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

India’s ‘Pinaka Deal’ With Armenia to be Shot in Arm for Nation Amid Conflict With Azerbaijan | Explained

Emil Lazarian
India – Sept 30 2022

By: News Desk

Edited By: Vidushi Sagar

While Armenia deals with a surge in violence with Azerbaijan in a new flare-up of tensions, India has decided to export missiles, rockets, and ammunition, including indigenous Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launchers, according to the Economic Times. The system was included in India’s export list, which was published in February 2021.

The Ministry of Defense authorised the export of weapons through a government-to-government channel, and the two countries signed agreements earlier this month to deliver weapons and ammunition to Armenia. While the value of the deal has not been disclosed, the report claims that armament worth $250 million will be sold in the coming months.

This revelation comes just days after India urged the “aggressor side” in new fighting along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border to “immediately cease hostilities,” without naming Azerbaijan, reports said. On September 13, fighting erupted between the two sides over the lingering Nagorno-Karabakh region dispute.

About the Pinaka

The long-range artillery system developed indigenously and named after Lord Shiva’s bow, are used on the battlefield to attack adversary targets prior to close-quarter battles involving smaller-range artillery, armoured elements, and infantry, a report by the Indian Express says.

According to the report, the Pinaka, which is primarily a multi-barrel rocket system (MBRL), can launch a salvo of 12 rockets in 44 seconds. One Pinaka system battery consists of six launch vehicles, as well as loader systems, radar, and links to network-based systems and a command post. A single battery can neutralise a one-kilometer-by-one-kilometer area. As a key tactic of long-range artillery battle, launchers must’shoot and scoot’ to avoid becoming targets themselves, especially due to the back blast. As a result, the launcher vehicles must be extremely manoeuvrable.

When Did Its Development Begin?

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) began developing the Pinaka in the late 1980s as an alternative to the multi-barrel rocket launching systems of Russian manufacture, such as the ‘Grad,’ which are still in use, the report by Indian Express explains.

Following successful tests in the late 1990s, the Pinaka Mark-1 was successfully used on the battlefield during the Kargil War in 1999. Several regiments of the system subsequently emerged during the 2000s.

How is This Helpful for Armenia?

Azerbaijan has received backing from its traditional allies and supporters, Turkey and Israel. During the 2020 skirmish between the two combatants, Baku turned the tide in its favor by overwhelmingly deploying Turkish Bayraktar and Israeli kamikaze drones.

While Armenia has often turned to Russia for support, Moscow’s preoccupation with war against Ukraine has garnered limited assistance. In the face of rising hostilities and little military aid, a deal with India for rocket systems and another armament would prove to be a shot in the arm for a beleaguered Armenia, according to a report by the Eurasian Times.

What Else Will the Deal Get Armenia?

As part of the package agreement, Armenia will receive anti-tank missiles and a variety of ammunition from India in addition to the Pinaka. The full scope of these weapons has yet to be revealed. This is not the first time Armenia has received weapons from a South Asian country. In 2020, India defeated Russia and Poland in a $40 million defence agreement with Armenia that will provide it with four indigenous SWATHI counter-battery radars.

What’s the Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict?

A six-week war in 2020 claimed the lives of more than 6,500 troops from both sides and ended with a Russian-brokered ceasefire. Under the deal, Armenia ceded swathes of territory it had controlled for decades, and Moscow deployed about 2,000 Russian peacekeepers to oversee the fragile truce.

With Moscow increasingly isolated on the world stage following its February invasion of Ukraine, the United States and the European Union had taken a leading role in mediating the Armenia-Azerbaijan normalisation process.

Last week, the two countries’ foreign ministers met in New York for talks mediated by the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. During EU-led negotiations in Brussels in April and May, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Pashinyan agreed to “advance discussions” on a future peace treaty.

They last met in Brussels on August 31, for talks mediated by European Council President Charles Michel. The talks also focus on border delimitation and the reopening of transport links. The issue of ensuring a land transport link between Turkic-speaking Azerbaijan and its ally Ankara via Armenian territory has emerged as the primary sticking point.

Azerbaijan insists on Yerevan renouncing its jurisdiction over the land corridor that should pass along Armenia’s border with Iran — a demand the Armenian government rejects as an affront to the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Ethnic Armenian separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh broke away from Azerbaijan when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. The ensuing conflict claimed around 30,000 lives.

With inputs from AFP

https://www.news18.com/news/explainers/india-set-to-export-pinaka-missiles-to-armenia-amid-nations-conflict-with-azerbaijan-how-is-the-deal-significant-6070897.html

Rush for the Border: Military-Age Russian Men Flee to Armenia to Escape Draft

Emil Lazarian
Sept 29 2022

Chuck Holton

YEREVAN, ARMENIA – Airports across Russia are packed with young men looking for any way to escape a draft and being sent to Ukraine. Russia’s failures in the war are being felt across the region, especially in Armenia, a Christian nation facing attacks yet again by its Muslim neighbors.

Russia’s disastrous campaign in Ukraine is making waves back at home, and the recent call-up of another 300,000 troops has sparked a national rush for the exits, adding to the hundreds of thousands of mostly men who have already fled since the war began.

Russia has always been one of Armenia’s most important allies, although that relationship has turned awkward since the invasion of Ukraine. Armenia is now being flooded daily by Russians in the thousands, entering on one-way tickets. CBN News spoke with some of them about the conflict earlier this year.

“They are against the war,” a coffee shop waitress told us. “Everyone that I’ve been talking with they are saying they are against the war.”

A Russian man who fled to Yerevan said, “Even if the war ends and Russia loses, I don’t see myself living comfortably in a country where the country leader is almost like a Hitler. And the absolutely militaristic state of the government right now is awful.”

There are Russians all over here in downtown Yerevan. Most of them are young professionals, people who do their work online and that’s something that you really can’t do in Russia right now because of the sanctions. The people we talked with were vehemently against this war, but most did not want to go on camera and talk about it. That says a lot about how much they fear their own government because many of them still have families back in Russia.

Political scientist Tigran Grigorian said, “Russia is a formal ally but is not capable or willing to protect Armenia from the Azerbaijani aggression and this is very dangerous because Azerbaijan is actually interested in gaining more from military pressure.”

 As Russian power appears to crumble, many former Soviet countries are jockeying for stature and position to possibly benefit from a weaker Russia. And Armenia sits squarely in the middle of this political power play including Russia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey.

Azerbaijan recently launched multiple attacks on its neighbor, killing more than 200 Armenian military and civilians in the latest flare-up of an ongoing conflict over territory. When that happened, Armenia appealed to the Collective Security Treaty Organization, Russia’s version of NATO, for help. But help did not arrive.  

“The world doesn’t help us, but we shouldn’t be offended. Because we have locked ourselves in the chains of the CSTO which sits on our neck. We have no right to ask for any help from the world. When we are free from this CSTO and from Russian shackle, then the entire world can step up on our side,” said Margarita Velgoryan, a Russian protestor.

“We have all witnessed Russia’s failures in Ukraine, and Russia’s military capabilities have actually dwindled a lot, so Russia is not interested in confronting neither Azerbaijan nor turkey because it doesn’t have capabilities,” Grigorian said.

“I am a refugee from Russia, I was persecuted for political reasons,” one man told us. “It turns out that I came here from war to war. I can’t stay away, I want this to stop as soon as possible. The CSTO must do something or cease to exist.”

On September 17, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi traveled to Armenia and condemned the Azeri aggression, which concerns more than one million Armenian-Americans living in her home state of California. 

“The US plays a stabilizing role, the US actually managed to broker a ceasefire on the 15th of September, and the state department has been very active with its communications with Baku and president Aliev, urging him not to escalate, urging him to disengage his forces from the sovereign territory of Armenia so the only hope is on the Americans to stop this from escalating into a full-scale war,” Grigorian said.

“The European Union has decided to move from one aggressive dictator to another in terms of supplying its energy,” he added.

 Armenians were very grateful for the attention from the west, with many calling for deeper cooperation. 

“If the United States is interested in having some sort of presence in the south Caucasus and I’m absolutely sure that Washington is interested. It should pressure both Ankara and Baku and push them towards a more constructive stance toward Armenia,” said Grigorian.

“Turkey is not particularly interested”: On possible Pashinyan-Erdogan negotiations

Emil Lazarian
Sept 30 2022


  • Armine Martirosyan
  • Yerevan

Pashinyan-Erdogan talks expected

The September war on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border again raised the question in Armenian society whether the hopes and intentions of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of establishing peace in the region are not illusory. Experts say that “Azerbaijan’s aggression has further complicated the solution of any issues through negotiations.” Although even under these conditions, foreign mediators organize meetings and negotiations between the conflicting parties. The latter took place in the United States with the participation of the Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia and an adviser to the President of Azerbaijan.

Another important meeting in early October in Prague has been announced. On the sidelines of the summit of the European Political Community, the Armenian Prime Minister is expected to meet with the President of Turkey, Azerbaijan’s main ally. In Armenia, they say that Ilham Aliyev will also be invisibly involved in these negotiations, since the head of Turkey openly announced the synchronization of his steps with the President of Azerbaijan.

Armenian experts below consider all bilateral negotiations important, though they doubt their effectiveness, and predict a possible agenda of Pashinyan-Erdogan talks expected in the near future.

  • Geopolitical project: How Armenia lost the war and wound up between world powers
  • “Armenia offers Azerbaijan three roads through its territory” – details from an expert
  • Regional processes without taking into account Armenian interests? Opinion

“Pashinyan and Erdogan can meet in Prague on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit. Their meeting could have taken place in New York during the last session of the UN General Assembly, but did not take place due to their busy schedules.

There are so many topics for conversation that it is difficult to say what will be given priority. Nevertheless, I suppose that the main topic for discussion at the meeting will be Armenian-Turkish relations, taking into account the interests of Azerbaijan. Ankara considers them parallel processes and constantly links them, which is justified in the case of the allies.

Yerevan must go to this meeting, but with its own very specific agenda. This meeting can minimize the risks of a possible new war.

Armenia should strive to sign agreements with Turkey and Azerbaijan – with minimal risks for itself. It is obvious that we are the losing side and we need this more than anything. And institutional peace is possible only after the signing of agreements.”

Pashinyan-Erdogan telephone conversation should not be overestimated or underestimated, experts believe, Instead, it should be regarded as a step forward in the Armenian-Turkish normalization process

“Of course, Armenia should have red lines. This is the territorial integrity of the country and its sovereignty. On all other issues we need to show great flexibility – in view of the fact that the army has been weakened, defense capability is low, and the diplomatic balance is not in our favor.

Armenia does not have an ally such as Turkey is for Azerbaijan. So, you need to choose the lesser of the evils.

“Turkey’s only real precondition for the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations, both in the past before the war of 2020, and now, is the issue of Artsakh, the issue of the resolution of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations. Moreover, the formal side of this issue interests the Turks more than the content.

And any variant of resolving issues that suits Baku will also suit Ankara. This imperative comes from the Azerbaijani-Turkish allied relations.

There can be no other real preconditions.”

Pashinyan-Erdogan telephone conversation should not be overestimated or underestimated, experts believe, Instead, it should be regarded as a step forward in the Armenian-Turkish normalization process

“Except for Baku and Ankara, none of the players involved in the negotiations puts before Armenia the issue of providing an extraterritorial corridor through its territory. This demand is unrealizable unless Baku decides to solve it through war. It is impossible to achieve this in a negotiating format, since this would mean a violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Armenia.

I believe the corridor connecting Azerbaijan with its exclave Nakhichevan will not be extraterritorial, but functional. That is, there will be no changes to the borders, but Azerbaijan will be provided with a road that will be controlled by the Russian FSB – as stated in the ninth paragraph of the November 2020 tripartite statement, which ceased hostilities in Karabakh.

Armenia will have control over the road, but very limited. I think Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed this. And it is unlikely that he will refuse it.

Azerbaijan is simply putting forward a maximalist agenda, but ultimately the issue will be resolved through a tripartite statement. In this case Armenia will not have territorial losses, but will lose in sovereignty.

And that’s the lesser of the evils. If a peace treaty is not signed, war could break out in Syunik [Armenia’s southern border with Azerbaijan]. Armenia does not have enough strength, defense capability to abandon this point of the tripartite statement.”

Pashinyan-Erdogan talks expected

Yerevanians discuss Armenian-Turkish negotiations and fears of the influx of Turkish goods forcing local producers out of the market

“The Pashinyan-Erdogan meeting is, of course, important from the point of view of the dialogue between the heads of the two countries, but it is not necessary to expect breakthroughs and pin great hopes on it, given Turkey’s tough position, which supports Azerbaijan’s demands of Armenia.

Turkey’s latest accusations against Armenia, which have nothing to do with reality, that it allegedly provoked Azerbaijani military operations on the border, is a confirmation of this. And this is not an isolated case, but a political approach. Therefore, Erdogan said on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly that all steps taken by Turkey in the region should be coordinated with Aliyev.”

“If the meeting does take place, Turkey will put the well-known “peace treaty” and the issue of a “corridor” through Armenia on the negotiating table. This means the unblocking of roads with the demand for a “corridor”, that is, the loss of Armenian sovereignty over this territory.

Yerevan officially opposes an extraterritorial corridor through its territory, although it is ready to provide a land road linking Azerbaijan with Nakhichevan.

Armenia also has red lines regarding the peace treaty. Azerbaijan presented five basic principles for the signing of a peace treaty. Armenia, in turn, put forward its six on providing mechanisms and guarantees for the security and rights of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh. And if the Turkish-Azerbaijani tandem continues to ignore the proposals of Armenia, naturally, the disagreement will deepen.

At the same time, since it is important for Turkey to satisfy Baku’s demands for the signing of a peace treaty with the recognition of NK as part of it, that is, closure of the Artsakh issue, and for the provision of a “corridor”, the effectiveness of all possible meetings is automatically called into question.

In connection with the latest military aggression of Azerbaijan on the Armenian border, uncertainty arose about the meeting of special representatives on the normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey, which was announced for September.

In general, the topic of purely Armenian-Turkish bilateral relations is secondary; other issues are important for Turkey.”

The latest IRI survey in Armenia shows that the majority regard Azerbaijan and Turkey as the main threat to the country’s security

“Azerbaijan raises the bar of its demands every time, exerting forceful military pressure.

Today it is customary to say that the Armenian army has few resources and its defense capability is insufficient. But on September 13-14 we saw tough resistance to Azerbaijani aggression, we saw what serious losses it inflicted on the enemy. It should be clearly stated here that it was through the efforts of the Armenian army and under the pressure of American diplomacy on Baku that another Azerbaijani aggression was halted through Turkey.

But here, too, Turkey is trying to give its Western partners the impression that it is in favor of a dialogue with Armenia. A possible meeting in Prague, most likely, is planned precisely for this purpose. Turkey needs to be shown that it is constructive. But if this meeting were important for Turkey, Erdogan would make efforts to have it take place in New York, where both Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan were.

And the statement about the “busy schedule” only says that Turkey is not particularly interested in this meeting. And if it takes place, Erdogan will once again present exclusively his position and make demands.”

https://jam-news.net/turkey-is-not-particularly-interested-on-possible-pashinyan-erdogan-negotiations/

Remembering War in Stepanakert

Emil Lazarian
 Marut Vanyan  0

Stepanakert, September 27, 2020.
A view from the author’s window.

Stepanakert, the capital of Artsakh, once again celebrated its eponymous day without festivities. Two years ago, the city woke up to strong explosions the morning after these annual celebrations. Still sleepy, residents did not understand what was going on. The screams of women and children running down the stairs to the basement in panic could be heard from the entrance to our five-story Soviet-era building. A cluster bomb had exploded in our yard. Cars were on fire. It was around seven in the morning on September 27, 2020. It is terrible to imagine if the shelling had started two hours later, and the children were already in the yard. A black cat had been lying near the burning cars. Its intestines were laid bare, the fragments crushed and its dark blood spilled on the ground. It was the only living creature outside out at that hour. 

A living, bustling city became desolate in one day. For 44 days, the silence was periodically interrupted by air raid sirens, which still blare in our ears.

The wave of the blast shattered windows. The men stood stunned, and one of them uttered, “The war has begun.” The women, for some reason, started sweeping broken glass.

A Stepanakert classroom destroyed during the Artsakh War, October 1, 2020

The man was right. The war lasted 44 days. Thousands were killed, tens of thousands of Artsakh citizens were displaced, and hundreds of villages and cities came under the control of Azerbaijan. The reality in Artsakh changed in one morning. Two years later, the city is an open wound. The war has yet to end in Artsakh. Today, we see that it has even been transferred to the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia (RA).

Azeri shelling in Stepanakert (Photo: Marut Vanyan)

It seemed that the entry of Russian peacekeepers would bring peace to the region, at least temporarily for five years, but many concerning events have taken place, which continue to worry all Armenians, especially Armenians living in Artsakh.

December 14, 2020: Azerbaijan occupies the still remaining villages of Hin Tagher and Khtsaberd of the Hadrut region of Artsakh and captures Armenian servicemen.

May 12, 2021: Azerbaijan launches attacks in Gegharkunik (Upper Shorzha) and Syunik (Black Lake, Khoznavar), capturing more than 40 kilometers of RA territory.

August 26, 2021: Azerbaijan demands and receives from Armenia sections of the Goris-Kapan road, paralyzing the Armenia-Iran interstate land connection. 

November 16, 2021: Azerbaijan launches an attack in the direction of Ishkhanasar mountain in the Syunik region. The Armenian side had seven victims, ten captured.

March 2022: Azerbaijan attacks in the direction of Parukh village in the Askeran region of Artsakh and captures the nearby strategic Karaglukh heights. Three Armenian soldiers are killed in the battles. The populations of Parukh and Khramort villages are evacuated.

March 2022: Azerbaijan interrupts the gas supply from Armenia to Artsakh twice during an unprecedented, unbearably cold month, creating a humanitarian crisis.

August 1-3, 2022: Azerbaijan launches attacks in the direction of Armenian positions in the western parts of the Martakert region in Artsakh and the Berdzor corridor. Armenia has at least two victims and 19 wounded. Azerbaijan demands the town of Berdzor and the villages of  Aghavno and Nerkin Sus and receives them as of September 1.

September 13-14, 2022: Azerbaijan launches the largest offensive since the 2020 war, from Gegharkunik to the Armenian-Iranian border. Azerbaijani forces shell RA cities and villages, occupying at least 10 square kilometers of RA territory. As of September 19, the Armenian side has at least 207 dead and missing.

During this entire period, Azerbaijan’s Armed Forces have regularly shot at the border villages of Artsakh, particularly in the direction of the villages of Taghavard and Karmir Shuka.

Along with non-stop fighting, the socio-psychological situation in Artsakh remains very difficult. The government of Artsakh has only been able to provide housing for 1,200 displaced persons. To this day, people live in hotels, garages and shops, hoping that one day they will receive housing from the government. This issue is considered one of the most urgent in Artsakh. Every day, people are looking for a house for rent in Stepanakert, but there are none.

Gurgen papik and his granddaughter (Photo: Marut Vanyan)

Grandpa Gurgen lives in a former shop with his 12 family members. “I worked as a builder for 40 years,” he says. “I built two houses in Stepanakert, but during the first Artsakh war, when they were shelled from Shushi, my house was razed to the ground. The product of my whole life’s work became zero in just a minute. We moved to Shushi after it was liberated. Now we have been evacuated and live in this shop with 12 people. The owner of this area says that we have to vacate it on the first of October. We don’t know what we will do. We will end up on the street like dogs. I can’t fight anymore. I can’t build another house. I am too old now. My grandson is a participant in the war. His friend, who is also from Shushi, lost his leg as a result of war and still hasn’t received a house from the government. If an injured person didn’t get a home, we just should stay silent and wait. But for how long? We have relatives in Russia, but we didn’t want to go to them. We want to live here, on our land. It’s hard. I don’t know.”

A shop where Gurgen papik lives

There are many stories like this in Artsakh. In addition to social problems, there is always fear of war. 

“The Republic of Artsakh and the Republic of Armenia both face short-term and long-term security issues, which are the pivotal challenges of the present day,” Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan said in his address on September 19, 2022. “We must honestly admit that the Armenian state is standing on the threshold of a new and catastrophic war, which could have no less serious consequences than the 44-day war.” 

[RELATED | Remembering and Honoring the Heroes of the 2020 Artsakh War]

Despite this imminent danger, the people of Artsakh continue to be optimistic. We have lived here for one-thousand years, and we will live here for another thousand, people say. There is no better place in the world than here. We just want peace.

A cemetery in Stepanakert (Photo: Marut Vanyan)

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Marut Vanyan is a freelance journalist based in Stepanakert.


CivilNet: Armenia’s ruling party loses majority of local elections

Emil Lazarian
CIVILNET.AM

26 Sep, 2022 10:09

  • The ruling Civil Contract party won in 8 out of 18 communities up for grabs in local elections, according to preliminary results.
  • Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is set to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris for “important negotiations.”
  • Armenia’s economic activity index grew by nearly 14% from January to August, according to the country’s Statistical Committee.

The pearl that connected Hyderabad and Basra

Emil Lazarian
The Siasat Daily
India – Sept 25 2022


 Salma Ahmed Farooqui


The pearl associated with the moon was one of Hyderabad’s prized commodities of trade in the 19th century. The ‘pearl boom’ years—1850 to 1930—was a time when about 4000 to 5000 pearls ranging from dark cream to yellowish pink and of course the priceless white fished in the Persian Gulf found their way into the markets of Hyderabad. It was once even said, “Every pearl in the world passes through Hyderabad at least once in its life.” The breadth of the pearl’s association with Hyderabad is amply evident through this statement.

Pearl trade prospered in Hyderabad for centuries under the Qutb Shahis and the Asaf Jahi Nizams. Pearls were known to have been coming into Hyderabad since the time of the Qutb Shahis.  Among the many wares brought by the Persians to Hyderabad were dried fruits, dates, dyes, silks, and pearls.
The Nizams became the best clients for pearls, those which were known as Basra pearls. They wore ropes of Basra pearls studded with other precious stones as part of their ceremonial attire and were known to have even crushed these pearls for use in cosmetic creams. In Hyderabad, most royal women wore multiple strings of pearls and were sometimes even weighed against them on their birthdays. Mir Osman Ali Khan, the seventh Nizam of Hyderabad, was known to have stored Basra pearls in humble sacks in the basement of his palaces.

What was it that made the pearl, especially the Basra pearl, such a prized possession in Hyderabad with the Nizams and the nobility?

The Basra pearls poured into the Indian markets from the city of Basra in modern-day Iraq. The Persian Gulf was a great source of pearls and its global trade was a money spinner that went down only with the discovery of oil. Pearls found in the Persian Gulf had the most legendary quality and the city of Basra was a bustling market where the pearl trade was booming. The name that the pearls got was from the trading centre and not because they were found there. The Basra pearls were the pearls that were found in the entire Persian Gulf region—Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, United Arab Emirates, etc.

The main users of the Basra pearls in India—the Princely States of Kashmir or Hyderabad or Gwalior or Mysore or Baroda who passionately wore Basra pearls—probably were not aware from where exactly the pearls that they were buying were coming. ‘Basra pearl’ became a uniform name given to the pearls from the Persian Gulf as a whole. The trading centre of Basra became world famous because of its market, not its ware.

The Basra factory diaries quoted by numerous authors usually listed out the names or communities of merchants that shipped their goods on English vessels. Some records of the cargo lists of ships show that the Jews were foremost in shipping Basra pearls to Surat as Indian merchants from Surat were actively involved in trade with Basra and the Gulf. Vessels owned by Armenian merchants also operated regularly between the Persian Gulf and India carrying Basra pearls. The Jews and Armenians through their business acumen found a legitimate place in Hyderabad’s society.

Thus, under the patronage of Hyderabad’s royalty, pearl merchants from all over flocked to the city to sell their wares making the resplendent Basra pearls a pride in the famed Nizam’s jewels collection. John Zubrzycki in his book The Mysterious Mr Jacob: Diamond Merchant, Magician and Spy says that Mir Osman Ali Khan, the seventh Nizam, designated as the richest man in the world, during the pearl boom period owned Basra pearls the size of a quail’s egg.

Earlier, pearl merchants used to sell the commodity directly to connoisseurs in the stately palaces and havelis of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, later traditional jewellery shops came up in the Charminar market area. Kevin Rushby in his book Chasing the Mountain of Light describes the common sights at these shops of short wooden ladders at the entrances, customers sitting on cushioned floors resting their elbows on bolsters, and shopkeepers sitting in front of them holding great ropes of shimmering pearls from small aluminum suitcases, are part of the nostalgic charm of Hyderabad.

The Nizams’ love for Basra pearls led to a whole industry for sorting, drilling, and polishing pearls in Hyderabad. There were specially trained artisans employed by several leading pearl traders in Hyderabad for surface cleaning of pearls by subjecting them to a treatment to improve their shine.

Drilling and polishing have now become a dying art with drilled, polished, graded, and ready-to-be-sold pearls from China and Japan flooding Hyderabad markets. Thus under the Nizams, Basra pearls became a craze and a trend in many aristocratic households.

The pearl trade that prospered in Hyderabad for centuries under the royal patronage resulted in a big collection still remaining with many a Hyderabadi as family heirlooms which are safely kept and looked after by not allowing even a sprinkle of perfume to touch it for fear of discolouration and using only the traditional technique of cleaning the pearls with fine muslin and a slight swab of sweat.

The writer is Director, H.K.Sherwani Centre for Deccan Studies, Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad





Asbarez Exclusive Interview with Artsakh Foreign Minister

Emil Lazarian
by ara-asbarez

 

 

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Main, Interviews, Latest, News, Top Stories, Videos
[See video]

Asbarez Editor Ara Khachatourian on Friday sat down with Artsakh Foreign Minister David Babayan to discuss the latest developments in Artsakh and Armenia, as well as his recent visit to Washington.

Babayan underscored the need to understand that without Artsakh, Armenia’s entire statehood is in danger, calling on all Armenians around the world to make Artsakh and its salvation the number one priority.

Babayan is visiting the United States at the invitation of the ANCA-Western Western Region to participate in its Grassroots Conference on Saturday, September 24. He will receive the organization’s “Freedom Award” during the ANCA-WR Banquet on Sunday, September 25.


Asbarez: Pashinyan Warns of New Azerbaijani Attacks on Armenia During U.N. Speech

Emil Lazarian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 

 

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

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addresses the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 22


Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Thursday warned the United Nations General Assembly that Azerbaijan is planning to occupy more land on Armenia’s sovereign territory, calling last week’s attack on the Gegharkunik, Syunik and Vayots Dzor province military aggression against Armenia.

“In the wake of this attack, the official narrative and other sources of information suggest that Azerbaijan intends to occupy more territories of Armenia, which must be prevented,” he said in a his address to the U.N. General Assembly.

“I want to stress that the risk of new aggression by Azerbaijan remains very high, especially given that every day Azerbaijan violates the ceasefire and the number of causalities and those injured could change any moment,” Pashinyan emphasized.

Despite reiterating Yerevan’s readiness to sign a so-called peace treaty with Azerbaijan, Pashinyan suggested that Azerbaijan only wants an agreement that would be beneficial to its interests and allow Baku to claim or occupy more territory in Armenia.

He challenged President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan to “show a map of Armenia” that is amenable to Baku’s interests.

“Could you show a map of Armenia that you recognize or are ready to recognize as the Republic of Armenia?” he said citing Aliyev’s repeated claims that much of modern-day Armenia is “historical Azerbaijani lands.”

“If Azerbaijan recognizes territorial integrity of Armenia, not theoretically but concretely — I mean the integrity of our internationally recognized territory of 29.800 square kilometers — it will mean that we can sign a peace treaty mutually recognizing each other’s territorial integrity,”

“Otherwise,” Pashinyan added. “We would have a phantom peace treaty and after that Azerbaijan will use the border delimitation process for new territorial claims and occupation.”

Pashinyan also said that “some of our international partners are silent,” presumably a jab at Russia and the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization, know as the CSTO, for its lack of support following last week’s attacks by Azerbaijan.

Instead had earlier praised the United States and Iran for their reactions to the Azerbaijani attacks during meetings with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Iran’s President Ibrahim Raisi on the margins of the U.N. General Assembly.

[SEE VIDEO]

Pashinyan’s office disseminated the text of his speech, which is presented below.

Mr. President,
Excellences,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is an honor to return to the General Assembly, though I wish I was here with a more positive message, given all the challenges and tribulations the world has been through in the past few years.

But my statement will focus on the latest Azerbaijani unprovoked aggression against the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia and its overall impact on the stability in the South Caucasus.

On September 13, Azerbaijan launched an unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Armenia. Using heavy artillery, Multiple Rocket Launchers and combat UAVs, the Azerbaijani armed forces shelled 36 residential areas and communities, including towns of Goris, Jermuk, Vardenis, Kapan, Geghamasar deep within the sovereign territory of Armenia. This was not a border clash. It was a direct, undeniable attack against the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Armenia, which was condemned and addressed during the latest UN Security Council meetings and beyond.

The Azerbaijani attack deliberately targeted civilian population and vital civilian infrastructures: Jermuk is one of the main health tourism and resort places of Armenia and now as a result of Azerbaijani aggression all the hotels, resort and health centers of Jermuk are closed. All the residents of this town are displaced. Overall number of those temporarily displaced from Gegharkunik, Vayots Dzor, and Syunik regions of Armenia is more than 7600 persons, mostly women and elderly people, among them 1437 children and 99 persons with disabilities.
Around 192 houses, 3 hotels, 2 schools, 1 medical facility, 1 medical facility, partially or completely destroyed. 7 electrical infrastructures, 5 water infrastructures, 3 gas pipelines, 1 bridge were damaged. 2 ambulances, 4 private cars were shelled. The Kechut water reservoir was targeted and shelled. Journalists and ambulance vehicles were targeted and shelled as well.
As a result of the aggression, the number of victims and missing persons at the moment exceeded 207, among them 3 civilians were killed and 2 civilians are missing. 293 servicemen and 8 civilians were wounded, at least 20 servicemen were captured. There are evidences of cases of torture, mutilation of captured or already dead servicemen, numerous instances of extra-judicial killings, and ill-treatment of Armenian prisoners of war, as well as humiliating treatment of the bodies. The dead bodies of Armenian female military personnel were mutilated and then “proudly” video-recorded with particular cruelty by the Azerbaijani servicemen. The videos featuring such gruesome war crimes and crimes against humanity are being shared and praised on Azerbaijani social media by individual users.

No doubt, committing such unspeakable atrocities is a direct result of decades long policy of implanting anti-Armenian hatred and animosity in the Azerbaijani society by the political leadership.

In the wake of this offensive, the official narrative and other sources of information suggest that Azerbaijan intends to occupy more territories of Armenia, which needs to be prevented. I want to stress that the risk of new aggression by Azerbaijan remains very high, especially taking into account that every day Azerbaijan violates the ceasefire, and the number of causalities and those injured could change any moment. Another factor for further escalation can be inappropriate reaction to this situation by the regional security organizations, which raised very hard questions among Armenian society.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Despite the above-mentioned facts Azerbaijan is trying to pose itself as a country seeking peace in our region, peace with Armenia. Hearing from aside what Azerbaijan is saying, you can even be impressed by its devotion to peace efforts. And for staging this impression Azerbaijan is using the subjects of Peace treaty with Armenia, border delimitation, and regional communication opening agenda.

Why we have no tangible progress in these directions. The reason is very simple. Azerbaijan is using all those topics for territorial claims against Armenia. For example – one of the most important subjects of peace treaty is bilateral recognition of territorial integrity between Armenia and Azerbaijan. We have already declared that we are ready to do so, but Azerbaijan hasn’t done it so far. On the contrary, Azerbaijan has been publicly voicing that the entire South and East of Armenia and even the capital city of Yerevan, is an Azerbaijani land. On the other hand, Azerbaijan is keeping under occupation tangible territories of Armenia, and as I said the risk of new aggression by Azerbaijan remains very high.

In this regard I’m posing an official and public question to the Azerbaijani president. Could you show the map of Armenia, that you recognize or are ready to recognize as the Republic of Armenia? Why I’m asking this. Because it can come out that from the point of view of official Azerbaijan only half of Armenia and even less – is the Republic of Armenia. If Azerbaijan would recognize territorial integrity of Armenia, not theoretically, but concretely, I mean the integrity of our internationally recognized territory of 29.800 square kilometers, it would mean that we can sign peace treaty by mutually recognizing each other’s territorial integrity. Otherwise, we would have a phantom peace treaty and after that Azerbaijan will use border delimitation process for new territorial claims and occupation.

As you may know bilateral commission of border delimitation and border security was formed in May and two meetings of the commission have taken place. Before the formation of the commission, last year Azerbaijan occupied more than 40 square kilometer territories of Armenia. And then, one of the excuses of Azerbaijan about the reasons they have done this – was that Armenia, according to them, refuses to form border delimitation commission. Of course we didn’t refuse to do that but only insisted that simultaneously a mechanism of border security should be established.

In the end, according to our international partners’ request, who argued that the border commission work itself will be a reliable factor for border security, we agreed to start the work. And now that border delimitation and security commission has been formed and is working, Azerbaijan initiated a new phase of aggression. And some of those international partners are silent. But what is now the explanation for aggression of Azerbaijan. You know, if someone has excess of aggressiveness the reason always will be there. As it is said in a movie it is always possible to find a reason. For example, why they killed prince Hamlet. Who killed, how, when and why – it doesn’t matter. The reality is that Azerbaijan is trying and will continue to use delimitation process for territorial claims against Armenia.

Another such a topic is the opening of regional transport communication links. Azerbaijan is trying to represent Armenia as a destructive side in this discussion. The reality is, that Armenia is ready to open its roads for Azerbaijan in the framework of our national legislation. Moreover, recently the draft decision of government was published, that supposes to open three check points in the border with Azerbaijan for implementation of the article 9 of the trilateral statement from November 9, 2020. According to that draft, citizens and goods of Azerbaijan would be eligible to use the existing roads of Armenia to commute from main Azerbaijan to the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. The Armenian government had political will to unilaterally accept that decision. But Azerbaijani officials tell us, that they don’t want to have those routes. What do they want? They want a new route to be constructed. It is also acceptable for Armenia, but according to the 9th article of the trilateral statement from November 9, 2020, a new route can be constructed with the consent of the sides. Armenia is ready to construct such a route which would operate according to the legislation and within sovereign control of the Republic of Armenia.

So what is the point of Azerbaijani claims? Azerbaijan is hinting that Armenia has to provide an extraterritorial corridor and according to them the 9th article of the trilateral statement from November 9, 2020 is supposed to do that. The trilateral statement is a public document and in the 9th article there is nothing about corridor, extraterritoriality etc. So what is the purpose of Azerbaijan? To create a new crisis as a pretext for a new aggression against Armenia and for a new territorial claim.

We have shared packages of proposals with Azerbaijan on the topic of opening communications, and if Azerbaijan accepts that those routes must operate according to national legislations, we can decide on this very quickly.

By the way, the trilateral statements from November 9, 2020 and January 11, 2021 imply that not only Armenia should provide roads to Azerbaijan, but Azerbaijan should provide roads to Armenia too. And we haven’t received anything so far either.

As for the corridor wording, it is very important to note that in the trilateral statement from November 9, only one corridor is mentioned, and it is the Lachin corridor for Nagorno-Karabakh.

Ladies and gentleman,
One of the crucial factors of regional stability is the comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict where the rights and the security of the Armenians living in NK will be addressed and guaranteed.

Latest aggression is happening while the humanitarian consequences of the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh have not been addressed yet. The post-war rehabilitation of Nagorno-Karabakh, the psycho-social issues of the displaced population, the repatriation of Armenian POW’s and the preservation of cultural and religious heritage remain on the agenda of our Government.

Nevertheless, the Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh are in need of the support of the international community. We call to support the secure and unhindered access of UN humanitarian agencies to Nagorno-Karabakh in order to assess the humanitarian, human rights situation and ensure protection of cultural heritage on the ground. We think that the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the independent fact-finding mission of UNESCO should have access to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone.

Unfortunately, Azerbaijan has been blocking both missions by making artificial, political preconditions, essentially blocking the access of an independent fact-finding mission in Nagorno-Karabakh.

It is also reprehensible that Azerbaijan stalls the repatriation of Armenian Prisoners of War, inter alia subjecting them to artificial trials in gross violation of international humanitarian law, its own commitments, and contrary to the calls of the international community.

Mr. President,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Sustainable regional peace and stability is our objective. Last year through democratic snap elections our people strongly supported the peace agenda of the Government and re-confirmed the commitment of Armenia to pursue the democratic path.

It is very important to state that the target of Azerbaijani attacks isn’t only the independence,
sovereignty and territorial integrity of Armenia, but democracy of Armenia too. Despite the expectation of some forces Armenia stayed democratic after devastating war of 2020, using the tool of free fair and democratic elections as a way out from internal political crisis. International community unanimously recognized and praised this fact.

The Armenian democracy is struggling in an atmosphere, when Azerbaijan is using force every day, to impose its plans unilaterally, to bring to the end the Armenian statehood, independence and democracy.

But I’m here to announce that we are determined to defend our democracy, independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity by all means. I want to underscore that diplomatic solutions are an absolute priority for us and the full engagement and support of international community is crucial. In this regard I would like to mention, that the international observation mission to the Armenia-Azerbaijan bordering areas would be an important factor for regional stability.

Undeniably, in the interests of regional stability and in accordance with norms and principles of international law Azerbaijani military forces must be withdrawn from the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia.
Ladies and gentlemen, I want to stress again: we are determined to build peace in our region, but we need the full support of international community, which will stand by the sovereign and democratic country and people subjected to aggression against the norms and principles of international law.

I believe in the potential of establishing long-term stability, security and peace and Armenia is committed to continuing diplomatic efforts to this end.

Thank you for your attention.

Iran Ready to Mediate in Azerbaijan-Armenia Row

Emil Lazarian
TASNIM News Agency, Iran
Sept 24 2022
  • September, 24, 2022 – 09:53 
  • Politics news 

The top Iranian diplomat held talks with his Azeri counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Friday.

The two sides discussed the latest developments in bilateral ties and the Caucasus region.

The Iranian foreign minister reviewed the latest process of developments in bilateral relations in different fields and described mutual visits and agreements between the two countries over the past year as positive and progressive, the Foreign Ministry’s website reported.

Pointing to the reports and evidence on changes in the Caucasus region, Amirabdollahian reiterated the clear stance of Iran in open and decisive opposition to any change to the geopolitical map and borders of the region.

He added that Iran is ready to hold consultations with the officials of the Azerbaijan Republic and the Republic of Armenia to help them to resolve their differences in a peaceful manner.

For his part, the Azeri foreign minister reiterated the existing issues in bilateral relations and underlined the significance of mutual consultations and cooperation.

He also rejected the claims on geopolitical change in the region and noted that his country seeks to resolve its territorial and border disputes with Armenia through regional cooperation.

Anti-War Sentiments on the Rise in Azerbaijan: The recent escalation caught many by surprise, emboldening voices among the political opposition.

Emil Lazarian
Sept 23 2022

The recent escalation caught many by surprise, emboldening voices among the political opposition. 

Ahmad Mammadli had been a vocal critic of Azerbaijan’s authorities since his student years. It was a call for peace with neighbouring Armenia and condemnation of President lham Aliyev, however, which  put the 21-year-old chair of the pro-democracy group Democracy-1918 (D18) on the police’s radar.

“Ilham Aliyev will definitely answer before the international courts one day for the crimes he committed not only against the Azerbaijani people, but also against the Armenian people,” Mammadil wrote on September 15, adding “The first task of democratic Azerbaijan will be to punish those who make nations hostile to each other.”

Five days later, on September 20, he was taken into custody on charges of resisting police. 

While still rare, Mammadli’s outspoken stance is in line with an increasing number of public figures questioning Aliyev’s recent military decisions.

On September 12 fighting re-erupted between Armenia and Azerbaijan, claiming the lives of more than 200 servicemen over two days. It was the deadliest outbreak of violence since the 2020 six-week war the two countries fought over Nagorny Karabakh, the region internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but populated and controlled by ethnic Armenians since the mid-1990s. Back then, Azerbaijani society and nearly all political opposition supported the government’s decision to go to war to regain the control of the de facto statelet. 

Fears of new fighting are gaining traction on social media as the Russia-brokered ceasefire is holding by a fine thread. For decades, Russia has been the security guarantor in the region but its role has faded as its fortunes reverse in Ukraine. This time Azerbaijani forces shelled inside Armenia, with troops remaining inside its sovereign territory, including on heights around the resort town of Jermuk.

Following the most recent spike in violence, Mammadli tweeted, “Those who have seen the horrors of war and lost their loved ones are against the current military conflicts, while the bloodthirsty ones behind the keyboard push people to their deaths. Understanding this seems to have become quite a difficult task for those in euphoria.”

Plain clothes police officers subsequently abducted the activist, who was sentenced to 30 days in jail on charges commonly used in Azerbaijan to silence critics. Speaking from a police van in a video filmed by a fellow D18 member, Mammadli said he was arrested because of his pro-peace posts. 

“If I’m a criminal for speaking out about peace, I’m proud of it,” he said. He has since gone on hunger strike.

CALLS FOR PEACE

Support for the war against Armenia over Karabakh is strong and the loss of the region is an open wound in society, not least for about 869,000 Azerbaijani who were displaced as a result of the conflict. 

Voices calling for peace are few and far between, and Mammadli’s arrest was cheered on social media. 

“We are the only political organisation coming out and calling for peace. We knew these [reactions] would happen,” Afiaddin Mammadov, a board member of D18, told IWPR.  “We are trying to shape a new society and making efforts for peacebuilding…The other people’s lack of support for us doesn’t concern us. We will stand for our position, keep talking about peace…Our goal is to play a main role in building peace between the two nations in a democratic environment.” 

The most recent escalation caught many by surprise, emboldening more voices among the political opposition. 

Political youth organisation NIDA Citizen Movement stated that “ending the ethnic conflict that has been going on for more than 30 years and establishing lasting peace between peoples cannot be ensured through war and force. War serves no other purpose than to intensify mutual aggression, hatred and suffering, and to fuel enmity between nations”. 

As casualties increased – Azerbaijan lost 80 servicemen over two days, with 281 injured – critical voices spoke out, questioning the government’s legal and moral grounds for the fighting. Among them were the two main opposition parties, who supported Aliyev in the 2020 war.

“Now every Azerbaijani is thinking about this question, why did we lose so many?” Ali Karimli, leader of the Popular Front Party, wrote on Facebook. “Fifty people in just a few hours of battle with the ‘starving’ enemy? So many losses were made without gaining anything.”

Arif Hajili, chairman of the Musavat Party, posted, “What was the purpose of this? What is the result?”

Azerbaijanis living in exile added their voices to the criticism.

“Azerbaijan is stepping over Armenia’s internationally recognized border and is stepping into a new war,” said Tural Sadigli, the editor-in-chief of social media-based news outlet Azad Soz (Free Speech), who lives in Germany.

 In a Youtube discussion with other anti-war activists, US-based journalist Sevinj Osmangizi asked,”

“Why do we have to fight on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border while there are separatists [in Nagorno-Karabakh], and move forward on to Armenia’s territory? What does it accomplish? What kind of logic is it?”

The increasing war fatigue was not directed to Karabakh however, which largely remains under Armenian control with 2,000 Russian peacekeepers deployed as part of the November 2020 ceasefire agreement.

Writer Samad Shikhi pointed out that “the incident is happening in the territory of Armenia, not ours? The world will call us invaders”. He maintained that opposition figures began to criticise the entry of the Azerbaijani army into the territory of Armenia “out of necessity”.

“Taking into account the international pressures, they considered it right to oppose it,” he told IWPR, referring to wide condemnation of Azerbaijan’s incursion inside Armenian territory. In a bold diplomatic sign, US House speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Armenia on September 17, becoming the highest-ranking American official to visit the South Caucasus nation since it gained independence 30 years ago.

On the same day, Gənclər Birliyi, the youth wing of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) posted a video of anti-war figures on Facebook, with the hashtag “#xainləritanı” – “know the traitors”.

“A part of the population believes in the state narrative of ‘we are in our own land, we have not crossed into the territory of Armenia,’” Shikhi explained. “Some know about the occupation, and a part of them are against it, and others support it. The latter are usually government officials and nationalists.

“But to answer which is the majority, I would say that the majority is in favour of capturing more land from Armenia,” he continued. “Aliyev also gains the upper hand from this and is able to shape public opinion.”