Category: 2021

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh with his French and Armenian counterparts in Paris on Wednesday.

According to a statement from France’s Foreign Ministry, Jean-Yves Le Drian held separate meetings with Bayramov and Ararat Mirzoyan, the Armenian Foreign Minister. They then had a trilateral meeting as part of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group.

France seeks to strengthen the dialogue between the parties and establish lasting peace in the South Caucasus, said the statement.

It was also noted that Le Drian wishes to continue the dialogue with Azerbaijan and Armenia.

France has faced criticism for abandoning its neutrality and supporting Armenia in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as one of the co-chair countries of the Minsk Group, which was set up by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

The Minsk Group, co-chaired by France, Russia and the United States, was formed in 1992 to find a peaceful solution to the conflict between Baku and Yerevan over the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region. However, for years it has been unable to provide a solution.

Previously, Azerbaijan’s parliament called for France to be stripped of its mediation role in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to punish the French Senate for adopting a resolution backing the region’s independence.

Relations between the former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

New clashes erupted on Sept. 27, 2020, with the Armenian army attacking civilians and Azerbaijani forces and violating humanitarian cease-fire agreements.

The fighting ended with a Russia-brokered agreement on Nov. 10, 2020.

During the 44-day conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and 300 settlements and villages that were under the Armenian occupation for almost 30 years.

Just blocks from Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar, porter Bayram Yıldız waits his turn in a dark alley to heave a huge bale on his back nearly double his body weight.

A few others linger beside him, picking up textiles from a lorry and lugging them to local shops before sunrise, their heads bowed and their knees bent.

“I am half Hercules and half Rambo,” the muscle-bound 40-year-old joked, claiming he can carry up to 200 kilograms (440 pounds) at a time.

Yıldız is one of hundreds of men who gather before dawn in the ancient heart of Turkey’s commercial capital, extending a tradition stretching back to Ottoman times.

Loaded with clothes and fabrics, they move in slow motion across deserted streets before the city wakes, carrying its trade on their backs, some grumbling about their luck.

“It is the worst job, but there is nothing else to do,” said fellow porter Osman, who has been doing this backbreaking work for 35 years.

Urban historian Necdet Sakaoğlu dates the zenith of Istanbul’s porter tradition to the early 1800s, when Sultan Mahmud II ruled what was still known as Constantinople.

Most of the porters (called “hamal” in Turkish) were then Armenian, reflecting the throbbing metropolis’s multicultural history.

Today, the trade is mainly held by Kurds from the ethnically diverse provinces of Malatya and Adıyaman in the southeast, where generations of families have cultivated relationships with the Istanbul merchants.

“These porters were able to develop trust (with the business owners) before there were cell phones,” Sakaoğlu said.

“Because of the structure of the city, the structure of trade and the topography, the city cannot function without porters.”

The porters usually work in squads, under the leadership of a captain who is responsible for coordinating jobs with merchants and distributing pay at the end of shifts.

Yıldız says he earns about TL 200 to TL 300 ($20 to $30), sometimes more on a good day.

But the job requires a strict code of conduct, with each squad controlling a particular micro-district and unable to cross into another’s territory.

“If I try going over there, they won’t let me – it’s their territory,” said porter Mehmet Toktaş, 49, pointing to buildings on the opposite side of the street.

For nearly 30 years, six days a week, Toktaş has been carrying loads up the stairs of the same seven-story building, developing the physique of a wrestler but earning less and less with time.

More than a hundred merchants in the building rely on men like Toktaş – ordinary carts on wheels are of little use in old dwellings without elevators and only narrow hallways.

But standing under a pale neon light on the ground floor, Toktaş feels like one of the last survivors of a vanishing trade, abandoned by merchants who move to more easily accessible locations and friends who opt for less grueling work.

“There were once four or five of us here, but the older ones have left and now I am alone. At the time, it paid well,” he said.

“Now, the amount of work has fallen and we do not earn as much.”

Toktaş says he still earns up to $20 a day, but can hardly afford to take any time off if he wants to make the official minimum wage, which is now worth about $350 a month.

In addition, he has no health plan or social security, meaning that he has to take extra care to make sure his back holds out until his planned retirement at the age of 60.

“Everyone who is older than me has had their knees or backs operated on,” said Toktaş.

Around the neighborhood, some of the porters look like old men, their hair silver and their legs as thin as stilts.

Still, despite the damaged cartilage and occasional hernias, some of the porters work until they are 70.

For the old city’s traders, these men are a blessing.

“They are the link we cannot give up,” said trader Kamil Beldek, standing behind the counter of his tiny shop.

“To us, what they do seems very difficult, but for them it is easy.”

Toktaş is less certain. Although he feels useful and needed, he doubts that many others will follow in his steps.

The upper floors of his building are now empty, with wholesalers preferring to move out to more remote locations where logistics are easier to arrange.

“In 10 or 15 years, this job will no longer exist,” Toktaş predicted.

Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Turkey on Thursday stated that the two countries always support one another as he pointed to their current cooperation in all fields.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Rashad Mammadov highlighted the fact that the Turkish people celebrated Azerbaijan’s independence as much as the Azerbaijani people.

“Azerbaijan and Turkey have always provided mutual support to each other, the two peoples saw each other’s cause as their own,” he said.

“When our lands were under the occupation of Armenia, Turkey considered our rights cause as its own and supported Azerbaijan without hesitation in all platforms to end the occupation.”

The relationship is based on a stable foundation that allows it to progress towards the goals set by the presidents of the two states, he said. “In the last 30 years, Azerbaijan-Turkey relations have always developed with the rising dynamics, have been above the classical understanding of interstate cooperation and have been a unique example in the world. Today, Azerbaijan-Turkey relations are carried out jointly in all fields.”

Mammadov said that the mutual visits by the two leaders have become a tradition, emphasizing that “every visit of President (Recep Tayyip) Erdoğan to Azerbaijan in the last year has been of a historical nature.”

Explaining that Erdoğan’s visits to Baku in December 2020 and to Shusha in June this year were met with great enthusiasm in Azerbaijan, Mammadov said the Turkish president attending the opening of Fuzuli International Airport on Oct. 26 sent a strong message. “It showed the whole world how fast the founding works went and what kind of results the Azerbaijan-Turkey cooperation had in our lands that were occupied by Armenia for nearly 30 years, were completely dispersed, mined and liberated last year. The opening of Fuzuli International Airport, which is the first air gate of the liberated regions, demonstrated what the two states were capable of in an eight-month period.”

Calling Fuzuli International Airport the “first air gate” in the regions liberated from occupation, and one of the first projects for peace and regional development, Mammadov said the airport is already an important point between the east and west, but it will become even more important with the opening of the Zangezur corridor.

Stating that they expect the airport to “contribute to the tourism potential of the regions devastated by Armenia,” Mammadov said: “This airport will also play an important role for foreign tourists to visit Shusha, the cultural capital of Azerbaijan.”

On the opening of the Zangezur corridor, which will unite the western provinces of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan enclave, Mammadov pointed to the three-sided declaration signed on Nov. 10, 2020, that ended the war and underlined that Armenia has made a commitment to open the corridor. He said that developments have been made in this direction in the last year and assured that the passage through Zangilan in the Eastern Zangezur region will open and thus “unite the whole Turkish world.”

“The Zangezur corridor will also provide new alternatives to international transportation from Europe to Asia and back, and will contribute to the development of the states in the region, namely Armenia. This project will be a complement to other similar projects in the region, not a competitor.”

The Nagorno-Karabakh region, which is internationally recognized as Azerbaijani territory, was liberated last year through a deal following a 44-day war with Armenia and has since entered a period of economic revival thanks to new transportation lines. According to the deal, all transportation lines that were closed due to the Karabakh issue are to reopen. During this period, the Zangezur corridor, which was mentioned by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev several times, came to the forefront.

Zangezur was part of Azerbaijan, but in the 1920s, the Soviets gave the region to Armenia. After this move, Azerbaijan lost its link with Nakhchivan and some parts of the railway between the two countries were destroyed. Azerbaijan has focused on projects in the Zangezur corridor, which will include highways and rail lines stretching across territories in Armenia’s Syunik region. Once those parts are repaired, Azerbaijan will be able to reach Iran, Armenia and Nakhchivan uninterruptedly by train. The railway will also link Turkey with Russia through Azerbaijan.

Mammadov stated that the cooperation between Turkey and Azerbaijan makes a significant contribution to regional and global security, peace, development and stability, underlining that the two countries are at the forefront of the fight against global terrorism.

Stating that the energy projects implemented with the cooperation of Turkey and Azerbaijan help bolster Europe’s energy security and supply, Mammadov said: “The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and Southern Gas Corridor projects that we have realized together in this regard will bring the hydrocarbons of the Caspian Sea to the world and Europe has created an opportunity for the export of their reserves.”

Mammadov also drew attention to the steps taken by the two countries in the field of global transportation, noting that thanks to the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, cargo sent from China can be transported to Europe and beyond in a short span of time, passing through Azerbaijan and Turkey.

Expressing that the tripartite mechanisms developed under the leadership of Turkey and Azerbaijan have made a significant contribution to the economic development in the region through peaceful cooperation, Mammadov said: “After the homeland war, Azerbaijan and Turkey took their experience of successful tripartite platforms further and presented the 3+3 platform to Armenia, which has been conducting an invading policy against Azerbaijan for nearly 30 years.”

Erdoğan has frequently called for a six-nation platform comprising of Turkey, Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia for permanent peace, stability and cooperation in the region, saying it would be a win-win initiative for all regional actors in the Caucasus. Turkey believes that permanent peace is possible through mutual security-based cooperation among the states and people of the South Caucasus region.

Erdoğan in late September said after his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi that Russia was ready to create a six-nation platform. Azerbaijan and Russia also recently noted the importance of “developing a cooperation platform in the 3+3 format,” including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, Turkey and Iran in the Caucasus region.

Regarding the Shusha Declaration, Mammadov said that Azerbaijan and Turkey have officially become allies.

On June 15, Turkey and Azerbaijan signed the Shusha Declaration, a pact that focuses on defense cooperation and establishing new transportation routes. Erdoğan and Aliyev met in the historic city of Shusha, which was liberated last fall from nearly 30 years of Armenian occupation. The declaration affirms joint efforts by the two armies in the face of foreign threats and the restructuring and modernization of their armed forces.

Relations between the former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions. The latest large-scale clashes erupted in the Karabakh region on Sept. 27, 2020, when the Armenian Army launched attacks on civilians and Azerbaijani forces, violating several humanitarian cease-fire agreements. Azerbaijan then launched a counteroffensive operation, later dubbed “Iron Fist,” which led to the 44-day conflict ending with the liberation of Azerbaijani lands. During the conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and 300 settlements and villages that were occupied by Armenia for almost 30 years. Prior to that, about 20% of Azerbaijan’s territory was under illegal occupation.

On Nov. 8, Azerbaijan celebrated Victory Day on the first anniversary of the liberation of Shusha, the pearl of Karabakh, which played a crucial role in the fate of the Patriotic War. Shusha, Azerbaijan’s cultural and historical capital, was liberated after 28 years thanks to the army, mostly special forces teams, as heavy weapons and ammunition could not enter the city due to its geographic and natural features. Azerbaijani forces entered Shusha, which is surrounded by mountainous terrain and located on the top of a rock, and destroyed the Armenian Army in a close-up battle using just light weapons. The Armenian leadership had no choice but to accept Azerbaijan’s terms and withdraw from the occupied lands in the following days.

On Nov. 10, 2020, the two countries signed a Russian-brokered agreement to end the fighting and start working toward a comprehensive resolution of the dispute. Two months later, the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a pact to develop economic ties and infrastructure to benefit the entire region. It also included the establishment of a trilateral working group on Karabakh. A joint Turkish-Russian center was also established to monitor the postwar truce.

The decision to establish a mechanism to deal with the ongoing disputes and disagreements between Turkey and the U.S. is a constructive development and a significant opportunity to improve bilateral relations. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his U.S. counterpart President Joe Biden decided on the mechanism in their Rome meeting during the recent G-20 meetings.

Three working groups and technical teams will be established as part of the process. The working groups will try to reduce the gap between the contradictory positions of the two countries. Technical teams will work on the details of the issues of disagreement. What’s more important is the decision to engage diplomatically to reduce tensions and publicly give constructive messages on controversial matters. Maintaining the existing status quo does not serve the interests of both parties.

Since 2016, Turkish-U.S. relations have been in a downward spiral. There are a number of issues and problems that have accumulated over time. Both sides’ difference of opinion concerning Syria and the other post-Arab Spring countries was one of the earlier rifts between the two countries. The other major crises can be listed as follows:

• The deterioration of the Turkish-Israeli relations
• Turkey and Brazil’s initiative in the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) to address the Iran nuclear issue
• American position about the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) and the July 15 coup
• Debates on S-400 and the F-35 crisis
• The U.S. decision to support and sponsor the YPG terrorists in Syria

These are problems that are considered obstacles to the normalization of the bilateral ties. Besides these, some of the other issues are:

• The tensions related to Pastor Andrew Brunson’s imprisonment in Turkey
• The Halkbank case
• Biden’s designation of the events of 1915 as “Armenian genocide”
• Washington’s criticisms of Turkey about democratic backsliding and problems of the rule of law
• The recent tension concerning the 10 ambassadors’ social media declaration about imprisoned Turkish tycoon Osman Kavala

These were some of the crises that led to the deterioration of Turkish-U.S. relations. All these problems accumulated gradually and limited the possibility of joint initiatives.

In the last decade, the U.S. side disregarded the balance in its relations with two NATO allies Turkey and Greece. U.S. arms deployment to Greece in Alexandroupoli (Dedeağaç), Crete, and other bases is very concerning for Turkey. Especially during the time when Mike Pompeo was serving as the U.S. secretary of state, Washington’s balanced approach to Turkey and Greece was disregarded completely. This approach is still continuing despite the change in the U.S. State Department. The Turkish public is also worried about the U.S.’ pro-Greek approach in its foreign policy decisions. The Turkish side also felt isolated and excluded in the Eastern Mediterranean tension. Washington also sided against Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean tension rather than playing a more balanced mediator approach.

There has been a permanent sense of crisis management in Turkish-U.S. relations since FETÖ’s failed coup attempt in July 2016. There is a deep trust gap between the politicians, diplomats and the populations of the two countries. There is a wide-scale bipartisan sense of anti-Americanism in Turkey. More than 80% of the Turkish people have anti-U.S. sentiments, according to public opinion polls. It will take a lot of time and constructive efforts to change the Turkish public’s negative mindset against the U.S. Most U.S. analysts try to portray the current negative status as a consequence of the mismanagement of the Erdoğan government in Turkey. Still, the problem is more profound than a temporary intergovernmental rift. Even if the governments change on both sides, the mistrust will persist for a while.

Turkey-U.S. relations cannot be fixed quickly any time soon. The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate have very negative opinions against Turkey. There is also a significant anti-Turkey sentiment among the U.S. academic, press and think tank and policy circles. In Turkey, the anti-U.S. sentiments are intense and not likely to be transformed easily any time soon. The problems between the two countries have accumulated over the last several years, and there is no easy way to address all of the issues quickly. A better PR and public diplomacy strategy should accompany the diplomatic mechanisms.

Despite all the mentioned limitations, the establishment of dispute resolution mechanisms and genuine dialogue platforms may help to reduce the tensions between the two countries. Turkish-U.S. relations can hardly become what they were during the Cold War-era. It would be unrealistic for politicians and experts to reach a consensus on all the issues, but there is always a better way to manage the disagreements. The will of the decision-makers and the parties’ commitment to a well-designed dispute resolution process are the essential preconditions of the normalization process. The preconditions are present and the momentum is promising for constructive diplomacy between Ankara and Washington.

ANKARA, ISTANBUL

BY NAIRI PARSEKYAN

From the moment I stepped foot in Armenia, I felt a rush of emotions overcome me. A whirlwind of sentiments filled my heart, yet this sense of belonging came with it, and it would stay with me for the next three weeks. Although I had previously been to Armenia, I was beyond thrilled to revisit and explore the country which had originally captivated me. However, this time I had a greater calling—to serve and give back in my own capacity.  

Meeting my Service Armenia group was the first step on this endeavor. I was introduced to a dozen young participants, all from various backgrounds and from different parts of the United States. We were all brought together by our common Armenian identity and an unquenched desire to serve our people in our ancestral homeland. 

A typical day with our Service Armenia team lasted long hours and our volunteering excursions were set in a wide variety of places, ranging from the bustling capital city of Yerevan to the remote towns in the outskirts of Armenia. 

Upon arrival at each work site, we would meet the friendly locals eager to greet us. They would give us a tour of the area and explain the purpose of what the specific institution was designed for. They would then identify the areas that needed improvements and instructed us on ways we could help. 

Service Armenia volunteers at Gyumri’s “Moving Forward” Children’s Center

Working on “Groceries for Gyumri” one of The Paros Foundation’s main projects, was one of the most evocative parts of the trip. Following the devastating Spitak earthquake in 1988, numerous cities in Armenia, including Gyumri, were destroyed. Thousands were killed and countless families were left homeless and, as a result, they resorted to finding shelter in old, rusty shipping containers called “domiks.” These makeshift shelters were no match for the harsh summer and winter conditions of Armenia. Although three decades have passed since then, there are still numerous families in Gyumri stuck living in this situation. These families remain in domiks with little to no access to water, deplorable living conditions, and overcrowded spaces. 

In order to provide momentary relief to these families, The Paros Foundation created the “Groceries for Gyumri” project, which would help these impoverished families gain access to everyday necessities and to place families into new homes, one household at a time, by fundraising throughout the year. 

Upon our arrival at Gyumri’s Moving Forward (Դեպի Առաջ) Children’s Center, we began to pack groceries including household essentials. Our Service Armenia group traveled by bus to visit each domik and delivered hundreds of boxes to the affected families. The locals were incredibly grateful for their care packages. Their gratitude was evident with each warm welcome and smile. 

As I walked away from each family, I gained a greater understanding of how even the smallest contribution can have such an enormous impact. Not only did this experience make us all realize just how blessed and fortunate we were, but also grateful to have had the opportunity to connect with and serve the people of Gyumri. 

Other projects in Gyumri included teaching the children how to play American football, along with other sports and activities. We sang Armenian folk songs, worked on arts and crafts, and even had the opportunity to teach them basic English. It was so fulfilling to be surrounded by our younger brothers and sisters and hearing their stories and laughter. The rooms of the children’s center were filled with ecstatic children, and seeing each of their joyous smiles was truly unforgettable. 

With each and every project we completed, we felt a profound sense of accomplishment. Renovating the rooms of preschools and educational centers in villages such as Paruyr Sevak were particularly memorable. It was truly comforting to spend a day outdoors painting the playgrounds where I knew children would be able to play. Aiding in the betterment of these learning environments for children made us all proud to be a part of The Paros Foundation. 

In addition to the humanitarian projects, there was plenty of sightseeing to accompany the physical work. Our guides gave us a tour of Armenia’s most significant cultural and historical landmarks, allowing us to become familiarized with every aspect of the country. We visited countless churches and monasteries, and traveled from one region of Armenia to another. We were able to experience the nation in a completely different light. We also had the opportunity to explore the city of Yerevan in our free time. Walking through the bustling streets was such a surreal feeling, and hearing our mother tongue on every corner was like music to our ears. 

Participating in this program made a lasting impact on each and every one of us volunteers, and I can wholeheartedly say that it was a truly unforgettable experience. Not only did we each make lifelong friends inside and outside of Armenia, we were able to do our part as devoted members of the Diaspora. Providing direct and immediate help to the people of Armenia proved to be tremendously effective, one small project at a time. 

Attending an Armenian private school for fifteen years, Ferrahian has instilled in me a strong cultural connection and undying passion for my motherland. This passion has led me to immerse myself in the broader community and take action for our brothers and sisters in need. Ranging from attending AYF-organized protests commemorating the Armenian Genocide, helping organize school-wide fundraisers for Artsakh, volunteering at organizations providing medical and military aid, and working to supply immediate relief to impoverished and post-war families, Ferrahian continually encourages and creates opportunities for its student body to be involved and incite change.

As far back as preschool, I remember crafting Vartan Mamigonian hats for assemblies celebrating Vartanants, performing plays of Hovhannes Tumanyan’s “Մի Կաթիլ Մեղր”, and reciting Paruyr Sevak’s “Մենք Քիչ Ենք, բայց Հայ Ենք.” Our devoted Armenian teachers provided a strong foundation for knowledge of not only our nation’s ancient history, but also a grasp on current affairs. From celebrations of May 28th on Armenian Independence Day to dedicating the month of October to Armenian culture, our school continuously unites to reingrain this sense of identity within its students. Every step of the way, my journey at Ferrahian has been marked with vivid memories fostering the love of Armenian heritage and culture within my peers and me. 

As an Armenian in the Diaspora, being able to revisit Armenia and make a personal contribution to our people was remarkable, and seeing with my own eyes just how much impact an individual can make in their own way deeply resonated with me. 

The fervent sense of community never faded in the three weeks we spent in Armenia. Wherever we traveled, a sense of belonging always followed. Though we lived oceans apart, we connected with our brethren and never did we feel foreign. Armenia was home, albeit over 7,000 miles away from home. 

Nairi Parsekyan is a senior at Holy Martyrs Ferrahian Armenian School.