12:14, 2 September 2023
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. The Ukrainian-Armenian International School has been opened in Odessa on September 1, AnalitikaUA reports.
The school is supported by the education ministries of Ukraine and Armenia.
Armenian language is integrated in the main academic program and is taught by teachers from Armenia. The program also features the Armenian Culture and History subject. Other languages such as Ukrainian and English are also taught in the school.
Arayik Harutyunyan has resigned as de facto president of the Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, effective on September 1.
He made the announcement on Facebook on August 31, posting: "I made this final decision two days ago, taking into account my contacts in the past weeks with all domestic and foreign actors and the public."
There had been speculation for weeks about his possible resignation and he openly mused about it amid demonstrations this week in the region's de facto capital, Stepanakert.
Harutyunyan took office in May 2020. Together with leaders of the Republic of Armenia, he oversaw the Armenian side's defeat in the Second Karabakh War in fall of that year which saw the de facto statelet lose most of the territory it claimed.
The remaining area controlled by the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (usually referred to as Artsakh by Armenians) has been under Azerbaijani blockade since December 2022, and that blockade has been total or near-total since June 2023.
The resulting shortages of foodstuffs and essential supplies contributed to growing frustration with Harutyunyan's rule.
In his resignation announcement, Harutyunyan wrote that the "unstable geopolitical situation" and "Artsakh's internal political and social environment" required a more flexible approach to the region's future that could start with his departure.
"My biography and Azerbaijan's attitude towards it artificially create a number of conditions that cause significant problems from the point of view of building our next steps and conducting a flexible policy. In addition, the defeat in the war and the subsequent difficulties in the country have significantly reduced the trust in the authorities, especially the president, which has seriously hindered the further course of proper governance," said the former president.
Azerbaijan declared Harutyunyan a "terrorist" during the 2020 war for allegedly ordering the shelling of civilians. Baku initiated a criminal case against him and placed him on an international wanted list.
Before stepping down, Harutyunyan pushed through a constitutional amendment that enabled Karabakh's legislature to elect an interim president in case of the incumbent's early resignation.
Hence, the National Assembly will elect an interim president within ten days to serve out the rest of Harutyunyan's term ending 2025.
Along with his resignation, Harutyunyan also dismissed Gurgen Nersisyan as state minister, which is the second-highest-ranking executive position in the territory. Shortly afterward, Artak Beglaryan announced he was stepping down as advisor to the state minister.
Harutyunyan named Samvel Shahramanyan, the former Security Council secretary who also headed the team negotiating with Azerbaijan earlier in March, as the new state minister.
The Ruben Vardanyan factor
The former president's loudest and most influential critic was Ruben Vardanyan, a Russian-Armenian billionaire who moved to Nagorno-Karabakh last September in order to take on a leadership role.
Harutyunyan appointed him to the newly empowered position of state minister but sacked him from that post in February, after just four months in the job.
In a Facebook video address on August 19, Vardanyan, who has remained in Karabakh, demanded Harutyunyan's resignation, claiming that he had reneged on several previous promises to step down.
The address came after a group of civilian militia supportive of Harutyunyan entered the parliament building in an apparent show of force against opponents calling for his resignation.
That event in turn took place two weeks after the de facto parliament had elected MP Davit Ishkhanyan, an opponent of Harutyunyan's and a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutyun, as its new speaker.
Tigran Grigoryan, a Karabakh native and the president of the Regional Center of Democracy and Security in Yerevan, told RFE/RL that Harutyunyan's resignation resulted from pressure from Vardanyan and the region's still-influential former presidents.
"Vardanyan consolidated the former presidents and their supporters, as well as the opposition parties in Karabakh, and their collective demand compelled Harutyunyan to resign," he said.
He was referring to former de facto presidents Bako Sahakyan (in office 2007-20) and Arkadi Ghukasyan (1997-2007), who are broadly considered to be allied with the former presidents of the Republic of Armenia (Robert Kocharyan and Serj Sargsyan) that are now in opposition there.
Grigoryan noted rumors that Samvel Shahramanyan, the newly appointed state minister, would be chosen by MPs as the new president.
"They're transitioning to create a collective body, consisting of the former leaders and security forces, as the new decision-maker. Shahramanyan is not an independent political figure but rather a representative of the group," he said, adding that it's still unclear what effect the change in leadership will have on the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Even at the UN the call is for Armenia to end its permanent victimhood cry and end misconduct in the Karabakh Region. Armenia cried wolf over the Lachin Border Crossing and the Lachin Corridor, but failed to impress representatives in the UN Security Council.
UN Security Council (UNSC) [16 AUGUST 2023-9397TH MEETING (PM)-SC/15384]: “Lachin Corridor Must Be Reopened for Humanitarian Aid, Security Council Hears, as Speakers Urge Armenia, Azerbaijan to Normalize Relations.”
The Lachin corridor, 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) wide, provides access from Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh region to Armenia and the rest of the world, and it bypasses the town of Shusha, Azerbaijan. After the 2020 2nd Karabakh war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, according to the Trilateral statement between the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, the corridor was put under the control of the Russian Federation’s peacekeeping contingent.
The issue however is that Armenia plays the cat and mouse game – English-language idiom that means “a contrived action involving constant pursuit, near captures, and repeated escapes” – in every way it possibly can.
To be able to have a hand on its security, establish control over its own borders, and prevent Armenia’s illegal acts in its sovereign territories, which Azerbaijan witnessed in the past 30 plus years, on April 23, 2023 the Republic of Azerbaijan installed a checkpoint at the Lachin border crossing at the Hakari Bridge.
The question is, why do the Armenians so much object to the Lachin border checkpoint? After all, through this border crossing Azerbaijan has been facilitating Armenian residents’ safe and affirmative passage free movement, according to international law on border crossings between countries. The same applies to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) personnel, as well as the Russian Peacekeeping contingent and humanitarian aid is not in short supply through the border crossing.
As for Armenia, for the purpose of continuing its illegal activities in Azerbaijan’s territories it constantly circulates false claims on the “worrisome and tense humanitarian situation in the region.”
The obvious reason is that for the past thirty plus years of Armenian illegal occupation of the Karabakh region, Armenia was also the master of havoc there. Now there is a new reality on the ground which Armenia refuses to accept. It refuses to accept it lost the war it started three decades ago and that the owner of the land it illegally occupied for decades – Azerbaijan – is back home; Armenia also refuses to accept Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and it wants to continue its hostilities.
First, it did not go well for Armenia’s crying wolf. In all likelihood Armenia expected the UNSC to go along with its false claims and request to condemn Azerbaijan. That did not happen.
Armenia’s PR move in the UN and beyond failed again. It was one more diplomatic defeat of and for Armenia. Sadly, around the world, Armenia told local media that Azerbaijan was carrying out illegal operations against Armenian citizens. They even convinced media that a genocide was either in progress or very likely to happen. That was all a lie.
Speakers at the UN called on both Armenia and Azerbaijan to normalize relations in order to arrive at a peace treaty. For Armenia, this is a hard pill to swallow.
Sérgio França Danese, Brazil’s envoy, reaffirmed his country’s commitment to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Armenia and Azerbaijan, within their internationally recognized borders. He also urged the parties to explore mechanisms to ensure unimpeded humanitarian access to Karabakh, including the feasibility of the Aghdam-Khankendi route, which Armenia opposes with its worldwide propaganda campaign and its imposed series of military and other obstructions for the normal functioning of Aghdam-Khankendi road for the delivery of goods to the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan.
The Brazilian envoy noted the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020, that offers a road map for peacebuilding and called on the parties to adhere to their commitments made at that time and remain engaged in pursuing a definitive conflict’s solution.
Ferit Hoxha, Albania’s envoy, noted that his country welcomes Armenia and Azerbaijan efforts and commitment to a long-term negotiation plan for a comprehensive peace agreement; also the plan to construct a railway connection with the readiness of the European Union to contribute financially to it, however, with the caveat that, “the road is still uphill and bumpy.”
Mr. Hoxha highlighted the tensions near the Armenia-Azerbaijan border and that both countries sharply differ on the Lachin road position’s recent development. He further raised his concern over “a profound lack of trust” between the two rivals and called on both parties to delimitate, demine and demilitarize the border in order to provide the necessary sense of security, avoid accidents and incidents which – given the volatility of the situation – could quickly lead to heightened tensions and clashes.
The Russian Federation envoy, whose country provides the peacekeeping contingency in the region, also called for the delimiting and demarcating of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, and stressed that Armenian-Azerbaijani reconciliation is unthinkable without reliable security guarantees and the full human rights observance of the Nagorno-Karabakh’s inhabitants. He offered his Government’s compromise-based proposal to de-escalate tensions which entails a parallel corridor opening connection through Aghdam and Lachin.
Turkey’s (Türkiye) delegate emphasized Azerbaijan’s voiced concerns over Armenia’s abuse of the Lachin Corridor by supplying armed groups and conducting illegal mine exploitation – ecological genocide – in Karabakh. The Turkish delegate emphasized Azerbaijan’s obligation to observe humanitarian considerations in its territory, adding that medical evacuations through the road are readily available.
Obviously Armenia presents a humanitarian difficulty in its provocative political campaign to undermine Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The International Court of Justice rejected Armenia’s recent request for an interim measure of removing the border checkpoint. It also dismissed Armenia’s allegations that the Lachin border checkpoint is illegal.
It must be pointed out that immediately after the end of the 2020 war, Azerbaijan offered logistics and infrastructure to the ICRC for the delivery of goods to the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. Armenia however rejected and prevented the ICRC from delivering humanitarian assistance.
For almost 30 years Armenia has blatantly disregarded a series of UN Security Council (UNSC) statements that demanded the full, immediate, and unconditional withdrawal of its occupying forces from Azerbaijan. Armenia’s current appeal to the Council is part of a campaign to manipulate and mislead public opinion.
Odiously, Armenia resorted to the “unprecedented action” of using the ICRC to smuggle certain technologies, such as microchips, to the Karabakh region. The ICRC has to acknowledge this, since it is a serious blow to its humanitarian mandate and the possibility of achieving cordial coexistence in the region.
As of the 2020 end of war, residents who consider themselves ethnic Armenians, who remained living in the Karabakh region, are considered residents of Azerbaijan. The Government of Azerbaijan has declared often enough its commitment to guarantee and secure their access to necessary goods and services.
Armenia’s leadership has made some verbal statements recognizing the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, including the Karabakh region. This created a ground for cautious optimism to end the conflict for once and for all.
It is time for Armenia to convert these statements into real action and end the questioning of Azerbaijan’s sovereignty under the pretext of humanitarian needs. Azerbaijan is pursuing a policy of integration of ethnic Armenian residents of the Karabakh region as equal citizens, guaranteeing them the rights and freedoms as set out in Azerbaijan’s constitution and international human rights mechanisms.
After the 2nd Karabakh War ended with Armenia’s defeat in November 2020, Armenia never fully met the commitment it signed on in the November 10, 2020 trilateral statement. Armenia is playing a silly cat-and-mouse game.
I have not been to Lachin nor have seen the border crossing checkpoint but I regularly follow Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry evidential reports and its videos on social media.
It appears that Azerbaijan’s intention is to achieve peace, but Armenia has a different agenda. Armenia uses any means it can find in its magical sack to avoid arriving at a final peace agreement and ending all hostilities. All Armenia is doing is challenging Azerbaijan’s patience.
Azerbaijan created cordial movement conditions for the ethnic-Armenian residents of Karabakh while also considering its security aspects.
Armenian origin people still living in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan are accompanied by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) staff when crossing the border check-post. There is plenty of food in the Armenian enclave, enough to open restaurants there.
All this proves that Armenia’s claims that the Lachin corridor is blocked by Azerbaijan and the ethnic Armenian enclave is suffering a humanitarian crisis are lies, slander and pure propaganda.
It seems that the ethnic Armenians of the Karabakh region would easily integrate as citizens of Azerbaijan. However, it is obvious that some radical elements within their own intentional subverting agenda are hindering the good intention process.
By now, most informed Armenians have digested the results of the emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on the closure of the Berdzor (Lachin) Corridor and the dire situation in our beloved Artsakh—the humanitarian disaster that is unfolding before our eyes. The result is the same that Armenians have grown accustomed to over the last 100 years. The powers of the world don’t want to challenge Armenia’s enemies, who they see as important partners for trade and natural resources or are NATO members, so they appeased Azerbaijan and Turkey.
Did we truly expect anything different? Do we collectively love Artsakh and honestly care to save our brothers and sisters? We need to face reality. Are we ready to accept not only losing Artsakh, but the 120,000 men, women and children of that sacred land? The sad truth is that many Armenians only talk about caring, are willfully uninformed, don’t want to get involved in politics or are financially motivated to remain silent.
I am referring to the elephant in the room. Various diaspora organizations and NGOs publicly stand for Artsakh and ask the world to care, but they don’t want to rock the boat. I keep hearing the call for unity–but not unity in removing the cancer from within, the traitorous leadership in power.
I believe we are all complicit in the past 30 years of inaction, poor leadership, outright plundering of the Armenian treasury for personal gain, total chaos and corruption. The diaspora chose to vacation in Yerevan instead of spending or donating to the betterment of our entire country and protecting our borders. We are all guilty.
Yet nothing compares to the elephant in the room, the boat that needs to be rocked and removed: Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. This individual and his followers have been anti-Artsakh since before he became prime minister. He has written about giving away Artsakh in his prior writings.
We all may curse past leadership, but none ever publicly or outrightly stated that Artsakh is Azerbaijani land or simply walked away from the responsibility of caring for the Armenians of Artsakh.
Yet Pashinyan has done exactly that. He is ready to sign treaties and documents recognizing Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan. We expect the world to step up, to open the border, to feed our brothers and sisters. Yet the leader of the Armenian republic publicly stated Artsakh is no longer Armenian territory. If I was a world leader, I would ask: if the Armenian government does not care, then why expect us to care?
There are deeper geopolitical reasons for the world’s involvement in the South Caucasus. Artsakh and Armenia are simply pawns in the greater goals of the world powers. But that should not excuse our own leader from betraying his people and country.
If we expect a positive outcome, or to at the very least open the corridor to food and medical supplies, reopen schools and restore gas and electricity, then all of us need to unite and remove Pashinyan from power. Who replaces him is inconsequential at this point, as long as that person is a true patriot for our homeland and our people.
History is repeating itself, and we have not learned from the past. We are not being honest with ourselves when we chant, “never again.” If we mean those words, then the time to act is now. It will be difficult, but the alternative is our own death as a nation.
“We are alone and must rely only on our own strength, to protect the frontlines and to establish order inside the country.” Aram Manoukian, Founder of the First Republic
“Nations that are unwilling to defend their own interest condemn themselves to death.” General Karekin Njdeh
Greg Minasian
Andover, Mass.
Adriana
Adriana dreamt of leaving Armenia to work as a model in a country where pursuing a public-facing career would not expose her to danger. In this dream, she would take her dog Froggie and flee to a place where she could start a family of her own. She did not believe she was strong enough to endure the discrimination and bigotry she would face in Armenia, where there are no laws protecting the rights of the transgender community.
She shared these aspirations with her friend Monica. Adriana never had a large circle of friends. She sought “quality, not quantity in friendship,” in Monica’s words. She also shared her fears with her friend. Adriana always felt that she was in danger, but the police dismissed her reports as products of her “imagination, not real proof.”
One day Adriana met a boy online who wanted to meet her in her home. It seemed suspicious, but she invited him over. He arrived at her door brandishing a knife. Adriana kicked the door shut and called the police. They told her to calm down and sleep it off, that she would feel better in the morning. Abandoned by law enforcement to protect herself, Adriana would regularly invite Monica over so that she would not be alone in her apartment.
On August 20, the police received calls about a fire in an apartment on Yeznik Koghbatsi St. in central Yerevan, Armenia’s capital. After the flames were extinguished, officers found a corpse marred by lacerations. They later confirmed that Adriana, at age 28, had been stabbed to death and her apartment set on fire.
“Adriana could never hurt or cause anyone pain. She was an extremely good and kind person,” Monica said to the Weekly, restraining her voice to hold back tears. “She was not for this world. This world is very evil.”
Police arrested the 26-year-old suspect at a border checkpoint in Bavra along Armenia’s northern border, as he was attempting to flee to Georgia. He has admitted to committing murder, and law enforcement has launched criminal proceedings.
Just as Adriana’s requests for help were disregarded by the police, the transgender activist community in Armenia has been advocating for legal guarantees for its rights and security for years, to little avail. In her eight years as president of Right Side NGO, transgender activist Lilit Martirosyan has raised this issue in front of government officials. She has demanded laws criminalizing hate speech and discrimination and upholding equal rights for people of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations. She warned that if these legal measures were not taken, a member of her community could be targeted with murder. Now her premonitions have been realized, and she feels exhausted.
Documented cases of violence against transgender people are not unprecedented in Armenia. Several years ago, another trans woman managed to escape from her apartment when it was targeted by arson, according to Right Side NGO. In August 2022, a member of a far-right organization filmed himself attacking a trans woman and published the video online.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have any support from the government, from the police or from society. We are alone,” Martirosyan said, her voice anxious and desperate. She repeated herself for emphasis. “The LGBTQ community is alone. The trans community is alone in this country.”
Candlelight vigil for Adriana
The trans community did not even have the chance to grieve Adriana’s passing in peace. On August 21, Right Side NGO organized a candlelight vigil in Komitas Park, a serene, circular courtyard bordered by trees in Yerevan. More than 100 LGBTQ activists, Adriana’s family, the Dutch ambassador to Armenia and a representative from the British embassy were present. The vigil was disrupted by a group of agitators who threw eggs, bottles and stones at the mourners. Police officers, who had gathered in the park in preparation for the vigil, did not intervene.
Before the vigil was attacked, Monica and Adriana’s mother had a brief moment to grieve together. Adriana’s mother was accepting of her daughter’s gender identity.
“Her mother said, Monica jan, she loved you. She was very connected to you. She only said your name,” Monica said. “She was crying and wouldn’t let go of my hand. She said that she felt her daughter’s presence while holding my hand.”
News reports of Adriana’s death have been inundated with hateful comments from people living in Armenia, praising the murderer, calling for the death of all trans people and threatening specific trans activists. Martirosyan has been named, as have people who work for Right Side NGO. As a prominent activist, Martirosyan is accustomed to being targeted with hate speech. She doesn’t leave the house without a mask. She can’t go grocery shopping without being harassed. “It’s a dream for me to go to a café,” Martirosyan said.
Yet since Adriana’s murder, hate speech against the trans community has climbed to a new, unbearable pitch. As a model, makeup artist and blogger with a notable social media presence, Monica has been inured to discrimination and bigotry. Yet now, Monica’s Instagram and Tik Tok have been overwhelmed with warnings that her death will be next. She has been receiving death threats in her voicemail. She is living in hiding at an anonymous address. For the first time since coming out to the public, she is afraid for her life.
“I love Adriana. I miss her. I don’t believe this. The thought that I could be next is killing me from within. Physically and psychologically, I am suffering,” Monica said.
Martirosyan has called on the EU, Council of Europe, Western governments and international organizations to appeal to the Armenian government to protect trans rights. She believes the Armenian diaspora and all Armenian organizations must stand with the LGBTQ+ community.
“I do not want to survive. I want to live happily. I have that right. Adriana also had that right,” Monica said.
Documenting Atrocities and Saluting Heroes,
By Vic Gerami,
If you think that no one is keeping a record of Azerbaijan’s crimes against humanity, violations of international law, and war crimes, then you are in for a surprise.
The Center for Truth and Justice was established in November 2020 in response to the invasion of Artsakh (formerly Nagorno-Karabakh) to do just that. They are a group of lawyers overseeing the collection of firsthand testimonial evidence from war survivors via in-depth, recorded interviews. The attorneys run two law clinics, one in Armenia and one in Artsakh, which are the first of their kind. Through their clinics, they train Armenian law students and young lawyers to interview survivors of the war and record their testimonies. They have conducted hundreds of interviews and trained nearly one-hundred current or future lawyers. By being a permanent home for the testimonials, CFTJ is a resource for academic and legal practitioners who seek to use the evidence for education and/or legal action.
On October 13, 2023, the Center for Truth and Justice (CFTJ) will hold its third annual gala titled ‘Raise Their Voices: Break the Blockade’ in Los Angeles, with guest of honor Garo Paylan. In no uncertain terms, the CFTJ and Paylan do God’s work, making this union and the event much more significant.
The recognition of the Armenian Genocide of 1915 was possible due to the overwhelming evidence collected by experts, including testimonies, photographs, interviews, and other sources. Given Azerbaijan’s track record of practicing revisionist history, disinformation, and propaganda, the evidence that the CFTJ collects is invaluable.
The mission of the CFTJ is to be a living memorial to crimes against humanity. By being a permanent home for testimonials, the Center makes eyewitness accounts available for study, education, and legal action to foster education, empathy, justice, and change. They preserve evidence and make it accessible for current or future proceedings in Armenia or abroad.
Garo Paylan, An Armenian born in Turkey, was among the few Armenians elected to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and served for two consecutive terms in 2015-2018 and 2018-2023, representing Istanbul and Diyarbakir. Though a politician, Paylan is also a leading democracy activist in Turkey. He is a founding member of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) and, since 2016, was the first Armenian in the history of the Republic of Turkey to publicly discuss the Armenian genocide of 1915 from the podium of the Turkish parliament. Paylan is recognized for his activism on human rights and minority rights in Turkey. He has received several awards, including the Grand Vermeil Medal, and has twice been nominated for the Nobel peace prize.
Artsakh is finally getting some attention after nearly three years of deafening silence from the international community and the media, following the report by the founding prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo, who classified the situation in Artsakh as Genocide. Meanwhile, Armenia requested an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council to address the ‘deterioration of the humanitarian situation’ in Artsakh due to Azerbaijan’s illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting the Republic of Artsakh to Armenia and the rest of the world.
The attendance of Paylan at the CFTJ’s event is significant and a rare occurrence for a public servant who isn’t about self-promotion and rarely travels to the United States. In addition to Paylan’s speech and the Center presenting their last year’s achievements, their new initiatives will be announced at the gala. The event aims to collect funds for the CFTJ’s initiatives of collecting evidence of war crimes, preparing public reports and confidential filings, and offering the facts that international law experts need to hold Azerbaijan accountable.
To learn more about the gala and the CFTJ and to purchase tickets, please visit cftjustice.org
BIO: Vic Gerami
Vic Gerami is an award-winning journalist and the editor + publisher of The Blunt Post. Gerami is also the host and co-producer of the national headline news + politics program, THE BLUNT POST with VIC on KPFK 90.7 FM (Pacifica Network).
UNO: In a poignant scene of urgent deliberation, Armenia and Azerbaijan engaged in a heated confrontation during an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday. At the heart of their dispute lies the fate of 120,000 lives hanging in the balance within the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Armenia stands as the voice of these imperiled individuals, insisting that Azerbaijan's unyielding blockade has precipitated a profound humanitarian catastrophe.
The Lachin Corridor, a slender lifeline connecting the mainly Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia itself, has been rendered inaccessible since July 15th. What was once a path for hope, unity, and sustenance has transformed into a barrier, leaving the people of Nagorno-Karabakh trapped in a grim struggle for basic necessities: food, medicine, and even electricity.
The roots of this conflict stretch back through decades of strife and tension. Nagorno-Karabakh, while geographically part of Azerbaijan, has long been the focus of a fierce ethnic and territorial struggle. The region and its surroundings slipped from Azerbaijan's grasp in the wake of a separatist conflict, with ethnic Armenian forces gaining control, backed by Armenia's military. A tenuous armistice brokered by Russia in 2020 redefined the landscape, returning control to Azerbaijan but leaving the Lachin Corridor as the sole conduit linking Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia.
As the UN Security Council convened, impassioned pleas echoed through the chamber from nations worldwide. They implored Azerbaijan to unlock the path that could save lives. Even the International Court of Justice's orders resounded, guiding their call to reopen the corridor. A unanimous chorus rose, urging Armenia and Azerbaijan to transcend their nearly three-decade-long enmity, to seek a diplomatic resolution for the greater good.
Although the Security Council refrained from issuing an official statement, the meeting's chair, US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, emphasized the significance of the unified demand for the Lachin Corridor's reopening. Yet, words alone are not enough, as the urgency of action takes center stage.
Edem Wasornu, the UN's humanitarian coordinator, brought a stark reminder to the council's attention. The International Committee of the Red Cross, the sole international entity granted access to the region, reported their inability to deliver essential aid since June 14th. The corridor's closure starkly violates international humanitarian law, which mandates the swift provision of assistance to those in need.
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Armenia's Foreign Minister, Ararat Mirzoyan, painted a chilling picture of the consequences of this blockade. He spoke of a region brought to its knees, its economy stilled, livelihoods shattered, and its vulnerable members—women, children, and the elderly—forced into lengthy queues just to secure sustenance. Even the flow of electricity, a fundamental lifeline, has been severed since January 9th.
Mirzoyan invoked a haunting phrase, "starvation is the invisible genocide weapon." He quoted a report suggesting that the blockade amounts to a genocidal act, a fate that could extinguish a community within weeks. He issued a plea, urging the Security Council to live up to its mandate of preventing such horrors, to act now before it's too late.
Yet, Azerbaijan's UN Ambassador, Yashar Aliyev, vehemently denied the allegations. He framed Armenia's claims as a calculated political maneuver, aimed at undermining Azerbaijan's sovereignty. Aliyev justified the roadblock as a means to safeguard his nation's integrity, preventing illegal military activities and the flow of arms.
The room was charged with emotion as both sides presented their narratives. Each delegation painted a different reality, each with its share of suffering and responsibility. Amid the impassioned exchanges, a single truth emerged—human lives hang in the balance, waiting for a resolution to break the cycle of despair.
Silvio Gonzato, the European Union's deputy UN ambassador, voiced a plea that transcended the political fray. Humanitarian access, he implored, should never be caught in the crossfire of politics. He reminded the council that the Lachin Corridor's reopening was more than a political act—it was a lifeline for the innocent, a promise of hope amidst desolation.
As the meeting drew to a close, the world watched with bated breath. The clash of emotions, the weight of responsibility, and the call for compassion echoed in the hearts of those present and the millions they represent. And as the delegates dispersed, the question lingered: could diplomacy bridge the chasm of decades-old conflict and prevent the impending catastrophe?"
00:05,
YEREVAN, AUGUST 16, ARMENPRESS. France has called on Azerbaijan to comply with its international commitments and to implement the provisional measures that have been indicated by the International Court of Justice in its February 22nd order.
"France is deeply concerned by the very serious humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh resulting from the ongoing blockade of the Lachin corridor," Nathalie Broadhurst, Deputy Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations said in her statement at the UNSC meeting.
"The situation on the ground is dire, it continues to deteriorate day after day.
"That’s why it is crucial that the Council meets today to assess the situation. We look forward to the briefing on the humanitarian situation by OCHA.
"As indicated by the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs yesterday, the ongoing blockade of the Lachin corridor contravenes the commitments undertook by Azerbaijan in the ceasefire agreement and jeopardizes the negotiating process.
"France calls on Azerbaijan to comply with its international commitments and to implement the provisional measures that have been indicated by the International Court of Justice in its February 22nd order. They are binding.
"We demand the restoration of free movement for people, for goods, for cargo throughout the Lachin corridor, in both directions. We request the continuous supply of gas and electricity to the population. It is also vital to ensure a continuous access to essential services for all the populations.
"France will intensify its humanitarian support to the affected population.
We have decided to make an additional contribution of 3 million euros to the humanitarian action of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
"France will continue to discuss the issue and to make sure that the Security council remains seized of the matter," she added.
11:19,
YEREVAN, AUGUST 17, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Thursday that the UN Security Council emergency meeting gave three results.
“Firstly, the fact that Lachin Corridor is closed was emphasized at the highest international body,” Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting. “It could seem odd to the Armenian society that I am noting this to be a result of the UNSC meeting, but don’t forget that Azerbaijan has constantly and continually claimed that the Lachin Corridor isn’t closed. Thirdly, the UN Security Council discussion affirmed the existence of a humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh and that the lives and safety of the 120,000 population of Nagorno-Karabakh are in question. Thirdly, it was emphasized that the International Court of Justice ruling on ensuring the unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and goods along the Lachin Corridor hasn’t been fulfilled by Azerbaijan. Now we can note that the truth about the illegal blockade of Lachin Corridor and the resulting humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh has been voiced in the highest international body. And the international community made a collective call upon Azerbaijan to end the illegal blockade of Lachin Corridor,” the Prime Minister said, adding that so far the international community’s call hasn’t been realized because 22 trucks with over 400 tons of humanitarian aid are still blocked at the entrance of Lachin Corridor, waiting for the chance to deliver the essential goods to Nagorno-Karabakh.