Saturday, Pashinian Says Yerevan, Baku ‘Still Speaking Different Diplomatic Languages’ In Peace Talks Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian met with OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid in in Yerevan on . Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has said that while Yerevan and Baku have agreed on basic principles for a peace treaty, the two sides are “still speaking different diplomatic languages” in talks. Addressing the fall session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) that opened in Yerevan on November 18, Pashinian lamented that Azerbaijan has yet to publicly commit to three principles for achieving peace that he said have already been agreed upon. Pashinian also said the lack of commitment deepens the atmosphere of mistrust and that rhetoric from Azerbaijani officials leaves open the prospect for renewed “military aggression” against Armenia. “Yerevan and Baku still speak different diplomatic languages,” he said, adding that “we often do not understand each other.” Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev had held several rounds of peace talks under EU mediation before Baku launched a lightning offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh that ended three decades of rule by ethnic Armenians in the region. Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought two major wars in the last three decades over the mostly Armenian-populated region. The region initially came under the control of ethnic Armenian forces, backed by the Armenian military, in fighting that ended in 1994. During a war in 2020, however, Azerbaijan took back parts of Nagorno-Karabakh along with surrounding territory that Armenian forces had claimed during the earlier conflict. After a cease-fire agreement was quickly reached between ethnic Armenian forces and Azerbaijan following Baku’s offensive in September, nearly 100,000 ethnic Armenians fled to Armenia as Baku took control of the whole of Nagorno-Karabakh. “We have good and bad news about the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process,” Pashinian was quoted as saying. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian addresses an OSCE Parliamentary Assembly session in Yerevan. . “It is good that the basic principles of peace with Azerbaijan have been agreed upon,” he said, referring to three principles for peace that he announced in late October, saying they had been worked out during talks with Aliyev in Brussels that were mediated by European Council President Charles Michel. Those principles, he told the Armenian parliament at the time, were: Armenia and Azerbaijan recognizing each other’s territorial integrity, that the delimitation of the countries’ borders be based on the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration, and that regional trade, transport, and communication be opened while respecting sovereign jurisdictions. The downside is that by not acknowledging the agreement, Pashinian said, Baku was deepening the atmosphere of mistrust. Pashinian also accused Azerbaijani officials of calling Armenia “Western Azerbaijan.” “This seems to us to be a preparation for a new war, a new military aggression against Armenia, and it is one of the main obstacles to progress in the peace process,” Pashinian said. The Armenian prime minister’s comments came after Baku said on November 16 that it would not participate in normalization talks at the foreign-minister level with Yerevan that were planned in the United States this month. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said the decision was in response to what it called “one-sided and biased remarks” made by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O’Brien against Azerbaijan. In October Aliyev refused to attend a round of negotiations with Pashinian that were to be mediated by French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and European Council President Charles Michel. Baku cited France’s allegedly “biased position” against Azerbaijan as the reason for skipping those talks in Spain. The Azerbaijani leader also appears to have canceled another meeting which Michel planned to host in Brussels in late October. During the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly session in Yerevan on November 18, Armenian Parliament Speaker Alen Simonian said there was a historic opportunity to establish peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Simonian also said Armenia is sincerely interested in normalizing relations with Turkey, having open borders and transportation links in the region, and engaging in negotiations without preconditions. “I have a great hope that these negotiations will yield the desired results in the near future,” Simonian said, stressing that the region needs peace. OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Pia Kauma has welcomed Armenia’s expressed interest in reaching a deal with Azerbaijan. “It is important to maintain momentum in the peace process and for Armenia and Azerbaijan to reach a full settlement,” Kauma said. “We recognize that the background is very painful, but despite the difficulties, this moment should be seen as an opportunity for all to forge a new path for the region based on peaceful coexistence, mutual security, and economic prosperity.” Yerevan Says Armenian Soldier Wounded Along Border With Azerbaijan An Armenian soldier on combat duty near the border with Azerbaijan (file photo). An Armenian soldier has reportedly been shot and wounded along the country’s border with Azerbaijan in what Yerevan says was a fresh ceasefire violation by Baku – the first reported in more than a month. Armenia’s Ministry of Defense said the incident happened at the southeastern section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border at around 9:50 am on November 18. It said the soldier, whose full name was not immediately disclosed, received a gunshot wound after a shot fired by the Azerbaijani military against an Armenian combat outpost near the village of Paruyr Sevak, which is at the border with Azerbaijan’s western exclave of Nakhichevan. The ministry said the condition of the wounded soldier was assessed as moderate and there was no immediate danger to his life. “An investigation is underway to clarify all the circumstances of the incident,” it added. Azerbaijan, meanwhile, categorically denied the report disseminated by the Armenian Defense Ministry, calling it a “lie.” “We categorically deny the provocative information of the opposite side,” Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry said. The border incident reported by Armenia is the first in more than a month. Reported incidents and mutual accusations between Armenia and Azerbaijan virtually discontinued several weeks after Azerbaijan’s lightning offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh on September 19 that led to Baku’s establishing full control over the region. More than 100,000 Armenians fled their homes in Nagorno-Karabakh and moved to Armenia after Baku’s military operation. Only a few dozen ethnic Armenians are currently thought to remain in the region. The reported incident also comes as Armenia is hosting an autumn session of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly. Addressing the opening meeting of the three-day session in Yerevan on Saturday, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian regretted that “Yerevan and Baku still speak different diplomatic languages” and that “we often do not understand each other.” Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian addresses an OSCE Parliamentary Assembly session in Yerevan. . He also urged the Azerbaijani leadership to reaffirm their commitment to the principles for reaching a peace agreement that he said has been agreed upon by the parties during their recent negotiations mediated by the West. Azerbaijan has lately refused to attend several meetings with Armenia arranged by the European Union and the United States. Most recently Baku said it would not send its foreign minister to Washington to meet with his Armenian counterpart there on November 20 after allegedly “biased” remarks by a senior U.S. official. Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev were scheduled to meet on the fringes of the EU’s October 5 summit in Granada, Spain. Pashinian had hoped that they would sign there a document laying out the main parameters of an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty. However, Aliyev withdrew from the talks at the last minute. The Azerbaijani leader also appears to have canceled another meeting which European Council President Charles Michel planned to host in Brussels later in October. Armenia Sees ‘Historic Opportunity’ For Peace With Azerbaijan Armenian Parliament Speaker Alen Simonian addresses delegates to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly session in Yerevan. . There is a historic opportunity to establish peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Armenian Parliament Speaker Alen Simonian said on Saturday. In his remarks at the autumn session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) that opened in Yerevan on November 18 Simonian also stressed that Armenia is sincerely interested in settling relations with Turkey, in having open borders and transportation links in the region and in engaging in negotiations without preconditions. “I have a great hope that these negotiations will yield the desired results in the near future,” Simonian said, stressing that the region needs peace. He said that Armenia’s vision of peace is expressed in the Crossroads of Peace project that was recently unveiled by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian during an international forum in Tbilisi, Georgia. According to the Armenian parliament speaker, the essence of the project is as follows: “All countries of the region live with open borders, roads and infrastructures, are connected with each other by active economic, political, cultural ties, have accumulated experience and tradition of solving all issues with the tools of diplomacy and dialogue.” Addressing the same event, Pashinian regretted that “Yerevan and Baku still speak different diplomatic languages” and that “we often do not understand each other.” Stressing that Azerbaijan has not yet made a public reference to the three principles that he said have already been agreed upon by the sides and did not reaffirm its commitment to those principles, Pashinian said that this deepens the atmosphere of mistrust. “It also seems extremely suspicious that with the highest patronage in Azerbaijan and essentially at the official level, they have begun calling the Republic of Armenia ‘Western Azerbaijan.’ This seems to us to be a preparation for a new war, a new military aggression against Armenia, and it is one of the main obstacles to progress in the peace process,” the Armenian prime minister said. The three-day session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly that is taking place in the Karen Demirchian Sports and Concert Complex in Yerevan has brought together about 300 lawmakers from 47 countries. No delegates from Azerbaijan, Turkey and Russia are attending the session. 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.
Catholicos Aram I of the Armenian Apostolic Church visited the Archdiocese of America
Nov 18 2023
On Friday, , Catholicos Aram I of the Holy See of Cilicia of the Armenian Apostolic Church visited the Archdiocese of America Headquarters during his Pontifical visit to the United States of America.
In his welcoming remarks, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America expressed gratitude for the close relationship between the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and the Armenian Prelacy, thanking Catholicos Aram I for his strong commitment to “ecumenical witness” and “mutual support and encouragement.”
Elpidophoros also shared his prayers for the Armenians suffering in Artsakh and his hopes for a peaceful end to global conflicts.
“As People of Faith” Archbishop Elpidophoros said, “we trust in the Lord’s will that His peace will reign upon the earth, even as it is in the Kingdom of Heaven. But we must work diligently toward that end. And until such peace is found, we must minister and serve those whose lives have been torn apart by conflict.”
Catholicos Aram I responded with words of gratitude and insisted on the importance of Orthodox unity through honest theological dialogue. He said: “It is a must to restore the broken unity of the Orthodox Churches.” He then continued: “I would like to say my appreciation to His Eminence for receiving me today in a truly Orthodox way with a spirit of true fellowship.”
This day marks the second time Catholicos Aram has visited the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, the first time being on October 3, 1997, during the tenure of His Eminence Archbishop Spyridon.
Catholicos Aram was accompanied by Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian Prelate of the Eastern Prelacy; Very Rev. Sahag Yemishian, Vicar of the Eastern Prelacy; Very Rev. Hovagim Panjarjian, Media Officer of Catholicosate of the Holy See of Cilicia; Very Rev. Sarkis Aprahamian, Staff bearer; Rev. Fr. Nareg Terterian, Pastor, St. Sarkis Church in Queens, NY.
Archbishop Elpidophoros of America was joined by Bishop Athenagoras of Nazianzos; V. Rev. Archimandrite Nektarios Papazafiropoulos, V. Rev. Archimandrite Vaseilios Drosos; Rev. Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Throne Panagiotis Papazafiropoulos; Rev. Protopresbyter Nicolas Kazarian, Rev. Archdeacon Dionysios Papiris & Mrs. Elaine Allen.
Source: Orthodox Observer
Photos: Archdiocese of America
Urgent Message from Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem
Nov 18 2023
Source: Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem
ATTENTION ALL: The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem is under possible the greatest existential threat of its 16-century history. The existential territorial threat fully extends to all the Christian communities of Jerusalem.
The Armenian Patriarchate has recently cancelled a contract tainted with false representation, undue influence and unlawful benefits.
Instead of providing a lawful response to the cancellation, the developers attempting to build on the Cow's Garden have completely disregarded the legal posture of the Patriarchate towards this issue and instead have elected for provocation, aggression and other harrassing incendiary tactics, including destruction of property, the hiring of heavily armed provocateurs, and other instigation.
In recent days, the vast destruction and removal of asphalt on the grounds of the Armenian Quarter has been done without the presentation of permits from the municipality by the developer nor the police. Despite this, the police have chose in the last few days to demand that all members of the Armenian Community vacate the premises.
We plead with the entirety of the Christian communities of Jerusalem to stand with the Armenian Patriarchate in these unprecedented times as this is another clear step taken towards the endangerment of the Christian presence in Jerusalem and the Holy Land.
Divan of the Armenian Patriarchate
Statement on the recent events in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem
Patriarchate of Jerusalem
Nov 1 2023
Israeli Weapons Are Common to the Displacement in Nagorno-Karabakh and Gaza
JACOBIN
Nov 18 2023
Gaza and the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh share a history marked by slaughter, displacement, and broken promises from the West. They also have in common the influence of Israeli weapons, which have driven violence and upheaval in both regions.
It comes as no surprise that Israeli weapons are driving the violence in Gaza. But it is less well known that a similar scenario has unfolded in Artsakh [Nagorno-Karabakh], a majority-Armenian region surrounded by Azerbaijan. Following a ten-month blockade, Azerbaijan, armed with weapons purchased from Israel, launched an attack on civilians in Artsakh. In just a few days in September, nearly the whole population of 120,000 faced ethnic cleansing.
After a seventeen-year Israeli blockade, bombs are also raining down Gaza. Just as hundreds of thousands fled Artsakh, 1.5 million are being displaced in Gaza. Beyond the tragic circumstances, Armenians and Palestinians share a common struggle. Both groups are subjected to colonialism and slaughter supported by Western states.
Between 1915 and 1923 the Ottoman Empire perpetrated the Armenian Genocide, resulting in the deaths of between 664,000 and 1.2 million Armenians. Armenians were forcibly expelled from their homes, massacred and buried in mass graves, and subjected to death marches across the country. After living in Anatolia for two thousand years, almost the entire Armenian population was eradicated.
A year after the Armenian Genocide began, the Arab Revolt erupted against the Ottoman Empire. The Arabs received support from the British and French, who promised Arab independence. However, this promise was broken by the end of World War I when France and Britain were appointed colonial administrators of multiple Arab states by League of Nations mandates. Despite this, due to their shared opposition to the Ottomans, many Arabs provided refuge to Armenians fleeing persecution. Thanks to Arab hospitality, hundreds of thousands of Armenians still live in Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria.
In 1920, as the Armenian Genocide neared its end, Azerbaijan was integrated into the Soviet Union. Artsakh, with a predominantly Armenian population, resisted joining Azerbaijan and declared its integration with Armenia. Despite receiving approval from the Central Committee of the Communist Party, Joseph Stalin intervened and stopped this incorporation. Consequently, Artsakh was designated an “autonomous region” but remained under Azeri rule.
Similar to Armenians, Palestinians also faced foreign rule when, in 1948, Israel declared its independence. During the Nakba, that same year, Zionist militias forced seven hundred thousand Palestinians from their homes, including thousands of Armenian Palestinians who, once again, were forced to flee for their lives.
In the 1950s, the Soviet Union formed alliances with Arab states such as Egypt and Syria. Following the Six-Day War in 1967, the Soviet Union provided support and arms to the Palestinian Liberation Organization. However, when the Soviet Union collapsed, so did this support, and the Russian Federation restored relations with Israel. As the United States emerged as the sole superpower, Palestine became more vulnerable. Under pressure, the Oslo Accords were signed, but instead of fostering peace, the agreement led to much of the West Bank falling under Israeli rule, further fragmenting Palestine.
This not only impacted Arabs, but also Armenians under Israeli rule. In the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem, Armenians are prohibited from constructing new buildings, while Israelis freely purchase properties in the area. Israel settlers routinely harass Armenians. Notably, Israel refuses to recognize the Armenian Genocide.
Despite their victory in the First Karabakh War, Armenians soon faced a situation similar to their counterparts in Israel and Palestine. After the war ended, Azerbaijan discovered large deposits of natural gas, leading to a fivefold growth in its economy between 2004 and 2008. In the post-9/11 era, Azerbaijan, situated halfway between Europe and Afghanistan, became a strategic hub for the American military. More than one-third of nonlethal equipment destined for Afghanistan passed through Azerbaijan. Consequently, Azerbaijan became allied with the West.
Armenia’s strong alliance with Russia deterred any invasion from Azerbaijan. However, when Russia invaded Ukraine, Armenia found itself isolated. In an effort to circumvent Western sanctions, Russia supplied gas to Azerbaijan, which was subsequently sold to Europe. This shift in dynamics led to Russia aligning itself with Azerbaijan.
Since 2007, Gaza has faced a land and sea blockade imposed by Israel, restricting the movement of civilians and essential goods, such as food and medicine. Following Israel’s example, Azerbaijan implemented a blockade on Artsakh in December 2022, resulting in starvation and miscarriages. In September 2023, Azeri cargo planes flew to Israel to load drones, rocket launchers, and missiles. Shortly after, these weapons were deployed to invade Artsakh, prompting the rapid displacement of 120,000 people within days. Civilians, including women and children, were killed and tortured.
It was not the first time Israel assisted Azerbaijan. Cluster munitions, explosive weapons that release smaller bombs, pose a significant threat to civilian populations as they often scatter widely and may not explode immediately, functioning as de facto land mines. In 2006, Israel used cluster munitions against Lebanon. Subsequently, Israel supplied these munitions to Azerbaijan, which were later used in 2020 to bombard Stepanakert, Artsakh’s capital. According to recent figures, 70 percent of weapons Azerbaijan imports comes from Israel.
Awidely circulated map illustrates the gradual reduction of Palestine, from Zionist settlements to the UN Partition Plan, the 1949 Armistice borders, and finally the Oslo accords. This pattern draws parallels with the United States’ historical westward expansion, which began with the thirteen colonies and resulted in the confinement of indigenous people on reserves.
Similarly, the map reflects the history of Armenia. Before the genocide, majority-Armenian areas extended from Eastern Anatolia (Western Armenia) to Azerbaijan. Western Armenia was ethnically cleansed during the Armenian genocide, Armenians in Azerbaijan were expelled after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and Armenians are now being displaced from Artsakh. This pattern mirrors the situation in Palestine and the historical displacements in North America.
In 2021, Azerbaijan began extending its control over Armenia, occupying 250 square kilometers without facing consequences for ethnic cleansing and illegal occupation. Azerbaijan ambitions continue as it is demands that Armenia surrender eight villages and the Zangezur corridor, a land strip connecting Azerbaijan with its exclave, Nakhichevan. It appears Azerbaijan is once again preparing for conflict.
Just as Palestine approached the West after it lost the Soviet Union’s support, so too is Armenia turning to the West as Russia focuses on Ukraine. Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan visited the European Union Parliament, while his wife visited Ukraine. France is sending military equipment to Armenia and Canada has opened an embassy in the region.
To gauge Armenia’s future with the West, however, one should look to the West Bank. Despite the West’s professed support for a two-state solution, Palestinians in the West Bank face persistent and ongoing violence and the indignity of daily security checkpoints. Israeli settlers, who have been relocating to the region since 1967, continue to encroach upon Palestinian-owned land. While Western leaders have warned of severe consequences if Azerbaijan invades Armenia, a similar stance was taken before Artsakh was ethnically cleansed, with no sanctions imposed, and Azeri gas continues to flow to Europe.
The West has limited incentive to aid Armenia, given Azerbaijan’s significant gas and oil resources compared to Armenia’s few natural resources. Any attempt to help Armenia risks alienating Turkey, a key ally of NATO. As with Gaza, Iran stands as the only country slowing down Armenia’s full annexation. As an alternative to the Zangezur corridor, Iran has agreed to develop rail and highways on its territory to connect Azerbaijan with its exclave Nakhchivan. While this may not prevent a war, it is buying Armenia time.
Armenia is in an exceedingly tough place. Russia is engaged in Ukraine, and the West shows little interest in supporting Armenia over Azerbaijan. Iran may offer some support, but its struggle under Western sanctions limits its ability to stop a full-scale Azeri invasion.
Unlike Russia and America, Palestine is not a superpower. It cannot provide military support to Armenia. However, given global outcry against Israel’s siege of Gaza, Armenians can demonstrate solidarity and leverage international attention. The bombs dropped by Israel on Gaza are the same bombs Azerbaijan drops on Armenians. Any challenge to Israeli militarism stands to benefit Armenians.
No external saviors are on the horizon for Palestinians or Armenians. Salvation for Armenia, much like the ongoing movement in Palestine, hinges on bottom-up pressure and mass politics. Grassroots activism overseas can support this aim. Despite the West’s support for Israel’s actions in Gaza, global protests and Palestine solidarity activism are exerting tangible pressure, leading to the recall of Israeli ambassadors by some states, disruptions in Israel’s rapprochement with Saudi Arabia, and calls for a cease-fire from members of Congress and even some Western leaders.
A parallel scenario could unfold for Armenia. Envision millions protesting against the Artsakh genocide, states recalling their Azeri ambassadors, and the derailment of the Russian-Azeri rapprochement. The lack of public awareness regarding Azeri aggression has hindered such actions, but as the pro-Palestinian movement grows, efforts can be directed toward highlighting how Israeli imperialism impacts Armenians. Emphasizing Israeli attacks against Palestinian Armenians and its supply of weapons to Azerbaijan is crucial.
Of course, it is not simply through solidarity with oppressed people that Armenia will be free. But given that Western promises to protect Armenia will be broken — just as they were for Palestinians and Artsakh — Armenians may find strength in the recognition of their shared common struggle with Palestinians.
Aidan Simardone is an immigration lawyer and writer. His work is featured in Counterpunch, the New Arab, and Canadian Dimension.
https://jacobin.com/2023/11/israeli-weapons-gaza-nagorno-karabakh-colonialism-displacement
NYPL Honors Vartan Gregorian with Renaming of Center for Research in the Humanities
New York Public Library
Nov 17 2023
By NYPL Staff
This November, the trustees of The New York Public Library voted to rename the Center for Research in the Humanities to the Vartan Gregorian Center for Research in the Humanities. The change recognizes the profound contribution of Vartan Gregorian, NYPL president between 1981–89, who is credited with restoring and revitalizing the Library—structurally, fiscally, and reputationally as an essential civic and educational center.
Born in 1934 in Tabriz, Iran to Armenian parents, he learned the value of reading and libraries in his youth. At age 11, he began working part-time as a page at the Armenian library. In his memoir, The Road to Home: My Life and Times, he recounted that the library “proved to be a great oasis of privacy, peace, and occasional solitude. I loved to read, and I read everything…the library opened up a new world.”
In his 20s, he moved to the U.S. to attend Stanford, graduating with a degree in history and humanities and then completing his Ph.D. in history. After teaching stints at colleges in California and Texas, he moved east to join the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania where he would go on to become the dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and provost. Had the trustees chosen him to become the next president of UPenn as he desired, the fate of NYPL may have been very different.
Passed over at UPenn, Dr. Gregorian instead took the top job at The New York Public Library in 1981. Along with other public services, NYPL had suffered wrenching budget cuts during the City’s fiscal crisis the preceding decade. The institution he arrived at was financially deprived, operating at a bare minimum, and with a dispirited staff and decaying facilities.
Dr. Gregorian set about learning the ins and outs of the vast library ecosystem by talking to staff, visiting branches, and even putting in shifts answering phones at the information desk which he described to the New Yorker as “a terrifying experience.” With the trustees, he created a wishlist—facilities improvements, staffing, computerization, and more—and announced an ambitious $307 million capital fund campaign.
Over the next five years, Dr. Gregorian used his charm, drive, and natural salesmanship to present a compelling case for the Library and attract the private and public support to not just meet but exceed the funding goal. In doing so, he created a model for the future—a coalition of politicians, business leaders, social figures, and scholars to act as allies and champions of the Library’s essentialness to the people of New York and to the city’s civic and intellectual life.
Under Gregorian’s leadership, branch and research library hours were expanded, the flagship 42nd street location was restored, air conditioning and humidity controls were added to the bookstacks, a large-scale computerization project was begun, the collections were strengthened with a focus on multilingual and multicultural materials, and education and literacy offerings increased. Importantly, he turned the Library into more than a depository of physical items, but into a premier host for cultural and literary events.
Speaking at NYPL in 2006 with author and historian (and 2023 Library Lion inductee) David Nasaw about the transformative philanthropy of Andrew Carneige toward public libraries in the early 1900s, Dr. Gregorian remarked:
“People are craving for immortality one way or another and there is no institution in my opinion on earth that can give immortality—earthly immortality, that is—other than a library…All the buildings change, the names change, it’s the library that keeps the memory, accomplishments of everybody.”
The New York Public Library’s renaming of the Center for Research in the Humanities to the Vartan Gregorian Center for Research in the Humanities is one way we hold the memory and legacy of his contribution and express our gratitude for not just rescuing and restoring our Library, but championing the value and importance of libraries everywhere.
https://www.nypl.org/blog/2023/11/17/nypl-honors-vartan-gregorian-renaming-center-research-humanities
Israel’s Other War: Ethnic Cleansing in the South Caucasus
Nov 16 2023
Posted onNovember 16, 2023
YEREVAN – Over the past month, legacy and social media have been saturated with reports of the Netanyahu regime’s war on Gaza, which is being met with growing calls from the international community to invoke the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
Less known, however, is the role the Israeli government has played in another genocide that took place in West Asia only a month and a half ago. This genocide, little noted in the Western press, involved the ancient Christian community of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, known within Armenia as the Republic of Artsakh, that was ethnically cleansed by the Ilham Aliyev, the Shia dictator of Azerbaijan, in late September and early October. The muted response to Azerbaijan’s crime might plausibly be chalked up to the strength of its well-funded and influential lobby in Washington which profits off of the oil and gas revenue generated by SOCAR, the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic. SOCAR has links to the Podesta Group (co-founder John Podesta currently serves as a senior adviser to President Biden), lobbying powerhouse BGR Government Affairs, LLC, as well as numerous think tanks and academics associated with, among others, The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and the American Foreign Policy Council.
Yet another reason for the subdued response by Washington is the well documented ‘special relationship’ between the 51st US state, Israel, and Azerbaijan. A discussion I had last week with the Armenian academic Dr. Benyamin Poghosyan, who serves as Chairman of the Center for Political and Economic Strategic Studies and Senior Research Fellow on Foreign Policy at the Applied Policy Research Institute (APRI) of Armenia, shed some light on the role the Israeli government and its defense industry has played in enabling Azerbaijan – and why.
The relationship between the two countries began to deepen around 15 years ago when Azerbaijan, flush with revenue from its oil and gas deposits in the Caspian basin, began looking to purchase advanced weapons systems.
According to Poghosyan, “as late as September 2023, just before the most recent Azerbaijani attackseveral cargo planes went to Israel and came back to Azerbaijan full of weapons. And there is even information that Israel continued to supply weapons to Azerbaijan even after October 7th.”
The AP reports that it is estimated that Israel has supplied Azerbaijan with “nearly 70% of its arsenal between 2016 and 2020.”And just this week it was reported that Azerbaijan inked a $1.2 billion dollar deal with Israel Aerospace Industries to purchase the Barak MX air defense system, described as “a modular air defense system… designed to address missile and aircraft threats.”
The question then arises: Why is Israel, which claims to be under a near constant threat of missile attacks from the south in Gaza and potentially from the north by Hezbollah, doing this?
Poghosyan notes that he doesn’t think money is the reason, after all, fully 20 percent of the Israeli defense budget is covered by the American taxpayer.
The real reason has to do with Iran.
According to Poghosyan, Azerbaijan has agreed “to allow Israel to use their territory for anti-Iranian activities. And we are speaking about covert activities, foreign intelligence… Azerbaijan gave the green light to Israeli special services, especially its foreign intelligence service, to do whatever they want in Azerbaijan. Of course now they have access to that security zone around Nagorno-Karabakh, which borders Iran.”
Poghosyan notes that in recent years (in the aftermath of its earlier attempt to subjugate Nagorno Karabakh in 2020) Azerbaijan constructed two airports in the territory it gained around Nagorno Karabakh. “They are,” says Poghosyan “supposedly civilian airports, yet they are located very close to Azerbaijani-Iranian border – a distance of 30, 40 kilometers from the border. There are a lot of reports that Israeli military intelligence or foreign intelligence operatives are using these airports for operations against Iran.”
Israel’s role in assisting Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh is well known inside Israel, which it must be said, conducts a far more robust debate over Israel’s foreign policy than is allowed here in the United States.
The estimable Israeli newspaper Haaretz recently editorialized that Israel has, in their words, “its fingerprints” all over Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh. Haaretz also contends that “Israel hasn’t just supplied Azerbaijan with arms. It has also helped it distort history” by its refusal to recognize the Armenian genocide, which the Israeli regime merely defines as a “tragedy.”
Meanwhile, the situation in Armenia grows more ominous by the day, as Azerbaijan escalates its rhetoric (last week accusing Armenia of, among other things, illegally “occupying” eight villages on the Azerbaijan-Armenia border) and stands ready, with the eager help of Tel Aviv, to once again make a mockery of both international law and common decency.
James W. Carden is a columnist and former adviser to the US-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission at the U.S. Department of State. His articles and essays have appeared in a wide variety of publications including The Nation, The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, The Spectator, UnHerd, The National Interest, Quartz, The Los Angeles Times, and American Affairs.
https://original.antiwar.com/james-carden/2023/11/15/israels-other-war-ethnic-cleansing-in-the-south-caucasus/
Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister, President of the OSCE PA exchange ideas on the challenges arising from the conflicts
21:33,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. On November 16, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Vahe Gevorgyan received Pia Kauma, the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.
Welcoming the President of the OSCE PA, Vahe Gevorgyan noted that it is the first time in history that Armenia has the honor of hosting one of the OSCE PA sessions, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
''The interlocutors exchanged views on the existing conflicts in the South Caucasus and the OSCE region as well as the challenges emanating from them. In this context, Deputy Minister Vahe Gevorgyan briefed on the ethnic cleansing policy pursued by Azerbaijan against the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as the approaches of the Armenian side in terms of peace and regional interconnectivity.
The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs highlighted the important role of parliamentary diplomacy and its contribution in addressing regional security challenges,'' reads the statement.
Armenia’s Gor Sahakyan wins gold at IWF World Junior Championships
09:38,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Armenian weightlifter Gor Sahakyan has won gold at the IWF World Junior Championships in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Sahakyan was named champion in the men’s 67kg category with a total result of 305kg (140kg snatch and 165kg clean and jerk).
Sahakyan’s win is Armenia’s second gold at the IWF World Junior Championships 2023 after Alexandra Grigoryan was named champion in the women’s 55kg category.
Prime Minister Pashinyan attends Yerevan premiere of STARMUS VI film
10:11,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his wife Anna Hakobyan attended Friday evening the premiere of a film dedicated to the STARMUS VI festival which was held in Yerevan in 2022.
The screening took place in Moscow Cinema in downtown Yerevan and was attended by other government officials and lawmakers, including Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Hakob Arshakyan and Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister’s Office Arayik Harutyunyan.
The film is produced by STARMUS co-founders Garik Israelyan and Brian May, as well as filmmaker Todd Douglas Miller.
Israelyan also attended the premiere.
The film will be screened worldwide.