Author: Hovik Karapetian

Without Russian Aid to Armenia, Azerbaijan Has the Upper Hand in Nagorno-Karabakh

Hovik Karapetian
Foreign Policy
Oct 9 2020
 
 
 
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has overplayed his hand by spouting belligerent nationalist rhetoric and refusing to negotiate—and Putin isn’t coming to his rescue.
 
By Robert M. Cutler | October 9, 2020, 5:02 AM
 
he renewal of fighting in the Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenian forces could have been foretold. A four-day outbreak of hostilities in mid-July occurred in northwest Azerbaijan, 60 miles away from Nagorno-Karabakh, but that is not even the proximate cause of today’s fighting.
 
The current conflict broke out in the late 1980s, when Armenians in Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) began organizing to take the territory out of Azerbaijan. When the NKAO Regional Council voted to unite with the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic in February 1988, central Soviet authorities abolished the local government and instituted direct rule from Moscow.
 
In 1992, a year after the two countries became independent, Armenian forces seized control of the “Lachin corridor,” a winding mountain road since improved with funds from the Armenian diaspora, connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia. Turning northward, they then seized and held the Kelbajar district of Azerbaijan. They continued, until early last month, to hold not only the former NKAO but seven additional Azerbaijani districts outside the former NKAO, forming a bloc having a long common border with Armenia.
 
For a quarter century, Azerbaijan has had to support a large number of refugees and internally displaced persons representing 10 percent of its total population.
 
That was the situation when the war ended in 1994. Despite periodic skirmishes, the worst of which were in 2016, the status quo remained—until last month. The whole area under occupation represents 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized territory. No fewer than four U.N. Security Council Resolutions (822, 853, 874, and 884) adopted in 1993 called for Armenian troops to leave all these occupied territories without delay.
 
Approximately 800,000 Azerbaijanis were ethnically cleansed from those areas. Another 200,000 were driven out of Armenia proper, finding shelter as refugees in Azerbaijan. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) set up its “Minsk Group”—co-chaired by the United States, France, and Russia—to promote negotiations for settlement of the conflict. For a quarter century, Azerbaijan has had to support a large number of refugees and internally displaced persons representing 10 percent of its total population.
 
________________________________
 
Azerbaijan was patient for over a generation. With Armenia, it subscribed to the Madrid Principles for a settlement, proposed by the Minsk Group more than a decade ago. These called for returning the seven districts around Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijani control; giving Nagorno-Karabakh an interim status that would provide “guarantees for security and self-governance”; linking it with Armenia by a corridor; determining its final legal status “through a legally binding _expression_ of will”; returning all refugees and displaced people to their former places of residence; and putting in place a peacekeeping operation.
 
These negotiations languished. Azerbaijan warned over the years that the use of force would be a last resort if the peace process were exhausted. This resort to force finally occurred after Armenia overtly and unilaterally rejected the Madrid Principles.
 
Azerbaijan warned over the years that the use of force would be a last resort if the peace process were exhausted. This resort to force finally occurred after Armenia overtly and unilaterally rejected the Madrid Principles.
 
That rejection of the agreed basis for talks brought negotiations to an impasse. Baku still attempted to revive the defunct peace talks. By doing so, it probably sent Yerevan the wrong signal.
 
Azerbaijan warned over the years that the use of force would be a last resort if the peace process were exhausted. This resort to force finally occurred after Armenia overtly and unilaterally rejected the Madrid Principles.
 
Instead, Armenia completely discarded the Madrid Principles. The country’s current prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, who came to power in what resembled a “color revolution” in May 2018, was initially conciliatory toward Azerbaijan. Early on, he gave the impression that he was an open interlocutor ready to discuss thorny issues. Unfortunately, he was unable to make good on the many promises he made to the Armenian public—promises that, if realized, would have improved Armenia’s isolated socioeconomic situation and heavy dependence on Russia. After failing to deliver on these preelection promises, Pashinyan became a victim of the irredentist nationalism seemingly required to survive in Armenian domestic politics.
 
Trapped there, he seems then to have fallen hostage to his own nationalist rhetoric, which has in turn strengthened domestic Armenian populism and militarism. This irredentist nationalism finally touched not just the Nagorno-Karabakh issue—which Pashinyan, like his predecessors, politically manipulated—but extended to other neighbors beyond Azerbaijan.
 
 
 
 

Social media brings conflict close to home for young Armenian and Azerbaijani Australians

Hovik Karapetian
ABC News, Australia
Oct 3 2020

By Gavin Coote and Scott Mitchell

In a small office in Sydney's northern suburbs, a group of young Armenian-Australians are gathering daily to comb news reports and social media feeds for stories from the front lines of Nagorno-Karabakh region that they can share online.

  • Armenia and Azerbaijan are now in an armed conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, after a longstanding territorial dispute
  • More than 100 people are reported to have been killed since fighting began last Sunday
  • Armenian and Azerbaijani community members in Australia say they are more exposed to the conflict than ever before, with videos from the frontlines circulating on social media

Young Armenian-Australian Sarine Soghomonian is using Instagram and Facebook to provide updates to the more than 50,000 ethnic Armenians living in Australia.

"At the moment we have 30,000 people, particularly in Sydney, that are looking to us to lead them on what to do at the present moment, so that's organising protests, guiding them on how to use their social media platforms to engage non-Armenians in Australia," she said.

The effort ramped up after last Sunday, when armed conflict began between Armenia and neighbouring Azerbaijan over the long-disputed Nagorno-Karabakh — a region that is officially part of Azerbaijan but governed by ethnic Armenians.

In the past week, renewed violence between the two former Soviet republics has resulted in more than 100 deaths.

Sarine Soghomonian and other young members of the Armenian-Australian community are trawling social media for updates on the conflict.(ABC News: Gavin Coote)

Aram Tufenkjian has never seen things so volatile in his ancestral homeland and he is watching it play out through messaging apps and social media posts.

"I was born in 1991, which is when the first war [between Armenia and Azerbaijan] actually started and we've seen a lot of skirmishes, we saw the four-day war in 2016 but this feels a lot different," he said.

"Although we haven't experienced the war, we've definitely seen the repercussions.

"For me, the main pain is looking through the list of unfortunate soldiers or even civilians that have passed away."

Ms Soghomonian said she doesn't think there's another community in Australia that is as mobilised as the Armenian community right now.

"It's as a result of our tumultuous history that has created the passionate Armenian that we've seen today."

This passion stems from the Armenian Genocide, which began in 1915. It is estimated 1.5 million Armenians were killed under the Ottoman Empire.

Armenian National Committee of Australia executive director Haig Kayserian points out 90 per cent of the Australian diaspora are descendants of genocide survivors.

"The intergenerational trauma is always there, however after 105 years you can sometimes be numb to it," Mr Kayserian said.

"However, what's happening in part of the same Armenia that my family derives from, you just can't be numb to it; you do not sleep at night."

Haig Kayserian said it had been challenging to help members of the community contact relatives in the conflict zone.(ABC news: Gavin Coote)

Even with the advent of social media, Mr Kayserian said there were big challenges in connecting with relatives and friends in the conflict zone.

"We've been contacting them and trying to get on-the-ground reports and updates and just checking their safety, and it's been very difficult to contact them."

Mr Kayserian added many Armenian civilians caught up in the conflict were being warned not to post videos on social media for fear it would make them a target.

There's also a considerable Azerbaijani diaspora in Australia and many of the younger members are equally as invested in the renewed conflict, including Western Sydney lawyer Jessica Oyta.

"This is a very bittersweet moment for the Azerbaijani community internationally because it's upsetting to see so many of our soldiers fall, but at the same time it's sweet because this is a long time coming," she said.

"Now that the military's moving in to try and take back some of this land, it's a very emotional time for a lot of Azerbaijanis who have been waiting for this for a long time."

Jessica Oyta said that even though she felt strongly about Azerbaijan's cause, she did not think any tensions would flare up between the communities in Australia.(ABC News: Scott Mitchell)

Ms Oyta said being able to see footage on social media from Azerbaijan had helped her stay across developments.

"It's definitely an advantage to see this live footage coming from the ground but it is more emotional as well because you feel like you are there.

"It does raise a lot of patriotism, I think on both sides of the conflict."

Ms Oyta was quick to emphasise the ongoing tensions were not based on religion, in her view.

"The situation began in the early nineties, when roughly 1 million Azerbaijani people were expelled from their homes — that's almost 10 per cent of the nation's population," she said.

"We don't want to see any harm come to people, we've tried very hard to resolve this matter diplomatically for the past 30 years and it hasn't made any progress."

Melbourne professional Gunay Gazolva, who was born in Azerbaijan and lived there until she was 20 years old, said long running skirmishes had directly affected her family.

"I lost my relative back in July fighting on the frontline," Ms Gazolva said.

"Because we are a minority here, Azerbaijani Australians, our voices are not heard as much as we'd like."

While tensions grow between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Ms Oyta doesn't think there is any reason to believe they could spill over to communities in Australia.

"I hope that we can put these things aside, because we are Australians, we shouldn't have foreign issues affect us here at home," she said.

"I obviously hope that as Australians we can live together comfortably together in peace and harmony but these are the realities of the situation unfortunately."

That's something Armenian-Australian leader Haig Kayserian can agree on.

"I'm not seeing much of that coming out of Australia and we hope that's the case, we don't want anything to spill over and ruin our harmony here in Australia."

The Australian Government supports the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and does not recognise Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent state.

However, some Federal MPs from both major parties, including Trent Zimmerman, Joel Fitzgibbon, and Tim Wilson, have singled out "Azerbaijani aggression" as the cause of the current conflict.

In a statement, a Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) spokesperson said Australia was concerned by the renewed fighting in the "disputed territory".

"We urge parties to the conflict and all other sides to show restraint and support the efforts of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group to help negotiate a peaceful resolution," the DFAT spokesperson said.


Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 23-09-20

Hovik Karapetian

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 17:24,

YEREVAN, 23 SEPTEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 23 September, USD exchange rate stood at 485.29 drams. EUR exchange rate stood at 569.58 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate stood at 6.39 drams. GBP exchange rate stood at 620.78 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price stood at 29790.51 drams. Silver price stood at 411.28 drams. Platinum price stood at 14151.41 drams.

Catholicos of All Armenians receives Eduardo Eurnekian

Hovik Karapetian
News.am, Armenia
Sept 15 2020

16:29, 15.09.2020
                          

His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians today hosted benefactor of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, National Hero of Armenia Eduardo Eurnekian at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

During the conversation, the Supreme Patriarch gave his blessing and expressed his appreciation to the benefactor for his honest commitments to Armenia and Armenians and for his ongoing support to the mission of the Armenian Church and the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

The parties particularly touched upon the programs being implemented through the contributions of Mr. Eurnekian at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and the upcoming initiatives.

At the end of the meeting, the Catholicos of All Armenians and Mr. Eurnekian visited the Mother Cathedral to become familiar with the course of implementation of the activities for fortification and capital renovation.

Asbarez: Nevada’s Titus Leading House Drive Urging Library of Congress to Use Armenian Genocide

Hovik Karapetian
September 2,  2020


Nevada Congresswoman Dina Titus is leading a Congressional effort calling on the Library of Congress to properly categorize the Armenian Genocide in its subject heading list.

Ask your U.S. Representative to Co-Sign this Bipartisan Congressional Letter

WASHINGTON—Representative Dina Titus (D-NV) is collecting the signatures of her U.S. House colleagues on a letter asking the Librarian of Congress, Dr. Carla D. Hayden, to correct the outdated and inaccurate Armenian Massacres subject heading to Armenian Genocide in the wake of last year’s near-unanimous passage of the Congressional Armenian Genocide resolution, reported the Armenian National Committee of America.

In the letter, legislators share with Dr. Hayden that they are writing “to ask that the Library of Congress, an agency of the legislative branch and the research arm of the U.S. Congress, use the historically accurate term “Armenian Genocide” in its subject heading for books and other materials regarding the Ottoman Empire’s intentional, systematic, and deliberate mass murder, deportation, and exile of more than one and a half million Armenians between 1915 and 1923.”

The letter spearheaded by Rep. Titus comes in the face of a June 19, 2020 Library of Congress correspondence informing the ANCA that it would not make this change, even in light of Congressional recognition of the Armenian Genocide, because it deferred to the White House and State Department. The Titus letter, notes that “while we understand the Library of Congress has said it defers to the president and State Department on terminology, we do not believe that determinations of fact by an agency of the legislative branch should be made for political reasons or under pressure from foreign governments.”

Rep. Dina Titus

The letter makes the case that: “the current subject heading, “Armenian Massacres,” is outdated, having been created before Raphael Lemkin coined the term genocide and prior to the 1948 adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.” It goes on to argue that “the existing heading is also inconsistent with the broad, near-universal academic consensus recognizing the Armenian Genocide as a clear case of genocide as reflected in numerous resolutions, letters, and statements by the International Association of Genocide Scholars.”

“We share the view expressed by Congresswoman Titus and her colleagues from both sides of the aisle that the phrase “Armenian Massacres” – in modern usage – conceals more than it reveals,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “It’s time for the Library of Congress to get this right.”

The full text of the Titus letter is provided below.  Proponents of the Library of Congress changing the Armenian Massacres subject heading to Armenian Genocide can urge their U.S. Representative to cosign the Titus letter by taking action.

Text of Congressional Letter Led by Rep. Dina Titus Calling on the Library of Congress to Properly Categorize the Armenian Genocide

September xx, 2020

Dr. Carla D. Hayden
Librarian of Congress
Library of Congress
101 Independence Ave SE
Washington, DC 20540

Dear Dr. Hayden,

We write to ask that the Library of Congress, an agency of the legislative branch and the research arm of the U.S. Congress, use the historically accurate term “Armenian Genocide” in its subject heading for books and other materials regarding the Ottoman Empire’s intentional, systematic, and deliberate mass murder, deportation, and exile of more than one and a half million Armenians between 1915 and 1923. We also ask that all libraries, offices, services, and other entities within the Library of Congress use the accurate term “Armenian Genocide” in relevant displays, exhibitions, reports, presentations, conferences, lectures, websites, brochures, and other official events and publications.

The current subject heading, “Armenian Massacres,” is outdated, having been created before Raphael Lemkin coined the term genocide and prior to the 1948 adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Lemkin himself cited the massacres of Armenians as a definitive case of genocide. In 1951, the United States, in a written statement submitted to the International Court of Justice, affirmed that the destruction of Armenians met the U.N. definition of genocide.

The existing heading is also inconsistent with the broad, near-universal academic consensus recognizing the Armenian Genocide as a clear case of genocide as reflected in numerous resolutions, letters, and statements by the International Association of Genocide Scholars. Additionally, it is contrary to the U.S. record, including President Ronald Reagan’s 1981 Proclamation; resolutions adopted by the U.S. House of Representatives in 1975 (H.J.Res.148) and 1984 (H.J.Res.247); and, most notably, near-unanimous resolutions passed by the House (H.Res.296) and Senate (S.Res.150) in 2019 that state the sense of Congress that it is the policy of the United States to recognize the Armenian Genocide and to reject any denial of this crime.

Although originally created to serve legitimate academic and research purposes, the term “Armenian Massacres” has evolved into a euphemistic phrase often deployed to diminish the full historical, moral, legal, and contemporary meaning of the Armenian Genocide. In its modern usage, the outdated phrase conceals these horrific crimes.

While we understand the Library of Congress has said it defers to the president and State Department on terminology, we do not believe that determinations of fact by an agency of the legislative branch should be made for political reasons or under pressure from foreign governments. The use of the term “Armenian Genocide” by the Library of Congress would help paint an accurate picture of history and rightly honor the victims of this atrocity. Thank you for your attention to this request.

Sincerely,

Armenian-Americans launch HyeAid Lebanon Telethon to raise emergency relief

Hovik Karapetian

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 10:37,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 25, ARMENPRESS. The Pan-Armenian Council of Western USA has initiated a community-wide effort to help the Lebanese-Armenians after the August 4 Beirut explosion. The organization has announced the HyeAid Lebanon Telethon scheduled for Sunday, August 30, 2020, 5-8 pm (PST) to help raise emergency aid.

The telethon will be broadcast on the ARTN, Horizon, Pan Armenian TV, և US Armenia TV channels, as well as online.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Trout sorting device is launched on shores of Armenia’s Lake Sevan

Hovik Karapetian
News.am, Armenia
Aug 25 2020

11:43, 25.08.2020
                  

Karabakh President attends event dedicated to 95th anniversary of foundation of Martuni city

Hovik Karapetian
News.am, Armenia
Aug 23 2020

18:26, 23.08.2020
                  

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 08/08/2020

Hovik Karapetian 
                                        Saturday, August 8, 2020

Ex-Police Chief Threatens Azatutyun Reporters Working Near Lake Sevan
August 08, 2020
        • Robert Zargarian

Former Police Chief Vladimir Gasparian (file photo)

Former Armenian Police Chief Vladimir Gasparian on Saturday obstructed the work 
of an RFE/RL Armenian Service (Azatutyun) crew working on a report about 
government plans to dismantle some private houses illegally constructed near 
Lake Sevan.

Gasparian, who served as Armenia’s police chief for seven years before being 
dismissed from this post after the change of government in May 2018, drove his 
vehicle in the direction of two Azatutyun reporters, almost running over them, 
after seeing that they were filming in the lakeside area where his house is 
presumably located.

Gasparian further threatened to physically destroy the reporters, using phrases 
like “I’ll shoot you” and “I’ll slaughter you”. Using offensive language the 
former police chief demanded that the reporters not show his house in the report.

The RFE/RL Armenian Service has reported the incident to police.

The Azatutyun reporters were working on a follow-up story after newly appointed 
Environment Minister Romanos Petrosian said this week that authorities will 
start the process of dismantling illegally constructed facilities and housing 
near Lake Sevan already on August 10.

According to media reports, a number of houses belonging to several former 
high-ranking officials, including Gasparian, are affected by the decision.

Earlier this week the newly appointed minister ordered the dismantling of a 
lakeside resort where a party with the participation of a current pro-government 
lawmaker had been staged in breach of coronavirus safety rules set by the 
authorities.

Minister Petrosian then said that the turn was now for illegally constructed 
facilities and housing around the lake that environmentalists say is endangered 
by them.


Armenia - A view of Lake Sevan, 8Aug2020

“Here we have no legal issues, as there are no ownership rights pertaining to 
these territories, consequently there are no prospects of legal actions [against 
the government],” the minister said.

Environmentalists argue that illegal structures – both business facilities and 
private houses – greatly damage the lake’s ecosystem, as a result of which for 
several years now the usually blue Sevan waters have been turning green because 
of vegetation at some places during the summer.

An environmental plan for Lake Sevan, which lies at 1,900 meters above sea 
level, aims to raise its level, and the buildings that are to be demolished lie 
below the level to which it is to be raised.

Raising the level of the lake, the largest body of fresh water in Armenia, has 
been the stated goal of consecutive Armenian governments.


Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2020 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

Attorney: Ruling party MP created obstacles for Syrian-Armenian businessman in Armenia

Hovik Karapetian
News.am, Armenia
Aug 12 2020

22:23, 12.08.2020

In 2018, Syrian-Armenian businessman Ara Dagesian decided to start a business in the agriculture sector in Armenia and purchased a 200-hectare land in Ferik village of Armavir Province, but faced unexpected obstacles. This is what Dagesian’s attorney Tigran Hayrapetyan told reporters today. According to Hayrapetyan, deputy of the ruling My Step faction of the National Assembly of Armenia Rustam Bakoyan was the one who created obstacles.

“We are holding this news conference since we have used up all the possible resources and haven’t been able to do anything due to the inaction of police officers and the MP’s interference,” the attorney said, adding that the MP has incited massive disturbances.

“We reported a crime, a criminal case was instituted, but investigative bodies didn’t take any action. After many hardships, the court recently upheld our appeal and ruled that Mr. Dagesian’s rights had been violated,” the attorney said.

The Syrian-Armenian businessman said he had moved to Armenia six years ago, but didn’t want to do business since he saw that doing business in Armenia was rather difficult. After the revolution in Armenia, he changed his mind, purchased a land, and his attorney said everything was fine and there were no obstacles. He hadn’t even started working on the land when the residents of Ferik village joined forces and tried to make the businessman leave the village.

The attorney added that the villagers had complained that the land used to be a grazing field and that they wanted it to be a grazing field now as well. “Mr. Dagesian told the villagers he would give them 50 hectares of land and even promised to create jobs for them. Somebody provoked the villagers, and they disagreed,” Hayrapetyan said, stating that the provoker is Rustam Bakoyan.