The situation in Nagorno Karabakh will be discussed at the plenary session of the European Parliament today.
Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini will make a statement, which will be followed by a debate.
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to develop an agreement on mutual military assistance with Nagorno Karabakh, immediately after Azerbaijan launched an offensive against Artsakh.
President Sargsyan also declared that “should military actions continue and escalate into larger scales, the Republic of Armenia will recognize the independence of Nagorno Karabakh.”
The document has not been brought to the National Assembly, and it’s still unclear when it will be considered.
“The text of the document is being developed. Several versions are being worked out. We’ll make conclusions depending on the situation,” says Vahram Baghdasaryan, head of the Republican faction.
In general, all parliamentary forces agree on the opinion that the adoption of the document is a must. They believe it is the real step that Armenia can take in response to the current situation.
Head of the ARF faction Armen Rustamyan says the document will seek to solve two main issues. “First, it should be clearly mentioned that Armenia is the guarantor of NKR independence and security.”
Although the Armenian Revolutionary Federation favors the creation of a military-political union, it doesn’t mind reinforcing the two principles through an agreement on mutual military assistance.
According to Rustamyan, the second important provision that should be incorporated in the document is that “any assault against Karabakh will mean an assault against Armenian borders, with all consequences deriving from this.”
Some say the agreement on mutual military assistance could serve a basis for the recognition of Artsakh’s independence. “It’s not recognition, but a legal-political basis for standing next to Nagorno Karabakh,” MP Alexander Arzumanyan says. According to him, it’s more effective at this point than the recognition of independence
What is the main issue the agreement is meant to solve? What will Nagorno Karabakh gain from it? “Under this agreement we’ll assume political and military responsibility for NKR. We’ll say that Armenia will not stay apart in case of any assault against Karabakh,” Arzumanyan says.
Five Nobel Prize winners will lecture at the Yerevan State Medical University from April 11 to 15.
“The “Nobel Days in Yerevan” initiative will provide an opportunity to communicate with Nobel Prize winners, to learn how they present scientific issues. The lectures are meant not only for students, but also the faculty,” Rector of the Medical University Mikael Narimanyan told reporters today.
“The event is unprecedented not only for Armenia, but also on the global level. We’ll try to make this an annual event,” said Konstantin Yenkoryan, head of the coordinating group of the initiative. He said the event aims to draw attention to the fact of Armenia being a country with a huge scientific potential.
The Nobel laureates visiting Armenia are:
In a statement released today the Armenian Ministry of Defense reconfirmed that Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan exchanged bodies of the soldiers killed between April 2 and 5 as a result of the aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan. Eighteen bodies of the soldiers of the NKR Defense Army were handed over to the Armenian side.
Taking into consideration that there were signs of torture and mutilation on the bodies, a fact registered by the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Ministry declares that the actions of teh Azerbaijani armed forces amount to a gross violation of the international humanitarian law.
The authorities in Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh, in cooperation with international organizations, are collecting proofs of the crimes and launching criminal cases.
The Armenian Ministry of Defense pledges to be consistent in raising the facts of violation of the international humanitarian law (of armed conflict) and various conventions in different international structures with a view of holding Azerbaijan accountable for the crimes.
One should not expect a breakthrough from the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, Republican MP Artak Davtyan says. According to political scientist Alexander Iskandaryan, the Minsk Group did all it could.
“The task of the OSCE Minsk Group at this point is to stop the bloodshed rather than resume the negotiation process,” Iskandaryan told reporters today.
As for the perspectives of Artsakh’s involvement in the negotiations, the political scientist said “it’s hardly possible in this difficult stage, when the main objective is to stop the conflict.”
According to Artak Davtyan, one should not expect a breakthrough, a ‘miraculous’ document from the Minsk Group. He believes the mediators should now work to have the parties return to the negotiating table.
Anti-Armenian demonstrators in Paris were attacked by a group of Kurds, Ermenihaber.am reports.
Paris-based Turks had joined an anti-Armenian rally organized in the French capital by Azerbaijani organizations, the Turkish Habervitrini website reported.
The participants of the rally were attacked by a group of young people waving the flags of the Kurdish Workers’ Party and holding the photos of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan.
The Police had to interfere, the source reports.
Seven criminal cases have been launched at the NKR Prosecutor General’s Office in connection with the cross violations of the international humanitarian law by the Azerbaijani armed forces between April 2 and 4.
The cases are related to the violations of international humanitarian law, using prohibited means and methods of warfare, targeting of civilians, particularly in the village in Talish, shelling of populated areas motivated by national, racial or religious hatred or religious fanatism, etc.
Armenia’s First Deputy Defense Minister David Tonoyan met with Mrs. Caroline Douilliez, Head of the ICRC delegation in Armenia
The parties discussed issues related to the search for and recovery of the bodies of the soldiers killed as a result of the military actions unleashed by Azerbaijan.
David Tonoyan expressed gratitude to the Head of the ICRC Delegation for organizing the exchange of bodies with the mediation of the ICRC and OSCE representatives.
The Deputy Defense Minister informed Mrs. Douilliez that all 18 bodies handed over the Armenian side were mutilated, which not only violates the second paragraph of Common Article 3 of all 1949 Geneva Conventions (…To this end, the following acts are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever with respect to the above-mentioned persons: (a) violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture), the 1st paragraph of Article 130 of the 1949 4th Geneva Convention, the provisions of Article 4.2. of the Second Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions, but also constitute a heavy crime under the criminal jurisdiction of any legal state.
David Tonoyan noted that the Armenian side will pursue the condemnations of the crimes committed by the Azerbaijani armed forces by the international community and specialized bodies.
Russia calls on all parties in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to observe agreements on cessation of hostilities, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a press conference on Monday after talks with his Swiss counterpart Didier Burkhalter, reports.
“We call on the sides to observe the agreements reached on cessation of hostilities,” Lavrov said. “We are interested in positive shifts on the political track toward reaching agreements on settling this uneasy conflict,” he added.
The deputy chairman of a Swedish-Turkish association has resigned after derogatory comments he made about Armenians last week, the Associated Press reports.
Barbaros Leylani, who called for death “to Armenian dogs” at a Stockholm rally, apologized Monday on the association’s website saying he’d been misunderstood.
Swedish legal watchdog Juridikfronten said it had reported the speech for incitement to racial hatred to police and an Armenian association says it also plans to make a police report.