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

Azerbaijan took control of Armenian Mount Buzlug and raised its flag. Is a new war about to break out?

Emil Lazarian
Aug 7 2022
August 7, 2022 – by admin@defenceview

The Armenia-Azerbaijan tensions are flaring up again. Azerbaijani troops seized control of Mount Buzlug and surrounding areas of Armenia.

The Azerbaijani army occupied Mount Buzlug and hoisted the Azerbaijani flag on it. This happened after two days of relative calm in the region. As it became known, the Azerbaijani troops managed to move freely in this direction and completely take control of Mount Buzlug, the heights surrounding it, as well as nearby areas. As a demonstrative gesture, Azerbaijan hoisted the state flag on Mount Buzlug. This information has been confirmed by the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan.

“As a result of the activities carried out by our units, Mount Buzlug and the heights surrounding it came under the control of the Azerbaijani army ,” the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan reports.

In the published video footage, you can see how a group of Azerbaijani military hoists the state flag over the region taken under control. This indicates that the latter is currently really under the control of the Azerbaijani army.

It is known that earlier this area was supposed to be controlled by Russian peacekeeping forces, as well as units of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. However, at the moment there are no official data from the command of the Russian peacekeeping contingent.

A few days back Azerbaijan’s defense ministry said it carried out “revenge” attacks on Armenian forces on August 3 in response to an attack that killed one soldier and an attempt to seize control of a hill in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh enclave. The Azeri ministry accused Armenia of “grossly” violating the terms of a ceasefire agreement signed in November 2020, and said the attacks occurred in an area where a Russian peacekeeping contingent had been deployed. 

Azerbaijan’s “retaliatory operation” involved the destruction of “several combat positions of illegal Armenian armed detachments” and an airstrike on a military unit stationed in the village of Yukhary Oratagh, the ministry said. This aerial footage released by the defense ministry shows a military vehicle exploding at a facility just north of the village. Azerbaijan said the strike killed and wounded several members of Armenia’s forces, and destroyed “several D-30 howitzers, military vehicles and a large amount of ammunition.

EarlierRussia kept things calm in the region despite all adversities during the past two years, but the region is now erupting in the fire as soon as EU chimed in and because of Russia is now completely busy in Ukraine.

In 2020, a long-simmering conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh erupted into a six-week war between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Around 2,000 soldiers and civilians lost their lives in the clash. Armed drones and other weapons supplied by Turkey helped Azeri forces break past Armenian defences and usurp territories, including almost 40% of Nagorno-Karabakh itself.

https://www.defenceview.in/azerbaijan-took-control-of-armenian-mount-buzlug-and-raised-its-flag-is-a-new-war-about-to-break-out/

Russia Calls for ‘Restraint’ in Restive Karabakh

Emil Lazarian
Aug 4 2022
By AFP

Moscow on Thursday called for “restraint” following a new escalation in fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region that has left three people dead. 

Earlier in the day Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan voiced rare criticism of ally Moscow, questioning the work of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh.

“We express our extreme concern over the escalation of tensions,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, calling on all parties “to exercise restraint and observe a ceasefire.”

The Foreign Ministry added that Moscow’s peacekeepers were “making every effort” to stabilize the situation on the ground. 

The former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought two wars — in the 1990s and in 2020 — over Nagorno-Karabakh. 

In the aftermath of the latest war, Armenia ceded swathes of territory it had controlled for decades.

Russia deployed some 2,000 peacekeepers to oversee the fragile truce but tensions persist despite the ceasefire agreement.

Following the recent flareup, Pashinyan questioned the role of Russian peacekeepers there. 

“Questions arise in Armenian society over the Russian peacekeeping operation in Nagorno-Karabakh,” he told a government meeting on Thursday.

He pointed to “gross, prolonged violations of a ceasefire regime” and “constant physical and psychological terror” of Karabakh residents in the presence of the peacekeepers. 

Pashinyan said the role of the Russian peacekeeping mission must be “clarified,” adding that Armenia expected the contingent to prevent “any attempt to violate the line of contact.”

The two sides accuse each other of violating the fragile truce.

On Wednesday, Baku said it had lost a soldier and the Karabakh army said two of its troops had been killed. Pashinyan said 19 troops had been wounded.

The Azeri defence ministry said Karabakh troops targeted its army positions in the district of Lachin, which is under the supervision of the Russian peacekeeping force.

The Azeri army later said it conducted an operation dubbed “Revenge” in response and took control of several strategic positions.

On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin is hosting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for talks in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi.

Turkey backed Azerbaijan in the 2020 war over Karabakh.

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/08/04/russia-calls-for-restraint-in-restive-karabakh-a78509

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Azerbaijan fighting against three important institutions enshrined in trilateral statement of November 9 – Armenian PM

Emil Lazarian
Public Radio of Armenia
Aug 4 2022
August 4, 2022, 12:10

 1 minute read

During the government sitting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan spoke about the situation in and around Nagorno Karabakh, the implementation of the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020, the mandate of the peacekeeping force of the Russian Federation, the new route of the Lachin Corridor and regional peace.

The Prime Minister noted that the presence of the Russian peacekeeping contingent is a key factor in ensuring the security of Artsakh Armenians and “we highly appreciate Russia’s efforts in ensuring security and stability in our region.”

He added, however, that a number of incidents have taken place in the zone of their responsibility since November 2020 and added that “we expect any attempt to cross the line of contact be prevented by the peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation.”

PM Pashinyan said “no matter how strong the criticism of the trilateral statement of November 2020, institutions most important for the security of Nagorno Karabakh are enshrined in it.”

“First, it affirms the existence of the entity of Nagorno Karabakh, which Azerbaijan has been trying to deny, stating that Nagorno Karabakh doesn’t exist,” PM Pashinyan said, adding that such statements are a gross violation of the trilateral statement.

Second, the Prime Minister said, it has been recorded that there is a Line of Contact. And third, there is the Lachin corridor that ensures the link between Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia.

“In fact, today’s struggle of Azerbaijan is against these three institutions, and we expect, as it is envisaged by the trilateral statement, that the Russian peacekeeping contingent will not enable Azerbaijan to distort these fundamental institutions as recorded by the trilateral statement,” PM Pashinyan said.

Azerbaijani has openly assumed responsibility for the aggression: Armenian FM briefs foreign diplomats on situation in the region

Emil Lazarian
Public Radio of Armenia
Aug 4 2022
August 4, 2022, 14:29

 2 minutes read

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan received the heads of diplomatic missions accredited to Armenia.

Minister Mirzoyan drew the ambassadors’ attention to the situation resulting from the provocative and aggressive actions by Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh in recent days. He noted that the Azerbaijani armed forces, once again violating the Trilateral Statement of November 9, 2020, signed by the leaders of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan, carried out aggression in the area of responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping forces, as a result of which nineteen servicemen of the Nagorno-Karabakh Defence Army were injured and two were killed.

The Foreign Minister emphasized that the Azerbaijani side has officially and openly assumed responsibility for the aggression, which is clearly evidenced by the statements of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, as well as the violations recorded by the Russian peacekeeping forces deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Minister Mirzoyan noted that the aggression carried out by Azerbaijan was preceded by the letter submitted to the Russian peacekeeping contingent on the transfer of control over the Lachin Corridor, according to which the Azerbaijani side plans to change the currently operating route through the Lachin Corridor, which is a gross violation of the Trilateral Statement of November 9 as the 6th point of the Statement clearly reads that the plan for the construction of a new traffic route through the Lachin Corridor connecting Armenia with Nagorno-Karabakh should be decided by the agreement of the parties (i.e. Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan) within the next three years, while there is no such plan approved in a trilateral format yet.

Ararat Mirzoyan also stressed that the Azerbaijani authorities respond to the Armenian efforts to achieve stability and peace in the region with Armeophobic rhetoric, aggressive statements, and open threats to use force. He considered unacceptable the continuous policy of the Azerbaijani side to subject the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to ethnic cleansing. 

The Foreign Minister of Armenia also touched upon the humanitarian issues resulting from the 44-day war, which are still not addressed, stressing that the Azerbaijani side continues to hold Armenian prisoners of war and civilians in violation of the provisions of international humanitarian law.

The Foreign Minister of Armenia reiterated the position of the Armenian side towards the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict under the mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship, which is the only international format mandated by the UN Security Council.

It was also emphasized that in order to support the agenda of the Armenian side to achieve peace in the South Caucasus, coordinated and unanimous assistance of the international community is necessary.

Azerbaijan’s actions do nothing to further a lasting, durable peace – Senator Jack Reed

Emil Lazarian
Public Radio of Armenia
Aug 5 2022
August 5, 2022, 12:11

 1 minute read

Azerbaijan’s actions do nothing to further a lasting, durable peace in Nagorno-Karabakh, Senator Jack Reed, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a Twitter post.

“I am deeply troubled by reports of a return to violence in Nagorno-Karabakh, especially the loss of life. For the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense to release footage of their air strike, as though it is something to be proud of, is reprehensible,” the Senator said.

“These actions do nothing to further a lasting, durable peace in Nagorno-Karabakh which is the only path to stability and security in the region. I urge an immediate cessation of violence and return to the ceasefire agreed to in November of 2020,” he added.

Two Armenian soldiers were killed, 19 were wounded in fresh Azerbaijani attack.

Lavrov says not seen yet Pashinyan’s proposals on Russian peacekeeping mission in Artsakh

Emil Lazarian
Panorama
Armenia – Aug 5 2022

Moscow has not yet seen Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s proposals for specifying details of the Russian peacekeeping mission’s work in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters on Friday, TASS reported.

“I find it difficult to answer this question because we have not seen the specific proposals that the Armenian prime minister wants to discuss in the context of the Russian peacekeeping operation in Nagorno-Karabakh, so I cannot guess now,” Lavrov said in response to a request to comment on Pashinyan’s statements on the urgent need to specify the Russian peacekeeping mission in Karabakh.

“Any of the sides have the right to propose additional initiatives, it has been agreed by the presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan and the Armenian Prime Minister. So far we have not seen any,” the Russian diplomat said.

Earlier, Pashinyan said that the developments in Artsakh raise questions about the activities of Russian peacekeepers. The prime minister said that he considered the presence and activities of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh a key factor for ensuring security of Armenians, and highly rated the Russian efforts to ensure security and stability in the region.

“We expect that any attempt to cross the line of contact will be stopped by the Russian peacekeeping troops,” he said.

Russia will take measures to prevent escalation, commander of Russian peacekeeping contingent assures

Emil Lazarian
ARMINFO
Armenia – Aug 4 2022
Naira Badalian

ArmInfo.Commander of the Russian peacekeeping contingent, Major General Andrey Volkov met with representatives of the public and opposition forces of Artsakh.

“During the meeting, Major General Andrey Volkov explained the  position of the peacekeeping contingent regarding the ongoing  developments, informed about the work done, and also assured that the  Russian Federation would take all measures to prevent further  aggravation of the situation,” the message on the Russian  peacekeepers’ in Artsakh Telegram channel says.

On August 3, in the morning, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces fired at  the combat positions of the Artsakh Defense Army and the place of  permanent deployment of one of the military units, using mortars,  grenade launchers and attack UAVs, as a result of which two contract  soldiers were killed and 19 soldiers were injured.

On August 3, Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan announced a partial  military mobilization. 

Democratic Party of Armenia proposes all national forces to create shadow government

Emil Lazarian
NEWS.am
Armenia – Aug 5 2022
16:11, 05.08.2022

The Democratic Party of Armenia (DPA) proposes to consolidate all national forces in the status of a political council that will assume the functions of a shadow government to implement urgent tasks in order to overcome the threatening challenges.

According to a statement from the DPA, obtained by NEWS.am, it noted:

“The following tasks must be resolved:

To recognize the subjectness of the Republic of Artsakh, its independent status from Azerbaijan, which will confirm Armenia’s role as the guarantor of security of the Armenians of Artsakh.

Reach out to the leaders of the three OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries for effective measures to ensure that their representatives conduct a joint monitoring mission along the line of contact between Artsakh and Azerbaijan and to prevent Azerbaijan from carrying out new ethnic cleansing.

Appeal to the UN Security Council to investigate the facts of terrorism unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh and Armenia in order to prevent genocide and protect the fundamental right of Armenians to live safely in their homeland.

Restore the military-political and diplomatic capacities of Armenia and Artsakh, which is the only way to achieve stability and real peace in the region.

To conduct negotiations with Russia on the mandate and effective activities of peacekeeping forces in order to ensure the air defense of Artsakh, to create a possible security zone between Artsakh and Azerbaijan, to exclude possible attempts of Azerbaijan to occupy new territories”.

Artsakh authorities order residents of Berdzor and Aghavno to leave their homes by August 25

Emil Lazarian
NEWS.am
Armenia – Aug 5 2022
17:50, 05.08.2022

Artsakh’s Minister of Territorial and Infrastructure Hayk Khanumyan gave the residents of Aghavno and Berdzor until August 25 to leave their homes, Aghavno village head ‪Andranik Chavushyan told NEWS.am today.

“Hayk Khanumyan presented us an evacuation program, told us who will go where. But no one wants to leave. If they hand out weapons to the residents, we will stay and fight,” Chavushyan noted.

According to him, Artsakh President Araik Harutyunyan, with whom the issue was also discussed, can neither explain nor explain what is going on, he is not a negotiator. “I don’t justify him, but what to demand from him. We should ask Pashinyan. His slogan is that everyone is to blame except him,” Andranik Chavushyan noted.

Chess: GM Aronian’s influence endears in chess-obsessed Armenia though he now plays for USA

Emil Lazarian
The Indian Express
Aug 6 2022
  • Written By Sandip G |
  • Updated: August 6, 2022 12:07:42 am

The grandmaster of shock moves, Levon Aronian, pulled off just one shock move on Friday. He did not turn up at all for the game between his adopted country and the nation of his birth. He was neither amidst his new friends nor with those he had grown up, travelled and roomed for two decades.

But even in his absence, his shadow sprawled over the game as a simmering undercurrent—for he is such an eminent personality in chess. Not only that the tie could potentially decide the Olympiad as Armenia and the US were placed first and second on the table, but also that Armenians wanted to prove that there is life to them beyond Aronian and that even without him, they could mount a serious challenge. Perhaps the US wanted to demonstrate that they are a force even without Aronian. It was a game for points as well as pride, all these sub-plots adding layers of intrigue.

On the first match board were Fabiano Caruana and Gabriel Sargissian. Caruana is one of his best friends, “ who he cooks food for.” So is Sargissian. A year younger to Aronian, who is 39, both have been friends and collaborators since teenage. Beside them were Wesely So, who lives next door to Aronian at St Louis, and Hrant Melkumyan, who considers Aronian the “biggest influence of his life”. Aronian looms large in the life of all eight players. A joke that he had cracked. A move that he had taught them. More so as Aronian is as raffish a chess player could be.

What followed was engrossing chess, with neither team willing to surrender easily. The end result captured the feistiness of the game—apart from the Welsey So-Hrant Melkumyan match-up, every game was a dogged affair. Both teams won two games each in a delivery of poetic justice. There was no Aronian to settle the tie, no Aronian to swing the game this way or that. How heartbreaking it would have been for Armenia. Perhaps, not as heartbreaking as when he left them.

But like most nations born out of war and have endured genocides, Armenia has a remarkable capacity to move on. Life without Aronian would have been unthinkable. Until last year, Aronian was Armenia’s guiding light, their biggest hope, their perpetual inspiration, a national hero, and the man every child and adult in the chess-mad country, which has the most grandmasters per capita in the world, was the first country to make chess a mandatory part of the curriculum, wanted to be. The story of Aronian’s life is taught in school. Even if his life-story were to be culled out of the syllabus, it’s part of the folklore. How the Aronian family housed a homeless chess player who had fled from Azerbaijan during the war of 1988, over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, in exchange for teaching their son chess. How Aronian fought poverty, walked five miles on weekends to play chess tournaments in Yerevan. And so on and so forth.

But his departure has not plunged them to the pits of despair. Rather, it has motivated them to punch above their weight. They always had—a country of three million has won the Olympiad thrice. “Obviously, he was our best player and a very good player. But we, as a country, have been through a lot, so we don’t mourn for personal losses but find the best way to make the best use of what we have,” Armenian captain Arman Pashikian had said at the start of the tournament when asked about Aronian’s switch.

However, Armenians can’t hate him. He would polarise opinions with the single act of adopting another country, but he would continue to be figure of inspiration for Armenians. “We cannot hate him, though obviously we are sad. He is a brother and friend to us. So many beautiful memories. But he will continue to be an inspiration for us and our country, though I hope that more players don’t follow his path and change the nation,” GM Ave Grigoryan, who told chessbase.com

But the Armenian chess culture is so deep-rooted that the game would thrive on even after their greatest player had left. In 1963, when Tigran Petrosian took on the Russian Mikhail Botvinnik for the World Championship, thousands camped out in Yerevan, watching each move relayed through telegraph to a giant demonstration board in the city’s Opera Square. “There could be more chess clubs than coffeeshops in Yerevan,” Aronian himself had once said.

There are geographic and social reasons too. The Armenian-American writer Peter Balakian had once written in New York Times: “For a small, landlocked country, chess is a particularly ingenious way, and effective way, of mobilising both competitive spirit and sports competition and intellectual discipline, without the need for huge infrastructural resources and, of course, financial spending,” But they have lost the hero that embodied this spirit. But they would neither mourn nor shed a tear for Aronian.