Author: Garnik Tadevosian

Russian, Azerbaijani leaders discuss security measures in South Caucasus — Kremlin

Garnik Tadevosian
 TASS 
Russia –
The sides also "exchanged opinions about developing transportation, logistical and economic ties in the region"

MOSCOW, March 16. /TASS/. The presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan, Vladimir Putin and Ilkham Aliyev, discussed practical measures for security and stability in the Caucasus during their latest phone conversation, the Kremlin press service said on Thursday.

"Practical measures, aimed at ensuring security and stability in the South Caucasus within the framework of the well-known trilateral agreements of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia, were discussed," the press service said in a statement.

The sides also "exchanged opinions about developing transportation, logistical and economic ties in the region."

Earlier on Thursday, Aliyev accused Armenia of grossly violating the trilateral agreement signed in November 2020. In his words, the country still has not fully withdrawn its troops from the territories of Azerbaijan. In turn, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Thursday that Azerbaijan was trying to provoke a military escalation along the line of contact in Nagorno-Karabakh. He also said the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, caused by Azerbaijan’s blocking of the Lachin corridor road connecting it with Armenia, has not yet escalated into a full-fledged humanitarian disaster thanks to Russian peacekeepers.

The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh escalated on September 27, 2020. On November 9, 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on the full cessation of hostilities.

The sides stopped at their positions at that moment, a number of districts went under Baku’s control, and Russian peacekeepers were deployed at the contact line and at the so-called Lachin Corridor.

European individual championship: 8 Armenia chess players start with win

Garnik Tadevosian
News.am
Armenia – March 4 2023

The representatives of Armenia had a successful start at the European Individual Chess Championship 2023 being held in Serbia.

Gabriel Sargissian, Haik M. Martirosyan, Manuel Petrosyan, Shant Sargsyan, Robert Hovhannisyan, Mamikon Gharibyan, Emin Ohanyan, and Armen Ar. Barseghyan won in the first round.

Samvel Ter-Sahakyan, Aleks Sahakyan, and Vahe Danielyan played draws.

Robert Piliposyan and Sargis Manukyan lost.

Eleven rounds will be held at the European Individual Chess Championship.

Fwd: The California Courier Online, March 9, 2023

Garnik Tadevosian

The California
Courier Online, March 9, 2023

 

1-         Israel’s
Massive Supply of

            Sophisticated
Weapons to Azerbaijan

            By Harut
Sassounian

            Publisher,
The California
Courier

           
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

2-         Irvine City
Council unanimously approves

            Armenian
Genocide Memorial at Great
Park

3-         Family Moves
to Pasadena for Armenian
Academy at Blair High School

4-         ‘Princess of
December’: George Kirazian Releases

            New Fantasy
Novel for Young Adults

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

 

1-         Israel’s
Massive Supply of

            Sophisticated
Weapons to Azerbaijan

            By Harut
Sassounian

            Publisher,
The California
Courier

           
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

 

The Israeli Haaretz newspaper published on March 5, an astounding
article titled: “92 Flights from Israeli Base Reveal Arms Exports to Azerbaijan.”

The article reported that on March 2, Azerbaijan’s Silk Way Airlines’ cargo plane
landed in Israel’s Ovda
military airport, and two hours later returned to Baku
via Turkey and the Georgian Republic. In the last seven years, this
is the 92nd cargo flight from Baku to Ovda, the
only airfield in Israel
that is allowed to export explosives. These military shipments increased
substantially during Azerbaijan’s
attacks on Armenia/Artsakh in 2016, 2020, 2021 and 2022. Pres. Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan has described Israel’s covert relations with Azerbaijan as
being like an iceberg, nine-tenths of it is below the surface.

Israel
supplies almost 70% of Azerbaijan’s
weapons and in return receives about half of its imported oil. Haaretz quoted
foreign media sources disclosing that: “Azerbaijan has allowed the Mossad
[Israel’s intelligence agency] to set up a forward branch [in Azerbaijan] to
monitor what is happening in Iran, Azerbaijan’s neighbor to the south, and has
even prepared an airfield intended to aid Israel in case it decides to attack
Iranian nuclear sites. Reports from two years ago stated that the Mossad agents
who stole the Iranian nuclear archive smuggled it to Israel
via Azerbaijan.
According to official reports from Azerbaijan,
over the years Israel
has sold it the most advanced weapons systems, including ballistic missiles,
air defense and electronic warfare systems, kamikaze drones and more.”

Haaretz revealed that Azerbaijan’s
Silk Way Airlines “operates three weekly flights between Baku
and [Israel’s] Ben-Gurion International Airport
with Boeing 747 cargo freighters.” In addition, some Eastern European countries
circumvent the ban on the sale of weapons to Azerbaijan
by shipping them via Israel.

The restriction of the sale of weapons by Europe and the United States to Armenia
and Azerbaijan created an
opportunity for Israel to
earn billions of dollars in weapons’ sales to Azerbaijan.

Haaretz reported that “Israel has exported a very wide range
of weapons to the country [Azerbaijan]—starting with Tavor assault rifles all
the way to the most sophisticated systems such as radar, air defense, antitank
missiles, ballistic missiles, ships and a wide range of drones, both for
intelligence and attack purposes. Israeli companies have also supplied advanced
spy tech, such as communications monitoring systems from Verint and the Pegasus
spyware from the NSO Group—tools that were used against journalists, the LGBT
community and human rights activists in Azerbaijan, too.”

The Stockholm International Peace Institute wrote: “Israel’s defense exports to Azerbaijan
began in 2005 with the sale of the Lynx multiple launch rocket systems by
Israel Military Industries (IMI Systems), which has a range of 150 kilometers
(92 miles). IMI, which was acquired by Elbit Systems in 2018, also supplied
LAR-160 light artillery rockets with a range of 45 kilometers, which, according
to a report from Human Rights Watch, were used by Azerbaijan to fire banned
cluster munitions at residential areas in Nagorno-Karabakh,” even though Israel
and 123 other countries have banned the use of cluster bombs.

Haaretz reported that “In 2007, Azerbaijan signed a contract to buy
four intelligence-gathering drones from Aeronautics Defense Systems. It was the
first deal of many. In 2008 it purchased 10 Hermes 450 drones from Elbit
Systems and 100 Spike antitank missiles produced by Rafael Advanced Defense
Systems and in 2010 it bought another 10 intelligence-gathering drones. Soltam
Systems, owned by Elbit, sold it ATMOS self-propelled guns and 120-millimeter
Cardom mortars, and in 2017 Azerbaijan’s
arsenal was supplemented with the more advanced Hanit mortars. According to the
telegram leaked in Wikileaks, a sale of advanced communications equipment from
Tadiran was also signed in 2008.”

According to Haaretz, “Israel
and Azerbaijan
took their relationship up a level in 2011 with a huge $1.6 billion deal that
included a battery of Barak missiles for intercepting aircraft and missiles, as
well as Searcher and Heron drones from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). It
was reported that near the end of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020, a
Barak battery shot down an Iskander ballistic missile launched by Armenia.
Aeronautics Defense Systems also began cooperating with the local arms industry
in Azerbaijan, where some of the 100 Orbiter kamikaze (loitering munitions)
drones were produced—drones that Azerbaijan’s defense minister called ‘a
nightmare for the Armenian army.’”

In 2021, “an indictment was filed against [Israel’s]
Aeronautics Defense Systems for violating the law regulating defense exports in
its dealing with one of its most prominent clients. A court-imposed gag order
prevents the publication of further details. A project to modernize the
Azerbaijani army’s tanks began in the early 2010s. Elbit Systems upgraded and
equipped the old Soviet T-72 models with new protective gear to enhance the
tanks’ and their crews’ survivability, as well as fast and precise target acquisition
and fire control systems. The upgraded tanks, known as Aslan (Lion), starred in
the 2013 military parade. Azerbaijan’s navy was reinforced in 2013 with six
patrol ships based on the Israel Navy’s Sa’ar 4.5-class missile boats, produced
by Israel Shipyards and carrying the naval version of the Spike missiles, along
with six Shaldag MK V patrol boats with Rafael’s Typhoon gun mounts and Spike
missile systems. Azerbaijan’s
navy also bought 100 Lahat antitank guided missiles.”

In 2014, “Azerbaijan
ordered the first 100 Harop kamikaze drones from IAI, which were a critical
tool in later rounds of fighting. Azerbaijan also purchased two
advanced radar systems for aerial warning and defense from IAI subsidiary Elta
that same year…. Two years later, Azerbaijan bought another 250
SkyStriker kamikaze drones from Elbit Systems. Many videos from the areas of
fighting showed Israeli drones attacking Armenian forces…. In 2016, during
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Baku, Aliyev revealed that contracts had
already been signed between the two countries for the purchase of some $5
billion in ‘defensive equipment.’ In 2017, Azerbaijan purchased advanced
Hermes 900 drones from Elbit Systems and LORA ballistic missiles from IAI, with
a range 430 kilometers. In 2018, Aliyev inaugurated the base where the LORA
missiles are deployed, at a distance of about 430 kilometers from Yerevan, Armenia’s
capital. During the war in 2020, at least one LORA missile was launched, and
according to reports it hit a bridge that Armenia used to supply arms and
equipment to its forces in Nagorno-Karabakh. More advanced Spike missiles were
sent in 2019 and 2020.”

It is appalling that the descendants of the Holocaust are
supplying such massive lethal weapons to Azerbaijan to kill the descendants
of the Armenian Genocide.

 

************************************************************************************************************************************************
2-         Irvine City Council unanimously
approves

            Armenian
Genocide Memorial at Great
Park

 

YEREVAN (Armenpress)—The
Irvine City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday, February 28 to proceed with
dedicating an Armenian Genocide Memorial at the Great
Park in Irvine
(Orange County, California).

Kev Abazajian, a professor at UC Irvine, gave testimony in
support of the initiative during the City Council meeting, as an Irvine resident and as a
descendant of Genocide survivors.

************************************************************************************************************************************************
3-         Family Moves to Pasadena for Armenian
Academy at Blair High School

 

By Scott Phelps

 

(ColoradoBoulevard.net)—Sousse
and Mike Hanhan from Fontana
wanted their daughter, Solange, to be immersed in the Armenian culture. They’d
sought an Armenian school for many years, but distance and cost were an
obstacle. One day, Sousse (who is Armenian from Lebanon) saw an ad on Facebook for the Armenian Academy
at Blair High
School, and brought it up to Mike, who is Palestinian from Jordan.

She contacted Maro Yacoubian, Founder of the Armenian Academy and Chair of the AA Advisory
Board, who explained the program in detail. Sousse’s excitement grew and she arranged an
orientation with Yacoubian and teacher Norayr Daduryan.

The Hanhans were granted an interdistrict permit, and
Solange transferred from the Etiwanda
School District to
Pasadena Unified.

For the 2021-2022 school year when Solange was in 7th grade,
Solange would wake up by 5:30 a.m. to make the 2-hour commute from Fontana to Pasadena
with her mother. She would often sleep on the way to school and on the way
home. It was a challenging year, because she was involved in extracurricular
activities such as Armenian dance and choir, and also played on the water polo
team. Despite the long commute, she would study when she got home and earned
straight A’s in her honors classes. Sousse
and Mike admired their daughter’s tenacity.

She excelled especially in math, which has been her favorite
subject. The family credits Mr. Glenn for his patience and ability to make math
enjoyable. Solange made it; she passed her tests and did her projects. Mr.
Glenn’s lessons were also supplemented by the school’s tutoring program called
Paper, which is provided by PUSD.

Solange also enjoyed Armenian language because it was a
challenge for her to read and write it, in addition to mastering conversation.

“When I came to Blair, my mind opened up. The International Baccalaureate School
has given me a high bar to reach, and I appreciate that opportunity,” said
Solange.

 Sousse
and Mike wanted to ensure that Solange could remain at Blair throughout high
school, so they sold their home and moved closer to Pasadena. Her counselor asked her what she
wanted to do in the summer. She said she wanted to eventually go into business
like her Dad and real estate like her cousin. So the counselor put her in a PCC
summer class at John Muir, Business 101, and she got an A+.

Sousse
can’t say enough about how her daughter has developed and evolved, in one year.
Right before school started this past August, the Armenian Academy
had a “meet and greet” in the park. The Academy had been a new environment, and
her daughter had been scared, as she didn’t speak much Armenian. But Solange
blossomed and wanted to be in every club or educational opportunity the school
offered.

Solange is now in 8th grade, taking Math, Science, History
Honors, English Honors, Armenian 2 and PE. She is looking forward to taking
another PCC class this coming summer. She may try an art class, too, in
addition to business.

She has solidified her friendships from Armenian dance and
choir. She’s also made friends in the mainstream part of Blair High School,
who she keeps in touch with by phone. “I highly recommend this program to all
my friends, and any student who wants to broaden their cultural experience and
get a great education,” said Solange.

 

**********************************************************************************************************************************************
4-         ‘Princess of December’: George
Kirazian Releases

            New Fantasy
Novel for Young Adults

 

Author, teacher and composer George Kirazian’s new book,
“The Princess of December,” has been released by Laurel Publications and is
available on Amazon.com in print and Kindle formats.

A fantasy adventure for young readers aged 8-13, "The
Princess of December" follows the adventures of the young protagonist
Yvette, who helps Lyanna, the titular protagonist The Princess of December,
against evil forces of The Ice Shadow.

Kirazian completed undergraduate and graduate studies at New York University,
and for over 30 years taught Writing, Literature, and Music Appreciation
courses at Grossmont College and San Diego State
University. In addition
to his novella, “A Time for Fathers,” Kirazian has written and published
extensively in poetry and fiction. He also wrote the children’s books, “The
Sleeping Violet,” “Perry the Peacock,” “Beyond the Koala Kingdom,” “Leo and the
Mulberry Flute,” and “The Princess of December.” He also published “Easy
Writing,” a book on writing improvement for adults.

Kirazian’s work as a composer have been performed by choral
groups in the San Diego area and includes various art songs, hymns, and a new
version of Armenian Apostolic Church Divine Liturgy. His latest composition,
“The Book of Ruth: A Ballet,” is premiering in a production with Mojalet Dance
Collective in San Diego
in April.

 

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

California Courier Online provides readers of the Armenian News News Service with a
few of the articles in this week's issue of The California Courier. Letters to
the editor are encouraged through our e-mail address, .
Letters are published with the author’s name and location; authors are required
to disclose their identity to the editorial staff (name, address, and/or
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California Courier subscribers can change or modify mailing addresses by
emailing .

Armenian FM, UN Geneva’s Tatiana Valovaya highlight ICJ ruling for provisional measures

Garnik Tadevosian

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 11:48,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 28, ARMENPRESS. On February 27, Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan had a meeting with Director-General of UN Geneva Tatiana Valovaya.

Issues of further deepening the established effective cooperation with the UN system and specialized agencies were discussed, the foreign ministry said in a read-out.

Ararat Mirzoyan drew his interlocutor's attention to Azerbaijan's large-scale aggression unleashed against the sovereign territory of Armenia in September 2022, as well as to the situation in the region resulting from the illegal blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh since December, 2022. In this context, Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized the need for the relevant UN bodies to evaluate the situation on the ground and actively engage.

Both sides noted the importance of the decision made by the International Court of Justice on February 22 regarding the request for provisional measures.

During the meeting, the interlocutors touched upon issues on regional stability and peace.

FM Mirzoyan is participating in the high-level meeting of the 52nd session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice – ordered Azerbaijan on February 22 to “take all steps at its disposal” to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. The Lachin corridor is blocked by Azerbaijan since December 12, 2022.




Bill on ratifying Armenia-Russia information security agreement OK’d by parliamentary committee

Garnik Tadevosian

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 12:18,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 27, ARMENPRESS. The parliamentary committee on defense and security affairs approved a bill on ratifying an agreement between Armenia and Russia on information security signed earlier in April 2022.

The ratification will be debated at the plenary session of parliament.

First Deputy Minister of High Tech Industry Gevorg Mantashyan briefed the lawmakers at the committee hearing on the agreement.

He said that the agreement will expand partnership between Armenia and Russia in ensuring information security, including the exchange of information on threats and joint response, as well as the legislative framework.

The agreement highlights the coordination of countering threats to information security, exchange of information in the law enforcement sector and other areas of cooperation.

The EU’s new role in mediating between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Garnik Tadevosian



Feb 21 2023


Olesya Vartanyan

The first unarmed civilian observers of a ground-breaking European Union mission have just arrived in Armenia to keep tabs on worsening tensions with Azerbaijan. They will patrol the border to ensure Brussels knows of any flareups immediately, giving it a better chance of intervening fast enough to keep the peace. The mission must tread carefully in an area that also hosts Russian military and border guards. To help it succeed, the EU must provide the mission full funding and as much freedom of manoeuvre as possible.

In theory, this deployment should significantly shorten the time it takes the EU or member states to react if any new fighting flares up at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. The neighbours fought their last war in 2020 over Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian-populated region that declared independence from Azerbaijan, and since then their long state border has seen several clashes, each bloodier than the last. Yerevan lost ground in 2020 and has been unable to restock its weapons, as its traditional supplier and security partner, Russia, has stockpiled armaments for its own war in Ukraine. In contrast, Baku is growing militarily stronger and more confident, bolstered by revenues from its oil and gas and supported by its strategic ally, Turkey.

The risk of new hostilities is real. In last September’s latest escalation, Azerbaijan’s soldiers took over important mountain positions deep inside Armenia. One front line area in the south of Armenia now poses a particular threat. If there is a new flareup, troops there could advance and cut Armenia in two, with severe humanitarian consequences for over 200,000 people living in the southern border areas who could find themselves isolated. Azerbaijani soldiers could also control the only passable road to Nagorno-Karabakh, the so-called Lachin corridor, which Baku-backed activists have already blocked for over two months with catastrophic humanitarian implications as local residents lost access to food and medical supplies. Baku could make a push to take more territory and put Armenia’s leaders under enormous pressure to make concessions in peace talks which plod along despite the hostile atmosphere, but this is unlikely to promote a stable and longer-term settlement in the region.

Armenia’s decision to invite EU observers shows it no longer considers it can rely solely on its decades-long strategic ally, Russia. Since Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago, Azerbaijan – sensing Moscow was distracted – has initiated three major attacks, each of which has strengthened its hand militarily. Neither Russian peacekeepers present in Nagorno-Karabakh, nor Russian soldiers and guards along Armenia’s borders elsewhere, did anything to curb these advances. This is why Armenia declined an autumn offer by the Russian-dominated military alliance, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), to deploy more troops on its border with Azerbaijan, and instead, invited the European mission.

By sending its observers, the EU is strengthening a mediatory role, which only began a year ago, between Armenia and Azerbaijan over their core problem of Nagorno-Karabakh. Both countries have been part of the European Union’s Eastern Partnership since 2009, but until very recently Moscow was the chief outside party in the region. It had close bilateral ties with both Caucasian countries and championed the CSTO in Europe’s Minsk Group that it co-chaired with France and the United States since the mid-1990s. Now, Russia can no longer set the agenda alone but will have to consider Brussels’ role in its diplomatic engagements with Baku and Yerevan.  

Formally the Russian forces are subordinated into Armenian structures, which should help cooperation with the EU observers at least at a technical level.

Brussels still needs to work out many operational details for the two-year mission — its first full-fledged and long-term civilian presence to a country in a formal security alliance with Russia. EU member states have to announce how many people they will each send, and whether the total strength will be around 100 observers, as is being discussed. Much is at stake, and the mission could fail if it is poorly funded or undermanned, or confined by too narrow a mandate.

It must also try to improve cooperation with Azerbaijan. Armenia is offering the observers unrestricted access, but to report accurately on security incidents, they need the same from Azerbaijan. Baku remains unconvinced and would prefer not to let EU observers cross onto its territory. If this stance remains, the EU will have to find other ways to ensure its observers stay safe near dangerous areas where gunfire is common.

The observers must pay heed to the other important party in the region — Russia, which has military and border guards along Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan. The war in Ukraine makes it harder, but all the more important, for the EU to find a way to cooperate with them. Mutual contacts on the ground could provide a useful information exchange, avoid tensions and prevent misunderstandings. Formally the Russian forces are subordinated into Armenian structures, which should help cooperation with the EU observers at least at a technical level.

The EU should give its mission the tools to facilitate dialogue between Armenian and Azerbaijani military and border guards posted along the border if that might help prevent or damp down violence. This has been tried successfully elsewhere, for example with the EU civilian mission in Georgia. Helping Tbilisi, its breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and Russian security personnel based in these regions to talk to each other. It aided the setup of a ‘hotline’ connecting officials responsible for security along the lines of separation in conflict zones, and arranged face-to-face meetings between them. Similar efforts could be useful at the Armenia-Azerbaijan border.

With Russia focused on Ukraine, the EU has been taking over its role in mediating between Armenia and Azerbaijan. But these diplomatic efforts will come to naught if the two countries keep falling back into ever deadlier armed confrontations. By deploying the mission to Armenia, Brussels has shown it has the political willto take on a new and crucial role in steering them away from conflict. But now it must give its observers the flexible mandate, diplomatic support and resources they will need to succeed.


Olesya Vartanyan
Tbilisi

Olesya Vartanyan is the Senior South Caucasus Analyst at the conflict prevention non-governmental organisation International Crisis Group. She focuses on the conflict regions of Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh and South Ossetia.


Thousands of Russians who oppose the war in Ukraine have settled down in Armenia

Garnik Tadevosian
Feb 15 2023
5:01 PM ET
Heard on All Things Considered

CHARLES MAYNES

Thousands of Russian exiles opposed to the war in Ukraine have taken up residence in Armenia, a former Soviet republic which offers Russians passport-free admission.

AILSA CHANG, HOST:

Hundreds of thousands of Russians have left their country in opposition to the war in Ukraine. And with the conflict showing no end in sight, many are settling down in other countries for the long haul. NPR's Charles Maynes recently traveled to the southern Caucasus nation of Armenia to meet with some exiled Russians.

CHARLES MAYNES, BYLINE: In the early days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ivan Moshkin remembers arriving to his work at a Moscow bank and the shock that came next week.

IVAN MOSHKIN: (Through interpreter) All my male colleagues had already gone. The older people in the office said, are you an idiot? What are you still doing here? You're of military draft age. Get out now before mobilization begins.

MAYNES: With Moshkin short on money, the office pooled their cash to buy him a ticket out. That same evening, he was on his way to the airport and a new life in Armenia.

MOSHKIN: (Through interpreter) With little money and no work, I fell into a deep, deep depression.

MAYNES: For Russians who oppose the war, it's been a tough road. Repressive laws have made life dangerous at home, and growing numbers of countries are closing their doors to Russian immigration. Yet Armenia, once a Soviet republic, offers something of a refuge. Russians can travel here without a passport. Even Russian, the language, is widely spoken by locals. Moshkin, for one, says here, he's breathing easier.

MOSHKIN: (Speaking Russian).

MAYNES: He eventually found a job waiting tables in the capital, Yerevan. And with the war grinding on, he's now applying for his residency permit. And he's not the only one. At the Russian Svobodnaya Shkola, or Free School, in downtown Yerevan, a day of classes is winding down.

UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT: (Shouting in non-English language).

MAYNES: Launched as a pop-up education program to accommodate a few dozen families who fled here last spring, the free school is another example of the increasingly entrenched Russian presence in Armenia.

ANNA CHEGOVAEVA: (Speaking Russian).

MAYNES: Free School's founder, Anna Chegovaeva, says the whole thing started on a dare. Her friends knew she was a good organizer. What she didn't expect was to be running a full-fledged school, now with more than 180 students. The school even offers Armenian-language night classes for Russian parents.

CHEGOVAEVA: (Through interpreter) Of course, I'd love for everything to suddenly change in Russia. And together, we'd all happily go home. Then there wouldn't be a need for the school. But we decided our school will exist as long as we are in this position.

MAYNES: In fact, it seems everywhere you look in Armenia, Russians are not only making do but settling down, opening businesses and getting involved in the community. Government figures show Armenia's GDP jumped 14% after the Russian influx.

IVAN DIVILKOVSKIY: I try to become useful to the Armenian society, to become integrated.

MAYNES: Ivan Divilkovskiy left Moscow fearing he could be arrested for his past participation in Russia's pro-democracy movement. He says he's now engaged in causes important to Armenia's future.

DIVILKOVSKIY: I don't know if I can become an Armenian in the narrow sense, but I am a part of the Russian immigrant circle. And we are doing our best to become a good long-term guest, a good roommate.

MAYNES: And Russians are integrating in other ways.

DANA VERGILYUSH: (Speaking Russian).

MAYNES: Dana Vergilyush is one of hundreds of Russian IT professionals who relocated to Yerevan, in her case from Southern Russia's Rostov-on-Don. Vergilyush says she arrived with her daughter, intent on finding people who share her progressive politics and passion for the environment. She's since launched a series of volunteer trash cleanups, much to her surprise, with buy-in and support from the Armenian authorities.

VERGILYUSH: (Through interpreter) In Russia, my activities were never welcomed or approved of by the government. Not once did anyone reach out to say, that's great what you are doing, or even just say thank you.

MAYNES: Yet gaining acceptance in Armenia comes with accepting that a return to Russia is unlikely.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN: (Speaking Russian).

MAYNES: Last spring, Russian President Vladimir Putin demonized Russians who fled the country in the past year as scum and traitors. Even now, Russia's Parliament, the Duma, is debating measures that could strip property, perhaps even citizenship, from those expat Russians seen as openly disloyal.

DARINA MAYATSKAYA: (Speaking Russian).

MAYNES: "After a year of war, it will take fundamental changes inside Russia, even the end of the Putin era, to lure these political emigres back," says Darina Mayatskaya (ph), a native of St. Petersburg.

MAYATSKAYA: (Through interpreter) I'll go home when either they get rid of all these repressive laws or the authorities are so weak they can't enforce them. I see myself going back when I'm sure I can cross the border and I'm certain no one will arrest me.

MAYNES: Mayatskaya runs the local chapter of Kovcheg, or The Ark, a support group that provides assistance to Russians settling into life abroad and often leaving trouble behind.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Speaking Russian).

MAYNES: On the night I visited, The Ark was hosting a letter writing campaign to Russian political prisoners currently in jail over their opposition to the war. Ivan Lyubimov knew the routine better than most.

IVAN LYUBIMOV: (Speaking Russian).

MAYNES: Lyubimov says letters from people he'd never met comforted him when he was in jail for participating in opposition rallies in his native city of Yekaterinburg. In fact, Lyubimov says he left for Armenia only after authorities launched a criminal probe into his own anti-war activities, over which he has no regrets.

LYUBIMOV: (Through interpreter) The Russian government's policies won't change. The police won't behave any differently. The courts won't get any better. But it's still important and necessary to protest this war, to show that not all Russians support this aggressive annexation of Ukraine's territory.

MAYNES: As to what's next, Lyubimov says he'll stay in Armenia, at least for now. And with that, he started scribbling out a letter, a message intended for sender and recipient alike. It read…

LYUBIMOV: (Speaking Russian).

MAYNES: "Sooner or later, we might both find ourselves in a new free country, breathing the free air. Until then, hold on."

Charles Maynes, NPR News, Yerevan, Armenia.

Copyright © 2023 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

Listen to the 6-minute interview at https://www.npr.org/2023/02/15/1157279970/thousands-of-russians-who-oppose-the-war-in-ukraine-have-settled-down-in-armenia






How Iran perceives the developments in Artsakh

Garnik Tadevosian
 Yeghia Tashjian Tashjian's Take, Columns 1

As Russia and Western powers seek to compete in the South Caucasus, many analysts neglect the role of Iran in the region. After the 2020 war and the signing of the November 9 trilateral statement, Iran realized that its geo-economic and geopolitical interests were being threatened due to the increase of Turkish influence and Israel’s military presence and intelligence in the region. These factors have pushed Iran to review its policy toward the region and try to engage in a proactive foreign policy. This article will shed light on the main topics discussed in Iranian media related to Artsakh and the recent interview that was held with Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan by the Iranian media. 

A look into the Iranian media

The Iranian press did not frequently cover the Artsakh conflict before the 2020 war, but after the war, it became one of the most discussed topics in Iranian mass media. That is because the results of the war created challenges not only for Armenia and Artsakh, but also for the Islamic Republic of Iran. 

Following the 2020 Artsakh War, Iranian media and experts began to discuss the implications of the conflict, including the strengthening of Turkey’s presence in the region, the deepening of Israeli-Azerbaijani relations, and most importantly, the issue of the so-called “Zangezur Corridor” (which in Iran is called “Turanian corridor or NATO’s Turanian corridor”). This issue gained attention with some interpreting it as an attempt to eliminate the Armenian-Iranian border. The media also emphasized that Iran was one of the defeated parties in the war. 

The Islamic Republic recognizes that the policies pursued by Azerbaijan and Turkey directly threaten Iran and its presence in the region, so Tehran sees cooperation with Armenia as a way to neutralize these threats and as a means of not being excluded from regional processes. The response of the Iranian media to the Armenian-Azerbaijani escalations and the open approach to presenting the views of the Armenian side is noteworthy in this context. This became particularly apparent after the closure of the Lachin Corridor. 

The closure of the Lachin Corridor is seen as significant by Iran because it is perceived as a move by Azerbaijan to pressure Armenia into opening the “Zangezur Corridor.” The Iranian press has been actively covering this topic and has even conducted interviews with Armenian experts. Iran’s second state channel also hosted an Armenian expert to talk on this subject, which was unprecedented. 

In parallel, the use of the name “Artsakh” in Iranian media has increased. This suggests a significant shift in Iranian media and expert circles, as there is now greater openness in discussing the issue of Artsakh. If earlier in Iran there were only discussions in small circles about the benefits of having Artsakh under Armenian control, today more Iranian experts are openly expressing this view. In this regard, the interview with Vardanyan with the Iranian Shargh newspaper is significant. However, Iran maintains a stance of neutrality in the conflict and officially recognizes Artsakh as a part of Azerbaijan. 

Dr. Ehsan Movahedian’s interview with Ruben Vardanyan

Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan, Stepanakert, December 25, 2022

On February 13, 2023, Dr. Ehsan Movahedian, professor of international relations at ATU University in Tehran, interviewed Vardanyan in the Shargh newspaper. In the interview, Vardanyan reflected upon the humanitarian crisis, the role of the Russian peacekeepers and Armenian-Iranian relations. This is the first time an Iranian news source has interviewed an official from Artsakh. 

Vardanyan argued that the situation in Artsakh is very close to a humanitarian crisis. The government has a serious shortage of food, medicine and other necessities. The corridor connecting Artsakh to the outside world, which is also called “the road of life,” has been blocked for more than two months. The State Minister said, “Apart from the blockade, the Republic of Azerbaijan keeps creating serious obstacles to the supply of gas and electricity which is delivered to Artsakh from Armenia. Thus, Baku leadership is undertaking all possible and even impossible measures to force Artsakh Armenians to leave their homeland. Aliyev himself has said, ‘the road is open for those who want to leave…’”

Vardanyan said that even though the situation is very tough, he is amazed by the strong will and resilience of the Artsakh people. “They are ready to endure all the difficulties, and they don’t want to leave their homeland where they lived for thousands of years. I am sure the Baku government hasn’t expected such resistance from Artsakh. They thought they broke the will of the people during the 2020 war, but it’s not true. People here are much stronger than anyone thinks they are.” He also added that the closing of the road has one purpose: “depopulation of Artsakh,” hence, the world should understand that this is not just a humanitarian disaster, but an act of genocide.

When asked about how he assesses the performance of the Russian peacekeepers in defense of Artsakh and whether they are fulfilling their duties, Vardanyan said that Russian peacekeepers have a very limited mandate in Artsakh. He also mentioned that the Russians are not able to force Baku to open the corridor due to the “regional geopolitical situation.” He also said that despite Russia being the main mediator and also the guarantor of the November 9 trilateral statement, they, unfortunately, lack the proper leverage on Azerbaijan in the current stage, which of course complicates the situation. Vardanyan also gave importance to the presence of the peacekeepers arguing that the international community should understand that, at the moment, it is impossible to ensure the security of Artsakh without the presence of peacekeeping forces, and only international security guarantees can facilitate discussions between Stepanakert and Baku.

In response to a question highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of Russia’s policy in the Caucasus, especially in relation to Armenia and the Caucasus, Vardanyan said that although Russia is a natural ally of Armenia, Russia’s close cooperation with Turkey and Azerbaijan against the political background of their hatred toward Armenians, significantly changes the balance of power in the region. It is obvious that Turkey exclusively protects the interests of Azerbaijan, which threatens the establishment of peace in the region.

Asked whether Baku plans to replace the Russian peacekeeping mission with Turkish or NATO forces by 2025, Vardanyan answered that he hasn’t noticed that NATO wants to be present in the area. He also mentioned that it is obvious that the actions of Azerbaijan are also directed against Russian peacekeepers and are accompanied by active anti-Russian propaganda in Azerbaijan. And if official Baku aims not to prolong the Russian peacekeeping mission in the region by 2025, serious problems will arise in Artsakh and the region.

He also warned that Artsakh should not become a battleground for other countries as this will have devastating consequences on the Armenian population of the region. He argued that the international community must not ignore Aliyev’s genocidal behavior with the blockade of Artsakh. “He and his regime must understand that this kind of behavior will bring serious consequences for them and maybe even for their state,” argued Vardanyan. Hence, “the international community also bears the political and moral responsibility to prevent the deepening crisis and to ensure the security and protect the people of Artsakh and the establishment of sustainable peace in the region,” he added.

Vardanyan also linked the blockade of the Lachin Corridor to the opening of the so-called  “Zangezur Corridor,” arguing that it was not a coincidence that Baku blocked the Lachin Corridor right after the Turkish-Azerbaijani joint military drills along the border with Iran. They were checking Iran’s reaction to upcoming events. Azerbaijan and Turkey have growing militaristic ambitions in the region, which is dangerous for all states in the region. Vardanyan mentioned that Azerbaijan doesn’t want to engage in a trade-off between Artsakh and Syunik; it wants both. “If we step back on Artsakh, then the Armenian government can be very vulnerable in Syunik. Thus, Artsakh’s resistance today is very essential for making the thousands of years old Armenian-Iranian border untouchable. This should be acknowledged both in Yerevan and Tehran,” said Vardanyan.

Commenting on Artsakh’s position with Iran, Vardanyan mentioned that the Armenians of Artsakh consider Iran a friendly state. Both people share ancient history, culture and civilization. Vardanyan mentioned that he, himself, initiated the reconstruction of the Iranian Gohar Agha mosque in Shushi, which also symbolized the centuries-old cultural and civilizational friendship between the two peoples. Moreover, 130 years ago, Armenians of Shushi translated Ferdowsi’s immortal Shahnameh, one of the pillars of Iranian culture and identity, which shows how deep and unshakable Artsakh’s cultural roots and respect for the Iranian nation are.

Reflecting on his thoughts on Iran’s neutral policy, he added that Iran is a serious power in the region. It has been like that for centuries and always positioned itself as an important actor who played a balancing role. Remarkably, the State Minister also highlighted the importance of Artsakh to Iran from a security angle. He said that Israel appeared on the northern border of Artsakh only after the 2020 war, and this has been facilitated with the help of Azerbaijan and Turkey. Accordingly, after the Azerbaijani occupation of these lands, Iran faced security problems. Thus, Iran should have political involvement and a stabilizing role to avoid the escalation of security issues, which can be catastrophic for the entire region.

Reflection

Movahedian’s interview is an important cornerstone in raising the issue of Artsakh in Iranian public opinion. This initiative was a result of years of intellectual and academic cooperation between Armenian and Iranian intellectuals, journalists and scholars. Both sides need to enhance such cooperation to counter Baku’s and Ankara’s narratives and raise public alarms regarding their policies in the region. 

The post-2020 war discourse in Iranian media has shown that many Iranians are now aware of Turkey’s and Azerbaijan’s ambitions and expansionist policies and are discussing them openly to enhance cooperation with Armenia to contain this axis. It should be remembered that according to Armenian officials, one of the factors that pushed Azerbaijan not to continue its incursion towards Syunik in September 2022 was the fact that the Iranian side engaged in statements and actions to stop the further deterioration of the crisis. 

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Yeghia Tashjian is a regional analyst and researcher. He has graduated from the American University of Beirut in Public Policy and International Affairs. He pursued his BA at Haigazian University in political science in 2013. In 2010, he founded the New Eastern Politics forum/blog. He was a research assistant at the Armenian Diaspora Research Center at Haigazian University. Currently, he is the regional officer of Women in War, a gender-based think tank. He has participated in international conferences in Frankfurt, Vienna, Uppsala, New Delhi and Yerevan. He has presented various topics from minority rights to regional security issues. His thesis topic was on China’s geopolitical and energy security interests in Iran and the Persian Gulf. He is a contributor to various local and regional newspapers and a presenter of the “Turkey Today” program for Radio Voice of Van. Recently he has been appointed as associate fellow at the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut and Middle East-South Caucasus expert in the European Geopolitical Forum.


AW: The Region in Brief

Garnik Tadevosian
 Lillian Avedian Briefs 0

Artsakh

Azerbaijan’s blockade of Artsakh entered its third month this week. The natural gas supply to Artsakh was disrupted on February 9 for the eighth time since the closure of the Lachin Corridor on December 12, which the Artsakh government blamed on Azerbaijani interference. Artsakh authorities say that the energy system has been overloaded by the cold weather and lack of gas and electricity supply, leading to accidents. Households have been losing power for six hours a day under a government mandated rolling blackout. However, residents have been losing power for longer periods of time due to the pressure on the energy grid. The energy crisis has also caused a series of fires, including a fire at the central headquarters of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) in Artsakh. The building security guard suffered burns and was hospitalized. Artsakh authorities also expanded the food distribution system on February 13. In addition to rice, sugar, buckwheat, pasta and oil, residents can use government-issued coupons to purchase eggs, fruit and vegetables. 

Azerbaijan

The US State Department has called for the “expeditious release” of Azerbaijani political prisoner Bakhtiyar Hajiyev. “We are deeply troubled that Azerbaijani activist Bakhtiyar Hajiyev has remained in detention since the eve of International Human Rights Day, last December, and that he continues to face charges widely understood as politically motivated,” US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a press statement on February 11. Hajiyev was arrested on December 9 on charges of hooliganism and has been on hunger strike since January 9. He was hospitalized on February 10 and risks entering a coma. The Baku Court of Appeals denied his request to be released on bail on January 24 due to worsening health and upheld his pre-trial detention until the end of February. 

Georgia

Russian women’s rights activist Anna Rivina has been denied re-entry into Georgia two days after being declared a foreign agent by the Russian government. Rivina is the director of Nasiliu.Net, a non-profit organization that provides shelter and other services to survivors of domestic violence. She has lived in Georgia for several months but was barred from entry on February 12 after a working trip to Yerevan. While hundreds of thousands of Russians have fled to Georgia following the invasion of Ukraine, there have been widespread reports that people critical of the Russian government have not been allowed to enter Georgia. Olga Borisova, a member of the band Pussy Riot, and David Frenkel, a reporter for a Russian outlet that has refused to censor news about the war in Ukraine, are among the Russians who have been denied entry to Georgia.

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Lillian Avedian is a staff writer for the Armenian Weekly. Her writing has also been published in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Hetq and the Daily Californian. She is pursuing master’s degrees in journalism and Near Eastern Studies at New York University. A human rights journalist and feminist poet, Lillian's first poetry collection Journey to Tatev was released with Girls on Key Press in spring of 2021.


Turkey says earthquake diplomacy could help mend Armenia ties

Garnik Tadevosian
Reuters
Feb 15 2023
Reuters

ANKARA (Reuters) – Humanitarian aid sent by Armenia for victims of last week's devastating earthquake in Turkey could boost the neighbouring countries' efforts to normalise their relations, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday.

A border gate between the long-feuding neighbours was opened for the first time in 35 years to allow aid for quake victims in southern Turkey. Armenia also sent a rescue team to Turkey to help in the search for survivors.

"Armenia has extended its hand of friendship, showed solidarity and cooperation with us in this difficult time … We need to continue this solidarity," Cavusoglu said at a joint news conference in Ankara with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan.

"The normalisation process in the southern Caucasus region is going on. We believe that our cooperation in the humanitarian field will support this process," Cavusoglu added.

Mirzoyan said through a translator that Armenia remained committed to "the full normalisation of relations and complete opening of the border with Turkey".

Turkey severed its diplomatic and commercial ties with Armenia in 1993 to show support for Azerbaijan, which was at the time fighting a losing battle against Armenian separatists in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh enclave.

But Turkey and Armenia are at odds primarily over the 1.5 million people Armenia says were killed in 1915 by the Ottoman Empire, the predecessor to modern Turkey.

Armenia says this constitutes genocide.

Turkey accepts that many Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire were killed in clashes with Ottoman forces during World War One, but contests the figures and denies it was systematic.

(Reporting by Huseyin Hayatsever; Editing by Helen Popper)