CSTO has seemingly washed its hands of Armenia and withdrawn – lawmaker

Adrine Hakobian

 17:14, 7 September 2023

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS. At this moment Armenia is not discussing withdrawing from the CSTO, MP Sargis Khandanyan representing the ruling Civil Contract party said Thursday when asked whether or not the Armenian authorities consider quitting the military bloc.

“It seems like it’s the CSTO itself that has washed its hands of Armenia and is withdrawing. The technical aspects and processes are a matter of additional discussions. A complex discussion should take place on the right time, moment and consequences,” Khandanyan, the Chair of the Parliamentary Committee of Foreign Relations, told reporters.

Khandanyan said Armenia is open to cooperate with other partners in security and defense.

Asked on a possible prospect of replacing the CSTO with another system, the MP said, “How can the CSTO be replaced if the CSTO is displaying inaction towards Armenia? We don’t want to cooperate with the kind of a mechanism that would again display inaction.”

Armenia has no territorial claims against Azerbaijan and expects the same from Azerbaijan – Foreign Ministry statement

Ani Basmajian

 18:02, 7 September 2023

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has responded to the statement by the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs released on September 7 after the Cabinet meeting.

“Regarding the statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan after the speech of Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan at the meeting of the Government of Armenia on September 7, 2023, we consider it necessary to emphasise the following.

“Azerbaijani users of social networks and media themselves published information regarding the accumulation of Azerbaijani troops near the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and along the line of contact in Nagorno-Karabakh, which is confirmed by information from other sources as well.

“In the above-mentioned speech, the Prime Minister of Armenia stated that Armenia is committed to the agreements reached on October 6, 2022 in Prague, October 31, 2022 in Sochi and May 14, 2023 in Brussels, which confirmed the mutual unconditional recognition by Armenia and Azerbaijan of each other’s territorial integrity. Armenia has no territorial claims against Azerbaijan and expects the same from Azerbaijan, which has not yet publicly confirmed its commitment to these agreements.

“Armenia is not interested in military escalation, it is now proposing mechanisms to exclude such risks, as it did previously, but until now has not yet received answers. Armenia is ready to discuss the introduction of other effective mechanisms as well.

“Armenia is ready to continue making active efforts to complete the work on the draft of the agreement on peace and normalization of relations with Azerbaijan and sign it as soon as possible. 

“Armenia is dedicated and remains committed to the agenda of peace and stability in the South Caucasus, while emphasising the need for similar rhetoric and practical signals from official Baku.

“It is obvious that the blockade of the Lachin corridor, the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh and the absence of Baku-Stepanakert dialogue under an international mechanism do not contribute to the improvement of the atmosphere in the region.”

Armenian Prime Minister’s spouse donates over 1,200 gadgets to Ukrainian schoolchildren

Maral Takmazian

 19:22, 7 September 2023

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s wife Anna Hakobyan has donated more than 1,200 gadgets to Ukrainian schoolchildren, the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science and Armenian children, the Armenian Embassy in Ukraine said in a statement.

The President of the Armenian Youth Union of Ukraine, Arman Hakobyan, was present at the meeting with the First Lady. On behalf of the Armenian youth and the Union of Armenians of Ukraine, Arman Hakobyan expressed gratitude to the Spouse of the Armenian Prime Minister for her important visit to Ukraine.




EU monitoring mission in Armenia increases patrolling activity on border with Azerbaijan in Gegharkunik and Syunik

Ophelia Vardapetian

 19:56, 7 September 2023

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS. The EU monitoring mission in Armenia (EUMA) announced Thursday that it has increased its patrolling activity on the border with Azerbaijan in the Gegharkunik and Syunik Provinces to observe any military developments.

“EUMA increased its patrolling activity – among others – in Armenia-Azerbaijan border areas of Gegharkunik & Syunik Provinces to observe any military developments. Through our presence on the ground, we aim to contribute to calming tensions & EU impartial reporting on the situation,” EUMA said in a post on X.

Armenpress: Armenian Foreign Minister meets with Emirati counterpart in Abu Dhabi

Emil Lazarian

 21:53, 7 September 2023

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan on September 7 met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi.

FM Mirzoyan and his Emirati counterpart commended the strong and dynamically developing cooperation during the 25 years of diplomatic relations based on the traditionally warm ties between the two friendly nations, the foreign ministry said in a readout.

Mirzoyan underscored that the UAE is one of the important partners for Armenia in the region and expressed readiness to continue the mutually-beneficial dialogue in various areas through joint efforts.

Speaking about enhancing political dialogue and sustainable progress of cooperation, the ministers attached importance to carrying out mutual high-level visits and regular consultations between the foreign ministries of the two countries.

In the context of further intensifying trade-economic ties and implementing various investment projects, the importance of the effective activities of the Armenian-Emirati Intergovernmental Commission was noted.

The FMs also emphasized that the weekly 30 flights between the two countries are significantly contributing to the intensification of business ties, tourism, cultural and decentralized cooperation. In this regard, the ministers commended the upcoming Armenia-UAE Business Forum in Yerevan.

The areas of high technologies, digitization, cybersecurity and innovation were pointed out as promising directions for partnership. The inclusion of new areas of interest in the bilateral agenda was also discussed.

Issues of regional and international importance were also addressed.

FM Mirzoyan briefed the UAE Foreign Minister on the current security situation in the South Caucasus and Armenia’s vision to achieve peace and stability in the region.

Speaking about the ongoing, nine-month-long blockade of the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan, FM Mirzoyan underscored that Nagorno-Karabakh’s population of 120,000 is facing grave humanitarian challenges incompatible with dignified life, which can cause irreversible consequences. FM Mirzoyan underscored the need for the implementation by Azerbaijan of the ICJ rulings.

Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia and the rest of the world, has been blocked by Azerbaijan since late 2022. The Azerbaijani blockade constitutes a gross violation of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, which established that the 5km-wide Lachin Corridor shall be under the control of Russian peacekeepers. Furthermore, on February 22, 2023 the United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – ordered Azerbaijan to “take all steps at its disposal” to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.  Azerbaijan has been ignoring the order ever since. The ICJ reaffirmed its order on 6 July 2023.

Azerbaijan then illegally installed a checkpoint on Lachin Corridor. The blockade has led to shortages of essential products such as food and medication. Azerbaijan has also cut off gas and power supply into Nagorno Karabakh, with officials warning that Baku seeks to commit ethnic cleansing against Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. Hospitals have suspended normal operations.




Asbarez: Commemorations of the Musa Dagh Resistance between the Two World Wars

Kanayan Tamar
by Contributor

 

 September 7, 2023

 

in Latest, News, Top Stories

In a rare photo discovered at the Armenian Genocide Museum and Institute, Armenian are rushing to board French boats in Musa Dagh in 1915


BY DR. VAHRAM L. SHEMMASSIAN

The first anniversary of the Musa Dagh resistance to the Genocide was marked in 1916 at the Armenian refugee camp of Port Said, Egypt, which was established the year before to shelter the Armenian highlanders from Musa Dagh after their rescue by the French navy. When the refugees returned home by fall 1919, regional insecurity prevented them from marking the saga with public grandeur till 1924. Each year thereafter, through 1938, commemorative events took place at Damlajik, where a pile of rocks had served as a makeshift altar during the actual fights. For about eight years Holy Mass was celebrated at this site, and requiem for the repose of those who had fallen on the battlefield was conducted in a nearby plot, where wooden crosses were stuck into the ground. But in 1932, this temporary arrangement was replaced with a more fitting, fenced graveyard that included 18 tombstones, each inscribed with the name of a fallen fighter.

The celebrants, including natives and visitors from Aleppo, Beirut, Egypt and elsewhere alike, congregated at Damlajik from Saturday till Sunday afternoon, making their way on foot from the villages below in several hours through difficult terrain. Upon arrival, they pitched tents or stayed in the open, hoisted the Armenian and French tricolors, and indulged themselves in feasting, launching fireworks, singing, dancing, reciting poetry, and reminiscing myriad details pertaining to the resistance. Sunday morning was reserved for the official program consisting of liturgy, requiem, and speeches by Armenian and French dignitaries. The organizers similarly sent telegrams to the French Minister of the Marine and the High Commissioner of Syria and Lebanon to express their appreciation and gratitude for the French goodwill vis-à-vis the Armenians of Musa Dagh.

In 1924, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation of Musa Dagh decided to erect a memorial monument and accordingly formed a committee chaired by Sarkis Tosunian, a party member, resistance fighter, and veteran of the Légion d’Orient. However, the project remained unrealized for the next eight years for lack of funds.

In September 1930, on the 15th anniversary of the resistance, Paul Baurain, a French teacher in Aleppo, delivered an impassioned speech at Damlajik. Afterwards, his wife recited a seven-verse poem written by him while in Bitias, one of the six Armenian villages of Musa Dagh. Titled “The Mountain and the Sea,” it said, in order “to win the battle” the Armenians had two allies: the mountain and the Mediterranean Sea, aided by French battleships and the Tricolor. The poem then proclaimed: “Djébel Moussa! Your name has entered history.” Madame Baurain hoped that with her husband’s address emanating “from the heart” as well as the poem she delivered, people would now contribute to the monument fund.  

This appeal must have been in sync with a fund-raising drive launched in France. On July 1, 1931, Charles-Diran Tekeian – who in 1915 was a 28-year-old 2nd Class Auxiliary Officer-Interpreter on the French warship “Desaix” and had participated in the Musa Dagh rescue operations – announced in the French-Armenian monthly “Le Foyer” that the people of Musa Dagh had asked him “to one more time become their spokesperson and their advocate” in opening a “subscription,” which would make Musa Dagh “the first page of a new history of the regenerated Armenian Rupenids and Latin Lusignans [royal dynasties of Cilicia].” The highlanders would thus “be able to think about the sacrifices of their elders and the peasant priests will thank God in his house [i.e., church], their saviors [the French] and our subscribers [i.e., donors] forever and ever.”

A month later, on August 1, Tekeian published another article informing the public of the formation of a “committee of honor and of patronage” composed of prominent personalities such as General Edouard Brémond; Viscount Benoit-d’Azy, ex-commander of the French battleship “Jauréguiberry”; Captain Edouard-Alphonse Vergos of the “Desaix;” writer, journalist and political activist Arshag Chobanian; Dikran Gamsaragan of the Armenian General Benevolent Union; and Tekeian as treasurer. Their “work had nothing to do with politics; it had but one goal: to perpetuate the memory of the rescue of Musa Dagh Armenians by the French squadron [of the 3rd Mediterranean Fleet] and pay a debt of acknowledgement to the memory of those brave peasants.” The lists of persons opening their pockets “will be sealed under the rock of Mount Moussa itself, and souvenirs of the local industry will be distributed to those of our friends who will assist us most actively.” Tekeian also indicated that, even before the official launching of the fund-raising campaign, he had received a total of 2,930 French francs from nineteen individuals, including the sum of 1,000 francs from an anonymous sponsor living in Lausanne, Switzerland.  The first list of subsequent donors would be published in the press on August 30, 1931, and the solicitation would end in October.  But on October 1, another appeal was made to have a larger pool of participants. Chobanian, in turn, published articles in the “Abaka” (Future) paper with the same goal. Musa Dagh immigrants in the United States also joined the effort.

Although a final count of the moneys collected is not readily known, the project, based on a design drafted by architect Mardiros Altunian and under the supervision of builder Haig Kelenderian, finally materialized after a year. The 17th anniversary celebrations took place on Sunday, September 18, 1932 with pomp and circumstance as the new monument was consecrated.  From one perspective, it resembled one of the French frigates that had participated in the 1915 rescue operations. From a different angle, it represented and served as a church altar. There was an inscribed marble plaque under each of the two small domes.  Both expressed gratitude to the French for delivering the Armenians from certain death. 

The inauguration began with the “Marseillaise,” after which Movses Der Kalusdian, a local and regional ARF leader, thanked and praised “magnificent France” for using its military might not to destroy, but rather to safeguard peace. In turn, Sarkis Tosunian delivered “a beautiful address” in French. It must be noted that the Armenians remained circumspect in their statements as instructed by the French authorities, because the latter were careful not to antagonize the Turkish government.

Speaking on behalf of the High Commissioner, Colonel Huguenet surveyed amicable Franco-Armenian bonds throughout history, considering the French assistance in 1915 a natural continuation of that close relationship.  In a clearly political message, he also reminded the large crowd that only under French protection could such a monument symbolize freedom and friendship among peoples.  Paul Baurain then read an unpublished poem dedicated to Musa Dagh (it is not clear if it was the same one recited two years earlier).  Vice-Admiral Henri Joubert, commander of the Eastern Mediterranean Fleet, followed suit by paying homage to the Armenian martyrs. The celebrations continued with an official banquet held near the centuries-old plane (sosi) tree of Kheder Beg village.  On the following day, Tosunian, as the President of the Deliverance Monument Committee, sent a message to Admiral Dartige du Fournet, then living in Périgueux en Dordognes, France, expressing his deep gratitude. Du Fournet was the commander of the 3rd French Squadron that had given the green light for the rescue of Musa Daghians in September 1915.

The last commemorative celebration took place in 1938. A year later, before July 23, the vast majority of the Musa Dagh people left their ancestral mountain refusing to live under Turkish rule as the Sanjak of Iskenderun, including Musa Dagh, was ceded by France to Turkey.  Today, the Musa Dagh resistance is celebrated annually in Lebanon, Armenia, France, Canada, the United States and elsewhere.  In the same vein, four monuments honoring this unique episode in Armenian History exist: in Anjar, Lebanon; Musa Ler Town, Armenia; Cambridge, Ontario, Canada; and Fresno, California (near completion).

On a related topic, this year marks the 90th anniversary of Franz Werfel’s historical novel, “The Forty Days of Musa Dagh,” originally published in German in 1933 and subsequently translated to numerous languages including Turkish. It is only fitting that special events and programs are organized around the world to publicize the importance of this milestone.

AW: Congressional Hearing: President Biden complicit in Azerbaijan’s genocide against Artsakh

Emil Lazarian
September 7, 2023 ANCA ANCA News 0

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Former International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo called out U.S. President Joe Biden’s complicity in Azerbaijan’s ongoing genocide against Artsakh’s 120,000 indigenous Christian Armenians, in powerful remarks delivered before a congressional hearing of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (TLHRC), reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

“President Biden or Secretary Blinken can officially tell Mr. Aliyev to remove tomorrow, unconditionally, the blockade of the Lachin Corridor, or we consider you responsible for genocide. […] And, of course, that will trigger a lot of consequences,” stated Ocampo, speaking in a packed Rayburn House Office Building hearing room.

Ocampo pushed back against arguments that Armenia-Azerbaijan negotiations may be hampered by the proper characterization of genocide to describe Azerbaijan’s over 260-day blockade of Artsakh. “The negotiation is between a genocider and his victims. You cannot ask for a negotiation between Hitler and the people in Auschwitz. It’s not a negotiation. You have to stop Auschwitz and then discuss negotiation. And that, I think, is the secret here,” stated Ocampo. The former ICC prosecutor went on to note that “knowing that President Aliyev is using genocide and trying to deny the genocide, the U.S. assistance to deny the genocide could be considered complicity.”

Former ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo described Azerbaijan’s 260+ day Artsakh blockade as a “an ongoing genocide. It’s happening now,” in powerful remarks delivered at the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission hearing, titled “Nagorno Karabakh: Update”

ANCA executive director Aram Hamparian echoed Ocampo, underscoring, “Today’s hearing put President Biden on public notice that he is – according to the spirit and the letter of the Genocide Convention – complicit in Azerbaijan’s genocide against the 120,000 indigenous Christian Armenians of Artsakh – citizens of an at-risk democracy blockaded by an oil-rich dictatorship.”

Rep. Chris Smith: “This horrible crime, this crime of genocide, was planned, tested and imposed by the government of Azerbaijan.”

Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission co-chair Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) – a longtime champion of human rights around the world and leading voice in the decades-long effort to secure U.S. reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide – was outspoken in his characterization of Azerbaijan’s genocide in Artsakh.

“There are 120,000 ethnic Armenians who have been sealed off from food and medicine and are being starved to death by the government of Azerbaijan. […] This horrible crime, this crime of genocide, was planned, tested and imposed by the government of Azerbaijan; that is to say, by President Aliyev who rules Azerbaijan with an iron fist as a dictator,” stated Chairman Smith in his opening remarks of the hearing.

He went to slam Biden administration officials for not responding to repeated invitations to participate in today’s hearing. “This hearing has two empty chairs. Two. Those of the U.S. Department of State and USAID. I requested that they both provide a witness for this hearing. Despite repeated requests by phone and email, neither responded. Not even a response. Since 1995, I have chaired hundreds of hearings with State Department or USAID witnesses. This is a unique case of absolute nonresponse,” stated Chairman Smith.

Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission co-chair Chris Smith (R-NJ) called Artsakh’s integration into Azerbaijan a “death sentence” during the September 6 emergency hearing

“It speaks volumes about the bankruptcy of the Biden-Harris administration’s genocide-aligned policies on Artsakh that they refused Chairman Smith’s repeated requests to send even a single U.S. State Department or USAID witness to today’s hearing,” noted the ANCA’s Hamparian.

Chairman Smith highlighted the Biden administration’s failure to adequately respond to Azerbaijan’s escalating aggression and blockade against Artsakh.  “Requests in bland bureaucratic language do not count, not when people are being subjected to genocide,” stated Rep. Smith. “Today, the State Department issued a readout of Secretary Blinken’s September 1 call with President Aliyev, where [they expressed] ‘concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation, reiterated our call to reopen, underscored the need for a dialogue and compromise.’ This is completely inadequate, and I believe it is insulting. One side is committing genocide against the other, and the State Department expresses concern urging the victim to dialogue and to compromise.”

David Phillips: “By being silent, by not acting, the Biden administration is making a statement that it values Azeri oil and gas more than it does the lives of Armenians in Artsakh”

David L. Phillips, the director of Columbia University’s Artsakh Atrocities Project and adjunct professor at Georgetown University, offered powerful testimony citing atrocities committed by Azerbaijani government officials against Armenians in the Republics of Artsakh and Armenia and calling for concrete U.S. sanctions against both Azerbaijan and its top leadership.

“Azerbaijan does not have a diversified economy. It relies on oil and gas resources. The levels of corruption by the Aliyev family are well documented. Freezing accounts and financial resources of officials and corrupt leadership responsible would be more effective in Azerbaijan than it would be elsewhere,” argued Phillips. “If the situation is not dramatically reversed soon, the U.S. and its allies should give the Armenians the means to defend themselves and exercise of the duty to prevent genocide, lest history repeat itself.”

Phillips went on to criticize the international community for not imposing sanctions against Azerbaijan sooner. “The international community failed to sanction individuals who committed crimes after the wars in 2016 and 2020. Its message of failure sent a communication to the government of Azerbaijan that it can act with impunity and escape repercussions for its crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing and acts of genocide,” stated Phillips. “This signals Azerbaijan, as well as other regimes around the world, that they can escape consequences for violating international humanitarian law and committing crimes against humanity.”

Columbia University director of the Artsakh Atrocities Project David L. Phillips argued that the international community’s failure to sanction Azerbaijan sent the clear message that they can act with impunity

The September 6 emergency hearing on Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) followed the June 22 hearing hosted by TLHRC co-chairs Chris Smith (R-NJ) and James McGovern (D-MA), which included remarks by Congressional Armenian Caucus co-chairs Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ). Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) also submitted a written statement for the record. Titled “Safeguarding the people of Nagorno Karabakh,” the hearing included testimony by former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback, former U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Evans, American Enterprise Institute Senior Fellow Michael Rubin and Columbia University’s Phillips.

The ANCA streamed the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission hearing live on its social media channels. The complete video is available on the Commission’s website.

The ANCA has launched a national call-in campaign asking Senators to place a hold on all of President Biden’s State Department nominees until he takes decisive action to stop Azerbaijan’s genocide against Artsakh. To learn more and take action, visit www.anca.org/hold.

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The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and most influential Armenian-American grassroots organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.


RFE/RL Armenian Service – 09/07/2023

Adrine Hakobian 
                                        Thursday, September 7, 2023
Prosecutors Drop Case Concerning Ex-President Sarkisian’s Foreign Trips
        • Naira Bulghadarian
Armenia - Former President Serzh Sarkisian and his supporters visit the Komitas 
Pantheon in Yerevan, March 25, 2022.
Former President Serzh Sarkisian has been cleared of any wrongdoing following a 
more than yearlong investigation into the legality of his private trips to 
Germany taken during his rule, it emerged on Thursday.
The Yerevan-based Union of Informed Citizens (UIC) said two years ago that 
Sarkisian used a government plane to travel to the German resort town of 
Baden-Baden on at least 16 occasions from 2008 through 2017. In a written 
complaint submitted to state prosecutors, the non-governmental organization 
claimed that the flights were financed by taxpayers’ money illegally and without 
any justification.
The prosecutors ordered the Special Investigative Service (SIS) to look into the 
claims. The SIS opened in October 2021 a criminal case in connection with what 
it called a possible abuse of power. It said some of Sarkisian’s flights to 
Germany appear to have been carried out in breach of official rules and 
procedures for the use of the government jet.
A lawyer for Sarkisian, Amram Makinian, has dismissed the investigation as a 
publicity stunt organized by the current Armenian government. He has said that 
the UIC’s allegations are based on inaccurate information provided by the 
government’s Civil Aviation Committee.
The Office of the Prosecutor-General said on Thursday that the law-enforcement 
body, which is now called the Anti-Corruption Committee (ACC), found no evidence 
in support of the allegations during the probe that lasted for over 18 months. 
The criminal case against the 69-year-old ex-president was therefore closed, the 
office told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service. The UIC leader, Daniel Ioannisian, 
criticized the decision.
Sarkisian, who co-heads one of the opposition groups represented in Armenia’s 
current parliament, admitted earlier in 2021 spending vacations in Baden-Baden. 
But he flatly denied allegations that he visited the world-famous German resort 
for gambling purposes. Sarkisian’s political allies have repeatedly accused 
law-enforcement authorities of targeting him and his relatives on government 
orders.
Karabakh Youths Freed By Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan - Three Karabakh Armenian men are pictured after being arrested at 
the Azerbaijani checkpoint in the Lachin corridor on August 28, ,2023.
Three residents of Nagorno-Karabakh were set free and handed over to Armenia on 
Thursday ten days after being arrested at the Azerbaijani checkpoint in the 
Lachin corridor.
The young men were taken into Azerbaijani custody as they and dozens of other 
Karabakh Armenians travelled to Armenia in a convoy of vehicles escorted by 
Russian peacekeepers. Karabakh’s leadership and the Armenian government strongly 
condemned the arrests.
The Azerbaijani authorities said the three detainees aged between 20 and 22 are 
members of a Karabakh football team that had “disrespected” the Azerbaijani 
national flag in a 2021 video posted on social media. They were placed under a 
ten-day administrative arrest as a result.
Armenia’s National Security Service reported that Alen Sargsian, Vahe Hovsepian 
and Levon Grigorian were handed over to its border guards deployed the near the 
Azerbaijani checkpoint. The office of Karabakh’s human rights defender said it 
will talk to them to find out more details of their “kidnapping” and their 
treatment by Azerbaijani authorities.
Another Karabakh man, Vagif Khachatrian, was arrested at the Azerbaijani 
checkpoint in late July while being evacuated by the International Committee of 
the Red Cross (ICRC) to Armenia. The 68-year-old was taken Baku to stand trial 
on charges of killing and deporting Karabakh’s ethnic Azerbaijani residents in 
December 1991, at the start of the first Armenian-Azerbaijani war.
Karabakh’s leadership rejected the “false” accusations and demanded 
Khachatrian’s immediate release. The Armenian Foreign Ministry likewise 
condemned Khachatrian’s arrest as a “blatant violation of international 
humanitarian law” and a “war crime.”
Russia Steps Up Criticism Of U.S.-Armenian Drills
        • Gevorg Stamboltsian
        • Ruzanna Stepanian
Russia - A view of the Kremlin, Moscow, April 20, 2020.
Russia continued to criticize on Thursday Armenia’s decision to host a joint 
U.S.-Armenian military exercise later this month.
The Eagle Partner 2023 exercise, scheduled for September 11-20, will reportedly 
involve 85 U.S. and 175 Armenian soldiers. According to the Armenian Defense 
Ministry, they will simulate a joint peacekeeping operation in an imaginary 
conflict zone.
“Holding such exercises in the current situation does not contribute to the 
strengthening of stability and the atmosphere of trust in the region,” Kremlin 
spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
The planned drills were also criticized by three Russian deputy foreign 
ministers. One of them, Mikhail Galuzin, claimed that the drills are part of 
NATO’s efforts to lure Russia’s ex-Soviet neighbors into its “vicious zone of 
influence.”
“It is natural that we draw the attention of our partners to the fact that 
rapprochement with NATO would hardly have any positive results in terms of 
ensuring their own security", Galuzin told the official TASS news agency. "I am 
sure that the Armenian people, the Armenian public understand everything very 
well and will draw the right conclusions corresponding to Armenia's long-term 
security.”
Another vice-minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said Armenia should instead participate 
in joint exercises with Russia and other allies making up the Russian-led 
Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).
Early this year, Yerevan cancelled a CSTO exercise which it was due to host this 
fall, underscoring its unhappiness with what Armenian leaders see as a lack of 
Russian and CSTO support for Armenia in the conflict with Azerbaijan.
The discontent is the main reason for growing tensions between Moscow and 
Yerevan. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian stoked them last week when he declared 
that his government is trying to “diversify our security policy” because 
Armenia’s reliance on Russia for defense and security has proved a “strategic 
mistake.” Pashinian also suggested that Russia will eventually “leave” Armenia 
and the South Caucasus in general. Moscow denounced his statements.
Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Paruyr Hovannisian downplayed the deepening 
rift between the two allied countries.
“We always have differences with all partners,” Hovannisian told journalists. 
“This doesn’t mean that they can be construed as tensions.”
For his part, Sargis Khandanian, the pro-government chairman of the Armenian 
parliament committee on foreign relations, defended Yerevan’s “sovereign 
decision” to host the joint drills with U.S. troops. “I think this [Russian 
criticism] is also a reaction to and a result of the deepening U.S.-Armenian 
relations,” he said.
Pashinian Asks World Powers To Prevent ‘New Azerbaijani Attack’
        • Astghik Bedevian
Armenia - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian speaks during a cabinet meeting in 
Yerevan, September 7, 2023.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian pleaded with the international community on 
Thursday to intervene to thwart what he described as Azerbaijan’s plans to 
launch a new military attack on Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.
Echoing statements by other Armenian officials, Pashinian said that Azerbaijani 
troops have been massing along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the 
Nagorno-Karabakh “line of contact.” He said Baku is thus “demonstrating its 
intention to launch a new military provocation.”
“I think the situation is such that the international community, UN Security 
Council member states should take very serious measures to prevent a new 
explosion in our region,” he added during a cabinet meeting in Yerevan.
The secretary of Armenia’s Security Council, Armen Grigorian, made the same 
appeal when he met with the Yerevan-based ambassadors of foreign countries on 
Wednesday.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry was quick to deny Pashinian’s claims and blame 
Armenia for rising tensions in the conflict zone. It said that Yerevan should 
end its “military-political provocations,” drop “territorial claims” to 
Azerbaijan and stop hampering the signing of an Armenian-Azerbaijani treaty.
Pashinian insisted that Armenia stands ready to sign such a treaty. He also 
reaffirmed his commitment to Armenian-Azerbaijani understandings brokered by 
Russia and the European Union.
Pashinian pledged in May to recognize Azerbaijani sovereignty over Karabakh, 
drawing condemnation from Karabakh’s leadership and the Armenian opposition. He 
complained afterwards that Baku is seeking the kind of peace deal that would not 
prevent it from laying claim to Armenian territory.
Pashinian on Thursday did not specifically request military assistance from 
Russia, Armenia’s increasingly estranged ally. The Armenian government has 
repeatedly accused Moscow and the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty 
Organization (CSTO) of ignoring such requests made during the September 2022 
large-scale fighting on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
Tensions between Yerevan and Moscow have deepened since then. They escalated 
further last week after Pashinian said that his administration is trying to 
“diversify our security policy” because the Russians are “unwilling or unable” 
to defend Armenia
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.

Baku concentrates troops on border with Armenia: Pashinyan

Anna Tamamian
Mediamax, Armenia
Sept 7 2023

Yerevan /Mediamax/. Three Armenian young people kidnapped by the Azerbaijani side from the Lachin corridor were returned to Armenia 10 days later.

“On September 7, at the Hakari bridge site of the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border, the Azerbaijani side handed over the residents of Nagorno-Karabakh Alen Sargsyan (born on 05.07.2001), Levon Grigoryan (born on 17.05.2003) and Vahe Hovsepyan (born on 12.06.2003), to the border guards of the National Security Service of Armenia.

On August 28, they were detained by Azerbaijani border guards while traveling from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia,” Armenia’s National Security Service said in a news release.

US-Armenia Military Drills Will Undermine Stability In Caucasus: Kremlin

Frangulian Shushan
BARRON’S
Sept 7 2023
  • FROM AFP NEWS
By AFP – Agence France Presse

The Kremlin on Thursday criticised upcoming peacekeeping drills between Armenian and US forces, saying the exercises would harm stability in the volatile region that Moscow sees as its backyard.

“Without a doubt, the conduct of these kinds of exercises does not help to stabilise the situation or strengthen the atmosphere of mutual trust in the region,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. He added that “Russia continues to fulfil its role as a guarantor of security.”

bur/yad