Author: Yeghisabet Arthur

Pashinyan extends condolences to Georgian counterpart after deadly landslide in Racha

Yeghisabet Arthur

 18:00, 4 August 2023

YEREVAN, AUGUST 4, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has offered condolences to his Georgian counterpart Irakli Garibashvili on the deadly landslide in the region of Racha.

“I am deeply shocked by the deadly and devastating disaster in Georgia’s Racha region. On behalf of the people and government of Armenia, I express condolences and support to you and the brotherly people of Georgia. I wish resilience to the families and friends of the victims, and speedy recovery to those injured. We share the deep sorrow of the brotherly Georgian people at this difficult time,” Pashinyan said in a telegram sent to Garibashvili.

Azerbaijan arrests Nagorno-Karabakh resident for ‘illegal border crossing’

Yeghisabet Arthur
Aug 2 2023
 2 August 2023

ByAni AvetisyanandIsmi Aghayev

Azerbaijan has arrested a 55-year-old resident of Nagorno-Karabakh near the Lachin Corridor checkpoint, accusing him of attempting to illegally cross into Armenia.

Rashid Begleryan was detained by Azerbaijani border guards on Tuesday.

Azerbaijani authorities have accused Begleryan of attempting to cross illegally from Azerbaijan into Armenia.

The authorities in Stepanakert stated that Beglaryan was under the influence of alcohol and lost his way near the village of Hin Shen, close to the Lachin checkpoint, accidentally crossing the line of contact into Azerbaijani government-controlled territory. 

According to Nagorno-Karabakh’s Mayor of Shushi (Shusha) in-exile, Beglaryan had lived in Shusha before Azerbaijan took control of the city in 2020, at which point he moved to the village of Khndzoristan in eastern Nagorno-Karabakh.

Beglaryan’s son told RFE/RL that he did not know why his father got to Hin Shen, and that they had not been living with him. 

Beglaryan is the second resident of Nagorno-Karabakh to be detained by Azerbaijan in less than a week. On 30 July, Vagif Khachatryan was arrested while trying to cross the Lachin checkpoint with the Red Cross to undergo heart surgery in Armenia. Azerbaijan accused him of war crimes committed during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. 

Representatives of the Red Cross met with Khachatryan following his arrest. 

On Tuesday, the European Court of Human Rights demanded that Azerbaijan provide information about his whereabouts and details about his health by 8 August, following an appeal from Armenia. 

Yerevan has called the arrest of Khachatryan a war crime. 

News of the arrests came as food and medical shortages in blockade-struck Nagorno-Karabakh deepen.

The Armenian government has attempted to send 400 tonnes of humanitarian aid to the region via the Lachin corridor, however, Baku has so far refused to allow the convoy to pass. The lorries have stood near the Lachin checkpoint for the past week.

Azerbaijan has suggested that supplies instead be delivered through the Aghdam-Stepanakert road, a proposal rejected by Yerevan and Stepanakert. Officials and civil society groups have accused Azerbaijan of using the route as a way to keep the Lachin Corridor closed.

While the EU has backed the idea of using the Aghdam road for humanitarian purposes, it also stated that the road cannot be an ‘alternative’ to the Lachin Corridor, which is the only road connecting the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia. 

In an interview with Euronews on Tuesday, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev took a threatening tone, insisting the Armenians of Nagrono-Karabakh must integrate into Azerbaijan.

‘Armenians of Karabakh should understand that they will live a normal life as a part of the Azerbaijani society with security guarantees, their rights, including education, culture, religion, and municipal rights’, Aliyev said. ‘They will stop being hostages of manipulation.’

‘They should also understand that they will not continue to count us out. If they do, if they continue to act like we don’t exist, or if they live in a fictional country with a “president”, “ministers”, “parliamentarians”, the situation they are in today will not change in their favour’, he said.

 For ease of reading, we choose not to use qualifiers such as ‘de facto’, ‘unrecognised’, or ‘partially recognised’ when discussing institutions or political positions within Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and South Ossetia. This does not imply a position on their status.

https://oc-media.org/azerbaijan-arrests-nagorno-karabakh-resident-for-illegal-border-crossing/

Armenia Ranks Fourth in Semiconductor Exports for Defense Industry

Yeghisabet Arthur
Fagen Wasanni Technologies
Poland –
 Chelsea Johnson

Armenia has emerged as the world’s fourth largest exporter of semiconductors for the defense industry, according to Azernews. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Armenia saw a significant increase in semiconductor exports to Russia, making it a key player in this market segment.

The volume of semiconductor exports from Armenia to Russia has steadily grown since the beginning of the war. The growth in exports highlights Armenia’s ability to meet the demand for semiconductors in the defense industry.

It is worth noting that the majority of Armenia’s semiconductor exports to Russia are re-exports. Armenia relies on imports for the production of semiconductors and complex equipment, as the country does not have the capability to manufacture them domestically.

Despite its involvement in providing substantial assistance to Russia during the war in Ukraine, Armenia has not faced any significant sanctions from the international community. This underscores the double standards of the West in dealing with such situations.

Armenia’s rise as a major player in the semiconductor exports for the defense industry demonstrates the country’s potential in this sector. The growth in exports also indicates Armenia’s ability to meet the needs of its partners in the defense industry.

Top military officials of Armenia, US hold meeting in Washington

Yeghisabet Arthur
By

 Daily Excelsior

 -

21/07/2023

Yerevan, July 20 :  Armenian Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces and First Deputy Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Edward Asryan met with US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley during his working visit to Washington, the Armenian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.
“As part of the conference taking place in Washington, Asryan had a short conversation with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley. During the conversation, the importance of the state partnership program with Kansas was emphasized,” the ministry said.
Asryan is on a working visit to the United States where he attended the conference dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Department of Defense and National Guard State Partnership Program.

https://www.dailyexcelsior.com/top-military-officials-of-armenia-us-hold-meeting-in-washington/

Luxury hotel lease angers residents in Jerusalem’s Armenian Quarter

Yeghisabet Arthur
Israel –
Nicole Jansezian/The Media Line|08:41
The developer who leased a large portion of the Armenian Quarter has presented to the Jerusalem Municipality a concept for a luxury hotel complex that would encompass 10% to 20% of Armenian land with the potential to tack on “adjacent” properties during the duration of the lease.

Details of the contract between the Armenian patriarch and Xana Gardens Ltd. were made public for the first time during the presentation on Friday of a fact-finding report by a team of international lawyers from the United States and Armenia. 
Audible groans rippled through the main square of the Armenian Convent as Setrag Balian, one of the activists opposing the deal, read the report’s conclusions during a press conference. Residents lingered after the presentation to pore over the information, which included a copy of the contract that shows what appears to be an altered date.
If the lease goes through, many fear it will forever alter the Armenian and Christian presence in Jerusalem.
“I feel betrayed,” Serop Sahagian told The Media Line. “It’s against us and our interests, but this has all been done by those idiots, one of whom is called the patriarch.”
He fears the company, Xana, is a front for a Jewish organization that seeks Old City land.
“We are at a very dangerous crossroads,” Sahagian said. “I hope we can survive this. Our community activities are in real danger. We cannot have any community activities if we don’t have a parking lot – the school and our clubs will be under real pressure.”
The plan presented to City Hall calls for a sprawling luxury hotel complex, managed by the exclusive One&Only chain, between 14,000 and 16,000 square meters (3.5 to 4 acres), well beyond the 11,500 square meters mentioned in the contract. The parking lot alone is 7,000 square meters.
This would mean the eviction of residents, businesses, and the Armenians’ seminary hall.
The lease in question is a 49-year contract for the Cow’s Garden, the name for the land currently used as a parking lot for Armenian residents of the quarter. The contract allows the lessee to extend the contract for another 49 years. The Armenian Patriarchate, according to details of the contract signed by Patriarch Nourhan Manougian, an archbishop and the patriarchate’s then-real estate director, would receive an annual rent of $300,000 for the land during the duration of the lease.
The Media Line was able to view, but not copy or photograph, the documents.
Balian believes the report also offers hope in an expected legal battle to try to reverse the deal. The date on the contract appears to be altered from July 7 to July 8, 2021, to reflect the day that Xana Gardens Ltd. was incorporated in Israel. Also, the contract has three confirmed signatures on the Armenian side but only a stamp from the company without a signature or a position associated with it.
One of the signatories, now deposed priest and then-real estate director Khachik (formerly Baret) Yeretzian, told The Media Line in an interview in May that the land had been shopped around to hotel investors for decades. He said this one was the most financially beneficial for the Patriarchate.
Yeretzian brushed off comparisons to the sale of the Greek Patriarchate land including two hotels at Jaffa Gate to a Jewish land redemption group, saying that the developer, Danny Rothman (also known as Rubinstein), is not religious.
“The Greeks made the contract with Ateret Cohanim,” he said. “We did it with a secular Jew.”
Ateret Cohanim is a religious Jewish nongovernmental organization that aims to “redeem” land in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City and other predominantly Palestinian neighborhoods in East Jerusalem by reestablishing a Jewish presence in it. The organization utilizes various legal means, including buying properties directly or indirectly from Palestinian owners and seeking court orders for properties that were Jewish-owned prior to 1948. Its activities have been controversial, with critics arguing they exacerbate tensions between Israelis and Palestinians and contribute to demographic change in historically Palestinian neighborhoods.
After the controversial Armenian Quarter deal reverberated all the way to Los Angeles and Yerevan, Yeretzian was defrocked by the Armenian patriarch for “for his disloyalty and especially the series of frauds and deceptions he committed.” He said, however, that he was made a “scapegoat” by the patriarch whose signature matters more than his.
The Kingdom of Jordan and the Palestinian Authority froze their recognition of Manougian and called upon him to revoke his signature.
“Jordan and Palestine considered the land deal a threat to the status quo of occupied Jerusalem and a further attempt by Israel and Israeli settler groups to Judaize Jerusalem and change the facts on the ground,” the lawyers said in their 184-page report.
The Armenian Quarter – just one-seventh of the area of the Old City – has long been at the center of a tug-of-war between Israelis and Palestinians in final status negotiations of Jerusalem.
“A walled city of one square kilometer is a bone of contention,” said Amb. Manuel Hassassian, a veteran Palestinian diplomat, now the PA’s envoy to Denmark, who was in charge of the Jerusalem file in the 2000 Camp David negotiations. “[Palestinian] President [Yasser] Arafat did not concede [the Armenian Quarter].”
Hassassian said the Armenian Quarter was “hardest to crack” in the negotiations in 2000 because it is the bridge between the Jewish and Christian quarters. Conceding it to the Israeli side, he said, disrupts the contiguous access of the Armenians to the Christian Quarter.
Should the deal go through now, “Jerusalem is a lost cause” for Christians and Palestinians, he said.
“All the property opposite the Armenian compound will go to the Israelis and that means the end of the Armenian Quarter and an end to the final status negotiations,” he said. “This is more than a calamity to Armenians and Palestinians in Jerusalem.”
“The diverse mosaic will be gone. The population of Christian Jerusalem is jeopardized,” he added.
Manougian has not publicly commented and has refused requests to publicize the contract. Some 2,000 residents live in the quarter where Armenians have maintained a presence for 1,600 years.
Hassassian accused Israel of “trying to take over” New Gate, which provides access to the Christian Quarter, as well, with municipal investments and events in the heart of the Christian Quarter.
“Bit by bit, they want to swallow the Old City,” he said. “Since nothing was achieved at Camp David, and since we barely had negotiations since Camp David, now they use this incremental strategy until they change the nature of the Old City, which is hard to reverse.”
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/h1ueumtf2



 

 

Greece, Cyprus, And Armenia Are Increasing Military Cooperation And Upgrading Their Armed Forces

Yeghisabet Arthur
 Forbes 
July 9 2023
Paul Iddon

Contributor

I write mostly about Middle East affairs, politics and history.

Greece, Armenia, and Cyprus held trilateral defense consultations on July 5. The meeting comes as the armed forces of all three nations are undergoing substantial changes.

During that meeting, held in Cyprus, officials from the three countries discussed security issues of mutual interest and reaffirmed aims to strengthen their respective defenses and security. They also signed a cooperative plan for a series of events they will hold on each other’s territories over the next year.

The meeting coincided with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s conservative government securing a second term. Mitsotakis reiterated that his government’s “priority is to safeguard the country” and will continue with its multi-billion euro military buildup.

Greece has already ordered 24 Dassault Rafale multirole fighters from France as part of that buildup. The bulk of the Hellenic Air Force F-16 fleet is also being upgraded to the most modern Block 72 standard. And most significantly, Athens is ordering at least 20 fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighter jets, and has the option to buy 28 more.

These acquisitions are proceeding despite a thaw in tensions with Turkey. Heightened tensions and standoffs with Ankara in 2020 at least partially prompted this ongoing buildup, the most expansive in decades.

Mutual fear and opposition to Turkey’s ambitions in the Eastern Mediterranean and South Caucasus undoubtedly helped motivate increased military cooperation between Athens, Nicosia, and Yerevan.

While Greece’s ongoing military buildup is much more significant than that of either Armenia or Cyprus, the East Mediterranean island nation’s current procurements are noteworthy in other ways.

Between 1987 and 2020, the United States had Cyprus under a strict arms embargo aimed at preventing an arms race on the partitioned island. It began lifting that embargo in 2020.

As with its ally Armenia, the Cypriot military consists primarily of Russian hardware. Nicosia bought T-80U/UK main battle tanks and BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles from Moscow in the mid-1990s. Its attempts to acquire longer-range S-300 PMU-1 air defenses during that period ignited a crisis with Ankara. A possible war on the island was averted when the advanced batteries were diverted to Greece. Nicosia ultimately received medium-range Buk and short-range Tor missiles for its air defense.

Like Mitsotakis, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides is determined to strengthen his country’s military. In March, he vowed to allocate at least 2 percent of the Cypriot gross domestic product to defense spending, stressing that “without a strong defense, your say in foreign policy matters is clearly limited.”

In June, Cyprus was one of five European countries that signed a letter of intent to purchase short-range French Mistral air defense missiles. In early 2020, Nicosia reportedly signed a 240 million euro contract (approximately $263 million) for Mistrals and Exocet anti-ship missiles.

While Cypriot-French defense cooperation isn’t new, there have been increasing signs over the past year that Cyprus intends to buy more Israeli military hardware. To date, Nicosia has only purchased a handful of Israeli Aerostar and Searcher surveillance and reconnaissance drones and small arms.

In August 2022, Greek media reported that the Cypriot Defense Ministry had already begun to “implement the government’s decision to purchase” Israel’s well-known Iron Dome air defense system and that agreements were already signed.

However, there have been no further details since, and it’s unclear when and how many Iron Dome batteries Cyprus will ultimately procure.

On the other hand, this June, sources in both Cyprus and Israel confirmed to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that both countries are discussing a sale of Israeli Merkava tanks. Cyprus will become the first European country to field the Israeli main battle tank if the deal goes through.

Even if it takes delivery of the Merkava and Iron Dome, the current Cypriot government may still oppose transferring its T-80s, BMPs, or Buk/Tors to Ukraine. In a June press conference, Christodoulides unequivocally ruled out sending any of this equipment in exchange for more modern Western replacements. He stressed that Nicosia remains committed to “increasing defense spending, strengthening the deterrence of the Republic of Cyprus and reaching 2 percent of the budget.”

(Christodoulides’ ruling out transferring T-80s may suggest that Cyprus aims to replace its older French-built AMX-30 tanks with the Israeli Merkavas and keep those bigger Russian tanks in service for a little while longer.)

Out of these three countries, Armenia’s defense buildup is less significant. Nevertheless, Yerevan is taking notable steps to diversify its defense acquisitions and lessen its heavy reliance on Russia.

An enormous 94 percent of Armenia’s “imports of major arms” in 2011-20 came from Russia. Now, Yerevan is seeking alternatives and doubtlessly hopes to markedly reduce that 94 percent.

Two major events undoubtedly spurred this decision. Firstly, Armenia’s devastating defeat by the Azerbaijani military, equipped with modern Turkish and Israeli drones, during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. Secondly, the ongoing Russian war on Ukraine and the consequent supply issues.

In June, the Secretary of the Armenian Security Council, Armen Grigoryan, said Yerevan is in talks with “many countries” on arms sales.

“It means that if Armenia has a problem, it is looking for alternative options to resolve the problem in relations between Armenia and Russia in what concerns weapons supplies,” he told Armenian television. “We see the reality. It is Russia’s war in Ukraine. So, we understand that Russia has not so many possibilities to export weapons.”

In recent years, Armenia has sought closer defense ties with India. As noted by Armenian media, Yerevan’s interest in Indian military hardware predated the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. Earlier that year, for example, Armenia signed a $40 million arms deal for four Indian radars designed to track incoming enemy projectiles and locate their firing positions and launchers. In June of that year, Armenia also negotiated buying drones and other weaponry from India.

Armenia became the first foreign buyer of India’s Pinaka multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) in a $250 million deal for at least four batteries revealed in September 2022.

Going forward, Armenian-Indian defense ties look set to expand exponentially. In May, Yerevan appointed a defense attaché to its New Delhi embassy in light of “strong interest shown recently by state structures, private organizations and companies of the military-industrial complex towards bilateral cooperation.”

Transitioning from Russian to Indian weaponry may prove relatively straightforward for Armenia, given the similarities in many systems. India has a long and successful track record of producing and customizing Russian origins systems locally. As previously speculated in this space, New Delhi’s experience locally producing the Su-30MKI fighter jet could make it an ideal candidate for customizing Armenia’s modest Su-30SM fleet, the only fighters in that country’s air force. India could potentially even provide Armenia with unique and advanced weapons for these aircraft, possibly including the air-launched version of its supersonic BrahMos cruise missile, which could greatly enhance their strategic value for Yerevan.

Time will ultimately tell on that front. But what is already abundantly clear is that, as they forge closer defense ties, the armed forces of Greece, Cyprus, and Armenia are undergoing some notable transformations.

Azerbaijani state media hints at another offensive in Karabakh

Yeghisabet Arthur
July 7 2023
Heydar Isayev, Lilit Shahverdyan Jul 7, 2023

Azerbaijan's pro-government media has been signaling potential further military action against the Armenian-controlled part of Nagorno-Karabakh. 

And the president in his most recent speech stressed that ending the presence of any Armenian armed groups was a prerequisite for a comprehensive peace deal with Yerevan.

On July 3, the head of Azerbaijani state television AzTV, Rovshan Mammadov, said on his weekly talk show that Baku was within its rights to conduct "an anti-terror operation," in Karabakh and suggested it be titled "Revenge 3". 

"International law also allows for it. It's our territory – established by international law," Mammadov said. "But, once again – we don't want a war. We're committed to the peace process. However, we need to see Armenia's recognition of Karabakh as Azerbaijani territory not only verbally – but in a document." 

(Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said explicitly in May that Armenia was ready to recognize Azerbaijani sovereignty over Nagorno-Karabakh in exchange for internationally backed guarantees for the rights and security of the region's Armenian population.)

New Azerbaijan, the official newspaper of the ruling party, published a similar commentary on July 4 under the subhead "[Armenian] provocations lay the groundwork for Revenge 3". 

"Such situations [as the wounding of an Azerbaijani soldier] make a possible 'Revenge 3' operation relevant. Armenia's non-fulfillment of its obligations under the tripartite declaration signed in 2020 has created a new situation in the region," it read. 

"After the deployment of the Russian peacekeeping contingent to the relevant territories, the Armenian armed forces did not leave the territory of Azerbaijan, as it seems, on the contrary, they are engaged in new provocation-oriented activities."

The proposed title for the possible offensive refers to an operation in August 2022 when Azerbaijan captured additional territory in Nagorno-Karabakh, killing two Armenian soldiers and wounding 19 in the process. The Defense Ministry dubbed it Operation Revenge because it followed the killing of an Azerbaijani soldier. 

Another attack just two weeks ago was christened Revenge 2 by pro-government media because it followed an incident where an Azerbaijani soldier was wounded. 

President Ilham Aliyev brought up the subject once again in his most recent speech. Addressing a meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement in Baku on July 5, Aliyev said there are still "remnants of Armenian armed forces" in Karabakh. 

"If Armenia is really interested in achieving long-awaited peace in the region, then its armed forces must completely leave the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan," he warned. "Armenian military and paramilitary elements on the ground should be disarmed and demobilized."

Armenia pledged to withdraw all its troops from Karabakh by September 2022. The Armenian troops Aliyev was talking about belong to the de facto administration of Nagorno-Karabakh's own armed force, the Artsakh Defense Army. 

Prior to Armenia's defeat in the 2020 Second Karabakh War, that force was largely integrated with the army of the Republic of Armenia. Before the war, conscripts from Armenia were sent to serve in and around Nagorno-Karabakh. 

Aliyev and other Azerbaijani officials are clearly refusing to make a distinction between Armenian troops and Karabakhi Armenian troops.

Thomas de Waal, an analyst at the Carnegie Endowment, believes the Azerbaijani media hype is not a sign of a coming offensive but rather a negotiating tactic. 

"I do not think that we should expect a serious escalation from the Azerbaijani side," he told RFE'RL's Armenian service. "As we have seen over the past two years, they have adopted a tactic that can be described as 'coercive diplomacy', that is, the use of both force and diplomacy. This means that we sometimes see escalation, but it does not reach the level of full-scale war as long as negotiations continue."

As tensions rise over a possible escalation and demands to dissolve the local army, Karabakh's de facto president, Arayik Harutyunyan, addressed a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin to be delivered by the Armenian prime minister. 

Karabakh's Foreign Minister, Sergey Ghazaryan, later clarified that the letter restated their expectation that the Russian peacekeepers will "fully lift the blockade" of Nagorno-Karabakh that recently came to exclude even patient transfers and supplies of essential items.

Soon afterward, the Kremlin press service reported a phone conversation between Prime Minister Pashinyan and President Putin "at the initiative of the Armenian side," where the leaders discussed the difficult situation around Nagorno-Karabakh.

Russia is overseeing peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan that are not coordinated with parallel negotiations brokered by the EU and the U.S.

The key sticking point in the talks has long been the fate of Karabakh's Armenian population. Yerevan, and the Western mediators, want Baku to hold talks with Karabakh Armenian representatives on their rights and security under prospective Azerbaijani rule.

Early in July, Armenian media reported on a U.S. offer to mediate Karabakh-Azerbaijan talks in a third country. Artur Harutyunyan, the parliamentary leader of Karabakh's ruling party, told RFE/RL that Stepanakert refused because the only issues up for discussion were the "agenda pushed by Azerbaijan," namely the "integration" of Karabakh Armenians into Azerbaijan. 

In an interview with Armenian Public TV, while speaking about the possibility of Armenians living in Azerbaijan, the US Ambassador to Armenia said, "We believe and hope it's possible." The statement sparked backlash both in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.

In a June 29 government hearing, Arayik Harutyunyan, Karabakh's president, restated that "There's only one topic Baku discusses with us – integration. There's no second topic."

Nagorno-Karabakh has previously agreed to negotiate with Azerbaijan on humanitarian issues, such as ensuring unhindered movement between the region and Armenia and restoring the gas supply in the region, which has been cut since March 22. But for most of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, integration with Azerbaijan is a "red line" they're not willing to cross.

Azerbaijan has continuously insisted on their willingness to negotiate with Nagorno-Karabakh after Karabakh disbands its defense army.

President Harutyunyan additionally remarked during the hearing: "Let me tell you the sequence: we announce that we have disbanded the army, we dissolve the state administration system. They [Azerbaijan] barely create a mechanism for municipal elections, after which they will restore gas and electricity and let us use the road. And clearly, they will allow us to do it only as citizens of Azerbaijan." 

Heydar Isayev is a journalist from Baku.

Lilit Shahverdyan is a journalist based in Stepanakert. 

AW: ANCA backs NDAA amendments to save Artsakh and sanction Azerbaijan

Yeghisabet Arthur
July 1, 2023 ANCA ANCA News 0

WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is mobilizing on Capitol Hill and in Congressional districts across America to hold Azerbaijan accountable for its seven-month blockade of Artsakh and escalating anti-Armenian aggression – backing a series of targeted amendments to the fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA – H.R.2670) to sanction Azerbaijan, support U.S. aid to Artsakh and advance Artsakh self-determination.

The ANCA is leading a nationwide grassroots effort to encourage representatives to cosponsor each of the amendments, which are set to be considered by the House Rules Committee as early as the week of July 10. The full U.S. House will have the opportunity to vote on each of the amendments that are ruled in order, either separately or grouped together “en bloc,” during consideration of H.R.2670. Amendments with strong, bipartisan backing are generally considered more favorably by the Rules Committee.

“With Azerbaijan’s brutal blockade of Artsakh now in its seventh month, Congress must act immediately to prevent a second Armenian Genocide by adopting amendments which would sanction Azerbaijan, stand up for Artsakh’s right to self-determination, and send assistance to the 120,000 indigenous Armenian Christians of Artsakh,” said ANCA executive director Aram Hamparian. “Take action today at www.anca.org/NDAA.”

The thirteen pro-Artsakh/Armenia amendments to the NDAA Bill are as follows:

Amendment 163 – Introduced by Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA), the amendment “directs a report to Congress on the humanitarian impact of the blockade of the Lachin Corridor and a long-term assessment of the blockade’s impact on Nagorno-Karabakh’s food, agricultural, water, and energy security.”

Amendment 340 – Spearheaded by Congressional Armenian Caucus co-chairs Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), this amendment calls for the “prohibition on military aid and security assistance to the defense, security, and border forces of the Government of Azerbaijan.

Amendment 426 – Introduced by Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA), this amendment commissions a report on the energy partnerships Azerbaijan has had with Russian and Iranian companies which undermine international sanctions.

Amendment 556 – Spearheaded by Greek American Representatives Chris Pappas (D-NH) and Dina Titus (D-NV), this amendment calls for an investigation into the use of Turkish F-16s during the 2020 Artsakh war.

Amendment 692 – Led by Rep. Frank Pallone and Rep. Gus Bilirakis, this amendment calls for U.S. sanctions on Azerbaijan for human rights violations committed against Armenians in Artsakh and calls for the immediate opening of the Berdzor (Lachin) corridor.

Amendment 721 – Led by the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe, Rep. Thomas Kean Jr. (R-NJ), this amendment “requires the Secretary of State to provide the relevant Congressional Committees updates on the status of freedom of movement in the Lachin Corridor.”

Amendment 858 – This second amendment led by Rep. Thomas Kean Jr. “requires the Secretary of State to report on if U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan is being used to undermine the status of ongoing peace negotiations with Armenia.”

Amendment 863 – Led by Central Valley California Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA), this amendment “requires a report into the applicability of sanctions under existing statute (Magnitsky Act) to designate Azerbaijani government and military officials complicit in the perpetration of human rights abuses during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War, and in relation to the ongoing blockade of the Lachin Corridor.”

Amendment 947 – Led by Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), this amendment calls on the Departments of State and Defense to explain their waiver of Section 907 restrictions on U.S. aid to Azerbaijan and argues that the waiver has “emboldened Azerbaijan to violate human rights and international law with impunity.”

Amendment 1087 – Introduced by Rep. Tony Cardenas (D-CA), this amendment calls on the Secretaries of State and Defense to submit a report to Congress on the use of “U.S. parts and technology discovered in Turkish Bayraktar drones deployed by Azerbaijan against Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan’s use of prohibited munitions against Nagorno Karabakh and Turkey and Azerbaijan’s recruitment of foreign terrorist fighters to participate in military operations against Nagorno Karabakh.”

Amendment 1127 – Introduced by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), this amendment would prohibit the Departments of Defense, State and Commerce from “authorizing new export licenses for offensive weapons for Azerbaijan, until Azerbaijan ceases the offensive use of force against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.”

Amendment 1132 – This second amendment introduced by Rep. Adam Schiff expresses the “sense of Congress that any lasting peace in the South Caucasus must ensure that the inalienable right to self-determination of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh is upheld.”

Amendment 1160 – This third amendment introduced by Rep. Adam Schiff calls for Azerbaijan’s “immediate and unconditional release of Armenian POWs.”

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The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and most influential Armenian-American grassroots organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.


US mediates new peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Yeghisabet Arthur
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reportedly opened closed-door talks with the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan at a State Department office just outside Washington for peace talks between the two rival countries.

The United States on Tuesday opened three days of peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan, its latest attempt to quell a conflict that has flared repeatedly.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken opened closed-door talks with the adversaries' foreign ministers at a State Department office just outside Washington, the second such negotiation session he has led in as many months.

"We continue to believe that peace is within reach and direct dialogue is the key to resolving the remaining issues and reaching a durable and dignified peace," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said ahead of the talks, which he added would cover "very sensitive" areas.

Russia has historically been the mediator between the two former Soviet republics but the United States and European Union have been increasingly active as Moscow gets bogged down in its invasion of Ukraine.

Armenia has repeatedly accused Russian peacekeepers of failing to live up to promises to protect ethnic Armenians in line with a 2020 ceasefire negotiated by Moscow after six weeks of fighting left thousands dead.

Russia last week pressed Azerbaijan to let traffic through the Lachin corridor that links Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh, a predominantly ethnic Armenian area effectively controlled by Yerevan since war during the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said Azerbaijan had blocked access for convoys delivering aid to Karabakh, raising concerns of shortages of food and medicine.

Russia said that Azerbaijan was violating its obligations to allow traffic to flow. Azerbaijan has insisted that civilians and aid convoys can travel through, with the blockade since December nominally staged by Azerbaijani activists to protest illegal mining.

The international community has a responsibility to take action. Margaryan raises the Lachin issue at the UN

Yeghisabet Arthur

 17:31,

YEREVAN, JUNE 27, ARMENPRESS. In the conditions of the existential threat created for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, the international community bears the responsibility of taking action and preventing crimes, ARMENPRESS reports, Permanent Representative of Armenia to the UN Mher Margaryan emphasized in his speech at the discussion held on June 26 under the agenda item "Responsibility for the protection and prevention of genocides, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity" in the UN General Assembly.

The discussion touched on the ongoing blockade of the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan in violation of its legal obligations and the ruling of the International Court of Justice, which endangers the lives of innocent citizens, which is against international humanitarian law. It was emphasized that Armenia appealed to the UN to send a mission to Nagorno-Karabakh in order to assess the humanitarian, security and human rights situation of the population.

The Permanent Representative of Armenia noted that the continuous violations of the fundamental human rights of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh and the rejection of international humanitarian presence reveal the intent of Azerbaijan's genocidal policy. It was emphasized that in the conditions of the existential threat created for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, the international community bears the responsibility of taking actions and preventing crimes.

Ambassador Margaryan emphasized Armenia's full commitment to efforts to eliminate impunity, including through international criminal justice mechanisms.