16:08, 5 March, 2022
YEREVAN, MARCH 5, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan visited the Yerablur Military Pantheon on the occasion of the 63rd birthday of Commander Vazgen Sargsyan, the PM’s Office said.
Pashinyan laid flowers at the monument of Vazgen Sargsyan, paying tribute to his memory.
October 2020, Photo: Knar Bedian
There are times in our sophisticated society that we layer so much procedural and bureaucratic material on fundamental concepts that we tend to lose sight of the original intent. For over 30 years, the Artsakh conflict has been articulated by each side as a battle of “territorial integrity” versus “self-determination.” Each concept is included in the fabric of the European Union, its affiliates and the United Nations (UN). Artsakh obviously is committed to the concept of the right of self-determination as an oppressed minority. They have consistently stated from the earliest days of the Karabakh movement in the late 80s to their current status as an unrecognized democratic republic that they are simply advocating their right to determine their future as a distinct group living as an indigenous people in a defined territory. The Azerbaijanis, for their part, consider Artsakh an integral part of Azerbaijan and oppose any attempt at autonomy, independence or full sovereignty. Of course, the facts clearly indicate that Artsakh was never an integral part of Azerbaijan. After the “award” by Stalin in the early 1920s defining Karabakh as an “autonomous oblast” in Azerbaijan, the Azeris have manipulated this unjust move into full-scale oppression. Essentially, when the Armenians exercised their legal and peaceful rights of self-determination in the final days of the Soviet Union, the Azerbaijanis responded with violence and war. Since that time, the so-called “frozen conflict” has been a standoff of these two diplomatic and legal positions. Military actions have altered the territorial balance, but the conflict remains unresolved.
One of the reasons for the stalemate has been the lack of good faith negotiations by Azerbaijan. They have essentially failed to honor every agreement starting with the ceasefire they requested in 1994. Another contributor to the failure has been the inherent conflict between these two concepts. The OSCE Minsk Group, chartered with the settlement process, has consistently embraced both ideals by stating that the resolution must be consistent with the concepts of “self -determination” AND “territorial integrity.” They have maintained a position of no accountability even when violence and aggression have clearly been initiated by one party. Azerbaijan has extended its intransigence further by refusing to cooperate with the OSCE claiming that its 2020 criminal aggression resolved the Karabakh conflict. In a rare move of disagreement, all participating parties from the individual OSCE co-chairs (Russia, France, US) as well as all European bodies and numerous European nations, have officially stated that the conflict is not resolved. For a nation known for violence and criminal action, Azerbaijan takes the weak responses as a green light for their aggression.
A closer review of the negotiating history indicates that the two concepts have had a neutralizing impact and enabled the “frozen” status. Aliyev has actually used the lack of progress as justification for unilateral military action. Putting the legal aspects of this aside for a moment, a practical look may have some value. Historically those who advocate “self-determination” are typically the oppressed party that either for ethnic, cultural or survival reasons seek to determine their future. It is no coincidence that the vast majority of parties aligning with”territorial integrity” are insisting on the maintenance of the status quo despite the gross injustice that may have created that status quo. Kosovo was created as a sovereign enclave for Muslim ethnic Albanians based on their vulnerability from the former Yugoslavian ethnic wars. Others, such as the Serbs, claim the territory based on “territorial integrity,” but self-determination prevailed because the very existence of these people was at risk based on the atrocities and incompatibility experienced. The best solution for humanity was self-determination. It remains a partially recognized state since 2008. This should sound familiar to Armenians. The situation in Artsakh is unique but follows many of the same threads. The Armenians of Artsakh have sought their rights for over 100 years since the demise of the First Republic. The unfortunate decision of Stalin had a devastating impact on the presence of Armenians living in both Nakhichevan and Karabakh. The population of Armenians in Nakhichevan in the 1920s of over 50 percent became essentially zero by the 70s. The Azeris continued their racist policies with cultural genocide by destroying the artifacts of Armenian civilization such as cemeteries, churches, monasteries and monuments. The people of Artsakh witnessed a forced decline from a super majority and took responsibility to prevent another Nakhichevan. As we have witnessed from Azeri policies, the lives of the Armenians of Artsakh depend on the resolution of the conflict.
In a practical sense, there is an inconsistency in the application of human rights when it comes to the oppressed and the oppressor. How can “territorial integrity” prevail in a conflict when the advocate has a decades long record of racism, violence and criminal behavior? Azerbaijan has offered the international community the greatest hard evidence why “self-determination” must prevail in the case of Artsakh. Many years ago, I attended a lecture on the Karabakh conflict at Harvard University. In the audience were several Tavitian scholars from Tufts University. This program, which has been in existence for several years, brings government service individuals from Armenia and Artsakh to study at the renowned Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts. I will never forget the words of this young diplomat who stood and stated that the declaration of self-determination in Artsakh was to “prevent a second genocide.” It’s a profound statement that I have quoted many times and is at the core of the resolution. Azerbaijan does not have a legal hold on Artsakh and therefore their claim of “territorial integrity” is invalid. However, perhaps more importantly, their criminal and human rights record clearly indicates that any governance relationship with the Armenians of Artsakh would result in continued cultural genocide and atrocities. It would become the next Nakhichevan. At the end of the day, organizations like the UN, the OSCE and the European community all claim that human rights is the foundation of their charter. Any attempt to resolve the conflict by establishing a governance relationship between Azerbaijan and Artsakh would be completely inconsistent with their mission.
Another important factor to consider is the impact of the world order. Despite the rhetoric of the major nations, they are all advocates of the status quo. Change can be unpredictable and can appear in their backyard or in their domain. Investments in oil and gas have either neutralized many nations or created political advocates for Azerbaijan. The reality has been that most established nations, even those with adversarial relations, do not overtly support the advocates of “self determination” if they have defined self-interest. The oppressed usually have no recourse but to defend their rights from the oppressor. The isolation of Artsakh is not all due to the negotiating skills of the Armenians. Dictators are not optics for the image of organizations, like the UN, that claim to be vanguards of freedom and human rights, but they provide the stability that the world order craves. The dictator Tito kept the lid on the artificial nation called Yugoslavia for decades. The void after his reign led to the horrific conflict between Serbs, Croats and Bosnian Muslims. They are all distinct peoples seeking “self-determination,” but they were forced into a terrible conflict because there was no effective mechanism in this world to negotiate their needs and prevent conflict. Prevention should always be the objective, not damage control. What has the UN done for the people of Artsakh in the last 35 years other than pass a few resolutions that are actually anti-Armenian in content because they advocate the “territorial integrity” of the oppressor? Azerbaijan is then enabled to reference these “UN documents” to legitimize their terror campaign against the basic human rights of the people of Artsakh. Essentially the deck is stacked against the advocates of “self-determination.” It is not a balanced approach as the peace institutions, such as the OSCE claim, because there are no consequences to unilateral violence, and the “establishment” values the status quo despite the foundation of injustice in that current state. Unfortunately, the international bodies have become so politicized that effective peace management has become impossible. The Europeans were motivated to resolve the former Yugoslavian conflicts because their self interests on the continent were threatened. Only the most visionary can see the threat created by pan-Turkic expansion in the Caucasus. If self-interest prevailed in the Artsakh conflict, then the West and Russia would see that Turkish expansion is a direct threat to their interests. The Europeans have always naively viewed Turkey as their buffer and Russia made tradeoffs for their influence in Syria. As a result, the Armenians of Artsakh receive self-determination patronizing while the Turks have a Caucasus sandbox.
We need to sustain focus on the fact that all of these international bodies and western nations were founded on the principles of self determination, freedom and respect. These core values which are the essence of a civilized society are the polar opposite of what Turkey and Azerbaijan advocate in both spirit and practice. At one point in history, the greatest democracy, the United States of America, was the oppressed advocate of “self determination.” There were 13 colonies that demanded the right to determine their future. They had to fight for it, and the rest is history. England claiming that the colonies were the “king’s colonies” was essentially the role for “territorial integrity.” At one point, most of the great large and small nations in this world were advocating “self-determination.” It has been the source of many great examples of human rights advances. Where would this world be today if every campaign of “self-determination” was subordinated to the politics of injustice? There is no comparison. When a distinct ethnic group or culture in a defined geography is subject to continuous oppression and denied the right to experience their culture in freedom, then self-determination must prevail. The alternative is preventable atrocities. The UN, the major powers and the OSCE must re-examine their sacred responsibility to end oppression and enable peaceful, freedom loving people to prosper. We must end the use of territorial integrity as an excuse to continue racism, discrimination and cultural genocide in places like Artsakh. This is a cause not only for Armenians but for the foundation of humanity.
15:34,
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. Acting President of Armenia Alen Simonyan received today a group of participants of the three Artsakh Wars who receive treatment at the Soldier’s Home and the Republican Rehabilitation Center, the Presidential Office said.
The guests told Alen Simonyan about their daily activities in the rehabilitation centers, stating that they have also acquired respective professions in line with the treatment. They presented their experience of integrating into life after war. The programs and initiatives directed to the future were emphasized during the talk.
The former servicemen also presented some problems and obstacles relating to the improvement of their life quality. The Acting President tasked his staff to observe and solve these problems.
At the end of the meeting Alen Simonyan accepted the invitation of the former soldiers to participate in events relating to war and the post-war civilian life and in the presentation of the book telling about that.
[see video]
15:07,
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 24, ARMENPRESS. By the order of Acting President Alen Simonyan, Lt. General Artak Davtyan was dismissed as Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces, the presidency said.
ArmInfo.Turkey in tandem with Azerbaijan could take advantage of the crisis over Ukraine with a view of military occupation of Armenia’s Syunik region, Ashot Melkonyan, Director of the Institute of History, RA Academy of Sciences, told ArmInfo.
“Nothing can be ruled out amid the geopolitical tension between the West and Russia. And Turkey is not at all on Russia’s side in this game. I think that should the current tension develop into a full-scale war, the tandem, primarily Turkey, is sure to take its chance to finish what it started a hundred years ago. First of all, in view of the fact that a war in Ukraine will greatly weaken Russia, and it will not be capable of resisting Turkish military invasion of Syunik. As a result, Iran will be isolated, which will complicate Armenia’s situation,” he said.
The Armenian scholar hopes that Ankara and Baku will prove rather sensible and refrain from an overt incursion into Armenia and infringement on its sovereignty and territorial integrity, primarily in the context of prospective condemnation by the international community. Moreover, military incursion into Armenia’s territory will leave the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) with no alternative but to respond. Otherwise, the CSTO will cease to exist even formally.
With respect to the current problems between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Mr Melkonyan notes that full- fledged border delimitation and demarcation will curb the Aliyev-led regime’s appetite. Referring to the Azerbaijani president’s statements, he notes that even signing of a peaceful treaty with Armenia will not force Azerbaijan to give up its “programmes to defend its vitally important interests.”
“We realize that the ‘programmes’ imply Aliyev’s claims to Syunik. In other words, Aliyev has reached the limits of his impudence by stating that even after signing a peace treaty with Armenia he and his ‘elder brother’ Erdogan will not give up their plans to invade Syunik. Thus they are obviously showing us that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan does not at all mean peace along the Armenian-Turkish border. So we have to draw the following conclusions: the better we are prepared for another war the remoter will be its prospect for us,” Mr Melkonyan said.
ArmInfo.The delegation of Azerbaijan will arrive in Yerevan to participate in the meeting of the bureau and committees of the Euronest PA.
As the press service of the RA Parliament reports” On February 21-22, the meetings of the Bureau and the Committees of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly (PA) were held in Yerevan.
Members of the parliaments of the Eastern Partnership countries and the European Parliament will take part in the meetings. The visit of the members of the European Parliament, as well as the parliaments of Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Georgia to Yerevan is planned.
The meetings of the Committee on Political Affairs, Human Rights and Democracy and on Energy Security, on Economic Integration, on Legal Approximation and Convergence with EU Policies and on Social Affairs, Employment, Education, Culture and Civil Society will be held at Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concert Complex on February 22.
The Committee meetings will be webstreamed.
On February 22, at 10:30, the briefing of the Head of the Armenian Delegation to the Euronest PA will take place in the foyer of Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concert Complex.”
19:33,
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 14, ARMENPRESS. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will meet with Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau in Moscow on February 15, who will arrive in Russia as OSCE Chairman-in-Office, ARMENPRESS reports the press service of the Russian Foreign Ministry informs that during the talks it is planned to discuss the current OSCE issues in three directions of security: military-political, economic-environmental and humanitarian. Reference will be made to the work plans of the organization in 2022.
The issue of OSCE assistance to the settlement of the conflicts in eastern Ukraine, Nagorno-Karabakh and Transnistria is expected to be discussed, as well as the mediation of the organization in the Geneva talks on security and stability in the Caucasus, and its activities in the Balkans and Central Asia.
Issues related to the Russian-Polish relations will also be discussed.
10:14,
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 11, ARMENPRESS. The working visit of Foreign Minister of Artsakh Davit Babayan to Brussels took place on February 7-10 at the joint initiative and efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy.
“During the visit the friendship group with Artsakh was re-formed in the European Parliament. The MEPs were thoroughly introduced on the current situation and challenges in Artsakh following the 2020 war unleashed by Azerbaijan, the aggressive policy of Azerbaijan which is based on deeply rooted Armenophobia”, the EAFJD said in a statement.
The Artsakh FM met with member-senators of the Armenian and Georgian friendship group at the Federal Parliament of Belgium. He also delivered a lecture for several dozen students of one of the leading law universities in Germany, presenting the Artsakh conflict and the current situation.
Babayan’s visit ended by a meeting with the representatives of the Armenian community.
Commenting on the visit, the EAFJD President Gaspar Karapetian said: “Like in the past, now as well we are working with our entire potential to make the voice of our compatriots of Artsakh heard among the European political circles and informed them about Azerbaijan’s aggressive, destructive policy. We attach importance to the visit of the Foreign Minister of Artsakh to Brussels also because this was his first visit to the EU capital after the war”.
19:20,
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 11, ARMENPRESS. US Ambassador to Armenia Lynne Tracy met with the MPs of “Hayastan” faction to discuss a number of issues, to hear their concerns about recent judicial and political developments, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Twitter micro blog of the Embassy.
It is noted that Tracy underlined the US support for Armenia’s democratic path.
Friday,
U.S. Envoy Reveals Meeting With Armenian Opposition Lawmakers
Armenia - U.S. Ambassador Lynne Tracy speaks with journalists, September 15,
2021.
The U.S. Embassy in Yerevan said on Friday that Ambassador Lynne Tracy met with
Armenian opposition lawmakers earlier this week to “hear their concerns
regarding recent judicial and political developments.”
“The Ambassador stressed U.S. support for Armenia’s democratic trajectory,” the
embassy wrote on Twitter.
It did not name the deputies who met with Tracy. It said only that they are
affiliated with the main opposition Hayastan bloc.
The bloc headed by former President Robert Kocharian did not issue any
statements on the meeting held on Wednesday.
Hayastan and the other parliamentary opposition force, Pativ Unem, issued a
joint statement on February 3 strongly condemning criminal proceedings launched
against a judge who freed a well-known opposition figure on January 26.
The judge, Boris Bakhshiyan, was arrested on Monday on charges stemming from
another decision made by him recently. He rejects them as government
retribution. Armenia’s Union of Judges and outgoing human rights ombudsman,
Arman Tatoyan, have also deplored Bakhshiyan’s arrest.
In their statement, Hayastan and Pativ Unem demanded that the international
community react to the “collapse of democracy in Armenia” and be “conscious of
their share of responsibility.”
Armenia - Opposition supporters protest outside the EU Delegation office in
Yerevan, .
In recent months, representatives of the two opposition groups have repeatedly
accused Western powers of turning a blind eye to what they see as government
crackdowns on opposition figures and independent-minded judges.
U.S. and European Union officials have not publicly echoed the Armenian
opposition concerns. They regularly voice support for “reforms” promised or
implemented by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s administration.
On Thursday, Tracy met with Armenia’s Prosecutor-General Artur Davtian. She
stressed, among other things, “the importance of judicial independence and
integrity,” according to the U.S. Embassy.
The ambassador’s meeting with Davtian came the day after Pashinian’s Civil
Contract party pushed through the Armenian parliament last-minute legal
amendments that will make it easier for law-enforcement authorities to indict
and arrest judges.
Opposition lawmakers denounced the amendments as another blow to judicial
independence.
Ex-Official Sees Few Benefits From Armenia’s Rail Link With Azerbaijan
• Karlen Aslanian
Armenia - Deputy Prime Minister Vache Gabrielian at a cabinet meeting in
Yerevan, 16Jun2016.
Armenia should not anticipate significant economic benefits from a planned rail
link with Azerbaijan that could give it a new trade route to Russia, former
Deputy Prime Minister Vache Gabrielian insisted on Friday.
“It will definitely not hurt, but it will not be a game changer given the
structure of our economy,” Gabrielian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service in an
interview.
The two South Caucasus countries are due to establish transport links under the
terms of a ceasefire that stopped the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh and follow-up
agreements also brokered by Russia. The agreements specifically commit Armenia
to opening a transit road and railway that will connect Azerbaijan to its
Nakhichevan exclave.
Armenia should in turn gain rail links with Russia, its main trading partner,
and neighboring Iran via Azerbaijan. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian regularly
emphasizes this fact, predicting a massive boost to the Armenian economy.
“Shipping goods to Russia [by rail] through Baku doesn’t make much economic
sense for us,” said Gabrielian, who served as deputy prime minister from
2014-2018 and had held other senior positions in Armenia’s government and
Central Bank since 1999. “This used to be our main trade route in Soviet times.
But back then we transported metal ores and other heavy industrial output.”
“We don’t have such products [exported to Russia] now. Nor are we implementing
large investment projects for which we need to import things from Russia,” he
said.
Gabrielian argued that Armenian exports to Russia now mostly consist of
beverages, prepared foodstuffs and fresh fruits and vegetables. It will be
cheaper and quicker to deliver them through Georgia than Azerbaijan, he said.
Georgia - Armenian and other heavy trucks are lined up on a road leading to the
Georgian-Russian border crossing at Upper Lars, 6May2016.
Most of Russian-Armenian trade, which totaled $2.6 billion last year, is carried
out by trucks passing through the main Georgian-Russian border crossing at Upper
Lars. Traffic through that mountainous pass is periodically blocked by bad
weather, especially in winter months.
Gabrielian said that extensive road upgrades launched by the Georgian
authorities in that area last year will eliminate this problem and make the
Upper Lars road even more attractive to Armenian exporters and importers.
“So I don’t quite understand the economic rationale for that railroad,” added
the 53-year-old economist, who is now the dean of the College of Business and
Economics at the American University of Armenia.
Most Armenians appear to share this skepticism. According to a U.S.-funded
opinion poll conducted late last year, only 5-6 percent of them think that the
economic impact on their country of open borders with Azerbaijan and Turkey will
be “definitely positive.”
Armenian Opposition To Boycott Karabakh War Inquiry
• Astghik Bedevian
Armenia - Leaders of the opposition minority in the Armenian parliament talk
during a failed session boycotted by the ruling Civil Contract party, Yerevan,
November 15, 2021.
Armenia’s two main opposition forces have decided to boycott a parliamentary
inquiry into the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh, saying that it will be controlled
by pro-government lawmakers and therefore cannot be objective.
The ruling Civil Contract party’s parliamentary group announced on Thursday the
establishment of an ad hoc commission that will examine the causes of Armenia’s
defeat in the war, assess the Armenian government’s and military’s actions and
look into what had been done for national defense before the hostilities.
The parliamentary majority said it will appoint seven of the eleven members of
the commission. The opposition Hayastan and Pativ Unem blocs were offered to
name the four other members.
Both blocs officially rejected the offer on Friday. In a joint statement, they
argued that “the authorities cannot objectively investigate their own actions.”
“It is clear that the investigative commission will be engaged in staging the
‘innocence’ of the authorities,” they said.
“Taking into account these and a number of other circumstances, the opposition
Hayastan and Pativ Unem factions decided not to participate in the work of the
investigative commission set up by the authorities,” added the statement.
Representatives of Hayastan and Pativ Unem said earlier that such a commission
must be headed by an opposition lawmaker and that Civil Contract and the
opposition must be equally represented in it.
Armen Khachatrian, a senior Civil Contract lawmaker, deplored the opposition
boycott. “They are doing everything to question the legitimacy of the
investigative commission,” Khachatrian told reporters.
“They are not interested in taking part in clarifying the objective reality,” he
said. “They are interested in continuing to sling mud.”
Virtually all Armenian opposition groups hold Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian
responsible for the outcome of the six-week war that left at least 3,800
Armenian soldiers dead.
For his part, Pashinian has blamed former Presidents Robert Kocharian and Serzh
Sarkisian, who lead Hayastan and Pativ Unem respectively, for the defeat.
Kocharian ruled Armenia from 1998-2008, while Sarkisian, his successor, lost
power more than two years before the outbreak of the devastating war.
Court Extends Arrest Of Vanadzor Election Winner
• Karine Simonian
Armenia - Former Vanadzor Mayor Mamikon Aslanian at an election campaign meeting
with voters in Vanadzor, November 23, 2021.
An Armenian court has extended the pre-trial arrest of the former mayor of
Vanadzor who defeated the ruling Civil Contract party in a municipal election
held in the country’s third largest city two months ago.
A bloc led by Mamikon Aslanian essentially won the election with about 39
percent of the vote. Civil Contract party finished second with 25 percent, the
most serious of setbacks suffered by it in local polls held in 36 communities
across Armenia on December 5.
Aslanian was thus well-placed to regain his post lost in October. But he was
arrested on December 15 on corruption charges rejected by him as politically
motivated.
The court on Thursday allowed law-enforcement authorities to hold Aslanian in
detention for two more months. His lawyers denounced the decision as baseless
and said they will appeal it.
Prosecutors deny any political reasons behind the case. They claim that Aslanian
illegally privatized municipal land during his five-year tenure.
Vanadzor’s new municipal council has still not been able to hold its inaugural
session and elect the community head. Visiting the city earlier this week,
Minister for Territorial Administration Gnel Sanosian downplayed the fact that
it has had no mayor for over two months.
Armenia -- A street in Vanadzor, November 5, 2018.
Four other communities where Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s party was defeated
or failed to win outright on December 5 also remain in limbo.
In one such community comprising the town of Vartenis and surrounding villages,
police cordoned off the municipal administration building in early January to
prevent a local opposition figure, Aharon Khachatrian, from taking over as mayor.
Khachatrian was elected by 14 members of the 27-seat local council representing
two opposition blocs. Armenia’s Administrative Court declared his election null
and void last week following a lawsuit filed by the ruling party.
Khachatrian’s main ally was arrested shortly after the blocs led by two men
reached a power-sharing agreement in December.
Armenia - Opposition supporters hold pictures of former Vanadzor Mayor Mamikon
Aslanian and other arrested opposition members during a demonstration in
Yerevan, December 17, 2021.
Opposition politicians and human rights campaigners in Yerevan have accused
Pashinian of sabotaging the election of new heads of these communities to
prevent them from falling under opposition control.
Arman Tatoyan, Armenia’s human rights ombudsman, similarly charged on December
17 that opposition groups that did well there are being illegally pressured not
to install their leaders or allies as mayors. Pashinian and his political allies
deny this.
Last summer, the authorities also arrested the opposition-linked heads of four
major communities of southeastern Syunik province. Two of them were set free in
December after the Constitutional Court deemed their arrest illegal, saying that
they were elected to the parliament and enjoy immunity from prosecution.
The two other Syunik mayors remain under arrest. A bloc led by one of them
defeated Pashinian’s party by a wide margin in a local election held in October.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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