Author: Antranik Varosian

Asbarez: Paris City Council Urges France to Recognize Artsakh

Antranik Varosian

November 18,  2020



Armenians in Paris celebrate Artsakh

The City Council of Paris has adopted a resolution, calling on the French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs to urge France to recognize the Republic of Artsakh, Armenia’s Foreign Ministry reported in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

The resolution cites numerous factors for this initiative, including the military aggression by Azerbaijan against Artsakh, which was sponsored by Turkey and the involvement of jihadist militants from Syria. It also highlighted the humanitarian crisis in Artsakh that resulted from the Azerbaijani air strikes as a result of which 80 percent of the infrastructures of Stepanakert have been destroyed.

The resolution also notes that France, which is an OSCE Minsk Group Co-chair, did not participate in the signing of the ceasefire on November 9 under the mediation of Russia, where the victory of power predominated over the victory of a dialogue.

It also says that despite the deployment of the Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh), the existence of Nagorno Karabakh is under existential threat.

Below is the translated text of the Paris City Council Resolution.

Taking into consideration the mobilization of French elected officials who call for the recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh, including a group of parliamentarians from different political parties, who tabled on October 19, 2020 a “Motion for a resolution on the recognition of the Republic of Artsakh”,

Taking into consideration that on September 27, 2020, a military offensive was initiated by Azerbaijan, politically and militarily supported by Turkey, with the use of jihadist fighters from Syria,

Taking into consideration that following air strikes by the armed forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan, dozens of civilians in Nagorno-Karabakh were injured and killed and that 80 percent of the urban infrastructure of Stepanakert, including school and hospital facilities, was largely destroyed,
Taking into consideration the humanitarian situation and all the victims in the region,

Taking into consideration that despite calls from France, mediator in this conflict as co-chair of the Minsk Group, for the immediate cessation of hostilities from their start, the situation has become increasingly critical and that on several occasions ceasefires were declared and all were violated within an hour of their declaration,

Taking into consideration that a ceasefire was concluded on November 9 under the aegis of Russia, which France was not invited to sign,

Taking into consideration that under the ceasefire agreement, the two armies remained on the positions occupied on that date to the detriment of the Armenian people and the population of Nagorno-Karabakh,

Taking into consideration that despite the presence of a Russian intervention force, Nagorno-Karabakh is threatened in its very existence,

Taking into consideration that the Mayor of Paris has spoken on several occasions to call for an end to the violence and to recall the support of the City of Paris for the Armenian people wherever they live,

Taking into consideration that the relations of friendship between the City of Paris and the Armenian people are old and unwavering, that they were reminded to the Armenian authorities by our colleague Anouch Toranian, who accompanied an observation mission of the UGBU Europe at the height of the fighting,

Taking into consideration that the City of Paris has a tradition of supporting populations who are victims of massive human rights violations,

Taking into consideration that the City of Yerevan is a member of the International Association of Francophone Mayors (AIMF),

Taking into consideration that it appears crucial for the City of Paris to provide support to the residents of Nagorno Karabakh,

The Council of Paris expresses the wish:

That the Mayor of Paris send a letter to the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, inviting France to recognize the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh),

That the French Government, lifting the ban on territorial communities maintaining relations with Nagorno-Karabakh, authorize them to cooperate with Nagorno-Karabakh in the context of humanitarian aid,

So that the City of Paris can provide emergency humanitarian aid to Nagorno-Karabakh through an on-site operator in order to come to the aid of the populations who are victims of the conflict as closely as possible,

That the City of Paris provide aid in the amount of €50,000 to the population of Nagorno-Karabakh as well as to the displaced persons who fled it to take refuge in the Republic of Armenia. This assistance, provided through the Armenian Fund of France, is added to the €50,000 provided through the Paris-based International Association of Francophone Mayors (AIMF), to Yerevan.

Metropolitan Museum of Art calls for protection of cultural heritage sites in Nagorno Karabakh

Antranik Varosian

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 10:16,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. The leadership of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, has issued a statement on the Armenian cultural heritage sites, Voice of America reports.

“The recent bloodshed and destruction in the Nagorno Karabakh region is a global tragedy of grave concern to us all. In addition to our plea and hope for the violence to stop, as museum leaders we urge that cultural heritage sites be protected.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is dedicated to preserving and exhibiting human creativity of over 5,000 years from across the globe. As the organizer and host of the 'Armenia!' exhibition in 2018—which was the first major exhibition to explore the remarkable artistic and cultural achievements of the Armenian people in a global context over 14 centuries—we have watched in horror and sadness at the recent violence and bloodshed in the Nagorno Karabakh region.

We implore all those involved to respect these international cultural heritage sites, which enrich our world and have survived for thousands of years. The loss of cultural heritage sites is permanent, and is a grievous theft from future generations”, the statement says.

Government asks supporters to refrain from organizing rallies

Antranik Varosian

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 12:05,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister’s Office Eduard Aghajanyan has addressed the the government and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's supporters who are willing to organize a rally in Yerevan, asking them to refrain from mass-meetings and rallies.

“Dear countrymen, we are aware that a number of servicemen and citizens who were on the frontline as volunteers who returned from Artsakh intend to organize a rally today in Yerevan in support of the government and the Prime Minister. We are grateful to all of you for your support, and we assure you that we will justify your support with our work. At the same time, we urge you to refrain from organizing any rally, because gatherings are banned under the martial law regime. In addition, during these days, more than ever we need to unite and we must direct our entire potential for rebuilding our country.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Armenpress: Moscow persuaded Ankara not to send peacekeepers to NK, given difficult legacy of the past– Putin

Antranik Varosian

Moscow persuaded Ankara not to send peacekeepers to NK, given difficult legacy of the past– Putin

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 23:06,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. Moscow has been able to persuade Azerbaijan and Turkey that conditions that can thwart the agreements on Nagorno Karabakh should not be created, ARMENPRESS reports Russian President Vladimir Putin told Russia-24.

''As refers to the peacekeeping mission, Azerbaijan and Turkey always talked about the possibility of Turkey's participation in peacekeeping efforts. Anyway, I think that we have been able to persuade our Turkish partners and our colleagues in Azerbaijan that conditions that can thwart our agreements should not be created, conditions that can push one of the parties of the agreement to some extreme methods and extreme actions'', Putin said, clarifying that he means the very heavy legacy of the past years and the tragic and bloody incidents and the genocide that took place during the years of the World War I.

''It's a factor that can be recognized or not recognized. Someone recognizes it, someone does not recognize it. But there are no issues for Russia here. We recognized it long ago. So why to provoke Armenia with the presence of Turkish soldiers on the contact line? I think President Erdoğan also admitted this andunderstood. We encountered no problems here'', the Russian President said.

The Realist Victory in Nagorno-Karabakh

Antranik Varosian
Foreign Policy Research Institute
Nov 13 2020
  • Maximilian Hess
  • Eurasia Program
 

Armenia’s accession to a Russian-mediated settlement with Azerbaijan over their long-running conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, known as Artsakh to Armenians, on November 10 marks a major, perhaps irreversible, loss for Yerevan. But it is not just Armenian forces who stand defeated. It also marks the trouncing of a liberal approach to the region and the supremacy of realist power politics.

In mid-September, Yerevan held significant de jure Azeri territory outside the borders of the Soviet-era Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO)—today, it is at the mercy of Russian peacekeeping forces to maintain control of a rump Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia moved to agree to the terms after the symbolically and strategically significant citadel city of Shushi (Shusha in Azeri) was seized by Azeri forces. Under the deal, Azerbaijan will retain Shushi, granting them control of the heights over Armenian-controlled Stepanakert, as well as its other territory gains in the recent fighting. Furthermore, Armenian forces also have to evacuate from crucial districts outside the NKAO that the country has held since 1994, and access to the Armenian mainland will only be possible through a five-kilometer-wide corridor overseen by Russian troops.

Though many other details of the settlement remain murky and undefined, including to what extent Armenian forces can stay in the remaining territory, there are additional losses for Yerevan.

A sense of dread and encirclement could follow if Azeri President Ilham Aliyev follows through on his comments to allow Turkish troops to deploy to the area, amid already significant fears of renewed ethnic cleansing of Armenians in territory being returned to Azerbaijan. Finally, there is genuine fear that the democratic government of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan may not survive the capitulation—the announcement led to such an outpouring of anger that Armenians stormed the national assembly and assaulted parliamentary speaker and longtime Pashinyan ally Ararat Mirzoyan.

The second Karabakh war, however, does not just represent an Armenian defeat. It is proof that the liberal international order is completely absent from the South Caucasus, and unlikely to return anytime soon.

Pashinyan’s surrender has even been criticized by President Armen Sarkissian, the sole senior government official to remain in his position following the 2018 Velvet Revolution that brought Pashinyan to power. However, the reality is that a failure to stop fighting after Shusha’s capture and after weeks of fighting had made clear that Armenia was unable to hold off steady, and extremely deadly, Azeri advances would have been disastrous and extremely irresponsible.

Pashinyan will be well aware that the same corrupt forces he ousted from power in 2018, who almost to a man are veterans of the first Karabakh war, could seek to use the loss to oust him. Other forces, such as Gagik Tsarukyan, head of the largest opposition party, already spoke out against him. Russia arguably would even prefer such an outcome, having long been uncomfortable with Pashinyan’s image as a liberal reformer. The November 11 arrest of Tsarukyan and other politicians who fomented unrest in Yerevan in the wake of the deal may have staved off any such challenge, but further challenges are sure to come.

In his time in power, however, Pashinyan has been keen to avoid antagonizing Moscow. He has not moved Yerevan out of the Russian orbit politically or economically, despite having previously been a sceptic of Armenia’s ties with the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union. Once in power, even when criticizing Russia’s gas politics and arms sales to Azerbaijan, he did so in a feint manner, sure to remind Moscow of its status as Armenia’s strategic partner.

While Pashinyan’s 2018 Velvet Revolution was hailed as a beacon of hope amid the populist waves coursing through Western politics by the liberal stalwart that is the Economist¸ conferring upon Armenia the honor of “country of the year,” Yerevan did not receive even a fraction of the political or economic support from the West offered to Ukraine after its 2014 Euromaidan Revolution. Nor has the West given any significant support to Armenia in the latest fighting, not even bothering to attempt to cast the conflict as one between liberalism and illiberalism as with the Russo-Ukrainian war. The European Union and United States may not have said so publicly, but its economic and strategic interests in Azerbaijan prohibited such a declaration.

Where the West was active in Armenia, its actions proved counterproductive. Highlighting the failure of the West to offer an alternative route for Yerevan is the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s failed investment in the Amulsar gold mine, cancelled this August in light of steadfast local opposition. The United Kingdom and United States wasted political capital pressuring Pashinyan into supporting the project, ignoring the fact that many of those protesting it were among the coterie that brought him to power in the first place.

It would be unfair to say that Pashinyan’s government had any hopes of significant Western support in its conflict with Azerbaijan. There was no significant Western response to the April 2016 fighting, which was until this year the most significant in Karabakh since 1994, nor was there when conflict flared up in July 2020 along the de jure Armenian-Azeri borders.

Even advocates of the liberal order face difficulty endorsing Armenia’s position given that its 1994-2020 control of not just Nagorno-Karabakh but also surrounding Azeri districts represented an effective redrawing of borders by force (though this is often confused), contravening the United Nations Charter and Helsinki Final Act. The same language has been used to oppose Moscow’s annexation of Crimea and recognition of the “independence” of the Georgian breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Furthermore, the realist interest pervades: Azerbaijan is not only a significant oil supplier, with BP having led investment in the sector since the collapse of the Soviet Union, but also the key to Europe’s Southern Gas Corridor strategy. Azerbaijan’s lack of democratic credentials has not proven an impediment to its purchase of Western arms. It has been a major customer of Israeli arms as well, with the relationship shored up by the fact that Baku is Tel Aviv’s largest supplier of crude.

It is improbable that the Second Karabakh War will change the West’s interests vis-à-vis Armenia and Azerbaijan. Armenia and Azerbaijan both stand credibly accused of using cluster munitions, and neither side has proven capable of enabling peaceful co-existence. Longtime observers of the region will recall that when the West did back a peace agreement in 1997—not too dissimilar from the November 10 statement signed by Pashinyan, Aliyev, and Russian President Vladimir Putin—that then-President of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan was forced to resign by the following February.

This despite the fact that U.S. President-elect Joe Biden called in late October for a “stop [to] the flow of military equipment to Azerbaijan.” The statement also called for the United States to lead a diplomatic effort alongside its European partners, but the Azeri military advance and Russian-negotiated agreement have precluded that outcome. It also gives legal cover to the Russian military overseeing transportation and trade between NKAO and Armenia proper, as well as between mainland Azerbaijan and its exclave of Nakhchivan, on Armenia’s west. While the agreement limits the number of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh to 1,960 soldiers, it includes no limit on the number of Russian border guards who will now oversee the latter corridor, which will run along the Armenian-Iranian border.

Much has been made of the fact that Russia has witnessed tumult on its borders in recent months, with unrest in Belarus, a coup-cum-revolution in Kyrgyzstan, and the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, raising questions about whether Putin had lost his grip on Russia’s vaunted “near abroad.” While some have argued that this deal represents a potential loss for Moscow given Turkey’s key role—with Baku’s success in large part enabled by its use of Turkish drones—it remains to be seen how active Turkey will be in the new settlement. More likely than not, it will refrain from actions that risk upsetting its entente cordiale with Moscow, a relationship also enabled by Ankara’s adoption of a realist approach to power politics with Moscow.

However, the outcome in the Second Karabakh conflict, in which Moscow is a victor second only to Baku despite the defeat of its nominal ally, highlights that as an uber-realist power Moscow is able to turn such situations to its advantage, particularly in contrast to a West that still espouses liberal values but fails to follow through on them. Unless the West adopts a more realist approach, it is likely to remain in retreat not just in the South Caucasus, but across wider Eurasia.

The views expressed in this article are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, a non-partisan organization that seeks to publish well-argued, policy-oriented articles on American foreign policy and national security priorities.


Russian peacekeepers enter Nagorno-Karabakh as Kremlin seeks UN presence

Antranik Varosian
WION News, India
Nov 14 2020
WION Web Team Armenia Nov 14, 2020, 04.24 PM(IST)

As Russian peacekeepers entered Nagorno-Karabakh in trucks and armoured personnel carriers even as Armenia said that over 2,000 fighters were killed in clashes against Azerbaijan.

Russia has deployed over 2,000 peacekeepers after a peace deal was struck between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Armenia's health ministry spokeswoman Alina Nikoghosyan said: "To date, our forensic service has examined the corpses of 2,317 dead servicemen, including unidentified ones."

Also Read: Armenians flee homes as takeover by Azerbaijan looms

Meanwhile, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said his country would involve the United Nations for humanitarian purposes.

Lavrov said Russia was in contact with UN High Commissioner for Refugees office, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the UN development programme in order to prevent a humanitarian crisis.

However, the peace deal was met with large scale protests on the streets of Armenia with demonstrators crying out  "Nikol is a traitor!" as reports indicated Azerbaijan had made clear gains in territorial claims after weeks of fighting.

Russian guards have reportedly placed five posts in Nagorno-Karabakh with two on the border with Iran. Russia now has troop presence in nine former Soviet republics including Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Nagorno-Karabakh row between Azerbaijan and Armenia has been festering since the 90s after the break-up of the former Soviet Union. At least 30,000 people have been killed in the conflict which ended in an uneasy truce in 1994.

Kremlin denies reports on deployment of Turkish troops in Karabakh

Antranik Varosian

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 13:49, 10 November, 2020

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 10, ARMENPRESS. There is no talk on deployment of Turkish servicemen in Nagorno Karabakh in the official text of the statement signed by Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, RIA Novosti reports.

“There is no word on that in the text of the statement. There is no agreement on that. The deployment of Turkish servicemen is not agreed upon. There has been a talk on creation of a monitoring center in the Azerbaijani territory, and it has been a subject of a separate agreement. It’s not Karabakh”, Peskov said.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a statement on a full ceasefire and cessation of all military actions in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict zone since 01:00 Yerevan Time on November 10.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 11/10/2020

Antranik Varosian 
                                        Tuesday, 

France Calls For ‘Lasting Political Solution’ In Nagorno-Karabakh


French President Emmanuel Macron (archive photo)

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday called for a “lasting political 
solution” to the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh after Armenia and Azerbaijan 
agreed a deal to end weeks of fierce fighting, AFP reports.

Macron also urged that Turkey, which backs Azerbaijan, to “end its provocations” 
in the conflict.

“France firmly calls on Turkey to put an end to its provocations about 
Nagorno-Karabakh, to show restraint and to do nothing that compromises the 
possibility of a lasting agreement being negotiated between the parties and 
within the framework of the Minsk Group,” the French president said.

He added that a long-term deal should also “preserve Armenia’s interests.”

Macron’s office quoted him as saying that efforts should be made “without delay” 
to try to come up with a “lasting political solution to the conflict that allows 
for the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh to remain in good conditions and 
the return of tens of thousands of people who have fled their homes.”

The French president said he will actively pursue his consultations with Russia 
and will meet “very soon” with the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders.

Macron said that France, which is home to a strong Armenian community, “stands 
by Armenia at this difficult time.”

Along with Russia and the United States, France is a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk 
Group that has for nearly three decades spearheaded international efforts to 
broker a negotiated peace for Nagorno-Karabakh.



France Calls For ‘Lasting Political Solution’ In Nagorno-Karabakh


French President Emmanuel Macron (archive photo)

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday called for a “lasting political 
solution” to the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh after Armenia and Azerbaijan 
agreed a deal to end weeks of fierce fighting, AFP reports.

Macron also urged that Turkey, which backs Azerbaijan, to “end its provocations” 
in the conflict.

“France firmly calls on Turkey to put an end to its provocations about 
Nagorno-Karabakh, to show restraint and to do nothing that compromises the 
possibility of a lasting agreement being negotiated between the parties and 
within the framework of the Minsk Group,” the French president said.

He added that a long-term deal should also “preserve Armenia’s interests.”

Macron’s office quoted him as saying that efforts should be made “without delay” 
to try to come up with a “lasting political solution to the conflict that allows 
for the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh to remain in good conditions and 
the return of tens of thousands of people who have fled their homes.”

The French president said he will actively pursue his consultations with Russia 
and will meet “very soon” with the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders.

Macron said that France, which is home to a strong Armenian community, “stands 
by Armenia at this difficult time.”

Along with Russia and the United States, France is a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk 
Group that has for nearly three decades spearheaded international efforts to 
broker a negotiated peace for Nagorno-Karabakh.



Armenia, Azerbaijan Sign Russia-Brokered Truce Deal, Triggering Unrest In Yerevan


A woman wheels a stroller with a child as police officers guard in front of the 
government building in Yerevan, 

The leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia have signed an agreement to end 
six weeks of military conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, triggering a political 
crisis in Armenia where angry protesters stormed government buildings and 
parliament.

The November 10 announcement of the Russian-brokered agreement to end the 
fighting between Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenians came after Azerbaijani forces 
made major battlefield gains, including reports they were approaching the 
region’s capital, Stepanakert.

Pashinian first announced the trilateral agreement in a Facebook post, saying he 
had signed a statement with the presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan on the 
"termination" of the war as of 1 p.m. local time.

Pashinian said the deal, which includes the long-term deployment of Russian 
troops to the region, was "the best possible solution for the current situation."


Armenia Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on November 10.
"I made this decision as a result of an in-depth analysis of the military 
situation and an assessment of the people who know it best," Pashinian wrote.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he believed the agreement "will create 
[the] necessary conditions for a long-term and full-fledged settlement of the 
crisis around Nagorno-Karabakh on a fair basis and in the interests of the 
Armenian and Azerbaijani people."

Nagorno-Karabakh's de facto ethnic-Armenian leader, Arayik Harutiunian, said he 
had agreed with Pashinian to end hostilities "given the current dire situation" 
and to avoid even greater military defeats and losses.

Under the deal, Azerbaijan will keep territory in Nagorno-Karabakh and 
surrounding areas captured during the conflict. It also calls for Armenian 
forces to hand over some areas it held outside the borders of Nagorno-Karabakh, 
including the eastern district of Aggdam and the western area of Kelbajar.

Armenians will also forfeit the Lachin region, where a crucial road connects 
Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia. The agreement calls for a 5-kilometer wide area in 
the so-called Lachin Corridor to remain open and be protected by around 2,000 
Russian peacekeepers.

Russia said later its troops had already been sent to the South Caucasus to be 
deployed for a peacekeeping mission in Nagorno-Karabakh.


Russian peacekeepers boarding a military plane in Russia heading for 
Nagorno-Karabakh, 

The agreement also calls for Russian border services to monitor a new transport 
corridor through Armenia connecting Azerbaijan to its western exclave of 
Nakhijevan, which is surrounded by Armenia, Iran, and Turkey.

Aliyev said that Turkey, a close ally of Baku, would take part in the 
peacekeeping center to monitor the cease-fire.

Since fighting erupted in late September, several thousand people are believed 
to have been killed on both sides.

Azerbaijan said on November 8 its forces had taken the key town of Shushi 
(Shusha), offering strategic heights over Nagorno-Karabakh's main city, 
Stepanakert, just 10 kilometers away.

Shushi also lies along the main road connecting Stepanakert with Armenia.

Thousands of people fled Nagorno-Karabakh in recent days to Armenia as the 
Azerbaijani forces were closing in on both Shushi and Stepanakert.

Azerbaijan's forces in recent weeks have also retaken several regions outside 
Nagorno-Karabakh that were controlled by ethnic Armenian forces.

Unhappy with the situation, several thousand angry protesters gathered in 
Yerevan in the early hours of November 10 after Pashinian announced he had 
signed the cease-fire agreement, with mobs storming the government headquarters 
and parliament, ransacking offices and smashing windows in an outburst of anger.

Parliament Speaker Ararat Mirzoyan was injured in a mob attack and hospitalized, 
drawing a sharp rebuke from the government.

Dozens of men also tried to break into RFE/RL's bureau in Yerevan, calling the 
Armenian Service "traitors."

The Union of Journalist of Armenia and Armenia's ombudsman condemned the attacks 
and any threats against media.

Later in the morning the Armenian police formed cordons to protect government 
offices and the parliament building.

Meanwhile, President Armen Sarkissian's office said later on Tuesday that he was 
launching "political consultations" to build national unity and 
"coordinate…solutions arising from our agenda of protecting national interests."

Sarkissian said in a statement he had learnt about the agreement to end the 
fighting in and around Nagorno-Karabakh from the media.

"Unfortunately, there were no consultations or discussions with me, as the 
President of the Republic, regarding this document, and I did not participate in 
any negotiations," he said, insisting that the signing of such an important 
document involving Armenia’s "vital security interests" and the "whole Armenian 
nation" should have been subjected to "comprehensive consultations and 
discussions."

The previous day, 17 opposition parties issued a joint statement calling for 
Pashinian’s resignation amid a series of military defeats suffered by 
Armenia-backed ethnic Armenian forces fighting against Azerbaijan in 
Nagorno-Karabakh.

Among the parties that signed the statement were the main parliamentary 
opposition party, Prosperous Armenia, led by tycoon Gagik Tsarukian, the former 
ruling Republican Party of ex-President Serzh Sarkisian, the Armenian 
Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutiun), and the Hayrenik (Homeland) party led 
by former director of the National Security Service Artur Vanetsian, who was 
relieved of his duties in 2019 over differences with Pashinian.


Angry protesters stormed the parliamentary assembly in Yerevan on November 10 
after Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said he had signed an agreement 
with the leaders of Russia and Azerbaijan to end the war in Nagorno-Karabakh.

In his comments following the night of chaos, Pashinian implied that corruption 
in previous governments was also to blame for the current situation.

"We must prepare for revenge. We haven’t dealt properly with the corrupt, 
oligarchic scoundrels, those who robbed this country, stole soldiers' food, 
stole soldiers' weapons,” said Pashinian, a reformist pressing an 
anti-corruption campaign who came to power in 2018 in the wake of mass popular 
protests.

"I call on citizens with dignity to be ready for us going after the rioters and 
their bosses, after the corrupt part of Dashnaktsutiun, after the robbers from 
the Republican Party, the Prosperous Armenia Party, the deserters from the 
Hayrenik party who left their combat positions and fled, and must be tried for 
desertion," he charged.

Meanwhile, Armenia’s Defense Ministry and the General Staff of the Armed Forces 
issued a statement, calling on all to refrain from actions that could “undermine 
the foundations of [Armenia’s] statehood.”



Armenian President Initiates ‘Political Consultations’


Armenian President Armen Sarkissian during an address to the nation on November 
6, 2020

Armenian President Armen Sarkissian issued a statement on Tuesday, initiating 
“political consultations” as the country appeared to be plunged into a political 
crisis following the announcement of a Russian-brokered deal with Azerbaijan 
over Nagorno-Karabakh.

As quoted by his office, President Sarkissian, who unlike the prime minister has 
limited powers under Armenia’s constitution, said that he was immediately 
initiating the consultations “in order to coordinate, within the shortest 
possible period, solutions arising from our agenda of protecting national 
interests.”

“I learned from the media that a statement on ending the Nagorno-Karabakh war 
was signed with the presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan. It was also from the 
media that I learned about the conditions for ending the war,” Sarkissian said.

“Unfortunately, there were no consultations or discussions with me, as with the 
President of the Republic, regarding this document, and I did not participate in 
any negotiations,” he added.

The president emphasizes that “the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict 
is a matter of national importance, and any step, action, decision related to 
the vital security interests of Armenia, Artsakh [the Armenian name for 
Nagorno-Karabakh], the entire Armenian nation, moreover, the signing of a 
document in this respect, should be a subject of comprehensive consultations and 
discussions.”

“I emphasize that the fate of Artsakh, and consequently of the Armenian people, 
can be decided only taking into account our national interests and only on the 
basis of a national consensus.

“Taking into account the deep concerns of the large mass of the people 
conditioned by the current situation, I immediately initiate political 
consultations in order to coordinate solutions, within the shortest possible 
period, arising from our agenda of protecting national interests,” he said.

“As the President of the Republic, at this crucial moment of national 
preservation, I consider the formation of national unity to be my current 
mission. I hope that within ten days we will all be able to build such a unity 
under which I will consider that I have used the opportunities to serve my 
homeland,” the Armenian president concluded.

Riots began in Armenia early on November 10 upon the news that Prime Minister 
Nikol Pashinian signed a Russian-brokered agreement with Azerbaijan, putting an 
end to more than six weeks of fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The country was plunged into a political turmoil after opposition groups called 
on Pashinian to resign. This was followed by a night of unrest leaving 
government buildings ransacked.

In chaotic scenes in the capital, hundreds of opposition supporters in the early 
hours of November 10 stormed the government headquarters and parliament in 
Yerevan, ransacking offices and smashing windows in an outburst of anger.


Protesters inside the Armenian parliament during the night of riots in Yerevan 
following the announcement of a Russian-brokered agreement with Azerbaijan to 
end the war in Nagorno-Karabakh. .

Parliament Speaker Ararat Mirzoyan was injured in a mob attack and hospitalized, 
drawing a sharp rebuke from the government.

The backlash over the agreement signed by Pashinian came after 17 opposition 
parties issued a joint statement on November 9 calling for the prime minister’s 
resignation amid a series of military defeats suffered by Armenia-backed ethnic 
Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh fighting against Azerbaijan.

Among the parties that signed the statement were the main parliamentary 
opposition party, Prosperous Armenia, led by tycoon Gagik Tsarukian, the former 
ruling Republican Party of former President Serzh Sarkisian, the Armenian 
Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), and the Hayrenik (Homeland) party led 
by former director of the National Security Service Artur Vanetsian, who was 
relieved of his duties in 2019 over differences with Pashinian.

In his comments following the night of chaos, Pashinian implied that corruption 
in previous governments was also to blame for the current situation.

The premier said in a live broadcast on Facebook that the decision to sign the 
agreement to put an end to hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh was conditioned by 
the request of the military that he said had no further resources to continue to 
wage the war.

Nagorno-Karabakh’s ethnic Armenian leader Arayik Harutiunian also admitted this 
reality in his live broadcast on Facebook the same day. He said if the decision 
were not made today, within days or weeks ethnic Armenian forces in 
Nagorno-Karabakh would suffer even greater military defeats and have even more 
losses.

Meanwhile, Armenia’s Defense Ministry and the General Staff of the Armed Forces 
issued a statement, calling on all to refrain from actions that could “undermine 
the foundations of [Armenia’s] statehood.”



Parliament Speaker Injured In Riots Over Karabakh Deal As Political Tensions 
Grow In Armenia


Armenian Parliament Speaker Ararat Mirzoyan (archive photo)

Armenian Parliament Speaker Ararat Mirzoyan has been hospitalized with injuries 
after being attacked by a crowd of protesters angered by the news of a 
Russia-brokered deal with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh perceived by them as 
surrender, a government official said.
Edurad Aghajanian, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office, wrote on 
Facebook: “He [Ararat Mirzoyan] suffered injuries that luckily are not 
life-threatening.”

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian also confirmed in a live broadcast on 
Facebook that Mirzoyan’s life is not in danger at this moment. He said the 
parliament speaker was undergoing surgery.

“Ararat Mirzoyan is one of the people who accepted or rather did not accept the 
decision [to sign a deal] with tears in his eyes. There is no person in our 
political team who did not cry upon learning about that decision. And now some 
scoundrels have attacked Ararat Mirzoyan and his child,” Pashinian said.

“We must prepare for revenge. We haven’t dealt properly with the corrupt, 
oligarchic scoundrels, those who robbed this country, stole soldiers’ food, 
stole soldiers’ weapons. I apologize for that, and I call on all the citizens 
who understand what is happening to prepare for revenge,” Pashinian said.

The prime minister also said that he was thinking of organizing a rally in the 
near future.

“Those who have sold their homeland, those who have sold the liberated lands for 
money will not succeed, it is excluded. Your mansions will be returned to the 
people. I call on citizens with dignity to be ready for us going after the 
rioters and their bosses, after the corrupt part of Dashnaktsutyun, after the 
robbers from the [former ruling] Republican Party of Armenia, the Prosperous 
Armenia Party, the deserters from the Hayrenik party who left their combat 
positions and fled, and must be tried for desertion,” he charged.

The four political parties mentioned by Pashinian were among 17 others that 
issued a joint statement on November 9 calling for Pashinian’s resignation amid 
what appeared to be a series of military defeats suffered by Armenia-backed 
ethnic Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh fighting against Azerbaijan.

Hours later Pashinian signed a deal with Azerbaijan brokered by Russia to put an 
end to fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh, triggering protests.

Over the night groups of angry protesters stormed the government and parliament 
buildings in Yerevan.

Pashinian called on those people not involved in the riots to go home.

In remarks on Facebook Pashinian implied that corruption in previous governments 
was also to blame for the current situation.

“All those who are responsible, including myself if I am responsible, will be 
held to account,” he said.



Armenian PM Calls For Calm Amid Unrest Over Karabakh Deal


Protesters inside the Armenian parliament during the night of riots in Yerevan 
following the announcement of a Russian-brokered agreement with Azerbaijan to 
end the war in Nagorno-Karabakh. .

Unrest in Yerevan started early on November 10 after the news that the leaders 
of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia signed an agreement putting an end to 
44-day-long fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh as rioters perceived the deal as 
surrender.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has called on people not involved in 
riots to go home after angry protesters stormed government and parliament 
buildings in Yerevan early on November 10 following the news of a 
Russia-brokered deal with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh viewed by them as 
surrender.

“All those citizens who have nothing to do with the disturbances, please go 
home. All those citizens who believe me, believe us, please prepare for 
struggle,” Pashinian wrote on Facebook, addressing his words to citizens who 
gathered near the buildings of the government and the National Assembly in 
Yerevan.

“Do not doubt for a second that we have not done anything dishonest. We did not 
agree to any bargain. I have acted in a way so as to have answers to all 
questions and be clean in front of my homeland and the people,” Pashinian said.

“At this difficult time, we must stand side by side against mice stealing seeds. 
You, who fish in muddy waters, we will still talk,” the premier added in an 
apparent reference to his political opponents.

Unrest in Yerevan started after the news that the leaders of Armenia, 
Azerbaijan, and Russia signed an agreement putting an end to 44-day-long 
fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh as rioters perceived the deal as surrender.

Still on November 9, amid what appeared to be a series of military defeats 
suffered by Armenia-backed ethnic Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh fighting 
against Azerbaijan, a group of Armenian opposition parties issued a joint 
statement demanding Pashinian’s resignation.

Among the 17 parties that signed the statement were the main parliamentary 
opposition party, Prosperous Armenia, led by tycoon Gagik Tsarukian, the former 
ruling Republican Party of Armenia of former President Serzh Sarkisian, the 
Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) and others.

In earlier remarks Pashinian implied that corruption in previous governments was 
also to blame for the current situation.

“All those who are responsible, including myself if I am responsible, will be 
held to account,” he said.



Angry Mob Attacks RFE/RL’s Armenia Office Amid Unrest Following Nagorno-Karabakh 
Deal


Logo of RFE/RL Armenian Service (Azatutyun)

Around 40 men have attacked the office of RFE/RL’s Armenian Service (Azatutyun) 
in Yerevan amid unrest triggered by Armenia’s signing of a Russian-brokered 
agreement with Azerbaijan to end fighting over the breakaway region of 
Nagorno-Karabakh.

The mob tried to break into RFE/RL’s office early on the morning of November 10, 
calling the Armenian Service “traitors” and “Turks” while in a tirade against 
the government over what they perceive as a surrender in Nagorno-Karabakh.

“You are responsible for the deaths of my friends [in Nagorno-Karabakh],” one of 
the attackers charged.

Others said they wanted to destroy Azatutyun’s computer servers to force 
journalists from going on air.

RFE/RL Armenian Service Executive Producer Artak Hambardzumian said he 
personally identified one of the men as Gerasim Vardanian, a member of the 
Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutiun), one of nearly two dozen 
political parties that are demanding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s 
resignation.

Hambardzumian said the men tried to break the door to the office and attack him 
and a cameraman.

RFE/RL Acting President Daisy Sindelar condemned the attack on Azatutyun in a 
statement issued today.

“The attack on RFE/RL’s Yerevan bureau is a reprehensible assault on the 
essential duty of journalists to serve as impartial witnesses during major news 
events,” said Sindelar. “Our Armenian Service, Azatutyun, is one of the few 
media outlets in Armenia that has aimed to present all sides of a deeply 
divisive conflict. We call on the police and public alike to support the right 
of Azatutyun and all independent journalists to report the news, objectively and 
in full, without threat of violence or scapegoating.”

The Union of Journalists of Armenia, other leading media organizations and 
Armenian Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan also condemned the attack against Azatutyun.

In chaotic scenes in Yerevan, protesters in the early hours of the morning also 
stormed government buildings and parliament.



Armenia, Azerbaijan Agree To Russia-Brokered End To Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict


Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, 10Nov, 2020

The leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia have signed an agreement to end 
fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh starting on November 10, triggering unrest in the 
Armenian capital as protesters stormed government buildings.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian first announced the agreement in an 
early morning social media post, saying he had signed a statement with the 
presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan on the “termination” of the war over 
Nagorno-Karabakh war as of 1:00 a.m. local time.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev later 
confirmed the agreement, which will include the long-term deployment of Russian 
peacekeepers.

"We believe that the achieved agreements will create [the] necessary conditions 
for a long-term and full-fledged settlement of the crisis around 
Nagorno-Karabakh on a fair basis and in the interests of the Armenian and 
Azerbaijani people," Putin said of the agreement.

The early morning announcement on November 10 comes as Azerbaijani forces have 
made major battlefield gains in the six-week flare up in the decades-long 
conflict, including reports they were approaching the region’s capital, 
Stepanakert.

“I made a very difficult decision for myself and for all of us,” Pashinian said 
on Facebook. “I made this decision as a result of an in-depth analysis of the 
military situation and an assessment of the people who know it best.”

Pashinian said he would provide more information in the coming days, adding that 
the agreement was “the best possible solution for the current situation.”

Nagorno-Karabakh’s de facto ethnic Armenian leader, Arayik Harutiunian, said he 
had agreed with Pashinian to end hostilities with Azerbaijan “given the current 
dire situation” and to avoid completely losing the region.

The backlash from the announcement in Yerevan was swift as several thousand 
protesters angry over the agreement stormed government buildings and the 
opposition called on Pashinian to resign.

Aliyev said in a televised online meeting with Putin that the trilateral 
agreement would be a crucial point in the settlement of the conflict. He also 
said that Turkey, a close ally of Baku, would take part in the peacekeeping 
center to monitor the cease-fire.

Under the deal, Azerbaijan will keep territory in Nagorno-Karabakh and 
surrounding areas captured during the conflict. It also calls for Armenian 
forces to hand over some areas it held outside the borders of Nagorno-Karabakh, 
including the eastern district of Aghdam and western area of Kelbajar (Kalbacar).

Armenians will also forfeit the Lachin region, where a crucial road connects 
Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia. The agreement calls for a 5-kilometer wide area in 
the so-called Lachin Corridor to remain open and be protected by around 2,000 
Russian peacekeepers.

The agreement also calls for Russian border services to monitor a new transport 
corridor through Armenia connecting Azerbaijan to its western exclave of 
Nakhijevan (Naxcivan), which is surrounded by Armenia, Iran, and Turkey.

Since fighting erupted on September 27, several thousand people are believed to 
have been killed as three cease-fires failed to halt fighting between ethnic 
Armenian forces and the Azerbaijani military.

Aliyev on November 8 said that his country’s forces had taken Shushi (known as 
Susa in Azeri), offering strategic heights over Stepanakert just 10 kilometers 
away.

Shushi also lies along the main road connecting Stepanakert with Armenia.

Thousands of people have fled Nagorno-Karabakh in recent days to Armenia, with 
lines of vehicles clogging the main road connecting the enclave to Armenia.

Azerbaijan's forces in recent weeks have also retaken several regions outside 
Nagorno-Karabakh.


Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2020 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

Italy’s Lombardy region recognizes independence of Artsakh

Antranik Varosian

Italy's Lombardy region recognizes independence of Artsakh

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 00:07, 4 November, 2020

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 4, ARMENPRESS. The Regional Council of Lombardy, Italy, has recognized the independence of Artsakh, ARMENPRESS reports member of the Regional Council of Lombardy Michele Usuelli wrote on his Facebook page.

''Lombardy Region is the first European region to support the recognition of the Artsak republic. This was our goal. The motion was approved by a large majority by the Lombardy Regional Council!'', he wrote, adding that the recognition of the Republic of Artsak (Nagorno Karabakh) could help create the conditions for a true and comprehensive peace negotiation between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Massimiliano Floriani