Artsakh search and rescue mission still halted due to bad weather

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 11:46, 9 March, 2021

STEPANAKERT, MARCH 9, ARMENPRESS. Artsakh rescuers won’t resume search operations for missing troops today because of heavy snowfalls.

The State Service of Emergency Situations said they will restart the operations as soon as weather conditions allow it.

The search and rescue mission was halted on March 8 due to fog and low visibility.

So far, Artsakh rescuers retrieved the remains of 1490 servicemen and civilians since the 2020 November 10 ceasefire was signed. 

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Armenian opposition says talks with PM over snap election unsuccessful: Ifax

Reuters
March 5 2021

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Talks between the Armenian opposition and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to hold a snap parliamentary election have failed so far, the Interfax news agency cited an opposition parliamentary faction leader as saying on Thursday.

Pashinyan, who faces a political crisis and a call from the army to leave power, said earlier this week he was open to holding a snap election, but only if the opposition agreed to certain conditions.

Azerbaijani press: Italian Parliament demands provision of maps of mined areas of Azerbaijan (PHOTO)

BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 2

Trend:

The Permanent Commission on Foreign Affairs of the Lower House of the Italian Parliament adopted a resolution on the implementation of agreements between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Trend reports.

The document calls on the parties to take constructive actions to facilitate demining operations in the liberated regions of Azerbaijan, and in this regard, it is proposed to provide maps of mined areas.

The resolution says that the Azerbaijani side fulfilled its obligations under the trilateral statement, returned all Armenian prisoners of war taken before and during the war.

The document calls on the Italian government to support the initiatives of the UN, OSCE and the European Union to fully implement the Statement of November 9, 2020 and call for the release of all prisoners of war. The Italian government has also been tasked with working with the governments of both countries on a bilateral level to advance confidence-building measures to establish a future peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

At the same time, the Italian government has been instructed to call on the parties to take constructive action to facilitate demining operations and provide maps of minefields.

Armenpress: Ara Ayvazian, Josep Borrell discuss issues of regional stability and security

Ara Ayvazian, Josep Borrell discuss issues of regional stability and security

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 21:38, 2 March, 2021

YEREVAN, MARCH 2, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Ara Ayvazian held a telephone conversation with Vice-President of the European Commission, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell on March 2.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the MFA Armenia, the Armenian FM and the EU High Representative, the sides congratulated each other on the occasion of the completion of the ratification of the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement, noting that the full entry into force of the agreement opens new prospects for the multidimensional cooperation between Armenia and the EU.

During the conversation the sides also referred to the issue of regional security and stability. Ara Ayvazian and Josep Borrell exchanged views on the humanitarian crisis in Artsakh and the involvement of international partners for addressing the challenges facing the Armenian population of Artsakh. The sides higjlighted the role of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs in addressing the issues related to the peaceful settlement of Nagono Karabakh conflict.

Artsakh’s MFA strongly condemns Azerbaijan’s refusal to grant status of POWs to Armenian servicemen

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 20:04, 1 March, 2021

YEREVAN, MARCH 1, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan’s refusal to grant the status of prisoners of war to the Armenian servicemen and to repatriate them, as well as to release civilians as announced by the Azerbaijani president in an interview to foreign journalists on 26 February and by the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry on 27 February, is a flagrant violation of Azerbaijan’s international obligations under international humanitarian law and does not stand up to scrutiny, ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Foreign Ministry of Artsakh.

The manufactured position of official Baku that these captured Armenians are not prisoners of war, claiming they were captured after the signing of the Trilateral Statement by the leaders of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan cannot exempt Azerbaijan from its obligations under the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War. Azerbaijan, as a signatory of the Geneva Conventions, does not have the liberty to redefine persons at its leisure to escape its international humanitarian law obligations. Azerbaijan’s obligation to comply with, and strictly observe, international humanitarian law (jus in bello) and ensure its observance cannot be absolved by arguments regarding the rules of use of force, (jus ad bellum), which is governed by other international treaties, in particular the UN Charter. The obligation of States to comply with the principles of international humanitarian law is absolute, and it is not diluted in any manner whatsoever by arguments as to the lawfulness of any use of force.
 
In its argumentation that the captured servicemen are not POWs, Azerbaijan also openly distorts the facts on the ground and demonstrates utter impunity. The 64 Armenian servicemen captured by Azerbaijan in December 2020 were deployed in the villages of Khtsaberd and Hin Tagher of the Hadrut region of the Republic of Artsakh, which were under the control of the Artsakh Defence Army at the time of the signing of the Trilateral Statement. They were maintaining their positions as clearly required by Paragraph 1 of the Trilateral Statement. The capture of these 64 servicemen was a direct consequence of Azerbaijan’s violation of the Trilateral Statement’s clear call for a cessation of hostilities.
 

Azerbaijan’s semantic gymnastics — redefining POWs in order to avoid its international humanitarian law obligations — is immediately apparent by the fact that, in addition to the 64 servicemen captured in December 2020, Azerbaijan still refuses to repatriate persons captured during its military aggression against the Republic of Artsakh, which it unleashed on 27 September 2020. Azerbaijan’s position is legally and factually bankrupt.
 
Azerbaijan’s blatant circumvention of its obligations under international humanitarian law in relation to the captured Armenian military personnel and civilians is not only contrary to the requirements of the Geneva Conventions relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War and to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War but it renders the Armenians held by Azerbaijan hostages. Indeed, Azerbaijan is detaining such persons for the very purpose of leverage to promote its position in the ongoing implementation of its strategic objectives against the Republic of Artsakh and the Republic of Armenia.
 
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh sent letters to the specialized agencies of the UN and the Council of Europe, furnishing them a detailed analysis concerning the continuing application of international humanitarian law to persons captured by Azerbaijan. The letters thoroughly explained why members of the armed forces of a State, while in a dispute with another State, are entitled to POW status if they fall into the hands of the enemy, regardless of whether there are full-scale hostilities between the two States.
 
The international specialized institutions charged with monitoring the implementation of Azerbaijan’s commitments under international humanitarian and international human rights law, are in accord. In fact, these institutions have demanded, repeatedly, the immediate release of the prisoners of war and civilians held captive by Azerbaijan; they have done so in public statements and during closed meetings with Azerbaijani representatives. Azerbaijan refuses to comply.
 
Consistent with the requirements of the Trilateral Statement and the Geneva Convention, we demand that Azerbaijan comply with its international humanitarian law obligations rather than continue to try to justify its manifest violations with unlawful and vacuous statements. We further urge the international community, in accordance with the Common article 1 to all Geneva Conventions, to compel Azerbaijan to immediately and comprehensively comply with its clear obligations under the Conventions.

Live Updates: PM Pashinyan Says Armenian People Will Not Allow Military Coup

Sputnik
Feb 25 2021
© REUTERS / ARTEM MIKRYUKOV
World

09:14 GMT 25.02.2021(updated 13:19 GMT 25.02.2021) Get short URL

Earlier in the day, the general staff demanded Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation and warned him against using force against the Armenian people.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that he had sacked the chief of the armed forces’ general staff, Onik Gasparyan.

Nikol Pashinyan assessed the general staff’s calls as an attempt to stage a military coup and had invited his supporters to gather at the Republic Square in Yerevan. He also pledged to address the nation soon.

The Armenian Defence Ministry’s spokesman, Gevorg Altunyan, declined to comment on the armed forces’ statement.

Follow Sputnik’s feed to find out more.     

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  • 19:46

    WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The United States is watching the situation in Armenia very closely and is calling on all sides to exercise restraint, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on a press briefing, held on Thursday.

    “We are of course aware of recent developments in Armenia. We are following the situation very closely ,” Price said at a briefing. “We urge all parties to exercise restraint and to avoid any escalatory or violent actions. We remind all parties of the bedrock democratic principle that [a] state’s armed forces should not intervene in domestic politics.”

     

  • 18:36

    Iran is closely monitoring the developing political situation in neighbouring Armenia, expecting all parties to exercise restraint, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Thursday.

    “We closely follow the situation in Armenia,” Khatibzadeh said in a statement, extending a call on “all parties” to exercise restraint.

    Supporters and opponents of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan staged new demonstrations in Yerevan earlier in the day. This followed a series of high-profile military layoffs, including of army chief of staff Onik Gasparyan and deputy chief Tigran Khachatryan, who mocked the prime minister’s controversial comment about the alleged failure of Russian-supplied Iskander missiles during the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.

    The military demanded that Pashinyan step down, which the prime minister slammed as an attempted coup.

  • 16:08

    Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan discussed the situation in Armenia by phone, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.

    The phone conversation took place at the initiative of the Armenian side.

    “The situation in Armenia was discussed … Putin spoke in favour of maintaining order and calmness in Armenia, resolving the situation within the framework of the law,” the spokesman said.

    “The head of the Russian state also called on all sides for restraint,” Peskov added.

    Another political crisis erupted in Yerevan after Pashinyan’s careless words about Russian missile systems Iskander. The deputy chief of Armenia’s general staff, according to media reports, ridiculed the prime minister, for which he was dismissed, and the chief of the general staff was offered to resign as well. On Thursday morning, the Armenian Armed Forces issued a statement demanding the resignation of Pashinyan himself. The prime minister regarded this as an attempted coup and called on his supporters to take to the streets. In the meantime, the opposition has erected barricades and set up a tent camp near the parliament, they are not inclined to negotiate with the authorities and demand the resignation of the prime minister.

  • 15:35
  • 14:22

    Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan wrapped up his rally and urged all political forces to start consultations, a Sputnik correspondent reported Thursday.

    “From this moment on, we have finished our events and we expect our colleagues in the opposition to do the same,” the prime minister said, adding that he was going back to the government building.

    Pashinyan led a rally of his supporters through the streets of Yerevan for the second time in one day. Earlier on Thursday, the General Staff of the Armed Forces demanded that Pashinyan resign.

  • 14:05

    Armenian opposition leader Vazgen Manukyan on Thursday urged for barricading the streets next to the parliament amid the standoff between the government and the General Staff of the Armed Forces.

    Earlier in the day, the General Staff demanded that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his government resign.

    “We are not leaving, we are staying here and blocking the streets with barricades so that lawmakers would come and send him [Pashinyan] packing. To waste this opportunity would be to lose the country,” Manukyan said.

  • 13:55

    Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Thursday he had given up the idea of early parliamentary elections, although he had entertained it before.

    “Upon your request, I am taking the idea of early legislative elections off the table,” the prime minister said at a rally with his supporters.

  • 13:41

    The Armenian Defence Ministry said Thursday that any attempts to get armed forces involved in political activity were unacceptable.

    “Armenian Armed Forces guard the borders of the homeland to the fullest of their abilities and ensure their security. The armed forces are a non-political entity and any attempts to get the armed forces involved in any political activity are unacceptable,” the ministry said in a statement.

  • 13:28

    Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Thursday said his opponents might face arrests if they crossed any lines from statements to action.

    “If someone crosses the line from political statements, they will be arrested. No more velvet,” Pashinyan said at a rally.

    Pashinyan came to a power as a result of a so-called velvet revolution.

  • 12:57

    Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Thursday at a rally in Yerevan it was up to the people to decide if he should step down.

    Earlier in the day, Armenia’s general staff demanded Pashinyan’s resignation in the wake of his decision to sack the first deputy chief of the general staff.

    “It is only up to the people to decide if I should step down,” Pashinyan stressed.

    The prime minister recalled he had invited the opposition to study the possibility to hold snap parliamentary elections, but the opposition made use of it to escalate tensions.

    “It is only up to the people to address such issues. Let the people demand, let the people judge me,” Pashinyan said.

  • 12:46

    Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called on the general staff chief, Onik Gasparyan, to step down voluntarily, as President Armen Sargsyan has not signed the decree on his dismissal.

    “I held a phone conversation with the president and I told him he should sign my petition to fire [Gasparyan]. If he does not sign it, does it mean he joins the coup?” Pashinyan said at a rally in Yerevan.

    The prime minister called on Gasparyan to step down voluntarily.

    “I expect either the president to sing the decree, or the chief of the general staff to resign on his own. Then I will start political consultations with the sharpest critics,” Pashinyan noted.

  • 12:42

    President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said Thursday that the situation in neighboring Armenia had never been worse and the country was in that state because of its leadership.

    “Armenia has never been in such a pitiable state. It is their leadership that got them to this place,” Aliyev said, as quoted by his press service.

  • 12:38

    Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Thursday that the army cannot get involved in any political process, since it must obey the people and the elected government.

    “The army cannot participate in political processes. The army must obey the people and the authorities that were elected by the people,” Pashinyan said at a rally in Yerevan.

    The Armenian leader stressed that the previous governments had some “stooges” in the armed forces and called on them to leave.

  • 12:27
  • 12:25

    Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called on the military on Thursday to fulfill their duties and focus on protecting the country’s borders and territorial integrity.

    “I order all the soldiers, officers and generals to mind their business and protect borders and Armenia’s territorial integrity,” Pashinyan said.

    The prime minister also expressed confidence that the Armenian people would never allow a coup.

  • 12:23

    Armenian warplanes on Thursday flew over the capital of Yerevan during rallies of supporters and opponents of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan amid a political crisis in the country, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

    The military aircraft flew over Liberty Square, and the opposition supporters who gathered there welcomed this move.

  • 11:59

    Armenian President Armen Sargsyan said on Thursday he was already taking steps to de-escalate tensions and secure a peaceful settlement to the conflict between the government and the military.

    “I am urgently initiating steps to reduce tensions and find a peaceful solution,” Sargsayn said in a statement, released on his official website.

    The president called on Armenians not to fall for provocations.

    “Our people cannot afford a discord, we must reject any attempt to destabilize the country,” Sargsayn continued.

    The Armenian leader asked all the state bodies, law enforcement agencies, political forces and the people to exercise restraint. According to  Sargsayn, a single ill-considered word is enough to deepen the crisis.

  • 11:52

    Armenian opposition leader Vazgen Manukyan, who used to serve as prime minister and defenсe minister, expressed the belief on Thursday that the events enfolding in his country were not an attempt to overthrow the government.

    “This is not a coup, the army has a constitutional right to point at the key enemy who jeopardizes Armenia’s safety, and it did point to him, saying that this is [Prime Minister] Nikol Pashinyan,” Manukyan said at an opposition rally.

    The opposition figure called on the police and security agencies to side with the army.

    According to Manukyan, Armenia’s “agonizing” authorities are trying to “pit people and the army against each other.”

    “We must purge Pashinyan and restore our homeland through common effort,” Manukyan added.

  • 11:41

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavorv and his Armenian counterpart, Ara Ayvazyan, held a phone conversation on the developments in Armenia on Thursday, and Lavrov expressed hope for a peaceful settlement of the political crisis, triggered by disagreements between the government and the military, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

    “The Russian side stressed that we see the situation as Armenia’s domestic issue and hope it will be settled peacefully,” the ministry added.

    Ayvazyan briefed Lavrov on the latest developments, the ministry said.

  • 11:31
  • 11:30

    The general staff of the Armenian armed forces said on Thursday its earlier statement calling for resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was not made under any pressure.

    “This is a clear conviction, the position of generals and officers, whose only goal is to contribute to the salvation of our motherland at this critical moment. We once again confirm our clear position,” the general staff said.

  • 11:14
  • 11:11

    Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan assured on Thursday that attempts to stage a coup in his country would not succeed.

    “No,” Pashinyan told reporters at an online press conference, when asked if a coup was possible.

    Pashinyan is currently marching the streets with his supporters in Yerevan. He earlier pledged to make a statement at the Republic Square, where a rally of his supporters will be held, at 4 p.m. local time (12:00 GMT).

    A new wave of protest rocks Yerevan, as the armed forces requested Pashinyan’s resignation in the wake of his decision to fire the deputy chief of the general staff.

  • 11:10

     Turkey sees the events enfolding in Armenia as an attempt to stage a coup, which it resolutely condemns, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday.

    “Wherever a coup takes place, we condemn this. We condemn this attempt [to stage a coup in Armenia] resolutely. Criticizing the government and calling for its resignation is normal, while overthrowing the government with army assistance is unacceptable, as well as mere calls [to overthrow the government],” Cavusoglu said during his working visit to Budapest,

    Stability in Armenia is vitally important for the implementation of the Karabakh ceasefire, therefore Turkey closely follows the developments in Yerevan, the foreign minister continued.

  • 10:47

    Former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan called on the people on Thursday to support the military, calling on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to step down.

    “Authorities who lost the war and gave up our land must step down. This is the key condition for our national revival,” Kocharyan said.

    Kocharyan, who headed the country between 1998 and 2008, called on Armenian citizens to side with the armed forces.

  • 10:38
  • 10:36
  • 10:30

    The president of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Arayik Harutyunyan, is currently in Yerevan and is ready to mediate a political crisis that emerged due to disagreements between the Armenian government and the military.

    “I call on all the sides to show composure and sanity. Otherwise, our defeat will deepen and become more fatal. Stop that, we have shed so much blood. Now it is time to soften the crisis and follow the path of long-term development and strengthening,” Harutyunyan said, expressing concerns over the political situation in Armenia.

    Andranik Kocharian, the head of the Armenian parliament’s defense and security committee from the ruling My Step Faction, dismissed Harutyunyan’s offer of mediation.

    “There is no need for this. We can solve our problems on our own. Arayik Harutyunyan should instead focus on the security of Artsakh,” he said, calling the breakaway region by its preferred name.

  • 10:28

    Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan expressed the belief on Thursday that the situation in the country was manageable and called for avoiding clashes despite differences.

    “The army obeys the people and the prime minister,” Pashinyan told reporters.

    Asked about the possibility of civilian clashes, the prime minister noted that “there is always such a threat.”

    “But we must agree that this will not be the case. There are no enemies inside Armenia. There are some issues we should certainly discuss,” Pashinyan continued.

    Asked if a coup could take place in the country, the prime minister assessed the situation as “manageable” and expressed the belief that the armed forces’ move was motivated by their strong emotional reaction.

    “Even those whom I sacked remain my brothers, they are soldiers of our homeland,” Pashinyan concluded.

  • 10:17

    Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Thursday, amid tensions between the government and the military, that he and his family had no intentions to leave the country.

    “I hope you have already got used to the information terror. They keep spreading different rumors, they claim we have prepared an aircraft and are going to flee. We are here and we will not leave our homeland no matter what happens. My family is here,” Pashinayn said, while marching with his supporters in Yerevan.

  • 10:10
  • 10:02

    Opposition political party Prosperous Armenia supported on Thursday the general staff’s “game-changing” demand for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation and called on the head of the government to step down immediately.

    “The statement of the armed forces and the general staff, calling for standing side by side with the people and the statehood is a game-changer. We call on Nikol Pashinyan not to go toward a civil war, not to shed Armenian blood inside the country, not to sow discord among Armenians. Nikol Pashinyan has the last chance to step down politically with no shocks,” Prosperous Armenia said in a statement.

  • 09:34

    The Kremlin follows with concern the developments in Armenia, where tensions are escalating between the government and the military, but considers the situation to be the country’s internal affair, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.

    “We watch the developments in Armenia with concern. We believe this is exclusively an internal affair of Armenia, which we see as a very important and close ally in the Caucasus,” Peskov said at a briefing.

    The Kremlin calls on all the sides in Armenia to exercise restraint and act in compliance with the constitution, Dmitry Peskov said.

    “We are certainly calling on everyone to exercise restraint. We believe the situation should not go beyond the constitutional framework,” Peskov said at a briefing, commenting on the developments in the neighboring country.

  • 09:15
  • 09:14

Yeghishe Kirakosyan: Azerbaijan blatantly disregards its obligations under international human rights treaties

Panorama, Armenia
Feb 24 2021

On 23 February Armenia’s Representative before the ECHR Yeghishe Kirakosyan and his deputy Liparit Drmeyan met with the H.E. Mrs. Inga Stanytė-Toločkienė, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania to the Republic of Armenia, H.E. Mr Patrick Svensson, Ambassador of Sweden to Republic of Armenia and H.E. Mr. Paweł Cieplak, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Poland to the Republic of Armenia.

During the meeting, the ambassadors were informed about the human rights violations unleashed by Azerbaijan during the 44-day war in Artsakh. One of the key topics of discussion was the measures taken by the representative’s office to protect the rights of the captives currently held in Azerbaijan. In addition, the ambassadors’ attention was drawn to the fact that Azerbaijani government blatantly disregards its obligations under the international human rights treaties, namely the European Convention on Human Rights, the representative’s office reported.

Kirakosyan emphasized, that from the very beginning of the war a number of interim measure requests have been submitted to the European Court of Human Rights to protect the rights of prisoners of war and civilian captives. He further elaborated on the interstate application lodged against Azerbaijan with regard to the violations of rights guaranteed under the European Convention on Human Rights.

Members of the meeting also discussed the results registered by the Constitutional Reform Commission and further actions: The ambassadors offered their support in the implementation of further constitutional reforms.

Yerevan.Today: Furious police state in Armenia with silent accompaniment of US, EU, CoE ambassadors

News.am, Armenia
Feb 24 2021

In fact, there is a caricature, a junta, an anti-democratic, and an anti-popular police state regime in Armenia. Today [PM] Nikol Pashinyan had organized a “police rally” in the center of Yerevan. In addition to the fact that it is a disgrace in itself, it was also a confession-demonstration of the self-destruction of Pashinyan and his “[My] step team.” The thing is that in the past, Nikol Pashinyan and his “step members” used to talk about the large number of police officers, the danger of turning Armenia into a police state, and so on, in the most scurrilous ways, whereas Nikol Pashinyan himself turned Armenia into a ruined, failed country where he still remains in power only with the help of the police-state regime. Analyst Armen Hakobyan wrote about this on Yerevan.Today website.

Moreover, Pashinyan himself, as we see, surrounds the “walkway” with several thousand policemen to walk 100-150 meters in the center of the capital.

By the way, in the past—that is, at the time when Nikol Pashinyan was an oppositionist and shouted about the police state—he and others like him were actively accompanied by the ambassadors of the United States, Great Britain, the representatives of the EU, the CoE [(Council of Europe)]; in general, organizations representing “international human rights.” They are stubbornly silent now. They are silent like a courtesan. Yes, like a courtesan, not a partisan.

What’s really going on?

First of all, it should be noted that since March 2020, the country was under a state of “emergency” for half a year, as if to fight the [corona]virus. In fact, on September 27, 2020, the [Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh)] war broke out and “martial law” was declared. On November 9, the war ended with Nikol Pashinyan’s capitulation act secretly signed behind the people., whereas the martial law continues for the fourth month already.

On what grounds? None. The government says that you know the [army] General Staff wants that, as if there is still a danger of resumption of hostilities. However, let us remind both our government and the ambassadors of the bastions of democracy that, for example, in Georgia, during the 2008 hostilities, martial law was imposed for only 15 days, and in Ukraine, martial law was maintained for only 30 days during all that time. And the only reason, in my opinion, is that Nikol Pashinyan thinks that under martial law, being surrounded by police, he will extend his rule for still some time, perhaps fulfilling some of his commitments assumed before the Turkish-Azerbaijani tandem and to complete the absolute destruction of Armenia.

What is noteworthy?

There is unprecedented police boundlessness in Armenia, absurd and unfounded “martial law,” persecution of opposition figures, active citizens, and public figures is being carried out on the orders of the government on trumped-up charges. On Nikol Pashinyan’s direct instruction, the police use violence against demonstrators in most brutal manners, Andranik Kocharyan, a senior representative of the government, disrespectfully threatens to shoot peaceful demonstrations by people, they are detaining—under the fight against fake [social media accounts]—analysts, arrest a media manager, open a [criminal] case against the prime ministerial candidate of the opposition, and constantly threaten by the lips of various-caliber figures of the government. All this happens almost every day, after the end of the war, there is no political solution; power is kept only by police solutions.

And the once most attentive US embassy ever, the representatives of the European Union and the Council of Europe are strangely silent. They don’t even make a noise. Why?

That is, we can safely assume that in the past they were overactive not because they are advocates of democratic approaches, freedoms, human rights, their countries, and Armenia a member of the Council of Europe, but because they needed it that way to impose something on today’s/read— former/authorities. Or we can assume that the ambassadors are additionally funded by our hostile countries in order not to hinder the Nikol state, to prolong it as much as possible, to destroy Armenia and the people. Maybe their silence is concrete silver, perhaps reflected in their bank accounts? Otherwise, if it is neither one case nor the other, then how to explain the ambassadors’ silence towards this number of injustices?

By the way, if I am not mistaken, it is in the functions of the Council of Europe to monitor and respond if a state of martial law is maintained in a member state after the cessation of hostilities, effectively restricting civil rights and freedoms. In our country, I repeat, it is maintained for almost 4 months. And, you ask, where is that reaction?

No, it’s not that the hope is on their talk. But who are they after this silence of theirs?

Armen Hakobyan


The Problem with Western Absence in the South Caucasus

Feb 19 2021
FEBRUARY 19, 2021 OLIVIA LETTS

The Cipher Brief’s Academic Incubator partners with national security-focused programs from colleges and Universities across the country share the work of the next generation of national security leaders. 

Olivia Letts is a graduate of the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service.

ACADEMIC INCUBATOR — The November ceasefire, brokered by Russia to end Armenia and Azerbaijan’s fighting over the highland territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, is unlikely to hold.  It provides yet another example of Russia taking the lead where the West has disappointed in recent years, following closely on the heels of Moscow’s decision to fill the power vacuum in Syria after the United States left its Kurdish allies to be ousted by Turkish forces.

Russia’s monopoly on Nagorno-Karabakh peacekeeping is not ideal for Azerbaijan or Armenia, as Russia has been known to exploit weaknesses in former Soviet satellite countries in order to maintain its influence.  From the heavy-handed actions it has taken in the War in Donbass and 2008 Russo-Georgian War, to the subtler disinformation campaigns it has waged throughout Eastern Europe, Russia has made a clear effort to keep the control in its neighborhood.  Yet Moscow can hardly be villainized for leading diplomacy efforts in Nagorno-Karabakh, where no other country is even attempting to mitigate the deadly ethnic conflict which continues to foment more instability costing Azerbaijani and Armenian lives.

The First Nagorno-Karabakh War lasted from 1988 to 1994, resulting in over 25,000 deaths and producing over 1 million refugees on both the Armenian and Azerbaijani sides.  The war ended in a Pyrrhic victory for the Armenians, whose borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan were sealed as a result.  Azerbaijan, suffering a deep wound in national pride, was forced to accommodate the large majority of refugees.  The continuing dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh was thenceforth referred to as a “frozen conflict,” and the international community never imparted the blessing of legitimacy to the region known to Karabakhi Armenians as the Republic of Artsakh.  In the 2020 thawing of the conflict, over 5,000 soldiers were killed, and Karabakhi Armenians, historically the dominant ethnicity in the region, were forced to leave their homes in Nagorno-Karabakh behind—just as minority Azerbaijanis fled the region in the 1990s.

Although Azerbaijan has technically won the most recent round of the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh and reclaimed the territory it lost to Armenians in the First Nagorno Karabakh War, Russia is the real victor.  Per the conditions of the ceasefire, Moscow has deployed 2,000 Russian peacekeepers to Nagorno-Karabakh, and they are to remain there for at least five years.  The United States and the European Union have been all but virtually absent in the Caucasus region amid the violence between Azerbaijan and Armenia.  Turkey provided Azerbaijan with symbolic support and weapons for waging war, but it played a minimal role in brokering peace.

The result of the international community’s absence in Nagorno-Karabakh has been free reign for Russia to dictate the short-term outcome of the conflict.  It has also contributed to weak prospects for long-term peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.  Moscow may have all the implicit power of a mighty military and some very skilled diplomats, but the latest ceasefire should be viewed for what it is—a band-aid for a deadly ethnic conflict, not a permanent solution.  Russia will not be able to prevent a future outbreak of fighting from prompting a major mobilization of Azerbaijanis or Armenians.  In fact, Russia has already confirmed that there have been ceasefire violations.

Thomas de Waal conducted extensive interviews of both Azerbaijanis and Armenians for his book Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan Through Peace and War.  Published in 2003, it still provides one of the best analyses of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and it describes the extent of deep distrust and harmful attitudes toward the “other” in Azerbaijan and Armenia.  Azerbaijanis are still likely to see Armenia, where Russia has a military base, as a willing pawn in Russian plans to assert dominance.  Armenia is bound to incorporate the recent Azerbaijani victory into its national identity of suffering, rooted in the Ottoman-perpetrated Armenian Genocide.  This is especially likely as nationalist Armenian understanding tends to view Azerbaijanis as ethnic “Turkic” peoples who share strong linguistic and cultural ties with Turkey.  Allegations of Turkey’s involvement in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will only intensify Armenia’s sense of vulnerability.  With Armenians reeling from their recent loss, they will encourage angry and politically-mobilized Armenian diaspora communities throughout the West to press their countries to take action.

Nationalist sentiment in Armenia and Azerbaijan has spoiled various potential peace agreements, including several ill-fated but well-intentioned efforts by the OSCE’s multinational Minsk Group to solve the conflict through multinational diplomacy.  The United States, a co-chair of the Minsk Group, has vacillated between open support of Armenia and tacit preference for the Azerbaijani state due to its anti-Russian and anti-Iranian leanings, and oil wealth.  As a result, it has been unable to take full advantage of its leadership role in the Minsk Group to shape a fair peace.

Why should the West reconsider its role in Russia and Turkey’s neighborhood?  Firstly, there are basic humanitarian considerations to be upheld by working to prevent more suffering amongst Armenians and Azerbaijanis who have endured tragic losses.  Russia was right to step in and forge a short-term solution to stop fighting, and Azerbaijan and Armenia had no choice but to rely on Moscow’s peace-brokering.  However, Russia still undeniably strives to control geopolitics in the Caucasus.  Acting alone it is unlikely to prioritize Kumbaya and national healing.

Secondly, the Caucasus is a strategically important region that is often overlooked by the West.  The mountainous region is located at the crossroads of major partners and adversaries of the United States and European Union, and instability in Nagorno-Karabakh provides yet another playground for these countries to vie for power.  The Caucasus is also traversed by major oil pipelines, whose routes are dictated by tricky regional energy politics.  Strengthening multilateral diplomacy in the Caucasus region will present the United States and Europe with chances to work with rather than against Moscow, as well as ample opportunity to cooperate with estranged NATO ally Turkey.  The OSCE Minsk Group is still best vehicle available for promoting cooperation among incompatible international partners and should be resuscitated—the international community does not need to go through the trouble of kickstarting a new effort.

Thirdly, the United States and Europe should maintain a presence in the Caucasus region to safeguard international norms which are at stake, including the sovereignty of two small nations.  Azerbaijan and Armenia are vulnerable to intimidation by more powerful neighbors which have been known to flout international norms when it suits them.  Furthermore, Turkey’s potential exploitation of Syrian mercenaries and ex-ISIS terrorists in support of Azerbaijan is a disturbing trend.  If true, it constitutes a major abuse of current loopholes in international norms pertaining to the fate of foreign fighters stuck in the Middle East, where former terrorists and their families are stuck in limbo as their home countries have shirked taking responsibility for them.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict presents many challenges to the international community which deserve to be met with sensitivity, persistence, and renewed multinational efforts.  The West’s proactive diplomatic involvement is vital, as peace negotiations will need perspectives which are less swayed by selfish geopolitical considerations of local actors.  To build a lasting peace, addressing the plight of displaced persons will be vital, along with substantial efforts to heal war traumas and deep-rooted aversions to peacebuilding.  Since Armenia and Azerbaijan are far from ready to normalize their relations, there is so much the West can do to eliminate their many obstacles to peace.  Perhaps it could be argued that some corners of the globe are ready for non-interventionism to dominate the Western diplomatic mindset, but not the troubled Caucasus.

Olivia Letts is a graduate of the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service

https://www.thecipherbrief.com/column/academic-incubator/the-problem-with-western-absence-in-the-south-caucasus