Author: Emil Lazarian

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS

AW: Experience Vanadzor with Boo Mountain Bike Park

Emil Lazarian
 Paul Vartan Sookiasian Travel 0

Vanadzor (Photo: Paul Vartan Sookiasian)

Once the industrial heart of Soviet Armenia and still the country’s third largest city, Vanadzor has struggled to regain its former glory since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The city has spent the past thirty years in the shadow of decaying factories and a shrinking population, but over the past couple of years a new momentum has been jump-started by the opening of a number of new establishments. Despite the city’s industrialized history, Vanadzor is set amid some of Armenia’s most breathtaking nature, and Emma Petrosyan and Vagho Skarnet identified immense potential in its green hills. Though practically unknown in Armenia, the sport of mountain biking has a growing popularity globally, which fits perfectly with the country’s rocky terrain. Seeking to combine their passion for cycling with their expertise in the hospitality industry, Petrosyan and Skarnet opened Boo Mountain Bike Park & Cafe in October 2022 to breathe new life into Vanadzor’s outdoor adventure scene while fostering a vibrant sense of community.

The work partners discovered the city in 2017 while pitching their vision to Yana Mkrtchyan, co-founder of Vanadzor’s EcoLab Foundation, which has provided invaluable support and connections to the municipality and Lori regional government. Encouraged by the example of the foundation’s nearby Boo Alt House, Petrosyan and Skarnik decided to settle in this picturesque location, which would allow their park to be close to a city and yet immersed in nature. They also reached out online to various companies engaged in the mountain biking space and received an enthusiastic response from VeloSolutions with advice. Due to the relatively nascent biking culture in Armenia, VeloSolutions suggested starting with a pump track – a paved circuit with banked turns that riders navigate by “pumping” up and down rather than pedaling. This approach allows newcomers to develop skills and confidence before venturing into the surrounding forests and mountains.

Cyclists at the Boo Mountain Bike Park (Photo: Paul Vartan Sookiasian)

Plans and a budget were drawn up, but the project faced setbacks due to the pandemic and the traumatic 2020 war. This inspired VeloSolutions to sponsor the planning of the track itself, including the salaries of international specialists and their travel costs, which was vital as the expertise doesn’t exist within Armenia. “We just provided the machinery and materials, which were funded by the European Union and GiZ, though some loans also became necessary as construction costs rose drastically when the war in Ukraine started, causing the budget to fall short,” said Petrosyan. In addition, the Vanadzor municipality, recognizing the park’s potential for tourism development, provided the land free of charge for a ten-year lease.

As Skarnet described, “There were still obstacles, which came from doing something nobody has done before, but coming here was the best choice we could have made, because Vanadzor has people and a sense of community you won’t find anywhere else. Even though there has been some resistance from skeptical residents, the tight-knit nature of Vanadzor means trends get transmitted quickly, and people here are always willing to help others in need. All the problems we’ve ever faced have been solved with the general support of this community network.”

Years of hard work culminated in the first-of-its-kind pump track for not only Armenia but the entire Caucasus region. Boo gets its name from the Armenian word for the owls that call the surrounding forests home. Since opening on October 22, 2022, the track has become a hub for riders of all ages seeking an escape from digital screens and a connection with the great outdoors. So far, a large percentage of customers have been from the displaced Russian population, as the sport is bigger back home in Russia, along with local cycling clubs from Yerevan, experienced riders and children just starting out. “We have kids coming to ride and are so happy to welcome them. That is the future of mountain biking,” said Petrosyan. “That’s also why VeloSolutions supported us. We’re part of their mission to grow the future of the sport globally.”

One of the park’s recent visitors was Tatev Torabyan, a marketing professional from Yerevan who made her first visit this spring. She described the experience as more than just cycling but also a journey of personal growth: “There are a lot of challenges we face in everyday life, and a big aspect of overcoming them is mental. Coming here to ride the pump track gives you the confidence that you can overcome these fears.” The physical and mental health benefits of biking are clear, and to ensure this experience is accessible to everyone, using the pump track is completely free of charge.

In order to sustain the park’s operations, revenue is generated through bike rentals and an adjacent cafe, which was built with funds from the United Nations Development Program. The cafe plays a crucial role as a central meeting point, fostering a vibrant atmosphere where riders and visitors can socialize. Perched on stilts, the cafe’s contemporary Scandinavian mountain hut design offers a commanding view of the city, providing a beautiful setting for visitors to enjoy a cup of coffee or engage in work. It has become a popular destination for Vanadzor’s progressive youth, who now have a place to gather and express their creativity. Special events such as dee-jayed music events, cinema nights featuring English movies with subtitles to learn the language, morning yoga and photography workshops further enhance the cafe’s appeal.

Presently, the park features a beginner-friendly trail that leads from the cafe to the enchanting ruins of an abandoned Soviet camp. Weekly mountain bike tours are organized to explore a nearby scenic gorge, providing riders with the opportunity to discover the region’s breathtaking landscapes. With ambitious plans for expansion, the founders envision creating four kilometers of trails catering to more advanced riders and ultimately establishing a comprehensive bike park with different skill sections. They also hope avid bikers from the Armenian diaspora will lend their trail-building and riding expertise to further elevate the park’s offerings. They aim to inspire other Armenian cities to develop their own trails, while demonstrating to policymakers the economic potential of bike tourism. As the park ignites a sense of adventure among Vanadzor’s residents, it brings notice to this resilient community determined to shape its own future.

Cyclist at the pump track (Photo: Paul Vartan Sookiasian)

  •  Bio
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Paul Vartan Sookiasian is a writer and editor based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has worked in Armenia as the English language editor at CivilNet and as a project associate for USAID programs. More recently he served as one of the organizers of the World Congress on Information Technology 2019 Yerevan. He is also a historian who researches and brings to light the long and rich history of Philadelphia's Armenian community.


Highest number of inbound tourists recorded in July 2023

Emil Lazarian

 12:43, 9 August 2023

YEREVAN, AUGUST 9, ARMENPRESS. About 256,000 tourists visited Armenia in July 2023, which is the best statistical data compared to the same period of previous years. About 189,000 tourists visited Armenia in July 2022, and 202,000 people in the same period of 2019, the Armenian Tourism Committee said in a press release.

According to the Tourism Committee, the number of tourist visits in 2023 in the period from January to July is 1.26 million, which is 29% more than in 2019.

Anna Margaryan, Media and Public Relations Manager of the Tourism Committee, noted that most tourists came from Russia, Georgia and Iran.

She stressed that the Tourism Committee is doing its best to reveal the tourism opportunities of Armenia.

“We are very actively participating in international tourism events, exhibitions, where we represent Armenia as an attractive tourist destination, Armenia’s tourist product, and potential. We also transfer the data of Armenian travel companies to local travel companies so that they can further develop bilateral cooperation in the field of tourism," she said.

Anna Margaryan mentioned that they also organize exploratory visits to Armenia, that is, they invite bloggers, influencers, media representatives with a large audience in their countries to cover their visits, which, in turn, brings new tourists from these countries to Armenia.

This year, the Tourism Committee also supports the implementation of 17 festivals of different formats and preferences throughout Armenia, which, according to the committee's media and public relations manager, has ensured and will continue to ensure a large flow of tourists to Armenia.

French regions join Armenian humanitarian initiative for Nagorno-Karabakh

Emil Lazarian

 14:58, 9 August 2023

YEREVAN, AUGUST 9, ARMENPRESS. The City of Paris and several French regions have allocated humanitarian aid for the population of Nagorno-Karabakh.

A truck carrying the French humanitarian aid joined the stranded Armenian convoy in Kornidzor on August 9. 

Vardan Sargsyan, a member of the Armenian government working group tasked with responding to the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, told reporters that this step by friendly France shows that international attention on the humanitarian crisis, and Armenia’s initiative to mitigate it is getting stronger.

“I think the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is so critical and the need for humanitarian aid is so strong that it is obvious also for our international partners. Effective steps by the international community can certainly contribute eventually lifting the blockade of Lachin Corridor, and giving access for humanitarian goods to the people of Nagorno-Karabakh,” Sargsyan said.

The humanitarian aid is allocated by the city of Paris and the regions of Île-de-France, Auvergne , Rhône-Alpes , Hauts-de-France, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Pays de la Loire and Grand Est. 

The aid consists of over 20 tons of food.

Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno Karabakh with Armenia and the rest of the world, has been blocked by Azerbaijan since late 2022. The Azerbaijani blockade constitutes a gross violation of the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh ceasefire agreement, which established that the 5km-wide Lachin Corridor shall be under the control of Russian peacekeepers. Furthermore, on February 22, 2023 the United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – ordered Azerbaijan to “take all steps at its disposal” to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.  Azerbaijan has been ignoring the order ever since. Moreover, Azerbaijan then illegally installed a checkpoint on Lachin Corridor. The blockade has led to shortages of essential products such as food and medication. Azerbaijan has also cut off gas and power supply into Nagorno Karabakh, with officials warning that Baku seeks to commit ethnic cleansing against Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh. Hospitals have suspended normal operations.

On July 26, Armenia sent a humanitarian convoy carrying over 360 tons of emergency food and medication for Nagorno-Karabakh, but Azerbaijan blocked the trucks at the entrance of Lachin Corridor.

Artsakh President holds call with ex-ICC prosecutor after expert opinion concludes Azerbaijan is committing genocide

Emil Lazarian

 16:17, 9 August 2023

YEREVAN, AUGUST 9, ARMENPRESS. Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) President Arayik Harutyunyan has held a call-meeting with Luis Moreno Ocampo, the first prosecutor of the International Criminal Court and professor of Harvard and Yale universities. During the video call Ocampo presented the results of his legal research on the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh. Other Nagorno-Karabakh officials also participated in the call.

The President expressed his gratitude to the distinguished international expert for pro bono undertaking the investigation of the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh and providing a legal assessment of the situation, Harutyunyan’s office said in a press release.

Luis Moreno Ocampo emphasized that the results of the research and analysis are very clear: Azerbaijan is committing genocide against the local Armenian people of Nagorno-Karabakh and the international community is obliged to take urgent and effective measures to prevent its further course.

The main findings of the report are outlined below:

“There is an ongoing Genocide against 120,000 Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh.

The blockade of the Lachin Corridor by the Azerbaijani security forces impeding access to any food, medical supplies, and other essentials should be considered a Genocide under Article II, (c) of the Genocide Convention: “Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction.”

There are no crematories, and there are no machete attacks. Starvation is the invisible Genocide weapon. Without immediate dramatic change, this group of Armenians will be destroyed in a few weeks.

Starvation as a method to destroy people was neglected by the entire international community when it was used against Armenians in 1915, Jews and Poles in 1939, Russians in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) in 1941, and Cambodians in 1975/1976. Starvation was also neglected when used in Srebrenica in the winter of 1993/1994.

Analyzing the Srebrenica case, the International Court of Justice ruled that “deprivation of food, medical care, shelter or clothing” constitute Genocide within the meaning of Article II(c) of the Genocide Convention.

State parties of the Genocide Convention assumed the duty to prevent and punish Genocide. The International Court of Justice ruled that state parties should “not wait until the perpetration of Genocide commences,” and “The whole point of the obligation is to prevent or attempt to prevent the occurrence of the act.”

 This report analyzes:

 

  1. The existence of an ongoing Genocide in Nagorno-Karabakh.
  2. How to investigate those responsible for Genocide?
  3. How to prevent the final destruction of the Armenian group?

 

  1. Genocide in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023

 There is a reasonable basis to believe that a Genocide is being committed against Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023.

The International Court of Justice, at the request of Armenia, has already analyzed the Lachin corridor's blockade. The Court focused on State liability for alleged violations of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination rather than individual criminal responsibility for the commission of Genocide.

Though predicated on a different set of State obligations, the Court confirmed the occurrence of the material elements of Genocide that are set out in Article II, (c) of the Genocide Convention: “Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction.”

The Court's preliminary findings considered “plausible” that the Lachin corridor blockade produced “a real and imminent risk” to the “health and life” of an ethnic group, “the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh.”

The intention, a subjective element required by the crime of Genocide, should be deduced from the facts and statements from President Aliyev, who has supreme authority in Azerbaijan.

President Aliyev, in a fair trial, would have the opportunity to provide a different interpretation of the indicia. In the meantime, there is reasonable basis to believe that President Aliyev has Genocidal intentions: he has knowingly, willingly and voluntarily blockaded the Lachin Corridor even after having been placed on notice regarding the consequences of his actions by the ICJ's provisional orders.

The facts are:

 

  1. President Aliyev deliberately blocked the provision of life's essentials to the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh.
  2. He openly disobeyed the specific orders of the International Court of Justice, “to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles, and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.”
  3. The ICJ order put him on notice about the “real and imminent risk” created by the blockade to an Armenian group “health and life.” President Aliyev's public statements affirming that the blockade was the consequence of people smuggling minerals and i-phones through the Lachin Corridor is a diversion.

Smuggling activities should be properly investigated but they are not an excuse to disobey a binding order of the International Court of Justice or a justification to commit a Genocide.

 

  1. Could President Aliyev be investigated by the International Criminal Court?

 

Article IV of the Genocide Convention establishes that “[p]ersons committing genocide shall be punished,” even if “they are constitutionally responsible rulers.” But there is no independent criminal justice system ready to investigate the crime of Genocide allegedly committed by President Aliyev.

President Aliyev cannot be investigated by any foreign national authorities because he enjoys immunity as a head of state.

The International Criminal Court provides a jurisdiction where such immunity does not apply. There are three ways to start an ICC investigation for the commission of the crimes in Lachin Corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh:

  • Azerbaijan becomes a state party (Article 12(1) of the Rome Statute);
  • Azerbaijan accepts the jurisdiction of the Court on its territory (Article 12(3)

of the Rome Statute); or

  • The UN Security Council refers the situation of the Lachin Corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh after December 2022 to the ICC (Article 13(b) of the Rome Statute).

But Azerbaijan is not a state party of the Rome Statute (Article 12(1)), the treaty creating the ICC and has not accepted the ICC's jurisdiction (Article 12(3)). As a result, immediate state action is required to adopt a UN Security Council Resolution referring the situation in the Lachin Corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh to the ICC.

There are precedents. In March 2005, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1395, referring the Darfur, Sudan situation to the ICC. Five years later, President Omar Al Bashir was indicted for Genocide.

In February 2011, the UN Security Council referred the situation in Libya to the Court. In June 2011 the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Muammar Gaddafi for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Obtaining a UN Security Council Resolution to provide ICC jurisdiction should be feasible. Under the Genocide Convention, state parties have an obligation to prevent and punish Genocide, and 14 of the current 15 members of the UN Security Council are also parties of that Convention, providing an overwhelming majority.

France proposed, as early as in 2013, that the five permanent members of the Council voluntarily and collectively suspend the use of the veto in case of Genocide and other mass atrocities.

 

  1. How to Prevent the Final Destruction of the Armenian Group?

 

President Aliyev as well as the international community has the rare opportunity to prevent further casualties and the “physical destruction” of a group in this Genocide. Timely prevention requires the adoption of urgent political decisions,

  1. a) to stop the blockade and reestablish the provision of essentials to Nagorno- Karabakh in one or two weeks, and
  2. b) institutional solutions to the disputed territorial claims. It should be adopted before May 2025 because, at that moment, Azerbaijan can request the end of the Russian peacekeeper protection.

By design, there are no central authorities at the international level to adopt such urgent measures. A specific International Court of Justice ruling on Genocide, smart sanctions, and other classic diplomatic tools would not be quick and strong enough.

In the short term, which is crucial to stop the ongoing Genocide by starvation, the duty of prevention would be exclusively defined by the interest of the states involved in the conflict.

In April 1994, most of the UN Security Council members refused to call "Genocide" what was happening in Rwanda. During the debate the Czech Ambassador challenged the intense focus on a negotiation to achieve a new ceasefire, which he likened to asking the Jews to reach a truce with Hitler.

In “A Problem from Hell,” Samantha Power explains the crucial role of the citizen in transforming the national leaders' interests in a Genocide abroad. The voice of the Armenians in the diaspora could reduce the failure by design created by the international legal architecture. They should be mobilized worldwide to reach national leaders and promote a pragmatic solutions.

Russia, responsible for peacekeeping in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the US, promoting current negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, are state parties of the Genocide Convention, as are all the European Union members. They have a privileged position to prevent this Genocide. Their intense confrontation due to the Ukrainian conflict should not transform the Armenians into collateral victims.

Is it possible to assist European, Russian, and USA leaders to reach a joint position to stop the ongoing Armenian Genocide? If they could agree, the food will reach the Armenians within one day.

The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh is an opportunity for the international community to develop an innovative and harmonious solution to prevent Genocide. Under Article 16 of the Rome Statute, a criminal investigation could eventually be suspended by the UN Security Council to find a final and fair solution.

President Aliyev asked: “Why Spain does not allow Catalunya to have a referendum? Why should we tolerate separatism?” The simple answer to complex issues of sovereignty involved in the question is that Spain is not committing genocide to control separatist efforts”.

Deputy Speaker Rubinyan presents NK situation to Ambassador of Estonia

Emil Lazarian

 16:58, 9 August 2023

YEREVAN, AUGUST 9, ARMENPRESS. On August 9, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ruben Rubinyan, received the Ambassador of Estonia Riina Kaljurand.

During the meeting the parties discussed issues related to regional developments, the Parliament’s press service said in a readout.

Ruben Rubinyan presented the situation created in Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of the illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan and the deepening humanitarian crisis. The Deputy Speaker of the Parliament emphasized the need for international partners to take clear steps to prevent ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh.

At the ambassador's request, Ruben Rubinyan also referred to the process of regulating Armenia-Turkey relations.

Greek Foreign Minister briefed on deepening humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh

Emil Lazarian

 17:14, 9 August 2023

YEREVAN, AUGUST 9, ARMENPRESS. On August 9, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan had a telephone conversation with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece George Gerapetritis.

Minister Mirzoyan briefed his colleague on the deepening humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh resulting from Azerbaijan's illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor, stressing the importance of clear messages from the EU member states and the implementation of concrete steps, the ministry said in a readout.

Minister Mirzoyan emphasized that since June 15, Nagorno-Karabakh has been under a complete blockade, as a result the problem of supplying food, medicine and other essentials to the local population has greatly worsened. Ararat Mirzoyan noted that Azerbaijan, in violation of all norms of international humanitarian law, also disrupts the humanitarian activities of the International Committee of the Red Cross, the only international humanitarian organization with access to Nagorno-Karabakh, endangering the lives of people in need of urgent medical assistance. Minister Mirzoyan added that in case of minimal possibility of transfer from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia for medical treatment, accompanied by the ICRC, Azerbaijan carries out unacceptable acts of intimidation such as the abduction of Nagorno-Karabakh resident Vagif Khachatryan by the border guard service of Azerbaijan on July 29.

The importance of the immediate lifting of the blockade of the Lachin corridor in accordance with the decisions of the International Court of Justice of February 22 and July 6 was emphasized.

The sides also expressed readiness to take steps towards further expansion of bilateral partnership between Armenia and Greece.

Spanish Foreign Minister briefed on humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh

Emil Lazarian

 17:14, 9 August 2023

YEREVAN, AUGUST 9, ARMENPRESS. On August 9, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan had a telephone conversation with Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of the Kingdom of Spain José Manuel Albares Bueno, the foreign ministry said in a press release.

Minister Mirzoyan briefed on the humanitarian crisis and its extremely negative consequences for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh resulting from Azerbaijan's illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor. Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized the seriousness of the situation and the lack of necessary medical care resulting from the complete blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh since June 15, especially for the most sensitive groups such as 30,000 children, 20,000 elderly and 9,000 persons with disabilities.

Ararat Mirzoyan stressed that the continuous deepening of the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh may jeopardize the efforts of Armenia and the international community aimed at establishing lasting peace in the region, emphasizing the need to use the existing mechanisms in a targeted manner and to take steps towards lifting the blockade of the Lachin corridor in accordance with the decisions of the International Court of Justice.

Taking into account the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the importance of the full support to the statement of the EU HR/VP of July 25 and targeted messages of the EU member states was also emphasized.

The further cooperation between Armenia and Spain within the EU was also touched upon.

Asbarez: Artsakh Calls on International Rights Groups to Take Action Beyond Words

Emil Lazarian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 August 9, 2023

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

Artsakh’s Human Rights Defender Gegham Stepanyan on Wednesday called on influential international rights groups, which have already voiced concern about the deepening humanitarian crisis in Artsakh to take more succinct action to prevent a genocide.

“Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Freedom House, Global Center for Responsibility to Protect, International Committee of the Red Cross, special rapporteurs of the UN Human Rights Council, Lemkin Institute for the Prevention of Genocide, International Association of Genocide Scholars and a number of other human rights activists expressed their position during this period,” said Stepanayan.

“The statements of all humanitarian and human rights organizations unanimously demand the authorities of Azerbaijan to stop blocking the Lachin corridor, ensure the free and unhindered transportation of people, goods and vehicles along the corridor, and put an end to the humanitarian crisis in Artsakh,” added the rights defender.

“The Azerbaijani authorities scornfully and brazenly respond to the statements of all the organizations and blatantly show disrespect for everyone as if everyone is lying, only they are right,” Stepanyan explained. “Azerbaijan’s behavior once again demonstrates the simple truth that Azerbaijan has neither the will nor the desire to fulfill the obligations it has assumed at the international level. Furthermore, it openly and in front of all these structures, it continues to pursue a policy of genocide against the people of Artsakh.”

“The assessments of the international human rights organizations should not remain on paper. These addressed statements must become the basis for the positions of various states and international structures on saving the people of Artsakh from starvation, ethnic cleansing and genocide. That is why these structures were created to prevent mass atrocities and violations of human rights,” emphasized Stepanyan.

“The human rights activists have expressed their stance; it is the turn of the political decision-makers in the international arena to prove that they will not allow the criminal authorities of Azerbaijan to question the authority of the international human rights and humanitarian organizations,” urged the rights advocate.

“Otherwise, the indifference shown and disregard for authoritative opinion will lead to irreversible human consequences in which international actors will be directly responsible for complicity,” Stepanyan said.

My Journey in the Armenian Language: From Duty to Desire

Emil Lazarian
August 9, 2023 Tara Ourfalian Opinion, Youth 0

Tara Ourfalian

Speak Armenian, love your culture, cherish your heritage, protect your community…

But to what end?

For many diasporan Armenians, these patriotic words are nothing short of ordinary. They have been ingrained into our hearts and our minds, having become second nature for us all.

As a “lifer” of Armenian institutions, I was raised to always honor and appraise these values, regarding our motherland with the utmost respect and admiration. I was raised to place my culture and my heritage on the highest pedestal because of its sacred and rich history and the countless ways in which it has facilitated the survival of our marginalized race. However, I repeatedly found myself in distress regarding the use of my own language – the same language that constitutes the very essence of what it means to be an Armenian and that has bolstered our community for thousands of years. Despite my intensive language education, why was it that when I utilized Armenian, I refrained from venturing beyond my familiar horizons, from taking risks that challenge the immunity of socially determined margins?

Ultimately, it was the result of a lack of exercise. During my years as a youngster studying at an Armenian school, from preschool to high school, I learned how to speak, read and write in my native tongue. Yet, in doing so, I developed an inclination to isolate the Armenian language – a tendency to place our sacred tongue on a pedestal, guarded from any foreign corruption. This behavior has become increasingly normalized in our diasporan community. As a bilingual diasporan myself, this trend not only impeded my personal language development, but it can also have grave implications for the future of all bearers of Armenian culture.

To reach this realization, I had to live through countless grueling, and oftentimes unpleasant experiences, the significance of which only struck me upon my pursuit of a higher education. And that is exactly what I did: pursue higher education – not one signified by a diploma, but rather one marked by spiritual and intellectual enrichment.

During the winter quarter of my sophomore year at UCLA, I chose to enroll in my first college-level Armenian language course. Putting all of my expectations aside, I joined the class entirely impartial, yet confident in my proficiency with the Armenian language, because I believed that after graduating from an Armenian school, I had to continue to speak, read and write in Armenian. I had to ensure that I did not forget the grammatical frameworks of my language. I had to surround myself with other like-minded Armenian youth who held similar patriotic values. This was my obligation as a descendant of genocide survivors and migrant parents who evaded assimilation. These were my responsibilities to fulfill in order to preserve my allegiance to my heritage.

I started to ponder: what was the purpose of this compulsory duty that weighed so heavily on my conscience? For years, I blindly followed this nationalist messaging that I have been fed since childhood, without taking a moment to consider its intent or ramifications. What exactly would result from speaking Armenian? Why do we appraise our language with such significance? The answers to these questions had finally started to unveil themselves to me.

During our first class meeting, we were given an excerpt from Krikor Beledian’s “Mdmdook”…I was at a loss for words. Grasping little to no understanding of the piece, I wondered how I had gone so long without ever having seen such sophisticated and complex ideas represented in Armenian literature, despite having gone to an Armenian school my entire life. I recognized, in that very moment, that I had intuitively enclosed Armenian within bounds, restricting my ability to harness the full potential of all of its bountiful richness and intricacies to express a higher order of thinking. I had monumentalized and sacralized the language by limiting its application to strictly Armenian-affiliated motifs and ideas. For so long, this predisposition inclined me to establish an inherent classification, whereby I would only utilize Armenian for concepts relating to our history and other cultural associations relevant particularly to the past, while I defaulted to English in order to express myself, create, reflect and analyze ideas pertinent to the present and the future.

I recognized, in that very moment, that I had intuitively enclosed Armenian within bounds, restricting my ability to harness the full potential of all of its bountiful richness and intricacies to express a higher order of thinking. I had monumentalized and sacralized the language by limiting its application to strictly Armenian-affiliated motifs and ideas.

Throughout the duration of this course, I encountered countless new ideas and novel perspectives that encouraged me to embark on a transformative journey to relearn and reimagine my mother tongue. It was important to assume responsibility with a willing desire. Making the decision to undertake this language revolution was critical to ensuring that it did not revert to a tedious or undesirable obligation. I welcomed the opportunity with a newfound aspiration to expand the horizons of my bilingual intellect. The result was an explicit testament to the fundamental significance of choosing to endorse this evolution, as opposed to an enforced compulsion originating from the pressure of external forces. As such, my relationship with the Armenian language had acquired a new shape, and I had procured an entirely new outlook on the academic groundwork established and transmitted through our institutions.  

My first endeavor was to overcome the unease and timidity that stemmed from my fear of writing in Armenian – my fear of making mistakes, of being criticized for being wrong, of being misunderstood. There had been several instances in this particular course when I struggled to respond to unfamiliar abstractions or vague prompts that we had been assigned to answer on a weekly basis. I found myself repeatedly sitting for hours on end, my eyes frozen on the blank page that loitered on my laptop screen. After several minutes, I would write a sentence, only to erase it and relapse to where I had started. It was a destructive pattern of confusion, self-doubt and hopelessness. I had established an unrealistic expectation to continuously produce a “perfect” product, an exceptional outcome that I was proud to consider impactful and meaningful. But it wasn’t until I learned to accept that this expectation was virtually unattainable that I finally began to defy the bounds of my self-imposed intellectual imprisonment. I stopped fearing, and rather welcomed, criticism as an instrument of progression. Step by step the barriers started to crumble, and I entered a new world of possibilities where my imagination diffused into a realm far beyond the margins of an ethnocentric rationale.

I then knew that the next stride I had to make would be to read my first full-length Armenian book, as that would be critical to expanding the breadth of my vocabulary and enhancing my ability to think critically through the lens of a different language. That book happened to be yet another work by Krikor Beledian, titled The Name Under My Tongue, per my professor’s recommendation. Just as I had anticipated, I came face to face with the same hurdles. I read the first ten pages, then twenty, and then fifty, without the slightest comprehension of what was being said. It became increasingly difficult not to succumb to the temptation of surrender and defeat. However, one lesson in particular allowed me to persevere: learn to not understand. In other words, come to terms with not understanding every term, every sentence or every concept. Avoid turning to a dictionary every time you come across an unfamiliar word; refrain from rereading the entire page even if you couldn’t grasp the meaning; untie yourself from the weight of mastering the material, and eventually, you will begin to see all of the fragmented pieces come together to form a coherent story. Gradually, I learned – or rather unlearned – my process of understanding to develop a genuine deeper comprehension of the texts I had been reading. This allowed me to entirely immerse myself into Beledian’s transcendent world of verbose run-ons and uncover the elaborate postulations that were veiled beneath his assemblage of long-winded passages. As I began to implement these critical adjustments in my day-to-day habits, both within and outside of the classroom, I started to appreciate the value of literature more than ever before, and my love for reading heightened.

Through my experiences as a maturing college student outside of the protected bubble of my upbringing, I have come to a few new realizations regarding the work being carried out by our cultural institutions in the diaspora. It goes without saying that Armenian schools and educational establishments play an instrumental role in setting the foundation to foster generations of bright and spirited youth, of which I am a proud product. However, they appear to lack a salient element of any organization, being a clear vision and a purpose. Instilling the overbearing pressure to keep our culture alive has limited effectiveness if it does not translate into concrete, measurable outcomes. Most Armenian-based instruction emphasizes the importance of knowledge about our culture and the duty to preserve it, but fails to instill the desire of integrating oneself into the culture by consuming it and creating in it. As students, we have been conditioned to serve our language – revering it, as opposed to utilizing it as a space where we can intellectually thrive. Today, this vision has transformed into a fantasy of idealism, while the mission or the means of pursuing it has been replaced by the act of paying respects to the ideal. Although the importance of invoking a vigorous spirit and pride in one’s heritage is undoubtedly necessary, the vision of Armenian community schools has to embody a bold shift that embraces consumers and producers of language products to pave the path for a prosperous future. As diasporans, it is pivotal that we generate producers, writers, poets and inventors, who will continue to enrich our culture and our language with their instrumental efforts.

Despite being a life-long product of Armenian culture, my experience with the Armenian language feels like it has only just begun. As I take on this mindful and willing journey of rediscovery and break down the barriers that had once shielded me from the boundless opportunities my native tongue can bestow upon me, I impatiently await where I will find myself in the coming years.

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Tara Ourfalian was born and raised in Los Angeles, with familial origins in Musa Dagh. She is a proud graduate of Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School and will be a rising junior at UCLA in the fall, studying environmental science with a concentration in environmental systems and society. In the future, her dream is to pursue a career in environmental policy and civil rights law. Tara is a member of the ANCA Leo Sarkisian Class of 2023. Tara has always regarded serving her country as a top priority for all Armenian youth. With her efforts and involvement in the community, she strives to further the ambitions of the Armenian Cause and to continuously enrich her culture by becoming a producer of her language and heritage. She is a dedicated member and volunteer for numerous Armenian organizations, including her university’s Armenian Students Association (ASA) and Hidden Road Initiative (HRI) chapters, the AYF, Homenetmen, the Armenia Fund and a participant of the ANCA “Leo Sarkissian” Summer Internship Program.


RFE/RL Armenian Service – 08/09/2023

Emil Lazarian 
                                        Wednesday, August 9, 2023


Top International Lawyer Calls Azerbaijani Blockade Of Nagorno-Karabakh Genocide


Former International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo (file photo)


The founding prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has described the 
current blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijan as a genocide.

In an expert opinion requested by Nagorno-Karabakh’s ethnic Armenian leader in 
late July, Luis Moreno Ocampo, an Argentine lawyer who served at the Hague court 
in 2003-2012, stressed that “there is an ongoing Genocide against 120,000 
Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh.”

In the document published from New York on August 7 and titled “Genocide against 
Armenians in 2023” the 71-year-old lawyer who successfully prosecuted for crimes 
against humanity three heads of state, including the president of Sudan, Omar 
al-Bashir, said that “the blockade of the Lachin Corridor by the Azerbaijani 
security forces impeding access to any food, medical supplies, and other 
essentials should be considered a Genocide under Article II, (c) of the Genocide 
Convention: ‘Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated 
to bring about its physical destruction.’”

“There are no crematories, and there are no machete attacks. Starvation is the 
invisible Genocide weapon. Without immediate dramatic change, this group of 
Armenians will be destroyed in a few weeks. Starvation as a method to destroy 
people was neglected by the entire international community when it was used 
against Armenians in 1915, Jews and Poles in 1939, Russians in Leningrad (now 
Saint Petersburg) in 1941, and Cambodians in 1975/1976. Starvation was also 
neglected when used in Srebrenica in the winter of 1993/1994,” Ocampo wrote.

He reminded that analyzing the Srebrenica case, the International Court of 
Justice ruled that “deprivation of food, medical care, shelter or clothing” 
constitute Genocide within the meaning of Article II(c) of the Genocide 
Convention.

“State parties of the Genocide Convention assumed the duty to prevent and punish 
Genocide. The International Court of Justice ruled that state parties should 
‘not wait until the perpetration of Genocide commences,’ and ‘The whole point of 
the obligation is to prevent or attempt to prevent the occurrence of the act,’” 
the lawyer noted.

In his expert opinion Ocampo wrote that “there is a reasonable basis to believe 
that a Genocide is being committed against Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh 
in 2023.”

He stressed that the International Court of Justice, at the request of Armenia, 
has already analyzed the Lachin corridor’s blockade.

“The Court focused on State liability for alleged violations of the 
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial 
Discrimination rather than individual criminal responsibility for the commission 
of Genocide.

Though predicated on a different set of State obligations, the Court confirmed 
the occurrence of the material elements of Genocide that are set out in Article 
II, (c) of the Genocide Convention: “Deliberately inflicting on the group 
conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction.”

The Court’s preliminary findings considered “plausible” that the Lachin corridor 
blockade produced “a real and imminent risk” to the “health and life” of an 
ethnic group, “the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh.”

The intention, a subjective element required by the crime of Genocide, should be 
deduced from the facts and statements from [Azerbaijani] President [Ilham] 
Aliyev, who has supreme authority in Azerbaijan,” Ocampo wrote.

The Argentine lawyer went on to note that “President Aliyev, in a fair trial, 
would have the opportunity to provide a different interpretation of the indicia.”

“In the meantime, there is reasonable basis to believe that President Aliyev has 
Genocidal intentions: he has knowingly, willingly and voluntarily blockaded the 
Lachin Corridor even after having been placed on notice regarding the 
consequences of his actions by the ICJ’s provisional orders,” the founding 
prosecutor of the International Criminal Court wrote in his conclusion.

Official Baku has not yet commented on the expert opinion provided by Ocampo at 
the request of Nagorno-Karabakh’s ethnic Armenian leader Arayik Harutiunian.

Meanwhile, Harutiunian on August 8 issued an urgent appeal to the international 
community, asking for immediate action to lift the blockade imposed by 
Azerbaijan and prevent what he called “the genocide of the people of 
Nagorno-Karabakh.”




Karabakh Leader Appeals To International Community Over Azerbaijani Blockade


Arayik Harutiunian, leader of Nagorno-Karabakh (file photo)


Nagorno-Karabakh leader Arayik Harutiunian has issued an urgent appeal to the 
international community, asking for immediate action to lift a de facto blockade 
imposed by Azerbaijan and prevent what he called “the genocide of the people of 
Nagorno-Karabakh.”

“With this urgent address I am signaling that right now the people of the 
Republic of Artsakh [Nagorno-Karabakh – ed.] are being subjected to genocide and 
face a real threat of destruction and deprivation of their homeland,” 
Harutiunian said in a video address published late on August 8.

He then presented what he described as a humanitarian crisis created by the 
240-day blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh, charging that “in a situation like this 
manifestation of inaction or indifference is nothing but acquiescence in the 
crime of genocide.”

“The international community must take effective personal and collective steps 
in order not to allow Azerbaijan to fill the history of mankind with another 
page of mass famine and genocide,” Harutiunian said.

The Karabakh leader said that Stepanakert calls on Armenia to “immediately 
submit to the UN Security Council for discussion the humanitarian disaster that 
has emerged as a result of Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin Corridor and the 
illegal blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh, which have grown into the crime of 
genocide, with the aim of adopting a resolution that implies urgent and concrete 
steps, as well as to turn to international partners for considering and imposing 
sanctions against Azerbaijan.” Harutiunian also urged Yerevan to be careful in 
its public statements and assessments of the situation.

The president of Nagorno-Karabakh called on the UN secretary general “to show 
moral and political responsibility and leadership, involving the entire UN 
system, in order to prevent further international crimes committed by Azerbaijan 
in Nagorno-Karabakh.”

“Please do not forget that Artsakh is currently the only territory in the world 
that is under complete siege and where even the international community does not 
have access. Don’t you have a question as to why Azerbaijan seeks to subject the 
peaceful people of Artsakh to complete isolation? Are you not bothered by the 
fact that from the point of view of human rights protection Artsakh has become 
not even a gray zone, but a black hole where all the crimes that human 
civilization has seen may happen? Do you not realize that such international 
impunity and allowing a new genocide will generate new crimes, possibly against 
your own peoples?! Therefore, I ask and demand from all of you that you 
immediately take action and stop this ongoing genocide of the people of Artsakh 
before it is too late,” the leader of Nagorno-Karabakh underscored.

Azerbaijan routinely brushes aside accusations that it pursues a policy of 
ethnic cleansings against Karabakh Armenians. After the 2020 war in which 
Azerbaijan regained control of all of the territories held by ethnic Armenian 
forces outside the borders of Nagorno-Karabakh as well as a chunk of the former 
autonomous oblast itself Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly 
warned the local population to integrate into Azerbaijan or leave.

Tensions around the region escalated after Azerbaijan in June suspended traffic 
through a checkpoint it had installed in the Lachin corridor two months earlier 
pending an investigation after it said “various types of contraband” had been 
discovered in the Red Cross vehicles coming from Armenia.

Baku says it can only allow supplies to reach Nagorno-Karabakh over a road from 
Agdam, a town controlled by Azerbaijan in the east of the region.

Ethnic Armenian authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh reject this offer, saying 
Azerbaijan’s blockade is a violation of the Moscow-brokered 2020 cease-fire 
agreement that placed the 5-kilometer-wide strip of land under the control of 
Russian peacekeepers.

The United States and the European Union have urged Azerbaijan to allow 
humanitarian supplies to reach Nagorno-Karabakh via the Lachin corridor.

A delegation led by staff members of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee 
on August 8 visited the site in Armenia’s southern Syunik Province where a 
19-truck convoy with humanitarian aid heading from Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh 
has been stranded, awaiting approval from Azerbaijan to proceed.

A group of UN experts issued a statement on August 7, expressing alarm over the 
ongoing blockade of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan, which they said had led 
to a dire humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh. They urged Azerbaijan to lift 
the blockade.

“By lifting the blockade, the authorities can alleviate the suffering of 
thousands of people in Nagorno-Karabakh and allow for the unimpeded flow of 
humanitarian assistance to the civilian population. It is essential to ensure 
the safety, dignity, and well-being of all individuals during this critical 
time,” the experts said, also calling on Russian peacekeeping forces deployed in 
the region to protect the corridor under the terms of the ceasefire agreement.

Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized the UN experts for what it 
described as their biased statement that it claimed had been influenced by 
“Armenia’s manipulations.”




Armenian FM Briefs Foreign Counterparts On ‘Deepening Humanitarian Crisis’ In 
Nagorno-Karabakh


Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan (file photo)


Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan held a series of phone calls with his 
foreign counterparts on Wednesday, briefing them on what he described as a 
“deepening humanitarian crisis” in Nagorno-Karabakh brought on by Azerbaijan’s 
continuing blockade of a vital route of supplies from Armenia.

The press office of Armenia’s Foreign Ministry said Mirzoyan held telephone 
conversations with the foreign ministers of Lithuania, Bulgaria, Greece, Spain, 
as well as with a senior U.S. Department of State officials.

According to an official report, talking to his Lithuanian counterpart 
Gabrielius Landsbergis, Mirzoyan emphasized the urgency of supplying food, 
medicine and other essential goods to Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as the need to 
ensure the full and uninterrupted functioning of the International Committee of 
the Red Cross, the only international humanitarian organization with access to 
Nagorno-Karabakh.

He also stressed the importance of “taking concrete steps by international 
actors, including the EU and EU member states, in order to lift the blockade of 
the Lachin corridor and to prevent Azerbaijan’s steps aimed at ethnic cleansing 
in Nagorno-Karabakh.”

Raising similar concerns during his phone calls with his Greek and Bulgarian 
counterparts, George Gerapetritis and Mariya Gabriel, the Armenian foreign 
minister also reportedly stressed the importance of the immediate lifting of the 
blockade of the Lachine corridor in accordance with the decisions of the 
International Court of Justice of February 22 and July 6.

Mirzoyan was also quoted as pointing out Azerbaijan’s “unacceptable acts of 
intimidation”, referring to the recent detention of a Nagorno-Karabakh resident 
accused by Baku of allegedly perpetrating war crimes in the early 1990s that 
Yerevan calls abduction.

In his telephone conversation with Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, European 
Union and Cooperation Jose Manuel Albares Bueno Mirzoyan reportedly emphasized 
“the seriousness of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and the lack of necessary 
medical care resulting from the complete blockade of the Armenian-populated 
region since June 15, especially for the most sensitive groups such as 30,000 
children, 20,000 elderly and 9,000 persons with disabilities.”

Talking to Yuri Kim, Acting Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of State 
Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, the Armenian minister reportedly said 
that “the continuous deterioration of the humanitarian situation in 
Nagorno-Karabakh itself threatens the efforts of Armenia and the international 
community aimed at establishing a sustainable peace in the region.” Mirzoyan, 
according to the official report, emphasized the need “to make the best use of 
existing mechanisms and to immediately remove the blockade of the Lachin 
corridor in accordance with the decisions of the International Court of Justice.”

“Both sides noted the need to take steps to resolve the situation and agreed to 
continue contacts in that direction. Minister Mirzoyan emphasized the need for 
joint efforts of the international community in the current situation,” the 
Armenian Foreign Ministry’s statement said.




Armenian Group Threatening To End Karabakh Blockade By Force Claims More 
Obstruction From Police

        • Ruzanna Stepanian

A scuffle between police officers and members of the Crusaders group protesting 
in Republic Square, Yerevan, August 8, 2023.


A group of Armenian war veterans threatening to “take matters into their own 
hands” unless authorities make efforts to swiftly end the Azerbaijani blockade 
of Nagorno-Karabakh have claimed more obstruction from police after arriving in 
the south of Armenia.

Members of the group called Crusaders that mostly consists of veterans of 
Karabakh wars said they arrived on Wednesday morning at a site near a bridge 
over the Hakari river marking the entrance to the Lachin corridor linking 
Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh where Azerbaijan installed a checkpoint earlier 
this year and tightened the effective blockade of the Armenian-populated region 
two months ago.

Armenia and ethnic Armenian authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh consider the 
Azerbaijani checkpoint at the Lachin corridor illegal as they insist its 
violates a Moscow-brokered 2020 ceasefire agreement that places the vital route 
under the control of Russian peacekeepers.

The de facto blockade has resulted in severe shortages of food, medicine, and 
energy supply in the region which is home to about 120,000 ethnic Armenians.

Azerbaijan denies blockading Nagorno-Karabakh and offers an alternative route 
for supplies via the town of Agdam, which is situated east of the region and 
away from Armenia and is controlled by Baku. Ethnic Armenian authorities in 
Nagorno-Karabakh reject that offer, fearing that it could be a prelude to the 
absorption of what remains of the former autonomous oblast into Azerbaijan.

Armenia has called for the reopening of the Lachin corridor, but officials in 
Yerevan have rejected any scenario of using force to unblock access to 
Nagorno-Karabakh.

As many as 14 members of the Crusaders group were detained on Tuesday during a 
protest in front of the government offices in central Yerevan demanding that 
they be armed with the intention of unblocking the corridor by force. The 
Interior Ministry told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that 13 of them were released 
shortly, but one protester was transferred to a preliminary investigation body 
on suspicion of carrying a knife.

It is unclear whether the obscure group has any immediate plans to try to 
confront the Azerbaijani checkpoints.

After spending some time in the vicinity of the Hakari bridge Crusaders members 
reportedly went back to the village of Kornidzor and then further to Goris.

One of the group members, Hovhannes Hovhannisian, published a video on TikTok, 
claiming that the police blocked their way in Kornidzor and did not allow them 
to move forward.

“We have arrived here, look with how many people they are blocking our way. They 
don’t let us go and pass this food [to Nagorno-Karabakh],” he said, referring to 
a convoy of 19 trucks with humanitarian aid that has been stranded near the 
entrance to the Lachin corridor on the Armenian side for nearly two weeks 
awaiting Azerbaijan’s approval to proceed to Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Let those who are Armenians, let veterans join us. But instead of joining us, 
instead of taking up arms and coming with us, they [police] point guns at us and 
threaten us with weapons,” Hovhannisian added.

Kornidzor village mayor Arshak Karapetian said that he did not have time to talk 
to the Crusaders and did not know what the group members were going to do in 
Goris.

“I just came to say hello and brought some water for them to drink. There were 
about 20-25 of them,” Karapetian said.

Before setting off to the southern Syunik province Crusaders members visited a 
military cemetery in Yerevan where soldiers killed in Nagorno-Karabakh wars are 
buried. From the place called Yerablur the commander of the group, Sargis 
Poghosian, called on others to join them.

“It seems to me that this is our last chance, we must do it, we must fight, we 
must not retreat, we must be able to win to save the people of Artsakh 
[Nagorno-Karabakh – ed.], we must save our families, our fellow Armenians. Dear 
people, we must not leave the people of Artsakh alone. Folks, come and join us 
before it is too late. Come and join us so that we can at least open the road, 
at least let food enter Artsakh, at least let people there go to bed with their 
stomachs full,” Poghosian said.

Official Baku has not yet commented on the presence of Armenian war veterans 
near the Azerbaijani checkpoint at the Hakari bridge threatening to unblock the 
road passing through what Azerbaijan considers to be its sovereign territory. In 
the recent past, however, both political and military officials in Azerbaijan 
vowed decisive actions against any “Armenian provocation.”


Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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