Category: 2020

The Geopolitics Of Armenia And Azerbaijan

Hambardsumian Paul
Greek City Times
Oct 3 2020
by Guest Blogger

The news over the past three days was particularly marked by the military conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. In a nutshell, it’s about land.

Strictly speaking, around the areas between Armenia and Azerbaijan which are marked here in red and green-brown.

This dispute arose from the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Nagorno-Karabakh War (1988-1994). Armenia emerged victorious from this war.

As a result, these areas became de facto independent and the Artsakh Republic was born.

However, the UN continues to regard these areas as the national territory of Azerbaijan. The majority of the population there are Armenians.

From here on, my personal opinion on the events of the last few days follows.

Logically speaking, Armenia has no interest in changing the status quo. With Azerbaijan it looks different. Reports increased last week that Turkey had sent terrorists from Syria to Azerbaijan to fight against Armenia. Look at the reports by Lindsey Snell.

Turkey has also assured its partner Azerbaijan 100% support. Turkish drones are said to be deployed against the Armenian army. It was reported that a Turkish jet shot down an Armenian jet yesterday morning.

All of these factors lead me to believe that Azerbaijan planned the whole thing over a longer period of time and was also the party that started this war. Turkey and Azerbaijan seem to think that they are stronger today than they were in the 1990s and that this reality should be reflected in geography as well.

I am only saying that one war was already enough and that a solution can only be achieved through realistic discussion. It is absolutely unacceptable that Turkey – a NATO country – continues its adventurism in the region and makes conflicts.

We have already seen in the past that Turkey transported terrorists from Syria to Libya. This is a serious threat to the stability of the local countries and therefore also to Europe.

The EU and especially Germany should have spoken out in favor of clear sanctions against Turkey in the case of Libya and Syria. Appeasement only leads to further aggression.

It is definitely time to rethink our relationship with Turkey. I would also like to note here that this foreign policy is not only something that emanates from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan but also from the majority of the Turkish political spectrum.

And before one carelessly comments, let me show you that war is hell. Check out the young man at the end of the video who is losing his sanity.

Look at the dates of birth of the fallen. Partly born between 2000 and 2002. These could be your sons, brothers, and cousins.

At this point I would like to express my condolences to all relatives. Rest in peace. I have nothing more to say about this.


https://greekcitytimes.com/2020/09/30/the-geopolitics-of-armenia-and-azerbaijan/

Turkey expects Azerbaijan to ‘liberate its territories’ in Karabakh, says Erdogan

Hovhannisian John
TASS, Russia
Oct 3 2020
Meanwhile, the Turkish President tied the escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh to the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean and in Syria

ANKARA, October 2. /TASS/. Turkey expects Azerbaijan to “liberate its territories” in Nagorno-Karabakh, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday.

“We support the friendly and fraternal Azerbaijan in every way possible and we will continue to do it. This struggle will continue until Karabakh is liberated from occupation,” the Turkish leader said, according to NTV.

Meanwhile, the Turkish President tied the escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh to the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean and in Syria.

“If we connect the crises in the Caucasus, in Syria and in the Mediterranean, you will see that this is an attempt to surround Turkey,” Erdogan said.

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.


Yerevan reports offensive of Azerbaijani troops in the north, south of Nagorno-Karabakh

Emil Lazarian
TASS, Russia
Oct 3 2020
There are fierce battles in the northern and southern areas of Artsakh, press secretary of the Armenian Defense Ministry wrote on her Facebook page

YEREVAN, October 3. /TASS/. The Armenian Defense Ministry reported that the Azerbaijani Armed Forces launched an offensive in the south and in the north of the Nagorno-Karabakh.

“There are fierce battles in the northern and southern areas of Artsakh (unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic – TASS). The enemy, having concentrated large forces in these areas, set out on an offensive,” Shushan Stepanyan, press secretary of the Armenian Defense Ministry wrote on her Facebook page. According to her, “the Armenian units are holding the enemy’s advance.”

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.

The conflict over 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.

Yerevan reports one dead, four wounded in a missile attack on Stepanakert

Chalian Meline
TASS, Russia
Oct 3 2020
Two residential buildings were seriously damaged, the Armenian government’s information center reported.

YEREVAN, October 3. /TASS/. One person was killed and four people wounded in a missile attack by the Azerbaijani armed forces on the city of Stepanakert on Friday, the Armenian government’s information center reported.

Stepanakert is the administrative center of the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

“According to preliminary data, as a result of the evening bombing of Stepanakert, four people were wounded, one person was killed,” the information center said. In addition, two residential buildings were seriously damaged, they added.

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.

On October 1, Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia, Donald Trump of the United States and Emmanuel Macron of France in a joint statement called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to end hostilities and to resume talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict without preconditions.

The conflict over 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. Talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement have been ongoing since 1992 under the OSCE Minsk Group, led by its three co-chairs – Russia, France and the United States.

Moscow: Russia, Iran concerned about Syrian and Libyan fighters in Nagorno-Karabakh

Emil Lazarian
MeMo – Middle East Online
Oct 2 2020
Moscow: Russia, Iran concerned about Syrian and Libyan fighters in Nagorno-Karabakh

October 2, 2020 at 8:17 pm |

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif talked by phone on Friday and expressed concern over the involvement of Syrian and Libyan fighters in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Russia’s foreign ministry said.

Two Syrian rebel sources have told Reuters that Turkey is sending Syrian rebel fighters to support Azerbaijan, something both Ankara and Baku have denied. French President Emmanuel Macron has also accused Turkey of sending Syrian jihadists to the region.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201002-moscow-russia-iran-concerned-about-syrian-and-libyan-fighters-in-nagorno-karabakh/

Erdogan hopes Azerbaijan will continue offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh until disputed region is free from ‘Armenian occupation’

Garnik Zakarian
RT – Russia Today
Oct 2 2020
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says his country will stand with Azerbaijan in its conflict with Armenia over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh, calling on Baku to continue its assault and re-take control of the region.

Erdogan reiterated Ankara’s “full support” for its ally during his Friday speech at the inauguration of a city hospital in the central Turkish province of Konya.

“The brotherly state of Azerbaijan has started a great operation both to defend its own territories and to liberate the occupied Karabakh,” he said. “Turkey stands with and will continue to stand with friendly and brotherly Azerbaijan with all our means and all our heart.”

Erdogan’s statement comes hours after the violence intensified in Nagorno-Karabakh with the region’s capital, Stepanakert enduring artillery strikes which left scores of people wounded, according to Armenian sources.

An intense military confrontation between Yerevan and Baku broke out on September 27. The two sides clashed over territory which is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but is populated by ethnic Armenians who have been de-facto independent from Baku, with support from Yerevan, for three decades. 

The conflict had been in a semi-frozen state since the early 1990s. While it saw several major flare-ups – occurring in 2014, 2016, and in July of this year – the current escalation marked with casualties on both sides is the most serious for over twenty-five years.

Ankara declared its unwavering support for the “brotherly” nation of Azerbaijan at the beginning of the standoff, offering both military and diplomatic assistance. It also dismissed calls for peace by Moscow, Washington, and Paris on Thursday, reiterating that the withdrawal of Armenian forces from Nagorno-Karabakh is a precondition for a ceasefire.

Armenia has repeatedly accused the Turkish military of aiding the Azeri army and even directly engaging and shooting down Armenian military aircraft – something that Ankara has denied.



Security Alert – U.S. Embassy Yerevan, Armenia

Hambardsumian Paul
US Embassy in Armenia
Oct 2 2020

Home Home | News & Events |

Location: Armenia

Event: Military confrontations continue in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. The U.S. Embassy urges U.S. citizens currently in a safe location to avoid non-essential in-country travel. The U.S. Embassy has instructed Embassy employees and their family members not to travel outside of Yerevan Province.
In accordance with previous security alerts, the U.S. Embassy in Armenia also continues to urge U.S. citizens to avoid travel south of Yerevan, east of Lake Sevan, and east of the M4 and M16 Highways north of the Dilijan National Park and up to the border with Georgia in Tavush province. Do not travel to the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

The U.S. Embassy encourages U.S. citizens to monitor local news reporting. The U.S. Embassy will continue to monitor the security situation and provide additional information as needed.

Actions to Take:

  • Monitor local media for updates.
  • Avoid crowds.
  • Avoid demonstrations.
  • Notify friends and family of your safety.
  • Be aware of your surroundings.
  • Review your personal security plans.
  • Avoid non-essential in country travel.

Assistance:

U.S. Embassy Yerevan
(+374-10) 49-45-85 (business hours)

(+374-10) 464-700 (after hours)
1 American Avenue
Yerevan 0082, Republic of Armenia
https://am.usembassy.gov/

For Travel Alerts and information about Armenia: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Armenia.html

State Department – Consular Affairs
888-407-4747 or 202-501-4444

Enroll in Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security updates
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

https://am.usembassy.gov/security-alert-u-s-embassy-yerevan-armenia-10022020/

Greeks living in Armenia and Artsakh are already fighting on the front lines

Boris Nahapetian
Greek City Times
Oct 3 2020
by Paul Antonopoulos

The Greek minority living in Armenia, mostly descendants of genocide survivors from Pontus, are already fighting alongside the Armenian Army, said the president of the Greek community of Armenia, Maria Lazareva.

Speaking to Greek Riviera News, she emphasized that in Artsakh, or more commonly known as Nagorno-Karabakh, there is a small Greek community of about 40 people with whom she is in daily contact with.

“Several volunteers and soldiers of Greek origin are now in Artsakh, fighting for their homeland, where they were born and raised,” she said, adding that “the people are excited, optimistic. We trust our army and our heroic spirit.”

“This is not a war for a small piece of land, it is a war for our beloved homeland, freedom,” said Lazareva.

How critical is the situation?

“When we have a Turkish neighbor, we must be ready for war at any moment ․ Of course, hostilities are not new in recent years. We had a four-day war in April 2016, from which Azerbaijan did not achieve much. So we knew that revenge would not be long in coming. And of course the hostilities, because of the defeat of the Azeris in July this year on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, had to continue. What is happening now in our lands is not called mere hostilities, but war, because of its extent and methods of battle. The point is that the current war is not only taking place between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and is not only taking place in Nagorno-Karabakh, but also in Armenia.”

Is there any evidence of Turkish involvement in what is happening?

“A Turkish F-16 aircraft hit one of our Su-25 [fighter jet]. Even if the Azerbaijani army does not use Turkish weapons, Erdogan’s statements that Armenians must leave Azerbaijani territory are proof that Azerbaijan has an ally, Turkey. The Armenian side analyzed the events and noticed that the Azeri Air Force was operating under the command of the Turks.”

In addition to casualties, you also have injuries. Can hospitals cope?

“Hospitals in Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia have several injured, but they are doing well. Many doctors and ordinary volunteers went to Artsakh to help the local doctors․ In severe cases, the injured are being transported to Yerevan, Armenia.”

What support does Armenia expect from the countries with which it has close relations?

“We have understood from our experience that Azerbaijan and Turkey do not know the language of negotiations, they are fighting unjustly and cunningly. “The international community has made it clear that the Azerbaijan-Turkey alliance is waging war against Artsakh and Armenia with the help of mercenaries and terrorists,” said Armenian Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Other countries must understand that the Turks are a danger, a catastrophe for all humanity. The issue now is not to help the Armenians defeat, but to protect humanity from the Turks,” she said, concluding the interview.

The Greek Riviera News report comes as Greek City Times exclusively revealed that around 80 Greek citizens are volunteering to fight in the Armenian-majority region of Artsakh, which although is internationally recognized as a part of Azerbaijan, has been an integral part of the Armenian homeland for over 2,500 years.

Other sources, like Sputnik Hellas, claim that the contingent of Greek citizens who are preparing to leave to defend Artsakh from the Turkish and Azerbaijani invasion already numbers in the hundreds.

Fighting Goes on as Azerbaijan, Armenia Reject Cease-Fire Calls

Parkev Tvankchian
Bloomberg
Oct 3 2020
 
 
 
 
                   
By Zulfugar Agayev
and
Sara Khojoyan
,
‎October‎ ‎3‎, ‎2020‎ ‎12‎:‎20‎ ‎PM
 
  • Aliyev says Armenia must pull out of contested region fully
  • Leaders of U.S., Russia, France had appealed for truce
 
Fighting continued in and around the contested Nagorno-Karabakh enclave Saturday as the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia set seemingly impossible terms for agreeing to calls from the leaders of the U.S., France and Russia for a cease-fire.
 
“Cease-fire ok, but on what conditions? Conditions must be that they withdraw from the territories,” Aliyev said in a website statement, referring to Armenian forces. “We heard it many times, we don’t have time to wait another 30 years. The conflict must be resolved now.”
 
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Armenia is ready to accept a truce but only if Turkish forces leave the area, AFP reported. Ankara backs Azerbaijan but denies it has any military presence there.
 
Officials reported shelling and rocket fire in and around Stepanakert, the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia has controlled the enclave and surrounding regions — all internationally recognized to be within Azerbaijan’s borders — since a war in the early 1990s. Azerbaijan accused Armenian forces of shelling villages nearby Saturday. The latest battles began a week ago and have provoked calls from the presidents of Russia, France and the U.S. for a cease-fire.
 
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan Friday and proposed restarting talks in the so-called Minsk Group, which has led peace efforts since the 1990s, his office said in a statement.
 
But Turkey rejected those appeals, saying the three powers were biased in favor of Armenia.
 
The Armenian Foreign Ministry said Friday in a website statement that renewed allegations of “joint actions” by Azerbaijan and Turkey in the conflict raised “risks of a full-fledged war.” The authorities in Baku and Ankara have denied Turkish forces are involved.
 
The unrecognized government Armenia backs in Nagorno-Karabakh says it’s lost 154 soldiers and 11 civilians in the latest fighting. Azerbaijan said 20 of its civilians have been killed; it hasn’t released figures on military casualties.
 
Aliyev has vowed to continue the military campaign until Armenian forces leave Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts that were taken during a war after the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991. The violence that began Sunday is more intense and widespread than at any time since Russia brokered a 1994 cease-fire to halt the war that killed about 30,000 and displaced more than a million people.
 
The confrontation adds to tensions between Russia and Turkey over proxy conflicts in Syria and Libya. Russia has an army base in Armenia and the two nations have a mutual-defense pact, though it doesn’t cover the disputed territory. Azerbaijan, which has close historical and linguistic ties to Turkey, hosted large-scale joint exercises with the Turkish military last month.
 
 
 
 

France struggles for Karabakh peace breakthrough amid fierce fighting

Aram Torosian
Dev Discourse
Oct 3 2020

A French attempt to relaunch peace talks over Nagorno-Karabakh showed no sign of a breakthrough on Saturday as Azerbaijan blamed Armenia for re-igniting their decades-old conflict. Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian enclave inside Azerbaijan, said Azeri forces had again launched rockets towards its main city, Stepanakert, a week after the opposing sides began pounding each other with tanks and missiles.

The clashes are the worst since the 1990s, raising the risk of a wider regional war that could draw in Russia and Turkey amid deepening concern about stability in the South Caucasus, where pipelines carry Azeri oil and gas to world markets. “Fierce battles continue along the entire front,” the Azeri defence ministry said on the seventh day of fighting with ethnic Armenian forces.

French President Emmanuel Macron spoke on Friday with President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia – which backs Nagorno-Karabakh – and said later in a statement he had proposed a new way to restart talks. “The president of Azerbaijan placed the entire responsibility on the leadership of Armenia for the break-off of negotiations and the armed confrontation,” Aliyev’s press service said. Armenia says it was Azerbaijan that reopened the conflict by launching a major offensive on Sept. 27.

Armenia had said on Friday it was willing to engage with Russia, the United States and France – co-chairs of the so-called Minsk Group of the OSCE security organisation – on renewing a ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh. But Aliyev told Al Jazeera in an interview on Friday that the Minsk group had failed for the past three decades to make progress over the dispute.

He said Azerbaijan was not ignoring ceasefire calls, but this could only be achieved if ethnic Armenian forces withdrew from Azeri territories – a reference to Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions they have controlled since the 1990s. “(The) conditions must be that they withdraw from the territories. We need our territories back by peaceful means and we demonstrated for 28 years our willingness to have a peaceful settlement,” Aliyev said.

Some 200 people have been reported killed in the past week and the toll may be considerably higher, as Azerbaijan has not disclosed its military losses. Violence first broke out over Nagorno-Karabakh in 1988, when both Armenia and Azerbaijan were still part of the Soviet Union, and some 30,000 people were killed before a 1994 ceasefire.

The International Committee of the Red Cross voiced alarm at civilian deaths and injuries, including of children. “People have been in touch with the ICRC, terrified for themselves and their families and at a loss as to where to go or what to do to stay safe,” it said. It added it was concerned about the risk of a surge in COVID-19 cases from people hiding for hours in shelters or crowding together with poor sanitation.

(Additional reporting by Margarita Antidze in Tbilisi; Writing by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Alexander Smith)

https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/law-order/1237750-france-struggles-for-karabakh-peace-breakthrough-amid-fierce-fighting