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

Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers Hold Marathon Peace Talks in Washington

Emil Lazarian

May 8 2023

May 8, 2023 05:51 PM Age: 20 hours

(Source: Mediamax)

From May 1 to 4, the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Ararat Mirzoyan and Jeyhun Bayramov, respectively, held four-day peace talks facilitated by United States Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in Washington (Mfa.gov.az, May 4). Reportedly, Blinken only attended the introductory and closing sessions of the negotiations, which were held bilaterally between the delegations of the two countries for the remainder of the talks (Mfa.am, May 1; State.gov, May 4). Mirzoyan and Bayramov also met with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan (Twitter.com/JakeSullivan46, May 4).

These talks, which represent the longest round of negotiations since the end of the Second Karabakh War in 2020, marked the third such ministerial meeting between Armenia and Azerbaijan as mediated by the United States since September 2022. Previously, the three sides met on September 19 and November 8 last year in New York and Washington, DC, respectively (Turan.az, September 20, 2022; Az.usembassy.gov, November 8, 2022). During that same period, the United States also facilitated a meeting between Azerbaijani Presidential Advisor Hikmet Hajiyev and Armenian Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan in Washington on September 27, 2022 (Azernews, September 30, 2022) and another between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany on February 18 (JAM-news, February 18).

This marks an important trend in the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace process: While the European Union took over the lead mediating role in negotiations following the decline of Russia’s role in the process after its invasion of Ukraine, Brussels has failed to continue the process due to, among other issues, controversies related to France’s alleged attempt to join the summit of the two leaders along with European Council President Charles Michel. In a similar way to the failed summit in December 2022, Brussels could not bring Aliyev and Pashinyan together in March this year either, though some preliminary agreements for such a meeting had been reached during the US-mediated meeting in Munich (JAM-news, February 18).

Hence, the recent meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers in Washington testifies to the fact that the United States is playing a greater role as a mediator in the peace process between Yerevan and Baku. The Washington meeting took place against the backdrop of stalled communications between the two sides over differences in what should be contained in the peace treaty as well as Azerbaijan’s installation of a border checkpoint along the Lachin road on April 23. Later, on May 4, while the foreign ministers were still deep in discussion in Washington, Aliyev revealed that Yerevan only responded to Baku’s latest comments about the text of the peace treaty after more than 40 days and just prior to the Washington meeting (President.az, May 4).

Furthermore, the Azerbaijani president stated that he is not optimistic about the current state of negotiations, as Yerevan, in its latest response to Baku’s proposals, again made “attempts to question the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan; attempts to incorporate, in some way, Karabakh into a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan; and attempts to cross out our proposal of jointly combating terrorism, extremism, radicalism and separatism.” Aliyev added that the “Armenians kept everything but crossed out separatism” in regards to the specific text of this section (President.az, May 4).

Notably, several days before the ministerial meeting in the United States, Pashinyan stated that Armenia fully recognizes Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and expects the same from Baku (Armenpress, April 18). Likewise, a day before Aliyev’s aforementioned statement, Pashinyan confessed that his country needs to declare unequivocally that it has no territorial claim against Azerbaijan. He acknowledged that “the Republic of Armenia must declare that it has no territorial claims and will never have them. This is the only principle that will give us a chance to have a state” (Armenpress, May 3).

Despite these messages, which were largely interpreted in the region as a sign of Armenia’s readiness to reach an agreement in Washington, the ministerial meeting did not deliver any official document, joint press statement or visible agreements on specific issues. In his remarks at the closing session, Blinked disclosed that “the two sides have discussed some very tough issues over the last few days and they’ve made tangible progress on a durable peace agreement” (State.gov, May 4). The US official added, “We really are within reach of an agreement.” It is, however, unclear whether Blinken’s use of “tangible progress” was indeed indicative of the peace process taking a step forward or simply political rhetoric. Retrospectively, similar progress was reported in the aftermath of the Munich meeting on February 18; yet, no visible breakthrough was observed in the peace process in the weeks that followed (JAM-news, February 18).

In identical statements after the talks in Washington, Mirzoyan and Bayramov stated that they “advanced mutual understanding on some articles of the draft bilateral Agreement on Peace and Establishment of Interstate Relations, meanwhile acknowledging that the positions on some key issues remain divergent” (Mfa.gov.az, May 4; Armenpress, May 5)—yet again, failing to provide any details on the substantive progress that was reportedly achieved.

Both foreign ministers are now expected to meet in Moscow in the coming days (Apa.az, May 2). This meeting will be critical as the Kremlin has been traditionally unhappy with the “intervention” of the West in the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace process. Russia has also signaled that it would not support a peace deal that is not agreed upon with Moscow and not built on the basis of statements from the tripartite ceasefire agreement brokered by the Kremlin in 2020 (Azatutyun.am, May 2; see EDM, May 18, May 31, 2022). Pashinyan himself is headed to Moscow on a working visit, which underlines Russia’s remaining influence in the peace process (News.am, May 5). Hence, talks are now moving to the Russian capital as part of a delicate balancing act in these negotiations between growing Western influence and lingering Russian control—which leaves the future prospects for lasting peace and stability in the South Caucasus in a precarious position.

South Caucasus: EU to bring together leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Brussels

Emil Lazarian
May 9 2023

The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed, with EU diplomatic mediation, to meet again on 14 May 2023 for a trilateral meeting in Brussels. The European Union will be represented at the meeting by European Council President Charles Michel, who continues his efforts  to advance the EU’s efforts to promote stability in the South Caucasus and normalisation between the two countries.

Their discussions will also be flanked by a meeting together with President Emmanuel Macron of France and Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, in the margins of the upcoming European Political Community (EPC) summit in Chisinău on 1 June 2023.

The leaders also agreed to continue to hold trilateral meetings in Brussels as often as necessary to address current developments on the ground.

President Michel also expressed his intention to invite the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, France, and Germany to meet a second time in the margins of the next EPC summit in Granada in October 2023.

Find out more

Press release

https://euneighbourseast.eu/news/latest-news/south-caucasus-eu-to-bring-together-leaders-of-armenia-and-azerbaijan-in-brussels/

Putin hosts ‘informal breakfast’ for Pashinyan and other visiting leaders on Victory Day

Emil Lazarian

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 13:58, 9 May 2023

YEREVAN, MAY 9, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan joined Russian President Vladimir Putin and the leaders of CIS countries for an ‘informal breakfast’ in the Kremlin on May 9, RIA Novosti reports.

PM Pashinyan is in Moscow at the invitation of Putin for the Victory Day celebrations.

[see video]

A parade marking 78 years since Nazi Germany surrendered to the Soviet Union in the Second World War was held on Red Square.

Pashinyan, along with Putin and President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan, Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyzstan, Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan and Serdar Berdymuhamedov of Turkmenistan then visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to lay flowers.

Armenpress: U.S. Ambassador, British Embassy Chargé d’Affaires visit Tomb of Unknown Soldier in Yerevan on Victory Day

Emil Lazarian

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 17:40, 9 May 2023

YEREVAN, MAY 9, ARMENPRESS. U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Kristina Kvien, together with the U.S. defense attaché Colonel Gregory Pipes , visited Victory Park in Yerevan on May 9 to lay a wreath at the Eternal Flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the U.S. embassy said in a press release.

“Ambassador Kvien and Colonel Pipes laid a wreath at the Eternal Flame in Yerevan’s Victory Park to honor the contributions and sacrifices made by the Armenian people to defeat the Nazis and end World War II,” the U.S. embassy said.

The British Embassy’s Chargé d’Affaires Paul Morris also laid a wreath at the monument on May 9.

“To commemorate Victory Day, Chargé d’Affaires of the British Embassy Yerevan Paul Morris laid a wreath at the Eternal Flame at the Victory Park. We remember with profound gratitude the huge sacrifices made by all Allies during the Second World War in the fight against tyranny,” the British embassy said in a statement.

Thousands Turn Out in Stepanakert for ‘No to Ethnic Cleansing’ Rally

Emil Lazarian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 May 9, 2023

 

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

Thousands of Artsakh residents turned out for a rally in Stepanakert on May 9


Thousands of Artsakh residents turned out on Tuesday for a rally dubbed “No to Ethnic Cleansing” in Stepanakert, where ceremonies were held earlier to mark “Victory Day,” the holiday commemorating the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany. May 9 also marked the 31st anniversary of the liberation of Shushi.

The rally kicked off at Stepanakert’s Renaissance Square with a prayer and a moment of silence observed honoring those who gave their lives for Artsakh’s freedom, as well as during what is called the Great Patriotic War, ArtsakhPress reported.

Photos by David Ghahramanyan

The text of a petition addressed to the leaders of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries—the United States, Russia and France—and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was read to overwhelming applause as a sign of popular approval for the message.

“We demand that all international mechanism are applied to ensure the implementation of the terms of the November 9, 2020 agreement as well as the UN International Court of Justice ruling,” the petition said, referencing the February ruling by the United Nations court, which ordered Azerbaijan to immediately ensure “unimpeded movement” along the Lachin Corridor. Azerbaijan has refused to comply with the court’s order.

Photos by David Ghahramnyan

Among the speakers at the rally was Artsakh former state minister Ruben Vardanyan who signaled that the people of Artsakh are ready to take part in negotiations with Azerbaijan “but not with a gun to our head.”

“On April 23, Azerbaijan violated the red lines and installed a checkpoint. The violation of these red lines makes us struggle, as honorable people, because we have no other option. No one should restrict our free access and egress to and from Armenia,” Vardanyan said.

Artsakh’s former State Minister Ruben Vardanyan Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan and his predecessors Bako Sahakian and Arkady Ghukasian

“We have been under a blockade for 149 days already. We do not have gas and power, and you are aware of the situation in Sarsang reservoir,” Vardanyan added referring to the recently receding levels of the reservoir that is the main source of water for Artsakh residents.

“We have many problems, but we are not giving up. The situation is difficult, but one thing is certain, there can be no talk about any so-called reintegration,” emphasized Vardanyan in a direct retort to Baku’s demands that Artsakh resident accept Azerbaijani citizenship.

“We are defending our homes, our cities and villages, the graves of our ancestors, our right to live on our land. We do not want to attack anyone, we want a calm and happy life in our homeland. We are ready for negotiations, but these negotiations cannot take place with a gun to our head, but only in case of mutual respect,” Vardanyan said, calling on Armenians around the world to unite for Artsakh.

Also attending the rally was Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan, together with his predecessors Arkady Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan.

AW: ANCA: Countering Armenian Genocide Denial with Education and Advocacy

Emil Lazarian
May 9, 2023 Pauline Getzoyan Interviews 0

ANCA executive director Aram Hamparian advocating for Armenia and Artsakh on Capitol Hill

As the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots political organization, the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) works on the ground on Capitol Hill to influence and guide US policy, serving Armenian Americans as a liaison with their elected officials, and advancing issues of concern to the American Armenian community. The ANCA’s current efforts and actions are dedicated to stopping all US military aid to Azerbaijan and to sending emergency humanitarian assistance to Artsakh in the face of the ongoing blockade by Azerbaijan. In conjunction with these pressing issues, the ANCA also focuses its attention on education, and in particular, Armenian Genocide education. By now, our readers have received the 2023 Special Issue Magazine dedicated to genocide education. In preparation for the magazine, the Armenian Weekly conducted an interview with ANCA executive director Aram Hamparian to learn more about the ANCA’s objectives in genocide education and how they correspond to current events in Armenia and Artsakh.

Armenian Weekly (A.W.): Tell us about the Armenian Genocide Education Act and its status.

ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian (A.H.): The ANCA welcomed the reintroduction of the Armenian Genocide Education Act on April 24 by Congresswoman Anna Eshoo and her three colleagues, Representatives Gus Bilirakis, Ted Lieu and David Valadao. They were joined by more than 40 original cosponsors, a strong showing of bipartisan support. [Note: Since the interview was conducted, Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Bob Menendez and Senator Marsha Blackburn introduced the bipartisan companion to the House’s Armenian Genocide Education Act.] 

In the last session of Congress, this measure was introduced by former Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, a longstanding ally in Congress, who was joined by Congressman Gus Bilirakis in introducing H.R.7555. This measure secured strong bipartisan support, garnering 76 cosponsors and considerable interest and support among diverse Congressional constituencies and also academic, scholarly and human rights circles. It was referred to the Committee on House Administration, since it called on the Library of Congress (an arm of Congress) to promote Armenian Genocide education, but this panel did not have time to act on the measure before the end of the 117th Congress. 

The Armenian Genocide Education Act builds upon the President’s (2021) recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the historic passage (2019) of H.Res.296 and S.Res.150 – resolutions that established US recognition of the Armenian Genocide and rejected any official US association with the denial of this crime. This measure aims to appropriate $10 million over five years for the Library of Congress to help educate Americans about the Armenian Genocide. It specifically cites Ottoman Turkey’s systematic and deliberate state-sponsored mass murder, national dispossession, cultural erasure and exile of millions of Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Syriacs, Arameans, Maronites and other Christians between 1915 and 1923.

A.W.: How does Armenian Genocide education fit into the ANCA’s legislative priorities?

A.H.: The ANCA has a forward-looking policy agenda, focused on the long-term viability of the Armenian nation. Armenian Genocide education represents a vital component of this work, aligned with our aims of a secure Armenian homeland and a safer world. Increasing awareness of the Armenian Genocide shines a spotlight on the current threats – by the same state perpetrators of the 1915 Genocide – to the very existence of Armenia and Artsakh. More broadly, this type of education makes the world safer by challenging Turkey’s precedent of genocide committed, consolidated and denied with impunity.

A.W.: Given that the ANCA’s advocacy efforts are focused on the existential threat facing the republics of Artsakh and Armenia today, how can genocide education inform those efforts?

A.H.: Genocide education places the current existential threats to our homeland in historical context. Azerbaijan’s aggression – fully backed by Turkey – did not start in the 1980s, but rather has its roots in the genocidal campaigns by Sultan Abdul Hamid, the Young Turks and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk to rid Armenian lands of Armenians as part of their twisted pan-Turkish dream of ethnically-cleansing their way to Central Asia. Today, a century after the Armenian Genocide, we hear Turkish President Recep Erdogan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev repeating genocidal threats, and worse yet, acting on their stated intentions to finish the work of 1915. Erdogan and others have called Armenians the “remnants of the sword,” meaning the few they failed to kill, while Aliyev loudly proclaims Yerevan and the rest of Armenia as Azerbaijani land.

A.W.: The ANCA continues to work diligently to zero out US military aid to Azerbaijan and to hold Azerbaijan accountable for its war crimes in the 2020 Artsakh War and to the present day. How do you think genocide education today can help in these specific efforts?

A.H.: It is our hope and expectation that US policymakers – forced to make decisions on US military aid to Azerbaijan out in the open, under the bright light of public scrutiny – will be informed by the long history of Turkey and Azerbaijan working together today to eradicate the presence of Armenians upon their indigenous homeland. That they will not misrepresent this ethnic-cleansing as a “conflict” between two antagonists, but rather a unilateral attack by vastly larger militaries against a blockaded, landlocked genocide survivor state. We are working toward the day that Turkey and Azerbaijan’s genocidal drive to eradicate Armenians will be challenged by American leaders as a moral imperative, not as a geopolitical chess game to be managed. A future State Department whose diplomats all learned about the Armenian Genocide in school would be far more willing and able to prevent a second Armenian Genocide, and more broadly, to help end the global cycle of genocide.

A.W.: According to The Genocide Education Project, currently, 14 US states that require genocide and Holocaust education include the Armenian Genocide as a primary example. What efforts are being made by the ANCA and its local affiliates to promote this requirement in other states, and what states, if any, are a specific focus?

A.H.: Our challenge is to expand the list of states that require Armenian Genocide education and then – just as importantly – to ensure that these states actually implement these programs in each and every school district. We are working with our local chapters to make this happen. We aim to build on the remarkable work that has been done in the civic arena, by Armenian National Committees in California, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas and Virginia, to include Armenian Genocide education in public school lesson plans. The Genocide Education Project, in the academic space, is doing groundbreaking work in training teachers and providing educational materials in school districts across the country.

A.W.: Any final comments about the importance of Armenian Genocide education, specifically as it pertains to the work of the ANCA?

A.H.: As William Faulkner said, “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” That’s doubly true for Armenians. By virtue of our history, our geography, our neighbors and the threats we face, we must confront the past, addressing its gravest injustices, as part of our broader movement forward as a nation.

What’s at stake here is not just historical memory, which is so very vital, but also prospects for a just resolution of the Armenian Genocide and the prevention of future genocides against any peoples, anywhere on our planet. There is no better way to end the cycle of genocide than by teaching about genocide, and there is surely no better place to start than in our schools.

Our efforts in this regard are all the more necessary given the lack of sufficient Armenian Genocide education in school textbooks and lesson plans and all the more urgent in light of the Turkish government’s increasingly aggressive global campaign of Armenian Genocide denial, including active and ongoing efforts to roll back US recognition of this crime.

  •  Bio
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Editor
Pauline Getzoyan is editor of the Armenian Weekly and an active member of the Rhode Island Armenian community. A longtime member of the Providence ARF and ARS, she also is a former member of the ARS Central Executive Board. A longtime advocate for genocide education through her work with the ANC of RI, Pauline is co-chair of the RI branch of The Genocide Education Project. In addition, she has been an adjunct instructor of developmental reading and writing in the English department at the Community College of Rhode Island since 2005.


The California Courier Online, May 11, 2023

Emil Lazarian

The California
Courier Online, May 11, 2023

 

1-         Under
Turkish Pressure, Armenia’s Leaders

            Make
Excuses for Nemesis
Monument

            By Harut
Sassounian

            Publisher,
The California
Courier

           
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

2-         Azerbaijani
who crossed into Armenia
is sentenced to prison

3-         AYF-West CE
Meets with Western US Prelate Bishop Torkom
Donoyan

4-         Letters to
the Editor

************************************************************************************************************************************************

 

1-         Under
Turkish Pressure, Armenia’s Leaders

            Make
Excuses for Nemesis
Monument

            By Harut
Sassounian

            Publisher,
The California
Courier

           
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

 

Just when we thought that we had heard everything about the
current Armenian government’s questionable positions on Artsakh,
Armenia, and Armenian
interests, we are now facing another monumental mistake by Armenia’s
leaders.

On April 25, 2023, the descendants of those who killed the
Turkish masterminds of the Armenian Genocide inaugurated the Nemesis Monument
in Yerevan. In
attendance were opposition members of Parliament, and surprisingly, Tigran
Avinyan, the Deputy Mayor of Yerevan,
who is a member of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s political party.

Nemesis was the name of the operation which was organized by
the Armenian Revolutionary Federation to eliminate several Ottoman leaders who
were responsible for the Armenian Genocide. This operation implemented the
death verdicts issued in absentia by the Turkish Military Tribunal in Istanbul, in 1919,
against the Genocide perpetrators, since they had fled from the country. Talaat
Pasha, the main culprit in the Armenian Genocide, was killed by Soghomon
Tehlirian in Berlin,
in 1921. A German court found him not guilty due to Talaat’s massive crimes.

Talaat’s remains were brought from Berlin
to Turkey
in 1943. The Turkish government ‘honored’ Talaat by naming avenues, mosques,
schools, hospitals and a memorial after him in Istanbul. This would be just as shameful, had
the German government named schools and avenues in Berlin after Hitler! Another Genocide
organizer, Minister of War Enver Pasha, is buried in the same memorial in Istanbul. His remains
were brought in 1996 to Turkey
from Tajikistan
where he was assassinated in 1922 by an Armenian.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu retaliated against
the Nemesis Monument
by announcing that Turkey
banned overflights by Armenian airlines from Turkish skies. Furthermore,
Cavusoglu brazenly announced that Turkey
would take additional steps against Armenia,
if the Nemesis Monument is not dismantled. Thus, Turkey violated
the rules of IATA (International Air Transport Association) which states that
countries cannot ban overflights for political reasons. Armenia should take legal action against Turkey under IATA rules and ban the overflights
of Turkish Airlines over Armenia’s
skies.

This unwarranted Turkish retaliation is taking place at a time
when the governments of Armenia
and Turkey
are negotiating for over a year to open their mutual border and normalize their
relations. Even though it is announced that these negotiations are taking place
“without any preconditions,” in reality, Turkey has made several demands, such
as Armenia declaring that Artsakh is part of Azerbaijan by recognizing its
territorial integrity, allowing the so-called ‘Zangezur Corridor’ to cross
Armenia’s territory, linking mainland Azerbaijan to its exclave of Nakhichevan,
which would mean that the ‘Corridor’ is under the sovereignty of Azerbaijan,
not Armenia.

Even if Turkey
would open the border someday, it will shut it down again if Armenia does not meet any of Turkey’s future
demands, thus continuously blackmailing the Armenian government. Turkey’s
current demand to dismantle the Nemesis Monument is an early warning of more
demands to come from Turkey, such as dismantling the Armenian Genocide Memorial
Complex in Yerevan, banning the burning of Turkish flags on April 24, and
removing from Armenia’s Declaration of Independence the paragraph that states:
“The Republic of Armenia supports the task of achieving international
recognition of the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey and Western Armenia in
1915.”

This is the result of prostrating oneself in front of the
unrepentant enemy and begging for peace. In response to the Turkish ban of
Armenian overflights from Turkish skies, Armenia’s
leaders criticized their own country for erecting the Nemesis
Monument in Yerevan,
rather than telling Turkey
that they have no right to interfere in Armenia’s domestic decisions. In
the process of trying to appease Turkey,
Armenia’s
Prime Minister and the President of the Parliament made a number of
anti-Monument statements. So, it is OK for Turkey
to glorify Talaat, the Turkish Hitler, but not OK for Armenia to
honor those who killed the butcher. Armenia’s
leaders, rather than making excuses for the Nemesis
Monument, should have demanded that Turkey dismantle the Talaat Pasha Memorial in Istanbul.

Prime Minister Pashinyan made the excuse that the Nemesis Monument
was authorized by the City of Yerevan, not the
government of Armenia.
The Monument was approved by the Yerevan City Council on Sept. 14, 2021.
Pashinyan contradicted himself by first telling the Armenian Parliament that
the decision to authorize the Monument was made “to avoid being labeled
traitors…. But by doing so, we actually keep betraying the state and national
interests of our country.” He then went on to say that “a wrong decision was
made and the implementation of that decision was wrong.” Pashinyan also stated
that “one of the shortcomings of democracy is when the authorities or the
government leader is not controlling everything and everyone.” This is a
shocking statement from someone who came to power claiming to promote
democracy, yet he does not seem to understand the basic principles of
democracy. Pashinyan, in fact, controls everything and everyone in the country!

Meanwhile, the President of the Armenian Parliament Alen
Simonyan, during a press conference in Ankara
last week, also made excuses by saying that Turkey
should not view the Nemesis Monument “as an _expression_ of the foreign policy of
the government of Armenia
nor as an unfriendly act. The Armenian government’s foreign policy is conducted
by the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister.” Simonyan further said that only
“opposition members of the Parliament had attended the inauguration of the Nemesis Monument.” Cavusoglu replied that the
Armenian government’s excuses are “insincere and untrue. No one should try to
deceive us by saying that it does not fall within their jurisdiction.”

Armenia’s
leaders need to draw an important lesson from this episode. Unless Armenia immediately rejects Turkey’s attempts to interfere in Armenia’s internal affairs, I fear that the
Turkish government will be emboldened to impose further demands which will
severely restrict Armenia’s
sovereignty.

 

************************************************************************************************************************************************
2-         Azerbaijani who crossed into Armenia is
sentenced to prison

 

Agshin Babirov, one of the two Azerbaijanis who crossed the
border of Armenia,
has been sentenced to 11 years, 6 months and 15 days in prison, the Prosecutor
General’s Office confirmed to Armenian News-NEWS.am.

This Azerbaijani soldier was found guilty of illegally
crossing the Armenian state border, as well as illegally transporting firearms
and ammunition across the border.

Babirov has accepted the charges against him.

The criminal investigation in the case of Huseyin
Akhundov,  the other Azerbaijani who had
crossed into the Armenian border with Babirov, continues. In addition to the
aforesaid charges, Akhundov is accused also of killing the security guard of
Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine.

On April 10, it became known that two Azerbaijanis were seen
in Bnunis village of Sisian city of Armenia’s
Syunik Province the day before. On April 17,
the prosecutor’s office reported that two Azerbaijani servicemen who had ended
up in the territory
of Armenia were charged
and both were arrested. Moreover, one of them is accused of killing a man
guarding the guard post of the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine. According to
the statement of the Ministry of Defense (MOD) of Armenia,
on Monday, April 10, between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. local time, a serviceman of the
armed forces of Azerbaijan
was found and detained in the territory
of Armenia. Azerbaijani
media, citing the MOD of that country, had reported the disappearance of two
Azerbaijani servicemen. It was said that they had gotten lost while in
Nakhichevan due to bad weather and low visibility. The search for the second
serviceman continued for three days.

One of the two Azerbaijani servicemen was found by three
youth from Achanan village
of Syunik Province. Gor
Ohanjanyan and his friends were headed to Kapan when they saw the serviceman
wearing an Azerbaijani military uniform. They stopped to question him, and
police arrived shortly thereafter to investigate.

“He was wet, in a dirty condition. There were bullets,
masks with him, he had mixed ammunition. There was a phone as well in his hand;
it was the phone of the person who was found murdered in the [Zangezur
Copper-Molybdenum] Combine [guard post],” said Ohanjanyan.

These Azerbaijani servicemen were in Bnunis village of Syunik Province, and they had knocked on
the door of a local resident’s house. The first detained Azerbaijani was found
in Ashotavan village.

Local residents said that these Azerbaijanis had knocked on
the door of a local resident’s house for a long time; the landlady had opened
the door, saw masked soldiers, closed the door, and called the police. The
second Azerbaijani serviceman, who was caught by locals, was in civilian
clothes.

The Azerbaijani soldier was allegedly noticed near the
village shop, where some locals called the National Security Service after
gathering to prevent him from escaping.

Bununis and Ashotavan villages are quite far, about 20km
away, from the Azerbaijani positions.

Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan stated in parliament
Wednesday, April 12 that according to the information they have, the second
Azerbaijani soldier had said that “he had regretted crossing the border and
wanted to return.”

 

************************************************************************************************************************************************
3-         AYF-West CE Meets with Western US Prelate Bishop Torkom Donoyan

 

On Tuesday, May 2, the Armenian Youth Federation Western
United States (AYF-WUS) Central Executive met with His Grace Bishop Torkom
Donoyan, Prelate of the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Church in the United
States to hold a discussion surrounding an incident that took place on April 9
wherein AYF members were prohibited from distributing April 24 flyers at St.
Mary’s Armenian Apostolic Church in Glendale—a church within the Western
Prelacy’s jurisdiction. The meeting also included Daron Der-Khachadourian,
Chairman of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Western USA (ARF-WUSA), as
well as Vahe Hovagimian and George Chorbajian representing the Western Prelacy
board.

Upon raising these concerns, the Bishop reaffirmed
that he and the Western Prelacy stand in solidarity with the AYF, and that the
churches and community centers of the Western Prelacy are home to all Armenian
youth. Donoyan continued to reassure that the issue of AYF members being
prohibited from properties owned by the Western Prelacy is unacceptable, and he
condemned the actions taken against AYF members in this capacity. Furthermore,
Donoyan expressed his deep disappointment and concern at the prohibition of AYF
members distributing flyers to invite the community to commemorate the Armenian
Genocide at their Rally for Humanity, noting there was no justification for
this action.

“It is equally important that we share with the public the
obstacles that our AYF membership faces, which are both unprecedented and
unacceptable to the AYF Central Executive, as well as showcase our unwavering
relationship with His Grace Bishop Torkom Donoyan and the Western Prelacy,”
said Alex Manoukian, of the AYF-WUS Central Executive. “There is strength in
unity between the AYF-WUS, ARF-WUS, His Grace Bishop Torkom Donoyan, and the
Western Prelacy in all condemning the targeting of AYF members by members of
this rogue group in spaces that belong to the greater community.”

Both the AYF-WUS CE and Bishop Donoyan again pledged to
continue to support each other.

 

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4-         Letters to the Editor

 

Dear Editor:

 

Referring to Harut Sassounian’s Publisher’s Views of April
27, 2023.

 

Thank you to historian and professor, Taner Akcam and Mr.
Sassounian for this extremely important document. Sergeant Oz was a participant
in the Dersim massacres and displacements of 1937-1938. The Kurdish Alevi
population—along with Armenian women and children who survived the Genocide of
1915—were the victims. Dutch anthropologist Martin van Bruinessen wrote
extensively about Dersim and honored the memory of Ismail Besikci who detailed
the atrocities confirmed in the letter by Sergeant Oz. Now we know, they were
the truth! Ataturk ordered these actions as he was still alive then. In 1922, my
father, Deli Sarkis, survived the catastrophe of Smyrna which was also under the leadership of
Ataturk. My father’s experiences in Smyrna
are detailed in Chapter 8 of my book of his life—Deli Sarkis: The Scars He
Carried.

Ellen Sarkisian Chesnut

Alameda,
Calif.

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California Courier Online provides readers of the Armenian News News Service with a
few of the articles in this week’s issue of The California Courier. Letters to
the editor are encouraged through our e-mail address, .
Letters are published with the author’s name and location; authors are required
to disclose their identity to the editorial staff (name, address, and/or
telephone numbers for verification purposes).
California Courier subscribers can change or modify mailing addresses by
emailing .

Armenpress: Brussels confirms upcoming Armenia-Azerbaijan talks

Emil Lazarian

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 00:03, 9 May 2023

YEREVAN, MAY 9, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will have a trilateral meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and the President of the European Council Charles Michel on 14 May in Brussels, the European Council announced Monday.

The European Council said in a press release that Charles Michel ‘has continued to be in close contact with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to advance the EU’s efforts to promote stability in the South Caucasus and normalisation between the two countries’.

Pashinyan, Aliyev and Michel ‘have agreed to convene again on 14 May 2023 in a Brussels trilateral meeting’.

The leaders will also hold a meeting together with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on 1 June.

‘Their discussions will also be flanked by a meeting together with President Emmanuel Macron of France and Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, in the margins of the upcoming European Political Community summit in Chisinău on 1 June 2023. The leaders have also agreed to continue to meet trilaterally in Brussels as frequently as necessary to address ongoing developments on the ground and standing agenda items of the Brussels meetings. President Michel equally expressed his intention to invite the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, France and Germany to meet a second time in the margins of the next EPC summit in Granada in October 2023,’ the European Council added.

News on the upcoming Armenia-Azerbaijan talks in Brussels was first by the Financial Times earlier on Monday.

Nagorno Karabakh President’s Victory Day address

Emil Lazarian

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 10:40, 9 May 2023

YEREVAN, MAY 9, ARMENPRESS. President of Nagorno Karabakh/Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan released a statement on May 9 on Victory Day.
Below is the full statement released by Harutyunyan’s office.

“Dear compatriots,

Dear veterans of the Great Patriotic War and Artsakh Liberation War,

Honorable generals, officers, soldiers of the Defense Army,

May 9 is one of the most glorious pages in the history of the Armenian people. The victory of our grandfathers along with other peoples in the Great Patriotic War, the formation of the Artsakh Republic Defense Army, the Liberation of Shushi are the [undisputed] victories that rightly made that day a symbol of national pride.

First of all, I want to bow [before] the [sacred] memory of all our martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the defense of the Motherland at different times, as well as to the merits of living heroes. Their feat and bravery are immortal and will always be a bright example of patriotism and selflessness for future generations.

Today, Artsakh has once again appeared in the focus of an [existential] struggle. The blockade by the authorities of Azerbaijan, which has been going on for five months now, aims to break the will and spirit of struggle of our people through psychological and physical pressure, to force them to leave the land of our ancestors with a history of thousands of years, or [subjugate] us, under security threats. 

The aspirations of the Turkish-Azerbaijani tandem are not new for us. We know this well, as well as the strength and power of the unity of the Armenian people, which was demonstrated in the most decisive periods of our history.
Today again, national unity has become the imperative of the day. We have no right to hesitate or step back. There is only one way. Artsakh was, is and should be Armenian, with the free will of its people and the right and determination to manage their own destiny. The efforts of all of us, in Artsakh, Armenia and the Diaspora, should serve [for] this purpose, we should rediscover and cherish the [meaning] and spirit of the victorious Triple Holiday as a guideline for our lives.
May God protect our homeland and people”.

No progress over most important issues in talks with Azerbaijan, says Armenia’s top security official

Emil Lazarian

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 11:52, 9 May 2023

YEREVAN, MAY 9, ARMENPRESS. Armenia and Azerbaijan haven’t made progress around the most important issues in the negotiations, the Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan said on Tuesday.

He said that these most important issues concern the acknowledgment of the 29,800 square kilometers of Armenia’s sovereign territory and creation of an international mechanism for Stepanakert-Baku talks and international guarantees.

“Today, we can’t even preserve elements of the 9 November trilateral statement, because, for example, Azerbaijan must not be present in the Lachin Corridor under this statement, but it is there at this moment. It’s highly important for us to have international guarantees or an institute of guarantors for resolving such issues. So that everyone adheres to all agreements,” Grigoryan said.

Speaking about the latest Armenia-Azerbaijan talks in Washington D.C., Grigoryan did not disclose details but said that some progress has been made, albeit not over the most fundamental issues.

Mentioning the upcoming talks in Brussels, he added that Armenia will try to bring the approaches closer to one another as much as possible and move forward.

Grigoryan also commented on Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu’s remarks on the Nemesis monument in Yerevan. He said that the Turkish FM’s comments are inappropriate. “This is Armenia’s internal affair, and no one has the right to interfere,” he said. Grigoryan reiterated that Armenia wants to normalize relations with Turkey without preconditions.