Wednesday,
Karabakh Leaders Again Hit Out At Pashinian
Nagorno-Karabakh - Karabakh Armenians demonstrate in Stepanakert against
Azerbaijan's blockade of the Lachin corridor, December 25, 2022.
Nagorno-Karabakh’s leading political factions on Wednesday denounced Prime
Minister Nikol Pashinian’s latest comments on the conflict with Azerbaijan,
saying that they are “consistent with the position of official Baku.”
Speaking in the Armenian parliament on Tuesday, Pashinian made clear that his
administration unequivocally recognizes Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. He
also said he is ready to sign an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace deal that would
commit the two South Caucasus states to recognizing each other’s Soviet-era
borders.
Armenian opposition leaders portrayed this as further proof of their claims that
Pashinian is helping Baku regain full control over Karabakh.
In a joint statement, the five political groups represented in the Karabakh
parliament described Pashinian’s remarks as “unacceptable” and again accused him
of undermining the Karabakh Armenians’ right to self-determination which was for
decades supported by international mediators.
“Thus, Armenia’s ruling circles separate the issue of the Artsakh people’s
security from their right to self-determination, ignoring the decisive nature of
the latter, something which is consistent with the position of official Baku,”
they said.
They again urged Pashinian to comply with a 1992 parliamentary act that banned
Armenia’s governments from signing any document that would recognize Azerbaijani
sovereignty over Karabakh. Azerbaijani rule in Karabakh would have “devastating”
consequences for Armenia as well, added their statement.
Karabakh leaders have repeatedly criticized Pashinian ever since he signaled in
April 2022 his readiness to “lower the bar” on Karabakh’s status acceptable to
Armenia. Pashinian and his entourage also stopped making references to
Karabakh’s self-determination in their public statements.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev demanded on Tuesday that Yerevan go farther
and officially declare that “Karabakh is Azerbaijan.” He also said that the
Karabakh Armenians must accept Azerbaijani rule or leave their region.
The Karabakh factions said Aliyev’s threats show that Baku is carrying on with
its “genocidal actions” against Karabakh. They called on the international
community to take “concrete measures” to end the four-month Azerbaijani blockade
of the Lachin corridor.
Families Keep Up Protests Over Soldiers’ Deaths
• Anush Mkrtchian
Armenia - A makeshift military barracks in Gegharkunik region destroyed by fire,
January 19, 2023.
The parents of Armenian soldiers found dead at their military barracks in
January blocked a major highway late on Tuesday as they continued to accuse
authorities of trying to cover up the shock deaths.
The charred bodies of 15 conscripts were recovered after a major fire destroyed
their makeshift barracks located in Azat, a village in Armenia’s eastern
Gegharkunik province. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Defense Minister Suren
Papikian said hours later that the fire was sparked by an officer who poured
gasoline into a woodstove in breach of the military’s fire-safety rules.
The officer, Captain Yeghishe Hakobian, suffered serious burns and was
hospitalized before being indicted and placed under arrest last month. Two
other, more high-ranking officers were also arrested. They are accused of
failing to enforce the safety rules at the barracks.
The families of the vast majority of the victims distrust the criminal
investigation into what was one of the deadliest ever non-combat incidents
registered in the Armenian army ranks. They believe that their sons were either
dead or unconscious when the fire erupted at the village house turned into
barracks.
The parents blocked traffic through the Yerevan-Sevan highway for a few hours
after attending more forensic actions carried out by investigators in Azat. They
demanded a meeting with Pashinian and Papikian.
“For three months, the parents have been trying in vain to meet with the prime
minister or the defense minister,” their lawyer, Norayr Norikian, said on
Wednesday.
“What happened before the fire? We don’t have an answer to this question,”
Norikian said.
Armenia -- Sedrak Gharibian speaks to RFE/RL, .
“Our desire is to find out the truth. We don’t want anything else from them,”
said Sedrak Gharibian, whose son Taron died just three weeks before his planned
demobilization.
“But they won’t tell us,” he told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service. “This means that
they have some secret.”
Pashinian has stood by the official version of the deaths, denying a cover-up.
Gegharkunik Governor Karen Sargsian said later on Wednesday that the prime
minister will not meet the soldiers’ parents until the ongoing investigation is
complete.
Yerevan Blasts Aliyev’s ‘Hate Speech’
• Astghik Bedevian
Armenia - The building of the Armenian Foreign Ministry.
The Armenian government condemned Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev on
Wednesday for again telling Nagorno-Karabakh’s ethnic Armenian population to
accept Azerbaijani rule or leave the region.
In televised remarks aired on Tuesday, Aliyev reiterated that Baku will not hold
any internationally mediated talks with the Karabakh Armenians. “The separatists
must realize that they have two options: either they will live under Azerbaijani
rule or leave,” he said.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry said the “hate speech” highlights Aliyev’s
“intention to subject Nagorno-Karabakh’s population to ethnic cleansing.” It
accused him of breaking a pledge to agree to an “international mechanism for
addressing the Nagorno-Karabakh people’s rights and security guarantees.”
“Instead of looking for sustainable and lasting solutions to problems that have
accumulated in the region for years, Azerbaijan is trying to advance its
maximalist ambitions through the use of force and threats of force,” the
ministry said in a statement.
The statement referred to Aliyev’s latest threats of fresh military action
against Armenia also voiced on Tuesday. But it did not react to his demands that
Yerevan officially declare that “Karabakh is Azerbaijan.”
Speaking in the Armenian parliament earlier on Tuesday, Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinian made clear that his administration unequivocally recognizes
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. Pashinian’s political opponents said this is
tantamount to recognizing Azerbaijani sovereignty over Karabakh.
Armen Khachatrian, a senior lawmaker representing Pashinian’s Civil Contract
party, denounced Aliyev’s “unbridled” statement on Wednesday.
“It’s not Aliyev who can tell us what to do and how to do,” he told reporters.
“Aliyev needs to realize that he cannot solve any issue by force.”
But Khachatrian did not say whether or not Pashinian will agree to explicitly
recognize Karabakh as a part of Azerbaijan.
As recently as on March 30, Pashinian urged Karabakh’s leadership to negotiate
with Azerbaijan while accusing Baku of planning to commit “genocide” in Karabakh
amid its continuing blockade of the Lachin corridor.
Pashinian sparked angry opposition protests in Yerevan last year when he
signaled readiness to “lower the bar” on Karabakh’s status acceptable to
Armenia. He and other Armenian officials also stopped making references to the
Karabakh Armenians’ right to self-determination in their public statements.
Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2023 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
Author: Jhanna Virabian
Armenpress: Wrestler Vazgen Tevanyan becomes the champion of the European Championship
21:12,
YEREVAN, APRIL 18, ARMENPRESS. Vazgen Tevanyan, a member of the Armenian freestyle wrestling team, became the champion of the European Championship.
ARMENPRESS reports Vazgen Tevanyan competed with Mikyai Naim from Bulgaria in the finals of the 65 kg weight category of the European Freestyle Wrestling Championship in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. Tevanyan defeated his opponent with a score of 12:1.
Armenpress: France calls for withdrawal of Azerbaijani troops from occupied territories of Armenia
09:46,
YEREVAN, APRIL 13, ARMENPRESS. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France issued a statement on the April 11 Azerbaijani attack on Armenian troops near the village of Tegh in Armenia.
In the statement, the French Foreign Ministry expressed deep concern over what it described as “violence near the Tegh settlement in Armenian territory on the border of Armenia and Azerbaijan on April 11.”
“France reminds that delimitation must take place exclusively through negotiations and calls on the parties to continue efforts in this direction. Respect for Armenia’s territorial integrity and withdrawal of Azerbaijani forces from occupied positions of the line of contact’s Armenian side are of significant importance for preventing future incidents and maintaining the foundations for sustainable peace in the region. France fully supports the activities of the EU monitoring mission deployed in the Armenian side of the border, which plays a key role in reducing tension. France will continue to act along with the EU for the benefit of adherence to the ceasefire, dialogue and resumption of negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” the French Foreign Ministry added.
On April 11, Armenian troops carrying out engineering works near the village of Tegh close to the border with Azerbaijan came under heavy gunfire in an unprovoked attack by Azerbaijani forces. Four Armenian soldiers were killed and six wounded.
Leaked files suggest US was closely monitoring UN Secretary General – BBC
10:40,
YEREVAN, APRIL 13, ARMENPRESS. The US believes the UN Secretary General is too willing to accommodate Russian interests, BBC reported citing fresh revelations in classified documents leaked online.
The files suggest Washington has been closely monitoring Antonio Guterres.
Several documents describe private communications involving Guterres and his deputy.
It is the latest from a leak of secret documents.
The documents contain candid observations from Guterres about the war in Ukraine and a number of African leaders.
One leaked document focuses on the Black Sea grain deal, brokered by the UN and Turkey in July following fears of a global food crisis.
It suggests that Guterres was so keen to preserve the deal that he was willing to accommodate Russia's interests.
"Guterres emphasised his efforts to improve Russia's ability to export," BBC quoted the document as saying, "even if that involves sanctioned Russian entities or individuals."
His actions in February, according to the assessment, were "undermining broader efforts to hold Moscow accountable for its actions in Ukraine."
Saying he wouldn't comment on leaked documents, one senior UN official told the BBC the UN was "driven by the need to mitigate the impact of the war on the world's poorest."
"That means doing what we can to drive down the price of food," he added, "and to ensure that fertiliser is accessible to those countries that need it the most."
Russian grain and fertilizer are not subject to international sanctions, but Russia says it has experienced difficulties with securing shipping and insurance.
UN officials say that Guterres has made his opposition to Russia's war very clear.
Another document from mid-February describes a frank conversation between Guterres and his deputy, Amina Mohammed.
In it, Guterres expresses "dismay" at a call from the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, for Europe to produce more weapons and ammunition as a result of the war in Ukraine.
US national security spokesperson John Kirby told the BBC that the US government was scrambling to get to the bottom of the leaks.
"This was a series of dangerous leaks. We don't know who's responsible, we don't know why. And we are assessing the national security implications, and right now there is also a criminal investigation," he said on Wednesday.
Washington was "reaching out actively" to allies to answer questions they have about the leaks, so they know "how seriously we are taking this", he added.
Kirby said that while the authenticity of some of the documents had yet to be established, they "certainly appear to have come from various source of intelligence across the government".
The leaked documents allegedly expose the extent of US spying on key allies and partners, including South Korea and Israel, among other information.
Elon Musk to visit China this weekend – Bloomberg
12:48, 8 April 2023
YEREVAN, APRIL 8, ARMENPRESS. Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk will be in China for a visit from Saturday, with a possible stop at Tesla Inc.’s Shanghai factory, Bloomberg reported citing people familiar with the plans.
The billionaire’s schedule is expected to include a meeting with local Shanghai authorities, the sources said, declining to be identified because the trip hasn’t been disclosed publicly. The plans are fluid and may still change, they said.
Tesla declined to comment on Musk’s possible China visit when asked by Bloomberg.
Azeris demanded returning NK civilians in Lachin Corridor to “accept Azerbaijani citizenship” and get frisked
17:06, 5 April 2023
YEREVAN, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS. The former State Minister of Nagorno Karabakh Artak Beglaryan revealed new details on the April 4 incident in the Lachin Corridor when Azerbaijan breached a pre-arranged agreement with Russian peacekeepers and barred stranded Nagorno Karabakh citizens from returning from Armenia amid its blockade of Nagorno Karabakh.
Beglaryan said that the Azerbaijani government agents posing as eco-activists, who’ve been blocking the corridor for already 115 days, demanded the group of 27 civilians – mostly women, elderly and children – to “accept Azerbaijani citizenship” and get frisked in exchange of passage.
Below is the full statement issued by Beglaryan.
“Key facts on the incident: Azerbaijani government agents (“eco”-terrorists) yesterday blocked the movement of 27 Artsakh civilians from Armenia to Artsakh.
- The civilian group, comprised mostly of women, elderly and children, was taken from Goris city in Armenia with two vehicles of Russian peacekeepers to reunite with their families.
- They were stuck in Armenia due to the ongoing Artsakh blockade, which has already lasted for 115 days.
- They were stopped at the point of the Artsakh blockade near Shushi by Azerbaijani government agents (“eco”-terrorists).
- For over five hours, Russian peacekeepers negotiated with the Azerbaijani side to open the road for the group, but no success was achieved.
- The Azerbaijanis intimidated the people in the vehicles by breaking into one of the cars and using threats.
- They put forward pre-conditions for giving access: to “accept Azerbaijani citizenship” and to check everyone.
- Twenty-three out of the 27 people returned to Goris at night without having access to their homeland.
- As a result of Azerbaijani intimidation, the health situation of four women sharply worsened, and three of them fainted.
- The accompanying peacekeepers called an ambulance and transferred those four to the Stepanakert hospital with Russian and Azerbaijani vehicles.
- The Azerbaijani side did not allow peacekeepers to bring and use the Artsakh ambulance and attempted to transfer the patients to the Shushi hospital under Azerbaijani control. However, the people protested and demanded that the patients be transferred to Stepanakert instead.
- This is another manifestation of the Azerbaijani full blockade of Artsakh, and they block especially the entrance to the Artsakh people, not only while traveling with their own cars but often with Russian peacekeepers and Red Cross accompaniment, as it happened yesterday.
- They sometimes create fewer obstacles to exit, as Aliyev stated on January 10, because their apparent purpose is to make ethnic cleansing of the Artsakh people.
- The Aliyev dictatorial regime ignores not only the 2020 November 9 trilateral statement but also the binding order of the UN International Court of Justice to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.
- With the state policy of racial/ethnic discrimination and hatred in Azerbaijan and its regular manifestations, the international community should understand the level of existential threats against the Artsakh people under any kind of Azerbaijani control.
- The ongoing blockade and hatred-motivated periodic crimes and psychological terror by Azerbaijan, as well as the failure of the international community to effectively protect the Artsakh people and prevent new crimes, require urgent, strong, and practical steps to ensure the proper protection of the security and rights of the Artsakh people, including the right to self-determination.”
ANCA’s Aram Hamparian to keynote Armenian Genocide commemoration in Connecticut
HARTFORD, Conn. — The Armenian Genocide Commemoration Committee of Connecticut will hold its annual program on the 108th anniversary of the Genocide on Saturday, April 22 at 11 a.m. The event will take place at the historic Connecticut House Chamber at the State Capitol, (210 Capitol Avenue, Hartford). The commemoration is returning to the State Capitol after an absence of three years because of COVID restrictions.
Aram Suren Hamparian, Executive Director, ANCA
The keynote speaker will be Aram Hamparian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). His talk is titled, “Current Crisis in Artsakh: The Genocide Continues.” In his role at the ANCA, he serves as the national advocacy organization’s point-person with the Biden Administration, US Congress, the media and the Washington, DC foreign policy community. He has testified before Congress, lectured at the National Defense University, the Foreign Service Institute and USAID. He has been quoted by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, AP and Reuters; he has appeared on CNN, BBC, RT, Al Jazeera and many other media outlets.
The mission of the Armenian Genocide Commemoration Committee of Connecticut, in addition to honoring the memory of the one and a half million victims as well as survivors of the Armenian Genocide orchestrated by the Ottoman government in 1915, is to support programs and events and inform the public and remember the Genocide. It is in the process of establishing a suitable permanent Armenian Genocide memorial. The committee also assists in the legislative mandate to provide genocide related curricula in public schools. Additionally, the committee seeks to present information about developments across the Diaspora and in Armenia.
Melanie Kevorkian Brown, chairperson of the committee, expressed gratitude to the Connecticut General Assembly for resuming the post-COVID hosting of the annual commemoration and commended the Connecticut Genocide Commemoration Committee for its diligence in conducting its annual commemoration.
Attorney Harry N .Mazadoorian, a longtime member of the committee, pointed out that “even though the Armenian Genocide took place more than 100 years ago and thousands of miles away, it remains critical to recognize those tragic events today. Genocide unrecognized is genocide continued.” He also pointed to the current situation in Artsakh where neighboring Azerbaijan continues physical aggressions, human rights violations, a blockade and cultural desecration against ethnic Armenians.
State auditor and committee member John C. Geragosian of New Britain, Connecticut will serve as Master of Ceremonies at the commemoration. He stated that informing the public about the Genocide is particularly critical this year in light of the present hostilities by Azerbaijan against historic Armenian lands, as well as the continuing war in Ukraine.
The program will conclude with the Martyrs’ Service, which was created in 2015 on the occasion of the centennial of the Genocide and the canonization of the martyrs. Clergy from Armenian churches in Connecticut will participate in the service. A reception will follow the commemoration.
Asbarez: UN Human Rights Experts Call on Azerbaijan to Open Lachin Corridor
The Lachin Corridor has been blockaded by Azerbaijan since Dec. 12, 2022
Several United Nations human rights experts issued a statement calling the Azerbaijani government “to take urgent action to ensure the freedom and security of movement through the Lachine Corridor,” which has been blockaded since December 12.
The UN human rights experts emphasized that the Lachin Corridor is the only transport link that connects Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia and the outside world “and is of a great humanitarian importance. The blockade has disrupted the delivery of food, medicine, fuel and other essential goods to around 120,000 people living in Nagorno-Karabakh.”
“The humanitarian situation aggravated due to periodic interruptions of gas supply, which undermined the functioning of medical institutions. Educational institutions have also been unable to operate and had stopped their activities,” said the experts.
They expressed serious concern that the prolonged blockade of the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to the outside world can lead to dire humanitarian consequences on the population and violate their rights.
The communication was dispatched by the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food; the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities; the Special Rapporteur on the right to education; the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health; and the Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons.
The five UN experts, known as special procedures mandate holders, are independent human rights experts with mandates to report and advise on human rights from a thematic or country-specific perspective.
According to the UN Human Rights website, the experts’ mandate allows them to intervene directly with governments on allegations of violations of human rights that come within their mandates by means of letters which include urgent appeals and other communications. The intervention can relate to a human rights violation that has already occurred, is ongoing, or which has a high risk of occurring. The process involves sending a letter to the concerned State identifying the facts of the allegation, applicable international human rights norms and standards, the concerns and questions of the mandate-holder(s), and a request for follow-up action.
Azerbaijan confirms participation in Yerevan EWF European Weightlifting Championships 2023
14:54, 31 March 2023
YEREVAN, MARCH 31, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan has officially confirmed participation in the EWF European Weightlifting Championships 2023 due in Yerevan.
Azerbaijan will be represented by five athletes at the event.
Referee Arayik Alaverdyan told ARMENPRESS that the Azerbaijani authorities requested security assurances for their athletes.
The Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Karen Giloyan had earlier said that the security of all athletes will be ensured.
The EWF European Weightlifting Championships 2023 is scheduled to take place 15-23 April in Yerevan, Armenia.
Azeri forces take control of some heights, areas on border with Armenia — top brass
TASS
Russia –
"Due to the commissioning of the new Lachin road, several commanding heights, main and subsidiary roads, as well as a vast area between the villages of Jagazur and Zabukh in the Lachin District were taken under control," the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said in a statement
BAKU, March 30. /TASS/. Units of Azerbaijan’s Armed Forces have taken control of a number of heights and areas in the Lachin District near the border with Armenia ahead of the commissioning of a new motor road that will connect Karabakh to Armenia, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reported on Thursday.
"Due to the commissioning of the new Lachin road, several commanding heights, main and subsidiary roads, as well as a vast area between the villages of Jagazur and Zabukh in the Lachin District were taken under control," the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said in a statement.