Author: Jagharian Tania

BTA. International Conference on Cyber Threats and Solutions Held in Sofia

Jagharian Tania

 15:44,

SOFIA, OCTOBER 31, ARMENPRESS/BTA.An international conference on "Cyber Threats and Solutions: Safeguarding Europe's Digital Landscape" was held here on Tuesday. Attending were leading experts, politicians, and representatives of specialized units in the field of cybersecurity in the EU. The forum was organized by the Center for the Study of Democracy and  Konrad Adenauer Foundation. 

Following are sound bites from the conference.

Deputy Interior Minister Stoyan Temelakiev: The risk of computer crimes is a threat to both the public and the private sectors. Reporting cybercrimes is the path to a safer digital environment. It is important to report such crimes; otherwise, the real threat level remains hidden from the competent bodies and the criminals might evade justice.

Jan Kralik, Programme Manager at the Council of Europe Cybercrime Division: Cybercrime is a threat not only to organizations and institutions but also to human rights and rule of law. It can erode the foundations of democracy, for example through interference in elections. It is important to report cybercrimes to the competent institutions because a large part of them remain unsolved due to not being reported by the victims. Cyberattacks have increased in frequency after the the start of the war in Ukraine, and they are a challenge on a world scale that require work across the globe, not just in Europe.

(This information is being published according to an agreement between Armenpress and BTA.) 




Yerevan Hands Protest Note to Moscow Over ‘Insulting’ Program on Russia’s State-Run TV

Jagharian Tania
by Asbarez Staff

 

 October 24, 2023

 

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

A graphic featured on the Russian Channel One Program shows George Soros as a puppet master of Pashinyan and his government


Russian State-Run Television Airs Program Disparaging Pashinyan and Saying Russia Should Control the “Zangezur Corridor”

The escalation of tensions between Armenia and Russia took on new form when Russia’s state-run Channel One aired an hour-long program criticizing Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for his government’s handling of the Artsakh issue, and, among other issues, advancing the imperative for the opening of the so-called “Zangezur Corridor” to be controlled by Russia.

The program, which aired on Monday evening, was deemed so “insulting” that Armenia’s Foreign Ministry handed a protest note to Russia after summoning its ambassador to Armenia Sergey Kopyrkin on Tuesday.

“In connection with the program aired on October 23 on the all-Russian federal TV channel Channel One, during which insulting and absolutely unacceptable statements were made against high-ranking officials of the Republic of Armenia, Armenia’s Foreign Ministry summoned Sergey Kopyrkin, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Armenia,” a statement by the foreign ministry said Tuesday when the protest note was also presented.

The growing rift between Moscow and Yerevan has also spilled into other facets of bi-lateral relations, with the Speaker of the Russian Duma, Viasheslav Volodin, announcing that it has tabled a measure that would recognize Armenia-issued drivers’ licenses as identification.

“We thought it appropriate to delay the [ratification of] the measure, which grant additional privileges [to Armenian citizens], since Armenia’s National Assembly members and the government have not taken any steps on the issue of the status of the Russian language,” Volodin said.

He explained that Belarus and Kyrgyzstan have also determined the status of Russian language in their countries through Constitutional amendments.

Then on Monday Channel One, the leading state-run television channel, aired an hour-long program entitled “Nikol Pashinyan: The Bearer of Calamity,” in which Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his circle, including National Security Chief Armen Grigoryan and Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan were labeled as “Soros agents,” referring to the American billionaire George Soros whose “democracy-building” contributions to emerging democracies have caused domestic havoc in some of the recipient countries.

The program did not shy away from emphasizing the more than 30 billion-ruble (over $320 million) annual funding Armenia receives from Moscow, as well as that four Russian military basis operating in Armenia where some 4,000 Russian border units are deployed, Azatutyun.am reported having translated the content of the show.

As relations have worsened between the two countries, Russia has signaled its support for the controversial land corridor from Azerbaijan to Nakhichevan through Armenia—a move Yerevan vehemently opposed and called an infringement on Armenia’s sovereign territory.

The Channel One program also featured a government official who, according to Azatutyun.am, claimed to have participated in meetings of the deputy prime ministers of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, who are tasked with untangling the transport routes between the two countries and the more complex task of delimiting and demarcating the borders.

The Russian official featured on the program did not mince words when asserting that Russia’s goal and desire is to take control of the so-called road connecting Azerbaijan to Nakhichevan.

“The 45-kilometer [almost 15 miles] road, called the Zangezur Corridor, has to be built,” the official said on the Channel One program. “We don’t understand why Armenia is against it.”

Canadian Foreign Minister visits Armenian troops near border with Azerbaijan

Jagharian Tania

 12:10,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 26, ARMENPRESS. Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly has visited an Armenian military position outside Jermuk to become acquainted with the situation on the border with Azerbaijan.

Commander of the 5th Army Corps of the Armed Forces of Armenia Colonel Sasun Badasyan presented the situation to the Canadian Foreign Minister and briefed her on the Azerbaijani occupation of sovereign Armenian territory in that section.

Badasyan said that Azerbaijan invaded and captured 7600 hectares of territory in that section of Vayots Dzor province in 2022.

Bombs falling, families fleeing, civilians in danger: Not Israel or Gaza, but Armenia | Opinion

Jagharian Tania
AOL
Oct 20 2023
SEVAG TATEOSIAN
at 8:25 PM

Imagine waiting for your children to arrive home from school, just as they did every day. Imagine you going about your day like it was no different than any other. Then imagine hearing bombs overhead and seeing buildings being destroyed in your neighborhood. Left with no choice, imagine fleeing your home, leaving everything behind. No, I am not talking about Ukraine, Israel or Gaza.

I am talking about the ethnic cleansing campaign ordered by Azerbaijani oil-rich dictator Ilham Aliyev against the indigenous Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh-Artsakh. You probably didn’t see much about this topic on the news channels. You probably also didn’t hear that there was a blockade by the Aliyev regime of the only road leading to this territory, causing a medieval style humanitarian crisis, which included hunger, malnutrition and even starvation of an innocent group of people.

Using weapons purchased from Turkey, Pakistan and Israel, Azeri dictator Ilham Aliyev, who once won his election before Azerbaijanis even voted (Washington Post reported …Azerbaijan’s election authorities released vote results – a full day before voting had started), pounded the self-autonomous region of Nagorno-Karabakh-Artsakh where Armenians had been living over 2,000 years. Several ancient Armenian churches tell a story of a civilization that had deep roots in the area. The Azerbaijani regime has already called for the re-purposing of several of these churches and the destruction of others.

Within a span of less than a week, 100,000 to 120,000 ethnic Armenians left their homes and fled to Armenia through the Armenian city Goris, a town of approximately 20,000. The latest numbers suggest that 30,000 of those who fled were children.

I had an opportunity to speak to Ruzanna Torozyan, executive director of Winnet Goris Development Foundation. Torozyan’s organization has been working in Goris for 15 years to support economic and political empowerment of women in Armenia through establishment and development of women’s resource centers. She had never seen anything like this.

Refugees had been driving for days to get to Goris, a ride that usually took a few hours. People arrived scared, exhausted, malnourished and psychologically crushed. Most of those arriving were women, children and the elderly. Men had stayed back to help refugees evacuate.

Opinion

Torozyan, who witnessed firsthand several dead bodies covered with blankets in vehicles of refugees who died in transit, told me hotels were full and kindergartens, schools and churches became shelters to house people. Winnet Goris is still helping several families of refugees, but because Goris doesn’t have the infrastructure in place to accommodate most of the refugees, almost all left to bigger cities.

In the northern Armenian city of Vanadzor, far from the southern border where refugees were crossing, Armine Hovannisian, acting director of Orran, told me that although Orran’s mission is to help the children in need in Armenia, when Aliyev first attacked in 2020, they knew they had to expand their mission. When they began witnessing the refugees crossing, Orran began preparing emergency help of food baskets, blankets, sleeping bags and clothing.

It took refugees a few days but some made it to northern Armenia and to Orran. In an email, Hovannisian told me that the women and some of the children could not stop crying — some because they told their stories, others because they were either grateful or could not believe that now they were at the mercy of assistance. The current needs of Orran and the refugees include: food, bedding, winter heating, help with rent, winter shoes, clothing, baby milk, diapers and hygienic supplies. In November, Orran will host a fundraiser in Southern California to help fund the needs of the refugees.

Although no one individual or organization can speak to exactly the horrors of what the 120,000 people witnessed, one thing is for certain, what Azerbaijan has done is a violation of international law, according to many experts. On Oct. 5, the European Parliament approved a resolution saying the current situation implemented by Azerbaijan amounts to ethnic cleansing.

Locally, the bipartisan congressional delegation of Jim Costa (D-Fresno), David Valadao (R-Hanford) and Tom McClintock (R-Elk Grove) have urged the Biden administration to work with the United Nations Security Council in establishing a peacekeeping mission to protect the Armenian population. Many members of the Congress have condemned Azerbaijan.

One of the saddest parts about this situation is that hundreds of millions of United States dollars have gone to Azerbaijan for “security and defense aid” in the past years. In 2018-19 for example, $100 million of our tax dollars were sent to Azerbaijan. Is it a coincidence that Aliyev ordered a major offensive against the Armenians in 2020? I wonder how much of the “security and defense aid” we sent went to kill innocent Armenian men, women and children.

Sevag Tateosian of Fresno is host or producer of San Joaquin Spotlight on CMAC Comcast 93 and Att 99 and TalkRadio 1550 KXEX.

https://www.aol.com/bombs-falling-families-fleeing-civilians-172547641.html

Belgium wants to participate in peace process, says Ambassador Eric De Muynck

Jagharian Tania

 12:44,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 19, ARMENPRESS. Belgium is intensifying its relations with Armenia and the opening of the embassy is an important step on that path, Ambassador of Belgium to Armenia Eric De Muynck said at a press conference on October 19.

Belgium decided to open an embassy in Armenia in June and the embassy is already functioning. There are several important factors for the embassy, particularly the geopolitical situation in the world and in the region, as well as the Armenian government’s desire to have closer relations with Europe, the ambassador said.

“In addition, Belgium also wants to support the democratic processes in Armenia. Belgium is one of the founding members of the EU and our country wants to participate in the peace process in the region. As you know, President of the European Council Charles Michel is from Belgium and is contributing to the process,” Ambassador Eric De Muynck said. He said that the Belgian Foreign Minister has approved the assistance which is to be provided for supporting the forcibly displaced persons of Nagorno-Karabakh.

3 victims of the Stepanakert fuel depot blast will receive medical treatment in Belgium. The ambassador said he personally coordinated this process in cooperation with the Armenian healthcare ministry and the World Health Organization.

Anahit Manasyan, Dunja Mijatović continue visiting temporary accommodation of forcibly displaced persons from Karabakh

Jagharian Tania

 19:55,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 18, ARMENPRESS. The joint visits of Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia Ms. Anahit Manasyan and the Human Rights Commissioner of the Council of Europe Dunja Mijatović to the temporary accommodation of people forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh continue.
On October 18 Anahit Manasyan and Dunja Mijatović, made a joint visit to the temporary accommodation of people temporarily settled in Kotayk Marz.
105 forcibly displaced persons, including 40 children, are currently living in one of the holiday homes of the enlarged community of Tsaghkadzor.
''Private interviews were held with forcibly displaced persons. They presented the deprivations they suffered and the problems caused by the forced displacement to the Defender and the Human Rights Commissioner of the Council of Europe.
Special attention was paid to issues related to ensuring the rights of children and persons with disabilities," the Human Rights Defender’s Office said in a statement.
In addition, Ms. Anahit Manasyan also visited the temporary accommodation of forcibly displaced persons located in the "University" hotel of Yerevan State University located in Tsaghkadzor, where 167 forcibly displaced persons, including 44 children, are currently staying.
During the meeting their conditions, needs assessment, medical aid and service, food, as well as personal hygiene items provision processes were examined. 
As a result of the visit, the problems recorded by the Defender will be summarized and the proposals aimed at solving them will be presented to the competent authorities together with the appropriate analysis.

Aliyev Says Taking Control Of Karabakh Was Azerbaijani ‘Dream’

Jagharian Tania
BARRON'S
Oct 15 2023

  • FROM AFP NEWS

President Ilham Aliyev said on Sunday he had achieved a decades-long "dream of Azerbaijani people" by taking control of Nagorno-Karabakh from ethnic Armenia separatists.

"We achieved what we wanted. We fulfilled the dream the Azerbaijani people have lived with for decades," Aliyev said in a speech in Karabakh's main city. "We took back our lands," he said, adding that the country had "waited 20 years". for the moment.

bur/gil

U.S. Congressional leaders and Coalition Partners demand Biden sanction Azerbaijan for ethnic cleansing in NK

Jagharian Tania

 11:10, 6 October 2023

 YEREVAN, OCTOBER 6, ARMENPRESS. U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) and a bipartisan group of U.S. Representatives, including Chris Smith (R-NJ), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Jim Costa (D-CA), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Lou Correa (D-CA), and Haley Stevens (D-MI), as well as former Rep. Frank Wolfe condemned the ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh’s (NK) 120,000 Armenians and demanded the Biden Administration hold Azerbaijan accountable, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

Members of Congress, along with human rights organizations and faith-based groups, raised concerns of renewed Azerbaijani aggression against the Republic of Armenia during September 29th Capitol Hill press conference, held in the Press Triangle at the foot of the U.S. Capitol Building, organized in coordination with  In Defense of Christians (IDC), For the Martyrs, and the 120,000 Reasons Coalition, including the ANCA.  The press conference coincided with IDC’s Capitol Hill advocacy days spotlighting the Nagorno-Karabakh Genocide and persecution of Christians worldwide. The program featured remarks by the ANCA, Hellenic American Leadership Council, American Ethiopian Public Affairs Committee, American Task Force on Lebanon, international religious freedom advocate Sara Salama, among others.

Rep. Brad Sherman Warns Azerbaijan “has its eyes on conquering the Republic of Armenia”
House Foreign Affairs Committee senior member Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), hosted the Capitol Hill press conference and called for concrete U.S. action holding President Aliyev for his ethnic cleansing of Armenians in NK and warning of Azerbaijan’s plan to conquer sovereign Armenia. “Now Azerbaijan has its eyes on conquering the Republic of Armenia, whose independence we recognized in the early 1990s. Congressman Sherman notes that “the attempts by Azerbaijan to conquer Armenia, the Republic of Armenia, or any portion of it is evil, and to say that America must provide aid to these people who have been ethnically cleansed.”

Rep. Frank Pallone: “I have absolutely no doubt that the goal here is to wipe, not just Artsakh off the map, but to wipe Armenia off the map.”
Congressional Armenian Caucus founding Co-Chair Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) noted that “Aliyev and Azerbaijan’s goal was to ethnically cleanse Artsakh. In other words, basically, get rid of all the Armenians, take their land, and force them to flee, if not be killed in the process. And that’s exactly what we’re seeing unfold.”

Rep. Pallone noted, “I have absolutely no doubt that the goal here is to wipe, not just Artsakh off the map, but to wipe Armenia off the map. I mean, that’s the goal here. Anybody who thinks otherwise, in my opinion, is kidding themselves. Rep. Pallone made it clear that Azerbaijan’s goals are “not just about Artsakh. There’s a much larger plan here that involves Armenia itself and that we need to be, we need to move full force and quickly towards protecting Armenia as well.”

Rep. Chris Smith: “Aliyev should be at the Criminal Court for Crimes against Humanity which he is committing again as we meet here today.”
Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission Co-Chair Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) gave powerful remarks calling out Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who is “unfettered in his hate towards the Armenians and is committing, as we meet here today, the second Armenian genocide. “Aliyev should be at the Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, which he is committing again as we meet here today”. Rep. Smith called for the “United States to take action and “there are very serious sanctions that could be imposed now, today, on Aliyev and all of his gang so that they can’t do business with America and they cannot get a visa, two of the main parts of that sanctioning regime. Do it! Don’t wait!”

Rep. Jim Costa: “We support Armenia, the people of Armenia, and its territorial boundaries”
Central Valley California’s Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA), offered powerful remarks calling on the Biden Administration to “do more to assert the leadership that needs to take place to ensure that these atrocities end and that we support Armenia, the people of Armenia, and its territorial boundaries. We’re supporting the people of Ukraine and its territorial boundaries for all the right reasons. And for the same reasons, we must support the territorial boundaries for the people of Armenia”

Rep. Josh Gottheimer: “It’s our duty to recognize that as we speak, Armenians are being killed and displaced in Artsakh, at the hands of Azerbaijan.”
Congressman Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) strongly emphasized that “it’s our duty to recognize that as we speak, Armenians are being killed and displaced in Artsakh, at the hands of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan’s horrific military offensive comes at the end of a nine-month blockade of Artsakh, which resulted in a humanitarian crisis. I know that it’s never the wrong time to bear witness and tell the truth. The United States should never be complicit in senseless murder.”

Rep. Lou Correa: “History is being repeated today…we cannot let it happen.”
Rep. Lou Correa (D-CA), spoke on the ethnic cleansing happening in NK noting that “history is being repeated today. We cannot wait. We cannot let it happen. If there’s one thing I’m going to do today is ask you, do not let this happen. Do not let us in that building wait. Take action right now, human beings, can’t let history repeat itself.”

Rep. Haley Stevens calls for “sanctions in particular against the Azerbaijani officials”
Congresswoman Stevens (D-MI) called out Azerbaijan’s threat on Armenian sovereignty, “We see a refugee crisis and we see an attack on Armenia’s sovereignty. And it is wholly unacceptable. I have joined in support in calling for sanctions in particular against the Azerbaijani officials, that needs to happen.”

Former U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf: “Not one more penny to the Azerbaijani Government”
Former U.S. Representative Frank Wolf (R-VA), who in 1998 authored the International Religious Freedom Act, spoke on the current “ethnic cleansing of Armenians by the Azerbaijan government”. He emphasized that the Biden Administration must stop supporting Aliyev and that “there is no way that this Administration ought to give one more penny beginning Monday to the Azeri government until this completely stops and there’s a reverse.

Wolf then criticized Washington DC lobby groups white-washing Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleansing.  “It is shocking, it is shocking that there are lobby firms in this city, lobby firms in this city that represent the Azerbaijan government. How do you represent a government that’s bringing about genocide and ethnic cleansing? Don’t you remember the history of 1915? I would say to those law firms, call the Azerbaijani government and tell them to get out and stop or drop them as a client.”

ANCA’s Tereza Yerimyan: “The Biden Administration has armed and abetted, aided and emboldened, Azerbaijan’s oil-rich Aliyev regime that is today committing real-time genocide against Artsakh’s 120,000 indigenous Armenian Christians.”

ANCA Government Affairs Director Tereza Yerimyan stressed that the Biden Administration enabled Azerbaijan’s genocide of Armenians in NK . “The record shows that the Administration did not lift a finger to break Azerbaijan’s blockade. No airlift, no cutting off of military aid to Baku, no sanctions on Aliyev. A shameful abandonment of our moral and legal duty. A dangerous signal to the authoritarians of this world. And a green light for the next genocide.” 

IDC’s Richard Ghazal: “Azerbaijan has been conducting a genocide against 120,000 Armenian Christians”
In Defense of Christians Executive Director Richard Ghazal gave powerful remarks noting that “Azerbaijan, a beneficiary of U.S. foreign aid, military assistance, has been conducting a genocide against 120,000 Armenian Christians in Nagorno-Karabakh.” He continued, “After a 10-month blockade aimed to starve Armenian civilians into submission, Azerbaijan bombed them into submission. Azerbaijan is now completing its mission to cleanse the area by expelling the 120,000 civilians.” Ghazal called for the United States to “discontinue this loophole, the presidential waiver to section 907 of the Freedom Support Act” and stop military assistance to “the brutal dictatorship” in Azerbaijan.

HALC’s Endy Zemenides: “Recognizing the Armenian Genocide means nothing  if you don’t stop the next genocide.”
Endy Zemenides, Executive Director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC) pointed out that the Biden Administration recognizing the “Armenian genocide means nothing” if they “don’t stop the next genocide.” He commented on USAID Administrator Samantha Power’s visit to Armenia, stating, “I’m sorry I can’t congratulate Samantha Power for being in the region, because she knew what she did wrong during the Obama Administration; she left the Obama Administration and apologized for not recognizing the Armenian Genocide.” Yet, today, continued Zemenides, Administrator Power “did no airlift and is now, as the ANCA has said, is ‘showing up for the funeral’ of the Christian Armenians of Artsakh.” Zemenides called for immediate sanctions on “the Aliyev family and Azerbaijan.”

For The Martyrs’ Gia Chacon: “Genocide is underway in Armenia”
Founder of For the Martyrs, Gia Chacon described the “genocide underway in Armenia,” where “120,000 Armenian Christians are facing starvation, gross human rights violations, and being forced out of their historic land in Nagorno-Karabakh or Artsakh.” She emphasized the absence and lack of action from President Biden. “Where is the United States now as a genocide is unfolding in front of our eyes and Christian persecution is skyrocketing like never before,” stated Chacon, who urged the US to “uphold the standard for international religious freedom, to intervene, to stop the genocide happening right now in Nagorno- Karabakh or Artsakh, to sanction countries that are led by dictators and terrorists and to protect Christians around the world.”

Azerbaijan Writes the Last Chapter in Karabakh

Jagharian Tania
Politics today
Oct 5 2023
SECURITYBY FERHAT PIRINCCI

October 5, 2023

Armenia had taken no steps regarding its military assistance and presence in the four regions or the Nagorno-Karabakh corridor.

T

hree years and four days ago, the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War began with Azerbaijan’s counterattack in response to Armenian aggression. The war ended 44 days later, on November 9, with the Trilateral Declaration of Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russia. This agreement not only ended the war between the two countries, but Azerbaijan liberated 10,000 sq km of its occupied territory that covered an area of 13,000 sq km in total; it did not, however establish state authority in the remaining 3,000 sq km of Khankendi, Khojaly, Khojavend, and Agdere.

In Karabakh, the so-called Artsakh Republic, a government created by Armenians in 1991 and not even recognized by Armenia itself, was established and a continuous link with Armenia was maintained through the occupied territories. According to Article 4 of the Trilateral Declaration, Armenia was to withdraw its armed forces from the region, while Russian peacekeepers were to be stationed there. In addition, according to Article 9 of the declaration, the so-called Zangezur corridor was to be established to ensure uninterrupted safe transport between the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and Azerbaijani territories.

Although Armenia and Azerbaijan were negotiating a lasting peace, and Pashinyan occasionally reaffirmed his recognition of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, no peace treaty had been signed. In addition, Armenia had taken no steps regarding its military assistance and presence in the four regions or the Nagorno-Karabakh corridor.

During the second track diplomacy meetings with civil society organizations and third parties on both sides, utopian ideas such as “delaying the process as long as possible, reoccupying Karabakh when the conditions are ripe, and ensuring an uninterrupted territorial connection with Armenia” were sometimes expressed. At worst, Armenia sought a different status (autonomy or greater privileges under international supervision) for the Armenians living in Karabakh.

Read: The Coup That Never Happened and the “Karabakh Clan” in the Armenian Army

Azerbaijan’s inability to establish its authority fully in Khankendi, Khojaly, Khojavend, and Agdere was not the only problem after the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. Attacks and sabotage by Armenia and Armenian-backed armed groups against Azerbaijani military posts and construction activities in the liberated areas posed a significant problem.

In fact, after the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, more than 300 Azerbaijani civilians and security personnel were killed by mines and sabotage. This situation posed significant risks not only for the reconstruction of the region, but also for the return of forcibly displaced Azerbaijanis. It, therefore, became untenable.

Finally, following recent attacks on civilians and police officers, Azerbaijan launched a counterterrorism operation on September 19. The operation was highly professional in its planning and execution. In less than 24 hours, the Armenian armed groups announced their surrender. As a result of the negotiations following the operation, the Armenian armed groups agreed to lay down their arms and to dissolve the so-called state. In this manner, it was confirmed once again that the status quo imposed on Karabakh for the last 30 years has come to an end and the curtain has closed.

Read: Is War at the Door? Iran and the Azerbaijan-Armenia Tensions

At this point, it would be an oversimplification to characterize the Armenian armed groups or the hardliners in Karabakh simply as separatist armed groups or terrorists. There are many reasons for this, but I will mention just three. First, these groups were very influential in Armenian politics and worked closely with the hardline diaspora, in a sense holding the fate of the Armenian people hostage.

Second, these groups, reportedly numbering between 10,000 and 12,000, had armored vehicles, tanks, and even air defense systems that almost no terrorist organization has in its inventory. In addition, combat-ready individuals were recruited and deployed from various countries, including the PKK/YPG and, most importantly, officers from the Armenian army.

Third, these groups received all kinds of military support from Armenia through the Lachin corridor. In fact, as part of Azerbaijan’s measures against mines and sabotage, mines produced after the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War have been detected in the region.

Therefore, with its recent anti-terrorist operation, Azerbaijan has not only consolidated state authority in these regions, but has also dealt a significant blow to the influence of the Khankendi clan, which is the “sword of Damocles” in Armenian politics and that had a significant influence over Armenia’s policies on Karabakh.

Read: Mercenaries in Karabakh: Who They Are and How They Got There

Since the beginning of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, the Azerbaijani state has repeatedly declared that Karabakh Armenians are citizens of Azerbaijan and have the same rights and duties as other Azerbaijanis on the basis of citizenship. Nevertheless, after the surrender of the so-called administration in Karabakh following the military operation, tens of thousands of people of Armenian origin were seen leaving Karabakh for Armenia.

Utilizing the convoys formed by these civilians, the Armenian lobby, especially those living in the U.S., France, and Russia, as well as those who are categorically anti-Turkish and anti-Azerbaijani, (it would be more accurate to say Turkophobic), have launched a new campaign: they are lamenting and shouting slogans with tears in their eyes, and collecting signatures about a “genocide” that is being committed again, referring to 1915.

Those who are trying to manipulate this humanitarian tragedy did not see any evil when nearly one million Azerbaijani Turks were forcibly displaced in 1988-1994, nor when hundreds of people, including women, children, and elderly, were massacred in Khojaly in 1992. Nor did they raise a peep of protest when Armenia shelled Azerbaijani civilian settlements during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War.

The initial reaction of the Armenians in the region, who were alarmed when the so-called Artsakh administration capitulated and announced that it would disband, is understandable. For decades, they had been convinced that the occupation of Karabakh would last forever and had been indoctrinated with an ideology of hatred against Azerbaijan.

However, no one massacred them, no one told them to leave the lands where authority had been established, and no one gave them a deadline and told them that they would be forcibly expelled. On the contrary, new channels of communication were opened for the Armenians of the region and their process of reintegration into Azerbaijan began the same week.

As the reintegration process of the Armenians who stayed despite the separatists’ instructions progresses, it is likely that a significant number of those who left for Armenia will return and live their lives with the rights and responsibilities granted by Azerbaijani law. Indeed, in its meetings with U.S. officials and the UN, Azerbaijan stated that the process can be monitored on the ground —an important sign of its confidence in this regard. The healthy progress of the reintegration of Azerbaijani Armenians into the country is an important opportunity to put an end to the seeds of hatred and vengeful politics that are being sown in the region.

The last point that needs to be mentioned is that we need to eliminate altogether concepts such as the “Karabakh problem” or the “status of Karabakh.” The Karabakh conflict largely ended with the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, and with the anti-terrorist operation carried out by Azerbaijan on September 19, the final chapter has been written.

From now on, the focus should be on the reconstruction of the region, the return of displaced Azerbaijanis to their lands, the reintegration of Azerbaijani Armenians into Azerbaijan, the accountability of those who committed war crimes in the past under international and Azerbaijani law, and the creation of a peaceful and prosperous stable space in the South Caucasus as a whole.

A New Armenian Trauma Unfolds

Jagharian Tania
Malcolm H. Kerr
Carnegie Middle East Center
Sept 29 2023
  • ARAZ BEDROSS
The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh has revived memories of exile and pain in the diaspora community of Lebanon.

Life in the shadow of genocide can mean a shattered, even terrifying, existence. For many Armenians, it meant exile after the massacres of 1915, living in poverty as guests in lands not theirs, facing the daily humiliation of being dependent. I lost my roots from my mother’s side when her family fled Adana and settled in Lebanon after the genocide. And now, in light of the Armenian defeat in Nagorno-Karabakh, or what Armenians call Artsakh, I have also lost roots on my father’s side.

I remember how my father used to proudly say that our family was from Akna, or Aghdam in today’s Azerbaijan. It was said that many intellectuals lived in Akna. In the First Century B.C., during the reign of Tigranes the Great, the fortress city of Tigranakert was built in the district of Akna. During the Armenian-Tatar Massacres of 1905–1907 between Caucasian Tatars and Armenians, violent clashes took place in Akna, forcing my grandparents to leave for Agin, in Turkey. They settled there with the hope of a new beginning, and my grandfather opened a horseshoe business. However, during the Armenian genocide, he lost his parents and fled again, this time to Musa Ler, or Musa Dagh, in southern Turkey, before taking the long road to Lebanon, where he settled in the neighborhood of Ain al-Mreisseh. He arrived with his six brothers, all of whom decided to continue their journey to Europe, leaving him alone in the country.

The connection between my grandfather and his six brothers was lost forever, and I still wonder how many cousins I have whom I’ve never met. I can only imagine how beautiful Akna was, with green landscapes and a fortress built on a mountain, surrounded by ancient stones. The air must have been very clean to breathe and the water refreshing to drink, with people on horses riding by peacefully.

In 1921, my father was born in Beirut. As a descendant of survivors of the Armenian genocide, I never thought I would be witness to another major trauma of the Armenian people. Tens of thousands of Armenians, from a population of around 120,000, have been forced out of Artsakh after a nine-month blockade and Azerbaijan’s offensive of September 19–20. Azerbaijan has randomly bombed civilians and is ethnically cleansing Artsakh’s Armenian population. We are living 1915 all over again. Armenian homes are being torn down, and our culture is being rapidly erased in a very brutal way.

Artsakh holds a very sentimental place for all Armenians in the diaspora. It is in the hearts of all Lebanese Armenians who fled the genocide of 1915. As a child I remember the letters we used to send to children in Artsakh to show solidarity, the funds we would gather to help Artsakh remain Armenian and maintain its rich history and monuments, its churches and museums. Now all has been lost. Azerbaijan has disregarded international condemnation, not to mention SOS alerts from the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention warning of the risk of genocide. The world once again has failed the Armenians. When you see a mother having to bury two of her sons, aged eight and ten, and struggling to transport their bodies to do so in Armenia; when you see children writing their names on the walls of their homes so that something will remain of them after they leave, you can understand better what cruelty means. This is what hell must be like.

I didn’t have the privilege of being be born in my ancestors’ lands, but I do have a vase that belonged to my grandmother. During my childhood I would frequently see her crying and praying in front of that vase. I remember thinking how strange the scene was. During my teenage years, my mother would light a candle before the vase every morning and have a conversation with it, as if it could hear her agony. Now, looking at that vase, I understand my mother and grandmother. The vase contains soil from Artsakh, and it has become a part of my home, my heritage, and my identity. It is the only thing close to my heart that I can pass on to my children.

On the monument near Stepanakert depicting tatik–papik, the grandmother and grandfather of Artsakh, there is the line, “We Are Our Mountains.” This story is not over. We will meet again tatik and papik, among those mountains.

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