Author: Christine Harutyunian

No compromise possible with Nikol Pashinyan – Vazgen Manukyan

Christine Harutyunian
Panorama, Armenia

"In certain issues people can come to a compromise but what compromise is possible with a person who led the country to a disgraceful defeat and disrupted everything?" the opposition candidate for the post of Armenia's prime minister Vazgen Manukyan has told Tert.am news portal. 

"There can be no compromise with Pashinyan. He either leaves or not. i can see no other solution," Manukyan said. 

As to  snap parliamentary elections, the opposition leader stressed that holding elections at present is an absurd. He insisted that elections organised by Pashinyan will legitimize 'all disgraceful defeats' Pashinyan recorded. 

"You see that Armenia is gradually turning into a police state. We were surprised to learn that all criminal cases are initiated through an employee of the Office of the prime minister. In this case what is the guarantee that elections will express the will of people?" said Manukyan, adding if tensions may rise let them happen and solve the issue. The only escalation for him remain the developments around Syunik. 

"Aliyev sees that Nikol can be removed tomorrow and wants to get whatever possible while Nikol is still in power. Internal tensions are initiated by those serving the enemy's interests, the traitors of the motherland from one side and those devoted to the country. The there is a place for escalation let it happen," said Manukyan. 

He once again stressed that there is no country in the world with a leader not willing to leave after the disaster brought to the country and even further escalating the situation with staying in power. "This is a war  for the future of Armenia," Manukyan said. 

Armenian opposition supporters surround government buildings

Christine Harutyunian
The Independent, UK

Hundreds of opposition supporters jave surrounded government buildings in Armenia’s capital to push for the resignation of the country’s prime minister

Via AP news wire

Hundreds of opposition supporters surrounded government buildings in Armenia's capital on Saturday to push for the resignation of the country’s prime minister.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has faced demands to step down since Armenia suffered a humiliating defeat last year in an armed conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh a territory within Azerbaijan that Armenia-backed separatists controlled for more than 25 years.

Demonstrators shouting “Nikol you traitor!” and “Nikol go away!” surrounded the Foreign Ministry s headquarters where Pashinyan had a meeting on Saturday. Later in the day, they ringed the residence of the country's mostly ceremonial president, Armen Sarkissian when Pashinyan went there for talks on ending the political crisis.

Some of the demonstrators engaged in brief scuffles with police.

Pashinyan has defended a November peace deal that ended the six weeks of fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh as the only way to prevent Azerbaijan from overrunning the entire region.

Tensions spiked last month when the military’s General Staff demanded Pashinyan’s resignation. The prime minister responded by firing the country's highest military officer, who appealed his dismissal in court.

Pashinyan has offered to hold an early parliamentary election later this year but staunchly rejected the opposition’s demand for him to step down before the vote. The 45-year-old former journalist has retained significant public backing despite the defeat in Nagorno-Karabakh, with thousands rallying in his support to counter the opposition-led pressure for his resignation.

President Sarkissian sought to play mediator by offering to host a meeting between Pashinyan and his political foes, but he had to call it off after the opposition said it would only accept a meeting to discuss the prime minister's resignation.

More than 6,000 people were killed in the fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh, which lies within Azerbaijan but was under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since a separatist war there ended in 1994.

The Russia-brokered peace deal let Azerbaijan reclaim control over large parts of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas.

____

Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report.

 

CivilNet: New Polls Highlights Armenians’ Declining Trust in Public Institutions

Christine Harutyunian
CIVILNET.AM

12 Mar, 2021 10:03

New Polls Highlights Armenians’ Declining Trust in Public Institutions

By Mark Dovich

Armenians are increasingly distrustful of key public institutions, results from a newly-published public opinion survey show. The poll was conducted last month by the Center for Insights in Survey Research at the International Republican Institute (IRI), a Washington-based “international democracy-development organization.”

According to the survey, the majority of Armenians have a “very” or “somewhat” favorable opinion about only six institutions: the army (73%), the police (63%), the Human Rights Defender’s Office (60%), local authorities (56%), the prime minister’s office (54%), and the Armenian Apostolic Church (52%).

At the same time, the majority of respondents reported holding a “very” or “somewhat” unfavorable opinion about seven institutions: political parties (73%), the National Assembly (64%), the president’s office (60%), courts (57%), the Constitutional Court (55%), the cabinet of ministers (53%), and the prosecutor’s office (53%).

These statistics suggest that trust in public institutions has fallen considerably in recent years. For instance, in a September-October 2019 IRI poll, only four institutions received a “very” or “somewhat” unfavorable rating from the majority of respondents: the courts (57%), the prosecutor’s office (55%), political parties (52%), and the Constitutional Court (51%). Notably, public distrust in political parties has surged by a whopping 21 percentage points between the two surveys.

Conversely, in the 2019 survey, there were nine institutions that garnered “very” or “somewhat” favorable opinions from the majority of the public, as compared to only six in 2021. Five of the six were rated trustworthy by the majority of Armenians in both polls; only the police did not receive “very” or “somewhat” favorable opinions from the majority of respondents in 2019, but did in 2021.

In addition to the six institutions listed in the 2021 survey, the majority of Armenians in 2019 also reported favorable views about the president’s office (82%), the cabinet of ministers (63%), and the National Assembly (63%). Intriguingly, all three of those institutions are now distrusted by the majority of the country.

Moreover, public trust in four of the five institutions that the majority of Armenians reported trusting declined between the two surveys. In that period, trust in both the prime minister’s office and the Armenian Apostolic Church declined by a massive 22 percentage points, while trust in the army dropped by 18 points and trust in the Human Rights Defender’s Office fell by 3 points. Only the local authorities improved their position, from 55% in 2019 to 56% in 2021.

Data from the Caucasus Barometer also support the view that trust in public institutions is largely on the decline in Armenia. The barometer is an annual household survey organized by the Caucasus Research Resource Centers, a prominent think tank network in the South Caucasus. The most recent survey was conducted in Armenia in February-March 2020, roughly four months after the 2019 IRI poll, but about a year before the 2021 IRI survey.

Case in point: In the 2020 Caucasus Barometer poll, 88% of respondents reported “fully” or “rather” trusting the army. This figure lies between 2019’s 91% and 2021’s 73%. Likewise, 80% of respondents in the Caucasus Barometer survey reported “fully” or “rather” trusting the religious institution to which they belong — relatively close to 2019’s 74% level of trust in the Armenian Apostolic Church, but much higher than 52%, the 2021 statistic. (The vast majority of Armenians identify as belonging to the Armenian Apostolic Church.)
The apparent decline in Armenians’ trust in public institutions comes as the country grapples with an explosive political crisis following ethnic Armenian forces’ disastrous losses in the September-November war in and around Nagorno-Karabakh. Talk is swirling of snap elections, though meetings about early polls between the ruling My Step alliance, on the one hand, and the two opposition parties represented in the National Assembly, on the other, have so far yielded few concrete results.

Asbarez: Armenian Caucus Leaders to Introduce Bill Calling for Azerbaijan to Release POWs

Christine Harutyunian

March 5, 2021



Urge members of Congress to support resolution on release of Armenian POWs

ANCA issues nationwide call to action – anca.org/prisoners – in support of bipartisan measure

WASHINGTON—The Armenian National Committee of America on Friday welcomed new legislation to be introduced by Congressional Armenian Caucus leaders calling on Azerbaijan to immediately release more than 200 Armenian prisoners of war and captured civilians, illegally kept hostage over 100 days after the November 9 ceasefire statement between Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia.

This bipartisan U.S. House resolution, spearheaded by Representatives Adam Schiff (D-CA), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Jackie Speier (D-CA), David Valadao (R-CA), and Frank Pallone Jr.(D-NJ), cites findings that Azerbaijani military forces have mistreated ethnic Armenian prisoners of war and subjected them to “physical abuse and humiliation,” including beheadings, summary executions, and the desecration of human remains.

The measure specifically highlights “significant concern that female detainees in particular could be subject to sexual assaults and other mistreatment,” and asks the State Department to “to engage at all levels with Azerbaijani authorities including through the OSCE Minsk Group process to make clear the importance of adhering to their obligations under the November 9th statement & international law to immediately release all prisoners of war and captured civilians.”

“The ANCA welcomes this powerful Congressional call for strong and sustained American leadership in demanding Azerbaijan’s immediate release of more than 200 illegally held Armenian hostages,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Suren Hamparian. “We thank Congressman Schiff and his colleagues in the leadership of the Armenian Caucus – Representatives Pallone, Bilirakis, Speier, and Valadao – for advancing this bipartisan initiative.”

Armenian Caucus leaders circulated a letter to their U.S. House colleagues asking them to join as original cosponsors of the measure, set to be introduced in the next week.

The ANCA call to action – anca.org/prisoners – urges U.S. House Members to support passage of the resolution seeking the release of these hostages, while encouraging Senators to press for progress on this urgent humanitarian priority, and calling on President Biden to take immediate, decisive action to save these Armenia prisoners.

The text of the resolution, as shared with U.S. House Members, is provided below.

U.S. House Representatives Resolution

Expressing the Sense of the House of Representatives That Azerbaijan Immediately Release All Prisoners of War and Captured Civilians

Whereas on September 27 2020, Azerbaijan, with support from Turkey and foreign militia groups, launched a military assault on Nagorno Karabakh, also known as Artsakh, resulting in the deaths of thousands and displacing tens of thousands of ethnic Armenian residents;

Whereas on November 9 2020, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russia signed a tripartite statement to end the conflict;

Whereas in signing the November 9 statement, all parties agreed that the “exchange of prisoners of war, hostages and other detainees as well as the remains of the fatalities shall be carried out”;

Whereas the third Geneva Convention, of which Azerbaijan is a signatory, and international law require the release of Prisoners of War and captured civilians upon the cessation of hostilities and require that all detainees be treated humanely;

Whereas despite Azerbaijan’s obligations under the Geneva Conventions and their commitments in signing the November 9 statement, more than 100 days after the end of the conflict, the government of Azerbaijan continues to detain an estimated 200 Armenian prisoners of war, hostages, and detained persons, seeking to misrepresent their status to justify their continued captivity;

Whereas Human Rights Watch reported in December 2020 found that Azerbaijani military forces had mistreated ethnic Armenian prisoners of war and subjected them to “physical abuse and humiliation”;

Whereas Columbia University’s Institute for the Study of Human Rights issued a report on the conflict “documenting crimes against humanity and other atrocities committed by Azerbaijani armed forces and Turkish-backed Islamist fighters against Armenians,” including beheadings, summary executions, and the desecration of human remains;

Whereas there is limited reliable information about the condition or treatment of prisoners of war and captured civilians, and there is significant concern that female detainees in particular could be subject to sexual assaults and other mistreatment;

Whereas Azerbaijan’s continued detainment of prisoners of war and captured civilians calls into serious question their commitment to human rights and negotiating an equitable, lasting peace settlement;

Whereas Armenia has fulfilled its obligations under the November 9 statement and international law by returning Azerbaijani prisoners of war;

Whereas the United States, along with France and Russia, is a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk group which was created to seek a durable and peaceful solution to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

Therefore be it resolved, that the House of Representatives –

1. Calls upon Azerbaijan to immediately return all Armenian prisoners of war and captured civilians; and

2. Urges the State Department to engage at all levels with Azerbaijani authorities, including through the OSCE Minsk Group process, to make clear the importance of adhering to their obligations under the November 9 statement and international law to immediately release all prisoners of war and captured civilians.

CivilNet: A Reporter Documents Impact of Azerbaijan’s White Phosphorus Munitions in Karabakh

Christine Harutyunian
CIVILNET.AM

21:52

Warning: this video contains sensitive content.

Canadian freelance journalist Fin dePencier is traveling through hospitals in Armenia to document the impact of white phosphorus that was used on soldiers and civilians in the Second Karabakh War.

During the 44-day war, when the battles moved from the southern flatlands into the thick forests, Azerbaijani forces fired white phosphorus munitions throughout Karabakh. From October 29 to 31, the villages and towns were lit with white phosphorus, which, when in contact with flesh, kills the victims by burning the bone. The environmental damage to the area has yet to be assessed. 

According to Protocol III of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, the use of air-dropped incendiary weapons against military objectives within a concentration of civilians is prohibited and can be classified as a war crime.

President Sarkissian comments on ongoing developments, calls on to act within frames of Constitution

Christine Harutyunian

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 16:05, 25 February, 2021

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 25, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian has addressed a call over the ongoing situation in the county.

The statement of the President says:

“Dear compatriots,

Today, when we haven’t yet overcome the consequences of the war unleashed against Artsakh, when we have thousands of losses and wounded, when there are serious regional threats, we, unfortunately, are again in a critical situation which could lead to unpredictable consequences for out state and statehood and irreversible losses. There is martial law in the country. The external danger is real – the statement on the ceasefire is not a peace treaty. Armenia and Artsakh are facing multiple challenges.

I call on everyone – the state authorities, law enforcement agencies, political forces and all citizens to show restraint and common sense: any reckless speech or action increases the tension and further deepens the crisis, do not give in to provocations and refrain from calls for hatred and intolerance: our people cannot allow separation, any attempt of destabilizing the state and endangering the statehood must be denied, unconditionally act within the framework of the Constitution.

Once again reaffirming the role of the Presidential institute as a balancing structure, I am urgently initiating steps aimed at finding ways for mitigating the tension and peacefully solving the situation.

Taking the country to shocks will be a disrespect to the memory of our thousands of sons fallen during the war.

I call on all of you to be vigilant, sober and restrained”.

On February 25 the General Staff of the Armenian Forces of Armenia issued a statement, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his Cabinet.

In his turn Pashinyan commented on the statement, calling it as a “military coup attempt”. He invited all his supporters to the Republic Square to discuss the ongoing developments.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Number of people vaccinated against COVID-19 twice as high as global case count

Christine Harutyunian

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 15:09,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 26, ARMENPRESS. The number of people vaccinated against COVID-19 in the world is twice as high as the global case count, TASS news agency calculated based on the data provided by governments, experts and the media.

Currently, about 227 million people have been vaccinated (about 2.9% of the global population), while 113.1 million people have been diagnosed with COVID-19, according to TASS calculations.

About 75% of all those vaccinated are residents of eight states: the US, China, the UK, India, Turkey, Israel, Brazil and the UAE.

We sent 18-year-old soldiers to the front to defend us but failed to take care about them – Nairi Sahyan

Christine Harutyunian
Panorama, Armenia
Feb 24 2021

"The Armenian spirit is at risk, as the science and culture are being systematically destroyed, which is the result of the policy run by current leaders," expert in literature Abgar Apinyan stated at a discussion organised by Tovmasyan Foundation on Wednesday. The event brought together arts and culture representatives to discuss actual topics in the sector and the state policy on culture. 

Playwright Liana Antaranyan, present at the discussion, reminded there were honour and respect during the previous authorities. "Over the past three years we were humiliated. This disaster knocked on our doors three years ago when he shut down the ministry of culture," said Antaranyan, speaking of PM Pashinyan and the ruling force. She called on all colleagues to go to street and stand bu the people in their struggle to remove the authorities. "They have no right to live in our country as they caused whatever damage they could, the issue is about having a state or not, since we are facing the risk of losing the motherland. Go to the square!" said the playwright. 

Nairi Sahyan, the son of prominent Armenian poet Hamo Sahyan, in turn, spoke of the Armenian culture, comparing it to a wall, which has been built over centuries by input from generations. 

"What are we witnessing in culture today? The generations who actually built that wall are ignored. How I see the future of our culture? We should be a fertile soil to get the God's kindness." Sahyan noted , adding that people should be governed  by those who have compassion, love their motherland and are ready to sacrifice themselves for it. 

"We sent 18-year-old guys to the front to defend us but failed to care about them and are unable to defend them to date. We are constantly failing to do what we ought to do," stressed the poet.

100 U.S. Representatives call on Biden Administration to stand with Artsakh Republic and Armenia

Christine Harutyunian
Public Radio of Armenia
Feb 19 2021

One hundred Members of Congress – from more than twenty U.S. states – have called upon the Biden Administration to undertake concrete steps for Artsakh’s survival and Armenia’s security, in a bipartisan Armenian Caucus letter strongly supported by the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

“The strong Congressional participation in the Armenian Caucus letter to the Biden Administration reflects and also powerfully reinforces growing bipartisan support for Artsakh among legislators from across America,” said ANCA Government Affairs Director Tereza Yerimyan. “We look forward to working with the leadership of the Caucus and each of our legislative friends to translate these pro-Armenian, pro-peace policy priorities into action.”

The letter, addressed to the Secretaries of State and Defense, underscoring the severity of the regional crisis caused by six weeks of unrelenting Azerbaijani and Turkish aggression last fall, proposes urgent action on the following U.S. policy priorities:

— U.S. emergency assistance that provides the people of Artsakh with the ability to reconstruct their communities and rebuild their lives without fear of further bloodshed.

— U.S. re-engagement in the search for an enduring regional settlement – based on the fundamental right of self-determination – that protects the security of Artsakh and helps to ensure another war does not break out.

— U.S. recognition of the right to self-determination for the people of Artsakh and their role as a legitimate negotiating party in resolving this conflict.

— U.S. leadership in securing the immediate release of Armenian prisoners

— U.S. accountability, including sanctions against high-ranking Azerbaijani and Turkish leaders, the withholding of U.S. aid to Baku, and ending the waiver of Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act.

— U.S. support for Armenia’s economic development and assistance to Armenians displaced by Azerbaijani aggression

— U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide by President Biden

The Armenian Caucus letter was spearheaded by its leadership, Reps. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Jackie Speier (D-CA), David Valadao (R-CA), and Adam Schiff (D-CA). Joining them in co-signing this bipartisan appeal were Representatives Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), Jim Banks (R-IN), Nanette Barragan (D-CA), Karen Bass (D-CA), Don Beyer (D-VA), Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), Brendan Boyle (D-PA), Julia Brownley (D-CA), Ken Calvert (R-CA), Salud Carbajal (D-CA), Tony Cardenas (D-CA), Judy Chu (D-CA), David Cicilline (D-RI), Katherine Clark (D-MA), Jim Costa (D-CA), Jason Crow (D-CO), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Ted Deutch (D-FL), Mike Doyle (D-PA), Veronica Escobar (D-TX), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Dwight Evans (D-PA), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), John Garamendi (D-CA), Chuy Garcia (D-IL), Mike Garcia (R-CA), Jimmy Gomez (D-CA), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Glenn Grothman (R-WI), Josh Harder (D-CA), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Darrell Issa (R-CA), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Hank Johnson (D-GA), David Joyce (R-OH), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Dan Kildee (D-MI), Young Kim (R-CA), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), James Langevin (D-RI), Brenda Lawrence (D-MI), Susie Lee (D-NV), Andy Levin (D-MI), Mike Levin (D-CA), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Alan Lowenthal (D-CA), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY), Brian Mast (R-FL), Tom McClintock (R-CA), Betty McCollum (D-MN), James McGovern (D-MA), Grace Meng (D-NY), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Richard Neal (D-MA), Joe Neguse (D-CO), Donald Norcross (D-NJ), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Devin Nunes (R-CA), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Chris Pappas (D-NH), Kathleen Rice (D-NY), Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), John Rutherford (R-FL), Linda Sanchez (D-CA), John Sarbanes (D-MD), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), Janice Schakowsky (D-IL), Brad Schneider (D-IL), David Schweikert (R-AZ), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Albio Sires (D-NJ), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Christopher Smith (R-NJ), Michelle Steel (R-CA), Haley Stevens (D-MI), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Mike Thompson (D-CA), Dina Titus (D-NV), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Lori Trahan (D-MA), David Trone (D-MD), Juan Vargas (D-CA), Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), Maxine Waters (D-CA), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Susan Wild (D-PA).

The full text of the letter is provided below:

Dear Secretaries Blinken and Austin,

As bipartisan Members of Congress who are engaged in the US-Armenia relationship and interested in strengthening it, we write to offer our congratulations on your recent confirmations and to share a list of our bipartisan priorities we hope to work together on during the 117th Congress.

One of the most pressing issues for the Caucus and for the future of American foreign policy in the South Caucasus region is the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh). As you are aware, Azerbaijani and Turkish forces initiated an unprovoked attack on September 27, 2020, leading to six weeks of devastating fighting that killed an estimated 5,000 people and forced more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians to flee from the Karabakh region.

Azerbaijani forces were able to make rapid advances into the region with the aid of Turkish-backed foreign mercenaries, many alleged to have ties to internationally recognized terrorist groups, Bayraktar drones that utilize American components and technology, and heavy weaponry including the illegal use of cluster and white phosphorus munitions.

With the rising risk of a mass atrocity against thousands of Armenian civilians, Armenia agreed to a peace agreement brokered by Russia on November 10. This agreement brought an end to the fierce combat, but it has done little to address the immediate and significant problems of feeding, sheltering, and ensuring the safety of thousands of displaced families during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In violation of the ceasefire, Azerbaijan also refuses to free dozens of Armenian prisoners of war and apprehended civilians, which illustrates how this agreement fails to address the structural issues that have caused uncertainty and fueled the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict for decades. There remain several important issues that must be resolved and many critical questions that must be answered before a binding and durable peace settlement can be reached.

First, the terms laid out in the current ceasefire are untenable for Artsakh’s long-term security and stability in the region. The United States cannot allow Russia, Turkey, and Azerbaijan to solely dictate and dominate the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. While we have seen some reengagement in the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group process, we believe more must be done to pursue an enduring settlement based on the fundamental right to self-determination. We appreciate the response Secretary Blinken gave during his confirmation hearing to this end, stating that he will “reinvigorate U.S. engagement to find a permanent settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict that protects the security of Nagorno-Karabakh and helps to ensure another war does not break out.”

In negotiations, our diplomats must insist that any future settlement supported by the United States will provide the people of Artsakh with the ability to reconstruct their communities and rebuild their lives without fear of further bloodshed. This should include significant U.S. commitments to provide an urgently needed humanitarian aid and assistance package for the people of Artsakh. The international community, including the United States, also has an important role to play by finally recognizing the right to self-determination for the people of Artsakh and their role as a legitimate negotiating party in resolving this conflict. Absent this recognition, they will continue to face the threat of displacement by Azerbaijani and Turkish forces without any option for formal redress.

Another important component of ensuring lasting peace in the region is to hold destabilizing actors accountable. There is significant evidence that Azerbaijani and Turkish forces planned the invasion in the buildup to the September 27 assault on Nagorno-Karabakh. This evidence includes the stockpiling of armaments, including drones that killed many innocent civilians during the conflict, the July 2020 provocations by Azerbaijani troops in Armenia’s Tavush province, and several instances of large-scale joint military exercises near the Armenian border that foreshadowed the coming attacks. The United States and other international actors failed to acknowledge these warning signs and take necessary steps to prevent the sharp and unprovoked escalation of violence.

Actions that could have been taken at the time to halt Azerbaijani and Turkish aggressions included threatening sanctions on high-ranking officials from those countries and withholding aid, including ending the waiver of Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act and ceasing further military assistance through the Section 333 Building Partner Capacity program. We are encouraged by Secretary Blinken’s response during the confirmation process on this subject as well.

Similarly, the United States must reassess our policy toward Turkey. Turkish President Recep Erdogan’s regime reaps the rewards of the chaos he has sown in the Eastern Mediterranean, Libya, the Middle East, and the South Caucasus. His deliberate destabilizing behavior, which includes the installation of Russian made anti-aircraft missiles over the threat of sanction by the United States, demands a swift and decisive correction. We must learn from the failures of an appeasement policy used by past administrations toward Turkey and use every available diplomatic and economic tool to penalize these bad actors for their aggressions and abhorrent human rights abuses. If we do not act, we risk the likelihood that the Erdogan regime will trigger an ever-expanding zone of conflict.

Finally, the United States should seek to strengthen our strategic relationship with Armenia, a young democracy that has been shaken by last year’s events and the resulting uncertainty they have caused. We urge you to identify ways we can provide additional economic assistance to Armenia to support its democracy and development as well as respond to the significant number of displaced people who have fled the conflict in Artsakh.

We also request that your Administration identify ways in which our economic, cultural, and other ties to Armenia can be improved to benefit Armenia and the large Armenian American diaspora in the United States. Those steps should include the formal recognition of the Armenian Genocide by President Biden on April 24, following in the footsteps of both the House and Senate who passed resolutions recognizing the fact of the Genocide during the 116th Congress.

Thank you for attention to these important matters. We stand ready to work with you to craft a policy in the South Caucasus region that is consistent with U.S. national security, universal principles of human rights, and our democratic values. Our hope is to further discuss these issues with you and your teams at the earliest convenience.

Three months after Moscow-brokered Armenia & Azerbaijan truce, Nagorno-Karabakh proposes making Russian an official language

Christine Harutyunian
RT – Russia Today
Feb 17 2021
17 Feb, 2021 13:21
The president of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic has submitted a bill to elevate Russian to the status of an official language. Moscow has grown closer to the region since the Armenia-Azerbaijan war in 2020.

If passed, the legislation proposed by President Arayik Harutyunyan will enable government work to be conducted in Russian and will encourage all printed materials to be published in both languages.

According to the proposed bill, the move is based on the “cultural, military, economic relations” between the two nations, and the fact that many locals already use the tongue as their second language.

Nagorno-Karabakh is a disputed territory, internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan. However, many of the local residents are ethnic Armenians. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the region has been under Yerevan’s control, and Baku considers the enclave to be illegally occupied.
In November 2020, six weeks after the two nations started fighting over ownership of Nagorno-Karabakh, Russia stepped in to oversee a ceasefire between the warring parties.

In January, Russia along with Turkey opened a monitoring center in Azerbaijan, aimed at ensuring the observance of ceasefire in the region.As part of the agreement, Moscow sent troops to the contact line, and they are now permanently stationed in the region.
Earlier this year, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan came to Moscow to discuss the treaty with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The meeting ended with all parties agreeing that the truce was being kept to, with all involved – including Russian peacekeepers – fulfilling their obligations.