2020 – Page 225 – Armenian Directory & News

Erdogan tells Putin that Armenia must negotiate over Nagorno-Karabakh

November 8, 2020March 12, 2026 Hagop Kamalian

Yahoo! news – Reuters

Nov 8 2020

November 7, 2020, 9:56 pm

ANKARA/MOSCOW (Reuters) – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Saturday that Armenia must be convinced to negotiate in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Azerbaijan and called for a peaceful resolution, the Turkish Presidency said.

At least 1,000 people have died in nearly six weeks of fighting in and around Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous enclave internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but populated and controlled by ethnic Armenians. Erdogan has previously said Turkey and Russia could work together to solve the conflict.

In a statement, the presidency said Erdogan told Putin in a phone call that Armenia must withdraw from Azeri lands it is occupying and “stated the Armenian leadership must be convinced to sit down at the negotiating table”.

In a separate statement, the Kremlim said Putin had informed Erdogan about his phone calls with the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia, adding “these exchanges were focused on finding options for a swift cessation of hostilities and a political and diplomatic settlement”.

“A mutual readiness to cooperate in order to achieve a peaceful resolution to the conflict was confirmed,” it said.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also held a phone call with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov to discuss the issue, the Turkish foreign ministry said.

The conflict has underlined the influence of Turkey, an ally of Azerbaijan, in a former Soviet region long dominated by Moscow, which has a defence pact with Armenia. It also threatens the security of Azeri oil and gas pipelines.

Three ceasefires have failed to halt the bloodiest fighting in the South Caucasus for more than 25 years. Both sides accused each other of launching attacks within hours of the agreements.

(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu in Ankara and Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber in Moscow; Editing by Catherine Evans and Giles Elgood)

Armen Abazyan appointed Director of Armenia’s National Security Service

November 8, 2020March 12, 2026 Antonian Lara

Public Radio of Armenia

Nov 8 2020

President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian signed a decree, appointing Armen Abazyan Director of the National Security Service.

The President signed the respective decree based on the Prime Minister’s proposal.

Earlier the President relieved acting head of the National Security Service Mikael Hambartsumyan from the post.

The overall situation can be considered positive, battles for Shushi continue – Armenia MoD

November 8, 2020March 12, 2026 Vorskanian Yeghisabet

Public Radio of Armenia

Nov 8 2020

Last night and today fighting continued in different directions on the front. The fighting was quite intense, official representative of Armenia’s Ministry of Defense Artsrun Hovhannisyan told a daily briefing today.

“In the north, the Azerbaijani troops, mainly with the support of small tactical groups, tried to attack our positions with artillery fire, but were repulsed, suffering losses,” Hovhannisyan said.

After some success in the direction of Martuni early in the morning, our army managed to stop the enemy, he said.

“In the city of Shushi, in the surrounding areas, under the fences, on the roads leading to Shushi, fierce battles took place throughout the day. Fighting is still going on, although the intensity has significantly weakened,” Artsrun Hovhannisyan added.

According to him, the Azerbaijani armed forces tried several times to break into Berdzor, probably trying to help their units fighting in Shushi. However, suffering significant losses, they were thrown back and fled.

“At the moment the battles are going on, the overall situation can be considered quite positive. Our troops manage to prevent the enemy forces from advancing in any direction, but the battles are in progress. The battle for Shushi continues,” Hovhannisyan stated.

“let’ wait for the end of the battle. I’m confident our troops will finish it with glory, and we will win. Let’s trust our troops and wait,” he added.

Armenia’s Pashinyan congratulates Joe Biden on US election win

November 8, 2020March 12, 2026 Andranik Taslakhchian

Public Radio of Armenia

Nov 8 2020

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has sent a congratulatory message to president-elect Joe Biden of the United States of America. The message reads, in part:

“Dear Mr. President-elect

Please, accept our heartfelt congratulations on your election as the President of the United States of America.

I am convinced that the wealth of experience and wisdom that you gained through your distinguished career in politics and legislature will guide you well, as you lead the United States and its people on the path toward continued progress and prosperity.

Throughout your service, you have made great contributions to the strengthening of the U.S.-Armenia friendship and mutually beneficial relationship. The Armenian people appreciate your principled stance on the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, and your support for the pursuit of their fundamental rights.

Bilateral relations between Armenia and the United States, are built on shared democratic values. I am convinced that our cooperation will continue to flourish during your presidency, consistent with the level of the strategic dialogue that underlies the relationship between our two nations.

That process, of course, benefits from the invaluable role that the Armenian American community plays, acting as a bridge between our countries.

Armenia deeply values the role the United States plays in the peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as a Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group. As you are aware, for over a month now, Azerbaijan and Turkey with the use of foreign terrorists have been fighting a war of aggression against Armenia and Artsakh in defiance of all efforts of the Co-Chairs to establish ceasefire.

As a candidate you have laid out a vision for the resolution of the conflict exclusively through peaceful means. I salute that vision.

I am hopeful that your Administration will take active steps to stop the war and bring about a comprehensive settlement of the conflict based on safeguards providing for the security of the people of Artsakh through the exercise of its right to self-determination.

Please accept my congratulations again on your election as the President of the United States, and my wishes for continued good health, and a successful and fruitful term in office”.

Fighting nears key town as Azerbaijani forces advance in Karabakh

November 8, 2020March 12, 2026 Alex Nanijanian

Yahoo! News

Nov 8 2020

The clashes are getting closer every day to Shusha — a sign of how far Azerbaijani forces have advanced in their campaign to retake the region

AFP•November 7, 2020

Explosions sound in the distance as Kamo Hayrapetyan kneels to pray at the Holy Saviour Cathedral in Nagorno-Karabakh’s historic town of Shusha.

Dressed in camouflage and white sneakers, the 60-year-old Armenian reservist lights candles and crosses himself under the partially collapsed roof of the church, which was hit by Azerbaijani rocket fire a month ago.

“They bomb us every day, it has become a habit for them,” says Hayrapetyan, whose own home was destroyed in the artillery fire that has been pummelling Shusha.

“We will defend our land, we will hold out until the end. And we won’t abandon Shushi,” he says, using the Armenian name for the town.

An ethnic Armenian region of Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh broke away from Baku’s control in a war in the early 1990s that left some 30,000 people dead.

Decades of stalemate, failed negotiations and sporadic clashes followed, until the heaviest fighting since a 1994 ceasefire erupted on September 27.

Nearly six weeks later, the clashes are getting closer every day to Shusha — a sign of how far Azerbaijani forces have advanced in their campaign to retake the region.

Karabakh’s separatist leader Arayik Harutyunyan sounded the alarm late last month, warning that Azerbaijani forces were only five kilometres (three miles) from Shusha.

“Whoever controls Shushi controls Artsakh,” he said in a video filmed in front of the cathedral, using the Armenian names for the town and Nagorno-Karabakh.

– Hilltop fortress –

The hilltop town, whose cliffs make it a natural fortress, is of huge strategic importance.

It sits on high ground over the region’s capital Stepanakert and on the main road linking the city with the territory of neighbouring Armenia, which backs the separatists.

Officials in Karabakh and Armenia have reported numerous attacks to the south of Shusha in recent days.

There have been clashes in Karintak, known as Dashalty in Azerbaijan, a town at the base of the Shusha cliffs, and around the town of Lachin to the south.

Crucially, Azerbaijani forces have also reached the road that leads south from Stepanakert, through Shusha and Lachin, to the Armenian border.

This is the main road through the region and its capture would cut off the separatists’ most important supply route.

It was closed for the first time on Wednesday, with Armenian defence ministry spokeswoman Shushan Stepanyan saying this was because of “search operations for possible subversive groups”.

It is unclear how far — and in what strength — Azerbaijani forces have pushed in to the area around Shusha and the road, though Armenian officials have reported regular clashes and the destruction of armoured vehicles and tanks.

What is clear is that making it to the area at all represents a major gain for Azerbaijan since the start of fighting.

Azerbaijan has reclaimed swathes of territory on Karabakh’s southern flank — with experts estimating Baku has retaken 15 to 20 percent of the territory it lost in Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions in the 1990s.

Much of this land is plains and the fighting will be much harder in the narrow passes and mountains where separatist forces have had years to build up their defences.

Armenian officials say any Azerbaijani gains have come at an enormous cost and claim to have killed several thousand enemy troops.

– Coffin factory –

Separatist forces have admitted to more than 1,000 fighters killed, while Azerbaijan has not released any figures on its military casualties.

Both sides have meanwhile accused the other of regularly targeting residential areas with shelling and rocket fire, with more than 130 civilians confirmed dead on both sides.

In Shusha the signs of these attacks are everywhere, from bomb craters in gardens to apartment blocks with their windows blown out.

Most of Karabakh’s civilians have fled the fighting to Armenia and Stepanakert on many days resembles a ghost town, with the sound of shelling and air raid sirens ringing through empty streets.

One of the few hubs of activity is a furniture workshop that has put its usual business on hold to make coffins, a sombre reminder of the growing number of dead.

The workshop is lined with a dozen newly-made caskets, their polished brown wood gleaming in the light.

“Unfortunately, we have to make coffins now because it is very important and in demand,” says David Hayrapetyan, a 41-year-old who works in the factory, as a colleague secures a gold-coloured cross on top of a casket lid.

bur-acl-mm/jbr/wdb

Armenia claims it shot down Azerbaijani Bayraktar TB2 combat drone

November 8, 2020March 12, 2026 Nahapetian Zhanna

Defence

Nov 8 2020

ByDylan Malyasov

Nov 8, 2020

On 8 November, the spokesperson for Armenia’s Defense Ministry, Shushan Stepanyan, has reported that its rockets shot down an Azerbaijani Bayraktar TB2 combat drone.

At the announcement, Shushan Stepanyan said that at around 13:40 Armenian Air Defense units of the Defense Army shot down another enemy Bayraktar TB2 in the southeastern direction in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Bayraktar TB2 is a Turkish-made medium altitude long endurance unmanned combat aerial vehicle that activity uses Azerbaijan during an ongoing conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The current conflict is the worst the region has seen since the original devastating quarrel in the 1990s. Despite Russian-mediated ceasefires, unprecedented reports of the destruction of military hardware are emerging from the front line.

Unlike previous conflicts in Nagorno-Karabakh that saw death tolls above 30,000, Azerbaijan has made major advances with significantly fewer casualties. After capturing a series of villages and strategic bridges, Azerbaijan’s Armed Forces occupied the Nagorno-Karabakh region’s southern border with Iran.

On Sunday, Azeri President Ilham Aliyev said his country’s forces had taken Shusha, the second-largest city in the Nagorno-Karabakh.

Fears of civilian exodus rise as Azerbaijan advances in Karabakh

November 8, 2020March 12, 2026 Nahapetian Samvel

EurasiaNet.org

Nov 8 2020

Joshua Kucera Nov 8, 2020

The de facto leader of Nagorno-Karabakh, Arayik Harutyunyan, stands on the main square of Stepanakert on the morning of November 8. (photo: Facebook, Arayik Harutyunyan)

This post has been updated with news of Azerbaijan’s announcement that it had captured Shusha.

If Azerbaijan captures Karabakh’s cities, what will happen to the civilians there?

Unknown tens of thousands of civilians remain in Stepanakert, Shusha, and other cities as Azerbaijani forces close in. If Azerbaijan does manage to take the cities, the residents – nearly all ethnic Armenians – will certainly want to leave. But their egress will be complicated by the dangerous status of the two roads leading out of the territory into Armenia.

On the morning of November 8, Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev said in an address to the nation that the country’s armed forces had captured Shusha, which had been the apparent main goal of the Azerbaijani offensive. Aliyev gave few details, and the claim couldn’t be confirmed, but if true it would place Azerbaijani forces in an advantageous position to attack the nearby, downhill Stepanakert.

There have been unconfirmed reports of an evacuation of the area. Analyst Richard Giragosian told Eurasianet on November 8 that the evidence he had seen suggested “a possible general evacuation, with a more sweeping exodus if needed.”

A Polish journalist, Witold Repetowicz, filmed a crowded road leading out of Stepanakert on November 7. “Thousands of cars were driving from Stepanakert to the mountains,” he wrote on Twitter. “This is the real face of war.”

Armenian officials have denied the reports. “At the moment it is not appropriate to talk about evacuations in Karabakh,” the Armenian Defense Ministry spokesman Artsrun Hovhannisyan said in a press conference the evening of November 7. Hovhannisyan also said, after Aliyev’s announcement, that the battle for Shusha was continuing.

The de facto leader of Karabakh, Arayik Harutyunyan, posted a photo of himself standing in central Stepanakert on Facebook the morning of November 8. “Dear compatriots, I met one of the hardest dawns of my life in Stepanakert’s Renaissance Square,” he wrote. “We stand with the defenders of our Motherland till the end. The life and death struggle continues.”

A civilian exodus could be a humanitarian disaster, but there is little indication of any preparation for it.

Asked by Eurasianet how Azerbaijan planned to ensure the safety of Armenian civilians should they take the Karabakh cities, a government spokesman pointed to a recent statement by senior presidential adviser Hikmet Hajiyev.

“Civilians wishing to move to the Azerbaijan-controlled territory will be provided with all kinds of assistance and support based on international principles of humanism,” Hajiyev said on November 4. Hajiyev also called on Armenian civilians to “stay away from the zone of hostilities” and claimed that “the greatest danger to the civilian population of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan comes from Armenia and its criminal junta regime.”

A humanitarian corridor would have to be arranged by the warring sides, Azerbaijani analyst Togrul Juvarli told news website Caucasian Knot. “They should specify the routes and time of opening a humanitarian corridor,” he said, but added that that wouldn’t be possible if heavy fighting was continuing.

The Nagorno Karabakh de facto Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to a question about whether the authorities had an evacuation plan. A spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Yerevan said that the organization had not prepared for the situation but would respond if the local authorities asked.

Many Armenians are insisting that there is no need for an evacuation because they will defeat the Azerbaijanis militarily.

“There is a plan,” said Anush Ghavalyan, a former spokesperson for the chair of the Karabakh parliament and now a regular social media commentator from Stepanakert, in a text interview with Eurasianet. “A plan to protect Shushi and clean surroundings from Azerbaijani forces and mercenaries.”

The status of the two roads leading out of Karabakh remains in flux. Early in the conflict, the northern road, which passes from Vardenis in Armenia through Kelbajar, was closed because Azerbaijani forces had taken a height above the road and were able to attack it easily.

That left only the Lachin corridor, a shorter route from Stepanakert and Shusha into Armenia. But fighting has neared that road in recent days and on November 4 Armenia closed it to civilians.

The press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders said on November 5 that 80 journalists were “trapped” in Karabakh because of the danger to the road and called on the United Nations, the Council of Europe, and Azerbaijan to “do everything possible to allow the evacuation of civilians.”

Hajijev responded to the statement by saying that “both roads are under the control of Armenian armed forces. Yesterday it was Armenia that declared closure of Lachin Corridor.”

In recent days, the northern road has again been opened to traffic, but it remains vulnerable to Azerbaijani attack.

“The fear of ethnic cleansing is fairly justified, making the necessity for further withdrawal and evacuation more pressing,” Giragosian said. “However, the vulnerability of the one remaining lifeline to Armenia, the Lachin road, may complicate a path of escape. And it remains unclear if the Azerbaijani side will allow or even encourage such an exodus. Thus, the looming threat of humanitarian disaster is not only confirmed, but is now only a question of severity.”

This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center.

Joshua Kucera is the Turkey/Caucasus editor at Eurasianet, and author of .

Drones Have Wreaked Havoc in the Armenian-Azerbaijani Conflict

November 8, 2020March 12, 2026 Badalian Vardan

The National Interest

Nov 8 2020

Saturating an area with unmanned hunter-killer systems like the Orbiter 1K and Harop drones can overwhelm even the best air defense artillery and missile systems currently fielded, which is one reason both China and the United States are researching technologies that feature swarms of drones.

by John Venable

Worldwide military use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) or drones has grown by leaps and bounds since the mid-1990s when the first General Atomics MQ-1 Predator took to the air. Over the last twenty-five years, the number, type, and mission set of drones has expanded considerably, and the ongoing Armenia-Azerbaijani conflict suggests that drones will play an increasingly significant role in future conflicts.

Originally, the Predator served exclusively as a reconnaissance platform. That changed in 2001 when an MQ-1 successfully launched a Hellfire missile and hit its target on a test range in Nevada.

The MQ-1 and its younger sibling, the MQ-9, have been used as if they were manned light reconnaissance and attack platforms instead of autonomous systems. They have logged more hours per aircraft than any other manned reconnaissance platform and probably more than all manned fighters in the U.S. arsenal. These two aircraft are at the upper end of tactical drones with regard to size, weight, complexity and cost, and they have been incredibly effective for the United States and its allies.

Military UAS platforms in the medium to small categories run from hand-launched, short-range reconnaissance drones with electro-optical/infrared sensors, to medium-sized drones with several hours of endurance that can be used for reconnaissance and/or attack. And every system is capable of delivering significant tactical effects for the warfighter.

In January 2018, a swarm of “home-built” drones carrying small explosive devices attacked Russian forces at Hmeimim Air Base (AB) and Tartus Naval Base in Syria. While neither the damage inflicted nor the effectiveness of Russian counter-drone systems has been independently verified, there is little doubt that the swarm of thirteen drones presented a significant targeting challenge to the defenders. The small size of the drones and their low radar cross-section made them hard to detect, and recent engagements of state of the art hunter-killer drones prove that, when the drones get through, they are deadly.

In the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Azerbaijanis have employed three different drones against Armenian armor and personnel to great effect. The Turkish Bayraktar TB2 is a large drone, in the same class as the MQ-9 Reaper. It carries laser and infrared-guided anti-tank munitions. The Israeli Obiter 1K and Harop drones have been used for reconnaissance and recovered to fly again, or employed as kamikaze attack drones. Collectively, these three types of drones reportedly destroyed more than eighty Armenian armored vehicles in the first few weeks of fighting. Each has a significant loiter capability, and video from the ongoing Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict appears to show numerous systems operating in concert.

China’s recent swarming experiments involve dozens of explosive-filled suicide drones launched simultaneously from specially designed vehicles and aircraft. Once airborne, the drones can loiter over the battlefield hunting for targets or an operator can designate a target and send the drones to move together and destroy it.

While it may be hard to visualize the size and overwhelming nature of swarming drones, testing conducted by the U.S. Navy in 2016 graphically demonstrated the hopelessness one would feel as a target in the center of such an attack.

In that test, three FA-18s released 103 micro-drones over China Lake, California. The UAVs executed several missions/maneuvers showing the ability to operate together, deconflict flight paths and then simultaneously attack a single target. The eyewatering video demonstrates the incredible tactical impact even the smallest drones will have on battlefields of the future.

For now, the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict highlights the deadly mechanisms at play in modern warfare where drones can find and destroy virtually any target on the battlefield. As long as these unmanned aerial systems have free movement above the enemy, they will wreak havoc on their armor, vehicles and fielded forces.

America has both a technological edge and decades more operational experience with offensive unmanned aerial systems than its global competitors. While that is a significant advantage, the losses that will come without an effective means of detecting and then countering or destroying the offensive drones of those who would do us harm will be substantial.

The Defense Department’s first joint strategy to counter small drones is about to hit Defense Secretary Mark Esper’s desk. That’s a step in the right direction. But DARPA and the Defense Department as a whole must put the development of counter-drone systems that can handle swarms of drones near the top of its growing list of priorities.

A twenty-five-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force, John “JV” Venable is a senior research fellow in The Heritage Foundation’s Center for National Defense.

Image: Reuters

Minnesota faith leaders pray for peace for Armenian people

November 8, 2020March 12, 2026 Toneyan Mark

Star Tribune Minneapolis

Nov 7 2020

Civilians and soldiers have been among casualties of Azerbaijan shelling in a bloody conflict over disputed territory.

By Jean Hopfensperger Star Tribune

An ecumenical prayer service for peace in Armenia and Artsakh was held at the Cathedral of St. Paul on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020. Archbishop Bernard Hebda officiated while several other faith leaders also prayed with Fr. Tadeos Barseghyan from St. Sahag Armenian Church.

Christian faith leaders gathered Saturday at the St. Paul Cathedral for an ecumenical prayer service for peace for Armenians caught up in a bloody conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over disputed territory.

The Rev. Tadeos Barseghyan, of St. Sahag Armenian Church in St. Paul, was among a half dozen faith leaders who spoke at the service, held to support the soldiers and civilians under attack in Nagorno-Karabakh, also called the Republic of Artsakh.

“It has been more than a month that we Armenians have had no peace, we had no rest,” said Barseghyan. “We have no sleep because our brothers and sisters in Armenia, our families in Armenia. … our friends in Armenia, are under attack.

“Too many already died or are wounded,” he said. “Many lost their homes. Many lost their families. We need peace. That’s why we come together today, to pray for peace.”

The Armenians have been under attack since Sept. 27, when Azerbaijan forces began shelling the Republic of Artsakh or Nagorno-Karabakh, a state east of Armenia that is home to about 145,000 Armenian Christians.

The attack is the latest in the decades-old conflict over the territory. The state is inside Azerbaijan, but Armenian forces have controlled the area since a separatist war ended in 1994.

Putin, Erdogan ready to join efforts to solve Karabakh conflict

November 8, 2020March 12, 2026 Markos Nalchajian

TASS, Russia

Nov 8 2020

Earlier the Turkish presidential office said that Erdogan insisted that Yerevan should be persuaded to sit at the negotiation table. He pointed out that a permanent solution to that conflict was a key factor for stability in the region

Russian President Vladimir Putin

MOSCOW, November 8. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin informed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a phone call about phone talks with the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia aimed at looking for a solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Kremlin said on Saturday.

According to the Kremlin press office, both presidents confirmed readiness to seek peace for Nagorno-Karabakh.

“[The two presidents] focused on the situation in the zone of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The Russian president informed his Turkish counterpart about a series of his telephone contacts with the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia. Those contacts sought options for the cessation of hostilities at the soonest possible time and for finding a political and diplomatic solution. Mutual readiness to cooperate so as to achieve a peaceful solution to the conflict was confirmed,” the statement said.

On Saturday, the Turkish presidential office said that Erdogan insisted that Yerevan should be persuaded to sit at the negotiation table. He pointed out that a permanent solution to that conflict was a key factor for stability in the region, according to the press release.

The Kremlin said earlier that on November 1 and 2 Putin held meaningful talks over the phone with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, discussing solutions to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with them.

Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27, with intense battles raging in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The area experienced flare-ups of violence in the summer of 2014, in April 2016 and this past July. Azerbaijan and Armenia have imposed martial law and launched mobilization efforts. Both parties to the conflict have reported casualties, among them civilians. Three ceasefire agreements have been negotiated so far, but almost immediately both sides begin blaming each other for violating the truce.

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the highland region of Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory that had been part of Azerbaijan before the Soviet Union break-up, but primarily populated by ethnic Armenians, broke out in February 1988 after the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its withdrawal from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1992-1994, tensions boiled over and exploded into large-scale military action for control over the enclave and seven adjacent territories after Azerbaijan lost control of them.