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

Azeri aggression against Artsakh is continuation of Armenian Genocide – U.S. Congressman

Emil Lazarian

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 10:48,

YEREVAN, APRIL 20, ARMENPRESS. United States Congressman Frank Pallone has said that Azerbaijan’s aggression against Artsakh and the blockade of Lachin Corridor are the continuation of the Armenian Genocide.

He made the remarks at the Congressional Armenian Genocide Observance – 2023.

Pallone said that Azerbaijan continues military invasions into Armenia.

He expressed hope that eventually pressure from the US and other Minsk Group Co-Chairs will contribute to the opening of the Lachin Corridor and that as a result of talks Artsakh will be ultimately recognized as an Armenian territory in any capacity.

Watch Congressman Pallone’s speech at the event from 3:30 in the video below.

Azerbaijani soldier who crossed into Armenia charged with murder

Emil Lazarian
 

ByAni AvetisyanandIsmi Aghayev

Armenia’s prosecutor’s office has charged one of two Azerbaijani soldiers captured in Armenia with murdering a security guard at the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Prosecutor General said that Huseyn Akhundov shot Hayrapet Meliksetyan, 56, on 12 April, stole his phone, and then recorded a video on that phone, later posting it on his social media. 

In the video, which spread on Armenian and Azerbaijani social media after Akhundov’s capture, the soldier says that he had ‘shed Armenian blood’, claiming to have ‘beheaded’ Armenians. 

The porescutor’s statement alleges that Akhundov also attempted to steal the guard’s car, but failed and continued by foot, adding that the soldier had planned to cross into Iran from Armenia. 

A day after the murder, Akhundov was detained near the village of Achanan, Syunik; about 25 kilometres from Shgharshik, where he allegedly killed Meliksetyan with several gunshots. 

[Read more: Second Azerbaijani soldier captured in Armenia]

On Tuesday, the Prosecutor’s Office amended the charges against the soldier, adding murder to the earlier charges of illegal border-crossing and illegally carrying weapons across the border. 

‘Deeply troubling’ footage

Huseyn Akhundov and Agshin Babirov were both detained within Armenia last week after entering the country from Azerbaijan’s autonomous exclave of Nakhchivan. Azerbaijan’s Defence Ministry claimed that the soldiers had crossed the border earlier that week, after getting lost due to poor visibility. 

The soldiers were first seen in Syunik region, around 15 kilometres from the border with Nakhchivan, on 9 April. Agshin Babirov was captured by people from the village of Ashotavan the following day. 

Akhundov was found and detained on 14 April later near the village of Achanan, 40 kilometres from the border with Nakhchivan. At the time of Akhundov’s capture, local people claimed that he was responsible for the murder of Meliketsyan, but official statements underscored that this was not yet supported by evidence. 

The soldier’s civilian captors physically abused him and later posted footage of this on social media, drawing condemnation from Armenian and Azerbaijani commentators, as well as international organisations. 

On 17 April, the Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the OSCE issued a statement describing the footage as ‘deeply troubling’ and calling for the incident to be investigated immediately. 

The same day, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister, Jeyhun Bayramov, raised the issue of the Azerbaijani prisoners during a meeting with Louis Bono, the US Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations, and stressed the importance of their immediate release.


Washington needs a new approach on Nagorno-Karabakh

Emil Lazarian
OPINION
by Michael Rubin
  11:06 AM

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s words on Tuesday were chilling. Forget integration. Forget diplomacy. He demanded Armenia declare, “Karabakh is Azerbaijan,” or face the consequences. “Either they [Armenians] should accept Azerbaijani citizenship or find another place of residence,” he said.

This is a call to transfer a millennia-old population. It is no accident that his words come as Armenians prepare to commemorate their previous genocide. Ethnic Armenians, meanwhile, refuse to place their security under Aliyev, given Azerbaijan’s record of pogroms, ethnic incitement, cultural denial, and destruction of centuries-old Armenian heritage.

Censuses dating back to the 19th and early 20th centuries, and physical and anecdotal evidence before that, show Nagorno-Karabakh to be historically Armenian. A century ago, Joseph Stalin transferred the mountainous region to Azerbaijan, however, as he sought to gerrymander the Caucasus to ensure ethnic identity was subordinate to the political and economic interests of the nascent Soviet Union. While, under the Soviet constitution, Nagorno-Karabakh’s secession from Azerbaijan was legal and its referendum in favor of the move overwhelming, the United States and the international community continue to recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as belonging to Azerbaijan, even as they call for diplomacy to resolve the dispute.

Azerbaijan’s threats and Aliyev’s belittling of the Minsk Group diplomatic process undercut any legal basis for a State Department waiver to Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act. That legislation ties American assistance to Azerbaijan to its commitment to resolve conflicts diplomatically. Behind the scenes, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has defied the law, arguing that Azerbaijan is too strategically important. On this, he lives in the past.

Just as Turkey coasted on its reputation as a pro-Western asset while President Recep Tayyip Erdogan eviscerated the country from the inside, so too is the reality of Azerbaijan today at sharp dissonance to its reputation in Washington. Simply put, the U.S. owes Azerbaijan nothing, given its recent efforts to launder both Iranian and Russian oil. Like Turkey, it plays both sides of the Ukraine and Iran matters and treats Blinken and key senators and representatives as useful idiots. On one issue, however, Aliyev is correct. Diplomacy has not worked. The reason is simple: It takes two sincere partners. Aliyev shows insincerity.

It is time for a new approach: The State Department’s recognition of Stalin’s cynical border adjustments today disincentivizes diplomacy. If Blinken wants Aliyev to negotiate sincerely, the State Department should rescind its recognition of Azerbaijani sovereignty and declare the entirety of Nagorno-Karabakh to be absent of the sovereignty of either Azerbaijan or Armenia pending the outcome of negotiations.

To do so would encourage both sides to negotiate sincerely. It would also ease international efforts to broker talks by lifting the de facto veto Azerbaijan exercises on access by American and European diplomats to the besieged communities in Nagorno-Karabakh. It would also benefit the local population by enabling mine clearance specialists from U.S.- and U.K.-funded groups such as HALO Trust to clear fields, roads, and villages, activities that Aliyev currently impedes.

Diplomats might additionally accommodate local feelings via a referendum and enable local travel through the issuance of temporary travel papers, such as the United Nations once provided to Palestinian refugees. To ensure that Azerbaijan does not simply seek to conduct a military fait accompli, such revocation of recognition of Azerbaijan’s should coincide with the deployment of European, perhaps neutral Scandinavian, peacekeepers in the territory.

Aliyev has rejected the Minsk Group. For diplomacy to succeed, Blinken must bury Stalin’s legacy. It is time to negotiate Nagorno-Karabakh’s sovereignty based not on the whims of a Soviet dictator but on the democratic and cultural aspirations of its people.

Michael Rubin (@mrubin1971) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential. He is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

 

Armenpress: Wrestler Arsen Harutyunyan becomes three-time champion of the European Championship

Emil Lazarian

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 20:40,

YEREVAN, APRIL 19, ARMENPRESS. Arsen Harutyunyan, a member of the Armenian freestyle wrestling team, became a three-time champion of the European Championship.

ARMENPRESS reports, 61 kg Arsen Harutyunyan competed with Albania’s Zalimkhan Abakarov at the European Freestyle Wrestling Championship in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. The Armenian wrestler won with a score of 5:2.

Arsen Harutyunyan became the champion of the European Championship in 2019 and 2022. He is a participant of the Tokyo Olympics, a two-time bronze medalist of the World Championship.

Earlier, Vazgen Tevanyan became the gold medalist of the European Championship in the 65 kg weight category.

Aliyev Demands that Armenia Announce ‘Karabakh is Azerbaijan’

Emil Lazarian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 

 

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

President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan

In his latest unhinged statements, President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan demanded that Armenia publicly announce that “Karabakh is Azerbaijan.”

Recalling Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s now infamous announcement in Stepanakert that “Artsakh is Armenia,” the Azerbaijani leader said in an interview published on the president’s website on Tuesday that the time has come for Armenia to acknowledge Karabakh as Azerbaijan.

“Armenia, which used to say that ‘Karabakh is Armenia. Period’ must now repeat our words that “Karabakh is Azerbaijan and exclamation point,’” Aliyev told Azerbaijani State Television during an interview.

“Having shown its readiness for a peace treaty based on the Alma-Ata Declaration, Armenia should now officially declare that Karabakh is Azerbaijan,” reiterated Aliyev, referring to an agreement between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan reached last year in Prague, where they pledged to recognize each other’s territorial integrity based on a 1991 declaration that defined the borders of the Commonwealth of Independent States after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

“We have repeatedly stated that we will not discuss our domestic affairs with any country and Karabakh is our domestic affair. Armenians living in Karabakh should either accept Azerbaijani citizenship or find another place to live,” threatened Aliyev.

He went on to assert that Azerbaijan “owns” the territory of Artsakh and continues to emphasize this point by using derogatory terms against Artsakh Armenian, whom he called “separatists,” including the former leaders of Armenia.

“The separatists should also understand that they have two options: either they will live under the Azerbaijani flag or they will leave. We have chased Serzhik Sarkisian, Robert Kocharian and Seyran Ohanyan, the main figures of the separatists, out of Karabakh like dogs and brought them to their knees. They came to Karabakh during the Second Karabakh War supposedly to fight against us. All three ran away from our lands like rabbits. None of them can poke their nose into Khankendi [Stepanakert] or any other place now,” said Aliyev.

He also called the current leadership in Artsakh “clowns.”

“The separatists, who are currently inventing some fictitious names for themselves – one calls himself a president, another calls himself a minister, another one calls himself a speaker of some parliament – this group of clowns must finally understand that they cannot test our patience,” Aliyev added. “We have tried to explain to them many times in different ways that they will either follow our word or they will be ejected from there.”

He called the residents of Artsakh “hostages” to the Artsakh and Armenian leadership, whom he called “leeches.”

“I am sure that the majority of the Armenian population currently living in Karabakh is ready to accept Azerbaijani citizenship. Simply put, these leeches, these predatory animals won’t let them do that. They won’t let these people live comfortably, having kept them as hostages for 30 years,” declared Aliyev.

“Everyone should hear this – both the Armenian leaders and the forces standing behind them today. No-one can influence our will. We have proven it – both during and after the war. If necessary, we will prove it again in any way or form,” said Aliyev.


Asbarez: Pashinyan Further Distances His Government from Artsakh

Emil Lazarian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 

 

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

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addresses Parliament on Apr. 18


In remarks made in Parliament on Tuesday, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, in his usual combative tone, further distanced himself and his government from Artsakh, saying that when Armenia agreed to negotiate with Azerbaijan based on the Madrid Principles in 2007 it recognized Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan.

Pashinyan was in parliament to present a progress report on his government’s so-called 2021-2026 Action Plan, with an emphasis on achievements in 2022.

The remarks about Artsakh were made in response to an opposition Armenia faction lawmaker’s question regarding the absence of advancing self-determination for the people of Artsakh from the 2022 report.

Pashinyan, in his usual tone of blaming the current situation on his predecessors, claimed that “negotiations legacy” that he inherited in 2018, when he came to power, already stipulated that Armenia had recognized Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan.

The Armenian prime minister’s remarks came on the same day that President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan demanded that Armenia announce that “Karabakh is Azerbaijan,” recalling Pashinyan’s infamous statement in Stepanakert that “Artsakh is Armenia.”

Pashinyan also said that Armenia has fully recognized Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and anticipated that Azerbaijan does the same by “recognizing the entire territory of the Armenian SSR as the Republic of Armenia.”

“The peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan would become realistic if the two countries recognize each other’s territorial integrity without ambiguities and traps and assume obligation to not make territorial claims against each other, now or ever,” Pashinyan told lawmakers.
Pashinyan reminded that such an agreement was reached with the Azerbaijani president during their meetings in Prague and Sochi on October 6 and October 31 in 2022 respectively.

Pashinyan said that Azerbaijan’s accusations that Armenia is refusing to fully recognize Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity during the peace treaty talks are untrue. He said that Armenia itself offered to attach the maps of the Armenian and Azerbaijani SSRs – approved by the USSR – to the treaty as the basis of territorial integrity of the two countries.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that peace is possible if Armenia itself will clearly acknowledge that it recognizes the 29,800 square kilometers area, more specifically the territory of the former Armenian SSR, as constituting the Republic of Armenia.  

“Peace is possible if we, in all our international relations, clearly record not just for today but also for the future, that we recognize the Republic of Armenia as 29,800 square kilometers territory, more specifically the territory of the Armenian SSR, where we gained independence in 1991. And not only don’t we have any territorial claims towards any other country, but we will never have any,” Pashinyan said in parliament during debates of the 2022 report of the government action plan.

Pashinyan added that if this idea isn’t recorded and transformed into a social psychology of the society, no one will allow Armenia to develop, because no one will deal with the idea that Armenia is developing and getting stronger.

The prime minister’s message was advancing his so-called peace agenda, saying that regional stability and peace will contribute to a “consensus between the East and the West,” seemingly alluding that his agenda may bridge the current divide between the West and Russia.

Pashinyan said that he believed that a great opportunity exists to normalize relations between Armenia and Turkey, saying Yerevan’s response to the devastating earthquake in Turkey greatly increased those chances.

Armenian President’s daughter, Lithuanian First Lady to visit Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Clinics

Emil Lazarian

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 11:43,

YEREVAN, APRIL 19, ARMENPRESS. Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan’s daughter Arpine Khachaturyan, who is accompanying him on an official visit to Lithuania, will meet First Lady Diana Nausėdienė.

Lithuanian First Lady Diana Nausėdienė and Arpine Khachaturyan will visit Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Clinics, where they will view advanced technologies for the health care of premature newborns, the Lithuanian President’s Office said in a press release.

President Vahagn Khachaturyan is scheduled to meet with his Lithuanian counterpart Gitanas Nausėda and other high ranking officials during the official visit.

Wounded troops in April 11 Azeri attack recovering

Emil Lazarian

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 14:42,

YEREVAN, APRIL 18, ARMENPRESS. The six troops wounded near the village of Tegh during the April 11 Azerbaijani attack are recovering, Healthcare Minister Anahit Avanesyan told lawmakers in parliament on April 18.

She said the condition of the survivors is getting better every day.

The one serviceman who was critically wounded is already in stable condition, she added.

“None of them is in life-threatening condition anymore, and three of the six are still receiving hospital care,” Avanesyan said.

On April 11, Armenian troops carrying out engineering works near the village of Tegh close to the border with Azerbaijan came under heavy gunfire in an unprovoked attack. Four Armenian soldiers were killed and six wounded.

Armenpress: Wrestler Vazgen Tevanyan becomes the champion of the European Championship

Emil Lazarian

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 21:12,

YEREVAN, APRIL 18, ARMENPRESS. Vazgen Tevanyan, a member of the Armenian freestyle wrestling team, became the champion of the European Championship.

ARMENPRESS reports Vazgen Tevanyan competed with Mikyai Naim from Bulgaria in the finals of the 65 kg weight category of the European Freestyle Wrestling Championship in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. Tevanyan defeated his opponent with a score of 12:1.