Author: Emil Karabekian

Armenian cultural heritage in Azerbaijani-held territories seriously endangered – Foreign Ministry

Emil Karabekian
Panorama, Armenia
Jan 15 2021

Armenian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anna Naghdalyan on Friday reacted to the statement made by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev during the meeting with the chief of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO). The full text of Naghdalyan’s statement is below.

“The statements of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev made on January 13 during the meeting with Salim bin Mohammed Al-Malik, Director-General of ISESCO, once again demonstrate that the Armenian cultural heritage in the territories under the Azerbaijani control is seriously endangered, and the state of Azerbaijan cannot be the guarantor of the proper protection of cultural and religious heritage.

The distortion of the identity of the Armenian heritage is an attempt of cultural looting, which is also a gross violation of the relevant international legal instruments.

Thousands of Armenian religious and secular monuments were created centuries before Azerbaijan was established and have no relation to the Azerbaijani identity. The attempts to alienate these monuments from the Armenian people have no historical, religious or moral grounds.

It is noteworthy that in order to justify the destruction of the Armenian cross stones (khachkars) in Nakhijevan Azerbaijan also put forward the “thesis of Albanisation”, and this demonstrates the perilousness of the practice of destroying and distorting the identity of the Armenian monuments.

The fake thesis of presenting the  Christian heritage of Armenians or other peoples of the region as Caucasian Albanian has no serious circulation outside of Azerbaijan and is not perceived by the international academic community.

Notably, President Aliyev made this statement in the presence of the Director General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization thus trying to introduce a religious dimension to the issues of protection of cultural heritage. By undermining the efforts of the international community aimed at preserving Artsakh’s cultural heritage, Azerbaijan continues to hinder the access of the international specialized organizations, primarily UNESCO, to the region by accusing the latter of being biased. Meanwhile in fact, Azerbaijan is the one to speculate irresponsibly on the religious factor while Armenia has always pursued the policy of inter-religious dialogue and cooperation between civilizations, considering cultural heritage as a universal and common value.

The preservation of many Armenian historical-cultural and religious monuments that fell under Azerbaijani control must be an important part of the peace process, taking into account the numerous facts of systematic destruction of the Armenian cultural and religious heritage in the past. In this context, the Azerbaijani leadership and state propaganda machine must immediately put an end to the deplorable approach of misappropriation, distortion of the identity of Armenian churches, and at least demonstrate due respect towards cultural and religious monuments.

The misappropriation and distortion of the cultural values of the Armenian people, the violation of the rights of the Armenian people do not contribute to regional peace. In this regard the proper protection of religious sites, both from the physical and spiritual perspectives, can create preconditions for peace in the region.”

Political scientist: Popov’s interview makes it clear that Armenia began to change approaches in 2018-2019

Emil Karabekian
Panorama, Armenia
Jan 14 2021
Political scientist: Popov’s interview makes it clear that Armenia began to change approaches in 2018-2019
 
 
“There are significant differences between the perceptions and ideas expressed in Pashinyan’s article and the realities presented by the former Russian co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry Igor Popov,” political scientist Alexander Markarov told Panorama.am on Thursday, referring to Popov’s interview published by the Russian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday.
 
He underlined that there are clear differences in the perceptions of reality, resulting in two different pictures.
 
“What does this mean? In fact, it is the reaction of the Russian side to the statements that were made, as well as the continuation of the narrative that it was difficult for Putin to understand why the Armenian side rejected the options during the war, which were possibly more favorable than the terms of the November 10 statement,” the political scientist said.
 
In Markarov’s words, the interview of the Russian diplomat makes it clear that there are inconsistent perceptions, and in fact, the former co-chair presents a position according to which in 2018-2019 Armenia started to change the approaches applied to the conflict before that.
 
In the interview in the wake of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s article “Origins of the 44-Day War”, Popov said that the latest version of Russia’s multi-stage Karabakh settlement plan was handed over to the conflicting parties in June 2019.
 
Nikol Pashinyan’s well-known statement “Artsakh is Armenia. Period!” was made at Stepanakert’s Renaissance Square on August 5, 2019, after those proposals had been made.
 
“Azerbaijan, in turn, continued to declare that no status of Nagorno-Karabakh outside of Azerbaijan could be discussed, and after the appearance of the Russian proposals, Azerbaijan toughened its position: no status of Nagorno-Karabakh can be discussed at this stage,” Pashinyan’s article said.
 
Igor Popov stated Russia has never said the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement must be confined to the return of seven districts of the region to Azerbaijan without taking care of its status.
 
“Claims to the effect Russia called for returning seven districts ‘in exchange for nothing’ and forgetting about its status have nothing to do with the reality,” the diplomat said.
 

Agreements of Karabakh statement being implemented consecutively, Russia’s Putin says

Emil Karabekian

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 15:42,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 11, ARMENPRESS. Russian President Vladimir Putin says the agreements of the trilateral statement signed by him, the Prime Minister of Armenia and the Azerbaijani President over the Nagorno Karabakh conflict are being implemented consecutively.

“Partnering and friendly relations are valuable for Russia, which connect our countries and peoples, therefore, we were following the renewed military clash with a sincere concern for the human fates. Unfortunately, the large-scale military operations led to huge human losses, escalated the complex situation in the South Caucasus and increased the risks for the spread of terrorism. I want to thank you that you accepted in a positive manner the mediation efforts of the Russian side aimed at assisting in stopping the bloodshed, stabilizing the situation and achieving stable ceasefire. We were in constant touch, were jointly searching for a compromise as a result of which a trilateral statement was agreed on November 9 which we have signed jointly. Today we can praise the fact that the trilateral agreements are being implemented consecutively”, Putin said at a meeting with Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Moscow.

The Russian leader said the Russian side continues discussing its actions with the remaining Co-Chair countries of the OSCE Minsk Group.

“Russian peacekeepers have been deployed [in Nagorno Karabakh] at the request of the Armenian and Azerbaijani sides aimed at observing the ceasefire. Exchange of prisoners of war and bodies of the dead has been carried out at the mediation of the Russian side”, Putin stated.

Meeting of the Armenian Prime Minister, the Russian President and the Azerbaijani President has kicked off in the Kremlin.

Earlier today Armenian PM’s spokesperson Mane Gevorgyan reported that the meeting is of economic nature, relating to the opening of regional communications and the implementation of international cargo transportation.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Armenian ombudsman: Study of Azerbaijani president’s speeches attests to threat of genocide

Emil Karabekian
Panorama, Armenia

Jan 5 2021

Armenian Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) Arman Tatoyan has reflected on the determination of Armenia’s borders with Azerbaijan and Azerbaijan’s continued state policy of Armenophobia in an interview to Sputnik Armenia. The ombudsman shared the key points of the interview on his Facebook page. 

“1. When choosing any approach or a principle in determining Armenia’s state borders, at least two crucial questions must be answered: 1) whether the approach applied endangers the inviolability of the state borders of Armenia and the security of the country; 2) whether the approach applied endangers or violates the rights of people living in our country and especially border residents, and whether it is consistent with the requirements of the applicable rule of law.

“2. Determination of Armenia’s borders with Azerbaijan must be considered in the context of guaranteeing the physical security and the health and welfare of the border residents. Indeed, the viability of the Armenian people in general, their lives, their physical and mental inviolability, their property rights and all other vital needs must be the foremost priority at all times,” Tatoyan said.

“To be clear, and to put in context, not only the state policy of an organized anti-Armenian campaign and an anti-Armenian propaganda has not stopped being implemented in Azerbaijan, but such activities have also continued to be put to use and have been further developed. These practices have produced new manifestations of openly and notoriously threatening the territory of Armenia and our entire population.

“Moreover, a study of the speeches and rhetoric of that country’s president attests to the threat of a genocide,” he added. 



Russia confirms 28,776 COVID-19 cases in past 24 hours

Emil Karabekian

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 13:19,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. Russia has confirmed 28,776 cases of COVID-19, a disease caused by the novel coronavirus, in the past 24 hours, with the total case count going up to 2,906,503, TASS reports citing the anti-coronavirus crisis center.

The day before, 29,350 daily cases were recorded, which was the highest daily figure since the start of the pandemic.

In the past seven days, 19.3 daily cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 residents in Russia were recorded.

Moscow has documented 7,237 cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, St. Petersburg – 3,760, the Moscow Region – 1,498, the Nizhny Novgorod Region – 503, the Sverdlovsk Region – 400, the Pskov Region – 398, the crisis center informed.

The number of active cases, that is, the amount of patients currently undergoing treatment in Russia has risen to 535,071.

Armenians March To Pay Tribute To Slain War Soldiers, Demand For ‘traitor’ PM To Resign

Emil Karabekian
Republic World
Dec 20 2020
Written By

Zaini Majeed

Citizens of Armenia flooded the streets on December 19 to march in honour of the slain soldiers and pay tribute to the war victims of Nagorno-Karabakh military conflict. The rally to pay respect to the deceased was led by the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in the capital Yerevan. The anti-government protesters, however, opposed PM Pashinyan for his agreement to Russia’s brokered truce, as a result of which, Armenia had to cede the larger part of the disputed territory to the Azerbaijan army. Several in the march criticised the Armenian leader as they pelted eggs and chanted slogans, “Nikol, you traitor!”. The citizens demanded that Pashinyan steps down. 

According to The Associated Press, hundreds of thousands of Armenians gathered around the Yerablur military memorial cemetery located on the outskirts of the capital of Yerevan as they observed the three-day mourning, laying a wreath to pay tribute to the soldiers’ sacrifice. Shortly after the honouring ceremony, a confrontation broke out between the opponents and the security forces. Citizens expressed angst against their leader’s territorial concession to the rival country and demanded that he turns in a resignation.

In midst of the police and protesters scuffle, officers paved way for the Armenian PM and his security guards by dispersing crowd, making arrests, and providing camouflage of umbrellas and gun shields to protect Armenian PM from the egg pelters and angry mob attack. As many as 20,000 supporters later rallied at Yerevan to uphold the memorial church service to honour the fallen. This was followed by at least 14 retired military generals issuing a statement to the PM, demanding his resignation for mishandling of the conflict situation.

Earlier, Armenian Prime Minister agreed to exchange the prisoners of war with Azerbaijan. Pashinyan said he was ready to swap war captives and the corpses of the soldiers and victims killed during the military confrontation in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Azerbaijan had confirmed its intention to conduct an exchange of prisoners with Armenia on the “all for all” principle. As the Azerbaijan armed forces entered the Nagorno-Karabakh region, making relentless advances, culminating in the seizure, thousands torched their homes and fled.

Several houses were set on fire in the village of Charektar that borders the district of Martakert. Civilians expressed fury over the peace agreement, saying, that Russian President Vladimir Putin “abandoned and wronged” them. “Why has Putin abandoned us?” they asked when AP approached them for a statement. 

Feds probe hate crime at San Francisco Armenian church

Emil Karabekian
San Francisco Chronicle
Dec 18 2020
Nora Mishanec                                            

The FBI has joined the San Francisco police investigation into an arson fire that engulfed an Armenian cultural center in September, one of a spate of apparent hate crimes targeting San Francisco’s Armenian community, officials announced Thursday.

Federal investigators offered a $50,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the fire that ripped through the building adjacent to the St. Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church in Presidio Heights on Sept. 17. The arson leveled Sunday school classrooms, a library, meeting rooms and church offices as flames tore through the building before dawn.

“This act of violence was not just an attack on a building, but on a congregation,” FBI investigator Craig Fair said in a statement announcing federal involvement in the probe.

The San Francisco Police Department’s arson task force deemed the fire a hate crime, one of several attacks on the city’s Armenian community over two months. The other hate crimes were tied to the KZV Armenian School in the Parkmerced neighborhood, where police investigated hateful graffiti and bullet damage.

Police have not arrested any suspects, and FBI officials said they do not yet know whether the incidents are connected.

In addition to the FBI reward, the Armenian Cultural Foundation is offering $25,000 to anyone with information that leads to an arrest and conviction. The foundation represents thousands of Armenian people in the Bay Area, many of whom said the San Francisco fire was emblematic of a larger intimidation effort.

“It is a tragic situation that we still find ourselves faced with such a threatening and violent level of hate,” said Edith Khachatourian, a parishoner at St. Gregory, where the fire destroyed the interiors of the first floor and basement of the adjacent building. No one was inside.

The attacks appeared to be part of a larger pattern of hate crimes around the world against members of the Armenian diaspora in the lead-up to the six-week war in the Caucasus region known as Nagorno-Karabakh or Artsakh.

St. Gregory’s has long served as a refuge for the descendants of those who fled persecution after the Armenian genocide more than 100 years ago, Khachatourian said.


Eleven Armenian POWs killed and 70 soldiers captured following Azerbaijani ceasefire violations

Emil Karabekian
BARNABAS Fund
Dec 18 2020

Eleven Armenian prisoners of war have been killed by their Azerbaijani captors, and more than 70 Armenian soldiers taken captive following Azerbaijan’s violation of the ceasefire which had halted the fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh on 10 November.

Footage emerged on 15 December showing the shooting of the eleven prisoners.

Armenian Christians forced to shelter from Azerbaijani bombing prior to November’s ceasefire agreement

Azerbaijani forces have also taken control of four Armenian villages in addition to territory gained during the fighting which took place from September to November this year.

These incidents come amidst allegations of Azerbaijani war crimes committed during that fighting, including the beheading of two elderly men and an attack on Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in the town of Shushi. Azerbaijani soldiers have also been accused of atrocities such as defiling corpses and desecrating graves during their advance.

Russian forces acting in a peacekeeping capacity had on Monday 14 December effected the return of 44 Armenian prisoners of war as part of a prisoner exchange.

Azerbaijan’s territorial gains

A Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement, signed on 9 November, had led to an abatement in the conflict. This agreement required Armenia to cede large areas of the Nagorno-Karabakh region previously under its control to Azerbaijan.

This includes areas with gold deposits, and Azerbaijan will likely seek to begin mining operations. The ceasefire agreement has also created the possibility of a land corridor through Armenian territory linking Azerbaijan with Turkey.      

Although nominally within the borders of Muslim-majority Azerbaijan, the region is populated by Armenian Christians and has, since the end of the first Nagorno-Karabakh war in 1992, been largely self-governed by ethnic Armenians.

The ongoing conflict has raised fears about the ambitions of Azerbaijan and Turkey, as well as the possibility of a regional pan-Turkic war and a new Armenian genocide. 

From Barnabas Fund contacts and other sources

Armenia’s DM is in Syunik, border troops deployment works underway there – Vice PM

Emil Karabekian
Aysor, Armenia
Dec 17 2020

Armenia’s Vice Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan stated at the cabinet sitting today that works on clarifying the data of captives are underway.
He said the steps are taken for further exchange of the captives.

“Negotiations are being held with the Azerbaijani side with the involvement of the Red Cross and the Russian side,” Avinyan stressed.

The Vice PM noted that the data on persons captured from Khtsaberd is being clarified, adding that head of the Chief of Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces Onik Gasparyan is in Artsakh.

“Negotiations are being held with the Azerbaijani side, we expect resolution [of the situation],” Avinyan said.

He stressed about some tension in Hin Shen, adding that there is an intermediate communication as of now but the issue is not completely settled.

“But Russian peacekeeping troops have been deployed in the sector and we expect to reach final resolution. Minister of Defense is in Syunik, deployment works of our border troops along our border in Syunik are being carried out,” he stressed.