Author: Elizabeth Jabejian

Armenpress: Serbia to keep rejecting anti-Russian sanctions – Vucic

Elizabeth Jabejian

 12:02,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 20, ARMENPRESS. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic intends to maintain the independent policy on rejection of anti-Russian sanctions despite the colossal Western pressure, he said in an exclusive interview with TASS Director General Andrey Kondrashov.

"When the conflict in Ukraine started, I said that I don’t know how the events would unfold. And then we made a decision to condemn the conflict at the state level, just like everyone else, but we said that it is our position not to impose sanctions [against Russia]. I said it back then, because we know from our own experience what it feels like when sanctions are being imposed against us. We have a friendly nation, and it would have been unfair to do so to the Russian people," Vucic pointed out.

"But I have told the Serbs that I cannot guarantee that, because I don’t know what all this pressure will be like in the future. I was unwilling to play a hero for a day or two and then change my decision. But the fact that I say 'I don’t know,' and when I say 'I don’t know' - my word costs more than someone else’s firm promise," the head of state noted.

"Two years have passed [since the beginning of the special military operation.] Serbia is the only European country that has not imposed any sanctions. You have many friends in all European countries, and all of them have imposed sanctions against Russia. Some would say that it is the central authority that has imposed them and that they are against them; some would say that they have imposed sanctions against you but they help you in other matters. The small Serbia is the only country that has not imposed any sanctions," Vucic underscored, adding that "sanctions against Russia are the main topic" at every international event attended by him.

"We do not beat our breast or anything, but, as you can see, my answer will be the same in the future, that we will try to defend our position for as long as possible. We have been able to do that for two years already. I don’t know if we will keep doing that, but I hope for it," the head of state concluded.

After the beginning of the special military operation, Vucic said in his address to the nation that Serbia supports the territorial integrity of Ukraine, but will not impose sanctions against Russia. He announced that the republic temporarily suspended all military and police exercise with foreign partners. Vucic noted that Serbia considers Russia and Ukraine brotherly nations and regrets the events in Eastern Europe. He also announced that Belgrade is ready to provide humanitarian aid to Kiev.

France to honour foreign Resistance member: who was Missak Manouchian?

Elizabeth Jabejian
Feb 20 2024

A mural of Manouchian, and the Panthéon where he will be interred with his wife Pic: OKcamera / Shutterstock / Abaca Press / Alamy Stock Photo

By Zane Lilley

France will add its 82nd person to the Panthéon tomorrow (February 21), a hero of the French Resistance movement during World War Two who was executed shortly before liberation.

Armenian-born Missak Manouchian will be interred in the building, alongside his wife Mélinée, becoming only the seventh non-French born person given the honour.

The Manouchians will be the first people interred in the Panthéon since Joséphine Baker in 2021 (although her remains are still in Monaco).

President Emmanuel Macron will lead the ceremony, which will also see 23 of Mr Manouchian’s Resistance member comrades who were executed alongside him ‘symbolically’ represented in the chamber for their actions during World War Two.

Although not as well known as some of the other Resistance members such as Jean Moulin, Manouchian was a dedicated guerilla fighter in Paris throughout the war, and has been memorialised in songs and poems. 

Manouchian was born in 1906 to Armenian parents, in what was then the Ottoman Empire. His parents died in the Armenian genocide, after which he was orphaned in Lebanon. 

As this was a French protectorate at the time, Manouchian was able to eventually move to Paris, where he worked both as a model for sculptors and as a factory worker in a Citroën plant.

He became a member of his local trade union, and then a member of the French Communist Party in the 1930s – this means he will be the first ‘official’ Communist to be memorialised in the Panthéon. 

As a foreigner, Manouchian could not join the army and was evacuated from the Paris area in 1939, settling in Normandy, but quickly after the occupation he joined the local Resistance movement. 

He was arrested in a round-up of ‘anti-communist’ members of society by the German soldiers, but through his wife Mélinée secured a release, and he immediately returned to Resistance activities.

Originally, led the Armenian section of the underground Resistance.

France had seen a large influx of Armenians after the genocide, and Manouchian was friends with the Aznavour family – which included the future singer Charles Aznavour – who were part of his group.

He later became a gunman and saboteur attached to the FTP (Francs-tireurs et partisans), the Resistance movement led by the Communist Party, carrying out activities in Paris.

His group was known for many high-profile sabotages and assassinations, but eventually an informer gave away information about the group, leading to Manouchian’s arrest in 1943.

Manouchian and 23 others under his command – those who will also be symbolically memorialised in the Panthéon – were subject to months of torture, before being assassinated on February 21, 1944, exactly 80 years before tomorrow’s ceremony. 

Manouchian missed the beginning of French liberation by just a few months, but his efforts have been remembered, particularly by those from foreign backgrounds. 

The positive perception of the Armenian diaspora by the French in the latter half of the 20th century was in part due to Manouchian’s actions during the Resistance, some historians have argued.

He is also well known for his poignant last letter to his wife written just before his execution.

A particular section reads:

“I wish for happiness for all those who will survive and taste the sweetness of the freedom and peace of tomorrow… At the moment of death, I proclaim that I have no hatred for the German people, or for anyone at all… The German people, and all other people, will live in peace and brotherhood after the war, which will not last much longer. Happiness for all.” 

He also implored his wife to remarry and have a child, as it was his 'greatest regret' that he was unable to be a father to her children. She remained unmarried for the rest of her life, however.

The letter inspired a poem by Louis Aragon (Strophes pour se souvenir) alongside a song by French singer Léo Ferré (L’affiche Rouge) with both use excerpts of the letter. 

A film released about Manouchian and his group sparked a fierce historical debate over the traitor who handed him over to the German soldiers, but later analysis of police records confirmed it was not a politician but a member of the group who was captured and tortured.

https://www.connexionfrance.com/article/French-news/France-to-honour-foreign-Resistance-member-who-was-Missak-Manouchian

Armenian Prime Minister accuses Russia and Azerbaijan of violating 2020 Nagorno- Karabakh ceasefire agreement

Elizabeth Jabejian

 13:46,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has blamed the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh for failing to protect the Armenians there.

“Article 9 of the 9 November 2020 trilateral statement doesn’t contain anything on any corridor through Armenia, it’s impossible to find it,” Pashinyan said at a meeting with Armenian community members in Munich, speaking about the Azeri narrative on the so-called Zangezur corridor and the 2020 ceasefire agreement. “There is nothing about some other country controlling any territory of Armenia. It is about the regional connections. You are aware that we developed and proposed the Crossroads of Peace project in order to fully present our stance. That’s our vision.”

Speaking about dangers, the Armenian PM said that the narrative used by Azeri leader Ilham Aliyev is a signal on present dangers.

“How should we withstand these dangers? First of all this should be managed in our international relations. What’s one of the reasons behind creating the Crossroads of Peace project? Azerbaijan was trying to create an impression as if we don’t want to provide a road to anyone. What’s being talked about, as if Russia is supposed to control something in our territory, there’s no such thing in article 9, not to mention all the remaining articles of the trilateral statement which were basically torn and thrown away by Azerbaijan and Russia. Referring to article 9 is no longer relevant because both Russia and Azerbaijan have completely violated their obligations under the remaining articles, no Armenians are left in Nagorno-Karabakh today. And this is also the responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping contingent deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh, the goal of which was supposed to be the protection of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh,” PM Pashinyan said.

AW: Stepanyan and Beglaryan advocate for rights and safe return of Artsakh’s Armenians

Elizabeth Jabejian
 ANCA ANCA News 3

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) Gegham Stepanyan and former State Minister Artak Beglaryan concluded a two-week advocacy mission to Washington, D.C. that called on U.S. congressional leaders, administration officials and a broad array of faith-based and human rights groups to hold Azerbaijan accountable for the genocide against Artsakh’s 150,000 indigenous Armenian Christians and to provide support to refugees as mechanisms are explored to ensure their safe return to the homes from which they were forcibly displaced.

Former Artsakh State Minister Artak Beglaryan and the ANCA’s Tereza Yerimyan speak with Congressional Armenian Caucus co-chair David Valadao

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) joined with Stepanyan and Beglaryan in over 60 meetings and briefings with congressional offices, coinciding with the introduction of two resolutions that would cut military aid to Azerbaijan’s genocidal regime, holding Azerbaijan accountable for its crimes.

Artsakh Human Rights Defender Gegham Stepanyan and former State Minister Artak Beglaryan and ANCA’s Tereza Yerimyan with Senate Armed Services Committee chair Jack Reed (D-RI)

In the Senate, Senators Ed Markey (D-MA) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) introduced a bipartisan resolution (S.Res.540) that would require the State Department to provide a detailed description of widely-documented human rights abuses perpetrated by Azerbaijan, pursuant to Section 502B(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act, which could block all military aid to the genocidal Aliyev regime.

U.S. Representative Mike Lawler (R-NY) was joined by Congressional Armenian Caucus co-chairs Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and House Foreign Affairs Committee member Gabe Amo (D-RI) in introducing the House counterpart (H.R.7288) of the Senate’s unanimously-adopted “Armenian Protection Act,” (S.3000), which would block U.S. security aid to Azerbaijan for two years.

Artsakh Human Rights Defender Gegham Stepanyan and former State Minister Artak Beglaryan thank Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) for leading the unanimous passage of S.3000 cutting U.S. security aid to Azerbaijan and discuss the need for expanded U.S. aid to support Artsakh genocide survivors

Stepanyan and Beglaryan offered eyewitness accounts of the brutal realities of Azerbaijan’s ten-month blockade of Artsakh, which culminated in the September 2023 genocidal attack that forcibly emptied Artsakh of its indigenous Armenian population. In addition to the passage of the latest legislation urging an end to U.S. support for Azerbaijan’s genocidal actions, the Artsakh people’s advocates urged:

— Sanctions on Azerbaijan, including the enforcement of Section 907 and the application of Magnitsky sanctions on Aliyev government officials for war crimes and ethnic cleansing committed during the 2020 Azerbaijan-Turkey attacks against Armenia and Artsakh and subsequent genocidal aggression.

— U.S. aid for Artsakh’s forcibly displaced Armenians, including housing and job placement assistance, until a secure mechanism can be put in place through international oversight and mediation with Artsakh authorities to guarantee the safe and dignified return of forcibly displaced Armenians to their Artsakh homes.

Artsakh Human Rights Defender Gegham Stepanyan and former State Minister Artak Beglaryan and ANCA’s Tereza Yerimyan and Alex Galitsky with senior House Foreign Affairs Committee member Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA)

— Expanded U.S. and international efforts to help secure the immediate release of Artsakh leaders, POWs and all the other captured persons illegally held by Azerbaijan since the 2020 Azerbaijan/Turkey attacks and the 2023 aggression.

— Preservation of Artsakh’s Armenian cultural and religious heritage already vandalized or under threat of destruction by Azerbaijan.

Stepanyan and Beglaryan stressed that without international efforts to address the Artsakh people’s right to safe return, dignified life in Artsakh and justice for the crimes committed, it will be impossible to establish sustainable peace in the region. They also emphasized that the systemic anti-Armenian hatred fomented by the Azerbaijani government must be eradicated to ensure an enduring settlement of the conflict and regional stability.

While in Washington, D.C., Beglaryan and Stepanyan participated in the International Religious Freedom Summit, co-chaired by Amb. Sam Brownback, the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom (2018-2021) and Katrina Lantos Swett, president of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights.

Artsakh Human Rights Defender Gegham Stepanyan and former State Minister Artak Beglaryan share the need for concrete U.S. action to address Azerbaijan’s genocide against Artsakh’s Armenians with U.S. Ambassador for International Religious Freedom Rashad Hussain

During a presentation made to a diverse group of faith-based organizations and U.S. government officials, Stepanyan explained, “I speak before you today not just as the human rights defender (Ombudsman) of my people but as a witness and a survivor of genocide.” He stressed that the world is witnessing the systematic erasure of “the Christian and world heritage of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), of its ancient churches and hallowed cemeteries, now standing silent under the shadow of occupation and desecration by the dictatorial Aliyev regime of Azerbaijan.” Stepanyan urged faith leaders and government officials to rally together and serve as “the shield that protects the vulnerable, the voice that speaks for the silenced and the light that pierces the darkness of cultural erasure. Only then can we ensure that the soul of Artsakh, its ancient and sacred Christian heritage, is not lost forever.”

Artsakh Human Rights Defender Gegham Stepanyan, former State Minister Artak Beglaryan, and ANCA’s Tereza Yerimyan discuss Azerbaijan’s genocide of Artsakh and ongoing aggression against Armenia with International Religious Freedom Summit co-chair Amb. Sam Brownback

“Artsakh’s rights were center stage these past two weeks in Washington, D.C., as two of the Republic’s most eloquent voices – Artak Beglaryan and Gegham Stepanyan – made the case to U.S. legislators and international religious freedom leaders for the safe return of indigenous Armenians to their ancient homeland,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “Over the course of dozens of congressional meetings, legislators heard first-hand about the Artsakh genocide and explored the concrete U.S. steps needed to restore this integral part of the Armenian homeland.”

Former Artsakh State Minister Artak Beglaryan and the ANCA’s Tereza Yerimyan discuss the need for expanded U.S. aid for Artsakh’s forcibly displaced population with Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), a longtime champion of U.S. aid to Artsakh

Beglaryan and Stepanyan’s visit was part of a 120,0000 Reasons coalition effort, supported by the Tufenkian Foundation and the Philos Project, and over 20 human rights, faith-based, and ethnic organizations, calling on the U.S. government to hold Azerbaijan accountable for its genocide against Artsakh’s Armenian population and to prevent further aggression against Armenia.

The Artsakh people’s representatives also participated in a fireside chat, organized by the George Washington University Armenian Law Students’ Association, where they shared the ongoing challenges facing Artsakh’s displaced Armenians and the need for concrete political and legal action. They also shared their powerful message of survival and issued an international call to action during a series of press interviews.

Artsakh Human Rights Defender Gegham Stepanyan discusses paths forward to secure justice for Azerbaijan’s genocide against Artsakh’s Armenians with Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission co-chair Chris Smith (R-CA)

In addition to educational efforts in the nation’s capital, the trip also included a robust series of meetings with international organizations and community leaders in New York.  While in Washington, DC, they met with the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Earlier, Stepanyan and Beglaryan participated in meetings with California state and local government officials, various university law programs and community forums organized through the Armenian Bar Association, in conjunction with their annual meeting.

The Artsakh advocates offered an overview of their meetings in the U.S. during a press conference held in Yerevan upon their return, available here.

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The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and most influential Armenian-American grassroots organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.


RFE/RL Armenian Service – 02/13/2024

Elizabeth Jabejian 
                                        Tuesday, 


Deadly Fighting Reported On Armenian-Azeri Border (UPDATED)

        • Artak Khulian

Armenia - An Azerbaijani military post is seen from the Armenian border village 
of Nerkin Hand in November 2022.


Four Armenian soldiers were killed and another wounded when their positions on 
Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan came under cross-border fire early on Tuesday.

Armenia’s Defense Ministry said its outposts around the border village of Nerkin 
Hand in southeastern Syunik province were targeted for four hours. The gunfire 
stopped at 9:30 a.m., it said in a statement.

The head of the village administration, Khachatur Baghdasarian, told RFE/RL’s 
Armenian Service that he heard intense gunshots at around the same time.

Azerbaijan confirmed that its troops deployed in the area opened fire early in 
the morning. Its State Border Service claimed to have destroyed an Armenian army 
post which fired at its positions and wounded one of its servicemen the previous 
evening.

For its part, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry accused Armenian forces of also 
violating ceasefire at another section of the long border late on Monday. The 
Defense Ministry in Yerevan denied the “disinformation.”

The Armenian Foreign Ministry condemned the Azerbaijani “provocation,” saying 
that Baku is “looking for pretexts” to heighten tensions on the 
Armenian-Azerbaijani border and trying to torpedo international efforts to 
kick-start talks on a peace treaty between the two South Caucasus nations.

“This use of force followed bellicose statements made by Azerbaijan’s 
military-political leadership and its propaganda preparations of the last few 
days,” read a ministry statement. It urged Baku to “return to negotiations.”

Tuesday’s fighting was the most serious truce violation reported from the border 
in the last five months. The situation there was relatively calm amid growing 
fears that Azerbaijan will also invade Armenia after recapturing 
Nagorno-Karabakh in September.

Last month, the European Union twice warned Baku against taking such military 
action in response to renewed Azerbaijani demands for Yerevan to open an 
extraterritorial corridor to the Nakhichevan exclave.

On Monday, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry summoned the EU ambassador in Baku 
to denounce a monitoring mission launched by the 27-nation bloc along Armenia’s 
border with Azerbaijan a year ago.

Russia, which has also been very critical of the EU mission, was quick to 
express concern at the latest fighting. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called 
on Armenia and Azerbaijan to show “restraint” and avoid “provocative” actions.”

“We will be watching [the situation on the ground] very closely,” Peskov told 
reporters in Moscow.




Azerbaijan In No Mood For Peace, Says Pashinian


Russia - Azeri President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol 
Pashinyan are seen during a visit to the Catherine Palace in Saint Petersburg, 
December 26, 2023.


Azerbaijan has no intention to end its conflict with Armenia, Prime Minister 
Nikol Pashinian said on Tuesday, reacting to the latest Azerbaijani ceasefire 
violation that left four Armenian soldiers dead.

“According to our assessment, this is Azerbaijan's policy aimed at disrupting 
the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan by all possible means,” 
Pashinian told a group of visiting British parliamentarians. “This is also 
evidenced by the aggressive rhetoric of Azerbaijan’s official representatives, 
spiced with open territorial claims to Armenia.”

“Of course, we should do everything to achieve concrete results in the peace 
process, and we are doing it,” he said. “But unfortunately, it is not possible 
to do this without the political will of the other side. And today's incident 
that claimed the lives of four soldiers testifies not only to the absence of 
political will for peace but also to Azerbaijan's intentions to deepen the 
enmity and resort military escalation.”

The soldiers were killed early on Tuesday by heavy fire from Azerbaijani 
positions across the border between the two states. Azerbaijan said its forces 
retaliated against the wounding the previous evening of an Azerbaijani 
serviceman serving in that area. The Armenian military pledged on Monday to 
investigate the shooting incident reported by the Azerbaijani side.

Armenia’s Foreign Ministry accused Baku on Tuesday afternoon of “looking for 
pretexts” to heighten tensions on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. The 
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry denied that and insisted that Baku is “committed to 
the peace process.”

Pashinian claimed the opposite after signaling in recent weeks his readiness to 
make more concessions to speed up the signing of an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace 
treaty discussed by the two sides. His political foes and other critics regard 
his recent calls for the adoption of a new Armenian constitution as one such 
concession. They say that Pashinian’s appeasement policy will not lead to a 
lasting peace.




Armenian Foreign Ministry Blocks Access To Karabakh Section Of Its Website

        • Astghik Bedevian

Armenia - A screenshot of the Karabakh-related section of the Armenian Foreign 
Ministry website, .


Armenia's Foreign Ministry has blocked access to background information about 
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict posted on its official website following 
complaints voiced by a senior Azerbaijani official late last week.

Elchin Amirbayov, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s envoy for special 
assignments, complained about the Karabakh-related section of the website when 
he spoke to RFE/RL. Amirbayov listed its description of Karabakh as “an integral 
part of historical Armenia” among documents and statements which he said testify 
to continuing Armenian territorial claims to Azerbaijan.

“The Armenian side acknowledges that this is the fact, but nothing is being 
done,” he was quoted as saying in an RFE/RL article published last Thursday.

The website section was no longer accessible on Monday. The Armenian Foreign 
Ministry declined to clarify whether access to it was blocked under Azerbaijani 
pressure. The ministry spokeswoman, Ani Badalian, said only that the section was 
“not removed from the website” and that its content “will be displayed in due 
course.”

The Armenian government stopped championing the Karabakh Armenians’ right to 
self-determination a year before Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian declared last 
May that Yerevan recognizes Azerbaijani sovereignty over Karabakh. Pashinian’s 
political opponents believe that this paved the way for last September’s 
Azerbaijani military offensive that restored Baku’s control over the territory 
and forced its ethnic Armenian population to flee to Armenia.

A satellite image shows a long traffic jam of vehicles along the Lachin corridor 
as ethnic Armenians flee from Nagorno-Karabakh.

They accused Pashinian of planning further far-reaching concessions to Baku 
after he declared last month that Armenia needs a new constitution reflecting 
the “new geopolitical environment” in the region. Analysts believe that 
Pashinian first and foremost wants to get rid of a preamble to the current 
Armenia constitution enacted in 1995.

The preamble makes reference to a 1990 declaration of independence which in turn 
cites a 1989 unification act adopted by the legislative bodies of Soviet Armenia 
and the then Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast. Aliyev said on February 1 that 
Armenia should remove that reference if it wants to make peace with his country. 
Pashinian denied afterwards that he is planning to enact the new constitution at 
the behest of Azerbaijan.

Aliyev regularly describes Yerevan and other parts of Armenia as “historical 
Azerbaijani lands.” He made clear last month that Baku continues to oppose using 
the most recent Soviet maps to delimit the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and 
renewed his demands for an extraterritorial corridor to Azerbaijan’s Nakhichevan 
exclave passing through a strategic Armenian region. Armenian and European Union 
officials said his comments amount to territorial claims to Armenia.




EU, Armenia To Map Out Closer Cooperation


Belgium - EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell meets Armenian Foreign Minister 
Ararat Mirzoyan, Brussels, .


The European Union and Armenia have agreed to start working on an “ambitious” 
plan to deepen their relations, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on 
Tuesday.

Borrell made the announcement after chairing, together with Armenian Foreign 
Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, a regular session of the EU-Armenia Partnership 
Council in Brussels.

“In October, your prime minister said in the European Parliament that Armenia is 
ready to move closer to the European Union,” he told a joint news briefing with 
Mirzoyan. “In response, the European Council, the highest political level of the 
EU, tasked me and the [European] Commission to explore ways to strengthen our 
relations in all dimensions. And in this context, today we decided to launch 
work on an ambitious new EU-Armenia partnership agenda.”

“Today’s meetings showed that EU-Armenia relations are stronger than ever, and 
there is a mutual interest to advance them further,” added Borrell.

“Armenia is willing to further deepen the partnership with the European Union,” 
Mirzoyan said for his part.

In his speech at the European Parliament, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian stated 
that “Armenia is ready to get closer to the EU as much as the EU finds it 
possible.” But he did not indicate a desire to seek Armenia’s eventual 
membership in the 27-nation bloc or an alternative to the Comprehensive and 
Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) signed by Brussels and Yerevan in 2017.

France - Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian addresses the European 
Parliament in Strasbourg, October 17, 2023.

Mirzoyan stressed on Tuesday that the CEPA “remains the cornerstone of our 
relations.” Neither he nor Borrell gave details of the closer partnership 
planned by the two sides.

Borrell called for “enhancing our cooperation in the areas of security and 
defense.” But he did not promise that the EU will provide military assistance to 
Armenia under its European Peace Facility (EPF) designed to boost EU partners’ 
defense capacity. He pointed instead to the ongoing expansion of an EU 
monitoring mission along Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan.

Nor did Borrell give any dates for the start of a “visa liberalization dialogue” 
that would eventually lead to the lifting of the EU’s visa requirements for 
Armenians. He urged the Armenian government to “further step up reforms in order 
to progress on this issue.” By contrast, Mirzoyan insisted that Yerevan has 
already met “all the necessary requirements” set by the bloc.

Pashinian’s government is seeking closer ties with the EU amid Armenia’s 
widening rift with Russia, its longtime ally. Addressing EU lawmakers, Pashinian 
effectively accused Moscow of using the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict to try to 
topple him. A Russian official responded by saying that the Armenian premier is 
helping the West “turn Armenia into another Ukraine.”



Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2024 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

Turkish Press: Free elections in Karabakh and the meaning of the Turkic States Organization

Elizabeth Jabejian
Yeni Şafak
Turkey – Feb 10 2024
Free elections in Karabakh and the meaning of the Turkic States Organization
by Ihsan Aktas

After the end of the Cold War, states under the umbrella of Russia's calendar declared their independence one by one. The first place where the fire of independence ignited was Azerbaijan, which declared its independence with great enthusiasm.


Not long after the declaration of independence, a war broke out between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and Armenia occupied one-third of Azerbaijani territory. This period of occupation was a great trauma for the Azerbaijani people. Almost a generation experienced this trauma day by day. During the years of occupation, Azerbaijani youth mourned.


People who moved from Karabakh to Baku and other cities lived a nomadic life and did not largely settle down in the hope of returning to Karabakh one day.


From the days of occupation until today, Azerbaijan has developed economically and had the opportunity to sell oil and natural gas. While they were making their cities prosperous on one hand, they also strengthened their armies on the other hand. During the recovery process, Azerbaijan had a chance, with the spiritual support of one of the world's most sophisticated and powerful armies, like Türkiye, by its side.


In a way, Azerbaijan was focusing on completing its own development day and night, 24/7, while also aiming to reclaim the lost territories.


When Armenian forces attacked Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan initiated a ground war, which turned into an opportunity for them. Within 40 days, Azerbaijan fought an important front-line battle and regained its territory.


Azerbaijan's reclaiming of its own territory also marked a turning point in the geopolitics of the Caucasus. Throughout history, Turks have established great empires around the world. Especially between the 14th and 16th centuries, more than half of the empires in the world were under Turkish rule.


After the Cold War, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Azerbaijan, that is, each of the Turkic states, occasionally came together. They held some meetings mostly consisting of cultural content.


Türkiye was largely in a position where it was not vocally advocating its full independence, largely adhering to the NATO concept. It was also not in a position to help newly emerged states from the Cold War climate. The death of Turgut Özal was an important loss for the Turkic states.


In the past 30 years, there have been significant changes in the world's conjuncture. Especially in the last decade, the AK Party governments have gradually turned Türkiye into a regional power.


Türkiye completed its infrastructure, made significant developments in the defense industry. It created an influence in Syria, Libya. At the same time, with its sophisticated support in the Karabakh War, it played an important role in changing the fate of the war for Azerbaijan.


At this very moment, the Turkish States Organization occasionally held meetings under the leadership of Türkiye. Until now, this community, which has been almost a cultural union, has also turned into a community with strategic depth and meaning integrity.


The Karabakh War, in a way, reminded the Turkic states that any Turkic state can solve its problems together with its partners. In interstate relations, of course, cultural proximity, language unity, and national unity are important, but the formation of an economic power also contributes to the deepening and meaningfulness of these relations.


One opportunity presented by the Karabakh War to the Turkic states is the direct connection between Türkiye and the Turkic world with the opening of the Zangezur Corridor. The establishment of a land connection and a cultural and geopolitical line stretching from Istanbul to Tashkent is quite valuable.


We went to Baku as observers for the presidential elections in Azerbaijan. On this occasion, we also visited Fuzuli and Shusha, which were liberated from Armenian occupation in Karabakh.


This seems to be due to the culture of Armenian resentment and anger; not a stone was left unturned in the city of Fuzuli. There is hardly a single house with a roof or chimney left.


Some buildings in Shusha have managed to survive.


Azerbaijan has launched an investment mobilization in all the provinces of Karabakh with its strong economic structure; roads, new buildings, and settlements…


Ilham Aliyev, staying overnight in Hankendi, one of the most important cities of Azerbaijan, which was once used as the "capital" by the separatist Armenian administration, and casting his vote there with his family, was a very political and symbolic image. This situation is a sign that Azerbaijan will forever keep the territories it has liberated from occupation in its own hands.


At first glance, the Karabakh War may seem like Azerbaijan's liberation of its own territories from Armenian occupation, but essentially it has empowered the Turkic States Organization and deepened its meaning, integrity, and unity. The 40-day Azerbaijan-Armenia War may shape the thousand-year future of the Turkic world.

https://www.yenisafak.com/en/columns/ihsan-aktas/free-elections-in-karabakh-and-the-meaning-of-the-turkic-states-organization-3677243

Azerbaijan bought new Akıncı attack drones from Turkey

Elizabeth Jabejian

 19:20, 9 February 2024

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 9, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan has purchased new Akinci attack unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from Turkey, Trend reports.

According to the information, Akinci attack UAVs have already been adopted into the service of the Azerbaijani Army.

It is noted that President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Aliyev and his son Heydar Aliyev have visited the Air Force military facilities and watched the flyover of the Akinci attack UAVs, put into service.

Armenian and French Foreign Ministers discuss security situation in South Caucasus

Elizabeth Jabejian

 21:35, 9 February 2024

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 9, ARMENPRESS.  Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan on  Friday had a meeting the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France Stéphane Séjourné, in Paris.

Armenian Foreign Minister Mirzoyan congratulated his French counterpart on assuming the position of the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

The interlocutors discussed a wide range of issues of mutual interest, reflecting on the perspectives of joint close interaction on both bilateral and multilateral platforms.

Referring to issues related to the bilateral agenda, the high-level political dialogue was noted with satisfaction, and there was an emphasis on the willingness to further strengthen multi-sectoral cooperation. The ministers of Armenia and France discussed upcoming high-level events.

According to the source, Ararat Mirzoyan and Stéphane Séjourné also exchanged ideas on the Armenia-EU partnership agenda. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia emphasized the intensively deepening dialogue with the European Union, which is also evolving in new directions aimed at ensuring tangible results for the citizens of the Republic of Armenia.

Issues related to the security situation in the South Caucasus were discussed in detail. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia presented to the French counterpart the vision of Armenia regarding the establishment of stability and peace in the region.

It is noted that Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized the key principles in the process of regulating Armenia-Azerbaijan relations, particularly the importance of territorial integrity and the inseparability of borders, unconditional respect for sovereignty, as well as the need to ensure greater certainty to implement the further process of demarcation based on the Alma-Ata Declaration and the most recent and legitimate maps of the USSR.

According to the source, the Armenian Foreign Minister highly appreciated the special attention and efforts of France aimed at overcoming the security challenges in the South Caucasus, as well as establishing a just and stable peace.

It is noted that ideas were exchanged on issues related to regional transport and economic programs.

Prime Minister attends opening ceremony of Eighty Eight Hotel & Spa hotel complex in Tsaghkadzor

Elizabeth Jabejian

 12:13, 3 February 2024

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 3, ARMENPRESS.   Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan attended the opening of the rebranded and renovated Eighty Eight Hotel & Spa hotel complex. "Project Inter-Invest" LLC acquired the former "Golden Palace" Tsaghkadzor hotel complex and rebranded it, the Prime Minister's Office said.

The Prime Minister toured the hotel complex and familiarized himself with the completed works, created conditions and offered services.

The reconstructed hotel has 126 rooms of different categories. A restaurant, a bar, a gym with a swimming pool and other services operate inside the seven-story building. The hotel has a direct access to the snow slide, through which guests can slide to reach the cable car.

In addition to recreation, various corporate events can also be organized in the hotel.

Armenia: Treason cases against soldiers start to fall apart

Elizabeth Jabejian
eurasianet
Jan 31 2024
Arshaluis Mgdesyan Jan 31, 2024

In February-March 2022, Armenia's National Security Service declared with great fanfare that it had exposed and neutralized a network of foreign agents in both Armenia and then-Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh. 

It released several videos showing soldiers in uniform being arrested for treason. 

Charges were filed against several dozen soldiers (no precise number was given), many of whom, according to the security agency, "transmitted various types of military information from the battlefield at the instruction of a foreign intelligence service" during the Second Karabakh War against Azerbaijan in 2020.

Two years later, those cases are starting to fall apart for lack of evidence. 

Several of the soldiers, including officers, have been cleared of the charges at the preliminary investigation stage and set free.

Eurasianet spoke to two lawyers representing a total of five of the defendants. They say it's likely that the majority of the treason cases lack evidence and therefore lack legal merit. 

Lawyer Artur Harutyunyan, who represents two such defendants, said that some of the treason cases follow a similar pattern.

"People would come under suspicion of state treason solely because they established communication in social networks with members of the opposite sex in a neighboring country [Azerbaijan]. The fact of such communication proved sufficient for the investigative agencies to bring charges of state treason, though they did not go into the details of this communication," he said.

He added that, in the case of one of his clients, "It was just online correspondence of a personal nature between him and a woman." 

This client, who Arutyunyan refused to name, was arrested and charged with state treason in February 2022. After being held in custody for four months, he was released because of problems with the evidence against him. But the investigation continued. 

"Then the investigative body started saying that my client might have committed a crime not intentionally, but through negligence. But time has shown that he did no such thing. Months later, in summer 2023, the charge was dropped as the investigative body found itself at a dead end because of lack of evidence," Arutyunyan said.

Arutyunyan has another client facing a treason charge. His case – which Arutyunyan says has a lot in common with the first one – has been handed over to the court.    

Another lawyer, Aleksandr Kochubayev, represents three servicemen charged with treason. He also spoke to Eurasianet about problems with evidence against his clients. One of those clients is Taron Karapetyan, a 32-year-old officer in the Armenian Army with over 15 years of service. He was arrested on March 3, 2022, on charges of state treason.

He was also arrested for corresponding online with a social media account whose profile picture was an image of a young woman. He acknowledged his correspondence with the account but said it was of an "exclusively personal nature."

The fate of his case was very similar to that of Arutyunyan's client. Investigative measures took nearly four months, during which Karapetyan was held in custody. In June 2022 the officer was cleared of the charges and released.

His family and army unit were both convinced of his innocence, but the criminal case against him and his time under arrest has cast a shadow on his reputation and career. The ordeal has caused him great emotional distress, according to his lawyer. 

Both lawyers note that the Armenian government has not paid any compensation to their wrongfully charged clients. Taron Karapetyan has continued to serve, but Artur Harutyunyan's client has left the army. 

"After this, it became extremely difficult for him to continue his military service," the lawyer said.

The situation has been further complicated by the tense political situation. At the time of the arrests in early 2022, the country was still reeling from the political crisis caused by Armenia's defeat in the Second Karabakh War in late 2020. 

Throughout 2021 the political discourse in Armenia centered around who was to blame for the defeat. The "traitor" epithet was traded liberally between opposition politicians and those in government. The incumbent authorities' re-election in snap parliamentary polls in June of that year only partially mitigated the tensions. 

It was in this sensitive atmosphere that the authorities needed alleged "spies" to deflect criticism and public discontent away from themselves, according to Kochubayev, the lawyer. 

"There was an attempt to create the impression that there were many cases of state treason in the armed forces," he said.

Last November, Factor.am reported that 10 of the 16 officers (out of the unknown total number of soldiers) charged with treason had been cleared and released. 

 Kochubayev believes the state must actively engage in rehabilitating the wrongly accused treason defendants. "How can it be just to place such a stigma on a person and then not even apologize publicly?" the lawyer wonders. 

Technically speaking, the investigative bodies have not revealed the identities of the treason suspects, referring to them only by their initials and blurring their faces in the arrest videos. But law-enforcement press releases give information about the nature of the soldiers' service, and in a small country like Armenia, it doesn't take much effort to find out who they are. 
This places both the soldiers and their families at risk of stigmatization and bullying. 

"Just imagine how people might treat them and their families after such a thing. This is just unacceptable. And it's happening despite the fact that there is a very clear rule that a person is considered innocent until proven guilty in court," said Arutyunyan, the lawyer. 

Arshaluis Mgdesyan is a journalist based in Yerevan.

https://eurasianet.org/armenia-treason-cases-against-soldiers-start-to-fall-apart