Category: 2023

Artsakh declared “disaster zone” as fuel and food supplies diminish

Vatche Chakhmakhchian
July 26, 2023 Lillian Avedian News 0

Empty supermarkets in Stepanakert (Siranush Sargsyan, Twitter)

Artsakh authorities have announced that all public transportation routes have been terminated as of July 25 due to a fuel shortage arising from Azerbaijan’s blockade.

“Artsakh is now the only area in the world that is in full isolation and siege, devoid of any humanitarian aid and international presence. Without urgent international support to this disaster zone, Artsakh could be likened to a concentration camp, with all its dire consequences,” Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan said during a press conference on July 24. 

Public transportation within Stepanakert, the capital of Artsakh, has been suspended since July 18 due to a lack of fuel. Until Tuesday, buses that traveled between Stepanakert and the other towns and villages of Artsakh had remained in operation, supplying the capital city with produce from rural regions and transporting people to work or school. However, as of July 25, those routes have also been terminated, bringing all public transportation across the region to a halt. 

Azerbaijan has placed Artsakh under blockade since December 2022, cutting off the region from imports of food, medicine and other basic goods and restricting travel between Artsakh and the outside world. The blockade has been compounded by the ongoing disruption of natural gas flows, which enter Artsakh from Armenia through a single pipeline that runs through Azerbaijani-controlled territory. Artsakh authorities say that Azerbaijan is deliberately obstructing the gas supply in order to precipitate an energy crisis. 

Artsakh authorities say that the lack of fuel is affecting the operation of ambulances. Artsakh Health Minister Vardan Tadevosyan said that the number of emergency vehicles transporting patients to hospitals has already been reduced to preserve the fuel supply. Medical workers have been trying to provide remote assistance to people in need of medical attention. Sending ambulances to towns and villages from Stepanakert during medical emergencies has become impossible. 

“We have two cases where the ambulance did not arrive on time. I believe that the patients could have been saved if it was possible to get to the hospital faster. Those cases may increase due to the lack of fuel,” Tadevosyan told Artsakhpress. 

Signs in central Stepanakert protesting Azerbaijan’s blockade (Siranush Sargsyan, Twitter)

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has evacuated 24 patients from Artsakh to Armenia for medical treatment over the last few days. The ICRC has evacuated more than 600 people requiring medical care since the start of the blockade in December 2022. 

The blockade has severely compromised Artsakh’s healthcare system, forcing the suspension of planned surgeries in Artsakh hospitals. While the ICRC has intermittently transported patients from Artsakh to Armenia, Azerbaijan has twice blocked the ICRC from doing so, on June 15 for 10 days then on July 10 for four days. Azerbaijan justified its restrictions on ICRC activity, claiming that ICRC vehicles are used to transport cigarettes, mobile phone parts and much-needed fuel to Artsakh. 

Artsakh authorities also say that, due to the suspension of public transportation, it will no longer be possible to deliver agricultural goods from rural regions to densely populated towns and cities. Food is already scarce due to the blockade, and the shelves of Stepanakert’s major grocery stores are empty of food products. 

The ICRC and the Russian peacekeeping mission based in Artsakh are the sole entities that have delivered humanitarian assistance, including food and medicine, to the region since the start of the blockade. However, Azerbaijan has prohibited the ICRC and Russian peacekeepers from transporting humanitarian aid to Artsakh since June 15. 

The ICRC warns that fruits, vegetables and bread are scarce and costly in Artsakh, while dairy products, sunflower oil, cereal, fish, chicken and other food products are not available at all. Artsakh also faces a shortage of life-saving medication and essentials, including hygiene products and baby formula. 

“Our humanitarian aid convoys are a lifeline for the population in this area. With these convoys blocked, our concern is that the humanitarian situation will further deteriorate. We are most worried about those who cannot help themselves. The sick and people with chronic diseases are particularly at risk, as are the elderly, infirm and children. For us to operate here, we need the sides to reach a humanitarian consensus. This is life-saving work, and it must be allowed to continue,” said Ariane Bauer, ICRC’s regional director for Eurasia, in a July 25 statement. 

The ICRC said it has not delivered humanitarian items to Artsakh for several weeks through the Berdzor (Lachin) Corridor or any other routes, including Aghdam. Government-sponsored Azerbaijani protesters posing as eco-activists had closed the Berdzor Corridor, the sole route connecting Artsakh and Armenia, from December 12, 2022 to April 23, 2023. They ended their protest after Azerbaijan set up a military checkpoint at the entrance to the corridor from Armenia, placing movement along the corridor completely under the control of Azerbaijani border guards. 

The EU said they are taking the ICRC warnings seriously. “The ICRC is doing a tremendous job in very challenging circumstances on the ground. It is important that they are able to operate freely,” EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus Toivo Klaar said in a tweet sharing the ICRC statement. 

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry said it “took note” of the ICRC statement. It said that the Armenian side has rejected Azerbaijan’s offer to deliver “larger quantities of medicine and cargo” via Aghdam. 

Azerbaijani leaders have recently proposed delivering humanitarian supplies to Artsakh from Azerbaijan through the Aghdam-Stepanakert road, rather than from Armenia through the Berdzor Corridor. The EU seemed to support this proposal, when European Council President Charles Michel said he would “encourage humanitarian deliveries from both sides to ensure the needs of the population are met,” following a trilateral meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Brussels on July 15. The announcement sparked criticism from across Artsakh and Armenia as an unacceptable alternative to opening the Berdzor Corridor.

Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan holds a press conference (RA Prime Minister, July 25)

During a press conference on July 25, Pashinyan said he does not have the “necessity or mandate” to discuss Azerbaijan’s proposal to deliver humanitarian aid to Artsakh through Aghdam. He said he did not discuss the issue during the trilateral meeting in Brussels. 

“I did not discuss this question, because I do not think I have the mandate to discuss such a question. I have a mandate to discuss the Lachin Corridor question, because it was created through the Nov. 9, 2020 trilateral announcement, of which I am a signatory. In these platforms, we only discuss issues related to the illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor and its reopening,” Pashinyan said. 

London-based South Caucasus scholar Laurence Broers warned that the “long forewarned humanitarian crisis is now unfolding in Karabakh.” 

“The blockade renders irrelevant any talk of the civil integration of Karabakh Armenians. It vindicates the worst fears of the Karabakh Armenian population vis-a-vis the Azerbaijani state,” Broers tweeted on July 25. “The starvation of the Armenian population will leave a new legacy of unforgiving distrust canceling any hopes of reconstituting community relations.”

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Lillian Avedian is a staff writer for the Armenian Weekly. Her writing has also been published in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Hetq and the Daily Californian. She is pursuing master’s degrees in journalism and Near Eastern Studies at New York University. A human rights journalist and feminist poet, Lillian's first poetry collection Journey to Tatev was released with Girls on Key Press in spring of 2021.


RFE/RL Armenian Service – 07/26/2023

Emil Lazarian 
                                        Wednesday, July 26, 2023


Azerbaijan Blocks Armenian Aid Convoy To Karabakh
July 26, 2023

Armenia - Trucks carrying food aid to Nagorno-Karabakh approach the Lachin 
corridor, July 26, 2023.


Azerbaijan refused on Wednesday to allow a convoy of trucks to deliver emergency 
food aid provided by Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh through the Lachin corridor 
that has been blocked by Baku for more than seven months.

The Armenian government announced on Tuesday that it will try to send 360 tons 
of flour, cooking oil, sugar and other basic foodstuffs to Karabakh to alleviate 
severe food shortages there caused by the blockade. Government officials 
expressed hope that Russian peacekeepers will escort the relief supplies to the 
Armenian-populated region.

Nineteen Armenian trucks carrying them reached the entrance to the Lachin 
corridor late in the afternoon but remained stranded there in the following 
hours, with Baku refusing to let them though an Azerbaijani checkpoint 
controversially set up there in April.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry condemned the aid convoy as a “provocation” and 
“encroachment” on Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. A senior aide to 
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said Yerevan should renounce “territorial 
claims” to his country and stop impeding the restoration of Azerbaijani control 
over Karabakh.

The official, Hikmet Hajyev, said Karabakh should be supplied with basic 
necessities from Azerbaijan proper and the town of Aghdam in particular. “There 
is no other way!” tweeted Hajiyev.

Karabakh’s ethnic Armenian leadership has rejected the proposed Azerbaijani 
supply line. It maintains that Baku should comply with a Russian-brokered 
ceasefire that mandates unfettered commercial traffic through the only road 
connecting Karabakh to Armenia.

Meanwhile, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian defended the attempted 
delivery of the humanitarian aid.

“We cannot turn a blind eye to the situation that Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh 
are currently facing,” Pashinian wrote in a late-night tweet. “The 360 tons of 
vitally important foodstuff sent to Nagorno-Karabakh is exclusively for 
humanitarian purposes.”

The shortages of food, medicine, fuel and other essential items in Karabakh have 
worsened significantly since Baku completely blocked on June 15 relief supplies 
that were carried out by the Russian peacekeepers and the International 
Committee of the Red Cross.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said last week that Karabakh is “on 
the verge of starvation” and called for stronger international pressure on Baku.




Armenia’s Top Investigator Not Charged Over Torture Claims
July 26, 2023
        • Naira Bulghadarian

Armenia - Argisthi Kyaramian, head of Armenia's Investigative Committee, meets 
with the U.S. ambassador in Yerevan, June 22, 2023.


The head of Armenia’s Investigative Committee, Argishti Kyaramian, has not been 
indicted in a criminal inquiry into allegations that he tortured and threatened 
to kill a man arrested in June.

Tigran Arakelian, a former political activist, was charged with blackmailing 
state officials to extort money from them and moved to house arrest a few days 
later. In a video message posted on social media on June 22, Arakelian claimed 
that Kyaramian and the chief of the Investigative Committee’s Yerevan division, 
Azat Gevorgian, beat him up in the latter’s office.

“They poured water on me and started burning various parts of my body with an 
electric shock gun,” he claimed.

Kyaramian dismissed through a spokesman the “baseless” allegations before 
prosecutors ordered another law-enforcement agency, the National Security 
Service (NSS), to investigate them.

The Office of the Prosecutor-General told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service on Wednesday 
that nobody has been charged in that probe yet. It did not comment further.

The NSS has interrogated Arakelian as a “victim.” But it has declined to clarify 
whether Kyaramian or Gevorgian were also questioned.

Kyaramian, 32, is widely regarded as one of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s 
trusted lieutenants, having held five high-level positions in the Armenian 
security apparatus and government since 2018.

Armenia - Tigran Arakelian.

In further Facebook broadcasts, Arakelian alleged that Kyaramian tried to force 
him to testify that NSS Director Armen Abazian and Prosecutor-General Anna 
Vardapetian gave him discrediting information about senior government officials 
which he then passed on to an Armenian video blogger based in the United States.

The blogger, Vartan Ghukasian, is a former police officer nicknamed Dog. He has 
attracted a large audience in recent years with his hard-hitting and opinionated 
comments on events taking place in Armenia. Ghukasian is notorious for routinely 
using profanities to attack both Armenia’s current leaders and their political 
foes in videos posted on YouTube.

The Investigative Committee charged Ghukasian with extortion, calls for violence 
and contempt of court before a Yerevan court issued in May an international 
arrest warrant for him. The ex-policeman denies the accusations.

A group of Ghukasian’s friends and like-minded individuals in Armenia are facing 
the same charges. At least one of them is held in detention.

Arakelian used to be a well-known member of former President Levon 
Ter-Petrosian’s Armenian National Congress (HAK) party. He was already arrested 
in 2015 and subsequently convicted of blackmailing two Armenian parliamentarians.




Yerevan Draws Fresh Criticism From Karabakh
July 26, 2023
        • Astghik Bedevian
        • Susan Badalian

Armenia - A Karabakh flag is displayed during a protest outside the French 
Embassy in Yerevn, July 18, 2023.


Nagorno-Karabakh’s leadership demanded on Wednesday explanations from the 
Armenian government over Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s claim that it 
has accepted Azerbaijan’s terms of a dialogue between Baku and Stepanakert.

Speaking after a trilateral meeting with his Armenian and Azerbaijani 
counterparts in Moscow held on Tuesday, Lavrov said they discussed “the problem 
of guaranteeing the rights and security of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh in 
the context of ensuring the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.” He said 
Yerevan “understands the need to convince the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh” to 
reach agreements with Baku stemming from international conventions on ethnic 
minorities.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the Armenian Foreign Ministry declined to comment on 
Lavrov’s statement which prompted serious concern from the Karabakh premier, 
Gurgen Nersisian.

“It is becoming clear from yesterday's statement by the Russian foreign minister 
that Armenia has already decided the range of issues to be discussed during the 
dialogue or has agreed with the subject of discussion proposed by Azerbaijan,” 
Nersisian wrote on Facebook. “Now either Armenia must deny that or we will have 
to conclude that the ‘bar’ on the Baku-Stepanakert dialogue has also been 
lowered to an unspeakable extent.”

Nagorno-Karabakh - Gurgen Nersisian.

Nersisian said that the agenda of such a dialogue must include Karabakh’s right 
to self-determination still championed by the authorities in Stepanakert. Arayik 
Harutiunian, the Karabakh president, complained late last month that Baku is 
only willing to discuss the Armenian-populated region’s “integration” into 
Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev warned in late May that the Karabakh 
Armenians must accept Azerbaijani rule or risk fresh military action. In 
mid-June, Baku completely blocked relief supplies to Karabakh carried out by 
Russian peacekeepers and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Aliyev’s threats and the tightening of the blockade followed Armenian Prime 
Minister Nikol Pashinian’s pledge to recognize Azerbaijani sovereignty over 
Karabakh.

Nersisian demanded that Yerevan walk back on that pledge when he addressed late 
on Tuesday thousands of people who again rallied in Stepanakert in protest 
against the Azerbaijani blockade. “Artsakh and the people of Artsakh cannot be 
part of Azerbaijan,” he said, responding to Pashinian’s comments made at a news 
conference earlier in the day.

The tensions between Yerevan and Stepanakert have been stoked by a controversy 
caused by Pashinian’s wife, Anna Hakobian.

Last week, Hakobian posted on her Facebook page photographs of vegetables grown 
in the garden of the Pashinian family’s state-owned residence and a soup cooked 
by her. Critics in Armenia and especially Karabakh said the post was 
inappropriate and ill-timed given the worsening food shortages in Karabakh.

Singapore - Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian takes a selfie with his wife 
Anna Hakobian during a visit to Singapore, July 7, 2019.

Pashinian bristled at the criticism during his news conference, seemingly 
blaming Stepanakert for it. He spent about 15 minutes detailing the Armenian 
government’s economic aid to Karabakh and accusing the Karabakh authorities of 
failing to develop local agriculture to better cope with the blockade

“Some should have planted eggplants instead of [relying on] 150 billion drams 
[in Armenian government aid,]” he said.

Nersisian hit back at Pashinian in his speech at the Stepanakert rally. He 
argued that Karabakh farmers have cultivated this year more land than in 2022 
and 2021 but now have trouble harvesting their crops because of systematic 
gunfire from Azerbaijani army positions. Also, he said, a lack of fuel prevents 
them from delivering agricultural produce to markets.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said last week that “Azerbaijan 
continues to obstruct agricultural activities on approximately 10,000 hectares 
of land adjacent to the line of contact, which constitutes a significant portion 
of [Karabakh’s] total cultivated land.”




EU Hopes For Renewed Red Cross Aid To Karabakh
July 26, 2023

Armenia - A convoy of Red Cross vehicles is seen outside Stepanakert, January 4, 
2023.


A senior European Union diplomat effectively urged Azerbaijan on Wednesday to 
allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to resume its 
humanitarian aid to Nagorno-Karabakh.

Toivo Klaar, the EU’s special envoy for the South Caucasus, posted on his 
Twitter page an ICRC statement expressing serious concern over severe shortages 
of food and life-saving medicine in Karabakh resulting from the Azerbaijani 
blockade of the Lachin corridor.

The statement issued on Tuesday warned that humanitarian situation there “will 
further deteriorate” unless the Geneva-based organization is allowed to again 
ship limited quantities of such items.

“The ICRC is doing a tremendous job in very challenging circumstances on the 
ground,” tweeted Klaar. “It is important that they are able to operate freely. 
The EU is taking their warnings seriously.”

The EU has repeatedly urged Azerbaijan to unblock the only road connecting 
Karabakh to Armenia. The president of the EU’s decision-making Council, Charles 
Michel, reiterated those calls when he hosted fresh talks between Azerbaijani 
President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian in Brussels 
on July 15.

At the same time, Michel appreciated Baku’s offer to deliver basic necessities 
to Karabakh through an alternative, Azerbaijani-controlled route bypassing the 
Lachin corridor.

“I see both options as important,” he said, prompting strong criticism from 
Karabakh’s leadership that regards the offer as a cynical ploy designed to 
facilitate the restoration of Azerbaijani control over Karabakh.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry pointed to the Karabakh Armenians’ rejection of 
the alternative supply line when it reacted to the ICRC statement later on 
Tuesday. The ministry also warned the Red Cross against “abusing” its mandate.




Russian FM Hosts Fresh Armenian-Azeri Talks
July 26, 2023

Russia - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meets his Armenian and 
Azerbaijani counterparts in Moscow, July 25, 2023.


Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov signaled lingering major obstacles to an 
Armenian-Azerbaijani peace deal late on Tuesday after hosting fresh talks 
between his Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts in Moscow.

Lavrov described the trilateral talks as “useful” but reported no concrete 
agreements reached by the three ministers.

He said he stressed the need to end a grave humanitarian crisis in 
Nagorno-Karabakh resulting from Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin corridor 
supposedly controlled by Russian peacekeepers. But he gave no indications that 
Baku agreed to unblock Armenia’s vital supplies of food, medicine, energy and 
other essential items to Karabakh.

In his opening remarks at the talks, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan 
said the “illegal” blockade is “complicating the negotiation process.” Speaking 
at a separate meeting with Lavrov held earlier in the day, Mirzoyan expressed 
hope that “some solutions” to the crisis will be found during their discussion 
with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov.

A peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan was also high on the agenda of the 
trilateral meeting.

“The path is not easy,” Lavrov said, commenting on prospects for its signing. 
“There are quite a few complex and important issues to be resolved.

“The most sensitive of them was and remains the problem of guaranteeing the 
rights and security of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh in the context of 
ensuring the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan in full accordance with the 
1991 Declaration signed by the leaders of the former Soviet republics in Almaty. 
Its validity is confirmed today by both the Azerbaijani and Armenian leadership.”

Russia - Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks after hosting talks between his 
Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts, Moscow, July 25, 2023.

The Armenian government, Lavrov went on, “understands the need to convince the 
Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh to meet as soon as possible with Azerbaijani 
representatives” and ascertain their “rights” in accordance with international 
conventions designed to protect ethnic minorities.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has pledged to recognize Azerbaijani 
sovereignty over Karabakh during talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev 
mediated by the European Union. In a clear jibe at Yerevan, the Russian Foreign 
Ministry said earlier this month that Pashinian’s move “radically” changed 
negotiation process.

Lavrov indicated that Armenia and Azerbaijan are much closer to working out 
modalities of planned transport links between the two South Caucasus nations. 
But he did not say when such an agreement could be finalized by a 
Russian-Armenian-Azerbaijani task force dealing with the matter.

Mirzoyan and Bayramov held two rounds of intensive U.S.-mediated negotiations 
outside Washington in May and June. Meanwhile, the EU’s top official, Charles 
Michel, hosted a series of fresh meetings between Aliyev and Pashinian in 
Brussels. Russia claims that the main aim of the Western powers if to drive it 
out of the South Caucasus.

Lavrov said on Tuesday that Moscow “understands” the conflicting sides’ 
“interest” in not only Russian but also Western mediation efforts.

“But there should be no attempts to artificially impose certain agreements not 
in the interests of the Armenian and Azerbaijani peoples but for the sake of 
nice headlines in the media and geopolitical and domestic political 
considerations,” he said.


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.

Armenpress: It is incumbent on Azerbaijani authorities to guarantee safety, freedom of movement along Lachin corridor – EU’s Borrell

Liana Toganian

 09:53, 27 July 2023

YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. The European Union has called on the Azerbaijani authorities to reopen the Lachin Corridor.

In a statement, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrell said that Azerbaijan’s ‘readiness’ to supply goods via the city of Aghdam should not be seen as an alternative to the reopening of the Lachin corridor.

“The European Union is deeply concerned about the serious humanitarian situation affecting the local population in the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast. The movement through the Lachin corridor remains obstructed for more than seven months, despite Orders by the International Court of Justice to reopen it.

“Medical supplies and essential goods are in short supply or have already run out, with dire consequences for the local population. It is incumbent on the Azerbaijani authorities to guarantee safety and freedom of movement along the Lachin corridor imminently and not to permit the crisis to escalate further. 

“We took note of the expressed readiness of the Azerbaijani authorities to also supply goods via the city of Aghdam. This should not be seen as an alternative to the reopening of the Lachin corridor. The EU also notes that ICRC activities in the region have been heavily impacted and calls for their full resumption, including medical evacuations and humanitarian supplies. The EU stresses that humanitarian access must not be politicised by any actors.

“The European Union, and in particular President of the European Council Charles Michel, has been heavily engaged in supporting the normalisation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as in promoting a dialogue between Baku and Stepanakert/Khankendi. This also requires the genuine commitment of all sides to negotiated outcomes and a future built on common interests and mutual trust,” the statement reads.

Earlier in July, when Azerbaijani authorities said they were willing to send what they described as ‘aid’ to Nagorno-Karabakh through Aghdam, a group of protesters in Nagorno-Karabakh blocked the road and said that Azerbaijan’s announcement was actually an attempt to subjugate and blackmail them.

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 and the Red Cross has been facilitating the medical evacuations of patients.

Deputy FM slams Azeri ‘inhuman & cynical’ statements as humanitarian convoy still unable to enter Lachin Corridor

Hovik Karapetian

 10:52, 27 July 2023

YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. The convoy of trucks meant to deliver emergency food aid from Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh is still unable to enter Lachin Corridor to reach its destination, the Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister said Thursday morning.

“Convoy of #Armenia waiting to enter through #Lachincorridor to #NagornoKarabakh. Meanwhile #Azerbaijan is failing to implement legally-binding order of #ICJ to ensure unimpeded access. In addition inhuman & cynical statements that “game is over” aired from #Baku,” Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan tweeted.

The trucks carrying 400 tons of humanitarian aid are at the Kornidzor border section awaiting a response from the Russian peacekeepers.

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 and the Red Cross has been facilitating the medical evacuations of patients.

BTA. Bulgaria, Armenia to Continue Exchange of Students, Scholars and Teachers

Markos Nalchajian

 11:31, 27 July 2023

YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS/BTA. Bulgaria and Armenia will continue to cooperate in the field of education and science, the government decided. The cabinet approved a draft programme between the governments of the two countries for the period 2023-2027, which promotes exchanges at all educational levels. Annual reciprocal scholarships are envisioned for full-time undergraduate or postgraduate students, except in the fields of health and sports and arts. There are also scholarships for postgraduate studies, specialization or research for doctoral students, teachers and researchers.

(This information is being published according to an agreement between Armenpress and BTA.)




Azerbaijan corroborates fears of intention to commit genocide by blocking humanitarian convoy for Nagorno-Karabakh – PM

Mike Maghakian

 11:26, 27 July 2023

YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. If Azerbaijan blocks the Armenian humanitarian aid convoy from entering Lachin Corridor it would corroborate Armenia’s fears that Baku seeks to commit genocide in Nagorno-Karabakh, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan warned Thursday.

“We’ve asked the Russian peacekeepers deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh to accept the cargo and transport it to Nagorno-Karabakh, where there’s an ongoing humanitarian crisis resulting from the nearly 8-months blockade of the Lachin Corridor. However, Azerbaijan is obstructing the access of the humanitarian goods into Lachin Corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh. This conduct is incomprehensible and unacceptable,” Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting.

He denied Azerbaijani allegations on Armenia using the Lachin Corridor for military purposes to be an “absurd claim”, and said that these false accusations are simply a pretext for Azerbaijan to illegally block the Lachin Corridor.

The humanitarian convoy of 19 trucks sent to Nagorno-Karabakh carries 100 tons of flour, 80 tons of pasta, 60 tons of sugar, 40 tons of vegetable oil, 40 tons of powdered milk, 20 tons of salt, 12 tons of baby food and 9 tons of medication.

Furthermore, the diplomatic corps in Armenia were invited to review the cargo before it was sent. “So why doesn’t Azerbaijan allow the goods to enter Nagorno Karabakh? Perhaps because Azerbaijan’s true goal is to starve the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, subject them to genocide. However, regardless of our assessment, we are waiting for the response of the Russian peacekeeping contingent and official Baku’s positive reaction, because the blocking of the humanitarian cargo would only confirm  fears that Baku intends to commit genocide in Nagorno-Karabakh,” Pashinyan said.

Access of the humanitarian cargo into Nagorno Karabakh would contribute to the peace efforts in the region and would be a positive step on the path of establishing an atmosphere of trust, he added.

Azerbaijan reaches India for an explanation for providing military cargo to Armenia via Iran

Babken Chilingarian
DND, Pakistan
July 27 2023

Monitoring Desk:

As India is caught while delivering military weapons to Armenia via Iran, the Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmat Hajiyev met with the Ambassador of India to the country Sridharan Madhusudhanan on Wednesday to get the explanation for this Indian move that would surely endanger the region.

According to the state-run News Agency, Azertac, during the meeting, Hikmat Hajiyev said that the Azerbaijani side is concerned about deepening military cooperation between Armenia and India and the dissemination of photos and videos in the media about transferring Indian-made weapon systems to Armenia through Iran in recent days.
The Presidential Administration official noted that India’s delivery of lethal weapons to Armenia amid ongoing negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia on a peace agreement leads to the militarization of Armenia and aggravation of the situation, and poses obstacles to the establishment of sustainable peace and security in the South Caucasus region. It is incompatible both with India’s self-proclaimed foreign policy based on the norms and principles of international law as well as the historical “Bandung Principles” of the Non-Aligned Movement that India is party to.

Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan Hikmat Hajiyev called on the Indian ambassador to bring the serious concerns of the Azerbaijani side to the attention of official Delhi and to reconsider India’s decision regarding the delivery of lethal weapons to Armenia.

The Indian ambassador said that the question raised by the Azerbaijani side will be communicated accordingly and noted the significance of conducting a dialogue between the two countries to discuss issues of concern in bilateral relations. Hikmat Hajiyev mentioned that Azerbaijan is always open to a dialogue with India.

Indian Pinaka Rockets ‘Ruffle’ Azerbaijan; Media Claims New Delhi Arming Armenia With Deadly Weapons

Emil Lazarian
July 27 2023
By

 Ritu Sharma

The first consignment of India’s first indigenously designed and developed Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher System (MBRLS) Pinaka is en route to Armenia via Iran, according to claims by Azerbaijani media.

The export to Armenia indicates India’s attempt to fill the void created by Russia’s preoccupation with the Ukraine war. This has been reported by Caliber.az website, besides publishing operational footage.

A video of trucks loaded with ‘military cargo’ was shared by several social accounts and Azerbaijani media, claiming that the shipment was weapons and ammunition from India and was heading to Armenia via Bandar Abbas port in Iran.

“India has been pumping weapons and military equipment to Armenia through Iran. Unfortunately, India turns a blind eye to the fact that this runs counter to the principles of the Bandung Conference and the Non-Aligned Movement, of which India is also a member,” said foreign policy commentator Toghrul Mammadli while sharing the video.

Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmet Hajiyev is reported to have met Indian diplomat Sridharan Madhusudhanan to express concerns about the expanding military cooperation between India and Armenia. He pointed out that the weapons were being supplied even as the two countries were engaged in war.

Earlier, in January 2023, Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev called India’s supply of weapons to adversary Armenia an “unfriendly move,” adding: “If we are facing a serious threat, we will deal with that threat immediately, regardless of where that threat arises, within our territory or outside our borders. It is our legitimate right to do so.”

On September 27, 2020, significant fighting broke out between the militaries of Armenia and Azerbaijan, two states locked in an intractable conflict over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh since the last days of the USSR.

Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding regions have seen periodic outbursts of violence in recent years, but the current fighting is the most serious since Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a cease-fire in 1994.

As earlier reported by the EurAsian Times, the Pinaka system is considered at par with the US HIMARS. The DRDO developed the Pinaka system as a replacement for the Russian GRAD BM-21, which also equips the Armenian armed forces.

Another important reason for Armenia’s choice was likely its adversary Azerbaijan’s heavy use of drones, including suicide drones. For an MBRLS to survive in a drone-saturated battlefield, it must have the ability to shoot and then disappear quickly. The Pinaka Mk-1 has precisely that ability.

Shoot and Scoot capability enables the launcher to escape the counter-battery fire. Pinaka support vehicles have matching mobility and logistics commonalities.

The Pinaka MBRLS export contract with Armenia was the export contract of the first genuinely indigenous system by the Indian Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) with near zero import content.

And it has proven to be a shot in the arm for Indian defense exports. Armenia, which has predominantly Russia-supplied weapons, is looking to diversify its supplies and purchased four batteries of the rocket system through a government-to-government contract with India.

The multiple rocket launcher is already in service with the Indian Army and has been deployed along the borders with China and Pakistan.

The ex-Soviet republic bought four indigenous Swathi weapons locating radars in 2020 from India, which was delivered in the backdrop of its conflict with Azerbaijan.

The Swathi radars are jointly produced by the DRDO and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) at a cost of US $40 million. Swathi represents the latest generation of phased array or electronically steered radars to detect and direct counter-battery fire against enemy ordnance.

Pinaka rocket system derives its name from the divine bow of Lord Shiva, and it got its first glimpse of action in the 1999 Kargil conflict against Pakistan. The battles fought in the frigid mountain ranges of the Himalayas saw Pinaka neutralize the Pakistani positions on mountain tops.

“The best feature of Pinaka system is that one regiment can launch as many as 12 rockets in under a minute in multiple directions, and then regiment can be re-located within minutes,” an official familiar with the system told the EurAsian Times.

The first version of Pinaka has a range of 40 kilometers. After the system was combat proven, the Indian Army raised its first regiment in February 2000.

The complete Pinaka MBRL system is comprised of six launcher vehicles, each equipped with 12 rockets, six loader-replenishment vehicles, two command post vehicles integrated with a fire control computer, and a DIGICORA MET radar.

The best part is that each launcher can be operated independently. So, rockets can be fired individually or simultaneously in different directions. The launcher can operate in four modes – manual, remote, standalone, and autonomous.

The enhanced version of the rocket system with an increased range between 60 to 90 kilometers is undertrial by the DRDO. Besides the enhanced version, the DRDO has also been testing a guided version of Pinaka with a range between 70 to 90 kilometers.

The guided version is more of a missile that can hit the target with pinpoint accuracy. The enhanced and guided version of the rocket is designed to counter the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in Eastern Ladakh in support of the Indian Army’s artillery regiments.

China has developed “Rocket Force” as a military branch. It is the largest missile force in the world. It comprises missiles and rocket artillery and works around the tactic of overwhelming the adversary through a barrage of missile attacks.

In August 2020, the Indian government signed a Rs 25.8 billion (US $353.5 million) contract with Tata Power Company, Larsen &Toubro (L&T), and Bharat Earth Movers for supplying six regiments of Pinaka Mk I MBRL systems to the Indian Army and are expected to be delivered by 2024.

  • Ritu Sharma has been a journalist for over a decade, writing on defense, foreign affairs, and nuclear technology.
https://www.eurasiantimes.com/indian-pinaka-rocket-ruffles-azerbaijan-media-claims-new/


Azerbaijani Press: Weapons being transported from India to Armenia: things heating up in South Caucasus

Emil Lazarian
Trend, Azerbaijan
July 26 2023
Tahmaz Asadov

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 26. A footage of a convoy moving from the Norduz border checkpoint (Iran) to Armenia has been recently released, Trend reports.

The transported cargo was tented to guise its designation. However, it's clear that the cargo transported from Iran to Armenia is for military purposes and has already been delivered to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas.

The cargo was sent from India, with which Armenia has recently been rapidly increasing military-technical cooperation. According to open sources alone, a military contract worth over $400 million has been signed between Armenia and India. There are enough other facts confirming that this cargo comes from India. So, since February of this year, many meetings have been held between Armenia and India with the aim of military cooperation and the supply of weapons. Now, apparently, India has stepped up its activities.

The footage has also clearly shown that Armenia actually began to quickly arm itself with weapons and military equipment. Apparently Delhi didn't take very seriously Baku's warnings to refrain from steps that could lead to the rearmament of the Armenian armed forces and the revival of the Armenian leadership's illusion about possible revenge.

The footage reflecting the rapid arming of Armenia through various channels also shows that the installation of a border checkpoint by Azerbaijan at the beginning of the Lachin-Khankendi road was a very thoughtful and strategically important decision. This means that the checkpoint will prevent delivery of part of munitions and military equipment, possibly transported from India through the territory of Iran to Armenia, to the remnants of the so-called "regime" in Azerbaijan's Karabakh, or further provision of the so-called "regime" with this military equipment by Armenia's leadership (as it was before the establishment of "Lachin" border checkpoint when this territory was controlled by Russian peacekeepers temporarily deployed in Azerbaijan in accordance with trilateral statement signed by Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian leaders following the 2020 second Karabakh war).

However the fact is that today Armenia, even if it wants to, won't be able to transfer these weapons to Karabakh. This is due to the fact that on the basis of the timely decision of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, this border checkpoint was established at the beginning of the Lachin-Khankendi road, which didn't allow Armenian separatists in Karabakh to strengthen for new military provocations with a view to revenge, and this means that "cargo" of this type won't be delivered to any separatists.

The processes give reason to assert that Armenia isn't at all sincere in its peaceful rhetoric towards Azerbaijan. Armenia's leadership should keep in mind the ending of the second Karabakh war, since history may repeat itself once again.

It's not at surprising that the supplies go through Iran. Despite that the clerical regime has long remained out of international relations, New Delhi is not worried over this at all. Nothing personal – just geopolitical interests. The regime of mullahs, which has been claiming for 45 years that it protects the interests of the world's Muslims and advocates fraternal ties with Azerbaijan, has long fraternized with Armenia. Therefore, in any issue regarding Azerbaijan, it supports Armenia. No matter how hard Iran tries to behave like a saint, it still cannot hide its true face.

In order to prevent the transportation of manpower, ammunition, mines, as well as other military equipment from Armenia for illegal Armenian armed groups on the territory of Azerbaijan (which weren't withdrawn contrary to the trilateral statement signed by Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian leaders following the 2020 second Karabakh war), and as an adequate response to the unilateral establishment of a checkpoint by Armenia on the border with Azerbaijan on April 22 at the entrance to the Lachin-Khankendi road contrary to the trilateral statement of November 10, 2020, on April 23 at 12:00 (GMT+4), the units of the State Border Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan set up a border checkpoint in its sovereign territories, on the border with Armenia, at the beginning of the Lachin-Khankendi road.