Armenia appeals to UN Security Council on issue of blockade of NK. Experts on expectations

Emil Lazarian
Aug 14 2023
  • JAMnews
  • Yerevan

Armenia appeals to UN Security Council

The Armenian government appealed to the UN Security Council with a demand to convene an emergency meeting, connected “with the deterioration of the humanitarian situation due to the forced complete blockade of the civilian population of Nagorno-Karabakh.”

“Under the current circumstances, the Government of Armenia requests the intervention of the UN Security Council as the main body for ensuring global security and preventing mass crimes, including war crimes, ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity and genocide,” a letter from Armenia’s permanent representative to the UN says.

This step by official Yerevan was welcomed by the authorities of the unrecognized NKR. Representatives of the civil society of Armenia also made a statement. They called on the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution condemning the blockade and demanding the immediate unblocking of the Lachin corridor.

Although the message of the Armenian Foreign Ministry about the appeal to the UN does not mention the possibility of the adoption of a resolution by the Security Council, Armenian political scientists believe that this is the main goal. Some experts consider this likely, while others do not exclude that a permanent member of the Security Council will use the right of veto and the adoption of the resolution will fail. The permanent members of the Security Council are the USA, France, Great Britain, Russia and China. When the meeting of the Security Council will take place is still unknown.

  • “Respect, not recognize territorial integrity”: a proposal to Pashinyan
  • “Is there an unspoken agreement to leave us alone with Baku?” – President of the unrecognized NKR
  • “The road from the moon to Nagorno-Karabakh is also open” – Pashinyan in an interview with Euronews

This is stated in a letter to the Chairman of the UN Security Council from the Permanent Representative of Armenia Mher Margaryan. He described in detail the situation in NK as a result of the blockade. He stressed that all types of humanitarian supplies have been stopped for a long time, which is why there is an acute shortage of food, medicines and fuel.

“Due to lack of basic food and vitamins, about 2,000 pregnant women, about 30,000 children, 20,000 elderly people and 9,000 people with disabilities are struggling to survive in conditions of malnutrition. People with chronic diseases, including 4,687 people with diabetes and 8,450 people with diseases of the circulatory system, were left virtually without medicines.

As a result of the current situation, there has been an increase in mortality from a number of diseases, including cardiovascular diseases and malignant neoplasms. Between January and July, compared with the same period last year, the level of anemia among pregnant women under medical supervision reached about 90%, due to malnutrition and the absence or lack of appropriate medicines. In addition, hot weather conditions and the lack of disinfectants and medicines create the risk of epidemics in the region.”

The representative of Armenia points out that the actions of Azerbaijan are a gross violation of international humanitarian law. In addition, Baku does not comply with the decisions of the International Court of Justice. The letter states that Azerbaijan’s creation of conditions incompatible with life is a “mass crime against the indigenous people of NK”:

“The use of such collective punishment against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh poses an existential threat to them if people remain face to face with the aggressive policies of Azerbaijan.”

Since the middle of June, Azerbaijan has banned the delivery of not only food, but also humanitarian goods from Armenia. How people survive and what do they think about their future?

The Foreign Ministry of the unrecognized NKR welcomed Armenia’s decision to appeal to the UN Security Council:

“This can put an end to the massive gross violations of human rights by Azerbaijan in Artsakh and stop the policy of genocide consistently and systematically pursued by Azerbaijan.”

An appeal was also made to the Security Council to properly respond to the situation and decide on the implementation of “necessary, urgent and effective measures aimed at the immediate, complete and unconditional unblocking of the Lachin corridor.”

“We call and demand from all the main actors not to delay the decision-making and not to wait for more large-scale tragedies, to take practical and effective steps to stop the further course of this genocide. Delay costs human lives and suffering,” President of the unrecognized republic Arayik Harutyunyan said.

Former ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo published his opinion on the situation in the unrecognized NKR under the heading “Armenian Genocide in 2023”

Armenian NGOs appealed to the member states of the UN Security Council with a call “to undertake the obligation to protect the Armenians from the genocide and ethnic cleansing organized by Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh.” Representatives of civil society believe that the risks of these crimes are real:

“This is confirmed by international independent criminal law experts, genocide experts and specialized organizations.

In the event of a repetition of this tragedy with the Armenian people in the 21st century, the responsibility will fall on the members of the UN Security Council and the states that actually supported Azerbaijan, which is committing international crimes – genocide and ethnic cleansing.”

NGOs called on the UN Security Council to achieve the immediate unblocking of the Lachin corridor, the unhindered movement of people, vehicles and goods, in accordance with the decision of the UN Hague Court of February 22.

It is expected that urgent measures will be taken to bring an international peacekeeping mission into NK and the Lachin corridor. The UN Secretary General has proposed to send a fact-finding mission to the region, and to appoint his own special representative for the conflict in NK to ensure a long-term presence in the region.

Comments by Armenian experts on the likelihood, effectiveness and possible consequences of the use of force to unblock the only road linking Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia

Political scientist Tigran Grigoryan considers the adoption of a resolution on the Karabakh issue in the UN Security Council likely:

“It seems that none of the permanent members of the UN Security Council should use the right of veto, the majority of the members of the Security Council should vote for the resolution. I assume that the relevant work has been done with Russia.”

He recalled the discussion in the UN Security Council in December 2022, during which “several countries, including Russia”, failed to adopt the statement:

“Now the situation on earth has changed significantly, it has become even more complicated. We are dealing with a serious humanitarian crisis. There is also an interim decision of the International Court of Justice. In addition, it seems that Armenia has worked quite actively with the permanent and non-permanent members of the Security Council.”

He thinks that Baku will still ignore the resolution, but if it is adopted, Azerbaijan will comment on it in a way that is desirable for itself. Therefore, according to Grigoryan, Armenia must ensure that the wording of the resolution cannot cause discrepancies. At the same time, he emphasizes that the adoption of the resolution itself can become “an important tool for Armenia and NK”.

Political observer Hakob Badalyan believes that Armenian society has formed a misconception about the UN Security Council as “a holy place where only our appeal is not enough to resolve issues important to us.”

“Can 5 permanent members of the Security Council have a practical influence on the policy of Azerbaijan, if

  • for almost two years in active combat mode they have been busy redistributing the world,
  • Baku’s policy enables each of them to resolve their issues.

They can, of course, if a more important mutual agreement is formed between them, even if it is temporary. And it will allow even if not completely restoring the previous normal mode of life, then at least it will solve the issue of the military and humanitarian security of Artsakh.”

In this case, according to the observer, there is a high probability that some time after the meeting of the UN Security Council there will be “another aggravation of the situation around Artsakh, this time, perhaps in the form of military operations.”

https://jam-news.net/armenia-appeals-to-un-security-council-on-nk-issue/

Deadly car crash raises criticism over Armenia’s road safety

Arsine Chaltikian
Aug 14 2023
 

ByAni Avetisyan
Two vehicles after the collision. Photo: Investigative Committee of Armenia

A car crash on the Yerevan–Gyumri highway has left 11 people dead, raising concerns and criticism about Armenia’s road safety.

The head-on collision of a minibus and a lorry on the highway early on Monday morning led to the death of the minibus driver and ten of his passengers. The lorry driver and five other minibus passengers were hospitalised in Yerevan and Gyumri.

Armenia’s Investigative Committee has launched a criminal investigation into the accident, with preliminary reports suggesting that the lorry had driven into the opposite lane.

Traffic collisions are a major issue in Armenia, with accidents often leading to death or severe injuries. Citing a World Bank report, RFE/RL reported that about 11 out of 100,000 people die in traffic collisions every year, and that traffic-related death rates have been on the rise in the last 10 years.

Monday’s fatal collision triggered criticism in Armenia about the government’s commitment to reforming road safety regulations and strategies.

Hayk Marutyan, a former mayor of Yerevan currently in the running for another term at City Hall, blamed the accident on ‘shoddy road construction and a lack of control over vehicle maintenance’.

‘I think it’s time to realise that good asphalt does not equal good roads’, wrote Marutyan on Facebook.

Daniel Ioannisyan, head of the Union of Informed Citizens, has also said that the Yerevan–Gyumri highway does not have dividing markers, despite being under construction ‘for over ten years’.

Ioannisyan singled out Interior Minister Vahe Ghazaryan and Territorial Administration Minister Gnel Sanosyan for ‘not understanding how to reduce the mortality rate (of traffic collisions)’.

‘Does Gnel Sanosyan not have anything to say about the sad state of road safety infrastructure? Does Vahe Ghazaryan not have anything to say about the lack of road safety policy?’


Former ICC prosecutor accuses Azerbaijan of ‘genocide’ in Nagorno-Karabakh

Boshkezenian Garik
Aug 10 2023
 10 August 2023

ByAni Avetisyan
Luis Moreno Ocampo. Image via Infobae

The former chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Luis Moreno Ocampo, has accused the Azerbaijani government of genocide in Nagorno-Karabakh, as the humanitarian situation in the region continues to worsen. 

‘Starvation is the invisible Genocide weapon. Without immediate dramatic change, this group of Armenians will be destroyed in a few weeks’, Ocampo wrote in a 28-page report on the Lachin corridor blockade published on 7 August.

‘Starvation as a method to destroy people was neglected by the entire international community when it was used against Armenians in 1915, Jews and Poles in 1939, Russians in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) in 1941, and Cambodians in 1975/1976’, wrote Ocampo. ‘Starvation was also neglected when used in Srebrenica in the winter of 1993/1994’. 

Ocampo suggested that Ilham Aliyev, the President of Azerbaijan, should be investigated by the ICC, explaining that that could only take place were the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution regarding the blockade of the Lachin corridor and refer it to the court. 

In the report, he stated that there was ‘reasonable basis’ to believe that President Aliyev had genocidal intentions, having blocked the delivery of essential goods to Nagorno-Karabakh, disobeyed the orders of the International Court of Justice to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles, and cargo along the Lachin Corridor, and having ignored calls regarding the ‘real and imminent risk’ to the region’s Armenian population created by the blockade. 

‘President Aliyev’s public statements affirming that the blockade was the consequence of people smuggling minerals and iPhones through the Lachin Corridor is a diversion. Smuggling activities should be properly investigated but they are not an excuse to disobey a binding order of the International Court of Justice or a justification to commit a Genocide’, wrote Ocampo. 

He added that obtaining a UN Security Council resolution to provide ICC jurisdiction was ‘feasible’. 

‘Under the Genocide Convention, state parties have an obligation to prevent and punish Genocide, and 14 of the current 15 members of the UN Security Council are also parties of that Convention, providing an overwhelming majority’, he added. 

The statement also calls for cooperation between Russia, which oversees peacekeeping in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the United States and EU Member States. All are parties to the Genocide Convention, with Ocampo stating that they are in the ‘privileged position’ to prevent the genocide. 

‘Their intense confrontation due to the Ukrainian conflict should not transform the Armenians into collateral victims’, wrote Ocampo. 

Hikmet Hajiyev, assistant to Azerbaijan’s President Aliyev, called the report ‘biased’ and ‘anti-Azerbaijani’. 

Despite the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh continuing to deepen, with neither peacekeepers nor Red Cross able to transport basic goods and humanitarian aid into the region, Azerbaijan’s government in Baku has maintained its denial that any blockade is taking place. 

In response to a call on Monday by UN Human Rights Experts to lift the blockade and open the Lachin corridor, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the accusations that it had blockaded the corridor, accusing the UN experts of ‘political manipulations’. 

The statement added that ‘the usage […] of expressions such as ‘Nagorno-Karabakh’ in clear disrespect of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, the interference in the internal affairs of Azerbaijan, as well as the double standards against it […] are unacceptable’. 

In recent days, authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh have released reports describing the worsening humanitarian situation in the region, noting that mortality rates were significantly higher than average.  

The region’s Ministry of Health reported on Tuesday that mortality due to cardiovascular disease had more than doubled, with rates in July 2.6 times higher than the same month of the previous year. 

‘This includes a 66% increase in mortality from acute and chronic heart failure, a 20.8% increase in mortality from acute myocardial infarction, and an 8.8% increase in mortality from brain paralysis’, it wrote.  

Provision of medical supplies to the region has been suspended since mid-June, when Azerbaijan blocked the transport of humanitarian aid into the region. Transport of patients to Armenian hospitals is also taking place at minimal rates, with Red Cross transport of severely ill patients resuming after Azerbaijan blocked the organisation’s access to the region. 

On 29 July, Azerbaijani border guards arrested a 68-year-old resident of the region as he was being evacuated to Armenia by the Red Cross for heart surgery, accusing him of genocide. 

[Read more: Azerbaijan arrests Nagorno-Karabakh resident for ‘war crimes’]

Shortages of food and other essential supplies have worsened in the months since the Azerbaijan blocked deliveries of humanitarian aid.

Lorries loaded with humanitarian supplies en route to Nagorno-Karabakh. Photo: RFE/RL.

An Armenian government shipment of aid to the region has remained at the entrance of the Lachin corridor, having not been permitted to enter on 26 July. 

[Read more: Nagorno-Karabakh aid convoy held at Lachin Corridor]

On Tuesday, the President of Nagorno-Karabakh, Arayik Harutyunyan, called on the UN Security Council to invite an urgent session to discuss the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and adopt a resolution obliging Azerbaijan to open the corridor, which has been closed since last December. 

 For ease of reading, we choose not to use qualifiers such as ‘de facto’, ‘unrecognised’, or ‘partially recognised’ when discussing institutions or political positions within Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and South Ossetia. This does not imply a position on their status.


Azerbaijan accuses Armenia of troop buildup for ‘another military adventure’

Toneyan Mark
i24 Israel
Aug 14 2023

‘In recent days there has been a large concentration of weapons, military equipment and personnel along the state border’ says Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry

Azerbaijan accused Armenia on Monday of seeking “another military adventure,” with a buildup of troops along their shared border, a claim dismissed by Yerevan as disinformation.

“In recent days there has been a large concentration of weapons, military equipment and personnel along the state border in order to carry out another military adventure,” Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry said.

Baku said Yerevan also built up military infrastructure within the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh, further accusing Armenia of undermining peace efforts and appealed to the UN.

“Azerbaijan reserves the right to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity by all legitimate means provided for by the UN Charter and other universal instruments of international law,” the foreign ministry concluded.

Tensions escalated in recent days with fresh accusations from Armenia against Azerbaijan, saying Baku blockaded Armenians in a separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh, and also urged the UN to intervene.

Yerevan in turn denied Baku’s claim that it had amassed weapons and troops near the border, or in Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia said Azerbaijan’s statement did “not correspond to reality,” according to AFP.

The two Caucasus neighbors have fought two wars over Nagorno-Karabakh, internationally recognized as Azerbaijan, since the 1980s. Russian peacekeepers have been based in the area since 2020, but have lately been preoccupied with the “special operation” in Ukraine.

Azerbaijan and Armenia have been unable to reach a lasting peace settlement despite mediation efforts by the European Union, United States and Russia.

Meanwhile, Yerevan has warned that the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is deteriorating and dire, with international aid groups echoing the shortages of food, medicines and energy. Furthermore, it accused Baku of blocking traffic through a road linking Armenia to Armenian-populated settlements in the territory.

The California Courier Online, August 17, 2023

Hunanian Jack

The California
Courier Online, August 17, 2023

 

1-         Righteous
Jews Appeal to Israel

            To Help
Open the Lachin Corridor

            By Harut
Sassounian

            Publisher,
The California
Courier

            www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

2-         Artsakh
Protesters block 134 Freeway in Glendale;

            Hold
Overnight Rally at Azeri Consulate

3-         Armenian
Government Allocates Money for Snoop Dogg Concert in Yerevan

4-         Nareg
Keshishian Appointed Principal of Armenian
Mesrobian School

 

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1-         Righteous
Jews Appeal to Israel

            To Help
Open the Lachin Corridor

            By Harut
Sassounian

            Publisher,
The California
Courier

            www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

           

There are pro and anti-Armenian individuals in every
nationality. Jews are no exception. There are Jews who support us and those who
oppose us. We should not generalize and paint everyone with the same brush.
Armenians should not treat every Jew as an opponent just because the Israeli
government denies the Armenian Genocide and sells billions of dollars of arms
to Azerbaijan.

Armenians have the right to criticize the Israeli government
and Jews who are anti-Armenian. I severely condemned Israel’s
denial of the Armenian Genocide in my 2015 lecture at an Israeli University.
After the lecture, I met with the President of Israel Reuven Rivlin and told
him that the government of Israel,
whose own people were victims of genocide, should have been the first country
to recognize the Armenian Genocide, not the last. Pres. Rivlin told me that he
recognized the Armenian Genocide and blamed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
for denying it.

I just received copies of two letters sent by a group of
righteous Israelis to their country’s top officials, requesting that they
intervene with Azerbaijan
to unblock the Lachin Corridor.

The first letter was sent to Israel’s
Foreign Minister Eli Cohen on January 15, 2023, asking for his assistance to
prevent “a grave humanitarian crisis and loss of life” due to Azerbaijan’s
blockade of the Lachin Corridor. The 17 prominent Jewish signers of the letter,
including Rabbis, journalists and scholars, wrote: “We believe that you, the
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel, through your ties with your counterparts
in Azerbaijan and Russia, can
help to avoid this grave humanitarian crisis. Therefore we ask that you
approach them urgently to work for the lifting of the blockade of the Lachin
Corridor.”

The second letter was sent on August 11, 2023, to Israel’s President Isaac Herzog who had recently
visited Azerbaijan.
The letter-writers requested him “to make a personal appeal to your
counterparts in Azerbaijan
and demand their immediate removal of the blockade of the Lachin Corridor.” The
35 prominent Jewish signers of the letter, including Rabbis, scholars,
journalists, a former Cabinet Minister and Member of Knesset, architects and
scientists, wrote: “The State of Israel enjoys close ties with Azerbaijan, the
state which is responsible for this crisis, and has the ability to resolve it.
These ties obligate the State of Israel to take a clear stand, and not to stand
idly by…. The aid that we [Israel]
provided [to Azerbaijan]
means that we have a special responsibility not to be a bystander, and also
gives us an important opportunity to have a positive impact. We cannot remain
silent, especially in light of our historic and multilayered connection with
the Armenian people.”

Beyond these letters, hundreds of Jews and Armenians in Israel held
several protests during and after the 2020 Artsakh War. One of the protests was
in front of the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv, criticizing the sale of
Israeli arms to Azerbaijan.
Some of the protesters held models of drones with blood stains painted on them
with the words ‘Made in Israel.’

Avidan Freedman, one of the founders of Yanshoof, an
organization dedicated to stopping Israeli arms sales to human rights
violators, published an article in The Times of Israel on ,
titled: “The Artsakh humanitarian crisis is our responsibility. Here’s why.” He
wrote: “Israel provided Azerbaijan with
69% of its arms in the period between 2016 and 2020. During the 2020 Artsakh
War, a senior Israeli military source asserted that ‘Azerbaijan would not have been able
to continue its operation at this level without our support.’” Freedman
concluded: “the current humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh was enabled by
Israeli support…. The emerging humanitarian crisis, Israel’s
military support of Azerbaijan,
and the Jewish people’s historic and moral connection to the Armenian people
combine to create a clear moral responsibility. Israel
must take a moral stance and call on Azerbaijan to immediately lift its
blockade of the Lachin Corridor.”

To illustrate the depth of pro-Armenian sympathies among
some Jews, I would like to quote Dr. Israel Charny, one of the signers of the
above mentioned two letters. He is the Executive Director of the
Jerusalem-based Institute on the Holocaust and Genocide and author of “Israel’s Failed
Response to the Armenian Genocide.” In 2009, Charny and I were invited to speak
at the UK Parliament. Since he could not attend due to illness, he submitted
his speech in writing. Here is an excerpt: “No less than the arch fighter for
peace in the Israel-Palestinian conflict, Shimon Peres, now President of
Israel, then serving as Israel’s
Foreign Minister, twice went notably out of his way to insult the history and
memory of the Armenian Genocide.”

In 2001, Charny sent a scathing letter to Peres: “You have
gone beyond a moral boundary that no Jew should allow himself to trespass….
As a Jew and an Israeli, I am ashamed of the extent to which you have now
entered into the range of actual denial of the Armenian Genocide, comparable to
denials of the Holocaust.”

In response to an “especially insulting” denial by Peres in
2002, Dr. Charny sent him one of my editorials in The California Courier, with
the following note: “I am enclosing with great concern for your attention an
editorial in a leading US-Armenian newspaper calling on Armenia to
expel the Israeli Ambassador [Rivka Cohen, after she denied the Armenian
Genocide]. For your further information, the author of this editorial, who is
the head of the United Armenian Fund in the US
— comparable to our United Jewish Appeal — was for many years a delegate to
the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva.”

Armenians should support their friends and criticize their
opponents regardless of their nationality.

 

************************************************************************************************************************************************
2-         Artsakh Protesters block 134
Freeway in Glendale;

            Hold
Overnight Rally at Azeri Consulate

LOS ANGELES (KABC)—Several hundred protesters blocked all
the eastbound lanes on the 134 Freeway at its interchange with the 5 Freeway on
Wednesday, August 10, aiming to bring awareness to humanitarian conflicts in Armenia, and to
call attention to the crisis in Artsakh.

Using a big rig, they blocked off the eastbound side of the
freeway at Central and Brand avenues. Protesters then gathered on freeway lanes
and unfurled signs calling for support from Rep. Adam Schiff.

Protesters have also been showing up at Schiff’s local
office in recent days, calling on the Democratic congressman to do more to support
their cause.

Schiff has expressed support for ending the blockade, but
some Armenian protesters feel he has not done enough for the cause.

One sign unfurled on lanes read “Adam Schiff don’t ignore
us” and another pleaded “Open the road of life.”

In the past, Schiff has issued statements condemning the
blockade and calling for the Biden Administration to take action. He also has
authored a House resolution calling for recognition of Artsakh’s sovereignty
and condemning Azerbaijan’s
aggression.

On Wednesday, August 9, Schiff issued a new statement which
read:

“I stand with the people of Armenia, Artsakh, and the
Armenian-American community —not only my constituents but those around the
world. I hear and see your pain over the inhumane situation your brothers and
sisters are facing.

From condemning ceasefire violations, to advocating for the
release of Armenian prisoners of war, to calling for sanctions and
accountability for Azerbaijan,
I’ve always been, and will continue to be, steadfast in my commitment to
ensuring the protection of fundamental rights for the people of Artsakh.”

I am in communication with the Biden Administration, the
State Department, and my Congressional colleagues and am advocating for using
all tools at our disposal, including pushing for U.S.
humanitarian aid to Artsakh, cutting off military and other assistance to Azerbaijan, and
imposing sanctions on those responsible for this crisis.

I will be with you every step of the way and will always
stand with the people of Armenia
and Artsakh.”

The mayor of Burbank, Konstantine Anthony, met with the
Armenian Americans who are protesting against the ongoing blockade.

The mayor said that he is also concerned about Artsakh and
is concerned and disappointed that US
President Joe Biden is still sending military aid to Azerbaijan.

On Sunday, August 14, the Armenian community cordoned off
the building of the Consulate of Azerbaijan—where consulates of five other
countries, including Israel
and Bulgaria
also operate. The protesters blocked the Wilshire Boulevard leading to the
consulate building. They spent the night there, and in the morning they did not
let Azeri consular officials enter the building. According to the Alpha News correspondent
in Los Angeles, the police tried to unblock the road, but the Armenian
activists convinced them to continue the rally.

The protesters raised the flag of Artsakh and banners that
say “With Artsakh, in the name of Artsakh”, “Armenians face genocide under
Azeri rule” and “Stop the second Armenian Genocide” at the entrance to the
building.

 

************************************************************************************************************************************************
3-         Armenian Government Allocates
Money for Snoop Dogg Concert in Yerevan

By Marine Khachatrian

 

The Armenian government has allocated more than $5 million
for the organization of a concert of American rapper Snoop Dogg in Yerevan.

The concert is scheduled to be held at the Hrazdan Stadium
in the Armenian capital on September 23.

Up to 25,000 people are expected to attend the event that is
also anticipated to generate tourism to the country.

 The first
announcement of a possible Snoop Dogg concert in Yerevan was made by chief of the prime
minister’s office Arayik Harutiunian in late July. A document appeared online
shortly thereafter according to which more than $23 million would be allocated
from the state budget for three concerts.

The kind of state funding sparked a public debate in Armenia, with
many challenging the wisdom of such government spending.

“One person—at least one person—rebel against this decision.
We will spend six million dollars. Allocate instead those six million to the
treatment of children with cancer,” wrote Edik Baghdasaryan on his Facebook
page on August 11. Baghdasaryan is a prominent investigative journalist known
for his stories exposing government corruption in Armenia. He is the head of the
Armenian Association of Investigative Journalists and editor of Armenia’s only
investigative journalism newspaper, Hetq.

“On September 23, four days before the anniversary of the
44-day war, the government is organizing a big concert. Deputy Prime Ministers
and Ministers sat humbly at the Cabinet meeting today. And although some of
them were against that decision, they remained silent. Everyone is silent and
obedient. There is no food or medicine in Artsakh, we don’t know what could
happen every minute there, on the borders. Against this background, why are you
organizing this celebration? Cancel that gig. And in general, what does the
government have to do with organizing a concert?” questioned Baghdasaryan.

The Armenian government initially denied these reports. In a
statement released on July 29, the Prime Minister’s Office said the media
reports were “totally untrue” while adding that the Cabinet would soon adopt a
decision in relation to the concert—and all the details, including its possible
economic impact, would be made public.

Observers note that concerts and visits to Armenia in recent
years by such world stars and celebrities as American rapper 50 Cent, Armenian
American musician Serj Tankian, Armenian American reality TV star Kim
Kardashian and her former spouse, rapper Kanye West have helped raise the
country’s international visibility and attract a greater number of tourists
both immediately as well as in the longer run.

Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., a 51-year-old rapper and actor
professionally known as Snoop Dogg, has sold 35 million albums worldwide since
1992, and remains one of the world’s most popular performers.

 

**********************************************************************************************************************************************

4-         Nareg Keshishian
Appointed Principal of Armenian
Mesrobian School

 

The Board of Regents of the Prelacy Armenian Schools
announced the appointment of Nareg Keshishian as the new principal of Armenian Mesrobian School.

Nareg Keshishian is a graduate of Armenian
Mesrobian School,
class of 1981, and his educational background includes a degree in History from
University of California
at Los Angeles
(UCLA), and teaching credential from Teachers College Columbia University.
Keshishian has received numerous awards including Revson Foundation/NY Times 50
most inspirational teachers in NY City and the Hoover Hero award.

With a background in education, which includes teaching,
mentoring, and administration, Keshishian has designed and implemented an
enrichment program for Kindergarten, 4th, 5th and 9th grades at The Renaissance
School, Queens NY and has served as a teacher and mentoring program coordinator
at Paul Robeson HS, Brooklyn
NY. After his time in New York,
Keshishian has served as a teacher, student body advisor and chair of the
Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) school culture group at
Hoover HS in Glendale, Calif.; and as a teacher, Director of APEX credit
recovery program, and chapter advisor for Junior State of America and Armenian
club at Crescenta Valley High School in La Crescenta, CA.

 

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Azerbaijan accuses Armenia of strengthening its border forces

Mary Lazarian
Lebanon – Aug 14 2023



Azerbaijan has accused Armenia on Monday of bolstering its forces along the border between the two countries in the Caucasus region with the intention of provoking military action, an allegation vehemently denied by Yerevan, as tensions continue to escalate.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry stated, “In recent days, there has been a significant transfer of weapons, equipment, and personnel with the intention of launching new military actions along the border.”

Yerevan was also accused of establishing military infrastructure in the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region, where Russian peacekeeping forces have been stationed since 2020.

The ministry further asserted in a statement that Azerbaijan “reserves the right to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity by all means” as prescribed by international law.

Armenia’s Defense Ministry issued a statement denying any transfer of weapons or forces near the borders or in Karabakh, condemning the claims as “inconsistent with reality.”

Tensions have escalated between the two sides in recent days, with Yerevan accusing Baku of obstructing traffic through the Lachin Corridor, a short mountainous route connecting Armenia to the Armenian-populated areas in the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh enclave.

Armenia called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Saturday due to the “deteriorating humanitarian situation” in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The countries have been embroiled in a conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh since the late 1980s, culminating in two wars, the latest of which in 2020 saw Azerbaijani forces making significant territorial gains and defeating Armenian forces.
AFP

https://www.lbcgroup.tv/news/world-news/718276/azerbaijan-accuses-armenia-of-strengthening-its-bo/en

Armenia in diplomatic plea with Malta for action on Azerbaijan blockade crisis

Ekmekjian Janet
The Shift
Aug 14 2023
David Lindsay
15:41

Armenian Foreign Affairs Minister Ararat Mirzoyan last Thursday made a phone call to Foreign Minister Ian Borg pleading for Malta’s support in its impasse with Azerbaijan, which has seen a humanitarian crisis unfold among the 120,000 population of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Azerbaijan has currently blockaded the Lachin corridor leading to Nagorno-Karabakh and Mirzoyan’s appeal to Borg comes just after a United Nations group of experts found the blockade “has left the population facing acute shortages of food staples, medication, and hygiene products”.

The UN also found Azerbaijan’s blockade has “impacted the functioning of medical and educational institutions, and placed the lives of the residents – especially children, persons with disabilities, older persons, pregnant women, and the sick – at significant risk”.

Malta enjoys a comfortable commercial and diplomatic relationship with Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan’s state oil company, SOCAR, is a shareholder in Malta’s main power station,  the corruption-riddled ElectroGas plant in Delimara, and Malta is also still at the beginning of an 18-year LNG supply agreement with SOCAR for the power station.

Over and above that, former prime minister Joseph Muscat is a regular visitor to Baku, where he is a member of Azerbaijani strongman Ilham Aliyev’s Nizami Ganjavi International Centre (NGIC).

Muscat has been a member of the NGIC since 2020 joining after his protracted December 2019 resignation from the office of the prime minister.

The think tank was founded by Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev and is funded by the Azerbaijani government, with which Muscat fostered a cosy relationship while in power.

Muscat was there last June for an event entitled ‘Reconstruction, Reconciliation, and Integration: Energy, Economy, Environment and Equity’.

Its opening ceremony included a video about Azerbaijani lands that had been ‘liberated’ from occupation. Ostensibly, these lands are those contested as part of the protracted Armenia-Azerbaijan war which has seen tens of thousands killed.

Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin corridor and the ensuing humanitarian crisis forms part of the latest hostilities that Aliyev claims to have liberated.

David Lindsay
15:41

Armenian Foreign Affairs Minister Ararat Mirzoyan last Thursday made a phone call to Foreign Minister Ian Borg pleading for Malta’s support in its impasse with Azerbaijan, which has seen a humanitarian crisis unfold among the 120,000 population of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Azerbaijan has currently blockaded the Lachin corridor leading to Nagorno-Karabakh and Mirzoyan’s appeal to Borg comes just after a United Nations group of experts found the blockade “has left the population facing acute shortages of food staples, medication, and hygiene products”.

The UN also found Azerbaijan’s blockade has “impacted the functioning of medical and educational institutions, and placed the lives of the residents – especially children, persons with disabilities, older persons, pregnant women, and the sick – at significant risk”.

Malta enjoys a comfortable commercial and diplomatic relationship with Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan’s state oil company, SOCAR, is a shareholder in Malta’s main power station,  the corruption-riddled ElectroGas plant in Delimara, and Malta is also still at the beginning of an 18-year LNG supply agreement with SOCAR for the power station.

Over and above that, former prime minister Joseph Muscat is a regular visitor to Baku, where he is a member of Azerbaijani strongman Ilham Aliyev’s Nizami Ganjavi International Centre (NGIC).

Muscat has been a member of the NGIC since 2020 joining after his protracted December 2019 resignation from the office of the prime minister.

The think tank was founded by Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev and is funded by the Azerbaijani government, with which Muscat fostered a cosy relationship while in power.

Muscat was there last June for an event entitled ‘Reconstruction, Reconciliation, and Integration: Energy, Economy, Environment and Equity’.

Its opening ceremony included a video about Azerbaijani lands that had been ‘liberated’ from occupation. Ostensibly, these lands are those contested as part of the protracted Armenia-Azerbaijan war which has seen tens of thousands killed.

Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin corridor and the ensuing humanitarian crisis forms part of the latest hostilities that Aliyev claims to have liberated.

https://theshiftnews.com/2023/08/14/armenia-in-diplomatic-plea-with-malta-for-action-on-azerbaijan-blockade-crisis/

World Youth U16 Olympiad of chess: Team Armenia record second impressive win

Arsine Chaltikian
News.am
Armenia – Aug 14 2023

Team Armenia achieved their second win at the World Youth U16 Olympiad of chess being held in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.

In the second round, Armenian chess players defeated England by a score of 3.5-0.5.

In the first round, Team Armenia team had beaten Japan with a score of 4-0.

Nine rounds will be held in this Swiss-system chess competition.

https://sport.news.am/eng/news/142855/world-youth-u16-olympiad-of-chess-team-armenia-record-second-impressive-win.html

AW: Introducing Victoria Atamian Waterman’s debut novel Who She Left Behind

Hovhannisian John
 Guest Contributor Literary Corner, Fiction, Announcements 0

Who She Left Behind is a captivating historical fiction novel spanning multiple generations. It is set in various time periods and locations, immersing readers into the declining days of the Ottoman Empire and the Armenian communities in Rhode Island and Massachusetts during the 1990s. The narrative is framed by a mysterious discovery of Armenian dolls at Victoria’s mother’s grave, which leads her on a quest for redemption as an immigrant, wife, sister and aunt. The story revolves around themes of survival, motherhood and love, drawing inspiration from the author’s own family history. 

Who She Left Behind is Victoria (Atamian) Waterman’s debut novel. The author was born and currently resides in Rhode Island. Her upbringing in an immigrant, bilingual and multi-generational household, which included survivors of the Armenian Genocide, has greatly influenced her storytelling. She is dedicated to bringing attention to the often-overlooked narratives of brave women who not only endured but resisted the atrocities of the Genocide. These women played crucial roles in rebuilding their communities in the aftermath of war.  

Victoria Atamian Waterman

Waterman’s journey to writing a historical fiction novel about her family’s survival and immigration to the United States began when she discovered flowers at her late aunt Vicky’s gravesite. Her aunt passed away in 1963 and had no children. Intrigued by the mysterious flowers, Waterman embarked on an extensive investigation to unravel the secrets surrounding her family’s past, resulting in her debut novel.

Waterman serves as a trustee of the Soorp Asdvadzadzin Armenian Apostolic Church in Whitinsville, Massachusetts. She was a presenter at the 2023 AGBU Women Shaping the World Conference.

Who She Left Behind will be released in October this year by The Historium Press. Pre-orders will be available beginning October 1st.


AW: ANC of Rhode Island secures third Friendship City between Smithfield, RI and Stepanakert, Artsakh

Arpi Talalian
 ANCA-Eastern Region Community News, Diaspora, ANCA News 0

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Armenian National Committee of Rhode Island (ANC-RI) welcomed the establishment of its third Friendship City this year between Smithfield and Stepanakert, the capital of Artsakh. The Friendship City was established at a Smithfield, Rhode Island Town Council meeting on Tuesday, August 8.

ANC-RI leadership, including Stephen Elmasian, George Mangalo and Rhode Island State Senator David Tikoian, led the charge in securing the Friendship City with Smithfield Town Council President T. Michael Lawton. 

“Being so far from Artsakh and the Caucasus doesn’t mean that we still can’t voice our cause and our fight for Artsakh’s freedom and right to self-determination. As long as this unjust and immoral crime against humanity – the blockade – continues, rest assured, the ANC of Rhode Island will not cease in its fight to restore dignity and life to the people of Artsakh. We welcome the Town Council of Smithfield’s support and decision to stand on the right side of history as we battle for the voiceless, no matter how many thousands of miles apart Artsakh and Smithfield are,” Sen. Tikoian said. 

Smithfield, a town north of Providence, is home to a quaint Armenian American community, as well as to Sen. Tikoian. Smithfield’s dedication to Armenian Americans runs deep – the town flies the Armenian flag every April 24 in commemoration of the Armenian Genocide.

“As we welcome another Friendship City between Rhode Island and our compatriots in Artsakh, we cannot emphasize enough the importance of our supporters in this initiative. Every Friendship City agreement that we establish on a local level echoes forever throughout the region, as we create more incentive, highlighting the true power of grassroots activism. With each forthcoming agreement, we hope to raise our voices louder throughout the Eastern Region simultaneously as our activists continue to draw greater attention to this ongoing genocide in Artsakh,” said ANC-RI co-chair Elmasian.

Stepanakert has been under attack since 2020, and most recently, the people of Stepanakert have been living in dire conditions due to Azerbaijan’s deadly blockade, which has gone on for over 240 days. The ongoing blockade has limited life-supporting essentials such as food, medicine and electricity, igniting a humanitarian crisis of magnanimous proportions. 

Friendship Cities with Artsakh have been established in the Eastern Region between Granite City, Illinois, and Ashan, Republic of Artsakh; Cranston, Rhode Island, and Stepanakert, Republic of Artsakh; North Providence, Rhode Island and Jardar, Republic of Artsakh; and now, Smithfield, Rhode Island and Stepanakert, Republic of Artsakh.

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The Armenian National Committee of America Eastern Region is part of the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots organization, the ANCA. Working in coordination with the ANCA in Washington, DC, and a network of chapters and supporters throughout the Eastern United States, the ANCA-ER actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.