Author: Khoyetsian Rose

TURKISH press: Traces of war disappearing in Azerbaijani city of Tartar

Khoyetsian Rose
 ISTANBUL EUROPE 
NOV 12, 2020 10:38 AM GMT+3
Local residents clean the streets in the Azerbaijani city of Tartar, Nov. 11, 2020. (AA Photo)

The traces of war are quickly healing in the Azerbaijani city of Tartar, which experienced heavy bombardment during the almost six weeks of fighting with Armenia.

Daily life in the city started returning to normal after a newly declared peace agreement was signed between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Baku and Yerevan signed a Russia-brokered agreement on Tuesday to end clashes that erupted in September due to continued Armenian attacks on civilians and military forces in Azerbaijan. The sides agreed to work toward a comprehensive solution to their dispute surrounding the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which had been under Armenian occupation for almost three decades.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev hailed the agreement as a victory for his country and a defeat for Armenia, saying Baku’s military success enabled it to gain the upper hand to end the occupation of its territory. Turkey welcomed the truce as a “great victory” for Azerbaijan.

On the other hand, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said he signed the “unspeakably painful” deal that allowed Azerbaijan to claim control over regions it took back in the fighting.

Relations between the ex-Soviet republics have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

Residents of Tartar gathered at the city’s Clock Square, which had suffered intense attacks from Armenian forces, to clean and sweep the streets.

Shopkeepers cleaned the debris from broken windows and opened shop.

Banovshe Huseynova, one of the municipality workers cleaning the streets, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that she was happy her country won the fight over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Fresh clashes erupted on Sept. 27, and the Armenian Army continued its attacks on civilians and Azerbaijani forces, violating humanitarian cease-fire agreements, for 44 days.

On the frontline, Baku liberated several cities and nearly 300 of its settlements and villages from Armenian occupation during this time.

Prior to the second Karabakh war, about 20% of Azerbaijan’s territory was under illegal Armenian occupation for nearly three decades.

“We are sweeping the streets of Tartar. We clean the streets and are very happy. Azerbaijan has won a great victory. It’s beautiful,” Huseynova said.

Makhmar Gahramanova, a housewife, thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for backing Baku in the conflict.

“He didn’t abandon us. May Allah help the people of Turkey,” she said.

Emphasizing that Tartar’s residents had had a “hard time” during the clashes, Gahramanova said they had been too afraid to leave their homes for a long time but they would not leave their homeland.

Aliyev also said Wednesday that the Nagorno-Karabakh area will be revived.

“Our people’s unity will enable us to bring back life to the liberated territories. Karabakh will be reborn. It will be revived and reinvigorated. It will become a real paradise,” he said on Twitter.

“These are the happiest moments in the life of every one of us. The second Karabakh war will go down in history as Azerbaijan’s glorious victory. All of our people demonstrated unity and solidarity in ensuring this victory,” he said, crediting the victory to the “professionalism and bravery” of servicemen.

The victory on the battlefield was the result of winning on the political field. “We will further solidify our historic victory in legal and political domains,” he said.

Emphasizing that security and infrastructure issues should be prioritized for the return of displaced people, Aliyev said areas require de-mining, and Baku will involve international organizations in the process.

He stressed his government will rebuild homes destroyed during the conflict, noting that damaged houses will be restored and lost property compensated.

41 detained protesters released

Khoyetsian Rose

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 15:52,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 11, ARMENPRESS. 41 detained protesters have already been released, police told ARMENPRESS.

A total of 129 protesters were detained from Freedom Square in Yerevan where an anti-government rally was organized calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Police warned the organizers of the rally that gatherings are banned under the martial law.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Armenia reports fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh’s city of Shushi

Khoyetsian Rose
TASS, Russia
Nov 8 2020
According to the Defense Ministry Spokesman Artsrun Hovhannisyan, “there is a chance that tomorrow, the battle for Shushi will end”

YEREVAN, November 8. /TASS/. Clashes between the defense army of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and the Azerbaijani armed forces are ongoing in the strategically important city of Shushi, Armenian Defense Ministry Spokesman Artsrun Hovhannisyan said in an interview with the Armenian state TV.

“Military activity is ongoing currently on the territory of the city of Shushi and its surroundings,” he said. According to the spokesman, “there is a chance that tomorrow, the battle for Shushi will end.”

Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27, with intense battles raging in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The area experienced flare-ups of violence in the summer of 2014, in April 2016 and this past July. Azerbaijan and Armenia have imposed martial law and launched mobilization efforts. Both parties to the conflict have reported casualties, among them civilians. Hostilities in the region continue despite the previously reached ceasefire agreements.

The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory that had been part of Azerbaijan before the Soviet Union break-up, but primarily populated by ethnic Armenians, broke out in February 1988 after the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its withdrawal from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1992-1994, tensions boiled over and exploded into large-scale military action for control over the enclave and seven adjacent territories after Azerbaijan lost control of them. Talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement have been ongoing since 1992 under the OSCE Minsk Group, led by its three co-chairs – Russia, France and the United States.


CivilNet: US Elections Impact On Karabakh War

Khoyetsian Rose
CIVILNET.AM

4 November, 2020 17:26

American political expert Eric Hacopian gave his take on what the 2020 US Presidential elections mean for the Karabakh war, as well as what a Biden presidency or continued Trump presidency will mean for US-Turkey relations, a possible US-brokered ceasefire, and promises of recognizing the Armenian Genocide. 

Azerbaijan Surrenders Control to Ankara-Backed Terrorists, Defense Officials Warn

Khoyetsian Rose

October 28,  2020



Ankara-backed Syrian mercenaries in Azerbaijan (AP photo)

According to the defense officials of Armenia and Artsakh, reportedly in some areas Azerbaijan is surrendering control of the battlefield to Turkey-backed terrorists that have been fighting alongside Azerbaijani forces.

The Artsakh Defense Ministry reported on Wednesday that the Azerbaijani forces are establishing bases for the terrorist groups to camp down to fight Artsakh defense forces.

“We have officially announced that. Yes, in some directions Azerbaijan seems to have surrendered the control of some areas to terrorist groups,” said Armenia’s Defense Ministry representative Artsrun Hovhannisyan, who warned regional countries of the potential threat to security.

“According to radio reconnaissance data and analyzing the tactics and phone conversations between Turkish-Azerbaijani mercenaries and terrorists, it has become obvious that during the recent days, as a result of the retreat in some directions of the Armenian units for tactical considerations, the Azerbaijani armed forces are diligently establishing bases for terrorist groups in those areas, the activities of which can further escalate and destabilize the situation not only near the borders of Armenia and Artsakh, but pose a serious threat to the entire region,” said a statement from the Artsakh Defense Ministry.

The Artsakh defense ministry urged the Azerbaijani armed forces to adhere to the humanitarian ceasefire agreements, “otherwise face imminent retaliation.”

“During the day the enemy continued firing at peaceful settlements of Artsakh. Particularly, the cities of Shushi and Stepanakert were bombed by Smerch multiple rocket launchers, severely damaging the maternity hospital of the capital, and civilian infrastructures of the two countries. One civilian has been killed, some others are injured,” explained the Artsakh Defense Minister.

Artsakh presidential spokesperson Vahram Poghosyan warned Wednesday that the military-political leadership of Azerbaijan is continuing to carry out overt and deliberate war crimes, targeting Artsakh’s hospitals, schools, residential houses and other public objects from different weapons, killing or injuring civilians

“And the world with, its well-known media outlets, continues to silently record it, at best, regretting for the human losses,” said Poghosyan in a Facebook post.

“The international community should put an end to the futile actions aimed at stopping this war that has turned into a humanitarian disaster and take practical measures, otherwise, the crisis will further deepen into the region,” added Poghosyan.

“We once again urge the residents of the Azerbaijani settlements in whose houses Azerbaijani armed forces have positioned their military hardware, to leave and not to become a human shields against our retaliation to the war crimes of the Azerbaijani authorities,” said Poghosyan.

“Armenia calls for the immediate withdrawal of international terrorist organizations from the South Caucasus and resolutely rejects Turkey’s actions aimed at further destabilization of the region,” said a statement by Armenia’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday.

“We strongly condemn the joint efforts of Turkey and Azerbaijan – terrorist supporting countries – to turn their countries into a hub of international terrorism and spread that plague throughout the region. In order to confront this threat, close cooperation among all parties interested in regional security is required,” added the foreign ministry.

“Armenia and Artsakh, unlike our two neighbors, do not host, but fight terrorists,” added the statement.

The Water Factor in the Karabakh Conflict

Khoyetsian Rose
The Jamestown Foundation
Oct 28 2020

11:14 AM Age: 7 hours

Sarsang reservoir (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

On the morning of October 22, Armenian forces fired SCUD missile at various locations inside Azerbaijan, including the city of Gabala, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported (Twitter.com/HikmetHajiyev, Azerbaycan24.com, October 22). Gabala is an important hub along the Oguz–Gabala–Baku water pipeline, which was built in 2011 in order to supply the region of Absheron and the Azerbaijani capital (see EDM, January 7, 2011).

The missile barrage was, at that time, the latest in a series of such strikes targeting cities and strategic infrastructure outside the Karabakh conflict zone (see EDM, October 19, 2020). Among others, long-range attacks have been previously aimed at Mingachevir, which hosts an important water reservoir and a hydroelectric power plant, itself the objective of an October 11 strike (TASS, October 11).

Water shortages and the risk of drought have long been major sources of concern in Azerbaijan, which is heavily dependent for its supplies of water for drinking and irrigation on the Kura-Araks river basin, shared with Georgia and Armenia. The main exception is, in fact, the Oguz–Gabala–Baku pipeline, which pumps water sourced entirely from local springs in norther Azerbaijan. The authorities have made multiple attempts over time to try to address the country’s water security issue, mainly by drilling wells. And over the summer, President Ilham Aliyev reiterated this topic, characterizing it as a top-agenda item for his administration (President.az, July 23).

In fact, one of the first moves that followed Azerbaijan’s reclaiming of territory as a result of the ongoing weeks of fierce fighting in Karabakh was the announcement of a tender for the maintenance and amelioration of water facilities in the former occupied lands (Azertag.az, October 19). Among the retaken territories, many have strategic importance for water management, including Khudaferin and Sugovushan (formerly Madagiz). In particular, Sugovushan hosts a water reservoir that is central to the operation of the Sarsang water facility complex. The Sarsang reservoir on the Terter River was built by Soviet authorities to serve the area of lower Karabakh. It is located in the mountains, currently de facto controlled by the Yerevan-backed separatist forces. Sarsang is used both to generate electricity and provide drinking and irrigation water. The smaller Madagiz reservoir is located 20 kilometers downstream and feeds irrigation canals that were meant to serve the regions in the lowlands (Aghdam, Aghjabedi, Barda, Goranboy, Terter, Yevlakh). Prior to 1994, annual water use in the region was estimated at around 700 million cubic meters. But until the current advancement of Azerbaijani forces, the use of over 90 percent of the 22-km-long canal from Sarsang was denied to Azerbaijan’s nearby lowlands.

Armenian control of the area permitted Yerevan to use Sarsang as political leverage during the non-combat phases of the three-decades-long Karabakh conflict. In fact, by holding the upstream, main branch of the water complex, Karabakh’s de facto authorities could alternatively regulate periodic outflows of water or turn off the taps. A 2015 investigation by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) highlighted the multiple environmental and social consequences an uncooperative management of the reservoir. According to the report, water flow from Sarsang was reduced during the summer months, when it is most needed, resulting in insufficient supplies for agricultural purposes. Moreover, the lack of maintenance of the reservoir and denial of access to independent experts not only spurred concerns over the damaged structure but also impeded the use of Sarsang water as potable, due to concerns it could be contaminated. Consequently, Azerbaijan had to put in place a system of groundwater pumps and wells, which is more costly and environmental destructive, can lead to salinity intrusion of the soil, and result in lower agricultural productivity (Assembly.coe.in, December 12, 2015). Following the 2015 report, PACE approved a resolution in 2016 that framed the situation as a humanitarian problem and requested that the Armenian Armed Forces withdraw from the area to allow access to independent engineers and international supervisors to oversee an equitable operation of the facility. Moreover, the pan-European democratization and human rights body defined the present situation as “environmental aggression,” referencing the 1992 United Nations Water Convention (Assembly.coe.int, January 26 2016).

On October 22, President Aliyev sent a tweet accusing Armenia of perpetrating “ecological terror” and called for the development of agriculture in the retaken areas (Twitter.com/presidentaz, October 22).

Throughout the long-lasting so-called “frozen conflict,” the water dispute has been an important underlying factor. And by, now, trying to attack water facilities, in particular the vital Oguz–Gabala–Baku pipeline, Armenian forces aim at undermining civilian Azerbaijani morale and creating unrest within the country, where support for the military operation and the current favorable momentum in the war constitute a unifying factor and boost support for Aliyev (Aqreqator.az, July 13).

In the previous outbreak of serious clashes, this past July, experts and observers expressed concern for the security of Azerbaijani oil and natural gas facilities, which permit the country to export its energy resources to the global market. This time, Armenian forces are concentrating on water facilities to affect the Azerbaijani people exclusively, thus significantly reducing the likelihood that these strikes might push third parties with an interest in stable energy flows to interfere in the conflict on the side of Baku.

Given the Azerbaijani military’s overwhelming successes in recent weeks in progressively overpowering the Armenian forces, Yerevan’s strategy has been to wage an asymmetric war, aimed at sapping the enemy’s morale and endurance by depriving it of a basic good. This strategy represents a continuation of the past three decades of such activities, during the non-combat phases of the conflict, but heretofore largely limited to the occupied territories. Now, with the use of ballistic missiles, Armenia’s strategy is specifically to expand those activities beyond the occupied regions in order to even put the residents of the Azerbaijani capital at risk of manufactured drought.

Iran Has a Proposal to Settle Karabakh Conflict

Khoyetsian Rose

October 27,  2020



Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif

Iran has prepared a proposal for what it called a “permanent” settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the country’s foreign minister, Javad Zarif announced Tuesday.

Foreign Minister Javad Zarif told state television that his deputy, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, will visit Baku and Yerevan in the coming days to present the plan to Azerbaijani and Armenian authorities.

“Right now the Deputy Foreign Minister is near the border of Iran with Armenia, Azerbaijan, he is touring at the Khoda Afrin dam, after which he will leave for Baku, Moscow and Yerevan. Iran has developed an initiative for a lasting settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which will be presented today or tomorrow,’’ the state IRNA news agency quoted Zarif as saying.

Zarif added that Iran is concerned with the presence of takfiri terrorists and other terrorists in the region. ”In this regard we have clearly stated that this is inadmissible for the Islamic Republic of Iran,’’ he said.

The Commander of the Iranian Army Major-General Abdolrahim Mousavi has vowed “strict punishment” to the “takfir-terrorists” near Iran’s borders, local news media reported.

Mousavi made the comments after visiting the Iranian air defense troops and inspecting the readiness level of the units at the north-western borders.

Mousavi stressed the need to ensure the safety of residents in the border towns. He said the air defense units are on high alert in the north-western part of Iran and the units will be increased is required.

This announcement comes hours after Azerbaijani forces attacked Armenia’s border positions in the south on the border with Iran. For weeks, Azerbaijani forces have been attacking the Khoda Afrin Dam, which lies on the Artsakh-Iran border along the Arax River.

Putin, Macron emphasize importance of observing ceasefire agreement in NK conflict zone

Khoyetsian Rose

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 19:34,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 20, ARMENPRESS. President of Russia Vladimir Putin and President of France Emmanuel Macron held a telephone conversation, discussing the developments in Nagorno Karabakh conflict zone in detail, ARMENPRESS reports, the press service of the Kremlin informs, noting that the Presidents emphasized the importance of observing the ceasefire agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Vladimir Putin informed about the measures aimed at preventing the future escalation of the military operations and immediate resumption of negotiations for a political – diplomatic settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict. The sides emphasized the importance of observing the ceasefire agreements of October 10 and 17 reached between the conflicting sides.

During the conversation the Presidents of Russia and France emphasized the readiness to closely coordinate activities in the sidelines of both OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs’ format and the UNSC.

Asbarez: Trump Aware Turkey is ‘Reinforcing Azerbaijan,’ Pompeo Says

Khoyetsian Rose

October 14,  2020



Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during a press briefing on Oct. 14

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday confirmed that the United States is aware of Turkey’s involvement in the Karabakh conflict, saying Ankara is Ankara is “reinforcing” Azerbaijan.

In his Wednesday morning briefing, Pompeo said he has discussed the matter with President Donald Trump.

“I don’t want to get into the conversations that are ongoing and continue to be ongoing, but suffice it to say I spoke to President Trump about this just this morning briefly,” said Pompeo.

“We are watching what’s taking place there. We have joined our European partners and, frankly, many countries around the world to ask that there be a ceasefire as a beginning of a solution to the conflict,” Pompeo said.

“We have watched the reporting of civilians deaths. We have watched Turkey begin to reinforce Azerbaijan,” added Pompeo. “We have asked every international player to stay out of the region, not to continue to reinforce trouble. We are working to deliver that,” added Pompeo.

The Secretary of State said the U.S. is using its “diplomatic toolkit to try to achieve an outcome that is a solution based on international law.”

“It’s pretty straightforward, we are focused on it. We are paying a great deal of attention to it, and we’ve frankly done some work that I think increases the likelihood that the objectives that I just identified actually take place,” he added.
In a Twitter post on Tuesday, Pompeo offered the same false-parity that has been emanating from the State Department for 30 years now in reference to the Karabakh conflict.

“The United States calls on Azerbaijan and Armenia to implement their commitments to a ceasefire as agreed and cease targeting civilian areas, such as Ganja and Stepanakert. We deplore the loss of human life and remain committed to a peaceful settlement,” said Pompeo on Twitter, referring first to Azerbaijan’s second largest city, which was hit by one bomb last week and then Stepanakert, Artsakh’s capital, which has been under continuous shelling by Azerbaijan for more than week.

No alternative to peaceful settlement of NK conflict – Armenia MFA

Khoyetsian Rose

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 11:51, 6 October, 2020

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 6, ARMENPRESS. Armenia’s Foreign Ministry commented on the statement of the foreign ministers of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries.

Armenpress presents the MFA’s statement:

“Armenia values the statement of the Foreign Ministries of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries, in which the unprecedented massive targeting of the civilian population and infrastructure in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict zone is condemned in the strongest terms as an unacceptable threat to the stability of the region. 

Armenia reiterates the need for an immediate ceasefire, which the Foreign Ministry of Armenia has already emphasized in its statement issued on October 2, 2020.

We once again underscore that there is no alternative to the peaceful settlement and the peace process, and any attempt of military solution will be resolutely prevented”.