Author: Emil Karabekian

40% drop in remittances from Russia projected

Emil Karabekian

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 14:11, 28 March, 2022

YEREVAN, MARCH 28, ARMENPRESS. Around 850 million dollars in remittances flow into Armenia from Russia every year, but due to the situation in Russia this number could drop around 40%, Armenian Finance Minister Tigran Khachatryan said.

Speaking on Armenian exports to Russia, Khachatryan expressed confidence that Armenian exporters will overall find new opportunities. He cited similar situations of 2015 and 2016.

“In 2021 we had around 860-870 million dollars in exports to Russia,” he said, adding that the businesses got impacted when there were currency shocks and their debts were in rubles.

The finance minister didn’t give assessments as to how much this would impact economic activity in 2022.

AW: ANCA “Rising Leaders” program empowers Armenian American youth

Emil Karabekian
March 29, 2022 ANCA ANCA News 0

ANCA Rising Leaders 2022 – Session 2 participants at the Capitol for Lucine Kouchakdjian Capitol Hill Day

WASHINGTON, DC – A stellar group of Armenian American youth leaders from across the US took their pro-Artsakh/Armenia advocacy to the next level during the Armenian National Committee of America’s “Rising Leaders: Career Development and Civic Education” program, a unique three-day immersion seminar that encourages students to explore careers in policy, politics and media while advancing Armenian American community priorities.

“Our 2022 ANCA Rising Leaders brought their A-game to Washington, DC – inspiring everyone they engaged during three days of career exploration and ANCA advocacy,” said ANCA Programs director Alex Manoukian. “All our ANCA youth empowerment programs are laser-focused on providing the best opportunities for Armenian American students to excel professionally while expanding the Armenian American civic voice in all levels of government, policy, and media. We are thankful to our program partners, our captivating speakers, our generous donors, and, of course, our incredible participants for making ANCA Rising Leaders 2022 such a success.”

During two separate three-day sessions, coinciding with Spring Break timelines at major universities, participants sat down with Congressional leaders, international development specialists, government, media and communication experts to learn more about the myriad of career opportunities in the nation’s capital and to connect with the growing Armenian American professional network in the nation’s capital

Once again, the ANCA teamed up with the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) Eastern and Western U.S. and the Georgetown University Armenian Students Association (Georgetown ASA) in hosting these unique student-focused events, generously supported by Dean Shahinian and the family of the late ANCA activist Lucine Kouchakdjian. Throughout the weekend, the ANCA and AYF discussed the broad range of youth empowerment programs both organizations host – in Washington, DC and communities across the US, as well as in Armenia and Artsakh – offering a variety of internship and volunteer options for students to explore while in college and beyond.

Planning for the Future:  Career Opportunities in the Nation’s Capital

The first day of the Rising Leaders program focused on career development with a full day of interactive presentations by the ANCA Hovig Apo Saghdejian Capital Gateway Program Advisory Committee (CGPAC) focusing on job search fundamentals, from resume preparation and networking 101 to an overview of the Washington, DC internship and job market. CGPAC chair Maria Martirosyan and board members Tadeh Issakhanian, Areni Margossian, Arsen Markarov and Lucine Mikhanjian – all alumni of the Capital Gateway Program who have excelled in their chosen careers – offered one-on-one mentoring to the Rising Leaders and insights on best practices of embarking on their post-university job search.

ANCA National Board Member Ani Tchaghlasian discusses the important role that every Armenian American can play – whatever their career choices – in defending Artsakh, supporting Armenia, and securing justice for the Armenian Genocide.

ANCA National Board member Ani Tchaghlasian offered keynote remarks during the first session, explaining how she has balanced her career in finance with Armenian American advocacy priorities and the important role that every Armenian American can play – whatever their career choices – in defending Artsakh, supporting Armenia and securing justice for the Armenian Genocide. “Our ANCA Rising Leaders are inspiring – each bringing their particular career interests and unique take on Armenian American advocacy priorities to Washington, DC to learn from industry experts and hone their advocacy skills in service to our community and cause,” said Tchaghlasian. “The ANCA looks forward to working with each and every one of these leaders throughout their university years and beyond to help take youth involvement in US policymaking to the next level.”

ANCA Rising Leaders 2022 – Session 2 participants with ANCA National Board Member Zanku Armenian, Hovig Apo Saghdejian Capital Gateway Program Advisory Committee Chair Maria Martirosyan and members Tadeh Issakhanian and Arsen Markarov, and the ANCA’s Nerses Semerjian and Elizabeth Chouldjian.

During the second session, ANCA National Board member Zanku Armenian offered the career exploration keynote and presented a deep dive into effective public policy and communication strategies and how to leverage a keen understanding of social media and traditional media in advancing Armenian American priorities. “Communicating the realities of the 2020 Artsakh War and Azerbaijan’s ongoing attacks on the Armenian homeland to the administration and Congress – and in US media – is paramount in our ongoing efforts to hold Aliyev and Erdogan accountable for their genocidal actions, to get lifesaving US assistance to the people of Artsakh, and to zero-out military aid to Azerbaijan,” explained Armenian. “The ANCA Rising Leaders and the Lucine Kouchakdjian Capitol Hill Day play a critical role in offering hands-on advocacy and media training to Armenian American youth ready to take their pro-Artsakh advocacy to the next level.”

Insights into government relations, international development and media careers in Washington, DC were offered by Karoun Tcholakian from the Department of Health and Human Services Department of Global Affairs; Sam Tatevosyan, director of Government Relations at McDonald’s Corporation; Mannik Sakayan, an independent consultant on policy and advocacy with decades of Capitol Hill experience; Greg Aftandilian, a professor and foreign policy expert whose career has spanned the State Department and Congress; Nina Etyemezian, an international development executive with decades of experience at USAID and other global initiatives; Taleen Mekhdjavakian, senior director of Government Affairs at Fresenius Medical Care; Mher Setian, president and CEO of SOSi International; Bob Sogegian, CEO at Exovera; Aaron Sherinian, global communications and public relations expert with a career spanning US Foreign Service to the UN Agency, and a score of philanthropic organizations; and Charlie Mahtesian, senior politics editor at Politico.

Greg Aftandilian, a foreign policy expert whose career has spanned the State Department and Congress, with participants of ANCA Rising Leaders – Session 2.

Armenian Cause 101: Pro-Artsakh/Armenia Advocacy and the Lucine Kouchakdjian Capitol Hill Day

Effective advocacy for pro-Artsakh and Armenia priorities took center stage during keynote remarks by ANCA chairman Raffi Hamparian and ANCA Government Affairs director Tereza Yerimyan, who outlined the ANCA’s focused campaign to stop all US military aid to Azerbaijan, hold Turkey and Azerbaijan accountable for war crimes during the 2020 Artsakh War and thereafter, and securing $50 million in US assistance to Artsakh to help the over 100,000 ethnically cleansed indigenous Armenian population of Artsakh return to their ancestral homes. Participants learned first-hand about Artsakh foreign policy and domestic challenges from Robert Avetisyan, Artsakh Ambassador to the United States.

ANCA Rising Leaders 2022 – Session 1 participants with ANCA Chairman Raffi Hamparian and ANCA Government Affairs Director Tereza Yerimyan and ANCA Programs Director Alex Manoukian

These discussions culminated in the Lucine Kouchakdjian Capitol Hill Day, a full day of Capitol Hill discussions with members of Congress including Representatives Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Linda Sanchez (D-CA), as well as Congressional staff on strengthening US-Armenia ties, supporting Artsakh freedom and securing justice for the Armenian Genocide. Lucine Kouchakdjian’s son Ara offered poignant remarks to Rising Leaders participants about his mother’s lifelong passion for advocating for the Armenian homeland and commitment to expanding the Armenian American community’s voice in the nation’s capital.

In Their Own Words: ANCA Rising Leaders speak out on inspiring program

The 2022 ANCA Rising Leaders included the following participants from across the US and Canada: Claudia Aklian, Anjelique Alexander, Aram Apanian, Alexander Badoyan, Nyrah Balabanian, Nareg Balian, Lori Baronian, Mari Bijimenian, Beiyna Chaparian, Brandon Fregenti, Taguhi Gurunyan, Leana Hacopian, Areni Hamparian, Zabelle Hamparian, Galy Jackmakjian, Nareg Kassardjian, Abraham Kiwanian, Narod  Kiwanian, Garine Koushagjian, Jibid Melkonian, Danielle Mikaelian, Vaughn Nahapetian, Aram Parnagian, Hovsep Seferian, Lar Tabakian, Alexis Tolmajian, Meghry Tutunjian and James Zobian.

In individual video spotlights shared throughout the weekend, participants recounted their efforts to advance the Armenian Cause through activism in their local ANC, AYF, campus Armenian Students Association (ASA), Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Association dance groups, Homenetmen, Armenian Church Youth Organization of America (ACYOA) and other youth groups.

The full set of videos can be found on the ANCA’s YouTube channel.

Aram Parnagian, a University at Buffalo graduate, “The ANCA Rising Leaders Program inspires youth to be politically active and professionally successful through an Armenian lens.” Alexis Tolmajian from the University of California, Los Angeles concurred, noting, “The ANCA is an asset in pushing forth the Armenian Cause in America.”

The powerful women of ANCA Rising Leaders 2022 – Session 2 on the steps of the Capitol.

Clark University student Beiyna Chaparian explained, “I am very passionate about being involved in my community. I have been a member of the AYF from a very young age and am always ready to take on important projects within the community. I am grateful to have this opportunity to learn how to advocate for my people and I will always strive to further the Armenian Cause in whatever I do.”

“It should be the goal of every Armenian to thrive in their field and give back to the motherland,” said Robinson Secondary student Hovsep Seferyan, who had previously participated in the ANCA Haroutioun and Elizabeth Kasparian Summer Academy. “The ANCA gives us the tools to do just that.”

Alexander Badoyan from Armenian Mesrobian School explained, “Since I was in the ninth grade, I’ve known I wanted to be involved in government and help out the Armenian community. Joining the Rising Leaders program not only showed me that I could do both, but helped me find career pathways as well. I’m thankful for the opportunity to be able to talk to important Armenian leaders in Washington, DC alongside the ANCA.”

The young men of ANCA Rising Leaders 2022 – Session 2 take a quick break from lobbying on the steps of the US Capitol.

A Word of Thanks: Dean Shahinian and Kouchakdjian Family continue commitment to youth education and empowerment

Longtime ANCA supporter Dean Shahinian is again the major sponsor of this unique youth development program along with the family and friends of Lucine Kouchakdjian.

Shahinian served in the federal government in various capacities for over 30 years, including 16 years at the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, where he worked with committee chairs on numerous bills and laws, including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the Dodd-Frank Act. In the Armenian community, he has served on the boards of St. Nersess Seminary and the Armenian Students Association. He has also served multiple terms on the Diocesan Council of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America.

For dozens of years, living in the Washington, DC area – in addition to her cultural, education, and charitable work with a broad range of community organizations – the late Lucine Zadoian Kouchakdjian organized highly effective ANCA campaigns to foster a forward-leaning spirit of civic responsibility among Armenian Americans across the nation’s capital. The Rising Leaders Capitol Hill day was named in memory of her lifetime of service to the Armenian Cause following her passing last year.

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The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and most influential Armenian-American grassroots organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.


Tatoyan: Government’s proposed ‘mirror withdrawal of troops’ disastrous for security of Armenia, Artsakh

Emil Karabekian
Panorama
Armenia – April 1 2022

Armenia’s former Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) Arman Tatoyan claims the government’s proposal on a "mirror withdrawal of troops" from the Armenian-Azerbaijani border would be disastrous for the security of Armenia and Artsakh.

In a public post on Facebook on Friday, he pointed to the recent Azerbaijani invasion of Artsakh’s settlements, adding it is the result of the government's idea of the "mirror withdrawal of troops".

“This idea was reprehensibly moved to the public plane, was pushed forward and became part of an agenda that benefited Azerbaijani interests,” Tatoyan said.

“The possibility of withdrawal of Azerbaijani forces from our villages and intercommunal roads has been consistently nullified, separating security from the individual and his/her rights, reducing everything to the military and political sphere.

“The situation has been and continues to be exacerbated by senior Armenian officials, who have given the Azerbaijani authorities grounds for troop reinforcements with their irresponsible and politically motivated statements. They make official statements in line with their political interests, conceding to Azerbaijan territorial rights, ignoring the rights of the population of Armenia and Artsakh to security, life and other rights,” he stressed.

At the same time, the ex-ombudsman underscored, the Azerbaijani troops continue their criminal acts, opening fire at Armenian border villages, seizing their lands and houses, thus deliberately making life unbearable for the people.

Tatoyan says the Armenian government avoids providing clarifications to the public over the proposal on the withdrawal of troops.

“Does the proposed "mirror withdrawal of troops" concern only the incursions of Azerbaijani forces in Gegharkunik, Syunik Provinces, or also other settlements? If this refers only to incursions, what solutions are proposed for the safety, property and other rights of people in other areas? The government's conduct is simply reprehensible,” he said.

“Moreover, uncertainty prevails not only in Armenia, Artsakh and the Diaspora, but also in the international arena. Therefore, the "mirror withdrawal of troops" is only a political idea devoid of professional grounds, and in the current situation it poses a serious threat to our homeland, the security and the vital rights of all of us,” Tatoyan stated.

USC Institute of Armenian Studies Brings Studio to LA in Mobile Truck

Emil Karabekian
by Contributor

 

 April 1, 2022

 

in Community, Latest, News, Top Stories

USC Institute of Armenian Studies #MyArmenianStory Mobile Truck flyer

LOS ANGELES—With a mobile studio in a retrofitted food truck, USC Institute of Armenian Studies is traveling throughout Southern California to encourage and invite people to record their life stories.  

#MyArmenianStory is a crowd-sourced oral history project that has thus far gathered nearly 100 interviews from around the world. The purpose of the project is to record, gather, and document individual stories and reconstitute them as part of the national story. The method is simple: enlist anyone who is willing to interview and/or be interviewed to discover and record family stories and more. Everyone’s story is relevant, and together, they all make up the Armenian Story. 

The Armenian experience of the 20th and 21st centuries is ingrained in the memories of the generations who lived it – California Armenians who lived in Boyle Heights, Hollywood and Pasadena, Soviet citizens who lived to see Armenian independence, and those caught in the Lebanese Civil War or the Iranian Revolution, refugees from Syria and Iraq, and so many others. These are Armenian stories that have individual value to families, but collectively, are essential history sources for scholars and creatives.   

The Los Angeles County and the cities of Los Angeles, Glendale, and Pasadena celebrate Armenian heritage during the month of April and this is an opportunity to partner with city and community organizations to commemorate and remember in a way that is meaningful and lasting. 

The mobile studio, housed in a bright taco truck in University of Souther California colors, can be found throughout Southern California. Individuals wanting to interview and be interviewed will be seated inside the truck, given guidelines and questions, and their conversation will be recorded.  

For those interested in just being interviewed or would like to volunteer to do the interviewing, the Institute staff is ready to make a match. The testimony will be made available to the participants. And, anyone can receive detailed information and instructions on how to conduct interviews at home with loved ones, in person or remotely.

The ambition is to collect as many stories as possible for future reference as a primary source for scholars and artists interested in the global Armenian experience. 

The recordings will be archived at USC Digital Libraries, and in other regional and global collections, thus accessible to researchers around the world.

While the mobile #MyArmenianStory Mobile Studio will travel for one month, the project as a whole will continue. Armenians around the world are encouraged to participate in this important initiative by interviewing and sharing their stories with the Institute. Questionnaires, guidelines and all needed information is available in English, French, Spanish and Russian, as well as Eastern and Western Armenian.

Established in 2005, the USC Institute of Armenian Studies supports multidisciplinary scholarship to re-define, explore and study the complex issues that make up the contemporary Armenian experience—from post-genocide to the developing Republic of Armenia to the evolving diaspora. The institute encourages research, publications and public service, and promotes links among the global academic and Armenian communities.

For inquiries, write to [email protected] or call (213) 821-3943

FM Mirzoyan, French Ambassador discuss situation in Nagorno Karabakh following invasion of Azerbaijani army

Emil Karabekian

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 19:06,

YEREVAN, MARCH 28, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan received Ambassador of France to Armenia Anne Louyot on March 28.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the MFA Armenia, the meeting focused on the situation in Nagorno Karabakh following the invasion of the Azerbaijani armed forces. Ararat Mirzoyan considered inadmissible the continuous provocations by Azerbaijan against the civilian population of Nagorno Karabakh, aggressive actions, attempts to deliberately disrupt the normal operation of vital infrastructure.

Minister Mirzoyan highlighted the appropriate and targeted response of the international community to the situation, aimed at the withdrawal of the Azerbaijani armed forces from the territory of Nagorno Karabakh and the de-escalation of the situation.

A Crime Against Humanity Was Allegedly Followed By a Crime Against the Families of the Victims

Emil Karabekian
March 24 2022

The Los Angeles Times documents a postscript to the Armenian Genocide.

 By Charles P. Pierce

Mar 24, 2022

BULENT KILICGETTY IMAGES

Not far from this very keyboard, in Watertown Square in Massachusetts, stands the Armenian Museum of America. Founded in 1971, in the midst of one of the largest Armenian communities in the country, the museum took the following as its mission:

The Armenian Museum of America is the largest Armenian Museum in the Diaspora. It has grown into a major repository for all forms of Armenian material culture that illustrate the creative endeavors of the Armenian people over the centuries. Today, the Museum’s collections hold more than 25,000 artifacts including 5,000 ancient and medieval Armenian coins, 1,000 stamps and maps, 3,000 textiles, and 180 Armenian inscribed rugs. In addition to more than 30,000 books in the Research Library, there is an extensive collection of Urartian and religious artifacts, ceramics, medieval illuminations, and various other objects. The collection includes historically significant objects, including five of the Armenian Bibles printed in Amsterdam in 1666.

But the Armenian Museum is more than just a storehouse of artifacts. It’s a living museum and library which offers exhibits and diverse cultural and literary programs to its members and the community at large.

In the museum, in addition to these artifacts, is a permanent exhibit on the Armenian Genocide, the systematic forced dislocation and murder of up to 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1923, a policy so infamous that Adolf Hitler used it as a justification for his own crimes against humanity. The difference, which Hitler himself cited, was that, due to Turkish resistance, acknowledgement of the genocide’s reality was delayed for decades by Western nations that should’ve known better. For example, the United States recognized the Armenian Genocide three years ago this April.

Anyway, during the 2000s, a series of lawsuits, based in Los Angeles, seemed to achieve a kind of circumscribed justice for the descendants of the murdered Armenians. From the Los Angeles Times:

Then, in the mid-2000s, court cases in Los Angeles, home to one of the largest Armenian communities outside Armenia, delivered a measure of justice that history had long denied. Three Armenian American attorneys sued to collect life insurance policies on victims of the genocide, and came away with a pair of class-action settlements totaling $37.5 million. Finally, in an American courtroom, the genocide was treated as fact.

Of course, that being a whole lot of money, and this being the United States of America, the vultures were reportedly waiting.

In the decade that followed, however, the much hoped-for reparations devolved into a corrupted process marked by diverted funds and misconduct that even the lawyers involved characterized as fraud, The Times found in an investigation that drew on newly unsealed case filings, other court documents, official records, and interviews. More than $1.1 million in a settlement with a French insurer was directed at various points to sham claimants and bank accounts controlled by a Beverly Hills attorney with no official role in that case, according to court filings and financial records. A French foundation that was supposed to distribute millions in settlement funds to charity was never set up, and some $1 million of that money ended up at Loyola Law School, the alma mater of two attorneys in the case, according to an accounting provided by the school.

Uh-oh.

Armenians who stepped forward to collect on ancestors’ policies in the settlement with the French insurer had their claims rejected at an astonishing rate of 92%, court records show. Applicants were denied despite offering convincing evidence such as century-old insurance records, birth certificates, ship manifests, hand-drawn family trees and copies of heirloom Bibles. “It was for us blood money — blood of the people killed in the genocide,” said Samuel Shnorhokian, a retired French businessman who served on a court-approved settlement board and has tried for years to persuade the FBI and other agencies to investigate. “We never thought there would be misappropriation of funds.”

The history behind the lawsuits is a fascinating one. A California lawyer read in the memoir of a former U.S. ambassador to the Ottoman Empire that, acting with complete impunity, the Turkish government demanded the payouts of American life-insurance policies held by the Armenians that the Turkish government had killed. For a while, the lawsuit strategy sailed along smoothly. Then everything went sideways.

It was in the second case that red flags emerged. That settlement, with Paris-based insurer AXA, designated up to $11.35 million for descendants. Decisions about whether applications were legitimate or not were to be made by a board of three prominent French Armenians, according to the settlement terms and court filings. Months before the French board’s appointment, the attorneys — Kabateck, Yeghiayan and Geragos — established important parts of the approval process in Los Angeles, according to court records and lawyers’ emails later turned over to authorities.

They installed as settlement administrator — the coordinator of the claims process — a courtroom interpreter from Glendale who had helped run the New York Life settlement. They instructed him to hire staff and set up operations in downtown L.A., in the same Wilshire Boulevard office used for the New York Life case. The arrangement put the process of deciding who got money 6,000 miles from Paris, making it difficult for the French board to provide any meaningful oversight.

This unwieldy arrangement resulted in new—and, in the minds of many of the plaintiffs, unreasonably restrictive—criteria by which to judge the claims made for the money.

The new criterion appears to have had a profound effect: Accountings in court records show that less than 8% of AXA claims applications were approved for payment. One result of the low approval rate was that millions of dollars in the settlement accounts could be used, per the wording of the settlement, for charitable purposes.

Those rejected on the city-of-residence basis included people who had provided what appeared to be overwhelming evidence that they were rightful heirs, according to archived files reviewed by The Times in recent months. Some who were denied had sent copies of their ancestors’ insurance policies — among the strongest possible proof that they had valid claims. The archived files suggest evaluators dismissed applications without reviewing the evidence, writing: “cities don’t match.”

The alleged actions of the administrators and the lawyers add one more violation to those already visited upon the families of the victims.

Another denied applicant wrote that he had sent 23 records to prove he was a descendant and had been counting on the money for heart surgery. “My paternal grandparents were beheaded at my father’s presence,” he wrote. “Honestly I’m so disappointed.”

Where the money reportedly went turned out to be another scandalous aspect of the whole affair.

Of the hundreds of Armenians approved for compensation from the AXA fund, a Syrian named Zaven Haleblian stood apart. He was awarded $574,425, more than any other individual, according to a settlement database later provided to authorities, court records and filings with the State Bar of California.

Yet as the French board soon learned, Haleblian had never heard of the AXA settlement, let alone applied for it.

With the files and bank records, the French board and Yeghiayan started working together to unravel where the money went in the AXA settlement. The Glendale lawyer tracked down Haleblian in Aleppo and arranged for him to be questioned under oath in the U.S. During a deposition, he expressed shock that checks had been issued in his name. He said he had never heard of the supposed ancestors — members of the Funduklian family — listed for him in the settlement database.

The story has an even more sprawling cast of characters, many of whom seem to have been drawn to a pot of money the way sharks are drawn to blood. The allegation is that a historic crime against humanity resulted in a historic crime against the descendants of the victims.

 

Azerbaijani press: OIC resolution reaffirms Azerbaijan’s right to demand compensation from Armenia (PHOTO)

Emil Karabekian
Politics Materials 23 March 2022 20:41


BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 23. On March 22-23, Islamabad hosted the 48th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on the topic "Building a partnership for unity, justice and development", Trend reports citing Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

The session discussed a wide range of issues related to the Islamic world, including the activities of the OIC General Secretariat in the implementation of resolutions on Palestine and Jerusalem, as well as the security situation in the period after the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Niamey in 2020. Other political issues were also discussed at the session, in particular the events in Afghanistan and their humanitarian consequences for the Afghan people, the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

Azerbaijan was represented at the event by a delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Elnur Mammadov. Speaking at the meeting, the Deputy Minister brought to the attention of the participants the position of Azerbaijan on a number of fundamental issues.

Within the framework of the 48th session of the Council, four resolutions were adopted "Liquidation of the consequences of the Armenian aggression against the Republic of Azerbaijan", "Economic assistance to the Republic of Azerbaijan", "Destruction and insult of Islamic historical and cultural shrines in the territory of Azerbaijan as a result of the aggression of the Republic of Armenia against the Republic of Azerbaijan" and " Solidarity with the victims of the Khojaly massacre", covering political, economic and cultural issues related to the consequences of the Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan.

These resolutions, traditionally adopted annually by the OIC, include new provisions, taking into account the latest situation in the region.

The resolution "Liquidation of the Consequences of the Aggression of the Republic of Armenia against the Republic of Azerbaijan" welcomes the trilateral statement of 10 on the liberation of the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and the cessation of hostilities. There was made a call for the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the basis of mutual recognition and respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and international borders. Armenia's continued refusal to provide comprehensive and accurate maps of all mined areas and other information on the location of mined areas also was condemned. Full solidarity and support for the efforts of the government and people of Azerbaijan to protect their country and overcome the grave consequences of decades of Armenian aggression and occupation were reaffirmed.

The resolution "Destruction and insult of Islamic historical and cultural shrines in the territory of Azerbaijan as a result of the aggression of the Republic of Armenia against the Republic of Azerbaijan" strongly condemns the destruction, looting, theft, illegal transfer or appropriation of Islamic historical and cultural monuments and shrines in the territories of Azerbaijan during the period of occupation, and also acts of vandalism against these objects, Armenia's insult to mosques located in the newly liberated territories. The resolution confirms the right of Azerbaijan to demand compensation for the damage caused to it and the obligation of Armenia to pay this compensation.

The resolution "Economic Assistance to the Republic of Azerbaijan" states that the liberation of Azerbaijani territories will allow more than one million internally displaced persons in Azerbaijan to safely return to their native lands and, thus, eliminate serious humanitarian problems. In this regard, Member States, the Islamic Development Bank and other Islamic institutions are called upon to assist the government and people of Azerbaijan in the reconstruction and restoration of the liberated lands in order to ensure their return to these territories. There was also made an appeal to all international institutions to support the economic and social development of Azerbaijan.

Resolution "Solidarity with the victims of the Khojaly Massacre", adopted at the 48th meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the OIC, strongly condemns the mass atrocities committed by the armed forces of Armenia against the Azerbaijani civilian population and military personnel in February 1992 in Khojaly and other then occupied territories of Azerbaijan. Member States are called upon to make the necessary efforts to locally and internationally recognize the crimes committed during the conflict in Khojaly and other occupied territories of Azerbaijan, such as war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. The resolution also praised the activities of the international campaign "Justice for Khojaly" and called on member states to support the campaign and actively participate in it.

Nagorno-Karabakh: Russia says Azeri troops entered peacekeeping zone

Emil Karabekian
Deutsche Welle, Germany

Moscow says soldiers from Azerbaijan have violated a peace deal with Armenia over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The two sides fought a two-month war over the former Soviet territory in late 2020.

    

Russian peacekeepers set up positions in Nagorno-Karabakh as part of the 2020 cease-fire deal

Russia on Saturday claimed that soldiers from Azerbaijan have entered a zone that is the responsibility of Moscow's peacekeepers in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Russia's Defense Ministry said Azeri forces had set up a surveillance post and carried out four drone strikes in the breakaway territory, in violation of a cease-fire agreement.

It added that Turkish-made drones were used to strike at Karabakh troops near the village of Farukh, also known as Parukh.

The Defense Ministry of Nagorno-Karabakh said the drones had killed three people and wounded another 15.

Moscow called on the government in Baku to withdraw its troops, and said it was taking measures to move the forces to their original positions.

"An appeal has been sent to the Azerbaijani side to withdraw its troops," the Russian Defense Ministry said. 

Azerbaijan's Defence Ministry refuted Moscow's version of events and described Russia's statement as "one-sided."

The incidents mark the latest flare-up in the long-running dispute.

The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh flared up again in late 2020 and despite a peace deal, there has been sporadic violence in recent months

Azerbaijan won a two-month conflict with Armenia in late 2020 over the long-contested enclave that killed more than 6,500 people.

The victory allowed Baku to retake territory it had lost in an earlier war, from 1991 to 1994, that flared up after ethnic Armenian separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh broke away from Azerbaijan following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Despite a subsequent peace deal, many questions remain unresolved, including the legal status of the breakaway region and the Armenians who live there.

Moscow deployed almost 2,000 peacekeepers to the region, reaffirming its leadership role in a volatile part of the former Soviet Union.

Meanwhile, Armenia this week called on for the West to prevent attempts aimed at "destabilizing the situation in the South Caucasus."

"We also expect the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh to undertake concrete, visible steps to resolve the situation and prevent new casualties and hostilities," the Armenian foreign ministry said in a statement.

The Armenian government has warned of a possible "humanitarian catastrophe" in Karabakh after gas supplies to the disputed region were cut off following repair work.

mm/wd (AFP, Reuters)

URGENT: Two Artsakh soldiers killed as Azerbaijan deploys Bayraktar TB-2 drones in renewed attacks

Emil Karabekian

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 15:00,

STEPANAKERT, MARCH 25, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijani armed forces are deploying Bayraktar TB-2 drones in renewed attacks against Artsakh, the Defense Army of Artsakh said in a statement.

“Starting midday March 25, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces continued gross violations of the ceasefire and in addition to small arms are also using combat drones, including Bayraktar TB-2s,” the Defense Army said.

Two servicemen of the Artsakh Defense Army were killed in the Azerbaijani attack. The number of wounded is being clarified.

“As of 14:00 the operative-tactical situation in the eastern borderline of Artsakh remains critically tense,” the Artsakh military added.