Category: 2021

Azerbaijan is ready to normalize its relations with Armenia under the scope of international law principles, sovereignty and territorial integrity, Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said Thursday.

“Azerbaijan is ready to normalize relations with Armenia in line with international law, especially sovereignty, territorial integrity, despite all difficulties,” Bayramov said, speaking at the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Council of Foreign Ministers in Minsk.

He noted that Azerbaijan was able to ensure its territorial integrity after three decades by liberating Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenian occupation, as he highlighted that Armenia has destroyed Azerbaijan’s cultural, historical and religious heritage.

Bayramov met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the meeting, and discussed bilateral relations, as well as the implementation of the cease-fire declaration.

Just over a year after the war over Nagorno-Karabakh, both Azerbaijan and Armenia have now taken their conflict to International Court of Justice in The Hague.

The case is to be heard next week. It is not yet known when the court will rule.

Prisoners of war have been tortured and executed and bodies of killed soldiers have been desecrated. Prisoners of war were not released despite international obligations, and cultural and religious sites were destroyed, the rights representatives said.

The background to the legal dispute is the war over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which had been occupied for decades.

More than 6,500 people were killed in the fighting from Sept. 27 to Nov. 9 last year.

Azerbaijan had finally recaptured large parts of the territory lost in the early 1990s with the help of Turkey, with which it shares cultural and religious links. Armenia meanwhile sees Russia as its protecting power for similar reasons.

Artists, musicians, and community members gather for a photo at the closing of the event

BY ALEEN ARSLANIAN

A captivating evening of live music and art drew a crowd of more than 150 community members to Altadena, CA, where singer and songwriter Sebu Simonian hosted a fundraiser for Artsakh. The event, held on Sunday, September 26, served as a collective giving opportunity to raise money for Support Our Heroes – a non-profit organization that provides aid to Armenians displaced from their native lands, as well as veteran servicemen and their families.

As guests gathered at the private residence on Sunday evening, they were invited to participate in a silent auction that featured a selection of pieces created by diasporan Armenian artists. Event curator Ani Ohanessian emphasized that the artworks on display had been donated by the artists and that the proceeds would support SOH’s Tever IT Center and Nakhijevanik Homes projects.

According to Ohanessian, only one artist, Armen Sayar, would receive a portion of the proceeds from the sales of his work. Sayar was born and raised in Stepanakert, Artsakh, where he met Sebu in 2019. As a result of the 2020 Artsakh War, Sayar and his father had to flee their home and reestablish their lives in Armenia. Guests interested in supporting Sayar and his work had the opportunity to place bids with Ohanessian.

• Yeva Babayan’s donated pieces
• Attendees examine Armen Sayar’s work up close

“With what has happened recently in Armenia and Artsakh, and has historically been happening, I believe that it’s really our art and culture that has pushed us forward,” noted Ohanessian, who highlighted the importance of raising awareness through music and art. “This is how we leave our mark,” she said.

The exhibit consisted of three rooms and a corridor. Artists featured included: Anna Kostanian, Armen Anoush Meshefejian, Armen Sayar, Arthur Shareunc, Kevo Manoukian, Minas Hala, Raffi Semerjian, Roger Kupelian, Serj Tankian, Sevag Mahserejian, Tro Khayalian, Vahe Berberian, and Yeva Babayan. A duduk crafted by legendary musician Jivan Gasparyan Jr., and his grandfather Jivan Gasparyan, was also sold at the auction.

“As artists this is our battlefield, and the only way that we can combat a force that’s trying to erase not just the territory you hold but the culture that you represent is by creating more,” said artist Sevag Mahserejain. “It’s a powerhouse of artists that have come together to create and to remind people that this is happening.”

• An attendee admires Tro Khayalian’s donated pieces
• Attendees watched segments from documentaries depicting the situation in Artsakh since the start of the 2020 War

Outside, a noteworthy piece on display was the “Eternal Armenia” installation, by artists Margarita Simonian, Vreje Bakalian, and Yeva Babayan. Programmed with LED lighting, the piece is an 18ft tall Armenian symbol of eternity that was previously installed at Glendale’s Central Park.

To the left of Babayan’s piece was a stage, projector, and screen that were used to present clips from documentaries highlighting the current situation in Artsakh. Segments from Mariam Avetisyan’s “The Desire to Live” and Emile Ghessen’s “45-Days,” two documentaries that were recently released, were played for attendees. Later, clips from a documentary made by Taline Kevonian, who has been on the ground in both Armenia and Artsakh since the very beginning of the 2020 Artsakh War, were played.

“With accessibility having become such an integral commodity, this event serves as a catalyst for great artists, musicians, and the community to come together, feel together, and give together to the soldiers who need us the most right now as they continue to secure the peace for Artsakh and Armenia,” said Nadia Simon, an attendee.

• A scene from the fundraising event
• The “Eternal Armenia” installation, created by artists Margarita Simonian, Vreje Bakalian, and Yeva Babayan

The fundraising event included live performances by several Armenian musicians. Performers included: Capital Cities’ Sebu Simonian, System of a Down’s Serj Tankian, Misho, R-Mean, Bei-Ru, Jivan Gasparyan Jr., Ara Dabanjian (Element Band), Soseh, Chris Daniel, Sam Babayan, and more. A highlight of the evening included a performance of Sebu, Misho, and Tankian’s song “Introvert (Call Me Crazy),” as well as R-Mean and Sebu’s performance of their song, “We Are Still Here.”

“Music and art are my world, and to be able to use that to benefit our people in any way is an honor for all of us – all the artists here,” said Tankian, who not only performed but also donated artwork.

Sebu Simonian and R-Mean performing their song “We Are Still Here”

For Sebu, SOH holds a special place in his heart, as it’s an organization co-founded by his father, Hratch Simonian. Simonian and Viken Arabian created SOH in 2016 in response to the Four-Day-War. They have actively supported Armenians from Artsakh through the organization’s many projects and have doubled their efforts since the start of the 2020 Artsakh War.

According to Hratch’s wife, Seta Simonian, the music and art are remarkable, but “the cause is even more important.” Seta firmly believes that it is the Diaspora’s duty to “to make sure the people there [in Artsakh] live happily and in a safe environment.”

After attending a fundraising event recently hosted by his father, Sebu was inspired to host one of his own. Instead of taking the more old-fashioned approach to fundraising – a sit-down dinner with a lineup of guest speakers – he decided to integrate music and art into a fundraising project. “I wanted it to be, not a celebration, but an experience—a cultural experience,” said Sebu.

By recruiting musicians and artists from his circle of friends, Sebu was able to successfully bring together a community to fundraise for Artsakh. He created a space for the new and old generation of Armenian artists to display their works, network, and most importantly raise money for SOH.

H. Roger Tatarian (From Fresno Bee archives)

In a unanimous vote on Wednesday, the Fresno Unified School board decided to rename the city’s Fokner Elementary School after renowned journalist and Fresno native H. Roger Tatarian, becoming the first school in the city to be named after an Armenian-American.

The grassroots effort to rename the school began five months ago, when the Armenian community in Fresno petitioned to have Fresno Unified’s newest school campus be named after Tatarian. Instead, the school board voted to name that campus after philanthropists Francine and Murray Farber, who have given hundreds of thousands of dollars to local education causes, the Fresno Bee reported.

The Forkner Elementary School was a second choice by the Armenian community, and despite opposition by the school community, the school district voted for the name change.

“The ANCA Central California thanks the Fresno Unified School District Board of Trustees on naming a school after Roger Tatarian,” said a statement by the local Armenian National Committee of America chapter.

According to the Fresno Bee, on the same night the school board cast its vote in May, Fresno author and journalist Mark Arax suggested renaming Forkner Elementary School for Tatarian and noted namesake J.C. Forkner’s racist history. Arax researched Forkner extensively and wrote about him in his latest book, “The Dreamt Land,” where he chronicles the racist past of Forkner’s developments and discrimination against Armenians and communities of color. Forkner is known chiefly for developing Fig Garden, which spans 12,000 acres. 

Speaking before the board Wednesday, Arax again described Forkner as “the most consequential racist” in the city’s history who affected “countless” families, reported the Fresno Bee.

Tatarian has had a storied career as a journalist, educator and author, with an impact on his native Fresno.

After graduating from Fresno State in 1938 with a political science degree, Tatarian began his journalism career at the United Press International, said the Fresno Bee. During his 34 years at UPI, he was in leadership positions worldwide, including Europe, the Middle East, Africa, London, Rome, and Washington, D.C. — ultimately becoming the wire service’s editor in chief. 

After retirement, he taught journalism at Fresno State for 15 years and served as a consultant for various newspapers, including the Fresno Bee, where he also wrote a regular column.

Tatarian passed in 1995 at the age of 78. A year later, a book of his essays was published, “Day of Mourning, Day of Shame.” Fresno State established the Roger Tatarian Journalism Grant and the Roger Tatarian Endowed Chair in Journalism in his honor, reported the Fresno Bee.

Tatarian was awarded the Elijah Parrish Lovejoy Award and was named a fellow of the Society of Professional Journalists Sigma Delta Chi. He was also among the first to be inducted into the New York SPJ Hall of Fame.

• Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has met the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, with many speculating a trilateral meeting to take place. 
• Hearings regarding Armenia’s request for provisional measures against Azerbaijan begin at the International Court of Justice.
• Pilgrimages by Armenians to Karabakh’s Dadivank Monastery to resume, states Artsakh’s education minister. 

By Mark Dovich

Six Armenian soldiers were shot by Azerbaijani forces in eastern Karabakh (also called Artsakh by many Armenians) on Thursday evening, according to military sources in Armenia and the self-declared Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Two of the soldiers sustained critical but non-life threatening injuries.

“Azerbaijani armed forces opened fire in the direction of the military base of the defense army located in the eastern border of the republic, which resulted in a gunshot wound to six soldiers,” said a statement from the Artsakh Defense Ministry.

“The Russian peacekeeping military command was immediately informed about the incident,” the statement continued. As of early Friday morning local time, neither the Russian government nor its peacekeeping contingent had not commented on the incident.

In the statement, the Artsakh Defense Ministry said it “continues to adhere to the preservation of the ceasefire regime and urges the Azerbaijani side to also stay away from actions that destabilize the situation.”

The situation along the line of contact in and around Karabakh is now calm, sources say.

Thursday’s incident comes less than a week after an Azerbaijani sniper fatally shot an Armenian man driving a tractor in a pomegranate orchard in Martakert, a large town in northern Karabakh, according to the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’s police force.

According to Arman Tatoyan, Armenia’s human rights ombudsman, Thursday’s incident took place near the village of Nor Shen in eastern Karabakh, “in the immediate vicinity of which the positions of the Azerbaijani armed forces are located.” He added that “attacks were launched in the direction of Harav and several other civilian communities of Artsakh.”

“The presence of the Azerbaijani armed forces in the vicinity of Armenian civilian communities poses a serious threat to the security and peace of the civilian people, it is a violation of their right to life,” Tatoyan said on Facebook.

Two of the wounded soldiers are receiving treatment for critical but non-life threatening injuries at a hospital in Stepanakert, the region’s largest city, said Artak Beglaryan, who serves as the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’s state minister. The position of state minister was created in 2018 to replace the post of prime minister and is one of the highest-ranking positions in the self-proclaimed republic.

Beglaryan added that “the Armenian side has no positional and territorial losses” and noted that the “defense army is conducting coordinated work with the authorities of the Republic of Armenia with the command of the Russian peacekeeping contingent aimed at further defusing the situation.”

He urged “everyone to refrain from spreading misinformation and the temptation to become a source of ‘scandalous’ information.”

The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said in a statement that “the Azerbaijani army has nothing to do with the incident” and that “on the territory of Azerbaijan, where Russian peacekeepers are temporarily stationed, an exchange of fire took place between illegal Armenian armed detachments.”

Thursday’s incident is the single largest escalation of violence in and around Karabakh since December 2020, when Azerbaijan captured the villages of Hin Tagher and Khtsaberd, the only two villages in the Hadrut region of southern Karabakh that remained under Armenian control following last year’s war.

The Russian Ministry of Defense called that incident a “violation” of the fragile ceasefire that Russia brokered between Armenia and Azerbaijan a month earlier, but did not assign blame to either side. Dozens of Armenian troops were captured in Hin Tagher and Khtsaberd, some of whom still remain in Azerbaijan as prisoners of war.

A Russia-brokered ceasefire signed last November ended 44 days of fierce fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani armed forces in and around Karabakh. The war left Azerbaijan in control of swaths of territory previously controlled by Armenian forces, with thousands dead or injured on both sides and tens of thousands more displaced.