told Armenpress.
“On behalf of the people and the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia I warmly congratulate Your Excellency on your country’s Independence Day, wishing you health and happiness, and to the people and the government of Armenia – constant progress and prosperity”, the Saudi Arabia’s King said in his letter.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
Prime Minister Pashinyan felicitates Jewish community on Rosh Hashanah
10:57,
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has sent a congratulatory message to Armenia’s Jewish community on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
“Dear Jewish community representatives,
I warmly congratulate you on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
Today, Armenia’s Jewish community will join all Jews worldwide to celebrate a beautiful holiday that symbolizes the New Year. May this new year be a year of peace, prosperity and progress. I wish the centuries-old ties between our two nations would go strengthening in tune with the new realities.
Reiterating my congratulations, I wish our fellow citizens of Jewish descent robust health and all the best.”
Azerbaijan: the Yagublu affair
Osservatorio balcani caucaso by Arzu Geybullayeva Sept. 14, 2020 Longtime political activist and member of Azerbaijan's oldest political party, Musavat, Tofig Yagublu has always been in the sights of the authorities. He was arrested at least 35 times and recently received his fourth sentence. Now he has decided to go on a hunger strike Imagine being in your car, driving to a local market to pick up some groceries. You drop off your partner and wait inside the parked car. Then, suddenly, a vehicle that appears out of nowhere comes side-swiping your car. You are surprised and shocked, especially as the driver and the passenger get out and try to attack you. You stay inside the car and call the police, only to be arrested on charges of criminal hooliganism. Veteran political activist Tofig Yagublu, 59, did not have to imagine this. This happened to him on March 22nd, 2020. After official charge, Yagublu was sentenced to three months in pretrial custody at the Pretrial Detention Facility No.3, known for its inhumane conditions. After months in custody, Yagublu was charged and sentenced to four years and three months for a crime he did not commit. Tofig Yagublu is a member of the country’s oldest opposition party Musavat. As a veteran activist, he has attended many political rallies, made statements, and has been critical of the ruling government for decades. Not surprisingly, he is all too familiar with jails in Azerbaijan, for he has been detained and arrested at least 35 times throughout his lifetime. And this is his fourth sentence over the last 12 years. Most recently, Yagublu was sentenced to 30 days in administrative detention after participating in an unsanctioned opposition rally in October 2019. He was sentenced to five years in jail in 2013 on spurious charges and was released three years later amid international outcry against Baku’s harsh measures to silence dissent. In 1998, Yagublu was sentenced to two years behind bars, once again on bogus charges. His family has been prosecuted too. His daughter, Nigar Yagublu [now Hezi], was sentenced to two years and six months in 2012, and his son in law, journalist Seymur Hezi, was sentenced to five years on bogus hooliganism charges in 2014. Like those never ending television series, the persecution of Yagublu family by the authorities has been on for decades. This time, Yagublu is determined to put an end to the inhumane treatment of his family. Following the court sentence, Yagublu said he is going on a hunger strike and he will not stop until he is released and if it means he will die then be it, he told his daughter. It has been ten days and Yagublu has now been joined by other opposition activists who have gone on hunger strike in Azerbaijan. Former political prisoner and journalist Afgan Mukhtarli has set up a tent in Berlin, outside Chancellor Merkel's office, and started his own hunger strike. A campaign #FreeTofigYagublu and #TofiqYaqubluyaAzadliq is being used and shared widely on social media platforms. On September 9th, some 38 activists and journalists were detained after an unsanctioned rally that was organised in support of Yagublu, calling for his immediate release. The persecution of Tofig Yagublu and his family is not an isolated case. In March, just days before Yagublu was detained on hooliganism charges, President Ilham Aliyev claimed in his nation wide address he will not let the “enemies” and “the traitors” within destroy Azerbaijan. If Yagublu is one of these enemies, then Aliyev’s government is about to destroy him. On September 10th, Yagublu’s daughter told journalists that her father’s health is ailing. “He is experiencing weakness walking and speaking and he has fainted once. His blood pressure is low”, said Nigar Hezi. Following a medical examination by an independent doctor, on September 11, and a formal letter sent to the European Court of Human Rights on September 12 stating the severity of Yagublu's condition with a possibility of him going into a clinical coma, Yagublu was transferred to a clinic. He remains under doctor's supervision. In a statement on September 14, his doctor, Adil Geybulla confirmed Yagublu's condition was now stabilized. "In any case, he is in better hands here," said Geybulla in an interview with Azadliq Radio . Meanwhile, scores of opposition activists have been targeted since the president’s statement in March. During the COVID19 lockdown, key members of opposition groups were detained for allegedly violating quarantine regime. While some were fined over social media posts critical of the government, others were detained or targeted online and harassed. Since April Ali Karimli, leader of opposition party Popular Front, has had his Internet cut off and sporadic mobile signal. In June, the Cabinet of Ministers rolled out a new requirement for freelance and full time journalists, forcing them to register with an e-permission platform. Media law expert Alasgar Ahmadoglu contested this requirement, stressing that it is not legal without a state of emergency. Despite calls by international organisations to respect the country’s obligations under international treaties, Baku is refusing to do so, dismissing any reports of rights violations and the government’s role in muzzling the opposition. And yet, there is ample evidence of a very different Azerbaijan – the most recent protest of September 9th is a testament to that.