Author: Kalantarian Kevo

Over the last 35 years, the two countries, who were both once parts of the erstwhile Soviet Union, have engaged in a number of clashes over control of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is considered internationally as belonging to Azerbaijan but is home to a majority-ethnic Armenian community.

The Lachin Corridor is a crucial route into Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenia that passes through Azeri territory. The Azeri military ministry said, as per The Guardian, that three servicemen had perished in combat near this route. According to the Armenian defence ministry, six soldiers were injured and four servicemen died.

A hilly region in the South Caucasus, Nagorno-Karabakh is a landlocked region known to Armenians as Artsakh.

After the Russian Empire fell in 1917, it was claimed by both Azerbaijan and Armenia, and it has been a source of conflict ever since.

Although the territory is recognised internationally as belonging to oil-rich Azerbaijan, most of its residents are ethnic Armenians, and they have their own government. This government has close ties with Armenia but is unrecognised by it and other UN member states.

Armenians, who are majorly Christians, assert a lengthy history of domination in the region that dates back centuries before Christ.

The predominantly Muslim nation of Azerbaijan also ties its historical identity to the region. It accuses the Armenians of forcing Azeris, who resided nearby in the 1990s, out. It suggests ethnic Armenians obtain Azeri passports or leave because it wants to seize complete control of the enclave.

The enclave has been ruled by Persians, Turks, Russians, Ottomans, and Soviets. Armenia submitted to Bolshevik rule when Azerbaijan fell under their authority, which ushered in the Sovietization of the whole Caucasus.

With its borders modified to incorporate as many Armenians as possible, Karabakh continued to be an autonomous region inside the Azeri Soviet Socialist Republic. The “Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast” was its name, reported Al Jazeera.

The First Nagorno-Karabakh War (1988–1994) between Armenians and their Azeri neighbours broke out when the Soviet Union fell apart. Over a million people were displaced, and over 30,000 people were murdered, as per media reports.

Armenians, after the first war, control the majority of Karabakh and additional land surrounding Karabakh, and Azerbaijan lost some of its territory. Azerbaijan pledged to regain control of the area.

After decades of conflict, Azerbaijan launched a military offensive in 2020 that quickly overcame Armenian fortifications. It came to be known as the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. In the 44-day conflict, Azerbaijan, supported by Turkey, triumphed decisively and reclaimed some of Karabakh.

https://www.news9live.com/knowledge/decades-of-conflict-in-nagorno-karabakh-what-is-it-and-why-armenia-and-azerbaijan-fight-over-the-region-au2114-2119562

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. — Being Armenian is never having to say goodbye.

“We are never able to leave parties when we say we’re going to because we spend so much time saying goodbye to everyone,” said Playwright Susie Chakmakian.

“The ‘Armenian way’ of doing things has impacted me in my life, like when I was a tired six-year-old who just wanted to go home after a long night at a family event but my parents would take forever to say goodbye,” she said.

This and other anecdotes fill her one-person play about the heritage of this country, just south of the great mountain range of the Caucasus and fronting the northwestern extremity of Asia.

Armenia, the country of Transcaucasia, to the north and east is bounded by Georgia and Azerbaijan, while its neighbors to the southeast and west are, respectively, Iran and Turkey.

Armenian culture and history come to life in “There Was and There Was Not: Telling Armenian Stories,” a new one-woman show playing at The Contemporary Theater Company beginning tomorrow evening.

She is also the sole performer and weaves her own personal family stories as a first-generation Armenian-American with history, music, and food from Armenia.

“It’s really fun to share these stories with both Armenians and non-Armenians who can see themselves in those stories,” she said. “My favorite example is when I performed the first chunk of my show for some kids at an Armenian Youth Day event in Providence earlier this month. When I asked if any of them had questions after the performance, three different kids piped up with their own stories about how their parents take ages to leave events and it was a joy to see them recognize themselves in my story and get so excited about sharing their stories with me!”

She also said that the Armenian language is also unique and has some fun and fascinating quirks.

“I also love sharing how Armenians talk about our babies,” Chakmakian said. “It’s very specific and kind of weird, but it makes sense to us. When I performed the show at Sts. Vartanantz Armenian Apostolic Church in Providence last fall, my demonstration of Armenian baby talk got the biggest laugh of the whole show.”

Chakmakian said that this show has been a way for her to think about a lot of “important and complicated big-picture questions that I have been asking myself about the Armenian-American experience for a while now, particularly in terms of how we tell stories about ourselves.”

“When you see the show, you’re watching me work through those questions on stage while navigating the strong and complex feelings that are also tied up with the Armenian-American experience,” she said.

For instance, Armenians are fiercely proud of their culture, but all of that pride “is tinged with the deep sadness” that comes with the tragedy of genocide during the Ottoman Empire during World War I.

Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily through the mass murder of around one million Armenians during death marches.

“The sadness can make our story difficult to tell sometimes, but the pride is always there underneath, driving the urge to keep telling that story anyway,” Chakmakian said.

CTC Artistic Director Tammy Brown, offering comments about this show developed during the theater’s experimental “try-out” sessions for newly developed work, praised the effort.

“When I first saw this show I was struck by how thoughtful and poignant it was,” Brown said. “This play reminds me of all the great things theater can be — a gathering of community where, by learning about the experience of others, you gain a sense of our shared humanity.”

Chakmakian agrees.

“I really hope that audiences will come away with a better understanding of what it’s like to be an Armenian in America, but also to think about what it means more generally to see the world from a different perspective for a while,” she said.

Tickets for the show, which runs through May 13, range from $10 to $40, with every audience member able to choose the price that works for them.

Performance information and tickets are on The Contemporary Theater Company’s website at contemporarytheatercompany.com.

https://www.independentri.com/arts_and_living/article_6ae0f032-e463-11ed-8278-fb41ea0c94cf.html

BINGHAMTON, NY (WIVT/WBGH) – Monday the 24th, is and members of the local Armenian community gathered outside of Binghamton City Hall this morning to raise the tri-color flag as a sign of hope.

The Armenian Genocide, often referred to as the first genocide of the 20th century, occurred from 1915 to 1923.

Binghamton Mayor Jared Kraham says that today’s flag raising honors the over one million Armenians that were killed due to religious persecution and is meant to spread awareness the forgotten tragedy.

The Pastor at Saint Gregory the Illuminator Church, Kapriel Mouradjian says that the flag represents the hard work and determination of his ancestors to escape religious persecution.

Pastor at Saint Gregory the Illuminator Church, Reverend Kapriel Mouradjian says, “In the upcoming days, when this flag flies high outside Binghamton City Hall, there will be people with Armenian roots who will drive by and otherwise maybe not look at City Hall, but will see that flag, will recognize what the tri-colored flag represents and give thanks.”

Mayor Kraham presented Mouradjian with a proclamation that declares Monday, April 24th as in the City of Binghamton.

He calls on residents to commemorate and remember the tragedy and to acknowledge the contributions of Armenian community here locally, and across the country.