Author: George Mamian

Nagorno-Karabakh presidency denies claims on accepting Aghdam road offer for commerce

George Mamian

 14:47,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 23, ARMENPRESS. The Nagorno-Karabakh presidency has denied media reports claiming that President Arayik Harutyunyan has decided to accept Azerbaijan’s proposal to use the Aghdam road for commercial transit.

According to Hraparak newspaper, Harutyunyan convened on August 22 a Security Council meeting and told the officials that a decision has been made to start trade of fuel, medications and other goods through the Aghdam road while food will be supplied through the Lachin Corridor by the Russian peacekeepers.

President Harutyunyan’s spokesperson Lusine Avanesyan told ARMENPRESS that Harutyunyan indeed held closed meetings with officials on August 22 but no such decision was made.

She said that Harutyunyan held meetings on August 22 and 23 with various politicians and public figures to discuss the humanitarian and security issues resulting from the Azerbaijani blockade, the Nagorno-Karabakh government’s upcoming actions and the proposals received from various mediators aimed at resolving the situation.

“No decision was made, and the discussions continue, and soon President Harutyunyan will personally present the information on the situation and the approaches of the authorities,” Avanesyan added.

Van Novikov

Israel can prevent a new Armenian genocide

George Mamian
YNet, Israel
Aug 22 2023
Dr. Sergei Melkonian
As things stand, Israel is indirectly complicit in what Luis Moreno Ocampo, the first chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, in recent days called a genocide against Armenians. But it is also in a unique position to put an end to the atrocity.

I refer to the eight-month blockade of the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave by Azerbaijan, one of Israel’s leading strategic allies. For the past two months not even Red Cross humanitarian missions have been allowed through, and last week the first resident died of starvation. Food and medicine are running out, and Ocampo has warned that many more deaths will follow unless Azerbaijan stops blocking the Lachin Corridor, the enclave’s vital access road. 
As many readers will know, Nagorno-Karabakh is a territory populated by ethnic Armenians that ended up on the Azeri side of the border because of Soviet machinations. Since the USSR collapse, it has operated as a self-governing entity, but in 2020 Azerbaijan attacked and seized much of the region in a war in which thousands of Armenians were killed. Israeli drones supplied to Azerbaijan played a big role in that victory.
Now comes the blockade against what remains of Nagorno-Karabakh and the 120,000 Armenians living there, clearly aimed at compelling their flight due to the threat of starvation. Indeed, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has been quite transparent, stating that the residents should either accept Azerbaijani citizenship or seek another home.
There are 30,000 children, 9,000 disabled people, and 20,000 elderly people among those who are besieged in Nagorno-Karabakh. "Without immediate dramatic change, this group of Armenians will be destroyed in a few weeks," Ocampo wrote in recent days in a pro bono report (read it here), entitled "Genocide against Armenians in 2023." He noted that Article II(c) of the Genocide Convention determined that "deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction" constituted genocide.
"You will find no crematoria in Nagorno-Karabakh, nor machetes, but genocide by starvation is no less devastating for being silent," Ocampo said. "It was the same deadly method used against Armenians in 1915, against Poles and Jews in 1939, and against the people of Srebrenica in 1993.”
Ocampo argued that state actors must intervene to force Azerbaijan to end the blockade, and the issue is now being debated at the United Nations Security Council.
Most observers might have expected the state actors in question to perhaps be the European Union or the United States, which are promoting sham “peace talks” between Armenia and Azerbaijan in which the people of Nagorno-Karabakh effectively have no voice. Or maybe even Russia, which has toothless peacekeepers in the area and which has a strategic alliance with Azerbaijan.
But perhaps they should be thinking of Israel.
The Jewish state, which was established after Jews suffered the greatest genocide in history, is indecorously close to the odious regime of President Ilham Aliyev in Baku.
Israel sells this regime weapons, to be used against Armenia, which is a fellow democracy and one of the world’s oldest Christian civilizations. Israel buys huge amounts of oil from this regime. Israel does a growing amount of business with this regime. And Israel also receives a forward base against its nemesis Iran from the regime.
This is a classic case of realpolitik in action.
That’s because in return for these things, Israel is in bed with a family-run kleptocracy that has, according to the Pandora Papers, siphoned away hundreds of millions of dollars of their country’s oil and natural gas wealth, and which allows its people to wallow in poverty and denies them basic freedoms. It also agitates wildly against Armenians and Armenia itself, commits atrocities against them, and carries out systematic desecrations of Armenian heritage sites. Now comes what is being described by one of the world’s leading jurists as an attempt at a second Armenian genocide.
Jews, of all people, should not look the other way. If sympathy for Armenia, a fellow scrappy democracy in a mostly non-democratic part of the world, is not enough, surely the genocide discussion should focus Israeli minds. Jews cannot be complicit in this.
Exactly 50 km away from the disaster zone, Israel is implementing large-scale investment programs. Israel is among Azerbaijan's top 10 trading partners, with trade between the two countries reaching $1.7 billion last year. About 90 Israeli companies are actively working in Azerbaijan. Three months ago, President Yitzhak Herzog visited Azerbaijan and discussed more new projects.
The growing influence of Israel on Azerbaijan and the wide presence of Israeli companies in the country can provide leverage.
During the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh, Israel continued to supply weapons to Azerbaijan. Since 2016, there have been 92 flights with Israeli arms supplies. The last delivery was this week: IL-76TD of Azerbaijan's Silk Way Airlines arrived at Uvda airbase to receive weapons and transport them to Baku.
A temporary moratorium on the supply of weapons to a country that is committing deadly outrages against civilians could be a serious signal for Azerbaijan to reconsider its policy.
We know there are righteous people in Israel who agree. Just last week, a large group of Israeli scientists, journalists, public figures, and rabbis addressed an open letter to President Herzog concerning the humanitarian catastrophe.
Israelis protest in 2020, against arms sales to Azerbaijan fearing genocide in Nagorno-Karabakh
(Photo: Moti Kimchi)
Rabbi Avidan Freedman clearly drew the line between political gain and a morally correct choice: "As an Israeli and a Zionist, I burst with pride when Israelis are first on the scene to provide support for humanitarian crises around the world … When Israel thinks that it serves its interests by providing weapons to countries that … commit grave violations of human rights – it is a heartbreaking violation of our mission."
The Armenian people who survived the first genocide of the 20th century could not stay indifferent during the Holocaust. That is why 24 Armenians have been officially recognized as Righteous among the Nations at Yad Vashem.
Israel now has a chance to do the righteous thing itself and to provide a lesson in morality to an often indifferent world.

Dr. Sergei Melkonian is a research fellow at the Yerevan-based think tank APRI.
 

“A curious proposal on Karabakh”: a document attributed to Lavrov

George Mamian
Aug 19 2023

  • JAMnews
  • Yerevan

Lavrov’s proposal on the rights of NK Armenians

Russia’s proposal to ensure the rights and security of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh is being discussed in Armenia. The document was published by Tigran Petrosyan, head of the anti-crisis council under the president of the unrecognized NKR. He claims that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov presented this proposal to his counterparts from Armenia and Azerbaijan on July 25, during a regular trilateral meeting.

Judging by the points of the published document, Armenian experts came to the conclusion that the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry “describes a scenario for ensuring the rights of NK Armenians as a national minority within Azerbaijan.” So far, it is not clear whether the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry really presented such a proposal. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia did not refute, but did not confirm the published information either. “We have not received such a document through official channels,” the foreign minister of the unrecognized republic said the day before.

Armenian political scientists and politicians believe that “the leak was in the interests of the Artsakh authorities,” who wanted to declare in this way that they did not agree with this proposal.

Russia has repeatedly stated that it sees the future of the “former NKAR” as part of Azerbaijan. In March 2023, after meeting with his Armenian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov once again publicly stated this, drawing parallels with the rights of Kosovo Serbs. “About the same rights were stipulated ten years ago in an agreement between Belgrade and Pristina on the creation of a Serbian community in Kosovo: language, local self-government, education, culture, religion, special economic ties with Serbia. I think a similar package of rights is needed for the people of Karabakh,” he stressed.

  • “Waiting for a resolution”: details of the UN Security Council meeting at the request of Armenia
  • “A UN Security Council resolution without forceful support is ordinary paper.” View from Baku
  • Armenia appeals to UN Security Council on issue of blockade of NK. Experts on expectations

Tigran Petrosyan published a draft document allegedly discussed at the negotiating table on his Facebook page. He presented it as Lavrov’s proposal on the Karabakh issue. The document is entitled “Basic principles and parameters for ensuring the security and rights of the Armenian population in the territory of the former NKAO of the Azerbaijan SSR in accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan.” It consists of 14 items.

Petrosyan claims that the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry presented the document to the Armenian and Azerbaijani ministers during the July meeting.

The last trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan took place on July 25 in Moscow. After a bilateral meeting with the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister, Lavrov said that a number of documents are being prepared for discussion by the leaders of the countries. However, he did not provide details about their content.

The document attributed to Lavrov refers to the “equal legal protection” of the Armenian population, “the exclusion of discrimination on ethnic, linguistic, religious or other grounds”, the prevention of “forced / involuntary resettlement” from their places of compact residence.

“Legislative prohibition of persecution, punishment or any restriction on the rights of representatives of the Armenian population under the pretext of their participation in local authorities and armed formations, excluding persons found guilty of war crimes in court,” reads one of the points of the draft.

The document contains clauses that the Armenian population should be proportionally represented in the republican and local structures of the legislative, executive and judicial authorities of Azerbaijan, including the prosecutor’s office and the police.

It also talks about providing guarantees to the Armenians of

  • free practice of one’s religion,
  • preservation of Armenian culture and identity,
  • receiving education in Armenian,
  • privacy
  • unimpeded receipt of economic and humanitarian aid from outside.
  • Relations between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia are also mentioned.

“Ensuring, on the basis of a separate agreement between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, close cultural, educational, scientific, media, sports and other humanitarian contacts between the Armenian population in the territory of the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region of the Azerbaijan SSR and the Republic of Armenia.”

It is noteworthy that the document was published on the day of the discussion of the issue of the situation in NK in the UN Security Council. Petrosyan said: “Today Putin has the opportunity to change his attitude and plans at the meeting of the UN Security Council.”

A group of local residents held a protest in front of the military base of Russian peacekeepers stationed in NK. They said that “all deaths will remain on Putin’s conscience”

The position presented in the document on ensuring the rights of Karabakh Armenians in the status of a national minority within Azerbaijan was declared by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the unrecognized NKR to be divorced from reality. Sergey Ghazaryan believes that Baku’s policy does not give grounds for such an approach to any of the mediators:

“If any of the mediators had such hopes, then, seeing the results of the policy pursued by Azerbaijan, which deliberately dooms 120,000 people to starvation, when militant statements are heard from the Azerbaijani side every day, threats to use force, when the Armenian historical and cultural heritage is being destroyed , none of the mediators can have any reason to believe that this concept can be implemented.”

Since the middle of June, Azerbaijan has banned the delivery of not only food, but also humanitarian goods from Armenia. How people survive and what do they think about their future?

Political scientist Alexander Iskandaryan:

“Even if we assume that this is true, and such a text really exists, and that this is really a proposal from the Russian side, the main thing is missing there. Technologies are not described, how what is written will be guaranteed, how these points will be implemented, who will monitor and what mechanism will work. Without clarification of these issues, this text does not make much sense.“

International Relations and Security Specialist Sosi Tatikyan:

“Armenians are being given the status of a national minority with certain rights. This is a very low bar and cannot be accepted. This means that the central government of NK will be dissolved, instead, Artsakh Armenians will be offered quotas in Azerbaijani bodies.

The “separation for the sake of salvation” scenario is unrealistic, we cannot implement it. But instead, we should at least expect that the status of political rather than cultural autonomy will be granted, that Artsakh will be preserved as a territorial unit. If at one time the US and the EU gave Kosovo the highest status of secession, and then gradually of sovereignty, then they cannot now lower this bar to such a level in the event of a conflict that is most similar to it.

They should at least try to secure a status close to political autonomy for the Artsakh Armenians, which requires strong pressure on Azerbaijan. The US can and should think about imposing sanctions against Azerbaijan.”

Politician Arman Babajanyan:

“To submit such a document for discussion without a comprehensive understanding of the settlement of the Karabakh problem is simply unacceptable. In the issue of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, Moscow openly sided with Baku. Is Yerevan capable of such a strategic turn, when these actions of the Russian Federation will be evaluated and our actions will be equivalent to the behavior of the Russian Federation?

The leak occurred precisely on the part of the Artsakh authorities, clearly showing that Artsakh is not going to put up with this. This is a very important indicator. But not only do they disagree, political steps, actions, statements should follow.”

Former MP Gayane Abrahamyan:

“Does Lavrov believe that his proposal can be implemented at all? When he says that Armenians should not be discriminated against, which court will decide? Will an Azerbaijani judge have to decide that an Armenian worker has been discriminated against in any body? This is simply absurd, this is the most curious proposal that was on the negotiating table.

Another important question is whether peacekeeping forces will be here or not. This document does not address this issue in any way. It doesn’t even mention the November 9 [2020, ceasefire document in Karabakh signed by the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia]. There are two options: either they think that they will stay there and do not even see the need to mention it, or they really intend to leave.

Perhaps the goal is to further strengthen the Russian-Turkish monitoring mechanism operating in Agdam, perhaps they will be present there.

Since nothing is said about this, I assume that they are thinking about leaving so that there is only a Turkish presence. So that there is no international presence, peacekeeping forces or humanitarian organizations. This is a document about ethnic cleansing of Armenians or their expulsion from Artsakh.”

Lavrov's proposal on the rights of NK Armenians JAMnews (jam-news.net)

Padilla, Menendez Urge UN Security Council Resolution to End Blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh

George Mamian
Aug 15 2023

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, sent a letter to United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, urging her to introduce a UN 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 actively deprive 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.

Senator Padilla has previously denounced Azerbaijan’s inhumane blockade of the Lachin Corridor, a vital lifeline that connects the Armenian people of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) with Armenia. Padilla recently introduced a bipartisan Senate resolution alongside Senators Menendez and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), condemning the government of Azerbaijan for its blockade of the Lachin Corridor and urging the United States to take immediate steps to end the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

Full text of the letter is available here 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.padilla.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/padilla-menendez-urge-un-security-council-resolution-to-end-blockade-of-nagorno-karabakh/

Armenpress: Nagorno-Karabakh warns of Azeri policy seeking subjugation through offering alternative transportation route

George Mamian

 01:07,

STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 11, ARMENPRESS. The Foreign Ministry of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) has responded to a Russian newspaper article that cited an unnamed source in the Russian government as saying that Russia has proposed to first open the road through Aghdam and then resume the movement through the Lachin Corridor.

In response to media inquiries asking for comment, the Nagorno-Karabakh Foreign Ministry issued the following statement:

“The Republic of Artsakh has consistently maintained a principled stance in addressing the acute humanitarian crisis stemming from the unlawful blockade of the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan. This stance is firmly grounded in both the provisions outlined in the Trilateral Statement of 9 November 2020, specifically Article 6 of which clearly defines the operational parameters and regime of the Lachin Corridor, as well as the principles of international humanitarian law.

“It should be noted that any initiatives which seek to link the use of the Lachin Corridor, and that in a restricted manner, with unrelated matters or alternative routes, including through Aghdam, are essentially attempts to legitimise Azerbaijan's breach of its international commitments concerning the Lachin Corridor and to call into question the Trilateral Statement signed by their country's president on 9 November 2020. This approach, put forward by Azerbaijan, intentionally infringes upon the rights and dignity of the people of Artsakh and stands in contradiction to the norms of international humanitarian law and human rights law.

“We reiterate that the proposal regarding the use of alternative transportation routes is part of Azerbaijan's policy aimed at exploiting the humanitarian catastrophe it has created and the threat of hunger as a weapon and a means to forcefully subjugate Artsakh and its people.

“It should be also noted that the proposal from the Azerbaijani side essentially aims to restrict the use of the Lachin Corridor solely for the evacuation of patients in need of medical treatment in Armenia, and possibly for extremely limited imports from Armenia into Artsakh, subject to approval from Baku. By refusing to fully ensure safe and unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions and proposing alternative routes, the Azerbaijani authorities consistently attempt to sever the deep-rooted ties between the people of Artsakh and Armenia, with the intention of depriving them of their identity, self-sufficiency, and developmental opportunities. This initiative also seeks to undermine the concept of the Lachin Corridor, a key element of a comprehensive, fair and dignified conflict resolution.

“It's worth highlighting that neither the provisions of the Trilateral Statement of 9 November 2020, nor the decisions of the International Court of Justice dated 22 February and 6 July 2023, envision any Azerbaijani presence in the Lachin Corridor or any limitations on the movement of persons, vehicles and cargo in both directions. It is noteworthy that on 28 February 2023, while in Baku, the Russian Foreign Minister confirmed that the establishment of checkpoints in the Lachin Corridor was not envisaged by the Trilateral Statement."

Cyprus calls on Azerbaijan to lift blockade of Lachin Corridor

George Mamian

 20:16,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 11, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus Constantinos Kombos has expressed full support to Armenia and has called on Azerbaijan to lift the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Phone conversation with Armenian FM Ararat Mirzoyan on dire humanitarian crisis following the blockage of Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan,” Kombos posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Reiterated Cyprus’ full support to Armenia and called Azerbaijan to lift the blockage in line with 2020 ceasefire statement & ICJ decision.”

The Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno Karabakh with Armenia and the rest of the world, has been blocked by Azerbaijan since late 2022. The Azerbaijani blockade constitutes a gross violation of the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh ceasefire agreement, which established that the 5km-wide Lachin Corridor shall be under the control of Russian peacekeepers. Furthermore, on February 22, 2023, the United Nations’ highest court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), ordered Azerbaijan to “take all steps at its disposal” to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.  Azerbaijan has been ignoring the order ever since. Moreover, Azerbaijan then illegally installed a checkpoint on Lachin Corridor. The blockade has led to shortages of essential products such as food and medication. Azerbaijan has also cut off gas and power supplies Nagorno Karabakh, with officials warning that Baku seeks to commit ethnic cleansing against Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh. Hospitals have suspended normal operations.

On July 26, Armenia sent a humanitarian convoy carrying emergency food and medication for Nagorno-Karabakh, but Azerbaijan blocked the trucks at the entrance of Lachin Corridor.

ARF’s Davit Ishkanyan Elected Artsakh Parliament Speaker

George Mamian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 August 7, 2023

 

in Artsakh, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

ARF's Davit Ishkhanyan addresses the Artsakh Parliament ahead of his election as Speaker on Aug. 7


The Artsakh National Assembly on Monday elected Davit Ishkhanyan, the head of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation bloc parliamentary bloc, as the new speaker of the legislature.

The newly-elected parliament leader vowed to continue fighting for the preservation and strengthening of Artsakh’s statehood “at all cost.”

“Our political stance should be focused at building bridges and avoiding destructive divisions at all cost,” Ishkhanyan said before his election.

Ishkhanyan especially emphasized the strong unity of political forces, cooperation with between the church and state and the restoration of inter-parliamentary relations and the Armenia-Artsakh-Diaspora trinity.

“All of us took this step with the keen awareness and understanding that the process of electing the leadership of the parliament is not taking place under normal conditions, but this decision is made in an emergency situation,” said Ishkhanyan who is a member of the ARF Bureau. He thanked for nominating his candidacy for such an important position in these difficult days for Artsakh.

Ishkhanyan was nominate by the ruling Free Motherland-United Civil bloc of which the former speaker, Artur Tovmasyan, was a member. Tovmasyan announced his resignation nine days ago.

Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan was also in attendance at the parliamentary session and praised Ishkhanyan for his decades of service to Artsakh. Ishkhanyan’s ARF is in opposition to Harutyunyan and his bloc in parliament.

“Regardless of his party affiliation, Davit Ishkhanyan has traveled such a political and state path, he has earned such experience and respect that it makes him a worthy candidate for the Speaker of the National Assembly,” Harutyunyan said in his remarks.

Azatutyun.am reported on Monday that Harutyunyan and Artsakh’s two former presidents Arkady Ghukasian and Bako Sahakian had approached the ARF with an offer to have Ishkhanyan elected parliament speaker.

Gegham Manukyan, an ARF lawmaker in the Armenian parliament, told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that “after long discussions the party gave its consent, considering the crucial moment for Artsakh.”

Manukyan made it clear, however, that Ishkhanyan would be free to resign in case of differences with Artsakh’s government on key issues.

Meanwhile, Armenia’s Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan congratulated Ishkhanian on his election as Artsakh’s parliament speaker in a telephone conversation reported by parliament’s press office on Monday.

Azerbaijani troops open gunfire at Nagorno-Karabakh farmer harvesting crops

George Mamian

 19:46, 4 August 2023

STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 4, ARMENPRESS. A Nagorno-Karabakh farmer has escaped unharmed in the latest Azeri shooting, local authorities said Friday.

According to the Nagorno-Karabakh police, on August 4, around 15:00, a 40-year-old farmer – a local of Khnapat – came under Azerbaijani small arms fire from military outposts while harvesting crop with his combine in the wheat fields of the village of Nerkin Sznek.

The agricultural work was suspended.

Nagorno-Karabakh authorities said they’ve reported the incident to the Russian peacekeepers.

Tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan lead to humanitarian crisis

George Mamian
Aug 2 2023

Conflict & Justice

Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh are seeing shortages in basic necessities and are calling on the US and EU to step in.

August 2, 2023 · 4:15 PM EDT
  • By Daniel Ofman

Over the last month, Armenians living in the mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh say they are suffering from a shortage of basic necessities. 

The Lachin Corridor is the only road connecting them to Armenia, and that’s where Azerbaijan has set up a military checkpoint, essentially cutting them off and isolating them. 

“The life for the past month it is disastrous, the situation is close to starvation,” said Nina Shahverdyan, a schoolteacher in her 20s who lives in Stepanakert, the largest city in Nagorno-Karabakh. 

“We don’t have any medicine, we don’t have any fuel, we barely have electricity, when we don’t have electricity we don’t have internet as well. We don’t have any food supplies coming in. People right now are struggling with what to put on the table,” she said.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought for decades over the disputed territory of  Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenians who live there are now calling on the US and EU to step in to assist with a growing humanitarian crisis. 

Last week, thousands of people in Yerevan, Armenia’s capital, came out to protest Azerbaijan’s blockade.  

They chanted, “Artsakh,” the Armenian name for Nagorno-Karabakh.

The next day, Armenia tried sending humanitarian aid to the region, but a convoy of dozens of trucks filled with food and other goods were stopped by Azerbaijan at the Lachin Corridor checkpoint. They’ve been held up there for a week, still waiting to enter.

Shahverdyan said that a big portion of her day is spent trying to get some food.

“There are huge lines in the city, like, to buy just one or two loaves of bread, and my brother yesterday, he stood for 1 1/2 hours and it’s only just to get the bare minimum bread,” she said. 

Shahverdyan said that people who have gardens have begun growing fruits and vegetables themselves to supplement their diets. During the last six weeks, she said she has lost nearly seven pounds, and her brother has lost nearly nine pounds. 

“If measures are not taken in the coming weeks or months, an actual famine could start,” said Tigran Grigoryan, head of the Regional Center for Democracy and Security based in Yerevan.

He said that Russia and Azerbaijan share responsibly here.

In 2020, Russia brokered a ceasefire agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, where Russian peacekeepers were supposed to manage the Lachin Corridor.

In the years since, Azerbaijan has taken control.

“This is a direct consequence of the war in Ukraine, because of which, the influence of Russia has significantly decreased in the region, and also the interest of Russia has been shifting. That’s why Azerbaijan has been testing Russia’s red lines on the ground,” he explained. 

Azerbaijan considers Nagorno-Karabakh to be part of its sovereign territory, and Azerbaijan has tried to justify its Lachin Corridor checkpoint as a security measure.

Meanwhile, as this crisis continues to unfold, Armenia and Azerbaijan are still holding peace talks.

“In my understanding you cannot just ignore the elephant in the room, the blockade and humanitarian crisis in the Nagorno-Karabakh and move forward with these so-called peace talks,” Grigoryan said. 

Zaur Shiriyev, a Baku, Azerbaijan-based analyst with the Crisis Group, said that until now, the United States has played a key role in keeping the peace talks alive.

“The expectation now is that the agreement should be signed by the end of the year, the key date in the process. And many worry that if it doesn’t happen by the end, the US will enter its preelection period, potentially decreasing its focus and intervention,” Shiriyev said. 

He added that many issues remain unresolved like the status of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, future security arrangements, and the freedom of movement through the Lachin Corridor.

But despite that, Shiriyev believes that ongoing dialogue between the two sides can be productive, even if a deal doesn’t resolve all these questions.

“Even if [both] sides succeed in signing an agreement, what will happen the day after peace agreement is reached?” 

Back in Stepanakert in Nagorno-Karabakh, Shahverdyan, the schoolteacher, said she doesn’t trust that Azerbaijan would uphold a future peace agreement with Armenia.

“This is not just our local issue here, this is an international issue, this is a humanitarian crisis. And I’m thinking that the way the West pressures Russia to stop the war in Ukraine, the same tactics can be applied to Azerbaijan to stop this. The bare fact that the blockade continues, is proof that they don’t do enough,” she said. 

Over the weekend, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev.

Blinken expressed “deep concern for the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Nagorno-Karabakh,” and urged all sides to continue dialogue.

Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh though are looking for more than just words, and are hoping that the blockade is lifted as soon as possible. 

 

Azeri kidnapping and arrest of Nagorno-Karabakh residents complicates resolution process, says Moscow

George Mamian

 16:00, 2 August 2023

YEREVAN, AUGUST 2, ARMENPRESS. Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has commented on the abduction of the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) citizen Vagif Khachatryan by Azerbaijan, as well as the arrest of the lost Artsakh citizen Rashid Beglaryan.

According to Zakharova, such situations further complicate the process of finding solutions.

“What happened, of course, complicates the process of finding difficult but necessary conclusions, compromises and solutions. Of course, this exacerbates the situation. Secondly, we saw diametrically opposite assessments of the Armenian and Azerbaijani sides. Thirdly, regardless of this particular incident or other similar incidents, we rely on the importance of reconciliation both in the context of the normalization of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations and in the context of ensuring the rights and security of the people of Karabakh," said Zakharova.

The spokesperson also emphasized the importance of the immediate opening of Lachin corridor.

“We are working with the parties and once again reaffirm the need to immediately unblock the Lachin corridor and ensure normal conditions for the life of the local population,” added Zakharova.

According to Zakharova, a lot depends on the political will and willingness to make compromises in this matter.

Vagif Khachatryan, a 68-year-old citizen of Artsakh, was abducted on July 29 from the illegal Azeri checkpoint in the Lachin Corridor, when he was on his way to Yerevan for medical treatment accompanied by the International Committee of the Red Cross. And 61-year-old Rashid Beglaryan left the Hin Shen village of Shushi while intoxicated on August 1, got lost, accidentally crossed into Azeri-controlled territory, and was arrested by the Azerbaijani border guards.