17:11,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. Protesters demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan are again rallying at Yerevan’s Freedom Square.
The rally is organized by 16 political parties.
Organizers said they will state their assessment of the situation and a roadmap of future actions.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
18:01,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. Russian President Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron, during which they discussed the situation over Nagorno Karabakh, ARMENPRESS reports, the press service of the Kremlin said.
‘’Considering that Russia and France are OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs, the sides discussed the developments over Nagorno Karabakh. Vladimir Putin informed about the active mediation efforts of Russia, that allowed to stop bloodshed and avoid more casualties, as well as about the deployment of Russian peacekeepers along the contact line and Lachin corridor’’, reads the statement.
The statement notes that the declaration signed on November 9 by the Russian, Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders is being fulfilled and the situation in the region has stabilized.
The Russian and French Presidents highlighted the solution of urgent humanitarian issues, including the return of refugees to the places of their permanent residence, ensuring conditions for the normal life of the population, maintenance of Christian churches and cathedrals. In this context, the Russian President informed about the establishment of the Russian Center for Humanitarian Response.
19:23,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia NIkol Pashinyan held a telephone conversation with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.
As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister, the sides discussed the cooperation agenda between the two countries following the November 10 ceasefire and urgent issues.
19:57,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian received a group of MPs from ‘’My step’’ block, led by the head of the faction Lilit Makunts.
As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the President’s Office, issues related to the situation in the country were discussed.
23:20,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian addressed the nation, noting that only through unity we will be able to straighten our backs that have bent under the burden of defeat. As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the President’s Office, the address runs as follows,
‘’Dear compatriots in Armenia, Artsakh and Diaspora,
The world-spread Armenian nation is now living one of the most decisive periods of our millennia-old history.
The goals we were striving for all together after the long-awaited independence of the motherland have been shaken.
We lost the war that was imposed on us, both on the battlefield and in the diplomatic and international arenas.
I once again extend my condolences to the families and relatives of the victims and wish the injured a speedy recovery.
We are the offspring of the people who survived the Genocide and overcame it.
The battle can be lost, but it is inadmissible to lose as a nation.
The house burned down with one’s own hands, the lost homeland can be restored in only one way, rediscovering our victory, building a state of which we will all be truly proud.
And we can definitely do it, soberly assessing the situation, learning from the mistakes made, and being consolidated for a national revival.
No matter how different our assessments can be for the past, the fact is that we are all facing unprecedented problems.
Artsakh is seriously injured.
We have a turbulent society.
The vulnerable economy is overwhelmed by huge social problems.
There is a humanitarian catastrophe as a result of the large flow of people from Artsakh to Armenia.
The situation is extremely complicated also considering the pandemic.
Finally, the Armenian spirit is pierced in any corner of the world.
Our country today is no longer the country we had on September 26, it is not even what we had on November 8.
We cannot ignore this reality and continue living our normal lives.
During the last few days, in line with the imperative of the moment, I held dozens of political consultations, meetings with parliamentary and extra-parliamentary forces, various non-governmental organizations and individuals. I have had telephone conversations with our compatriots from different structures of the Diaspora.
The absolute majority of the participants of the meetings share the same opinion – the resignation or termination of powers of the Prime Minister in accordance with the Constitution – early parliamentary elections.
It is obvious that despite the cessation of the war, the Republic of Artsakh, the Republic of Armenia and the entire Armenian people are entering a period of new challenges where every mistake can have catastrophic consequences.
In this situation, there is no alternative for the Armenian people than to be united.
These days, each of us, especially politicians, government officials, must demonstrate high sense of responsibility and restraint, focusing our efforts exclusively on finding ways to overcome the crisis.
In this situation, I want to address the law enforcement bodies.
You have a great responsibility today, first of all to ensure discipline in our country, to be strong, determined, but at the same time, every time, on every occasion, remembering that in front of you is your sister or brother.
Any deviation, any violation of the law, is unacceptable and unforgivable. I call on you to uphold and protect the law and legality.
My observations based on meetings and consultations are as follows:
Given the current situation and the imperative to overcome it with dignity, listening to the public demand, it is obvious that in order to keep the country from shaking, early elections to the National Assembly will be inevitable.
In this context, in my opinion, the only responsible approach may be the objective assessment of the potential of the government and the ruling political force, to present a roadmap in a short period of time, which will provide deadlines for initiating relevant constitutional processes, as a result of which it will be possible to hold extraordinary parliamentary elections, and the state administration will be handed over to a highly qualified National Accord government during that period.
My above-mentioned observations aimed at overcoming the crisis for the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Artsakh and the whole Armenian people living in different countries of the world in these difficult days are based exclusively on national interests.
I hope that all the political forces will realize the responsibility of the moment, will fulfill their part of the historical mission with dignity.
I would like to remind you that today everyone is carefully watching Armenia, both our friends and our enemies.
We have no other duty but to strengthen our country.
We have no choice but to unite the people, ignoring any step or speech that threatens to divide the society.
Only through unity we will be able to straighten our backs that have bent under the burden of defeat, to present ourselves and future generations and the world community as the children of a nation that is impossible to defeat.
I am confident that the Armenian people will overcome the difficult situation with honor and victory.
God bless us all’’.
By Lika Zakaryan (A refugee from Stepanakert, writing in Armenia.)
The war is officially over but it goes on for me. Decisions, points, maps — my mind cannot grasp all these. I don’t realize what is happening. I am in that phase… What do they call it? The phase of denial. I busy myself with some trivial work, do anything only to escape from thoughts. I could handle it until I saw the newly revised map of Artsakh. We lived 44 days in ignorance of who is where, who controls what.
But today we faced our reality.
Who am I? The citizen of which country? Where will I live? I no longer have the answers to these questions. I ponder that there is a corridor between Armenian and Artsakh with a view to Karvachar. Men in suits decided that they’ll give it away on November 15.
Meanwhile, the other road that stretches through Shushi is closed. We need to construct a new road that bypasses Shushi. But that’s not a five-days work. It means that on November 15 they will give away Karvachar. What’s our conclusion? From November 15, people in Artsakh will be in an enclave. If I understand it all correctly, that’s the real deal. But the thing is that I don’t want to live in an enclave of Azerbaijan.
Today, I have been feeling devastated from the thought that I do not seem to belong to anything… You can say that at least Stepanakert is ours. In fact, yes. But it’s all the same. I am as much of a homeless refugee as, say, children from Hadrut or Shushi.
We’ve all lost our home and peace.
In my opinion, we cannot live peacefully in Stepanakert if Shushi belongs to them. And these are not some pretentious words, this is the reality. It would be possible to commit a genocide in Stepanakert in a single night, and the world will only release statements calling on both sides to find a common ground. In the meantime, one side will cease to exist.
Nothing has changed since yesterday. We are still homeless, invisible people. The only new thing is that after seeing the maps, my awareness of reality has been clarified. But this is not enough.
I was brought up by my grandmother. She was my mom, dad, grandmother, and friend. She was everything to me. When she died, I didn’t shed a tear for three days. I couldn’t accept it. But on the third day, when she was buried, when I saw the coffin, and her — my beloved — in it, I almost lost my mind… I feel the same way now.
When I go back, I will see everything with my own eyes, only then will I realize and believe…
Artur Vanetsyan, Armenia’s former National Security Service (NSS) director and current leader of the Fatherland (Hayrenik) opposition party, was released from custody on Sunday despite being charged with plotting to assassinate Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and overthrow Armenia’s government.
Vanetsyan and three other opposition members were arrested on Saturday. All four have been charged, but they reject the accusation as politically motivated.
Vanetysna’s Fatherland party is one of 17 Armenian opposition groups that have launched protests against Armenia’s prime minister for capitulating to Azerbaijan. The opposition parties demand Pashinyan’s resignation. The prime minister dismisses the accusations and says he signed the end of war agreement with Azerbaijan and Russia to stop further territorial losses and to save the lives of thousands of soldiers.
Nonetheless, the opposition has pledged to continue demonstrations in Armenia’s capital Yerevan.
NSS says they have found large amounts of weapons in a property belonging to Ashot Minasyan, one of the arrested. He is the commander of a volunteer military group that took part in the war. NSS on Sunday also publicized what it says is a wiretapped phone conversation between Minasyan and the two other suspects, Vahram Baghdasaryan and Ashot Avagyan, in which they discuss ways to assassinate Prime Minister Pashinyan and seize power.
Baghdasaryan is a member of former ruling Republican Party that was overthrown during the 2018 “Velvet Revolution”, and Avagyan is affiliated with the oppositional Armenian Revolutionary Federation.
Two Russian aircrafts delivering peacekeepers arrive in Yerevan, Armenia
09:34,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. Two An-124 transport aircraft delivered about 30 peacekeepers and armored vehicles from Ulyanovsk to Yerevan, the Russian Defense Ministry said, reports TASS.
“Two An-124 Ruslan aircraft of the Russian military transport aviation brought armored vehicles and personnel of units of the 15th peacekeeping brigade to the Yerevan airport”, the ministry says.
An-124 aircraft repositioned about 30 servicemen, 10 BTR-82A armored personnel carriers and logistic means, the Ministry noted. “Following unloading, inspection and preparation of vehicles, arrived units of the 15th peacekeeping brigade will complete a 300-kilometer march in military columns to the staging area (Goris city)”, it added.
Russian peacekeepers are transferred to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict zone in accordance with agreements set forth on November 9 in the joint declaration of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan on complete ceasefire in Nagorno Karabakh.
10:55,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. The Program on Peacebuilding and Rights (PBHR) at Columbia University’s Institute for the Study of Human Rights (ISHR) launched on November 12 a research project on “Human Rights and Foreign Terrorist Activities in Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh).”
In partnership with the Human Rights Ombudsman for Artsakh, the project will draw on primary sources documenting crimes against humanity and other atrocities committed by Azerbaijani armed forces and Turkish-backed Islamist fighters against Armenians. Project arrangements were facilitated by the Armenian Assembly of America.
It is stated that the Azerbaijani armed forces attacked Nagorno Karabakh on September 27, 2020. They were backed by Turkish military and mercenaries with armed drones, heavy artillery, rocket systems and special forces. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Turkey deployed up to 2,000 Islamist jihadists from Syria and Libya who are promised a bounty for killing Armenians. Gruesome reports of torture and beheadings have emerged. Various intelligence services along with the international media have confirmed that Turkish-backed foreign terrorists are paid a bounty for beheadings.
More than 1,400 Armenian fighters and civilians have died since the beginning of Azerbaijani/Turkish operations, with over 100,000 civilians displaced by Azerbaijan’s scorched earth policy. Armenian churches have also been targeted. There are numerous verified cases of Azerbaijani soldiers treating Armenian war prisoners inhumanely, mutilating dead bodies, beheading and executing both combatants and civilians. Azerbaijan also used banned weapons extensively. Turkey’s President Erdogan affirmed, “Turkey stands with and will continue to stand with friendly and brotherly Azerbaijan with all our means and all our heart.”
According to Artak Beglaryan, the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Artsakh, “Any individual or organization that claims to defend human rights must defend them without limitation, especially when the lives of a vulnerable and disadvantaged population are at stake.”
12:11,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. Armenia’s cultural, art and science figures have addressed a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President-elect Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay.
The message states that in the current situation in Artsakh and nearby territories caused by the recent military operations, especially when some of the territories of the Republic of Artsakh are under Azerbaijani control, the representatives of culture, art and science of Armenia are expressing their deep belief that numerous Armenian historical-cultural monuments of Artsakh are under serious danger.
“During these 45 days of war the Azerbaijani armed forces have deliberately targeted the Armenian historical-cultural monuments. Shushi’s Ghazanchechots Cathedral has been deliberately bombarded with UAVs, a unique church representing a great value for the Armenian people. The archaeological site in the town of Tigranakert has also been bombarded. Meanwhile, the Armenian side has not only preserved, but also renovated the Islamic people’s historical-cultural monuments both through state, individual and public efforts. At the same time, the concern is also linked with the crimes committed by Azerbaijan in the past against the Armenian cultural heritage”, the message says.
The message states that for decades Azerbaijan has committed a cultural genocide in a coordinated manner, destroying Armenian cultural sites which have been under its control.
Perhaps, the vivid demonstration of cultural genocide was the destruction of tens of thousands of cross-stones and tombstones in the mediaeval Armenian cemetery in Old Julfa located in Nakhijevan, which were razed to the ground by Azerbaijan in 1998-2006. A total of 89 medieval churches, 5840 cross-stones and 22 historical tombstones have been destroyed in Nakhijevan. There are numerous factual evidence on this crime, including photos and videos. In its resolution adopted in October 2008 the 16th General Assembly of ICOMOS expressed its deep concern over the vandalism on the Armenian cultural heritage, expressing regret that “this heritage, which had its unique place in the world heritage treasuries on time, today cannot be transferred to the future generations anymore”.
“It’s a fact that for years Azerbaijan’s academic circles are trying to delete the identity of Armenian monuments with all possible frauds, sometimes attributing the author’s belonging to other people. By not losing time, the Azerbaijani leadership, immediately after signing the ceasefire deal, started its policy of misappropriation and falsification of the Armenian history, which once again proves that the Armenian cultural monuments are facing a real danger. We apply to you with a deep confidence that you with your reputation and efforts, will support so that Azerbaijan will assume responsibility to preserve the Armenian monuments without any damage, in accordance with the principles set in the international conventions”, the message said, adding: “It’s an extreme necessity for the respective international structures, in cooperation with the state agencies of Armenia and Azerbaijan, to carry out a recording of the current situation of the historical-cultural monuments and ensure further monitoring, with the publication of results. We expect Azerbaijan to ensure with a full responsibility security and all necessary measures so that the citizens of Armenia and Artsakh, as well as Armenians living abroad can freely visit Armenian historical sites which appeared in the Azerbaijani territory and which are undeniable and inseparable part of the global cultural heritage”.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan