Author: Garnik Tadevosian

Education institutions are due to reopen on September 1, but parents worry for children's well-being.

STEPANAKERT-BASED JOURNALIST

Mother-of six Elina Hambardzumyan spent two weeks searching the shops of Stepanakert, Nagorny Karabakh’s main city, to find a notebook and two red-ink pens ahead of the start of the school year. The 32-year-old was desperate for stationery and other school supplies: as an Azerbaijani blockade of the Armenian-populated region drags into its ninth month, shelves remain empty.

“That’s all I have found, now I have to choose who I will give them to. My eldest son has to start the seventh grade, my two daughters the third and the second, while my twins the first grade,” she told IWPR, holding her two-month-old baby in her arms. “I am worried I will not be able to send my children to school.”

The start of school for the about 20,000 school children in the region is shrouded in uncertainty. 

Since December 2022 the Lachin corridor, the only road connecting Karabakh to Armenia and the rest of the world, has been blocked: first by Baku-backed eco-activists protesting over Karabakh authorities’ allegedly illegal mining activities, then by Azerbaijani police at the official checkpoint set up on the Hagari bridge in late April. 

Even this restricted movement came to a halt in June, including for humanitarian cargo, exacerbating the region’s isolation and shortages of food, medicines, fuel and other essential goods for its 120,000 residents, including about 30,000 children. 

“We are going to start the new school year in these conditions…we believe that the children and students of Artsakh [as Armenians call the region] should not be deprived of the opportunity to be educated and develop. Even under these conditions, their right to education must be fulfilled,” Norayr Mkrtchyan, the region’s minister of education, science, culture, youth and sports told IWPR. 

The lack of supplies is just one of numerous challenges. Mkrtchyan said that food shortages had caused child malnutrition, while the lack of electricity and heating and poor sanitary and hygienic conditions also impact on schools. The lack of fuel means that children will have to walk to school as private cars sit idle and public transport has been suspended; even the use of emergency vehicles has been reduced to the bare minimum . 

“The ministry and the government are trying to find solutions,” Mkrtchyan said, adding that schools and universities were nonetheless still scheduled to resume on September 1.

The Armenian-populated breakaway region fought two wars, in the mid-1990s and at the end of 2020. The latter saw Azerbaijan regaining control over large swathes of territory it had lost, but a ceasefire brokered by Russia established that free movement through the Lachin corridor would be guaranteed.

On August 17, the UN security council convened an emergency meeting called by Armenia, but failed to issue any statement or resolution on the situation. Baku has long denied that Karabakh is under blockade and has proposed to provide humanitarian aid to the region via the Azerbaijani city of Aghdam. This alternative received the backing of Brussels and Moscow but has been rejected by Karabakh authorities who see it as  a legitimisation of Azerbaijani rule over the region. 

On August 18, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) urged “to resume urgently needed humanitarian deliveries” to the region. The only humanitarian organisation operating across the Lachin corridor, including the transportation of critically ill individuals, stated that the latest deliveries of medical supplies occurred on July 7 and of food on June 14. 

DISRUPTED EDUCATION

The 118 educational institutions in the region continued to operate in the six months of 2023 despite the blockade, but regular classes were disrupted by power outages and the interruption of gas supply.

Nune Lalayan, a social studies teacher, maintained that remaining united was key.

“It is difficult, but I know that we will overcome this challenge with strong will and honour, just like we did in the 1990s,” the 37-year-old, a widow with a schoolchild, told IWPR. “I myself went to school in similar conditions: without a bag, without notebooks or stationery. However, all these obstacles did not hinder my desire to study. Knowledge is the key to our success.”

Hambardzumyan is also optimistic “because my children study well and deserve education. It would be terrible if school was interrupted again, like during the war or the pandemic [in 2020]”.

She is also worried about food; like many parents her day is spent in a quest to feed her family. 

“Today we ate buckwheat and nothing else – I could not find any other food, including  bread,” she said.

On August 15, Karabakh’s human rights defender’s office reported that a 40-year-old man died of “chronic malnutrition… [and] protein and energy deficiency”, as a result of the blockade.

Ombudsman Gegham Stapanyan told IWPR that ensuring the right to education was not only about merely reopening schools. 

“The conditions for the child's proper participation in the educational process include proper school feeding, availability of stationery items, appropriate sanitary conditions at the school,” he said. “I believe that the government is not able to fully provide all these components under the blockade.

“At the same time, I believe that the state has an obligation to ensure the realisation of the right to education, even in conditions of its objective impossibility. In my opinion, the option of combining on-site and distance learning should be considered.”

Authorities are also trying to solve the issue of students in the region who were admitted to Armenian universities as well as further education institutions abroad. 

“We reached out to interested third parties to help [us] relocate those students. We hope that we will be able to settle the transfer of all students by September 1,” Mkrtchyan said. 

Gulnara Harutyunyan, from Chartar, a town about 45 kilometres east of Stepanakert, said she was worried that her 18-year-old daughter Srbuhi could not start her studies after securing a place at Yerevan Linguistics University.

“I am very worried about how she would manage to go through the Azerbaijani [checkpoint],” the 41-year-old, who lost her husband during the 2020 war, told IWPR in a phone conversation . She has two other children of school age. “Sometimes I fear that maybe I won't see my child again, but maybe this is her salvation.”

On August 21 and 22, Russian peacekeepers brokered a deal to allow some residents, students and Russian passport holders, to travel via the Lachin corridor to Armenia, triggering speculation that Azerbaijani and Karabakh authorities may be within reach of an agreement.

The agreement allowed Srbuhi to travel to Yerevan to begin her studies.

“There were many people with cameras at the checkpoint. We felt like we were in a circus, they were filming us from all sides, it was very unpleasant, intimidating, and humiliating. I trembled because my father also took part in the war and died. I thought I might be mistreated because of that,” the 18-year-old told IWPR in a phone conversation from the Armenian capital. 

“I came to pursue my dream to study and return to Artsakh. But under these conditions, I am not sure. Even if I am far from my family, I cannot go through those conditions of humiliation and fear again.”

Christians Suffer under Blockade, ‘Genocide” in Artsakh

By Linda Burkle, Ph.D., ICC Fellow 

With many conflicts globally, most prominently the Russian war on Ukraine, there has been little attention given to the present plight of Armenian Christians living in a disputed region referred to as the Republic of Artsakh.  

Decades long fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan resulted in ethnic Armenians being in control of this breakaway region and seven surrounding districts within Azerbaijan. During the 2020 war, however, Azerbaijan regained control of all adjacent districts and territory within Nagorno-Karabakh, which is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.  

In November 2020, Russia brokered a peace deal that included having 2,000 Russian peacekeepers patrolling the area, which is jointly monitored with Turkey, a longtime Azerbaijani ally. 

Current Blockade

Since December 12, 2022, government supported Azerbaijani protestors posing as environmentalists, have blocked the Lachin Corridor, the sole Nagorno-Karabakh land link vital to providing supplies to 120,000 ethnic Armenians living in the mountainous region.  

Only the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Russian peacekeepers have been allowed to pass. However, Azerbaijani has installed military checkpoints making it difficult for even the ICRC to transport patients needing medical care. 

The protestors, called “ecoactivists” include civilian workers, students, and disguised military. The Azerbaijani government supplies tents, food, and incentives for taking part in the blockade. Some are paid and flown from other areas. They contend that the Armenians are running “illegal” ore mines in Karabakh and demand access for inspection.  

The Armenian authorities “have rejected the protesters’ demands as a gross violation of the Russian-brokered agreement from November 2020 that suspended more than a month of intense fighting in the decades-old Armenian-Azerbaijani war over the Azerbaijani territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts”. 

The ongoing blockade has created a humanitarian crisis, denying basic needs such as food, energy, access to medical care, school, and internet services to the those living in the region. Grocery shelves are bare, food is rationed, and medical conditions are not being treated.  

In addition, since the blockade began, Azerbaijan has cut off the only gas supply intermittently and damaged infrastructure. Since March 22, 2023, Artsakh has been without a gas supply. The region has also been forced to rely on its own limited production of electricity. The only power line supplying Artsakh was damaged, and Azerbaijan has prevented its repair. Artsakh authorities have resorted to daily 6-hour blackouts to rationing the remaining supply of electricity production.  

As the months wear on, the Armenian government has accused the Azerbaijani government of genocide due to starvation. “Azerbaijan has now cut off all shipments of food, fuel, and other critical supplies to the breakaway territory of Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenia.” . . . “This genocide does not feature crematories or machete attacks. Rather, the blockade of food, oil, medicine, and other essential goods to a protected group should be considered a genocide under Article II (c) of the Genocide Convention, which addresses ‘Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction.” 

To end the blockade, Azerbaijan has presented two options to Artsakh: submit to Baku (Azerbaijan’s Capitol) government rule or the blockade continues, causing continued untold deprivation and suffering. The Armenians have flatly rejected the proposal. “How can we accept humanitarian aid from the country that has led us to this disaster? It is using one hand to strangle us and the other hand to feed us,” said the territory’s de facto president, Arayik Harutyunyan, in a July 24 live-streamed press conference. 

Threat of Genocide 

On July 28, 2023, Armenian Ambassador to the UN Mher Margaryan sent a letter to the UN Security Council asking for an emergency meeting, saying the situation was “on the verge of a full-fledged humanitarian catastrophe” and urging international intervention to prevent genocide. He accused Azerbaijan of blocking the Lachin Corridor where trucks carrying 400 tons of humanitarian aid were denied passage. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan leaders insist that the road is open for humanitarian cargo, emergency services, and peacekeepers.  

Thomas Becker, a Senior Clinical Supervisor at the University Network for Human Rights, has made three fact-finding trips to Armenia within the last year. He and his team from Yale and Harvard documented bombings of buildings, homes, and other sites. He said, “Perhaps most unsettling were the videos we were shown by a woman who fled her village of Azerbaijani soldiers beheading and mutilating the bodies of her neighbors. Azerbaijan’s preparation, persecution, dehumanization, and denial—each considered a “stage” of genocide—has prompted Genocide Watch to issue a genocide warning about Armenians under attack by Azerbaijan. Others in the global community, including the United States, have also expressed alarm.”  

Becker noted that the Armenians have endured “decapitations, sexual mutilation, cultural destruction, dehumanizing statements by authorities, and a constant threat of attacks—all coming from Azerbaijan, with direct military and economic support from Turkey, the successor nation of the Ottoman Empire”… “what concerned me most on my recent fact-finding trip to Armenia, my third in the last year, is that the rights abuses I had previously witnessed in Nagorno-Karabakh—including indiscriminate killings, torture, and arbitrary detention—are now being carried out by Azerbaijan in sovereign Armenian territory with impunity.” 

The threat of genocide is very real. “Over the past decade, Azerbaijani officials have invoked language used in the Rwandan genocide and the Holocaust, referring to Armenians as a ‘cancer tumor’ and a ‘disease” to be “treated.’ More recently, the country’s authoritarian leader Ilham Aliyev has threatened to ‘drive [Armenians] away like’ dogs’ and ‘treat’ Armenians because they are ‘sick’ with ‘a virus’ [that] has permeated them.” The Baku government even issued a 2020 commemorative stamp depicting a person in a hazmat suit ‘cleansing’ Nagorno-Karabakh.” Furthermore, Aliyev said the goal is total elimination of Armenians in the region. 

International Response 

A group of non-governmental and humanitarian organizations, including International Christian Concern (ICC), issued an urgent plea to the international community saying that genocide is a present danger.  

“The current Azerbaijani aggression against the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh conforms to a long pattern of ethnic and religious cleansing of Armenian and other Christian communities in the region by the government of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Turkey, the Ottoman Empire, and their partisans.  We call on all contracting parties to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, particularly the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Russian Federation, to fulfill their obligations, through the UN Security Council, to prevent another chapter of the Armenian Genocide.”  

On January 18, 2023, the European Parliament issued a resolution condemning the blockade and urging Azerbaijan at once “reopen the Lachin corridor to enable free movement and ensure access to essential goods and services, thus guaranteeing security in the region and safeguarding residents’ livelihoods.” The resolution also called for the unimpeded access of international organizations and the UN to assess the situation and supply necessary humanitarian aid. In addition, it asserted the need for a comprehensive peace agreement, as well as replacement of Russian peacekeepers with international peacekeepers under UN mandate, given the Russian peacekeepers cooperation with the protesters.  

The International Court of Justice and the U.S. Department of State also condemned the blockade. In a written statement, the U.S. diplomats warned that the Azerbaijani blockade “sets back the peace process and undermines international confidence” as well as creates “a grave humanitarian situation.” The United States has stopped, however, short of imposing any sanctions on Azerbaijan. Meanwhile, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) is trying to address the needs of displaced Armenians.  

On June 29, 2023, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met with foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan to come to an agreement. The talks are to continue but have made little progress. 

On August 16, 2023, the UN Security Council met with representatives of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Without issuing a formal statement, all 15 members called for the reopening of the Lachin Corridor. U.N. humanitarian coordinator Edem Wosornu reported to the council that the International Committee of the Red Cross, has been blocked from transporting food since June 14 and medicine since July 7, in violation of international humanitarian law, requiring all parties to rapidly deliver aid. 

Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan warned the council that starvation is imminent without “without immediate dramatic change this group of Armenians will be destroyed in a few weeks.” He said it was the duty of the Security Council to prevent another genocide. Azerbaijan’s U.N. Ambassador Yashar Aliyev responded by “categorically rejecting all unfounded and groundless allegations on (a) blockade or humanitarian crisis propagated by Armenia against my country,” accusing the Armenians of provoking a political campaign to undermine Azerbaijan’s sovereignty.  

Conclusion 

Unless there is immediate reopening of the Lachin Corridor and restoration of essential goods and services, undoubtedly more Armenian Christians living in the Republic of Artsakh will die. This is a travesty that cannot be ignored. The international community must impose sanctions and treat this blockade as an act of genocide. Meanwhile, International Christian Concern implores all Christians to pray for those suffering and contact their respective government officials to urge action.  

There’s a restaurant in Chicago called Sayat Nova, which is named for the Armenian 18th century poet Arutin Sayadyan whose pen name means “King of Songs.” The food is so good I used to fly it back to San Francisco and got into fights with the TSA about whether the yogurt-laden dishes were technically considered liquid or not.

I had the pleasure of meeting Armenian chef and TV personality Ara Zada when I was down in Los Angeles a few weeks ago. We had a great chat about what is so unique about this cuisine. All answers have been edited and condensed for clarity.

There’s a restaurant in Chicago called Sayat Nova, which is named for the Armenian 18th century poet Arutin Sayadyan whose pen name means “King of Songs.” The food is so good I used to fly it back to San Francisco and got into fights with the TSA about whether the yogurt-laden dishes were technically considered liquid or not.

I had the pleasure of meeting Armenian chef and TV personality Ara Zada when I was down in Los Angeles a few weeks ago. We had a great chat about what is so unique about this cuisine. All answers have been edited and condensed for clarity.

L.B.Z.: Where is your family from and how often do you go back?

A.Z.: My mom and grandparents are Armenian but both were born in Egypt. The first time I went to Armenia in 2016 and I was going back about every six months until the Covid pandemic hit.

L.B.Z.: Where did you study culinary arts?

A.Z.: I did my culinary studies at Le Cordon Bleu.

L.B.Z.: When did you first experience Armenia wines and how have they evolved?

A.Z.: The first time I had Armenian wine was my first trip to Armenia. Since then, there has been a massive wine revolution. Tons of wine makers from around the world have come to buy vineyards. They have evolved the wine making processes and techniques. I’ve been told by several wine makers in Armenia that their best vintage is next one to come, since the winemaking process is in constant evolution.

L.B.Z.: What have some of the biggest challenges been for the Armenia wine industry?

A.Z.: For wineries just getting their name out has been tough. Armenia has long history of wine making that dates back 6000 years. However, during Soviet domination Armenian winemakers were encouraged to make brandy instead. Also, most people at that point were making their own wine in their backyard and it wasn’t that good.

L.B.Z.: Do you think the fact that many of these grapes are hard to pronounce have been an issue for them?

A.Z.: The indigenous grapes of Armenia can be pretty difficult to pronounce but it’s just a matter of people saying it a few times. What is also notable is that the indigenous grapes of Armenia don’t suffer from phylloxera and are grown on their own rootstock, which is very unusual in the wine world today.

L.B.Z.: What are some of the most traditional Armenian dishes?

A.Z.: Some of the most recognizable would be Khorovats which is Armenian BBQ, skewered up chunks of meat cooked on an open flame; Lavash-wrapped Trout; Harissa, wheat Porridge; and my favorite Khash, cow foot soup. The cuisine features lots of traditional Lavash bread, cheese and an abundance of herbs.

L.B.Z.: How has the Armenian wine scene been evolving in Yerevan?

A.Z.: The wine scene is incredible in Armenia. There is a whole street dedicated to cool wine bars and restaurants in Yerevan, the capitol.

L.B.Z.: You are involved in creating modern Armenian food. What does that involve?

A.Z.: I love creating modern Armenian food by taking classic cooking methods and making them easier for more people to enjoy or mixing ingredients from different cultures to bring new life to classic dishes.

L.B.Z.: Does fine-tuning the food allow younger people to understand it better?

A.Z.: Absolutely! Your people tend to be afraid of old Armenian dishes because they saw their mothers and grandmas slaving for hours in the kitchen. When I show people an easier way to prepare them, it inspires people to get in the kitchen and get creative.

L.B.Z.: You said you did a Mexican-Armenian pop up? What was that like?

A.Z.: I have been fusing Armenian and Mexican dishes for some time. We take Armenian dishes and add Mexican spices or vice versa and it’s been blowing up on social media. We call it Arm-Mex Fusion. We did a few kitchen/comedy pop-ups and the feedback has been incredible. Each event has had the tickets sell out in the first few hours.

L.B.Z.: How did you combine the flavors of the two cuisines?

A.Z.: Most of the time we come up with video ideas on the spot and they turn into magic on the camera. We took lahmajun—meat flatbread—and cut it up into chips, baked them and made nachos out of them. We made tacos using lavash, khorovats-spiced pork and a pepper sauce.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/lizazimmerman/2023/08/22/exploring-armenian-flavors/?sh=6a60c7b96f28

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) sent a letter to United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield urging her to introduce a resolution calling for an immediate end to Azerbaijan’s eight-month blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh, including allowing unfettered humanitarian access to Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.

As the government of Azerbaijan threatens to ethnically cleanse the people of Nagorno-Karabakh through starvation, and is actively depriving them of fuel necessary for emergency response efforts and other essential goods, the Senators are calling on the United Nations to act immediately according to the mandate in its Charter.

“For eight months Azerbaijan has gradually tightened a blockade meant to deprive Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh access to essential goods, including food and medicine. On June 15, Azerbaijan effectively shut down the delivery of all critical humanitarian assistance, leading to severe consequences for the tens of thousands of people living there including children, the elderly, and other residents with illnesses and disabilities,” wrote the Senators.

“In your capacity as the President of the UN Security Council for August 2023, we ask that you work with all UNSC members to pressure the Azerbaijani government to lift the blockade and prevent what the evidence suggests is a coordinated effort to ethnically cleanse the people of Nagorno Karabakh,” continued the Senators.

Full text of the letter is available here [https://www.foreign.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/menendez_padilla_letter_to_usun_re_nagorno-karabakh.pdf] and below.

Dear Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield,

We write to urge you to take a strong stance at today’s UN Security Council’s emergency meeting on the crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh to address the humanitarian crisis.

For eight months Azerbaijan has gradually tightened a blockade meant to deprive Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh access to essential goods, including food and medicine. On June 15, Azerbaijan effectively shut down the delivery of all critical humanitarian assistance, leading to severe consequences for the tens of thousands of people living there including children, the elderly, and other residents with illnesses and disabilities. In an affront to international humanitarian law and basic human dignity, almost a month ago, Azerbaijan began denying access for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the last remaining humanitarian group able to deliver life-saving relief to vulnerable populations. The ICRC reported last month that “fruits, vegetables, and bread are increasingly scarce and costly,” while “other food items such as dairy products, sunflower oil, cereal, fish, and chicken are unavailable,” noting also that “people lack life-saving medicine and essentials like hygiene and baby formula.” Today we know that the situation has worsened further, with journalists posting photos of empty grocery stores and reporting that ambulances no longer have fuel.

Azerbaijan’s actions are nothing short of an attempt of ethnic cleansing of the Armenian community that has lived there for centuries. Indeed, earlier this month, former Prosecutor General of the International Criminal Court Luis Moreno Ocampo issued a report stating that there is “a reasonable basis to believe that a genocide is being committed.”

We are encouraged that the United States supported the call for convening the meeting. In your capacity as the President of the UN Security Council for August 2023, we ask that you work with all UNSC members to pressure the Azerbaijani government to lift the blockade and prevent what the evidence suggests is a coordinated effort to ethnically cleanse the people of Nagorno Karabakh. Specifically, we urge you to introduce a resolution calling for an immediate end of the blockade and unfettered humanitarian access to the region.

Thank you for your consideration of this urgent request.

https://www.insidernj.com/press-release/menendez-padilla-urge-un-security-council-resolution-to-end-blockade-of-nagorno-karabakh/