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

Pashinyan says Armenians should stay in Karabakh

Emil Lazarian
eurasianet
Sept 22 2023

With the ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh falling apart, and no deal between local leaders and the central government in Azerbaijan, the future of Armenians in the region remains precarious. 

While the vast majority of Armenian society, the Armenian foreign minister, as well as international observers are gravely concerned for their security, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says otherwise. 

"At this moment, our assessment is that there is no direct threat to the civilian population of Nagorno-Karabakh," Pashinyan said in a live address on September 21. 

In a complete contradiction, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan told a UN Security Council meeting on the same day that "Azerbaijan's intention is to complete the ethnic cleansing of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh." 

Since March 2021, access to Armenian-administered Nagorno-Karabakh has been tightly controlled by the Russian peacekeepers, making information difficult to verify. But three days after the beginning of Azerbaijan's 2023 offensive, credible reports are starting to emerge of civilian casualties and war crimes. The prime minister's statement triggered widespread outrage and led his critics to repeat their accusations of treason. 

"I believe the PM was talking to the domestic audience and trying to avoid panic in Armenian society, while fighting against Russian state attempts to weaponize the suffering of the Armenians of Artsakh to bring down democratic governance in Armenia. He failed in doing so and even angered many of his own supporters," analyst Eric Hacopian told Eurasianet. 

The timing of the statement, right before the UN Security Council meeting, couldn't have come at a worse time, according to human rights attorney Sheila Paylan. "The statement is puzzling, and also obviously untrue." 

"Perhaps in trying to calm people down, the prime minister thought he needed to make that statement," she told Eurasianet, noting the angry protests on the streets of Yerevan.

As of September 20, the de facto Karabakh authorities were counting 200 people killed and over 400 wounded. The streets of Stepanakert are filled with "displaced people, hungry, scared, and in uncertainty," said Karabakh Human Rights Ombudsman Gegham Stepanyan.

According to Stepanyan, his office has received more than 600 cases of people missing in the region, as of September 22nd. 

"Lack of communication made it almost impossible to find them or find out whether they were killed or not. Residential areas are cut off from each other, people's fates are unknown," former Armenian human rights defender Arman Tatoyan said. There have been reports of a bounty of $500 being placed on the head of a particular Karabakhi Armenian woman on an Azerbaijani Telegram channel. She is to be given to a man named "Murad'' as a birthday present, the alleged Telegram post reads. 

Some Armenians on social media recalled video evidence of atrocities by Azerbaijani troops against female Armenian soldiers during Baku's incursions into Armenian territory in September 2022.

Against this backdrop, many found the prime minister's comment about Armenians not being under threat in Karabakh inexplicably tone-deaf.

He did say in the same remarks, however, that his government was prepared to handle an influx of 40,000 families from Karabakh (which should roughly cover the region's entire population that Armenian sources estimate at 120,000).

So far there has been no sign of Karabakh Armenians leaving through the Lachin corridor, the only route connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia. Azerbaijan has been tightly restricting and at times completely closing the corridor in one form or another for the past nine months, resulting in acute shortages of food and supplies.  

"It's not opening anytime soon," said journalist Shant Khatcherian, who is standing by on the Armenian side of the border alongside other journalists, NGO representatives and Armenians who have relatives in Karabakh. 

Meanwhile in Armenia, today marks the fourth straight day of protests. Roads have been blocked and dozens of people have been arrested. While the anger against Russia, the European Union, and other international institutions has been palpable, many Armenians are looking closer to home for someone to blame. 

Fin DePencier is a journalist based in Yerevan

Fin DePencier is a Canadian freelance journalist and photographer based in Yerevan.

Yerevan de facto recognizes Baku’s sovereignty over Nagorno-Karabakh: Moscow

Emil Lazarian
Iran Front Page
Sept 13 2023
ByIFP Media Wire

The Armenian leadership has for all intents and purposes recognized that Nagorno-Karabakh belongs to Azerbaijan, Moscow announced on Tuesday.

“It is not only about the results of the latest conflict, it is also about the fact that the Armenian leadership has essentially recognized Azerbaijan’s sovereignty over Karabakh,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).

“And in the Prague declaration, the sides simply put it on paper.”

According to Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev now says directly that the question of Karabakh’s status is no longer an issue, that it has been resolved.

“And the Armenian leadership has publicly announced this, counting the entire territory before 1991 within the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic and giving a figure that includes the territory of Karabakh itself. This has happened. It is not our decision, it is the decision of Armenia’s current leadership,” the Russian president stated.

He also explained how Azerbaijan’s position on Russia’s role in the region now sounds. “And if that is the case, they say to us, then now you should solve all issues with us on a bilateral basis, if you want to do something about Karabakh. Well, what can we say? There is nothing to say. If Armenia itself has recognized that Karabakh is a part of Azerbaijan, what do we have to say?” Putin emphasized.

At the same time, the Russian leader noted that such a situation raises questions about the humanitarian component and the mandate of Russian peacekeepers to remain in the region.

“The mandate is still valid. And the humanitarian issues of preventing some kind of ethnic cleansing there, of course, have not gone away. I fully agree with that. I hope that the Azerbaijani leadership, as they have told us and continue to tell us, is not interested in any ethnic cleansing. And, on the contrary, they are interested in this process being carried out gently,” the Russian leader pointed out. 

Putin noted that Moscow has laid out its plan for resolving the Karabakh conflict. He recalled that Armenia “controlled seven districts, which it took under its control after the well-known Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict.”

“We offered to mediate an agreement with Azerbaijan in such a way that two districts – Kelbajar and Lachin – would actually remain under the jurisdiction of Armenia. And the whole of Karabakh. But the Armenian leadership did not agree to this, although we tried to convince those in charge of the country for a decade. For ten to fifteen years,” the Russian president recalled.

According to him, various options were discussed, “but in the end it all boiled down to this.”

“To our question, ‘What are you going to do?’ we were told: ‘We will fight.’ Well, okay,” Putin said, describing his dialogues with the Armenian leadership. “In the end, everything led to the situation that has developed today,” he added.

Responding to remarks that Moscow and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) have allegedly failed to help Yerevan while a humanitarian disaster is unfolding in Karabakh, Putin said, “If Armenia has recognized that Nagorno-Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan, that’s it.”

“What is there to talk about? This is what the whole problem is all about. The status of Karabakh has been determined by Armenia itself. That is the whole problem,” he stressed.

https://ifpnews.com/yerevan-de-facto-recognizes-bakus-sovereignty-nagorno-karabakh-moscow/

Asbarez: AIWA-LA Affiliate Pays Tribute to Beloved Founding Members at Luncheon Event

Emil Lazarian
by Contributor

 

 

 

in Community, Latest, News, Top Stories

The AIWA-LA Executive Committee with Fox 11 News Anchor Araksya Karapetyan (front center) at the luncheon honoring the extraordinary legacy of LIly Ring Balian, Flora Dunaians, and Savey Tuenkian

LOS ANGELES––The Armenian International Women’s Association Los Angeles Affiliate hosted a memorable luncheon on August 25 to honor and celebrate the lives of three esteemed members who recently passed away. The event, held at the elegant California Club, brought together 200 guests to remember and pay tribute to Lily Ring Balian, Flora Dunaians, and Savey Tufenkian.

Flora Dunaians and Savey Tufenkian, both founding members of the AIWA Los Angeles Affiliate Chapter were instrumental in shaping the organization’s growth and mission. Lily Ring Balian was an early member and past president of the organization. Their dedication to AIWA’s values and their tireless efforts to support Armenian women and communities left a profound impact that continues to inspire.

The event was a reflection of the grace and strength that these remarkable women embodied throughout their lives. Beautiful floral arrangements adorned the venue, setting a lovely and uplifting atmosphere. The See’s Candy favors, a love that all three honorees shared, reflected the sweet memories they created together.

The program included heartfelt speeches and tributes by prominent individuals who knew and admired the honorees. Emmy Award winning Fox 11 news anchor, Araksya Karapetyan, and AIWA-LA past president, Cindy Norian, shared moving stories about the life and legacy of Lily Ring Balian. Talar Bilemjian, Flora Dunaians’ granddaughter, spoke with admiration about her grandmother and the importance of keeping Armenian traditions alive, while AIWA-LA co-founder, Hermine Janoyan eloquently conveyed the profound impact of work with dear friend Flora on so many projects. Savey’s granddaughter, Sarah Cipolla, and AIWA-LA co-founder Elizabeth Agbabian paid a meaningful tribute to Savey whose dedication to AIWA and many other causes will forever be remembered.

Beautiful music was provided by Greg Hosharian on piano and Angela Amirian on violin, who performed interludes featuring songs that were favored by the honorees.

The AIWA Los Angeles Affiliate extends its deepest gratitude to all who attended this special event which served as a testament to the enduring influence and spirit of these three beloved women. Their contributions to AIWA and the Armenian community will forever be cherished and celebrated.

For more information about AIWA and its ongoing initiatives, including details about the upcoming conference on “Local to Global – Uniting for Change” in Armenia, which will be held from October 5 to 7, please visit the AIWA website.

Kieser, Bayraktar and Mouradian to speak at Columbia book launch on Sept. 25

Emil Lazarian
 Guest Contributor Announcements 0

NEW YORK—Scholars Hans-Lukas Kieser (Newcastle University, Australia), Seyhan Bayraktar (University of Zurich, Switzerland), and Khatchig Mouradian (Columbia University) will discuss their recently-published book, After the Ottomans: Genocide’s Long Shadow and Armenian Resilience at Columbia University on Sept. 25. 

The event and book-signing will be held at 6 p.m. at the School of Social Work, Room C03 (1255 Amsterdam Ave., New York, NY 10027). It is co-sponsored by the Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies Department (MESAAS), the Institute for the Study of Human Rights (ISHR), the Columbia University Armenian Center and the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR).

The book deals with the lasting impact and the formative legacy of removal, dispossession and the politics of genocide in the last decade of the Ottoman Empire. For understanding contemporary Turkey and the neighboring region, it is important to revisit the massive transformation of the late-Ottoman world caused by persistent warfare between 1912 and 1922. This fourth volume of a series focusing on the “Ottoman Cataclysm” looks at the century-long consequences and persistent implications of the Armenian Genocide. It deals with the actions and words of the Armenians as they grappled with total destruction and tried to emerge from under it. Eleven scholars of history, anthropology, literature and political science explore the Ottoman Armenians not only as the major victims of the First World War and the post-war treaties, but also as agents striving for survival, writing history, transmitting the memory and searching for justice.

Kieser is a historian of Turkey, the Ottoman Empire and the modern Middle East at the University of Newcastle, Australia, and at the University of Zurich, Switzerland. He is the author of Nearest East: American Millenniallism and Mission to the Middle East (2010), Talaat Pasha: Father of Modern Turkey and Architect of Genocide (2018), and When Democracy Died: The Middle East’s Enduring Peace of Lausanne (2023).

Bayraktar is Ph.D.-coordinator at the Graduate School of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Zurich (Switzerland). She has a doctorate in social sciences from the University of Konstanz (Germany). Her research focuses on the politics of memory and apology and political communication. She is the author of Politik und Erinnerung. Der Armeniermord im türkischen Diskurs zwischen Nationalismus und Europäisierung published by transcript 2010.

Mouradian is a lecturer in Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies at Columbia University, and the Armenian and Georgian Area Specialist at the Library of Congress. He also serves as co-principal investigator of the project on Armenian Genocide Denial at the Global Institute for Advanced Study, New York University. Mouradian is the author of the award-winning book The Resistance Network: The Armenian Genocide and Humanitarianism in Ottoman Syria, 1915-1918.

For more information, contact Prof. Mouradian at [email protected].




Former Russian ally launches major war games with the US in humiliating blow for Putin

Emil Lazarian
EXPRESS, UK
Sept 12 2023
By JACOB PAUL

The Kremlin has been left furious after Armenia, formerly a Russian ally, announced a massive joint military exercise with the US in a humiliating blow for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The “Eagle Partner” war games are set to run through September 20 and will involve 175 Armenian and 85 American troops.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has erupted in fury and summoned its Armenian ambassador to lodge a formal protest over the exercises.

It also blasted a series of other Armenian moves as unfriendly, despite Russia being the Caucasus nation's main ally.

In fact, Russia has been Armenia’s main economic partner and ally since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Landlocked Armenia even hosts a Russian military base and is a member of the Moscow-led security alliance of ex-Soviet nations, the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

But now, the country appears to be aligning more closely with the West and has stood with Ukraine amid the illegal Russian invasion.

Armenia has even signed off on what Russia has called the “transfer of humanitarian aid to Kyiv’s Nazi regime.”

Last week, it announced that it would provide humanitarian assistance to Ukraine as Moscow ramps up its brutal campaign by striking infrastructure and civilian targets.

In a major blow for the Kremlin, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said: “We are not Russia’s ally in the war with Ukraine. And our feeling from that war, from that conflict, is anxiety because it directly affects all our relationships.”

His wife even recently made an official visit to the country in a rare show of force against Moscow.

Pashinyan has been scrambling to strike closer ties with the US other Western partners as tensions with neighboring Azerbaijan boil over.

The Armenian leader has hit out at Moscow for failing to help lift the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway Armenian-populated province of Azerbaijan.

Now, he says Armenia needs to turn to the West to help for its security.

Nagorno-Karabakh is a region within Azerbaijan that came under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by the Armenian military after a six-year separatist war that ended in 1994.

Armenian forces also took control of substantial territory around the region.

Aid organizations say they cannot deliver supplies of food and fuel and have raised the alarm over a humanitarian crisis that is unfolding.

Azerbaijan denies the claims, insisting local Armenians must lay down their weapons and submit to being governed as part of the country.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1811781/vladimir-putin-armenia-war-games-us-eagle-partner

Red Cross evacuates 13 patients from blockaded Nagorno-Karabakh

Emil Lazarian

 13:08,

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Tuesday evacuated 13 patients from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia for urgent treatment, the Nagorno-Karabakh Ministry of Healthcare announced in a statement.

All patients were accompanied by their attendants.

Nagorno-Karabakh hospitals have suspended normal operations due to the Azerbaijani blockade.

The ICRC plans to transport another 5 patients who’ve completed treatment in Armenia back to Nagorno-Karabakh later today.

26 children are hospitalized in the Arevik clinic in Nagorno-Karabakh. 7 of them are in neonatal and intensive care.

Another 91 patients are hospitalized in the Republican Medical Center of Nagorno-Karabakh. 5 of the patients are in intensive care, 3 of whom are in critical condition.

Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia and the rest of the world, has been blocked by Azerbaijan since late 2022. The Azerbaijani blockade constitutes a gross violation of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, which established that the 5km-wide Lachin Corridor shall be under the control of Russian peacekeepers. Furthermore, on February 22, 2023 the United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – ordered Azerbaijan to “take all steps at its disposal” to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.  Azerbaijan has been ignoring the order ever since. The ICJ reaffirmed its order on 6 July 2023.

Azerbaijan then illegally installed a checkpoint on Lachin Corridor. The blockade has led to shortages of essential products such as food and medication. Azerbaijan has also cut off gas and power supply into Nagorno Karabakh, with officials and experts warning that Baku seeks to commit ethnic cleansing against Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 12-09-23

Emil Lazarian

 17:22,

YEREVAN, 12 SEPTEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 12 September, USD exchange rate down by 0.26 drams to 385.84 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.85 drams to 413.47 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.07 drams to 4.07 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 2.02 drams to 481.03 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 51.47 drams to 23879.09 drams. Silver price up by 0.99 drams to 286.62 drams.

Russia hopes Lachin Corridor will be unblocked parallel with Aghdam route opening

Emil Lazarian

 17:35,

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS. Russia hopes that soon the Lachin Corridor will be unblocked parallel with the Aghdam route and Nagorno-Karabakh will start receiving regular humanitarian aid from both directions, Russian Foreign Ministry representative Maria Zakharova said on September 12.

Speaking at a press briefing, Zakharova said that the foreign ministers of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan developed a plan on the simultaneous unblocking of the Lachin and Aghdam routes during their July 25 meeting in Moscow.

“Taking into consideration the significant difference in positions and the high level of mutual distrust, this work did not proceed easily. As a first step, on 12 September, 15 tons of food, personal hygiene products and beddings were conveyed to the residents of Nagorno-Karabakh requiring aid through the Russian Red Cross. We expect that taking into consideration the previously reached mutual-understanding, soon the Lachin Corridor will also be unblocked parallel with the Aghdam route, and then humanitarian aid will be regularly delivered to the region from the two directions,” Zakharova said, expressing hope that this way the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh will be stabilized and the normal life of the population will be restored.

“This will in turn create conditions for launching dialogue between Baku and Stepanakert and relaunching the rhythmic work in the direction of implementing the entire complex of the 2020-2022 highest level trilateral agreements on the normalization of the Armenian-Azerbaijani relations,” she added.

Putin Says ‘No Problems’ with Pashinyan But Blames Armenia’s Leader for Current Artsakh Crisis

Emil Lazarian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 

 

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

President Vladimir Putin of Russia speaks at a conference in Vladivostok on Sep. 11


He Hopes Azerbaijan Won’t Commit Ethnic Cleansing

President Vladimir Putin of Russia on Tuesday said there were no problems between he and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, but blamed the Armenian leader for the current Artsakh crisis.

Speaking at an economic forum in Vladivostok, Russia, Putin said confirmed that Pashinyan contacted him about the recent military build up along the Armenia and Azerbaijan border and Yerevan’s fears of renewed attacks against Armenia and Artsakh.

“He [Pashinyan] sent me a comprehensive letter… We are in contact with him. There are no problems with Armenia and Prime Minister Pashinyan. We are in constant contact with him,” Putin said.

However, he went to say that the actions taken by Pashinyan, especially Yerevan’s recognition of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity that gave Baku sovereignty over Artsakh had placed the entire situation in a different light. Putin went on to suggest that Pashinyan nixed the issue of the status of the Nagorno-Karabakh, which was to be determined in future, by recognizing Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and referencing the 1991 Alma Ata Treaty.

“Armenia basically recognized Azerbaijan’s sovereignty over Karabakh. And in their statement in Prague, they recorded it on paper,” Putin said.

“The leadership of Armenia has publicly announced this, considering the entire territory that existed before 1991 within Azerbaijan SSR and noting the square kilometers of the territory, which also includes the territory of Karabakh. This happened and it was not our decision,” the Russian president added.

Putin argued that after Pashinyan’s statements on the recognition of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, Yerevan is looking to Moscow to resolve the humanitarian crisis.

“What can we say? There is nothing to say here if Armenia itself has recognized Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan,” asserted Putin, saying that Yerevan is currently focusing on the crisis that has arisen since the 2020 war and not looking at the entirety of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“The key aspect of the entire conflict was the status of Karabakh, and now that has been decided by Armenia itself. That’s the whole problem,” Putin said.

He said that Russia had proposed that Armenia would keep the entire Karabakh region, including Kelbajar and Lachin but claims that Armenia refused this proposal.

“We proposed our settlement options, this is a known fact,” Putin told the Eastern Economic Summit in Vladivostok on Tuesday.

“Armenia controlled seven regions, which it kept under its jurisdiction after the well-known Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict [of the 1990s]. We proposed to reach an agreement with Azerbaijan so that the two regions—Kelbajar and Lachin—as well as the entirety of Karabakh would actually remain under the jurisdiction of Armenia. But the leadership of Armenia did not agree to this—although we were trying to convince the leadership of Armenia for 10 or 15 years. Various options were floated, but in the end it all came down to this,” Putin explained.

The Russia president explained that Yerevan’s decisions have created situations that concern Moscow, especially the humanitarian crisis and the threat of ethnic cleansing by Azerbaijan.

“Of course, other issues have arise here, such as issues related to the humanitarian component and the mandate of our peacekeepers [in Nagorno-Karabakh]. The mandate is still in force, and the issues of that are humanitarian in nature, the prevention of ethnic cleansing, of course, have not gone away. I fully agree with this,” Putin acknowledged.

“I hope that the leadership of Azerbaijan is not interested in any kind of ethnic cleansing [in Nagorno-Karabakh] as they have always told us and continue to tell us,” Putin said, expressing hope that Baku is interested in resolving the situation.

“Now [Azerbaijani] President Aliyev tells me: ‘you know that Armenia has recognized Karabakh as ours, that the question of the status of Karabakh no longer exists, it has been resolved,” Putin added, saying that Yerevan’s approach has created new problems in the region.

Asbarez: ‘Amerikatsi’ will Screen at Las Vegas AMC Town Square this Weekend

Emil Lazarian
by Contributor

 

 

 

in Arts & Culture, Film, Latest, News, Top Stories
‘Amerikatsi” screens nationwide


The Armenian American Cultural Society of Las Vegas announced that the movie “Amerikatsi” will be screening at the Las Vegas AMC Town Square theater from September 15 to 17.

The movie is about Charlie, an Armenian-American, who in 1948 repatriates to Soviet Armenia and is unjustly imprisoned.
 

“Amerikatsi” has already been submitted for the 96th Academy Awards, set for March 2024, in the Best International Feature Film category.

There will be a Q&A session with actor and director Michael Goorjian during the Vegas screening of the film, the details of which will be announced at a later time.

To watch the official trailer for “Amerikatsi,” or to purchase tickets to the screenings in Las Vegas, visit the AMC Theaters website.