Category: 2023

Armenia urges UN to hold emergency meeting on worsening humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh

Albert Nalbandian
                 Morning Star
                       UK – Aug 13 2023

ARMENIA has called on the United Nations security council to hold an emergency meeting over the worsening humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.

In his letter to the council’s president, sent on Friday and released publicly on Saturday, Armenia’s UN ambassador Mher Margaryan said the disputed region inside Azerbaijan was “on the verge of a full-fledged humanitarian catastrophe.”

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

Mainly populated by ethic Armenians, Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognised Azerbaijanian territory but most of it has been self-governed since 1994.

Azerbaijan regained control of previously Armenian-occupied territory surrounding the region during a six-week war in 2020.

“The Armenian government asks for the intervention of the UN security council, as the main body responsible for maintaining international peace and security, to prevent mass atrocities, including war crimes, ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity and genocide,” Mr Margaryan said in the letter.

Armenia’s appeal comes after the former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) warned on Tuesday that Azerbaijan is preparing genocide against ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Warning against the blockading of supplies, Luis Moreno Ocampo’s report called for the security council to bring the matter before an international tribunal.

“There is a reasonable basis to believe that a genocide is being committed,” he wrote, noting that a UN convention defines genocide as including “deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction.”

He added: “There are no crematories and there are no machete attacks. Starvation is the invisible genocide weapon.

“Without immediate dramatic change, this group of Armenians will be destroyed in a few weeks.”

A government representative in Azerbaijan dismissed the report from Mr Ocampo, who was the ICC’s first prosecutor, telling The Associated Press it “contains unsubstantiated allegations and accusations.”

Armenia calls for UN help on Nagorno-Karabakh

Kanayan Tamar
Aug 13 2023

Armenia on Saturday (12 August) urged the UN Security Council to hold a crisis meeting on Nagorno-Karabakh, citing a “deteriorating humanitarian situation” after accusing Azerbaijan of blocking supplies to the disputed region.

The Caucasus neighbours have been locked in a dispute over the enclave — internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan — since the 1980s and fought two wars over the territory.

The second, in 2020, saw the defeat of Armenian forces and significant territorial gains for Azerbaijan.

“The Armenian government demands the intervention of the UN Security Council as the main organ for safeguarding global security,” Mher Margaryan, Armenia’s permanent representative to the UN, said in a letter to the body.

For months, Yerevan has accused Baku of stopping traffic through the Lachin corridor — a short, mountainous road linking Armenia to Armenian-populated settlements in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

In his letter, Margaryan referred to “serious shortages” of food, medicine and fuel in the majority Armenian-populated region of Azerbaijan and cuts in electricity and gas supplies.

“This situation has led to rising mortality due to several illnesses,” said Margaryan, citing patients suffering from conditions including diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

“The population of Nagorno-Karabakh today stands on the edge of a veritable humanitarian catastrophe,” he warned, accusing Azerbaijan of “deliberately creating unbearable living conditions for the population.”

That, he wrote, amounted to an “atrocity” designed to force them from their homes.

Armenia and international aid groups have meanwhile been warning that the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is dire and deteriorating, with shortages of food, medicines and energy.

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

Azerbaijan accused of preparing genocide in Nagorno-Karabakh; UN experts call for end to blockade

Jagharian Tania
MEDYA NEWS
Aug 13 2023
12:32 pm 13/08/2023

Azerbaijan has been accused of preparing genocide against Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, according to a report by the former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo.

The report highlights that the blockade of the Lachin Corridor, the only route connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia, has severely hindered the supply of food, medicine, and essential goods to the region’s population of approximately 120,000.

Ocampo’s report states, “There is a reasonable basis to believe that a genocide is being committed,” noting that a UN convention defines genocide as including “deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction”. The report also warns, “Starvation is the invisible genocide weapon. Without immediate dramatic change, this group of Armenians will be destroyed in a few weeks.”

A group of UN experts has called on Azerbaijan to lift the blockade in the Lachin Corridor and end the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh. The experts, including the Special Rapporteurs on the Right to Food and the Right to Education, the Independent Expert on the Enjoyment of All Human Rights by Older Persons; and the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, emphasised the urgent need for free and safe movement of people, vehicles and goods in the Lachin Corridor, in accordance with the November 2020 ceasefire agreement. They also stressed the importance of respecting and protecting human rights, including the rights to food, health, education and life, and called for cooperation and dialogue among all parties to find a peaceful and sustainable solution to the Nagorno-Karabağ conflict.

Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin Corridor has created a severe humanitarian crisis, leading to serious shortages of essential items, particularly affecting children, disabled individuals, the elderly, pregnant women, and invalids. Medical stocks are rapidly depleting, and hospitals are struggling to operate ambulances due to reduced fuel supply.

A government representative in Azerbaijan dismissed the report from Ocampo, the first prosecutor of the ICC, saying it “contains unsubstantiated allegations and accusations”. Hikmet Hajiyev, an assistant to Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, told The Associated Press, “It is biased and distorts the real situation on the ground and represents serious factual, legal and substantive errors”.

Meanwhile, approximately 360 tonnes of medicine and food loaded on 19 lorries have been waiting for more than two weeks to cross the Azerbaijan border.

Vardan Sargsyan, a representative of a crisis management working group for Nagorno-Karabakh set up by the Armenian government, told the Associated Press, “Unfortunately, there have been many attempts from the Azerbaijani side to manipulate this situation. We just hope that this humanitarian initiative will be accepted as humanitarian and that it will be possible to transfer the goods.”

European Churches urge action for humanitarian crisis in Upper Karabakh

Edgar Tavakalian
    Aug 13 2023
As the seven-month blockade of the Upper Karabakh Armenian enclave continues, European Churches call for international action to reopen the Lachin corridor, urging sustained dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan to attain long-term peace in the region.

By Lisa Zengarini

The European Churches have reiterated their appeal for lifting the ongoing blockade of Upper Karabakh in the Southern Caucasus region by reopening the Lachin Corridor.  

The Corridor is the only road that links the Armenian enclave (also referred to as Artsakh by Armenians) to the Republic of Armenia. 

Despite the trilateral ceasefire agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia brokered by Russia in November 2020, the movement of people, vehicles and goods to and from the territory has been blocked by Azerbaijan since 12 December 2022.

The over seven-month blockade is seriously affecting the lives and living conditions of 120,000 ethnic Armenians living there, including 30,000 children, who are lacking food, medication, electricity, and fuel.

“This is a crime against humanity,” said Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian, the Patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenians, in a message to the Sir news agency.  “There are children, elderly people, sick people, hungry people and in this desperate scenario nobody is doing anything,” the Patriarch lamented.

The Conference of European Churches (CEC) and the World Council of Churches (WCC) have also expressed their concerns for the humanitarian crisis in Upper Karabakh, and reiterated the need for urgent and immediate action by the international community.

“The humanitarian crisis in the blockaded enclave of Upper-Karabakh (Artsakh) is escalating into tragic levels of experiences with the prolonged deprivations and sufferings of civilians,” reads a joint letter they addressed last week to the European Union. “Their fundamental human rights are increasingly violated on a daily basis”. 

The WCC and the CEC therefore urge the European Union and the entire international community “to step up immediately their efforts and act without delay to bring the blockade to an end in order to save the lives of the Artsakh residents and to restore and respect their fundamental rights and freedoms.”

The letter also emphasizes the crucial need for Armenia and Azerbaijan to normalize their relations after decades of hostilities through a “sustained dialogue” between Baku and the breakaway Republic of Artsakh.

“We reiterate our firm conviction that lasting peace could be built only on the genuine commitment of all interested parties in negotiations who take seriously the full observance of all human rights and the fundamental freedom of all people based on mutual trust and respect,” said the letter. 

“We continue to hope and pray for the ending of this blockade so that peace, harmony and justice may prevail.”

The border conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Upper Karabakh and surrounding districts has its origins in the early 20th century.

However, it broke out into a full-scale war in the early 1990s following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. That war was won by Armenia resulting in the expulsion  of Azerbaijanis from the Armenian-controlled areas.

The “Second Nagorno-Karabakh War” in late 2020 resulted instead in a clear-cut military victory by Azerbaijan, which regained all of the occupied territories surrounding Upper Karabakh as well as capturing one-third of Upper Karabakh itself.

Since the ceasefire mediated by Russia, skirmishes have continued and tensions have continued leading to the blockade of the Lachin corridor.

 

Armenia accuses Azerbaijan of genocide over Nagorno-Karabakh blockade.

Kanayan Tamar
 EurasiaTimes 
Aug 13 2023

Armenia has told the United Nations that Azerbaijan is carrying out genocide and warning of war in the disputed mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenia’s foreign ministry said the Armenian-populated city of Stepanakert is running out of food, medicine and fuel after being blockaded by the Azerbaijani security forces for two months.

“The situation has already resulted in a recorded increase in mortality. Today, the people of Nagorno-Karabakh are on the verge of a full-fledged humanitarian catastrophe,”
said the statement, which called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council.

Stepanakert, with around 120,000 residents, is the largest city in Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan regained control over large parts of Nagorno-Karabakh after defeating Armenia in a 44-day war that started in September 2020.

Since the war, the de facto regional capital’s main link to Armenia has been along a road through the so-called Lechin corridor. Since December, Azerbaijani environmental demonstrators have blocked the road followed by the establishment of a military checkpoint in mid-June.

The International Red Cross and Russian troops monitoring the 2020 ceasefire until June had been able to deliver aid. But a border skirmish in June between Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers prompted Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev, to tighten the blockade.

Azerbaijan says its checkpoint to Stepanakert is stopping smuggling. It offers access to Stepanarkert via a longer, more complicated route through territory it controls.

The first bilateral war broke out in the early 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union and there have been repeated clashes on the undefined border ever since.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan claims Russia has failed to uphold its peacekeeping responsibilities and is ignoring Baku’s aggression because it is concentrating on its Ukrainian war.

In May, Pashinyan controversially announced that he would recognise Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan on the condition that its ethnic Armenian population received rights and security guarantees.

But the Nagorno-Karabakh authorities, calling itself the Republic of Arzakh, have refused any proposed integration with Azerbaijan.

Aliyev has also dismissed talk of integration, calling for the Republic of Arzakh to be dissolved and for Armenians in the enclave to be integrated as “normal, loyal citizens” of Azerbaijan.

Observers say Azerbaijan is enriched by new European Union gas contracts and strengthened by security agreements with Turkey and Israel and its victorious 2020 war.

https://www.eurasiatimes.org/en/13/08/2023/armenia-accuses-azerbaijan-of-genocide-over-nagorno-karabakh-blockade/

Pro-Armenia ‘Rally for Life’ Protesters Block Ventura Freeway in Glendale

Emil Lazarian
Aug 10 2023

Multiple protesters blocked all the eastbound lanes on the Ventura (134) Freeway at the Golden State (5) interchange in Glendale Wednesday evening.

The California Highway Patrol issued a SigAlert at 9 p.m. for the eastbound Ventura Freeway at Central Avenue after numerous big rigs and people were witnessed blocking all eastbound lanes on the freeway, according to KCAL.

Shortly after 11 p.m., the big rig that was used to block the interchange drove away, opening up the backed up interchange after several hours.

The protest also prompted the CHP to close the transition road from the eastbound Ventura Freeway to the northbound Golden State Freeway.

The protests began at Burbank City Hall then continued to the interchange of the Ventura and Golden State freeways and Hollywood (101) Freeway at Vineland Avenue.

Signs laid out on the freeway said “Adam Schiff Don’t Ignore Us” and “Open the Road to Life,” KCAL reported.

The protest was conducted by a group holding an event called “Rally for Life” to express their distress with Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, KCAL reported, citing information from the Burbank Police Department. The group claims Schiff has not done enough to stop the blockade of the Lachin Corridor, the mountain road that links Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, according to KCAL.

Azerbaijan began a blockade of the Lachin Corridor Dec. 12 following a series of clashes erupted along the Azerbaijan-Armenia border in September, resulting in at least 200 deaths. The blockade prevented humanitarian aid, basic supplies and outside support from reaching approximately 120,000 civilians there.

Schiff was among the authors of a congressional resolution condemning the blockade and encouraging the United States and the international community to petition the United Nations Security Council and other appropriate international bodies to investigate any possible war crimes committed by Azerbaijani forces.

In a statement issued Monday, Schiff said, “From the day the blockade of the Lachin Corridor began, I, alongside my colleagues in Congress and Armenians around the country, have urged the White House, the State Department, and USAID, to take action to protect the people of Artsakh and their right to self-determination.

“With Azerbaijan’s refusal to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross to deliver lifesaving humanitarian aid in, and transport patients requiring urgent medical attention out of Artsakh, the need for the international community to take action and find a lasting solution to the conflict grows with each passing day. I’ve persistently called for Azerbaijan to lift the blockade and allow humanitarian aid to move freely via the Lachin Corridor, and I have urged President Biden to take immediate action to address the dire situation in Artsakh.

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

“As a co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, I’ve also advocated for international action to end this crisis peacefully. If we truly stand for democracy and human rights, we must recognize the independence of the Republic of Artsakh and oppose the ethnic cleansing and threats of genocide faced by the Armenian community in their ancestral homeland.

“By 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, we can ensure Artsakh’s safety now and in the future.

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

USAID is the abbreviation for the United States Agency for International Development, the federal agency that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance.

The territory of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan. It is called Artsakh by Armenians.

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Armenpress: Nagorno-Karabakh warns of Azeri policy seeking subjugation through offering alternative transportation route

Hambik Zargarian

 01:07,

STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 11, ARMENPRESS. The Foreign Ministry of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) has responded to a Russian newspaper article that cited an unnamed source in the Russian government as saying that Russia has proposed to first open the road through Aghdam and then resume the movement through the Lachin Corridor.

In response to media inquiries asking for comment, the Nagorno-Karabakh Foreign Ministry issued the following statement:

“The Republic of Artsakh has consistently maintained a principled stance in addressing the acute humanitarian crisis stemming from the unlawful blockade of the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan. This stance is firmly grounded in both the provisions outlined in the Trilateral Statement of 9 November 2020, specifically Article 6 of which clearly defines the operational parameters and regime of the Lachin Corridor, as well as the principles of international humanitarian law.

“It should be noted that any initiatives which seek to link the use of the Lachin Corridor, and that in a restricted manner, with unrelated matters or alternative routes, including through Aghdam, are essentially attempts to legitimise Azerbaijan’s breach of its international commitments concerning the Lachin Corridor and to call into question the Trilateral Statement signed by their country’s president on 9 November 2020. This approach, put forward by Azerbaijan, intentionally infringes upon the rights and dignity of the people of Artsakh and stands in contradiction to the norms of international humanitarian law and human rights law.

“We reiterate that the proposal regarding the use of alternative transportation routes is part of Azerbaijan’s policy aimed at exploiting the humanitarian catastrophe it has created and the threat of hunger as a weapon and a means to forcefully subjugate Artsakh and its people.

“It should be also noted that the proposal from the Azerbaijani side essentially aims to restrict the use of the Lachin Corridor solely for the evacuation of patients in need of medical treatment in Armenia, and possibly for extremely limited imports from Armenia into Artsakh, subject to approval from Baku. By refusing to fully ensure safe and unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions and proposing alternative routes, the Azerbaijani authorities consistently attempt to sever the deep-rooted ties between the people of Artsakh and Armenia, with the intention of depriving them of their identity, self-sufficiency, and developmental opportunities. This initiative also seeks to undermine the concept of the Lachin Corridor, a key element of a comprehensive, fair and dignified conflict resolution.

“It’s worth highlighting that neither the provisions of the Trilateral Statement of 9 November 2020, nor the decisions of the International Court of Justice dated 22 February and 6 July 2023, envision any Azerbaijani presence in the Lachin Corridor or any limitations on the movement of persons, vehicles and cargo in both directions. It is noteworthy that on 28 February 2023, while in Baku, the Russian Foreign Minister confirmed that the establishment of checkpoints in the Lachin Corridor was not envisaged by the Trilateral Statement.”

Azerbaijan targets Armenian military positions in Gegharkunik in latest cross-border shooting

Arsine Chaltikian

 10:25,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 12, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani military opened gunfire Friday evening at Armenian border positions near the village of Verin Shorzha in Gegharkunik Province, the Ministry of Defense of Armenia said in a statement.

“On August 11, from 9:25 p.m. to 10:25 p.m., Azerbaijani AF units opened fire against the Armenian combat outposts in the vicinity of Verin Shorzha,” the ministry said.

Armenia requests UN Security Council emergency meeting on Nagorno-Karabakh

Arpi Talalian

 11:44,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 12, ARMENPRESS. On August 11, the Republic of Armenia appealed to the United Nations Security Council with a request to convene an emergency meeting regarding the deterioration of the humanitarian situation as a result of the total blockade inflicted upon the civilian population of Nagorno-Karabakh, the foreign ministry reported.

Permanent Representative of Armenia to the UN, Mher Margaryan, in a letter addressed to the President of the UN Security Council, particularly stated:

“Further to the letter from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia addressed to the President of the Security Council dated 12 July 2023, I am writing in relation to the deterioration of the humanitarian situation as a result of the total blockade inflicted upon the civilian population of Nagorno-Karabakh.

“The severe shortage of essential goods, including food, medicine and fuel, has been exacerbated since June 15, 2023, when Azerbaijan fully blocked the Lachin corridor – the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia and the outer world – by banning any access to Nagorno-Karabakh, even humanitarian. The continued deliberate obstruction of natural gas and electricity supply to Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijan has been detrimental for the daily life of the people.

“The suspension of all humanitarian supplies coupled with the gradual utilization of limited domestic stocks, targeted shootings of agricultural areas by Azerbaijani Armed Forces, has resulted in an acute food shortage and closures of shops. Due to the lack of essential food and vitamins, approximately 2,000 pregnant women, around 30,000 children, 20,000 older persons, and 9,000 persons with disabilities are struggling to survive under conditions of malnutrition.

“People with chronic diseases, including 4,687 individuals with diabetes and 8,450 individuals with circulatory diseases, are left almost without any medicine needed. As a result of this situation there has been a recorded increase of mortality from several diseases, including cardiovascular diseases and malignant neoplasms. From January to July, compared to the same period of the previous year, the level of anemia among pregnant women under medical observation has reached around 90%. This is due to inadequate nutrition and the absence or insufficiency of appropriate medications. Moreover, the hot weather conditions and absence of sanitizers and medicine create risks of epidemics in the region.

“As a result, today the people of Nagorno-Karabakh are on the verge of a full-fledged humanitarian catastrophe.

“These actions of Azerbaijan constitute a flagrant violation not only of the Trilateral Statement of November 9, 2020 but also of international humanitarian law and are in direct breach of the Orders issued by the International Court of Justice on 22 February and 6 July 2023, according to which Azerbaijan should “take all measures to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.”

“The deliberate creation of unbearable life conditions for the population is nothing but an act of mass atrocity targeting the indigenous people of Nagorno-Karabakh and forcing them to leave their homes and homeland. Such an infliction of collective punishment upon the people of Nagorno-Karabakh constitutes an existential threat to them should they be left alone vis-a-vis the Azerbaijani aggressive policy.

“Under current circumstances, the Government of Armenia requests the intervention of the UN Security Council as a principal body of safeguarding global security and preventing mass atrocities including war crimes, ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity and genocide.

“With reference to my letter dated 13 September 2022 addressed to the President of the Security Council (S/2022/688), and in follow up to the meeting of the Security Council held on 20 December 2022, I would like to request that an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council be convened based on Article 35 (1) of the UN Charter.

“I also ask that the delegation of Armenia be allowed to participate in the Council’s meeting in accordance with the relevant provisions of the United Nations Charter and pursuant to rule 37 of the provisional rules of procedure of the Security Council.

“Please, accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.”

Nagorno-Karabakh denies Azeri accusations of opening fire, warns of disinformation campaign

Garnik Zakarian

 12:18,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 12, ARMENPRESS. The Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) military has denied Azerbaijan’s accusations of opening fire and has warned that Baku is again generating fake news.

“The statement released by the Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan claiming that Defense Army units opened fire around 07:43, on August 12, at Azerbaijani positions deployed in the occupied territories of the Askeran region is yet another disinformation,” the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Ministry said in a statement.