Category: 2022

AW; The HALO Trust clears Stepanakert of unexploded hazards left by 2020 war

Bedik Zaminian
 Guest Contributor Non-Profit 0

HALO team clears explosive contamination from residential areas in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh, on March 9, 2022.
Anush Babajanyan’s photographs taken in March 2022 (Photo courtesy of The HALO Trust)

The HALO Trust has completed the clearance of all known cluster bombs and other explosive dangers from Stepanakert, the largest city in Nagorno Karabakh.

The eyes of the world are understandably focused on the war in Ukraine, a country where HALO is also working to save lives from deadly explosives. However, the fate of Stepanakert, a city which was in the crosshairs of the same munitions that are now falling on communities across Ukraine, offers both a sobering glimpse of the work that lies ahead as well as a hopeful example of how lives and communities can be restored in the aftermath of a tragic conflict.

HALO team, including BAC deminer Nazeli Isunts, 45, clears explosive contamination from residential areas in Stepanakert, Nagorno Karabakh, on March 9, 2022.
Anush Babajanyan’s photographs taken in March 2022 (Photo courtesy of The HALO Trust)

In the aftermath of the 2020 war in Nagorno Karabakh, local citizens returned to find their homes badly damaged, with artillery shells, unexploded cluster munitions and debris from other weaponry scattered in the streets, fields, gardens and on rooftops and balconies. 

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, HALO has now reached an important milestone in helping Nagorno Karabakh recover from the fighting. We have completed the clearance of all currently known contamination in Stepanakert.

“For the people of Stepanakert, unexploded bombs and dangers served as a painful memory of the tragedies they experienced during the war. Removing them from their communities is a real step towards recovery. The clearance of Stepanakert marks a turnaround for the many isolated communities who yearn for a better future,” Fiona Kilpatrick-Cooper, HALO’s Head of Region for Europe said.

Stepanakert, the capital of Nagorno Karabakh, was one of the areas most devastated by the fighting. At one point after the ceasefire, more than 20-percent of the city was contaminated with unexploded items that were left from constant bombardments.

Vahe Ghazaryan, 7 (right) and his counsin Arman Ghazaryan, 7, at their home in Stepanakert, Nagorno Karabakh, on March 7, 2022.
Anush Babajanyan’s photographs taken in March 2022 (Photo courtesy of The HALO Trust)

In the wake of the 2020 war, the danger for civilians increased. Population centers like Stepanakert, Martuni, and Martakert were heavily contaminated with unexploded artillery shells, bombs, and cluster munitions.

Nagorno Karabakh was littered with landmines during conflicts at the end of the Soviet era and in the early 1990’s. For many years, landmine accidents in the territory were among the worst in the world per capita, with more than 385 civilian casualties from landmines and explosives recorded.

The HALO Trust has been the only international NGO present in the Armenian-controlled territory of Nagorno Karabakh and has worked in the region since 2000. Before the 2020 war, it has cleared almost 500 minefields, making land safe and benefitting more than 130,000 people. Since the 2020 ceasefire, HALO has made more than 1,300 acres of land safe, benefitting more than 30,000 people.

The HALO Trust is the world’s largest landmine clearance organization, with almost 10,000 staff in 28 countries and territories. HALO’s program in Nagorno Karabakh employs 98-percent local Armenians, and people who were displaced by the 2020 war make up over a tenth of our staff, providing them stable jobs.

Karen Danielyan, 56, in his garden with his grandson Avetis, 2, in Stepanakert, Nagorno Karabakh, on March 7, 2022.
Anush Babajanyan’s photographs taken in March 2022 (Photo courtesy of The HALO Trust)

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 05/19/2022

Dabaghian Diana 
                                        Thursday, 
EU Head To Host Another Armenian-Azeri Summit
Belgium - European Council President Charles Michel, Armenian Prime Minister 
Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev begin a trilateral 
meeting in Brussels, April 6, 2022.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian will fly to Brussels on Sunday for fresh talks 
with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev that will be hosted by the European 
Union’s top official, it was announced on Thursday.
Pashinian’s press office said he will meet with European Council President 
Charles Michel separately before the trilateral talks. It gave no other details.
Michel will host the Armenian and Azerbaijan leaders for the second time in less 
than two months.
He described the last Armenian-Azerbaijani summit held on April 6 as 
“productive,” saying that Aliyev and Pashinian agreed to “move rapidly” towards 
negotiating a comprehensive “peace treaty” between their nations.
Yerevan and Baku have still not reached agreements on the agenda and dates of 
those negotiations. Nor have they started separate talks on demarcating the 
Armenian-Azerbaijani border in line with other understandings reached in 
Brussels.
Russia responded to the April 6 summit by accusing the West of trying to hijack 
its efforts to make peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan. It has been trying to 
regain the initiative in the peace process.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held on May 12 a trilateral meeting with 
his Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts in Tajikistan. The Russian Foreign 
Ministry said the three ministers “reaffirmed the commitment to strict 
compliance with all provisions” of Armenian-Azerbaijani agreements brokered by 
Moscow.
Pashinian’s office announced the fresh summit in Brussels amid daily opposition 
demonstrations in Yerevan aimed at forcing the prime minister to resign. They 
were sparked by his recent statements on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Speaking in the Armenian parliament on April 13, Pashinian said the 
international community is pressing Armenia to scale back its demands on 
Karabakh’s status and recognize Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. He signaled 
readiness to make such concessions, fuelling more opposition allegations that he 
is intent on helping Baku regain full control over Karabakh.
U.S. Reaffirms Support For Prewar Karabakh Peace Formula
Armenia - U.S. Ambassador Lynne Tracy lays flowers on the graves of Armenian 
soldiers killed during the 2020 war in Nagorno Karabakh and buried at the 
Yerablur Military Pantheon, Yerevan, September 27, 2021.
The United States continues to stand for a “comprehensive settlement” of the 
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict based on internationally recognized principles such as 
self-determination of peoples, according to U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Lynne 
Tracy.
“As I said earlier, we continue to believe that the key to a peaceful, 
democratic, and prosperous future in the region is a negotiated, comprehensive, 
and sustainable settlement of all remaining issues related to or resulting from 
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” Tracy told the Armenpress news agency in an 
interview published on Thursday.
“Self-determination of peoples is a key, though not the only, internationally 
recognized principle to achieve this goal, and, in the context of a 
comprehensive settlement of the conflict, the United States … recognizes the 
role of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh in deciding its future,” she said.
In her words, the other guiding principles for such a settlement are territorial 
integrity of states and non-use of force.
The three principles cited by Tracy were at the heart of a framework peace deal 
that was first put forward by the U.S., Russian and French co-chairs of the OSCE 
Minsk Group in 2007 and repeatedly amended by them in the following decade. The 
proposed deal, known as the Madrid Principles, reportedly stipulated, among 
other things, that Karabakh’s predominantly Armenian population would determine 
the territory’s status in a future referendum.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly said that Azerbaijan’s victory 
in the 2020 war in Karabakh put an end to the conflict. He has demanded that 
Armenia recognize Azerbaijani sovereignty over Karabakh through a bilateral 
peace treaty.
By contrast, U.S. and French officials have said that the Karabakh dispute 
remains unresolved.
“Indeed, it is U.S. policy that the status of Nagorno-Karabakh remains to be 
resolved,” Tracy told Armenpress, repeating her earlier statements criticized by 
Baku.
“We encourage further peace negotiations and stand ready to engage bilaterally 
and with like-minded partners, including through our role as an OSCE Minsk Group 
Co-Chair,” she said.
The envoy also emphasized that “there is no military solution to the conflict.”
Armenian Police Stop Mass Arrests Of Protesters
        • Robert Zargarian
        • Artak Khulian
Armenia - Police officers guard a government building during an opposition 
demosntration in Yerevan, .
Riot police on Thursday refrained from mass arrests of participants of daily 
opposition demonstrations in Yerevan aimed at forcing Prime Minister Nikol 
Pashinian to resign.
There were also virtually no clashes between security forces and protesters 
marching through various parts of the city and briefly blocking roads.
The Armenian police made a record 414 arrests on Tuesday and detained a slightly 
smaller number of people on Wednesday while unblocking the streets. They said 
that nobody was arrested during similar protests organized by the country’s 
leading opposition groups on Thursday morning.
“There were arrests but not on the scale that we saw in the previous days,” said 
Ishkhan Saghatelian, an opposition leader.
Saghatelian linked the restraint shown by security forces to a meeting which he 
and several other opposition figures held with the chief of the national police, 
Vahe Ghazarian, late on Wednesday. They met as thousands of opposition 
demonstrators stood outside the police headquarters in the center of Yerevan.
Armenia - Police officers arrest an opposition protester in Yerevan, May 18, 
2022.
Saghatelian told the crowd after the meeting that Ghazarian promised to 
investigate police officers accused by the Armenian opposition of using 
disproportionate force against protesters. One officer has already been 
suspended and a dozen others are also facing criminal proceedings, he cited the 
police chief as saying.
No policemen are understood to have been formally charged so far. One of them 
was caught on camera punching a protester two weeks ago.
By contrast, law-enforcement authorities have arrested more than a dozen 
opposition activists on charges stemming from the ongoing “civil disobedience” 
campaign. Most of them are accused of assaulting police officers or government 
supporters. The opposition rejects the accusations as politically motivated.
Baku, Yerevan Disagree On Agenda Of Peace Talks
        • Heghine Buniatian
Belgium - Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan speaks to RFE/RL in 
Brussels, .
Azerbaijan has not yet accepted Armenia’s counterproposals regarding the agenda 
of official negotiations on a peace treaty between the two South Caucasus 
states, according to Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan.
In March, Baku presented Yerevan with five elements which it wants to be at the 
heart of the treaty. They include a mutual recognition of each other’s 
territorial integrity.
The Armenian government said they are acceptable to it in principle but should 
be complemented by other issues relating to the future of status of Karabakh and 
the security of its ethnic Armenian population.
Mirzoyan reaffirmed this position on Wednesday when he visited Brussels to 
co-chair, together with the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep 
Borrell, a session of the Armenia-EU Partnership Council.
“It’s crucial and principal for us to discuss the issue of the rights and 
security of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh and, accordingly, the status of 
Nagorno-Karabakh,” he told RFE/RL before the meeting. “We also think that it is 
important to continue these negotiations on the peace treaty in the frames of 
and according to the mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship.”
“So far we haven’t heard a positive reaction from Azerbaijan to these points,” 
he said. “But you know that efforts are being made to make these negotiations 
possible.”
Tajikistan - The foreign ministers of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan meet in 
Dushanbe, May 12, 2022.
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov dismissed last week that the 
document presented by Yerevan, saying that it “can’t be called proposals.”
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev 
discussed the matter in detail at their April 6 talks in Brussels hosted by 
European Council President Charles Michel. The latter said they agreed to “move 
rapidly” towards negotiating a peace deal.
Borrell acknowledged that the two sides are “very far” from achieving that. He 
said the EU stands ready to assist in the signing and implementation of such an 
accord.
Belgium - EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell meets with Armenian Foreign 
Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in Brussels, .
Aliyev and Pashinian also agreed to set up before the end of April a joint 
commission on the delimitation and demarcation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani 
border.
Mirzoyan said last week that the commission will hold its first session in 
Moscow on May 16-17. The meeting did not take place, however.
The Armenian minister said on Wednesday that the two sides disagree on 
unspecified “technicalities” of the commission’s work. “Hopefully in the 
upcoming days and weeks we will finally have this meeting,” he added.
Aliyev claimed on Wednesday that the first meeting of the commission was 
originally scheduled for April 29 but that the Armenian side cancelled it at the 
last minute. He said Yerevan also turned down a “preliminary” Azerbaijani 
proposal to hold the meeting on May 7-11.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2022 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

‘Double standards’: RPA member slams US envoy’s latest statement

Babken Chilingarian
Panorama
Armenia –

A member of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) Supreme Body, Eduard Sharmazanov, has accused U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Lynne Tracy of “double standards” for her remarks on democracy in Armenia.

In an interview to Armenpress on Wednesday, the ambassador said the U.S. “is committed to continue helping the Armenian people build a future based on shared democratic values, a path they chose in 2018 and to which they recommitted themselves during the 2021 parliamentary election.”

“The latest statement of the U.S. ambassador is nothing short of Pharisaism and use of double standards, which has no bearing on democratic values,” Sharmazanov told reporters at an opposition march in Yerevan on Thursday.

“For me, there are virtually no Western or European institutions or embassies that stand for democracy or human rights in Armenia,” he said, accusing them of turning a blind eye to human rights abuses in country, including the Armenian authorities’ pressure on the judiciary and the use of excessive force against opposition demonstrators.

Sharmazanov claims such statements stem from geopolitical interests, adding no objective assessments should be expected from embassies and international organizations.

“They have remained silent amid the anti-democratic processes which have taken place in Armenia since 2018,” he noted.

Armenia, Azerbaijan still far away from agreement, EU’s Borrell says

Antonian Lara
Panorama
Armenia –

EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell welcomed the meeting of the EU-Armenia Partnership Council on Wednesday.

“This is done in a difficult situation. We know how the war in Ukraine is affecting the whole world, and in particular the region. But it is also a moment to continue working on reforms and to fully develop this comprehensive and enhanced Partnership Agreement,” the official said in his remarks ahead of the meeting.

He praised EU-Armenia relations as “very good”, at the same time stressing the need for further reforms.

“And this meeting will be a good occasion to encourage Armenia to continue in the European path, to continue working in order to fulfill all the purposes and objectives of this Partnership Agreement,” Borrell noted.

Asked which sort of security guarantees the EU can provide to the people who are living in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) if Armenia and Azerbaijan finally reach an agreement, the top diplomat said: “Well, we really would appreciate a lot if this agreement could be reached. And we have been engaged with the two parties in order for them to really look for this agreement with the best will. We are far away from that yet. But if this happens, the European Union will provide any help that we can in order to support the implementation of the agreement.”

Expert explains why U.S. ‘supports’ Armenian authorities

Ekmekjian Janet
Panorama
Armenia –

Political analyst Suren Sargsyan has explained why the U.S. “supports” the Armenian authorities.

“I am often asked why the U.S. supports the Armenian authorities.

1. The top geopolitical priority of the U.S. in the South Caucasus is if not the complete ouster of Russia from the region, but at least the real counteraction to its influence. Of course, this policy of counterinfluence applies to all regions where the two superpowers compete. That is, all over the world.

2. Naturally, in our region the U.S. cannot form a counterweight to Russia through Iran, and in this matter they have only one ally – Turkey: the worst ally for the U.S., but an ally nonetheless. Even a bad ally is better than an enemy.

3. For the first time in history, there is a government in Armenia that is ready, through unilateral and global concessions, to form an environment (or has already formed it) which would allow Turkey, having penetrated into Armenia, to increase its role in the whole South Caucasus (let us not forget the Turkish influence on Georgia and Azerbaijan) and create a real counterweight to Russia. That is why the U.S. has been supporting the Armenian-Turkish reconciliation since 1992. Thus, their plans coincide more than ever,” he wrote on Facebook on Thursday.

“This is not the only reason to support the Armenian authorities, but this example is applicable in other areas, taking into account the points outlined in the first clause,” the expert added.

Reporter pours water on opposition MP at protests in Yerevan

Emil Karabekian
Panorama
Armenia –

A reporter of Araratnews media outlet affiliated with pro-government MP Khachatur Sukiasyan poured water on Agnesa Khamoyan, an MP from the opposition Hayastan bloc, at the ongoing peaceful acts of civil disobedience in Yerevan on Thursday.

She was interviewing the deputy when the latter offered her water to evidently calm her down. In return, the reporter angrily took the bottle and poured water on Khamoyan.

Commenting on the incident, the MP accused Khachatur Sukiasyan of “repeatedly sending” the young journalist to the scenes of daily anti-government protests to incite provocations.

“When I tried to calm her down again, she said that she only drinks water produced by “Sil” company, which is owned by Sukiasyan,” Khamoyan wrote on Facebook, sharing a video of the incident.

Artsakh ombudsman: Azerbaijan deliberately hides true number of Armenian captives

Ara Felekian
Panorama
Armenia –

According to the data confirmed by Azerbaijan, 38 Armenian prisoners of war (POWs) and civilian captives are currently held in Baku, Artsakh’s Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) Gegham Stepanyan said in the country’s parliament on Thursday.

However, the ombudspersons of Artsakh and Armenia as well as human rights organizations have proofs of 80 more people being held in Azerbaijani captivity, the ombudsman said, noting that Azerbaijan does not confirm the data.

“This suggests that Azerbaijan is deliberately hiding the real number of captives,” Stepanyan stressed.

Of the 38 prisoners, 35 are soldiers and 3 are civilians who were captured after the 9 November 2020 statement. 19 civilians are reported missing. There are people among them, whose capture can be confirmed by facts, he noted.

All 38 were convicted in Azerbaijan on trumped-up charges, the ombudsman said.

Russian Embassy issued statement on Russia-Armenia cooperation in field of biosafety

Emil Karabekian
ARMINFO
Armenia –
Marianna Mkrtchyan

ArmInfo.The Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Armenia issued a statement regarding the cooperation between Russia and Armenia in the field of  ensuring biological safety.

Thus, the statement recalls that at the meeting of leaders of the  CSTO member states in Moscow on May 16 this year, Russian President  Vladimir Putin paid special attention to the issue of ensuring  biological security in the former Soviet Union.  (http://kremlin.ru/events/president/news/68418)

The diplomatic mission stated that the information about the US  military biological program in Ukraine caused a wide response. 

RA Human Rights Defender`s Office keeps track of developments

Alex Jidarian
ARMINFO
Armenia –
Alina Hovhannisyan

ArmInfo.Rapid reaction groups of the RA Human Rights Defender’s Office have visited seven police stations in Yerevan, as well as police stations in Masis and Vagharshapat. 

The talks with the detainees revealed cases of disproportionate use  of force. The police also detained people that had nothing in common  with the protests.  RA Human Rights Defender’s Kristinne Grigoryan  pointed out attempts to detain Armenian MP Artsvik Minasyan, which  was accompanied by scuffles. In the context she recalled immunity. 

Also, police beat two minors in the Yerevan Underground. Ms Grigoryan  applied to the Chief of the RA Police over the incident and was  assured that the incident will be investigated. 

Artsakh Ombudsman on number of Karabakh villages occupied by Azerbaijan and number of Armenian captives

Kalantarian Kevo
ARMINFO
Armenia –
Marianna Mkrtchyan

ArmInfo.Azerbaijan occupied 215 settlements of the Republic of Artsakh, as a result of which 40,000 citizens were forced to move, and therefore their rights to property,  choice of place of residence, work, education, health care and other  rights were violated. Ombudsman of Artsakh Gegham Stepanyan stated  this on May 19 during the session of the NKR National Assembly.

The Ombudsman stated that as a result of Azerbaijan’s large-scale  military aggression against Artsakh, 118 communities completely  passed under Azerbaijani control, and two more communities partially.

“Also on March 24, 2022, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces invaded the  zone of responsibility of the Russian peacekeepers, took control of  the village of Parukh and nearby positions in the Askeran region,  after which they tried to advance in the eastern direction of  Artsakh,” the NKR Ombudsman added.

When asked to clarify the number of Armenian prisoners of war and  civilians held by Azerbaijan, Stepanyan said that at the moment  Azerbaijan confirms the presence of 38 servicemen and civilians in  captivity.

However, according to Gegham Stepanyan, the ombudsmen of Artsakh and  Armenia, as well as human rights organizations, have concrete  evidence of another 80 people being held captive. At the same time,  he expressed regret that to this day Azerbaijan does not confirm  these data. “This gives us reason to assert that Azerbaijan  deliberately hides the real number of prisoners,” the NKR HRD  stressed, adding that out of 38 prisoners, 35 are serviceman,  and 3  are civilians who were captured after the statement of November 9,  2020, and another 19 civilians are listed as missing, there are no  citizens of Artsakh among them.

“Among them there are people whose captivity is confirmed by facts,”  Gegham Stepanyan said, adding that all 38 prisoners of war held in  Azerbaijan were sentenced to long terms on falsified charges.  According to him, in this regard, the Armenian side has prepared and  distributed a document to the UN.