Category: 2023

 14:00, 9 August 2023

YEREVAN, AUGUST 9, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Defense of Armenia Suren Papikyan has met with the newly appointed Ambassador of France Olivier Decottignies, and the newly appointed Defense Attaché, Lieutenant Colonel Arnaud Helly.

The Minister of Defense congratulated Ambassador Decottignies and Lieutenant Colonel Arnaud Helly on the occasion of commencing the mission in Armenia and wished fruitful cooperation, the Ministry of Defense said in a readout on Wednesday. 

During the meeting, the sides emphasized the importance of the establishment of the Defense Attaché office at the French Embassy in Yerevan, which was implemented within the framework of the agreement reached in September 2022 between Defense Ministers Suren Papikyan and Sébastien Lecornu.

A range of topics on the current status of the Armenian-French defense cooperation and development prospects, as well as regional security, were discussed.

 14:02, 9 August 2023

YEREVAN, AUGUST 9, ARMENPRESS. Secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan has held a meeting with United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee staffers Sarah Arkin and Damian Murphy, who recently visited the entrance to the blockaded Lachin Corridor and witnessed the stranded Armenian humanitarian aid convoy. 

During the meeting Grigoryan welcomed the visit of the representatives of the staff of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee to Armenia and attached importance to such mutual visits.

The sides discussed a broad range of issues related to the regional and extra-regional security situation. Secretary Grigoryan briefed Arkin and Murphy on the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh resulting from the Azerbaijani blockade of Lachin Corridor, the stance of the Armenian side on the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the course of the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

A number of issues of the Armenian-American bilateral agenda were also discussed.

 14:10, 9 August 2023

YEREVAN, AUGUST 9, ARMENPRESS. On August 9, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan held a phone call with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria Mariya Gabriel, the foreign ministry said.

In continuation of the discussions of two ministers within the framework of Dubrovnik Forum in July, Ararat Mirzoyan briefed on the deepening humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh resulting from Azerbaijan's illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor and its irreversible consequences for the 120,000 population of Nagorno-Karabakh, the foreign ministry said in a readout.

Extremely difficult conditions incompatible with a decent life especially for the most sensitive groups such as children, pregnant women and the elderly were highlighted.

Minister Mirzoyan emphasized that despite the clear assessments and appeals of international partners, various bodies, including the UN, Azerbaijan continues the blockade of the Lachin corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia and the rest of the world. The urgency of taking additional steps in accordance with the decisions of the International Court of Justice of February 22 and July 6 in order to restore free movement through the Lachin corridor as well as to prevent Azerbaijan’s real intention of ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh was emphasized.

During the phone call, the sides also touched upon the expansion of partnership between Armenia and Bulgaria, expressing mutual satisfaction with the intensifying political dialogue.

 14:58, 9 August 2023

YEREVAN, AUGUST 9, ARMENPRESS. The City of Paris and several French regions have allocated humanitarian aid for the population of Nagorno-Karabakh.

A truck carrying the French humanitarian aid joined the stranded Armenian convoy in Kornidzor on August 9. 

Vardan Sargsyan, a member of the Armenian government working group tasked with responding to the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, told reporters that this step by friendly France shows that international attention on the humanitarian crisis, and Armenia’s initiative to mitigate it is getting stronger.

“I think the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is so critical and the need for humanitarian aid is so strong that it is obvious also for our international partners. Effective steps by the international community can certainly contribute eventually lifting the blockade of Lachin Corridor, and giving access for humanitarian goods to the people of Nagorno-Karabakh,” Sargsyan said.

The humanitarian aid is allocated by the city of Paris and the regions of Île-de-France, Auvergne , Rhône-Alpes , Hauts-de-France, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Pays de la Loire and Grand Est. 

The aid consists of over 20 tons of food.

Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno Karabakh with Armenia and the rest of the world, has been blocked by Azerbaijan since late 2022. The Azerbaijani blockade constitutes a gross violation of the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh ceasefire agreement, which established that the 5km-wide Lachin Corridor shall be under the control of Russian peacekeepers. Furthermore, on February 22, 2023 the United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – ordered Azerbaijan to “take all steps at its disposal” to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.  Azerbaijan has been ignoring the order ever since. Moreover, Azerbaijan then illegally installed a checkpoint on Lachin Corridor. The blockade has led to shortages of essential products such as food and medication. Azerbaijan has also cut off gas and power supply into Nagorno Karabakh, with officials warning that Baku seeks to commit ethnic cleansing against Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh. Hospitals have suspended normal operations.

On July 26, Armenia sent a humanitarian convoy carrying over 360 tons of emergency food and medication for Nagorno-Karabakh, but Azerbaijan blocked the trucks at the entrance of Lachin Corridor.

 15:01, 9 August 2023

YEREVAN, AUGUST 9, ARMENPRESS. On August 9, the Armenian Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Narek Mkrtchyan, received the head of the EU delegation, Ambassador Andrea Wiktorin, who is completing her diplomatic mission in Armenia, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs said in a press release.  

Narek Mkrtchyan commended the effective cooperation with the ambassador and emphasized the latter's contribution to ensuring the smooth progress of joint programs in the field of social protection and in the works carried out in crisis situations.

Minister Mkrtchyan noted that today the residents of Nagorno-Karabakh, including about 30,000 children and more than 9,000 people with disabilities, lack the necessary living conditions, and that now the active role of the international community is urgent in order to prevent a humanitarian disaster.

"Thanks to your active involvement, we have quite an impressive circle of interaction. There are enough institutional foundations to further deepen and develop the implementation of joint programs and initiatives in the field of social protection,” the Minister said.

The ambassador emphasized the importance of the works carried out jointly with the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.

"We really had a high level of cooperation with the Ministry. We have always tried to provide necessary support to Armenia, especially in crisis situations. I am confident that we will continue to combine our forces and ensure that joint initiatives are complementary to each other," the ambassador  said.

During the meeting, the ambassador also highly appreciated the cooperation of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs with the civil society and emphasized that the invested efforts and significant results are also noticeable in the strengthening of gender policy, the fight against domestic violence and a number of other directions.

At the end of the meeting, the ambassador expressed her willingness to have continuous cooperation even after completing the EU mission.

 16:17, 9 August 2023

YEREVAN, AUGUST 9, ARMENPRESS. Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) President Arayik Harutyunyan has held a call-meeting with Luis Moreno Ocampo, the first prosecutor of the International Criminal Court and professor of Harvard and Yale universities. During the video call Ocampo presented the results of his legal research on the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh. Other Nagorno-Karabakh officials also participated in the call.

The President expressed his gratitude to the distinguished international expert for pro bono undertaking the investigation of the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh and providing a legal assessment of the situation, Harutyunyan’s office said in a press release.

Luis Moreno Ocampo emphasized that the results of the research and analysis are very clear: Azerbaijan is committing genocide against the local Armenian people of Nagorno-Karabakh and the international community is obliged to take urgent and effective measures to prevent its further course.

The main findings of the report are outlined below:

“There is an ongoing Genocide against 120,000 Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh.

The blockade of the Lachin Corridor by the Azerbaijani security forces impeding access to any food, medical supplies, and other essentials should be considered a Genocide under Article II, (c) of the Genocide Convention: “Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction.”

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.

Starvation as a method to destroy people was neglected by the entire international community when it was used against Armenians in 1915, Jews and Poles in 1939, Russians in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) in 1941, and Cambodians in 1975/1976. Starvation was also neglected when used in Srebrenica in the winter of 1993/1994.

Analyzing the Srebrenica case, the International Court of Justice ruled that “deprivation of food, medical care, shelter or clothing” constitute Genocide within the meaning of Article II(c) of the Genocide Convention.

State parties of the Genocide Convention assumed the duty to prevent and punish Genocide. The International Court of Justice ruled that state parties should “not wait until the perpetration of Genocide commences,” and “The whole point of the obligation is to prevent or attempt to prevent the occurrence of the act.”

 This report analyzes:

 

1. The existence of an ongoing Genocide in Nagorno-Karabakh.
2. How to investigate those responsible for Genocide?
3. How to prevent the final destruction of the Armenian group?

 

1. Genocide in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023

 There is a reasonable basis to believe that a Genocide is being committed against Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023.

The International Court of Justice, at the request of Armenia, has already analyzed the Lachin corridor's blockade. The Court focused on State liability for alleged violations of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination rather than individual criminal responsibility for the commission of Genocide.

Though predicated on a different set of State obligations, the Court confirmed the occurrence of the material elements of Genocide that are set out in Article II, (c) of the Genocide Convention: “Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction.”

The Court's preliminary findings considered “plausible” that the Lachin corridor blockade produced “a real and imminent risk” to the “health and life” of an ethnic group, “the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh.”

The intention, a subjective element required by the crime of Genocide, should be deduced from the facts and statements from President Aliyev, who has supreme authority in Azerbaijan.

President Aliyev, in a fair trial, would have the opportunity to provide a different interpretation of the indicia. In the meantime, there is reasonable basis to believe that President Aliyev has Genocidal intentions: he has knowingly, willingly and voluntarily blockaded the Lachin Corridor even after having been placed on notice regarding the consequences of his actions by the ICJ's provisional orders.

The facts are:

 

1. President Aliyev deliberately blocked the provision of life's essentials to the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh.
2. He openly disobeyed the specific orders of the International Court of Justice, “to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles, and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.”
3. The ICJ order put him on notice about the “real and imminent risk” created by the blockade to an Armenian group “health and life.” President Aliyev's public statements affirming that the blockade was the consequence of people smuggling minerals and i-phones through the Lachin Corridor is a diversion.

Smuggling activities should be properly investigated but they are not an excuse to disobey a binding order of the International Court of Justice or a justification to commit a Genocide.

 

2. Could President Aliyev be investigated by the International Criminal Court?

 

Article IV of the Genocide Convention establishes that “[p]ersons committing genocide shall be punished,” even if “they are constitutionally responsible rulers.” But there is no independent criminal justice system ready to investigate the crime of Genocide allegedly committed by President Aliyev.

President Aliyev cannot be investigated by any foreign national authorities because he enjoys immunity as a head of state.

The International Criminal Court provides a jurisdiction where such immunity does not apply. There are three ways to start an ICC investigation for the commission of the crimes in Lachin Corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh:

• Azerbaijan becomes a state party (Article 12(1) of the Rome Statute);
• Azerbaijan accepts the jurisdiction of the Court on its territory (Article 12(3)

of the Rome Statute); or

• The UN Security Council refers the situation of the Lachin Corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh after December 2022 to the ICC (Article 13(b) of the Rome Statute).

But Azerbaijan is not a state party of the Rome Statute (Article 12(1)), the treaty creating the ICC and has not accepted the ICC's jurisdiction (Article 12(3)). As a result, immediate state action is required to adopt a UN Security Council Resolution referring the situation in the Lachin Corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh to the ICC.

There are precedents. In March 2005, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1395, referring the Darfur, Sudan situation to the ICC. Five years later, President Omar Al Bashir was indicted for Genocide.

In February 2011, the UN Security Council referred the situation in Libya to the Court. In June 2011 the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Muammar Gaddafi for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Obtaining a UN Security Council Resolution to provide ICC jurisdiction should be feasible. Under the Genocide Convention, state parties have an obligation to prevent and punish Genocide, and 14 of the current 15 members of the UN Security Council are also parties of that Convention, providing an overwhelming majority.

France proposed, as early as in 2013, that the five permanent members of the Council voluntarily and collectively suspend the use of the veto in case of Genocide and other mass atrocities.

 

3. How to Prevent the Final Destruction of the Armenian Group?

 

President Aliyev as well as the international community has the rare opportunity to prevent further casualties and the “physical destruction” of a group in this Genocide. Timely prevention requires the adoption of urgent political decisions,

1. a) to stop the blockade and reestablish the provision of essentials to Nagorno- Karabakh in one or two weeks, and
2. b) institutional solutions to the disputed territorial claims. It should be adopted before May 2025 because, at that moment, Azerbaijan can request the end of the Russian peacekeeper protection.

By design, there are no central authorities at the international level to adopt such urgent measures. A specific International Court of Justice ruling on Genocide, smart sanctions, and other classic diplomatic tools would not be quick and strong enough.

In the short term, which is crucial to stop the ongoing Genocide by starvation, the duty of prevention would be exclusively defined by the interest of the states involved in the conflict.

In April 1994, most of the UN Security Council members refused to call "Genocide" what was happening in Rwanda. During the debate the Czech Ambassador challenged the intense focus on a negotiation to achieve a new ceasefire, which he likened to asking the Jews to reach a truce with Hitler.

In “A Problem from Hell,” Samantha Power explains the crucial role of the citizen in transforming the national leaders' interests in a Genocide abroad. The voice of the Armenians in the diaspora could reduce the failure by design created by the international legal architecture. They should be mobilized worldwide to reach national leaders and promote a pragmatic solutions.

Russia, responsible for peacekeeping in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the US, promoting current negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, are state parties of the Genocide Convention, as are all the European Union members. They have a privileged position to prevent this Genocide. Their intense confrontation due to the Ukrainian conflict should not transform the Armenians into collateral victims.

Is it possible to assist European, Russian, and USA leaders to reach a joint position to stop the ongoing Armenian Genocide? If they could agree, the food will reach the Armenians within one day.

The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh is an opportunity for the international community to develop an innovative and harmonious solution to prevent Genocide. Under Article 16 of the Rome Statute, a criminal investigation could eventually be suspended by the UN Security Council to find a final and fair solution.

President Aliyev asked: “Why Spain does not allow Catalunya to have a referendum? Why should we tolerate separatism?” The simple answer to complex issues of sovereignty involved in the question is that Spain is not committing genocide to control separatist efforts”.

 16:22, 9 August 2023

YEREVAN, AUGUST 9, ARMENPRESS. United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee staffers Sarah Arkin and Damian Murphy visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial on August 9.

Sarah Arkins and Damian Murphy laid a wreath at the memorial and flowers at the Eternal Flame and observed a minute of silence in memory of the Armenian Genocide victims, the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute said in a press release.

The Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Harutyun Marutyan presented the history of the Memory Alley to the guests and noted that the first tree dates back to 1997, and it was planted by the US Senator Robert Dole in memory of Hambar Kelekyan, an Armenian-American surgeon who survived the Armenian Genocide. He then presented the story of the three khachkars placed at Tsitsernakaberd in memory of the Armenians who died in the massacres organized by the Azerbaijani government in the cities of Sumgait, Kirovabad (Gandzak) and Baku at the end of the 20th century, as well as the stories of the five freedom fighters buried in front of Hushapat during the Artsakh struggle of survival— stressing that the events were the continuation of the Armenian Genocide.

Sarah Arkins and Damian Murphy arrived in Armenia at the instructions of Robert Menendez, the Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

 16:58, 9 August 2023

YEREVAN, AUGUST 9, ARMENPRESS. On August 9, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ruben Rubinyan, received the Ambassador of Estonia Riina Kaljurand.

During the meeting the parties discussed issues related to regional developments, the Parliament’s press service said in a readout.

Ruben Rubinyan presented the situation created in Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of the illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan and the deepening humanitarian crisis. The Deputy Speaker of the Parliament emphasized the need for international partners to take clear steps to prevent ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh.

At the ambassador's request, Ruben Rubinyan also referred to the process of regulating Armenia-Turkey relations.

 17:11, 9 August 2023

YEREVAN, 9 AUGUST, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 9 August, USD exchange rate down by 0.39 drams to 386.07 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 0.46 drams to 423.75 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.07 drams to 3.96 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 0.16 drams to 491.70 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 90.01 drams to 23911.32 drams. Silver price down by 4.70 drams to 285.98 drams.

 17:14, 9 August 2023

YEREVAN, AUGUST 9, ARMENPRESS. On August 9, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan had a telephone conversation with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece George Gerapetritis.

Minister Mirzoyan briefed his colleague on the deepening humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh resulting from Azerbaijan's illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor, stressing the importance of clear messages from the EU member states and the implementation of concrete steps, the ministry said in a readout.

Minister Mirzoyan emphasized that since June 15, Nagorno-Karabakh has been under a complete blockade, as a result the problem of supplying food, medicine and other essentials to the local population has greatly worsened. Ararat Mirzoyan noted that Azerbaijan, in violation of all norms of international humanitarian law, also disrupts the humanitarian activities of the International Committee of the Red Cross, the only international humanitarian organization with access to Nagorno-Karabakh, endangering the lives of people in need of urgent medical assistance. Minister Mirzoyan added that in case of minimal possibility of transfer from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia for medical treatment, accompanied by the ICRC, Azerbaijan carries out unacceptable acts of intimidation such as the abduction of Nagorno-Karabakh resident Vagif Khachatryan by the border guard service of Azerbaijan on July 29.

The importance of the immediate lifting of the blockade of the Lachin corridor in accordance with the decisions of the International Court of Justice of February 22 and July 6 was emphasized.

The sides also expressed readiness to take steps towards further expansion of bilateral partnership between Armenia and Greece.