Author: Jagharian Tania

Armenpress: Armenian FM delivers remarks at 4th Ministerial Meeting of the Ancient Civilizations Forum

Jagharian Tania

Armenian FM delivers remarks at 4th Ministerial Meeting of the Ancient Civilizations Forum

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 20:58,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. It is critical today to promote a culture of peace to face the escalating aggression and violence that we have been witnessing around the world. The culture of peace can only be founded on strong international cooperation and the Ancient Civilizations Forum is an important platform in this regard as it brings together countries with thousand-year-old ancestral cultures and vast tangible and intangible heritage, Foreign Minister of Armenia Ara Ayvazian said at the online 4th Ministerial Meeting of the Ancient Civilizations Forum. As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the MFA Armenia, FM Ayvazian particularly said,

‘’Excellences,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear friends,

I would like to convey my gratitude to the Government of Peru for convening this 4th Ministerial meeting. 

I would also like to welcome the participation of the United Mexican States as a new member of the Ancient Civilizations Forum.

What brings us together today is the vast history and rich cultural heritage of every nation here. This Forum has become a unique platform to cherish the histories and values that our civilizations have accumulated throughout the past millennia.

Armenia, as a cradle of centuries-old traditions and civilizational heritage, appreciates the important role of the Ancient Civilizations Forum as a platform for cultural dialogue and cooperation among member states and beyond. The turbulent and challenging year that we have faced has proven that now constructive dialogue and joint efforts matter more than ever. It has also reminded us that the heritage and wisdom of our ancient civilizations remain alive and relevant in today’s globalized world. Thus, today we have the opportunity to draw lessons and inspiration from our heritage and move forward together.

This Ancient Civilizations Forum allows us to prioritize the promotion of cultural diversity and peace. It enables us to reiterate our commitment to the goals of tolerance and diversity as prerequisites for fostering a culture of peace. 

Distinguished colleagues,
In an important platform like this, we cannot turn a blind eye to the alarming events unfolding in our region.

While the international community focused on the response and recovery from the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, on September 27 Azerbaijan launched pre-planned large-scale aggression against the Republic of Artsakh, also known as Nagorno-Karabakh. In this war, Azerbaijan was directly supported by Turkey which transported mercenaries and foreign terrorist fighters to Azerbaijan and deployed them against the people of Artsakh.

As a result of this aggression thousands of objects of Armenian cultural heritage fell under the control of Azerbaijani armed forces. Nagorno-Karabakh has an extremely rich cultural and religious heritage with several thousands of monuments providing material evidence for the long history of Armenians in the region. Early-Christian churches from the 4th century and many archaeological sites are architectural wonders with ancient inscriptions, murals, and sculptures integral to the Armenian history and its contribution to global cultural heritage.

Armenia has ample reasons to believe that Azerbaijan will target the evidence for our millennia-old indigenous connection to this land by intentionally destroying the Armenian monuments and cultural sites. This threat is well justified, given the multiple precedents of Azerbaijan’s intentional destruction of the Armenian cultural heritage. During the course of this war, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces within a few hours struck twice the 19th century Holy Savior (Ghazanchetsots) Cathedral – a historic and religious symbol of the city of Shushi by precise striking drones attesting to the intentional nature of the attack. The same Cathedral and the St. John the Baptist church (Kanach zham) were vandalized and partially destroyed only a few days after the establishment of the ceasefire exemplifying the disrespect and threat towards the Armenian cultural heritage.

Azerbaijan has also been responsible for systematic cultural destruction for decades. Perhaps the most notorious act was the destruction of several thousand giant engraved cross-stones, called in Armenian khachkars, and tombstones of the medieval Armenian cemetery of Old Jugha in Nakhichevan, bulldozed by the Azerbaijani army during peacetime and far from the conflict zone. 15 years ago this month, the destruction of in total 89 medieval churches, 5,840 ornate cross-stones, and 22,000 historical tombstones was completed. There is sufficient evidence, including photos and videos, documenting this barbaric act.

 Targeting cultural heritage sites, especially in war situations, is strictly prohibited by several international conventions, including the UNESCO Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its two Protocols. Armenia welcomes UNESCO’s decision to dispatch a technical assistance mission to Nagorno-Karabakh.

We acknowledge the value of cultural heritage and recognize that the loss of any item constitutes a harmful impoverishment of the heritage of all the nations of the world, and not only of the nation to which the cultural property belongs. This malicious intentional destruction of cultural heritage sites by Azerbaijan is a challenge not only to Armenia, but to the whole  civilized humanity, and it must be strongly condemned. 

Colleagues, 

It is critical today to promote a culture of peace to face the escalating aggression and violence that we have been witnessing around the world. The culture of peace can only be founded on strong international cooperation and the Ancient Civilizations Forum is an important platform in this regard as it brings together countries with thousand-year-old ancestral cultures and vast tangible and intangible heritage. 

A culture of peace is also indispensable for sustainable development. Culture has a transformative power as it is an essential component of human development, a source of identity, innovation, and creativity for all. A culture-based approach to development is key to fulfilling the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, and in particular, to overcome the effects of the current COVID-19 crisis.

Furthermore, on a more positive note, we are currently witnessing unprecedented international focus on the recognition of the importance of cultural heritage protection for the preservation of international peace and the promotion of economic growth. These attempts must be strengthened and complemented.

In this context, we suggest the establishment of a network of cultural institutions, consisting of museums, historical and cultural reserves, as well as tourism organizations, that will allow us to better highlight the tangible and intangible cultural heritage and thus contribute to the development of sustainable tourism and promotion of economic recovery. Close cooperation between the member states of the Forum within international organizations, particularly the UNESCO, regular consultations and possible joint initiatives by our Permanent Delegates to UNESCO on issues related to the protection of cultural heritage may serve this purpose as well.

Armenia is willing to contribute to these global efforts, prioritizing the protection of cultural heritage, the promotion of humanitarian behavior, and the formation of respect for cultural diversity. These efforts must be combined with measures aiming to foster the growth of cultural industries of member states, both bilaterally and in collaboration with multilateral institutions such as UNESCO.

Finally, we welcome the adoption of the Ministerial Outcome Declaration of this meeting, which will give new impetus to our future joint initiatives and enhance our fruitful cooperation within this format.

Armenia remains strongly committed to the ideals and principles of the Forum and will continue to be actively involved in all joint efforts in this regard. 

Thank you”.

Armenpress: 32 years passed since Spitak earthquake

Jagharian Tania

32 years passed since Spitak earthquake

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 09:05, 7 December, 2020

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS. The Spitak earthquake shattered the peace of Armenia 32 years ago. The devastating earthquake, measuring 10 degrees on the MSK scale, took place in 40% of the territory of Armenia at 11:41 (local time), December 7, 1988. Spitak, Leninakan, Kirovakan, Stepanavan towns, over hundreds of villages and settlements of Spitak, Akhuryan, Gugark, Aragats, Kalinino, Stepanavan were fully or partially demolished during a few seconds.

More than 25 thousand people died, 514.000 people remained homeless. 17 of the housing resources broke down (over 8 million square meters of living area). 230 industrial objects with 82 thousand workplaces were ruined due to the quake. The economic damage of Armenia amounted to 13 billion RUB.

The commission headed by Nikolai Ryzhkov, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, arrived in Armenia on the next day of the earthquake. They performed a great job with care and many efforts to assist the people and eliminate the consequences of the tragedy. The Armenian people received the aid with gratitude, awarding Ryzhkov with decoration of the National Hero of Armenia on December 6, 2008. More than 113 countries and 7 international organizations aided Armenia.

Hundreds of rescuers and doctors arrived in the Republic of Armenia. All the republics of the USSR started to transport medication, medical equipment, construction equipment, tents, food etc. to Armenia. 

The Armenians of the Diaspora united from the first hours of the earthquake to provide assistance to their compatriots, creating many organizations for that aim. Many of them; doctors, psychologists, constructors, architects stayed in Armenia to personally participate in rescue and restoration works.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan

​Azerbaijan intends to involve Armenia POWs in parade, Armenia president sends letter to Putin

Jagharian Tania
News.am, Armenia
Nov 30 2020
 
 
 
Azerbaijan intends to involve Armenia POWs in parade, Armenia president sends letter to Putin
20:00, 30.11.2020
 
 
Armenian News – NEWS.am presents the daily digest of Armenia-related top news as of 30.11.2020:
 
•             Armenia’s President Armen Sarkissian has addressed a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the matter of returning the Armenian POWs and detainees on the Azerbaijani.
 
According to the letter, the Armenian society and diaspora are deeply concerned about the situation regarding these Armenian soldiers and civilians in Azerbaijani captivity.
 
The Russian President’s respective mediation will provide great assistance to the issue of returning these Armenian military and civilians captured by Azerbaijan, as well as the bodies of the Armenian casualties, the letter added.
 
Meanwhile, Artsakh President Arayik Haroutyunyan noted that over 600 bodies have been retrieved from the conflict zone.
 
•             Armenia PM Nikol Pashinyan has provided details on ex-Presidents Robert Kocharyan, and Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s non-implemented Moscow visit.
 
According to him, on October 20, the second and third presidents of Artsakh, Arkadi Ghukasyan, and Bako Sahakyan proposed to arrange a meeting of the current and former leaders of Armenia and Artsakh.
 
The PM added that later Ter-Petrosyan and Kocharyan had an intention to go to Moscow and have high-level meetings there, and thus their meeting will be organized after their return.
 
The PM reportedly offered to arrange Ter-Petrosyan and Kocharyan’s ceremonial visit to Moscow as retired presidents, however, Bako Sahakyan said the ex-presidents have already had agreements in Moscow, and the only issue is R. Kocharyan’s passport, which is in court.
 
“The court returned Kocharyan’s passport, but Ter-Petrosyan and Kocharyan did not head for Moscow,” Pashinyan added.
 
Kocharyan’s office, responding to Pashinyan’s FB post, noted that ‘lying and falsification are inseparable from Nikol.’
 
Armenia’s first president Ter-Petrosyan’s spokesman, in turn, noted that he considers it meaningless ‘to reflect on the nation-destroying scourge’s mental anguish.’
 
•             Nikol Pashinyan’s visit to Russia has been canceled because the Prime Minister of Armenia could not get an opportunity for a high-level meeting from the Russian leadership, Mediaport Telegram channel reported.
 
All attempts by Armenia to set up a Pashinyan-Putin bilateral meeting have failed, and the head of the Prime Minister’s protocol has been recalled to Yerevan.
 
However, there is no official information in this regard yet.
 
•             PM Pashinyan had arranged a meeting Monday with the Supreme Judicial Council staff, as well as the courts’ presidents, including the presidents of criminal courts, of the country. The very fact testifies to the fact that the authorities are trying to ensure control over the courts in the course of repressions against the opposition.
 
According to PM’s press office, during the meeting, Pashinyan noted there is a growing public demand for the state bodies and institutions of Armenia to work clearly. “In this case, it refers especially to the law enforcement system, the protection of the rule of law,” he noted.
 
Summing up the meeting, PM noted that every citizen in Armenia, regardless of his position, should feel fully protected.
 
•             In the meantime, heated discussions are taking place after receiving information that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev intends to display Armenian POWs and military equipment during a parade in Baku.
 
Naira Zohrabyan, chair of the standing committee on protection of human rights told reporters that she had sent an official letter to the PACE leadership, the UN Secretary-General, the Council of Europe Commission for the Prevention of Torture, and to virtually all international organizations.
 
•             The relatives of the servicemen who are currently serving in Artsakh were once again protesting in front of the main building of the Armenian government.
 
They demand the return of their sons to Armenia.
 
•             TV star Kim Kardashian continues to support the homeland during the difficult days for Armenia and Artsakh.
 
“Initiated by UCLA and UC Berkeley HRI chapters, “Holiday Backpacks for Artsakh,” aims to bring holiday cheer to the children displaced by the war in Artsakh. Pack a backpack with toys, school and art supplies, personal care items, clothing and accessories, a personal note, and more, and gift it to a child displaced by the war in Artsakh. The backpacks will be distributed to students at Project Hope centers,” Kim wrote.
 
 
 
 

Iranian Embassy ready to continue close cooperation with Office of Armenia’s Prosecutor General

Jagharian Tania

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 18:21, 1 December, 2020

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. Prosecutor General of Armenia Artur Davtyan received today Ambassador of Iran to Armenia Abbas Badakhshan Zohouri, the Office of the Prosecutor General told Armenpress.

Artur Davtyan congratulated the Iranian Ambassador on assuming the mission in Armenia. He stated that the relations between Armenia and Iran are at a high level in all areas, including the legal partnership sphere.

In turn the Iranian Ambassador thanked for the warm welcome and affirmed the readiness of the Embassy to continue the close and highly effective cooperation with the Office of the Prosecutor General of Armenia.

At the meeting the sides discussed a number of issues relating to the development of the bilateral cooperation.

The Iranian Ambassador thanked Armenia’s law enforcement agencies for the attitude towards the Iranian citizens. He expressed confidence that after the cessation of the military operations the stabilization of the situation will enable Iran and Armenia to implement the planned joint projects, stating that Iran views Armenia as an old friend and a “secure window”.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Armenians protest in New York, demand recognition of Artsakh

Jagharian Tania
Public Radio of Armenia

Nov 29 2020

The Armenian community of New York area gathered at Washington Square Park in downtown Manhattan in a silent protest, calling for the US to recognize Artsakh’s independence and stop the cultural genocides being perpetrated by Turkey and Azerbaijan, AGBU informs in a Twitter post.

https://en.armradio.am/2020/11/29/armenians-protest-in-new-york-demand-recognition-of-artsakh/


France says some points of Karabakh armistice require discussion

Jagharian Tania

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 15:59,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. The French government has studied the Nagorno Karabakh armistice signed between Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan and it believes that some of the points of the agreements require further discussion, French Minister of State attached to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne told a news conference in Yerevan.

“We have studied the [armistice] agreement and naturally there are points which aren’t considered, which should be addressed. That’s already the political side. This should probably be done within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship. Yesterday I met with the Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ara Ayvazyan, and today I met with the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and I discussed all these issues,” Lemoyne said.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Search for missing in action, exchange of POWs priority for Armenian government – PM

Jagharian Tania

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 11:39,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. The search operations for those missing due to the recent war in Nagorno Karabakh, as well as the exchange of prisoners of war are an absolute priority for the Armenian government, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said during today’s Cabinet meeting.

“We are working on these issues on a daily regime. The main problem is that the efficiency of this work, unfortunately, doesn’t depend on us only. The activity and further improvement of the social protection guarantees for the families of those killed, the disabled persons and other groups and citizens affected from war is in the list of our urgent actions”, the PM said.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Armenian Forces in Nagorno-Karabakh Mourn a Lost War but Doubt that Peace will Last

Jagharian Tania
Washington Post
Nov 23 2020
By Liz Cookman and

Robyn Dixon

Moscow bureau chief and foreign correspondent

November 23

STEPANAKERT, Nagorno-Karabakh — For Armenian soldiers on the losing side of the short but brutal Nagorno-Karabakh war, the loss of territory to Azerbaijan remains so bitter that some say they would have preferred to fight on.

The sting of the Moscow-brokered peace deal was acute at a military outpost in Stepanakert, the main city in the enclave governed by a pro-Armenian government but within the internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan.

It also reflected the wider outrage in Armenia and among ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, raising further questions about whether the pact can hold despite nearly 2,000 Russian peacekeepers deployed to enforce it.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Armenia on Friday that the only alternative to the truce would be another “suicidal” war.

In biting cold and clutching plastic cups of homemade ­cognac, the Armenian troops watched the smoke from houses in the hilltop town of Shusha — known in Armenia as Shushi — which was ceded to Azerbaijan’s government.

Azerbaijan lost Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts in the 1988-1994 Nagorno-Karabakh war after ethnic Armenians in the enclave split away. Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence was not recognized by any state, including Armenia, and more than two decades of peace talks under the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe failed to bring agreement on the return of territory to Azerbaijan or on the enclave’s status.

Under the deal brokered by Putin, Azerbaijan recovered the seven districts and part of Nagorno-Karabakh, including the strategic town of Shusha.

Many of the dead in Nagorno-Karabakh were conscripts, barely older than children. Others were volunteer soldiers from across Armenia and the diaspora who left their lives and jobs behind to join the war effort.

“Rescuers found one man alive today,” said a 40-year-old soldier, an Armenian who left his home in St. Petersburg and a job at a granite plant to fight.

He spent five days battling in a village below Shusha, traveling from the front line in the east of the enclave. He spoke on the condition of anonymity to candidly discuss his views on the war and the cease-fire.

The Armenian fighters held out for as long as they could, he said, but they were outgunned by Azerbaijan, which had a critical battlefield edge with attack drones purchased from ally Turkey and others.

“It hailed shells. They hit our transportation, and eventually they surrounded us in three different areas. This is how we were defeated, and they could go on to take Shushi,” he said, using the Armenian name for the town. “We were so close to each other. I killed an Azerbaijani soldier at a range of just 15 meters.”

[Cease-fire in Nagorno-Karabakh brings protests in Armenia, celebrations in Azerbaijan]

Senior Russian officials — Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko and others — arrived in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, on Saturday to reinforce the deal, as protests over it continued.

Shoigu said nearly all Russian peacekeepers were in place. “A total of 23 posts have been deployed. We’re monitoring the road to Stepanakert, ensuring the return of refugees. Peaceful life has already been established. And our main task is preventing bloodshed,” Shoigu said in a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who has faced calls to resign over the deal.

“If it was up to me, we wouldn’t have a cease-fire. We would have stood until the end, and we would have been victorious,” said Seryan Karabeteyan, 48, a construction worker and veteran from the 1990s war who also fought in Shusha.

“But there were a lot of casualties. We took out a lot of wounded and a lot of dead from the gorge with many types of injuries, but mostly bullet wounds,” he said, bundled in a thick military coat. His father-in-law was killed in 1992 fighting in the last war.

“For sure there will be war again, sooner than you think, and I will be back. Whether my wife is ready for it or not, my death would be for our Armenian nation,” he said.

The Kalbajar district is one of the seven adjacent to Nagorno-Karabakh that had been controlled by ethnic Armenians for decades but were being returned to Azerbaijan under the terms of the truce.

Many in the area burned their houses, killed their animals and cut down trees, determined to leave nothing behind for the Azerbaijanis.

Some scrawled their names on cliff walls in a last statement of ownership.

“Did I put on a roof and make renovations so that an Azerbaijani can enjoy it? It is better to destroy the things you love than allow that. Those who couldn’t take their stuff killed the animals and burned the rest,” said Hovsep, 35, a pig and sheep farmer who gave only his last name.

He volunteered on the front line for six weeks as a machine-gun operator. He smoked a cigarette and watched with weary eyes as flames licked through his home after he set it ablaze.

[Nagorno-Karabakh peace deal puts fearful Armenians on the move]

One couple took a plastic bottle they had filled with spring water from their garden, with tears in their eyes. It was for their children, who had already fled to Yerevan, as one last reminder of home.

“My husband has told Russian peacekeepers to live here,” said Alina Ohanyan, 47, who was also fleeing her home near the Dadivank Monastery, a religious site for 1,000 years.

She worked with a friend to rip up the floorboards in the house her family built 20 years ago. They removed the windows and said they would not leave anything useful behind.

“[My husband] even asked if he could join their regiment so he could stay,” she said, referring to the Russian peacekeepers. “He told them that they can take this house and live in it, but if an Azerbaijani will live in it, then they must burn it to the ground.”

Many believe, or at least hope, that they will return someday.

“The cease-fire won’t stay this way. It won’t last long,” war veteran Pavel Makunyan said as he brought his band of 150 volunteer soldiers down from their front-line post near Askeran after the fighting finished.

“We have been fighting for decades, and we will fight on,” he added. “Maybe not today, but tomorrow.”

Makunyan is a well-known figure in Armenia. He served in Soviet forces before fighting in the 1990s war and later becoming one of the main figures in a hostage crisis in Yerevan in 2016, when he and others seized a police station by force and called for the resignation of the government at the time.

His men gathered in the border town, hugging one another and returning their guns while smoking cigars and sharing pomegranates, the juice dripping onto the ground.

“You know, when we came, I said we are nothing without a victory, but we have not been defeated,” Makunyan told them. “It will not end with this, but future generations — we have something to fight for.”

Dixon reported from Moscow.


TURKISH press: Future of US-Turkey relations at stake as Pompeo visits Istanbul, avoiding Ankara

Jagharian Tania
 OP-ED 
NOV 20, 2020 12:05 AM GMT+3

Before U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo embarked on a seven-nation blitz tour – with stopovers including France, Turkey, Georgia, Israel, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar and Saudi Arabia – both the American and international media questioned the “true purpose” of Pompeo’s visit to Istanbul. Pompeo went to the Turkish metropolis to hold talks on religious freedom, with the recent reversion of Hagia Sophia to a mosque a topic high on the agenda in talks with religious figures, including Patriarch Bartholomew I, the Greek Orthodox Christian leader.

Some experts were perplexed with Pompeo’s Istanbul visit and wondered why America’s top diplomat did not visit Ankara where he could call on Turkish officials, including President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, instead of just religious figures in Istanbul.

To clear the air, the U.S. State Department held a special press briefing before Pompeo started his visit, with two senior diplomats explaining the purpose of Pompeo’s visit to Istanbul and not Ankara. One of the diplomats explained that Pompeo’s Istanbul visit would concentrate primarily on religious freedom issues. It had also been difficult for Pompeo to meet Turkish interlocutors because of scheduling issues resulting from their travel.

Responding to this explanation from State Department officials as to why Pompeo was not meeting Erdoğan and other high-ranking officials, the Turkish Foreign Ministry described Pompeo’s meetings in Istanbul with religious figures as “extremely inappropriate.”

Pompeo, speaking anonymously, did not seem enthusiastic about visiting Ankara for a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and had instead asked Çavuşoğlu to come to Istanbul to meet him, according to Turkish sources.

But in a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry also had some blunt words to convey to the United States on the issue of religious freedom purportedly being addressed by the secretary of state: “It would be more advisable for the United States to look in the mirror first and to show the necessary sensitivity to human rights violations such as racism, Islamophobia and hate crimes in its own country.”

U.S.-Turkey tensions have intensified in recent years even though U.S. President Donald Trump played down differences with Turkey over a host of issues, including the acquisition of Russian S-400 defense systems.

Turkey has been excluded from the internationally developed F-35 program after its decision to acquire the S-400 missile defense systems from Russia. The F-35 program is managed by the Pentagon’s F-35 Joint Program Office, with the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy are all procuring and operating F-35s.

Turkey’s role in the Armenian-Azerbaijan conflict was also criticized by some U.S. lawmakers who said that Turkish involvement exacerbated the conflict. U.S. politicians are empathetic toward the sizeable Armenian population in the U.S.

On the other hand, Turkey was clearly annoyed by the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate passing resolutions to officially recognize the 1915 Armenian events as “genocide.”

With Trump set to move out of the White House in January, Turkish diplomats are not sure how the next president, Joe Biden, will view Turkey. Many analysts on both sides are wary about how the relationship will evolve under Biden.

U.S. observers noted that Erdoğan took a little longer than other European leaders to congratulate Biden – and also thanked Trump in a separate message. After all, it was Trump who seemed to support Erdoğan when he was criticized by fellow NATO members for cozying up to Moscow. Trump had also resisted pressure from the U.S. Congress to impose sanctions against Turkey.

But the Biden years could create challenges for Turkey. The U.S. and the so-called core members of the NATO alliance could see Turkey’s acquisition of the S-400 as an affront, constituting a violation of U.S. laws and also compromising NATO’s defense systems.

Indeed, U.S. senators were indignant when Turkey test-fired the system last month, ignoring their warning that the test-firing would attract sanctions against Turkey.

Çavuşoğlu, addressing a gathering of Turkish ambassadors in November, urged the U.S. to get over its opposition to the S-400 because the issue was a foregone conclusion. But U.S. experts believe that Biden may face pressure from within the Democratic Party to impose sanctions against Turkey over the S-400 issue and Turkey’s growing ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) offers a legal basis for Biden to fall back on for imposing sanctions. The U.S. Treasury Department has so far not taken any action against Turkey, even though a New York court jailed a senior official of the Turkish state-owned Halkbank official in 2018 for violating sanctions against Iran. In early 2021, Halkbank is, again, going to face charges in a New York court for alleged sanction violations.

The U.S. has been slow, so far, to take action against Turkey whose strategic location – sharing borders with Iran, Iraq and Syria – helped it avoid sanctions; another factor that helped Turkey to dodge sanctions is that it hosts a radar base allowing the U.S. military to operate from its Incirlik Air Base.

But some Americans are also warning that Turkey is “not entirely indispensable” and should not “test American and NATO patience.”

However, others say that Turkey is stoutly confident of its “indispensable position” within NATO, which will enable it to avoid sanctions, particularly with Biden likely to take a tough stance against Moscow. Experts say that Erdoğan has skillfully played the U.S. against Russia and vice versa.

However, if the U.S. did impose sanctions, Turkey might move closer to both Russia and China, but this will in turn ostracize Turkey from the Western camp.

To strengthen their bilateral relationship, both Washington and Ankara will need to navigate through the complex maze of ties which seemed to face a downward turn because of a failed military coup in 2016. Turkey had accused the U.S. of being involved in the deadly July 15 coup attempt in the country. During that time, Biden was the vice president and denied any U.S. role in the coup plot of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ).

Repairing and strengthening relations is necessary on both sides, which will need to work conscientiously toward that goal. Biden knows Turkey well; he visited Ankara as vice president to defuse tensions with Turkey following the aborted coup. If Turkey patches up its differences with the U.S. and the Western alliance, it can benefit from its NATO membership and its existing ties with the U.S. and European allies, sparing itself the disruptions the changes in the existing arrangements can cause.

*New York-based op-ed contributor, expert on foreign affairs and global economics

President of Artsakh visits Lisagor to be sure on reliability of Stepanakert-Berdzor highway

Jagharian Tania

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 14:53,

STEPANAKERT, NOVEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. President of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan visited today Lisagor community of Shushi region to be sure on the reliability of Stepanakert-Berdzor highway, the President said on Facebook.

The President of Artsakh was accompanied by commander of the Russian peacekeeping troops, Lieutenant-General Rustam Muradov.

“I visited Lisagor community of Shushi region together with commander of the Russian peacekeeping troops in Artsakh, Lieutenant-General Rustam Muradov and was personally convinced on the reliability of passability of the Stepanakert-Berdzor highway.

During the visit I talked to the community residents and the military, discussed with them the future programs”, the President of Artsakh said.

On November 9 Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a statement on a full ceasefire and cessation of all military actions in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict zone since 01:00 Yerevan Time on November 10. Russian peacekeepers are being deployed to Nagorno Karabakh.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan