Biden White House must act as genocide threatens to ‘destroy’ 120,000 people, GOP rep urges

FOX News
Sept 9 2023

FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., has sent a letter to the Biden White House imploring it to speak out against genocide against Armenians in the Nagorno-Karabakh region and clarify that the U.S. will not "compromise" with Azerbaijan in the conflict.

"In light of the compelling and urgent testimony provided, I respectfully urge you to immediately clarify that the United States does not tolerate, facilitate, or participate, in negotiations over genocide, and to publicly inform Azerbaijan that unless it immediately lifts its blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh, the U.S. will take action through the United Nations to refer the matter to the International Criminal Court for investigation and prosecution," Smith wrote to President Biden in a Thursday letter.

The testimony Smith referenced was from Luis Moreno Ocampo, former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, who testified in front of the bipartisan Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, which Smith co-chairs, on Thursday.

Ocampo told the commission "there is a reasonable basis to believe that Azerbaijan's blockade of the Lachin Corridor constitutes genocide" and that Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev, "voluntarily, knowingly, and willingly created conditions calculated to destroy 120,000 Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh."

In his letter, Smith expressed concern that Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently said there is a "need for a dialogue and compromise and the importance of building confidence between the parties."

"Mr. President, there is little doubt that this humanitarian crisis was planned, tested, and imposed by President Ilham Aliyev, who rules Azerbaijan as a dictator. His record of human rights abuses is decades in the making as I met with him in Baku in 2013 and 2014 arguing then about both his mistreatment and jailing of Azerbaijani human rights activists and abusive treatment of Armenian Christians," Smith wrote.

He continued, "Thus by encouraging ‘compromise,’ the Secretary appears to facilitate Azerbaijan’s use of genocide as a negotiating tactic. Negotiation may be needed to solve the differences between Azerbaijan and the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh, but genocide is an abuse impossible to ignore."

Nagorno-Karabakh is a region within Azerbaijan that came under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by the Armenian military in separatist fighting that ended in 1994. Armenian forces also took control of substantial territory around the region.

In his letter, Smith expressed concern that Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently said there is a "need for a dialogue and compromise and the importance of building confidence between the parties."

"Mr. President, there is little doubt that this humanitarian crisis was planned, tested, and imposed by President Ilham Aliyev, who rules Azerbaijan as a dictator. His record of human rights abuses is decades in the making as I met with him in Baku in 2013 and 2014 arguing then about both his mistreatment and jailing of Azerbaijani human rights activists and abusive treatment of Armenian Christians," Smith wrote.

He continued, "Thus by encouraging ‘compromise,’ the Secretary appears to facilitate Azerbaijan’s use of genocide as a negotiating tactic. Negotiation may be needed to solve the differences between Azerbaijan and the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh, but genocide is an abuse impossible to ignore."

Nagorno-Karabakh is a region within Azerbaijan that came under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by the Armenian military in separatist fighting that ended in 1994. Armenian forces also took control of substantial territory around the region.

Azerbaijan regained control of the surrounding territory in a six-week war with Armenia in 2020. A Russia-brokered armistice that ended the war left the region’s capital, Stepanakert, connected to Armenia only by a road known as the Lachin Corridor, along which Russian peacekeeping forces were supposed to ensure free movement.

However, over the past nine months, the road has been blockaded by Azerbaijani forces in what they say is a move to prevent "arms smuggling."

Armenia says the blockade of the "Lachin corridor," known as "the road of life" by ethnic Armenians in Karabakh, has caused acute shortages of food, medicines and other essentials.

Azerbaijan claims it has let the Red Cross evacuate people to Armenia for medical treatment and that its own information shows there is no shortage of basic food staples, but it has not allowed food and other supplies in for some time.

"The Biden Administration must wake up, recognize the absolutely grave responsibility it has here, and focus on finding and implementing a humane solution," Smith said in a press release. "And this must mean that the blockade is lifted and the people continue to live in their ancient homeland — and not be subject to violence and threats. This situation is now a three-alarm fire."

The White House directed Fox News Digital to an Aug. 31 release from the State Department on the matter.

"We are deeply concerned about deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Nagorno-Karabakh resulting from the continued blockage of food, medicine, and other goods essential to a dignified existence," the statement said. 

"The United States has worked continuously with the sides over the past several weeks to allow humanitarian assistance to reach the population of Nagorno-Karabakh. We reiterate our call to immediately re-open the Lachin corridor to humanitarian, commercial, and passenger traffic. Further, officials from Baku and representatives from Stepanakert should convene without delay to agree on the means of transporting critical provisions to the men, women, and children of Nagorno-Karabakh — including additional supply routes — and resume discussions on all outstanding issues. Basic humanitarian assistance should never be held hostage to political disagreements."

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-white-house-must-act-genocide-threatens-destroy-120000-people-gop-rep-urges

Separatist parliament in Azerbaijan’s breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region elects new president

The Public's Radio
Sept 9 2023
By AVET DEMOURIAN

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Lawmakers in Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway Armenian-populated region of Azerbaijan, voted to elect a new separatist president on Saturday in a move that was strongly condemned by the Azerbaijani authorities.

Samvel Shakhramanyan's election as the new president of Nagorno-Karabakh follows the resignation of Arayik Harutyunyan, who stepped down on Sept. 1 as president of the region — which the Armenians call Artsakh. It comes amid soaring tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry denounced the vote as a “gross violation” of the country's constitution and a “serious blow to the efforts of normalization in the region.” The ministry emphasized that “the only way to achieve peace and stability in the region is the unconditional and complete withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces" from Nagorno-Karabakh and "the disbandment of the puppet regime.”

Since December, Azerbaijan has blockaded the only road leading from Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh, severely restricting the delivery of food, medical supplies and other essentials to the region of about 120,000 people.

Nagorno-Karabakh is a region within Azerbaijan that came under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by the Armenian military after a six-year separatist war that ended in 1994. Armenian forces also took control of substantial territory around the region.

Azerbaijan regained control of the surrounding territory in a six-week war with Armenia in 2020. A Russia-brokered armistice that ended the war left the region’s capital, Stepanakert, connected to Armenia by just one road known as the Lachin Corridor, along which Russian peacekeeping forces were supposed to ensure free movement.

Armenia repeatedly has complained that Russian peacekeepers have done nothing to help lift the Azerbaijani blockade of the road that has led to dire food shortages in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the situation has led to an increasing estrangement between Moscow and Yerevan.

Russia has been Armenia's main economic partner and ally since the 1991 Soviet collapse. Landlocked Armenia hosts a Russian military base and is part of the Moscow-led security alliance of ex-Soviet nations, the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

But Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has become increasingly critical of Moscow, emphasizing its failure to help lift the Azerbaijani blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh and arguing that Yerevan needs to turn to the West to help ensure its security.

To Moscow's dismay, Armenia called a joint military exercises with the United States starting Monday, provided humanitarian aid to Ukraine amid the war and moved to ratify a treaty that created the International Criminal Court, which this year indicted Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes connected to the deportation of children from Ukraine.

On Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the Armenian ambassador to lodge a formal protest over what the moves it described as “unfriendly.”

https://thepublicsradio.org/article/separatist-parliament-in-azerbaijans-breakaway-nagorno-karabakh-region-elects-new-president

Armenia Seeks Mediation as Azerbaijan Standoff Stokes War Fears

Bloomberg
Sept 9 2023
  • Tensions have been escalating over blocked aid deliveries
  • Cross-border shelling has left casualties on both sides

Armenia appealed to the US, Europe and Iran to help defuse a standoff with neighboring Azerbaijan over blocked aid deliveries to the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, which have raised tensions to their highest point since a 2020 war.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held phone talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron, his office said in a statement on Saturday. Pashinyan told Blinken he’s ready for urgent talks with Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, according to the statement.

Azerbaijan faces mounting pressure from the US and Europe to reopen the Lachin corridor, a road link connecting Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia that it blocked in December. Humanitarian aid was last delivered along the route on June 15, Armenian officials say. In July, Pashinyan warned of the risk of a new war with Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan denies imposing a blockade, though dozens of trucks from Armenia loaded with aid have been held up at the border for weeks. The blockade has led to shortages of food and essential goods for the territory’s Armenian population, which local officials put at 120,000.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-09-09/armenia-seeks-mediation-as-azerbaijan-standoff-stokes-war-fears

Iran president reaffirms strong opposition to Azerbaijan construction of corridor in Armenian territory

Iran Front Page
Sept 9 2023

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has reaffirmed Iran’s strong opposition to any geopolitical change along its border regions.

President Raisi was speaking with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on the phone on Saturday.

He was referring to Azerbaijan’s threats to carve out a chunk of territory along the Iranian-Armenian border to make a corridor it calls “Zangezur” which would obliterate the land border between Iran and Armenia.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has reaffirmed Iran’s strong opposition to any geopolitical change along its border regions.

President Raisi was speaking with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on the phone on Saturday.

He was referring to Azerbaijan’s threats to carve out a chunk of territory along the Iranian-Armenian border to make a corridor it calls “Zangezur” which would obliterate the land border between Iran and Armenia.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has reaffirmed Iran’s strong opposition to any geopolitical change along its border regions.

President Raisi was speaking with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on the phone on Saturday.

He was referring to Azerbaijan’s threats to carve out a chunk of territory along the Iranian-Armenian border to make a corridor it calls “Zangezur” which would obliterate the land border between Iran and Armenia.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has reaffirmed Iran’s strong opposition to any geopolitical change along its border regions.

President Raisi was speaking with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on the phone on Saturday.

He was referring to Azerbaijan’s threats to carve out a chunk of territory along the Iranian-Armenian border to make a corridor it calls “Zangezur” which would obliterate the land border between Iran and Armenia.

Armenia vs Croatia Prediction and Betting Tips | September 11th 2023

SportSkeeda
Sept 9 2023
Shubham Dupare

Armenia will welcome Croatia to the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium in the group stage of the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers on Monday.

The hosts extended their unbeaten run to three games in the competition as they held Turkey to a 1-1 draw in their away match on Friday. Artak Dashyan broke the deadlock in the 49th minute of the game and they conceded a late equalizer as Bertuğ Özgür Yıldırım scored on his international debut in the 88th minute.

The visitors are unbeaten in their three games in the qualifiers and recorded a comfortable 5-0 home win over Latvia on Thursday. Bruno Petković bagged a first-half brace and Ivan Perišić provided a couple of assists.

Both teams have seven points at the moment and the visitors are in second place in the Group D standings, thanks to their superior goal difference. The visitors extended their unbeaten run at home in European qualifiers to 37 games with a win on Thursday.


  • The two teams have met just once thus far, with the friendly match in 2021 ending in a 1-1 draw.
  • Interestingly, both teams have scored eight goals in the qualifiers thus far, the same as first-placed Turkey, though the visitors have conceded just one goal in three games while the hosts have shipped in six goals in four games.
  • Armenia have just one win in their last five home games in all competitions, suffering three defeats in that period.
  • They have suffered six defeats in their last 10 home games in the European qualifiers, recording just three wins in that period.
  • The visitors are unbeaten in their last nine games in European qualifiers. Interestingly, all nine of their defeats in the qualifiers have come away from home.

Havakakan have done well in their recent games and are on a four-game unbeaten run for the first time since June 2021. They have scored at least two goals in three of their last four games but have conceded at least two goals in two games in that period as well.

Vatreni bounced back with a 5-0 win on Thursday following a defeat on penalties in the Nations League final in June and will look to keep that momentum going. They are unbeaten in their last nine games in the European qualifiers.

There's not much history between the two teams and they played a low-scoring draw in their only meeting in 2021, which was a friendly.

Considering the visitors' superior record in European qualifiers and advantage in terms of squad quality, we back them to record a comfortable win.

Prediction: Armenia 1-2 Croatia

Georgian, Armenian PM’s discuss situation along Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Agenda, Georgia
Sept 10 2023
Agenda.ge, 10 Sep 2023 – 12:24, Tbilisi,Georgia

The situation along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border was discussed on Saturday in a phone call between the Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and his Armenian counterpart Nikol Pashinyan.

Garibashvili highlighted the importance of ensuring peace and stability in the South Caucasus region, and noted the significance of regulating the situation through peaceful negotiations, the Government Administration said.

The Government Head said Georgia was “always ready” to help maintain regional peace and stability.

Turkish president Erdogan says will speak with Armenian PM on Nagorno-Karabakh election

New Indian Express
Sept 10 2023

Turkey has previously said it "does not recognise this illegitimate election which constitutes a violation of Azerbaijan's sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Published: 10th September 2023

By AFP

NEW DELHI: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that he would hold talks with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan as tensions mount between Armenia and Ankara's ally Azerbaijan.

Turkey has already condemned the election of a new president in Azerbaijan's separatist Armenian-populated region of Nagorno-Karabakh on Saturday.

Lawmakers in Nagorno-Karabakh's parliament elected the head of the security council in the separatist government, Samvel Shahramanyan, by 22 votes to one.

Turkey has previously said it "does not recognise this illegitimate election which constitutes a violation of Azerbaijan's sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Speaking after the close of the G20 summit in New Delhi, Erdogan said: "I will have a telephone conversation, probably tomorrow, with Mr Pashinyan. What has been done in Karabakh is not appropriate. We cannot accept this".

Armenia and Azerbaijan have traded accusations of cross-border attacks in recent months, and Armenia has warned of the risk of a fresh conflict, saying Azerbaijan was massing troops on the countries' shared border and near Nagorno-Karabakh.

Azerbaijan's Armenian-populated enclave was at the centre of two wars between the Caucasus neighbours.

Six weeks of fighting in autumn 2020 ended with a Russian-brokered ceasefire that saw Armenia cede swathes of territory it had controlled for decades.

Tensions have risen again, with Yerevan accusing Baku of creating a humanitarian crisis by blocking traffic through the Lachin corridor — the only road linking Armenia to Armenian-populated Karabakh.

The two sides have been unable to reach a lasting peace settlement despite mediation efforts by the European Union, the United States and Russia.

Next week, Armenia will host joint military drills with US forces, the latest sign of the ex-Soviet republic's drift from its traditional ally Russia.

Azerbaijan pledges to reopen Lachin Corridor to Nagorno-Karabakh

POLITICO
Sept 10 2023

Armenia, Iran leaders speak amid Yerevan-Baku tensions

New Arab
Sept 10 2023
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan made a number of other calls to foreign leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholtz.

Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi spoke Saturday, as tensions escalated on Armenia's border with Azerbaijan.

Pashinyan and Raisi discussed issues including the blockade of the Lachin corridor leading to the Nagorno-Karabakh region by Azerbaijan, and the buildup of the Azerbaijani military around the disputed region, read a statement from the Armenian prime minister's office released Saturday.

The call was one of a series made by Pashinyan, who also spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, among others, according to other statement from the prime minister's office.

The flurry of calls comes as tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan increase following Azerbaijan's blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh by cutting off the Lachin corridor, the only road that connects the enclave to Armenia.

The blockade, which has been ongoing since December 2022, has resulted in food and fuel shortages in the territory.

These tensions have further escalated following the election of Samvel Shahramanyan as the new leader of Nagorno-Karabakh, an act Azerbaijan labelled as "a clear violation of Azerbaijan's sovereignty and territorial integrity."

As well as tensions over the current situation with Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defence claimed that Armenian soldiers opened fire with small arms on its soldiers in the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan – a claim denied by the Armenian defence ministry.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have had tense relations following both countries independence from the Soviet Union, fighting two wars over the ethnically Armenian territory of Nagorno-Karabakh which is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan. 

The most recent all-out war, fought in 2020, resulted in a Russian-backed ceasefire, with much of the Armenian held territory, some of which being outside Nagorno-Karabakh, was ceded to Azerbaijan.

However, the two countries have yet to sign a lasting peace settlement even with mediation efforts from international powers such as the EU, the US and Russia.

Iran has sought to present itself as a mediator in Baku and Yerevan's longstanding dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh, but Tehran has been accused of sending weapons to the Armenians to support its fight for the territory. Iran has denied such claims.

Armenia-Russia Relations Are Deteriorating Fast

Sept 10 2023

  • Armenia has criticized Russia's inaction against Azerbaijani "aggression" and is reconsidering its security dependence on Moscow.
  • Armenia's recent actions, including humanitarian aid to Ukraine and a proposed joint military drill with the U.S., indicate a potential shift towards the West.
  • Despite tensions, Prime Minister Pashinyan has sent the Rome Statute to parliament, which could obligate Armenia to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin, intensifying diplomatic strain.

Relations between Armenia and its traditional strategic partner Russia are deteriorating fast. 

In the past week, Yerevan has boldly criticized Russia's "absolute indifference" to Azerbaijani "aggression" against Armenia and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has expressed regret over his country's near-total dependence on Moscow for its security as a "strategic mistake." 

And now Yerevan is sending a package of humanitarian aid to Ukraine for the first time since Russia's invasion.  

RFE/RL's Armenian service reported that the aid (whose precise nature and amount have not been announced) would be delivered by Anna Hakobyan, the prime minister's wife, as she attends the Ukraine-initiated Third Summit of first ladies and gentlemen in Kyiv. 

Armenia-Russia relations have been steadily worsening since September 2022, when Azerbaijani forces attacked Armenian territory and seized several square kilometers of land in clashes that left about 400 dead on both sides. 

Armenia is a member of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization and has a bilateral defense agreement with Russia. But both Moscow and the CSTO refused to intervene on Armenia's behalf or condemn Azerbaijan's incursion (only a small CSTO monitoring mission was sent). A few months later Armenia refused to host a CSTO exercise and further downgraded its participation in the bloc. 

More recently, in an interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica on September 2, Prime Minister Pashinyan criticized the "failure" of Russian peacekeepers to protect Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, where they were have been deployed since the 2020 war with Azerbaijan. He also lamented Yerevan's "strategic mistake" of depending on Russia almost entirely for its security and mused about cooperating more extensively with the West. 

And that followed a statement by the Foreign Ministry three days earlier criticizing Russia's "absolute indifference" to what the ministry called Azerbaijan's acts of aggression, including the September 2022 incursion and the June 15, 2023 incident in which Azerbaijani troops advanced towards Armenia from the border checkpoint on the Lachin road, which connects Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.

On September 5, Armenia's Defense Ministry announced that Armenian and U.S. troops would hold a 9-day drill later this month. The exercise will focus on "stabilization operations between conflicting parties during peacekeeping missions," the ministry said. 

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded on September 7 by saying, "In this situation, it is certain that holding such exercises will not facilitate the stabilization of the situation – in any case, it will not facilitate the strengthening of an atmosphere of mutual trust in the region." 

Two days earlier Peskov rebuffed Pashinyan's remark in his La Repubblica interview that Russia was "leaving" the South Caucasus region. 

"Russia is an integral part of this region, so it can never go anywhere. Russia cannot leave Armenia," he said. 

Armenia currently hosts around 10,000 Russian troops, 5,000 of which are stationed at Gyumri's 102nd Russian military base. Others are stationed in Yerevan, including at Zvartnots International Airport. 

Russian border troops have long overseen the Armenia-Turkey and Armenia-Iran borders and have been deployed more recently to sections of the Azerbaijan border in response to tensions there.

An additional 2,000 Russian peacekeepers are stationed in the ethnic Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh region for a 5-year term set to expire in 2025. 

(Russia is also Armenia's biggest trade partner by far, and Yerevan's economic dependence on Moscow has only grown since the start of the Ukraine war.)

On top of everything else, Prime Minister Pashinyan this week sent the Rome statute of the International Criminal Court to parliament for ratification, despite the objections that Russia has been expressing for months. 

Armenia's motivation is to be able to sue Azerbaijan in the ICC for its alleged abuses of Armenians. But ratifying the statute would mean, theoretically at least, that Armenia will be obliged to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin if he visits, as the court issued an arrest warrant for Putin in March over the abduction of Ukrainian children. 

Russia expressed "dissatisfaction" over Armenia's decision, demanding explanations for the move.

Tigran Grigoryan, the head of the Yerevan-based Regional Center for Democracy and Security think tank, says that Russia has levers to pressure Armenia into not ratifying the statute.

Grigoryan told Eurasianet that Russia may take action to "punish" Armenia as it did in April, banning dairy imports from Armenia after the latter's Constitutional Court approved the treaty. 

The analyst added that he doesn't expect any drastic changes in Armenia's foreign policy in the near future, nor any dramatic Russian moves against Armenia. 

At the same time, he said, Russia is unlikely to help Armenia in case of military escalation with Azerbaijan, in particular since Moscow is now directly speaking of Karabakhi Armenians' need to accept Baku's rule over the disputed territory.

"Armenia has sharpened its rhetoric a bit regarding Russia because it seems that Russia has accepted Azerbaijan's position over the issues concerning Nagorno-Karabakh, which means that Armenia does not have anything to lose," Grigoryan said. "Russia's proposals are currently identical to Azerbaijan's proposals."

By Ani Avetisyan via Eurasianet.org

https://oilprice.com/Geopolitics/International/Armenia-Russia-Relations-Are-Deteriorating-Fast.html