Author: Aram Torosian

Amnesty calls for probe into civilian casualties on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Aram Torosian
New Europe
Jan 14 2021
 
 
 
 
 By Elena Pavlovska, Journalist
 
 
A handout photo made available by the Armenian Foreign Ministry claims to show debris after fighting in Stepanakert of Nagorno-Karabakh, 05 October 2020. Armed clashes erupted on 27 September 2020 in the simmering territorial conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh territory along the contact line of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (also known as Artsakh).
 
EPA-EFE/Areg Balayan
  
Rights group Amnesty International on Wednesday urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to immediately investigate the use of “inaccurate and indiscriminate weapons” in civilian areas during the recent fighting over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, saying such attacks violated international law.
 
Armenia and Azerbaijan, two former Soviet republics, have been involved in a territorial conflict since they gained independence in the 1990s. Nagorno-Karabakh, which is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan, but is historically an ethnic Armenian region, has been the focal point of the conflict between the two nations.
 
More than 2,000 people have died since the fighting broke out on September 27, including many civilians. The six weeks of fierce fighting ended on November 10 with a Moscow-brokered ceasefire, under which Azerbaijan reclaimed much of the region along with surrounding areas. The peace deal prompted mass protests in Armenia.
 
Amnesty said it had analyzed “18 strikes by Armenian and Azerbaijan forces which unlawfully killed civilians”, and “visited dozens of strike sites” on both sides after the peace deal was signed.
 
Both sides have denied targeting civilians during the conflict “despite incontrovertible evidence that they have both done so,” using internationally banned cluster munitions and other explosive weapons “with wide area effects”, the watchdog said in a report on Wednesday.
 
According to the watchdog, Armenian forces used “inaccurate ballistic missiles, unguided multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS), and artillery,” while Azerbaijani forces “also used unguided artillery and MLRS”. Both sides also used cluster munitions, which are banned under the international Convention on Cluster Munitions.
 
Human Rights Watch also said that both sides to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict had “committed violations of international humanitarian law that unlawfully harmed civilians”.
 

Is the Karabakh conflict resolved, or not resolved?

Aram Torosian
CommonSpace, EU

Jan 12 2021
 
 
 
 
Under the firm chairmanship of the Russian president Vladimir Putin, the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan met yesterday in Moscow for the first time since the war in Karabakh in the autumn.
 
Discussions focused on issues emerging from the 10 November declaration which stopped the fighting, and particularly on the clauses related to the restoration of transport links.
 
In comments to the media after their four hour meeting, both Aliyev and Pashinyan thanked Putin for the initiative to organize the trilateral meeting, as well as, in general, for efforts to resolve the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh and restore stability and security in the region. According to the President of Azerbaijan, the very fact of the negotiations suggests that the parties to the conflict are "set for a result", to "draw a line" under the events of September-November 2020.
 
According to Aliyev, the joint statement on the ceasefire is being carried out successfully, "the Russian peacekeeping mission is doing its job effectively, and for two months, with the exception of minor incidents, there were no serious reasons for concern." All this, according to the President of Azerbaijan, instills confidence that "the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is in the past" and we need to think about the future, "about how to live together in the neighborhood."
 
In turn, Pashinyan believes that "this conflict has not yet been resolved." "We have managed to secure the ceasefire, but there are still a lot of issues that must be resolved," he said, naming the status of Nagorno-Karabakh as one of such topics. Among the most painful, Pashinyan also referred to humanitarian issues and the problem of exchange of prisoners of war, noting that this point of the November joint statement of the leaders "is not fully implemented." The Prime Minister of Armenia, however, expressed the hope that the parties "will be able to come to a concrete decision in the shortest possible time."
 
 
So it seems that there is no agreement as to whether the conflict is resolved or not. Azerbaijan is willing to accept the status quo de facto, although it still claims those parts of Karabakh still under the control of Armenians. For the Armenians the status of Karabakh remains an important issue since they hope that they can salvage something after their military defeat, through political negotiations in the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group.
 
Everyone is excited about the prospect of opening up the transport corridors – something which can be  extremely important for the future of the region. But there is a danger some of those involved may get ahead of themselves. Two months after the end of hostilities issues related to prisoners and missing persons remain unresolved. There are also many details to be worked, all of which can easily escalate into a crisis. The meeting in Moscow was a positive step, and once more showed Russia's commitment to seeing this process through, but regardless if it is a conflict or note, Karabakh will remain a contentious issue for many years to come.
 
source: commonspace.eu with additional reporting from TASS (Moscow) and agencies
 
 photo: The leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia at the press briefing after their four hour meeting in the Kremlin on . (picture courtesy of the press service of the president of Russia).

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 01/09/2021

Aram Torosian 
                                        Saturday, 

Armenian, Azeri Security Chiefs Meet Again


Russia -- Alexander Bortnikov, the head of Russia's Federal Security Service, 
hosts a meeting of his Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts, Moscow, December 
28, 2020.

The heads of Armenia’s and Azerbaijan’s main security services met again on 
Saturday to discuss the implementation of the Russian-brokered agreement to stop 
the war in Nagorno-Karabakh.

In a short statement, Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS) said the meeting 
took place in no-man’s-land at a section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border 
about 70 kilometers south of Yerevan.

The statement said NSS Director Armen Abazian and the chief of Azerbaijan’s 
State Security Service, Ali Nagiyev, discussed “the exchange of prisoners and 
the search for missing persons.” “Contacts on these topics are continuing,” it 
added without elaborating.

Abazian and Nagiyev already discussed these issues late last month at a meeting 
in Moscow hosted by Alexander Bortnikov, the head of Russia’s Federal Security 
Service. The NSS said afterwards that they reached unspecified “understandings.”

The ceasefire deal brokered by Russian President Vladimir Putin on November 9 
calls for the exchange of all prisoners of war (POWs) and civilians held by the 
conflicting sides. So far 54 Armenians have been freed and returned home. Dozens 
of others remain in Azerbaijani captivity.

They include 62 Armenian soldiers who were taken prisoner in early December when 
Azerbaijani forces seized the last two Armenian-controlled villages in 
Karabakh’s Hadrut district occupied by them during the six-week war.

In a letter to United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres publicized 
earlier this week, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov branded the 
soldiers as “saboteurs” and indicated the Azerbaijani authorities’ intention to 
prosecute them on relevant charges.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry on Saturday condemned Baku’s plans as a gross 
violation of international law and the Karabakh truce agreement. It accused the 
Azerbaijani side of “using Armenian prisoners of war as hostages to advance its 
political agenda.”


Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2021 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

On Armenian Christmas Day I remember Armenians of Artsakh, the victims of 2nd genocide- Valérie Boyer

Aram Torosian

Save

Share

 15:46, 6 January, 2021

YEREVAN, JANUARY 6, ARMENPRESS. Member of the French National Assembly Valérie Boyer made a note on her Facebook page on the occasion of the Feast of Holy Nativity (Christmas celebrated in Armenia), noting that on this day she recalls the Armenians of Artsakh who fell victim to the new genocide.

''On this day of the Armenian Christmas I recall the Armenians of Artsakh, the victims of the new genocide. I am pondering about Father Hovhannes Hovhannisyan and Dadivank. I am thinking about that heritage. I am thinking about the massacres of Christians. Let's not forget it, condemn and struggle'', she wrote.

Asbarez: Portantino to Host Small Business Relief Webinar Tuesday

Aram Torosian

January 4,  2020



Sen. Anthony Portantino Volunteers with the Glendale Youth Center’s COVID-19 Task Force

State Senator Anthony Portantino and representatives from the Governor’s Office of Business Development will host an important town hall regarding the California Small Business Covid-19 Relief Grant Program. The program was launched before Christmas and is a $500 million small business relief effort.

To answer questions from small business owners, Portantino will host two zoom webinars, one in English and the other in Armenian, on Tuesday January 5 ahead of the January 8 grant submission deadline.

Representatives from the Governor’s office of Business Development will be on hand to field the questions. Many of the Chambers of Commerce in the Senator’s 25th Senate District will also be participating in this important informative program.

Topics of discussion will be: The Grant Program Eligibility Requirements, What the funding can be used for, The Application Required Documents & Who to Contact for Assistance

The two zoom meetings will be on Tuesday January 5th at 10 a.m in English Passcode: 326122 and at 3 p.m. in Armenian Passcode: 013204

Both Webinars can also be viewed on Senator Portantino’s website if more convenient.

Please submit questions as quickly as possible via [email protected]

Click to access the grant application. 

“This is too important of a grant program to not offer small business owners in my district an overview of the program and to have their questions answered. Small businesses are vital to our economic success and far too many are suffering during this pandemic. I’m pleased that California is o [ends]

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 01/01/2021

Aram Torosian 
                                        Friday, 

Russia Allocates $12 Million For Karabakh Refugees


ARMENIA -- Children refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh hug each other in Dilijan, 
some 120 kilometers from Yerevan, October 8, 2020

Russia has allocated 10 million euros ($12.2 million) in financial assistance to 
thousands of ethnic Armenian residents of Nagorno-Karabakh who fled to Armenia 
during the recent war.

The office of Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigorian reported this week that the 
sum will co-finance the Armenian government’s ongoing aid programs for the 
refugees remaining in Armenia nearly two months after Moscow brokered an 
Armenian-Azerbaijani agreement to stop the war.

The government has helped the refugees both during and after the six-week 
hostilities that displaced the majority of Karabakh’s population. According to 
Grigorian’s office, the government has spent about 15 billion drams ($29 
million) for that purpose since November 16.

The aid has included compensations of between 250,000 and 300,000 drams 
($480-580) paid to those Karabakh families whose homes were destroyed by 
shelling or who lived in areas occupied by Azerbaijani forces. On December 17, 
the government also decided to create temporary jobs for refugees, finance paid 
internships for them and pay monthly benefits to families in Armenia hosting 
them.


ARMENIA -- Refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh stay at a hotel in the Armenian border 
city of Goris, October 5, 2020

According to Karabakh officials, at least 90,000 civilians making up around 60 
percent of Karabakh’s population fled their homes during the war that broke out 
on September 27. Most of them took refuge in Armenia. At least 47,000 Karabakh 
Armenians have reportedly returned home since the November 10 truce.

Later in November, the Russian government opened in Stepanakert a “center for 
humanitarian reaction.” The center coordinates ongoing Russian-led demining 
operations in Karabakh and is also tasked with helping to rebuild homes and 
public infrastructure destroyed or seriously damaged during the hostilities.

Russia’s Ministry of Civil Defense and Emergencies says that it has sent more 
than 1,500 tons of construction materials, household appliances and other relief 
supplies to Karabakh so far.



Armenian PM Prioritizes Closer Ties With Russia


Armenia -- President Armen Sarkissian (second from right) visits a 
Russian-Armenian border guard post on Armenia's border with Turkey, July 4, 2020.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has announced plans to further deepen Armenia’s 
relations with Russia, saying that his country needs “new security guarantees” 
after the recent war in Nagorno-Karabakh.
“The very first minutes of 2021 should be the ‘zero point’ for us to usher in 
the outset of our new national rise,” Pashinian said in a televised address to 
the nation aired on New Year’s Eve.

“What do we need for this? First of all, to furnish a new security environment, 
the most important component of which is the launch of army reforms and the 
strengthening of relations with our primary security partner, Russia, and the 
creation, in this context, of new security guarantees,” he said.

Armenia already has close political, economic and military ties with Russia. It 
hosts a Russian military base and has long received Russian weapons at knockdown 
prices and even for free.

Moscow also deployed 2,000 peacekeeping troops to Karabakh as part of a 
Russian-brokered agreement that stopped the Armenian-Azerbaijani war on November 
10. In addition, it dispatched Russian soldiers and border guards to Armenia’s 
Syunik region southwest of Karabakh to help the Armenian military defend it 
against possible Azerbaijani attacks.


Armenia -- Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian (R) and Russian President 
Vladimir Putin meet in Yerevan, October 1, 2019.

Pashinian again praised the Russian peacekeepers, saying that their presence 
provides “substantial security guarantees” for Karabakh’s ethnic Armenian 
population.

The vast majority of Armenian opposition forces, including the formerly 
pro-Western Bright Armenia Party (LHK), also support closer ties with Russia, 
saying that is the only realistic way to counter Azerbaijan’s military alliance 
with Turkey.

LHK leader Edmon Marukian called last week for the opening of a second Russian 
military base in Armenia. Marukian said the base should be stationed in Syunik.

Former President Robert Kocharian likewise made a case on December 4 for 
Armenia’s “much deeper integration” with Russia. Kocharian, who has a cordial 
rapport with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said that only Russia can help 
his country rearm its armed forces and confront new security challenges in the 
aftermath of the Karabakh war.

“I am convinced that the further development of multifaceted Russian-Armenian 
ties meets the fundamental interests of our two brotherly peoples,” Putin said 
in a New Year and Christmas message to Pashinian sent earlier this week.

He said that in the course of 2020 Moscow and Yerevan “became fully convinced of 
the significance of friendly, allied relations between our countries.”


Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2021 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

Erdogan gives ‘advice’ to Armenian forces in Karabakh

Aram Torosian
AMN – Al-Masdar News
Dec 31 2020
by News Desk

BEIRUT, LEBANON (5:30 P.M.) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned the Armenian forces in the disputed Karabakh region of any violations of the ceasefire between them and Azerbaijan.

In a letter addressed by phone to the Turkish military personnel present in Azerbaijan within the framework of the Joint Turkish-Russian Center for Truce Supervision in Karabakh, Erdogan said:

“I advise the Armenian forces to quickly back off the mistake of engaging in activities that violate the ceasefire.”

                            

The Turkish president expressed his pride in the presence of the Turkish military in Azerbaijan, describing it as an indication of the level of relations between the two countries.

Erdogan expressed Turkey’s hope that the joint center with Russia would start working soon, stressing that Ankara continues to support Baku at all levels.

He continued: “The Turkish military performs all the tasks assigned to them in many countries of the world: from Somalia to Kosovo, from Afghanistan to Qatar, and from Syria to Libya, and I would like to wish success to our military who contribute to peace and stability in the world.”

Turkey provided intensive support to Azerbaijan during the last round of the conflict in Karabakh, which ended on the 10th of November with the signing of Baku, Yerevan and Moscow a tripartite declaration on a ceasefire requiring the Armenian side to make concrete earth concessions and the deployment of Russian peacekeepers in the conflict zone.

Qazvin: a city with fascinating churches, Armenian neighborhoods

Aram Torosian
Tehran Times, Iran
Dec 31 2020
By Afshin Majlesi

– 0:48

Besides serving as places of worship and religious services, churches are visited for their splendor and architectural beauty, their majesty and magnificence.

A Muslim-majority country, Iran is home to many gorgeous churches and chapels that showcase amazing architecture and exquisite ornate work that are a simply must visit.

Like other Iranian cities, Qazvin is standing in the way of peaceful coexistence between Muslim, Jewish, Christian, and Zoroastrian communities, a social phenomenon that can be traced in various documents narrated by many travelers to the country.

Earlier this month, the pilgrimage to the St. Thaddeus apostle monastery was recognized by UNESCO for its cultural significance. The United Nations’ heritage body accepted the pilgrimage as a joint tradition worthy of protection for Iran and Armenia, which many deem as a seal of approval for the peaceful coexistence in the Islamic Republic.

Armenian neighborhoods of Qazvin can be traced even in books and travelogues authored by Western globetrotters such as Jean Chardin (1643 – 1713), Jean-Baptiste Tavernier (1605–1689), and Pietro della Valle (1586 – 1652), according to a recent note written by Ali-Asghar Mounesan, the minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts.  

Chardin was a French jeweler and traveler whose ten-volume book The Travels of Sir John Chardin is regarded as one of the finest works of early Western scholarship on Persia and the Near East in general. Tavernier was a 17th-century French gem merchant and traveler, who at the behest of his patron Louis XIV, published Les Six Voyages de Jean-Baptiste Tavernier (Six Voyages, 1676). And Valle was an Italian composer, musicologist, and author who traveled throughout Asia during the Renaissance period. His travels took him to the Holy Land, the Middle East, Northern Africa, and as far as India.

Armenian neighborhoods of the west-central city mainly date from the time of Shah Abbas I, who transported crowds of Christians from the town of Jolfa (now on Iran’s northern border) to Iran. Shah Abbas sought their skills as merchants, entrepreneurs, and artists and he ensured that their religious freedom was respected.

Of the most famed churches in Qazvin is Cantor (or Kantur) Church, which was built in 1905 for Russian engineers hired for road constructions.

Qazvin was once the capital of the mighty Persian Empire, under Safavids, from 1548 to 98. It is a major tourist destination with a wonderfully restored caravanserai-turned-arts precinct, some quirky museums, and a handful of decent eating options. For most travelers, Qazvin is also primarily the staging point for excursions to the famous Castles of the Assassins and trekking in the sensational Alamut Valley.

The city is also home to one of the biggest roofed caravanserais of the country, Sa’d-al Saltaneh caravanserai. Dating back to the Qajar era, it’s a place for discovering tens of Hojreh or shops, cafes, yards, and a stunning mosque. It’s a place for visitors who want to experience the culture, culinary, and hospitality of Iran.

AFM/

Armenian, Russian FMs discuss bilateral and international agenda

Aram Torosian

Save

Share

 19:26,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 30, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Ara Ayvazian discussed with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov a number of bilateral and international issues, ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Russian MFA.

The sides emphasized with satisfaction the high intensity of allied partnership in the passing year and confirmed the mutual readiness to continue in the same spirit in 2021.

​Armenia sports world representatives demand Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation

Aram Torosian
News.am, Armenia
Dec 21 2020
 
 
Armenia sports world representatives demand Nikol Pashinyan's resignation
Representatives of the sports world in Armenia have issued the following statement demanding the immediate resignation of the person occupying the seat of Prime Minister:
 
“The road to perdition of the Armenian nation continues. In a short period of time, the trust of the people in the Armenian authorities has turned into infinite hatred. The treacherous authorities are now visiting the sacred Yerablur Military Pantheon with armored shields and security umbrellas. Under the veil of display of force, the deficient and treacherous Prime Minister continues his treacherous acts and is destroying the homeland. The existence of our nation and our country’s sovereignty is at risk.
 
We can no longer silently follow this devastating situation and join the citizens assessing the situation in the Republic of Armenia with sobriety. The key objective is to stop the decline of the country and get involved in maintaining the sovereignty and protecting the borders of the country. Any defeat can become the start of new victories, but not under the leadership of a traitor who signed an embarrassing capitulation. We demand the immediate resignation of the person occupying the seat of Prime Minister. The traitor can’t continue to be the owner of the fate of our nation and state.”