Category: News

By Sen. Mark Kirk

The time has come for Azerbaijan to face consequences from the United States and the international community for its blatant military aggression against the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR).

After years of saber rattling, Azerbaijan’s four-day assault on the NKR earlier this month is its most egregious attack since it signed a cease-fire agreement with Armenia and the NKR in 1994. These recent military actions indicate the clear need for new measures to modify a cease-fire framework that is not working.

With no system to referee the cease-fire, Azerbaijan has become increasingly belligerent while facing no consequences for its violations. This must change.

I strongly support a congressional response, spearheaded by Chairman Ed Royce (R-Calif.) and ranking member Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, that offers three pro-peace measures to bring needed oversight to a cease-fire that has been precariously self-regulated by Armenian and Azerbaijani forces for more than two decades.

First, all sides should agree not to deploy snipers along the Nagorno-Karabakh line of contact.

Second, advanced gunfire locator systems and sound ranging equipment, monitored by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), should be installed along the line of contact to verify the source of any attacks.

And third, additional OSCE observers should be deployed along the line of contact to more effectively monitor cease-fire violations. There are only six OSCE observers monitoring the conflict zone — woefully insufficient given the number of cease-fire violations each day.

More than 80 members of the House of Representatives have signed the bipartisan Royce-Engel proposals, which have also been supported by the U.S. State Department and the co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group.

In order for a lasting peace to be established, there must be goodwill and trust on both sides. But, while both Armenia and the NKR have affirmed their support for these peace-building measures, Azerbaijan has not. In truth, the lack of oversight on the current cease-fire framework provides useful cover for Azerbaijan’s belligerence.

U.S leadership is needed now to stop the bloody pattern in which Azerbaijan attacks the NKR, the NKR responds, and then Azerbaijan blames the Armenians for violating the cease-fire. We should no longer accept Baku’s flagrant duplicity.

I call upon the administration to raise the Royce-Engel proposals to the highest levels of the Azerbaijani government.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has faced a chorus of international criticism for human rights abuses, such as the wrongful imprisonment of Radio Free Europe journalist Khadija Ismayilova and some 20 others who have been prosecuted on politically motivated charges, according to Human Rights Watch.

Just as the international community has come together to hold the Baku government responsible for its transgressions against civil society in Azerbaijan, so too should we call it to account for its treatment of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The OSCE’s Minsk Process, which started in 1995 to bring the parties of the conflict to a peaceful and comprehensive settlement, is hanging on by a thread. If diplomacy is to endure, there must be a verifiable cease-fire in place.

The onus is on Azerbaijan to demonstrate to the U.S. and the international community that it truly wants to be a partner in peace with Armenia and the NKR. Baku must fully commit to the Royce-Engel proposals.

The choice for President Aliyev is clear: Either he subscribes to diplomatic negotiations with the Armenians under peaceful circumstances or continues with a belligerent and futile policy of attrition.

If he chooses the latter, he should know that every act of Azerbaijani aggression will only further validate the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’s argument that it go the way of Kosovo. As a veteran of the Kosovo War, I truly hope Azerbaijan realizes that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict should only be resolved through peaceful means.

Kirk has represented Illinois in the U.S. Senate since 2010 and was previously a five-term U.S. representative from the northern Chicago suburbs.

A musical project in Dresden has come under fire for branding the Armenian massacre a “genocide.” The head of Germany’s cultural council says it’s yet another case of Turkey’s inappropriate interference abroad, reports. 

The director of the Dresdner Sinfoniker Markus Rindt conceived an ambitious project in November 2015, alongside German-born Turkish guitarist Marc Sinan. Musicians from Turkey, Armenia and Germany would come together for the concert project “Aghet” in remembrance of the persecution and massacre of Armenians 101 years ago during the final days of the Ottoman Empire. The event was intended to be a sign of reconciliation.

Turkey, however, has taken umbrage in this, and is particularly offended by the use of the term “genocide” on the homepage of the European Commission, a main sponsor of the event. The EU appears to respect Turkey’s position and has removed its related pages. But Olaf Zimmermann, head of the German Cultural Council, says that this could become a slippery slope leading to encroachment of freedom of art and expression.

DW: Turkey appears to be targeting German cultural figures once more. This time it has taken aim at a concert by the Dresdner Sinfoniker orchestra, scheduled to be performed this weekend to commemorate the Armenian massacre at the end of the Ottoman Empire. The Turkish government does not view the killings as a “genocide” – but surely that’s not all?

Olaf Zimmermann: No, it’s not just about that one word, of course. It’s about an artistic endeavor that examines the unique fate suffered by Armenians as they were forced into migration. Needless to say, the characteristics of this project deal with a situation 101 years ago. So referring to these massacres as genocide is not a creative concept, but rather builds on the opinion of reputable historians. Those artists in Dresden don’t represent dissenting views, but are part of the mainstream interpretation of events.

But Turkey has repeatedly resisted being associated with the terminology of genocide in the past when it comes to Armenians.

And that’s perfectly fine. Everyone has to find their own way to come to terms with the past. But trying to enforce one particular interpretation of a historic event amounts to a transgression and is, simply put, unacceptable. What they are doing is like aiming their cannons in the general direction of Dresden to do nothing but hit mere sparrows.

But Turkish President Erdogan skipped the immediate step of voicing his grievances at the orchestra and rather went straight to the EU, which is one of the sponsors of the project. And in response to his complaint, the EU actually went ahead and removed the description of the concert from its website to rephrase its wording. What do you think about these measures?

I think that’s problematic. Mr. Erdogan tells our leaders to jump and they seem to ask “how high?” At first it was only our chancellor, who reacted that way to that poem recited by comedian Jan Böhmermann, and now it’s the entire EU. Instead they could just tell him that it’s none of his business and that we won’t do anything about these things.

There have been such interventions in the past already, but they’re beginning to amass. And this is on account of the fact that Erdogan apparently seems to believe that the German government and the EU as a whole have become susceptible to such blackmail since we need his assistance in dealing with the refugee crisis. That’s why he seems to feel free to intervene in our domestic issues. Both the German government and the European Commission have become nervous and fearful, and the Turkish president is abusing this. This is a considerable problem.

Markus Rindt, director of the Dresdner Sinfoniker, says that this amounts to a major encroachment on freedom of expression and freedom of art. Are these freedoms being undercut?

At the very least, we’re getting accustomed to a foreign president having something to say about what we choose to do artistically in Germany, and if he doesn’t like something he seeks to prevent it. That is a rather unusual way of dealing with things, and I would really, really, really like to ask the government for more backing here, telling Erdogan to keep out of our business.

The Azerbaijani side not only continues to shell the populated areas in Karabakh, but also tries to present the events upside down, accusing the Armenian side of targeting its own settlements, the NKR Defense Army reports.

Committed to the principle of speaking with facts, the NKR Defense Army presents the video of rocket attack on the settlement of Mataghis.

– HDP Co-Chair Figen Yüksekdağ, during the group meeting of HDP, apologized for the Armenian Genocide. Yüksekdağ said, “On 101st anniversary of the genocide, we apologize to Armenian people. We apologize to Aunt Elizabeth, to Uncle Krikor. We apologize to our friend, comrade Garo and to our sister Roza.”

HDP Co-Chair Figen Yüksekdağ, during the group meeting of HDP, talked about the Armenian Genocide. Yüksekdağ said, “On 101st anniversary of the genocide, we apologize to Armenian people. We apologize to Aunt Elizabeth, to Uncle Krikor. We apologize to our friends, comrade Garo and to our sister Roza.”

Yüksekdağ started the meeting by saying, “I would like to begin by commemorating Armenian, Syriac and Chaldean people who were exiled and killed 101 years ago.” Then she added: “The mentality that led to the genocide avoids recognition today. However, recognition doesn’t demean a state, it only relieves pain. These lands will eventually spill out the bloodshed, regardless of your wishes. Our history is a history of massacres. Recognizing the massacres is a both actual and historical responsibility.”

“The ones who withhold their apologies have still the same mentality. They still use “Armenian” as an insult. This means that genocidal mentality is still alive. We apologize to Armenian people. We apologize to Aunt Elizabeth, to Uncle Krikor. We apologize to our friends, comrade Garo and to our sister Roza. As I said, the mentality that led to death and destruction in the past is still active today.”

Photo: Getty Images

Borussia Dortmund have announced that Mats Hummels has asked to leave the club to join Bayern Munich this summer.

The defender’s future at Signal Iduna Park has long been up in the air, with speculation he would request a transfer in the close-season.

And the club have confirmed he has made an official plea to move across the Bundesliga.

“Mats Hummels has informed us of his wish to leave the club in the summer and he wants to join league rivals Bayern Munich,” a statement published on the BVB website reads.

Dortmund add that they would only consider selling Hummels to the Bavarians if an offer of “extraordinary value” was made.

At the present time, the statement affirms, there has been no formal offer for the centre-back.

“The club would like to point out that Mats Hummels, as is the case of the rest of the Borussia Dortmund team, has no agreed release clause,” Dortmund explain.

“There is no military solution to the conflict in Nagorno Karabakh,” Stat Department Deputy Spokesman Mark C. Toner told a daily briefing.

“We have remained in contact with both governments, all sides in this conflict, and our message has been consistent, which is that we condemn in the strongest possible terms any violence along the Nagorno-Karabakh line of conflict and we need to see the peace process back up and running and as soon as possible,” Toner said.

The second victim of the bus blast in Yerevan has been identified as Ruben Balayan, Spokesperson for the Investigative Committee informs.

The 55-year-old man has also been identified as the owner of the SIM card found at the scene of the explosion. A DNA test has been conducted.

Last week, Thomas Jefferson School of Law hosted a lecture entitled, “Genocide and the Law 101 Years Later.” The event was organized by the Thomas Jefferson School of Law Armenian Law Student Association, according to PRLeap.com.

The lecture featured famed Armenian American criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos, who had represented several celebrities and was one of the lead lawyers in a pair of groundbreaking federal class-action lawsuits against New York Life Insurance and AXA Corporation for insurance policies issued in the early 20th century during the Armenian Genocide.

Geragos was introduced by United States District Court Judge and Armenian American Larry Alan Burns, who was the keynote speaker at last year’s commemoration event.

“Thomas Jefferson School of Law continues to be a strong supporter of its Armenian Law Students Association and its events,” said Armenian Law Student Association Faculty Advisor and Thomas Jefferson School of Law Associate Professor Christopher Guzelian. “I was pleased to see prominent members of the local Armenian community, including three state and federal judges, in attendance. Mr. Geragos gave a dynamic, informative speech about his successful legal efforts to compel American life insurance companies to fulfill their century-old unpaid commitment to insured Armenian Genocide victims.”

Concluding remarks were made by Armenian Law Student Association President Meline Grigoryan who also introduced Judge Burns at the beginning of the program. Grigoryan explained that every year on April 24th Armenians around the world unite in one voice to remember and demand justice for the 1.5 million lives lost. Grigoryan emphasized that “by recognizing the past, future crimes against humanity can be defeated and prevented,” one of the themes of the lecture by Geragos.

The event was attended by many Thomas Jefferson School of Law students, faculty and staff, showing great interest in the Armenian cause.

Azerbaijan needs to escalate the situation in order to focus the attention of the world on the Karabakh conflict, Director of the Caucasus Institute Alexander Iskandaryan told reporters today.

According to the political scientist, if they stop firing, there will obviously not be any shot from the Armenian side, and no one will remember about the Karabakh conflict. He said “everyone is trying now to return to the situation that existed before April 1.”

“I’m not very optimistic in this regard. Every military action makes the return to the previous situation even harder,” he added.

Iskandaryan said “despite the large-scale military actions unleashed early in April, it cannot be called ‘war.’ He added that “the Azerbaijani leadership pursues political, not military objectives, while the ceasefire violations and everyday losses are part of that policy.”