Russia beat Europe in Caucasus under the guise of ‘humanitarian aid’ from Putin’s ally

Garnik Zakarian
Bulgaria – Aug 14 2023
   Igor Chalenko 

On July 26, a total of 19 lorries loaded with food and medicine were sent from Armenia to the separatist enclave in Azerbaijani Karabakh along the Lachin road.

The dispatch of the lorries had not been coordinated with official Baku. So, on the Azerbaijan with Armenian border, the border guards did not allow these lorries through, because of the danger of smuggling weapons and transferring militants to Karabakh.

Separatists with Moscow principles

Two days after the trucks had been sent from Yerevan, one of the largest Greek media Protothema said that “this road is used (by Armenia) for “the rotation of personnel, the transport of weapons and ammunition, the infiltration of terrorists”.

After Azerbaijan regained its own sovereignty over Karabakh in 2020, Armenia’s connection to the separatist enclave has been through the Lachin road, temporarily controlled by the Russian military contingent.

On July 15, European Council President Charles Michel announced Azerbaijan’s readiness to open an additional road through Agdam for the supply of humanitarian goods to the Armenians of Karabakh. But Yerevan, together with the leadership of the separatists, stubbornly insists on using the Lachin road.

The fact that Yerevan and the Karabakh separatists, with the support of the Kremlin, have been speculating on the Karabakh conflict was previously reported by the Ukrainian media.

“For the separatist leadership in Khankendi, it is fundamental to use the Lachin road in particular, which is controlled by the Russian military contingent,” Ukrainian publication Censor said.

Imperialist games of the Kremlin

Yerevan’s desire to use the very road where the Russian military is deployed is not accidental, because the very delivery of humanitarian cargo to Karabakh has a Russian trace. This is evidenced by a number of facts:

The lorries sent from Yerevan belong to the export company Spayka. Sedrak Kocharyan is confidently called its owner in Armenia. He is the son of Robert Kocharyan, the most pro-Russian ex-president of Armenia and a personal friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Spayka, like its owner, has close ties to Russia. The company has been supplying to Russia for more than 16 years.

According to the Armenian media, many of which (Hraparak, Sputnik Armenia, Radio Azatutyun) are directly or indirectly connected with the Kremlin, the Russian military contingent was supposed to act as an intermediary in the transfer of cargo sent from Yerevan to the Karabakh separatists.

On August 8, a volunteer armed formation in Armenia, calling itself the “Crusaders”, began an action against the exclusion of Spayka trucks from Karabakh. The squad is sponsored by the Moscow crime boss and “businessman” Artur Asatryan, who has been put on the international wanted list by the Italian authorities on suspicion of murder.

The truck story is yet another manifestation of Russian imperialism. Putin has long sought to prevent the achievement of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, in which the EU and the US are interested. The same scenario was played by him in Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova. The goals of such a destructive policy were reported by many Western media.

Armenians of Karabakh – like pawns of Moscow

“Putin is using the Armenians of Karabakh as pawns. Like South Ossetians and Abkhazians in Georgia or Russian communities in Ukraine, Karabakh offers him a pseudo-humanitarian justification for Russian imperialism,” The Wall Street Journal reported in June 2023.

“Given Russia’s ongoing conflicts over puppet territories in many parts of the former Soviet Union, such as Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Donbass, Moscow continues to follow the same scenario. Karabakh is a suitable target for such an operation,” pan-European publication EuReporter said.

By capitalizing on the humanitarian problem created by Moscow itself, “Russia will be able to maintain its positions, including its military presence, in the South Caucasus and Eastern Europe,” the Romanian edition of Newsweek said.

According to the Czech CNN (the local partner of the American corporation), “Russia is very unhappy that Armenia and Azerbaijan can agree on some issues with the help of Washington or Brussels.”

“Russia is trying to use every opportunity to spark the conflict and prevent the establishment of peace between the two countries supported by the West,” the Polish edition of Dorzeczy says.

Humanitarian aid or militarization?

The fears of Azerbaijanis and European media about the transfer of weapons and militants to Karabakh under the guise of humanitarian aid have reasonable grounds..

Kocharyan’s Spayka is well known for its smuggling activities. During the Second Karabakh War in 2020, it was involved in the illegal transportation of weapons from Russia to Armenia.

On October 10, 2020, Spayka trucks full of weapons were detained at the Georgian-Armenian border.

According to the tripartite statement of the heads of the Russian Federation, Azerbaijan and Armenia, which was signed following the results of the 2020 war, the Lachin road leading from Armenia to Karabakh can be used strictly for civilian purposes. Despite this, for the past three years, the patrons of the Armenian separatists in Yerevan, with the active participation of the Russian military, have been transferring weapons and ammunition to Karabakh along the Lachin road.

“Armenia continues to form new combat positions on the territory of Azerbaijan, where the Russian contingent is temporarily stationed … Hence, the laying of a large number of mines also continues,” the Ukrainian news portal Censor reported recently.

On June 14, the large Telegram channel AZfront, which regularly publishes exclusive materials about Ukraine, the Caucasus and Iran, reported on Russian military supplies to Karabakh: “The Russian army secretly handed over hundreds of Chinese reconnaissance and strike drones DJI Mavic 3 Fly More Combo with explosive release systems to illegal armed formations of Armenian separatists in Karabakh.” This information was provided by a source in the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine.

Separatism in eastern Ukraine and Karabakh is the same

A similar situation with the delivery of humanitarian cargo occurred in 2014, when Moscow announced its intention to deliver “humanitarian aid” to eastern Ukraine. Kyiv refused such an initiative, fearing the transfer of weapons and terrorists to its territory. Then the US and the EU unconditionally supported Ukraine.

“I condemn the entry of the so-called Russian humanitarian convoy into Ukraine. This is a flagrant violation of Russia’s international obligations,” Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in August 2014.

“Russia has no business delivering aid in Ukraine.… Therefore, any further unilateral intervention by Russia into Ukrainian territory – including one under the guise of providing humanitarian aid – would be completely unacceptable,” US ambassador to the UN Samantha Power said the same month.

In 2014, the head of EU foreign policy, Sebastian Brabant, also expressed his opinion: “This (sending trucks from Russia to Ukraine) is a clear violation of Ukrainian borders.”

Press release following a telephone conversation between President Obama and Chancellor Merkel: “The two leaders agreed that Russia sending a convoy into Ukraine without Ukraine’s approval is a further provocation and a violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Despite the obvious similarity between the events nine years ago in the eastern regions of Ukraine and those that are happening now in Azerbaijan, European politicians and officials are ignoring the situation in Karabakh.

Some are even supporting the demands of the pro-Russian separatists. Probably, such bias is caused by the influence of large Armenian diasporas in France and the USA. As the Romanian publication Stiripesurse noted in July, “the president of one of the main European powers, Emmanuel Macron, has become a hostage to radical elements in the Armenian diaspora.” Apparently, not only him…

Azerbaijani Press: Armenians solicit provocation near Azerbaijan’s Consulate General in Los Angeles

Karapet Navasardian
Azerbaijan – Aug 14 2023
Ingilab Mammadov

Read more

BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 14. Azerbaijan continues to be the target of concerted provocations by Armenia and pro-Armenian political circles, Trend reports.

This time, representatives of the Armenian lobby staged a protest rally near the Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles in connection with the activities of the Lachin checkpoint.

In order to make things more difficult for Baku, the demonstrators overseas are pressuring Azerbaijan to take appropriate responses.

Sadly, there is no information available on the US government, which is perceived to be watching such processes from the outside, interfering with the unlawful activities of the Armenian lobby and activities supporting and fostering separatism.

In order to prevent the transportation of manpower, ammunition, mines, as well as other military equipment from Armenia for illegal Armenian armed groups on the territory of Azerbaijan (which weren’t withdrawn contrary to the trilateral statement of November 10, 2020 signed by Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian leaders following the second Karabakh war), and as an adequate response to the unilateral establishment of a border checkpoint by Armenia on the border with Azerbaijan on April 22, 2023, at the entrance to the Lachin-Khankendi road contrary to the trilateral statement of November 10, 2020, on April 23 this year, the units of the State Border Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan set up a border checkpoint in its sovereign territories, on the border with Armenia, at the beginning of the Lachin-Khankendi road.

Despite Azerbaijan ensuring the passage of Armenian citizens, ICRC representatives, and the Russian peacekeeping contingent through the border crossing (temporarily stationed in Azerbaijan under the trilateral statement), the Armenian side spread rumors about the alleged “tense humanitarian situation” in the area in order to carry out its illegal activities in Azerbaijani territory.

At the same time, the Armenian side engaged in provocations, including shelling Azerbaijani border guards on June 15 and attempting to smuggle vehicles into Azerbaijani territory without authorization on July 26.

Turkish Press: Türkiye expects Armenia to avoid ‘provocative steps’ on Lachin road

Chakhmakhchian Vatche
Turkey – Aug 14 2023
Diyar Guldogan  


ANKARA

Ankara “closely” follows the debates on the southern Caucasus’ Lachin road, understands Azerbaijan’s “legitimate concerns,” and expects Armenia to avoid “provocative steps,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

“Türkiye has been following the longstanding debates on the Lachin road closely and understands Azerbaijan’s legitimate concerns on the issue.

“Unfortunately, these concerns that Azerbaijan has voiced loudly for a long time were not taken into account, and as a result, Azerbaijan took the measures it deems appropriate within the framework of its sovereign rights,” the ministry said in a statement.

Azerbaijan has called on countries and international organizations that have made anti-Azerbaijani statements to respect its sovereignty and territorial integrity, especially concerning developments in Karabakh and the Lachin road, the only land route giving Armenia access to the Karabakh region.

Despite ongoing talks on a peace agreement following a war in 2020, tensions between Baku and Yerevan have risen in recent months concerning the Lachin road, as well as Azerbaijan’s establishment of a border checkpoint on the road.

There is no justification for the criticisms against Azerbaijan regarding the Lachin road, Türkiye said, as the ministry statement added that Baku is making “maximum efforts” in good faith with respect to humanitarian considerations, including medical transportation.

“Our expectation from Armenia is to avoid provocative steps, to recognize Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, to support the use of ‘Agdam-Khankendi’ and other alternative ways to meet the needs of the Armenian population in Karabakh, as well as to support efforts to reintegrate the Armenian population of Azerbaijan,” the ministry said.

Türkiye believes that to ensure peace and stability in the region, the territorial integrity, sovereignty and humanitarian efforts of Azerbaijan should be supported and actions that aggravate the situation should be avoided, it added.

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/politics/turkiye-expects-armenia-to-avoid-provocative-steps-on-lachin-road/2967527

Renewed Dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia Worrying, Warns Foreign Minister

Parkev Tvankchian
Hungary Today
Aug 14 2023
Hungary Today 2023.08.14.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade called the news of renewed disputes between the two countries on the issue of humanitarian deliveries “disturbing”. Péter Szijjártó wrote that the role of international organizations, especially the International Committee of the Red Cross, could be of great help in this situation.

“Hungary is on the side of peace, and we urge an end to the suffering of people who have lived through a long war. I informed both my colleagues, Azeri Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, of this position by phone last night,” Péter Szijjártó stressed.

He emphasized it was regrettable that many security conflicts were complicating life in the world.

On the Azeri-Armenian conflict, the Foreign Minister pointed out that it had long bitterly affected the lives of people in the region. “Hungary has always stood for a peaceful settlement, respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty. We welcome the peace agreement and hope that its implementation will put an end to the suffering of many, many people,” he concluded.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have not officially demarcated their mutual borders since becoming independent states following collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The issue of border demarcation between the two countries arose immediately after the defeat of Armenia in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, and Azerbaijan regaining control over its occupied territories. Before the 2020 war, there was no mutually agreed upon border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, with certain Armenian villages and agricultural workers crossing over into Azerbaijan. During Soviet times, cross-border interactions and movements were common.

The military forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been engaged in a border conflict since 12 May 2021, when Azerbaijani soldiers crossed several kilometers into Armenia in the provinces of Syunik and Gegharkunik. Azerbaijan is currently occupying at least 50 square kilometers of Armenian territory. Azerbaijan has not withdrawn its troops from internationally recognized Armenian territory despite calls to do so by the European Parliament, United States and France. Since the end of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, Azerbaijan has made numerous incursions into Armenian territory.

Tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the key transit route in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region have been flaring up again in recent days, reports Magyar Nemzet. The tension has been caused by Azerbaijan’s setting up of a border checkpoint at the entrance to the Lachin corridor, the only land link between the Armenian-led breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and Armenia. Yerevan claims that this has put them under a blockade. Baku denies this and claims that they want to stop Armenian arms and ammunition smuggling. The checkpoint was temporarily shut down earlier this month to investigate the situation, thanks to the Armenian branch of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

11 killed, 6 injured in minibus crash in NW Armenia

Antonian Lara
MEHR News Agency
Iran – Aug 14 2023

TEHRAN, Aug. 14 (MNA) – 11 people died and 6 injured in a car crash involving a minibus and a truck on the Yerevan-Gyumri highway on Monday, authorities said.

A Volkswagen passenger minibus and a ZIL truck collided around 00:30, August 14, near the village of Lanjik in Shirak Province, northwestern Armenia, the Rescue Service said in a press release.

11 people died and 6 others were injured in the crash. The 6 injured victims, aged 27, 34, 33, 38, 23, and 39 were taken to the Gyumri Medical Center, Armenpress reported.

The 33-year-old driver of the ZIL truck is among those injured.

AMK/PR

Russian strike on Odesa leaves Armenian Consulate building damaged

Emil Lazarian
Ukraine – Aug 14 2023
Due to the massive missile and drone attack of the Russian Federation on Odesa overnight Monday, the building of the Armenian Consulate sustained damage.

This was reported by an Ukrinform correspondent.

The facade was damaged and windows were shattered by the strike.

“The consulate building’s exterior was damaged. There is no damage inside. The consulate continues its operations,” said Consul General in Odesa Gagik Gayrapetyan.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the Russians attacked Odesa in three waves overnight Monday, launching 15 one-way attack drones and eight Kalibr-type sea-based missiles. Seven educational facilities and 250 houses sustained damage. One of the city’s largest supermarkets was completely destroyed. Three security guards were injured.


Acting head of Ukrainian embassy in Armenia dies

Boshkezenian Garik
Aug 14 2023
Elsa Court, The Kyiv Independent news desk

The temporary head of Ukraine’s diplomatic mission in Armenia, Oleksandr Senchenko, drowned on the evening of Aug. 13 in Lake Sevan, the largest lake in the region.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine confirmed the reports about the charge d’affaires and expressed condolences to his relatives and friends. The ministry said it was “deeply saddened” by the death of the “experienced and highly qualified diplomat.”

Senchenko worked for the ministry since 2003 and had been posted to Ukrainian diplomatic missions in Russia and Azerbaijan.

Local media reported that though rescuers were able to retrieve the diplomat from the area of water where he disappeared while swimming, paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.

Ukraine established its embassy in Armenia in 1996.

A ‘Frozen War’ in Europe Threatens Sex, Abortion and LGBTQ Rights

Baghdasarian Karlen
Aug 14 2023

Armenian authorities are officially pro-choice but also desperately want to increase the country’s birth rate to create more soldiers to fight in Nagorno-Karabakh.
SS
By Sophia Smith Galer

YEREVAN, Armenia – There haven’t been any attacks at the Women’s Resource Center’s new address – at least, not yet. Anush Poghosyan, who leads the sexual and reproductive health project for the NGO, told VICE News that physical attacks were frequent before they moved to another location in the capital. 

Human rights groups fighting for better sexual and reproductive health rights, including the Women’s Resource Center, have told VICE News they are experiencing increased levels of targeted harassment for the work that they do. Poghosyan said she has been asked “Why are you destroying our families?” at women’s marches, and at one event, after her organisation had translated a book for parents to speak to children about sex education, around 20 people unhappy with the book’s content arrived to throw eggs.

Rights including access to contraception and abortion or acceptance for LGBTQ identities in Armenia are often caught between the country’s many other social issues. A blockade continues in Nagorno-Karabakh where Azerbaijan took control of surrounding territory in a six-week war with Armenia in 2020; residents there are running out of food, fuel and medical supplies. Then there is the rural poverty, the mass emigration, and the ongoing influence from Russia as a post-Soviet state. 

Armenia doesn’t have an anti-discrimination law that would protect individuals if attacked or treated unfairly on the basis of their gender identity or sexual orientation. Abortion is legal and accessible in Armenia, as it is in most post-Soviet states, but Poghosyan described the government as “pro choice, but pro natalist.” Fewer abortions and more births means more soldiers for what the government sees as an inevitable future of conflict. Even a local campaign to stop sex-selective abortions, in which many Armenian families have historically aborted female foetuses, used the tagline, “Don’t kill future mothers.”

“Post-war, the government only cares about pregnancy,” Poghosyan told VICE News at her new office in Yerevan. “The narrative is that they want soldiers, that they want to protect the land.” In 2016, Armenia’s abortion law was amended to introduce a three-day waiting period for women who wanted an abortion after consulting with their doctor. Meanwhile, incentives to have children have accelerated; in January the Armenian government announced it would be increasing its IVF support by 40 percent to 917 million drams ($2.3 million) “to override infertility and include new groups of beneficiaries.” 

The same law change that curtailed abortion rights in 2016 was also designed to try and curb sex-selective abortions; at the time, Armenia had the third-highest rate of abortion of female foetuses in the world, behind China and Azerbaijan. But Poghosyan said she believes that not only is any abortion limit a possible rights infringement, it isn’t actually working. She hears regular reports of women getting around the law change by simply stating that they have a different reason for aborting the foetus. 2022 data is still showing a higher than average ratio for births between boys and girls, according to a UN survey, which also revealed that cultural attitudes clearly remain powerful. While only 18 percent of respondents said that boys were preferred in their close family, 53 percent of them believed that boy children would be preferred among surrounding people.

It’s against this backdrop that the Women’s Resource Center, one of Armenia’s most prominent women’s rights organisations, has had to seek out security support to continue working because of the increasing backlash against their support of reproductive rights. Beyond the physical abuse and attacks at public events, they are regularly targeted online and have had their website on sexuality education reported to the police as a pornography site. The police told the centre that they wouldn’t be able to do anything about the individuals who reported the site as there was no evidence. “We would constantly do reports, but after this response, there’s no sense,” Poghosyan said. 

Women’s rights groups in Armenia work closely with LGBTQ organisations, co-organising marches and street protests. Mamikon Hovsepyan, communications director of Pink Armenia, said he related to Poghosyan’s experiences of harassment. “There is a lot of misinformation about our activities,” he said. “They think we’re trying to change their kids’ sexuality. To make them all gay or trans. So there is this kind of ideology of family values and traditional values and for them we are breaking those values and families,” he told VICE News over a video call.

News
VICE STAFF

11.02.20

In the latest ILGA-Europe ranking of the most LGBTQ friendly countries in Europe, Armenia languishes at the bottom of the list, one step behind Russia and only marginally better than Turkey and Azerbaijan. Pink Armenia’s work in fighting for greater freedom as well as legal and psychological support for Armenia’s LGBTQ community is often targeted. In terms of online abuse, Hovsepyan said “both anonymous and identifiable individuals freely send abuse, they think they are doing the right thing to protect the Armenian identity.” Last August, a man filmed himself beating up a trans woman and uploaded it online, where it was celebrated by a militarist YouTube channel called “Army of Light” which said the assailant was “awarded a gratitude award by the Army of Light because by battering a trans person, he had committed a patriotic act.” Hovsepyan said that the attacker had still not been punished for his actions. 

While it’s clear many individuals in the country have no qualms claiming that feminism is wrong, or that LGBTQ people are destroying Armenian values, both Poghosyan and Hovsepyan said they believe coordinated efforts from well-resourced groups are part of the escalation of hateful rhetoric. Poghosyan recalled a group of lawyers who tried unsuccessfully to remove Armenia’s right to abortion in legislation in 2021; their links and name are the Armenian translation of “right to life,” a common name for anti-abortion groups around the world. 

When asked about groups he believed were pushing hateful rhetoric about the LGBTQ community, Hovsepyan named the Pan-Armenian Parents Committee, which in 2017 helped block new legislation on combating domestic violence because it was a “dangerous attack” on family values. “Their agenda was drawn mostly in Russia, and we found they had similar committees in Ukraine, Moldova, Eastern Europe,” he said. “They were all sharing the same ideology, same statements, in some cases it was in Russian. They hadn’t even bothered to translate to Armenian. Some time after, they started to change their name, they created some other foundations and NGOs with different names.” 

He also mentioned VETO, an anti-government political organisation, the founder of which Narek Malyan said in 2020 that “the agents of oligarch George Soros” have been “preaching LGBT,” to which Pink Armenia responded saying that VETO was attempting to portray the LGBTQ community as a “conspiratorial anti-government programme.” Another NGO, Kamq, said during the same year that a European convention aimed at protecting children against sexual exploitation “opens the door for Sorosian LGBT people and other NGOs alike to sneak into our schools, hospitals and even law enforcement agencies to force perversion in our society.”

That the LGBTQ community is portrayed as anti-Armenian has not been helped by the ongoing conflict in the region. “There is a narrative that gay men do not go to the army, they do not protect the land. We are seen as a group of privileged people always demanding equality,” Hovsepyan said. 

Those who inform the army that they are gay are exempt from serving in it. But many take advantage of an unspoken “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy and fight without ever disclosing their orientation. Pink Armenia has tried to tell their stories, but finding the voices is hard. In their last video, the soldier they spoke to had to be completely anonymised for their safety. 

Until cultural attitudes change in Armenia, and until the conflict stops, human rights defenders are finding that progress behind the scenes is one of the only solutions when their agenda seems totally deprioritised and even shunned by the government. A previous ban for gay men on donating blood was silently lifted in December because of conversations behind closed doors Pink Armenia had with officials. Away from the public eye, Hovsepyan has found that the government can be flexible. “We didn’t need to send those changes to Parliament,” he said. 

And Poghosyan is finding that abortion access may be expanded with doctors before legislators. Doctors and gynaecologists now receive sexual health training from the Women’s Resource Center. In 2022, 204 of them from across Armenia were trained to become advocates for reproductive health. 

In one rural hospital, she found stacks of condoms in a reception area with seemingly no takers. When she asked for some, the receptionist loudly announced “10 condoms for Anush Poghosyan” to the entire waiting area. 

“They might have had a brochure and condoms,” Poghosyan said, “but now we have trained them in confidentiality.” 

https://www.vice.com/en/article/g5ydq3/armenia-nagorno-karabakh-abortion-lgbtq-rights

Top Ukrainian diplomat tragically died in Armenia. Details of the tragedy HELP UKRAINIAN NEWS

Hovhannisian John
Ukrainian News
Aug 14 2023
Editor: Daria Zubkova

This was reported by European Pravda with reference to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

“The tragedy happened in Armenia,” the ministry emphasized.

According to local mass media, which refer to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Armenia, a Ukrainian diplomat drowned in the Lake Sevan.

In the evening of August 13, information was received that on one of the beaches of the Lake Sevan, rescuers, while on duty 25 meters from the shore noticed a man in the water who disappeared while swimming.

Rescuers swam to this area, pulled him out from a depth of about 1.5 meters and brought him ashore in a motor boat.

Medics who arrived at the scene declared the man dead.

The situation in NK: three mothers talk about their families

Vorskanian Yeghisabet
Aug 14 2023
  • Gayane Sargsyan
  • Yerevan

Stories of people from Nagorno-Karabakh

“I urge Baku to refrain from steps that nullify the historical possibility of establishing peace”, the Prime Minister of Armenia said on the blockade of the Lachin corridor in his latest statement. Calls to open the road are heard not only from Armenia, but also from international structures, in particular the UN.

European Union announced that they “took note of the readiness of the authorities of Azerbaijan to deliver goods through the city of Agdam. This should not be considered as an alternative to the opening of the Lachine Corridor.” But Aliyev’s position has not changed, and he urges Armenians to either accept Azerbaijani citizenship or look for another place to live.

What is happening in the unrecognized republic, which has been under blockade since December last year, how are people surviving after June 15, when Baku banned the import of all types of humanitarian goods into NK? How do locals represent their future in current circumstances?

The questions were answered by three women from Nagorno Karabakh.

  • “Respect, not recognize territorial integrity”: a proposal to Pashinyan
  • “Genocide is being committed in NK” – Former Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court
  • “Is there an unspoken agreement to leave us alone with Baku?” – President of the unrecognized NKR

“I have six minor children. The youngest was born during the blockade, on February 11th. It was a tough time. So much stood in crushes in queues that I did not know if I could give birth to a normal child. Fortunately, my baby was born healthy.

He is already six months old. He is artificially fed. I have two days of formula left, I don’t know what I will do next. The pharmacies are empty, there is no baby food or medicines.

Until mid-June at least some products arrived, now nothing. Most people don’t have sugar, salt, pasta or vegetable oil in their homes. I used the last drops today.

It is good that the harvest of vegetables has ripened. Cooking beans, potatoes, zucchini. We stand in line for hours for bread and vegetables. Moreover, you can stand for three, four, five hours and maybe products will run out.

Before the birth of the baby I worked in a state institution and in cosmetology, but I lost my job with the blockade. I was forced to work in a bakery in order to earn money.

  • “The road from the moon to Nagorno-Karabakh is also open” – Pashinyan in an interview with Euronews
  • “Arrest under the protection of the ICRC is a war crime” – the position of Armenia

Friends from Armenia transfer money, but everything is expensive. Money is running out, although you do not buy anything special.

My husband was in Armenia when the blockade began. In those days, I could go to him – for a family reunion, but I stayed, realizing what difficulties there could be.

The children at first blamed me for staying here. They asked: “Do you love your homeland more or us?” It took time for them to understand: in any situation you need to fight, not run. The strong don’t run.

The school year is about to start, but I won’t be sending the kids to school. How can a hungry child go to school and understand something?

Recently, cases of fainting on the streets have become more frequent – both adults and children.

There are many problems. But we are unanimous that not a single vehicle should enter Artsakh through Aghdam, neither under the guise of humanitarian cargo, nor under any other. There should be a road connecting with Armenia.

My hope is for the Armenians living in Armenia and abroad. I hope everyone will put aside personal interests and unite. If we lose this piece of our homeland, the next [loss] will be Armenia.

Our fathers and grandfathers defended our homeland for so many years not in vain. Thousands of young men died for Artsakh. They sacrificed their lives for us to leave our homeland and flee to other countries for a piece of bread, in search of a good life? Who will I be in a foreign land?

Diplomats and representatives of international structures accredited in Armenia got acquainted with the situation on the ground in Kornidzor, where a convoy with humanitarian cargo has been standing since the evening of July 26

My youngest son is three years old, middle son is four, and oldest son is ten. The eldest, Karo, has several chronic diseases: epilepsy, diabetes, thyroid problems.

He periodically needs to undergo treatment, for which he is often forced to turn to doctors in Yerevan. There are no specialists here.

During the blockade, thanks to the Red Cross my son and I traveled to Armenia three times for treatment and returned. Knowing the situation, each time in Yerevan I bought a little more medicine for my child. I thought while we use it, the Lord will send something.

Many people say to me: “Knowing Karo’s problems, why did you come back and didn’t stay in Armenia?” It has always been difficult to get the medicines necessary for my son here, now they are simply not available.

When there are no drugs, epilepsy attacks become more frequent, the child becomes uncontrollable. And with sharp fluctuations in blood sugar, he loses consciousness and falls into a coma.

During a press conference, the Prime Minister of Armenia stated that the government is in no hurry to apply to the UN Security Council to consider the situation in NK, since the result is more important than the fact of holding hearings

At that time, he himself noticed one of the medicines he needed on one of the back shelves of the pharmacy. He screamed with joy. “Mommy, I found my cure, my life will last another 10 days.”

It is difficult, but we try to survive like a tough nut.

We only have a lot of watermelons. Dairy products are virtually non-existent. There is only one place and there are terrible queues. First you need to go and sign up, and the next day stand in line to buy.

Only expensive whiskeys and spices remained in the shops. And what should I cook with spices?

Today in Nagorno-Karabakh there is a struggle for survival. The world does not believe that there is famine, but there is. Today there are still tomatoes, but in a month they will be gone.

We are all Armenians, residents of both Armenia and Karabakh. The Armenian people must stand up, we must try together to find a way out of the current situation.

  • What is happening in Nagorno-Karabakh? Personal Stories
  • Two video stories about the life of people in NK after the blockade of the Lachin corridor

I was born and live in the Republic of Artsakh. I am 25 years old, I am married, I have a daughter of one and a half years, we will soon have twins.

From the first day of the blockade, there were queues everywhere. As a pregnant woman, they mostly give way to me. But others have to stand for hours. Fainting often happens in lines. People are malnourished, can’t stand in line in the heat.

All pregnant women have beriberi, because until recently there were no fruits and vegetables. I’m lucky with my relatives who grow things.

No gasoline to go to the hospital. Fortunately, there is an electric car owner who helps pregnant and sick people get there.

Pharmacies are completely empty, there is no baby food, many babies need formula. My daughters are due in a few days. I don’t even want to imagine what would happen if I faced this problem as a mother.

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At the beginning of the blockade, it was possible to leave and spend the pregnancy in a more relaxed atmosphere. But I didn’t want to.

Even now, when the situation has become worse, I do not intend to leave her homeland. Here we are at home, we are happy despite the difficulties. Everything can be overcome, if only there is peace.

Residents of NK were left alone with their worries and problems. But we want to appeal to everyone who has the opportunity to somehow influence this situation. Help us. Today we need everyone’s support.

We are all waiting for the world to recognize our right to self-determination, for the international community to force the opening of the Lachin corridor so that ties with mother Armenia can be restored.

All residents of NK are against the movement of goods and people along the Aghdam road. We do not need a humanitarian corridor, but a full-fledged road along which we can move freely. The use of the Aghdam road is the path to integration, we are against it.

I really hope that all this will end one day and we will remember these times as a very bad dream.

https://jam-news.net/stories-of-people-from-nagorno-karabakh/