Author: Ophelia Vardapetian

Diana Gasparyan explores life in life in unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh

Ophelia Vardapetian
JAM News
    Diana Gasparyan

These stories of life in the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic are told by journalist Diana Gasparyan who went there for the first time to meet local residents and learn first-hand what is happening there after the second Karabakh war. During the trip, she kept a travel diary for JAMnews.

JAMnews is a publication that tells about the processes in the South Caucasus and about people whose lives are affected by conflicts. Authors and editors from across the region are involved in creating these stories. Many names and place names are controversial between different communities and societies living in a conflict or post-conflict context. When publishing personal blogs, the names and toponyms that are accepted in the author’s society are preserved, but they do not necessarily coincide with the opinions and ideas of JAMnews or its individual employees.

  • Post-war life of displaced residents of Nagorno-Karabakh
  • How are Karabakh residents restoring their businesses after the war?
  • What’s become of the thousands of refugee families near Karabakh?

“I’m from Badara. My children and I are returning home. You can stay with us. There is almost nothing left of the house, but the children will show you beautiful places – what is still ours”.

Five in the morning. Central bus station of Yerevan. There are surprisingly many people for this hour of the day, all with checkered bags from perestroika times. Men smoke, discuss the “incompetence” of young drivers, women stand apart – they talk about fashion.

– “Excuse me, but how much does a ticket to Stepanakert cost?”, I ask a man standing next to me.

– It is free. Lucky, right? There is almost no homeland, but you can get there for free. Here is the bus. Stay close, otherwise, you don’t seem to understand where you are going.

During the war that began on September 27, 2020 and lasted 44 days, about 90,000 people moved from NK to Armenia. According to the Ministry of Labor and Social Issues of Armenia, most of them left, about 25,000 remained. Every day, free buses run from Yerevan to Stepanakert, which brings back those who left their homes during the days of active hostilities and are now willing to return.

I am not a very good traveler. I knew one thing for sure – I want to talk to people in Artsakh and see everything from the inside. The set soreness “trust only official sources” has not inspired confidence for a long time.

The bus was quiet all the way, a man from Badara, sitting next to me, broke the silence only once when we passed the observation posts in the Lachin corridor:

“There is no place for them [Russian peacekeepers] here. We had to defend this bridge. Why should I show my passport to someone on the way home? (after a pause) Here, eat the candy”.

Lachin. Checkpoint

The map of the territory pasted in my notebook tells me – we are approaching Shushi. At the entrance to the city there is an inscription in Azerbaijani “uşa”, along the road there are Russian peacekeepers on the one hand, Azerbaijani soldiers on the other. Their smiling faces force one of the passengers to close the curtain.

Entry to Shushi

On November 10, 2020, after the leaders of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan signed a trilateral statement on a ceasefire in Karabakh, the President of the unrecognized Republic of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan stated: “We lost control over the city of Shushi on November 5 partially, and from November 7 – completely. We were forced to agree to end the war. Otherwise, we would have lost all Artsakh”.

– Take off your mask, no one is wearing them here”, a photographer friend who meets me in Stepanakert suggests.
– But what about the coronavirus?
– Consider that during the war everyone was ill. You won’t intimidate anyone with the coronavirus, David laughs.

David Ghahramanyan

He took part in hostilities, “worked” as a war photographer, recently an exhibition of his works was held. On the way to the hotel, I ask him about his well-being.

– Do you even sleep now? – We became friends after an interview about the exhibition. He then said that he had nightmares and almost never slept at all.

– It’s better now, says David. Take a rest today, you don’t look very good (laughs). In the evening go to a local pub, Azat will meet you. Today it’s my turn to sit with my daughter – David’s daughter is only two months old.

Check in at the hotel. David did not deceive – my appearance leaves much to be desired. I put out a cigarette, call a taxi.

– Hello, I’m in “Bardak”, – I tell the taxi driver the pub address.

– Every day we have a mess, and you say pub (obviously he is pleased with his own joke). Camera? Journalist?, – I nod. – It’s a pity that you can’t film in Shushi. (long pause) Everyone became “Facebook militants” – that’s the reason for the defeat.

David warned me – here everyone has their own opinion, character and history.

I am met by Azat, the owner of “Bardak”.

– What should you pour?

– Bacardi, thanks.

Azat, owner of Bardak

“This sad saga will never end,” sings Zemfira. Such pubs have not been found in Yerevan for a long time (which is a pity): there are old posters, newspapers, cameras “from antiquity”, a dummy of a soldier of the royal guard, even a real tornado shell at the entrance. In a word, “a mess”!

– I decided to open a pub when I was lying in a trench during the 2016 war. In Talysh [this village was badly damaged during the so-called “four-day war” in 2016], the sky is the most beautiful. I then decided that I would start my own business. Then this war happened, I got wounded, ”shows the scar on his cheek, falls silent, finishes his tea.
More about saga

Pub ” Bardak ”

“Many people here do not feel confident in the future,” I interrupt his thoughts.

-If we want, the future will come. We need to create more, so that later there will be something to fight for.

Zemfira is replaced by Led Zeppelin, sometimes the music is interrupted by the conversations of visitors – again about the war.

“I’ll take you to Mkhitarashen tomorrow. You can see Shushi from there”, Azat says goodbye to me. And the “tornado” is still there.

A shell “tornado” at the entrance to the pub

In the morning, Azat’s impressive car is waiting for me at the hotel. She is a local celebrity: a large green block, all in patriotic stickers and a flag of Artsakh attached to the roof.

“They will even notice us from our posts, Azat,” I can’t contain my surprise.

-Sit down, we will ride this beauty in Shushi, remember my words.

Mkhitarashen is one of the most affected settlements in the Askeran region. An ammunition depot was located near the village. In the first days of the war, the Azerbaijani side inflicted pinpoint strikes on it. Residents say that now every day they open fire from the direction of Shushi, mainly into the air. Highways here are of general use – Azerbaijani columns pass every day.

“Bring your guest some tea, Azat. Sorry for the mess, I can’t keep up with the children, ”Armine Ohanjanyan, a resident of Mkhitarashen, fusses.

Mkhitarashen. Armine with children

“Isn’t it hard to live here?” I look at Shushi from the windows of the house.

-At first it was unbearable. We wake up every morning to the sounds of namaz. The main thing is that it is not safe here. The ambulance even refuses to go to us. The government is not too interested in us. Children still sleep in their clothes. Azerbaijani posts are about 50 meters away. They steal cattle, slaughter. I cannot let the children go beyond the yard. And what if we plant a vegetable garden, but the harvest is not possible ?, – Armine calls his youngest daughter, who runs out into the yard to fetch the ball.

She understands Azerbaijani. Sometimes he watches Aliyev’s speeches on the Internet: “Aliyev has not calmed down yet. We will never live side by side with them. “

Mkhitarashen. View from the window of Armine’s house – on Shushi

“I have a friend who is a participant in the war; he wants to open a wine restaurant in Stepanakert. He left a cafe in Shushi and a leg – in the war, – David notices that he embarrassed me. – Sorry, we are used to expressing it that way, without sarcasm and black humor – no way. “

At the entrance we are met by Ike, he limps quite a bit. If David hadn’t warned, I wouldn’t have noticed. In an apron and with a sad smile, Ike leads us inside. The institution should open one of these days, preparatory work is in full swing. Ike prepares bruschetta. Frowns and turns away when I try to photograph him.

Hayk, owner of a wine restaurant in Stepanakert

“Before the war I worked as a cook, I had my own establishment in Shushi. Shall we sit down ?, – he sits down with difficulty on the sofa, looks at me and guesses that I myself will not ask about the wound. – I lost my leg in the war. I lay on the battlefield for four hours. I thought I would die. He kept a grenade ready – better to die than to be captured. The guys pulled me out. “

When asked if he sees the future in Artsakh, Hayk replies: “We are a wounded people. But if we leave Artsakh with bleeding wounds, it will be tantamount to betrayal. I’ll stay. There are people who are afraid. But there are concepts: fear, homeland, friendship. I have fear in third place. I’m on my own land. I’m at odds with fear. “

Hayk decided to continue his business in Stepanakert

-Hayk, why did we lose ?, – a naive and stupid question (I think), but probably the most important one.

-We weren’t ready. Chaos began. And chaos and panic are the beginning of the end. I do not want to think that our defeat was in the hands of someone, especially “ours.”

On busy and at the same time sad streets I return to the hotel.

Even children play quietly here, and people look out of the windows into nowhere.

Photo from the village of Nerkin Sznekհ

Day four. I can’t find a taxi to go to Sarushen.

“They are afraid to go here from Stepanakert – it is dangerous. The road is common with the Azerbaijanis. They throw stones. They create emergency situations, ”says Vache on the way to Sarushen.

He left his parents in Yerevan and moved to the border village of Askeran region in December 2020. There was no light, no water, no heating.

He founded the “Artsakh Women for Artsakh” initiative. During the war, women from different settlements gathered and sewed ecobags.

During the war, women sewed ecobags

And Vache teaches at the Sarushen training center, which was opened by his own efforts.

He introduces me to his “sheltered” family. Women immediately set the table, children, like little Mowglats, run around the tripod and the camera.

“War turns bad into terrible and good into beautiful. There is more beauty here. I thought I was in control of emotions, – Vache freezes for a moment and points in front of him with his finger. – Look. Do you see the village? Not ours anymore. But some 200 meters. Strangers sometimes come to our yard – to look at their houses at least from afar. I bought binoculars for them. “

Yard Vache, from where the Armenian villages that have come under the control of Azerbaijan can be seen

In response to the question, is it not dangerous to live so close to the Azerbaijani posts and near the common road, the hostess of the house smiles, pouring tea for me: “Dangerous. We don’t let children go beyond the yard. Interestingly, young Azerbaijanis are more aggressive. Old people even scold them. Yes, adults know the truth. “

A family from Sarushen who gave shelter to Vache

According to the police, on March 25, 2021, Azerbaijanis passing along the Sarushen-Karmir road threw stones at an Armenian’s car. On April 12, the Azerbaijani military opened fire on the residents of Sarushen who worked in the field.

The last day, soon – home.

Finally, I meet with blogger Harutyun from Lusadzor, who builds eco-houses and hopes that Artsakh will become a tourist center for Armenia.

Harutyun and his eco-houses in Lusadzor

“No normal person should see a war. My brother’s body hasn’t been found yet. He died in the defense of Fizuli, – Harutyun, screwing up his eyes from the sun, collects tsnepak for me, as they call asparagus here. “Scrambled eggs with tsnepak are simply chic.”

Harutyun moved to Artsakh from Stavropol three years ago: “I am Hadryut, as they say here. 100 percent. At first I did not understand why there is so much sadness on the faces of the Artsakh people. Now I realized how the war can strike, it is impossible not to change ”.

Harutyun shows me his rabbits, pigs, pigeons and a dog, with which he never managed to make friends. He watches with kind envy as I stroke a huge shepherd dog.

-Harut, what has the war changed in you?

-Let me cook tsnepak for you better.

Harut prepares tsnepak

Turkey’s sun is rising in the East – is it setting in the West?

Ophelia Vardapetian
The National, UAE
June 22 2021
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Azerbaijan counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, attend a festival in Shusha, Nagorno-Karabakh. Reuters
David Lepeska

June 22, 2021

“Who lost Turkey?” has been a running question among Turkey watchers for years, a reference to fears that the supposedly secular Muslim-majority state would cut ties with the liberal-minded West and turn to the purportedly more closed-off, and Islamist, East. Today the question is largely a cliche and that’s mostly a good thing, since only Turkey is to blame for its orientation, which has rarely been static.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan paid a visit to Azerbaijan last week, looking to claim his country’s spoils after Turkey’s military advisers, advanced drones and mercenaries provided crucial backing in the Azeri victory over Armenia in last year’s war in Nagorno-Karabakh. In Shusha, a city retaken by Azerbaijan in the conflict, the Turkish leader promoted a plan to build a rail link from south-western Azerbaijan to its exclave, the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, which has been cut off by Armenia since the 1990s.

“With the implementation of this project,” Mr Erdogan declared, “a new middle corridor will be opened that everyone can benefit from, from East to West.”

Since 2015, Ankara has urged Beijing to embrace a middle route from China to Europe situated between the northern route, which involves Russia’s Trans-Siberian Railway, and a southern route through Iran. Proponents argue that harsh Siberian winters and political tensions between Russia and Georgia raise questions about the former, while the 2018 renewal of US sanctions on Iran imperils the latter. With the Zangezur Corridor line linking Azerbaijan to its exclave and the Kars-Tbilisi-Baku link opened in 2017, Turkey’s Middle Corridor could soon offer two newly developed routes.

For now, Nakhchivan remains separated from south-western Azerbaijan by a 25-kilometre-wide stretch of Armenia’s Syunik region. To get there, Azeri mainland shipments have, since the first Azeri-Armenian war in the 1990s, had to either fly or transit through Iran.

But as part of the November ceasefire, Armenia agreed to “guarantee the security of transport connections between the western regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic”. The new railway would boost the economy of Nakhchivan and provide Turkey with a direct connection to the Caspian Basin that, according to some Turkish analysts, could also be used by Beijing.

Weeks after Mr Aliyev broke ground on the last stretch of railway before the Armenian border, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan expressed support for the proposed railway, for which Armenia would in return be able to build a rail link to Iran. But widespread anger about the military defeat forced Mr Pashinyan to resign in April, and although he won Sunday’s parliamentary election, he has waffled on the Zangezur Corridor plan in his capacity as the caretaker prime minister. His main challenger in the snap poll, former president Robert Kocharyan, had vowed to oppose the new railway, in an apparent renunciation of the ceasefire deal.

To top it off, a 2014 study by International Alert, an international peacebuilding organisation, estimated that rehabilitating the Kars-Baku route via Nakhchivan would cost more than $430 million. And even once it is built, Russian oversight of the rail corridor may limit its ability to serve as a geopolitical gamechanger.

Yet the momentum may be in Turkey’s favour. After the ceasefire, Turkey gave Azerbaijan “most favoured nation” trade status and Baku responded by awarding a series of contracts to Turkish firms: to develop the state lottery; operate three major mines; and build new Central Bank headquarters and new roads in areas retaken in the war.

Armenia’s acting prime minister Nikol Pashinyan won the snap parliamentary election on Sunday. Reuters

Last week, Mr Erdogan and Mr Aliyev agreed on a new Turkish consulate in Shusha, increased security co-ordination, Turkish drone production in Azerbaijan and Turkey’s housing agency building homes for up to half a million displaced Azeris who may now return to Nagorno-Karabakh. There’s talk of a Turkish military base and Turkey’s far-right parliamentary partner, the National Movement Party, is expected to help build an arts school in Shusha.

Let’s not forget energy ties.

A year ago, Azerbaijan overtook Russia to become Turkey’s top supplier of natural gas, thanks mainly to the Tanap pipeline completed in late 2019. In December, Ankara and Baku agreed to build a gas pipeline from Turkey’s Igdir province to Nakhchivan, rerouting Azerbaijani gas sold to Turkey back to Azerbaijan’s exclave and weaning Baku off its pricey reliance on Iran. Azerbaijan’s state-owned energy firm Socar is the biggest foreign investor in Turkey, yet it has also been linked to a vast corruption web by Turkish mafia figure Sedat Peker, whose recent accusatory videos have gone viral.

Baku is not alone in its Turkish affinity. In February, Ankara agreed with Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan to transit gas from their joint Dostluk field to Europe. The next month, Turkey’s foreign and defence ministers paid visits to Central Asia, talking up partnerships, while Mr Erdogan called for a doubling of trade within the Economic Co-operation Organisation, which includes the Central Asian republics. A number of Central Asian states have expressed interest in Turkish drones and Ankara has detailed its plan to create a common market for goods, investment, labour and services by 2028.

Turkish police escort suspects of the Gulen movement in the Turkish city of Kayseri in 2017, months after a failed coup attempt. EPA

As in Afghanistan, shared objectives in the Caucasus and Central Asia represent an opportunity for Ankara to work with Washington and Brussels

There are signs that Turkey’s role in the Azeri victory may be bringing Beijing onside. Last December, trains from Turkey arrived in China via the Kars-Tbilisi-Baku line for the first time and the first freight train from Turkey arrived in China via the Trans-Caspian corridor. Now China looks set to become a major investor in the financially troubled Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge and its connecting roads, and has offered to invest billions in the proposed Istanbul canal.

Looking to encourage greater Chinese investment amid a long-running economic crisis, Turkish officials have in recent years mostly refrained from commenting on Beijing’s reported persecution in Xinjiang province. Just weeks after Turkey approved a new extradition treaty with China in May 2019, Beijing provided a $1 billion cash infusion, its largest ever.

But Turkish-Chinese trade has fallen as Ankara has made import-related policy changes that have affected China more than any other country, according to monitoring group Global Trade Alert. Talks on a Chinese-built nuclear power plant in Turkey fell through after the Japanese-French consortium building Turkey’s Sinop plant saw costs skyrocket. For years, Turkey sought to get China to pay for its rail modernisation, but balked at Beijing’s insistence that the contracts go to Chinese firms. In 2018, Turkey reached a $40bn deal with a Siemens-led German consortium to build new railway lines and improve old ones.

This underscores one of the more intriguing elements of Turkey’s approach to the Caucasus and Central Asia, which is mainly as an alternative to China and Russia. Ankara’s position largely dovetails with that of its Nato allies: both seek to ensure stability in the Caucasus, carry Caspian gas westward and curb Central Asian dependence on Beijing and Moscow.

For instance, in late May, tensions remained high as Yerevan accused Baku of torturing Armenians in custody and encroaching militarily in Armenian territory. But the US and Georgia brokered an Azeri-Armenian deal, with Baku handing over 15 Armenian captives and Yerevan sharing maps of its mine placements. Top US diplomat Philip Reeker’s visit this month to Tbilisi underscored the Biden administration’s effort to use Georgia to counterbalance Russia, and Armenia and Azerbaijan seem willing to oblige.

As in Afghanistan, shared objectives in the Caucasus and Central Asia represent an opportunity for Ankara to work with Washington and Brussels. In the end, Turkey’s latest turn to the East may be a route back to the West.

David Lepeska is a Turkish and Eastern Mediterranean affairs columnist for The National

Russia does everything possible to return Armenian captives from Azerbaijan – Ambassador

Ophelia Vardapetian

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 12:08, 22 June, 2021

YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. The return of Armenian captives from Azerbaijan is under constant attention of Russia, Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergei Kopyrkin told reporters today in Yerevan at the Victory Park.

“From the very start Russia has done and does everything possible so that the captives are returned and the process moves forward on this direction. Here General Muradov, the commander of the peacekeeping forces, plays a big role. The Russian President, Defense and Foreign Ministers are also dealing with this issue. But it’s not so easy, the solution of this issue requires major efforts”, the Russian diplomat said.

He couldn’t answer for sure whether the completion of the snap parliamentary elections in Armenia would active the return process of the captives, but noted once again that this issue is under Russia’s constant attention, and the work will continue on this direction.

Commenting on the return of 15 Armenian captives last week at the mediation of the US and Georgian authorities, the Russian Ambassador said Moscow has welcomed this step, adding that that exchange could not have taken place without preparation and very tangible works of the Russian side and peacekeepers.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Armenia reports 100 daily coronavirus cases

Ophelia Vardapetian

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 11:10, 23 June, 2021

YEREVAN, JUNE 23, ARMENPRESS. 100 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Armenia in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 224,430, the ministry of healthcare reports.

3881 COVID-19 tests were conducted on June 22.

48 patients have recovered in one day. The total number of recoveries has reached 216,230.

The death toll has risen to 4503 (1 death case has been registered in the past one day).

The number of people who have been infected with COVID-19, but died because of another disease has reached 1096.

The number of active cases is 2601.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Armenian POWs held in Azerbaijan must be released without preconditions – Italian MPs

Ophelia Vardapetian

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 16:56, 23 June, 2021

ROME, JUNE 23, ARMENPRESS. Members of Parliament of Italy from Lega party Massimiliano Capitanio and Giulio Centemero have made a statement, calling for the release of the Armenian prisoners of war, held in Azerbaijan, without preconditions.

ARMENPRESS reports, ANSA published the statement of the Italian MPs, presented below,

“Azerbaijan continues holding numerous Armenian prisoners of war as hostages for using them in political negotiations with the support of Turkey. We have been informed that recently a concerning video showing the conversation of the Turkish and Azerbaijani Presidents has appeared on the internet, which confirms the fact that Armenian captives are being held in Azerbaijan illegally and are being used for the exchange of maps of mined territories or for other concessions. Clarity and urgent, tough position from all international colleagues is necessary on this issue in order to stop the speculations on human lives.

We expect our government to make its voice heard as soon as possible, expressing its position against those who continue violating all provisions of the international humanitarian law.

Therefore, we urge that all POWs and detained civilians are immediately released and repatriated without preconditions”.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Asbarez: A Mosaic of Assistance for War-Torn Artsakh

Ophelia Vardapetian
Cathrine Yesayan

BY CATHERINE YESAYAN

Recently, I wrote a report for Asbarez about how individuals and families had to leave their homes because of the war in Artsakh. Today, I’d like to share a little bit about the humanitarian assistance that some organizations and individuals have provided to war-torn Artsakh. 

Here’s a bit of history: According to our famous historian Movses Khorenatsi, Armenians have been living in Artsakh for thousands of years. However, because of the 44-day-war in Artsakh, tens of thousands of people, including children, were forced to flee, many with no opportunity to take their personal belongings or property. Literally, they left with only their lives.

Before I go further, I’d like to tell you a legend of how the name of Artsakh came to be. Hayk Nahapet (Հայկ Նահապետ), or Hayk the Great, is a legendary patriarch and the founder of the Armenian nation. Hayk was a 5th generation descendant of Noah, or so they say. When Hayk Nahapet was improving the country, his people informed him that in the region where Artsakh is nestled, the ground is not usable because it’s very wet and mushy. 

Hayk asked his son Aramanyaki to gather all the shrubs that he could get his hands, to plant in that mushy area to make the ground suitable for agriculture and forestry. In the old Armenian language, “Tsakh” means tree, and that’s how the name Ar-tsakh came to be. It means a region where trees were planted by Aramanyaki, or “Ar” for short.

To continue with my report, here are a few organizations and individuals that have provided aid to refugees and soldiers. 

Statue of Hayk Nakhabed in Yerevan

Focus on Children Now
I had my first interview with Anahit Kalantaryan, who is the director of Focus on Children Now, a nonprofit organization with a mission statement of “breaking the poverty cycle one child at a time.” 

FCN was created in 2006 in Los Angeles, California. Since then, through its Humanitarian and Health programs, it has helped over one hundred thousand impoverished children and families across Armenia and Artsakh. 

Anahit Kalantaryan is based in Yerevan. “On Sunday, October 27, when we learned that Azerbaijan had attacked the borders of Artsakh, I immediately contacted our main office in Los Angeles and asked them for permission to use some funds to provide necessary assistance,” she said.

In only one day, Anahit procured one ton of potatoes to be shipped to the city of Goris, which is the closest border city to Artsakh in Armenia. She added that the shipment of the potatoes was the very first assistance to reach the refugees. After that, other organizations such as the Red Cross, provided assistance.

Within the next few days, after that first load, FCN organized many other shipments of food and clothing for the refugees. The city of Goris was able to shelter thousands of people in its available hotels and private homes. When there were no more rooms in Goris, other cities welcomed the refugees.  

Focus on Children Now visited a village with Yesayan on May 4, where they distributed toys and clothing to children

It has been my good fortune to closely witness how FCN has improved the lives of families and children in Armenia. During the last several years, I’ve had the opportunity to travel with their delegations to different villages in Armenia and have watched closely what FCN has offered to the schools and kindergartens in Armenia.

On November 2, 2020, FCN started a nutrition program to feed refugees from Artsakh. For a whole month, FCN fed 2,000 displaced people who had found refuge in the region of Tavush—mostly in the city of Dilijan. However, the program ended within a month, because on November 10, there was a ceasefire, and some refugees were able to return to their homes.  

“The war might be over, but our work is not,” said Kalantaryan. “Today there are still thousands of displaced families to care for, the majority of whom have no longer a home to return to,” she added. 

I’d like to reiterate that the bloody six-week war between Azerbaijan and Armenia was brought to an end by a ceasefire agreement. Some territories of Artsakh remained in Armenia and some parts went under the control of Azerbaijan. That’s why some refugees were able to return to their homes “not” occupied by Azerbaijan. 

Armenian Relief Society
On an exceptionally hot afternoon in the month of May, in Yerevan, without any prior appointment, just because I was in the neighborhood of the office of the Armenian Relief Society, I stepped into their office to get some information about the assistance that they had provided to the displaced people of Artsakh. 

To give you a little history, the Armenian Relief Society was founded as a women’s group in 1910 in Boston, Massachusetts. The mission was to serve needy Armenian families around the world. Within a very short time, by May of 1915, there were 33 registered chapters across the United States and Canada. 

Soldier uniforms drying on a clotheslines

It was just before 5pm when I arrived at their branch office in Yerevan. Marineh Hambartsumyan, the director of the regional ARS, welcomed me and said that they just finished a meeting, and it was a good time to have an interview. I felt very lucky. Considering the outside heat, the cool air-conditioned office seemed very pleasant. 

“As soon as we heard about the Azerbaijani attack, we asked our affiliated chapters around the world to make shipments of necessities. We quickly received monetary and material items from the United States, Canada, Greece and France.  We were able to ship a few trucks of medical supplies to the hospital in Stepanakert,” said Hambartsumyan. 

She said that they also received donations from local Armenian businesses, such as bread, fruit, raw materials like flour, beans and other legumes which were distributed among the displaced people.

“Our most important contribution to the refugees of Artsakh has been the distribution of one million dollars to the deserving families,” added Hambartsumyan. The money was contributed by Armenians of Diaspora.

The ARS office was able to interview and screen many people to select 1,000 deserving families to receive each $250 per month for four months during the winter.  Meaning each family received a total of $1,000, and that constituted total of $1,000,000 dollars, which was doled out to these needy families.

ARS has 50 branches in Armenia and Artsakh. All the branches helped to interview the families and distribute the money.

Women from Saroushen village sew eco-friendly bags

Children of Armenia Fund
The Children of Armenia Fund is another nonprofit which was formed in the United States, and that began its humanitarian operations in 2004 in Armenia. Since then, the organization has poured millions of dollars into villages with the aim of reducing poverty. COAF has refurbished schools in numerous villages and has brought a healthy lifestyle to kids and their families in Armenia and Artsakh.

In the immediate aftermath of the war, COAF secured permanent housing for 13 families from Artsakh who were displaced because of the War. On June 11 of this year, two of these families moved into their new homes located in the villages of Debet and Dsegh.

In addition to providing housing, COAF is actively taking steps to ensure the smooth integration of displaced people into their new communities.

Armenian Wounded Heroes Fund
The Armenian Wounded Heroes Fund is a nonprofit which has been working with the military and has provided 2 million dollars’ worth of military grade first-aid kits. They’ve also handed body-armor and helmets to soldiers who lacked personal protective equipment.  They have supported injured soldiers and have provided prostheses for hundreds of soldiers in need of limbs.  

Unfortunately, our soldiers serve on the front lines without showers. Over the last three years AWHF has been providing our boys with hygienic facilities, including running water, electrical power, and clean kitchens.

What follows here are my interviews with a few individuals about the assistance they’ve provided to people affected by the war in Artsakh.

Vache Vardanyan in Artsakh

Through a friend, I met 22-year-old Vache Vardanyan, who was studying at Yerevan University. Although he was a recipient of a scholarship from Armenian Educational Foundation, he was so overwhelmed and saddened by losing three close friends in the war that he was not able to continue his studies at the university. Instead, he decided to leave his life in Yerevan and move to Artsakh to look for ways to help the soldiers who are still stationed at the borders.

“After the war, I decided to move to Artsakh to see how I could help the soldiers at the borders,” said Vardanyan. 

On November 10, a ceasefire agreement was signed between the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, and the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin.

Vache decided to move to Saroushen village in Artsakh, which still belongs to Armenia. His decision to move there was based on several factors. First, he knew people from that village. Second, it was a village close to the border of Azerbaijan, where he could assist the needs of the soldiers more immediately. He discussed the matter with his scholarship grantor, the Armenian Educational Foundation, and he got their blessing to follow his plans. 

The plan, mainly, was to assist the soldiers, who are stationed at the borders, with their needs, such as: washing and mending their clothes, cooking homemade food for them, providing them with drinking water, providing equipment, and helping them acquire government aid.

I met Vache in Yerevan. He said that, once a month, he comes to Yerevan for a few days, to take some provisions back to Artsakh. 

“The soldiers like strawberries. I’m taking a few flats of strawberries, to make sure I have enough strawberries for them,” he said. The soldier’s families also give him some items to take back to the boys.

He also mentioned that, at the beginning, during the daily visits to the troops, from one end to the other, he had to walk about six miles. However, AEF has supplied a car, so visiting the soldiers has gotten easier for him.

Arevik Mkrtchyan

Saroushen Village has about 300 inhabitants. Vache found a vacant home and totally remodeled the house with his own means and the help of the locals. There’s no phone connection in that village. However, there’s WIFI and it’s easy to connect.

Vache came up with the idea to make reusable fabric bags for grocery shopping, which are called “eco-friendly bags.” The idea was to sell the bags and use the money to help the soldiers. He hired 30 women from the village to sew the bags and help with the food preparation, to do the laundry and other tasks. It was a successful plan. He was able to sell 7,000 bags for $6 each.

Besides assisting the soldiers and employing the women, Vache has found yet another way to help the community: educating the children. He turned one room into a classroom and started teaching the kids of Saroushen village and the neighboring villages. This one-room school has 50 students. He has divided the slots according to the age of the kids.

This was the tale of our friend Vache, who is really making a difference in bigger and smaller ways on the front lines.

Arevik Mkrtchyan was a tour guide. On September 27, she had taken a group tour to Artsakh. They were at a hotel in Stepanakert, getting ready to have breakfast and afterwards head out to visit Shoushi. At 7:15 a.m. they heard an awful explosion, which was the bombing of Artsakh by the Azerbaijani troops. 

 “We were very confused, and soon we realized it was the Azerbaijani troops bombing. The phone connection was cut. We decided to have a quick breakfast and return to Yerevan. On the way there was a big traffic jam. Many people were piled up in their cars and trying to get out of Artsakh,” explained Mkrtchyan. 

She said that from the moment they arrived in Yerevan, she decided to dedicate her time and energy to help the soldiers and the displaced people. She quit her job and plunged into a new venture.

From that first day until today—eight months later, she hasn’t stopped. With the help of her sister, she started a nonprofit to furnish soldiers with equipment and tents, called “Tents for the Armenian Heroes.” 

Another individual who made a special effort to give some assistance to refugees of Artsakh was Ani Cash. Although she lives in Los Angeles, I met her in Armenia while she was visiting there. I was impressed to learn that she raised over $5,000 dollars for the relief effort.

 “After the ceasefire of November 10th, I needed to gain control over my emotions, pain, and grief created by the war in Artsakh. I decided to raise awareness and create some funds for the displaced people from Artsakh,” said Cash. 

Since her birthday was around the corner, she came up with the idea to ask her friends, in lieu of birthday gifts, to help her raise funds for Artsakh. With covid restrictions in full effect, she created an online silent auction set for the weekend of April 16 to 18. She asked her artist friends to contribute art pieces to be auctioned.

 “Within a week, I had 12 artists signed up and before I knew it, they grew to 31. Some artists donated multiple works. We auctioned off 41 pieces and raised $5,370 in total,” noted Cash. She had asked the buyers to donate a percentage of their purchase to one of the five organizations that she had chosen. 

The author, Catherine Yesayan with Ani Cash

The following are the nonprofits that she selected. All have contributed to help those whose lives were turned upside down by war in Artsakh: Focus on Children Now; Armenian Wounded Heroes Fund; Code 3 Angels, a non-profit organization currently assisting the displaced families of Artsakh with their basic living expenses; Kooyrigs, which focuses on helping specifically, Armenian women; and Miaseen, an organization whose stated goal is to rebuild the Armenian homeland.

What you read here, is merely a sliver of the patriotic and philanthropic work that passionate Armenians, either from the diaspora or from Armenia, have poured their hearts into assisting the soldiers and the displaced people of Artsakh.  

There are thousands of other examples, where people have come together or as individuals have left the comfort of their homes and traveled to Armenia to stand shoulder to shoulder with our soldiers and spread compassion. I personally know young professionals who’ve done that. 

In these bleak times when our homeland has been attacked, our brothers and sisters have been displaced from their homes, their businesses, their schools, their farms, and their lives, I see the passionate Armenians, young and old, who have joined together to provide necessary services. It gives me hope that people can put aside their differences and unite and share a common goal.

Armenia and Azerbaijan exchange detainees and critical information in diplomatic breakthrough

Ophelia Vardapetian
Global Voices
June 13 2021
The deal tackled issues discussed since the end of 2020’s war between the two nations
Written by Arzu Geybullayeva
· Global Voices

On Saturday, June 12, Azerbaijan released 15 Armenian detainees in exchange for maps showing locations of nearly 100,000 landmines that Armenian forces had planted in the territory that Azerbaijan retook in the last year’s bitter war between the two nations.

The deal was brokered by the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, acting Assistant Secretary of State Phil Reeker, European Council President Charles Michel, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

European Council President Charles Michel hailed the new agreement on Twitter:

The Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry also released a statement praising the agreement, saying that “Obtaining mine maps will save the lives and health of tens of thousands of our citizens, including demining workers, and accelerate the reconstruction projects initiated by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, in Agdam and the return of IDPs.”

Confirming the new deal, Armenia’s acting prime minister Nikol Pashinyan shared a photo of 15 Armenian detainees on his Facebook page, plus a full list of the names of soldiers, apologizing to families whose relatives have not yet returned.

· Global Voices

Following the end of the second Karabakh war fought between Armenia and Azerbaijan last year, the return of detainees and landmine maps were among the most critical issues discussed. The six weeks of fighting ended with a Moscow-brokered ceasefire on November 10, 2020, with Azerbaijan regaining control over some parts of Karabakh and seven adjacent districts previously occupied by Armenia.

Earlier this month, Azerbaijan reported the deaths of two journalists and one government official, and at least four people wounded as a result of a mine explosion. These incidents brought the death toll from land mines to 20.

Jeyhun Bayramov, Azerbaijan’s foreign minister, said he was “deeply saddened” at the news of the explosion and the reported casualties:

The number of Armenian prisoners of war and other detainees still in Azerbaijani custody remains unclear, as Azerbaijani authorities consider some of the detainees captives. Since the end of the war, some 69 POWs and other detainees have been turned over by Azerbaijan. On June 8, acting prime minister Pashinyan said he was ready to exchange his son for the remaining POWs.

Russian MFA spokesperson Maria Zakharova welcomed the new development on her Telegram channel, while Georgian Foreign Minister David Zakaliani said in a statement that diplomats in Tbilisi had been working on the deal for months.

Turkish press: Erdoğan’s visit to cement Turkey-Azerbaijan ties: Intellectuals

Ophelia Vardapetian
 ISTANBUL DIPLOMACY 
JUN 14, 2021 12:16 PM GMT+3
An Azerbaijani soldier (C) stands in front of an off-road car as Russian peacekeepers’ military vehicles parked at a checkpoint on the road to Shusha in Nagorno-Karabakh, Nov. 17, 2020. (AP File Photo)

Azerbaijani intellectuals are looking forward to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to Shusha, which was liberated from Armenian occupation, as they believe his visit will further strengthen Turkey-Azerbaijan relations and send the message that Azerbaijan is not alone in the Caucasus.

The editor-in-chief of the Yeni Müsavat daily Rauf Arifoğlu told Anadolu Agency (AA) that Erdoğan will be the first Turkish leader to visit Nagorno-Karabakh. Emphasizing the sociopolitical importance of the visit, Arifoğlu said Azerbaijan is eagerly awaiting it.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Director of the Caucasian Center for International Relations and Strategic Studies (QAFSAM) Nazım Cafersoy called Erdoğan’s visit “historic.” He noted that the visit will bring a new dimension to strategic relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan and deepen the psychological and societal dimension of relations.

Noting that analysts predict Erdoğan will discuss the Caucasus with U.S. President Joe Biden during his meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels Monday, Cafersoy said the Turkish president’s visit will reinforce the idea that Azerbaijan is not alone in the Caucasus and that Turkey stands beside it.

Erdoğan is expected to visit Shusha with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on June 15.

Erdoğan had announced his visit to Shusha back in March.

The Azerbaijani Armed Forces liberated Shusha in November after 28 years of Armenian occupation. Shusha, known as the pearl of Nagorno-Karabakh, was occupied by Armenia on May 8, 1992.

The town has significant military value since it is located on strategic high ground about 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of the region’s capital over Khankendi (Stepanakert) and on the road linking the city with Armenian territory. Besides its strategic significance, the town is known as a symbol of Azerbaijani history and culture with many historic sites, the restoration of which has started. Many prominent Azerbaijani musicians and scholars were born in the city.

Azerbaijan seized back swathes of its Armenian-occupied territory last year in a conflict that erupted in Nagorno-Karabakh. The conflict claimed 6,000 lives and ended with a Russian-brokered truce in November.

While the Karabakh truce has largely held, the border region has witnessed several skirmishes.

Turkish press: SOCAR, Turkish Petroleum mull joint investment in nearby regions

Ophelia Vardapetian
 ISTANBUL ENERGY 
JUN 16, 2021 2:54 PM GMT+3
An aerial view of the Aliağa peninsula in the Turkish Aegean province of İzmir that hosts SOCAR’s Petkim, Turkey, April 1, 2019. (Photo courtesy of Petkim)

Turkish and Azerbaijani energy companies are planning joint investments in nearby regions, an official said Wednesday, a day after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan signaled such a move.

“The country we invest in is not clear yet. But it will not be far, we may have assessments for close geography,” Vagif Aliyev, deputy chairperson of the board of directors at Azerbaijan’s state energy company SOCAR, told reporters.

Aliyev also signaled potential cooperation with the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) on the natural gas reserves that Turkey has discovered in the Black Sea.

Erdoğan Tuesday held a meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev, after which he said talks were held on potential cooperation between Turkey’s state energy company and SOCAR in other countries.

His remarks came during a visit to the symbolic city of Shusha in Nagorno-Karabakh, which was liberated from Armenian occupation last November after 28 years.

“We are pleased with the investments of Azerbaijani companies in Turkey, especially SOCAR,” Erdoğan said.

“We also discussed the investments of SOCAR and Turkish Petroleum in third countries. In the coming period, we will further improve the scope of our trade and economic cooperation,” the president noted.

SOCAR and TPAO have worked together on various projects since 1994. Aliyev said there are opportunities to utilize this experience in third countries.

He stressed they are initially considering nearby energy-rich regions instead of far-off countries.

“The common view of the presidents on this issue is an instruction for us,” he noted.

“SOCAR and TPAO have been co-investing since 1994. We want to continue that, of course. But the country is not certain yet, we may have assessments. The third country in question could be a place in close geography. Not Singapore or Africa, for example,” he said.

The Azerbaijani giant is one of the largest foreign investors in Turkey. Its investments in the country have reached around $16.5 billion (TL 141 billion) so far, Aliyev said.

The amount will have reached around $19.5 billion upon completion of all ongoing projects of its Turkey subsidiary, SOCAR Turkey.

The company began investing in Turkey after it acquired the country’s leading petrochemical company Petkim in 2008 for $2 billion.

In addition to Petkim, SOCAR Turkey’s investments include STAR Refinery, the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline Project (TANAP) that transports Caspian Sea gas through Turkey and onward to Europe, and Petlim, the largest container port on the country’s Aegean Sea coast.

STAR Refinery became fully operational in 2019 after it was launched in October 2018 with an investment of $6.3 billion. TANAP was implemented through an investment of $6.5 billion.

Also addressing the meeting, SOCAR Turkey CEO Zaur Gahramanov said they have an ultimate goal to combine Petkim and STAR Refinery, adding that the process could take a couple of years.

Gahramanov said they are thinking of an initial public offering (IPO) after the merger.

SOCAR also has plans for another petrochemical facility investment in Turkey’s western province of Izmir and has been in talks with other companies, including British Petroleum (BP). The facility reportedly has an estimated cost of $1.8 billion.

Yet, the investment was delayed to the last quarter of last year, before the plan was put on hold after BP last June sold its petrochemical business to privately owned rival Ineos for $5 billion.

Aliyev said they are now in talks with Ineos and other investors.

The decision on the investment will become clear in 2022, Aliyev said.

“We certainly do not look warmly at the long-term postponement of our Mercury project, which will be our second petrochemical investment in Turkey. We will make this investment. We can do this with an experienced partner in petrochemicals or with a financing partner,” he noted.

“The realization of other petrochemical investments on the agenda of Turkey does not affect our commitment to the Mercury project.”

Aliyev also elaborated on Turkey’s recent natural gas discoveries in the Black Sea, dubbing it important from a strategic perspective.

He signaled SOCAR and TPAO could work together on field development and production activities.

“In theory, it may be possible for us to work together with the Turkish Petroleum Corporation in field development and production activities. Professionally, it is in our area of interest,” Aliyev said.

Turkey earlier this month announced it discovered 135 billion cubic meters (bcm) of additional natural gas in the southern Black Sea, raising the total discovery in the region to 540 bcm.

Last year, the country’s drillship Fatih discovered 405 bcm of natural gas deposits in the western Black Sea region’s Sakarya field, in the country’s biggest discovery yet.

TPAO last week reportedly shared data on its Black Sea discoveries with United States energy majors Chevron and Exxon Mobil Corporation ahead of possible cooperation in extracting the gas.

The gas find could transform Turkey’s dependence on Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan for energy. Erdoğan has said his country was determined ultimately to become a net exporter.

The nation currently imports nearly all of the gas it consumes annually. It consumes between 45 bcm and 50 bcm of natural gas each year, for which it pays between $12 billion and $15 billion. It imported 48.1 bcm of gas last year, up 6% from a year before, of which a third was from Russia.

Turkey plans to begin pumping gas from the Black Sea field in 2023, but must first build the offshore pipeline network and processing facilities. The field is expected to reach sustained peak production from 2027.

Caucasian Knot | Opposition accuses Pashinyan of using administrative resources in election campaign

Ophelia Vardapetian
The Caucasian Knot, EU
June 17 2021
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Nikol Pashinyan, the Acting Prime Minister of Armenia, has gathered a many-thousand-strong rally of his supporters by putting pressure on budget-funded state servants, oppositional parties have claimed. In general, the parliamentary election campaign is passing calmly; there are no prerequisites for any serious confrontation in the country, political analysts believe.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that at upcoming early parliamentary elections in Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan’s “Civil Contract” Party and Robert Kocharian’s “Ayastan” bloc are treated as favourites.

Ishkhan Sagatelyan, an activist of the ARF “Dashnaktsutyun” Party, asserts that Pashinyan it obviously making use of his administrative resources. Authorities are putting pressure on teachers, school principals and community leaders, she has stated, noting that in the regions, people are afraid that if Pashinyan fails to win the elections, Kocharyan will return to power. This motivates them to vote for Pashinyan.

Nikol Pashinyan “declares that if he fails to win 60 percent of the vote, there will be problems,” Serzh Sargsyan, an ex-President of Armenia, has noted. He called on his voters to be prepared for any development of events, including a civil war.

In Armenia, a civil war is possible only theoretically, Armen Vardanyan, a political analyst, believes. However, Pashinyan is an “unpredictable personality,” and all elections with his participation, except for the 2018 ones, developed not so peacefully.

Judging by the fact that today, seven months after the end of the war, confrontations in Armenia never pass beyond rhetoric, the society has enough wisdom and strength to avoid violence, Naira Airumyan, the editor of the “Lragir.am”, has noted.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on at 03:21 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

See earlier reports:

Kocharyan’s supporters detained at a protest action in Yerevan, Pashinyan promises to take revenge on his political opponents, .

Author: Armine Martirosyan; Source: CK correspondent

Caucasian Knot