5-year-old child and elderly man missing in Stepanakert

Hovik Karapetian

 10:55,

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. A 5-year-old girl and an 83-year-old man are missing in Stepanakert, local authorities announced Thursday.

The child, Manika Vanyan, was last seen wearing a red coat. She has health conditions affecting her arm and eye. Anyone having information about her whereabouts is urged to contact her mother at 097-74-80-89 or accompany the child to the government building upon seeing her.

The elderly man was last seen midday September 27, when he left the school building wearing grey trousers and a checked shirt. Anyone having information on the whereabouts of the man is urged to call 097-24-14-60.

96 US Senate and House lawmakers call on Biden Administration to sanction Azerbaijani leaders for BK blockade, attacks

Alex Jidarian

 11:18,

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. A bi-partisan group of ninety-six U.S. Senate and House members have called on Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to apply their discretionary authority under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act to sanction Azerbaijani leaders responsible for the brutal blockade and attacks on Nagorno Karabakh’s 120,000 indigenous Armenian population

POLITICO’s National Security Daily was the first to report on the powerful letter led by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Representatives Seth Magaziner (D-RI), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), and Frank Pallone (D-NJ).

The 96 lawmakers stress, “in order to hold Azerbaijan accountable for its actions in blockading and assaulting Nagorno-Karabakh, we respectfully request that your departments exercise existing authorities under the Global Magnitsky Act to impose targeted sanctions on the individuals in the Aliyev government that are responsible for or participated in the violation of human rights in Nagorno-Karabakh,” the Armenian National Committee of America reported.

The Senate and House members stated, “These actions represent a gross violation of human rights and the perpetration of violent conflict, which both pose a direct assault on American values and interests. The perpetrators of these human rights violations must be held to account by the United States.”

Joining Senators Whitehouse and Cassidy and Representatives Magaziner, Bilirakis, and Pallone in cosigning the letter to Secretaries Blinken and Yellen are:

Senators: Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Robert Casey (D-PA), Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-NV), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), John Fetterman (D-PA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Edward Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Christopher Murphy (D-CT), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

Representatives: Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), Don Beyer (D-VA), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Julia Brownley (D-CA), Cori Bush (D-MO), Salud Carbajal (D-CA), Tony Cardenas (D-CA), Joaquín Castro (D-TX), Jim Costa (D-CA), Danny Davis (D-IL), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Dwight Evans (D-PA), Charles Fleischmann (R-TN), Jesus Garcia (D-IL), Dan Goldman (D-NY), Jimmy Gomez (D-CA), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Val Hoyle (D-OR), Jonathan Jackson (D-IL), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Dan Kildee (D-MI), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Greg Landsman (D-OH), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Susie Lee (D-NV), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), Tom McClintock (R-CA), James McGovern (D-MA), Rob Menendez (D-NJ), Grace Meng (D-NY), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Donald Norcross (D-NJ), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Katie Porter (D-CA), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Deborah Ross (D-NC), C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD), Linda Sanchez (D-CA), John Sarbanes (D-MD), Janice Schakowsky (D-IL), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), Christopher Smith (R-NJ), Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), Haley Stevens (D-MI), Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Shri Thanedar (D-MI), Dina Titus (D-NV), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Norma Torres (D-CA), Lori Trahan (D-MA), David Trone (D-MD), David Valadao (R-CA), Maxine Waters (D-CA), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), Susan Wild (D-PA), and Nikema Williams (D-GA).

The full text of the bi-cameral congressional letter is provided below and .

No Armenian will be left in Nagorno-Karabakh in coming days amid exodus – Pashinyan on Azeri ethnic cleansing campaign

Emil Karabekian

 11:26,

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. Analysis shows that no Armenian will be left in Nagorno-Karabakh in the coming days, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan warned Thursday.

“The exodus of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh continues as a result of the policy of ethnic cleansing carried out by Azerbaijan. Analysis shows that no Armenian will be left in NK in the coming days. This is a direct act of ethnic cleansing and [dispossession], and what we’ve been warning about the international community for a long time. The statements made by various international actors condemning ongoing ethnic cleansings in NK are important, but if no concrete actions follow these statements will be viewed only for creating a moral statistics for history,” PM Pashinyan said.

He warned that various countries, by simply making statements and not taking action, are trying to have an opportunity to separate themselves from this crime, in order to then be able to say ‘well, we had condemned it.’

“If no relevant political and legal decisions follow the statements on condemning it, the condemnations become acts of giving consent to what’s happening. Regarding the Government of Armenia, our primary duty today is to receive our brothers and sisters forcibly displaced from NK with the utmost care and ensure their urgent needs are met,” Pashinyan said.

Number of forcibly displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh reaches 60,600

Nahapetian Zhanna

 11:34,

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. 60,600 forcibly displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh crossed into Armenia as of 10:00, September 28, Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Khachatryan said at the Cabinet meeting.

He said that the intensity of the influx is not decreasing.

“Most of these persons were displaced into Armenia especially yesterday and the day before. The number continued to grow overnight,” he said, adding that 26,600 of the forcibly displaced crossed into Armenia on September 26 alone.

Exclusive: Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Nadia Murad on ‘crime against humanity’ taking place in Nagorno-Karabakh

Ani Kharatian

 12:05,

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Nadia Murad has called on the whole world to work together quickly and find a solution amid the ongoing “crime against humanity” taking place in Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of Azerbaijan’s attacks.

In written comments provided to ARMENPRESS, Nadia Murad said that ‘as with all forms of violence, prevention is better than intervention, and intervention is infinitely better than turning away.’

“My heart is with all the Armenians fleeing their homes, carrying nothing but fear and uncertainty. It is a crime against humanity and the world needs to work together quickly to find a peaceful solution. Thousands of people shouldn’t be condemned to a life in make-shift refugee camps with no future or hope. All authorities need to work together to keep women and children safe from sexual violence and trafficking which can begin during conflict. As with all forms of violence, prevention is better than intervention, and intervention is infinitely better than turning away,” Murad said when asked to give an assessment to the ongoing humanitarian disaster in Nagorno-Karabakh, as tens of thousands of people are crossing into Armenia in a forced displacement influx following the September 19-20 Azerbaijani attack.

Nadia Murad, co-recipient of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize, is a leading advocate for survivors of genocide and sexual violence.

Erdogan: corridor through Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran must be completed

Talar Tumanian
ARAB NEWS
Sept 27 2023
  • President says Menendez resignation from Senate committee boosts Turkiye’s bid to acquire F-16s

ANKARA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the so-called Zangezur trade corridor passing through Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran must be completed, broadcasters reported on Tuesday, a day after he met Azerbaijan’s leader.

Speaking to reporters on his return flight from the Azeri exclave of Nakhchivan, where he met President Ilham Aliyev, Erdogan said that if Armenia does not allow the trade corridor to pass through its territory then Iran was warm to the idea of allowing it passage through its territory.

Following Azerbaijan’s rout of Armenian forces in a 24-hour blitz in Nagorno-Karabakh last week, Baku has raised hopes of opening a land bridge between Nakhchivan and the rest of Azerbaijan, known as the Zangezur Corridor.

Erdogan said Turkiye and Azerbaijan would “do our best to open this corridor as soon as possible.” 

The Zangezur corridor aims to give Baku unimpeded access to Nakhchivan through Armenia. Both Turkiye and Azerbaijan have been calling for its implementation since the Second Karabakh War in 2020.

Erdogan also said all materials required by civilians in the Karabakh region were being provided by trucks after Azerbaijan’s lightning offensive to retake control of the region last week.

Meanwhile, Erdogan said in remarks published on Tuesday that Turkiye’s chances of acquiring F-16 fighter jets from the US have been boosted by Sen. Bob Menendez stepping down as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Menendez, the senior Democratic senator for New Jersey, has been a vocal opponent of Turkiye receiving aircraft to update its fighter fleet. 

He stood down from the influential role last week following federal charges that he took cash and gold in illegal exchange for helping the Egyptian government and New Jersey business associates.

“One of our most important problems regarding the F-16s were the activities of US Sen. Bob Menendez against our country,” Erdogan told journalists on a flight back from Azerbaijan on Monday. 

His comments were widely reported across Turkish media.

“Menendez’s exit gives us an advantage but the F-16 issue is not an issue that depends only on Menendez,” Erdogan added.

Ankara has been seeking to buy 40 new F-16s, as well as kits to upgrade its existing fleet. 

The request was backed by the White House but ran into opposition in Congress, where Menendez raised concerns about Turkiye’s human rights records as well as blaming Ankara for fractious relations with neighboring Greece.

Referring to talks between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in recent days, Erdogan said: “It would be beneficial to turn this situation into an opportunity and meet with (Blinken) again.

“In this way, we may have the opportunity to accelerate the process regarding the F-16s. Not only on the F-16s, but on all other issues, Menendez and those with his mindset are carrying out obstructive activities against us.”

Erdogan also openly linked Turkiye’s F-16 bid to Sweden’s application for NATO membership, which is expected to be debated by the Turkish parliament after it returns from summer recess on Oct. 1.

He said Blinken and Fidan had discussed Sweden’s NATO bid, adding: “I hope that if they stay true to their promise, our parliament will also stay true to its promise.”

Questioned on whether the bid was tied to Turkiye receiving the F-16s, Erdogan said: “They are already making Sweden dependent on the F-16 … Our parliament follows every development regarding this issue in minute detail.”

Erdogan also raised the prospect of a visit to Turkiye by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in October or November. 

The Turkish president also addressed the issue of Cyprus, divided between ethnic Turkish and Greek communities for 49 years.

He reiterated his support for a two-state solution, with international recognition for the Turkish administration in the island’s north. 

Turkiye is the only country to recognize the breakaway entity. The international community broadly supports the unification of the island under a federal system.

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2381041/middle-east

Nagorno-Karabakh: Why There Has Been A Conflict Between Azerbaijan And Armenians?

David Nargizian
Sept 27 2023
 

By Prakash Kl

A large number of ethnic Armenians escaped from Nagorno-Karabakh, forming lines for fuel and congesting the route to Armenia. This exodus followed the swift military operation by Azerbaijan, resulting in the defeat of the decades-old separatist state.
The self-proclaimed state situated in the mountainous Nagorno-Karabakh region, acknowledged by no nation, disappeared so rapidly last week. The ethnic Armenian inhabitants had mere minutes to pack their belongings before leaving their residences, becoming part of a mass departure fueled by concerns about potential ethnic cleansing following Azerbaijan’s victory.
Some 120,000 Armenians, who considered Karabakh as their home, left for Armenia.
Where is Nagorno-Karabakh Situated? 

Situated in the mountainous South Caucasus region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, this territory has been a longstanding point of contention. 

What is the conflict all about? 

The historical conflict in the region between Christian Armenians and Turkic Muslim Azeris spans over a century. More Than 19,000 Cops On Ganesh Immersion Duty In Mumbai Armenia and Azerbaijan, in their present forms, were integrated into the Soviet Union during the 1920s. 

Nagorno-Karabakh, an area with a predominantly Armenian population, was under the control of Azerbaijan. As the Soviet Union started to disintegrate in the late 1980s, the regional parliament of Nagorno-Karabakh voted to unite with Armenia. Azerbaijan aimed to quell the separatist movement, while Armenia supported it. 

These circumstances sparked ethnic conflicts, which escalated into a full-fledged war after both Armenia and Azerbaijan declared independence from Moscow. Subsequently, years of violence and hardship ensued. 

All Evacuated Safely Throughout the years, the death toll reached tens of thousands, with over a million individuals forcibly displaced. Reports emerged of ethnic cleansing and massacres perpetrated by both factions. 

The initial Nagorno-Karabakh conflict concluded through a ceasefire brokered by Russia in 1994. At the end of the hostilities, Armenian forces had secured control over Nagorno-Karabakh and its surrounding regions. 

According to the agreement, Nagorno-Karabakh retained its status as part of Azerbaijan. However, in practice, it has been primarily governed by a self-proclaimed separatist republic, led by ethnic Armenians and supported by the Armenian government. 

In a 44-day war in 2020, Azerbaijan recaptured seven surrounding districts and took back about a third of Nagorno-Karabakh itself and Russia brokered the peace deal. Under the agreement, Armenian forces had to withdraw from these areas and have since been confined to a smaller part of the region. 

The Role of Russia and Turkey While Turkey has been an ally of Azerbaijan, Russia had close ties with Armenia. Both Russia and Armenia are part of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) military alliance of six former Soviet states. 

However, the relationship between both the countries has strained since Nikol Pashinyan, who led huge anti-government protests in 2018, became Armenia’s prime minister. Recently, Pashinyan claimed that Armenia’s dependence on Russia as its single source of security was a “strategic error”. He had also questioned Russian peacekeepers in the conflict hit zone. 

It has to be noted that Russia deployed peacekeepers to the region in 2020. They had pledged to maintain access to the crucial lifeline-the sole road connecting the enclave to Armenia, vital for Artsakh. Ukraine Issue However, Moscow, preoccupied with the conflict in Ukraine and seeking strengthened economic and political relations with Azerbaijan and its ally Turkey, refrained from intervening this year when Azerbaijan shut down this route. 

This action resulted in a blockade, disrupting the supply of essential resources like food, fuel, and medicine. During the recent rapid attack on Artsakh’s vulnerable defenses, the Kremlin instructed its peacekeepers to refrain from involvement. 

The Ceasefire Azerbaijan and the ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh announced a ceasefire, facilitated by Russia, on 20 September, effectively halting 24 hours of conflict. The ceasefire agreement outlined the complete disarmament and dissolution of local Armenian forces. the integration of the enclave into Azerbaijan. However, a significant portion of the region’s 120,000 ethnic Armenians have been apprehensive about their prospects and place in Nagorno-Karabakh’s future. Hence, they are going to Armenia.


Georgian president: Nagorno-Karabakh events will change Caucasus’ fate

Ara Felekian
err.ee
Sept 27 2023
NEWS

The events in Nagorno-Karabakh over the last week will change the future for the whole region, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili told ERR during a visit to Estonia this week.

Zourabichvili said while Russia’s ability to influence events in the Caucasus has been reduced due to the war in Ukraine, it has not stopped trying.

Speaking about the outbreak of violence in Nagorno-Karabakh that started last week, she said: “Well, first of all, it is a humanitarian tragedy and we now hope some humanitarian aid is coming through, although many of the people are leaving. And I think this is going to change completely the fate of the region because what has happened in this conflict and this first phase, early on, means that Armenia is clearly not relying anymore on Russian support and hence now the only perspective is to turn West.”

Nagorno-Karabakh is recognized internationally as part of Azerbaijan but large areas of it have been controlled by ethnic Armenians for three decades. It is at the heart of one of the world’s longest-running conflicts, the BBC says.

The events in Nagorno-Karabakh over the last week will change the future for the whole region, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili told ERR during a visit to Estonia this week.

Zourabichvili said while Russia’s ability to influence events in the Caucasus has been reduced due to the war in Ukraine, it has not stopped trying.

Speaking about the outbreak of violence in Nagorno-Karabakh that started last week, she said: “Well, first of all, it is a humanitarian tragedy and we now hope some humanitarian aid is coming through, although many of the people are leaving. And I think this is going to change completely the fate of the region because what has happened in this conflict and this first phase, early on, means that Armenia is clearly not relying anymore on Russian support and hence now the only perspective is to turn West.”

Nagorno-Karabakh is recognized internationally as part of Azerbaijan but large areas of it have been controlled by ethnic Armenians for three decades. It is at the heart of one of the world’s longest-running conflicts, the BBC says.

Nagorno-Karabakh: crisis in the Caucasus could destabilise the whole of Eurasia

Emil Lazarian
Sept 27 2023
Nagorno-Karabakh: crisis in the Caucasus could destabilise the whole of Eurasia

In the past few days there has been a steady stream of ethnic Armenians fleeing the contested region of Narogno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan launched a 24-hour assault on the Armenian enclave, which is surrounded by Azerbaijani territory, on September 19 and, following a ceasefire brokered the following day, refugees have been allowed to leave via the narrow Lachin corridor, which connects the enclave with Armenia.

As of September 27, it was estimated that nearly 30,000 people had made the crossing since it was opened on September 24. It is expected that many of the estimated 120,000 Karabakhi Armenians will leave for Armenia. Meanwhile, at least 68 people were killed and about 350 injured in an explosion at a petrol station in the enclave’s main highway out of Stepanakert, its capital.

The Armenian prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, has accused Azerbaijan of ethnic cleansing in the region – something denied by Azerbaijan which described the conflict as an “anti-terror” operation and said that the majority Armenian population would be integrated into Azerbaijan and their rights respected.

But it appears that the exodus of dispossessed Armenians will continue and they are an angry population. They are angry at Azerbaijan for the shelling which forced them to flee. They are angry at Turkey for supporting and arming Azerbaijan. Oddly, they are not angry at Russia whose lack of attention emboldened Azerbaijan to take action against them. In fact, some of the refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh are expected to make their way to Russia via Armenia.

Mainly they are angry at the Armenian government as are many of their compatriots in Armenia itself. But the mass protests have been more an _expression_ of hopelessness than of defiance. Nagorno-Karabakh – where there has been an ethnic Armenian population since 200BCE – is lost and many people blame their leader. Witnessing refugees arrive has upped the emotional ante.

The response from Armenian prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, has been brutal. Up to 350 protesters were detained and some reportedly badly beaten by security forces. Pashinyan has implied that it is the Kremlin who instigated the riots. But, even if Russian media’s coverage is hostile towards Pashinyan, Armenians themselves have plenty of grievances against their prime minister.

The unrest follows riots in 2020 over the loss of territory and prestige after the second Karabakh war. During the conflict, Azeri forces reoccupied large tracts of territory previously occupied by Armenia.

So Pashinyan was already unpopular even before the most recent Azeri military action – his approval ratings as of June 2023 were very low – only 14% expressed trust in him and 72% gave his performance a negative rating. But there is little cohesion among opposition groups beyond a desire for Pashinyan’s resignation.

Russian relations with Armenia have been shaky for some time. After the invasion of Ukraine, Moscow pivoted towards Turkey, Azerbaijan’s sponsor, as it deemed the relationship more valuable in terms of mitigating the effects of western sanctions.

To a degree this was a rational calculation, but there’s a personal element as well. Vladimir Putin never warmed to Pashinyan, who gained power in 2018 after popular protests ousted the Kremlin-friendly leadership of Serzh Sargsyan. But Armenia’s close relationship with Russia goes back centuries, so the two leaders managed to get along.

Things began to really sour between Russia and Armenia in 2023, when Armenia, refused to host military exercises by the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), instead inviting the US military to train there. The highly symbolic visit by Armenian first lady, Anna Hakobyan, to Ukraine in early September seems to have been the last straw. Armenia, it seems, no longer counted Russia as a friend or a force to be reckoned with.

Azerbaijan has not achieved all of its goals yet. It aims to open direct ground links to its enclave embedded in Armenia, the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic, which has a population of just under 450,000. This would also give mainland Azerbaijan direct access to Turkey rather than transit routed through Iran.

Proposals for the “Zangezur corridor” are bitterly opposed by Armenia as it would effectively block the country’s border with Iran. The issue has rankled since the first Karabakh war in 1991, after which the two populations were only linked by air travel. Part of the agreement that halted the second Karabakh war in 2020 included allowing free transit through Zangezur, but this was never implemented. Now the idea is back on the table, raised by Azeri president Ilham Aliyev at a meeting with Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on September 25, when they met in Nakhichevan.

This will bring Iran into play as the route of any corridor between Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan would go along its border. Some sort of deal addressing Iran’s security concerns will need to be reached – and this is very likely to involve Moscow as one of Tehran’s close allies. So, Moscow appears to have taken a conscious decision to abandon Armenia for closer relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey and the opportunity to act as a power broker with Iran. In Putin’s eyes, no doubt, Pashinyan is disposable. He can wait until a different, more amenable leader, comes to power.

Armenia’s pivot to the west, meanwhile, appears almost inevitable. The country is likely to withdraw from the CSTO and apply to join Nato and request visa-free travel to the EU. But the manner in which Pashinyan is putting down protests will make many potential allies in the west uncomfortable.

The situation is only made more complex by Europe’s dependence on Azerbaijan for gas and its strategically important location in the Middle Corridor Eurasian trade route between China and Europe. The west can still play a valuable role in brokering peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan. But for any lasting settlement to stick, Russia and Turkey will have to be involved, instead of becoming its spoilers. This is a problem with many moving parts.

_Refugee figures have been updated as have the number of casualties from the fuel depot blast. _

Jo Adetunji

https://theconversation.com/nagorno-karabakh-crisis-in-the-caucasus-could-destabilise-the-whole-of-eurasia-214400