Author: Elizabeth Jabejian

Power supply restored only in Martakert so far

Elizabeth Jabejian

 17:47,

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. Power supply in Martakert has been restored, reporter Lusine Zakaryan told ARMENPRESS by phone from the town in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Meanwhile, the town of Askeran still has no power supply, the local regional administration’s spokesperson Anahit Petrosyan said.

Power supply in Stepanakert hasn’t been restored either.

Gayane Gevorgyan, a woman living in Stepanakert, said that the residents have set up stoves in the streets to cook food.  “We’ve been managing to somehow charge our phones using car batteries to be able to maintain contact with one another. We are waiting with hope,” Gevorgyan said.

Armenian Enclave in Azerbaijan on the Brink of Starvation

Elizabeth Jabejian
Sept 5 2023

The humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian enclave within Azerbaijan, has reached a critical point after a prolonged blockade of over eight months. Food and medical supplies have become severely limited, with daily bread rationed to one loaf per family and essential medicines depleted. The blockade is the harshest strategy yet from the Azerbaijani government in its effort to reclaim control over Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as Azerbaijani but largely populated by Armenians and controlled by them since the late 1980s.

Azerbaijan’s strategic encirclement of the region has left Armenia’s Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, open to acknowledging Azerbaijan’s sovereignty over Nagorno-Karabakh. However, he hopes to secure assurances for the rights and safety of the ethnic Armenian inhabitants. Azerbaijan, eager to expedite diplomatic proceedings, has intensified the blockade, further straining the Armenian people it purports to welcome back.


Azerbaijani government-supported protesters initiated the blockade of the only access route, known as the “Lachin corridor,” in December, hampering civilian movement and the import of essentials. Although some supplies managed to get through, the situation worsened in April when Azerbaijan established an official border checkpoint and halted traffic in June.

While Azerbaijan proposed opening its own supply route, the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh view this as a ploy for Azerbaijani control and have created their own blockade on the new road. International efforts, led by the European Union, are underway to find a compromise, but the two governments disagree on the sequence of opening the roads.

The situation inside Nagorno-Karabakh remains unclear due to limited independent information. However, there are indications of a bitter power struggle among ethnic Armenian leaders. Meanwhile, border clashes continue, with three Armenian soldiers reportedly killed in early September. The prospect of peaceful cohabitation between the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan seems increasingly unlikely.

https://gvwire.com/2023/09/05/armenian-enclave-in-azerbaijan-on-the-brink-of-starvation/

Asbarez: UPDATED: 3 Armenian Soldiers Killed, 1 Injured as Azerbaijan Mounts Offensive on Gegharkunik Province

Elizabeth Jabejian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 September 1, 2023

 

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

4 Armenian soldiers were killed


Armenia is reporting that three soldiers were killed and another was injured as Azerbaijan mounted an offensive against positions in the Gegharkunik Province on Friday.

The defense ministry initially announced the death toll to be three after doctors were able to revive one of the soldiers who was believed to have died.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan accused Azerbaijan of encroaching on Armenia’s territorial integrity after Friday’s brazen attack.

“Today, Azerbaijani Armed Forces , using UAVs and mortars, attacked positions towards the Armenian combat outposts nearby Sotk & Norabak,  leaving 3 servicemen dead & 2 wounded. Encroachments on the territorial integrity of Armenia, combined with warmongering rhetoric, are a continuation of Azerbaijan’s policy,” Pashinyan said in a post on X.

“On September 1, the armed forces of Azerbaijan opened fire on the positions of the armed forces of the Republic of Armenia located in the area of Sotk and Norabak in the Gegharkunik region, which resulted in casualties of 4 killed and 1 wounded. Azerbaijan’s armed forces also used mortars and UAV,” the foreign ministry said in a statement that demanded Azerbaijan withdraw its troops from Armenia’s sovereign territory.

The attacks started in the early morning hours of Friday and have continued throughout the day.

Since around 7:50 a.m. local time, Azerbaijani forces began shooting at positions in Sotk and Norabak villages in Armenia’s Gegharkunik Province. According to Armenia’s Defense Ministry, as of 2:30 p.m. local time the attacks had subsided, but the situation remained tense.

Of the four fatalities, two of them are from Armenia’s Massis region. They were identified as Andranik Antonyan and Arsen Mkrtchyan. Davit Hambartsumyan, the mayor of Massis announced their names in a social media posts.

The Massis city council told Azatutyun.am that the two were taking part in a 25-day training exercises.

The Foreign Ministry strongly condemned Azerbaijan’s military aggression targeting Armenian border positions in Gegharkunik province and warned that Baku’s actions could seriously disrupt the efforts aimed at establishing stability and lasting peace in the region.

In a statement released Friday, the foreign ministry called on the international community to restrain “Azerbaijan’s growing maximalist behavior.”

Yerevan accused Baku of systematically disseminating false information as cover for military attacks against Armenian positions.
 
“The encroachments against the territorial integrity of Armenia, combined with the statements and bellicose rhetoric regularly made by the Azerbaijani side on various levels as well as channeled through various state media, are the continuation of Baku’s aggressive policy aimed at settling existing problems and imposing its own will through the use of force and the threat of use of force,” the foreign ministry said in its statement.

“Under the conditions of targeted calls and growing pressure to lift the illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor, Azerbaijan’s provocation is also aimed at diverting the attention of the international community and avoiding the fulfillment of its obligations,” added the statement.

“We strongly condemn Azerbaijan’s aggressive behavior, which is coupled with the overt siege of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh through the eight-month-long illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor, and can seriously disrupt the efforts aimed at establishing stability and lasting peace in the region. The Republic of Armenia reaffirms its principled position that all units of Azerbaijan’s armed forces must be withdrawn from the sovereign territory of Armenia,” Yerevan said.

“We call on the international community and the stakeholders interested in real stability in the region to restrain Azerbaijan’s daily increasing maximalist behavior through the existing mechanisms and active and clear steps in order to prevent further escalation of the situation and to bring Azerbaijan to a constructive track,” the statement said.

Transformational $20 million gift from Edward & Pamela Avedisian to further expand AUA

Elizabeth Jabejian
 Guest Contributor Diaspora 0

GLENDALE, Calif. — The Avedisian legacy of contributing to the constant growth and advancement of the American University of Armenia (AUA) was recently expanded by Pamela Wood Avedisian with a $20 million gift in honor of her late husband, Edward Avedisian. The history of AUA is testament to his belief in the mission of the university and his steadfast support for more than 20 years as a trustee, philanthropist and visionary. This capital gift will be allotted to the construction of the new Humanities & Social Sciences and the Arts buildings.

“As a longtime board member, Edward Avedisian had a thorough understanding of the university and the vision shared by its leadership. He was truly excited to see it grow and evolve over the past three decades and wanted us to contribute towards that growth. We both understood the need for expansion to further broaden the university’s offerings and fields of excellence,” Pamela said. His expressed objective was to see AUA grow its campus congruent with new course offerings in the science, technology and engineering curriculum, as well as in the arts, humanities and social sciences. 

The expanded campus will comprise the AUA Science and Engineering Building, currently in development; the Edward and Pamela Avedisian Building for programs in the humanities and social sciences; the Paruyr Sevak Building that will house the arts programs; and the AUA Founders Building to serve as an atrium that connects all three new facilities. 

Dr. Armen & Nelly Der Kiureghian, Edward & Pamela Avedisian, June 2016 (left to right)

In 2022, in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the founding of the university, AUA launched the Build a Better Future With AUA capital campaign designated for the construction of the new AUA Science & Engineering Building. While the implementation of that project is in progress, the university has now embraced this second capital project, thanks to the magnanimous recent contribution by the Avedisian family earmarked for this endeavor. These two innovative projects create new ground for strengthened collaboration among the various fields of study offered by the university, duly enhancing AUA’s liberal arts approach to education.

Edward Avedisian was born in the United States in 1937. A seasoned musician and instructor, through shrewd business decisions, he found success as a private investor. In 1999, he joined the AUA Board of Trustees, lending his efforts to advance education in his homeland. 

At AUA, the Avedisians are preeminently recognized as major sponsors of the Paul Avedisian Center for Business Research and Development (CBRD), as well as the Zvart Avedisian Onanian Center for Health Services Research and Development (CHSR). In addition, they were the primary benefactors for the construction of AUA’s Paramaz Avedisian Building (PAB). All three donations were made in honor of Edward’s siblings, and a more recent contribution established two endowed professorships in recognition of fellow AUA trustees, Dr. Judson King and Dr. William Frazer.

Paramaz, Edward, and Zvart, 1938

His contributions to AUA are among the numerous philanthropic works he has accomplished in both Armenia and the United States. In the recent past, he made headlines in the U.S. for his generous donation to his alma mater Boston University, in honor of his long-time friend Aram Chobanian, who would only accept the honor if Avedisian’s name was displayed alongside his. 

When asked what moved him to carry out these philanthropic endeavors throughout his lifetime in honor of those whom he loved and cherished, his wife Pamela responded, “Edward recognized that the success he had achieved in life was in large part due to his parents, the great sacrifices they made for their children, and the loving, nurturing environment that was their home. He and his siblings were very close to and supportive of one another in all their endeavors. It was only natural for him to honor the special bond they shared and herald their achievements. He also wanted to champion the success of his friends. He was immensely proud of their accomplishments and felt it was fitting to name buildings after them to laud their excellence in their respective fields and honor their legacies through naming.” 

She added, “Edward was very humble. He didn’t feel the need to put his name on buildings. Rather, he was content seeing his name listed in the program booklets of the orchestras with which he performed, alongside his fellow musicians.” At last, though posthumously, Edward and his wife’s names will be displayed on the walls of the new AUA building, duly immortalizing their longstanding legacy at the university.

Edward Avedisian playing the clarinet at Boston University

The arts played a significant role throughout Ed’s life, as he was a clarinetist for over 60 years. These new expansion projects are fittingly earmarked for these disciplines. His mother loved music and enjoyed singing and reciting poetry. His father would chant the Divine Liturgy in Armenian at home every Sunday. “After he retired from music, we enjoyed attending concerts, ballets, operas,” recalled Pamela. “Our shared love of the arts is what brought us together. I accompanied the chorus that Ed was directing at Endicott College (Massachusetts). Every vacation we took involved attending various artistic performances and visiting museums. We would make an annual trip to New York to see several operas over a long weekend. The arts and humanities have brought great joy to both our lives. I don’t think either of us could imagine life without them!” 

Construction efforts for the new buildings are currently underway. The AUA Building Committee appointed for these projects is in the process of interviewing the shortlisted architectural firms for making the final selection. Ronald Altoon, FAIA, LEED AP, the president and CEO of Altoon Strategic consulting firm and former president of the American Institute of Architects, is leading this effort. Groundbreaking is expected in 2024. The university is also arduously involved in updating its curriculum and preparing to introduce new degree programs. The student population of AUA is projected to double in the next six years.   

The new buildings will include classrooms, offices, science and engineering laboratories, conference rooms, auditoriums, art studios, music rooms and other functional spaces. There will be underground parking underneath all three buildings. Entrance to the buildings will be through the Atrium, which will also be used for various cultural, academic and other collaborative events. 

The Paruyr Sevak building will be the first in Avedisian’s philanthropic portfolio not to be dedicated to a friend or family. Instead, it will be named after one of the greatest Armenian poets of the 20th century. Avedisian greatly admired Sevak’s works and felt that the building should bear his name to honor his legacy and serve as inspiration to all those who study within its walls. 

Paruyr Sevak (1924-1971)

Pamela fondly remarked, “Sevak’s life and legacy will underscore the expectation of excellence that AUA strives to impart to every student. Edward firmly believed that AUA is creating the next generation of Paruyr Sevaks. There are a couple of pertinent lines from Sevak’s famous poem entitled To My Son that reflect his vision — 

I would not want, 

that your life become like that, 

a flat gravel way. 

Don’t pass over the paved road, 

you must prefer to build a road!

That’s what Edward wanted for the sons and daughters of Armenia — for them to be the next leaders and builders!”

AUA is immensely grateful for the support of the Avedisian family in this grand undertaking. Donor funds continue to be raised to meet the construction cost of all three buildings. Naming opportunities for facilities within these buildings are available. For more information, please visit https://engineerthefuture.aua.am.




Former ICC prosecutor accuses Azerbaijan of ‘genocide’ in Nagorno-Karabakh

Elizabeth Jabejian
Aug 10 2023
 10 August 2023

ByAni Avetisyan
Luis Moreno Ocampo. Image via Infobae

The former chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Luis Moreno Ocampo, has accused the Azerbaijani government of genocide in Nagorno-Karabakh, as the humanitarian situation in the region continues to worsen. 

‘Starvation is the invisible Genocide weapon. Without immediate dramatic change, this group of Armenians will be destroyed in a few weeks’, Ocampo wrote in a 28-page report on the Lachin corridor blockade published on 7 August.

‘Starvation as a method to destroy people was neglected by the entire international community when it was used against Armenians in 1915, Jews and Poles in 1939, Russians in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) in 1941, and Cambodians in 1975/1976’, wrote Ocampo. ‘Starvation was also neglected when used in Srebrenica in the winter of 1993/1994’. 

Ocampo suggested that Ilham Aliyev, the President of Azerbaijan, should be investigated by the ICC, explaining that that could only take place were the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution regarding the blockade of the Lachin corridor and refer it to the court. 

In the report, he stated that there was ‘reasonable basis’ to believe that President Aliyev had genocidal intentions, having blocked the delivery of essential goods to Nagorno-Karabakh, disobeyed the orders of the International Court of Justice to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles, and cargo along the Lachin Corridor, and having ignored calls regarding the ‘real and imminent risk’ to the region’s Armenian population created by the blockade. 

‘President Aliyev’s public statements affirming that the blockade was the consequence of people smuggling minerals and iPhones through the Lachin Corridor is a diversion. Smuggling activities should be properly investigated but they are not an excuse to disobey a binding order of the International Court of Justice or a justification to commit a Genocide’, wrote Ocampo. 

He added that obtaining a UN Security Council resolution to provide ICC jurisdiction was ‘feasible’. 

‘Under the Genocide Convention, state parties have an obligation to prevent and punish Genocide, and 14 of the current 15 members of the UN Security Council are also parties of that Convention, providing an overwhelming majority’, he added. 

The statement also calls for cooperation between Russia, which oversees peacekeeping in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the United States and EU Member States. All are parties to the Genocide Convention, with Ocampo stating that they are in the ‘privileged position’ to prevent the genocide. 

‘Their intense confrontation due to the Ukrainian conflict should not transform the Armenians into collateral victims’, wrote Ocampo. 

Hikmet Hajiyev, assistant to Azerbaijan’s President Aliyev, called the report ‘biased’ and ‘anti-Azerbaijani’. 

Despite the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh continuing to deepen, with neither peacekeepers nor Red Cross able to transport basic goods and humanitarian aid into the region, Azerbaijan’s government in Baku has maintained its denial that any blockade is taking place. 

In response to a call on Monday by UN Human Rights Experts to lift the blockade and open the Lachin corridor, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the accusations that it had blockaded the corridor, accusing the UN experts of ‘political manipulations’. 

The statement added that ‘the usage […] of expressions such as ‘Nagorno-Karabakh’ in clear disrespect of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, the interference in the internal affairs of Azerbaijan, as well as the double standards against it […] are unacceptable’. 

In recent days, authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh have released reports describing the worsening humanitarian situation in the region, noting that mortality rates were significantly higher than average.  

The region’s Ministry of Health reported on Tuesday that mortality due to cardiovascular disease had more than doubled, with rates in July 2.6 times higher than the same month of the previous year. 

‘This includes a 66% increase in mortality from acute and chronic heart failure, a 20.8% increase in mortality from acute myocardial infarction, and an 8.8% increase in mortality from brain paralysis’, it wrote.  

Provision of medical supplies to the region has been suspended since mid-June, when Azerbaijan blocked the transport of humanitarian aid into the region. Transport of patients to Armenian hospitals is also taking place at minimal rates, with Red Cross transport of severely ill patients resuming after Azerbaijan blocked the organisation’s access to the region. 

On 29 July, Azerbaijani border guards arrested a 68-year-old resident of the region as he was being evacuated to Armenia by the Red Cross for heart surgery, accusing him of genocide. 

[Read more: Azerbaijan arrests Nagorno-Karabakh resident for ‘war crimes’]

Shortages of food and other essential supplies have worsened in the months since the Azerbaijan blocked deliveries of humanitarian aid.

Lorries loaded with humanitarian supplies en route to Nagorno-Karabakh. Photo: RFE/RL.

An Armenian government shipment of aid to the region has remained at the entrance of the Lachin corridor, having not been permitted to enter on 26 July. 

[Read more: Nagorno-Karabakh aid convoy held at Lachin Corridor]

On Tuesday, the President of Nagorno-Karabakh, Arayik Harutyunyan, called on the UN Security Council to invite an urgent session to discuss the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and adopt a resolution obliging Azerbaijan to open the corridor, which has been closed since last December. 

 For ease of reading, we choose not to use qualifiers such as ‘de facto’, ‘unrecognised’, or ‘partially recognised’ when discussing institutions or political positions within Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and South Ossetia. This does not imply a position on their status.


The California Courier Online, August 17, 2023

Elizabeth Jabejian

The California
Courier Online, August 17, 2023

 

1-         Righteous
Jews Appeal to Israel

            To Help
Open the Lachin Corridor

            By Harut
Sassounian

            Publisher,
The California
Courier

            www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

2-         Artsakh
Protesters block 134 Freeway in Glendale;

            Hold
Overnight Rally at Azeri Consulate

3-         Armenian
Government Allocates Money for Snoop Dogg Concert in Yerevan

4-         Nareg
Keshishian Appointed Principal of Armenian
Mesrobian School

 

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

 

1-         Righteous
Jews Appeal to Israel

            To Help
Open the Lachin Corridor

            By Harut
Sassounian

            Publisher,
The California
Courier

            www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

           

There are pro and anti-Armenian individuals in every
nationality. Jews are no exception. There are Jews who support us and those who
oppose us. We should not generalize and paint everyone with the same brush.
Armenians should not treat every Jew as an opponent just because the Israeli
government denies the Armenian Genocide and sells billions of dollars of arms
to Azerbaijan.

Armenians have the right to criticize the Israeli government
and Jews who are anti-Armenian. I severely condemned Israel’s
denial of the Armenian Genocide in my 2015 lecture at an Israeli University.
After the lecture, I met with the President of Israel Reuven Rivlin and told
him that the government of Israel,
whose own people were victims of genocide, should have been the first country
to recognize the Armenian Genocide, not the last. Pres. Rivlin told me that he
recognized the Armenian Genocide and blamed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
for denying it.

I just received copies of two letters sent by a group of
righteous Israelis to their country’s top officials, requesting that they
intervene with Azerbaijan
to unblock the Lachin Corridor.

The first letter was sent to Israel’s
Foreign Minister Eli Cohen on January 15, 2023, asking for his assistance to
prevent “a grave humanitarian crisis and loss of life” due to Azerbaijan’s
blockade of the Lachin Corridor. The 17 prominent Jewish signers of the letter,
including Rabbis, journalists and scholars, wrote: “We believe that you, the
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel, through your ties with your counterparts
in Azerbaijan and Russia, can
help to avoid this grave humanitarian crisis. Therefore we ask that you
approach them urgently to work for the lifting of the blockade of the Lachin
Corridor.”

The second letter was sent on August 11, 2023, to Israel’s President Isaac Herzog who had recently
visited Azerbaijan.
The letter-writers requested him “to make a personal appeal to your
counterparts in Azerbaijan
and demand their immediate removal of the blockade of the Lachin Corridor.” The
35 prominent Jewish signers of the letter, including Rabbis, scholars,
journalists, a former Cabinet Minister and Member of Knesset, architects and
scientists, wrote: “The State of Israel enjoys close ties with Azerbaijan, the
state which is responsible for this crisis, and has the ability to resolve it.
These ties obligate the State of Israel to take a clear stand, and not to stand
idly by…. The aid that we [Israel]
provided [to Azerbaijan]
means that we have a special responsibility not to be a bystander, and also
gives us an important opportunity to have a positive impact. We cannot remain
silent, especially in light of our historic and multilayered connection with
the Armenian people.”

Beyond these letters, hundreds of Jews and Armenians in Israel held
several protests during and after the 2020 Artsakh War. One of the protests was
in front of the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv, criticizing the sale of
Israeli arms to Azerbaijan.
Some of the protesters held models of drones with blood stains painted on them
with the words ‘Made in Israel.’

Avidan Freedman, one of the founders of Yanshoof, an
organization dedicated to stopping Israeli arms sales to human rights
violators, published an article in The Times of Israel on ,
titled: “The Artsakh humanitarian crisis is our responsibility. Here’s why.” He
wrote: “Israel provided Azerbaijan with
69% of its arms in the period between 2016 and 2020. During the 2020 Artsakh
War, a senior Israeli military source asserted that ‘Azerbaijan would not have been able
to continue its operation at this level without our support.’” Freedman
concluded: “the current humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh was enabled by
Israeli support…. The emerging humanitarian crisis, Israel’s
military support of Azerbaijan,
and the Jewish people’s historic and moral connection to the Armenian people
combine to create a clear moral responsibility. Israel
must take a moral stance and call on Azerbaijan to immediately lift its
blockade of the Lachin Corridor.”

To illustrate the depth of pro-Armenian sympathies among
some Jews, I would like to quote Dr. Israel Charny, one of the signers of the
above mentioned two letters. He is the Executive Director of the
Jerusalem-based Institute on the Holocaust and Genocide and author of “Israel’s Failed
Response to the Armenian Genocide.” In 2009, Charny and I were invited to speak
at the UK Parliament. Since he could not attend due to illness, he submitted
his speech in writing. Here is an excerpt: “No less than the arch fighter for
peace in the Israel-Palestinian conflict, Shimon Peres, now President of
Israel, then serving as Israel’s
Foreign Minister, twice went notably out of his way to insult the history and
memory of the Armenian Genocide.”

In 2001, Charny sent a scathing letter to Peres: “You have
gone beyond a moral boundary that no Jew should allow himself to trespass….
As a Jew and an Israeli, I am ashamed of the extent to which you have now
entered into the range of actual denial of the Armenian Genocide, comparable to
denials of the Holocaust.”

In response to an “especially insulting” denial by Peres in
2002, Dr. Charny sent him one of my editorials in The California Courier, with
the following note: “I am enclosing with great concern for your attention an
editorial in a leading US-Armenian newspaper calling on Armenia to
expel the Israeli Ambassador [Rivka Cohen, after she denied the Armenian
Genocide]. For your further information, the author of this editorial, who is
the head of the United Armenian Fund in the US
— comparable to our United Jewish Appeal — was for many years a delegate to
the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva.”

Armenians should support their friends and criticize their
opponents regardless of their nationality.

 

************************************************************************************************************************************************
2-         Artsakh Protesters block 134
Freeway in Glendale;

            Hold
Overnight Rally at Azeri Consulate

LOS ANGELES (KABC)—Several hundred protesters blocked all
the eastbound lanes on the 134 Freeway at its interchange with the 5 Freeway on
Wednesday, August 10, aiming to bring awareness to humanitarian conflicts in Armenia, and to
call attention to the crisis in Artsakh.

Using a big rig, they blocked off the eastbound side of the
freeway at Central and Brand avenues. Protesters then gathered on freeway lanes
and unfurled signs calling for support from Rep. Adam Schiff.

Protesters have also been showing up at Schiff’s local
office in recent days, calling on the Democratic congressman to do more to support
their cause.

Schiff has expressed support for ending the blockade, but
some Armenian protesters feel he has not done enough for the cause.

One sign unfurled on lanes read “Adam Schiff don’t ignore
us” and another pleaded “Open the road of life.”

In the past, Schiff has issued statements condemning the
blockade and calling for the Biden Administration to take action. He also has
authored a House resolution calling for recognition of Artsakh’s sovereignty
and condemning Azerbaijan’s
aggression.

On Wednesday, August 9, Schiff issued a new statement which
read:

“I stand with the people of Armenia, Artsakh, and the
Armenian-American community —not only my constituents but those around the
world. I hear and see your pain over the inhumane situation your brothers and
sisters are facing.

From condemning ceasefire violations, to advocating for the
release of Armenian prisoners of war, to calling for sanctions and
accountability for Azerbaijan,
I’ve always been, and will continue to be, steadfast in my commitment to
ensuring the protection of fundamental rights for the people of Artsakh.”

I am in communication with the Biden Administration, the
State Department, and my Congressional colleagues and am advocating for using
all tools at our disposal, including pushing for U.S.
humanitarian aid to Artsakh, cutting off military and other assistance to Azerbaijan, and
imposing sanctions on those responsible for this crisis.

I will be with you every step of the way and will always
stand with the people of Armenia
and Artsakh.”

The mayor of Burbank, Konstantine Anthony, met with the
Armenian Americans who are protesting against the ongoing blockade.

The mayor said that he is also concerned about Artsakh and
is concerned and disappointed that US
President Joe Biden is still sending military aid to Azerbaijan.

On Sunday, August 14, the Armenian community cordoned off
the building of the Consulate of Azerbaijan—where consulates of five other
countries, including Israel
and Bulgaria
also operate. The protesters blocked the Wilshire Boulevard leading to the
consulate building. They spent the night there, and in the morning they did not
let Azeri consular officials enter the building. According to the Alpha News correspondent
in Los Angeles, the police tried to unblock the road, but the Armenian
activists convinced them to continue the rally.

The protesters raised the flag of Artsakh and banners that
say “With Artsakh, in the name of Artsakh”, “Armenians face genocide under
Azeri rule” and “Stop the second Armenian Genocide” at the entrance to the
building.

 

************************************************************************************************************************************************
3-         Armenian Government Allocates
Money for Snoop Dogg Concert in Yerevan

By Marine Khachatrian

 

The Armenian government has allocated more than $5 million
for the organization of a concert of American rapper Snoop Dogg in Yerevan.

The concert is scheduled to be held at the Hrazdan Stadium
in the Armenian capital on September 23.

Up to 25,000 people are expected to attend the event that is
also anticipated to generate tourism to the country.

 The first
announcement of a possible Snoop Dogg concert in Yerevan was made by chief of the prime
minister’s office Arayik Harutiunian in late July. A document appeared online
shortly thereafter according to which more than $23 million would be allocated
from the state budget for three concerts.

The kind of state funding sparked a public debate in Armenia, with
many challenging the wisdom of such government spending.

“One person—at least one person—rebel against this decision.
We will spend six million dollars. Allocate instead those six million to the
treatment of children with cancer,” wrote Edik Baghdasaryan on his Facebook
page on August 11. Baghdasaryan is a prominent investigative journalist known
for his stories exposing government corruption in Armenia. He is the head of the
Armenian Association of Investigative Journalists and editor of Armenia’s only
investigative journalism newspaper, Hetq.

“On September 23, four days before the anniversary of the
44-day war, the government is organizing a big concert. Deputy Prime Ministers
and Ministers sat humbly at the Cabinet meeting today. And although some of
them were against that decision, they remained silent. Everyone is silent and
obedient. There is no food or medicine in Artsakh, we don’t know what could
happen every minute there, on the borders. Against this background, why are you
organizing this celebration? Cancel that gig. And in general, what does the
government have to do with organizing a concert?” questioned Baghdasaryan.

The Armenian government initially denied these reports. In a
statement released on July 29, the Prime Minister’s Office said the media
reports were “totally untrue” while adding that the Cabinet would soon adopt a
decision in relation to the concert—and all the details, including its possible
economic impact, would be made public.

Observers note that concerts and visits to Armenia in recent
years by such world stars and celebrities as American rapper 50 Cent, Armenian
American musician Serj Tankian, Armenian American reality TV star Kim
Kardashian and her former spouse, rapper Kanye West have helped raise the
country’s international visibility and attract a greater number of tourists
both immediately as well as in the longer run.

Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., a 51-year-old rapper and actor
professionally known as Snoop Dogg, has sold 35 million albums worldwide since
1992, and remains one of the world’s most popular performers.

 

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

4-         Nareg Keshishian
Appointed Principal of Armenian
Mesrobian School

 

The Board of Regents of the Prelacy Armenian Schools
announced the appointment of Nareg Keshishian as the new principal of Armenian Mesrobian School.

Nareg Keshishian is a graduate of Armenian
Mesrobian School,
class of 1981, and his educational background includes a degree in History from
University of California
at Los Angeles
(UCLA), and teaching credential from Teachers College Columbia University.
Keshishian has received numerous awards including Revson Foundation/NY Times 50
most inspirational teachers in NY City and the Hoover Hero award.

With a background in education, which includes teaching,
mentoring, and administration, Keshishian has designed and implemented an
enrichment program for Kindergarten, 4th, 5th and 9th grades at The Renaissance
School, Queens NY and has served as a teacher and mentoring program coordinator
at Paul Robeson HS, Brooklyn
NY. After his time in New York,
Keshishian has served as a teacher, student body advisor and chair of the
Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) school culture group at
Hoover HS in Glendale, Calif.; and as a teacher, Director of APEX credit
recovery program, and chapter advisor for Junior State of America and Armenian
club at Crescenta Valley High School in La Crescenta, CA.

 

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Armenia calls for UN help on Nagorno-Karabakh

Elizabeth Jabejian
Aug 13 2023

Armenia on Saturday (12 August) urged the UN Security Council to hold a crisis meeting on Nagorno-Karabakh, citing a “deteriorating humanitarian situation” after accusing Azerbaijan of blocking supplies to the disputed region.

The Caucasus neighbours have been locked in a dispute over the enclave — internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan — since the 1980s and fought two wars over the territory.

The second, in 2020, saw the defeat of Armenian forces and significant territorial gains for Azerbaijan.

“The Armenian government demands the intervention of the UN Security Council as the main organ for safeguarding global security,” Mher Margaryan, Armenia’s permanent representative to the UN, said in a letter to the body.

For months, Yerevan has accused Baku of stopping traffic through the Lachin corridor — a short, mountainous road linking Armenia to Armenian-populated settlements in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

In his letter, Margaryan referred to “serious shortages” of food, medicine and fuel in the majority Armenian-populated region of Azerbaijan and cuts in electricity and gas supplies.

“This situation has led to rising mortality due to several illnesses,” said Margaryan, citing patients suffering from conditions including diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

“The population of Nagorno-Karabakh today stands on the edge of a veritable humanitarian catastrophe,” he warned, accusing Azerbaijan of “deliberately creating unbearable living conditions for the population.”

That, he wrote, amounted to an “atrocity” designed to force them from their homes.

Armenia and international aid groups have meanwhile been warning that the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is dire and deteriorating, with shortages of food, medicines and energy.

The two neighbours have been unable to reach a lasting peace settlement despite mediation efforts by the European Union, United States and Russia.

Asbarez: AMAA to Celebrate Armenian Evangelical Education and Honor Legacy of Benefactor Edward Avedisian

Elizabeth Jabejian
by Contributor

 

 

 

in Armenia, Community, Latest, News, Top Stories

Pamela and Edward Avedissian with the Architectural drawing of Avedisian School


BY PHYLLIS DOHANIAN

As children we were often asked what we wanted to be when we grew up. The answers usually spread across a wide range of fantasies – the president, a princess, or even an astronaut.

Ribbon cutting ceremony of Avedisian School. From l to r: AMAA Executive Director/CEO Zaven Khanjian and Pamela & Edward Avedisian

Fortunately for the Armenian community, one young man in Pawtucket, Rhode Island dreamed a very different dream. Observing his parents’ words and many selfless deeds reaching out to care for the needy, Edward Avedisian embarked upon a lifetime of helping others. Through many years of helping his own community, Ed developed a vision of how best to impact the well-being of Armenians into an action plan which would play a pivotal role for the future of Armenia. By providing the poorest and most deprived of children in Yerevan with the highest quality education from pre-kindergarten through secondary school at no cost, Ed wished to empower them to lift themselves to a level where they could not only obtain a good job, but also raise their own families within Armenia, assist other neighbors in need, and uplift their community and country.

A drafty and derelict building in Yerevan was the perfect place for Ed and his wife Pamela to make his dream a reality. In Melanya Geghamyan, principal of the Avedisian School from its inception, he found the perfect partner. Melanya listened as Ed told anyone who was within earshot that a true Armenian patriot should see the future of Armenia in an educated generation and should give the nation educated children. Melanya worked diligently day and night to make this shared mantra a reality.

Beginning in 1999 with kindergarten, adding one grade with each successive year with a middle school and a high school to follow and then, in conjunction with AUA, a university education for those eager children with the drive and skills to work hard to capture the future, the Khoren and Shooshanig Avedisian School came to be.

Providing the highest quality education to these young people was only one part of Ed’s vision. Ed’s dream also included working tirelessly to build the first LEED building in Armenia, introducing a more ecologically sound construction standard by finding and educating Armenia’s construction leaders as they built a facility with significantly reduced operating costs. The Avedisian School continues its growth with a greenhouse, each of which provides a strong future for Armenia.

Ed walked the school grounds, listened to the teachers, met with the students, and observed the needs of the community and Armenia on every visit. Quietly, humbly, but tenaciously, Ed continued to expand upon his original vision, considering what the next project should be to continue addressing vital needs of Armenia and be an inspiration for young people currently pondering what their own dreams will be for the benefit of all Armenians.

Pamela Avedisian delivering her message at the 2023 Graduation Ceremony of Avedisian School
Avedisian School Princiopal Geghamyan addressing the students and guests at the 2023 Graduation Ceremony of Avedisian School

Armenian Evangelicals have a long tradition supporting education. In our historic Homeland, in the Near East, wherever our ancestors settled in Diaspora, we have planted schools near our churches to help our Armenian community grow ever stronger which has proved to be a blessing to us all.

Speaking at the Avedisian School graduation this June, Pamela Avedisian reminded the graduates, their families and all the students and teachers present of the pride she and Ed shared in celebrating the personal successes of each Avedisian student and graduate. “It is deeply gratifying knowing all Ed and I have contributed has impacted the lives of so many…, and our projects will further impact Armenia for decades to come. I hope that all of you get to the point where you can give back, as enriching the lives of others is what it is all about.”

Khoren and Shooshanig Avedisian School in Yerevan, Armenia

Together we have rejoiced with Ed and Pamela in each success of the Avedisian School. Today we share the opportunity of fulfilling the last stage of Ed Avedisian’s dream, that we honor his memory and vision by continuing to support the Avedisian School so it may continue to be a beacon of exceptional education serving the needs of our children and Armenia.

Berj Karazian, a distinguished and Honored Artist of Armenia, a major Soloist of the Yerevan National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater will perform the musical selections during the Banquet. This celebrated outstanding tenor, Karazian, has performed all over the world in famous concert halls of more than 25 countries. Karazian will be accompanied by Soprano Armine Vardanyan, an esteemed artist who recently had her debut in Carnegie Hall, and in the Opera Magic Flute as the Queen of Night in Opera America of New York.

Please join me in celebrating Armenian Evangelical Education at the AMAA’s Annual Banquet on October 21st at the San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront in San Francisco, CA. For more information you may visit the AMAA website at amaa.org

Phyllis Dohanian of Belmont, Mass. is an AMAA Board member




BREAKING: Azeri blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh constitutes genocide, confirms ex-ICC prosecutor L. Ocampo

Elizabeth Jabejian

 12:12, 9 August 2023

YEREVAN, AUGUST 9, ARMENPRESS. Luis Moreno Ocampo, a leading specialist in international law, former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court and lecturer at Harvard and Yale has issued an expert opinion in response to the Nagorno-Karabakh president’s request and concluded that the Azerbaijani blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh in fact constitutes genocide.

“There is an ongoing Genocide against 120,000 Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh. The blockade of the Lachin Corridor by the Azerbaijani security forces impeding access to any food, medical supplies, and other essentials should be considered a Genocide under Article II, (c) of the Genocide Convention: “Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction,” Ocampo said in the expert opinion.

“There are no crematories, and there are no machete attacks. Starvation is the invisible Genocide weapon. Without immediate dramatic change, this group of Armenians will be destroyed in a few weeks,” he warned.

“The International Court of Justice, at the request of Armenia, has already analyzed the Lachin corridor’s blockade. The Court focused on State liability for alleged violations of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination rather than individual criminal responsibility for the commission of Genocide. Though predicated on a different set of State obligations, the Court confirmed the occurrence of the material elements of Genocide that are set out in Article II, (c) of the Genocide Convention: “Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction.” The Court’s preliminary findings considered “plausible” that the Lachin corridor blockade produced “a real and imminent risk” to the “health and life” of an ethnic group, “the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh.” The intention, a subjective element required by the crime of Genocide, should be deduced from the facts and statements from President Aliyev, who has supreme authority in Azerbaijan. President Aliyev, in a fair trial, would have the opportunity to provide a different interpretation of the indicia. In the meantime, there is reasonable basis to believe that President Aliyev has Genocidal intentions: he has knowingly, willingly and voluntarily blockaded the Lachin Corridor even after having been placed on notice regarding the consequences of his actions by the ICJ’s provisional orders. The facts are:

  1. President Aliyev deliberately blocked the provision of life’s essentials to the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh.
  2. He openly disobeyed the specific orders of the International Court of Justice, “to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles, and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.”
  3. The ICJ order put him on notice about the “real and imminent risk” created by the blockade to an Armenian group “health and life.” President Aliyev’s public statements affirming that the blockade was the consequence of people smuggling minerals and i-phones through the Lachin Corridor is a diversion. Smuggling activities should be properly investigated but they are not an excuse to disobey a binding order of the International Court of Justice or a justification to commit a Genocide,” the international law expert added.

Regarding President Aliyev’s intentions, Ocampo concluded, “The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, is de jure and de facto Supreme Commander of the security forces in Azerbaijan. Under his command the security border personnel have been placed in control of the checkpoint on the Lachin Corridor and blocked transit of all goods and people. President Alliyev’s intention to destroy the “Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh” should be deduced from his informed, voluntary and antagonistic decisions with full disregard of the International Court of Justice orders. In 2020, when President Aliyev accepted the Russian peacekeepers and agreed to guarantee a free corridor between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, he implicitly recognized the Nagorno-Karabakh’s de facto autonomy. Then, a few months later, when Russia became engaged with Ukraine, President Aliyev reversed direction and decided that the region has no autonomy. Instead of negotiating the autonomy of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, he systematically took steps through a series of decisions to eliminate the Armenians living in NagornoKarabakh.”

“President Aliyev should be investigated for Genocide because he is at the top of the state apparatus and controls decisions politically, militarily and diplomatically. He’s the mastermind behind the operations of the Genocide,” he added.

Article IV of the Genocide Convention establishes that “persons committing genocide shall be punished,” even if “they are constitutionally responsible rulers.”

But there is no independent criminal justice system ready to investigate the crime of Genocide allegedly committed by President Aliyev. President Aliyev cannot be investigated by any foreign national authorities because he enjoys immunity as a head of state. The International Criminal Court provides a jurisdiction where such immunity does not apply. There are three ways to start an ICC investigation for the commission of the crimes in Lachin Corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh:

1) Azerbaijan becomes a state party (Article 12(1) of the Rome Statute);

2) Azerbaijan accepts the jurisdiction of the Court on its territory (Article 12(3) of the Rome Statute); or

3) The UN Security Council refers the situation of the Lachin Corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh after December 2022 to the ICC (Article 13(b) of the Rome Statute).

But Azerbaijan is not a state party of the Rome Statute (Article 12(1)), the treaty creating the ICC and has not accepted the ICC’s jurisdiction (Article 12(3)). As a result, immediate state action is required to adopt a UN Security Council Resolution referring the situation in the Lachin Corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh to the ICC, Ocampo said, citing precedents.

“In March 2005, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1395, referring the Darfur, Sudan situation to the ICC. Five years later, President Omar Al Bashir was indicted for Genocide. In February 2011, the UN Security Council referred the situation in Libya to the Court. In June 2011 the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Muammar Gaddafi for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Obtaining a UN Security Council Resolution to provide ICC jurisdiction should be feasible. Under the Genocide Convention, state parties have an obligation to prevent and punish Genocide, and 14 of the current 15 members of the UN Security Council are also parties of that Convention, providing an overwhelming majority. France proposed, as early as in 2013, that the five permanent members of the Council voluntarily and collectively suspend the use of the veto in case of Genocide and other mass atrocities.”

The expert noted that the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh is an opportunity for the international community to develop an innovative and harmonious solution to prevent Genocide.

“How to Prevent the Final Destruction of the Armenian Group? President Aliyev as well as the international community has the rare opportunity to prevent further casualties and the “physical destruction” of a group in this Genocide. Timely prevention requires the adoption of urgent political decisions, a) to stop the blockade and reestablish the provision of essentials to Nagorno Karabakh in one or two weeks, and b) institutional solutions to the disputed territorial claims. It should be adopted before May 2025 because, at that moment, Azerbaijan can request the end of the Russian peacekeeper protection. By design, there are no central authorities at the international level to adopt such urgent measures. A specific International Court of Justice ruling on Genocide, smart sanctions, and other classic diplomatic tools would not be quick and strong enough. In the short term, which is crucial to stop the ongoing Genocide by starvation, the duty of prevention would be exclusively defined by the interest of the states involved in the conflict. In April 1994, most of the UN Security Council members refused to call "Genocide" what was happening in Rwanda. During the debate the Czech Ambassador challenged the intense focus on a negotiation to achieve a new ceasefire, which he likened to asking the Jews to reach a truce with Hitler. In “A Problem from Hell,” Samantha Power explains the crucial role of the citizen in transforming the national leaders’ interests in a Genocide abroad. The voice of the Armenians in the diaspora could reduce the failure by design created by the international legal architecture. They should be mobilized worldwide to reach national leaders and promote a pragmatic solutions. Russia, responsible for peacekeeping in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the US, promoting current negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, are state parties of the Genocide Convention, as are all the European Union members. They have a privileged position to prevent this Genocide. Their intense confrontation due to the Ukrainian conflict should not transform the Armenians into collateral victims. Is it possible to assist European, Russian, and USA leaders to reach a joint position to stop the ongoing Armenian Genocide? If they could agree, the food will reach the Armenians within one day. The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh is an opportunity for the international community to develop an innovative and harmonious solution to prevent Genocide. Under Article 16 of the Rome Statute, a criminal investigation could eventually be suspended by the UN Security Council to find a final and fair solution. President Aliyev asked: “Why Spain does not allow Catalunya to have a referendum? Why should we tolerate separatism?” The simple answer to complex issues of sovereignty involved in the question is that Spain is not committing genocide to control separatist efforts,” he said.