Since the launch of the first Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) war in the 1990s, the region’s status has been at the core of the conflict. This issue was the primary focus of negotiations and different settlement options put forward by the OSCE Minsk Group—package solution, phased approach, Common State, Key West, Kazan document, Lavrov plan—which all tried to find a mutually acceptable solution for the status of Artsakh. At the end of the day, Azerbaijan decided to solve this issue by military force. Azerbaijan probably came to this decision in the early 2000s, hoping it could get more by deploying military force than by any negotiated solutions. Azerbaijan was cautiously waiting for the geopolitical window of opportunity, which appeared in 2020 as a combination of the COVID-19 pandemic, elections in the U.S. and growing misperceptions of Armenia-Russia relations after the 2018 Velvet Revolution. 

The 2020 Artsakh War has significantly changed the balance of power in the region. It underscored Turkey’s growing role and influence and simultaneously resulted in the deployment of Russian peacekeepers to Artsakh. However, it did not solve the issue of status, as despite losing a significant part of its territory, the self-proclaimed Artsakh Republic continued its existence. Azerbaijan was clear that it would not tolerate the existence of the Artsakh Republic and would use force, if necessary, to finish with it. Baku was waiting for another window of opportunity, and it soon arrived, first in the form of the Russia-Ukraine war and then through Armenia’s recognition of Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan in October 2022, May and July 2023. In September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a new offensive against Artsakh and, within 10 days, forced the entire Armenian population to leave the area. The President of the Republic of Artsakh signed a decree on the dissolution of the republic by the end of 2023, albeit the legal aspects of that decree can be debated, and President Samvel Shahramanyan himself stated that no decree could dissolve the state established by the people.

In any case, Azerbaijan did not face any tangible consequences from anyone for forcefully displacing all Armenians from Artsakh. There were standard statements of concern from several capitals, promises to provide humanitarian aid to Armenian refugees from Artsakh and calls on Azerbaijan to ensure the rights of those Armenians who would wish to return to Artsakh, as was mentioned in the recent joint U.S.-EU statement. 

Some may believe that the destruction of the Republic of Artsakh and the forced displacement of Armenians from the region may pave the way for lasting peace and stability between Armenia and Azerbaijan. According to this logic, if the status of Artsakh was the primary obstacle to Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization, then nothing stands in the way of Armenia-Azerbaijan peace after all the Armenians were forced to leave Artsakh. 

However, the reality is much more complex. After the 2020 Artsakh War, Azerbaijan increased its demands from Armenia, adding three additional items. Item number one is the so-called enclaves, territories within Soviet Azerbaijan administrative borders, which were within Soviet Armenia. There is much confusion on the legal aspects of the appearance of those enclaves, as well as on numbers and area, and Soviet Armenia has its enclave within Soviet Azerbaijan. However, after the 2020 Artsakh War, Azerbaijan put this issue on the agenda, also using the recognition of Azerbaijani territorial integrity under the Alma-Ata declaration (86,600 square km) by Armenia. Now Azerbaijan speaks about eight occupied villages of Azerbaijan by Armenia with an overall 109 square kilometers of territory and uses the word “liberation” if Armenia fails to give back those territories via negotiations.  

Item two is the “Zangezur corridor,” which would connect Azerbaijan with its exclave Nakhichevan and Turkey via Armenia. The issue of restoration of communications was part of the November 10, 2020 trilateral statement, including the routes from western regions of Azerbaijan to Nakhichevan and the role of Russian border troops. The term “corridor” was not mentioned in article nine. However, Azerbaijan connected this issue with the functioning of the Berdzor (Lachin) Corridor, arguing that as Armenians did not see any Azerbaijani officials while traveling from Armenia to Artsakh via Berdzor, Azerbaijanis should not see any Armenian officials while traveling from Azerbaijan proper to Nakhichevan via Syunik. This argument lost relevance after April 2023, when Azerbaijan established a checkpoint along the Berdzor Corridor, and became absolute nonsense after the forced displacement of all Armenians from Artsakh. However, while verbally recognizing Armenian sovereignty over Syunik, Azerbaijan now insists that Armenia should provide special guarantees to ensure the safety of those Azerbaijanis who will travel from Azerbaijan to Nakhichevan via Armenia, without any talk about the safety of Armenians who may travel from Armenia to Iran via Nakhichevan. The concept of special guarantees is vague and can be further manipulated by Azerbaijan.

The so-called “Zangezur corridor” marked by the red arrow (Wikimedia Commons)

Item number three relates to the concept of “Western Azerbaijan.” This concept received prominence in Azerbaijan after the 2020 Artsakh War, as Azerbaijani authorities implied that part of Armenian territories are historical Azerbaijani lands, and Azerbaijanis were forcefully displaced from their homeland. According to this narrative, Azerbaijanis should come to Armenia, and Armenia should ensure their security, safety, educational and religious rights. Initially, many thought Azerbaijan created this concept to force Armenia to accept the loss of Artsakh, telling Armenians that if they continued to speak about Artsakh, Azeris would speak about Western Azerbaijan. However, even after the destruction of the Artsakh Republic, Azerbaijan has not dropped this concept. It means that the concept is part of the long-term Azerbaijani strategy to weaken Armenia to make it a de facto failed state.

Will Azerbaijan use military force to compel Armenia to accept its demands on these three issues? In the short-term perspective, the most likely area for military aggression against Armenia could be the issue of enclaves. Azerbaijan may tell the international community that it is not attacking Armenia or annexing Armenian territory; it is simply liberating its territories occupied by Armenia, with the defense that the Armenian government has accepted that the enclaves are part of Azerbaijan. 

It will be much more challenging for Azerbaijan to justify using military force to open the “Zangezur corridor” or compel Armenia to accept the “Western Azerbaijan” concept. However, Azerbaijan will continue to use these demands to pressure Armenia and postpone the signature of any agreement with Armenia. Azerbaijan will probably wait for another geopolitical window of opportunity to use force to reach its goals.    

It was a case of serendipity. In a post-ceasefire Armenia, the story behind Discotchari’s inaugural release is a testament to the bonding power of art, even in times of strife. The “deadstock discovery” – a term used for warehoused, sealed or discontinued records that have been removed from catalog – emerged when Discotchari stumbled upon a cache of ’45s featuring virtuosos John Bilezikjian and Raja Zahr, still encased in their original factory boxes from 1970. Available on November 3, 2023, this collaboration will be released on hundreds of 7” 45rpm units, plus digital downloads and streaming on all platforms. 

Discotchari, a sublabel under Critique, is an L.A-based electronic label that selector and A&R Zach Asdourian and DJ and marketing professional Anaïs Gyulbudaghyan started in 2020, focused on reconstructing a long-lost back-catalog of rare groove music from artists of Armenian and Middle Eastern/SWANA identities to form an archive of songs that would be rediscovered by future generations of listeners. Over the years, Asdourian and Gyulbudaghyan learned the value of building a community of fans and Armenian “rare groovers” organically, rather than creating songs with the sole intent of achieving algorithmic rotation over the Internet.

“We started Discotchari based on our firm belief that, by increasing awareness of our music history, we can positively influence socio-political Armenian issues by providing a means for artasahmantsiner (non-Armenians) to experience our culture while also providing a consistent source of inspiration and pride for our barekamner (fellow Armenians) faced with an existential crisis,” says Asdourian. “In the last century we have seen smaller countries like Japan and Jamaica grow into cultural exportation phenomena, and in both cases music has played a big role in attracting interest from global markets. These economics reinforce the sovereignty of these countries, and the Armenia we know today has potential to become a prime destination for cuisine, nature, spirituality, innovation and all forms of artisanry.”

Front cover of album (Photo credit: Discotchari)

The release, Something Different, which features songs “Zulu Man” and “Chemical Reaction,” speaks to the souls of two extraordinary artists, John Bilezikjian and Raja Zahr. John Bilezikjian, largely recognized as the twentieth century’s most advanced oud musician, made an everlasting impression on the world of music, and as Asdourian called it in an interview with the Weekly, “a respectful iconoclast who ventured beyond the boundaries of ‘Western Armenian’ tradition set forth by Udi Hrant’s generation then maintained by John Berberian and others.” His commitment to decoding the oud’s history and uncovering its full potential continues to astound listeners, and naturally, as a scholar of Middle Eastern music, his library of 20th century Turkish encyclopedias, sheet music and pop records reveal a passion for confirming the Armenian (along with Greek and Jewish) origins of Ottoman classical music. 

On the flip side, Raja Zahr’s journey from Beirut to Oklahoma and his eventual settlement in glitzy Los Angeles is one of adventure and passion. In the local scene of belly dance nightclubs, he established himself as a premier Arabic percussionist. The combination of John’s oud expertise and Raja’s percussion prowess resulted in a one-of-a-kind musical collaboration.

“Raja met John through a mutual acquaintance, and they developed a quick bond as they began touring across the Southwestern states, performing their repertoire of regional belly dance standards and writing original compositions together,” Asdourian said. “Of the nine songs they wrote together, two of them were recorded in 1970 at a studio owned by a friend of Raja and ended up pressed onto the vinyl records that Discotchari is releasing. According to Raja, other songs were recorded but got lost when the studio burned down.” 

Back cover of album (Photo credit: Discotchari)

The two songs capture the mentality of two superstar musicians, at a very young age, adjusting to a new environment while trying to maintain a connection to their roots. The record features the ancient oud and darbuka colliding with the fallout of the global psychedelic movement. One song muses about melancholy and desperate feelings, and another leads listeners on an action-packed adventure of drum breaks. 

And how did this release come to be? I’ll let Zach share. 

“A year and a half ago, we did not have any set plans for the first Discotchari release, so we tried to focus on things that would help us gather the material and resources to take that next big step. We were very experimental in trying to build our audience, and ironically it was the idea of merchandising that actually led to the discovery of the Something Different 45s! John Bilezikjian had a label in the 70s called ‘Dantz Records.’ The label logo and album artworks are as clever as the name’s play on words,” explained Asdourian. 

“I was able to track down and meet John Bilezikjian’s son, Johnny, to pitch this apparel idea I had, but when I told him that my main focus was reissuing Armenian dance records, he told me that his father had a record collection like no other, and that I should come check it out sometime,” Asdourian continued.

After purchasing this record collection from Johnny last year, Asdourian and Gyulbudaghyan discovered, among sealed vinyl of Elias Rahbani and Fairuz, a couple hundred copies of the Something Different 45s still in their original factory boxes from 1970. They were able to uncover the entire production run of these records nestled between CDs, cassettes and reel-to-reels, and reach an agreement with Johnny and Raja Zahr to give these unheard recordings the proper release that they deserved. 

The songs are quintessentially 1970s, pulling in common psychedelic notions from the era’s “mind-expanding” music, a-la-Pink Floyd, Rush, Yes, Genesis and other introspective bands known for their complex instrumentals, and equally as complex, thoughtful lyricism. However, John and Raja found a way to blend Near Eastern flavors and a clear love for their roots with progressive and psychedelic rock. It’s interesting to see the dichotomy between the two similar-but-different songs. 

“The song ‘Chemical Reaction’ written by Raja is the theme to its own world of sandy landscapes and scorching sun. From the very first seconds ‘Chemical Reaction’ takes you on a whirlwind of emotions. The scenarios are endless when it comes to properly categorizing the high times and low lunges this track can create on a dance floor,” describes Asdourian. “The song ‘Zulu Man’ on the other hand is John’s ode to 60s rock ballads, full of light, smooth, complex instrumental passages that equally put you at ease and keep you guessing where they’re going next. ‘Zulu Man’ is leaning more towards the obscurities of Gandalf and King Crimson than the soundtracks of the decade.” 

With their first label release coming soon, Discotchari has no plans to stop anytime soon, with another rare Armenian discovery coming soon, along with an electronic album by a Yerevan-based artist.

“In our search for music, we aim to present a different angle on Armenian music, focusing on long-lost gems that never made it to the general public, and our upcoming releases completely reflect that,” says Gyulbudaghyan. “In line with our radio residency, we’re rolling out a series of club nights called ‘Silk Road Secret Agents’ that are focused on representing the music of legendary trade routes connecting Asia and Africa with Europe via the Middle East, sewing a rich tapestry of musical heritage as we go. We’re looking forward to collaborating with SWANA musicians, DJs and creatives, to reignite thousands of years of cultural exchange, to disrupt conventional perspectives and diffuse critical intel behind often elusive recordings.”

In a world where music serves as a reflection of our shared human experience, Discotchari’s work illustrates how art can transcend time and borders. Something Different, their inaugural release, is more than just a reissue of a long-lost gem. It’s an homage to the power of music to unify across cultural differences.

Gyulbudaghyan concluded, “We love Armenian records and want to turn their global nuances into a talking point, so we started the conversation ourselves on social media, and 18 months later, we’re now able to release a record that embodies the cultural fusion we are so passionate about highlighting.” 

Something Different is available on Bandcamp and Soundcloud and features John Bilezikjian on oud and harpsichord and Raja Zahr on drums and Arabic percussion.

John and Raja in the studio circa 1987 (Photo Credit: Discotchari)

Artist: John Bilezikjian, Raja Zahr
Album: Something Different
Label: Discotchari
Catalog Number: DSC001
Barcode: 197644375011
Release Date: November 3, 2023
Genre: World, Psychedelic Rock
Format: digital + deadstock 7” 45rpm
License: courtesy of the artists
Rights: © ℗ Discotchari 2023
Originally pressed by Nose Records in 1970

Side A:

1. Zulu Man – 3:17

Side B:

2. Chemical Reaction – 2:37

Engineer: Drew Bennett
Producer: Paul Massaad
Liner Notes: Zach Asdourian
Personnel: Jim Zrake, John Mazo, Russ Viot

On October 7, 2023, the Modern Art Museum of Yerevan held an exhibition entitled, “Retrospective – 35 Years of Artistic Creation,” in honor of Lebanese-Armenian painter Mireille Goguikian.

“This exhibition shows my resilience as an Armenian artist. This exhibition is me taking a stance with Artsakh. I wanted to share my Retrospective with my Armenian people,” Goguikian said. Now, visitors of the Modern Art Museum of Yerevan can see two of Goguikian’s works in the museum’s permanent collection.

Retrospective in honor of Lebanese-Armenian artist Mireille Goguikian

Born and raised in Beirut, Goguikian’s true artistic talent remained undiscovered until she was 17 years old studying to become an architect. Her professors and peers encouraged her to change paths and pursue art. Three years deep into her architecture program, Goguikian decided to take the risk, changed her major and studied visual arts. One year into the degree, Goguikian’s paintings began to stand out, earning multiple honorary prizes and distinctions, such as the first Samir Tabet Prize and the second prize of the Béchir Gemayel. After graduating from the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts (ALBA) in 1988, she started regularly exhibiting in local galleries and even taught in an academy for a year before she left for Paris. 

The next five years of Goguikian’s life in Paris witnessed a creative shift in her career, as she fully committed to her artistic path. “During my stay in Paris, I got more involved in the Armenian community. Even though I didn’t speak very good Armenian, they welcomed me with open arms. This was when I started searching for my Armenian roots,” Goguikian said.

Throughout her career, Goguikian participated in 50 international exhibitions in Tokyo, London, Paris, Italy, Seoul and so on. She also presented 17 solo exhibitions, the latest being her first-ever solo exhibition in Yerevan.

Titled “Mireille of Cities” and “Queen of Colors” back home in Beirut, Goguikian mainly paints cityscapes. “I paint cities just like I imagine them in my head, cities filled with light and love, where chaos doesn’t exist,” Goguikian explained.

“You can see the sun and the light as recurring themes in most of my paintings. In many ways, the sun also represents Armenia,” she continued. All of the red paintings in her collection are about Armenia. For Goguikian, the strength and the passion of the color red represent Armenia.

Chaleur Rouge, 2021 by Mireille Goguikian. Oil on canvas 50x70cm.

“I wanted to offer some light and positivity despite these challenging times,” Goguikian said regarding her exhibit in Yerevan. “I believe this was a successful exhibition, and we Armenians needed it.” Many people attended the opening reception of Retrospective, all eager to see and learn more about the Lebanese-Armenian artist and painter.

Goguikian’s works have appeared in several collections, both private and public, and they are exhibited in many cultural foundations and museums worldwide. Despite her popularity in the broader art scene, Goguikian has always wanted to share her talent through educational activities, especially with those in her community. She is a member of the National Federation of French Culture and the Armenian Artists of France and a previous art teacher at Hamazkayin’s Toros Roslin Fine Arts Academy. 

Lebanese-Armenian artists Rita Massoyan Yedalian, Mireille Goguikian, Raffi Yedalian and director of the Toros Roslin Art Academy Hagop Handian

In addition to her ongoing contributions to the Armenian art community, Goguikian continues to represent a valuable resource for Armenia by actively engaging in international exhibitions. For the XIll Biennale in Florence, Goguikian was selected as a participating artist to showcase seven paintings, “Shards of Beirut,” and she won the very selective Jury Prize. In 2021, she won the Caravaggio Prize in Milan and the International Prize in Barcelona in November 2022. In the near future, Goguikian will have a collective exhibition in Dubai and a solo exhibition in Beirut Kaleem Art Space in April.