Author: Andranik Taslakhchian

Landmark Congressional Commission hearing warns of second Armenian Genocide against Artsakh

Andranik Taslakhchian
 ANCA ANCA News 0

Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission co-chairs Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) hosted the June 21st hearing on Artsakh security. Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) (left) offered powerful remarks and led insightful dialogue throughout the hearing.

WASHINGTON, DC – The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (TLHRC) held a landmark hearing spotlighting Azerbaijan’s escalating aggression against the indigenous Armenian Christians of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh), calling for sanctions against the Azerbaijani government in the face of a second Armenian Genocide taking place in the region, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

“Today’s hearing both reflected and reinforced the growing pro-Artsakh Congressional consensus in support of an urgent reset in US policy – starting with an end to all US military assistance to Azerbaijan,” stated ANCA executive director Aram Hamparian.  “The ANCA will continue to work with the broad coalition of faith-based, ethnic and human rights organizations and Congressional leaders to defend Artsakh’s right to security and self-determination.”

The two-hour Capitol Hill hearing was hosted by TLHRC co-chairs Chris Smith (R-NJ) and James McGovern (D-MA) and included remarks by Congressional Armenian Caucus co-chairs Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ).  Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) also submitted a written statement for the record. Titled “Safeguarding the people of Nagorno Karabakh,” the hearing included testimony by former US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback, former US Ambassador to Armenia John Evans, American Enterprise Institute Senior Fellow Michael Rubin, and Columbia University Director of the Peace-Building and Human Rights Program, Institute for the Study of Human Rights, David Phillips.

The hearing was livestreamed on the TLHRC’s YouTube channel.

The full proceedings were also streamed on the ANCA’s Facebook and Twitter channels.

Amb. Sam Brownback, Amb. John Evans, David Phillips and Michael Rubin (who participated remotely) called for concrete US action, including Azerbaijan sanctions, to prevent a second Armenian Genocide, during testimony offered at the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission hearing on Artsakh security.

“You’ve got 120,000 Christians that are being strangled, blockaded by Azerbaijan,” explained Amb. Brownback, who recently returned from a Philos Project-led fact-finding mission to Armenia.  “It’s against the peace agreement, it’s against what the International Court of Justice found, and yet it’s taking place. It’s being backed by Erdogan, who is probably the leading Islamist person in the world that’s pushing militant Islam.”  Amb. Brownback recommended the introduction of a Nagorno-Karabakh Human Rights Act, which would clearly identify the minimum standards to safeguard the security of Artsakh’s Armenian population. Amb. Brownback also called for a Congressional delegation visit to Artsakh, noting that he and his delegation were blocked from entering Artsakh last week. On US assistance to Azerbaijan, Amb. Brownback was adamant: “Unless Azerbaijan lifts that blockade, those Section 907 sanctions should be put in place by the President, by the Administration, and they ought to take place now if they will not lift this blockade.”

Michael Rubin, who also participated in the Philos Project Armenia fact-finding mission, was adamant about the implementation of US laws to sanction Azerbaijan – including Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act, the Humanitarian Aid Corridor Act and Magnitsky Act.  “President Aliyev has changed, and grown more erratic over the last decade. I’d say his trajectory is almost analogous to what we saw with Saddam Hussein,” explained Rubin.

Phillips was direct in his assessment of Azerbaijan’s genocidal intent against Artsakh’s Armenian population. “It is clear from Aliyev’s actions and his hate speech that a second Armenian Genocide is underway. The Erdogan regime is a full partner. It has equipped Azerbaijan with the tools to implement its Armenophobia,” stated Phillips. He went on to discuss the documentation project he had launched on Azerbaijani and Turkish atrocities against Artsakh, geared to preserve evidence to deter future crimes and hold perpetrators accountable.

“I think our task today is simply to consider how to preserve the lives of the Armenians in Karabakh in the face of a potentially genocidal threat,” explained Amb. Evans. “I certainly agree with the idea that the waiver of Section 907 ought to be rescinded.”  Amb. Evans went on to urge US diplomats to “put the brakes on Turkish and Israeli arms sales to Baku. All the other members of the Minsk Group, and Turkey is technically a member of that group, but all the others had basically agreed to preserve the military balance in the Caucasus. Now Russia, of course, played the biggest role as a supplier to both sides, but when Israeli and Turkish high-tech drones and other equipment got in there, not to mention the F-16s, this really upset the situation and has brought us to where we are.”

Rep. Chris Smith Announces Second Hearing on Artsakh Security

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), seen here in discussions with ANCA staff and legislative fellows, announced that he would be hosting a second hearing on Artsakh security later this summer.

Rep. Chris Smith, during dialogue with TLHRC hearing witnesses about US efforts to address escalating Azerbaijani aggression, announced that he will soon be holding a second hearing – this time through the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Global Health, Global Human Rights & International Organizations, which he chairs – where US Administration officials would be invited to outline their efforts to address the Artsakh crisis.

In opening remarks in today’s hearing, Rep. Smith noted, “Since 2020, Azerbaijan has been tightening a noose on Nagorno-Karabakh. Its forces have occupied much of the former territory and even territory of Armenia proper. […] As our government is leading discussions with Azerbaijan and Armenia leaders, we in Congress have a responsibility to ask where is all of this headed. […] Our country simply cannot accept a risk of genocide or of ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh.”

TLHRC co-chair Rep. McGovern offered an overview of the Artsakh crisis and Azerbaijan’s aggression, asserting, “The bottom line is that the Armenian population in Nagorno-Karabakh understandably feels vulnerable and at risk. So, what do we do about this? What is the pro-human rights response here? It is to ensure civilian protection, which means taking any and all actions we can to prevent further escalation of tensions that could lead to more war and new atrocities.” Rep. McGovern noted his co-sponsorship of the Anti-Blockade Resolution (H.Res.108), spearheaded by Rep. Pallone and Rep. Bilirakis, which condemns Azerbaijan’s Artsakh blockade, calls for cutting all military aid to Azerbaijan and expanding US aid to Artsakh. The bi-partisan measure currently has over 90 co-sponsors.

Rep. McGovern’s opening remarks are available here.

Rep. Bilirakis, who was among those chairing the commission hearing, stressed the importance of enforcing Section 907 restrictions on US aid to Azerbaijan. “I appreciate the testimony from this esteemed panel and the calls for an end to the Section 907 waiver of the FREEDOM Support Act, which would prohibit the sale of military equipment to Azerbaijan. You’re selling it to Azerbaijan; it’s just like selling it to Turkey. There’s no justifiable reason to continue this waiver when Azerbaijan has clearly used this equipment to wage an aggressive war against Armenia, commit war crimes against innocent Armenians and enforce the current blockade.” Rep. Bilirakis pledged to continue working with the Congressional Armenian Caucus to stop the Section 907 waiver “until the United States can guarantee that no American-bought resources will be used to perpetuate humanitarian crises, genocidal campaigns or target the innocent.”

Rep. Pallone, who submitted testimony for the record and offered remarks during the commission hearing, emphasized Azerbaijan’s genocidal intent in its ongoing aggression and blockade against Artsakh.  “Aliyev has not been subtle about alluding to the Armenian Genocide when discussing Artsakh and removing people from there, nor has he attempted to hide his ongoing deadly incursions into Armenian territory,” stated Rep. Pallone. “He is clearly taking premeditated steps to remove the indigenous Armenian population from Artsakh and deprive them of the opportunity to live freely, democratically and with dignity in the land of their ancestors – a clear sign of ethnic cleansing that we must not ignore.” Rep. Pallone noted that “it’s past time that the United States start better leveraging the diplomatic tools at our disposal, including sanctions, to finally bring this purposeful crisis to an end.” Citing reports of the continuation of Azerbaijan-Armenia talks in Washington, DC next week, Rep. Pallone stressed, “I call on the Administration to take every action necessary to prevent Azerbaijan’s militaristic behavior from dictating the terms of a final agreement, as that will not lead to an equitable, lasting peace in the region.”

In written testimony submitted to the TLHRC hearing, Rep. Schiff (D-CA) expressed deep concern that “Artsakh has been used as a bargaining chip in the peace talks, without any representation.” He stressed that “it is the right of the people of Artsakh to live free of political, cultural and economic oppression, and as a protector of democracy, the United States must continue to support and stand with the people of Artsakh to achieve the recognition it deserves among all nations.” Rep. Schiff outlined a series of steps the US must take to safeguard human rights in Artsakh, including imposing sanctions on Azerbaijan and ensuring “the protection and right to self-determination of the people of Artsakh.”

Rep. Schiff’s full statement is available here.
The ANCA will be providing additional coverage of the TLHRC hearing on Artsakh security in the upcoming days.
Amb. Sam Brownback with the ANCA’s Alex Galitsky and Nareg Aghjayan and ANCA Leo Sarkisian, Maral Melkonian, and Hovig Apo Saghdejian Capital Gateway Program summer fellows, after offering powerful testimony during the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission hearing on Artsakh security.
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The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and most influential Armenian-American grassroots organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.


Azerbaijani military again opens gunfire at U.S.-affiliated company’s construction site in Armenian village

Andranik Taslakhchian

 17:01,

YEREVAN, JUNE 20, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijani military units have again targeted the U.S.-affiliated company’s construction site in the Armenian village of Yeraskh in the latest cross-border shooting, the Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

The Defense Ministry said that Azerbaijani forces opened gunfire on June 20, at 4:30 p.m. at the construction site of the steelworks which is being built by joint Armenian and American investments.

The Azerbaijani armed forces used various caliber small arms in the shooting.

Court stops prosecution of former Artsakh army commander

Andranik Taslakhchian
Panorama
Armenia – June 12 2023

Charges against Lieutenant-General Jalal Harutyunyan, a former commander of the Artsakh Defense Army, have been dropped, Armenia’s Investigative Committee said.

A court in Yerevan stopped his prosecution following a military expertise, Investigative Committee spokesman Gor Abrahamyan told 168.am on Monday.

Harutyunyan was indicted on two counts of “careless attitude towards military service.”

Borrell: Pashinyan is first Armenian leader to recognize Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan

Andranik Taslakhchian
Panorama
Armenia – June 14 2023

Both Armenia and Azerbaijan have recognized each other's territorial integrity in concrete terms, Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the European Commission, said at the European Parliament debates on Azerbaijan's blockade of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) on Tuesday.

“For the first time, and this may be relevant, Armenia has recognized Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan,” he said.

"It’s the first time that an Armenia leader, in this case [Prime Minister Nikol] Pashinyan, has expressed it in such an unambiguous fashion. It was totally unambiguous what he had to say in regard to the place of Nagorno-Karabakh," the EU foreign policy chief stressed, referring to Pashinyan’s statements at a news conference in Yerevan in late May.

Borrell expressed hope that Baku would accept the Armenian premier’s message and send the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh "a positive narrative with a clear message concerning their rights and security, that they will be fully respected."

"This is one of the messages of the [potential peace] agreement, which should go hand in hand with other points of the negotiation process," the EU diplomat added.

Armenian genocide: US recognition of Turkey’s killing of 1.5 million was tangled up in decades of geopolitics

Andranik Taslakhchian
SFGATE
San Francisco – June 14 2023
Eldad Ben Aharon, Leiden University
June 14, 2023
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Eldad Ben Aharon, Leiden University

(THE CONVERSATION) Armenian communities across the globe mark the murderous history of state violence in Turkey with the Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day on April 24.

That commemoration marks the period between 1914 and 1921, when the Ottoman Empire carried out an extended campaign to expel or kill the Armenians living in Turkey and its border regions. From massacres to death marches, 1.5 million of Turkey’s historic Armenian population was murdered.

Since 1923, Turkey has denied perpetrating what came to be called the Armenian genocide. It has pressured its allies to refrain from officially declaring the events a “genocide,” which the United Nations defines as acts committed with the “intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.”

But in a milestone vote in late 2019, both the U.S. House and Senate defied that pressure and the weight of over 40 years of precedent.

They passed a bill declaring that the killing of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Turks was, in fact, a genocide.

Since 1975, numerous effortswere made to pass an Armenian genocide bill. The decades-long struggle involving Turkey, Israel, Armenian-Americans, the American Jewish community and the U.S. government over the commemoration of the Armenian genocide resulted in failure to pass a bill every time – until 2019.

Setting the table

I am a historian of international relations. I am currently writing a book that focuses on Israeli-Turkish-American relations and the contested memories of the Armenian genocide.

The political struggle over U.S. recognition of the Armenian genocide was set in motion during the presidency of Jimmy Carter in 1976. Carter came to the job with a commitment to protecting human rights. That commitment was soon tested by the longstanding strategic relationship between the U.S. and Iran, which was ruled by the Shah with an iron fist. By late 1977, U.S.-Iranian relations were deteriorating after Carter sent mixed signals about the Shah’s dictatorship and his abuse of Iranians’ human rights.

In 1978, Carter’s fraught relations with the Shah weakened the Iranian leader’s hold on power. Popular protest movements mounted, culminating in the Shah’s overthrow in 1979, the Iranian fundamentalist revolution and the American hostage crisis.

The criticism at home about the Carter-Shah relationship and American Jews’ reluctance to support Carter’s administration convinced the president and his staff members to re-promote human rights through American foreign policy.

Their strategy: Use the Holocaust as a universal lesson for genocide prevention to help reinforce ties with Jewish voters.

Holocaust remembrance

While the Iran crisis was playing out, on Nov. 1, 1978, Carter launched the President’s Commission on the Holocaust. Carter requested that the commission submit a report addressing the “establishment and maintenance of an appropriate memorial to those who perished in the Holocaust.”

The commission included American Holocaust survivors like Elie Wiesel and Benjamin Meed. The commission’s September 1979 report recommended special days of remembrance for the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, a dedicated education program, and the establishment of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum as a national memorial.

The museum, the report said, should be focused on one specific aspect of the Nazis’ many crimes: the “unique” and unprecedented nature of the murder of the Jews – even over other Nazi victims.

“Millions of innocent civilians were tragically killed by the Nazis. They must be remembered. However, there exists a moral imperative for special emphasis on the six million Jews. While not all victims were Jews, all Jews were victims, disdained for annihilation solely because they were born Jewish,” wrote the commission.

This approach clashed with Carter’s views on the universal lessons of the Holocaust. It also aroused the opposition of representatives of other victims of the Nazis, such as the Roma and the gay community, who pressed for inclusion in the Holocaust museum.

A ‘campaign to remember’

Another heated debate was taking place about who should pay for the museum, which was estimated to cost US$100 million.

The land allocated on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., was a contribution by the federal government. But the remaining funds to build the museum were to be donated mainly by the American public through a “Campaign to Remember.”

This was the moment – the convergence of Carter’s vision of human rights protection and the “Campaign to Remember” – that the organized American-Armenian community believed could bring the almost-forgotten memory of the Armenian genocide back to public consciousness.

California Gov. George Deukmejian, an Armenian-American, pressured museum leaders to appoint Set Momjian as its American-Armenian community representative. The Armenian community in the U.S. made a donation of $1 million, aiming to be able to include the Armenian genocide in the museum’s focus.

In August 1983, the Armenian expectations became reality when the museum commission reached a decision to include the Armenian genocide in the exhibition narrative. Although the decision about the 1915 genocide was informal, it was still a commitment that later would be difficult to reverse.

Turkey looks to Israel

The Turkish government was extremely anxious about the museum. It turned for help to its regional and Cold War ally, Israel. Turkey pressured Israel to influence the concept of the museum and to make sure the Armenians were left out of the memorial.

As part of an oral history project, I interviewed Gabi Levy, who served as Israeli ambassador to Turkey from 2007 to 2011. Levy told me that throughout the history of Israeli-Turkish relations, whenever Turkey had an urgent concern in the U.S., “the Turks carried assumptions regarding the ‘magical power’ of Israel’s foreign policy,” especially their purported ability to use the American Jewish lobby for influence the U.S. political arena.

Israel capitalized on presumptions about the Israeli/Jewish “magic power” to convince Turkey that they were taking all “possible measures.” Israeli diplomats tried to persuade the relevant American players to prevent the Armenian experience from being incorporated into the museum, requesting influential Jewish congressmen such as Tom Lantos and Stephen Solarz to convince the museum commission to exclude the Armenian genocide. Lantos and Solarz believed this would serve U.S. interests in the Middle East that included Israel and Turkey maintaining good relations.

Ultimately, as a key U.S. NATO ally, it was Turkey’s own pressure on the U.S. Congress and the Reagan administration’s Cold War fears that forestalled any presence of the Armenian genocide in the museum as well as resulted in the failure to pass the Armenian genocide bill.

When the memorial finally opened its doors in 1991, its focus was the Holocaust and Jewish victims.

What changed in 2019?

Internationally, a number of developments supported the dramatic changes in U.S.-Turkish relations in 2019. They include Turkey’s July purchase of a Russian-made air defense system, which angered the Americans, and the October military offensive by Turkey in Northern Syria against the Kurds, who were U.S. allies.

In the U.S., the unprecedented condemnation by both Democrats and Republicans of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for his attack on Kurds in Syria, as well as the impeachment process against Erdogan ally Donald Trump, weakened Congress’ adherence to the longtime official position favoring Turkey.

Congress passed powerful sanctions against Turkey. The Armenian genocide bill was part of the package.

Importantly, the bill passed by the U.S. Congress states the U.S. will “commemorate the Armenian Genocide through official recognition and remembrance.”

The U.S. is thus committed to allocate federal resources to build a U.S. memorial to commemorate the 1915 genocide – just as with the the 1978 President’s Commission on the Holocaust. Practically speaking, building a U.S. Armenian genocide museum or memorial will have further negative implications for U.S.-Turkish relations, which might take another 40 years to rebuild.

Editor’s note: This is an updated version of an article originally published on March 20, 2020.

[Expertise in your inbox. Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter and get a digest of academic takes on today’s news, every day.]

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/armenian-genocide-us-recognition-of-turkeys-killing-of-1-5-million-was-tangled-up-in-decades-of-geopolitics-129159.

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/armenian-genocide-us-recognition-of-turkey-s-18153381.php

Reprinted also in

https://www.leadertelegram.com/news/nation-world/armenian-genocide-us-recognition-of-turkeys-killing-of-1-5-million-was-tangled-up-in/article_35f5c815-ebe3-5b91-b69f-b01e67b1d048.html

Tourism: Cafesjian Center for the Arts

Andranik Taslakhchian
       


Yerevan, Armenia

A HUGE STAIRCASE, SURROUNDED BY sculptures, hides the entrance to the modern art gallery on each mezzanine. In the outer part, full of greenery, one can just sit and enjoy the view of Yerevan and Mount Ararat. 

The gallery was designed by architects Jim Torosyan, Aslan Mkhitaryan, and Sargis Gurzadyanand. The first part was built in 1971-1980, the second in 2002, and additional elements are still in process. In front of the gallery is a cozy park with statues, where you can just sit and enjoy the art around you or visit one of many cafés around this magicial place. 

Know Before You Go

Entry is free. There are escalators inside that can be used to reach the top

 

AFC Ajax officially contact Krasnodar for Spertsyan’s transfer

Andranik Taslakhchian

 11:00, 9 June 2023

YEREVAN, JUNE 9, ARMENPRESS. AFC Ajax have officially applied to Krasnodar FC over midfielder Eduard Spertsyan’s transfer, De Telegraaf reports.

According to the report, an Ajax executive has contacted the Armenian midfielder’s agents.

On June 8, a Russian media outlet also that the Dutch club wants to buy Spertyan’s transfer.

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1112889.html?fbclid=IwAR2PVT98crzZJJ3B4QkUIfjTlL-LxxlJ1L7ylfdV7o_eYOBn2JX24gK3Gz8

AW: Helpless

Andranik Taslakhchian
June 8, 2023 Varak Ghazarian Opinion, Letters to the Editor 0

Berdzor, Artsakh, 2018 (Photo: Varak Ghazarian)

Feeling silenced. Feeling like we have no control. It is not a matter of not having control, but rather an issue of not being organized around a united ideology. Of course, we will not have control if every person is out doing something without any unified organization. If we look back to 2018, it felt as if we were in control and were leaders of our own destiny. Why was that? Because everyone was unified in getting rid of the old corrupt Armenian governance and creating a new, democratic and free Armenia. Now, we must take advantage of that same ideology to rid the government that has given up on Artsakh to create a stronger, more unified Armenia. 

Enough of feeling powerless, of feeling we are helpless. We must all stand together to strengthen Armenia because the repercussions of the current government will be grand and long-lasting. They have created a fragile Armenia, incapable of withstanding the military presence surrounding us. Plenty of Armenians are tired of fighting for Artsakh and do not believe we should shed any more blood for Artsakh. However, they are dangerously wrong simply because Artsakh is Armenia and full of Armenians. Secondly, without Artsakh, Armenians will now be fighting on “Armenian” soil. Azerbaijan will continue its aggression, as it has indicated with its decade-long rhetoric of claiming Armenian lands such as Yerevan, Gegharkunik and Syunik to be Azerbaijani. That constitutes the majority of the Armenian population and a vast chunk of Armenia. It will not stop with Artsakh. Rather, it will only be the beginning of a much more dire situation for Armenians. It is time to wake up, unite and take control of our lives and our motherland. 

Armenians around the globe must unite under the common ideology of creating a stronger Armenia – an Armenia that will be able to withstand its invaders on its own through the creation of a military-industrial complex and the establishment of strong military allies. As for the common Armenian, in Armenia or the Diaspora, we all have our part to play in strengthening Armenia. We must identify how our skillsets can apply to the homeland and begin applying those skills with tangible work on the ground. We must connect with organizations on the ground in Armenia (Birthright Armenia, Repat Armenia, etc.) as there are plenty in nearly all fields and demand how we can be of assistance.

June 2, 2023

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Varak Ghazarian is an Armenian-American from Los Angeles who attended a Armenian school his entire life. Upon his graduation from UC Berkeley, he volunteered in Armenia for year with Birthright Armenia. He spent time in Artsakh for a month, where he mentored teenagers in border villages about fundamental topics of health. He currently lives in Armenia, which has opened up a door of imagination that was closed off elsewhere.


Armenia, Azerbaijan Deny Agreeing Return To 1975 Borders

Andranik Taslakhchian
June 5 2023

 Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir)  Published | 06:18 PM

Armenia and Azerbaijan denied on Monday that a deal between them was in the pipeline to draw demarcation lines based on 1975 maps

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik – 05th June, 2023) Armenia and Azerbaijan denied on Monday that a deal between them was in the pipeline to draw demarcation lines based on 1975 maps.

On Sunday, Armenian Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan had said in a televised comment that the leaders of the two South Caucasus countries had made some progress in border dispute talks in Moldova on June 1, agreeing to use Soviet-era maps as the basis for border delimitation discussions.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry fiercely denied the allegation on Monday and accused the Armenian security chief of trying to "distort the essence of issues."

"Instead of insisting on special reference to some 1975 map, it would be more useful for the Armenian side to start the delimitation work," the statement read.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan confirmed on Monday that no deal had been reached at the negotiations in Moldova but added that Armenia saw the 1975 borders as acceptable.

Mirzoyan reiterated Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's assurances that Armenia recognized Azerbaijani territorial claims set out in the 1991 Almaty Declaration. Pashinyan said that Azerbaijan should discuss the ownership of the contested region of Nagorno-Karabakh with local authorities.

"Neither the people of Nagorno-Karabakh nor their elected administration tasked us with negotiating their status. We are not negotiating their status," Mirzoyan said.

"The Republic of Armenia has always recognized and still recognizes Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. We are aware of Azerbaijan's commitment to respect Armenia's territorial integrity," he added.

https://www.urdupoint.com/en/world/armenia-azerbaijan-deny-agreeing-return-to-1-1703158.html

Moscow ‘Takes Note’ of Armenia’s Position on Ukraine Conflict

Andranik Taslakhchian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 June 2, 2023

 

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

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in an interview with CNN Prima News in Prague in May


Another statement by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan seems to have caught the Kremlin off guard.

During an interview published on Thursday with the Prague-based CNN Prima News, Pashinyan said that Armenia was not “Russia’s ally in the war with Ukraine.”

During the interview, which took place when Pashinyan was in Prague in May, he was asked about Armenia’s position regarding the Ukraine war, given Yerevan’s close alliance with Moscow.

“We are not Russia’s ally in the war with Ukraine. And our feeling from that war, from that conflict, is anxiety because it directly affects all our relationships,” Pashinyan said.

“In the West they notice that we are Russia’s ally – they really notice it. In Russia they see that we are not their ally in the Ukraine war, and it turns out that we are not anyone’s ally in this situation, which means that we are vulnerable,” added Pashinyan.

The Kremlin said on Friday that Moscow is taking Armenia’s position regarding Ukraine into consideration.

“We are taking note of it,” the Kremlin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov was quoted by Tass as saying when asked to comment on Pashinyan’ s statement, adding that “it was an important statement.”

“We know that there are certain nuances in Armenia’s approaches regarding the conflict around Ukraine, we are taking this into consideration,” Peskov said, adding that Russia will continue to develop its allied relations with Armenia.