Category: 2020

War in the time of COVID-19: humanitarian catastrophe in Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia

Hambik Zargarian
The Lancet
Nov 28 2020

  • Airazat M Kazaryan

    Bjørn Edwin
    Ara Darzi
  • Gevorg N Tamamyan

    Mushegh A Sahakyan
    • Davit L Aghayan
    et al.

As a small country with a population of 3 million, Armenia has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and for several months was among the countries with the highest prevalence of COVID-19.

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On Oct 23, 2020, the number of confirmed cases was 70 836 and the number of new daily diagnosed cases reached 2484. As a result, Armenia is now the second country in the world with the highest number of new daily diagnosed cases per person (778 cases per million per day), overtaking only the Czech Republic (1321 cases per million per day).

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The first case of COVID-19 in Armenia was registered at the beginning of March, 2020, and on March 16, the country declared a state of emergency and went into lockdown. During the next few months, the numbers rose substantially; but by the end of the summer, Armenia was able to flatten the curve. Although there was some increase in the number of cases because of the opening of schools, the number of new daily cases on Sept 26 was 328, and the country had started to overcome the threat from this global pandemic. Unfortunately, this success was short-lived, as another catastrophe began.
Nagorno-Karabakh (also known as Artsakh) is a former partly self-governing region of the Soviet Union, historically inhabited by the Armenians. The status of this region has been disputed between Azerbaijan and Armenia since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Since 1991, it has been a de facto independent state, although not recognised by the UN. On Sept 27, 2020, Azerbaijan initiated a large-scale war against Nagorno-Karabakh. The conflict was complicated by the open involvement of Turkey, allied with Azerbaijan, providing substantial military and political backing, which has been independently verified by several major media outlets.

2

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Ballistic missiles, drones, and other heavy artillery have been used, resulting in multiple civilian deaths and injuries. Hospitals, churches, kindergartens, and schools were hit during the bombardment and missile attacks, which included the use of internationally banned cluster bombs.

4

Amnesty International
Armenia/Azerbaijan: civilians must be protected from use of banned cluster bombs.

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/10/armenia-azerbaijan-civilians-must-be-protected-from-use-of-banned-cluster-bombs/

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As a result of the intensive bombardment of Nagorno-Karabakh by the Azerbaijani armed forces, by October 8, it was reported by the Guardian that half of the entire Karabakh population, mainly women, children, and the elderly, have already been displaced to Armenia, further exacerbating the humanitarian catastrophe in this region.

5

  • France-Presse A
Half of Nagorno-Karabakh population displaced by Armenia and Azerbaijan clashes.

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/08/half-of-nagorno-karabakh-population-displaced-by-armenia-and-azerbaijan-clashes

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Several coauthors and signatories of this Comment have witnessed the bombardment of the capital, Stepanakert, when delivering medical care for those in need. Several of our colleagues were killed during this commitment.

As a result of these unrelenting attacks, large numbers of people have been wounded and require medical care, which has put the Armenian and Nagorno-Karabakh health-care systems under unprecedented pressure. This strain has forced many of the existing COVID-19 centres to shift their scope, and most non-emergency medical care has either been delayed or cancelled. Although a ceasefire was agreed on Nov 9, the situation remains volatile and previous ceasefires have proven short-lived.
Since the start of the war, the daily number of COVID-19 cases in Armenia has increased 8-fold.

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Nagorno-Karabakh, with a population of 150 000, had been able to control the pandemic situation before the war with a total number of 300 cases; however, at present, because of widespread destruction and displacement of people, it is virtually impossible to track the COVID-19 situation on the ground. Furthermore, regular bombardments forced residents in the major cities within Karabakh to seek refuge in large groups in basements and bunkers within confined spaces, thus increasing the chance of further spread of the virus.

With this Comment, we, as individuals and physicians from different countries and nationalities, call on our colleagues from all over the world and international medical community to pay attention to this crisis, and raise their voice against war in Nagorno-Karabakh with its ensuing humanitarian catastrophe. We urge our colleagues to pressure their governments to exercise every effort to avoid further military aggression during a global pandemic and to facilitate international humanitarian assistance to the health-care system of Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, both with resources and professional help.
We declare no competing interests.
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  1. 1.
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30510-6

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Iranian media and Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

Kanayan Tamar
Modern Diplomacy
Nov 28 2020

By Elchin Hatami

Freedom of the press and the Media are both considered the fundamental pillars of Democracy across the globe.  However, some authoritarian regimes restrict and ban the media and freedom of speech.  These regimes establish and monitor their broadcasting system and media activity. The Iranian regime’s nature is authoritarian and dictatorial, and the country is ruled based on Shiite ideology and Persian nationalism. Security forces, especially the Iran intelligence ministry, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), have a robust interconnection with media. Through cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Guidance, security agencies can monitor the media and the press.  Undoubtedly, Iran’s state-driven media have to pursue and consider the procedures based on ideological and national interests, focusing on the Shiite religion rules and Persian nationalism. The Iran State Press and media and other foreign opposition news media stood by Armenia and refused to hold a neutral position during the second Nagorno-Karabakh (Internationally recognized as Azerbaijani territory) conflict lasting September 27th to November 10th, 2020.

We first need to analyze why the Iranian media holds discriminatory policy and behavior toward the Republic of Azerbaijan.  One of the main reasons is the large population of Turks who reside in Iran. They live mainly in Northwestern regions whom Turkish activists call South Azerbaijan. It is estimated that approximately 30 percent of Iran’s population is Turkish. Iranian officials assume the potent, rich, and attractive the Republic of Azerbaijan can influence Azerbaijani Turks and reinforce their desire to secession from Iran.  One example is a November video report named the “Nagorno-Karabakh War” and shared by Mashregh News, an analytical website affiliated with IRGC, which served as a pretext for Iran’s disintegration. In October, thousands of Azerbaijan Turks from cities like Tabriz, Ardabil, Zanjan, and Tehran gathered to support Azerbaijan and protested to criticize Iran’s aids in Armenia.  Unfortunately, security forces cracked down on these demonstrations and arrested dozens of protesters. Of course, Iran’s state-run media organizations avoided discussing arrest details of the demonstrations, and some, like the IRIB, went as far as distorted and misrepresented the nature of the protests in favor of the government.  The Iranian media using mostly the Persian language represented and conveyed the sovereign and independent Azerbaijan as the major threat to the religious, totalitarian, and Persian-centered government’s interest and security.

  Another important factor impacting Iranian state media policy against Azerbaijan in the recent battle of Nagorno-Karabakh is Azerbaijan’s strategic relations with Turkey and Israel. Turkey has been a long-time political rival of Iran regionally. This is the reason why Iran will not tolerate the presence of Turkey in the Caucasus. The Iranian media spread misleading news and inaccurate information against Turkey, which mobilized the Jihadi fighters to go to the battlefield of Nagorno-Karabakh.  Naturally, the Iranian media had no supporting evidence to back up their claims in the news. Furthermore, on November 1st, IRIB interviewed Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, in deceptive statements claimed terrorists and possibly Zionists participated in the conflict and diverted the issue to those governments involved.  Since then, the war is now over, and there is still no reliable documents or evidence to support his allegations. Propaganda and hate speech against Israel and Jewish people have been a dominant headline in Iranian media since the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran.  Due to Iran and Israel’s deep hostility, the Iranian government cannot endure Israel’s presence and strong ties with neighboring countries. Recently, the government news agency, Fars News, published an article by Ehsan Movahedian about the economic consequences of the recent peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan on Iran. The author emphasized that Israel’s permanent presence in Iran’s northwest border could be a significant threat for the Islamic Republic and create ethnic tensions. Similarly, on November 17th, Mashregh News posted an article about the second war of Nagorno-Karabakh and its effects on Iran’s geopolitical capacity in the energy sector.  In a similar theme, Ministry of Intelligence expert Ahmad Kazemi claimed that in the second Karabakh War, Turkey’s primary aim, The Republic of Azerbaijan, and Israel was to occupy the 42-kilometer border strip between Iran and Armenia by implementing the exchanging corridors in their plan. Kazemi concluded that opening the transit corridor between Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan is the American and England idea to restrain China, Russia, and Iran in the coming decades, to strengthen the concept of the Great Turan and Pan-Turkism. The transparent distress and concern of Iranian officials and experts reflected in the media indicated the government’s objective to disrupt the November Russian-brokered truce deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan that was signed between 3 countries over the Nagorno-Karabakh. 

Elchin Hatami is a human rights activist and was born in Azerbaijan, Iran, whose activities are mostly based on ethnic rights in Iran. He holds a master’s degree in sustainable agriculture from the University of Tehran and currently lives in Chicago, USA.

Like Iran state media, Iranian overseas opposition media had a similar consensus about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Most of them deliberately distorted and censored the region’s realities and war facts in favor of Armenia in their articles and news. Iranian opposition media such as the BBC Persian, Radio Farda, and Iran International TV describe Nagorno-Karabakh as an Armenian-populated region. They refrain from elaborating on ethnic cleansing, which caused the displacement of one million Azerbaijani people from Karabakh and surrounding areas by Armenian troops during the first war in the 1990s. In the same media, Shusha was announced as an occupied city by Azerbaijan and not as a liberated city. Stemming from their Persian-centric nationalist views, they deem the awakening and empowerment of Northern and Southern Azerbaijanis as a serious threat to national security and unification in Iran.

In most cases, the Iranian media does not analyze events and issues impartially. Comparatively, they evaluated regional problems and national issues influenced by ideological interest and Persian nationalism. In the recent Nagorno-Karabakh battle, the Iranian media supported Armenia by spreading fallacious news and misleading information against Azerbaijan, like Israeli forces’ deployment in Iran’s Northwest border and transferring terrorists to the front lines of the war. Not surprisingly, the media attempted to deceive the public opinion by making accusations to justify Iran’s support for Armenia. Although Iranian Journalists and media activists thought that their anti-Azerbaijani actions would strengthen national security, contrastingly, their destructive activities did not contribute to national unity but instead intensified the ethnic division between Azerbaijani Turks and Persians in Iran. Consequently, with the continuance of the Iranian media’s destructive policies, without considering the Turks’ demands in Iran, maintaining stability, national solidarity, and territorial integrity will be a prominent issue in the future.



Artsakh ombudsman: Bodies of over 400 Armenian servicemen are already retrieved or exchanged

Vorskanian Yeghisabet
Public Radio of Armenia
Nov 28 2020

Within the framework of the online discussion organized by the Public Journalism Club, I presented the current situation regarding the prisoners and the missing, the things to do by the authorized bodies, the work done by the ombudsmen of the Artsakh Republic and the Republic of Armenia, and the current problems. Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) ombudsman Artak Beglaryan noted this in a social media post.

He added as follows in particular:

“The main points of my speech were:

The authorized state bodies, first of all, the commissions of prisoners and missing persons of the MOD, are obliged to do their utmost to have the bodies of the fallen and the captives returned and to find out the fate of the missing.

The Human Rights Defender’s institution carries out a supporting function, and we do our best to collect data and assist the work of various bodies.

The Azerbaijani side deliberately and criminally delays the process, at the same time constantly publishing new videos attesting to the inhuman treatment of Armenian prisoners of war and civilians, aiming to deepen the internal tension and suffering of the Armenian society.

The bodies of more than 400 Armenian servicemen have already been retrieved or exchanged from various places, including from Shushi, Martuni, Karmir Shuka, Mataghis, Vank village of Hadrut.

The authorized state authorities are obliged to conduct communication, as effectively and as transparently as possible, about the current work and results of the captives and the missing, and the whole society.

The relatives of the captives and the missing, other persons and the media should be careful when publishing information about them, so as not to abruptly harm the search and rescue operations for them.”

Armenian, French officials discuss humanitarian crisis in Artsakh

Vanyan Gary
Panorama, Armenia

Nov 28 2020

Armenian Foreign Minister Ara Ayvazian on Friday met with Secretary of State to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, who headed a delegation accompanying French humanitarian assistance sent to Armenians of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).

Welcoming the members of the delegation, Ayvazian thanked them for the visit to Armenia during this difficult times and for the solidarity shown to the Armenians of Artsakh.

During the meeting, the Armenian and French diplomats stressed the urgency of taking steps to address the humanitarian crisis in Artsakh, to provide conditions for the displaced Artsakh Armenians to return to their homes and to protect their rights. In that context, the Armenian FM thanked the French government and the people for standing with the Artsakh Armenians at this crucial moment.

Minister Ayvazian pointed to Turkey’s expansionist ambitions in the South Caucasus, describing them as a key factor in undermining regional security and stability.

In this context, both sides stressed the importance of removing foreign militants transferred to the region by Turkey in terms of international and regional security.

Ara Ayvazian and Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne exchanged views on addressing the rights and interests of the Armenians of Artsakh within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship.

In this context, the Armenian foreign policy chief highlighted the recognition of the right of the Artsakh people to self-determination as a necessary condition for building a free, safe and dignified future in their historical homeland. 

?

Armenia FM, France Secretary of State discuss Nagorno-Karabakh

Hambardsumian Paul
Public Radio of Armenia
Nov 28 2020

Armenia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Ara Aivazian on Friday met with Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, Secretary of State at the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, the head of the delegation accompanying the humanitarian aid flight sent from France to the Armenians of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).

First, Aivazian thanked for the visit to Armenia during this difficult period and for the solidarity shown to the Armenians of Artsakh.

During the meeting, the Armenian Foreign Minister and the French Secretary of State stressed the urgency of taking steps to address the humanitarian crisis in Artsakh, to ensure conditions for the displaced Artsakh Armenians to return to their homeland and to protect their rights.

Minister Aivazian pointed to Turkey’s expansionist ambitions in the South Caucasus, assessing them as a major factor in undermining regional security and stability.

Ara Aivazian and Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne exchanged views on addressing the rights and interests of the Armenians of Artsakh within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs. In this context, FM Aivazian underscored the recognition of the right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination as a necessary condition for building a free, safe, and dignified future in their historical homeland.


France to promote protection of heritage sites in Nagorno-Karabakh

Kalashian Nyrie
Business World
Nov 28 2020

28November, 2020

by ANI

Paris [France], November 28 (ANI/Sputnik): French President Emmanuel Macron has reaffirmed its commitment to promote the protection of the heritage sites in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, the secretary of state at the French Foreign Ministry, said at a press conference on Saturday.

On Friday, Lemoyne arrived in Armenia to deliver humanitarian aid sent to the population of Nagorno-Karabakh by the Aznavour Foundation, Electriciens sans frontiers charity, the United Nations Children’s Fund and the Red Cross. During his visit, Lemoyne held meetings with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Foreign Minister Ara Aivazian.

“French President Emmanuel Macron has held numerous conversations with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and the representatives of co-chair countries of the OSCE [Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe] Minsk Group reaffirming his commitments. These commitments relate to various aspects, including the protection of the monuments of cultural and religious significance, a part of which, as we know, is located on the territory of Azerbaijan,” Lemoyne said.

According to the secretary, France has started to cooperate with the respective organizations on the issue.

Lemoyne said that “France has examined the November 9 agreement and, of course, stated that it lacked some terms,” adding that this political issue should be discussed within the OSCE Minsk Group format.

On November 9, the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan adopted a joint statement on the cessation of hostilities in unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh. The agreement on Nagorno-Karabakh resulted in the loss of some territories controlled by the Armenian-majority self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh and the deployment of 1,960 Russian peacekeepers to the region.

After the hostilities had ceased, Armenian refugees started to return to Nagorno-Karabakh, with Russian peacekeepers ensuring their safety. Russian engineer units have started to clear roads, reconstruct electricity, water and heating communications of social facilities and households in the region.

On November 21, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia expected UNESCO to take more efforts to protect the heritage sites in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh to promote peace in the region.

The Minsk Group was established in 1992 by Russia, France and the United States to promote a peaceful resolution to the deep-rooted Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. (ANI/Sputnik)

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article above are those of the authors’ and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of this publishing house. Unless otherwise noted, the author is writing in his/her personal capacity. They are not intended and should not be thought to represent official ideas, attitudes, or policies of any agency or institution.



Karabakh Rivals Adjust to Life Along New Borders

Eduard Nalbandian
The Moscow Times, Russia
Nov 28 2020

Pomegranate harvest is in full swing on a field Zhorik Grigoryan nearly lost in the recent fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the disputed  Nagorno-Karabakh region. 

Azerbaijani forces were just 50 meters (less than a mile) away from the farmer’s land in the eastern Martuni district when a Moscow-brokered peace deal halted weeks of clashes over the restive region and saw the deployment of Russian peacekeepers there.

“There is no fear. (Armenian) soldiers are positioned on the ceasefire line, Russian troops are present,” Grigoryan tells AFP, adding: “But we are concerned about the future”. 

The 73-year-old farmer keeps a watchful eye over a dozen young men from the village of Berdashen as they fill large sacks with the dark red fruit that will be sent to the Armenian capital Yerevan to make juice and wine.

A short distance from the pomegranate field, Azerbaijani and Armenian soldiers are standing guard close to a road that runs from Martuni to Aghdam, a district in the north that Armenian separatists ceded to Azerbaijan. 

In late September fresh clashes broke out between the ex-Soviet rivals over Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian enclave that broke from Baku’s control in a war in the 1990s.

Under the truce signed on November 9, Azerbaijan reclaimed swathes of territory that for three decades were controlled by Armenian separatists.

Not far from the road to Aghdam, an Azerbaijani flag attached to a utility pole flutters above a makeshift guard post with only a tent and stacked tyres to protect a handful of soldiers on duty.

On the opposite side, 15 Armenian soldiers have also set up an equally simple camp. 

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The soldiers watch each other without allowing tensions to take hold.

“There is no problem,” says officer Mishik Grigoryan, 45, who is in charge of the post. “We are ready to defend our land.” 

Some 200 metres away on a strip of concrete, Russian peacekeepers are guarding a checkpoint flanked by armored vehicles.

The new border is marked by one-meter high wooden stakes, their tips painted in red and white.

Like many Armenians, Grigoryan did not welcome the ceasefire agreement that saw separatists lose control of several districts surrounding Karabakh and the historic town of Shusha.

“I am not satisfied with the outcome of the war because we have lost so many people and territories,” Grigoryan says bitterly.  

His three grandchildren were serving in the military when the war broke out. One of them died, another is in a Yerevan hospital with injuries. 

The third is still on duty. 

Another small camp near the road is manned by a dozen Armenian soldiers between the ages of 18 and 20, who keep watch over the Azerbaijanis from behind a long earthen mound more than two meters high.

Soldier Minas says he was born in Yerevan but migrated to Crimea, a peninsula on the Black Sea that was annexed by Russia in 2014. 

Once war broke out, Minas decided to return and join the fighting. 

He says he “regrets” the way hostilities ended but adds that it wasn’t an equal battle: “It was difficult, we had no means to fight”. 

He talks about military drones that frequently attacked their positions on the frontline. 

Many of his comrades died in the six weeks of fighting that claimed more than 4,000 lives. 

Like several of his fellow soldiers Minas is yet to take off his uniform and continues his service for 35,000 drams (73 dollars; 60 euros) a month. 

He hopes to get married soon but doesn’t know he will be able to leave his post.

Around noon, a taxi drives into their camp bringing sacks of fresh food to the young servicemen. 

Minas says one of the soldiers recently had a child: “Today, we are celebrating”. 

Armenia accuses Azerbaijan of still using Syrian mercenaries in Karabakh

Karagyozian Lena
AMN – Al Masdar News
Nov 28 2020
By News Desk
–

2020-11-27


BEIRUT, LEBANON (7:00 P.M.) – The Armenian Ministry of Defense reported on Friday that several Syrian mercenaries are still present in the Karabakh region, despite the November 9th Moscow agreement.

“Terrorist mercenaries from #Syria transferred to #Artsakh during the war still remain in the conflict zone as mentioned in the statement of the General Prosecutor’s Office of #Armenia,” the Spokeswoman for the Armenian Ministry of Defense, Shushan Stepanyan, tweeted on Friday.

Azerbaijan has yet to respond to the Armenian Ministry of Defense’s accusations.

Armenia has previously accused Turkey of transporting mercenaries from Syria and Libya to Karabakh in order to assist the Azerbaijani Armed Forces in the conflict zone of this disputed region.

Azerbaijan and Turkey have denied these claims and countered this claim by accusing Yerevan of using fighters from Lebanon and Syria.


Ombudsman: Authorities have to explain specific developments envisaged in connection with Armenian borders

Adrine Hakobian
Panorama, Armenia
Nov 28 2020

The Armenian authorities have to explain in detail what specific developments or solutions are envisaged in connection with the country’s borders after the war, Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) Arman Tatoyan said.

“And they should do it not because they have to neutralize the impacts of the unexpected developments concerning the security of our country, or to calm public anger over these unexpected developments,” he wrote on Facebook.

“Eventually, we need to realize that we are dealing with the defense of our state, the physical security and safety of our people and each person.

“You should not keep the public in uncertainty, create alarming conditions for people, and especially for residents of bordering villages, thus violating their mental immunity and keeping people in constant tension.

“These are the direct obligations of the state, the positive obligations towards every person,” the ombudsman added. 


Iran’s Rouhani accuses Israel of killing nuclear scientist

Elizabeth Jabejian
Panorama, Armenia
Nov 28 2020

Iran’s president on Saturday accused Israel of killing a prominent Iranian scientist long suspected by the West of masterminding a secret nuclear bomb programme, Reuters reported, citing state TV.

Iran’s clerical and military rulers have threatened revenge for Friday’s killing of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who Iranian media said died in hospital after assassins gunned him down in his car near Tehran.

“Once again, the evil hands of global arrogance were stained with the blood of the mercenary usurper Zionist regime,” a term for Israel, President Hassan Rouhani said in a statement, according to state TV.

“The assassination of martyr Fakhrizadeh shows our enemies’ despair and the depth of their hatred… His martyrdom will not slow down our achievements.”

The death of Fakhrizadeh could provoke confrontation between Iran and its foes in the last weeks of Donald Trump’s U.S. presidency while complicating any effort by President-elect Joe Biden to revive the detente of Barack Obama’s presidency.