Egypt says agreement is close on two-day extension to Israel-Hamas truce

Hambik Zargarian

 19:18,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. A senior Egyptian official said on Monday that Egypt and Qatar were close to reaching a deal to extend a truce between Israeli and Hamas forces in Gaza by two days, continuing a pause in seven weeks of warfare that has killed thousands and laid waste to the Palestinian enclave, Reuters reports.

''Diaa Rashwan, the head of Egypt's State Information Service (SIS), said the extension would include the release of 20 Israeli hostages from among those seized by Hamas during its Oct. 7 assault on southern Israel. In exchange 60 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails would be freed,'' he said.

''With the release of 11 Israeli hostages expected on Monday, negotiations remain ongoing for the release of 33 Palestinians,'' Rashwan added.

Water delivered to northern Gaza Strip for the first time since beginning of escalation

Alex Jidarian

 20:34,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. Water has been delivered to the Gaza Strip for the first time since the beginning of the escalation, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) announced.

"Yesterday, our aid convoys reached areas in the north of Gaza Strip. UN agencies and the [Palestine Red Crescent Society] delivered ready-to-eat food, tents, water and urgent medical supplies. This was the first delivery of clean water that reached people sheltering in the north since the war began," the agency said on its X page.

Armenpress: Deputy PM Mher Grigoryan, EU fact-finding mission members discuss agenda issues of Armenia-EU relations

Lara Chatinian

 21:25,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan received the members of the joint delegation of the European External Action Service and the European Commission's Directorate Generals for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations, Migration and Internal Affairs, Research and Innovation and International Partnership.

At the beginning of the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister briefed the EU partners on the needs of forcibly displaced people from Nagorno-Karabakh and the measures initiated by the government. Additionally, the Deputy Prime Minister referred to the potential challenges facing Armenia in the context of different scenarios of possible regional developments, Grigoryan’s Office said.

It is noted that the interlocutors discussed issues on the Armenia-EU relations agenda, including the progress of programs implemented within the framework of the Economic and Investment Plan. The need for full implementation of the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement within the timeframe established by the roadmap was emphasized bilaterally.

Asbarez: Yerevan Steps Up CSTO Exit Talk

Varazdat Torgomian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 

 

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

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addresses a gathering of CSTO national security advisors in Yerevan on June 17Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who snubbed a summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization last week, did not rule out the possibility of Armenia exiting the Russia-led security bloc as he again accused the group of not honoring its obligations to Armenia.

A leading member of Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party on Monday signaled that Armenia could leave the CSTO because of the group’s hesitance to support Armenia, especially when Azerbaijani forces breached Armenia’s sovereign borders in September 2022 and May 2021.

“There is a defined situation in which we would definitely leave [the CSTO,]” Gevorg Papoyan, Civil Contract’s deputy chairman, told reporters on Monday. “We don’t have that situation yet.”

“But there is also a situation where we would definitely participate in those [CSTO] meetings. There is no such situation either,” he said, referring to Yerevan’s effective non-participation in the alliance’s program and activities.

The CSTO secretary general on Monday downplayed Pashinyan’s decision to attend last week’s summit.

Imangali Tasmagambetov said that Pashinyan did not fly to Minsk, the capital of Belarus, for the summit last Thursday for merely “technical” reasons.

“In my view, it makes no sense to draw any categorical conclusions from this situation,” Tasmagambetov told the TASS news agency. “Armenia was and remains our ally.”
Tasmagambetov is scheduled to visit Yerevan.

The Russian foreign ministry, however, accused Pashinyan and his government of planning a “radical change” if its geopolitical orientation, claiming that the United States and the European Union are pushing Yerevan to abandon Russia.

Over the weeken, the Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the criticism of the CSTO voiced by Pashinyan and other Armenian leaders.

He expressed hope that Yerevan will soon resume its “full-fledged participation in the organization.”


Asbarez: Consecration Ceremony Held at Istanbul’s Camp Armen

Hovsep Chakrian
by Contributor

 

 

 

in Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

Architectural rendering of the new Camp Armen


The Armenian community of Istanbul on November 4 held a consecration ceremony for the rebuilding of Camp Armen, located in the Tuzla district of Istanbul, Turkey. Archbishop Sahag II Mashalian, Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople, presided over the ceremony and addressed the attendees with congratulatory remarks and prayers. Several noteworthy guests participated in the ceremony, including Rev. Krikor Ağabaloğlu, Pastor of the Armenian Evangelical Church of Gedikpaşa, Archbishop Levon Zekiyan, the Apostolic Administrator of Armenian Archeparchy of Istanbul, and the students of Hrant Dink School.

Hrant Guzelian had a vision, in 1962, to save and educate orphaned Armenian children.

The most well-known among them was Hrant Dink and his spouse Rakel Dink, who were forced to live in a foreign society and follow a different faith. Today, the Armenian Missionary Association of America strives to help revitalize this vision by helping to restore and rebuild Camp Armen, and to remember Hrant’s legacy, and the impact he had on children who he helped save.

Hrant Guzelian with children from the interiors of Turkey Hrant Guzelian at Camp Armen

Guzelian, a fearless hero who searched for and rescued hundreds of Armenian children left without family, identity, church, or schools in the decades following the Armenian Genocide in 1915, first opened the Youth Home and later built Camp Armen of Istanbul to provide these children with shelter and love, and to teach them how to honor and keep their Christian faith and Armenian heritage.

In the late 1970s, Camp ARMEN was confiscated by the local authorities and many attempts to take it back were rejected. In May 2015, resistance began when attempts were made to demolish the Camp. Nor Zartonk and Kamp Armen Solidarity guarded the camp for 180 days and prevented its destruction. As a result of a negotiation process which included representatives of the Armenian community and politicians, and within the framework of the reforms made for the minorities, the property right of “Camp Armen” was returned to the Gedikpaşa Armenian Evangelical Church on October 27, 2015. Since then, consistent efforts have been made within the Turkish-Armenian national-ecclesiastical life to rebuild the camp. Camp Armen will now be rebuilt to suit the current needs of the new generation. This initiative is carried out by a joint Armenian Apostolic, Armenian Catholic, and Armenian Evangelical program.

The goal is to raise $2.5 million so that the new Camp Armen will be the first and only Camp in Turkey to function as a development center serving the Armenian Evangelical, Catholic, and Apostolic communities every day throughout the year with much-needed social, cultural, and religious development activities for the youth with help from trained volunteers.

The AMAA encourages everyone who believes in the vision of Hrant Guzelian to participate and become a part of this unique time of rebuilding Camp Armen.

Camp Armen will be rebuilt to once again embrace Armenian children living in Turkey and connect them to their heritage and faith, and to inspire them to make a difference in the world around them.

Since its founding, the Youth Home/Camp Armen and Guzelian’s work has been generously supported by the AMAA.

Please partner with the AMAA to help create a small home for Armenian children living in Turkey to perpetuate the cultural and spiritual identity and keep the torch burning. You may visit amaa.org to learn more about Camp Armen and make a donation online or mail your donation earmarked for Camp Armen to Armenian Missionary Association of America – 31 West Century Road, Paramus, NJ 07652.

Founded in 1918, the Armenian Missionary Association of America serves the spiritual, educational, and social needs of Armenian communities in 24 countries around the world including Armenia and Artsakh. For additional information, you may visit the website.

The California Courier Online, November 30, 2023

Elizabeth Jabejian

The California
Courier Online, November 30, 2023

 

1-         Azeri Paper
Attacks Sassounian for Saying

            Azerbaijan
Wastes billions on Lobbying

            By Harut
Sassounian

            Publisher,
The California
Courier

            www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

2-         President of
Iraq visits Armenia

3-         Armenia and
Saudia Arabia Establish Diplomatic Relations

4-         Six
Armenians Among Portantino Honorees for 2023 Women in Business Awards

 

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

 

1-         Azeri Paper
Attacks Sassounian for Saying

            Azerbaijan
Wastes billions on Lobbying

            By Harut
Sassounian

            Publisher,
The California
Courier

            www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

 

Last week, I was asked by Alpha News TV to comment on the
U.S. Senate’s decision, by a unanimous vote of 100 to 0, to suspend for two
years Pres. Joe Biden’s authority to waive Section 907 of the United States
Freedom Support Act which prohibits providing assistance to Azerbaijan.
Should the House of Representatives also approve this bill, it would then go to
the President for his signature which would make it a law. Since 1992, all U.S. presidents, including Pres. Biden in the
last two years, have waived Section 907, thus providing tens of millions of
dollars of aid to Azerbaijan.

The Senate’s decision angered Azerbaijan’s
Foreign Ministry which described it as a blow to Armenia-Azerbaijan relations
and cancelled its participation in the planned Washington talks between the foreign
ministers of the two countries on Nov. 20.

During my interview with Alpha News, I stated that not a
single U.S. Senator objected to the anti-Azerbaijan bill, despite Azerbaijan hiring multiple large lobbying firms
to defend its interests in Washington.
This means that Azerbaijan
has wasted tens of millions of dollars in the last two decades paying for these
useless lobbying firms. I would like to add that the person directly
responsible for overseeing the work of these lobbying firms is Azerbaijan’s
Ambassador to Washington, Khazar Ibrahim. Therefore, any government that
becomes aware of the waste of such large amounts of money would immediately
fire its Ambassador. If Pres. Aliyev does not dismiss Amb. Ibrahim, then he
himself would be just as responsible for the waste of millions of dollars on
worthless lobbying firms which have not been able to convince a single Senator
out of 100 to vote in favor of Azerbaijan’s
interests.

Within days of my interview with Alpha News, Azerbaijan’s
first English language newspaper, AzerNews, published a lengthy article titled,
“Bribing congressmen, Armenian lobby poses threat to future of Yerevan,”
attacking me personally for saying that Azerbaijan has wasted millions of
dollars on lobbying. This is what shameless people do when they accuse others of
doing things they are guilty of.

The whole world knows about Azerbaijan’s
notorious Caviar Diplomacy and Azerbaijani Laundromat, bribing politicians
throughout Europe with billions of dollars to cast votes in favor of Azerbaijan in order to whitewash Azerbaijan’s
severe human rights violations and its fraudulent presidential elections.

Shamelessly, AzerNews falsely states that “Armenia’s lobby organizations abroad, pour
millions or perhaps billions into the pockets of congressmen, of course,
baseless and biased opinions against Azerbaijan will be voiced from the
West.”

There are several grave errors in the above sentence. First
of all, the Armenian government has not hired a single U.S. lobbying firm
simply because it does not have the huge amount of petrodollars that Azerbaijan
has which it wastes on lobbying firms in Washington, instead of taking care of
its poor people at home. Secondly, Armenian-American organizations do not have
millions, let alone billions of dollars to “pour into the pockets of congressmen.”
Armenian-Americans do not need to bribe anyone. When your cause is just, you do
not need to pay bribes to convince anyone of the truth. Only when you commit
massive crimes, as Azerbaijan
and Turkey
repeatedly do, you need to spend millions and billions of dollars to cover up
your crimes.

AzerNews went on to incriminate Azerbaijan,
saying that Baku “is not only interested in
participating in this auction of finding partnerships that Armenia is
lavishly doing now.” Even though the sentence is not grammatically correct, the
Azeri writer seems to admit that Azerbaijan is eager to bribe
foreign officials. This is a useless statement since Azerbaijan has been bribing foreign
officials for years.

Azerbaijan
should be the last country in the world to cast aspersions on Armenia or any other country, since Baku is led by a dictator
who jails journalists and human rights activists, and his soldiers commit the
ugliest war crimes, such as rapes and beheadings. Azerbaijan invaded Artsakh and
committed genocide against its Armenian population. Furthermore, Ramil Safarov,
an Azeri soldier, during a NATO-sponsored training seminar in Hungary,
chopped the head of a sleeping Armenian soldier with an axe. After Pres. Aliyev
bribed the Hungarian government to release him from prison, he pardoned him and
recognized him as a national hero.

I commend AzerNews for tracking all the way from Baku my interview in Glendale,
California, and writing a
baseless and false response. The writer of the article, Elnur Enveroglu, Deputy
Editor-in-Chief of AzerNews, went to great lengths to find not only my TV
interview, but also to translate it from Armenian into English.

 

************************************************************************************************************************************************
2-         President of Iraq visits Armenia

 

YEREVAN
(Armenpress)—President of Iraq Abdul Latif Rashid arrived in Armenia on
November 21.

The Iraqi President had meetings with President of Armenia
Vahagn Khachaturyan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Speaker of Parliament
Alen Simonyan.

President Abdul Latif Rashid was welcomed at the Zvartnots Airport
in Yerevan by
Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan. Pashinyan welcomed the Iraqi president
noting that the "visit is significant and essentially historical"
because he is the first president of Iraq
to visit the Republic
of Armenia.

Pashinyan noted there are rich cultural and historical ties
between the countries, and expressed hope for continued economic cooperation.

Referring to his meeting in Armenia, Abd Al-Latif Jamal Rashid
concurred, saying the sides discussed strengthening bilateral cooperation in
the political, economic, and trade spheres.

Issues related to regional security and stability, the
process of normalization of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations were addressed.

Pashinyan also presented the humanitarian problems of more
than 100,000 forcibly displaced persons in Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of Azerbaijan’s
ethnic cleansing policy and the steps taken by the Armenian government to
overcome them.

 

************************************************************************************************************************************************
3-         Armenia and Saudia Arabia Establish
Diplomatic Relations

 

Saudi Arabia
on Saturday, November 25 formally agreed to establish diplomatic relations with
Armenia,
ending a decades-long policy related to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Armenia’s
Foreign Ministry announced that the Armenian and Saudi ambassadors to the United Arab Emirates signed a relevant protocol
in Abu Dhabi.
It said the document cites the two countries’ desire to “establish cordial
relations in various fields.”

Armenia
has long maintained such relationships with other Gulf Arab monarchies, notably
the United Arab Emirates and
Kuwait.
Both nations have embassies in Yerevan.

It was not immediately clear whether Riyadh
and Yerevan are
planning to open embassies in each other’s capital.

Saudi Arabia
had for decades refused to establish diplomatic ties with Armenia due to
its conflict with Muslim Azerbaijan over Karabakh. The oil-rich kingdom
signaled a change in that policy after its relations with Armenia’s arch-foe and Azerbaijan’s ally Turkey deteriorated significantly
several years ago.

During the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Saudi Arabia had called for a boycott of Turkish
goods after Turkish president Erdoğan blamed Saudi
Arabia for the tensions in the Caucasus and the Middle East. Additionally during the 44-Day War in 2020,
Saudi channel Al Arabiya hosted a special speech delivered by Armenian
President Armen Sargsyan condemning Turkey
and Azerbaijan and urged
international community to prevent Turkey
and Azerbaijan
from intervening in the conflict together.

The policy change was highlighted in October 2021 by then
Armenian President Armen Sarkissian’s visit to Riyadh. Sarkissian sat next to Saudi Arabia’s
de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, at the opening ceremony of an
international conference held there.

Saudi Arabia
made more overtures to Yerevan in February 2022
when its Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and his Armenian
counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan held talks on the sidelines of the Munich Security
Conference in Germany.
It was the first-ever face-to-face meeting of the top diplomats of the two
states.

Armenia
subsequently voiced support for Saudi
Arabia’s bid to host the Expo 2030 world
fair. In another sign of warming bilateral ties, a Saudi airline launched
first-ever commercial flights to Yerevan
in June this year.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signaled the impending
normalization of Armenian-Saudi relations in televised remarks aired on Friday,
November 24.

“I hope that Armenia
and Saudi Arabia
will soon establish diplomatic relations, which would be a very significant
development,” he said.

 

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

4-         Six
Armenians Among Portantino Honorees for 2023 Women in Business Awards

 

Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D – Burbank) will host the
annual 25th State Senate District Women in Business Legislative Update &
Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, December 6 at the Castaway in Burbank. Among this year’s honorees are
Yvette Vartanian Davis, Aida Dimejian, Lusine Simonyan, Anahid Oshagan, Seda
Khojayan, and Lilit Odabashian.

“It is my privilege to recognize the accomplished women of
the great 25th Senate District,” commented Senator Portantino. “I look forward
to honoring our deserving honorees for their successful service that touches
all of us in such a positive way.”

The event will honor local women who have contributed to the
economic vitality and diversity of the 25th Senate District. Women in Business
will also celebrate women who have contributed to the greater good of our
community. These honorees inspire others, stimulate our workforce, and lead
some of the most impressive non-profits, healthcare organizations and
businesses across with 25th Senate District.

The Senator’s office received several hundred nominations
from the community. The women were nominated by their peers, co-workers, family
and friends who believed that their nominees are deserving of special
recognition.

 

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

California Courier Online provides readers of the Armenian News News Service with a
few of the articles in this week's issue of The California Courier. Letters to
the editor are encouraged through our e-mail address, .
Letters are published with the author’s name and location; authors are required
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California Courier subscribers can change or modify mailing addresses by
emailing .

Armenia urged to establish transitional justice mechanisms to address human rights violations

Hambik Zargarian
Nov 27 2023
World Bank
AUN human rights expert today urged Armenia to establish comprehensive transitional justice mechanisms to address human rights violations committed in the context of Soviet rule, autocratic governments, and the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Fabian Salvioli, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence, said that since Armenia’s independence from Soviet rule in 1991, authorities have adopted a series of measures to address the legacy of those violations.

“Although these measures have not been embedded in a transitional justice process, or officially considered part of such an agenda, many have been directed at reverting the heirloom of repressive or autocratic regimes towards democratic consolidation, or at investigating and providing redress for violations suffered by Armenian soldiers or civil society in the conflict,” Salvioli said in a statement at the end of a nine-day visit to the country.

“However, progress in truth-seeking, criminal justice, reparation and memorialisation of past human rights violations has been inconsistent,” he said.

Salvioli, called on Armenian authorities to establish an independent mechanism to investigate and record those violations, and make them accessible to current and future generations, He also called on the prosecutorial and judicial authorities to urgently step-up efforts on accountability for those violations.

He praised efforts to provide reparations to victims of Soviet repression, soldiers dead or incapacitated during the conflict, civilian victims of the conflict, and victims of the 1 March 2008 events, but noted that other victims of human rights violations have struggled to receive reparations.

“I urge the Government to adopt necessary legislative and administrative measures to ensure that victims of illegal expropriations, state repression and abuse in the context of manifestations, and torture and suspicious deaths in law-enforcement or armed forces are given specific legal status as victims of human rights violations and full reparation accordingly,” Salvioli said.

“The country has made strides in establishing democratic and efficient institutions since the 90s onwards. However, the progress has not been linear, and enormous challenges were encountered, such as electoral fraud, insufficient independence of the judiciary, widespread corruption in state institutions and excessive use of force in security and armed forces in previous years. A comprehensive reform package was adopted in 2019 aimed at redressing some of these shortcomings, but many remain to be implemented,” said the expert.

“The government must give an unequivocal sign to society of its commitment towards a holistic transitional justice process aimed at addressing past abuses, preventing their recurrence, and consolidating the rule of law,” Salvioli said.  

The expert said the latest stages of conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020 and 2023 had created enormous challenges. “My arrival in Armenia has coincided with the forced displacement of 110,000 Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of the conflict. I have met with refugees and authorities in receiving communities and in Yerevan, where I observed the pain and urgent needs of the displaced population and immense efforts by the authorities to address their basic and urgent needs,” he said. “I extend my solidarity to the refugees, and commend authorities for assisting these victims,” he said.

During his visit, Salvioli met government officials, civil society representatives, refugees and families of victims, and representatives of the international community. He also visited memorials, refugee camps and conflict sites.

https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/law-order/2725492-armenia-urged-to-establish-transitional-justice-mechanisms-to-address-human-rights-violations

Armenia and Saudi Arabia Forge Official Diplomatic Ties

Albert Nalbandian
The Media Line
Nov 26 2023
STEVEN GANOT
Armenia and Saudi Arabia have officially established diplomatic relations, the Armenian Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday. This landmark decision is driven by a mutual intent to bolster bilateral relations, expand cooperation, and contribute to international security and peace. The formalization of these ties took place in Abu Dhabi, where Armenian Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates Karen L. Grigoryan and his Saudi counterpart, Sultan bin Abdullah Al-Angari, signed the protocol. This historic move signifies a new chapter in the diplomatic relations between Armenia and Saudi Arabia, opening avenues for greater collaboration in various domains.

Armenia Says Peace Is ‘Realistic’ With Azerbaijan but Awaits the Right Signals

Hovsep Chakrian
Nov 26 2023

  • Joe Penney


YEREVAN, Armenia — Since Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan came to office in 2018 on the heels of a democratic revolution in which he played a central role, his administration has faced numerous security and political crises. The protracted conflict in the formerly Armenian-controlled breakaway republic of Artsakh, also known as the Nagorno-Karabakh, burst into a full-blown war in September 2020.

The Azerbaijani government led by President Ilham Aliyev, who has been in power for 20 years after taking the reins from his father, Heydar Aliyev, seized the entire Artsakh republic in September 2023, forcibly displacing more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians from their ancestral homeland. Pashinyan and the European Parliament have labeled the act ethnic cleansing.

While Azerbaijan’s government has said that it wanted to return land to Azerbaijani citizens who were displaced during the first Nagorno-Karabakh war, from 1988 to 1994, many Armenians see the September 2023 ethnic cleansing as the latest in a long series of violence committed by ethnic Turks against their community. The most-traumatic expulsion was the Armenian genocide of 1915.

In this tense geopolitical arena, the Armenian government is seeking to help the refugees from the Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh region as well as to rebuild its military, avoid more conflict with Azerbaijan and shore up allies in the West while maintaining relations with Russia. PassBlue spoke to Armenia’s deputy foreign minister, Vahan Kostanyan, in his office here in the Armenian capital of Yerevan in November about the delicate balancing act, the role of the United Nations in helping to walk such a tightrope and the successes and challenges of Pashinyan’s foreign policy. Armenia is a landlocked country of approximately three million people, located in the South Caucasus region. — JOE PENNEY

The interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and brevity.

PassBlue: How is the Armenian government working with international partners to ensure the welfare of refugees who have fled from Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh? What support is Armenia receiving and is it enough?

Kostanyan: After the Azerbaijan invasion of Sept. 19, 2023, the flow of forcibly displaced people is more than 100,000. Now the government is trying to take care of them and to provide all necessary social security assistance. What we’re doing is trying to solve the short-term issues, starting from accommodation, going to access to education, food, etc.

In the six months since the invasion, according to the decisions made, more than 100 billion drams are allocated, which is equivalent to about $250 million. But this is only to address short-term issues. Starting from the first day, we have been closely cooperating with our international partners, UN agencies and different countries. With UNHCR [UN High Commissioner for Refugees], we made a joint humanitarian appeal to allocate some money; according to the UNHCR estimations, for the first six months, at least $97 million will be needed. Some of our partners have allocated money — United States, European Union, different EU member states. Some sent humanitarian aid to Armenia through different pipelines, through UN approval, ICRC [International Committee of the Red Cross], but there was also small, direct budgetary support.

What we are asking currently from our international partners is to provide direct budgetary support. Because in a couple of months, we will be dealing with much bigger issues — understanding that there is no conducive environment now for people to exercise their right of return [to Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh]. We need to understand how we’re going to accommodate people and provide long-term shelter. So big housing projects should be implemented, projects to increase opportunities in our labor market, to do some additional competence trainings.

We are ready to be transparent with our colleagues to show and report how the money is spent. Because till now, all the financial support that is provided to people from Nagorno-Karabakh, it’s done not with cash but with money transfer through online banking, with cards, to track how the money went from the government to the people, to be transparent and accountable for all possible donors. There are working groups set up in the government, and two deputy prime ministers are in charge of different components: one for realization of the projects we have and the other for donor coordination. We’re working closely with UNHCR on this matter.

PassBlue: Are you taking actions in the UN Security Council? Are you working with other UN bodies besides the refugee agency to address Armenia’s response to the Nagorno-Karabakh expulsion? I’m also thinking of the Oct. 5 statement about the UN resident coordinator based in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, visiting and the disappointment that you expressed with the visit. Did you receive feedback on it?

Kostanyan: We received some feedback, and this statement was deleted [from the UN website focusing on Azerbaijan]. Later, there was a visit by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to Armenia, to Azerbaijan and to Nagorno-Karabakh. We still closely follow the situation regarding the issue of the rights of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh. Unfortunately, the Security Council was unable to adequately react to the Nagorno-Karabakh ethnic cleansing, and now we have a fact that it happened. Some of the Security Council members are having some discussions on a possible resolution.

PassBlue: What other steps can Armenia take in the UN system to help you manage the response to the Nagorno-Karabakh crisis?

Kostanyan: The UN Secretariat and UN agencies have quite big portfolios and toolboxes that can be helpful to address both short-term and long-term issues with people from Nagorno-Karabakh [NK]. Besides issues related to people of NK, the UN is a key development partner for Armenia, when it comes to implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Armenia is planning to submit its voluntary national review on the SDGs. We are one of the champions because not many states are already submitting the third one. UN is a partner for us in the fight against corruption.

The UN Human Rights Council has big importance for us. We believe that some of the issues are very relevant and they should be discussed at the Council. We were a member from 2020 to 2022. Now we’re going to run for another term in the Council in the upcoming year, because we believe this is an important platform for us and in general for tackling human rights issues. We believe that we have quite a good record on human rights protection, democracy and rule of law, which makes us a credible candidate.

PassBlue: There have been conflicting reports regarding the potential for more tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Prime Minister Pashinyan has recently said that a peace deal is “realistic.” Can you speak a bit about the strains and prospects for peace?

Kostanyan: When we say a peace deal is realistic, we are reaffirming our political commitment to sign a document on the normalization of relations with Azerbaijan. But to have it signed, we need reciprocate actions and signals from the Azerbaijani side. The principles which should be the basis to finalize this treaty are fully indicated in the Granada statement, which was endorsed by foreign leaders: not only Prime Minister Pashinyan but also the president of European Council, President Emmanuel Macron of France and Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany. When it comes to the possibility of tension, we’re living in a region and in a neighborhood where it’s always high, especially having a bad record of assurances from our neighbors that they are not going to use force.

We still have continued occupation of our sovereign territory from September 2022, and the forces are located close to each other. That’s why we are suggesting to organize a mirror withdrawal of forces from the border line, which is indicated in the Alma-Ata protocols of 1991. So if we see a willingness to withdraw the forces, if we wish to accept the principles of the Granada statement, this can give hope that finalizing a peace deal is possible.

Another important component for stability and long-lasting peace in our region is the opening of communications. For this purpose, we introduced our vision. Prime Minister Pashinyan introduced in October to the European Parliament the Crossroad of Peace project, where the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the states where the roads are passing through should be fully respected. We also indicated our willingness to reconstruct and to relaunch a railway connection with our neighbors Turkey and Azerbaijan. Not only the railway but also electricity, energy supplies. We have the ambition to become a transit hub. We believe that considering our geography, we can become a real crossroads between north and south and east and west.

If Nakhchivan [an autonomous exclave of Azerbaijan near Armenia’s southwestern border] is connected to the main part of Azerbaijan through the territory of Iran, we will not oppose this project. We believe that the Crossroad of Peace plan and this transit connection are not mutually exclusive. Because we believe that, especially considering the logistical problems, the developing logistical map in wider Eurasia and beyond and the tendencies of international trade, it can easily provide enough flow for mutually beneficial connections.

PassBlue: What kind of security guarantee would the transit link between the main part of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan exclave require — to restore the railway or to provide economic links, which both seem to be in everybody’s interest as long as security is guaranteed?

Kostanyan: We need to have clarity and no room for misinterpretation. Because previously, we also heard Azerbaijan saying, “We are not claiming and asking for any extra territorial corridor.” But during the negotiations that we had, starting from 2021, even if they are not saying, “We are demanding an extra-territorial corridor from you,” the modalities they were suggesting and asking for were giving an extraterritorial sense and they were not ready to reciprocate, which is one of the principles that we believe should be in opening communications. On our side, we are ready to simplify procedures when it comes to customs, to passport control, because we believe that it will attract more international trade through our territory. In general, the whole world is using innovation and the technologies of today to simplify procedures, and we’re ready to do so.

PassBlue: Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev recently said that eight villages are “occupied by Armenia.” What is he referring to?

Kostanyan: If we agree on the border line, this issue can be solved simply. If our troops stand according to a border line when they will get their four villages, we’ll get our four villages. For our four, the legal background is quite questionable whether they are Armenian or are Azerbaijani, according to the USSR [former Soviet Union] procedures and whole legislation. This is an issue which should be discussed during the delimitation process. We also have an Armenian enclave, Artsvashen; in a same way, we believe that we should get our enclave that is under Azerbaijani control. But we believe this is an issue for not only us but also the Azerbaijani side. On the one hand, they acknowledge that this issue should be discussed within the delimitation commission. On the other hand, they are publicly raising some territorial claims, which are aggressive, to say the least. But for these first four villages — which are not enclaves but adjustments to the border — a couple of times the Armenian side formally, on paper, suggested organizing the near withdrawal of forces from the border. If Azerbaijan had agreed, that issue would have been solved a year ago, two years ago.

PassBlue: Pashinyan met with Macron in Paris on Nov. 10 and Armenia signed a deal with France to buy Mistral surface-to-air defensive missiles. The Armenian chief of defense staff met with the American European Command deputy. The Armenian government favors the Granada process, but Azerbaijani President Aliyev didn’t even attend the meeting in Granada. So there seems to be a divide between this pro-West opening that Armenia is promoting.

Kostanyan: I would say we are diversifying our relations because we are considering the realities and experience that we have faced during the last few years. When it comes to our military capabilities, we don’t have any intention to attack any of our neighbors. We’re not going to challenge or violate their territorial integrity. But we believe that we have our right to increase our defensive capabilities.

PassBlue: The diversification of relationships with other countries has sparked a negative reaction from Armenia’s traditional security partner, Russia. How can Armenia diversify while keeping the existing security partnership?

Kostanyan: We publicly shared that the security architecture and the security philosophy that we had didn’t work. When our sovereign territory was attacked, the traditional partners and the CSTO [Collective Security Treaty Organization military alliance in Eurasia] were silent. They didn’t even come up with a political statement that our sovereign territory was attacked. In the same way, Russian peacekeepers, who had a duty clearly put on paper to protect the people of Nagorno-Karabakh from existential threat, acted as an observer when ethnic cleansing happened.

PassBlue: Iran, your neighbor to the south, has made statements about the need to respect Armenian territorial integrity. Iran suggested that this was a red line and that it could help Armenia defend itself if attacked. How does your government view the statements? More generally, what are your relations with Iran like?

Kostanyan: With Iran, we have a bilateral agenda that’s mainly economic. We are cooperating with our Iranian partners. This is very objective, as we need to cooperate with our neighbors with whom at least we have open borders, because two of our four borders are closed. [Armenia’s borders with Azerbaijan and Türkiye] We also value the political statements coming from Iran on inviolability of the borders in the region and, in particular, of Armenia. On the other hand, as I mentioned, we are not interested in any escalation in the region, and we are committed to solving all the issues through political and diplomatic means.

https://www.passblue.com/2023/11/26/armenia-says-peace-is-realistic-with-azerbaijan-but-awaits-the-right-signals/

Contested Caucuses: Armenia, Azerbaijan, America, Russia, Israel, and Iran

Hambik Zargarian
Nov 27 2023

By Antonio Graceffo on

The majority of the ethnic Armenians who once lived in the Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh within Azerbaijan, representing 25 percent to 30 percent of Azerbaijan’s Christian population, fled their ancestral homes in September and sought refuge in Armenian lands that remain out of Azerbaijani hands. This tiny region in the South Caucasus, measuring only 1,700 square miles, has quickly become a significant strategic battlefield with implications not only for the future of a Christian minority that faced genocide under the Ottomans, but also for the complicated web of alliances that ties Azerbaijan and Armenia to Iran, Russia, Turkey, Israel, and the United States. 

The region has long been disputed. Under the Soviet Union, Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh, was geographically within the Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR) of Azerbaijan, but was also an autonomous oblast with its own governing structure. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and independence of several former SSRs, the mostly ethnically Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh voted to formally join newly independent Armenia. The First First Nagorno-Karabakh War, which lasted from 1988-1994, resulted in the de facto independence of Nagorno-Karabakh as the Republic of Artsakh from Azerbaijan and unification with the rest of Armenia, though this territorial change was never internationally recognized. 

The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, which lasted only from September to November of 2020, saw Azerbaijan take back much of the territory it lost 30 years ago. However, rather than a total recapture of Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to a Russian-brokered ceasefire that kept the status of Artsakh in limbo. Artsakh remained de facto independent, but cut off the rest of Armenia, only accessible via a small area called the Lachin Corridor where Russian peacekeepers would be stationed. This effectively led to a siege/stalemate of Artsakh’s Armenian inhabitants for most of 2023. 

Then, on September 19th, Azerbaijan launched a military offensive against the Republic of Artsakh. This region, which is surrounded by Azerbaijan, was once home to approximately 150,000 people who practice the Armenian Apostolic faith, Armenia being the first nation to formally adopt Christianity in 301. Following the conflict, about 100,000 predominantly Armenian Christian refugees have hastily departed for Armenia. Today, Stepanakert — once the largest city in Nagorno-Karabakh — is an abandoned ghost town. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has described Azerbaijan’s recurring threats against Armenians, including the recent invasion of Nagorno-Karabakh, as “ethnic cleansing” and “a crime against humanity.”

The Azerbaijan takeover of Nagorno-Karabakh and the resulting exodus of Christians from the region carry significant global political implications. Armenia, once part of the Soviet Union, shifted its post-Soviet allegiance closer to Russia than to Europe, viewing Russia as its protector, particularly against Azerbaijan, a predominantly Islamic nation. Russia was among the first countries to officially recognize the Armenian genocide, which occurred in 1915 at the hands of the Ottoman Turks. Since 1994, Armenia has been a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a military alliance comprising six post-Soviet states led by Russia. However, in May this year, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan publicly expressed that he was considering withdrawing Armenia from CSTO due to Russia’s perceived failure to protect Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.

Pashinyan told a press conference, “Multiple cases of terror against the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh, illegal blocking of the Lachin Corridor, and Azerbaijan’s September 19 attack against Nagorno-Karabakh, have raised serious questions about goals and motives of the Russian Federation’s peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh.” 

In a tragic historical twist, Azerbaijan’s military employed weaponry sourced from Turkey, the descendants of those responsible for the Armenian genocide. Other Azerbaijani armaments were purchased from Israel, a nation whose own population has experienced genocide. Both the European Union and the United States have called for sanctions against Azerbaijan. Concurrently, the U.S. is imposing sanctions on Turkish entities which have supported Russia’s war in Ukraine. Simultaneously, the U.S. and EU are contemplating sanctions against Azerbaijan due to its support for Russia’s gas exports. The American Enterprise Institute is additionally advocating for sanctions on Israeli arms exporters for their role in supplying weapons to Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijan-Israel relationship is intricate and multifaceted. Israeli weapons shipped to Azerbaijan include advanced Harop precision drones and missile interceptor systems. In return, Azerbaijan plays a crucial role in meeting 40 percent of Israel’s energy requirements. Despite Azerbaijan’s predominantly Muslim population, both nations share a common opposition to Iran. Their intelligence services have collaborated to facilitate Israel’s spying on Iran.  

Jerusalem is particularly concerned about Tehran’s support for Hamas and Hezbollah, which pose a direct threat to Israel’s very existence. At the same time, Azerbaijan’s government in Baku is concerned that the Iranian military has conducted frequent military exercises near the Azerbaijani border, simulating potential invasion scenarios. Tehran, in an ironic turn, blames Israel for influencing Baku’s stance against Iran. The Saudi Arabia-Iran peace agreement, negotiated by China, was perceived as altering the regional balance in the Middle East, threatening the interests of both Azerbaijan and Israel. As a result, Baku and Jerusalem have found themselves on the same side, standing against Iran. But now, both are on the wrong side, standing against Armenia, and neither recognizes the 1915 genocide of Armenians.  

In 2021, the U.S. officially recognized the Armenian genocide, paving the way for improved diplomatic relations with the Armenian government in Yerevan. Just a week before the conflict erupted in Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenian and U.S. military forces carried out their first-ever joint training exercises. Furthermore, in response to an influx of refugees into Armenia, the nation’s parliament boldly defied Russia and decided to become a member of the International Criminal Court, which has issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin.

The ultimate outcome of Azerbaijan’s takeover of Nagorno-Karabakh could potentially lead to Armenia aligning more with Europe, strengthening its alliance with the U.S. This shift may reduce Russia’s influence as it loses an ally. Simultaneously, Azerbaijan may find itself drifting further from the West. Nevertheless, both Israel and Azerbaijan will inadvertently continue to serve U.S. interests by countering Iran. From a religious perspective, the exodus of Christians from Azerbaijan is part of a broader trend of Christians leaving Muslim-majority regions. Turkey, for instance, has witnessed a drastic decline in its Christian population from 20 percent to just 1 percent over the past century. In Iraq, 80 percent of Christians have left within the last two decades, reducing their presence to a mere 2 percent of the population. Over the past decade, Syria has seen a 50 percent decrease in its Christian population. Lebanon, which once had a Christian majority, is now 35 percent Christian. In the Holy Land, the Palestinian Christian community has been reduced to just 1 percent.

https://providencemag.com/2023/11/contested-caucuses-armenia-azerbaijan-america-russia-israel-and-iran/