Category: 2023

Turkish Press: Aliyev insists on Armenia’s formal recognition of Karabakh

Lena Karagyozian
Turkey – July 12 2023


15:14 . 12/07/2023 Wednesday

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev recently provided an appraisal of his nation's socio-economic developments for the first six months of 2023, emphasizing the country's ongoing commitment to sustainable development, diversification of the economy beyond oil, and the reconstruction of Nagorno-Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur. He also reinforced the importance of persisting with their economic and social reforms.

Aliyev also shed light on the nation's increasing military power, acquisitions of advanced weaponry and military equipment, and ongoing military reforms. He emphasized the importance of transport corridors in the country's future and noted the challenges of managing relations with Armenia.


Stressing the necessity for concrete steps towards peace, Aliyev stated, "The time has come for words to be confirmed on paper, for signatures to be put, and for relations to be established." He referred to forthcoming high-level talks and negotiation phases aimed at fostering a durable peace agreement. He asserted that while Azerbaijan has been proactive in this effort, the outcome also depends on the readiness and willingness of the Armenian side.


An evolution in Armenia's position has been observed, with the country officially acknowledging the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and boundaries of Azerbaijan, which include Nagorno-Karabakh and its surrounding regions. President Aliyev, while welcoming this progressive turn, stressed the importance of putting these recognitions into a formal agreement.

https://www.yenisafak.com/en/news/aliyev-insists-on-armenias-formal-recognition-of-karabakh-3666486




Journalist ‘attacked by Interior Ministry employees’ in Nagorno-Karabakh

Ophelia Vardapetian
July 12 2023
 12 July 2023

ByAni Avetisyan
Hayk Ghazaryan. Photo: CivilNet.

A journalist working for an independent Armenian media outlet was beaten by individuals he alleges were Interior Ministry employees in civilian clothing in Stepanakert, two days after his phone was taken by police while covering a protest.

Hayk Ghazaryan, a journalist at OC Media partners CivilNet, was attacked in the region’s capital on Tuesday evening.  

Ghazaryan had been filming protests that took place on 8 and 9 July against the region’s prosecutor’s office, during which a clash broke out between protesters and police. 

Protesters were demanding that lawyers be allowed to visit Arman Israelyan, a former employee of the Red Cross and Halo Trust who is charged with treason. 

At the protest on Sunday, police confiscated Ghazaryan’s phone. According to Civilnet, Ghazaryan stated that he was wearing a press badge, but police claimed not to have been aware that he was a journalist because the press pass was the same colour as his trousers. 

His phone was only returned to him later that day following the involvement of Nagorno-Karabakh’s Human Rights Defender, Gegham Stepanyan, and all videos of the protest had been deleted. 

After the incident, the journalist recorded a live video on Facebook, stating that the official who took his phone was Arayik Gasparyan, head of Nagorno-Karabakh’s Criminal Investigation Department. He demanded an explanation from the police and Interior Ministry. 

On Monday, Ghazaryan was summoned to a meeting with the head of Nagorno-Karabakh’s National Security Service, Ararat Melkumyan. According to CivilNet, Melkumyan spoke to Ghazaryan in a ‘harsh and threatening tone’, and demanded that he broadcast a live apology to the Interior Ministry and National Security Service officers. 

On Tuesday, Nagorno-Karabakh’s Human Rights Defender issued a statement condemning the obstruction of a journalist’s work, describing it as ‘unacceptable and reprehensible’. 

In a second statement, released after news of the attack, Stepanyan condemned the violence, and demanded that law enforcement agencies take all measures necessary to identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice. 

CivilNet also called on law enforcement agencies in Nagorno-Karabakh to ‘immediately stop these actions that cross the borders of legality’, and instead deal with the region’s ongoing blockade. 

This article was corrected on 12 July 2023. Ghazaryan stated that he was attacked by Interior Ministry employees, not police.

 For ease of reading, we choose not to use qualifiers such as ‘de facto’, ‘unrecognised’, or ‘partially recognised’ when discussing institutions or political positions within Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and South Ossetia. This does not imply a position on their status.

https://oc-media.org/journalist-attacked-by-interior-ministry-employees-in-nagorno-karabakh/

Armenia Wine Company Takes Part in Yerevan Wine Days, a Celebration of Armenian Winemaking & Culture

Garnik Tadevosian
India – July 12 2023
PRESS RELEASES
By The Madras Tribune On Jul 12, 2023

The beloved event took place from June 2-4 and featured exclusive novelties and leading bands.

YEREVAN, ARMENIA, July 12, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ — Armenia Wine Company, one of Armenia’s leading winemakers, was proud to take part in the annual “Yerevan Wine Days” festival, one of the most exciting and beloved events in Yerevan. The festival, which took place from June 2-4 on Saryan Street, brought together large and family winemaking companies to celebrate the ancient traditions of winemaking and promote tourism in Armenia.

Throughout the three-day festival, the Armenia Wine Company delighted festival attendees with a separate stage hosting an outstanding musical program featuring the best bands, a luxury pavilion, award-winning wines, and exclusive novelties. To add to the excitement, the company’s pavilion featured unique wine-based cocktails crafted by renowned bartenders.

Guests visiting the Armenia Wine Pavilion were treated to more surprises. Jean Baptiste-Soula, the French main consultant of Armenia Wine, held an exclusive master class on biodynamic viticulture, providing valuable insights into this innovative winemaking approach. Additionally, festival participants had the unique opportunity to explore the winemaking culture in a separate pavilion at the Wine History Museum of Armenia, which recently opened within the Armenia Wine Company premises. The museum showcased the development of viticulture and winemaking in the Armenian Highlands through artifacts, interpretation, and interactive solutions, offering visitors a comprehensive understanding of Armenia’s rich winemaking heritage.

The museum’s main exhibition hall, located underground at a depth of 8 meters amidst basalt rocks, provided detailed insights into the chronological stages of wine development in Armenia, as well as its connection to various aspects of Armenian history and culture. Hayk Gyulamiryan, the museum’s director, emphasized the museum’s mission to popularize wine history through innovative solutions, adding, “This year, we call for the preservation and restoration of history: our guests will see original exhibits in the pavilion, as well as witness the restoration process taking place on-site.”

Speaking about the company’s participation in the festival, Kristine Vardanyan, the commercial director of Armenia Wine, expressed the company’s pride in showcasing Armenian winemaking traditions and culture to guests and participants. She revealed some exclusive novelties, stating, “This year, we are delighted to present our new ultra-premium wines, ‘Tariri Karasum’ and ‘Tariri Reserve,’ which pay homage to the 6000-year-old Armenian winemaking tradition and have already garnered high praise on prestigious international platforms. We also have exciting news in the field of organic winemaking, as our first organic wine, ‘BioNe,’ has received the US certificate from ‘EcoCert’ and will be presented at our pavilion.”

In preparation for the Yerevan Wine Days festival, the Armenia Wine Company embraced a compelling approach to the pavilion’s design, incorporating the red tuff color scheme that reflects the entire “Armenia Wine” winery complex. The pavilion featured separate sections dedicated to the company’s three most iconic wine lines: Takar, Tariri, and Bione.

The devotion of the Armenia Wine Company to Yerevan, Armenian culture, and national traditions shone through during the festival. Their unwavering commitment to serving the best to Armenian wine lovers and city guests, along with their hard work and honest goals, garnered immense appreciation. The founding of “Armenia Wine” can be traced back to the deep love the Vardanyan and Mkrtchyan families have for their homeland, nature, and culture.

Since its establishment, the company has embraced a combination of Armenia’s 6000-year winemaking heritage, wine culture, and modern international practices. It has an annual production capacity of up to 14 million bottles, 135 hectares of its own vineyards and 83 hectares of organic vineyards, collaborations with over 600 winegrowers from four winemaking regions, regular export to more than 50 countries, and partnerships with esteemed international experts and winemakers.

To learn more about Armenia Wine Company, visit https://armeniawine.am/.

Lilit Safaryan
Armenia Wine Company
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https://madrastribune.com/2023/07/12/armenia-wine-company-takes-part-in-yerevan-wine-days-a-celebration-of-armenian-winemaking-culture/

Armenia demands humanitarian access for breakaway Karabakh

Ani Tigranian
July 12 2023

Armenia said Wednesday that international humanitarian organisations must be allowed to access Nagorno-Karabakh, after Azerbaijan shut the only road linking the breakaway region with Armenia.

Residents pointed to empty store shelves, while health authorities said that locals did not have access to health services and more than 180 people — including "two critically ill children" — needed to be moved to Armenia.

Karabakh has been at the centre of a decades-long territorial dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which have fought two wars over the mountainous territory, mainly populated by Armenians.

On Tuesday, Azerbaijan said it was shutting the only road linking the region to Armenia, accusing the Armenian branch of the Red Cross of smuggling.

On Wednesday, Armenia's foreign ministry said the move was "aimed at creating conditions incompatible with life for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.

"It is unfortunate that during these months the international community and international humanitarian organisations have been unable to gain humanitarian access to Nagorno-Karabakh," said the ministry statement.

Such access was "crucial to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in Nagorno-Karabakh", the statement added.

– 'Getting worse' by the day –

Residents in the rebel region's main city, Stepanakert, reported food shortages and critical problems with access to medical services.

"Citizens are dying because they don't have access to health services," Metakse Iakobyan, 51, told AFP.

"In my opinion, this is the biggest problem."

Lucine Gasparyan, 37, said she was worried about the future.

"Store shelves are empty, we can only buy bread, I can't imagine what our conditions are going to be in the future," Gasparyan added.

Zhanna Krikorova, 61, said people were running out of food.

"The scariest thing is, what do we give our children for breakfast?" she said.

"How do we treat the sick who need help that cannot be provided here?"

The separatist government's health minister, Vardan Tadevosyan, said that more than 180 people including "two critically ill children" needed to be brought to Armenia for treatment.

Karabakh's rights ombudsman Ghegham Stepanyan said that the humanitarian situation was steadily deteriorating.

"For patients and medicine, the situation is getting worse day the day," he said, warning that the local residents were now living under the threat of "starvation."

He called for a "very strong" reaction from the international community.

– 'Crucial role' of Red Cross –

The Red Cross insists that no unauthorised material has been found in its vehicles.

The European Union said on Wednesday it "strongly supports the crucial role of the ICRC in the region, and reiterates its call for Azerbaijan to ensure the unrestricted movement of people and goods via the Lachin corridor".

The latest developments followed a months-long blockade of the road by Azerbaijani activists, which Yerevan says sparked a humanitarian crisis.

In February, the International Court of Justice, the UN's top judicial body, ordered Azerbaijan to ensure free movement on the road.

The two former Soviet republics have fought two wars for control of Karabakh, in the 1990s and again in 2020.

Six weeks of fighting in autumn 2020 ended with a Russian-sponsored ceasefire agreement that saw Armenia cede swathes of territories it had controlled for decades.

Under the deal, the five-kilometre-wide Lachin Corridor was to be manned by Russian peacekeepers to ensure free passage between Armenia and Karabakh.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has complained about "problems" with Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh.

mkh-im/as/jj

https://uk.style.yahoo.com/armenia-demands-humanitarian-access-breakaway-173825037.html

Medical Evacuations Resume From Karabakh To Armenia: Red Cross To AFP

Emil Lazarian
BARRON'S
  • FROM AFP NEWS

The evacuation of patients from Azerbaijan's breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia resumed Friday, after Baku shut the road linking the enclave to its neighbour, the Red Cross said.

"Evacuation of patients by the Red Cross from Karabakh to hospitals in Armenia resumed today (Friday)," the Red Cross's Armenian branch spokeswoman Zara Amatuni told AFP, adding that "11 patients in serious condition were transported through the Lachin Corridor" which Baku shut Tuesday, sparking concerns over a humanitarian crisis in the region.

mkh-im/sea/lcm

Red Cross restarts Karabakh evacuations after protests over blockade

Boris Nahapetian
Tigran GASPARYAN with Mariam HARUTYUNYAN in Yerevan

Azerbaijan on Friday allowed the Red Cross to resume medical evacuations from its restive Nagorno-Karabakh region to Armenia, after Baku's closure of the sole land link between the enclave and Armenia sparked protests and fears of a humanitarian crisis.

The closure came days before the leaders of the two countries were set to meet in Brussels for EU-mediated peace talks, while local separatists urged Moscow to ensure free movement through the Lachin Corridor that links the region to Armenia.

The Red Cross meanwhile told AFP it had restarted medical evacuations from Karabakh to hospitals in Armenia on Friday evening.

"Eleven patients in serious condition were transported through the Lachin Corridor," said Zara Amatuni, the spokeswoman for the organisation's Armenian branch.

On Friday morning, thousands of protestors rallied in Nagorno-Karabakh to demand Baku reopen the road linking it to Armenia and decry crisis conditions in the region.

Some 6,000 people gathered at the central square of Karabakh's main city Stepanakert, shouting chants such as "No to the blockade!" and "Open the road of life!"

– 'Irreversible consequences' –

"Russian peacekeepers must guarantee rights and physical survival of the people of Artsakh," Karabakh's rights ombudsman, Ghegham Stepanyan, told the crowd, using the Armenian name for the region.

AFP this week spoke to locals in Stepanakert, who reported food shortages and critical problems with access to medical services.

Demonstrators later marched towards the office of the Red Cross in Stepanakert and the headquarters of Russian peacekeepers deployed in the region, before returning to the city's Renaissance Square, vowing permanent rallies until the corridor is reopened.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said Baku had offered to provide assistance "regarding the supply needs of the Armenian residents" of the region.

Azerbaijan has said the decision to temporarily shut the Lachin Corridor was made after the Red Cross failed to "prevent illegal actions", such as smuggling mobile phones from Armenia to Karabakh using the organisation's medical vehicles.

On Thursday, an official in the separatist government called on Russia to ensure free movement on the Lachin Corridor.

"The situation is terrible, in a few days we will have irreversible consequences," said Gurgen Nersisyan, a state minister in the rebel government.

– 'Illegal blockade' –

Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan earlier announced fresh round of peace talks with Baku, under the mediation of European Council President Charles Michel.

Pashinyan also said the "illegal blockade" of the Lachin Corridor contradicts a ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The UN's top judicial body ordered Azerbaijan in February to ensure free movement along the road.

Karabakh has been at the centre of a decades-long territorial dispute between the two countries, which have fought two wars over the mountainous territory, mainly populated by Armenians.

In autumn 2020, Russia sponsored a ceasefire agreement that ended six weeks of fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces for control of Karabakh.

The deal saw Armenia cede swathes of territories it had controlled for decades, while Russia deployed peacekeepers which are manning the five-kilometre-wide Lachin Corridor to ensure free passage between Armenia and Karabakh.

Armenia, which has relied on Russia for military and economic support since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, has accused Moscow of failing to fulfil its peacekeeping role in Karabakh.

str-im/sea/giv

Nagorno-Karabakh: Thousands Of People Demonstrate To Demand The Opening Of The Corridor To Armenia

Emil Lazarian
ASIA
By David Sadler

Thousands of people are demonstrating on Friday, July 14, in Stepanakert, the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh, to demand the reopening of the Lachin corridor, the only road between Armenia and this separatist region, closed this week by Azerbaijan, a noted a correspondent of Agence France-Presse. Around 6,000 protesters gathered in the city’s main square in the morning. The closure of the Lachin corridor, according to Armenia, raises the risk of a serious humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The day before, Minister of State Gurgen Nersisyan, an official from Nagorno-Karabakh, asked on social networks that Russia, which has had a contingent of peacekeepers on site since the end of 2020, to restore the traffic on the corridor. “The situation is terrible and will have irreversible consequences in a few days”, he added.

Azerbaijan announced on Tuesday that it had suspended traffic in the corridor on the grounds that drivers working for the Armenian branch of the Red Cross had made “contraband” of goods on this axis, which the International Committee of the Red Cross rejects.

On Thursday, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian announced that he will take part in negotiations with Azerbaijan on Saturday under the aegis of the European Union, while denouncing a “blockade” Nagorno-Karabakh illegal.

Read also: Armenia demands that international NGOs have access to Nagorno-Karabakh

Since December, Armenia has been alerting the international community to shortages of food and medicine caused by traffic restrictions on the corridor. In April, Azerbaijan announced the creation of a roadblock at the entrance to the Lachin corridor, for security reasons, while armed incidents between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces still occur regularly.

The two Caucasian countries have been fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh since the late 1980s, resulting in two wars, the last of which, in 2020, saw the defeat of Armenian forces and significant territory gains for Azerbaijan. Part of the enclave, with an ethnic Armenian majority but located on the internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan, remains under the control of Armenian separatists, but it is now surrounded by territories held by Baku.

The World with AFP


https://globeecho.com/news/asia/nagorno-karabakh-thousands-of-people-demonstrate-to-demand-the-opening-of-the-corridor-to-armenia/

Nagorno-Karabakh Separatists Urge Russia to Open Corridor to Armenia

Elizabeth Jabejian

Voice of America
AFP –
YEREVAN, ARMENIA — 

A separatist official in Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan on Thursday called on Russia to ensure free movement on the only road linking the breakaway region to Armenia, warning of dire humanitarian consequences.

Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan earlier announced fresh EU-mediated peace talks, as Western engagement grows in a region where Russia, distracted by its war in Ukraine, appears to be losing influence.

Karabakh has been at the center of a decades-long territorial dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which have fought two wars over the mountainous territory, mainly populated by Armenians.

On Tuesday, Azerbaijan said it was shutting the only road linking the region to Armenia, accusing the Armenian branch of the Red Cross of smuggling.

State Minister Gurgen Nersisyan called on Russia, which helped broker the latest cease-fire between the two countries, to step in.

"We ask to ensure unimpeded movement, transportation of people and cargo along the corridor connecting Artsakh with Armenia," Nersisyan said, using the Armenian name for the region.

Russia sponsored the latest cease-fire that ended six weeks of fighting in autumn 2020 and saw Armenia cede swaths of territories it had controlled for decades.

Under the deal, the five-kilometer Lachin Corridor was to be manned by Russian peacekeepers to ensure free passage between Armenia and Karabakh.

'Terrible' situation

Since Azerbaijan shut the corridor there have been concerns about a humanitarian crisis in the restive enclave, which is experiencing food shortages and where locals lack access to health services, according to separatist authorities.

"The situation is terrible. In a few days we will have irreversible consequences," Nersisyan said.

This week, AFP spoke to locals in the rebel region's main city, Stepanakert, who reported food shortages and critical problems with access to medical services.

Nersisyan called on residents to gather at in the Stepanakert Renaissance Square on Friday at 9 a.m. (0500 GMT) to "begin a peaceful struggle for our existence."

Armenia, which has relied on Russia for military and economic support since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, has accused Moscow of failing to fulfill its peacekeeping role in Karabakh.

With Russia bogged down in Ukraine and unwilling to strain ties with Azerbaijan's key ally Turkey, the United States and European Union have sought to repair ties between the Caucasus rivals.

Speaking at a Cabinet meeting, Pashinyan announced a next round of peace talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Saturday in Brussels under the mediation of European Council President Charles Michel.

An EU official said the trilateral meeting, the sixth in nearly two years, would cover humanitarian issues, border delimitation, the peace treaty, rights and security of Karabakh Armenians, and connectivity.

"We consider the leaders-level engagement essential to promote peaceful settlement and to prevent escalation," the official said in Brussels, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Pashinyan also said the "illegal blockade" contradicts a ruling of the International Court of Justice.

The U.N.'s top judicial body ordered Azerbaijan in February to ensure free movement along the Lachin Corridor, Karabakh's sole land link with Armenia.

https://www.voanews.com/a/nagorno-karabakh-separatists-urge-russia-to-open-corridor-to-armenia-/7179999.html

ALSO READ

https://www.digitaljournal.com/world/karabakh-separatists-urge-russia-to-open-corridor-to-armenia/article

Thousands In Breakaway Karabakh Demand Opening Of Armenia Corridor

Emil Lazarian
BARRON'S
By AFP – Agence France Presse

Thousands rallied Friday in Azerbaijan's restive Nagorno-Karabakh region, demanding Baku reopen the enclave's sole land link with Armenia, an AFP reporter witnessed.

Some 6,000 people gathered at the central square of Karabakh's main city, Stepanakert, after Baku's closure of the vital road to Armenia sparked concerns over a humanitarian crisis in the region.

On Thursday, a separatist official in the Armenian-populated enclave called on Russia to ensure free movement on the Lachin Corridor after Azerbaijan had shut it temporarily, accusing the Armenian branch of the Red Cross of smuggling.

"We ask to ensure unimpeded movement, transportation of people and cargo along the corridor connecting Artsakh with Armenia," said Gurgen Nersisyan, a state minister in the separatist government, using the Armenian name for the region.

"The situation is terrible, in a few days we will have irreversible consequences," he added in a statement on Thursday evening.

Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan earlier announced fresh EU-mediated peace talks with Baku, as Western engagement grows in region where traditional power broker Russia – distracted by its war in Ukraine — appears to be losing influence.

Karabakh has been at the centre of a decades-long territorial dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which have fought two wars over the mountainous territory, mainly populated by Armenians.

Russia sponsored the latest ceasefire that ended six weeks of fighting in autumn 2020 and saw Armenia cede swathes of territories it had controlled for decades.

Under the deal, the five-kilometre-wide Lachin Corridor was to be manned by Russian peacekeepers to ensure free passage between Armenia and Karabakh.

str-im/yad

https://www.barrons.com/news/thousands-in-breakaway-karabakh-demand-opening-of-armenia-corridor-3772b021

“It’s time to sound the alarm”: NK Armenians start an indefinite nationwide movement

Jirair Kafian
  • JAMnews
  • Yerevan

Perpetual nationwide movement in NK

From 9 am in the capital of the unrecognized NKR, the first rally of an indefinite nationwide movement began. Its purpose is to draw attention to the humanitarian crisis that arose in Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of the blockade. Since December last year, the Azerbaijanis have blocked the Lachin corridor, the only road connecting NK to the outside world and Armenia. Since June 15, the import of even humanitarian goods has been banned.

On the eve of the beginning of an indefinite struggle for their rights, the State Minister of the unrecognized republic Gurgen Nersisyan invited the entire population to join the action, as it is an opportunity to “bring all the actors to their senses.”

“What are you waiting for? Do you want us to have the bodies of people who died of hunger and cold every day on this square in order to react? During the action, Nersisyan addressed this question to the international community, Russia and Armenia.

After the rally on Vozrozhdeniye Square, the rally participants went to the representative office of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the headquarters where the Russian peacekeeping contingent is stationed.

The demand was presented to the ICRC: “To transfer objective information about the current situation to international structures, without succumbing to the pressure of the Azerbaijani Armenian people that started the genocide.”

The demand to “unblock Artsakh and put an end to the humanitarian catastrophe” was made to Russian peacekeepers. The protesters intend to set up tents in front of the headquarters of the RCC and wait for the decision of the commander.

  • “Baku has no motivation to make concessions”: expectations of the meeting in Brussels
  • “Yerevan strengthens security ties with the US” – Secretary of the Security Council
  • “Armenia’s withdrawal from the CSTO will bring Ukraine’s victory closer” – Armenian political scientist

Since June 15, Azerbaijan has stopped allowing even humanitarian cargo to enter the region, which it previously allowed to transport in a small amount. This happened after an unsuccessful attempt to hoist the Azerbaijani flag on the Khakari bridge.

At the rally, it was announced that people are surviving on internal resources, but they are not inexhaustible.

According to MK Ombudsman Gegham Stepanyan, the blockade has reached a critical point and the lives of 120,000 people are in serious danger:

“Our people are under a real and undeniable threat of malnutrition, starvation, ethnic cleansing, openly carried out by Azerbaijan, forced enslavement and genocide.”

Speakers said that every day the situation is becoming more critical:

  • Azerbaijan cut off the supply of gas and electricity from Armenia,
  • communities, one by one, are deprived of the possibility of supplying drinking water to residents,
  • in the villages people have become “captives”, the only connection with the capital is telephone calls,
  • intercommunal transport flights are stopped,
  • children are not fed in kindergartens,
  • Hospital patients are given small portions of food.

“In a few days they won’t be able to go to the call of an ambulance, it will be impossible to provide people with even the most basic medicines and any medical assistance,” someone at the rally announced.

Baku accuses the Red Cross of transporting “smuggled goods”: mobile phones, cigarettes and gasoline. Criminal case initiated, BCP “Lachin” closed until the end of the investigation

The rally participants chanted appeals to the international community: “Open the road to life”, “No to the blockade of Artsakh”, “Prevent the impending catastrophe”. They brought posters with them to the action. “International recognition of Artsakh is a guarantee of regional peace and stability,” was written on one of them. On the other was the inscription “Azerbaijan took hostage 120,000 Armenians.”

Appeals were made in English and Russian to prevent ethnic cleansing and genocide of Armenians in NK.

Ombudsman Gegham Stepanyan stressed that the time has come to sound the alarm. He called on

  • Russian peacekeepers: “Fulfill your obligations to ensure peace, a prosperous life, as you promised our people at the highest level”;
  • compatriots living in Armenia: “Stand up for the defense of Artsakh, do not leave the inhabitants of Artsakh alone”;
  • Armenians living outside of Armenia: “Prevent a new genocide of the Armenian people, make the world, at least this time, take responsibility for the fate of the Armenians. Everywhere they said: “We will never allow genocide again.” Make them stick to their own statements.”

The former defense minister of the unrecognized NKR, Samvel Babayan, said that it was necessary “to start a direct dialogue with Baku, establish trust, and then discuss other problems.” Commentary on Babayan’s statements

According to the Ombudsman, such statements have been made in recent months by various international actors.

“But while fears and concerns are being expressed in words, 120,000 people are being subjected to inhuman hardships. It is one thing to talk about human rights in beautiful and luxurious halls, it is another thing to prove the protection of these rights by practical steps. It is time to stop talking and start taking urgent and concrete actions to prevent the tragedy in Artsakh.”

On June 15, Azerbaijan banned not only the movement of people, including patients in need of specialized medical care, but also the import of humanitarian goods.

The Ombudsman also touched upon the status of the region and the right to self-determination:

“Artsakh has earned the right to self-determination. The high price paid in all the Artsakh wars, the suffering for 7 months of blockade are shocking facts confirming that we cannot live as part of Azerbaijan.

Let everyone who still has illusions about this answer the question: was it possible to imagine the life of the Jews in Nazi Germany? Yes, Azerbaijan is the same Nazi country, whose society is completely saturated with hatred and enmity towards the Armenians.”

https://jam-news.net/perpetual-nationwide-movement-in-nk/