Monday,
Armenian NGOs Urge EU Involvement In Karabakh Peace Efforts
NAGORNO-KARABAKH - Local residents repair a roof with construction supplies
brought from Russia as humanitarian aid, November 25, 2020.
A coalition of pro-Western Armenian nongovernmental organizations has urged the
European Union to help “establish lasting security and peace” in the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone by recognizing Karabakh’s “interim status” and
its population’s right to self-determination.
In a weekend statement, the NGOs representing Armenia in the Civil Society Forum
of ex-Soviet states involved in the EU’s Eastern Partnership program said the EU
should seek the conflict’s resolution based on the so-called Madrid Principles,
a framework peace accord put forward by the United States, Russia and France in
2007.
The statement called on the EU to help Karabakh’s civilian population and, in
particular, people who fled their homes during the recent war described by it as
an “aggression by Turkey and Azerbaijan against the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.”
It said the 27-nation bloc should initiate an international investigation into
“war crimes” committed by Azerbaijani and Turkish forces during the six-week
hostilities stopped by a Russian-brokered ceasefire on November 10.
The NGOs also hit out at Russia, saying that it has not fulfilled some of its
obligations stemming from the ceasefire agreement.
“In addition … the Russian peacekeeping mission in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh)
has no international mandate, its legal basis is unknown … The powers and rights
of the mission are not known either, which severely limits the capabilities of
that mission to fulfill its commitments and accountability in ensuring the
security of the local Armenian population,” they said.
The EU, the statement went on, should therefore seek the deployment of UN-backed
“international peacekeeping forces” to Karabakh alongside about 2,000 Russian
soldiers already stationed there.
The political leaders of both Armenia and Karabakh regularly praise Moscow’s
role in stopping the war and preventing its resumption. They have also described
the presence of the Russian peacekeepers as the decisive factor behind the
return of tens of thousands of ethnic Armenian refugees to Karabakh.
UN Human Rights Experts Urge Release Of Captives From Karabakh Conflict
SWITZERLAND -- UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet speaks on
the opening day of the 39th UN Council of Human Rights in Geneva, September 10,
2018
Human rights experts at the United Nations have called for the "prompt" release
of prisoners of war and other captives by Armenia and Azerbaijan from their
recent war in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner in Geneva said in a
statement on Monday that the two countries should also move quickly to return
the bodies of those killed to families for burial "with due respect for cultural
customs."
“Everyone deprived of their liberty for reasons related to the conflict should
be returned to their homes, and relatives of those killed must be able to
receive the mortal remains of their loved ones, in line with the ceasefire
agreement signed on November 9, 2020,” the experts said.
“Failure to disclose information on the fate and whereabouts of missing persons
and refusal to hand over the remains of the deceased may amount to enforced
disappearance, which both Azerbaijan and Armenia have committed to preventing,”
they added.
At least 6,000 people were killed in the six-week war stopped by a
Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement on November 10. The agreement calls for the
unconditional exchange of all prisoners held by the conflicting parties. Dozens
of them were swapped in December.
On Thursday Azerbaijan released five more Armenian prisoners of war (POWs) in
return for an Azerbaijani captive freed by the Armenian side. The latest
exchange raised to 59 the total number of Armenian POWs and civilians
repatriated to date.
More than 100 others are believed to remain in Azerbaijani captivity. Yerevan
accuses Baku of dragging its feet over their release.
The UN expert group also expressed concern at “allegations that prisoners of war
and other protected persons have been subjected to extrajudicial killing,
enforced disappearance, torture, and other ill-treatment.”
“No exceptional circumstances whatsoever -- whether a state of war, internal
political instability, or any other public emergency -- may be invoked as a
justification of torture and enforced disappearances,” they said. “Such acts,
when perpetrated in armed conflict, may also constitute war crimes.”
“We appeal to the authorities of Armenia and Azerbaijan to carry out thorough,
prompt, independent, and impartial investigations into allegations of serious
human rights violations committed during the conflict and its aftermath in order
to hold perpetrators to account and provide redress to the victims. These
actions will facilitate truth, reconciliation, and healing,” the experts said.
Armenian Defense Contractor Charged With Fraud
• Gayane Saribekian
Armenia -- A screenshot of a National Security Service vide of the arrest of
defense contractor Davit Galstian, February 1, 2021
The owner of a company supplying Armenia’s armed forces with weapons and
ammunition has been arrested on fraud charges, the National Security Service
(NSS) said on Monday.
The NSS said that the charges stem from a $1 million contract for the supply of
artillery shells which Davit Galstian’s Mosston Engineering company signed with
the Armenian Defense Ministry in 2018.
It said the company breached the contract by providing the ministry with
ammunition designed for older and different artillery systems. Artillery units
could not accomplish their “combat tasks” with those shells, the NSS added in a
statement.
This is why, it said, NSS investigators have indicted Galstian and Mosston’s
director and asked a Yerevan court to remand them in pre-trial custody. It was
not immediately clear if the suspects will plead guilty to the accusations.
Nor was it clear if the NSS could also prosecute any current or former Defense
Ministry officials. The statement said in this regard that the investigators are
taking measures to “identify the full circle of individuals involved in the
corruption scheme.”
Galstian was an adviser to Armenia’s former Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan, who
was sacked in November following the war in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The security service further revealed that Galstian is also facing three other
criminal investigations into his companies’ dealings with the Armenian military.
But it did not give any details of those inquiries.
Galstian’s companies have been among the Defense Ministry’s leading suppliers in
recent years.
Lieutenant-General Artak Davtian, who served as chief of the Armenian army’s
General Staff from 2018-2020, told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service on Monday that they
repeatedly failed to fulfill their contractual obligations during his tenure.
“There were quite a lot of cases where we handed back supplies, demanded their
replacement or found defects and told [the contractor] to eliminate them,”
Davtian said without elaborating.
Andranik Kocharian, the pro-government chairman of the Armenian parliament
committee on defense and security, described the fraud accusations as credible
and said they were made possible by the sackings of Tonoyan and previous NSS
directors.
“Such corrupt practices are not possible without the support of high-ranking
officials,” he claimed. “So let’s wait for further developments.”
Kocharian and Tonoyan traded bitter accusations in the immediate aftermath of a
Russian-brokered agreement that stopped the Karabakh war on November 10.
Russian-Turkish Center Begins Monitoring Karabakh Truce
NAGORNO-KARABAKH -- Russian APC and soldiers of the peacekeeping force (L)
patrol in front of an Azerbaijan's army checkpoint near the demarcation line
outside the town of Shushi (Susa), November 26, 2020
A joint Turkish and Russian observation center to monitor the ceasefire in
Nagorno-Karabakh started operations after an opening ceremony with senior
defense officials in attendance on Saturday.
Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov and deputy defense ministers from
regional powers Turkey and Russia were there to launch the center, in the Agdam
region east of Karabakh, according to Azerbaijan's state news agency Azertac.
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar announced on Friday that one Turkish
general and 38 personnel will be stationed at the center.
"Our activities will intensify with the work of this joint Turkish-Russian
center and we will fulfill our duty to defend the rights of our Azerbaijani
brothers," Akar said in a statement posted on the Defense Ministry’s website.
Turkey and Russia agreed to form a joint observation center shortly after Moscow
in November brokered a ceasefire agreement that ended the Armenian-Azerbaijani
war in and around Karabakh. Turkey was a major backer of Azerbaijan in the
conflict.
Turkish Major General Abdullah Katirci and Russian Major General Viktor
Fyodorenko will reportedly command their respective contingents at the center.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev
welcomed the opening of the Russian-Turkish center when they spoke by phone
later on Saturday. According to the Kremlin, the two leaders expressed hope it
“will contribute to the further stabilization of the situation” in the conflict
zone and the conflicting parties’ compliance with the ceasefire agreement.
Under the agreement, around 2,000 Russian peacekeepers are also deployed along
Karabakh frontline areas and a land link connecting Karabakh with Armenia.
Armenian Defense Minister Vagharshak Harutiunian praised the Russian
peacekeeping operation on Monday in a phone call with his Russian counterpart
Sergei Shoigu. According to the Armenian Defense Ministry, Harutiunian said the
peacekeepers have helped to ensure the “almost full observance of the ceasefire.”
A ministry statement said Shoigu phoned Harutiunian to discuss the results of
“staff negotiations” held by senior Russian and Armenian military officials in
Yerevan last week. The two ministers also spoke about “the course of the
resolution of Armenia’s security issues in the post-war period,” it said without
elaborating.
Armenia, Azerbaijan Start Talks On Transport Links
Russia -- A Russian-Armenian-Azerbaijani working group on cross-border transport
issues meets in Moscow, January 30, 2021.
Senior Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian officials met in Moscow at the weekend
to discuss practical modalities of opening the Armenian-Azerbaijani border for
commercial and other traffic.
The restoration of transport links between Armenia and Azerbaijan is envisaged
by the Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement that stopped the war in
Nagorno-Karabakh on November 10.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev and
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian decided to set up a trilateral “working
group” for that purpose when they met in Moscow on January 11. They said it will
submit by March 1 a timetable of “measures envisaging the restoration and
construction of new transport infrastructure facilities.”
The group co-headed by deputy prime ministers of the three states held its first
meeting in the Russian capital on Saturday. A Russian government statement said
it decided to form two “expert subgroups” that will deal with transport issues
and border controls.
The truce agreement specifically commits Yerevan to opening rail and road links
between the Nakhichevan exclave and the rest of Azerbaijan that will presumably
pass through southeastern Armenia. Armenia should be able, for its part, to use
Azerbaijani territory as a transit route for cargo shipments to and from Russia
and Iran.
Visiting Yerevan last week, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said
his country looks forward to establishing a rail link with Armenia.
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: Kanayan Tamar
Church on sale on the Internet belonged to the Armenian Catholic Church
Asia News, Italy
Jan 25 2021
In aftermath of conflict, Southern Baptist relief worker from Missouri shares gospel with Armenians
The Pathway, Missouri
Jan 27 2021
EDITOR’S NOTE: * denotes name changed for security purposes.
YEREVAN, Armenia – Little more than 100 years ago, an 18-year-old girl staggered into an American relief camp set up along Russia’s border with Armenia.
Immediately, a nurse came to her side. “Are you in pain?” she asked.
“No,” the girl replied, “but I have learned the meaning of the cross.”
Slowly, the girl pulled her sleeve down, revealing on her bare shoulder the figure of a cross burned deeply into her flesh. For seven days, Turkish assailants in her village had asked her whether she would follow Mohammed or Christ. “Christ, always Christ,” she replied daily. In response, one segment of the cross was branded on her shoulder each day. On the last day, her captors told her she would die the following day if she didn’t reject Christ.
Fortunately, she escaped that night. But this girl wasn’t alone in her suffering, and many Armenians never escaped.
On April 24, 1915, the Ottoman Turks ruling in the region had launched a genocidal program against the Armenian people group. As a result, as many as 600,000 Armenians may have died on that day alone – a day that marked one of the “most terrible barbarities in history,” the late Southern Baptist journalists James and Marti Hefley wrote in their 1994 book, By Their Blood: Christian Martyrs of the 20th Century.
A Eurasian nation the size of Maryland with the geography of western Colorado, Armenia is recognized as one of the first countries in the world to accept the Christian religion. Often, as in the genocide of 1915, they became targets of persecution. For this reason, the Armenian people even today show great pride in their country’s Christian heritage.
Even though they value this national heritage, many Armenians have no personal relationship with Christ, and many have a limited knowledge of God’s Word. But recent conflict in the region between Armenia and its culturally Muslim neighbor, Azerbaijan, has opened doors for gospel outreach among the Armenian people.
“The people of Armenia have had indescribable belief in God, through all of the stuff they have been through – the genocide in 1915, the Soviet times, and earthquake. Their faith is not shaken,” said Zhanet Kaprelian, an ethnic Armenian living in Arizona with her husband, Kirk. “But they have no biblical knowledge. And that is very sad for me.”
Though Zhanet was born in Iran and Kirk in Iraq, both are proud of their Armenian roots – and they’re not alone. Although Armenia has a population of less than 3 million, an estimated 11 million ethnic Armenians live across the globe.
Last year, the Kaprelians helped move their grown son to Yerevan, the capital city of Armenia, where he now lives. But soon after they left, a military conflict broke out between Armenia and Azerbaijan – leaving the Kaprelians deeply worried about their son and about their beloved homeland.
This crisis began when, in late September, fighting once again erupted between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The conflict centered around a contested territory called Nagorno-Karabakh – an enclave within Azerbaijan that is roughly the size of Delaware and that was largely populated by ethnic Armenians. To the Armenians, the contested region is known as Artsakh.
This map depicts the geo-political situation in Armenia and Azerbaijan before the outbreak of conflict in 2020 (Wikipedia image).
According to the Wall Street Journal, the conflict led to 5,000 deaths on both sides, and it forced more than 100,000 civilians to flee their homes.
Most fighting ended with a Russian-brokered cease-fire, Nov. 9, and since that time the Kaprelians have labored to support the people of Armenia. They had planned a trip there in early 2020, but their plans fell through when they came down with COVID-19.
According to Zhanet, Armenians welcomed the new year with little celebration. Since Armenia failed in their efforts to liberate Artsakh, she said, “everybody is either angry or depressed – or both.” Many are hurting – especially among Armenia’s young soldiers suffering from PTSD.
Though she wishes such times would never have come upon Armenia, she added, “I think this is a great opportunity…. In difficult times, God speaks.”
Indeed, one family with Missouri Baptist roots is taking advantage of the opportunity to share God’s love amid the hurt that the people of Armenia feel.
David Smith* grew up in a Missouri Baptist church in St. Louis and felt God’s call to missions during a Missouri Baptist Convention Super Summer event in the late 1980s. During college, he met his wife – then a nursing student in Oklahoma – while they were both training for a summer project in Africa.
Today, the Smiths serve as Southern Baptist relief workers, having spent two decades working with the people of Armenia. In the aftermath of recent conflict, they have worked with local churches to help refugees from the region of Artsakh.
Through funds from SEND Relief Global, they have helped to provide clothing, hygiene and household items, blankets and other necessities. They’ve helped train Armenian doctors how better to counsel and treat soldiers with PTSD, and they’ve brought comfort to doctors struggling from “compassion fatigue.”
David hopes these efforts to help the Armenian people amid hardship will strengthen relationships and open new avenues for gospel witness. In fact, he is already beginning to see a spiritual harvest from the efforts of Armenian churches.
“A national church that we helped start held a retreat for the displaced people from the war that they have been working with,” David told The Pathway. “There were about 125 unchurched people who attended the retreat. By the end of the week all of the adults prayed to receive Christ. There were about 90 adults from Artsakh. The rest were children and youth. The local pastor said he had never seen anything like this before.
“Because of the number of people that have responded to the gospel, the partnering church is planting a new church in Armenia.”
The Armenian people “are a very kind and wonderful people group to work with, to partner with,” David said. Through the years “God has moved in a lot of ways,” he added, describing how in some villages “whole households have come to Christ” and sharing how God has unified Armenian churches for ministry.
David urged Missouri Baptists to continue praying for the region:
• that there would be peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan;
• that God would bring His comfort to the families of those who have died because of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan;
• that, in Christ, churches would grow in unity;
• that God would pour His Spirit out in both Armenia and Azerbaijan, so that people would hear the gospel, repent and trust in Christ;
• and that God would bless the Smiths and their two children as they continue their work in the region.
Artsakh Ombudsman’s Office updates interim report on killing of civilians by Azerbaijani forces
15:27,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 29, ARMENPRESS. The Human Rights Ombudsman’s staff of the Republic of Artsakh has updated the interim report on the cases of killing of civilians by the Azerbaijani armed forces including also the cases found after December 22, 2020, as a result of search operations, the Ombudsman’s Office told Armenpress.
The Report summarizes the cases of civilian casualties, caused as a result of the military aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan and Turkey against the Artsakh Republic since September 27, 2020, as well as killings of civilians who were imprisoned in the areas fallen under the control of the Azerbaijani armed forces. The cases are introduced with relevant brief information.
From September 27, 2020, to , the killings of 72 civilians by the Azerbaijani armed forces have been recorded: 41 – from targeted strikes, 31 – in captivity. A number of cases of torture and mutilation of corpses, inevitably targeted civilian deaths were recorded. The Human Rights Ombudsman also recorded the cases of 163 civilian injuries, most of which resulted from strikes that resulted in the deaths of others.
The Report presents only the cases on irrefutable grounds, at the same time the Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman still receives information on the alleged cases of civilian deaths, that require investigation, the results of which will be included in further updates of the Report.
At the time of updating the Report, the Ombudsman’s staff still has information on missing civilians some of whom most probably are in captivity, and others are allegedly killed by the Azerbaijani armed forces. This is proved by the regular cases of finding the bodies of civilians in the communities of Artsakh under the control of Azerbaijan.
Bodies of some of the victims have been found a long time later of the death, hence, it requires an in-depth professional examination to detail the circumstances of the death in specific cases and to reveal traces of the crimes committed. However, in some cases, preliminary conclusions of the forensic examination were also presented.
The updated version of the report is available at the following link:
Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 27-01-21
17:35,
YEREVAN, 27 JANUARY, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 27 January, USD exchange rate down by 0.10 drams to 518.16 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.43 drams to 628.06 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.03 drams to 6.89 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 3.80 drams to 711.59 drams.
The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.
Gold price down by 10.14 drams to 30929.52 drams. Silver price down by 4.00 drams to 423.14 drams. Platinum price down by 70.20 drams to 18408.45 drams.
CivilNet: 50,000 Armenians Have Returned to Karabakh Thus Far
CIVILNET.AM
21:48
✓The Armenian and Russian FMs have discussed the POW situation.
✓Arsen Torosyan is appointed as the new chief of staff to the prime minister.
✓Artsakh’s FM urges international bodies to apply pressure on Azerbaijan to release POWs.
Armenian human rights activist: Constitutional order is violated in Armenia
News.am, Armenia
Jan 18 2021
17:16, 18.01.2021
The constitutional order is violated in Armenia. This is what human rights activist, co-founder of the Legal Way NGO Ruben Melikyan said in an interview with Hayeli.
Asked if there is any other way to make Nikol Pashinyan resign other than the constitutional way, Melikyan stated that it is necessary to decide what is the constitutional way in the created situation in order to answer that question. “It’s about the idea of constitutionality. There are advocates, and I am one of them, who believe that the constitutional order is violated. We have to do something within the scope of the law, but how can we do that when the constitutional order is violated?” Melikyan said and recalled that the Criminal Code of Armenia implies various mechanisms for defense.
“If a citizen has such rights, why can’t the state have those rights?” Melikyan asked and reminded the allegations targeted at Speaker of the National Assembly Ararat Mirzoyan in regard to cooperation with Turkey and the Special Services of Armenia.
COVID-infected President Sarkissian to be discharged from hospital soon
13:25,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. President Armen Sarkissian will soon be discharged from a hospital in London after being treated for COVID-19, his office said.
Sarkissian will continue treatment at home under the supervision of doctors. According to a news release issued by the president’s office, doctors advised him bed-rest.
The President will return to Armenia after fully recovering. Until then, he will work remotely.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
Former Minister of Healthcare to assume position of chief of staff of PM’s Office
17:24,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. Former Minister of Healthcare of Armenia Arsen Torosyan will assume the position of chief of staff of the Prime Minister’s Office.
The respective decision has been signed by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
Earlier today, based on the PM’s proposal, President Armen Sarkissian has signed a decree on appointing Anahit Avanesyan as Minister of Healthcare.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
President Says Pashinyan’s Administration Must be ‘Held Accountable’ for Defeat
January 11, 2020
President Armen Sarkissian speaks to residents in Gyumri on Dec. 25
YEREVAN (Azatutyun.am)—Armenia’s President Armen Sarkissian on Monday renewed his calls for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to hand over power to a new and interim government that would hold snap parliamentary elections.
In an article posted on the presidential website, Sarkissian said Pashinyan’s administration must be “held accountable” for the Armenian side’s defeat in the recent war with Azerbaijan and the resulting “deep political, economic, social and psychological crisis” in his country.
“The country and the people need treatment,” he wrote. “The only logical and civilized prescription is pre-term elections [to be held] within reasonable time frames with necessary amendments to the Electoral Code and the Constitution, which will allow us to start a real process of state building from scratch.”
“Until then, a government of national accord must be formed with the help of the institute of the president,” he added, staking a claim to a major role in that process.
Sarkissian stressed that the new government must be made up of technocrats tasked with overcoming the post-war crisis.
Virtually all Armenian opposition parties demanded Pashinyan’s resignation immediately after a Russian-brokered ceasefire that stopped the war in and around Nagorno-Karabakh on November 10. More than a dozen of them joined forces to hold anti-government rallies.
Pashinyan has rejected the opposition demands while expressing readiness to hold fresh elections soon. He held late last month consultations with the leaders of the two opposition parties represented in the Armenian parliament. The latter insisted that the snap polls must take place after Pashinyan’s resignation.
Sarkissian held similar consultations earlier in December. The president insisted on Monday that despite his largely ceremonial powers he can “become the irreplaceable platform where the constitutional ways-out and mechanisms for overcoming the crisis will be worked out through a dialogue.”
In his article, Sarkissian also portrayed Armenia’s post-Soviet history as a period of missed opportunities and made a case for the “construction of a new state.” In that regard, he took a critical look at the 2018 popular uprising that brought Pashinyan to power.
“The change of government in 2018 could have been the beginning of a new phase in our history … but it became the end of the previous phase, without offering a new ideology,” he said.