10:22,
YEREVAN, AUGUST 28, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani military opened gunfire late on Sunday evening at Armenian outposts in the Gegharkunik Province, the Ministry of Defense of Armenia said in a statement.
“On August 27, at around 11:30 p.m., Azerbaijani armed forces units fired from fire arms towards the Armenian combat outposts nearby Norabak,” the ministry said.
21:16,
YEREVAN, AUGUST 28, ARMENPRESS. The Foreign Ministry of Armenia called out the Azerbaijani authorities on Monday for derailing the ongoing peace efforts after three residents of Nagorno-Karabakh were kidnapped by Azeri border guards in the Lachin Corridor.
In a statement, the foreign ministry warned that Azerbaijan could be planning to subject the entire people of Nagorno-Karabakh to collective punishment.
“Today, on August 28, Azerbaijani law enforcement agencies in the illegally installed checkpoint in Lachin Corridor kidnapped residents of Nagorno-Karabakh Alen Sargsyan, Vahe Hovsepyan and Levon Grigoryan. The transport was agreed upon in advance and was being carried out with Russian peacekeeping escort, who were to control the uninterrupted connection between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh through Lachin Corridor in accordance with clause 6 of the 9 November 2020 trilateral statement. The abovementioned persons were being transported to the Republic of Armenia to continue their studies. This step by Azerbaijan, which was preceded by the kidnapping of 68-year-old Vagif Khachatryan on July 29, who was being transported to the Republic of Armenia by the International Committee of the Red Cross for urgent medical treatment, constitutes a gross violation of the 9 November 2020 trilateral statement, the binding decisions of the UN International Court of Justice and is an explicit disregard for the unequivocal and targeted calls by the international community, including the members of the UN Security Council. These incidents, which happened under various fake pretexts, bring about substantiated fears that Azerbaijan is overtly planning to subject to collective punishment the entire people of Nagorno-Karabakh, who in the 1990s and in 2020 was forced to withstand large-scale aggressions unleashed by Azerbaijan and defend its right to live peacefully in its own homeland. The policy of mass deprivation of all fundamental rights of the entire population of Nagorno-Karabakh regardless of age, gender or health condition, subjecting them to starvation, blocking supplies of medications, essential products, gas and electricity, terrorizing the entire people through targeting civilians with snipers and kidnappings and blocking the Lachin Corridor showcases the Azerbaijani leadership’s true intentions, i.e., to avoid dialogue with Nagorno-Karabakh at all cost and instead continue its policy of ethnic cleansing. Instead of supporting the steps aimed at establishing peace and stability in the region the Azerbaijani side is explicitly investing its entire efforts in the direction of derailing them. Preventing the ongoing mass crime, with the use of every available instrument is the direct obligation of all actors having influence on the situation and overall, the civilized world,” the foreign ministry said.
The California
Courier Online, August 31, 2023
1- Pashinyan’s
Gross Misconduct Dishonors
Everything
Armenians Hold Sacrosanct
By Harut
Sassounian
Publisher,
The California
Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
2- Armenian
community calls on Kim Kardashian to speak up for Artsakh
3- Three
Artsakh Armenian Students Kidnapped
by Azerbaijan while Crossing Lachin
Corridor
4- Wagner chief
Prigozhin, Armenian officer among 10 dead in Russia jet crash
************************************************************************************************************************************************
1- Pashinyan’s
Gross Misconduct Dishonors
Everything
Armenians Hold Sacrosanct
By Harut
Sassounian
Publisher,
The California
Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
Not a day passes without Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan
making a new blunder.
This is what happens when a yellow journalist becomes the
head of government. Most Armenians, blinded by their utter dislike of the
former leaders, welcomed him initially with open arms.
Fortunately, Pashinyan’s popularity has plummeted from 80%
five years ago to 13% last month. Over the years, various Armenian polls have
indicated a steady decline in his ratings. Nevertheless, he remains in power
and refuses to resign, especially after his calamitous mismanagement of the
2020 war, resulting in the loss of most of the Republic of Artsakh
and the deaths and injury of thousands of Armenian soldiers.
Pashinyan has made so many mistakes that it is hard to
mention them all. His biggest blunder was recognizing the Republic
of Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan,
thus dishonoring the sacrifices of thousands of dead and wounded Armenian
soldiers. He had no right ‘to gift’ Artsakh to Azerbaijan,
since the territory of the Republic of
Artsakh did not fall under the
jurisdiction of Armenia.
Among Pashinyan’s many other blunders are: swinging a hammer
in the air during the electoral campaign in 2021, threatening to bash the heads
of his political rivals and lay them on the asphalt. He then disparaged Armenians’
long-held devotion to Mt. Ararat, and criticized two of Armenia’s most
cherished state symbols: the coat of arms and national anthem.
More recently, Pashinyan complained about the 1990
Declaration of Armenia’s Independence, the
initial document that paved the way for the establishment of the Republic of Armenia, after seven decades of
Communist rule. He wrongly stated that the Declaration of Independence fomented
conflicts with Azerbaijan
and Turkey
which is at odds with his ‘peace agenda.’
The Declaration of Independence had referred to the 1989
unification act adopted by the legislatures of Soviet Armenia and the
autonomous region of Nagorno-Karabagh. It had also declared that the Republic of Armenia
supports the “international recognition of the 1915 Genocide in Ottoman Turkey
and Western Armenia.” Subsequently, Armenia’s
constitution referred to the Declaration of Independence.
Last week, on the occasion of the 33rd anniversary of the
Declaration of Independence, Pashinyan stated: “A critical analysis of the text
of the Declaration shows that we eventually chose a narrative and content based
on the formula that made us part of the Soviet Union; namely, a confrontational
narrative with the regional environment that was to keep us in constant conflicts
with our neighbors.”
Pashinyan misinterpreted the Declaration of Independence
from the Soviet Union as being “based on the formula that made us part of the Soviet Union.” His faulty explanation is the exact
opposite of what the text actually stated.
Pashinyan went on to push forward his unrealistic and
defeatist ‘peace agenda’ to normalize Armenia’s
relations with Azerbaijan
and Turkey.
He does not seem to understand that begging for peace does not lead to peace.
This is simply a formula for more humiliation and war. While blindly pushing
for peace, he contradicted himself by stating that Azerbaijan is committing genocide
against Artsakh Armenians. How can genocide and peace coexist?
Pashinyan’s many criticisms indicate that he is opposed to
all symbols and values of the independent Republic of Armenia.
His eventual goal is to appease Azerbaijan
and Turkey by eliminating
all references to Artsakh and giving up the pursuit of genocide claims from Turkey.
In the meantime, Pashinyan has completely forgotten the
dozens of Armenian prisoners of war who have been detained and tortured in Baku since the 2020 war.
Not only he has taken no action to liberate them, but has not even mentioned
them. This is the result of his failure to have Armenia
and Azerbaijan
simultaneously exchange all their prisoners of war, as stated in their 2020
agreement. Instead, right after the war, Pashinyan released all Azeri prisoners
in return for a small number of Armenian prisoners.
Furthermore, after occupying most of Artsakh,
Azerbaijan has taken over
parts of the territory of the Republic
of Armenia. Pashinyan has
made no effort to dislodge the enemy. Protecting Armenia’s borders is one of the key
responsibilities of the Prime Minister.
Pashinyan’s security agents silence all those who disagree
with his defeatist ‘peace plan,’ whether they live in Armenia or the
Diaspora. Patriotic Armenians and non-Armenians who support the Armenian Cause
are banned from visiting Armenia,
while the inhabitants of Armenia
are harassed and arrested if they dare to protest or criticize Pashinyan. In
the meantime, Turkish denialists and extremist grey wolf members are free to
roam Armenia and insult the
memory of Armenian Genocide victims at the Genocide Memorial in Yerevan.
This is the exact opposite of what a democratic country
should be, where freedom of _expression_ is the basic right of the people.
Regrettably, a man who came to power claiming to establish democracy and
democratic freedoms has done the exact opposite. All powers and decision-making
authority is concentrated in the hands of one man who consults no one and
listens to no one. Neither the Ministers nor the Parliament nor the President
nor the courts have any say in Pashinyan’s autocratic decisions.
************************************************************************************************************************************************
2- Armenian community calls on Kim
Kardashian to speak up for Artsakh
(The International News)—On Saturday, August 26, a group of
Armenian-Americans gathered outside the entrance to the exclusive Hidden Hills
community in Calabasas, California, where the 42-year-old reality
star resides with her children. This gated community also houses several other
members of the celebrity family, including sisters Kourtney, Khloe, Kylie
Jenner, and their mother Kris Jenner.
During this demonstration, protesters displayed Armenian
tricolor flags and brandished signs with messages, such as ‘Kim, Speak up for
Artsakh’ and ‘Kim, Your People Need You.’
Kardashian has strong familial ties to the community. Kim’s
late father, Robert Kardashian, was a third-generation Armenian-American, thus
grounding their connection to the Armenian heritage.
Kim, along with her sisters Kourtney and Khloe, embarked on
a journey to Armenia
in 2015 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide.
************************************************************************************************************************************************
3- Three Artsakh Armenian Students
Kidnapped
by Azerbaijan
while Crossing Lachin Corridor
YEREVAN
(Armenpress)—Artsakh authorities are unable to contact two students who were
taken into interrogation by Azeri border guards in the Lachin Corridor’s
illegal Azeri checkpoint, the Artsakh Human Rights Defender Gegham Stepanyan
said in a statement.
Another student was kidnapped by Azeri border guards and
taken into an unknown direction, Stepanyan said.
All three men are students of universities in Armenia; they were among 170 others who were
being transported by Russian peacekeepers from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia on
August 28. The 22-year-old student, Alen Sargsyan, was kidnapped by the use of
force by Azeri border guards.
Another 5 persons were taken into an interrogation room
where they were questioned by Azeri border guards on various issues, such as
their purpose of visiting Armenia,
the economic situation in Armenia
and Artsakh and others.
Stepanyan said the border guards had pre-arranged lists of
persons. Two people who were on this list—Vahe Hovsepyan and Levon
Grigoryan—did not cross the illegal checkpoint but Nagorno-Karabakh authorities
are unable to contact them.
President of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan convened a Security
Council meeting to discuss the measures taken by his administration to
determine the fate of the men kidnapped by Azerbaijani border guards and return
them home.Harutyunyan and the officials also discussed the situation in
Artsakh, possible developments and the tasks of the authorities, his office
said in a statement.
“President Harutyunyan informed the participants of the
session about the steps taken in the direction of determining the fate of the
citizens of Artsakh Republic who were kidnapped by Azerbaijan and
returning them home. The situation in Artsakh, possible developments and tasks
of the authorities for withstanding the daily worsening humanitarian disaster
and solving security issues were discussed,” Harutyunyan’s office said.
According to Azerbaijani media reports, the arrested
Armenians are football players of the Martuni Avo club who have been wanted by
Azerbaijani law enforcement agencies since 2021 for allegedly “dishonoring” the
Azerbaijani flag. They face a 10-day jail term.
**********************************************************************************************************************************************
4- Wagner chief
Prigozhin, Armenian officer among 10 dead in Russia jet crash
(Armenpress)—A business jet crash in Russia has
killed ten. Wagner Mercenary Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was on the passenger
list, authorities say.
The Embraer business jet crashed in the Tver region, all on
board were killed, Russisn media quoted the Emergency Ministry as saying.
“The Embraer plane was flying from Sheremetyevo to St. Petersburg. There
were three pilots and seven passengers on board. All of them died,” the source
said.
The emergency services told TASS that the bodies of four
people had been found.
It was noted that the plane burned down when it hit the
ground, it was in flight for less than half an hour.
Yevgeny Makaryan was also with Prigozhin in the plane that
crashed in Tver marz. According to Russian media, he was a former district policeman,
joined Wagner HRC in 2016, and fought in Syria. Makaryan was 38 years old
and lived in the Chelyabinsk
region.
On June 24, Prigozhin and his mercenary forces staged a
dramatic uprising against Russia’s
Vladimir Putin. However, the rebellion was dramatically called off before the
rebels reached the capital city.
The potential coup could have dramatically impacted Armenia and
Artsakh, if Russian Peacekeepers withdrew from Artsakh, leaving Armenians there
vulnerable to Azeri attacks. Any Russian withdrawal from the region, including Armenia, could threaten Armenia’s protection from attacks by Azerbaijan and Turkey.
***********************************************************************************************************************************************
************************************************************************************************************************************************
California Courier Online provides readers of the Armenian News News Service with a
few of the articles in this week’s issue of The California Courier. Letters to
the editor are encouraged through our e-mail address, .
Letters are published with the author’s name and location; authors are required
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emailing .
16:28,
YEREVAN, AUGUST 28, ARMENPRESS. A delegation of India’s National Defense College is visiting Armenia from August 27 to 31.
The delegation is led by the Commandant of the college, Lieutenant General Sukriti Singh Dahiya, the Armenian Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
The delegation is comprised of military and civilian high-level representatives from India, France, Brazil, Nigeria, Mongolia and Sri Lanka.
On August 28, Lieutenant General Edward Asryan, the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia and the First Deputy Minister of Defense, as well as other high-ranking officials, held a meeting with the delegation at the Ministry of Defense headquarters.
The delegation then met with Levon Ayvazyan, the Head of the Department of Defense Policy and International Cooperation of the ministry, and also visited the National Defense Research University.
A wide range of issues relating to regional security, Armenia’s defense policy, military reforms, military education and military science were discussed during the meetings.
Minister of Defense Suren Papikyan will also hold a meeting with the delegation.
By PanARMENIAN
French President Emmanuel macron has commented on the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), maintaining that “it’s not longer time for diplomacy.”
“Our diplomacy is clear but the time is not for diplomacy. I deplore it and I condemn it. We have always said that we are there for the sovereignty of the people,” Macron said, adding that the question of Nagorno-Karabakh is complicated.
“France condemned the 2020 war and organized several humanitarian operations. Today, we are doing everything so that an agreement allowing a lasting peace and the safety of peoples and cultures is found between Armenia and Azerbaijan. This peace treaty is a necessity, but it must comply with international law.”
Macron said, however, that he would be carefule when using the term “genocide” to describe the situation in Karabakh.
“We have a humanitarian situation which is not acceptable, especially for the Lachin corridor. France’s role is to maintain pressure on humanitarian access, and we are making efforts to achieve this. In particular, we continue to take all useful initiatives to ensure that food and medicine are sent and that free access to Nagorno-Karabakh is ensured.”
The French President added that Armenia itself is threatened as well.
Since December 12, 2022, the sole road connecting Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia – the Lachin Corridor – has been blocked by Azerbaijan. Baku tightened the blockade on June 15, 2023, banning emergency relief supplies that were carried out by Russian peacekeepers and the International Committee of the Red Cross through the sole road connecting Karabakh to Armenia and the outside world. The move aggravated the shortages of food, medicine and other essential items experienced by the region’s population. On August 15, Karabakh Human Rights Defender’s office reported the first case of death from starvation.
https://www.eurasiareview.com/28082023-macron-on-karabakh-its-no-longer-time-for-diplomacy/
15:33,
YEREVAN, AUGUST 25, ARMENPRESS. Iran has reiterated its support to Armenia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Ambassador of Iran to Armenia Mehdi Sobhani, on August 25, said that Iran “defends the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Armenia.”
“Our principled policy is to develop relations with the Republic of Armenia. We defend Armenia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” Ambassador Sobhani told reporters during an economic exhibition in Yerevan.
The ambassador added that Armenia and Iran have never had any problems in any area or level, especially since Armenia regained its independence.
12:46,
YEREVAN, AUGUST 26, ARMENPRESS. Italy’s northern city of Milan registered a new record high average daily temperature of 33 Celsius (91.4 Fahrenheit) on Wednesday as a heatwave which began around mid-August reached its peak, Reuters reported citing the regional environmental protection agency (ARPA).
It was the hottest day since the Milano Brera weather station started recording temperatures in 1763. Milan’s previous record of 32.8 C was set on Aug. 11, 2003.
The Italian capital Rome registered a record peak of 41.8 Celsius (°C) in July, as much of southern Europe broiled this summer, fuelling wildfires, prompting governments to issue health warnings, and disrupting holidays for many tourists.
ARPA said in a statement that Aug. 23 and 24 have been the hottest days of the summer across the whole of the Lombardy region which surrounds Milan, with several towns registering peak temperatures above 40 C.
PUBLISHED YESTERDAY
Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry argues Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly is undermining peace in the Nagorno-Karabakh region by referring to the area with the name used by Armenian secessionists.
Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but it is mostly populated by Armenians, and neighbouring Armenia has fought for control of the region for decades.
Tensions rose in the area last fall when the region’s main access road was blocked, leading to shortages of food and medicine that groups such as Human Rights Watch blame on Azerbaijan.
Canada is planning to send two officials to support a European monitoring mission that is aiming to prevent another war in the region.
This week, during a speech to Montreal’s Armenian community, Joly referred to the area as Artsakh, a term used by ethnic Armenians who want the area to secede from Azerbaijan.
In a Wednesday statement, Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry argues Joly is making “one-sided statements” that are “unacceptable” and threaten the country’s territorial integrity.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-nagorno-karabakh-azerbaijan-chides-joly-for-unacceptable-comments-to/
In a recent speech, Joly referred to the region as Artsakh, a term used by ethnic Armenians who want the area to secede from Azerbaijan
Tensions rose in the area last fall when the region’s main access road was blocked, leading to shortages of food and medicine that groups such as Human Rights Watch blame on Azerbaijan.
Canada is planning to send two officials to support a European monitoring mission that is aiming to prevent another war in the region.
Last Saturday, during a speech at the Armenian Community Centre of Montreal, Joly referred to the region as Artsakh, a term used by ethnic Armenians who want the area to secede from Azerbaijan.
In part of the speech posted on social media, Joly is seen saying that she plans to raise the Nagorno-Karabakh situation in upcoming summits held by the G20, G7 and United Nations.
“The region, and particularly Armenians, are facing a real threat in Artsakh,” Joly said. “We need to bring this issue of Artsakh at every single diplomatic table we have access to.”
In a Wednesday statement, Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry argues Joly is making “one-sided statements” that support “separatism and revanchist forces” in the country.
“Such statements (by) Canada do nothing to serve the peace and stability in the region, and are unacceptable,” ministry spokesman Aykhan Hajizada wrote in a press release.
“We once again demand from Canada to refrain from such provocative steps and to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.”
Earlier this month, Conservative Sen. Leo Housakos referred to the Republic of Artsakh in an open letter congratulating a politician for his election as speaker to the breakaway region’s national assembly.
A search of United Nations agencies and debates at its General Assembly suggests “Artsakh” is not used by countries other than Armenia to refer to the region. A search of federal websites suggests Canada has never used the term in official documents, other than when quoting the names or titles used by external groups.
Online critics of Joly compared using the term Artsakh to referring to parts of Ukraine that have been annexed by Russia by Moscow’s nomenclature, such as the Donetsk People’s Republic, a term only Syria and North Korea have joined in using.
But the head of the Armenian National Committee of Canada said Joly was using a word that Armenians have used to describe their home for generations.
“I think the minister did send a strong message by using that term,” Sevag Belian said.
“It was a tactical move by the minister to send that message, to say that this is a region (with) Armenians living in it, and they cannot just simply be ignored, they cannot be left to starvation.”
Meanwhile, a worsening humanitarian situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh region is drawing increased international attention.
Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations, Bob Rae, wrote on Twitter this week that a humanitarian corridor must be enacted to stop an “unconscionable” blockade.
Housakos compared Azerbaijan’s blockade to the Holodomor, the starvation of Ukrainians starting in 1932 which Canada has formally recognized as an act of genocide by the Soviet Union.
Earlier this month, the former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo, warned that Azerbaijan is preparing for genocide in Nagorno-Karabakh, citing a UN definition that includes “deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction.”
https://nationalpost.com/news/melanie-joly-undermining-peace-nagorno-karabakh-region
13:39,
YEREVAN, AUGUST 24, ARMENPRESS. Ambassador-at-Large Edmon Marukyan has called on the international community to stop the ongoing policy of ethnic cleansing by Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh.
“In Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan conducts a classic policy of ethnic cleansing,” Marukyan said in a post on X. “According to our information, Baku is planning a one-way opening of the Lachin Corridor in order to push the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh out of the territory without the possibility of return. This is a classic policy of ethnic cleansing: at first they shoot, kill, capture people incessantly, starve them for a long time, and then open the road for exit only so that people forced by these inhumane conditions leave Nagorno Karabakh without the possibility of returning. This must be stopped by international intervention. End the blockade of Lachin Corridor,” Marukyan added, addressing President of the United States Joe Biden, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, French President Emmanuel Macron, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, President of the European Council Charles Michel and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell.