Author: Ara Felekian

Avoiding another war in the former Soviet Union

Ara Felekian
POLITICO
Oct 31 2023

By GABRIEL GAVIN

GEOPOLITICAL TANGLE — For weeks now, there have been warnings that yet another bloody war could break out on the edge of Europe — pushing the U.S. and E.U. further into a geopolitical tangle with Russia. Now, all eyes are on the South Caucasus to see whether a decades-old conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan can be averted, or if it will be added to the growing list of geopolitical hotspots that require attention from the West.

While the standoff has flown below the radar amid growing tensions between Serbia and Kosovo; as well as war between Russia and Ukraine and Hamas and Israel, the space sandwiched between Russia and Iran has become increasingly tense. Washington and Brussels have laid out clear red lines that have since been crossed. And there’s a growing suspicion that peace isn’t in Moscow’s best interests.

Last month, Azerbaijan launched an offensive to take control of the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, with thousands of troops and tanks pushing forward under the cover of heavy artillery fire. Within 24 hours, taking heavy casualties on the front lines, the ethnic Armenian authorities had surrendered, effectively ending thirty years of de facto independence since a war that followed the fall of the Soviet Union.

More than 100,000 people were forced to flee their homes with what few possessions they could pack into cars, buses and even open-topped construction trucks. Few think they’ll ever be able to return, despite Azerbaijan’s promises of “reintegration.” And the Armenian government has accused Azerbaijan of carrying out ethnic cleansing in the region, with concerns of more aggression to come.

While the U.S. and E.U. have condemned the use of force, they’ve been unwilling or unable to take a tougher stance. Azerbaijan is a close partner of both critical NATO ally Turkey and of Israel, and has also stepped up exports of natural gas to Europe as part of efforts to wean the continent off Russian fossil fuels. On top of that, Azerbaijan maintains it was only acting to take control of its internationally-recognized territories, and insists that makes it an entirely internal issue.

But concerns have been growing that Azerbaijan could be planning an invasion of Armenia itself to seize a strategically important transport route that would link it up with Turkey — known as the Zangezur Corridor. Armenia’s new ambassador to the E.U, Tigran Balayan has said his country expects the attack “within weeks.”

Now though, both Azerbaijan and Armenia are saying a long-awaited peace deal could be done over the next few months instead. Speaking to POLITICO, Azerbaijani foreign policy chief Hikmet Hajiyev insisted there was no plan for a confrontation and that the corridor project “has lost its attractiveness for us” because of alternative routes through neighboring Iran.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, meanwhile, said last week that a final ceasefire could be signed soon — and unveiled a “Crossroads for Peace” project designed to bolster transport links with Azerbaijan and Turkey.

The move would be a major blow to Russia, which still has troops patrolling Armenia’s closed borders — once the frontier between the Soviet Union and NATO. With talk of peace in our time, Pashinyan has even hinted it might be time to tell Moscow’s military to leave once and for all.

The efforts to secure a diplomatic settlement would also be touted as a win in Washington and Brussels, despite the mass exodus and shattered lives as a result of last month’s war. Behind the scenes, Western diplomats have been fighting to avoid a repeat of the violence and prevent the worst case scenario from coming about.

And, at a time when Russia is reportedly seeking to stretch the West thin between conflicts in the Balkans, the Middle East and in Africa, it would be a rare moment where calmer heads prevailed and chaos could be averted. Only time will tell if that’s the case — but both Armenia and Azerbaijan are, for the moment, optimistic.

Armenpress: Armenian FM, newly appointed ambassador of Canada meet

Ara Felekian

 21:42,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 18, ARMENPRESS.  On October 18, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan received Andrew Turner, newly-appointed Ambassador of Canada to Armenia on the occasion of handing over the copies of his credentials, the foreign ministry said in a readout.

Congratulating the Аmbassador, Minister Mirzoyan expressed confidence that as the first resident Ambassador of Canada to Armenia, with his activities, he will give a significant impetus to the Armenian-Canadian friendly relations, which are already developing on good bases, and to their further strengthening and deepening. In this context, the importance of the decision of Canada to open an Embassy in Yerevan was mutually highlighted, which indicates the mutual willingness to expand the dynamically developing Armenian-Canadian agenda in different directions.

Ararat Mirzoyan emhpasised that Ambassador Turner assumed his mission during a very challenging period for Armenia. The importance of strong support to democracy, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia was emphasised. Views were exchanged on the process aimed at establishing stability in the region and current main issues.

Touching upon the regional security situation, Minister Mirzoyan stressed the need to name what happened in Nagorno-Karabakh by its exact definition, to adequately meet the primary needs of more than 100,000 Armenians forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh resulting from Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleansing policy, as well as addressing their rights.

During the meeting interlocutors also emphasised the importance of mutual high-level visits.

Issue of Karabakh conflict completely settled

Ara Felekian
MEHR News Agency, Iran
Oct 17 2023

TEHRAN, Oct. 17 (MNA) – Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has stated that the subject of the Karabakh conflict is finally closed.

"The issue of the Karabakh conflict has been settled for good. <…> This is a great joy," he said at a meeting with representatives from the Fuzuli District in Karabakh, TASS reported.

Azerbaijan regained full control of its territory of Karabakh last month after conducting an operation.

Authorities in Baku have repeatedly said they will protect the rights and ensure the security of Armenian residents in Karabakh in accordance with Azerbaijan's law.

The EU invited the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia for peace talks in Granada, Spain, on Oct. 5, but Baku declined because France and Germany were opposed to Turkey's participation.

MP/PR

Armenia Stands Alone

Ara Felekian
TGP – The GeoPolitics
Oct 4 2023
Kuat Dombay
October 4, 2023

zerbaijan has brilliantly completed in one single day its military campaign to restore the country’s full control over Karabakh, thus effectively ending 30 years of separatism there. The region was home to approximately 100,000 ethnic Armenians, who refused to disarm after the “44-day war” back in 2020. This latest “one-day” conflict could initiate challenging peace negotiations for Armenia with Azerbaijan.

Another option though, if Armenia further fails an agreement to provide Zangezur pass for Azerbaijan to its exclave Nakhichevan (please see map) – then this might trigger another military escalation between the two countries, which considering the on-going war in Ukraine will be hard to be stopped either by the EU, US, or Russia (the latter has its military base in Armenia). Another geopolitical outcome could be that final resolution of separatism in Caucasus could trigger cascading resolution of several other frozen conflicts in Georgia and Moldova, instigated with the Russian involvement from the 1990s to 2008.

On Sept. 20, 2023, after massive shelling of separatist military targets, more than 200 Armenian separatists were killed and 400 to 700 wounded, air defense and other military facilities were destroyed in the first few hours according to Azerbaijani sources. Azerbaijan has lost 191 soldiers and militias. Further resistance was recognized as futile, and the Armenian separatists agreed to an unconditional ceasefire and disarmament. The parties started negotiations, and a humanitarian corridor was opened for civilians wishing to leave the war zone, which according to the latest data provided by Armenia has already been used by 100 thousand people, or almost all Armenian population in Karabakh. According to UN observers, there were no cases of ethnic cleansing registered.  The Russian peacekeeping contingent in Karabakh was asked not to leave the places of permanent deployment during the hostilities in order to avoid casualties, which they took advantage of and their further peace-keeping mission in Azerbaijan hardly makes any sense.

As Azerbaijani media later reported, the parties agreed on “70% of the issues” during the negotiations, and we could assume that the remaining 30% is the disagreement on the Zangezur corridor from Azerbaijan to the Nakhchivan region.

The vital for Azerbaijan Zangezur pass was part of the agreements achieved following the 2020 year’s 44-day war. However, Armenia now again seems unwilling to give in, which is indirectly confirmed by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s statement that Armenia is not a party to the conflict between the Karabakh separatists and Baku. However, opening this corridor to Nakhichevan is a key condition for Azerbaijan to normalize relations between the two countries and, if unresolved, inexorably threatens a new round of hostilities between the two countries, the readiness for which Azerbaijani President Aliyev has already spoken about in recent speeches.

The Zangezur transportation route existed in the Soviet era in the form of a railroad and highway route but was dismantled by Armenia in the 1990s after the First Nagorno-Nagorno-Karabakh War, disrupting logistics and communications between Azerbaijan and its exclave. Following the first hostilities in the 1980’s over 300.000 Azeries left Armenia, and almost 500.00 from Karabakh captured by Armenian forces and separatisits, thus turning themselves into fugitives, they had to flee to  safety in Azerbaijan, with many registered cases of mass killings by Armenian militia registered at this time, over 2.000 still missing. Today Azerbaijan wants to fully restore the corridor in Zangezur region, which was previously inhabited by Azeries and this would also provide it the shortest route to Turkey.

The restoration of the corridor, although it would have positive economic benefits to land-locked Armenia itself, was strongly opposed by Iran, declaring it would intervene in case of military action by Azerbaijan. However, after Turkey and, unexpectedly for many analysts, Pakistan, stated that Iran should not interfere in the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, Iran walked back its rhetoric

One key roadblock to Azerbaijan restoring the corridor militarily is that it is located within Armenia’s internationally recognized borders. If Baku was to send troops, it should formally trigger common defense treaty between Armenia and Russia. However, the 5,000-strong Russian contingent in Armenia is insufficient to confront Azerbaijan’s 60,000-strong force, which has significantly improved its combat capability over the past three years, while the Armenian forces have not recovered. Last week’s results showed that both these factors make it impossible to confront Azerbaijani forces, and there is no hope for effective help from the West, which is busy with the war in Ukraine.

Again, there is an active position of Turkey in this issue on the side of Azerbaijan, and the West itself is likely to be interested in squeezing Russia and its base from the South Caucasus. In fact, popular resentment by Armenians at Kremlin’s non-involvement in the last war and loss of Karabakh, will most probably instigate Armenia leaving its military alliance with Russia.

In fact, Armenia now finds itself in a geopolitical stalemate and strategic dead end. Turkish President Erdogan visited Baku recently and possibly discussed a formal meeting of the leaders of Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia, which should resolve the issue of the Zangezur corridor. Otherwise, if such resolution fails then another military escalation between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be almost imminent. Aliyev has already demonstrated twice successful utilization of a unique historical opportunity (the 44-day war broke out amid the pandemic lockdown) and he is unlikely to miss Armenia’s current isolation and weakness this time either.

Another important geopolitical consequence of successfully ending Karabakh separatism by Azerbaijan, could be unfreezing of other similar problems, namely in neighboring Georgia and Moldova. Their situations though differ from each other and have their own peculiarities. Georgia’s military capabilities are disproportionately lower than Azerbaijan, which spent almost $3 billion per annum on military build-up over the last ten years, or almost 5% of its GDP, while Georgia spends only $0.5 billion, or less than 2% of its GDP and has to face Russian forces, which on the other hand are much weaker due to war in Ukraine. Another point to consider is that the current Georgian government does not appear to be ready to escalate tensions with Russia in order to restore its territorial integrity over its break-away separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

The situation in Moldova is no radically different in terms of its military capabilities, but Russia’s weakening leaves their 2.000 strong contingent in Dniestr without any back-up and there is no doubt that the West is likely to provide all the necessary military assistance to Moldova to eliminate the last hotbed of Trans-Dniestr  separatism in Eastern Europe.

[Photo by government.ru, via Wikimedia Commons]

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.

Kuat Dombay

The author is the Director at the Center for Central Asia Studies “C5+” and a former career diplomat at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kazakhstan. His diplomatic postings included Kazakh embassies in Seoul, New Delhi and London.



Turkey’s demands on shutting down Armenian nuclear power plant are inappropriate and outdated – lawmaker

Ara Felekian

 14:59, 3 October 2023

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 3, ARMENPRESS. Turkey’s demands on Armenia shutting down its nuclear power plant are ‘inappropriate and outdated’, Chair of the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee Sargis Khandanyan has said.

“Armenia has its strategy around energy security. Such demands are inappropriate and outdated. Armenia will proceed in a way that stems from our energy security,” the MP said, adding that there’ve been numerous such demands.

He said that the whole world is shifting to atomic energy regarding hydrocarbon reserves.

Turkey has appealed to the International Atomic Energy Agency with a request on shutting down the Armenian nuclear power plant.

However, just last year the International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi said he was pleased to see the safety and security improvements made to the Metsamor Armenian Nuclear Power Plant.

Asbarez: UN to Send Mission to Nagorno-Karabakh ‘Over the Weekend’

Ara Felekian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 

 

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

Children are among the displaced Artsakh residents left for Armenia


The United Nations will send a mission to Nagorno-Karabakh for the first time in about 30 years, scrambling to address humanitarian needs after Azerbaijan attacked Artsakh last week triggering a mass exodus, a spokesman has said.

“The government of Azerbaijan and the UN have agreed on a mission to the region. The mission will take place over the weekend,” spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Friday.

The announcement came on the heels of a request by Armenia to the International Court of Justice to order Azerbaijan to withdraw all its troops from civilian establishments in Nagorno-Karabakh so that the UN have safe access, the court said on Friday.

The ICJ, in February ordered Azerbaijan to ensure free movement through the Lachin corridor to and from Artsakh.

In a request for provisional measures submitted on Thursday, Armenia asked the court to reaffirm the orders it gave Azerbaijan in February and to order it to refrain from all actions directly or indirectly aimed at displacing the remaining Armenians from Artsakh.

Some international experts have said the exodus of from Artsakh meets the conditions for the war crime of “deportation or forcible transfer,” or even a crime against humanity.

“We haven’t had access to there about 30 years,” said Dujarric, due to the “very complicated and delicate geopolitical situation.”

“So, it’s very important that we will be able to get in,” he continued, adding that the mission would do so by air from Azerbaijan.

A team of about a dozen people led by the UN’s humanitarian affairs department will assess the needs of people who have remained in the territory and those who are on the move, he added.

“And of course, it bears reminding of the need for everyone to respect international law and especially international human rights law,” he said.

"Baku will try to preserve Armenians in NK as a museum piece". Opinion

Ara Felekian

Sept 29 2023


  • JAMnews
  • Yerevan

Armenian political analyst on Baku’s intentions

“Baku will try to preserve Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh as a museum piece to show the world that Armenians live here and have no problems,” says Armenian political scientist Tigran Grigoryan.

He finds it difficult to guess how many Armenians will remain in Nagorno-Karabakh, but he believes that Azerbaijan will populate the region with its own people, and “in 10 years it will be meaningless to talk about the Armenian element”.

According to him, at meetings between Baku and Karabakh Armenians after the hostilities, the creation of a “transitional administration before full integration” is being discussed. Azerbaijan intends to complete this process by December next year, when elections are scheduled, the political analyst believes.

In an interview with an Armenian publication, Grigoryan commented on the military actions in NK, spoke about Armenia’s responsibility in the current situation, as well as the role of the U.S. and Russia.

  • Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians leave their homes, rush to move to Armenia
  • Explosion at fuel depot in NK. Armenian medics assist by helicopter
  • Urgently sever ties with Russia or calculate risks? Discussions in Yerevan

In the expert’s opinion, the situation in NK was prepared by the Armenian authorities with their small concessions to Azerbaijan. Their result was obvious when the Armenian Prime Minister stated that the international community expects Armenia to recognize Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and “lower the bar on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh”. At the same time, international players started talking about “the rights and security of NK Armenians”.

Grigoryan says that the Armenian authorities have nullified all available opportunities with their inconsistent policy:

“It was clear that after the defeat in the second Karabakh war, the content of the negotiations could not but change, the new status quo had to be reflected at the negotiating table. But at least some principles and details had to be preserved.”

“This escalation was expected to take place in Karabakh earlier, at the time when the presidential elections were taking place. Before the elections, Azerbaijan made specific threats through closed channels,” the political analyst said.

Azerbaijan has been talking about conducting an “anti-terrorist operation” in various closed-door discussions since April 2023, and “internal political developments in Artsakh at least accelerated this process.”

“The events in Karabakh are Armenia’s new, westernized path and Russia’s expulsion from the Caucasus. Have the Abkhazians and Ossetians realized this?” – Georgian experts comment

According to the expert, the price of this is “the presence of Russian peacekeepers on the ground”. Grigoryan draws attention to the fact that if before the military actions in MK the Azerbaijani side emphasized that peacekeepers here are “deployed temporarily”, after the “anti-terrorist operation” the rhetoric changed dramatically.

“Hikmet Hajiyev [Azerbaijani presidential aide] talks about the presence of peacekeepers until 2025, and that the term of their deployment may even be extended.”

At the same time, Grigoryan notes that talks have intensified about the “Zangezur corridor”, i.e. an extraterritorial corridor through Armenia’s territory, which Azerbaijan demands. According to Grigoryan, if Moscow manages to get Russian presence on this section of the road and control of the railroad track, it will lose nothing even if the peacekeepers leave NK:

“If Russia controls this important transportation hub, by and large, it will be able to maintain control over both Azerbaijan and Armenia.”

According to Grigoryan, “shameful internal political processes” took place in Daghlig Garabagh – certain maximalist red lines were outlined, which were later very quickly violated. The analyst emphasizes that there is a tendency in Armenia to blame the NK authorities for all processes, but “the lion’s share of responsibility” in this case is on the Armenian authorities:

“The main problem is that at some stage Armenia simply stepped aside, distanced itself from this issue, tried to show that, say, we have nothing to do with this issue.”

The political scientist explains that on November 9, 2020, with the signing of the statement on cessation of hostilities, the Armenia-Azerbaijan-Russia triangle was formed. But Yerevan itself withdrew from the process, thus bringing it “into the field of Russian-Azerbaijani, we can say, Russian-Turkish agreements”.

Speech by Armenian Foreign Minister, assessments of UN Security Council members, European Union’s appeal to Azerbaijan, Armenian analyst’s commentary

Grigoryan says that Azerbaijan “carried out ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh, but there was zero reaction from the international community. At the same time, the analyst argues that world actors had the opportunity to prevent it, as Azerbaijan stated it openly, there were even “preparatory visits” before the start of the operation:

“For example, Elchin Amirbayov, one of the prominent figures in Azerbaijan’s foreign policy, traveled to Europe. My colleagues, European experts told me that he came for this very purpose, warned and explained why it was necessary to carry out such an operation”.

As a result, Azerbaijan crossed the red line set by the U.S., escalated, and carried out ethnic cleansing. However, the threats of sanctions voiced during the closed meetings did not become a reality.

The analyst emphasizes that the United States constantly spoke about the “historical possibility” of signing an agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. At the same time, Washington took into account

  • Russia’s diminishing role in the region,
  • the policy of the Armenian government, which is ready to make unilateral concessions.

“For example, part of this process was that the U.S. even pressured other actors not to pass a resolution in the UN Security Council,” he said.

According to Grigoryan, the Americans were in a hurry to complete the process and fix a “political result” before the US presidential elections.

And now, as the expert says, the Nagorno-Karabakh problem has moved to the humanitarian dimension. And the U.S. is trying to show that it can help in humanitarian issues, but “on other issues – hardly”.

https://jam-news.net/armenian-political-analyst-on-bakus-intentions/ 

UCLA panel on Atrocities, Genocide and the Duty to Prevent and to Punish under International Law

Ara Felekian
 Guest Contributor Diaspora, Announcements 0

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—The Promise Institute for Human Rights at UCLA Law, in partnership with the Promise Armenian Institute at UCLA, will present a panel discussion entitled “Atrocities, Genocide and the Duty to Prevent and to Punish Under International Law: The Situation of Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh.” The panel will take place on Tuesday, October 10, 2023, at 7 p.m. (Pacific Time) at the UCLA Mong Learning Center (Engineering VI Building) and via the Zoom Webinar platform.

On Tuesday, September 19, 2023, Azerbaijan launched a military operation against the already-suffering people of Artsakh, who had been under a blockade for nearly 300 days, resulting in hundreds of deaths and injuries. This tragic situation became an overt initiation of wholesale, violent ethnic cleansing, and while a ceasefire agreement may be in place, threats to the safety and security of the ethnic Armenians in this region continue as the population evacuates their ancestral homeland.

Looking at the situation in Artsakh with respect to the Berdzor (Lachin) Corridor blockade, as well as the recent active military attacks in Artsakh and the threats to Armenia generally, this panel will explore the following key questions, drawing from action taken thus far by states and international actors (or not):

  • What conditions trigger the duty to prevent atrocities, including genocide?
  • Once triggered, what is the scope of that duty, and what tools, both national and international, can help to identify these obligations as well as lawful steps for addressing a genocidal situation?
  • How can accountability for atrocities be achieved in this situation?

This panel will also assess how concurrent litigation before the Inernational Court of Justice intersects with these questions and further explore the extent to which lack of labeling or action with respect to the risk of genocide is due, in part, to a lack of clarity regarding the duty to prevent and punish genocide under international law.

The panel will be moderated by Professor Hannah Garry, executive director of the Promise Institute for Human Rights, expert signatory to the submission to the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide on Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh, and will feature Dr. Taner Akçam, inaugural director of the Armenian Genocide Research Program of The Promise Armenian Institute at UCLA; Professor Thomas Becker, legal and policy director of The University Network for Human Rights, Columbia Law School and Wesleyan University, author of the briefing “The Tip of the Iceberg” on the Lachin/Berdzor Corridor blockade; Professor Juan Méndez, American University Washington College of Law, first U.N. Special Advisor on Prevention of Genocide, author of a “Preliminary Opinion” on the crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh and the need to prevent atrocity crimes; and Sheila Paylan, international law, human rights and gender expert and director of the Armenian Women’s Bar Association Board of Directors.

Registration for this event is required and free. Please visit the event registration webpage to sign up for in-person or virtual attendance. The panel will conclude with a small reception in the foyer. 

This event is co-sponsored by the Armenian Students’ Association at UCLA, Jewish World Watch, UCLA Initiative to Study Hate, UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy, National Association for Armenian Studies and Research, and University Network for Human Rights.




‘Azerbaijan has assured Iran it has no intention to attack Armenia’

Ara Felekian
TEHRAN TIMES
Sept 11 2023

TEHRAN – Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman told reporters on Monday that the Republic of Azerbaijan has assured Iran that it has no intention to take military action against neighboring Armenia.

“We are in contact with the officials of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Officials of Armenia had expressed worry over a possible new clash on the part of Azerbaijan but officials of Azerbaijan have sent messages to us that they have no intention to take any military action,” Kanaani stated.

“Because of the importance of the developments in the Caucasus and the impact of any instability, unrest, and new tension in the region on the entire region,” Iran is sensitive about the security of its northern borders and is closely watching the situation, he pointed out.

Transfer of unblocked funds soon 

Reuters had reported that Iranian funds blocked in South Korea under the guise of U.S. sanctions would be transferred to Qatari banks as soon as this week. 

Kanaani also expressed hope that the transfer of unfrozen assets will be completed in the coming days. 

According to the accord, Kanaani said Iran is permitted to utilize its unblocked funds “to buy unsanctioned goods”. 

He emphasized once more that the prisoner swap arrangement with the U.S. had nothing to do with the release of the funds.

“Considering the humanitarian nature of the issue, we are ready to implement the prisoner swap deal,” he declared, pointing out that it could have happened a long time ago if the American side had cooperated and had not made it dependent on other issues, like the nuclear deal, which the U.S. unilaterally ended in May 2018 despite Iran’s full and strict compliance.

Kanaani went on to add, “Based on the reached agreement, we are optimistic that the exchange of prisoners will happen soon.”

“No extension of the deadline for Iraq to disarm Kurdish separatists”

Kanaani also said that “Iran’s stance is completely clear. According to the agreement reached with the Iraqi government, the final deadline for the disarmament of the terrorist and separatist forces in Iraq’s Kurdistan region ends on September 19 and that deadline will not be extended in any way.”

He added that the Iraqi government has taken steps in this direction and has stated that it would keep its promises.

Iran, Russia to establish comprehensive plan for relations

Kanaani told reporters that “talks are underway between the two countries to draft a comprehensive document” that will serve as “a complete and comprehensive roadmap” that will allow government institutions to pursue bilateral ties based on the set goal.

He stated that the two parties have exchanged a draft agreement, which is currently being reviewed by their working groups.

On the attack on Iran’s embassy in Paris, Kanaani said “we strongly condemn” the assault.

France’s diplomats in Tehran and Paris have received a formal notice of complaint from Iran, he pointed out 

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/488956/Azerbaijan-has-assured-Iran-it-has-no-intention-to-attack-Armenia

Fwd: The California Courier Online, September 14, 2023

Ara Felekian

The California
Courier Online, September 14, 2023

 

1-         Revisionist
European Rabbis

            Deny the
Armenian Genocide

            By Harut
Sassounian

            Publisher,
The California
Courier

            www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

2-         Azerbaijan
Reneges on Deal to Unblock Lachin Corridor

3-         Samvel
Sharamanyan Elected President of Artsakh

4-         Rep.
McClintock Meets with Fresno
Armenians

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

 

1-         Revisionist
European Rabbis

            Deny the
Armenian Genocide

            By Harut
Sassounian

            Publisher,
The California
Courier

            www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

 

The Rabbinical Center of Europe sent a letter on Sept. 6
signed by 50 conservative Rabbis to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and
President Vahagn Khachaturyan, telling them that Armenian officials have no
right to use the term ‘genocide’ to describe Azerbaijan’s blockade of the
Lachin Corridor since December 2022, causing the starvation of 120,000 Artsakh
Armenians.

The Rabbis wrongly claimed that the term genocide should
only be used to describe the Jewish Holocaust. These Rabbis’ ignorance is only
exceeded by their arrogance. Not only do they not know the true meaning of the
term ‘genocide,’ they are also harming their own cause by claiming that since
the Holocaust is ‘unique,’ no other human tragedy is comparable to it, thus
precluding anyone else from being sympathetic to Holocaust victims. It is in
the Jewish interest to describe the Holocaust as a universal calamity with which
other people can identify. Even though all genocides have similarities, there
are obvious differences in timing, scale and location. However, the
similarities between genocides far exceed their differences. No one should have
a monopoly on claims of human suffering.

These Rabbis do not seem to know that according to the UN
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, besides
outright mass murder, genocide also includes “deliberately inflicting on the
group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in
whole or in part.” This is exactly what Azerbaijan is doing—causing the
starvation of 120,000 Artsakh Armenians by depriving them of food, medicines
and other basic necessities.

The denialist Rabbis claimed that the terms ‘ghetto,’
‘genocide,’ and ‘holocaust’ are “inappropriate to be part of the jargon used in
any kind of political disagreement.” The starvation of Artsakh Armenians cannot
be described as a ‘political disagreement,’ but genocide, according to the UN
and Luis Moreno Ocampo, former Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.

Continuing the series of errors and misjudgments the Rabbis
made in their pro-Azerbaijan propaganda letter, they demanded that Armenia’s
leaders “explicitly and unequivocally clarify that the Armenian people
recognizes and honors the terrible human suffering undergone by the Jewish
people” and stop “minimizing and belittling the extent of the Jewish people’s
suffering to further any political interest through incessantly using phrases
associated with the holocaust suffered by the Jewish people.”

Rather than lecturing Armenia’s leaders about the
Holocaust, the Rabbis should have addressed their letter to Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu who has denied the Armenian Genocide and has pressured the
Knesset to reject a resolution recognizing it. Israel should have been the first
country to recognize the Armenian Genocide, not the last.

Furthermore, these Rabbis should have had the moral courage
to issue a letter condemning the government of Israel
for providing lethal weapons with which Azerbaijan in 2020 killed thousands
of Armenian soldiers.

Instead of supporting the genocide denialists in Ankara and
Baku, these Rabbis should have known that some of the most prominent backers of
the recognition of the Armenian Genocide are Jews: Dr. Israel Charny (Director
of Institute of Holocaust and Genocide in Jerusalem), Prof. Yair Auron
(historian, author of several books on the Armenian Genocide), Raphael Lemkin
(who coined the term genocide), Amb. Henry Morgenthau, Elie Wiesel (Nobel
Laureate and Holocaust survivor), Yossi Beilin (Israel’s
Minister of Justice), and Yossi Sarid (Israel’s Minister of Education).

After Pres. Joe Biden recognized the Armenian Genocide on
April 24, 2021, both the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) and the AJC (American
Jewish Committee) supported Biden’s recognition. The United
States Holocaust Memorial Museum
in Washington, D.C., also issued a statement on April 27,
2021, welcoming Pres. Biden’s determination that genocide was committed against
the Armenian people. Furthermore, the World Jewish Congress also acknowledged
the Armenian Genocide.

In addition, 126 Holocaust scholars issued a joint statement
on March 7, 2000, “affirming the incontestable fact of the Armenian Genocide.”
Among them were professors Yehuda Bauer, Stephen Feinstein, Irving Horowitz,
and Steven Katz.

These Rabbis did not condemn former Deputy Prime Minister of
Azerbaijan and former Baku
Mayor Hajibala Abutalybov, who stated during a 2005 meeting with a municipal
delegation in Bavaria, Germany: “Our
goal is the complete elimination of Armenians. You, Nazis, already eliminated
the Jews in the 1930s and 40s, right? You should be able to understand us.”
This was reported in the ‘Realny Azerbaijan’ publication on February
17, 2006.

Since these Rabbis feel that they are entitled to the
exclusive use of the term genocide, have they ever sent a single letter of
complaint to their dear brother Aliyev for his repeated references to the fake
‘Khojalu Genocide?’ Isn’t this a shameful example of double-standard?

The Rabbis should have remembered Hitler’s infamous words
uttered on August 22, 1939: “Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation
of the Armenians?” Noticing that the world ignored the Armenian Genocide,
Hitler was emboldened to commit the Holocaust.

Yaron Weiss of Jerusalem,
a grandson of Holocaust survivors, wrote: “I condemn the cynical
self-appropriation of the memory of the Holocaust victims by that group of
Rabbis.” Yaron also reminded the Rabbis that “Azerbaijan refuses to condemn and
apologize for the acts of mass murder committed during the Holocaust by the
soldiers of the Azeri Legion.”

These Rabbis themselves have belittled the Holocaust by
writing it with a lower-case h, instead of capital H.

I urge these Rabbis to apologize for their revisionist and
insulting letter, a smear-campaign instigated by Azerbaijan, as a result of which,
they have lost their sense of decency and morality. Should their letter
embolden Azerbaijan to
commit more atrocities against Armenia
and Artsakh, these Rabbis will be considered partners in the Azeri crimes.

 

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2-         Azerbaijan Reneges on Deal to
Unblock Lachin Corridor

 

(This article reflects information available until Monday,
September 11, which is the publication deadline for The California Courier.)

From Thursday, September 7 until Sunday, September 10, it
appeared that Azerbaijan was
going to unblock the Lachin Corridor—the only road link between Armenia and
Artsakh—that it has illegally blockaded since December 2022. Amid conflicting
reports of a Russian-brokered aid delivery via Aghdam to Askeran—which in turn
would induce the Azerbaijani government to open the Lachin Corridor—the
Azerbaijan government reneged on any reported reopening of Lachin.

According to Hikmet Hajiyev, foreign policy adviser to
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, in a tweet posted on Saturday, September 9:
“In response to many inquires from international journalists, including
Reuters, Politico and BBC, we would like to make the following clear: Tomorrow,
Russia-initiated food cargo by Russian Red Cross will go along Agdam-Askeran
road towards Khankandi in coordination with Azerbaijani Red Crescent. It is a
separate deal and shouldn’t be confused with the suggestion on simultaneous
opening of Agdam-Khankandi and Lachin-Khankandi roads for ICRC delivery. Thus,
on September 1st, Azerbaijan
expressed its consent as a good will gesture to ensure simultaneous opening of
Agdam-Khankandi and Lachin-Khankandi roads. But the illegal regime refused.
However, in the Lachin checkpoint, Azerbaijan’s customs and border
control regime must be observed. Sham and fabricated elections or I would
rather call selection is serious setback and counter productive. Illegal puppet
regime must be dissolved and disarmed. It is the only way to ensure lasting
peace where Armenian and Azerbaijani residents of Karabakh can live and
coexist.”

Khankandi is the Azeri name for Artsakh’s capital city of Stepanakert.

Hajiyev’s September 9 statement directly contradicted
previously reported information regarding the lifting of the blockade.

Hajiyev was referring to a September 1 conversation that
took place between Azerbaijan’s
president Ilham Aliyev and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in which Azerbaijan had
apparently agreed to open the Lachin Corridor in just such a simultaneous
agreement.

On September 7, Hajiyev told Reuters the Lachin Corridor and
the Aghdam road could be opened in line with those high-level talks.

Artsakh authorities on Saturday, September 9 said they would
accept humanitarian shipments from the Russian Red Cross via an alternative
road from Askeran.

“At the same time, an agreement has been reached to restore
humanitarian shipments by the Russian peacekeepers and the International
Committee of the Red Cross along Lachin Corridor,” said the announcement by the
Artsakh InfoCenter.

That same day, the news outlets mentioned by Hajiyev—Reuters
and Politico—along with The Guardian all reported that the Lachin Corridor
would be unblocked.

“Nagorno-Karabakh routes reopen in Lachin corridor deal, say
Azeri and Armenian sides” read the headline on The Guardian; “Azerbaijan
pledges to reopen Lachin Corridor to Nagorno-Karabagh” announced Politico; “Key
Azerbaijan-Karabakh corridor to reopen to Russia aid” heralded Reuters.

However, Azeri television on Sunday, September 10 showed
pictures of the Russian truck idling on a roadside in the city of Barda in Azerbaijan—leading
Reuters to report “Doubt over deal opening road” in Lachin.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said in a
statement it was conducting talks with both sides about opening both routes for
aid, and denied that it was holding up the Russian Red Cross shipment.

Armenia’s
relations with Russia have
sharply deteriorated in recent weeks, with Yerevan
accusing Moscow
of failing to restore transport links to the territory. Moscow has peacekeepers in Karabakh and has
acted as the guarantor of an agreement that ended the 2020 war, which called
for the Lachin Corridor to remain open. Yerevan
says the Russian troops did nothing to prevent the Azeris from imposing their
blockade.

Speaking at the G20 summit in India
over the weekend, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Armenian
suggestions that Russia had
“given away” Karabakh to Azerbaijan
were incorrect.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who spoke to
Pashinyan on Saturday, September 9, said in a statement on Sunday, September 10
that Washington
was “deeply concerned about the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation.”

 

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3-         Samvel Sharamanyan Elected
President of Artsakh

 

(Combined Sources)—The Artsakh Parliament has elected Samvel
Shahramanyan as the President of Artsakh with a vote of 22 for, 1 against.

All parties in the Artsakh Parliament, except for United
Motherland, nominated Artsakh State Minister Samvel Shahramanyan for the
position of President of the Artsakh
Republic. An application
by the United Motherland parliamentary faction to nominate Samvel Babayan, the
faction’s leader, was rejected on the grounds that Babayan had not permanently
lived in Nagorno-Karabakh for the past ten years, a requirement for
presidential candidates. Speaking to RFE/RL last week, Samvel Babayan stated
that his parliamentary faction would not participate in the vote, instead
holding a protest against the ‘predetermined’ election in Stepanakert.

Due to Artsakh being under martial law and recent amendments
made to the Artsakh constitution, the Artsakh Parliament was tasked with
electing a new president following Arayik Harutyunyan’s resignation on
September 1, 2023.

Shahramanyan was appointed to the position of State Minister
a day before Arayik Harutyunyan’s resignation from the post of president.
Previously Shahramanyan served as the Secretary of the Security Council.

An inauguration ceremony took place on Sunday, September 10.

“The status of Nagorno-Karabakh must be determined, and we
must have direct connection with Armenia through the Lachin
Corridor. While other routes could be opened, but they cannot replace the
corridor,” Shahramanyan said. “Negotiations must take place, the format [of
talks] can be both multilateral and bilateral, with guarantees from a third
party. Stepanakert must be a engaged in the negotiations.”

He called for the strengthening of Artsakh’s statehood,
domestic stability, exercising the right to self-determination of the people of
Artsakh, improving the socio-economic situation and establishing law and order.

Baku
on Friday, September 8 condemned the vote, calling it “extremely provocative.”
Hikmet Hajiyev, foreign policy adviser to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
said the “sham elections” are a “serious setback and counterproductive” for
resolving the blockade of the Lachin corridor.

The European Union was quick to announce that it does not
recognize the presidential elections in Artsakh, a statement from the bloc’s
diplomatic service said on Saturday, September 9.

“In view of the so-called ‘presidential elections’ in
Khankendi/Stepanakert on 9 September 2023, the European Union reiterates that
it does not recognize the constitutional and legal framework within which they
have been held," Nabila Massrali, the spokesperson for foreign affairs and
security policy, said in a statement."At the same time, the EU believes
that it is important for the Karabakh Armenians to consolidate around de facto
leadership that is able and willing to engage in result-oriented discussions
with Baku. The EU is committed to supporting this process.”

Samvel Shahramanyan, 44, is believed to be close friends
with Bako Sahakyan, the third president of Nagorno-Karabakh. In 2018, during
his presidency, Sahakyan appointed Shahramanyan as director of the National
Security Service.

Shortly after Harutyunyan was elected president in 2020,
Shahramanyan was appointed head of the newly-created Ministry of Military
Patriotism, Youth, Sports, and Tourism. In January 2023, Shahramanyan was
appointed secretary of Nagorno-Karabakh’s Security Council, and was amongst
those participating in meetings between representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan,
and Russian peacekeepers on March 1.

A number of MPs have stated their belief that Shahramanyan
can bring together opposing groups in society, and could potentially bring about
a ‘breakthrough’ in the ongoing blockade, having previously engaged in
discussion with Azerbaijan. Nagorno-Karabakh has been under blockade by Azerbaijan
since December 2022, creating a catastrophic humanitarian crisis.

Turkey
condemned the election as a step aimed at undermining the ongoing “peace
negotiations” between Armenia
and Azerbaijan,
said the statement released by the Turkish Foreign Ministry. In the text of the
statement, the Republic of Artsakh is presented as “part of Azerbaijan.”

“Holding elections in territories controlled by illegitimate
Armenian forces in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan is an attempt to
unilaterally legitimize the situation in the region, which is contrary to
international law,” the statement reads.

Turkey
also called on the UN and international organizations not to recognize the
presidential elections in the Republic
of Artsakh.

 

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4-         Rep.
McClintock Meets with Fresno
Armenians

            By Sevag
Tateosian

 

United States Congressman Tom McClintock (5th-CA) met with
leaders from Fresno’s
Armenian-American community.  The
Congressman requested the meeting to listen to issues important to Fresno’s long-standing
Armenian community.  Attendees from
various organizations, including churches and civic organizations shared their
deep concern for Armenia and
Artsakh amid Azerbaijan’s
war and blockade of the Lachin Corridor. 

“We were very pleased that Congressman McClintock listened
to our concerns,” said Sevak Khatchadourian, whose venue was used to host the
meeting.  “It’s an extremely difficult
time for us as Armenian Americans, knowing that the innocent people of Artsakh
are being starved to death.”

Congressman McClintock listened attentively to the crowd and
committed to raising the issue of a possible second genocide occurring.  Congressman said the blockade of the Lachin
Corridor was reprehensible. 

The group of approximately 30 people included Randy Baloian,
a longtime community activist who after the meeting said, “Fresno Armenians
appreciate Congressman McClintock’s visit and his effort to understand better
the crisis facing the republics of Armenia and Artsakh.  We’re confident that he will continue in the
tradition of Central Valley lawmakers to
support American Armenian interests.”

 

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