Author: David Nargizian

Memorials for slain Armenian journalist ‘evidence’ against Osman Kavala, Can Atalay

David Nargizian
2:03 pm 13/07/2023
A A

Turkey’s Court of Cassation cited a gathering in memoriam Hrant Dink as criminal activity, and as evidence against philanthropist Osman Kavala and newly elected MP Can Atalay in its assessment of the case against the Gezi Protests.

“These conversations show that the Open Society Foundation has transferred money to Anadolu Kültür in a continuous manner during the Gezi Events, and that the process was conducted in communion,” daily BirGün cited the top court as saying in its letter of notification on Thursday.

Kavala founded Anadolu Kültür in 2002, and has supported civil society initiatives through the foundation ever since.

In the conversation the court cited, Kavala says the foundation can “arrange something” as a small budget for the 19 January 2014 memorial service for Dink, who was murdered by a Turkish nationalist with ties to the deep state in 2007. Dink was the editor in chief for Agos newspaper, one of the few Armenian language publications left in the country.

Kavala’s conversation was with Çiğdem Mater, a film maker and activist who is currently behind bars for attempting to overthrow the government over her role in the Gezi Park protests of 2013, when a small sit-in to protect an urban park in Istanbul was targeted by police brutality and snowballed into the largest anti-government protest in the country’s history. The protests continued for several months and drew four million people to the streets in 80 of Turkey’s 81 provinces.

Another activist convicted in the so-called Gezi Trials is lawyer Can Atalay, who was elected to parliament in the elections in May. Atalay should have been released from prison upon his election, but remains behind bars unlawfully and in violation of past rulings by the Constitutional Court.

The Court of Cassation cited another conversation, this time between Atalay and Mater, as evidence of criminal activity. In the snippet, Atalay asks Mater where the organisers meeting for the 19 January memorial will take place.

“It appears that the case that attempts to put Gezi on trial also tried to criminalise memorials and the search for justice for 19 January,” the Dink family said in a statement condemning the court’s citation.

“This means nothing but proof that they have no evidence to speak of, because there is no crime to speak of,” the family continued.

Mater and Kavala were among the group called Friends of Hrant who fought to bring the Dink murder to light, the family said.

“The people they are putting on trial are people who have no dreams outside of democracy, justice and equality for this country. We hope and demand that justice prevail,” they said.

The court’s letter “contains more grave slanders and demonstrates an even more blatant disregard for legal principles”, Kavala said in a statement he sent from prison.

“As per the Prosecutor’s Office, even in the absence of evidence that a crime has been committed, the court can convict a person solely based on the determination of their intent to commit a crime. Manifestation of this trend of interpreting intent in criminal law, which starkly contradicts the principles and rulings of the European Court of Human Rights, at the level of the Court of Cassation constitutes a dangerous development for our nation,” Kavala said.

Mater said the possible disregard of international conventions and the Turkish constitution by the Court of Cassation “will open very dark doors for the law”.

Mater and Atalay have been under arrest since April 2022 to serve 18-year prison sentences, while Kavala has spent more than five years behind bars despite several ECHR rulings for his immediate release. In December, an appeals court upheld the convictions. The case is currently under assessment at the Court of Cassation.

Apart from the assessment of the appeal, the Court of Cassation “must issue a ruling today under normal circumstances” regarding Atalay’s release due to parliamentary immunity, his lawyer Deniz Özen said in a live broadcast on Thursday. According to Turkish law, appeals for any prisoner’s release must be answered within three days.

https://medyanews.net/memorials-for-slain-armenian-journalist-evidence-against-osman-kavala-can-atalay/

Military acquisition plan wasn’t changed, but additional equipment was bought – PM

David Nargizian

 11:57,

YEREVAN, JUNE 27, ARMENPRESS. The military armament acquisition plan was not changed but additional equipment was bought, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on June 27.

“There’s a lot of talk alleging that the acquisition plans of armaments and military equipment were changed after I took office of prime minister. Nothing was changed, but additional, other equipment was acquired,” Pashinyan told lawmakers at the parliament select committee on the 2020 war.

He added that his administration has never rejected the military’s spending requests.

Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 22-06-23

David Nargizian

 17:11,

YEREVAN, 22 JUNE, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 22 June, USD exchange rate down by 0.02 drams to 386.14 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 3.30 drams to 424.95 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.02 drams to 4.61 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 4.49 drams to 495.07 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 60.84 drams to 23906.34 drams. Silver price down by 8.64 drams to 286.47 drams.

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 06/19/2023

David Nargizian 
                                        Monday, 


Karabakh Running Out Of Food, Medicine

        • Susan Badalian
        • Narine Ghalechian

Nagorno-Karabakh - Empty shelves at a supermarket in Stepanakert, January 17, 
2023.


Residents of Nagorno-Karabakh struggled with worsening shortages of food and 
medicine on Monday four days after Azerbaijan completely blocked relief supplies 
to the Armenian-populated region.

Many essential items had already been in short supply since Baku blocked last 
December commercial traffic through the sole road connecting Karabakh to 
Armenia. Only vehicles escorted by the Russian peacekeeping forces and the 
International Committee of the Red Cross have been able to pass through the 
Lachin corridor for the last seven months.

The movement of these humanitarian convoys was halted on Thursday following a 
shootout near an Azerbaijani checkpoint controversially set up in the corridor 
in late April.

Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS) said that its border guards stopped a 
group of Azerbaijani servicemen manning the checkpoint from advancing into 
Armenian territory and placing an Azerbaijani flag there. The Azerbaijani 
Foreign Ministry insisted that they did not cross into Armenia while attempting 
to hoist the flag on a bridge located right next to the checkpoint.

Health authorities in Stepanakert said on Monday that local hospitals have 
suspended non-urgent surgeries due to a resulting shortage of drugs and other 
medical supplies. According to them, a total of 175 critically ill Karabakh 
patients and their family members are now awaiting evacuation to hospitals in 
Armenia.

Such evacuations were for months carried out by the ICRC. They too stopped on 
Thursday.

“We are monitoring the situation and remain in touch with all decision-makers,” 
Eteri Musayelian, an ICRC spokeswoman in Stepanakert, told RFE/RL’s Armenian 
Service. “We hope to resume our work as soon as the situation allows.”

Also, locals said that shops in and outside Stepanakert are running out of 
imported foodstuffs such as flour, cooking oil and sugar that have been rationed 
by the authorities since February.

“We have ration coupons but there is little we can buy with them now,” 
complained Arega Ishkhanian, a Stepanakert resident. She also spoke of an 
increasingly “visible” shortage of fruit and vegetables.

Artak Beglarian, a Karabakh official, warned at the weekend that Karabakh will 
run out of some types of food and medicine within several days if the relief 
supplies are not restored.

“There is already an acute shortage of quite a few items: medicines, some 
foodstuffs, gasoline and diesel fuel,” he said.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on Friday condemned the complete 
blockage of humanitarian traffic through the Lachin corridor, accusing 
Azerbaijan of continuing its “policy of ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh.” 
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry rejected the accusation. It said Baku will do 
everything to “integrate” the Karabakh Armenians into Azerbaijan’s “political, 
legal and socioeconomic frameworks.”




Russia Plans Consulate In Strategic Armenian Region

        • Ruzanna Stepanian

Armenia - A view of Kajaran, a town in Syunik province.


Russia is planning to open a consulate in Armenia’s southeastern Syunik province 
bordering Iran and Azerbaijan, a senior Armenian official confirmed on Monday.

“We welcome our international partners’ desire and interest to have diplomatic 
presence in Syunik in order to be able to better familiarize themselves with the 
situation on the ground,” Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanian told reporters.

A senior official from the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Paltov, announced 
those plans late last month, saying that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian 
discussed and welcomed them during his May 25 meeting with Russian President 
Vladimir Putin held in Moscow.

Paltov described the planned opening of the Russian consulate as a “very 
important step” when he visited Syunik’s capital Kapan together with other 
Russian officials late last week. He said the mission will provide consular 
services to about a thousand Russian nationals currently based in Syunik.

The bulk of them are soldiers and border guards who were deployed by Moscow 
during and after the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh. The deployment was aimed at 
helping the Armenian military defend the strategic region against possible 
Azerbaijani attacks.

Armenia - Russian Ambassador Sergey Kopyrkin talks to Russian soldiers during a 
visit to Syunik, June 3, 2021.

“The presence of our diplomats along with our border guards and military 
personnel in [the Syunik towns of] of Sisian and Goris as well as Russian 
entities will be an additional insurance net,” the Sputnik news agency quoted 
Paltov as saying during a meeting with the provincial governor, Robert Ghukasian.

In his words, Russian diplomats could be stationed in Kapan this fall even 
before the official opening of the consulate.

Syunik is Armenia’s sole region bordering Iran. Azerbaijani leaders have been 
demanding that Yerevan open a special corridor connecting Azerbaijan to its 
Nakhichevan exclave through Syunik. The Armenian side says it can only agree to 
conventional transport links between the two South Caucasus states.

Iran is also strongly opposed to an extraterritorial corridor for Nakhichevan. 
It has repeatedly warned Baku against attempting to strip the Islamic Republic 
of the common border and transport links with Armenia. Iranian Foreign Minister 
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian reiterated that “red line” when he visited Armenia last 
October to inaugurate the Iranian consulate in Kapan.




Russian Official Details Hurdles To Armenian-Azeri Transport Links

        • Karlen Aslanian
        • Lilit Harutiunian
        • Ruzanna Stepanian

Armenia - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian meets Russia's Deputy Prime Minister 
Alexei Overchuk, Yerevan, June 14, 2023.


Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk has shed light on remaining 
differences between Armenia and Azerbaijan that hamper the opening of their 
border to commercial traffic.

Meeting in Moscow earlier this month, Overchuk and his Armenian and Azerbaijani 
counterparts reportedly made major progress on the functioning of a railway that 
would connect Azerbaijan to its Nakhichevan exclave through Armenia’s Syunik 
province. For its part, Armenia would be able to use the railway for cargo 
shipments to and from Russia or Iran.

“A draft document has been formed and almost completely agreed at our level, 
although the main issue -- how ordinary Azerbaijanis and Armenians will interact 
with each other when crossing the border -- still needs to be worked on,” 
Overchuk told the TASS news agency in an interview published on Monday.

He said the agreement must regulate all aspects of ensuring the security of 
Azerbaijanis entering Armenia and vice versa so that “nothing bad will happen to 
these people on the territory of the other country.”

Overchuk said that he held a detailed discussion with Prime Minister Nikol 
Pashinian on the matter after the Moscow meeting. “Much was clarified, and 
something still remains and requires further discussion with the Azerbaijani 
side,” he added without elaborating.

Azerbaijan’s Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev claimed last week that 
Russian border guards will oversee “unfettered” transport links between 
Nakhichevan and western Azerbaijan passing through Armenia’s Syunik province.

The office of Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigorian insisted, however, 
that he and Mustafayev reached no such agreement during their trilateral talks 
with Overchuk. It said that under the terms of the Russian-brokered agreement 
that stopped the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh the planned road and rail links 
will be under full Armenian control.

Article 9 of the ceasefire agreement stipulates that the Russian border guards 
stationed in Armenia will “control” the transit of people, vehicles and goods 
between Nakhichevan and the rest of Azerbaijan.

According to Armenia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanian, this means that 
the Russians will largely “monitor” the commercial traffic, rather than escort 
it, let alone be involved in border controls.

Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev openly argued about the matter 
during a Eurasian Economic Union summit held in Moscow on May 25. Pashinian 
objected to Aliyev’s use of the term “Zangezur corridor,” saying that amounts to 
Azerbaijani territorial claims to Armenia.

“The word ‘corridor’ does not constitute a claim to anybody’s territory,” 
countered Aliyev.

Overchuk reiterated that the deal discussed by the three sides would commit Baku 
to recognizing Armenian sovereignty over the transit routes.

“None of the parties questions the fact that individual sections of this road 
will be under the jurisdiction of the country on whose territory they are 
located,” he said. “Thus, in relation to this road, Azerbaijani legislation will 
be applied in Azerbaijan and Armenian legislation in Armenia.”


Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2023 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

Karabakh photographs capture the devastation of war

David Nargizian
 eureporter 
June 12 2023

After 30 years of occupation by Armenia, most of Karabakh was liberated by Azerbaijan in 2020. Much of the territory was devastated by war and restoration work, notably mine clearance, continues. The French photographer Gregory Herpe travelled to Karabakh after the liberation and an exhibition of his work has been held in the European Parliament in Brussels, writes Political Editor Nick Powell.

Gregory Herpe’s Karabakh photographs have drama in their bleakness, even beauty. Indeed, he told the large gathering drawn to the opening of the exhibition of his photographs in the European Parliament that even when his subject is the devastation of war, “it is important to take beautiful pictures that grab the attention of the audience”.

Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to the European Union, Vaqif Sadiqov, said of the French photographer that “driven by a spirit of global citizenship, he went to heavily mined areas”. The resulting pictures were now being exhibited in the home of European democracy. The Ambassador added that what was depicted was not the best part of Azerbaijan’s life as a nation but “we don’t throw away pages from our history book”.

He recalled how Azeris had once been 20% of the population of Armenia but were ethnically cleansed, as were the Azeris in the occupied territories. Azerbaijan remained a country with over 20 minorities and three religions. But now what he called “a subtle, important negotiation process” was underway to normalise relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

The exhibition’s opening was hosted by the Latvian MEP Andris Ameriks. He said he had visited Karabakh last year and seen with his own eyes the destroyed buildings and the minefields but also “the people rebuilding” after returning home following the liberation. The photographs, he added, will remain after the reconstruction is complete “as an historical reminder for future generations of the consequences of war”.

*Photographs are copyright Gregory Herpe.

https://www.eureporter.co/world/karabakh/2023/06/12/karabakh-photographs-capture-the-devastation-of-war/


By

 Nick Powell



Karabakh Armenians celebrate life occasions as uncertain future looms

David Nargizian
June 12 2023

Lilit Shahverdyan Jun 12, 2023

A wedding at Stepanakert's Holy Mother of God Cathedral on June 10 (photo by David Ghahramanyan)

"We changed our wedding plans the day before, after realizing that the blockade would not be lifted anytime soon," says Aspram Abrahamyan, 19. 

"We were among the first to have the courage to celebrate a major occasion during the blockade, and we served as an example for others not to cancel their plans," she adds.

Images from her wedding on December 22, 2022, circulated widely on social media.

It was just 10 days after Azerbaijani government-backed activists set up camp on the road in the Lachin corridor, blocking the sole land route connecting the region to Armenia and the outside world. 

The blockade changed everything in Karabakh. The import of supplies was limited and implemented mainly through Russian peacekeepers deployed in the region after the 2020 war. Gas and electricity supplies were cut by Azerbaijan, and the population of roughly 120,000 Armenians found themselves locked inside their small enclave.

The Abramayans' wedding was planned long before the blockade and with the exuberance of typical Armenian nuptials: numerous guests, richly laid tables, and decorations. But a sense of responsibility amid the emergency, as well as the unexpected shortages, led them to scale back their sumptuous plans. 

"The restaurants could not provide all the necessary dishes we ordered, and many guests from Armenia and abroad couldn't arrive… so we decided to cut the number of guests and gather only with our closest family members. Restaurant staff brought food from their homes so the ceremony could keep up its flow," says Abrahamyan.

Another young couple, Snezhana and Sergey Safaryan, got married recently in Stepanakert, the de facto capital of Nagorno Karabakh. Their celebration was also modest, though they did try to honor tradition and maintain the "taste and smell" of an Armenian wedding, says Sergey, the groom. 

"I couldn't see a valid reason to cancel or postpone the event. If the opponent [Azerbaijan] is trying to terrorize us psychologically, we must respond by creating new families," he tells Eurasianet. 

"No matter how much they blockade our freedom of movement, limit our supplies or deprive us of electricity and gas. It only strengthens our determination to live here," Safaryan adds.

Weddings and engagements are among the social occasions that provide an escape from the dire reality they found themselves in after the blockade. 

The Azerbaijani self-styled activists concluded their protest in late April, but only after the installation of a border checkpoint introduced a different kind of restriction on movement between Armenia and Karabakh. Those traveling back and forth now have to present their passports to Azerbaijani border guards to travel between Armenia and Karabakh. Few have done so thus far, and most of those that have have been accompanied by Russian peacekeepers or the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).  

Dancing in the rain

In May, a video of two teenagers dancing in the rain in Stepanakert on the day of their high school graduation became an emblem of Armenians continuing to live in the region amid fears of imminent ethnic cleansing and talks over their future status.

"I realized that these few moments were enough to describe the unbending will and love of us, the young generation of Artsakh, for our restless Artsakh land," Karen Galstyan, one of the dancers, said in an interview with RFE/RL, using an alternate Armenian name for Karabakh.

The cinematic images of the high schoolers' dance were interpreted differently by the thousands of Armenians viewing and sharing it on social media. For some, it was an indicator of dedication to the land where Armenians have lived for centuries, while others heard the ominous ring of the "final last bell" in Karabakh (Armenians call high school graduation the "last bell").  

At another school, students held banners with photos of fallen soldiers and teachers from their school and wore sashes with the inscription "survivors." 

The fate of the Karabakh Armenians hangs in the balance as Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan recently explicitly stated his readiness to recognize the region within the sovereign borders of Azerbaijan. His announcement was criticized and denounced by Karabakh's high-ranking officials, as well as the Armenian Church,  and Armenian organizations around the world. 

Yerevan conditions its recognition offer on Baku offering security guarantees to the Armenian population of Karabakh but the Azerbaijani leadership has vehemently refused to do so. 

Locals fear that Armenia's recognition of Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan would give Baku the green light to subject them to "ethnic cleansing." 

However, as politicians continue to discuss their fate in the US, Brussels, and Moscow, Armenians in Karabakh reject "defeatist" attitudes and seek to maintain an ordinary rhythm of life.

"We created all the living conditions for our new family. We are very connected to our families and land, and we never even considered leaving," says Abrahamyan. She is currently expecting her first child and believes that major or minor celebrations should still be part of their routine.

"I welcome all the events people celebrate. We shouldn't let feelings of defeat take root in our society. We do not feel the pressure to accept being part of Azerbaijan. We created our family with the thought that it's our home, and we will continue creating and prospering here," she adds.

If the Yerevan-Baku talks maintain their current pace, a peace deal could be signed by the end of 2023, Armenian Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan told RFE/RL on June 5.

The signing of a peace agreement would seem to present Karabakh Armenians with a choice: either accept Azerbaijani rule or leave.

But many Karabakh Armenians regard both of these options as unimaginable: Co-existence because of the continuous violations of Armenian civilians' rights by Azerbaijan during and after the 2020 war and fleeing because Karabakh is the only home they ever knew.

"If I leave my home now, it will be the same as if a mother left her newborn child to cry. Our homeland survives because people are living here. We have to stay here so those [Azerbaijanis] who think that our population will easily give up realize they are wrong," says Sergey Safaryan.

Lilit Shahverdyan is a journalist based in Stepanakert. 

MFA: Armenia has serious concerns that Azerbaijan is preparing a new aggression

David Nargizian
Armenia – June 13 2023


Yerevan /Mediamax/. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia issued a statement which says that "the military-political leadership of Azerbaijan is preparing the ground for another aggressive actions and ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh.”

The statement runs as follows:

“For a long time, the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan has been spreading daily fake news about ceasefire violations by the Defense Army of Nagorno-Karabakh in the zone of responsibility of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh.

It is noteworthy that in the information materials published by the Russian peacekeepers, ceasefire violations only by Azerbaijan were recorded.

Taking into account the already well-established experience of Azerbaijan to provide “informational support” before carrying out the next acts of use of force and to artificially ascribe responsibility for future actions to the other party from the outset, the Republic of Armenia has serious concerns that the military-political leadership of Azerbaijan, despite all its own obligations, is preparing the ground for another aggressive actions and ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh.

We call on the peacekeeping forces of the Russian Federation to strictly follow the observance of the ceasefire regime and investigate all the incidents voiced by Azerbaijan, publicly presenting the entire situation on the ground. ”

Azerbaijan again falsely accuses Armenia of opening gunfire in ongoing disinformation campaign

David Nargizian

 10:11,

YEREVAN, JUNE 16, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani military is again spreading disinformation, the Armenian authorities warned Friday morning.

The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan has again falsely accused Armenian forces of opening fire on the border.

“The statement by the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan claiming that units of the Armed Forces of Armenia opened fire in between 00:15-00:20, on June 16 at Azerbaijani positions deployed in the eastern section of the border line is untrue,” the Armenian Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

U.S. Congress Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission to hold hearing on Safeguarding the People of Nagorno Karabakh

David Nargizian

 10:12,

YEREVAN, JUNE 16, ARMENPRESS. The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the U.S. Congress will hold a hearing on June 21 on Safeguarding the People of Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Please join the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission for a hearing on safeguarding the people of Nagorno-Karabakh as risks of renewed violence in and around the enclave increase,” the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission said in a statement. “Two and a half years after a bloody six-week war pushed Armenian forces out of Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions of Azerbaijan, tensions are again escalating. A blockade of the Lachin corridor to Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijani-backed activists has entered its 7th month, and on April 23 Azerbaijan opened a military checkpoint on the corridor that is widely viewed as inconsistent with the provisions of the 2020 ceasefire agreement that ended the last war. A number of international efforts are underway to mitigate the risk of a new full-blown war, including by officials at the U.S. State Department. One major issue is what is required to adequately protect the rights and safety of ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, where Azerbaijan seeks to assert control. This hearing will examine the measures required to adequately safeguard, during this period of blockade and negotiation, a vulnerable ethnic population, and offer recommendations for U.S. policy,” the commission added, noting that the hearing will be open to Members of Congress, congressional staff, the interested public, and the media.

Flemish Parliament of Belgium calls for opening of Lachin Corridor, withdrawal of Azeri forces from Armenian territory

David Nargizian

 12:02,

YEREVAN, JUNE 14, ARMENPRESS. On June 13, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Flemish Parliament of Belgium adopted a resolution, calling for the immediate opening of the Lachin Corridor which has been blocked by Azerbaijan and for the withdrawal of Azerbaijani forces from the sovereign territory of Armenia. 

The Lachin Corridor, a vital lifeline connecting Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh with the Republic of Armenia, has been subject to a blockade by Azerbaijan. This blockade has caused a humanitarian crisis for the native Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh and hindered their access to essential supplies, humanitarian aid, and economic opportunities. 

The Flemish Parliament recognizes the urgency of this issue and urges Azerbaijan to immediately lift the blockade, ensuring the free flow of goods, services, and individuals through the corridor, the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD) said in a press release.

Furthermore, the resolution highlights the need for the immediate withdrawal of Azerbaijani forces from the sovereign territory of Armenia. It emphasizes that the presence of foreign military forces within a sovereign nation’s borders is a violation of international law and undermines the principles of sovereignty. The resolution urges the EU to call on Azerbaijan to end its hostile policy against the Armenian people and ensure the rights and security of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh which is facing a threat of genocide.

The initiator of the resolution, member of the Flemish Parliament Allessia Claes from the party N-VA commented:

“I am very pleased that the Committee on Foreign Policy of the Flemish Parliament approved our resolution on the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, including the closure of the Lachin corridor and the humanitarian situation. We stand united in condemning the ongoing war and calling on all parties to move ahead in fruitful discussions towards a lasting peace.”

Karl Vanlouwe, a member of the Parliament from the NVA and co-signer of the resolution stated: 

“This resolution is the result of many conversations with the Armenian community and a hearing with Flemish journalist Jens De Ryck that we hosted last week in the committee in the Flemish Parliament. He gave an exposition of the devastating conflict in the Caucasus. The current blockade of the Lachin corridor is a true humanitarian crisis. It must stop now.”

Elaborating on the resolution the EAFJD president Kaspar Karampetian said:

“We highly appreciate the work of the Flemish MPs in particular those Members who have been playing a leading role and tirelessly speaking up against the Azerbaijani aggression as well as its policy of ethnic cleansing in Artsakh /Nagorno Karabakh.” Karampetian concluded emphasizing, “The right to self-determination of the native Armenian people of Artsakh equals to their right to life which must be defended relentlessly.”