Asbarez: Artsakh Defense Army Withdraws from Positions

Liana Toganian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Main, Latest, News, Top Stories

A cache of weapons collected by Russian peacekeepers from Artsakh defense army


The Artsakh Defense Army on Friday withdrew from its positions as part of a deal reached on Thursday when representatives from Stepanakert and Baku met in Yevlakh.

The disarming of the armed forces was also part of a Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement, backed by the Artsakh authorities, which ended Azerbaijan’s latest large-scale attack on Artsakh that left 200 people dead and hundreds injured, homeless and displaced.

“In fulfilling of the agreements on the cessation of hostilities reached through the mediation of the command of the Russian peacekeeping troops, the delivery of weapons and ammunition to the units of the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army has begun, under the supervision of Russian servicemen,” the Russian peacekeeping mission announced in a post off the Telegram social media site.

“The armed formations of Karabakh are withdrawing from their positions as part of the agreements reached during the meeting in Yevlakh. As of today, more than 800 firearms, grenades, mortars, guided anti-tank missiles and MANPADS have been surrendered,” the Russia peacekeeping mission added.

Based on the agreement, Russian peacekeeping forces will replace the Artsakh Defense Army at those positions.

[SEE VIDEO]

Artsakh authorities said on Friday that there were no concrete results yet from talks with Azerbaijan on possible security guarantees or an amnesty that Baku is supposedly proposing.

“These questions must still be resolved,” David Babayan, the advisor of ArtsakhPresident Samvel Shahramanyan told Reuters. “There are no concrete results yet.”

Russian peacekeeping armored vehicles in Artsakh

“The situation is difficult – humanitarian questions need to be resolved. Agreement has been reached for a humanitarian convoy to come from Armenia via the Lachin corridor,” Babayan said.

Asked whether or not the Armenians of Artsakh were on the move, Babayan said there was no large-scale movement of people as the region was effectively under siege.

“The Lachin corridor does not work as it should,” he said. “At the present time, other questions need to be resolved.”

“The situation is very difficult: the people are hungry, there is no electricity, no fuel – we have many refugees.”

Reuters also reported that Baku may be considering amnesty for Artsakh soldiers who lay down their arms.

Azerbaijani presidential foreign policy adviser Hikmet  Hajiyev told Reuters that Baku is envisioning an amnesty for those Nagorno-Karabakh fighters who gave up their weapons.

“Even with regard to former militaries and combatants, if they can be classified in such a way, and even for them we are envisioning an amnesty or alluding to an amnesty as well,” Hajiyev said.
Karabakh Armenian rights would be respected as part of their integration into Azerbaijan, he said, adding that they had requested humanitarian support as well as oil and gasoline supplies. Three cargos of humanitarian help would be delivered to the region on Friday, he said.

“Currently we are seeing that some individual army groups and officers that made the public statements that they won’t come to our terms and will continue resistance,” Hajiyev said. “But we do not see that to be the biggest challenge, and big security challenge. Of course this will cause certain challenges and difficulties but not on a such a big scale.”

AW: ARS of Eastern USA launches urgent appeal to help families from Artsakh

Andranik Taslakhchian
 Armenian Relief Society Eastern U.S. Nonprofit News, Diaspora 0

WATERTOWN, Mass.—On September 21, the Armenian Relief Society (ARS) of Eastern USA announced its urgent fundraising appeal to support families from Artsakh.

“Our hearts are heavy as we reflect upon the painful reality of what our brothers and sisters are enduring in Artsakh,” said ARS of Eastern USA chairwoman Caroline Chamavonian. “The painful developments of the last few days stand as a stark reminder of the world’s inaction in the face of immense suffering endured by Armenians in the region, and we call on the community to donate to help our compatriots,” she continued.

The announcement also highlighted the inaction of the international community and the poignant phrase, ‘Never Again,’ that has echoed from stages and platforms across the world in reference to past atrocities, like the Armenian Genocide. Yet, the harsh reality is that when Armenians in Artsakh faced the threat of ethnic cleansing, the world remained largely silent and no action was taken to hold the perpetrators accountable.

Donations to help the families of Artsakh can be made online or by check to: ARS of Eastern USA, 80 Bigelow Ave. Suite 200, Watertown, MA 02472.

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the Armenian Relief Society of Eastern USA has provided humanitarian assistance and supported the homeland development initiatives of the Republic of Artsakh since the 1988 War.

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The ARS Eastern USA has 35 chapters located throughout the New England, Mid-Atlantic, Midwestern and Southeastern regions of the United States.


Fresno medical mission leaves to Armenia

Garnik Zakarian
Your Central Valley, CA
Sept 22 2023

by: Stefani Booroojian



FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE) – A medical mission including doctors from Fresno will make an annual trip to the country of Armenia to offer humanitarian care to people in need.  

The mission comes at a time of crisis as violence has escalated between Armenia and its neighbor to the east Azerbaijan.

The pictures tell the story of a region in crisis, the aftermath of this week’s deadly military assault on Nagorno Karabakh – a small region between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

While the land is internationally considered part of Azerbaijan, it’s home to 120,000 Armenians. Azerbaijan shelling military and civilian targets killing dozens in violation of a 2020 peace agreement.

“Armenia and Armenians lived in that region for thousands of years,” said Fresno’s Honorary Consul of the Republic of Armenia in Fresno, Berj Apkarian.

As Apkarian prepares to lead his eleventh medical mission of local doctors to Armenia, he watches with concern as the violence near Armenia’s border ramps up again.

Little can be done, as the only road linking Armenia to Nagorno Karabakh has been blocked for months by Azeri troops.

“The situation is very grave right now and unfortunately we are once again being subjected to a second genocide,” Apkarian said.

The international community is taking notice. The United Nations Security Council held a hearing on the crisis calling for a peace, and a bi-partisan as a U.S. congressional delegation may soon travel to Armenia.

“A delegation to Armenia would shed greater light on why this is important and so critical 1034 that Azerbaijan keep their word,” said Congressman Jim Costa.

Congressman Costa, a member of the Congressional Armenian Caucus, is calling for hearings on the crisis and is urging President Biden and the UN to establish a peacekeeping mission to Armenia.

“This behavior of the Azerbaijani stops period, this is about good and evil,” said Congressman Costa.

There was a meeting between Azerbaijan and the Armenian lead government in Nagorno Karabakh, but no specific results have been reported.

The medical mission from Fresno leaves this week.

https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/news/armenia/fresno-medical-mission-leaves-to-armenia/ 

Armenian medics take training to the next level as part of Saber Junction 23

Jagharian Tania
U.S. Army
Sept 22 2023

By James Cahill

HOHENFELS, GERMANY – Doctors and other medical personnel participated in the training exercise Saber Junction 23, which started Sept. 6 and ended Sept. 16, in Hohenfels, Germany, testing their capability to provide NATO-equivalent Role II medical services in a simulated combat environment. The hospital provided medical coverage to the U.S. Army’s 2nd Cavalry Regiment, and other participating units, along with 14 Allied and Partner nations.

In a highly-specialized training event, Armenian military medics trained on loading and offloading simulated casualties with a U.S. medical evacuation helicopter.

“The participation of Armenian military medics in Saber Junction fortifies medical interoperability among our allies and partners. Moreover, this exercise is one avenue of building a stronger relationship between the U.S. and Armenia and sharing medical best practices and lessons learned to prepare for future operations,” said U.S. Air Force Col. James Chambers, U.S. European Command Surgeon.

The U.S. Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) surgeon team, which conducted some of the training, also praised the efforts of the Armenians.

“USAFE surgeon team, in cooperation with Kansas National Guard, has been working closely with Armenia in supporting their Role II development,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Nisha Baur, an International Health Specialist with the USAFE team. “The Kansas-USAFE team has participated in multiple engagements to enhance Armenia’s Role II capability. The Armenian team is motivated and interested in building the personnel and materials to support the Role II. They continually update their Standard Operating Procedures as they participate internally and externally in exercises.”

Saber Junction is an annual exercise designed to prepare a U.S. Army Brigade Combat Team in support of NATO’s collective deterrence and defense initiatives. The 2nd Cavalry Regiment stationed at Rose Barracks, Germany, led Saber Junction 23.

More than 4,000 soldiers from 14 NATO Allies and partners participated in the exercise. Participating countries, along with the United States, were Albania, Armenia, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Georgia, Italy, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Poland, and the United Kingdom.

Armenia’s participation was an important step in a multi-year global health engagement “glide path” carefully facilitated by the U.S. EUCOM Surgeon’s office, the National Guard State Partnership Program, and U.S. service component international health experts.

 

Opinion Call what is happening in Nagorno-Karabakh by its proper name

Emil Lazarian
Washington Post
Sept 22 2023

By Luis Moreno Ocampo



Luis Moreno Ocampo was the first chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. He was also a national prosecutor in Argentina in the 1985 case against the military junta.


In 2021, President Biden recognized the 1915 removal of Armenians from their lands in Anatolia, in today’s Turkey, as genocide. The United States had been silent on the issue for more than a century, and its silence had grievous consequences.

Today, Armenians need global leaders, including Biden, to stop a new genocide — one that started this past winter and is now evolving into a more brutal phase.

On Tuesday, after a months-long blockade and military buildup along the border of the Armenian-majority enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan’s military launched an attack. Within a day, Azerbaijani forces quickly overwhelmed local defenses, killing more than 200 people, including civilians. In short order, a shaky cease-fire was announced.


In return for stopping the bombing, Azerbaijan demanded the surrender of Nagorno-Karabakh’s top leaders and the disarmament of all the armed forces of the Karabakh authorities.

As Azerbaijan’s victory became more apparent, scores of Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenian civilians gathered around the airport in Stepanakert (the enclave’s biggest city) looking to flee their ancestral lands.

They have every right to fear the next steps Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev might take. Since December 2022, Azerbaijan has blocked the Lachin Corridor, the only connection between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. On Feb. 22, the International Court of Justice, after hearing arguments from both sides, ruled that the blockade produced a “real and imminent risk” to the “health and life” of Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenian population.


Rather than comply with the court’s binding order to end the blockade, Azerbaijan security forces doubled down in June, sealing off the enclave entirely, preventing even the transfer of food, medical supplies and other essentials. Since then, Aliyev has repeatedly ignored calls from the U.N. secretary-general and the U.S. secretary of state to comply with the court’s ruling. He correctly understood that Azerbaijan would bear no serious costs from the international community for its actions.

Azerbaijan’s defiance is ominous. In international law, the Genocide Convention of 1948 makes it clear that one way to commit the crime is by “deliberately inflicting on [a] group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part” (Article II c). By blocking the Lachin Corridor, Aliyev turned Nagorno-Karabakh into a vast concentration camp for 120,000 Armenians. This week’s military intervention added killing (Article II a) and causing serious bodily and mental harm (Article II b) to the ledger.

What happens next? Because Nagorno-Karabakh authorities surrendered, the international community has urged Aliyev to guarantee the full rights of his Armenian citizens in the enclave. Aliyev’s government has said it is not committing ethnic cleansing and assured the world that “reintegration” will bring prosperity to the region.

But this rhetoric rings hollow given what has already been done. And Azerbaijan’s ambitions extend beyond Nagorno-Karabakh. Since 2010, Aliyev has regularly talked about Armenia itself as “Western Azerbaijan,” echoing long-standing Azerbaijani claims that Armenia as a whole is an illegitimate state. As recently as December, he said that “present-day Armenia is our land.”

The world must call the crime by its proper name. Resistance to using the term “genocide” has been a long-standing problem in international affairs. In April 1994, most U.N. Security Council members refused to label the mass killings in Rwanda as genocide. Little has changed in 30 years.

The last time the U.N. Security Council discussed the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, Aliyev’s blockade was repeatedly called a “humanitarian situation,” and continued negotiations were proposed. One is reminded of the heroic intervention by the Czech ambassador, Karel Kovanda, during the U.N. debates on Rwanda: When most leaders backed negotiating a truce, he likened the idea to “persuading Hitler to reach a ceasefire with the Jews.”


Today, as always, geopolitics explain the world’s reticence. Azerbaijan is an ally with the West against Iran; it provides energy to Europe and it spends millions on sophisticated Israeli weapons. But such exigencies must not get in the way of the world’s responsibility to stop what is happening before its very eyes: the Armenian genocide of 2023.

Biden did the right thing in 2021. Today, he needs to help prevent history from repeating itself.

Russia to blame for Azerbaijan attack, EU says

Emma Jilavian
EU Observer
Sept 22 2023
By ANDREW RETTMAN

Russia is to blame for Azerbaijan’s blitzkrieg against Armenians, a senior EU official has said. And Moscow is hoping to topple Armenia’s Western-leaning prime minister, the official added.

Luc Devigne, the head of the Russia department in the EU foreign service, shared his views at a snap meeting with MEPs in Brussels on Wednesday (20 September).

Speaking of Russia’s 2,000 peacekeeping troops in the South Caucasus conflict zone, Devigne said: “Did any of these peacekeepers do anything? Nothing. They didn’t even put their armoured vehicles in the road … passively to block the military operation,” he said.

“There’s only Russian troops [there]. Who is to be blamed? Russia,” he added.

He spoke one day after Azerbaijan rolled through the Russian lines to force the surrender of the ethnic Armenian exclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Civilian EU monitors on the Armenian side of the border heard “numerous explosions, 15 here, five there … it was a military operation of an important scale,” Devigne said.

And one “cynical” reason for Russia’s green light was that a humiliating defeat by Azerbaijan for Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan could see him fall from power to be replaced by a pro-Russian figure, the EU official said.

The war could also push up to 200,000 refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh into Armenia, a country of just 2.8 million people, placing a huge burden on Pashinyan’s government.

Devigne highlighted a tweet by former Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev, who said the Azeri attack showed what happened if you “flirt with Nato”, referring to a recent small-scale Armenia-US military exercise.

“I know from some experience how the Russians hate that, so I think this is a factor,” Devigne said.

“[Russian president Vladimir] Putin never accepted that Pashinyan rose to power the way he did, in what you might call a Colour Revolution,” Devigne also said, referring to the Armenian revolution in 2018 and to other non-violent regime changes in the former Soviet region.

Several MEPs called for sanctions against Azerbaijan and accused it of seeking “ethnic cleansing” of Armenians from conquered lands.

“We should get rid of this [EU] need to get gas from there [Azerbaijan] — that would weaken their stance,” said German centre-right MEP Michael Mahler.

And not a single EU deputy had a good word to say about Baku, even though Azerbaijan had been bending over backwards to make friends in the EU parliament in recent times.

The EU bought 11.3 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas from Azerbaijan last year — a jump from 8 bcm the year before, but still just 3 percent of its total annual imports.

EU ambassadors also held behind-closed-doors talks in Brussels on Wednesday which likely discussed potential sanctions, Devigne said.

But there was no consensus for sanctions in earlier talks in August, Devigne added, when Azerbaijan was already blockading Nagorno-Karabakh in preparation for its onslaught.

For his part, Devigne’s boss, EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell, also met the Armenian foreign minister in the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday to voice solidarity.

France called a meeting of the UN Security Council amid uncertainty if an Azeri-Armenian ceasefire agreed on Wednesday will hold.

Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh campaign began with a first attack in 2020 and a second one in 2021.

It has been stockpiling Israeli and Turkish weapons and pumping out ever more belligerent anti-Armenian propaganda.

And it has belittled Europe, with its EU ambassador tweeting death threats against MEPs and its armed forces opening fire in the vicinity of EU monitors in Armenia earlier this year.

But if Russia facilitated the latest warfare and previous attacks, the EU also did little to put pressure on Baku in the build-up to the new hostilities, with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen instead going there last summer to shake hands on gas deals with Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev, who she called a “trusted partner”.

Asked by press in Brussels on Wednesday if von der Leyen now regretted cozying up to Aliyev, her spokeswoman declined to answer.

“It’s a fact Azerbaijan is a supplier of gas to the EU. There’s cooperation on energy, which is very sectoral, and reflects the need to diversify supply,” the commission said.

Meanwhile, French liberal MEP Nathalie Loiseau gave an idea of how top EU diplomats ought to be feeling.

She had watched the events unfold with a “mixture of sadness, anger, and shame”, she told Devigne in the EU parliament hearing.

“For months, Azerbaijan has been circling, starving, and bringing Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh to their knees. Now it bombs Stepanakert [the Nagorno-Karabakh capital]. What have we done? Mediation? Total failure,” she said.

“We ignored all the signs from the Armenian prime minister, who was telling us that Russia had abandoned Armenia. He called for help,” she added.

“We just closed our eyes to this,” she said.

Rep. Pallone Introduces Bipartisan Legislation To Protect & Provide Humanitarian Assistance to the Armenian People

Emil Lazarian

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr (D-NJ) introduced bipartisan legislation with Reps. David Valadao (R-CA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) to protect Armenians and provide humanitarian assistance to Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh in response to the brutal and unjust actions taken by the Government of Azerbaijan, reported the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly).

The Bill, “Supporting Armenians Against Azerbaijani Aggression Act of 2023,” covers a spectrum of pertinent and swift actions that can be taken by the Administration in the aftermath of Azerbaijan’s illegal and unprovoked attacks on the Armenian people of Nagorno-Karabakh, from calling on Azerbaijan to open the Lachin Corridor to providing humanitarian assistance to imposing sanctions to ceasing waivers of Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act, as well as appropriating funding for future partnerships between the U.S. and Armenia.

“President Aliyev’s genocidal campaign against the Armenian people of Artsakh has gone on too long, and it is past time the United States takes meaningful action to halt it. This legislation takes a major first step in addressing the atrocities committed by his regime and holding him and his cronies accountable for the death and destruction they have wrought. It would also provide the Armenian people impacted by the conflict with the assistance and security they need to live safely in their ancient homelands without fear of reprisal from the Azerbaijani government,” stated Congressman Pallone.

The Assembly’s Congressional Relations Director Mariam Khaloyan stated: “Since he has taken a page out of Putin’s playbook in Ukraine, Aliyev too must be held accountable for his ongoing targeting of civilians in Artsakh. We urge the Administration to sanction Azerbaijan for its genocidal actions.”
The Bill further calls for $30 million to “provide humanitarian assistance to groups in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh impacted by the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War, Azerbaijan’s September 2022 attack on Armenia, and Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin Corridor.”
The Bill also contains language to provide $10 million in Foreign Military Financing assistance to Armenia to “support Armenia’s independence, joint training and exercises with the U.S., and train Armenian forces for future international peacekeeping operations.”
Imposing sanctions on Azerbaijan regarding the Aliyev regime’s clear attempts at ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh is also specified, as well as the government’s “operations that instigated the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War; attacks on Armenia in September 2022; the blockade of the Lachin Corridor beginning in December 2022; attacks on Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023.”
Finally, the Bill highlights the importance of protecting the rights of the Armenian people in Nagorno-Karabakh and requests that the Secretary of State “shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a detailed strategy to ensure the durable security for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh” that incorporates the “rights and security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh” as well as the “establishment of accountability measures to ensure the rights and security of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh in the event that the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan reach a peace agreement” as well as “support for the protection of Armenian cultural heritage sites in Nagorno-Karabakh.”


Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.


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NR# 2023-32


Armenpress: Armenia’s Malkhas Amoyan takes Paris 2024 quota after winning bronze at World Wrestling Championships

Emil Lazarian

 21:41,

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. Armenian wrestler Malkhas Amoyan won bronze in the Men’s Greco-Roman 77 kg division at the 2023 World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade, Serbia by defeating 9:7 Kazakhstan’s Demeu Zhadrayev.

With this victory, Amoyan qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Amoyan won gold at the 2021 world championships and is a two-time European champion.

Sending UN peacekeeping mission to Nagorno-Karabakh can only be decided by UNSC – Stéphane Dujarric

Emil Lazarian

 21:52,

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. A UN Peacekeeping Mission can be sent to Nagorno-Karabakh only by the decision of the UN Security Council, UN Secretary General’s spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric has said, according to TASS news agency.

“Decisions about any peacekeeping mission are made by the UN Security Council,” he added.

On September 21, during the UNSC meeting on Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia called for the deployment of UN-mandated peacekeepers to Nagorno-Karabakh.




PM Pashinyan, Germany’s Scholz discuss Nagorno-Karabakh

Garnik Tadevosian

 22:45,

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan spoke by phone on Friday with Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz. The Prime Minister’s Office said PM Pashinyan and Chancellor Scholz discussed the military-political situation around Nagorno-Karabakh and the steps aimed at overcoming it.

The need for guarantees ensuring the security and rights of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh was underscored. The Armenia-Germany cooperation agenda was also discussed.