Author: Garnik Zakarian

French politician Patrick Karam to file ICC complaint against ‘despot’ Aliyev

Garnik Zakarian

 19:13,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS. Member of the Regional council of France’s Île-de-France, Patrick Karam, has said that he will file a complaint at the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for his actions against Nagorno-Karabakh.

Karam is in Armenia as part of a French delegation that escorted a humanitarian convoy for Nagorno-Karabakh from Yerevan to the entrance of Lachin Corridor. 

Speaking at a press conference after the convoy got blocked by Azerbaijan, Karam said the French diplomacy ought to go beyond its comfort zone and act.

“I have requested my lawyer, who is accredited at the International Criminal Court, to file a complaint against President of Azerbaijan Aliyev. The goal is to target President Aliyev personally, he is the despot and we must fight against him personally,” Karam said.

Mayor of Paris to personally lead humanitarian convoy for Nagorno-Karabakh to entrance of Lachin Corridor

Garnik Zakarian

 12:22,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 29, ARMENPRESS. Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo will visit Armenia on August 30 to personally lead a humanitarian convoy for Nagorno-Karabakh to the entrance of Lachin Corridor, the Coordinating Council of Armenian Organizations of France (CCAF) announced Tuesday.

The new convoy, sent by the City of Paris, the regions of Île-de-France, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Hauts-de-France, Occitania and Pays de la Loire, will join the Armenian humanitarian convoy and the previously sent French aid truck stranded at the entrance of Lachin Corridor in Kornidzor because of the Azerbaijani blockade.

Construction site of U.S.-affiliated steel producer in Armenia targeted by Azeri military in heavy cross-border shooting

Garnik Zakarian

 12:17,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 28, ARMENPRESS. The construction site of a steelworks owned by a U.S.-affiliated company in the Armenian village of Yeraskh came under heavy Azeri cross-border gunfire over the weekend.

In a statement released Monday, GTB Steel, the company building the steel mill, said that the Azeri forces even targeted the site accommodation of workers.

“The Azerbaijani Armed Forces, from August 25 to 27, fired high intensity, unprecedented number of shots in the direction of the plant which is under construction in Yeraskh, and also targeted the workers’ site accommodation. More than 60 shots were fired,” GTB Steel said in the statement.

The construction site of the steel mill was targeted by the Azeri forces many times before. During one particular cross-border shooting on June 14, the Azeri forces shot and wounded two Indian construction workers. On June 15, the U.S. State Department said Washington was “deeply concerned” that two civilian workers of the U.S.-affiliated company sustained injuries from “gunfire from the direction of Azerbaijan.”

Tumanyan International Storytelling Festival Launches Second Edition In Lori

Garnik Zakarian
by Contributor

 

 

 

in Armenia, Arts & Culture, Latest, News, Top Stories


The arts festival, on August 25–27, 2023, will feature performers from around the world! 

TUMANYAN, Armenia – The Tumanyan International Storytelling Festival, which launched in September 2022, is back for a second year, it was announced by festival co-founders Anoush Rima Tatevossian, Nyree Abrahamian and Tina Yesayan.

The festival, which honors the legacy of noted 19th century poet, author, and public intellectual Hovhannes Tumanyan, will take place on Friday August 25th through Sunday August 27, and will bring visitors to the town of Tumanyan, to celebrate all forms of storytelling— including traditional Armenian folk tales, contemporary first person narratives, poetry, film, visual arts, theater, music, and audio storytelling. The theme of this year’s festival is “place,” in recognition of the breathtaking nature of Lori Province, and its significance in inspiring Tumanyan’s body of work. 

“When we launched the festival last year, it was our intention to create an immersive, inspiring weekend to reconnect contemporary audiences with the rich heritage and tradition of storytelling. With this edition, we have laid the groundwork to make this an annual event that will continue to grow, and celebrate Armenian storytelling in conversation with storytelling traditions from around the world.” said Co-Founder Anoush Rima Tatevossian.

The festival will feature three days of performances, workshops, hikes and activities for adults and children, held in the town’s unique venues, including old factory buildings and a Soviet-era house of culture. A hike on the Giqor Trail will be accompanied by a telling of Tumanyan’s story “Giqor,” an intimate evening story-salon will feature folk tales in the Hamshen Armenian dialect by Mahir Özkan of Istanbul, and an evening of musical performances by Shushiki Band from Yerevan and Alin Demirdjian of Buenos Aires will take place under the stars. 

Featured international artists include Kenyan-Scottish storyteller Mara Menzies, Lebanese performer & percussionist Raffi Feghali, and Raphael Rodan of the Mezrab Storytelling School of Amsterdam. 

“Last year, we were blown away by the sense of community that developed during the festival and this year, we want to build on that,” said Co-Founder Nyree Abrahamian. “I hope that the diverse range of stories shared at this year’s festival will awaken people’s imaginations and their compassion. I want them to leave with a heightened sense of curiosity about the world around them, and a deeper appreciation for the power of their own stories.” 

 Another highlight of the weekend is a tour of the Abastan Artist Community, a converted former textile factory that serves as a creative residency space for a community of international artists from Armenia, Russia, Iran, and other countries. 

The weekend’s performers and workshop leaders include: 
● Mara Menzies, award-winning Scottish-Kenyan storyteller & performer 
● Raphael Rodan, storytelling coach & co-artistic director of the Amsterdam Storytelling Festival 
● Torfeh Ekhlasi, Iranian visual artist 
● Sevana Tchakerian, French-Armenian multi-instrumentalist 
● Melisa Ferayan, Istanbul-based storyteller & educator
● Mahir Özkan, published author of Hamshen folktales 
● Scout Tufankjian, acclaimed Armenian-American photojournalist 
● Shushiki Band, high-energy traditional Armenian folk band 
● Kourken Papazian, Beirut & Berlin-based documentary filmmaker 
● Dr. Hrach Martirosyan, Armenian linguist & scholar 
● Aram Pachyan, contemporary Armenian writer 
● Alin Demirdjian, Argentinian-Armenian singer-songwriter 

Click for the complete weekend program.

The Tumanyan International Storytelling Festival is a project of the Tumanyan Development Foundation, a registered charitable foundation in Armenia founded in August 2020 with the purpose of creating opportunities to revitalize the town of Tumanyan through tourism and economic development projects. The concept was incubated by Artbox, a creative incubator developed by Creative Armenia and supported by the European Union and German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). 

2023 Festival headline sponsors include the H. Hovnanian Family Foundation and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. Partners and supporters include Children of Armenia Fund (COAF), the Hrant Dink Foundation, The British Council, Muziekgebouw Production House, Abastan Artist Community, and HikeArmenia.

On Anniversary of Armenia’s Declaration of Independence, Pashinyan Criticizes the Document; Says it Sows Conflict

Garnik Zakarian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 

 

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

Armenia’s Declaration of Independence was adopted on August 23, 1990


Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan chose the 33rd anniversary of Armenia’s Declaration of Independence to criticize the document, which laid the foundations for the modern-day independent Republic of Armenia, saying that the document sowed conflict in the region.

On August 23, 1990, Armenia’s first post-Communist legislative body adopted the Declaration of Independence, which served as the basis for Armenia’s declaring independence on September 21, 1991.

The document makes reference to a 1989 unification act adopted jointly by Armenia’s Supreme Soviet and the legislative equivalent of the then Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, calling for the unification of Artsakh with Armenia—the spark that started the Karabakh Liberation Movement in February, 1988.

Armenia’s Declaration of Independence also calls for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide in “the Ottoman Turkey and Western Armenia.”

It is unusual and frowned upon for a head of state to so openly criticize the founding document of the state. In his head-scratching statement marking the declaration’s anniversary, Pashinyan said that the document essentially was a vestige of the USSR and had made Armenia dependent on the Soviet system.

He made reference to his government’s “peace agenda” in the region saying that was “as long as we do not have peace, the ghost of the USSR will haunt our skies.”

In May Pashinyan pledged to recognize Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, which meant Baku would have sovereignty over Artsakh. He later declared that a peace deal with Azerbaijan would grant Armenia a “deed” to its territory. His statement on Wednesday signals that Pashinyan would prefer to have no reference of Artsakh or the Armenian Genocide as they complicate his “peace agenda,” which he called the only true path to independence.

“The Declaration of Independence is a crucial document, which laid the foundation for our current statehood. It was adopted during the culmination of the 1988 Karabakh movement, in conditions of economic, political and ideological crisis in the Soviet Union,” Pashinyan said.

“Before and especially after the 2020 war I have read and re-read the text of the declaration on numerous occasions. And I have to confess, my post-war interpretation, to some extent, has differed from the pre-war readings,” added the prime minister.

“An analysis of the text of the declaration shows that we had eventually chosen the kind of narrative and discourse which is based on the formula that made us part of the Soviet Union—a confrontational narrative with a regional outlook that would keep us [embroiled] in constant conflicts with our neighbors,” Pashinyan offered an explanation.

“With the Declaration of Independence, we set in motion the trajectory of leaving the Soviet Union, but also closed all roads to leaving the Soviet Union. In other words with the Declaration of Independence adopted in the end of the 20th century we adopted a formula which had already led us to lose our independence in the beginning of the 20th century,” said Pashinyan saying that it was unclear what other options Armenia had after the fall of the first Armenian Republic. He said, however, that “analyzing and understanding the road we have traversed is our historical duty.”

“In 2018, before and after assuming the post of the Prime Minister of Armenia, I treated the Declaration of Independence of Armenia as a ‘biblical message.’ Nevertheless, as fundamental as it [the document] is, the declaration needed and needs a deep analysis, because it is a political document, with all its inherent consequences,” Pashinyan said.

“And now, on the 33rd anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, I would like to underscore that the peace agenda adopted by our government is an agenda of independence, because we shall have independence when we have peace,” he said.

“As long as we do not have peace, the ghosts of the USSR will haunt our skies and the skies of our region. I choose independence, sovereignty and democracy. The citizen of the Republic of Armenia choses independence, sovereignty and democracy,” Pashinyan declared.

Nagarno-Karabakh Crisis Reaches New Heights: Aid Attempts Blocked – OpEd

Garnik Zakarian
Aug 14 2023
 August 14, 2023 

By Ulyana Kubini

For over 7 months, residents in Nagorno-Karabakh (known locally as Artsakh) have suffered under a suffocating blockade imposed by Azerbaijan. Shortages of critical medications, food, and fuel have been widespread.

In the region, 120,000 Armenians, including 30,000 children and 20,000 elderly individuals, are depending on scarce local resources for their survival. No goods or medicine have been allowed in for over a month. But those supplies cannot last forever.  Recently, they have reached their limits.

In response to the total blockade, the President of Nagorno-Karabakh Arayik Harutyunyan officially announced the region as a disaster zone, calling upon UN Security Council to take action against Azerbaijan for blocking the Lachin Corridor, the sole corridor through which aid is provided to Karabakh residents.

The President told Karabakh journalists in an urgent press conference that, “Right now Artsakh [Nagorno Karabakh] is the only territory in the world to be in total isolation and under blockade, without any humanitarian aid or international presence,” adding that if the international community continues to turn a blind eye to the suffering of Karabakh residents, Karabakh could be classified as a “concentration camp.” 

In an attempt to meet the needs of the Armenian population in Karabakh, Yerevan has sent a convoy of trucks filled with humanitarian aid carrying over 360 tons of food and goods. However, transferring these goods to the civilian population may prove to be a challenge, as the trucks are yet to pass through Azeri checkpoints.

The aid from Yerevan, the only aid residents have been receiving since Azerbaijan cut off assistance in December of 2022, has been stuck at the Azeri checkpoint near Lachin for several days. Azeri president justified the move by calling Yerevan’s aid a “provocation” and a “violation of international law.”

However, it is Azerbaijan that has (and currently is) violating international law by blocking humanitarian aid and imposing an illegal blockade on Karabakh, akin to collective punishment. Both the European Parliament and the International Court of Justice have demanded Azerbaijan lift the blockade and open the corridor to no avail. 

Thus far, only India has given significant arms to Armenia, including rockets, missiles, and ammunition in a deal valued at $250 million USD. The deal included the highly valued Pinaka MBRLS, a high tech missile launcher equivalent to Western HIMARS.

Ulyana Kubini is a Ukrainian-American entrepreneur and political activist. She is a the owner and operator of Mezzno, a food e-commerce platform focused on local economies. Kubini is a writer for the the mental health testing organization HIGH5 and an avid reader of libertarian theory.

https://www.eurasiareview.com/14082023-nagarno-karabakh-crisis-reaches-new-heights-aid-attempts-blocked-oped/ 

“Waiting for a resolution”: details of the UN Security Council meeting at the request of Armenia

Garnik Zakarian
JAM NEWS
Aug 17 2023
  • JAMnews
  • Yerevan

Emergency meeting of UN Security Council on NK

“We can state that the truth about the illegal blocking of the Lachin corridor and the resulting humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh was voiced in the highest international instance. And the international community has made a collective call to Azerbaijan to remove the illegal blocking of the Lachin corridor,” Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan commented on the results of the emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.

The meeting was held at the request of Armenia “in connection with the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of the blockade of the Lachin corridor and the complete blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijan.” Representatives of 15 states that are members of the Security Council, as well as Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey, spoke. The Commissioner for the EU Delegation to the UN also participated in the meeting.

It is not yet known whether the Security Council will adopt any resolution or statement after nearly two hours of deliberation.

According to political observer Hakob Badalyan, “the effective functioning of the UN Security Council in the conditions of the ongoing world war cannot be expected.”

The UN Security Council already discussed this issue on December 20, 2022. The overwhelming majority of council members called on Azerbaijan to lift the blockade. However, no statement, much less a resolution, was adopted.

Opinions of members of the Security Council on the blockade of the Lachin corridor, assessment of the results of the discussion by the Prime Minister of Armenia, as well as comments by Armenian analysts on the likelihood of adopting a resolution.

  • The situation in NK: three mothers talk about their families
  • Armenian analysts on the delivery of aid to NK through Agdam
  • “Arrest under the protection of the ICRC is a war crime” – the position of Armenia

Although no documents following the discussion in the Security Council have yet been adopted, the Prime Minister of Armenia spoke in the morning at a government meeting about the positive factors he noticed:

  • “The fact of blocking the Lachin corridor was recognized in the highest international instance, we must not forget that Azerbaijan constantly insists that the Lachin corridor is open,
  • confirmed the existence of a humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh and the fact that the life and security of 120,000 residents of Nagorno-Karabakh are in question,
  • The participants in the discussion stressed that the decision of the International Court of Justice on ensuring the unhindered movement of people, vehicles and goods in both directions through the Lachin corridor has not been implemented by Azerbaijan.”

Pashinyan stated that the situation in NK is deteriorating day by day. According to the prime minister, Azerbaijan not only prevented the import of 100 tons of flour sent by the Armenian government to Nagorno-Karabakh, but also does not allow local residents to harvest grain. He stressed that the peasants performing agricultural work are under fire from the Azerbaijani Armed Forces.

“This is another fact that substantiates the thesis put forward by international experts that Azerbaijan is committing genocide by starving the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh. In this regard, the unblocking of the Lachin corridor should be considered as a step aimed at preventing genocide,” he stressed.

It is not yet known when the meeting of the Security Council will take place.

Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan spoke from Armenia at the meeting. He presented statistical data and facts about the consequences of the 8-month blockade of the Lachin corridor. In his assessments, he also referred to the expert opinion of the former prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo, who after examining the issue declared that what is happening in NK is genocide in accordance with Article II, point “c” of the Genocide Convention: “deliberately creating for any group of such living conditions that are calculated for its physical destruction.”

“Preventing this catastrophe is the primary responsibility of the UN and this council. I believe that the respected council, despite geopolitical differences, is able to act as a body that prevents genocide, and not commemorate [the victims] when it is too late,” Ararat Mirzoyan said.

He stressed that Azerbaijan is provoking a humanitarian catastrophe in Nagorno-Karabakh, which undermines the prospects for achieving peace and stability in the region.

According to him, official Yerevan expects from the Security Council

  • “condemn the use of starvation against civilians as a method of warfare, which is prohibited by international humanitarian law;
  • condemn the illegal denial of humanitarian aid and the deprivation of the civilian population of NK of what is necessary for survival;
  • demand full compliance with obligations under international humanitarian law;
  • call for the immediate restoration of the freedom and safety of movement of citizens, vehicles and goods along the Lachin corridor in accordance with the previously reached agreements;
  • to ensure the full and conscientious cooperation of the parties with the International Committee of the Red Cross, as well as the safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid;
  • send an independent multi-agency needs assessment mission and provide humanitarian assistance to the affected population.”

Referring to the proposal of alternative routes as a replacement for the Lachin Corridor, the Minister said:

“It was agreed that the Lachin corridor is a link between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, and it has no alternative. The Lachin corridor should be open. As for other possible ways, this issue should be resolved within the framework of the international dialogue mechanism between Baku and Stepanakert.”

A group of local residents held a protest in front of the military base of Russian peacekeepers stationed in NK. They said that “all deaths will remain on Putin’s conscience”

The United States called on the Azerbaijani authorities to restore free movement along the Lachin corridor. In his remarks, the Representative of the States stressed that access to food, medicine, baby food and energy must not be hindered:

“We also take note that other additional routes for humanitarian supplies can be compromised.”

Talking about the establishment of peace in the region, he noted that this process should include the protection of the rights and security of people living in NK. The United States is calling for direct talks between the parties, including Baku officials and the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The representative of Russia expressed hope that in order to overcome this difficult situation, “political will will be shown and a dialogue will take place in the Baku-Stepanakert format.” Without naming either side, he stated:

“Steps are needed to quickly de-escalate tensions around the Lachin corridor, end the blockade and use other humanitarian ways. We are doing everything in our power – by political and diplomatic means, at all levels and on the ground, so that the Russian peacekeeping forces prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in the region.”

According to the representative of Russia, reconciliation between Armenia and Azerbaijan is impossible without guarantees of the security and rights of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh. He specified: “guarantees based on internationally recognized principles and in the context of the laws of Azerbaijan.”

The representative of France stated that “Azerbaijan’s blocking of the Lachin corridor continues to isolate the inhabitants of Nagorno-Karabakh from the rest of the world without any legal grounds.” According to her, this is contrary to the principles of international humanitarian law:

“France condemns the ban on the import of humanitarian aid, which the Armenian authorities sent in July to eliminate the consequences of this situation. The same applies to obstructing the activities of the ICRC, which violates the principles of international law. It is unacceptable”.

Former ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo published his opinion on the situation in the unrecognized NKR under the heading “Armenian Genocide in 2023”

The British representative called for the admission of the Red Cross to the NK on all roads to fulfill its vital function:

“All parties have an obligation to refrain from politicizing humanitarian assistance so that the needs of the civilian population can be met.”

According to him, it is important to implement the decision of the International Court of Justice of February 22, which obliges Azerbaijan to ensure unhindered movement along the Lachin corridor.

China called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to “compromise” and resolve disputes based on international humanitarian and international norms:

“We believe and hope that all the problems of the parties will be resolved through diplomacy. Armenia and Azerbaijan are neighbors. It is in the interests of both countries to follow a common path of security and development.”

The non-permanent members of the Security Council also took the floor.

They maintained a neutral position, expressed concern about the humanitarian situation in NK and stressed the need for unhindered access for humanitarian assistance.

The representative of Azerbaijan rejected the accusations of Armenia, called the allegations of famine and genocide “false and far-fetched.”

Comments by Armenian experts on the likelihood, effectiveness and possible consequences of the use of force to unblock the only road linking Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia

Political scientist Gurgen Simonyan stated:

“7 out of 15 members of the UN Security Council can block the adoption of a resolution by voting against it. The resolution will also be blocked if at least one of the 5 permanent members uses the right of veto. That is, if 9 members, including 5 permanent members, vote for the adoption of the document, the resolution will be adopted.

Now a question. Will Albania, the United Arab Emirates, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana, Ecuador and Mozambique vote no? Or will Russia [one of the permanent members of the Security Council] use its veto right? Let’s hope that common sense will prevail and the resolution will be adopted.”

Political observer Hakob Badalyan is less optimistic:

“It is unrealistic to imagine the practical, much less effective work of the UN Security Council in the conditions of the ongoing world war. The course of the meeting only confirmed this.

Offended, upset, send everyone to hell? Of course not. That would be an extremely flippant approach. The five permanent members of the UN Security Council are the minimum circle with which bilateral work and the desire for their maximum effectiveness should be the priorities of Armenian diplomacy.

At the same time, it should be borne in mind that this is a very complex problem now. Because we are actually forced to strive for maximum bilateral efficiency with a group of five states that have both bilateral and multilateral contradictions and confrontations between themselves. They are even in sharp military confrontation with each other. But we have no other choice. Therefore, a hypermobilization of diplomatic resources is needed, including non-governmental circles and resources outside of Armenia.

I do not agree with the opinion that Armenia will not be supported while we are in the Russian “system”. Of course, if Armenia starts a confrontation with Russia, it will be supported, but only in this, and not on the Karabakh issue. Because supporting Armenia in the Artsakh issue means going against Azerbaijan, and therefore against Turkey. And neither Russia nor any other power or superpower wants to do this. That’s why everyone [who spoke at the Security Council meeting] had the same narrative: you [Armenia and Azerbaijan] should come to terms with each other.”

Russia beat Europe in Caucasus under the guise of ‘humanitarian aid’ from Putin’s ally

Garnik Zakarian
Bulgaria – Aug 14 2023
   Igor Chalenko 

On July 26, a total of 19 lorries loaded with food and medicine were sent from Armenia to the separatist enclave in Azerbaijani Karabakh along the Lachin road.

The dispatch of the lorries had not been coordinated with official Baku. So, on the Azerbaijan with Armenian border, the border guards did not allow these lorries through, because of the danger of smuggling weapons and transferring militants to Karabakh.

Separatists with Moscow principles

Two days after the trucks had been sent from Yerevan, one of the largest Greek media Protothema said that “this road is used (by Armenia) for “the rotation of personnel, the transport of weapons and ammunition, the infiltration of terrorists”.

After Azerbaijan regained its own sovereignty over Karabakh in 2020, Armenia’s connection to the separatist enclave has been through the Lachin road, temporarily controlled by the Russian military contingent.

On July 15, European Council President Charles Michel announced Azerbaijan’s readiness to open an additional road through Agdam for the supply of humanitarian goods to the Armenians of Karabakh. But Yerevan, together with the leadership of the separatists, stubbornly insists on using the Lachin road.

The fact that Yerevan and the Karabakh separatists, with the support of the Kremlin, have been speculating on the Karabakh conflict was previously reported by the Ukrainian media.

“For the separatist leadership in Khankendi, it is fundamental to use the Lachin road in particular, which is controlled by the Russian military contingent,” Ukrainian publication Censor said.

Imperialist games of the Kremlin

Yerevan’s desire to use the very road where the Russian military is deployed is not accidental, because the very delivery of humanitarian cargo to Karabakh has a Russian trace. This is evidenced by a number of facts:

The lorries sent from Yerevan belong to the export company Spayka. Sedrak Kocharyan is confidently called its owner in Armenia. He is the son of Robert Kocharyan, the most pro-Russian ex-president of Armenia and a personal friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Spayka, like its owner, has close ties to Russia. The company has been supplying to Russia for more than 16 years.

According to the Armenian media, many of which (Hraparak, Sputnik Armenia, Radio Azatutyun) are directly or indirectly connected with the Kremlin, the Russian military contingent was supposed to act as an intermediary in the transfer of cargo sent from Yerevan to the Karabakh separatists.

On August 8, a volunteer armed formation in Armenia, calling itself the “Crusaders”, began an action against the exclusion of Spayka trucks from Karabakh. The squad is sponsored by the Moscow crime boss and “businessman” Artur Asatryan, who has been put on the international wanted list by the Italian authorities on suspicion of murder.

The truck story is yet another manifestation of Russian imperialism. Putin has long sought to prevent the achievement of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, in which the EU and the US are interested. The same scenario was played by him in Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova. The goals of such a destructive policy were reported by many Western media.

Armenians of Karabakh – like pawns of Moscow

“Putin is using the Armenians of Karabakh as pawns. Like South Ossetians and Abkhazians in Georgia or Russian communities in Ukraine, Karabakh offers him a pseudo-humanitarian justification for Russian imperialism,” The Wall Street Journal reported in June 2023.

“Given Russia’s ongoing conflicts over puppet territories in many parts of the former Soviet Union, such as Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Donbass, Moscow continues to follow the same scenario. Karabakh is a suitable target for such an operation,” pan-European publication EuReporter said.

By capitalizing on the humanitarian problem created by Moscow itself, “Russia will be able to maintain its positions, including its military presence, in the South Caucasus and Eastern Europe,” the Romanian edition of Newsweek said.

According to the Czech CNN (the local partner of the American corporation), “Russia is very unhappy that Armenia and Azerbaijan can agree on some issues with the help of Washington or Brussels.”

“Russia is trying to use every opportunity to spark the conflict and prevent the establishment of peace between the two countries supported by the West,” the Polish edition of Dorzeczy says.

Humanitarian aid or militarization?

The fears of Azerbaijanis and European media about the transfer of weapons and militants to Karabakh under the guise of humanitarian aid have reasonable grounds..

Kocharyan’s Spayka is well known for its smuggling activities. During the Second Karabakh War in 2020, it was involved in the illegal transportation of weapons from Russia to Armenia.

On October 10, 2020, Spayka trucks full of weapons were detained at the Georgian-Armenian border.

According to the tripartite statement of the heads of the Russian Federation, Azerbaijan and Armenia, which was signed following the results of the 2020 war, the Lachin road leading from Armenia to Karabakh can be used strictly for civilian purposes. Despite this, for the past three years, the patrons of the Armenian separatists in Yerevan, with the active participation of the Russian military, have been transferring weapons and ammunition to Karabakh along the Lachin road.

“Armenia continues to form new combat positions on the territory of Azerbaijan, where the Russian contingent is temporarily stationed … Hence, the laying of a large number of mines also continues,” the Ukrainian news portal Censor reported recently.

On June 14, the large Telegram channel AZfront, which regularly publishes exclusive materials about Ukraine, the Caucasus and Iran, reported on Russian military supplies to Karabakh: “The Russian army secretly handed over hundreds of Chinese reconnaissance and strike drones DJI Mavic 3 Fly More Combo with explosive release systems to illegal armed formations of Armenian separatists in Karabakh.” This information was provided by a source in the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine.

Separatism in eastern Ukraine and Karabakh is the same

A similar situation with the delivery of humanitarian cargo occurred in 2014, when Moscow announced its intention to deliver “humanitarian aid” to eastern Ukraine. Kyiv refused such an initiative, fearing the transfer of weapons and terrorists to its territory. Then the US and the EU unconditionally supported Ukraine.

“I condemn the entry of the so-called Russian humanitarian convoy into Ukraine. This is a flagrant violation of Russia’s international obligations,” Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in August 2014.

“Russia has no business delivering aid in Ukraine.… Therefore, any further unilateral intervention by Russia into Ukrainian territory – including one under the guise of providing humanitarian aid – would be completely unacceptable,” US ambassador to the UN Samantha Power said the same month.

In 2014, the head of EU foreign policy, Sebastian Brabant, also expressed his opinion: “This (sending trucks from Russia to Ukraine) is a clear violation of Ukrainian borders.”

Press release following a telephone conversation between President Obama and Chancellor Merkel: “The two leaders agreed that Russia sending a convoy into Ukraine without Ukraine’s approval is a further provocation and a violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Despite the obvious similarity between the events nine years ago in the eastern regions of Ukraine and those that are happening now in Azerbaijan, European politicians and officials are ignoring the situation in Karabakh.

Some are even supporting the demands of the pro-Russian separatists. Probably, such bias is caused by the influence of large Armenian diasporas in France and the USA. As the Romanian publication Stiripesurse noted in July, “the president of one of the main European powers, Emmanuel Macron, has become a hostage to radical elements in the Armenian diaspora.” Apparently, not only him…

Nagorno-Karabakh denies Azeri accusations of opening fire, warns of disinformation campaign

Garnik Zakarian

 12:18,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 12, ARMENPRESS. The Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) military has denied Azerbaijan’s accusations of opening fire and has warned that Baku is again generating fake news.

“The statement released by the Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan claiming that Defense Army units opened fire around 07:43, on August 12, at Azerbaijani positions deployed in the occupied territories of the Askeran region is yet another disinformation,” the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Ministry said in a statement.

RFE/RL Armenian Service – 08/10/2023

Garnik Zakarian 
                                        Wednesday, 
Armenia, Iran Extend Energy Swap Deal
Representatives of Iran and Armenia sign an agreement extending an energy swap 
scheme between the two countries until 2030. Yerevan, .
Armenia and Iran on Thursday signed an agreement to extend the term of the 
“natural gas for electricity” program by four years and increase its volumes.
The new agreement was signed at Armenia’s Ministry of Territorial Administration 
and Infrastructure between Aram Ghazarian, Director General of Yerevan’s Thermal 
Power Plant, and Majid Chegeni, Deputy Minister of Oil of Iran and Director of 
the Islamic Republic’s National Gas Company.
Armenian Minister of Economic and Technological Development Gnel Sanosian 
congratulated the parties on the extension of the agreement, emphasizing that it 
is “one of the best manifestations of Armenian-Iranian friendly relations.”
“The extension of the agreement is a profitable deal for both countries. With 
the extension of this agreement it is possible to increase gas imports and 
electricity exports, which will definitely have a positive effect on the 
economic development of both countries,” he said, according to an official press 
release.
Chegeni, in his turn, reportedly stressed that the new agreement will “give a 
new impetus to the development of Armenian-Iranian relations.”
Since 2009, Armenia has been importing natural gas from Iran and turning it into 
electricity at a local thermal power plant, supplying it back to Iran. The 
surplus of electricity obtained from one cubic meter of natural gas has remained 
in Armenia.
Under this scheme, the term of the agreement was to expire in 2026. With the 
agreement signed today, the period has been extended until 2030. However, 
specific figures regarding the volumes of supplies are not mentioned in official 
reports.
Oskanian Urges Armenian PM To Renounce Prague Statement
        • Ruzanna Stepanian
Former Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian (file photo).
Former Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian has called on Prime Minister 
Nikol Pashinian to withdraw from the statement made in Prague last year, by 
which Baku and Yerevan recognized each other’s territorial integrity and 
sovereignty based on the declaration signed in Almaty in 1991.
In a new video on Facebook Oskanian claimed that this statement is one of the 
main causes of the closure of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan that has put 
Karabakh Armenians “on the brink of starvation.”
“Pashinian made a big mistake. Pashinian must admit he made that mistake and 
correct it. Today he has the opportunity to retract that statement, just based 
on today’s situation. He can clearly say that ‘I’ve tried something, but I see 
that our opponent is abusing it, so I retract that statement, and today I have 
the right to do that’,” Oskanian said.
The former foreign minister said he believes that the Prague statement made 
following Pashinian’s quadrilateral meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham 
Aliyev, French President Emmanuel Macron and President of the European Council 
Charles Michel on October 6 last year “has become a serious obstacle, because no 
one can do anything to unblock the corridor.”
“Russia has already openly said it. Citing the Prague statement and Pashinian’s 
signature under it that has significantly changed the entire essence of the 
November 9, [2020 trilateral] statement, Russia says that today it cannot do 
anything and it says it openly. The West doesn’t say it openly, but it says the 
same in private meetings,” Oskanian said.
Without giving names Oskanian also claimed that “many people abroad are doing 
serious work, both at the governmental and legislative levels, trying to change 
the content of the negotiations, but they are facing the same wall.”
“They are told that the government of Armenia has a different approach… and that 
they should rather work with their own [Armenian] government,” the former 
Armenian diplomat said.
“Believe me, if there is a change in the attitude of the Armenian government 
today, the attitude of the international community will change dramatically, 
too,” Oskanian said.
Oskanian suggested that today it is still possible for Pashinian to go back on 
his statement without provoking a war, while today’s situation, in the former 
foreign minister’s view, only increases the possibility of war. “Because 
Pashinian has made a lot of promises to Azerbaijan, but the signing of the 
document stalls,” he said.
“I think that it will not be easy for Pashinian to sign such a document, because 
its content has nothing to do with the interests of the Armenian people. 
Naturally, this can be dragged out, and this is where the danger lies, and 
believe me, the mediators will not be able to do anything here, because all the 
time you promise something to your opponent, which you do not fulfill. That’s 
why I’m just asking, I’m begging, that we change the approach, the narrative of 
today’s negotiations as it contains a serious danger, and the possibility for 
doing that really exists today,” Oskanian concluded.
Pashinian has repeatedly supported mutual recognition of territorial integrity 
by Armenia and Azerbaijan as a way to move forward in hammering out a peace 
agreement between the two South Caucasus nations. In his several public remarks 
he said that Armenia was ready to recognize Azerbaijan’s Soviet-era borders if 
Baku does the same in respect with the Armenian borders that existed during the 
Soviet times. While this means also recognizing Nagorno-Karabakh within the 
borders of Azerbaijan, the Pashinian government has insisted that an 
internationally visible dialogue take place between Baku and Stepanakert on the 
rights and security of Karabakh Armenians.
Earlier, Pashinian and members of his political teams also dismissed Oskanian’s 
offer to lead diplomatic efforts on changing the course of the current 
negotiations with Azerbaijan. In a recent speech in parliament Pashinian, in 
particular, suggested that all of the steps publically proposed by the former 
foreign minister to be taken to raise the issue of at least an autonomous status 
for Nagorno-Karabakh have actually been taken by the current administration.
Azerbaijan Dismisses Opinion By Top International Lawyer On ‘Genocide Against 
Armenians’ In Karabakh
Hikmet Hajiyev, a foreign policy advisor to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev 
(file photo)
A senior official in Baku has rejected as biased a report by a leading expert on 
international criminal law who described the ongoing blockade of 
Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijan as a genocide.
Hikmet Hajiyev, a foreign policy advisor to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, 
said on Thursday that the report released by the founding prosecutor of the 
International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo, earlier this week “contains 
unsubstantiated allegations and accusations.”
In his 28-page expert opinion requested by Arayik Harutiunian, the ethnic 
Armenian leader of Nagorno-Karabakh, Ocampo, an Argentine lawyer who served at 
the Hague court in 2003-2012, assessed whether the current siege of 
Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijan implemented by blocking the only road of supply 
from Armenia and resulting in a dramatically worsening humanitarian situation in 
the region amounts to the crime of genocide.
In the document that he released from New York on August 7 Ocampo gives a 
straightforward answer, stating that “there is an ongoing Genocide against 
120,000 Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh.”
Luis Moreno Ocampo
The 71-year-old lawyer who successfully prosecuted for crimes against humanity 
three heads of state, including the president of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, says 
that “the blockade of the Lachin Corridor by the Azerbaijani security forces 
impeding access to any food, medical supplies, and other essentials should be 
considered a Genocide under Article II, (c) of the Genocide Convention: 
‘Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring 
about its physical destruction.’”
“There are no crematories, and there are no machete attacks. Starvation is the 
invisible Genocide weapon. Without immediate dramatic change, this group of 
Armenians will be destroyed in a few weeks. Starvation as a method to destroy 
people was neglected by the entire international community when it was used 
against Armenians in 1915, Jews and Poles in 1939, Russians in Leningrad (now 
Saint Petersburg) in 1941, and Cambodians in 1975/1976. Starvation was also 
neglected when used in Srebrenica in the winter of 1993/1994,” Ocampo writes.
In his expert opinion Ocampo also refers to the analysis of the Lachin corridor 
blockade given by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at Armenia’s request.
Still in February the United Nations’ top court ordered Azerbaijan to restore 
“unimpeded” traffic through the sole road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to 
Armenia. It reaffirmed its position in July, a few weeks after Baku only 
tightened the de facto blockade by prohibiting all kinds of cargoes coming to 
the region.
Ocampo further maintains that “there is reasonable basis to believe that 
President Aliyev has Genocidal intentions.” “He has knowingly, willingly and 
voluntarily blockaded the Lachin Corridor even after having been placed on 
notice regarding the consequences of his actions by the ICJ’s provisional 
orders,” the founding prosecutor of the International Criminal Court concludes.
Meanwhile, in rejecting the Ocampo report, Hajiyev, according to Azerbaijani 
media, said: “It is biased and distorts the real situation on the ground and 
represents serious factual, legal and substantive errors.” Aliyev’s aide did not 
elaborate.
Nagorno-Karabakh’s leader Harutiunian on August 8 issued an urgent appeal to the 
international community, asking for immediate action to lift the blockade 
imposed by Azerbaijan and prevent what he called “the genocide of the people of 
Nagorno-Karabakh.”
Meanwhile, in a post on Twitter today Armenia’s Ambassador-at-Large Edmon 
Marukian wrote that Ocampo’s is “a solid report with facts and analyses, which 
may become a future indictment against the Azerbaijani leadership.”
Officials in Baku deny blockading Nagorno-Karabakh, saying that humanitarian 
supplies to the region could also be implemented through the Azeri-controlled 
town of Agdam, which is situated to the east of the region and is away from 
Armenia.
Despite severe shortages of food, medicines, fuel and other essentials in the 
region ethnic Armenian authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh reject that offer, 
fearing that it could be a prelude to the absorption of what remains of the 
former autonomous oblast into Azerbaijan.
Authorities in both Yerevan and Stepanakert consider the Azerbaijani checkpoint 
at the Lachin corridor illegal as they insist its violates a Moscow-brokered 
2020 ceasefire agreement that places the vital route under the control of 
Russian peacekeepers.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh for 
decades. Some 30,000 people were killed in a war in the early 1990s that left 
ethnic Armenians in control of the predominantly Armenian-populated region and 
seven adjacent districts of Azerbaijan proper.
Decades of internationally mediated talks failed to result in a diplomatic 
solution and the simmering conflict led to another war in 2020 in which nearly 
7,000 soldiers were killed on both sides.
The 44-day war in which Azerbaijan regained all of the Armenian-controlled areas 
outside of Nagorno-Karabakh as well as chunks of territory inside the Soviet-era 
autonomous oblast proper ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire under which 
Moscow deployed about 2,000 troops to the region to serve as peacekeepers.
Tensions along the restive Armenian-Azerbaijani border and around 
Nagorno-Karabakh leading to sporadic fighting and loss of life have persisted 
despite the ceasefire and publicly stated willingness of the leaders of both 
countries to work towards a negotiated peace.
Heat Wave Hits Armenian Capital, Ararat Valley
        • Robert Zargarian
A view of Mount Ararat and the Ararat Plain from the center of Yerevan (file 
photo).
Armenians are coping with a heat wave coming from the south as air temperatures 
in parts of the country are rising to extremely high levels this week.
According to a weather forecast, lower areas of Yerevan and the rest of the 
Ararat Valley in which they are situated as well as foothills of Armenia’s 
southern Syunik province will see air temperatures of up to 42 degrees Celsius 
in the period from August 10 to 14.
Meteorologists say the heat wave is coming from the Arabian Peninsula and along 
with sweltering weather bring in its wake higher-than-normal levels of 
ultraviolet radiation.
Health experts, meanwhile, advise staying hydrated and avoiding being in the sun 
during the day.
“We recommend reducing caffeine-containing drinks and beverages, both hot and 
cold, as much as possible, because even though they have a short-term refreshing 
effect, they exhaust the body, and sugar-containing drinks make them heavier and 
dehydrated,” said Nune Bakunts, deputy director of the National Disease 
Prevention Center.
She also recommends that people stay in the shade as much as possible whenever 
it is absolutely necessary to be outside during the day and that they wear a hat 
and sunglasses. According to the specialist, oily and hard-to-digest foods 
should also be avoided or at least consumed during the coolest hours of the day, 
while preference should be given to vegetables and easy-to-digest food taken in 
small portions.
Emergency services, meanwhile, warn that risks of fires also increase due to 
high air temperatures and a prolonged period of dry weather. They caution 
against starting fires in forests or throwing away burning matches or cigarettes.
According to weather forecasts, air temperatures in Yerevan and the rest of 
Armenia will go down a little after August 14 but are likely to stay relatively 
high for the rest of the month.
Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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