Category: 2023

European Parliament

The European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee on Tuesday called on Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide. This was reflected in the group’s report on Turkey, which will be presented to the entire European Parliament for approval.

The committee’s call for Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide was made “in order to pave the way for real reconciliation between the Turkish and Armenian peoples,” the report said.

The report also appealed to Turkey to completely fulfill its obligations to protect the Armenian cultural heritage.

The report noted that the committee supports the normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey based on the interests of reconciliation, regional stability and security.

“The committee calls for the speedy implementation of the arrangements of the special representatives of Armenia and Turkey, such as the reopening of the airspace and the border between the two countries, and welcomes the progress made so far, noting with satisfaction the attendance of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to the inauguration ceremony of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan,” the report added.

Prof. Richard Hovannisian with Dr. Vartiter Hovannisian and GenEd supporter, Helen Parnagian

The Genocide Education Project mourns the death of Richard G. Hovannisian, one of its founding advisory board members.

The renowned leader of Armenian Studies who passed away on July 10, 2023, was a highly esteemed mentor and counselor to GenEd, beginning from its infancy through its development into a nationwide educational non-profit, providing professional development services on teaching about genocide and the Armenian case to educators across the country. As recently as the 2020 Azeri-Turkish attack on Artsakh and its continuing effects, GenEd sought Prof. Hovannisian’s expertise to help put these current events in their proper historical context for educators GenEd serves.

“I was very fortunate to have been one of Professor Hovannisian’s students,” said Roxanne Makasdjian, GenEd Executive Director and founding board member. “His courses and life’s work inspired me to disseminate the lessons of Armenian history through my own endeavors, including GenEd.”

Roxanne Makasdjian with Prof. Richard Hovannissian

His pioneering leadership of Armenian Studies included the seminal books “Armenia on the Road to Independence,” the four-volume “Republic of Armenia,” the collection of essays by Armenian history scholars he edited, “The Armenian People: From Ancient to Modern Times,” as well as his hosting of the conferences, “Historic Armenian Cities and Provinces,” followed by print editions. Prof. Hovannisian was a champion of Armenian Genocide recognition and education, and GenEd is forever grateful to him for having collected approximately 1,000 interviews with Armenian Genocide survivors during his influential tenure as Chair of Modern Armenian History at UCLA. These first-person witness testimonies are critical to effective genocide education today.

Having partnered on educational projects with Prof. Hovannisian’s daughter, Ani, and son, Armen, in their respective capacities as documentary filmmaker and Armenian Bar Association board member), GenEd offers its sincere condolences to them and the entire Hovannisian family. May they find a measure of solace in his extraordinary contributions to the world, the Armenian nation, and to their personal lives.

With the deepest respect and gratitude – Thank you, Prof. Hovannisian. Rest in Peace.

Azerbaijan installed a concrete barrier on the Lachin Corridor on June 22

The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Moscow Polad Bulbuloglu on Monday to discuss what the ministry called “the situation in South Caucasus, as well as the reconciliation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan.”

“The Russian side reaffirmed the need for the complete and immediate unblocking of Lachin Corridor and restoration of transport connection in two directions, in accordance with the November 9, 2020 trilateral statement, as well as the need for creating conditions for the normal livelihood of Nagorno Karabakh,” read a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry.

The parties also discussed Azerbaijan’s strong reaction to a recent statement by the Russian foreign ministry. Azerbaijan criticized Russia for what it described as associating its territorial integrity with the statements made by the Armenian Prime Minister on recognizing the Azerbaijani territorial integrity, which, according to Baku, contradicts the Moscow-Baku partnership agreement.

The Azerbaijani foreign ministry hit back at Moscow on Monday and refused to lift the now seven-month-old blockade of the Lachin Corridor.

“Regarding the inappropriate comments by the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s statement on July 15, it was emphasized that the Russian Federation has always respected the territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan and is fully committed to the spirit and letter of the bilateral statement on allied cooperation. At the same time, this doesn’t eliminate the issue of comprehensively promoting the Armenian-Azerbaijan normalization process and resolving all issues on the agenda, including the issues of ensuring the rights and security of the population of Nagorno Karabakh, with exclusively peaceful political-diplomatic methods,” the Russian foreign ministry said.

Moscow also expressed readiness to organize a trilateral foreign ministerial meeting to discuss the implementation of high-level agreements, the draft peace treaty, which will then be followed by “a summit of the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan for signing the aforementioned document.”

Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan (left) with his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg in Vienna on Jul. 19

Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said that guaranteeing the security of the people of Artsakh was an important precondition for peace in the South Caucasus.

He made the statement on Tuesday in Vienna after meeting with his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg, adding that the lifting of the now seven-month-old Azerbaijani blockade of Lachin is a priority to Armenia and sought the assistance of international partners for compelling Baku to adhere to decisions and orders to that end.

“We are confident, and I believe that Armenia is not alone in this, that stable peace in the region is possible if the issues of the rights and security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh are properly addressed within the framework of an international mechanism, through the Stepanakert-Baku dialogue,” Mirzoyan told reporters during a joint press conference with Schallenberg.

“In this context, it is regrettable to state that instead of engaging in such a dialogue, Azerbaijan is currently pursuing a policy of ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh, a clear manifestation of which is the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh which has been going on for more than seven months now,” Mirzoyan added.

“Nagorno-Karabakh is now on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe. This is happening in violation of international humanitarian norms and contrary to numerous appeals of international actors, resolutions and the legally binding Order of the International Court of Justice of February 22, which, by the way, the Court reaffirmed with its Order of July 6 this year,” explained the foreign minister.

Mirzoyan voiced Yerevan’s readiness to advance the peace talks and also open transportation routes between Armenia and Azerbaijan. However, he said, these elements may be achieved without the ongoing use and threat of force by Azerbaijan, which continues to employ aggressive rhetoric toward Armenia and Armenians.

He also said that the release of all Armenian prisoners of war being held in Azerbaijan must also serve as a precondition for the advancement of processes to attain peace.

Artsakh resident block the road connecting Askeran to Aghdam on Jul. 18 (Facebook photo by Arshak Abrahamyan)

Residents of Artsakh, angered with Azerbaijan’s refusal to end the seven-month-long blockade of the Lachin Corridor and with Baku’s insistence that humanitarian supplies be delivered to Karabakh via Aghdam — bypassing Armenia — blocked the road to Askeran by placing cement barriers.

Azerbaijan’s foreign minister repeated Baku’s latest scheme to maintain its stranglehold on Artsakh—the supposed transport of humanitarian aid into Karabakh via Aghdam, formerly Akna as it was known before its occupation in 2020.

This latests stunt by Baku found its way into a remarks made by European Council President Charles Michel who hosted talks between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan on Saturday in Brussels.

Following the talks, Michel told reporters that clear steps were discussed to help the situation return to its normal course again.

“I emphasized the need to open the Lachin Corridor, noted Azerbaijan’s readiness to deliver humanitarian aid through Aghdam,” said Michel told reporters soon after the end of talks on Saturday.

Artsakh Internal Affairs Minister on Tuesday denied reports circulating in Azerbaijani media that purported that humanitarian was delivered to Artsakh via Aghdam.

“Another disinformation has been disseminated on the Facebook social network that allegedly Red Cross employees are transporting humanitarian aid from Akna (Aghdam), through the city of  Askeran, accompanied by Russian peacekeepers,” said the Artsakh Internal Affairs Ministry, adding that not convoys had passed through the road.

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyuhun Bayramov told the newly-appointed Russian Ambassador to Baku that “the Aghdam [(Akna)]-Khankendi [(Stepanakert)] road can be used to meet the demands of the Armenian residents of Azerbaijan,” a statement said.

He also accused Yerevan of “distorting facts” when Armenian officials talk of the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Karabakh due to the Lachin Corridor closure.