We have no place of retreat in our territory, Armenia’s acting vice prime minister Tigran Avinyan told the reporters today, speaking about the situation on the border.
“Definitely, the Azerbaijani armed units must leave Armenia’s sovereign territory and we will not spare an effort to ensure it,” he said.
Avinyan said the deployment of border guards may be implemented at the moment when the Azerbaijani forces fully leave Armenia’s sovereign territory.
Issued on: 15/06/2021 – 18:52Modified: 15/06/2021 – 18:51
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday pledged support for Azerbaijan if the ex-Soviet country was attacked, as he made a visit to the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Erdogan’s military and political backing was seen as pivotal for Azerbaijan in its war last year with historic rival Armenia, when the two battled fiercly for six weeks to gain control of the mountainous Karabakh region.
The Turkish leader made the pledge of support during an official visit to the symbolic town of Shusha, whose capture by Azerbaijani forces in November last year was a turning point in the conflict.
The fighting was eventually ended when Moscow — Armenia’s primary military backer — brokered a ceasefire that saw Russian peacekeepers flood the mountainous region inside Azerbaijan that had been held by Armenian separatists.
Erdogan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev signed a pledge “to support each other in case of threat or attack by a third country on their independence or territorial integrity.”
The fighting last year raised fears that Russia and Turkey could be drawn directly into the conflict to support their allies, interventions that would have put Moscow and Ankara on opposing sides not only in Syria and Libya but in Nagorno-Karabakh too.
Erdogan’s pledge to support Azerbaijan if it is attacked mirrors an agreement between Armenia and Russia. The two countries are part of a military alliance of ex-Soviet countries, which Armenia’s leaders appealed to Moscow to honour during last year’s war.
Ankara was accused by Western countries, Russia and Armenia of deploying Syrian mercenaries to the conflict — a claim it denied — while Turkish-made drones overwhelmed Armenia’s ageing military, bringing a decisive victory for Azerbaijan.
– Joint drone production –
As part of the truce Russian-mediated truce, Armenia ceded territory its forces had controlled for decades, including the fortress town of Shusha, on cliffs around 15 kilometres (nine miles) from Nagorno-Karabakh’s largest city Stepanakert.
Armenia’s foreign ministry said it “strongly condemns” Erdogan’s visit there, calling it “an outright provocation against regional peace and security.”
In Armenia the peace agreement sparked a political crisis, which Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has sought to defuse by calling snap parliamentary polls Sunday.
During the visit, Erdogan — walking over a red carpet — inspected rows of Azerbaijani troops wearing blue uniforms and carrying rifles against their shoulders with bayonets affixed.
“We are taking measures to make sure the occupation of Azerbaijan’s historic lands doesn’t happen again,” Erdogan said later in a press conference.
“We will give any kind of support needed for our Azeri brothers to return to their homes,” he said, referring to the displacement of tens of thousands of ethnic Azeris during fighting for Karabakh in the 1990s.
Aliyev for his part hailed the opening of a transport corridor from Azerbaijan to Turkey via Armenia saying that it “creates great opportunities for the region.”
The declaration of military cooperation signed between the leaders in Shusha also calls for Turkey to open a consulate in the town and the for production by Azerbaijan of Turkish military drones.
A senior Azerbaijani diplomat told AFP that during the visit the Turkish leader will also “deliver a speech to the Azerbaijani parliament and on Wednesday attend the Euro 2020 football match in Baku between Turkey and Wales.”
Turkic-speaking Azerbaijan’s military triumph over Armenia was an important geopolitical coup for Erdogan as Ankara seeks to cement its influence in the ex-Soviet Caucasus region.
Ethnic Armenian separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh broke away from Azerbaijan as the Soviet Union collapsed, and the ensuing conflict has claimed around 30,000 lives.
burs-im/jbr/tgb
The servicemen of the Russian peacekeeping contingent continue to perform tasks to monitor compliance with the ceasefire regime on the line of demarcation of the parties in their area of responsibility, as well as ensure the safety of motor transport, transportation of food and various goods along the Lachin corridor, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
Also, as planned, the military personnel of the Russian peacekeeping contingent carry out combat training activities, conducting training to repel an attack on an observation post and prevent violations provocative actions against the civilian population.
Upon receiving the signal, the peacekeepers took up defence in pre-equipped positions in the shortest possible time. Units of BTR-82A armored personnel carriers were in involved in the training to straighten the protection of the observation post.
According to the source, over the past week, no ceasefire violations were recorded in the area of responsibility of the peacekeeping contingent, no provocative actions against Russian servicemen were noted.
All observation posts of the Russian peacekeeping contingent are equipped with Blockpost fortifications designed to protect military personnel from small arms and shrapnel, as well as to conduct circular surveillance of the nearby territory.
STEPANAKERT. – The Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Investigative Committee has initiated a criminal case in connection with the vandalism committed by Azerbaijanis in the Armenian cemetery of Askeran town, the committee informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.
The criminal case has been launched under the Artsakh Criminal Code article on desecration of a corpse or burial sites on the grounds of national, racial or religious hatred or enmity.
It should be noted that unlike Azerbaijan, the graves of Azerbaijanis have been preserved in Armenia for more than 30 years already.
Save Armenian Monuments fact-finding mission participants with His Holiness Karekin II (center)
YEREVAN – Save Armenian Monuments (SAM), a newly-launched initiative to protect historical and cultural sites in Artsakh and the wider region, undertook its first fact-finding mission to Armenia last week. SAM representatives met with religious, political, civic, and scholarly stakeholders to assess preservation pathways for vulnerable sacred sites following the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) war.
“During our visit, the SAM delegation laid groundwork for future pilgrimages to historic sites in Artsakh. Such pilgrimages are designed to raise awareness among stakeholder groups as well as the general public, both in Armenia and outside, to seek recognition and enforcement of every Armenian’s right to visit and worship at sacred sites, regardless of political circumstances,” stated Dr. Virginia Davies, New York-based founding president of SAM. “Pilgrimages are not only important for individuals’ spiritual and cultural needs, but also for churches’ preservation as living houses of worship.”
SAM’s delegation was led by Davies and included Advisory Board members Raffi Tanielian (London) and Dr. Antranig Kasbarian (New York). Joining the group were prominent scholars, including University of California Davis art history professor Heghnar Watenpaugh, as well as His Eminence Archbishop Hovakim Manukyan (London), who facilitated the delegation’s discussions with church authorities in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
The SAM delegation took the opportunity to introduce the project to His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, who welcomed the initiative and offered critical advice and insights. The group also met with church representatives overseeing cultural heritage protection, as well as directors of Research on Armenian Architecture (RAA), a leading proponent of research, protection, and data collection pertaining to cultural heritage sites. Earlier, SAM had announced its support for modernizing RAA’s visual archiving practices. Senior SAM leaders also met with Armenia’s President Armen Sarkissian, who underscored the importance of Diaspora engagement in preserving cultural heritage.
Founded in 2020, Save Armenian Monuments LLC, a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization and subsidiary of the Eastern Prelacy, pursues the sustained safeguarding of in situ Armenian Christian heritage at risk, in particular protection and awareness-building of at-risk churches, monasteries, gravesites, stone crosses, and other sacred sites and structures located in Artsakh and the wider region, through activities including pilgrimages and education. Headquartered in New York, Save Armenian Monuments operates in collaboration with relevant institutional and individual stakeholders.
Aram Navasardyan, the representative of the Gallup International in Armenia, on Friday released the results of the latest survey about Sunday’s snap parliamentary elections in Armenia.
The survey revealed the highest chances of the election victory for the Armenia bloc, led by second President Robert Kocharyan.
Navasardyan also stated the authorities are trying to pressure the organization though fake accounts, SNCOs, as well as some media outlets.
The opinion polls suggest that 28.7% of the respondents will vote for the Armenia bloc, 25.2% – for the Civil Contract Party led by Nikol Pashinyan, 10.8% – for the I’m Honored bloc led by Artur Vanetsyan, 5.4% – for Gagik Tsarukyan’s Prosperous Armenia Party and 5.2% – for Edmon Marukyan’s Bright Armenia Party.
The Gallup International representative said the other parties and blocs running in the elections could not overcome even the 3% threshold.
51% of the respondents said that they will definitely participate in the elections, 11.4% of the respondents said they rather will participate, 13.8% said they rather will not participate, 22.9% said they will definitely not participate and 0.7% found it difficult to answer this question.
13:05,
YEREVAN, JUNE 16, ARMENPRESS. The Civil Contract party led by caretaker Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan will hold a march in Yerevan today in the evening.
“It will launch at 19:00 in Zeytun administrative district. I invite our beloved residents of Yerevan, Zeytun to that meeting”, Pashinyan said during the party’s pre-election campaign in Syunik province.
Talking about the June 20 snap parliamentary elections, he urged everyone to definitely participate in the elections and vote in their favor.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
Australia’s Foreign Minister Marise Payne
CANBERRA, Australian—During questioning by Australia’s Senate Foreign Affairs, Defense and Trade Legislation Committee, the country Foreign Minister Marise Payne confirmed that the government’s position on the Armenian Genocide “is a matter that we have under review,” reported the Armenian National Committee of Australia.
In April, Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who as a lawmaker called for federal Australian recognition of the Armenian Genocide in 2011, released his 106th Anniversary commemoration statement that failed to correctly characterize the crimes of 1915 despite acknowledging Australia’s first major international humanitarian relief effort to aid the “dispossession, deportations and deaths” suffered during the events.
Following this statement, President Joe Biden made history by recognizing the 1915 massacres of 1.5 million Armenians as Genocide, in line with Congress, which overwhelmingly acknowledged the Genocide in 2019.
On June 3, Australian Senator Penny Wong, who is the opposition leader in the Senate, asked “about the government’s reaction to President Biden’s statement on Armenian remembrance day, including that ‘the American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today.’”
Payne responded: “The Prime Minister provided a statement at the time of the Armenian commemoration, which is on 24 April. That statement very clearly recorded the position of Australian prisoners of war as witness to the dispossession, deportation and death of Armenians.”
“It is a matter that we have under review,” she added. “As you say, there have been statements of position issued by the United States and others on this matter.”
When pressed, Payne continued: “We are obviously viewing the actions of other countries on this matter and drawing those into our consideration as well … The Prime Minister’s statement was a step ahead of statements he had made previously.”
Payne went on to express sympathy for sustained advocacy efforts, which include amplified representations by Armenian-Australians, Assyrian-Australians, Greek-Australians and many friends in parliament calling for Federal recognition of the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocides.
“There are a number of keen advocates on these issues, as you know, right across this parliament and much further afield … we are deeply sympathetic to the views that have been raised over many years.”
The Armenian National Committee of Australia expressed gratitude to Senator Wong for raising these questions, and to Payne for confirming the government’s policy was under review in light of local advocacy and international trends towards truth and justice on this issue.
“Through the Joint Justice Initiative, the Armenian-Australian, Assyrian-Australian and Greek-Australian communities have made clear the policy priority of our three communities is Federal Government recognition of the genocides faced by our ancestors, and we are encouraged that our collective voices are resulting in dialogue at the highest levels of Australian politics, when the country’s alternative Foreign Minister is questioning our current Foreign Minister on this position,” said ANC-AU Executive Director, Haig Kayserian.
“We are further appreciative that the outcome of this dialogue has confirmed, on public record, that the Government’s position of not correctly recognizing the Armenian Genocide is under review and that Foreign Minister Payne considers Prime Minister Morrison’s characterization of ‘dispossession, deportations and deaths’ as a step ahead,” added Kayserian.
“We thank Senators Payne and Wong, and look forward to working with all those across Australia’s political spectrum until we achieve just recognition for the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocides,” Kayserian said.