Author: George Mamian

Champagne discusses fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh with counterparts in Vienna

George Mamian
CBC News, Canada
Oct 14 2020
Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne was in Vienna today for meetings with officials of various international organizations and Austrian leaders to talk about flashpoints in Europe and Azerbaijan.

There are Azerbaijani war prisoners on the Armenian side – military

George Mamian

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 23:39,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 14, ARMENPRESS. Representative of the Defense Ministry of Armenia Artsrun Hovhannisyan informed that there are Azerbaijani war prisoners in the Armenian side, but did not mention the number.

‘’There are war prisoners but I have no information on their number, place and situation’’, ARMENPRESS reports Hovhannisyan said in a press conference.

Referring to the 2 Armenian war prisoners on the Azerbaijani side, Hovhannisyan said that Azerbaijan provides no information about them.

‘’Unfortunately, I cannot provide any information about our soldiers. You know that the Azerbaijani side never provides such information, does not cooperate with the Red Cross. Moreover, the Azerbaijani side does not even try to take out the bodies of its soldiers. In the recent period we observe extremely inhuman attitude towards their own victims. We had never seen such a thing’’, Hovhannisyan said.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has demanded Azerbaijan to immediately present information about the two Armenian military servicemen who have been captured during the ongoing war launched by Azerbaijan against Artsakh.

The families of servicemen Areg Sargsyan and Narek Amirjanyan had filed the application to the ECHR on October 11, requesting an urgent measure to oblige Azerbaijan to act in accordance to the Customary international law and in accordance to the October 10, 2020 cessation of hostilities agreement that included exchange of prisoners of war, and to return the captives to the Armenian authorities under the auspices of the ICRC, as well as to ensure their physical and psychological inviolability and duly medical treatment.

The court lodged the application on October 12 and the Azeri government has been notified.

The ECHR has given Azerbaijan until October 22 to provide information about the conditions of the two servicemen’s detention, their health, the possibility of exchanging them in accordance with the humanitarian cessation of hostilities agreement.

Editing and translating by Tigran Sirekanyan

Delays, closures on Brooklyn Bridge due to Armenian protest

George Mamian
Pix11
Oct 11 2020
By: Stephen M. Lepore
Posted at 8:11 PM, Oct 10, 2020

 

and last updated 3:11 AM, Oct 11, 2020

BROOKLYN — A protest has caused closures and delays on the Brooklyn Bridge, according to Notify NYC.

They say to “expect intermittent road closures, traffic delays and a heavy presence of emergency personnel near the Brooklyn Bridge in Manhattan,”

They add that drivers should consider alternate routes and allow for additional travel time.

Twitter users and Citizen app video have shown that there is a protest for peace in Armenia.

Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to a Russia-brokered cease-fire in Nagorno-Karabakh starting Saturday according to the Associated Press, but immediately accused each other of derailing the deal intended to end the worst outbreak of hostilities in the separatist region in more than a quarter-century.

The latest outburst of fighting between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces began Sept. 27 and left hundreds of people dead in the biggest escalation since a separatist war there ended in 1994.

Nagorno-Karabakh lies in Azerbaijan but has been under control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia.

Fierce clashes continue in southern direction of Artsakh – MoD

George Mamian

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 21:12, 8 October, 2020

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 8, ARMENPRESS. Fierce clashes take place along Artsakh-Azerbaijan contact line, particularly in the southern direction, ARMENPRESS reports representative of the Defense Ministry of Armenia Artsrun Hovhannisyan said in a press conference.

‘’Starting from morning the Azerbaijani armed forces resumed attacks both in the north and south. The Armenian side inflicted heavy manpower and military equipment losses on the enemy, repelling them to their initial positions. At this moment particularly fierce clashes are taking place in the southern direction’’, Hovhannisyan said, adding that the clashes take place all day long.

Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey , unleashed war against Artsakh on September 27. Turkey, in addition to various types of assistance to Azerbaijan, including using Turkish air force against Artsakh and Armenia, has also deployed thousands of mercenaries and terrorists from Syria in Azerbaijan to fight against Artsakh.

So far the Armenian side has reported 350 casualties among the military and 21 civilians, Azerbaijan’s manpower losses are nearly 4000, which includes both servicemen from the regular Azerbaijani army and terrorists.

President of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan called for an new coalition against international terrorism on October 6.

The Armenian side has reported 350 military casualties and 21 civilians. Azerbaijan’s manpower losses is over 4.000, which includes both regular army servicemen and jihadist terrorists. The Azerbaijani side has also lost 16 helicopters, 17 warplanes, 496 armored vehicle, 145 UAVs and 4 TOS 1 Heavy Flamethrower System.

Editing and translating by Tigran Sirekanyan

Greece recalls its Ambassador in Azerbaijan, denies claims it is training Armenian and Kurdish militias

George Mamian
Greek City Times
Oct 7 2020
by Paul Antonopoulos

Greece has categorically denied allegations made by Azerbaijan and on orders of Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias has recalled the ambassador to Azerbaijan to return to Greece for consultations.

“Following the non-existent and offensive allegations against Greece, a strict protest was made to the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Greece, while by my decision the Ambassador of Greece to Azerbaijan was summoned for consultations,” Dendias said on Twitter accompanied with a link to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement.

In the statement, the Foreign Ministry said “Following the completely unsubstantiated and insulting allegations made by the government of Azerbaijan regarding supposed tolerance on the part of the Greek state for preparation of terrorist actions, efforts to recruit terrorist fighters, and cyberattacks from Greek territory on Azerbaijan, in the context of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, a stern demarche was made to the Azeri Ambassador yesterday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”

“Following the demarche, the Greek Ambassador to Azerbaijan, [Nikolaos] Piperigos, was summoned to Athens for consultations, by decision of Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias,” the statement concluded.

Hikmet Hajiyev, aide to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, told reporters on Friday that Greeks were fighting in Artsakh, describing them as “mercenaries.”

This comes as diplomatic relations with Azerbaijan is tense. While accepting the credentials on September 4 from Greece’s newly appointed ambassador to Baku, Nikolaos Piperigos, Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev directly told the diplomat:

“I can tell you, and it is no secret, that Turkey is not only our friend and partner, but also a brotherly country for us. Without any hesitation whatsoever, we support Turkey and will support it under any circumstances. We support them [Turkey] in all issues, including the issue in the Eastern Mediterranean.”

The comments by Aliyev are unprecedented when considering the usual formalities of a head of state accepting the credentials of a new ambassador.

Greek media also reported that Athens filed a complaint with the Azerbaijan Ambassador to Greece following allegations made by Turkish and Azerbaijani media that Greek officers were involved in training militants who were later sent to Armenia.

According to Hurriyet, Lieutenant Apostolos Pervolakis was training an Armenian militia and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) for about a month.

<img class=”alignnone size-full wp-image-78831″ src=””//greekcitytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/1-2-6.jpg” alt=” 2″ width=”923″ height=”787″ srcset=”//greekcitytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/1-2-6.jpg 923w, //greekcitytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/1-2-6-300×256.jpg 300w, //greekcitytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/1-2-6-768×655.jpg 768w, //greekcitytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/1-2-6-450×384.jpg 450w, //greekcitytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/1-2-6-225×192.jpg 225w, //greekcitytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/1-2-6-900×767.jpg 900w, //greekcitytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/1-2-6-20×17.jpg 20w” sizes=”(max-width: 923px) 100vw, 923px” title=” 2″>

Athens also rejected this allegation that Turkish media made without providing any evidence.

https://greekcitytimes.com/2020/10/07/greece-denies-claims-it-is-training-armenian-and-kurdish-militias/

Azerbaijan lays down these conditions to end deadliest war with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh region

George Mamian
Zee news, India
Oct 5 2020
 
 
 
The President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has put forward some conditions to end the war.
 
 
The war between Armenia and Azerbaijan continued for the ninth day on Monday even as both countries have rejected the international community’s appeal to end the war. The fighting over the region began on September 27 and has escalated to its deadliest level since the 1990s.
 
Meanwhile, the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has put forward some conditions to end the war saying that if Armenia accepts these conditions, then Azerbaijan will stop the war. Aliyev said that the Armenian army has occupied the territory which it had lost in the 1990s and is deliberately inciting war.
 
If the Armenian army immediately withdraws from the territory, fully describes the withdrawal deadline and apologizes for what they have done, then Azerbaijan is ready to end the war.
 
This is the only way: Aliyev said that Armenia must accept the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, this is the only way to end the war. He further said that the international community has failed to implement the UN resolutions and to pressurize the withdrawal of the Armenian army from Azerbaijan’s areas of influence.
 
Intent: It is clear from Aliyev’s stance that he has no intention of accepting Russia, US and EU’s ceasefire request. At the same time, immediately after Aliyev’s speech, the Armenian Defence Ministry has also issued a statement. The Ministry said that there is no threat to us, but still, we are ready to deal with every situation. Earlier, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had also made it clear that he is not ready for talks with Azerbaijan.
 
This is the biggest danger: Both Armenia and Azerbaijan are accusing each other of inciting war. Civilians have also been targeted from both sides. Seeing the danger of the involvement of superpowers like Russia in this war, both the nations are being appealed to settle the dispute with peace. Several countries including the US have appealed to Armenia and Azerbaijan to stop the war. The danger of Russia, Turkey, France, Iran and Israel joining the war has also increased.
 
This is the root of the dispute: The major reason for the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which was part of the former Soviet Union, is the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Azerbaijan calls the mountainous region of this region as its own, while Armenia has occupied this region. The area has been under Armenia’s occupation since the fighting ended in 1994. In 2016 too, there was a bloody war between the two countries over this area, in which 200 people were killed. Now both countries are face to face once again.
 
Aliyev on Monday said that Turkey must be involved in the peace process for the Nagorno-Karabakh region, Reuters reported quoting the RIA news agency. The fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces over the separatist territory of Nagorno-Karabakh resumed Monday morning, with both sides accusing each other of launching attacks.
 
Armenian military officials on Monday reported missile strikes hitting Stepanakert, the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh. The region lies in Azerbaijan but has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since the end of a separatist war in 1994. Firefights of varying intensity continue to rage” in the conflict zone, Armenian Defence Ministry spokeswoman Shushan Stepanian said on Facebook.
 
The Azerbaijani Defence Ministry, in turn, accused Armenian forces of shelling the towns of Tartar, Barda and Beylagan. Ganja, Azerbaijan’s second-largest city far outside of the conflict zone, is also under fire, officials said. Armenia’s Foreign Ministry in a statement dismissed allegations of the attacks being launched from Armenia’s territory as a disinformation campaign waged by Azerbaijan.
 
                                                           
 
The war between Armenia and Azerbaijan continued for the ninth day on Monday even as both countries have rejected the international community’s appeal to end the war. The fighting over the region began on September 27 and has escalated to its deadliest level since the 1990s.
 
Meanwhile, the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has put forward some conditions to end the war saying that if Armenia accepts these conditions, then Azerbaijan will stop the war. Aliyev said that the Armenian army has occupied the territory which it had lost in the 1990s and is deliberately inciting war.
 
If the Armenian army immediately withdraws from the territory, fully describes the withdrawal deadline and apologizes for what they have done, then Azerbaijan is ready to end the war.
 
This is the only way: Aliyev said that Armenia must accept the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, this is the only way to end the war. He further said that the international community has failed to implement the UN resolutions and to pressurize the withdrawal of the Armenian army from Azerbaijan’s areas of influence.
 
Intent: It is clear from Aliyev’s stance that he has no intention of accepting Russia, US and EU’s ceasefire request. At the same time, immediately after Aliyev’s speech, the Armenian Defence Ministry has also issued a statement. The Ministry said that there is no threat to us, but still, we are ready to deal with every situation. Earlier, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had also made it clear that he is not ready for talks with Azerbaijan.
 
This is the biggest danger: Both Armenia and Azerbaijan are accusing each other of inciting war. Civilians have also been targeted from both sides. Seeing the danger of the involvement of superpowers like Russia in this war, both the nations are being appealed to settle the dispute with peace. Several countries including the US have appealed to Armenia and Azerbaijan to stop the war. The danger of Russia, Turkey, France, Iran and Israel joining the war has also increased.
 
This is the root of the dispute: The major reason for the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which was part of the former Soviet Union, is the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Azerbaijan calls the mountainous region of this region as its own, while Armenia has occupied this region. The area has been under Armenia’s occupation since the fighting ended in 1994. In 2016 too, there was a bloody war between the two countries over this area, in which 200 people were killed. Now both countries are face to face once again.
 
Aliyev on Monday said that Turkey must be involved in the peace process for the Nagorno-Karabakh region, Reuters reported quoting the RIA news agency. The fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces over the separatist territory of Nagorno-Karabakh resumed Monday morning, with both sides accusing each other of launching attacks.
 
Armenian military officials on Monday reported missile strikes hitting Stepanakert, the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh. The region lies in Azerbaijan but has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since the end of a separatist war in 1994. Firefights of varying intensity continue to rage” in the conflict zone, Armenian Defence Ministry spokeswoman Shushan Stepanian said on Facebook.
 
The Azerbaijani Defence Ministry, in turn, accused Armenian forces of shelling the towns of Tartar, Barda and Beylagan. Ganja, Azerbaijan’s second-largest city far outside of the conflict zone, is also under fire, officials said. Armenia’s Foreign Ministry in a statement dismissed allegations of the attacks being launched from Armenia’s territory as a disinformation campaign waged by Azerbaijan.
 
Vahram Poghosyan, spokesman for Nagorno-Karabakh’s leader, on Monday warned in a Facebook post that the territory’s forces would target military facilities in Azerbaijani cities in response to strikes on Stepanakert and Shushi, a town in Nagorno-Karabakh. The fighting erupted September 27 and has killed dozens, marking the biggest escalation in the decades-old conflict over the region. Both sides have accused each other of expanding the hostilities beyond the conflict zone in Nagorno-Karabakh.
 
Nagorno-Karabakh officials have said nearly 200 servicemen on their side have died in the clashes so far. Eighteen civilians have been killed and more than 90 others wounded. Azerbaijani authorities haven’t given details about their military casualties but said 24 civilians were killed and 121 others were wounded.
 
 
 
Nagorno-Karabakh was a designated autonomous region within Azerbaijan during the Soviet era. It claimed independence from Azerbaijan in 1991, about three months before the Soviet Union’s collapse. A full-scale war that broke out in 1992 killed an estimated 30,000 people. By the time the war ended in 1994, Armenian forces not only held Nagorno-Karabakh itself but substantial areas outside the territory’s formal borders.
 
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly said that Armenia’s withdrawal from Nagorno-Karabakh is the sole condition to end the fighting. Armenian officials allege that Turkey is involved in the conflict on the side of Azerbaijan and is sending fighters from Syria to the region. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said that a cease-fire can be established only if Turkey is removed from the South Caucasus. Turkey’s government has denied sending arms or foreign fighters, while publicly siding with Azerbaijan in the dispute.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Pakistani Fighters Supporting Azerbaijan In Ground Ops Cannot Be Ruled Out: Armenian Defence Minister

George Mamian
The Eurasian Times
Oct 3 2020

 October 3, 2020

By EurAsian Times Desk

While a low-intensity war in the Nagorno-Karabakh entered its 7th day, new speculation made by the Armenian foreign minister in an interview with an Indian news channel has taken everyone aback.

“We can’t exclude the possibility” of Pakistani nationals on-ground supporting Azerbaijan, Armenia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts said.

Considering that both Turkey and Pakistan have pledged their diplomatic and military support to the Azeris officially, and the general trends among these countries’ operations make it highly probable.

The Armenian minister recalled that Pakistani fighters were present on-ground during the earlier 1994 Nagorno-Karabakh war too. “We can’t exclude this possibility, taking into account, they used to act in the same way at the beginning of the 90s during the large-scale war in Nagorno-Karabakh. With ceasefire agreement in 1994, these guys were there, of Pakistani origin,” he said.

“It would not be a surprise for us if they will be present this time as well,” the official remarked.

Pakistan and Armenia have always shared troubled relations. Pakistan is the only country in the world that does not recognize Armenia as a state and has overtly supported Azerbaijan in its acts in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

As Islamabad is a “close friend” of Ankara, it has always supported the Turkish opinion on matters, and in this case too, supported Turkey when it openly declared its open support towards Azerbaijan. Additionally, Pakistan has always supported Turkey on its stance that the Armenian Genocide did not occur.

The Armenian minister, on being asked about the presence of Turkish-backed Syrian militants in the Artsakh, termed it a “very obvious” thing.

“Not only Jihadis but mercenaries from Northern Part of Syria too. They have arrived in Azerbaijan, via Turkey and Ankara was very instrumental in the recruitment process. The number is very different, starting with 1000, ending with 5000. It is very very obvious, proven that they are there, there to fight against Nagorno Karabakh people,” he added.

The Armenian government had also released figures of about 4000 Syrian militants arriving in the area quoting their intelligence sources earlier.

“Many media are reporting, Pakistani fighters have left Pakistan, and again via Turkey, they have reached Azerbaijan to join the mercenaries operating in Azerbaijan. It won’t be a surprise for us. Practically it will be proven very soon,” Adonts stated.

https://eurasiantimes.com/pakistan-fighters-supporting-baku-cannot-be-ruled-out-in-armenia-azerbaijan-war-armenian-defence-minister/






Experts: Iran is Secretly Backing Armenia!

George Mamian
AlBawaba, Middle East
Sept 29 2020
Published September 29th, 2020 – 06:27 GMT

Highlights
Some Azeris believe that Iran’s Turkic-origin population, which includes Turkmen, Qashgais and other Turkish-speaking groups, might amount to nearly 40 percent. 

Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia in occupied Nagorno-Karabakh are already a geopolitical flashpoint between Russia, which supports Yerevan, and Turkey, which supports Baku. 

But what role does Iran, a Shia-Muslim majority country like Azerbaijan, which neighbours both countries, have? Experts with a close eye on the conflict think Iran is secretly backing Armenia, a Christian-majority country. 

Iran has officially called on both sides to cease clashes, offering mediation between the two countries.  

“Generally-speaking, Iran appears to be closer to Armenia in its relations with both countries,” says Bulent Aras, professor of international relations at Istanbul Policy Center-Sabanci University.

Aras recounts several factors for Iran’s implicit support of Armenia, ranging from Iran’s political alliance with Russia, to Tehran’s trade ties with Yerevan. 

But among other reasons, the changing political nature of Iran’s Azeri Turkish population (how the population with Azerbaijani heritage is referred to inside Iran) plays an important role in Tehran’s close connections to Yerevan, says Aras. 

“Increasing Turkish nationalism [among the Azeri Turks] in Iran has been seen as a serious political problem by Iran. Connections and relations between the country’s north [where a sizable Azeri Turkish population lives] and Azerbaijan have been an important factor in Tehran’s political problems with Azerbaijan,” Aras tells TRT World. 

Some Azeris believe that Iran’s Turkic-origin population, which includes Turkmen, Qashgais and other Turkish-speaking groups, might amount to nearly 40 percent. 


Many Azeris call Iran’s north as southern Azerbaijan, where nearly 20 million Azeris live according to different estimates. Some Azeri nationalists and intellectuals have long defined both northern and southern parts as culturally and socially identical, arguing that they should be joined under a political union. 

“In Iran, due to the enormous Turkish population, there has historically been a political fear that two Azerbaijans, Baku [the capital of northern Azerbaijan] and Tabriz [the capital of southern Azerbaijan] might join at some point,” says Esref Yalinkilicli, a Moscow-based Eurasia political analyst. 

“On the other hand, in Azerbaijani political memory and foreign policy, the idea of Greater Azerbaijan has always been an important factor,” Yalinkilicli tells TRT World. 

For centuries, Iran and Azerbaijan had been ruled by Turkic-origin states, from the Seljuks to the Safavids, and eventually the Qajars. During the rule of the Qajars in the 19th century, after losing some crucial battles to the Russians, the Shia-Turkish dynasty ceded some crucial parts of its territories to the Russians – the Aras, or Araxes River, became the border line between the two states, dividing current territories effectively.  

While the northern part of Azerbaijan became part of the Soviet Union as the Azerbaijan Republic after the communist Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, the southern part stayed under the Qajars. They were replaced by the Persian-origin Pahlavi dynasty, the founding family of current Iran, in the early 20th century. 

The political argument of Greater Azerbaijan has long been a threat for the Iranian establishment, which has used its support of Armenia as a counter-measure to minimise Azeri aspirations in Iran and across the region, says Yalinkilicli. 

“Iran’s traditional Armenia policy has long been a balancing act against both Azerbaijan and Turkey across southern Caucasia. As a result, behind-the-scenes, Iran backs Armenia,” Yalinkilicli tells TRT World. 

While Iran has a Shia majority and Azeris are overwhelmingly Shia, Azeris speak a Turkish dialect, which is very close to Turkey’s Turkish, and have established close connections with Ankara since the collapse of the communist Soviet Union. 

Also, national awareness among Iran’s Azeris has increasingly become more evident as globalism has enabled the country’s Turkic-origin population to connect their brethren living in other neighbouring countries including Azerbaijan and Turkey, says Yalinkilicli.

Iran’s other motivations

However, aside from increasing Turkish nationalism in Iran, there are also other political reasons for Tehran’s support of Armenia. 

“Reasons like land disputes between the two countries [Iran and Azerbaijan], increasing nationalism among Azeri Turks, issues regarding how to share natural sources of the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan’s close relations with Israel, [which is an archenemy of Iran across the Middle East] and a political desire to balance Turkey-Azerbaijan relations occasionally lead to some tensions and crisis between Baku and Tehran,” says Aras, the international relations professor. 

Aras also underlines that Iran’s low-profile Armenian policy, which is officially a mediating position between the two countries, might significantly change should the existing political status quo be altered by the clashes in the occupied Karabakh region, which is disputed between Azerbaijan and Armenia. 

“We need to pay attention to what Iran would do if the political status quo changes,” says the professor. 

According to recent reports, Azerbaijan appears to have an upper hand in the Karabakh region, gaining some crucial territories during recent clashes. 

“There is a weak possibility that Iran will militarily intervene in the conflict. But if there is a clear development in favour of Azerbaijan, it could be said that some political groups in Iran would have serious discomfort about that. 

“But there is a little possibility that Iran would reveal that discomfort in its official policy,” he concludes. 

This article has been adapted from its original source.

https://www.albawaba.com/amp/news/experts-iran-secretly-backing-armenia-1383494?fbclid=IwAR3GoAUg8i5X0qTYoXV0dpB1ud86_vEVRqg1dVcf75OlUb83s5DnjumKMuw





Information war cranks up as Azerbaijan & Armenia show more footage of alleged military victories in violent border flare-up

George Mamian
RT – Russia Today
Sept 28 2020

27 Sep, 2020
As Azerbaijan and Armenia lock horns on the battlefield over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, their media machines are rolling out videos, each purportedly showing the losses the opposing side suffered in Sunday’s clashes.

Azerbaijan has launched a military operation against the forces of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, an ethnic Armenian enclave that broke away from Azerbaijan three decades ago. The so-called “counter offensive” was allegedly launched in response to shelling of Azeri troops by Armenian forces. However, Yerevan has denied this and said it was Azerbaijan who broke the ceasefire.

Both parties reported military successes over the course of the day, while denying taking any casualties of their own in the process.

A video released by the Azeris, on Sunday evening, showed an apparent airstrike on a military vehicle. It also shows what appears to be a column of military vehicles on a dirt road, including one visibly damaged tank. The footage was filmed by a reconnaissance drone.

Meanwhile, the Armenian Defense Ministry published a video of an attack on a pair of infantry fighting vehicles, followed by what appears to be the aftermath of an ambush of a military convoy.
Both sides previously released similar footage of other episodes to demonstrate the cost of the conflict presumably paid by the rival side. The authenticity of the materials could not be independently verified.

PKK’s involvement in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict would jeopardize

George Mamian
EU Reporter
Sept 23 2020

By James Wilson

The alarming reports that Armenia has been relocating Kurdistan Working Party (PKK) terrorists from Syria and Iraq to the occupied territories of Nagorno-Karabakh to prepare for future hostilities and train Armenian militias is news of the sort that should keep you awake at night, not only in Azerbaijan but also in Europe, writes James Wilson.

Changing the demographics of the occupied territories by bringing in refugees of Armenian origin from Lebanon, Syria and Iraq is one thing, even though unlawful, but populating Nagorno-Karabakh with PKK militants, classified by all Western countries, including the US and the EU, as a terrorist organisation, is another.

The artificial resettlement policies of Armenia following the explosion in Beirut on 4 August this year and the Syrian War in 2009, aim to change the demographics of Nagorno-Karabakh and to consolidate the 30-year-long Armenian occupation. They represent a violation of international law, the Geneva Convention and various international agreements. Professionally hired militants and terrorists being resettled to Nagorno-Karabakh would be designated as an war crime under international law, putting peace and stability in the region at risk.

According to Cairo24 News Agency and other reliable local sources, Armenia went so far as to let its top-level career diplomats negotiate a transfer plan for the terrorists with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, the most militant wing of the Kurdish establishment led by Lahur Sheikh Jangi Talabany and Bafel Talabani. This followed a first failed attempt to negotiate a plan to create a corridor to send Kurdish fighters to Nagorno-Karabakh with the Kurdistan Autonomous Region’s leader Nechirvan Barzani.

Reportedly, Armenia’s efforts led to the transfer of hundreds of armed terrorists from Suleymaniyah, considered to be a stronghold of the PKK in Iraq, to Nagorno-Karabakh via Iran. A separate group of YPG militants, seen by many as the Syrian wing of PKK, were sent to Nagorno-Karabakh from Qamishli region on the Syrian-Iraqi border while a third group of PKK/YPG militants, which was formed at the Makhmur base in the South of the Iraqi city of Erbil, was first deployed to the headquarters of Hezbollah’s Iraqi wing to Baghdad before being transferred to Nagorno-Karabakh via Iran. 

According to intelligence, special camps were established by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards to train the militants on Iranian soil before sending them to Nagorno-Karabakh, where they have also access to training camps at a safe distance from the PKK’s Kandil base, which has been increasingly raided in recent years.

This is not the first time Armenia has been recruiting terrorists and paid mercenaries for its own interests.  Such was also the case during the Nagorno-Karabakh war in the 1990s. Even back in the Soviet times, Kurds were instrumentalised by Russia and Armenia, the former having established the autonomous region of Red Kurdistan in Nagorno-Karabakh in 1923-1929 to facilitate the resettlement of Kurds living in Azerbaijan, Armenia and Iran to the region. 

However, the current Armenian administration shows itself more and more belligerent towards Azerbaijan, thwarting the negotiation process between the two nations because of internal political considerations, including an unprecedented health and economic crisis. Not only did the current Armenian administration refuse to adhere to the OSCE framework agreement, which was agreed upon in principle, but asked for a start-over of peace negotiations from scratch. As Armenians increasingly refuse to send their children to the frontline, the Armenian administration seems to be determined to minimise personal losses through the use of militants from terrorist groups. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan even announced the people’s militia initiative in the country, dangerous examples of which were seen in other conflict-torn parts of the world, such as Burkina Fasso.

Under his leadership, the Caucasus has seen the worst hostilities in the last few years when the Armenian armed forces used distillery fire to attack the Tovuz district of Azerbaijan on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border on July 12th.  The attack resulted in 12 Azerbaijani deaths, including a 75-year-old civilian, leaving 4 injured and causing serious damage to Azerbaijani border villages and farms. On 21 September, one Azerbaijani soldier fell victim to new skirmishes in Tovuz region, as Armenia once again failed to respect the ceasefire.

Recognized by the UN as an Azerbaijani territory, Nagorno-Karabakh and its seven surrounding regions, have been under Armenian occupation for 30 years despite 4 UN resolutions calling for the immediate withdrawal of Armenian armed forces. The growing militarization of Nagorno-Karabakh as well as the involvement of mercenaries from paramilitary groups in the Middle East would lead to the internationalization of the conflict, putting regional powerhouses at odds.

 The dangerous actions of Armenia risks to further destabilize the region, which has a strategic importance for Azerbaijan and Europe, as it provides energy and transport links to Georgia, Turkey and Europe for the Azerbaijani oil and gas as well as other export commodities. By jeopardizing major infrastructure projects, such as the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline, Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, Armenia could put European energy and transport security at huge risk.