Thrusday,
Top Russian General Again Visits Armenia
Armenia - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian greets Colonel-General Sergei Istrakov,
the deputy chief of the Russian military’s General Staff, at the start of their
talks in Yerevan, . A top Russian army general met with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on Thursday
as he visited Armenia for the third time in nine months. An Armenian government statement said Pashinian and Colonel-General Sergei
Istrakov, the deputy chief of the Russian military’s General Staff, discussed
Russian-Armenian “military-technical cooperation,” an official term that often
relates to arms supplies. They also “exchanged thoughts on the current military-political situation in the
region,” it added without elaborating. Photographs released by the government’s press office showed that Defense
Minister Arshak Karapetian was also present at the meeting. The Armenian Defense
Ministry did not report on Thursday separate talks between Istrakov and
Karapetian or other Armenian military officials. Istrakov already visited Yerevan in January and July this year at the head of
Russian military delegations that held “staff negotiations” with the Armenian
army’s top brass. Armenia moved to further deepen its close military ties with Russia shortly
after the six-week war in Nagorno-Karabakh stopped by a Russian-brokered
ceasefire last November. Moscow has since deployed troops in Armenia’s Syunik
province bordering districts southwest of Karabakh retaken by Azerbaijan during
and after the hostilities. Meeting with Karapetian in Moscow in August, Russian Defense Minister Sergei
Shoigu said Moscow will continue to help Yerevan reform, rearm and modernize the
Armenian armed forces. “We can consider that the process of arms supplies to Armenia has started,” the
Russian defense minister said as he gifted his Armenian counterpart a dagger. According to the Armenian Defense Ministry, the two ministers reached “a number
of important agreements regarding forthcoming cooperation programs.”
Turkish-Armenian Relations ‘Discussed With Russia’
• Artak Khulian
• Tatevik Sargsian
Armenia -- Armen Grigorian, the secretary of Armenia's Security Council, speaks
at a news conference, . Armenia is discussing with Russia ways of normalizing its relations with Turkey,
a senior Armenian official said on Thursday. “We have repeatedly stated that we are ready to start discussing … the
normalization of relations with Turkey,” Armen Grigorian, the secretary of
Armenia’s Security Council, told a news conference. “We are also discussing this
with our Russian partners, [talking] about how we can move forward in this
process.”
“I think it’s best to start that work because both we and the Turkish side have
pointed out that there are positive signals and we can start the normalization
of relations,” he said. Russia voiced support for a Turkish-Armenian rapprochement in early September,
with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov saying that Moscow is “ready to assist in
that in the most active way.” Lavrov cited in that regard Russian-mediated
efforts to establish transport links between Armenia and Azerbaijan after last
year’s war in Nagorno-Karabakh. Turkey has since continued to make the establishment of diplomatic relations and
opening of the border between the two countries conditional on a resolution of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict acceptable to Azerbaijan. “If Armenia demonstrates a sincere will to normalize its relations with
Azerbaijan then there will be no obstacles to normalizing relations between
Armenia and Turkey,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier this
week. He spoke during the inauguration of a newly built airport in Fizuli, a town
southeast of Karabakh recaptured by the Azerbaijani army during the six-week
war. Erdogan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev also announced the official
start of work on a new highway leading to Armenia’s southeastern Syunik province. Aliyev claimed that the road will be part of a “corridor” that will connect
Azerbaijan to its Nakhichevan exclave via Syunik and also “unite the Turkic
world.” “Both Azerbaijan and Turkey are taking practical steps in that
direction,” he said. Yerevan maintains that a Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement that stopped the
Karabakh war last November calls for transport links between the two South
Caucasus states, rather than permanent “corridors.”
“No issue with corridor logic is being discussed,” insisted Grigorian. He also
noted that Erdogan did not explicitly echo Aliyev’s demands for the “Zangezur
corridor” during his latest trip to Azerbaijan. Erdogan did mention the corridor last month when he claimed that Armenian Prime
Minister Nikol Pashinian has offered to meet with him and discuss bilateral
ties. Earlier in September, the Turkish leader also cited Azerbaijan’s demands
for a formal Armenian recognition of Azerbaijani sovereignty over
Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenian Government Rules Out Coronavirus Lockdown
Հոկ October տեմբեր 28, 2021
• Marine Khachatrian
Armenia -- People wear faces masks on a street in Yerevan, August 11, 2020. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian made clear on Thursday that his government has no
plans to impose lockdown restrictions despite record numbers of coronavirus
cases and deaths registered in Armenia. Pashinian said the government will instead step up its vaccination campaign and
push for greater mask wearing in the country. “Our strategy is as follows: we believe we should not opt for lockdowns and must
work in the two [other] directions,” Pashinian told a weekly session of his
cabinet. He spoke after the Armenian Ministry said that 2,307 infections and 49
coronavirus-related deaths were registered in the past day. Speaking at the cabinet meeting, Health Minister Anahit Avanesian said that all
of just over 3,000 beds set up for COVID-19 patients at 27 hospitals across the
country are now occupied. About 1,400 of the patients treated there now are in a
severe or critical condition, she said. On Monday, the government ordered Armenian universities to revert to online
classes and extended school holidays until November 7 in a bid to contain the
latest wave of infections. Avanesian said it is now considering delaying school
classes by another week. “The epidemiological situation in Armenia is extremely tense,” commented
Pashinian. He said Armenians may soon be required to wear masks not only indoors
but also in the streets. Most of them currently do not wear mandatory masks even inside overcrowded
public buses. The authorities essentially stopped fining them a year ago. Pashinian said the government will also strive to “expand the volume of
vaccinations.” They have already accelerated over the past month after the
authorities began requiring all public and private sector employees to get
inoculated or take coronavirus tests twice a month at their own expense. Nevertheless, Armenia continues to have the lowest vaccination rate in the
region. Ministry of Health data shows that 466,785 people in the country of
about 3 million received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine and only
about 210,250 of them were fully vaccinated as of October 24. Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2021 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc. 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
Author: Kalashian Nyrie
Amid rising COVID-19 rates, Armenian health authorities again recommend remote learning in universities
13:58,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 25, ARMENPRESS. The Ministry of Healthcare has recommended the education ministry to extend the autumn break in schools over rising rates of COVID-19 infections, the Healthcare Ministry spokesperson Hripsime Khachatryan told ARMENPRESS.
“We’ve recommended universities to switch to remote education and to extend the school break for a week,” Khachatryan said.
1184 new cases of COVID-19 and 42 deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
Turkish press: Azerbaijan clears over 48,000 Armenian mines in Karabakh
Azerbaijani authorities search for mines laid by Armenian forces in Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Oct. 19, 2021. (AA Photo)
Azerbaijan has destroyed more than 48,000 mines and unexploded ordnances laid by the Armenian army in the regions liberated from occupation.
The Azerbaijan Mine Action Agency (ANAMA) and the engineering unit of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, with support from the Emergency Situations Ministry, Border Services Command and Special Mine Clearance teams of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), continue to clear the mines in the Karabakh region and surrounding provinces.
Since Nov. 10, 2020, a total of 18,302 hectares (45,225 acres) of land has been swept by demining experts. As many as 22,230 unexploded ordinances, 17,426 anti-personnel mines and 8,755 anti-tank mines had been detected and destroyed by Oct. 15, 2021.
Stating that demining efforts are continuous in the region, ANAMA Chairperson Vugar Suleymanov told Anadolu Agency (AA) that highways, railways and areas of facilities or settlements are a priority in mine clearance efforts.
“We exchange experience with Turkish organizations and will expand cooperation with Turkey in the field of demining,” said Suleymanov.
Landmines are a grave violation of essential norms and principles of international humanitarian law, including the 1949 Geneva Conventions.
As many as 33 Azerbaijani citizens, including seven soldiers and 26 civilians, were killed and 139 injured due to the mines laid by Armenia during their occupation.
Relations between the former Soviet republics of Azerbaijan and Armenia have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.
When new clashes erupted Sept. 27, 2020, the Armenian army launched attacks on civilians and Azerbaijani forces and violated several humanitarian cease-fire agreements.
During the 44-day conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages from the nearly three-decade Armenian occupation.
On Nov. 10 last year, the two countries signed a Russian-brokered agreement to end the fighting and work toward a comprehensive resolution.
On Jan. 11, the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a pact to develop economic ties and infrastructure to benefit the entire region. It included the establishment of a trilateral working group on Karabakh.
The cease-fire is seen as a victory for Azerbaijan and a defeat for Armenia, whose armed forces withdrew in line with the agreement.
Prior to this victory, about 20% of Azerbaijan’s territory had been under illegal occupation for nearly 30 years.
Five Armenian POWs returned home
Caucasian Knot, EU
Oct 20 2021
Azerbaijan has handed over to Armenia five prisoners of war (POWs) who had been sentenced in Baku to six years in prison; they were sent from the airport to the medical centre. The father of one of the missing servicemen has called for a protest action near the building of the Armenian Government on October 20.
The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that in July a court in Baku sentenced 39 Armenian POWs to six years in prison each. On September 7, two militaries taken POWs near the Black Lake in the Syunik Region returned to Armenia from Azerbaijan; and one POW detained in Nagorno-Karabakh was brought to Baku from Yerevan.
The “News.Am” has specified that the names of the Armenian returnees are Mels Ambardanyan, Rafik Karapetyan, Zhora Manukyan, Ovsep Manukyan and Sedrak Sogomonyan.
The father of the 25-year-old volunteer, Karo Mazmanyan, told that there had been no news from his son for over a year, that is, since October 2020, and since that time he knew nothing about his son’s fate.
On October 18, relatives of the missing servicemen met Arshak Karapetyan, the head of the Armenian Ministry of Defence (MoD), who assured them that Baku would return many of the POWs. “But it turned out that there are only five of them. How long can they mock at us? They promised to return 15-17 people, but only five were really returned,” Mr Mazmanyan has stated.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on at 08:10 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: Armine Martirosyan; Source: CK correspondent
Source:
© Caucasian Knot
Suing for Peace: Can Clerics Reconcile Armenia and Azerbaijan Better Than Courts?
Oct 19 2021
Image: Courtesy of Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services
Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill I reads a joint statement flanked by Armenian Catholicos Karekin II (left) and Azerbaijan Grand Mufti of the Caucasus Allahshukur Pashazade (right) in Moscow on October 13.
After 17 tries, there is still no peace in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Almost a year ago, Russia brokered a November 2020 ceasefire to end the 44-day war between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Caucasus mountain enclave. Azerbaijan reclaimed most of its internationally recognized territory occupied since 1994 by ethnic Armenians, who demand independence.
Armenia has been a Christian nation since A.D. 301. Azerbaijan is majority Muslim. But spiritual leaders have been no more successful than politicians or generals at securing reconciliation.
Yet that has not stopped Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill I from trying.
“Our religions have a unique peace-making potential,” he stated at last week’s tripartite summit of top clerical leaders. “No matter how difficult Armenian-Azerbaijani relations are at this stage, we believe that it is faith in God, and love, that can help heal the wounds.”
And they are many.
The post–Soviet Union conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh—called Artsakh by Armenians—killed 30,000 people and displaced 1 million. As Azerbaijan recaptured the territory—slightly larger than Rhode Island—last year, another 7,000 were killed. Mutual acrimony has characterized relations, with both sides accusing the other of destroying their religious heritage.
The first meeting of spiritual leaders was held in 1993. The 16th in 2017.
Simply by bringing these leaders together, Kirill achieved a level of success. Standing with Karekin II, the Armenian catholicos on his right, and Allahshukur Pashazade, Azerbaijan’s Grand Mufti of the Caucasus, on his left, he read a joint statement calling for respect for shrines and monuments, resistance to radicalization, and the avoidance of hate speech.
“Religious wars are the most horrible, sinful pages in the religious history of mankind,” said Kirill at his opening greeting. “We are called to preach mercy from God, even when it seems difficult.”
The spiritual representatives of the warring nations agreed.
“It is impossible to call for war and hatred from the religious throne,” said Pashazade, “because the bloody war has brought irreparable harm to both peoples.”
Karekin spoke similarly: “There are no winners in wars, all are defeated.”
Image: Courtesy of Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services
Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill I hosts a Moscow summit with Armenian Catholicos Karekin II (right) and Azerbaijan Grand Mufti of the Caucasus Allahshukur Pashazade (left) on October 13.
In separate statements following the summit, both leaders also shared some theology. Karekin quoted Luke 2 about peace between men, but also the Quran on the divine intention for diversity. His prayer was for solidarity and mutual understanding.
Pashazade applied to the situation a well-known but contested Islamic interpretation. “The clergy have no right to question the political decisions of the leaders of our states,” he said. “It is our duty before the Almighty God to convey this truth to our peoples.”
Freedom House ranked Azerbaijan “not free” on its 2021 Freedom in the World report, scoring the nation only 10 out of 100. Armenia was ranked “partly free” with a score of 55.
The rest of both clerics’ separate statements was almost wholly political—and partisan.
Azerbaijan’s restoration of territorial integrity was justified according to international law, said Pashazade. He called for a new era of cooperation for the benefit of all citizens but rejected discussion of the Armenian-populated enclave’s political status in the context of interfaith dialogue. He also refused to call the region “Nagorno-Karabakh,” which implies an identity separate from Azerbaijan.
Yet there can be no peace, Karekin stated, until the status of Artsakh Armenians is clarified. The “bloody and catastrophic aggression” can only be made right when Azerbaijan ends its expansionist policy, returns prisoners of war, and respects Armenia’s cultural and religious heritage.
Last month, Armenia filed suit against Azerbaijan at the UN’s International Court of Justice at The Hague, alleging violations of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. A week later, Azerbaijan counter-filed.
Armenia cites alteration of its churches and monasteries, and the prevention of pilgrims from reaching religious sites. Azerbaijan cites the destruction of mosques during Armenia’s three-decade occupation.
The suit will likely take years to reach decision, if it fully proceeds. But each side requested provisional injunctions, which may settle more quickly.
Azerbaijan demands a crackdown on hate groups and a map describing the location of landmines on reclaimed territory. Armenia demands the release of prisoners of war and the closure of the Military Trophies Park in the capital city of Baku, where bullet-ridden helmets are on display along with degrading mannequins of captured Armenian soldiers.
The spiritual summit on October 13 preceded opening arguments at the Hague by a day. October 14 also witnessed a political summit between the three nations’ prime ministers.
On the 15th, Armenia stated in court that Azerbaijan had confirmed the offending exhibits have been removed from the trophy park. And Armenia’s prime minister announced readiness to exchange land mine maps in exchange for releasing remaining prisoners of war.
Whether political achievements or evidence of ongoing prayer, the spiritual leaders did not cede ground. Pashazade denied Azerbaijan holds any prisoners, stating that captive Armenian soldiers are being held for violation of the ceasefire. Karekin, meanwhile, called on Azerbaijan to stop provocations and encroachments on the border.
Both summits were held in Moscow, and as guarantor of the ceasefire, Russia must struggle also with wider regional rivalries. Azerbaijan’s victory was largely achieved through its drone warfare superiority gained in alliance with Turkey and Israel. Iran, allied with Armenia, stated it will not tolerate the presence of the Zionist regime on its borders, and surprise military drills were named after a famous battle of Muhammad against Arabian Jews.
And so into the arena, again, stepped Kirill—focused only on the local.
“The Russian Orthodox Church is praying for the reconciliation of its two friendly nations,” he said. “For the Azerbaijani-Armenian peoples, there is no future other than coexistence.”
https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2021/october/armenia-azerbaijan-karabakh-peace-kirill-karekin-pashazade.html
Greece, US Expand Defense Pact in Face of Turkey Tensions
Military News 15 Oct 2021 Associated Press | By Ellen Knickmeyer WASHINGTON — The United States and Greece signed a deal Thursday expanding their defense cooperation agreement to grant U.S. forces broader use of Greek bases, as that nation deals with tensions between it and neighboring Turkey. The deal, signed in Washington by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, will allow U.S. forces to train and operate "in an expanded capacity" at four additional bases in Greece, Dendias said. “This is not an agreement…against anybody else,” Dendias said in an interview with The Associated Press after the signing ceremony, although he noted the new agreement put a U.S. military presence just miles (kilometers) from Turkey. ”It’s an agreement between Greece and the United States of America, and the purpose of the agreement is the stability and prosperity of both our countries.” Greece is pinning much of its defense strategy on close military cooperation with France and the United States as it remains locked in a volatile dispute with Turkey over sea and airspace boundaries. Greek officials also have been actively pursuing other international agreements, with partners in the Middle East, Europe and elsewhere. Blinken at Thursday’s signing ceremony called the U.S. and Greece “two proud, strong NATO allies, both deeply committed to our alliance.” Thursday’s agreement, building on an existing one, will run for five years with automatic renewal, Greek officials said. NATO – the North Atlantic defense bloc to which the U.S., Turkey, France and Greece all belong – is built on the idea of collective defense, so that an attack on one member nation is considered an attack at all. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg earlier this month appeared to criticize Greece’s newly ratified mutual defense agreement with France, without naming the two countries. “What I don’t believe in is efforts to try to do something outside the NATO framework, or compete with or duplicate NATO,” Stoltenberg said then. Dendias, speaking at the residence attached to the Greek Embassy in Washington, said Greece's mutual defense deal with France “is an agreement that is complementary to NATO." “It does not diminish the role of NATO,” he added. NATO members Greece and Turkey are at odds over sea boundaries and mineral rights in the eastern Mediterranean, spurring Athens to launch a major spending program to modernize its armed forces. Turkey in turn accuses Greece of overstating its own territorial claims to the Aegean and other waters. Thursday's US-Greece agreement builds on one signed in Athens two years ago by Blinken’s predecessor, Mike Pompeo, and will give the United States increased access to two bases in central Greece and one at Alexandroupolis, near the Greek-Turkish border. The U.S. naval base at Souda Bay, in the Greek island of Crete is also key to the defense relationship. The Greek push to build alliances comes as the United States tries to turn more of its international focus to competition with China, reducing its military strength in some other parts of the world. The Greek government understands the United States' need to pay more attention to China and the Indo-Pacific overall — but argues that Greece's neighborhood is one American forces shouldn't leave, Dendias said. “If the American presence is not manifested, some countries may have clever ideas about their role,” envisioning themselves as “local superpowers,” he said. “I am sometimes afraid that Turkey may be falling under that category.”
Asbarez: ATP’s Fall Forestry Planting Starting Soon
ATP hires local villagers for fall planting
This fall, Armenia Tree Project plans to plant 220,000 trees and hire local residents to assist in the process. The majority of these trees will be planted in the village of Lernakert, located in Armenia’s Shirak Region.
The Shirak region is considered to be one of the poorest in Armenia. Difficulties in finding employment, the closure of local small businesses, and the struggles of the pandemic have made the socioeconomic situation even more dire. Additionally, many of Lernakert’s male population who previously sought employment opportunities in Russia, have not had the chance to leave the country due to the pandemic to help provide for their families.
The village of Lernakert, one of Shirak’s most vulnerable communities, is nestled in the mountains – quite far from the urban hustle and bustle of larger nearby villages. Located on the western slope of Mount Aragats, it is 10 kilometers south of the town of Artik, and 35 kilometers from the provincial capital of Gyumri. The mountain life in the village is relatively quiet, particularly in Lernakert. The community was established in 1840 and was originally inhabited by refugees from Mush and Alashkert. Today, Lernakert has a population of around 1500, making it one of the biggest villages in the region. The village houses a culture house, a kindergarten, a medical center, a community center, and a secondary school.
ATP is proud to assist in revitalizing communities like Lernakert. For years, ATP’s Community Tree Planting (CTP) Program has implemented different planting projects in many rural villages across Armenia, which have included the distribution of fruit and decorative trees to local families, as well as the establishing of small community forests.
In the past, some of the villages that have benefited from these projects include Benyamin, Bandivan Keti, Vahramaberd, Mayisyan, Beniamin, as well as Gyumri.
This fall will be the first time that ATP will be planting forests in the Shirak region, within the scope of its Forestry program. By planting forests in these communities, not only will we provide clean air, preserve groundwater, and reduce dust, but we will also contribute to the reduction of poverty in the area, and to the creation of new employment opportunities.
Having heard the news of this seasonal work opportunity, Lernakert villagers hurried to the village administration center to learn more about the upcoming work. They are excited to earn money working in this important project.
Simon Harutyunyan, a seasonal worker, is happy to have the opportunity to improve his community. “I do not want to leave my country. I want to work and live in my homeland,” he said.
Each year, ATP has hired hundreds of seasonal workers to support its spring and fall fundraising plantings. To date, ATP has established nearly 1,100 hectares of new forest, improving and preserving Armenia’s environment and providing economic opportunities to many rural villagers who work for ATP during planting seasons.
If you would like to support ATP”s seasonal workers, please visit the website and note ‘Fall Planting’ in the Comment Box.
Armenia Tree Project, established in 1994, is a non-profit organization that revitalizes Armenia’s and Artsakh’s most vulnerable communities through tree-planting initiatives, and provides socio-economic support and growth. It is based in Yerevan, Armenia and has an office in Woburn, Massachusetts. For more information, please visit the website.
Trilateral working group continues working aimed at opening transport routes – Russian MFA
19:37, 30 September, 2021
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 30, ARMENPRESS. The work of the trilateral working group headed by the Deputy Prime Ministers of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan continues, ARMENPRESS reports the Deputy Head of the Information Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Alexey Zaytsev said during the briefing.
“The trilateral working group on unblocking economic and transport ties in the South Caucasus continues at the level of the Deputy Prime Ministers of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia,” Zaytsev said.
PACE put a spotlight on Turkey’s use of jihadists in Azerbaijani-Armenian war
Sept 29 2021
PACE put a spotlight on Turkey’s use of jihadists in Azerbaijani-Armenian war
September 29, 2021
Abdullah Bozkurt/Stockholm
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Europe’s largest intergovernmental body that promotes the rule of law, identified Turkey as a country that sent Syrian jihadists to help Azerbaijan in last year’s conflict with neighboring Armenia.
In a resolution and annexed report that were approved after a heated debate on September 27, 2021, PACE noted that “there is worrying evidence of the use by Azerbaijan, with Turkey’s assistance, of Syrian mercenaries …” It urged Turkey to cooperate fully with the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) on complaints lodged against Turkey over this action.
PACE made reference to the UN Working Group on the use of mercenaries and said, “Azerbaijan, with Turkey’s assistance, used Syrian fighters during the six-week war, including on the frontline.”
“The fighters appeared to be motivated primarily by private gain and in the case of death their relatives were reportedly promised financial compensation as well as Turkish nationality,” it added.
The findings of the report were challenged by members of the Turkish and Azerbaijani delegations, who submitted a series of amendments to remove references to mercenaries in the report. They, however, failed to secure enough votes, and their move was opposed by the rapporteur and the relevant committee that had approved them in an earlier meeting.
“We had high expectations of this report from Mr Paul Gavan [author of the report], but, unfortunately, it turned out to be a partial one instead of a neutral one,” lamented Ahmet Yıldız, head of the Turkısh delegation to PACE and a member of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which is led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He branded evidence that was cited by the ECtHR in its interim decision against Turkey as “social media clippings of dubious provenance and hearsay.”
“The use of mercenaries from Syria by Azerbaijan with Turkey’s assistance is a fact. This fact has been confirmed by the state security agencies of Iran, Russia, France, the USA, international media outlets, human rights watchdogs and NGOs, so this is the truth and it should be displayed,” said Ruben Rubinyan, an Armenian lawmaker, in his response to motions by the Turkish delegation to delete references to fighters in the report and resolution.
PACE report on the humanitarian consequences of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan:
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The assembly rejected the amendment by a vote of 68 against, 28 in favor and 10 abstentions, keeping the references to the use of mercenaries by Azerbaijan with the help of Turkey. At the end of the debate, the resolution and its accompanying report were approved by an overwhelming majority despite opposition from the Turkish delegation, which included not only Erdoğan’s AKP but also lawmakers from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).
PACE also confirmed the findings of the UN Working Group on the use of mercenaries, which indicated that the way these individuals were recruited, transported and used in and around the conflict zone appeared to be consistent with the definition of a mercenary.
The author of the report, Paul Gavan of Ireland, said he had seen photographs, videos and reports to the effect that mercenaries were used by Azerbaijan in the six-week war in 2020 and added that they back up allegations that Azerbaijan used foreign mercenaries.
Similar accusations were made against Turkey by UN human rights experts at the Working Group on the use of mercenaries — Chris Kwaja, Jelena Aparac, Lilian Bobea, Ravindran Daniel, and Sorcha MacLeod — over the involvement of the Turkish government in recruiting Syrian fighters to take part in military operations in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Turkey claimed that videos showing mercenaries in the region were fake. However, Turkish diplomatic communication to the UN did not mention international media reports of interviews with Syrians who joined the fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia. It alleged that images of members of the Syrian National Army were recorded and circulated by Armenia.
In November 2020 UN rapporteurs had sent a joint letter to the Turkish government seeking further information on its role and “the circumstances surrounding the recruitment, financing, transportation and deployment of Syrian fighters to participate in the hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.”
They noted that the alleged use of Syrian fighters by Turkey in hostilities in third states negatively impacts peace and security in the region. “The systematic and continuous recruitment of these fighters for financial compensation is particularly worrisome,” the letter said.
The UN expressed concern over the reported role of Turkish private military and security companies in facilitating the recruitment of Syrian fighters in alleged coordination with Turkish authorities.
The Turkish government’s response to the UN letter was conveyed by the country’s permanent mission to the UN office in Geneva via a note verbale dated January 21, 2021. “The press release by the Working Group on the use of mercenaries based on black propaganda products of fake images and fabricated news has undermined the credibility of the UN Special Procedures Mechanism,” the Turkish government stated.
Amendment submitted by the Turkish delegation aimed at removing references to the use of Syrian fighters by Azerbaijan with the help of Turkey. It failed to pass in the assembly vote:
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The joint letter was sent by the UN’s Chris Kwaja, chair-rapporteur of the working group on the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the right of peoples to self- determination; Irene Khan, special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and _expression_; and Nils Melzer, special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
UN officials urged the Turkish government to provide information on “the command and control structure over the Syrian fighters deployed in support of Azerbaijani’ [sic] armed forces, including any measures in place to hold these fighters accountable for violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, including specific examples.”
According to the UN rapporteurs, the deployment of Syrians contributed to the rapid escalation and intensification of hostilities and resulted in civilian harm and suffering. “During armed conflicts, mercenaries and mercenary-related actors are obliged, as are all other members of State armed forces or non-State armed groups party to a conflict, to respect the applicable rules of international humanitarian law,” they said.
Joint UN letter dated November 6, 2020:
https://nordicmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/UN-letter.pdf
According to reports received by the UN, members of the Hamza Division, Sultan Murad Division, Al-Amshat Faction and the Sultan Sliman Shah Brigade allegedly agreed to be transferred to Azerbaijan in return for monetary compensation. “Turkey allegedly contracts private military and security companies to facilitate the preparation of official and contractual documentation for the fighters, apparently in coordination with the Turkish security services,” the UN letter said.
Referring to a previous UN letter about the role of Turkey in deploying and financing Syrian fighters to take part in the conflict in Libya, the rapporteurs took note of the Turkish government’s reply, dated September 17, 2020, and said it did not substantively address the allegations raised.
In June 2020 the UN sent a letter to the Turkish government revealing how Turkey effectively recruited Syrian fighters from several Syrian armed groups to take part in military operations in Tripoli in support of the Government of National Accord (GNA).
In that communication, SADAT and other possible Turkish contractors were also accused by UN agencies of recruiting children under 18 years of age to take part in the armed conflict in Libya. “Not only have these [Turkish] companies facilitated the recruitment and deployment of mercenaries from Syria to Libya, but, according to the available information, they have also contributed to the recruitment of children under 18 years of age to take part in an armed conflict,” the letter said.
“Turkish authorities allegedly contracted private military and security companies to facilitate the selection as well as the preparation of official and contractual documentation for the fighters, apparently in coordination with the Turkish security services. One of the companies cited in this context was Sadat International Defence Consultancy [SADAT],” the letter stated.
SADAT, which is fully funded and supported by the Turkish government, is owned by retired Gen. Gen. Adnan Tanrıverdi, the former chief military aide to President Erdoğan. Nordic Monitor has published several reports on SADAT’s activities and goals in Turkey and abroad.
Tanrıverdi announced in December 2019 that SADAT had been working to pave the way for the long-awaited mahdi (prophesied redeemer of Islam), for whom the entire Muslim world is waiting.
Opposition Turkish lawmakers had asked the government about the alleged role of SADAT in training Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Syrian al-Qaeda group Jabhat al-Nusrah (al-Nusrah Front) fighters and the alleged close relations between Turkish intelligence agency MİT and SADAT.
The reports can be read at the link below
CivilNet: Aliyev says he is ready to meet Pashinyan under the auspices of the OSCE
CIVILNET.AM
29 Sep, 2021 10:09
- Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev states that he is not against having a meeting with Pashinyan under the auspices of OSCE Minsk Group.
- Azerbaijani and Iranian officials argue over military drills on the border between both nations.
- Freedom House expresses concern over a criminal case initiated over Facebook user’s comments about Pashinyan.
Credits: Ruptly