18:46,
YEREVAN, AUGUST 16, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani military opened gunfire on August 16 at Armenian positions near Norabak, a village in Gegharkunik Province, the defense ministry said in a statement.
“On August 16, at around 5:30 p.m., Azerbaijani armed forces units fired from fire arms towards the Armenian combat outposts in the vicinity of Norabak,” the defense ministry said.
19:24,
YEREVAN, AUGUST 16, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani military has again falsely accused Armenia of opening fire on the border, the Armenian defense ministry warned Wednesday evening.
“The statement issued by the MoD [Ministry of Defense] of Azerbaijan that allegedly on August 16, at 5 p.m., units of the Armenian Armed Forces opened fire towards the Azerbaijani combat positions located in the southwestern part of the border, is another disinformation,” the Ministry of Defense of Armenia said in a statement.
18:53,
YEREVAN, AUGUST 16, ARMENPRESS. Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE Bujar Osmani has instructed his personal representative Andrzej Kasprzyk to visit the Lachin Corridor's adjacent areas.
“After phone conversations last week with the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia, as OSCE Chairperson-in-Office I instructed my personal representative Andrzej Kasprzyk to visit the adjacent areas of Lachin Corridor and report to me details on the current situation,” Osmani said in a statement posted on Facebook.
He also reiterated his call related to restoring freedom of movement along Lachin Corridor, and at the same time called for work in the direction of opening new roads.
“Humanitarian factors must take precedence over political ones. The OSCE is ready to be involved as a mediator as long as dialogue over political issues resumes,” he added.
Concerns over the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh have taken centre stage as the United States called on Azerbaijan to reopen the Lachin Corridor, the mountain road that links Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.
Being the only road between these two territories, the Lachin Corridor is considered a “lifeline” to the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh, as a crucial access route for humanitarian aid and essential goods.
Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US Representative to the United Nations, made the plea during a UN Security Council meeting addressing the dire situation in the region.
“We are deeply troubled by the closure of the Lachin Corridor, which has cut off access to essential goods and exacerbated the humanitarian situation. Access to food, medicine, baby formula, and energy should never be held hostage,” stated Thomas-Greenfield, stressing the urgency of the situation.
Highlighting the importance of the Lachin Corridor, the ambassador urged Azerbaijan to restore unrestricted movement through the corridor. This appeal encompasses commercial, humanitarian, and private vehicles, ensuring that the population of Nagorno-Karabakh receives necessary provisions. She further acknowledged the potential for alternative routes to facilitate humanitarian deliveries.
In her address, Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield also stressed the significance of continuing peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan for a lasting resolution to the conflict.
Urging compliance with international humanitarian law, the ambassador called for unwavering engagement from the international community to facilitate diplomatic discussions and a sustainable, dignified peace. She advocated for negotiations as the cornerstone of lasting peace and affirmed support for a dialogue between officials in Baku and representatives of the Nagorno-Karabakh population.
After the 2020 Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, which unfolded within the contested confines of Nagorno-Karabakh and its neighbouring territories, Azerbaijan undertook a significant move in December 2022. This involved the imposition of a blockade on the Republic of Artsakh, thereby isolating approximately 120,000 ethnic Armenians residing in the region from external interactions due to the strategic obstruction of the Lachin Corridor.
Turkey, a staunch supporter of Azerbaijan throughout the aforementioned armed conflict, has stood firm in disregarding pleas for the Lachin Corridor‘s restoration. In a statement issued on Monday, the foreign ministry of Turkey articulated its position, underscoring its understanding of Azerbaijan’s substantiated concerns on this matter.
“Unfortunately, these concerns that Azerbaijan has voiced loudly for a long time were not taken into account, and as a result, Azerbaijan took the measures it deems appropriate within the framework of its sovereign rights,” the ministry said.
STATEMENT BY MRS NATHALIE BROADHURST,
DEPUTY PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF FRANCE TO THE UNITED NATIONS, CHARGÉE D’AFFAIRES A.I.
New York,
Thank you Madam President, and thank you also to the representative of OCHA for her briefing.
I welcome the presence here today of the Foreign Minister of Armenia.
I would like to highlight three points.
Firstly, the restrictions and total blockage of traffic on the corridor linking Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh for more than eight months are now causing a humanitarian crisis.
The persistent blocking of the Latchine corridor by Azerbaijan continues to isolate the population of Nagorno-Karabakh from the rest of the world, with no legitimate reason to justify such a situation, which runs counter to the principles of international humanitarian law.
This situation, combined with the interruption of gas and electricity supplies, the drying up of water resources, the difficulties encountered by the population in gaining access to seeds, and the shortage of fuel which is hampering agricultural work, is now degenerating into a humanitarian crisis: the risk of famine and widespread shortages, including of medicines, is imminent.
France deplores the blocking of the humanitarian aid convoy dispatched last July by the Armenian authorities in an attempt to remedy this tragic situation. The restrictions and obstacles imposed on the activities of the ICRC and other humanitarian actors, in violation of international law, are not acceptable.
In view of the gravity of the humanitarian situation, France calls for the unconditional and immediate restoration of the free movement of goods, people and merchandise along the Latchine corridor, in both directions, and for a continuous supply of gas and electricity to the population.
Since our last public meeting, the International Court of Justice issued an order on February 22, 2023. This order indicated provisional measures, which are binding, and require Azerbaijan, in accordance with its obligations under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, to "take all measures at its disposal to ensure the unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and goods along the Latchine corridor in both directions". In its Order of July 6, 2023, noting the precariousness of the situation between the Parties, the Court confirmed "the need for effective implementation of the measure indicated in its Order of February 22, 2023".
As the UN Secretary-General did on August 2, France once again calls on Azerbaijan to abide by its international obligations, and to implement the provisional measures indicated by the International Court of Justice.
In light of the gravity of the situation, France welcomes the ICRC’s action on the ground, and will reinforce its support. France calls for immediate, free and unhindered access for humanitarian organizations and UN agencies to the populations concerned, and for the reopening of the Latchine corridor.
Madam President,
France remains fully committed to promoting a lasting and just peace in the region.
To this end, we call for a resumption of negotiations aimed at resolving all outstanding issues, including the rights and guarantees of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh. This can only be achieved through dialogue, excluding any use or threat of force.
Alongside the European Union, France will continue to contribute to efforts to promote dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan. It fully supports and participates in the mediation efforts led by the European Union to promote a process of normalization.
We will support the search for progress on all subjects under negotiation, including the draft peace treaty, border demarcation, humanitarian issues and the opening of communication routes. France stands ready to contribute to these objectives, in liaison with all the parties and stakeholders.
Thank you very much.
https://onu.delegfrance.org/france-once-again-calls-on-azerbaijan-to-abide-by-its-international-obligations
NTERVENTION DE MME NATHALIE BROADHURST,
REPRESENTANTE PERMANENTE ADJOINTE DE LA FRANCE AUPRÈS DES NATIONS UNIES
CHARGÉE D’AFFAIRES A.I.
AU CONSEIL DE SECURITE
New York, le 16 août 2023
Je vous remercie Madame la Présidente, et je tiens également à remercier la représentante du BCAH pour son exposé.
Je salue la présence parmi nous aujourd’hui du ministre des Affaires étrangères de l’Arménie.
Je souhaite insister sur trois points.
Premièrement, les restrictions puis le blocage total, depuis plus de huit mois de la circulation sur le corridor reliant l’Arménie et le Haut-Karabagh, provoquent aujourd’hui une crise humanitaire.
Le blocage persistant du corridor de Latchine par l’Azerbaïdjan continue d’isoler la population du Haut-Karabagh du reste du monde sans qu’aucune raison légitime ne puisse justifier une telle situation, qui va à l’encontre des principes du droit international humanitaire.
Cette situation, combinée aux interruptions de fourniture de gaz et d’électricité, au tarissement des ressources en eau, aux difficultés qui ont été rencontrées par la population pour avoir accès à des semences, à la pénurie de carburant qui entrave les travaux agricoles, dégénère aujourd’hui en crise humanitaire : le risque de famine et de pénuries généralisées, y compris de médicaments, est imminent.
La France déplore le blocage du convoi d’aide humanitaire dépêché en juillet dernier par les autorités arméniennes pour tenter de remédier à cette situation dramatique. Les restrictions et obstacles apportés aux activités du CICR et des acteurs humanitaires, en violation du droit international, ne sont pas acceptables.
Face à la gravité de la situation humanitaire, la France appelle au rétablissement sans conditions et sans délais de la libre circulation des biens, des personnes et des marchandises, le long du corridor de Latchine, dans les deux sens, et d’un approvisionnement continu de la population en gaz et en électricité.
Depuis notre dernière réunion publique, la Cour internationale de justice a rendu une ordonnance, le 22 février 2023. Cette ordonnance a indiqué des mesures conservatoires, qui ont force obligatoire, et qui prescrivent à l’Azerbaïdjan, conformément aux obligations qui lui incombent au titre de la Convention internationale sur l’élimination de toutes les formes de discrimination raciale, de « prendre toutes les mesures dont il dispose afin d’assurer la circulation sans entrave des personnes, des véhicules et des marchandises le long du corridor de Latchine dans les deux sens ». Dans son ordonnance du 6 juillet 2023, constatant « la précarité de la situation entre les Parties », la Cour a confirmé « la nécessité d’une mise en œuvre effective de la mesure indiquée dans son ordonnance du 22 février 2023 ».
Tout comme l’a fait le Secrétaire général des Nations Unies le 2 août, la France appelle à nouveau l’Azerbaïdjan à se conformer à ses obligations internationales, et notamment à mettre en œuvre les mesures conservatoires indiquées par la Cour internationale de justice.
Face à la gravité de la situation, la France salue l’action du CICR sur le terrain auquel elle renforcera son appui. La France demande l’accès immédiat, libre, sans entrave des organisations humanitaires et des agences des Nations Unies aux populations concernées et la réouverture du corridor de Latchine.
Madame la Présidente,
La France reste par ailleurs pleinement engagée pour favoriser une paix durable et juste dans la région.
Nous appelons à ce titre à une reprise des négociations, vers le règlement de l’ensemble des questions en suspens, y compris celle des droits et garanties pour la population du Haut-Karabagh. Ce règlement ne peut être atteint que par la voie du dialogue, en excluant tout recours à la force ou toute menace du recours à la force.
Aux côtés de l’Union européenne, la France continuera de contribuer aux efforts pour favoriser le dialogue entre l’Arménie et l’Azerbaïdjan. Elle apporte son plein soutien et participe aux efforts de médiation menés par l’Union européenne pour promouvoir un processus de normalisation.
Nous appuierons la recherche de progrès sur l’ensemble des sujets en négociation, notamment le projet de traité de paix, la délimitation de la frontière, les questions humanitaires, et l’ouverture des voies de communication. La France se tient à la disposition des parties pour contribuer à ces objectifs, en lien avec l’ensemble des partenaires et des parties prenantes.
Je vous remercie./.
Armenia is calling on the United Nations Security Council to address a worsening humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, a region of Azerbaijan home to ethnic Armenians that has been under a blockade for eight months. Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought multiple wars over the territory since the collapse of the Soviet Union, most recently in 2020. Azerbaijan closed the only road into the region in December, severely restricting the movement of food, medicine and other supplies for the roughly 120,000 people living there. “We cannot accept a new Armenian genocide in 2023,” says Luis Moreno Ocampo, the Argentine lawyer who served as the first prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. He issued a report earlier this month on the blockade. We also speak with Anna Ohanyan, professor of political science and international relations at Stonehill College, who says Azerbaijan is relying on “the use of hunger as a weapon” in order not to engage politically with the largely self-governing region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman, with Nermeen Shaikh.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: The U.N. Security Council met Wednesday to discuss the blockade imposed by Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh, as Armenia and other nations called for the immediate reopening of the Lachin corridor to allow for humanitarian aid for the roughly 120,000 people suffering severe shortages in the breakaway region. Twenty-three-year-old English teacher Nina Shaverdyan, a resident of Nagorno-Karabakh, described life under the blockade.
NINA SHAVERDYAN: We don’t have gas. We have electricity blackouts. So, for example, at 5:00, we will have a blackout again, so we will not have electricity for two hours, and then this is repeating itself. We don’t have water, because we have only one water reservoir, which is used right now to produce electricity, and it’s not enough. So right now we have also water shortages. And because of the water shortages and electricity shortages and no gas, the bakeries don’t work, so there is not enough bread even in the shops.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: That was Nina Shaverdyan. She also noted there’s a shortage of fuel, further isolating those who are not able to walk or walk long distances.
A recent report by former International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo found the blockade amounts to a likely genocide of the local Armenian population. Azerbaijan has rejected the accusation.
Tensions have been running high in Nagorno-Karabakh since December of last year, when the blockade started. The crossing has been totally sealed off since mid-June. The population of the disputed region is majority Armenian, but it’s part of Azerbaijan, after Azerbaijani forces regained control of the territory in the 2020 war, leaving the Lachin corridor as the area’s only connector with Armenia.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, for more, we’re joined by two guests. In Boston, Anna Ohanyan, professor of political science and international relations at Stonehill College, is joining us. Her latest book is The Neighborhood Effect: The Imperial Roots of Regional Fracture in Eurasia. And joining us from the capital of Colombia, Bogotá, Luis Moreno Ocampo, Argentine lawyer who served as the first prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. He also was the deputy prosecutor in Argentina’s Trial of the Juntas.
We welcome you both to Democracy Now! Luis Moreno Ocampo, we last had you on with the Oscar-nominated film Argentina, 1985, which was about the Trial of the Junta against the leaders of the Argentine coup, led by Jorge Rafael Videla. Right now you’re talking about Azerbaijan. Can you talk about your findings?
LUIS MORENO OCAMPO: It’s very basic. Some Armenian people asked my expert opinion. I have experience. I prosecuted for genocide President al-Bashir for Darfur genocide. And it’s very simple because the facts are exposed by the International Court of Justice, who said to Azerbaijan they cannot blockade the corridor that provides food and other essentials to the Armenians living in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. So, it’s very basic, as just the facts are there. It’s just like the king is naked.
You know what? The International Court of Justice say Azerbaijan is blocking the essentials for the life of these Armenian people, and that’s exactly, exactly what Article II of the Genocide Convention say. The genocide have different forms to be committed. Killing massive numbers is one, (a), but (c) require not [inaudible]. It’s just creating conditions to destroy the life of the group. And that is what’s happened today in Azerbaijan. That’s why it’s funny. It’s funny because it’s like a shock, but it’s obvious. It’s a genocide today. The question is now not debate genocide; the question is prevent the killings, prevent the death of these people. You present one of the victims. In a few minutes, I will be in a press conference with the people of Nagorno-Karabakh by Zoom. So, they are there, and they are dying.
So, what do we do? And that’s the question. Because I was listening to your show, and when you have a national crime, you have judges and prosecutors. When George Floyd was killed, you had judges and prosecutor. Here, there is no judge or prosecutor for this chosen case, because the International Criminal Court has no juridiction. So, the U.N. Security Council is the only global institutions who can solve the problem.
And the problem there is there are tensions today — that’s obvious — between Russia, U.S. and France. These are the three key actors. If they agreed how to manage the problem, they stop this genocide in one minute. And that’s why it’s interesting. Here, the solution is very, very simple. It’s an agreement between the U.S., France and Russia to stop the genocide. It’s easy. And my last point is, Ukraine is a big conflict, is a big crime, but Armenian victims could not be collateral damage of the Ukrainian conflict, could not be. We should not accept a new Armenian genocide in 2023.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: Could you explain, elaborate on that point, what you mean when you say that the Armenians who are stuck in Nagorno-Karabakh should not be collateral damage of the war in Ukraine? If you could talk about that? And then also say — you say that you based your decision on the — your findings on the decision taken by the International Court of Justice earlier this year. Explain what that decision was. It was legally binding. And what followed that decision? What happened as a result of what the International Court of Justice found?
LUIS MORENO OCAMPO: Starting from the second question, the International Court of Justice, which is a court who deal between states, received a request from Armenia against Azerbaijan based not on Genocide Convention, based on a treaty that forbid — against discrimination. So, the International Criminal Court of Justice is not analyzing genocide. It’s analyzing a different treaty against discrimination.
But in this case, since February — since February, for the last six months — the International Criminal Court of Justice gave a binding order to Azerbaijan to free the blockade of what is called the Lachin corridor, that provided food and the essentials for the life of the Armenians in Azerbaijan. And Azerbaijan is refusing. In fact, it’s sealed off completely, since June. And that was not just ICJ, the International Court of Justice, say. In July 26, the Red Cross say that. Since June, we provide — you cannot move nothing from the Lachin corridor. So, that are the facts. And this is genocide, creating the conditions.
The solution, as I said before, and why the Armenians are collateral victims, because the solution is an agreement between U.S., Russia and France. If they agree that they will stop this, they will do it. Because they cannot agree, they just call for negotiation. Remember the Rwanda time, an ambassador say calling on negotiations in — no, sorry, in Srebrenica, when they talk about the Balkans, talking about negotiation is to asking the Jews in the concentration camps to negotiate with Hitler. That it is.
So, this is a good moment. It’s a time for President Biden to transform and stop a genocide. We’ve got great people in power. President Biden is the first president, U.S. president, who recognized Armenia 1915 was a genocide. Yesterday, the Armenian ambassador in the U.N. Security Council meeting said, “We need not just commemoration. We need prevention.” And we have Secretary of State Blinken, who has a family affected. And we have Samantha Power, who really wrote the most important book on how to prevent genocide. But Samantha Power, in her book, said something very important. She explained how every time a genocide happened, since 1915 through the Jewish genocide, there’s always reason to not be involved, a denial, how many efforts the political leaders are doing to deny the genocide. And that’s why my report was basically saying the king is naked. It’s a genocide. Now, the solution is political. The leaders have to agree to stop the genocide. That’s the chance.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: I’d like to bring in professor Anna Ohanyan, a professor of political science and international relations at Stonehill College. Professor Ohanyan, if you could respond to the ongoing crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh and what you understand occurred at the meeting, Wednesday’s meeting, of the U.N. Security Council yesterday?
ANNA OHANYAN: In addition to the severe humanitarian crisis that the blockade, the siege of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic by Azerbaijan has created, the genocidal violence, essentially, that has created, as described by Mr. Ocampo, it also is taking place in a context of broader use of violence in the region. In 2020, when Azerbaijan, with Turkey’s backing, engaged in an offensive on the Nagorno-Karabakh entity, Azerbaijan was victorious, emerged victorious, recovered the territory surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as parts of Nagorno-Karabakh. The November 9 agreement, as your previous speaker mentioned, created and maintained the Lachin corridor connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia.
What this peace process has been continuing since then by the Western — European Union, United States has been very, very active. This is in parallel with Russia’s continued attempt to remain relevant and provide security with its peacekeeping troops inside Nagorno-Karabakh. But what is transpiring, what the siege, what the blockade, the use of hunger as a weapon is demonstrating is that Baku, essentially — Baku’s strategy is to consolidate the victory it has achieved in the battlefield through the use of nonkinetic, non — tools that are not directly violent, such as the weapon as a hunger, in order to coerce the Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to either relocate — soft ethnic cleansing — or to fully submit to Azerbaijan, which Azerbaijan government refers to as “integration.” The key here, I think Baku’s objective is to not engage, to not provide political accommodation to the entity. And this is an entity that has been a de facto state, has been a self-governing unit since the First Nagorno-Karabakh War ended in 1994, and it was part of — as a result of Stalin’s gerrymandering, this entity was given to Soviet Azerbaijan, but even then, as part of Soviet Azerbaijan, it was an autonomous republic, self-governing. So, the siege, the hunger, is an attempt to eliminate, to not engage with the entity politically.
And in that respect, it’s quite dangerous. Using hunger as a weapon essentially creates the conditions of hybrid war. And as such, it’s very dangerous not just for the Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, but also for other conflict regions in general. Much more recently, that strategy was also used in Ethiopia relative to the Tigray population in its north. So it’s quite troublesome as to what is happening. And it’s devastating also because there is opportunity that Azerbaijan has in moving towards pacifying the region. There are various actors involved. And this historic opportunity, considering that Russia has weakened, creates an opening in moving the region forward. And as such, it is a historic opportunity, because Russia, for almost a century, has been using interethnic cleavages, tensions, to remain relevant. So, geopolitical stakes of a peaceful, principled, dignified resolution of this conflict remain significant.
AMY GOODMAN: Anna Ohanyan, we want to thank you for being with us, professor of political science and international relations at Stonehill College, joining us from Boston, and Luis Moreno Ocampo, Argentine lawyer who served as the first prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. He also was the deputy prosecutor in Argentina’s Trial of the Juntas.
This is Democracy Now! Coming up, The Intercept reports a secret Pakistan cable documents U.S. pressure to remove Imran Khan as prime minister. Stay with us.
??A senior UN official told the United Nations Security Council on August 16 that the delivery of humanitarian relief to Nagorno-Karabakh by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) must be allowed to resume through any available routes.
Edem Wosornu said the ICRC is doing everything it can but can only cover the most urgent needs.
"Other impartial humanitarian relief must also be allowed to reach civilians who need it, and a sustainable solution for safe and regular transit of people and goods must be found," Wosornu said.
Wosornu spoke at an emergency meeting regarding the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Azerbaijan's mostly Armenian-populated breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The meeting at the UN headquarters in New York City came after the Armenian UN Ambassador Mher Margarian said in a letter to the Security Council that the people of Nagorno-Karabakh are “on the verge of a full-fledged humanitarian catastrophe.”
Both Armenia and separatist authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh have said that Azerbaijan has blockaded the region since December, resulting in shortages of food, medicines, and energy.
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan discussed the situation with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, and stressed the need to avert a "humanitarian disaster," TASS reported.
The situation has deteriorated to such a point that Armenia's Human Rights Defender's Office said on August 15 that a man around the age of 40 had died as a result of chronic malnutrition, protein and energy deficiency.
The claim has not been independently verified but a former International Criminal Court prosecutor said earlier in August that the blockade of the Lachin Corridor, the only link between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, may amount to a "genocide" of the local Armenian population. Baku has rejected such an assertion.
Tensions sparked by the blockade escalated further after Azerbaijan in June tightened a checkpoint installed in April on the road known as the Lachin Corridor, claiming that "various types of contraband" had been discovered in the Red Cross vehicles coming from Armenia.
Referring to the blockade, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said on August 11 that Azerbaijan's moves could result in "nullifying a historic opportunity for peace" between the two South Caucasus nation.
Azerbaijan denies blockading Nagorno-Karabakh and offers an alternative route for supplies via the town of Agdam, which is situated east of the region and is controlled by Baku.
However, Nagorno-Karabakh's separatist government has rejected that offer, saying Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin Corridor is a violation of the Moscow-brokered 2020 cease-fire agreement that placed the 5-kilometer-wide strip of land under the control of Russian peacekeepers.
A group of UN experts issued a statement on August 7, expressing alarm over the ongoing blockade of the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan, which they said had led to a dire humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh.
“By lifting the blockade, the [Azerbaijani] authorities can alleviate the suffering of thousands of people in Nagorno-Karabakh and allow for the unimpeded flow of humanitarian assistance to the civilian population," the experts said. "It is essential to ensure the safety, dignity, and well-being of all individuals during this critical time."
Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought two wars over Nagorno-Karabakh, a predominantly Armenian-populated mountainous enclave that is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan. The most recent war lasted six weeks in late 2020 and left 7,000 soldiers dead on both sides.
As a result of the war, Azerbaijan regained control over a part of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts. The war ended with a Russian-brokered cease-fire under which Moscow deployed about 2,000 troops to serve as peacekeepers.
By RFE/RL
Hovsep Seferian, a recent Robinson Secondary School graduate, received the 18 Under 18 Award from the National Society of High School Scholars. The award and scholarship recognize Seferian's advocacy work for the Armenian community. (Nerses Semerjian)
FAIRFAX, VA — For his contributions to the Armenian community, the National Society of High School Scholars recently presented Hovsep Seferian of Fairfax with its 18 Under 18 Award. The scholarship honors students who spread positivity and show leadership in their communities through their passions.
A recent graduate of Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax, Seferian is about to start his freshman year at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. While he welcomed the scholarship money, he appreciated the validation the award bestowed on his efforts on behalf of the Armenian community.
"I've been working really, really hard over my time in high school to try to make a difference," he told Patch. "My age has been a hurdle at times just because, for example, if I'm on the Hill and I'm lobbying people, they ask me, 'How old are you?'"
Seferian admitted that because of his age that his words were sometimes taken less seriously than others. That's why the 18 Under 18 Award meant so much to him.
"It shows that the work that I put in is being appreciated," he said.
Seferian's first exposure to anything having to do with Armenian culture was at church.
Every Sunday, Seferian and his family attended St. Mary's Armenian Church in Washington, D.C. At age 6, he started serving on the alter and when he was 9 or 10, he was ordained as an acolyte.
"Never had it occurred to me growing up that there was something more to being Armenian than church, because I wasn't really exposed to it," Seferian said. "But as I grew up, and I started meeting more and more Armenian people, I realized how the struggle for the freedom and the peace of our people has been ongoing and that motivated me over the past two years more than anything else to get more involved with advocacy work."
The 18-year-old's first step into advocacy came when he wrote a poem about the Armenian genocide for his English class at school. He ended up showing the poem to his priest. This led to an invitation to read the poem at the Armenian Embassy on Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day in April 2018.
"I remember this day like it was yesterday," he said. "I was 13-years old. This would have been almost five years ago now. I go up. I read it. I'm shaking. I'm nervous, but I delivered it fine."
Seferian recalled one of the consulate members coming up after he'd stepped down from the podium and saying,"When I grow up, I want to be like you."
"That really struck a chord with me," Seferian said. "That moment was probably an awakening of sorts, because I realized, 'Hey, I don't think there's anything inherently special about me, but I've been given opportunities to use my voice and this is what I want to keep doing.' From there, it just kind of grew and grew."
In high school, Seferian participated in speech and debate and discovered that he was pretty good at it.
Whenever there was a protest and a speaker was needed, Seferian would volunteer. He's delivered speeches in front of the Azerbaijani Embassy and the United Nations building. He's also visited Capitol Hill to meet with members of Congress.
"It's been an amazing experience, because it makes you feel great as an Armenian to know that you're meeting with the lawmakers who are talking about how to help your country," he said. "But also as an American, it completely changes your view of how the government operates. … You see it in action. You meet the people that are making our laws face-to-face. How blessed we are to live in the United States that we get to go and do this."
In addition to his lobbying efforts, Seferian also completed an internship with the Armenian National Committee of America.
Even while Seferian was preparing for college, he had not slowed down his advocacy work. He is trying to raise awareness of the humanitarian crisis involving the Republic of Artsakh, a disputed territory between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The mainly Armenian-populated area has been under a blockade by Azerbaijan since December 2022.
"No food, no water, no electricity, no power, no one can get in and out for medical service," he said. "It is undoubtedly an intended ethnic cleansing of the area by the Azerbaijani government, who have been trying to get rid of Armenians living there for the better part of three decades now."
After some initial confusion, EU officials confirmed that on August 14th, Tuesday evening, a European observer mission in the disputed region around the Azerbaijan-Armenia border had come under fire in what Armenian officials immediately pinned on the Azeri army.
According to reports and subsequent footage that emerged from the incident, European observers were temporarily pinned down by what was believed to be small arms fire from Azeri forces while on the Armenian side of the border, where they had been conducting their duties.
There is growing international pressure on Baku to refrain from what many experts believe is a developing genocide against trapped ethnic Armenians in the Lachin corridor, where the Azeri army is conducting a blockade.
The EU deployed 100 unarmed observers last December following Azerbaijan’s successful border war against Armenia in the hotly contested Nagorno-Karabakh region, where the Azeri government is accused of ethnic cleansing against Armenians living on newly acquired lands.
Tuesday’s incident occurred near Verin Shorzha in Armenia, six kilometres from the Azeri frontier, with the mission’s social media account initially denying that any altercation had occurred. The EU’s foreign policy department, EEAS, has so far refused to give a full statement on the matter, but there is growing understanding that Brussels’ soft stance on Azeri aggression may be about to end.
The Azeri defence ministry has already flatly denied that its troops fired at the EU mission, blaming Armenian disinformation and saying that such an attack was impossible due to the fact that the details of observer missions are well known in order to prevent incidents like this from occurring.
Clashes between Azeri and Armenian forces are common after last year’s two-day war, where Azerbaijan seized strategic heights near the town of Jermuk and occupied 140 square kilometres of Armenian territory. The Azeri ambassador to Brussels was summoned by the EU to account for social media threats to shoot EU officials last month, as many predict EU-Azeri relations are set to take a diplomatic nosedive.
The UN Security Council is set to meet Wednesday, August 16th, to discuss the worsening plight of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, with the Armenian government accusing Azerbaijan of preventing the flow of vital supplies to the enclave.
Armenian officials have called for the EU to mount an airlift to assist Armenians trapped in Lachin by the Azeri blockade, with Brussels previously accused of turning a blind eye to human rights abuses by Azerbaijan due to the strategic importance of Azeri gas.