Author: Emma Jilavian

Asbarez: ‘Unexploded’ Russian Missiles in Artsakh Cause a Political Explosion in Armenia

Emma Jilavian

March 2,  2021


Harut Sassounian

BY HARUT SASSOUNIAN

Words have meanings and consequences as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan found out when he told a journalist last week that the powerful Russian Iskander missiles, supposedly fired by Armenia during the Artsakh War last November, “did not explode or exploded 10 percent.” This surprising statement was in response to an interview by previous President Serzh Sargsyan in which he asked why Pashinyan had not ordered the use of the Iskander missiles during the early part of the Artsakh War.

Several days after the Prime Minister’s highly controversial statement, his spokeswoman announced that Pashinyan “was not briefed correctly regarding the Russian missiles.” But it was too late. The damage was done.

No one could have predicted the chain of unexpected events that followed Pashinyan’s words questioning the merits of the Iskander missiles that Russia had exported exclusively to Armenia. A large number of Russian military experts and political leaders reacted very harshly to Pashinyan’s statement viewing it as disparaging of the prized missiles of Russia and the prestige of its defense industry.

However, the reaction within Armenia was no less devastating. When First Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Tiran Khachatryan, a Lieutenant General, was asked to comment on Pashinyan’s statement about the Iskander missiles not exploding, he responded with a chuckle that it was not possible and not serious.

Upon hearing of this slight, Prime Minister Pashinyan immediately ordered the firing of the Deputy General Staff. His dismissal was endorsed by Pres. Armen Sarkissian, according to the process outlined in the constitution. The Prime Minister had surely overreacted to Khachatryan’s snub, particularly since Pashinyan himself had appointed him in June 2020 and awarded him the prestigious “National Hero” medal for his outstanding role during the Artsakh War.

An Iskander missile at a military exercise in St. Petersburg, Russia in 2017 (Russian Defense Ministry photo)

In retaliation, dozens of top Armenian military leaders released a joint statement on Feb. 25, 2021, demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister and his government. The statement was signed by Onik Gasparyan, Chief of the General Staff and 40 other high-ranking military Officers, including 17 generals and Commanders of all five Army Corps. Later, several other military and police officials added their signatures.

The military’s statement expressed its “resolute protest” against the “short-sighted and baseless” dismissal of the First Deputy Chief of the General Staff “without taking into account the national and state interests of the Republic of Armenia, solely based on personal and pretentious sentiments.” The statement added that “in such difficult conditions for the country, such a decision is an anti-state and irresponsible step. The Prime Minister and his government are no longer able to make adequate decisions in this critical and fateful situation for the Armenian people. The Armed Forces, for a long time, patiently tolerated the ‘attacks’ by the incumbent authorities to discredit the Armed Forces, but everything has its limits…. The current authorities’ unproductive governing and the most serious errors exhibited in foreign policy have brought the country to the brink of collapse. Based on the created situation, the Armed Forces demand the resignation of the Prime Minister and the government….”

Pashinyan immediately announced on his Facebook page the firing of the Chief of the General Staff. The Prime Minister called the military’s statement “an attempted military coup,” urging his supporters to gather at the Republic Square where he joined them and marched in Yerevan streets holding a megaphone. This was a highly irresponsible act on the part of Pashinyan, venturing to the streets during what he described as an attempted military coup, which could have led to tragic consequences for the country had anyone harmed him.

After Pashinyan ordered the firing of Onik Gasparyan, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Pres. Sarkissian, having consulting all sides of the political spectrum, refused to sign the Prime Minister’s order, calling it unconstitutional. The Prime Minister then submitted a second dismissal request to the President. Should the President refuse to sign the order for a second time, then the issue will be submitted to the constitutional court for its final decision. It is curious as to why the President endorsed the Prime Minister’s earlier order to sack the First Deputy of the General Staff but refused to sign the order to dismiss the Chief of the General Staff. After all, the First Deputy Chief of the General Staff’s wrongdoing was simply chuckling at the Prime Minister’s statement about the Russian missiles, whereas his boss, the Chief of the General Staff, demanded the Prime Minister’s resignation.

In the meantime, the Armenian military took no further steps beyond its call for the resignation of the Prime Minister which the Prime Minister wrongly described as an attempted coup. However, the statement could be viewed as interference in political affairs which violates the constitution. It is clear that the military’s intent is having the Prime Minister resign without taking any military actions.

Turning to the unconstitutionality of the military’s statement, there are counter points to this argument. The military stated that they could no longer remain quiet while the country is on the brink of collapse. The national interest of Armenia has to be of paramount importance. After all, the military is the guardian of the nation’s security. Furthermore, Pashinyan and his supporters cannot all of a sudden claim to be defenders of the constitution, when they have been violating many of its provisions in the past three years. The Prime Minister has repeatedly pressured the courts and has stacked the Constitutional Court with his allies to get verdicts desired by the government. Pashinyan and his supporters similarly pressured Pres. Sarkissian to force him to sign the Prime Minister’s order. Ironically, the democratic principles endorsed by Pashinyan when coming to power have dissipated turning the country into a one-man rule, a dictatorship. Given the Prime Minister’s partisans’ overwhelming majority in Parliament, other voices have been mostly muzzled. All suggestions to form a government of competent experts have been ignored, leaving Pashinyan with a mediocre and incompetent cadre of officials and advisors.
Pashinyan’s only important attribute is that he is not corrupt — which is very positive, but that alone is not enough to lead the state through such turbulent waters. After all, Armenians are not looking for a saint, but a competent leader who can solve the country’s complex problems.
Furthermore, Pashinyan and his followers did not always practice what they are preaching now. Back in 2018, when there were widespread street protests by Pashinyan and his supporters, a large number of Armenian soldiers illegally left their barracks and marched with the demonstrators. Even though this was a violation of military rules and interference in politics, Pashinyan did not take any action against these soldiers. In a similar situation occurred in 1998, when Defense Minister Vazgen Sargsyan forced then President Levon Ter-Petrosian to resign. No one complained that it was unconstitutional.

Shortly after this new crisis in Armenia, leaders in Azerbaijan and Turkey issued self-serving statements on the situation in Armenia. In my opinion, both of these countries, led by dictators, are in no position to comment on developments in Armenia, let alone give Armenians lectures about democracy. They should look at themselves in the mirror and keep their mouths shut.
Having suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of our enemies in the Artsakh War, Armenians cannot afford now to attack each other. We need to place the national interest above all else. Having lost most of Artsakh and thousands of soldiers, let’s not risk losing Armenia itself.

Pashinyan, the leader of the ‘Velvet Revolution,’ should not have told his followers last week that there will be no more ‘velvet’ which could be interpreted as a threat to anyone who disagrees with him. Should the military also adopt a no velvet approach, the outcome would be tragic for the entire Armenian nation. The best solution would be for the Prime Minister, having lost territories and thousands of soldiers, to resign by his own volition without facing any threats or protests. Otherwise, having demanded Pashinyan’s resignation, the military leaders may carry out their demand by force, to ensure that they themselves are not arrested. Such a group arrest would deprive Armenia of its entire military leadership. Months from now, under calmer conditions, new parliamentary elections should take place with a clean slate, hopefully excluding Pashinyan and the other former leaders. The people have the right to decide by a majority vote who their new leader should be.

Vazgen Manukyan: Opposition needs to stay strong so that Constitutional Court protects Armenians’ interests

Emma Jilavian
news.am, Armenia
March 1 2021
Vazgen Manukyan: Opposition needs to stay strong so that Constitutional Court protects Armenians' interests
21:07, 01.03.2021

Armenia doesn’t have a bad leader, it has been conquered by enemies. This is what Vazgen Manukyan, candidate of the opposition Homeland Salvation Movement for Prime Minister of Armenia, said during today’s rally held by the Movement on Marshal Baghramyan Avenue.

“The day Nikol Pashinyan became Prime Minister, I noted that there had to be big turbulence in order to rebuild the country. It was our mistakes that helped the enemy seize Armenia,” he said.

Manukyan touched upon the fact that the President of Armenia has sent the petition to dismiss the chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces back to the government. “The President stands firmly, but his strength depends on the opposition’s strength. The stronger we stand, the stronger he and the army will be. Later, the issue will be raised in the Constitutional Court. We need to stand firmly so that the Constitutional Court protects the interests of our nation and army. All Armenians of Armenia need to stand up,” Manukyan said.

Artsakh MFA Memorandum sent to int’l organizations over Aliyev’s visit to occupied territories

Emma Jilavian

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YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 26, ARMENPRESS. On February 25, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh sent a Memorandum to international organizations on the occasion of the visit of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to the occupied territories of Artsakh, the ministry told Armenpress.

The document, in particular, notes that after the end of the 44-day war imposed on Artsakh by Azerbaijan with the support of Turkey and mercenaries from various terrorist groups, the Azerbaijani authorities have set a course to impose a fait accompli created through the use of military force in blatant violation of norms of international law. According to the document, among the instruments for implementing this policy are the visits of the President of Azerbaijan to the seized territories, the most striking of which is Aliyev's visit to the city of Shushi, where he made a number of statements replete with outrageous threats and militant rhetoric containing outright hatred towards the Armenian people.

The Memorandum also states that the provocative and inflammatory nature of the visits and the accompanying statements evidence Azerbaijan's intent to disrupt the resumption of the negotiation process on a comprehensive settlement of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict and to keep the conflict unsettled. Such destructive and defiant behavior of Azerbaijan should be strictly condemned by the international community, the Memorandum reads.

The document underlines that the people of Artsakh exercised their right to self-determination and established statehood in those territories. As noted in the document, the failure to respect this fundamental right is not only a violation of human rights, but is also one of the core sources of serious threats to security in the region.

The Memorandum notes that any legislative and administrative actions of Azerbaijan to change the status of the territories of the Republic of Artsakh, including the expropriation of land and properties, the transfer of populations to the occupied territories and the incorporation of the occupied territories, are invalid under international law and cannot change their status. No territorial gains resulting from the threat or use of force should be recognized as legal.

The document notes that the current military occupation by Azerbaijan of the territories of the Republic of Artsakh, including the city of Shushi, also cannot change their status. The city of Shushi is an integral part of the Artsakh Republic in a number of aspects, including territorially, culturally, economically and historically. Any attempt to seize it is a gross violation of the territorial integrity of Artsakh.

The Memorandum underlines that only a just settlement of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict—one that will eliminate its root cause associated with Azerbaijan’s unwillingness to recognize the rights of the people of Artsakh—will reverse the consequences of the illegal use of military force by Azerbaijan and re-institute the primacy of the principle of peaceful resolution of disputes.

Freedom fighter Gevorg Gevorgyan urges people to join nationwide rally on Feb. 20

Emma Jilavian
Panorama, Armenia
Feb 17 2021

Freedom fighter and intelligence officer Gevorg Gevorgyan calls on people to gather at Yerevan’s Liberty Square on 20 February for a nationwide rally to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his government.

In a video message released by the opposition Homeland Salvation Movement on Wednesday, the freedom fighter accused the authorities of “betraying the people and destroying the Armenian statehood”.

“Come out, the Armenian people, and fight for your homeland! We are looking forward to seeing all of you at Liberty Square on 20 February, at 3pm,” he said.  

‘Sargsyan’s Armenia’ vs ‘Pashinyan’s Armenia’ – which is better?

Emma Jilavian
JAM News
Feb 18 2021
    JAMnews, Yerevan

Armenia has been in a state of uncertainty for several months now, as the public wonders who will be able to lead the country out of the crisis in which it found itself following defeat in the second Karabakh war.

The opposition has been demanding PM Pashinyan’s resignation, but the latter has no plans to leave, saying he would do so only per the result of snap elections in which the country’s population would express its opinion.

Later, his ruling party backed down on the idea of snap elections.

For two days in a row, ex-President Serzh Sargsyan has appeared on the air of the local opposition TV channel, lambasting PM Pashinyan, stoking the opinions of many that the new government is to blame for the current crisis.

In the first part of the interview, the former president focused on the details of the negotiation process on Karabakh and criticism of the current Armenian authorities for not recognizing the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh in the fall of 2020, during the war.

In the second part of the interview, Sargsyan accused the authorities of failing to protect the country’s interests and of deteriorating relations not only with Russia’s strategic ally, but also with all its neighbors.

Below – the opinions of Armenian politicians, experts and social media users, who have not in the least remained indifferent to the interview.

  • Ex-President of Armenia Sargsyan thrashes PM in interview
  • Ex. Armenian pres. Sargsyan hurls new accusations at Pashinyan gov’t
  • Armenian pundits sound off on gov’t decision to nix snap elections

“Pashinyan is Sargsyan’s own project”

During the interview, the journalist asked Serzh Sargsyan if the rumors were true that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was his “project”.

In Armenia, many think that Sargsyan “handed over” power to the leader of the “velvet” revolution Nikol Pashinyan in 2018, so as not to sign a document on the surrender of the territories of Karabakh to Azerbaijan.

But the ex-president replied that “such a project I would not even wish on an enemy.”

Political observer Hakob Badalyan wrote on his Facebook page in this regard:

“Okay, let’s leave aside the views, analyses and conspiracy theories about whether what happened in the spring of 2018 is Serzh Sargsyan’s ‘project’. Let’s say this is so. I would like to imagine a situation in which we ask Serge Sergsyan – is this so? And he replies: yes, you know, it was my project, I didn’t want to talk about it for so long, but since you asked, I must admit.”

Speaking about the fact that Pashinyan is not his project, Sargsyan also stated that Pashinyan is a project of those forces with which he “could have nothing in common”:

“I had only disagreements with them. There are disagreements in the sense that my views on the development of Armenia and Artsakh differed significantly from the views of these forces.”

Political commentator Hayk Khalatyan commented on this answer:

“And here questions arise that Serzh Sargsyan did not answer: what kind of mysterious forces is Pashinyan projecting, with which the ex-president ‘could never have anything in common’, ‘only disagreements’? Or why, knowing that this is an “anti-Karabakh movement” [as Sargsyan himself stated], he did not take any tough measures to ensure the security of Armenia and Artsakh? And no matter how now Sargsyan urged ‘not to blame him,’ by his actions or inaction, he actually became an accomplice in the surrender of Artsakh and the death of more than 5,000 Armenian servicemen and volunteers”.

“Russian trace”

The ex-president was a pro-Russian cadre and now criticizes the new authorities for ruining relations with its neighbor to the north.

The Sasna Tsrer party, which has always acted as a radical opposition to pro-Russian rule and, in particular, to Sargsyan himself, also issued a statement:

“The Kremlin realizes that its Armenian pupils no longer enjoy the trust of wide public circles inside the country, and the Russian presence in Armenia is gradually being reduced to nothing. While before the war the Kremlin managed, with the help of multilevel control and manipulation by various columns of power, to control the political life of Armenia, now, when, figuratively speaking, ‘the horse has escaped from under the knight,’ the rider is forced to walk independently and openly throws the last worn out weapons.”

Social media response

Users of the Armenian Facebook segment also actively commented on the ex-president’s interview.

Here are some comments:

“To be honest, I am very surprised and angry. I was surprised by what was said about the war, about the reasons for the defeat, about the possible steps that could have been taken, but they were not treacherously taken.”

“It pains me very much that the ex-president, knowing the real situation, did not speak about this anywhere from the first days of the war. What prevented us from speaking in those days and declaring that in addition to the CSTO [a military bloc under the leadership of Russia, which includes Armenia], we also have a bilateral military agreement with Russia, that this fact can be used to ensure the country’s security? And then our army could go on victorious operations, and not rely on the detachments of volunteers.”

“Let him come out to the square and speak from there. Then he will see that he will be answered. It was he who made this mess.”

“If Sargsyan ruled the country normally, people like Pashinyan would not have come to power. We need a new prime minister – and he should not be from Armenia.”

“Nichol is a consequence. We had to get rid of you and got rid of you. Nikola’s time will also come, but you will not be in this business.”

Opposition holds rally, march in Yerevan

Emma Jilavian
Public Radio of Armenia
Feb 20 2021

The opposition Homeland Salvation Movement held a rally in Yerevan. The parties involved in the movement and their supporters demand Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to step down.

Addressing the rally, Vazgen Manukyan, the Movement’s candidate for the post of Prime Minister, said the day is symbolic, as it marks the 33rd anniversary of the start of the Artsakh movement.

“Artsakh – the the only island left inhabited by its native people, Armenians, after the genocide – applied for unification with Armenia. And all our people stood up. We have come a long way since then. From the very beginning of the Karabakh movement, other issues were raised. We felt very strong. We set bigger goals. We set the task of creating an independent state, an independent state based on national ideas, the idea of freedom, justice, prosperity for the whole nation, protection, role in the world and in this region. And we went forward,” said Manukyan.

Opposition hold a protest action demanding RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation in the streets of Yerevan, Armenia

Opposition hold a protest action demanding RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation in the streets of Yerevan, Armenia

Speaking about plans, he noted that everyday work is needed to achieve change of power. He stressed the need to create committees in different parts of the country.

He called to organize strikes, demonstrations, walk around Armenia in convoys of cars, get people up. “It takes time and work,” he said.

Ishkhan Saghatelyan, coordinator of the Homeland Salvation Movement and representative of the ARF Supreme Body, said that from February 22, disobedience rallies will be held in Yerevan every day to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Participants of the rally then marched in different directions to hold acts of civil disobedience.

Nikol Pashinyan caused biggest pain to Armenian people – ex-minister

Emma Jilavian
Aysor, Armenia
Feb 20 2021

Armenian people will heal the wounds of the war but without Nikol Pashinyan, former minister of justice Arpine Hovhannisyan told Aysor.am in the Liberty Square today.

“It is not Nikol Pashinyan who should do it. He is the failed leader who caused deepest pain to the Armenian people and a day more of his tenure approaches the collapse of Armenia state,” Hovhannisyan said.

Why were Armenia-made drones virtually not used in Karabakh war?

Emma Jilavian
News.am, Armenia
Feb 9 2021
16:56, 09.02.2021

YEREVAN. – The lack of large-scale use of Armenian-made drones is due to the lack of mass production; Hakob Arshakyan, Minister High-Tech Industry of Armenia, told this to a press conference on Tuesday.

He added that funding projects have been accepted for the development and production of attack and reconnaissance drones, and some of them have already been completed. According to Arshakyan, Armenia needs to achieve production opportunities for both types of these drones.

"The [Armenian-made] reconnaissance UAVs, which are not inferior to competitors in their parameters, have been used in [the recent war in] Karabakh [Artsakh] and have performed well. The UAVs that were not tested but were ready were also used, "Arshakyan said.

And when asked why footage on the operation of the Armenian-made drones was virtually not made public—as the adversary was doing, the minister explained that since the matter was about intelligence apparatus, the information provided the latter is confidential and not subject to publication.

Rep. Schiff briefed on the situation following Turkish-Azerbaijani aggression against Artsakh

Emma Jilavian
Public Radio of Armenia
Feb 11 2021

The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region (ANCA-WR) Board of Directors, regional and national staff, as well as local ANCA chapter leaders held a productive meeting with Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA-28).

ANCA representatives briefed Congressman Schiff on the latest developments in the region following the Turkish-Azerbaijani aggression and 44-day war waged against Artsakh and Armenia with the assistance of terrorist mercenaries from Syria. Chief among the topics discussed were the issues relating to the deployment of immediate U.S. humanitarian aid to Armenia and Artsakh, strict enforcement of Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act as well as sanctions and other punitive measures against Turkish and Azerbaijani regimes, and the immediate return of Armenian POWs still in Azerbaijani captivity.

“Congressman Schiff is one of the most knowledgeable and committed legislators we have representing our community in the federal government. He has championed all aspects of the Armenian Cause in Congress and through the media, and we are grateful to enjoy a close partnership with him and his office throughout his 20 year Congressional tenure, especially as he successfully led the passage of the resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide,” remarked ANCA-WR Chair Nora Hovsepian, Esq. “We look forward to continuing to work with him moving forward as he continues to advocate for the needs and concerns of his constituents,” she continued.

Democratic Vice-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, Rep. Schiff has consistently and persistently advocated for justice for the Armenian Genocide, secure and prosperous Artsakh, stronger U.S.-Armenia strategic partnership, and other matters of critical importance to the Armenian-American community. In October 2020, Rep. Schiff called for the formal U.S. recognition of the Republic of Artsakh, in a statement entered into the official Congressional Record. He reiterated his position in a recent op-ed published in the San Francisco Chronicle and co-authored with Rep. Jackie Speier.

Rep. Schiff has consistently received an “A+” rating from the ANCA. In 2003, ANCA Western Region honored him with the prestigious Freedom Award. Rep. Schiff was also honored at the 2019 “Thank You Congress!” town hall as the principal co-author of H.Res.296 which passed in an overwhelming 405-11 bipartisan vote.