Category: 2023

Azerbaijan accuses Armenia of troop buildup for ‘another military adventure’

Shushan Frangulian
i24 Israel
Aug 14 2023

'In recent days there has been a large concentration of weapons, military equipment and personnel along the state border' says Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry

Azerbaijan accused Armenia on Monday of seeking “another military adventure,” with a buildup of troops along their shared border, a claim dismissed by Yerevan as disinformation.

"In recent days there has been a large concentration of weapons, military equipment and personnel along the state border in order to carry out another military adventure," Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry said.

Baku said Yerevan also built up military infrastructure within the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh, further accusing Armenia of undermining peace efforts and appealed to the UN.

"Azerbaijan reserves the right to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity by all legitimate means provided for by the UN Charter and other universal instruments of international law," the foreign ministry concluded.

Tensions escalated in recent days with fresh accusations from Armenia against Azerbaijan, saying Baku blockaded Armenians in a separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh, and also urged the UN to intervene.

Yerevan in turn denied Baku’s claim that it had amassed weapons and troops near the border, or in Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia said Azerbaijan's statement did "not correspond to reality,” according to AFP.

The two Caucasus neighbors have fought two wars over Nagorno-Karabakh, internationally recognized as Azerbaijan, since the 1980s. Russian peacekeepers have been based in the area since 2020, but have lately been preoccupied with the “special operation” in Ukraine.

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

Meanwhile, Yerevan has warned that the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is deteriorating and dire, with international aid groups echoing the shortages of food, medicines and energy. Furthermore, it accused Baku of blocking traffic through a road linking Armenia to Armenian-populated settlements in the territory.

The California Courier Online, August 17, 2023

Elizabeth Jabejian

The California
Courier Online, August 17, 2023

 

1-         Righteous
Jews Appeal to Israel

            To Help
Open the Lachin Corridor

            By Harut
Sassounian

            Publisher,
The California
Courier

            www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

2-         Artsakh
Protesters block 134 Freeway in Glendale;

            Hold
Overnight Rally at Azeri Consulate

3-         Armenian
Government Allocates Money for Snoop Dogg Concert in Yerevan

4-         Nareg
Keshishian Appointed Principal of Armenian
Mesrobian School

 

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1-         Righteous
Jews Appeal to Israel

            To Help
Open the Lachin Corridor

            By Harut
Sassounian

            Publisher,
The California
Courier

            www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

           

There are pro and anti-Armenian individuals in every
nationality. Jews are no exception. There are Jews who support us and those who
oppose us. We should not generalize and paint everyone with the same brush.
Armenians should not treat every Jew as an opponent just because the Israeli
government denies the Armenian Genocide and sells billions of dollars of arms
to Azerbaijan.

Armenians have the right to criticize the Israeli government
and Jews who are anti-Armenian. I severely condemned Israel’s
denial of the Armenian Genocide in my 2015 lecture at an Israeli University.
After the lecture, I met with the President of Israel Reuven Rivlin and told
him that the government of Israel,
whose own people were victims of genocide, should have been the first country
to recognize the Armenian Genocide, not the last. Pres. Rivlin told me that he
recognized the Armenian Genocide and blamed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
for denying it.

I just received copies of two letters sent by a group of
righteous Israelis to their country’s top officials, requesting that they
intervene with Azerbaijan
to unblock the Lachin Corridor.

The first letter was sent to Israel’s
Foreign Minister Eli Cohen on January 15, 2023, asking for his assistance to
prevent “a grave humanitarian crisis and loss of life” due to Azerbaijan’s
blockade of the Lachin Corridor. The 17 prominent Jewish signers of the letter,
including Rabbis, journalists and scholars, wrote: “We believe that you, the
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel, through your ties with your counterparts
in Azerbaijan and Russia, can
help to avoid this grave humanitarian crisis. Therefore we ask that you
approach them urgently to work for the lifting of the blockade of the Lachin
Corridor.”

The second letter was sent on August 11, 2023, to Israel’s President Isaac Herzog who had recently
visited Azerbaijan.
The letter-writers requested him “to make a personal appeal to your
counterparts in Azerbaijan
and demand their immediate removal of the blockade of the Lachin Corridor.” The
35 prominent Jewish signers of the letter, including Rabbis, scholars,
journalists, a former Cabinet Minister and Member of Knesset, architects and
scientists, wrote: “The State of Israel enjoys close ties with Azerbaijan, the
state which is responsible for this crisis, and has the ability to resolve it.
These ties obligate the State of Israel to take a clear stand, and not to stand
idly by…. The aid that we [Israel]
provided [to Azerbaijan]
means that we have a special responsibility not to be a bystander, and also
gives us an important opportunity to have a positive impact. We cannot remain
silent, especially in light of our historic and multilayered connection with
the Armenian people.”

Beyond these letters, hundreds of Jews and Armenians in Israel held
several protests during and after the 2020 Artsakh War. One of the protests was
in front of the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv, criticizing the sale of
Israeli arms to Azerbaijan.
Some of the protesters held models of drones with blood stains painted on them
with the words ‘Made in Israel.’

Avidan Freedman, one of the founders of Yanshoof, an
organization dedicated to stopping Israeli arms sales to human rights
violators, published an article in The Times of Israel on ,
titled: “The Artsakh humanitarian crisis is our responsibility. Here’s why.” He
wrote: “Israel provided Azerbaijan with
69% of its arms in the period between 2016 and 2020. During the 2020 Artsakh
War, a senior Israeli military source asserted that ‘Azerbaijan would not have been able
to continue its operation at this level without our support.’” Freedman
concluded: “the current humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh was enabled by
Israeli support…. The emerging humanitarian crisis, Israel’s
military support of Azerbaijan,
and the Jewish people’s historic and moral connection to the Armenian people
combine to create a clear moral responsibility. Israel
must take a moral stance and call on Azerbaijan to immediately lift its
blockade of the Lachin Corridor.”

To illustrate the depth of pro-Armenian sympathies among
some Jews, I would like to quote Dr. Israel Charny, one of the signers of the
above mentioned two letters. He is the Executive Director of the
Jerusalem-based Institute on the Holocaust and Genocide and author of “Israel’s Failed
Response to the Armenian Genocide.” In 2009, Charny and I were invited to speak
at the UK Parliament. Since he could not attend due to illness, he submitted
his speech in writing. Here is an excerpt: “No less than the arch fighter for
peace in the Israel-Palestinian conflict, Shimon Peres, now President of
Israel, then serving as Israel’s
Foreign Minister, twice went notably out of his way to insult the history and
memory of the Armenian Genocide.”

In 2001, Charny sent a scathing letter to Peres: “You have
gone beyond a moral boundary that no Jew should allow himself to trespass….
As a Jew and an Israeli, I am ashamed of the extent to which you have now
entered into the range of actual denial of the Armenian Genocide, comparable to
denials of the Holocaust.”

In response to an “especially insulting” denial by Peres in
2002, Dr. Charny sent him one of my editorials in The California Courier, with
the following note: “I am enclosing with great concern for your attention an
editorial in a leading US-Armenian newspaper calling on Armenia to
expel the Israeli Ambassador [Rivka Cohen, after she denied the Armenian
Genocide]. For your further information, the author of this editorial, who is
the head of the United Armenian Fund in the US
— comparable to our United Jewish Appeal — was for many years a delegate to
the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva.”

Armenians should support their friends and criticize their
opponents regardless of their nationality.

 

************************************************************************************************************************************************
2-         Artsakh Protesters block 134
Freeway in Glendale;

            Hold
Overnight Rally at Azeri Consulate

LOS ANGELES (KABC)—Several hundred protesters blocked all
the eastbound lanes on the 134 Freeway at its interchange with the 5 Freeway on
Wednesday, August 10, aiming to bring awareness to humanitarian conflicts in Armenia, and to
call attention to the crisis in Artsakh.

Using a big rig, they blocked off the eastbound side of the
freeway at Central and Brand avenues. Protesters then gathered on freeway lanes
and unfurled signs calling for support from Rep. Adam Schiff.

Protesters have also been showing up at Schiff’s local
office in recent days, calling on the Democratic congressman to do more to support
their cause.

Schiff has expressed support for ending the blockade, but
some Armenian protesters feel he has not done enough for the cause.

One sign unfurled on lanes read “Adam Schiff don’t ignore
us” and another pleaded “Open the road of life.”

In the past, Schiff has issued statements condemning the
blockade and calling for the Biden Administration to take action. He also has
authored a House resolution calling for recognition of Artsakh’s sovereignty
and condemning Azerbaijan’s
aggression.

On Wednesday, August 9, Schiff issued a new statement which
read:

“I stand with the people of Armenia, Artsakh, and the
Armenian-American community —not only my constituents but those around the
world. I hear and see your pain over the inhumane situation your brothers and
sisters are facing.

From condemning ceasefire violations, to advocating for the
release of Armenian prisoners of war, to calling for sanctions and
accountability for Azerbaijan,
I’ve always been, and will continue to be, steadfast in my commitment to
ensuring the protection of fundamental rights for the people of Artsakh.”

I am in communication with the Biden Administration, the
State Department, and my Congressional colleagues and am advocating for using
all tools at our disposal, including pushing for U.S.
humanitarian aid to Artsakh, cutting off military and other assistance to Azerbaijan, and
imposing sanctions on those responsible for this crisis.

I will be with you every step of the way and will always
stand with the people of Armenia
and Artsakh.”

The mayor of Burbank, Konstantine Anthony, met with the
Armenian Americans who are protesting against the ongoing blockade.

The mayor said that he is also concerned about Artsakh and
is concerned and disappointed that US
President Joe Biden is still sending military aid to Azerbaijan.

On Sunday, August 14, the Armenian community cordoned off
the building of the Consulate of Azerbaijan—where consulates of five other
countries, including Israel
and Bulgaria
also operate. The protesters blocked the Wilshire Boulevard leading to the
consulate building. They spent the night there, and in the morning they did not
let Azeri consular officials enter the building. According to the Alpha News correspondent
in Los Angeles, the police tried to unblock the road, but the Armenian
activists convinced them to continue the rally.

The protesters raised the flag of Artsakh and banners that
say “With Artsakh, in the name of Artsakh”, “Armenians face genocide under
Azeri rule” and “Stop the second Armenian Genocide” at the entrance to the
building.

 

************************************************************************************************************************************************
3-         Armenian Government Allocates
Money for Snoop Dogg Concert in Yerevan

By Marine Khachatrian

 

The Armenian government has allocated more than $5 million
for the organization of a concert of American rapper Snoop Dogg in Yerevan.

The concert is scheduled to be held at the Hrazdan Stadium
in the Armenian capital on September 23.

Up to 25,000 people are expected to attend the event that is
also anticipated to generate tourism to the country.

 The first
announcement of a possible Snoop Dogg concert in Yerevan was made by chief of the prime
minister’s office Arayik Harutiunian in late July. A document appeared online
shortly thereafter according to which more than $23 million would be allocated
from the state budget for three concerts.

The kind of state funding sparked a public debate in Armenia, with
many challenging the wisdom of such government spending.

“One person—at least one person—rebel against this decision.
We will spend six million dollars. Allocate instead those six million to the
treatment of children with cancer,” wrote Edik Baghdasaryan on his Facebook
page on August 11. Baghdasaryan is a prominent investigative journalist known
for his stories exposing government corruption in Armenia. He is the head of the
Armenian Association of Investigative Journalists and editor of Armenia’s only
investigative journalism newspaper, Hetq.

“On September 23, four days before the anniversary of the
44-day war, the government is organizing a big concert. Deputy Prime Ministers
and Ministers sat humbly at the Cabinet meeting today. And although some of
them were against that decision, they remained silent. Everyone is silent and
obedient. There is no food or medicine in Artsakh, we don’t know what could
happen every minute there, on the borders. Against this background, why are you
organizing this celebration? Cancel that gig. And in general, what does the
government have to do with organizing a concert?” questioned Baghdasaryan.

The Armenian government initially denied these reports. In a
statement released on July 29, the Prime Minister’s Office said the media
reports were “totally untrue” while adding that the Cabinet would soon adopt a
decision in relation to the concert—and all the details, including its possible
economic impact, would be made public.

Observers note that concerts and visits to Armenia in recent
years by such world stars and celebrities as American rapper 50 Cent, Armenian
American musician Serj Tankian, Armenian American reality TV star Kim
Kardashian and her former spouse, rapper Kanye West have helped raise the
country’s international visibility and attract a greater number of tourists
both immediately as well as in the longer run.

Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., a 51-year-old rapper and actor
professionally known as Snoop Dogg, has sold 35 million albums worldwide since
1992, and remains one of the world’s most popular performers.

 

**********************************************************************************************************************************************

4-         Nareg Keshishian
Appointed Principal of Armenian
Mesrobian School

 

The Board of Regents of the Prelacy Armenian Schools
announced the appointment of Nareg Keshishian as the new principal of Armenian Mesrobian School.

Nareg Keshishian is a graduate of Armenian
Mesrobian School,
class of 1981, and his educational background includes a degree in History from
University of California
at Los Angeles
(UCLA), and teaching credential from Teachers College Columbia University.
Keshishian has received numerous awards including Revson Foundation/NY Times 50
most inspirational teachers in NY City and the Hoover Hero award.

With a background in education, which includes teaching,
mentoring, and administration, Keshishian has designed and implemented an
enrichment program for Kindergarten, 4th, 5th and 9th grades at The Renaissance
School, Queens NY and has served as a teacher and mentoring program coordinator
at Paul Robeson HS, Brooklyn
NY. After his time in New York,
Keshishian has served as a teacher, student body advisor and chair of the
Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) school culture group at
Hoover HS in Glendale, Calif.; and as a teacher, Director of APEX credit
recovery program, and chapter advisor for Junior State of America and Armenian
club at Crescenta Valley High School in La Crescenta, CA.

 

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Azerbaijan accuses Armenia of strengthening its border forces

Meline Chalian
Lebanon – Aug 14 2023



Azerbaijan has accused Armenia on Monday of bolstering its forces along the border between the two countries in the Caucasus region with the intention of provoking military action, an allegation vehemently denied by Yerevan, as tensions continue to escalate.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry stated, "In recent days, there has been a significant transfer of weapons, equipment, and personnel with the intention of launching new military actions along the border."

Yerevan was also accused of establishing military infrastructure in the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region, where Russian peacekeeping forces have been stationed since 2020.

The ministry further asserted in a statement that Azerbaijan "reserves the right to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity by all means" as prescribed by international law.

Armenia's Defense Ministry issued a statement denying any transfer of weapons or forces near the borders or in Karabakh, condemning the claims as "inconsistent with reality."

Tensions have escalated between the two sides in recent days, with Yerevan accusing Baku of obstructing traffic through the Lachin Corridor, a short mountainous route connecting Armenia to the Armenian-populated areas in the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh enclave.

Armenia called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Saturday due to the "deteriorating humanitarian situation" in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The countries have been embroiled in a conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh since the late 1980s, culminating in two wars, the latest of which in 2020 saw Azerbaijani forces making significant territorial gains and defeating Armenian forces.
AFP

https://www.lbcgroup.tv/news/world-news/718276/azerbaijan-accuses-armenia-of-strengthening-its-bo/en

Armenia in diplomatic plea with Malta for action on Azerbaijan blockade crisis

Maral Chavushian
The Shift
Aug 14 2023
David Lindsay
15:41

Armenian Foreign Affairs Minister Ararat Mirzoyan last Thursday made a phone call to Foreign Minister Ian Borg pleading for Malta’s support in its impasse with Azerbaijan, which has seen a humanitarian crisis unfold among the 120,000 population of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Azerbaijan has currently blockaded the Lachin corridor leading to Nagorno-Karabakh and Mirzoyan’s appeal to Borg comes just after a United Nations group of experts found the blockade “has left the population facing acute shortages of food staples, medication, and hygiene products”.

The UN also found Azerbaijan’s blockade has “impacted the functioning of medical and educational institutions, and placed the lives of the residents – especially children, persons with disabilities, older persons, pregnant women, and the sick – at significant risk”.

Malta enjoys a comfortable commercial and diplomatic relationship with Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan’s state oil company, SOCAR, is a shareholder in Malta’s main power station,  the corruption-riddled ElectroGas plant in Delimara, and Malta is also still at the beginning of an 18-year LNG supply agreement with SOCAR for the power station.

Over and above that, former prime minister Joseph Muscat is a regular visitor to Baku, where he is a member of Azerbaijani strongman Ilham Aliyev’s Nizami Ganjavi International Centre (NGIC).

Muscat has been a member of the NGIC since 2020 joining after his protracted December 2019 resignation from the office of the prime minister.

The think tank was founded by Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev and is funded by the Azerbaijani government, with which Muscat fostered a cosy relationship while in power.

Muscat was there last June for an event entitled ‘Reconstruction, Reconciliation, and Integration: Energy, Economy, Environment and Equity’.

Its opening ceremony included a video about Azerbaijani lands that had been ‘liberated’ from occupation. Ostensibly, these lands are those contested as part of the protracted Armenia-Azerbaijan war which has seen tens of thousands killed.

Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin corridor and the ensuing humanitarian crisis forms part of the latest hostilities that Aliyev claims to have liberated.

David Lindsay
15:41

Armenian Foreign Affairs Minister Ararat Mirzoyan last Thursday made a phone call to Foreign Minister Ian Borg pleading for Malta’s support in its impasse with Azerbaijan, which has seen a humanitarian crisis unfold among the 120,000 population of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Azerbaijan has currently blockaded the Lachin corridor leading to Nagorno-Karabakh and Mirzoyan’s appeal to Borg comes just after a United Nations group of experts found the blockade “has left the population facing acute shortages of food staples, medication, and hygiene products”.

The UN also found Azerbaijan’s blockade has “impacted the functioning of medical and educational institutions, and placed the lives of the residents – especially children, persons with disabilities, older persons, pregnant women, and the sick – at significant risk”.

Malta enjoys a comfortable commercial and diplomatic relationship with Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan’s state oil company, SOCAR, is a shareholder in Malta’s main power station,  the corruption-riddled ElectroGas plant in Delimara, and Malta is also still at the beginning of an 18-year LNG supply agreement with SOCAR for the power station.

Over and above that, former prime minister Joseph Muscat is a regular visitor to Baku, where he is a member of Azerbaijani strongman Ilham Aliyev’s Nizami Ganjavi International Centre (NGIC).

Muscat has been a member of the NGIC since 2020 joining after his protracted December 2019 resignation from the office of the prime minister.

The think tank was founded by Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev and is funded by the Azerbaijani government, with which Muscat fostered a cosy relationship while in power.

Muscat was there last June for an event entitled ‘Reconstruction, Reconciliation, and Integration: Energy, Economy, Environment and Equity’.

Its opening ceremony included a video about Azerbaijani lands that had been ‘liberated’ from occupation. Ostensibly, these lands are those contested as part of the protracted Armenia-Azerbaijan war which has seen tens of thousands killed.

Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin corridor and the ensuing humanitarian crisis forms part of the latest hostilities that Aliyev claims to have liberated.

https://theshiftnews.com/2023/08/14/armenia-in-diplomatic-plea-with-malta-for-action-on-azerbaijan-blockade-crisis/

World Youth U16 Olympiad of chess: Team Armenia record second impressive win

Aram Torosian
News.am
Armenia – Aug 14 2023

Team Armenia achieved their second win at the World Youth U16 Olympiad of chess being held in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.

In the second round, Armenian chess players defeated England by a score of 3.5-0.5.

In the first round, Team Armenia team had beaten Japan with a score of 4-0.

Nine rounds will be held in this Swiss-system chess competition.

https://sport.news.am/eng/news/142855/world-youth-u16-olympiad-of-chess-team-armenia-record-second-impressive-win.html

AW: ANC of Rhode Island secures third Friendship City between Smithfield, RI and Stepanakert, Artsakh

Adrine Hakobian
 ANCA-Eastern Region Community News, Diaspora, ANCA News 0

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Armenian National Committee of Rhode Island (ANC-RI) welcomed the establishment of its third Friendship City this year between Smithfield and Stepanakert, the capital of Artsakh. The Friendship City was established at a Smithfield, Rhode Island Town Council meeting on Tuesday, August 8.

ANC-RI leadership, including Stephen Elmasian, George Mangalo and Rhode Island State Senator David Tikoian, led the charge in securing the Friendship City with Smithfield Town Council President T. Michael Lawton. 

“Being so far from Artsakh and the Caucasus doesn’t mean that we still can’t voice our cause and our fight for Artsakh’s freedom and right to self-determination. As long as this unjust and immoral crime against humanity – the blockade – continues, rest assured, the ANC of Rhode Island will not cease in its fight to restore dignity and life to the people of Artsakh. We welcome the Town Council of Smithfield’s support and decision to stand on the right side of history as we battle for the voiceless, no matter how many thousands of miles apart Artsakh and Smithfield are,” Sen. Tikoian said. 

Smithfield, a town north of Providence, is home to a quaint Armenian American community, as well as to Sen. Tikoian. Smithfield’s dedication to Armenian Americans runs deep – the town flies the Armenian flag every April 24 in commemoration of the Armenian Genocide.

“As we welcome another Friendship City between Rhode Island and our compatriots in Artsakh, we cannot emphasize enough the importance of our supporters in this initiative. Every Friendship City agreement that we establish on a local level echoes forever throughout the region, as we create more incentive, highlighting the true power of grassroots activism. With each forthcoming agreement, we hope to raise our voices louder throughout the Eastern Region simultaneously as our activists continue to draw greater attention to this ongoing genocide in Artsakh,” said ANC-RI co-chair Elmasian.

Stepanakert has been under attack since 2020, and most recently, the people of Stepanakert have been living in dire conditions due to Azerbaijan’s deadly blockade, which has gone on for over 240 days. The ongoing blockade has limited life-supporting essentials such as food, medicine and electricity, igniting a humanitarian crisis of magnanimous proportions. 

Friendship Cities with Artsakh have been established in the Eastern Region between Granite City, Illinois, and Ashan, Republic of Artsakh; Cranston, Rhode Island, and Stepanakert, Republic of Artsakh; North Providence, Rhode Island and Jardar, Republic of Artsakh; and now, Smithfield, Rhode Island and Stepanakert, Republic of Artsakh.

  •  Bio
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The Armenian National Committee of America Eastern Region is part of the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots organization, the ANCA. Working in coordination with the ANCA in Washington, DC, and a network of chapters and supporters throughout the Eastern United States, the ANCA-ER actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.


AW: Introducing Victoria Atamian Waterman’s debut novel Who She Left Behind

Rose Khoyetsian
 Guest Contributor Literary Corner, Fiction, Announcements 0

Who She Left Behind is a captivating historical fiction novel spanning multiple generations. It is set in various time periods and locations, immersing readers into the declining days of the Ottoman Empire and the Armenian communities in Rhode Island and Massachusetts during the 1990s. The narrative is framed by a mysterious discovery of Armenian dolls at Victoria’s mother’s grave, which leads her on a quest for redemption as an immigrant, wife, sister and aunt. The story revolves around themes of survival, motherhood and love, drawing inspiration from the author’s own family history. 

Who She Left Behind is Victoria (Atamian) Waterman’s debut novel. The author was born and currently resides in Rhode Island. Her upbringing in an immigrant, bilingual and multi-generational household, which included survivors of the Armenian Genocide, has greatly influenced her storytelling. She is dedicated to bringing attention to the often-overlooked narratives of brave women who not only endured but resisted the atrocities of the Genocide. These women played crucial roles in rebuilding their communities in the aftermath of war.  

Victoria Atamian Waterman

Waterman’s journey to writing a historical fiction novel about her family’s survival and immigration to the United States began when she discovered flowers at her late aunt Vicky’s gravesite. Her aunt passed away in 1963 and had no children. Intrigued by the mysterious flowers, Waterman embarked on an extensive investigation to unravel the secrets surrounding her family’s past, resulting in her debut novel.

Waterman serves as a trustee of the Soorp Asdvadzadzin Armenian Apostolic Church in Whitinsville, Massachusetts. She was a presenter at the 2023 AGBU Women Shaping the World Conference.

Who She Left Behind will be released in October this year by The Historium Press. Pre-orders will be available beginning October 1st.


RFE/RL Armenian Service – 08/14/2023

Emma Nadirian 
                                        Monday, 


Ankara Urges Yerevan To Back Use Of Agdam Road By Karabakh Armenians


The Turkish national flag


The Turkish Foreign Ministry has called on Armenia to support the idea of the 
use of the Agdam road by Karabakh Armenians who continue to reject Azerbaijan’s 
relevant offer and continue to demand the reopening of the Lachin corridor.

In a statement issued on Monday, the Turkish ministry also called on Yerevan to 
“refrain from provocative steps, recognize the territorial integrity and 
sovereignty of Azerbaijan and support Azerbaijan’s efforts on the integration of 
the [Karabakh] Armenian population.”

Official Ankara said it was closely following the discussions around the Lacհin 
road, emphasizing that it “understands the legitimate concerns of Azerbaijan on 
that issue.”

“Turkey believes that there is no reason to criticize Azerbaijan regarding the 
Lachin road,” it said.

The Turkish statement came after Armenia officially asked the United Nations 
Security Council to hold an emergency meeting on the issue of humanitarian 
access to Nagorno-Karabakh that Yerevan and Stepanakert say has been denied for 
months by Azerbaijan that has imposed an “illegal blockade” on the region.

Earlier ethnic Armenian authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh said that the purpose of 
Baku’s proposal to provide humanitarian aid through Agdam without restoring free 
movement through the Lachin corridor was “an attempt to revise” the 
Moscow-brokered 2020 ceasefire agreement under which the vital land connection 
between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia was placed under the control of Russian 
peacekeepers.

“This approach that has persistently been proposed by Azerbaijan violates the 
rights and humiliates the dignity of the people of Artsakh [Nagorno-Karabakh – 
ed.] and contradicts international humanitarian law,” Stepanakert said.

Yerevan, likewise, believes that the checkpoint installed by Azerbaijan at the 
Lachin corridor contradicts the terms of the ceasefire agreement and is, 
therefore, illegal. The Armenian government also denies having any territorial 
claims to Azerbaijan or otherwise infringing on its sovereignty. It insists, 
however, that the rights and security of Karabakh Armenians be discussed between 
Baku and Stepanakert in an “internationally visible” dialogue.




Yerevan Calls Azeri Reports On Concentration Of Armenian Troops Along Border 
‘Disinformation’


The national flag of Armenia over a combat position along the 
Armenian-Azerbaijani border (file photo).


Military authorities in Yerevan have disproved a statement made in Baku about an 
alleged concentration of a large number of Armenian troops and military hardware 
near the border with Azerbaijan.

Armenia’s Defense Ministry said on Monday that the statement of Azerbaijan’s 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs to that account did not correspond to the facts.

“To another false message in the statement of the Azerbaijani Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs, the Defense Ministry of the Republic of Armenia states once 
again that the Republic of Armenia has no army in Nagorno-Karabakh,” it added.

Official Baku stated, in particular, that “armed forces of Armenia illegally 
stationed on the territory of Azerbaijan have intensified military engineering 
works and other military activities in recent weeks”, and “in recent days, a 
large amount of weapons, military equipment and personnel of the armed forces of 
Armenia have been accumulating along the un-demarcated border with Azerbaijan.”

At the same time, Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed that “Armenia 
has not stopped its territorial claims against Azerbaijan and its verbal 
recognition of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan differs from its actions.”

“Azerbaijan reserves the right to defend its sovereignty and territorial 
integrity,” the ministry underscored.

Meanwhile, the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also described the 
Azerbaijani statement as disinformation. “The spread of such false information 
indicates Azerbaijan’s intention to escalate the situation in the region,” it 
charged in a statement.

The kind of rhetoric from official Baku comes amid reports of sporadic 
cross-border shootings that Armenia and Azerbaijan blame on each other. 
Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh have also traded 
accusations regarding violations of the ceasefire regime in recent days.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh for 
decades. Some 30,000 people were killed in a war in the early 1990s that left 
ethnic Armenians in control of the predominantly Armenian-populated region and 
seven adjacent districts of Azerbaijan proper.

Decades of internationally mediated talks failed to result in a diplomatic 
solution and the simmering conflict led to another war in 2020 in which nearly 
7,000 soldiers were killed on both sides.

The 44-day war in which Azerbaijan regained all of the Armenian-controlled areas 
outside of Nagorno-Karabakh as well as chunks of territory inside the Soviet-era 
autonomous oblast proper ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire under which 
Moscow deployed about 2,000 troops to the region to serve as peacekeepers.

Despite the ceasefire and publicly stated willingness of the leaders of both 
Armenia and Azerbaijan to work towards a negotiated peace, tensions between the 
two South Caucasus nations escalated in June after Azerbaijan tightened its 
blockade at a checkpoint installed in April on the road known as the Lachin 
Corridor, the only link between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.

Yerevan and Stepanakert view the Azerbaijani roadblock as a violation of the 
terms of the ceasefire agreement that they insist places the vital route solely 
under the control of Russian peacekeepers.

Amid severe shortages of basic foodstuffs, medical and fuel supplies experienced 
by Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenians, Armenia last Friday officially asked the United 
Nations Security Council to hold an emergency meeting regarding the 
deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The move came after the region’s ethnic Armenian leader appealed to the 
international community for “immediate action” to lift the de facto blockade 
imposed by Azerbaijan and prevent what he called “the genocide of the people of 
Nagorno-Karabakh.”

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 authorities have rejected that offer amid concerns 
in Stepanakert that the opening of the Agdam road could be a prelude to the 
region’s absorption by Azerbaijan.




13 Parties, 1 Bloc Bid To Compete In Yerevan Municipal Polls


The Yerevan Municipality building


Thirteen political parties and one bloc of parties have submitted their 
applications to the Central Election Commission (CEC) to participate in upcoming 
municipal elections in Yerevan.

The CEC is due to complete the registration process by August 18 and publish 
electoral lists within three days after that.

The vote in the elections to Yerevan’s Municipal Assembly (Council of Elders) is 
due on September 17. It will proceed according to party lists, with the 
four-week campaigns of the political forces and their candidates for mayor 
commencing on August 23.

The ruling Civil Contract party is led in the elections by current Deputy Mayor 
Tigran Avinian who formerly also served as deputy prime minister in the 
government of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.

Former Yerevan mayor Hayk Marutian, who was removed from office by a vote of no 
confidence in December 2021 after falling out with the ruling party, has also 
announced his participation in the elections with the hitherto little-known 
National Progress party.

Several other political parties and groups, notably Aprelu Yerkir (Country for 
Living), Bright Armenia, the European Party of Armenia and others, have also 
applied for registration to participate in the Yerevan elections.

Two key parliamentary opposition alliances affiliated with former presidents 
Robert Kocharian and Serzh Sarkisian, Hayastan and Pativ Unem, have not joined 
the local race in the Armenian capital where about a third of the country’s 
voters are concentrated.

It is not clear whether either alliance will support any other political party 
or bloc participating in the elections, including the Mother Armenia bloc, which 
is led by Andranik Tevanian, a former Hayastan faction member who resigned 
recently to focus on the Yerevan elections.




Leading Ukrainian Diplomat Drowns in Armenia


Oleksandr Senchenko


Ukraine’s charge d’affaires in Armenia has died in an apparent drowning incident 
at Lake Sevan that was reported by the country’s authorities and confirmed by 
the Ukrainian foreign ministry on Monday.

Armenia’s Interior Ministry said the body of a Ukrainian citizen was recovered 
from the mountain lake on August 13.

Later local media as well as Ukraine’s foreign ministry confirmed that the 
drowned man was Oleksandr Senchenko, who led Ukraine’s embassy in Yerevan for 
the past year or so.

The Armenian rescue service was quoted by local media as saying that on Sunday 
evening lifeguards at a public beach at Lake Sevan spotted a man at a distance 
of 25 meters from the shore who disappeared while swimming.

“Lifeguards swam towards the area and lifted a man from the bottom that was 1.5 
meters deep, taking him to the shore on a rubber motor boat. Ambulance service 
workers registered the man’s death,” a report said.

In reporting the tragic death of Senchenko, Ukraine’s foreign ministry described 
him as an experienced and highly qualified diplomat who had worked in the 
ministry since 2003.

The Armenian police said materials related to the drowning of the Ukrainian 
citizen had been sent to Sevan’s investigation department.

No other details related to the circumstances of Senchenko’s death were reported 
immediately.

According to Armenia’s embassy in Ukraine, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat 
Mirzoyan extended condolences on behalf of the entire staff of Armenia’s 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and on his personal behalf to his Ukrainian 
counterpart Dmytro Kuleba on the tragic death of Ukraine’s charge d’affaires 
Senchenko.




11 Killed In Minibus-Truck Collision In Armenia

        • Satenik Kaghzvantsian

Armenia - Firefighters are working on the scene of a major motor vehicle 
collision on the Yerevan-Gyumri highway, .


At least 11 people were killed and nine others injured in an overnight collision 
of a passenger minibus and a truck in Armenia.
The Rescue Service of Armenia’s Interior Ministry said the collision occurred on 
the 90th kilometer of the Yerevan-Gyumri highway just after midnight on August 
14.

It said a Volkswagen van carrying passengers collided with a ZIL truck on the 
section near the village of Lanjik.

Six people injured in the crash were hospitalized in Gyumri, a local medical 
center said, adding that one patient was later transferred to a hospital in 
Yerevan.

Deputy director of the Gyumri Medical Center Armen Khachatrian told RFE/RL’s 
Armenian Service that said that the five patients were in a critical condition 
and their lives were in danger.

The Health Ministry later said that on person hospitalized in Yerevan was also 
in a serious condition, while three others taken to a medical center in the 
Armenian capital had sustained only light injuries and were discharged from the 
clinic shortly after they had been examined and received treatment.

According to relatives of the victims, they were returning from Turkey where 
they had visited historical Armenian sites.

Investigators were reportedly working on the scene early on Monday to establish 
the circumstances of the traffic collision. No other information was reported 
immediately.

The Investigation Committee said later criminal proceedings had been instituted 
in connection with the case.

Meanwhile, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian expressed condolences to the 
families of all victims.


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.

Armenia warns of war after accusing Azerbaijan of genocide

Emil Lazarian
The Telegraph, UK
Aug 12 2023

Yerevan's urgent appeal to UN Security Council also claims Azeris are causing a humanitarian crisis with blockade on the city of Stepanakert

ByJames Kilner


Armenia has called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting after accusing Azerbaijan of engineering a genocide and warning of war.

Its foreign ministry said that the city of Stepanakert is running out of food, medicine and fuel after a two-month-long blockade by Azerbaijan.

“The situation has already resulted in a recorded increase of mortality,” it said in a statement.

“Today, the people of Nagorno-Karabakh are on the verge of a full-fledged humanitarian catastrophe.”

Stepanakert has a population of 120,000 people and is the biggest city in Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed mountainous region that Azerbaijan regained control of after defeating Armenia in a war in 2020.

Since the 2020 war, Stepanakert’s primary link with mainland Armenia has been along a road called the Lechin corridor. From mid-December, though, Azerbaijan has blocked this route, first by encouraging alleged environmental demonstrators to protest and then, from mid-June, building a military checkpoint.

Not even aid convoys are now allowed through to Stepanakert, which senior UN officials said this week was now a “humanitarian emergency”.

“By lifting the blockade, the authorities can alleviate the suffering of thousands of people,” they said.

Photos from Stepanakert show bare shelves in shops, closed petrol stations and queues of people waiting to buy bread. Locally grown vegetables are still available at markets but their prices have soared.

Azerbaijan has said that it was forced to erect the military checkpoint and ban aid vehicles from reaching Stepanakert to stop smuggling. It has also offered access to Stepanarkert through another circuitous and far more complicated route that passes through the town of Agdam, which it controls.

Nikol Pashinyan, the Armenian Prime Minister, has accused the Kremlin of failing its peacekeeper duties by ignoring Azerbaijani aggression because it is distracted by its war in Ukraine.

Azerbaijan is turning the screw on Stepanarkert, analysts have said, because it is flush with cash from new gas contracts with the EU, buoyed by security deals with Turkey and Israel and energised after its victory in the 2020 war.

Roughly 7,000 people died in the 2020 war. There are still regular small-scale skirmishes between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces which kill several soldiers each month.



https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/08/12/armenia-warns-of-war-after-accusing-azerbaijan-of-genocide/
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Letter to the Editor: Statement From the Burbank Armenian Association

Greg Madatian
Aug 12 2023

The Burbank Armenian Association, rooted deeply in the vibrant Armenian community of Burbank and beyond, stands as a beacon of cultural, educational, and social welfare. With heavy hearts, we express our profound concern for our brothers and sisters in the Republic of Artsakh. This cherished region, echoing with the songs and stories of generations of Armenians, is now ensnared in a suffocating blockade by Azerbaijan.

Imagine, if you will, the chilling winter of December 12, 2022. As snow blanketed the Lachin corridor, the lifeline road to Armenia, Azerbaijan began its blockade under the guise of “eco-activists.” The road’s heartbeat grew fainter as Azerbaijani forces expanded their stranglehold, severing alternative routes and casting shadows with military checkpoints. Essential lifelines like gas, electricity, and internet have been cruelly snuffed out, plunging Artsakh into a cold silence.

The spirit of Artsakh’s people remains unbroken, but their daily lives bear the scars of this blockade. Essential supplies dwindle. Hospital lights dim, postponing vital surgeries. Breadwinners return home with despair in their eyes, jobs lost, and the haunting specter of hunger looms over countless families. The very soul of Artsakh trembles, not just from deprivation, but from the indignities, intimidation, and injustices inflicted by Azerbaijani forces.

This is not just a blockade; it’s a heart-wrenching affront to humanity, threatening the delicate tapestry of peace and stability that binds our people together. Echoes of past agreements and international laws, including the 2020 ceasefire and the inherent right of self-determination for Artsakh, seem forgotten amidst this crisis. Every stifled voice, every darkened home, weakens the diligent peacekeeping endeavors of the OSCE Minsk Group.

We, at the Burbank Armenian Association, pledge our unwavering support for peaceful, community-driven actions. With tears in our eyes but resolve in our hearts, we call for justice, peace, and above all, compassion. Let’s unite in our commitment to shine a light on this humanitarian tragedy, for in unity, we find strength. Your understanding and heartfelt compassion mean the world to us.

Burbank Armenian Association