21:46,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS. Russian peacekeepers have begun monitoring the implementation of ceasefire agreements in Nagorno-Karabakh, ARMENPRESS reports, citing Ria Novosti, official representative of the Russian Defense Ministry, Major-General Igor Konashenkov said.
”The ceasefire regime is respected along the entire contact line. The peacekeeping battalion of the 15th separate motorized rifle brigade entered Stepanakert at 17:00”, he said.
17:10, 9 November, 2020
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan is trying to make provocative actions in third countries, the Office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs of Armenia said, urging Armenians living in Russia to be vigilant and not to give in to provocations.
“Dear compatriots living in Russia, Azerbaijan is again trying to make provocative actions in third countries, provoking inter-ethnic clashes and disorders. At this period we ask you to be cautious, vigilant, not to give in to provocations, cooperate with the local law enforcement agencies. Now our every glance, effort and potential should be directed exclusively to Armenia and Artsakh”, the statement says.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
12:58, 7 November, 2020
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan removed the country’s central bank governor Murat Uysal from his post on Saturday after the Turkish lira reached a record low, Deutsche Welle reports.
The decision was made by presidential decree and announced in the country’s Official Gazette, with no immediate reason given for the sacking. Uysal’s replacement after just 16 months in the job was named as former finance minister Naci Agbal.
Uysal took on the role after a dispute between Erdogan and the previous governor, Murat Cetinkaya, over cutting interest rates.
In the past few months, the lira has hit repeated historic lows against international currencies and by late Friday stood at 8.52 to buy one US dollar.
The lira has lost almost 30% of its value against the dollar this year, with markets worried about a persistently high inflation rate that remains in double digits.
18:54, 7 November, 2020
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS. Under the light of Nagorno Karabakh conflict France will deliver emergency medical support to the Armenian Healthcare Ministry, ARMENPRESS reports Ambassador of France to Armenia Jonathan Lacote wrote on his Facebook page.
The Ambassador informed that a group of surgeons specializing in orthopedics will arrive from France, as well as medical equipment and medicine will be delivered.
‘’That assistance shows the solidarity of France with the victims of the war. That assistance supplements the assistance rendered by the local authorities of France’’, Lacote wrote.
Artsakh’s Defense Army improves positions in Berdzor direction
22:32, 7 November, 2020
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS. Military operations continued on November 7 near Shushi, south of Berdzor and Martuni direction, ARMENPRESS reports representative of the MoD Armenia Artsrun Hovhannisyan said in a press conference.
”Particularly, clashes continue in the areas near Shushi, just nearby the city and on the roads day and night. Yesterday I said that we were able to protect Shushi, but as it can be seen the adversary has involved new troops and continues its plans of occupying Shushi. At the moment our forces are stubbornly resisting, inflicting significant losses to the wings, rear and communications of the adversary, but the clashes are heavy and continue up till now”, Hovhannisyan said.
According to him, there are clashes also in the direction of Shushi – Karintak, Lisagor and other places.
Hovhannisyan said that Azerbaijan planned to attack in Martuni direction with armored equipment, but were repelled to their initial positions, losing 1-2 armored vehicles and leaving some bodies in the battlefield.
‘’Clashes occurred also south of Berdzor. The adversary tried to advance for a few times, but they failed, suffered losses. Our units were able to improve positions in that direction’’, Hovhannisyan said, adding that no clashes occurred in the other directions, but artillery was used against both the military positions and settlements.
13:13, 6 November, 2020
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS. The Turkish intelligence agency is participating in the ongoing developments in Nagorno Karabakh, Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Russia Sergey Naryshkin told RIA Novosti.
“The Turkish intelligence is participating in the ongoing developments in Nagorno Karabakh. Russia’s foreign intelligence service feels this and sees separate elements of the work,” he said.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
00:37, 4 November, 2020
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 4, ARMENPRESS. The regular targeting of medical facilities of Artsakh by the armed forces of Azerbaijan, particularly Stepanakert is another demonstration of state-sponsored terrorism by a country that has already become a hotbed for terrorists in South Caucasus by the efforts of Turkey, ARMENPRESS reports spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry of Armenia Anna Naghdalyan said, referring to the bombing of major cities of Artsakh, Stepanakert and Shushi, by the Azerbaijani armed forces.
”On November 3 the Azerbaijani armed forces fired Smerch cluster warheads against the civilian objects of Stepanakert and Shushi, particularly in the direction of Stepanakert Maternal and Child Health Care Center, resulting in casualties.
The regular bombing of Stepanakert’s medical facilities once again shows that the goal of the military-political leadership of Azerbaijan is causing maximum deaths among the civilians of Artsakh, particularly women and children that are far away from the front line.
This is another demonstration of state terrorism which is being carried out by a country which, with the efforts of Turkey, has already become a concentration place for international terrorists and militants in South Caucasus.
We record that under the light of the existential threat facing the people of Artsakh, the authorities of Artsakh and the Defense Army have inalienable right to protect their people and retaliate”, Naghdalayan said.
October 28, 2020
Dr. Hrayr Jebejian
DR. HRAYR JEBEJIAN
I was born in Beirut, Lebanon, on February 8, 1957. I am a Lebanese-Armenian who has lived with dual identities and histories all my life – ones filled with struggle and wars, to say the least. Lebanon, for one, has a long history of local and regional conflicts and just went through a devastating explosion that wiped out half of its capital city. As for being Armenian in the 21st century: it means being in a constant battle for national identity and fighting a century-long battle for justice, i.e., the recognition of the first ethnic cleansing of the 20th century – the Armenian Genocide. The two unfortunately have several things in common (as you can tell): mainly the struggle to build life in the midst of uncertainties, life that goes beyond that of the individual and embraces different aspects of community at large.
I moved to Cyprus in 2005 and subsequently received my Cypriot citizenship. I have been working in the Arabian (Persian) Gulf countries for the last 30 years. I often find myself asking the recurring question: “Where is home”? Is it Beirut, Nicosia, or better yet, Kuwait? I suppose I am what you may call the archetype of an Armenian living in diaspora.
Don’t get me wrong, my heart is filled with love and appreciation for all these countries that have given me citizenships, identities, education, shelter… accompanied with a few challenges along the way as well – mainly the challenge of staying alive while growing up in war-zone Beirut. Nevertheless, it made me the person I am today and incredibly proud of my rich heritage (which I will talk more of throughout this piece).
I also have a sensation of deep joy and pride in my heart when I think of the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh. Each of my visits to my homelands only reinforces this sensation and strengthens my Christian faith. The homelands where my identity is rooted deep in the soil and my sense of belonging is revealed.
There are reasons for that, though.
As a third-generation Armenian living in diaspora, I carry, together with every Armenian I know, the pain of the Genocide. We carry the pain of our ancestors who were massacred and the pain of being deprived of living in the land which is rightfully ours.
The flags of Armenia and Artsakh
In 1915, my father was deported from his home in Aintab. He was barely a year old then. His family settled in Aleppo, Syria, and then moved to Beirut, Lebanon, where I was born. My family lost 25 of its members during the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by Ottoman Turkey from 1908 to 1915, along with all their physical properties. I haven’t met them, but I know them because I cherish the memories and legacies they left behind through those who survived. I see their faces every time I look through old pictures in my family album and imagine a life in Aintab, and what it would have been like if they had lived.
As ironic as it may sound, this pain has in a sense made my life all the more meaningful. This same pain has made me realize that it is possible to live, prosper, and have hope for life. To live and prosper as an Armenian in diaspora, away from home, but never, not even for a minute, giving up on that hope, that we will one day go back home. Albeit home (historical Armenia) is not “reachable” at the moment, the republics of Armenia and Artsakh are.
When reflecting on the idea of how pain and suffering can bring people together, I stumbled on Walter Brueggemann’s work. Brueggemann is a prominent American theologian and believes that the task of prophetic ministry and imagination is that of bringing people to engage with their experiences of suffering and death, which energizes and links people to hope. Brueggemann explains that this hope helps the individual cut through the despair which might otherwise seem unresolvable or unending.
I really think the present war in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), that has been on-going for nearly a month now, can generate this same hope. This hope, which is the prophetic ministry of the Armenian people, will cut through the pain and despair of the Armenian Genocide and turn it to peace and justice – the peace and the justice Armenians have been longing for their whole lives.
For some context on the war, here’s a little history of the region:
The Republic of Artsakh or Nagorno Karabakh is a de facto independent state and shares borders with Armenia, Iran, and Azerbaijan. Artsakh is considered to be the second Armenian Republic. The capital of Artsakh is Stepanakert and is the largest city of the Artsakh Republic. It is the cultural, educational, and economic center of the region. Stepanakert is located on the eastern slopes of Karabakh’s mountain chain, at the left bank of the Vararakn River. The capital was originally named after this river but was later renamed in honor of Bolshevik politician and revolutionary Stephan Shahumian.
Stepanakert is a modern city with wide, clean streets, new builds, and nice parks. The predominantly Armenian-populated region (99.7%) of Nagorno-Karabakh was claimed by both the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and the First Republic of Armenia when both countries became independent in 1918 after the fall of the Russian Empire, and a brief war over the region broke out in 1920. The dispute was largely shelved after the Soviet Union established control over the area and created the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) within the Azerbaijan SSR in 1923.
When the Soviet Union fell, the region re-emerged and became the subject of what I see is a series of endless wars and suffering between Armenia and Azerbaijan. In 1991, a referendum was held in the NKAO and the neighboring Shahumian region which resulted in a declaration of independence. Ethnic conflict between Armenians and Azeris led to the 1991–1994 Nagorno-Karabakh War, which ended with a ceasefire along the current borders.
The recent military strike and the war against Artsakh by Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Islamist Jihadists, is actually a matter of life or death for Armenians. As I’m writing my thoughts down, the capital Stepanakert and other cities are being heavily bombarded. The country’s historical churches and monuments are being burnt to the ground and hundreds of innocent civilians are dying. Azerbaijan and Turkey consist of more than 90 million people. Whereas Armenia and Artsakh are barely three million put together. I cannot help but be reminded of the story of David and Goliath in the Bible, mainly when looking at the power discrepancies.
Is history repeating itself? Most likely, yes. 105 years on, we are faced with the same power trying to bring us down to our knees.
We are in a different scenario today than that of the crimes and ethnic cleansings of 1908 and 1915, though. Let me tell you why I think that is.
On September 30, 2019, I was lucky enough to be in Stepanakert, Artsakh, for the second time, presenting my book Armenian Diasporan Lives: As I Saw Them. The event took place in the National University of Artsakh. I also had a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs during this visit. I enjoyed the beautiful country and my fellow Armenians living in Artsakh. They shared their passion for the land and for the Armenian identity. The landscape is so beautiful and the people even more so. One year on, and I am still in awe of all the beauty. It is truly life changing.
Today’s war in Artsakh is in a sense a battle to hold on to that beauty, that of the land and of its peoples’ hearts. The beauty of being Armenian, really. It is this beauty that is being so passionately protected by the Armenian soldiers who are committed to defend their land up to martyrdom. The young boys on the frontline are fighting because they want to live their lives in their homeland with dignity.
For what it’s worth, my intent while writing this was not to focus on the Artsakh war with regards to what it might mean in the current geopolitical scene of the region and the world. Many proxy wars are going on in the world and numerous political analyses are being written in the media. A whole separate four pager could be written up about that. My perspectives in this article are rather those of an ordinary Armenian with strong attachments to his national, cultural, and Christian heritage and believes that the latter is possible through the homeland.
Looking at Artsakh from a patriot’s perspective, no war or physical force of any kind can eradicate its beauty. Armenians want peace, justice, and the right for the self-determination and the recognition of their homeland. From an Armenian’s perspective living in a scattered diaspora, I see bloodshed and unrest: a very high price we continue to pay, in our struggle for peace and justice.
Armenia’s total homeland area was around 300,000 sq-km. The present Republic of Armenia is 29,743 sq-km. We lost almost 90% of it over the years, during the Genocide, and the many political upheavals which followed thereafter. There is indeed not much land left to spare, is there?
As I follow the fierce battle from a distance, my prayers are with my fellow Armenians. I stand with my people as they struggle to stay alive with dignity. I stand with my army in Artsakh as they struggle for peace and justice. May the soul of the Armenian soldiers and the civilian martyrs rest in peace.
The beauty of Artsakh will never fade, and it will not be defeated.
Reverting to the biblical story of David and Goliath: David beats Goliath, even though the fight and power dynamics were uneven. David beats Goliath because he was fighting for the GOOD cause.
This is the Armenians’ war for peace and justice. It is through this struggle for peace and justice that GOOD is created.
And the GOOD always wins.
Hrayr Jebejian is General Secretary of the Bible Society in the Gulf. He holds a Doctor of Ministry degree in Bible Engagement from the New York Theological Seminary. Jebejian is the author of three books, along with articles published in academic journals and encyclopedias. He is a recipient of the Ambassador of the Homeland medal from the Ministry of Diaspora of the Republic of Armenia.
October 24, 2020
The author, Alec Minassian, with his classmates at a fund-raising event at Ferrahian
BY ALEC MINASSIAN
Following years of unprecedented turmoil and dispute along the Artsakh border with Azerbaijan, the aggression by the Azerbaijani regime has prompted overwhelming activism and decisive work in paving a path toward a more peaceful, stable condition in the region. In the face of civilian bombings, Syrian mercenaries, and authoritarian propaganda, the Armenian people and their undying spirit have proven more resilient and steadfast than any opposing force.
In the diaspora, I am met with faces of concern and prayer, but more optimistically, I’ve been enlightened and inspired by the courage and determination my classmates, teachers, friends, and family have shown. My classmates and I have taken on the initiative of putting together necessary action to overcome the current hardships we face in the homeland. Within the last few days, students, teachers, faculty, and parents have come together in unprecedented fashion to host medical supply drop-offs, social media awareness calls, Congressional text banks and petitioning, and even a car wash fundraiser that generated thousands of dollars for our soldiers fighting for their ancestral homeland.
Our community united immediately to give generously and work peacefully. Over the last three weeks, we’ve proven our strength, humility and capacity to outlive the cruel and inhumane aggression of the Azeri regime. Internationally, the Armenian community has and will continue to persevere beyond financial, social, or political downturn, because ultimately, the Armenian spirit is one of inherent determination, passion, and optimism. The work I’ve been proud to share is testament to that reality, and from it comes a certainty and an open-mindedness that is unique to the Armenian people. A certainty that ancestry, culture, diversity, and history will always overcome hatred, greed, and evil.
As a Diaspora made up of inspired, passionate Armenians, this work defines us, and the contributions we make to the homeland are both necessary and incredibly valued. Petitioning Congress, raising funds, employing social media, and inspiring the international community will prove the difference in this horrific exposal of indecency, and ultimately, there is an abundant faith and sincerity that permeates throughout the Armenian diaspora and Armenian homeland, and that sincerity and optimism is certainly an extension of the fighting spirit we are never to abandon.
We remain committed to our efforts, individually and collectively. Continue your activism through the Armenian National Committee of America. Be inspired by our schools and churches and the thousands of volunteers dedicated to the Armenian Relief Society, ArmeniaFund and other humanitarian aid organizations. Remain active. Remain committed. Remain spirited.
Alec Minassian is a senior at Holy Martyrs Ferrahian Armenian School.
Les violents combats dans le Haut-Karabakh se poursuivent malgré le cessez-le-feu convenu le 17 octobre.
L’Iran pourrait s’impliquer davantage dans le conflit si son territoire fait face a toute agression, intentionnelle ou pas.