Saturday, September 9, 2023 New Karabakh Leader Elected Nagorno-Karabakh - Samvel Shahramanian. Lawmakers in Nagorno-Karabakh voted to elect the region’s new president on Saturday amid heightened tensions along the Karabakh “line of contact” and the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. The election of Samvel Shahramanian, strongly condemned by Azerbaijan, came ten days after the resignation of his predecessor Arayik Harutiunian. The latter said that Karabakh needs new leadership in order to better cope with a severe humanitarian crisis resulting from the Azerbaijani blockade of the Lachin corridor and other challenges facing the Armenian-populated territory. Shahramanian was backed by Harutiunian’s Free Fatherland party and three opposition groups. The 44-year-old has held various positions in the local security apparatus for over two decades. He did not make public statements immediately after his election. The fifth party represented in Karabakh’s 32-seat parliament, United Fatherland, boycotted the vote after its leader, Samvel Babayan, was deemed ineligible to run for president because of not having lived in Karabakh for the past 10 ten years. Babayan, who had led Karabakh’s armed forces in the 1990s, condemned his “illegal” disqualification and urged supporters to rally outside the parliament building in Stepanakert during the vote. Only a few hundred people reportedly gathered there. Karabakh’s leadership has implicitly accused the once powerful general of trying to destabilize the political situation despite the increased risk of another Azerbaijani attack. Unlike the other Karabakh factions, Babayan’s party does not oppose the opening of a new, Azerbaijani-controlled supply route for Karabakh which Baku says is a precondition for allowing renewed humanitarian supplies through the Lachin corridor. Babayan’s detractors accuse him of secretly collaborating with Armenia’s government. The government seemed in no rush to congratulate Shahramanian on his election. The new president was swiftly congratulated instead by some Armenian opposition parties. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry condemned Shahramanian’s election as a “blatant violation” of international law and Azerbaijan’s sovereignty over Karabakh. It claimed that Armenia and the “separatist regime” in Stepanakert “have taken the path of provocations and escalation of the situation.” Pashinian Offers ‘Urgent’ Talks With Aliyev RUSSIA - Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev and Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian attend a group photo ceremony during an informal CIS summit in St. Petersburg, December 26, 2022. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has offered to hold “urgent” talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to prevent another upsurge in violence in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone. Pashinian made the offer in phone calls with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi reported by his office on Saturday. He phoned them amid rising tensions along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the Karabakh “line of contact.” The Armenian government says Azerbaijan has been massing troops there in possible preparation for another large-scale military assault. Pashinian on Thursday urged the international community to take “very serious measures” to thwart Baku’s alleged plans. “Prime Minister Pashinian expressed readiness to hold urgent discussions with the president of Azerbaijan aimed at reducing the tensions,” read a government statement on his call with Macron which reportedly took place late on Friday. It said he also reaffirmed his recognition of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity made during October 2022 and May 2023 meetings with Aliyev attended by Macron. Pashinian’s office released a virtually identical readout of his separate conversation with Scholz and Raisi. It said the French and German leaders pledged continued support for “efforts to establish peace and stability in the region.” It was not clear whether will try organize a fresh contact with Aliyev sought by Pashinian. On Friday, three senior Azerbaijani officials met with Baku-based foreign diplomats to accuse Armenia of stepping up “military provocations,” “imitating” peace talks and continuing to foment “separatism” in Karabakh. The Armenian Foreign Ministry rejected the accusations as “completely false.” Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL Copyright (c) 2023 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc. 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
Category: 2023
ICRC evacuates 10 patients from blockaded Nagorno-Karabakh
12:56, 8 September 2023
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. 10 patients in Nagorno-Karabakh requiring urgent medical treatment were evacuated on Friday by the International Committee of the Red Cross to Armenia, the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) Healthcare Ministry said in a statement.
Another 3 patients who’ve completed treatment will be transported back to Nagorno-Karabakh by the ICRC later today.
All patients are accompanied by their attendants.
24 children (5 of whom in neonatal and intensive care) remain hospitalized in the Arevik clinic in Nagorno-Karabakh, where hospitals have suspended normal operations due to the Azerbaijani blockade.
Another 92 patients are hospitalized in the Republican Medical Center. 6 are in intensive care, three of whom are in critical condition.
Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia and the rest of the world, has been blocked by Azerbaijan since late 2022. The Azerbaijani blockade constitutes a gross violation of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, which established that the 5km-wide Lachin Corridor shall be under the control of Russian peacekeepers. Furthermore, on February 22, 2023 the United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – ordered Azerbaijan to “take all steps at its disposal” to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. Azerbaijan has been ignoring the order ever since. The ICJ reaffirmed its order on 6 July 2023.
Azerbaijan then illegally installed a checkpoint on Lachin Corridor. The blockade has led to shortages of essential products such as food and medication. Azerbaijan has also cut off gas and power supply into Nagorno Karabakh, with officials warning that Baku seeks to commit ethnic cleansing against Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Nagorno-Karabakh’s State Minister to face confirmation hearing as President, unopposed on September 9
13:52, 8 September 2023
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. Nagorno-Karabakh’s parliament will hold a confirmation hearing to elect a new President on September 9, and the only candidate is the incumbent State Minister Samvel Shahramanyan, local authorities announced Friday.
Shahramanyan was nominated by the Free Motherland Party, Justice Party, ARF and the Artsakh Democratic Party.
The Nagorno-Karabakh parliament’s press service said that United Motherland Party nominated Samvel Babayan as a candidate but the application was turned down because the latter did not submit documents on meeting the requirements for president, particularly holding only Artsakh citizenship and residency in the past 10 years.
The parliament will convene at 11:00, September 9 for the election.
In March 2023, Nagorno-Karabakh adopted a law on continuity of government empowering parliament to elect a President in the event of the incapacitation or resignation of the incumbent president.
On September 1, Nagorno-Karabakh President Arayik Harutyunyan resigned.
EAFJD condemns the recent statement of Rabbinical Center of Europe on Nagorno- Karabakh
13:14, 8 September 2023
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. The European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD) expresses its profound regret and strong condemnation of the recent statement issued by the Rabbinical Center of Europe (RCE) concerning the ongoing conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh. In this statement the European rabbis expressed their concerns regarding the usage of terms such as "genocide" in reference to the situation the native Armenian population of Nagorno Karabakh/Artsakh is facing.
"As a European-Armenian organization the EAFJD acknowledges the sensitivity of the term, particularly in light of the immense suffering endured by the Jewish people during the Holocaust, and fully supports the importance of paying homage as well as preserving the memory of those tragic events. The term is not used as a historical comparison; rather, it is being utilized in accordance with the definition outlined in the United Nations' Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
"Several reports and statements from independent international organizations and human rights groups have been alerting about Azerbaijan’s ongoing policy in Nagorno Karabakh/Artsakh which is genocidal in its essence. In a recent report the former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Luis Moreno Ocampo argues that there is “a reasonable basis to believe a Azerbaijan is currently committing a “genocide” against the indigenous Armenian population of Nagorno Karabakh/ Artsakh. Genocide Watch has also issued numerous alerts in this regard.
"The international legal definition of genocide, as recognized by the United Nations in the 1948 Genocide Convention, includes acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. State parties of the Genocide Convention assumed duty to prevent and punish Genocide. The International Court of Justice ruled that the state parties should “not wait until the perpetration of Genocide commences” and “the whole point of obligation is to prevent or attempt to prevent the occurrence of the act.”
"For nine months now Azerbaijan has been keeping the 120.000 native Armenian population of Nagorno Karabakh/Artsakh, including 30.000 children in a blockade, in blatant violation of 9 November 2020 trilateral ceasefire statement that it signed. Since 15 June 2023, the Azerbaijani authorities have imposed a total siege by blocking access to food and other essential goods. This has been happening, despite the fact that the United States, the European Union, International Court of Justice, the European Court of Justice have all been calling on Azerbaijani to immediately lift the blockade. Azerbaijan has been using starvation and deprivation of access to basic necessities with the aim of forcing the Armenians out of their own homeland.
"The EAFJD calls on the rabbis of the RCE to recognize the severity of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh and stay true to the principles of justice and human rights as representatives of a nation that once urgently needed the support and empathy of the international community in its quest for justice," EAFJD said in a statement.
Azerbaijan releases more fake news, falsely accuses Nagorno-Karabakh of conducting fortification works
20:57, 8 September 2023
STEPANAKERT, SEPTEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani authorities released more disinformation on Friday, falsely accusing Nagorno-Karabakh’s military of carrying out fortification works in the Shushi region.
The Ministry of Defense of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) said that the Defense Army did not conduct any such activities and that the Azeri accusations are disinformation.
“The statement released by the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan claiming that the Artsakh Defense Army units conducted fortification works around 19:05, September 8 in the Shushi region, which were allegedly thwarted by the actions of Azerbaijani units, is another disinformation. By spreading fake news, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry continues to carry out the information preparations for its next provocation,” the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Ministry said.
Armenian FM meets with UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence
21:48, 8 September 2023
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. On September 8, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan had a meeting with Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence of the United Arab Emirates. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the official visit of Minister Mirzoyan to the UAE.
Emphasizing that the visit is taking place in the year of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and the UAE, the interlocutors commended the dynamic development of Armenian-Emirati relations based on friendship and mutual respect between the two peoples, the foreign ministry said in a readout.
Touching upon the issues of bilateral cooperation in humanitarian and cultural areas, Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized the importance of deepening the Armenian-Emirati intercultural dialogue, highly appreciating the attitude of the UAE authorities towards the Armenian community.
The interlocutors noted with satisfaction the expanding ties between business circles of Armenia and the UAE stressing that it can contribute to the continuous strengthening of trade and economic relations between the two countries.
Latest regional developments were also touched upon.
Kim Kardashian calls on Biden to stop the next Armenian genocide, pressure Azerbaijan to open Lachin Corridor
21:05, 8 September 2023
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. Armenian-American reality TV star, entrepreneur Kim Kardashian and UCLA physician, Emmy-nominated film producer Eric Esrailian are making a public plea to U.S. President Joe Biden, calling on him and other world leaders to stop the Armenian genocide in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).
In a piece published by the Rolling Stone, Kardashian and Esrailian appealed to U.S. President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Blinken, and their colleagues to take a stand immediately and pressure Azerbaijan to open the Lachin corridor without preconditions.
Below is the full article.
“WE ARE ARMENIAN. We are the descendants of Armenian Genocide survivors, and we do not want to be talking about the recognition or commemoration of yet another genocide in the future.
“Since December of last year, Azerbaijan has blockaded the only lifeline between the indigenous Christian Armenians of Artsakh (also known as Nagorno-Karabakh) and the rest of the world. For many years, they have been dependent on the transport of food, medical supplies, and humanitarian aid through the Lachin Corridor. The war in Ukraine has made Azerbaijan a seemingly more favorable alternative to Russian oil and gas for some countries. However, this reliance has emboldened the autocratic Azeri government to use starvation as a weapon against the Armenian population in the region. There is no more time for thoughts, prayers, or concern.
“The 2020 war, after Azerbaijan attacked Armenians in Artsakh without provocation, has never ended in the minds of Armenians around the world. Despite a cease-fire agreement, the attacks on Armenian soldiers have been constant and without repercussions. Armenophobic policies have been designed and widely promoted by the Azeri government and others. Regional peace should not involve sacrificing the sovereignty of the Armenians in Artsakh, but regardless of what anyone believes about our opinion, it is clear that this ruthless blockade has crossed all red lines of human rights and humanitarian law. Blocking human rights groups, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and the hateful rhetoric accompanying the blockade are signs of genocidal intent.
“Azerbaijan’s government and its allies claim that there are alternate routes that should be used. Using a separate Azerbaijan-controlled passage for the occasional delivery of supplies is disingenuous at best. More likely, it will signal the beginning of the end for Armenians and Christians in Artsakh. At the start of this crisis, there were approximately 120,000 Armenians, including 30,000 children, living in the republic. Unfortunately, because of starvation and the inability to receive adequate medical care, there has already been a significant and tragic loss of life — and it will only get worse without immediate action. For those who survive, the trauma will be permanent. While there was a disingenuous attempt to portray the blockade as one related to environmental concerns, Armenians and international observers knew that the desire was to make the republic so uninhabitable that people would either die or agree to leave. Meanwhile, supporters of this starvation use coordinated social media campaigns to pretend that a blockade is not taking place. This dystopian propaganda may be absurd to those with knowledge, but the defenders of these human rights abuses are trying to confuse people given everything else happening in the world.
“Numerous genocide watchdog groups and the United Nations’ own independent Special Rapporteurs — including the first UN Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide, Professor Juan Mendez — have been trying to alert the world about these impending atrocities for months. Last month, Luis Moreno Ocampo, the first chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, published his independent report. He concluded that a genocide is already underway because under Article II, (c) of the Genocide Convention, Azerbaijan is “Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction.”
“The University Network for Human Rights, in collaboration with students, lawyers, and academics from Harvard Law School Advocates for Human Rights, UCLA’s Promise Institute for Human Rights, Wesleyan University, and Yale’s Lowenstein Project, conducted two fact-finding trips in Nagorno-Karabakh and four in Armenia between March 2022 and July 2023. Their recently published briefing paper states, “Moreover, the abuses we documented are not a string of unrelated rights violations; taken together, these abuses reveal a synchronized, comprehensive campaign to empty Nagorno-Karabakh and parts of Armenia of Armenians.”
“The collective silence or inaction by individuals, governments, and governmental organizations like the United Nations and European Union has perpetuated the crisis. Every passing day puts more lives in danger. American taxpayer dollars are now facilitating and enabling this behavior by providing foreign aid to an oil-rich nation. Through economic sanctions, cutting off foreign aid to Azerbaijan, boycotting international events in Azerbaijan (such as concerts and sporting events like soccer and Formula 1), and through proceedings in international courts, we can collectively achieve results, but this process has been too slow and time is running out. As citizens, we are appealing to leaders such as President Biden, Secretary of State Blinken, and their colleagues to take a stand immediately. They must pressure Azerbaijan to open the corridor without preconditions.
“We are just two people. We have been working behind the scenes to support our Armenian brothers and sisters, but this diplomatic approach has not yielded meaningful results. This crisis will clearly not be remedied by individuals, but we will continue to do what we can to use whatever influence we have. We are not politicians or government leaders, and despite our own diplomatic efforts, this humanitarian crisis has persisted with no clear end in sight — except for the potential for ethnic cleansing of the Armenian population. We will continue to use our voices to amplify the truth.
“The people in Artsakh want to live in peace. Now is the time for true leadership. We need for those who have a meaningful role in these affairs to immediately demand that the Lachin Corridor is opened to stop another genocide. We want to draw more attention to the crisis and appeal to those in our own government who truly care about humanity to intervene. The United States has the ability to mobilize a response. Leaders who are effective and help our people will be remembered for their heroism. Even if well-meaning, the ones who are inert and ineffective will be remembered for allowing a genocide to take place under their watch. The choice is theirs.”
Armenpress: Armenia is ready to proceed with the discussions with Azerbaijan at the earliest proper opportunity – Foreign Ministry
23:13, 8 September 2023
The Republic of Armenia continues to stay committed to the settlement of all outstanding issues with Azerbaijan purely through political and diplomatic means, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Below is the full statement issued by the Foreign Ministry.
“The Republic of Armenia continues to stay committed to the settlement of all outstanding issues with Azerbaijan purely through political and diplomatic means. Accordingly, the statements about Armenia preparing provocations are absolutely groundless. Armenia has no intention to escalate the situation, on the contrary, we remain open to discuss our previously proposed mechanisms for de-escalation.
We invite the attention of all the partners interested in stability in the region to the fact that the Republic of Armenia is ready to proceed with the discussions with Azerbaijan at the earliest proper opportunity”.
AW: Artist panel at Armenian Museum to feature Harvard’s Christina Maranci and Hrag Vartanian of Hyperallergic
The Armenian Museum of America is offering a series of events on September 23-24, including a panel discussion on “The Image as Disruption and Identity” with artist Ara Oshagan, curator Ryann Casey, art critic Hrag Vartanian and Prof. Christina Maranci of Harvard University.
WATERTOWN, Mass.—The Armenian Museum of America will host a series of programs the weekend of September 23-24 highlighted by an artist panel discussing Ara Oshagan’s “Disrupted, Borders” exhibition currently showing in the museum’s contemporary galleries.
The event will bring Oshagan together with curator Ryann Casey, art critic Hrag Vartanian and Professor Christina Maranci, all of whom touch upon contemporary art and politics in their respective work.
The panel, titled “The Image as Disruption and Identity,” is free and open to the public, and will take place in the Adele and Haig Der Manuelian Galleries on Saturday, September 23 at 2 p.m., followed by a light reception. The museum is also offering free admission for all visitors that weekend, along with free guided tours of “Ara Oshagan: Disrupted, Borders” to its members.
“This show connects many of the diasporic and homeland entanglements that have occupied me over the past decade or more, from Los Angeles to Beirut to Artsakh,” states Oshagan. With more than 55 works on display, “Ara Oshagan: Disrupted, Borders” combines photography, collage, installation and film.
“The panel will concentrate on the role that image-making plays in our understanding of diasporic identity, displacement and our collective history,” Oshagan explains. “Of particular interest is the use of historical objects and family archives in the conversation around dislocation, borders and (un)imagined futures.”
About the Panelists
Ara Oshagan is a multi-disciplinary artist, curator and cultural worker whose practice explores collective and personal histories of dispossession, legacies of violence and identity. He works in photography, film, collage, installation and public art. Oshagan is an artist-in-residence at 18th Street Art Center in Santa Monica and curator at ReflectSpace Gallery in Glendale.
Ryann Casey curated “Disrupted, Borders” and is a New Jersey based artist and educator. She is an adjunct professor of photography, art history and critical theory at Stockton University, and her current photographic and curatorial projects focus on themes of loss, trauma and memory. Casey has curated a number of exhibitions surrounding Armenian artists and history.
Dr. Christina Maranci is one of the world’s foremost experts on Armenian architecture. The first woman and first person of Armenian descent to serve as Harvard University’s Mashtots Chair of Armenian Studies, Dr. Maranci’s research focuses on at-risk Armenian churches and monasteries. She is also one of the Armenian Museum’s esteemed academic advisors.
An artist, curator and critic, Hrag Vartanian has written widely on Armenian artists and cultural production for over two decades. After co-founding Hyperallergic in 2009, Vartanian has served as the arts magazine’s editor-in-chief ever since. His writings have appeared in the Brooklyn Rail, Huffington Post, Al Jazeera and NPR.
More Weekend Offerings
Museum admission will be free for all visitors on September 23-24, sponsored by the Alan K. and Isabelle DerKazarian Foundation. “We’ve participated in Smithsonian’s free Museum Day program the past few years,” says Executive Director Jason Sohigian. “So when it was canceled this year, we decided in partnership with the Alan K. and Isabelle DerKazarian Foundation to offer free admission on the same weekend as Watertown’s Faire on the Square celebration, and show the Museum’s connection to the community.”
“In addition to the panel discussion and free admission, we are offering a special benefit to members of the Armenian Museum. The artist Ara Oshagan and curator Ryann Casey will offer free tours of the exhibition exclusively for members on September 23 at 11 a.m. and on September 24 at noon,” adds Sohigian. “We hope everyone will take advantage of these offerings as we kick off our fall programming.”
To RSVP for the artist panel and artist tours for members, please visit the “Events” tab of the museum’s website.
This artist panel and “Disrupted, Borders” have been generously sponsored by Michele M. Kolligian in memory of Haig Der Manuelian for his dedication and foresight in sharing Armenia’s rich history and culture with the world, including an impressive collection of manuscripts that he gifted to the Armenian Museum.
Asbarez: Russia Summons Armenia’s Ambassador Over ‘Unfriendly Steps’
Vagharshak Harutyunyan is Armenia's Ambassador to Russia
Armenia’s Ambassador to Russia, Vagharshak Harutyunyan, was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry, which reprimanded Yerevan for what it called recent “unfriendly steps” by Yerevan.
The ambassador was also given a “protest notes” outlining grievances from Moscow, including a remarks by Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan, who told reporters that it was beneath him to “respond to some female secretary,” referring to Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova. Moscow was also angry the Anna Hakobyan, the wife of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited Ukraine this week and presented “humanitarian assistance to the Nazi Kyiv regime.”
“We noted the appearance of certain doubts in the official circles and political elite of the Republic of Armenia regarding the expediency of allied relations within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organization and with Russia on a bilateral basis, as well as regarding the feasibility of the complex of tripartite agreements between Moscow, Yerevan and Baku reached in 2020-2022 about ways of normalization of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement regarding the ambassadorial summons.
Russia also cited a recent Armenian government decision to ask parliament to ratify the International Criminal Court treaty, as well as the announcement this week that Armenia will host joint military exercises with the United States.
“At the same time, Moscow firmly believes that Russia and Armenia remain allies, and all agreements on the development and strengthening of partnership relations will be fully implemented for the benefit of the peoples of our two countries. This, among other things, concerns the organization of exercises within the CSTO and in the future sending to the Republic of Armenian an observation mission of the Organization in order to facilitate the settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Russian side will continue to apply all necessary efforts for these purposes,” the Russian foreign ministry added in its statement.