Author: Ara Felekian

Right of return of forcibly displaced Armenians from Soviet Azerbaijan, Nakhijevan and NK discussed at Justice Ministry

Ara Felekian

 14:49,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 12, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Minister of Justice Karen Karapetyan has held a meeting with members of NGOs representing the Armenian refugees and forcibly displaced persons from Soviet Azerbaijan, Nakhijevan and Nagorno-Karabakh in 1988-1992, as well as during and after the 2020 war. Karapetyan and the NGO representatives discussed issues related to the legal status of the Armenian refugees and forcibly displaced persons and their right of return, the ministry said in a press release.

The purpose of the meeting was to identify the legal issues that the refugees and forcibly displaced persons are currently facing. Issues related to their legal status, housing, compensations, social guarantees, and the right of return were discussed. The NGOs also presented their concerns regarding the processes taking place in the direction of resolving the status.

The participants of the meetings were comprehensively briefed on the interstate complaints filed against Azerbaijan, other international legal processes and future steps.

The ministry noted the recommendations made by the representatives of the NGOs in order to find solutions within the framework of its jurisdiction.

An agreement was reached to continue meetings.

Nagorno-Karabakh expects int’l community to move from words to action to end crimes committed by Azerbaijan

Ara Felekian

 14:17, 5 August 2023

YEREVAN, AUGUST 5, ARMENPRESS. The Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called on all concerned states, international organisations and other actors to move from words to action in order to put an end to the international crimes committed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh and its people.

In a statement released on August 5, the Nagorno-Karabakh foreign ministry said that the prevention of genocide is an erga omnes obligation, which requires every State to take active and continuous efforts to prevent the commission of such crimes.

Below is the full statement released by the Nagorno-Karabakh foreign ministry:

“We attach great importance to the calls made at the highest level by the United Nations, the European Union, the Council of Europe and other respected international actors for the immediate lifting by Azerbaijan of the illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor. At the same time, it is evident that such appeals have no impact whatsoever on the leadership of Azerbaijan, which, in a climate of impunity and complete lack of accountability, continues its genocidal policy and subjects 120 thousand people of Artsakh to starvation, creating unbearable living conditions for them.

“In their statements and calls periodically made by international structures, organisations and individual states, all of them without exception have acknowledged the fact of the unlawful blockade of the Lachin Corridor and emphasised the need to restore the freedom of movement along the corridor. However, no specific and effective measures are being taken in this direction. Meanwhile, the humanitarian catastrophe and human rights crisis in the Republic of Artsakh are deteriorating with each passing day.

“The recent statements coming from Azerbaijan about the possibility of using alternative routes for the alleged delivery of humanitarian relief to Artsakh once again demonstrate that Baku is using the blockade as a weapon and a means of exerting pressure on the people of Artsakh. The Azerbaijani authorities exploit the suffering of people and the humanitarian catastrophe they have created in order to achieve their political goals. Such actions and behaviour by Azerbaijan must be strongly rejected by the international community as inhumane.

“In this regard, once again, we strongly urge all concerned states, international organisations and other actors to move from words to action in order to put an end to the international crimes committed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh and its people. We remind that the prevention of genocide is an erga omnes obligation, which requires every State to take active and continuous efforts to prevent the commission of such crimes.

“Ending the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe and human rights crisis in the Republic of Artsakh is a real challenge to the effectiveness of involved international actors. We are convinced that, in accordance with their commitments, they are capable of addressing such evident and egregious violation of international order by Azerbaijan and preventing the crime of genocide. Otherwise, all calls for peace and normalisation will be detached from reality and devoid of any substance and prospect.”

AMAA’s Artsakh Team Holds Day Camp for Children Under Blockade

Ara Felekian
by Contributor

 

 July 27, 2023

 

in Artsakh, Latest, News, Top Stories

AMAA Artsakh Day Camp participants

The Armenian Missionary Association of America Artsakh team held its annual Summer Day Camp for children in Stepanakert, which is under a blockade. The camp was held from July 10 to 21 in two shifts with over 175 children participating in its activities.

The camp was unique this year in every way, because it was organized and held in times of distress and need, where even finding bread was difficult. A lack of food, fuel and other necessities confronted the team. With all of these challenges, they understood that it was important and necessary to hold the camp, because the children had great expectations and had no other joy this summer.

As for the team, it was necessary for them to run the Camp this summer as well, even though Artsakh was under blockade. The volunteers also faced a serious issue of not having another opportunity to speak about God to these children. With this approach, the volunteers conducted the Camp from their heart with the Lord’s guidance, and at the end they created a very successful Day Camp for the children.

The AMAA Artsakh team knew very well that, no matter what, the 2023 Day Camp will go down in the history of the AMAAs Artsakh branch, as it was organized and held under the most difficult circumstances and crisis.

“The children of Artsakh deserve to enjoy a childhood full of life, laughter, song and dance. And they deserve a loaf of bread and a cup of water like all the children of the world. LIFT THE BLOCKADE ON ARTSAKH,” said Zaven Khanjian, AMAA Executive Director/CEO.

Founded in 1918, the Armenian Missionary Association of America serves the spiritual, educational, and social needs of Armenian communities in 24 countries around the world including Armenia and Artsakh. For additional information, you may visit the AMAA website,

Artsakh considers using the fact of starvation by Azerbaijan to achieve political goals unacceptable

Ara Felekian

 20:36,

YEREVAN, JULY 25, ARMENPRESS. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh issued a statement, considered the blockade of Artsakh and the use of starvation by Azerbaijan to achieve political goals unacceptable.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Foreign Ministry of Artsakh, the statement reads as follows,

“We strongly condemn Azerbaijan's deliberate and systematic attempts to induce hunger in the Republic of Artsakh to achieve its military and political objectives. We reiterate that intentionally obstructing the delivery of humanitarian cargo for the physical survival of the besieged people of Artsakh, as well as taking deliberate actions to cause hunger, suffering and deprivation to the civilian population, constitutes a grave violation of international law and qualifies as a war crime. 

The combination of these criminal actions by Azerbaijan, carried out within the context of the ongoing eight-month inhumane blockade and attempts to forcibly subjugate the people of Artsakh to the jurisdiction of Baku, creates extremely dangerous conditions for the escalation of Azerbaijan's ongoing crimes against humanity into the crime of genocide. 

Against this backdrop, we consider as irresponsible any attempts to legitimise Azerbaijan's internationally wrongful acts, including through direct or indirect endorsement of proposals that are part of Baku's policy of non-compliance with its international obligations regarding the Lachin Corridor and the tightening of the blockade of Artsakh. Any support for the criminal agenda of Azerbaijan, which has deliberately created and systematically exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Artsakh, not only intensifies the suffering of innocent people but also violates fundamental principles enshrined in international law, including the dignity and human rights of individuals. The civilised international community has long rejected justifications based on the supposed right to commit mass violations of human rights under the pretext of a state's internal affairs. Moreover, it has held perpetrators of such crimes accountable before military tribunals and established legal frameworks to prevent such crimes in the future. 

Any actions and proposals from Azerbaijan that undermine the dignity of the people of Artsakh must be categorically rejected. Human dignity is at the core of human rights and serves as a guarantee of their respect. Undermining the dignity of the people of Artsakh signifies a denial of their fundamental rights and paves the way for even more inhumane crimes by Azerbaijan. 

We strongly urge key international actors genuinely interested in establishing a durable and just peace in Artsakh and the region as a whole to take decisive individual and collective actions to put an end to the blockade and criminal policies pursued by Azerbaijan. We once again insist that the United Nations Security Council fulfils its role entrusted by the nations of the world to maintain international peace and security and puts an end to the criminal and inhumane blockade of Artsakh. As a first step towards addressing the humanitarian catastrophe in Artsakh, we expect the UN Security Council to urgently demand the full and unconditional implementation of the ICJ Order issued on 22 February 2023, which was subsequently reaffirmed on 6 July 2023, to ensure unimpeded humanitarian access to Artsakh, and authorise the opening of a humanitarian air corridor. 

We consider it absolutely unacceptable to passively and indifferently observe the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Artsakh, where the situation can sharply deteriorate at any moment. The international community must realise that the time for fruitless discussions is long over, and it is now time for concrete and urgent actions that prioritise the interests of people living under an existential threat”.

Regional security issues in the center of attention of Armenian FM and Iranian President

Ara Felekian

 21:16,

YEREVAN, JULY 24, ARMENPRESS. On July 24, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ebrahim Raisi received Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in Tehran.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from MFA Armenia, it was noted with satisfaction that a high-level political dialogue was formed between the two friendly and neighboring countries, based on mutual respect and the thousand-year-old brotherhood of the two peoples.

Issues related to Armenian-Iranian multi-sectoral cooperation were discussed during the meeting. The sides exchanged thoughts on implementing the ambitious bilateral agenda, on the implementation process of agreements reached at a high level. In this context, the importance of the implementation of current and planned joint projects between the two countries in the trade, economic, energy and transport sectors was particularly emphasized.

As a continuation of the discussion held on the same day at the level of foreign ministers, the focus of attention of Ararat Mirzoyan and Ebrahim Raisi was also the issues related to regional security. Minister Mirzoyan presented to the President of Iran the latest developments in the process of normalization of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations, as well as reaffirmed the vision of the Armenian side regarding the establishment of lasting peace in the South Caucasus. The need to exclude problem solving through the use of force or the threat of force, and maximalist and hostile rhetoric was emphasized.

Referring to the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno Karabakh as a result of the illegal blocking of the Lachin Corridor, Ararat Mirzoyan stressed the imperative to immediately remove the blockade and prevent the ethnic cleansing of the Nagorno Karabakh population by Azerbaijan.

Nagorno Karabakh President to address the nation

Ara Felekian

 13:04,

YEREVAN, JULY 17, ARMENPRESS. President of Nagorno Karabakh Arayik Harutyunyan will address the nation on Monday.

In a statement posted on social media on July 17, the Nagorno Karabakh President said he’d speak about the ‘grave situation and upcoming actions’ amid the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation caused by the Azerbaijani blockade.

The address is expected to be televised at 22:00.

Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno Karabakh with Armenia and the rest of the world, has been blocked by Azerbaijan since late 2022. The Azerbaijani blockade constitutes a gross violation of the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh ceasefire agreement, which established that the 5km-wide Lachin Corridor shall be under the control of Russian peacekeepers. Furthermore, on February 22, 2023 the United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – ordered Azerbaijan to “take all steps at its disposal” to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.  Azerbaijan has been ignoring the order ever since. Moreover, Azerbaijan then illegally installed a checkpoint on Lachin Corridor. The blockade has led to shortages of essential products such as food and medication. Azerbaijan has also cut off gas and power supply into Nagorno Karabakh, with officials warning that Baku seeks to commit ethnic cleansing against Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh. Hospitals have suspended normal operations and the Red Cross has been facilitating the medical evacuations of patients.

AW: The Armenians of Whitinsville receives substantial grant from Mass Humanities

Ara Felekian
 Guest Contributor Community News, Diaspora 0

WHITINSVILLE, Mass.—The Armenians of Whitinsville project is one of 35 humanities and arts organizations in Massachusetts to be awarded a grant from the Mass Humanities Council. The $1.2 million awarded in total to these 35 organizations represents the single largest grant line in the history of Mass Humanities. Awards ranged from $16,000 to $40,000 for organizations with budgets of $500K or less; the Armenians of Whitinsville project received $40,000. The grants were funded to Mass Humanities from the Mass Cultural Council and are part of Massachusetts’ multi-billion dollar pandemic recovery spending plan.

The Armenians of Whitinsville project was founded during the pandemic and is dedicated to celebrating this early Armenian American community’s post-genocide survival after more than a century. Central to the project’s vision is a website, which serves as a modern Houshamadyan of Armenian American life over the generations in a diaspora community founded at the end of the 19th century. Collections on the website capture the families, work, church and school memories that shaped the lives of many generations, with photographs, memory objects, recordings, documents and recipes. Sharing these collections illustrates how Armenians became an integral part of this Massachusetts community, helping it to learn and grow with a spirit of service to others. Putting the website and its contents together has been a grassroots effort run by volunteers. The Armenians of Whitinsville project is looking forward to using the grant’s funding to contract the consulting help needed to strengthen the website’s infrastructure and expand the project’s visibility through social media and events.  

Research conducted by the project team has already surfaced some discoveries of historical significance, including a letter written by a missionary in Marash to a member of the town’s founding family detailing her eyewitness testimony of the massacres there in the 1890s. At the time when Arthur Fletcher Whitin received this letter from Clara Hamlin Lee in 1896, there were already approximately 100 Armenian men working at his textile machinery factory, and the earliest of the Armenian families were settling in town.  

Volunteers for the project are working with families to help them put together their family histories and collections. This has included translating and subtitling recordings done in the 1970s and 1980s to broaden the reach of these Genocide survivors’ life experiences to viewers unfamiliar with their native Western Armenian dialect. The project’s founders believe that other concentrated ethnic communities, especially those who emigrated because of trauma, will learn from this project the importance of preserving their histories for generations to come.  

Additionally, the Armenians of Whitinsville project is currently completing its work on a 2022 Expanding Massachusetts Stories grant from Mass Humanities to conduct new oral history recordings among Armenians with Whitinsville roots. That work, which complements the historical recordings the project has translated and posted, has been done with guidance from the University of Southern California Institute for Armenian Studies.  

Anyone with an interest in the Armenian diaspora or in post-genocide survival can learn by exploring the collections on the website. The project invites anyone with Armenian ancestors who can trace their American journey to Whitinsville to reach out to the team about building their own collection at [email protected].




Glendale Community Encouraged to Participate in Council District Formation Process

Ara Felekian
by Contributor

 

 July 10, 2023

 

in Community, Latest, News, Top Stories

GLENDALE—The City of Glendale has passed a resolution of intent to change from citywide elections to district elections to elect its City Councilmembers, and the City is encouraging the community’s participation to consider this potential change.

City of Glendale community workshops ahead of city council elections flyer

Currently, all registered voters in Glendale have the ability to vote for all City Councilmembers in citywide elections. The City is considering a plan for six separate council districts and a directly elected Mayor. The proposed change to district-based elections will be put before voters on the March 2024 ballot. If this plan is approved by the voters, this would take effect beginning with Council elections starting in 2026. Voters would have the opportunity to elect one City Councilmember who lives in and is elected by voters in their district and all Glendale voters would also vote to select their next Mayor.

As part of the process of pursuing district-based elections, Glendale residents have the opportunity to share their input on where the district lines should be drawn. The City is offering paper and digital mapping tools that include demographic breakdowns based on census data. This allows residents to gain insights about Glendale and draw their own district maps for consideration. The following tools are now available on the City’s districting website:

  • Paper maps with population counts that can be printed, drawn on, and submitted to the City via email at [email protected]. Maps can also be dropped off at or mailed to 613 E. Broadway, Glendale, CA 91206.
  • An online application called Dave’s Redistricting App (DRA), which enables residents to create, view, analyze, and share district maps with other community members.
  • An interactive review map, similar to Google Maps, where residents can explore population numbers and other statistics, as well as view and analyze draft maps once they are available.

Members of the public can access and provide detailed feedback at their convenience. Community members can submit as many maps as they would like throughout the district formation process. All maps compliant with districting criteria will be processed by the City’s professional demographer, posted to the Draft Maps page, and presented to City Council at a public hearing. 

Community members can also get involved in the process by submitting their communities of interest through the City’s districting website. The list of neighborhoods and communities of interest submitted by the public will be heavily considered in creating proposed voting districts.

Residents are encouraged to attend workshops and pop-up events to learn more about the process and share their input. Upcoming workshop dates are as follows:

  • July 11 at 6 p.m. – City Council will hold its second public hearing during the regularly scheduled City Council meeting.
  • July 15 at 5:30 p.m. – Cruise Night Pop-Up on Brand Blvd.
  • July 22 at 10 a.m. – Community workshop at Griffith Manor Park, 1551 Flower St.
  • July 22 at 2 p.m. – Community workshop at Maple Park, 802 E Maple St.

For additional event details and meeting materials, please visit the website.

To view the social media toolkit, please visit this link. 

Glendale, known as the “Jewel City,” is one of the largest cities in Los Angeles County. With a population of about 200,000, Glendale is a thriving cosmopolitan city that is rich in history, culturally diverse, and offers limitless opportunities. It is the home to a vibrant business community, with major companies in healthcare, entertainment, manufacturing, retail, and banking.

Sign up for their monthly newsletter Glendale City Connection to stay informed on news and events in Glendale. Follow MyGlendale on social media for all Glendale updates.


Armenia condemns Karabakh ‘blockade’ ahead of peace talks

Ara Felekian
Al Arabiya, UAE

AFP – Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Thursday urged international unity against Azerbaijan’s “illegal blockade” of the Armenian-populated region of Nagorno-Karabakh, and announced fresh EU-mediated peace talks with Baku.

Azerbaijan said this week it was temporarily shutting the only road linking its breakaway region to Armenia, accusing the Armenian branch of the Red Cross of smuggling.

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The move sparked concerns over a humanitarian crisis in the restive enclave, which is experiencing food shortages and where locals lack access to health services, according to separatist authorities.

Pashinyan on Thursday denounced what he said was an “illegal blockade” of Karabakh, saying it contradicts a ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The UN’s top judicial body ordered Azerbaijan in February to ensure free movement along the Lachin Corridor, Karabakh’s sole land link with Armenia.

“As far as the illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor and the deepening humanitarian crisis are concerned, the binding ruling of the ICJ creates a possibility for a greater international consolidation to prevent Azerbaijan’s policy of ethnic cleansing in Karabakh,” Pashinyan said.

Speaking at a cabinet meeting, he also announced the next round of peace talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev would be held on Saturday in Brussels under the mediation of European Council President Charles Michel.

“I confirmed my participation in the meeting, and I hope we will achieve progress in our talks on a peace treaty.”

The two former Soviet republics have fought two wars for control of Karabakh, in the 1990s and again in 2020.

Six weeks of fighting in autumn 2020 ended with a Russian-sponsored ceasefire agreement that saw Armenia cede swathes of territories it had controlled for decades.

Under the deal, the five-kilometer-wide Lachin Corridor was to be manned by Russian peacekeepers to ensure free passage between Armenia and Karabakh.

Pashinyan has complained about “problems” with Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh.

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2023/07/13/Armenia-condemns-Karabakh-blockade-ahead-of-peace-talks

Azerbaijan accuses Red Cross of smuggling, shuts road to Karabakh

Ara Felekian
Qatar –

Azerbaijan says the passage through Lachin checkpoint is temporarily closed due to a probe into smuggling by the Red Cross.

Azerbaijan has temporarily shut the only road linking its breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region with Armenia, accusing the Armenian branch of the Red Cross of smuggling.

The Armenian-populated region has been at the centre of a decades-long territorial dispute between the Caucasus arch-foes, which have fought several wars over the mountainous territory.

“The passage through Lachin checkpoint of the state border is temporarily suspended” pending an investigation into the Red Cross using its medical vehicles for “smuggling”, Azerbaijan’s state border service said on Tuesday.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement that it “is aware of concerns raised about the transport of unauthorised goods across the Lachin Corridor and does not support any such activity”.

“No unauthorized material has been found in any vehicle belonging to ICRC. All cargo is subject to customs checks by the Republic of Azerbaijan,” it added.

“However, we regret that without our knowledge four hired drivers tried to transport some commercial goods in their own vehicles which were temporarily displaying the ICRC emblem. These individuals were not ICRC staff members and their service contracts were immediately terminated by the ICRC.”

Azerbaijan in April set up the border point at the entrance to the Lachin corridor, exacerbating allegations from Armenia of a Karabakh “blockade”.

The Armenian branch of the Red Cross said in late June that Azerbaijan was blocking access to Karabakh, as concern grew over the humanitarian situation in the restive region.

Azerbaijan’s state border service said several days later that traffic through the Lachin corridor – policed by Russian peacekeepers – resumed on June 26.

The latest developments followed a months-long blockade by Azerbaijani environmental activists, which Yerevan claims spurred a humanitarian crisis, and food and fuel shortages.

Azerbaijan insisted at the time that civilian transport could go unimpeded through the Lachin corridor.

In February, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – the UN’s top judicial body – ordered Azerbaijan to ensure free movement on the road.

The two former Soviet republics have fought two wars for control of Karabakh, in the 1990s and again in 2020.

Six weeks of fighting ended on November 9, 2020 with a Russian-sponsored ceasefire that saw Armenia cede swaths of territory it had controlled for decades.

There have been frequent clashes at the two countries’ shared border despite continuing peace talks between Baku and Yerevan under mediation from the European Union and United States.

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, ethnic Armenian separatists in Karabakh broke away from Azerbaijan. The ensuing conflict killed about 30,000 people.

SOURCE: AFP
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/7/11/azerbaijan-accuses-red-cross-of-smuggling-shuts-road-to-karabakh