Author: David Nargizian

UN says ethnic Armenians’ right of return to Nagorno-Karabakh must be prioritized

David Nargizian
Arab News
Oct 11 2023

  • Special advisor on prevention of genocide calls on Azerbaijan to implement comprehensive plan for protection and safety of the community
  • Almost all ethnic Armenians fled the enclave after the offensive three weeks ago, during which Azerbaijan regained full control of the region

NEW YORK CITY: The UN on Tuesday expressed deep concern about the escalating humanitarian crisis in the South Caucasus, where more than 100,600 ethnic-Armenian refugees, including 30,000 children, have poured into Armenia from the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan in the past few weeks.

Alice Wairimu Nderitu, the UN’s special adviser on the prevention of genocide, called for urgent measures to be put in place to protect their rights and safety, and to ensure they are able to eventually return to their homes, if they wish.

“I call on all efforts to be made to ensure the protection and human rights of the ethnic-Armenian population who remain in the area, and of those who have left, including the right to return, which should be prioritized,” she said.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have struggled for control of the Nagorno-Karabakh region for decades. It is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but came under the control of ethnic Armenian separatists in the mid-1990s. The Armenian forces also took control of a substantial amount of surrounding territory but Azerbaijan regained control of most of it during a six-week war with Armenia in 2020.

Azerbaijan launched what it described as an “anti-terrorist” campaign in Nagorno-Karabakh on Sept. 19, and during a two-day offensive regained full control of the part of the region that had remained outside its control. Soon after, many ethnic Armenians, fearing reprisals, began to flee across the border to Armenia.

The latest conflict led Armenians to accuse Azerbaijan of “ethnic cleansing,” an allegation that was strongly denied.

Nderitu echoed a call by the UN’s high commissioner for human rights that the rights of all internally displaced people and those in refugee-like situations must be fully upheld, including ensuring that their right to return in safety and dignity.

She acknowledged the assurances given by authorities in Azerbaijan that the ethnic-Armenian population and their rights should be protected, and welcomed initial access that has been granted to representatives of the UN to assess the humanitarian situation in the region.

“These positive steps need to be continued, including by permitting full humanitarian access,” Nderitu said.

“I encourage the government of Azerbaijan to take steps toward putting in place a comprehensive plan in this regard, including measures to ensure the right to return of those who have fled, as well as concrete steps for ensuring the rights and protections of minorities, which is a cornerstone of international human rights law.”

In addition, she stressed the importance of thoroughly investigating allegations of violations committed during the conflict, including reports of civilian casualties, and the need for full accountability in line with the standards of international human rights and humanitarian laws.

Nderitu also called for increased dialogue to help prevent any further military escalation or violence in the South Caucasus.

“The region has witnessed cyclical violence for far too long,” she said. “The impact on civilians has always been devastating. The risk of atrocity crimes remains present.

“All the people in the region deserve a future free from violence and fear. This requires concrete action to ensure a lasting peace, as well as to address and overcome the deep scars, distrusts and division that exists between communities.”

Armenia ranked 9th country in the world with lowest crime rate

David Nargizian

 13:44,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 12, ARMENPRESS. The World Population Review independent international organization has ranked Armenia 9th in the list of countries with lowest crime rate, PM Nikol Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting.

He praised the work of the law enforcement agencies for contributing to the result.

“Of course, the 9th position is a very high indicator, but our minimum plan must be to retain it and further improve this ranking,” Pashinyan added.

Russia sends delegation to Armenia to discuss timeframe of withdrawal of peacekeepers from Nagorno-Karabakh – TASS

David Nargizian

 13:11, 6 October 2023

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 6, ARMENPRESS. A Russian Defense Ministry delegation will travel to Yerevan on October 6 to discuss the timeframes of withdrawing the Russian peacekeeping force from Nagorno-Karabakh, TASS reported citing a diplomatic source.

Russia sent peacekeepers to Nagorno-Karabakh as part of the 2020 ceasefire terms. The terms of the ceasefire agreement, officially known as the 9 November 2020 trilateral statement by the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, provide for a repeated extension of the peacekeeping contingent’s mission by five more years if Armenia and Azerbaijan do not object to that.

In September 2023, Azerbaijan again attacked Nagorno-Karabakh. The offensive resulted in the forced displacement of over 100,000 persons – almost the entire population – of Nagorno-Karabakh.

SoCal students march 27 miles for Armenian refugees in need: ‘Our hearts are broken’

David Nargizian
ABC 7
Oct 7 2023
By Jaysha Patel

ENCINO, Calif. (KABC) – Students and staff at Holy Martyrs Ferrahian Armenian High School marched nearly 30 miles Friday to raise awareness to the humanitarian crisis at the Armenian border with Azerbaijan.

The group marched from Encino to the Armenian Genocide Martyrs Monument in Montebello, spreading the message and saying people are in desperate need of help.

Thousands of refugees are fleeing the Armenian enclave of Artsakh.

For some of the students, this all hits close to home.

"Our hearts are broken," said 10th grade student Vaughn Melkonian. "Some of us have sleepless nights. It's our brothers and sisters. We even have family members there that have been killed. One of my cousins died there. He was a soldier and the rest are trying to escape to Armenia and other parts of the world."

The students, who marched side by side, holding hands and locking arms, said they want action, especially from President Joe Biden.

"Innocent Armenians, innocent families … their villages are getting bombed and people are just coming in an killing them," said student Joey Titizian. "It's a horrible situation, and I just want the world to open their eyes and see the situation for what it really is."

Despite Thursday's heat, the students didn't back down from their mission.

"I knew it was going to be a lot, but I'm like, "Man, they're doing it over there, they're doing it in cold winter. It's October now, it's going to start getting cold, and we're here with 95-, 100-degree heat. We're fine. They have nothing. They're walking barefooted, I have perfectly comfy shoes. This is easy compared to what they're doing there."

Why renewed fighting in Artsakh region may herald new war with Armenia

Symbolic Armenian Monument in Artsakh at Risk of Destruction

David Nargizian
Oct 2 2023
“Tatik-Papik,” which symbolizes the link between the people of Artsakh and the land, is one of many landmarks at risk of demolition by Azerbaijani forces.
Rhea Nayyar 
“We Are Our Mountains” (1967), also known as Tatik-Papik (“Grandmother and Grandfather” in Armenian), at the top of a hill overlooking the Artsakhi city of Stepanakert (image via Wikimedia Commons)

Over 100,000 ethnically Armenian people have fled from their homes in the Republic of Artsakh within the last two weeks as Artsakh leader Samvel Shahramanyan announced that the state will cease to exist as of January 1, 2024. Azerbaijani forces took over the region, also known by the Russian name Nagorno-Karabakh, in a deadly military offensive that commenced on September 19, following a nine-month blockade imposed on the only road channel connecting the territory to mainland Armenia.

Azerbaijani forces are also actively expunging any records of Armenian identity and history through the destruction of cultural landmarks and artifacts across the regions of Azerbaijan, including the newly conquered Artsakh region, putting one of the territory’s most symbolic monuments at risk of demolition. Among the many landmarks at risk is “We Are Our Mountains” (1967), referred to colloquially as “Tatik-Papik” (“Grandmother-Grandfather” in Eastern Armenian), an enormous mountainside sculpture just outside of Stepanakert, the capital city of the Republic of Artsakh.

Designed and built during the Soviet period from red volcanic tufa stone by Armenian sculptor Sargis Baghdasaryan and architect Yuri Hakobyan, the monument depicts an old man and woman emerging from the earth, symbolizing the intrinsic connection between the people of Artsakh and the mountainous terrain they inhabit. Prior to the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020, “We Are Our Mountains” was a popular tourism destination and a point of pride for Artsakhi Armenians who would visit casually or host important milestone events such as weddings at the site.

A photo of an Azerbaijani soldier standing in front of “We Are Our Mountains” with the Azerbaijani flag pinned to the monument began circulating last Friday, September 29 — one day after Samvel Shahramanyan’s announcement on the dissolution of the government of Artsakh — sparking outrage and upset among mainland and diasporic Armenians.

With the grim prospects surrounding the revered and symbolic monument’s future, an international humanitarian organization called All For Armenia has launched a petition to field global support for its preservation and protection.

“As a result of the complete exodus of Armenians from the region, less than a day’s notice of the need to evacuate, and the inability to bring anything but the clothes on peoples’ backs and some personal items, this statue has been left behind along with the history of the Armenian people in the region,” the petition reads, noting that the organization is looking into a way of enforcing a no-touch rule on the site for its protection. “Immediate action is necessary, as we are unaware of how long this statue is going to stay secure.”

The monument is especially at risk considering Azerbaijan’s well-documented history of demolishing Armenian cultural and spiritual sites across the country, being accused by scholars of committing “cultural genocide.” Since the 2005 demolition of an Armenian necropolis in the city of Julfa, Azerbaijan has effectively obliterated 98% of Armenian cultural sites from its southwestern enclave Nakhchivan, which had a large Armenian population well into the Soviet period that was later expelled by Azerbaijani forces in the 1990s during the first war in Artsakh/Karabakh. The Caucasus Heritage Watch’s satellite imagery continuously documents Azerbaijani-inflicted destruction and damages to a variety of sites in Artsakh and in various parts of Azerbaijan including towns, cemeteries, and ancient monasteries of the Armenian Apostolic Church since the 2020 ceasefire agreement following the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War.

Nearly all of Artsakh’s civilians have departed the region in fear of violent repercussions by Azerbaijani troops while Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan characterized the events as “a direct act of ethnic cleansing,” an assessment agreed to by the Lemkin Institute and other human rights observers. Regarding the situation in Artsakh, the first prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Luis Moreno Ocampo, told Reuters that “it’s obviously a genocide.” Hikmet Hajiyev, diplomatic advisor to authoritarian Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev, denied allegations of “ethnic cleansing” in an interview with Agence Free-Presse last month.

Rhea Nayyar (she/her) is a New York-based teaching artist who is passionate about elevating minority perspectives within the academic and editorial spheres of the art world. 

https://hyperallergic.com/847990/symbolic-armenian-monument-in-artsakh-at-risk-of-destruction/

Nagorno-Karabakh: Why There Has Been A Conflict Between Azerbaijan And Armenians?

David Nargizian
Sept 27 2023
 

By Prakash Kl

A large number of ethnic Armenians escaped from Nagorno-Karabakh, forming lines for fuel and congesting the route to Armenia. This exodus followed the swift military operation by Azerbaijan, resulting in the defeat of the decades-old separatist state.
The self-proclaimed state situated in the mountainous Nagorno-Karabakh region, acknowledged by no nation, disappeared so rapidly last week. The ethnic Armenian inhabitants had mere minutes to pack their belongings before leaving their residences, becoming part of a mass departure fueled by concerns about potential ethnic cleansing following Azerbaijan’s victory.
Some 120,000 Armenians, who considered Karabakh as their home, left for Armenia.
Where is Nagorno-Karabakh Situated? 

Situated in the mountainous South Caucasus region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, this territory has been a longstanding point of contention. 

What is the conflict all about? 

The historical conflict in the region between Christian Armenians and Turkic Muslim Azeris spans over a century. More Than 19,000 Cops On Ganesh Immersion Duty In Mumbai Armenia and Azerbaijan, in their present forms, were integrated into the Soviet Union during the 1920s. 

Nagorno-Karabakh, an area with a predominantly Armenian population, was under the control of Azerbaijan. As the Soviet Union started to disintegrate in the late 1980s, the regional parliament of Nagorno-Karabakh voted to unite with Armenia. Azerbaijan aimed to quell the separatist movement, while Armenia supported it. 

These circumstances sparked ethnic conflicts, which escalated into a full-fledged war after both Armenia and Azerbaijan declared independence from Moscow. Subsequently, years of violence and hardship ensued. 

All Evacuated Safely Throughout the years, the death toll reached tens of thousands, with over a million individuals forcibly displaced. Reports emerged of ethnic cleansing and massacres perpetrated by both factions. 

The initial Nagorno-Karabakh conflict concluded through a ceasefire brokered by Russia in 1994. At the end of the hostilities, Armenian forces had secured control over Nagorno-Karabakh and its surrounding regions. 

According to the agreement, Nagorno-Karabakh retained its status as part of Azerbaijan. However, in practice, it has been primarily governed by a self-proclaimed separatist republic, led by ethnic Armenians and supported by the Armenian government. 

In a 44-day war in 2020, Azerbaijan recaptured seven surrounding districts and took back about a third of Nagorno-Karabakh itself and Russia brokered the peace deal. Under the agreement, Armenian forces had to withdraw from these areas and have since been confined to a smaller part of the region. 

The Role of Russia and Turkey While Turkey has been an ally of Azerbaijan, Russia had close ties with Armenia. Both Russia and Armenia are part of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) military alliance of six former Soviet states. 

However, the relationship between both the countries has strained since Nikol Pashinyan, who led huge anti-government protests in 2018, became Armenia’s prime minister. Recently, Pashinyan claimed that Armenia’s dependence on Russia as its single source of security was a “strategic error”. He had also questioned Russian peacekeepers in the conflict hit zone. 

It has to be noted that Russia deployed peacekeepers to the region in 2020. They had pledged to maintain access to the crucial lifeline-the sole road connecting the enclave to Armenia, vital for Artsakh. Ukraine Issue However, Moscow, preoccupied with the conflict in Ukraine and seeking strengthened economic and political relations with Azerbaijan and its ally Turkey, refrained from intervening this year when Azerbaijan shut down this route. 

This action resulted in a blockade, disrupting the supply of essential resources like food, fuel, and medicine. During the recent rapid attack on Artsakh’s vulnerable defenses, the Kremlin instructed its peacekeepers to refrain from involvement. 

The Ceasefire Azerbaijan and the ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh announced a ceasefire, facilitated by Russia, on 20 September, effectively halting 24 hours of conflict. The ceasefire agreement outlined the complete disarmament and dissolution of local Armenian forces. the integration of the enclave into Azerbaijan. However, a significant portion of the region’s 120,000 ethnic Armenians have been apprehensive about their prospects and place in Nagorno-Karabakh’s future. Hence, they are going to Armenia.


Living in Baghdad during the ISIS takeover as an Armenian

David Nargizian
 Natan Bedrossian Opinion, Diaspora 0

In previous weeks, headlines about ISIS attacks around the world have triggered memories of living in Baghdad during the ISIS takeover of parts of Iraq in 2014 and its barbarous consequences: the extermination and ethnic cleansing of the region’s indigenous populations.

A lot was written about the situation in the Nineveh plains and surrounding areas consisting of the Nineveh governorate, the second most populous governorate after Baghdad. But what was life like in the capital city, Baghdad?

My high school was based in Zayouna, a Sunni-dominated area east of Baghdad. In Zayouna, you could spot the ideologues and supporters of ISIS. They felt that their religious sect was left behind in post-2003 Iraq, following the U.S. invasion. They experienced nostalgia for Saddam’s era, but none of them had grown up during his period.

Most of these ISIS admirers were active on social media platforms through fake accounts. Their content was based on fake news, false propaganda, videos and posters with preaching by religious fundamentalist clerics. They spread hate speech and calls for a “crusade” against minorities.

At school, even some teachers, who shared the views of fundamentalist students, glorified the actions of ISIS. They called atrocities against the Yazidis and Assyrians Western propaganda and a fabrication. One of the teachers even referred to me as a najis – ritually unclean. A call for conversion and pressure to change the religion to “go to heaven” followed. 

Not all students supported ISIS actions or shared their ideology. Some opposed ISIS’s medieval, outdated way of life. They were concerned about what was happening to Assyrians and Yazidis in the northern parts of the country. This was a period when even refusing to like or share an extremist post on social media was considered an act of resistance. There were students who did that and more. 

Born in the cradle of civilization while preaching incivility; growing up in a climate of diversity while enforcing exclusion; operating in the center of learning while full of ignorance – this is how one can describe the ISIS vision for Baghdad.

During this chaotic and violent period, ISIS cells were created in Baghdad. Born in the cradle of civilization while preaching incivility; growing up in a climate of diversity while enforcing exclusion; operating in the center of learning while full of ignorance – this is how one can describe the ISIS vision for Baghdad.

The blood spilled in 2010 at the Syriac-Catholic “Sayyidat Al-Najat” church (“Our Lady of Salvation” in Arabic), located in Baghdad’s upper-middle class Al-Karrada district, which was back then one of the most ethnically and religiously diverse areas in Baghdad, was still fresh in Iraqi Christians’ memories. 

Seeing the ISIS takeover from a Baghdadi gaze has its particularities. Baghdad, besides being the capital city of Iraq, was also a diverse urban environment. (It’s gradually losing its diverse character.) Every ethnic and religious group present in Iraq has a community in the capital city – from Yazidis living in the Sinjar district of Nineveh in the north to Mandaeans of the Maysan governorate in the south. Baghdad was a melting pot. 

Sayyidat Al-Najat church

Day by day, the situation in the capital worsened. Street fighting between militias, assassinations, forced deportations and death threats became a part of everyday life, especially for minorities. 

Under these circumstances, our family—my mother, father, aunt, sister and me—left Iraq in 2014 and lived for nine years as refugees in Lebanon until finally arriving in Australia this year via a humanitarian resettlement program.

We felt we did not belong in Iraq. It no longer was the site of progress called home by those who lived on this land for thousands of years. The darkness of extremism and fundamentalism had taken over. The Mesopotamia of the ancient code of laws, functioning public institutions, and rule of law was turned into a region of anarchy, political instability and public insecurity.

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Natan Bedrossian was born in Iraq in 1996. During the ISIS takeover, the spread of extremism, and the chaos and instability that ensued, he left Iraq in 2014. Natan lived in Lebanon for nine years and wrote for Aztag Daily newspaper. In 2023, he resettled in Australia and is a student at TAFE (Technical and Further Education).


Separatist parliament in Azerbaijan’s breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region elects new president

David Nargizian
The Public’s Radio
Sept 9 2023
By AVET DEMOURIAN

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Lawmakers in Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway Armenian-populated region of Azerbaijan, voted to elect a new separatist president on Saturday in a move that was strongly condemned by the Azerbaijani authorities.

Samvel Shakhramanyan’s election as the new president of Nagorno-Karabakh follows the resignation of Arayik Harutyunyan, who stepped down on Sept. 1 as president of the region — which the Armenians call Artsakh. It comes amid soaring tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry denounced the vote as a “gross violation” of the country’s constitution and a “serious blow to the efforts of normalization in the region.” The ministry emphasized that “the only way to achieve peace and stability in the region is the unconditional and complete withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces” from Nagorno-Karabakh and “the disbandment of the puppet regime.”

Since December, Azerbaijan has blockaded the only road leading from Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh, severely restricting the delivery of food, medical supplies and other essentials to the region of about 120,000 people.

Nagorno-Karabakh is a region within Azerbaijan that came under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by the Armenian military after a six-year separatist war that ended in 1994. Armenian forces also took control of substantial territory around the region.

Azerbaijan regained control of the surrounding territory in a six-week war with Armenia in 2020. A Russia-brokered armistice that ended the war left the region’s capital, Stepanakert, connected to Armenia by just one road known as the Lachin Corridor, along which Russian peacekeeping forces were supposed to ensure free movement.

Armenia repeatedly has complained that Russian peacekeepers have done nothing to help lift the Azerbaijani blockade of the road that has led to dire food shortages in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the situation has led to an increasing estrangement between Moscow and Yerevan.

Russia has been Armenia’s main economic partner and ally since the 1991 Soviet collapse. Landlocked Armenia hosts a Russian military base and is part of the Moscow-led security alliance of ex-Soviet nations, the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

But Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has become increasingly critical of Moscow, emphasizing its failure to help lift the Azerbaijani blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh and arguing that Yerevan needs to turn to the West to help ensure its security.

To Moscow’s dismay, Armenia called a joint military exercises with the United States starting Monday, provided humanitarian aid to Ukraine amid the war and moved to ratify a treaty that created the International Criminal Court, which this year indicted Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes connected to the deportation of children from Ukraine.

On Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the Armenian ambassador to lodge a formal protest over what the moves it described as “unfriendly.”

https://thepublicsradio.org/article/separatist-parliament-in-azerbaijans-breakaway-nagorno-karabakh-region-elects-new-president

Kim Kardashian calls on Biden to stop the next Armenian genocide, pressure Azerbaijan to open Lachin Corridor

David Nargizian

 21:05, 8 September 2023

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. Armenian-American reality TV star, entrepreneur Kim Kardashian and UCLA physician, Emmy-nominated film producer Eric Esrailian are making a public plea to U.S. President Joe Biden, calling on him and other world leaders to stop the Armenian genocide in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). 

In a piece published by the Rolling Stone, Kardashian and Esrailian appealed to U.S. President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Blinken, and their colleagues to take a stand immediately and pressure Azerbaijan to open the Lachin corridor without preconditions.

 Below is the full article.

“WE ARE ARMENIAN. We are the descendants of Armenian Genocide survivors, and we do not want to be talking about the recognition or commemoration of yet another genocide in the future. 

“Since December of last year, Azerbaijan has blockaded the only lifeline between the indigenous Christian Armenians of Artsakh (also known as Nagorno-Karabakh) and the rest of the world. For many years, they have been dependent on the transport of food, medical supplies, and humanitarian aid through the Lachin Corridor. The war in Ukraine has made Azerbaijan a seemingly more favorable alternative to Russian oil and gas for some countries. However, this reliance has emboldened the autocratic Azeri government to use starvation as a weapon against the Armenian population in the region. There is no more time for thoughts, prayers, or concern.

“The 2020 war, after Azerbaijan attacked Armenians in Artsakh without provocation, has never ended in the minds of Armenians around the world. Despite a cease-fire agreement, the attacks on Armenian soldiers have been constant and without repercussions. Armenophobic policies have been designed and widely promoted by the Azeri government and others. Regional peace should not involve sacrificing the sovereignty of the Armenians in Artsakh, but regardless of what anyone believes about our opinion, it is clear that this ruthless blockade has crossed all red lines of human rights and humanitarian law. Blocking human rights groups, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and the hateful rhetoric accompanying the blockade are signs of genocidal intent.

“Azerbaijan’s government and its allies claim that there are alternate routes that should be used. Using a separate Azerbaijan-controlled passage for the occasional delivery of supplies is disingenuous at best. More likely, it will signal the beginning of the end for Armenians and Christians in Artsakh. At the start of this crisis, there were approximately 120,000 Armenians, including 30,000 children, living in the republic. Unfortunately, because of starvation and the inability to receive adequate medical care, there has already been a significant and tragic loss of life — and it will only get worse without immediate action. For those who survive, the trauma will be permanent. While there was a disingenuous attempt to portray the blockade as one related to environmental concerns, Armenians and international observers knew that the desire was to make the republic so uninhabitable that people would either die or agree to leave. Meanwhile, supporters of this starvation use coordinated social media campaigns to pretend that a blockade is not taking place. This dystopian propaganda may be absurd to those with knowledge, but the defenders of these human rights abuses are trying to confuse people given everything else happening in the world.

“Numerous genocide watchdog groups and the United Nations’ own independent Special Rapporteurs — including the first UN Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide, Professor Juan Mendez — have been trying to alert the world about these impending atrocities for months. Last month, Luis Moreno Ocampo, the first chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, published his independent report. He concluded that a genocide is already underway because under Article II, (c) of the Genocide Convention, Azerbaijan is “Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction.”

“The University Network for Human Rights, in collaboration with students, lawyers, and academics from Harvard Law School Advocates for Human Rights, UCLA’s Promise Institute for Human Rights, Wesleyan University, and Yale’s Lowenstein Project, conducted two fact-finding trips in Nagorno-Karabakh and four in Armenia between March 2022 and July 2023. Their recently published briefing paper states, “Moreover, the abuses we documented are not a string of unrelated rights violations; taken together, these abuses reveal a synchronized, comprehensive campaign to empty Nagorno-Karabakh and parts of Armenia of Armenians.”

“The collective silence or inaction by individuals, governments, and governmental organizations like the United Nations and European Union has perpetuated the crisis. Every passing day puts more lives in danger. American taxpayer dollars are now facilitating and enabling this behavior by providing foreign aid to an oil-rich nation. Through economic sanctions, cutting off foreign aid to Azerbaijan, boycotting international events in Azerbaijan (such as concerts and sporting events like soccer and Formula 1), and through proceedings in international courts, we can collectively achieve results, but this process has been too slow and time is running out. As citizens, we are appealing to leaders such as President Biden, Secretary of State Blinken, and their colleagues to take a stand immediately. They must pressure Azerbaijan to open the corridor without preconditions.

“We are just two people. We have been working behind the scenes to support our Armenian brothers and sisters, but this diplomatic approach has not yielded meaningful results. This crisis will clearly not be remedied by individuals, but we will continue to do what we can to use whatever influence we have. We are not politicians or government leaders, and despite our own diplomatic efforts, this humanitarian crisis has persisted with no clear end in sight — except for the potential for ethnic cleansing of the Armenian population. We will continue to use our voices to amplify the truth.

“The people in Artsakh want to live in peace. Now is the time for true leadership. We need for those who have a meaningful role in these affairs to immediately demand that the Lachin Corridor is opened to stop another genocide. We want to draw more attention to the crisis and appeal to those in our own government who truly care about humanity to intervene. The United States has the ability to mobilize a response. Leaders who are effective and help our people will be remembered for their heroism. Even if well-meaning, the ones who are inert and ineffective will be remembered for allowing a genocide to take place under their watch. The choice is theirs.”

AW: Friday at the AYF Olympics

David Nargizian
September 2, 2023 Mark Gavoor AYF Olympics, Diaspora 0

Golfers warming up

Friday is the official start of the AYF Olympics for athletes, beginning with golf and tennis in the morning followed by swimming in the late afternoon. Golf and tennis are wonderful ways for AYFers to make new friends while competing. After the athletics, there are three dances, beginning with the Alumni Dance at 7 p.m., the AYF dance at 11 p.m., and, for the young and energetic, AYF hook-up at 2 a.m.  

Golf took place at the Oak Creek Golf Club in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.  The course is beautiful, well kept and glistened with morning dew when we arrived.  Part of the beauty and challenge of the course is its open but rolling terrain, as noted by many golfers. Manoug Habibian from the D.C. Olympic Steering Committee and Mark Manuelian of the Governing Body worked in concert with the congenial Oak Creek staff for a well-organized and good day for golf.

Over sixty golfers—both current AYFers and alumni, including many familiar faces—arrived by 7:30 a.m., had a light breakfast, warmed up on the driving range and practice green, and headed to their carts for an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start. Last year’s winner for the men, Alex Kassabian, was playing with his brother. On the women’s side, Theresa Jelalian played but was not competing. She opted to do the pentathlon for her last year—something she always wanted to do—and we will see more of her at the games on Sunday.

Women’s Golf Medalists

Mike Manoogian won the alumni golf, Shayna McCarthy from New Jersey took the gold for the women, and on the men’s side, it was Alex Kassabian of New York repeating as the gold medalist with an impressive score of 69.

Women’s Tennis participants

After the second hole, I headed over to tennis at the East Potomac Tennis Center.  By the very nature of the name, the center was on the Potomac River in the heart of D.C. with the Washington Monument towering over the venue.  For the first time ever, we took a photo of all the players together right at the start. As the matches kicked off, fans wondered if the New Jersey women would continue their dominance of tennis. Would Providence sweep tennis on the men’s side, and would Hagop Taraksian not only defend his crown but tie Olympic King Harry Derderian’s impressive record of six straight tennis gold medals?

Women’s tennis medalists Men’s Tennis Medalists

The New Jersey women certainly dominated with Mia Setrakian taking the gold and the Ayrian sisters taking second and fourth. For the men, Taraksian did indeed take the gold and tie Derderian’s impressive record, but it was not easy. Michael-Armen Kadian of Detroit played brilliantly all day to make it to the final match of the day, which was one of the best tennis matches I have ever seen. Taraksian and Kadian were equally matched, and both were determined to win. Taraksian took the first set 6-4, and Kadian roared back dominating Taraksian 5-2 in the second. It looked like Kadian  was surging, but Taraksian dug deep and took the last set. Both were exhausted, and in the wonderful spirit of the AYF, praised the skills and fortitude of their opponent.

Swimmers diving in Natalia Oganesian

Next on the Friday agenda was swimming in the beautiful pool at the Wakefield Aquatic Center in Arlington, Virginia. The swim meet began at close to the official start time, the races ran back-to-back, and the medals were awarded with equally efficiency. Kudos to Governing Body members Mark Manuelian, Daron Topouzian and Ara Sarajian for a job well done. Outstanding performers were Natalia Oganesian of Providence with three gold medals and Nareg Minassian of Greater Boston who may have matched Oganesian with three golds.  

Then, it was off to the Alumni Dance—a wonderful evening of dancing to the music of the very talented Yerakouyn Band from Philly.  The dancing was so vibrant, we Armenians broke the dance floor, which the hotel staff expertly repaired to keep the festivities going. The local community provided a lavish table of Armenian delicacies to everyone’s enjoyment. Following the Yerakouyn Band, Armen Chamichyan took over until 2 a.m. when DJ Leo finished the night until 4 a.m.

Olympic King Ara Kouchakdjian and Varadian Spirit Award recipient Elizabeth Chouldjian

A longstanding tradition at the Alumni Dance is to name the Olympic Kings, Queens and recipient(s) of the Varadian Spirit Award. This year, Ara Kouchakdjian was named Olympic King, and the recipient of the Varadian Spirit Award was Elizabeth Chouldjian—both well-deserving of these honors. Kouchakdjian was honored by the award but thought many others were more deserving, and Chouldjian wanted to dedicate the award to the people of Artsakh and their resilient Armenian spirit. 

Look for the Armenian Weekly’s Special Olympics Issue for more in-depth coverage of all of these events, as well as the honorees.

Next up on Saturday is AYF softball, the picnic and Nersik and Arabo Ispiryan at the evening dance.

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Mark Gavoor is Associate Professor of Operations Management in the School of Business and Nonprofit Management at North Park University in Chicago. He is an avid blogger and oud player.