Author: Garo Vardanian

Biden, others deaf to Muslim extermination of Christians in Armenia

Garo Vardanian
AFN – American Family News
Aug 22 2023
Parrish Alford 

The United States has a chance to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Armenia simply by throwing its weight around against Azerbaijan. Instead, not only the U.S. but Israel and Turkey as well are supplying weapons to Azerbaijan while it seeks to choke out a Christian population in Armenia.

The Azeris have set up a military blockade on the main artery to Nagorno-Karabakh, home to 120,000 Armenian Christians in an odd territory that left them surrounded by Azerbaijan after land was divvied up by former Russian dictator Joseph Stalin.

Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but its people are ethnic Armenians. Regardless what the maps say, it remains a contested region.

Appearing on Washington Watch Friday, Sam Brownback – the former U.S. Ambassador at-large for International Religious Freedom – said it’s an age-old story.

“This is a kind of replay that we’ve seen throughout the Middle East of ancient Christian populations being strangled and run out by a radical Muslim country and individuals,” Brownback said. “The road going in is being shut off by Azerbaijan, and you’ve got these 120,000 Christians being strangled and starved to death.”

That road is essentially the link to the outside world for this part of Armenia. Medicine and food have become issues, Brownback told show host Jody Hice. Both Azerbaijan and Armenia have claimed border shootings by the other since the checkpoint was set up, according to Aljazeera.

Brownback (pictured) says the U.S. has considerable leverage to use against Azerbaijan if it would simply stop supplying weapons and encourage Israel and Turkey to do the same.

“There’s a substantial Armenian community in the United States because so many of them have gotten driven out by prior genocides. There was one there 100 years ago during the fall of the Ottoman Empire … if we will just push and say, ‘Mr. President, no more weaponry to Azerbaijan,'” Brownback said.

The goal for the Azeris, he continued, is to squeeze Nagorno-Karabakh until the Armenian Christians simply walk out. The coming winter and the shortage of gas and oil will complicate things.

For now, U.S. President Joe Biden has no interest in applying pressure.

The state-run Azerbaijan news agency in May ran a short piece on the “partnership” between the two countries with President Ilham Aliyev and Biden shaking hands and smiling.

“The partnership between Azerbaijan and the United States has helped advance prosperity across the region. Together we are combating terrorism, addressing narcotics trafficking and countering the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction,” wrote Biden in a letter to Aliyev on the occasion of Azerbaijan Independence Day.

Brownback says current conditions will lead only to the Armenian Christians giving up their homes.

“Food is in short order then you start [losing] natural gas, heating oil. This is going to become unlivable – and that’s exactly what the Azeris want,” he described. “They want the Armenians to walk out and leave like what has happened in so much of the Middle East before. Then they’ll end up immigrating to the United States or Europe because they’re asylum seekers.

“There’s no reason for this, but at the end of the day you’ve forced out yet another historic population,” Brownback concluded.

Armenian FM lauds high level of political dialogue with Belgium

Garo Vardanian

 13:42,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 22, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan lauded on Tuesday the high level of political dialogue with Belgium after holding a meeting with his Belgian counterpart Hadja Lahbib.

Speaking at a joint press conference, FM Mirzoyan said that he discussed with Lahbib prospects for further expansion of partnership. Both sides expressed readiness to make effective steps to promote possible investments and fully utilize the existing potential in business, science, education, IT and culture.

“We expressed confidence that the partnership based on promotion of development in the region, democratic values, as well as the civilizational similarities between the two peoples will have its positive result. In this context we also greatly welcome the Belgian government’s decision on opening an embassy in Yerevan, which will definitely boost the development of the Armenian-Belgian dynamic relations,” the Armenian Foreign Minister said.

He thanked his Belgian counterpart for the Belgian foreign ministry’s assistance provided to the Soldier’s Home rehabilitation center in Yerevan and expressed hope that cooperation in this direction will continue.

The foreign ministers also highlighted the effective interparliamentary cooperation, given the Belgian parliament’s solidarity and significant attention on issues of great importance for Armenia.

Mirzoyan and Hadja Lahbib also discussed effective cooperation in international organizations and the Armenia-EU partnership. The circle of interests is broad – from support to Armenia’s democratic reforms to economic development, dialogue around security issues and the activities of the EU monitoring mission in Armenia. Mirzoyan was pleased to note Belgium’s presence within the EU monitoring mission.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs to visit Armenia

Garo Vardanian

 19:15,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 21, ARMENPRESS. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Rena Bitter will travel August 21-28 to Yerevan, Amman, and Cairo, the U.S. State Department announced Monday.  

“During her trip, the Assistant Secretary will observe U.S. consular operations and meet with foreign government counterparts to underscore our deep and sustained commitment to the protection of U.S. citizens overseas and the facilitation of legitimate travel to the United States,” the U.S. State Department added in a statement.

Armenpress: PM Pashinyan visits NSS Border Guard servicemembers in Kapan outpost

Garo Vardanian

 09:56,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 18, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has visited servicemembers of the National Security Service Border Guard in an outpost in Kapan, Syunik Province.

[see video]
PM Pashinyan inspected the conditions at the outpost, his office said in a statement.

The Prime Minister arrived in Syunik on Thursday on board the Let L-410 Turbolet twin-engine aircraft which will be used for the regular Yerevan-Kapan passenger flights starting next week.

Azerbaijan military assistance waiver delayed as review drags on

Garo Vardanian
POLITICO
Aug 16 2023

DEFENSE

Lawmakers and Armenian groups are calling on the Biden administration to end exemptions that allow Baku to receive security assistance from the U.S.

Every year since 2002, the White House has issued a waiver to provide aid to Azerbaijan despite its campaign against Nagorno-Karabakh. | Ghulam Rasool/AFP/Getty Images

By ERIC BAZAIL-EIMIL and GABRIEL GAVIN

08/16/2023 02:12 PM EDT

The Biden administration appears to be slow-walking the renewal of a long-standing military assistance program to Azerbaijan amid growing warnings of ethnic cleansing in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Every year since 2002, the White House has issued a waiver to provide aid to Azerbaijan despite its campaign against Nagorno-Karabakh. That waiver has previously been completed before the summer, but this year it is still pending halfway through August.

Officials have offered no explanation for the delay. However, it coincides with increasing concern within the international community that Azerbaijan is responsible for a worsening humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan has hardened its stance against the ethnic Armenian population there in recent months, blocking the entry of commercial and humanitarian vehicles and shutting off the region’s access to gas and electricity. The U.N. Security Council will consider an appeal from Armenia to respond to the worsening situation Wednesday.

The delay in issuing the authorization — called the Section 907 waiver — also comes as the Biden administration pursues a long-elusive peace agreement between the two countries, one that experts say could be close. Ending assistance to Azerbaijan could rule out Baku’s participation in future negotiations.

These competing political pressures are creating a delicate landscape in the South Caucasus for the Biden administration, which is caught in a struggle between its values and the pragmatic realities of geopolitics.

“Going ahead with the 907 waiver at this particular moment would create a political firestorm for Biden,” said Matthew Bryza, a former U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan and Bush administration official. “But killing the 907 waiver at this delicate diplomatic juncture would seriously risk derailing a peace treaty that is closer than it has ever been.”

Spokespeople for the State Department and the National Security Council confirmed that the military assistance waiver remains under review but denied that the current state of peace talks or recent events in Nagorno-Karabakh were affecting the timeline for renewing it.

“U.S. policy on Azerbaijan has not changed,” a State Department spokesperson said, adding “The United States values its strategic partnership with Azerbaijan.” The spokesperson was granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive diplomatic issue.

Nagorno-Karabakh has been controlled by its ethnic Armenian population since a war that followed the fall of the Soviet Union in the 1990s. In 2020, Azerbaijan launched an offensive to retake swathes of territory. A Moscow-brokered ceasefire paused the fighting, yet Russian peacekeepers deployed to the region have failed to maintain the status quo.


In December, Azerbaijan took control of the Lachin Corridor — the only road linking Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia and the outside world — and prevented humanitarian supplies including food and fuel from getting through.

The Armenian government has called it an effort to carry out “ethnic cleansing” in the region, while the former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo, last week issued a report arguing that ethnic cleansing is already underway in Nagorno-Karabakh.

In an interview, Moreno Ocampo argued that if the international community fails to act, it will be “complicit in genocide.”

The U.S. and EU-brokered peace talks, meanwhile, have stalled in recent months as Azerbaijan has refused to hold mediated dialogues with leaders from Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenian community.

Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act of 1992 bars the United States from offering assistance to Azerbaijan unless Baku takes “demonstrable steps to cease all blockades and other offensive uses of force against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.”

The White House first issued the assistance waiver in 2002 when Azerbaijan allowed the Bush administration to use the country’s territory as a land bridge to get troops into Afghanistan. That opened the door for wide-ranging military and security partnerships between the two countries.

Azerbaijan, a major producer of natural gas that shares a maritime and land border with Iran, has also proved to be a useful partner for the U.S. in the Middle East as a counterweight to Tehran.

Azerbaijan receives significant military and financial support from Washington. Amid growing tensions with neighboring Iran in 2018, the Trump administration stepped up funding for the country’s border guards, providing $100 million worth of equipment and other assistance, making the South Caucasus nation one of the main beneficiaries of American tax dollars in the region. During the 2020 war, more than a dozen Democrats including then-Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Bob Menendez of New Jersey, wrote to the State Department urging that support be suspended.

Hikmet Hajiyev, foreign policy adviser to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, said that efforts to restrict military support for Azerbaijan were being orchestrated by “representatives of Congress who actually represent the Armenian lobby and aren’t thinking about their own national interest.” Such actions, he added, could be “detrimental” to the efforts of the U.S. and its allies in trying to secure a lasting peace.

The Armenian embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment.

Armenian diaspora groups want the U.S. to halt military assistance to Azerbaijan. They argue U.S. attempts to influence Azerbaijan via Section 907 have fallen short.

Gev Iskajyan, executive director of the Armenian National Committee of America, a group that advocates on behalf of the Armenian diaspora in the United States, explained that the U.S. has previously used the waiver in order to get concessions from Azerbaijan, only to relent and grant the waiver before Baku makes any changes.

“They dangle the waiver in front of [Azerbaijan], but at the last minute it’s always given,” Iskajyan said. “That strategy hasn’t been working.”

“There is a growing awareness on Capitol Hill that U.S. military support for Azerbaijan is enabling Aliyev to commit war crimes and human rights abuses against Armenians,” said Tim Jemal, president of the Global ARM advocacy group, which has been meeting with D.C. politicians as part of a push for sanctions. “There must be consequences for Azerbaijan’s bad behavior.”

A number of lawmakers on Capitol Hill want to see the waiver eliminated. “There is no justifiable reason to continue this waiver,” Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), the Republican co-chair of the Congressional Armenian Caucus said in a statement Monday, noting that Azerbaijan has used military equipment obtained from the U.S. against the residents of Nagorno-Karabakh.

“We have to be tougher with Aliyev if we want a peace deal,” said Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.). “What we’ve done so far hasn’t done anything to help a peace agreement, so getting tougher is more likely to achieve a good end.”

Eric Bazail-Eimil reported from Washington. Gabriel Gavin reported from Yerevan, Armenia.


https://www.politico.com/news/2023/08/16/azerbaijan-military-assistance-waiver-00111472

Azerbaijani forces open fire at combine harvester in Nagorno-Karabakh

Garo Vardanian

 14:55,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 17, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani military has again opened gunfire at a combine harvester in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) Ministry of Defense said in a statement Thursday.

The Azeri troops opened small arms fire around 11:30, on August 17, in the direction of a combine harvester working in the fields of Sarushen.

No one was hurt in the shooting.

Nagorno-Karabakh authorities said they’ve reported the incident to the Russian peacekeeping contingent’s command.

RFE/RL Armenian Service – 08/16/2023

Garo Vardanian 
                                        Wednesday, 
Stepanakert Official ‘Leaks’ Lavrov Proposals On Karabakh Hours Before UN 
Discussion
        • Tatevik Lazarian
A rally in Yerevan in support of Nagorno-Karabakh, July 25, 2023.
Official Yerevan neither confirms nor denies the authenticity of a document 
published by Tigran Petrosian, head of an anti-crisis body affiliated with the 
Karabakh president, which he said contained proposals made by Russian Foreign 
Minister Sergey Lavrov regarding Nagorno-Karabakh late last month.
The leakage of the document comes shortly before the UN Security Council is to 
convene for an emergency meeting in New York at Armenia’s request to discuss the 
ongoing humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh brought on by Azerbaijan’s de 
facto blockade of the region.
On July 25, Lavrov met separately with the foreign ministers of Armenia and 
Azerbaijan, Ararat Mirzoyan and Jeyhun Bayramov, in Moscow, and then the three 
ministers’ tripartite meeting was also held. Receiving Bayramov in Moscow, 
Lavrov announced that in addition to the already signed statements, a number of 
documents were being prepared for discussion by the leaders of Armenia, 
Azerbaijan and Russia, without providing details about their content.
The document published today by Petrosian and attributed to Lavrov is titled 
“The fundamental principles and parameters of ensuring the rights and security 
of the Armenian population in the territory of the former Nagorno-Karabakh 
Autonomous Oblast of Soviet Azerbaijan in accordance with the legislation of 
Azerbaijan” and contains 14 points.
They state that the Armenian population should have equal legal protection and 
should not be discriminated against on the basis of language, ethnicity or 
religion, should not be forcibly or involuntarily displaced, Armenians should 
not be persecuted for being part of the local government or armed groups, except 
when they are found guilty of war crimes in a judicial order.
The proposals state that the Armenian population should be proportionally part 
of the legislative, executive and judicial branches of power of Azerbaijan, 
including the Prosecutor’s Office and the Police of Azerbaijan, and participate 
in the decision-making concerning the Armenian population.
According to the proposals ascribed to Lavrov, the Armenian language should be 
freely used along with the Azerbaijani language in official writing and in 
public places. The inviolability of Armenians’ private property must be 
guaranteed, the religious freedom of Armenians must be ensured, education in 
Armenian from elementary grades to university, Armenian cultural and national 
identity must be preserved, the published document says.
It is stated that a separate agreement should be signed between Armenia and 
Azerbaijan, according to which close ties between the Armenian population of the 
former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast of Soviet Azerbaijan and Armenia will 
be ensured, and the unimpeded receipt of humanitarian and economic aid for the 
Armenian population from outside should be ensured.
During the day neither the Foreign Ministry of Nagorno-Karabakh nor the Foreign 
Ministry of Armenia responded in any way to say whether the document published 
by the Karabakh figure is authentic or not. The Russian side did not comment on 
the leaked document either.
Petrosian himself also left phone calls unanswered. However, he accompanied the 
publication of the document on Facebook with the following post: “I have to 
publish it so that the public understands what is really happening... Today, 
[Russian President Vladimir] Putin has the opportunity to change his attitude 
and plans at the UN Security Council session... Let’s wait.”
Political analyst Alexander Iskandarian ascribed the leakage of the document to 
“a very active process unfolding around Nagorno-Karabakh.”
“As for the text that was leaked, even if we assume that it is true and that 
such a text really exists, and that it is really a proposal from the Russian 
side, the main thing is missing here: the technologies as to how this writing 
will be guaranteed, how these points will be implemented, who will monitor it 
and what mechanism will be operated are not described. Without clarifying these 
questions, this text does not make much sense,” he said.
“It is clear that there are a lot of documents circulating, but there is an 
accepted principle among diplomats that nothing is agreed until everything is 
agreed. Even if we accept that this text is true, it may not mean anything until 
we see how the process develops, and the process will still take a long time to 
develop,” Iskandarian added.
Political commentator Hakob Badalian voiced doubts regarding whether the 
revealed document was a submitted proposal or just a draft. He said that in any 
case the content of the presented proposals was unacceptable to both Yerevan and 
Stepanakert as it meant Nagorno-Karabakh’s dissolution. He, however, considered 
remarkable the timing of the leak – hours before the expected discussion at the 
UN Security Council and after a phone call between Lavrov and Bayramov.
“The publication is accompanied with a post that Putin has the opportunity to 
change the attitude at the UN Security Council session, that is, here at least 
the following question arises: is it a hint that the [Russian] Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs does not convey complete information to Putin and in this sense 
different games are going on, and this way an attempt is being made to draw 
[Putin’s] attention?... Naturally, there is also a question as to whether the 
Russian Foreign Ministry can carry out any actions fundamentally different from 
Putin’s approach or carry out any actions secretly from Putin? At the same time, 
if there is a direct expectation, then the question arises: if, for example, 
Russia’s policy does not change, then what does Nagorno-Karabakh do, or what 
does the Armenian side do in general if it has to deal with such a proposal?” 
Badalian said.
UN Security Council Set To Hold Emergency Meeting On Nagorno-Karabakh
A shop in Stepanakert, the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh where a blockade has 
resulted in sever shortages of food, medicines, and energy.
The United Nations Security Council is set to hold an emergency meeting 
regarding the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh on August 
16.
The meeting at the UN headquarters in New York City comes after the Armenian UN 
Ambassador Mher Margarian said in a letter to the Security Council that the 
people of Nagorno-Karabakh are “on the verge of a full-fledged humanitarian 
catastrophe.”
Both Armenia and ethnic Armenian authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh have said that 
Azerbaijan has blockaded the region since December, resulting in shortages of 
food, medicines, and energy.
The situation had deteriorated to such a point that the office of 
Nagorno-Karabakh’s ombudsman said on August 15 that a man around the age of 40 
had died as a result of chronic malnutrition, protein and energy deficiency.
A former International Criminal Court prosecutor said earlier in August that the 
blockade of the Lachin Corridor, the only link between Nagorno-Karabakh and 
Armenia, may amount to a “genocide” of the local Armenian population. Baku has 
rejected such an assertion.
Tensions sparked by the blockade escalated further after Azerbaijan in June 
tightened a checkpoint installed in April on the road known as the Lachin 
Corridor, claiming that “various types of contraband” had been discovered in the 
Red Cross vehicles coming from Armenia.
Referring to the blockade, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said on 
August 11 that Azerbaijan’s moves could result in “nullifying a historic 
opportunity for peace” between the two South Caucasus nations.
Azerbaijan denies blockading Nagorno-Karabakh and offers an alternative route 
for supplies via the town of Agdam, which is situated east of the region and is 
controlled by Baku.
However, Nagorno-Karabakh’s ethnic Armenian government has rejected that offer, 
saying Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin Corridor is a violation of the 
Moscow-brokered 2020 cease-fire agreement that placed the 5-kilometer-wide strip 
of land under the control of Russian peacekeepers.
A group of UN experts issued a statement on August 7, expressing alarm over the 
ongoing blockade of the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan, which they said had led 
to a dire humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh.
“By lifting the blockade, the [Azerbaijani] authorities can alleviate the 
suffering of thousands of people in Nagorno-Karabakh and allow for the unimpeded 
flow of humanitarian assistance to the civilian population,” the experts said. 
“It is essential to ensure the safety, dignity, and well-being of all 
individuals during this critical time.”
Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought two wars over Nagorno-Karabakh. The most 
recent war lasted six weeks in late 2020 and left 7,000 soldiers dead on both 
sides.
As a result of the war, Azerbaijan regained control over a part of 
Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts. The war ended with a 
Russian-brokered cease-fire under which Moscow deployed about 2,000 troops in 
the region to serve as peacekeepers.
Yerevan Denies Baku’s Report On Attempted Armenian ‘Commando Raid’
The Armenian Defense Ministry building in Yerevan
Military authorities in Yerevan have denied a report by Baku claiming an 
Armenian commando unit attempted to infiltrate into Azerbaijani territory on 
Wednesday.
The Armenian Defense Ministry said the report was an “absolute lie.”
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said one of the members of the Armenian 
commando unit that allegedly attempted the raid at 11:15 am was wounded and 
detained by Azerbaijani forces in the Kelbajar region. The ministry said that 
other members of the unit, whose number it did not specify, retreated.
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry promptly issued a statement, strongly condemning 
“continued military provocations” by Armenia on the day when the UN Security 
Council was to hold an emergency meeting on the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh 
requested by Yerevan.
Meanwhile, the Armenian Defense Ministry reminded its earlier report that 
according to preliminary data, an Armenian reservist participating in military 
training assemblies had left his combat positions.
“A possible scenario of the reservist’s appearing on the Azerbaijani side and 
related circumstances are being examined,” the Armenian ministry said.
Later the Armenian ministry confirmed that the Armenian reservist was detained 
by Azerbaijani servicemen. It published a video showing a group of Azerbaijani 
soldiers approaching and talking to the Armenian, who appeared in Azerbaijani 
territory under yet unclear circumstances, before apprehending and taking him to 
an unknown direction on a truck.
“This video disproves the false information spread by Azerbaijan’s Defense 
Ministry about an attempted penetration by an Armenian commando unit,” it said.
Azerbaijan, meanwhile, said the video disseminated by Armenia’s Defense Ministry 
had “nothing to do with the incident” and itself posted photographs of the 
detained Armenian serviceman identified as Gagik Voskanian born in 1983.
Tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan escalated again in recent days amid a 
reportedly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh that Yerevan 
blames on Baku, accusing it of trying to force the local Armenian population out 
by blocking access to all commercial and humanitarian supplies via the Lachin 
corridor.
Azerbaijan denies blockading the region and offers alternative ways of supply as 
part of its policy on the integration of Karabakh Armenians. Authorities in 
Stepanakert have rejected such offers, considering them as a prelude to the 
absorption of Nagorno-Karabakh into Azerbaijan.
Both Armenia and Azerbaijan have blamed each other for ceasefire violations 
along their restive border in recent days. Armenia said on Monday that one of 
its soldiers stationed at a border position was seriously wounded by fire coming 
from the Azerbaijani side. Baku and Stepanakert have also traded accusations for 
reported shooting incidents around Nagorno-Karabakh.
Russian Peacekeepers Unblock Entrance To Their Karabakh Base Amid Armenian 
Protest
Russian peacekeepers dragging a car of Karabakh Armenian protesters blocking the 
entrance to their base in Nagorno-Karabakh, . (Photograph from 
Artur Osipian’s Facebook account).
Russian peacekeepers deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh removed a car of Armenian 
protesters to unblock the entrance to their military base in the region on 
Wednesday morning.
A video posted on social media by one of the protesters demanding that the 
Russians restore free traffic along the Lachin corridor that has now been closed 
by Azerbaijani forces showed Russian peacekeepers led by a colonel using an 
armored personnel carrier to threaten a group of Armenians who parked a car in 
front of the main entrance to their base in Ivanyan (Khojaly).
“Why don’t Russian soldiers remove the Azerbaijani blockade of the Lachin 
corridor? Is the [Russian] empire trembling before Azerbaijan?” said Artur 
Osipian, one of the Karabakh protesters, as several Russian servicemen were 
carrying his car aside by hand.
Osipian, a member of Nagorno-Karabakh’s movement to unblock the Lachin corridor, 
said their demand was for the Russian peacekeepers, who he said fail to carry 
out their main duties, to at least guarantee the security of their trip by cars 
to the Azerbaijani checkpoint in the Lachin corridor to hold a protest there.
The command of the Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh last week refused to 
provide an escort to the protesters to the bridge over the river Hakari at the 
border with Armenia.
It said that the terms of the deployment of the Russian military under a 
trilateral statement signed by the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan in 
November 2020 to end a six-week war in Nagorno-Karabakh did not provide for the 
possibility of escorting protesters and ensuring the security of various 
demonstrations and rallies.
The Russian side did not comment on the incident immediately, but a Russian 
officer on the video was heard rebuking the protester as he asked him: “Who has 
paid you for this?”
On the same video, turning to the Russian servicemen, Osipian said: “If you use 
force against those whom you are supposed to protect from the enemy and do not 
use force against the enemy, it shows who you are for here.”
Osipian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that the protesters later returned to 
Stepanakert and were planning what to do next.
“There is no other option, we cannot but fight,” he said.
Azerbaijan Slams France Over Karabakh Road Blockade Remarks
The building of the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan in Baku (file photo)
Baku has strongly rejected “baseless accusations” regarding the Lachin road that 
it said were made by the French foreign minister in her phone call with her 
Armenian counterpart on Tuesday.
“Regarding the [French minister’s] claims that Azerbaijan keeps the Lachin road 
‘under siege’, as a result of which ‘Armenian residents are facing a serious 
humanitarian crisis’, we remind you once again that it is absurd to present as a 
blockade the operation of a border checkpoint set up in accordance with the 
obligation of Azerbaijan to guarantee the safety of citizens, vehicles and 
cargoes on the Lachin road, as well as to prevent its misuse by Armenia for 
military and illegal economic purposes,” Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry said in a 
statement.
The ministry repeated the offer to provide aid to ethnic Armenians via Agdam, an 
Azerbaijani-controlled town east of the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
“Also, the French side is well aware that if the Armenian residents really need 
daily necessities, then the Azerbaijani side has proposed the Agdam-Khankendi 
(Stepanakert) road and other alternative ways for that,” the Azerbaijani 
ministry said.
In her telephone conversation with Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, 
Catherine Colonna, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, in 
particular, said that Azerbaijan’s actions contradict the obligations that it 
undertook under the terms of the ceasefire agreement and harm the negotiation 
process.
Colonna also reportedly gave assurances about the willingness of France to 
support the population of Nagorno-Karabakh, and also announced that France 
intends to make an additional allocation of 3 million euros for the activities 
of the International Committee of the Red Cross in the region.
Earlier on Tuesday Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry summoned a Spanish charge 
d’affaires over Madrid’s official announcement of aid to ethnic Armenians 
displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh. It said that the decision announced in a post 
on the X (formerly Twitter) account of Spain’s embassy in Russia amounted to 
supporting “the separatist regime established by Armenia on the sovereign 
territory of Azerbaijan.”
U.S. Again Urges Azerbaijan To Restore Free Transit Through Karabakh Road
Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State 
(file photo).
The United States has again called on Azerbaijan to restore free transit through 
the Lachin corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia that 
has been effectively blockaded by Baku in recent months.
During a press briefing in Washington on August 15, Vedant Patel, principal 
deputy spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, said that Washington 
remains “deeply concerned about the continued closure of the Lachin corridor, 
specifically its closure to commercial, humanitarian, and private vehicles.”
“The halting of this kind of humanitarian traffic, in our opinion, worsens the 
humanitarian situation and undermines the efforts that have been in place to 
build confidence in the peace process. And so we urge the Government of 
Azerbaijan to restore free transit of commercial, humanitarian, and private 
vehicles through this corridor,” Patel said.
He added that the United States expected “further discussions” to take place 
during an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Nagorno-Karabakh that 
would be held at Armenia’s request in New York on August 16.
The U.S. Department of State official reiterated Washington’s position on 
Armenian-Azerbaijan negotiations, saying that “direct dialogue is essential to 
resolving this longstanding conflict [over Nagorno-Karabakh].”
“We think that any engagements that ultimately bring peace and stability to the 
people of the South Caucasus would be a good thing and a positive step forward,” 
Patel said.
The call from the U.S. official came as ethnic Armenian authorities in 
Nagorno-Karabakh reported the first death from hunger among residents of the 
region that they say has experienced severe shortages of food, medicines, fuel 
and other basic supplies because of Azerbaijan’s effective blockade.
Baku denies blockading the region and offers an alternative route of supply via 
the eastern town of Agdam, which is rejected by Karabakh Armenians who fear it 
could be a prelude to their absorption into Azerbaijan.
Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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Glendale Artsakh Farmer’s Market Presents ‘Armenian Rhythms Reimagined’

Garo Vardanian
Aug 8 2023

The Glendale Artsakh Farmer’s Market is paying homage to Armenian culture and giving back with “Armenian Rhythms Reimagined,” featuring DJ Lara Sarkissian on Sunday, Aug. 6, from noon to 2 p.m. at 222 E. Howard St.
The Glendale Artsakh Farmer’s Market, an all-Armenian owned vendor marketplace, is partnering with the nonprofit “Hayk for our Heroes” to donate a portion of the monthly proceeds to projects in Armenia and victims of war. Every week, the market features various performances to enhance the artisan shopping experience.
Sunday’s event will focus on raising awareness to the recent Artsakh blockade, while showcasing the vibrant Armenian culture.
Sarkissian is an electronic musician and broadcaster from San Francisco and is a resident on NTS Radio, a home for her narrative-style programs, showcasing dance and electronic music from around the globe and her Armenian music programming specials. In the past, she has DJ’d for BBC Radio, Tresor, Hyperdub, Unsound Festival, MoMA PS1, Roskilde Festival, Boiler Room broadcasts and more.
For Sarkissian’s Glendale Artsakh Farmer’s Market set, she will play a special mix of rare Armenian pop and dance classics, along with electronic, paying homage to her roots, celebrations and musical gatherings.
To RSVP, call (650) 580-1273 or email [email protected].

First published in the August 5 print issue of the Glendale News-Press.

https://glendalenewspress.outlooknewspapers.com/2023/08/08/glendale-artsakh-farmers-market-presents-armenian-rhythms-reimagined/

Armenian official accuses Azerbaijan of crime against humanity after Aliyev’s envoy admits weaponizing hunger in NK

Garo Vardanian

 19:01, 8 August 2023

YEREVAN, AUGUST 8, ARMENPRESS. Armenia’s Ambassador-at-Large Edmon Marukyan on Tuesday accused Azerbaijan of committing a crime against humanity in Nagorno-Karabakh after an Azeri presidential envoy admitted in an interview that they are in fact weaponizing hunger as a political tool by blockading Lachin Corridor.

“Representative of the President of Azerbaijan for Special Assignments Elchin Amirbayov in an interview to the French newspaper Le Monde, frankly confessed that Azerbaijan closed the Lachin Corridor and uses weaponization of hunger as a political tool against people of Nagorno Karabakh. We reinstate our demand that Azerbaijan must stop weaponizing hunger as a political tool against people of Nagorno Karabakh to force them accept their “conditions”, which is a crime against humanity. End blockade of Lachin Corridor,” Marukyan posted on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno Karabakh with 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. Moreover, 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 warning that Baku seeks to commit ethnic cleansing against Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh. Hospitals have suspended normal operations.

On July 26, Armenia sent a humanitarian convoy carrying emergency food and medication for Nagorno-Karabakh, but Azerbaijan blocked the trucks at the entrance of Lachin Corridor.

Armenian analysts on the delivery of aid to NK through Agdam

Garo Vardanian
Aug 4 2023
  • JAMnews
  • Yerevan

Baku offers road through Agdam instead of Lachin

Armenian experts continue to discuss Azerbaijan’s proposal to deliver humanitarian aid to Nagorno-Karabakh through Agdam, that is, the territory of Azerbaijan.

The unrecognized NKR considers this proposal unacceptable, regarding it as an attempt to force integration. The Prime Minister of Armenia has repeatedly stated that he does not have a mandate to discuss this issue.

Since December last year, Azerbaijan has blocked the Lachin corridor, the only road linking the unrecognized republic with Armenia and the outside world. Since June 15, 120,000 people have been under a strict blockade, Azerbaijan does not allow the supply of either food or medicine.

Since July 26, trucks with humanitarian cargo sent by the Armenian government have been idle in the border zone near the Armenian village of Kornidzor, on the outskirts of the blocked Lachin corridor. Baku proposes a route through Aghdam to deliver aid to the Armenians.

According to Armenian analysts, Azerbaijan is trying to “extract the maximum political capital from the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.” They warn that even if this condition is accepted to save people from starvation, Baku “will present some new conditions.”

  • “The humanitarian crisis in NK will be presented in the UN Security Council” – Armenian Foreign Ministry
  • Diplomats go to border of Armenia where there is cargo for NK
  • Armenia sends humanitarian cargo to NK, Azerbaijan calls it a provocation
On July 18, a group of NK residents set up barriers on the Aghdam-Askeran road. The protesters came with banners that read “Road to Death” and “Our right to self-determination is not for sale”

“At the negotiating table, I did not discuss the issue of providing assistance to Stepanakert through Agdam. I have neither the mandate nor the need to discuss this issue. At the negotiation platforms, we only discuss issues related to the illegal blocking and opening of the Lachin corridor,” Nikol Pashinyan said at his last press conference.

The other day, a Euronews journalist also asked the Armenian Prime Minister a question about Azerbaijan’s proposal to use the Agdam route.

“I don’t know what you are talking about, because I am talking about the document that I signed, which has the status of an international document. It is very clearly stated there that the Lachin corridor, which is under the control of Russian peacekeepers and is not just a road, but a section five kilometers wide, should be outside the control of Azerbaijan and should provide a connection between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia,” Pashinyan replied.

Commenting on periodic statements from Baku that the Lachin corridor is not blocked, he said:

“The road from the Moon to Nagorno-Karabakh is also open, there are no checkpoints there, but I cannot talk about institutions unknown to me. What is this road? From Mars, from the moon? I’m talking about what is a documented concept. Now this road is closed, and if someone doubts, they can try to get to Nagorno-Karabakh right now.”

Euronews interview with Pashinyan, who talked about the situation in NK and explained in detail what the “humanitarian crisis” means

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan addressed the Armenian authorities with such an appeal. This statement again said that Yerevan’s claims about the blockade of the Lachin corridor were “groundless”:

“If the Armenian side is really interested in peace and stability in the region, including supporting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan not only in words but also in deeds, it should refrain from such provocative steps and support the use of the Agdam-Khankendi road and other alternative roads proposed by the Azerbaijani side”.

At the Lachin checkpoint of Azerbaijan, a resident of the unrecognized NKR was detained, who was transported to Armenia by the Red Cross to receive urgent medical care

According to cartographer Ruben Galichyan, theoretically, if Azerbaijan allows, and the Armenian side agrees, for the humanitarian cargo sent by the Armenian government to travel to Nagorno-Karabakh through Agdam, it will be necessary to travel 100 kilometers or more:

“They must pass through the Khakari bridge, then along the internal roads of Azerbaijan, go around the whole of Artsakh, go up to the north and enter Artsakh from the east side.”

He emphasizes that this detour is very long, and, unlike the Lachin corridor, Russian peacekeepers do not have access and the right to exercise control there:

“They want to say that assistance will be provided by Azerbaijan, not Armenia. Of course, in order to provide this assistance, the Azerbaijanis will set a condition for the Armenians of Artsakh to declare their accession to Azerbaijan, joining it.”

Protests taking place in Yerevan in support of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, at the UN office and embassies, as well as an expert’s comment

According to political scientist Areg Kochinyan, even if Azerbaijan allows some cargo, for example humanitarian cargo sitting idle near the Khakari bridge, to be transported to Nagorno-Karabakh, it will try to extract “maximum political capital” from this:

“For example, to receive an official application from Armenia for permission so that the cargo can pass.”

According to Kochinyan, in this way Baku is trying to further strengthen its political positions, seeking written documents on the recognition of its territorial integrity.

“Now to take such steps or not? On the one hand, of course not, because this will be another element of dismantling the subjectivity of NK and integrating it into Azerbaijan. On the other hand, the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is difficult, and the consequences of the famine will be catastrophic,” he stressed.

The political scientist did not offer any solutions.

Political observer Hakob Badalyan does not see the possibility of putting pressure on Azerbaijan and lowering Aliyev’s bar “from the standpoint of maximalism.” He says that the Azerbaijani president plays on the fact that Iran and Russia “are ready to offer him something so that he does not agree with the American proposals on the settlement of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations unconditionally.”

“A certain “unique” balance is being created, from which we, Armenia and Artsakh, fall out,” he said.

According to Badalyan, in order to prolong this state and maintain its high maneuverability between geopolitical poles, Baku will always find some new conditions to put forward to the NK Armenians, even if all the previous ones are unconditionally accepted.

“The main task of the Armenian side is to effectively maintain the balance, formed not by the confrontation of the main players, but by their joint work. Only efficiency in this matter can contribute to the formation of such an environment that will make Baku, at least, objectively think about the issue of lowering the bar of maximalism by several steps and talking with Artsakh,” he believes.

Claims that the option of “unblocking the Lachin corridor by force” now and in the foreseeable future “will be tantamount to an attempt to open a” regional Pandora’s box, which Armenia needs least of all.

https://jam-news.net/baku-offers-road-through-agdam-instead-of-lachin/