Author: Emil Lazarian

 10:06, 30 August 2023

STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS. Residents in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) have blocked the Aghdam-Stepanakert road after Azerbaijani authorities announced plans to send what they described as “humanitarian aid” through that road in an apparent effort to whitewash their own lengthy record of human rights violations and disregard for international law. 

The Azerbaijani authorities, who have caused a humanitarian disaster in Nagorno-Karabakh by blocking the Lachin Corridor, have now unilaterally decided to send what they described as “humanitarian aid” to the victims of their own actions. Meanwhile, the Azerbaijani authorities themselves have been blocking Armenian and French humanitarian convoys at the entrance of Lachin Corridor.

Nagorno-Karabakhis believe that Azerbaijan’s move is actually a publicity stunt for the international community and part of a plan to subjugate Nagorno-Karabakh because Baku doesn’t have any intentions of helping them.

The residents blocking the road said despite the severe humanitarian crisis they don’t want to accept any help from a “murderous state,” which has itself created the crisis by blockading the Lachin Corridor.

“We can’t allow the opening of this road, because it would mean the death of Artsakhis. If the Azerbaijanis were to enter Artsakh even under the pretext of humanitarian aid, we wouldn’t be able to stop them. We don’t have the right to open this road, it will bring us death, as a result of doing so we would gradually leave Artsakh,” one of the demonstrators warned.

Former Mayor of Askeran, Alyosha Gabrielyan, told Artsakh news outlet that the Azerbaijanis have passed through the Russian peacekeeping checkpoint and want to install tents.

“We are two to four hundred meters away from the Azerbaijanis. We are here to obstruct the access of that so-called aid. We don’t need their aid. Let them open the Lachin Corridor,” Gabrielyan said.

Russian peacekeepers said they won’t allow the Azerbaijanis to advance any further, according to Davit Ghahramanyan, a photojournalist with the Artsakh InfoCenter.

 14:28, 30 August 2023

YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Defense Suren Papikyan has met with a delegation from India’s National Defense College led by Commandant of the college, Lieutenant General Sukriti Singh Dahiya.

India’s Ambassador to Armenia Nilakshi Saha Sinha accompanied the delegation.

Suren Papikyan welcomed Lieutenant General Sukriti Singh Dahiya and the other members of the delegation representing other partner countries. He highly appreciated the initiative of visiting Armenia given the current course of development of the Armenian-Indian relations in the defense sector, the defense ministry said in a press release.

Minister Papikyan presented the ongoing military reforms and the course and prospects of the defense cooperation between Armenia and India, and answered the questions asked by members of the delegation.

 15:01, 30 August 2023

YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS. Armenia has filed an application to the European Court of Human Rights with a request to indicate interim measures against the Government of Azerbaijan to protect the rights of the three civilians who were kidnapped in Lachin Corridor on August 28, the Office of the Representative of Armenia on International Legal Matters said in a statement.

 15:30, 30 August 2023

YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS. Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh have closed the Aghdam-Stepanakert road with barricades and barbed wire after Azerbaijani authorities said they were sending what they described as “humanitarian aid” through that road, a move vehemently decried by Nagorno-Karabakh as an attempt by Baku to subjugate them and mislead the international community.

Videos posted online show Russian peacekeepers blocking the part of the road where the Azeri trucks are now parked.

The road is blocked by residents of Nagorno-Karabakh as well, who have installed tents there. Nagorno-Karabakh has rejected any Azeri aid and insists on the reopening of the Lachin Corridor. 

Azerbaijanis have also installed tents in that section.

Meanwhile, the Azerbaijani authorities themselves have been blocking Armenian and French humanitarian convoys at the entrance of Lachin Corridor.

Lachin Corridor has been blocked by Azerbaijan since late 2022, resulting in an ongoing humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh.

 10:59, 1 September 2023

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. The United States Congress Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission will hold a on September 6 on the ongoing blockade of the Lachin corridor. This will be the second on Nagorno-Karabakh this year at the commission.

Luis Moreno Ocampo, the former Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, released his personal Expert Opinion on August 7, stating that “there is a reasonable basis to believe that a Genocide is being committed against Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023” and emphasizing that under the Genocide Conventions all states have a “duty to prevent” genocide. At the Mr. Ocampo will present his Expert Opinion on the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission said in a press release.

David L. Phillips, Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University, and Director of Columbia University’s Artsakh Atrocities Project, will testify on facts relevant to gathering the intent of the government of Azerbaijan, including as available on the web page “Atrocities Artsakh.”

This will be open to Members of Congress, congressional staff, the interested public, and the media. The will be livestreamed via the Commission website.

The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission held a  on June 21 on Safeguarding the People of Nagorno-Karabakh.

 13:05, 1 September 2023

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan is amassing military equipment and troops near the Armenian border in the direction of Sotk, the Armenian Ministry of Defense said in a statement on Friday.

“As a result of the monitoring of the relevant units of the Armenian Armed Forces, measures of concentration of military equipment and additional personnel of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces are recorded in the direction of Sotk,” reads a statement released by the defense ministry.

 13:40, 1 September 2023

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani military continues to target Armenian border outposts with small arms and mortar fire, the Armenian Ministry of Defense said in a statement on Friday.

“At around 1:30 p.m., units of the Azerbaijani armed forces continue to fire from fire arms and mortars towards the Armenian combat outposts nearby Norabak and Sotk. The Ministry of Defence will make an additional report,” the ministry said in a statement on social media.

 15:14, 1 September 2023

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. The UK Ambassador to Armenia John Gallagher hosted a farewell reception for departing Chevening Scholars who have been selected for Master’s degree scholarships at UK universities in 2023-2024, the UK Embassy said in a press release.

Members of the wider Chevening alumni family joined the event to congratulate the newcomers and to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Chevening.

The Ambassador also presented certificates to the four successful Scholars. He said:

“For 40 years, Chevening has been building a global network of over 55000 Alumni who are creating positive change in their communities and for the world. An impressive bunch of around 200 Armenians grace this huge Chevening family.”

“Today, I congratulate these amazing four people who have joined them and will be studying at UK’s best universities through Chevening Scholarships. I wish them good luck for this new chapter and hope they will invest their UK experience and knowledge in the development of Armenia.”

Chevening Scholarships are the UK Government’s global scholarship programme, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and partner organisations. The scholarships support Master’s degrees studies at UK universities for individuals with demonstrable potential to become future leaders, decision-makers, and opinion formers.

As of today, there are around 200 Chevening alumni in Armenia, among them senior government officials and staff, members of parliament, influential civil society representatives and opinion makers, media professionals, staff of international agencies, and businesses.

Applications for 2024/2025 Chevening Scholarships will be open between 12 September and 7 November 2023.

 15:31, 1 September 2023

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Chairman Raffi Hamparian has called upon U.S. Senators to place a hold on all nominations to the State Department, blocking any new confirmations until President Biden takes decisive action to break Azerbaijan’s 260+ day blockade of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).

The ANCA’s call is backed up by a nationwide advocacy campaign, empowering Armenian and allied Americans from all fifty states to send letters urging their Senators to take this principled stand – in accord with U.S. interests and American values. The action portal is www.anca.org/hold.

The ANCA is asking that a hold on U.S. diplomatic nominees remain in place until the Biden Administration has undertaken demonstrable steps to:

– Lead a United Nations Security Council Resolution condemning Azerbaijan’s blockade of Artsakh, sanctioning the Aliyev regime, and putting in place mechanisms to open land transit via the Lachin Corridor and to airlift supplies to Artsakh.

– Stop any new, current, or pending U.S. military or security assistance to Azerbaijan, and fully enforce Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act.

– Deliver emergency U.S. humanitarian assistance and longer term development aid to the Armenian victims of Azerbaijani aggression in Nagorno Karabakh, including by means of a humanitarian airlift;

– Enforce statutory sanctions against Azerbaijani officials responsible for the genocidal blockade of Nagorno Karabakh.

 16:37, 1 September 2023

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. The EU strongly believes the Lachin corridor must be unblocked, the spokesperson of Charles Michel, President of the European Council, said in a statement on September 1.

The current humanitarian situation on the ground is deteriorating rapidly and it is imperative to take steps to address the needs of the local population, Michel’s spokesperson Ecaterina Casinge said in the statement.

Below is the full statement.

“President Michel has continued to be intensely engaged in advancing the Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization process. His efforts over the past weeks, supported by Toivo Klaar, EUSR for the South Caucasus, have focused as a priority on addressing the humanitarian situation of Karabakh Armenians.

EUSR Klaar and President Michel’s team have been in frequent contact with Baku, Yerevan and representatives of Karabakh Armenians to work out a solution for unblocking access.

The current humanitarian situation on the ground is deteriorating rapidly; it is imperative to take steps to address the needs of the local population.

European Council President Charles Michel has proposed a step-by-step approach which would reflect a sequencing in the full-fledged operation of the Lachin corridor and the opening of the Ağdam route.

Sequencing of these steps and the type of cargo that would be delivered by each of these roads, as well as attendant procedures, have been the core of the recent discussions.

The EU strongly believes the Lachin corridor must be unblocked, in line with past agreements and the ICJ Order, and notes that the use of the Ağdam road to provide supplies can also be part of a concrete and sustainable solution to the provision of urgent and daily basic needs. Discussions on these elements had started following the last meeting of the leaders in Brussels on 15 July 2023.

The EU side has also stressed the need for Baku to provide clarity to Karabakh Armenians in terms of procedures for their movements through Lachin corridor to and from Armenia.

In parallel, exchanges have also focused on restoring electricity and gas supplies to Karabakh Armenians as soon as possible.

Beyond the immediate situation, the EU side has stressed the need to address legacies of the conflict to facilitate a long-term sustainable resolution.

Dialogue between Baku and representatives of Armenians living in the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast will be essential in this regard. The rights and security of Karabakh Armenians must be guaranteed and discussions on specific modalities should start as soon as possible.

The dialogue between Baku and the Karabakh Armenians needs to strengthen confidence and trust. To this end the EU has provided various suggestions for international support to this process, as well as for engagement on the ground to underpin the implementation of agreements reached.

All the above efforts have only one goal: ensure irreversible normalization of relations between Baku and Yerevan for the benefit of all populations on the ground. It is now time for courageous compromise solutions, also in light of today’s escalation.

The EU has been engaged with other international actors in these efforts, through regular personal contacts and exchanges of views on how best address the current unsustainable situation.”