Author: Vatche Chakhmakhchian

Lavrov Blames ‘Unresolved’ Karabakh Conflict for July Tensions

Vatche Chakhmakhchian
Asbarez
Aug 21 2020

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov blamed a “whole host of reasons,” primarily the “unresolved” Nagorno-Karabakh conflict for the resumption of tensions last month between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

In an interview published Friday in the Russian Trud newspaper, Lavrov explained that since since the 1994 ceasefire agreement, last month border tensions were the second largest “violation” of the cease fire, after the April 2016 War, when Azerbaijan launched a large-scale military attack on all directions of the Artsakh-Azerbaijan border, also known as the line of contact.

“For the first time in the past 26 years, high-intensity clashes using field artillery, mortars and attack drones took place not on the line of contact in Karabakh, but directly on the state border between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” Lavrov told Trud.

“A whole host of reasons led to the conflict,” said Lavorv. “The basis, of course, is the unresolved Karabakh problem.”

Russia’s top diplomat said that Russia is doing its utmost to resume the Karabakh conflict settlement process, saying that as soon as the border escalation began in July he held telephone conversations with his counterparts in Armenia and Azerbaijan and urged to immediately halt the military operations. He told Trud that he also met with representatives of the Armenian and Azerbaijani communities in Russia and urged them to follow all Russian laws and help “create an atmosphere conducive to the normalization of relations between Baku and Yerevan.”

“The Russian Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Igor Popov was in direct contact with the foreign ministers of the two countries. As a result, with active Russian mediation, a ceasefire was reached, albeit not on the first attempt, on July 16,” Lavrov told Trud, in reference to Russian efforts to quell the hostilities on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border when Azerbaijani forces attacked civilian and military targets in Armenia’s Tavush Province beginning on July 12.

He also attributed the “overwhelming public sentiments on both sides of the border” for the resumption of clashes.

However, it was Lavrov’s inclusion “geographic” factors triggering the tensions that raises concerns of his assessment of the situation.

“The decision by Armenia to revive an old border checkpoint located 15 kilometers (approximately nine miles) from Azerbaijan’s [gas] pipelines that caused heightened concern for one side, and an unjustified response for the other side, as a result of which a confrontation arose with the most unpredictable consequences,” Lavrov told Trud.



Position of Holy See on Armenia-Azerbaijan tensions

Vatche Chakhmakhchian
News.am, Armenia
Aug 19 2020

19:10, 19.08.2020

At the Angelus of last July 19, Pope Francis said he was following with concern "the worsening of armed tensions in the regions of the Caucasus, between Armenia and Azerbaijan", and asked for the commitment of the international community so that "a lasting peaceful solution can be reached".

The appeal stemmed from an escalation on the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The Azeris first tried to take a position in Armenian territory on 12 July, which was followed by various skirmishes which resulted in actual artillery attacks on 16 July. According to other reconstructions, the Armenians have instead tried to take advantageous positions. However, the escalation caused 16 victims.

In a comment sent to ACI Stampa, the Azerbaijani Embassy to the Holy See accuses Armenia of a continued use of the attacks to take "advantageous positions", and argues that everything is has started due to provocations to against the sovereignty of Azerbaijan, as well as to cover the mismanagement by the government of the COVID emergency.

The Azerbaijan Embassy to the Holy See also links the issue to an energy supply issue. It stresses in the statement that there are three oil pipelines departing from Baku (towards Soupsa; towards Tbilisi-Ceyhan; towards Tbilisi Erzurum) and this "has allowed Baku to considerably strengthen the energy security of its partners in the region, Georgia and the Turkey".

The embassy also notes that "currently, with the active financial support of Azerbaijan (which brought 10 billion out of a total of 30 billion), the South Gaz Corridor is being built, a project of pan-European importance, an alternative gas pipeline, consisting of three sections ". In addition, "Azerbaijan is about to open at the end of this year the path of an alternative gas pipeline and thus to develop the supply of gas from different sources to Europe, in order to diversify the means of transporting the gas".

In short, all of this proves – the embassy emphasizes – that "we have no interest in the conflict, while, through these provocations, Armenia tries to discredit Azerbaijan as a reliable gas supplier". Furthermore, Azerbaijan notes that "Armenia is not interested in resolving a conflict with Azerbaijan" on the Nagorno Karabakh issue.

The Holy See is closely monitoring the evolution of the situation. Precisely because of the tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan, it was decided (earlier) not to connect the Nunciature of Tbilisi to Baku. In general, the apostolic nuncio to Georgia was also nuncio to Armenia and Azerbaijan. In 2018, however, Pope Francis decided to appoint Archbishop Paul Fitzpatrick Russell, Nuncio to Turkey and Turkmenistan and also to Azerbaijan.

The tensions concern the Nagorno Karabakh, a mountainous region of about 10 thousand square kilometers in the southern Caucasus.

Armen Sarkissian, Armenian president, also spoke about the issue in a meeting with Catholicos Karekin II; Catholicos of all Armenians, during the visit he made over the weekend of July 18-19 to the Holy See of Etchmiadzin, the "Vatican" of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

During the meeting, Sarkissian and Karekin discussed military operations in course, and underlined that it was important and also symbolic that the clergy of the Apostolic Church in Armenia and the Diaspora "have supported and continue to support Armenia, and to strengthen and encourage the soldiers with their prayers ”.

Relations with the diaspora are also among the topics of the meeting.

This week, Vatican News in its Armenian language (section) published two Armenian government appeals, by Armenian President Armen Sargsyan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In his appeal, the president called on all people in the diaspora to financially support the Armenian border communities, which he claims are subject to attacks.

"Despite the fact that we have been the subject of offensive operations for decades – wrote the president – the residents of the border communities of Armenia remained firm on their land and became our staunch border guards". The president added that "border communities are of strategic importance for the security of Armenia and Artsakh, therefore supporting the security, economical and social (life) of these communities is a national priority".

The Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the other hand, noted that "recently, there have been reported cases and attempts of violence against citizens of Amenia and members of the Armenian community in various countries of the world. There have also been cases of obstruction of the normal work of the diplomatic service abroad and of the Armenian communities, as well as the deliberate destruction of their personal and official property, which in a separate case also threatened the safety of the diplomatic personnel. "

The ministry accused "Azerbaijani state institutions" of conducting the operations, and "strongly condemned the practice of inciting ethnic clashes in several countries, which is another manifestation of Baku's irresponsibility and fits perfectly with the rhetoric and policy of inciting hostility between the two peoples without geographical restrictions ".

The Holy See asks for a commitment from the international community to finally resolve the problem which, as can be understood from the opposite declarations, goes beyond mere territorial issues.

Senators Urge Sanctions Against Turkey

Vatche Chakhmakhchian
August 14,  2020


Senators Robert Menendez (left) and Chris Van Hollen urged the Trump Administration to impose sanctions on Turkey

Senators Robert Menendez and Chris Van Holen, called on the Trump Administration to impose sanctions on Turkey for its increasing aggression in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The senators made the request in a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Thursday ahead of his meeting with Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Denidas, which was scheduled to take place on Friday, according to a news statement from Menendez’s office.

Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations cited Turkey’s recent deployment of naval vessels to shadow a drilling ship into Greece’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and called on the administration to urge Turkey to remove its ships from international waters.

The senators also urged Secretary Pompeo to work with the European Union to impose new sanctions on Turkey, if Turkey continues its increasing aggressions in the Eastern Mediterranean.

“The failure of the United States to act decisively at this critical time will only invite further Turkish escalation. Therefore, we urge you take all appropriate measures to ensure Turkey removes its naval vessels from Greece’s EEZ and adheres to its international obligations,” said the senators in the letter.

Below is the complete text of the senators’ letter to Pompeo.

Dear Secretary Pompeo:

In advance of your meeting with Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias tomorrow in Vienna, we are writing with grave concern regarding Turkey’s provocative actions in the Eastern Mediterranean. Earlier this week, Turkey sent naval vessels to accompany a drilling ship into Greece’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) to survey waters for oil and gas exploration. Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu has said that Ankara would issue new seismic exploration and drilling licenses by the end of August.

As you have previously stated, the United States “will not allow anyone, Turkey, to make unlawful drilling” and “we have told Turkey that actions in international waters are unacceptable and we will take diplomatic initiatives so that all actions that are to being taken are lawful.”

In accordance with your prior statements, we ask you to call on Turkey to remove its ships from Greece’s EEZ and to resolve this matter in accordance with international law.

Second, we ask that you immediately begin to work with the European Union on a coordinated response to Turkey’s increasing provocations and illegal actions in the Eastern Mediterranean. The European Union has already imposed an entry ban and asset freeze on two Turkish energy executives and France recently deployed ships to the Eastern Mediterranean. The United States and the European Union should immediately develop a plan of comprehensive joint sanctions that would be imposed on key sectors of the Turkish economy if Turkey continues to pursue illegal actions in the Eastern Mediterranean and refuses to resolve these matters through an impartial international tribunal.

Third, we reiterate our insistence that the administration follow the law and impose sanctions on Turkey under Section 231 of the Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act (P.L. 115-44).  Under President Erdogan, Turkey has shirked its international obligations and moved away from the NATO Alliance. The administration’s failure to impose sanctions on Turkey for its purchase of the S-400, in accordance with the law, has emboldened President Erdogan’s aggression across the Eastern Mediterranean and throughout the Middle East.

The failure of the United States to act decisively at this critical time will only invite further Turkish escalation. Therefore, we urge you take all appropriate measures to ensure Turkey removes its naval vessels from Greece’s EEZ and adheres to its international obligations.

Glad to see opposition is acting easier than before the revolution, says Pashinyan

Vatche Chakhmakhchian

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 13:00,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 14, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says he is happy to see that the opposition in Armenia is currently acting much easier than before the 2018 revolution.

“Armenia is democratic country and opposition is free to express [themselves] and I am very glad that now opposition in Armenia is acting much easily than before the revolution,” Pashinyan said during an interview with the BBC HARDtalk.

Pashinyan also reminded that in 2020 Armenia registered the largest two-year Democracy Score improvement in the history of the Freedom House’s Nations in Transit 2020 report.

Editing by Stepan Kocharyan

In The Bends And Labyrinths Of Civilizations

Vatche Chakhmakhchian
Modern Diplomacy
Aug 9 2020
 
 
 
 
on August 9, 2020
 
By Valery Paul, PhD
 
What describes a nation, or more importantly who describes a nation? Nations like to tell about heroic, victorious events of their history, it is pleasant; they are proud of their famous compatriots. Moreover, they are flattered to be highly estimated by foreign prominent people for two and a half thousand years and sometimes that words have been even overestimated. But the first-hand sources confirm, consequently, they are real. Accordingly, it is needed to understand why they expressed glorious opinions about Armenians as the authors include famous thinkers of different nations and world greats.
 
There are many scientific hypotheses known in the history of science, which have been rationally explained for many, even hundreds of years. Great thinkers often come to intuitive conclusions that are incomprehensible to most of their contemporaries, they are even being criticized for their ideas. For decades, I kept viewing an approach by Joseph Pitton de Tournefort (1656–1708), a great French thinker and member of Paris Academy who noted; “Armenian nation is the best nation in the world; they are moral, polite, full of chastity and decency.”
 
At first sight, one may take this kind of statement as unreasonable and exaggerated. Armenians are patriotic, proud, but they are very critical to themselves; even a nationalist Armenian will not express such ideas. At the same time, another French thinker, historian, famous geographer Jacques Élisée Reclus (1830–1905) claims: The Armenian villager can be attributed to what Turnefor said; “Armenians are the best people in the world without much exaggeration”, which, in its turn, means that there are still serious grounds for such opinions.
 
More than a hundred years after Tournefort, the great English poet Lord George Gordon Byron wrote. “The virtues of Armenians are their own, and the shortcomings are taken from others”. In short, Armenians are decent and perfect and the like.
 
At first glance, it seems that such opinions require a lot of different knowledge on many nations, which will let us come to a certain conclusion through comparison. In other words, it was necessary to study a certain set of knowledge, which was still quite narrow at the times of the mentioned authors. Accordingly, the conclusions had to have a different starting point.
 
From our point of view, that starting point could have been based on several notorious historical facts, in particular:
 
1) Testimonies of ancient Greek and Roman historians about the Armenian people and Armenia,
 
2) Although several dozen peoples lived in the Armenian Highlands and Mesopotamia in ancient times, but few survived, including the Armenian people,
 
3) Starting from the ancient Roman and Persian periods and throughout the Middle Ages, Armenia was the scene of savage invasions (Arabs, Mongols, Seljuks, Ottomans, etc.), but Armenians continued to keep their existence in the Armenian Highlands,
 
4)  the last mentioned outstanding peace-loving characteristic of the Armenian people, which was manifested both during the powerful Armenian kingdoms and after the loss of statehood
 
5) Existence of Armenian colonies in many countries, including European ones, where Armenians, have both preserved their national identity, and, at the same time, having been integrated  in the new national environment, have contributed to the prosperity of those countries,
 
6) The process of preserving and continuously developing the Armenian language, the theological, philosophical, scientific, literary heritage created in Armenian, and the publishing heritage, too,
 
7) Existence of unique Armenian culture, civilization, and also contribution of Armenians to world civilization.
 
These basic ideas, of course, are not exhaustive; there are and there will possible be other ideas, too. It is necessary to understand the main thing: who is the Armenian, what are his peculiarities and what it was that ensured his existence for millennia?
 
I will emphasize the following description of Immanuel Kant (1724-1804), a great German thinker about Armenians: “Hardworking and intelligent people”, “they have a special origin”, “all the nations accept Armenians with open arms”, they have “excellent mettle”, “it is impossible for us to talk about their preliminary formation”.
 
Till today, modern historiography, linguistics, and ethnography are not “able” to fully present the “preliminary formation” of the Armenian nation, but there are certain assumptions. But first, let us consider the “special origins” of the Armenian people.  One thing is certain; the origin, development and formation of the Armenian people are hidden in the thick fog of thousands of years. At all events, according to the modern genetic research, scientists confirm that Armenians have lived in their highlands for more than 7-8 thousand years. The Armenian language and culture also testify to the mentioned facts. It is clear that the perfection of the language, the elaboration, the rich vocabulary, the ability to express thoughts, ideas, knowledge, human emotions could not be created even for centuries, it has, surely, taken millennia. Differently, the development of the language also has required a rich culture, the development of which also took millennia. Language and culture, complementing and enriching each other, as well as creatively assimilating and synthesizing the best values and traditions of neighboring languages and cultures, have become, one may say, a dominant language and culture of regional significance. Thanks to that, the Armenian people have survived in the Armenian Highlands for millennia.
 
When talking about the special origin of the Armenian people, one can’t help drawing attention to the Armenian Highlands. Generally, living in the mountains is viewed to be one of the best ways of protections from outside attacks, but limiting yourself to it does not yet give answers to many questions. The inhabitants of the mountainous regions have to constantly struggle and adapt to the harsh climatic conditions, and in order to achieve the result they need the joint efforts of the people, which, in its turn, forces them to develop special and stricter forms of coexistence as compared with the conditions in the valleys. On the contrary, mountains devote people certain advantages, such as working tools, raw materials for housing (obsidian, copper, tin, iron, various non-metallic building materials, and the like), easier means of self-protection, and all the rest. And finally, the mountains give people spiritual charge, spirituality, and also form a uniqueway of thinkingand a way of life which corresponds to it. The “One for all, all for one” thinking is typical, first of all, to the mountaineers. The evidence of the last mentioned is not only the way of life, behavior and manners of Armenians, but also of all mountain peoples.
 
There is not any coincidence that the civilizations formed in Mesopotamia, more specifically in the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, have constantly been changed, and the Armenian civilization having been formed in the Armenian Highlands has kept maintaining its existence and developing steadily.
 
The mountaineer, whether he wants it or not, must be honest, decedent, hospitable, hardworking and inquisitive, physically and mentally healthy, conservative, apologist of public and individual order, initiative and courageous, and so on and so forth. Just as he receives guests with open arms, so he will be received with open arms, too. The mountaineer is in need of accepting guests just because he is isolated from the world and needs to be informed about what is going on in the world around him. This is how the “excellent mettle”, mentioned by Kant, has been formed. It is obvious that the bearer of all this is first of all the villager, to whom Reclu rightly attributes Turnefor’s words about Armenians.
 
The “open-arms” feature is also hardened in the cold. Armenians have also been involved in trade for centuries, which comes to say that they have not cheated in doing business, no matter how much they pursued personal interests, on the contrary, they have been able to attract customers, including members of royal families, great princes and feudal lords, nobles, local big merchants, and also to prove their honesty, kindness, without which they would have never been “welcomed with open arms”. Armenian merchants often also acted as royal translators, diplomats, achieved high positions in some countries, and became foreign ministers.
 
It is obvious that during the long contacts the Armenian merchants have not been engaged only in trade, but, simultaneously, have introduced Armenian culture, art, crafts to foreigners, participated in various events of the given country and the like. With their involvement, the Armenians have built churches, schools, established printing houses in the colonies, and came up with charitable initiatives. They have even had a special costume-suit worthy of the time and it is not accidental that Rousseau wore the clothes of an Armenian merchant to avoid political persecution. And, of course, the establishment of that country was well aware of all that.
 
Another characteristic Armenians have, is their peace-loving nature. Turnefor writes that Armenians “consider themselves to be happy when not dealing with weapons, “in contrast with other nations, they take up arms only to defend themselves against any attacks.” Another thing that is worth mentioning is the assurance of the Russian historian Sergei Glinka (1775 / 6-1847). “I am not writing praise, and how far are all stories(about Armenians) from praise? Armenians were not carried away by violent outbursts of conquest by the moral features of their national spirit as all that have been transitory.
 
Defending the homeland, preserving their own independence, withstanding external violence attempts-these are the main goals for them to get armed. Here is why Mihr, one of their pagan Gods, was a spiritual fire that preserved and would not harm the nature and man”. Let’s apply to J. Byron again. “It is difficult to find a chronology of a nation that is free from vicious crimes than that of the Armenians, whose virtues are the product of peace and whose vices are the result of repression”. An English politician, statesman William Ewart Gladstone (1805-1898) is also needed to be mentioned as a known person having written about Armenians; According to him, “Armenians are one of the oldest peoples of the Christian civilization and one of the most peaceful, entrepreneurial and sensible one in the world”, he also mentions that diligence, striving for peace, common sense are the main reasons why slavery was not formed in Armenia as a society.
 
We may continue the series of glorifying Armenians may be continued remembering the German orientalist V. Belkin member of the French Academy, Russian military historian Viktor Abaza (1831-1898) and others. Just let me mention that the biggest proof of the Armenians’ love of/ towards peace is their history, full of episodes of their struggle for independence and liberation, also known in the East for its arrogance, pages about great generals, war heroes and, finally, the best evidence is the epic poem “Sasna Tsrer”. An example of peace-loving feature of the Armenian people is the King Artashes I of the mighty empire of Greater Armenia, who marked the borders of the Armenian kingdom not through force of arms, but through the presence of an Armenian-speaking population. Generally, peace-loving is conditioned with diligence and the ability to acquire wealth on one’s own. For thousands years having lived in the strict conditions of the highlands, Armenians have learned to earn their own living, to work hard, to know the laws of nature, and also to realize that by robbing someone else’s property, you impoverish yourself. Having always been constant victim of the surrounding robbers, Armenians have forever realized that robbery is not the right way to live well. Robbery, theft, taking someone else’s property always causes resistance and as a result of robbery one should be ready not only to gain, but also to lose; one loses his children, his peace of mind, and often becomes a victim of robbery. There have existed many powerful empires, which have disappeared with their peoples before the eyes of Armenians. Every war, even a victorious one, gives birth to a new war and, predominantly, the winner becomes the loser. This is how the Sumerians, Akkadians, Assyrians, Roman and Parthian empires disappeared from the face of the earth.
 
Since the ancient times, plunder has been an important part of the way of life of the peoples having in the European continent, but having adopted the ancient Greek philosophical rationalism, the Europeans did manage to greatly promote education, science, technology, develop the arts, and inherit the cruel, malevolent and arrogant path concentrating on urgent political and economic interests and due to that, they succeeded in ensuring a prosperous life for the “golden billion” of their citizens and subjects.
 
The thinkers of the European Enlightenment, who advocated the ideas of human rights, freedom, equality, “fraternity” proclaimed by the French Revolution, in fact did not have worthy followers and did not guarantee the embodiment of the idea of ”fraternity”. It was all this that led archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann Johann Ludwig Heinrich Julius Schliemann (1822-90) to come to the conclusion according to which “the tragedy of Europe is that its civilization is stood on the Greek rather than the Armenian culture”.
 
Today, the West is reaping the fruits of its sins; international terrorism and international migration. They are just germs and still Europe has a lot to pay for the atrocities, looting, wars, and damage to hundreds of peoples.
 
Above we mentioned about the Armenian colonies, which have a history of thousands of years, and not only multilingual literature, references-studies exist but also significant traces of material culture have been preserved. Some Armenian colonies have been created by the migration of Armenians, when for various reasons the Armenians were forced to leave their homeland, others by the forced resettlement or deportation of savage states. The forcible deportation had several goals: first, to evict the Armenian territories in order to appropriate them once and for all, on the other hand, to make those territories unattractive or unsuitable for the enemy neighboring countries. Our immediate neighbors, Byzantium, Persia, Rech Pospolita, Transylvania, Russia, India, have forcibly or peacefully populated villages, towns, and regions with Armenians. By deporting, sometimes taking advantage of, providing land, economic privileges, national educational, cultural, religious freedoms, granting internal autonomy, Armenians settled their uninhabited or occupied territories, using their commercial and craft potential for their own security and development. What was the reason for this kind of friendly attitude towards Armenians? The answer is obvious. Armenians are hardworking, progressive and, also, peace-loving/peaceful.
 
On this subject, I would love to remind a part from the history of the Crimea. When Russian Empress Catherine II (1762-96) instructed Prince Potemkin to seize the Crimea, he took the following step: invited the Greeks and Christian Armenians, granted tax and property privileges to his country. The caravans of Christian Armenians and Greeks moved to Christian Russia, as a result of which the short-lived worker collapsed economically and lost his resistance on the eve of the Russian invasion.
 
Byzantium once weakened the Armenian kingdoms, evicted Armenians, paved the way for the Turkish troops to the depths of the country, to Constantinople and perished, so the Turks did not shy/keep away from any means, even resorting to genocide and statelessness, depriving themselves of a viable Christian element.
 
The West will also greatly contribute to this, as soon as it gets rid of Britain’s “We have no fixed allies, we have no eternal enemies. Only our interests are immutable and eternal”(Henry Temple, Lord Palmerson, 1848) destructive philosophy. It is necessary to have “permanent friends”, which can be achieved only through mutually beneficial cooperation.
 
Although, at first sight, the words of praise from many famous foreigners about the Armenian people may seem to have been exaggerated, they are really justified. However, this does not still mean that Armenians are the “best” people of the world, at least because there are many “good” nations, who have greatly contributed to the development of human civilization. For centuries, Armenians, having been under the brutal rule of foreigners, have taken many of their flaws and now they have left the national-moral image of their ancestors out having lost many values. Accordingly, I am sending a message to Armenians not only to be proud of the glory and praise of the past, but also to make efforts to restore the special majesty and virtue of the Armenian nation, and to get rid of foreign flaws. Only with that self-purification and exaltation you will be able to consider yourself a virtuous people, which is more important than the praise of others.
 
 

After Beirut tragedy, opposition leader asks authorities to secure Vanadzor chemical plant warehouse

Vatche Chakhmakhchian

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 16:37, 6 August, 2020

YEREVAN, AUGUST 6, ARMENPRESS. Opposition Bright Armenia party leader Edmon Marukyan has addressed Minister of Emergency Situations Felix Tsolakyan over what he describes as “huge amounts” of ammonia, liquid ammonia and 300kg of mercury stored at the premises of the currently defunct Vanadzor Chemical Combine in the eponymous Armenian town.

Marukyan raised the issue days after the catastrophic Beirut explosion on Tuesday which involved ammonium nitrate stored at a warehouse.

The opposition lawmaker said the plant doesn’t have security and all personnel are not working. He said the chemical materials pose a serious risk to the city of Vanadzor if left unattended. According to the MP, the substances could potentially explode due to unsafe conditions and cause thousands of deaths and major destruction. 

“Therefore I asked the minister to urgently issue orders to solve the existing risk of explosion at the plant and eliminate the toxic substances”, Marukyan said.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Defense Industry chief meets with Armenian drone makers to discuss upgrade projects

Vatche Chakhmakhchian

Defense Industry chief meets with Armenian dronemakers to discuss upgrade projects

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 15:09, 4 August, 2020

YEREVAN, AUGUST 4, ARMENPRESS. The head of the Military-Industrial Committee of the Ministry of High-Tech Industry Artak Davtyan has held a meeting with the executives of companies manufacturing unmanned aerial vehicles in Armenia.

Davtyan, who was recently appointed to lead the committee, presented his vision for developing the industry and listened to the proposals of the company executives, the high-tech ministry said.

The CEOs of the Armenian drone-makers presented their current activities and outlined their ideas for improvement.

The science-based development possibilities, upcoming programs and priorities for perfecting the Armenian-made drones were discussed.

The meeting also discussed the experience of the military’s use of the drones during the latest border clashes in July when Azerbaijan launched an attack on Armenia.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

US State Department urges Azerbaijan to stop violence and pressures against opposition figures

Vatche Chakhmakhchian

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 09:54, 31 July, 2020

YEREVAN, JULY 31, ARMENPRESS. The US State Department commented on the recent arrests of opposition figures in Azerbaijan, which coincided with the recent clashes on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, Voice of America reports.

The State Department urged Azerbaijan to refrain from violence and respect the fundamental freedoms. It called on Baku to properly investigate the reports on violence and pressure by the police and hold the guilty ones accountable.

Back in July 20 the US State Department commented on the human rights violations in Azerbaijan. In a report the State Department also touched upon this issue, stating that the Azerbaijani authorities are arresting opposition figures. The Department urged Azerbaijan to avoid using the COVID-19 pandemic to silence civil society advocacy, opposition voices, or public discussion.

The Washington Post published an article titled “Azerbaijan’s president aims to finish off the political opposition”, stating that “Mr. Aliyev’s use of the iron fist to destroy his critics is the opposite of democracy”. 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Fwd: The California Courier Online, July 30, 2020

Vatche Chakhmakhchian
The California Courier Online, July 30, 2020

1 -        Turkish Intellectuals Acknowledge

            The Armenian Genocide on TV Program

            Part III – Final

            By Harut Sassounian

            Publisher, The California Courier

            www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

2-         Armenian forces repel continued Azerbaijani assault in Tavush

3 -        Armenia Fights Coronavirus Pandemic As Azerbaijan Continues
Border Attacks

4-         San Francisco KZV Armenian School Vandalized

5-         Thunberg Wins Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity

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1 -        Turkish Intellectuals Acknowledge

            The Armenian Genocide on TV Program

            Part III – Final

            By Harut Sassounian

            Publisher, The California Courier

            www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

This is the third and final article on a lengthy video in which two
Turkish Intellectuals are advocating the recognition of the Armenian
Genocide by the Republic of Turkey. The discussion took place in 2015
on the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The conversation
between Erdogan Aydin and Aydin Chubukchu is in Turkish with English
subtitles on the video. The name of the one hour and 37 minute-long
program is Tower of Babel. The title of the program is “Facing the
Genocide.” The Turkish discussion was translated and subtitled in
English by Ohannes Kilicdagi, PhD. Here is the final segment of the
excerpts from that discussion:

Moderator: “A question from the TV audience: ‘There are those in this
country [Turkey] who are more Armenian than Armenians….’”

Aydin Chubukchu: “It is wrong to say that genocide was carried on
Turks. It is true that they died massively. They died in the war as
soldiers. Turkish people rather died at the front where their state
sent them: In Gallipoli, Sarikamish, Yemen…Suez, Galicia….”

Moderator: “We cannot call these [Turkish] deaths genocide.”

Aydin Chubukchu: “Of course, we cannot. They died in the war.”

Erdogan Aydin: “For example, the Jewish genocide took place in
Germany. Almost three times more Germans died than Jews. But one
cannot evaluate them under the same category and express condolences
for both.”

Moderator: “You mentioned the Germans who died in the Second World War.”

Aydin Chubukchu: “The one died in the clash of two armies, the other
was civilians massacred by a state. It is not the same thing. Of
course, Turks died, millions died. True. But they died in battles.
There is no state massacring them in Turkey. As for ‘being more
Armenian than Armenians’—right. If the Armenian people are oppressed
and silenced, I will be more Armenian than Armenians and try to be
their voice. If somewhere the Turkish people are oppressed and
silenced by a state then I will be more Turk than Turks and defend
them. I will be more Alevi than the Alevi and defend all who are
silenced: Circassian, Kurd, Arab, Assyrian. I will be more Armenian
than Armenians, more Assyrian than Assyrians to give them voice. This
is not an insult. If that person asking the question is trying to
insult me by saying ‘more Armenian than Armenians,’ it is my honor to
stand in solidarity with the oppressed people.”

Erdogan Aydin: In answer to a question regarding the role of Germany
in the Armenian Genocide: “They [Germans] played an essential role,
but we should be careful not to give the impression that the
[Armenian] genocide was carried out by the Germans.”

Moderator: “You say this does not acquit our Ottomans.”

Erdogan Aydin: “Exactly, because the annihilation of Armenians was
part Islamization and Turkification of this land, beginning before the
war. The policy of Islamization and Turkification of this land,
meaning the cleansing of Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians served the
purpose of Germans who then made the Ottoman Empire and Enver Pasha
their collaborators, so that they would use a wider area of influence
against Russia and also please their collaborators. While pleasing the
Turan dream of their allies, Germany would use the whole Ottoman land
for its own system of exploitation…. The war was seen as an
opportunity for the elimination of distinct domestic groups. The
Ottoman sovereigns of the time aimed two main goals when they entered
the war. First is the founding of a Turan Empire from the Adriatic to
the China Wall leaning on the Germans, through their war mechanism.
Secondly, the war provided them an extraordinary free hand, as no one
could interfere in their domestic affairs. So, on this rare occasion,
they aimed to clean all distinct identities from Anatolia…. This
project is also the reason for sending millions of Ottomans, Turks and
Muslims in the first place, to their deaths. So the responsibility of
the deaths of Turks, in the question you asked, also belongs to those
following Turanism as Talat and Enver. The responsibility for the
annihilation of the whole Armenian population, kids and youth, also
belongs to Talats and Envers…. We should also underline that Armenians
had been organized here 3,000 years before Turks came from Central
Asia…. It is said that they [Armenians] were sent away from war zones.
No! This is an absolute lie. Besides the war zone, they [Armenians]
were exiled from places such as Adapazar, Izmit, Bursa, Eskishehir….
An approach that is based on the state but not the people and their
rights cannot generate democracy and justice. Similarly, people who do
not imagine fatherland with the rights of those living there but as a
piece of soil with a sovereign cannot produce real wealth and justice.
If we could carry our land into the future with Armenians who had been
there before us, we would see how much they, as a people who
constructed European-like cities 100-150 years before, would increase
our material wealth. If they were still here in Turkey, we would have
a higher rank in the unjust global income distribution. If that people
were here today, and we could oppose all powerholders, Turk, Armenian,
Kurd together, murders in Soma and Torunlar would have not happened.
So, facing the Armenian Question calmly means to re-explore
patriotism, our history, wealth, democracy, justice and humanity. It
seems we should repeat to our friends, authors, professors, academics
who try to cover it as ‘deportation’ that those who were deported were
ordinary people (pregnant women, children, the elderly), but not armed
people. We should repeat that our friends and neighbors were deported,
our humanity and conscience with them. Unfortunately, we continuously
talk about the state and its right in a country where they do not
exist. But the state is a mechanism of sovereignty with no conscience
and morality. Humans have conscience, morality, feeling of solidarity,
and their struggle for rights. Democracy is a system where the state
is the weakest and the human is the strongest…. Some of our friends
ask about documents. We should also be freed from document fetishism.
The most important document is the absence of a whole people which
once was one of the essential elements of this land. There cannot be
any document bigger than this. Moreover, a power which was
cold-blooded enough to do such inhuman things, deported, eradicated,
exiled a people, would not leave a document saying ‘I deported and
annihilated you.’ But we can already infer many conclusions from
existing documents….”

Correction: In the previous two articles, I had mistakenly transposed
the names of the speakers Erdogan Aydin and Aydin Chubukchu.

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2-         Armenian forces repel continued Azerbaijani assault in Tavush

By Raffi Elliott

YEREVAN (The Armenian Weekly)—Azerbaijani special forces attempted to
capture a section of the Armenian front line on the night of July 21,
ending almost five days of relative calm. According to Armenian
Defense Ministry (MOD) Spokeswoman Shushan Stepanyan, the assault was
repelled with an unknown number of casualties inflicted on the
intruders. No Armenian casualties were recorded that day.

On July 23, however, 19-year-old soldier Artur Muradyan died after
sustaining severe injuries during Azerbaijani shelling.

These reports were denounced by Azerbaijan as false. “There were no
new attacks, let alone casualties, from our side,” declared
Stepanyan’s Azeri counterpart, Vagif Dargahli. “The Armenian report is
yet another disinformation.” However, the Armenian military has
revealed that several Azerbajiani servicemen who participated in the
raid remain trapped in the no-man’s land between the opposing lines. A
search is being conducted to retrieve them. According to reports, calm
had returned to the region, with the occasional sniper fire being
heard. On the night of July 26, an Armenian soldier, Ashot Gevorkovich
Mikaelyan was killed by an Azerbaijani sniper.

The position in question—known to Armenians as “Anvakh” (Fearless)
Ridge—nestled on the border between Tavush and the adjacent Azeri
province of Tovuz was also the target of a previous disastrous Azeri
assault on July 16 at the tail end of the latest round of fighting
which broke out 10 days ago and killed four Armenian and 12 Azeri
servicemen, as well as one civilian. The repeated targeting of the
site has led some Armenian analysts to speculate about the position’s
strategic importance to Azerbaijani military objectives.

On Tuesday, the Armenian Ministry of Defense displayed a number of
downed Azeri Air Force Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) at a press
event in Yerevan. According to the MOD, the Azeri Airforce lost a
total of $150 million worth of foreign-supplied drone equipment. On
display were several Israeli-made Elbit SkyStriker, Harop, Thunder-B
and Orbiter combat drones, including, as analyst Emil Sanamyan pointed
out, at least some trophies that appear to have been shot down during
the 2016 Four Day War, with at least one dating from 2011.
Additionally, the medium-size, multi-payload Hermes 900 which Armenia
claimed to have shot down last week, was notably absent from the
display. Baku, in turn, says it downed two Armenian UAVs—a claim which
has been denied in Yerevan.

UAVs have played a significant role in the most recent round of
fighting on the border, exemplifying the increased reliance that both
militaries have placed on them in the last decade. UAVs are now
employed in multiple roles when deployed in operational theaters
including reconnaissance missions, artillery spotting and—more
recently—lethal payload delivery. Azerbaijan became the first country
to successfully employ an Israeli-designed ‘suicide drone’ during the
2016 fighting when one was deployed against a military utility vehicle
traveling to the front line. That incident gained further controversy
when Israel’s Justice Ministry later revealed that what the firm
described as a “demonstration” was actually a strike that injured two
ethnic Armenian fighters, leading to a temporary ban on exports of
such weapons systems.

With over three dozen drone kills claimed since 2011, Armenia holds a
global record for the number of Israeli-made UAVs shot down, leading
some to question the effectiveness of the technology. The Armenian Air
Defense Command asserts that domestically-modified 9K33 Osa
surface-to-air missiles allowed them to down the sophisticated Hermes
900 UAV. However, perplexed analysts have also inquired about evidence
of certain UAVs being captured intact—rather than shot down—suggesting
that Armenia has been able to hack them in-flight. Alternative
theories include loss of contact or poor handling by remote pilots.
The recent fighting was also notable for featuring the first
combat-use of domestically-manufactured Armenian UAVs which reportedly
successfully carried out the kill-mission on Azerbaijani Major-General
Polad Gashimov—the highest-ranking Azeri officer to ever die in
action. Armenian drones were also involved in damaging or destroying
at least three Azeri armored vehicles which were seen being retrieved
from the battlefield with special equipment.

Claiming victory, Armenia called on Azerbaijan to avoid similar bouts
of adventurism in the future and pledge to maintain peace. “We hope
that after the failure of its latest military adventure Azerbaijan
will be more responsible in maintaining and strengthening the
ceasefire regime,” said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anna Naghdalyan
on Tuesday. She echoed a suggestion by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan
last week, that new mechanisms be implemented to avoid conflict
escalation, including international monitoring missions and a direct
line of communication between the opposing militaries.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is said to have been conducting
shuttle-diplomacy between the two sides, pleading for an immediate end
to the skirmishes and a halt to artillery fire and drone attacks. The
Moscow-led CSTO’s lackluster response, which failed to blame
Azerbaijan for the incident, was not well-received in Yerevan which is
also a member-state.

Margarita Simonyan, the ethnic-Armenian head of Russia Today (the
Russian state-owned news service) suggested that the CSTO’s response
was appropriate given Armenia’s “anti-Russian sentiment.” She accused
Armenian authorities of provoking Russia by arresting former-president
Robert Kocharyan and refusing to recognize the invasion of Crimea.
“Russia has every moral right to spit on you and grind you into the
ground,” she wrote on her Telegram channel. CSTO member-states have a
treaty obligation to come to the aid of all other member-states in the
event of military aggression by foreign states.

Adding fuel to the fire, the CSTO’s official Twitter account tweeted a
link to Simonyan’s remarks, thus giving them credibility. However, the
tweet was quickly removed, and an apology was issued. Citing a
technical error, the post read, “The opinion of [Simonyan] is
completely contrary to the official position of the CSTO Secretariat.”

The CSTO has yet to condemn Azerbaijan’s invasion of Tavush.

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3 -        Armenia Fights Coronavirus Pandemic As Azerbaijan Continues
Border Attacks

As of Monday, July 27, Armenia has recorded a total of 36,996 cases. A
total of 26,243 of these patients have since recovered while 9,833
cases remain active. The death toll as a direct result of
complications from COVID-19 stands at 700.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a Facebook live on July 24 that
considering the recent escalations on the Armenia-Azerbaijan state
border, the situation with COVID-19 was not the Government’s first
priority over the past few days. Pashinyan noted that for the first
time since June 14, the number of active coronavirus cases has dipped
below 10,000. This, according to the PM, is very important information
and there are reasons to claim that the country has not only entered
the stage of overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic but also strengthened
its resistance to the second wave of the virus, which is expected in
the fall.

Pashinyan also said that certain people have once again started
spreading disinformation about COVID-19 and the anti-epidemic
guidelines introduced by the Government. He went on to explain that
compliance with the anti-epidemic rules (which includes wearing a face
mask) is the reason behind the decreasing numbers. Pashinyan stressed
that wearing a face is an unpleasant experience for everyone,
including himself, but it is one of the main reasons behind the
positive dynamics that the country has registered. He noted that the
recent statistics should encourage everyone to more strictly follow
the anti-epidemic regulations, otherwise the country will very soon
end up in a situation similar to June.

The PM noted that the Government’s goal is to be more prepared for the
expected second wave of the virus. About 700 people have died in
Armenia after battling the coronavirus and this, according to
Pashinyan, is a horrible statistic. Besides wearing a face mask, the
discipline of business entities and people in general also played a
key role. Pashinyan said that the Government has tried to loosen
restrictions as much as possible and if a certain restriction is still
in place, it means that lifting that restriction is not possible or
reasonable at this point. He noted that the relatively stable
situation is still not a guarantee that the country will not register
an increase in the number of confirmed cases in a few days.

Last week, Health Minister Arsen Torosyan met with a team of German
medics who are in Armenia to help local medical staff in their fight
against COVID-19. The meeting took place with members of the German
medical mission and Germany’s Ambassador to Armenia Michael Johannes
Banzhaf. Torosyan thanked the team for being willing to come and share
their expertise, noting that the experience of developed countries is
combating the virus is valuable for developing countries. The medical
team worked alongside Armenian doctors at the St. Gregory the
Illuminator Medical Center, Surb Astvatsamayr Hospital and the Police
Medical Hospital.

The mission was made possible with the combined efforts of Armenia’s
Health and Foreign Affairs Ministries, the German Government, the
German Embassy in Armenia, the EU and the World Health Organization.

On July 22, WHO sent 28,000 protective medical gowns and 20,000 N95
respirator masks for healthcare workers in Armenia. The WHO acquired
the supplies with the financial support of the EU. The Health Ministry
will distribute the PPEs to healthcare facilities which need them.

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

4-         San Francisco KZV Armenian School Vandalized

The Krouzian-Zekarian Armenian School and its adjacent Armenian
Community Center in San Francisco were vandalized overnight on July
23, with what appeared to be Azerbaijani-centric graffiti, along with
expletives and anti-Armenian messages plastered all over the exterior
walls of the building. Community and school officials were on site to
assess the damage. Police are investigating the incident as a hate
crime.

A GoFundMe has been created to help the school recover:
www.gofundme.com/f/kzv-vandalism-repair-fund.

This comes days after Azerbaijani’s instigated violence and attempted
to disrupt a peaceful protest organized by the Armenian Youth
Federation in front of the Azerbaijani Consulate in Los Angeles to
condemn Azerbaijan’s brazen attacks on Armenia’s Tavush Province.

Hate acts against Armenians by Azerbaijanis have surged around the
world. In Moscow last week, a group of Azerbaijani stomped on apricots
from Armenia at a local open air market, and began displaying signs to
not sell to Armenians. In Berlin, on July 23, a car belonging to the
Armenian Ambassador to Germany was set ablaze on Wednesday night.
Armenian cafes were set on fire last week in Kiev, Ukraine

This act of hate is the first time an Armenian school has been
vandalized since January 2019, when both Ferrahian Armenian School and
AGBU Manoogian-Demirjian School in the San Fernando Valley of Los
Angeles were vandalized with Turkish flags.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on July 24 urging
Armenian citizens and members of the Armenian community living abroad
to be vigilant and not give in to any provocations.

“The expanding geography of these actions and the involvement of
Azerbaijani officials in actions against diplomatic missions of the
Republic of Armenia indicate that they are directed by Azerbaijani
state structures. We strongly condemn actions aimed at inciting ethnic
clashes in different countries, which is another manifestation of
Baku’s irresponsibility and fully fits into Azerbaijani leadership’s
rhetoric and policy of inciting hostility between the two peoples
without geographical restrictions,” the statement said.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls on Armenians to immediately
contact local law enforcement bodies, Armenian community structures
and diplomatic representatives of the Republic of Armenia in such
situations,” said the statement.

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

5-         Thunberg Wins Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity

The inaugural Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity has been awarded to Greta
Thunberg. The young Swedish environmental activist was selected among
136 nominees (corresponding to 79 organizations and 57 personalities)
from 46 different countries.

Thunberg’s foundation will donate the award money of 1 million euros
to charitable projects combating the climate and ecological crisis and
to support people facing the worst impacts, particularly in the Global
South. Her foundation will make its donation starting with giving
€100.000 to the SOS Amazonia campaign, led by Fridays For Future
Brazil to tackle Covid-19 in the Amazon; and €100.000 to the Stop
Ecocide Foundation to support their work to make ecocide an
international crime.

Jorge Sampaio, Chair of the Grand Jury of the Prize, has emphasized
the broad consensus of this choice and pointed out “the way Greta
Thunberg has been able to mobilize younger generations for the cause
of climate change and her tenacious struggle to alter a status quo
that persists, makes her one of the most remarkable figures of our
days”.

Sampaio has also stressed her enormous responsibility in consolidating
her pedagogical role and her leadership in the fight against climate
change, as a condition for sustainable development, towards which the
attribution of this Prize aims to contribute.

The Grand Jury, composed of internationally renowned personalities
from the fields of science, technology, politics and culture, has
highlighted Thunberg’s charismatic and inspiring personality, but also
the force of her singular and distressing message capable of arousing
disparate feelings, and her capacity to make a difference in the fight
against climate change.

The President of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Isabel Mota,
emphasized that “By awarding this Prize, the Foundation highlights its
commitment to urgent climate action, fostering communities that are
more resilient and better prepared for future global changes, while
also protecting, in particular, the most vulnerable”.

Greta Thunberg said: “I’m extremely honoured to receive the Gulbenkian
Prize for Humanity. We’re in a climate emergency, and my foundation
will as quickly as possible  donate all the prize money of 1 million
Euros to support organizations and projects that are fighting for a
sustainable world, defending nature and supporting people already
facing the worst impacts of the climate and ecological crisis —
particularly those living in the Global South.”

The Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity, named after Armenian businessman,
art collector and philanthropist Calouste Gulbenkian, is awarded
annually, in the amount of 1 million euros, It aims to recognize
people, groups of people and/or organizations from all over the world
whose contributions to mitigation and adaptation to climate change
stand out for its novelty, innovation and impact.

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

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

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”Full restoration of the ceasefire regime is a must” – article by Armenian Ambassador

Vatche Chakhmakhchian

''Full restoration of the ceasefire regime is a must – article by Armenian Ambassador

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 20:05,

YEREVAN, JULY 21, ARMENPRESS.  Tigran Mkrtchyan, Ambassador of Armenia to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia authored an op-ed on the recent Azerbaijani aggression on the border of the Republic of Armenia, which today was simultaneously published in the largest periodicals of the three countries.

In Lithuania, Ambassador Mkrtchyan's article was published in Lietuvos rytas (Lithuania’s Morning), country's largest daily, as well as online – on the lrytas.lt website; in Latvia, on the cover of "Neatkarīgā" (Independence), one of the country's biggest daily newspapers and on its nra.lv website, and in Estonia, in the print edition of “Eesti Päevaleht” (Estonian daily), which has the largest audience, and on its epl.delfi.ee webpage.

ARMENPRESS presents the translation of the article.

''Full restoration of the ceasefire regime is a must! On July 12th the Azerbaijani border forces started provocative actions on the state borders of Armenia in the north-eastern direction. Civilian population, gas pipeline, factories, including one that makes masks necessary to fight COVID 19 pandemic came under attack.

Anyone who has ever crossed the Armenian-Georgian border on a car knows that the situation in the region situated north east of Armenian-Azerbaijani border is extremely unpredictable. Azeri military oftentimes would start shelling the nearest areas, keeping the population tense. Travelers even might be asked to divert from their route so as not to endanger themselves. In spite of all this, we must admit that the last few days is a different story altogether. Targeting civilian infrastructures is a clear sign of violation of the international humanitarian law.

Still, a few days after the renewal of hostilities, which had to be responded by the Armenian side, we read the mind-blowing threat by the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry about the possibility to launch missile attacks at the Armenian Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant. The threat was a flagrant violation of the International Humanitarian Law in general. Such actions are an explicit demonstration of state terrorism and genocidal intent.

There are members of the international community and organizations that have refrained from pinpointing who the aggressor is, and who the victim is in the absence of independently established facts. Such a stance, which might perhaps look like an appeasement for an aggressor, can be explained by the fact that there are no local ceasefire violation monitoring measures. And here we come to the biggest question mark of the entire situation. Why aren’t there any such measures on Armenian-Azerbaijani borders?

It would be unjust to blame the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs (the USA, France and Russia), the single internationally mandated organization which mediates between the sides seeking a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Diverting hereby I should emphasize that, in 1990s, Azerbaijan, even though it was fighting to gain control over Nagorno-Karabakh, annexed to it by Stalin’s authoritarian decision in 1921, eventually embarked on a total fight and blockade against Armenia. Armenian territory was shelled from all possible angles where it borders with Azerbaijan.

Armenia has repeatedly stated and continues to insist that there is no alternative to a peaceful settlement of the conflict. There are specific proposals for security and confidence-building measures, including an increase in the number and permanent deployment of international observers on the ground, a direct line of communications and the introduction of a mechanism to investigate alleged ceasefire violations. Their implementation will help to avoid further escalation renewals. (https://www.osce.org/mg/185746)

However, Azerbaijan has rejected these control mechanisms, the absence of which contributes to both an increase in civilian casualties and baseless accusations against the Armenian sides. I would like to emphasize that in the current situation, efforts to end hostilities, unconditionally and fully restore, preserve and strengthen the ceasefire regime signed between Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan are imperative.

After the outbreak of COVID 19 at the end of March, the UN General Secretary made an appeal “for an immediate global ceasefire in all corners of the world”, adding that “it is time to put armed conflict on lockdown and focus together on the true fight of our lives.” Hours later the Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Zohrab Mnatsakanyan applauded and welcomed this idea. The Azerbaijani side chose to ignore this appeal, as well.

Moreover, over the years the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs have time and again reiterated that it is an indispensable need to prepare the societies for peace and refrain from war rhetoric. This is an extremely important point, not to be ignored by anyone longing for peace. The Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan soon after the Velvet Revolution in 2018 has adopted the audacious stance that any conflict resolution must be based on mutual compromises and be acceptable to the peoples of Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan.

This idea was never appreciated by Azerbaijan. Moreover, there have been continuous threats, often by the leader of that country claiming Armenia’s capital and other parts of this cradle of ancient civilization as “Azerbaijan’s historical lands” and demanding that “Azerbaijanis must return to these historical lands.”

The dangerous development of poisoned public opinion could be felt soon after the recent clashes between Armenians and Azerbaijanis in Tavush region. The mass rally in Baku where nationalist slogans of Armenophobia could be heard soon enough morphed into anti-governmental appeals, upon which it was immediately dispersed by the Azerbaijani police. Apparently freedom of speech in Azerbaijan is acceptable only when it includes expressions of hatred towards Armenians.

While majority of countries in the world and international organizations are appealing to both sides to refrain from any escalation and return to the table of negotiations, NATO member state Turkey adds fuel to the fire unconditionally supporting Azerbaijan and inciting further actions against Armenia.

Sometimes one may get the impression that the leadership of Turkey feels that the Armenian Genocide, perpetrated by the Young Turks in 1915, has not been “carried out” fully and that the Republic of Armenia should concede to every wish and whim of the Turks and their ethnic brothers, even at the cost of our total annihilation.

It is worth noting that even in the 21st century, Turkey chooses to build its policy in our region on the traditions of justification of the Armenian Genocide and the impunity of that crime. Turkey’s provocative and biased stance seriously undermines the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and proves that Turkey can’t be involved in any international processes related to the conflict and first and foremost within the OSCE framework. With its approaches, Turkey is an existential security threat for Armenia, and should revisit this dangerous behavior as soon as possible.

Summarizing, I would like to note that it is never too late to embrace the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs proposals on the establishment of ceasefire violations mechanisms and it is never too late to accept and respect ceasefire during and after the COVID crisis. For any conflict to be resolved we need political will of all leaders involved and constructive support of international players. History is a witness to this axiom! Tigran Mkrtchyan Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Armenia to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia''.